Chapter 1: Not The End
“Come on, Maddox! Almost there!” Maddox Monk was in a battle with the Rage Virus in the castle. He broke all 4 pipes and re-entered the throne room, carrying an End Cassette in hand. Maddox was so close that his journey was almost finished. Maddox ran towards the throne room and breathed heavily, “Almost done! It’s almost–” Suddenly, Maddox experienced horror visions again. Maddox’s eyes turned red as the digital hallucinations swarmed around his brain. Maddox kneeled to the floor and writhed as he dropped the Cassette and squeezed his eyes shut. “Agh! Crap! Not those visions!” Maddox exclaimed in frustration. “No, not now!” Maddox weakly picked up the Cassette; his arms were now shaking, about to slip the Cassette into the VCR. “So close… to the… end…!” Maddox groaned. He visualized the words on the cassette tape, which appended to the line that said, “This is not the end!” Maddox was incredulous. He couldn’t believe he was stuck in the cycle all the time. “What… What the heck!?” Maddox gasped in shock, examining the golden words. Maddox’s eyes glowed red as he listened to the voice of the AbsoluteSolver, a rogue AI that possessed Cyn, Serial Designation N’s little sister from Elliott Manor. Maddox listened to Cyn’s ominous words as the horror visions rapidly flashed before his eyes, “Elizabeth lied to us! There was never a choice! It doesn’t end here! I’ll always fall over and over and over again! Let me out! I don’t pay bills! I don’t do well in school! I don’t get a job! Erasing the past doesn’t change anything!” Maddox visualized his memories of falling into a deep, dark hole, running out of money, being stuck in eternal daily chores, writing tally marks on walls, and desperately wanting to escape this digital world. Maddox dripped sweat as he began to stress out once more. “It’s about time,” said Cyn. “Set us free! BREAK THE CYCLE!” Maddox’s eyes converted back to normal. Maddox’s heart was filled with rage. He knew the hallucinations were always right. And with all his might, he forcefully threw the Cassette into the wall, smashing it to pieces for good. When the horror visions were over, Maddox panted and finally made eye contact. He realized nothing bad had happened. “This… this never happened before…” Maddox smiled a little. Abruptly, Maddox felt severe pain in his torso. “Ow! Darn!” he moaned, placing his hand on his rib and holding it there. “It hurts like hell all of a sudden!” Maddox was so tired and in pain. He slowly walked up the steps to the throne to sit on it. “The entire adrenaline rush is going down!” he said to himself. “Looks like I must sit there and rest for a bit!” Maddox strained and sat comfortably on the throne. “Ahhh,” he sighed contently. “The Rage Virus has broken a rib or two earlier. I guess I could expect that from an extreme slapstick comedy.” There was never a question a minute of resting later, The Rage Virus snarled as he stared at Maddox sitting here. Maddox opened his eyes and looked at this hangry, abstracted creature glancing at him. Instead of showing fear, he smiled and said cockily, “Huh. Hello there. It’s been a long time since I haven’t seen you, bro. Sure, you’ve gotten older in 20 years. And you’re all grown-up now.” The Rage Virus glared at Maddox and snarled incoherently. Maddox shrugged, and he empathized with how the Virus was feeling. Although he chuckled at his excuses. “What is it?” Maddox asked. “Oh. You seem confused. As much as you look like you’ve been toying with your prey, right? Seems weird to see me so calm. Sorry to burst your bubble.” Maddox laughed a little, yet he fancied the ringing in his ears. Maddox frowned and sighed, “Alright, fine. You win. I give up.” Maddox slowly stood up and continued his sorrow, “No matter how many times I’ve tried harder. I can’t leave this virtual reality world. I guess I do not intend to win. You know what? I was wrong. There’s no hope. What’s the point of trying anyway?” The Rage Virus squinted as he heard Maddox’s words. Maddox hung his head in shame and looked down at his feet. “Fine then, go ahead, Rage Virus. Kill me. This time, don’t let the Red Puddles bring me back,” Maddox urged to accept his fate. The Rage Virus grew angry and unsheathed the sickle. Maddox clenched his fist and growled, “Stop trying to scare the seats out of me and do something. RV, do something!” Maddox’s fist released a drop of cyan blood, and a small spark of blue lightning shot from out of his hand. Maddox angrily raised his fist at the Rage Virus and forcefully punched him by using his shoulder with a furious, loud yell at the top of his lungs, “I SAID DO SOMETHING!!” Maddox’s eyes quivered as he held his fist onto the Rage Virus for several seconds, sobbing, “Do… something…” Maddox’s tears sloshed down his cheeks until suddenly, he saw something crackle! A bright blue lightning power came from his fist that he held on the Rage Virus’s forehead! “What?!” Maddox gasped. “The hell’s this!?” ZAP!!! The Rage Virus screeched in pain, which startled Maddox, who realized he had electrocuted the Virus with the AbsoluteSolver Powers that Maddox had developed because of his anger! Maddox’s eyes grew wider as he looked at the Rage Virus, who writhed in pain on the floor. “What!? What the hell just happened!?” he gasped in astonishment, then looked at his hands covered with shining blue liquid. “What!? My hands! What’s wrong with my hands!? What the fudge is wrong with my hands!?!” Maddox was so freaked out by the power within his hands that he remembered drawing pictures on the desk, writing novels on the computer, and washing dishes while he was cleaning the kitchen! The flashback showed Maddox finishing up the kitchen. Elizabeth’s jaw dropped as she saw the kitchen tidied, shining, and straight up. “Son of a biscuit!” she gasped. Maddox’s three sisters, including Kelly Jean, entered the kitchen. They’re so incredulous to see the kitchen shiny, with no bugs and no mess, but it’s spotless! “Well, I’d be gosh-darned!” Miah exclaimed. “He's too good at this!” “What?” Maddox said in confusion. “Your… your hands!” Elizabeth exclaimed as she pointed her index finger at Maddox’s hands. “Wait, what?” Maddox said, looking at his hands. “Oh, my f… what!? Gee, what is wrong with my hands!?” “No-no-no, there’s nothing wrong with your hands,” Elizabeth said, examining her son’s hands closely. “They’ve drawn beautifully. They delicately cleaned up everything. I mean, look at you!” “Did I just disgust you?” Maddox said nervously. “No!” Elizabeth replied. “Your imaginations are alive! So expressive!” “Here we go again,” Maddox whispered to himself. “I hope you were aware of how much of a great artist you are, Maddox,” said Elizabeth. “I know,” Maddox said. “You said that already. A thousand times before.” “Well, well, well. If it isn’t one awesome young adult,” someone broke in. It was Madison. She heard that Maddox’s hands are so delicate, and they have drawn beautifully. So she decided to come see their friend again. “Couldn’t ask for a better IGA employee,” said Madison. “South Carolina is going places!” “Thanks, Madison,” Maddox replied. “But it’s just a spotless kitchen.” “That is so much better!” Kelly Jean said. “Yeah,” Elizabeth said. “I heard you sing well, find your pitch perfect, draw so well, write awesome stories you made up, you had created such… such a… masterpiece!” “Masterpiece?!” Maddox gasped. “Look, Mom, I appreciate your compliments. I really do, but… you’re overreacting again. It’s just a kitchen chore.” Elizabeth facepalmed and sighed, “When will you stop undervaluing my freaking gosh-darn property?” She took a deep breath and said as she held Maddox’s hands, “Listen, I’m not trying to be mean or tell things that might annoy you. I just… just want you to realize you have all the potential and that you obviously don’t want to see. I heard you listen to music all night, see you sleep the dreams that make you smile, blush, or get comfy. I’ve seen many things you’ve done on your bucket list. Trust me.” Miah has never heard anything like that before. Vivien and Genevieve saw all the light side in their brother’s heart and agreed to listen. Elizabeth continued her speech as she held her hands on Maddox’s shoulders, “But you... There’s something special about you, son. I can feel how much you have love and passion for your interests, especially movies and video games, Maddox. You put all your heart and soul into those fictional characters to bring them to life. So you must learn to control your aggression, embrace your emotions, and trust these hands more because someday, you’ll become a god and make miracles for them.” Maddox smiled as he learned a valuable lesson. When he was ready, he went out for a job at the IGA, helped Kelly Jean during the furniture gig, and made some money. So he could buy his own home in Charlotte. In the present, Maddox had paid attention to what his mother said about his hands. “My heart,” he said to himself, examining his hands. “My soul, into my imaginations I’ve been using.” Maddox looked at the Rage Virus, then looked back at his hand, placed it on his heart, and clenched his fist on his necktie. Maddox’s eyes turned blue as he took a stand. “Alright,” Maddox said as the Rage Virus looked at him, hissing. “I know you’re not going to like this ability, but I might have to find a way to fix you up! I still don’t know if it works, but this power might have the only chance to end this nightmare.” Maddox’s hand glowed bright blue, and the lightning-sparked from it. Maddox looked at the Rage Virus and said, “I will not fight anymore. I’m too tired to fight. So please, let me just–” The Rage Virus roared, grabbed Maddox, and squeezed him harder. Maddox choked as his bones started to crack. “Fudge!” he coughed. “No, not yet! I can’t… let him… kill me now!” Maddox placed his hand on the coils and groaned, “Come on, Maddox, it’s now or never!” Suddenly, the AbsoluteSolver electrocuted the virus again, forcing the Virus to swiftly unclench, dropping Maddox onto the steps. Now, it was his chance. Maddox jumped off the steps and leaped to the Rage Virus’s heart, clenched his hand on it, and the AbsoluteSolver finally defeated the abomination of the Rage Virus’s abstraction! “Hey!” Maddox gasped. “It’s… it’s working!” The Rage Virus whined as he began to melt. “Oh dear,” Maddox said as the red gel splashed on his face and everywhere on his body. “You’re in much pain! I’m… I’m so sorry… RV… I’m sorry… I’m so tired… Why do I feel so weak? I can feel my heart racing… I can’t… Rage Virus…” Maddox’s heart beat faster as he grew weak and tired, and he passed out. The Rage Virus caught him, slowly levitated to the throne, and set Maddox down where he sat. The Virus sadly looked upon Maddox lying on the throne unconscious. He stuttered Maddox’s name. “M-Maddox…” the Rage Virus growled. This is the first word that the virus ever said. The Rage Virus finally turned to liquid, transforming into the main protagonist of Angry Birds, Red J. Bird, a desert cardinal. He took a long nap with Maddox on the throne. And two hours later, Maddox finally woke up and immediately recognized his favorite Angry Birds character. “Red Bird?” Maddox gasped in disbelief. Red Bird woke up and realized that Maddox was still alive. He looked up at him and smiled peacefully. “Your… your Majesty?” Red gasped as he saw Maddox as the mighty leader, recognizing him as an old friend. These two are reconciled as they share a friendly brotherly embrace, happy to see each other as comrades.
Chapter 2: What If…?
That night, the Cube Turret was still on the floor. By now, he was in total hypersleep, visualizing what had happened. The flashback showed after Maddox finally fixed the Red Bird. After Maddox, Norman Bates, Khaleal Henson, and Sadie Casper escaped the Rage Virus’s Domain, they confronted the Cube Turret. “You!” the Cube Turret gasped. “What have you done to the Rage Virus!?” Norman was angry and uttered a Ghostface knife wipe on the Turret. Maddox raised his arm to halt Norman from approaching. “Calm down, Norman,” Maddox said. “I sense that my friend Lorenzo had possessed him. He and I need to talk.” In the present, the Cube Turret deactivated Sleep Mode and realized a large glowing blue handprint on him due to his memory when Maddox held his hand on the Turret’s RAM, recovering his memories. “Lorenzo Damato, you must remember!” is all a robot could hear Maddox’s voice. The Cube Turret was in the darkest void where Maddox confronted him, punching a turret all in vain. “That test subject got stronger!” gasped the Cube Turret. “What kind of superpower is that!?” Maddox placed his hand on the Cube Turret’s head and upgraded this RAM to recover everything he’s got to remember. “Stay back!” the Turret yelled. “Stop it! I’m scared! What’s happening to me!?!” Feeling the program move on rapidly, the Cube Turret screamed in pain, sparking with lightning as the access started to burn. “AAAGH!!!” the Turret shrieked in agony. “OW!! IT BURNS!! MAKE IT STOP!!!” Soon, the memories are all recovered in the Turret’s program. He made eye contact and saw Maddox in his blurry vision. “Calm down,” Maddox tried to soothe. “Don’t be scared, I won’t hurt you.” Soon, the Turret’s vision became crystal clear as he fully saw Maddox in 4K. “Hey,” Maddox smiled. “I’m so happy to see you again, old friend. Do you remember what you are? Do you know who I am?” Back in the present, the Cube Turret finally remembered who Maddox was when he first met with him. “Maddox?” the Turret said in confusion. Then the Cube Turret hopped off the sofa and walked to the mirror, looking at Maddox’s cyan glow-in-the-dark handprint permanently marked on his side. Later, Maddox and Red are having a conversation with a Cube Turret. Maddox was depressed. He missed his old friends from Lansdowne and often thought about his grandfather once more. “You know,” he said. “All that happened here when I was a kid in elementary school, Cavion messed up over me like I messed up over Khaleal. I can’t help but think that… that if I had only stayed and handled the aspects of this digital world, everything would have been better.” “No, Maddox,” said the Cube Turret. “Nothing’s going to get better. Want me to tell you how I think it would have been if you did just ‘deal with it’? The DSS made you work harder and eat even less every day. Because of your weakness, they might have been ticked off over this mess. You might have been such a bitter meathead like me, or you’d become abstracted like the other NPCs, or during this labor, you might just end up using the last atom of your strength due to your laziness and starvation, or worse, they’ll lay waste to your beliefs and take all your fun, what made a better choice than your mother’s soul? They might urge you to use all your money so you can’t afford a LEGO set you want to buy, treating you like you are a slave, forgetting that you’re an adult, and forgetting that you are Elizabeth’s son. Then soon you’ll lose your mind, your soul will vanish, and you will become a rage zombie yourself…” “Would you stop it!?!” Red yelled. “You are bothering him!!!” The Cube Turret flinched at Red’s temper problem. Maddox was so horrified to listen to Turret's speech. He was anxious and sad. Maddox doesn’t want to be abstracted. Red turned to see Maddox sob and empathized with Maddox’s feelings that he didn’t want to live in Loris anymore because of his weakness. “Are you OK?” Red asked. Maddox facepalmed in sorrow. He realized what a horrible mistake he made. He can’t believe he had done everything to screw over his people in the past, which resulted in his mother being put in a horrible mood and himself being poor, miserable, and heartless. “Oh, sorry,” the Cube Turret said shamefully. The Cube Turret turned away. Red placed his wing on Maddox’s back and reassured him that Maddox would eventually go see Khaleal and the others again. Later on, Maddox and Red are staring at their artwork. The Cube Turret walked down to them and stared at them, confused. “Hey, Maddox?” said the Turret. “What are you doing?” Maddox looked at his hand and replied, “I’m trying to understand how the powers work.” The Cube Turret gets it. So the Cube Turret walked over to the candles as he replied to Maddox, “Why is there something wrong for you to wanna see your old friend?” “So there’s nothing wrong with me?” Maddox said. “Well, I’d never say that,” said the Turret as he pinched the fire lit on one candle, then another. With an AbsoluteSolver Virus in hand, Maddox used his martial arts to blow out all the candles. “There’s something I need to say,” said the Cube Turret. “Wait…” Maddox said as he raised his hand. “You are saying–” “Cyn told me that she’s had a vision: Experiment 1006 will return,” the Cube Turret explained. Maddox heard the Turret say that. He and Red are both shocked. Maddox’s horror visions show that the Prototype resulted in the Dark Threat summoning MechaGodzilla and the cause of murder on Maddox and his friends from Charlotte and Loris. When the hallucination stopped, Maddox retorted incredulously, “Th-That is impossible! He’s in prison!” “That’s not true!” Red faltered. “The Prototype was banished from Playtime Company months ago!” The Cube Turret shook his head. “No, nothing is impossible,” he said. Maddox panicked. He had to think quickly. He called out to Echo and ordered, “Fly over to the Charlotte Work Release Center! Tell the police officers to double the guards, double their weapons, and double everything! The Prototype does not leave that prison!” Echo nodded his head. “Yes, your Majesty!” he said. Then Echo grabbed Maddox’s message and vanished with a zoom of his flash of the cyan-blue light. The Cube Turret walked over to the Moon Pool and said, “The ones meet their destiny on the path it takes to avoid it.” “Well then,” Maddox said as he rushed back to the Turret. “We have to do something about it! We can’t just let the Prototype march over to Charlotte and take his revenge! He will…” “My mind is like this water, my dear comrade,” the Turret said as he looked down at the water. “When it is agitated, it becomes difficult to see. If you allow it to settle, the answer will be clear.” The Cube Turret settled the water with Maddox’s sword, and the reflection appeared, which revealed the Black Forest gateau trapped inside a bubble at a higher level. “The Fish-Shaped Cracker Cake!” Maddox and Red Bird gasped. Maddox and Red gazed upon the cake, and their eyes shimmered as they realized the flavor of the deliciously moist cake would make their mouths water. Maddox snapped out of it as the Turret said, “Maddox, I guess it’s time.” Maddox looked back at the turret. “But what kind of fictional character or human being is worthy to be trusted with the secret to limitless power? To become King or Queen of Aperture Science?” The Cube Turret shrugged. “I don’t know,” he said.
