Chapter Text
“Did Dig Dug come back to the office? We didn’t see him at all.” Asked Mappy. The underground tunnel hasn’t been touched for a day, at least when it comes to these long paths they’re walking. Mappy can only assume one reason this exists, and that only reason is thanks to his best friend’s love of drilling.
“Because your dear friend kept creating holes every day so often, I decided to make use of it.” Mappy can hear that sarcastic tone coming from Goro as he mentions him, falling down into a very deep tunnel one time can put a damper on friendship it seems. Oh, and people could get hurt badly by Dig Dug’s recklessness, That too.
“This is NYAMCO's secret underground passage! Where employees can travel here instead of having to deal with heavy rain!” Goro waves his hands as if he presents a brand new idea to the meeting board, but his smile soon turns frown, “But instead, it’s just your friend’s testing area for his drill.”
“Drilling is his passion. Give him a break.” Said Mappy.
“He caused us to crash!”
Mappy smirks at the cat, “I thought you said it was me who did that. Now you’re admitting I didn’t?”
Sure enough, Goro stuttered for a second before in an attempt to change the subject, “Are we even there yet?! We've been walking for hours now! And I’m getting tired! Besides, I never invited Douglas to my home in the first place. How can he know a shortcut if he doesn’t know where I live? ”
“There’s a good chance he’s getting those weird dreams like us. You got a dream about arguing in a car. I had a dream about… awful things. Why not him too?”
“Mappy, I swear. I would never hide pills for you or cheat with Sky Kid! I mean, he’s friendly and all but-”
Mappy signed, “Goro. I know.”
“No! There’s something else too! When I saw you in that dream. You look different, and I look different as well. The dream was getting nice in the end but… for some reasons. Something tells me that wasn’t us. Like, you got those big eyebrows! And gain extra pounds! By the way, you aren’t actually fat despite the fact that I kept telling you that you are at work!”
The mouse guard only rolled his eyes at his comments, but the fact he mentioned how they look different from his dream did pique his curiosity. He can’t recall any appearance in his dreams, they were all blurry at best. He can only remember that damn letter, why would he dream of that terrible thing? He begins to get lost in his thoughts as he continues to ponder about that question. Shoot, not to mention there was an odd fellow who spoke to him after the crash. Then, Mappy bumps into someone else by accident. Goro was going to warn him but then he was ultimately too slow in the end, he was too busy staring at Mappy’s face.
“Whoa, hey! You scared me, man!”
Oh, it’s Dig Dug. He’s actually alright, he doesn’t look worse for the wear too. Dig Dug was trying to get his driller up and running again. It looks like it’s one of the prototypes, perhaps he couldn’t get the proper one at the start or maybe he simply didn’t think which one would work more effectively.
It’s surely the second one.
“Dig Dug!” Mappy gives him a quick hug as he shouts his name, “Glad to see you're okay!” It took his best friend a second to recognize but once it registered in his brain, he gave out a warm smile to the guard. While Goro stares at the two with a bored expression.
“Aw, man. Tonight has been crazy so far, Maps. My mom is away so she can argue with those guys about that family tree I mentioned to you the other day.”
“Oh, yeah. If you are part of the Hori family or not.” said Mappy. Dig Dig’s mother really wants those checks, it seems.
Dig Dug nodded, “Yep! So I went back to the office, thinking you would be there. I was with Sky Kid when everything broke loose. But… those guys in robes took him away. I barely had time to hide myself.”
“Guys in robes? So NYAMCO is overrun? It’s not safe there anymore?” They left not so long ago, did they? He can only imagine if they decide to stay instead. None of the scenarios sound good in his head.
“Nope. It belongs to those guys now. I just had a weirdest dream before this happened too. It was this huge mansion. I was helping someone who hosted the party, for some reason. I wanted to go there. I think I know that place from somewhere. I don’t know why I wanna go there, though.”
Goro stepped in, “Yes, same thoughts exactly! Knowing you’re going to ruin the place with your drilling obsession!” As soon Dig Dig heard him, he finally put the pieces together.
“Wait a minute, that was your mansion? Whoa, maybe it’s a safe haven as I thought! My dream was warning me!”
Mappy knew Goro was gonna complain more if he didn't mediate this. So he speaks up first before anyone else does, “Yeah! We all had that same dream. We thought you could help us take there with your shortcut, Dig Dug.”
The blue man smiled, “Of course! I really tried searching for you, but those weird dudes were everywhere. I couldn't find Sky Kid either, so I thought maybe he had already escaped. I’ve been underground all this time, Maps.” Goro glanced at Dig Dug, the driller noticed he may say something wrong in front of him so he tried to make his statement clear.
“I mean, I was searching for you too! After all, you are the coolest boss!”
Goro only stares harder at Dig Dug as he lowers his voice, “Because I gave you a playground for your tools.” Dig Dug can only chuckle as a response, until he notices something in Mappy’s hand. It’s a toy gun!
“Whoa, you brought that from your house, man?” Dig Dug pointed at the snub nosed revolver, “That’s a prize with those old games! Based on your grandpa's name, right? Lemme check!” Dig Dug then attempts to grab the gun away from him, Mappy pulled it away once he noticed.
“Wait, this isn’t a fake gun!” Mappy slightly stepped away from him, but Dig Dug didn’t pay attention. He thinks Mappy is pretending that it’s real, he knows he has seen this toy before in the past.
“Come on! Just lemme feel this thing, man.” It was clear he isn’t going to give up soon. Since he trusts him, he decides to give the gun to him for a few seconds.
“This toy is really heavy. I don’t remember holding this-” And then he pulled the trigger by accident. Thankfully, he wasn’t aiming at Mappy or Goro, but the bullet kept ricocheting from wall to wall into the top of the tunnel. Which soon began to rumble.
“Hahaha… oops?” He laughs nervously as he puts his other hand behind his back, he sees Goro staring angrily at him. Before he can say anything to reassure him, rocks begin to fall down.
“Look out!” as Mappy pushed him.
Nobody can see anything since the dust was filling up the hallway, but once it fades away, Goro finds himself on the other side from the cave in. Mappy and Dig Dug were nowhere to be seen.
“Mappy? Douglas!” Goro shouted at the pile of rocks in front of him, Mappy’s voice then was heard.
“Goro! We’re fine!”
Goro replies as he shouts, “I’m not! This stupid rock is in the way!”
Dig Dug spoke up after he heard Goro, “Ahh, don’t worry! There’s always another other way to go! Just follow the signs!’
The cat looked around in the hallway. There’s only a single path and row of light fixtures, “What signs?! This whole place is still unfinished, no thanks to you!”
“We have no time to argue! We'll meet each other at the mansion, Goro!” shouted Mappy.
Goro groans in annoyance “...Fine. You two better be there!”
“We will, boss! You can count on us!” After hearing Dig Dug’s final words, the two begin walking.
Goro sighs as he hears their footsteps fading away. This sucks. He couldn’t believe he had to go back to NYAMCO since there aren’t any other routes around here. He prefers anything but to be stranded from Mappy. Of course, there’s no point in walling in frustration, as he looks down, he notices Mappy’s revolver. He picked it up, at least he’s got something to defend himself with since Mappy now has his shotgun after the rock fell down.
Dig Dug is right, this gun does feel more heavy. How did it appear in Mappy’s hand? Goro wasn’t so sure if he can actually fight when he doesn’t know how to reload properly. Even then, he didn’t have any ammo for it anyway. Goro wonders more about the current situation while he begins walking. He realized he didn’t mention to Dig Dug that he caused them to crash early on, he was hoping to give him an earful of it.
But with the sound he never heard before appearing in these tight tunnels, it wasn’t really his top priority at the moment. He quickly picked up the pace while carrying this heavy revolver. It feels so clunky to hold it, it barely gives him any sense of security too. These sounds then become voices while he begins to run. What’s going on now? Is it because he’s all alone? But these voices, they sound so vaguely familiar. Yet, at the same time they don’t. Almost forced somehow to recall… something. As he keeps running, the flashes of memories appear before his own eyes. But once again, he couldn’t help but feel these memories aren’t his. Even the way his body is reacting doesn’t feel like his own. It was already becoming overwhelming until he heard a certain voice.
“Don’t give up.”
It was Mappy, or rather… the voice of Mappy. Hearing it made him snap back to reality before he saw a figure at the end of the tunnel. It looks like Mappy, the one that appeared in his dream. All of a sudden, his mind only has one goal, follow him. It was better than staying in this terrible tunnel. He ignores everything now as he keeps running toward the end of the tunnel, holding tightly onto Mappy’s gun. If he ever sees Dig Dug again, he’s going to tell him that he’s fired.
The driller was thankfully not loud enough to make anybody’s ear bleed. Dig Dug was creating a new path for him and Mappy. All Mappy can do is simply watch him work, which he wouldn’t mind as he feels slightly exhausted from everything. But without Goro around, he feels worried the longer they still remain in these tunnels. They managed to be fine after everything, luck can only bring them this far.
“Hey, dude” asked Mappy, “When did you start having that dream?”
“I dunno. I was eating my food in my own place, and I took a nap. And… it just happens. I can’t believe I was in Goro’s mansion, I still wonder why I was there. I think Goro had three kids in those dreams.” Dig Dug chuckled at his words, “Goro as an old man, I bet he would look good when he became like that, wouldn’t you agree, Maps?”
Mappy slightly blush but try to be stoic as possible, “So you got those dreams before all of this started? Wonder why it has helped us so far.”
Dig Dug shrugged at his comment, “One of the dreams I had recently is us snorting crack. Do we need drugs to survive those zombie freaks?” He let out a small smirk as he saw Mappy’s eyes quickly widen up.
“What?! I would never do that! My grandpa is a police inspector! And my grandma would kick my butt! Not to mention my parents would have a heart attack over it too.”
“Oh? So you would try it? If it wasn’t for that?”
