Mortality Chapter 10
#10 of Jason Wolfe: Mortality
Chapter 10: Walking Down Memory Lane
Day 20
Jason's mind was reeling.
He wasn't sure what to say.
Todd... was Kevin?
First of all...
If Todd was Kevin... the Kevin had screwed Jason's son...
Secondly...
"How can you be Kevin?" Jason asked, complete and utter disbelief in his voice. "Kevin was human!"
Todd coughed faintly. "Jason... Do you honestly think that I'd be welcome here in Enria if I walked around as me? I'd have supernatural conspiracy theorists chasing me down trying to figure out how I can be alive. I didn't have any superpowers, after all. If people thought I was back, they'd dissect me."
I suppose that's true...
Hell, I'd be the one with the scalpel...
"So how are you...?" Brett appraised Kevin shamelessly, even glancing around the bear's shoulders to that cute butt. "... all fuzzy and buff?"
Todd shook his head. "It was something I asked for... I wanted a new start... When R3 said that he was going to release all of his Advocates to do as they wished, I knew I just wanted to go back to Enria. I wanted to see the damage I had done... and make amends for it."
Sounds a lot like what Chris was hoping to do...
"I told R3 I wanted to see how things were from your eyes, Jason..." Kevin continued, looking up at Jason rather bashfully. "I guess that translated to a... 'jock'... So I told him I wanted a strong body... and one that was Animarian. I was given this body" - Kevin gestured at himself - "and enough money to buy my old summer home to make sure my mom was well off and I had a place to stay.
"R3 just made one condition if I came back here."
Jason leaned forward, glaring at Kevin. "And that was...?"
Kevin lowered his gaze sadly. "I was meant to protect Sam..."
"WHAT!?"
Outrage replaced the shock and confusion. Jason seized Kevin's collar, baring his fangs and slammed his former friend into the table he had used as a stage to deliver his speech. Kevin gasped as the wind was pushed out of his lungs. A dozen hands lashed out and grabbed Jason, trying to pull him off the prone, frightened bear.
"You were meant to protect him!?" Jason roared, slamming Kevin against the table again. "Where the hell were you when he got stabbed through the heart!? If you're an Advocate, why didn't you just throw yourself in harm's way instead of him!?"
Strong hands finally pulled him away from Kevin. Jason shrugged them off, growling fiercely at his former friend.
"I was with Chris..." Kevin choked, massaging his throat. "We were looking for you. After Chris gave your Zenith and Nadir, you were just gone. We panicked. I was meant to protect Sam and Chris - Legion - was meant to make you stronger. We looked everywhere for you. I tried to stop Sam from going to the Parade but he thought you had already gone ahead of them and were on your way. Then we discovered Dan was missing... and..." Kevin shook his head wildly. "... Everything just went to hell really quickly."
"We tried to get to the parade," Chris said, his voice heavy with regret. "However, I am a wanted man and security was tight... We didn't want to hurt anyone..."
_Not tight enough to stop the attack,_Jason thought bitterly.
"Weak," he growled.
It seemed that R3 had planned for this eventuality... Why else would he give Chris and Kevin such specific instructions? Not that Kevin succeeded in fulfilling his...
"Where the hell is R3 in all this?" Jason snarled, glancing around the room.
Families were bidding each other good luck or discussing who should fight and why. Wives were bidding their husbands goodbye. Parents pushed their children into the care of relatives. Young men and women stood proudly beside other soldiers as they cast one last glance at their loved ones.
A pang of guilt hit him as he realised he was asking these people to fight a losing battle...
... but it was for their home...
"We don't know where R3 is," Chris admitted with a shake of his head. "When he kicked out all his Advocates, he basically told us that we're on our own... We have our abilities and powers, yes, but we don't have the same degree of 'immortality' that we used to when we were connected to R3. If we die here, we die. We can't sense him anymore."
"Not that he couldn't shut off that ability if he wanted," Kevin supplied.
Somehow, the idea that these two could actually die eased the rage in Jason's heart. They had spent a lot of time trying to right the wrongs in this world and attempt to make it worth of existence in the eyes of the No Ones. They had partially succeeded... Jason had no doubt that if Chris and Kevin hadn't been here, all the No Ones would've attacked...
But I can't just forgive them for lying to me...
"Was it really their fault?"_Optimist asked. _"Every deserves their own happy endings, right? Chris obviously wants to be with Dan again and even Kevin wants to make amends for what he brought upon Enria."
"You think the two people whose actions caused the most suffering in Jason's life deserve happiness?"_Pessimist scoffed loudly. _"Kevin was the one that started the whole Descent_thing. Because of his 'daddy-issues', he not only wrecked all of Enria but basically gave the Malefactors a foundation to spread themselves. Then, because of that, Chris went nuts!"_
Horndog tapped Jason shoulder tenderly. "They're mortal too, Jason. They've made mistakes. All you can really do is move on. It's what Sam would've wanted."
