Arcade Armageddon
Chapter 22
"What's in the Fungeon?" Vanellope asked as she and Gretel were following Taffyta, Candlehead, and Rancis through the wafer corridors of the Fungeon, until they reached a metal door at the end.
Before the president's trek into Sugar Rush's cell blocks, Vanellope made sure that Ralph and Felix were taken to separate guest rooms to recover, under the watch of Snow and Crumbs respectively. She didn't want the Bad Guy wrecking whatever was locked inside the Fungeon or Felix losing control at the sight of the prisoner. The Good Guy had nearly lost control on the way back to the dessert-based racing game and had been close to killing Burn, who was still on a leash dragged by Candlehead.
"You know, I'm getting tired of being dragged around like a damn hound," the Turbo Twin snapped.
"Will you please clam up?" Taffyta whirled on the blue-clad racer with an annoyed look. "If we didn't still need you, we would've let Fix-It kill you."
"What do you still need me for?"
The strawberry racer ignored him, as Rancis opened the door, revealing another, darker series of cells. As they headed deeper down, Vanellope was both anxious and confused.
"Seriously, what's going on?" she inquired again, this time with a little more impatience. She wished the others would come clean and tell her. She was the president, so why were they leaving her in the dark?
"You'll see," Candlehead promised as they reached the very end of the darkened cell block where Vanellope noticed a familiar, towel-covered man whose cell was flanked by Wynnchel and Duncan. The birthday racer realized that the princess was none too surprised.
"I see you've found King Candy." The princess moved closer to the prisoner, a smirk crossing her face. She had been looking all over Game Central Station for the ex-tyrant.
"Wait, you know?" Taffyta asked, eyebrow raised at how her sister was not surprised.
"Yeah, Taffyta. I've been looking for him. Looks like you guys beat me to the punch."
"'King Candy?'" Gretel wondered, glancing intently at the short man. He's named just like Mr. Candy. Is this guy...?
"Princess, he's been going on and on about you all day," Wynnchel informed Vanellope.
"Really?" Vanellope folded her arms with interest, regarding King Candy, who smiled at the sight of his daughter.
"Vanellope, it'sth tho good to sthee you again," he greeted, then his brown eyes fell on the scowls of Taffyta, Candlehead, and Rancis. Ignoring them, he reached through the bars to grab Vanellope's hands. "Thesthe three have me locked up here." The former tyrant stared pleadingly into his daughter's green and brown eyes, which were full of anger.
"Get your hands off me, King Turbutt!" The president pulled away, rubbing them as if she was just contaminated. "I don't know who you are or how your code came back, but you're not going to get anywhere near me!"
"Vanellope, pleasthe. You don't remember your own father?"
Silence fell in the cell block after that sudden question, everyone staring incredulously as if Candy had just swore.
"What in the fuck did you just say?" Taffyta asked, wondering what would possess King Candy to call himself Vanellope's father. As far as the strawberry racer knew, Vanellope didn't have any parents, neither did any of the other racers. And even if Candy was the president's father, he would have been called the parent from hell. But what Vanellope had just said about Candy's code returning to Sugar Rush intrigued her. Was it what Crumbs had been hiding from them?
"Exactly what I justh sthaid, Taffyta," Candy retorted. "I thought you knew I wasth her father. You've visthited me stheveral times, you know? Asking about sthome racing know-how and sthuch."
"Then can you give me some tips?" Gretel stepped forward with a shy smile, pushing past the adults. "See, I have this one..."
"Have you lost your mind, little girl?" Taffyta pulled the tween back before Gretel could finish her question. "Do you even know who you're asking?"
"All Turbo might tip you on is how to hack into games and cheat," Rancis accused.
"Besides, he can also be Mr. Candy," added Vanellope. "That reminds me..." She regarded the still-tied-up Burn. "Burnout, you'll be joining your boss pretty soon once we get some info outta him."
"Save your breath, glitch!" The Turbo Twin growled. "'Cause that ain't the boss! Hell, I don't even know who this old geezer is." He nodded to Candy in scorn.
