Chapter 45
"That T.K. broad's got a bigger ego than mine," Bowser said, his attention on what appeared to be a black spike-adorned throne in the center of Game Central Station. It was still under construction by a few angel characters from Celestial Wars. T.K. stood impatiently in front of it, watching them work. "Even my throne ain't as impressive as that."
The Koopa King, Calhoun, Snow, Lucina, and Takuya watched the activity going on in the ruined hub from a niche in one side of the main train station tunnel. Cages containing characters hung from the ceiling, with more added by the second. Vanellope, Taffyta, Candlehead, and Sora were among the captured, hanging just above T.K.'s throne, presumably so the succubus could keep a close eye on them.
"Too bad there wasn't enough time to get to them." The sherbet racer sighed. "Sorry, Vanellope. T.K. was too focused on you for me to get to you and everyone else." She'd saved everyone she could, with Minty, Adorabeezle, and Citrusella being among the retreating bunch. They'd joined the colorful racer and Gretel on the way to the main train station that led to other arcades, which provided enough darkness on either side of the platform for them to hide. And trains were on demand, saving them the risk of getting steamrolled. The free characters made their shelter in both sides of the platform, where Bowser had created a hole in the wall – small enough to avoid detection and big enough to see out of – in order to spy on the action in Game Central Station. It was entirely run by infected characters storming the floors and guarding the game ports and suspiciously- faux walls.
"Koji's among them," Takuya pointed out, staring at a cage containing the blue-haired siren hanging next to Vanellope. "And Wendee." She noticed the pink-haired woman in the adjacent cage. "Good thing I ran into my 'perfect' sister Mignogna on the way here, and she told me what happened to Agnes. Serves them right." There was an edge in the redhead's voice tinged with anger at how the oldest was killed, even though it hadn't been any fault of the true Fix-It Felix, Jr.; T.K. had infected him, according to Calhoun.
"What the hell is your problem, ginger?" Bowser asked. "You don't care about your friends being imprisoned?" He reached for the siren's shoulder.
"Should I care?" Takuya swatted him away. "I only want Takeru dead. Everyone else doesn't matter worth shit to me."
"That first part's not going to be easy," Lucina said. "T.K. has around two hundred or so soldiers on her side plus Ralph and herself."
"And the witch alone can't be fucked with," added Calhoun, then regarded the others. "I'm open to ideas if anyone has any."
The others shook their heads, and Takuya only rolled her eyes. The sergeant narrowed her eyes at her.
"Okay, your little sulking doesn't help here, ginger," Tamora began to scold.
"Look at this." Bowser's growl cut off the Hero's Duty lead's lecture.
Everyone shoved each other for a view through the hole. Bowser stepped back to allow the others a view of the events in Game Central Station, where the characters watched Surge, Tails, a white-haired angel character, and Kohut dragged in front of T.K. by Daisy, Peach, and Luigi.
"They imprisoned me," Calhoun growled, glaring at the Nintendo characters.
"Wish we could hear them." Lucina narrowed her eyes, as if that would make the conversation clearer. However, she still couldn't hear it.
"I can tell T.K. looks pissed off at that angel," Takuya guessed, gaze falling on the white-haired man.
"We've-a found-a them coming out of a wall," explained Luigi, gesturing to Tails, Surge, and Kohut.
"I brought them out, uh..." Erholtz fumbled for a little.
"'Mistress' or 'Your Highness' or any other title you can think of sounds fine," said T.K. She raised an eyebrow. "And I don't believe that one bit. I wonder why?"
"Because he didn't," Daisy responded. "The big moron carried him out. Apparently he fucked up somewhere, uh...Mistress?"
"Don't worry, my flower." Takeru used a pet name for the Sarasaland Princess. "The portion of my virus that traitor injected in you helps you grow accustomed to different leaders controlling it. You're quickly growing used it." Takeru regarded the angel again. "I'll make sure you're punished for your failure."
"Please! Don't!" Erholtz begged.
But Takeru disregarded his pleas, as she wrapped her whip around his neck and ripped it off of his shoulders.
Tails' eyes widened in horror. He gasped at what he saw and the cruelty behind it. The fox wanted to bolt, but Daisy stood behind him. He looked away from the bloody, beheaded angel, disgusted and fearful. His stomach and throat were in knots, fearing the same fate would come to him any minute.
"Get used to it, fox. You'll be witnessing my discipline quite a bit." Takeru snapped her blood-stained whip. "You could be next, you know?"
Tails trembled violently to the point where he felt like fainting. He wished Sonic stood by him; the blue hedgehog would have protected him from the sadistic witch in front of him.
"Leave him alone," Kohut demanded. "If you want to kill him, you'll have to go through me." He moved in front of the frightened fox, arms spread.
"Very well, then." The succubus snared the second-in-command in her whip like she did Erholtz. Unlike the angel, Kohut struggled against the whip, grabbing it and trying to pull it away from her. But T.K. was relentless; the tugged harder, the whip constricting around the second-in-command's neck. She yanked hard, ripping his head off. It rolled meters away from Tails and in front of Surge. The yellow fox's stomach churned, nearly causing him to hurl what little he had inside.