Jason glanced at the hormonal side of him and wondered why that, of all parts of him, was speaking sense.
"They're all parts of you, Jason,"_Reason told him. _"It's not that they're different entities anymore. You solve that a while ago. These are just your thoughts. It's just easier for you to visualise them this way."
Right... I guess that makes sense...
He glanced over and Kevin who was watching the crowd with a look of remorse in his eyes. Those eyes... The same eyes his best friend possessed. Now that he thought about it, Jason wondered how he couldn't have seen that Todd was in fact Kevin... They kind of looked the same... Same eye and hair colour... And when Jason squinted, he almost saw a shadow of his friend in those ursine features.
What should I do?
"What does your heart tell you?"
Jason closed his eyes and dug deep... searching for the part of him that held the most weight... his heart. He reached up towards his chest and felt something dangling against his thick pectorals. It felt familiar... Looking towards his shirt, tugged at the golden chain that hung around his neck. Chronicle was back around his neck...
Sam...
"You wanna know what I think?"
Jason was surprised to see a life-sized version of Sam standing a few feet away, smiling broadly with a faint golden halo around him.
"Sam..." he whispered, a tear welling up in his eyes.
"It doesn't matter what people did,"_Sam said, _"all that matters is what they're going to do. All mortals make mistakes. They walk through doors that they later regret. It's impossible to walk back through that door and pretend you never opened it in the first place. Opening those doors takes its toll because our path is marred by regret. Our hands get heavy and each step becomes harder than the last.
"But, when there are others around you to help open future doors and hold you up, it becomes a lot easier."
Jason remembered R3's words... about how some doors could only be opened with the help of others. Those doors weren't just the ones that pushed a person forward... but also the doors that had been missed. It was possible to go back and open doors that had been passed... especially with the help of others.
Jason turned back towards Kevin. "So what're you going to do now?" he demanded.
Kevin's gaze flicked back towards him, fierce and determined. "I'm going to help secure this world. This is my home too, Jason. I know I nearly ruined it... I know I was confused by fear of failing my father... but I'm going to stand on my own two feet now. I'm going to write my story and it takes me here!"
Turning his gaze towards Chris, he said, "And you'll help us too?"
"My happy ending ties with Dan," Legion responded. "If he stays here, so will I. I'll go where ever he goes."
_"The paperwork for the transfer will be a nightmare,"_Reason sighed.
"Our time is limited," T13 advised. "We are concentrating our efforts to hold back the other No Ones. You must hurry and rescue F6."
Jason nodded securely. "Alright... Chris, Kevin, take me to where Dan is being kept. Brett, keep the mansion safe."
"Whoa!" Brett cried, grabbing his arm securely. "Jason, no offence, but you're not even armed! You don't have Genesis anymore, remember?"
His eyes flicked towards Chris. "I think I have an alternative... But we have to get them first..."
****
Day 21
Newroads was basically in total ruin.
It was frightful to know that what took billions of years to form could be so easily wiped out in a little over a day. When the clouds parted long enough for Jason to see the night sky, he would see a world absent of many stars. Entire constellations were vanishing before his very eyes.
"How long will it take for the No Ones to obliterate the entire reality?" he asked.
"Ordinarily," T13 answered as they hurried through the ruined suburbs,"if there is a consensus and the Apocalypse Protocol is called correctly, it would be instantaneous. The combined powers of twelve of the active No Ones is enough to wipe out an entire reality. R3 can simply burn the book he holds and it is enough to obliterate a reality. However, none of us are allowed into R3's Library unless he allows us.
"Thankfully, the doors remain closed."
Jason gulped loudly as the passed Newroads High School... His entire childhood seemed to have been turned into rubble. The familiar buildings were shattered, broken in so many places and with black, acrid smoke rising from the ruins. Lava was pouring out from massive wells in the ground while rends in space crackled with dark energies and shattered more and more of the place where he had spent so much of his life.
"As it stands, it depends on two factors,"_T13 continued, flanked by Kevin and Chris. _"Each of the No Ones can use their powers to destroy the reality individually. However, should D8's weapon, Devastation,fire, the reality will instantly end."
"I'm still knew to this Advocate thing," Kevin said, stopping in front of a pile of ash that used to be a large park. "What's Devastation?"
"The enormous castle D8 is housed in,"_T13 answered. _"Each No One has their own method to obliterate a reality. Mine is my Doomsday Clock. When the hands of the clock reach twelve, the reality ends."
They headed down Jason's street and there was a pang of pain and regret as Jason remembered that walk he had from the movies with Connor... When everything seemed to open up for him... His sexuality... His world...
"If you're so set on destroying a reality, why wait?" Chris asked.
