Work Text:
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Five years after the satellite incident…
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
“Can’t believe we’re back here after all this time…” Mayday said, looking up at the studio where Lights Up was filmed. The yellow-orange skinned young woman sighed. Her hair had grown out, and she’d restyled it into a long ponytail.
Her green-skinned, blue-haired compatriot, sporting a full mustache squeezed her shoulder comfortingly. “We both agreed to this,” Zuke said. “We’ve gone as far as we could on the indie scene. And there’s a lot of good we could do. Especially since NSR has gotten a lot more inclusive.”
Mayday nodded. “Yeah… So much power the city’s actually grown, with new districts…” she said. “Still feel awkward about this…”
“Why?” Zuke asked teasingly. “I mean, it’s not as if we publicly humiliated six of the nine judges by hijacking their concerts and defeating them in front of their fans while unknowingly aiding an utter lunatic in his quest to destroy the city.”
Mayday groaned. “Can’t BELIEVE we let him play us like that,” she muttered.
“He told us what we wanted to hear,” Zuke said softly. “Made sure we didn’t think of anything except the goal. And not any of the details…”
Mayday nodded. “All those people we could have hurt… That’s not what I wanted. Not at all,” she said. “I just… wanted a chance to play. To share my music with the world…”
“And we’re getting that chance,” Zuke said. “Let’s go.”
Mayday took a breath to calm herself, and nodded. “Yeah. Let’s rockatalk.”
“Next!” came the voice of the secretary running the video auditions. When Mayday and Zuke walked in, she blinked in surprise. “Huh. Didn’t expect to see you two again.”
“Glad to see you remember us,” Mayday said, grinning and adjusting her red tank top. “We wanna try this again, maybe actually earn our way in.”
The secretary chuckled. “You’re the saviors of the city. You could literally just walk in and ask,” she said.
“Nah,” Zuke said. “Not our style. We wanna earn our way in, same as anyone else.”
“That’s right,” Mayday said. “Bunk Bed Junction works for their money!”
The secretary chuckled. “Okay, okay,” she said, typing on her tablet for a few minutes. “You’re up. Go have fun.”
“Thanks,” Mayday said.
“Oh, and don’t yell at Tatiana this time,” the secretary teased. “That clip was on ‘Music Bloopers’ for three years.”
“Don’t I friggin’ know it,” Mayday muttered, Zuke laughing. The way was clear this time, so they didn’t have to jump over anything. As they approached the main stage, they looked out at the judges stand. Before, it had been shrouded in shadow, and loomed intimidatingly in the background. Now, though, it was more well-lit, and you could see the judges clearly. The judge stands had also been lowered, so they were more on the level of the artists.
Tatiana, the CEO and owner of the famous No Straight Roads music company, was still in her seat in the center. She still looked the same, with chalk-white, almost rocky skin, larger than normal hands, and fiery hair. But instead of her usual smug grin, there was a pleasant, almost happy smile on her face.
DJ Subatomic Supernova also had no changes to his look either. With his unusual helmet that made him look like he had a floating planet in a void for a head, light up jacket, and those ridiculous shorts which exposed his hairy legs, he was leaning back in his chair with his usual ‘I’m better than everyone’ posture. Although he seemed to like the act, as his head was bobbing along to the beat of the current song.
Eve, Zuke’s former bandmate and current #1 on the charts again after retaking her spot from a newcomer, looked happier than Zuke had ever seen her. She still had her unusual jacket, which rode on her shoulders and looked more like mass of tentacles, but it no longer resembled Zuke’s scalp, and was much more colorful. It was also on the back of her chair, Eve wearing one of her merch t-shirts and bluejeans. She looked… at peace with herself.
Sayu was pretty much the same, the bouncy, cheerful pink and white mermaid half-floating in her seat and bopping along with the beat of the current song. Her design had improved a little, and was more detailed, although she still had her friendly, cartoon-like appearance. Zuke and Mayday had both heard rumors that her crew was working with Neon J on an AI for her, to make her into a truly independent lifeform of her own.
