Epilogue
~Approximately just under three weeks later…~
Double-D studied the brilliant wrapping that cloaked the item he'd bought as he crossed the cul-de-sac paths nervously and looked up at a large pile of shapes as the Urban Rangers closed off the entrance to the public for the day. The boy sighed as he looked at the colour of the paper covering the gift he'd chosen, the black eye a girl had given him only just beginning to fade.
Purple.
Her favourite colour.
Numbah Five emerged from behind the presents, her arms covered in gashes from the fight and watched as Double-D placed the box down at the base of the mountain of gifts. "So…" She pondered. "What'd you get her?" Despite Numbah Five's calm voice Double-D could sense the worried feelings around the edges of her words.
He looked at his cohort. "She told me that she likes fossils," Double-D replied. "So I got her an ammonite-"
The sounds of wailing made both turn to see Father, Eddy and Billy weeping together. "I know I don't like kids," Father sobbed. "But that girl wasn't bad at all!"
Eddy nodded. "She was the only one who never made fun of my height!" He held his knees and used his trousers as a tissue for his tears.
"Uh-huh!" Billy blubbered. "And she was the only one who got Runty's name right first time!" Runty was beside his master, green drops of matter falling from his mournful eyes. But none of them caught a glimpse as a pair of eyes, one dark, but happy, the other, robotic and glowed a warm shade of amethyst, fell upon the group.
"To be truthful," A familiar voice began. "I guessed Runty's name the first time 'round." Everybody turned to see a robotic hand, clad in royal-purple, armour-like metal waving from afar, attached to the joint that had once been Gamma's fleshly shoulder. Half of her face had been covered in metal and branded with the Dexlabs logo, but the smile on Gamma's mouth was kind and thankful. "Having a robotic eye still feels weird," She confessed. "But Dexter fixed me up real good!"
"Indeed," A Russian voice added. Dexter had appeared from behind Gamma with Dee Dee in tow, both still very bruised but healing well. The cut on the boy genius's face had given way to a fresh scar. "I must admit, wiring the arm together without electrocuting Gamma was a challenge," Dexter smirked victoriously. "But it was all worth it!"
"She looked so happy when we told her we were going to the cul-de-sac," Dee Dee remarked cheerfully. "Come to think of it, we all became happy to move away from the cries from those icky fan-girls Dexter had to fire for siding with Luce!"
Then Gamma noticed the presents. "What's with all the gifts, may I ask?" Then the others grouped together as Double-D took out a very dirty box from the pile and handed it to her.
"Ed told me to give this to you before he left for Mount Blackhead," He explained as Gamma opened the gift and took out a wedge of cheese. "Her name is Sharon, Sheldon's eldest sister, by the way."
Billy finally gave in. "Happy Birthday, Gamma!" The others cheered as he blurted out the words.
The party raged on into the night, grabbing the attention of both annoyed recruits who weren't allowed to join in and confused Fusion Monsters that watched on the orders of Fuse, who once again believed that the humans were plotting against him as music boomed from the depths of the fort.
But one voice, amongst all the fun, remained quiet.
Gamma stood from the wall where she'd encountered Numbah Five for the first time, recalling the decision that had thrown her into the wildest adventure she'd ever had. It was still sinking in that Gamma actually had a Birthday, yet her mind was on other things as she watched Dexter chatting away happily to his friends. She was happy that her friend was normal again, there was no denying that, but Gamma longed for the days when the wereplushie roamed his kingdom, searching for the pair of dark eyes that haunted his mind night after night. She looked at her slender metal arm and felt the warmth that radiated from it for a moment and pined quietly for the melodious howl that rose up when the sun gave way to the moon, even though if Gamma hadn't confronted Luce in the first place, then Dexter would be under her command by now. But her heart longed for the gentle eyes and the rosy cheeks, the whimpers and the nose, the bloated feet and the-
"Hey," Gamma turned to see Dexter pull himself up onto the wall. She glanced at his scar as he approached. "Are you okay up here?"
Gamma lowered her head. "I'm… fine," She replied. "I just needed some space, that's all."
