Chapter XVI – Endgame

Two forces stood opposing each other and the final battle was about to begin, just as this final chapter had just begun. One one side Doctor Strange and his team of ragtag heroes. Behind them a chaotic battlefield of robots, undead and Cobra soldiers and pretty much every hero in the multiverse. In front of them, a weapon capable of destroying countless worlds in a flash, the dastardly Lex Luthor, and the being known only as The Actor.

The Actor

“So this is it?” Cheetara asked, “Our final opponent? Granted, he doesn’t look like much.”

“You don’t understand anything, man!” the Actor replied, “Leave your stupid comments in your pocket.”

“You’re right,” All Might said, “He doesn’t look like much, but you can all sense it, right? That enormous pressure, that power he’s hiding within that frail looking body?”

“Yes,” Luke replied, “It is not the dark side of The Force, but it is… something. He’s trouble.”

“Your senses are correct,” Lex Luthor replied, “While The Actor is not a being of many words, or of… lengthy sentences, he is formidable. And his cunning and ability to plan rival even my own.”

“Luthor,” the Actor suddenly spoke, “Perhaps it’s best if I take over from here, and explain to our friends the true nature of their predicament, and how this all came to pass.”

“Yes, of course, Sir,” Lex Luthor said, taken aback by the sudden complexity of his master’s speech, “Please, explain to them the details of your grand design.”

“Certainly,” The Actor replied, looking at the group of heroes with a mysterious yet sinister grin, “You have met my counterpart, The Watcher, have you not?”

“We have,” Cheetara said, “He is the one that is aware of this scheme; yet even he couldn’t figure out your true nature.”

“And how could he ever?” The Actor said, still smiling warmly, “For I was once one such as he. A Watcher, a spectator in the grand design.”

“You were The Watcher?” Loki asked.

“A watcher,” the Actor corrected, “But I grew tired of watching this… total and utter chaos. And so I began to act. Or rather, to interact. I entered the tangible world that is reality and took a role for myself. I became… involved.”

“You became one of many,” Cheetara guessed.
“I became that which I called myself,” The Actor went on, “An actor, a man of the stage; I wanted to relay my feelings to an audience of my own, to influence lives in the most innocent of ways and make the world just a little bit better. I created my own movie project, a vision I had, using funds from other realities to finance my play.”

“Did you succeed?” All Might asked.

The Actor nodded. “I did succeed,” he said, “I finished my project, the creation which would lay bare my soul. The premiere night arrived, and I watched with pride as the first viewers observed my grand project.”

He sighed and paused briefly. Apparently reliving the moment by telling it was too confronting for this almighty being: “They laughed at my creation. Joked about it. The movie that was to be my legacy, my lesson to mankind… they misunderstood and ridiculed it.”

“Ouch,” Loki said.

“That’s when I realised… these creatures could not be taught, at least not in the way they were. The multiverse itself was to blame for that, its chaotic roots and nature prevented those living in it from reaching their true potential, from truly learning and growing. And the only way to fix that is to lessen the chaos, to bring this infinite cluster of worlds and realities back to one single realm of creation. For these beings to learn, this multiverse must die!”

“Never underestimate the soul of an actor,” Loki whispered to Doctor Strange, who ignored him.

“But what if you are mistaken?” Doctor Strange asked, “What if they can learn after all?”

“What do you mean?” the Actor replied.

Doctor Strange made a gesture and cast a spell, opening another portal. Except this time it wasn’t for transportation, instead it showed them a glimpse of one of the many universes out there. One that the Actor knew too well: the reality where he had been a true actor, and created his movie. His lifework. “True genius isn’t always recognised right away,” Doctor Strange went on, “But to be able to learn is to be able to correct one’s viewpoint at a later stage. To learn and grow, so to say.”

“What… What do you mean? What are you saying?” The Actor asked. 

“The people of this world learned about the true meaning of your movie later on,” Doctor Strange went on, “Movie experts realised the hidden message behind the movie, the lesson you were trying to learn. They relayed this message and it caught on. People spread the world and a philosophy was built around it. Within three years, the world had been unified, global peace attained.”

“They understood after all…” The Actor replied, shedding tears of happiness. 

“My lord, what does this mean?” Lex Luthor asked. 

“It means a change of plans,” The Actor said, pulling a remote control from an inner pocket of his suit. As soon as he pressed the button, the giant doomsday weapon flickered and was instantly disintegrated out of existence, “I am going home, you all should too. There will be no messing up reality right now.”

“I don’t understand,” Lex replied.

“Then watch my movie,” the Actor said, opening up a portal and disappearing out of their lives forever.

And that was pretty much how the greatest conflict in all of existence ended. With their mysterious leader gone, the army lost all motivation to fight and fell apart. Megatron and his Decepticons retreated, as did Cobra Commander and his troops. Skeletor disbanded his undead and the galactic Emperor returned to his galactic Empire. The mysterious league of villains assembled one last time after that to view the movie The Actor had created. After a second viewing they understood its message and the folly of their ways and all abandoned their evil ways to become farmers, in space.
Doctor Strange and his group disbanded as well, returning to their lives as they had been, even though those lives had now often forever been changed. The multiverse became a much better place after this conflict and revelation, even though it was still as chaotic as ever. But ringing fresh in everybody’s minds was the final lesson left behind by the mysterious being known only as The Actor: No matter who you are, and how bleak your life may seem, there is always The Room to grow. 

And let that be a lesson to you as well, dear reader. Never give up on your hopes and dreams, and someday you will achieve just what you hope for. Hi doggie. 

– The End.

Chapter XV – This is the ultimate showdown (of ultimate destiny)

If Lex Luthor had been the emperor of a vast galactic empire, he would have stated something like “Everything has been proceeding as I had foreseen” or a similar claim. But since he was no such thing, he uttered no such claim. Instead he stared at the massive structure in front of him with a silent feeling of being content. The structure was half a continent away, yet still it could easily be seen, towering high and taking up most of the horizon. The megastructure had been built over the span of six years and housed a combination of technology, magic and something more, a true doomsday weapon in every sense of the word.
Several hours from now the device would activate, drawing energy from the entire solar system and setting in motion a chain reaction that would lead to the collapse of the current multiverse, back into a single reality. And he would be at the center of it all, absorbing the energies released, effectively becoming a god himself. His companions of TIRC would join in as well, receiving a similar blessing, though in more limited form. In the end they would be the pantheon of the new world that would emerge from the ashes of many old ones.
He had been concerned before about the actions of Doctor Strange, in particular when they lost the ability to track him; but at the same time Lex Luthor realised that they had already won; nothing the good Sorcerer Supreme could muster would turn the tide now. He would perish in a maelstrom of chaos, a mere memory of a feeble resistance. 

The mysterious mega structure

“Gloating over your little mortal achievement?” Megatron asked, walking up to the window where Lex was gazing outside. 

“We’re about to make history, no, rewrite history,” Lex Luthor replied, “Such an occasion would be wasted without considering the sheer magnitude of it all.”

“You fleshlings and your sense of poetry,” Megatron smiled, “But you are right. Everything changes in just a few hours.”

“Has Skullmaster been able to track down Doctor Strange and his group?” Lex asked suddenly, changing the subject. 

“He has been unable to use the Time Stone to our advantage,” Megatron replied, “He suspects they have found out how we keep finding them, and that the Sorcerer has taken measures to prevent it. Does this concern you, Luthor?”

“A bit,” Lex Luthor admitted, “But only because I don’t like loose ends. But perhaps we’ll see them before the day is done.”

“You expect them to attack this place?” Megatron asked, “That they show up here?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Luthor replied, “Assuming they find this place, and learn of the full extent of our plans. But chances of them doing so in time are slim, at best.”

“They have surprised you before, Luthor,” Megatron warned. 

“Oh, I am aware of that,” Luthor smiled, “And I won’t be underestimating them, and you know that. There’s only a few of them, and the greatest army the multiverse has ever seen between them.”

“Skeletor’s undead forces, Cobra Commander’s army, the Galactic Empire’s Stormtroopers, and my loyal Decepticons,” Megatron summarised, “Yes, truly a force unlike any has ever faced before. A lot of grunts against a small team of specialists.”

“We are not without our own specialists,” Lex smiled, “And you know that, Megatron.”

“What I know,” Megatron said, pointing out the window, “Is that you have underestimated those fools once more.”

“WHAT?” Luthor gasped, pressing his hands to the window as he gazed outside and down, to whatever Megatron had spotted.

Lex Luthor gazed down from the window of his office building to the street below. There Doctor Strange was standing, alone, looking up at the massive building with a defiant gaze. “Looks like we’ve found you,” the Sorcerer Supreme spoke calmly, but Lex Luthor could hear him clearly; magic. “I am giving you one last chance to surrender and reconsider, to abandon your foolish plan,” the sorcerer went on.

“You can’t be serious!” Lex Luthor shouted, “Look behind you, fool! The greatest army in existence is ready to take you on! It is you who had better surrender!”

“Very well,” Doctor Strange said, “Then watch as your army falls.”

And he was gone.

“Recall Cobra Commander from his mission,” Lex Luthor said, “I want you and him to lead our troops personally; they are outnumbered, but I’m not taking any chances.”

“Understood,” Megatron smirked, “I will enjoy disintegrating these flesh bags… personally.”

“See to it that you do,” Lex replied.

Meanwhile Doctor Strange had rejoined his companions, who had taken up a hidden position near the edge of the massive army. Moments later Megatron flew overhead, landing somewhere in the distance, in the middle of the enemy troops, to assume command. “Another complication,” Loki said.

“I don’t think one extra commander will matter much against such a massive army,” Luke said, “It seems even the Empire is here.”

“Then shall we get started?” He-Man asked, flexing his muscles, “We have little time left until that Doomsday Weapon fires. So let’s bust it up before then.”

“All right then,” Doctor Strange said, “Here we go then. For life.”

“For life!” they all repeated.

The group emerged from their hiding place and charged the first lines of the enemy army head on. The enemy was completely surprised and confused about a group of seven individuals attacking such a massive force, which resulted in their response also being slow as well. By the time the army began to organise its defense, the groep of fighters had already broken through the first lines of defense, causing utter chaos in the lead ranks.
Megatron noticed the attack and quickly began ordering his Decepticon soldiers around, using them to locally bolster the defenses in an attempt to halt the enemy advance. It would have worked too, had Cheetara not burst through the enemy lines at high speed, causing confusion and more chaos deeper within the army. Megatron attempted to correct this, by shouting and bullying his troops, but the initial chaos worked as a trigger and the price of having too few capable commanders now showed itself as chaos erupted everywhere and everybody was running everywhere.
Then the large silver robot clearly had enough of the chaos and panic amidst his men. He stretched his arm, aiming the massive Fusion Canon which was attached to it, and fired an indiscriminate blast, incinerating everything in its path and cutting a clear path between himself and Luke Skywalker, who could barely raise his LightSaber in time to defend himself against the energy blast, dispersing it in various directions. The attack had been brutal, but it had served its double purpose: to pause the enemy advance, and to calm his troops, even though that calmth was caused by utter shock and terror of Megatron wiping out their own men. 

“He’s absolutely insane,” He-Man gasped.

“Now that I have your undivided attention,” Megatron spoke to his troops, “I will not tolerate further chaos among my troops. The enemy is tiny, seven pathetic fleshlings. We are many. Local commanders, reorganise your men and surround them. I want this battle to end before my Fusion Canon is recharged. Understood?”

The answer couldn’t be any clearer. The army immediately began to reorganise itself, closing the breach which Megatron himself had caused, and driving the heroes into one direction, herding them together. The group tried to fight back, to gain their momentum again, but Megatron’s intervention had too much of an influence over the enemy army. Finally, the battle came to a standstill again, as the group of heroes had been driven back together again, surrounded by their enemies, who closed ranks to keep them from escaping until one of their leaders showed up.

“Checkmate,” Lex Luthor smiled from within his office building, gazing down on the battlefield ahead as he raised his glass of wine in triumph.

“What do we do now?” He-Man asked, “Do we break through?”

“No,” Doctor Strange said, “Not yet. This is still within the plan.”

“It doesn’t feel like part of the plan,” Loki said. 

“I am one with The Force and The Force is with me,” Luke recited.

“Shall I run interference again?” Cheetara asked.

“I can leap over this group and take out their leader,” All Might offered.

“No need,” Luke said, “Their leader, one of them, has come to us.”

The army ranks parted and Megatron stepped through, looking smug and smirking. “Well now,” he said, “I must admit, I am quite surprised; I didn’t expect such a bold action. But in the end, you should have known this attempt to be utterly futile.”

“You have not beaten us yet,” Doctor Strange replied.

“Oh?” Megatron laughed, “I have you surrounded, outnumbered and outgunned. What could you possibly bring to the table to even the odds?”

“Everyone,” Doctor Strange said.

And then the sky itself seemed to fracture and break, as multiple swirling portals opened up everywhere simultaneously. The amount of interdimensional gateways was more than one could count and yet more kept opening up with every second.
Up in his office building, Lex Luthor dropped his glass of wine; his jaw had dropped as well.
From each and every portal someone emerged, heroes the group had met before, and new heroes, a multiverse of fighters gathered by Doctor Strange before the battle to form an army that could turn the tide. Megatron stepped back, taken aback by this sudden arrival of so many reinforcements, shocked to see his army suddenly being on the verge of being overwhelmed. 

“Incredible,” Loki commented.

“We still have the advantage of numbers!” Megatron shouted, regaining some of his confidence, “You will still fall, fleshlings!” 

“Will we now,” Doctor Strange said, “Let’s really begin now.”

And then the battle truly began as the forces of good and of chaos clashed for the last time in a battle that would be remembered as one of the greatest in all of creation, and yet at the same time it would be remembered by so few. But the Watcher knew. And he watched. 

Much to Megatron’s dismay a large semi truck named Optimus Prime came crashing into the army ranks, plowing through and throwing soldiers left and right. Then, when its momentum slowed, it transformed into a huge red and blue robot with a massive gun in his hand, which it used to start dispatching Megatron’s Decepticon warriors: “Freedom is the right of all sentient beings, Megatron.”
“Prime,” Megatron said, as he pushed soldiers out of the way and began moving himself to his ancient foe, “Don’t you have anything else to say for a change?”
Meanwhile a rogue starship called the Millenium Falcon had appeared in the skies overhead as well, executing a series of raids on the troops below, causing chaos and mayhem with its magnificent turbo laser cannons. Inside a smuggler and his Wookie companion, who were thrilled to give the Empire a taste of their own medicine.
And on the ground below the barista called Vegeta had leapt into the fray as well, and despite having spent a lifetime making special coffee mixtures and the best cupcakes, he proved to be a rather efficient fighting machine, plowing through enemy ranks as if they were nothing. In fact, the only one who made a similar advance was another barista with spiky hair, the barista known as Goku. This went on until the two met each other by chance. They then decided they needed a bigger challenge and ignored the army, fighting each other in a sparring contest instead.
In the distance Doctor Strange recognised the group known as the X-Men charging at the evil forces as well, using their various mutant superpowers to make up for the disadvantage in numbers they had. Amidst a spectacle of fire, ice, adamantium claws, eye laser beams and more, this group was putting up quite an impressive display.
A little bit closer, a group of small creatures called Hobbits were running interference on some of Cobra Commander’s troops. They weren’t warriors and only armed with pots and pans, but their swiftness and tiny size gave them an advantage. The ongoing barrage of arrows by a group of elves led by the elven lord Legolas probably helped as well.
On yet another different part of the battlefield a group of humans in overalls equipped with some sort of energy weapons were busy restraining and entrapping the various undead parts of the huge army. The group consisted of four middle aged men, a group of younger women and a bunch of kids, all using proton accelerator weapons to corner and capture the undead. Ghostbusters they called themselves, even though technically what they were capturing now weren’t ghosts. They were undead.
A group of commandos attacked the army from yet another location. If Cobra Commander had been present amongst his men, he would have recognised the elite task force called GI Joe, once Cobra’s mortal enemies, before they went interdimensional. It looks like their past had caught up to them and the battle was joined once again. 

“This is amazing,” Cheetara said, “I’ve never fought together with so many before, not even with the old army of Thundera!”

“And we’re just getting started,” Doctor Strange smiled, “Speaking of allies: Look.”

Indeed, in the distance Cheetara’s old comrades, the Thundercats, had appeared as well, using their feline talents and warrior spirit to really tear the enemy troops apart. Their momentum seemed unstoppable and they were already halfway through the enemy lines before they began to slow down.
Care Bears. Care Bears were everywhere, more than you could probably count. They kept their distance from the battle, but were firing energy beams from their tummies that incinerated any undead it touched. It was perhaps one of the most brutal displays in the entire battle.
But just as brutal was the onslaught at the edge of the enemy army by a small group of cuddly space bears called Ewoks. Despite their primitive weapons -sticks and spears- they were able to execute some quick charges on the enemy groups, striking, maiming, and retreating. This hit and run tactic proved remarkably effective.
A smaller duo was picking off stragglers from the main force, making sure they couldn’t rejoin their brethren. A man with a whip and a brown leather hat called Indiana Jones was disarming opponents, after which a boxer called Rocky Balboa swooped in and finished the job, thinning the ranks even more.
Not far from there a foursome of mutant ninja turtle warriors also engaged the enemy, taking down enemy soldiers without killing them (the undead company excluded, of course), while occasionally eating a slice of pizza.
A solo superhero flew over the enemy forces, bringing down the forces of nature and the elements themselves to create even more confusion. Yes, Captain Planet was truly a force to be reckoned with, and since this variant of Earth didn’t know much pollution, there was little there to limit his power. 