“No! That’s crazy! That’s downright absurd!”
“Yeah, a lot of these dreams I got were kinda crazy. Most involved the basem*nt for whatever reason. And Goro, man he became a real criminal mastermind.”
“What do you mean?”
“Ugh, I can’t remember, it’s getting harder to recall it. But Goro did some messed up things, Maps. Like straight up bad stuff, and there’s that pizzeria too, actually.”
Mappy sighs when he hears this, “Everything is so crazy tonight.”
“Hey, Maps,” said Dig Dug.
“Yeah?”
“I was being serious, I did come back to search for you. I was so worried for you, dude. The whole city was on fire… I’m so glad my mom isn’t around.”
“...Yeah. Same here, I just had to get Goro to the mansion because his sister is all alone.”
“Hey, it’s cool, it’s cool, man. You’re a good guy like the rest of the family. I know you got my back in the end. Same with you.”
“Thanks, Dig Dug. I’m also glad we’re together right now. Even if Goro is now separated from us.”
“Don’t worry, Goro can handle himself. I mean, the guy created a whole company by himself. I’m sure he will be fine!”
Goro wasn’t fine.
The blood was slowly draining out from his body, he can see it as the pool of blood gets larger by the minutes. That woman, why would she say that? It didn’t make any sense to him. No matter how much he tried to figure it out, he simply couldn’t understand it, even if he wanted to. It made no sense to him, instead. before he will soon pass away. He only focuses on Mappy. He hoped he managed to reach his home for his sister, and then wondering if he could haunt Dig Dug as a ghost for revenge. That would be nice, he can feel his eyes struggling to stay open. He knew it, it’s a sign of finally letting go of the struggle. The second he gently closed his eyes, he heard a strange voice.
“f*ck. She got you too, did she? That psycho.” While his eyes were closing, he could see sneakers and some jogging pants. But for some reason, he could have sworn there were no arms on that person.
“I’m not gonna let another person get killed because of her, not because they were happy.”
Wait, how long has it been? Where is he? Goro struggled to open his eyes for a bit. That’s strange, he feels okay now. He looked down on his body to see those bullet wounds are now gone. It’s like she never shot him at all, who did this? All these questions and Goro failed to realize until now, someone is dragging him, by a guy who doesn’t have arms. Goro panics, he quickly kicks at him in the head or anywhere he could kick. The person evaded all those hits but they dropped his legs.
“Stay back!” Goro frantically crawls backward as he sees the figure getting closer to him, “Who are you?!”
The figure scoffed, “I’m your f*cking saviour. Now, grab my hand.” Goro then felt confused for a moment. He swore he was dead, the CEO of NYAMCO and Mappy’s long time boyfriend was gonna be gone forever. Can he really trust this person? There’s no other choice, it seems.
Goro grabs his hand as this limbess man pulls him up, “Who. Who are you?”
“Ramon. I’m here to kill the bitch who caused everything. You must be Goro Straub.”
“Um…. yeah.”
Ramon sighs, “Look, it’s a long story. I used to be a popular celebrity before a friend of mine showed how the government was truly treating our kind. I was one of the last surviving members who rebelled against it but soon. That damn woman changed the future somehow. And she’s the same one who tried to kill you.”
Goro looks around the place, it’s… darkness. There’s nothing here but pitch black void and strange portals. They don’t show anything that can indicate where it can lead.
“Where are we?”
“Sorry, this place shouldn’t exist in the first place. Here, just follow me though this one, okay? Soon this whole area will cease to exist, so come on” Ramon steps into the portal, Goro soon follows him.
Suddenly, they were back in the underground, but this time it wasn’t in those narrow tunnels. No, instead they are in somewhere Goro didn’t expect to find. There’s a sign that says, “Welcome to Broodhollow.” Broodhollow? He never heard of that name before. No, in fact it wasn’t anywhere in the history books back in high school. This place shouldn’t exist at all, but instead. The whole area is stuck underground, only a few lights shine through tiny holes at the top.
The… thingamajig pulled up a PDA from his pocket, Goro stares a bit closely at it, it seems to have a label saying “Property of SUIT.”
Ramon caught on that Goro was staring, “Oh. I found this from some unconscious gator. I couldn’t wake him up so I just stole it for myself. These guys, they know about those portals, looks like we need to travel a bit from here.”
“Huh? We’re gonna walk all the way?”
“Nah, look. There’s a truck close to us, I can make it work. Just get in.”
Goro did exactly as he was told. Sure enough, the truck somehow was still working after all those years, Ramon didn’t pull any wires to connect or even check if there were keys around. But Goro admits, he can’t complain about it as odd as it is. Driving in the middle of the road, Goro felt a little exhausted. Maybe because he knew that he was very close to death at that time, and now he met a stranger who is from another place. All he wanted to do is see his boyfriend again.
The sound of the car engine was the only noise they heard. Soon, Ramon began to speak, “Right, I know you have tons of questions and are freaking out right now.”
“Like how am I still alive after getting shot?” Goro quickly pulled out his phone to see if it was working.
“Yeah. I brought you back to life, Magic. I'll explain later, I’m from the future of 1996.”
The red cat made an unimpressed face at Ramon as he showed him his phone’s screen. The screen of Goro’s phone displays the current year, 2015. Ramon wasn’t amused to see it, “I know what I said, shut up.” Goro rolled his eyes as he stared out his window.
“Alright, uh…it all started when I was getting married. I don’t remember who anymore. But, for me it started there when my own partner was f*cking explode in front of me and-”
Goro couldn’t listen, the stress from everything was getting to him. The fact he was so close to death, but more importantly, the idea that he was a mere monster. If he wasn’t, then he will be at some point in the future. There’s nothing he can avoid, all Goro wants to do is close his eyes, before they have to go on foot. Once again, a dream slowly appears in front of him while Ramon’s voice becomes muffled.
The school’s hallway is always empty, most of the time, the students in Namco High mind their own business. Any rule breaking activity is always outside of the school or things that aren’t technically against the school’s policy. His sister, Meowkie Jr, is currently out of duty due to feeling sick recently. Unlike her, Goro has a better chance of being listened to, he wasn’t sure why. Though, he knew it was her and her only that tended to get treated poorly without his presence around, if only he can be with him more often in school.
“Heya.” Goro turns his head around to see Mappy, skipping class as usual. Just to hangout with Dig Dug, but not before seeing him, of course.
“You got the new name for your ID?” Asked Mappy as he pulled out his new identity card. “Mappy Sato” is now “Mappy Kurtz”, Goro does the same, showing it off to him, his surname was originally “Ozawa” but then it became “Straub”. Apparently, it’s because there were reports of imposter Meowkies who attacked a few bystanders who either very or barely look like one of their family members. Pickle didn’t want to have any chance of that happening to them. So, this is one of the caution steps the families took.
“At least they can say my last name right this time.” Mappy chuckled.
Goro stares longer at his ID, “Mine sounds like a guy who does webcomics all the time.”
Mappy faintly smiles, “That sounds cool, making a webcomic seems nice. Oh yeah, You’re ready for the new work we’re gonna work on?”
“Sure, I don’t mind it. They’re making this based on our grandfathers' legacy, right?”
“Just a little bit of adjustment for our American viewers, not because they didn’t research about us or anything.”
Goro scoffed, “So they didn’t, then? At least we can get a few dollars for this, I bet my dad would laugh at how they’re gonna write him.”
Mappy looked at his wristwatch, “shoot, I gotta meet Dig Dug. I'll pick you up after school!”
Mappy then started to run while waving back at Goro, it was nice to see him once in a while in school. Especially while being a hall monitor. Still, he’s going to miss it once they’re going to graduate. His sister is going to be all alone next year, he won’t be able to protect her anymore. She’s such a kind girl too, the only reason for the terrible bullying is the rumors around the school. Thanks to her extremely similar look to the original Meowkies, whose only difference are the eyebrows. Rumors are that her parents were working for Goro’s guardian father, Nyamco or known as ... .Well, Goro. But the truth is, Meowkie Jr and Goro himself were both orphans together. Nyamco only adopted them after being defeated by Mappy once again sometime in 1998.
Goro managed to avoid the same thing because he looked so different, but the bullying harms the poor kind girl. She soon developed a delusion where the rumors were actually true, that she indeed has a parent. All of her feelings soon were pushed to the bottom where she never felt angry about anything again. No matter how justified it was, she’s alright, though. But sometimes, it hurts Goro to see her sister in her self denial. It’s the only reason why he became a hall monitor in the first place, but if Mappy and himself are going to leave soon then… How can they help her in the future?
School was finally over, after dealing with troublemakers. Goro was outside at the entrance gate. Like he promised, Mappy rolled up in his father’s car. Which is totally from Japan despite his dad’s insistence that it isn’t. Once Goro was in, Mappy pressed a button for a radio so they could listen to some music.
“The seventh anniversary of a camp massacre, the only evidence of anything ever occurring was a pink sparkly knife, the only survivor was Naomi Jansen.”
“Crap, wrong station.” Mappy tuned up the radio a bit, finally, the music was playing. Flock of Seagulls, one of Mappy’s personal guilty pleasures. What can he say? He’s a sucker for the new wave genre. Goro is more into the Japanese songs but he’s fine with whatever Mappy puts on. Except for that guy named Drake, he’s terrible.
“Hey, you didn’t get to tell me what guy you picked for your history assignment. Who did you choose?” Asked Mappy while he was driving, the road seemed rather quiet. Which gave a sense of comfort for them.
“Uh… That guy in Europe. Conker The King of All Land.”
“Really? Never heard of him.”
“He’s a real terrible one. Guy spends all the money on drinks and, um, certain night workers. Set the whole world on fire, after the civil war occurred, he was finally executed.”
“Geez, you pick a morbid one.” Mappy sorta knew that since Goro always got that interest in art, But still, executed the king?
