As always, here's the next chapter. I think this will bring up a very interesting arc for the story, especially for those that love angst. I think we all now what this next chapter pertains to, especially to people who've watched the show.

If not, I hope this all comes as a good surprise.

Either way, I hope you enjoy!

He wasn't sure what to do here. Karkat was at a genuine loss, and he didn't like it.

It was different. He expected some shit to happen today, but not this. Going from one freak of nature to possibly three (depending on what exactly these two are) was a hell of a rollercoaster. He should probably try and make a good first impression. Quick, Vantas, say something clever!

"What the fuck?"

God dammit, present Vantas. Why must you be so eloquent?

"I should've figured that'd be your reaction." Despite his response, Oberon didn't seem offended by the vulgar statement. Then again, he probably wasn't expecting to see Karkat either, so it was fair. "Should've went with something gentler."

"Not like it would've helped out much, dad." Eridan hung back, watching the other boy intently. He was still surprised too, apparently. He was keeping his distance, as if Karkat was liable to shoot him with an ecto-blast. "Sums it up pretty well."

Oberon raised his hand again, causing Karkat to take a step back. It was involuntary, though it stopped further movement.

"What are you two?" Karkat's hand lit up with energy again. He didn't realize he stopped. "If you're ghosts wearing artifacts, speak up. I've had to deal with two of those already, so I'm really short on patience when it comes to that."

"If you'd let us explain first, this'll be over much faster." Eridan looked nervously at the hand, raising his hands defensively. "It's a long story, but-"

"Keep it simple." Karkat really didn't want to be rude about this, but surprises had been unpleasant lately. He couldn't afford anymore of them.

"I'm a half ghost." Oberon pointed at himself, being as blunt as possible. It was almost appreciated. "Eridan, my son, is a quarter ghost. He was created naturally while I wasn't. There's more, but I don't think it'd be wise to explain here."

Karkat felt the urge to argue before he heard something outside. Another argument, judging from the raised voices.

There were too many people here. They needed a better place to talk.

"My dad's outside. If you pretend to be an investor, he'll take you to the lab." The energy in Karkat's hand fizzled out. "Not sure how receptive he'll be, though. Things have been stressful today."

"Spades if your father?" Oberon looked surprised at first, but it was quickly replaced by… understanding? "Hm. Figures he's connected to this. We'll meet you outside."

Oberon was quick to turn and head towards the door. His posture remained confident and poised the entire time.

Karkat gave Eridan a glance, raising an eyebrow. The boy with the scarf shrugged, as if embarrassed. The boy clapped a hand onto his shoulder, most likely to try and act comforting. The reassurance died after feeling his soaked coat.

"Why is your jacket wet?" Karkat almost laughed at the disturbed look on the boy's face.

"It's holy water. Watch out for old ladies, they're apparently packing tonight." Karkat phased the water off of him as soon as he said this.

It was enough for Eridan to accept as he quickly joined his father, if at a slightly quicker pace. Karkat watched him go, carefully.

Karkat didn't realize until he was out of sight that his heart had been racing a mile a minute since the two had transformed.

It took him under a minute to get himself under control. He didn't know what he was feeling, but he was certainly trying to suppress hope for now. It was only cautious optimism for now, nothing more.

When Karkat walked out to see his dad, he wasn't surprised to see Oberon and Eridan talking to him. He was surprised to see a woman talking with the both of them too. He would've assumed it was Oberon's wife or something until he got a good look at her.

It was Feferi's mom. He was pretty damn sure of that since the woman practically looked like an older clone of her, with the same skin color and generally most of the same features. She looked a good deal more intimidating, though, just from her sheer height. The amount of gold jewelry would've been tacky, but she somehow pulled it off.

Spades certainly seemed put off by the two. Not afraid or angry, but certainly awkward. It wasn't a familiar sight if he was honest.

"Good to see you too, Oberon." Spades seemingly searched the mans face as they shook hands, as if he expected something. As for what, he didn't know. "Honestly didn't expect to see you here. Either of you."

