Rocket Power: Zero Gravity

by DevilBoy216

Entry 3 in a Nicktoons crossover series. 14 years later, Ocean Shores is now an economically depressed town, with Team Rocket going their separate ways as adults. Now, the millionaire owner of Zero Gravity Zone has a strange new plan for the city, and Team Rocket must reunite to stop him. Rated M for violence, strong language, marijuana usage, crude humor, and some sexual content.

28. Chapter 27: Beach Party Massacre

CHAPTER 27: BEACH PARTY MASSACRE

As the morning sun returned to bring the first light to Ocean Shores, it brings a new day to this small Californian city of few people and fewer gatherings. But unlike many of the days that have passed in this city, however, this next day that came to the small, dying city brought with it one of the first events in years which will make a significant change that will leave a lasting impact on the town.

On most days, the streets of the city would be empty; very few would commute and almost no one would socialize, no signs of human life or culture that remained save for the buildings left behind that once held places of commerce and community. Its silence and emptiness would give rise to the question if any signs of humanity were ever present on this land, were it not for the fact that it was still a town.

Today, a certain wealthy individual by the name of Alex Gravity, owner of the one and only successful business left behind in the city, has come to make a change. Behind the scenes, he has been subtly, and in some ways not so subtly, making moves to see the city become his to do with as he pleases.

These aforementioned actions are themselves changes made to Ocean Shores, but they have not been well-known to the majority of its populace. Where it is today instead of the past few days that Alex Gravity makes a lasting difference on the town is because of one simple reason:

He has come to unveil his greater plan for the city when it becomes his.

For decades, the Ocean Shores Boardwalk has been a staple of the city's economy and its culture, drawing in hundreds, if not thousands of tourists and locals alike with its excellent rollercoasters and world-famous Ferris wheel. With delicious treats sold by numerous concession stands and other fun mini-games from the sideshows, hours and hours of fun could be found here and implore anyone looking for it to stay.

However, as the economy of Ocean Shores dwindled with its lowering tourist count, the boardwalk has been closed for years, leaving behind only an abandoned theme park and the memories of fun times had by many with it, much like the similar tale of Coney Island, as found on the opposite coast of the United States.

Today is the day when Alex Gravity comes to make an announcement to purchase the boardwalk, obtaining the last piece of land in Ocean Shores that he did not already own from purchasing what businesses remained, or driving out those he could not or would not buy. Calling in news stations from neighboring cities, he makes at last his plans public, at a point when no one could plausibly legally stop him.

For this historic event, it is not just the media who is present to witness, but also numerous people from all over the Southern California area, young and old, who are fundamental parts of the skating community. Together they come to see what this multi-million dollar deal entrails, all conversing and questioning about it and coming up with their own hypotheses and speculations.

Another concern of the news is the recent massacre at the local Good Burger, which each of the news outlets report on as an appetizer to the story of the day. It also serves as a companion piece to the greater announcement itself, with the news outlets all questioning if the preceding event will impact the current.

"A mass shooting took place today at the Good Burger in Ocean Shores, one of the few remaining businesses and job-creators in the city, leaving numbers as high as 30 dead, a number not seen since the Sandy Hook or Virginia Tech massacres..." One news outlet said.

"...speculations still rise on what the eccentric millionaire may have planned for today, making such announcement on such short notice. Many note that the sudden announcement from the skate park owner is in poor taste regarding the events of the shooting, but others comment that the shooting has had almost no coverage in Ocean Shores due to its lack of local news of its own, questioning whether or not Mr. Gravity may have even been aware of the tragedy..." Another news outlet said.

"...perhaps a publicity stunt in controversy, which those in the skating community are no strangers to, but others speculate that perhaps the announcement has been made in response, and perhaps could be a moment of those in Ocean Shores to come together, similar to Orlando's response to the Pulse Nightclub shooting of 2016. In any case, the event has been a sure-fire way to catch the attention of all local skaters..." A different news outlet said.

"...can see behind me, various members of the SoCal skating scene have all come together to see what might become of the once-famous skating town with the announcement Alex Gravity has to make. Alex Gravity has been a controversial figure in the business and skating worlds alike over fears of monopolization of the skating industry with his massive parks, putting beloved local businesses like Ocean Shore's own Madtown out of business. What he has planned for today, one can only wonder, but no one can deny that he has put on a show for everyone with this event, bringing a shot of life to Ocean Shores when it has needed it most..." Yet another news outlet said.

On the boardwalk itself, however, there laid very different questions and concerns raised from the event, brought about as a byproduct unnoticed by the masses. The Shore Shack, the once-famous staple of fast food and snacks to enjoy by the beach, has been officially closed for business with the purchase of the boardwalk.

A consequence brought about from that, in turn, is the eviction of Tito Makani from his home. Since the Shore Shack was founded, the space above the building has served as Tito's home, allowing him to live close to the things he loves the most. It has been a good, simple resting place for a good, simple life.

But now, that life has been forced to change with the unwitting loss of his home due to corporate interests, throwing Tito out of his own home. For hours, he and Ray have taken the time to pack anything and everything they could from both his home and the Shore Shack, hoping to collect enough of their belongings to start fresh elsewhere.

They have finished their packing duties, filling up both of their cars with cooking utensils and personal possessions alike, but the job being finished does not prompt Tito to leave yet. Instead, he took another look at the Shore Shack restaurant, trying to take in a lasting view that he could keep forever, as if here were taking a photograph in his own head of the building before he left it behind.

Ray is sympathetic towards Tito as much as he shares his plight, stepping up and consoling him with a pat on the shoulder and side hug.

"This was my home, brutha. It was where I spent almost, what, 2 decades in? Building all this up with you? Our dream? How many times have I gone up and down those stairs every morning and night, opening and closing the restaurant with you? How many people have we served? People made happy? Put some food in their bellies that we worked hard to make? How long has it...?" Tito trailed.

Beginning to shed tears over the sudden loss of his home and business, Ray brought him in for a proper hug, which Tito returned with a sob in his shoulder.

"C'mon, Tito. You said that Rocket Girl and Sam are gonna take this guy down, right? This is just a temporary speed bump, nothing more." Ray said.

Tito then began to compose himself again, allowing him to speak in a clear, collected voice again.

"Oh... Oh, I know, Raymundo, I just... Now that I'm here, I'm just afraid that it might not work. How many stories have you heard about the huge corporation stepping on the little guy and getting away with it? Ancient Hawaiian saying: 'The smaller coconut may have a strong shell, but the bigger coconut can crush it with-'" Tito tried to say.

"Tito, Tito, don't worry about that, and don't worry about any Hawaiian sayings right now. If there's one thing I know about my Rocket Girl, it that she can accomplish anything she puts her mind to. Sam's a pretty smart kid, too, I wouldn't bet against them for anything." Ray said.

"And what about Otto?"

Ray went silent at the utterance of the question, knowing that what he would instinctively say would not be an answer that he could forgive himself for saying.

"I, uh, think I forgot the milkshake blenders. I'll be right back." Ray said.

Venturing into the Shore Shack for the plausible search for an item that may have already been accounted for, Tito is not lost on the fact that Ray simply seeks to avoid the conversation altogether, fleeing from any risk of speaking ill of his son. It does not help in the slightest, and he knows that he has lost all confidence in his son and all belief that he believes in doing right, adding yet another damaging blow to their relationship.

And though he should know better than to think so, he cannot help but feel like he is the cause of this strain, and may have damaged it beyond repair now.

---

While the press conference continues to wait on the event to start, another of Alex Gravity's Machiavellian moves begins to take its place in the greater scheme. Making his way around any press and prying eyes, Lars Rodriguez makes his way across the beach, covered in a trenchcoat to conceal his face and robotic arm.

Such a disguise might prove effective in a crowded city setting where such attire is excepted and would provide a decent amount of warmth against the cold...

...but, for the less than intelligent Lars Rodriguez, it serves the exact opposite effect. Lacking the foresight to see the difficulty in wearing a long black coat in the sun, he sweats profusely in the attire as the heat comes down on him, trapped inside the coat to nearly cook him alive.

His shirt, drenched in sweat, portrayed a pair of women's labias engaged in tribadism, reading text that said: 'I SUPPORT SAME SEX KISSING DAY'. Were he a more intelligent man, he could perhaps make some witty comment on how his own bodily heat and wetness, surely able to get a laugh out of anyone.

However, Lars is not a man of wit or intelligence, so his comment only comes out as crude and idiotic, much like most other things that come out of his mouth.

"Goddamn... I'm sweating like fuck out here... They didn't tell me that I shouldn't wear a trenchcoat... I'm all hot and wet like this... Heh, if I was a pussy, I could at least fuck myself and enjoy this whole thing... No, wait, I already fuck myself... That's called jerking off... I should mix it up with my hand and my own... No, I mean my robotic hand and my own... Ugh, fuck... I can't think straight... I need some fuckin' water..." Lars ranted.

As a result of his lack of ability to think to wear lighter clothing and sufficiently hydrate in the sun, his focus begins to wind down to a halt, and even his very walk stumbles and falters in the heat. He curses not himself, but anyone he can think to blame except himself, refusing to take responsibility for his own actions.

Even in his delirious state, the one thing that always manages to catch his attention and keep it is the appearance of a beautiful young woman, and the opportunity of sexual intercourse with her that could theoretically come from their meeting, although calling any chances he has 'theoretically' is a bit too courteous to him.

Nonetheless, it come again as he passes by a woman with ample breasts and a round bottom that passes him by, and it is not her face that he recognizes, but instead the curvaceous features of her body that he places from his memory, recalling this same young woman at Eddie Valentine's party while courting his younger brother, and just entering Zero Gravity Zone with her friends.

Taking a small detour from his mission, Lars approached the young woman yet again, introducing himself once more.

"Hey, baby girl, remember me from the other night? Naomi, was it?" Lars asked.

Turning to look at the sweat-drenched Lars, the young woman named Naomi, in addition to being offended in her sense of sight, was also offended in her sense of smell, feeling her olfactory organs assaulted with a horrid stench of sweat, drugs, and dirt, which in turn made her reproductive organs retract and collapse to full shutdown.

"Ew. Yeah, I remember you. Don't you get the idea of 'not interested', asshole?" Naomi asked.

"There's a big difference between not knowing and not caring, bitch. But what I care about is how you kept blowing me off like I'm just some fuckin' loser." Lars said.

