Chapter XXII – Finale. Or Endgame. Or whatever.

The group had returned to the month November in the year 2020. The year was still shitty, and everything that had transpired in the months before was still unchanged. Nick Fury stared at the Gauntlet on his right arm, eager to use it to set things right, but not knowing how to use it. “Now what?” he asked, but his comrades were equally in the dark.

“Try the sphere again,” Batman suggested, “Perhaps it has one final advice.”

Nick Fury agreed and pulled the onyx sphere from his coat, which immediately came to life, revealing once again the miniature holographic figure of the hooded figure, who spoke to them: “With the Gauntlet and the Stones to power it, you can restore balance to 2020, but to save the current year, you must start in the past, in 2019. Just as the Gauntlet and Sword are a weapon, so too can they be used to defend, to preserve life.”

“I still don’t know what we must do,” Fury said to the others, not taking his eyes off the miniature figure. 

“Here is a set of coordinates,” the hooded figure spoke, “You’ll know what to do once you get there.”

The holographic visage disappeared and the onyx sphere began to flicker, then disappeared into nothingness, indicating that its usefulness had ended. “I always thought that thing was a recording,” Batman said, “But it was a live feed to someone?”

“I don’t know,” Fury replied, starting at the emptiness in his hand where the tiny sphere had been moments before, “But at least we know where we can finish this.”

“We do,” the Doctor said, observing the console of his TARDIS, “The sphere has uploaded a destination into the main computer before it evaporated. A time, date, location.”

They wasted no time and the Doctor activated his vessel again, bringing them to the year 2019, to Santa Monica in California, a warm summer evening in late August, the day when the most beautiful Japanese culture festival would start on another continent, though that event was entirely unrelated. The group exited the time vessel to survey their surroundings. The hooded figure had said they would know what to do, but so far nothing came to mind. 

“So what happens next?” Batman asked.

“I don’t know either,” Fury shrugged, “The Gauntlet isn’t exactly giving us any hints here.”

“Let’s wait and observe,” Splinter suggested, “And perhaps a clue will present itself.”

They agreed with the rat sensei’s idea and decided to wait, taking a walk across town and enjoying the warm summer breeze. For several hours things seemed quite normal and it looked like nothing was going to occur after all, but then something changed: there was panic, and air raid alarms sounded, indicating that there was some sort of emergency. They tried to find out the nature of the emergency but nobody on the streets really seemed to know. But then, after a few minutes, the answer presented itself in the night sky, which was lighting up with an eerie red glow, that seemed to come from an unnaturally moving star. 

“What’s going on?” All Might asked, gazing up, “What is that?”

“Something has entered the atmosphere,” Batman guessed, “Is it a shooting star?”

“Now I remember,” Nick Fury exclaimed, “This is the evening of the meteor impact of 2019!”

“So a natural disaster?” Batman guessed, “Is that what we’re here to prevent?”

Nick Fury shook his head, then pointed at a house at the edge of town: “The meteor was relative small in size and burnt up mostly in the atmosphere. Only one house was destroyed at the impact, that one over there.”

“That house?” the Doctor asked, “Who lives there?”

“Mel Brooks,” Fury replied, “The world mourned his loss, it was not his time yet.”

“Then that’s what must happen,” the Doctor concluded, “He was not meant to die! We have to stop that meteor!”

“I can’t let you do that,” Doctor Doom said, suddenly on the scene without any real explanation, “Mel Brooks must die, and his death will set into motion a series of events that will eventually lead to an unbalanced 2020 and the rise of a new world order. MY world order.”

“Doctor Victor von Doom,” Fury greeted, recognising the man, “I should have known someone as twisted and evil as you was behind all of this.”

“You couldn’t have known, because Doom is the architect of this,” Doom replied, “I’ve managed to conceal my influencing of this meteor to make sure it would enter the planet’s atmosphere at just the right angle to destroy only this house and the Burger King next to it. Doom hates Burger King.”

“Local villain?” All Might asked.

“Local villain,” Fury confirmed, “But a nasty specimen.”

All Might needed no further incentive and attacked, making sure the villain could not intervene with their intervention. Doctor Doom was prepared, raising a personal energy shield that protected him from All Might’s blows, but was still forced back. Robots emerged from the nearby buildings that looked just like Doctor Doom himself, engaging All Might. “FOOLS!” Doom shouted, “You are no match for Doom! And in mere seconds, the meteor will impact and Mel Brooks will DIE!”

“Seconds is all I need,” Nick Fury replied, drawing the sword from its sheath in the Gauntlet, “For now I know what I must do!”

“NO!” Doom shouted, realising that his plan was in danger. But he was too busy fending of All Might to be able to intervene. 

Everything next happened in split seconds. The four stones simultaneously awoke with a fantastic glow, and the energy they released was channelled through the Gauntlet into the Sword of Plun-Darr. Nick Fury, even without any sword training, swung the weapon with skill, sending a surge of energy upward into the evening sky. The energy blast impacted with the descending meteor, enveloping it and completely obliterating it without leaving a single trace. Mel Brooks was on the toilet at the time and had not noticed anything.

“Doom will remember this,” Doctor Doom warned, tapping a button on his wrist which opened a small human-sized portal through which he made his escape. With the Council’s grand scheme foiled, there was no further need to be here or to do battle. Doom was above petty motives such as revenge.

“We did it!” All Might exclaimed proudly. 

“We did it,” Nick Fury agreed, “At last, it has all come to an end.”

Happiness filled his entire being as he fully realised that their journey was at last over, and that they had won. But they would still need to return to the future to make sure their actions had had their desired effect, and to confirm that the world would be all right.

They made a discreet exit to avoid answering questions which would only complicate things and returned back to november 2020. True to what they had hoped, the entire timeline was different: No forest fires at the start of the year, no outbreak of any plagues in the months that followed, no new conflicts and global wars, and without the meteor impact, California did not sink into the sea fourteen months later. In fact, 2020 was one of the least eventful years ever, starting in January with a new movie release by Mel Brooks, uniting several famous franchises into a massive epic tale, which became a world hit and the best movie ever made.
With the conflict resolved, everybody returned to their own worlds, brought there by the Doctor, who was happy to see Earth saved from certain doom. Then the Doctor too went his own way again, onward to new adventures, new challenges and worlds to save, and new companions whom to travel with. 

The Council of Evil was still hatching new plans, of course, determined to start a new war of conquest. But their defeat here and now lead to internal bickering and after two weeks the Council dissolved, and with it any chance of reawakening their evil ambitions or executing new plans of such an epic scale. And with that, and because of this series of events, the multiverse had become a little more safe. Even Doctor Doom had returned to his ancestral home in Latvaria, to lick his wounds and bide his time, focusing on inland politics before he would consider making a move against the world again.

To celebrate their victory, Nick Fury organised a large party at a larger S.H.I.E.L.D. base, inviting as many as he could think of. Of course, with history changed, nobody remembered or knew what had happened and what he had done exactly; but that didn’t matter. All that mattered was that he remembered. And all that mattered to them, was that there was a massive party going on. Superheroes, S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, government officials, all were invited. Even some minor villains were allowed access, provided they behaved. 

And from the outside, a single individual watched in silence as the party went on, smiling from under a hooded robe he wore to conceal himself. He was satisfied, for Nick Fury and his group had succeeded, following the trail of hints he had left for them, and the advice he had given. But now that role was over, and it was time to return home, to Texas, and to retire from the world until such a time came when he was needed again. His cooperation with Thanos, who had sought redemption, had bore fruit, but not it was time to rest.

He turned around and started walking, casting off the hood and revealing an ageless bearded face and a warm smile. He did not look back as he strode towards the setting sun with determination, marking the end to this story with his actions and with this classic sunset scenario. For it is not the writer who determines when this story is over. But it is Chuck Norris who does.

End.

Chapter XXI – Thanos is farming

Thanos wiped the sweat of his brow as he surveyed the lands in front of them. The field had been seeded and in a few months time would be the sight of waves of marvelous wheat. But still, the work was not done yet. Taking his hoe (the gardening variety), he began preparing the next field for fresh crops. The field would be used to grow lettuce, so he made sure the ground was well prepared before he proceeded planting, then made sure the seeds were put in the ground at a depth of 0,5 centimeters, leaving a distance of about 20-30 centimeters between crops, to ensure room for growth. Following the planting, he made sure the soil was moist enough by watering. Only minimal watering was needed, due to the fact that the crops were still seeds, and because he had prepared the field well in advance, ensuring proper irrigation canals were constructed beforehand.

And after that the sun was already  beginning to set and Thanos returned to the farm house to prepare a meal. Life was truly perfect.

In a few days the Earthlings would arrive and he would tell them how to save the world, confirming that this chapter is an unrelated flashback and side story about Thanos farming.

Chapter XX – “Awaken, My Masters” are words you won’t like hearing

After arriving in Italy, the group’s attempt to locate the Stone of Aja isn’t without difficulty. Following Kanjigar’s instructions, they arrive in Venice, but the home of the Ripple Clan user is already abandoned, and the site of a fierce battle that had been fought. Their investigation brought them all over Italy and finally to Switzerland, where the Stone’s current owner had fled to, hoping to escape some unknown adversary. 

After exiting the TARDIs once again, they arrived in the middle of a battlefield, with fires and destruction everywhere, as well as a lot of dead Nazi soldiers. “So much for Switzerland being neutral,” the Doctor remarked. 

“History never mentioned this,” Batman said.

“Maybe your world’s history,” the Doctor noted.

Their discussion was interrupted by a loud rumbling in the distance and an eerie glow at the horizon, followed by a tremblin that could be felt even where they were. “What’s happening?” All Might shouted over the rumbling, “Is it an explosion? A bomb?!”

“Nothing is as fierce as the power of nature itself,” Splinter corrected, as the rumbling began to die down, “What you’re hearing is the eruption of a volcano. Rather violently, I might add.”

In the distance where the sound and eerie glow had come from, they suddenly saw a massive column of smoke rising up into the sky, and within it a powerful column of fire and molten lava. And from it, a small object -at least from a distance- was propelled upward and into the stratosphere, disappearing from sight, and not coming back down again. 

“I’m not sure what’s going on over there,” the Doctor said, “But it could be worth checking out. Worst case scenario, we see nature at its best.”

“I’m not sure I’m too thrilled about seeing nature at its best up close,” Fury replied.

“Nah, it’ll be fine,” the Doctor said, “We’ll be fine.”

They boarded the TARDIS again, which brought them to their destination in the blink of an eye, and what they found was absolute chaos. The volcano was quieting down again, but there was debris and craters everywhere, much more than what could have been caused by the erupting volcano. There was a muscular man on the ground, wounded and panting, and being nursed by a young blonde girl, with some onlookers as well. “I did not expect anything like this,” Batman commented.

“Perhaps… you were expecting Dio,” the man panted, with a weak grin, “But it is I, Joseph Joestar!”

