Blazing fire licked at Gordon's feet as he stood sullenly on the one hundred and tenth floor of the North Tower. He only looked to the sky, never thinking to gaze down upon all of those who were falling. He knew he was about to be with them. He held the phone at his ear, waiting… waiting. The call finally got through, and Kimberly's weak, scratchy voice came on the line. "Hello?" she said. Gordon took a deep breath and answered, "Dear Human Kimberly, it's Gordon. I thought it would be best to call you an say…" He was interrupted by her girlish squeal. "Oh, Gordon! I'm so glad you called! Are you ok?" Gordon shook his head sadly, saying, "No, Kimberly… I'm not ok." Kimberly said nothing for a little, then said. "Why not? Aren't you… safe."
"That is the thing, Human Kimberly. I am not ok… I am not safe. I am standing on the top floor of the remaining tower. It is about to collapse." Gordon hung his head and thought, So innocent… she doesn't deserve to see any of this…I must tell her. Gordon looked up again and said, "Dear lass, there is nothing I can do to help myself. It is gonna end here… and I wanted to say…" His entire life flashed before his eyes. "W-Wanted to say…" Thoughts of he and Kimberly slowly faded to mind. "… That I…" Kimberly… "… That I love you!" He had said the one phrase he had always been afraid to say, to Kimberly. His secret feelings for her. He waited for the response. Finally, she whispered, "Oh, Gordon… I love you, too. You can't leave me like this! You can't!"
"There is no other way. I am sorry. Please, tell my brothers… when they get back, to take care of each other. Tell them that I do love them… and…" Gordon slowly took his ear away from the phone and whispered, "… Goodbye." He shut the phone, and let it fall from his hand and down to the concrete below.
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"Gordon?" Kimberly asked frantically, trying to reconnect. "Gordon? GORDON! NOOOOOO!" She chucked the phone at her television screen, breaking it in half and cracking the glass on the TV. She ran past her mother, who had come to see what she was crying about. "Kimberly," she asked as she pushed past, "What's wro…" Kimberly shut the door before she could finish. She sat on her bed and looked out her window into the morning sun. She sobbed and prayed that Gordon did not mean what he said. But he did.
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Hovis inspected the gigantic hole in the ground where he saw the plane go down. It was small… far too small for a plane to have crashed there. The mysterious thing was that there was no debris. There were no wings or cockpit or engines. Only bits of metal shrapnel. There was basically… nothing. He knew that people were on that plane, like the ones in New York and at the Pentagon. He knew that even more lives had ended in that field. This national disaster had gone on far too long. Gordon had never called him back. He could have been dead for all he knew. There, in that field, he mourned.
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Mr. Blik and Waffle were going to finally leave New York. They had lost all hope of ever finding their brother again. Waffle still had thoughts of staying, but Mr. Blik had only forced him to leave. Neither of them thought of anything… except Gordon. Each cat had a different relationship with him. Waffle thought of him not only as a brother, but also his best friend. Blik was barely and equal of some sorts. He almost never apologized to anything, but in the end, he always turned back to say "I'm sorry." They were fond of each other, and Gordon was always there to help. They both missed him.
"Mr. Blik? Do you think Gordon might still be alive?" Waffle asked shakily. Blik did not answer. Suddenly, people began to back away from the Tower again. It's top was shaking and bits of large debris were falling. Glass shattered from the windows. The cats turned back to watch the last tower fall. If their brother was in there, then he was going down. Down… down… down. Mr. Blik and Waffle stood close to each other, and waited.
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Gordon felt the building rumble under his feet. Glass from nearby windows shattered violently, and more people leaped away from the blazing windows. He had no choice but to end this life. He had lived it to its fullest, enjoying the pleasures of all things wealthy. He loved his money. His mansion. His brothers. He closed his eyes and thought of them. All the good and bad times they had been through. He watched as a large crowd of people down below scurried away from the tower, small as ants. He knew his new friend, Jeffery was down there, too.
Slowly pulling a towel from his backpack, he waved it back and forth, signaling his location. He removed the both packs, knowing he wouldn't need them where he was going. He had spent a good life, and he knew it. It was time for his brothers to go on without him and live out the rest of their lives. He knew that even without him, they would succeed. He waved the towel faster and faster, attracting cameras from far below. Then, he spotted two unmistakable figures in a small crowd. It was Mr. Blik and Waffle, standing together, waiting for the worst. He knew they couldn't see him among the many windows and beams. But, he could see them, and he was happy to have seen them… one… last… time.
Gordon let the towel drift past him as he let it go. It whipped around with the other debris that were floating and drifting. This was his final stand. Even more windows began to shatter. His final day on Earth. Fire spread faster than ever, cracking through the floors beneath him. His clapped his hands together, fell to his knees, and prayed. People poured out more and more each second. After a short final word, he aimed his head down to the ground below. The building buckled… Gordon prepared himself. … and fell. Gordon jumped. He watched the tower fall as he plummeted half a mile down… down… down.
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Mr. Blik and Waffle ran up the steps of an apartment building, using the inside as cover as the North Tower finally collapsed. Again, a huge avalanche of smoke and dust rolled down the street, engulfing nearly everyone in its path. The windows sustained for force of the destructive blast. Other people with them huddled helplessly beside one another, crying, begging, and praying. Waffle cried, too. Gordon had not returned, and both towers were now gone. There was absolutely no hope left. Blik tried his best to comfort Waffle, patting him on the back. Waffle clamped onto Blik and didn't let go. Blik put his arms around him, too. The rumbling of the smoke had stopped. Letting go of each other, the two cats left the building.
It was worse than before. People were completely covered from head to toe in dusty debris. They stumbled back and forth around the city, affected by the force of the dusty avalanche. Sirens from fire trucks and patrol cars blazed through the streets toward what was left of the World Trade Center. The two brothers followed slowly after, wanting to see if by some miracle their brother, Gordon, had survived. It took them half an hour to reach the wreckage. Blik and Waffle watched as firefighters pulled an infinite amount of bodies from the debris and metal. Blik sobbed slightly at the sight of what was around him. So much death and destruction. So little time. Waffle's lip quivered as he pointed to a far-off figure lying in the distance. It was short, round, and covered in dust and debris.
Blik moved closer to realize what Waffle was gesturing at. It was Gordon.
Authors Note: One last chapter! Sorry to leave you hanging, but I must. I have a lot of stuff I need to catch up on, so I may not update too soon. Until then, I hope you've enjoyed this chapter! Xegrot