"Because you are a fucking loser. Now, why don't you beat it?"

"Because I ain't a fuckin' loser, and I'm here to show you that the hard way."

Before Lars could make any threatening motions to Naomi, a tall, fit young man with dyed blue hair stepped up to her, hugging her from the side in an intimate manner.

"This asshole bothering you, princess?" The man asked.

"Yeah, babe. He's been stalking me and shit for the past few days." Naomi said.

"Oh, so what have we here? The latest boy-toy in years of developing sophisticated faggot technology?" Lars asked.

"He's my new boyfriend. He's also gonna kick your ass."

"That's right. And from the looks of it, you're not gonna be able to do anything about it, are you?" The man asked.

"Actually, white boy, I do got something up my sleeve to take care of you." Lars said.

Pulling back the sleeve of his trenchcoat, Lars revealed his robotic arm, changing it into its machine gun form before their very eyes. As Naomi's boyfriend raised his fists in preparation to attack, he instantly recoiled back at the sight of the gun-arm in his face, with Naomi gasping and cowering behind him for protection.

In an instant, the antagonistic attitude of Lars is forgiven, and theirs towards him is dropped in atonement.

"H-Hey, man. It's cool. It's cool. It's cool. It's cool." The man pleaded.

Taking Naomi in front of him to protect her from any possible gunfire, she and her boyfriend ran off the beach to escape from Lars, heading for safety away from the maniac who threatened their lives. Scaring off the two lovers, Lars laughs as they flee, taking joy in the fear that they showed...

...but, if they knew of what he plans to do on the boardwalk today, they would be thanking him for sparing them.

---

As the aformentioned player in the stage set came to arrive at his place, Sam and Reggie made their way to the boardwalk, rushing up to the Shore Shack to meet with Tito regarding their plan to save Otto. Upon reaching their destination, they find Tito alone on the boardwalk, sparing them a search for him as they reach their destination.

They are already aware of the event set out on the boardwalk thanks to Otto's accidental admission of it, but the sheer size of the crowd pulled into Ocean Shores is an objective reality that they cannot deny, yet they have trouble processing it at first. This reality, however, only exacerbates their call to action, managing to reach Tito and share the information they have now.

"Tito!" Reggie called.

Always friendly and kind to his metaphorical niece, referring to her by cousin, a title which officially fit her by her father's marriage to his cousin, Tito greeted Reggie with a hug. As Sam stepped forward to give his greeting, Tito shared the embrace with him as well, not discriminating against him for his connection to the family by friendship.

"Hey, cuzes. Glad to see you now, I can't lie." Tito said.

"Tito, listen, you know this whole event going on right now? We figured it out. Otto accidentally slipped that it's when Alex Gravity's showing his plans for the town. We might be able to call him out here and-" Reggie began to say.

Looking to the vehicles by her side, Reggie noticed that they were filled up with Tito's belongings as well as the kitchen supplies of the Shore Shack. Seeing the various living and cooking necessities packed in the cars, combined with a glance to the gated and closed Shore Shack, she immediately understands that something is wrong.

"Why is the Shack closed? What's going on?" Reggie asked.

"The boardwalk's been bought up. We've been evicted. Raymundo just got the notice yesterday." Tito said.

Tito handed the notice to Reggie, allowing her to read it herself. The text on the letter led her heartbeat and breath to increase as she read it, giving a visible display of her own stress and anger increasing from its contents. Sam read the note alongside her, taking just as little pleasure in what he saw.

"Sammy, you're smart, can't you find some kind of legal loophole in this thing? This can't be legal." Reggie said.

"Reggie, I'm a techie, not a lawyer. I don't know much about this, but this looks mostly legitimate. Or at least it's supposed to long enough for what Gravity needs." Sam said.

"So that's why he's having the announcement today. Now that he's got the boardwalk, he's got the last of Ocean Shores bought up. He has everything. He won."

"Or at least he thinks he has. We can still expose him here; with all these news camera and stations here, we can stop him still. Especially if Otto's there."

"Cuzes, I don't know what you're planning to do, but, for the sake of the Shack, I hope it works. I'm already having a hard time with all this unpacking, but your father... Ooh, I can't imagine what it would do to Raymundo to see his baby gone." Tito said.

"Tito, I was wrong, looks like we already got the-" Ray began to say.

Returning from the Shore Shack, Ray rejoined Tito, unexpectedly joining a group that also comprised of Reggie and Sam as well. Believing that the father Rocket still does not have any knowledge of the conspiracy that they fought to counter and defeat, Reggie and Sam scrambled to come up with a believable lie for their presence, with the latter leaving the former to complete the challenge.

"Uh, hi, dad. We, uh, heard about the Shore Shack, and we... Uh... came to help out! But it looks like you guys already got it! Well, we, uh, had better get out of here before-" Reggie tried to say.

"N-No, Reggie, you don't have to come up with anything. I already know what's happening. About Alex Gravity and all." Ray said.

"What?! How did you find out?"

"I, uh, told him the truth, cuz. He came to me last night about the Shack, and he got so depressed, that, uh... I just couldn't keep my mouth shut. I had to give him some hope. You think you can pull this off, right?" Tito asked.

Reggie let out an annoyed sigh at the breach of Tito's silence, but kept on for the focus on the job at hand.

"I... I think so. If we can shame Otto into speaking up in front of national television, we can blow the lid off this whole thing." Reggie said.

"But what happens to Otto if he doesn't?" Ray asked.

Confronted with a hard question that she knew had no easy answer, Reggie's search for an answer was cut short by the sound of the crowd at the stage murmuring, with individuals coming back and forth on the stage. It seemed obvious that the announcement by Alex Gravity would come soon, and therein lay the opportunity to expose it to the world.

And, conveniently enough, a chance for her to avoid the question.

"It's starting now, we gotta go. C'mon, Sammy." Reggie said.

Taking Sam by the hand, Reggie led him along with her to the stage, leaving Ray behind with an unanswered concern, left to contemplate the implications himself.

"Takes after her dear old dad, huh, Raymundo? Avoids all the hardest questions." Tito quipped.

---

Just outside of the entrance of the boardwalk's abandoned amusement park, a stage with a small podium sat in front, where several reporters and an audience of skaters waited around it, waiting to hear the words of Alex Gravity to reveal his financial plans for the city.

The many reporters and bystanders all conversed between each other, each guessing and thinking about what the plans might be, all coming to their own conclusions and predictions of what might come. Like all upcoming events, all predictions and hypothetical scenarios are amusing to think over, but they are no match for the actual event which they came to see.

As the internal questions and exchanges continued on, a woman came to the podium and activated its microphone, her presence and the feedback of the microphone gathering the attention of the crowd and bringing all questions to an end as the answers they sought were about to finally be given.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for coming out here today. Today, we are here to announce the buyout of the Ocean Shores Boardwalk, a place which has been a historic landmark of the city, but, over the years, has sadly never had a foot step within to give it life again. Without its signature amusement park open or any of the restaurants and businesses along its strip open for customers and tourists, it has been left to rot, like a gangrenous wound on the city." The woman said.

Her speech seems to sweep up the crowd in its majestic wording and cadence, but the last comment made within it does not bode well for Ray or Tito, who see through the omissive lie from personal experience. Though they are not close enough to voice their concerns, they are nonetheless heard by one another.

"Always gotta step on the little guy, don't they? Just burn the bridge and pretend he never existed." Ray complained.

"Easy, brutha. I don't like it anymore than you do, but we ain't gonna make a difference with negative attitudes. Let's keep listening." Tito said.

Still does the spokeswoman carry on, continuing to prop up the next man to speak, ensuring that her flowery language is used at its most effective.

"Today, a great man has come to change that. He is the owner of the most popular skate park franchise in the country, and one of the most influential people in extreme sports. A man who brought a sport once believed for children and teenagers from the brink of extinction, and made it an American cultural phenomenon that has become as popular with all ages of the country as the age of its founders." The woman said.

Once again, there is discontent found in those who listen, this time coming out of the mouth of Reggie as she moves into the crowd.

"Yeah, right. By that, you mean he Disneyfied it and made it lose its magic completely. You can make all the stupid themes you want, but nothing beats a half-pipe or an empty swimming pool." Reggie said.

"Shh!" An audience member shushed.

"Taking time out of his busy schedule, he has come here today to reveal his plans for this small town, planning on making it bigger and better than before, here to lay to rest all rumors regarding his new business plans. Ladies and gentlemen, please put your hands together and welcome Ocean Shore's favorite millionaire sports enthusiast, Alex Gravity!" The woman cheered.

After a long round of applause for the woman's speech, Alex Gravity, accompanied by city mayor George Milligan, came to the podium, gathering more applause from the bystanders and reporters. Behind the two was the sponsored skating team of Zero Gravity Zone, the Rippers, unknowingly to the public serving as Alex Gravity's henchman to drive out all businesses in his way.

Of all the members present, Otto is the sole focus of Reggie and Sam, who spot him easily among the others. Watching them seat themselves in small chairs on the stage just in the background of Alex Gravity and Mayor Milligan, Reggie and Sam take care to hide out of the Rippers' sight, not wishing to compromise their plan.

Once the crowd began to settle down, Alex Gravity stepped to the podium with the mayor, beginning his speech regarding his plans for Ocean Shores.

"Yes, thank you, thank you. It is a pleasure and an honor to be here. With my position, I'm a man who has to travel across the country to keep track of all my parks nationwide, but I've always had a soft spot for Ocean Shores. Every time I come to Ocean Shores, it gets harder and harder to leave. It's such a beautiful town and environment: The sun keeping you warm with the ocean breeze keeping you cool, the soft sand underneath my toes, it makes me feel like I'm 10 again. I've always been a surfer as much as a skater, and, in the water, surfing the salty ocean, it debunks King Kong as the eighth wonder of the world. It's a beautiful place to live, and a great place to grow up if you're a kid. I know there's been plenty of people who grew up in this town, and many kids who were still growing up here, but, as I learned very recently, many of those lives were tragically taken away by a crazed mass shooter. It had turned the local Good Burger, an eatery as American as apple pie and cherished as such, into a place of death and carnage. I acknowledge how horrible this tragedy was, and we at Zero Gravity Zone all share our sympathies with the victims' families. Before we continue, I'd like us all to take a minute of silence for those lives lost, out of respect for the people that were taken from their loving families." Alex Gravity said.

