Perry and his team met up back in front of City Hall after their mission. "Good job, team. You just prevented a real life riot from destroying City Hall."
"I never thought we'd have to do something like this in real life," Maggie confessed. "I mean, it was scary enough in the training exercise."
"Rodney's –inator almost destroyed the world," muttered Heinz darkly. "Again."
"I can't believe the machine actually worked," Karen muttered, involuntarily shuddering. Out of the team, she had been the most affected by hundreds of people stampeding towards them, their peaceful demonstration having turned into a full-on riot by Rodney's machine that elevated aggression. Harry put his arm around her and pulled her reassuringly close.
"Well, the effects of his machine have worn off now," Perry said. "I'm sure we'll-." He broke off as he realised Heinz was gone. "Guys, where's Heinz?"
The four of them whirled round in search of their friend.
"He was very angry at Rodney," whispered Karen.
"Everybody, fan out and find him!" ordered Perry, his heart beginning to pound. "Quickly!"
Maggie took to the skies. Harry and Karen ran off in opposite directions. Perry was about to run off and look himself, when he caught sight of his former nemesis, who was climbing up the metal structure on top of City Hall. He heard Heinz's mutter over the radio: "No more Rodney. One blast and no more Rodney."
"Heinz, what on Earth do you think you're doing?" Perry demanded, watching his nemesis climb the structure until he was at the top.
"Climbing," Heinz replied.
"Come down!"
"No, Perry the Platypus. I don't think you realise what this evil man did."
"You were evil too, once!" Perry yelled up to him. "Just come down!"
"He almost killed the world several times. He needs to be taught a lesson. One that he'll never forget."
Perry was terrified. Heinz had gone completely insane! The way he was talking was absolutely terrifying. The quirky, weird yet loveable, and all-round harmless former evil scientist had turned into a cold, unforgiving monster.
"You're going to KILL him! He won't be able to remember the lesson because he'll be DEAD!"
"He deserves it."
"He doesn't deserve it!" Perry shouted, desperately trying to get his former nemesis to listen. "No matter what he's done, nobody deserves being blown to pieces! You're just being selfish and arrogant, believing that you need to kill Rodney in order to keep your ego intact. It doesn't matter what he's done, killing Rodney is not the right way!"
"No more radio contact."
"No, HEINZ!"
But Heinz had cut off the radio contact. "He's going to launch a missile!" Perry yelled desperately into his headset. "You have to get up there and stop him! Somebody, anybody!"
But it was too late. Heinz pressed the button and the missile fired. The next second, Perry saw Maggie fly into the path of the missile and then there was a massive explosion.
"MAGGIE!" screamed Perry, and he also heard Harry and Karen scream their friend's name too.
Perry felt like HE had been the one to get struck in the chest by the missile. He desperately searched the air, searching for any sign that she was okay. But Perry knew that she was gone. Nothing could have survived a missile like that as such close range. A sob welled up in Perry's throat and almost every organ he had was aching.
Heinz's scream made Perry look up. His former nemesis had fallen off City Hall. "Harry, the hovercar!" Perry yelled, flinging his arm up to point at his falling friend.
Understanding, Harry leapt into the hovercar and flew towards Heinz. Perry prayed the hyena would make it. As soon as Harry caught the former evil scientist's leg, Perry relaxed slightly and let his grief show in the form of a waterfall of tears for Maggie. Then Heinz landed by Perry's feet, and the platypus was slightly comforted to see that Heinz was also grieving.
"Why did he save me?" Heinz croaked without looking up.
"I told him to."
Heinz then looked up at Perry, who turned away so Heinz couldn't see his tears. "B-but why? I killed Maggie!"
"I didn't want to lose another friend," Perry replied quietly.
…
Perry lay across two chairs outside Major Monogram's office, listening to the major yelling at Heinz. They had been in there for little over half an hour, but Perry wasn't really paying attention to what was being said. His tears had dried up, leaving a numb feeling in his brain and heart, neither of which wanted to accept this. He didn't want to accept that Maggie was gone.
But the part of him that did recognise it offered a small comfort: Maggie had died saving somebody's life. Though that comfort practically extinguished itself when he remembered that it was RODNEY whom Maggie had died saving, of all the people she could have saved. He found himself cursing Maggie's golden heart.
When the door opened, Perry looked up and saw Heinz, fedora-less, storming through. Perry decided to give him some space, but after ten minutes or so, he felt worried about how his friend was doing so he headed over to Heinz's OWCA room. Heinz was just leaving, suitcase in hand. Perry watched him leave and then he went into Heinz's old room, which had been cleared of all personal stuff, apart from a photo on the floor. It was a photo of Heinz, Maggie, Harry, and Karen on their graduation day. They were all smiling, clutching their brand new fedoras with the black hat bands.
Perry clutched the photo tightly and sank to his knees, feeling the tears overwhelming him for the first time since returning to OWCA.
I-I don't want to say goodbye! Oh Maggie…WHY did you have to be so selfless? It hurts! It hurts so much! I can't deal with losing you! I really cared about you. M-maybe I even loved you…and now you're gone. I won't ever see you again!
It's all your fault, Heinz. WHY didn't you listen to me? Firing a missile at Rodney?! And now you're going to have to live with the fact that you killed Maggie.
You killed Maggie.
…
*le gasp* PERRY LOVED MAGGIE?! Answer: perhaps. But Maggie's gone :( and if you're reading this, you must have read the other stories, but anyway we know Perry finds love, don't we? He finds Priya! And Priya helps him fill the Maggie-sized hole in poor Perry's heart :'(
