Disclaimer: Ed, Edd N Eddy and all its characters are copyright AKA Cartoon

Disclaimer: Ed, Edd N Eddy and all its characters are copyright AKA Cartoon. I am not using them for profit; I am simply using them to practice my own writing skills….

Author: Finally, the conclusion to Double D's story. Can Double D prevent Mission Destruction from reaching its final stage… the end of all humanity? Or is Double D too late? Just as a warning, this chapter is more graphically violent then others.

Chapter Nineteen- The World's Problem

"I can't believe," Double D whispered to no one in particular, "that the world is in such a mess."

He did believe it though; in fact, he knew how the world had come to its current state. One of its pillars had left it. Now that astray pillar was attempting to betray it… and Double D knew that it was time to knock that pillar down.

He'd gained the trust of most of the scientists on the ship. In fact, one of them showed him exactly where they were storing the Toxin D and the cure. Another told him how to contact the governments of the Earth. And a third showed him where the escape pods were. He was surprised at how easy it was to trick the world's most brilliant (and deranged) scientists.

Double D trotted down the hallway casually. He was still acting, at least on the outside; if anyone were to ask him a question, he would not have been able to keep up his guise. In fact, he would probably instinctively attack the person. Don't those creatures see that collapsing under the pressure is the worst thing to do?

He stopped in front of a doorway and unceremoniously punched in an axis code. Rolf had given it to him eagerly when he explained that he had forgotten the combination due to his amnesia. Seriously, if the pressure was too much, they should have hired more scientists! Or created a device that made people smarter. Ah, there it is-

The liquid in the vial was pink and golden in color. The vial itself was clearly labeled; a thin needle was attached at the end. It was surrounded by a clear glass container. Double D punched in the numbers in a nearby access box; upon opening, he carefully snatched the vial, staring at it with a mixture of boredom and psychotic-scientist-happiness for good measure. I mean, my parallel self made a device that transformed the world's atmosphere. He decreased violence in the world…

He walked over to the next case. It, too, contained a vial; but the liquid inside the vial was deep green. In fact, it was almost black. He punched the access code in the access box. It opened with a dramatic swoosh; cautiously, he pulled the vial out with his gloved hand. Okay, I've got the Cure and the Toxin. Now to alert the others… But honestly, if he could decrease the world's murder rate, then couldn't he alter people's thoughts? He was certainly immoral enough.

He left the room and walked into another room. This one had a very comfortable chair, a movie-theater-sized television, and a very complex panel with many buttons and dials. (The panel was located in front of the chair, ala Star Trek.) Normally, Double D would not have been able to figure out what each of the unlabeled buttons did; however, the day previously Jimmy revealed to him the function of each and every dial on the panel. But even if he could not alter people's minds… my parallel self could have handled his stress by getting therapy. I'm sure the government would understand if he needed to take time off to deal with the stress.

And even if they wouldn't... Double D sat down on the seat. As he pressed a button that was, essentially, the record button of a microscopic camera, Double D's cool demeanor faded. The panic slowly spread across his face… Mission Destruction is… is… UNACCEPTABLE.

"Governments of the Earth," he started. "I am Sir Eddward, the scientist, and I have not been kidnapped by anyone. The forty-eight of us have taken part in a plot to destroy the Earth."

He took a deep shaky breath and continued to explain his story. He explained the plans of Mission Destruction, the effects of Toxin D, his sorrow in joining such a dastardly plot, and his plans to prevent the mission from proceeding any farther. Double D also explained that he was sending one person back; one person- a child- who had not taken a part in the plot, and was innocent of any crimes. He ended with a very formal "Thank you" and pressed a button that sent the video to all the governments of the world.

Afterwards, he sat staring into space, reviewing the next part of the plan in his mind over and over again. "I ought to leave," he muttered after an infinite time.

Carefully shifting the vial with the Toxin in it to his left hand (where the Cure was), he got up and walked to Stephanie's room. He knocked a secret knock that the two had planned together; Stephanie slowly opened the door, looking up to make sure it was her father. When she saw it was, indeed, Eddward, she grabbed her bag and eagerly ran up to him, grabbing the hand free of the vials.

"Daddy, I'm so glad you're stopping the evil bad guys," she said loudly.

Double D winced. "Shhh!"

The girl smiled sheepishly. "Sorry," she whispered. "Anyway, I packed all my clothing like you asked me too. Actually, I only had a chance to unpack some of my stuff. I don't know why mommy picked the clothes that were in the bag, they're all really icky and scratchy…"

He nodded, listening inactively as his daughter blabbed on. Johnny had shown him the way to the emergency escape pods; however, he had refused to go past this point, for some odd reason. So he was on his own now, left following the man's odd directions ("Then go a freckle past a hair…")

Finally, they came to it… the emergency escape pods. Swiftly, Double D punched in a code (eagerly provided by Rolf) that would prevent any alarms from going off. He then pushed a button that opened the door, and granted him access to one of the pods.

