Chapter 6- Broken
Day Six
By the sixth day, Gene was on top of the world. His mind was clear, he was in a good mood and he felt like he could conquer anything! On top of that, there was only a little time left before the bet was over and he was free!
But Gene knew better now.
He knew that even out of the bet, it would be better for him to check his anger because why stay angry all the time? He had good friends, he had a good position in the game (well, not when the game was going but being mayor was still a good position!) and he had someone he loved.
Mary.
Oh, Mary.
As Gene helped the others clean up after the day's gameplay, he made a glance over to the Nicelander in pink, the woman chatting with several of the other ladies. He let out a heartfelt sigh just thinking of her.
"Steady Gene…." The man thought to himself as he straightened up "It's okay to be in love but don't go all puppy-dog in front of EVERYONE!"
"Somethin' on your mind?" said a cocky voice from the side.
Gene turned around to see Norwood giving him a playful grin "Or should I say SOMEONE?"
The mayor let out a chortle as he patted his neighbor on the back "Oh Nory, always the scamp you are!"
Norwood gave a snort as he looked over at Gene; something had to be up! There was no way this was Gene, especially with the way he had reacted to being teased!
"It's GREAT ta have ya back, seein' as I don't have to take you place anymore!" the red-headed Nicelander said, jabbing the mayor in his side.
"Oh, I don't know! I mean, it was fun not having to be the projectile of the game and from what I heard, Ralph said he got better distance with you! In fact, we were talking about switching up from time to time!"
Norwood paled a bit, "Ya better be kiddin' Gene! I don't know if my skull can take anymore run-ins with that tree back there! Besides, we've already messed with the program enough!"
"Ooooh, I don't know! The players don't even seem to notice WHAT Nicelander gets thrown! So long as someone gets thrown, they're happy so who's to say they won't enjoy seeing a little switch-up here or there!"
Norwood prepared to say something but felt a sharp slap on the back of his head. The man turned around only to see an annoyed Nel looking up at him.
"RED. You know he's messin' with ya, RIGHT?"
The other Nicelander gave Gene an icy glare before faking a smile "Hahaha, very funny BIG. GENE. Very funny!"
"Aw, what's the matter Norwood? You're usually the most humorous of us!" the mayor replied with a smile.
The red-headed Nicelander just mumbled under his breath as he felt Nel pulling him away, the woman giving Gene a smile, being in on the joke as well.
You know your day is going great when you can even get Norwood to shut his mouth.
Once the entire area was clean the only thing the group had to figure out was how to spend the weekend.
"Anyone want to go dancing?" Deanna said, some of the Nicelanders cheering in agreement.
"Dancing? Not in the mood! Let's go to one of the roller rinks!" piped in Lucy.
"Nah, movies!"
"To the amusement park!"
As the others talked amongst themselves Mary looked on, unable to keep a smile from forming on her face. Just then, she felt the warm embrace of Gene from behind, the chubby mayor wrapping his arms around her.
"Well, do YOU have any plans for tonight?" the man whispered gently into her ear.
Mary blushed a bit, placing her tiny hands on Gene's "Not at the moment dear…"
"Then how about I take you out for a nice romantic dinner?" the man said as he turned Mary in his arms, embracing her closer "Then maybe a walk in the park? A little dance or two? Does that sound fun?"
The little baker let out a little twitter as she poked Gene in his cheeks "Aren't you the charmer, Mayor? But since you asked so NICLY, I would LOVE to have dinner with you!"
"Wonderful!" Gene beamed "Then let's go while the night is young!"
As Mary and Gene made their way into the trolley, they were unaware that several of their neighbors were not watching them. Everyone knew what was going on and they couldn't help but snicker at the two, not out of ill will of course but because they just couldn't believe after all these years, Gene had finally calmed down.
And better still, it seemed that he had finally gotten over his stubbornness to show off his real affections to Mary.
"'Bout time he got his head outta his butt…." Norwood said with a huff, still a might upset at the man for making him take his place as Ralph's throwing dummy.
"Ya know, maybe this bet WAS a good idea!" said Felix happily.
"Are ya SERIOUS?" Ralph retorted with a grin as he looked down at the repair man "Earlier this week, you were so doom-n-gloom about the entire thing! Now you're suddenly HAPPY about this?"
"Weeeell, I can't say that I approved of you an' Vanellope PESTERIN' him tha entire time…" Felix said with a smirk.
