Grasslands, OOO, ??

There was a trio of scavengers checking around for scrap metal diligently. A yellow bulldog standing on his hind legs, a Rainicorn, and a small teal gaming console with arms and legs. They were given the task by the Princess of a nearby Kingdom for a project she was working on.

"Lady? How much metal did Prubs want again?" the dog asked all of a sudden.

"Chungbunhadago Saeng-gaghabnida (I think we have enough)." the Rainicorn watched the dog pick up a rock with some bugs raising their fists at him in annoyance.

"Phew! That's a relief!" he set down the rock and leaned on the remains of a commercial airliner in content. So far, they managed to find 500lbs worth of metal scraps. They even found an ancient gaming console that almost looked like their walking console. "It's kinda weird using parts from an ancient civilization and using it for one of Prub's DNA-collector thingies. Shame we will never know what happened to them..."

Looking at the dog, the Rainicorn nodded at that. They began compiling the metal when they heard a massive explosion behind the useless commercial airliner. It held an aura of random colors that dissipated shortly after the dust settled. The trio got a peek of what caused it and was shocked by what they saw.

It was a glowing mass as red as the sun before cooling down into a gray and black capsule with words on one side that read US AIR FORCE USX-05172041a.

They tried to find an opening, but couldn't find one. The heat welded the hatch shut. Looking at each other, they waited until it cooled down a little more so they could bring it to the kingdom

At the Candy Kingdom, OOO (Three Hours later)...

"*creak!* Hey PB! I was wondering if we can talk about something." a large mass of gum shaped like a human woman looked at the opened door in surprise. This is Princess Bubblegum, ruler of the Candy Kingdom.

"What is it Jake?"

The yellow dog scratched the back of his head as he and the Rainicorn hauled in the capsule as well as the metal they were asked to bring. Bubblegum ignored the metal and observed the welded mass before them. "Well, we found this weird time capsule, but it's welded shut. We just wanna know if you got something to help get it open."

Bubblegum looked at what resembles as doors for the pod. When she touched the metal, she slightly pulled her hand back- It was still warm. Sighing to herself as she caresses her softened fingertips, the mass of gum retreated to grab a few tools, including a freeze ray and a flamethrower.

She chiseled a few dents into the pod before freezing it all over to weaken the supports. *thud!* It was a success that Bubblegum weakened the foundation.

"So, how's it been?" Jake asked suddenly. He elongated his middle to watch the pink mass work.

"Another day, another experiment. Can you punch the capsule from the back, Jake?"

"Sure!" Jake went behind the capsule and raised his fists, punching the capsule until what looked like the entrance shattered like glass.

A body and a gun fell out from the scattered metal as well as their belongings.

"Thank you!"

#

He couldn't see anything. Warmth was what he felt in his lungs. He can taste the delicious syrup passing through his lips, giving his fatigued body sustenance. From whatever knocked him out in the first place.

Taste...

Taste?

"...ss hmhmhmph, hm hm-mph hmhm hm hm hm hmhmph as the other races and kingdoms on Ooo."

Oooh?

As in the sound children used to make when they realize they can snitch on other children who caused an accident?

Or OOO?

As in the alias of a corrupt politician's charitable wayward son who is the main hero of a Japanese kid's superhero TV show?

"That's true, Doctor Princess, but it doesn't make sense as to how Jake and Lady Rainicorn found him. All we found with him were dog tags, a combat uniform, a bag, and a white hat."

It was at this point that his eyes began to open up. Struggling at first, the voices noticed this and immediately began their work in assisting him.

"He's waking up! Get the retinoscope and the otoscope immediately!"

"Yes, Doctor!"

Feeling the syrup stop its flow, his eyes fluttered open. Mertens tried to use his neck and look around, but the weight was too much to bear. A blurry figure stood in front of him, pink in color. Mertins squinted his eyes to regain his vision and blinked...

He could see clearly now...

"He's awake, Princess Bubblegum!"

The aforementioned princess came into his view, startling Mertens for a moment. She is made out of gum. Pure pink bubblegum.

"Bubblegum?" Mertens slurred for a moment before catching his bearings again. he looked again before leaning back in shock. "You're made out of bubblegum?!"

"I am!" Princess Bubblegum nodded eagerly as she shook his hands. "I'm Princess Bonnibel Bubblegum of the Candy Kingdom! Who are you?"

