Enjoy the chapter!

Arcade Armageddon

Chapter 13

Ralph and Felix returned to their game, taking the elevator down to the code room in the hopes of finding the answer to the Good Guy's odd condition.

"Hopefully we'll find something in your code that's connected to whatever's happening to you," Ralph said as he punched in the code, opening the vault.

"You think it's Turbo?" Felix inquired, half-joking and half anxious. He knew there was no possible way that the evil racer who had caused the arcade grief would return. Especially after his fiery death.

"Don't be silly, Felix. He's dead."

"It was just a guess, brother." The handyman shrugged.

"You two be careful in there," Mary warned, tethering Ralph while Deanna tethered Felix.

"W-we w-will," the Good Guy promised, then he glitched out of the tether, suddenly appearing behind the two Nicelanders.

"F-Felix! Sweet mercy!" Mary gasped, a hand to her mouth.

"I don't know how to control it." The handyman raised his arms in defense, red binary flashing through him, giving the same sign that it was getting worse. He glanced up at Ralph, fear in his sapphire orbs. He hugged himself, trying to keep from freaking out.

"I'll check then," Ralph said. "You stay here, Felix."

"No! It's my code, Ralph!" The Good Guy snapped, glaring at the Bad Guy, which was frightening Mary and Deanna and causing them to jump slightly. Neither could find any words for their hero's sudden change in behavior. "Well, what are you waiting for? Tether me again!"

"Felix!" Ralph whirled on his best friend/nemesis, then was taken aback when he noticed the same red from before in the handyman's eyes. The wrecker stared at him in slight fear, knowing he definitely needed to check those codes.

"Felix..." Mary clasped the Good Guy's gloved hand in her small ones. "Are you okay?"

"Huh?" The handyman glanced around, the crimson in his eyes gone. "W-What happened?"

"You snapped again, Felix," Ralph reminded. "I know it's getting worse."

"I did? I...but how?" Felix's voice was broken up again. He glanced down at himself, grabbing his head.

"That's why I need to check your code by myself. Mary, Deanna, look after him."

The former nodded. "Be careful, Ralph." She was clearly worried for her Favorite Bad Guy.

The wrecker entered the pitch-black void of codes, floating through the cluster of panels until he reached Felix's code, which seemed to be flashing erratically from the rest. Ralph touched the panel, opening it to reveal the many stats and equips of the handyman. He scrolled through each one (his hammer, his hop ability, etc.)...until he stopped at an odd red patch, knowing he'd never seen anything like it.

Where did this one come from? The Bad Guy wondered, reaching for it. But as soon as he touched the patch, he felt a cascade of crackling red energy course through his body. Ralph pulled away quickly, massaging his hands from the shock. Sweet Mother Hubbard, definitely not part of Felix's code, he realized.

"Ralph? Find anything, brother?"

"Felix!" The "villain" nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of the Good Guy's voice.

The handyman floated up to him, tethered by Deanna. Then he noticed the red patch. "Oh my lands, what is that?"

"Exactly, and I don't know where it came from or who installed it. But I know it might be what's causing your code to go a little crazy."

"Maybe I can try to fix it." Felix pulled out his hammer, smiling with confidence. "I mean, I've fixed and healed myself before, so why not my own code?"

"But your hammer's..." That was when Ralph noticed the Good Guy's hammer losing its golden hue. "Felix! What happened to your hammer?"

"My hammer?" The handyman examined his trademark tool, noticing part of it turning white. "Jiminy jaminy! What happened to it?"

"Maybe if you fix your code, it'll go back to normal?" Ralph guessed, though not entirely certain.

"Well, I can try." Felix moved up to the odd patch, but when his hammer made contact with it, the patch didn't fix itself. Instead, he felt the same energy Ralph had felt, except it didn't deliver a nasty shock. The Good Guy was given a sensation unlike anything he'd ever felt. The unknown energy coursed through his code, granting him some form of strength he hadn't known existed. Felix couldn't place how, but for some reason he liked it. He pulled away, regarding Ralph with a cocky smirk.

"Felix, are you okay?" the Bad Guy asked, eyebrow raised at the Good Guy.

"I'm fine, Ralph." The shorter man said, head cocked to the side, which disturbed Ralph a little. "For some reason, it didn't hurt but my hammer didn't fix it." The small man gestured to the still-red patch. "And I felt something else, too."