"Aw man, even YOU knew?"
"It was obvious Ralph…" the repair man replied "But if he hadn't taken this bet, I don't think Gene would have been pushed so close to Mary. I mean, I've NEVER seen those two act like this an'….an' I'm glad that they are!"
"I think those honey-glows of yours are catchin'…." Ralph snorted as he crosses his arms "First Gene an' Mary! Who else here could catch 'em?"
Unbeknownst to the wrecker, his comment had caught the attention of Norwood, the Nicelander turning bright red as his eyes shot towards Nel. Nel jolted a bit before pinching her neighbor rather teasingly on the nose.
"Don't get any idea cat-boy!"
"OW! I'MB NOT!"
The night continued on, game characters making their way to and from as they enjoyed the excitement that flowed through the busy station. Through the hustle and bustle, two little Nicelanders made their way through the nightlife, having not a care in the world.
First there was dinner at one of the background restaurants in TMNT, then there was a walk in the park in King of Fighters.
Those games were actually rather lovely during off hours.
As the hours began to wind down, the two Nicelanders made their way back to Fix-it-Felix Jr, but they still felt a bit too energized to go home just yet. Even though there were still a few people lingering to and from their games, the two just wanted to spend a little bit more time by themselves before returning home.
"Gene, I just want to say that this has been one of the most enjoyable nights I've had in a long time…" Mary said softly, holding onto the mayor's hand.
Gene smiled softly, his heart fluttering as he felt Mary's grasping onto this hand even tighter, "I'm glad that you enjoyed it! I would only give the best for you!"
The woman let out a small giggle, a little too bashful to look at Gene.
"You know Gene, there's something I've always wanted to say to you."
The man turned and looked at Mary, finally noticing the way she was looking at him.
"O-oh, and that would be?"
The little Nicelander began to move closer to Gene, her fingers trailing to his cheeks.
"Something important. Something….something I should have never waited thirty years to say."
Gene's heart was beating a mile a minute the closer Mary got to him, his entire face red.
"M-Ms. Mary, we're in public!" the man whispered.
"I don't care…." Mary responded, moving closer, giving the man a sweet kiss on the cheek.
Gene flinched a bit as he turned towards Mary, "Mary, I-I-"
"You what, Gene? What is it? Why do you always do this?"
Gene forced himself to look back at Mary, the love in her eyes calming him down a bit. The man sighed heavily as he ran a hand through his hair.
"I'm sorry, dear. It's just…."
"It's WHAT?"
"I-I can't explain it. All these years we've been together, and I've been too much of a coward to let you know how I really feel!"
"Well…" Mary said, moving a little closer to Gene "How do you feel?"
"I feel…" Gene stopped, giving the woman a look she had never seen before.
For the first time in their thirty years together, Mary saw just how vulnerable Gene was. She was so used to seeing the man with an air of authority that it took her by surprise to see him so unsure of himself.
"I feel joy. I feel happiness. I just feel good knowing that despite it all, there has always been someone there for me. Someone I would do anything for."
"I…I feel the same way…." Mary said softly.
"M-Mary, I just want you to-to know…." Gene's words began to fade as he moved closer towards Mary, the two only mere inches from a kiss.
"I-I want you to know that I-"
So close.
"I-I lo…."
So close.
"I lov-!"
"AW COME ON! WE DON'T NEED TO SEE THAT!" cried an unfamiliar voice from the distance.
The two Nicelanders yelped as they peered cautiously over the top of the bench they were sitting on, seeing what appeared to be a large group of fighters approaching them.
And LARGE wasn't an understatement!
"Who in the world are they?" Mary whispered over to Gene.
The mayor squinted for a moment, catching a glimpse of the insignia on their jackets.
"Gritz and the Gang or something or other…" the man whispered back, trying his best to reassure the baker "Their game was plugged around the start of the month but their reputation has already gotten long!"
"In a GOOD way or BAD?"
"Er, let me get back to you on that!" the man said as he patted Mary's hand before stepping before the group, adjusting his tie. "Gentlemen, gentlemen, what bring you here on this fine night?"
The leader of the troupe stepped forward, not at all impressed by Gene's manners "What brings us HERE is a coupl'a lil fat-rolls near our game! What are ya doin' on OUR property?!"
Gene jumped back a bit but quickly recovered, "YOUR property? If I might remind you, this entire area is public ground. Anyone can come here if they so choose to!"
