"Pac? PAC! PAC GET UP!"
"Huh?"
Pac was being shaken awake. By Cyli?
"Hey-"
"Dude, you slept in! The plan's already in motion! Quick, we gotta go!"
"Okay…"
Pac got up, but there was time to yawn or stretch. Cyli was already dragging him out of his bedroom. "Wha-"
"Pac! We need you to focus. Clyde's already knocked out the power, and the whole building is in a frenzy. We gotta get to your dad before anyone finds out what's going on!"
Sure enough, the hall was dark, save for some backup lights. He could hear shouts from throughout the building, no doubt related to what was happening.
There were the rest of his companions, all looking determined to finally put an end to Betrayus' reign of terror.
"Uh", Pac said, "I just thought of something- how're we gonna defend ourselves?!"
"Blinky managed to snag a couple blasters from the security room. Now let's go!"
They all sprinted down towards the bedroom of Betrayus, which thankfully wasn't too far away. All they could hope for now was that he was actually in there, let alone if this crazy plan would work.
"You got the cuffs, Buttler", Spiral whispered.
"Yes", Buttler whispered back.
"Then let's do this."
"Allow me", said Radia, who stepped forward and pounded on the door harshly with her fist. "OPEN UP, BETRAYUS! NO ONE HAS TO GET HURT!"
Silence. She responded by rapping again. "I SAID OPEN UP! WE KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE!"
More silence.
"Uh I don't think he's-" Pac began only to be shushed.
"Oh he's in there. I just feel it. Guys, help me open the door."
As the power was out, the automatic door of course didn't open by itself. It took the strength of everyone involved to pry the darn thing open. The room was pitch black, as expected.
Without thinking, they all stormed in there, Blinky and Inky brandishing their stolen blasters while the others just got into fighting positions.
For a few moments, all was silent. Until they all heard something. A dark, sinister chuckle.
"Welcome", Betrayus said calmly. "Turn them back on", Betrayus said as well, apparently into a communicator of sorts. The lights came back on, illuminating the room as the door slammed shut behind them all. Uh oh.
Betrayus was seated on the edge of his bed, one leg crossed over the other smugly. The rest of the room was full of armed soldiers, and… Clyde. He was tied up and gagged, no doubt having been found out so soon. "Mmph", Clyde whimpered desperately.
"Seize them."
The soldiers did as they were told, rushing towards and restraining the freedom fighters.
"BACK OFF", Blinky yelled as he prepared to fire his weapon, only to be grabbed and put in a sort of chokehold.
"NO", Inky squealed as he too was held back.
Spiral and Radia tried their best to fight back, but were outnumbered sadly.
Pinky… tried to run. Nope.
Cyli actually managed to dodge a soldier, only to be caught by another.
Mr C was helpless, and was effortlessly subdued as was Buttler.
As for Pac, before any soldier could touch him Betrayus called them off. "No. Leave the boy to me."
The soldier obliged, and Pac could only watch in horror as his friends struggled in vain, and he could do nothing about it. He was beginning to breathe heavily, terrified beyond belief.
Betrayus stood, and began to slowly clap his hands sarcastically. "I must say, I am impressed you all made it this far. But look at you now. So brave, so reckless… so STUPID."
"HEY", Pac shouted, "they're my friends!"
"And YOU."
Pac felt his heart begin to pound, his entire being pumped full of adrenaline as Betrayus began to walk towards his son. Betrayus was holding something- it was- a blaster.
Pac just gritted his teeth, putting on an obviously false sense of bravado. "How did you know?!"
"You were tattled on."
Pac didn't even need to ask who did that. He had forgotten all about Buttocks. But that didn't matter. What mattered was if he and any of them were going to even make it out alive.
"Pac. My son. My dear son… why?"
"..."
"I raised you. I fed you. I gave you everything I never had!"
"You killed my family!"
Betrayus bared his teeth at that comment. That was true. But, he still needed to do what needed to be done. He raised his blaster… and pointed it right at the poor boy.
"Dad…?!"
"You have defied me in every way, and yet you still call me 'dad'."
"Dad what are you doing?!"
"What I should have done 15 years ago."
"NOOOO", Cyli shrieked as she struggled harder but to no avail.
"PACSTER", Spiral hollered.
"IF YOU HURT THAT BOY-" Radia bellowed, who was clearly seeing red.
The others were silent, clearly in shock.
"Dad", Pac sputtered, "Dad no please-"
"Stop calling me that!", Betrayus hissed, his voice full of venom, "I should have disposed of you like I did with the rest of your kind."
"Huh?"