“Impossible!” Lex Luthor cursed from his view in his office, “If this keeps up, they will eventually break through. This must not happen.”

“Then what shall we do about it?” Skeletor asked, stepping into the office, “What is this madness of which I hear?”

“See for yourself,” Lex Luthor scoffed, “Megatron is trying to reorganise our forces, but it’s total chaos out there. Strange has summoned half the multiverse against us!”

“Then we shouldn’t be staying here, should we?” Skeletor proposed. 

“Agreed,” Lex said, “Teleport us down there, Skeletor; I’m taking charge of this fiasco myself.”

Back on the battlefield a giant robot hat joined the fray as well, consisting of five separate lion robots that had merged together to form one giant weapon. Given that the enemy forces did not possess any giant robots or anything similar of their own, their forces were really being demolished by that one.
Things got even weirder elsewhere, where a masked humanoid duck in a purple outfit was running interference, using a massive gun to fire gas grenades into the enemy ranks. It didn’t do much for the undead, but the Decepticons and Cobra forces were certainly affected by it.
A trio of kindergarten girls with super powers burst through the enemy forces as well, targeting the undead and decepticons in particular and making sure they were utterly destroyed, using killer punches and deadly eye lasers to cause a massacre. A human sized super fast blue hedgehog was assisting them, by taking out Decepticon forces faster than they could reorganize.
Elsewhere a buff blonde macho guy with pitch black sunglasses was showing his macho moves to the evil army, distracting them, while a small tasmanian devil crashed through the enemy ranks like a whirlwind, causing utter chaos.
The Incredible Hulk had landed smack in the middle of a group of Cobra soldiers and was bashing everything in sight, or smashing rather, getting angrier with every attempt of the enemy to restrain or subdue him. Even though he couldn’t be controlled, he was still a great force to keep the enemy soldiers occupied. 

“I have to hand it to you, Doctor, this is quite the turnout,” Loki complimented.

“The enemy is in complete disarray,” Luke Skywalker agreed, cutting down a zombie warrior, “But we’re not there yet. The enemy is shifting its forces, and I just sensed a tremor in The Force. The enemy commanders are about to intervene and enter the battle.”

“Then we will just have to make sure that they are occupied,” Doctor Strange replied.

A family of yellow skinned characters drove their station wagon through the army, causing even more chaos, while two tiny lab rats attacked the front rows with a self made freeze weapon, immobilising their foes.
A young boy who seemed decades old by his behavior was releasing all sorts of beasts from tiny red and white balls, ordering them to fight, while Spider-Man leapt into the fray as well, immobilising the enemy with his self made webbing, or knocking out the more undead variety of his opponents. 

Then the first real strong enemy appeared, as Skullmaster made his appearance in the enemy ranks, advancing forward to take out the four ninja turtles with deadly magic. However his advance was halted by a group of costumed teenagers who called themselves Power Rangers, who engaged Skullmaster in a five to one duel, keeping him off balance and occupied. The five of them were more than a match and it seemed this villain wouldn’t be making any unexpected moves anytime soon. 

The Evil Galactic Emperor, Sheev Palpatine, was the next to show up. Yet before he could utilise his terrible dark powers, he was intercepted by Phoenix Wright, attorney at law, who started a debate with him, telling him all sorts of reasons why participating in this fight was an unwise an expensive idea, even going as far as to point out the legal implications of a galaxy spanning command such as Order 66. In the end, Palpatine gave up and went home. 

Megatron, meanwhile, was still engaged in battle with Optimus Prime. Neither of the sentient robots wanted to cede to the other and lose ground. Megatron attempted to influence their battle by having some of the Decepticons who were observing to intervene and distract Optimus Prime. But when his opponent swiftly dispatched these Decepticons with deadly force, any additional soldiers thought twice about intervening again, even if they risked the fury of their leader later. Still, the battle had become a stalemate. And that was beneficial for Doctor Strange’s group, for it meant one less opponent that could hinder them in reaching the mysterious megastructure. 

Skeletor had appeared as well, although Lex Luthor was nowhere to be seen. The dastardly evil skeletal sorcerer used his influence and aura to strengthen the undead forces around him, rallying them and toughening them up. He then stepped forward to advance, but was halted by none other than He-Man himself, who had found his eternal foe. Skeletor acknowledged his enemy and once more the two were engaged in a fierce duel, both believing this to be their final battle. 

“Damn,” Doctor Strange said, observing their fierce battle from afar, “I had counted on He-Man’s strength for when we reached the weapon. But it looks like he’ll be entertaining Skeletor for a while first.”

“Is that a problem?” Cheetara asked, “We still have All Might.”

“I had hoped to go into this thing with full force, since we don’t know what’s waiting,” Doctor Strange replied, “But you’re right, we’ve got plenty of force to back us up.”

“The entire battlefield is in chaos,” Loki said, appearing out of nowhere, “Well done, well done indeed. Nobody is even paying attention to us anymore.”

“Oh, I doubt that very much,” Doctor Strange replied, “But at least we’ll have an easier time reaching our goal. Shall we get going?”

“No need to keep dilly dallying,” Loki smiled, “Let’s see what their final line of defense will be.”

Doctor Strange’s group of heroes regrouped again, save for He-Man who was still engaging Skeletor, and they once again advanced through the battlefield. With all of the enemy’s major commanders occupied and the battlefield in chaos, this advance was much easier than before, and they hardly encountered any notable resistance. And even that resistance was swiftly dealt with.
Finally they broke through the enemy lines and the way to the mysterious megastructure that would reshape the entire multiverse was clear. They proceeded with a swift pace to what appeared to be a gateway leading inside, but stopped when they spotted a single individual standing in front of it, blocking their path. A single man in a three piece suit.

Lex Luthor.

“Welcome, my friends,” Lex Luthor greeted them with open arms, “I have been expecting you.”

“You have been expecting us to break through, now that we’ve overpowered your army,”  Loki corrected, “What a pathetic way to save face.”

“Say what you want,” Lex replied, “But it won’t save you. You’ve come here, only to die.”

“Tough talk for a man in a suit without weapons, without bodyguards, without protectors,” Cheetara replied. 

“Ah, but I am not the one who will be stopping you,” Lex Luthor said, “You’ve threatened our grand plan for too long, and He has become aware of it. He will now step in and end you himself.”

The gate of the mysterious megastructure opened and everybody was quiet as someone emerged from it. There was total silence around them, except for the sound of footsteps gradually coming closer. Finally he emerged from the shadows and the group had a clear look at him, at their opponent. He was a broad shouldered man with long hair coming just past his shoulders, partially covering them. He was wearing a somewhat wrinkled suit and in his hands he held what could only be described as an american football. He simply smiled at them and said: “O Hi, guys.”

“The Actor,” Doctor Strange surmised. 

“Ha ha,” The Actor replied, “What a story, Lex.”

“Not a story, but a threat to our plans,” Lex Luthor replied, “They might actually disrupt The Great Merge if they are not dealt with right here, right now.”

“Yes,” The Actor replied, “But let’s build up drama. Save it for the next chapter, eh?”

Doctor Strange summoned his magic in defense, as they all braced themselves for what was to come. They could feel this man’s aura increasing, if it was even a man and not something else. Whatever it was they were up against, this was far beyond anything they had ever faced so far. Truly something worthy of being called a final boss in a final battle. But, as The Actor had stated… next chapter. 

Chapter XIV – (Ossu!) Tachimukatte yukooze!

A great ancient Japanese warrior once said: “I choose to live by choice, not by chance”.
And with the discovery of their enemies’ methods of finding them, the group of heroes had now been given a choice again as well, rather than letting their path be determined by chance. And Japan was where the group had arrived now, once again on Earth, and once again on a different variant of it. 

“Japan,” Jotaro said, recognising the familiar scenery of his homeland, “Why are we here?”

“Preparation,” Doctor Strange said, “We have shaken off our enemies, but we’re still miles ahead in terms of catching up. We need to know what they are up to, what our next step must be, and for that we need knowledge.”

“Can’t you use that Time Stone in a similar way as our enemies did?” Loki asked, “Read the future, see where we must go?”

“I already tried,” Doctor Strange said, “But they are shielding themselves, much like I am shielding us from them now. Regarding the Time Stone, we are now at a stalemate.”

“Then why did we travel to Japan?” Jotaro repeated.

“I know a friend here,” Doctor Strange said, “A wise man beyond his age, and a friend of the Ancient One, the ancient sage who trained me.”

“We could have gone here sooner then,” Loki complained.

“No, we couldn’t,” Doctor Strange said, “Sure, I had wanted to visit this man before. But not before finding a way to elude our enemies; otherwise we would just be bringing danger to his doorstep.”

“Like we did in Latvia,” All Might said.

“So where do we go next?” Cheetara asked, “Where is this wise man of yours?”

“That way,” Doctor Strange said, pointing down the road, “His home is just down the road, a few minutes walk from here.”

They followed the road through the small Japanese village until they approached the village edge. There they found a small villa surrounded by wooden fences, with a traditional entrance to the inner area. There was no one guarding it, a sign of Japanese hospitality and trust. “Do we go in?” Adam asked, unfamiliar with this country’s traditions.

“Only way to find out if someone’s home,” Jotaro said, stepping inside.

The inner garden was empty, so they walked on to the villa’s entrance. But there, before they could knock, the owner appeared in the door opening, an elderly man, with half long grey hair and a receding hairline, sporting a small moustache and goatee of the same color. “Mr. Miyagi,” Doctor Strange greeted, “It is good to see you again.”

“It has been entirely too long,” the man answered, with a soft voice and a warm smile, “Still fighting against ghosts and demons, Stephen?”

Mr. Miyagi

“They never rest,” Doctor Strange replied, “And so, neither must I.”

“Mustn’t you?” the old man replied, “Even the sturdiest of mountains can’t endure the winds of nature forever.”

“Even The Mountain can be defeated when the tip of the spear is poisoned,” Loki tried, remembering that one scene from Game of Thrones.

Both Doctor Strange and Mr. Miyagi glared at him, but said nothing. Then it was Mr. Miyagi who spoke up, as his eyes went over those gathered: “I see you’ve brought companions this time; friends, or allies? A new threat?”

“Both,” Doctor Strange replied, “But why do you ask the questions, when you already know the answer?”

Mr. Miyagi smiled. “Politeness, I suppose. And to make sure nothing is missed.”

“So can you help us?” Luke Skywalker asked politely, “Do you know what we’re up against?”

“A threat greater than you have ever faced,” Mr. Miyagi replied sternly, “And one for which you are not yet ready.”

“Is our opponent that vast?” Luke asked.

“Do we need more training?” Jotaro asked.

“More allies?” Cheetara asked.

“Are we doomed from the start no matter what we do?” Loki tried.

“Do we need more power?” Adam asked.

“It doesn’t matter if we’re not ready,” All Might said with a smile, “We’ve faced tough opponents before, and we can do so again; with justice on our side, we can win. We must win!”

“Ah, so one of you is ready after all,” Mr. Miyagi smiled at All Might, “Do you know why that is, young ones?”

“Because he is ridiculously strong?” Loki tried.

“No,” Mr. Miyagi said, “Your hidden friend, He-Man, is also strong, mightier than All Might even. Raw strength is not what will win this battle of yours.”

“Willpower,” Cheetara tried.

Mr. Miyagi smiled again. “Close, dear Cheetara, close; going into a battle without conviction is what will be your downfall. To face an opponent with chains to your heart will slow you down. You will need to believe that you can and will win, that you must win; and the battle is already half won.”

“But how do we know if we can win?” Loki asked, “We don’t even know our true opponent; and if he’s as powerful as The Watcher…”

“The lonely twig will break if you try to snap it,” Mr. Miyagi went on, “But gather those twigs in a bundle, and you will find it much harder to break a single one of them. You’ve faced down strong opponents before, Loki; and you are more than a match to those you need to face now. Work together, and even a final victory will be within your grasp. Of this I am certain.”

“We each have our own talents,” Doctor Strange added, “And our strengths compensate for the weakness of another. I too am confident that we can win this.”

“We must,” Cheetara said, “For the sake of all reality.”

“Then let’s go,” Jotaro said with a glare that turned into a weak smile, “And kick some ass.”

Mr. Miyagi smiled again, sensing the shift in confidence his words had brought, and were still bringing. They weren’t there yet, he realised, at least not completely, but they would be. “And now you are ready,” he said.

“But we still lack the knowledge we need,” Doctor Strange protested, “Sensei, we came here because you are the most wise person I know in all of reality. We seek guidance on how to proceed.”

“I have given you guidance,” Mr. Miyagi replied, “I have helped you look within, help you find the confidence and strength you need for the battle ahead.”

Doctor Strange shook his head: “No, sensei. I mean on a more practical and basic level. We don’t know where to go.”

“Oh, that’s simple,” Mr. Miyagi replied, “The center of the Multiverse.”

“The center of the multiverse?” Loki asked, “But is there such a thing? With infinite options, are there not infinite worlds?”

“There is one world where all choice originated,” Mr. Miyagi replied, “It is the homeworld of your ultimate opponent, the one you know as The Actor. All your answers will be found there, as well as your destinies.”

“Do you know where this reality is, Doctor?” Cheetara asked Doctor Strange.

“I think I do,” the Sorcerer Supreme replied, “The ancient deities will guide us to it. But even I don’t know what we’ll find there.”

Mr. Miyagi took a step back, giving Doctor Strange enough space to once again breach the fabric of time and space. “Good luck then, my friends,” he said, placing his hands on his back as he watched, “And take heed. This will be your greatest battle yet, but it will also bring you the greatest victory possible.”

“Are we going straight for the center of the multiverse?” Adam asked, “Then I should transform into He-Man beforehand.”

“Not yet,” Doctor Strange said, “I’m making a little detour first; getting a little something to take our enemies by surprise. An extra advantage.”

“Ah,” Mr. Miyagi smiled, “I see what you are up to, Stephen. Very nice, very nice indeed.”

And with that mysterious foreshadowing, the portal swallowed them all up, carrying them further down the road of destiny, to another strange alternate universe.

Chapter XIII – I put a spell on you (and now you’re gone)

Following their misadventure as a popular interstellar rock formation, the group of heroes had arrived at yet another alternate universe. Once again they had safely gotten away from their enemies, this time led by the villainous Skeletor, but there was no telling how long it would take for them to catch up again; somehow they always did. Cheetara quickly surveyed the surrounding area to make sure there were no enemies nearby, or any other unpleasant surprises, and she quickly returned bringing good news: “No one in the immediate area. We seem to have arrived back on Earth, in England this time; there’s a castle nearby.”

“A castle?” Loki repeated, “That’s a bit old fashioned, isn’t it? Surely it’s not inhabited.”

“It seemed to be inhabited,” Cheetara replied, “At least lights were on; but I did not go close enough to investigate.”

“And it’s good that you didn’t,” Doctor Strange interrupted, “I sense magic in that direction; there’s a good chance there are wards that would have detected your presence. And that’s something we do not want.”

“Speaking about detection,” Jotaro said, “Perhaps it’s time to discuss the elephant in the room again.”

“Given that we aren’t in a room, nor that I see any elephants, I assume this is a figure of speech?” Prince Adam asked. 

“You are correct,” Doctor Strange replied, then turned to Jotaro: “I assume you are referring to our enemies, correct?”

“Of course,” Jotaro nodded, “No matter where we go, and how well we hide ourselves, they keep finding us. It’s clear that they have some kind of advantage that we need to conquer before we can turn the tide on them. Either they have some sort of way of tracking us, or…”

“Or there is a traitor in our group,” Loki finished, “A pale thought, really; but not a strange one.”

“I’ve already looked into the matter of a possible traitor,” Doctor Strange said, “But there is no one with that kind of intent in the group; I doubt treachery is the case then.”

“Then magic?” Loki asked, “Something that could trick even the great Sorcerer Supreme?”

“I don’t know,” Doctor Strange replied, “But you are right, we can’t go on like this. I don’t play on leaving this world until we find out how they are tracking us.”

“We may have another problem,” Luke interrupted, “I sense a disturbance in The Force. It seems a group of strong individuals has just left this castle of which you spoke, Cheetara. And is headed straight for this location.”

“Did they follow Cheetara?” Adam asked.

“Impossible,” Cheetara said, “I made sure I wasn’t followed. I didn’t take a direct path back here either.”

“Perhaps they have some kind of orbital tracking device,” Adam suggested, “You know, space.”

“Loki, can you mask our presence?” Doctor Strange suggested, “No sense getting into a confrontation if we can avoid it. Let’s see what we’re dealing with first.”