"Mertens..." Mertens mumbled awkwardly as he felt the cool and sticky bubblegum grace his fingers. He then paused as he remembered what he saw. "I'm Finn Mertens."

"Well, Finn, I found these items when I broke you out of that weird time capsule you were in." Bubblegum gestured to the items leaned against the wall.

Merten's submachine gun, pistol, knife, and pouch...

Recognizing his stuff, Finn looked in horror as he realized that the safety switch was off on his SMG and opted to rectify the situation. After flipping the safety so there isn't any accidental discharge, Fin set the weapon in a position that won't cause it to get damaged. All he could do is sigh in relief now. Bubblegum and Doctor Princess looked in concern for a moment before Finn apologized.

"Sorry... You brought in my weapons and I just realized that I didn't handle them properly."

"Well, that's okay." Bubblegum nodded. She pulled out one of Finn's books and observed it intently. "What are these?"

"They're my books."

"Metro 2033? The Prince? An Insider's guide to the UN?"

"I was studying to be a socio-cultural anthropologist just like my mom when I got drafted into the military." Finn admitted. "Morality and exploration were my favorite subjects."

"Anthropology?"

"The study of humans and non-human sapiens. I essentially wanted to be a scientist who studies different cultures."

"Schockierend..." Bubblegum murmured to herself.

Finn nodded politely. "Not the first time I heard someone speak in German..."

"I mean you being human, Finn."

"Why? There's bound to be humans here, right?"

Bubblegum froze for a second and frowned. "There isn't."

Finn looked at Bubblegum. "N- no humans?"

"There hasn't been a human since the Great Mushroom War... At at least not on OOO."

Finn looked at the ground and frowned as well. There has to be a human, right? "OOO?"

"Yes. OOO. That's the land we're on."

Finn massaged his temples from how uncomfortable he is now. "Is there a time frame or something? You said that there was a mushroom war."

"A thousand years ago."

"Human machinery cannot last that long. Even with ice being used as a way to preserve things."

"While that is true, I lived long enough to see things last longer than they should have."

Finn was floored. "How long?"

"Eight hundred? Nine hundred? It's been a long time."

"Man..." Fin lied down and removed the IV cord attached to his left hand. He turned to Doctor Princess and nearly got lightheaded from looking at her for too long. "Do I need a check up before I'm discharged?"

Doctor Princess nodded before having nurses complete their check up on Finn. "So you grew up wanting to be a scientist?"

"Anthropology's a nice paying career, but I did it because I want to help make the world a better place."

"Well that's sweet."

"Well... What's the date, anyways?" Finn had a bad feeling in his gut, but he needed to know. Bubblegum stating how long she has been alive concerned him. "I don't want to think that it's 2041 and realize that it's been a year that I've been knocked out."

"Well, it's January 20, 1000 in our current calendar. Princess Bubblegum created it 500 to 600 years ago to set a dare as to when the was was theorized tp have ended."

"A thousand? Are we using the Gregorian calendar?"

"I'm not sure what that means." Doctor Princess responded.

"S- so I'm in the future?" Finn's heart sunk. "Everyone I know must be dead now... W- what about the war itself?"

"It involved bombs being dropped on top of cities. A massive explosion destroyed a portion of the planet to create OOO. My guess is that it may have came from a western mountainous area."

An explosion on a mountainous area...

Finn now realized what happened. Tears began leaking when he began replaying the events that led to this moment in his head. "World War Three..."

Bubblegum looked at him in confusion.

"I started World War Three!" Finn silently cried in horror.

"Finn, what do you mean by World War Three?" Bubblegum asked, trying to keep him together.

"I- I started The Great Mushroom War... I killed humanity..."

Finn reached for his pistol, looking at the weapon in misery. The mental pain he had felt like the wrath of a million wasps and the weight of the earth judging him. He trembled as he couldn't comprehend what just happened. He turned to the pistol and looked into its barrel. The sickeningly sweet glint of a simple small caliber bullet called to him, begging for him to harm himself as retribution for his sins.

Before anything else, he felt a small tinge of pain. Doctor Princess administered a sedative before Finn could shoot himself. "Please rest..."

All Finn could utter as he fell onto his cot was silently thanking Doctor Princess for stopping him from doing anything rash. The heaviness began to settle, pushing his eyes down as though they were weights attached to his eyelids. Just like that, he began to sleep like a rock...

Finn Mertens began his first dreamless night in OOO.

ADVENTURE TIME: Mertens' Post-apocalyptic Travels