Joseph

“I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about, Joseph Joestar,” Fury replied, “But it looks like a fierce battle went on here.”

“It did,” the woman replied, “But it’s over now.

They explained about the battle that had been fought here, about a battle against ancient superhuman beings who were trying to find the Stone of Aja to become gods, and that they had just achieved final victory by using the volcano’s eruption to send the last of those superbeings into space. Nick Fury in turn explained about his mission to save his world, and how they needed the stone. Joseph understood, and agreed without hesitation, handing the Stone to Nick Fury, who added it to the Gauntlet of Plun-Darr, which was now complete and ready to be used. 

“Well, you have what you came here for,” Joseph said, “Though I would appreciate it if you returned the stone to me after you’re done with it, family heirloom and clan legacy and all that. I can better keep it safe if it’s in the same dimension as me.”

“That won’t be a problem,” Fury said, admiring the gauntlet, which was now giving a faint but constant pale blue glow, “We will return after my world is safe.”

Nick Fury and his group left after that and reboarded the TARDIS. Their spirits were high. They had finally gathered all the stones needed to power the Gauntlet, and now it was time to save Earth. The next chapter in their journey would probably be the last one.

Well, except, perhaps for one little thing…

Chapter XIX – It’s time for another episode of good troll, bad troll

The group had arrived in the forests outside of the town of Arcadia, where the chances were smallest of being discovered. They were surveying the town below, a quiet rural town with no notable incidents, except for some mysterious events in the city’s younger year, several hundreds of years ago. “And now where do we go?” Batman asked. 

“Beats me,” the Doctor replied, “I’m not really an expert on… trolls.”

“Then we go find someone who is,” Fury said, going forward and down the hill, back towards the road that would lead them into town, “Let’s go. Perhaps someone out there knows something, even though asking about trolls is a STUPID thing to do.”

It turned out to be a less stupid idea than they had initially thought. They had arrived in the early twentieth century of Nick Fury’s Earth and stumbled across a local pub, where townspeople were cranky and secluded, except for a single individual, an older man, who was all too eager to tell them about the mysterious and strange history of Arcadia, which occurred more odd events than were reported, and rumors of strange creatures that appeared at night. 

They stayed in the bar a little longer, then went out when night set in, hoping to find more clues to the appearances of these mysterious creatures. 

They didn’t have to wait long. 

Shortly after midnight the group was alerted by the sound of a car alarm going off nearby, followed by the incoherent shouting of several town inhabitants. Batman, being used to prowling and patrolling in the dark, was the first on the scene, spotting a car which had been smashed and dented in on one side, with more and more neighbours gathering around it to discuss what had happened.
His attention immediately shifted to one of the gardens in the neighbouring houses, where a large mass was moving. An ordinary person probably wouldn’t have noticed this, because despite its largeness, this figure moved rather stealthily. But it was hard to escape the caped crusaders’ trained eye. Ignoring the ongoing turmoil, the dark knight made his way across the rooftops and after the strange shadow. Since the unknown figure was unaware it was being followed, Batman was easily able to overtake it, leaping down and landing in front of it, cutting off its path.

It was indeed no human that Batman had found. The creature measured at least two foot taller in size than Batman and was burly, humanoid but more monstrous, with a pale orange skin. It stepped back with fright, shaken by Batman’s sudden appearance, thinking him some sort of monster as well: “ What… what are you?”  it spoke.

“I’m Batman,”  Batman simply stated, skipping all sorts of unnecessary introductions that may or may not include flapping in the night, “What are you?” 

“I am Rittsportus,”  the creature replied, calming somewhat when it realised that Batman wasn’t taking an aggressive stance, “I am a troll.” 

“That I guessed,” Batman said, “But you don’t strike me as a bad troll, do you?” 

“Oh, of course not,”  the troll replied, “Why would you think that?” 

“The wrecked car further down the road was my first hint,” Batman replied dryly. 

“That wasn’t me,”  the troll said, “Trolls are gentle creatures, and we’ve isolated us from mankind ages ago.” 

“Then who was it?”  Batman asked, “A really large chicken?”

“Bad trolls,”  the troll replied, “Rittsportus was running from them.” 

“Bad trolls,” Batman repeated.

Batman had questions, but they were already answered when an entire dumpster which was on fire was thrown at them, barrely missing them both, as they dodged with expert agility and reflexes. “Bad trolls!” Rittsportus repeated, pointing.

Batman looked in the direction where the troll was pointing. There, down the road, two more trolls had appeared, clad in dark armor and with fierce looking expressions on their faces. There was no doubt that these two were indeed bad trolls. If the two evil trolls could speak, they certainly did not bother to, and immediately attacked. Batman was able to intercept the first troll, using its size and momentum to change its direction and send it crashing into a wall. But the second troll got past him and drew a sword, striking and impaling Rittsportus. The good troll gasped, and turned to stone, then crumbled. Apparently this is how trolls die. “This is some nasty stuff,” Batman grumbled to himself, “I’ve gotten mixed up in some sort of Troll Gang War.”

“Stand tall, human!” another cried out with a noble voice from the rooftops. 

Looking up, Batman spotted yet another troll, this one horned and with a navy blue skin and dressed in armor as well, sporting a nose ring that made him look extra fierce. “Great,” Batman grumbled, “For legendary creatures of myth, these trolls aren’t exactly hard to find.”

“Fight, human!” the warrior troll shouted, “Defend yourself, and help me avenge my kin! Together we shall triumph!”

The evil trolls attacked again, overcoming their confusion by this new arrival, and split up, one going after Batman, the other after the other troll. Batman was unable to keep his eye on the other fight, as this evil troll was quite a handful and kept him on his toes with agility and sheer fierceness. The creature’s skin was hard, so punches were hardly felt, and Batman had no real weapons that could do some damage, apart from a bat shaped grenade, which only stunned the creature for a moment, but did not kill it.
The turnabout finally came when Batman was able to gain some distance between himself and the evil troll. But the creature never lost sight of him and immediately charged again, determined to run the caped crusader over. But Batman reacted fast, grabbing the spile of a broken fence and raising it up in a diagonal angle. Although the metal was blunt, the creature’s speed did the rest, and it impaled itself on the metal, shrieking and turning to stone. Batman looked over at the other fight, just in time to see the newcomer troll disarming the evil one and stabbing it with a sword that glowed like sunlight. Even though the cut was minimal, it was enough to permanently turn the evil troll to stone. 

“Well fought, vigilante,” the remaining troll said, sheathing his glowing sword, “I have no high opinion of humans, but gladly there are exceptions. It was an honor to fight with you!”

“Trolls killing trolls?” Batman asked. 

“They have betrayed our kind,” the other replied, “I am Kanjigar, the Troll Hunter. And the trolls you just fought are part of an evil group of trolls, led by the vile Gunmar. Their master is imprisoned in another world, a Shadow Realm,  but some of his allies still roam free, alas.”

Kanjigar

“That’s quite a backstory,” Batman said, “What do they want? To free their master, I presume?”

“That is one of their goals, aye,” Kanjigar replied, “But they’re currently for something else, an object of power: the Eye of Gunmar.”

“Morbid,” Batman commented.

“Ah, I imagine what it sounds like,” Kanjigar said, realising the situation, “But it is not so. Gunmar lost his eye in an ancient battle, and what’s left of the eye has turned to stone and crystalised.”

“A stone of power then,” Batman said, “That’s interesting.”

“Why do you find this interesting, human?” Kanjigar asked, somewhat suspicious.

“Call me Batman,” Batman introduced, “And as for your question: Me and my comrades have come here seeking a stone of power that is said to be with trolls, we need it to save a world.”

“Tell me more,”  the Troll Hunter asked.

Batman proceeded to explain all about their journey and their mission to save a dying planet Earth from another reality, and finally about the stones they were seeking. Kanjigar was convinced by the other’s words and explanation and promised to help: “I can lend you the stone after we find it. But it must return to this world when you’re done. But I know where it is hidden, though it will be difficult to obtain.”

“Why is that?” Batman asked.

“It’s guarded by a larger group of evil trolls,” Kanjigar said, “And there’s a good chance they will be commanded by Gunmar’s son, Bular. He’s a fierce warrior, as strong as I am.”

“That doesn’t need to be a problem,” Batman said, “I will call my friends in for assistance. I’m confident that we can defeat this group together.”

“Very well, Batman. Call your allies.”

Batman informed his companions of what was going on, and two hours later they had gathered at the edge of town, in the industrial district, near a small warehouse. Batman had explained the situation to them. Kanjigar was convinced that the evil trolls had a hideout there and that’s where they had brought the Eye of Gunmar.
A plan was laid out, and largely ignored when Kanjigar attacked through the front door, followed shortly by All Might, who did not want to leave their new ally behind. Fortunately Bular was not present in the warehouse at the time, and the confusion amongst the evil trolls was enough for them to get a swift upper hand. The trolls fought back fiercely, but they were overwhelmed by sheer power and finally beaten, with the remaining few retreating into the darkness and not bothering them again. 

“That certainly went well,” the Doctor said, “But where is this stone?”

“Over here,” Kanjigar said, opening a crate, “I can feel its evil radiance, even when it is concealed. Bring your Gauntlet, Lord Fury.”

Kanjigar pulled a large sphere from the crate, which barely fit the palm of his hand. The stone was larger than the group had expected and still somewhat resembled an eye. But when Nick Fury approached with the Gauntlet of Plun-Darr, the stone eye began to vibrate and shrink, crystallizing and filling one of the empty slots of the gauntlet easily. “I can actually sense the power flowing through that,” Fury said, “Gunmar must be quite the adversary.”

“We will perhaps never know,” Kanjigar said, “He remains locked in the Dark lands, and hopefully forever.”

“Thank you again for your help, Kanjigar,” Batman said, “You’re the nicest troll I’ve ever met.”

“How many trolls have you met?” Kanjigar asked, grinning.

Batman smiled: “I’ll tell you another time.”

Meanwhile Nick Fury had retried the small onyx sphere from his pocket again, hoping to find out the location of the last remaining stone that they would need. Again the hooded figure appeared and spoke: “Seek the Users of the Ripple and the Red Stone of Aja. By avoiding the Pillars, you will succeed in your plight.”

“That is a rather vague hint,” All Might commented. 

“Actually, it’s not,” Kanjigar said, “I think I know where you need to go.”

“Really?” the Doctor asked, “Even I found that hint rather vague.”

“It is not, when you’re familiar with the history of this world,” Kanjigar said, “The item you seek is in this world, in the continent of Europe, in the possession of the Clan of Ripple Users.”

“The what now?”  Fury said.

“The Ripple Clan is an ancient order who utilise the power of sunlight and life itself to fight the forces of darkness,” Kanjigar explained, “Much like my Sword of Daylight. We’ve worked together in the past, and so I’ve come to know them. The Stone of Aja is a sacred relic they guard against evil forces. Or something like that, I have to admit I dozed off when listening to that part.”

