Random Encounters: Dimension 13

Epilogue

Spooky types at her computer as Goose stares at the ceiling. Spooky has her hair that's normally down pulled into a low bun and is wearing a charcoal sweater with slacks. While Goose looks the same as always. Noelle taps on the door before entering. Her blonde hair is in a french braid, her celery sweater dress falling at her knees.

"How's everyone coping?" Noelle asks softly.

"Well," Spooky starts as she looks up, "Goose hasn't spoken since she found out, Eggman has been working on formulas and theories, I'm just trying to live from day to day without letting my mascara run, and Purple Guy got word, he's pretty neutral, but you know, being a Blank, he doesn't have a lot of emotions," Spooky chuckles a bit, then her face falls blank.

"It's okay to have emotions," Noelle says, "How's AJ holding up?"

Spooky shakes her head, "Haven't heard from him."

Noelle nods, "I thought as much. I gotta go soon, they're sending me out for field duty again, but... if you hear anything, just tell me."

Noelle begins walking out when the room shakes. Everyone grabs onto something and the shaking lasts around a minute. When it stops, Noelle shoots Spooky a look.

"Is he still banging his head against that desk?" She asks.

"He has been for a while now, we just get the worst of it because we're closer to the surface," Spooky explains.

"Jeez, okay, well, just do whatever you were doing," Noelle turns on her heels and leaves.

"Okay, Goose, since you very clearly have no interest in working-" Spooky begins to stand up but stops herself, "Who am I kidding? I'm not cut out for this job. I'm barely holding myself together. With AJ and Gwen having to make up that huge lie for Nate's family, he left without a trace. The only thing left was this note. They cleaned out his room to make it look real... And they had to tell all the fans that Nate was gone. AJ could barely keep himself composed, Gwen couldn't do any better. I'll be honest, Goose, this situation is not what I was expecting. AJ even got rid of the P'nelope because she caused him too much pain."

Goose lowers her head a bit. Spooky slouches in her chair.

"This is the ending everyone was waiting for, is it what we wanted? Is it satisfactory? No... It's not, but this is the end. There's no going back now. There's no backspace, no delete. It's done, all of our choices led up to this moment. We screwed up, Goose, every last one of us," Spooky says.

"Sorry to get so... somber on you, but it's true, we're the ones who screwed up. Or maybe it was the people who condoned these adventures the most. Whoever it was, I hope they're satisfied with the ending," Spooky says.

And as the final chapter closes, the girls sit in the room, the air thick with regret and grief. No more adventures to be planned, stuck at their dead end office jobs, for the rest of their existence, or at least until they aren't needed anymore. And that's it, no happy ending. This is it, the end. This marks:

Fin