“Very well,” Loki said, casting an incantation, “This will keep us hidden from detection and render us invisible as well. It won’t filter out sound, so make sure you’re perfectly still.”

The group did as they were told and remained still, spreading themselves out and hiding in the vicinity of nearby trees. Moments later their mysterious trackers arrived, in the form of several swirling trails of smoke which came approaching through the air, circling the area for a moment before they curved down, turning into humans as soon as they touched ground. 

“Where are they?” a small woman with messy hair called out, “I thought you said they would be here, Lucius?”

“They were here, I sensed them until a moment ago, Bellatrix,” the one called Lucius, a tall man with long white hair, replied, “It seems they are using magic to mask their presence. There is no other explanation.”

“Impossible!” the one called Bellatrix retorted, “The onyx on my necklace is especially attuned to uncover deception; I enchanted it myself!”

“Then you must have done a poor job,” Lucius snapped back, “They must be here! There is no other explanation!”

“Don’t be so harsh on her, Lucius,” the third member of their group said, an older man in white robes -where all the others seem to prefer black- and a long white beard, “There is another logical explanation.”

Malfoy

“What do you mean, Saruman?” Lucius asked. 

“The obvious answer,” the one called Saruman replied, “Whoever is hiding, is more skilled than Bellatrix, possibly more skilled than any of us.”

“Preposterous!” Lucius replied, visibly offended, “No one is more skilled than us Death Eaters!”

“Then let us prove the contrary,” Saruman proposed, “Let us combine our power and let the veil of deception be lifted!”

“That’s enough insult to my reputation!” Loki said, lifting the illusion and exposing them all, “I will have none of that, thank you!”

“I knew it,” the one called Lucius hissed, “There are intruders here after all.”

“We’re not intruders,” Adam replied, “We’re just… lost, and on the run.”

“The only ones who are on the run in this country are those fleeing from Emperor Voldemort’s justice,” Lucius replied sternly, “You have just exposed yourselves.”

“That should be enough justification to let loose, right?” the woman called Bellatrix asked, showing a creepy smile.

“You don’t think we’re just going to sit by and let that happen?” Loki protested.

“Oh, I hope not,” Bellatrix purred, “Please, do resist.”

“We don’t have time for this,” the man called Lucius groaned, pulling a wand from within his sleeve and pointing it at the group. “Petrificus Totalus!” he shouted. A faint purple light shot from his wand, hitting the group of heroes. They immediately lost all control of their body and could no longer move, falling to the ground helplessly. “There we go,” Lucius said, “Take them back to the castle. We’ll deal with them there.”

The group was conscious during the entire trip back and so they were perfectly aware of what was happening. After a magical transportation of some sort, they ended up at some sort of huge British castle. They were transported through the castle hallways, which were filled with people, but due to their magical paralysation they could only look upward, since their bodies were held that way. They were brought downstairs, deeper into the castle, to some actual dungeons, where they were left until the spell wore off. Adam was the first to recover, getting his bearing and investigating the cell. They had not bothered to separate the group over separate cells, so they were all together now. Outside of the jail cell there was a single guard posted, dressed in black robes, watching them like a hawk as the group slowly regained the ability to move.

“Back to your senses at last, eh little troublemakers?” the guard in black robes asked, “Welcome to Castle Hogwarts, residence of His Majesty in London.”

“His Majesty?” Doctor Strange asked, still a bit groggy, “England has a king now?”

“Very funny,” the guard replied, “You should know there is a penalty for insulting Emperor Voldemort.”

“So England has an Emperor this time around,” Doctor Strange guessed, “How… different.”

“That’s World Emperor Voldemort for you,” the guard corrected, “Has been for nearly a decade now.”

“More than a little different, it seems,” Loki surmised. 

“Why have we been imprisoned here?” Adam asked the guard.

“You were trespassing on imperial grounds,” the guard replied, “On top of that, you were hiding your presence when our patrol approached; that’s more than a little suspicious.”

“He’s got a point there,” Loki replied.

“What happens next then?” Adam asked the guard next.

“Depends,” the guard said, “There most likely will be a trial. Then you either get a fine, some time in jail, or, if you prove to be rebels, instant death.”

“And what’s the usual punishment for… well, being on imperial grounds, and hiding?”

“Death,” the guard replied casually, “The ruling class doesn’t take kindly to suspicious behavior, they tend not to take any chances.”

“That’s rather harsh,” Doctor Strange replied, “Then with that prospect, what’s to stop us from breaking out right here and right now?”

“The jail cell, most likely,” the guard said, unimpressed.

“Iron bars and stone bricks?” Doctor Strange tried, “Hardly effective against magic, is it?”

“No,” the guard replied calmly, “But this dungeon’s wards are. Go ahead, try some spellcasting, if you want. See what good it does you. I could use a laugh.”

“He’s right, Strange,” Loki interrupted, “I’ve been trying to cast some illusions, have a dragon appear outside our cell, but nothing. They’re blocking magic somehow.”

“Perhaps,” Doctor Strange replied, waving his hands, “But few cells are powerful enough to hold the Sorcerer Supreme!”

Nothing happened. Then, after a moment of silence, the guard started laughing: “Amusing. But futile. The wards in this cell have been specifically designed by Lord Voldemort himself and negate magic in a unique way, no matter your strength or potential. Not even He himself could escape from here.”

“That’s a bold claim,” Doctor Strange replied, “But can you be sure?”

“The cell was tested on Lord Voldemort’s second in command, the second most powerful wizard in existence. The results were… satisfying.”

“But he didn’t test the cell himself then?” Loki asked.

“He didn’t,” the guard replied, “Lord Voldemort isn’t foolish enough to put himself into a vulnerable position like that.”

“Sounds like the fate of all dictators,” Doctor Strange commented, “To be able to trust no one, but yourself.”

The guard didn’t reply to that. 

“What about you, Adam?” Jotaro asked, “Can you transform? He-Man’s strength should be plenty to get us out of here.”

“I’ve tried,” Adam replied, “But the sword isn’t responding. The magic within must be sealed as well.”

“Then it’s up to you, I guess, big guy,” Loki told All Might. 

“All right,” All Might grinned, getting up from his bunk and slowly stepping towards the iron bars, flexing his muscles, “It may be warded against magic, but let’s see how sturdy this little place is…”

“Yikes! “the guard exclaimed, and made a step back.

All Might pulled his fist back for an extra large twing, then truck. “Texas Smash!” he shouted, smiting the jail bars with all his strength. Except the jail bars held, without even a scratch on them. All Might stared at it, flabbergasted, and prepared to have another swing, but Doctor Strange grabbed his arm, stopping him: “That’s enough. It won’t work.”
The guard laughed again, louder at this point. “Did you really think we would’ve given this jail the strongest wards against magic, if it could be opened with brute force?” he said, “No, this place could withstand a tank without so much as cracking!”

“I am much stronger than a tank,” All Might retorted.

“Clearly not strong enough,” the guard grinned. 

“So that’s it then?” Jotaro said, “There’s no way out of here, this perfect cell?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say that,” Loki smiled, “There is an easy way out of this cell, and I predict we’ll  be out of here in minutes.”

“What do you mean?” Jotaro asked.

“Yes, what do you mean?” the guard interrupted, surprised at Loki’s confidence, “How can you possibly break out of this, the perfect imprisonment?”

“Oh, but it’s not perfect,” Loki smiled, “It has one major flaw.”

“And what flaw is that?” the guard asked.

“I’m wondering about that as well,” Jotaro said. 

“Have you counted the number of people in this cell?” Loki asked Jotaro with a smile, “Aren’t we missing someone?”

Jotaro looked around and quickly realised they were one member short: “Cheetara!”

The guard was confused for a moment, but then began to realise what was going on. Loki too elaborated: “When we were captured, I made a little distraction; Cheetara used that moment to slip away using her speed ability, without our enemies noticing. I’m glad she caught on to my ruse.”

“It was an obvious plan,” Cheetara said, suddenly behind the guard, appearing almost out of nowhere. Before the guard could even begin to turn around, she had already whacked him on her head with her staff, which had materialised seemingly out of nowhere, knocking him unconscious, “And rather effective too.”

“A direct confrontation with those wizards would have been disastrous,” Loki said, “And at least now we’ve gotten inside this castle of theirs.”

“Did we want to get inside this castle of theirs?” Jotaro asked, while Cheetara was opening the cell, using the keys she’d taken from the unconscious guard.

“If the occupants of this castle are as powerful as the ones that pursued us, then it seems unwise,” Doctor Strange replied, “However this could be an interesting experience for us after all. It might give us just the information we need.”

“What do you mean?” All Might asked, “Are these wizards in league with our enemies?”

“Not likely,” Doctor Strange said, “But there might be a connection. The speed at which they found us and the way they found us, those methods seem similar to what TIRC is using. So if we find out how these wizards are doing it, we might find a way to counter our enemies from tracking us.”

“It’s a long shot,” Jotaro commented, “But it’s the best we’ve got I guess.”

“It’s risky however,” Doctor Strange went on, “The safest bet would be to move on to another reality, since our wizard foes will be able to detect our escape rather quickly. It might be a battle we can’t win. But I think it’s a risk we have to take.”

“I agree,” Cheetara said, “But just to be safe, I’ll stay on the move and will try to avoid our enemies’ detection. If you get caught, I will be your contingency plan.” 

“Agreed,” Doctor Strange said, “Let’s get going then. Stealth is of the essence, so it’s best that we split up.”

“I’m not very good at stealth,” All Might admitted, “And I kind of stand out in this crowd.”

“Then you stay here,” Doctor Strange said, “Leave the cell open, it might keep them from finding out that we escaped. And when the guards change… well, make one hell of a distraction.”

All Might smirked: “That I can do.”

The group rushed out, Cheetara quickly exited the castle, and the rest rushed up the stairs, after which they split up. Luke Skywalker was the least conspicuous, given he already blended in with his outfit and was the most human of the group, so he was brave enough to join the castle’s occupants, which seemed a mixture of students and teachers in the arts of magic, as well as followers of this illustrious Lord Voldemort. By listening in to conversations he gradually got a better view of the world they were in and exactly what was going on. Apparently this was a variant of planet Earth, Doctor Strange’s home planet, where magic was a common thing, but used to be a secret thing, a hidden society amongst a normal one. The society wasn’t even a space faring society yet, but still they were thriving.
There had always been a balance between the magic users of the world and the ungifted people, until about a decade ago, when a dark wizard named Lord Voldemort seized power. He had wiped out all opposition and formed an army, taking out opponents most brutally. One of the most extreme examples was the annihilation of the Potter family, where he had sent several of his minions to completely level the entire neighbourhood in which this family lived, sparing no one. The spell they had cast had been one of a kind, and had completely evaporated an entire village, taking all inhabitants with it, including the Potter family. After that display of power and cruelty, resistance against Voldemort’s forces amongst the magic community quickly broke. The mundane community was no match either, and Voldemort’s followers overran the world country by country until there was no solid opposition left, except for the Russian Confederation, which had created some anti magic defenses. A stalemate was reached, and Voldemort crowned himself Emperor of the World, allowing the Russian Federation to exist, at least until an opportunity presented itself to wipe out this last place of resistance once and for all.
Apparently this Castle Hogwarts where they were now used to be a school for magic users, specially for British magic users. When Voldemort rose to power it also became a base of resistance, first underground, and later in public (wizard) view. After the demise of the Potter family, Voldemort took advantage of the chaos and quickly conquered the castle as well. And after his war of conquest was over, he made the castle his main base of operations, enjoying the irony of it all. Fortunately for them, Lord Voldemort wasn’t in the castle right now, or things might have been especially difficult for them.
Luke made his way to the castle’s common room, where a lot of students had gathered, seeking to find out who was in charge of the castle right now, and what the sentiment amongst the students was. Amazingly enough, the sentiment among the students was different than what he had expected in a world where magic was law now. He discovered that a lot of the students had parents who had fought in the resistance years ago, and their families had suffered because of it. Part of them had accepted the new regime, but a fair share also disagreed with the take over, missing their non magical friends, or disapproving of Voldemort’s methods. Still, the regime was strict, even in an educational environment, so they were very reluctant to speak up about it, especially to a stranger; it was Luke’s Jedi powers that swayed them to share a little more than they normally would have. Still, they were too disorganised to form a rebellion, too outclassed by what lay in front of them; but perhaps, with time, something could grow from this all. A spark of hope to bring light back to this world.
In addition to the world’s history, he had also learned more about the three wizards that had found and apprehended them. The man with the long silver hair was called Lucius Malfoy; if there was anything resembling nobility amongst the wizard ranks, he would be closest to it. He stemmed from a long tradition of wizardry and viewed their kin as superior. It was no surprise that he had been a supporter of Voldemort’s belief since day one, aiding his rise to power and everything that came after. A position that had rewarded him with the position of Chief Retainer of Lord Voldemort’s Castle Hogwarts. The woman, Bellatrix Lestrange, was a loose cannon. She had been a fierce fighter in the years following Voldemort’s rise to power and was still as dangerous as she was then, mainly because of her unpredictable nature. Rumor had it that even Lord Voldemort kept her at bay because of that, yet used her as a weapon whenever there was an insurrection or even the whisper of one. Her presence last night had been purely coincidental; she was passing through and spending the night at Hogwarts, and had joined in on the hunt when she had heard that there were intruders on imperial grounds. The wizard called Saruman was perhaps the most enigmatic of the bunch, and little was known about his true origins. He had appeared near the end of Lord Voldemort’s largest war, and his might and skill in the arts of magic had certainly hastened its end. Because of his skill and wisdom, Saruman quickly rose in rank and gained a seat of confidence with Voldemort. Eventually over the years he became his second in command, even though rumor had it that his magical prowess outranked that of Voldemort himself. Yet his origins were an enigma. Some say he had always been there, but had hidden himself from public view; others claimed he was a wizard of ages past, of a forgotten history where magic ruled. That would make Saruman impossibly old however. Most theories simply settled on that he was an enigmatic character with a passion for magic. 

He had wanted to find out more about the castle itself and its inner workings, but it appeared that his time was up. An alarm was sounded and suddenly everything was in turmoil and the students were being told to return to their dormitories and await further instructions. From what Luke gathered the cause of the incident was All Might, who had been discovered during the change of guards, and was now causing the distraction they needed. Luke used his Force Powers to move about the hallways undetected. The nature of his gift was different from magic, and as such his way of hiding himself in plain sight went undetected, at least to those of ordinary mental skill. Several higher ranking wizards rushed past him, but they all ignored him or didn’t even sense his presence. From what he gathered, All Might’s speed and sheer strength were enough to keep the wizards at bay. But it would only last so long, as even superpower wouldn’t be able to stand against magic that could curse or kill.
Unfortunately Luke was about to run into some trouble of his own. In the corridor, ahead of him, Lucius and Saruman were approaching, engaged in conversation. Their thread was firm, they were obviously in a hurry. A confrontation would be disastrous and getting away seemed out of the question. Luke doubted he could feel them with The Force, so he did the only thing he could do: he hid in a small alcove, hoping they would pass him by. He was perfectly quiet and soon he could overhear them as they approached. 

“So the prisoners escaped?” he could hear Saruman say, “And you just let that happen? And now one of them is running amok inside the courtyard?” 

“We suspect they had outside help,” Lucius replied, “We’re working on restraining their fighter, but he’s giving us difficulty. Subduing him seems troublesome.”

“Then don’t subdue him,” Saruman said sternly, “I will accompany you to the courtyard. We’ll see if he can stand up against a Killing Curse.”

“Lord Voldemort will not be pleased if you kill one of the intruders,” Lucius warned.

“That will be for me to..-” Saruman broke off his sentence and stopped walking, staring back at the alcove. He said or did nothing yet, but Luke sensed he was in trouble.

“What is it?” Lucius asked, “Why did you stop?”

Luke Skywalker didn’t give Saruman time to answer or react. He leapt from the alcove and used The Force to send out an invisible shockwave of Force Energy, knocking the two wizards off their feet and onto their backs. He then used the moment he had created to flee in the opposite direction; he didn’t know the full extent of their powers and didn’t want to get into a fight with an unclear outcome, too much was at stake for that. 

“That miserable little runt..!” Lucius cursed, getting back up on his feet.

“Let him go,” Saruman growled, “We’ll take down their heavy hitter first, then track down that boy; he is nothing.”

Luke didn’t hear their words as he was already long gone. A bit further down the hallway he ran into a familiar face: Doctor Strange. “You’re in quite a hurry,” the Sorcerer Supreme commented.

“I ran into the one called Saruman,” Luke replied, “He’s Voldemort’s second in command.”

“Then let’s go,” Doctor Strange replied, “A confrontation is not what we need right now. I can fend for myself, but most of you have no defense against magic.”

“What about the others?” Luke asked.

“Cheetara is already rushing to round them all up,” Doctor Strange replied, “We’ll meet outside of the castle, near the forest edge.”

“What about our mission?” Luke asked, “Did you find out anything? How they were tracking us?”

“Yes,” Doctor Strange replied, “And I’m pretty sure it’s also what our other enemies are using to track us. Let’s go. I’ll explain once everybody has gathered.”

