by The Pighead
My friends, I'm very happy to inform you that, for once, I managed to release a chapter at a reasonable hour! You surely thought it was impossible of me (what do you mean, you didn't thought anything?) but I assure you, I could do it all along.
Anyway. Welcome back. It took me a lot of time and 14 pages (or 13, I already don't remember) in Microsoft Word in order to make this chapter the way I wanted to (and I was busy with an SCP-INT contest and the re-release on AO3 of the rest of the first arc, which didn't help) but now, here we are!
Before we start, two things: one, Arc 2 has now its definitive title, "Crossover Nexus"! Why this title? It will be important in the post-DEATHFAME period, it's all I will say to keep the surprise. Two, this chapter is where the main concept of DEATHFAME will come into play, so just to get that out of the way: the reading of The Inhumans and Chapter 1 of Counterpart Conferences are required to know what is happening here, so I recommand you to do so if you haven't already and to come back here after that.
And without further ado... here's the chapter. Enjoy.
In which the expression « blast to the past » takes its full sense
Imagine the piece as a set of disconnected events.
A pretty easy thing to do. You just need to look around.
Infinity Crisis Reader : Look around.
« And so, Mister… »
« Magolor ! »
« Yeah, Magolor. So, this amusement park, you are celebrating its three-year anniversary, if I'm correct ? »
« Indeed, Mr. Bonnie ! It's what happens when you have a lot of free time on your hands and that you are as passionate about races as I am ! But, as much as I love them, I also am aware that you need some diversity with the attractions you have if you want people to come and enjoy their time ! »
« Sounds pretty enticing. What do they look like, sir ? »
« So, I have a game when you need to shot on giant robots with super-scopes. It took a long time for me to find how to create means of rebuilding the robots after being destroyed, but I finally managed to do it ! There's also another game in which I actually participate to myself, a game in which the players need to find specific tomes I'm describing to them, as well as one that is basically a samurai-inspired duel. And that's not all, but I would like to keep the reveals of future attractions secrets for now. »
« Well, that's great and I think a lot of people will be very happy to hear this, Sir ! »
« Oh, I've guessed it ! And it makes me very happy too, I've always loved hearing screams… »
« … »
« …screams of joy, of course ! »
« Oh, right. »
Reader : Look elsewhere.
Despite the fact that he was no stranger at falling from high places (it happened at least two times), Sonic thought that if he could just stop being jerked around by weird portals and having his head hitting the ground, it would be extremely nice. Like, really.
Getting up on his feet, the hedgehog saw that the three women he just rescued were near him, looking at their surroundings.
Sonic : Do you recognize something ?
He started to look too and, immediately, was 99,9% sure that it was another place he never saw before. They were on a beach, there was some palmtrees… but for the rest, there was nothing else he could call « familiar ». He could see homes a little bit far away, human silhouettes at the distance too, and there was also forests and a sort of volcano.
All normal things. What was way less normal, however, were the people all around them reappearing in a very sudden way around them. But Sonic & June recognized how it looked like, because it was exactly the same way the ones who were Dusted came back. Which added to the weirdness, because it started to be a while since that happened.
Sonic : Remember that you said you would explain things later and « later » is now.
« OK, the Blue Blur started, uh, so, sorry for the rude interruption earlier but I didn't have much time. Don't really know how you managed to find yourselves here but since the last days were full of weird things after weird things, I'm starting to get used to it. Name's Sonic, Sonic the Hedgehog. You ? »
« Monika, sir. »
« I'm Sayori, nice to meet you ! »
« you can call me june ! »
Sonic nodded his head.
« Cool, cool, cool. I assume that none of you have an idea of where we are ? »
The three women nodded their heads by the negative.
« Though, Sayori responds, maybe we can ask someone near us ? »
« well, i don't think it would be super wise to bother them, they all look terrified and- »
« PUT YOUR EYES AND YOUR ARMS WHERE I CAN SEE THEM ! »
The quartet turned to face the source of the voice and had the surprise to see a blue-skinned man wearing a sort of battlesuit and holding them at gunpoint with a strange pistol. Sonic didn't seem too impressed.
« For what occasion, my guy ? I had someone who tried to do the pistol thing to me, years ago. He failed. »
« FOR THE GLORY OF THE KREE EMPIRE ! IF YOU WANT TO LIVE, SURRENDER TO US ! »
The hedgehog raised an eyebrow. An agressive alien who was part of an empire. Great.
« Well, I don't think you know me very well. I destroy the empire of an egg-shaped clown on a regular basis, what makes you more special than him ? »
The lack of concern dripping from Sonic' voice seemed to work pretty well on the Kree, his facial expression becoming more angry.
