Act 2: The Father of Valvetime

Tollbooth Willie

Tollbooth Willie

The Freeman
Joined
Jul 27, 2005
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The forum doesn't know what's coming
She doesn't feel the heat
The forum won't know what hit her
What knocked her out into the streets
The forum is thinking that it's over
and she's already fast asleep
So I'm breaking out of here tonight
I am ready

We're given only what we need
Only the chance to survive
And even then, it's a coin toss
A roll of the dice
There's gotta be something better
Something that feels more alive
So I'm breaking out of here tonight
I'm breaking out of here

You've got to feel it girl
Feel the wind pick up
It feels like something's gonna change
but there's no use putting it in drive
if all the wheels are stuck
There's somethin' wrong here
like this whole forum wants to scream
But no one makes a sound

But you've got to feel it baby
So I'm going to find out what it is
and I'm going to tear it down

Vegeta turned to a girl who'd been ignoring him all night, leaned in, and whispered in her ear.

The engine's running, baby
We don't have time for goodbyes
I know you can't come with me
I see that look in your eyes

So kiss me fast
cause there's no time to lose
Leave the light on
I'll come back for you
When everything is said and done
I swear I'm gonna make it right
I'm breaking out of here tonight

Vegeta leaned in and stole a quick kiss from the girl. She smiled and made a move to slap him but he was already out of reach. He kicked the door open and tore out into the dark subforums. Fire in his blood. He didn't know exactly where he was going. Only that he was moving. And moving was something.

The slight breeze against his chin meant that something was changing. He raised his voice, crying out against the quiet, constant hum of the forum. From the windows high above the subforums, a few concerned women called out to him to keep his voice down. For his own sake. For all their safety.

I'm so tired of giving up
I am so tired of giving in
You wake up knowing things should change
not knowing where to begin
This forum won't say where she's going
and she won't speak of where she's been.
So I'm breaking out of here tonight

Without noticing where he was heading, he'd reached his home - or his former home - Shippi's house. She'd vanished three years ago. He hadn't been back since. Shens had been gone now for nearly ten. Heading around back, he made a straight line for a small workshop, set apart from the house.

His father's motorbike was there. A relic. A gas engine bolted to an iron frame. He kicked the engine a few times and the bike roared to life. As he turned onto the street and opened the throttle - the sound of combustion savaging the silence of the night air - he could almost make out the sound of the collective gasp let out by the entire forums. He could almost imagine window after window opening above the street line. Frightened face after frightened face leaning out into the bright glow of the streetlamps. Timid voice after timid voice telling him, speaking in unison.

A chorus of fear.

Don't turn your back on the city

Vegeta ignored the voices. He thought perhaps he was the only one who hadn't turned his back. He kicked the shifter.

Say a prayer for all
the children still sleeping

3rd gear.

Say a prayer for all the fathers
who still remember

4th.

Say a prayer for all the girls
who've learned to stand up

5th.

Say a prayer for all the boys
who won't surrender

Sometimes I just want to drive
until the streets run out
I want to burn until there's
nothing left to burn about
This forum's waiting for a better day
When I get back there will be hell to pay
But, if I'm the only one left standing
I will not be afraid to fight
I'm breaking out of here tonight

I feel a fever coming on me
burning out of control
And I hear nothing but the static
For years now there's been nothing
but the static on the radio
If you can hear my voice outside these walls
if you can hear me sending out this message tonight
then break the silence, send a signal back
I'm coming, all I need is a little guiding light
...If you can hear me.

If you can hear me
Don't turn your back on the forums

Newbie Central gave way to General Gaming
General Gaming to abandoned Valve Game Subforums
Valve Game Subforums to the Half-Life subforum

He'd followed the line of the electric rail for almost an hour. The outskirts. A place to which men now rarely ventured. The dark streets flickered under failing street lamps. Away from the machines. Away from the people trying to keep him silent. He should be feeling free. He wasn't. He was feeling something else. A wariness. A hesitation. Vegeta let off the throttle. As his father's bike slowed to a crawl, he understood that feeling he'd had ever since he'd decided to leave the forum. That hesitation he'd felt was the knowledge that he was being watched. Watched when he kissed the girl at the bar goodbye. Watched when he left his mother's house. Watched even now... Miles from the heart of the forum.

A face in the shadows...

He stopped the bike in the middle of the street, silenced the engine, and lowered the kickstand. There was no traffic. No metal footsteps patrolling the streets. But the familiar sound of the telescreens reached even here. Vegeta stood watching the face on the screen. It babbled incessantly, but said nothing.

Over the sound of the screen, Vegeta heard footsteps, slow and deliberate, echoing from the darkness of the alleyway. Kneeling down, Vegeta placed one hand on the street beside him, the other reached for the knife in his boot. He recalled the stories the newbies of the forum loved to repeat about the red-eyed assassin. "Munro's Monster," they called it. The footsteps emerged from the darkness of the alley and into the uneven glow of the flickering street lights. Vegeta stood, his hand loosening its grip on the knife.

It was a gray-haired man.

