Upon leaving Oscorp, Gwen and
Max departing from the party to basically go into hiding, I and the boys
escorted Harry and Felicia away from the immediate area. It wasn't a
necessarily smart idea to lead the two to the T.A.R.D.I.S. and reveal the
ship's true nature. But..these were desperate times. This was a home base and
well...they were bound to see some jaw-dropping stuff eventually, entangled
with us. Still, I was tired and battle-worn and didn't feel like explaining
things to them..so I decided to put blindfolds on the two.
"Blindfolds?!" Harry exclaimed, upon being blindfolded by the Master.
"What the *beep* are you doing?!" "Hush, Harry, hush." I soothed, putting one on Felicia.
"This is for the best, for right now."
"How long will we have to wear them?" "Just for a few minutes.."
For a few minutes, yes, long enough for us to lead them past the entrance and lock the doors for them to remain inside the ship. While the inside was indeed weird, perhaps it could have been explained more naturally than entering it and realizing the box was bigger on the inside.
We led the two towards the ship and hurriedly entered our alien domain, the seven of us pushing through the doors and closing them instantly. Bane locked the said doors as we positioned Harry and Felicia to the front. Once he nodded at us, we turned back to the two and removed the blindfolds. They both jerked their heads back at the sight of it all.
"Whoa.." Harry gawked, staring all around. "..What IS this place?"
"Our HQ." I replied, folding my arms as I watched them.
"You'll have to excuse the caution we have, this is a very important instrument in our travels." Bane explained. "No no, it's fine." Said Felicia. "This place is..." She looked all around, staring at the control panel, the strangely placed furniture and glowing atmosphere of our humble abode.
"..Amazing."
Harry slowly nodded in agreement.
It now occurred to me just how many characters would probably walk through those doors and stare in wonder, each of them experiencing a fresh level of bewilderment. And it actually excited me to think of it. To watch them be mesmerized. Realizing that after all...they weren't alone. That there was so much out there....and I realized in that moment...I was a companion who had become the Doctor. I was showing others the wonders of the universe...
I had been promoted from dreamer to traveler.
This was now my call.
My eyes fell to the floor. "..Well..make yourselves at home.." I started to walk across the room, picking up this and that to make it more appealing. "I've plenty of movies and games for you to entertain yourselves with." Which was no joke, I had low-key gotten many movies, games and TV shows that I owned back home in preparation for my travels. "Or, if you like, there are some rooms down the hall that you can both use to rest up in. Your choice."
Felicia looked down. "...I am pretty tired.." "Yeah.." Harry agreed. "..Same."
Their eyes met, but then was quickly disconnected and they nervously looked away.
Oh just date already, these two were driving me bonkers, ugh.
I tossed my hands up from how adorable they were being and turned away.
"Just take you and your looks over there already, I'm done with you!"
They were obviously weirded out by this, not understanding why looking at the two was frustrating for me, so they simply turned their attention away and edged towards the hallway, Jim taking it upon himself to lead them to their new temporary quarters.
Master decided to depart from the ship for awhile, the reason why I wasn't in the mood to find out. Joker claimed he was exhausted and needed a nap, so thus grogged over to the couch, plopped down, and crashed. Bane mentioned that he, like me, needed to think and silently left for his room. I was left alone, minus the slumbering clown.
I was alone with my thoughts, alone with my suspicions, alone with the silence.
I took off my jacket and sat in a chair and looked around the T.A.R.D.I.S. environment, fiddling with one of the marbles that was still inside my pocket. After a few minutes of that, I took it out and examined it, holding it out with my open palm. It's material glinted against the T.A.R.D.I.S.'s light, causing it to shimmer and sparkle. I cocked my head upon admiring it. And well..my mind wandered...I started to think about everything that had happened thus far and it made me realize some things...piecing together the clues that was inadvertently left for me. I started to think about how these "Others" seemed to know so much about us.
Seemed to know exactly what we wanted. What we were after. Where we went next.
It was almost as if............no. Impossible.....
I swallowed hard, lowering my exposed arms down below my kneecaps, where I also lowered my back and head. I breathed shakily, thinking long and hard and tried to figure where the pieces of this puzzle fit. It was the first time I was left alone since this particular adventure began where I could process the events unfolding and consider the details of this ever-enduring mystery. The more I learned, however, the less it all made sense.
It was evident that the Others clearly had a hand in the developing issues spread across the dimensions. They were, indeed, responsible for most of the troubles we five had to deal with when visiting the worlds. If it continues, well...I'm just not sure how it's all gonna go down.
I do know that whatever existing distressing circumstances set upon the worlds' timelines, they were making them ten times worse. Mostly by giving the villains a jumpstart of an upperhand.
But if they can do it, so can I. Just not in the way they'd expect.
Instead of just defeating the villains..I'm saving them.
The more I convert, the less new crew-members they have in their little evil biker gang.
Still...as I sat there...it made me weary of how they were getting to new worlds faster than I could. Saving places can take time, whereas for them, stealing away evil souls to partake in the greatest evil for the price of their own world's fate was a relatively quick and easy process.
I would say I need to be faster, however, I can only go so fast when confronting the many challenges each world's characters provided me as I attempted to save them without totally spilling the beans about who I am. Some characters can take the truth..but not everyone needs to know. Many of them don't believe me or try to stop me, which only further delays me from accomplishing what I must. To be honest, I now wonder if it's really best TO keep the truth from them. Seeing as how the Others are already causing such drastic chaos that completely disrupts the worlds' very way of existence. With what happens to their planets, perhaps me revealing the truth about who I am and who THEY are wouldn't be such a weird thing.