« I will make sure to make you regret your words, you little-uh ? »
Unbeknownst to everyone else, June was quietly creating a little whirlwind just behind, using her powers. Once it was like she wanted, the Heir of Breath just had to do some hand gestures to blow their attacker away, propelling him right in the sea. It was piece of cake.
When Egbert looked at the others, she immediately noticed that them (and some of the people in the beach) were looking back at her, their eyes all wide open like they witnessed a miracle.
« Woaw, said a kid not too far from away, that was absolutely awesome ! How did you do this, Miss ? »
The only response the lady in blue could offer to the child was a big, sheepish smile after a very small moment.
« that's magic ! and a magician never reveals her secrets ! »
The kid was about to respond back when her mother took her away. Considering that there was chaos everywhere, it was understandable.
Sonic : Take a decision.
The hero of Mobius looked at the large city that was near then turned to face Monika & Sayori.
« You have weapons or cool powers like June has ? Even if I have no idea what's happening, I bet these folks here can use some help ! »
« …not really ? Like, Monika responds, unless we find things from scrap in the streets, but otherwise, no. And no powers either. At least, nothing useful. »
June shrugged.
« hey, i'm pretty sure you can help too, even if you don't have any special stuff with you ! i was exactly like that, years ago. »
« That's the spirit ! Now, let's go ! »
Then, Sonic & June (with Monika & Sayori holding them), without losing any more time, ran towards the city, unaware of the time displacement they fell victim to or the fact that someone forced their hand.
Someone : Show yourself.
If there was something she didn't expected nor wanted in the first place, it was to have this thing on her face.
Like, could she even call this a mask ? A mask is just something you use for disguises, not something that appears in your house and starts talking to you in your head and compels you to put it on and-well, yes, you get the idea.
The huge, handsome woman wearing a striped shirt and a blue denim jacket who just appeared in the long, white, overtly clean corridor really wanted to be anywhere else, really. Like, OK, it was good to not having those weird drugs in her system anymore but she was pretty sure she just got pumped with another sort of it, right now.
Walking in a pretty robotic way, she made her way through the corridor until she saw a counter right in front of her, with another person wearing one of those strange pig masks lounging on a chair and looking absent.
Approaching them, the newcomer decided to wave at them so they would notice her presence.
« Uh, hi ? »
The counter staff turned to her and their uninterested expression got replaced by a more lively facial expression.
« Oh, hey. What can I do for you ? »
The voice, who was masculine, had a pretty professional tone.
« …well, that's weird but… do you know what is this place ? I just came here and… frankly, I'm trying to not puke but since I got that mask, I feel like I'm constantly dizzy and stuff. »
At the mention of the fact that she was a newcomer, the counter staff' ears picked up and he suddenly became way more interested.
« Oooooooooh, new one here ? That tracks, I would have remember if I saw you before ! And for the mask, you don't have to worry about it. It did that to everyone who came here before, me included ! You'll get used to it. »
That wasn't something who would reassure the woman.
« Anyway, continued the man while picking up some pieces of paper, can you tell me your name and the number of the Earth you come from ? We do that for each new Pighead who comes here. I'm the Earth-1212 Pighead, if that interests you. »
« 'Kay… uh, so my name is Rhonda Tate and I'm from… Earth-702 ? »
Rhonda stopped herself in her tracks for some seconds, surprised.
« Wait, how did I managed to- »
« Know that ? The mask, again. Gives you a looooot of knowledge, especially about the infinite Earths. Prime really wanted every person who would got a mask to know that, no matter if it's a variant of herself or a totally different person, like you ! »
The former Point Place inhabitant looked at the other Pighead with a flummoxed look.
« Oh, well, yeah, you'll learn about it later. After all, you're a member of the Citadel, now, you'll have a lot of free time in your hands. How did you found the mask ? »
« Well, that's… again, that's a weird story. I found this mask when it appeared inside one of my drawers. Didn't paid much attention to it at first but, when I realized I didn't ordered any mask, I looked at it again and I put on it. It was funny, I had a laugh and after that, I went to bed and didn't think about it… at first. »
« Yeah, it's pretty efficient at masquerading as something innocuous. »
« Yep. Then, while I was sleeping, I had a dream who was super-strange. I had the mask on again and everything around me was black. I tried to move or to take off the mask, but I couldn't do nothing. That was already pretty scary, but then, there's other people who started appearing, they had the mask too. And they came towards me, they were chanting, like, what was it… « One of us, one of us, one of us… » until they were circling me and I could see nothing else. »
« When I woke up, I was scared out of my wits. So, I tried to get rid of the mask, at least two times, but… it wouldn't stop coming back. I gave up and just hid it, but it wasn't even over. After some days, there was the voice of a woman- »
« Oh, yep, that's Prime alright. That's her usual schtick. »
« She has a weird schtick, if it's true. But yeah, she wouldn't stop talking in my head and telling me to put the mask on again and « receive my majesty », whatever that means. That nothing was like I thought it was and that I had to wake up. I tried to resist, but ultimately, I gave in and did it. Now, I know that there's other Earths than mine and it has always been, I was brainwashed since months and months, along with everyone else on my town, by shapeshifting aliens and there's a dead guy on one of the houses since I-don't-know-when. Also, I'm fictional and was a minor character in a Fox sitcom all along. »
« You killed some of them ? You can do it now, you know ! »
Rhonda tried to ignore the sudden gleefulness coming from this Pighead when he asked her that.