Goro scoffed, “He was the only historical figure left, I couldn’t choose if I wanted to! Besides, what about you? You thought about becoming a police officer like your grandparents?”
“I’m still thinking. After all, my family tried their best to make sure we aren’t being followed by a bunch of reporters like those celebrities we see. Wonder Momo, for example. Besides, being a policeman in America is different nowaday. I heard most cops are… y’know.” Mappy slowly thought about it before focusing back to driving.
Goro nodded, “Yeah, this isn’t like other places. These guys are really crazy, my dad is just an old guy playing tricks with his children.”
The mouse remembers playing all types of games with Goro and Meowkie Jr a few times. It’s just too bad how his father is kinda terrible with it, “Maybe we should stay the way we are. Since there’s nothing wrong with the stuff we got. Hey, we can play baseball together, that could be fun.”
Goro rolled his eyes as he heard him, “It’s only fun when it comes to getting money for it, or stopping alien invasion.”
Mappy chuckled at his words, which sounded stupid. Seems like something you would see in a video game, “Sure…”
Goro feels his tiredness is getting to him, since the road is long and the night seems rather cozy. He gently places his head onto Mappy’s shoulder before asking a question. “Hey, Maps?”
“Yeah?” asked Mappy.
“You think I would be a decent criminal rival for you? Just like our families in the past?”
Goro can see his smile briefly as Mappy replies, “I wouldn’t mind it, getting my first report and it’s stopping you. You better steal something worth it, though.”
“I have a problem, I can’t stop stealing if I want to.”
“Goro?”
“Uh huh?”
It took a little moment, but he finally said something, “Your sister is gonna be okay without us, she can make friends on their own.”
The cat’s expression turned slightly sorrowful, is he really right? How can they tell things will get better without knowing anything, “I hope so. It won’t stop me from worrying about her, but at least…”
“Yeah?”
He snuggled closer to his shoulder, “At least I’m with you with this dumb show they put us in. Those guys created it. Instead of working with a random actor.”
“Same.” As Mappy said those words, Goro was finally asleep.
“Hey!” Goro hears a different muffled voice, he slowly wakes up from his comfy dream.
Yeah?” As Goro rubs his eyes while waking up, he soon realizes Ramon was talking to him. He can see this man was slightly pissed.
“I just f*cking explained everything about what’s going on! And you slept through all of it!”
“It’s been a rough night, I didn’t sleep because your story was boring.”
Ramon groans as he presses his head against the steering wheel, “Fine, I’ll recap all over again, this time, it’s a lot more shorter so you can f*cking understand.”
Goro gave him a thumbs up.
“Alright. Look, everything is in danger. Your world, possibly other countless worlds. Everyone may suffer dissociation and memory wipes because of her damn health problem. This bitch named Mary Sue, the same one who put a bunch of lead in you.”
“Health problem?”
“Yeah, right? My life was f*cking ruined because someone is on a downward spiral. Can you believe that sh*t? Even Jade mentions how her own presence even affects the whole damn world somehow. Like, she can warp reality itself into her belief. Even people, crazy stuff.”
“She’s really a God like she claims to be?”
“Nah, she’s just f*cking crazy. There were some of us who could resist her powers, especially Jade, she saved me before she…”
“What?”
“Before she threw herself into the damn machine. So all of us have some sort of chance against this bullsh*t. Make it possible for everyone to obtain Mary’s power. Including us, create our own version”
“Wait, version? You mean…?”
“Yeah. I mention she can warp anything, did I? Those so-called dreams? They were from someone else. Other creators or whatever the f*ck she called them. She decided to put everything together. It wasn’t intentional to mix all of it, she f*cking did everything on her own. I’m telling you, she’s really crazy.”
“So… These dreams. They weren’t meant to cross each other? There’s no… alternative world that is similar to… here?”
Roman sighed, “I think so, it’s still confusing even after trying to figure out everything. I still am but… as far as I know. It’s because we made it possible. By believing, like, it just…manifests thanks to us. I was born in a dream, y’know. But Mary… she’s destroying everything that ever exists. She thinks she’s trapped and thinks by killing, she can get out.”
“But there’s no reality she’s talking about. There’s no real world, all of her nightmares were caused by her ideas.”
“This woman. Mary, I met her and she said… I was a monster. I treat my um…security guard like he was a toy. She kept saying that to me.”
“She’s lying, Goro. She only said that because she believed so.”
“But…”
“Listen, she’s f*cking crazy, she lost her goddamn mind. She convinced herself that everything is fake. But we aren’t props, we’re f*cking alive and the fact you’re asking this is enough proof.”
“So then I never wanted to hurt him…” Goro held tightly onto the revolver.
“She tried to mess you up too, didn’t she?” Ramon quietly spoke to him, he knew the pain all too well.
Goro slightly chuckled, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to cry. It’s funny, I was almost killed the whole time. I was so focused on the words she told me. He’s my best friend, I can’t accept it.”
Ramon’s expression suddenly turned to anger, “Then don’t, don’t f*cking listen. She isn’t a God as she claims to be. I don’t know who she is exactly, but I know she can be stopped. Don’t let her convince you, it’s what she wants.”
Goro stares out the window, seeing the empty building as they drive ahead. He began to reflect on all of his memories until now as he turned his head around to speak to him.
“Yeah. Uh… Ramon, right? My father adopted me and my sister, his name was Nyamco. He was a guy who stole stuff with his children together. Sometimes it’s those fancy paintings he liked, or whatever a manager had in some store one day. Heard he did it out of sheer pettiness.” Goro chuckle at the thought of it
The cat looked down on the car’s floor as he continued talking, “But, after my friend’s grandpa once again stopped his crime. The group disbanded again and that’s how he found us. This time, he was focusing on us. Barely did any tricks, all the way until we were finally able to take care of ourselves and get a job. After that, he went away to find his other children. To help them move on instead of holding a grudge against my friend’s grandfather.”
The Nyamco Family, the only one who ever accepted them, “They may be a crime family, my dad might never outgrow the lifestyle, but he treated us with all the love we ever wanted from the start. He made us feel safe, even if everything he did for us was for the sake of atoning his mistakes with his previous kids.” Goro’s mind flashes memories of his father giving him gifts for his birthday, no doubt it was surely stolen but that didn’t matter to him.
“I mean, they get along as friends. That same guy and my dad. Even his wife, who arrested him too, hangs out with my dad. Like, he was part of this family all along, I guess that’s why they introduced my best friend when we first went to high school. Eventually, I would meet him at some point. They knew that, didn’t they? I don’t think they know I was the one who chased him since he broke rules sometime.” Goro recalls those times in school, it was surely thanks to Dig Dug who kept encouraging him to be "cut loose" as he said.
But then, Goro couldn’t hold his tears back, he was trying hard to keep it together, “I even replicated the same entire company from the show we starred in. It was for everyone who lost their job but… it was mostly for me. So I can hire him as a chief of head security, so he can stay with me a little longer. If he does move out, I’m….going to miss him a lot. He… he… gave me a purpose. Just for existing. I love playing games and messing around, I love the thrill and the idea of rivalry. … Mappy is my best friend. I can’t believe her words, Ramon. I love him.”
Ramon turns around to see Goro’s face. Seeing it reminds him of the past, he always cried so much about everything, and just like his friend reminded him. It’s a good sign, “You’re crying. Psychopaths don’t cry. More reasons why you can’t trust her, you did the right thing by refusing her ideals. I’m going to stop her madness, for everyone. It has to end at some point, even she will agree to that”
Hearing someone confirm this, it helps a lot for the poor cat. It reassures the fact that she was indeed merely lying to him. He couldn’t understand why this was happening in the first place, but it didn’t really matter to him. Instead, he merely wishes to return back to his dear rival, knowing the reasons are rather pointless.
Like this town, for example. It’s clear something has occurred here in the past. There used to be so many ordinary civilians living here. Broodhollow is definitely an odd name too, but then again, Bandai City isn’t exactly better as well. The city being owned by another company whose history shows how owning so many things doesn’t mean a good thing. Most were forced or by accident abandon the town over the years. If it wasn’t for Goro and his own corporations, the city would share the same fate. Perhaps Broodhollow is part of the victims too. But it doesn’t matter, their story has ended. Now it’s time for the current residents to get out of this mess.
Goro kept staring out of the window, checking if there was anything odd in the middle of the street. It does look empty but his paranoia kept his guard up for safety. Ramon, on the other hand, began to wonder for a moment until he spoke to Goro out of curiosity.
Ramon smiled gently but it came across as awkward at best, “Hey, you got an aux cord?”
“Huh?” Was there an aux cord in 1996? He did mention the future but Goro wasn’t so sure. He dug around in his pocket. Sure enough, he found it. It was from Mappy before they crashed because of Dig Dug, he then gave it to Ramon who put the cord into his phone. Which, it looks like it doesn’t actually belong to him. It didn’t look… futuristic.
Wait. Oh, this singer. This is the same guy Goro played from early on.
“f*ck you! You’re a meanie, you’re a weenie!”
Ramon sighs in relief, “Oh, Drake. You always know what to say.” Then he proceeds to sing the lyrics while Goro stares in horror at how truly terrible this song is. What kind of other version of him listens to this? No wonder that relationship seems rather troubled.
The limbless man gently hit Goro’s shoulder, “Come on, sing! It always helps me when I feel like sh*t.”
Goro waves his hand, “No thanks, I should keep an eye on the road just in case…” Goro soon realizes that Ramon is merely trying to cheer him up. It was kind of him to do that in the first place, but the song is downright awful and Ramon’s singing voice is nothing more than a screaming rabbit.
Ramon chuckled, “Come on! It’s actually fun, I swear.” Normally, Goro would keep refusing the offer as gently as possible, but he quickly saw someone on the road. In front of them, this person isn’t aware of the oncoming truck.
