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The rift.
Sometimes he could return to it in his dreams.
He could feel the fuchsia threads between his fingers. The violent wind chilling him to his bones, the gusts like whipping blades. The hopelessness of floating and falling simultaneously for eternity.
There was no time or space in between.
He truly thought it was the final scene before the film of his life would fade to black.
But one day, he woke in an empty street, his back against asphalt and screen facing up towards a star-speckled sky. The signs, the lights, were all off; he’d discover later that the city’s power blew out when the rift released him and WPNZ here.
WPNZ… Yes, as soon as his name, his face, broke through Puzzles’ thoughts like glass, he scrambled to find him.
His friend.
No… his partner. The one who was ready to stick by his side. The one he prayed would forgive him.
The one who jumped into this rift alongside him for the greater good.
Where was he?
Was he okay?
The worst flashed through his mind over and over, until he was finally found.
Someone cried out in horror. Puzzles wasn’t sure if it was a clip from movie he was remembering or his own scream.
The alleyway was illuminated by the light of a raging flame. Oil soaked the ground, pooling from an unconscious WPNZ.
The heat of the flames was unbearable, but even as his gloves and sleeves burned away before his eyes, he used everything he could to put him out.
The street was painfully silent save for his ragged breathing. His screen was blurry with tears. Each rolling droplet landed on WPNZ’s face with a tap, tap. His eye… God, one of his eyes was destroyed and torched to charcoal black. Puzzles’ chest tightened.
“WPNZ…”
This was his fault. Everything about this, from the very beginning, was his fault. If he hadn’t been so selfish. If only he just turned at that fork in the road. The butterfly effect was turning into a horrid insect, picking and biting at him for the mistake he made.
A scorched hand trembled towards WPNZ’s broken eye, fingers running around the jagged pieces. A shaky breath escaped him.
“You have to wake up,” he quivered. His hand gripped WPNZ’s shoulder, giving him a shake. “Come on…! You can’t die on me now!! Not after everything…!”
Something whirred beneath Puzzles’ hand. WPNZ’s limbs rolled, joints clicking and buzzing to life. His eye snapped open.
There was no time to be relieved. WPNZ’s arm yanked up, pushing the muzzle of a gun against Puzzles’ screen.
BANG!
The bullet shot Puzzles’ hat clean off. He scrambled to his feet, stumbling away. His screen glowed with reignited fear.
“WPNZ, it’s me! It’s Puzzles!”
“Yeah,” WPNZ rasped. He rose to his feet, footsteps heavy with slow clangs. Other hand clasped over his eye, he raised the gun unsteadily. “It sure is, you freak…!”
BANG!
An easier dodge. WPNZ could hardly stand, swaying and grimacing in pain. Puzzles’ heart raced.
“What are you doing? I thought we were fine! W-We made up, didn’t we?!” he stammered. A growl ripped through the air. Shells emptied from the gun as WPNZ reloaded.
“Made up? You call running away like a coward MAKING UP?!” Sharp yellow teeth gnashed together as the anger rose in his voice. Puzzles shook his head violently. He took a step towards him.
“What are you talking about? I didn’t run away. I gave up running away. I faced you head on, and we closed that rift, w-we saved the world from being ripped apart!”
“What the FUCK are you TALKING ABOUT?!” WPNZ’s gun shook. Puzzles wondered if it wasn’t just pain, but fear. Confusion.
“You don’t remember…?”
Could that injury have given WPNZ memory loss? There’s no telling how deep the damage in his eye goes, not from here.
… It doesn’t matter. If Puzzles could make up once, he could make up again.
“Listen to me. We fell through a rift in space and time. We’re in some kind of city now, and you’re horribly injured. You need to be fixed.” Puzzles took another step closer. WPNZ grit his teeth.
BANG!
The bullet whizzed past Puzzles.
BANG!
Again. The shells clinked to the ground. Before WPNZ could reload, Puzzles darted closer to him.
“Will you listen to me?! I’m trying t-“
CLANK!
The barrel of the gun slammed against Puzzles’ head. He stumbled to the asphalt with a smash. Shards of his screen glittered the ground. Puzzles could hear the whir of WPNZ switching the gun out.
“Shut up.” The buzz of a chainsaw made the air vibrate. “You deserve this. This is for what you did to me. What you did to Toomp. We TRUSTED YOU.”
… Toomp?
Puzzles froze.
Why… did that sound so familiar? And yet…
He couldn’t remember who that was.
“Toomp?” He swiveled his head up towards WPNZ. “I-I don’t understand.”
Brow wrinkled with rage, teeth and gums black with oil, and a single eye glowing scarlet. Puzzles was filled with hopelessness at the state his partner was in.
He truly was a walking weapon. Despite his pain, his anger, his injuries… as long as he could move, he could kill. And that was all he needed.
“He trusted you just as much as I did,” he spat. His head shook slowly. “You… You make me so fucking sick!” The chainsaw reeled back.
“I-I know I hurt you! Believe me! If I could take it back… God, I TRIED to take it back, but I can’t run away from the pain I gave you!” Puzzles raised his hands up defensively. “But I… Who’s Toomp??”
WPNZ froze. The tension in his face released for a moment before tightening tenfold.
“What?” he growled. “Are you FUCKING WITH ME?!” The chainsaw revved deafeningly, the blades a raging blur. “IS THIS A GAME TO YOU, PUZZLES?!”
BANG!
A pop like a gunshot came from the chainsaw. The chain of blades broke, the pieces flying across the street in pieces. Smoke puffed from the now empty mechanism. WPNZ snarled at his own malfunction.
“Damn it… GOD DAMN IT!”
As Puzzles climbed to his feet, he could only watch. WPNZ’s injuries were catching up to him, but there was no way he could help. Not until WPNZ lets him in.
…
Puzzles patted his pants pockets. He pulled out the turret shell. Even after all it’s witnessed, it still reflected Puzzles’ pained expression. He held it out for WPNZ to see.
WPNZ stared. A growl rumbled in his chest, shoulders rising and sinking.
“I want to fix this,” Puzzles pleaded. “No more lies. No more games. Just you and me against the world.” His voice cracked as his screen projected a tearful smile. “J-Just like it should have been from the beginning.”
WPNZ glared deep into his screen. The fire of fury that fueled him still raged on inside, but Puzzles realized it was dying down.
No… not that. Puzzles’ eyes widened as he watched WPNZ’s eye fall closed, joints giving out and letting him collapse.
CLANK!