The Blinding Light of Sunrise - TNT Duo Dream SMP AU Fanfic

Chapter 1

Wilbur Soot walked up and down the invisible boundary line that separated his land from Las Nevadas, his hands resting in his pockets and his tall, lanky body slouching in a way that said he was in no hurry. He kicked a stone along the boundary line as he took his long, leisurely paces. A gust of warm wind grabbed the red knit cap from his head, revealing a wavy mess of brown hair, the white streak of his forelock clearly visible, even in the grainy black and white feed from the video camera.

Quackity watched the screen in increasing agitation. Wilbur scooped his hat from the air, plopped it back on his head, turned to the camera and waved. His untroubled smile only fueled Quackity's rage.

"How does he know I'm watching?" Quackity shouted. "He's f-ing taunting me!"

"Maybe he doesn't?" Charlie Slimecicle, a diminutive man wearing the same black slacks, dress shirt, and suspenders as Quackity but with a green tie that matched the green slime that oozed from parts of his completely normal human body, who's youthful looks belied his age, gave an attempt at a reassuring smile, but his eyes, magnified by his round glasses, betrayed his nervousness. When the boss was this mad, it was never good for him. And he'd been mad a lot lately.

Not that there was anything to be mad about. His town of Las Nevadas was booming, the casinos and clubs were bringing in money hand over fist, and it seemed like everything Quackity from Las Nevadas touched was turning to gold. As far as Charlie could tell, this had always been the plan. So why was his boss always in such a bad mood whenever he saw or even heard of Wilbur, who was dead and isn't anymore? 

Wilbur just owned a burger stand outside of the city limits that was nowhere near as successful as the least successful restaurant in Las Nevadas. He wanted to ask, but the last time he had, his boss had mentioned bringing that up could get a totally normal human, like Charlie, killed. So he kept his mouth shut.

Quackity took off his dark cap and ran his fingers through his black hair. Replacing it and straightening his red necktie, he let out a mirthless laugh. "Yeah, you're right. He's just waving at the camera hoping I'm watching to see it. Wilbur's got such a big f-ing ego. Like I don't have better things to do with my goddamned time than watch him." He turned to the windows that overlooked the bright glowing neon lights of the city and the mountains beyond, craggy black peaks in the orange glow of the setting sun, darker for the tinted windows. He spread his arms wide in front of the vast expanse. "I have a whole f-ing empire to run!"

Charlie clamped his mouth shut in the interest of self preservation.

Quackity's four gold rings glinted from his left hand as he slid on a pair of sunglasses, covering the bluish-white of his ruined left eye but unable to obscure the hideous scar that ran up the left side of his face, from his lip to his brow, marring his features. He smiled, the scar mangling the left side of the smile.

Good. Charlie breathed a sigh of relief. The boss is in a better mood now, he thought. "What would you like me to do first?" he asked, eagerly.

Quackity looked at the camera again where Wilbur seemed to be quite happy in kicking up dust. "Why don't you go down there and invite Wilbur Soot up for a little chat?"

Charlie's shoulders drooped. This was the opposite of what he'd been hoping for. "Of course," he said.

"And use the back entrance, I don't want anyone seeing him coming in and getting scared off. I've got a business to run." Quackity looked at the grinning face in the camera again. "Now!"

"Yes, sir!" Charlie said.

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