"Felt what?"

Felix shrugged. "I don't know. I feel...stronger somehow. Like it's some sort of upgrade. Don't you think?"

"But that still doesn't explain your glitching or your bizarre behavior, which you're kinda showing now. This thing in your code can't be a good thing, Felix."

"I'm not saying it is, Ralph," Felix protested, trying to keep his tone even.

"I know. But the fact that you can't fix it makes it a huge issue. I'm telling you, whoever did this to your code knew what they were doing. Which is why you need to get a hold of yourself and focus." And I know this won't be the last time they'll strike.

It took a few seconds for the crimson tint in Felix's eyes to fade. Afterwards, the Good Guy regarded Ralph.

"Ralph..."

"You did it again, and I'm thinking that ugly patch is definitely the cause of it. Worse, your hammer couldn't fix it."

"So who should we go to now? I mean, Mario couldn't help us, nor would he be able to help with this. Luigi's the one who works better with codes, and he's busy helping Surge investigate."

"But we need to at least let them know our game was hit too."

"What if they can't do anything?" The Good Guy wrapped his arms around himself again, red code rippling through his body.

"They may not be able to, but at least we'll have some idea on what it is." Ralph grabbed Felix's shoulders, trying to calm the latter down. "You just need to pull yourself together and try to think positive."

"You're right, Ralph," the Good Guy sighed, knowing his freaking out wasn't doing anyone any good. "Come to think of it, I wonder if Vanellope and her friends are dealing with the same problem?" Felix recalled the princess and the other racers' absence today, making the handyman wonder if they were running into the same problem. "I mean, we haven't seen them today. Maybe you should go in and check on them, and I'll get Surge and Luigi."

"But you're glitching all over the place..."

"And I'll be fine, Ralph. I'll learn how to get it under control eventually." With that, Felix shoved the Bad Guy toward the code room's exit. "Just go check on Vanellope and friends and see if they're all right."

Ralph sighed, knowing his friend/nemesis had a point. Nobody had seen Vanellope or the other Sugar Rush racers since yesterday, which worried the wrecker more than anything for his "little sister." Had the hacker hit the candy racing game as well? If so, what would it mean for the racers?

The wrecker shook his head at this, not even wanting to think about that. Whatever was going on in Sugar Rush, there was a perfectly logical explanation for it.

...

This game screams stereotypical.

Calhoun was trekking though an unknown forest in Fairytale Speedway, not too fond of the woody, magical atmosphere. It was a far cry from the Cy-Bug-ridden war zone of her game and even topped the saccharine world of Sugar Rush. In this game, Tamora found herself lost at every turn, with Red's place nowhere in sight. She wanted to wring every bit of the evidence out of the hooded girl and prove her suspicions right about her. What was Red planning? She knew it was more than just getting to know Felix. What if she was the one who infiltrated Fix-It Felix, Jr. and screwed up the Good Guy's code and/or probably had done the same to both Fashion Trendy and Frogger? Although Calhoun didn't have all the details, which were most likely in this game, she knew the racer was bad news.

The woods felt like an endless labyrinth, but it was far from driving her insane. She had a husband to convince, and an arcade to save.

Suddenly, the sergeant heard a roaring engine approaching, and growing louder by the second. Tamora turned to see a kart speeding toward her, jumping out of its way just in time and stumbling into a nearby bush.

"Racing games..." she grumbled, slowly recovering to her feet. "And here I thought Sugar Rush was dangerous."

Then she watched the kart skid to a stop. It was definitely unlike the candy-based vehicles in the dessert-based game. This one resembled a life-sized wolf, with golden eyes that served as the headlights. The driver stepped out, approaching the bush Calhoun was hiding behind.

"Are you okay, lady? And for the record, you're not hiding from anyone here."

"And here I thought I wouldn't be caught." Calhoun crawled out from behind the shrubbery, knowing she'd been seen. "Anyway, you should watch where you're..." She froze when she found herself face-to-face with a handsome, dark-haired boy with golden eyes that were somewhat filled with slight mischief and cunning. The sergeant resisted the urge to glance down to the rest of his body, which showed lean muscles underneath his brown, racing jumpsuit. His furry black ears and tail gave Calhoun some sort of indication that she was definitely not in Sugar Rush anymore.

What am I doing? I'm here for one thing and one thing only. The arcade's depending on me. Besides, the boy's next words betrayed his features.