“Where do we find them?” Batman asked.

“Here,”  Kanjigar said, “I’ll write down the address.”

They copied the address from the friendly Troll Hunter and set out once again, their destination Italy, where the final stone awaited them.

Chapter XVIII – But when the world needed him most, he vanished

The group had left the Former Galactic Republic Now Turned First Galactic Empire behind and were traveling once again, even though a final destination had not been set yet. They were still recovering mentally from Anakin’s sudden but inevitable betrayal and their hasty retreat. All, except for Nick Fury, who pulled the mysterious sphere Thanos had given them from his pocket, accessing its wisdom. The sphere came to life almost immediately and the holographic figure of the mysterious hooded man appeared once again to offer them directions: “Seek the world where the elements rule and the balance is lost. Rescue the Priestess of Water, and she will reward you with what you need.”

“A world where the elements rule and balance is lost?” Batman repeated, “Does that ring a bell, Doctor?”

“That will make things difficult,” Splinter said, “Do you have any idea how we can find this world then? Is there someone who can guide us?”

“The last time we were in this pickle, we found you,” All Might answered, hinting at Master Splinter. 

“That’s interesting,” Splinter replied, “But I’m afraid I don’t have the answers either, though I suppose I could give it a try.” he turned towards the Doctor and asked: “Doctor, can this… device, this TARDIS of yours, can it show us a list of possible destinations?”

“It could,” the Doctor replied hesitantly, “But that’s literally a list of trillions, upon trillions. I’m not sure if that’s really helpful here.”

“It is well worth a try,” Splinter said, walking up to the TARDIS’ main console, “How does it work, Doctor?”

“You can input a vocal command for destinations,” the Doctor replied, “And go from there.”

“All right.” Splinter said then, “Create a list of all possible destinations.”

“List created,” the voice of Morgan Freeman said after a few moments, “Number of results: Immeasurable.” 

“Was that Morgan Freeman?” Batman asked.

“I’m a fan,” the Doctor smiled.

“Narrow down the list,” Splinter asked, “Exclude all worlds that do not have any legends or established proof of magical stones or jewels.”

“Confirmed,” Morgan Freeman’s voice replied after a few seconds, “List narrowed down to seventy trillion, five hundred and seventy six billion, twohundred and twenty two million, sixhunded twelve thousand and eighteen results.”

“Narrow down the list,” Splinter repeated, “Only include worlds where the four elements play an important cultural role.”

“Confirmed,” Morgan Freeman’s voice replied, much faster this time, “List narrowed down to four hundred eightyfour thousand, ninehundred and two results.”

“Impressive,” Batman complimented.

“But still quite a few,” the Doctor said, but was clearly also impressed.

“Narrow down the list,” Splinter repeated, “Only include worlds not previously visited by The Doctor.”

“Confirmed,” the voice replied, “List narrowed down to four hundred thousand, three hundred and two results.”

“Impressive travel record,” Batman said to the Doctor. 

“Narrow down the list,” Splinter repeated, “Only include worlds with a global hero or messiah figure.”

“Confirmed,” the voice replied almost instantly, “List narrowed down to four hundred and fiftyeight results.”

“Narrot it down one more time,” Splinter said, “Exclude worlds which host a personage copyrighted by Disney.”

“Confirmed,” the voice replied after a few seconds, “List narrowed down to two results.”

“DAMN!” Fury exclaimed aloud.

“List results,” Splinter asked, and the computer screen showed two names, of which Splinter almost immediately picked the bottom one: “That one.”

“How can you be so sure?” the Doctor asked. 

“I will tell you later,” the Doctor said, “First, take us there, please, Doctor.”

The Doctor was happy to oblige and entered their new destination in the system. They entered only moments later, as far as you can use that description where traveling through time and dimensions is concerned. Their destination was a lush world, with a style that reminded of the East Asian continent on Earth, yet it was vastly different, and lacked modern technology such as the internet, cars and computers. 

“What is this world?” All Might asked, “It seems fundamentally different from our own.”

“Yes, and no,” the Doctor replied, “I’ve done some reading up on this world as we were traveling. Apparently this world consists of four nations, each dedicated to one of the primal elements.”

“That sounds rather black and white,” Batman replied.

“Yes, but with colors,” the Doctor corrected, “Elemental colors, of course. And you’re right. But there has always been harmony.”

“Always?” Batman asked. He did not sound convinced.

“Almost,” the Doctor corrected, “There was an incident which lasted nearly a century, but ended about ten years ago.The Fire Nation had declared war on the other nations, declaring themselves superior above all others.”

“It is tragic when such a balance is lost,” Splinter said, “For the whole world suffers and is diminished.”

“There is one individual who has mastered all elements, called the Avatar,” the Doctor continued, “But he disappeared when the balance was lost and returned only recently, restoring peace by defeating the leader of the Fire Nation. It’s a fragile peace, but it’s working.”

“And where do we go now?” Batman asked, “Do we need to visit this Avatar? Can he help us?”

“Close,” the Doctor said, “The one we seek is one of his companions, a Water Bender named Katara. She is a priestess to her people. Sound familiar?”

“The one the sphere talked about,” Fury realised, “Where do we find her?”

“After the defeat of the Fire Nation and its Fire Lord, the Avatar’s companions split up. The world was still out of balance, as is to be expected after decades of war. They’re on a mission of healing their people. We’ll find Katara in the Northern Water Tribe. In the north.”

“Then let’s go there,” Nick Fury proposed, “We need to find her.”

They started walking, but had barely taken a step when a fire bolt struck and exploded on the ground before them. “You will do no such thing!” a woman replied, blocking their path with a host of Fire Nation soldiers, “I am Azula, Heiress to the Fire Nation, and you are not welcome in this world!”

“You spread the cause of war and refuse to abide by these new times,” Splinter said, stepping forward, “It is you who do not belong in this world, little lady.”

“You will find that I am not one of those opponents who will boast endlessly and fill your heads with talk,” Azula warned, “Rather, I am one of action. Kill them all!”

The Fire Nation soldiers immediately attacked and Azula joined the fight as well, charging as soon as she had given the order. All Might stepped in front of the rest of the group, fulfilling his role as hero and protector, and intercepted the attacking soldiers. The battle was fierce but very short. The Fire Nation soldiers attacked by producing flames and lightning out of nowhere, and then struck with distance attacks by hurling fire bolts, or by getting close and using their flaming fists of fury to attack. But they were out of luck that their opponent was All Might, the strongest hero of Japan and the Symbol of Peace. All Might had sparred with fire based villains before, and their flame attacks were much stronger than these of minor foot soldiers. The flames hardly hurt them, and he could easily withstand their close range attacks. In return, the enemy soldiers were hardly a match for his fierce attacks and incredible speed. The fight was over within minutes. Only Azula put up a fair fight, but she too was eventually driven back by All Might’s incredible power. 

“Surrender,” Batman said, “Obviously you are outmatched.”

“I will never yield!” Azula spat, and got ready to attack again, “Your little quest ends here!”

Azula be fightin’

Azula attacked a second time but she was already exhausted and All Might could easily read her moves, dodging her lightning blast, then intercepting her fist and restraining her, thus sealing her movements and rendering her harmless. “Stop fighting!” he warned.

“Release me!” she demanded.

“How did you know of our mission here?” Batman asked, “Who are you, really?”

“I am Azula, daughter fo Fire Lord Ozai, and your enemy! And you will let me go!”

“Yeah, I don’t think so,” Fury said, approaching as well, “If you know we are on a special mission, then you know why, and then you know about the shitty year I’ve had. And that means you might be connected to whatever’s caused it. We need you, girl.”

“Then tough luck,” she hissed, and suddenly wrest an arm free, creating a flare that forced All Might to cover his eye. She managed to get free of the last mighty hand that was holding her and retreated as fast she could, using the remaining Fire Nation soldiers as a distraction to cover her retreat.

“Should we go after her?” All Might asked.

“Let her go,” the Doctor said, “She might know something, but she’s just a pawn. We need to find this water priestess, before Azula decides she is a target to be taken out.”

“You, strangers,” a woman’s voice asked, softer and gentler than Azula had sounded, yet still with clear determination, “Are you alright? We saw you facing off against the Fire Rebels, but we were too late to intervene.”

They looked in the direction of the voice, where they saw a small group of soldiers, only in blue water tribe garments, led by a young lady, who had addressed them. “I am Katara, Priestess of the Water Tribe,” she introduced.

“The one we seek,” Master Splinter replied, “We’ve found her.”

“What a coincidence,” Batman commented. 

“Just be glad things are finally going our way,” Fury replied, “I wouldn’t survive another endless quest only to end up with an angsty space wizard teen.”

“You were seeking me?” Katara asked, “Who are you, strangers?”

The group had a unified moment of hesitation, pondering whether they should tell her the true or some creative story. But finally Nick Fury stepped forward, approaching the Water Tribe priestess, giving a respectful nod: “Your Ladyship, we come from a different world, from many different worlds, actually, but our goal is noble: To restore the balance of my world, which is slowly headed for disaster.”

“You speak in riddles, but I sense no deception in your words,” Katara said, “But what do you need exactly? Why me?”

“A celestial sage of sorts has set us on a quest,” Fury continued, “We have an object that can reverse the damage to my world, but it requires four objects of power, scattered across all reality, to work. One such item is a stone, said to be in your possession.”

“A stone…” she repeated, visible weighing and pondering his words.

“She doesn’t know,” Batman grumbled to himself.

“She knows,” Splinter whispered, “Give her some time.”

Katara thought about it a moment more. “I believe you,” she finally said, “And I will help you.”

“You have it with you?”  Batman asked.

“Obviously,” she smiled, removing the choker around her neck, which had a bright azure stone attached to it. She then detached the stone and handed it to Commander Fury, who immediately attached it to the Gauntlet of Plun-Darr, much like what had happened with the first stone. “I always thought it to be an ordinary stone,” she said, seeing what happened.

“I don’t completely understand it either,” Nick Fury replied, staring at the Gauntlet, “But thank you for your help, Katara. I promise we will return the stone to you when we’re done.”

“Thank you,” she smiled, “And I promise we will find Azula and bring her to justice.”

They parted ways after that and the group returned to the TARDIS, to visit their next destination. As they walked, Nick Fury retrieved the sphere again, activating it. The holographic image of the hooded figure spoke: “Return to what you’re trying to save, seeking Arcadia; The Dark Troll’s eye will be what you need.”

“Shady,” Batman said, “Return to Earth it means?”

“There is a town called Arcadia in the United States,” Nick Fury said, “But there’s nothing special there. It’s as ordinary as can be.”

“Sounds like the perfect place to start looking then,” Master Splinter smiled.

Nick  Fury said nothing. He knew the rat sensei was right.