"What, a few old friends can't meet up? Besides, I heard you organized it, so I figured it would be interesting." Oberon smiled charmingly. Spades didn't look convinced and (possibly) Peixes didn't seem to be going along with it. "I was in the area, so…"

"You practically begged for us to come here, remember?" Mrs. Peixes interrupted, waving off the excuse like it offended. She gave Spades the side eye. "Though he is right. Figured this would interesting. Though I was expecting an explosion."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Condy." Spades ignored the glare sent his way, adjusting his hat carefully. His eyes landed on Karkat, causing him to raise his hands. "Hey, kid. You get that holy water off of ya?"

"Yeah. Remind me never to go to church ever again. If they're teaching people to throw holy water on people that throw off their beliefs, then I don't wanna go." Karkat adjusted his suit jacket, stopping for a second before continuing. "Then again, I don't go to church anyway."

"You have a son?" 'Condy' apparently had no filter, considering how she questioned that immediately. She looked at both of them closely, clearly skeptical. "I didn't even hear about you getting married."

"Mom!" Feferi apparently chose this time to finally confirm his theory. She apparently overheard the question and figured it was as rude as it sounded. "You can't just ask people that! That's rude."

"To be fair, I'm adopted." Karkat really didn't want to focus on this, so he figured he'd cover for her mom for now. Even if 'Condy' didn't seem to care. "Did you clear everything with the police yet, dad? I'd rather not be here for another riot."

"Yeah, yeah. It doesn't look like anyone else is going nuts on us right now." Spades was still disheartened by the reaction. He figured there'd be a lot more praise than this. He turned towards the other two adults. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm planning on heading home. Maybe you want to see the finished portal?"

"I'd personally love to see it. We did work on the proto-portal back in high school, so I'd love to see the finished product." Despite Oberon's sounding pleasant about it, Spades flinched at the word 'proto-portal.' "Eridan, do you want to check it out?"

"Uh, yeah, sure." Eridan didn't seem to like being put on the spot but rolled with it as his father's expectant face turned to him. His eyes went briefly towards Karkat, though quickly went away. "Sounds cool."

Feferi and her mom agreed to do so as well, both of them seemingly excited by the possibility. Though Feferi did give a weird look towards her friend at the reaction.

Karkat had the urge to say he was tired all of a sudden just so he wouldn't have to deal with guests of any kind. If it wasn't for the burning questions he had, he most likely would've gone for that.

He was going to talk with the others tonight about this as soon as it was over, though. Maybe they'd have something if only some of his questions were answered.

During the drive there, he'd learned that Aradia and Sollux were taken back home by their parents. He figured that'd happen, though he honestly hoped that at least one of them would come.

He did keep his eye on the Ampora's as discreetly as he could, along with the Peixes. Something told him that the latter knew anything about the former, but Feferi is friends with Eridan. They probably knew something was going on with the Ampora's, just not what.

"Surprisingly normal place." Mrs. Peixes, who's real name was apparently Crocker (of all things), remarked. "I almost thought you'd attach some kind of psy-ops thing on your house by now. You always talked about that shit."

"Oh, I tried, but the local government wouldn't let me. Goddamn associations around here a nightmare to deal with." Spades looked over the house quickly before sighing in relief. "Thank god, I thought some idiots would try to vandalize the place while we were gone."

"Give it time, the nights still young." Karkat really wondered how the rest of the town was taking this. If people nearly rioted at the showing tonight, he had a feeling thing would go nuts by morning. "At least no one can say you're wrong anymore."

"Damn straight!" That got the wind back in Spades sails. He started moving towards the house proudly. "I don't know if I have any alcohol that ain't cheap, but some of us can have some drinks to celebrate! Even the kids too!"

"That sounds like a nice way to end today." Agreeable as always, Oberon followed behind, a hand on Eridan's back. "I'm certainly not driving later."

"I'll probably have a bottle of wine after this." Crocker didn't even remotely sound like she was kidding. Which to be fair, was a normal reaction to having the afterlife proven during a high school reunion. "I think I'll pass until then."

"Looks like the maids will be busy later." Feferi chuckled, falling into step with Karkat. She gave him a side glance for a second, as if to measure him up. "So, how are you dealing with all of this? The ghost stuff, I mean."

"I'm sorry?" Karkat raised an eyebrow, not sure how to interpret the question. He almost had a heart attack too, thinking she was talking about the halfa stuff.

