It's been quite a while since my last update, so I apologize. During the inactivity, something happened within the BBAU community that I wish to address, concerning the story going forward. As I put it in a Tumblr post, I will be finishing WTTW, but as originally intended. You can read more about my decision there (Search under the "fanfic update" tag, my handle on Tumblr is the same as on here).
Also, please check out chapter 1, I've finally rewritten it!
Happy Thanksgiving everybody!
Chapter description: Denied comes back to life and things aren't going so great. Gonzalo unleashes The Plans! in order to rescue the Strobovskis! How could this possibly go wrong?
Tags for this chapter:
Revival, Familial Reconciliation, Rescue Mission, Violence, BETRAYAL!
His earnings dropped, then flared again, eyes widening in horror
25. Our Message In A Bottle
When Denied awoke, his mind was blank. The recognizable ceiling of Candice's school was the first thing he registered. He thought nothing of it as he sat up, briefly viewing his surroundings. Some kind of hospital-like room, similar to Viktor's infirmary, but wasn't.
On his right-hand side was a large window, allowing sunlight to spill inside. And on his left was the rest of the room, bearing relevant machines, a bookcase on the far corner, fake plants scattered about, and some chairs, all to complete the look.
And, uh. A lot of cards and floral arrangements. Weird.
Sitting in one of the chairs was his dear brother, Billy. Still not quite understanding what exactly was going on, and not really itching to find out, the merman cast him a small wave with a lazy grin. "Heeey, dude."
The well-made robot's gaze, of which seemed to be looking through him, turned alert in an instant. And within moments, he'd closed the distance between them, finding himself wrapped up in his arms. His voice was the opposite of steady. "Denied…! Oh, thank God. Finally, you've come back…"
"Uh… What? Come back?" Denied couldn't hide his confusion even if he tried. "What're you talkin' about? You okay?" From the questions, Billy pulled back, also confused.
"Do you not remember?" Remember what? Denied tried, thinking about it. What was the last thing that happened before he ended up here…
Wait. He felt his face fall. Wait. His earfins drooped, then flared, eyes widening in horror. WAIT. It was all crashing back to him. A glare formed, baring his teeth.
"Oh that son of a BITCH!" He blurted, as he leapt out of the bed he'd apparently been in. There was a strange warmth in his good eye, but it was only slightly distracting. "That MOTHERFUCKER! He set me up! He set me up! And I bet he's SO. PROUD of himself right now, having a GOOD LAUGH over makin' me…!" He was unable to finish his statement, emitting a growl instead. Then, he noticed his outfit - yellow green striped pajamas. "And what the FUCK is this?!"
Billy's cool hand landed on his shoulder. "Your eye is red." By contrast, he deadpanned.
"My WHAT?!"
"Your eye is red," His brother repeated, tone softer. "I understand where you're coming from, but try to not let it consume you." His level-headedness was utterly contagious. Denied took his advice, releasing a long breath. Soon, the weird warmth faded away, and so too did his rage. No, his Rage. Yeah, that.
"Is it gone?" He faced Billy, who nodded. "Okay, good. Fuck. Sorry. I'm so pissed." And filled with many other thoughts, namely the fact that the well-made robot was there with him in the first place. Why, after everything? It didn't make any sense.
And… How was Denied alive right now? The once excruciating pain was no longer there. He recalled Billy's earlier words - "come back". From the dead? Like… Candice and the others did? Ugh…
So not only did he fuck things up for everyone, but they dared to revive him. Maybe it was to answer for his crimes. Except… Billy was being awfully nice to him, all things considered.
"I'm sure a lot of us are, for the same reasons," He was giving him a sad smile. "A lot has occurred since that day, but I think what's most important to know is that it's gotten worse. … Though, that might not be hard to believe."
"No, yeah… I'd actually be shocked if everythin' was better," Denied shrugged, as a question came to mind, one that he dreaded asking. It wasn't like he couldn't check, but he… Didn't really want to. "So, uh… How long's it been?"
"Two weeks, and six days," GodDAMN. "And in that time, I've thought about what you did." Uh oh. "And knowing what I do now, it was the best possible outcome, wasn't it? From a, 'mess of variables and shit'?" Any other move would've led to far less favorable consequences.
"By a long shot," In spite of this, Denied's voice was quieting from shame. "But if there'd been anything better, I'd…" Gone for it in a heartbeat.
