In the frozen waste land where the M.O.I. crashed.

Ash is sent to the ground by a punch in the face by Minne. Ash grunts and he gets back up only to be kicked in the face and sent flying through the air and landing in the snow.

"This is the place where I died and you were born!" Minnesota yells. 

Ash rolls himself over and slams his left fist into the ground and he stands up. 

Ash yells as he runs at Minnesota with his left fist pulled back. Ash reaches Minne and he throws his fist towards Minne's face.

Minne scoffs and moves his body to the side and as Ash flies past Minne, he kicks him in the gut and Ash flies through the air and lands a few meters away from Minne; the battle getting closer and closer to the cliff's edge.

"You should be good at fighting!" Minne yells.

Ash yells in anger as he stands up. "I'm not like you! I've been trying, but can't get close to being like you!"

Minne walks towards Ash. "That's the thing, you can never be like me. You're supposed to be better than me, you've gone on all these adventures and become stronger from each one, yet you can't get close to my level."

"You're just lucky I don't have any grenades!" Ash grunts.

With Grif.

Grif continuing to run the course through a rocky cave while a massive hail of various gunfire pelts along the course trying to hit him. He screams in panic and pain as he runs. He then reaches a point in the course where the gunfire stops and he is faced with a crusher. He times its movements so he can get past.

GRIF: Okay so Slam. One. Two. Slam. One. Two. Slam.

The crusher pauses, then breaks the pattern and continually slams the floor. Grif jumps around the crusher using a nearby rock platform. After bypassing the crusher he reaches the end of the course. Prestwood stands on top of a rock pillar watching.

PRESTWOOD: Mate, blunder of a run.

Prestwood ground pounds the floor next to Grif, sending him flying off the cliff. Grif grabs the ledge of the cliff with one hand to save himself.

PRESTWOOD: Nice score on the Labyrinth's leaderboard. What should I put as your initials?

GRIF: My last request... is that it be: A... S... S.

Suddenly, Prestwood is punted off the cliff by an offscreen figure.

PRESTWOOD: (voice fading) Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiittttt...!

GRIF: What?! How?!

Grif looks up and sees Donut approach the cliff edge.

DONUT: I heard you needed to beat a guy off, and I came right away!

Donut helps Grif back up from the cliff. After doing so, their surroundings disappear and reform back to the labyrinth on the edge of a black hole. Doc is next to Donut.

GRIF: Fuck! What is happening?!

A time portal opens with Chrovos on the other side.

CHROVOS: You were about to kill yourself.

GRIF: I was?! Wait, are you on our side now?

CHROVOS: You may want to hurry and stop your friends from dying, I don't know what side I'm on.

GRIF: Whoa, dying?! Where's Kai?

DOC: Sister's going through the same thing you were-

Grif immediately runs off.

DOC: -Gr-Gr-Grif wait!

DONUT: He's got the right idea. Doc, lets split up. We'll hit different parts of the Labyrinth and rendezvous later.

DOC: Okay, okay, I can do this, I can do this, I-can-DO-this! Right, Donut?

Doc looks to where Donut was only to see him already gone.

CHROVOS: O'Malley, you're needed.

DOC: It's "Doc".

CHROVOS: Exactly. Allow "O'Malley" out.

Doc stands in silence thinking for a moment before turning around and leaving. He arrives in a hub area of sorts with multiple corridors. Doc moves down to the next one and enters it, after a brief flash of white light, Doc finds himself in Washington's nightmare behind the Unitards’ lines. Doc emits a brief panicked gasp before transitioning into O'Malley's laughter.

O'MALLEY: Enough...! Let’s show these fools what true evil really is...!

DOC: I'm not letting you out!

O'MALLEY: Without me, your hands are ornamental!

DOC: That's not true!

O'MALLEY: I get things done. I'm more popular. When you're not me, people are like: "Hey, where's O'Malley, love that guy," FACE IT! You're my Alter Ego! (laughter)

DOC: Shut up! I've got somethin' to say to you. If I suck, then you suck, and if you're strong then I'm strong too! Difference is, I'm as strong as both of us! I own this body! Now-

O'MALLEY: -Lets-

DOC: -Fuckin'-

O'MALLEY: -Do this!!!