Chapter XVII – A long, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, yet again

The Black Cube materialised in what appeared to be a storage closet of some sort, with barely enough room to materialise, and for its occupants to disembark and move around. “This is new,” Batman commented, “Certainly a highlight in landing locations.”

“There was little choice,” the Doctor said, “I had to avoid appearing in a public place, and there was something disrupting our materialisation as well. This is not where I had intended the TARDIS to land.”

“Something disrupted the landing?” Fury repeated, “Like what? A hostile force?”

“I don’t think so,” the Doctor replied, “I suspect it is the other TARDIS, the one you and your group arrived in previously.”

“You mean we’ve landed at the exact same timeframe as our previous visit?” Batman asked, “Doesn’t that… violate any temporal laws and such?”

“Not exactly,” the Doctor said, “We can visit the same time period twice, but we simply mustn’t intervene with the previous visit. Doing so will really cause chaos.”

“Right, so avoid our past selves,” Anakin said, “Got it.”

“Did we have to come to the exact same period?” All Might asked, “Couldn’t we have gotten here after our old selves had left, to avoid any problems?”

“No,” the Doctor said, shaking his head,”Remember what the sphere said? ‘Return to your own past’. That means this exact same moment. Thanos warned against not following the sphere’s instructions, so we should proceed as such… despite the risk.”

“Despite the risk,” Anakin repeated, whispering to himself.

They left the storage room and moved further through the senate building; it was the same building where they had been the last time, only they had entered from a different wing this time, although partially unplanned, thus increasing the chances of avoiding their past selves. They did run into more patrols however, but were able to hide and pass by undetected.

“Where are we going?” Splinter asked, doing his best to keep up with the others, despite his age.

“There’s an intersection up ahead,” Batman said, “It’s where we met up with the Emperor, so if we can find him before that moment arrives, we can take whatever crystal he has from him.”

“Without changing history,” the Doctor warned.

“Without changing history,” Batman repeated.

Then suddenly Anakin stopped moving and fell behind. The others noticed his hesitation and stopped as well. “Anakin? What’s wrong?” All Might asked, “Why did you stop?”

“I can’t go with you,” Anakin replied, his gaze focused on the ground, “I have to save him.”

“Save who?” All Might asked, “Anakin, what do you mean?”

“I’ve been having these dreams, or flashes more like it,” Anakin explained, “Of my wife, dying, and me being unable to save her. I’ve begun to experience them more frequently, also when I’m awake. I think they are a premonition.”

“You believe she will die soon?” Batman asked. 

“I believe only the Supreme Chancellor can save her,” Anakin replied, “He has told me so; and I must help him!”

“This is the man who tried to murder you, isn’t he?” Commander Fury asked, remembering the incident from chapter five, “That does sound like a shitty idea.”

“He was a man who had been betrayed,” Anakin replied, taking a step backwards from his comrades, as if making excuses, “A man on the run. I don’t blame him for lashing out..”

“Anakin…” Splinter began, “This is not a good path you’re following…”

“You know nothing of this, master!” Anakin lashed angrily with words, “I can’t abandon him! Not again!”

“It has already happened!” the Doctor warned, “Boy, you will change history if you intervene now!”

“Then I will do what I must,” Anakin replied.

“Anakin, this is not the way,” Splinter warned.

The young Jedi Knight seemed to hesitate for a moment before responding, but took another step back. Then he looked at them again, his gaze firm and full of determination. “I’m sorry, Master,” he said, “But I must.” and then he ran in the opposite direction, disappearing into a small sideway before anyone could stop him.

“What do we do now?” All Might asked, “Do we just let him go like that?”

“We can’t,” the Doctor said, “If he intervenes now, the Chancellor won’t be there to hurt him later. It will cause a branch in history, and time will go awry.”

“What does that mean exactly?” Splinter asked.

“It means this reality will fracture,” the Doctor said, “A new action, a new course… there is the old original, where Anakin doesn’t help the Chancellor, and he returns angrily; and there is this reality, where Anakin will intervene.” 

“So another reality?” Splinter asked, “Where we already have countless different worlds?”

“I guess if you look at it that way…” the Doctor began.

“It doesn’t matter, does it?” All Might said, “That boy is going to get in trouble! And we can’t just let him face it on his own!”

All Might did not bother waiting for an answer but ran off as well, following in the direction where Anakin had gone. The group had no choice then; the risk of intervening had become too great, and they had to either stop All Might, and possibly Anakin, or minimize the damage somehow. 

They rushed after the two but were barely able to keep up with the incredible speed of All Might, who was but a speck in the distance. But Batman, being distrustful of everyone and everything, had put a tracker or the superhero before, and thus they were able to follow him, even after he had disappeared from view. They came across an inner garden of some sort, leading up to the tallest building of the entire senate complex. It made sense that the Supreme Chancellor resided there. But then, as they approached, Batman suddenly stopped, looking up at the sound of a scream. There they saw a window shattering and a figure was hurled across it. There were flashes of lightning as well, but they seemed to come from inside the building, not outside. The man screamed as he plummeted down into the depths below. 

“Oh no,” Splinter exclaimed.

“Was it Anakin?” Fury asked.

“No, he had a darker skin color,” Batman said, “I think it was one of the Jedi Masters.”

“No, I mean the one who caused it,” Fury replied.

Batman did not answer. He did not know, but he had his suspicions. “Let’s hurry,” he said after a moment, “We have to get up there and fast.”

They rushed inside. There were still a few guards stationed, but they were easily overwhelmed and dealt with, allowing the group to travel to the upper floors of the senate building relatively unopposed. They arrived at the chancellor’s office and the place was a mess. One of the windows had been shattered, proving that what they had witnessed from outside had transpired here. Furniture was tossed upside down, and part of the office was on fire. All Might was standing in the middle of the room, his shoulders low, observing the wreckage. Of Anakin and the Chancellor there was no trace.

“What happened here?” the Doctor asked.

“I am not sure,” All Might said, “I’ve seen only a part of it, but there was a struggle. One of the Master Jedi confronted the Chancellor for corruption, but Anakin intervened, and injured his master. Things happened fast after that, but I think the Chancellor turned out to be more than he seemed… he was the one that killed the Jedi Master.”

“Where are they now?” Batman asked.

“I don’t know,” All Might replied, “The Chancellor knocked me out with that electricity of his, but I heard them leaving. Together. They had work to do, the Chancellor had said. And they would reform the Republic into an Empire.”

“So the Chancellor must be this Ruler of Darkness we seek, according to the sphere,” Fury surmised, “But then, where is his crystal?”

“ Look,”  Batman said, spotting an object on the floor. It was one of the energy sabers, much alike the one Anakin was using, but it had a different design. “Looks like another Lightsaber. And it’s broken.”

“I suspect this Supreme Chancellor was more than he let on to be,”  Splinter surmised, “Perhaps he was a Jedi as well; or some shadow equivalent of it.” 

“But how does that knowledge help us?” All Might asked, “And can we still save Anakin?” 

“I’m afraid the boy is lost to the shadow,”  Splinter said softly, shaking his head, “I’ve spoken to the boy on Third Earth as we were traveling, and despite his calm nature, I sensed a greater darkness within. It looks like this… Chancellor has managed to bring that to the surface.” 

“So now we’ve lost Anakin, and our lead,” Fury said, “We’re left empty-handed.” 

“Not precisely,” Splinter corrected, stepping up until he was standing in front of the broken Lightsaber. He looked at the broken hilt for a moment, then brought the base of his staff down hard. The broken hilt burst open further and part of its contents spilled out, including a tiny glowing red crystal. “I suspect that is what we need,” he said. 

“So that’s what powering those energy weapons,”  Batman guessed, “Impressive.” 

the Crystal

Master Splinter picked the small crystal up from the floor, and after briefly examining it, he handed it over to Nick Fury. The Commander slowly brought the tiny object to the Gauntlet of Plun-Darr, and the two reacted almost instantly, drawn to each other like magnets. The crystal jerked itself loose from Nick Fury’s fingers and embedded itself in an empty slot on the gauntlet. The gauntlet vibrated briefly, but nothing else happened.

“ That’s it?”  All Might asked, “Do you feel different?” 

“I feel like I need to use the restroom,”  Fury replied, “But I don’t think that’s related to this gauntlet.” 

There was turmoil in the hallways. Soldiers were rushing in all directions, alerted by the incident i the Chancellor’s office, and were moving to secure the location and deal with any insurgents or suspicious characters they might find; and that would probably include them. “Time to go,”  Batman concluded, “Things are getting too lively.” 

“We won’t be able to get through all that undetected,”  Fury stated, “Especially now that we don’t have Anakin with us anymore.” 

“We don’t have to,” the Doctor said, and pulled the Sonic Screwdriver from his coat pocket. Pressing a button, he activated the TARDIS by remote control, and moments later the Black Cube materialised, right in the middle of Chancellor Palpatine’s office. “All aboard,”  the Doctor said, and they quickly got on board, after which the Cube disappeared again, just before security forces entered the office. 

The Galactic Republic was lost and a new Empire would rise in its place. But that would be another story to tell, in a galaxy far, far away.

An Intermezzo : Council of Evil (II)

Imagine a table, a conference table, oval in size as used in business meetings, made of mahogany. Imagine it being in a place completely clad in darkness, a room if you will, but the walls are not visible, rather they are obscured by some sort of mysterious dark fog, or rather, perhaps the fog is the walls given form. Both floor and ceiling are similar, black and unseen. So it is as if this table is there, existing in nothingness, with a series of chairs surrounding it, some occupied, and some empty.
The oval shape of the table signified that all those seated at it were equal, and that none was above the other, kind of like the Round Table from Arthurian Legends, but of a slightly different shape to avoid copyright infringement. 

“Doom is not pleased,” Doctor Doom commented to those of the council that were present, “They have resumed their travel, and they have a mission in mind, they have hope.”

“We did not expect the Mad Titan to intervene like this,” Lord Voldemort stated, “For one responsible for the annihilation of half of all sentient life in his dimension, it is a most unusual move.”

“There’s a lot you people don’t expect,” Azula sighed, notably restless, “And now they have a weapon.”

“Yes, the Gauntlet and Sword of Plun-Darr,” Doctor Doom said, “What do we know about those two?”

“Not much,” Skeletor replied, “I’ve asked with some of my mystic sources, but both are an unknown variable, including what powers they have exactly. But they do appear to be a weapon.”

“A sword? A weapon?” Azula sighed, rolling her eyes, “Well done, Skeletor, well done.”

“Sarcasm aside,” Doom interrupted, “They indeed appear to be weapons. But for what? To be used against us?”

Another spoke up, a purple haired man dressed in priestly robes, giving the room an enigmatic smile: “To be used against us is possible, but unlikely. All we know is that we do not know.”

“Thank you very much for that useful addendum, Xelloss,” Azula sighed, “Meanwhile those heroes are running around all of reality and getting closer and closer to saving their world.”