"Exactly. Admittedly, at that moment, I felt betrayed. But I have to remind myself that you often think about the big picture. So… I forgive you." Holy shit, that was… Unexpected, and in Denied's opinion, undeserved. Then, the well-made robot became more serious, briefly. "But just so we're clear, I still don't approve of you using it how you did. Never do that to me again."
"Y-Yeah, for sure. That's fair." Okay, this was better. Forgiven, but definitely not forgotten. And yet, it felt like a weight off his shoulders.
"If I may ask, why did you join THRIVE, anyway? Aldurra wouldn't tell me." Of course not. That was the whole point.
"To get Viktor and 1 to make up and take down Alex," Billy blinked, going silent. The merman could read his bemusement. "Yeah, that's literally it."
He faced the wall. His turn to be ashamed. "It's… So obvious. That sounds just like you." And, a bit dramatic.
"Eh, well… It's whatever." Denied soon found his attention drawn back to the floral arrangements and cards. He went to pick up the one that was closest. It was one of those "get well soon" varieties, signed by Gonzalo's crew (likely by proxy of Billy).
His next words were a struggle. "People… Actually missed me."
Billy reached his side again. "Of course we did. You may be a handful sometimes, but that doesn't mean we don't love you." Denied felt tears well up. It was too much. He spun around and clung to him, ugly sobs escaping his mouth.
Taken by surprise, all Billy could do was pat his back. "Um. Are you alright?"
"It's just…!" It was difficult to explain. "After what I did, I didn't think you guys would… Still…!" He shakily took a breath, trying desperately to sound more coherent. "Least of all you, and… Our family. I really thought that was it…"
Aside from Denied's noises, it was silent for a short while. At last, Billy spoke, tentatively. "Oh. Right. Your last message to me. I see now." The merman was held in return, now for the second time, as he cried on Billy's shoulder. "Please don't worry, brother. We would never abandon you."
It wasn't until he calmed, and the two pulled away, that Billy asked one last question. "Do you want some water?" Already in his hand was a bottle of it.
Honestly, even if not for the excessive tears earlier, the merman found he was drier than a desert. Why didn't they IV that shit? Ah, oh well. "Fuck yeah I do."
He proceeded to chug nearly half of its contents, not noticing when someone new entered the room. "You done?" It was the demon himself, tone slightly annoyed-sounding. His vest was in tatters, and yet he still wore it.
"H-… Hey, Aldurra." Denied grew a bit nervous again, able to imagine what kind of pathetic sight he must've witnessed while he was out. Then, before he could say anything else, he was lifted off the floor, at Aldurra's eye level. And shaken.
"You crazy blue bastard! What the Hell were you thinking?!" He scolded him, ignoring his yelps of surprise. "You should've, I donno, pretended to forget! 'Oh shit sorry, was that today? Goddamn, my bad!' Or whatever bullshit you could pull!"
"Go easy on him. He's still recovering. … Emotionally." Billy retorted, with an edge of firmness. It was enough to make Aldurra stop flailing the merman around, at least.
Gathering himself again, Denied conceded, "No, he's got a point… Fuck, why didn't I think of that? I even told him, 'You woulda LOST if not for me' and shit! Imagine if I just didn't show up! He would've been FUCKED!"
His brother humored this train of thought, adding, "While you're absolutely right about that, it can't be helped now." Yeah…
From all the commotion, more characters appeared as Denied was set down. At first, it was Candice and Olivia. The latter managed a smirk, greeting, "Welcome to the club of the undead."
"Olivia, please…" Candice murmured with unease.
"That's a good way of puttin' it, though," Denied, on the other hand, agreed. "Undead… Spooky."
Then, there was Dave 119, who seemed to have been notified somehow. "Hey, Denied! It's so good to see you up and around again! How're you feeling?"
He was devoid of that cursed pendant, leading Denied to begin suspecting that something was amiss with THRIVE. Please let that be true. "Uh, better? Yeah, better. Also, angry as shit, 'cause like…"
"Tell me about it! I didn't think… You-know-who, could be so cruel!" Ah, okay. Good sign already.