Doc charges his Medical scanner and charges forward. Cut to Washington behind cover loading bullets into a Hydra Launcher, naming each fallen Red and Blue bitterly as he loads the bullets.

WASHINGTON: Grif, Simmons, Kai, Tucker... Ash... Carolina.

Washington lets out a battle cry and vaults over cover. He charges forward with his Hydra raised only to see Doc standing over dead bodies of the Unitards. Washington freezes.

WASHINGTON: ...O'Malley?!

A massive explosion emits behind Doc.

DOC: Oh, he wishes...

Cut to Sister's labyrinth. Her house is on fire and so is the surrounding woodland. Sister stares at the burning building as Grif approaches behind her.

GRIF: Uh, Kai...? Why is the Labyrinth showing you our burnt-out family home?

SISTER: ..Started small-

GRIF: -What?

SISTER: It's not like in the movies Dex! There's no glow inside. It's just dark. Nobody in that room but me... and the knife.

GRIF: Whoa, you did this?!

SISTER: No-No! I-I just didn't replace the smoke alarm, and I-I got home and-

GRIF: [angry] All my memories were in there! Fuck, Kai! Where's mom living?!

SISTER: The trailer park...?

GRIF: WHAT?!

SISTER: Hey! You left! You left us!

GRIF: I was drafted, you're a fucking arsonist!!

SISTER: [anguished] I'm not...!

GRIF: Yes you are, Kai! You did this!! You're a fucking-

The real Grif punches the Fake Grif in the back of the head, knocking him out.

GRIF: Kai...

SISTER: Wh-What's...?

GRIF: Look at me...

SISTER: Wh-What's happening...?

GRIF: You're trapped in your own head right now, none of this is real.

SISTER: But I-What? I-I burned down our house, Grif...

Grif comes closer to Sister, head lowered. The flames die out as he does so.

GRIF: No, you didn't. I shouldn't have left you.

SISTER: But.. you were drafted.

GRIF: (sigh) No. No, I needed more structure than a bearded mom and... school can give me. So I enlisted. I... I.ran away.

SISTER: What...?

GRIF: I didn't mean to run away from you too. Cards on the table, I... I heard about this. About the fire.

SISTER: What?!

GRIF: (sigh) I... I kept quiet about this because I couldn't face you. I felt guilty... Guilty you had to go through that alone.

SISTER: (sniffles) You felt guilty?

GRIF: Do you... (nervous half laugh) forgive me?

SISTER: (sniffles) Okay.

GRIF: Look, we can still talk about this anytime you want, okay?

SISTER: (holding back tears) Does it have to be in the charred ruins of our home?

GRIF: No. In fact...

Grif shoots the passed out Fake Grif in the back of the head. The scenery disappears taking them back to the Labyrinth.

GRIF: Stupid fuckin' labyrinth.

SISTER: Up yours, stupid labyrinth.

GRIF: There you go.

With Xi.

Xi stares past all her siblings and she sees the Meta walking towards the group.

"Xi, are you okay?" Theta asks.

"The- the Meta!" Xi yells in fear.

"Who?" Simga asks. "Who's the Meta."

Gamma disappears as the Meta walks past him.

"What? What do you mean?! He's responsible for your deaths!" Xi says.

Lota disappears as the Meta walks back her.

"What do you mean by our deaths?" Delta asks. "We're still here."

Eta disappears at the Meta walks past her.

"I don't fear death, death should fear me." Omega says, but then he disappears as the Meta walks past him.

Xi takes a few steps back in fear as she watches the Meta walk towards her. 

Theta disappears as the Meta walks by him.

"Xi?" Church asks as Delta disappears as the Meta walks past him. "You okay?"

Church disappears as the Meta walks past him.

The Meta stops and looks down at Xi. The Meta growls and she shrieks as she runs towards the cliff's edge.

Cut to Sarge's nightmare. A D-day Captain is issuing orders.