“Or to dooming themselves,” Skeletor suggested.

“We will continue to monitor then,” Doctor Doom replied, “But not for much longer; if this keeps up, we will need to step in.”

“Gladly,” Azula said, “They are powerless meddling fools, and I will enjoy putting them into their place.”

“And what about our Agent?” Doom asked.

“Ready to intervene if needed,” Lord Voldemort replied.

“Good,” Doom said, folding his arms in front of him, “Let him intervene then; it’s time we make known to these travelers, that they do not go unopposed.”

The meeting ended with that. At least for now. For 2020 wasn’t over yet, and this story was far from finished.

Chapter XVI – Pharaoh

The Black Sphere materialised again at the edge of a larger desert area, chasing away several small grazing animals at it appeared. Its occupants exited the Cube and took in their surroundings; each new world they visited was different from the other, and this “Third Earth” seemed different yet again, despite the similar name to the homeworld of several among them. 

“Where do we go now, Doctor?” Nick Fury asked. He held the mysterious sphere in his hand, but it remained silent, giving no further hints to their destination or intended path.

“Mumm-Ra resides in a pyramid, somewhere in that desert,” the Doctor said, “Give me a few minutes and I can pinpoint its location, so we know which direction we need to go to. I suggest you use that time to prepare and get some supplies. This is a desert, after all.”

They made their final preparations while the Doctor used his cylindrical device again to scan the surroundings and locate the mysterious pyramid. “I’ve seen you use that device on several occasions now, for different purposes,” All Might remarked, returning from the TARDIS with an enormous oversized backpack filled with supplies and water, “It really is a useful multipurpose tool, isn’t it?”

“The Sonic Screwdriver certainly has its talents, yet,” the Doctor replied, without taking his eyes off the device and without halting his scans, “Not for anything offensive, but everything else: much better than your average kitchen knife.”

“And I suppose it fastens and loosens screws as well?” All Might guessed.

“It could,” the Doctor replied, “Though honestly, I can’t remember the last time I used it for that.”

“Convenient,” All Might commented.

“Correct,” the Doctor replied, then suddenly stopped his scans, pointing the Screwdriver into a certain direction, “Ah, I think I’ve found it. We should set out in this direction, and then we should reach our destination in, say… about two hours or so.” 

“Then let’s not dally,” Fury said, “I’m not a fan of wandering around in the desert.”

“Agreed,” Anakin said, “I hate sand.”

“I’m more concerned with how exposed and vulnerable we are,” Fury replied, “But let’s get going then.”

They set out after that, following the directions the Doctor had indicated and ventured into Third Earth’s massive desert. The heat was unforgiving, but each of them had had a certain amount of survival training or experience, so they were able to bear it; the only one who was more inconvenienced was Master Splinter, who, apart from his age, was also carrying a fur mantle over his body. Fortunately the trouble that Commander Fury had dreaded never showed and after roughly ninety minutes of travel the figure of an onyx colored pyramid loomed up in the distance. 

“Its surface is black,” Fury said, “I hadn’t expected that.”

“Even more foreboding,” Anakin commented.

“I know little about the one who resides within,” the Doctor admitted, “But it is a figure well known across the entire planet, apparently. Some say he is the last pharaoh of this world, and others say he is a god in mortal form, or a wizard who has achieved immortality.”

“Immortality…” Anakin repeated, and his thoughts wandered to his own plight, and the uncertain fate of his wife, Padme; memories of restless dreams where she died an early death returned to him once more, but he brushed them off.

“We still have some distance to cover,” All Might said, “It must be massive in size if we can already see it so well at this distance.”

“An impressive feat of engineering,” Anakin complimented, “But I still hate sand.”

The Black Pyramid

They arrived at the base of the black pyramid roughly twenty minutes later, where they stopped to take it in and investigate. There was no visible entrance, the pyramid’s surface seemed smooth and sturdy. “Now what?” All Might asked, “It doesn’t look like there is an entrance.”

“Looks might be deceiving sometimes,” Master Splinter protested.

“Do you see a way in then, master?” All Might asked.

“No,” Splinter replied, “This doesn’t appear to be one of those ‘sometimes’.”

“I sense a presence within the pyramid,” Anakin said, “It is weak, barely notable, as if slumbering. But it is there.”

“Is it Mumm-Ra?” Batman asked.

“I’m not sure,” Anakin said, “It is too faint to make up anything of it.”

“Then how do we proceed?” Anakin asked, “Do we look for a way in? Or do we try to create an opening ourselves?”

“I don’t think the pyramid’s host would appreciate us if we introduce ourselves by destroying property,” Fury replied, “But perhaps we can make ourselves known in a different way.”

“What do you have in mind, Fury?” Batman asked.

“Let’s see if this gets his attention,” Fury said, drawing a small pistol from his coat’s inner pocket. He adjusted the setting somewhat, then aimed the weapon upward, firing a flare from it instead of the ordinary ordnance. The flare ascended into the sky and exploded with a bright flash and an audible bang. 

“Quite subtle,” Batman commented.

“It is one of my many talents,” Fury replied.

“Any change inside the pyramid?” All Might asked Anakin, who was reaching out with The Force again.

“Nothing at all,” Anakin replied, but then fell silent for a moment, as he sensed something. “No wait, there is something happening. It looks like there has been an awakening.”

“Is it Mumm-Ra?” the burly superhero asked. 

“I’m not sure,” Anakin said, “But whatever it is, it is immensely powerful; but it looks like it was somehow masking its presence earlier. And… I sense a darkness.”

“A darkness?” All Might repeated.

“It is a most mighty presence,” Splinter agreed, “I too sense it, young Jedi.”

“Is it moving?” Batman asked.

“No, it’s not,” Anakin replied, “But I’m pretty sure its aware of it. 

Then suddenly there was lightning and a thunderclap and the pyramid’s wall began to shake and move, slowly sliding aside and revealing a way in. “That isn’t at all unsettling,” Batman grumbled. 

“It looks like we’re being invited in,” the Doctor surmised, “Let’s not keep our host waiting, shall we?”

“Did you miss the whole memo about the powerful energy and the darkness?” Fury asked, amazed at the Doctor’s boldness. 

“I didn’t,” the Doctor smiled over his shoulder as he had already stepped inside, “But over my travels I have learned that not all is at it seems, and that darkness and light are often two sides of the same coin.”

“An interesting point of view,” Anakin said, and he followed the Doctor. Then the rest stepped in as well. Batman had half expected the entrance to close up again behind them, but that didn’t happen.

They ventured deeper into the black pyramid with neither of them saying a word. All of them were on their toes, expecting something to happen; but nothing did. Finally they reached the center of the pyramid, a massive throne room that could only be described as sinister. In the middle of the room was a large cauldron, surrounded by four massive statues depicting some sort of deities or creatures, and behind the cauldron there was a sarcophagus. Which had been opened. And in front of that sarcophagus there stood a being of massive muscular form, almost nine feet tall, with glowing red eyes, wearing a gold helmet of sorts. “Welcome, travelers,” he greeted them.

“Mumm-Ra, I presume?” Nick Fury asked.

“I am he,” the large figure replied, “I am impressed; I did not know my name was so well known beyond the borders of this feeble little world.”

“I’ve visited Third Earth before in the past,” the Doctor elaborated, “But your name was already widely known then, great Mumm-Ra.”

“Great Mumm-Ra?” the tall figure repeated, “You do know how to flatter. But I am puzzled at your appearance here. Few seek out Mumm-Ra on their own accord.”

“We were sent here on a mission,” Anakin said, “A world is dying, and we were told that you might hold the means to help restore our world, and our future.”

“Mumm-Ra does not share easily,” the figure replied, referring to himself in the third tense, “Nor do I have any object or skill that might accomplish that. Mumm-Ra serves his own.”

“I got that impression,” Anakin replied, “And I sense it clearly now; the source of the darkness is you.”

“A gifted boy you are,” Mumm-Ra laughed, “Could it be that you have come before Mumm-Ra without knowing who I am? What I am?”

“You are sinister,” Anakin replied.

“I am Mumm-Ra, the Ever-Living,” the pharaoh proclaimed, “I serve evil, and I am Evil incarnate. And because of that, I cannot perish, ever.”

“Perhaps coming here was a mistake,” Batman guessed, “We really shouldn’t have trusted Thanos.”

“Still, this is our only lead in saving Earth,” Fury replied. 

“Earth?” Mumm-Ra repeated, overhearing their talk, “That makes matters even easier. There is no way I will help you, if this concerns the planet Earth.”

“That was  unexpected,” Batman commented, “And yes, it was not.”

Mumm-Ra did not react to their discussion, but seemed to be pondering something. Then he smirked and began to step forward, approaching them: “Tell me, travelers. You claim to be from Earth. Then how did you get here?”

“We traveled here via my vessel,” the Doctor replied. He did not share more, especially since it was becoming more and more unlikely that this creature could be trusted.

“And where is this vessel located?” Mumm-Ra asked, still slowly stepping forward towards them, “If you got here, then it must mean it has the ability to travel through time, does it not?”

“That is unimportant at this point,” the Doctor said, avoiding an answer, “What is it you want, Mumm-Ra? And will you help us or not?”

“I told you before, mortal,” the pharaoh replied, “Mumm-Ra helps only himself. And what I want is your vessel, and you will give it to me!”

“I guess it’s my turn to do the negotiating now,” All Might said, stepping forward in front of his team mates to confront Mumm-Ra. 

“You think you can stop me?” Mumm-Ra laughed, moving towards All Might directly now at a faster rate, raising a fist, “Fool! I will crush you like I will crush your hopes!”

“You will try!” All Might shouted, dodging the ancient pharaoh’s fist, then delivering one of his own, hitting Mumm-Ra in the gut and sending the pharaoh flying backwards, crashing against the wall next to the open sarcophagus. “Evil can’t hope to triumph against the forces of justice!”

“My, you are annoying,” Mumm-Ra grumbled, as he got back up again, “But how do you hope to defeat that which can’t be destroyed?”

“There’s more than one way to defeat an opponent,” All Might grinned, stepping towards the ancient foe, “Capturing you is one of them.”

“You are amusing!” Mumm-Ra laughed, this time keeping his distance and shooting electricity bolts from his hands in an attempt to take down All Might. The superhero dodged each and every single bolt, then moved in closer. It was only because of his unnatural agility that Mumm-Ra was able to dodge the next blow.

“This could take some time,” Anakin realised, “They seem evenly matched. Should we step in?”

“Not yet,” Master Splinter said, observing the battle in front of them, “All Might didn’t just rush in without a plan. He’s keeping Mumm-Ra busy and exploring his combat potential, allowing us a chance to study him, find a potential weakness.”

“Do you think he has one?” Anakin asked.

“No one and nothing is without weakness,” Splinter replied, “It’s just a matter of how well we hide them.”