« No ? The voice just told me to escape and come here, I used some teleportation to do that. »
« Oh… well, I mean, I understand why but honestly, you could have. Plus, Prime brought new directives to everyone, we are now more than encouraged to hinder the Skrulls' plans if we spot some. There's already some Pigheads who have replaced some of their soldiers, tho, the only problem is that it's just low-level guys, not the big guns. But it will come in time. »
« …OK ? »
It was at this point that the counter guy understood that maybe it was better to stop infodumping and to let her discover more by herself.
« Anyway, the doors that lead to outside and the full place are just behind me, try to talk with others and have fun ! »
After saluting him, Rhonda decided to go towards it and when she opened the doors, the first sight that greeted her was dozens and dozens of other people with the same mask walking, talking to each other very loudly and engaging in shenanigans.
Weirdly, she didn't had the idea to turn around and go away. Maybe she was already starting to get used to it.
Reader : Look again.
When they arrived to the city, Sonic immediately took matters into his own hands. Him and June were the most able to fight directly, so this wouldn't be a problem, but for Monika & Sayori, they needed to gain some weapons. Fortunately, when you have a new friend with super-speed, it was easy to find some shit who could serve as weapons. The two girls got baseball bats that the hedgehog found in a stadium at Chicago. Also, he was holding an HYDRA soldier by the leg that he snatched away while in New York, soldier that he immediately threw at a Kree near them.
None of them had an idea what HYDRA was, they just thought the soldier' armor was stupid and weird.
In order to be more efficient, it was decided that the quartet would split up. The hedgehog and the Heir of Breath would focus on neutralizing the Kree soldiers they would find, while the two former schoolgirls would rather focus on protect the citizens and guide them to safety (as well as neutralizing the soldiers if they could). And so, they did.
Of course, June (like everyone else here) had no idea why this empire suddenly decided to attack a planet or how their weapons were working or how they could be disabled… but that wouldn't prevent her from doing anything ! Plus, what good had a weapon when you were the wind ?
So, she kept on flying. She saw a soldier threatening a family and created a mini-tornado, the attacker ending up being blasted far away. Another one got tackled to the ground from behind. A third one was more prepared and tried to shot several times at June, but because she could turn into wind at her will, it failed and he got punched in the face.
That soldier was about to try to retaliate when he suddenly got shot in the back and fell to the ground. June, surprised, didn't got the time to look at what caused this. However, what she could see was the figure responsible for this. Said figure belonged to a woman with blue eyes, slightly messy brown hair and arboring pretty dramatic red lipstick and some eyeliner, wearing a purple shirt, a black fur coat, red leather pants and black high heels. Her posture gave June the impression that she was pretty much unconcerned with what was happening. But it quickly changed when she looked at Egbert, her face suddenly becoming more vibrant.
« Oh, fantastic ! With all those people running around, it's quite complicated finding an ally here but, thank God, you're here ! »
June raised an eyebrow.
« …i'm sorry, ma'am, but who are you ? »
« Ah, yes, I forgot about that, my brain is so crappy, sometimes ! I've mistaken your timeline with mine. Don't mind it too much, tho, that happens when you're in my situation and you can travel in time the way you want ! »
« o… k ? »
Her interlocutor let out a hearty laugh.
« But, anyway, I'm not about to spoil you yet, so you can call me « Miss Fur Gal », if you want. You will understand later. What I wanted to ask was that if I could tag along with you a bit. There's this huuuuuuge spaceship and I'm 99,9 % sure that we need to enter it if we want to stop all those Krees for good, but with all the soldiers down here, I still haven't took the time to think of a strategy for how to go inside it ! Like, we still have to stop them. »
The mistress of wind clearly understood only half of what this (sympathetic but clearly weird) woman was but she seemed friendly enough and June would never refuse more help, so she only nodded. Miss Fur Gal clapped her hands excitedly.