Alex Gravity lowered his head and remained silent, prompting the rest of the crowed to join in with his show of respect. Hypocritical as his display of sympathy might be, it is enough to move a few to tears, left to contemplate the lives lost and what emotional pains their loves ones may be going through.

But it is not nearly enough for Sam and Reggie to absolve Alex Gravity of his hand in the tragedy.

"A tragedy happens under his watch, and he tries to win crowd points with it. Gravity missed his calling as a politician." Sam whispered.

"Shh!" An audience member shushed.

Once the moment of silence ended, Alex Gravity returned to his speech, preparing to move on to the main point of his monologue.

"When I first came to this town to open a Zero Gravity Zone here, this city was a haven for skaters and surfers alike. I don't think even Dogtown knew such dedicated group of sports enthusiasts in the day. Nowadays, however, even though I'm still getting plenty of business at the park here in Ocean Shores, it still isn't enough to attract enough business to warrant its operation. Even with my park keeping the country interested in skating, the population in this city has hit record lows for years now. Businesses large and small have all closed, and their people have moved away in search of greener pastures. Ocean Shores has turned from the Mecca for skaters into the land that time forgot. I knew its days were numbered... but I couldn't let this nice little town go belly-up. That's why I decided to meet with Mayor Milligan and try to find an idea to save the city, and make it bigger and better than before. Now, instead of standing up here and giving you just second-hand accounts of what all went down, I'll let the mayor himself do the talking. Take it away, your honor." Alex Gravity said.

The audience then applauded as the mayor of Ocean Shores took to the podium, preparing to give his portion of the speech.

"Well, I'd like to thank Mr. Gravity for giving me a chance to speak. Just goes to show you the level of power corporate America has when the CEO gets more time to talk than an elected official." Mayor Milligan said.

Laughter came forth from the audience at his joke, but neither Sam nor Reggie took to the admission with levity in its lack of self-awareness.

"Holy fuck. He's not even trying to hide the fact that he's corrupt as shit, isn't he?" Reggie asked.

"Shh!" An audience member shushed.

"Now, I won't lie to you, Ocean Shores was in some dire straights before 'Lex showed up to get us out of the hole we dug ourselves in. Our budget was going over, we were bleeding into a deficit, and we had no way to produce funds to pay for the costs of keeping the government open. Our population has been on the decline since the end of the 2000s, jobs were becoming scarce, and it looks like the city was about to be no more. That's when good old 'Lex came in to save the day, showing that privatization and entrepreneurship can be just as innovative and productive as government, if not more so. He footed the bill for our spending, and became the official owner of Ocean Shores itself. All the land we're on? Everything you can see from the ocean to the town? All of it belongs to this man now. And when he shared with me what he's planning to do with it all, hoo boy, was I astounded. It all just speaks to his genius and ingenuity. I could go on and on about the pillar of Ocean Shores' community, but I wouldn't want to deprive the man of his shining moment. 'Lex, back to you." Mayor Milligan said.

As Alex Gravity became the center of attention again, he stepped towards a large table in the background of the stage, concealed with a cloth as to hide its contents and make it a surprise to the audience. He laid his hand on the veil to soon reveal that surprise, all while the crowd murmured in curiosity as to what the reveal could be, and the controversial fact that he managed to buy the entire city wholesale.

"I'm proud to state that Zero Gravity Zone has been a one of the sole reasons that Ocean Shores has still remained on the map, and still stayed as strong as it has. But, as I was aware of this fact, I thought, why should my park be confined to only one speck of the city when the rest of it needs revitalization, too? That's when my new dream came to me. It's taken a lot of careful planning and costs, but it was all worth it to complete my grand scheme to make Ocean Shores great again. What is that grand scheme, you may ask? Well, without further ado, allow me to show you that dream myself. As the proud owner of Ocean Shores, I'm even more proud to announce that today marks the first day of the creation of..." Alex Gravity began to say.

Grabbing the veil covering the table next to him, Alex Gravity pulled it off in a melodramatic manner, pretending to be a magician showing a trick or moving in the manner a bullfighter dodges a bull. The theatrical move revealed a miniature display for his project on the table, showcasing an Ocean Shores through his vision.

The crowd gasped in wonder upon seeing the display, unable to comprehend such a large, ambitious plan to exist or be conceived of for the city.

"...the first theme park city, Zero Gravity City!" Alex Gravity finished.

The miniature on the table showed a city that did not resemble Ocean Shores in any recognizable way, but instead showed a massive theme park the scale of which overshadowed all other commercial resorts, with attractions ranging from half-pipes and BMX courses as far as the eye could see, all formed around various cinematic and fantastical themes.

In addition, homes and neighborhoods are nowhere to be found, but hotels and pro shops were all around to take their place. It is yet another far cry from anything that can be called a city; no longer is it a place where community grows and promotes life and happiness...

...but instead sells a fantasy and a cheap imitation of happiness at exuberant prices.

Just as the crowed had uncertain reactions to the plans, the various players on both sides of Alex Gravity's scheme held mixed responses as well.

Otto, never thinking that this would be the grand plan that he was contributing to, looked to the miniature in astoundment. His nature and need to skate looks onto the project with anticipation and a blind consumeristic urge, taking excitement and held great anticipation for the project...

...but there are some reservations he holds over the idea of his home town being turned into a massive theme park, which makes him resistant enough to fully accept it.

Sam and Reggie, being the most passionate about stopping Alex Gravity and the Rippers, found nothing but anger and disgust with the reveal. Unlike Otto, their own loves of skating are not enough to give room for even a slight interest in the project; they have no desire to see the city they grew up in and loved so much perverted into a dystopian dream, a mockery of its former self.

Raymundo and Tito both hold similar emotions, but also with a sense of dread that Sam and Reggie's youths protect them against. Their lives have run much of their courses, leaving them to the destiny of having to grow old and someday die, and the promise of seeing their home and all that they know being destroyed and no longer recognizable is a thought that makes them feel defeated already.

But unlike all the rest, the passing Lars has no reaction to the reveal whatsoever. His only concerns throughout life are simply moving on from one pleasure to another, sometimes made at the expense of another person, and the threat that is made to the city means nothing to him. Unmoved by the proposal, still he moves in secret under the boardwalk to complete his task.

"That's right, ladies and gentlemen, my plan is to create a theme park spanning the size of an entire city, this entire city, making an attraction so large, you'll have to try it here. Best of all, this is just the backdrop to the main selling point. Once construction is complete, we're going to open to the public with a new type of sporting equipment so advanced, it'll revolutionize skating as we know it, and I'm pleased to present to you what you'll be riding on when Zero Gravity City opens. For our demonstration, I'd like to present the star skater of the Rippers, our park-sponsored team of Zero Gravity Zone, Dax Jett. I met this fine young man when he just got out of his teenage years, I've seen nothing but great talent and potential in him since, and seen nothing but all of it fulfilled over the years. Please give a warm welcome to Dax Jett, ladies and gentlemen." Alex Gravity said.

Dax Jett then approached the front of the stage carrying a skateboard case, with the audience of skaters applauding in support of another skater.

"Now, Dax, my boy, would you be so kind as to show the people here what board Zero Gravity City will offer when it's open to the public?" Alex Gravity asked.

Opening the case he held, Dax Jett complied with the order by allowing the hoverboard inside to fall out of it. The audience expected to hear a loud clack with the sight of a skateboard falling to the ground with his action, but what they saw was his hoverboard float quietly above the ground, bringing the first showcase of the device to the public eye.

And in response, the public gave gasps and sounds of awe to the display.

"Now, folks, don't be fooled. This is no special effect or magic trick. What you see here is exactly what it appears to be: The world's first hoverboard. There's no strings pulling this up or any invisible wheels, this skateboard is the very first to defy the Earth's pull of gravity itself, truly making my park worthy of the name 'Zero Gravity Zone'." Alex Gravity said.

Alex Gravity then moved his hand underneath the board to showcase its true ability to hover above the air, and picked it up and subsequently dropped it to further prove its authentic abilities. In response, the audience once again gasped at the display, many of their skepticisms whisked away by the proof.

Stepping aside to allow Dax to mount the board, Alex Gravity then watched as his sponsored skater began riding the hoverboard down the stage, moving into the crowd. The audience all backed away to give him a clear path to skate through, moving to safety while simultaneously getting a close-up view of the board and its capabilities.

Skating past the crowd, Dax then turned around and prepared to return to the stage. He chose to make his path back by leaping onto the rail of the boardwalk, moving past Ray and Tito as they previously leaned on the railing. Continuing back to the stage, he then kicked off the rail to move straight into the crowd, not giving the audience enough time to move out of his way.

Expecting to be landed on as Dax jumped towards them, the audience, bracing themselves for impact, looked up to see the hoverboard instead skating directly above their heads, seeing up close its antigravitational properties at work in floating over them and preventing any injuries from taking place.

Jumping off of the elevated position of the crowd, Dax then landed back on the stage, kicking his hoverboard up and allowing him to hold it against his leg. His display of the board's technological abilities, showcased by his stunts, got a large cheer from the audience, sweeping away any doubts or questions they had about the plans for the city.

All except, of course, for Reggie and Sam, who are already aware of what the boards can do.

"I don't believe it. They're actually going along with this garbage because of some fancy hoverboard." Reggie said.

"Maybe that's why he needed the hoverboards. A distraction against the fact that he bought off an entire city and wants to turn it into his own pet project." Sam said.

"Shh!" An audience member shushed.

Once the applause died down again, Alex Gravity returned to the podium again, continuing his speech and pitch of the idea of Zero Gravity City to the public.

"Now, I'd like to lay any and all questions to rest today about my new plans to turn Ocean Shores into Gravity City. You in the gray suit, care to start us off?" Alex Gravity asked.

"Mr. Gravity, exactly what new attractions will you be bringing to the world of skating with turning the entire city of Ocean Shores into a theme park?" The gray-suited reporter asked.

"Well, as always, we try to give thematic elements to our skating arenas, and now that we've got a whole city to work with, we're gonna give plenty of new themes to come as well, perhaps even a few to keep up with current events like the superheroes popping up in Hillwood. Next? Yes, you in the green shirt and striped tie?"

"Mr. Gravity, with such an ambitious project, the biggest concern for everyone is obviously going to be admission prices. Are they going to raise from the normal rates of Zero Gravity Zone?" The green-shirted reporter asked.