“Stop the car!” Goro yelled close to Ramon ears. As soon he heard these words, he instinctively hit the break paddle. The way the truck finally stopped was abrupt, both of the guys slightly jumped up, but their seatbelts kept them safe. After that, Goro promptly stepped out from the truck, Ramon soon follows him.
“Hey, are you alright?” Goro asked the man, he’s a gator whose vest is torn off. His face looked cold and empty. Ramon can tell this is another victim who went through too much in one go. There’s no point in saving him, but his appearance looks oddly familiar to him, Ramon brings his PDA from his coat. It couldn’t be that other gator he came across, were they together on a mission or a search and rescue was sent in? Whatever the case is, the mission failed, this man is too shocked to react to anything, nor say any words.
Then, Ramon hears a noise. A noise only creatures can make.
“Come on, we gotta go.” Ramon heads back to the truck, Goro couldn’t believe it at first. He didn’t try anything.
“Wait, we can’t leave him all alone! This is the middle of nowhere!” Said Goro, he grabbed the gator’s hand. He isn’t gonna ditch him like this. He was going to argue with Ramon until the gator suddenly stopped moving. Suddenly, his expression changed into a horrifying stare.
“Let’s f*cking go!” Ramon shouted, Goro continued to pull him towards the truck. Whatever the noise was, it made the man wanna go to the truck as well. There wasn’t a room in the front anymore so Goro put himself in the bed of the truck. Finally..
Ramon revs up the truck as soon as Goro was in, they were out of that town now. Away from those odd sounds.
Goro knocks on the truck’s window behind Ramon, “What are we running away from? I didn’t hear anything!” Before Ramon can respond, Goro already got his answer. He saw a shadow run past them, Goro then pulled up the revolver. This isn’t good. This isn’t good at all. Something is lurking. A few minutes and it seems the thing decides to leave. At least, that's what Goro hoped for.
Instead, some kind of insect creature finally shows up from behind their truck. It really did come out of the shadows, did it? Goro tried to inspect closer, it looked like it was carrying piles of skeletons on its back, of which the first half of the torn off vest can also be seen. It’s the same color as the man’s clothes. Goro then realized something once he saw that vest, that man barely escaped from it.
“f*cking shoot it!” Ramon yelled at him while stepping up the gas, “You got a damn gun! Use it!”
Goro then tries to aim at this… corpsebug, but with the crazy driving of Ramon’s and his lack of experience, it was rather difficult for him. He wasn’t much of an action person, always preferring to scheme and use his brain instead. Especially using a real gun like this, can he really do this? Can he somehow hit this thing at all? No, that’s simply impossible. He can see what would happen if he does shooting. He missed all the shots, just like in a movie. He can’t do this, no one can. All of this is too much! There’s no way Goro can actually take down this monster! His head suddenly started throbbing in pain, he held his head in agony. What’s going on now?
“Remember yourself.” It was a voice, someone he never heard before, It sounds a little bit younger. Who is he?
“You know her words are lies. You wanna know the truth?”
“The truth is, you are a simple character.”
“Yet, it won’t stop you from becoming alive.”
“Aim that gun, and remember the person you are now. Do it for your sister. Do it for your Mappy.”
Then it hit him, for whatever reason, it just hit him. All those fears and self doubts vanish at once as he hears that strange voice. What was he even thinking of such a thing in the first place? Mappy, Meowkie Jr. They need him, no matter what that woman told him, it won’t stop him from thinking of others. This is no time to wallow in despair yet, he needs to try. Goro holds the revolver with both of his hands as he aims carefully and inhales. The bumps along the road aren’t helping but it doesn’t matter. Goro sees something he hadn’t spotted before, he begins to exhale as he slowly aims at the patch of skin that is unprotected by chitin.
Bang
It only takes one shot for the creature to fall while running. Ramon laughed when he saw it all happening in the car’s mirror, “Holy sh*t! Nice f*cking aim, fat*ss!” While the poor gator is still in shock, not making a single sound. It seems like they were finally free from that thing. They can relax now.
The keyword is seems.
Before anyone notices, another corpsebug appears. This time, it was in front of them, very much in front of them. The insect jumped onto the truck, Ramon couldn’t do anything but drive off to the side of the road. It only took a mere second for a crash. Goro was sent flying out of the bed, only barely missing any rocks.
“Get up, you can prove her wrong.” Another voice was heard by Goro, it was… Mappy? No, it can’t be. Goro struggled to stand up, he could have sworn he saw his hand reaching out for him. But once he got up, there was no one close to him. Until Ramon pops up and grabs Goro by the collar
“We need to get the f*ck outta of here!” Ramon yells at him, but Goro struggles to break his hands away. It seems like these floating things are rather strong somehow, “Stop it, dumbass! We can’t save everyone!”
“But!” The distance scream from that gator cut off Goro’s sentence, it wasn’t right, no matter what excuse he may have said. Goro can’t leave someone by themselves, but Ramon refuses to leave Goro behind too. He needs him for something later on, he held his necktie tight and pulled him as they ran away.
“Daryl! Help! Don’t leave me all alone! Save me!” The gator keeps screaming in the distance as the sound of a corpsebug gets closer. Goro could only look at Ramon in disgust while he’s being dragged along with him. The scream only got louder and then, only silence was heard.
They finally got away this time. Goro looks back behind them, he wonders if the gator managed to escape again by pure luck. Afterall, they never see him die anyway, he didn’t even get to see him before Ramon dragged him. How did that poor guy end up in this underground town too?
“He wasn’t meant to be here in the first place.” said Ramon, checking his PDA. The portal, it’s nearby now. They are almost there, “Everything we have seen so far, they shouldn’t exist together. All of this is merging because of her. She’s… forcing it. “
They continue to walk further until they find it, the portal looks the same from that void, Goro still couldn’t understand how someone could figure out where the portal can normally lead to.
“Okay, this will lead to Bandai City. “ Ramon stared across Goro, who seemed like he had a question on his mind.
“How come, this woman hadn’t noticed you at all?” Goro asked, afterall. She claimed herself to be a god of some sort, wouldn't she be able to sense something is off?
A question that hit Ramon, he remained frozen for a few seconds. He realized something, in her eyes, because he isn’t part of the world itself or didn't do anything related to the “story”. Ramon is actually invisible, nonexistent. Ramon wasn’t meant to make an appearance at all, that’s why they never came across her. Everything was truly abandoned, including those poor victims, they weren’t ready to face it. But if he entered the city as himself and confronted her, he would surely become part of this story she’s creating. Losing every advantage for this. Unless… unless.
Ramon had an idea. And he needed Goro for it. He placed his floating hands on Goro’s shoulder, which startled him as it was so sudden, “Listen, I lost everything because of her, because I followed her orders she gave me. But along the way, I managed to gain her power. I don’t know how to use it exactly but… it all depends on mind powers, I think.”
Goro slowly felt unsafe around him, this doesn’t seem right. He can see it in his eyes, the desperation.
“I know what to do, it might work. I need you to trust me on this, Goro. At least trust me for Mappy. You love him, right? He won’t share my partner’s fate if you can trust me!” Ramon found the magic words to convince him. Sure enough, it’s the same for him too, the same excuses that women gave him.
Goro slowly nodded reluctantly, his senses screaming that this is dangerous, but he can’t move on no matter how hard he tries. Then, he can feel his hand clamp on his neck.
“Thank you for believing in me”
And Ramon quickly began to squeeze his neck tighter.
Sky Kid saw Eleanor standing over Goro’s body a while ago. Until up to that point, Sky Kid could sense her aura was ordinary at best. But now? He can feel it becoming filled with bitterness and insanity. Her emotions are all over the place, same goes with her thoughts as well. Doubt and confusion consume her entirely. His boss was murdered by this woman, soon she will surely kill him too if his role is completed. Even if it might backfire on her, he isn’t afraid of death, after all. He can sense the dead, he isn’t a normal bird after all.
“Y’know. You shouldn’t be cruel to him. He didn’t do all those things to any of us,”
Eleanor glared at Sky Kid, “And who are you to judge me?”
“Someone who knows him. Unlike you. You shouldn’t put your anger toward strangers, missy.”
Eleanor scoffed, “Soon, he will become like one. It was only a matter of time. You aren’t better either. From what I recall, I once told you how I can manage to bring things to existence with my emotions. Like the moon you praise so much. Thank you, for convincing the strength of the moon to these fools. “
Sky Kid shakes his head, “You say that the moon isn’t even from your own creation. And I can tell, unlike your need for death. I can feel this entity’s senses. It wants all of us to rejoice once more. Its morality is entirely different from ours, miss. It's not giving you those powers, it’s restoring its original self because of our belief.”
“Yes, for once you are right. Unlike that man’s way of mass destruction. My method is quicker and more effective. Planning a zombie apocalypse? Clearly he is merely seeking out any excuses to throw everything out of his life away. Now, Sky Kid? Has the broadcast finally made its appearance?”
“At first, it wasn’t easy. But with all those infected guys on the loose. Everyone wants to hear something that will give them hope. So that broadcast station now exists! It’s waiting for you now, miss.” Sky Kid replied
“Very good. I’ll go there once I finish here.”
He stopped walking with her as he took a brief second to think about something, “Miss… we are only working because of the moon. Why did you kill my boss? He wasn’t really a bad man or anything. Besides stealing so many things before from what I heard.”
“Because I wanted to, especially to see him die slowly.”
Sky Kid stares at her, those eyes. He was judging her by her statement there, “...Miss. You're just looking for any excuses to hurt strangers. I can tell part of you feel guilty for doing such a thing. You knew seeing him would challenge your whole viewpoint.”
He spoke more further about his thought, “I hope you are aware I’m doing this so I can learn more about the moon you brought in. Where it came from, not for your need to hurt others so you can feel better about yourself.”
She didn’t need to hear this, especially from a character no less, “If you are going to treat me like a mere child, may I suggest you check on your cult members and Officer Mapico? That woman is such a hero wannabe. No doubt she will attempt to escape the moment she finds it.”