There were a good handful of people now, but that paled in comparison to the last batch of folks to appear. The merman thought there was an earthquake - until he realized that it was actually Uncle Gonzalo and his crew (and one new person, a player who looked exactly like Text from Text's Basics), storming through the building and into the room. Denied and everyone else yelled out as they were swept up in their collective, massive embrace, and he probably could've drowned in it.
Wait, how did they get here?
"DENIED!" Gonzalo's voice thundered with triumph, not caring that the six of them were at his mercy, "IT'S ABOUT TIME YOU WOKE UP!"
"Inside voice, Captain," Dad said to him, "We are on the surface, after all."
"Oh my God," Denied wheezed, "I. I'm gonna die again. Fuck…"
"Perhaps this was a bad idea…" Billy confessed in a similar manner.
"You did this?!"
"I did not think there would be so many of us…"
"You asshole…!"
"Ah- Captain Gonzalo?! Oh goodness! Ahaha, how nice to see you again!" 119 remained cordial, despite struggling to speak.
"What? Which one are you?" Oh for fuck's sake, Uncle.
"119, sir!"
"Ohhh, right! Haha, you too!" Then, he grumbled in Lithuanian, "'Him again? Goddammit, why couldn't it have been 82?!'" He was sort of right. Where was Dave in all this?
Finally, Aldurra had enough. "RELEASE US, NOW." The words held that certain layer of persuasion, which thankfully worked like a charm. Those who were encased in that otherwise bone-crushing "hug" collapsed to the floor.
"Whoa!" The captain took it in stride, laughing. "That was astounding!"
"Don't make me do it again." The demon rolled his eyes with a growl.
Gonzalo tsked, unruffled by the threat. "You seem fun."
As it turned out, Billy wasn't lying when he mentioned that things got worse since 1's takeover. There was now general unrest among some of the residents, especially the Daves; 119 was just the tip of the iceberg. The only good thing was that Alex was finally, finally dealt with, locked away in his own realm, which he apparently stuffed inside a bundle of notebooks?! Code was weird, man.
Currently, a bounty was going on, for that Baldi Denied met. The merman's hunch had been right - he found him too special to simply let go. As it was still ongoing, it was presumed that the professor was safe.
Except, the Baldi 1 was looking for, apparently wasn't the same one that met up for that Alex fight. "There're two of them?!" Denied couldn't help but blurt, but luckily he and Billy were alone. At his new house. Because it burned down.
Oh, yeah, that's right. Almost forgot. To most people, the outside wouldn't seem noticeably different, because there's no way in Hell Billy wouldn't use purple, but for Denied, he noticed it. First of all, it was a lot smaller, more like… Well, a house, and not a school-sized building trying to be a house.
And if that weren't enough to give it away, it also had a decked-out, front-side veranda; a table, chairs, even a swinging loveseat. Fuck, Denied was getting kinda jealous now.
As for the interior? Even the most layman would be able to tell that it was nothing like what they'd come to expect from the well-made robot - white sandstone walls, with the wainscoting, moulding, and supports colored purple (of course). Dark hardwood floors, paired with, you guessed it, purple rugs. Not in all rooms, however.
Also, Denied was pretty sure there were more plants than before. And speaking of, the new side garden bore a set of familiar-looking terracotta tiles. If Denied were to guess, Billy might've gotten inspired…
"Damn…" Denied had spoken his awe. "You've really outdone yourself this time…"
"Thank you," All the while, Billy's demeanor on the whole thing radiated confidence, with an undertone of smugness. But in this case, both weren't uncharacteristic of him. "You know, Sam dared to doubt me. She paid for it dearly."
The merman had to hold back his laughter after that comment. He did, however, manage to hide his face. "Uh-huh. Yeah. I bet."
Anyway…
"Indeed," Back to the moment, his brother nodded. "I was just as surprised. Though, I will say that if not for him, Alex would've killed us; there's no doubt in my mind. He calls himself Plus, and he is truly something else."
"Yeah, sounds about right! Do ya think I'd be able to meet him?"
"I don't see why not. In fact, I think it might be inevitable." These statements were paired with a hopeful grin. It was nice to know.
Something about the story reminded Denied of something. "So, uh… How's Dave?" And at the question, Billy's smile disappeared instantly.
"He's… Fine." Oh, shit.
"How bad is it?" The merman grew worried. "Like… For a guy who lost half of his body, he's still gotta be doin' better than I was, right?"