"Of course not. I might be sparing no expense for this project, but I will be sparing our customers from an insurmountable price. Admission prices will always be kept affordable to the public, not affordable only to the rich, you have my promise on that. Next? Yes, you in the red shirt and black tie?" Alex Gravity asked

The monotonous and sunstanceless questions annoyed Sam and Reggie with the blatant advertising Alex Gravity was getting, voicing their disdain yet again.

"Geez, can you believe it? First, he puts a blackout on all news in Ocean Shores, then calls the media in just so he can use them to give himself free advertising. What a scumbag." Reggie said.

"You've gotta admit, it's smart. Besides, if you've seen how substanceless news in America is, this shouldn't be a surprise to you." Sam said.

"I'm a reporter. Or at least I used to be. I have enough integrity in me to see through this crap."

Having heard their various brief conversations one too many times for his tolerance to handle, the audience member who previously shushed the two multiple times no longer resorted to another simple shush, but turned to face them and voice his disdain personally.

"Hey, you two. You wanna shut the fuck up?" The audience member asked.

In response, Sam stepped up to his face and grabbed his shirt, personally making a dominating response to end his protests.

"No. We don't. We're going to speak up against this garbage. If you have a problem with that, you shut the fuck up." Sam said.

Sam then shoved the audience member away, making his way closer to the stage with Reggie.

"You know, you're pretty hot when you show some dominance." Reggie said.

"You should see me handle a shoplifter." Sam said.

At the podium, the advertisement-baiting questions continued on, each receiving an answer that shed further attention on Alex Gravity and his promise of turning Ocean Shores into Zero Gravity City. Having nothing but easy questions brought up to him by the press, even the difficult topic of the Good Burger massacre is swept to the side by the short collective attention span of the crowd, continuing to serve his purposes.

"Yes, yes, thank you. Now, is there any other questions I can answer?" Alex Gravity asked.

"Yeah. Right here. I got a few for you, Gravity." Reggie called.

Looking down at the crowd, he followed the voice to find Reggie Rocket facing him, instantly recognizing her from both their first encounter at his purchase of Ocean Shores Today, and from the information Otto gave regarding her and the rest of the Rocket family and friends' attempt to stop him.

He keeps a cool and coy appearance of the unexpected Reggie, but Otto does not also possess his ability to maintain a facade when forced to conceal revealing and compromising emotions. His face turned to show a deep discomfort, leading him to look back and forth in attempt to find a way out of his unpleasant situation.

"Well, hello, young lady. I admire your forwardness, but your getup doesn't quite look like the newstype. What news organization are you with?" Alex Gravity asked.

"Don't lie to me, Gravity. You know who I am. I work for Ocean Shores Today, or at least I did until you bought off the newspaper." Reggie said.

"Bought a newspaper? Ma'am, I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes, you do. 3 days ago now, you came into the main offices of Ocean Shores Today, handed my boss a big check, and, the very next day, we were all laid off and the newspaper closed. All so you could cover up your plans for trying to destroy half of Ocean Shores and take what's left to build your stupid theme park."

"Destroying half of Ocean Shores? Ma'am, I'm afraid I don't have the slightest idea of what you're saying. Many of the destroyed building you're referring to are businesses that have long since closed, and have had their former locations scheduled for demolition. You sound very confused and hostile."

"Damn right I'm hostile. You're the one who set Lars Rodriguez loose and let him shoot up the Good Burger. All those deaths are on your hands, and you're trying to profit on it by feigning a show!"

Alex Gravity stood silent in thought at Reggie's latest accusation, taking notice of the murmurs sent out among the crowd as a result of her words.

"Ma'am, I'm afraid you're quite mistaken, and I would remind you that such strong accusations not only require strong evidence, but will also have to be accounted for when brought before the court systems. For your own sake, I would advise you to not to continue with these false and appalling accusations." Alex Gravity said.

"You're not gonna get out this by lying or threatening me, you son of a bitch. Did none of you people see any of the destroyed buildings in this city? Do none of you have any idea of what's going on? Any of you have something to say besides giving him free advertising?!" Reggie shouted.

The audience stayed silent, failing to fulfill Reggie's response for an answer. The reason to their indifferent response to her is unclear: Perhaps they are mostly paid off by Alex Gravity not to speak, or maybe it is a simple lack of belief that causes their silence. Regardless of the reason, Reggie does not give up on her assault of Alex Gravity, pushing forward to try to put a stop to his plans.

"What, did he pay all of you off? Does he really have that much money to throw around?! So much that you'll abandon human decency and morals?! Well, I know at least one person here that can't lie like you, no matter how hard he might try. Otto Rocket!" Reggie called.

Hearing his full name called out from the audience, Otto twitched in his seat, attempting to hold back his anxiety.

"Otto! As your sister, I'm giving you one last chance to fix this mess you started. Step up to the podium and tell the people here what you've been doing. Confirm what I said. Make it known to the public." Reggie called.

Taking a look to Alex Gravity, hoping to find some excuse to not be involved in the affair. Looking back to Otto, Alex Gravity thought over a means to resolve the matter, then looked back to Reggie in further contemplation. With one more look back to Otto, Alex Gravity prompted him forward, to which Otto complied with by meagerly stepping towards him.

"Yo, man, what am I supposed to do?" Otto whispered.

"Tell her the truth." Alex Gravity said.

"What? Are you serious? Tell her everything?"

"What do you mean, 'tell her everything'? I said, 'tell her the truth'. The truth is that we don't know what she's talking about at all. Go ahead."

Understanding Alex Gravity's instructions, Otto shyly stepped up to the podium, forced to give a response to his sister. His uncharacteristic sheepishness is indicative of his own unwillingness to be confronted on something that he knows is a personal wrong he has done, and it makes him silent all the way to the podium.

When put on the front of the stage and given the full spotlight, a position that he has craved and fought for most of his life, still is he silent as he is put before the world. He is out of his environment in performing for the world, and is instead forced with a decision to either confess the truth or tell a lie.

He sees and feels the judging eyes of Reggie, Sam, and even Ray and Tito upon him, and behind him he also sees the pressing faces of Alex Gravity and the Rippers, both pushing in opposite directions to reach different and incompatible outcomes to the situation.

The pressure is not something he is used to, and he is too far into his current standing to resist against it.

"I've never seen this woman before in my whole life. I don't have a clue what she's talking about." Otto said.

Her brother's response brought out a loud gasp and sunk the heart of Reggie Rocket, with the distant Ray giving a similar reaction. Unlike the father, however, the daughter responded with anger and rage, further chastising Otto for his betrayal and ignorance in service of evil.

"OTTO, YOU FUCKING BASTARD! YOU FUCKING LIAR! HOW COULD YOU?! THIS IS YOUR HOME!" Reggie screamed.

As Reggie ranted on to her brother, Alex Gravity discreetly called for security to arrive, who subsequently took Reggie and Sam and began dragging them away from the event. Feeling like a child who had committed something shameful and egregious, Otto cowered away back to his seat.

"HOW CAN ALL OF YOU BE SO STUPID?! THIS IS A CITY, NOT FOR SALE FOR RICH WHITE ASSHOLES LIKE HIM! THE PEOPLE OF OCEAN SHORES DIDN'T AGREE TO THIS! THIS IS THE THEFT OF OUR HOMES! THIS IS THE THEFT OF OUR CITY!" Reggie called.

With each word screamed out Reggie's rant, Otto further cowered away into his seat, meekishly and childishly trying to keep himself out of anyone's view. The relentless shaming and attacks from his sister begin to take their hold on him, and the arrogant and strong attitude he displayed begins to weaken.

In an attempt to relieve Otto's fears, Dax patted him on the shoulder, trying to reassure him that his actions were just...

"It's okay, Otto. You did the right thing... I'm sure of it. I'm sure." Dax said.

...but his own tone of voice seemed to be trying to convince himself rather than the person he was speaking to, feeling second-handed guilt from Otto add to his own.

And all while the inner debates settled for both friends, Alex Gravity stepped forward to the podium, taking the attention back and putting towards himself again.

"Sorry about that, folks, it always is a pain to see such troubled people cause more trouble. But, you know what they say, you can't let a few rotten apples spoil a good time, right?" Alex Gravity asked.

The crowd gave a cheer, agreeing with Alex Gravity's sentiments against the alleged troublemakers, tricked into siding with his position, all the while remaining blissfully unaware of the truth that they spoke or what implications it had for Ocean Shores and its people.

---

And at least one of those people placed his head into his hands, sighing in pain as he felt the disappointment and frustration wash over him. He knows that this spells the deathblow for his business that he has spent years building up and contributing to, but it is not the loss of his business that makes him feel the greatest pain.

When the Ark of the Covenant was taken by the Philistines, it had cost Eli the lives of his sons, Hophni and Phinehas. The news, once brought to Eli, caused him to fall over and die upon hearing it. It was not the death of his sons that led him to keel over, but instead the loss of the holy artifact itself; his dedication to his god that strong to take his life upon his failure.

But this is no book that claims to be holy nor any of its fanatical fantasies to its primitive concept of a greater creator. It is real life. And just as in real life, it is not the loss of something physical or any product that was personally built up with sentiment and hard work alike.

Instead, it is the personal connection with the son he has lost, or at least fears he has lost, a feeling which is just as bad as losing his son altogether. In vain Ray attempts to reason that his son is still alive and well, but the knowledge of what his son has done makes it impossible to reconcile his current life with their relationship.

The turmoil comes out in a manner which invokes the sympathy of Tito, who comes to his aide in hopes of relieving his pain.

"There, there, brutha. Don't let yourself get down. Just take it easy and breathe." Tito said.

"That's not gonna work, Tito. My son became a criminal. This entire city just got bought out from under us by a damn theme park owner, and Otto is up on that stage defending that same man. Do you honestly expect me to just sweep that under the rug and forget about it?" Ray asked.

"No, Ray, I want us all to do all we can to put a stop to this, with or without Otto. This isn't all about him."

"Tito. My son is a criminal now, do you understand? I tried with every fiber of my being to ensure he was led down a path to a good life, and I led him to do the things he did. It absolutely is all about him. How am I supposed to live with that?"

"Ray, don't talk like that. Nobody's really lost. They just lose their way for a little while, and they can always come back. We don't just give up on 'em. Ancient Hawaiian saying..."

