"Cruelty might be very human, and it might be cultural, but it's not acceptable."
- Jodie Foster
I do not own 'Adventure Time'.
Chapter 28
For the People
"Alright, here's the list." Bubblegum pressed a button and ten separate images appeared on the big computer screen, along with identification and additional information.
"Why do you have a giant computer in your lab?" Jake asked. "Only supervillains have those."
"Batman had one." Bubblegum argued. "Now, according to the data I've obtained from the other Princesses, our list of abducted victims consists of," PB pulled up one image after the other.
"Barry the Berryperson, Tanya the Water Nymph, Connor the Marauder, Trixie the Softperson, Steve the Skeleton, Gunter the Penguin, Abracadaniel the Wizard, Flambo the Flambit, Mr. Cupcake, and Jake's son, TV."
"Ten people, for Tiffany's ten lists," said Finn. "Did any of the Princesses tell you about any other disappearances?"
"Nope. These are all of them." Bubblegum adjusted her glasses. "The kidnapper, this 'Evolutionist' person, has gone silent. No recent reports of abduction or disappearance."
"Maybe Tiffany can tell us the Evolutionist's next target," Marceline suggested. "He's still in the dungeon, right? Give me ten minutes with him, and I'll get him to tell us whatever we need."
"No one's torturing anyone in my castle." Bubblegum stated firmly.
"Not until you become desperate enough, you mean."
Finn stepped in between the two girls before PB could return fire. "Let's just try to figure out the Evolutionist's biz." he turned to Bubblegum. "Why would she be kidnapping people from all over Ooo?"
"My guess? The Evolutionist is either a collector insane enough to collect people, or she's a mad scientist looking to do a little experimentation." Bubblegum replied. "It makes sense, with Tiffany's lists and all."
"Oh, Glob." Finn muttered. "Please tell me you can find this lunatic."
"I'm afraid not," PB replied reluctantly. "The Evolutionist has been cunning so far. She's covered her tracks well, without a single trace. I can't think of any way to locate her."
"Oh my goodness," Marcy said in feigned shock. "Are you actually admitting she might be smarter than you? Holy hell, I never thought I'd never live to see the day. And I'm immortal."
If you looked closely, you could almost see the steam coming out of Bubblegum's ears and nose. "Abadeer, I will put an end to that immortality myself if you don't-"
"Cool if I pitch in?!" Finn interrupted. "How about I give Huntress Wizard a call? She tracks down things professionally, she could totally help us find the missing peeps."
"I doubt anything she can do with her magic I haven't already done with my science." said Bubblegum.
Marceline coughed into her fist. "Cough, ego. Cough, ego."
Bubblegum shot Marcy an angry glare before continuing. "However. The tracker of I have on Mr. Cupcake might give us a clue." The Princess pulled up a map of Ooo on the computer. On the screen, a red dot was heading southeast. It was making good ground until the signal was suddenly lost and the dot vanished off the screen.
"What happened?" Jake asked.
"Either Mr. Cupcake's tracker was removed and dismantled, or the Evolutionist is using some kind of signal blocker," replied PB. "But, they seemed to be heading towards the Bad Lands. As the name might imply, it's mostly just barren wasteland and gross-looking monsters out there. The only place I can think of where someone like the Evolutionist would wanna go is here," PB pulled up the image of an abandoned factory building out in the desert. "The old MO co. factory."
"The MO Factory?" Jake asked. "That's where BMO's from."
"For real?" Finn asked.
"Yeah. BMO and his family were built by a guy named Moe who ran the factory." Jake explained. "I've never met him, but I guess he died about a year ago. Something to do with BMO's evil brother AMO I think. I don't really know, that was BMO's whole thing. The Mo-bots are all still there at the factory, a big, happy, robot community. BMO goes to visit from time to time. He always insists on going alone though. Never understand why, but that's BMO for you."
"Well, why would the Evolutionist go to the MO Factory?" Finn asked. "Does she want a robot now?"
"If she wants a robot, she doesn't have to go all the way to the MO Factory to get one," said Jake. "BMO's the best robot Moe ever made, and he's-"
Finn and Jake both gasped at each other.
"BMO!"
Finn and Jake rushed out of the lab.
That left Bubblegum and Marceline alone in the lab. The two of them made brief eye contact before Marcy averted her gaze.
"I'll show myself out." the Vampire Queen said before floating to the exit. The Princess turned her back to Marceline and continued typing away on the computer's control panel without a word. Marceline was about to leave but stopped herself right before she went through the door. She floated there for a few seconds, a look of frustration slowly forming on her face.