Dexter nodded, then looked at his friend's eyes calmly. "Listen," He began, softening his voice to a whisper. "Would you mind if I gave you your present from me in secret?"
Gamma shrugged. "I don't mind," She reassured as Dexter took her by the hand. "Where do you want to go?"
Dexter glanced at her. "The forest."
They headed for the same path that had brought them together, recalling the shade of the trees quietly. "I'm a little nervous," Gamma remarked when they finally stopped. "I keep expecting Luce's lackey to suddenly… y'know…"
"I know," Dexter agreed and held out his hand. Gamma had expected a small box or something, but no, she found herself staring at a purple palm. "Remove my glove," Dexter spoke as Gamma hesitated. "Don't be shy, just take it off."
Slowly, but surely, Gamma peeled the glove away, meeting the sight of a silver bracelet around Dexter's naked wrist. "What's that?" The cyborg asked, pointing at the jewellery. Dexter smiled.
"It turns out," He began, slipping the silver off. "The pendant we used wasn't made of silver at all!" Sweat dotted Dexter's face as his cheeks became felt-pink.
"Does that mean… ?" The surprise in Gamma's biological eye widened as she watched her friend double over.
"T-T-That's right!" Dexter replied, voice beginning to deepen. "It doesn't mean that I'm cured, but-" The rest of his explanation was drowned out by screams of pain. Skin turned to felt, loafers gave way to over-stuffed feet and a gentle gaze looked up at the cyborg as the change ceased.
Gamma couldn't restrain herself any more and buried her head into Dexter's chest when he finally stood up. Sighing happily, she stepped away, letting her friend lead her with his clumsy hands out to a ridge where they could be left in peace. "That's Ursa Major, right?" Gamma asked, pointing up to the stars that glowed like fireflies. They had chosen a spot looming over the path that led up to Mount Blackhead.
"Correct," Dexter nodded, unaware that Gamma was beginning to move closer to him. "There are many more complex constellations out there, such as Bootes, 'The Bear Driver' and the neighbouring constellation Coma Ber, 'Bernice's Hair'." He noted Gamma's nervous gaze as she approached.
"You've done so much for me," She began, almost stammering and brought herself up to Dexter's level. "I've… I've accomplished so much since we met, and I've never been able to say it until we were alone," She felt tension stab her mind as Dexter watched her carefully. "T-T-Thank you, Dexter."
Gamma hesitated.
Then she kissed Dexter on the cheek.
The guilt fought back when she saw Dexter's surprised reaction. He pondered, then turned to his friend and looked at her. "You missed." He replied.
Gamma's face became confused. "… What?"
"You missed." The wereplushie repeated, making Gamma's head even more clouded.
"What do you mean I missed-" She began, only to find Dexter's lips pressed against her own, making Gamma's face turn scarlet as joy exploded inside of her heart. They tore away from each other, bound with new feelings that they'd never experienced before, then, once she'd recovered, Gamma stole a glance at Dexter's scar and giggled as the wereplushie put his arm around her half-metal, half-flesh shoulders. "Oh, Dexter," Gamma sighed, words passing through her lips that were only ever uttered in her wildest fantasies. "I love you."
Dexter held his gaze on her amethyst eye for a moment, letting the words out that he'd thought he'd never be able to say to a girl truthfully. "I.. I love you too, Gamma."
The duo laughed and held each other, unaware that they were being watched as several Fusion Monsters studied them curiously in the safety of the forest. They sat together with new-found curiosity, recalling the descriptions of humans that their master had told with a hint of bitter hatred to his troops.
Perhaps there were more to humans than they'd thought after all…
The volcano-like lair heaved groggily, the caverns quiet and untouched since the fight. The green magma squelched as it simmered, the intense heat reinforced its terrifying authority.
Suddenly, the lava began to bubble furiously, and a pale hand submerged, exploding from the liquid as the veins pulsated with grotesque, dark-lime anger. The hand held itself in the air for a moment, twitching madly, as the owner of the hand pulled herself, mummified in fluids, and fixed her shattered mind on one word and one word alone:
… Revenge…
The End… ?