"Now, anyone else care to overstep their boundaries?" T.K. asked as if she'd merely kicked a student out of class for misbehavior. She studied Tails and Surge, who held still and said nothing. The succubus smirked with satisfaction. "Good. Now, Peach, Daisy, Luigi, cage the fox."
The Mario characters nodded, Peach and Daisy grabbing Tails by the arms and dragging him away.
"And you..." T.K. faced Surge. "You were trying to foil my plans weren't you? Snooping around my chambers with your friends. Well, why don't you use those plans to aid me? Yes, you can be put to good use and I know how. It can even expedite the growth of my...subject population. She noticed his flickering state. "Hm, you're in pretty bad shape. It's because of my having the key, isn't it? Don't worry, what I have planned won't be too taxing for you."
The arcade guardian shifted a few inches, for the first time fearing what Takeru would have in store for him. Anger also blazed in him at T.K.'s nonchalance at his weakened state, implying that she didn't care what happened to him as long as it satisfied her. And somewhere in the pit of Surge's stomach told him that would probably be the case.
..
"Kohut was my best soldier," Calhoun said, after watching her second-in-command's death. "One of them. Now who's going to replace him?" The sergeant punched the wall. "This has to end now or someone else is going to end up like that angel and Kohut."
"And T.K. having Surge in her possession can spell even more chaos," added Bowser. "She can use Surge for just about anything."
"With that key in her? Yeah," the sergeant agreed.
"You said that was the heart of the arcade," Lucina said.
Calhoun nodded. "And its main power's out right now due to it being tampered and absorbed."
"I'm wondering what she's going to make Surge do?" said Takuya, watching the conversation. "We can't hear a thing. Nor do we know how we're going to stop her."
"Some of us can stay here and keep watching T.K. and Surge for their next move," Snow suggested. "The rest can round up the others so we can get a plan going."
"Bowser and I can stay," Lucina decided. "And we'll let you know what they're up to next."
"You heard her." Calhoun herded Snow and Takuya toward the inside of the tunnel. "Let's round up the other ladies so we can brainstorm a battle plan. We're not letting this arcade go down...not without a fight."
…
"Ralph?" Vanellope mumbled, slowly opening her eyes. She found herself face-to-face with bars surrounding her. "What the...?" she wondered. The last thing she remembered was trying to reach out to the Bad Guy...until T.K. had knocked her out, explains the bars surrounding her. The princess looked down to see she was suspended at least twelve feet off the floor, just above what looked like a spiked, obsidian throne being constructed by angel characters. Takeru's throne, she presumed. And as for Vanellope, she was in a cage hanging from the ceiling. The lead racer hazarded a glance down at the throne, namely Ralph sitting next to it, chained to the seat like a dog chained to a fence. Surge sat on the other side. The succubus stood between them, back turned on her for the moment and observing the work being done by her soldiers, whose numbers were increasing. Vanellope's attention focused on Surge, wondering what Takeru wanted with him, especially when the arcade guardian wasn't doing too well health wise, considering his awful amount of flickering.
The princess then glanced at the other cage, hanging around her, specifically Taffyta's and Candlehead's which resided on her left. Both were still unconscious; the lollipop racer's hat had fallen off, leaving her waist-length platinum blonde hair in disarray from the melee. Candlehead's candle was out, her pigtails were undone, and her clothes had tears and holes. Vanellope's own condition wasn't any better; half of her hoodie hung off of her shoulder, revealing a part of her breast, the licorice tie in her hair had snapped off, undoing her ponytail, and one pant leg was gone. She was in worse shape than the others from her first encounter with T.K. This meeting only increased it. Vanellope could only guess that the succubus had whipped her even more while the princess was unconscious.
But she wouldn't take any more of it, as she grabbed two of the bars and yanked them, trying to break-free, but they were too strong.
"Of course," she huffed. "Maybe I can get my power to help me...if it will listen this time. She thrust her hands forward, willing the stream to come out of her palms, but nothing generated, not even a spark. "Oh come on, it's happened before!" Vanellope tried again, but received the same result.
"Can I ask what you're doing?"
"Taffyta?" Vanellope found that her sister was still down.
"Behind you."
Vanellope looked behind her to see a blonde, yellow-clad girl who was in her friends' condition: infected. A pink-haired woman clad in blonde hung next to her, with a blue-haired one dressed the same way on the blonde's other side.
""Who are you guys?" Vanellope asked.
"What? You don't recognize either of us?" the pink-haired girl jumped back, offended. "We all ran into each other that time before we started off for Sugar Rush, remember? You ran off to get your boyfriend."
"I remember both of those times," Vanellope said, "And Ralph is not my boyfriend!" The princess blurted out at the pink-haired woman. "You're Wendee, right?"
The pink-haired woman nodded. "And that's my younger sister Koji. "She pointed at the blue-haired woman.