"Your dad discovered an afterlife existed, or some alternate dimension close to it. I don't really know how to feel being an outsider, so I'm wondering about you." Feferi scrutinized him even further. "You knew before anyone too. That was probably pretty thrilling."

Karkat was glad that was it, relaxing at the genuine question. Remaining quiet for a few seconds, he eventually shrugged. "Hard to say. He got the portal working about a month ago, so I guess I've had time to digest it."

"Oh come on, that's a cop out and you know it." Feferi nudged her shoulder against his in a friendly manner. It almost threw him for a loop how casual she was being. "Everyone's been wondering where they go when they die for years and you had that proof in your basement. That's got to be an ego boost."

"I'm not saying it isn't." Karkat's feelings of pride did surge at that. If it hadn't been for the ghost crap, he would've probably been dying to tell someone. "It's just a lot to think about. Having a portal to the afterlife in your basement raises a lot of questions. I think I'm still in denial sometimes."

"Oh, same. I don't I've fully registered it either, honestly." Feferi's smile turned shaky. She tugged at the sleeve of her sweater, looking at the house as they made it to the front door.

Karkat didn't want to say it, but he could tell. Despite the positive attitude, he could see the questions piling up, causing her to stumble. Even if they were almost adults, this was absolutely nerve wracking. Barely ready for the rest of their lives, they knew one place they could end up if they died.

Hell of a thing, knowing where you were could go. Somehow just as bad as not knowing at all.

Maybe he could make this easier.

"I'm proud of my dad." At the questioning look she gave him, Karkat shrugged. "I don't know how to feel about the afterlife being real. Honestly, I really hate the portal sometimes. But I am proud that he was finally able to get it to work and prove he wasn't just a nutjob."

They'd made it to the entrance of the lab when he finished talking, stopping there. He attempted to smile comfortingly; the action was unfamiliar on his face. "Just take it in stride. At least we got a scientist figuring things out."

Feferi let out a sigh at that. It wasn't a complete relief to her, but she was placated for now. Before they could talk further, he opened up the lab, heading inside. The cool metal greeted them, as well as Spades voice as he talked to the other guests downstairs.

"…and not mention how hard it was to get all this ectoplasm in the first place. Rare as all hell, and I had to get through so much red tape so the government can let me test on it." The scientist had been messing with the controls of the portals as he talked. The guests were either politely listening or tuning him out completely. "At least permits were easy enough. Turns out nobody cares about what you do in your basement as long as it ain't murder."

"As interesting as that is," Oberon decided to interrupt, much to the relief of everyone else. "Can we see the portal now? If it's ready to be opened, that is."

"It's always ready. Just needed to make sure it was all up to snuff." Spades stepped back from the computers before nodding in agreement. Moving towards the switch, he bowed dramatically with an overconfident smirk. "Now, without further ado…"

Spades opened up the portal before anyone could respond. Karkat did have to admit the original portal was much more impressive than the portable one. It gave off the feeling that it was much deeper than it should've been, especially to anyone that looked at it closely enough. The lab sure as hell gave it a bit more ambience, the metal walls reflecting the green light.

Taking a quick look at the others in attendance, he figured that feeling was mutual. The others seemed awed by the portal itself, with even Crocker being silenced by the opening. It was a different feeling in its entirety, putting everyone down from their previously excited moods.

Oberon took a step back, as if the weight pushed down on him. Karkat wasn't even sure if it was an act or not since he looked so convincing.

"I-I," He gulped before continuing. "I think I'll need a drink. Maybe several. If you don't mind, Spades, can I just…"

"Hang out upstairs. I can get being moved by it." Spades sounded a bit smug at that, waving him off goodheartedly. He looked at Karkat briefly. "Kid, you mind helping him up to the kitchen? You know where the wine is."

Karkat wordlessly nodded, moving behind Oberon as he started to head upstairs. The man didn't seem as shocked as he was pretending to be, but he had a feeling it wasn't completely an act. Spades started to lecture everyone about the process of actually making the portal and what he'd discovered so far when they went upstairs.

It didn't take long for them to make it to the kitchen. It certainly took less time for Karkat to open the wine cabinet, grabbing the stuff Spades had been saving for tonight easily. Oberon remained patient as the teen grabbed a glass and poured.