CAPTAIN: When we blow the sand bank, I want you to clear everyone from the bunker.

ALL SOLDIERS: Yes Sir!

CAPTAIN: I was only talking to Sarge.

SARGE: No Sir!

CAPTAIN: That's an order!

SARGE: I think we're gonna have to agree, to dis-

The captain aims his gun at Sarge's head.

SARGE: -cide I'm agreeing with you and thank you very much for this opportunity. (laughs nervously) This is it... Smoke 'em if you got 'em Sarge.

Camera pans showing a Soldier standing next to explosives.

SOLDIER: Uh... please don't smoke here.

All the soldiers are shot and killed. Sarge ducks.

SARGE: Great Cranial Crapshoot!

Sarge looks up and sees Doc and Washington.

SARGE: Whoa, why are you guys in Normandy? Cheese tasting? Cider? The Bayeux Tapestry?

WASHINGTON: We're rescuing you from what is clearly an illusion.

SARGE: But I got orders to charge the bunker.

Sarge's illusion disappears.

WASHINGTON: Uhh... countermanded, soldier.

Cut to Grif and Sister walking in a forest.

GRIF: Okay listen, this is inside Simmons' head, my illusion is super private, same as yours. So whatever we see here has to stay secret.

SISTER: Ugh! Fine...

GRIF: Take this seriously!

SIMMONS: (Offscreen) Nooo! Don't steal my Penis, I haven't even used it yet!

Simmons is running away from a stereotypical-looking UFO that's chasing him with a green light.

UFO: We will utilize your penis for scientific experiments!

Grif bursts into laughter.

SISTER: (Mockingly) "Take this seriously."

GRIF: No, we should... we should definitely help him... eventually.

Grif's helmet light turns red and the sound of a camera starting a recording can be heard.

UFO: Stop running!

With Ash.

Ash lands near the cliff's edge and he groans in pain. Ash stands up and he looks down the side of the cliff.

"Shit." Ash mumbles.

"No where to go, Ash." Minne says as he cracks his knuckles. "You are nothing without an A.I."

Suddenly a gunshot goes off and Minnesota falls to the ground, dead. Sarge was standing behind Minne, smoke rising from his shotgun's barrel.

"Sarge!" Ash says with great happiness.

Ash's illusion disappears and his weapons appear on his back.

"Ash, how many times have I told you to not lose to alternate versions of yourself!" Sarge says.

"Many times sir." Ash says in disappointment.

"And what happened?"

"I lost to an alternate version of myself, sir."

"Right, now where's Xi?" Sarge asks.

"I don't know, she didn't appear with me." Ash answers. "I think she might be stuck in her own illusion."

"Well, bring her home soldier!" Sarge orders.

Ash salutes. "Yes, Sir!"

With Xi.

Xi is backing up and she stops at the cliff's edge. She looks down to the seemingly bottomless cliff. 

She hears a growl and looks up to see the Meta standing above her. She looks back down to the cliff.

"You won't take me!" Xi yells and she goes to take a step off, when a katana is stabbed through the Meta's chest.

"This feels so good." Ash says as he kicks the Meta's body off the cliff.

"Ash!" Xi yells with great joy.

Xi's illusion disappears and she glitches a little.

Ash kneels down to Xi and holds his hand out, Xi hops onto his hand and Ash stands up.

"Are you okay?" Ash asks.

"J-J-J-Just a little s-s-saaaaared." Xi states. "IIIIII thought he wa-was going to get-get-get-get me."

"I won't let anyone take you from me."

Xi smiles up to him as her form glitches a few times. "I know."

"Let's go, the others need us." Ash says and Xi nods and flashes away.

Cut to Donut entering another room. This room appears real, with no signs of labyrinth visions.

DONUT: Hello?

Tucker walks up to Donut.

DONUT: Tucker!

TUCKER: Hey Donut.

DONUT: You, uh... you okay?

TUCKER: Yeah. Look, I defeated the labyrinth.

DONUT: Oh yeah, this illusion seems to be, uh... off. Say... where's your sword?

