Author's Note: Having had read Glide10001's The Adult Scooby Gang series and noticing his attention-to-detail with the stories, it has inspired me to create a similar series geared towards the gang as adults. With his fine permission, elements from his series will be incorporated into this series.

For obvious reasons, while the premise of this series is inspired by The Adult Scooby Gang series, the storylines and relationships would be vastly different, details of which will only be revealed as the series goes along. One thing to look out for are other mystery solvers created by Hanna-Barbera, such as the Chan Clan, the Teen Angels, the Speed Bugs, the Funky Phantom gang, and the Neptunes to appear as well.

The gang's birthdays are as follow for this series:

- Scooby: September 8th, 1985

- Shaggy: April 27th, 1985

- Fred: June 30th, 1986

- Velma: November 12th, 1987

- Daphne: August 24th, 1986

As with most of my other stories, Coolsville is the county seat and largest city of Crystal Cove County in California.

I don't own Scooby-Doo. All characters from belong to Hanna-Barbara Productions and Warner Bros.


Prologue

"It's best that you drop me off at the nearest Amtrak station, because I'm done with this crap."

At first glance, the minute 20-year old Velma Dinkley uttered the aforementioned sentence was the very moment Mystery Incorporated was no more.

However, describing her statement as the exact moment Mystery Incorporated being no more is a bit of a gross oversimplification.

Because there was no single defining moment that led to Velma calling it quits, nor could the chain reaction of a series of events leading to Mystery Incorporated's dissolution be pinpointed to a single cause.

If you were interested in the archeology of the infamous events that unfolded on the road leading out from the Wow-O Toy Factory in the spring of 2008, events that led to Velma making the statement in question and in turn led to the dissolution of Mystery Incorporated, it is crucial to start with how Mystery Incorporated got started in the first place.

It all started when the gang solved a mystery at their school. Well, that in itself wasn't exactly the starting point of Mystery Incorporated, considering the gang solved it out of necessity to clear their names. It was either that or expulsion with a possible criminal record attached to their names.

And when you have Fred being the son of an assistant district attorney working at the Office of the District Attorney of Crystal Cove County, Shaggy being the son of a police officer, who of all positions just happens to be the captain commanding the detective bureau of the Coolsville Police Department (and a decorated former Marine, no less), and last but not least, Daphne being a Blake, as in being the youngest daughter of the owner of Blake Enterprises, one of the largest multi-national conglomerates in the world and is based in Coolsville, well, you can most certainly understand that expulsion from their school was not an option.

However, something about the way the gang solved their first mystery struck a chord in town, considering what they had uncovered in the process.

Arguably, it was what came next that actually got the ball rolling into the formation of Mystery Incorporated.

That what came next came in the form of their second mystery, one that took them into the surrounding county, and...let's just say it would, as it turned out, to be the gang's very first big fish.

Whatever it is that triggered a federal investigation into the practices of the administration of Crystal Cove County in the first place was not known at the time, given the sensitivities surrounding said investigation.

But what was known was by the time the federal investigation wrapped up and the gang's role in triggering the investigation in the first place became publicly known, all in a sudden, the gang find themselves in hot demand to solve similar cases.

The breakthrough came after Mystery Incorporated was invited to take part in an interview at KIIS-FM radio station in Los Angeles for a special news program in the winter of 2003, in which the gang recounted their role in the federal investigation.

This radio interview subsequently formed the basis of a 2004 documentary that recounted the federal investigation into corruption at the top tier of the administration of Crystal Cove County, and as the gang's role in the investigation became known nationwide, it was only a matter of when Hollywood came knocking on the door.

It came from the in-house production team from the Columbia Broadcasting System, who had requested a meeting. As it turned out, someone within the production team at CBS has paid particularly-close attention to the radio interview the gang had.

And that radio interview on their role in the federal investigation wasn't the gang's only hurrah. Every subsequent case they've solved provided them open doors to more radio interviews, local and over in Los Angeles, and it were these subsequent radio interviews about their cases that pinged interest from the CBS production team.