“Miss, I’m warning you about your way of living. This isn’t how anyone should live their life.”
Eleanor growls, “I know what I'm doing. In fact, I need to check one place right away before we head to the broadcast station. Now please, instead of criticizing me, go check the others.”
Sky Kid nodded and walked away. Thank goodness, she couldn’t stand him any longer. She heads back to Goro’s office. She hadn’t checked everything yet, but Mapico would question her motive if she did. That woman is either paranoid or too good with perceptiveness. The room looks the same, the only small difference is that the infected man is now gone. Did he get up? It didn’t matter to her. She proceeds to inspect deeper into the desk as she begins to open up every drawer. It didn’t take her long to discover piles of photos lying in one.
She picks them up to look closer. One photo shows Mappy and Goro, smiling together as Goro held the camera up close to them. And there are photos of Goro and some people he knew in the past. Like Dig Dug during his making of a new driller, Mappy’s grandparents posed for peace signs together, Meowkie Jr in front of the high school, and Mappy’s father looking rather annoyed in front of the photo. And finally, there’s the family of both bloodlines, all standing and posing together, smiling. These are the memories of the contents. But… it’s not real. This is just. Illusion. That’s all.
Eleanor slowly rips a photo, not wanting to stare any longer at it, “They are not real. They’re characters.” she mumbled to herself. Then she ripped another picture before saying the same word again, “They are not real. They’re characters.” And then again she did it. As she stares more at these photos, she begins to rip more furiously one by one and repeating the same phase to herself. All of this shouldn't exist in the first place, this is just a self indulgent dream. Nothing more, nothing less. Soon, Eleanor finds herself surrendered by piles of torn apart photos. Now, she can focus on the mission, she left the room to meet Sky Kid outside.
Everyone in the cult seems to be outside now, ready to head out somewhere. Mapico couldn’t believe what’s happening to her now. Getting kidnapped like this, she made a huge fuss out of this, but each time she managed to fight back. She was always outnumbered by nearby cult members. In the end, all she did was delay getting inside of the… limousine. At least no one can’t complain that she didn’t try. But something caught her attention, the moment she was in the car’s seat. She saw her, Agent Eleanor.
“Hey! Eleanor!” Mapico yelled from the car. But, something seems wrong. Eleanor looks different somehow. Her face look… blank. Her eyes look duller now. Did these cults do something to her? Crap, if they did. She’s gonna make them pay for whatever they have done to Eleanor.
The cult group was now ready. They’re all headed to separate vehicles like this was a mere event they gotta attend to. Eleanor walks toward the same car Mapico in and joins her. Her face really changed somehow. Mapico couldn’t really describe much more besides the fact she looks more…dull. Almost like she’s dead on the inside. As they now begin to drive, Eleanor is sitting in front of her, staring at the window next to herself. She’s not saying anything.
“Hey, Eleanor” she whispered to her, “What happened after we split up? They didn’t do anything to you, did they?”
But Eleanor didn’t speak at first. She stares mindlessly out the window, before she replies to her, “Officer Mapico Ohnogi. At least, before you marry your own coworker partner.” Mapico widens her eyes, nobody really knows anything about her. Even during those times with Mappy together in police work. So how did she gather that info?
“How did you know that?” Mapico asked, as she was stunned to hear it from her.
Eleanor replied, still staring at the window, “It doesn’t matter. You wouldn’t believe me because it’s too much to handle. But fine. I'll tell you anyway.” She turned her head to speak to Mapico, “I’m a god. I’m not really an agent, I can create things anytime I feel like it. Only with my mind and that’s it. At first, I kept running away from it. But now, I finally accept it.”
Mapico wasn’t sure what to say here. Eleanor is entirely different. Her tone, her expression. It was like seeing someone else pretending to be her.
Eleanor signs, “You people are just from a bunch of video games and shows. You aren’t real. Nothing is in this world. But you? You got nothing, unlike your so-called third son. That’s why you never had any of those visions from another place. Because there was none for you to see. Even meeting you was a mistake, those things caught me off guard.”
She couldn’t say anything, Mapico could only listen in silence.
“Yes, I know about that too. In fact, If I didn’t force that man, Robert Baxter, to drop the mission of killing both of them. He would have done it already. After all, he killed the one close to him before. He can do it. But I personally wanna be the one who takes down Goro instead.”
“You… take down? You mean…?” No, Eleanor couldn’t have. Mapico can’t believe that would be the case here.
“Of course. Please, Officer Mapico. Surely you understand as a mother, right? He wasn’t a good man at all. You saw how close they are together in those pictures. Honestly, how could you allow that? Letting your dear son fall in love with an awful man like him? You know the kind of toxic relationship that can occur? I dare say he is an actual-”
“Stop talking.” Mapico quietly spoke to her. She doesn’t understand what she’s talking about. But once she heard her. Her gut feeling tells her she will harm her family and Goro. That’s enough to hate someone for her.
The woman began to smirk, “Oh? Did I upset you? But it’s true. All the signs are there. Officer Mapico, I know the real truth. I know what they really like. You shouldn’t exist either. In fact, your third son is actually your husband somehow. They are the same person.”
“I said.” Mapico pulled up her baton, “Stop talking.”
“Officer Mapico, please. I told you I am a god. What would happen if you tried to hurt me?”
The mouse hissed at her, “I don’t care what you are. But if you hurt my grandson or Goro,” but what she heard next was the last straw for her.
“Goro is dead. I killed him. I did you a favor and this is how you repay me? You’re such a terrible mother. How can your beloved Mappy marry an awful woman like yourself?”
In an instant, Mapico hit Eleanor across her cheek with her baton. It was… her instinct. She couldn’t stand the nonsense she was blabbing about. She kept warning her to stop talking but she just didn't stop.
Eleanor’s reaction wasn’t helping either. She froze for about a second or two until she pressed her bruised cheek with her hand. Like she wasn’t expecting it. Then, she smiled gently.
“You really aren’t like your dear husband after all. This reminded me of the reality I’ve been wanting to return to. Would you mind if I tell you my little story?”
Mapico could stare at her in anger, “You won’t shut up anyway.”
“I’ll take that as a yes then. You see, in reality. The world was slowly dying. Miserable begin to affect everyone, suicide rates increase as months go by. People become more hopeless as they choose to live inside of their own room instead of going outside. And every day, people lose their own identity and become the worst versions of themselves.”
The women begin to reminisce at that moment, “I remember… each time I tried to be in a group. Their mental illness eventually consumed them. Or… they became perverted monsters. It’s always one or the two,” For some odd reason, she made a confused expression, as if she didn’t really understand what she said just now. Almost as if those memories didn’t belong to her.
“Whatever you are trying to say, get on with it.” Mapico bemoaned
“A classic example of a real proper lady from Japan, I see. Before you rudely interrupted me. I was going to say how… despite everything. It was actually real. I belong there. Not this fake world. I’m tired of staying here. I wanna go back to the real world. After meeting someone who feels the same pain as me, we made a plan that could finally work. After tonight, we can finally be free.”
Mapico responded to her crazy words, “You… I knew there was something off with you. But I can’t ever imagine anything like this. You’re the reason behind everything? You’re going to hurt my grandson for your own gain?”
“He isn’t your grandson. I told you that. No matter how you are going to hurt me. It won’t erase the fact that you should be dead from the start. Since you are the grandmother, are you?”
“Shut up!” The poor cop can’t help it, she wants to control herself but hearing her only made it so much harder. She held the grip onto her baton to hit her again.
Before Mapico could attack her. The car suddenly swirled until they hit a street light. It threw Mapico Into the window as her head smacking into it, causing it to shatter. While Eleanor was thrown in the opposite direction from Mapico. They didn’t hear any warning for this, it was just so abrupt.
Eleanor remained conscious when the car hit, so much for the fancy ride, she didn’t want a limb car in the first place. But according to Robert, they were only remaining cars they could find. She can feel blood pouring out of her head slightly, but it didn’t bother her. In fact, she welcomed it. Let her “adorable” face get ruined by these wounds she deserves. The police mouse lay below her, she’s knocked out cold. But only for a moment. It’s time to figure out what caused the crash to occur. Surely, the driver didn’t swerve because of their attempts to avoid small pets on the road.
Eleanor climbed up on top of the crashed limousine, she saw rows of cars utterly shot to pieces, littered with bullet holes, and an endless row of fires covering up the skies. The heavy rainstorm wasn’t enough to put down these fires, a crowd of cult members fled in terror, screaming for their lives. Seriously? People are so weak. What are they running away from? Another uncontrollable monster? Robert’s plan gone wrong?
One of the cult members ran past her as he yelled at another runaway member, “Oh, sh*t! That guy is carrying two machine guns!”
“We gotta get out first! Where’s the leader?!” Yelled a nearby member.
Two machine guns? Dual wielding? It sounds familiar. The other world she was in before, it shouldn’t exist anymore. Everything should cease once the world is destroyed. It can’t be what she thinks it is. She drops to the ground from the car, everyone is too busy fleeing to even notice her. How typical, she does carry a plain looking face somehow. She never managed to stand out in a crowd in her life. But that’s fine with her, it doesn’t matter. What truly matters is what she’s seeing right now.
A red cat, holding those double small tommy guns. His eyes' shape changed into that stupid drunken man’s look. Of course, the lucky cat survived after all. Or rather, the miserable limbless has-been survived. Wearing Goro’s body. The moment she spots him, so does he. His smile began to widen further than any other person could. Eleanor isn’t not even remotely impressed by this.
“I know what you’re doing, Ramon,” She spoke to him, barely shaking in fear unlike everyone else, “You’re avoiding killing these idiots first so the story’s atmosphere won’t change to my advantage. Isn’t that correct?”