"Talk." Karkat didn't mean for it to come out so harshly, but he was starting to get impatient. The silence grated on him and he wanted some answers now. "You said you were a half-ghost created artificially and Eridan's a natural born quarter-ghost. Mind telling me what that means?"

"I would've though it was obvious, but I suppose you're talking about the 'how.' That's an admittedly difficult thing to talk about." Oberon took an experimental sip of the wine. He didn't cringe, but judging from his suit alone, Karkat figured that he's had better. "Then again, I suppose whatever happened to you wasn't exactly a happy story either."

Karkat didn't say anything. He poured himself a glass instead, even if he didn't like the taste.

"…I guess I should go first." Oberon took another sip, longer this time, before putting down the glass. He looked forlornly at it, as if wishing to have some more. "I'm going to take a guess and know that your father didn't always get it right with his experiments?"

"We've had enough noise complaints to prove it." Karkat chuckled ruefully. He remembered how some of the houses next to them hadn't had people stay there for longer than six months. "Dad isn't exactly the easiest neighbor to live next to."

"I can imagine. He wasn't exactly an easy lab partner to have either, quite honestly." Oberon swirled the wine in the glass. "Had to work with him on a lot of projects. It was a very interesting experience."

"…Was it one of dad's experiments that got you?" The line of inquiry was obviously expected, Oberon not even flinching at that. "Seems like this is where this story is going. Pretty obvious in retrospect."

"…You're not wrong." The mood noticeably dipped at that. Oberon didn't look angry, but an unreadable expression did run across his face within moments. Whatever it was, it was laced with bitterness. "It was for a pretty stupid reason too. We were doing a project for the science fair coming up and we wanted to win so badly."

"Dad probably wanted to prove he wasn't crazy back then." Karkat hummed. He never did look for his dad's high school photo's. He probably should. He always figured that he looked pretty much the same, just with less wrinkles and less gray hairs.

"Took him twenty or so years, but he did it. I personally wanted to win it to impress some girls." The man chuckled at the admission. He didn't sound proud of it. "It was pretty pathetic. I only decided to go with his idea on a portal because he found some ectoplasm somehow…"

"Are you sure that isn't radioactive?"

Oberon adjusted his glasses, doing his best to stay away from the jar of goop Spades had in his hand. He had no idea where he got that thing, but he didn't really want to know.

"It doesn't matter how I found it, I just did!" Spades working eye looked almost frantic as he excitedly handled. He'd honestly hadn't seen him that happy before, which was equal parts weird and upsetting. "This is perfect for the project! We just need to adjust a few things, but this is a real stroke of luck."

"I still can't believe you're going with the ghost stuff." Crocker hung around in the corner, reading a book on marine biology. She didn't even look up from the book while she heard the two bicker. "I did my project with real science. Y'know, the stuff that'll actually get me an A?"

"Shut it Condy, no one asked you." Spades put the ectoplasm down, giving a glare towards the girl. "At least our project's going to change things. We'll blow everyone away at the science fair."

"Hopefully not literally." Oberon quickly added, still watching the possibly radioactive gunk move in the jar. "I really hope not literally."

"Just sayin'. Could've gone with something much simpler and get an A." Crocker rolled her eyes at the boys' antics, closing the book. "I did mine on how certain fish can't have the same diets involving fish food. The teachers will eat that shit up."

"We're not here for A's, Condy. We're here for Science!" The other two could hear the capitalized 'science.' It was loud, just like him. "Let's get this show on the road, anyway. I don't know the half life for ectoplasm and I'd rather use when it's fresh."

Spades grabbed the cart carrying the proto-portal, messing around with the wires. The two had been working on it for days now and had made plenty of headway on it, especially in a short amount of time. Certainly impressive for two high schoolers.

"That's if this thing will actually work. I mean, how do we even test it?" Oberon sighed, grabbing some cables. He cautiously hooked them to the tiny portal, making sure to stay out of Slick's way. "How do you even use ectoplasm as fuel? If that's all we need, then can't we use regular electricity?"

"It's more of an igniting agent." Spades made some last-minute adjustments, closing a panel before moving onto other parts. "We need some of what the ghost's dimension is actually made of to cause a chemical reaction that opens a portal. If we get it right, we can catch a glimpse inside."