"Because I understand that time can be changed. While I may foresee the end of a reality, it may not be the absolute truth. I give the reality an opportunity to prove even me wrong. Sometimes, their effort is enough to sway me. However, Devastation_is far more crude..._
"If it were not for A11 holding it back, the castle would have fired its main cannon and ripped this entire reality apart. D8 shows no mercy to the realities he wishes obliterated. Should A11 falter, we have perhaps a few moments before D8 unleashes his might upon the reality. I can, of course, stop time to prevent that should the need arise.
"That is our plan..."
Jason gulped loudly. "You mean you'll stop D8's attack in time?"
"Yes,"_T13 answered grimly. _"Naturally, I will become the next target but I have my own tricks. To avoid capture that even D8 may not expect. Perhaps S-Zero but it will take them a while yet."
A strange sensation entered Jason... Gratitude... He knew T13 couldn't die... but it sounded as if T13 was effectively laying his life down on the line for them. None of the No Ones could ever be truly defeated and that was why the No Ones on Jason's side were simply trying to stall their counterparts until some form of relief occurred.
Jason wondered what he could do to stop D8...
... but he hoped that if he could at least get to the No One, he could appeal to the guy...
It was a faint hope... But hope nonetheless...
They arrived at Jason's home... finding it surprisingly untouched by the ravages of the war around them. A little haven amidst all the destruction... It tore at his heart that the house was almost complete... Just a little bit more time and Dan wouldn't united the two homes perfectly. A bridge between his past and his future...
A past with Dan... and the future that would have been with his family...
But now that was impossible.
It would forever remain unbuilt.
... and inside... was the key to him rising up and defending his world.
Jason hesitated at the doorstep...
It occurred to him that this might be the last time he step through this door... Once he stepped back out into the world, it would be as a defender of Enria...There was a distinct possibility that he might not be coming back.
How he wished that he could share the experience with Sam, Brett and Dan...
With palm shaking, he opened the door and stepped through into the entrance hallway. The familiar surroundings filled him with both joy and sadness. Ghostly images danced before him as he recalled the first time he stepped onto the same wooden floorboards. Sam instantly bolted up the stairs and claimed his room while Brett chuckled and parked himself in front of the television to catch the game. Then there was their first dinner under the same roof... Dan had come in to spend the night with them.
He crossed the lounge and remembered their game nights... Brett always won which frustrated Jason to no end but seeing Sam just enjoying the game always eased those frustrations. Their dinner with Le'Tombe, Townes and Norwood filled his vision as he passed the dining room.
It was impossible to have a memory without Sam...
And he realised just how much he missed his son.
Wherever you are, Sam...
... I'm glad you're not here fighting for a world that killed you.
Every step he took up the stairs filled Jason with more and more pain... It didn't get any easier as he dragged himself up to take up the swords that R3 had given him... Despite his speech... he was finding it difficult to find the power to fight. It wasn't that he didn't have the determination... He wanted to fight... but what good with two swords - even if they were made by R3 - do him?
Was he really strong enough to combat the No Ones?
He opened the door to the master bedroom with T13 and the others flanking him.
His heart froze.
"Hi there, Jason," S-Zero the Saviour of Space said, standing casually on the open balcony.
"S-Zero!?"_T13 exclaimed, pushing past Jason and standing defensively over the rest of them. _"What are you doing here!?"
The No One of Space scoffed loudly. "For someone who is supposedly 'omniscient', you can't get it around your head that I'm omnipresent. I control Space, T13. I can be anywhere I want. You think I hid in that asteroid belt for nothing?"
S-Zero made a slashing gesture with his right hand and his billowing, black cloak wrapped around his arm in a coiling wrap of cloth. As the cloak pulled free, S-Zero's huge, crystal sword - Infinity - was revealed. T13 mirrored the gesture, lashing out with his left hand and a golden blade - Eternity - appearing, miniscule next to S-Zero's weapon.
"What do you hope to accomplish, S-Zero?" T13 snarled. "Do you intend to kill Jason?"
The Saviour of Space threw his hidden head back. "Don't be silly, T13. The last thing I want to do is kill Jason or Brett. I like them too much. They're family. Robin and Warren too in essence. But I've lost track of one of the beings that has the power to ravage this reality. It's obvious that it was here on Enria. All I have to do is turn every rock and find it before this attack drives it into insanity."
Jason swallowed loudly as he hesitantly turned his eyes away from S-Zero's sky-blue eyes towards the metal crate resting beneath his bed that Chris had brought to him earlier.
He wondered if S-Zero had seen it... but then remembered that S-Zero was here because he was after 'three inter-dimensional beings'.
That's right...
S-Zero is only attacking because of those three...
"Wait!" he exclaimed, turning around and pulling Chris and Kevin in front of him. "Here are two of the guys you're looking for! They're R3's Advocates!"
S-Zero appeared shocked though it was hard to see from his hidden features. "Wow... That's pretty cool. I heard rumours that R3 released his Advocates... But this is something else... You do realise you two don't belong to Enria anymore, right?"
"This is our home!" Kevin snapped.
