#like at what point did they realize they couldn't stop pizzahead? at what point did gerome accept he couldn't keep up with the decay? | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

phantomdoofer · 8 months

Text

Chapter 3: Rivelazione, Seconda Parte

"So," Peppino began, "Why?" One word with so much meaning.

Giuseppe sighed. "Ok, first of all, after they made you, I changed my name to Giuseppe to avoid confusion."

Peppino snorted. "Short walk for that one, wasn't it?"

Giuseppe snorted the exact same way. "Easy to remember. And in case you're wondering, Ma doesn't know. They took my DNA to make you when I was fifteen, flashed my memory the night they took me, and copied it into you. You remember when you were in the hospital a few days, unconscious, with a bad fever?" Peppino nodded. "That was when. That way there was a believable break, and could explain the muddled memories. They did it using old, old cloning tech, from before the Old War."

The Old War. Peppino remembered that from history class. Way back, maybe a couple thousand years ago, the world got blasted to hell. Took everyone centuries to catch back up. Rumor has it diggers would occasionally find old tech from those days, way past what people could do now. "Guess Pizzahead didn't invent that trick, huh?"

Giuseppe snorted again. "That sadistic dumbass came across a big cache of old tech. We'd been tracking him for years. Then that tower of his started teleporting. And it could hide from anyone who he didn't want to find it. Damned if we know how it worked. Then you did the job for us." He smiled. "Nice work, fratellino."

Peppino's head spun. "But... why? Why us?"

Giuseppe laughed. "For the same reason they picked you for football! We're tough, fast, and damn near impossible to stop when we're pissed! Beyond most people! They wanted me and my powers for a special ops unit, top secret. They wanted it extra quiet. I didn't get a choice in the matter." His face twisted into a frown. "What happened in the tower hasn't stayed quiet. Word's gotten out about the clones." Giuseppe pinched his nose. "And now the government bigwigs have decided to come clean about the whole thing. Clones, secret kidnappings, everything. People that are directly involved... people like you, it was decided we could tell before the official announcement. They did it as a favor to us. The ones they stole."

Peppino's eyes went wide. "But that's-a crazy! Everyone will be paranoid! It'll be a witch hunt!"

Giuseppe frowned. "We know. I said the same thing. But this bunch wants a clean conscience. So they're going to release the records. Everyone will know. And there's more people like you than I think even they realize. The world's still hurting pretty bad after the last war."

Good point. It was a lot of why his pizzeria struggled for so long, and why he had so few customers until just recently. "This... this will turn the world upside-a-down." Peppino couldn't believe they could be that naive. He felt bad for even thinking about how it might hurt his business.

Giuseppe nodded. "Part of why we're just one unit going around telling people that are clones what's happening. Get the shock out the way, so they don't get blindsided by their own neighbors, or hear it on TV."

Peppino sat quietly for several minutes, rubbing Mushroom's back. Giuseppe did the same for Sausage. His mind whirled, but it was the whirl of a pot of water being stirred, not the chaos of a firefight. How do I know this guy's telling the truth? Ma didn't know. He knows things only I know. I didn't know.

Peppino laughed at Giuseppe's suddenly panicked expression, which the other man quickly squashed. "Sì, that conversation is gonna be a lot harder than this one."

He looked at Giuseppe. "Mama's going to kill you."

That convinced him. Even if he's not telling the whole truth, only our Mama could probably make this guy react like that.

Peppino looked down at the Toppin in his lap. "Is there anyone else around here? Anyone I know?"

Giuseppe nodded. "Sì. Gustavo."

Peppino's heart stopped. Gustavo was a clone, too? What were the odds on that? To cover for his shock, Peppino responded flippantly. "So, what's-a Gustavo the First doing? Out toppling some government somewhere?"

Peppino regretted his words when Giuseppe's face went hard, and he started fooling with a small leather bracelet on his wrist. "He - he didn't make it. He died in the same fight I got this." He pointed at the horrible wound on his neck. "Some backwater nowhere, fighting some crazy Talpa cultists. One of the little bastardos went ballistic and cut my throat with one of those stupid helmet spikes of theirs. Then it turned Gustavo into a shishkabob."

Peppino nodded. He'd fought some Talpa in the war, himself, and they were exactly as crazy as he'd described. Always hated seeing the little mole bastardos show up.

Peppino noticed Giuseppe was shivering. His own heart was barely beating. Even if it wasn't the Gustavo he knew, his old friend, the thought of him dying so horribly almost brought him to tears. Judging by Giuseppe's demeanor, he was barely holding together himself.

Then Peppino realized what he was seeing. The expression, the shaking. The man was about to start spiraling.

Sausage looked up at Giuseppe and grumbled. Mushroom jumped off Peppino's lap and started rubbing against Giuseppe's leg, making that weird little warble it made when it was worried. Peppino stood up, feeling strange about trying to comfort... basically himself. Nonetheless, he walked over to Giuseppe and grabbed his shoulder. "Hey, hey, amico, it's OK. It's OK."