But as they watched the battle rage on, it almost seemed as if the ancient pharaoh had no weakness whatsoever. Despite the powerful blows that All Might was dealing, his opponent didn’t seem to tire, and rose up again every time, while at the same time, the prolonged battle was slowly having its toll on the superhero; All Might was starting to get exhausted.

“I’m stepping in,” Batman said, taking a step forward. But Splinter stopped him: “Not yet. Observer a little longer.”

All Might punched Mumm-Ra again with fierceness, but the blow was less than effective, and the monster immediately retaliated by grabbing the hero, sending unholy energy through his body, causing him to scream loudly. All Might stopped fighting at that point, sinking to one knee, while a triumphant Mumm-Ra was still holding his arm. “A valiant effort,” the pharaoh teased, “But this outcome was inevitable.”

“Master..?” Batman said, glancing sideways at the rodent ninja.

“Go,” Splinter said, “I’ve got it figured out. But free All Might first.”

Batman rushed forward, tossing a bat shaped boomerang at their opponent, which Mumm-Ra easily deflected with a smack of his muscular arm. But it was enough of a distraction for All Might to get some momentum and wrest himself free, pushing the ancient immortal back with the palm of his hand. The hero tried to get some distance, but was struck down by another energy blast from Mumm-Ra, losing his balance and falling to the floor. Batman leapt in to aid his comrade and help All Might get up, but as he was doing so Mumm-Ra was suddenly in front of them, ready to finish off both of them. The only reason why he didn’t was because he was distracted by Master Splinter, who had begun moving and was now slowly moving towards him, using his wooden cane for support. “Master Splinter!” Anakin called out after him, “What are you doing?”

“I am finishing this fight,” Splinter said, keeping his eyes fixated on Mumm-Ra, “Everybody has a weakness, and so does this prince of evil.”

“Is that so, little rodent?” Mumm-Ra smirked, turning to face the approaching sensei, “Do you really believe you can win where those two can not? You, a scrawny little thing?”

“You should know that size matters very little,” Splinter replied, and stopped when he was directly in front of Mumm-Ra, “Except, perhaps, for the size of your mind and cleverness.”

“You jest,” Mumm-Ra replied, growing annoyed.

“You are powerful, Mumm-Ra, and it seems evil has blessed you,” Splinter said, “But this darkness will be the end of you, once confronted with your own wickedness.”

“You make no sense, rodent,” Mumm-Ra, “And you hold no weapon that can defeat me; or will you try with that walking stick of yours?”

Master Splinter did not reply to his taunt right away but moved even closer. It was a gamble; he needed to get close, but if Mumm-Raw grew bored about their little dialogue, he would probably end him right then and there. But fortunately luck, and Mumm-Ra arrogance, were on Master Splinter’s side. “That’s close enough, rodent,” the pharaoh warned.

“Indeed it is,” Splinter said, “And now it’s time to face yourself, and the hideousness of your actions, and what you’ve come,” and from his robes he pulled a small mirror, which he held up in front of Mumm-Ra, making sure the immortal pharaoh could see himself, could see his own face.

“ Fool! I am immortal and you think a mirror can defeat me?”  the pharaoh shouted and began laughing. But as his gaze fixated on his own reflection, his laughter stopped and a shiver went through his body. Then, at that moment, he realized what he had become, and what he had lost, and even though he felt all powerful, deep within there was regret and loss, and the shocking confrontation with that was too much to bear. The mighty pharaoh shrieked and staggered back, trying to shield his vision with his hands, but it was already too late: the mighty power that had been bestowed upon him flowed out of him again, and he was lurched back into his sarcophagus, the mighty figure shrinking and declining, turning into a shriveled husk of a form, a mummy of a time ancient past.

“Amazing,” Anakin gasped, “There’s virtually nothing left of him.”

“Then he is beaten,” All Might said, back to his feet again, and no longer needing to support on Batman’s shoulder.

“Do not believe me beaten just yet,” the shrunken, mummified form of Mumm-Ra retorted, slowly stepping out of the sarcophagus and towards them again, “Even in this small form, Mumm-Ra is powerful.”

“Perhaps so,” Splinter replied, “But without your powerful form, you can’t hope to stand against all of us. And even if we can’t destroy you, we can imprison you, and give you a fate worse than death.”

“You wouldn’t dare,” Mumm-Ra growled.

“He probably wouldn’t,” Anakin said, stepping forward, “But I’m definitely up for it.”

Mumm-Ra surveyed the room, and watched how these heroes, these travelers, were slowly closing in on him. He was still weakened from Splinter’s ploy, and knew the rat sensei was right: he probably wouldn’t be able to take on all of them. Lowering his arms, he let out a deep sigh: “Very well. What is it you want?”

“Deliver upon him that what he fears most, and he will give you what you need most to continue your mission,” Splinter softly repeated the sphere’s words.”

“You know what we need, Mumm-Ra,” the Doctor said, “You know of our quest, and that you will provide us something to help us. So: Provide us! And we will be on our way.”

“Very well,” Mumm-Ra said, “Hold your hand aloft, he of you which represents the dying Earth, and I shall give you something which will aid you.”

Nick Fury stepped forward, standing in front of the mummified pharaoh and holding his hand out, ready for whatever this wizard was going to do next: “I am he,” he said, “So give me the thing that will save Earth.”

Mumm-Ra said nothing but chanted something ancient, using his hands to weave some sort of mystic sigils in the air. Suddenly the air around Nick Fury’s open hand felt heavy and cold, and a gauntlet that was slightly larger than his wrist appeared in his hand, and with it, a sword was sheathed. “Okay, not really my style, but I think I can rock it,” Fury replied. 

“The Gauntlet of Plun-Darr and the Sword of Plun-Darr are yours to command, until your mission is complete, after which they will return to me,” Mumm-Ra stated, “But they are both incomplete. To unleash their true power, you will need to acquire four stones, which together can unleash the fury of the cosmos itself.”

“That sounds a bit destructive,” Anakin remarked, though he mumbled it to himself. 

“This is cool and all,” Fury replied, “And not to sound ungrateful… but do we really need a weapon? I mean… how is this going to save a dying world?”

“In time, this will be revealed,” Mumm-Ra answered, as he began to turn around and walk back to his sarcophagus, “But remember that every weapon can protect, as well as destroy.”

“Wise words,” Master Splinter agreed, “And I am sure we will discover their meaning someday.”

“Now go,” Mumm-Ra said, sinking back into his sarcophagus which slowly began to close, “I am tired of your company, and you have no further business here. I will sleep for another hundred years, perhaps more, until the time comes for Mumm-Ra to awaken again.”

The sarcophagus closed and the light in the pyramid seemed to dim at the same time, and the room slowly darkened. The group knew it was time to go and left the way they came, through the still open entrance, which began to slowly close as the last of them had exited the black pyramid. “It doesn’t feel right leaving like this,” Anakin said, “And letting such an evil power be.”

“Evil never persists,” Master Splinter said, “Doesn’t your religion teach about balance? Just as he is diminished now, a foe will one day come to oppose Mumm-Ra permanently.”

“Don’t worry, Anakin,” the Doctor said, “I’ll check up on this world in its future; and if Mumm-Ra does pose a problem… well, we know his weakness now.”

Meanwhile, Nick Fury had held aloof the mysterious sphere again, which came to life again as it had before. The same hooded figure emerged again and it spoke: “Four stones you need to activate the Gauntlet’s true power. For the first, you must travel back to your own past, to a long, long time ago, in Coruscant. Surrender the boy to his destiny and take the crystal from the Ruler of Darkness.”

“Coruscant?” Splinter asked.

“The capital of the Galactic Republic,” Anakin said, “It’s where this group picked me up.”

“Tell me about it while we travel,” Master Splinter said, “It’s going to be a long journey, after all.”

“Very well, Master Splinter,” Anakin said, as they began on their journey back. He then sighed: “Man, I hate sand.”

“I am not a man,” Splinter said, “Not anymore.”

As the group departed, they were being watched by sinister eyes. From deep within his dark pyramid, Mumm-Ra peered into the cauldron which was positioned in the center of the room, a cauldron of evil energies and mysterious liquid which allowed him to survey what was going on outside the pyramid, and all over the planet. “Yes, leave, mortals,” Mumm-Ra said, though no one but he could hear it, “You may have bested me, but as long as evil exists, Mumm-Ra lives. I will sleep now, but I will awaken again. And when I do… Third Earth will be mine.”
The vision in the cauldron seemed to focus on Anakin, who was still talking to the rat, though his mind seemed troubled. “Yes, you in particular, young knight,” Mumm-Ra smirked, “Even though you try to mask it, I sense the darkness within you. A darkness which will swallow you whole. And with it, you will doom your comrades.”

And with that, and with some sinister laughing, the mummy wizard sank back into sarcophagus once again, after making sure the group had really left; and this time he truly sank into a deep slumber, resting in silence, where he would remain, until several centuries later, with the arrival of new travelers, refugees from the lost planet of Thundera.

Chapter XV – Titan

Even though they traversed time and space across countless centuries and countless lightyears, the journey was over in an instant and they found themselves at their unknown destination. The place was dark, with the starry sky around them and a few unknown sources of light giving scarce illumination. The air was cold and silent, as if life itself has left this place alone. There seemed to be nobody present. But then, who or what had tossed the stone tablet back through time.

“Where are we?” Fury asked, “Any idea, Doctor?”

“I am unsure,” the Doctor said, “We’re back in your present time, perhaps a few years into the future; but in a distant part of the galaxy. I am unfamiliar with this place.”

“I sense almost no life here,” Anakin said, reaching out with The Force, “But I do sense power. A large power which has recently left, and a smaller power that is approaching us slowly.”

“Good or malevolent?” All Might asked.

“I am unable to determine,” Anakin said, “I’m not sure if they’re masking their intentions somehow, or if it’s something else…”

“I guess we’ll find out soon,” Batman said, trying to stare into the darkness before them.

Moments later the darkness seemed to part a little as a shrouded figure emerged from it and slowly approached them, hovering a few inches above the ground as he came closer, like a spectre. “Greetings, travelers,” a voice spoke softly, “You have been expected.”

“Expected?” Anakin repeated, “By whom?”

“You have the privilege of being invited by the great Thanos, and soon you shall be in his presence and bask,” the other greeted, “I am the one once known as Ebony Maw. And while my body has been deceased for some time now, my master has sent this remnant before you to greet you and guide you.”

“That sounds a bit ominous, especially with a name like that,” Batman concluded.

“The master will explain all, but he is not here,” Maw spoke, “Pass me and continue on and you shall find transportation to the world on which he resides and observes his work.”

“He’s not here?” Anakin asked. But Maw did not reply, his visage began to become transparent and fade, and whatever power it was that had brought him here, was now gone. Then their mysterious messenger was gone.

The group felt somewhat uneasy and confused at what had happened. Something about this place felt odd, and the name ‘Thanos’ did not exactly spark confidence and the air of a savior. “This name, Thanos, does it ring a bell?” Anakin asked Nick Fury and The Doctor.