1010 looked mostly the same, although Neon J (who was sitting with them, surprisingly enough), had allowed them to mature, giving Haym (the yellow one) and Puri-Hew (the blue one) facial hair in their designs. He’d also changed Eloni (the light green one, and least popular member normally), giving him a hair curled into a pair of forward-facing devil horns instead of the silly ring he had before. Zimelu (the red one) had slash scars over his eyes, stylized damage from Zuke’s drumsticks their fight five years ago that Neon J kept in his design. Probably because it made him look badass. Only Rin (the white one and overall leader) had no change. (Privately, Mayday thought he didn’t need change. Rin was always her favorite of the group.) They were bobbing in perfect rhythm to the beat, although Neon J didn’t look like he was enjoying himself.
Yinu… good lord. Puberty had hit Yinu like a freight train and done her a lot of good. Now a teenager, she had gotten taller, her golden, flower-like hair becoming shoulder length and even more shining. She’d also started to develop womanly curves, and Mayday privately though that when the young pianist, who was dressed in a similar outfit to the one she wore five years ago, hit adulthood she’d be absolutely gorgeous. As she watched the current performer, Yinu kept glancing back and forth between the artist and the Qwasa, the device that turned music into power, her expression thoughtful.
There were three new artists on the stands as well. The first… Zuke still couldn’t believe it... was his older brother, DK West, representing rap music. After finally admitting he was in the wrong, West went into seclusion and improved his rapping, the husky, red-haired, tattooed young man earning his way into NSR and quickly rising to the top of the charts. He was clearly enjoying the music of the current song, bobbing his head and waving his long dreadlocks around.
Representing country music was an immigrant to Vinyl City named Sandstorm Danny, a well-tanned young cowboy with a thick beard and mustache, clad in a flannel shirt and stetson. A modified acoustic guitar was in his seat with him. Mayday and Zuke didn’t know much about him personally, other than that he was a reasonably pleasant fellow and was always polite when interviewed. Like Neon J, he didn’t seem to be enjoying the current song.
Lastly, was a chubby, dark-skinned woman in a black, pinstriped-suit, her belly visibly straining against the button up shirt. She also wore a fedora and sunglasses, and had a saxophone in her seat with her. Her name was Big Bella Beats, and she represented jazz. She was known for being a master with any brass or woodwind instrument, and also ran her own cooking show. Mayday and Zuke had met her once, performing with her a little before she signed on with NSR. She loved music, loved food, and quite frankly loved you because you were there. She and Sayu got along perfectly, the two ultra-friendly women putting out a duet album. She was swaying to the beat of the current singer, clearly having fun.
The music ended, the drones defeated, the artist, a young blonde woman, ending her song with a flourish as the crowd cheered for her. She bowed to the judges, lights shining on them.
“Another change,” Mayday said softly.
“Yeah. Things look a lot friendlier now,” Zuke said as the judgment began.
“I recuse myself from this,” DJ Subatomic said, surprising the two. “I sponsored the girl, so I’m biased in her favor.” He pressed a button on his stand, both the x and the ring lighting up with a neutral blue.
“So noted,” Tatiana said. “And thank you for bringing Miss Melody to our attention.”
The DJ nodded, as Eve sat forward, a smile on her face. “Well, I can safely say, Melody, that you have tremendous potential,” she said, gesturing to the Qwasa in the corner of the stage. “You’ve filled the Qwasa generator almost completely, and you have an amazing, steady flow to your music. While I am not that fond of pop, I can safely say that you do have a future in the music industry.” She pressed a button on her stand, a green ring appearing on it with a bell tone.
“T-Thank you!” Melody said, blushing brightly.
“Ewah!” DK West said, the spotlight focusing on Eve moving to him. “That was smooth, my girl! Most smooth! DK, he be likin’ what you got! Ooh yeah, you got the fine rhythm and the good looks! You gonna go far! Ewah!” He practically slammed the button on his stand, a green ring appearing.
“I agree,” Big Bella said, grinning. “You sweet like chocolate pie, sugah! I’d be happy to give that voice of yours some backup brass.” She in turn activated her green ring.
