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Picking Up the Pieces Ch.12 Family Business Part 8

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Even with all the chaos erupting around him, the only thing Emmet kept harkening back to was his conversation with Luke Skywalker. "I'm happy just being a plain old construction worker", he said, "Becoming a master builder was enough."

But now, as he flung a wrecking ball at a group of beings from another galaxy, he lamented that perhaps he should've taken up that Jedi training after all.

He wasn't expecting the Duplonians to invade AGAIN. No one was--not this soon. Shouldn't those monsters have learned to leave Earth alone after the disaster that happened at the moon base? Apparently not, for so sudden was the attack, that everyone couldn't help but stare in wonder, then horror, as dozens of rainbow colored flying saucers descended from the sky and started shooting up the place. Thankfully, Emmet and his friends had been enjoying a day out on the town together when everything went to pot. So before the first emergency siren even sounded, they unexpectedly became the first responders to the disaster.

And thus was how the construction worker found himself racing through the heart of Bricksburg-- piloting a giant robot he assembled on-the-fly from some blown up cars. With every corner he turned, and every alien he ran into, he had to constantly resist the urge to stop and stare at the destruction. Whatever weapons the Duplonians had, it was like nothing the master builders had encountered before in any of their previous scuffles. One shot from the UFO's cannons broke down their target into its basic matter blocks. Case in point, out of the corner of his eye, the Special caught a glimpse of a truck being blasted into multicolored smithereens-- dissolving like sand pouring out of a broken jar...then reshaping into a strange, warped sculpture only beings from another world would appreciate...or Unikitty.

And speaking of her, when he wasn't swatting at enemies like an all-star tennis player, Emmet spun around frantically; trying to locate his friends who had gotten separated back when the battle started. Every time he'd catch sight of one of them sprinting by, someone else crying out for help would divert his attention. But to his amazement, not everyone was running for their lives. In fact, more than a few citizens bravely took up arms-- building their own homemade weapons and gadgets, to the point that it wasn't uncommon to see the newly arrived Avengers and Justice League fighting alongside Larry the barista, and a mailman toting a parcel bazooka. Guess these people really took Wyldstyle's speech to heart, even after all that time.

The distant screech of an unearthly siren-- a sound akin to a dying whale--forced Emmet to stop yet again. Turning his eyes to the sky, the gut punching sight that met him made his heart drop to his stomach. The biggest aircraft he had ever seen in his life-- a flashing, glittering pie tin with tentacles slithering out of every hatch-- loomed over a massive expanse of the city; effectively blotting out the sun and fully prepared to strike. All the Special could do was swallow the lump in his throat. What chance did any of them have against such a colossal beast?!

The answer came in the form of two identical alarms blaring over the bombardment of screams and explosions. Their infamous sound was the only thing that could make the construction worker turn to find a pair of similar cars speeding towards him. One was a converted ambulance-- the other, a hearse, but their white paint jobs and anti-ghost symbols were unmistakable. Screeching to a halt, Emmet watched with a touch of relief as a four person team of Ghostbusters leapt out of each vehicle; one all-male-- the other all girls. Together, they joined the Special in staring up at the spaceship; mouths agape.

One of the 'Busters--a slightly balding man with the name tag 'Venkman', turned to his associate, "So, Egon...you got a plan?"

"Working on it", the bespectacled scientist fiddled with some kind of scanning device-- no doubt adjusting it to account for aliens rather than poltergeists, "That HAS to be the source of the other crafts."

But it appeared as though their female counterparts were formulating a plan already, by how they formed a football huddle and whispered to one another. A minute later, one of the women-- a blonde one wearing goggles, tapped Egon on the shoulder, "Hey space ace? You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?"

She motioned to her futuristic backpack and winked. The elder ghost hunters stared for a moment; getting the idea, but wondering if they were going crazy for agreeing to such a dangerous stunt. Apparently they were, by how they all nodded to her. Desperate times called for desperate measures.

Not a single word was spoken as the two teams stepped back until they formed an inverted 'V' shape. Charging up their packs-- weapons trained on the descending spacecraft, the more portly gentleman labeled 'Stantz' braced for what was coming, "Ready fellas?"