"Ghosts dimensions. I really don't think anyone's going to buy that." Crocker took a sip of her soda, cringing. "Dammit, it went flat. I'm going to get another."

"Maybe I could…" Oberon wasn't able to finish before she got up and went through the door. "Damn, she's already gone."

"Take a hint, dude. I'm not the best guy when it comes to this shit, but even I know when someone ain't interested." Spades shrugged at the angry look the other boy gave him. "I'm just saying. It's not too late to start trying to date someone else."

"Easy for you- no wait." Oberon sarcastically stated before having to dodge a screw sent his way. "Okay, that was a little below the belt. But I do think I have a shot here. Besides, all we have to do is get this to work, right?"

"That's the plan!" Spades stepped back from the proto-portal, giving it a once over before nodding in satisfaction. "I think it's worth a quick test. Maybe we should wait to show Condy so we aren't the only ones to see it."

"I think there's some film stuff in the closet. Might be a good idea to get it on video." Oberon highly doubted this would work, but he figured things should be documented properly. If it did, this would certainly be a resume booster.

Spades actually decided to listen to him for once, putting the ectoplasm into a beaker connected to the portal and connecting them both to a battery. He headed to the closet soon after, rummaging through there.

Oberon took this chance to take a look through of the portal himself. He put his head close to it, looking through the ring. He didn't notice his hands press against a button.

Though his doubts remained present, he couldn't help but admire it. It would certainly make an interesting set piece if they decided to scrap this and use it for the film club. They were planning a science fiction project and maybe this would earn them a few good graces from them…

"Hey, Obi," Spades had come out carrying some of the film equipment, plopping it near the battery. "Which one of these should we use?"

Slick hadn't noticed it at the time, but Condy had left her soda on the same table. The rumble caused it to spill over, dripping flat soda onto the battery in a big splash that drenched it completely.

Oberon didn't even have the time to answer, the whirl of the portal starting up interrupting him. Jerking his head towards it, he was almost mesmerized by the glow as the portal turned, sparks getting out of control until it-

Oberon wouldn't remember anything after that except pain.

"I apparently laid down on the floor screaming the entire time. Your father tried to help while Crocker called the ambulance." The wine glass had been emptied by this point, Oberon finishing off the story along with it. "Didn't get to finish high school. The ectoplasm dug deep into me and poisoned me for a time, leaving me in the hospital for years."

Karkat hadn't finished his wine. He just stared into the liquid as he listened.

"Things did get back on track, though my new 'abilities' did throw a wrench into things. I've learned how to control them over twenty years." Oberon shrugged, misery ebbing away bit by bit. "Made plenty of money, got married, and had two kids. Both of them with ghost powers that were hard to explain, but easy to teach them soon enough."

Oberon paused, realizing something. "But I think I've said enough. I haven't heard your side of the story yet."

Karkat didn't flinch. He figured it was his time to share. He'd done enough listening, anyway. Taking a big gulp of wine in a way that certainly wasn't refined, he spoke. His voice was harsh.

"Not that different." The teen shrugged at the other halfa, smile a little bitter. This had happened twice, and his father was none the wiser. "Dad was finishing up the portal a month ago and it wasn't working. I tried to give it some adjustments when the thing turned on with me inside. Not sure why I survived, or I didn't end up like… well, you."

It felt weird to finally tell someone outside of it, that hadn't seen it firsthand. But, it actually felt nice too. Someone could actually understand it. He wasn't alone in all of this.

"A month…" Oberon digested that bit of information quietly, as if thinking about it. "I wouldn't have thought that. You picked up ectoblasts quite quickly, considering the context."

"Kinda had to learn quick." Karkat snorted. The alcohol entered his system at this point, giving him a slight buzz. "Ghosts have been appearing everywhere. Some are easy to talk too, but others don't really go down without a fight."

"Okay, that's less than ideal. Trading poor health for enemies isn't exactly an ideal tradeoff." Oberon looked actually concerned too, as an adult should. "I guess this is the perfect segue then."

"For what?" The halfa teen swirled the last of his wine carefully. Maybe it was the wine in his system messing with him, but he almost felt giddy. Could be everything else too.

"Considering you've only been, well, yourself for about a month, I think it would be a good idea for me to help you out." Oberon smiled a bit as Karkat perked up. "I can't really leave anyone like me out to dry, especially with so many ghosts attacking."