"Then maybe it's time we informed ya of some new rules, SHORTY." The larger man said, stopping down to Gene's height "Ya see, my buddies an' I are very 'PROTECTIVE 'of our game. This area, the place you and your lil pinky girlfriend back were sitting, that's close ENOUGH to our game to be OUR property an' we don't want you contaminating it with whatever acts of romance you two are doin'!"
"Excuse me?!" Mary said in an angry tone, glaring up at the much larger men.
"Mary, Mary. Don't waste your energy on these lot." Gene said as he stepped forward, his voice surprisingly calm and collected.
Even though he knew the situation was escalating, Gene didn't know if there were other people listening in, ready to jump on the opportunity the moment he let his temper erupt and call the bet over.
"As I said, GENTLEMEN…." The mayor growled, trying to be as polite as possible "This is a public area. We don't want any trouble here!"
"Hey!" someone said from the midst of the group "This guy looks familiar Gritz!"
"Whaddya mean, Sledge?!" the leader said as he turned towards the voice.
"Ain't that the same guy who was butt naked on the paper a few days ago?"
Did they really have to bring THAT up?
Gritz looked down at the tiny man in surprise before erupting into a fit of laughter.
"H-Holy cow! I think you're right!"
Soon, the entire gang was laughing up a storm, poor Gene just standing there with annoyed look on his face, his arms crossed and his head shaking.
"I'm surprised you guys even know what a newspaper is…." The mayor mumbled, clearly wanting nothing more than to forget THAT event.
After calming down, Gritz kneeled down to the man, a haughty smile on his face "Not everyday we come face to face with a CELEBRITY!" the man laughed "An' since ya made me laugh, LIL MAN I might let ya off easy!"
"MIGHT?" the man retorted, arching an eyebrow "What is this MIGHT about?"
"What I mean is we'll let ya off the hook if ya promise not ta come to this side of tha station again!" Gritz said, a bit angrier this time.
Gene's eye twitched as he glared up at the man but it wasn't like he could do anything to him. Gritz was HUGE, standing nearly as big as Ralph and having just as much girth. Of course, Gene didn't want to fight the man, just show him that he wasn't someone he could push around that easily. The mayor smirked, letting out a soft laugh as he grinned at the fighter.
"Young man, I told you before, this is a public area, BUT…."
"But WHAT?" the larger man growled.
"But if you are THAT adamant about us leaving, than fine. It's not that anything of value resides here anyway so I can't say I'll miss this spot!" Gene said tartly as he turned on his heels and walked away, a smile on his face.
"HEY!" bellowed Gritz "What did ya mean by that?!"
"What do you THINK I meant?" Gene said in an annoyed tone as he turned his head back towards the group "You fine men have brains, figure it out yourselves!"
And with that final comment, Gene took Mary by the hand and walked off, suppression all urges to turn back and give Gritz a few more COLORFUL words.
"Gene, was that a smart thing to do?" Mary whispered to the man, feeling a twinge of nervousness come over her.
"Right now, I'm not sure but I don't care. I'm not letting those group of punks ruin our night, so let's get out of here!" the man said as he held onto Mary tighter than ever.
"But what if they try something else? We can't-!"
"Don't worry my dear! I'll inform the Surge Protector of these ruffians and once we do we should-!"
Before Gene could even finish a word, a large section of the station seating area came crashing down in front of both him and Mary, knocking both Nicelanders to their feet. Once the dust settled, Mary peeked around, only to see Gritz and his cronies standing before the two, all of them looking not at all pleased.
"Oh, I knew this was going to turn out bad…." Mary shivered.
Gene was about to help his love to his feet when a hand shot out and grabbed him by the collar, nearly chocking him in the process.
"C'MERE, YOU!"
Gene gagged as he felt his feet leave the ground, only to be shoved much too close for comfort in Gritz' face.
Gene, what have you gotten yourself into NOW?
It was bad enough that Gene was now face to face with a VERY angry character, but the commotion that both had started was now attracting on-lookers. Characters from all over the arcade began to climb out of the woodwork to watch the drama unfold and this did nothing to help ease the situation or Gene's growing worry.
Not too far away, another trio of characters were making their way towards the confrontation, unaware of just how crazy things would become.
"Man, that was a good movie!" Felix said happily as he and two other figures exited the entrance of House of the Dead.
