Animator vs Animation: The Dark Web

Chapter 1: The Note

The Color Gang was stunned. They expected The Second Coming to wince at the pain, but no- it seemed as if he was safe from it. He stood there looking at them, unaffected.
    The Color Gang stared at him with disbelief, all having the same question; how could he be...immune? He stood calm, but his mind raced with the same question.

The Second Coming stared at the note, searching for a clue- something that could maybe tell him what was going on. On the note, there were glowing lines that glitched, and red cryptic symbols and warped letters forming the shape of a pulsating heart that looked like it was trying to escape. Inside the middle of the heart, a large spiral spun slowly that dragged his attention like it was putting him under a spell. What could any of this possibly mean? The heart? The broken symbols? None of it made any sense.

His face leaned closer, concentration narrowing onto the code. The Second Coming needed to figure it out-he needed to. But the closer he got, the faster the spiral in the middle spun. The symbol started to burn a deep red until suddenly, it flashed with a chaotic light.

The entire PC trembled as the spiral continued to flash a blinding light. The force of the seismic wave clattered the tabs, the icons, the world around them. The Second Coming stumbled, regaining balance as the spiral's light dimmed. The screen stood still again. His chest pounded, expecting the PC to look way worse than before-but nothing happened.

Slowly, the PC returned to normal, the crimson streaks disappeared as if it was getting absorbed back into the note. He turned to his friends, who all looked normal, except their colors are now slightly dulled. He noticed and was surprised. The Second Coming, the pitch black note still in his hand, remained the same, but the glitching has calmed. He stored the note into his pocket, saving it for later. He looked for the cursor for questions, which was back at the program, still bewildered. He walked up to Alan and waved, but the cursor jumped back as if not recognizing him.

The Second Coming pointed at his friends, wondering why and how they are duller in color. Red, Blue, Yellow & Green looked at each other and themselves, stunned from the new color that they now had. The difference was discreet, but drastic that The Second Coming had noticed. Alan switched tools, color picking Blue and painted his color onto the canvas. But it was the original bright blue that he originally had. Blue walked into the color, which obviously showed a difference.

Something had happened, but it was not yet clear. Suddenly, a white portal appeared from the Wi-Fi button, the burst of light splitting the air. The Chosen One barged in through the portal, completely worn out.

His knees hit the ground, barely catching himself as The Second Coming rushed forward to get him. The Color Gang slowly walked up to him, concerned about his arrival since he was usually independent. The Chosen One stands up, still tired. He sees the stick figures and slightly jumps from the slight change of color in the Color Gang.

Then, he looked at The Second Coming intently. He pointed at the portal, beckoning him to follow him. But, The Second Coming looked back at his friends, unsure of what to respond. The Chosen One ran and pushed the Color Gang out of the way, climbing up to the toolbar and grabbed the paint bucket. Then, he jumped across the screen to the color wheel and selected a crimson red color. He splashed the color onto the canvas. Immediately, The Second Coming knew what he meant. The virus.

The Second Coming walked forward as The Chosen One landed back on the floor, awaiting an answer. The Color Gang ran to them, with all of their hands interlocking each other. Then, Red grabbed The Second Coming's hand. He looked at his friends again; they knew what he was also talking about, and they were ready to face whatever was going on in the Outernet with him.

Without them, The Second Coming wouldn't know what to do. With their support, it made him feel more confident. The Second Coming knew that the note would probably help The Chosen One and maybe help with getting rid of the virus. He turned back to him, and nodded his head.

The Chosen One turned around and waved his hand, running to the portal and exiting. The friends ran toward the portal to follow, then The Second Coming stopped, looking back at the PC once more as Alan hovered over them.

He's leaving his home again-the place he fought to protect. But this time, with his friends by his side, he felt ready for what was awaited on the other side.