Everyone looked everything BUT ready. Nonetheless, resigned to what they had to do, Egon and the blonde lady (labeled 'Holtzman'), yelled simultaneously, "CROSS THE STREAMS!"

On that desperate signal, the group of eight Ghostbusters all unleashed a torrent of fluorescent lightning bolts from their wands. In such close proximity, the slithering proton beams easily crisscrossed each other-- forming a single massive growing energy that all but rivaled the sun in brightness; forcing Emmet to have to shut his eyes and steady himself against the deafening BOOM that followed. Only when the light died down enough (and their teeth stopped chattering from the vibration of the shockwave) did everyone finally dare to glance if their attack did any damage.

No such luck. The mothership didn't even have a dent.

Holtzman's face fell, "Who ya' gonna' call?"

"Somebody else..." Venkman finished with a defeated mumble.

The construction worker suppressed a fresh headache coming on, "Could this day get any worse?"

As if on cue, an intimidating cannon the size of a tractor-trailer unfolded itself from the ship and took aim at the motley crew of defenders. The Special nearly cursed himself, "Me and my big mouth."

The words didn't even fully leave his lips before the saucer fired. The Ghostbusters all hit the dirt and dove for cover, but Emmet wasn't fast enough; not with two tons of metal weighing him down. Just as he held up his arms to brace himself, the explosion hit him dead center-- ejecting him from his robot and blasting him backward with the force of a freight train. He remained airborne for what seemed like an eternity; head ringing and colors flashing by him, before blacking out entirely...

...he woke up to a spinning, hazy mess, and someone calling his name. Gathering himself, the construction worker forced himself to consciousness; a pair of arms steadying him. Only then did he realize he was actually being held...by a very familiar figure...wearing an outfit he thought he'd never see again...

The president was staring down at him, in full costume-- horned helmet and all...but his worried (almost fatherly) expression painted a different picture, "Emmet! Are you all right?!"

The Special would be if the ex-villain stopped urgently shaking him by the shoulders. He managed to mutter out in disbelief, "...Lord Business?"

The politician winced for all of a second, "Close. I am now.." His chest puffed out for dramatic effect, "...the GOOD Lord Business!"

Off to the side, someone groaned, "You really gotta' work on that new name..."

The all too comforting sound of his girlfriend's voice made Emmet light up, "Lucy!"

The president finally lowered him to the ground, to which the construction worker was met with the relieving sight of all his missing friends gathered around-- shaken up, but relatively unharmed. Batman was reloading his grapple gun; Metalbeard busied himself with sharpening his trusty sword against his robotic leg, and Good Cop focused on nursing a wound on Unikitty's head. Meanwhile, Lucy wasted no time in engulfing her boyfriend in a loving hug-- pecking him on the cheek as he asked, "What happened?"

Benny flew circles around the couple in a hyper excitement, "Your robot exploded and you were flying in the air!"

He almost said it as if it were something really cool, making Emmet roll his eyes. He certainly remembered THAT. But why wasn't he a grease stain on the street?

The astronaut finished, "And then Business caught you! And it was awesome!"

Oh. So THAT was the cool part. Evidently, the feeling was mutual, for the president smirked, "I know, right? Hold your applause."

But the Special was still struggling to process it all. Not that he wasn't thankful for the lucky save, but something wasn't adding up. He stared at his once-foe, confused, "But..why are you here?"

Business blinked at him incredulously, as if he were asked why the sky was blue, "Whadda' mean WHY? To help you guys! This is my town too, ya' know."

The construction worker wasn't the only one weirded out by this strange turn of events. The master builders all stared at their former enemy-- never imagining they'd one day be standing back to back with Lord Business, saving the world. Odd how so many things could change in less than a year...

...but there was bigger fish to fry, and they had no more time to waste on awkward reunions. Emmet waved to the costumed politician, "Uh, thanks. Welcome to the team."