« Great ! Now, I think we should get down to business immediately, time flies by soooo much ! »
Wait, who is she ?
Someone you know. Or that you will know. She already hinted at it. Don't be so impatient.
Anyway.
The main thought that was in the mind of the platypus quickening his pace while walking in the long corridors of the giant spaceship was that with all the recent events happening at Earth-1991, if it turned out this world was going to end before it could even be conquered, he wouldn't be that surprised !
And it was very possible that the boss knew it too, after all, if he didn't, he wouldn't have a meeting convened with him right now ! What the man hoped is that, at the end of said meeting, there would be a clear direction for the plans they designed for months and months before the Snap brought them to an halt.
After several minutes, the platypus entered the control room. As usual, the computers were already on and he could hear fingers tapping on the large chair in the middle of the room.
« Two minutes late. You're making progress. »
The masculine voice who spoke was cold, distant but there was a stern determination who could be felt in his words, a refusal to be distracted by whatever preposterous thing happened.
« With all due respect, sir, I was still trying to work on something that would allow us to fully control the virus. I get that you have a lot to do, obviously, but you should know goals are not achieved in one day. »
« Well, it's great you talked about the virus, Starline. Because I've thought about the events of the last few months and I've decided that we should put the project on hold. »
Dr. Starline raised an eyebrow.
« Can I know the reason for that, sir ? »
« There's several. The first is that, like you said, we haven't managed to find a way to control the Metal Virus yet. If we use it right now, my goals would certainly be achieved in a quick and swift way… but it would propagate way too quickly and I wish to control a world where there's humans who are still alive. I suppose I don't need to remind you this weapon is only for the ones opposing my rule ? »
The scientist nodded his head by the negative.
« You don't. »
« Great. The second reason is that I see a lot of potential in the tenrec and the fennec. »
Another raising of eyebrows, but way more surprised, this time.
« Really ? Of course, they have potential but I thought… »
« You thought ? »
« Since you are… well, someone wearing his identity on his sleeves and with pride, I thought you wouldn't be that willing to move forward with this project. »
At this declaration, the chair turned (in an, admittedly, pretty dramatic way), revealing the one this cold voice belonged to : a robot who looked an awful lot like Sonic the Hedgehog himself, with red eyes, way longer quills, claws as fingers, a sort of reactor in his chest and a black longcoat. It was clear, just by looking at him, that trying to defy or double-cross him would only result in a terrifying fate.
Metal Sonic, in his Neo form, got up and looked at his right-hand man like he just said something stupid.
« Doctor, despite the fact that what you said is true, I'm not that idiotic. Just because they're impostors of my arch-enemy and his annoying sidekick, I should feel insulted by it ? I'm not. In fact… the simple fact of having the closest things to Sonic and Tails under my direct control is exhilarating to me ! »
He didn't laugh. But it was clear from his expression that if he could, he certainly would.
« I had identity issues in the past, Metal resumed in a softer voice, I thought I was the real Sonic. And because of that, I'm resolved to not let myself be crippled by such foolish beliefs again ! I am not the real Sonic… but I am still the superior one, the difference lies here. Tell me, Doctor, the first time you told me about them, you said you hypnotized them to the point they forgot their previous identities. How long did it took you ? »
Starline couldn't prevent himself from having chills running all over his back. Of course, having spent his life studying everything related to Dr. Eggman, he knew about Metal and how powerful and terrifying he was… but still, the fact that he was even more unsettling when in an upgraded form and in the leader' siege, that wasn't something he expected. Despite that, he managed to stay composed.
« Well, I had to do this dozens of times for both, at one point, I stopped counting. For children, they are… exceedingly resilient. »
« I see… and despite how useful of a quality such willpower is, it also means we will have to keep them under tight control, so they don't turn on us. Also, to go back to your earlier concern, Doctor, I took great care in launching enough attacks, so we could steal more of Sonic & Tails' DNA. I wouldn't have done it if I didn't believe in the potential of this project. »
Metal turned his head towards his computers.
« Finally, the other reasons of why I've decided to move forward are linked to… wider events. »
He clicked on several buttons, showing videos of events happening on many places the platypus didn't really recognized.
