This is the Mid-Season Finale of Season One. To anyone who has read the whole series so far, I would be really interested to hear any thoughts you have. As for moving forward, the series is going to go on break for a while. I hope you've enjoyed the ride so far. Universal Collisions will return with Chapter 10 on July 3rd, 2022. See you all then.

CHAPTER 9: DUALITY

JACK FOSSE:

I came out of the door to the basement and into the kitchen, where I met Sarah, Gibbs, and Luca. Sloane and Admiral McGee followed me up, looking around with some confusion.

"Is it true?" Sloane asked. "Two Anomalies have crossed over at once?"

Gibbs pointed at the Keeper tablet, which was sitting at the kitchen table. It indeed showed two red dots; they were in opposite directions from the house.

"How do we do this?" Sarah asked. I hadn't quite figured this out yet.

"Has anybody seen Theas?" Luca asked. We all shook our heads.

"Look, we need to get to them both before the Spatial Hunters do," Sloane said. "I think the best way for us to do that is to split up."

She was right, but there was still something about this that caused me to be hesitant.

"Are you sure that's such a great idea?" Admiral McGee asked. "You heard Theas. Only Gibbs, Jack, and Sarah are meant to go after Anomalies. Sciuto's never been in combat, and I know my way around a gun, but my body's still not up to snuff yet. There's a chance that if we meet the enemy, we'll just get in the way."

"So, you're saying you don't want to go?" Sarah asked. There was no snideness in her tone that I could detect, but the admiral gave her a somewhat aggrieved look.

"Ten, twenty years ago, I'd be at the front of the line," McGee said to her. "You'll understand when you get there, trust me. As much as it pains me, I'm going to have to sit this one out."

"Uh, I agree," Luca said. He looked somewhat ashamed of himself to say it. "It's not that I don't want to help. To be completely honest, I feel like I'm of more use in the lab. I'm working on some developments that could be of use to us. I don't think it's worth delaying that to go out into the field with you where I'll probably just have to hide if the Hunters come."

I couldn't deny that they both had very good reasons for not wanting to accompany us, and I didn't press them on it. I looked at Sloane and said, "So, what about you?"

She thought heavily on it. Finally, she said, "Yeah, I'll come. The more people you have on your side, the better."

This ended the conversation. Luca and McGee returned downstairs, and the four of us prepared to head out. We made sure we had plenty of weapons and ammunition, and we loaded into both my car and Sarah's. Hers was a deep blue, and while it was a little bit smaller than mine, it sat a little higher. It was me with Gibbs, and Sarah with Sloane. I was unenthusiastic about being separated from my wife, particularly in the face of potential Spatial Hunter interference, and judging by Gibbs's and Sloane's expressions, they were not thrilled either.

I opened the garage door, and both vehicles pulled out of the driveway. We kept pace with each other for a short time before taking opposite directions on the main highway leading out of Veedersburg. Gibbs and I remained in relative silence, and I shifted somewhat uncomfortably in the driver's seat. I checked the GPS, which led us towards Fort Wayne, Indiana, three hours away.

"Listen," I said in a soft voice. "I'm sorry for what I did."

Gibbs sat in silence for almost a minute. "Never say you're sorry," he told me without looking at me. "It's a sign of weakness."

"Yeah," I said, "Rule Number Six, I know." Gibbs looked at me, but he didn't respond. "I would counter with Rule Fourteen."

Gibbs's jaw opened a bit as he studied me, but he then looked forward, grinning in spite of himself. "Bend the line, don't break it. Alright," he said, "fair enough."

From this point, Gibbs was a bit friendlier towards me, but he still seemed reserved. We spent most of the drive to Fort Wayne discussing the possibilities of who we might meet and what else might happen once we got there. Gibbs was characteristically nonverbal most of the time, preferring to allow me to do much of the talking.

The drive seemed to go rather quickly, and we arrived in Fort Wayne. I had never been here before, and I looked around at the various buildings and streets.

"Alright, where's the person we're looking for?" Gibbs asked, consulting my phone. Sarah had managed to forward the signal leading to the Anomaly to my phone so we could track it without the Keeper Tablet.

"The Anomaly's about fourteen blocks away," I told him, pulling up to a red light.

When the light turned green, I made my way steadily through the moderate traffic. I eventually pulled off the main road and into a neighborhood. The neighborhood was relatively lowkey, with older houses moderate in size. There was some degradation in the buildings, and the residents looked around at us as we drove. I turned a corner, and with this we were only a few feet from the Anomaly. Gibbs and I looked forward and found someone walking towards us. I drove towards him, and he paid us no attention until we pulled up next to him.