"Stop playing dumb!" Taffyta dragged Burn toward King Candy's cell, her lollipop-shaped lance pointed at the blue-clad racer's neck. She glared at the ex-tyrant, fed up with his act. "Now, you're gonna tell us what you're planning; otherwise, your little friend's dead. Got it?"
"He'sth right, Taffyta. I don't know what you're talking about, nor am I thisth 'Mr. Candy' or whoever." King Candy was trying to get his former subjects to listen to him. He had no idea what was going on, but he knew the racers were a making a big mistake. He wasn't Turbo, but it was getting harder and harder to convince them, especially Taffyta. Of course, it could be implied that the person they were looking for was using his name. It made the tyrant wonder what he had missed while he was dead.
"You bitch!" Burn hissed. "You know good and well you ain't got the guts to kill me, even though I'm telling you that I don't know this old coot! And it doesn't look like he knows me, either."
"Stop lying!" Rancis growled.
This is getting nowhere, Vanellope thought as she and Gretel watched the now pointless interrogation take place. She knew that her sisters and Rancis weren't getting any information at this point. Besides, from how King Candy was constantly insisting that he wasn't Mr. Candy or Turbo, she was starting to think that they should try a different approach to the situation. Also, Vanellope knew how aggressive Taffyta could get sometimes.
"This is stupid." Gretel said, watching the interrogation ensue.
"Should I light a fire, guys?" Candlehead asked, her candle threatening to blaze.
"Guys, stop." Vanellope cut in, then regarded Taffyta . "Taffyta, let go of him."
"Are you nuts, Vanellope?" The strawberry racer was incredulous at her sister's order. "This dude's lying. We know he and Candy are hiding something."
"What if they're not? I mean, I know this is crazy, but from all the shouting I'm starting to think they really don't know each other."
"So you're saying King Candy's not Mr. Candy?" Candlehead asked, turning to Vanellope with confusion.
"That's what I'm thinking," the president replied.
"But it doesn't prove that King Candy's not Turbo." Rancis rebutted. "I mean, look at him."
"Ha! Good luck figuring that out, assholes." Burn laughed cynically.
"Lock him up," Vanellope ordered Wynnchel and Duncan, annoyed with the Turbo Twin's comments.
"Yes, Your Highness." The doughnut henchmen opened a cell door next to Candy to throw Burn in.
The blue-clad racer scowled at the group, but nobody was fazed.
"Looks like you'll be spending a long, long time in there, huh?" Taffyta smirked.
"And you..." Rancis, along with everyone else, turned back to King Candy, who felt a twinge of fear course through his code.
"I truly don't know what'sth going on," the ex-tyrant insisted. "Who would go around usthing my name?"
"That's a good question," Candlehead retorted. "Which is why you're staying behind bars."
"Wait, I can help you."
"How? You apparently don't know anything. You claimed that yourself. Besides, we still don't trust you."
"And don't give us that 'I'm Vanellope's father' garbage, 'cause it won't work," added Taffyta.
"But I am..." Candy started to say.
"Look, King Turbutt," Vanellope cut him off. "I don't have any parents. I was never programmed with any, so don't try to be one now."
"Turbo did thisth to you," King Candy muttered under his breath, but the others heard him.
"You are Turbo." Rancis rebutted.
"I'm not. Trusth me." Candy turned to Vanellope, her eyes still showing a glint of anger. "Come on, Vanellope, you have to believe me. I know you remember me, or at leasth sthome part of you should. Whatever Turbo hasth done to you, it musth've scrambled your memoriesth."
"We got our memories back," Vanellope countered. "And they don't involve you. Stop talking in third person and just give it up, okay?"
"I think we should give King Candy a chance."
The racers regarded Gretel, not believing what the tween was suggesting, especially when Gretel wasn't there to witness what Turbo had done to the arcade. The young racer had no idea what the psychotic racer was capable of, yet she could see a bit of good in him.
"Do you even know what you're saying?" Taffyta asked.
