Chapter 2: Disagreement

"Okay… We're going to go over this ONE more time." Princess Bubblegum said, her voice saturated with weariness and her head down between her arms. "UGHHH" Both Finn and Jake shared an anguished groan. They'd spent the better part of the last hour confined to this room within the Princess' castle, meticulously reviewing every last detail of the previous night in agonizing detail. Unfortunately, and despite their complete honesty and cooperation, Bubblegum had not yet been satisfied with their accounts.

"Come ON Princess! We've been over this a thousand times now!" Jake exclaimed, nearly on the verge of tears. "Seriously Peebs; we've told you everything that happened last night. Every! Last! Thing! You know the whole story exactly as well as we do now!" Finn chimed in, equally agitated with the Princess' seeming reluctance to accept their story as fact.

That didn't seem to sit well with her. "Oh do I now, Finn? I know everything there is to know about this case?" The Princess raised her head, anger evident in her eyes. She slowly rose from her seat, shoulders hunched and towering over the two young heroes. "Because I could swear that I have NO IDEA why an entire industrial warehouse disappeared without a trace! I could swear I have NO IDEA how a simple sting operation ended up with a massive detonation that's sent my entire city into a state of panic!" She was practically frothing at the mouth.

Finn cowered under her gaze; having always been the one person Bubblegum could depend on, he couldn't help but feel a sense of failure made all the more painful as she scolded him like a misbehaved child. Jake, however, did not accept the Princess' criticism, and felt a growing hostility towards her. He stood up in his own seat, just about coming to Bubblegum's eye level. "Hey, don't act like this is our fault! We did everything you told us! We busted those guys and got that cheap necklace back; how were we supposed to know that the place was about to go supernova? If anything, it's YOUR fault for not giving us all the info we needed!"

The Princess' and the Dog's eyes were locked on each other, fuming, as though trying to pour all their respective fury into the other. Watching the two, Finn almost swore that he could see lightning arcing between them. He decided to try and calm things down before things escalated further. Rising up, he quickly placed his hands on Jake's shoulders, trying to reassure him. The Dog looked back to see Finn pleading with him to settle and grudgingly let himself slide back down into his seat. He was still clearly steamed, but he was no longer trying to visually incinerate the Princess, which was markedly better.

He looked back up to see the Princess still quite frustrated. He decided it would just be easier on everyone to act apologetically. "Look, we're sorry Princess. It was just a really long and really hard night for us. We did everything we could, and we're sorry we couldn't stop whatever that thing was." Upon hearing Finn's conciliated tone, she visibly eased, her piercing glare dulling to one of simple exhaustion. She released an extended breath and slipped back into her own seat. With the tension broken for the moment, Finn too fell back to his chair, desiring more than anyone to get through the rest of the meeting in relative peace.

"We can't change what happened last night. Now we have to focus on figuring out what it was and who or what caused it." Finn explained, knowing he'd have to be the one to get the discussion back on the right track. "You're right Finn. We need to find out everything we can about this phenomena, including how to stop it should this ever happen again. So why don't you explain again what exactly caused the destruction." Bubblegum conceded to Finn's point, and brought their discussion back full circle. Jake couldn't completely suppress a dissatisfied groan from echoing out of his chest, but refrained from making any further comment; he figured if Finn wanted to be the voice of reason then he would be the one to iterate their story over and over.

Finn, though unhappy, once more began to explain the circumstances of the building's obliteration. "So we captured the one guy and knocked all the rest unconscious, and the medal was buried under a pile of trash somewhere in the middle of the warehouse. I walked over to dig it out, but I saw something moving over in the shadows; I'm sure it was a person. And before I could pick up the medal, this… the air, like, ripped open. There was just this black tear, just floating in the air. Before I knew what was happening, it started growing bigger, into a ball. Then I noticed some stuff started moving towards it, and then suddenly I felt myself being pulled towards it, like some kind of vacuum." He paused to catch his breath, and to make sure the Princess was still following. 'Well of course SHE is. Unlike me, she can actually pay attention.'