"I'm Aika from Skies of Arcadia," the blonde introduced. "I'm part of the Blue Rogues...or was. I don't think there's a lot of us left. I think I'm the last one from my game, meaning I won't have a home to return to even when we stop that slut down there." She nodded to T.K. "Well, we were already in trouble before this, Vyse was swallowed up by the virus that blacked out our entire game. Dyne and I met up with some of our colleagues from my game when the blackout happened, but T.K. appeared and now we're separated again after our loss in the fight. I hope they aren't dead. Those infected characters can hit hard, and I'm already suffering from Fix-It, who weakened me enough already. That sure as hell didn't help me against T.K.'s army."
"Hammer Time infected you?" Vanellope asked, and Aika nodded. The princess then regarded the two sirens. "What about you two?"
"We all reunited during the blackout 'cause we were escaping the games being deleted," explained Wendee. "Mignogna, Koji, and Takuya met up near Fairytale Speedway before everything went down with our 'mistress.'"
"Your mistress?" Vanellope repeated, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah, we used to train under her," said Wendee. "We weren't always good at seduction. We really sucked until Takeru showed us the ropes...but then abused us. Well, abused Takuya, who's not with us right now." She probably escaped with Minnie and is giving her all sorts of grief."
"What happened between you and T.F.?" Vanellope was interested now.
Wendee told her the entire story of how T.K. had taken the five sirens under her wing, how she'd placed Ralph off-limits, Takuya overstepping her boundaries by making friends with the wrecker resulting in Takeru abusing the redhead, and ending with the late Agnes standing up for them all. The pink-haired character capped the story by explaining Takuya's change in personality because of the experience.
"White Hair's not the only one with history with T.K.," the princess realized.
"You mean Sora?" Wendee received a nod. "I don't know her story between her and Takeru, but I'm certain it's not a pleasant one. And you don't have to tell it to me; I care not about her life."
"So what about Takuya?" Vanellope asked. "Did T.K. abuse her that much to make her a nasty, cold creature?"
"Yep," Koji answered this time. "My twin used to be submissive and shy, but that's over now. And she's been in fights with your friend Savannah." She snorted. "I doubt she'll get Taky in line. I bet they're at it now...assuming they've escaped, leaving us to rot in prison."
"Snow wouldn't let us rot," the princess rebutted. "They're coming up with a plan right now, I'm sure."
"So what were you doing?" Aika asked. "Trying to push the bars? Or move them with your mind?" That last part encouraged a snicker from the sirens.
"No, I was trying to use my new power to break outta here," Vanellope said. "But it wouldn't listen. I just learned I had a lightning ability, but it won't activate. I don't know what to do, and I'm useless against T.K. if I don't learn how to use it."
"Normally it's all about control," Wendee said. "We didn't become sirens through luck. This may be the same thing. With practice, you can control your power."
"And then it'll be too late."
The women groaned upon noticing T.K. ascending to their cages, a numb expression on her face.
"At least the slut's kind enough to check on her prisoners," Aika mocked. "I applaud you. Don't worry. We're not misbehaving...yet."
"I still think it's a good idea for me to make sure you don't try anything." Takeru's gaze fell on Vanellope. "Especially you. It's obvious you're going to be a problem; especially if you gain control of that lightning of yours. No matter, I'll deal with you. Yes, I promise you that. I'll maybe even send Ralph after you; you love him, and I know you'll never want to harm him. If any of you try anything, that is."
"I know you'll kill Ralph once you're done with him," Vanellope accused.
"No, I love him too much to discard him, cavity." Takeru feigned hurt feelings, placing a hand to her chest. "Besides, I'd be worrying about myself if I were you." T.K. flew off to another cluster of cages to check on their contents.
Vanellope clenched her fists, sparks surrounding them this time. She glared behind T.K., annoyed with the succubus' taunts and threats and how she'd hurt innocents in the arcade and had taken over her game. Most of all, T.K.'s claim and control over Ralph infuriated her. Rage raced through her, along with other feelings she didn't know existed. Feelings beyond mere friendship.
"I know, T.K.'s pissed us all off." Aika tried to comfort her. She attempted to reach into Vanellope's cage, but jerked back upon noticing the blue sparks. "Damn, calm down. We'll find a way outta here."
"I don't think that's just anger," Wendee said. "I think it's Vanellope's reaction to Ralph's being in T.K.'s possession. And she's pissed about that. Maybe that's the trigger for her powers."
"Vanellope's in love!" Koji concluded cheerfully.
"What?" Vanellope jumped, the sparks fizzling out. She regarded the blue-haired siren quizzically.
"You heard me." Koji gave her a playful smile. "You like Wreck-It."
"N-No, I don't." Vanellope shook her head haplessly, not believing what Koji was saying. She didn't like Ralph like that.
"Trust me, pixie. It's there," Wendee stated firmly. "The feelings are there. I'm certain. If they weren't, sparks wouldn't have hugged you. So deny it all you want. All we need to do is channel that into control of your powers."