"Look, I may not have been around when the Candy stuff happened, but I know when to give someone a chance to prove themselves." Gretel stood her ground against the adult racers, then glanced back at King Candy, who couldn't believe what the tween was doing. She felt every bit of sympathy for the ex-ruler and didn't sense a hint of evil going on in him.
"He's acting." Vanellope insisted.
"But what if he isn't? What if he's just King Candy and not that Turbo guy? What if he really doesn't know what's going on?"
"Look, kid, you don't know King Candy like we do," Rancis said. "So your opinion about him doesn't really matter."
Those words felt like a slap in the face. Gretel felt tears flow in her eyes, for she had heard that line more than enough times in Fairytale Speedway, where she always spoke out and expressed her opinions. However, the adult racers, especially Snow White and Beauty, would rebut her and ignore her idea. And it was all because she was a kid. It annoyed the tween to no end, and now hearing it from the Sugar Rush racers put her at the end of her rope. She fought back her tears, refusing to show it. It was frustrating for the tween, especially when the Sugar Rush racers had just become adults a few days ago.
"Let's go, guys." Vanellope turned to head out of the Fungeon. "We need to discuss how we're gonna gain info on who 'Mr. Candy' is and how we're gonna cure Fix-It and Stinkbrain."
"Speaking of them, they could be worried about us," said Candlehead.
When the four racers left, Gretel stayed behind for a few seconds, regarding King Candy with a forlorn expression, but the ex-tyrant responded with a slight smile.
"Don't worry," Candy assured her, taking the tween's hands in his. "They'll come around...if they dethide to."
"What?" Gretel cocked her head to the side, wanting to know what the ex-tyrant was getting at.
"Don't you underthand why they don't believe me right now?"
"Because they don't trust you?" Gretel stated the obvious.
Candy, however, shook his head. "It'sth because they belittle your opinionsth, which isth alwaysth the norm for you."
"Hey! How do you...?"
"Pleasthe, I've stheen it happen before, especially about my former subjectsth."
"Wait, you mean Vanellope..." Gretel inquired.
"They've never had a sthay in anything when they were little kidsth," Candy explained. "But now that they're all grown up, they've been having a sthay in almosth everything. Trusth me, I know."
Gretel took in everything the former ruler had said so far. Wow, looks like I'm not the only one who's been belittled or ignored. Then the tween sighed. But unlike them, I've never gotten an upgrade for my game, so I'm stuck as a kid who'll be ignored. The young racer glanced down at the hard floor in disappointment, knowing she would never become an adult herself. If she was aged up, her opinion would matter. She would be able to speak out. However, that would never happen...until Gretel heard Candy's next words.
"What if I sthaid that I can make you older?" the ex-ruler offered.
Gretel raised her head up at King Candy. "What?"
"You heard me, I can make you older." Candy repeated.
"How?"
"Hoo hoo hoo. I have my waysth, my sweet, thisth one meaning taking a trip to your game to do a little...tinkering. And I have something that will ensure it." Candy sensed slight enthusiasm in Gretel's composure as he was telling her. The ex-tyrant smirked at this, knowing how excited children could be. He remembered how excited Vanellope had been when he had taught her how to drive. How was an impressionable kid like Gretel any different?
"Really?" Her eyes widened. Gretel was eager to know more.
"Yesth, really. But this doesn't come free."
Gretel was still interested. "Please, tell me what I have to pay. I have tokens from my winnings in my game. Just tell me how much." The tween moved closer to the cell, bursting with enthusiasm. She wanted her voice to be heard, and Candy was her ticket to making that happen.
Just as King Candy was ready to name his price, Vanellope's voice was heard echoing from the other end of the cell block. The princess had been waiting for her.
"Gretel, you coming?" she asked.
"I am," the tween replied, then regarded Candy. "I gotta go right now, but I'll be back."
"Oh, take all the time you need," Candy said as Gretel headed off to join Vanellope. "My offer will always stand, sweetie, hoo hoo hoo."