Marcy sighed and turned back around.
"Listen, Bonnie." Marcy began. "I'm sorry for being difficult. You know me, I try to deal with most of my problems with sarcastic humor."
Bubblegum's hands froze over the control panel for a solid five seconds, then she went back to work at the exact same pace as before.
Marcy rubbed the back of her head. "I know things between us have been...rocky, for hundreds of years now, and me dating Finn probably just adds more fuel to that fire, huh?"
"You say it like that wasn't your initial intention." Bubblegum finally said, her back still towards Marceline.
Marcy blinked. "...Uh, what?"
"Come on, Marceline, we both know why you're really dating Finn," PB replied. "You're dating Finn just to get under my skin. You knew I had…an interest, in Finn, and so you took the first opportunity you could to snatch him for yourself. And now, you have a sweet dummy that'll do whatever you want him to do because, well, he's a guy. Not because you wanted to date him, but because you wanted to eliminate any possibility of me dating him."
"Are you for real right now?!" Marcy shouted angrily. "Good Glob, get over yourself! I'm not dating Finn just to get your attention. Not everything revolves around you, nor does everything have to involve you! I'm dating Finn because he's a great guy, he's fun to hang out with, he gets me. And unlike you, he's considerate. He would never put a baby in a cage and if an ancient evil broke loose, he would fight against it instead of sending others to fight it while he hid!"
Bubblegum's hands stopped their progress to form into clenched fists.
Marceline groaned and rubbed her temples. "...I wish things would change between us. I really do," she said more softly. "...But they aren't, are they?"
PB didn't respond.
Marcy sighed through her nose. "That's what I thought." Marceline floated to the exit. "Also, Finn's way better in the sack than you ever were." She said before she left.
A few seconds after Marceline left, Peppermint Butler rushed into the lab. "Princess! Princess!"
PB spun around. "WHAT?!" she shouted angrily.
The scared peppermint slowly raised his hands in surrender. "...Know what? It can wait." He said before slowly backing up out of the lab, his hands still up in surrender.
Finn threw open the front door to the treehouse. "BMO!" he and Jake shouted.
The boys hurried upstairs to the second floor. "BMO!" they shouted again.
BMO walked up to the two boys. "Yes?"
"Oh, thank Glob!" Finn ran up and scooped the little robot up in a hug. "You're okay!"
"Of course I am okay, Finn," replied BMO. "Why wouldn't I be?"
Finn put BMO back down. "Listen, little buddy, we think a really bad person is going to donk up the MO Factory."
BMO gasped. "Oh, no!"
"We have to get to the MO Factory to stop her. We need you to tell us how to get there." Finn said.
"I will do you one better; I will take you there myself." BMO declared.
"BMO, I think it would be better if you stayed here," said Finn. "This could get dangerous, and I'd hate to see you get hurt."
"I don't care if it is dangerous, my family is over there!" BMO shouted. "I have to go save them from the bad person!"
Finn and Jake looked at each other. They both wanted to, but neither of them could argue with BMO any further. When someone threatened your family, you took action. They both understood that.
Finn sighed. "Okay, BMO, you can tag along. But you have to stay close to us. Deal?"
BMO nodded. Or did the lack-of-a-neck equivalent of a nod anyway.
"Alright," Finn said. "Let's go to the MO Factory."
(Somewhere else)
"Let's go to the MO Factory." the video recording played off on the big screen.
From under her hood, the Evolutionist smiled.
(One badass bike ride through the Bad Lands later)
Finn brought the motorcycle to a stop in front of the abandoned factory. It was really nothing to gawk at. Despite the faded blotches of rust here and there, the dilapidated factory remained intact. But there was no sign of life in the factory whatsoever. The building appeared to be so lifeless, one would have passed right by it if not for a guide pointing it out to them.
Said guide hopped out of the saddlebag and stared up at the factory. Despite the factory's dull, lifeless appearance, BMO stared up at it like it was the greatest place on Earth.
"Welcome to MO Co." BMO said.
Finn put the kickstand up and he and Jake got off the bike. Finn was prepared for a fight, with Nothung strapped to his back. "This is where you were born?" he asked.
"Yes," replied BMO. "Many years ago, before the Mushroom War."
"Woah. Didn't realize you were that old." Jake remarked.
"You were alive during the Apocalypse?" Finn asked.
"I did not witness it, if that is what you mean." said BMO. "I went on a journey into outer space before the War changed everything. I became a sheriff, teamed up with a bunny and what was either an alien or a robot or both that played the role as my transportation and my hat, and brought justice and order to a space station run by a bad guy."