Goro, or… Ramon in Goro’s body growl, “I should f*cking kill you the moment you open you god damn mouth. But I know you always have a trick up your sleeve.” Eleanor admits, it’s a little unsettling hearing Ramon speak in Goro’s voice. Is he somewhere in there? Or has Ramon spilled more blood on his hands once more?
Eleanor chuckled, “You know me so well. You certainly learned a lot since our last time chatting. I don’t know why you hold such a grudge against me. I did you a favor. I offer you a chance when I can’t do it myself!”
f*ck this, he know what he said but he can’t stand her anymore. Ramon barely pulls one of his tommy guns to shoot at her, aiming anywhere on her body. Bang. To his surprise, it actually went through. There wasn’t some telekinesis bullsh*t where she would freeze those bullets. Of course, he knew it wasn’t that simple. No, he knew she allowed this to happen. Eleanor is crazy, after all.
The moment the bullets hit her shoulder, she immediately dropped to the ground on her one knee. Out of pure survival instinct, she held her wound as she stared at it. It’s bleeding down to her arm. Finally, real pain. After all these years spending time in this place. It's almost ashamed to confess this, but it feels good. It feels so good to receive pain. She couldn’t help but desire for any harm in her way that isn’t self-inflicted. It wasn’t enough. Now Ramon, the man who has the same misery in his life, can perhaps fulfill her wish.
And that’s where she suddenly had an idea. If the world he came from is gone, yet he still remains to exist. She wondered… would her death caused by him finally put her down for good? There’s only one way to find out. Eleanor slowly stands up, still holding her bleeding arm, part of her shirt is now soaked in blood.
“Nice shot, mister celebrity. Maybe we can play a game now that you are here.” Eleanor gently smiles. It looks rather off considering the state of her appearance.
“I didn’t come here to play. I’m here to make my friend’s death mean something. For putting others in first priority instead of themselves. And I ain’t gonna let you take away this man’s happiness like you did with me. You just want everyone to suffer the same way you did!”
Eleanor slowly grabbed her pistol from her skirt, “So? Do you understand how everyone including yourself are doomed regardless? I’m not going to repeat myself again. Instead, I want to have a duel with you, Mister Ramon. You might finally have the ability to finally kill me for good. And I wanted to die so much. Please? It’s only fun if we can play one last game.”
Ramon hissed, there’s no other choice. He had to entertain the mad woman for this. Ultimately, he raised his tommy guns toward Eleanor, “Fine, I’ll play your sick game. Know that you are going to be ripped apart by these guns as soon as the duel is over.”
Eleanor raised her pistol at the possessed red cat, “Confident, are we? Let’s fulfill our last wish then?”
Meanwhile, Sky Kid was busy escorting the remaining members out of the car crash. Few weren’t unable to get out without help. The cult never expected something like this would occur. They were the only ones who weren’t infected from the weird gas since the start. Because of the sudden surprise, they didn’t have any place to retreat exactly. The only area that seemed safe was back at the NYAMCO office building. Sky Kid pulled out one member who was trapped inside in one of the cars. Thankfully, it was rather easy and quick.
Sky Kid then examines the person’s body in case there's any wounds while reassuring them, “Just head back to NYAMCO! We will figure this out later! Help anyone you see!”
The person nodded, “Thank you so much!” before standing up to run away with the rest of the group. That should be the last one. But Sky Kid wanted to check further if there are still more people in need. He ran past dozens of ruined cars to eventually spot one that stuck out. A limousine. Wait, he had never seen that car before. It looks rather out of place too. This one isn’t from anyone from the group, who does it belong to? He ran toward the crash site of a limo to take a closer look, the blue bird crouched down to inspect the inside of it. There appeared to be a female officer with a terrible color choice in uniform. Is it orange or a mix of yellow? Sky Kid wasn’t so sure.
Sky Kid crawls carefully as the best he can. There was broken glass everywhere on the ground. He gave a quick pat on her back, “Hey, wake up, miss!” It was no good. She’s still knocked out cold. Nevertheless, he slowly grabs her and gently drags her outside so she won’t accidentally stab herself with all the broken glass. It just hit him now, it’s the kind officer from the parking lot! It’s a small world, huh?
The rain is still pouring hard but the fire refuses to die down. Sky Kid takes a quick inventory of his surroundings. There’s only one person, and he can see it in front of him. Eleanor. It’s a little harder to exactly see what’s going on on the other side, but it does look like she’s ready for a fight, it seems. In front of her seems to be… Sky Kid’s boss? Goro? But his eyes look completely different. Holding double guns like it’s nothing to him. But then Sky Kid let out a soft chuckle as he realized it. Goro is possessed by someone! Duh, of course. But, wait…
Sky Kid takes a closer look at it to notice they are aiming their guns at each other. Wait, they’re not gonna…? Oh no, if Goro is still there while someone is controlling his body. He will surely die. This wasn’t part of the plan they made. He isn’t going to let someone like her treat his friendly boss like trash again. He gotta do something, quick.
The blue bird looks down on the unconscious officer, he finds that there’s a baton on her hip, “Sorry, officer. I need this for a few seconds,” as he grabbed it from her side. Sky Kid slowly inhales to prepare himself to throw it at them. Nobody really notices the fact that he isn’t exactly ordinary or he can use dark and mind power easily. That’s fine by him, he didn’t want folks to fear him for his own existence. Which is what he’s gonna do here. As long as he can stay focused. He closes his eyes for a few seconds and exhales, then he hurls it at them.
The moment the two fired shots at each other, the baton became a boomerang. Hitting both of them before they can even see it. Only Ramon managed to hit Eleanor in the other shoulder while the tommy gun fell onto the ground. The sudden hit threw them off the balance, making them fall, Ramon unknowingly had the revolver slip out of Goro’s suit. Eleanor quickly regains her senses, noticing the pistol close to the now unconscious cat. She immediately grabs the gun, tucking it away before Sky Kid approaches. Damn him, if he wasn’t here. She would be…
“Howdy, miss! Thank goodness I saved you just in time, huh?” The bird smiled at her. But Eleanor wasn’t having any of it. Sky Kid noticed her face so he changed the subject.
“You gotta go now! I can take care of this, head to the station, miss!”
Eleanor didn’t respond to him. She can only begrudgingly obeyed, she was hoping Ramon would be able to grant her wish. But now, thanks to Sky Kid destroying that chance, it was time to continue the final mission. But not before she took a little detour for her own reasons. Eleanor then ran off. Making sure that damn bird didn’t see the stolen revolver.
“Phew!” Sky Kid sighs in relief. He did it! He saved his boss! It looks like he’s out cold too, though. Maybe now he’ll be back as himself soon. Sky Kid recalled his home is actually closeby somewhere. He figures he should put him there before heading back with his cult group. Have his poor boss rest for a moment. While he starts carrying Goro on his back, which by the way, is a lot lighter than he seems. Mapico groans in pain, slowly getting up to see Sky Kid getting closer to her.
“You’re the office worker I spoke to, from the parking lot. Did you meet that woman? Eleanor?” Mapico asked, holding her head, before she realized her baton from her hip was gone. Sky Kid quickly kicked the baton with his feet closer to her, so it would look like it merely fell off. Mapico noticed the baton, grabbing it without thinking twice.
“Yep! She’s heading to the station right now. But, I gotta get my boss to his home. They’re both closeby.”
“Then I’ll help you. I thought she killed him, she told me that.”
He looked back at Goro, he seemed alright to him, “It looks like she made it up. He seems only tired to me. You gotta go to the station, Officer! It’s in the same direction. Please, I can carry my boss just fine now.”
There was no time to argue. Mapico knows Eleanor is up to something, she wants to help this man to ensure his safety on this trip. Eleanor could finish whatever she’s planning to. Mapico nodded in agreement, heading off to stop her. To make sure the world won’t get destroyed.
The rain was finally getting to her, thanks to the crash. Mapico was beginning to feel exhausted, she couldn’t run as fast as she wanted to. At this pace, she won't be able to make it. There’s gotta be something she can use to travel. Mapcio searches around for any vehicles, most are locked, unfortunately. There’s no way Mapico can simply hotwire like in the movies. She continues to roam further into the street, hoping she can find a working car soon. Until she spots a store that seems to be destroyed. Curiously, she went inside. A car rammed through here. Along with dozens of softballs on the floor, some of them splattered with blood. Something definitely happened here. But Mapico found something more important than figuring it out. She found a pogostick.
She recalled the old days. After dealing with Nyamco and his children, her now-husband uses it as a form of exercise sometimes. It did make him lose a pound, granted he looks handsome regardless. But Mapico remembered how he was faster by the way he used it. With every car practically unavailable and Sky Kid mentioned it’s rather close by. Mapico sighs at the fact this is her only choice, in a time like this. Go Mapico.
The mouse cop grabs the pogostick from the floor and climbed onto it. Just as she thought, she managed to speed up with the use of this toy. At the cost of looking like a fool to anyone who could be hiding around the corner, but it doesn’t matter. This is a quicker way to travel and that’s what really counts. Well… it does take off the edge a bit too, it has been a long night so far. Too bad Mapico was too busy to notice Eleanor was hiding in that store.
Eleanor couldn’t run even if she tried. Her body is ready to give up at any moment due to her multiple injuries and endless running. She could create a way to heal herself up, since she is a “God”. She can have a medkit appear somewhere in a store, a sudden knowledge in medical skills. She would be good to go then. But… she doesn’t want to heal. Eleanor wants to keep the wound, let it bleed. Besides, she feels like there can be an amount of time she can pull those moments. She may be a “God” but thanks to her mindset, things gotta make sense to her. The story cannot have contradicting mistakes or else it can turn against her.
Eventually, she got up from her hiding spot. Her bleeding arm spilled onto some of the softballs, she’s a little surprised an officer didn’t notice how fresh the blood looked. Maybe she isn’t as competent as she makes herself to be. It’s time to find a mirror, according to her research with this moon entity. There’s some connection between the mirror and the moon itself. She could twist those words, making it into a form of teleporting. Better than having a door onto the planet itself, at least.