Gretel met up with Vanellope in the next, lighter hallway of cells, who had a hardened expression on her face.
"What were you talking to King Turbutt about?" the princess asked, hands on her hips.
"Nothing," the young racer lied. She was not going to tell Vanellope about the offer King Candy was making. If she did, the ex-tyrant's game would surely end. "He just kept pleading that he wasn't that Turbo guy."
"Yeah, and he can keep doing that too. It's not like anyone will listen." Vanellope herded Gretel out of the Fungeon, with the tween glancing back at the darkened hallway.
I'll be back, King Candy. And I'll try to convince them, somehow...
…
After Candy was certain Gretel and Vanellope were gone, he regarded Wynnchel and Duncan, who were keeping a tight guard on his cell.
"Wynnchel? Duncan?" He tried to get the doughnuts' attention.
"What is it?" Wynnchel turned to face the ex-tyrant. "And don't think you're gettin' out of here."
"Oh no, it's not that, trust me." Candy's lisping voice started to waver, assuming a more seductive tone. The two doughnuts were confused by this.
"What do you want?" Wynnchel asked.
"Oh, nothing," the former king laughed lightly. "I just want to ask you two something."
…
Vanellope, Taffyta, Candlehead, and Rancis were gathered in the second-floor balcony of Sugar Castle, discussing the mysterious "Mr. Candy" further, but so far came up with nothing. If King Candy wasn't "Mr. Candy," then who was it? They doubted that Burn would open his mouth again regarding that subject.
"Damn, this 'Mr. Candy' guy is seriously throwing us around for a loop," Candlehead said as she took a bite out of one of the caramel popcorn balls Sour Bill had brought a few minutes ago. Despite Bill's emotionless expression, the birthday racer could tell that the adviser was also concerned for his president, for nobody wanted to imagine how horrible it would be if King Candy was faking amnesia.
"I think I've ruled out all the bad guys," Rancis assured, then regarded Vanellope. "Don't worry, Van. We know it's not Wreck-It, either."
"How about some good guys?" Taffyta suggested. "We know some good guys who don't live up to the words 'good guy.'" She put emphasis on the word "good."
"Like Dennis," added Candlehead.
"Please, him? I think he's just in love with you, Candlehead," Taffyta rebutted.
"But how? He looked me up when we were looking for the Creeper. Ew. If that's not a sign that he's up to something..."
"I'm with Taffyta, Candlehead," Vanellope cut her off. "I don't think Dennis (the Menace) has it in him."
"Yeah, Vanellope," Taffyta agreed. "As far as we all know, Candlehead's probably in love with him."
"I am not!" the birthday racer blurted out, face as red as her candle. Then she regained her composure, trying to regain a poker face.
"Anyway, girls," Rancis cut in, interrupting the girl talk before it turned into another argument about boys and love. Sometimes, he didn't understand it. Considering that he had a crush on a girl himself, however, he could say that he was starting to. "I agree with Taffyta on some good guys possibly going Turbo, not to mention fucking up Fix-It's code."
"It has to be someone insanely smart," said Vanellope, staring up at the bright sky of Sugar Rush while thinking of possible suspects. "And has to have some sort of access to the broker Ken Doll and Whipcrack were talking about."
"It's not like we don't know anything about him," added Taffyta.
"Well, duh. He moves around a lot. But I know if we want to figure out how to cure Hammer Time's code, we should track this guy down and get that much-needed info." The princess sighed, knowing it wasn't going to be easy.
"But where do we start?" Candlehead inquired. "As you said, this guy can be one place one minute and another place the next, so we should split up and ask around the arcade."
"What are you guys talking about out here?" A familiar Southern drawl was heard.
"Fix-It?" Taffyta turned to notice the Good Guy and Crumbs coming out to join them, Felix stretching as if just waking up from a nap. The strawberry racer then looked closer to see that his hair looked a little...darker, almost black upon closer scrutiny.
"What are you doing up?" Candlehead raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, what's up?" Vanellope added, also concerned. "How are you feeling?"
