Mortality Chapter 11
#11 of Jason Wolfe: Mortality
Chapter 11: Convergence of Destiny
Day 20
Panic mode.
K12 the Karmic... another No One...
Jason felt fear grip his heart. It was like every time something good happened, the world seemed to twist the situation into something terrible. Just when hope was starting to shine through the gloom, someone turned out the lights while laughing manically.
"It's one of those bastards!" a villain shouted, cracking his knuckles ominously. "Now's our chance! Get her!"
"No!" Jason cried but it was far too late.
Countless supervillains unleashed their various abilities upon the No One. Flares of fire, surges of lightning, shards of ice and all forms of dark energies flung at silvery snake hovering in midair. K12 merely slipped her mirror in front of her. Regardless of the direction of the powers, they all slipped into the reflective surface of the mirror, vanishing into the silvery sheen without so much a single explosion or sizzle.
A villain or two lunged at K12, leaping into the air and baring their fangs to use their physical might against the No One. The instant their fists or bodies slammed into K12's silvery body, a loud, gong-like sound echoed across the warehouse. The assailants were hurled back, slamming into their comrades without a scratch on K12's perfect, silvery flesh.
Kevin and Chris were getting ready to fight. Remembering how much help they had been with T13 faced against S-Zero, Jason knew the best option was to retreat... But where could they retreat to when a No One was chasing them?
"Jason!" Dan cried over the chaos.
BOOOM!
K12 merely faced her mirror towards the crowd of villains. An amalgamation of all those powers that she had absorbed surged out from the reflective surface, pouring out in a deadly torrent of sheer power that washed over the villains. Those too slow to move were simply disintegrated, vanishing into the surging lights. Others ducked for cover but with the warehouse practically empty, there was nowhere to hide.
Jason noted that Alexander Devries - the coward that he was - scrambled for the exit.
Chris spread his metallic wings and leapt into the air, throwing his multiple blades at K12 while Kevin erupted in a burst of green flames and threw himself at the No One. Both were easily knocked back upon contact with K12's mirror-like scales.
Great... There goes my support...
"Untie me, Jason!" Dan shouted, struggling against the ropes the steel chains that bound him down. "Aw, screw it!" The chains instantly melted into water and Dan leapt to his feet, seizing the chair he had been bound to. The wooden frame shifted to take on a metallic sheen, shrinking to a distinctive serrate edge...
An edge that Dan pointed at his own chest -
"DAD!"
Jason lunged at his father, knocking the dagger away and sending skittering across the scorched floor.
"This is the only way!" Dan exclaimed. "I know what's going on! I have to even the odds!"
A part of Jason realised that was horribly true. If Dan reassumed his form as F6, he would of course even out the balance of power. Perhaps even end the Apocalypse Protocol. If a stalemate was forced, then the Protocol couldn't be justified. But...
There were the conditions of R3's deal with Dan...
Dan could only have one lifetime with Jason... and after that, he couldn't even make Jason his Advocate.
One lifetime...
Should Dan sacrifice himself to become F6 again... that would a very short lifetime...
Their unfinished house suddenly seemed so much more symbolic...
NO!
"There's got to be another way, dad!" he cried. "It's not that bad! T13 has already neutralised S-Zero! If we stop K12 here, we'll be even!"
"A dangerous assumption," K12 warned, sliding down to ground level just a few feet from them.
Everyone around them lay either injured, dead, scared or simply wipe from existence. Chris and Kevin were the only ones remaining standing, their injuring from S-Zero's assault wearing them down. They scrambled in front of Jason and Dan, protecting them with their bodies and little else.
"I5 was meant to be keeping you busy..." Jason whispered.
K12's features were impossible to make out. No matter how much Jason tried to look at her face, he always found his attention drifting away. It was simply impossible to see hear features. Despite that, her snort chuckle told him she was smirking.
"I5 is currently attempting to navigate a reflection of her own existence," K12 answered, lifting her mirror and showing it to them. Reflected on the surface was the ethereal I5, a beautiful, stunning woman who looked like she was made of gaseous, white cloth with a flat, featureless mask placed on her features. She merely hovered there, seemingly impassive. "She is of course, knowledgeable in my abilities and she has fortified herself against my assaults. However, even the No One of the Soul cannot overcome the power of Change for even Souls change."
Jason did the calculations...
T13 and S-Zero were out of the picture for now...
But with K12 conquering I5... they were now two No Ones down...
Even if Dan joined the fight, they would still be outnumbered!
He took grim satisfaction knowing that there was no reason for his father to give up his life for a lost cause...
Okay... Maybe K12 can be reasoned with...
She wanted to attack because someone from my family died... right...?
"K12... I'm alright with Sam's death... Really..." he began.
"No you are not."