Having never acted or crossed paths with an television production studio, the gang have no idea what to do with the invitation, so Daphne went to her father for advice.

He provided her a list of talent agents and their contact information, and naturally, among the perks of being a Blake is that the family name alone opens the door to opportunities, among them being in the entertainment sector.

Following the agents came the meeting, then more meetings, this time with lawyers on legal matters pertaining to copyright, terms of using the gang's likeness and using their cases as the basis for a prime time cartoon television series about a group of four teenage mystery solvers and their dog.

Lo and behold, Mystery Incorporated reached a one-year deal with the network for a seventeen-episode series based on their adventures, along with generous royalty payments for using their likenesses.

It is on the topic of likenesses that Scooby comes into the picture. The show didn't depict the dog to be just a dog. The dog was, like Scooby, a talking one, and as talking canines, let alone talking animals, are about as rare as it gets, you can see where Scooby's role in the negotiations in licensing their likenesses and royalty payments comes in.

Throw in with Scooby's signature speech impediment and stipulations that his fictionalized counterpart follows said speech impediment, complete with using his name as the name of the series, then you have Scooby's royalty payments being the highest of the gang.

Of course, none of the gang argued with the arrangement, given Scooby's role in providing instant recognition and the fact that as soon as the series was aired as part of the Fall 2005 lineup, it was an instant hit, meant continued production for two more seasons.

Within the first three episodes, ratings had hit the roof and beyond and the CBS production team eventually settled on adding eight more episodes into the first season, complete with a movie in between the first season and the second.

All the while, the gang went about their lives in solving cases and providing material for the series. Having had been an inspiration for the popular television series meant their services continued to remain on hot demand.

And with the revenue from the royalty payments, the gang were able to afford some bonuses, the biggest of them all being the Mystery Machine.

Prior to the Mystery Machine entering the picture, the gang had to rely on their family vehicles and the timing of usage of said vehicles. On the good days, they could get one of the Blake family's fleet, but on the bad days, they'd have to settle with the Rogers' 2001 Toyota Echo or the Dinkley's 1999 Chevrolet Malibu.

Concurrent to Mystery Incorporated's successes, other groups of mystery solvers began popping up across the country, largely inspired by their successes.

Not long after Mystery Incorporated's famous radio interview, a group of kids based out in Middletown, Delaware began their own set of adventures and were even featured on their local radio station where they discussed their discovery of a "funky phantom" while waiting out from the rain one day in an abandoned Revolutionary-era manor, never mind the fact that the manor has fallen into a state of disrepair after its last inhabitants passed on without heirs.

On the other side of the Bay from Crystal Cove, over in Coast City, a group of teenagers started their own gang, complete with a talking shark.

Even a trio of schoolmates at the gang's school got involved in the mystery-solving business, going around driving a talking speed buggy.

And the phenomenon wasn't limited to the mainland. Over in Honolulu, Hawaii, a family of ten have formed their own group in solving mysteries.

With contemporaries came opportunities for collaboration or competition in the mystery-solving business, and it served Mystery Incorporated well to collaborate with their contemporaries, given the ample opportunity for new material for the show that bears Scooby's name, and by extension giving their contemporaries their own chances of successes in the show business via spinoffs.

And it was in the course of one such collaboration on a case that saw the gang digging up evidence of previous talking animals, similar to Scooby and the talking shark from Coast City who goes by the name of Jabberjaw. It was this massive case that formed the basis of a season 2 multi-crossover event of the show.

The revelation of extra-dimensional creatures called the Anunnaki spawning talking animals for millennia, with the purpose of safeguarding humanity from the corrupting influences of the secret crystal sarcophagus, led to the conclusion of the season 2 multi-crossover event becoming the highest-rated episode of the show.

Throw in the aftershow where the gang and their contemporaries discussed the case behind the Anunnaki that inspired the crossover event, and you have their name recognition shooting straight into the stratosphere.