"...Dang." said Finn.
"When my work was done, I came back to Earth." BMO continued. "I crashlanded in Ooo and traveled around a bit before I ran into Jake and his brother."
"I remember that day," said Jake. "Me and Jermaine found you in the woods when we were like, seven. We ended up wrestling each other to see who got to keep you."
"And you won," BMO recalled. "I didn't like seeing you fight each other for me, but I was enjoying the attention."
"Great story and everything. Really, you gotta tell us the whole thing later." said Finn. "But, we should probably go and see what's going on inside the factory."
"Oh! Yes, of course!" BMO exclaimed. "Follow me!"
BMO hurried to the entrance and Finn and Jake followed after him. The first thing they encountered when they walked inside was what one could only call the front desk. Off the right, a big slab of metal acted as the front desk with another robot standing behind it. Finn guessed this was another MO-bot like BMO, but aside from their screen faces, the two of them looked little alike. The receptionist had a flat, brown body sort of shaped like a cell phone. He must have been standing on a step stool or something, Finn estimated the robot's height to be no taller than Jake. normally was.
"Greetings, and welcome to MO Co." said the robot. "I am DMO. Please state your business."
"Hi, DMO!" BMO greeted.
"Oh. Hello, BMO." DMO greeted with a smile. "I did not expect you back so soon. I also did not expect you to bring two unidentified strangers to the factory."
"I am sorry, DMO. I know that only MOs are allowed in the factory." BMO apologized. "But I brought these two because we thought a bad lady was here causing trouble."
"Oh. How very thoughtful," said DMO. "There is an unidentified intruder down in the sublevels. Would you like to go and see her?"
"Yeah, that would be great." Finn said.
"Excellent." DMO gestured towards the rail car further down the hall. "Please step one hundred percent on the voltrotram for transportation to the sublevels."
"Gee, thanks, man." said Jake as he, Finn, and BMO walked over and stepped onto the voltrotram. The cart took off on the track through the factory once they were all on.
Once they were gone, DMO's screen face glitched out.
"Wel-wel-wel-wel-wel-welcome to the MO Factory."
Finn, Jake, and BMO rode the voltrotram through the old MO Factory. The place had clearly been abandoned for many years. Broken windows and equipment could be seen in every direction. No sign of life or even of machine made any movement down below in the assembly lines and work stations.
"This place doesn't get a lot of business nowadays, huh?" said Finn.
"Geez, what happened to this place?" Jake asked.
"The Mushroom War was the end of maybe things." BMO said, and that's all he would say.
The trio continued through the factory in silence until the car came to a stop in front of the entrance to a long hallway. They were met by a small squadron of MO's. these ones looked more like BMO than DMO did, with their square bodies. But these guys were each the size of a small refrigerator, with dark, metal bodies pressed against each other in a perfect fit side by side, forming a wall of MO's that blocked the path forward.
"Welcome to MO Co." the MO in the middle greeted. "We SMOs have been assigned to escort you to the sublevels."
"Does the 'S' stand for security?" Jake asked.
"Yes it does."
"Called it."
"Thanks, but we don't really need an escort," Finn said. "BMO can lead us through, and we're not here to cause any trouble. We're here to take care of the intruder downstairs."
"You still need to be escorted by a security firm." the middle SMO said. "All non-MOs do. Company policy."
"Alright, fine." Finn relented. "Lead the way."
The SMO's turned around in perfect sync and walked down the hall. As Finn, Jake, and BMO followed them, another group of SMO's appeared and formed a wall behind them, cutting off the way back. The group walked through the hall for several minutes before Jake finally spoke up.
"Hey, Finn?"
"Yeah?" Finn replied.
"Does this seem a little…too easy to you?" Jake asked.
"What do ya mean?"
"Well, normally by now, we would have to fight some giant monster, or in this case, to be thematically appropriate, some giant, evil robot or something. But it's been pretty smooth sailing so far, and I'm kinda just waiting for the other shoe to drop."
"Come on. There's no reason why we can't have an easy mission every now and then." Finn said.
"Still though, I feel like something should happen by now."
"Yeah, like what?"
The lights suddenly went out, replaced by the red, backup lights. The SMOs all froze in place before the ones at the front all turned around to face Finn, Jake, and BMO. All of the security MOs' faces were now replaced by loud static. The wall of SMOs in the front and the back stood stark still with screen faces of static, blocking both ways forward and back, blasters armed and ready.
"Like this. This right here is more or less what I was expecting," said Jake. "I'm not gonna say this is what I was hoping for, but it is definitely what we can call a normal occurrence in our lives, as donked up as it seems."