Quickly, Billy turned to him, correcting, "No, he's perfectly fine. Like it never happened. Do you remember that house project he wanted to do?" Denied nodded. "Well, it, and he, are made of nanites now. So everything regenerated."
At first glance, that sounded incredible. Now no one in their right mind could mess with Dave. But then, why was Billy so… Upset by this? Wait… Oh.
"And he never told you…" It was a guess, but a correct one, as his brother nodded solemnly. The pain in his eyes was immeasurable. "I'm sorry, dude. Look, I get that. But hey, there's plenty more fish in the sea! You'll be fine!"
"Oh, no, we're still together," Billy shook his head this time, but it was becoming more and more apparent that he'd much rather talk about something else. "We're trying to make things work. It's… Complicated."
It wasn't easy to say whether or not that was a good thing. If it would be better for them to break up, it wasn't like Denied was going to be against that. But Dave was his friend too, and while nothing might happen, it was possible that things could get awkward (or outright bad). Not just with him, but the family as well. Ultimately, however, nothing but their happiness should sway such a decision.
Regardless, he caught on to the unsaid message, patting Billy's shoulder lightly. "Gotcha. Hey, so ya know how 1 wants that Baldi? I met him! He can even speak Lithuanian! Isn't that the coolest shit ever?!"
Much later, Denied was roped into what Uncle called, "The Plans!", although considering its subject matter, it was more like a "sign me the FUCK up" kinda deal. With the entirety of the crew present inside the anchored submarine, he listened as Gonzalo went over the details. However, for them, it seemed more like a rehashing.
Through The Plans!, they would retrieve the masks of Viktor and Tiara, which were hidden away within the walls of 1's school. As much as Denied would've liked a chance to actually attack him, that part of The Plans! was a mere distraction.
Conducted by Gonzalo, Shy Worker, and Dad.
"And miss out on that?!" He griped. It'd been surprisingly easy to fall back into familiarity, almost like nothing has changed. Weird, but also… Nice.
"Yes, unfortunately," The captain sighed as he played along, "But we are in dire need of someone who knows how to get inside undetected." He pointed right at him. "You get to lead the rest of the crew until you find those Tarwills!" Well, shit. It still happened, but the new spin on it sounded… Pretty cool, actually.
"And to communicate, we will be using…!"
Gonzalo (CAPTGONZALO)
(The private chat feature!
If for some reason any of you have no idea how to use it, you better figure it out now, or you're not going!)
The merman felt like he recognized this, but it was a challenge to place how. And in his case, he's not sure if he's ever had to before.
But then, almost like magic, he found it - in the deep recesses of the domain, viewing it like the mind's eye. Strings of letters, words, numbers, symbols, forming a language he only vaguely understood. Yet, the method itself was surprisingly simple.
MediterraneanWaves (DENIEDCELLAR)
(no peeking!)
"Very good!" Uncle nodded in satisfaction, then brought out two pairs of dog tags, showing them to Denied. "Now, the most important part. Tensions are high, and our emotions may be, too. So, it will be required to wear these. Present yours, now."
Denied saw them do so - and next to him, Billy had to loosen his tie, but he had one all the same. "I won't doubt that 1 will be able to figure me out. And for ol' Sydney here, allow me to explain. Quite simple, really."
"Everyone in the Webspace has something called a PURPOSE - it defines the core facet of our being. Whether it's to UNITE, or to ADAPT, or to SUSTAIN… In little ways, we act on it, even if we don't realize it. But some, like me, can elevate them into their more powerful forms. Mine is called NAVIGATE, and it can become EXPEDITE."
"And when that happens…" He paused, his eyes lighting up with blue-glowing irises, followed by every pair of dog tags in the room. "It allows the wearers to keep calm, focused. Even in the face of danger! Don't think it affects players though, but it's still neat!"
The changes reverted. "But as for you, Denied, you get to pick which one you would like. Choose wisely!"
One of them was labelled, "DENIED CELLAR", the other, "DENIED LĖ". Dad and Billy's last name. For a moment, the merman sat there, processing the whole thing. But once he was able to, the decision was immediate.
And then, from in the crowd, Dad immediately stood up. "Denied Lė! I knew it! All of you owe me 500 Manei!" With a groan, the others reluctantly began to pay up. Including the captain himself, who appeared the most displeased. Meanwhile, Dad's laughter filled and echoed throughout the room.