The way Business nodded and smiled, it was clear those simple words touched him in more ways than one...but he soon turned grim again and folded his arms, "So, anyone wanna' tell me why Duplos are invading MY city? AGAIN?"

Lucy was just as morbidly curious, "Can't these guys take the hint they're not wanted here?"

Benny went pale as a sudden thought occurred to him, "Maybe they found out about what happened at the moon base and want revenge?"

A flurry of screams interrupted him, and the team swiveled at the noise; gasping when they saw dozens of groups of Duplonians teleporting down from the mother ship. Each one carried a weapon the builders had never seen before-- a device that was no more than a row of blocks that came to a point to make a handle. Something that looked more like a child's rendition of a gun, rather than anything menacing...

...that is, until the aliens took aim at a few frightened onlookers and zapped them with a sparkly, golden light beam. Everyone stood in wide-eyed horror at their enemy stepping up their aggression and making their victims drop like flies. In answer to Benny's question, Emmet muttered, "I'm gonna' say 'yes'..."

"In that case", the president cracked his neck; ready to give himself a long-awaited workout, "Let's give these creeps the old Bricksburg welcome."

There was no argument there. The second the team took up their best fighting stances, Business gave the first command that anyone absolutely agreed with, "CHARGE!"

With that, the master builders broke into an angry sprint-- leaping for the incoming forces that took pot shots at them, but were too slow to land a hit. With the aid of his jet pack, Benny weaved in and out of the beams like an airborne ice skater; flying high in the sky to distract the creatures and draw their fire. At the same time, Metalbeard whipped out his sword and sliced through his attackers like butter. Bulky and clunky was he? Yes. Un-agile? Far from it.

But just like back on the moon base, the Duplonians easily reformed themselves as one would mold modeling clay, and just kept on advancing as if fatigue were a concept they had no knowledge of. Unikitty poured all her energy into firing a steady stream of rainbow magic from her horn; pushing the aliens back for a few precious seconds, long enough to shout, "This isn't working!"

Batman didn't need a reminder, as he flung batarangs around to no avail, "We need a plan!"

"What we NEED is more firepower!" Business yelled over the sounds of battle. The extra strength and stamina his old suit gave him brought him comfort, but he dearly wished he still had his micromanagers right about then. Instead, all he could do was use the height his boots gave him to spin around and survey the action-- deciding where he could be the most useful.

His eyes came to rest on a gang of Duplos closing in on Lucy and Good Cop-- effectively cornering them. But apparently, the aliens weren't expecting such unassuming characters to fight back, as they were caught off guard by the duo delivering a flurry of judo moves and roundhouse kicks. But so wrapped up were they in slyly trying to one up each other on hit counts, they failed to notice a new crop of enemies jumping from their hovercrafts, ready to pounce.

Quickly, Business leapt into action; stepping over the two until he was between them and the aliens coming in for a landing. Faster than an eye blink, a torrent of flame erupted from the horns on his helmet like a volcano--sending the Duplos either swerving off to safety, or backwards, screaming. All the while, he remembered the PR meeting he had with the master builders a while back, and counted himself lucky that he DIDN'T get rid of the fire feature on his suit just yet.

Lucy blinked up at her rescuer in a mix of being thankful, but also thrown at not knowing his helmet could do that-- not for real, anyway. The president seemed to read her mind and raised his unibrow, "What? You thought the crown was just for show?"

"Heads up!"

At the call, the politician reacted on instinct and ducked. Good thing too, for a Duplonian suddenly dropped from the sky; landing directly in front of him and hitting the pavement face first. Following the line of action, he found Bad Cop still pointing his smoking gun in his direction. The policeman stared at him for a beat-- mouth a thin line, as he wasn't certain how he felt about having saved his former boss.

...until Business spotted two more creatures running up behind the Cops-- prepared to ambush them while they weren't looking. With just a few strides, the president stepped past his former henchman and gave each of the Duplos a swift, football player kick with his massive boots-- the pair sent flying away, squealing.

Needless to say, the police chief was surprised at their ex-boss, who gave a smug smirk, "Even?"

Bad Cop grudgingly sighed, "Even."