“Not to me,” the Doctor replied.

“I’ve heard mention of the name before,” Fury said, “In past events on my world. But it was only a name, without purpose or alignment.”

“Let’s move on then,” Anakin proposed, “We will meet this Thanos and find out for ourselves what kind of person he is.”

They agreed and moved on, in the direction where Ebony Maw’s remnant had indicated. There they found a small plateau with a platform on it which was glowing with a faint blue light. “Looks like some sort of Transmat technology,” the Doctor said, observing and investigating the platform. And to the others he elaborated: “Some sort of transportation technology. You step on it and you are instantly transported to some other location, possibly lightyears away.”

“All right, let’s get going then,” Anakin said, and leapt on the platform. There was a flash and then the young Jedi was gone. The others briefly looked at each other, with some concern about the young Jedi Knight’s brashness, but then followed as well, stepping onto the platform one by one.

The place where they reappeared was entirely different from the place where they had just been. They were on a planet again, lush with vegetation and animal life, although it seemed to be uninhabited and untouched other than that, except for the single place that lay before them, a farm house of sorts, which had extensive farm lands surrounding it. Anakin was already a small distance in front of them and moving towards the farm house when he noticed the others had followed him here as well. 

“Where is this place?” Fury asked, “This isn’t Earth, is it?”

“No, this is somewhere else,” the Doctor said, “I don’t know where, but a Transmat couldn’t have transported us all the way back to Earth.”

“I sense nothing living here,” Anakin said, “There’s nothing but plants in the wide environment. With the exception over there,” and he pointed in the direction of the farm house, “There, behind that building, there is a single individual. Someone powerful. Very powerful.”

“Thanos?” Batman guessed.

“Must be,” the Doctor agreed, “Shall we pay him a visit then?”

“That seems to be the purpose of this visit, isn’t it?” Anakin said, and turned around again and started walking in the direction of the farm house, “Let’s go then.”

They kept on walking and were impressed with what was surrounding them. This farm seemed new, but everything was in fine condition and the crops that were being grown were exceptionally healthy, although perhaps somewhat excessive for a single individual. They didn’t enter the house, not wanting to intrude on the man’s privacy, but passed it by, knowing that the one they sought was just beyond there.
Anakin was the first to spot him: A tall man with a purplish skin color, measuring about 2 meter 50 in size (that’s 8’3” for those few of you not using the metric system… yet). His body build was extremely muscular and he was wearing a farmer’s outfit and straw hat, wielding a hoe (the gardening tool variety) in both hands. He had his back turned towards the arrival but seemed to be as aware of his guests as they were of him. “Ah, there you are,” he said with a strong but soft voice, the kind that reminded you of a stern but friendly father. 

“There we are,” Anakin replied, “You were aware of our arrival?”

“I wasn’t, but I knew you were coming sooner or later,” he said, turning around and putting his hoe aside, “I am Thanos, known to some as The Mad Titan.”

Farmer Thanos

“The Mad Titan,” the Doctor repeated, “That’s quite an ominous title to wear.”

“And I can assure you I’ve earned it,” Thanos replied, “Though I suppose madness, as well as many other aspects, is in the eye of the beholder.”

“Are you the one who sent the stone tablet back in time, to my world, Earth?”

“I did,” Thanos replied, gazing into the distance, into nothingness.

“Why?”

“Your world is in another reality than this one,” Thanos said, “Yet on my own journeys, my own personal quest, I came across it by chance. And I was appalled by it.”

“Earth has that effect on people,” Batman commented.

“Your world is small and insignificant,” Thanos said, “But what disturbed me was the history of your world. Something has occurred which has upset the natural flow, and has disrupted the world’s balance. The year 2020 is a terrible year, a year that must not be, not like it is now.”

“It is indeed a shitty year,” Fury commented.

“It has lost its balance,” Thanos continued, “And because of that, your world is spiraling out of control and towards destruction. That is a fate that your world does not deserve.”

“You’re not a farmer, are you?” Anakin asked.

“I am now,” Thanos said, “But recently I was many other things.”

“I remember now,” the Doctor said, “Thanos the Mad Titan. The one who wanted to bring balance to the universe, to make sure it could go on. The Titan who wiped out half of all life to ensure that. My, you are mad.”

“History will remember me in interesting ways,” Thanos said, not fighting the accusation, “But I pursued what I believe in, and have no regrets, even though the price has been very high.”

Anakin leapt back and drew his Lightsaber, though he did nothing else yet: “You’re a monster. You’ve murdered billions?”

“They did not suffer,” Thanos replied, “I used an ancient power to snuff them out of existence in seconds. It was required for the universe to keep on living.”

“But you still must be punished!” Anakin shouted angrily.

“Don’t worry, child, I will be punished,” Thanos said, “But it won’t be by you, or your companions. But rest assured, those that will deliver judgment are already underway.”

Anakin seemed reluctant to accept those words and was about to engage Thanos in a combat to the death. The only thing that stopped him was the sudden appearance of the Cosmic Cube; it seemed that Master Splinter had caught up with them. Seconds later the fantastic vessel opened and the rat sensei stepped out: “You have found the one you’re looking for?”

“No,” Anakin said, “This monster will not be the one to save Commander Fury’s world.”

“I am not,” Thanos agreed, “You are the ones who have been set upon that path.”

“But how,” Fury asked, stepping forward, “Your tablet speaks of a Chosen One to bring balance. But we don’t know how to find him, where to find him.”

“You will find him,” Thanos said, “I’ve seen it in your world’s history. Its true history. Just as I have seen your journey here, back to me.”

“But you know who it is,” Fury pressed.

“I do,” Thanos replied, “I will not tell you who it is, but I will show you where to find him. But be advised, your journey is not over yet. Though you are now halfway.”

“Halfway, right in the middle,” Batman repeated, “Perfectly balanced.”

“This one is catching on,” Thanos smiled, “But, yes.”

“Then what happens next?” All Might asked.

Thanos did not respond right away, but took a few steps away from them, into the fields, approaching a scarecrow which was dressed with a large battle armor, presumably once belonging to the Mad Titan. From it he pulled a small device, an onyx sphere that fit exactly in the palm of his massive hand. Walking back, he handed the device to Nick Fury: “This device contains a series of instructions that will guide you across the multiverse,” he said, “If you follow them and only if you follow them will you reach the one you need to find. And then you can restore the balance of your world.”

“How does it work?” Fury asked.

“It just works,” Thanos replied, “It will activate at the right moment, and tell you what needs to be done.”

Almost as if to demonstrate what he meant, the sphere began to feel warm to the touch suddenly and hummed softly in Nick Fury’s hand. Then a hooded figure spoke to him, with a soft but audible voice: “You must travel to the world called Third Earth and visit the ancient Mumm-Ra. Deliver upon him that what he fears most, and he will give you what you need most to continue your mission.”

“It speaks in riddles,” Fury said, “What happens if we don’t do what the sphere asks? Or if we can’t?”

“You must,” Thanos replied, “Sometimes the sphere will offer alternatives, using an algorithm that is beyond your understanding; but not always. And then there is no way back and you and your world are truly lost.”

He wanted to say more, but then there was a loud bang in the sky above them. As they looked up, they saw it was caused by a spaceship which had entered the planet’s atmosphere and was starting its descent for a landing. Thanos watched it for a moment more, then looked back at his visitors again: “Go now. You know all you need; now deliver your world from ruin.”

“What is that ship?” All Might asked.

“My judgment has arrived,” Thanos simply stated, “But your presence here would complicate things. I suggest you leave swiftly.”

Commander Fury nodded and turned around. He did not trust this Mad Titan, who was a threat not only for his Earth, but for other worlds as well. But he would fight one battle at a time; and it seemed Thanos was about to be confronted for his actions anyway. He entered the TARDIS and the others followed, while Thanos resumed his farming as if nothing had happened and nothing was happening. 

“Third Earth,” Fury repeated the sphere’s words, “Is that even a place?”

“It is,” the Doctor said, already inputting space/time coordinates into the TARDIS’ navigational control systems, “I’ve visited it, once, and it was a bit of a strange place; but I can take you there easily.”

“And this Mumm-Ra?” Anakin asked, “Have you met him?”

“I haven’t,” the Doctor said, “But I do know the name; apparently it’s some sort of deity or important figure in that world. The locals sometimes spoke of him, but they tried to avoid mentioning too much.”

“Sounds promising,” Fury said, “All right, let’s go then. We have a direction again, even when we’re guided by the machinations of a madman.”

“Indeed,” Anakin said,unsure on whether he agreed with their current course or not.

Thanos watched as the mysterious black cube came to life and began to fade out of existence before him. The irony of it all did not escape him – saving one reality and one planet Earth, after having doomed another. And the same as with irony, destiny would not escape him either. He turned around and began walking back to the farm house, taking with him the vegetables he had harvested. There, destiny would be waiting for him.

Chapter XIV – Wizard

The Lands of Middle-Earth had known peace for many a year, though they had also known periods of turmoil and strife. Fortunately, this one was one of those peaceful periods, where the dark shadow of Morgoth and Sauron had been banished, and no true evil walked the land. It was the period after the defeat of Sauron and the disappearance of his Master Ring, the one that focused his power and gave him dominance over all. It was the time just before the annual fireworks festival at the Shire of the Hobbits. 

And this is where the TARDIS appeared, surrounded by forest and in an area away from houses or villages. The group emerged, wary after the last few incidents, but quickly grew more at ease when they learned that no threats were in the nearby area, and all that surrounded them was peaceful nature.

“Where are we?” Batman asked. He could find no familiar landmarks whatsoever. And there was no notable internet connection, or anything of the sort.

“This is the land of Middle-Earth,” Splinter replied, “Despite its name, it’s quite unlike our own planet Earth, populated by mystic races, and strengthened by the mysterious power of magic.”

“We have magic,” Fury replied, “Though, I guess, it’s still a question of whether it is truly magic or just… advanced science. Dr. Strange remains vague about that.”

“In our terms of understanding, magic will always be vague,” Splinter replied, “But you are in luck, Commander Fury. For today you will meet a real wizard.”

“Interesting!” All Might grinned, “I’ve met many a hero, with many different powers, but never someone who could actually use real magic.”

“It is overrated,” Batman grumbled, remembering his own experiences with the mystic arts, and severely disliking most of them. 

“There are some who say that anything scientifically advanced enough can be indistinguishable from magic,” the Doctor noted.

“Arthur C. Clarke!” Fury recognised.

“Correct,” the Doctor said, “Though that is a tale on its own. But, in my experiences, there’s also more than science. Magic is not to be underestimated.”

“Then who is it we’re looking for?” Anakin asked.

“His name is Gandalf the Grey,” Splinter replied, “He is a figure of legend in this world and has accomplished several impressive feats to help save it. But he is also knowledgeable in the mystic arts. I’m sure that he can help us.”