Their escape from Hogwarts went remarkably easy, aided by the chaos that All Might had caused. They regrouped at the edge of the forest, as the Sorcerer Supreme had proposed. All Might and Loki were the last ones to arrive. “No one is following you?” Cheetara asked.

“I don’t think they know we’re gone yet,” All Might grinned, “Loki saw to that.”

“What did you do?” Jotaro asked Loki. 

“Just a little illusion,” Loki smirked, “It will take them a while to figure it out.”

“But what about Saruman?” Luke asked, “He discovered your illusion almost immediately, and he could get rid of it just as fast.” 

“Oh, I’m sure he knows it’s all fake,” Loki smirked, “Fifteen All Mights running around the place and causing trouble sounds unlikely; but I doubt he’ll realise immediately that all of them are fake; and it will take some time to unravel:  I made the illusion extra complex, he will have to dispel them one by one.”

“Good,” Doctor Strange smiled, actually amazed at Loki’s slyness, “That will give us some time before we have to leave this world then.”

“What did you find out?” Loki asked.

“The wizards of this world and our enemies are most likely using the same method of discovering and hunting down any opposition,” Doctor Strange explained, “I’ve focused on tracking spells and similar methods, because that seemed the most likely scenario; but this is not the case.”

“Then how do they keep finding us?” Jotaro asked.

“Time,” Doctor Strange said and raised his hands, opening the amulet on his chest with magic and revealing a shiny green stone within, “This is the Time Stone, one of the six Infinity Stones, one of the most powerful objects in all the cosmos.”

“That’s quite a thing to be carrying around with you,” Adam commented.

“I used to believe that there is only one set of these stones,” Doctor Strange replied, “Such is their power; but it seems they exist in a multitude, in different realities, yet they are attuned to their own reality, so their influence is still limited. But the Time Stone is different.”

“Different how?” Luke Skywalker asked.

“As you know by now, the multiverse is practically limitless, and each action we take, each possibility, can spawn a new variant of reality as we know it. With the ability to travel through time, even more options emerge. Because of that, the Time Stone can influence other realities as well, and in turn these realities can influence the Stone.”

“What does that mean in this case?” Luke asked.

“Lord Voldemort’s minions have a Time Stone,” Doctor Strange said, “As do our enemies at TIRC. They’re using it to look ahead at possible futures, futures where they don’t find us, and futures where they do. Then they obviously choose the most favorable outcome.”

“So that’s how they know,” Loki said, “But how can we protect ourselves against time travel?”

“Now that I know how they do it, the Time Stone can protect us,” Doctor Strange said, “I have already cast a complex spell over all of us, using the Stone. They won’t find our location anymore.”

“The same can’t be said for our wizard friends in Hogwarts,” Luke said, looking over his shoulder at the castle, “I sense them. They are coming. We can’t stay here.”

“Then it’s time to leave,” Doctor Strange said, waving his hands and opening another portal, “And now we are no longer on the run; it’s time to begin our counter attack.”

And with that mysterious foreshadowing, the portal swallowed them all up, carrying them further down the road of destiny, to another strange alternate universe. But this time, they were no longer on the run; this time they were one step closer to stopping their foes once and for all.

Chapter XII – Music was my first love (and it will be my last)

Shinji

Ever since his mother died, Shinji Ikari freakly retreated into himself, isolating him from the world and finding peace in that self chosen solitude. His father was a busy man, always absorbed in work, leaving Shinji alone to fend for himself most of the time. Sometimes Shinji would just leave his home for weeks to travel places; his family had a gracious income and as such he had a considerable allowance; perhaps it was his father’s way of buying off his guilt for neglecting his son so much. This time his travels had taken him beyond the familiar terrains of planet Earth and into space; it wasn’t the first time, yet every time it happened, Shinji couldn’t help but to feel a little excited about visiting such a vast new place. Earth was a troubled world at that time, following a large disaster years earlier, and war and famine had become more common. But those too were things that Shinji rarely came into contact with.
His journey had taken him beyond the solar system, to a distant planet called Jem. Jem was a famous planet throughout the known galaxy, a modern world which had gained fame by housing many renowned artists of various types and talents. But that wasn’t the reason for Shinji to travel there. No, he was there for a special occasion, an event that he had heard of as a child but which was held only once every five years. Last time he had to watch it on television, as he was too young to travel, but this time around things would be different. This time he would visit the event known as The Great Sound Experience in person, live. The Great Sound Experience was one of the greatest musical events in the galaxy, a series of concerts and performances where bands big and small would show their best for the entire galaxy, a three day festival which had started today. With Shinji’s love for music, coming here felt only natural, even though the large crowds were making him uneasy. But at the same time he could get lost in them, with nobody paying attention to him, that young boy amidst a screaming audience.
After arriving on Jem he had gone straight to the Audio Dome, the planet’s largest musical stadium, where a series of concerts would be held virtually back to back, including his two favorite bands, The Angels, and Kawo Ru. When he arrived the event had already begun and the first few bands, a few smaller indie bands from the local solar system, had already warmed up the crowd.
The crowd was cheering, just as the next group came on stage. Shinji watched them. They were an odd group of aliens, looking humanoid but their skin was green and more plantlike, all of them bald with two tiny antennae protruding from their foreheads. “Please give it up for The Namekian Five!” the announcer said. And there was an applause as the band began playing. Shinji listened with great attention. He didn’t know the band, but he knew their reputation, and he kind of liked what they were dishing out. Especially “Blame it to the Freeza”, “AB-Seed” and “Show you the way to grow” were his favorites.
The next band to perform was a group of various people in spider inspired costumes. Shinji knew this group. They were formerly known as The Spider-Men, but they had adopted a more gender neutral name, given their band consisted of various different people. They were now known as Linkin Parker, named after their lead singer, Peter Parker. Peter Parker had died years ago in a tragic accident involving pumpkin bombs and a Starbucks cafe, but the group had decided to stick with the name anyway, as a tribute to their former lead. Shinji was a great fan of this band, and seeing them live brought visible joy to his face. especially when they performed their great hits “Win in the end” and “What I’ve not done (Sorry, Uncle Ben)”. 

There was a short break after this amazing performance, giving Shinji a chance to get something to drink. When he returned, the next band was just about to start, a nasty looking group called Meanday. Shinji had heard of them before, and he didn’t really like their music, but stayed for the show anyway. It was an interesting group, consisting of characters of dubious morality, such as lead singer and guitar artist Hades, Cruella DeVil on drums and Gaston sporting the bass guitar. He liked their song “Wake me up when Movember ends” but that was about it. 

The next group was an unknown group, and Shinji was surprised to hear they were performing here, since he had never heard of them before. They called themselves AC-LoKi. The lead singer was a handsome longhaired man in green robes, with a strange and somewhat older looking man with flashy robes at the guitar. A nasty looking young man in leather was wielding the bass guitar and an extremely muscular blonde man was at the drums. There was another female singer as well, in a really sporty outfit. Despite being a new band, the crowd really loved them, and even Shinji caught himself enjoying part of their repertoire, they had a vibe over them that seemed almost out of this world. 

The concert ended and there was another recess, longer than the first one, while people prepared themselves for the next great act. Shinji left the stadium as well. He was getting hungry, and began to scour the various stables, looking for something to eat. Unfortunately most of the stables were either very expensive, far too crowded or simply served dishes that didn’t seem appealing to the young boy.
Eventually he ended up at a small stand which served all sorts of tiny potato dishes. Shinji ordered a stuffed potato for himself, but while he was waiting for it, he accidentally bumped into someone. “Watch where you’re going,” a male voice protested. 

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Shinji said, perhaps a little too soft, “I got distracted a little.”

“Then make sure you do not get distracted, boy,” a tall, handsome man in a green suit spat back.

“Go easy on him, Loki,” a woman who was with the tall man said, “It’s just a kid; and accidents like that easily happen in crowded places like this.”

Shinji was certain he had seen them both before, but he couldn’t quite put a finger on it. He turned around again, but couldn’t let go of the issue. Then suddenly it dawned on him, and he spun around, shouting just a little too loud: “You’re AC-LoKi!” 

The two looked at the boy, then at each other, and then at Shinji again. “Sssh, not so loud, boy,” the man said, “We’re here in our downtime, you know.”

“Sorry,” Shinji replied, almost whispering, “I just… I didn’t think famous bands would stroll around the stalls like that, that they have their own rider and crew and all that.”

“Well, we’re a bit different than typical bands,” the woman said with a gentle smile, “What’s your name, little boy?”

“Shinji,” he replied truthfully, “Shinji Ikari.”

“This here is Loki, after whom the band was named, and I am Cheetara,” the woman introduced, “A pleasure to meet you, Shinji Ikari.”

“The pleasure is mine, ma’am,” Shinji replied. Loki softly chuckled at that.

“Well then, Shinji,” she went on, “As Loki already said, we’re kind of trying to keep a low profile here. So we’d appreciate it if you won’t tell anyone that you’ve seen us. Is that all right?”

“Sure, no problem,” the boy replied, “It’s not as if I know any people around here anyway.”

Cheetara briefly glanced sideways at Loki, who tried his best to ignore the boy’s remark, then she looked back at Shinji again, bending down so that she was at eye level. “Well, you know us now, all right. And maybe we’ll see you again later.”

They parted ways after that, and even though Cheetara’s gesture had been a small one, and her words were easily given, they brought a smile to Shinji’s face and heart. The boy resumed standing in line until he finally got his stuffed potato, then proceeded to one of the sitting areas, finding a place away from the biggest crowds to consume his meal in peace. Unfortunately, it also put him in the position to overhear some unsavory talks. 

“So they are here after all,” a deep, male voice replied, “And hiding in plain sight after all.”

“A clever move on their part though,” a raspy strange voice replied, “Be anonymous, and you can be ambushed without anyone the wiser; but stand in the spotlight, and no shadow can approach you.”

“The master won’t take that as an excuse,” the deeper voice replied again, “We will need to take care of this group, these… how are they calling themselves now..?”

“AC-Loki,’ the raspy voice, and at this moment Shinj’s body froze up and his eyes perked more. Something sinister was going on, and he had just become an accidental witness of it, “Don’t worry, they’re not as untouchable as they might believe.”

“You’re not planning on starting an incident, are you, Skeletor?” the deeper voice replied, with a clear tone of disapproval, “That will not be beneficial to our plans.”

“Oh, don’t worry, I won’t start something,” the one called Skeletor replied, “I will just shake them up a bit, make sure they know we’re onto them. I’ve got a tasty little surprise in store from them, that won’t jeopardise our plan…”

“Very well then, you have my permission to proceed,” the other replied, “I look forward to seeing how this plays out.”

The two shady figures exchanged some further words, but Shinji was no longer listening to them. He had gotten up, without even finishing his stuffed potato, and rushed off, trying to find Loki and Cheetara again; they needed to be warned, needed to know that they were in danger. But the crowds were too massive and he was unable to find them. Finally he gave up and returned to the stadium, hoping that another opportunity would present itself at a later time.
The concerts had resumed as well in the meantime, but Shinji was hardly paying attention to them, too distracted by what he had overheard earlier, and the possible risk to the band members of AC-LoKi. When the current performance ended, Shinji had expected the next band to take stage, but something different happened instead, as an announcer came on stage, addressing the crowds: “My friends, welcome all to this amazing series of concerts! I hope you’re enjoying the show so far!”

The crowd confirmed this with a loud and deafening roar of applause. 

“Well, today we have a special treat for you as well,” the announcer went on, “One of the bands has issued a formal challenge to the other. So today you will be treated to a genuine ROCK OFF!”

The crowd roared with applause again.

“First up,” the announcer went on again, “You’ve already met them before, a group of newcomers who are already making quite the reputation for themselves. Give a warm hand for: AC-LoKi!”
Shinji froze for a moment when he heard the band’s name. Was it a coincidence? It  seemed unlikely. His thoughts were going wild as the crowd roared: the band did not emerge from one of the stage exits, but from one of the stadium entrances instead, meaning they had to go through the crowds to reach the stage, giving the audience to see these new idols up close. Shinji realised that would also give him a chance to speak with them again, and so he began to wiggle and wrestle himself to the crowd in order to get close enough. It seemed almost impossible with the way people were pressed together, but his small body gave him an advantage, and eventually he reached the path, just as the group was about to pass through. “Cheetara!” he called out. 

“Oh, Shinji!” Cheetara replied with a smile, upon seeing the boy again, “How nice to see you again. Are you enjoying the concerts?”

“Cheetara, it might be a trap!” Shinji called back, “Some guy named Skeletor is after you! I overheard them talking!”

Cheetara paused for a moment, then nodded. “I understand, Shinji,” she said with a serious expression on her face. Then she rejoined their group as they made their way on stage, where they were once again met with a deafening applause. But still they had gone on stage; did Cheetara really realise the danger? 

“A massive applause once more for AC-LoKi!” the announcer shouted, sweeping up the crowd again. And then he went on to announce their opponents: “And now: the challengers: another fairly new band, in fact, this event is their first real performance. Give a warm hand for… The Rolling Skulls!”

The group that came on stage was lead by Skeletor, Shinji guessed as much from the lead singer’s gruesome appearance. He didn’t recognise the other band members, but assumed they were in league: a massive skeletal looking guy at the drums, a huge silver robot with an equally large guitar and a strange looking clown with green hair on the bass guitar.
Shinji looked at the members of AC-LoKi. If there was any reaction to this odd group appearing, they surely were hiding it well. In fact, they seemed ready to start their rock off. “Rules are simple,” the announcer said, “Each group takes turns, performing a song. The crowd decides the winner after three rounds. Are you all ready to rock?!”

Again the crowd roared and the show began. As the challengers, The Rolling Skulls were up first, performing their hit song “Sympathy for Mephisto”. It was a success and a genuine crowd pleaser, and AC-LoKi’s answer to that, “Highway to Hel”, was considered the weaker of the two. Next up was The Rolling Skulls again with “You can most certainly always get what you want”. However it seemed more like a personal tribute to themselves, rather than something the crowd approved of. Their opponents retorted with “Thundergod Struck” and even performed an encore, earning a deafening applause from the audience. However their final performance would have to wait, for the announcer once again came on stage to sweep up the audience one last time: “How about that, folks? Looks like these two are indeed evenly matched. And now, without further ado, they will perform their final song in this rock off, and we will have our winner!”
And so the final part of the rock off began. The Rolling Skulls pulled out all the stops with their new hit song, “Paint it silvery metal”, a song written by the robot on guitars. And AC-LoKi also concluded with a smashing hit of their own, “Back in Green”, a song written by their lead singer, Loki. When the final song ended, there was another massive applause for both bands, and the announcer called both groups on stage. There was silence, as everybody waited for the final verdict. Who would have won this rock off? 

“Thank you all once more for being here, and both The Rolling Skulls and AC-LoKi for their amazing performances today,” the announcer began, “Now, without further ado, we’ll proceed to announce the winner of this little contest. But before we do, perhaps the leaders of both bands have a little something to say?”

“Well, certainly,” Skeletor smiled, stepping up and taking a microphone, “I must say, it was quite… fun to engage in this little contest. But our main reason for being here is because both our groups are old acquaintances. Besides a fight, this was also our little way of saying hello, here we are once again.”

“You certainly made an impression, Skeletor,” Loki smiled, “We really didn’t think we’d be running into your group here on Jem. But I must say it was quite… interesting.”

“Then perhaps we should continue this little meeting after this contest is over,” Skeletor replied, “Me and the boys are looking forward to catching up a bit more.”

“Ah, that could be fun,” Loki replied, “But I’m afraid that won’t be possible at all.”

“Why not?” Skeletor asked, “We’re both here. Surely you have no place else to go?”

“That’s where you are mistaken. We’re not both here, not anymore,” Loki replied with a smile, as his body began to fade away. The same happened to the other band members as well, and suddenly it was only Skeletor’s band and the announcer who were left on stage. An illusion, Shinji realised! Cheetara had heeded his warning after all!

While the announcer tried to figure out who to declare the winner now and while Skeletor was fuming, the crowd was in confusion as well now that one of the contestants had disappeared. But Shinji Ikari was satisfied; his new friends were safe, even though he might never see them again.

“Thank you for your assistance, Shinji,” a voice behind him whispered. He glanced over his shoulder and even though this woman’s face was obscured with a brown cloak, he instantly knew who she was. “Don’t speak and don’t look back,” Cheetara went on, “It was you who saved us there, by warning us beforehand, Loki could prepare an illusion spell that allowed us to escape unharmed… yet still participate in this contest. It was exciting, and fun.”
She paused for a moment, then went on: “My friends and I, we can no longer stay here. We have a duty to perform, and we can waste no more time in doing it; take care, Shinji. I hope you have a good life.”

And with that she was gone. Shinji looked around after all, but she was nowhere to be seen anymore. Looking back at the stage, Skeletor had disappeared as well. Shinji left the stadium after that and went to the nearest space port. He had had a good time, but now it was time to head back home. And as the exciting planet of Jem disappeared in the depths of space behind them, he couldn’t help but wonder where his new friends were, and if they were all right. Somehow he suspected being a rock formation wasn’t really their main thing. But for now, this is where his story would end.