Stephanie stopped talking. Eddward grabbed Stephanie's bag, and place it in the second seat. The pods, he noted, only had two seats, just as he had expected. Silently, he programmed the pod to head straight to Earth. "Sit here," he explained.

The little girl nodded reluctantly. "Daddy," she asked mournfully as she approached the pod, "can't you come with me? And can't you bring mommy?"

"No," Double D said sympathetically. Tears filled the little girl's eyes. "I've got work to do here."

"You always have work to do," Stephanie whispered. "When will you be back?"

Double D sighed. If he was lucky, Fay would appear and send him back to his dimension. That would mean that he'd never see the girl again, and she'd be stuck with Parallel Eddward. "I'm not sure, Stephanie. But promise me you will be safe on Earth, okay? The pod is programmed to land right in front of the White House. There will be people there to help you."

I hope.

Double D closed the pod door. Instantly, the girl burst into tears, but she couldn't be heard through the escape pod's thick walls. The walls in front of the escape pod opened, and the miniature ship flew away with Stephanie in it. The boy waved silently as the door closed; Stephanie looked back and waved, too.

"What…"

At the sound of the voice, Double D jumped. No, no, this cannot be. Only Rolf and I know the code that keeps the alarm from going off. She can't be in here, I'd have heard! Reluctantly, he turned around. He saw, too his horror, that he had left the emergency-escape-pod-room's door open.

However, Nazz's face was much scarier. Her face was bright red. "What have you done, Double D?!"

I miss the Nazz from my universe. Her voice was never so rough. Double D simply blinked in response.

The woman stepped forward, her boots banging loud against the floor. "You've KILLED her, Eddward! You're a psychopath! You killed her! Why?!"

"N-no, Nazz," Double D stumbled. "I'm saving her."

"SAVING HER?!" Nazz marched forward. "You sent her to a planet that's about to be destroyed! You sent her to a war zone and you're telling me you're SAVING her?"

"The Earth will n-not be destroyed," he responded. It sounded braver in his mind then it did out loud. Subconsciously, he pushed the Toxin D vial into his right hand. "I will not let you destroy the Earth. I won't let you kill s-six billion people!"

It was at this point that the revelation struck Double D. Oh, he knew that his chances of surviving the plan was almost null. The fact had even bothered him. But as he considered it previously, thinking it over and looking for any flaws, it seemed an unnecessary detail.

Now he realized that he was going to die. The only way he could survive this would be if Fay were to come, but she was not coming; he could feel this in his guts.

Nazz charged forward. "TRAITOR!" she yelled, shoving him to the floor. In response, Double D kicked her back, sending her flying. This angered her more. Double D killed Stephanie, he killed Stephanie, that inhuman monster killed-

She charged at him as he stood up, throwing a punch at his face. Double D easily dodged it, all the while wondering where this dexterity had come from; he had never been able to dodge one of Kevin's punches.

It killed Stephanie- This did not deter Nazz. She simply aimed a kick at him; this Double D did not block. He fell to the floor.

It killed Stephanie- She kicked him, but he dodged that one.

The mantra repeated in her head, unchanging, as she charged forward; Double D, however, did not throw an offensive punch back for his hands were full. Ten punches and kicks later, the mantra changed.

Stephanie is dead.

Somehow, the slight variation of the words affected Nazz; Nazz fell to her feet sobbing.

Double D reluctantly crept forward. He approached her cautiously, as he would approach the Nazz from his universe, but for different reasons. She was not the same Nazz from his universe; this lady was deranged and evil and only resembled Nazz in looks. Nonetheless, though, sympathy crept into Double D's lips as he said, "N-Nazz, I know you are suffering, but trust me, Stephanie will be ok-"

Nazz looked up sharply. He knew, instantly, that he had said the wrong thing.

The grief going through Nazz made her stronger then before. She was no longer a scientist-with-a-schedule-so-busy-she-could-never-visit-a-gym, but a world-famous body builder. She flung a hand out and grabbed Double D's throat, lifting him into the air.

"S-Stop!" Double D yelled out, though the sound was much quieter then he intended from the lack of air.

Nazz smiled a maniacal smile. "You're a murderer, Double D. You killed Stephanie as you killed so many others."

The vision at the corner of Double D's eyes started to turn black. His right hand moved without his input; he stuck a needle into Nazz's arm. Nazz did not notice the pain, though.

Some distant part of Double D's mind realized what he was doing, and begged him to stop. No- Stop it! Double D, it's not worth it-

Everything was turning black. Double D pressed the plunger lightly; it was enough to cause a mere drop of the toxin to poor into Nazz's system.

Ten seconds later, Nazz collapsed. Double D dropped to the floor, too, gasping for air. He wondered silently what had happened, and saw the needle on the floor. "Oh my… Oh my!"

