A Bigger Picture (9): A Sacrifice

The crowd was clawing at Dot.  She was screaming, though she had long stopped thinking about what she was saying.  Everything was a blur.

A thin ray of light was coming from Gary's device.  It formed a dome above the Clothes Shop.  There was a timer counting down from ten on the side.

The penguins took no notice of this.  Then, the dome exploded.

Every penguin around Dot froze for a moment, with herself being unaffected.  A second later, they were back to normal.

Except, their focus was no longer on her.

"Gary!!!" they screamed with wrath.  "Gary!!!"

"There he is!" one screamed, pointing at a fleeing figure near the Plaza.

The penguins began to climb down the sides of the shop in pursuit.

Soon, Dot was alone on the roof.  She clamored over to the device and saw a bit of code displayed on the screen.

From what she could gather, Gary had told the device to command the penguins to stop pursuing Dot and Jet Pack Guy for revenge.

He hadn't betrayed her, after all.  He hadn't had enough time to insert himself into the equation and had thus fled.

Dot knew what she had to do.  She quickly ran to the Beach and climbed the steps to the Beacon.  Gary and the mob had made their way back to the Ski Village.  If they came a little closer, she could save Gary.

Dot positioned the device.  She examined it, figuring out its functions.  After awhile, she had figured out how to work it.

Dot entered the necessary code.  The machine would now make the penguins forget their hatred for Gary and everything about the Revolutionists.

Gary, having ran around Ski Hill, was now making his way towards the Beach, having no clue about Dot's intentions.  Now was her chance.

Dot hit the enter button.

The device dinged and the countdown began.  

But she had made one mistake.

Source: Club Penguin CP

You see, when Gary first developed the machine, a great burst of air would come from it when the countdown finished (this part of the technology was what Rookie had used in his coin and button).  He had later developed a safety button to stop this.

Dot hadn't pushed that, having known nothing about it.

It was because of this that the machine pushed a great gust of wind into the Beacon light when the countdown hit zero.  It was because of this that the windows shattered into a billion pieces.  It was because of this that some of the guard rails were pushed downward by the force.

And, believe or not, it was because of this that the Lighthouse began to tip, having been pulled out of its foundation.

Dot, resigned to her fate, leaned against the frame of the light bulb holder.  She looked up into the peaceful blue sky, the puffy white clouds on display in all their glory.  They were so simple, yet so pretty.

Now, she felt like she was flying.  She was as free as a bird.

Someone was talking to her.  Someone was holding her tight....

Source: Squidoo

"Didn't anyone tell you that the goal was to tip the Iceberg, not the Lighthouse?" yelled the good-natured Jet Pack Guy, who had swooped in to save her.  He was holding onto her as he flew.

Dot was so relieved to hear Jet Pack Guy speak to her, was so relieved to know everything was alright.  She began to cry tears of joy.

"There, there," said Jet Pack Guy softly, having gone through similar trauma.

Jet Pack Guy had been shocked for awhile after the sudden turn of events due to Gary's machine.  He had sat on the floor on the second floor of the Clothes Shop for awhile, gathering his thoughts, before he had left.  He had seen the Lighthouse tipping just in the nick of time.

The Lighthouse hit the water, sending a giant wave of water into the air.  Gary's new ultra-durable balloons were about to come in handy.

Source: Cheats Whiz

The duo landed and Gary ran towards them, thanking them for their actions.  The once pursuing mob was now clapping at the act of heroism.  

In a strange twist of fate, the EPF agents had been hidden in the cellar of the Lighthouse, which was now exposed.  The three EPF agents, who were free, ran forward to help the tied up penguins.

Many of Gary's stolen supplies were also in the cellar.  Among them, there was squid juice, parakeet feathers, and 2,008 pairs of socks.

The storm was over.  The Revolutionists had been neutralized by the device.  They were finished.

Dot tried to be happy, tried to celebrate.  But, some scars, emotional ones, never heal.

-------------

Rookie looked down from a rather tall mountain to the Beach.  He glared at it, full of disgust as he saw some penguins wheel out Cream Soda.

His plan had been foiled.  His flawless plan, one he had meticulously worked on for years, had failed.

Rookie lingered for a moment longer, watching as the celebration began.  Then he turned around curtly and left the mountain.

They would pay for what they did!  They would pay dearly!!

The End?