What the fuck. They were betting on this? His gaze turned to his brother, who wasn't doing the same. With a straight face, he said, "I had no involvement."
It was days later. Stars speckled the nighttime skybox, street lamps being the only sources of light. A gentle breeze whistled and rustled the air, a sensation that'd become nonexistent until recently. From atop the front gates of 1's school, undeterred by the barbed obsidian due to their tough boots, Captain Gonzalo stood with his fellow distractors - Bob and Worker. The rest of his crew, guided by Denied, should be in position at any moment.
Bob (BOBLĖ)
(I'm certain he's already noticed us.)
Gonzalo (CAPTGONZALO)
(Let him. It'll make it easier.)
After a few minutes, his merman of a nephew spoke up.
MediterraneanWaves (DENIEDLĖ)
(ok, were here
at your signal)
With a new username and everything. Glancing at Bob, Gonzalo was able to catch his faint, but prideful smile. Bet aside, he was happy for them; honestly, Denied had always told others to not include his old surname when introducing himself. So a change like this was practically inevitable, and the captain was only being a contrarian to give his best friend a hard time.
And while he paid for it, literally, it didn't actually matter in the slightest.
Gonzalo (CAPTGONZALO)
(Excellent!
Robertas, make the call.)
In his hand appeared a sleek, black rotary phone; functional even without a plug. He held the receiver, dialing the number. The captain listened to the ringing tones, then the ensuing conversation once their collective foe picked up.
"Hello, 1," The well-made builder greeted, dryly, "I trust that you can see us already, so I'm going to give you one last chance to redeem yourself. Either you hand over the Tarwills, or we turn your entire building to rubble until we find them. The choice is yours."
Silence. Bob's grip on the receiver tightened. "Answer me."
"It would be wise to stay in your lane." At last, there it was.
"You forced our hand."
"Elaborate."
"You know what you did." Gonzalo gave his shoulder a slight squeeze, hoping that he wouldn't have to elevate this early, in order to keep his nerves settled.
"Oh, I see. The Strobovskis are secondary to you. This is about that scummy fish you call a son, isn't it? Well, I hope you realize that he brought it upon himself."
"'Keep it together. He's trying to piss you off.'" Gonzalo whispered. He should've made the call himself, but Bob had insisted…
"And besides, I don't understand why you're still upset about that," The first Dave was continuing in the meantime, "Shouldn't you be happy that he's been torn away from whatever afterlife there might be for us? While that alone sickens me, it's even more frustrating that you have the nerve to be angry over an issue that no longer has any meaning. Stay in your lane."
It took a moment, but Bob managed to regain focus. "Then, we are unable to come to an agreement. Heed this: When you decided to make Denied's armor cosmetic, you should've considered the repercussions. I hope that when you perish, Viktor does not bring you back." He hung up, firmly. His voice lowered to a mutter, pinching the bridge of his nose. "'God… Fucking… Asshole.'"
"'You good, Shipwright?'" Soon, his friend recomposed himself, telephone put away. Bob removed his glasses, replacing them with contact lenses. Why now, and not before they left? But Gonzalo resisted the urge to say that aloud.
"'Indeed,'" With a breath, he nodded. "'Let's continue.'"
The captain returned it, then faced Worker. "'You're up.'"
"'Finally.'" He tabbed to a rocket launcher, not his, but Gonzalo didn't mind him borrowing it. He took aim at where 1's office was in that building, and fired. It flew true, reaching its target and blasting the wall open, a most wondrous sound filling the air.
Gonzalo couldn't stop smiling. "'Good shot! Now, get ready, both of you!'"
EXPEDITE mode, and not a moment too soon. Before the smoke could clear, a swarm of orange backswords cut through, heading right for them. They dodged, weapons drawn as they landed on the astroturf. Gonzalo's dog tags, glowing blue like his eyes, enlarged and became more like a flail, with a long, extendable chain.
Nearby, he could see similar instances occurring with his group - Bob's pistol a canary yellow, Worker's harpoon gun a spring green. The three of them, and their imminent combatant, would fight, sail, and glide like neon lights.
Neither of the captain's allies had arms that changed into larger, deadlier forms, but that wasn't a bad thing. Their best attributes lie in function, not style - Bob's rounds didn't affect his teammates, and Worker's harpoons couldn't miss.