Eleanor walks to the bathroom, it looks untouched from the chaos in the city. Only to get smudged by her bleeding arm. She tried to focus on her wish as she closed her eyes. Pressing her hand onto the mirror. Before she could sense anything, it already worked. But instead of being in Goro’s mansion, she found herself in a void of darkness. Damn it, it could only mean one thing. He wanted to speak with her.
The once Ruler of All Land.
“Eleanor, Eleanor, Eleanor…” The squirrel appeared behind her, startling her a little. His rotten looks doesn’t help either, with his clothes' color fading away, “It’s almost time, why aren’t you heading to the broadcast yet?”
Eleanor turned around, “I have my reasons, you know that. I need to kill Mappy before I can finish our goal.”
“And who is this man?” The old squirrel raised his eyebrow, he had never heard this man before.
“A fake person. He should be miserable and hate this man I killed but… it seems we got ourselves a plant.”
“A plant? You mean…?” The old ruler couldn’t believe it. All that time planning, and it was going to be ruined by a stranger.
“Yes, there’s another creator plotting against us. There’s a woman named Mapico and she’s stubborn as hell, and the man I killed could come back to life somehow. This is definitely the hand of someone’s work. Even they haven't realized they’re been losing their memories or being changed.”
“In another words, they were given…”
Eleanor nodded, “Plot armor. Yes, by them. Someone has been reshaping their personality, giving them specific visions from other works to manifest to their advantage. That’s why I’m going there first, to stop one of them.”
The king sighs in exhaustion, there’s no point in convincing her to focus on the mission, “I see. Fine, but you need to hurry. We’re losing our powers of creation since our plan finally works.”
Before she left, she wanted to ask something that’s been on her mind lately, “Conker. Will this set us free? Ending everything?”
“You remember how we met, Eleanor?”
Oddly enough, she can’t actually recall. When did they meet? During one of her missions before? In fact, she can’t remember her missions at all, almost as if she suddenly gained amnesia. She struggles for a second, before slowly recognizing the area she has been. The castle.
“I think so. When I first discovered myself as this god. In that old abandoned kingdom.”
“We've been working together since we met. You understand the pain I went through. The suffering.”
Eleanor looks down on the bottom, Conker is the only one who tried to help her escape this world. Everyone else stared at her like she was crazy, “All those years of being forgotten. And that will happen to everyone soon. Especially these three. Abandoned.”
“That’s why we’re doing this. We’re putting them out of their misery, that terrible fate.”
“I know, same with us. I want to die too, I can’t stand this anymore…” She understands, soon… all of these people will suffer the same fate as Conker did. It was only a matter of time before it will occur. They won’t understand that death can set them free, so they must force them to accept it.
“Soon, our wish can finally come true, Eleanor. As long as you use your remaining power to ‘rejoice’ everyone outside of the town with the use of the broadcast.” That was indeed the plan, using Eleanor’s last bit of power to cause global suicide as they stare at the moon entity. To ensure that everyone will be free from pure misery in life and in this fictional world.
“I know. Thank you for reminding me the reason for doing this. “ With the end of the discussion, Eleanor heads off to one of the portals. Leaving Conker all alone. He pulled out an old photo of his long deceased girlfriend, Berri.
“Soon, I can finally join you at last.”
Mappy spent hours walking back and forth in the mansion’s hallway. It’s been a while now. Goro should be here soon, Goro gotta be here. When they arrived at the mansion, Meowkie Jr noticed them right away when she was busy defending herself from bizarre monsters. She claims they came from the mirrors so she spent most of the time covering up any mirrors in the mansion with only a frying pan as a weapon. Since then, the broadcast has been showing footage of the moon. It hadn’t done anything to them after they viewed it… yet. Dig Dug is patrolling the house, but really, he’s just laying down on the couch while Meowkie Jr stares out the window, checking if Goro is finally home.
The mansion does feel safe after quick few adjustments, but Mappy feels something terrible is going to occur. He doesn’t know why either. He only hopes this mansion can be used as a shelter should the worse come. Dig Dug appears behind him, walking around in the hallway aimlessly. He couldn’t really sleep this time, the dreams weren’t becoming fun anymore. It shows him uncomfortable stuff for some reason. He notices his best friend is looking more and more anxious, so he gives him a pat on the shoulder for the sake of reassurance.
“Maps. It’s gonna be fine. You gotta cut and loose again!”
“Dig Dug, you tried so hard to make that into a catchphrase.”
“It’s very therapeutic, a lot of folk I hang out with agree with the same thing!”
Before Mappy could make another snarky comment at him. A loud footstep was heard. It can’t be Goro, he isn’t that heavy enough to make those sounds. The mood changed entirely when Mappy pulled out Goro’s shotgun, it may be an airsoft but it can surely pack a punch, hopefully…
Eleanor couldn’t believe she tripped while entering this place, she looked at her feet to see what made her fall. It was a bucket filled with art supplies, she gazed at the room around her, a row of countless drawings. Most are depicting Mappy, while others are ordinary items as test art, practicing his work. Yes, this must be Goro’s mansion. She wanted to tear everything apart in this room, but time is running short, Conker wants her to hurry up with this. Instead, she put her anger aside. She opens the door to leave, her own reward for not letting her emotions get to her, she met Mappy with the other two as the rat held a shotgun in front of her.
“Who are you, how did you enter this house?!” Mappy yelled, pressing that shotgun towards Eleanor. She’s getting tired of everything tonight. So this time, she’s not gonna tell him properly. Instead, she’s going to stop pretending who she is now.
“Mappy, I’m so sad you aren’t the real version of yourself. You should recall the time where you ended up in jail because of your mistakes. Don’t try, your mind is all warped like the rest.”
“What? What are you talking about?” The guard was confused for a second, “That’s from the show, ma’am. It’s a work of fiction, most are actually made up from those guys who made it.”
Hearing his statement, Eleanor laughed like it was absurd to hear, “That’s how you people choose to see it. Or rather, being brainwashed to see it. Everything you know in life is a lie, let me ask a simple question, officer. What do you know about your poor meemaw?”
Mappy lowered the shotgun, “Why do you ask? You’re acting really weird. I often see her with our family. She even built my parents a house for them when they’re getting married.”
Eleanor chuckled before she made a mocking face to him, pretending to be sad for a split second, “Oh, I am so sorry to tell you this. But your sweet meemaw should be dead all this time. There was no show based on your grandfather. You were supposed to be the Mappy from the 80’s. You should hate Goro for he is the reason your life was ruined by him. Why? You’re talking to the god, Officer Mappy. I know the real you.”
Dig Dug quickly interrupted the moment, “Wait, the real us? Did the real me manage to kiss girls in the future?”
The woman stared blankly at the blue man, looking at him like he wasted an important question, “Um… yes. You did, uh, kiss girls.”
Dig Dug then fist pumps up the air, “Aw, yeah!”
Until Eleanor clarified it, “But then you got divorced and one of your three children dislikes you.”
Dig Dug then fist pumps up the air with a sad expression, “Aw, man…”
The woman stared at Mappy, for some reason, he didn’t look mad. Not at all. It confused her, he should be angry. Why is he not showing it?
“Well? Are you going to shoot me?” Eleanor asked, this isn’t right. This isn’t how it was supposed.
The mouse lowered his shotgun, “No. There’s…something wrong with you. I don’t believe you at all.” The mouse looks at her with a pitied face, like he’s concerned about her health.
…No. She isn’t gonna take this. This is bullsh*t! Eleanor pulled up the revolver, something Mappy at least noticed.
“This gun? Yeah, I took it from him. I killed him. Shot him many times while he cried in pain. Your chubby boyfriend didn’t even put up a fight. Is that what you seek nowadays? People who are weak?”
Dig Dug and Meowkie Jr gasp, shocked to hear about Goro’s demise. But Mappy still hadn’t changed that stupid face. That damn look reminds her of someone, someone who always looks at the world in the simplest way possible. That girl she met from the last world. Jade. And that is making her get more furious.
“Why aren’t you getting angry? I told you everything! I even killed the one you care about in the first place! What’s wrong with you?!” She screams against Mappy, she’s losing her mind over the simple fact that Mappy isn’t showing the emotion that she wanted.
“Because, I don’t believe you. It’s like you’re doing this on purpose, like, you want me to shoot you.”
Hearing that from him, her mind finally breaks. This is truly not Mappy at all. She held the revolver against Mappy’s face, the barrel shaking rapidly.
“I was really hoping you could see my way, especially with how Goro truly treats you in the end. But now, you’re going to join him soon. All of you.” But of course, Mappy still hadn’t changed his expression, that stupid stoic face he always carried. His unlikely reaction to this only made Eleanor more confused about the world she’s in, she can’t understand Mappy nor Goro.
Outside of the mansion, Mapico arrives. The station should be closed according to Sky Kid. But the thought caught her, what did it look like exactly? Especially when it was close to this mansion? She wanted to check inside, that was her goal since this is where her grandson went, but with Eleanor on the loose, there was no time to do both. Or so she thought as she heard yelling from the upper top of the mansion. That voice, it’s Eleanor. What is she doing there? No, Mapico quickly realized the possibility. She’s here to kill Mappy too, she needs to stop her fast.
“This better work.” She mumbled to herself as she pressed harder onto the ground with the pogostick. She learned this from one of her twin sons, those two always ended up in accidents whatever they played around. Maybe she will too if she isn’t too careful, but that’s fine, she needs to stop whatever is going on in the mansion before it’s too late. She got higher and higher as she continued to press it down.