Finn continued, "Anyway, before I got sucked in Jake grabbed me and started pulling us toward the exit. The one guy, the one who was trying to sell the medal, he was the one Jake caught, and he started freaking out. He wound up slipping out of Jake's grip and flew right into the thing… just, swallowed whole. Jake got us out of the warehouse and we backed up to the fence. Eventually the black ball got big enough that it was poking out from roof, but instead of taking over the whole building, it just suddenly disappeared." The Princess interrupted, "How? It just vanished?" Finn clarified, "No, I'm pretty sure it shrank back down first. I mean, it was kind of hard to see since we were outside and the front wall was still up."

With Finn apparently finished, the Princess appeared to be deep in thought. Her hands folded and her brow furled. "This just doesn't make sense. I don't know of any weapon, device, reaction, are natural phenomenon that can cause something like what you've described. Well… not on such a small scale anyway." For some reason, Jake seemed to perk up just then.

"Hey Princess, I just remembered something." Bubblegum simply raised an eyebrow to him, waiting for him to elaborate. "Well… it's kind of hard to explain. It's like… an animal thing. Right before the black ball appeared, and then again right before it disappeared, I… well, felt something." A look of obvious confusion crosses Bubblegum's face. "Like I said, it's hard to explain; like a… a sixth sense kind of thing. Actually…mmhh!" Jake hummed excitedly and snapped his finger in sudden realization. "I know! I feel exactly the same thing before a big storm hits!"

The Princess took this into consideration. "Interesting. Many animals can sense a drop in atmospheric pressure, such as when a storm occurs. This might not help us figure out what happened, but it might help us predict if and when it would happen again." Her hand went to her chin as the wheels in her head rapidly began to spin. "And Finn; you said you're certain there was someone else at the scene who wasn't among the original group?" She looked up to see Finn nod in confirmation. "Yeah, there was definitely someone hiding in that building that we didn't catch."

Bubblegum released a muffled hum as her theories began to solidify in her mind. "So we can't overlook the possibility that this was, in fact, a directed attack. The only problem is it'd have to be someone with an immense intellect to design this kind of weapon; even I can't think of anything that would make something like this possible." While she brought to her mind the entirety of her knowledge in the hopes that she might consider something, Finn decided to voice his own thought.

"Well, you know Princess… It could be magic" Bubblegum only shot him a dirty look, waving her hand as though utterly dismissing the possibility. "Finn, if I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times; there is no such thing as magic. Everything exists within the realm of scientific possibility; whatever happened at the warehouse can be explained rationally, and eventually it can be stopped… or recreated." Finn sighed and rolled his eyes, that is, once the Princess' eyes were turned, of course. Many times had he been forced to endure the endless rants, lectures and tirades of the Princess criticizing every facet of the very idea that magic existed. He personally never understood any of it, and as far as he cared there were just some things that couldn't be explained with reason. Of course, he would never, ever dare to try and debate the Princess on that issue.

"Right, sorry. So we assume it was just some crazy… bomb or whatever. Fine. There's still one more part we have to focus on; how does the medal fit into all of this?" Much to his surprise, the Princess once again waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. "I wouldn't waste much thought on that Finn. As far as I'm concerned that's a dead end." Finn's face contorted in confusion. "Wait what? No, it has to be important, it's the only thing that wasn't destroyed." Bubblegum shook her head. "You're under thinking things. If the sphere destroyed everything it touched than a crater should've been made, but all reports indicate that the floor remained level. Clearly certain materials can withstand the blast, likely concrete or even soil among other things."

Finn, though having been totally complacent so far, seemed adamant on this point. "But that still doesn't follow! If the medal survived because of what it was made of than there should've at least been a few more things that escaped too. Like the coins! I know for a fact that the thugs were going to pay with gold coins. If the medal survived than the coins should've survived too. That thing has to be… special, somehow."