The blurry image of a hooded figure appeared on the screen faces of all the SMOs.
"Hello, Finn."
The voice coming from the SMO's was so garbled with static, the only thing you could distinguish was that the voice was female. And yet, Finn thought the voice held an ounce of familiarity, although he couldn't understand why it did.
"I have to say, I'm impressed with the progress you've made since your arrival in Ooo." the voice continued. "The way the denizens of this world worship you like a demigod hero. It's perfect."
Finn already had his sword drawn. "Are you the Evolutionist?" he asked.
The question earned a static-filled laugh from the SMOs. "Indeed I am, Finn the Human." the voice chuckled again, as if they were sharing a joke.
"You kidnapped my son, you hooded tranch!" Jake shouted angrily. "Give me back my son or I swear to Glob, I'll-"
"You'll do exactly as I tell you, dog," the Evolutionist said. "Because, guess what? I have your son."
Jake let out an angry growl.
"What do you want?" Finn demanded. He and Jake kept turning around to face a different SMO, unsure of which one to focus on.
"You may think the contrary, but I am not your enemy, Finn." said the Evolutionist. "Oh, no. You and I are on the same team. Or at least, we should be."
Finn raised an eyebrow in confusion. "The nuts are you talking about? Who are you?"
"Not yet, Finn. Not yet. I do hate spoilers." The Evolutionist chided. "Just know that you are essential to my plan, and I aim not to bring you down, but to build you up."
Finn blinked. "...And, what exactly is your plan?"
"Like I said, I hate spoilers. Why not just wait for the grand reveal?" The Evolutionist replied. "But, I guess I can give you a little auditory sneak peek."
No one noticed BMO sneaking over to the wall.
"The time has come for the rightful rulers of this world to take back what's theirs." The Evolutionist said. "The Kingdoms of Ooo will be demolished to make way for the new Empire. Those who accept being conquered may serve us if they can be of use, the rest will be terminated."
"Lady, you are evil!" Finn shouted.
"I am necessary evil." The Evolutionist replied. "This world will be scrubbed clean and remodeled for its new masters. I had hoped you would side with me, Finn, but apparently, that hope was in vain, as all hope is. If you want something to be done, you've gotta make it happen yourself. That being said, you and your mutt will be staying here for the time being. I have big plans for you, my dear boy, but if you won't play ball, I guess I'll have to put you on the bench for now. So, get comfy. And try to spruce up the place while you're at it, why don't you? I plan to put this old factory to use once I've conquered Ooo, so if you wouldn't mind-"
The lights suddenly came back on and the SMOs shuddered before their screens all went black.
Finn and Jake looked over at BMO, who had opened up a panel in the wall and held a bunch of sparking wires in his hands.
"This will not last long!" BMO cried out as he tossed the wires aside. "We need to get to the bottom floor, quickly!"
Finn scooped up BMO and he and Jake vaulted over the wall of SMOs, heading deeper into the factory. After about a minute of running, the lights went back out, replaced by the ominous, red backup lights.
"You're making this more difficult than it needs to be!" The Evolutionist's voice sounded over the intercom.
"Quick! Into the access hatch!" BMO pointed at a nearby hatch. Jake ran over and pried open the hatch, allowing Finn to jump down before Jake hopped in and closed the hatch. The second after the hatch was closed, the SMOs ran past.
Down in the access tunnel, Finn, Jake, and BMO took a minute to take a breath.
"...I have come to a conclusion," Jake announced.
"Yeah, what's that?" Finn asked.
"This Evolutionist chick is out of her frogging mind."
"Agreed."
BMO hopped out of Finn's arms and ran ahead. "Follow me!" he shouted. "We can override the whole place and save my family from The Evolutionist if we get to the bottom level!"
Finn and Jake hurried after BMO as the little robot ran through the access tunnels. BMO seemed to know exactly where to go, leading them lower and lower down through the complex.
"Is it just me, or did the Evoltuitonist seem to know you?" Jake asked.
"I promise you, I have no idea who she is." Finn replied.
"Well, she seemed pretty interested in you." Jake pointed out. "Why can't any normal chicks be interested in you? Why is it always living fire, vampires, and violent hermit wizards?"
"What about Bubblegum?"
"Yeah, she would have worked, but you went with the half-demon Vampire Queen instead."
"Less talk, more travel!" BMO shouted as he led the group. The little robot stopped at a vent in the floor. "Here! Through this vent!"