"Well, excuse me, lady," the boy growled, showing pointed canines, "Geez, you blondes are all the same. And here I though Cindy was a pain in the ass. It's your fault for being in the way."

Calhoun glared at the canine-boy, already at the end of her rope with him. She felt an urge to pull out her rifle and shoot him right in the forest. But she resisted, knowing he'd regenerate.

"I don't have time for you right now, anyway." Calhoun started off, but then she realized if he was a part of the racing game, he would know where to find Red. But she knew a jerk like him would never tell an outsider. Tamora had to try, though. For the arcade.

"Look, kid, I'm sorry for getting in your way. I just want to ask you..."

"You know I have a name, blondie." The teenage boy folded his arms, obviously annoyed by Calhoun's choice of a pet name. "And I don't have to answer to an outsider, either. Especially when they were in my route. I'm trying to practice for tomorrow here, and don't need distractions."

Okay, that approach didn't work, Tamora realized.

"Now, if you'll excuse me..." The boy started to speed off.

"Hold it, dog boy!" Calhoun shouted, causing him to turn to her, scowling.

"What now? Don't you see I'm trying to continue my run? And my name isn't 'Dog Boy.' It's Wolf! Now scram and go back to your own bug-infested game."

Tamora jumped in front of him. "Wait, you know about Hero's Duty? So your little friend..."

"Damn right I do! Maybe a little, but enough for me to not go back! And don't get it mixed up. I know you're talking about Red from how you mentioned 'friend.' Well, news flash, we aren't friends. I was just trying to warn her away from the idea of going in your game. But what does she do? She ignores me and goes off, anyway. I don't know why she did it, but I'll tell you right now, I don't care. Not since the second day we were here, and I'm not starting now." Wolf revved his engine in anger. "Now outta my way before I run you over for real this time!" He sped off, leaving billows of dust behind and causing Tamora to gag.

The sergeant hadn't even been in Fairytale Speedway and she already disliked two of its characters. But did it matter to her? All that mattered was trying to protect the arcade from a potential threat from this game, but Tamora still didn't know where Red was. Or her place.

Suddenly, crying and sniffling was heard nearby. Calhoun turned to see a short, brown-haired girl appearing to be around twelve or thirteen walking along the root-covered dirt road. Tears were running down her face and dripping to the ground. The girl was clearly upset over something.

"What's wrong with you?" Tamora asked.

The girl stopped in her tracks, looking up to regard the sergeant. Wiping tears from her eyes, she asked, "Who are you?"

"Someone who's not from this game, apparently." The Hero's Duty's lead shrugged. "What about you? Aren't you going to tell me why you're crying?"

"It's nothing, really." The girl shook her head, wiping more tears from her face.

"Look, it's better than looking like you've lost a friend to a permanent game over." Tamora placed a hand on the tween's shoulder.

"She never showed up." A fresh set of tears ran down the girl's face.

"Who never showed up, runt?" Calhoun inquired, interested.

"Red."

The sergeant stared at the girl intently, wondering if it was the same Red she was looking for or another Red. Like Red Link from The Legend of Zelda. But the tween's next words eliminated any possibility of the latter.

"Red Riding Hood. She's my fellow racer. She's always done a lot for me. Been there for me and everything ever since we were in Juniper's Arcade. So what's with her now? She promised me she'd be at Burger Time after she was done with whatever she had to do first."

"Wait." Calhoun cut her off. "When you were where?" She'd remembered Wolf saying something similar to what the tween was saying regarding Red's behavior on different days. And it could possibly be a clue.

"We were in another arcade before this one," the kid repeated, "And Red was sweet as sweet can be, always promising things and keeping them. Not to mention we used to always do things together. But when we got here, it's like she's been breaking promises left and right and have been leaving me out of things. It's like she just stopped caring about me all of a sudden, no matter how many times I try to talk to her. I hope it doesn't have anything to do with the fact that she's never won a race." The girl flashed Tamora a weak smile. "Yeah, I win a lot against her, getting first place a few times, and second mostly. But Red? She tends to place terribly, but is not a bad racer. I blame the players who come in to play." Then the brunette regarded Tamora. "You think she's getting jealous of me?"