Their awkward moment was broken by a yell, and they whipped around just in time to spot Lucy being pinned to the ground by a Duplonian. The creature let out a noise that sounded close to giggling, as if it were about to get into an innocent wrestling match than anything malicious. But it's wide grin just made the not-DJ kick and thrash all the harder.

Business and the Cops were ready to spring into action, until help arrived in the form of Emmet, who came racing in out of nowhere; toting a sledgehammer three times his size that he no doubt fashioned together on the fly. With just a single, mighty swing, the alien was sent packing, and the Special peppered his girlfriend with all manner of questions as he helped her to her feet-- making sure she was okay. All the while, GCBC provided him adequate cover; shaking their head at how far the normally bumbling hero had come in the butt kicking department.

...everyone was so distracted, no one noticed how open Emmet left himself for an attack...or that a single Duplonian stood just a few yards away-- unguarded-- a delightful glee in its eyes as it raised its blaster; taking aim at the construction worker.

Only Business, with the height his boots gave him, spotted the disaster about to happen, albeit too late; giving him less than a second to react.

He could either yell; hope in vain that the Special would hear, and watch his only son be vaporized...or he could do something else...

...so he did something else.

The whole world seemed to crank into slow motion as Emmet glanced up at the sizzling sound of a blaster being fired. He saw the flash, felt the heat; could do nothing but stand and face the impact...

...and it never came.

A red blur darted in front of him...there came an anguished cry...and the next thing he knew, Business was lying on the ground, ten feet away-- having been knocked out of both his helmet and boots after taking the shot.

So striking was the image, it took a moment for Emmet to recover...and then it clicked...

Business TOOK THE SHOT.

Everything else going on around him instantly dropped to the background as the construction worker sprinted over to where the president lay in a crumpled heap-- moaning in agony. The Special's heart threatened to burst from his chest as he gave his savior a cursory glance. Amazingly, Business' clothes weren't even ruined-- probably some weird effect from the blast. But he was certainly hurt, and barely responsive, to which the younger man held the elder one's head in his hands; shaking like a leaf, "Oh my gosh-oh my gosh- oh my gosh- no- no- no- no! Come on! Wake up!"

His friends were at his side in an instant-- equally stunned at what happened; more so for the fact that the president saved Emmet's life. Of all people, he was the LAST one they expected to be so selfless. But the construction worker barely noticed them gathering around. All he could focus on was Business, who managed to mumble out, "Emmet...are you okay...?"

"I'm fine, thanks to you!" Emmet suddenly flashed back to watching Vitruvius take his final breaths-- the scene so similar, he bit his lip as he shook off the memory, "But why would you do that?"

Even while struggling to stay awake, the president furrowed his brow; confused at a question of which the answer seemed obvious, "Whadda' mean 'why'? You're all I've got..." He smirked for a tiny second, "I can be heroic when I want to..."

Leave it to the politician to remain cocky, even while he was close to....

The Special refused to say the word. Not even when he recalled what Luke told him...

"He sacrificed himself to save me from the Emperor. By doing so, he was brought back to the Light Side of the Force."

No-no- no! Business was already on the Light Side! He didn't have to do this! Emmet wasn't about to lose another dad-- not this soon! It had only been a week since they found out about each other. There was still so much for them to learn! So much to do! There HAD to be a way to save him!

But the president resolved himself to his fate. Perhaps this was his ultimate punishment for all the pain he caused. At least he'd go out having done ONE good thing. Nonetheless, he frowned, "M'sorry I couldn't help ya' much...nothing I do is ever good enough."

Fighting back tears, the Special held his hand-- forcing a smile, "You DID do good. Trust me, it was enough. MORE than enough."

Business seemed satisfied with that answer and softly smiled...

...and then his eyes slid closed.

Emmet blinked disbelievingly, "Business...?" He shook the man's shoulder, "Sirius...?"

His voice cracked, "...Dad."

But he knew the president wasn't going to answer...he was gone.