"Are you asking me if I want training?" Holy shit, this was actually happening. Karkat was hoping to ask, but he wasn't sure how to bring it up himself. He wouldn't have to be so confused anymore about any of this ghost's stuff.

"Exactly." Oberon extended a hand to the boy, smiling widely. Despite the creepy view of his thin teeth, it actually felt inviting. "What do you say? I feel like we can learn quite a bit from each other."

Karkat didn't want to act too excited for this. The alcohol and the actual hope for the first time in a month caused that to fail, since he almost started vibrating in his seat. If he took this, not only could he protect the town better, maybe he could use this to convince his dad ghosts aren't evil.

And then an explosion and some yelling from the basement ruined the moment.

A loud bang emanated from the lab, causing the two to jump up at the sound. Karkat had already dove towards the stairs, running down them before Oberon could blink. The man did eventually catch up as they made it to the bottom. At the bottom, having slipped through the portal was…

"Skulker?" Karkat whispered. The robot ghosts was avoiding shot after shot as Spades fired at him. The others had moved towards the other side of the lab, inching towards the stairs as they watched the fight carefully.

"A robot?" Oberon certainly sounded perplexed, watching the scene with a raised eyebrow. "Can't say I've seen that before."

"He's one of the ghosts that attacked me before. I haven't heard from him in weeks though. Why is he here now?" Karkat looked around, trying to find a weapon. There was no way in hell he'd be able to transform without people noticing, but he couldn't let his dad fight a walking armory alone.

He spotted a knife and an ecto-gun on a table. Grabbing it, he nudged Oberon in the side.

"I'm going to go invisible. If you distract everyone long enough, I can sneak up on him and maybe surprise him." It looked like Skulker's suit was still damaged from their last fight, so maybe cutting him down would be easier.

"Make it quick." Oberon moved forward, obscuring Karkat from view of the others. The teen turned invisible before the man could change his mind.

Karkat made sure to float slightly to avoid making noise, thanking the fact his dad was keeping Skulker on his toes long enough for him to not notice him. He got behind the robot quickly enough, briefly making his hand visible again to signal the attack.

"Hey, tin man!" Oberon shouted. It caught everyone's attention, including Spades, who had stopped his assault long enough to see. "It's kind of rude to intrude on a friendly meet-up, you know. Nobody likes a gate crasher."

Skulker tensed long enough for his weapons to power down. Before he could do anything else, Karkat turned visible, swinging the knife downward onto one of his arms. A clean cut broke it, having it clatter onto the floor.

Swinging around to fire at the new attacker, a few blasts from Karkat's ecto-gun stunned him. Another swing of the knife cut off the other arm, joining the first on the floor with a loud clang.

Karkat smirked as Skulker's eyes widened in recognition, switching to rage. It was satisfying to watch that face get blasted by Spades, causing him to fly back into the portal.

Spades jumped towards a switch, closing the portal before anything else could fly out haphazardly. He swung around to the guests hands flying everywhere. "Sorry about that everyone! Tours over! I need to clean this place out and check for any ecto-contamination."

The man hurriedly moved everyone out of the lab, giving apologies and reassuring them it would never happen again. Nobody was able to reply as they were still shell shocked by the event, causing them to ask few questions.

Karkat was able to get a quick wave goodbye from Feferi as she went, Eridan waving too as he stuck by her. He actually waved back, adrenaline leaving him, as well as the buzz from earlier.

"Well, that was certainly a mood killer." Oberon strolled up beside him, huffing irritably. He did look perturbed by the fight, especially since it got in the way of the moment. "It does seem to me you have the fighting part down, but that was certainly a shock."

"Not the worst things Skulker's ever done. Trust me." Karkat realized he was still holding the knife and gun, putting it away in his pocket. He nervously shifted where he stood, trying to stay cool. "The training thing still on the table? I wouldn't mind talking about it."

Oberon did smile at that. He pulled out a card from his pocket, handing it off to the halfa teen. "We'll have to talk about it later. For now, I've got make sure Eridan's okay."

With that, the man hurried off before Karkat could ask anymore questions. The teen looked over the neat little card in his hand with the raised lettering, holding it carefully. He stashed it in his pocket for safekeeping before he could forget.