“Yeah… Looks like I’m gonna be the first bad guy, here,” Neon J said, the 1010 drones looking surprised. “I know, I know. She’s got a great voice, but…” He shook his head. “It’s fluff. It doesn’t have grit to it. I don’t think she’ll be able to pull her weight.”
“You said my music was fluff,” Sayu said, pouting.
“And I was wrong,” Neon J said. “Maybe I’ll be wrong again. But I have to go with my gut instinct.” He pressed a button on his stand, a buzzer sounding and a red X lighting up on his stand. The 1010 robots all gave Melody an apologetic look.
“Sorry,” Rin said. “He’s the commanding officer, so even if we disagree, his vote counts as ours.”
Melody, who’s pleasant smile had fallen a bit, shook her head. “No, it’s okay. I’m just honestly shocked that so many of you do like my music.”
“Well, you can add me to the list!” Sayu said, the holographic mermaid said, happily pressing the button to trigger the green ring. Back at her control hub, all of Sayu’s crew remembered how tough it was starting out. Getting beaten by Bunk Bed Junction had snapped them out of the stardom that had gone to their heads, and they’d make sure that Sayu was supportive of all up-and-comers.
Yinu bit her lip, the teenage genius looking visibly uncertain. “...I abstain,” she said. “I can’t make my mind up.” She pressed a button, her stand lighting up with a neutral blue. “She’s filled the studio’s Qwasa almost completely, which means she’s got the talent for it, but… Honestly, how long have pop artists actually lasted? She seems nice, and I don’t want to be mean about, but still… I just can’t decide one way or another.”
“A fair assessment,” Tatiana said, nodding.
Sandstorm Danny idly strummed his guitar, and shook his head. “...Yeah, I’m sorry. I just don’t like pop music,” he said, smiling apologetically and triggering his red X. “Personal taste. Yer a nice little lady, I just don’t like what ya brought today.”
Melody’s smile became a little naughty. “That’s fine,” she said. “I don’t like country, either.” Danny laughed, gaining a bit of respect for the young artist.
Tatiana chuckled. “Well. Eve, Sayu, Big Bella, and DK West, yes, DJ Subatomic and Yinu abstaining, and nos from Neon J and Danny. The odds are already in your favor,” she said. “But I think I’m going to make the victory completely yours.” She pressed her button, triggering her green ring, the crowd cheering.
Melody fell to her knees in relief, tears in her eyes as she looked up at the judges. “T-Thank you! Thank you so much!” DJ Subatomic got up from his stand and went out to give the girl a hug, Melody hugging him back gratefully.
“Professor… Thank you for getting me this far,” Melody said, tears of gratitude in her eyes.
DJ Subatomic chuckled, wiping the tears from her eyes. “Your talent got you this far, my student,” he said. He gestured, and a path lit up to a glowing white door surrounded by musical notes. Melody gasped softly. It was a door that every aspiring artist in Vinyl City wanted to see. “Now go,” DJ Subatomic said. “Beyond that door lies talent coordinators, contract negotiators who will get you a fair pay rate, and organizers who will help you set up your first big concert. Welcome to No Straight Roads, my dear Melody.”
Melody hugged the DJ again, and practically ran through the door, the audience and the judges applauding her. As the DJ returned to his seat, Tatiana smiled. “Surprising to see you treat someone so gently,” she teased.
“She was one of the few who attended every single one of my lectures back when I was a collge professor,” DJ Subatomic said. “I couldn’t very well let a mind so brilliant, so open and willing to learn languish in obscurity, now could I?”
“You never cease to find new ways to surprise me,” Tatiana said, grinning.
“For a genius such as I, it comes naturally,” DJ Subatomic said, leaning into his chair and smirking beneath his helmet. Eve snorted laughter, while Yinu just rolled her eyes.
“All right,” Tatiana said, shaking her head in amusement. If nothing else, his ego is consistent, she thought, calling up the next group’s name. “Our final audition for tonight is…” Her eyes widen in surprise, a wide smile coming over her face. “Bunk Bed Junction.”