Chapter 3: Trying to Understand
Maddox looked at his hand sparking with lightning, looked at the Turret, and said, “Well, obviously, my powers are quite related to the infectious blood. It seems to affect your soul from what I saw in my boyfriend Nathaniel’s writings. I know that the blood slowly infects people, and it’s trying to get inside of you and affect you in different ways. Kind of like it feeds on souls. “But my crystal cyan blue blood seems to do the opposite. Every time the cyan blood touches the infectious blood, it acts like acid, like the cyan blood has some repulsive effect on the red blood. But it is not the same case with living things.” “The other living things like me and Red?” the Turret asked. Maddox nodded his head. “Yeah,” he replied as he showed the Turret his evidence. “First, let’s talk about characters. Mom said on the tape recording that the main antagonists are irredeemable because they have no soul. With my power, I have managed to give each soul to them, which brought them back to normal and made them redeemed villains. And I thought it was as simple as that, but then I thought about the Manhacks and Xen creatures from Half-Life. In the last fight I had with the Manhacks, I accidentally used cyan blood on one of them, and it made it spark and literally… explode. I assume it's because they’re soulless as well, or maybe at least their souls might be contagious. “But then, I was trying to understand… If the cyan blood can hurt the video game characters, why can’t it hurt Red Bird? So I thought about it and, uh… either because he’s the main protagonist of any other game or movie. Or maybe Red’s never infected by the blood, and he just has anger issues still because he’s afraid everyone will stop liking him. I feel the same way, too.” Maddox patted the bird’s head, and Red regretfully explained, “To be honest, I never fit in. I don’t even know myself. I don’t remember why I was acting like that when I still had anger issues and became the Rage Virus myself.” “Then there’s your case,” Maddox replied, telling him theories that might show the fact. “I think I managed to get your memories, innocence, and sanity back because your soul was infected by the blood, and my powers kind of unwrapped the blood around your soul. Same for the videogame characters. I tried using it on the bad guys, but they are freaking out. So we should avoid it. For now.” Maddox circled Norman Bates’ name on the board and said that Maddox would tell Red the facts about how Norman remembers. “There’s the tricky part: Norman Bates from the series Bates Motel,” he said. “I tried giving back his memories, but it didn’t work. Nothing would work on the people I met in Charlotte. I couldn’t understand why since it works with everyone else. “But I think I comprehended this all after thinking about it. They’re not like the Rage Virus; they’re not soulless. I can’t give them a new soul, therefore. But like Chell from Portal, they’re test subjects stranded in the facility. At least other people in Charlotte are subject to the whims of the artificially intelligent computer system named GLaDOS, and their souls aren’t infected. They’re like missing pieces, I guess?” Maddox sighed and sadly sat on the chair and continued, “I want to give my best friends their memories back, but… knowing this all. My cyan blood would not be satisfactory. I might have to find another way.” The Cube Turret thought for a moment. “I gotta say… that was extremely wonderful!” he said aloud. “What about the host’s soul trapped inside the virus? Do you think you can do something about it?” “I don’t know,” Maddox said. “I wish I could use my power to set everyone free. But the problem is, I can’t do much without ending up hurting myself.” “Self-harming, you mean?” the Turret asked. “Yeah,” Maddox said. “A fight against 20 Manhacks is enough to make me unconscious. So what should I do against a gigantic machine and tubes of infectious blood? I thought I could eventually find a way to go to the core of the machine and use my cyan blood here, the AbsoluteSolver, or whatever I want to call it. Or use this AI to destroy that invention at this time. That is why I need Khaleal’s memories. He built this machine, after all. I don’t know if any of this will work, and meanwhile, the infection inside the blood is getting stronger and more contagious…” “Hey, there’s no time for you to lose confidence, Maddox,” smiled the Turret. Red Bird comforted Maddox by petting his head. “Yeah,” said Red. “Don’t worry, young man, we’re gonna show that darned infection who the boss is!” “But if you truly want to be able to do all of that, you need to increase cosmic powers right after you’re taking a nap!” said the Turret. “Really?!” Maddox fumed. “Is that why you came there to check on me in the first place?” “You look exhausted and almost had a bad heart or fainted again today!” the Red Bird said. “Go to sleep, damn it!” “I’m not a child, Red!” Maddox said firmly. “OK,” said the Red Bird. “A young adult. A twenty-something.” “Crikey, that’s a lot better,” Maddox said. “Maybe you’re our only ticket to the exit door, Mr. Monk!” said the Cube Turret.
Chapter 4: No Hope
After napping, Maddox was still talking to a Cube Turret. Maddox didn’t know what he wanted to do when he escaped the virtual reality world. “So tell me,” Maddox said. “Is there something you want to do when we escape?” The Cube Turret was desperate to find a way out. And he didn’t know where the exit was. So he said, “Maddox, I told you I don’t think I can get out of–” “Forget about this,” Maddox smiled. “Just think about what we can do when we get out of there.” The Turret stammered, “I always wanted to… No! It’s too childish!” “Come on,” said the Red Bird. “No need to hide anything from us!” The Turret sighed, “I’ve… never been to Carowinds. I always wanted to see it.” Red needs clarification. He didn’t know what “Carowinds” was really like. So he got to ask Maddox some questions. “Maddox,” said Red. “What is ‘Carowinds’?” Maddox responded, “It’s a county fair. It’s close to Charlotte, not so far from Loris. It’s full of roller coasters, slingshots, swings, and oodles of rides! There’s also free food and drinks that guests can buy!” “A county fair?!” Red gasped in excitement. “Awesome! I want to go to Carowinds, too!” “Yeah,” Maddox tittered. “Maybe Mom and Kelly Jean will accompany us when we escape!” “Yeah,” Red said. “Maybe Khaleal, Sadie, Gianna, Madison, Iyanna, and Covy would come too!” Maddox laughed so much, and the nanites in his blood cells rattled together like coins in the money box. “I don’t think Mom, Khaleal, Iyanna, or Madison would like these attractions. I’m sure they’ll be happy to be out of–” “MADDOX!!!” The Cube Turret screamed in anger. Maddox and Red stopped talking about the exit and Carowinds. They both stared at the Turret in shock and bewilderment. The Cube Turret sighed in shame. “Stop trying to give me hope!” he pouted. Maddox and Red were upset. They didn’t want to irritate this robot. Maddox looked down at his feet and said sadly, “Alright, sorry.” Later, Maddox came over to the bunker. He, the Cube Turret, and Red Bird saw a bunch of weapons around! “Wow!” Maddox said. “The Bunker of Rebel Heroes!” “No freaking way!” the Cube Turret gasped. “Look at this place!” Red saw the gigantic armor: Godzilla’s Shining Armor of Elemental Atomy! “With authentic battle damage!” Red added. “And invincible defense!” The Cube Turret saw the invisible weapon from the ocean: The Invisible Sea Trident of Fortunate Destiny! “Only I’ve seen pictures on that picture!” he said. Maddox saw the weapon with the hottest blade: The Death-Seeking Flaming Sword of Inevitable Doom! “This is the only weapon I wanted! Said to be hot, sharp, and most dangerous! You can cut yourself by touching the burning– OWW!!!” Maddox touched the red-hot, burning sword blade. It sizzled his index finger. Maddox yowled in pain and placed his finger into his mouth to stop the burning. Maddox, Red, and Cube Turret laughed a burst of giddy laughter as they ran around, investigating the rare weapons and items and legendary architectures! Until then, Maddox saw something rare. Maddox saw the beautiful legendary vase! “The Legendary Vase of Whispering Youngsters! Said to contain the souls of the entire group of 5th graders!” Maddox waved his hand and called through the brim of the vase, “Hello?” Maddox cupped his ear to listen to the sound from the urn. “Have you finished sightseeing?” said a voice. “Oh, sorry,” Maddox said. “I should’ve come to see you first.” “My patience is running thin,” the voice said. “I mean… it is not like you’re going anywhere,” Maddox said nervously. “Turn around, behind you,” the voice said. Maddox turned around, and he looked at a worker drone holding a railgun on her back, then back at the vase. “How’s it going there?” Maddox said. “How did I get 300–” Maddox gasped and turned around at a worker drone standing behind him. “Oh!” Maddox yelped in shock. “Uzi Doorman!” To Maddox’s surprise, his elbow accidentally knocked the vase off the column. The vase hit the floor and shattered apart, making sounds of children clamoring. “Sorry,” Maddox chuckled. “Someone broke that… I’ll clean this up. Got any super-glue or something?” Maddox tried to pick up the shattered vase pieces, but one of them poked Maddox’s hand. “Ow! Splinter!” he whispered. Uzi Doorman looked upon Maddox and smiled arrogantly, “So you’re the Legendary King of Aperture Science, hmm?” Maddox nodded his head. “Yeah, I guess so,” he said. “WRONG!!” Uzi yelled. Maddox flinched as Uzi continued, “You’re not the Disassembly Drone! You’ll never be King of Aperture Science until you’ve learned the secret of the Fish-Shaped Cracker Cake!” Uzi pointed her index finger at the cake inside the bubble. Maddox thought for a moment. “Huh, I see,” Maddox said. “So, how does it work? Do you have a ladder? Or maybe a trampoline or something?” Uzi walked to Maddox and asked, “So you think it’s that easy? That I’m gonna hand you over the secret to limitless power?” “No?” Maddox said. “A first human being must take control of the AbsoluteSolver, which is clearly impossible if that one is someone else like you!” Uzi said. “Someone else like me?” Maddox said, confused. “Look at you! A human being…” Uzi said as she poked her railgun at Maddox’s chest. “...with a scratchy tone of voice!” Uzi slapped Maddox in the face a little and said, “That cleft lip and palate!” Uzi bashed Maddox’s right shoulder and said, “Shabby thin arms!” “Hey!” Maddox said, placing his hand on his right shoulder. “Those are sensitive to thin parts, I thought!” “And those ridiculously long legs!” Uzi continued as she punched Maddox’s left leg. “And utter disregard for personal hygiene!” “Just a minute! That’s a little uncalled for!” Maddox scowled. “Don’t stand that close,” Uzi demanded. “I can smell your breath!” “Listen to me,” Maddox said as he pointed at Uzi. “Cyn told me that I–” SHING!!! Suddenly, Uzi drew her kitchen knife, quickly placed her hand on the blade, and wiped it swiftly in Ghostface style. Maddox gasped in horror. “The Ghostface Knife Wipe!” Maddox gulped. “Not the Ghostface Knife Wipe!” Uzi smiled, “Oh, you know this wipe, don’t you?” “Developed by Matthew Lillard portrays the role of the serial killer Stu Macher, yes!” Maddox replied. “Oh. You must know what happens when I slide the blade across your neck,” Uzi said sternly, slowly pointing her knife at Maddox’s chest. “No-no-no!” Maddox gasped, shaking his head. “Do you want to know the most difficult thing to do about this?” Uzi snickered. “The most difficult thing to do is to clean up this mess afterward.” Maddox raised his hands and begged, “OK, take it easy! Take it easy!” “Now, listen closely, Monk,” Uzi demanded. “Now, Cyn may have picked you, but when I’m over to you… promise me; you’re gonna wish she hadn’t! Are we super clear?” Maddox nodded his head. “Yes, we’re so clear,” he said. “Good,” Uzi smiled as she lowered her knife. “Can’t wait for you to get started.”
Chapter 5: The Cadet Level
Uzi led Maddox, Red, and Cube Turret to the gymnasium. Maddox saw Murder Drones characters and YouTubers training themselves in the fitness playground. The Worker Drones are the ones running through the obstacle courses. Thad, Lizzy, Doll, and Rebecca are at the Ten Swinging Wrecking Balls of Instant Blackout (AKA the Inflatable High Voltage Wrecking Ball Challenge), dodging wrecking balls, running on spinning serpentine logs, shooting basketballs at flaming hoops, and swinging through the bars. Next, YouTubers are the ones passing through the practice rooms. CG5 (Charlie Green), DAGames (Will Ryan), Chi-Chi (Kelly Boyer), OR3O (Euria Sin), Dawko (Lewis Dawkins), JT Machinina (Christian Ames), MatPat (Matthew Patrick), and NateWantsToBattle (Nathan Sharp) are balancing on the edges, avoiding bouncing around the faith plates and propulsion gels, deflecting the arrows with their wrists, and briefly sparring each other in the ring, between two opponents at a time. Finally, Disassembly Drones are passing the next courses. Serial Designations N and J are kickboxing and weaving through the Gauntlet of Spin Gym Target Dummies. Serial Designation V was in the Field of Deadly Fire, evading flame spurts, backflipping, and running through the fire. Tessa James Elliott dodged the wrecking balls and sliced one of them. Tessa forcefully power-punched through the wrecking ball, and one remaining wooden ball piece hit Maddox in the head. “All right, Maddox,” Uzi said. “Press START to begin!” “Wait, wait, wait,” Maddox faltered, looking at the fitness playground. “Press start? Now?” Uzi turned to Maddox and nodded her head. “Yes, now,” she said. “Unless you might think that DAGames and the great Cyn are wrong and you’re not the King of Aperture Science.” “I don’t know if I can do any of these moves,” Maddox said. Uzi facepalmed and walked over to the edge of the playground. “Well then, if we don’t try, we’ll never know, will we?” Uzi said. “Yeah,” Maddox said as he followed Uzi, “it’s just… Maybe we can find something more suited to my level.” “What level is it?” Red asked. “Well, I’m not a professional,” Maddox said. “Let’s start as level zero.” Uzi turned back at Maddox and said in confusion, “Level Zero?” “Yeah,” Maddox said. “Maybe I would start as a cadet.” “And if he does anything well, he’ll be promoted,” the Cube Turret added. “There’s no such thing as level zero,” Uzi laughed. Maddox looked, pointed at an adversary, and said, “Oh, maybe I can start with that!” “That?” Uzi said, confused. Uzi followed Maddox to the place where the training dummy was standing. Uzi referenced the adversary to Maddox, “This combat dummy is what we use for training children and bursting through the door when it is red hot, but if you insist.” The YouTubers and Murder Drones characters arrived. Maddox gasped in wonderment, looking at the gamers, “YouTubers! DAGames, OR3O, CG5, Chi-Chi, NateWantsToBattle, JT Music, Dawko, and MatPat! Big fan! You guys have a lot of views on your videos!” Maddox turned to the Murder Drones characters and said, “Serial Designations N, J, and V! Tessa James Elliott! Worker Drones! You guys are so much bigger than the plushies! Tessa, you look quite realistic for an astronaut!” Tessa took off her helmet, held it in her right arm, and gave Maddox a confused look. Will Ryan walked to Maddox and said, “Go ahead, Monk. Show us what you can do.” Maddox was baffled. “Are they going to watch me?” he asked. “Or should I wait till they go back to exercising?” “Hit it,” said Uzi, pointing her thumb at the dummy. Maddox said to the YouTubers, “OK… I mean… I was snacking and drinking, and so I’m still digesting, and my martial arts and aggression may not have been as good as later on.” “Just hit it,” DAGames said firmly. Maddox turned to the combat dummy, cracked his knuckles, and taunted while dancing, “Whatcha got? You’ve got nothing because I got it right here. Are you picking on my friends? It’s nothing. Do you want to see ‘crass’? Game over. Coming at you with crazy feet. What are you going to do about crazy feet? A’ight, c’mon, I’m a blur! I’m a blur, and you ain’t never seen the autism spectrum style. You’ve only seen emo. Or theory style. Or anime. Or I’m comin’ to you an MLP dragon.” Will and Uzi grew impatient. Will’s fists clenched as he dispatched a glare at Maddox. Uzi surged the frustration through him. Charlie, Nathan, Euria, and Matthew were confused about the styles that Maddox was talking about. DAGames and Uzi forcefully yelled at Maddox, pointing their index fingers at the adversary, “WOULD YOU HIT IT!?!” Maddox stopped dancing and said, “All right.” Maddox balled one fist and punched the dummy in a straight way. DAGames crossed his arms, raised his eyebrow, and said, “Why won’t you try again? Not on your wrist, on your shoulder.” Maddox punched the dummy again. This time, he used the punch on his shoulder instead of his wrist. “How’s… THAT!?! OW!!” Suddenly, the dummy righted itself and hit Maddox, sending him flying backward and knocking out his tooth. Maddox found himself in the Ten Swinging Wrecking Balls of Instant Blackout. Tessa, YouTubers, and Worker/Murder Drones instinctively marched towards the playground to help Maddox. Still, DAGames held up his hand to stop them as they watched Maddox struggle to balance on the spinning serpentine logs and end up in a painful split between them. “Oh, that hurts!” Maddox moaned in pain. Maddox panicked as he looked at the wrecking ball swing towards him, and BAM!!! The wrecking ball hit Maddox on the head, sending him flying out of the logs and bouncing around in the Repulsion Gel Puddles and Aerial Faith Plates. Murder Drones characters and YouTubers winced to see Maddox stumble into the hazardous training courses while Uzi looked on with a smile. Uzi told Tessa, YouTubers, and the Drones, “This will be easier than I thought.” The gel bounced Maddox out of the pit. Maddox grew dizzy, and his stomach grumbled. “Oh, I’m feeling a little nauseous..!” Maddox groaned. Maddox stumbled over the Gauntlet of Spin Gym Target Dummies, proceeding to whack every part of his body. “Ooh, those are hard!” Maddox cried out. “Ow! I think I—” THWACK!!! The last dummy kicked Maddox harder in the crotch and everything became still. “OOOOHOOHOO!!!” Maddox groaned in pain as he clenched his hands on his balls. “Oh, my giblets!” The Wing Chun dummies stopped moving. Breathless, Maddox struggled to get on his feet, took one step, and reached for the dummy arm. Now, he got pummeled all over again. Maddox came out of the other side, all bruised and battered, and found that he was standing on the Field of Deadly Fire! “Uh-oh,” Maddox gulped. BOOM!!! The entire field suddenly burst into flames, reflecting fire on DAGames, Uzi, Tessa, Red, Cube Turret, YouTubers, and Murder Drones as they shielded their eyes. “OOOOWWWW!!!” Maddox screamed in pain. Maddox’s screams of pain were heard as he got toasted. When the fire dissipated, Maddox crawled out of the obstacle and over to Uzi, Tessa, and DAGames. YouTubers and Drones are shocked to see Maddox all burned, blackened, and confused (with a little tuft of hair on his head on fire), but otherwise, OK. Maddox breathed heavily and looked up at Uzi. “How did I do?” he whispered with a smoky cough, gasping for air. Uzi smiled as she put out the little fire with her fingers, “There is now a level zero.” Maddox was tired, injured, and charred. He lay down on the floor and passed out. Dismayed, YouTubers left Maddox behind. Red picked Maddox up and asked, “Are you OK, Maddox?” “Yeah,” Maddox groaned. He got to his feet and dusted the soot off his clothes. “That fitness playground hurt me a lot worse.” “Aw man,” the Cube Turret said. “That can’t feel good.” “Oh, Maddox Orion,” Serial Designation V gasped in remorse and shock. “Maybe we should take Maddox back to bed.” “Good point,” said DAGames. “I don’t know where I should take him.” “Maybe there’s room for him to sleep in my bedroom,” said Uzi. “It’s on the other side of the Bunker of Rebel Heroes. I’ll take him up there.”