And honestly..who's to say that I even have to rush.
Say they do get to those worlds and destroy them.
I'm in a flipping time machine. It can take me to before any of it even happens.
It was already taking me to periods before events got worse.
So maybe it was taking me to points where I could more easily get the upperhand.
I dunno...maybe I'm right...maybe I'm wrong.
But going over all this really put things in a new perspective for me.
If only I could see what the Others were seeing, though. Like how I used to.
To see what they were upto. Spy on their affairs..check on their progress...like this is a stor------
.....................wait a minute.........................
I sat up in a jolt, staring before me almost in shock.
An unsettling level of dread flushed upon me, and my heart hurt at how this made me feel..no...it couldn't be...I prayed to God for it not to be true....
but there was only one way to find out.
I shot up and ran for my laptop, quickly grabbing it and booking my way to my room.
I slammed my door shut, locking it, and hurriedly jumped atop my bed.
I bit my lip hard as I typed in a web address..the blog of this here tale.
I searched upon the homepage for clues..checked the chatbox, nothing..checked the comments, nothing...until it occurred to me to check the actual entries.
I looked upon the table of contents and read down the line of chapters, when I noticed.....
question marks. There were randomly placed question marks in between the entries I had posted. Question marks that I was not responsible for. I investigated.
And my heart raced inside my chest.
Dying...forced...prophet...I did not write these.
I did not write any of these.
My heart fell as I realized.
It was them. The Others. They had found my blog.
They had submitted pieces of things happening elsewhere. Things I did not know.
They were even tampering with pieces of my own posts.
I was in too much shock to look further. I was trembling and trying to get my breathing under control. To the point I just slammed my laptop closed and backed against the wall, burying my skull into my pillows. This couldn't be happening...they knew...they knew everything now..who I was and what I'm doing...they know the truth about everything and it was all my fault.
But if they knew who I was, why were they still playing these games?!
Why were they still addressing me as the Queen and treating me like an actual threat, as opposed to a girl who was simply tired of reality and doing things she had no business doing?
Still...everything made sense now. Why they always seemed to know where and how to strike, and how to always get the upperhand. How they knew my progress thus far.....they were spying on me. They have the upperhand cuz I'm giving it to them. Doing all the dumb things a 'hero' does. Well..it's clear now I'm no hero. Not after practically detailing all of the affairs I've partaken in. The question ran through my head who this mysterious author could be...the unsettling idea that someone was hacking my blog and leaving such content, AND WHY NO ONE TOLD ME ABOUT IT, GUYS. WHY YOU ALLOW THIS, WHY YOU NO SAY? UGH. Who was this, who was highjacking MY site, calling ME out, ruining everything, the stinking life ruiner!!
As much as it pains me to say..I now wonder if it's even best to continue posting here.
I could only very well be giving them exactly what they want by remaining here.
Telling them just what I'm upto and how far I've come.
I let out a deep breath, trying to figure out what to do next.
I sat there for several minutes, just listening to the clocks in my room, the air calm and at peace despite my heart beating restlessly inside me and my mind rushing with the most dreadful of thoughts. I was not peace at all. I was hating myself even more than I already do.
Whatever madness the Others had caused, I had done even worse. It was my fault......
I'm to blame.
Suddenly....everything started to shake violently.
I gripped onto my bedsheet, with widened eyes, as I was almost thrown off.
...oh no...
. . .
I swung my door open and rushed out've my room, just in time for Bane to open his and we both instantly looked on and drifted toward the living room. "Miss Sarah.." Bane acknowledged, grabbing my shoulder and herding me silently. Upon entering the living room, Jim joined us, looking all around with his widened dark eyes, while my eyes found Joker laying crookedly on the floor, still partially hanging from the couch, groaning and grumbling painfully, clearly having just fallen from his sleep.
He struggled up upon me shouting, "JOKER!" and groaned even more, "WHAT?!"
I booked to the controls and turned my attention to the monitor to look outside.
People were in a panic as it appeared to them as a not-so-simple earthquake.
I then ran for the door and flung it open, where I stepped outside, just to be landblasted by the sounds of people screaming and fleeing, car horns and alarms everywhere blaring in uneven patterns. What's more, I realized as I looked to the sky, it was now daytime.
It was made clear now that the unusual time increase was not because of it being a fictional world, as I thought I'd witnessed in Middle Earth..but because the world was being consumed.
Consumed by the success of the Others. And it was affecting the very atmosphere...they were winning...they did something.....and I had no idea what.
Both Bane and Joker rushed and peeked out the door, surveying the chaos.
"What's happening, kid?!" I breathed, slowly. "....they did something...they're turning the tables, somehow..in some way, we're too late...I can feel it."
In that moment, I heard a familiar "Demens!" come from my right and I flashed my eyes at the owner of the voice-- Master was running at full speed in my direction.
I was relieved it was not Harry that was the cause of the disturbance, as I heard Harry and Felicia both shout from the living room and tried to go after us in their own panic. But I turned and held my hand up, "Stay there!" They reluctantly obeyed.
I turned back to Master, who was looking all around, "It's happening again, isn't it?"
I nodded, solemnly.
"What is? What's going on?!" Harry exclaimed, confused as ever.
I glanced back at him..at once, I hurried back inside and grabbed him by the chin, which took him by surprise and turned him to see his neck...his rash...his unfortunate painful looking rash, a result of his accursed illness, was deepening and worsening...I made him face me once more, then let go, stepping back. "..You need to come with me. We're going back to Oscorp."