Chapter XI – If you want my future, forget my past (If you want to get with me, better make it fast)

Sinister. Vain. Arrogant. Angsty. Doctor Doom could be described in many different ways, but a genius, billionaire, playboy philanthropist would not be one of them. And yet, prepare to be amazed as you read the rest of this chapter.

The group of heroes was transported to Doctor Doom’s Kingdom of Latveria without any problems and arrived in the middle of it, just outside of its capital city, away from prying eyes and troublesome security forces. 

“We’ve arrived,” Jotaro surmised, “Is this Latveria?”

“It looks like it, and I doubt The Watcher would send us wrong, so it must be,” Doctor Strange said, “He really did get us past the national border. It shouldn’t take much time to get to Doctor Doom from here.”

“Hold on,” Cheetara said suddenly, narrowing her eyes and focusing on the horizon, “Something is coming. Soldiers.”

“Are they Cobra Commander and his troops again?” Adam asked.

“No,” Doctor Strange guessed, “Most likely Latverian security forces. They’ve found us already.”

The unknown convoy approached at a swift pace and fanned out before reaching them, surrounding the group in an instant. Adam reached for his sword to transform into He-Man, but Doctor Strange stopped him, shaking his head, indicating that they weren’t looking for a fight. At least not yet. Instead they waited for someone to present themselves, a leader figure of some sort. Perhaps even Doctor Doom himself.
That revelation followed shortly later, when the top hatch of one of the humvees opened and a young woman stepped out, wearing a military outfit, and possessing hair as fiery red as a supernova. “Hello boys,” she greeted, and Doctor Strange was shocked to silence as he recognised her. This was Mary-Jane Watson, Spider-Man’s girlfriend. Except she clearly wasn’t. 

“Did you really think you could enter this reality via Latveria without being discovered by His Majesty?” she went on, “This is Von Doom’s domain. No trespasser gets in undetected, whether they try to cross the border, or the barriers that separate reality. Doom is always prepared.”

“We have not come to fight or do harm,” Doctor Strange proclaimed, “We merely wish to see Doctor Doom.”

“Oh, and you will,” Mary-Jane Watson replied, “Ordinary trespassers are dealt with harshly, but when someone crosses over from another universe, His Excellence takes a personal interest in that. You are to be brought before him right away.”

They were taken prisoner but not restrained and put into two separate transport vehicles. After that they were transported to Latveria’s capital city of Doomstadt, and driven directly to the royal palace, as Mary-Jane Watson had promised. No time was wasted after that either, and they were brought immediately to the royal throne room, which was empty at that time, except for some of the local guards, and the red haired commander herself, of course.
The next person to enter the room wasn’t Doctor Doom but someone else, someone who Doctor Strange recognised as well: Susan Storm was known in most realities as the Invisible Woman, a member of the Fantastic Four, and wife of the brilliant Reed Richards. But here, in this reality, fate seemed to have a different path in store for her. “Is this them?” she asked Mary-Jane, ignoring the group, “They don’t look like much. I would have expected something like that loser, Richards.”
“You should be happy that they arrived when they did,” Mary-Jane Waton replied, and there was an obvious hint of contempt in her voice, “Because of that I had to go out and fetch them, giving you some cosy time with Viccie.” 

“You’ll get your time, next time,” Susan Storm assured, “For now, let’s deal with our guests, shall we,” and for the first time she turned directly to the group, glaring at Doctor Strange as she asked: “Why are you here?”

“Don’t waste our time, Mrs. Storm,” Doctor Strange replied, “We’re here for Victor von Doom, and we demand to speak with Victor von Doom.”

“Demand is a fairly big word,” Loki added, trying to sound apologetic. 

“Miss Watson here told us..”

“Mrs Watson,” Mary-Jane corrected.

“Mrs. Watson told us,” Doctor Strange tried again, “That Doctor Doom wanted to see us personally. So don’t play these games with us. Bring us the Lord of Latveria himself.”

“You have a lot of nerve, demanding something where it concerns Doom,” Susan Storm replied, and her glare intensified, “But very well, you shall have it.  Doom will see you now.”

Susan Storm turned around and walked away, leaving through the door by which she had entered before. Several moments later she returned, but not alone. Behind her was a figure that looked majestic and intimidating at the same time, clas in green robes and a similar mantle, wearing some sort of armor, his face obscured by an angry looking metal mask. “You have asked for Doom,” he said.

“Indeed I have,” Doctor Strange replied boldly, “And I told Mrs. Storm to stop playing games. I asked for the real Victor von Doom, not a robot look alike.”

Susan Storm did not respond.

But then another Doctor Doom stepped into the room. He looked exactly like the first, yet somehow this one felt even more intimidating, more regal. “Doom,” Doctor Strange greeted, “It is an honor to finally meet you.”

“It certainly is for you,” Doctor Doom replied, “Doctor Strange, I see; but not this realm’s Doctor Strange.”

Doom

“It seems Doom is insightful in every reality,” Doctor Strange said.

“You are not only versed in the arts of sorcery but also in the arts of flattery,” Doctor Doom replied, “Doom welcomes that trait, but it won’t influence his decisions. Now, tell me. You wanted to meet with me. Why are you here?”

“I suspect you know why we are here,” Doctor Strange replied, “Why else would you be monitoring any travel from other realities and take a personal interest in it?” 

Doctor Doom said nothing for a moment, raising his fingers to his metal mask, as if pondering the question. Then he addressed his two wives directly: “Susan, Mary-Jane. Leave us.” 

“Are you sure, Your Excellency?”  Mary-Jane protested, “You want us to leave you alone with these intruders?” 

“I agree, husband,”  Susan Storm added, “I don’t think it’s wise to be alone with this group. Despite their easy surrender, they seem…”

“…Do you question the word or the ability of Doom?” Doctor Doom interrupted, silencing both women with a harsh voice, “I said leave us.” 

The women’s protest died out after that and they left the room. Both knew better than to oppose Doctor Doom’s word. “You let yourself be arrested by my troops without resistance,”  he began, “That leads me to believe that you either need to conserve your strength, which I doubt, or that you value life and try to avoid violence. That gives me plenty of information on your moral compass.” 

“Always a detective,”  Loki commented.

“It tells me you are not here to recruit me to some insane cause again,” Doctor Doom went on, “Rather, I suspect you have assembled this little group to stop it. But you need more information, and that’s why you came to me.” 

“Someone approached you,” Doctor Strange said, “Someone not from your world, making you an offer.” 

“An offer of madness,”  Doctor Doom said, “What this one desires, is chaos, and Doom loathes chaos. Such an endeavor would put Latveria at risk, all Latverias across the multiverse, and I will not stand for that.” 

“Glad to hear you have such a high sense of morality,”  Jotaro commented, somehow not believing that much.

“Doom will not be someone’s underling. If there is one who will rule this multiverse, or this new world, then it shall be Doom himself.” 

“Of course,”  Loki commented.

“But will you help us?”  Doctor Strange asked, “Will you give us the information we need?”

“You desire the identity of the one who approached me,” Doctor Doom deducted.

Doctor Strange nodded.

“I did not like this person, and the prospect of a multiveral disaster puts me at unease,”  Doctor Doom replied, “However, Doom’s aid is not easily given, especially not by people such as yourselves, who show but the faintest traces of respect in the presence of greatness.” 

“I know,”  Loki said, smiling, “But I’ve come to forgive them for it.” 

“He is not talking about you, Loki,” Doctor Strange groaned. 

“ But if this person, this group, succeeds, countless will perish. Even Latveria won’t be spared, as you already mentioned,”  Doctor Strange warned.

“But Doom will persist,” Doctor Doom replied, “And so will this country, no matter what threat it faces.” 

“Then how about retribution?” Loki asked.

Doctor Doom was silent for a moment. “Are you Loki?” he asked.

“My reputation precedes me,” Loki smiled, making a mock bow, “I am honored, your highness.” 

“ Your reputation does precede you,” Doctor Doom said, raising his arm and pressing a button on the iron glove on his wrist, “But not in the way you believe. Allow me to enlighten you.” 

The main entrance to the throne room swung open again and another woman entered the room, emanating an aura of arrogance and power in everything about her, from her appearance to the way she walked. She had long raven black hair and a tight green and black outfit, with a wool cape draping behind her. But what stood out most was the horned crown she wore on her head. “Husband, you sent for me?” she purred, “You know I am not to be summoned lightly.” 

“Doom summons at he pleases,” Doctor Doom replied, “There is someone in this company that I want you to meet.” 

Doctor Strange said nothing, but groaned softly as he rolled his eyes. He already knew what was coming next, and he did not look forward to it. 

Loki also knew what came next, turning around to face this new lady. He smiled: “Loki. A pleasure to meet you.” 

“The pleasure is all mine,” the woman replied, “I am Loki.” 

“My wife,”  Doctor Doom introduced, “I met her years ago, after discovering entry into Asgard. She especially appreciated how I murdered Heimdal in order to stay undetected.”

“A true planner,” the Lady Loki smiled.

“Charming,” Doctor Strange commented, “But I admit, a worthy partner to one such as yourself.” 

“I loathe the sarcasm in your voice, doctor,”  Doctor Doom replied, “But still you are right. With her cunning and wickedness, she truly is a match for one such as I.” 

“While I admit this charming personality,”  Loki said, “I think we digress from the true issue.” 

“Ah, yes,”  Doom replied, “You spoke of retribution.” 

“Indeed,” Loki smiled, “After all, this… person approached you, seeking to recruit you. To make you his thrall in a mission that will diminish your domain. A deed, I might say, that should not go unpunished. Don’t you agree, your majesty?” 

“A fair point,” Doom said, “But a waste of energy. Such squabble is beneath me.” 

“Ah, but what if you can have your revenge, without it costing you anything?” Loki pressed, “For example, if somebody else were to deal with this… insult for you?” 

“And you require nothing of me?” Doom asked.

“We require only one thing, which is yours to give, but will cost you very little,” Loki replied, “We need to know the identity of the one who contacted you.” 

“A small price,” Doom replied, “Very well, this boon I will give you, that you may forever remember the day where you were aided by Doom.”

“Is this guy always so dramatic?” Adam whispered to Doctor Strange.

“Always,” Doctor Strange whispered back, “Though I must admit, this variant is an extreme case.” 

“I  do not know the name of the one who appeared before me,” Doom began to explain, “But he had the ability to crack the barrier between realities as easily as one would break a cracker in two. His presence was remarkable, even though I could detect no aura.”

“How did he appear?”  Doctor Strange asked, “How did he introduce himself?” 

“He appeared like a human being,” Doctor Doom replied, “Though I doubt that was what he really was. He appeared as a long, broad male with long wavy hair, and called himself The Actor.”

“The Actor?” Loki repeated, and scoffed, “Seriously?”

“Interesting,” Doctor Strange said, but he did not say why; he didn’t want to share that knowledge with Doctor Doom. At least, not right away. 

The door opened again and another person came in, another woman, dark skinned with short, white hair, wearing an expensive looking suit. But despite that somewhat different appearance, Doctor Strange recognised her as well. In his universe she was Ororo Munroe, the mutant superhero known by the codename of Storm, for her ability to manipulate weather and the elements. “Your Highness, the cabinet is about to assemble,” she said, “Your presence will be required shortly.”

“Very well,” Doom replied, “Inform the ministers that I will be with them shortly, after I have said goodbye to my guests.”

“We won’t be detaining them?” Ororo asked.

“There is no need to,” Doctor Doom replied, “They will be leaving shortly anyway, the same way they came. They are no threat to us. Loki will see them out.”

“Very well,” Ororo said, “I will finish preparations for your assembly.”

Ororo turned around to leave, while Doom faced his interdimensional guests one last time, but before he could speak, Mary-Jane Watson came storming into the throne room again through the open door. Her expression was a mix of anger and fear. “Vic!” she shouted, “We have invaders! Latveria is under attack!”

“Who would dare?” Doctor Doom replied enraged, “Is it the Americans? Has Triple Term President Trump finally gone too far?!”

“It’s not the Americans!” Mary-Jane replied, “It’s.. I don’t know what it is! But they’re enormous!”

“Enough of this babbling,” Doctor Doom said, pressing another series of buttons on his metal gauntlet. One of the walls slid open, revealing a large viewing screen, which showed an image of the countryside just outside of Doomstadt. There they could clearly see several large forms slowly making their way to the city. They were humans, but far taller, more massive, like giants in various forms, naked giants in fact, though they seemed to lack any visible genitalia. “What in blazes is this?” Doom asked angrily, “Who unleashed these monstrosities upon my land?”

“We are not sure,” Mary-Jane replied, “Scouts are gathering more information and our military stands ready to engage and destroy them. But we’re still processing the data. They are unlike anything we’ve ever seen before.”

“Incredible,” Doctor Strange said, “I have no idea what they are either. One would suspect sorcery, but I do not detect the aura of magic about them.”

“Ready the artillery,” Doctor Doom commanded, “But have them stand by for my order. I will oversee this operation myself.”

“Yes,” Mary-Jane replied, “I will get on it; what should we designate these unknown invaders as?”

“Titans,” Doom replied, “We will call them Titans.” and before leaving he added to Doctor Strange and his group: “You will not leave yet. I want you to witness this. I doubt the appearance of these odd creatures, which no one on this world has ever seen before, is entirely unrelated to your presence here.”

“Very well, I agree,” Doctor Strange replied, “Let’s go see what we are dealing with then.”

And so an uneasy temporary alliance was forged between one of the most ruthless dictators of the world and a small group of heroes. Doctor Doom personally led them through his castle (Doom Castle) and to the balustrade, giving them a good view of the artillery that had been lined up below. Just outside of the city borders, the first of the Titans was approaching, attempting to grab some fleeing soldiers to do god knows what to them, but nothing good. “Have they shown any hostility yet?” Doom asked.

“This one hasn’t yet,” the sergeant at arms replied, “But we’ve gotten reports from the countryside. Apparently some of our citizens have been… eaten.”

“Then let’s show them how we negotiate with monsters,” Doom replied, “Fire when ready, sergeant.”

The roaring of the Latverian artillery was deafening. Deadly explosive shells hurled themselves through the air, their payload heavier than conventional artillery, their explosive effect strengthened by some of Doctor Doom’s own inventions, special chemicals that would burn violently when exposed to air. The effect of the shells was intense as huge explosions could be seen around and directly on the assaulting Titan, tearing off its arm entirely and sending it staggering back.
Yet the effect was only temporary. After recovering from the initial blast, the Titan froze for a minute as its missing arm began to regrow and reform. The whole process took a few minutes, but then it resumed its slow but steady advance, now accompanied by additional Titans as well. 

“Incredible,” Doctor Strange said, “Seldom have I seen such regenerative ability, at least not on something that big.”

“Focus on the lead Titan, sergeant,” Doctor Doom ordered, ignoring the Sorcerer Supreme’s remark, “Fire and make sure every shot hits it directly. I want to see it completely obliterated.”

Another volley of artillery was fired, this time completely focusing on the first titan. The amount of explosions was even more intense, and the giant was completely torn apart in the process. What was left of it did not longer regenerate itself. “So much for its ability to restore itself,” Doom said, “Repeat the same process at will, sergeant, but target only the Titans that are further away, but within the range of our artillery.”

“What about the ones already in the city, milord?” the sergeant asked, “They will be upon us soon.”

“Our artillery will damage the city more than these Titans will,” Doctor Doom proclaimed, “And my Doom Bots are still busy evacuating all the citizens, but they haven’t finished yet. I don’t want to risk casualties.”

“Then what about the ones in the city?” the sergeant asked, “We can deploy tanks, but I’m not sure if they will be as effective.”

“I will take care of those myself,” Doctor Doom replied, “We will figure out their weakness and stop them in their tracks. If that fails, we will use the artillery as a last resort.”

“Very well, Milord,” the sergeant confirmed, and began relaying orders to his men to target the next Titan outside the city walls. 

“Will you be joining me, Doctor?” Doom asked Doctor Strange, “I do not easily ask for assistance, but I am still convinced that your presence here has caused these creatures to appear.”

“We will,” Doctor Strange confirmed, “Cheetara can assist in the evacuation and Loki can keep the Titans distracted without jeopardizing himself. The rest of us will go on the offensive.”

“Ororo,” Doom said, activating an intercom on his wrist, “I will require your assistance as well in this matter. Create a blizzard outside the city to stop the enemy’s advance.”

“Understood, my love,” a voice over the intercom said.

“Well then, let’s go,” Doom said to his uneasy alliance, “We will teach these invaders the folly of going up against Doom.”

“Jolly,” Loki replied with a hint of sarcasm.

The group gathered themselves outside the castle where Mary-Jane Watson was waiting with a small convoy to take them directly to the battle zone. They spoke little as they drove towards the site of the battle, all in anticipation of what was to come. It was Doctor Doom who said the first words when they got out of the vehicles and were facing the approaching Titans: “Let’s get down to business.”

“To defeat the Titans,” Loki added, smiling.

