A/N: First chapter of 2020! I've added a bunch of new songs to the All Things End music playlist in my ongoing attempt to chronicle every last song I've ever even slightly associated ATE with over the many long years. I kinda assumed that nobody would actually care enough to check it out, but it's currently sitting at around 800 views, so I assume at least a few people gave the playlist a shot. Like last time, I'll leave a link to it in the description of the DeviantArt version of this chapter. FF net readers will have to seek it out since FanFiction Net continues to forever be obnoxious about allowing links.

Chapter 98: The Meeting

Much to Computer's chagrin, it seemed that whoever was supposed to let him and the girl dog out of the room apparently forgot to do so. He ended up stuck in that cramped space with her for what had to be at least half a day. It became painfully clear several hours in that he would soon have encyclopedic levels of knowledge on all of the most obnoxious dating tips ever. He would have loved nothing more than to tune her advice out, but she was insistent on having him listen, and boredom inevitably set in as well. That dating book he'd once read had nothing on this damn dog. She seemed to really get around, and was very clearly proud of that fact.

Currently she was trying to give him a crash course on 'proper' kissing techniques, and it was only serving to enforce his belief that the whole concept of shoving your mouth into another mouth was thoroughly disgusting. It seemed that there were just some behaviors that organic beings liked to partake in that he would never understand or want anything to do with.

"Okay, fine." He drawled out of sheer boredom, crossing his arms in the process. "I'll humor you for half a second."

"Oh, really?" She asked, grinning that mischievous smile of hers.

"Why would I EVER want the face of someone who murdered a sentient 'mob boss' foot fungus by licking it to death ANYWHERE near my face?"

She snickered. "Oh, I'm sure he practices proper dental hygiene."

"Sentient. Foot. Fungi." He reiterated humorlessly.

The weirdest thing about all of this was that through the 'advice' the girl dog was so annoyingly willing to impart upon him, and due to how much her advice seemed to turn into tangents about her own experiences, he was beginning to get the strangest impression that the entire concept of gender was just not a thing for her. From the information she was either intentionally or unintentionally giving him, it was becoming clear that she was just as much masculine as she was feminine. It seemed that she was only choosing to present herself as female right now, and given that it was already not much of a secret that she was not really a dog, she could likely change her shape to suit her needs. Some of her 'advice' made it clear that she'd spent time as a human at least once, if not multiple times. In that case, if she really was capable of change form, then it was no wonder that she did not seem beholden to a specific gender.

This presented a bit of a problem for Computer though. If she could change the way she looked, and if she could present herself as male or female, how was he to ever figure out where they had met in the past? She could be anyone. The only thing he had to go off of was her personality alone, but even that seemed difficult to pin down. He could not think of a single person from his past who matched her current personality. She certainly did not seem to be any of his previous owners, at the very least.

"I think you're just messing with me anyway." He huffed when she did nothing but laugh at the whole foot fungus thing. "I have a hard time believing that dogs can...ugh, kiss with 'this' thing in the way."

He pointed to his muzzle.

"Oh, trust me. It's possible..." She answered, all while giving him an absolutely horrifying, flirty look.

Cringing hard enough that he could have broken his own jaw, Computer only managed to utter out a small, "Oh..."

...Could somebody please get him out of this box?

The girl dog broke down into a fit of laughter. "You should see the look on your face! What? Do you think I'm coming on to you or something?"

Somehow Computer managed to cringe even harder without his face ripping to pieces. "Only in my deepest, darkest nightmares, thanks."

"Boy, you really remind me of my younger self. I used to think all of the strange things living creatures do was really gross too, but then I gave it a shot for myself and...hoo boy."

"...You are giving me some incredibly nightmarish mental images right now. I highly suggest you stop before I bash my head against the wall until unconsciousness or death takes me."

The way she laughed about him 'joking' about bashing his head against the wall 'until death' only served to creep him out even more.

"All I'm saying is, don't knock it 'till you try." She said, giving him another vomit inducing flirty look.

"Yeah, no thanks."

"Besides, you're half right about the muzzle thing. Dogs don't really kiss like humans do, or at least they didn't until they started acting like humans. Nuzzling is the dog way of showing affection. It's pretty much their version of kissing, and it's certainly a lot easier doing it that way instead of find the right...technique to get around muzzles."