Never in a million years did the master builders believe the ex-villain's reign would end like this. Everyone shook their heads at the sight-- some disappointed; others truly upset--Emmet most of all, who finally let the tears fall. Things were going so right...why did it all have to go so wrong? If only he had been paying better attention, this wouldn't have happened. It just wasn't fair...

Despite her reservations, Lucy couldn't deny that what Business did was nothing short of courageous. She squeezed her boyfriend's trembling shoulder; trying to comfort him as best she could, "I'm so sorry..."

But whatever other soothing words she could think of was cut off by the chilling sounds of the hovering mothership slowing to a stop. The builders watched helplessly as a single teleportation beam shot down from the craft. Moments later, the group of Duplonians that rushed to greet the new arrival parted ways to allow a much taller one to come through. Unlike the others, this one was of a much slimmer build-- its skin (or short fur-- it was hard to tell) a solid gold. Sporting a pointy, shiny, silver crown, and a billowing red cape, there was no doubt in anyone's mind that this was the Duplo leader.

He approached the master builders at a casual pace; head held high without an ounce of trepidation or care at interrupting his enemies' mourning. He stopped just a few feet away-- far enough to give the group some space, but close enough for his set of doe-like eyes to lock on the prone president. After a moment's consideration, he finally spoke; voice akin to a childlike babble-- face unreadable, "We captured the flag. The game's over."

By the tone, everyone corrected themselves. This was the Duplonian QUEEN.

Well, king, queen, governor, or whatever the aliens called it, the builders weren't about to bow to her anytime soon. They faced all manner of enemies and insurmountable odds before; they weren't about to give up now. Especially not after their leader paid the ultimate price in trying to save them.

Speaking of...

Before the extraterrestrial empress could make a move, Emmet suddenly rose to his feet...and to his friends'  shock, he marched forward-- leaving his father's body behind as he made a beeline for their enemy; a grim anger in his eyes.

"Emmet!" Benny cried out, "What are you doing?!"

The construction worker was a man on a mission. Without turning, he spat, "Something I should've done a long time ago."

The alien queen stood a good five head sizes taller than everyone, even Metalbeard. But the Special strode right up to her and stared her down-- glaring with all the fierceness of someone ready to commit murder. To see the normally bumbling hero becomes so cold and serious and FURIOUS was downright unsettling to all who were present. He had definitely come far since the day he fell down a hole and accidentally changed the world. Not knowing what was about to happen, the builders all braced themselves, expecting disaster...

...and then Emmet (not for the first time) surprised them all when he said, "...why?"

The giant Duplonian blinked its confusion; repeating the question, "Why?"

"Why? Why are you doing this?" Emmet poured out all his frustration into every shouted word, "We didn't do anything to hurt you! We didn't even KNOW about you until you came here and started messing everything up!" His eyes were close to tears as he begged for an explanation, "Why are you always attacking us?! WHY?!"

Everyone, both builder and alien, froze at his outburst-- not expecting the sudden interrogation. The Duplonians were clearly never questioned, and the master builders honestly never thought to stop and ask their invaders for their motives. Then again, that's kind of hard to do when one's being shot at.

And THEN, in another unexpected turn, the queen, rather than be reasonably angry at a lesser being speaking out against her, simply tilted her head-- visibly puzzled, "Attack? Duplos don't attack."

The Special eyed his adversary suspiciously, "You mean, you're not gonna' attack us now?"

The alien shook her head, but whether it was to say he was right or wrong was unclear. Instead, she repeated, "Duplos don't attack."

Now Emmet (and his captivated audience) was thoroughly confused, "What? What do you mean? Of course you do! You have since you got here!"

"Duplos don't attack", the queen insisted...and then grinned, "Duplos have fun!"

"F-FUN?!"

The Duplonian leader responded to everyone's collective outcry with a wide, earnest smile, akin to a toddler describing their first day at school, "We played a game. And it was lots of fun! But now the game's over." She put her hands on her hips, "And since we won, we get to pick what we play next!"

Emmet remained open mouthed for a solid ten seconds. This creature was talking as if he knew what was going on. But he couldn't believe what he was hearing, "Okay, um... I'm clearly missing something here. You're telling me this is all a GAME to you?"