The accusation was like a piercing dagger to his heart.
Because it was completely true.
"You are forcing yourself to let go of your grief for the sake of your world but in truth, it is a fresh would that pours rage and hatred into you. It disgusts you that you are forced to make an alliance with the very men and women who killed your son. You are even harbouring thoughts dark joy knowing that so many of those involved were killed in my assault."
Dan went rigid... and slowly turned to Jason. Every inch that his father turned to him, Jason turned away.
"Sam's dead...?"
Jason couldn't bring himself to say, 'Yes'... The truth was still a fresh wound to his chest... While he knew there was hope to see his son again... eventually... that was the future. The present and the past remained to be dealt with. How could he face Sam knowing that he had made an alliance with Sam's murderer's?
Rage began boiling up inside him once more and all he could do was reach for Chronicle which hung around his neck... still stained with Sam's blood.
"Sam..." Dan murmured, his eyes filled with heartbreak. "I don't... How...?"
"It was these very men who captured you, F6," K12 answered. "They sought to break the hearts and spirits of the people of this world by destroying the greatest hero to have ever graced Newroads. They captured you should their plan fail. The floats of Endyear Parade were rigged to explode. Jason returned from some place even we cannot define and attempted to stop. However, the very men that offer their assistance to stop righteous judgement pulled the trigger and caused each of the floats of explode.
"One such explosion almost took the life of your son, but Sam - your grandson - rescued both your son and son-in-law by opening a gravitational rift. Unfortunately, he was too late to save himself and had a metal bar almost twice as long as him pierce his heart. He suffered for over a minute, dying. Your son continues to suffer over Sam's death."
Jason clenched his teeth tightly... Right now, there was nothing more he wanted to do than to spin around, chase down Devries and kill the bastard. He harboured hope that he would see Sam again... but he knew in his heart that he couldn't leave Enria until the people responsible suffered...
"I am here merely to enact the wrath that Jason feels," K12 said. "Let the other No Ones destroy this world. I merely seek to obliterate those who were involved in the attack and those who endanger the lives of my fellow No Ones. I will defend those whom I hold ties to." She bowed towards Jason. "I promise you this, Jason, as we speak, I am searching for your son's soul."
That was something Jason hadn't considered before.
"You can bring Sam back?" he asked, his voice breaking slightly.
"We require the aid of all the No Ones," K12 answered grimly. "Except for R3. He can resurrect Sam with his powers alone but for the rest of us, we must stand united to return him to you. Every person is a reality unto themselves and it requires all our powers - all our aspects of existence - to resurrect him."
Jason staggered forward. "Then bring him back!" he demanded loudly. "Bring him back and this war will end! If Sam is alive again, you won't have reason to attack! I swear! I'll be happy as long as Sam is alive again!"
There... K12 sighed heavily. "Unfortunately... It is not so simple... We No Ones continue to stand divided. D8 is obsessed with his conquest of Enria while others are fulfilling their own agendas to destroy this reality. I am sure that we will all unite to return him to you. However, I do see one terrible problem..."
"What problem?" Jason demanded. "Look, you guys have used me, tricked me and messed with me for practically all my life! All I ask is that you do this one thing for me! Bring back Sam!"
"We cannot," K12 insisted. "A large portion of him is missing."
Jason's heart froze in mid-beat as a group of villains lunged at K12 from behind. Her three, separate, serpentine tails lashed out, gripping their neck in a vice-like grip and twisting loudly. All three dropped to the ground, their necks coiled unnaturally.
"Missing...?" he whispered.
"I cannot explain it," K12 answered shortly. "A11 can give you a better explanation, I believe. All I can say is that Sam's heart is missing."
"His heart...?"
A stab of pain shot into Jason as he remembered that metal bar sticking right out of Sam's chest... Did K12 literally mean Sam's heart... or was it symbolic...? If it was Sam's emotional heart... where did it go...?
"Then help us find it!" Chris demanded. He was trying to make himself look bigger and stronger than he really was but his legs were shaking from his injuries and it didn't seem like he could hold on for much longer. "If we find Sam's heart, you'll stop, right?"
"No," K12 answered. "I will only stop when Jason's rage subsides."
All eyes flicked to Jason...
"Well! You heard the snake-bitch!"
... and all eyes flicked to the warehouse door where Devries stood, one foot out of the door.
"Just stop feeling sorry for yourself, accept the fact that your little boy-toy is dead and you can turn the tide of this war!"
That did it.
Blind, red rage flashed behind Jason's eyes, veiling his vision in a frightening red.
How dare he...
K12 instantly moved, slipping past them like fast moving, liquid silver and shot straight towards Devries. Before the crime boss could even flee, the No One wrapped herself around his body, constricting her coils around him and preventing him from moving. Devries screamed, shouting for help. Loyal villains shot their powers at K12 but she simply lifted her mirror and threw back their abilities right back at them.