"We would die defending it!" Chris chimed in.
"Unfortunately, you just might," S-Zero said with deep regret. "You two were touched by the No Ones. You have power beyond this world's understanding. If you come back here wielding that power, what do you think will happen?"
Something seemed wrong...
If... If Advocates were never allowed to return to their home realities...
"How are they supposed to help if they're not allowed to return?" Jason asked.
S-Zero sighed and shook his head but it was T13 who answered.
"Being an Advocate is not about fighting alongside the No Ones. We No Ones are fully capable of taking care of ourselves. We really don't need Advocates. However, sometimes there are people who complete their stories in their own realities but cannot find happiness. They become eternal wanderers. We No Ones offer them the rank of an Advocate so that they can find_their happiness in other realities._
"We send them to fight in other realities so that they can find the world where they belong. All Advocates are people whose stories revolve around another person that has gone beyond their reach. By sending them into those other realities, we hope they will find their partner and forge their stories together in happiness, taking their realities from us once and for all."
Looking at Chris, Jason realised that was true... Chris' story revolved entirely around Dan... It was a reason he couldn't just find happiness after he was offered his own story by R3. He needed Dan... Jason wondered who Kevin was looking for...
Both Chris and Kevin looked a little shocked at this... but that shock quickly ended as they seemed to look deep into themselves and realise it was true...
"Sometimes, it's as simple as a waiting game..." S-Zero said. "Sometimes, an Advocate's loved one continues to exist in their home reality. That Advocate can return home if they want and guide their loved one to them. Other times, it's more complex and it involves more than one person. Seeing that the two of you" - S-Zero pointed his sword at Chris and Kevin - "are here for reasons to protect this reality, I will admit that I cannot destroy this reality based solely on your actions.
"However there is still another... Someone I must find or this reality is put at risk."
"Couldn't you just look without destroying everything!?" Jason demanded.
S-Zero shook his head sadly. "You misunderstand, Jason... This being isn't something I'm just going to find and bring back with me. I have to destroy it. It's an incomplete creature. A being that isn't a complete mortal, if that's at all possible. It is an undefined being that has warped Time and Space by its mere existence. It unbalances this world.
"Because of that unbalance, I have deemed that this reality has become far too warped to continue its existence. If this unbalance continues, everything within this reality's boundaries will be twisted and warped beyond recognition. Suffering will be of epic proportions. I have to destroy this reality as an act of mercy.
"Better to restart from scratch than let everyone die and then plant the new seeds."
Jason couldn't understand... There was someone among them that was twisting the world to the point where its continued existence would damn them all? And S-Zero was destroying Enria as an act of mercy? To keep people from suffering?
_"No one ever said the No Ones thought on the same level as us,"_Reason said with a shrug.
"Regardless,"_T13 said, crossing his sword against S-Zero's, _"I cannot let you continue. Yes, I foresee this world's destruction but I firmly believe that it can be averted! Hope shines in the hearts of these mortals and hope alone can change the hands of time!"
"Time isn't the only thing that matters in existence, T13," S-Zero countered. He lowered his sword. "But... I came here for two reasons. The first was because I sensed two of the inter-dimensional beings. Knowing who they are now, I guess almost everything is okay. The second..." S-Zero lifted his free hand towards Jason. "... is to offer Jason escape."
That took Jason by surprise to the point where he actually staggered back in surprise.
"What!?"
"You, Brett, Robin and even Warren have suffered enough. You've been the centre of our attention for a while now and also of the attention of this world's evils. You deserve rest and reprieve. I am offering you escape from all this. Just take my hand and I'll take you all away from this. You will have your own reality to forge as you will. Should you decide to fight for the No Ones, you will become Advocates under the No One you wish to serve. Conversely, it might be possible you could be No Ones yourself..."
Jason's response was instantaneous.
"No!" he cried, clenching his fists. "How can I fight for people who judge without knowing!? I'd gladly fight for T13 or the others but not you or any of D8's lackeys! You're all just destroying because of what you see on the surface! You're judging on one event and not on the past or the future!"
S-Zero balked and staggered. "Jason... This reality is a threat to itself... It has to be cleansed..."
"I'd rather live in filth than rule blind!"
The No One's eyes narrowed.
_"Not the best thing to do... Insulting a No One,"_Reason murmured.
"Fine," S-Zero snarled, taking a step back and leaping onto the railings of the balcony. "You've made your decision. Live by it as all mortals should!"
S-Zero lifted his blade -
T13 vanished in a golden flash and reappeared in front of S-Zero, their blades clashing with a might blast of pure energy. Jason threw himself at the ground as Kevin was struck on the chest by a powerful bolt of lightning and hurled through all the walls and erupting into the street! Chris dove for the bed, pulling the case from beneath the bed and shoving it towards Jason.
"Get the swords!" Chris shouted. "Kevin and I will distract S-Zero!"