He crinkled his brows in confusion. "Why?"
I swallowed hard, trying to appear stronger than the vulnerable clueless human being I was feeling as at that point. "Because we need to fix you."
~
I entered Oscorp with Harry right in tow, the building itself in quite the curfuffle combined with the attack and the world quake. We had left behind Felicia and the boys back at the T.A.R.D.I.S., which may have been a dumb idea, maybe, I dunno..I searched around for any immediate signs of danger before dragging the boy back into his office and shutting the door.
"Why are we back here??"
"Just grab anything you need. Anything of relevance. We gotta track down Loki and Livewire and I'll need your help..but I can't do that in the state you're in."
I hurried to his desk, seeking anything of any importance, then looked over at Harry.
"You still got that stick your pops gave you?" His eyes flashed at me in alarm, widened with surprise. "How'd you..!!" "DO you, Harry, we don't have time!"
He was hesitant. His gaze fell to the floor, clearly uncertain whether he should continue trusting me or not..before finally reaching into his pocket and pulling out the stick that he reluctantly offered, lifting his eyes back to me.
I immediately snatched it and dropped it on the desk with a loud clang-- "Hey! What are you d-"
He froze just as quickly as he bolted forward, upon seeing the result of what I had just done. He circled around the table and slowly sat down in his chair, watching the content the USB had just unlocked. "..Demens...how do you know this stuff?" "..Because I've seen it all before."
His eyes slowly lifted back to me just as I bent down and faced him.
"Where I come from, Harry..you and everyone here aren't...well....considered REAL........you're characters in a movie.." I could see him start to react to what I was telling him. So I quickly dodged that bullet, "But listen, we don't have enough time to explain.."
I glanced down at the desk. "In here, you'll find some stuff..then I'm gonna take you to a place called 'Special Projects', cuz there you can find something you can use for good..and it'll heal you and we'll be able to fight back, the right way....you up to that?"
He was a little freaked out at first..but nevertheless nodded his head and I smiled in response.
I stood up, nodding at the desk. "Right..go ahead and look..then I'll take you down there."
"I can't be allowing that."
Harry and I both swung our heads in full alert at the one entering the office..or should I say ones..causing Harry to spring up in alarm. "Menken."
Menken stepped forward, smiling smugly and I watched intently as Harry moved around to the side of his desk infront of me. "Menken, what is going on?" "Oh, keep quiet. I've had enough of your childish antics and your poor methods of keeping this company afloat. Now I have the advantage I need to finally take control. Thanks to our new friends..who have kindly revealed to me the path to victory. Pity my attempt to get rid of you quietly was so unsuccessful."
Ah..there it was. "It was you." I breathed.
His eyes cut to me as if he just now realized I existed in the room.
Harry glanced over at me, then back at the fiend ahead, "..You tried to have me killed??"
Menken's smug smile increased. "..See, when Harry received these peculiar visitors..I had to see for myself..and when he turned them down..well..let's say..I couldn't let them walk away. Not when they heard just what I had to say and promised to turn things around.."
"You sorry *beep*!!!" Harry exclaimed, but I caught his arm before he could lash out.
My eyes stayed set on Menken. "They're using you, you know...they're feeding your own ego and selfish desires to twist your brain and use you against Harry.." "..Then I enjoy being used. Because as we speak, they're getting exactly what they want..which is exactly what I want..power..power over those who cast us aside. Control...over our own authority. They want Harry to fall just as much as I do, and they're executing the plan beautifully." "Do you not feel those quakes? They're tearing the freaking world apart." "It doesn't bother me. They can do what they want with the world, as long as I stay in control.."
I smiled, sarcastically. "You're just like the rest of them...that's the thing with villains. All they care about is their own selfish desires..their own greed and lust for power, control and bloodshed. That's why you always lose..you're only out for yourselves..whereas I'm looking out for everyone. I win." "Don't even play games with me, Dem-ence!" "Duh-menz."
"You're just a stupid girl from an obsolete world who hasn't accomplished anything in life, and has therefore jumped at the chance to play hero at the first real chance she gets...only to find that you are truly in over your head..and in the end, you are nothing special."
.....ow.....
"I know about your exploits and your fun little adventures stop here..before you get destroyed by REAL power." I eyed Harry as he did me..I felt him feel a tad less safe with me in that moment..which honestly hurt...my head sunk at this and I swallowed hard my wounded pride..
Menken gestured for his men to go for Harry, "You should have brought along your little bodyguards.." His goons went around the desk and the front, about to grab Harry--when I quickly intervened, spouting, "No", and with one spin, shot out my guns from nowhere, pointing one at the goons, then one pointblank at Menken's forehead. Everyone in the room froze.
I stared right into Menken's eyes, whose face tightened with obvious fear not even he could hide, my jaw tightening with annoyance of his existence. "I'll show you real power..you say you know my exploits..so you know by now I will do anything it takes to save who I intend on saving..anything to anyone...don't make me turn you into an example." His gaze almost widened. "..Now I want you to take your little goons...walk out that door...and do not come back...again."
I spoke so fiercely and so darkly, I even barely recognized myself.
He swallowed hard, trying to maintain his crumbling dignity.
"You have no idea who you're really dealing with.."
My eyes and face became even more sinister and I felt an overwhelming urge to shoot him right there as my attention zoomed only on him..and I wanted him to feel it..feel the dark power taking control of my thoughts..and in that second..I do believe he saw it. Saw what I was willing to do.
"..Neither do you."