Vegeta was about to speak when the old man lifted a finger and pointed past him, into the darkness. Vegeta turned to see a single red light pulsing from the depths of the alleyway behind him.
 
I've seen your face in the shadows
I've seen your face in the places I wasn't meant to be
I've heard them whisper about you
I've heard the men in the bars
and I've seen the women lock their doors at night
Lock your doors tonight
They say your eyes are on fire
They say you'd kill a man for walking the wrong side of the line
The wrong side of the line
But men, they say a lot of foolish things
And in the end the only words I can find to believe in are mine

They say:
(This forum) This forum
(she's been dead) She's been dead
for years now (for years now)
for years now (for years now)

So death is (So death is)
Not something (not something )
Not something that scares me (that scares me)
That scares me

There's worse things (There's worse things)
than death here (than death here)
They told me (Keep quiet)

I will not be told where to stand
I will not be told what to say
Not by man or machine
Not by you, not by anyone tonight
You're gonna have to do better than fear
You're gonna have to step out of the shadows and fight

And when they see your face again
They will know what it means
to have fear dragged out into the light
Drag it out

They say:
(This forum)
This forum (she's been dead)
She's been dead for years now (for years now)
for years now (for years now)

So death is (So death is)
not something (not something)
Not something that scares me! (that scares me)
That scares me

So come on
Come on
Step into the light

The red-eyed assassin, Pi Mu Rho, stepped from the shadows. He'd been keeping pace with a motorcycle racing at top speed for an hour, yet he showed no sign of fatigue. The gray-haired man watched from the alley, tensing visibly as the machine revealed itself. Veg slowly backed away from the bike, deliberately withdrawing towards the gray-haired man in the alley. He stopped as his foot brushed against something solid.

The bald thing's hand never once went for the gun at its side. It leaned in, a large blade clenched in its left fist, waiting for the proper moment.

So this forum (this forum)
She's been dead (she's been dead)
for years now (for years now)
for years now (for years now)

So death is (So death is)
(Not something) Not something that scares me (that scares me)
That scares me (that scares me)

There's worse things (This forum)
than death here (she's been dead)
(For years now) There's loss and there's silence and sadness (for years now)

Veg's hands were shaking.

(So death is) So come on
(Not something) Come on
(That scares me) Just open your mouths and revive it (that scares me )

Veg leaned forward and charged towards the machine. If he was going to die, he would go down swinging. He plunged his shoulder into the chest of the automaton. With every bit of strength he could summon, Veg thrust upward, and both man and machine left the ground in an arc. By the time they slammed back into the asphalt, the machine was on top, its cold hands tightening around Veg's neck. The impact sent the pipe bounding far from Veg's reach. Veg's fingers clawed at the smooth metal covering the machine, searching for a chink in its armor. His hand found the gun instead.

The light of the blast was painful, even through Veg's closed eyes. He opened them slowly. Carefully. He found the machine lying several feet away, immobilized, with a smoking hole in its chest. Its red eye fading and flickering. Veg rose. He approached the machine. He pointed the gun at the robot's head and slid his finger over the trigger, steeling himself for the blast. The gray-haired man stopped him. The man knelt down - his face inches from the machine's - and spoke, his voice gruff and trembling.

"I built this. It's mine to destroy."

With surprising speed, his right hand shot to Veg's boot and withdrew the knife. With his left hand he grabbed the machine by the jugular-shaped electrical conduit at its throat and sliced. A single swift blow. The eye went dark. The machine was dead.

The two faced each other in the middle of the street. Veg's labored breaths drowning out the telescreen in the distance.

"My name is Munro..."

Returning to the lifeless machine at his feet, Munro motioned for the speechless Veg to assist him. Together, they dragged the remains of the moderator out of the light and into the protection of the alley. Munro sheathed the knife into Veg's boot holster and turned back to the machine. He examined the assassin for a few seconds and nodded. With a few deft motions, he detached the dark green helmet from the body of the robot, tossing it to Veg.

"Here... try this on."
 

This forum's sleeping like a soldier trapped inside of an iron lung
Machines can keep you breathing but what happens when you find a new war's begun
Flip a switch and turn it off,
you won't be able to breathe
So either way you're a casualty

I've got this burning like my veins are filled with nothing but gasoline
And with a spark it's gonna be the biggest fire they've ever seen
Cut me down or let me run
Either way it's all gonna burn
The only way that they'll ever learn
We've got to turn it off

Flip a switch

Light up the night
There is a forum that this darkness can't hide
There are the embers of a fire that's gone out
But I can still feel the heat on my skin
This mess we're in, well you and I
Maybe you and I
We can still make it right
Maybe we can bring back the light


At the heart of the forum there is a building that looks down over all there is
And the admin in the tower controls it all without raising a single fist
It's like they gathered up the forum, they sold it to the devil and now
It's gone to hell and they wonder how

Well, a friend once told me:
Men, they would follow any man who would turn the wheels
Now the wheels are spinning out of control;
what would they do if we held them still
If you destroy the working parts, what you'll get is a broken machine
A beacon of light from a burning screen

Light it up.
Light up the night.