“Then where can we find him?” Batman asked.

“Around these times the Hobbits are hosting a big feast with fireworks. Gandalf loves feasts as well, and is an expert supplier of fireworks. There’s a good chance we can find him with the Hobbits, or that they at least know where to find him.,” Splinter replied.

“That sounds plausible,” Anakin said, “Let’s go then. To where the Hobbits are.”

The Doctor used his device again to hide the Cube before they set out northward, towards the Shire, the valley of luscious green fields where the Hobbits lived. The world was a peaceful one, and thus their journey was without any incidents as well, providing them with ample opportunity to experience and enjoy the surrounding nature and this new world that lay before them.
After several hours of travel the area around them became notably greener when they arrived at the edge of the Shire. Not much later they encountered the first Hobbit, who greeted them with an abundance of enthusiasm. He also gave them good news: Gandalf had indeed come to the Shire for the festival, so they would be able to speak with him.

The group moved deeper into the Shire and into a settlement of sorts, and were greeted by even more cheerful and hospitable Hobbits. Feeling at ease, the group split up over the village, to scout the surroundings, and also to have a better chance of finding Gandalf the Grey. 

“ Pleasure to meet you,”  one of the Hobbits greeted as Anakin and the Doctor approached his hovel, “Blabby Flapfoot’s the name, much delighted ot meet you both. And what brings you to the Shire, strangers?” 

“Please, tell me where is Gandalf, for I much desire to speak to him,”  the Doctor said.

“ Ah, Gandalf,”  Blabby said, and he gestured at a small hovel at the edge of the village, “You’ll find him over there, at the Brownhide Family’s home. I believe he’s setting up a little fireworks surprise for the village; most spectacular again, I’m sure.” 

They thanked the Hobbits for his answer and approached the hovel which the man had indicated. There, in a clearing that was usually used to store goods, they found an old man, who seemed remarkably tall in comparison to all the Hobbits they had seen, unloading and stockpiling all sorts of explosives. True to his name, he was dressed in grey robes and wore a grey hat, matching his pale grey beard. If this wasn’t Gandalf the Grey, they didn’t know who was.

“Gandalf?”  Anakin tried.

“Ah, travelers,”  the old man greeted them with a warm smile, “Welcome to the Shire; Are you here for the festival as well? Did you come here from Gondor perhaps?” 

“A bit further down the road,”  the Doctor replied, “It’s a complicated story. But for now it suffices that we are travelers from a very far destination.” 

“Ah yes,” the wizard replied, with a hint of recognition in his eyes, perhaps more than he admitted, “I think I understand what you mean. Very well then.” 

“It is an honor to meet you,”  Anakin said.

“I can imagine it is, young warrior,” Gandalf said, “But perhaps before we continue you should gather your friends first. I’m sure they would be interested in participating in this talk as well.”

Gandalf.

“A wise proposal, master wizard,”  Splinter said, walking up to them, using a wooden walking cane for support.

“Master Splinter,”  Gandalf smiled, “This really has been ages! It’s good to see you again; and I see that your presence here confirms my suspicions about these travelers.”

“Your suspicions are most likely correct,”  Splinter replied, “They are with me, and I am with them.”

“I understand,” Gandalf nodded, “Then perhaps we need less Hobbits in this conversation, and more of your companions,” and he gestured to one of the younger Hobbits, who had been watching the discussion from a small there: “Young Brownhide, can you fetch the rest of the travelers please? And perhaps ask your parents to prepare some food.”

The young hobbit nodded eagerly and rushed off to retrieve the others. It took less than fifteen minutes before all had gathered around Gandalf, who seemed pleased with the diverse and unique company. 

“All right then,” Gandalf said, after making sure there were no curious Hobbits around anymore to overhear their talks, “Let’s hear your story then. If Master Splinter is with you, then you must not be from this world of Middle-Earth, but from somewhere much further away. Another world altogether.”

“Gandalf and I have traveled across different worlds together in the past,” Splinter explained, “It was a brief time, when the Turtles were on a mission out of town of their own, a bit of soul searching in fact… It was very.. Enlightening for me.”

“And for me, old friend,” Gandalf assured. 

“We have come here seeking wisdom,” the Doctor replied, “This man,” and he gestured at Nick Fury, “Comes from a world struck by disaster, a world that is dying. There is a legend in his world that somewhere there is one who can restore balance to the world. Mr. Fury has sought out allies, and we are helping him achieve his goal… but we are at a loss. We are without further leads, and without the means to save his world himself.”

Nick Fury elaborated his story, telling again of the disaster year that was 2020, and how things were progressively growing worse, up to a point where humanity was almost on the verge of destroying itself, with no option to resolve it. “With every passing moment the situation deteriorates,” Fury finished, “And so, with every moment there is more needed to bring balance, a stronger counter-force to undo what has been done.”

“Why?” Gandalf asked.

“What do you mean, ‘why’?” Fury asked in return, not understanding the wizard’s question.

“Why do you need an equally strong counter-force, an increasingly stronger something? Can’t you settle for a smaller miracle?” Gandalf asked.

“But will that be enough?” Anakin asked.

“You have a machine that can’t only travel to different worlds, but also through time, have you not?” the wizard asked, glancing sideways at the Doctor, “So just go back to a point in time where it IS enough.”

“A bit controversial, according to Time Lord laws,” the Doctor pondered, “But possible, yeah.”

“I suppose that is possible,” Batman said, “It would increase our options, although we still need to find the actual solution to the problem.”

“That’s true,” Fury agreed, “We still need to find this Chosen One. But how do you find a figure known only in legend?”

Gandalf smiled. His answer was simple but obvious: “Simple. You go back to the origin of the legend, ask the one who gave life to the tale.”

“That’s actually pretty clever,” Anakin said, “But do we know when this legend came into being?”

“We have an approximate of when and in which region,” Fury said, “I think we can find out more.”

“Then there is your path,” Gandalf said, “I hope it will bring you the answers you need and seek.”

“Shall we go then?” Batman proposed, “It really does look like we finally have a lead again.”

“Aren’t you staying for the fireworks?” Gandalf suggested, “We were just about to start.”

The group of travelers considered the wizard’s invitation and decided to stay a little longer. It proved out to be worth it too, as the fireworks were something special altogether, more amazing than any fireworks they had ever seen. It was a welcome relief and chance of pace after so much hardship and travel. But as soon as the fireworks were over, they thanked the wizard for his amazing work, as well as for his helpful advice, and then they went on their way again, traveling back to the TARDIS in order to travel to Earth in the past, to find out the truth about the mysterious legend which told of a savior that would bring balance. 

The way back was less quiet than the trek to the Shire had been, and they were ambushed by a group of stray Orcs, which had left the badlands to the far south in order to seek new hunting grounds. Unfortunately they ran into this group, and were no match for All Might’s power and Anakin’s fierceness. The battle was over before it had even begun, and the remaining Orcs scattered to all directions. They did not encounter them again, nor did any other sort of trouble present itself.

They returned to where they had last seen the TARDIS (or Cosmic Cube, if you will) and entered it again, after making sure there was no one around to discover them. The Doctor followed Nick Fury’s direction on time period and destination and so they left, to the ancient America of the distant past, when its original inhabitants were still dominant yet scarce, while Europe was just about to see the decline of the Roman Empire.
The vessel materialised in the middle of vast plains in the middle of nowhere, away from native tribes, although it would be somewhere in this year that a local tribe would find a stone scripture here, which would become the basis for the legend which Fury was now pursuing. It was a strange tale by itself, especially since there was no other sign of civilization nearby, and whatever was left of the history never specified the origins of this stone tablet, or who its creators would have been. This was a mystery lost in the ages. 

“Is this really the place?” Anakin asked, “I do sense people in the area, but none of them are really nearby. I don’t think they have the means to travel here in less than a day’s time.”

“And yet here is where we must be,” the Doctor said, “According to Commander Fury’s investigation in carbon dating and molecular investigation, the tablet should have been created either today or tomorrow. That’s only a small margin of error.”

“It seems unbelievable,” Anakin said, “But I suppose we can’t argue with science.”

“My own instruments agree with Fury’s claims,” the Doctor said, “While it’s unclear how, the tablet will appear here sometime soon. And hopefully then we’ll know more about the origin of this legend.”

There was a beeping sound inside the Doctor’s coat. He retrieved a small cylinder shaped object from it, one he had wielded before, and looked at it, reading some data even though there was no physical display: “Tachyon disruption,” he said, although that didn’t mean much to most of those present, “There’s a temporal distortion and it’s growing. A rift in time is about to open.”

“A rift in time?” Batman repeated, “This is getting more unusual.”

But the Doctor’s prediction was correct. Moments later the air before them itself seemed to distort and a swirling mass of clouds emerged out of nowhere, taking an oval shape in which a glowing disc of sort could be seen, crackling with an unknown sort of power. The rift in time had opened. “What does this mean?” Anakin asked.

Then the rift seemed to grow in intensity, and something came through, landing in front of them in the soft soil below. It was a stone tablet, with a strange writing on it, that they couldn’t directly decipher. But Nick Fury recognised it immediately: “That’s it. The tablet which foretold the disaster of 2020 and the Chosen One.”

“So whoever is on the other side of this portal knows who can save us,” Anakin concluded.

“Correct,” the Doctor said, “Given the nature of these events and what is about to transpire, it’s likely that this portal leads to some point in the future, perhaps even past 2020. Perhaps some agency is involved that is trying to preserve the world and keep this current timeline from happening. This is most puzzling.”

“Thanks, Obama,” Fury replied. Old habits die hard.

“So we know this came from the future,” Batman said, “But not more beyond that. So what do we do now? Can you determine where this leads?”

“Only by going through it,” the Doctor said, “And that seems like the best course of action right now.”

“You actually want to go through there towards some unknown destination? What if we get stuck there?” Batman asked.

“Life’s an adventure,” the Doctor grinned, “Besides, I can remotely summon my TARDIS. We’ll be fine.”

The portal crackled again and the swirling ass of clouds around it began to thin a bit, and seemed to grow smaller. “The portal is closing,” the Doctor said, “Whatever we do, it’s now or never, and we won’t get any second chances.”

“All right, let’s go then,” Fury said, “Whoever doesn’t want to can stay behind with the TARDIS and we’ll probably meet up again on the other side.”

“Then I shall guard your space time vessel,” Splinter said, “It will be good to have a backup plan, in case the Doctor isn’t able to summon his ship remotely.”

“Agreed,” Fury replied, “Let’s go then.”

They jumped through the rift in time, just in time before it collapsed in on itself and was permanently closed. “Good luck, my friends,” Master Splinter said, staring at the empty void where the portal had been moments before. He gave one last glance at the stone tablet in the cold dirt soil, then turned around and began to walk back. Compared to the others, his journey was but a small one.