V.I.R.A.L

Zinnia stared blankly at the footage from the drone. She didn't know how to feel. Anger, guilt, joy? She was unsure of how to react to the given situation. The drone had played back the footage of Alton's confrontation with Vanguard serval times now, each she would hope would change the outcome. Maybe he would somehow win. But she knew very much, so that was never going to be the case. Emil threw a chair across the karaoke booth ranting. "Fuck! It's already too late. Damn it!"

Zinnia licked her lips as her leg began shaking. She needed to think of a plan and fast. With little options, she just spoke the first thing that came to mind. "Then we go and save him."

Emil scoffed, tapping his head raving in a mocking tone. "Hello! Hello? Is anyone in there? You are suggesting we go up against the fucking Vanguard! Do you even hear yourself? Sorry to burst your bubble, but that is suicide."

"I know that! But, but we have to try. Alton is our friend."

"Maybe so, but that doesn't rule over the fact he abandoned you. You may see him as a friend but in my books running away and leaving you to take the fall. Now I don't know about you, but I don't fancy dying for someone like that."

Zinnia stood up, gritting her teeth trying to come up with any excuse to get Emil on board. "But don't you get it. Alton already figured out it was Vanguard way before us. He didn't abandon us. He took the fight to the enemy."

"Sure, didn't sound like that on the video. He bluntly claimed he would happily turn a blind eye to the death and corruption for the money. You want to be a superhero, yeah? That isn't the sort of guy who you should be best mates with."

"I don't care! Alton sent this drone to us. He wanted us to see it with our own eyes. Isn't this enough? We could expose him. Show this clip to the world. Force the masses on him."

"We don't have an account anymore. Or did you forget that?"

"We'll get Iris to broadcast it. Spread the word. He'll have no choice but to give up."

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"Why?" Percy whispered curled up. "Why are you making Vanguard out to be the bad guy? Vanguard wouldn't do that. He's a good person!"

"Are you fucking retarded or something? The video showed it all. A confession, a motive and Alton's defeat. You have quite the nerve to go claiming such shit."

"It's fake! It's got to be. I don't believe it. I can't… Vanguard. He's. He's a good person! I know it!" Percy screamed, falling to his knees. He hung his head down low sobbing loudly. "He's my hero. I've been watching him my whole life. He's. He's all I have. I'd do anything to be like him. He isn't like that."

Zinnia kneeled comforting Percy as she turned to Emil. "We have to help Alton Emil. I don't care if he ran away. I don't care what he said to me. He's my friend. He's my first ever friend, he could have left me back when we were arrested. I was nothing more than a burden to him. But he took that burden and got me out. He didn't have to. He helped me create Team Rhapsody, and even if it was a failure. Even if after this, we collapse into nothing. If we don't make that money and we get thrown back into prison again, I don't care. I wouldn't change anything. These past five months have been the greatest months of my life."

Emil looked away, remaining silent as she stood up. "If it wasn't for Alton you would still be a lapdog for the Montagues. Slaving away at the chance of being accepted into the family. He saved you from a future you could never reach." Zinnia turned to Percy smiling. "He helped you to Percy. Took you in after Vanguard threw you aside. Even when I objected, he insisted on you staying. He also saved our lives badly, injuring himself in the long run. No matter how we look at it. He wouldn't have done that all if he didn't see us as friends. Taking on Vanguard alone. He wasn't doing it for the money. He was doing it to protect us. And probably money too."

Emil roared in anger, ruffing up his hair panting. "This is a noob move. It really is. We don't stand a chance. Not one… fuck it. I'm in."

"Emil… thank you."

"Don't go thanking me just yet, we still have no idea where Alton has been taken."

Zinnia kneeled tinkering with the drone. "Well if this is Alton's drone for his streams with Vanguard, I'm pretty sure we can send it back to the streamer. Alton sent it to us to find him."

"Wow… umm not even I knew that… how did you?"

"I'm not totally oblivious to the streaming world." Zinnia winked setting the drone up. "It should take us to the ruins when we are ready."

"Super… problem here though. If we are to fight Vanguard, I don't really feel like being the only one to do so. Skippy here is in no state to make a move."

Percy bit his lip stepping in front of the door holding his fists up. "I. I won't let you! I'll… I'll fight you!" No clones appeared as a shaken Percy readied to hold his ground. Zinnia stepped forward only for Percy to react, punching her in the face. She fell to the floor making Percy flinch. "Zinnia… I'm."

Emil was ready to beat the senses into Percy when Zinnia held her arm out. "No. I'll deal with this." She stood up facing Percy. "If it makes you feel better. Hit me as many times as you like. But I'm going to stop Vanguard. I'm going to save Alton. You can't stop me."

Percy began shaking as he threw another punch. Zinnia stepped back holding her face she shook her head stepping forward. Percy threw another punch out of desperation. Zinnia slouched over, holding her bloody nose as she wiped her face smiling. "Stop… please, I don't want to hurt you…"

Zinnia gave a goofy grin shaking her head. "It's alright. It doesn't hurt. If I'm going to be a superhero, I'm going to need to take a few punches no problem." She began laughing, catching Percy off guard. "You know what we need to do, Percy. Please, I need your help."

"This is a waste of time!"

"Please, just hang on a moment. It's never a waste of time if it's helping a friend. You looked up to him, yeah? Saw him as a father figure."

"How do you know that?"

Zinnia held her chest nodding. "I don't, but I know how it feels. Wanting a father figure in your life. I've never had one myself. The closest thing I have to that is Rebecca." She took out the small ripped cape from her pocket, gripping it tightly. "This is all I have from my mother. The mother I never knew. The one who will never come for me. It's hard, I know it is. But Percy, we can't let ourselves be consumed by false dreams and mere fantasies. I am not a superhero. No matter how much I want to believe that, I am not. I'm envious of all of you. You, Gale, Emil and Alton. You all have the power to be heroes. All I can do is watch from the side-lines never getting my moment. Alton needs you. He needs a hero."

Percy falls to his knees, coming to the same realisation as his broken world shatters. He looks down broken, not just by the man he looked up to but how he treated the people nearest to him. "If, if I turned my back on a friend now… I'll be no different to Vanguard… I want to make good. I know he is a good person. I want to help save not just Alton but Vanguard too."

"Ha, that's the spirit no- Percy," Emil smirked giving him a thumbs up. "Still don't like our chances but I can work with this."

"We still need a plan. If we just run in there and pick a fight with Vanguard live on stream, we will be seen as the bad guys. Nor can we start a takedown stream with a banned account… Damn it."

"Maybe we can get help?"

"No, we would only endanger others. And who would believe us?"

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Percy looked down at his phone and the forums of V.I.R.A.L he nodded knowing a plan. "I have an idea. Zinnia do you think you could write a message to him, to the world. Exposing his lies?"

"Like a calling card? Yeah, I suppose I could. Why?"

Percy stood up as serval clones of himself appeared. Soon the entire room was surrounded with clones as Percy gave a smirk trying to perk himself up into a cocky attitude. It wasn't entirely convincing as his clones were slightly blurry and weaker, but it was still a start. "We make as many accounts as possible—Flood the forums. Flood every stream. Every chat board. Spread the message. Let the world know."

"Let the world know what?" Emil questioned.

"What else? Team Rhapsody is going viral!"