« Since the Dusting, my main goal have been to discover why and how such an event managed to hit us and take out half our Earth so easily. Thanks to a previous adventure in the world of another, very annoying, blue-coloured hero, I was already aware and open to the possibility of realities outside our own existing… but I've never been able to discover more. Until now. »
« Thanks to the bio-data Father gave me, way before his disappearance, I was able to create multiple drones, as small as flies. Then, after I discovered a dimensional portal inside Hidden Palace… »
« Which one, sir ? »
« The one you can access by falling into a pit in Mystic Cave. A pretty cumbersome way, if you asked me… but yes, in this Hidden Palace, there was a portal leading to one of those alternate Earths. I promptly sent the drones in. »
« Of course, said method quickly revealed himself to have more cons than pros, which is why I ended up sending Eggrobos in the portal in order to steal technology that would allow the drones to be able to go to those realities without having to rely on those portals. And despite the tech I got coming from several different enterprises, I still was able to do it. Stark Industries, LexCorp… I have to respect their talent. As well as their ability to create such difficult security protocols to bypass. So more months have been spent on that alone. »
« We will make sure to express such sentiments to them in the near future. »
« Exactly. And so, since months, I have been able to study those Earths and use the drones to spy on their citizens. All the info I've collected gave me a good picture of this Multiverse… and, whether we talk about technology or sources of magic, the resources these Earths have would greatly help our plans of conquest. Not to mention… »
Metal clicked on a button again and one of the screens started showing the events of Spiral Hill.
« …the recent fight involving Sonic and other people against this strange being who seems to love his knifes a lot. Days after it happened, my dear old enemy went missing too, as well as Tails and others, as well. With them out of the way, this will allow us to focus on a way bigger goal than just taking over this universe. »
Starline, as a answer, rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
« But this Multiverse… if it is as full of resources as you claim, surely, others thought about conquering it earlier than us. »
« It is true. Which is why the drones also had to spy on them. »
The robot pointed to several screens showing multiple people fighting green, pointy-haired aliens.
« Those Skrulls are among the most persistent. Their shapeshifting abilities and their capacity to trick people could quickly make them a big thorn on my side. Plus, from what I've gathered, they are directly supported by even more powerful people. I need to know more… and that's why capturing some of them will be on the top of our priorities. »
« I will make sure our best instruments of torture are ready. »
Metal, nodding his head in approbation, pointed at another screen showing strange pepperpot-like aliens shooting at helpless civilians.
« And there's those… Daleks. Among all the potential threats to the Empire' supremacy, they're the only ones I can take somewhat seriously. Their potential of endless destruction and their wish to turn all non-Dalek things into rubble, combined with their stubbornness, is what makes me think that they should be dealt with as quickly as possible. A Multiverse who is reduced only to dust is not a worthy possession. »
« Maybe Surge & Kitsunami would be helpful in wiping those nuisances out ? »
« I thought about it, Doctor. But I will wait until they're ready. As of now, all your focus must be on them. Test their abilities. I need them to be the most destructive, the most perfect weapons we can have. No matter what you have to get them through in order to achieve these goals. »
Sonic' robotic copy sat on his chair.
« This Earth – and the others – are lucky, we will still stay low for a little while. But when the time will be right… no matter how many opponents I will have in front of me, they will end up crushed by my power ! And the Eggman Empire will reign supreme ! »
Wait… another one ?
I'm afraid so. But, speaking of Metal Sonic so-called « loathsome copy », let's check out Hawaii again !
Monika seriously wished she could have her computer with her again. Like, OK, back when she was able to assume control over her game, she wasn't very good at it because tech wasn't her strong suit at all. But she was taking classes, those last months, she was improving ! Tho, even if she was still somewhat aware that the universe from which her game was created was also fictional (fourth-wall breaking abilities don't disappear easily), she still felt that there was a lot of new things that would make it impossible for her to do the same things she used to do.
There was the guilt over her past actions, of course, but not only.
Hopefully, the baseball bats were working quite well. They needed to be careful in order to target the non-protected spots in an efficient way, but that didn't mean it was difficult.
The fact that her and Sayori allowed themselves to be as nasty as they could with the attackers. Breaking their knees ? No problem. Headbutting them ? It hurted a bit, but it worked. Biting them in their necks ? Fair game (as long as it didn't kill them).
Monika was pretty sure her friend tried one or two attacks in the groin (to no avail, because of the armor).
At what moment would they stop all coming at everyone ?
Look elsewhere.
This was the most fun they had in years, if they were honest.
As fun as the time when they kept messing with the surgeon who had to reconstruct the face of their dear old frenemy after having sent him to the hospital (this last part wasn't planned).
It was, at least, something way better than constantly losing to him for the past year and being turned to dust.
Yes, even the fact of being transported to another planet who looked nothing like Animville or any nearby French city they knew was not that bad, compared to that.