She ominously hovered towards Jason, holding Devries right in front of Jason.
Jason growled, baring his fangs and suddenly very happy that K12 was destroying the world.
"Let me go!" Devries shouted. "Tell this bitch to let me go!"
"How dare you..." Jason rumbled, his claws digging into his palms. "You killed my son!"
"You killed my father so we're even!" Devries spat.
"Your father was a corrupt, fatass that was going to consume the world in darkness! My son was pure, innocent and probably the best thing that happened to this world!" Jason lashed out, seizing Devries's throat and crushing it to the point of breaking. "You do not get to compare your father with my son!"
Despite being half-choked, Devries still managed a grim smile and a chuckle. "Yeah? But I can compare you and me."
Glass seemed to shatter somewhere... and it occurred to Jason that it was somewhere in his head...
He told himself he wouldn't be like Devries... but here he was, filled with blind rage over his son's murderer...
Was it because Devries trivialised the task he had to undertake... To let go of his rage and accept that Sam was dead was no simple feat. Furthermore... it basically called for him to forgive Devries... or at least let the manipulative bastard go...
But... what could he do...?
If I... If I just go with my gut... and kill Devries now...
... I might just end up ending the world...
But if I let him go...
... where will that leave me..?
Two doors lay open for him...
... the world beyond wasn't a world he would've like to inhabit...
"What's wrong?" Devries sniggered. "Realising that you're really no 'hero'? That deep down, your just as bad as us? Do you think any of us chose this life, huh!?"
Jason pulled his hand back as Devries spat at him.
"Do you think I chose to be the son of a crime boss!?" Devries shouted. "Do you think I wanted to take over his business? But after you killed him, what else could I do? I was filled with anger! He was a downright jackass but he was still my father! I had to avenge him!"
Devries jerked his chin towards the remaining villains who were slowly closing in, eyes filled with rage. "And what of them? Do you think any of them just got up one day and decided, 'Hey, I wanna be evil'? No! They're all victims! Victims of circumstance! Shit happened to them and that shit pushed them over the edge!
"And you know what?" Devries leaned as far forwards as K12 would let him. "You're just the same. One of these days, you're gonna break. And when you do, you'll know I'm right."
Jason raised his fist, snarling viciously. "You're -"
"Right."
He stopped... Reason hovering on his shoulder.
"He's right, you know. Everyone is the same. Everyone is mortal. He's right when he says that shit happens and that people get pushed off the edge. But there's a difference between you and them. Just look around you. Look at each supervillain."
Jason did... keeping his fist within inches of Devries' face...
He saw the villains... Those capable of fighting were standing... stalking towards them with their powers ready. Some were pushing others out of the way as they made their escape, leaving the dead where they were.
What...? I don't see anything, they're villains.
"You're not looking hard enough. Remember what you learned about how some doors need others' help to open it? How many villains do you think are actually standing here for others?"
...
Jason looked at the group again... and saw it...
No one villain was defending another... they were all there for their own survival. Those that lay dead were forgotten. Those fleeing didn't help those more injured...
Then he looked at his group...
Dan... Chris and Kevin... they were all standing close to each other, ready to defend one another should the need arise and looking at him worriedly.
"You're right," Jason said, lowering his fist and pulling away from Devries. "We are the same. But you know what separates us? You have no one supporting you because of you. You need lackeys and goons to back you up but they only do so because of debt, fear or something else to got on them. Me? I've got people standing beside me because they want to.
"You said you had to avenge your father because he was your father. I don't think that's true. You have to avenge him to save face. Look how quickly you tossed aside that ideal just to save your own ass!"
Devries' eyes boggled and he snarled, lunging forward but K12 tightened her coils around him, gagging him slightly. "And what of you!? You're abandoning your revenge!"
"Yeah, I am," Jason replied, stepping back so he stood right next to his friends and family. "Because it's my revenge, not Sam's. If Sam wanted me to avenge him, he would've said so. Instead, he told me that he'd see me later."
A smile touched his lips as he remembered Sam's last words...
Words of hope... love... Not a single hint of hatred in them... Jason suddenly felt so ashamed that he had taken that as an excuse to fly into a blind rage... He didn't want to tarnish his son's memory like that.
A tear slowly ran down his cheek and he wiped it away.
"Let him go, K12."
For a moment... K12 hesitated... Then she slowly uncurled her coils and lowered Devries back to the ground.
Devries coughed but in between each coughs, he let out a dark chuckle. "You are weak..."
"Maybe," Jason replied, looking down at the crime boss. "But I'm still better than you."
Chuckling, Devries staggered to his feet, straightening his expensive suit and giving K12 the finger before he strode towards Jason. "Well... I suppose I should still thank you. You did save my life, after all."