The alien nodded as though such a thing should've been common knowledge. At last, Lucy came to stand next to her boyfriend; making it clear how fed up she and everyone else was, "Then why don't you take your sick game and go home?!"

A shake of the head told them it wouldn't be happening, "We don't have a home."

Emmet blinked, "Say what?"

"Duplo used to be our home. Then our home went BOOM!" the queen waved her arms in the air for emphasis. She gave no further detail, but by her sorrowful tone afterword, something terrible must've happened, "So now we find a new home..."

Her puppy dog pout was almost sympathetic. Almost. But Lucy was more put off than anything else at the weird turn the conversation took. Heck, she was floored they were having a conversation to begin with. She tried to put the pieces together, "So...all this time, you were looking for a place to live?"

The alien leader nodded; excitedly explaining, "Your planet has builders, like us! Duplos LOVE building!" Picking up a nearby discarded bicycle, she continued, "And we love smashing! Smash things down and make new stuff!" While she spoke, she crumpled up the steel frame like one would with putty-- effectively proving her deceptive physical strength; molding it until it became a lovely, silver scepter for her to swing around like the royalty she was. She smiled broadly, "Smashing's FUN!"

To say the master builders were utterly dumbfounded would be the understatement of the year. This entire conflict was all just a misunderstanding?! Apparently, in Duplonian culture, fighting and destroying stuff was their version of playing. When the queen said it was all a game, she wasn't speaking menacingly, but rather, literally. These aliens were honestly just trying to have fun, and thought everyone was in on the joke.

Well, uninformed as they were, that didn't change the fact that they caused a serious tragedy. Emmet told him as much, "Well, it ISN'T fun when you hurt people!" He pointed at the prone and lifeless Business, tearing up, "You killed our president!"

The queen was taken aback at his accusation and gasped, "Oh no! Duplos don't kill! Duplos can't be killed. Killing is BAD."

"Then why did you...?!" the Special started.

But the alien leader interrupted with yet another bombshell, "Your Prez-e-dent is sleeping."

Everyone collectively yelled, "What?!"

"Our guns don't kill", the queen explained in a matter-of-fact tone, "Just make you go to sleep."

So flabbergasted was the group of builders, they almost didn't notice the painful groan that arose at that moment. All at once, they turned on their heels, and yet again, had their mouths fall open at the most incredible sight...

Business was waking up, and most certainly NOT pushing up daisies.

"See?" the Duplonian smiled, "Naptime's over."

Emmet was off and running in an instant-- rushing to the president's  side and gently helping him to sit up. So overjoyed was he at this miraculous turn of events, he all but shouted, "Business! You're alive! Are you okay?!"

That was to be determined, although anything was better than the alternative. The politician bit back a wave of nausea, "Yeah...just a headache..." He then seemed to remember what happened; looked down at himself, and said flatly, "Oh hey, I'm not dead."

The construction worker nearly cried tears of joy, but settled for hugging the president around the neck--thanking the Man Upstairs for such a merciful stroke of luck. All the while, his friends collectively sighed in relief; briefly happy to have avoided at least one tragedy today.

But they weren't completely out of the woods yet. Upon his eyes falling on the regal form of the Duplonian queen, Business raised his unibrow, "So, uh...did I miss anything?" He gave the Special a pointed glance, "Please tell me no one kissed me."

The younger man nearly chuckled; wondering how to explain, "Um...turns out our 'invaders' were just looking for someone to play with."

Even saying it aloud, he couldn't quite believe it. The politician almost didn't either, if it wasn't for the Duplonians not blowing up everything in the vicinity at the moment. He winced as he tried to get up, "They sure as heck play rough..."

THAT was an understatement. The construction worker helped the older man to his feet; abandoning the long cape with the already discarded boots and helmet. Together, the odd pair walked up to the queen, who watched them with a growing curiosity. And she wasn't alone, for everyone-- builder and alien alike, stood tensely; wondering what was about to happen.

