It was the stark contrast between the silence of their corner of Game Central Station and the boom of the gunshots that did it. The first round of the 21-gun salute made Felix flinch, even though he'd been expecting it, and a fresh bout of tears poured down his face. Through the course of the week, he'd all but mastered sobbing silently, so the silence was not interrupted between the three rounds of gunshots.
Tamora Jean Calhoun had died fighting. Undoubtedly, her programming would suggest that she would want nothing different. But beyond being a soldier, Tamora Jean Calhoun had had a lot to live for.
She still held the record in Tapper's in the bi-weekly root beer-drinking contest her soldiers had insisted she participated in. She not only had a loyal platoon of fellow space marines but also a smaller, closer group of friends who were just as loyal to her. She'd trusted them through it all even though they weren't soldiers, only an 8-bit human wrecking ball and an energetic young girl with a bad candy addiction. Most importantly, though, she'd had a lifetime ahead of her with the last person her programming would suggest she could love, and Fix-It Felix, Jr. was in no way prepared to have it ripped away from both of them.
The silence lasted just a bit too long, but no one seemed willing to break it first. Finally, Felix moved from where he stood beside Ralph and muttered his thanks to everyone who had come; it was quiet and sad, but entirely sincere. Ralph stood and took a crying Vanellope by the hand, and soon the rest of the characters stood and turned to leave, muttering solemn condolences to Felix.
As the crowd dispersed, the only ones remaining with Felix in the corner of Game Central Station which held the memorial plaque for Tamora J. Calhoun were the soldiers of Hero's Duty. They had stood vigil the night she'd died, and would do so again today. Felix had no intention of interfering with their sentiment, and, though their code made them less willing than he to show it, he knew that they were almost as distraught at losing her as he was.
He traced his fingers along the memorial plaque, reading and rereading it. When he'd first seen it days ago, he found it hard to believe what he was reading. Each day since her death, Felix awoke in tears, hoping for nothing more than to see his wife beside him, but now the reality had finally settled in. He would never see his wife again.