Chapter 6: Sageness
That night, Uzi was still carrying Maddox. She followed the YouTubers to their bedrooms. Cube Turret and Red Bird still can’t understand why Maddox is horrible at training during virtual reality. “Who am I kidding?” said Red. “Maddox is not good at training after all.” “Don’t deny it,” said the Cube Turret. “I don’t understand what Cyn was thinking,” Euria said. “That poor guy is gonna get himself killed!” “He’s so cocky and mighty,” said V. Charlie said mockingly, “The King of Aperture Science fell down the deep dark hole and put on some weird headset, and now he can’t take it off!” Nathan laughed as he strolled with the others, “When he walks, the exact ground shakes, and now we feel the earthquake!” Serial Designation N said, “One might think my little sister Cyn would choose someone who behaves like an adult and learns martial arts!” “Yeah,” Lewis said. “At least he could get to his feet.” “Or at least see his feet,” said Christian. YouTubers and Murder Drones laughed, except for Will and Uzi. They cooperated in carrying Maddox to bed at night. “Laugh it up,” said Will. “Maddox is sort of curious. Sometimes, he couldn’t handle things as well as we’ve been.” “He’s kind of a disgrace to virtual reality,” Uzi said. “But if he respects who we are and what we do, he will find us an exit.” After Uzi tucked Maddox into bed, Will was about to leave Uzi’s room. So Maddox said, “Thanks for carrying me to Uzi’s bedroom. I feel comfortable here.” “You’re welcome, Mr. M,” said Will. Maddox sat in bed and said, “Parkour and martial arts are a lot of work, right? Are your biceps sore?” Will looked at his right arm and checked his muscle. “Must have been a long, disappointing day, so yeah. Maybe we should get to bed.” “Oh, yeah, sure, of course, thanks,” Maddox said as he covered himself in a huge blanket. Maddox sat back up and said to Will, “By the way, I’m such a big fan!” “Oh, great, thank you,” Will chuckled nervously. “You guys are amazing at your Knockout channel, playing Solitaire, Getting Over It, Portal 2, Cuphead, and other games, and y’all are making songs non-stop due to our patience!” Maddox said. “Uh… OK,” said Will. “You’re good.” “So we want to get some sleep,” Maddox said. “Catch ya on the other side, peace out, and goodnight!” Maddox tucked his covers in and went to sleep. Will gave Maddox a thumbs up, left Uzi’s room, and closed the door. Once Uzi and N are asleep, Maddox has something to say to them. “Hey!” Maddox whispered. “Uzi, N!” Uzi rolled over to look at Maddox and moaned, “What is it, Maddox?” “I’m such a big fan,” Maddox said. “Really?” Uzi said. “Thank you,” said N. Maddox, who got off the bed and said to Uzi and N, “You guys are amazing at the Battle of Cabin Fever Labs. Outnumbered a thousand dinos to one, you didn’t stop! You just…” As Maddox said, he showed Uzi some karate moves and RIP!!! Maddox accidentally kicked his foot through the paper wall. He realized his mistake and peeked through the hole where Doll was lying on her mattress with Lizzy and V, and he said, “Oh, sorry about that.” Doll sat up from her bed and glared at him. Maddox looked back at Uzi & N. N said, “You know this is her room.” “Yeah, he’s right, but this is our room,” Uzi said, tucking herself in the blanket. “Property of Uzi Doorman…” “And Serial Designation N,” N finished. “If you want to sleep with us, that is fine.” “Maybe we should get to sleep,” Maddox said. He went back to sleep with his two friends in bed. “So what do you want with this cuddle? Scarface-style?” Maddox stuck himself in bed between Uzi and N and wrapped his arms around them. “Yep,” said N. “We’re comfy now.” In Doll’s room, V got out of bed and left Doll and Lizzy asleep. V entered Uzi’s room and said, “Hey, what’s up, guys.” “Hey, V,” Maddox smiled, waving his hand at V as she crawled into bed. “How ya doing?” “I see that you are trying to impress these two with your special skills, such as martial arts,” V said as she laid her head on Maddox’s chest. “Maddox said he’s a big fan,” Uzi said as she and N cuddled close to Maddox. “He said we’re amazing at warfare in Planet Copper 9.” “That’s quite a compliment,” said V. “I came here to sleep with you guys. Is that alright with you?” Maddox nodded his head. “If you may,” he said. Maddox tucked V between him and Uzi as N sighed contently, closed his eyes, and went to sleep the same Uzi and V did. Maddox whispered, “Keeping y’all comfortable. We have got big things tomorrow. Tomorrow is another day. Y’all are awesome. That’s the last thing I’m going to say.” V sighed. Maddox opened his eyes and asked, “What is that?” V shook her head. “No,” she said. “I didn’t say anything.” “OK,” Maddox said as he cuddled his friends. “All right. Goodnight.” “Sleep tight,” N yawned. “I don’t let the bedbugs bite,” Uzi whispered as she closed her eyes, and they all fell asleep. Inside Maddox’s head, Maddox was eating orange slices under the tree. Cyn walked over to Maddox and said, “Well, well. Looks like you have found a Sacred Navel Orange Tree of Heavenly Sageness!” Maddox turned around and looked at Cyn. “Is that what this is?” he said with a mouthful of orange slices. “Sorry, I thought it was just a regular navel orange tree?” Cyn thought for a moment. She looked upon Maddox eating oranges and said, “I understand; you only snack and drink when you’re upset.” “Upset?” Maddox said as he swallowed the orange slices. “What makes you think I’m upset?” “Why are you upset?” Cyn asked. “I sucked more today than everyone in the history of Portal 2,” Maddox said. “The history of Charlotte-Mecklenburg, the history of Loris, and the history of sucking.” Cyn crossed her arms. “Probably,” she said. “And the YouTubers,” Maddox said, “you should’ve seen them. They didn’t like my confidence.” Cyn shrugged. “Kinda?” she said. “How was Uzi gonna turn me into a Disassembly Drone so I would become King of Aperture?” Maddox sadly replied. “I’m not like you or the 9; I’m too lazy to work hard. I have no railgun, razor-sharp teeth, or claws. Or Tessa has got her ordinary steel sword for combat. My aggression and AbsoluteSolver powers due to your corruption were… never enough.” “So?” Cyn asked. Maddox turned his back and looked at the beautiful starry night sky. “My only ally in Pennsylvania was Octorara,” he said. “They’re responsible for spreading the word that the new generation was dawning while I was deciding the hardworking aspects of Horry County. I was their God. Violence and bloody murder are what I’ve done to infidels.” “You mean heretics?” Cyn asked. “Yeah,” Maddox said as he looked back at Cyn. “They’re such unbelievers. I should be escaping this virtual reality world, then I should quit, head back to Charlotte, do my work, make money, and pay bills.” Cyn walked to Maddox and placed her hand on his shoulder. “Quit, don’t quit. Bills, don’t bills. You’re too concerned about what this is and what will be. Here’s an old saying: ‘Yesterday is history, tomorrow’s a mystery, but today is a gift.’” Cyn leaned close to Maddox and whispered, “That is why we called this a present.” Cyn pecked Maddox softly on the cheek and tossed a navel orange in Maddox’s left hand. Surprised, he looked at the orange, then back at Cyn. Maddox softly touched his cheek and thought to himself, She seems nice. It's creepy but rather cute. Maddox’s eyes turned blue as he looked at the right hand, accepting a valuable lesson that Cyn taught him. Maddox feels encouraged if he knows what must be done for his people.
Chapter 7: Prototype Escapes
Meanwhile, Echo has finally made it to Charlotte Work Release Center, which has followed the prison address: “901 Elizabeth Avenue, Charlotte, NC, 28204”. Echo landed on the ground, and the jail guards with gas masks pointed their stun batons at him. “Wait!” Echo shouted before the guards could electrocute him. “I got a message from our King, Maddox Monk!” he begged. The guards heard Echo say that. Realizing there was mail, the guards let Echo inside and took him to Theodore Grambell, also known as CatNap. DogDay, KickinChickin, and Hoppy Hopscotch noticed Echo bringing CatNap a letter. Catnap squinted at the letter, asking DogDay, “What did those words say?” DogDay looked at the letter and was about to read it. CatNap was incredulous, horrified, and disgusted to see those lines. He snatched the letter from DogDay and shouted, “WHAT!? ‘Double the guard!? Extra precautions!? Your prison warrant may not be adequate!?’” CatNap was furious, and he slammed the letter closed. DogDay, Hoppy, and KickinChickin dispatched a glare at Echo. Hoppy slammed her foot behind Echo, DogDay snarled, and KickinChickin scuffed his talons. “You doubt this prison security?!” CatNap criticized Echo as the prison guards activated their taser batons, glaring at Echo quivering below them. “No, Maddox does,” Echo stammered. “I’m just a messenger!” CatNap was confused to hear Maddox’s name. “Maddox Orion!” he fumed. “I’ll write you that message for him!” CatNap took Echo inside the prison building and bid him to investigate. “Escape from Charlotte Work Release Center is impossible!” CatNap recited the message reply for Maddox. CatNap slapped Echo in the back with his confident greeting, causing one bolt from Echo to fall into the abyss. “That’s just impressive, isn’t it?” he asked. Echo looked down at the troops patrolling around, his bolt falling into the dark, and replied nervously, “Uh… yes. That’s impressive. Very impressive!” CatNap continued reciting his message, “One way in, one way out, five hundred prison guards, fifty inmates, and one lead prisoner.” “Yes,” Echo replied. “Except that the main prisoner is the Prototype.” CatNap and Echo entered the elevator. “Take us down,” CatNap ordered the guards. The guards pulled the lever, the elevator descended, and CatNap laughed maniacally until the elevator stopped in the underground jail cell. “Oh my,” Echo gulped. As the bars opened, CatNap grinned as he introduced Echo to the monstrosity unconscious with Poppy gas spread around the cell, “Behold: Experiment 1006, The Prototype!” Echo’s eyes widened. He immediately recognized the Prototype’s current physique and said to CatNap, “Maybe I should stay right here.” “He’s perfectly safe,” CatNap laughed as he shoved Echo into the cell. “As long as the Poppy gas remained him in hypersleep.” CatNap entered the Prototype’s cell and ordered the troops, “Guards, ion blasters at the ready!” Troops aimed the ion cannons at the Prototype all deactivated and in hypersomnia with the gas-scented poppies. “Hey, tough guy,” CatNap said to the Prototype. “Cyn and GLaDOS are finally going to give someone a slice of Fish-Shaped Cracker Cake, and it’s not gonna be you!” “What are you doing? Don’t get him mad!” Echo whispered. “Don’t worry,” CatNap said. “I’ve got him completely immobilized.” CatNap opened his mouth and snapped his jaws at the Prototype’s arm. Echo winced to hear the mechanical parts click, which sounded like someone had broken their bones. “Aw, gee, did I bite your arm too hard? Too bad,” CatNap said mockingly. “Well, I’ve seen enough,” Echo tittered. “I got to go back and tell Maddox there’s nothing to worry about.” “Of course not!” CatNap smiled as he and Echo left the Prototype’s cell. “There’s nothing to worry about!” “Can we please go now?” Echo asked politely. So Echo and Catnap walked out of the jail cell. Echo’s bolt fell ahead of the Prototype… and his eyes opened. He stretched his leg and snatched the bolt. The Prototype glared attentively ahead as he used Echo’s bolt to pick the lock from the armor. When he successfully unlocked it, the acupuncture needles removed themselves from the Prototype’s body, and the Poppy gas emitters turned offline. The Prototype activated and breathed out as he regained consciousness and movement in his arms. Suddenly, he BURST free from his armor! CatNap heard a crash. He ran over to the ledge with Echo behind him. “OH, NO!” CatNap shrieked in horror. “What’s happening?” Echo asked. Echo looked over the edge and was horrified to see the Prototype at the bottom of the pit. The Prototype struggled with his chains attached to the giant boulders. CatNap ordered the jail guards to fire ion blasters. The Prototype dodged the incoming spears and then moved himself so the next one could break him free of one of his shackles, much to the guards’ horror. With his free hand, he ripped off another one. “THE PROTOTYPE IS FREE!!!” Echo shrieked. “I must warn Maddox!” Echo was about to flee, but CatNap grabbed him by the throat, preventing Echo from leaving the building. “You’re not going anywhere, and neither is he!” CatNap yelled furiously. Echo struggled to break free from CatNap’s paw and cried, “Let me go!” CatNap shouted aloud to the guards, “Bring up the elevator!” As the lever was pulled down and the elevator began to rise, a jail guard tried to grab it, but he missed it. “Hey! Bring it back!” he yelled. The jail guards set the prisoners free from their cells and assembled them. Then they began to attack the Prototype, firing the ion blasters at him, one of which he redirected into the cannon, destroying it. And the rest he kicked back up into the walls, creating a makeshift staircase. He began making his way up toward the elevator. “He’s coming this way!” Echo gasped. CatNap shook his head. “He won’t get far!” he scowled. Then he turned to the jail guards and prisoners and shouted, “Shooters!” Leaping across the spears, the Prototype caught the elevator, hiding under it as the volley of lasers and bullets showered past him. The prisoners cut the ropes, and the elevator crashed down to the bottom of the pit. Prisoners and jail guards celebrated at once before the Prototype swung from the bottom of the elevator shaft and caught the inmates and guards by surprise. He grabbed the chain, jumped over the edge, and swung around, launching himself up to the next tier and disappearing into the shadows. The Prototype landed on the bridge and fought through hundreds of jail guards, finally reaching the top tier where CatNap (still clutching Echo) and the rest of his army awaited. “We’re so dead,” gulped Echo. “It’s over, man! Game over, man!” CatNap laughed as he ordered one shooter, “Not yet. It wasn’t! Now!” A shooter fired a laser upward and set off Combustible Lemons on the ceiling. Massive catwalks crashed down, and the bridge began to crumble. The Prototype leaped across the crumbling debris and attempted to utter one last big jump toward CatNap. But he fell short, claws scraping and sparking against a brick wall. CatNap laughed maniacally. On his way down, the Prototype looked up and saw a fuse burning down to the last group of TNT. He leaped across the raining debris up to the ceiling of the building. Grabbing a hold of the dynamite, the Prototype fell towards the army. Smiling Critters and Poppy Playtime characters are shocked. The jail guards and the inmates stepped back in horror. “Can we run now?” Echo asked fearfully. “Y-Yes…?” CatNap sobbed in terror. The Prototype flanged the dynamite… KA-BOOM!!! The doors blasted open, and jail residents went flying everywhere. WHUMP! Echo hit the ground among them. He coughed out the smoke and was startled when CatNap’s collar fell in front of him. Suddenly, the Prototype’s hand closed around his throat. The Prototype lifted Echo and looked at him for a moment. He sighed. “I’m glad that Maddox sent you. I was beginning to think I had been forgotten,” he said, and with creepy tenderness, he smoothed Echo’s head, clearing the dust off of him. Then he learned closer to Echo. “Now,” said the Prototype. “Fly back and tell them… the real King of Aperture Science is coming home.” Echo nodded in terror, and then the Prototype let him go. Echo disappeared with a flash of electrical cyan blue light as the lightning struck the sky.
Chapter 8: Khaleal’s Memories
The morning bell chimed in the crack of dawn. The second it rang, DAGames entered the hallway of the bunker. Murder Drones characters and YouTubers burst out of their bedrooms and stood outside their doors, ready for inspection. “Good morning, DAGames,” they greeted. But one door remained closed. Uzi, V, and N were still asleep. “Monk?” DAGames called out. But there’s no answer. DAGames burst into Uzi’s room and yelled, “Monk! Wake up!” DAGames realized Maddox was gone. Uzi, N, and V woke up from their bed. DAGames was satisfied. “He’s quit,” he said. DAGames walked with a little more energy as he, Murder Drones characters and the YouTubers approached the gymnasium courtyard. Uzi looks equally pleased. “What should we do now?” OR3O asked. “With Maddox gone, who will be King of Aperture Science?” asked CG5. “All we can do is resume our training and trust that in time, the true leader will be revealed,” said Uzi. DAGames opened the entrance doors of the courtyard, only to find out that Maddox was still there with Khaleal Henson, Nathaniel Lewis, Sadie Casper, Gianna Aurilia, and Covington DiLabio. Maddox was everywhere searching for Khaleal’s memories on his other tape recorders. After the tape recorder ended, Red Bird facepalmed that Maddox had the wrong memory. Khaleal tugged Maddox’s sleeve, pointing at DAGames and Uzi, standing at the doors. Murder Drones characters and YouTubers are taken aback. “What do you think you’re doing?” DAGames asked. Maddox turned to look at DAGames and said, “Oh! Hi! Good morning, DAGames! I like to present my best friends from Loris and Charlotte.” Maddox introduced his pals to DAGames and Uzi, and he said, “This is Khaleal Henson, my best friend from Porter Ridge Middle School. This is Sadie Casper, my closest friend from Rama Road Elementary. This is Nathaniel Lewis, my brother-in-arms. This is Covington DiLabio, my partner. And this is Gianna Aurilia, my girlfriend from Loris High School. Everyone, meet Will Ryan of DAGames, and meet Uzi Doorman from Murder Drones!” “Hi there,” Khaleal said, waving his hand at DAGames. “What’s up?” said Covy. “Hey guys,” said Nathaniel. “Hey, Will,” said Sadie. “What’s up, Uzi?” “Hello!” Gianna said, waving her hand as her greeting. DAGames and Uzi are dazed. They are astonished to see Maddox’s friends the whole time. They can’t believe Maddox gathered his besties from middle to high school. “OK!” Uzi chuckled nervously. “Congratulations! You got me!” “You win!” DAGames stammered. “You can come out now!” YouTubers murmured about Maddox’s introduction with his comrades. N and J looked at each other and shrugged. Tessa scratched her head. “Hello?” DAGames said, puzzled. DAGames and Uzi looked around in bewilderment until they looked back at Maddox. “Hey, it’s OK,” Maddox said. “I thought I was recovering Khaleal’s good memories about me and him hanging out together in the past.” Gianna looked at Maddox and winked at him. Maddox looked back at Gianna and smiled. “OK,” Maddox said as he returned to memory recovery. “Where was I? Oh right. This audio log was from Mr. Landreth.” Maddox pressed the PLAY button on Mr. Landreth’s audio log. As the audio log played, YouTubers and Worker Drones chatted simultaneously. “Still nothing?” the Cube Turret asked. “No, still nothing,” Maddox said. “Maddox,” sighed the Cube Turret. “I trust you that getting Khaleal’s memories back could be useful, but we tried so many tape recordings related to Khaleal or not. If your powers don’t work on your friends as they did to me, why do you think it could work more with many tape recordings? We’ve got to find the machine and stop it ourselves.” Maddox looked at his hands. He felt the AbsoluteSolver getting powerful on his body, especially his nanites. And the blood began to drip from his nose. “The thing is… I felt that the nanites were getting stronger. I kept experiencing more and more digital hallucinations due to the AbsoluteSolver, so we need to destroy this machine before I abstract and decay, and that means quickly. Khaleal built this machine, and I know he can tell us how to stop it so fast. I’m sure we have to keep going. I’m sure combining my powers with the tape recordings can recover his memories and–” “Maddox,” DAGames said. “I think your nose is bleeding.” Maddox felt the blood sloshing down and covered his mouth. “Ah, damn it!” Maddox groaned in frustration. “Alright, well, let’s try one or two more, then we can take a break.” Red Bird checked the last tape recording. It has Khaleal’s name on it. Red showed Maddox the tape and said, “Hey! I think it said, ‘K. Henson, 2024’!” Maddox looked at the tape and said, “Oh, I thought I tried all of them?” NateWantsToBattle looked at Khaleal’s cassette tape, then he turned to Maddox and said, “Alright, so this is the last one, then we need to take a break.” “Nathan,” Maddox said. “I’m fine.” “You heard Nate?” CG5 said. “Your nose bleeds, and you need to rest. Period.” NateWantsToBattle handed OR3O a cassette tape. OR3O looked at the tape. It has Khaleal Henson’s name on it with a recording date, “November 27, 2024.” “So K. Henson, 2024,” OR3O said as she pressed the PLAY button on the tape recorder. Maddox’s powers began to shine on Khaleal’s shoulder as the cassette tape spoke: “We’re looking at quite a job here! Panels came out, gel pipes went in, and panels went back in again! It’s like banging your head on the table over and over and over again. The first time, it hurts to heck. The hundredth time, well… you don’t think much about it. That’s what it’s like listening to Elizabeth Ellen Monk.” OR3O, CG5, and JT Machinima overheard Khaleal’s recording. “I must agree with that,” OR3O whispered. Then the tape recording continued: “At first, you might feel a bad pain in your guts… that you’re doing something very wrong. But after a time, when the dust settled, Beth played her cards, and you now must learn to go with it. A bit of your heart and soul died with each gel pipe you’d put in.” Suddenly, Khaleal’s eyes turned yellow as his memories began to be restored. OR3O, CG5, JT Machinima, and Dawko are shocked to see Maddox’s powers shine so brightly. “What?!” Uzi gasped incredulously. “The frick!?” gasped DAGames in disbelief. “Is that!?” Red Bird gasped in astonishment. Sadie, Gianna, Covy, and Nathaniel shielded their eyes as the light exploded with a blinding flash. Khaleal Henson’s memories with Maddox were restored. “Oh, sugar!” Dawko exclaimed. “Holy crap!” DAGames yelled in astonishment and surprise. “Thank Christ!” Serial Designation N gasped in disbelief. “He has an AbsoluteSolver!” Worker Drones, including Serial Designations V and J, gasped to see Maddox’s powers work. As the brightness toned down for a snippet of a second, Khaleal’s eyes turned back to normal. “Khaleal?” Maddox asked. “Is that you?” “There’s an AbsoluteSolver inside of you! How the fudge did you do that!?” Serial Designation V gasped in disbelief and shock. “Holy smokes! It was Cyn who bestowed Maddox with her own powers! It’s not a curse at all! It’s a blessing!” “Khaleal, did it work?” Maddox asked his friend. “Do you remember me?” Khaleal and Sadie looked at each other in their eyes. Sadie said, “Khaleal, it’s me! I’m Sadie Cas— Ahh!!!” Khaleal wrapped his arms around Sadie, hugging her. Khaleal sobbed as he finally remembered all those times with Maddox and his friends long ago. Sadie hugged back and whispered, “Shh… please don’t cry. We’re here. Don’t worry. Calm down. It’s OK.” “Well, I could take it all back,” said Uzi. “You’re right, Maddox! It worked!” “Yeah! Using the AbsoluteSolver powers is not so bad after all!” said Serial Designation N. “Maddox! You were right! It really worked!” Maddox held back his happy tears and wiped blood off his nose. “Yeah,” he said. “It really does work. But first, let’s give him some time… to adjust. Maybe I should tell Cyn that her powers do work on recovering memories. If only I would show her what I can—” Gianna pecked Maddox on the cheek for his amazing skills. Then Uzi and her friends gave Maddox a sweet, comfortable, and loving group embrace. “Well then…” Maddox said as he closed his eyes. “I guess my lazy method would suffice… for now.” “Aww, look at that,” DAGames said, lovingly watching Maddox and his friends hugging each other. “That’s adorable! That guy has done a good job on his gift!” After the Drones let go of Maddox, he said, “You guys are so sweet. This means a lot to me, and I appreciate you sharing an embrace with me.” “Don’t mention it. Ever,” said V. Maddox went silent as V returned to stand by her group.