Suddenly the man broke. Tears started pouring down his face. The gravelly voice was choked with grief. "He died... died trying to... protect me. He died... reaching for me. My friend... my..." the man folded up on himself, while Peppino rubbed his back.

Guess this is what it's like for Gustavo when I start up, Peppino thought bemusedly.

He continued patting him on the back, until the wracking sobs quieted. Finally, still choked, Guiseppe spoke. "When I saw Gustavo... your Gustavo leaving earlier, I started remembering... but it wasn't him. Not really." He looked up. "Just like you're not me. You understand that, right?"

Peppino stood up. "That's why-a you called me fratellino. Little Brother. It's been, what, thirty years? Different lives."

Giuseppe sniffed. "Sì. Different paths."

Peppino hugged him. He smiled weakly. "Fratello. Haven't called anyone that since-a the war. They all died... too. Just... me and-a Gustavo were left. Did I tell you I almost-a died?"

Giuseppe wiped away tears. "I was told. They kept us informed about you guys. I wanted to come, but I couldn't."

"It was some god-a-forsaken hellhole, of course. Just before the big-a last battle. I was so tired, and wasn't paying attention. Then the shooting started..."

The two men, so alike and so different, sat for hours, telling each other about their lives after they diverged. All their near misses, Peppino's problems during the war, stories about both Gustavos, problems with the pizzeria, the tower. Most of Giuseppe's stories had to be vague, since most of them were still classified, but his anecdotes of his time with his squad were tall tales indeed.

They reminded Peppino of his time with his unit. He felt a warmth growing he hadn't felt since he'd lost his friends.

~~~~

Later, Peppino made them a pizza to share. The soldier hovered, watching Peppino work. "Ah, that brings back memories. I never had time to learn to get the shape and texture right. Where did you learn that?"

Peppino smiled. "After the war, after I-a pulled out of my depression, I studied under a pizzaiolo who knew Papa."

"Ah." Giuseppe said. "He still around?"

"Ah, no," Peppino sighed, "he passed away just a few years ago."

Giuseppe sighed as well. "A shame. I would have liked to have met him, if only to ask him about Papa."

The timer dinged. Both men jumped, then laughed nervously at each other's reaction. "Old habits die hard, I guess." Giuseppe said.

"Sì!" Peppino agreed. He carefully extracted the pizza, and set it to cool. After several minutes, he sliced it and offered a piece to Giuseppe.

Giuseppe ate it with a look of bliss. "Ah, just like Papa made. Better, even. Mio Dio, people just can't seem to get the sauce right!"

Peppino smiled. "I've-a still got Papa's recipe book."

Giuseppe smiled back, still in gustatory heaven. "Whatever you changed, I like it. You should spread the word more!"

Peppino looked down. It was nice to hear some compliments. "I never gave up Papa's dream. It's been hard. But I'm doing it."

Guiseppe gripped his shoulder. "I know. I've watched you for a long time, fratellino. I wanted to help. But you know why I couldn't. Governments and their secrets!" Finally, Giuseppe stood up. "Well, I have to leave for now. Tomorrow Ma will try to kill me, but hopefully not."

Peppino stood up. "Will I ever see you again?"

Giuseppe smiled. "Oh, I forgot to mention - I'm retiring soon. I planned to move here and settle down. If that's OK with you?"

Peppino stopped, momentarily stunned. "O- of course! We have a lot of catching up to do!"

Giuseppe suddenly frowned. "One thing: don't tell Gustavo yet. He's on the list, too. Better to let us tell him, so he doesn't get jumped. And keep everything I've told you secret for now. I probably shouldn't have told you all I did... but it's nice to have someone to open up to, you know?" He turned and walked up the stairs; Peppino followed and unlocked the door. As he walked away, he turned back. "I'll see you soon, fratellino."

As the shadows closed over his brother, Peppino said, "Presto, fratello. Presto."

Peppino sat and watched the sun rise.

This is going to be very interesting.

~~~~

As Giuseppe walked off with his squad, one of his subordinates walked up and asked, "You really plan on retiring to this place? It's kind of a dump."

Giuseppe clucked his tongue at her. Mio Dio, I miss the old squad. These kids are too much. "Young woman, that man just served me the best pizza I've had since my Papa passed away. Even if he wasn't family, I'd move here just for that. Now, did you find anything at the Tower ruins?"

She shook her head. "Looks like that Pizzahead character came back and took everything he could. That lab underground is a wreck. Even the Cheeseslimes said they couldn't find anything."

"Al diavolo tutto. Well, nothing for it. Make sure someone keeps an eye on my brother, and Gustavo, too." He choked up just a little, and touched the bracelet on his wrist. I miss you, mio amico. "And the others - the pepper, the slime, the weirdo and his lady, the pillar men, and the clones. I guarantee you, he's not done yet. I refuse to let him hurt my brother again."

<<Previous/Next>>

Side Stories>>

#pizzatower #pizza tower #pizza tower fanfic #my stuff #peppino spaghetti #peppino #giuseppe spaghetti #pizza tower au #tower town au

10 notes · View notes