Even if they weren't the greatest geniuses in the Multiverse, Joey, Marky and Dee-Dee could guess they weren't in their homeworld anymore.
This was something they reacted to with a lot of rejoicing. Of course, they didn't knew what to do, now that they were away from their home, but each time something new happened, they always had the same tactic.
Fucking around and finding out. And that's what they were about to do.
Which was the reason why three of the most infamous coakroaches in existence were actually driving a stolen TARDIS that they had no idea how to drive and were traveling through universes.
Tho, they would have liked to know why the guy they whacked with a mallet started emanating weird golden energy instead of being squashed flat like anyone in their world.
Infinity Crisis Reader : Realize how devoted to this « Oblique Strategies » stuff the author is.
I will let you this little space in order to do so. Don't hesitate to actually go over-the-top behind the screen of your computer if you wish. No one will judge you for that.
If someone does, they're a terrible person.
…
…
…
…
I think we're good, let's go.
Look elsewhere.
It was, what… one hour ? Two hours ? Sonic didn't thought about counting but, hell, if this wasn't exhausting ! He defeated so many Kree soldiers (sometimes, with the help of some civilians) but, at the same time, it felt like so many others already came and took the places of their fallen comrades. For the hedgehog, this wasn't it. He needed to find a way to defeat them and, even if he had very few informations about what in the hell was going on (something about guys named « Inhumans » who were apparently living in this huge city not too far from the island), he knew clearly that if the invaders won, everyone would be in big trouble quickly !
His thoughts quickly got cut when he saw June, Monika & Sayori joining him. He only responded with a thumbs up to let them know he was fine.
« So, Monika started, I won't lie, with our bats who finally broke and the fact that they can't stop coming from all sides of the city, I'm starting to really be at a loss on what to actually do ! »
« Not better for me, Sayori seconded. »
« personally, i met a super-weird lady ! »
June proceeded to tell the other three the short encounter she had with Miss Fur Gal and the Krees they took down while trying to help her reach her vehicle, as well as the informations about the spaceship that was still looming over the city. Sonic' answer was to nod his head.
« So, I guess that if we manage to put that ship down, it can possibly make them stop whatever the hell they're doing ? »
« apparently, yeah, responded June, but like, this ship is a huge-ass one and, unless someone finds a card of it by coincidence… it would take a long time before we find what room is the control room or which one powers the ship ! »
She was right. And it also made Sonic think about something he didn't really think of using until now.
« OK. I know what to do. A bit wary of doing it, since I don't know how many people are around, but there's not else I can do… just step back a bit. »
After his « teammates » did so, the hedgehog closed his eyes, took a deep breath and jumped. Before they could even look away, they saw light almost exploding and when they actually managed to see Sonic again, his blue fur turned golden and his quills got upward, in addition of now flying.
« It'll just take some seconds. They won't even see what's coming for them. »
Before anyone could even ask how he did it, Super Sonic took off for good, rushing himself towards the ship and looking determined. Like he just said, he was hoping to not hurt someone by accident. Very few people could match his speed and, in his younger years, he wasn't stranger to this sort of incidents. It stopped as he got older and more attentive at this sort of things but he still had that little fear. Tho, with such an exceptional situation in front of him, the only thing he could do was to hold his breath and hope for the best.
So, without even thinking twice and fully preparing himself to the upcoming impact, Sonic flew towards the first part of the ship he saw in front of him, rushing towards it so fast that all of him that could be seen was-
Tie it together.
A strange golden blur raced through the room, passing right between the Boltagon brothers and then blasting its way through the opposing wall. Both Black Bolt and Maximus blinked at the hole it created for a moment. The perfectly circular hole. Through the hole, the two could see that whatever made it had managed to go all the way to the outside of the ship.
« What in the name of the genetic code was tha- », Maximus started.
Look elsewhere.
From their perspective, June, Monika & Sayori didn't had to wait too long before Super Sonic came back. Just a few seconds, nothing more. When their new friend reappeared and came back to normal, he didn't look like he got hurt or wounded, which was great ! And when the four saw the ship suddenly exploding, they knew that the Krees didn't have much time left before losing. Still, when Egbert looked at the hedgehog, he looked… quite displeased. She didn't have to be a Nobel Prize to guess why.
« hey, you did what you could ! at least, there's probably lots more people who avoided being slaves or something. »
« I guess… and, like, being the bad guy is not something I mind, generally. But taking a life, even if by accident… not my vibe. »
The lady in blue would have responded something, if not for the portal who opened under the quatuor' feet, sending them away.
There were some discussions about the fast hedgehog and the woman able to control the wind, but most of the people present in Hawaii during that fateful day never really knew what happened to Att-Lah' ship. Or, at least, they won't know for a long, long time.