"Don't be so sure."
SWISH!
Devries' eyes went wide.
A white and gold sword stuck out from his chest.
Everyone in the warehouse suddenly held their breath.
Jason held Zenith, the white and gold blade slowly becoming coated in Devries' crimson blood. The sword didn't burn his hand anymore. Not now that he knew exactly who he was... Jason knew too well that he had become something he despised... a mercenary with superpowers... His pride had blinded him to the world's suffering and those around him... Then when the rage came, it had consumed him.
Zenith_and _Nadir needed someone who was sure of themselves as a wielder. Doubt continued to linger in Jason from when he realised he had become someone he was not... and the continued rage added to the confusion...
I'm not a superhero...
... I'm not a supervillain either...
I'm just mortal.
Devries let out a choking laugh, blood dripping down from his lips. "You - you call this being 'better' than me?" he stuttered, weakness slowly consuming him. "You're no better than I am..."
"I'm exactly the same as everyone else," Jason replied, placing a foot against Devries' chest and kicking the guy off his blade. "You just lowered yourself to be less than everyone else."
K12 slowly began to rise, lifting her mirror to ready for another assault. The supervillains around them got ready and Jason's family and friends prepared to defend themselves.
"STOP!" Jason cried, sweeping Zenith around himself.
Even K12 balked in the air.
"K12," he said, turning to the No One. "Look at me. Do I still want revenge?"
"How could you? You have extracted it."
"Did I?"
For a moment... K12 seemed to stare at him. He couldn't meet her gaze because of her unusual powers but he knew she was staring directly at him.
"No..." she whispered, amazement in her voice. "This is... This is most interesting... You have relinquished your lust for vengeance... While you have executed to goal of your vengeance... you did not take it as vengeance..." Slowly, she slid back down to the ground. "I think... Yes... I think I see... You have changed..."
"Yeah," Jason chuckled. "I have." He turned his attention to the villains around him. "Okay, listen up!" he barked. "This world is still in danger! I don't know what's coming, I don't know if we're going to survive or not. But this is something I do know! We are all Enrians! We're all mortal! We share the same sky, the same sea, the same earth and breathe the same air!"
Dan nodded towards K12 and a large, silvery disc appeared beneath Jason, slowly rising into the air with him standing on it so he could be seen by everyone.
"This war isn't about supervillains or superheroes! This is about all Enrians standing together! I know all of you have reasons for why you were supervillains before! It might be because you had a traumatic childhood, some cop screwed you over or maybe even the government forced you into it! None of that matters!
"Everything that the superheroes gained in their lives means nothing in this war! This world about to be blasted into nothingness! You can't let the division that separated you before into your hearts! I know it's hard to let go... I know it's hard to just forgive the world for all its cruelty... believe me, I know..." Jason lowered his sword, pressing his left hand - his free hand - against his chest.
Then he lifted his head back up, making a slashing gesture with his left hand and summoning Nadir in a burst of coiling darkness. "But you have to let go! If we're going to survive this, we have to stand together not as former rivals come to unite under a single banner! We have to stand together as fellow Enrians! Not because you have some debt to repay! Not because you're afraid of destruction! Not even because if you save the world now, you can conquer it later! But because you want to!
"Look to the person on your right and left. Look to the person across the warehouse from you and behind you! They're the same as you! They have different powers, different faces and different pasts but they're all the same! They're all Enrians! You have to have it in your heart to risk your life for them! Because if you don't have anyone to watch your back, you'll find someone's knife in it."
Murmurs of agreement washed over the entire crowd. Many agreed... a few disagreed. It was hard to let go of habit and instinct... Jason didn't expect everyone to follow him but he only wanted those people - people, not supervillains - to fight beside him who wanted to not because they had to.
"K12," Jason said, "give them your word that you won't destroy those people who don't want to join the fight."
"I have no reason to further my crusade," she answered sagely. "You have let go of your rage. I now stand firmly by your side."
Jason did the calculations.
They were even!
Maybe there was hope to stop this war before D8 unleashed the powers of Devastation!
If the No Ones were tied in their votes, it was possible that many of them would retreat!
Even if that didn't happen, they were now equal in powers!
And Dan doesn't have to sacrifice himself...
The entire warehouse suddenly shook violently and Jason leapt off the silvery platform, landing securely on his feet. A tremendous quake shook the entire building, the concrete tearing right down the middle and splitting the structure in half, the two segments peeling rapidly apart. Jason scrambled to his group, charging away from the quickly forming chasm.
"What's going on?" he demanding.
"It is H2!" K12 exclaimed in horror. "He and N9 allied together against V10! They crushed the shield protecting Newroads and sealed her away in a tomb of chaotic energies! Now they are assaulting A11!"