Menken swallowed..we stood there, staring intensely at one another..and I felt the fear gradually grow within him as he saw that beyond what I appeared to be..there was something else much more sinister...he slowly realized I was right. "....this isn't over.."
He then gestured at his boys and they instantly backed down, circling back behind him and the three of them slowly, cautiously, backed out of the room, me pointing my guns right on them as an incentive to leave. As soon as they disappeared from sight, I lowered my weapons, letting out a deep exhale, blinking multiple times as my eyes hurt from staying open so long.
I turned back to Harry, nodding at him. He nodded back, exhaling in relief.
"...Nevermind..it's too risky to go down there right now.."
He sighed, discouraged.
"..Never fear. Onto plan B."
I walked over to the USB and grabbed it.
"And what's plan B?" He questioned, his eyes following me.
I gazed at the USB in my hand for a few minutes before then handing it back to him.
I shrugged my shoulders, "I dunno yet."
~
We made our way back to the T.A.R.D.I.S., joining the boys along the way to initiate plan B..whatever it was. And I suddenly felt confident that we were gonna win this. In a brief, very very brief, second. I felt as if everything was gonna change for the better and there was hope.
With everyone joined together, we might actually pull this o- beeeeeeeeeeeeeeepppppppppppppp-
I jolted and swung around, fixing my attention on Harry, who skid to a stop and looked down at his pocket. He pulled out his phone, which I squinted at cuz phone, he and I glancing at one another before he put it upto his ear. "Hello?"
We both waited for a response..which he gave when his face crinkled. "Gwen?"
Gwen?! I snatched the phone from his grasp and swung around, "Gwen?! What's wrong?"
Her voice..it was panicked and sounded like she was almost crying. And hearing it disturbed me, filling me with alarming dread. "Sarah..thank God..I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!"
"What's happening?? What's wrong?" "They took him!!" "Took WHO?"
"Max, they took Max!" I froze. My heart fell. "WHAT?!"
"I just now found my phone and I've been trying to get ahold of-" I ran forward.
"When did this happen?!"
"I don't know, it was so long ago...they jumped me and Max and they locked me somewhere..I couldn't get out, I couldn't stop them..they just took him and threw my phone away so I couldn't call anyone..I'm just so sorry, Sarah, this is all my fault!"
"Gwen, calm down. Just tell me exactly what---"
I froze once more as I approached the T.A.R.D.I.S.. There, I edged closer and closer..as I read a piece of paper taped to the door...and my heart filled with sorrow. My voice cracked as I swallowed hard, "Gwen, this isn't your fault...this is on me...go to your place, stay there, and don't leave until I say." "What?! What are you gonna d-" I hung up.
I read the paper again before lashing out, crumbled the paper in my hand with a vicious rip and threw it to the ground as I stormed violently inside.
"Dear Miss Demens....we regret to inform you your beloved Max Dillon is dead...
At our request, your presence is required at the Oscorp Tower. See you soon, your majesty.
~ L"
--------
I stormed through the T.A.R.D.I.S., grabbing every piece of ammo I could visually find and stuffing it down my pockets, and I charged back through, zooming past the boys just as they came through the door and attempted to speak to me. Felicia ran to the doorway to follow, but I shot my finger back at her, "Don't you dare leave! Stay here!"
She sunk. Harry was left far away, Jim trying to distract him from looking the ship's way.
Once the two boys saw me coming, they turned to me and noticed my anger.
I looked to Harry as I passed him, "Go back to the ship, Harry. Where it's safe."
I didn't wait for a response, I simply expected him to listen and kept going.
Jim let out his hands in confusion, as if all the effort he put into distracting Harry was all for naught. Which it was.
"Demens, what's going on?!" Master exclaimed, trying to stop me from raging on for two seconds.
But I did not listen. I plowed right through, charging ahead.
"Demens! What are you--what happened?!"
"You can't stop me, so stop trying."
"*Beep* it, Demens, TELL US WHAT HAPPENED."
"It's MAX! They killed him! Understand?! I'm finishing this!"
"I admire your bloodthirsty intentions, Demens, but may I remind you last time you tangled with those two, they practically killed you??" "Last time I didn't have the incentive to obliterate them as I do now. I'm not playing with these two anymore..they crossed the line. They're dead!"
"What happened to second chances?"
I bit my tongue.
"It's only your wounded ego talking, Demens. This has nothing to do with Dillon. You don't understand what-" "No, YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!"
I swung around so sharply and so viciously, it made Master jump back and swallow hard.
"YOU don't understand how much you guys mean to me! ALL of you! Other people always root for the good guys, which is great and all, but they cheer for the death of the villains, and don't care for the rest of the characters, but I've never been like that! I love you all. It hurt watching any of you die. No matter how important or unimportant they made you out to be, you were all important to me. It's not wounded ego, Master, it's my overwhelming impulse to seize the chance to save you guys and I finally have that. I am doing EVERYTHING I can to protect, fighting as HARD as I can to protect you, and if I can't do that, I am useless! I hate that the Others has to be you guys. I do not have any desire to fight you--but so far, I have not been given any choice. Now, if I can't save you..the only thing I have left is to get payback. So please...allow me that, at least. If you won't support me, then stay out've my way."
I swung back around and charged forward once more. I kept walking, despite being the only one heading to face Loki and Livewire. But I still did so, knowing full well I would most likely be crushed..but I didn't care. I needed to at least try to stop them. Before they hurt anyone else.
I was a long distance away from Oscorp and my legs were already getting exhausted.
Still, I kept my eyes on the Tower, determined as ever to get revenge..