"Better." Felix smiled, his eyes fixed on the president with what appeared to be a sinister gaze. Vanellope didn't notice, though.
"Are you sure?" Crumbelina glanced at him in confusion, not too convinced. Something looked a bit... off about the handyman that was a far cry from when they got him out of the code room. The posh racer had also seen it on the way down from his room, especially his behavior. It was hardly his usual Southern charm.
"I'm positive," the Good Guy insisted, his voice slightly pushy, then he regarded the other racers. "So, what are we discussing?"
"We're trying to figure out who 'Mr. Candy' is and find out how to cure you."
"Really?" Felix grabbed a popcorn ball, taking a large bite out of it. Crumbs could see pointed teeth as he chowed down. "What'd you come up with?"
"Yeah, let us in on it," Crumbelina agreed, at the same time taking periodic glances at the Good Guy. Something was definitely up with him, and it had a lot to do with the virus. Also, she couldn't help but wonder how Felix acquired fangs that resembled somewhat of a snake's.
"Nothing," Vanellope sighed. "And we're not doing any better with the broker."
"Yeah, those guys tend to move around a lot," Felix explained casually. "They've been around since Ralph and I have been in Litwak's. They're like the 'drug dealers' of the arcade." Felix made air quotes over the two words. "Even I don't know where they are most of the time, so you'll be lucky enough to even catch one."
"Are you sure you're okay, Fix-It?" Candlehead, along with the others, noticed Felix's cynical behavior.
"I'm fine, cavity!" the Good Guy snapped, annoyed with the racer's constant questions. "Just stop asking me that!"
"Damn, you don't have to bite our heads off, okay?" Taffyta was getting irritated with Felix's attitude. "Besides, you don't sound fine if you're like that. And calling us cavities on top of that." Then she glanced behind Felix, realizing they were missing someone. "Where's Gretel? Wasn't she just with us?"
"She was," Vanellope said, then thought, I hope she didn't decide to King Hackboy again. Who knows what he might do to her? Plus, I don't see why she thinks he should be given a chance.
"Oh, her," Felix said as if the tween were someone of less importance. "Beats me. Wasn't she with you in the Fungeon? Maybe she headed back there."
"Really?" The president moved closer to the handyman. "Without letting me know?" Vanellope silently cursed herself. She had turned her back when she and Gretel had been halfway up the stairs from the Fungeon. That's what I'm afraid of.
"Maybe..." The Good Guy drawled. "Or she could be checking up on Ralph. But I doubt that, because I haven't seen her walk past on the way here. Speaking of Ralph, I'm going to go check on him and see if Snowanna needs any help."
"I don't think that's a good idea, Fix-It," Crumbs suggested.
"Why? Ralph's the weakest here...for now. He needs all the protection he can get," Felix countered.
"But you're still..." the posh racer started.
"For the last time, I'm okay," The Good Guy cut her off. "I can keep the virus at bay while I keep Ralph safe. Who knows?" Felix smirked, glancing down at his now-crackling hands. "This virus might work to our advantage." He noticed the racers staring fearfully at him as if wondering how he was going to test out his corrupt powers. "Don't worry, I won't kill any of you. I have...other targets in mind."
"You really need to be separated from everyone, Hammer Time!" Vanellope chastised, then looked him up and down. "What's happened to you, all of a sudden? Before, you were fine. Now you're starting to act like a jerk. And you know what? I can tell that virus is taking over you quicker than you think."
"What are you talking about, glitch? This is me talking. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go back upstairs. Ralph's probably awake now." Felix also remembered, "And if I were you, I'd worry about where Gretel's gone and hope she's not anywhere she shouldn't be."
When the Good Guy left the four racers, they all looked at one another, wondering what had just transpired. However, they could all agree on one thing: Felix had definitely lost it.
"We need to find that broker," Candlehead said. "And step on it."
"No shit," Taffyta agreed. "Especially when he's starting to look...different."
"How so?" Vanellope inquired.