Panic mode again.
"We've got to get to A11!"
****
Day 21
Midnight came and went as Jason and a large group of his new recruits flew across the streets of Newroads heading for the mighty Devastation.
With H2 free in Newroads, chaos took hold. Entire buildings were ripped from their foundations and floated in midair, crashing against each other and sending debris all over the streets. Floating motes of rock hovered absently in space, some as big as entire city blocks! Black lightning arced between each of the idle chunks of rock, lashing out and cutting structures into bits.
Navigating the ruins was difficult enough as it was but Devastation was hard to miss as so was the titanic battle being undertaken around it.
"The No Ones are tied in the votes!" Jason cried as he clung onto a large, floating disc that Dan had created and K12 used her powers to manipulate. "Why don't they just stop!?"
"We've never had a tie before," Dan replied, panic and fear obvious in his voice. "There were always thirteen active No Ones and you weren't allowed to abstain. You always had to cast an informed vote! A tie was never considered!"
"Each of the remaining No Ones have their own agendas," K12 answered, hovering right beside their disc. Several other discs formed a huge aerial armada around them. Those that could fly did, zooming through the ruins of Newroads alongside the discs. "I assume that because it is still a tie, they consider themselves still in the right. Should we convince one more No One to our side, perhaps they will cease their assault."
"Why don't we just get D8 to stop?" Kevin asked over the howling winds. In the distance, a jet-black tornado was tearing up the countryside. "He's the one pointing the big gun at Enria!"
K12's reply was grim. "D8 will be the hardest to convince. This is his campaign. We were all aware that his motives were less than pure. If we completely agreed with him, we would have initiated our own doomsday protocols. However, D8 is truly the only one that wishes to see this world destroyed and that is why only he has initiated his attempt to destroy Enria."
"If you didn't believe in D8's cause, why did you vote with him!" Jason shouted angrily.
"We did not vote for D8's cause. We voted for Enria's destruction. We know in our hearts that D8 wishes to see it destroyed beyond any logical reason. The rest voted with him so that we may be allowed into Enria to enact our own agendas before he destroys it."
That gave Jason pause...
S-Zero was looking for those 'three inter-dimensional people'. If D8 destroyed them, there was a good chance that that last unknown figure might escape and ruin other realities. K12 merely wanted to enact Jason's vengeance...
"Why are the others here?"
"As far as I can tell," K12 shouted as they approached Devastation. Great bursts of light cut through the sky, beams of searing white clashing with dark bolts of lightning and large belts swinging out like sharpened blades. "H2 seeks to plunge Enria into chaos to purge it of all the powers that D8 gave the people when he created the Malefactors. He still sees the taint of the Malefactors here seeks to obliterate them so that this world may start anew if it ever does.
"W7 agrees. This world is chaotic enough and it is impossible to return it into a state of order unless everything is purged. She aims to aid H2 it turning Enria into a roiling, chaotic wasteland before reintroducing order to rebuilt it.
"N9... I am unsure. It seems he is seeking to distance himself from this world by destroying it. I am unsure how he is connected to Enria but it is obvious he has ties here."
If he has ties, why would he want it destroyed?
All conversation ended as they swooped in to the battlefield around Devastation. A11 the Ascended was dodging bolts of black lightning from N9 the Neutral and H2's sweeping blades. It was clear that the No One of the Heart was badly outmatched. While also keeping Devastation in line with a bright, white halo, the No One had to dodge the attacks from his counterparts, weakening his abilities severely.
Jason winced when H2's belts formed two, enormous, red hands and slammed A11 between their palms. There was a burst of light and H2's belts were ripped to shreds as A11 rose to the heavens and unleashed a barrage of brilliant, white swords that rained down from the skies. The swords were heavily inaccurate however, N9 and H2 dodging them easily.
He noted that there were others on the ground lending as much assistance as they could. There was one particular black, winged canine that sent his heart skipping several beats in rapid succession.
Brett!
"I will release I5," K12 instructed. "Lend what aid you can but do not let yourselves get harmed. Have your newly acquired allies bring the injured somewhere safe. We need not give the other No Ones more reason to continue their assault. N9 might seem the easiest to convince. Leave H2 to me."
K12 lifted her mirror up and I5 the Ingenious, No One of the Soul, emerged from the silvery surface. On some unspoken command, both of them swooped in towards the battle. K12 absorbed a large barrage of belts from H2 and reflected them while I5's mask suddenly split down the middle, unveiling a large, vertical red eye that glowed eerily as she approached N9.
The floating discs lowered themselves to the ground where countless supers and civilians armed to the teeth lay unconscious, severely injured, dying or simply dead. Many were horrified when notorious supervillains took them up and offered them aid. None argued, however.