After more anticipation, their foe appeared, speeding toward them, armor donned. Perfect.
Gonzalo (CAPTGONZALO)
(We've lured him out! Get to it!)
Denied didn't hesitate as he led the crew inside, and before long were searching the school for clues. Try as they might to stay undetected, the chaos outside made it next to impossible. 1's entourage was going to intercept, and that would only create problems.
So an even bigger fight broke out. And unfortunately for the first Dave, numbers weren't on his side anymore. To be fair, only roughly half of his ensemble could participate. This could've easily resolved into a "hand them over and we'll spare you" situation, if not for
Oh, shit. Cell. Those motherfuckers deserved a lot more credit than they were given, looking back on that day. If the Alien Hall Monitors and Gotta Sleeps and MONOTOR-0s failed, or if the Daves were starting to falter, the Cells put the score right back to even. Of course, it was easy to forget them, as only a handful were in that coup.
But even just one of them spelt trouble. And one is all that bastard needed.
Quickly did Alien, ScientistRobot, and Gotta Sleep back off, upon the arrival of the black and red stickfigure of an entity. Oh God. Oh shit. Oh fuck.
MediterraneanWaves (DENIEDLĖ)
(uh, uncle
what do ya know about cell)
Gonzalo (CAPTGONZALO)
(He's more of a threat than the rest of 1's grunts combined.
He can change your very code. And I've heard that it's horrifically painful.
Whatever you do, do not let him touch you.)
They were so screwed.
Sprays of orange, yellow, and green had already filled the area. Backswords striking bullets, deflecting harpoons, and vice versa. Despite the three on 1 (pun fully intended), the current leader of the Webspace was keeping up with them quite effectively. But whether or not they defeat him here wasn't as important as keeping him busy.
When there was an opening, Gonzalo would rush in swinging, though most of the time only managed to latch onto one of the many blades 1 conjured. But if he remained too close, the first Dave, in turn, would look for an opportunity to behead him. They both knew how imperative the captain was in this bout, and the lapse of focus, no matter how short, would be more than enough to turn everything around. Just like in that coup he heard so much about.
And Gonzalo wasn't a Tarwill; he cannot simply retreat into a mask and reform later. His salvation would be left in the hands of fate. He knew of the fairy who could revive anyone, but how would it work in this case? An interesting thought experiment indeed, except… There was absolutely no way he would use himself, or his crew, as a guinea pig.
At some point, 1 caught on to the ruse. "You would ambush my ensemble to get what you desire? You putrid band of bottomfeeders. I will personally lay waste to you and the others, starting with that abhorrent seabeast!"
He made a break for it, and Gonzalo thought fast. Finally did his weapon find purchase, stopping 1's flight. "You're not going anywhere!"
Nearby, Worker swapped to his corded harpoons, managing to embed one into 1's shoulder pad. Now their enemy was truly tethered in place. "Not as long as we live!"
In this situation, Bob had a clear shot, but he held off. He looked 1 right in the eyes, no longer phased by his barbs. "And if we die, we'll still be loved. You, on the other hand… Your memorial's not looking too bright."
The guy only used that small handgun primarily, but he may as well have launched another rocket and hit him point blank. Ha. Like father, like son.
Cell didn't start attacking immediately. Instead, to the crew (and interestingly enough, only the members of 1's game inside the building), he spoke.
Cell (CELL_1)
(I know where they're hiding. But your intentions are unclear.
How can I trust you to free them?)
Faintly, there was the sound of metallic typing. The merman's earfins perked and faced its source. It was coming from… Silver's room. But Denied thought for sure he moved out long ago. What was he doing here? Anyway, Cell responded to him.
Cell (CELL_1)
(Yes, they're all here.)
More typing. Cell made a face.
Cell (CELL_1)
(Uh. Yes, even him. I thought you didn't like him.)
More. Who was Silver talking about?
Cell (CELL_1)
(Dang, really? With… With how many?)
More. The previously serious demeanor had completely shifted, now being… Just the opposite. And in the midst…
Gonzalo (CAPTGONZALO)
(What's going on in there?)
Well-Made_Account (BILLYLĖ)
(He seems to be talking to Silver.
Other than that, I have no idea.)
Cell, however, ignored this.