A look of pure horror fell over Computer. "H-hold on. What?" He sputtered out.

"What else is there to say? Different species have different ways of showing affection for one another. You should understand that as someone who takes control of other beings."

Her words did nothing to stop the deepening look of horror befalling Computer's face as his brain imploded.

….How many times? Exactly how many times had Courage nuzzled him by now? H-hadn't he gotten in on it once too?

He could feel his mind shredding to pieces as the true horror of this revelation fell upon him.

"Ha! Your face!" The girl dog giggled. "Don't go getting the wrong idea now! There 'are' different levels of nuzzling, after all. You have to really put your neck into it if you want to achieve a nuzzle that's the equivalent of a human kiss!"

Oh, god. Had he put his neck into it?

He wracked his memory banks trying to remember, all while the shreds of what little sanity he had left continued to unravel.

Just then, there was a clang as someone on the other side of the door began working to unlock it.

Computer flung himself against the door with a loud THUD. "Thank all deities real or imagined!" He cried out in relief. Then he looked over his shoulder with a frown and said to the girl dog. "Unless you happen to be a deity yourself. In that case, I certainly am not thanking you!"

She gave him a mischievous, 'innocent' smile.

...It really was amazing how good she was at getting him to want to go back to the hell that was his caged existence.

"You know," He glumly commented as the door swung open and they were both blinded from the hallway lights. "It honestly wouldn't surprise me if it turned out you really are the creator of the universe or something. It would certainly explain a lot. Like why my entire existence seems to be a sadistic person's idea of a running joke."

"Ha! If only!" She exclaimed. "I'm afraid you're going to have to blame your misfortune on someone else."

Computer stumbled out of the room, still half blind from the difference in lighting, and proceeded to walk muzzle first into a massive leg.

It was that Bruno character. He looked down at Computer like he was an ant, and raised an eyebrow at him rubbing his muzzle from their collision. It must have felt like nothing more than a small nudge to him.

He quickly turned his attention away from Computer.

"There you are." He said to the girl dog. "I've been looking all over the place for you."

"Did something happen while I was, uh, occupied with the living glow stick over here?" She asked.

"Hey!" Computer retorted.

Bruno crossed his arms and said without a hint of emotion, "Yep, one of Charon's newest fighters tried to escape a few hours ago. The guards caught him quick enough and gave him a beating he won't soon forget, but they may have gone a little overboard. Things aren't lookin' so good for him, but Charon wants him alive. See if you can work your magic and save him. I doubt he'll make it with those injuries, but you've pulled off a few miracles before."

At the sight of Computer's face going pale, the massive dog let out a huge huff of air. "I ain't talking about the kid, so don't worry."

That was a relief, but it meant very little while knowing there was another dog on the verge of death just for trying to get away from this hellish place.

"I'll take care of the-" Bruno hesitated for a moment, then the folds that made up his face drew up into a smile. "-glow stick. You go and get to your post."

She nodded, but before leaving, she turned to Computer one last time.

"...Just in case something happens and we don't get another chance to talk-"

Much to Computer's shock and horror, she took him by the shoulders and pulled him into a very undesired hug. The contact made every last strand of his fur stand on edge, not simply because his entire being was against having her anywhere near him, but because she was 'cold'. In fact, cold did not even begin to describe it. She did not just lack body heat, but she seemed to generate cold. It was like being shoved up against a living ice cube.

"-I really am sorry for never being able to help you back then. I hope that at least some of this makes up for it, even if the ending itself can't be changed. I think it's sad that you believe this suicide mission of yours is the only way you can die feeling like your life had meaning, but it is what it is and I know I can't change your mind about it."

Trying to keep his teeth from chattering, Computer replied with, "Suicide mission? That's a bit...harsh. I mean, the end is coming no matter what. I might as well put what little life I have left to good use. Better that than just...rotting away in the attic."

He heard her sigh and a moment of silence passed before she said, "Look, I don't know how this is going to play out. I promised I'd get you back to Courage, but not even I can account for everything that could go wrong. Just know that no matter what happens, we will meet again."

She pulled back and looked him in the eyes.

"...It is inevitable."