That's when I caught movement in the corner of my eyes and I looked, only to see the boys now walking by both my sides.
"Well, you're not doing it alone, you tiny idiot..don't care how tough you think you are."
I smirked, saying nothing, for nothing needed to be said.
We simply proceeded forward.
Together.
"Blindfolds?!" Harry exclaimed, upon being blindfolded by the Master.
"What the *beep* are you doing?!" "Hush, Harry, hush." I soothed, putting one on Felicia.
"This is for the best, for right now."
"How long will we have to wear them?" "Just for a few minutes.."
For a few minutes, yes, long enough for us to lead them past the entrance and lock the doors for them to remain inside the ship. While the inside was indeed weird, perhaps it could have been explained more naturally than entering it and realizing the box was bigger on the inside.
We led the two towards the ship and hurriedly entered our alien domain, the seven of us pushing through the doors and closing them instantly. Bane locked the said doors as we positioned Harry and Felicia to the front. Once he nodded at us, we turned back to the two and removed the blindfolds. They both jerked their heads back at the sight of it all.
"Whoa.." Harry gawked, staring all around. "..What IS this place?"
"Our HQ." I replied, folding my arms as I watched them.
"You'll have to excuse the caution we have, this is a very important instrument in our travels." Bane explained. "No no, it's fine." Said Felicia. "This place is..." She looked all around, staring at the control panel, the strangely placed furniture and glowing atmosphere of our humble abode.
"..Amazing."
Harry slowly nodded in agreement.
It now occurred to me just how many characters would probably walk through those doors and stare in wonder, each of them experiencing a fresh level of bewilderment. And it actually excited me to think of it. To watch them be mesmerized. Realizing that after all...they weren't alone. That there was so much out there....and I realized in that moment...I was a companion who had become the Doctor. I was showing others the wonders of the universe...
I had been promoted from dreamer to traveler.
This was now my call.
My eyes fell to the floor. "..Well..make yourselves at home.." I started to walk across the room, picking up this and that to make it more appealing. "I've plenty of movies and games for you to entertain yourselves with." Which was no joke, I had low-key gotten many movies, games and TV shows that I owned back home in preparation for my travels. "Or, if you like, there are some rooms down the hall that you can both use to rest up in. Your choice."
Felicia looked down. "...I am pretty tired.." "Yeah.." Harry agreed. "..Same."
Their eyes met, but then was quickly disconnected and they nervously looked away.
Oh just date already, these two were driving me bonkers, ugh.
I tossed my hands up from how adorable they were being and turned away.
"Just take you and your looks over there already, I'm done with you!"
They were obviously weirded out by this, not understanding why looking at the two was frustrating for me, so they simply turned their attention away and edged towards the hallway, Jim taking it upon himself to lead them to their new temporary quarters.
Master decided to depart from the ship for awhile, the reason why I wasn't in the mood to find out. Joker claimed he was exhausted and needed a nap, so thus grogged over to the couch, plopped down, and crashed. Bane mentioned that he, like me, needed to think and silently left for his room. I was left alone, minus the slumbering clown.
I was alone with my thoughts, alone with my suspicions, alone with the silence.
I took off my jacket and sat in a chair and looked around the T.A.R.D.I.S. environment, fiddling with one of the marbles that was still inside my pocket. After a few minutes of that, I took it out and examined it, holding it out with my open palm. It's material glinted against the T.A.R.D.I.S.'s light, causing it to shimmer and sparkle. I cocked my head upon admiring it. And well..my mind wandered...I started to think about everything that had happened thus far and it made me realize some things...piecing together the clues that was inadvertently left for me. I started to think about how these "Others" seemed to know so much about us.
Seemed to know exactly what we wanted. What we were after. Where we went next.
It was almost as if............no. Impossible.....
I swallowed hard, lowering my exposed arms down below my kneecaps, where I also lowered my back and head. I breathed shakily, thinking long and hard and tried to figure where the pieces of this puzzle fit. It was the first time I was left alone since this particular adventure began where I could process the events unfolding and consider the details of this ever-enduring mystery. The more I learned, however, the less it all made sense.
It was evident that the Others clearly had a hand in the developing issues spread across the dimensions. They were, indeed, responsible for most of the troubles we five had to deal with when visiting the worlds. If it continues, well...I'm just not sure how it's all gonna go down.
I do know that whatever existing distressing circumstances set upon the worlds' timelines, they were making them ten times worse. Mostly by giving the villains a jumpstart of an upperhand.
But if they can do it, so can I. Just not in the way they'd expect.
Instead of just defeating the villains..I'm saving them.
The more I convert, the less new crew-members they have in their little evil biker gang.
Still...as I sat there...it made me weary of how they were getting to new worlds faster than I could. Saving places can take time, whereas for them, stealing away evil souls to partake in the greatest evil for the price of their own world's fate was a relatively quick and easy process.
I would say I need to be faster, however, I can only go so fast when confronting the many challenges each world's characters provided me as I attempted to save them without totally spilling the beans about who I am. Some characters can take the truth..but not everyone needs to know. Many of them don't believe me or try to stop me, which only further delays me from accomplishing what I must. To be honest, I now wonder if it's really best TO keep the truth from them. Seeing as how the Others are already causing such drastic chaos that completely disrupts the worlds' very way of existence. With what happens to their planets, perhaps me revealing the truth about who I am and who THEY are wouldn't be such a weird thing.
And honestly..who's to say that I even have to rush.
Say they do get to those worlds and destroy them.
I'm in a flipping time machine. It can take me to before any of it even happens.
It was already taking me to periods before events got worse.