His expression far more empathetic that it was earlier, Emmet calmly explained, "Listen...it was wrong for us to not talk to you first...but there's been a mistake. Maybe things are different where you come from, but...around here, your version of 'fun' isn't our version of 'fun'. " He shook his head, "You can't just assume everyone's gonna' act the same way you do. What you're doing is really hurting us."

"He's right...because I did the same thing once..." the ex-villain jumped in-- speaking from experience, "I just assumed my way was better, instead of listening to the people I wanted to help." He shrugged, "If you wanted to be friends, all you had to do was ask."

And then suddenly, an image as clear as day sprung from his memory...a picture of the Special...of his son...bravely talking to him even while the entire world was ending...and out loud, he spoke the words that changed his life.

"You...don't have to be the bad guy."

There came an unnerving silence as the queen considered their words; her face unreadable. Everyone held their breath...

...and then, she turned to address her subjects-- voice bellowing out so as to be heard for a mile, "All Duplos! Everybody stop! Duplos did a bad thing! The game's no fun anymore! Time for a timeout!"

Immediately, like one would rewind an old tape, all the aliens in the area ceased what they were doing-- their loyalty unquestioning. They then either retreated back to their awaiting ships, or gathered around their leader, waiting for directions. Said queen then faced the master builders and gave an apologetic bow, "We're sorry for breaking your stuff. Duplos will fix it."

"Uh, no worries. We're kinda' used to it..." Emmet weakly chuckled, then added in on a hopeful note, "And...maybe we can find a place for you to stay?"

The queen smiled in, what the gang would later learn, what was to be her happiest moment in ages, "Duplos would like that!" She extended a paw-like hand, "Friends?"

"Friends", the politician took her enormous hand in his and shook it; turning diplomatic, "My name's President Sirius Business."

The master builders all raised their brows at the usage of his first name-- something none of them had ever heard. Only a nudge from Benny made Lucy and Batman not crack up. Unaware of the silliness, the alien queen remained just as formal, "I am Princess Lee-goo, of the planet Duplo."

Okay, scratch that twice. She was a PRINCESS. And that one word was all Unikitty needed to jump up with excitement, "Ooh! I'm a princess too! What's your kingdom like?"

And from that point on, the whole street slowly, but surely, became an epicenter of conversation as both the master builders and groups of braver, curious citizens, started talking to the Duplonians--comparing their interests, their cultures, and just all around getting to know each other. From Surfer Dave learning new moves to try out on the beach, to barista Larry explaining what a doughnut was, the mood was so friendly, it was hard to imagine they were all fighting tooth and nail just a few minutes ago.

Emmet watched the miraculous turnaround from afar; happy to have brought about another happy ending. There were so many people celebrating, he almost didn't see both the Justice League and the Avengers walking up to him. He only took notice when Ironman came to the forefront. Recalling what happened at Batman's party all those months ago, the armored superhero looked nothing short of sheepish as he replied, "I take back everything I said about ya' kid. Anyone who can stop an invasion with a few words is cool by me."

Practically all of the Special's body turned pink at the compliment. Satisfied that he properly apologized, both Ironman and the superheroes broke up-- more than likely off to do damage control. Lucy took the moment to lean in and muttered to her boyfriend; still skeptical, "So, you really think this can work out?"

As she spoke, Emmet spotted Benny among the crowd chatting it up with the aliens-- one of which he recognized as the ones they confronted on the moon base. No doubt the Duplos were just as lonesome like the astronaut was once. And by the looks of it, Benny was ecstatic to talk to someone who understood science as much as him.

The construction worker smiled with confidence, "The Duplos are pretty weird...but I'm sure they think we're weird too. And I think if we can accept a place like Cloud Coo-Coo Land, I'm sure the Duplonians'll fit in too."

Once again amazed at his thoughtfulness, Lucy kissed him on the cheek.

...and whether it was genuine sympathy or just the heat of the moment, the not-DJ couldn't tell...but to the shock of everyone watching, she then patted Business on the back, "Nice work, Prez. There's hope for you, yet."

