Chapter 4: Shakeup
The next morning, Felix arrived at about 10:00 AM and we both headed out to the hospital to check on Nathan and Franklin, with me following behind him in my car. After a brief wait spent looking through a handful of magazines (how a hospital can just openly carry “Guns, Bullets Magazine” in their racks is beyond me), we were allowed to check in on them. Nathan looks to be no worse for wear, but Franklin was still in bed. “Hey, Ash,” Nathan said as if it were any other day.
“You doin' alright?” I asked.
“Yeah, just some bruises, nothing severe, I can leave later today. Franklin, though, ended up with a concussion and sounds like he'll be in at least an arm and a leg cast for a while, won't be like 3 days until he can come home. Poor guy.”
“Yikes, that's rough,” I replied.
“Luckily his family is covering both his and my medical expenses, which was awful generous of him. Also sounds like his car got totaled. Shame, he loved that Tesla, but it also sounds like the dealership will compensate him for a newer model, that's nice. Going to have to burn him a new mixtape, though, it's probably too far gone or they won't check the CD tray.”
“Well, at least there's that. I also never realized how loaded Franklin's family was. A Tesla, really?”
“Yeah, crazy, isn't it? Lucky to have a guy like that,” he said with a chuckle, resting his hand on Franklin's.
We talked for a few more minutes before Nathan interrupted with a “Hey, Felix was just here, right? Where'd he go?”
“He was just in here a minute ago, must have stepped out.”
I peeked back into the waiting room and noticed he was completely gone. I dialed his cell phone number and it went to voicemail once more. I sighed and called the Capitol, and he picked right up. “Hey, Ash. Never did find my phone, sorry. I had to head back here because it looks like our hooligans are at it again. Every street lamp was in a lake! How about that! Anyways, I headed back to the workshop to take care of things. I'll keep you posted on if anything else happens. Take care!”
“Wait, I--”
And like that, he hung up. I guess he is really trying to get work done. I sighed. “Hey, Ash, here's my keys, could you go to my house and pick up my backpack, and Franklin's too? They should be right in the living room.”
“Sure, no problem,” I replied.
I drove back to Nathan's place and rang the doorbell. I felt a little odd about just unlocking some else's door. “Oh, Ash?” his mother asked when she opened the door.
“Nathan asked me to pick up his backpack for him.”
“Oh. Is he doing alright?”
“Yeah, he's fine. He should be free to go soon. Franklin will be another few days, though.”
“Thank you for the update, Ashley, we've been worried sick, I can't wait to see him again! Let me grab his backpack.”
She closed the door and after just a moment she returned with both Nathan and Franklin's backpacks. “I take it this is Frank's?”
“Yeah, looks like it.”
“Alright, well, you take care, here's hoping my boy comes home today.”
I waved goodbye, set both backpacks in the passenger seat of the car, and drove back to the hospital. After checking back in, I got to Franklin's room and handed Nathan his backpack and set down Franklin's. “Thanks, Ash.”
“No problem.”
Franklin pulled out his laptop and began quietly typing. Sighing, I looked out the window and immediately my attention was caught by the capitol. It looked a bit worrying, there was a dark purple cloud overhead. Quickly, I grabbed my phone and called Felix again, and it went to voicemail. I must have called his cell phone again by accident, so I punched in the phone number for the capitol itself. It rang once, twice, a thunder crack in the distance, a fourth ring, and eventually I was greeted. “Hello!”
“Oh, Felix! There's something serious ha--”
“I'm not at the phone right now. If you need to reach me right now, try my cell phone number at--”
Oh shit. “Hey, Nathan, not to cut this short, but I kinda need to leave.”
“No prob. I'll let Franklin know you were around here earlier.”
I rushed out of the hospital, got in my car, and drove down to the capitol, and rushed inside. The bookshelf that concealed the workshop door was entirely absent. I rushed down the stairs to find Twitch, Francisco pointing that Modifier at Felix, and Randy in the background, up against the shelves. “Wh--” I started.
Francisco pointed his Modifier at me. “Don't say anything! D-don't even move!”
He pointed back at Felix. “So, tell me, what are you planning to do with us? Kill us? Ruin everything?”
“Boys, settle down, there's a reasonably good explanation for this, let's j--” Felix began.
“Don't move, I'll... I-I'll shoot!” Francisco exclaimed.
“Francisco, lower the gun, let's j--”
“You want to kill us! Twitch can prove it! This town is on a computer and the town has a number of the same flags as a death program from the 90's!”
“Francisco, if you would just listen to me--”
“Enough!” Francisco shouted as he shot the Modifier device at Felix.
Felix staggered back with a blank look on his face, and then stared back at Francisco. “Did... did you just try to wipe my memory, Francisco?” he said with a worried look.
“Wh-- no, I did it! I didn't just try!” Francisco shouted, stepping towards Felix.
Twitch stepped over to Felix's terminal and didn't make any sort of eye contact. Randy stepped back, exclaiming. “Sorry, bud,” Felix said, as calm as ever, “It'll take more to keep me d--”
Just then, Francisco punched Felix square in the jaw, and he crumpled to the ground. “Oh my God! Holy shit!” Randy shouted, sweating and panicking.
“You stop it!” Francisco shouted to Randy as he pointed his Modifier at Felix and pulled the trigger twice.
“You're in,” Twitch said to Francisco, taking a step back from the computer and coughing, “but what about the girl?”
Francisco pointed his Modifier at me and glared. Just as he was about to pull the trigger, he started shouting angrily. I screamed, Randy screamed, and the last thing I remember was Twitch staring at me with glassy, bloodshot eyes.
I shot up in my bed, 7:45 A.M. I gave a sigh of relief. It was all some nightmare, it had to be. The last couple days were absolute hell, I just wanted to open the windows and just appreciate a view of the capitol building on a normal day. As I opened the curtains, though, that was not what I was greeted with. In place of the capitol was a massive plateau with a massive castle sticking out of red ruins at the top, surrounded by dark storm clouds. I screamed. As I rushed through the house looking for Alex and Mom and my search came up empty, I felt like I was still trapped in a nightmare, but it was all too real. New Infinity was fucked. I collapsed in the living room, sobbing over everything.
I hope Alex and Mom are alright.
I hope George, Franklin, and Nathan are alright.
I hope Felix is alright.
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