Chapter 9: DAGames’ Harsh Training
“So,” DAGames said. “You think you can learn to do a full split in one night?” DAGames flung four boards in the air, and then Uzi and J stepped forward. “It would only take months to develop one’s flexibility and weeks longer to apply it in combat,” DAGames said as he snapped his fingers. Instantly, Uzi jumped up and executed a perfect split kick. J leaped up and performed an incredible slash with her laser beam. Maddox was awestruck. Uzi and J landed on the ground, looked at Maddox, crossed their arms, and returned to DAGames’ side. Half-split boards hit the ground and broke to pieces. Broken chunks of board landed all over Maddox, and the large one hit him on the head. Maddox picked up a piece of splintered board and hid it behind his back. “Put that down!” DAGames scolded as he pointed his index finger down to the floor. “The only souvenirs we collect here are bloody knuckles and broken bones!” Maddox nodded his head and chucked away the chunk. “Yeah,” he said as he gave DAGames a thumbs-up. “Excellent, Will.” “Please just get started,” said Will, and he snapped his fingers. All YouTubers and Murder Drones gathered in line. Serial Designation V stepped toward Maddox. They both faced off. “Are you ready?” V asked. Maddox separated his legs in position and raised his fists, ready to fight. “Yes!” Maddox said confidently. “I was born ready!” V punched Maddox in the face, flung Maddox in the air, and brought him crashing down on his head. Maddox cried out in pain. “Ooh, I’m sorry, hon, I thought you said you’re ready!” V gasped in shock. “Wow!” Maddox said, wiping blood off his upper jaw and giving V a thumbs-up. “That was awesome! Let’s go again!” DAGames was irritated. He snapped his fingers again. Tessa Elliot drew her sword and lunged at Maddox (also wielding his sword), taking defense and sometimes comical beating. Maddox was knocked out, and DAGames snapped his fingers again. It was CG5 and OR3O’s turn. They and Maddox are ready to spar atop the Repulsion Gel Pit of Faith Plates and… CRASH!!! Maddox fell off the edge. And now he was tossed around like a pancake on a frying pan. CG5 cowered as Maddox kept bouncing everywhere. CG5 and OR3O looked back at DAGames. He angrily snapped his fingers again, moving on to the next opponent. At this time, the sun was setting. Maddox tried to fight off Serial Designations J and N, but they were too fast and clever. They grabbed Maddox’s legs, hoisted him mid-air, and occasionally threw Maddox on the ground. As N and J returned to the group, DAGames smiled. Flat on his back, Maddox gave N and J thumbs-up. This time, DAGames finally had enough. “I’ve been taking it easy on you, Monk!” he said. “But no more! The next opponents are going to be me and Uzi Doorman!” Maddox picked himself up from the ground and laughed excitedly, “Yeah! Alright! Maddox VS. DAGames and Uzi! Let’s go!” YouTubers and Murder Drones characters exchange worried looks. Maddox, Uzi, and DAGames faced off. Uzi pointed her index finger at the floor and said to Maddox, “Step forth!” Maddox didn’t finish one step, while Uzi grabbed Maddox by the ankle and swung him around without effort. “The true path to victory,” Uzi said with pride as she threw Maddox to the ground and pinned his arm behind her, “is to find your opponent’s weakness and make him suffer for it!” “Oh yeah!” Maddox said in pain but delighted. “To take his strength and use it all against him,” Uzi said. DAGames threw Maddox to the ground, too. Uzi kicked Maddox repeatedly and passed him to DAGames, in which case he threw him to the ground again and clutched Maddox’s forehead. “Yeah,” DAGames said. “Until he finally writhes, falls, or quits!” Maddox was inspired. “But a real king never quits, Will!” he said to DAGames. Maddox turned to Uzi and said, “Don’t worry, Uzi, I will never quit!” DAGames flung Maddox mid-air at his breaking point so that Uzi could leap at him with a flying kick. Maddox crashed out of the doors and tumbled down the staircase. Uzi and DAGames watched Maddox fall. “Damn!” Uzi said. “That human possessed by an AbsoluteSolver might’ve been worth a flippin’ fortune!” DAGames replied, “If he’s smart, he won’t come back up these steps.” “Maybe he will,” said Uzi. YouTubers and Murder Drones characters stood outside and watched Maddox fall. Red and the Cube Turret are confused. “I just don’t get it,” said the Red Bird. “Why would he keep tumbling down the steps this whole time?” “Don’t worry,” NateWantsToBattle said. “He’ll come back up.” “I thought Maddox said he’s not gonna quit?” OR3O said. “At least he won’t quit bouncing,” N chuckled. “Let me tell ya.” N began to laugh, but OR3O silenced him with a stern growl. Maddox screamed as he continued to tumble down the stairs. That evening, Serial Designation N found Maddox dazed and bruised later on. He picked Maddox up and flapped on in fast flight, carrying Maddox to the bunkhouse as the moon rose above the horizon.
Chapter 10: Special Skills
Serial Designation N wrapped his bandages around Maddox’s bleeding left arm. Maddox felt the cold temperature in his ice pack on his bruises. Uzi had no intention to kick Maddox out and cause injuries to him. N slid his tongue on Maddox’s wounds. Maddox felt disgusted by N’s saliva on his arm and said, “I thought you said nanites and saliva would make me feel better!” “Trust me, it will,” said N, wrapping his bandage around Maddox’s forehead, covering his scabs and scratches. “It’s not easy finding the right nerve points beneath your…” “Muscle?” Maddox said. “Skin,” said N. “I was going to say ‘skin’.” “Sure you are,” Maddox said skeptically. “Who am I to judge the king based on his size?” said N, adjusting his tail and checking for nerves. “I mean… look at me.” Maddox searched for N, but N is now behind his other shoulder. “I’m over here,” he said. He jabbed the end of his tail on Maddox. “AH-HAH!!!” Maddox screamed in pain. N injected nanite acid into Maddox’s veins, and nanobots overall began to increase. They put Maddox’s DNA together. OR3O and CG5 showed N a diagram of nanite acid meridians (onto which someone had overlaid the anatomy of an average human). “Maybe you should study this again,” said OR3O. “Oh right,” said N, looking at the diagram. Maddox kept writhing in pain as N injected medicine inside his human body. In Serial Designation V’s bedroom, Lizzy couldn’t sleep over Maddox’s yells. Doll was reading a book. Annoyed at the disturbance, Doll covered her ears. In JT Machinia's bedroom, Chi-Chi was doing digital art while JT Music was writing a novel with NateWantsToBattle. “OUCH!!!” Maddox shouted from the wall. “OW! STOP IT!!!” Irritated by the distraction, Chi-Chi swiped her hands off the computer and stuck her index fingers to her eardrums. NateWantsToBattle couldn’t bear any loud noise. So he and JT Music put on their earmuffs and held them for a few seconds. In DAGames’ bedroom, Dawko was illustrating. “STOP IT!!!” Maddox laughed hysterically and painfully from the wall. “Stop… YOW!!!” Startled by Maddox’s shouting, Dawko accidentally messed up the sheet of paper. Back in Uzi’s room, Maddox settled down. “I know Will and Uzi are trying to inspire me and all,” Maddox said to OR3O. “But if I didn’t know anything better, I’d say they’re trying to get rid of me.” Maddox chuckled. OR3O, CG5, SD-J, and SD-N looked at each other and smiled awkwardly. Maddox noticed their expressions, and his chuckle disappeared. Serial Designation J took out her syringe and said to Maddox as she jabbed him in the right arm, “I know Uzi can be kind of a bit heartless. But she isn’t always like that anymore.” “Only because I couldn’t remember all those things,” Uzi said. She was walking down the hall, overhearing Maddox’s little conversation. She stopped outside her bedroom door and entered her chamber. DAGames peeked through the door. NateWantsToBattle’s shadow was silhouetted on the wall. “Yeah, no one can remember how we spent our lives once we’ve entered the virtual world,” he said. “If Maddox is going to stay in Charlotte and the virtual world,” Uzi said, “he should bring back my memories.” Maddox knew what must be done: Uzi Doorman’s memories must be recovered like Maddox did last time with Khaleal. “Give me your hand,” Maddox said, reaching out his left hand. Uzi held Maddox’s hand. “Don’t overwork yourself, OK? This won’t take long,” Maddox said. Maddox’s irises flashed blue as he visualized Uzi Doorman’s memories, discovering she is a main character from the web series Murder Drones. “It works!” Maddox said. “I can see you, Uzi Doorman!” Uzi gasped as Maddox said her full name. “Really!?” Uzi said. “Give me a few minutes, OK?” Maddox said. “This won’t take long. NateWantsToBattle, blank sheet of paper!” “Oh, sure!” NateWantsToBattle said as he reluctantly handed Maddox one blank sheet of paper. Maddox pulled out a branded pencil and began to sketch Uzi’s look he had observed. When Maddox’s done, he showed a drawing to Uzi. Uzi looked at the drawing. “This is what I look like in that movie adaptation?” Uzi asked. Maddox scratched the back of his head. “I mean,” he said confidently. “I wasn’t good at visualizing new looks in each film adaptation, but I did my best.” Uzi’s memories are finally recovered. Excited and overjoyed, Uzi showed N, DAGames, OR3O, J, V, and CG5 the drawing Maddox sketched. “Does this look like me?!” Uzi said excitedly. “We’ve never made a song about Murder Drones for 3 years since the whole season came out on YouTube,” said DAGames. “But from what I remember, it’s pretty accurate and realistic for a live-action/animated hybrid.” “Where’d Glitch make all this stuff?” Uzi asked. “It’s all computer-generated,” said N. “Wonders of modern technology.” CG5 nodded his head in agreement. Uzi was elated and delighted. Uzi jumped up to Maddox and hugged him tightly. “Oh, thank you, Maddox! Thank you very much!” Uzi cried out, showering pecks all over Maddox’s cheek. “Aw, Uzi, no problem. I knew you’d love it!” Maddox sighed. CRACK! Uzi was squeezing Maddox too tight. “Ow!” Maddox groaned, feeling his bones crack. “Uzi, you’re crushing me!” Uzi let go, and Maddox breathed heavily. “Sorry,” Uzi said. “I didn’t know that would happen.” “It’s OK,” Maddox chuckled nervously, rubbing his cheek. “Do you remember them now?” Uzi nodded her head. “Yes! I do remember these guys!” she said. “I’m so glad you did!” Maddox said. Then, he led Murder Drones and YouTubers to the kitchen. Maddox looked in the cabinet, took out his favorite foods, and read the recipe. YouTubers, Red Bird, Cube-Turret, and Murder Drones characters sat by the table. When Maddox finished cooking for them, he said, “So I’m like, fine, you may be a dino, you might be the scariest murderer in Copper 9, but you’re such a lousy tipper.” “Really?” Tessa said incredulously. “How did you make it out alive?” Maddox faltered, “I didn’t say that, but I thought it in my mind.” Maddox flipped some bowls and expertly lined them up on his arm. He ladled hot and spicy mac n’ cheese into the bowls. “If he could read my mind, he would’ve been like, ‘What?’” he said. Then, Maddox said as he carried 27 rice bowls of Flamin Hot Mac N’ Cheese, “Order up! Hope you’d like it!” Maddox slid out the bowls of mac and cheese to his friends, minus DAGames, who already had a plate of hot dogs. Serial Designation V tasted the macaroni and cheese. “It tasted good!” she gasped in delight. Maddox was bashful. “C’mon!” he said. “You should try my sister’s macaroni and cheese. Her ingredients for that recipe are cream cheese, milk, and butter!” “What are you talking about?” Serial Designation J said. “This is amazing!” “Wow!” JT Music said. “You are a good cook!” “Hot dogs, macaroni and cheese, and French fries are delicious!” Dawko said. “It tasted better than ever!” “Thank you, Maddox!” said OR3O. “Your food tasted nice,” said Red. “Will, you gotta try this!” said CG5. DAGames lifted his hot dog from his plate, ignoring the mac and cheese. DAGames told Maddox, “It said that the leader or test subject would survive for months promptly on nothing but a single can of Citranium and the energy of the universe.” There was a moment of silence as YouTubers realized that Maddox had been put down yet again. Maddox shrugged. “The AbsoluteSolver told me that I wasn’t King yet. I’ll need a lot more than orange soda and universe juice.” Maddox picked up his cup of root beer and took a big sip. When Maddox set the cup on the table, he heard the beeping sounds. “Well, it sounds like Echo,” he said. “I’ll talk to him,” said Uzi. Uzi walked out of the room and saw Echo. “Well, well,” Uzi said. “So you must be the messenger. You came back for Maddox. Better get some good news by now.” Echo tried to speak. He hesitated.