TUCKER: Oh, uh...

He looks on the floor off to his left. The handle of Tucker's plasma sword is laying on the ground.

TUCKER: Here it is!

DONUT: ...Could you turn it on for a sec?

TUCKER: (nervous laughter) Why?

Donut aims his gun at Tucker.

DONUT: Cause only Tucker can turn it on.

Fake Tucker raises his own gun at Donut. The two standoff in silence for a second until Fake Tucker is shot by Doc who runs into the room with Sarge and Washington.

DOC: Donut! Are you ok?

FakeTucker's body vanishes and the real one appears, slumped lifelessly against the far wall, next to the black hole. He stirs.

DONUT: (gasp) Tucker!

TUCKER: Ugh... Donut? You came back!

DONUT: Yeah man.

TUCKER: Everyone was gone... I had a panic attack and passed out. Are they okay?

Grif, Sister, Simmons, and Ash file into the room now.

"Still got my penis." Simmons states.

"What the hell did you experience?" Ash asks.

"Oh, this is weird." Tucker starts. "You guys have been, like, haunting me, telling me you're dead and trying to get me to throw myself into a black hole! Obviously not you, but--"

"It us! Don't worry." Sister says. "Now, jump off that edge, buddy. It's our way home." Grif stares at Sister. "Too soon?"

"It's still happening!" Grif yells as he punches sister.

"Ah, dick!"

Sister gets up and Wash starts explaining the situation. "okay, Caboose and Carolina are still captive-- or dead. You all find Carolina, and I'll fine--"

Caboose is standing behind Wash. "Hi."

"Heeeeey... Caboose...." Wash greets.

"Hello. yeah, we already said that." Caboose states.

"What happened in there. Buddy?"

"Yeah, I think it was trying to make me hungry. But I didn't let it make me hungry. So... yeah, I won."

"I'm really hungry." Ash whispers to himself. "I still want pizza."

"Caboose, it was trying to kill you." Wash explains.

"Oh, thank god, cuz I'm so hungry!" Caboose says. "Let's get some pancakes!"

"Okay... Let's do this... Time to fight whatever Carolina is afraid of..."

"No. No. No." Grif quickly says.

"I'll just keep watch here." Sarge adds.

"I'm insane, just not that insane." Ash says.

"...Or she may die." Wash finishes.

"Fine...!" Grif groans.

"Oh, come on!" Sarge complains.

"She does owe me five bucks." Ash says.

The Reds and Blues file into Carolina's chamber. They arrive on top of a balcony walkway as Carolina continues to talk to her past self.

PAST-CAROLINA: -all I'm saying is if you can say Dad died when Mom did, you're a hypocrite. By that logic, you're dead too.

CAROLINA: ...Shut up.

PAST-CAROLINA: Freelancer's disbanded huh? And apparently, I didn't gain anything.

CAROLINA: ..Shut-up...!

PAST-CAROLINA: Aside from self-doubt. Whatcha' gonna do now, huh? (condescendingly) Get a desk job? Pop out a baby? What even are you?

WASHINGTON: I'll tell you what she isn't, trauma queen: a figment of a freaky labyrinth. She's not real, Carolina.

PAST-CAROLINA: I'm real. You don't like what you see because I'm your reflection.

"Show her who's the real scary one, Carolina!" Ash yells.

CAROLINA: A mirror... That figures.

Carolina pulls out her pistol and shoots at her past self who sprints behind cover.

CAROLINA: Two-dimensional... Backwards...

Carolina continues shooting and walking forward as her past self sprints to the other cover. She pulls out her own pistol.

CAROLINA: And what? I'm meant to be ashamed when I look at you? Well, you're damn right I do...!

SISTER: Snap!

Past-Carolina emerges from behind her cover and aims her gun at Carolina.

PAST-CAROLINA: I'm what you can no longer be.

Present Carolina throws her gun on the floor and raises her fists.

CAROLINA: Yep. And you’re in my way.

Past Carolina does the same and starts to approach her.

CAROLINA: Leave her to me.