Cell (CELL_1)
(Oh my God. I wish I could've been there to see that.
Okay well, what about the rest of them?)
By this point, everyone from Denied's side could do nothing but listen in.
Cell (CELL_1)
(Got it.)
With an arm-sweeping motion, the crew disappeared, leaving only him. And Billy. Panic would've arisen in the both of them, if not for the captain's elevation.
MediterraneanWaves (DENIEDLĖ)
(dude
what the hell?)
To their surprise, then relief, Cell moved over to a wall on the ground floor, pointing the same arm at it. Like the merman had seen at least a few times, something came out, texture changing from the titanium metal to the translucent orange of the Tarwill Container, the two masks still inside.
Cell (CELL_1)
(Relax. I just sent them home. They don't need to see this.
But Silver trusts you two. Hm, speaking of…
Spike. Dave is still distracted. It's time to No-Clip.)
HoloSpike?! (SPIKE_1)
(Yes sir!)
The hologram of a character appeared promptly, flying to Silver's room. Meanwhile, Cell took the Container, and handed it to- Billy?! Well, it was basically a coin flip at this point, but the entity had done it with zero hesitation. In turn, the well-made robot quickly became preoccupied with studying it, as well as the Tarwills inside.
The metallic giant was phased through his room's door, guided by HoloSpike. Cell jumped onto the second floor's open hall to join them. His hand touched Silver's arm briefly, and he flinched.
Cell (CELL_1)
(One second.
… There. Chat features have been restored.
Now, if I were you, I'd hide out with one of the Future Daves. They'll make sure he never takes you away again.)
Then, Silver was hugging them, as well as the rest of the cast, once they made their way up there.
SILVERBULLET (SM)
(THANKS GUYS
I WILL MISS YOU THOUGH
WHAT IF I JUST)
Cell (CELL_1)
(No. You can't risk getting caught.
Plus, he'll only tighten security afterwards.
Please, stop taking it upon yourself to deal with him. You tried, and you couldn't reach him.
He's… Beyond saving.)
There was a lot more to the conversation, but by this point, Denied nudged his brother, gesturing towards the exit with his eyes. With a silent nod, he followed. But considering the way things turned out, Denied felt that it'd only be polite to announce their departure.
MediterraneanWaves (DENIEDLĖ)
(ok were just gonna leave now bye)
Well-Made_Account (BILLYLĖ)
(Thank you for your cooperation.)
A bit rushed, but it worked.
"Welp, I got kicked out, I think," Text nonchalantly noted, as his character spawned at his home. In a room at his computer club, next to him, Blossom was playing the game as well. Glancing over at her, he asked, "What're you up to?"
"Decorating my apartment." Yeah, that checked out.
"Can I see?" Text made Sydney venture out into the complex's hallway.
"Yeah!" Next door was Blossom's. He had Sydney knock. She giggled. "You can just look at my screen, Text."
"Nah, that's no fun." Text chuckled back.
"Oh, fine." The door opened for him, and he entered. The interior was quite bright, airy; like her teahouse in almost every way. Warm. Welcoming. Just like her.
"It's so pretty!"
"Thanks! I think it's really coming together."
"It does kind of suck, having to have separate apartments." Text commented, as Blossom's character, who she named Haruki, served him tea and cake. Her avatar looked nothing like her, the opposite approach that Text took with Sydney - a fair-skinned lady with brunette hair in a pair of buns, wearing a sleeveless, flowery, spring-green dress. An approximation of Blossom's design for when she used to be alive.
And Sydney, to be fair, was still donning that earthy-colored naval uniform. It was like he just returned from war - except the war kicked his ass.
"Aw, you wanted to be roommates?"
"Would that be weird?" Partially, he was asking himself that question. The previous statement did seem a bit out of nowhere.
"Not at all! Actually…" Blossom paused, in thought. "Have you decided? If you want to live there or not?"
Text had Sydney indulge in the refreshments provided, sitting in one of the chairs in the main room. "I mean… I keep going over the pros and cons. We could stay here, and never have to leave our players. We can still talk to the fangames, but they'll keep thinking we're Humans. And I'm not sure about this yet, but it doesn't seem like our characters can die. But… Does it beat us actually being there?"