"Jason!"
He glanced up and saw a familiar, black motorcycle with a wolf-motif charging towards them. Warren drove, dressed in thick, black and red armour, while Robin rode behind him, hefting her trusty sniper rifle.
"What's going on?" Warren demanded.
"K12 is fighting for us now," Jason answered, scrambling towards them.
BOOOOM!
One of H2's massive belts lashed out and cleaved the earth not too far away from them.
"L4 told us what was happening," Robin said, leaping off her bike. "V10 went down when N9 and H2 teamed up against her. We only had A11 and L4 left after T13 trapped S-Zero and I5 was captured."
All eyes went to the battle above.
Suddenly, the tables seemed to have turned.
It was now three No Ones against two... in the favour of Enria.
"We might just win this thing!" Kevin laughed, a little hysterically.
"I never thought I'd live to see the day when the No Ones would be so divided," Dan murmured grimly. "There have been wars between No Ones before but always in the context of the reality that they were enacting... A war between Avatars but never a war between No Ones... I'm surprise Enria is capable of holding on for so long..."
BOOOOOM!
A figure crashed into the ground several metres away. I5 came zooming in after it. Just as she reached the lip of the small crater, huge, black wings surged outwards and swooped upwards, carrying N9 with them. I5 barely avoided the deathly embrace of those wings. Thankfully, A11 was suddenly there and sweeping his staff at N9, brilliant stars of light spraying outwards and puncturing holes into N9's wings.
The No One of Death plunged towards a floating building, landing deftly on its roof.
Jason tore his gaze away from the battle.
"We have to get all these people out of here!" he shouted. "Everyone! Get on the discs! Clear out! You do not want to get in the middle of a battle between five No Ones!"
A realisation hit him at that moment.
Something was terribly wrong about his sentence...
There weren't five No Ones...
There were six.
D8...
His eyes flicked back towards Devastation...
... just as he saw those cannons point towards them... primed...
"Oh -"
"MOVE!" Chris shouted.
Jason was suddenly swept off his feet, hurled through the air by a burst of shadows. He found himself in the embrace of warm, familiar arms. A shadowy Rottweiler with glowing, amber eyes grinned at him, holding him tightly against that broad, muscular chest as they soared away from a titanic beam of light that shot from one of Devastation's cannons. The beam cut through the crowd of people with frightening ease.
He couldn't spare a second to show Brett how much he loved him at that moment as he watched countless people become consumed by the relentless barrage of lasers and energies that cascaded off Devastation.
Dan... Robin... Kevin... Warren...
... and Chris!
"Brett! We gotta -"
Suddenly Brett balked in the air.
Jason turned his head and gawked as H2 hovered a few feet away from them.
"You know, if it weren't for you, Brett Sykes, I would've voted against D8?" H2 said absently.
...
What...?
Brett growled softly.
"You and that Warren Bladebreaker fellow," H2 said absently. "Both of you touched by Malefactors. Granted Warren didn't accept his dark side and turned it into some twisted form of power but you did. Okay, you turned it into something good. Doesn't mean makes things balanced though." H2's belts swung around, pointing their sharp tips dangerously at them. "The Malefactors were never meant to exist. They upset the balance."
"Jase..." Brett whispered softly. "Do you trust me?"
Jason glanced into his mate's eyes... and nodded slowly.
"Perish!" H2 shouted.
Jason suddenly felt Brett's arms loosen around him. Time slowed to a horrifying crawl as he slipped from his mate's grasp. Despite watching events flow so slowly, he couldn't bring himself grip his mate tightly and hold on. He just fell away from Brett as the dark Rottweiler spread his wings and shot away from H2.
Thump!
Another pair of arms suddenly seized Jason and he found himself in Chris' arms.
"One of these days, you have got to learn how to fly," Chris said with a faint smile.
"I'll make a note of it," Jason answered dryly. "Everyone else?"
"They're -"
THWACK!
A bright bolt of light struck Chris' shoulder, causing the Advocate to let out a cry of agony. They suddenly dropped from the air, the ground hurtling towards them at high speeds. Chris desperately tried flapping his one last wing or at least straightening to a glide but it was no use. Jason braced himself as -
CRASH!
****
Sam sighed heavily...
... no... Not Sam.
It was R3.
"You know, I really wish you would stop barging in on me like this," the Writer of Reality said. "It spoils the surprise of your reality if you keep checking up on my progress."
Jason blinked and realised he was standing once again on the beach... Only now, it was more complete. There was Century Street, the rich district of Newroads, and Sam's cafe. Well... It wasn't Sam's cafe more like the cafe where Sam worked when Jason had met him. Most of Newroads was also created. The only thing missing were the mountains in the distance...
A thought entered Jason's mind...