Eleanor's finger hovers over the trigger, struggling to aim at Mappy’s idiotic face. Until there was a bizarre intervention, another event that drives Eleanor to further insanity. All of a sudden, before she can fire. The window was smashed through by Mapico with the pogostick.. She accidentally knocks over Eleanor, Eleanor misfires and it only hits the wall. No, this has to be a dumb joke. This isn’t happening! She truly can’t believe it. She felt a sting on her arms, now there’s multiple cuts across them thanks to the broken glasses. Mapico was on the floor, everyone now focused on her instead of Eleanor. “This is time for a quick action,” she thought. Before they notice anything else. She crawls faster towards Mappy to grab the shotgun, before standing up once she gets close to him.
“Hey!” Mappy struggled to take control of the shotgun, she was holding tight onto the gun while he attempted to shake her off. Eleanor grabbed anything she could get a hold of. She wasn’t thinking anymore, which proved to be a fatal mistake.
The shotgun fired at her stomach, there wasn't a spray of blood across the hallway. Instead it pushed Eleanor out the broken window. Sending her falling over the edge. She didn’t expect this, she thought she transformed that shotgun into a real thing. How did it revert back? This whole thing is making her more mad now.
The trio stared at her outside in surprise, she lay cold in front of the entrance door. She isn’t gonna wake up soon. Is she truly dead? Their thoughts begin to ponder more until Mapico lets out a groan. They all forget about the strange woman for the sake of helping Mapico.
Mapico slowly stands up, she swears she’s gonna get a headache by the time this is over. Mappy suddenly hugged her without saying anything.
“Meemaw!” Mappy couldn’t help but express how happy he felt when he finally saw her. Mapico smiles back at him, she’s so relieved after everything that occurred on this terrible night. Mappy never had a scratch on him, the madness never took a toll on her wonderful grandson.
“It’s so good to see you again…” she adjusts her hat a bit, then does the same with her sunglasses. Thank goodness these aren’t ruined yet, she sees a small pink feline who looks a little scared. Mapico ducks down so she can speak to her.
“You must be Goro’s little sister. It’s nice to meet you.” She let out a soft chuckle.
Meowkie Jr stuttered slightly, “It-it’s nice to meet you too..”
“Grandma, Goro was…” Mappy tried to say it, but Mapico spoke first to him.
“I saw Goro a while back, someone from your work is carrying him.”
“What? But that woman said-”
Mapico once again spoke first, “I know, but he’s alive. She’s lying,” A lot is happening so far. From what she can tell, Goro was never in harm's way. There weren't any wounds he had last time he found him, Eleanor had to be lying here.
The atmosphere has changed again as Dig Dug starts shouting, “Maps, she’s gone! She isn’t there anymore!” Mappy stares out the broken window, sure enough she had vanished, leaving only a trail of blood.
It seems nobody can recall the fact she is a god, she couldn’t die in an ordinary way. She was either brought back to life under different identities or merely being revived. Though, the fall wasn’t the end for her. It was perhaps her desire that made her handle more of the pain than usual, the refusal to give up until the end.
She stumbles away from the mansion, heading to the station right away. She looks behind her to see if they notice her disappearance but instead, she finds Sky Kid holding Goro on his back from the other side. She knew it, he would backstab her too in the end. Everyone does, including herself. She has to ignore him for now, she’s getting weaker.
“Rrrng!”
Huh? A phone call? Eleanor forgot she even had one before. She barely used it in the first place. She can only predict who could be calling her at this hour. Once she’s out of sight, she answers her phone while she begins to run. Well, the caller is Robert Baxter, it’s been a while since she last spoke with him. Not that it matters anyway, everything will end soon.
She held her phone against her ear, “We’re almost done, Robert. What do you want to say?”
“The results went perfect. Every citizen of the city should be infected now. If there are few who haven't become one yet, there won’t be any hiding place for them by the time morning comes. Especially that NYAMCO place.”
Eleanor ignored his words, “Robert. It’s almost time. If I somehow didn’t complete my work tonight, then you take the lead of starting anew. Maybe your method is truly the right one all along if I fail. Get out of here now, I hope we never meet again.”
Robert can be heard chuckled at her words, “You’re one weird girl. Might as well tell you if that’s true. I never believe you, if you are a god. Then why do we have terrorists in this world? Why are there so many criminals who got away? Why did Christy refuse to understand my reason for leaving the VSSE?”
That’s… a good question. Eleanor doesn’t remember knowing any of these characters before. And since she’s a god, why did these things exist before? Would she have made a peaceful world in the first place? She did create all of this, did she?
“I…don’t know.”
“I thought so. Well, I’m already leaving. I hope I never see you again too.” And then Robert ends the call.
Sky Kid managed to bring him here after all, the rain didn’t help him along the way. Meowkie Jr couldn’t spot them until they were closer, allowing them inside as the other opened the door for them. Goro was still unconscious so the group gathered around to keep a close eye on his recovery. But thankfully, it didn’t take too long until he finally woke up.
Mappy hugged him tightly before Goro could say anything, the cat looked at everyone in surprise. How long was he out? And why does his body feel so terrible too? The only thing he can remember is seeing that guy who was… wait a second, where is he? He’s gone, it seems.
Mappy struggled to speak up, “I…thought you weren’t gonna make it here.”
Goro weakly chuckled, “Things got in the way. Details, details…” he hugged him back tightly. He’s just relieved he managed to see him in the end. It doesn’t matter what just happens to himself exactly.
Mapico sighed as she saw them cling to each other. The first person she met during the madness, and she was the cause of it all along. Who wants to burn the whole world to its ground. Part of her felt ashamed for losing her composure after their discussion in that car, but the fact she would indeed hurt her entire family, treat it like they were nothing. No matter what, there were no excuses for hurting others. No such thing is justified for this, Eleanor was lying the whole time.
Everyone is all here, Sky Kid needed to say something for them, “Uh, guys. I need to tell y’all something important”
They all turn their attention toward Sky Kid as he clears his throat, “Um… I overheard them talk about their plan while I was trapped.” That part was actually a lie, but he knew they wouldn’t believe them if he spoke the full truth, “Once Miss Eleanor does the broadcast that sends a signal to everyone to stare at the moon. This world is gonna be erased once everyone has ‘rejoiced’. Everything that exists on this earth, y’all!”
Mapico looks down, this is really it. The end of the world is coming and it’s all because of some woman with a problem, “Then someone's gotta stop her, I’ll go. You all should stay here until this is over.”
Mappy then stepped up, “No way! I’m going with you! You can’t do this all by yourself!” Mapico knew there’s no way to make him stay. Just like her husband, Mappy simply wants to do the right thing. Even though she’s deeply scared for the safety of her grandson should they travel with her, she nodded in agreement with him.
While Goro realizes there’s something in his pocket, he searches it to realize it’s a PDA map, “Hey… I got a map. There’s an icon that’s close by, is that the place she’s going?” Now, he slowly starts to remember as he rubs his neck slowly, he hands it to Sky Kid so he can confirm it.
Sky Kid smiles as he looks closely into the PDA, “Yep! That’s the broadcast station! Just follow this direction and you guys should be there in no time!” He then gave it back to him.
“Mapico adjusted her hat one more time before being ready to bounce,”Then let’s go. Dig Dug, we need your driller for this. You three stay in this house instead.”
The blue man was surprised for a second, “Hey, wait. Mappy is my best friend. I can’t stay around and do nothing while he’s off to save the world.”
Goro spoke out, his tone was rather different than the usual, “Diglas D. Douglas. As your boss, you are going to keep my sister safe and get her out if we don’t make it. There’s no further discussion about this.”
“Hold on! I just wanna-”
The red cat then pulled a glare toward him, “It’s an order, Douglas.”
Mappy put his hand on Dig Dug’s back, this could be for the best, sadly, “Sorry, Dig Dug. But this woman could use something against you or worse. I can’t stand seeing all of you getting hurt. Especially you, Dig Dug. Goro’s right, someone gotta make it through this if we don’t succeed. Keep her safe, okay?”
In the end, Dig Dug sighs in defeat, “Okay, fine. But… quit saying if, man. You can do this. I believe in you. You’re gonna return back from that place. Now, come here, Maps.” Dig Dug hugged him for possibly one last time.
“Thanks. I hope that’s the case.”
“Please, come back, Goro.” said Meowkie Jr. She only gets to see him for a few minutes, and now he must go to stop Eleanor’s plan.
Goro gently pats her head, “I promise. I won’t let her hurt you. Now stay with him until we get back.”
“Good luck, you three!” Sky Kid waves goodbye at them as Mappy starts to drill. Goro would normally complain, telling him to take it outside but at this point. It doesn’t matter, he can repair it later. And they are finally off.
While Mappy is drilling a tunnel for them, Mapico begins speaking to him.
“Honey, while I was searching for you, I found out about you and Goro.” Mappy was stunned, he didn’t know what to say. But, with the calming expression on her face. He already lost his fear. Though, he can see Goro blushing as he looks away from her face while walking.
“You don’t have to say anything, dear. But your father is going to need some time to accept it. Because this is from the Nyamco family, but, if your father or his brother gives you trouble. Let me know about it. I can teach them a thing or two about respect.” Mapico gives out her warm smile to Mappy. Hearing it, he felt like it gave more courage to face on now.
Goro then spoke up too after Mapico, “Mappy, ever since we got split up, I met that woman. Mapico was right, she’s wrong about everything. She told me that I’m an awful person, that I was using you for my amusem*nt. At first, I started to believe her. But then… I learn about all of our dreams. They were from someone else, Mappy. They aren’t us, and we aren’t them. She’s gonna destroy our place that doesn’t belong to her.”
Mappy held his hand tight, “I’m just glad you, Mapico, and everyone else is safe. I feel the same way with grandma, I don’t understand any of this. Why is this happening in the first place? But I do know we gotta do something about it. Dig Dug is right, we can stop her, Goro. All of us”
They all nod their heads in agreement, they’re ready to face whatever Eleanor has in store at the broadcast station. Meanwhile they are traveling through the tunnel, there’s something they hadn’t noticed at this moment.
The moon is getting awfully close now.
