The misadventures of a Main Character [Complete]

LXIII - Reasons to wear masks

Three figures thudded onto the platform Main was lying on. They surrounded his captor, and shoved him up against the console. Craning his neck upwards, Main saw weird Venetian masks hiding their faces. Their black cloaks swished menacingly.

"You came just in time," Main said, as one of them sawed Main free from his chains, with what was clearly a razor billed beak thrusting through the center of its mask. "Ah, Who are you?" he asked.

"We're Anonymous," they intoned in union. They turned to the old man in a perfectly choreographed movement: "We fight for the freedom of information. Tell us where the Book of Faces dwells, it's  been controlling the data of citizens for far too long!"

One of the ominous  figures raised a lighter and flicked it. A huge lick of flame flickered off their grinning mask.

"Oh, right. Well, that's awfully interesting," Main said politely, rubbing feeling back into his hip, and cramping leg.

The old man's beard shriveled up in fear. "The Book of Faces will find out who you are!"

"Well duh, that's why we're wearing masks," one of the voices snarked.

"We also incited the wrath of the Keyboard Warriors to keep your servers at capacity," a female voice noted. Thick, square spectacles were balanced on top of her mask. She handed Main and identical cloak and mask. "Join us, brother. Claim your birthright!"

Main considered the offer, a new thought struck him. "Thanks, but no thanks? I've got a word count to adhere to, and I feel like I've overextended myself already."

They shrugged in union.

Main took to pacing the platform. He pretended to trip and fall, taking the old man down with him. He pocketed the swipe card and keys that were concealed under the gentleman's beard.

"Sorry," Main said, helping the man upright. "Do you mind if we part ways now? It's just I've kind of been in the middle of something for a while now."

The masks grinned at him simultaneously. "Sure, we don't see any way releasing you could possibly go wrong."

With a burst of dramatic music, they hovered over the edge, before plunging over into the blue and white pixel haze. Main watched them abseil out of sight, the old man strapped to one of their backs, the Anonymous flamingo perched on the other.

Main stomach's flopped with excitement, as he flipped the keys over in his hand. He looked at the console in his possession. He'd made it.

*

 He calibrated the console with no trouble, pleased to remember the exact dates of the security footage the Prince had shown him back in the dungeon. He wondered how long he'd had a periodically photographic memory. He couldn't help but think having instructions printed on the console was a bit of a security breach. The emergency abort function looked very interesting.

The platform swept through the Timeline, like carving an endless wave on a surfboard. The red sirens and lights faded. A portal unfolded from the churning pixels. The edges of the portal shot red sparks outwards, like a haphazard Guy Fawkes display. Through it, he could see Buttercup. She stood outside the castle in her wedding gown, eyes wide with worry. This was it. Main's heart raced in his chest. Any moment now, another version of himself would leap out of the bushes and murder Buttercup.

All he had to do was beat them to it.

Clenching the keys in his hand, and wrapping the security line around him -as the instructions demonstrated - Main steeled his nerves. He wished he had some whiskey. He skimmed over the instructions several times. It seemed simple enough.

Letting out a tremendous battle cry of "Butterrcupppp!!!" Main leaped through the portal, and charged towards her.