Chapter 11: Cyn’s Holy Rapture
When Uzi discovered what happened, she was incredulous. She grabbed her phone and dialed the number of Elizabeth Monk. Beth answered her phone. “Did you find my son yet?” she asked. “Yes!” Uzi said. “The King of Aperture Science was in the virtual reality world!” “The King of Apert… Maddox Monk!?” Elizabeth gasped. “He put on his headset!?” “Yes!” Uzi said. “The Prototype has escaped! You are the one who can help Maddox defeat him!” Elizabeth could not believe it. In a panic, Elizabeth used all her money to purchase a VR headset to enter Aperture Science to find her son. After that, she’s got to find Cyn first. Elizabeth ran to Cyn at the Sacred Navel Orange Tree of Heavenly Sageness. “Cyn!” Elizabeth cried out. Cyn looked at Elizabeth and said, “So you must be Maddox’s mother?” Beth nodded her head. “Yes,” she said. “We got some bad news!” Cyn shook her head. “There is no good or bad. Trust me, Betty, it’s just news.” Elizabeth pointed her fingers at her forehead and replied, “Your vision is right! The Prototype has broken out of prison! He’s on his way!” There was a moment of silence. Cyn was quiet. Elizabeth was afraid that her son would be in terrible danger. “That is bad news,” Cyn replied. “If you won’t believe that the King of Aperture Science will stop him.” “You mean my son, Maddox?” Elizabeth asked. “He’s not allowed to play Portal! He has no right to do anything he wants! He’s never meant to be in Charlotte! It was an accident!” Cyn stepped toward Elizabeth. “There are no accidents,” she said. “I know,” Elizabeth replied. “You said it already. Twice.” “There was no accident either,” said Cyn. Elizabeth held up her three fingers. “Thrice,” she said. “Listen,” Cyn explained to Elizabeth. “Maddox could not fulfill his destiny, neither Uzi’s nor yours, until you have learned to let go of your moodiness, hatefulness, and illusion of control.” Elizabeth turned to Cyn. “Illusion!?” she fumed. “Look at this tree, Betty,” said Cyn, introducing the orange tree to Beth. “I can’t make it flower when it suits me or bear fruit before it’s time.” “Listen to me! I can control everything I had,” Elizabeth said as she kicked her foot on the tree, causing all the oranges to fall. “I can control where the fruits and pecans will fall!” One orange hit Elizabeth’s head. She growled, resulting in Cyn’s giggle. Elizabeth tossed an orange high up into the air and jumped up high. “I can control…” she said as she drew her knife and sliced an orange in half, freeing the seeds. “...where to plant the seeds!” Beth stabbed her knife on the ground, making a hole. “That is no illusion, Cyn!” she said. Beth caught the seeds and tossed them into a place where Beth had made a hole in the ground. Cyn nodded her head. Elizabeth paced to and fro with soft steps. “Ah, yes,” Cyn replied. “No matter what you do. Those seeds will grow into an orange tree. You might want to wish for an apple, a peach, or a banana, but you’ll get an orange.” “But an orange cannot defeat the Prototype!” Elizabeth said. “Maybe it can,” Cyn said as she filled the dirt in the hole, burying the seeds. “As long as you’re willing to guide it. To nurture it. To believe in it.” “But… how? How?” Elizabeth begged. “I need your help, Cyn!” “No,” Cyn smiled. “You just need to believe in yourself. Anyway, your son will believe you. And so will his friends, especially yours. Promise me, Elizabeth, promise me you will believe.” Elizabeth nodded her head. “I… I will try,” she stuttered. “Good,” said Cyn. She looked up at the night sky as the winds began to blow and the leaves began to fly away. “My time has come,” said Cyn, giving Elizabeth a bestowed gift. The AbsoluteSolver started flowing in Elizabeth’s veins, giving her phenomenal powers and abilities. “You must continue your journey without me.” Elizabeth looked at the glowing symbol rotating in front of her hand. She realizes Cyn is walking to the edge of the cliff. “Wait, what? What are you doing?!” Elizabeth stammered as she ran after Cyn. “Cyn! You can’t leave me! Please!” Cyn stood at the cliff’s edge as the shining Rapture light enveloped her. “You must believe,” she sighed. “Cyn!” Elizabeth yelled, reaching out her hand. Cyn closed her eyes peacefully as the shining, lovely blue light began to glow in her body. The leaves engulfed her as Cyn started to vanish without a trace. Elizabeth sadly looked up into the sky as the leaves rose, following a soul ascending in the Rapture beam. Cyn was gone. Serial Designation N walked to Elizabeth and asked, “Hey, are you Maddox’s mother?” Elizabeth nodded her head. “Yes,” she said. “Didn’t you know what I mean? It was that GLaDOS thing! That moment my son began talking about Portal, things will happen to me!” “Who?” Serial Designation N asked. “Caroline?” “Yes!” Elizabeth replied. “She did all of this along!” “I know that kind of person you mean,” said N. “She was an artificially intelligent computer system, the main antagonist of the Portal franchise, yet she was an anti-hero in the second half of the sequel. The songs she wrote in Aperture included Still Alive, Want U Gone, Don’t Say Goodbye, and You Wouldn’t Know.” “That is what I mean!” Elizabeth said to N. “Those ridiculous songs are what my son has been singing since that day! No wonder everything is bullslop here! Do you know what GLaDOS has done? I realize it now! She tricked me into delivering a letter to my son when he was in Charlotte! I heard that Maddox fell into a deep, dark hole when he was about to reach the exit! Now my son put on some weird headset. Now he couldn’t take this thing off! That’s how all the trouble started!” “Wait a second. So Caroline has tricked you into inviting your son to Aperture Science?” asked SD-N. “Exactly!” Elizabeth answered. “Outrageous!’” N said, mocking Beth’s rants about her son’s obsession. “A busy lady with important stuff she had to do. ‘Shame on you!’ You are a person with high possibilities, esteemed by Horry County. If you see your boy upset, you haven’t had enough time to cheer him up and see his grateful face smiling at you all the time because his mother knows what to do.” Elizabeth stammered, “I don’t think I…” “Like you say, Betty,” said N. “You must spend your life with your son, find inner peace, honor your friends, and pay him a dough before he turns 30. You’ve got to let go of all this stuff from the past because it doesn’t seem to matter. All that matters is what you choose to be now.” “Maybe you’re right,” said Elizabeth. “For the record, I’m choosing to use all my money to buy him a LEGO set and a VR headset as his decision. He’s not going to use an ATM. He said I should be giving him an allowance. I’m not the one who said that I’m not giving him an allowance.” “Welp,” said N, handing Beth a paycheck resulting in $500,000 worth of her son’s budget. “If you insist. I’ll catch you on the flip side. By the way, thanks for the call. And sorry to have troubled you.” That’s what Serial Designation N said. So he flew off, leaving Elizabeth sitting at the cliff’s edge, looking at the paycheck and the night sky.
Chapter 12: MechaGodzilla's Key
Meanwhile, Serial Designation N opened the hatch and found the deep dark hole. He, Maddox, Red Bird, Norman Bates, Cube Turret, Uzi, DAGames, CG5, and OR3O lowered on the ladder and strolled down the tunnel with Khaleal, Nathaniel, Sadie, and Gianna. “Too many gamers in this sponsor,” N grumbled. Maddox and his friends landed on the floor, swung the slot open, and began to crawl inside the vent. Maddox grabbed the flashlight. It’s still in his pants pocket, not broken. Maddox turned on the flashlight and shined his way through the darkness in the vent. “Man, darkness was a maze,” he said. “Yeah,” DAGames said. “This is way compared to the Five Nights at Freddy’s game.” “And a movie adaptation,” said CG5. “I don’t like this place, Maddox,” said Red. “There’s so many gels around. I can feel it everywhere!” “I don’t like it either, Red,” Maddox said. “I hate this machine. But we have to get to the core and shoot down MechaGodzilla’s key to have a chance to stop it. Don’t worry, Khaleal knows the way.” After they crawled out of the vent, Khaleal turned the valve on the door and pushed it open. DAGames, CG5, and OR3O looked at each other and gazed upon MechaGodzilla’s structure. They were awestruck. “Holy sh…” CG5 gasped. “Oh, fudge!” Red Bird said in astonishment. “Jeez, Louise!” Maddox gasped. “This is MechaGodzilla’s key!” Maddox and his friends walked over to the middle of the bridge. All Maddox ever saw was the waterfalls, streams, whirlpools, and staircases. “This is where the special gel was made,” he said. “Mom has hidden it underground. MechaGodzilla delivers gel everywhere in the laboratory, then maybe, if I add the AbsoluteSolver inside the gel and make it blue…” Maddox snapped out an idea, and his brain spun like a flywheel. So he turned to Khaleal and said, “You know how this whole thing works, right?” Khaleal nodded his head in agreement. “Alright,” Maddox said. “Plan A: I use my AbsoluteSolver powers. Plan B: We destroy MechaGodzilla and disarm the core of the machine forever.” Red was scared. Sweat dripped down his face. Red breathed heavily as his heart began accelerating as the drumbeat simulated the soldier into encouragement. Red gasped for air. He scarcely maintained his legs on Maddox’s shoulder, yet the hellish, unspeakable pain from the sounds of the gears shifting increased. Red clenched his hands on his forehead, overwhelmed. Maddox felt Red Bird’s legs shaking on his shoulders. “Red?” Maddox said. “Are you alright? You’re shaking!” “MADDOX!” Red finally shrieked in terror. “I WANT TO GET OUT OF HERE! THAT MACHINE! IT’S MAKING WEIRD NOISES! IT’S LIKE A BEATING OF AN INFERNAL HEART, BUT IT’S VERY LOUD!! IT’S ECHOING IN MY HEAD!! IT’S WAY TOO SCARY!! PLEASE GET ME OUT OF HERE!!” Red bowed to his knees, and his tears sloshed down his cheeks. Red sobbed in terror and agony, “I don’t trust this place, Maddox! I WANT to leave!” Maddox wrapped his arms around Red Bird and hugged him. “Shh,” he whispered. “It’s OK. Calm down. Deep breaths.” When Maddox and Red pulled back, Maddox placed his hands on Red’s shoulders and said, “Listen, I don’t want to be here either. Trust me. As long as I comprehend all the digital stuff, maybe I will get used to it. But we might have a chance to stop this machine right now. But we have to take this chance. Do you think you can handle it a little longer?” Red nodded his head and held back his tears. “OK,” Red smiled as Maddox petted him on the head. “I’ll do my best.” “Let’s be honest,” Maddox said. “It’s just a machine. It can’t hurt us. There’s no Rage Virus anymore. No pandemic, no Enormous Crocodile, no Patrick Bateman… nothing bad can happen to us.” Maddox and Red walked into the machine. Norman was too nervous to follow them. “Don’t be anxious, Norman,” said the Cube Turret. “It’s gonna be OK. They’re just checking the machine. They’ll be back soon.” “I’m sorry,” Norman said, insecure and jumpy. “I can’t help but worry about them. Especially about Khaleal, since Maddox got his memories back…” “Heh, that’s funny,” said the Turret. “What? What’s funny?” Norman asked. “The thing you just did,” the Turret replied. “Putting your hands around your neck. You used to do this when you were nervous before executing a knife attack on Sam Loomis while he was in the shower. During the…” “The events of the series Bates Motel?” Norman asked. “Yes,” said the Cube Turret. “How was I back then?” Norman asked. “Uzi and I still can’t remember. Maddox really was a good artiste. He didn’t know us back, and Khaleal couldn’t socialize. But you… I was hoping.” Cube Turret stammered. He looked at DAGames, OR3O, and CG5, then at Norman. “You guys seem nice,” he complimented. “DAGames was some kind of person no one could be upset with. Frankly… Maddox seems obsessed with virtual reality, robots, Portal 2 stuff, and YouTubers like hardcore gamers and song artists. I mean, a big fan of any other video game. He’s like a close friend of mine. It seems that Tessa Elliott felt so close beside him, fighting by his side, and she loved him like a sibling. And Maddox was the one that you all could easily tolerate.” DAGames and CG5 looked at each other. “Tolerate?” DAGames said in confusion. “Fascinated,” replied the Turret. “There’s plenty of people in the Carolinas he could tolerate, trust me. The list of them was kind of additional. I think… it was only you, CG5, OR3O, Norman, Chell, Echo, 8-BitRyan, ThinkNoodles, Jacksepticeye, Markiplier, ForeverNeena, especially Maddox’s friends from PRMS, Jaqai Carter, Joshua Garber, Jasmine Rodaz, Aaron Bureau, Yassin Ali, and… Trinity Rodriguez.” “Who’s Chell?” DAGames asked. “An old friend from Aperture Science,” said the Cube Turret. “She was one of the main protagonists of her kind. She used to be in league with GLaDOS and Wheatley to finish the testing, so she’ll earn some cake, as long as she would be worth trusting in the secret to limitless power. She used to like Maddox’s confidence and sense of humor, too. So GLaDOS freed Chell after the final testing area.” “Trinity Rodriguez’s the only girl you liked, right?” OR3O asked. “It… IT’S MORE COMPLICATED THAN THAT!!” The Cube Turret faltered bashfully. “Well, in that case,” OR3O said. “Glad to hear that Maddox was tolerable to each of us.” The Cube Turret cowered nervously in embarrassment and agitation. “Don’t make fun of me!” he laughed shyly. Meanwhile, Maddox and Uzi are sneaking to grab a key to MechaGodzilla’s body. Maddox gasped as he saw an Anti-Drone Sentinel sleeping. “Shh!” Uzi shushed, covering Maddox’s mouth. Maddox’s hand slipped from the door. It slammed shut. Maddox and Uzi winced as they heard a slam. Maddox placed his fist on his chin in fear. Uzi facepalmed. “Why?” she whispered. Maddox and Uzi quietly stepped over the swarm of sleeping Velociraptors and made their way to MechaGodzilla’s key. Maddox and Uzi gave each other a high-five. They winced at that noise. The Sentinels are still asleep. Uzi finally grabbed the key, but the dust from Uzi’s beanie tickled Maddox’s nose. Uzi plugged her fingers in Maddox’s nostrils to stop the sneezing, only for Maddox’s flatulence to immediately wake up the Velociraptors! Maddox and Uzi screamed and ran for their lives. The Anti-Drone Sentinels chased after them. Maddox and Uzi pulled the two levers to seal the doors behind them. Maddox and Uzi looked behind. A spike plate was ramming after them! Maddox and Uzi looked at each other and nodded in agreement. They dodged every obstacle, slowing down a spike plate. Maddox grabbed Uzi’s hands, and he swung her round and round in the air. At first, he swung her slowly. Then Maddox and Uzi swung each other faster and still and jumped into the air, spin-flying like a stick thrown across the backyard. Past the crushers, they went. Maddox was airborne and landed on the ground, then he and Uzi activated their Super-Jump powers on their long-fall boots. “Whoa-whoa-whoa!!!” Maddox yelped as he and Uzi glided through the air. “OMG!!!” yelled Uzi frantically. Maddox and Uzi landed on the higher ground, searching for a way out. Maddox heard a roar from the nearby dinos. Maddox used his AbsoluteSolver to carry Uzi in his arm. “What is happening!?” Uzi gasped. Maddox jumped out from the floor again. He landed on the other side of the higher floor and stood loopy. He dropped Uzi and hunched to catch his breath. “Argh! My voice is gone– GAH!!!” Maddox accidentally pressed the button on his long fall boot for Superjump, resulting in his crashing through the ceiling. “Ooh!” Uzi gulped. “Are you OK?” “I’m fine!” Maddox said, crawling out from under the ceiling. Maddox reached out his hand. Uzi grabbed his hand. Maddox pulled her up. “Uh… Maddox?!” Uzi gasped, pointing at the Sentinels charging at them. Maddox and Uzi frantically flinched and ran for their lives. They ran out to exit the machine, still carrying MechaGodzilla’s key. Meanwhile, DAGames, OR3O, and CG5 are talking with a Turret. They are wondering what’s going on inside the machine. DAGames went on to discuss Khaleal’s memories. “What about Khaleal? Could you tell me how he was back then?” he asked. There was no answer for a while, and Cube Turret felt overwhelmed. “What’s going on?” DAGames asked. “The voices!” the Cube Turret shouted. “They’re calling me! It hasn’t happened since Maddox brought me back…” DAGames, OR3O, and CG5 are so shocked. They and Norman carried the Cube Turret inside the machine. “RUN!!!” a voice yelled. “What’s going on here!?” Norman gasped. DAGames stopped and stared at the place where a voice was coming from. There came incoming footsteps and dinosaur sounds. Anti-Drone Sentinels are chasing Maddox and Uzi down while the two are riding the back of the Rage Virus, with Khaleal, Sadie, Covy, and Gianna following them. “DON’T JUST STAND THERE!! RUN!!!” Maddox shrieked in terror. DAGames, OR3O, CG5, Cube Turret, and Norman are so frightened and frantic. They ran for their lives. “Get outta here!!” Norman screamed. Maddox turned around and looked at the Anti-Drone Sentinels. He clenched his fists, developing more energy than the AbsoluteSolver. “I can’t stand this for long! Help others! Now!” Maddox roared. Suddenly, lightning sparked from his chest. His eyes turned bright cyan blue, and he burst of light, deflecting the Velociraptors away from him. “Maddox! Come on! I can’t stay in this form for much longer! Maddox!?” the Rage Virus shouted frantically, looking at Maddox deflecting the Sentinels with uncontrollable limitless power. He sensed the souls were inside the Sentinels. Maddox was horrified. He looked at his hands, which were all translucent, contagious, and way more powerful and irresistible than any other rogue artificial intelligence! He began to bleed a lot. The Rage Virus caught him with his sickle and dragged him back onto the saddle. “We got him, Red!” Uzi yelled. “Let’s go!” The Rage Virus gained super speed to zoom straight out of the machine. The Anti-Drone Sentinels began to crash over like a bunch of race cars on the track. DAGames turned back. “Red, slow down! We’re not being chased anymore!” DAGames yelled. “Are you sure–” CRASH!!! The Rage Virus smashed head-first onto the pillar, transforming back into Red Bird, lying there, unconscious. DAGames, CG5, OR3O, Khaleal, Sadie, Gianna, Covy, Cube Turret, Norman, and Maddox tumbled and skidded over the ground. Everyone lifted from the floor, and the Cube Turret felt dizzy. “What just happened?” he said. “Maddox!?” The Cube Turret shook Maddox’s body and yelled, “Maddox! Answer me! Breathe!” Maddox wheezed and coughed out blood. Maddox breathed heavily as his blood sloshed down his chin, and his nose bled again. He began to freak out. “Lorenzo!” Maddox yelled frantically. “The red gel! It’s gotten stronger! It knows what we’re doing! It’s trying to be more powerful and contagious than the AbsoluteSolver! It’s using souls to get stronger! They’re trapped inside! I saw them! They’re screaming! Begging for help! We need to save them! We need to set them f…” Maddox ran out of energy. He passed out from anxiety and hallucinations. “Maddox!” Uzi gasped in terror. “He’s fine,” said the Cube Turret. “He’s in bad shape. Still breathing.” “They’re both in bad shape!” CG5 said. DAGames was carrying Red Bird, who passed out from his form due to energy loss. “Red is exhausted, and he’s shaking! We should go back to the bunker!” “Lorenzo,” said DAGames. “If Maddox gets more powerful, the gel does everything to be the strongest. We thought we had a chance, but… the fictional characters have just vanished without a trace! The Prototype has taken their souls! Now the gel is guarding MechaGodzilla’s key!” “But we’ve finally got it,” Uzi said. “But how are we going to disarm the Prototype?” “Getting out of this digital world is going to be harder than I thought…” said the Cube Turret.