He remembered R3 once telling him that a reality was essentially a person's heaven. The 'gods' of a reality were just the people who received their books from R3. In essence, every reality was someone's heaven.
Seeing as this reality was so much like Newroads...
"No, Enria is not your reality," R3 chuckled, scribbling something on Legacy from where he sat on the low wall separating the beach from the streets. "I just get this feeling that you'll want your reality to look like this. With a few major differences, however."
"What differences?"
R3 just smiled at him. "It's a surprise."
****
Jason started awake and winced instantly at his sudden movement. He placed a hand against the back of his head and felt blood there. Thankfully, his regeneration was kicking in and healing the wound rapidly.
Then he felt a heavy weight across him...
It was Chris... lying on top of him... eyes closed.
Fear gripped his heart when he remembered that Chris was mortal now... Not an Advocate. If he died...
"Chris!" he cried. "Chris! Wake up!" He shook Legion but the armoured wolf wouldn't wake.
Oh no...
No!
"Come on! Wake up!" he begged.
BOOOOOM!
High above them, Devastation continued to fire a lethal barrage of lasers down at the population. Small, silvery discs were retreating from the scene. Some were getting shot down but many were getting away from the floating, armed castle. The other No Ones fought valiantly against one another with A11 trying to stop the lasers from reaching the civilians.
"Jason!"
He glanced upwards as Brett descended, panting heavily. Brett had a heavy wound across his left arm, blood seeping between his fingers and it seemed he couldn't hold his Hellhound form for much longer when he landed. Brett's shadowy image faded and his Rottweiler returned, staggering forward.
Jason prised himself from underneath Chris and caught his mate. Their lips met and Jason savoured the kiss... he feared that it was a 'kiss goodbye' but felt sudden strength in Brett grasping the back of his head and plunging his tongue down his throat.
As they pulled away, Brett said, "Goddamnit, I miss sex."
Jason chuckled softly. "Tell you what, when this is over, a whole day straight."
"I'd hardly call it 'straight'." Brett winced as he straightened slightly.
"Jason! Brett!"
Dan and Kevin came running towards them, waving.
Jason's heart leapt for joy upon seeing the two of them.
They're safe... thank god...
The fur on his arms suddenly stood on end.
Something bad happened.
A titanic beam of light surged out from Devastation, striking the ground right behind Dan and Kevin. Both of them were hurled to the ground from the shockwave. Even from his distance - about seven hundred metres away - Jason could feel the scorching heat that must have been totally volcanic from where his dad and friend lay.
The beam started moving forward.
Oh no...
"DAN! KEVIN! RUN!"
Brett tried summoning his Hellhound form but the shadows just puttered out of existence around him. "Damnit! Run for it!"
Jason didn't even consider what would happen when the beam reached them but he just stood there, egging on his father and friend.
Dan scrambled to his feet, dragging Kevin up and charging down the ruined street as the beam loomed closer and closer...
Six hundred metres...
"MOVE IT! RUN!"
Five hundred metres...
"Come on! You can make it!"
Five hundred metres...
Jason glanced around, looking for some way to avoid the laser...
Four hundred metres...
At that moment, a large mote of floating rock about as big and tall as a skyscraper loomed beside them. An idea hit him and he summoned Nadir. Instincts completely took over and he lashed out with the sword. The watery surface of the blade transformed into a long, black, serpentine whip with an infinite length, following Jason's will and wrapping completely around the mote.
Once perfectly secure, he surged forward, running towards his father.
Three hundred metres.
God I hope this works...
Two hundred metres...
He could see the desperation in his father's eyes... He didn't want either Dan or Kevin to die... Not now!
One hundred metres... Ninety... Eighty...
Jason's legs were pumping, his weariness and injuries kicking in. Even his regeneration couldn't catch up...
Seventy...
Sixty...
Fifty...
Then Dan's foot caught on a crack...
... and he tumbled over.
NO!
Kevin stopped and flung around, gawking...
But it was too late...
The beam -
...
Stopped abruptly as a figure jumped in front of the searing light.
"The hearts of mortals cannot be judged as one!" A11 the Ascended cried, hefting his staff towards the beam.
Blinding light suddenly erupted from the impact following by a -
WHOOOOOOOSH!
Titanic shockwave that sent Jason hurtling back and crashing straight into Brett. Stars flashed before his eyes for what seemed like an eternity. For a second, Jason thought he had gone blind... Then his vision started to return and he blinked away the tears forming against his eyes.
For a second time... he took stock of his surroundings and felt another weight across his chest.
It was Dan...
... and he was alive!
"Dad!"
"Urgh..." Dan groaned. "What...? A11...?"
Jason glanced to where A11 had been...
There was an enormous crater... and no sign of the No One of the Heart.
His eyes drifted up to Devastation and he gasped.