As Tito spoke his Polynesian proverb, something caught the attention of Ray just from the corner of his eye. Upon looking out into the crowds of people walking the beach, he noticed a particular individual striking a strong resemblance to Lars Rodriguez, the resident troublemaker of Ocean Shores and accused murderer of the customers of the Good Burger.

Upon further inspection, he realized it was Lars, moving about the crowd while trying to stay discreet. The trenchcoat he wore did him no favors whatsoever in the department of secrecy, making him all the more obvious to Raymundo Rocket as he spotted the rogue make his way to the boardwalk.

The urgency of the matter led him to temporarily forget about Tito, missing his advice completely.

"Hey, Raymundo, you listening to me?" Tito asked.

"Uh, I'll, uh, be back in a few minutes." Ray said.

Reaching into one of their cars, Ray took out a knife from the kitchen supplies, arming himself as he went down to confront Lars.

"What? Why? Ray? Raymundo?" Tito called.

Before the two could finish their conversation, Ray was already down to the beach and halfway into the crowd, out of Tito's sight and far beyond his reach.

---

Concurrently, the passing of Lars Rodriguez was caught not only on one of the Rockets, but also one of the two Rocket children. Still reveling from his own misdeeds, looking away from the stage in shame, Otto's current view permitted him a view of the beach and the ocean, giving him a sight that helped take his attention away from the guilt still on his mind.

However, with that view, he managed to catch eye of Lars Rodriguez wading through the crowds, just as his father easily did. Recognizing the threat that his presence put upon the crowd, fearing that his arrival was some sort of act of revenge for his firing, Otto's attitude and emotion changed to pure fear, remembering the body count Lars left in his wake, and fearing for more lives that could be lost.

Unable to accept the taking of more lives, Otto left his seat, walking out off the stage to locate Lars first.

"Hey, where you going?" Dax asked.

Ignoring Dax's question, Otto moved out into the crowd to try to locate Lars, making his way through a large crowd of beach dwellers. Seeing individuals coming from all across southern California, the presence of others becomes strangely alien following many years of being empty, and almost brings back another taste of nostalgia as he remembers the days when his home beach was full just like this.

Not having seen the beaches populated so heavily in such a long time, the sight of so many people at the beach began to bring back some memories from his childhood, seeming to arrive once again with a vengeance. However, his attempts to ignore or reason away the feeling just as the feeling came about no longer succeeded at their tasks, making him think about it more and more as he walked.

His past had touched him once again, and it had touched him in a way that made him rethink the present.

While he was never the nicest or the kindest child during the days of his youth, one thing that Otto always consistently held was an extreme loyalty to his friends, every step of the way without question. In the few instances where he would deviate from this loyalty, or no matter how harshly he would treat those who treated him well, he always had learned his lesson and came back to their good graces.

How then, did things turned so different now with the Rippers? It is a question of which even he is not quite so sure. While Dax and the Rippers gave him an outlet on his frustrations with his life as they were, the outlet was in service of another, used to his own personal advantage.

The outlet also alienated himself from Twister, Reggie, and Sam; the people he still considered his best friends, perhaps even his family just as Ray, Tito, and Noelani were. But where he drew further apart from them, those who he once grew close to grew only closer to each other, without involving him at all.

Who truly is he now? Someone different from before, a new man, only concerned with money and excitement?

Or is he simply a boy that has lost touch with the people he loves, and only in need for another chance to find his family again?

Before he could further these questions in his head, a familiar voice crept from the shadows underneath the boardwalk calling him.

"Psst, spray-tan, looking for me?" The voice whispered.

Hearing the sound of a mechanical arm changing and metal placed against the back of his head, Otto slowly raised his hands in surrender.

"Que pasa, gilipollas?" Lars asked.

"Lars." Otto said.

"The one and only."

"And the one and only can't come up with a better joke than that? You do know that this is my natural skin tone, right?"

"Yeah, but it was either that or a Donald Trump joke, but at least Donnie'll probably build the wall and keep out the damn Mexican immigrants."

"You're a Mexican immigrant, dumbass."

"No, I'm not. My parents were. I was born right here in America, But even if I wasn't, I'm here now, and less of them means more white pussy for me. I don't like to share."

"Spare me. You killed all those people at Good Burger. I'm not in the mood for your stupidity."

"Well, yeah. I did get this bad-ass robot machine gun arm. Kinda be a waste not to use it for what it was intended to do."

"Is that why you came back? To get revenge on the guy who fired you?"

"Fired me? You really are a fucking naive dipshit, aren't you, Rocket Dork?"

"What?"

"If I knew all the dirty secrets that I do, don't you think they would've tried to kill me before I could go to the cops?"

The reasoning, regardless of its unreliable source of Lars Rodriguez, served enough of a purpose to poke a hole in the story told to him, making Otto listen more.

"Because... that would mean you would admit you were guilty, too? So you'd want to keep yourself out of trouble? Isn't that right?" Otto asked.

"Wrong, dumbass. That's what they wanted you to think. I got my own job to do here."

"And what job is that, exactly?"

"Pfft. You think I'm gonna tell you that shit? Why the fuck should I do that when I could just blow your head off now?"

"Because I know you like to talk, I know you like to think you're better than everyone, and you like to make everyone you don't like feel like shit. And what better way to do that than to let me know how badly I fucked up before you blow my head off? Besides, nobody's down here but us. Who's gonna come in and stop you?"

Thinking over the proposal, Lars chuckled and gave in to it, deciding to grant Otto his request.

"Alright, Rocket Dork. Consider it your last request. But don't expect anything too exciting. Truth is, I'm here to shoot at the stage and attack... but that's not all I'm gonna do." Lars said.

---

As Lars explained his own personal agenda, Sam and Reggie made their way back to the closed Shore Shack, where Tito stood outside in confusion and fearfulness. The expression on his face and the absence of Ray Rocket are both causes for concern for the two, immediately questioning the latter of the two observations.

"Tito? Where's dad?" Reggie asked.

"Dunno, cuz. He said he'd be right back, and went out into the crowd." Tito said.

"Where do you think he could've went?" Sam asked.

"No idea. No clue where he could be by now, either. I didn't expect there to be this many people out here. He could be anywhere."

"Damn it. Well, that means we have to find him, too. I don't know what he might be thinking or what he's up to. Did he take anything with him?" Reggie asked.

"Uh, yeah, actually. He grabbed a knife out from the kitchen supplies."

Quickly understanding that his aforementioned action was acquirement of a weapon, Reggie and Sam headed into the crowd after him with increased urgency.

"We'll go look for him, Tito! You wait here!" Reggie called.

"Cuz, wait, what do you think-" Tito tried to ask.

Before Tito could voice his question to the two, they were instantly gone out of his sight, leaving him alone once again as he was requested to stay.

"Ah, coconuts. Of course I'm left out of this. C'mon, Ray can't be up to something crazy, right?" Tito thought aloud.

---

Above, Alex Gravity continued his speech and press conference, putting his face and name out in the public sphere to better advertise his plans for Ocean Shores and his proposed Zero Gravity City. Below, Lars explained his place in it as he kept his machine gun arm placed firmly to Otto's head as he listened.

"You're just gonna kill everyone? You don't think that's gonna be a problem between you and Alex Gravity?" Otto asked.

"Not really. From what I understand, he seems to reward me for doing the exact opposite of what he says so far. At this rate, I might become his fucking business partner." Lars said.

"But he still needs customers to come to his park and his stupid park city. Kinda hard to do that when his customers are dead."

"He hasn't complained about the Good Burger, so I doubt he'll complain about a few dozen more bodies here. There's always more where they came from. It's like getting a girlfriend: You might find one that you like fucking more than all other bitches, but there's always another one with bigger tits and ass, and tighter holes."

"And this might be a stupid question to ask somebody like you, but, the idea of killing innocent people means nothing to you?"

Even with the answer seeming obvious, Lars nonetheless stopped and contemplated the inquiry, as if trying to question whether he indeed held any empathy.

"Hmm... Nope, I guess not. Speaking of which, let's get back to business. A deal's a deal, now say goodbye, Rocket Dork." Lars said.

As soon as Lars finished his sentence, Otto closed his eyes in preparation for the bullet that would go between them, but the bullet never came. Lars, before he could fire, felt a sharp blade make its way around his neck, along with a muscular arm reach around and hold him by the chest.

"Take that gun off my son, punk." Ray said.

Both parties recognized the voice as Ray Rocket, getting polarizing reactions from the two. Lars felt a strong annoyance from his chance to kill Otto taken from him, prompting him to lower the arm away from his head and hold out his arms. Conversely, Otto turned in an instant to see his father hold Lars at knifepoint, doing so to save his life.

"Raymundo? What are you doing here?" Otto asked.

"Yeah, what's the deal, pops? Otto got you to have his back?" Lars asked.

"No. I came here to get my son out of this mess he got himself in. I know about the Rippers and everything that's going on around this town, including what really happened at Good Burger. You're not hurting my son, and you're sure as hell not getting away with this." Ray replied.

"Raymundo, believe me, that shit at Good Burger, I didn't want that at all, and I had nothing to do with it. I was off somewhere else-" Otto began to say.

"I know what you've really been doing. Don't think you and I won't have a talk about this."

"Dad, it's not what you think."

"That's what they all say. We'll hear you out as soon as we handle Lars. And I assure you, what you did will not go unpunished, especially with what you just did by betraying your own sister. I've been more than patient with you, Otto, but this time, you've absolutely crossed a line. You want to get back in my good graces? Start by helping me with Lars."

"No, Ray, wait just listen for a second. You kept telling me about doing something more productive with my life. I never listened to you because I just wanted to live my life without having to take responsibility. I just wanted to not do anything because life seemed easier that way. I always got pissed at you for that. But when the Rippers blew up Sam's store, I really did want to go after them at first, because I thought I could do some good for once, and prove you wrong about me being a loser, maybe even make you proud."

The unexpected admission of his motivations struck a nerve with Ray, leading him to turn his tone towards Otto into a more sympathetic one. He had arrived in to do battle and fight for his son, but what Ray did not expect was any semblance of a confession out from his son at the pressure of the moment.

"Otto... You don't... You don't have to make me proud. But this... this is all wrong. You can't just wreck a whole city so some millionaire can buy it up, especially not when dealing with people like this. I already lost your mother once. I refuse to lose any more people I love. You just come home with me right now and we can talk this over." Ray said.