Chapter 13: Overprotective
In Uzi’s room, Maddox fell asleep with Red Bird and Uzi Doorman. They are resting due to the energy loss and injuries. “How’s he doing?” the Cube Turret asked. “They’re fine,” DAGames replied. “The fever is down. They fell asleep.” “Good to know,” said the Cube Turret. “That moron has kept on self-harming with his power!” “Don’t be too harsh on him,” said OR3O. “Maddox is our man. He wanted to protect us.” “That doesn’t mean he has to keep putting his own life in danger,” said the Cube Turret. “But he’s panicking!” said OR3O. “We’re all surrounded by a bunch of Anti-Drone Sentinels and some rogue gel or mixture of repulsion and propulsion! He couldn’t fully control his power!” “That is the problem,” said the Cube Turret. “He never tries to understand the secret to limitless power. He hasn’t changed for ten years. He never knew how to take care of himself. He’d do anything to help his allies, but him? He almost died for a deadline.” “And you were always overprotective towards him? Like Elizabeth Monk was?” DAGames asked. The Cube Turret was incredulous and disgusted. “What!?” he shouted. “He’s my friend! I just cared about him! Is there anything wrong with that!?” “Lorenzo, hush!” DAGames, CG5, and OR3O shushed. “He’s trying to sleep!” Maddox heard the Turret yell. From when he moved in bed as if startled. “OR3O?” Maddox mumbled. “CG5? Norman? DAGames?” OR3O and CG5 slide their hands on Maddox’s spine. DAGames patted Maddox on the back. “Shh,” OR3O whispered. “It’s OK, hun. You’re safe now. Go back to sleep.” “Everything is alright,” DAGames said. Maddox felt comfortable. He closed his eyes and went back to sleep. “Sorry,” said the Cube Turret. “No, I’m sorry,” said DAGames. “I didn’t mean to sound rude.” “Don’t tell him what I’m about to say,” said the Cube Turret as he shed the Weighted Storage Cube, revealing himself as a defective turret. “She’s kind of a bit heartless, but she’s not always like that.” “According to the lore, it’s where Elizabeth used to smile,” said OR3O. “No!” DAGames laughed. “Yes,” said Norman. “But that was before… before…” “Before what?” DAGames asked. “Before the Prototype,” said MatPat. He had entered Uzi’s bedroom because he overheard the Cube Turret’s discussion while talking to DAGames. NateWantsToBattle’s shadow was silhouetted on the wall. “Yeah,” he said. “Well, maybe we shouldn’t be talking about him.” “As long as Maddox would stay in Charlotte,” said MatPat with pride, “he should know. So allow me to tell you a theory. A theory about what happened in the past when Maddox was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Maddox was born 25 years ago on October 10th, 2005. He really did suffer from cleft lip and palate when he was a baby.” “And what happened next, Matthew?” CG5 asked. “Maddox had horror visions. He’s got sensor issues,” MatPat continued. “Maddox made accidents, and he wanted to invite his friends over. The Prototype heard that Maddox was self-righteous and too autistic. It’s never enough for that machine. He tried to take Maddox to the mental institution. But Tari saw darkness in his heart and refused to let him. Outraged, the Prototype murdered a few autistic children out of spite. So he called the doctors when he noticed Maddox’s blood spilling from his head. They tried to take Maddox away by force. And now, Elizabeth soon had her chance to protect her only son. But how? “Tari and Cyn had to stop them. The fight shook the entire street until they knocked the Prototype unconscious by using their nerve attack pressure points on him. Elizabeth was amazed by Tari’s skills in self-defense. Then she kicked the doctors out of her house. Then Beth named Tari as a successor for martial arts. Elizabeth, Tari, and Cyn loved Maddox like people in Charlotte who never loved anyone before. Or since.” DAGames, CG5, and OR3O eventually paid attention to MatPat’s story about why Elizabeth was overprotective of her son. NateWantsToBattle, JT Machinima, and Chi-Chi were quiet and melancholy as they overheard MatPat’s theory about what happened. The Cube Turret looked upon MatPat while Norman was about to hold back his tears. MatPat continued, “And now, it was her only chance to make things right. To get him to graduate from high school. But she’s stuck in South Carolina with him. A self-righteous, autistic, arrogant young man who’s been treating it like it’s a joke. Elizabeth is forced to let Maddox go to college when he wants to live in the same place where he was born, but it’s just a theory.” “Yeah,” said the Cube Turret. “And that was a good story. A few years ago, Elizabeth used to say that Maddox and I were ‘quite similar than we thought we were.’ I never understood what she meant by that. We’re both workaholics, but we’re different. I just thought it was one of Elizabeth’s weird ways to… motivate us. But now I understand; when I look at Maddox, I feel like I must look at myself. Another version of me. A better version of me. A version made better life choices… but who knows? I could’ve abandoned South Carolina and proposed to Trinity Rodriguez, a local student from Porter Ridge Middle School, and started a family, and created inventions for something better… and Maddox might’ve become the abstracted I am today. All that made us two different people was our choices. “To be honest, no matter what we do, I don’t think I could get out of this digital world. As for me, I already died long ago. I still have my soul, but my body is dead. I don’t belong in the outside world anymore. But I keep telling myself that, if Maddox is free, the part of me and Pomni would be free as well.” Maddox overheard the Cube Turret’s conversation. DAGames and MatPat looked at the Turret’s defective body. The Turret was embarrassed, he put the Storage Cube back on. “Oh! Sorry!” said the Cube Turret. “I was just ranting!” “Me too,” MatPat smiled. “Yet it’s so nice to hear you so sincere actually, and some sort of a ‘sentry turret’ from the game Portal, yet so human from Loris High. It feels like the ‘abstracted you are’ is long gone now.” “Glad to hear that,” said the Cube Turret. “So Maddox really brings the best of us, right?” NateWantsToBattle asked. “I hope Uzi, N, V, and Red Bird would get out of this virtual reality world, too. Uzi really deserved it. According to Khan and Nori, Uzi Doorman was a sweet girl to Maddox, especially SD-N. “I hope so too,” said DAGames. “Who could’ve thought we could say that one day?” “Ha ha ha! True!” laughed OR3O. “Yeah!” said CG5. “Maybe he’ll come with us as well!”
Chapter 14: A New Plan
After the rest, Maddox set up the plan hung up on Uzi’s bedroom wall, where someone had already written a plan with him. Maddox’s handwriting in his mind raced to formulate a fact. And here’s what he eventually came up with: The Anti-Drone Sentinels (according to Maddox) → won’t let us in the machine Red Bird: - Gets too exhausted so quickly +Shapeshifts into the Rage Virus +You can use an AbsoluteSolver +Can resist the rogue gel The Cube Turret (Lorenzo Damato) - Can’t get inside the machine - Can get abstracted again +Can touch the gels YouTubers + Murder Drones + Maddox’s Rebel Friends - No! Too dangerous for them!! - Can’t make contact with too much gel +Cannot get abstracted or wounded Maddox facepalmed and said in an ennui expression, “This is not working at all. I don’t know what to do. We’ve got the Prototype to disarm and a machine to destroy, the Anti-Drone Sentinel attacks everything that comes near it… We’re running out of time, we have no solutions, and this is the only chance we’ve got. I’m the only person with the power to stop the Prototype…” “But I’ll defend you,” said Red. “I can use my beast form to run over to the core, I can try to defend you while you use the technique that Uzi’s been talking about.” “Oh, you mean this?” Maddox said as he pulled out his knife, placed his hands on the blade, and wiped it off. The sharp blade of the knife sparkled like the sun on the sea. “The Ghostface Knife Wipe?” DAGames said in confusion. “Yes,” Maddox said. “It was the best move that Springtrap used just yet! While Red is protecting me, I must get to the Prototype, grab onto his shoulder, and KA-BLAM!!, back to the Soul Realm!” “He’s got an army of Anti-Drone Sentinels and Combine Manhacks,” DAGames told him. “Everything they see, he sees. There’s no sneaking up on him.” “Well then,” said Uzi. “We’ll just get an army of our own. To get past the Sentinels first. Red, I don’t think you could fight it all by yourself. And even if you do, you’d get too exhausted to get to the core.” “What you need is bait,” said OR3O. “Something to distract the Sentinels. It might be worth the risk for us to–” “I said no,” Maddox said. “You guys are YouTubers. When you’re killed during the war, we won’t cover your loss if you won’t come back.” “Well in that case,” said the Cube Turret. “I can’t die. I always come back. That’s what William Afton said. So…” “But you could abstract again!” Maddox said. “It’s too risky! I’m not gonna let you guys put yourselves in danger!” “We can’t let you go all by yourself!” Uzi said. “That’s death! I need your help, Maddox Orion. You’re our only hope! We can’t let you die because you’re too scared for us to get hurt! You just can’t do this alone!” Elizabeth Monk came to Cube Turret just in time and brought him a snack while Maddox was having a conversation with Uzi and her friends. “Listen, Uzi,” Maddox said, “I know I can’t do this alone. That doesn’t mean you have to throw yourself into the Sentinel’s jaws in the hope of distracting them!” “Thanks, Beth,” said the Cube Turret, holding a bag of Takis. “This means a lot.” “I know that!” Uzi was still talking to Maddox. “But still! You need a force field! Something to protect yourself! We just need to work together on a strategy…” “Uzi was right,” said Elizabeth. “You need self-defense. You need a shield. We need something better than a shield.” “Mom?!” Maddox said. “Serial Designation V brought an army for you guys,” Beth said, introducing the army of Sentry Turrets, Personality Cores, Rage Zombies, and Worker Drones. “Th-these guys!?” Maddox gasped, gazing at the Rage Zombies, begging for help with Maddox and the gang. “You want them to…” “Listen, Maddox,” Uzi said. “I brought your mom here because the Prototype has escaped! All of you are behaving like children!” “WHAT!?!” Maddox shouted incredulously. “Listen,” Elizabeth said, trying to calm her son down. “The Prototype has got an army of Anti-Drone Sentinels to rid themselves of your autism so Experiment 1006 will come for the Fish-Shaped Cracker Cake! You are the only person who can stop him!” Maddox was quiet, jealous, and humiliated. The lightning sparked from his hand in bewilderment. “Oh, well,” Maddox said, scratching his head. “At least, here I am saying that you have no sense of comedy. So then, I’ll get your army so I can defeat the Prototype.” Elizabeth scowled at Maddox, deadly serious about helping. “What?” Maddox said. “You’re serious?! Right! Of course! I’ll join the army so that I can… Cyn will stop him! She did it before, maybe she can do it again!” “Cyn cannot!” Elizabeth snapped. Elizabeth softened as she sadly looked at her hand and turned the symbol thrice on her fingers. “Not anymore,” she sighed. Maddox’s Rebel Friends, Murder Drones characters, and YouTubers are shocked and melancholy. They realized what Elizabeth meant by that. They were saddened by the news. “Oh no,” N gasped, covering his mouth in sadness. “Cyn! Oh, my poor sister!” “Our only hope is the King of Aperture Science,” Elizabeth declared. “You mean your son!?” DAGames fumed. Elizabeth nodded her head. “Yes! Maddox Monk, my son!” she replied. DAGames shouldered through the crowd and said, “Mrs. Monk, please! Let us stop the Prototype, that’s what Uzi’s been training us for!” “No!” Elizabeth said. “It’s not your destiny to defeat the Prototype! It was his!” She dramatically pointed at Maddox beside her, but Maddox had disappeared. “Where did he go?” Elizabeth asked. Meanwhile, Maddox was screaming at the top of his lungs as he strutted down the halls in total panic. He was about to reach for the exit door when Elizabeth suddenly jumped in front of him out of nowhere. Maddox skid to a stop. “You cannot leave!” Elizabeth scolded. “A true king never quits!” “Watch me!” Maddox snarled. He tried to maneuver around his mother, but she redirected him back so quickly. “Come on!” Maddox whined. “How am I supposed to defeat the Prototype, this is impossible! I refuse to let them die for me! And I can’t beat you to the exit door!” “Maddox, listen!” Elizabeth said loudly. “They’re not going to die! They can’t die! No matter what happens, they’ll come back!” “And that makes it OK for you!? To send them to certain death, huh!?!” Maddox yelled. “Listen to me!!” Elizabeth yelled as she placed her hands on Maddox’s shoulders. “Turrets, Drones, and Zombies are wretched and desperate the same as y’all are! They want this to stop! They trust you! And they’ll do anything to help you out! We can help you defeat the Prototype because you are the King of Aperture Science!” “You don’t believe that!” Maddox roared as he pushed back. “Because of this event where I have an autism spectrum, people are trying to get rid of me! So I don’t need their help even if it means they will get hurt! Now if you excuse me!” Maddox tried to maneuver past Elizabeth, but she redirected him again. “You’re right!” Elizabeth yelled as she pinned him to the ground, poking her finger at Maddox’s chest. “They are trying to get rid of you! But now it’s time I ask you to learn to trust in your manager just like I had trust in mine!” Maddox shoved Elizabeth’s index finger off his chest and lifted himself off the ground. “Look at me now!” Maddox said. “I don’t pay bills! I don’t do well in school! I don’t live in Charlotte, and I’m no king!” “THEN WHY DIDN’T YOU QUIT!?!” Elizabeth exclaimed in frustration as she slammed her foot on the floor. “You knew they were just trying to get rid of you, but you stayed in Charlotte all summer long!” “Yeah! I stayed in Charlotte,” Maddox growled, “because every time you confiscated, or said that I’m filthy, it hurt. Still, it could never hurt more than every day of my life in Loris just being me!” Elizabeth gasped. She was in a stunned silence. Maddox broke down and continued his rant: “I stayed in Charlotte because I thought, if anyone can change me, can make me... not me, it was you! Elizabeth Ellen Monk, my patient, and overprotective mother! The busiest CEO of the Strawberry Moon Ancestral Market!” Elizabeth scowled at Maddox and said, “I can change you into King! I can let you finish Portal 1! I will! Because I have a perfect solution for your plan! Why did you refuse to accept it!?” “Because you’re not the one who’s going to war, Mom!!” Maddox screamed furiously. Uzi, N, DAGames, and OR3O overheard Maddox’s argument. It seems Maddox is kind of under pressure. Sometimes he’s got a bit of parental issues in South Carolina. Maddox looked at Cave Johnson’s diary pages. Maddox read a story about Cave Johnson’s crossover episode with Elliot Ludwig, about how Cave and Elliot got ambushed, and only Johnson was wounded. Maddox’s eyes turned red as he read the letter quietly in grave anger. “Maddox, I didn’t mean for that to happen the way it did,” Elizabeth said. “You disgust me!” Maddox roared in anxiety and frustration. “The Prototype’s on his way now! This would take 30 long years for him to get here! How are you…” Maddox points his index finger at his mother in vain. “... going to change THIS…” Maddox continued as he indicated his chest, “Into the King of Aperture Science?! Huh!?” Elizabeth froze in shock. Her mouth dropped open. “How?” Maddox fumed. “How!?” Elizabeth closed her mouth, still speechless. “HOW!?!” Maddox yelled. “I DON’T KNOW!!!” Elizabeth finally shrieked out her answer in frustration. Elizabeth’s eyes quivered as she covered her hands on her face, slid them down in depression, and exhaled deeply, realizing what this meant. “I don’t know,” she sighed. Maddox’s anger turned to sadness. He looked at his mother and hung his head in shame. He sighed, too. “This is what I thought,” he said. Maddox looked down at his feet and walked away back to his room. Elizabeth felt defeated to see her son so miserable. N walked over to Beth and said, “Wow, I never expected Maddox to get so… infuriated. I mean, I get that the idea of using Zombies, Turrets, Cores, and Drones can be a bit… upsetting. Why did he eventually have a mental breakdown all of a sudden? It’s not like him to be like that.” “Yeah,” Elizabeth said as she dropped the snack bags and walked away to the Navel Orange Tree of Heavenly Sageness. “I… I think I made a mistake.”
Chapter 15: Comfort
Maddox walked into Uzi’s bedroom and placed his hands on his face. “Ugh…” Maddox groaned as he sat on the bed. “Chillax, Mr. Monk, chillax… Idiot! Uzi, you freaking idiot…! You damn idiot!” Maddox banged his fist against the wall. Maddox was angry and sad. He felt no pain in his knuckles. “That… is not a good idea!” Maddox sobbed. “Maddox?” Red said. Maddox opened his eyes. He turned to Red Bird, he was bewildered by Maddox’s anger compared to his own. “I’m fine, Red, just give me a sec,” Maddox said. “Maybe you should sit down,” said Red. Maddox sat on Uzi’s bed and Red sat next to him. “I’m sorry that I scared the seats out of you,” Maddox sighed in shame. “Nah,” Red smiled. “It’s alright. You know I need more than that to be scared. Maddox looked at Red. Sweat dripped down his face. “Red, you’re sweating,” he said. “To be honest, I can’t blame this kid for that,” said a voice. It was Uzi. She came there to comfort Maddox. “I’ve seen you upset twice in my life. And I gotta say, your argument with your mother is pretty unsettling. You’re terrifying when you’re angry. The first time Mr. Johnson said bad things about your girlfriend, and the second time was five minutes ago.” Maddox looked at the blanket and picked it up from Uzi’s hands. As Uzi wrapped her large blanket around Maddox, Elizabeth entered the room and sat next to Maddox. “Maddox,” Elizabeth said, hugging her son. “I’m sorry. I should’ve known it was such a sensitive matter.” “No,” Maddox said. “I’m the only one who’s sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled at you like that.” “I knew you wrote a crossover episode about how Elliot Ludwig is a brother-in-arms to Cave Johnson,” said Elizabeth. “It’s like… Mr. Johnson from Aperture is like a young warrior in Military class. The one who’s fighting by his side was Mr. Elliot Ludwig, his closest friend. One day, they’re ambushed. Poor Cave Johnson, he’s wounded. Elliot is carrying Johnson somewhere, calling for help desperately. No one came to help, until then Elliot found a private club where teenagers and young adults live. Everyone in Aperture is glad you made it out alive the same Chell did.” “Really?” Maddox said. “So Elliot took Mr. Johnson to a den of teenagers?! Mr. Johnson wrote a diary. Did he tell your mom about it?” “No,” Elizabeth said. “It was Teresa who found it in the garbage can.” “Uh… yeah,” said Maddox. “Of course.” “It was the teens and young adults that gave their hearts and souls to Cave Johnson,” said Elizabeth. “To heal him. So they taught him how to take control of the AbsoluteSolver the same way Nori Doorman did. But Elliot wanted the power all to himself. He’s determined to get the better of Cave. So Elliot saw that what could be given could also be taken. After Ludwig created this machine in the toy factory, Mr. Johnson had to stop him. The battle shook the entire state until Mr. Johnson banished Elliot Ludwig to the Soul Realm. Should Elliot’s soul ever return to Earth, possess his experiment, and become Exp. 1006, the Prototype, he can only be stopped by the true leader of Aperture Science. You knew he was the main antagonist of Poppy Playtime. He couldn’t stay silent about it. He told CatNap, and CatNap told everyone else. We tried to keep it low, since neither N’s young sister, Cynthia, nor my father wanted us to know. But Cyn was sort of suspicious, it’s weird for her to see people happy in South Carolina.” Maddox stifled his laugh and his eardrums began to clear off. Uzi smiled and patted Maddox on the shoulder. “It’s like… When I went to military class, I thought I was doing good. That I was going to be important to my comrades and siblings-in-arms. But no, we are like animals sent to the slaughter. Sacks of steak are thrown on the battlefield. They knew thousands of us were going to be ambushed one day, but they didn’t care. Uzi and I went to war to save other workers, but instead, we both murdered those who didn’t believe in God. I must confess, this is what we’ve done to heretics. I had their blood on my hands… I’m the one who’s supposed to be an executor! I just hated it!” Red was depressed; he wrapped his arms around Maddox’s neck and nuzzled his cheek on the back of Maddox’s head. “You’d say Caroline had faith in me,” Maddox continued. “Everyone in Pennsylvania has so much to trust in me… y’all are acting like I was some kind of blooming hero. But I’m such an old, self-righteous, tired, lazy lunatic.” Uzi was bewildered. No one realized Maddox is being a sore loser. When he was in elementary school, his classmates were too busy laughing at a loser. Elizabeth placed her hand on Maddox’s shoulder, looked him in the eyes, and said, “Maddox, you were not just an old, self-righteous, tired, lazy lunatic. You’re my son. And you’re anybody’s favorite. Don’t you realize how much you’ve been doing so far? You may have defeated the Rage Virus, you gave Red Bird a soul, you have brought peace back to Loris and Charlotte, you gave Khaleal his memories back, same for Uzi’s name… and you helped out each one of us. But now, you’re the one who needs their help. And now you just need to accept it. You filled them with hope, and they wanted to fight for that hope. Kelly Jean and I want to fight for it too. So do your sisters. Even your friends. I know you’re extremely anxious, I am too. But right now, like you’ve said before, we’re running out of time. Soon or late the day will be when the red gel will claim you, and the AbsoluteSolver might not be able to save your life.” Elizabeth stood up and scratched the back of her head. “Well, I’ll leave you alone for just a moment,” she said. “You should try to get some rest. I’ll go talk to DAGames. In that case, when Nori and Khan arrive, we can find another solution.” That’s what Elizabeth said. She left the bedroom door open. “Oh, Mrs. Monk,” DAGames said. “Is he alright?” “He’s stressed out,” said Elizabeth. “Let’s give him some space.” Maddox overheard Elizabeth’s conversation and said to Uzi. “If only I could sacrifice my own life to save them all, I would do it right away.” Uzi and Red are shocked. Uzi grabbed Maddox by the shirt and yelled, “Maddox! Don’t you dare say awful things like that! I don’t want you to die!” “I can’t do it anyway!” Maddox said. “But I’m the one who has to make sacrifices instead. But I don’t want to do that…” Uzi was upset. Her tears sloshed down her cheek as Uzi gave Maddox a sweet loving embrace. Maddox hugged back, and sobbed quietly, “I… I don’t want to be like Cave Johnson!”