"How did you not realize? You're the only yellow orb around, aren't you?"
This revelation caused Pac to become lightheaded, the horror going through him like an electric shock. This was it. No hope. All Pac could think to say was…
"Do it." His cohorts all gasped in surprise.
"Go on, do it! Do it and show the world what they already know! That you're a monster!"
The air in the room was beyond tense. Even the enemy soldiers seemed concerned as they whispered to each other.
"..."
"DO IT!"
"..."
Betrayus' hand trembled as his facial expression began to shift.
"Show them what kind of ruler you are! The ruler who kills anyone who gets in his way! You'll be known as the ruler who killed his own son to stay in power, how about that?!"
Pac was deaf to the cries and pleas of his friends. All of his attention was on the dictator, who seemed hesitant to pull the trigger. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion, but then finally, a decision was made.
"...then I am no longer the ruler", Betrayus murmured as he lowered his hand, and dropped the blaster onto the floor which hit the ground and broke.
"Release them", Betrayus said to the soldiers who were motionless, clearly shocked as well.
"DID I STUTTER? LET THEM GO!"
Startled, the soldiers obliged lest they face his wrath. "YOU BASTARD", Blinky yelled as he attempted to lunge at Betrayus only to be stopped by Inky. "It ain't worth it dude", the blue Pac Worlder said.
Buttler got the cuffs out, and didn't need telling twice to go over to Betrayus. "Will you come willingly", Buttler said sternly.
Betrayus said nothing, but did offer his hands to be cuffed. Buttler did so, and Betrayus began to speak. "Take me to my office. I need to make one last announcement to the public."
Betrayus making these sorts of broadcasts was fairly common, usually whenever he wanted to spread more propaganda or harsh laws. But this time…
"Citizens of Pac World", he began as he faced the camera. His eyes were blank and unfocused, his voice monotone.
"I am no longer ruler of this accursed place. From now on, you will be taking orders from my boy starting now."
The camera was turned off, and Betrayus was just silent, clearly having nothing more to say.
"So uh, I guess we win," said Spiral, "a bit anticlimactic, but man I am glad you're safe Pacster."
"..."
Pac was speechless, and rightfully so.
Cyli went over to her friend, and put a hand on his shoulder. "It'll be okay, Pac."
Pac turned to face her and smiled weakly, only for his facial expression to immediately shift to terror.
"Pac what's wr-" She looked where he was, and began to feel a pit in her gut. There was Buttocks whom everyone had forgotten about, framed in the doorway with his own blaster in hand. "Vell vell vell. How sweet. Makes me sick."
Before anyone could react, he aimed his blaster at the boy- and fired.
"NO", was the last thing Pac heard before he felt someone slam into him, knocking him out of the way. Immediately screams erupted from everyone else, including a cuffed Betrayus.
"Looks I missed," Buttocks said nonchalantly and with a shrug. He was about to try again when Spiral tackled him and pinned him to the ground. Pac got up, his head spinning. Then he saw it.
There was Cyli, on the ground and bleeding from the blast. She had obviously been hit with the blaster set on maximum power- the power intended to kill. "CYLI! CYLI!"
Pac was by her side in an instant, clutching her hand in his own. "No! Stay with me! I… I love you!" With what little strength she had, she looked at him and smiled as best as she could.
"I", she began, "Lo-..." She didn't even have enough energy to finish.
Pac just wailed and screamed for medical help while the others did the same while making sure Buttocks was dealt with.
Pac stood, and turned to look at Buttocks who was being held back by Radia and Spiral. "You… YOU!" A very irate Pac lunged at the mad scientist, only to be grabbed by Mr C. "Pac my boy, no. Trust me on this. Be better than him."
"But he-"
"I know."
"But why did he try to hurt me?!"
Buttocks just laughed in response to that, a cold, heartless laugh. "You foolish brat. I simply vanted to rule zis planet, but you and zat man vere in my vey."
Radia and Spiral said nothing, but their grips on Buttocks' arms tightened considerably.
Pac was beginning to hyperventilate now, overwhelmed as Mr C tried in vain to comfort the boy. By now Cyli had been hauled away to receive medical attention by the quartet that used to babysit Pac (along with Buttler as well), and Radia and Spiral escorted Buttocks out of the room, leaving Pac and Betrayus behind with Mr C.
"Do with me what you will", Betrayus said unceremoniously.
Now that Pac thought about it, he truly had no idea what to do with the man now that he was properly overthrown. "I guess we could throw him down in the dungeon", Pac said hopefully.
"If it were up to me, Pac my boy, I'd do something worse."
"What?"