"Meh, it would have been better if Dr. Curien wasn't laughing so loudly during the entire thing!" Calhoun said as she shrugged her shoulders. "How can ya take a horror movie as true HORROR when someone is turnin' it into a COMEDY?"
Ralph was about to put in his two cents when the sight of gathering game characters caught his attention.
"What's going on now?" the wrecker asked as he took a step forward.
"I don't know, but it looks like there's a fight brewin'!"
"Yeah, but between WHO?"
Felix squinted his eyes to get a better view but once he saw who the participants were, his blood ran cold.
"Oh my land! Its GENE!"
"So, you think you're a comedian, do ya fat boy?" Gritz growled through his teeth.
The mayor flinched a bit in fear but remained as calm as he could, "L-Look! This is getting WAY out of control here! Think of what trouble YOU'LL get into for a moment!"
"Oh, we thought an' franky, we don't CARE!" Gritz bellowed, shaking Gene none too gently "Bottom line is, we ain't gonna let some dumplin' in a blue suit talk to us like we're trash!"
"Put the lil guy DOWN!" boomed a voice from the crowd.
Gritz looked over only to see the trio of Ralph, Felix, and Calhoun glaring at him, each one ready to move at a moment's notice.
"Oh, and who is this? Your posy?"
"Y-You could say that…." Gene chocked, feeling thankful that the others had arrived just in time.
"You heard us slick, put the mayor down! Unless you want to tussle with someone your own size!" Calhoun spat, tightening her fist.
"Oooh, I wouldn't want ta get your pretty hair in a mess!" cackled the fighter, shaking Gene a bit to aggravate the group even further.
"C-Calhoun! I've got this!" Gene blurted "Don't get into this, please!"
"Too late Mr. Mayor!" Calhoun said as she prepared to rush forward "This kid wants a FIGHT? Well, he's gonna get one!"
"Calhoun! Please! It's not worth it!" Mary said, running in-between both larger characters, trying her best to push them away "This is all a big misunderstanding and if we let this continue-!"
"Back off, PINKY!" Gritz said, raising a hand as if he were about to smack Mary out of the way.
At that moment, something went off in Gene's head and before he even knew what he was doing, he swung back and, using all the strength he had, KICKED Gritz in the jaw, the man yelling out in pain as he dropped Gene right in front of Mary.
"GENE!"
"Aw man, BOSS!" cried one of the cronies.
"BACK OFF!" Gritz yelled, still in a bit of disbelief that he had let his guard down.
At the same time, Mary was all a fuss over Gene, the mayor still surprised himself at what he had done.
"G-Gene? You're not hurt are you?!" Mary asked franticly.
"I-I'm fine!" Gene said, a hand to his head "I just….what did I DO?!"
"YOU SIGNED YOUR OWN WILL, PUNK!" Gritz shouted, wasting no time in showing Gene that he meant BUSINESS.
Before either Nicelanders had a chance to move, Gritz landed a blow to Gene that sent the Nicelander sailing towards the nearest wall like a cannon ball, the force of the punch so great that even Mary was sent tumbling back.
"WHAO!" screamed Felix as he watched the mayor fly into the wall.
Gene's short flight was only stopped once the man hit the wall, his landing force so great that he pitted it, but his humiliation wasn't over yet. Not by a long shout.
Sliding down to the ground, Gene was much too dizzy to notice Gritz marching right up to him, the man picking the mayor up by his ankle and hanging him upside down, a few items falling from his pockets.
"Ya still got somethin' ta say ta me now, SHORT STUFF?" the fighter hissed through his teeth.
Gene said nothing. Of course, he wouldn't have been able to say anything if he wanted to considering how dizzy he was at the moment. The man peered down at the ground, finally catching sight on one item in particular that had fallen from his person.
The pocket watch.
The watch that Mary had given him was now lying below him, so far out of reach. The man winced in pain, shutting his eyes as he tried to focus his energy on stringing a coherent sentence together.
"I…"
The massive fighter let out a confused snort at Gene's single word but he then looked down, seeing the watch by his feet. An evil smirk curled on his lips as he gave Gene another glare.
"Ya drop somethin'?"
The mayor knew what was coming next and that pain was much more than that of the punch he had received.
Gritz moved his foot forward….
And with a single, soul crushing 'crunch' smashed the watch underneath his boot.
Mary gasped from afar as she watched the man destroy Gene's gift.