Something about those words were far more chilling to Computer than anything about her icy hug...

…...

Three days.

After three long, agonizing days in that cage with no signs that the situation was going to improve, it had become difficult for Computer to keep holding on to the frail hope the girl dog had given him. It seemed that whoever her friends were, they had ultimately decided not to let him in on their plans. All he could do now was wait. Wait for a rescue that may never even come. He was not sure how long he could continue to endure this before he inevitably slipped back into that black pit of despair that had already threatened to consume him on more than one occasion.

Things only continued to get worse for him when on the night of the third day, or at least what he assumed was night, he was awoken by a loud bang on his cage. He opened his eyes to sight of Bruno's massive foot filling the entire space in front of his cage's door.

"You awake?" Rumbled the bulldog from overhead.

Out of sheer spite, he didn't answer.

Bruno let out a noise that was somewhere between a soft growl and an annoyed sigh. Computer watched the bulldog get down onto his knees and peer into his cage. He gave that hulk of a dog the most spiteful glare he could muster.

"Charon wants to see you." Bruno rumbled, causing the bars around Computer to vibrate.

A jolt of fear ran through Computer's entire body, and with it came a million horrible reasons why Charon might want to see him after all this time.

Had the plan been discovered? Even though Computer never got a chance to help out, if Charon had done something to the girl dog, it was entirely possible she had given his name after...after perhaps being tortured. If Charon knew about the escape plan now and everyone involved, they were all as good as dead...or worse. Charon would probably take great joy in doing whatever he pleased to them long before killing them. If this cage treatment was meant to be a 'light' punishment, then one could only imagine what he would do to 'traitors'. The thought of it, strangely enough, only managed to steel Computer's resolve. Nobody, absolutely nobody was going to torture him again.

Of course, the other possibility wasn't much better either. Perhaps Charon had finally figured out that Computer wasn't exactly doing his 'job'. What he might do to fix that problem was an equally terrifying prospect.

As all of the nightmarish possibilities swarmed Computer's mind, outwardly all he could do was laugh.

"What are you laughing about?" Bruno asked, raising an eyebrow at Computer's half-crazed reaction.

Coming to a conclusion, Computer held his head as high as he could in that cramped space and grinned. If this was it, he was going to go out causing any trouble that he could.

"Because you've got another thing coming if you think I'm just going to get out of this cage and go with you. I'm not a witless peon like you are."

The bulldog closed his eyes, his floppy face practically collapsing in upon itself. He let out a long, heavy sigh that filled Computer's cage with his disgusting, hot breath.

Bruno's face disappeared and the cage door opened. Computer responded by pressing himself up against the back of the cage. The bulldog's massive hand tried to reach inside and pull him out, but it was so large that he could only fit his fingers through.

Computer couldn't help but find the situation funny, despite how dire it was.

"Ha! Nice try, sausage fingers!"

"You just couldn't make this easy, could you?" Bruno grumbled from overhead.

He picked the entire cage up and began shaking it with the open door facing downwards. Computer held onto the bars for dear life, and despite Bruno's strength and how jarring it was to be shaken around like that, he managed to hold on tight.

"Fine then." The bulldog rumbled, surprisingly calm. "I'll just take the whole cage with me then."

He closed and locked the door once more, then placed the cage under his arm and strode out of the kennel, nodding to one of the guards as he did so.

Computer sat back and relaxed, resigning himself to whatever fate lie before him.

"It was fun while it lasted..." He muttered out under his breath. He hoped he'd at least get one chance to kick Charon in the shin before this was all over.

One long trudge through the warehouse later, Bruno finally stopped to knock on a door in 'rich' part of the warehouse. He didn't wait for an answer. He simply grabbed the doorknob and quickly stepped inside.

Computer's eyes were once again assaulted by the purple and gold colors that Charon loved so much. It was near blinding in its gaudiness.

"Tell me again why we're doing this?" Bruno asked. "I told you, this guy is nothin' but trouble."

Computer looked to see Charon standing before a great, gold wardrobe even taller than Bruno...but no, it wasn't Charon.

It was her. That dog who looked so much like Charon that she could have been his twin.

Caught off guard, Computer was dumped out of the cage in front of her.

"Wha-what is this?" He asked as she peered down at him in a rather haughty yet cautious way.