Jake positioned himself on the center of the vent and pulled Finn and BMO to his sides. "Hang on, guys." Jake jumped up,
"Butt pound!"
As the trio came back down, Jake's rear end hammered down through the vent and the three of them fell down through the ventilation shaft. BMO neglected to tell Finn and Jake exactly how far down the shaft went. The boys let out a shout as they fell down. After a full minute of falling, the three of them busted through another vent into a large room. Jake inflated into a giant mattress before they hit the floor and Finn and BMO bounced harmlessly off of Jake and onto the floor.
The room they had fallen down into was circular and white. The room was completely empty, save for a small operating room over on the other side. BMO ran over to the small area of medical equipment and hopped onto the empty patient bed. It was as if BMO was hoping to find someone in it. There was no one, so BMO just sat down on the bed with a sad look on his digital face.
Finn and Jake walked over to BMO. "Yo, little buddy. You okay?"
"We still have to override the system." Finn reminded him.
"...This was where Papa died." said BMO.
Finn and Jake blinked in surprise and glanced at each other. "Oh… BMO...I'm so sorry." said Finn.
"When AMO came back, Papa thought he could give him another chance," BMO said. "He was incorrect. There was something wrong with AMO, so he was sent away, many years ago. When he came back, he killed Papa. AMO needed to be at the center of attention, it was never enough for him. He wanted to kill me too, but…" BMO let his digital eyes close. "...I was able to shut him down for good."
Finn placed a hand on BMO's back. "That couldn't have been easy."
"Papa sent AMO away because of the way he was." BMO continued. "...I was sent away for the way I was. I am not like AMO. I know that. But, I am still trying to figure out how I am different." BMO looked up at Finn. "What purpose does my existence serve? Why was I made?"
Finn bit his lip. "...BMO-"
Something fell from the ceiling and crashed onto the floor, shaking the whole room.
It was another MO, by the looks of it, but it was a big one. It was twice the size of Finn, with a bulky, box-shaped body like BMO's. Its arms and legs were long and thick like tree logs. It had a screen face on its black, metal body, but all it displayed was a pair of angry pixel eyes.
"Oh-no," BMO whispered. "Alpha-MO."
The big robot stomped its way towards the three of them.
"I bet we can take this guy." Jake said.
"I wouldn't count on it," said BMO. "The Alpha-MO was made to be indestructible. A prototype request from the military that Papa tried to refuse." BMO hopped off of the bed and ran over to a computer desk in the back of the medical room. "I will override the system! It may take me a while, so keep him busy in the meantime!" BMO instructed as he hopped up to the computer.
"You got it BMO!" Finn drew his sword and he and Jake charge the Alpha-MO with a battle cry.
Alpha-MO back-handed both Finn and Jake into the walls.
Finn wasn't sure what kept his bones from breaking, but it was still agonizingly painful nonetheless. Jake had splatted against the wall like an egg and slid down to the floor with a painful groan.
"Holy ham, this guy is tough." Jake wheezed.
Alpha-MO started stomping towards BMO, who was typing away furiously on the computer with his feet, dancing on the keyboard.
"BMO!" Jake got up off the floor and threw an arm-lasso around Alpha-MO, holding the bulky bot back from advancing towards BMO.
Jake strained to keep the big MO from advancing. "He's so friggin heavy!" Jake grew until he towered over Alpha-MO and picked him up as if he were an action figure. Alpha-MO struggled to get out of Jake's grip.
"Aha! Gotcha!" Jake exclaimed.
Electricity ran across Alpha-MO's body.
"Oh, no. Not agai-"
Jake lit up as Alpha-MO emitted a powerful electric shock. Jake released the Alpha-MO, who crashed back down onto the floor, before shrinking down and falling on his back.
"Jake!" Finn cried.
Alpha-MO turned his attention back onto BMO.
Finn picked up Nothung and ran up to position himself between BMO and Alpha-MO. He pointed his sword at the large robot. "Back off!"
Alpha-MO's angry, pixel eyes focused on Finn for a few seconds before the top of his head extended, revealing a compartment housing a red missile aimed right at Finn and BMO.
Finn gulped at the sight of the missile. After giving it about three seconds of thought, Finn sheathed his sword, took a breath, and spread his arms out.
Alpha-MO's missile shot towards Finn.
Finn fell backward.
During the precious millisecond that the missile was above him, Finn grabbed ahold of the missile and disappeared in a burst of snow,
and reappeared on the other side of the Alpha-MO in the exact same position. Finn allowed the missile to fly out of his grip and speed towards Alpha-MO. As Finn fell onto the floor, he watched the upside-down view of the big MO robot being blown to pieces by its own missile.