There is a strong temptation in Otto's body to accept his father's offer, but there is still enough struggle in his indecision to pause at the offer, unsure on whether to take it or not. For all the evidence stacked up against the case of Alex Gravity and the Rippers, there is still enough doubt thrown upon his relationship with his father, unsure that, even in a best-case scenario, they could at last reconcile and come together.

He is completely unaware of Ray's desire to do just that, and it is that lack of critical information that feeds his decision.

"Ray... I... I can't do that. I don't... I don't know what to do. I wanna be mad at you, I really wanna fucking be mad at you, but... I don't believe in what the bad guys are doing. I need to figure this out somehow." Otto said.

"Otto, what's there to figure out? There's a bad guy right here, and I need your help to stop him. You still have a chance to do the right thing." Ray said.

"I don't know what the right thing is anymore."

"So you'd let Lars and the rest go on their scheme just because... what? What are they giving you that I never did?"

"They never called me a fucking loser, that's what. They might be the fucking bad guys, but they at least treated me with some respect, and at least let me do what I wanted to do without criticizing me for it. But what did you always do? You said I'd never be anything, always called me a fucking loser to my face. Maybe they were the bad guys, but they at least didn't treat me like one. Why the fuck should I help you now? Please tell me one reason, because, believe me, I don't know what the fuck to do."

And the sudden admission of negative feelings, combined with a pressing question which his help hinged on, are all expressions combined in a way which catches him off-guard and unsure how to respond. He is well aware ot Otto's sins, but he cannot deny the many he has committed himself, and how many of those he had committed that cannot ever be forgiven.

He knows that Otto has broken trust with him and others, but he also knows that he has broken trust with his own son, making this dilemma as deep as it was pressing.

"Otto... I... I... I..." Ray stuttered.

But the attempt at a response was cut short, interrupted by a sarcastic yawn from Lars.

"Oh, isn't this beautiful? A fucking massive breakthrough? Somebody call Dr. Phil, we fucking did it, people. Now, if you two faggots are done sharing your Hallmark movie moment, you two might wanna turn your attention to more pressing matters right now." Lars interrupted.

Having his focus put back on his hostage, Ray tightened his grip, preventing Lars from striking back.

"Shut the fuck up. This is a conversation between a man and his son. And what could be more pressing to a punk like you than my knife to your neck, you son of a bitch?" Ray asked.

---

Outside of the boardwalk, still did Alex Gravity's press conference continue, with the ejected audience members of Sam and Reggie searching for Ray Rocket. The monologue and questions answered from Alex Gravity was still well-heard by those down on the beach as well as the boardwalk, which Reggie and Sam overheard during their search.

"...and, of course, stock options will also be expanded on the market, allowing everyone to own a little piece of the pie known as Zero Gravity City. After all, a city is meant to be a democracy, and what could be more democratic than the act of buying on the private market to have your say?" Alex Gravity asked.

Disregarding the self-aggrandizing speeches and monologues made by Alex Gravity, Sam and Reggie continued their search out on the beach, attempting to find any sign of Ray Rocket. Soon, they took notice of an altercation happening under the boardwalk, seeing Ray among those involved in the altercation, and making out both Otto and Lars within.

Almost in unison do they see the affair, and almost in unison do they also decide to act on it.

"Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Sam asked.

"I wish I wasn't." Reggie said.

"We'd better get over there."

"Yep."

And taking action on the imminent trouble unfolding under the boardwalk, Sam and Reggie began rushing in...

---

...where under the boardwalk, Lars kept his eyes on the floorboards of the boardwalk, concocting a plan to escape from Ray's hold. Moving his arm to the roof above their heads, he cocked his arm to prepare to fire, aiming at the wooden boards above.

"I believe that this would be the more pressing thing, Raymundo." Lars said.

Lars finished his sentence by firing through the boardwalk, shooting in a circular motion to make a hole in the boardwalk. With the sound of the gunshots heard among the bystanders, the crowd immediately went into a panic, sending the people into a frenzy that prevented the approaching Reggie and Sam from arriving on time.

Hearing the loud gunshots up close, Ray dropped his knife and lost his hold on Lars, giving him the freedom to escape. Changing his arm to its hookshot form, Lars fired a line up to the hole he shot in the boardwalk, catching on the edge. Once it caught, he immediately began rising up to the boardwalk and climbing on, freeing himself from Otto and Ray to commit his attack.

Left back on the ground to see their enemy escape, Otto and Ray shared a quick look at each other, then immediately ran up the beach to reach the boardwalk.

---

After climbing up to the boardwalk, Lars rushed to the stage, shooting two security agents as he went, prompting Alex Gravity and the Rippers to quickly depart. As his colleagues left and absolved themselves of any connection to Lars, they watched as he made his way to the front, kicking down the podium in preparation of his next attack.

Changing his arm into its flamethrower mode, Lars aimed it on the crowd.

"I always wanted to say this... I LOVE THE SMELL OF NAPALM IN THE MORNING!" Lars shouted.

[Soundtrack Cue: Coal Chamber - El Cu Cuy]

Igniting the flamethrower, Lars unleashed a tsunami of fire upon the panicking crowd, burning nearly everyone in the crowd alive in an instant. Sending many people to early and undeserved deaths, his mass murder polluted the beach with agonized screams and the smell of charred flesh, taking away its intended mood of fun and sensation.

Many bodies fell to the ground, others tried in vain to run for the sand in attempt to snuff the flames, but all the time of the massacre, Lars once again smiled as he incinerated numerous innocent people, basking in their pain and suffering, taking in all the carnage that he wrought.

The attack obviously warranted a response from the police, prompting the nearby law enforcement to run up and start shooting at Lars in response for his attack. Taking cover behind the various props and items about the stage to avoid the enemy fire, Lars ducked back and changed his arm back to its machine gun form.

Standing back up from his cover, he began firing back at the police, gunning down the various policemen and policewomen and thinning the law enforcement of Ocean Shores down before they could put up a competent response to him. The deaths of the police officers are the deaths he takes almost the most pleasure in, laughing at the sight of those who would see him in a jail cell.

"OINK-OINK, BANG-BANG, MOTHERFUCKERS!" Lars shouted.

More and more cops befall his murderous rampage, with all news reporters who have not been killed reporting on the carnage as it unfolded. The footage that was captured is as terrifying for those watching on television as it is for those in person for the violence, but only for those present is it a true threat to their lives, where the viewers have all the safety in the world to watch it from their screens.

"A madman with a robotic arm has turned what was meant to be a fun festival for skating enthusiasts and beachgoers alike has turned into an apocalypse unfolding before their eyes, what you see behind me is a mass shooting unlike the which he have ever- AAH!" A reporter screamed.

Feeling a barrage of bullets go through her back, the ammunition fired at the reporter came through her chest, ripping through her breasts and spraying chunks of mammary glands, fat, and blood all across her cameraman's view, showing her mutilated breasts as her last contribution to the world.

"Ha-ha! I just blew a load all over her tits! And through her tits!" Lars called.

Lars followed his vulgar and crass remark by shooting at the cameraman, firing a bullet through the viewfinder of his camera and reaching his eyeball. The bullet went not only through the camera and into his eyeball, but also past through his brain and skull, spraying blood from the back of his head, killing him.

Turning his attention to the many vehicles parked outside, he noticed many people attempting to run towards them to try to escape. Changing his arm to its grenade launcher form, he took aim to the cars and stayed his hand, waiting for the precise moment to strike and maximize damage.

When the first car began to depart, Lars fired upon it, setting it ablaze in an instant and killing all its occupants, burning them to flames. The sudden destruction of the car led the others to cease their attempts at an exodus, and all the occupants and drivers of the other cars attempting to leave for another try for safety.

Once again, the attempts to find safety are no use against Lars, who kept firing on the cars before, during, and after the people inside them tried to get out. Some perished within their exploding cars, some died just as they stepped out, and others were merely caught in the blast zone, taking the impacts of kinetic force and shrapnel destroying their bodies.

Emergency services arrived as well to try to save what lives could still be saved out of Lars' rampage, rushing to the scene in speeding ambulances and fire trucks. They, too, are not safe from Lars, and he values their deaths just as much as he does all the others he has caused.

With his arm still in its grenade launcher form, he fired explosive rounds at the ambulances and fire trucks, causing them to explode instantly upon the impact of the rounds. In violation of even the most conventional rules of war, those who would try to save lives are set aflame and blown to pieces, removing all sense of hope that might still be found on the boardwalk.

It is few and far between that hope can still be found in this one-man war zone, but there is still the insistent trial of it that persists in the form of more arriving police and law enforcement. The attack has now prompted even specialized law enforcement to intervene, signified by the arrival of S.W.A.T. and other similar specialty branches.

And the arrival of more targets makes Lars smile in anticipation all the more.

[Soundtrack Cue End]

---

The exchange of gunfire and the long list of lives given in service of trying to stop Lars Rodriguez is a process which had started short and been prolonged with the arrival of more individuals trying to stop him. It is a horrifying scene to witness or even imagine, and anyone not willing to put a stop to the carnage would be fleeing by any means necessary.

But Alex Gravity and the Rippers are not in any way trying to escape the violence, as they know for a fact that they are under no threat, instead staying and watching the attack continue from the sidelines. Some watch with interest at the mass amounts of violence Lars can let loose, such as Mike and Jared, some watch with strategic indifference, as Alex Gravity does...

...but Dax and Wes react with nothing but fear and disgust, wishing for nothing more for the terror to stop.

"Alex, why are you letting him do this? You said you wanted him to scare people!" Wes pleaded.

"Don't they look scared?" Alex Gravity asked.

"But didn't you pay off the cops? Aren't they your people?"

"They're disposable. A minor expense. And much more easier to dispose of this way than to give them severance pays or any other aid. Much better on them and their families to let them die heroes."

Dax does not voice his resent for the matter, as he knows well that what he says will have no impact here. He also knows that the violence at Good Burger was more than enough for him to stomach, and that there was always a risk of something this despicable happening no matter what he said...

...and, in an ultimate realization, he knows that he should have known better than to stay with this group in the first place.

Taking Wes by the hand, Dax led him away from their hiding place, leaving the Rippers and their true leader behind.

"Hey, man, where you going?" Mike asked.

"I didn't sign up for this shit, and neither did Wes!" Dax shouted.

"You're missing the best part. I think he's gonna use his grenade launcher again!" Jared called.