A fierce battle erupted shortly after that. Doctor Doom was engaging the Titans with all sorts of weapons within his body armor, including energy weapons that seemed to be inspired by Tony Stark’s Iron Man armor. Doctor Strange used magic to delay and restrain the Titans while He-Man and All Might unleashed their explosive power against the monsters. Jotaro was mainly running interference, summoning his Stand to attack the Titans at face height, delivering punches to their faces to keep them off balance.
The battle brought the Titans almost to a standstill, yet still the small group of heroes and Doctor Doom was gradually being pushed back. The battle seemed evenly matched, with the group avoiding the Titans yet dealing heavy damage, of which the Titans quickly regenerated.
The battle took a turn for the better when Doctor Doom accidentally figured out the Titans’ weakness, when he focused one of his attacks on the neck of one of the monsters. This seemed to slow down and stop the regeneration process somehow, allowing the Monarch of Latveria to take the creature down. With this discovery, the group gradually started driving the Titans back, effectively halting their advance.

“I still wonder where these monsters came from,” Doctor Strange said, watching the ongoing struggle, “And why they attacked the city. There seems to be no logical meaning behind it. No plan.”

“They were meant as a distraction,” Skeletor smirked, suddenly stepping out of the shadows. Before anyone could react to that, several portals opened and a horde of Skeletor’s undead minions swarmed onto the town square, surrounding the group, “And no heroics, please. My undead army is large enough as it is.”

“Skullmaster, I presume?” Doctor Doom asked.

“Actually, he prefers to be called Skeletor these days,” Loki corrected, “He’s very sensitive about it.”

“Taunt all you want,” Skeletor retorted, “It will not change the situation.”

“You presume to have the upper hand on Doom with a meager group of zombies?” Doctor Doom replied. 

“These soldiers are just filler to keep your men busy,” Skeletor smirked, “I will take care of you myself.”

“Then you are a fool,” Doom replied, “Not only are you no match, but there are strong warriors here that will easily wreck this army of yours.”

“It’s true,” Doctor Strange added, “We’ve fought before, Skeletor. Your army will fall; He-Man could take them on alone and win.”

“But Skeletor is not fighting alone,” Cobra Commander interrupted, emerging from another portal with more of his soldiers, and some heavy weaponry, tanks and humvees, as well, “You are outnumbered and now also outmatched.”

Doctor Strange and Doctor Doom were silent for a moment. It was true, the situation was indeed looking somewhat more grim.

“What do you want?” Doctor Doom finally asked.

“You have hindered us by spilling the name of our master,” Skeletor replied, “For that intrusion, you must be punished. All those who know his name must perish, and your beloved Latveria will burn.”

“Over my dead body,” Doom resisted. 

“That would be the general idea,” Skeletor smirked.

“I think we’ve wasted enough time on words,” Jotaro offered, “Let’s waste these creeps instead.”

The battle erupted again in all fierceness, as the group had to fend off not only the Titans, but also Cobra Commander’s soldiers and Skeletor’s undead minions. They were surrounded and quickly losing ground, and the battle seemed all but lost with the heroes making their final stand.
Then another portal suddenly opened and a single figure stepped through, wearing dark robes and a similar hood which obscured his face. For a moment nobody moved. Then the figure threw back his hood, revealing the familiar face of Luke Skywalker. The hilt of a blade literally leapt into his hand and erupted with a mighty green energy saber. Then he attacked, cutting through the enemies with a ferocity and power that was unlike any other. The group was in disarray and suddenly the tide turned, as Skeletor and Cobra Commander were driven back. The battle was over in minutes, and the two villains had no choice but to retreat, leaving Latverian forces to mop up what was left of the mysterious giant Titans. 

“I assume this is one of your allies, Strange?” Doctor Doom asked.

“He is,” Doctor Strange replied, and he gave Luke a warm smile, “It’s good to see you again, young Skywalker. Has your training been completed already?”

“It has not, I am not a Jedi Master yet,” Luke admitted, “But I have been trained in the arts, and the rest may come with experience. But one day I must return, to finish the path which I now have started.”

“You sound wiser than you were when you left,” Doctor Strange admitted, “What brought you here then?”

“A vision,” Luke admitted, “I saw you in danger, and I knew I had to act, that only I could balance out this fight.”

“You were indeed the one who tipped the scale,” Doctor Doom said, and to Stephen he added: “Sorcerer Supreme, you have spent enough time in my hospitality. It is time you leave and take your troubles with you.”

“Aren’t you afraid those men will return to harm you?” He-Man asked.

“They may try,” Doom replied, “But no, I do not fear that or them. I believe they will focus their efforts on you instead, as you are the true danger to them. But if they do dare to return to Latveria, Doom will surely await them.”

With that promise, Doctor Doom left the group and returned to his castle to survey the damage and reorganise the defenses. Mary-Jane Watson remained behind, to make sure that the group would leave on short notice. 

“Shall we get going then?” Doctor Strange asked.

“Where to?” Loki asked, “What destination do you have in mind?”

“A reprieve,” Doctor Strange said, “We’ve hit our enemies hard, that should give us some time to recover as well. I know another world, one very different from the ones we’ve visited so far; I think we can lay low there.”

“That sounds like a welcome thing,” Jotaro said, “All this fighting is really wearing me down.”

“Then let’s hope our enemies will indeed leave us alone,” Loki smiled, “Lead the way, Doctor.”

Doctor Strange nodded and opened up another portal to another new world. They were off to another new destination, stepping through the barrier between realities one at a time, none of them knowing if they would be safe in the next world or not, or that their enemies would find and assault them once more. And with that mysterious foreshadowing, the portal swallowed them all up, carrying them further down the road of destiny, to another strange alternate universe.

Chapter X – What if..?

Time. Space. Reality. It’s more than a linear path. It’s a prism of endless possibility where a single choice can branch out into infinite realities, creating alternate worlds from the worlds you know.

But right now, for the second time, Doctor Strange and his companions were somewhere outside the realm of time, space and reality, beyond the vast multiverse of infinite possibilities. They had been here before, when they had been abducted by the group of TIRC, and now again, by some unknown force.

“Where are we?” Cheetara asked.

“Where wouldn’t be the right word,” Loki answered, “But in fact, I doubt there is a right word for this place… If place is even the right word for this place.”

“Outside of reality, if such a thing is possible,” Doctor Strange said, “Or rather, the concept of it. This is really intense.”

“Welcome,” a voice greeted, “I am your guide, and it is I who brought you here.”

They were greeted by an alien looking being that was larger than all of them. yet still human in appearance, except for his head which was larger than the rest of his body. He was wearing white and blue robes, giving him the appearance of a Greek philosopher. Sort of. “Welcome” he said again, “To that which is between worlds.”

“It can’t be,” Loki said, “I thought this was just a myth.. that you were just a myth.”

“I assure you I am not a myth,” The alien assured.

“The Watcher,” Doctor Strange greeted, “I’ve heard about you, sometimes even sensed your presence, when your gaze befell our reality, but I never imagined a meeting like this.”

The Watcher

“Only few beings can sense my presence, let alone perceive, unless I want it to be so,” the Watcher replied, “But the Sorcerer Supreme is certainly one of them. He often is.”

“You have been watching us,” Cheetara guessed.

“It is what I do,” the Watcher replied, “I drink wine and I watch things.”

“That’s… kind of disturbing,” she said back. 

“He doesn’t watch you all the time,” Doctor Strange assured, “Just pivotal moments.”

“Or does he?” Loki whispered, trolling despite being a Frost Giant. 

“Perhaps it’s best if I explain from the beginning,” The Watcher suggested, “You are already aware of the Multiverse?”

“We’ve been traveling through it for some time now,” Doctor Strange replied, “I learned about the concept shortly after I enlisted as an apprentice to the former Sorcerer Supreme.”

“A big bowl of M&M’s!” Majin Buu cried out.

“Indeed, wise one,” the Watcher agreed, “The Multiverse is like a massive bowl of infinite M&Ms, each with their own color, some alike, but all totally different, making an ensemble that is infinite and infinitely diverse.”

“Worlds that are alike, worlds that are different,” Doctor Strange added, “They might be inhabited by totally different beings, or by someone who is exactly like you, except they have followed a different path in life.”

“A Mad Titan who became a gangster, for example,” Loki surmised. 

“Correct,” the Watcher confirmed, “These realities exist separate from each other and very seldom overlap, and even then, these are only incidents, of an individual crossing over into another reality, or the fabric between worlds tearing. But things have changed.”

“The group called TIRC,” Doctor Strange guessed, “They have found a way to travel through the multiverse. And they are gathering strength.”

“Traveling through the multiverse isn’t a great feat, Doctor Strange,” the Watcher said, “If it was, you wouldn’t be able to conjure portals with mere spellcasting. No, the difficulty is becoming aware that this possibility exists. Few hints to this possibility exist in each world, so for an organisation without magical history to find out. It is… odd.”

“Do you know how they found out?” Loki asked.

“Of course I do,” the Watcher replied, “I observed it, after all, as I observe all important moments in all of reality. They were aided.”

“Aided?” Doctor Strange repeated, “By whom?”

“That I do not know,” the Watcher replied, “I know someone approached Lex Luthor and gave him access to their base outside of reality, but I do not know how that base got there, or who this being is; somehow they are able to mask themselves, even from me.” 

“Convenient,” Loki commented. 

“Despite my role, I am not all powerful, Loki Laufeyson,” the Watcher said, glaring down at the trickster god, “There are beings who can evade my gaze, but usually they must be aware of my existence. And that is what is troubling me.”

“Do you know what they are planning?” Doctor Strange asked. 

“Largely,” the Watcher answered, “They are gathering elements from many different universes in order to prepare an attack on reality itself. They want to merge the different worlds into one single existence without boundaries. To eradicate this multiverse.”

“That sounds chaotic,” Loki said, “But at least there won’t be any lives lost, right? That’s got to count for something?”

“A lot of lives will be lost,” the Watcher corrected, “This event has happened once before, when a madman named Kang tried to control all of time and space and eliminate the existence of a multiverse. But he could only contain reality, not really alter it. This is worse, far worse.”

“How worse?” Doctor Strange asked.

“Their method is unrefined and extreme,” the Watcher said, “They can create this single existence they hope to achieve, but it will only contain part of the current multiverse. The rest will be wiped out, erased completely. The amount of lives lost I can’t even calculate.”

“That’s terrible,” Prince Adam exclaimed, “But why? What could they hope to achieve with such an act?”

“Power, most likely,” Loki concluded, “That’s what drives all madmen, especially those who are willing to sacrifice everything to get their way.”

“Possible,” The Watcher agreed, “I only know their plan, but not their motives, they are very cautious about mentioning those; and I am not a reader of minds.”

“Then what do we do next?” Loki asked, “Or did you bring us here just to share this information with us?” 

“That is part of it,”  the Watcher replied, “You will need to know what your enemies are up to, in order to be able to stop them. I’m hoping this knowledge will give you an edge. But you will also need the means to stop them.” 

“Then how do we stop them?” Doctor Strange asked, “Do you know a way?” 

“The key to it all is finding out who the true mastermind behind this all is,”  the Watcher said, “There is one such person in the multiverse who might know. One who has been approached by this mysterious entity, but who has turned down his offer.”

“Who is this person?” Doctor Strange asked, “Where do we find him?” 

“You will find him in the Kingdom of Latveria on Earth,” the Watcher replied, “I will guide you to the right reality, the right variant of Earth. His name is Victor von Doom.” 

“Doctor Doom,”  Dr. Strange replied, “I can see him not wanting to be an underling.” 

“I can see him not wanting to cooperate with us either,” Loki added, “Even I have shunned working with him in the past.”

“Not every Loki variant was so wise,”  Doctor Strange smiled, but left it at that.

“Not every Loki variant is living together in a suburb with Thor,” Loki replied.

“Why are you helping us?” Adam suddenly asked the Watcher. 

“I am a Watcher, but my vow forbids me from interfering in your lives, your realities, directly. Even by helping you, I am already stretching the contents of that vow to its very limits, but when all of reality is threatened like this, I feel that it is necessary to speak.” 

“That sounds rough, buddy,”  Adam replied. 

“So what will you do?”  the Watcher asked, “Will you visit Doom?”

“We have little choice,” Doctor Strange replied, “We need some sort of advantage in this conflict, and Doctor Doom might be able to give us one. Let’s hope we’ll be able to convince him of that.” 

“Very well,” the Watcher said, “But beware: Over here, outside of reality, you are unseen to your opponents; but as soon as you return, they will be able to find you again. And they will quickly realise what you are doing and conclude you have become more dangerous as a result. They will most likely intensify their efforts to stop you at that point.” 

“ Let the villains come,”  All Might proclaimed, “We will be ready for them and punch them back to where they came from!” 

“I agree,”  Doctor Strange replied, “At least about All Might’s sentiment of not staying hidden. We wanted to turn the tables on this group, and this is our best chance to do it.” 

“Very well then,”  the Watcher said, making a gesture and opening another rift, “This will take you to the correct reality and straight into Latveria; it’s a difficult country to gain access to, so hopefully this will save you some effort.”

“Thank you,” Doctor Strange replied, as he stepped towards the gateway, “We’ll find Doom then. But how do we inform you about what we learn?” 

“You don’t need to,”  the Watcher smiled, “I am watching.” 

“Creepy,” Cheetara commented, just as she stepped through the portal.

“Dubious moral values,”  Loki added, just as he vanished through the gateway as well.

The Watcher rolled his eyes, but there was no one left to complain to; they had all left.

Chapter IX – Oh, the Candy Man can (the Candy Man can)

It wasn’t a long drive to Boss Luffy’s hideout, but the nature of the place did surprise All Might. He hadn’t expected a mafia hideout at a ship wharf. And yet, here they were, and here it was. He also had expected the leader of a mob gang to be older, more rough looking; but Luffy D. Monkey was anything but that. In fact, the man was remarkably young, only barely an adult at best. 

“Hello, nice to meet you!” the man called Luffy said, coming out from his hideout, his arms wide open, grinning broadly. Just like the rest of his gang he was wearing a suit, but instead of a fedora he was wearing a straw hat that seemed out of place, yet at the same time it suited him, “I’m glad you accepted my invitation!”

“The attack on our friend left us with little alternative,” Doctor Strange replied, “We’re strangers to this world, and we don’t know what we’re up against.”

“We’ll be happy to help out,” Hal Jordan reassured, “You’ll have the full support of the Straw Hat Mafia, don’t you worry.”

“And no further obligations?” Doctor Strange asked, focusing his gaze on Luffy again. 

“Of course not,” Luffy smiled, “We just need a little bit of help, but you’re free to do whatever you want otherwise. Thank you for your assistance!”

“But we haven’t decided yet,” Doctor Strange protested. 

“Oh, but you have,” Luffy smiled, “I can see it in your eyes, Doctor. And I welcome you for it.”

Doctor Strange smiled weakly. “I guess that makes you a fair leader, even if you won’t admit it, Luffy D. Monkey. You’re a good judge of character, and it shows in your crew.”

Luffy in turn simply grinned. “Thanks. But I’m just a simple man.”

“Who wants to be the King of the Mafia,” Doctor Strange smiled.

“Ever since I was a little boy,” Luffy grinned.

The discussion fell silent when Thanos suddenly clapped his hand, gathering everybody from both crews together: “I think it’s time to discuss strategy,” he said, “Sauron is planning something and gathering his allies, so we have ample time to start something ourselves.”

“Let’s go,” Luffy grinned at Doctor Strange, “He may not look like it, but Thanos is an amazing strategist. He’ll lay out the plan for us.”

“And you will stray from it the first opportunity you get,” Thanos said, looking down on Luffy.

Luffy didn’t reply, he simply gave a sheepish grin. It was true, after all.

“Both Majin Buu and Sauron have operations throughout the city, but we’ll be focusing on their main hideouts, which is where the bulk of their forces will be,” Thanos began to explain, “As well as the two leaders themselves. Sauron has taken up residence in an old warehouse, whereas Buu has his own manor. As explained before, we plan to take out both locations simultaneously.”

“To keep the other from taking advantage of the struggle,” Loki summarised.

“Exactly,” Thanos said, “Luffy’s gang will hit Sauron’s stronghold. We’re expecting fierce resistance, but we have the resources to tackle it. But we’ll need a little bit more muscle.”

“Then I will accompany you,” All Might said, stepping forward, “I have some unfinished business with those Sauron enforcers anyway.”

“I was hoping you would say that,” Thanos replied, “Then in turn I will accompany the group that will raid Boss Buu’s mansion. My knowledge of the place will be invaluable.”

“And that will be our group as well?” Cheetara asked. 

“Correct,” Thanos replied, “Your group will be the core of that team. You will need to confront Majin Buu about the status of your friend as well.”

“Oh, we shall,” Jotaro vowed.

“All right then,” Luffy grinned, “Let’s get going then. And look after yourselves, and each other!”

The groups were divided up and moved out to their respective target locations. Doctor Strange and Jotaro shared a car with Thanos, which pulled up to the front entrance of an impressive looking mansion, the hideout of Boss Majin Buu. There were guards posted at the entrance, as well as some patrols, but they were quickly dispatched, before they had a chance to sound any alarm. 

“So far so good,” Thanos said, “But they’ll notice those patrols won’t be reporting in soon. We have to strike fast in order to catch them by surprise.”