"Oh no….."
"I guess ya shudda been more careful with that!" the fighter said, holding Gene closer "But we all make mistakes, HUH?"
And with that, Gritz SLAMMED Gene into a nearby trash receptacle, the mayor's stubby legs and tiny feet sticking out from the top of the opening
"GENE!" shouted Mary as she ran over to the trash bin, desperate to get the man out.
"THERE." Gritz said with a cocky grin, wiping his hands "I found the perfect place ta put ya, shorty!"
"WHY YOU-!" shouted Mary, jumping up on Gritz and giving him a good smack on his cheek "HOW DARE YOU DO THAT TO GENE! HE DIDN'T EVEN-!"
"URGH! YOU WANT TO JOIN HIM?! FINE!" Gritz yelled as he grabbed Mary by her wrist, the woman crying out in shock.
"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HER!" Ralph roared, plowing Gritz right into the wall before dealing the man an uppercut.
Mary flew from Gritz' hands, only to be caught by Felix.
"Are you okay, ma'am?!"
"I-I'm fine! But Gene-!"
Throughout the entire fight, Gene remained stuck in the trash bin. The fact that that the man hadn't made a sound throughout the entire thing only made Mary's fear worse. Was he even conscious at this point?
A few yards away, Ralph and Gritz continued to tussle, each man taking turns throwing the other around, their tempers flaring and growing worse by the second. Much to his surprise, Gritz found that Ralph was gaining the upper hand on him, having been pinned up against a wall by the wrecker.
"Okay pal! You wanted to fight someone, so you got it!" Ralph roared, the man so angry at this point that he was red in the face.
His fist drawn back, Ralph was ready to give the fighter the final hit but before he made another move a bright blue flash came in between the two.
"Alright, both of you STOP!" the figure shouted, holding out his arms between the two.
"SURGE?!"
"Who else would it be?!" the man snapped, his hands on his hips "But more importantly, what in the world is going on here?!"
The entire station fell silent as fighters and onlookers alike turned their heads; they knew they were in for an earful with Surge involved now.
"Surge, there was a disturbance in the area and before we knew it, things escalated out of control!" Calhoun said, trying her best to explain the situation.
Surge looked around, seeing nothing but a mess of destruction throughout the area. Shaking his head, he pulled out his clip board and began writing things down.
"Destruction of property. Gathering of uncontrollable crowds. Illegal out of game sparing. Is there anything else you want to add to the list right now?!"
"Surge, it's not what you think!" Ralph said, dropping Gritz to the ground like a ton of bricks "These….GUYS here attacked Mayor Gene and were about to hurt anyone else who got in their way! I just-! I was-! I didn't mean for things to get this bad! I was just tryin' ta help-!"
"I'm sure you were!" Surge cut in, a surprisingly honest look on his face "But that doesn't excuse all the fighting that happened here! You know that Ralph!"
Ralph groaned, looking down at his feet "I-I know sir. I'm sorry…."
"I'm sorry as well…." Surge said, tearing off a sheet of paper "Because I know you're a good kid, Ralph. But that doesn't mean I can let you off the hook for this offense."
Felix knew things were only going to get worse and without thinking, the repairman jumped in. "But sir, consider-!"
Surge held out a hand, stopping Felix in his tracks.
"I'm sorry Felix, but the rules must be followed for EVERYONE! You know that!"
Surge then handed Ralph a slip of paper, "You should be thankful this is your first offense, otherwise the punishment would have been MUCH larger."
"TWO DAYS IN-GAME SUSPENSION?!" Ralph yelled as he looked at the paper "But Surge!"
"I'm sorry, but those are the rules!"
Ralph let out a few frustrated growls but he knew he had been cornered. He slouched in defeat, shoving the note into his pocket.
"Yes sir..."
Surge gave Ralph a nod, trying to show the man that while he understood WHY he had to fight, he still had to go by his own programming. The Surge's mood quickly changed when he turned towards the Gritz Gang.
"YOU on the other hand!" the man began "You guys just keep finding new ways to end up on my list! First it was the incident in Bubble Bobble! Then it was Need 4 Speed, and now THIS?! Are you doing this for fun or do you just love annoying people?!"
"What can I say?" Gritz said coolly, rubbing his sore cheek "I like to make a name for myself!"
"Well, have fun making a name for yourself on one MONTH in-game suspension AND sixty hours community service! I don't know how many times you guys will have to be called in before you get the message through those skulls of yours!"