Look elsewhere.
Where do you go when you die ?
That was the eternal question that millions and millions of people thought about, at least one time during their life. A lot of creative minds tried to show their visions of what the afterlife could look like, if it even existed.
The man in a long, red robe who was currently walking in a dark void was silently saying to himself that, with all the different afterlives existing in this Multiverse, the fact he was in one of the blandest ones possible was quite preposterous.
But it wasn't for nothing that he had to go here. There were a bunch of souls floating around him but there was a particular person he needed to pick. And, thanks to the fact that he was able to bend everything to his will, this would be rather easy to do, logic be damned !
When he saw the one he was looking for, he smiled, something that his hood didn't show. Yep, the good ol' gothic Mary Poppins outfit, he just had to see that to recognize her. After all, there's not that much people who dress like her.
Silently approaching the soul, all he had to do was gently taking her (cold) hand, closing his eyes and concentrating.
Missy : Ascend.
The first thing the Mistress did when she opened her eyes was to seemingly realize that the things he felt under her head wasn't grass, but actually a bed. No, in fact, scratch that, the first thing she did was to question herself about why was she in a house.
Immediately, she decided to rewind the film of the last things she did just to be sure no important memories were lost. The Doctor, check. The spaceship that was in a black hole, check. The people in need of aid, check. Bill Potts and Nardole, check. The mission going wrong, yep, check. Saxon, check. The dancing, check. Stabbing Saxon, check. The dear ol' bastard blasting her in return, check.
Yes, all of this tracked. But, now, the question was : why wasn't she dead anymore ?
« Because of me. »
Oh, well, at least, someone responded quick enough. Turning her eyes to the source of the voice, she could see the man with the long robe looking at the window of the room. The Time Lady, if she was honest, wasn't really pleased with that because it meant someone actually saw her in a state that no one was allowed to see, not even her old friend.
Being at your most vulnerable was already a not-great experience, so having someone here during that ? No, thank you, can you go away, please ?
« I could. But I had to make sure nothing would prevent the procedure. You couldn't regenerate – bad ol' Harry really did a good job at that – so I had to bypass some rules, a little bit. And I needed to not be disturbed by anything or anyone. »
His voice was soft but distant and almost professoral, in a way. But what Missy remarked almost immediately when getting up was the aura the man was giving. The aura of someone who possssed power beyond anything her or her previous selves could even imagine, of someone who could managed to make time itself its slave… but also of someone who wasn't supposed to be here, who felt out of place.
Who felt wrong.
Despite nothing giving off the impression that he was the tricky type, she felt, for the first time in a long time, a slight bit of discomfort looking at him.
What sort of person was he ?
« Someone I'm afraid you wouldn't understand, Missy. I would love to explain, but there's knowledge that even you, Time Lords, aren't meant to learn. For the time being, you can consider it spoilers. »
That tracked. But, at this exact time, the woman formerly known as the Master really didn't care for this whole secretive thing.
« Well, great, she finally managed to muster with all the sarcasm she could. So, I'm in a rubbish house with some weirdo who decided to bring me back for some reason and won't tell anything ? If it's that, dear, you could have just left me to die, I was pretty okay with it. »
« You think this, but your time was far from being over. Your initial fall, I couldn't prevent it… but that didn't mean I couldn't undo it. Even if it meant you couldn't be in the Doctor' side. »
Oh, yes, the Doctor. It started to be quite a long time since she last saw him. Was he…
« He regenerated, unfortunately. With all those Cybermen around, you don't have to be a genius to know how that went. But the incarnation that replaced him had been doing quite good, recently. You will see her, at one point. But not now. »
The man turned itself dramatically (due to him being completely hidden by his hood, Missy didn't completely saw the point but hey, she would be an hypocrite to say it was ridiculous) to face her.
« I can feel your uneasiness. A secondary effect of my presence here. Some… acquaintances of mine are better at controlling it, some are less better at that. But I'm working towards the preservation of reality, we all do, despite the… more than unconventional means we're using. Something greater than all of us is coming and I won't let it destroy everything I spent so much time building. For this, even if it means I have to play the long game, I will need the help of everyone I can gather, you included. »
Missy raised an eyebrow. She was no stranger to threats greater than just her eternal conflict with her old frenemy – she survived the Time War and a fight against Rassilon, for Pete's sake ! And something in her gut told her that no matter what he knew or what his nature was… he wasn't a force she could mess with easily.
So, she decided to go along.
« Such a shame I doesn't have some tea near me, a little party would have been great ! But, at least, would you be kind enough to tell me your name ? »
The man had to make some gestures with his hands to create a teapot and two cups, already full of tea.