Jake chose that moment to wake up. He stood back on his feet and looked at the remains of Alpha-MO. "I hate robots… with the exception of BMO, of course. Oh, and Neptr I guess."
The SMOs from earlier ran into the room, aiming their blasters at Finn and Jake.
"Yup, I stand by my statement." Jake said.
BMO planted his foot down on the enter key. "Done!"
The SMOs suddenly tensed up and their screens went blank. After a few seconds, their faces reappeared on their screens, looking confused and bewildered.
"...What happened?" the SMO in the middle asked.
BMO hopped down off of the computer desk and Finn, Jake and the SMO's all walked up to the medical area. "I did it!" BMO shouted. "I got the bad lady out of the system!"
"Good job, BMO!" Finn exclaimed. "I'm proud of you, little buddy!"
The computer screen lit up. "As am I."
BMO spun back around and gasped. The SMOs all got down on one knee and bowed in reverence.
"Papa!" BMO cried out happily.
On the computer screen, the happy face of a really old guy smiled down at BMO. His brown, wrinkly skin hung on a bony, beardless face. His ears were big and round and the hair on top of his head was as white as snow. His big grin and excited eyes shone down on BMO light a warm spotlight.
"Heh, heh, heh!" he laughed. "Thank you, BMO, for rebooting the system! That lady who came in here was an awfully disrespectful guest. Not only did she take a truckload of parts and gizmos, but she tried to hack into all of my robots." the old man on the computer tsked. "The reboot thankfully managed to wipe away all traces of her effort to gain control."
Finn and Jake stepped forward. "You're the guy who built BMO?" Finn asked.
"Yup, that's me. Heh, heh, heh!" the old man replied. "Dr. Moseph Mastro Giovanni, at your service. But, you can just call me Moe."
"Mastro Giovanni-I've heard of you!" Finn exclaimed. "I read about you back on the island! You were a robot building master back before the Apocolypse."
"Ah. So there were those who survived that dreaded disaster and rebuild society." Moe chuckled warmly. "That's wonderful to hear. For while, I thought the human race was long gone."
"How are you not long gone?" Jake asked. "You've got to be over a thousand years old!"
"And I thought AMO killed you?" BMO added.
"First question: Using my technology, I have kept myself alive all these years in order to look after my beloved factory," said Moe. "Second question: Before AMO ended the functionality of my body, I was able to transfer my consciousness, or my soul, if you will, into this computer. Why do you think I kept this computer in my medical room. Just in case my body finally failed, I could save my mind by putting it into this computer."
"How does it feel?" Finn asked.
"A little cramped." the laugh Moe gave was good-natured, but held a little bit of sorrow. "But, to be perfectly honest… perhaps it is time to finally hit the delete button."
"What?!" BMO shouted. "Papa, no!"
"Aww. Hush now, BMO. No need to cry." said Moe. "I have lived longer than any human being has a right to, and my accomplishments are, in truth, few in number." Moe smiled. "But you, BMO, are without a doubt, my greatest accomplishment."
BMO blinked his teary, digital eyes.
"You see, you are special, BMO. A one of a kind robot I could never replicate. AMO, the poor thing, was built to be loved. But you, BMO, were built to give love. To laugh and play, to be a part of a family you would do anything to protect. That is your purpose, BMO; to love."
BMO smiled up at Moe.
Moe looked at Finn. "It warms my no-longer-operating heart to know that humanity survived that nightmare a thousand years ago."
Finn looked away. "The nightmare that humanity caused."
"Yes, but that's humanity for you. Defined by both our accomplishments and our mistakes."
"The mistakes seem to outway the accomplishments, don't they?" Finn asked.
"Do you truly believe that being human is something to sniff at?" Moe asked. "Boyo, take it from someone who spent a thousand years whittling away at his own humanity to keep himself alive, you should be grateful to be human."
"Why's that?" Finn asked.
"Because human beings possess a super power that few other species known to this planet have ever possessed," Moe explained. "It is the same gift that makes BMO so special. Human beings, yourself included, possess the incredible ability...to be more."
Finn blinked as if snapping out of trance. "...To be something more." he muttered.
"Indeed," Moe replied. "Now, if you would do this old fool a kindness, delete me, so I may finally know peace."
BMO hopped back onto the computer desk. He stared at the computer screen with a sad look on his screen face. "Are you sure, Papa?"
"It's time," Moe stated. "Take care, BMO...I love you."
Digital tears ran down BMO's face.
"And, boy?"
Finn gave Moe his attention.