Bubblegum could tell he was truly confident in this matter. She didn't wish to lecture him again, and only let out a sigh as her eyes closed momentarily. Soon after though, her attention returned and she opened a drawer in her desk. Her hand disappeared for just a second before reemerging with something contained within a sealed plastic bag, which she promptly deposited on the desktop. It was the medal in question.

"I ran every test I could think of, Finn. It had no unique characteristics, average weight, average density, a standard magnetic field, absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. The only thing of note is the fact that the medal is not made of gold, but electrum. That's probably why it survived while the coins didn't." She was really trying her best to spare the boy's feelings, but she had to be firm in her explanations; it wouldn't help anything for him to continue chasing false leads. Her eyes fell on the lad, who seemed to be rather disheartened. Her gaze drifted over to the Dog that Finn called his brother, who appeared to have completely checked out at this point. 'They both must be totally burnt out by now. I feel like I'm the one freaking out, but they actually had to deal with the actual event. Grilling them any longer won't serve any good, they really need rest now.'

A brief nod of her head served to indicate Bubblegum's inner monologue had finished. "I'm sorry Finn, Jake. I know I've been short with you today, but this is a serious issue and I needed the clearest information I could get." Despite the overbearing sense of exhaustion in the room, Finn still managed a smile for the Princess. "It's okay PB, really. I know how important this is and so does Jake. Right?" The lack of any response drew Finn's attention to his apparently brain-dead brother. A quick jab to his side brought Jake back to the waking world. "HUHH?!... Uh, the sum of all angles is a hundred-fifty!"

Finn couldn't stifle a slight chortle while the Princess pinched the bridge of her nose. 'And sometimes I wonder how they can possibly be brothers.' Regaining her composure, and now with a full audience, she continued. "As I was saying, on behalf of the Candy Kingdom I thank you both for your hard work and dedication. Now why don't you two go rest up. I have a feeling things won't be getting much better any time soon." After he last cryptic words, the two heroes up-righted themselves. But while Jake made for the exit Finn lingered behind.

"Say Princess? I was wondering if you wouldn't mind letting me keep that medal. You know, since it's not important to you now." Finn asked, leaning back on his heel and trying to appear as innocent as possible. She appeared conflicted. "Finn, I already told you there's no point investing any more time in this thing." Still trying to sound appeasing, he pressed the issue. "No, I get it. I'm not gonna look for answers that aren't there. I just… I'd just like a reminder. Plus, you know, I always try and grab a souvenir form every adventure."

After some brief thought, the Princess relented. "Fine." She said, sliding the plastic bag over towards Finn. "Just remember what I told you." A big smile breaking out on his face, Finn deftly snatched up his prize. Without a second glance he was back heading towards the exit, off to catch back up with Jake.

Although Bubblegum severely doubted that Finn had any intention of heeding her words, there really wasn't anything she could do to dissuade him. Still though, even if he hadn't yet decided to embrace her world views, even though he still accepted such a juvenile world view as the truth, she knew that Finn was still the most trustworthy person she could count on. And given recent events, and more importantly the uncertainty and fear sure to be found in the coming days, his involvement was certain to be necessary.

Much later that evening, Finn was lounging about the treehouse, comfortably propped up on a couch. Debriefing the Princess had been the very first thing he and Jake had done that morning, so upon coming home several hours later all either wanted to do was crash and continue to recover from the previous night. But while he allowed his body to recuperate, his mind remained focused on the odd events he'd gotten mixed up in. In his hand he held the medal that had been the original point of focus for everything, and which had so soon been dismissed as irrelevant. Dangling it from its' chain, he held the small object above his head, memorizing every little detail and wracking his brain for some sort of explanation as to how it tied into the explosion.

"Still messing around with that thing?" Jake inquired as he wandered into the room. "Hardly. Nothing about this thing seems special at all." A frustrated Finn replied. "I mean, there's no obvious magical effect on it. It doesn't glow, vibrate, shoot lightning or warp reality. It doesn't even have any kind of mark or symbol I could investigate!" As he shouted his fist curled around the medal and his arm fell over his eyes.