THAT got everyone’s attention. “S-Seriously?!” Yinu said, grinning. “They’re finally signing up?!”
“Dear me. Pluto is becoming relevant again,” DJ Subatomic said, chuckling.
“Zuke…” Eve said softly, a wide grin spreading over her face.
“YAY! I was hoping they’d come back some day!” Sayu said, reflecting the opinion of all four of her crew.
“Operation: Heroes Return!” Neon J sang, posing, 1010 singing the last two words with him.
“EWAH!” DK West said happily. “Little bro and his lady comin’ to play at last!”
“Well heck,” Big Bella said, grinning. “Be as fine as fresh cornbread to play a tune with them again.”
“Hearda them,” Sandstorm Danny said. “They made a big splash a few years back, didn’t they? I saw the news archives.”
“You could say that,” Tatiana said, marveling at the cowboy’s understatement. “But we’ll give you the story from our perspective later. Right now, since they insist on earning their way in, let’s bring them out. Ladies and gentlemen, the heroes of our city, Bunk Bed Junction!” The crowd roared in response, cheering madly.
“Geez, make us live up to the intro why don’t you?” Mayday muttered, taking another breath to calm h.
Zuke laughed. “C’mon. The world’s waiting for us!”
“Right,” Mayday said, managing to grin. “Let’s rockatalk!” She turned and strode out into the stage, the crowd cheering again as she and Zuke stood before the judges. “HELLO, VINYL CITY!”
Tatiana chuckled once the cheering died down. “You know, my offer still stands,” she said. “You’ve more than earned it.”
“Nah,” Mayday said. “Doesn’t feel right to just walk in like that.”
Zuke nodded. “We want to earn our way in, the same as any artist,” he said, twirling his drumsticks.
Tatiana nodded. “Fair enough. I greatly respect that,” she said, the other artists nodding in approval as well.
Zuke chuckled. “Besides, if a slacker like West can earn his way in-”
“Why you gotta go for the teasing right away, huh?” DK West snarked, although he didn’t stop grinning.
“Sorry. It’s in the little brother code to be as annoying as possible to my big brother,” Zuke said, making an exaggerated shrug, the crowd laughing in response. Mayday snorted, shaking her head, while DK West made a dismissive gesture, leaning back in his chair.
Tatiana chuckled. “All right,” she said. “Let the gauntlet begin.” She pressed a few triggers on her stand.
Drones came out, and began their rhythmic attack. For Mayday and Zuke, this was old hat. They had beaten the gauntlet before, and with their greater skill from their time on the indie circuit, they didn’t even break a sweat, finishing with a flourish and a powerful jam.
So powerful that the studio’s Qwasa almost overloaded.
“Dang,” Sandstorm Danny said, ducking away from the sparks that emitted from the Qwasa, laughing. “Y’all got skills! Any doubts I had are gone. I say they’re in!” He slammed down on his green button, his stand lighting up.
“Heck yeah!” Big Bella laughed, slapping her wide belly. “That’s jalapeno jams I remember! I’m definitely votin’ yes for you!” She pressed her green button as well.
Yinu smiled warmly. “Because of you two, my mother and I were finally able to remember why we started playing. To honor my father’s memory, the man who made me the artist I am today. As far as I’m concerned, this is an apology for last time,” she said, pressing her green button.
“Ewah. You know I be votin’ for you, brudder!” DK West said. “You and I may not get along all the time. But you family. And I got your back.” He grinned, pressing his green button.
Zuke privately mused that it took disowning him in a rap battle to snap his brother out of his egotistical streak, but he chose to say nothing.
“Hrm. I still regard you as meager Plutonians,” DJ Subatomic said. “But honestly, you’ve long since proven that Pluto will always be relevant. Welcome to NSR.” He pressed his green button.
Sayu giggled, pressing her green button with a flourish. “This is long overdue,” she said. “I…” Sayu visibly calmed down, and spoke with her voice actress’s real voice. “We… We let ourselves get blinded by stardom. You helped us remember why we made Sayu and all her friends in the first place. To bring love and joy to others.” A brief flicker, and Sayu was her bubbly self again. “So I’m glad to welcome you into NSR! Love Love Sayu Pyun!” She made her trademark heart pose, giggling happily.