The poorly-made incentives for Dax and Wes to stay are ignored by their intended parties, and they are soon gone from the scene. Disregarding their departing team members, the rest of the Rippers turned back to watching Lars continue his massacre, cheering on his murder from the sidelines.

But soon came into their view was Otto Rocket approaching from behind the stage, running up to put a stop to Lars. Instinctually, Mike attempted to get up and prevent Otto from doing so, but Alex Gravity held him back, trying to keep them from having any plausible claims in being involved with Lars.

"What are you doing, boss? He's gonna stop Lars!" Mike complained.

"Let him try. Lars already served his purpose, this is all just extra credit at this point." Alex Gravity said.

"But what if Otto gets to be the hero to this whole thing?"

"Let him if he wants to be. There's nothing he can do at this point. I have everything I need of him and Lars. They can deal with each other now."

---

Ready to put a stop to the massacre, Otto charged towards Lars and tackled him, clinging to his back like a baby panda. Unable to properly support himself on his own weight combined with Otto's, Lars spun wildly about in an attempt to shake him off, firing off his arm as he tried to do so.

Shifting his weight to pull Lars back, Otto successfully brought him to the ground. Climbing on top of the downed Lars, Otto began landing several punches to his face, holding nothing back as he relentlessly struck him. Lars, not ready to be stopped so easily, caught his next fist, immediately returning the favor by delivering a sharp punch to Otto's face using his metal arm in its regular form again.

Sending his target on his back, Lars changed his arm back to its gun form, aiming at Otto's face, which had a large pouring of blood coming down it from his nose.

Before Lars could fire his shot, however, another fighter intervened to come to Otto's rescue, this time another member of the Rocket family. Jumping on his back much like Otto once did, Reggie attacked Lars next, scratching at his face, and tearing through enough skin to leave numerous bleeding cuts across it, some of which managed to leak blood in his eyes.

"Get the fuck off my brother, you psycho!" Reggie yelled.

"Agh! Get off me, you crazy bitch!" Lars yelled.

Reaching to his back with his robotic arm, past the mobility of even the most flexible of human beings, Lars grabbed Reggie by her back and threw her several feet away, all powered by the strength of his arm, removing her from the fight and allowing him to return his focus on Otto.

Landing flat on her back from a significant fall, Reggie cannot bring herself to get up so easily, forcing her to accept defeat as she laid on the ground. Coming to her aide, Sam took her hand and held it to provide his support, unable to give anything else to help Reggie on her feet again.

"Sammy... Forget about me... You gotta save Otto..." Reggie groaned.

"Don't worry about Otto, he'll be fine. Here, we need to get you out of here, you took a really bad fall." Sam said.

"No... You have to save Otto... He's my brother... Lars is gonna kill him..."

"No, he's not. The cavalry's about to come in. You're not the only person here willing to fight for him."

Changing his arm back to its machine gun form once again, Lars pointed it back at Otto with the intent to kill him.

"Stupid bitch. She pulled the same stupid attack as you, guess stupid shit runs in the Rocket family, huh? That and dying, like your fuckin' mom did!" Lars said.

Before Lars could make his killing blow on Otto again, Lars' arm was grabbed by a human one, pushed out of the way to prevent it from being used. He was then given several punches to the face from Ray Rocket; his larger and older body size outmatching Lars' slender figure with pure strength behind his punches.

"Nobody lays a hand on my kids like that... and nobody says a damn thing bad about my first wife." Ray said.

Ray prepared to throw another punch, but Lars, now recovering from his attack, prepared himself for the punch, deflecting it with his human arm and kicking Ray away. Raising up his fists, he then put himself in a boxing match with Ray, preparing for a fight grounded in conventional rules.

"Ready to fight like a man for once in your life?" Ray asked.

"Shut up." Lars said.

And the fight between the two then raged on, with each throwing several swings and hooks towards one another. The majority of the punches were directed towards one another's face, both trying to land some kind of knockout blow on the other to achieve their victory.

Even with Ray being older and wiser, his experience does not help him far against an opponent younger than him and wielding a robotic arm that more than equaled his own punching power. Lars, being younger, is therefore more agile than Ray is now, and can dodge each of his punches as they come, though not without difficulty doing so.

Nonetheless, the challenge in the fight is enough for Lars to approach and overcome. Ready to put his own fighting skills to the test, Lars' own punches thrown manage to land some good hits in their target, leaving some of Ray's ribs cracked and a lot of skin lost from his face.

"You know, you're not half bad for being an old man." Lars taunted.

"Shut up." Ray said.

After taking a second to recover from his injuries, Ray prepared to throw another punch to Lars, aiming to end the fight with one final blow. Just before his punch got far, however, Lars caught Ray's fist in his robotic hand, twisting his hand and causing him to fall to his knees in pain.

Lars finished his attack with a kick to Ray's side, knocking him down to the ground. Turning his arm back to its gun form again, he then pointed it at Ray.

"Damn, you assholes are making me go back and forth with my hand and my gun. Just be a fuckin' man and die already." Lars said.

With Ray, Otto, and Reggie down and stunned, Lars prepared to kill father of the three, preparing to move on to the rest of the Rocket family and end its lineage personally. Before doing so, however, something once again intervened to prevent Lars from taking a life, stepping in front of him and grabbing each of his arms.

Stepping in now was Tito Makani, a man who has had the privilege of being part of the Rocket family both unofficially with his friendship with Ray, and officially when that same man married his cousin Noelani. Despite his last name and different background, he, too, is a Rocket, and he will not stand for any of their deaths.

"Another one? You fuckin' people trying to ruin my fun. And now I got the fat one." Lars said.

"I won't deny I'm a big man, but I'm not a weak man at all, especially when it comes to my family. Let me show you how helpful a little huskiness is when you're in a sumo wrestling match!" Tito shouted.

Pushing against Lars in a sumo-style wrestling match, Tito made use of his weight to subdue him, forcing his opponent down to the ground. The weight of the obese man is enough to bring Lars onto his knees, but it is not enough to destroy his murderous tendencies, which are more than enough to fuel his desire to keep fighting.

Making use of the one limb that stood any chance against Tito's weight, Lars prepared to point it to his face, urging Tito to put his full attention on it. Releasing his grip from Lars' shoulders, Tito placed both his hands on Lars' arm instead, trying to keep it from reaching his face.

Unfortunately, even with Tito putting all his strength into the fight, his own strength was not enough to stand up to the mechanical engineering of the arm, and he could not prevent the gun from getting pointed at his face. Seeing the barrel pointed directly at him, spelling his imminent doom, Tito winced as he believed his last moments were here.

"Say aloha, you overgrown Oompa Loompa motherfucker!" Lars shouted.

Lars sent the mental command to his arm to shoot Tito, but the command was not met with the event he was hoping for; instead of the firing of a bullet, there was instead metal click, signaling that his arm had been depleted of its ammunition following his rampage.

As the gun clicked empty, Tito gave a yelp of fear, but then subsequently gave Lars a head-butt, sending him reeling back with a dizzy head. Feeling the body weight of Tito sent directly to his skull, Lars stood stupefied after the attack, needing to focus in order to return to the job at hand.

"Hmph. Out of bullets, huh? Well, that's fine with me, that just means we just do it the messy way!" Lars said.

Lars' arm then turned to its chainsaw form, with the blade of the chainsaw revving loudly. Charging forward with the chainsaw, Lars began slashing at Tito, attempting to land a cutting blow into his flesh. As a larger man, he also proved to be a larger target, making the task of trying to avoid any blows an impossibility, as proved by a cut mad across his chest.

The attack is enough to send him back and yell at the pain of the cut, and his brief pause makes him open for Lars to attack, who prepared to drop his chainsaw down on Tito's head for a finishing blow. Before he could murder Tito, however, another pair of hands came up to grab his robotic hand, this time belonging to the recovered Otto Rocket.

"Fuckin' hell, you people just don't give up, do you?" Lars asked.

"Nope. Giving up isn't in my blood." Otto said.

Making use of his legs, Otto kicked Lars in the chest, forcing him against the gates around the closed Shore Shack.

"Oh, so now you somehow discover the joys of family love and all that bullshit just because you saw a few dead bodies? Even after all the shit you did?" Lars asked.

"Better late than never." Otto said.

"Or too little, too late. But that doesn't matter, because you're fucking dead now."

Turning his attention to the fencing around the patio of the Shore Shack, Lars sliced through it with his chainsaw, cutting a hole for him to step through, which he quickly did. Stepping into the Shore Shack, he ran into the restaurant, taunting Otto to come in after him.

"If you really wanna show me how much you love these dipshits, then come and get me, Rocket Dork!" Lars called.

Fueled by a mixture of hatred for Lars and a need to prove himself to his family, Otto charged into the Shore Shack without a second thought, preparing to take on Lars and defeat the enemy by any means necessary. True to Otto to the bitter end, his actions are as foolhardy as they are brave, not considering what disadvantages that could be at hand by his choice to confront Lars on a battleground of his choosing.

Heading inside the Shore Shack, he stepped through a restaurant emptied of all its contents and equipment, permanently closed and damned to no longer open its doors to the public. Seeing it stripped bare and depleted of any signs of operation, the image is haunting to see a place close to his childhood and dear to his heart going away.

Were he to try to conjure up a traumatizing analogy, it is almost like seeing a relative pass away and seeing their organs removed to be put in another's body. It is a hard reality to face when seeing the state of the Shore Shack, but he knows that he cannot afford any distractions in the way of fighting Lars Rodriguez, lest there may be more dead bodies put in his mind, reminding Otto of the lives taken by him.

He takes in the sights of the area around him, trying to locate any signs of his enemy within the restaurant and trying to put aside all his emotional connection to the surroundings around him. He keeps his ears open in the eerie silence, contrasting it with the loud and chaotic scene outside.

Vigilance is his top concern, hoping to find any sign of the sociopathic cyborg within the restaurant before he himself could be found. He knows that the advantage of the first strike is elementary in the fight, and he tries to keep it at the forefront of his focus, trying to ignore his anxiety building from the tense moment between the now and when the fight will happen.

Even with as much anticipation and awareness as one could muster, however, it does not compare to when the moment comes.

It is always too fast to counter.

It is always out of nowhere.

And it is always when you least expect it.

Raging forward with a revving chainsaw, Lars rushed forward in preparation to cut through Otto with it, screaming deliriously as he ran. Moving out of the way of the incoming chainsaw, Otto watched as Lars cut into the wall instead, slicing through plaster and drywall in place of his flesh and blood.