There is a forum that this darkness can't hide.
There are the embers of a fire that's gone out
But I can still feel the heat on my skin
This mess we're in, well you and I
maybe you and I
We can light up the night

They made their plans carefully. Spending hours on the details. If Vegeta could reach the main news feed on top of the tower in the center of the forum - Starmonkey's tower - he could take out the central transmitter. He could stop the broadcasts going out to the satellite screens. He could stop the broadcasts going out to the moderators. He could take out Monkey's eyes.

With him blinded, Munro could reenter the forum undetected. He could complete the task that he had obsessed over for more than twenty years. He could kill Starmonkey. A prisoner caged on the edge of the forum, this was Munro's chance. His chance not only at freedom, but to exact revenge. To kill his judge, his warden, and the man who'd built his prison. To destroy the man who'd taken everything from him - his life's work, his name, his love.


There is a forum that this darkness can't hide
There are the embers of a fire that's gone out
But I can still feel the heat on my skin
This mess we're in, well you and I
maybe you and I
We can light up the night

There is a forum that this darkness can't hide
There is a fire that will burn through the streets of the forum, and we will stand in the light
We will stand in the light
you and I
You and I
We can bring back the light

With Monkey's assassin out of the way, they had a small and rapidly closing window. The moderator would soon be missed. Their plan finally secure, Munro locked the green helmet under Veg's chin and handed him the bag of explosives. "Go!" he shouted.
 
Veg kicked the motorcycle's engine back to life. He spun the bike and raced towards the city. Passing under the cold glow of screen after menacing screen. Reports coming in of an incident in the outer rim. Reports of an armed assailant. Reports of a growing threat to public safety.

Climb.

Climb.

Veg tore through the streets. A missile aimed at the metal spire towering above the forum. The great steel arm holding a torch of fear. The main newsfeed was designed to be visible from almost anywhere in the forum. The destruction of that feed would be felt by every man and every neckbeard in the forum. He thought of the children. How, for the first time, they would know a world without that feed. Without the constant, mind-numbing barrage of misinformation. Silence. Had he ever encountered silence? Soon.

Climb to the top of the world.

The street was ending. Veg revved the engine. No hesitation. No fear. The motorcycle bounded over the curb, launched off the steps in front of the tower, and landed jarringly upon the hard, slick marble of the plaza. Losing traction, the tires skidded out ahead of the heavy iron frame. The bike pitched. Veg kicked hard against the bike. Inertia kept him glued to it. He rolled over on to his stomach and clawed frantically at the smooth marble, trying to slow himself.

And as you stand tall, you will see...

The bike would not be slowed. It slid rapidly toward the main entrance. The steel doors secured tightly for the evening. The wheels caught on the final few steps leading up to the doors. The bike spun upright and left the marble floor. 600 pounds of iron and chrome roared, end over end, towards the entrance, crashed into the steel doors, and exploded. Veg's momentum halted just inches from the steps. Sirens erupted around him.

That when you fall...

He pushed himself to his feet and ran towards the flames. Hurdling the mangled carcass of the bike, he entered the tower lobby and headed for the stairs. Flight after flight, Veg took two and three steps at a time. His chest nearly collapsed under the strain. His legs never hesitated. Finally, he reached the door leading to the roof. Joe kicked hard and stepped into the cool night air. He had to act quickly. He threw his bag down next to the transmitter. Reaching inside, he wrapped his hands around the detonator. Holding it tightly, he turned and started back to the stairs.


You will fall from a height most men will never reach.


He'd taken three long strides when the explosion ripped his feet from the tarred roof. Veg didn't hear the explosion. The shock wave of the blast knocked him unconscious instantaneously.

Munro had nearly reached the plaza. He watched as the flames erupted from the top of the shimmering tower, setting aglow the clouds above. Among the debris cast off the building by the explosion, he spotted what could only be a human body, twisting lifelessly as it plummeted towards the earth. Munro held onto the hope that the falling body was not the one he feared it must be. As it approached the ground, Munro's fears were confirmed as he made out the glare of the flames above reflected in a scarred blast shield. He watched as Veg's body landed with a dull thump upon the small patch of grass in a courtyard on the south side of the building.

By the time Munro had reached the boy's body, a crowd had gathered. As he stood in the center of the circle of onlookers, another explosion rattled the ground. Then another. And another. In the distance he could see, one by one, the newsfeeds splintering and erupting into flames.
 
Tollbooth Willie said:
Flight after flight, Veg took two and three steps at a time. His chest nearly collapsed under the strain. His legs never hesitated. Finally, he reached the door leading to the roof. Joe kicked hard and stepped into the cool night air.
Click to expand...
AND JUST WHO THE HELL IS THIS JOE?
 
I'm drugged out and rewriting the liner notes to this album out of boredom give me a break you pop top can of c*nt.
 
You are a good writer and I want to see more.
 
shem I'm literally just doing drugs and rewriting the liner notes to the album's story a bit because i'm that bored and Act 2 is pretty much this forum





but WHO GETS TO BE MEGAMAN???????????????????????????????
 
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