This is a sequel to my previous superhero fanfic A City In Need of Saving, and was inspired by the Community episode "Remedial Chaos Theory." It takes place nine months after the events of A City In Need of Saving. Like A City In Need of Saving this will be rated a Hard T, as it will get fairly dark.
I don't own the amazing show Community or any of its wonderful characters.
This story is dedicated to MEGGEM, for giving me the idea to write a sequel to my first Greendale superhero story.
Greendale, 1964.
Benedict Hopswagger ran down the street, nervously looking back as he heard sirens in the distance. Seeing the abandoned house he was looking for he ran to the porch and threw open the door, not even bothering with knocking. "Dr. Osbourne! Dr Osbourne, are you here?"
As he looked around he saw an eerie yellow glow coming from the basement. He opened the door and walked down the stairs just as the light disappeared, revealing a hunched over man standing in a circle of ash. Upon hearing the newcomer arrive the man stood up straight and turned around. Benedict swallowed as he looked at Dr. Nathanael Osbourne, a tall stocky man with civil war era length sideburns.
"Dr. Osbourne. It's done. The book is hidden."
Dr. Osbourne smiled a rare smile. "Good. Your bravery will ensure that all of our work will not be in vain. Where did you hide the notebook?"
Instead of answering Benedict pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to the doctor. After looking at it Dr. Osbourne tied the location instructions to a carrier pigeon. Speaking gently to the pigeon he opened the window as it flew away. "I told it to go to my wife Hannah, who will give the instructions to our unborn son Alex when he is old enough. Now, for the item." He beckoned Benedict over to the circle of ash, revealing a plain six sided dice in the center of the circle.
"There it is. What will make men into gods."
"I still don't understand why we have to go through all of this. We're altering the fabric of the universe, creating whole different worlds, all to obtain this power. Why does it have to be divided? Why can't we just draw it into us?"
"Because my young colleague, real power must be earned through hard work and sacrifice. It cannot simply be given over. This is why you never understood the value of true will and determination. The easy route cannot always be taken to achieve true greatness."
Dr. Osbourne picked up the dice and handed it to Benedict, glancing into the distance as the sound of sirens grew louder. "Take this and put it with the notebook. You'll have to leave soon, before the police get here. If it hadn't taken so long to form I would have had you hide both items at the same time"
Benedict looked at the dice, weighing it in the palm of his hand. "Why did you choose a dice to be the constructor? I thought you said we needed to create seven timelines to harness the power? Won't this create six?"
"We don't have time for explanations!"
"Sir, if anything happens to you I have to be able to tell your son how this works. Please, tell me why you made the constructor a dice."
Dr. Osbourne glared at Benedict before deeply sighing. "If the constructor is to be hidden until my son is old enough to use it I had to make sure it wouldn't accidently be used by someone else before it's time. That is why it was made so it can only properly be used under extremely specific circumstances. First, to activate it it has to be used for something that is not for its original use."
"I don't follow sir."
Dr. Osbourne pointed over to a game of yahtzee on the table. "I made the dice so whatever it is first used for it is imprinted as being used for that. This way if someone finds it and accidently uses it it will not accidently be activated, for it will be imprinted as being used for that purpose."
"Wait, so the dice was from that board game?"
"No, the dice was not from anything. It formed when I willed it into being. The game is so we can imprint it. Before you leave we must play a quick game of yahtzee with the dice. This way the dice is imprinted as being a ordinary board game dice, until it is found and used by my son. Second, the person handling it, or someone within their vicinity, must acknowledge that different universes or timelines are being created when they use it. And third, and this is the most important, seven outcomes must come out of six."
Benedict looked at Dr. Osbourne in confusion. "I don't understand. Isn't one dice made for six outcomes?"
"Exactly."
"Then I don't understand how you can get seven outcomes if it's made for six? Do you mean it is rolled seven different times?"
"You lack subtlety. What I mean is when the dice is used it should be intended for six outcomes to occur, but seven will actually form. This will seal the split timelines and properly divide up the power. "
"Sir, how is that possible? How can you get seven outcomes when a dice is only intended for six?"
"Trust me Benedict, there is a way. Now come on. We have to imprint the dice before you take it to_"
They looked up as the basement door burst open and policeman charged down the stairs. "Freeze! Put your hands in the air!"
Dr. Osbourne slowly put his hands in the air, gasping and wheezing as he looked at Benedict. "Don't do… anything stupid."
They both stood still as Sergeant Pelton made his way to the front of the group of cops. "Nathanael Osbourne and Benedict Hopswagger. You are under arrest for robbery, disturbing the peace, kidnapping, and the murder of six year old Becky Gunderson. You have the right to-
Suddenly Dr. Osbourne gasped and reached into his pocket. One of the cops yelled out. "He's going for a weapon!" Before he could say anything the police opened fire, shooting Dr. Osbourne until he crumpled to the ground.
"Stop! He just needed his asthma inhaler!" Benedict charged forward and the police opened fire on him. As he fell to the ground the dice slipped out of his hand, unnoticed by anyone.
As the incident was dealt with and items were collected the dice was found. Thinking it was just a game piece it was put in the yahtzee game and put in evidence. It remained in an evidence locker for twenty years until it was removed as part of a closed case evidence clean up. The game was taken by an officer who gave it to his children to play with. When the children grew up the game, along with the dice, was donated to goodwill. It sat on a shelf for many years until one day when two young college students found it.
"Abed look, Yahtzee. This would go great with our fancy adult housewarming party…."