Disclaimer: I do not own any of the source material. They belong to their respective owners.
Protectorate I
"Don't feel too bad, Isaac," whispered Maggy in Isaac's head. "He's just angry that you were in a dangerous situation."
"But that wasn't even me! That was Samson!" said Isaac, startling everyone around him.
He and the tall girl had to follow Armsmaster into the Protectorate. Something about their involvement in the fight. Though, all they got was a lecture, and Armsmaster took the credit for the defeat of Lung. That was to protect them, apparently.
"That thieving bastard! First, he took my kill, now he took the credit for it?!" yelled Samson in his head.
"Quiet, you oaf!" berated Lilith. "You're making the boy uncomfortable!"
"Wait, please don't argue!" exclaimed Isaac.
Others were about to jump into the conversation, but they were interrupted by Azazel.
"Someone calls for you, child," said the demon.
"..saac!" Sure enough, a woman's voice was calling for him. One that isn't his mother.
"Isaac! Are you alright?" asked the tall girl. "Who are you talking to?"
"O-oh! U-um... my friends?" replied Isaac. He can see that everyone in the room is looking at him. Armsmaster, the tall girl, and Miss Militia. They all seemed to be worried about him.
When Taylor first saw Isaac, she couldn't help but pity him. The young child was bald and naked, had a power, and when he said that his parents are "not here" to Armsmaster, it practically broke her heart. She even decided to join him and Armsmaster back to the Protectorate. After all, the child needs some sort of support.
He always hugged his cat, Guppy, and would sometimes talk to someone else that wasn't there. Taylor thought that this was caused by his power—which is not too far off from the truth. His recent outburst complaining of "Samson" solidified this belief. After all, Wasn't the one that controlled his body earlier a "Judge of Israel"?
She decided to take him out of his stupor. "Isaac!" she called him.
No response. Again. "Isaac!"
He blinked and looked around before looking at her. Good.
"Are you alright?" she asked. "Who are you talking to?"
"O-oh! U-um... my friends?" he replied. Taylor decided that the child definitely has issues. Far more than her own.
Armsmaster and Miss Militia shared a look after seeing the interaction. The naked child that Armsmaster escorted here now wore merchandise from the gift shop. He is exceptionally young, and already has powers. Powers that seemed to erode his mind.
The young child and the teen girl sulked after getting scolded by Armsmaster for fighting Lung. Then, Isaac's eyes glazed over before he responded as if speaking to someone. He complained about a Samson. Armsmaster presumed that this is the red-skinned muscular form that he encountered earlier.
Miss Militia decided to take initiative. She approached the child and crouched down to his level.
"Isaac, right? I'm Miss Militia," she introduced herself, holding out her hand.
Isaac shook it and nodded. "Nice to meet you, Miss Militia."
"Isaac, can we... speak with your friends?" she asked.
Isaac looked down in contemplation for a bit. Then, he nodded. "Okay, but not all of them want to. Maggy does, though."
"Maggy?" asked Miss Militia. She turned to the teen, a shrug. A similar response came from Armsmaster when she turned to him.
Then, Isaac transformed. Long flowing locks of blonde hair sprouted fro his head and a red ribbon manifested on his head. His figure changed, too, and became more feminine. And the shy boy was replaced by a kind girl.
She smiled at everyone in the room. "Hello! My name is Magdalene, but you can call me Maggy!"
Everyone else was taken aback. It was the same with Samson as well. A different persona takes over, and the body changes accordingly. Armsmaster thought this warranted some questioning.
"Greetings, Magdalene. What can you tell us about yourself?" he asked.
"Well..." Maggy put a hand to her chin as she contemplated. "You already know my name, so I don't know what else I can tell you about myself. Maybe the fact that I was with the Son when the Father sent him to Earth to free us from our sins?"
Armsmaster's lie detector sensed that as the truth. This prompted him to ask, "Are you saying that you are Mary of Magdalene, one of the followers of Jesus the Nazarene?"
"Yeah!" She nodded enthusiastically. "Sorry about Samson earlier, Mister Armsmaster. He just has a bad temper."
"I do not!" refuted Samson in her head.
Armsmaster and Miss Militia shared a look once more. This time, Miss Militia opted to ask.
"Can you tell us anything about Samson and Isaac?" she asked.
"I can just tell you about everyone else!" replied Maggy. "I'm not much of a storyteller, but I'll do my best."
She cleared her throat before starting. "Isaac and his mother lived alone on a small house on a hill..."
And so, Maggy regaled them with tales of their adventures. About how they fought against horrors like Monstro and Ragman. About how they befriended Baby Plum. Their battles against their greatest foes: Mom in her many forms, It Lives, Hush, the Doppelgangers of Isaac and Blue Baby, The Lamb, Satan and Mega Satan, and of course, the Beast.
She also told them of their new quest. The mission from God, to save Earth Bet. And, of course, she told them about Isaac and his friends.
"... and that's why we're all here," she concluded with a smile. "All eighteen of us!"
A meow prompted her to raise the cat. "And Guppy!"
The sounds of sobbing to her side made Maggy look at the teen. Sensing her sorrow, she hugged the older girl. Miss Militia, though usually composed, felt emotion starting to well up in her as well. And Armsmaster, too, felt some sadness and pity for the child.
"It's alright," she said with a smile. "The Lord sent us here because He knows we can do it!"
"T-that's not..." said Taylor, still crying. "Y-you've had a hard time, haven't you?"
Maggy smiled. "It's fine, kind lady. A wise Egg once told us that 'Tough times never last, tough people do.' I think he got that from somewhere, though."
The strange response made Taylor giggle and soon enough, she actually laughed. She wiped away her tears. "Y-you... are all of you that strange?"
Maggy giggled. "Maybe?"
A cacophony of indignant denials then echoed in her head, but she paid them no mind.
The older teen took a moment to compose herself before sticking out her hand. "I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself earlier. I'm Taylor, Taylor Hebert. Please tell Isaac that I said hi and a thank you to Samson."
"Hi," said Isaac, though, Taylor could not hear it
Samson meanwhile smirked and said, "Damn straight, girl!"
On behalf of her friends, Maggy shook Taylor's hand. "Nice to meet you, Taylor! Will do!"
Thinking that this is a good time as any, Armsmaster decided to bring attention to himself by clearing his throat. "Would the both of you want to join the Wards?"
That was when Isaac took over once more. He looked at Armsmaster and Miss Militia.
"Y-you are the good guys, right?" he asked.
Miss Militia nodded. "Yes, that's right."
"She knows not the evil among them," Azazel whispered in Isaac's head.
Isaac knew that the demon's words are true. Even so, he filled his heart with courage. He nodded.
"I-I want to be a hero," he said. "Please let me join!"
"I-I'll join, too," said Taylor. "B-but I think I have to call my dad first."