Thousands of guilt-ridden thoughts filled his mind; How could you do that she's right you are a murder DOUBLE D how dare you double d someone's watching you Double D you used that poison if only I hadn't come here how could I do this the poison is released I might die of it-

The thoughts silenced urgently. Double D grabbed the vial with the cure and injected himself with it, gasping in horror. After half the pinkish/gold liquid went into his veins, he dropped the vial and instead picked up the vial filled with the greenish liquid.

He stared at Parallel Nazz's body- unmoving- in horror. I need to forget this I wish I'd forget this double d someone's watching you I've got to forget his I've got to prevent the Mission-

Shakily, he grabbed the Cure and stood up, still staring at the body. He was facing opposite the door; he ought to turn around in case someone was watching him…

Something slapped his shoulder. Double D screamed, nearly jumping a mile into the air. Slowly, he turned around, one single thought echoing in his mind: double d someone's watching you double d someone's watching you…

He suppressed a scream. The thing touching him was… was… He couldn't think of anything to describe it. Instantly, the guilt towards Nazz's death was forgotten; this creature was too much to stand.

If he hadn't been so scared, he might have noted the creature's skin was made of a black substance that looked like burned sugar or flower. It almost seemed to move. He would have noticed that one of the eye sockets was empty, and the other had a demented, partially-degraded eye rotting inside it. He might have noticed the thing's missing fingers on one hand and extra fingers on another. It smelled like a combination of burning tires and decaying bodies. But this was about as far as a truly cold person could describe; any farther, and they'd be going straight to the nuthouse.

He did notice that the creature was wearing a hat…

… and not just any hat… It was a hat that Double D had seen many times in his own universe. It was…

"K-Kevin?" Double D gulped.

The creature's head made a movement; Double D thought it might be a nod, but he was too terrified to tell.

Pulling a tissue out of nowhere, Double D pushed Kevin's hand off of his shoulder. "K-Kevin, w-what happened to you?"

The creature appeared to smirk. "You brought me back from the dead, you moron."

Indeed, it was Kevin's voice. But what did he mean, 'back from the dead'? With a blink, a memory returned to Double D:

"I thought that you said Kevin was dead!" Double D cried.

"Well, he did die in a motorcycle accident," Nazz said, "but you created something that brought him back to life… except, it brought him back to life… different."

When Double D did not say anything, Kevin continued. He pointed the single finger on his right hand at Nazz. "I thought you weren't going to play around with life and death anymore."

Some part of Double D's mind wanted to protest the statement; Mission D was a very serious 'game' of life and death. Yet pure repulsion kept him silent.

Kevin growled. Double D was being annoyingly silent. "Why have you released Toxin D? Are you trying to kill everyone on this ship?"

"I'm trying to stop Mission Destruction," Double D muttered.

The formerly-human creature looked back at Nazz. "I guess she was right. You are crazy. You know, after you left, she held a meeting. She even invited me to it. She spent all this time explaining that you were against us, yet the others laughed. But now that I've had a chance to look at you, you seem off. It seems like you are only made of matter. Trying to save people and stop the plans you spent so much time working up! Are you really Double D?"

Of course I am made of matter, Double D thought. It was illogical; it was nonsensical. For some reason, it seemed to make Kevin more human despite his appearance. What else would I be made of? Anti-matter?

"Kevin, one question I have heard a lot the last couple of days was 'What is wrong with the world?'" Double D stared Kevin straight in his eyes/eye-sockets. "Do you know the answer to that question?"

Kevin gave him a blank stare.

"Let me answer it for you, then!" the boy said informingly, "You might assume the answer is 'humanity'. However, this is incorrect. The world depends on hope and honesty; these are basic concepts. One is wired into the human persona, and the other is taught before pre-school. People that give up hope damage the world, but all together aren't very harmful. People who lie also harm the world. But what truly harms the world is when the people in power become hopeless; it is when they become liars."

He paused, looking for any reaction from Kevin; none, though it was hard to tell.

"It is most deadly," he went on, "when the scientific give up. But what is truly wrong is when scientists give up hope, but not determination; when those with intellect forget morals. What is truly wrong with the world is the people that ran away from it, the liars who have so little hope that they think the only way to save the world is to destroy it. Mission Destruction is what is wrong with the world."

Wow, Double D blinked. This is the only time anyone has ever let me finish a lecture.

Kevin was giving him an odd expression; with horror, Double D realized it was a smile. And it was certainly not the good kind. Kevin reached an arm behind his back and pulled out a dagger.

Double D blinked. Who keeps a dagger on their person?

In the time it took him to think that thought, Kevin had shoved him against the wall and was holding a knife against his throat. I never thought I would say the Kevin from my home universe is tame.

"You know, I would never have joined this mission if you hadn't gone crazy. If I weren't this undead freak, I would have just left, but I cannot fit in the way I am now." Kevin frowned. "Why did you start this mission? You were never comfortable with it, but yet you insisted it go on."

"Um- Well- Er- Please, let me go and I can explain this later? I have to stop Mission Des-"

A blinding flash of white light filled the room.