So maybe it was taking me to points where I could more easily get the upperhand.
I dunno...maybe I'm right...maybe I'm wrong.
But going over all this really put things in a new perspective for me.
If only I could see what the Others were seeing, though. Like how I used to.
To see what they were upto. Spy on their affairs..check on their progress...like this is a stor------
.....................wait a minute.........................
I sat up in a jolt, staring before me almost in shock.
An unsettling level of dread flushed upon me, and my heart hurt at how this made me feel..no...it couldn't be...I prayed to God for it not to be true....
but there was only one way to find out.
I shot up and ran for my laptop, quickly grabbing it and booking my way to my room.
I slammed my door shut, locking it, and hurriedly jumped atop my bed.
I bit my lip hard as I typed in a web address..the blog of this here tale.
I searched upon the homepage for clues..checked the chatbox, nothing..checked the comments, nothing...until it occurred to me to check the actual entries.
I looked upon the table of contents and read down the line of chapters, when I noticed.....
question marks. There were randomly placed question marks in between the entries I had posted. Question marks that I was not responsible for. I investigated.
And my heart raced inside my chest.
Dying...forced...prophet...I did not write these.
I did not write any of these.
My heart fell as I realized.
It was them. The Others. They had found my blog.
They had submitted pieces of things happening elsewhere. Things I did not know.
They were even tampering with pieces of my own posts.
I was in too much shock to look further. I was trembling and trying to get my breathing under control. To the point I just slammed my laptop closed and backed against the wall, burying my skull into my pillows. This couldn't be happening...they knew...they knew everything now..who I was and what I'm doing...they know the truth about everything and it was all my fault.
But if they knew who I was, why were they still playing these games?!
Why were they still addressing me as the Queen and treating me like an actual threat, as opposed to a girl who was simply tired of reality and doing things she had no business doing?
Still...everything made sense now. Why they always seemed to know where and how to strike, and how to always get the upperhand. How they knew my progress thus far.....they were spying on me. They have the upperhand cuz I'm giving it to them. Doing all the dumb things a 'hero' does. Well..it's clear now I'm no hero. Not after practically detailing all of the affairs I've partaken in. The question ran through my head who this mysterious author could be...the unsettling idea that someone was hacking my blog and leaving such content, AND WHY NO ONE TOLD ME ABOUT IT, GUYS. WHY YOU ALLOW THIS, WHY YOU NO SAY? UGH. Who was this, who was highjacking MY site, calling ME out, ruining everything, the stinking life ruiner!!
As much as it pains me to say..I now wonder if it's even best to continue posting here.
I could only very well be giving them exactly what they want by remaining here.
Telling them just what I'm upto and how far I've come.
I let out a deep breath, trying to figure out what to do next.
I sat there for several minutes, just listening to the clocks in my room, the air calm and at peace despite my heart beating restlessly inside me and my mind rushing with the most dreadful of thoughts. I was not peace at all. I was hating myself even more than I already do.
Whatever madness the Others had caused, I had done even worse. It was my fault......
I'm to blame.
Suddenly....everything started to shake violently.
I gripped onto my bedsheet, with widened eyes, as I was almost thrown off.
...oh no...
. . .
I swung my door open and rushed out've my room, just in time for Bane to open his and we both instantly looked on and drifted toward the living room. "Miss Sarah.." Bane acknowledged, grabbing my shoulder and herding me silently. Upon entering the living room, Jim joined us, looking all around with his widened dark eyes, while my eyes found Joker laying crookedly on the floor, still partially hanging from the couch, groaning and grumbling painfully, clearly having just fallen from his sleep.
He struggled up upon me shouting, "JOKER!" and groaned even more, "WHAT?!"
I booked to the controls and turned my attention to the monitor to look outside.
People were in a panic as it appeared to them as a not-so-simple earthquake.
I then ran for the door and flung it open, where I stepped outside, just to be landblasted by the sounds of people screaming and fleeing, car horns and alarms everywhere blaring in uneven patterns. What's more, I realized as I looked to the sky, it was now daytime.
It was made clear now that the unusual time increase was not because of it being a fictional world, as I thought I'd witnessed in Middle Earth..but because the world was being consumed.
Consumed by the success of the Others. And it was affecting the very atmosphere...they were winning...they did something.....and I had no idea what.
Both Bane and Joker rushed and peeked out the door, surveying the chaos.
"What's happening, kid?!" I breathed, slowly. "....they did something...they're turning the tables, somehow..in some way, we're too late...I can feel it."
In that moment, I heard a familiar "Demens!" come from my right and I flashed my eyes at the owner of the voice-- Master was running at full speed in my direction.
I was relieved it was not Harry that was the cause of the disturbance, as I heard Harry and Felicia both shout from the living room and tried to go after us in their own panic. But I turned and held my hand up, "Stay there!" They reluctantly obeyed.
I turned back to Master, who was looking all around, "It's happening again, isn't it?"
I nodded, solemnly.
"What is? What's going on?!" Harry exclaimed, confused as ever.
I glanced back at him..at once, I hurried back inside and grabbed him by the chin, which took him by surprise and turned him to see his neck...his rash...his unfortunate painful looking rash, a result of his accursed illness, was deepening and worsening...I made him face me once more, then let go, stepping back. "..You need to come with me. We're going back to Oscorp."
He crinkled his brows in confusion. "Why?"
I swallowed hard, trying to appear stronger than the vulnerable clueless human being I was feeling as at that point. "Because we need to fix you."