My eyes narrowed, and it took me a moment to recognize him. He had tan skin and short, scraggly black hair. He had narrow eyes that almost looked squinted, and he analyzed us with a cautious expression. Gibbs and I both got out of the car, and when the man saw Gibbs, his eyes widened.

"Kyle Davis," Gibbs addressed, taking a step towards him.

The man was still trying to figure out if he was in danger. He looked between us, and I could tell he was anxious. Finally, he said, "You're...you're Abby's boss, right?"

Gibbs nodded, and my eyes widened in comprehension. I kept silent as I watched Gibbs and the other man interact with each other.

"Can you tell me what is happening?" Kyle asked, looking around incredulously. "How did I get to Fort Wayne from D.C.?"

"Look, it's a lot to explain," Gibbs said. "Let's get in the car, we've got a safe place for you. Trust me, you don't want to be out here by yourself."

Kyle studied him for a moment, and then he finally nodded. I glanced around, and then I ran forward and tackled Gibbs down. He yelled out in surprise as a beam of red energy crashed into the ground, blasting out dust and rubble. Kyle was knocked over with a yelp, and Gibbs and I got back to our feet while looking around. Standing on a nearby roof was Chala, looking down at us and aiming both guns.

"Who is that!?" Kyle asked frantically. "Where did she come from!?"

"Stay behind us," I told him. We all crouched down and ran to my car, and Kyle was looking around with wide, terrified eyes. I opened the trunk, and Gibbs and I quickly pulled the bow and sniper rifle.

"Stay with him," Gibbs ordered as he ran off.

I moved in front of Kyle as he remained crouched behind my car. I nocked an arrow and fired it at Chala, who sidestepped the projectile and then jumped down to the ground. Gibbs fired a shot at her, and she was too slow to evade it. The sniper shot hit her in the shoulder, throwing her back and sending her crashing into the front wall of the house. Chala glared in Gibbs's direction, but he managed to keep himself hidden from retaliation. I moved in, pulling another arrow, but she spotted me and fired both guns at me. I dove out of the way as a large, burning crater was blasted into the asphalt, and Kyle looked on in distress while trying to find some place to take cover.

I managed to get back to my feet, but I had to be careful. Between Chala's two pistols, she had both Gibbs and I covered. While she may not know exactly where Gibbs was, she could start firing indiscriminately at the surrounding houses. Someone might get killed in the process.

IN THE EYES OF THE MULTIVERSE:

Sarah drove her car, Sloane riding in the passenger's seat, as they arrived in Louisville, Kentucky. Sarah drove the car into a parking spot, and the two climbed out. Sloane looked at the Keeper tablet, and she then looked around them.

"The Anomaly is this way," she commented, pointing towards a main road into downtown.

Sarah nodded, and they began walking.

"So, how long have you and Jack been together?" Sloane asked, making an admirable attempt to keep the conversation upbeat and friendly.

This wasn't lost on Sarah, but she still had her reservations. She took a moment to answer and said, "Four years."

"Oh, really?" Sloane replied. "When did you guys get married?"

"Two months ago," Sarah answered. "We had a destination wedding in Switzerland."

Sloane drank this in and smiled. "Switzerland. That's not the typical preferred destination for a wedding."

Sarah smiled in spite of herself. "Yeah, Jack spent a couple months there in college and he fell in love. It was the one thing he said he wanted for the wedding. I fought him on it for a little bit, but he was so passionate about it that I couldn't tell him no anymore. Of course, this was all before I actually went there. I shoved my foot in my mouth the second we stepped foot in the country."

Sloane laughed. "Switzerland's a beautiful place. One of my favorites. What did you guys do for a honeymoon?"

"We took a cruise all the way around Italy, chartered a boat to Tunis for a couple of days in the middle of it, and then flew back to the States from Monaco."

Sloane stared at her, impressed. "That's awesome."

Sarah laughed, going a bit red. "Yeah, we had a good time.

The two had walked about three blocks by this point, slowly closing in on the Anomaly. The sound of rushing wind closed in on them, and Sarah and Sloane quickly turned around as Salagath slammed into them. Sarah was knocked off her feet as the Hunter swung his spear, tearing the blade through her arm as she tumbled across the ground.