1010 took the initiative, standing up and gesturing adoringly to Mayday. “We are so very glad to see you again,” Rin said. “Our rock angel.”
“Rockin’ hard all night long!” the other four sang.
“We happily welcome you into our unit. The joy Bunk Bed Junction brings is as much of an awakening as reveille,” Rin continued.
Neon J chuckled. “I gave them teenager personalities,” he said, mainly to himself. “What did I expect them to do when they saw a girl they liked?” He chuckled, shaking his flatscreen head. “My troops acting without orders aside, they’re right,” he said, the radar-faced cyborg pressing his green button. “You joining our unit is long overdue.”
Eve smiled warmly. “I owe you both so much,” she said. “Especially you, Zuke. After our battle, I took a year off to find myself. And you were right. I needed to be able to love myself before I could find love elsewhere.” She smiled. “I may have moved on, may have accepted that you and Mayday are together, but I will always love you for the kindness you’ve shown me.” She pressed her green button. “It’s time the world got to see it.”
Mayday and Zuke grinned at each other, blushing and grabbing each other’s hands.
Tatiana chuckled. “Technically speaking, West and Eve should have recused themselves,” she said. “But honestly, it’s fairly obvious that even if they did they’d be supportive. So I’ll make it unanimous.” She pressed her green button, the crowd cheering wildly as the door Melody went through lit up again. “You’ve still got it,” Tatiana said. “And on top of that, you’ve taken excellent care of my old guitar, too. I happily welcome you in to NSR’s family. And it is my hope that you earn your way onto the judges stand one day.”
Mayday laughed. “Geez, let us have a concert first,” she said.
Zuke grinned. “Yeah. We’ve got a whole new phase of our career to start!” Still holding hands, Mayday and Zuke lifted their arms to the cheering crowd, turning to go through the music door.
“Except… you didn’t need to…” said a voice absolutely no one there wanted to hear again.
“You’ve got to be friggin’ kidding me,” Zuke said softly, turning slowly.
“This is friggin’ bulldozer…” Mayday snarled. “Why are you here, Kliff?!”
From the shadows of the entrance to the stage, there was an explosion, unconscious security guards and scrapped drones flying in. A scruffy, red-haired man wielding a massive bazooka that was also part boombox stepped in, his eyes bright with madness.
“Well well…” Tatiana said. “If it isn’t our least favorite lunatic fan… Come to drop another satellite on us?”
Kliff sneered. “Can’t. Don’t have access to your network anymore. Someone betrayed me and cut me off,” he said, glaring daggers at Bunk Bed Junction, Zuke and Mayday sneering right back and getting ready to fight.
“That’s the loony that tried to kill the city five years ago?!” Danny said, grimacing.
“Indeed. But we won’t give him the chance to do anything else,” Tatiana said, a pair of sword-like clock hands appearing in her hands. “TAKE HIM!”
Eve pulled on her jacket and struck a pose, extra arms forming. Yinu pulled on a pair of mechanical gloves and a virtual keyboard appeared before her. DJ Subatomic’s deck spun into existence, while DK West’s shadow turned into a massive, demonic beast. Sayu’s trident appeared in a colorful flash as she grew giant, her hair growing longer as she went into her dark blue ‘battle mode.’ Neon J barked the command, 1010 leaping down and taking fighting stances. Big Bella and Sandstorm Danny both jumped down, instruments at the ready to fight as well. From the music door, Yinu’s mother emerged, growing to giant size, a snarl on her face.
“STOP RIGHT THERE!” Kliff shouted, holding up a detonator. “You so much as whistle and I’ll blow up the Grand Qwasa!”
“W-What?!” Mayday shouted.
“That’s right,” Kliff said, grinning insanely. “Five plasma bombs! All attached to the Grand Qwasa, and ready to blow!”