“Then what is your plan?” Cheetara asked. 

“We go directly for Buu’s private quarters,” Thanos said, “Take him out, before reinforcements arrive. With their leader out, his gang will scatter.”

“Where are his private quarters located?” Doctor Strange asked, while Luffy’s men opened the mansion’s gate, allowing them access inside. 

“The west wing,” Thanos replied, “He’s usually holed up on the second floor around this time.”

“How do you know so much about Buu and this mansion?” Cheetara asked, “It’s almost as if you’ve been here before, lived here before?”

“Your feeling is correct, Cheetara,” Thanos replied, “I used to be an enforcer for Majin Buu. But I didn’t like my service there. And when I learned of Luffy and his goals, his ideals, the choice was easy.”

“A turn coat then,” Loki said, overhearing things, “Those aren’t well liked in the mafia.”

“I am well aware of that,” Thanos replied, “But Luffy didn’t care. He saw through me and gave me a home, a purpose. And I will never betray that purpose.”

“Interesting,” Loki smiled; this Thanos was so different from the Thanos he knew; the one that had once killed him. 

“So how are you planning on getting inside?” Cheetara asked, “There don’t seem to be any entrances there.”

“We make our entrance,” Thanos said, “We’re going to take out the wall.”

“That’s not something you do without making noise, or casualties,” Cheetara commented.

“Might I offer a suggestion?” Doctor Strange offered, “I can get rid of that wall without the use of explosives. They will still notice it, but there will be a delay in response. That will benefit us.”

“You can?” Jotaro asked, “How?”

“Magic,” Doctor Strange smiled.

“That sounds like a splendid idea, Doctor,” Thanos agreed, “Very well. Our men are already in position, so do your thing. After that things will get… lively.”

Doctor Strange stepped forward into the mansion’s massive garden. Luffy’s men had already dealt with any additional patrols, at least in the front area of the premises, so they had some time, but not much. He raised his arms and began chanting, focusing on a specific part of the wall and altering its molecular structure. The wall responded after a moment and literally became vapor, dissipating and clearing an entrance. “Nicely done, Doctor,” Thanos complimented, “And as you promised, without any sound. We’ll be able to surprise them and have the advantage!”

But that advantage disappeared when a massive explosion was heard east of the mansion, shattering the wall and undoubtedly alerting each and every last soul within the mansion itself. “Fools!” Thanos shouted, “Who ordered the use of explosives?!”

“No one did, sir,” one of the underlings reported, “It wasn’t us. Sauron’s gang has arrived. They’re laying siege to Boss Buu’s mansion!”

“Impossible!” Thanos shouted, “They should be fighting our guys right now! No way they could have slipped away from all that, or beaten Luffy.” 

“Unless they had already left before Luffy arrived,” Loki surmised, “They were already planning on attacking Buu, much like we were.” 

“By the Infinity Stones, that fiend,” Thanos growled, “That does throw a monkey wrench into our plans. We’ve ended up fighting both groups at the same time, with only half our forces.”

“But it could provide opportunity as well,” Loki offered, “Sauron’s group is here for Buu, but they most likely don’t know about us. We can make use of this chaos and come out on top.”

“You just thrive on chaos, don’t you, Loki?” Doctor Strange sighed. 

“Absolutely,” Loki smiled, “It’s one of the other reasons why I joined your little group, Doctor. Despite your intentions, chaos follows you and surrounds you, wherever you go.”

“You two will have to continue your debate a little later,” Cheetara warned, “I’ve quickly scouted the area, but Sauron’s group is splitting up; they’re already aware of our presence.” 

“Did they discover us?” Doctor Strange asked, glaring sideways at Loki, “Or did they already know we’re here?” 

“Why Doctor, such insinuations,” Loki purred, “But it doesn’t matter; we are discovered, and we must act.”

The battle quickly escalated after that. Mobsters came rushing out of the mansion through the hole in the wall and through the eastern exit as well, meeting their attackers head on. At the same time Sauron’s men swarmed the gardens, hoping for an easy victory, yet finding their opponents well prepared. Luffy’s group joined in on that fight, which became a chaotic free for all of gunfire and weapons clashing.
Jotaro was a fierce demon amidst it all, summoning his Stand to do his fighting for him, yet at the same time keeping anyone at bay who came too close. His experience in Mickey’s gang only made him a more deadly foe. The gangsters began to avoid him, attacking only when they thought they had an advantage, and every time they did, they were intercepted and overpowered by Jotaro’s powerful stand.
Then a new opponent appeared, one Jotaro recognised. Or rather, two opponents: It was the duo of enforcers they had met before during the bank robbery in the previous chapter, Worf and Legolas. They had been drawn out by the fight as well. “Well, we meet again,” Legolas said, with a small but cold smile. 

“Worf and Legolas, was it?” Jotaro said, taking a defensive stance, “You’ve picked a poor opponent to fight with.”

“Ha! A bold one!” Worf smiled. 

“Be careful, Worf,” Jotaro grinned while flexing his arms, “These fights tend to get a tad more difficult when you don’t have a group of minions to cower behind.” 

“You dare call me a coward?!” Worf shouted back, erupting with rage, “I will tear your limbs off for that and feed them to my Sloar!” 

“Careful, Worf,”  Legolas smiled, “He’s trying to get you riled up.” 

“He is insulting my honor, Legolas!”  Worf shouted back at his teammate, “He is insulting my family!” 

“I am not insulting your family,” Jotaro corrected with a grin, “Your mom’s just fine.” 

That was the moment when Worf charged. He didn’t even draw a gun or any other sort of weapon but simply assaulted Jotaro with his bare hands. Jotaro summoned his Stand, which intercepted the first punch, yet still his Stand was pushed back by the sheer force and brutality. “Looks like it will be your funeral,”  Legolas smiled at Jotaro.
But it was Worf who was soon on the defensive, as Jotaro’s Stand struck back with a volley of blows that had the strange looking enforcer being pushed back. “ORA! ORA! ORA! ORA! ORA! ORA!” Jotaro shouted, while his Stand kept punching, gradually breaking down Worf’s defense.
Legolas leapt into action as well, dashing sideways and drawing an old fashioned looking pistol. He first fired at the Stand, hoping to blindeside it, but Jotaro’s Stand simply punched the bullets away. The mobster then decided to change his tactic and take out Jotaro instead, but as he altered his aim, he was surprised by Jotaro himself, who had distanced himself from his Stand and had dashed toward Legolas, delivering an uppercut that literally sent the man flying. At the same time, his Stand broke through Worf’s defense, punching the ridged mobster in the gut and sending him reeling to his knees.
Jotaro’s Stand stopped and the young delinquent was waiting for his opponent to get back up again. Worf needed a moment to catch his breath, then rose again, surprised: “Why did you not finish me? I was at your mercy.” 

“Exactly,” Jotaro replied, “And mercy was mine to give. I don’t strike an opponent when he’s already down.” 

“Then perhaps there is honor in you after all,” Worf said, “What is your name, young warrior?” 

“I am Jotaro Kujo,” Jotaro introduced himself.

“Well met, Jotaro,” Worf greeted, “I am Worf, Son of Mogh.”

“Mogh has produced fine offspring,” Jotaro complimented, “Does this mean our battle is over?” 

“Alas, it does not,” Worf said, “Honor does not permit me to back down and betray my master. Even when your spectral warrior is powerful, I will not back down.” 

“Then I will meet that honor head on,”  Jotaro said, dismissing his stand, “And kick your ass without my Stand.”

“You are mad!” Worf said, “But honorable. I will light a candle for your death.” 

“I will send a postcard to your mother,”  Jotaro replied.

The two resumed their battle in earnest, and without Jotaro’s Stand they were more evenly matched, with neither getting a quick upper hand. The other mobsters ignored their duel of fisticuffs, knowing better than to risk tarnishing Worf’s honor, or risk Jotaro’s wrath. 

Doctor Strange and Loki led a group of Luffy’s crew inside through the now open wall, and were met with only moderate resistance. Especially when Loki used his illusions to create an army of zombie warriors that didn’t really exist. They split up, Doctor Strange went upstairs alone to confront Boss Buu, while Loki and his group went to secure the bottom level.
Their advance was cut short when a chilling icy beam suddenly cut through the entire room, freezing everything inside, including the people. The only one who was seemingly unharmed was Loki, who shrugged off the beam’s effects with just a feeling of annoyance. 

“Impressive,” a man in a hazmat suit with pale blue skin said, stepping into the room. In his hand he was carrying a large gun of some sorts, the source of the mysterious freezing ray. “I haven’t met many who can withstand the chilly greeting of Mister Freeze.”

“I’ve had colder receptions at my foster parents,” Loki replied, grinning, “Did you think your pitiful toy could freeze a God?”

“When the setting is high enough,” Mr. Freeze said, firing another icy blast, “It can freeze even the devil itself!”

“Child’s play,” Loki smiled, “Perhaps any other god, but I am Loki, Prince of Asgard. And, mind you, my heritage is that of a Frost Giant. This ice weapon of yours is nothing to me!”

“Then I will just switch the output to Maximum Power!” Mr. Freeze smirked, “Even the air itself will be frozen solid!”

“Yes, I get the general idea,” Loki sighed, “I think I’d rather see this end before you bring down the mansion. Cheetara, can you assist?”

Mr. Freeze raised his gun again to give Loki another blast, but as he pulled the trigger his hands were suddenly empty. Standing next to Loki was Cheetara, holding Mr. Freeze’s freeze gun, after having taken it from him with dazzling speed, faster than the eye could follow. “That’s mine!” Mr. Freeze shouted.

“Then you should’ve held onto it better,” Cheetara smiled, before pulling out some wiring, disabling the weapon. 

“Curse you,” Mr. Freeze retorted, and he shouted to the next room: “Grimm! Come, help out over here!”

A large bulky figure came waltzing into the room, wearing an oversized overcoat to mask a burly body. The man called Grimm was humanoid in appearance, but larger, bulkier than the average human, with a skin made of orange rock of granite or something similar. “Having trouble, Freeze?” he asked.

“These thugs from Luffy’s group took my freeze gun,” he replied, “I took out the underlings, but they might be trouble.”

“Unless they have a jackhammer with them, they won’t be,” the one called Grimm said, stepping forward, “Not against The Thing.”

“Quite  a scary name,” Cheetara commented.

“You should meet my mother,” The Thing replied and threw a punch which Cheetara easily dodged. Loki, meanwhile, was already long gone. 

Doctor Strange had separated himself from the group, rushing up the stairs of the large mansion alone. He did meet some resistance but those were easily dispatched with a sleeping spell or similar effect. Then he stopped, sensing a powerful presence in front of him, one that immediately put him on alert. He was standing still, just before a voice called out: “Stop!”

Standing in front of him was another gangster, dressed in a fancier outfit than most others he’d seen so far, though the clothes themselves seemed to barely fit him. This one had a bright pink skin and a puffy appearance, while his eyes were barely visible, reduced to tiny slits. “Buu doesn’t like you,” he said.

“Boss Majin Buu,” Doctor Strange guessed, “I have come to bargain.”

“Buu doesn’t like to bargain with scum,” Buu replied, “Unless it’s for copious amounts of candy!”

Buu

“Copious amounts of candy,” Doctor Strange repeated, somewhat startled at the gangster boss’ preferences, “Then perhaps we can come to an agreement.”

Meanwhile, back in the main room, the battle was still raging on. Cheetara was trying to beat the Thing, but while she had speed to her advantage, she clearly lacked the power to break her opponent’s skin, making her attacks all but ineffective. Thanos had joined her, and despite his considerable strength, he was still unable to overpower the orange skinned enforcer. Fortunately enough, The Thing wasn’t able to get an upper hand either. At least, not until he managed to grab Cheetara, more by sheer luck than by intent. Thanos rushed forward to free his ally, but was met with a heavy punch to the gut by his opponent, sending him reeling back. “Well then,” the Thing said, holding Cheetara in a firm grip, “You’re quite the annoying speedster, aren’t ya? Time to take care of ya.”

Just then another one of the walls shattered and All Might and Luffy came bursting through. Ben Grimm, the Thing, reacted in an instant to the loud attack. hurling Cheetara at his attacker. Luffy intervened and managed to catch the speedster by stretching his arms to an insane length, plucking her out of the air, and pulling her out of harm’s way. The Thing then braced himself for the coming attack, determined to withstand it, raising his arms in front of his face in defense. “Texas Smash!” All Might shouted, delivering a punch that shattered The Thing’s defenses and sent him flying back, crashing into the wall. It was a one hit knockout. 

“Thanks for the assistance, Luffy,” Thanos said, getting back up on his feet, “Our plan turned out to be quite a mess; I had never expected Sauron to go on the offensive and attack Boss Buu directly.”

“Their base was hardly defended,” Luffy said, “Once we realised what was going on, we mopped up quickly and rushed over here as fast as we could; thank you for holding out so long, Thanos.” 

“I knew you would show up in time,” Thanos replied, “I never lost faith, Luffy.”

The battle seemed to be ending, with Buu’s forces scattered and Sauron’s troops on the run. Just then a large force of police cars arrived, no doubt alerted by people living in the area. They blocked the main entrances of the premises and then proceeded to apprehend as many gangsters as they could. Gendo Ikari was there as well, emerging from one of the police cars: “This has to be the biggest catch in years,” he said, “With this, organised crime in this town is as good as finished, as soon as we round up the two remaining crime lords, Luffy and Buu.”

“That won’t be necessary, officer,” Doctor Strange said, emerging from the mansion with Boss Majin Buu at this side, “This conflict is over, and so are the problems for this city.”

“You’ve apprehended Boss Buu?” Gendo asked.

“Not exactly,” Doctor Strange replied, “But your problem with his gang will be solved anyway. Majin Buu has agreed to disband his gang completely. Those who have committed crimes will have the opportunity to turn themselves in.”

“In exchange for leniency in court?” Gendo asked, “I think that can be arranged. But I doubt that leniency will stretch to Boss Buu himself.”

“Boss Buu will leave with us,” Doctor Strange said, “This we agreed. Then he won’t trouble you again.”

“To another city or country?” Gendo asked, “I can’t burden others with that; besides, there is a national arrest warrant out for him. No police force will allow him to roam free.”

“I have something to confess,” Doctor Strange said, “We are travelers, but not from around here; we originate from different worlds, different realities. We will leave again and take Majin Buu with us, beyond the limits of your justice system, to a place where he can be free and start over. I realise that’s a far stretch for your legal system, but it’s a solution without further violence.”

“I can actually live with that,” Gendo said, “Arrest him now, and he’ll be out again and cause more trouble. My predecessors have experienced that as well; it’s almost as if he doesn’t age, so time in jail seems like a poor solution here.”

“A remarkable stance from an officer of the law,” Loki replied. No one was sure where he’d come from.

“With a few years of experience in this city and this system, you get used to bending the rules a little,” Gendo replied.

“But first things first,” Doctor Strange interrupted.

“Can you turn our friend back to normal?” All Might ask, producing the small gummy bear that was once Prince Adam. 

“Buu likes gummy bears!” Buu proclaimed, “But very well.”

What then happened was anything short of miraculous and could certainly be described as odd, to say the least. The bright pink mobster took off his fedora (because of course he was wearing one), revealing what was an antenna or a tentacle or something at the end of his head. The thing wiggled a bit, then the tip pointed at the gummy bear and an energy beam burst from it, enveloping the little candy. The effect was instantaneous, and the gummy bear was turned back to the very much alive form of Prince Adam. “What happened?” Prince Adam asked, completely lost at his surroundings.

“You were turned into candy by a pink chubby gangster,” Loki explained, “There was a gang war to rescue you and now that gangster is part of our team.”

“When you put it like that, it sounds made up,” Cheetara sighed.

“I know,” Loki smiled.

Worf and Jotaro joined the group again as well. They had been battling until the larger fight suddenly ended with the defeat of Sauron and the disbanding of Boss Buu’s gang. They had respected each other’s honor, promised to fight again someday and had then supported each other to the main hall, where everybody who was left was now gathering.
Captain Gendo ikari had been called away by one of the police officers and was in one of the cars, talking to someone over the police radio. After a few moments he returned and rejoined the odd group. “So what now?”  Cheetara asked, “Where do we go from here?” 

“Before you decide on that, there is something you must know,” Gendo interrupted, “I just got a call from the precinct. Apparently the men left back at HQ are now engaged in another conflict; a mysterious group in blue army suits with heavy vehicles with cobra logos have appeared and are approaching the city border.” 

“It seems our enemies have repaired their hardware and are once again on our trail,” Doctor Strange concluded, “That settles it then; we’ve overstayed our welcome. It’s time to move on to a new destination.” 

“But where do we go?” Jotaro asked, “It seems that no matter where we run, they always find us sooner or later, and usually sooner.” 

Doctor Strange knew that Jotaro was right. The enemy was close on their trail, and that prevented them from turning the tables. They could flee to yet another different universe, but sooner or later their luck would run out and they would be caught.
Before he could formulate a plan or even give a response, the air in the room suddenly vibrated rightly and seemed to crack open, revealing some sort of gateway. It looked similar to the portals Doctor Strange would create to open a doorway from one reality to the next, but it was different, more crude, and had a strange aura to it as well. They expected something to come out, but when nothing happened, it was obvious: Someone or something wanted them to go in. 