"Your humanity is a gift." Moe reminded him. "Never trade it for anything."
Finn nodded.
"Give that crazy lady, whoever she was, a good whoopin' for me, won't you? Heh, heh, heh!" Moe's screen face nodded at BMO. "Go ahead."
BMO pressed his foot down on the delete key.
The smiling image of Moseph Mastro Giovanni was replaced by a dark screen, then two words in green lettering appeared.
DATA DELETED
Finn, Jake, and the MOs all bowed their heads in respectful silence.
Finn suddenly remembered the Shadow Thief, and his desire to finally be put to rest. Finn guessed the delete button was a popular option for anybody giving immortality a shot. He wondered if Marceline ever felt that way too.
BMO hopped off of the computer desk and walked towards the exit. "Come on, guys," he said. "We have to find the Evolutionist and give her a whooping for Papa."
"Don't worry, BMO, we'll find her." Finn said as he and Jake followed their robot friend out.
"I know," BMO replied. "...We have to."
THe SMO's looked over at Alpha-MOs remains.
"You know what's really messed up?" one of the SMOs asked.
"What?" another SMO replied.
"Today was Alpha-MO's birthday."
Bubblegum exited the bathroom and entered her bedroom wearing her pink nightgown, brushing her long, pink, gummy hair in even strokes. Although, there looked to be a little bit of aggression in each stroke of the hairbrush, and PB's face betrayed a hint of anger.
Today had been a very unsuccessful day for the Princess. Aside from putting together a list of the missing Evolutionist victims and pinpointing a potential lead on her whereabouts, (PB still needed to check in on Finn and Jake about that), Bubblegum had utterly failed at finding any other lead to where the Evolutionist could be hiding. She was supposed to be the smart one, the one who figured things out and solved the problem. And yet, the location of the Evoltuioinist remained unknown.
And of course, there was that thing with Marceline.
Marceline had made an attempt to repair the damage between, something neither of them had done since the breakup. It surprised PB, to say the least, she suspected Finn had put Marcy up to it. And yet, Bubblegum just had to open her big fat mouth and be the condescending jerk that Marceline had dumped all those years ago.
Bubblegum wiped away the angry tears on her face. "Why is everything so complicated?"
"You're telling me."
Bubblegum let out a frightened gasp. The balcony doors were open, and looking over the Candy Kingdom as the sun set, was a figure in a black, hooded cloak.
"You have talking bananas and schizophrenic lemons here in Ooo." the figure said. "Not to mention sentient slimeballs and fireballs, as well as a whole city of, uh, 'wizards', and a library run by a turtle. I'm impressed with myself that I haven't lost my mind yet."
Bubblegum quickly reached under her bed and pulled out a high-tech pistol, which she aimed at the figure in the black cloak.
"The Evolutionist, I presume?" the Princess greeted coldly.
With her back to the Princess, the Evolutionist chuckled. "That would be me, yes. Finnegan and Kara both got a name change, I figured I might as well follow suit." The Evolutionist turned around and pulled her hood down, revealing blue hair set in a puffed mohawk, and a metal plate covering the area of her face where her left eye was.
"My real name, is Dr. Casandra Gross."
Bubblegum blinked. "Dr. Gross. You're from Founder's Island, Finn mentioned you!"
"Aw, so he does talk about me?" Dr. Gross asked. "And I thought he didn't like me."
"Why are you kidnapping people all over Ooo?!" PB demanded. "Answer me, or so help me Glob, I will disintegrate you!"
Dr. Gross smiled as if she were proud of PB. "I like your spirit, but I'm afraid you're outgunned and in no position to make demands."
The revealed Evolutionist raised her hand like she was giving a signal. Bubblegum felt the familiar tremor of the ground as the Gumball Guardians stomped over to peer through the balcony doors. Something was wrong, though. Both of the Guardian's eyes were filled with static, and their motion was more stiff and robotic than usual.
"Gumball Guardians! Stand down! That is a direct order from the Princess!" Bubblegum shouted.
The Guardians were unresponsive.
Bubblegum took a scared step back. The pistol in her hands began to shake. "That...that's impossible."
"Nothing's impossible when it comes to science," said Dr. Gross. "Put down the gun, kid, I only want talk."
Bubblegum weighed her options and decided it was best to comply. Dr. Gross apparently had total control of the Guardians, and she could order them to attack anything. That included the Candypeople heading off to bed.
PB reluctantly tossed the pistol aside. "Alright. What do you want? Am I correct to assume this is a display of power? A threat to stay out of your way or else blah, blah, blah, bad guy cliche, bad guy cliche?"
