Aftershock

Everyone stood around dumbstruck as the realization of what just happened sunk in. Pinki walked over to Philippe and put her hand on his shoulder. “I know this must be tough. Perhaps you should go inside and rest.”

Even though Pinki’s touch made him feel a bit better, Philippe refused her suggestion. “I’ve got too much to do. There’s just too much to do.” He spun around and faced the crowd behind them.

“Nara and GrOwl, can you try to find Armstong? And be careful. I have no idea where his head’s at. Tsuky! See if you can find out what happened at the scene and if there’s any trace of Bone Maiden. Maybe she escaped or something. And take Borf with you. Three heads are better than one. The rest of you, let’s get back inside the courtroom and wrap this up so I can figure out how to solve all these issues!”

As Nara, GrOwl, and the dogs sped off, the rest of the VIMs filed sadly back into the courthouse. Before Philippe could follow them in, he felt Garu’s hand on his shoulder. “Please wait a minute,” said Garu.

“I don’t have time,” said Philippe. “I’ve got too much to do.”

“I heard what you said, and that’s the problem. You keep saying ‘I’ have too much to do,” said Garu

Philippe spun around and stared at Garu. “Yes! I have a lot going on! I’ve got a goddess telling me to save a good friend who is somewhere in the universe, and it’s probably not this one, and I have no leads to go on. On top of that, one of my best friends might have just straight up killed a girl that I, you know, am friends with too.”

“Philippe. I have witnessed many amazing people, gods and goddesses in the multi-cosmos. Many with great powers have failed with lesser issues. You have been successful because you have something that the others did not have. You have friends.”

Philippe nodded sadly and then hung his head down. “A few less now.”

“But you still have friends. This is not an “I” challenge. This is an “Us” challenge. Do not take the whole burden on yourself.”

“But, everyone’s counting on me. I can’t fail them. I can’t fail myself.”

“If we fail, then it will be because we all tried and failed,” said Garu. “It will not be because of any decision you have made. You must trust your team and trust your instincts. Please!”

Philippe sighed heavily. “I guess you’re right. This is so overwhelming. I just miss the days where I was just having fun on my board.”

Garu pointed outward. “But, look at what you’ve accomplished. Is the betterment of your fellow VIMs not as fulfilling as just having fun? You have been blessed with many gifts, but the sharing of your gifts and talents is what makes you special and unique. Please don’t give up on that.”

Philippe smiled and nodded. “Yeah. I like giving and making the world a better place. It’s just a tough day today. I guess we’d better get inside and figure out what to do next.

Philippe and Garu walked into the courthouse and stood in front of the crowd. “Ok, everyone. I know what we just saw was a shock to us all, but we’ve got to focus. I know Queen GrOwl can handle Armstrong, and the dogs can conclusively find out what happened to Bone Maiden.”

“What do we all do now?” asked PIgsy.

“I’m not sure,” replied Philippe. “We don’t have anything to go on. I’m not even sure which universe we’re supposed to look in. We just need some kind of crazy coincidence where some information comes to us out of the blue.”

Philippe’s phone rang.

Philippe reached in his pocket to answer it before realizing that he had left it across the room on a side table. “Diego? You’re closest. Can you answer that for me?”

Diego quickly shoved the last of his burrito into his mouth and answered the phone. Nervously, everyone held their breath while Diego listened carefully. After a few moments, he hung up the phone and handed it to Philippe. “It was a robocall saying your car warranty needed renewing.”

Everyone groaned. “Ugh, I got one of those the other night,” said Julie.

“Me too,” said Niu. “It’s so annoying.”

Diego let out a large belch and yawned. “I think I’ve had one burrito too many. I’m going to the lobby and lay down for a while. Let me know if you need me to answer any more phone calls.” With another loud burp, Diego staggered out of the courtroom.

“Great,” said Philippe. “We’re no closer to figuring out where to start than before. Let’s all think! Any ideas?”

Everyone stood blankly at the floor as the room grew quiet. Everything was quiet for a few minutes before everyone became aware of a slow clacking noise approaching them. Slowly, the door to the courtroom opened up as Armstrong sadly entered the room.

Immediately, everyone stood on guard. Sheriff Mo raised his rifle up, but Philippe pushed it down. Armstrong took off his rocket pack and dragged it behind as he rolled past everyone and back toward the never-used jail cells in the court house. He dropped his rocket pack by a cell door and rolled in, closing the door behind him.

“Armstrong,” said Philippe. “What happened? What’s going on?”

Armstrong drew a heavy sigh as he wiped a tear from his face. “I’m turning myself in. I did it. I’m guilty. I killed Bone Maiden.”