"Did you really forget or did you actually lose your mind back there?" Bruno asked impatiently.

"The veterinarian-" Charon's mirror image intoned in a quiet yet strangely regal voice. "-she vouched for you and after a few talks we came to the conclusion that we have a purpose for you to fulfill in our plans."

"We weren't going to let you in until that smooth talker of a nurse brought up a good point..." Bruno added.

Computer could hardly believe it. He got to his feet and turned to Bruno. "Aren't you one of Charon's personal guards? Why are you-"

The bulldog thumped his chest. "I was one of Charon's fighters until he decided he liked me enough to make me one of his elite guards. I would have gone feral if that hadn't happened, just like all the rest. I may have gotten lucky, but I ain't got any love for the guy for 'saving' me from that fate. I hate the things he's made me do, and I hate the things he's still makin' me do."

Computer turned to the other dog. He didn't even need to say anything, she told him what he wanted to know.

"While he may treat me better than most...only out of his obsessive need to earn my affection, I was given as much of a choice in being his wife as much as any of his breeding stock are ever given a choice in what he forces upon them"

Her eyes narrowed, burning with a passionate hatred that not even Computer could rival.

"Charon-" She spat, the name escaping her lips like it was a filthy word. "He took everything from me."

Her voice transformed into something far more...vicious.

"He killed her! He killed her because he actually thought I'd want him after she was gone! He said that she was 'corrupting' me! Said that he would be the one to 'fix' what was wrong with me!"

Computer's ears drooped at her words. Here was yet one more reason to despise Charon with every fiber of his being...

"Her name was Andrea! Never forget it! She deserves to be remembered! He wanted her very existence wiped away so that I would never have a reason to think about her again! He burned everything that ever belonged to us! Had anyone who dared speak her name killed! He destroyed our home, our friends and family, everything! It's all gone now! Ash. He truly believed that he could replace everything I lost with golden trinkets, parties, dresses, gourmet meals, and servants."

Bruno's massive face had sagged sorrowfully, to the point that his eyes had disappeared within the many folds.

"I saw a lot of it." He quietly muttered out with unfathomable guilt. "T-took...took part in some of it too. I can't change that now, but I'm tryin' to fix some of my mistakes. She doesn't forgive me, and I don't expect her to, but she does trust me, and that's what matters."

Teeth grit, she snarled, "I want Charon dead! I want to see everything he has spent his life building up left in ruins! Burn it to ash! Leave no trace behind! Charon is the one whose entire existence deserves to be erased!"

"Well-" Computer began, not entirely sure what he should say.

He felt strangely small, like he didn't belong here or even deserve to be here. What part could he possibility play in this poor woman's tragedy? What could he possibility do that would fix any of it or help her get her much deserved revenge? There was so much sorrow in this place already, and he didn't think he could bear the weight of yet another soul irreparably damaged by Charon's cruelty. Still, he never would forgive himself if he didn't try to make things better for everyone trapped in this hell.

The task of bringing Charon down, even from the start, had felt too great for him to take on alone. He knew that he had been lying to himself about it the entire time. That was why he was going to play whatever part these two had cooked up for him. If it meant that he would be only one small brick in the dam that would soon collapse upon Charon and bring down a wave of fury that the bastard was not prepared for, well, he could live with that.

"-I guess that makes two of us." He finally said, blinking and then looking to Bruno. "Three of us?" He added, and then thought of the girl dog. "Four?"

Bruno grinned and thumped him on the back, nearly sending him flying in the process. "You'd better start thinkin' bigger than that, troublemaker."

"Charon has made many enemies within these walls." The entrapped 'wife' of Charon spoke. "But he believes that he is untouchable, that he has nothing to fear from us."

She put on a vicious grin.

"We're going to show him just how wrong he is."

End Of Chapter

A/N: Well, I bet you guys are really glad by now that I decided not to go with having MadDog as the villain of this arc. Admittedly though, I probably wouldn't have brought Bunny and Kitty back in with that context because it would be pretty cruel to have them have to deal with him again. But still, going with the huge influence The Mask episode has on this arc, we now have two characters who were in a similar situation to Bunny and Kitty, only...in this case there was no chance of there being a happy ending for them.