A huge chunk had been taken out of the floating castle as if some titan had taken a bite out of the weapon. Metallic chunks were crumbling of the wreckage and the barrage of lasers had suddenly stopped. Not a single bolt of lightning crackled, no dark gusts of wind and not even a floating piece of rock dared to move.
Everything had gone dead silent.
Did... Did A11 sacrifice himself for us...?
Jason knew No Ones couldn't die unless their books were destroyed... but was it possible that when one No One faced another... that they could expend all their power and...
... and perish...?
"Is he...?"
Dan shook his head. "No... I can still sense A11... He's back in his home reality... Tired, probably. That must've taken a lot out of him. He didn't just block D8's attack... he damaged Devastation... It takes a hell of a lot to damage a No One's signature weapon..."
Their conversation was cut short.
An ominous, high-pitched sound began rising from Devastation...
Jason felt fear grip his heart.
_Devastation_was still on Enria... A11 damaged it... but it was still on Enria...
And without A11...
... no one was holding it back!
No... No!
"It's going to fire!" Kevin shouted.
Jason suddenly saw Dan move. His father plucked a sharp, glass shard from the ground and levelled it at his chest.
"Dad! No -"
Too slow.
Dan plunged the shard into his chest -
THUD!
... stabbing a hand.
A hand that belonged to Chris Thornton.
"Dan..." Chris whispered softly. "I love you, Dan... Always have. I made a mistake when I tried to remake existence to how I saw things... All I wanted was to be free... To be free with you..."
Chris seemed to ignore the pain from his hand and took a step back, taking the glass shard with him.
"I'm sorry for what I did, Dan," he said softly. "I hope this will make up for it."
Dan's jaw dropped slightly. "What... What are you talking about?"
Chris offered Dan a faint smile before turning to Jason. "I can hold him off for two, maybe three days. The rest is up to you. Kick his ass for me, Jason."
Jason wasn't sure how...
... but he knew what Chris intended to do...
"Yeah... I won't let you down."
"Chris!" Dan cried.
Chris' figure suddenly began to emit a bright, blue light. "You know... I was a being from the darkness who accepted the light to become a creature of colour... I never realised that my light was you, Dan..." He took another step away, his glowing body becoming almost blinding. "You shine through my darkness, Dan... And now... I'll do what R3 intended me to do in the first place!"
Dan tumbled forward. "NO!"
Chris burst into a blast of blue light, becoming a streaking meteor that shot towards Devastation.
"CHRIS!"
Jason could only watch as the meteor seemed to get smaller and smaller as it drew close to the titanic castle. It all but disappeared against the hull... reminding Jason just how big the weapon was. The high-pitched wailing grew to almost unbearable levels... The world began to shake violently and Jason instinctively held onto Brett
A point of light appeared at the tip of Devastation's main cannon, the huge barrel that pointed directly down from the bottom of the castle.
It wasn't enough!
"Brett..." Jason murmured.
"I love you," Brett answered.
...
Suddenly... the wailing stopped even before Jason could shut his eyes to prepare for the end.
The light disappeared from the tip of Devastation's weapon. A faint, blue sheen started crawling across the castle's surface from where the Chris' form had vanished. That sheen grew, spreading like a blue virus all across the surface of the weapon and jutting out from the sides of the weapon a strange, sapphire cocoon... The sheen took a distinct crystal form, a beautiful, stunning sapphire tomb that wrapped completely around Devastation and held it in place...
... preventing it from firing...
Jason gawked...
_Devastation_was stopped!
For now...
He pulled away from Brett, regarding the weapon.
Now was their chance.
The weapon was held down and the other No Ones were nowhere to be seen!
They could climb the crystal cocoon Chris had made and make it to D8! If they could stop the No One of Energy, they could stop this war!
He took a second to marvel at Chris' sacrifice...
"He... He's using his entire being..." Dan choked. "Everything about him... His mind, body and soul... his heart! He's using his very existence!"
"If one mortal can use that kind of power to rise up against the No Ones..." Kevin murmured, "even if it's just to hold back a weapon like Devastation for two to three days... that's still very admirable..." He regarded his own hands. "Makes me wonder what I can do... and when this will all be done..."
SWISH!
Jason went rigid at the familiar sound of metal slicing through flesh. He was familiar with that sound... he had used a sword to slice through flesh multiple times in the past... Fear gripped his heart... Dan wasn't the one that had been cut... neither was Kevin...
So that left...
He turned around...
Brett stood there... jaw slightly open and eyes wide in shock... a vicious claymore made of black material with pulsing, organic, purple veins crossing is surface was sticking out of his chest.
Behind him... stood H2.
"If it's any consolation," the No One of Chaos said lightly, "I'm half done."
...
"BRETT!"