"Be careful!" Jason shouted, scrambling for the case.
T13 and S-Zero suddenly took their battle into the air. Countless, thunderous booms filled the air and shook the house. The clangs of their blades rang out amidst the shockwaves. Chris scrambled to his feet, spreading his metallic wings and swooping outside. Jason saw a streak of green fire and guessed that was Kevin.
He turned his attention back towards the case in front of him and flicked it open.
There lay the two swords...
Zenith_and _Nadir.
Jason gripped the sword hilts -
Sssssshhhh!
"Yeow!"
He pulled back, his palms ringing with pain as faint smoke drifted up from where they had wrapped around the swords' hilts.
What the...?
They won't let me hold them...?
BOOOOOM!
Another shockwave hit the house, tearing the roof clean off the structure. Jason glanced up into the sky.
Chris flicked out his multiple guns, combining them all into a large, circular cannon. Legion pulled the trigger and a huge beam of pure, red light erupted from the laser cannon's barrel. S-Zero slashed at the air in front of him, the beam sliding into the rip he made and cutting through space just a few feet beside him, striking Kevin's chest and sending the bear crashing to the ground.
"Hands of Time!"
Huge_clock hands the side of the street sprang from the air, slicing in all directions and crashing into S-Zero, sending the No One crashing to the ground. S-Zero sprang to his feet deftly and his black cloak swerved around him, transforming into an enormous, reptilian head with horns. Jason felt fear grip his heart as he saw the _huge dragon's head take a bite right out of a block of houses only to spit them back at T13.
The No One of Time merely waved at the hurtling debris, freezing them in time and teleporting in a flash of golden light to clash blades once more with S-Zero
BOOOOM!
Crescent-shaped blades of energy swung out in all directions as the two No Ones clashed on the ground.
"Yikes!" Jason cried, grabbing the case as a beam sliced right through the house mere inches from his left foot.
A torrent of green flames shot out from nowhere, enveloping S-Zero. Kevin charged forward, the flames shooting from his palms. Those same flames enveloped him, turning him into a burning ball of fur and fire. He crash tackled the burning S-Zero but the No One seemed unfazed by the flames. The No One of Space vanished in a burst of darkness, taking Kevin with him.
A second later, they reappeared above the battlefield, Kevin hurtling towards the ground with countless injuries all over his body.
"Kevin!" Chris shouted, leaping towards him.
S-Zero lifted his sword. "Titan's Blade!"
_Infinity_grew to a frightening length, reaching from one end of the street to the other. The sword came crashing down upon Chris and Kevin -
CLANG!
The miniscule Eternity somehow managed to hold back the enormous Infinity, T13 hovering right in front of Kevin just as Chris came swooping in and rescued the ursine. T13 pointed at Kevin and all the ursine's injuries instantly vanished in a flash of golden light.
Got to get these swords!
Jason turned his attention back towards the blades, puzzled why they wouldn't let him hold them!
They did before...
Wait... What was different before...?
Jason had held Zenith and Nadir in two different occasions... well... Not really
The first was when Jason was fighting Chris and at that point, R3 had been there. R3 had sent the two swords to combine with Genesis. The second was when Chris offered them to him... When he touched them, he was consumed by a brilliant light and spoke with R3...
So really... He had never held them before...
BOOOM!
The battle took a new turn.
Suddenly, there were hundreds of T13s swooping down on S-Zero. The No One of Space, however, was more than capable of handling himself, teleporting constantly and avoiding the T13s attacks. Amongst all the fighting, Kevin and Chris joined the battle, sending beams of light, flashing swords and green flames at S-Zero.
Screw this...
The important thing is I have the swords.
Jason shut the case and hurried out of the house, leaping off the balcony and landing securely on his feet. He charged down the street, waving desperately at the others to signal them that he had the blades.
Countless T13s converged upon S-Zero, completely enveloping him.
For a second, Jason thought that meant it was the end...
... of course it wasn't...
BOOOOOOOOOM!
A titanic roar threw back all the T13s as a huge dragon unfurled its six, webbed wings and soared into the sky. The creature had to be at least ten buses long and appeared like one of those mythological dragons. A quadruped with a long, serpentine neck, massive hindquarters capable of launching it into the air and a long, deadly tail. Its scales were inky black making a stark contrast of its sky-blue eyes.
The dragon threw back its head, opening its jaw wide. A sphere of dark energies appeared above its maw and he hurled the ball straight into a band of T13s. The sphere exploded, growing into a huge ball of intense gravitational forces that crushed the T13s into oblivion.
Whoa!? What the hell!?
S-Zero is a dragon!?
"Crap!" Kevin swore, staggered beside Jason. "I never knew he was a goddamn dragon!"
"This'd be news to me too..." Chris murmured.
"S-Zero is a Dimensional Dragon,"_T13 explained, hovering behind Jason. _"The last Dimensional Dragon to be exact. His reality was a universe that encompassed other realities. Dragons were capable of shifting from one plane of existence to another. However, as the age of man came, dragons were constantly hunted and eventually, his race was driven to near extinction.