With the high ratings came the celebrations and talks began for spinoffs featuring fictionalized versions of the gang's contemporaries, and with Scooby's revelation being out, new developments came out.

First and foremost, Scooby-Doo and Jabberjaw were made citizens of the United States, resulting in a necessity to sift through the episodes of the Scooby show to overdub any references of Scooby being Shaggy's "pet".

Second was that no longer do Scooby and Jabberjaw need to visit the vet for any medical checkup. The announcement on the Anunnaki created government grants to study them, which included for medical and science research purposes. Not only were Scooby and Jabberjaw getting paid for participating in the research, they both also receive free medical treatment for life.

Once the celebrations were over, it was back to work for the Scooby gang. The network already has season 3 of their show in the works per what was agreed upon, and negotiations had started to get underway for the spinoffs featuring their contemporaries and renewing the Scooby series for another two seasons.

It was there that things took a turn. Negotiations for seasons 4 and 5 of the Scooby-Doo show stalled with the major sticking point being the costs for the advertisers and sponsors. Likewise, negotiations for the spinoffs went nowhere and in the end, the network only gave the green light for a pilot episode for the Funky Phantom.

There was something about the show business that the producers and the advertisers know that the gang have failed to grasp. Once the big mystery was unveiled and Scooby's existence became widely embraced and accepted, there goes any interest for a show that hinges on a gang with talking animals solving mysteries.

Ratings for the third season nosedived, and reception for the Funky Phantom pilot was mixed. Consequently, the show was not picked up by CBS and the Scooby show got moved to a cable network, airing in the graveyard timeslot.

With the decline in the show's ratings came less royalty payments for the gang, and normally that alone wouldn't be a source of panic for the gang's work in solving mysteries and cases, except for a couple of things. For starters, given the massive success of their show in the first two seasons, the royalties the gang received meant there was no need for them to charge for their services at or above the market average in the Crystal Cove, Riverview, and Coastal Dale tri-county area.

And second, as the gang grow older and graduated from their high school, there came the question of post-secondary education and tuition. Except for Daphne, who came from a family of very deep pockets, the others were not as financially well-off as her and add in the dip in their royalties as a result of the decline in their show's ratings, it was soon clear that relying on the royalty payments they have received alone would not cover their respective tuitions in college or university. While Velma would have the meagre scholarships to cover the bulk of her tuition, Shaggy and Fred burned through their personal savings in between the expenses from their mystery-solving adventures and the college tuition.

The decline in their show's rating merely covered financial aspects of mystery-solving that put a strain in what made them famous in the first place. The other was the personal aspects, especially with the gang's parents wanting them to pursue careers that doesn't involve the worst of show business or the dangers from mystery-solving.

Besides maybe the Blakes, there was no other member of the gang whose parents didn't exactly take lightly to the gang "taking the law into their own hands", as the father of said member of the gang puts it, than Shaggy.

Having had been a 30-year law enforcement veteran, Shaggy's father Sam has made no secret of his disapproval of the gang's meddling, even if he was flattered by his son's interest in potentially following his footsteps in law enforcement. In fact, the gang's agreement to spend the first several weekends of their sleuthing at the home of the Rogerses listening to Sam's instructions in detective work was the only reason why the other parents agreed to let the gang go mystery-solving in the first place.

And given the dangers faced and occasional injuries that resulted over the months and years, it was only a matter of when Sam and the other parents put their foots down on their preferences for the gang to start considering pursuing professional careers instead of sticking with their mystery-solving, in spite of the fame their work has brought.

But even without the pressures from their parents, the fan base's interests in other aspects of the gang's personal lives, aspects that were more private, only grew once the big mystery about Scooby came about.

This was the setting the gang find themselves in after they received a call about a Luna Ghost haunting the Wow-O Toy Factory, a call that led to what turned out to be just another mundane mystery. It did not help that morale was low, for while there was still an abundance of work, relentless talk and speculation about the gang's private lives was starting to wear their spirits down.