"His hair, for starters. It wasn't as light as before. It was kinda...black. Too sudden for a dye job, so I know it's definitely the virus." The strawberry racer explained.
"And how he took a bite out of that popcorn ball," Crumbs added, remembering the odd serpent fangs Felix had.
"Wow, creepy," said Candlehead, shivering at her friends' insights. "Just...creepy. And I'm not talking about King Boo creepy, either."
"Well, I'm gonna go let Snow know that we're heading out," Rancis decided as he went back inside the castle. "She should be still with Wreck-It."
"I'll see if Gretel's still in the Fungeon, Vanellope." Crumbs volunteered. "You three go and find that broker."
"We'll see you later, then." Candlehead nodded as she and the others split up to their respective assignments.
Vanellope, especially, wanted to save Ralph's life, and if the broker had a cure to do it, she would take it. She cared for the Bad Guy too much to lose him, especially if it was to his own partner. And what about Sarge, who had to be somewhere in Game Central Station, if she hadn't died already? Where was she? Did she know how close her husband was to becoming a virus?
Stinkbrain, Hammer Time, she thought. I promise I'll save you both.
…
"I wish there's something I could do," Ralph said hoarsely, trying to sit up but couldn't. He was just as curious to see what was lurking in thee Fungeon as everyone else, but Vanellope insisted that the Bad Guy stayed. It irritated him to no end, but he understood the princess's concern.
"I know, Wreck-It," Snow agreed. "Vanellope just doesn't want you to..."
"'Wreck' the prisoner," Ralph finished with a sigh. "I get it. It's not like I can, anyway. I'm just worried about Vanellope, that's all."
"I understand that," the sherbet racer smiled. "And don't worry, she's fine. Knowing Pres., she ain't going to let some jerkass in prison attack her."
"Let's hope you're right."
Suddenly, a mess of red pixels appeared before them, slowly forming into a humanoid shape.
"What in the...?" Ralph lifted his head again to better see the shape, which was starting to come into focus as it revealed a familiar hammer, followed by its diminutive owner.
"Hello, Ralph," Felix greeted, smirking psychotically as his body was crackling with red sparks.
"Fix-It?" Snow gasped, wondering how the Good Guy was able to even learn that trick, let alone suddenly appear in the guest room. She knew the virus was eating away at the once-sweet handyman, but she never thought it would be so quick.
"Felix, this isn't you." The wrecker made another attempt to reach out to his partner as he was slowly approaching him with his hammer. If Ralph could pull Felix out of it before, he could do it again. "You're stronger than some virus!"
"Yeah, Fix-It!" Snow stood between the two men, refusing to let Ralph get killed. "Wreck-It's your best friend, right? So look at him and remember that."
"Out of my way, cavity!" Felix grabbed the sherbet racer's neck, causing a current to flow through Snow's body. He wasn't going to allow a saccharine brat interfere with his kill.
Snow felt her entire body weaken, her strength and energy being sapped from her.
"Let her go, Felix!" Ralph demanded.
"Why?" The Good Guy shot the Bad Guy a twisted smirk. "You're in no position to do anything. Besides, why do you care about her? Plus, you should worry about yourself." Felix tossed Snow aside, then continued toward Ralph, knowing he was going to enjoy in the could feel Ralph's fear and worry.
"Felix!" Ralph shouted.
That snapped the handyman out of the virus's control. "R-Ralph...?" he mumbled, blinking his eyes to realize that he was in his friend's room, with an unconscious and infected Snow lying by the wall. His now-blue eyes fell on her in shock. "I...did it again...didn't I?" Felix took a step back, then stared fearfully up at Ralph. Though the Good Guy had no recollection of what he just did, he knew he had to leave before he caused any more trouble.
"Felix...we'll..." the wrecker started.
"No, I need to go!" The Good Guy started to leave.
"Maybe I can help you, Fix-It," a familiar voice was heard.
Ralph recognized the voice. Not now. Why her, of all people?
"Hello, you two boys..."