SARGE: Not a problem.

Past Carolina throws several punches at Carolina who blocks. Past Carolina round house kicks her across the room. Carolina flips back onto the wall and launches a flying kick at her past self who blocks. Past Carolina throws another several punches at her who dodges them. Her past self kicks her across the room again. Carolina tries another launching kick at her past self who dodges and punches her in the gut as she lunges before following up with another punch to the head.

Carolina recoils from the attack and aims a spinning kick at her head, which she dodges. She follows up with a few more punches, then her past self locks her arm and knees her head then kicks her back. Past Carolina launches a few more kicks which are dodged and countered with Carolina's own kick. Past Carolina throws another punch which is dodged and countered with a punch in the chest, then she grabs her past-selfs arms and throws her across the room into the wall, knocking her to the floor. Carolina tries to follow up with a dropkick which is dodged, Her past self tries to retaliate but has her attacks blocked. She activates her speed enhancement and tries to rapid punch her present version, but all these are blocked. She breaks her block and kicks her leg out and punches her in the arm. Carolina retaliates with two punches to the head, one to the gut and then grabs her and throws her to the wall again. While past-Carolina is dazed from the impact, Carolina punches her in the head several more times then throws a powerful swing that sends Past Carolina through the wall.

Past-Carolina slides into the room on the other side of the wall from the impact. It is pitch black so we can't make out anything. Carolina follows her in through the hole in the wall and readies herself as past Carolina gets up. The lights in the room turn on revealing the room to be the training room in the Mother of Invention.

On the wall is the Freelancer leaderboard, which displays Carolina's name twice and nothing else.

Carolina kicks debris from the wall at Past-Carolina who destroys it, but the dust caused by it dazes her. Carolina tries to dropkick her past self who dodges, then follows up with an uppercut which knocks her back a bit. Carolina gestures her past self to come at her, leading her to do exactly that. After a few more clashes, Past Carolina catches her present self off-guard and elbow drops hear head, then combos her with a knee to the head, followed by 4 hit punches to the head, a kick to the head and ended with another knee to the head. She then grabs her present self and throws her to the floor. Out of strength, Carolina remains laid on the floor.

PAST-CAROLINA: Admirable. But you are weaker than me. In this time, in this place... you can't win.

The lights turn off again, turning the room pitch dark.

CAROLINA: I don't need to.

Tucker's sword activates, the only source of light, illuminating the Reds and Blues as they all surround Past-Carolina with their weapons drawn on her. Ash stands next to Tucker as he holds his sword out as Xi is on his shoulder. Washington carries Carolina on his shoulder.

"I found something stronger than strength..." Carolina says to her past self.

"More satisfying than solitude and obsession." Carolina finishes. 

Wash sets Carolina back on her feet, and draws his gun on Past-Carolina.

"And right now, any one of them could pop you with a finger twitch." Carolina claims.

"Say the word." Wash says.

The scenery disappears to the normal labyrinth. Past-Carolina's appearance changes to that of a white armored figure. It is the Labyrinth A.I that Chrovos warned Donut about.

"I have failed to do my duty." The Labyrinth A.I. says.

"Your duty was to skulk around in the dark and kill people." Sister accuses.

"No wonder this thing made a convincing me." Carolina says.

"I was worried about having two Carolina's around." Ash says. "It's scary enough with one." Xi flashes away.

"I am no thing."  The Labyrinth A.I. states. "I am The Labyrinth! Chrovos must not be set free!"

"Oh my gosh, we're not trying to free Chrovos!" Donut exclaims. "But the guy who brought us here is!"

"I do not believe you."

"Ugh! I came from Chrovos' prison room! Wouldn't I have done it already? Think about it!"

GENKINS: (offscreen) Labyrinth! What's taking so lon-

Genkins enters the room, the Reds and Blues are suddenly gone and the Labyrinth A.I is carrying the Golf Club.

GENKINS: WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?! That Club is MINE, slave!

LABYRINTH A.I: I was merely holding it. Why did you bring this item into the Labyrinth, Lord Genkins? It can harm your kin.