There was no denying that the day could've turned out far differently if it hadn't been for the ex-villain's selfless action. Metalbeard gave a half salute; also wanting to give credit where it was due, "Aye, ye' done good, lad."

The politician's jaw dropped at their outright acceptance of him. Turned out his sacrifice and little speech to the aliens could work wonders in convincing the master builders, at last, that he was a changed man. The only thing that assured him this all wasn't some fever dream brought on by the afterlife was when Emmet pulled him into a hug-- his voice a grateful whisper, "Thanks, Dad..."

Those two words made Business freeze a moment..and then he returned the embrace-- his heart bursting with a true happiness he hadn't felt in years.

"...you're welcome, son."
Chapter art: Shattered Hearts by KarToon12

AN: Congratulations. You've just gotten through the longest chapter in the story. A few people have tried diving into Business' past, so I hoped you liked my take on it. I tried to approach it logically, with a slow build up to his fall from grace. It was rather a series and combo of events, his circumstances, and upbringing that turned him into what he is versus just one tragic event that would turn him bad. (On the funny side, I thought "These Boots are Made for Walking" so fit Busy to a "T".) Also, I had thought of Busy's backstory before adding the Star Wars meeting to the mix. It was by coincidence that their stories were really similar. Funny how stuff can work out perfectly like that.

It would be near impossible to name all the references strewn about, but I tried my best to allude to events and lines from the movie, but under a different context. As for Anne, she's completely my own creation. For reference, I based her alot off of Kaylee from "Firefly". I'd imagine her voice to sound the same too. Ironic that the thing Busy and Anne made together is the same thing that pulled them apart...and also, everyone always makes the Duplos the bad guys, so I wanted to do something different and have them turn out to be good (if just a bit misunderstood). I think this fits well into the overall "forgiveness and acceptance" theme of the movie.

Coming up next:  Batman's worst foes break out of prison to finish their earlier scheme that was thwarted by the master builders...and Lord Business is quick to join them! Has temptation brought the President back into villainy? Or is there a much sneakier plot going on?

Start here: 

Picking Up the Pieces Ch.1 Lets Party ForeverLet's Party Forever
"And did you see me come flying in, like, ROOAAAARGH?! And Metalbeard was like, PWEW-PWEW-PWEW! And Batman came swinging in, like, WOOOSH! And then-"
Emmet chuckled, "Yeah, Unikitty; we remember. We were all there too."
The magical, unicorn cat couldn't stop bouncing in excitement, "But everyone was so busy fighting the Duplonians, you might've missed something!"
"Don't worry", Lucy rolled her eyes, "There's cameras all over the city. I'm sure, come tomorrow, we'll be able to watch everything that happened."
"Like when I fired on the mother ship in my spaceship?" Benny was already floating higher and higher off the ground, and he performed a joyous loop-de-loop, "Oh yeah! My spaceship! Don't forget my spaceship!"
Both the astronaut and Unikitty continued to babble on at hyper speed about the day's events. Lucy just shook her head; smiling when Emmet quietly took her hand in his. Truthfully, beyond just affection, it was also simply to help each other find the


Next chapter:  Picking Up the Pieces Ch.13 Reform or RelapseFor how long Business had been in office, it was unanimously agreed that the past three months had been the most productive, most positive highlight of his presidency.
In the time since the Duplonian peace treaty, the politician worked with both Unikitty and Benny to have an area sanctioned off; somewhere visible above Cloud Coo-Coo Land, but a bit in between Earth and the moon--a place where their new alien friends could begin construction of a new realm to settle in and live in peace. Both extraterrestrial and master builder agreed to the name "Duplonia".
For the first few weeks, the Duplos kept mostly to themselves; concentrating all their efforts on simply getting the realm built with some odd combination of alien science and magic few could begin to understand. But eventually, Princess Lee-Goo began appearing more often as a sign of good faith-- making some close friends besides Emmet's team of "core" master builders; mainly in the space realm. To apologize for their earlier misun

© 2017 - 2024 KarToon12
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katiemae12's avatar
Do you mind if I can use Princess Lee-Goo in my Lego Movie 2 rewrite?