"There was an enormous war where the last dragons attempted to breed with humans to create a sub-dragon species. Eventually, that species remain and made peace with the humans. The great dragons like S-Zero were treated as gods but S-Zero refused to play with people's lives like that and exiled himself from that existence.
"He met R3 on his travels and they exchanged stories. Another war erupted when a corrupt great dragon attempted to conquer all mortals and S-Zero returned to save them with R3 riding on his back. They became dragon and dragonrider. That legend continues in their reality to this day but thanks to S-Zero's merit of understanding people's right to their own realities, R3 made him a No One."
Countless other T13 swooped in on the draconic S-Zero, slashing at it with their copies of Eternity. S-Zero eradicated them with blast of energy from his maw and swipes from its crystal-covered claws.
"We best leave,"_T13 advised. _"My copies will not be able to hold him off for long."
"Wait," Jason said, setting down the case. "I can't hold the swords!"
...
There was a pause that was broken only by S-Zero's roars.
"I was just meant to give you those swords..." Chris murmured, worry on his face. "Maybe you're not meant to hold them... What if... What if someone else was?"
"Like who?" Kevin demanded. "If not Jason, who?"
Jason's heart began to plummet.
Zenith_and _Nadir... swords that represented Light and Darkness...
When Light and Darkness met... they made colour...
There was only one person he knew who was pure colour...
... and he died.
"Now is not the time to ponder that,"_T13 urged."We must -"_ Suddenly, the No One glanced upwards. "DOWN!"
Jason spun in the direction T13 was looking... and saw a titanic globe of dark energies swooping towards him.
"Oh -"
*****
"Something the matter?"
Jason blinked...
He was standing on a beach... His shoes were getting soaked by the lapping waves. The sun was setting not too far away, playing beautiful reds, sparkling oranges and shimmering yellows against the ocean. To his right was nothing but the golden sands... and to his left was a distant city that he barely recognised... As he turned around, he was surprised to see the world abruptly end.
The beach just... ended in endless white.
He turned back around and saw R3 was sitting on the beach, writing something in the book he held. It was a familiar book... a black, unmarked book...
Legacy...
Jason's reality...
Again, R3 was wearing Sam's face.
"I can't hold Zenith and Nadir," Jason said.
"Is it important if you do?" R3 asked.
"Yeah it is! I have to use them to save the world!"
"What if they don't want you to?"
He didn't get it.
"What?"
R3 chuckled and shut the book in his hands. "Jason, do you remember what form my Advocates take when they fight beside me?"
Jason recalled those instances when R3 did call his Advocates... One Advocate was a beautiful, metallic angel that sprang from a blood-red blade with a silver edge... the other was a tremendous, serpentine dragon with an icy breath that erupted from a spear...
Then it hit him.
"They're weapons..." he gasped.
"Right," R3 chuckled. "Zenith and Nadir are the same. You have to convince them that you're worth of holding them, of forging the future you want to use them for. Wanting isn't enough."
"How am I supposed to do that!?" Jason demanded, impatience rising up in him.
R3 shrugged. "I can't live your life for you, Jason. You have to come to that decision by yourself."
That just irked him.
"You could be destroyed if I don't make the right choice!? Aren't you worried!?"
R3 closed his alien eyes. "Of course I am. But I have faith in you. If there was anyone's hands I'd put my faith in, it would be you. It's why I'm building this place for you."
Jason glanced around the incomplete beach. "What is this place...? It seems familiar..."
"It should. It's Newroads Beach. At least a replica of it. It's where you got that life-changing advice from Sam."
It was true... Except Jason had been sitting on the low wall that separated the beach from the street... There would have been a cafe on the other side of the street... a cafe where Sam worked. His throat closed up and he choked a little.
The memories still hurt.
He realised something...
Even R3 was holding onto a scant hope.
Here was the Writer of Reality, building Jason's reality for him... While the risk of him being destroyed was high, he was still hoping against hope... building a future for Jason...
An image of the future came to him...
He remembered what Advocates were tasked with... Eventually, all Advocates would find the people they were destined to be with and once they were satisfied, they would retire from being Advocates and take their realities. Sam... Sam was dead... But Jason knew that he couldn't be happy without his son. He had Brett and Dan but he needed Sam to complete his story and find happiness...
R3 was keeping this reality safe for him...
... for the eventuality that he'd take back Legacy and find happiness...
A stroke of inspiration hit him.
"I think I know how to get Zenith and Nadir to trust me."
R3 smiled and hiked a thumb over his shoulder. "Great. There's the door."
Jason turned.
His door stood at the edge of the beach.
*****
Jason gasped and sat up.
He was lying in a crater, the heavy metal crate containing Zenith and Nadir resting painfully against his chest. Groaning, he pushed it off him and took in his surroundings.