Gritz sneered at Surge, feeling not an ounce of guilt for anything that had happened that night.
"Puh, the moment I take any of you guys seriously is the moment I'll be cleaning up after those chunk-rolls back there!" the man said, pointing back towards Mary who was trying with all her might to pull Gene free from the trash bin.
"Come on, come on!" the woman said, pulling as hard as she could on the man's leg.
"Wow, look at that guy!" said a character "I didn't know it was even possible to get stuck like that!"
"Isn't that the mayor guy from that one game?" said another.
"The guy who was bear-bald-nakie?"
"Yeah it is!"
"I always thought he belonged in the trash! Looks like he finally made his way in!"
Soon, a crowd of characters began to surround the two Nicelanders, yucking it up at the scene that was unfolding around them. Mary was flabbergasted at what she was witnessing; rather than helping them, they were taking every opportunity to laugh at Gene's misfortune after being hurt and humiliated so much. Mary shook in anger, jumping down from the bin and looking at the group before her.
"STOP IT! STOP IT ALL OF YOU!" Mary yelled furiously, her entire face turning red "You have NO right to laugh at him like this!"
Despite her protest, the laughing continued.
And Gene heard every bit of it.
Even from inside the trashcan, Gene could hear them. He could hear them all.
All the jeers and taunting, the laughing and the insults.
They were enjoying his humiliation. They were enjoying it as if it were some sort of glorious, sweet dessert.
And he could do nothing to defend himself.
Watching from the entrance of his game, Gritz couldn't help but let out a chuckle at the sight. His mind could not be swayed; even though he and his ffellow fighters were in trouble, it was worth it.
"UURGH! COME ON!" Mary growled as she tried with all her might to pull Gene out.
"Hold on Mary! Help is comin'!" Felix said as he bounded over "Gene, are ya okay in there?"
Gene said nothing but instead let his legs fall a bit limp as if to respond.
"Okay, enough of this!" the repairman said, taking hold of Gene's legs and pulling as hard as he could. It didn't take long for Felix to realize that he was making as much process as Mary had before him, to say none at all.
"Wow, you're really packed tight in there!" Felix said, whipping his brow.
"Well, if pullin' doesn't work, maybe a little blast should…" Calhoun said, aiming one of her smaller guns at the base of the trashcan.
"TAMMY!"
"NO! NO! IT'S FINE DEAR!" Mary said franticly as she lept in front of Calhoun, pulling the gun to the side "I-I'm sure we can find another way."
"Guys, lemme get him…." Ralph said as he took the trashcan into his enormous hands.
"Ohh, be careful!" Mary said nervously.
"C'mon, Ms. Mary! It's not I could pull the lil guy in half!"
"RALPH!"
"Okay, okay!"
Being as careful as he could, Ralph gave Gene a good tug and-
POP!
Out the Mayor came, squeaking a bit once he left the can.
"See, all in one piece!" Ralph said with a small smile as he placed Gene back on the ground, the man staggering a bit on his feet.
"GENE!" Mary cried as she instantly leapt on the man and held him tight "ARE YOU ALIRGH?! THOSE RUFFIANS DIDN' HURT YOU TOO MUCH DID THEY!? OH PROGRAMMERS, SPEAK TO ME!"
"They all laughed at me…." Gene finally said in a small voice.
"Er, excuse me now?" Felix asked, a little worried about Gene's sanity at this point.
"They all laughed at me. Even when I needed help…they laughed."
"Oh Gene!" Mary said, embracing the man and putting her hands on his face, squishing his chubby cheeks "Forget those jerks, sweetie! If they so much as even try to hurt you again, we'll-!"
"Laughing….laughing. That's all I heard."
Mary pulled away from Gene and looked him in the eyes but what she saw wasn't the Gene she knew. Instead, there was an empty man, looking defeated and humiliated beyond return.
"Gene? A-are you okay?"
Without saying a word, Gene slipped from Mary's embrace and began to walk away from the four, not even turning once to address them.
"G-Gene! Wait! Where are ya goin'?!" Felix shouted.
Hearing Felix call his name, the mayor stopped, turning his head back for a moment but it was very obvious the man was much too hurt to even reply.
Gene thought he was strong enough for anything; he had been through so much during his thirty years at Litwak's, but there was just something about what had happened during the fight that finally made him realize just how ineffective he was.
