AN: So… I mentioned a few days ago on Tumblr that I had a number of finished fics that I wasn't happy with. Everyone wanted to see them, so I agreed to post them. This is the first of them. Sorry it's crap, but hopefully you guys enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Wreck It Ralph. Disney does.

"Be careful with him."

Her tone was gruff as she watched her men handle the crate, careful eyes making sure it wasn't jostled as they move through the Game Central Station. She could hear her men's quiet murmurs as they navigated through the maze of benches and left behind power ups, lost in the scramble as the Surge Protector put the arcade into lockdown, but she did nothing to stop their whispers.

They already knew what was behind the iron sheets, what they were carrying on their shoulders, so why try to stop the rumors that had no doubt already begun to spread?

"Do you really think this is going to work?"

"No clue," Tamora responded as Ralph came to a halt beside her, both of them careful to keep their voices low as the entourage passed. "I can hope, but…"

But this had never been tried before; they didn't even know if it would work; there were no guarantees or promises that could be made to make this right- they both knew what she wanted to say, but both knew there was no point. This would work and things would be okay, or their tiny little world wouldn't last much longer.

Either way, they had to try.

"Sarge, he's waking up."

It was Markowski's whimper that drew her away, leaving the wrecker to stand by the entrance of his game as she motioned for them to stop, her men quickly easing the cage to the ground as she joined their midst. Tilting her head so it rested against the side, her permanent frown deepened at the quiet shuffling, his snarl already audible to those around her. Waving them away, she waited until the others had distanced themselves, Kohut hustling along any stragglers, before pressing her lips to the metal, its surface quickly warming under her breath as she spoke.

"Felix."

Instantly the creature stilled, silence echoing between them as it focused in on her words. She doubted it could understand, but her speaking calmed it enough for their purposes. Softly shushing as it began to growl, she waited until the noise had died down again to speak, soft murmurs as she tried to lull it back to sleep.

"It's okay, short stack," she lied, forcing a pleasant note into her voice lest it hear how she really felt, "everything's okay. Go back to sleep; we're almost home."

"T…"

"Shh. It's okay. I'm here."

"Tam…ora…"

"I'm here, Fix-it. I'm here."

For a long while she played its game, speaking through the metal wall until it finally fell silent, once again asleep as she reluctantly pulled away. Keeping her head bowed as her soldiers moved back into their positions, gently lifting the box and continuing their slow journey across the station, she almost didn't notice when Kohut came and stood beside her, unaware of his presence until his thumb swiped across her cheek, dispelling the moisture that remained.

"It's going to be okay, Tams," he said softly, repeating the lies she'd drilled into his mind when she'd first thought of this plan and realized it a possibility. "The game knows its own; he'll be okay, in the end. Just you wait and see."

She didn't respond, only gave him a watery half-smile both of them knew was forced and fake, the trust placed in her own hopes already low.

"Let's get the men moving, Kohut. We don't have all day."

"What are you planning on doing if this doesn't work?"

"I'll wait," was all she said, shrugging off the hand resting on her shoulder as she pulled out her gun, checking the chamber to make sure it was full as the others unbolted the cage's door. "It's just like you said, Kohut. The game recognizes its own, and even if it takes a while, it'll separate the codes. I'll wait as long as it takes. Now go."

It didn't take long before her people were clear, leaving her alone to face the creature behind the steel. Already she could hear him, scratching and clawing at the walls as he tried to escape, his broken record of a voice calling for her.

As the door fell open and the creature emerged, teeth barred as it lept toward her, Tamora Jean Calhoun, sergeant of Hero's Duty, did her job and fired.

But no matter how long she waited, he didn't respawn.