For instance, while job-searching during and after his college studies, Shaggy was starting to get rather sick of answering questions about when Fred and Daphne's engagement and wedding were going to be held. As far as the gang were concerned, barring a few months of actually dating in high school and living together for a couple of years, Fred and Daphne haven't really made a move on each other since graduation. In fact, Fred had confided with him that he and Daphne has agreed to remain friends and nothing more some time prior to the gang's breakup.

A fierce protector of her privacy, if Velma was not impressed with the endless speculation on her sexuality, she has done her best in not showing her disapproval in the fan's conversations about her. Even so, the others can clearly see how the endless speculation was starting to take a toll on her mental health.

And both Fred and Daphne have to bat away questions speculating Shaggy's medical history. While Shaggy was prescribed medical cannabis as treatment for a serious injury from when he was living in Bakersburg, before moving to Coolsville, years ago, the exaggerated large appetite shown on the show had led to speculation on alleged drug use, even though it was a mix of athleticism in gymnastics and large metabolism that explains his large appetite.

In any way, the mood in the Mystery Machine was tense enough that you can cut it with a knife. At this stage, the show was not yet officially cancelled and there still stands a chance that it could be renewed for a fourth season, if only to properly tie things up story-wise on the show. Daphne brought up the topic as a way to discuss how to restore interest in them to get their show renewed. Her conclusion was that they need some sort of announcement, of which their fictionalized counterparts in the show would go with for that fourth season as a season-wide story arc, that would satisfy the appetites of their dwindling fan base.

And that something ties right back to the speculation about Velma's personal life, and it was at the mention of her personal life that Velma put her foot down.

"I appreciate you guys for not being judgemental, but to throw aspects of my personal life out to the masses to satisfy them, even if that potentially generates more income for us, is the one thing I would never compromise on." Velma folded her arms. "After all, pursuing sensationalism for the sake of stories is how the quality of journalism deteriorates, and I for one would not want our show to go through that when all that does is putting it on artificial life support."

"C'mon Velms, it's just for the story arc for the third and fourth seasons." Fred was saying behind the wheel. "Yes, I know it's a lot to deal with the publicity-"

"This isn't just about publicity, Fred." Velma interrupted, prompting Shaggy, Scooby, and Daphne to turn towards her. "This is about keeping my public and private lives separate, and not everyone has the resources to deal with how to keep them separate like Daphne does."

"Velma, if you're having difficulties, as always you are more than welcome to come to me for help." Daphne offered.

Velma sighed. "Thanks for the opportunity, Daph, but honestly, I don't know."

"You don't know what?" Fred asked.

"Is there any particular reason for us to trade our privacy for making a living?" Velma said. "Sure, what we're doing right now are solving mysteries and providing material for a show based on our cases, but there has got to be a line that separates fiction from reality and if we are to throw in aspects of our personal lives into the show, I don't know how much longer I can deal with having to continue to keep the two lives separate."

"Like, are you saying that you should maybe take a break?" Shaggy asked.

There was a long pause, then Velma nodded slowly. "I say that we all should maybe take a break dealing with all of this and get on with our lives."

Another pause went by as Fred pulled over and turned his head towards Velma, only to be met by her firm stare.

It was that very moment that it become clear that Mystery Incorporated has run its course, and as the blonde tried to think of a recourse, Velma continued, "I'm not asking about taking a break, Fred. In fact, it's best that you drop me off at the nearest Amtrak station, because I am done with this crap."

Seeing that Velma wasn't going to change her mind, Fred turned his head back towards the windshield and exhaled.

After shifting the van back to drive, Fred nodded reluctantly and spoke calmly. "Very well, Velma."

Neither Shaggy, Scooby, nor Daphne spoke a single word, but judging from the increasingly empty looks on their faces, it was as if they've accepted the dissolution of Mystery Incorporated as a fait accompli.

As mentioned, the archeology on how Mystery Incorporated dissolved is a rather complex one, one that would warrant its own story, separate from this one.

Because this story is about a rebirth.


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