GENKINS: Perhaps I'd like to harm my kin.

LABYRINTH A.I: But... the only member of your family here is... Chrovos.

(A moment of silence passes)

GENKINS: Oh fuck me...

LABYRINTH A.I: None may release Chrovos!

The Labyrinth A.I lunges at Genkins and hits him several times with the club. Genkins hologram fails and his true form as a monitor is visible. He charges at the Labyrinth A.I who throws the club across the room, which is caught by Ash, while all the Reds and Blues stand behind him.

Ash taps the golf club in his hand a couple times. "This is a really good club."

"What?!" Genkins yells. "S-Stay back!"

"Oh, we're done with back." Donut states. "We're thinking forwards from now on."

All the Reds and Blues pull out a Golf Club of their own.

"That's impossible!!" Genkins yells. "That's- Egh... Wwwwwwait... no, no, no, that's literally impossible, there's only on Golf Club."

Genkins rams the Labyrinth A.I off the cliff and he disappears. All the golf clubs in the Reds and Blues hands disappear except for Donut's. The Reds and Blues let out various exclamation noises. Genkins groans in frustration as his hologram form returns.

"Argh! What IS it with you people?!" Genkins yells. "I trapped you in your past, you get out. I get the powers of a GOD, you skewer me with a golf club. I drop you into custom-made nightmares and you make the nightmare fight me with a golf club...? HOW ARE YOU LIKE THIS?! HOW DO YOU DO IT?!?!"

"Mmm... Friendship?" Caboose questions. 

Donut takes a few steps forward. "You can't beat us Genkins. You might have gotten Lopez, but while we're untied, you can't win."

"What?" Genkins is slightly confused. 

"Lopez. He fell from the labyrinth."

"No... nonononono-- He's alive! If he died, then I'd have felt it! I'd have been able to absorb his power!"

"Well, he did die, I saw it! ...Oh. But black holes don't kill you. They just take you back to the beginning of the universe!"

"They what?!" Genkins questions.

"They go back to the beginning!" Donut states. "Huggins told us!"

"Donut, for crying out loud!" Wash yells.

"What?!" Genkins yells. "Huggins?! But I killed--" He gasps. "That's how you kept finding me! She survived! She-- uuuugh-- of course! No wonder Huggins survived! The beginning of time?! Ah! What an idea! Oh...? If I were to go back to the beginning of time, I could break our stalemate, gather strength over the eons as Chrovos did. (deranged laughter) You are all just the noisiest, most basic and boring set of mortal peasants and I'd LOVE to murder you all myself, but, given you’re death-proof, I'll settle for ensuring you never existed."

Genkins walks to the edge of the room where the black hole is. Everyone but Donut runs towards Genkins screaming in protest, Donut stops them.

"Guys, wait!" Donut shouts. "Let him go."

"But--"Tucker tries to speak.

Genkins gives a small wave. "Toodles~!" He flips everyone off with both hands. "Dickheads!!"

Genkins leaps off the cliff into the Black Hole laughing like a deranged lunatic while doing so.

Wash turns to Donut. "Donut, what just happened?"

"That... was an elegant plan." The Labyrinth A.I. re-materializes next to them.

"Phew!" Donut is relieved. "Good job I figured that out in time! And good job you can read minds! And good job that we did a good job--"

Tucker interrupts Donut. "Alright, shut up and tell me why we just let Genkins go! What about justice?"

"Oh he's going to prison, but it'll be his kids that put him in there."

"Waaait..." Wash says.

The Labyrinth A.I. chuckles. "It's-- It's as though I just finished a puzzle!"

"I'm surprised you guys didn't work it out." Donut says to the group. "I'm usually the last one to."

"You don't mean...?" Wash questions.

"Yeah, it's a mind fudge, Wash, but... Chrovos had to come from somewhere."

Cut to the beginning of time during the big bang. Genkins' hologram fails and reveals his monitor form again. He is clearly going insane.

GENKINS: I am a god! I am born of the gods themselves! I DEFEATED CHROVOS!