The two men turned their attention to the window, where a hook was hanging from it. They watched as a hint of a red hood was ascending, followed by its owner, who pulled herself through the window with her basket that held the other end of the rope.
"What are you doing here?" Felix asked, a hint of fear in his voice as the teenage racer yanked the rope into her basket.
"That part should be obvious, little Felix."
"Did you come to hack another game?" Ralph inquired. "'Cause you're out of luck if you think you're going to wreck this one."
Red only scoffed. "Please, as if I want anything to do with screwing this one over. Or any of the games in this arcade, for that matter. Can't say that someone else isn't doing it, though." The teen put emphasis on the word "else." "But enough about that. Now for the fun." Her gaze moved from Felix to Ralph and to Felix again. She had to win the Good Guy over, and she was going to do it. All he needed was a little...persuasion.
…
"Funny running into you, Sour Bill," Crumbelina giggled lightly, as she and the sour adviser headed downstairs to the Fungeon. Bill was also headed there to see if the prisoners were behaving and happened to have run into the posh racer. Crumbelina had told him that Vanellope was off to Game Central Station. Bill had also heard of King Candy's return and wasn't going to let a repeat of last time's incident happen.
"Mm-hm." Bill replied as he tried to keep up with the petite yet fast-on-her-feet racer. Hopefully Candy and Burn weren't causing any trouble to the doughnut officers or Gretel if she was down there. Crumbs had overheard Vanellope making it clear that the tween wasn't supposed to wander, at least not by herself.
If she's not here, she's probably in the bathroom or something, Crumbs made a mental guess.
That possibility was dashed once the posh racer and Sour Bill arrived at the Fungeon where they were holding Candy. However, as they neared the cells where the ex-tyrant was supposed to be imprisoned, they were at a loss for words as to what they saw instead.
Instead of the dethroned king, Wynnchel and Duncan were locked up. Crumbs and Bill noticed that Burn was absent from the adjacent cell. The two glanced around to see that Gretel wasn't around either, which rebutted Vanellope's suspicions. But where was she? They hoped neither King Candy nor Burn captured her.
"What happened to you guys?" Crumbelina asked.
"That Candy jerk happened to us," answered Duncan. "But there was something...funny about him unlike last time."
"Like how he was talking," added Wynnchel. "He did not sound like His Psychoticness at all."
"He sounded kinda like..." the short doughnut paused, thinking of the right word, "...he was going to come on to us."
"That is strange," Crumbs agreed, remembering that Candy had a lisp, and had always referred to his subjects with dessert-related names. Neither she nor the other racers noticed this when he had taken an unauthorized shower.
"And that's not all," said Wynnchel. "He killed that Burn guy, too." The eclair gestured to the empty cell next to them.
"Where's Gretel?" the posh racer finally asked. She needed to know where the tween was. Gretel could be anywhere in the castle, which made figuring out where she was important. If Candy already had his viral hands on her...
"You mean the kid who was with you earlier?" Duncan inquired. "I thought she was with you."
"Apparently she ran off while we weren't looking," said Crumbs.
"Well, we haven't seen her come back down here," the short doughnut responded.
"Do you know where Candy is then?" the petite racer asked.
"Nope. He just knocked us out, and the next thing we know we're in here," explained Wynnchel.
"Like you two will be," a strange, feminine voice was heard. Crumbelina and Sour Bill had no time to turn and get a look at the mystery person, as they felt a conk in the back of their heads. Crumbs tried to crane her head to get a look, but couldn't as she was slipping into unconsciousness.
…
"How's it going, Mary?" Deanna asked as she returned to the code room with a tray of sandwiches. The two Nicelanders had been hard at work trying to fix Felix's code. They were finally able to get close to it, with the help of Yolei, one of the many fairies from Fairytale Speedway and the official for the races. Neither she nor the Nicelanders had a solution. They had tried connecting the Good Guy's code to Yolei, who tried a purification spell to do the job, but the spell had failed upon making contact with Felix's code. Mary had also suggested connecting Felix's code to other Nicelanders' panels, but the Good Guy's code rejected each one. It hadn't matched the level of the Nicelanders. They knew they couldn't try it on Ralph because he was a bad guy in the game, and bad guy codes did not mix well with good guy ones.