Sloane quickly drew her pistol, but before she could even aim, Salagath's wing slammed into her and knocked her into the street. Salagath regarded her with a sneer before turning back to Sarah. Sarah pulled her Keeper Rifle off of her back, and Salagath immediately rushed her while swinging his spear. Sarah opened fire, unleashing a burst of energy blasts against Salagath, but she was forced to duck down as his spear blade flew overhead. Salagath kicked her, knocking her back, and several pistol shots hitting him made him look around.

Sloane was standing in the road, aiming her pistol while blood spilled down the side of her head. Salagath gave her a steely glare, and he held his spear out while the energy around the blade intensified. Both Sarah and Sloane opened fire from either side of Salagath, and he seemed unable to figure out who to focus on. He growled angrily before flapping his wings, and he shot straight up into the air while Sarah and Sloane held their fire. Salagath flew a pass over both of them, dropping conglomerates of red energy on top of them. Sarah's eyes widened, and both she and Sloane dove out of the way. A line of explosions tore apart the city street, cascading flames and debris across the area.

Sarah rose to a sitting position, looking around with wide eyes as Salagath flew to a rooftop overlooking them. He landed six stories off the ground, bent down with his hands resting on the edge of the roof. He stared down upon Sarah and Sloane with a hungry look in his eyes. Sloane glanced at Sarah, and both of them waited for Salagath's next move. Sarah would have expected the general public of Louisville to come investigating, but she was mistaken. Even with her and Sloane being knocked across the street, the nearby sidewalks were empty. There were no cars driving up and down the road.

Salagath dove off the roof, and he flew down on top of Sarah while swinging his spear. Sarah fired her rifle, and several shots made contact and knocked him off his path. Salagath plummeted down and crashed into a car, totaling it as he tumbled onto the street.

"Atta girl!" Sloane shouted as she closed in.

Both Sarah and Sloane fired relentlessly with their weapons, dealing egregious damage to his body. Salagath growled in pain, and while he tried to escape the gunfire, he was repeatedly forced back down.

JACK FOSSE:

I hid behind my vehicle, arrow nocked on the string of my bow, and I looked around as Chala fired an energy beam. The attack crashed into the front of a house, blasting out the entire front wall in an eruption of flames. I ducked down to evade the rubble that shot outward from the blast, and meanwhile Chala surveyed the battlefield with a wicked grin. Kyle Davis was hiding behind an air conditioning unit, doing his best to look as small as possible. Gibbs, meanwhile, was nowhere to be found. I looked for him on the roof where I knew he had previously been stationed, but I couldn't see any sign of him.

I steeled myself, and I sprung up from behind my car and fired an arrow. Chala only barely saw the arrow in time to blast it out of the air with one of her pistols, and I saw the shockwave from the arrow exploding against the energy beam. The fire from the explosion illuminated the street, and Chala watched the mayhem with a sadistic grin.

Gibbs charged up from behind her, swinging the butt of his rifle. Chala was knocked off her feet, and Gibbs fired his rifle into her leg. Chala yelled out in pain and anger, and she scowled mutinously at Gibbs as he held her under gun barrel. I ran in while pulling another arrow from my quiver, and I aimed my own weapon down at her as well. Chala looked between the two of us, and she then glanced over at Kyle Davis, who was peering out from behind the AC unit to watch. Chala had a malicious sneer, and while she surveyed our weapons aimed directly at her, she did not appear overtly concerned.

"This is it," Gibbs informed her. "This is the end of the road."

"You have less to back your claim than you think," Chala said to him.

She aimed her pistol, Gibbs and I both fired our weapons. She took the hits, and while she suffered severe injury, she fired her pistol at Gibbs. Gibbs tried to avoid the attack, but the energy beam grazed his shoulder. Gibbs toppled to the ground, and I backed away while pulling out another arrow. I was too slow, and Chala shot to her feet and charged me. I gritted my teeth while trying to intercept her, but she grabbed my bow to keep me from swinging it at her, and she then punched me in the gut. My guard shattered, and she spun around and kicked me in the chest, knocking me through the air.

I rolled across the grass, and Chala tossed my bow aside while aiming a pistol at me. I scrambled to try and move out of the way, but the energy beam perforated my side, knocking me back down. Blood spilled out of the wound as I collapsed, and I groaned in pain while making a weak attempt to stem the blood flow. Chala sneered down at me, and as she aimed her pistol for the finishing blow, Gibbs fired on her from behind. The shot hit her arm, causing Chala to drop her pistol while grunting in pain and anger. She spun around quickly and fired her other pistol, and Gibbs dove down while the attack blasted up smoke and flames from the ground.