"They'll know who and what we really are, and maybe they won't mind that," He continued, "They won't have to pretend as much around us anymore. But Usagi and Hitoshi… How often do you think they'd come see us? Plus, Internet permitting - unlike here, they'd have to be online…"
"And we could die. For real," Blossom had listened carefully to every point Text made, getting Haruki to sit across from him and nod along. "Not to mention our friends and cohorts. Their views on it could be even more mixed than ours. Or, they might really want to go, but we're the indecisive ones. I understand."
"Yeah… What were you thinking?"
"That we could share houses." That would be lovely. Slowly, Text reached a hand out to her's, holding it gingerly.
"I'd like that." He expected her to pull away, but instead, she returned the gesture. Maybe she felt the same.
After a moment, she asked, "How about the balcony?"
The view was immaculate - one could see the whole ocean, beach, and boardwalk, all the while hearing the quiet ambiance of waves hitting the sand. Of course Text wanted to see what Blossom did with hers. "Oh Hell yeah!"
More info:
- Welcome back, Denied! I can see him making a joke like "Haha I'm a zombie now!" or whatever
- "DAVE, THERE'S A ZOMBIE ON YOUR LAWN! Nah just kidding, it's just me"
- No, he doesn't have bullet holes any longer, those all healed and plugged up. Would be funny though
- "His earnings dropped" is one of the several little editing corrections and mistakes Google has made whilst writing, but I want to mention this one because it's the most ironic. What if when characters die, their money drops. It'd be so funny to imagine that 1 pocketed Denied's
- Denied: HOLY FUCK, BILLY! I'M BROKE! THAT MOTHERFUCKER 1 STOLE MY CASH!
Billy: But why would he want that?
Denied: I DON'T KNOW!
- Billy's new house! I'm not much of an interior designer, so I struggled to put this together for a while. I hope it looks okay
- The vessel waiting for Denied to awaken has been there the entire time, never leaving or moving (which comes off as kinda eerie for other visitors such as Dave 119). This was why he rebuilt his new house with only four instead of five
- He only brought one to the rescue mission. Given the size of the crew, it was deemed unnecessary to bring them all at once
- I wanted to include a bit where Viktor throws a tantrum over seeing Billy, but decided that it needed to be axed (pun intended). It would've been something like "Oh for FUCK sake why does this guy keep coming back?! Why can't he mind his own Goddamn business for once?!"
- Aldurra telling Denied that he should've just not shown up to the coup was an arbitrary thought that came to mind when writing, and it made me go, "a LOT would've changed if that happened instead…"
- Aldurra still hasn't gotten rid of that vest, despite probably having to at this point. I've since figured out what to give him, but maybe later
- Olivia is just numb to the whole dying thing to be honest. "Oh no! Anyway,"
- When not trying to be professional and badass, Gonzalo and company are actually a bunch of goofy sailors. Betting on which last name Denied would choose for his dog tags is just one of the many examples
- Speaking of betting, I don't know what the main currency for the Webspace is. I suppose the Manei statement Bob makes is more or less a joke in this regard
- I too am a sucker for old fashioned tech, so a black rotary phone was irresistible to me
- If UNITE is Viktor's, ADAPT is Denied's, and NAVIGATE is Gonzalo's, then who does SUSTAIN belong to? Hm…
- 1 didn't believe the Tarwills, stuck in their masks, could use the chat feature, because he didn't realize they were conscious (and obviously if they used it where he would notice, he'd take away the ability). But the fact he did that to Silver is… Not good!
- As the Filename2/Null replacement, all Cells (or Errors, whichever name they prefer) have some form of leftover abilities. This means that some can mess with code however they like, assuming that someone/thing of a higher power (or more skilled with coding in general) doesn't interfere with it. 1 trusted him too much
- HoloSpike can be completely intangible if he wants, as well as anyone he's holding onto. The whole "touching = shared power" thing
- Back in chapter 15, I mention that Plus Baldi forgot to relay Lady Blossom's "hi" to Text, and that was actually because I forgot. And then I couldn't figure out how to work it back in whilst maintaining the narrative flow. However, I like to think that when Blossom visits Text, it gets touched upon
- The name Blossom gives to her player character, Haruki (春樹), means "springtime tree". The only clue she allows toward her true identity
- And Sydney? It's the name given to Microsoft's "Adult Male #2" TTS, which was used to make BonziBuddy's voice, Dave's, Text's, and more