Now Mary and Yolei were examining the handyman's corrupt code, trying to figure out what they hadn't tried. However, they were at a loss, and Yolei, though good at healing characters, wasn't good when it came to codes. Even moving the virus away didn't work, which meant that the malware was indeed powerful.
"It's not going too well, I'm afraid, ladies," Yolei sighed, adjusting her glasses and sitting cross-legged in the air near Felix's panel. "If my purification spells can't destroy this thing, then that means this 'Mr. Candy' guy is smart. Anyway, I must get back to my shift in my game. We have two people guarding the code room now, because that wacko hacker seems to be ousting these games faster than a pixie in a fax machine. Sonic the Hedgehog and Kirby just bit the dust today. Now they're all split up between our game, Tapper, and Celestial Wars. Surge is putting the other surviving games and Game Central Station on high alert. Hopefully you guys won't be next." With that, Yolei vanished in a cloud of pink dust.
"Now what are we going to do?" Deanna wondered as she joined Mary near their hero's code box, which was glowing red. The Nicelander then noticed something showing in the handyman's box, something that wasn't flickering red like the others. This interested Deanna as she opened Felix's box again.
"What are you doing?" Mary asked.
"There's something odd in there." Deanna squinted her eyes, attempting a closer glance. In the center of the patches, sat a black one. "Mary, look..."
Mary focused her gaze at the patch, then realized several networks of strands connecting to many of Felix's infected add-ons. They guessed that it was probably the main source of the virus and how it was spreading throughout his code. Then Mary noticed some sort of writing on the patch, almost like initials. As they squinted harder, the two women realized that they were initials, but they were foreign letters.
"We can't read that," Deanna groaned. "It looks like Japanese. Or Chinese."
"Neither can I," Mary sighed, backing away from Felix's box. Suddenly, her face lit up as an idea generated. "But maybe there are a few people in Game Central Station who can read whatever that patch says."
"Like some fighters from Street Fighter II?" Deanna inquired. "I'm sure Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, and some others might help us." Then she thought of other possible volunteers. "How about Vanellope and her friends? I mean, their game originated in Japan, right? It explains the theme song. We can get one of them to read it."
"It seems our hacker must have had a game from Japan, too," Mary guessed. "Kenneth probably got the virus from him."
"Maybe," Deanna shrugged.
"Hey, Wreck-It? Fix-It?" a female voice was heard above the code room.
"Looks like someone's here to look for Ralph and Felix." Mary closed the Good Guy's panel.
The two Nicelanders headed upstairs to see Aika and Dyne.
"Hello, Dyne, Aika," greeted Mary.
"We would return the greeting..." Dyne said gruffly, "but we're in the middle of hell right now. Especially when my son's gone."
"Oh, dear," Deanna gasped. "That's horrible."
"Of course, it ranks with Fix-It going psycho." Aika then glanced around. "Where is he, by the way? We need to talk to him and Wreck-It."
"I'm so sorry, but they're not here right now," Mary replied apologetically. "Besides, I wouldn't get near Felix at the moment."
"Yeah, we know," Aika huffed.
"We're trying to fix his code right now, and we also found something interesting," Deanna explained.
"That's why we were looking for them," Dyne said. "We were searching Game Central Station for answers...and found something interesting you might not believe."
"What?" Mary and Deanna inquired in unison.
"Surge is waiting outside the game to explain it. He's been investigating this with Tails. I don't know if you've heard, but Sonic the Hedgehog and Kirby..."
"Yes, and that means this hacker's working fast," Deanna replied.
"And it can be our game that goes next." Mary was worried. They did not want to suffer another out-of-order. The two women had to go with the pirate duo for the information that might save Felix's life, then they would relay it to Ralph once he and Good Guy returned. If they ever returned.