« My name… is Weyer. Michael Weyer. And I have one single question for you to start, Missy : do you know about anti-matter ? »
And that's all! There was... a lot. I'll explain more things in the commentary, but for now, here's some clarifications:
- All the sequences in Hawaii happen during Chapter 8 of The Inhumans. The sequence with Bonnie & Magolor happen at the same time than Chapter 2 of this very fanfic (specifically, the moment when Rose & Kanaya come into contact with the Toppats). The sequence with Rhonda Tate happens shortly after the end of Glimpses. The sequence with the coakroaches happens shortly after A Flashy Debut. Finally, the sequence between Weyer & Missy happens somewhere between Of Kryptonians & Queens and Chapter 1 of Counterpart Conferences.
- As with the last chapter, the first command comes directly from the Oblique Strategies card game, made by musician and creative mind Brian Eno. I've used a Web-based version, like I did for the last chapter, and I will try to use it again for each upcoming chapter. I've heard of this card game since years and it's apparently very great when you want to work on your creative muscles. Plus, because it's directly made for musicians, not a lot of writers used it so hey, why not doing something a bit experimental and try using it?
- Magolor is a character from the Kirby series. As such, he's part of Earth-1981, like all the other characters from the series. He was a villain but ended up redeeming himself and creating an amusement park in order to atone for his crimes, to summarize his story very quickly.
- So, the scene with Rhonda Tate was originally way different from what it ended up being. I know I wanted to use a character from That 70s Show (preferably, a minor character) and turn it into a Pighead but my original plan was to have said character (at the time, I didn't went with Rhonda) pretending to stay ignorant of what was happening, coming to some of the Skrulls, drugging them with the same horchata Pinky used to drug Mojo Jojo in Of Mice and Mojo before revealing themself and directly fighting the invaders, potentially leading to a very destructive fight. However, when I pitched the idea to Ben2Dartmouth, he asked me to not do it, as he had his own ideas for Point Place. I obliged (and I wasn't mad about it, because nothing was set in stone). Still, I wanted to do something so I used that to introduce the concept of the Citadel of the Oink and the whole "Pighead is now a multiversal constant" thing I implied at the end of This Beautiful Mess We Made.
- The scene with Neo Metal Sonic and Dr. Starline (who is, if you don't know him, a character from the IDW Sonic comics) was something I talked about in the commentary for Another Side of the Glimpses, as one of the scenes I wanted to implement at the time without finding where to put it. Now, I've been able to do so and I'm happy about it, since I wanted Metal to be among the ones deciding to conquer the Multiverse since I started conceptualizing things for IC (he was always my favourite villain in the series). Also, Surge the Tenrec & Kit the Fennec will appear at one point. I don't know when exactly, but I have projects for them. You'll see.
- Joey, Marky & Dee-Dee are the main antagonists of Oggy and the Coakroaches. If you don't know about it, it's a French animated show created by Xilam in the very end of the nineties and who kept on in the 2000s and the 2010s, even having his own movie in 2013. It has been a big part of my childhood and I thought it could be a neat way to celebrating a bit of my French nationality by including it. They will come back at one point! Also, yes, for the last sentence of their scene, it's true, they murdered a random Time Lord and forced him to regenerate (tho, because they come from a cartoon world, they don't know about blood or things like that, so they haven't realized it was a murder). Rest in piss, random alien twat, you won't be missed.
- So, another thing I wanted to do with DEATHFAME was to provide an explanation for Missy' return among the living (especially since her only appearance in IC was in Chapter 1 of Counterpart Conferences, which was when she returned). Plus, I discovered Doctor Who and became way more interested in the show (especially the character of the Master and their relationship with the Doctor) during that time, so it was the perfect time to do so! It took me a while (and several abandoned explanations) before finding the one I've used here. Also, not too long ago, L1701E introduced his own author avatar in Family Time so I thought that it was the perfect time to introduce one for Michael Weyer himself (and also, avatars for the other authors, down the road... if they didn't create them before I did).
And I think that's all! I don't think I will cut the adventures of the other groups in two parts again, because it would probably take too much time and I don't want DEATHFAME to become something endless. I will still be a little bit busy with the SCP-INT contest and the entry I'm doing, as well as the AO3 re-releases that I still have to finish (plus other, non-writing, things) but luckily, you will have a little Intermission in a few days before Chapter 4 and, if I don't screw this, more proper chapters to come in the future.
For the rest, reviews are always appreciated. Now, I'm stopping here, I've already talked too much. Have a good day/night, folks.