Cut to Genkins in front of the Cosmic Powers, still as a monitor except significantly larger, the exact same size as Chrovos' monitor.

GENKINS: I AM GOD! I CREATED THE GODS THEMSELVES! I AM CHROVOS!!!

Genkins lights turns blue, exactly like Chrovos. Confirming he is indeed Chrovos.

GENKINS: I... AM... CHROVOS!!!

The Cosmic Powers approach Genkins with both the Club and The Hammer.

GENKINS: I AM... CHROVOS!!!

Atlus strikes Genkins with the club and the screen goes black.

Cut back to the present with the Reds and Blues in Chrovos' prison.

"So, how does that feel?" Donut asks Chrovos.

"Not great." Chrovos states.

"Well, I did what you asked." Donut says. "Genkins wasn't allowed to succeed. Instead, he failed so hard, he became you."

"Fu-u-u-uck!" Sister swears.

"Huggins will tell the cosmic powers about Genkins' plot before it ever happens. You might even have yourself a cellmate! ...Or, yourself as a cellmate. Just as soon as we heal up the Everwhen." Donut looks to Wash. "Only one paradox left to go."

Wash looks down then back up to everyone. "...I'm ready."

"Wash--" Carolina starts.

"It's okay." Wash turns to everyone else and he speaks with some difficultly. "Hey, guys..." Xi flashes onto Ash's shoulder, her form heavily glitches a few times. "I don't want to be alone. Will you, uh... Can you all... be there? With me? In Temple's base, when I... get... hurt again...?"

"You got it." Carolina says.

"We got you." Donut says.

"One hundred percent." Grif says.

"We'll be there." Doc says.

"For you? Absolutely." Sarge says.

"Of course." Tucker says.

"I'll bring some Band-Aids." Simmons says.

"For sure." Sister says.

"As long as it's not Tuesday between One and Twelve." Caboose says.

"I'll be there so hard, there'll be two of me." Carolina says.

Wash turns to Ash. "Ash?"

Ash walks over to Wash and hugs him. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Wash asks. 

"Maybe if I was stronger, I could have prevented you from being hurt originally. Maybe if I was Minnesota instead of Cyprus Ash."

Wash slowly hugs Ash back. "It's fine. I'm just glad that my friend is here."

Xi flashes into her big form and also hugs Wash. "We'll b-b-b-be here as long as we caaaaaaan."

Ash lets go of the hug with a sniff. Xi goes back to her small form as she flashes onto Ash's shoulder.

"Thank you." Wash says to Ash and Xi.

The Reds and Blues enter the Everwhen through the gate, and Chrovos looks at the crack in her prison -- the Everwhen, the original paradox. It begins to vanish, and is gone with a brief flash, indicating that the Reds and Blues fixed the paradox.

Cut to the General Doyle General Hospital in the present. Doc exits one of the wards and walks towards the waiting Reds and Blues.

"The good news wash is stable." Doc says to the group. "He'll be a little loopy, uh, forever, but, uh, you know..." Then O'Malley then laughs then Doc takes back control. "Who isn't?"

"And the bad news?" Sarge asks.

"Why do you gotta be so negative?"

"Can we see him?" Carolina asks.

"Not just yet." Doc states. "Save that enthusiasm though, cuz he's gonna have a rough few months."

"Yeah... I remember."

"You know... there is a grief-themed pizza at Sammie Raphaello's." Grif says.

The Reds and Blues erupt into various comments of scorn directed at Grif.

"I don't have much of an appetite." Ash says.

"Wash was shot." Simmons says to Grif.

"This is how I show love!" Grif says. "Donut, come on, you'll eat pizza with me."

"Nah, not this time." Donut declines. "I'm gonna go spend some time alone. I've always been wrapped around what everyone else is doing."

"I think you deserve that." Carolina says.

"Yeah, I mean I sure did go through some awful traumatic stuff. But technically we closed the time-travel loop. So it technically never happened. Any of it. So, no biggie!"

"My dang nosebleed's back!" Sarge says.

"My right shoulder... surprisingly doesn't hurt this time." Ash says.