"Okay, calm down." The sergeant waved at the girl, trying to settle her down when she started crying again. "Everything's going to be fine. Especially from what I'm hearing about your friend going from sweet and innocent to a little catty all of a sudden. That doesn't sound right at all." She must have two sides, or someone corrupted her code. Or a combination of the two. Judging from what this kid's saying.

"What?" The tween noticed Tamora lost in thought. "You know something I don't?"

"Maybe." And it could be a threat to the arcade too, if what this kid's saying is true about Red. The Hero's Duty's lead began to think that if all this girl wanted was to have her friend back, she could trust her. Especially when it could save Game Central Station. It was better than the jerk named Wolf.

"What do you think's up with her, then?" the tween inquired.

"That's why I'm looking for her."

"Well, I don't know where Red is," the girl shrugged, "But we can still check her place to see if she's home. She could be back."

"Then lead the way." Then Tamora noticed the kid's face still wet with tears, which reminded her of a couple of her men in her game. "And wipe those tears off while you're at it."

"Sorry." The girl wiped away the last of her tears, still sniffling. "I just want my friend back. "I'm Gretel, by the way. And you?"

"The one who was concerned about you, that's all," Calhoun sidestepped the question.

"What's your name?" Gretel asked with mock impatience, hands on her hips.

The woman sighed, already starting to get annoyed at how nosy Gretel was getting.

"Sergeant Calhoun," she muttered.

The young racer smiled with satisfaction. "That's better. Now we're ready."

...

Ralph headed across to Sugar Rush, hoping to see how Vanellope was doing and hoping that nothing happened to her or her game. He'd saved her before from one threat, and if another were to arise, he'd be ready.

But the second he set foot into the port of the dessert racing game, the alarm went off. Ralph knew that meant, groaning and knowing he had no time for it.

Surge appeared, not looking up from his clipboard, except to glance up at the Bad Guy.

"I know, I know," Ralph grumbled. "Wreck-It Ralph."

"This isn't a security check, sir," the arcade guardian said, "But this game is off-limits until opening time tomorrow morning."

"How so?" Ralph asked, confused.

"I'm not at liberty to disclose that information to out-of-game characters, sir," Surge replied, still not looking up at the wrecker.

"I'm Princess Vanellope's friend, so I should know," Ralph countered, exasperated.

"I apologize, sir, but rules are rules. Move along."

"Wait! At least tell me this. Is Sugar Rush in one piece?" The wrecker started pleadingly at the Surge Protector. All he wanted to know is whether or not Vanellope was safe. If Ralph couldn't know what was going on in her game, he at least needed to be sure she was safe.

After a few seconds, the arcade guardian replied, "Yes, yes she is, sir. Now, if you'll excuse me."

When Surge jolted away, Ralph breathed a sigh of relief. Vanellope and her friends were safe, unharmed and well out of the hacker's reach. He hoped he or she would be identified and found soon, or who knew where else he or she might strike.

...

Kenneth made his way down the winding corridor, code moving along the walls and wires covering the floors. It gave the healer the creeps. Sometimes he couldn't help but wonder why his master chose such a place; not to mention that he had never seen Mr. Candy's face, which also struck slight fear in his heart.

He reached the end, which consisted of a beacon of code. A dark figure stood near it, back turned. Kenneth realized the figure was a little...short.

"You're back, Kenneth. I trust Red's planted the seed?"

"She said she was on the job, Mr. Candy," the angel replied, then moved closer to the figure, hope written on his face. "So? When do I get my own game?" Kenneth was starting to go into his usual overexcited moment, light blazing from him.

"Can you stop doing that?"

"Sorry, Mr. Candy." Kenneth quickly calmed down, apologizing in respect to Mr. Candy. His Southern drawl made it more sincere. "Anyway, I just waned to let you know that Fix-It Felix, Jr.'s starting to feel the effects of my 'gift.' And Burn and Whiplash did their parts, apparently. Judging from the high alert and investigating going around Game Central Station."

"Excellent, Kenneth." Satisfaction was evident in Mr. Candy's deep voice.

"But I still don't understand why we need Felix, sir. I mean, I know he's the ultimate Good Guy and all, but..."

"What I've been telling you so far is all you need to know. You don't need to worry about anything beyond that. And once you and Red's work has been put into action, you'll be rewarded as promised."

"So, what now?"

"Now, we wait. Game Central Station will be in for a surprise when that Mushroom Ball comes around, hoo hoo hoo."