~
I entered Oscorp with Harry right in tow, the building itself in quite the curfuffle combined with the attack and the world quake. We had left behind Felicia and the boys back at the T.A.R.D.I.S., which may have been a dumb idea, maybe, I dunno..I searched around for any immediate signs of danger before dragging the boy back into his office and shutting the door.
"Why are we back here??"
"Just grab anything you need. Anything of relevance. We gotta track down Loki and Livewire and I'll need your help..but I can't do that in the state you're in."
I hurried to his desk, seeking anything of any importance, then looked over at Harry.
"You still got that stick your pops gave you?" His eyes flashed at me in alarm, widened with surprise. "How'd you..!!" "DO you, Harry, we don't have time!"
He was hesitant. His gaze fell to the floor, clearly uncertain whether he should continue trusting me or not..before finally reaching into his pocket and pulling out the stick that he reluctantly offered, lifting his eyes back to me.
I immediately snatched it and dropped it on the desk with a loud clang-- "Hey! What are you d-"
He froze just as quickly as he bolted forward, upon seeing the result of what I had just done. He circled around the table and slowly sat down in his chair, watching the content the USB had just unlocked. "..Demens...how do you know this stuff?" "..Because I've seen it all before."
His eyes slowly lifted back to me just as I bent down and faced him.
"Where I come from, Harry..you and everyone here aren't...well....considered REAL........you're characters in a movie.." I could see him start to react to what I was telling him. So I quickly dodged that bullet, "But listen, we don't have enough time to explain.."
I glanced down at the desk. "In here, you'll find some stuff..then I'm gonna take you to a place called 'Special Projects', cuz there you can find something you can use for good..and it'll heal you and we'll be able to fight back, the right way....you up to that?"
He was a little freaked out at first..but nevertheless nodded his head and I smiled in response.
I stood up, nodding at the desk. "Right..go ahead and look..then I'll take you down there."
"I can't be allowing that."
Harry and I both swung our heads in full alert at the one entering the office..or should I say ones..causing Harry to spring up in alarm. "Menken."
Menken stepped forward, smiling smugly and I watched intently as Harry moved around to the side of his desk infront of me. "Menken, what is going on?" "Oh, keep quiet. I've had enough of your childish antics and your poor methods of keeping this company afloat. Now I have the advantage I need to finally take control. Thanks to our new friends..who have kindly revealed to me the path to victory. Pity my attempt to get rid of you quietly was so unsuccessful."
Ah..there it was. "It was you." I breathed.
His eyes cut to me as if he just now realized I existed in the room.
Harry glanced over at me, then back at the fiend ahead, "..You tried to have me killed??"
Menken's smug smile increased. "..See, when Harry received these peculiar visitors..I had to see for myself..and when he turned them down..well..let's say..I couldn't let them walk away. Not when they heard just what I had to say and promised to turn things around.."
"You sorry *beep*!!!" Harry exclaimed, but I caught his arm before he could lash out.
My eyes stayed set on Menken. "They're using you, you know...they're feeding your own ego and selfish desires to twist your brain and use you against Harry.." "..Then I enjoy being used. Because as we speak, they're getting exactly what they want..which is exactly what I want..power..power over those who cast us aside. Control...over our own authority. They want Harry to fall just as much as I do, and they're executing the plan beautifully." "Do you not feel those quakes? They're tearing the freaking world apart." "It doesn't bother me. They can do what they want with the world, as long as I stay in control.."
I smiled, sarcastically. "You're just like the rest of them...that's the thing with villains. All they care about is their own selfish desires..their own greed and lust for power, control and bloodshed. That's why you always lose..you're only out for yourselves..whereas I'm looking out for everyone. I win." "Don't even play games with me, Dem-ence!" "Duh-menz."
"You're just a stupid girl from an obsolete world who hasn't accomplished anything in life, and has therefore jumped at the chance to play hero at the first real chance she gets...only to find that you are truly in over your head..and in the end, you are nothing special."
.....ow.....
"I know about your exploits and your fun little adventures stop here..before you get destroyed by REAL power." I eyed Harry as he did me..I felt him feel a tad less safe with me in that moment..which honestly hurt...my head sunk at this and I swallowed hard my wounded pride..
Menken gestured for his men to go for Harry, "You should have brought along your little bodyguards.." His goons went around the desk and the front, about to grab Harry--when I quickly intervened, spouting, "No", and with one spin, shot out my guns from nowhere, pointing one at the goons, then one pointblank at Menken's forehead. Everyone in the room froze.
I stared right into Menken's eyes, whose face tightened with obvious fear not even he could hide, my jaw tightening with annoyance of his existence. "I'll show you real power..you say you know my exploits..so you know by now I will do anything it takes to save who I intend on saving..anything to anyone...don't make me turn you into an example." His gaze almost widened. "..Now I want you to take your little goons...walk out that door...and do not come back...again."
I spoke so fiercely and so darkly, I even barely recognized myself.
He swallowed hard, trying to maintain his crumbling dignity.
"You have no idea who you're really dealing with.."
My eyes and face became even more sinister and I felt an overwhelming urge to shoot him right there as my attention zoomed only on him..and I wanted him to feel it..feel the dark power taking control of my thoughts..and in that second..I do believe he saw it. Saw what I was willing to do.
"..Neither do you."
Menken swallowed..we stood there, staring intensely at one another..and I felt the fear gradually grow within him as he saw that beyond what I appeared to be..there was something else much more sinister...he slowly realized I was right. "....this isn't over.."