Despite his efforts to prevent a fight from happening, he had somehow managed to not only get himself injured but he had also gotten Ralph into trouble for fighting a battle that was clearly HIS.
But the worst was the laughter he had heard.
He was well aware that he wasn't the most respected figure in the arcade, especially after it had been known what was going on in Fix-it-Felix Jr., but his humiliation in front of the arcade was the final nail in the coffin for him. He could tell that EVERYONE around him was enjoying what was happening, as if it were some sort of long deserved justice but for who? Did everyone think that seeing Gene getting the snot beat of him was pay-back for Ralph? If this were true, why would Ralph even risk getting into the fight to begin with to stop it from getting more chaotic.
Gene just didn't know but what he did know was that he had lost. Not the bet but rather any sort of respect he had in the arcade and for himself.
Everything had become all to crystal clear.
He was just the pointless NPC who was a joke.
And what was worse, he wasn't even good enough to protect the woman he loved.
"Gene…."
Mary's voice echoed through the man's ears and he stopped in his tracks, turning his head to see her from the corner of his eye. The sight of an upset Mary broke the man's heart but he was much too broken himself to even think of coming near her.
No, he couldn't show his face to her, not after his failure to protect her.
"Gene, you gonna be okay?" Felix asked sheepishly, reaching a hand out for the mayor.
Unable to muster up the energy to say something, Gene just walked off, leaving the four alone.
"Gene, WAIT! COME BACK!" Mary said as she began to follow but to her shock, the man had disappeared around the corner. The woman turned around, looking franticly for the man but there she stood alone, not a trace of the mayor to be found.
"He's gone?!" asked Ralph, looking around to find any sight of Gene around.
"Urgh, just what we need!" grumbled Calhoun "As if dealing with those Neanderthals wasn't bad enough, now we have a missing Nicelander?!"
"N-not for long!" Mary said "I'm sure if we split up, we can find Gene faster!"
"Oh, no! You're not goin' anywhere Ms. Mary!" Felix said as he took the woman gently by the arm.
"B-but Felix, Gene is out there by himself and-!"
"And what good would it do if YOU got lost as well? Ms. Mary, it's dangerous right now an' I want ya ta go back home with Ralph before anythin' ELSE happens, okay?"
"But Felix!"
"Ms. Mary, PLEASE!" the man pleaded to the Nicelander, holding her hands tight.
Mary knew that Felix was right despite her own feelings telling her to go off and find Gene on her own. Her lip quivering as her eyes filled with tears, the little Nicelander nodded sadly.
"Y-Yes, Felix….you're right."
Mary then felt the gentle touch of Ralph's hand on her shoulder, the wrecker trying his best to stay positive for the woman.
"C'mon, let's get you home."
As the two prepared to leave, Mary turned around.
"Please get him home in one piece…" Mary said sadly, clutching onto her purse.
Felix tipped his hat towards the woman, "You can count on us!"
Ralph then lead Mary back to the game but that didn't ease a bit of tension that the two remaining characters were feeling at the moment.
"Aw man….another missin' character!" the repair man said as he took of his hat and ran a hand through his hair "Should I expect the DUCKS to go on strike next or WHAT?!"
Despite being right next to him, Calhoun hadn't heard a word her husband had said as she was much too busy searching for clues on where the Nicelander might have taken off to.
What could one say? It was instincts.
"Okay, how could someone with such short legs disappear that quickly? It's not like we're dealin' with a speeding hedgehog here!" the woman thought to herself, taking a step forward, only to feel a sharp crack beneath her boots.
Jumping away quickly, she saw what looked like the remints of a watch, the very same watch that Gritz had crushed under his own boots.
Gene's watch.
Seeing the sight put a knot in the woman's stomach; it was bad enough that both Gene and Mary had to deal with the hecklings of the Gritz Gang but to have something so precious destroyed as well?
That was just too much. It was like the moment the watch had been smashed, so had Gene's spirit.
The woman scooped up the remains of the watch and put it one of her pocket pouches.
"Felix!"
"Yeah Tammy?"
"C'mon, we're on a mission!"
Felix looked up at his wife in surprise "Ya mean ya know where Gene is?!"
"Not exactly…." the woman said as she took her smaller husband by the hand, dragging him towards one of the many games that lined the station "But we're not stoppin' until we search EVERY game in this arcade and find him!"