I tried to get up, but my muscles seized up and kept me pinned down. The pain was horrid. I could hardly breathe. I took large gulps that stung in my abdomen, and every movement seemed to make the injury worse.

Gibbs was left alone fighting Chala, who was putting up a furious resistance. Gibbs was unable to get in a clean shot, and while Chala had blood dripping down her body, she was still strong enough to continuously fire her pistol. Gibbs was left to evade her attacks, and meanwhile Kyle watched with mounting anxiety. Gibbs's eyes shifted over to me, but he quickly looked back at Chala before ducking down. An energy beam flew over his head, and he finally managed to aim his rifle and fire a shot.

Chala tried to avoid the attack, but the energy perforated her shoulder, spattering blood out as she collapsed to the ground. Gibbs fired another shot, hitting her in the leg. He then marched forward and fired a third shot at her arm, forcing Chala to drop her weapon. She yelled out in pain from all of the injuries across her body, and blood was beginning to pool under her. Gibbs paid her no further attention and immediately ran over to me. Chala scowled at him as he passed her, and when she tried to get back up, she yelled out in pain.

Gibbs bent down next to me, and while I was still trying to put pressure on my injury, my face was white. Chala watched us for a moment, but she then grunted in pain and faded into ashes.

"Jack," Gibbs said, making a commendable effort to keep his composure, "Jack, look at me."

Gibbs looked around just as Kyle ran over, bending down over me and looking terrified.

"What do we do?" he asked frantically.

"I don't know," Gibbs grunted.

My movements were slowing. My vision was fading in and out. My breathing was becoming harsher. My entire left side had become soaked in blood and it wasn't stopping. I managed to dig my phone out of my pocket, and I offered it to Gibbs. Gibbs made eye contact with me, and he took the phone and handed it to Kyle.

"Call 911," Gibbs ordered.

IN THE EYES OF THE MULTIVERSE:

Salagath charged forward, swinging his energized spear as Sloane and Sarah dove out of the way. Sloane rolled across the ground, coming back to one knee and firing her pistol. Salagath added several more injuries to his growing collection, and he turned and aimed the blade of his spear at her. Sloane tried to back away, but the explosion that tore apart the asphalt knocked her back through the air. She hit the ground hard while her pistol clattered away, and Salagath immediately took flight again.

Sarah took aim and fired a bombardment from her rifle, and the accumulation of injuries against Salagath inspired him to keep his distance. Sarah stepped forward and took aim, and she fired a series of shots that ripped through Salagath's wing. He gasped in pain while dropping to the ground. Sarah continued her advance, and while Salagath tried to mount a counteroffensive, he was too slow. Several shots hit his torso, knocking him over. He hit the ground and started crawling away from Sarah, his wings flapping feebly and unable to bring him airborne.

Sloane slowly crawled to her fours, blood dripping down from her face and arms, and she looked around at Salagath and Sarah while panting. Her eyes widened as she saw Sarah holding Salagath under gun. Sarah's glare was unwavering, and Salagath sneered at her, indignant and defiant.

"You'll never best us," he told her savagely. "You had no part in our hunt, and yet you will die for your interference. Everything you love will-"

Sarah fired the final shot. She didn't blink. Salagath collapsed to the ground, blood spilling out of the hole in his head. His eyes were open wide, his jaw hanging open loosely. Sarah gazed down on the corpse as it slowly faded to dark gray. It was like Salagath's body was rotting. Cracks formed in his torso, working their way out across his entire corpse. Sloane managed to get back to her feet, and she started slowly limping over while watching. Her eyes were wide, and she looked between Sarah and Salagath as Sarah lowered his rifle.

"Are you...okay?" Sloane asked apprehensively.

Sarah nodded, but she wouldn't meet Sloane's eyes. She examined the surrounding buildings as though seeing the world around her for the first time.

"Is everyone okay?"

The voice called out, making both Sarah and Sloane look around. Sloane saw the man walking towards them, pistol pulled, and her eyes widened as her jaw tumbled open, putting her hands over her mouth.

Walking towards them was an older man with gray, balding hair and gray beard stubble. He wore a thick tan coat over a plaid shirt and faded jeans. Sarah watched the man, her eyes narrowed, but her face fell as Sloane hobbled forward. She wrapped her arms around the man and gave him a great hug. They held each other for almost a minute, Sloane on the edge of tears.

As the two broke apart, the man spotted Sarah and surveyed her, noting the Keeper rifle in her hands. The man nodded and said, "Hello there. I'm Tobias Fornell. Who might you be?"