Taking a seat opposite his brother, Jake settled in and took a bite of the sandwich he had prepared. "So you think you're ready to give up on this yet?" Finn removed his arm from his face just to give his brother a look of sheer disbelief. "Are you kidding me right now?" He unclasped the medal and brandished it menacingly towards the Dog. "This thing could be our ONLY real clue to what happened last night! How are you not taking this more seriously?" Despite Finn's accusations towards him, Jake merely shrugged his shoulders and continued to chew his food, utterly unperturbed.

"I don't know. Just seems like… meh, you know? Like, we don't even know if this'll happen again." Finn only rolled his eyes. "C'mon man. You know I can't believe that." He brought the medal back into his field of vision. "There's something more to this. There just has to be." A very audible swallow came from Jake's direction. "Yeah well, when you figure out what that 'something' happens to be, let me know."

Finn let out a light sigh and brought his hand down to his chest. 'I know how Jake doesn't really like to focus on anything, but I wish he could take just a FEW things seriously… Well whatever. I guess I'll just have to figure this out on my own. So I guess my next move is finding out if this thing really is magic or not. PB won't be any help, so where do I go for advice on magic?' Leaning up slightly, Finn looked back to Jake to find he had finished his sandwich and had evidently attempted to fall asleep.

"Hey. Jake. JAKE!" Finn screamed to get his attention. Though the dog's face contorted in clear agitation, he refused to open his eyes. "Ughhh what man? Can't you see I'm trying to catch a nap here?" He whined. Ignoring his tone, the Human continued. "Hey, who do we know that knows a lot about magic and weird stuff?" Jake twisted in thought, but still refused to open his eyes. "No one we like." Finn shook his head. "C'mon, we've got to have ONE friend who we can go to on this. Hey what about Choose Goose? He's always into weird artifacts and magical items." Jake, though not having seen Finn, reciprocated his gesture. "Can't, remember? Choose Goose went off on that sketchy voyage across the Endless Ocean. We might never see him again."

"Oh… right." Finn muttered in displeasure. "Think I could sneak back into Wizard City and get this thing checked out?" Jake released a very negative sounding hum. "I don't think so. We're still public enemies uno and dos after that whole 'Blood Ritual' fiasco the last time we snuck in." Finn shuddered just thinking about that whole situation. "Right." As Finn continued to mentally list every possible source Jake spoke up, suggesting exactly the one thing Finn didn't want to hear.

"Man I hate to say this, but I think the only magic expert we even might be on good terms with is… urghhh, Ice King." The Dog's nose wrinkled in disgust at the mention of the two's long term archenemy/extremely unwanted 'friend.' Of course, Finn was considerably opposed to the idea of going to him for help. "No way dude. Ice King getting involved in this could just make things ten times worse." Still trying to think of literally any other option, Finn snapped his fingers as a thought came to mind.

"Hey I've got it! Why don't I try Marceline? I mean, she's like a vampire AND demon; that's pretty magical right? Plus she's been all over Ooo, the Night-o-Sphere, and who knows how many other planes of existence? She might just have seen something like this before." Truth be told, Finn wasn't entirely ecstatic over the thought of visiting the infamous Vampire Queen. That's not to say there was any sort of real problem between them; the two were as close friends as they were when the first met. The only issue in Finn's mind was the fact that in recent memory Marceline had been acting rather… odd in his company; almost uncomfortably so. Still, that choice was still a million times better than Ice King.

Jake, still trying very much to be asleep, shrugged. "Your call man, but those two are probably your only options for finding out anything about that necklace." Begrudgingly, Finn had to agree with that. Still, whatever the cost, Finn was going to figure out the story behind the medal. Ever eager to set off on his next adventure, Finn too quickly pushed himself upright, inviting a significant ache from his ribcage and forcing him back to the couch. Even though he'd been resting, it seemed he was still licking his wounds from the previous night; and in all honesty he'd likely drained whatever energy he'd had during his meeting with the Princess. 'Well, I guess I can wait a day before heading out on that lead.'