Turning back as soon as he realized his mistake, Lars prepared to move forward with another attack, only to have Otto grab his robotic arm and keep it away. Taking advantage of the small opening he received, Otto threw several punches to Lars' face, each blow taking away his focus and his ability to use his chainsaw.

The methodology of the attack did not keep its effectiveness long, however. Making use of his human hand, he blocked away Otto's next punch, returning the attacks by throwing a punch of his own to Otto's face. Getting his own opening to attack, Lars quickly kicked off Otto, sending him landing against a table.

Running forward in a charge yet again, Lars readied his chainsaw to bring it down on top of Otto in a killing blow. Seeing the incoming attack as it was broadcasted by Lars' sloppy and careless attacks, Otto dodged to leave him cutting into yet another part of the restaurant, slicing through the table.

Though not noticed by either party straight away, the cut managed to hit a propane tank and gas line, causing the flammable contents within to leak.

Again, this important fact has not been noticed by either party in the fight, and the two have no interests at the moment besides killing each other. Lars successfully pulled his chainsaw out of the table, but, before he could attack again, Otto ran back up and landed several more punches in his face, giving him a severe nosebleed.

Trying to prevent himself from losing consciousness from the multiple blows he received, Lars, covering his lowered head with his hand, slashed away at random with his chainsaw, trying to keep Otto away as he backed away to safety. The strategy is obviously not good enough to land a hit on Otto, but it serves its purpose of giving him time to recover.

As Lars recovered from his temporary fit of pain, he prepared to attack again, sending a mental command to his chainsaw to make it rev loudly. Using all his strength, Lars charged forward yet again and swung several more slashes at Otto, hoping to land in a fatal cut in his berserking attack.

With the bulk of the chainsaw and lack of experience with the weapon, the weapon is not easy to wield, nor is his attack coordinated and coherent enough to be effective. Still did Otto manage to evade the swings with little challenge, leaving Lars only managing to hit several parts of the Shore Shack instead.

As Lars prepared to take his next swing at Otto, however, he stopped short in his task with the sudden sensory input his nose received. Otto stood confused at his enemy's reaction until he, too, caught the smell, realizing the urgency the situation held in order to make him stop.

With the smell of gas making the two stop fighting, Otto and Lars both took the opportunity to back away each other, moving slowly to keep a careful eye on one another. Both carefully made their respective moves for their exits, making no sudden noises, and in turn hearing none other than the sound of the hissing gas and the sound of Lars' chainsaw arm idling.

That idling came to an end as Lars changed his arm back to its normal form, while discreetly turning his body towards Otto in a manner that concealed what form his arm was in. Taking advantage of this opportunity as it came, he quietly changed it to its grenade launcher form, preparing to take advantage of the gas as well.

Making use of what logical facilities he had, he discreetly selected a timed grenade from his ammunition, readying it for his plan.

"There ain't gonna be nothin' stupid goin' on here, Rocket Dork. You don't wanna breathe this shit in and turn retarded, and neither do I." Lars said.

"I think it's a little too late for you." Otto said.

Realizing that Otto's comeback was clever than most of his own taunts, Lars groaned in anger at the realization.

"Shit. I should've thought of that one." Lars said.

"You always were an idiot, Lars. You might as well give up, it's all over now. Even with the cops paid off by Alex Gravity, there's no way they're gonna let you go after killing other cops and all those people on live TV. Gravity'll cut you loose to save his own ass." Otto said.

"That's where you're wrong, perra. I'm gonna be just fine. This Alex Gravity guy and the Rippers? They're my kinda people. I could go into a hospital for kids with leukemia and burn the fuckin' place down, and they'd love me for it. A way better crew than the losers I used to hang with. Now, the rich bitch can do whatever the fuck he wants with the town, I don't give a shit. All I really care about is you. You have been a big-ass pain in my side since as long as I can remember. You think this shit today was bad? When my job's done here, I'm gonna kill you, and your whole fuckin' family. I'm gonna fuck your stepmom and sister in a hot incest sex sandwich, upload that shit to PornPub, and make you watch as I fuckin' rape you. Of course, you never cared that much about your own family, so you won't really give a shit if I actually did that, would you? Sick little fuck like you might even like it."

The relentless threats and taunts are more than enough for Otto to lose his patience, in turn losing his concentration and focus on the bigger picture...

"You expect me to take that sitting down, Lars?" Otto asked.

"No, Rocket Dork, I EXPECT YOU TO DIE!" Lars shouted.

...and, for all his gnashed teeth and clenched fists, does not see the threat coming as Lars finished his last sentence. Pointing his robotic arm at the broken propane line, a timed grenade fired from his arm, landing just next to the damaged propane tank and broken lines.

Setting Otto Rocket up for his doom, Lars jumped through the back window and landed in the water, reaching safety.

As Otto looked at the grenade and realized his own life was at its end, he, in his final moments, felt an overbearing weight of how wrong he was, realizing how much damage he had done to everyone he had ever known. His animosity and destructive behavior not only extended to his friends, family, and even his city, but also to himself.

He knows that what he has done by joining the Rippers was a drastically wrong decision, and he knows that he was wrong to shun his family rather than try to talk and reason with them. Rather than try to waste his last seconds wishing he could have done it all over again, Otto tried his best to come to terms with his own death before the grenade detonated, trying to make his death a peaceful one.

He knows that if there was a Hell, he most certainly would be going there, and a small detour of inner peace might make the journey easier.

As he closed his eyes to brace for the blast and the fire, however, another person entered the Shore Shack, rushing in to save Otto from his doom.

"OTTO, GET DOWN!" Ray yelled.

Before Otto could question or even realize what his father was doing, Ray Rocket tackled Otto and wrapped himself around him, providing as much cover from the explosion as possible. Unlike his son, he has no thoughts of the past or potential futures of himself at all, only holding a singular thought of his own son's safety in mind, his thoughts of the future only those where Otto survived here and now.

Then, the grenade detonated.

The artillery, combined with the propane gas, created a massive explosion that reached through the various gas lines in the Shore Shack, causing the entire restaurant to go up in flames. The resulting blast completely destroyed the Shore Shack, even managing to damage its neighboring building and significant portion of the boardwalk, leaving a giant mushroom cloud of smoke in the air.

After several minutes for the smoke to clear up, when the flames finally died down, Otto got up from the explosion, coming to consciousness again after the blast. Aside from coughing from the heavy smoke still remaining, he stood amazed, surprised, and relieved that he had survived the explosion, jumping up for joy in cheer.

"Whoa... Whoa, holy fuck, Raymundo! We actually survived that! We fuckin' survived that! That was so fucking awesome, how did you do that-" Otto began to asked.

Otto rushed back to Ray with a childish fervor and excitement, more than intent on sharing the news of their miraculous survival with his father. However, the childish illusion that Ray was still present to hear Otto's enthusiastic cheers is quickly broken by the image of his still body.

Looking down at his father, Otto realized that Ray was not moving nor breathing, showing no signs of life. The sudden assumption is that his father was no longer alive, deduced by his lack of motion, is more than enough to bring Otto to his knees, the very idea of his father dying before a proper reconciliation was ever made.

And immediately do the tears begin to fall from his face.

"Oh, fuck... No... Fuck, no... No..." Otto cried.

Reaching for his body, its back turned to him, Otto prepared to turn it to face him, continuing to call out in defiance of all reality that he may still live.

"Raymundo? Ray? ...Dad?" Otto called.

Upon turning Ray on his back, Otto was met with the horrific sight of seeing half of his father's blank face and body burnt to a crisp, heavily charred from the explosion. The grisly image sends him stumbling back in shock, and breaking his childish notion that his father survived the explosion, coming to terms with the reality:

Ray Rocket is dead.

"Oh, god, no. Dad, no! Please don't be dead! Please don't be dead!" Otto called.

Otto grabbed Ray's body, shaking him in a misguided attempt to wake him up, hoping his father would wake up just fine. Unfortunately, after much vigorous shaking, Ray did not wake up as he foolishly hoped. The tears he started to shed began to increase to a full-on breakdown, with Otto crying by his father's corpse.

"Fuckin' shoobie... ONLY SHOOBIES DIE, YOU FUCKING IDIOT! YOU'RE NOT A SHOOBIE, YOU'RE RAYMUNDO ROCKET! YOU CAN'T DIE!" Otto screamed.

Falling back on his knees, Otto continued to cry, becoming less coherent in his thoughts and words as they spewed forth.

"Oh, god, oh, fuck... Please wake up... I'm sorry... What am I gonna do without my dad? I wasn't ready for this... I wasn't ready... PLEASE, I'M SORRY, WAKE UP!" Otto bawled.

No longer attempting to make any hopeless pleas to wake his dead father up, Otto laid himself over his body, continuing to cry over his corpse.

"I'm sorry, dad... I love you... I'm not ready for you to go yet... You're not supposed to go yet..." Otto cried.

In the middle of Otto's state of despair, Sam, Reggie, and Tito, the first of the three carrying the injured Reggie along, arrived at the scene, investigating the mess for any signs of life. They hear only brief sounds of Otto crying, made louder as they step closer inside the remains of the Shore Shack..

"Otto? What happened, where did-" Sam began to ask.

Upon looking down to Otto, the group all saw the body he wept over, forced to come to the fact that Ray was dead just as Otto had realized. The other of the two Rocket children, unable to accept the horrific sight that was in her eyes, Reggie immediately fell to the floor beside Otto, breaking down crying as he did.

As Reggie sat over her father's body, Sam came to comfort Reggie, shedding tears of his own over the beloved lost life. Tito, the man known for being cheerful and happy a majority of the time, sat alongside Ray's dead body, feeling his heart skip a beat when confronted with the harsh reality himself, and his cheerful demeanor turned to, for one of the few times in his life, a look of absolute sorrow.

All join in the moment to grieve for the beloved Rocket father, leaving them all in a circle of misery. As emergency medical services continued to clean up the massacre, the group would pay no mind to the affair going on outside, concerned only with the man that had been the linchpin to the entire family.

They all feel sorrow over his death, but none feel it so much as Otto Rocket, who knows that his father is dead for one simple reason:

Him.

It was his life that was taken in servitude of saving his son's, and, had Otto never gone down his path in life, his father would have been alive and well.