He then gestured at his boys and they instantly backed down, circling back behind him and the three of them slowly, cautiously, backed out of the room, me pointing my guns right on them as an incentive to leave. As soon as they disappeared from sight, I lowered my weapons, letting out a deep exhale, blinking multiple times as my eyes hurt from staying open so long.
I turned back to Harry, nodding at him. He nodded back, exhaling in relief.
"...Nevermind..it's too risky to go down there right now.."
He sighed, discouraged.
"..Never fear. Onto plan B."
I walked over to the USB and grabbed it.
"And what's plan B?" He questioned, his eyes following me.
I gazed at the USB in my hand for a few minutes before then handing it back to him.
I shrugged my shoulders, "I dunno yet."
~
We made our way back to the T.A.R.D.I.S., joining the boys along the way to initiate plan B..whatever it was. And I suddenly felt confident that we were gonna win this. In a brief, very very brief, second. I felt as if everything was gonna change for the better and there was hope.
With everyone joined together, we might actually pull this o- beeeeeeeeeeeeeeepppppppppppppp-
I jolted and swung around, fixing my attention on Harry, who skid to a stop and looked down at his pocket. He pulled out his phone, which I squinted at cuz phone, he and I glancing at one another before he put it upto his ear. "Hello?"
We both waited for a response..which he gave when his face crinkled. "Gwen?"
Gwen?! I snatched the phone from his grasp and swung around, "Gwen?! What's wrong?"
Her voice..it was panicked and sounded like she was almost crying. And hearing it disturbed me, filling me with alarming dread. "Sarah..thank God..I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!"
"What's happening?? What's wrong?" "They took him!!" "Took WHO?"
"Max, they took Max!" I froze. My heart fell. "WHAT?!"
"I just now found my phone and I've been trying to get ahold of-" I ran forward.
"When did this happen?!"
"I don't know, it was so long ago...they jumped me and Max and they locked me somewhere..I couldn't get out, I couldn't stop them..they just took him and threw my phone away so I couldn't call anyone..I'm just so sorry, Sarah, this is all my fault!"
"Gwen, calm down. Just tell me exactly what---"
I froze once more as I approached the T.A.R.D.I.S.. There, I edged closer and closer..as I read a piece of paper taped to the door...and my heart filled with sorrow. My voice cracked as I swallowed hard, "Gwen, this isn't your fault...this is on me...go to your place, stay there, and don't leave until I say." "What?! What are you gonna d-" I hung up.
I read the paper again before lashing out, crumbled the paper in my hand with a vicious rip and threw it to the ground as I stormed violently inside.
"Dear Miss Demens....we regret to inform you your beloved Max Dillon is dead...
At our request, your presence is required at the Oscorp Tower. See you soon, your majesty.
~ L"
--------
I stormed through the T.A.R.D.I.S., grabbing every piece of ammo I could visually find and stuffing it down my pockets, and I charged back through, zooming past the boys just as they came through the door and attempted to speak to me. Felicia ran to the doorway to follow, but I shot my finger back at her, "Don't you dare leave! Stay here!"
She sunk. Harry was left far away, Jim trying to distract him from looking the ship's way.
Once the two boys saw me coming, they turned to me and noticed my anger.
I looked to Harry as I passed him, "Go back to the ship, Harry. Where it's safe."
I didn't wait for a response, I simply expected him to listen and kept going.
Jim let out his hands in confusion, as if all the effort he put into distracting Harry was all for naught. Which it was.
"Demens, what's going on?!" Master exclaimed, trying to stop me from raging on for two seconds.
But I did not listen. I plowed right through, charging ahead.
"Demens! What are you--what happened?!"
"You can't stop me, so stop trying."
"*Beep* it, Demens, TELL US WHAT HAPPENED."
"It's MAX! They killed him! Understand?! I'm finishing this!"
"I admire your bloodthirsty intentions, Demens, but may I remind you last time you tangled with those two, they practically killed you??" "Last time I didn't have the incentive to obliterate them as I do now. I'm not playing with these two anymore..they crossed the line. They're dead!"
"What happened to second chances?"
I bit my tongue.
"It's only your wounded ego talking, Demens. This has nothing to do with Dillon. You don't understand what-" "No, YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!"
I swung around so sharply and so viciously, it made Master jump back and swallow hard.
"YOU don't understand how much you guys mean to me! ALL of you! Other people always root for the good guys, which is great and all, but they cheer for the death of the villains, and don't care for the rest of the characters, but I've never been like that! I love you all. It hurt watching any of you die. No matter how important or unimportant they made you out to be, you were all important to me. It's not wounded ego, Master, it's my overwhelming impulse to seize the chance to save you guys and I finally have that. I am doing EVERYTHING I can to protect, fighting as HARD as I can to protect you, and if I can't do that, I am useless! I hate that the Others has to be you guys. I do not have any desire to fight you--but so far, I have not been given any choice. Now, if I can't save you..the only thing I have left is to get payback. So please...allow me that, at least. If you won't support me, then stay out've my way."
I swung back around and charged forward once more. I kept walking, despite being the only one heading to face Loki and Livewire. But I still did so, knowing full well I would most likely be crushed..but I didn't care. I needed to at least try to stop them. Before they hurt anyone else.
I was a long distance away from Oscorp and my legs were already getting exhausted.
Still, I kept my eyes on the Tower, determined as ever to get revenge..
That's when I caught movement in the corner of my eyes and I looked, only to see the boys now walking by both my sides.
"Well, you're not doing it alone, you tiny idiot..don't care how tough you think you are."
I smirked, saying nothing, for nothing needed to be said.
We simply proceeded forward.
Together.
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