Rewind With A Superstar System-Chapter 109: Back In The Studio

<🎧 Song Recommendation: Ill Mind Of Hopsin 7 by Hopsin>

...

(August 31, 2019)

With Alex out of the picture, recording Forget Me became a straightforward process.

It took Von three days to wrap up the track completely on his own. Without Alex’s uninspired delivery acting as an anchor, Von was able to fully lean into the moody, melancholic vibe of the ballad.

By the time Patch hit the final save button on the rough mix, Von triggered the System to check the results.

[Song: Forget Me]

[Score: 62]

It wasn’t a masterpiece by any stretch. Compared to the high-eighties of other tracks, a 62 was just a decent, average album cut.

But considering the song had been sitting at a dismal 32 just a week prior, it was a massive improvement. It proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that Alex’s apathy had been actively dragging the record down.

The track was finished. The feature was dead, and now It was time to move on.

On the morning of August 31st, Von was behind the steering wheel of his Escalade, driving straight down the causeway toward Neon Sound Studios.

He was already planning out the vocal arrangements for his next solo track in his head when his phone suddenly buzzed in the cup holder.

Von glanced down at the caller ID. It was Alex.

Von hit the answer button on his steering wheel, letting the call connect through the SUV’s speakers.

"Alex," Von said, keeping his eyes on the morning traffic. "I thought you’d be back at your apartment by now."

"Hey, Von," Alex’s voice came through the speakers. He didn’t sound like the exhausted ghost from the cemetery, but he didn’t sound entirely healed either. He just sounded... present. "No, I’m still in the city. Are you busy right now? I was wondering if we could meet up for a bit."

Von looked at the digital clock on the dashboard. He was only ten minutes away from the studio and Patch was probably already there.

But Von couldn’t ignore Alex, not after everything they had talked about.

"I’ve got time," Von said, hitting his turn signal to switch lanes. "Where are you?"

"The restaurant down in the lobby of my hotel," Alex replied. "I appreciate it, man."

Von hung up, took the next exit off the highway, and turned the SUV around.

When Von walked into the bright, air-conditioned lobby of The Setai twenty minutes later, he found Alex sitting at a quiet corner booth in the restaurant.

Alex looked remarkably different. He was still wearing his usual dark, simple clothes, and his raven hair still fell over his forehead, but the crushing, suffocating tension in his shoulders was gone. When he saw Von approaching the table, a small, genuine smile actually crossed his face.

"Hey," Alex said, standing up briefly to shake Von’s hand.

"Heyy," Von smiled. "You look better."

"I feel a bit better," Alex admitted, resting his arms on the table. "I hope I didn’t drag you out of your way for this. I know you’re on a tight schedule with the album."

"Nah, it’s fine," Von waved it off casually, signaling a waiter for a glass of water. "I’m not overburdened right now. Just taking it one day at a time."

"Good," Alex nodded. He tapped his fingers lightly against the wooden table, hesitating for a second before getting straight to the point.

"So... how’s the album coming along? Have you recorded any additional tracks since we stopped working?"

"I just finished one yesterday," Von answered honestly. "I recorded Forget Me entirely as a solo track. I shortened the runtime and rewrote the verses. I was actually on my way to the studio to start on another solo record today. It’s going quite fine."

Alex looked down at the table, taking a slow breath.

"Listen, Von," Alex started. "First off, I just wanted to thank you. For the baseball, the drive... for actually treating me like a human being. I haven’t had someone do that in a really long time."

"Don’t mention it," Von said quietly.

"And secondly... I want to do the feature."

"You want back on the tracklist?"

"Yeah," Alex nodded firmly. "I know I completely ruined the vibe last week. I was dead weight. And I completely understand if you don’t want to risk it again. But... I’m ready now. I don’t want to just sit and wait anymore. I want to actually try. I want to give it my all."

Von looked at Alex, searching for the apathy that usually clouded the singer’s eyes. It was gone. Replaced by a raw, unpolished spark.

"You’re sure?" Von asked flatly. "Because I’m not going to let you half-ass it this time."

"I’m sure," Alex said.

Von didn’t hesitate. He pulled out his wallet, dropped a twenty-dollar bill on the table for the waters, and stood up.

"Let’s go, then," Von said with a grin.

Less than an hour later, the heavy soundproof door to Studio A opened up

Patch was sitting behind the SSL console, scrolling through his phone. When he looked up and saw Von walking in with Alex trailing right behind him, the producer’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline.

"Well, damn," Patch muttered, sitting up straight. "Welcome back to the land of the living, Alex."

"Thanks," Alex nodded, dropping his duffel bag onto the leather couch.

Von walked over to the coffee table and grabbed a blank notebook. "Alright, we’re starting completely fresh. Have you thought of anything, Alex? Do you have something in mind?"

Alex sat down on the edge of the couch, resting his elbows on his knees. He thought for a long moment.

"I don’t really know," Alex admitted, "But... I think I’d prefer a song to channel my anger. Or even a sad song, whichever works better. Right now, the only theme I have rattling around in my head is something that revolves around the idea that it doesn’t even matter. You know? That feeling of trying so hard for nothing. But I can’t tell how it should actually go."

It doesn’t even matter.

Von gave it some thought. He grabbed his pen and immediately started writing down a few lines, trying to build a melody around the phrase. He hummed a quick, rhythmic verse, tapping his foot against the floor, but he quickly stopped and crossed the lines out.

It wasn’t right.

Von had this gut feeling that this couldn’t just be a standard song. He couldn’t rush it. He needed something explosive.

He wanted a track that would make the absolute best use of Alex’s A-tier [Audio-Visual Projection]. He needed the kind of music that could tell a devastating story all on its own, something heavy enough to carry the weight of Alex’s actual trauma.

Von took some time, pacing the length of the control room and giving it some actual thought. Patch remained quiet, waiting for the creative process to spark.

After ten minutes of pacing with no meaningful progress, a thought suddenly struck Von. He stopped walking. He remembered a very specific item he had been saving his system currency for, a massive crutch he needed once again.

Von stood still and mentally summoned his interface.

[EXP: 1350]

With a quick, silent command, he accessed the System store and purchased the item.

[Zone State Pill]

[-1000 EXP]

The invisible pill materialized and dropped directly into his [Inventory].

Von let out a quiet breath, turning over to look at Alex.

"Can you give me an hour to spare, or maybe a bit more?" Von asked, tossing his notebook back onto the table. "I need to think for a while."

Alex understood the creative process well enough. He didn’t ask any questions. He just gave a simple nod and stood up.

"Alright," Alex said, walking toward the heavy glass door of the live room. "I’ll be doing a vocal warm-up in the booth."

After the glass door shut behind Alex, Von looked around the control room. Patch was still sitting at the console, waiting for a cue.

"I’ll be asleep for a while," Von threw in quickly.

Before Patch could even ask what he meant, Von laid down flat on the leather couch. He turned his back to the room, closing his eyes against the studio lights.

With a final mental command, he pulled the [Zone State Pill] from his inventory and popped it directly into his mouth.