I'm getting knocked out a lot these days...
The crater wasn't that big... Chris and Kevin lay unconscious a few feet away.
... and above them hovered T13 and the massive, draconic S-Zero.
At first, Jason panicked and wanted to run for his life... but then he realised that neither of the two No Ones were moving. Both of them were encased in a cocoon on dark energies that was encircled by bright, golden runes. T13 was a few inches away from being chomped in half by S-Zero's might jaws but he was holding out a single hand against the dragon's muzzle, Eternity in one hand.
What...?
He recalled what T13 had planned with D8...
T13 would have stopped time if it came to the point where D8 fired Devastation...
And here he was... The No One of Time clashing with the No One of Space...
Time had frozen for the both of them.
T13 had effectively neutralised both himself and S-Zero at the same time by freezing them in the same instant.
Jason winced... He wondered if they would ever break free... And it filled him with dread that now one of their allies was down for the count. Still, that was also one opposing No One taken down and a powerful one at that.
Okay...
Focus.
He pushed himself to his feet, wincing at the pain that shot up his legs. His regeneration quickly kicked in, easing the pain. Moving towards both Chris and Kevin he shook them awake.
Chris was first to wake, black eyes fluttered open and widened at the hovering statues of both S-Zero and T13.
"Damn..."
"I know," Jason murmured grimly. "But we gotta keep moving. We can't let T13's sacrifice go in vain."
Kevin grimaced, staring at the two forever locked in eternal combat. "God... Wish T13 could've stuck around... We need him as a backup plan against D8..."
"As long as A11 holds, we'll be fine." Jason turned back towards Chris, picking up the sword case. "Come on, I need you to lead me to where Dan was being kept."
The docks was apparently where Dan was being held prisoner.
Travelling there on foot with the war raging on was suicide. Thankfully, both Kevin and Chris possessed the power of flight and were able to carry Jason over the chaos to their destination. The trip also gave Jason the opportunity to survey the damage done to Newroads.
It hurt so much knowing that his hometown was nothing more than rubble...
Ear-splitting booms still echoed across the vast landscape, forcing them all to fly low to avoid detection.
Interestingly, when they landed, Jason recognised their destination.
"This place!?" he exclaimed.
It was the same warehouse where Jason, Warren and Brett had been caught literally with their pants down. A warehouse that had stored Descent-Tech and which the Malefactor Sloth had used as a base of operations to corrupt the population of Enria.
"I know," Chris murmured, "I find it ironic..."
Everything is coming back full-circle...
People from his past were coming back... Returning to lend aid and rise to stop the war that would end all existence on Enria... He wondered who he'd meet on the other side of the big, dark warehouse's doors... He thought about all the supervillains he had fought... and shivered at the thought that he might have to fight them again...
At the same time, primal rage built up inside him as he considered that these people had killed his son...
... he wanted some payback...
... but then again... not really...
"Let's go," he announced, storming forward.
"Whoa! Through the front door!?" Kevin exclaimed.
"This isn't the time to be sneaky."
Jason grabbed pushed open the personnel entrance and stepped into the deep, dark warehouse. As if on cue, the instant he stepped in a spotlight flicked on. The light descended right upon Dan who lay tied down to a chair, completely unconscious.
"Dad!"
He charged forward, ignoring all the warning alarms blaring in his head. Chris and Kevin flanked him as he knelt in front of his father and checked for injuries. There didn't seem to be any.
"Dad! Wake up! Dad!" He gave Dan a short slap on the cheek and his father's eyes fluttered open.
"Huh... Whu...?"
"Dad!" Jason threw his arms around his father, holding him tightly. Relief washed over him knowing that at least Dan was still safe.
After losing Sam, he was going to cherish every moment he had with his loved ones and never take them for granted ever again.
"Jason...?" Dan murmured. "What happened? I remember... I remember going out for the paper and then... Nothing..." His father's eyes widened. "Chris!?"
"Hey, hun," Chris replied with a faint smile.
More lights suddenly flickered on around the building. Loud clicks filled their ears, familiar sounds associated with guns being loaded.
Slowly, Jason looked up and noticed that they were surrounded... Of course they were surrounded.
The entire warehouse had been cleaned out. They stood in the flat confines of the building encircled by countless supervillains that he recognised as well as some common thugs wielding crude weaponry and all sorts of armaments.
Great... here we go...
Jason had been expecting a fight. With Dan awake, he knew that they'd have a bit of an advantage. Kevin and Chris were here too but he wasn't sure if they could go up against what had to be at least two hundred hostiles. Was the power of a No One trapped in an Avatar, two Advocates and an ex-superhero enough to beat them all?
For some reason, Jason had this flashing image of a 'Find Out Next Time!' announcement in his head...
"How touching..."