DJ Subatomic frowned, and used his deck to call up an image of the Qwasa on the station’s monitors. And sure enough, five large bombs were attached to the source of power for the whole city. “Oh my God…” the DJ said, horrified. “If those go off, it’ll take all of Vinyl City with it!” Similar expressions of horror crossed the faces of the other artists, the studio audience starting to panic.
Only Neon J seemed relaxed. “Five, huh?” he said calmly, giving 1010 their new orders via mental uplink.
“That’s right!” Kliff said, laughing madly. “And don’t think you can pull your time manipulation tricks, Tatiana. I programmed the detonator to trigger if it senses ANY disruption in the space/time continuum.”
Tatiana growled. “What do you want, Kliff?”
“I want Bunk Bed Junction to pay… Bad enough that you betrayed me, Kul Fyra,” Kliff said, referring to Tatiana’s old stage name, “but now you two as well!?”
“Listen, you screwy-” Mayday started to say.
“NO! You will listen to ME!!” Kliff roared, the artists all hesitating, glaring at the madman. “I didn’t want to believe it. I didn’t want to believe, that after everything that’s happened, that you would sign up with NSR. With the ENEMY!”
“It’s our life,” Zuke said. “Our career. You don’t get to decide for us!”
“It has to matter!” Kliff said. “I legitimately loved your music! I was your strategist! I helped you take down all the artists, before you lost your senses and gave it all back! Everything I did for you has to mean something to you!”
“It means you’re a fan,” Mayday said. “But there’s a fine line between fandom and freakin’ crazy.”
“You’re insane, Kliff,” Tatiana said, a mix of hatred and pity in her face as she looked at the red-headed madman. “You need psychological help.”
“What I NEED is for you to remember what rock is! Rock is freedom! Rock is power! It isn’t skittle noises like the fish!” Kliff snarled.
“HEY!” Sayu said.
“And it isn’t twangy bullshit from a nation that literally doesn’t exist anymore!” Kliff snarled.
“Y’all might wanna stop while you’re ahead, pardner,” Sandstorm Danny growled.
“And it most CERTAINLY isn’t autotuned bullshit EDM!” Kliff finished with a scream. “Rock needs to rule!”
“You’re an insult to everything rock stands for!” Mayday roared.
Kliff flinched, as if struck. “W-What?!”
“You stupid bulldozer lunatic!” Mayday snarled, tears in her eyes. “Rock isn’t conquest! It isn’t hurting people because your favorite stars don’t worship you as much as you worship them! You’re crazy! You’re not a fan, you’re a lunatic! Hurting people because Kul Fyra moved on with her life! Hurting people because we wanted to advance our careers!”
“But… My devotion…” Kliff stammered.
“Your obsession,” Zuke said, shaking his head. “We’ll always appreciate our fans, and their loyalty. But ultimately? Our lives and what we decide to do with them are our own business and no one else’s. Please… just put down the detonator. You’re outmatched. What good will killing everyone do?”
Kliff shivered, tightly clutching the detonator. “...A world where Bunk Bed Junction are NSR artists… A world where Kul Fyra left rock…” His eyes were blazing with madness, flecks of foam at the corner of his mouth as he pressed the button. “...is a world that doesn’t deserve to exist!”
Everyone flinched back, Yinu’s mother practically teleporting to her daughter’s side to wrap around her… but nothing happened. Kliff stared at his detonator, frantically pressing the button over and over again.
“...I was kinda expecting more boom,” Yinu said, peering out from over her mother’s arm, the tree-like woman already shrinking back down.
“Y’know…” Neon J said, everyone turning to him. “No one ever asked me what I did in the war.” The cyborg with the flatscreen monitor for a head was leaning back in his chair. “What my primary and secondary MOS were.”
Tatiana frowned. “...Okay, I’ll bite. What were your MOS?”
“Primary’s classified,” Neon J said, chuckling. “You may run the city and most of the world’s music industry, but you aren’t this nation’s government. And while they let you get away with a lot because you… well, pretty much solved the global energy crisis, some things I’m not allowed to tell even you. My secondary MOS…” He chuckled, and even though he lacked a face, everyone could just FEEL the smirk. “...was E.O.D.”