"I sure will miss knowing what's going on." Caboose says.

"I think I'll... travel." Donut states. "Maybe I'll see the universe."

"Yeah, as it turns out, there's a lot of it out there." Sister says.

Everyone makes various noises of agreement.

"I think I'll take up another hobby." Ash says. "Maybe A.I. theory."

"That'll be interesting." Simmons says.

"Gods, time-travel, and all the black hole you want." Sister starts. "Bow-chicka-bow-wow."

"And somewhere in all of that: Lopez" Tucker says.

"Oh man, I forgot about Lopez!" Sarge exclaims. "Where is he?" He looks at Donut.

"He jumped off the edge of the labyrinth... poor guy." Donut says.

"Oh... wow."

"Wait, doesn't that mean he went to the beginning of time?" Carolina asks.

"Yeah, and he's non-organic." Simmons starts. "So he just have like... floated there... Forever."

"Oh, God..."

"Just Lopez in the dark, alone for billions of years... Billions and billions of--"

Lopez appears behind the group. "Hola." [Hello.]

"Lopez!" Everyone yells.

"Cheese!" Caboose yells.

"That robot looks like Lopez!" Simmons yells.

LOPEZ: (In Spanish) I have returned.

"Lopez, wow!" Sarge says. "You must've really seen some shit."

LOPEZ: (In Spanish) Yes. I have witnessed much. My journey was longer than time and I have much truths to share.

A beat.

"You know it's a real shame I don't speak Spanish." Sarge says. 

Ash looks down the hall and sees Grey. "This is not gonna be fun." Ash walks over to Grey.

.

.

.

A few days later on iris.

Ash is walking up a cliff while the sun starts to set. Ash stops in front of a grave and Xi flashes onto his shoulder.

"What are we doing here?" Ash asks Xi.

"W-W-W-Well, you wa-wa-wanted tooooo let the p-p-past go." Xi glitches a few times.

"...Yeah."

"S-S-S-so I figured thi-thi-this was a gooooooooodddddd place." 

Ash grabs his katana and stabs it into the ground next to Cal's grave. Then he grabs his Plasma Repeater off his back and looks at it.

Ash sighs and he chucks the gun off the cliff and into the ocean. Xi heavily glitches a few times. 

Ash then reaches up to his neck and pulls out two dog takes that he hides under his armor and pulls them off. Ash looks down at the dog tags.

Cal-141
Ash-142

Ash pulls his arm back and gets ready to throw the dog tags into the ocean, only to not move for a few seconds and he slowly lowers his arm. Ash then kneels down to the ground and digs a small hole in front of his katana and sets the tags inside before covers them up with dirt.

"There." Ash then gets up and begins to walk away.

"Ash, th-th-there's one more." Xi says as she flashes onto the hilt of the Katana.

"You don't mean..."

Xi doesn't speak and Ash turns around. 

"No! We- I-I need you, Xi."

"You wanted t-t-to let the pas-pas-past go." Xi states.

"No-" Ash starts.

Xi interrupts. "A-A-And I'm partttttt of yourrrr past."

"Xi, I... I can't let you go."

"Ash!" Xi yells and she flashes red. "I-I-I-I'm in pai-pai-pain, I-I-I know you don-don-don't want thus, but IIIIII can't hold on mu-much longer."

Ash doesn't say anything.

"I love you Ash." Xi says.

"I... I love you too, Xi." Ash says.

Xi turns around and looks at the sunset and smiles, then she turns around and looks at Ash. All the Freelancer A.I.'s appear behind her.

"Y-Y-You know, Li-li-life isn't fair." Xi says and Church puts a hand on Xi's shoulder. Xi gives Ash a big smile. "Ain't that a bitch?"

Xi glows brightly before the sound of glass breaking is heard and Xi and her siblings are no longer there.

Ash falls to his knees and stares at the spot where Xi was. Then Ash slowly leans forward and rests his head against the ground and starts to sob.

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Can we have a moment of peace for our beloved A.I. Xi.

10-20-2022

5441 words