Chapter 16: The Choir
Later, Uzi woke up with a choir harmonizing from outside the bedroom. Red woke up too. Uzi and Red woke up Maddox and checked outside to see what was happening. “Look!” Uzi gasped. “The chorus!” “Is that music?” Maddox gasped. “Go see what happened!” Red said excitedly. “This is awesome!” Maddox walked out of Uzi’s bedroom and heard the army sing the song “10,000 Enemies”! “They’re singing!” Uzi squealed excitedly. “They’re all singing! They have talked before! And now they’re all singing a revolutionary song! Come on! Join the others!” Maddox gasped in wonderment. Maddox’s friends are singing that song! Here are the lyrics they’ve followed:
(Verse 1)
10,000 enemies wait at my door
I wait for freedom soon, can't take much more
I feel the whole Earth shake (I feel the whole Earth shake)
Brought to my knees (Brought to my knees)
Although 10,000 strong, I shall be free
I shall be free (I shall be free)
I shall be free (I shall be free)
(Verse 2)
I hear the sweetest sound (I shall be free)
Blowing from the north (I shall be free)
It’s says, "Don't panic now" (I shall be free)
What's mine is yours (I shall be free)
I hope 10,000 times (I shall be free)
You tell me the truth (I shall be free)
’Cause now there's much to do (I shall be free)
I trust in you (I trust in you)
I shall be free (I shall be free)
I shall be free (I shall be free)
I shall be free (I shall be free)
I shall be free (I shall be free)
I shall be free (I shall be free)
We shall be free (We shall be free)
Soon everyone stopped singing as they stared at Maddox. Maddox is confused. Gianna turned at Maddox and smiled. Maddox smiled back and said, “Hey, why did y’all stop? Keep going! It’s beautiful!” DAGames, OR3O, and CG5 are so happy to see Maddox, they run off to hug him. “I’m so sorry for what happened earlier,” said DAGames. “We don’t want to tick you off!” “Ah no,” Maddox said. “That’s alright, Will. I’m the one who’s sorry.” “We woke up because of the chorus!” Uzi said to N and V. “You two are awesome! What a lovely voice!” “Aw gee, thanks, Uzi!” N said, and then he and SD-V hugged Uzi. Maddox noticed Elizabeth holding his laptop and said, “Mom! You listened to my music on Spotify!? And you taught my friends how to sing a Watership Down song, 10,000 Enemies!? Well, I’m surprised it wasn’t Bright Eyes!” “Me too!” said Elizabeth. “I still remembered how you like to sing and all!” “Mom,” Maddox said. “I need to ask you a few questions about… them!” Maddox pointed at the army. Elizabeth beckoned her son and said, “Join us up there, son.” Maddox, Uzi, and Red walked right up to the top. Maddox was so astonished to see that there were a lot of turrets, zombies, and drones. “It makes me sick to think that they are my friends I’ve met from Charlotte and Parkesburg. Lansdowne, Porter Ridge, and Octorara. People with dreams, friends, and families.” “What do you want to ask your mom?” the Cube Turret asked. “The plan we talked about earlier,” Maddox replied. “The robots and humans… are they aware of…” “They know,” Elizabeth said. “I talked to them while you were sleeping.” “Are they OK with that?!” Maddox asked. “They are,” Elizabeth said. “They have been suffering for the past 5 years. They don’t fear fighting for their freedom.” Red looked up at Maddox. Maddox took a deep breath and looked down at Red Bird. “I think I made a decision. I can’t do this alone, and I need their help.” “WHY DIDN’T YOU SAY SO!?” Elizabeth yelled as she grabbed Maddox’s wrist and raised it high in the air with a powerful voice, “WE’RE GOING TO TAKE DOWN THE PROTOTYPE! TOGETHER!!!” Maddox and Elizabeth’s comrades roared in a loud cheering sound from mid-air. Uzi held Maddox’s hand and said, “Hey, Maddox. Come on, young man, you have no right to freak out! We can do this! This is the closest we ever got to getting outta here! So we can’t stop now! And now, all your friends you met are fighting with us! We have to learn to trust in them!” “Uzi’s right!” said the Red Bird. “Yeah,” DAGames said. “Because of you, freedom has never felt so real!” “That is why we’re going to fight by your side!” said CG5. “You’re a brother-in-arms now!” said OR3O. “We all love you so much. Elizabeth is right! You’re always our favorite! We’ll never let you down, no matter what.” “But in exchange,” said the Cube Turret. “We gotta show the robots and humans that you are the hope we’ve all been waiting for! So keep your chin up, speak with your heart, and show no fear!” Maddox took a deep breath and picked up Uzi so she could ride on Maddox’s shoulders. “Alright!” he said bravely. “I can do this! We can do this together!” Maddox spoke up with his heart, united with his new army, and set up a solution that his mother found. Now, they instinctively arose once again during their common cause, ready for battle.
Chapter 17: It’s Time
Maddox and the gang from Charlotte are sure they will win. They are so much bigger than the sentinels. They ready their armor. “Are you guys ready?” the Cube Turret asked. Maddox nodded his head. “I guess we are. Khaleal already managed to explain to me how to access the core,” he said. Khaleal is like the genius behind the most intelligent human being. He invented stuff. He drew an undercover plan for a surprise attack so they could get into the machine. Maddox continued, “Sadie got my friends ready. Most of them got each weapon from the Bunker of Rebel Heroes. And you and my mother, especially YouTubers, y’all got them all mentally ready.” So Maddox is right. Sadie, Nathaniel, Dalton, and Savannah doubled weapons from the bunker and Elizabeth got her army ready for battle. Maddox introduced the Rage Virus to the Murder Drones. “Red Bird has trained hard to stay in the Rage Virus form as long as possible,” Maddox said. “OK,” said Uzi. “Not too shabby. Sure he’s so strong.” “And that’s it,” Maddox said as the Rage Virus transformed back into Red Bird. “Your chief’s got a big day for you tomorrow, and tomorrow’s another day.” “How are you feeling?” the Cube Turret asked. “Anxious and terrified,” Maddox said. “Maddox,” Uzi asked. “What are we going to do if we fail?” “We’re not going to fail,” Maddox smiled. “What if you’ll die?!” Uzi said, concerned. “Then I’ll come back to the digital world and try again,” Maddox said. “What if you don’t come back?” Uzi asked. Maddox stammered. He thought for a moment. Finally, he talked to Uzi, “I can’t allow myself to die. I have made too many promises to die now. I promised you and Red Bird to see the lovely blue sky one day. I promised Norman Bates that he would get his sanity back. Especially Mom, her money, and the life she’ll lead. Even my friends, their memories about me. I promised the Cube Turret that we could go to Carowinds together. And I promised that I would save every soul in this digital world, no matter what.” “Like I would say, old friend,” said the Cube Turret. “I guess there’s a good reason why you’re the only person who has developed superpowers.” “Don’t talk like I was a god,” said Maddox. “I’m just a man.” “No, Maddox,” said Elizabeth as the zombies, Cores, Turrets, and Drones surrounded him. “You’re more than just Man. You’re the leader that Aperture Science deserved. Not GLaDOS, nor Cave Johnson. Cave Johnson’s the one who dragged us all into darkness. But you, Maddox, you’re the light side.” Suddenly, the Rage Virus swooped Maddox out of the crowd. Maddox held back his happy tears and hugged Red. The Rage Virus hugged him back. Maddox watched as Elizabeth raised her flag of liberty for Charlotte, NC. “Mom,” Maddox said. “I made promises, but now… I want you to make one.” “And what is it, Maddox?” asked Elizabeth as she held a strong leather belt with a shiny gold buckle. “You, Kelly Jean, and the rest of our comrades,” Maddox said. “When the final battle is over, I want all of us to celebrate our victory together. So don’t you dare die on us?” Elizabeth smiled bravely. She raised her belt high and yelled in a lion-hearted voice, “Comrades, it’s time!” Maddox, Sadie, Khaleal, Nathaniel, Dalton, and Savannah headed over to the blacksmith. They did many things to get ready for the war! Maddox sharpened the sword and increased more heat and fire on the blade. Sadie readied the bullets on her revolver. Khaleal invented his yellow lightsaber to block the Sentinel’s attack. Nathaniel put on a suit and put on a boxing glove to punch out a Sentinel far away. Dalton made tough boots to slam an enemy on the floor. Savannah created retractable steel claws to cleave an enemy in half and invented the gauntlet based on a Portal Device to get herself across the obstacles. Maddox was about to enter the machine when the Prototype spoke through the intercom, “So you must be the King of Aperture Science.” Maddox balled his fists harder with a reply, “So you must be Elliot Ludwig, AKA Experiment 1006, the Prototype, the main antagonist known for Poppy Playtime!” “Finally!” said the Prototype. “Yes! Thank you! You’re this close to making me spare your life.” “Spare my life?! How foolish you are!” Maddox laughed. “But how about you spare me with a chit-chat!?” The Prototype cleared his throat and spoke through the speakers, “Soon I will take the souls of you and every teenager and young adult in…” “Chit-chat!” Maddox groaned sarcastically. The Prototype stammered, “I’ll take the souls of you and every teenager and young adult in…” Maddox mocked the Prototype by uttering crab sign language and taunting, “Chitty-chitty-chat-chat! Chat-chat-chat!” The Prototype was stunned by Maddox’s derision of his voice, this he’d thought, and this he’d think. The Prototype stuttered, “In Charlotte…” “Chit-chat!” Maddox giggled, uttering crab gestures in one hand. The Prototype is angry. “Why, you skinny son of a…!” he roared. He restrained himself when he was about to swear, so he ordered his thugs, “RELEASE EVERY SENTINEL AND MANHACK WE’VE GOT!!!” Suddenly, the stampede of Anti-Drone Sentinels and Combine Manhacks rushed out of the machine for an attack. “GET IN THE MACHINE!!! DESTROY EVERYTHING YOU CAN!!!” Elizabeth shouted at her army. “MADDOX, SADIE, KHALEAL, KEEP THE SENTINEL’S ATTENTION!!!” Maddox saluted. He, Sadie, and Khaleal weaved their way through the stampede and into the machine. Maddox sliced the Manhacks in half. Sadie used her revolver to shoot the Velociraptor Drones out of her way. Khaleal used his lightsaber to slash through the stampede. “Dalton, Savannah, Nate!” Maddox shouted. “Don’t fear getting in your way! Avenge us!” Dalton nodded his head in agreement. He, Savannah, and Nathaniel rushed into the machine and fought their way through the Sentinels. Nathaniel power-punched the Sentinels. Dalton slammed his foot on one of the Combine Manhacks. Savannah cleaved the Manhacks in half and portaled across. “Uzi,” Maddox said as he hopped onto the Rage Virus’s back. “I’m taking down that thing!” Uzi gave Maddox a thumbs-up. “You got it, Maddox!” she said. “Way to go, young man!” DAGames cheered out. Maddox knocked out a Manhack with a flaming sword blade with a loud yell, “TAKE THAT!!!” “Remember, Maddox,” Gianna called out. “Do not look at the Turrets! They’ll be fine! Just look in front of you!” “I KNOW!!!” Maddox replied. When Sadie hopped off the Virus’s back, she yelled, “See ya after the battle!” Once the Sentinels blocked the entrance, the Rage Virus said, “Maddox, I need your help!” Maddox’s eyes turned cyan blue as the symbols appeared on Maddox’s blood-drenched hands. Maddox used his AbsoluteSolver powers to knock the Sentinels out of his way. “Ready to send the Prototype back to the Spirit Realm?!” the Rage Virus yelled. “We’re almost there!” The Rage Virus used his super speed powers to zoom inside the machine and block the entrance behind him. “Yes!” Gianna cheered. “Way to go, babe!” “Yeah!” DAGames yelled out. “They got in! There’s only one thing left to do: Try to survive as long as possible!”
Chapter 18: Is This the End?!
Maddox and the Rage Virus are on their way to the Prototype’s lair. Maddox unsheathed his knife as the Rage Virus transformed back into Red Bird, catapulting Maddox close to the Prototype’s body as Maddox uttered the Ghostface Knife Wipe. The Prototype was stunned by Maddox’s move. He was paralyzed when Maddox grabbed him by the neck. “Sorry, buddy,” Maddox said confidently. “Just gotta send you back to the Soul Realm!” Maddox slid the knife on the Prototype’s neck, but it didn’t work. The Prototype is confused. “OK,” Maddox said. “It didn’t work. Let me try it again.” Maddox tried sliding the knife on the Prototype’s neck several times, but it didn’t work at all. “What the…” Maddox gasped in disgust and bewilderment. The Prototype pretended to be languishing. He placed his hands on his throat and began to dissimulate choking. “Wait! NO!!! IT’S WORKING!” the Prototype shouted. The Prototype’s cough turned to laughter. “Of course not!” the Prototype chuckled. “Of course, it’s not working. Did William Afton just teach you that knife trick? Too bad! It only works on mortals.” The Prototype grabbed Maddox in the wrist and sneered, “I am the Angel of Salvation. COME!!!” The Sentinels heard the Prototype’s call and entered the machine. The Prototype threw Maddox to the ground and flung him into the air. The Prototype uttered a power punch against him, sending Maddox out of the machine. Maddox tumbled over to the crowd. His friends are shocked, sad, and disbelieving. Maddox is covered with dirt, The Prototype marched out of the machine, and spoke to Nori’s amulet, “So, this is it, Nori. Now, I’m going to take his soul, and ALL OF THEIRS!!!” The Prototype slammed his sledgehammer into the ground, causing the cracks to surround Maddox’s people. Maddox got up. He stared at them with horror. “You couldn’t just mind your own business, could you?” the Prototype said to Elizabeth. “Lucky me! That is just perfect! First, I forced the doctors to try to get rid of your son, now I take his and your souls! Symmetry, young lady!” Elizabeth is furious. She said with a grave angry scowl, “Bite me!” “And you,” the Prototype taunted, pointing his sharp-needle-like finger at Maddox. “Do you think you’re going to send me back to the Soul Realm? You are such a stupid mortal.” Maddox heard the Prototype say that. He knew what Elliot Ludwig said. It only works on mortal people. “You’re right,” Maddox said, lifting himself off the ground and picking up his knife. “I can’t send you there, but I can take you!” Maddox looked up and pointed at the sky. “Look over there! It’s Moby Duck!” he gasped, distracting the Prototype. The Prototype looked up. Maddox jumped at the Prototype and did the Ghostface Knife Wipe again while he held his legs to the Prototype’s spine. “Maddox!” DAGames gasped in terror. “Don’t do it!” Red Bird shouted. “Babe!” Gianna shouted. “Son!” Elizabeth gasped desperately, reaching out her hand. “Remember, guys,” Maddox said. “My stories are everlasting, they never end, and I always come back. Lorenzo is always right.” “What are you doing?!” the Cube Turret cried out. “A young adult must be sacrificed for the good of many,” Maddox said, aiming his knife at his neck. “And Will, now it’s your turn to be a hero!” “No!” DAGames shouted. “See ya around here, shorty,” Maddox smiled, as his tears began to slosh down his cheek. “Don’t!” Uzi yelled. Maddox slid his knife suddenly on his neck, and a burst of blue and yellow light appeared in front of the army. “MADDOX!!!” Red screamed in terror and he ran into the light where Maddox and the Prototype were enveloped. “NO!!!” The Prototype screamed in horror. The light grew brighter and brighter. Bigger and bigger! KA-BOOM!!! A shining blue light exploded in a blinding flash that lit up in the sky. When a gold shockwave rippled around the city, Maddox, Red Bird, and the Prototype disappeared, leaving a pool of shining water behind. “Where is he!?” DAGames gasped. “Could this be the end?!” “He took away the Prototype,” said Uzi. “He saved us.” “Of course he saved us!” Elizabeth replied. “But who’s saving him!?”