He shuffled back into the house, moving towards the basement lab. His dad was mumbling and cursing as he cleaned up the mess, gathering samples all the while.

"The first goddamn ghost I find, and it's fucking hostile. And it happens while I'm showing off to people, because that's always been my luck." The curses switched to some note of amazement and excitement too. "And I've got samples. Ghosts have technology and can make metal suits?! How can I make something like that? Is it hard? Do I need more to figure it out?"

"Dad, you're getting mood swings." Karkat joked. This got Spades attention, stopping his mumbling. "I know geniuses are supposed to be mad, but I think you should wait on that until you get some interviews."

"Well, if it isn't the ghost hunter himself!" Spades ran over to his son, grabbing him into a hug. Holding him still to look at him with pride, he grinned. "You actually helped take down that spook! I didn't even teach you some of those moves."

"Hey, maybe it comes naturally." Karkat shrugged, laughing slightly. He felt like he was on top of the world right now. "Looks like things are going pretty well. Well, ghost attack aside."

"Yeah, I think I'm going to make some safety protocols for the portal after this. Can't have that happening twice." Spades didn't have time to realize the irony in that statement when a buzzing caught his attention. He stepped back, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket. "Huh, government contacts are calling me. Guess they say the presentation tonight. I'll have to take this."

As he walked away, heading upstairs, he left saying one final thing. "Our worlds changing, kid! Things are only going to look up from here!"

Karkat laughed at that, mentally agreeing with him. He strolled to his usual spot in the lab, still chuckling to himself as her sat down in his chair and leaned back.

Maybe his dad was right. Not only did he get to prove everyone wrong, Karkat may have made an ally with someone exactly like him. Someone that actually knew what he was going through, could actually teach him more about his powers. It was almost-

A buzz of static cause this train of thought to stop, bursting through the comfortable silence. Karkat flinched, immediately looking for it among the rubble within the lab.

He looked over to see one of Skulker's arms lighting up softly in the dark lab, having been turned on. He could hear some radio chatter, two voices talking to each other softly, as if they didn't want to be heard.

The halfa kept his eyes on the thing for several seconds before cautiously getting up. Moving towards it and grabbing it, he put his ear up to it, unsure of what he was hearing.

"I didn't think anyone would actually be on the other side of the portal. Who would be holding a tour there? Seriously!"

Skulker's voice wasn't surprising, but the pleading in his voice did. Whoever he was talking to, he definitely seemed to fear him. It was a disturbing change to his usual bravado.

"Considering you interrupted a very important meeting, I would say so. Though you did give me an opportunity to establish some trust. Consider me conflicted on what to do with you."

Karkat stopped. The static may have made the voices hard to hear, but he recognized it. He really didn't want to, especially with how tonight had been going.

"Sir, I figured I'd make one last ditch effort to find him. I didn't know you already did." Skulker was begging at this point. "I understand if you're angry with me, but I had no idea. I was simply doing my job as best I could."

The other voice remained silent for a few, tense moments. Karkat sincerely hoped that he didn't say anything, that way he could deny who the other speaker was. Unfortunately, he did.

"I'll excuse this since you actually made me look even better in front of them." Oberon's voice was cold and calculating. Much different to how he was earlier. "If you do something like this again, I will find a way to make it a permanent lesson."

"Understood."

The voices went dead after that, leaving Karkat alone with his thoughts. The labs temperature felt like it had dropped again, making him feel cold. He held on to the arm the entire time, daring it to speak up again so maybe this could be disproven as a practical joke.

It didn't. Karkat still laughed though.

Of course it wasn't as good as it seemed. Things never were.

…He had to tell his friends about this.

I really have a tendency to dash Karkat's hopes, don't I? Well, it keeps things interesting at the very least. I hope you like the new characters, because they're going to be very important as time goes on.

Also, to help solidify that, we've got more playlists!

Oberon: playlist/4HDFo5j1FcPYlK25OtqIpE

Feferi: playlist/1fXkfY5pIZLSrgSWNitAiK

Eridan: playlist/2VZ6ilqB2YV8My0PffWOdI

I hope you like them. Had them prepared in advance.

Feel free to review and I hope to see you all next chapter!