A man stepped out from the circle of hostiles... A man he sort of recognised. If the guy put on a few pounds, looked more rounded and pudgy, he wouldn't looked like Maximillian Devries, the notorious crime boss that had been the host of the Malefactor, Gluttony. But this man was younger, fitter and looked a lot more intimidating.
Same black hair and black eyes though.
"Don't think we've met," Jason growled.
"We haven't," the man said, bowing towards them, his pristine, pinstriped suit bending behind barely concealed muscles. "My name is Alexander Devries. I am the son of Maximillian Devries."
Uh-oh...
Suddenly... This became more than just a simple revenge hit against a retired superhero.
It was a revenge hit for having killing this Alexander's father.
"Umm... Just so you know, I didn't technically kill your dad..." Jason began.
"That is not the reason you are here," Devries said, a smile crossed his features. That smile sent chills down Jason's spine.
"Let me guess," Chris snarled. "We're here to die, right?"
That caused a bit of laughter from the crowd.
"On the contrary," Alexander answered, silencing the crowd instantly. "You're here to make a deal."
A deal...?
"The forces attacking Enria are nothing like we've seen before," Devries said in slow, even tones. "I have the eerie feeling that it was our attack on your person that started this... How correct am I?"
"Dead on," Jason growled.
"Then I cannot help but feel responsible for the impending doom of our world." Devries bowed. "However... I do not wish to die this day. Nor do any of my colleagues. As much as many of them - myself included - would love to see you burn in the fires of hell... We would prefer to be living and laughing at you while you do so."
Jason prayed that his plan to use Zenith and Nadir would come to fruition...
If they didn't...
... they might be screwed.
Please let this work...
"So you're going to kill us before you're killed yourself?" Kevin sneered. "Classic."
"Please try not to think of this as a stereotypical assault," Devries said tiredly. "If you are so eager to die, then we are willing to accommodate you. However, if we kill you, we abandon all hope of stopping this assault and living to rule another day."
...
Wait... What?
A whole mess of questions were suddenly flying in Jason's brain...
He processed Devries' words one by one...
... and a conclusion slowly drew on him...
"We wish to make an alliance, temporary as it is."
Jason was dumbstruck... He had thought that was what Devries was thinking... but he couldn't have prepared for it if he had a million years...
"Wait... Are you telling me that you forgive me for sorta killing your dad?" Jason asked.
He instantly regretted those words.
Reason slapped his own forehead. "Why would you bring up the one reason he has for hating you when he's offering to make peace?"
"No," Devries answered, absently regarding his nails. "I still wish you dead for that. However, I also recognise that it is impossible to ensure the survival of this world if we do not work together. I saw how easily those creatures obliterated Warhorse and several other superheroes. What chance do we stand when those same superheroes defeated us?
"Perhaps together, we may foster hope, however. Though have no delusions, Jason Wolfe. When this is all over, I will personally put the bullet through your head."
Jason suddenly felt disgusted... Not at Devries... but at himself.
They were very much the same.
Both of them hated the other over the death of a family member.
Jason had led Devries' father to death... while Sam's blood was on Devries' hands...
Devries still harboured that hatred... and so did Jason...
And that was what disgusted him...
I'm nothing like that bastard...
I don't want to be anything like him...
It was hard... but Jason knew he had to let go... If not for him... then for Sam's sake. His son wouldn't want him turning into a vengeful demon like Devries who took a life to appease some sick sense of 'equality'.
"Fine," Jason responded softly. "How do I know you won't backstab us, though?"
"You don't," Devries chuckled with a smirk. "However, what could we possibly gain if the world is destroyed taking us with it?"
That was hardly encouraging... It was pretty much like trusting an arsonist with a gas tank and a match. However, when that arsonist was looking towards their enemies... it might not be so bad... There was some part of Jason that hoped a lot more villains would end up dying in the process but he knew he'd regret the loss of life...
Every life was precious... good or bad...
Dan laughed. "So let me get this straight. You're allying with us because if they destroy the world, you can't?"
"Essentially... yes."
That's some pretty twisted logic...
... but I guess it betters our chances of winning...
"What do you think?" Jason asked, turning to Chris.
"Trusting them is a mistake," Chris whispered. "But using them is an excellent idea."
"Maybe as cannon fodder," sniggered Kevin.
"Dad?"
Dan nodded grimly. "I may have been out, Jason, but I've sensed the No Ones here... I need to be filled in on what's happening but I can tell you now, none of you will stand a chance against them. But if we team up... We might just be able to last long enough to plan an escape or something..."
Jason turned back to Devries and stepped out towards the man. "Alright... You have a deal."
Devries smirked and held out his hand. "I'm glad we could come to an agreement. I knew you were a reasonable man, Jason Wolfe."
A chilling voice cut through their conversation.
"He may be reasonable. But you certainly are not, Alexander Devries."
All eyes flicked towards the ceiling directly above Jason.
A long, silvery serpent carrying a mirror descended slowly towards them.
A No One...
K12 the Karmic.