"I know this looks bad," Dr. Gross raised her hands apologetically. "But I did not come here because I see you as a potential enemy. Oh no, my dear. I came here because I see in you a kindred spirit."
Confusion and disbelief flooded PB's face. "Uh, say what now?"
"You and I are the same, Princess." Dr. Gross elaborated. "We are both women of science who take charge because who else is qualified to take charge? We call the shots because we know what's best. We do the smart thing. Always. We choose logic and reason every time over emotion and personal feelings, and that gives us the results we want."
"I am not like you!" PB shouted. "You kidnap people!"
"And you imprisoned a baby girl in a lamp like she was a genie."
Bubblegum flinched as if she had just been slapped.
"Don't feel bad about it, you did the smart thing. You and I always do." Dr. Gross said. "And yet, we are both unappreciated and are refused the correct amount of respect we are owed." Gross took a step forward and offered PB a friendly smile. "And my favorite similarity between us is that we will do anything for our people."
Bubblegum hesitated before asking, "Why are you here in Ooo? Is this about Finn?"
"My plan includes Finn, but does not revolve around him." Dr. Gross answered. "Before the land of Ooo, ridiculous name, by the way, was ruled by kingdoms of mutants, no offense, it was ruled by the humans."
"It was ruined by the humans." said Bubblegum.
"They apparently didn't have somebody like you or me running the show back then," Gross replied. "Where was I? The Humans once ruled this world. The Kingdoms of Ooo were all built upon the foundation of Human remains. Even you, Gum Golem, possess Human DNA."
Bubblegum narrowed her eyes.
"As Finn might have told you, what's left of the Human race now survives on an island far out into the ocean, cut off from the rest of the world. We survive, yes, but we are unable to expand. We're stuck in one place, unable to progress. The old homeland was too dangerous territory to attempt recolonization…or so we thought."
Dr. Gross smiled. "You and the other Kingdoms have done well for yourselves, reestablishing a civilized society. Yes, quite well. But, I'm afraid the reign of mutant kingdoms is coming to an end. I am going to give this world back to the Humans. I will exterminate every living bioform I deem a threat to humanity. Every mutant, every monster. We will finally be able to thrive as a species once more. No more hiding on an island."
"That's insane," said Bubblegum. "You're talking about genocide!"
"I'm talking about evolution." Dr. Gross calmly replied. "Survival of the fittest and so on."
"You plan to wipe out entire kingdoms?!" Bubblegum demanded. "Just to make room for a small island of Humans?!"
"What I do, I do for the future of mankind," said Dr. Gross.
"The Kingdoms will fight back," PB said.
"I'm sure they will," Gross replied. "But I think I've made it abundantly clear that none of you can stop us. All of the forces of Founder's Island will come, and Kingdom by Kingdom, Ooo will fall."
Bubblegum did her best to mask her fear.
"But yours doesn't have to."
Bubblegum blinked.
"As I said, I see in you a kindred spirit. And as goofy and entertaining as the Candypeople are, they pose no actual threat to humanity, aside from cavities and toothaches. So, I am willing to make a deal with you. You can't stop what's to come, so just let it happen. Do so without offering up any form of resistance, and the Candy Kingdom will survive the conquering. You have my word as a fellow scientist. Of course, after everything is said and done, you'll be putting your talents to use for the betterment of mankind. Personally, I very much look forward to working with a scientist of your caliber."
Dr. Gross titled her head. "To put it simply, Bonnibel Bubblegum, you have two choices: live and serve, or fight and die. A choice that determines the future of your entire Kingdom."
PB clenched her jaw.
Dr. Gross grinned like she knew she had already won. "You have a good night, Princess." Gross turned back around walked to the edge of the balcony. "Oh, and do keep this conversation just between the two of us, won't you? I never liked gossipers."
She raised her arm in the arm and let the cloak sleeve drop. Her mechanical arm sprouted a set of helicopter blades that spun about her wrist.
"What about Finn?!" Bubblegum demanded before Gross could take off. "Are you going to hurt him?"
"I would never do that," Gross replied over her shoulder. "If you want him, my dear, I can add him to the deal. Just say so."
Bubblegum looked away.
"Tell you what, I'll take that as a maybe." Dr. Gross said before taking off into the night sky.
Once she was gone, the eyes of the Gumball Guardians returned to normal. They both blinked in confusion and looked at Princess."
"What happened?" One of them asked.
Princess Bubblegum just walked up and closed the balcony doors with a sullen look on her face.
"Cruel is a matter of perspective."
- Jack Sparrow