Zuke’s jaw dropped. “Explosive Ordnance Disposal. Holy crap, he defused bombs during the war!!”
“Dang, man!” Mayday said, grinning. “That’s hardcore!”
Neon J, relaxing back in his chair, snickered. “And oh golly gee, guess what ability my boys have programmed into them,” he said, looking directly at Kliff.
For the first time, everyone realized that 1010 was missing. DJ Subatomic called up the security feed again… and began to laugh, clapping his hands in approval. All five members of 1010 were there, dancing and singing around a pile of completely harmless, completely disarmed explosive devices, police moving in to claim the bombs from the stars.
The other artists all cheered, as did the audience, as Tatiana smirked at the sputtering, horrified Kliff. “How now, you ginger lunatic?”
Kliff sputtered, and screamed in impotent fury. He raised his boombox cannon, but the other artists were on him immediately. To call the resultant beating a curbstomping would have been an understatement, but at least it had a good beat to it, several of the artists talking about collaborations. What was left of Kliff was wrapped up and dragged off by the police when they came, Kliff laughing madly the entire time and singing old Goolings songs, his hair smoldering from the number of times he had been set on fire. Tatiana sat down on the floor, sighing after he was dragged off.
“I am too old for this crap,” she muttered.
Mayday and Zuke sat down with her. “Still,” Mayday said. “You’ve done a lot of good. Both for the music industry and this city.”
Tatiana smiled. “I started it, at any rate. It took you two and a crazy former fan to help me realize what we were all doing wrong,” she said.
Zuke chuckled. “Heh. Yeah. But hey, doesn’t your brand name reflect that? No Straight Roads?”
“Indeed… There are no straight roads in life,” Tatiana said, giving both Mayday and Zuke a hug. As she did, all the other artists joined them in sitting on the floor.
“I just wish we could have done more for Kliff,” Eve said softly. “I know what its like to be… troubled…”
“Ewah,” DK West said, sneering. “He made his choice. He crazy stupid. You crazy good.”
“He’s right,” Tatiana said. She then smacked her lips. “Oh wow, that felt weird to say. But yes. Kliff made his choice. He chose to become a threat. You chose to seek help. You will always be a better person than him, so long as he continues to act in such a manner.”
“Ma’am?” said a cameraman, bringing the camera over to face the group. “Believe it or not, we’re still rolling.”
Tatiana blinked in surprise. She really WAS getting old if she hadn’t noticed that.
Mayday chuckled. “Feel like closing out the show?” she said.
Tatiana shook her head, laughing. She decided to stay sitting, looking into the camera. “Well. Our show ends today with multiple new talents showcased and joining us in NSR, as well as the return of the legendary Bunk Bed Junction. And thankfully, the unfortunate incident that happened tonight was resolved with no real damage being done. Special thanks to 1010 and Neon J for that,” she said, nodding to the cyborg. Neon J saluted proudly. Tatiana turned back to the camera. “Friends… There really are no straight roads in life. The path curves in ways we never anticipate, and sometimes we come full circle.” She hugged Mayday and Zuke, the two grinning and throwing up devil horns for the camera. “These two started out auditioning for us five years ago, and in the end here they are again. All of us more mature, all of us with a better handle on our lives. And I thank you all for giving us your support and your love all this time. Just… make sure you keep it reasonable. That unfortunate man is an example of what happens when you take things too far.” She smiled. “Thank you all for watching, and have a pleasant eve-” She grinned, a thought occurring to her. “Actually… no, I think there’s a better way to end this, and to celebrate your arrival in NSR as well.”
Mayday grinned, getting the idea. The other stars did as well, even Danny knowing about their infamous ‘Showstopper.’ They all stood up, letting Zuke and Mayday take center view of the camera.”
“All right, Vinyl City! Say it with us!” Mayday shouted, thrusting her fist in the air. She and Zuke started it, and everyone both in the studio and watching at home thrust their fists up as well, chanting along with them.
“BUNKA!”
“JUNKA!”
“SHAKALAKA BAM! ”
THE END