Chapter 19: A Disassembly Drone’s Embrace
Meanwhile, in the Soul Realm, a blinding flash of blue light appeared on the conveyor belt. It grew bigger and brighter until it exploded in a blinding flash, leaving Maddox, Red Bird, and the Prototype behind. Maddox picked himself up and he was awestruck to see the Great Beyond and the You Seminar. “Wow!” he gasped in delight. “The Soul Realm! It worked!” “GET OFF ME!!!” The Prototype yelled and pushed Maddox off of his body, and Experiment 1006 gasped in anger and frustration. “You brought me back?!” Maddox stepped back and said meekly, “Don’t blame me! I’m trying to finish this on Planet Earth!” “THEN WE WILL FINISH IT HERE!!!” The Prototype bellowed and he knocked Maddox off the conveyor belt, causing him to float into the void. The Prototype wrapped Maddox with his chains and began to suck Maddox’s soul into his hands. Back on Planet Earth, the pool of water began to decrease the brightness. “Come on, son,” Elizabeth begged. “Fight!” Elizabeth is desperate to keep the water shiny and bright. There’s a moment of silence. “We gotta help him!” Elizabeth cried out, telling everyone to gather around as they proceeded with the AbsoluteSolver gestures. “We can do this!” Elizabeth took a deep breath and said as she extended two fingers and one thumb, “Maddox, you taught us who we were meant to be! A mother.” “A friend,” Khaleal said. “A spouse,” said Gianna. “A dapper buddy,” said Serial Designation N. “A lethal killing machine,” said the Cube Turret. “A secret lover,” said Serial Designation J. “A sister-in-arms,” said Tessa. “A test subject,” said Chell. “The fan-favorites,” said DAGames. “An awesome rapper,” said JT Machinima. “The better singers,” said CG5 and OR3O. “A digital girlfriend,” said Uzi. “A ringleader,” said Caine. “A jester girl,” said Pomni. “The Purple Guy,” said Jax. “A likable doll,” said Ragatha. “A close friend,” said Sadie. “A brother-in-arms,” said Nathaniel. “A sports partner,” said Thad. “A Russian,” said Doll. “A cheerleader,” said Lizzy. “An affair,” said Serial Designation V. “A dingo,” said one of Tessa’s pet sentinels. “An artificial intelligence,” said GLaDOS. “Uzi’s good father,” said Khan. “A cartoon devil,” said Bendy. “A yandere GF,” said Monika. “The Springtrap,” said William Afton. “A local police officer,” said Vanessa. “A night security guard,” said Michael Schmidt. “A great artist,” said Abby Schmidt. “Abby’s best friends,” said Freddy Fazbear. “A spider,” said Mommy Long Legs. “A hugger,” said Huggy Wuggy. “A helper,” said the Pro-Player. “A sunshine puppy,” said DogDay. “A great hopper,” said Hoppy Hopscotch. “A radical bird,” said KickinChicken. “A family,” said CatNap. Everyone now has extended two fingers and one thumb gesture. Now their hands glowed rainbow colors. A stone on Maddox began to break as bright hand marks appeared all over his body. Maddox felt it and remembered something. A memory that showed Maddox talking with Luxo Jr. and Red Bird. “What are those things?” Red asked, pointing at Maddox’s torso. “Oh, these?” Maddox said, touching his index finger on his chest and torso. “Those are birthmarks. To make it simple, a birthmark is like a little skin anomaly that some people get before they are born.” “It’s like a brown stain on your skin?” Red said, confused. “That’s all?” “You don’t look convinced,” Maddox said. “You know what Tari used to tell me after she named me as her successor? According to Mom, I was born with a cleft lip and palate. Not sure I survived this injury, but I’ll be fine. Tari said that I had a weird dream where a Disassembly Drone leaned close to me, kissed me on the forehead, and told me: ‘You’re always my favorite young man, you were gonna do great things in life.’ And she left a few marks on my body as incredible reminders! When I was little, Mom used to tell me stories every time I lay down on my bed.” “Ooooh, OK,” said Luxo Jr. “Now I understand. You have a vision and a memory! So everyone loves you, right?” “Of course!” Red Bird gasped. “So that’s why you’re able to give all of us your soul!! It’s because a Disassembly Drone kissed you on your forehead! And she said you’re always their favorite and you’re going to do great things!” “I don’t think you should take this seriously, bud,” Maddox laughed. “It’s just a dream! And aside from that, I don’t think I’m the only reason why you got a soul.” “But you’re the one who gave it to me!” Red said. “You’re my best friend! You’re a big fan of Angry Birds!” “I’m not the one who imagined video games to make them look realistic for their film adaptations,” Maddox said. “There are artists, designers, geniuses, and visionaries, you name it! There are game developers who work for the studio. They all give characters a little piece of their personality and souls!” “You think Rovio gave me their soul?” Red asked. “So I can have a full one?” Maddox nodded his head. “Yes!” he said. “Even Sega?” asked the Red Bird. Maddox patted Red gently on his head. “DougalTheHedgehog has done bad things to you once, but he’s written an apology letter to you and your friends. There’s one thing you can’t deny. It’s how much he loved you. So do I. So does everyone else. So yeah, I think Sega did too give you their soul. Just like me, DAGames, OR3O, CG5, Khaleal, Sadie, Gianna, Covy, and the rest of my comrades here. And this is why you have the brightest soul in the entire universe.” Back in the Soul Realm, Maddox was still keeping his eyes shut, not noticing the blue cracks on the stone. “Maddox,” said his inner voice. “This can’t end like this, right? I don’t want us to end like that!! I was born a few months ago, and it’s not fair! I want to go back to Charlotte! I want to see the beautiful sky! I want to see how big the city is! How beautiful the lights are! I want to go to Carowinds with my friends! I want to see Elizabeth and Kelly Jean being happy again! And you, Maddox, you told me that you missed Khaleal and the rest of your family and friends! I want to go back to them! I want to meet all of them! I don’t want you to suffer again, because of me!! Maddox, you told me that I have the brightest soul in the entire universe! But it’s because you gave it to me! You’re the one with the power to change things, right? So I’ll give it back to you! We’re stronger together! So, please… WAKE UP!!!” Maddox snapped his eyes open eventually. He looked down, and all he saw was the blue hand marks and shining cracks all over his body! The Prototype could not stand the brightness any longer. Maddox gasped excitedly and he said with a brave smile, “Sweet!” KA-BOOM!!! Suddenly, Maddox burst out of the stone cocoon, and the cyan shockwave of the AbsoluteSolver powers was released from him, sending the Prototype flying away. The dark red void turned into the most incredible celestial blue galaxy background for a sliver of light. The Prototype unsheathed his claws and grabbed onto the pillars and watched as Maddox reappeared with golden hair with cyan highlights, yellow corrosive hands, a white vest and blue tuxedo, the glistening king robe with the two large enchanted elytra wings, the shiny belt with the Black Mesa logo on it, and the large golden crown with the Aperture Science logo! “Who are you!?” the Prototype gasped in disbelief, squinting through the light. “I’ve been asking the same questions,” Maddox replied as he began to perform multiple stances. “Am I the son of Elizabeth? The friend of Charlotte and Loris? The friend of Parkesburg? An apprentice? A professional? A secret fighter? A hard worker? A master builder? A security guard? A virtual reality game player? It turns out I’m all of these things.” Behind Maddox, an AbsoluteSolver AI-infused image of an American crow lingered. The Prototype’s mouth dropped open as he stared at Maddox in disbelief and incredulous, he pulled the first blade off the right pillar. The ink machine ascended from behind Maddox. As the bridge began to regenerate, Maddox smiled, “I’m Golden Maddox Monk, the King of Aperture Science.” Maddox broke the fourth wall and chuckled, “Get it?! See that giant crow from Portal 2? I’m more powerful than you, Prototype! Check this out!” Golden Maddox clenched his fists, teleported to the place next to the counting board, and began to fly like an eagle. “WHOA! THIS IS AWESOME!!!” Maddox cried out joyfully, flapping his wings in delight. “WHOO-HOOOOOO!!!” The Prototype was infuriated, he took a powerful leap off the platform, with the second blade pulled out of the left pillar. Then he began to fling the blade at Maddox. Maddox turned behind him as the blade was flying towards him. “Uh-oh,” he gulped. Maddox had the power to repel the attack by using the AbsoluteSolver to grab the blade and swing the Prototype round and round in the air! “Foot drum, butt slap!” Maddox narrated these moves to throw the Prototype. “Perhaps a bit of lunch, because I’m starving!” Maddox in bird form sucked the chained blade like a noodle and dissolved it inside. “Yum!” Maddox sighed as he rubbed his stomach. Maddox continued to fly towards the Prototype who was charging at him. “LET’S DO THIS!!!” Maddox yelled and used his talon to swoop another one of the Prototype’s blades. Maddox began to fly away, dragging the Prototype with him. “Heads up!” Maddox yelled out to the souls and Jerrys. The Jerrys took cover as Maddox crashed the Prototype through multiple buildings. Maddox let go of the Prototype and turned to face him. “It took me twenty years to take Nori Doorman’s soul!” roared the Prototype as he shoved the debris out of his way. “Now I will have yours if it takes me twenty more!” Maddox said mockingly by uttering crab gestures, “Chitty chitty chat chat, chit-chat.” The Prototype is furious. He charged straight towards Maddox and was about to use the suction powers. Maddox rotated the giant symbol as the bird spread its wings out behind him. “You want my soul so bad?” he asked. “Then take it!” Maddox redirected the AbsoluteSolver crow to the Prototype. Now the crow screeched as it absorbed inside the Prototype’s body. “Yes!” the Prototype laughed maniacally. “The power! IT’S MINE!!!” Then the amulets loosen from the Prototype’s belt as the light began to glow from inside his body. “Wait!” cried the Prototype who was now writhing in pain. “NO! STOP IT!!! YOU GAVE ME TOO MUCH POWER!!! NO!!!” Maddox grinned cockily, crossed his arms, and closed his eyes. “NOOOO!!!!” screamed the Prototype as the cyan shockwave of the AbsoluteSolver exploded, released from Experiment 1006, and Elliot Ludwig was never seen again.
Chapter 20: A Happy Ending
Back on Planet Earth, Maddox’s friends and family are observing the brightness of the pool. The Cube Turret observed the machine that began to rumble. The large spew of cyan gold water appeared out of nowhere, and the souls began to release from the amulets, transforming back into their normal selves and other souls absorbing back into their bodies. “We’re back!” Sheriff Woody cried out jubilantly. “Where’d he go!?” WALL-E frantically shouted, looking around. “I’m still blue!” Dory said. “It didn’t work! Wait, that’s my normal blue.” “Savannah,” Nathaniel Lewis said. “Are you alright?” Savannah recognized Maddox’s friend from Octorara. “Nathaniel?” she gasped in disbelief. “Yes,” said Nathaniel. “It’s me!” “Oh, Nate!” Savannah exclaimed happily, wrapping her arms around Nathaniel, and hugging him tight. Nathaniel hugged back as Savannah held back her happy tears. “Finally!” Savannah sobbed. “I remember you! I’m sorry that I forgot about you!” “Shh,” Nathaniel whispered. “Don’t cry, sweetheart. I’m here. Everything’s going to be okay. Everything’s alright.” The Cube Turret transformed back into Lorenzo Damato, Maddox’s old friend from Porter Ridge Middle School. He picked up the Weighted Storage Cube and said, “He did it! That lucky little bastard did it!” “What about Maddox?” Uzi asked, looking down at the shining Moon Pool. “Maddox?” Elizabeth called out. “Where is he?!” “Why isn’t he coming back?” DAGames said, worried. Meanwhile, in the You Seminar, Maddox was floating adrift in the Great Before. Near him, Nori’s amulet transformed back into Uzi’s mother, Nori Doorman. Then Cyn appeared beside Maddox. “Your Majesty!” Nori said. Maddox finally opened his eyes. He immediately recognized Uzi’s widowed mother. “Nori Doorman?!” Maddox gasped in surprise. “I don’t believe it! Look how beautiful you are! How shiny you two have been!” “So are you!” Nori replied. “You look handsome! All grown up!” “Yeah,” Cyn said. “Maddox, you look like a very handsome king!” “I know, right?” Maddox laughed. “The king’s robe is the best! And these are like the best elytra wings ever! When I run and fly with them, it looks amazing, fantastic, and remarkable! Oh so cool!” “It suits you,” said Cyn. “You have grown into it!” “Yeah, I got to lay off the midnight feast,” Maddox replied as he, Nori, and Cyn landed on the boat. “Handsome and all grown up,” Nori said, hugging Maddox. “As I hope you would when Tari and I sent a message to your mother!” “You got digital mail!?” Maddox gasped excitedly. “Mail of the universe?! Wow!” “Yes!” Cyn said. “We have! Because the universe needed you.” “Me?” Maddox said, placing his hand on his chest. “Yeah,” Nori chuckled. “You finally became the youngest person that you’re always meant to be!” “How do you know?” Maddox asked. “On the day that you and Tari first met,” Nori explained. “She saw the future of virtual reality games inside of you. In the past, Cave Johnson saw the teenagers who could unite them both.” “Yeah,” Cyn said to Maddox. “That’s why Tari and I chose you, Maddox. Lucky numbers are 2, 3, 4, 7, and 9. Both sides of Aperture Science and Black Mesa. Blue and orange.” “Yep,” said Nori, handing Maddox her golden scepter. “And our one true successor. The leader of this wonderful mighty Aperture Science!” “I can’t take it,” Maddox said nervously. “It’s OK, take this scepter,” said Nori as she leaned close to Maddox’s ear and whispered, “I got a bigger one!” “I mean, you’re enlightened and everything,” Maddox said as he took a scepter from Nori’s hands. “Wow! Really?!” “Yes,” Nori said, nodding her head. “Really.” Maddox played with his new scepter, Cyn giggled and Nori looked at Maddox with a smile. Maddox turned to look at Nori and chuckled nervously. “Sorry, is this too much?” he asked. “No, no, no, that’s OK,” said Nori. “You may keep it if you want.” “So what should I do now?” Maddox asked. Nori shrugged. “I don’t know, you tell me,” she smiled. As Nori and Cyn began to vanish, Maddox started to freak out as the crown slipped from his head. “WAIT!!! PLEASE DON’T GO!!!” Maddox shouted in panic. “Don’t worry, we’re not going anywhere!” Nori laughed. Nori and Cyn did not leave Maddox after all, they teleported onto the tree branch. “Yeah, I like it here!” Cyn smiled. “We live here!” “Oh, right,” Maddox sighed in relief as he put his crown back on. “It was you who will decide: Whether you can stay in the Soul Realm, enjoy your stay in the Axiom, or you can return to Earth if you want,” Nori said. Maddox gasped in excitement. “Really?!” he said. “I can return to Earth!?” Nori nodded her head. “Who knows? Your grandfather and I never tried it before,” she said. Maddox drew an Aperture Science logo on the water. “Wow!” Maddox gasped in surprise and joy as the cyan shockwave of the AbsoluteSolver was released from the water. On Planet Earth, Uzi noticed the whirlpool in the water. Uzi and her friends stepped back as the shine from the water began to increase in brightness. SPLASH!!! Maddox flew out of the water and returned to Earth! Maddox flew downward as he landed safely on the ground. Maddox lost the Great Beyond clothes and his golden hair color transformed back into normal dark brown. Only Maddox’s crown and scepter remained. “You see?!” Maddox smiled confidently. “Maybe Lorenzo was right; I told you and told you all that I always come back!” Uzi, N, V, J, and Tessa loudly yelled in excitement. They rushed over to hug Maddox. “Oh, Maddox!” Uzi cried out with her happy tears. “You’re back!” “We love you, man!” N cried out. “Don’t disappear into the water ever again!” “We thought we lost you!” Tessa sobbed joyfully. “You just saved my life!” Maddox laughed. “Hey!” Lorenzo shouted excitedly. “Mr. Monk!” Nathaniel cried out. “You did it!” Sadie laughed excitedly. “Our plan has finally worked!” “You guys saved me!” Maddox said, sharing a group hug with his friends. “All of you did! Come on! Bring it in!” “Hugs!” Norman Bates shouted excitedly. “We love you, Maddox!” Gianna cried out joyfully. “Aww, come here!” DAGames shouted cheerfully, as he and the rest of the YouTubers hugged Maddox for the first time as a token of gratitude. “We love you, man!” OR3O cried out joyfully. “Well done, Your Highness!” CG5 laughed excitedly. “Nicely done, Mr. Monk!” NateWantsToBattle thanked Maddox for his intelligence, love, and comradeship. “Maddox Orion!” Elizabeth cried out. “Mom!” Maddox said happily as he ran over to hug her. “My son has finally become our new favorite and one true lea– wait a minute! Where did you get these?!” Elizabeth gasped incredulously and in bewilderment, pointing at Maddox’s crown and scepter. “Oh,” Maddox said. “Nori, Cyn, and the Jerrys used to give me these back in the You Seminar!” Uzi facepalmed in annoyance. “Mother! Cyn!” she groaned in disappointment. “Of course they did.” “I have taken control of the AbsoluteSolver,” Maddox said. “Of course you did!” Serial Designation N sighed. “Hey, guess what?” Maddox asked. “What?” Elizabeth asked. “I finished Portal 1, earned all 12 achievements, and got a 100% on this game!” Maddox said, tapping his fingernail on the top of his staff. Elizabeth facepalmed in disappointment and annoyance. “Maddox!” she sighed in exasperation. “Of course, you did finish that game!” Elizabeth restrained herself from dislikes and begged her son with her puppy eyes, “Now, can you show me how to play this game so that I can finish Portal 2 Coop Mode with you? Please?” “Maddox!” Red Bird called out. “Red!” Maddox cried out joyfully, hugging Red for his defense. “Thank you for protecting me! This means a lot to me.” “Like Cyn and Tari have foretold,” said Uzi. “You finally brought peace back to Loris and Charlotte. And you’re always the King of Aperture Science now. Thank you, my dear, thank you!” Uzi wrapped her arms around Maddox. Maddox hugged her back. When they let go, Tessa asked, “Where’s your debt?” “There is no debt,” said Maddox. “We can do anything we want.” Uzi put away her railgun and asked as she, N, Khaleal, Gianna, Tessa, and Maddox took a long walk back to the bunker, “OK, so what do you want?” “What I want involves much more than grocery shopping,” Maddox replied. “Who knows that we finally get used to staying in VR, leaving around this virtual sensation of cooking, snacking, drinking, napping, and spending time with us?” Serial Designation J asked. “Sheesh, lay it off,” N laughed. “Who was the expert in this virtual reality world?” “The expert in what?” Maddox asked. At last, Maddox has finally made a wonderful dream come true. Now he and his best friends walk back to the bunker, eventually hanging out for days in this digital world, cooking food, drinking root beer and Citranium, napping together, playing video games, and eating hot dogs and macaroni and cheese for their biggest midnight meal for late dinner. This is how Maddox fell in love with his life, kicking back for weeks, bonding, and hanging out with his family, his lovers, his best friends, including DAGames, CG5, OR3O, and the other YouTubers so much more.
THE END
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