Abyss

With his pride on the line, Guile decided it was about time he selected a character. Meanwhile Ren took his chances with the “random” option, and the fight wound up being between Percy and Barry, rivals joining forces, against the nefarious Amoebalord and his unexplained partner Porco the Picoplankton.

Guile wasn’t sure what the stage was supposed to be. It looked just like a black void, as if they were floating in space, and they could move anywhere, which he guessed at least made some sense. As the round began, he again made the mistake of probing Frankie for useful info. 

I wish, I wish I could read the Deep Layer Arc for the first time again- that first book is so good because of it- I took them back there so many times in my fanfics… I hope I didn’t do it too much, I really thought I did a good job at copying what the author would’ve of the series kept going… they should print it again soon, those 1983 NGP copies are so old… so much money… I should print my own copies, and spread them around until a single other human being on this godforsaken planet knows the glory of

Guile’s vision was suddenly almost blotchy from the breif peek. He wasn’t paying attention as Frankie beat his character into submission onscreen, still giving it her all even as her brain went overdrive.

How- How is she doing that? Is there a way to learn this skill?

Ren snapped his fingers in front of his face.

“Get it together! We’re losing!”

Guile’s eyes bulged. He was at fifty out of 100 hit points. Ren, sixty. No. I can’t allow this, he  stewed. I’ve never thrown a game in my life. And I’ve still remained undefeated even after every other MASCOT got beat on their first day on the job… I can’t allow it. I have to be the best.

“Frankie, dodge!” Katie yelled next to her sister’s ear as she spotted what was about to go down. Unfortunately for her, she was a few milliseconds too late.

Guile hadn’t played this game before, but it didn’t matter. His experience with a dozen-thousand other 3D beat-em-ups made this one look identical to at least thirty similar titles.

The combo was devastating. Within seconds of learning his moves, he strung them together on Frankie in a way that was so damaging it couldn’t have been intentional. Then he realized, watching her health go from 90 all the way to a pathetic 30 points.

How sad. He smirked under his mask.This was not a good game. In fact… it was broken, unbalanced, and above all… exploitable.

He positively excelled in such arenas.

“REN! Hold the green one back!”

Unable to rely on reading Frankie’s mind, he sent his secretary on her, securing Percy and trying to take him down. Katie was an easier target. Not that it was really necessary given how she was playing, but as he looked into her mind he saw very little. The player was merely button-mashing, and it didn’t do a thing to benefit her.

Frankie only narrowly made it out of Ren’s microbial attack with just 10 health remaining. Katie got some hits in on Guile, but she couldn’t do anything against his skill. Frankie shuddered when her sister dropped her controller to the ground. Beside her own health bar, her teammate’s was gone. Alone against two opponents who both had almost twice the life in them that she did, Frankie only had one option.

Guile honestly wondered what was going on in her head as she unblinkingly stared wide-eyed at the screen, but he didn’t care to check. He’d beat her anyway, after all. He held forward on the control stick.

Something buzzed inside his head just like a bee stinging his brain.

“Agh! What the-“

Besides her fingers, Frankie did not move. Frankie did not speak, even as Katie pleaded for her to win, shouting and encouraging her- she could hardly hear her. There were only two things in front of her: the game, and the absolute ocean of thoughts she was now harnessing to the fullest of its extent.

Guile dropped his left hand from the controls to grab at the very real pain in his forehead, though the fingers only faded through. 

What’s going on?!

The noise came from one source alone. Next to him, like radio interference, Frankie’s staticy thoughts forced their way into his brain independently of his own wishes.

No- no, stop- stop!

“REN, IT’S ALL UP TO YOU NOW!”

His head shook as her obsession poured into him. He couldn’t even hear the full sentences. Just words, cutting through his own internal monologue. Her scattered thoughts could not be deciphered, only felt. Undersea. Scumwar. Mitochondria. Aqua Tournament. Shell Theory. Single-Cell. Amoebalord Death Scene. Dark Percy. The Five Cell Masters. Bigger Barry Theory. Cover Art. Short Film. Secret Chapter. Volume Five. Percy Revitalization. Percy Amusement Park. Percy Global Domination. Percy. Percy. Percy. Percy. Percy. Percy. Percy. Percy.

With a short buzz, Ren shut off the television.

Frankie couldn’t hear, but Katie said this to the assistant:

“What the hell?! She was about to win! You cheater!”

“We forfeit the game.”

Ren examined the collapsed Guile, who probably would’ve been foaming at the mouth were any of this real. Still he shook, convulsing in agony after stumbling upon the Percy Phytoplankton Necronomicon that was Frankie Pop’s mind.

“Oh.” Katie looked down at the overkilled MASCOT, feeling only a little bad, to be perfectly honest. “Um… yay! We win! Frankie, you hear that? We win!”

Frankie stared slack-jawed at the turned-off TV like a zombie, unable to snap out of the self-induced fandom haze that was digging up every idea she’d ever had about the defunct adventure book series.

“Uh… we should probably get some fresh air.”