It was a cold day. The walls of the base were like ice and Slinky and Laughing Matter were enjoying some hot cocoa when they received a call from the chief. Little did they know it’d be their last.

“What’s up chief?” Slinky asked.

‘Ah, well it would seem no one showed up to work today. Do you think I could get you gentlemen to go and check on them?” The chief said.

“Of course sir. We wouldn’t want the town to be without its best men on the job.” Said Slinky as he hung up.

“Alright Matter, relax time is over.” Slinky said as he nudged Matter.

“Aw man, I was finally in the perfect position to get a good nap in.” Matter pouted as he got up.

They fired up the car and one by one went to each officer's house but their families all told them the same thing. All of them had gone to work in the morning.

“Huh. Well, I guess the case is closed. Time to go get that nap.” Matter said as he sat back in the car.

“Nice try but we should just check the station to make sure.” Slinky replied as they drove off.

They got out and swung open the station’s door to find it eerily quiet and empty. They looked around and they noticed that there were things thrown about as if there was a struggle of some sort. The chief wasn’t in his office and Slinky’s suspicions grew.

“Okay, this is super weird. What’s the deal here?” He wondered.

“Hey, looks like someone forgot to close this door back here.” Matter said as he pointed at a door.

“Wait. I don’t remember that door being there. Look! That bookshelf was moved. It must’ve been hiding it. Let’s take a look inside.” Slinky said.

They walked through and found themselves walking down a stairway to a lower level of the station. After they reached the bottom they spotted people that were bound and gagged along the walls.

“It’s all of the officers! But who put them here?” Said Slinky.

“That would be me. You weren’t supposed to find this place, though.” Said the chief, stepping out of the shadows.

“Yo, chief? What’s with the evilness and holding hostages?” Matter chimed in.

“Perhaps my associate can clear some things up for you. Meet…number two.” The chief said as another man came into view.

Matter tried to hold his laughter but couldn’t help it and burst.

“Number two?! Oh, man! He must be a real crappy partner! I mean, it must suck to have a guy who really stinks!” Matter said through tears and laughter.

While they were being distracted, Slinky sneaked behind number two and knocked him out. Matter wiped his tears and approached the chief.

He sighed and said, “Chief, you gotta remember one thing.”

The chief looked confused and scared as he didn’t know what to do. Slinky stood behind Matter and crossed his arms.

“Yeah. How could you forget?” Slinky continued.

Matter took out an apple, bit into it, and said “We’re Slinky and Laughing Matter.”

Then together, they threw their fists into the chief's face as he was knocked to the ground and unconscious. They then cuffed both number two and the chief and released all of the officers. Two officers went over and took the chief and number two away.

One of them said “Thanks to you both, we are free. We’ll make sure these guys stay behind bars for a long time.”

The heroes returned to their base and sat down in silence.

“Hey. I was doing some thinking. What would you say if I suggested we retire?” Slinky asked.

“I think that’d be alright.” Matter answered.

“I’m sort of seeing this girl. I think I wanna marry her and start a family, you know?” Said Slinky.

“Awesome dude! I better be your best man!” Matter said, excited.

A few months went by as Slinky married a beautiful girl in the countryside of their town. Matter couldn’t stop tearing up during the ceremony and during the after-party, Slinky took over the dance floor with the sickest moves anyone had ever seen.

Not too long afterward, Matter had also met a girl and got married. As a few months went by they were both in the hospital at the same time witnessing the birth of their first children. They were ecstatic as they showed each other their children. Slinky’s wife looked at their child and with one final breath told the baby how much she loved her. Not too long after Matter’s child was born, his wife’s life was also taken from him by the forces of evil. As they both took their children home from the hospital for the first time they were sad but also couldn’t help but feel hopeful for some reason.

“So, what’s your girl’s name?” Asked Matter.

“Katherine.” Slinky replied.

“What about your son?” Slinky inquired.

“Theodore.” Matter said.

“Let’s raise them right. Let’s hope they can be better than us.” Slinky said.

“Yeah. They are the future, after all.” Said Matter.

They smiled at each other as they looked out the window at the starry sky. 

Heroes come and go. But Slinky and Laughing Matter will always be remembered throughout history. No matter what may come whether it’s snowglobe-wearing gorillas, handsome detectives, evil villains or fox-masked heroes there will always be stories to be told. Only one question remains:

What story will you read next?