"Man's a monster. A genocidal warlord that killed yer whole family and lied to ya about it."
"Are you saying we should kill him?!"
"Yes and no."
"Huh?"
"My boy, there is a way to punish him that dates all the way back to the old days. It's something I'm afraid he did to my friends."
"That being?"
"Turn him into a ghost. Send him to the Nether Realm along with the hineyheaded doctor."
"That place is real?!"
"Oh it's real alright", Mr C said with a chuckle, "the most vile and heinous souls have been banished down there for centuries."
"Is that where my family is?!"
"Fraid not. To my knowledge their eyes were destroyed, meaning they're just gone."
"What? Gross! That monster!"
"But it's up to you, lad."
"I say let's do it. And punish Buttocks too."
"Sounds good to me."
Once again, the soul extraction facility was there in its dull, dreary glory. The pods were dusty, clearly having not seen use in quite a long time.
There was Betrayus in his pod as well as Buttocks in his. Betrayus' face was blank, while Buttocks sported a look of pure contempt. Both were silent, just staring at nothing.
"So what happens now", Pac murmured.
"Simple", Mr C said bluntly, "we active the pods. They get turned into spirits, and we banish 'em down below."
"How do we do that?"
"Well, according to older texts all we gotta do is take them inside the ghost-proof pods and release them into the portal in the maze."
"Maze? You mean that huge one?"
"Yup."
"That's… weirdly convenient."
"Can't argue with that. Welp, you ready?"
"..."
"Hey, there's always something else we could do."
"No. I want them to pay." Pac tried to sound determined, but the hesitance in his voice was clear.
"Wait", came another voice. It was from Buttler, who had decided to accompany them. "I… volunteer."
"For what", Mr C said, confused.
"To be punished."
Wait what?
"Come again?"
"I am just as guilty as Betrayus and my brother. That day, I too had a hand in the demise of the freedom fighters."
"All you were was a double agent-"
"No. I was more."
"Hm?"
"Betrayus ordered me to crush the eyes. I complied lest I meet the same fate."
Mr C's expression darkened, as did Pac's.
"And you kept that hidden from us the whole time."
"Yes, and I'm sorry. I am willing to atone for this."
"Well, Pac?"
"He DID help us, so I guess that counts for something… and Betrayus MADE him do it…"
"Lad", Buttler mused, "are you suggesting showing me mercy? After I did the awful deed?"
"Look butthead, I dunno."
"OH JUST GET ON VITH IT", Buttocks shouted.
"SHUT UP", Everyone else said at once minus Betrayus.
"I guess you can live, Buttler. I can tell you actually feel bad at least."
Buttler's face showed surprise and sadness at the same time. "So be it. Shall we get started then?"
"Yeah. But first thing's first."
Pac walked over to the pod that contained his adoptive father. They made eye contact, Pac glaring while Betrayus looked sorrowfully at his son.
"Any last words, dad?"
"I'm sorry."
"...right."
"I love you."
With those three words, Pac couldn't help but feel a pang in his heart. It would be a lie to say he didn't love him as well. But, Betrayus was indeed a monster that needed to pay for his crimes against Pacmanity.
"I… love you too dad."
"Son. My boy. Before you punish me, please. Be better than me."
"I will."
"Good."
"Bye dad."
"Goodbye Pac." Betrayus smiled weakly, albeit genuinely.
Pac teared up once again, and tried to speak but could only muster a hiccup.
"Don't I get something", Buttocks hollered ruining the moment.
Pac ignored him, and gestured at Blinky to activate the pods. He did so, and now the room was filled with sounds of electricity and screams of pain.
Once all the flashing light had subsided, all Pac could do was stare at the sight before him.
In front of his dad's lifeless body was a truly awful, terrifying specter. They were all sorts of wild shades of reds and blacks with a dash of white, their ghostly tail being jagged and resembling flames.
Pac just couldn't bear to look anymore. He ran out of the room, in spite of the others calling after him. He leaned against a wall, trying to catch his breath. So much had happened so fast. His father was pretty much dead, who knew about Cyli, and now he had to run an entire freaking planet?! Yikes.
This was all he could think about as he sat down, clutching his knees to his chest as these thoughts began to overwhelm his senses. He didn't know how to rule a planet! He just began to yell. And yell. And yell some more until his throat couldn't stand it anymore.
He finally stood back up, and wiped away his tears.
Man, I sure have cried a lot these past few days, he thought to himself. But now, the deed was done. Mission accomplished.
It was time for him to take his place as leader of Pac World, for better or for worse.
Well, this was certainly going to be an interesting arrangement.