“Ominous,”  Loki commented, “Do we go in?” 

“It could be a trap,” Jotaro said, “Who knows where it leads?” 

“No one does,”  Loki smiled, “Exciting, isn’t it?” and he stepped throught he portal.

Doctor Strange rolled his eyes, but then went through as well, as did the other. Majin Buu hesitated for a moment, but then leapt in as well. Onward, to the unknwn.

And with that mysterious foreshadowing, the portal swallowed them all up, carrying them further down the road of destiny, to another strange alternate universe.

Chapter VIII – (You’ve been hit by) A Smooth Criminal

“Adam, are you okay?” Doctor Strange asked, “Are you okay, Adam?”

Their escape from the TIRC base and subsequent arrival in this new world had been rough and Adam had barely made it through when the reality rift closed violently, sending him flying and landing painfully on the pavement. 

“I am fine, thank you,” Adam said, getting up, “Looks like it worked. They won’t be following us for a while.”

“What did you do?” Loki asked.

“Sabotaged their travel system and caused it to overload,” Adam replied, “It won’t be broken permanently, but it will take them some time to get it up and running again.”

“Nicely done,” Doctor Strange complimented, “It will give us some time to regroup and get our bearings, find out where we are.”

“Unfortunately I had no time to check our destination,” Adam replied, “It would have taken too much time.” 

“It doesn’t matter,” All Might reassured, “We’re safe and that is what matters. Besides, this reality doesn’t look that out of the ordinary.”

“The building structure definitely reminds me of Earth,” Doctor Strange said, “But at an earlier stage. Early Twentieth century, I’d say.”

“I think you are correct, Doctor,” Loki agreed, “How odd. We didn’t travel through time, did we?”

Further down the street, an explosion suddenly blew away part of the wall of one of the buildings. The group rushed towards it, learning that it was a bank office, and that the perpetrators were criminals. They dressed in business suits and wore fedoras, giving them the appearance of mobsters. When the group arrived to the scene of the literal crimes, the thugs were already busy emptying the bank vault, with two goodfellas overseeing the operation, a slender figure with long blonde hair hanging down from under his fedora, and a tall brute with an oddly shaped face and ridges on his forehead. They looked up with curiosity when the group arrived, but said nothing. 

“That’s quite enough, villains!” All Might proclaimed, unable to ignore criminal activity in progress, “That money belongs to the citizens of this town, and you have no right to take it!”

“Oh really,” the slender mafioso replied, “But we’re citizens of this town as well. So it makes perfect sense for us to take what belongs to us.”

“Oh you’ll get what’s coming to you,” All Might said, “I will see to that.”

“Is that so?” the other mobster now said, turning towards them, “That sounded an awful lot like a threat to me.”

“A threat to one is a promise by another,” All Might retorted, “and I promise you that villains will never prosper as long as All Might is around!”

“Well then, perhaps All Might should be around no longer,” the larger mobster said, “Get lost, little man; or I will aid you in that.”

“Relax, Worf,” the other said, “Don’t let them rile you up like that.”

“But Legolas, they are disrespecting the crew of Sauron,” the mobster called Worf protested, “You know our boss wouldn’t let them get away with that.”

“He wouldn’t,” the one called Legolas replied, “But the two of us don’t need to concern ourselves with a few upstarts. Let the crew take care of that.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Worf replied, “Sauron Mafia. Take them out!”

A group of mobsters came running up from inside the bank and from behind the getaway cars, taking up position in front of the two mobsters called Worf and Legolas. They needed no further instructions, raising their tommy guns almost simultaneously and firing a barrage of bullets. Of course, All Might was bullet proof, so it was simply a spectacle without effect.
“That’s quite enough, villains,” All Might warned, and dashed forward at incredible speed, delivering a punch that instantly shattered several of the guns, but left their wielders uninjure, “Give up now, or you will get hurt!”

“This guy’s nuts,” Worf said, “Looks like I will have to step in personally after all.”

“No, you won’t,” Legolas said calmly, “Let the boys act as a diversion. If the rest of that hero’s group is just as strong, we’re going to need help to take them down. Let’s take this to the boss; he needs to know about this.”

Worf was reluctant, but agreed with his partner’s words. “Very well,” he said, as they got into one of the getaway cars, “Let’s go then. But the boss won’t be happy with this failure.”

The two mobsters managed to get away while All Might single-handedly rounded up the remaining criminals. Then, just as he had finished disarming and dissuading them, several police cars showed up, surrounding the mob group as well as All Might. The mobsters immediately surrendered, All Mighty simply stared perplexed as the police officers not only arrested the criminals, but All Might as well! 

“Hey, I think you’re mistaken!” Adam called out, “He’s one of the good guys, he helped stop this whole situation!”

An inspector stepped out of one of the cars, not wearing a typical police uniform, but a suit as well, not unlike the mobsters they had just fought off. He was wearing dark orange shades and sported a messy dark beard. “As far as we’re concerned he was involved in this violent robbery,” the inspector said, “But not to worry, we’ll get this sorted out.”

“But the boy is right, officer,” Cheetara intervened, “That man is innocent; he stepped in to stop these criminals from having their way.”

“Single Handedly?” the inspector asked without cracking a smile, “I find that hard to swallow.”

“You’ll find that these mobsters will verify that story,”Doctor Strange said, “They have experienced what this man can do.”

“Oh yeah?” one of the mobsters called out, “And why should we testify in his favor?”

“Because if you don’t, you’ll end up sharing a cell with him,” Doctor Strange replied with a sly smile.

“He’s right!” the mobster quickly corrected, “That guy’s the one who stopped us!”

The police inspector arched an eyebrow when hearing the mobster’s confession. It almost sounded like a confession at gunpoint, but still he’d have to go with that. “All right then,” the man said, “We’ll allow this… hero to go free, after some questions.”

“But of course,” Doctor Strange replied, “A pleasure to meet you, inspector..?” 

“Ikari,” the man replied,”Police inspector Gendo Ikari.”

“Doctor Stephen Strange,” the Sorcerer Supreme introduced himself. He then proceeded to introduce his remaining companions as well. “A pleasure to meet you, inspector Ikari.”

“Meetings at crime scenes are rarely pleasurable, doctor,” Gendo replied with a stone cold face, “But I thank you for your interference. I don’t approve of vigilantes, but I doubt we would have gotten here in time to stop them. It’s as if they knew our response time.”

“Perhaps they did,” Loki hinted, “These mafioso don’t do things half hearted, you know. I would know, I’ve been one once.”

“But not anymore?” Gendo asked, moderately conspicuous.  

“Oh no, that was a long time ago,” Loki said, realising he might be in trouble otherwise, “But crime does seem to be running rampant around here, inspector. Almost like a genuine Gotham City.”

“I have no idea what that is,” Gendo replied, “But your impression is correct. There is a lot of crime around here, especially mafia crime. Sometimes I think this whole world consists only of mobsters.”

“Or perhaps your whole universe,” Doctor Strange mused, “No, forget I said that.”

“Already have. And if you’ll excuse me, I have to process these gangsters,” Gendo said, and turned around to address his troops: “All right, look alive, people. And let the big guy go. The rest: book ‘em and ship them off to the precinct. With luck, they won’t see daylight again for a long, long time.”

The group of heroes watched as the police cars drove off in the distance, and then everything was quiet again. “Quite an interesting place,” Loki said, “Seems like this particular variant of Earth is run mostly by mobsters.”

“That appears to be the case,” Doctor Strange replied, “All the more reason to stay in this world for as short a time as possible.”

“Ehr… guys..” Adam suddenly said, “I think… I think there might be a complication.”

“What sort of complication?” Cheetara asked, then gasped at what she saw when she looked at young Adam. The boy seemed frozen in place, but his whole appearance was slowly changing shape, becoming a different color, his skin becoming like rubbery candy. At the same time he was shrinking. This went on, until Adam was no more, and the boy had become a gummy bear. 

“What in blazes?” All Might shouted out, picking the Adam gummy bear up from the ground, “What has happened here? Is this sorcery?”

“No, I don’t think so,” Loki said, examining the tiny candy, “I think this is something else.”

“I agree,” Doctor Strange said, weaving various symbols and incantations, “Whatever it is, it’s no magic; and I am unable to reverse it. It looks like someone turned Prince Adam into candy.”

“But who would do such a thing? Could do such a thing?” Cheetara said. 

“Only one could, and that would be Boss Buu,” an unknown voice answered.

The group turned around in the direction of the unknown voice. There they found another three mobsters much like the group they had met before, only these were dressed differently: two wore white outfits, with white fedoras (each with a black rim). White, the universal color of good. But not always. The third had a green suit and green fedora to match. The trio was quite an odd group. The one who had spoken to them was a young man who didn’t seem special at all. He was the one with the green suit. The others were a tiny mini sized reindeer person of some sort, and the third was a huge guy with purple skin and a chin that could flatten entire populations. Doctor Strange and Loki both gasped as they recognised the third member of the troupe: Thanos, the Mad Titan, once destroyer of half the population in the universe. 

Mobster Thanos

“Boss Buu?” Cheetara asked, not phased by the appearance of Thanos, as she did not know him. 

“He’s one of the crime lords who runs this city,” the tiny reindeer said, “Treats us like candy, or like his playthings. It’s the power Boss Buu holds.”

“He’s a real bad cookie,” Thanos added. And grinned at his own pun. 

“Of course,” Loki whispered, “He must be a Thanos variant. One that… joined the mob and cracks corny jokes.”

“Dad jokes,” Doctor Strange whispered back, “I should have realised. I was so taken aback by his sudden appearance, that I forgot we’re in some sort of alternate reality.” 

“Why should we trust you?” Cheetara asked, “You are mobsters yourselves.”

“A fair point,” the human spoke, “But we are not like other mafia gangs. Allow me to introduce ourselves. Our big purple friend here is named Thanos. Despite the name and awesome appearance, he’s quite a friendly fellow, and quite the jokester. And the tiny one here is Tony Tony Chopper, a reindeer with the ability to talk and take on various forms. And me, I’m just an ordinary human with no special talents whatsoever; my name is Hal Jordan.”

“Doctor Stephen Strange,” the Sorcerer Supreme introduced himself, “And these are Loki, a trickster, Cheetara, the fastest woman on the planet, Jotaro, a teen delinquent, and All Might, a magical boy. The gummy bear’s name is Adam. A pleasure to meet you, but you haven’t answered Cheetara’s question yet.”

“We work for Luffy D. Monkey, one of Buu’s competitors,” Hal Jordan explained, “Luffy is a mobster, but not like the others. His aim is to become King of the Mafia.”

“This is quite  a poor sales pitch,” Loki commented. 

“Luffy has formed a gang to counter the existing gangs out there,” Tony Tony Chopper went on to explain, “He wants to make the city a safer place for normal citizens by keeping the other mob gangs in check. And after the city, the rest of the country. The only way to defeat gangs is by being strong as well.”

“With the risk of the average citizen being caught in the middle,” Doctor Strange commented, “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“I know it sounds troublesome, but I’ve seen how Luffy works,” Tony replied, “And the city has already become safer because of it.”

“Then why did you contact us?” Loki asked, suddenly wearing a magically conjured fedora as well, “Surely we’re of no interest in this? We’re not mobsters.” 

“But you stood up to Boss Sauron’s gang,” Hal Jordan said, “And successfully, I might add. That makes you interesting partners for an alliance.”

“I think you missed the moment where Loki said we’re not gangsters,” Jotaro interrupted.

“No, but we both have something to gain,” Hal Jordan went on, “With our help, we can defeat Gang Boss Majin Buu, and restore your friend back to normal. You’ll need our help for that, as Buu’s group is ridiculously strong.”

“And what’s in it for you?” Loki asked, taking on a cliche mafioso accent. 

“A conflict is coming,” Hal Jordan replied, “There are several large crime bosses in this city, but recently they have all been flocking to the banners of two the greatest: Boss Sauron, whose enforcers you’ve met, and Boss Buu, who is responsible for your friend’s condition.”

“That sounds like trouble,” Cheetara commented. 

“It is,” Hal went on, “A conflict is coming. Sauron has openly declared hostilities on Buu, and Buu’s group will respond in kind. With such a conflict, it’s inevitable that ordinary citizens of this city get caught in the middle, as you feared.”

“Then what do you propose?” All Might asked.

“Luffy wants to do a preemptive strike,” Tony Chopper said, “To clip the wings of these guys before they can soar, and take the battle to their own turf. Their hideouts are away from public view, so innocents won’t get involved.”

“But our group is too small for that, and splitting up would prove disastrous. And it’s important that both groups get taken down simultaneously, or the other will swoop in and take advantage of the chaos.”

“And so you require our assistance,” Loki guessed, “We’re too be your muscle.”

“In part,” Hal admitted, “But it will also give you a better chance of confronting Boss Buu and saving your friend.”

“I see the wisdom in this,” Doctor Strange said, nodding, “And while I dislike working together with criminals, we might have little choice on the matter. Still,before we decide, I would like to meet this boss of yours first. Sample the metal, so to say.”

“Of course,” Hal replied, “Luffy has requested just the same.”

“Then let’s not waste anymore time,” Doctor Strange proposed, “Take us to your boss, and we’ll work out the details. We’ll make our decision after that.”
Hal Jordan and his group agreed and guided the group to a series of cars, dividing the group over them. As they drove off, All Might took another look at the gummy bear in his hand that was Prince Adam of Eternia. He didn’t like working together with criminals as much as the rest of them, it wasn’t  becoming of a hero and a magical boy, but they had no choice. And maybe, just maybe, they could make the city a better place, a safer place, because of it.
Only time would tell.

Chapter VII – By the time I made the great escape (I was falling, falling, falling from heaven)

Loki was uncertain how much time had passed since their previous battle. It felt like days, but it could easily have been just a few hours. He woke up to find himself locked in some sort of prison cell, his hands and feet restrained to stop him from using magic to escape, his mouth gagged to either keep him from talking, chanting or because it was someone’s kink.
It wasn’t long after he had woken up that the door to his cell opened and both Skeletor and Lex Luthor strode in. They didn’t say anything, at least not until they stood directly in front of the trickster god. “Quite a predicament, Loki,” Lex Luthor smiled. 

Loki didn’t say anything in response, nor could he. “Ah, apologies,” Luthor said, and looked at Skeletor, then pointed at the gag. Skeletor said nothing, but simply waved his wand and the gag disappeared, allowing Loki to speak again. “Much better, I assume?” Luthor asked.

“It wasn’t really uncomfortable,” Loki replied with a smile.

“I can return the gag if needed,” Skeletor said to Lex Luthor, “He already infuriates you.”

“Not needed,” Luthor replied, “Now leave us, Skeletor.”

“Are you sure?” the undead wizard replied. 

“I am sure,” Lex Luthor replied, glancing sideways at his companion, “We have things to discuss. Something I need to relay from our boss.”

“I see,” Skeletor said, then turned around to leave, “Very well then. Come see me later when you’re done, Luthor. I have something I wish to discuss as well.”

When his skeletal minion was gone, Lex Luthor turned his attention to the trickster again. Yet before he could say anything, it was Loki who spoke up: “I will have you know there are cameras in this room, and they record everything. And nowadays things quickly end up on Youtube, so you might want to reconsider before you…-”
“Don’t you ever shut up?!” Luthor interrupted, “How do those people put up with you?”

“Barely,” Loki answered, “But I have my charming moments as well.”

“I’m sure you do,” Lex Luthor replied, “But you are a trickster by birth and nature, aren’t you. Aren’t you bored, being on the side of good?”

“Who said I am on the side of good?” Loki smiled, “I am simply going with the flow, I just don’t want to get bored again.”

“I assure you, Mr. Loki,” Luthor smiled, “You will be anything but bored if you join up with me. Does that sound promising?”

“It does sound intriguing,” Loki replied with a smile, “But do I get free reign?”

“To some degree,” Luthor replied, “We are still a cooperation of sorts. And we have someone to answer to.”

“You do?” Loki asked, his smile still strong, “I thought this was all your operation, that you were the one in charge.”

“I am just a proxy,” Lex Luthor admitted, “Though be it an important one. But even with my resources I wouldn’t have the power to travel through all of reality.”

“Then who does?” Loki pressed, “Who is backing you?”

Lex Luthor remained silent for a moment, considering what to say. Then smiled again and said: “Not yet. Maybe you’ll meet him later, when you’ve proven yourself. But I don’t think there is a need for you to know just yet.”

“So you’re not going to tell me much more than that?” Loki asked, “How about what your game is? The end goal?”

“Not yet either,” Luthor replied, “But you will learn more about that soon enough.”

“I would like to know now,” Loki replied, “How else will I ever trust this plan of yours?”

“Trust is earned, especially by one who is a god of evil and trickery,” Luthor replied, “All in due time, Loki.”

“So that’s all I’m getting from you?” Loki asked, “Nothing more?”

“You are not exactly in a position to negotiate,” Lex Luthor replied, “No, this will suffice.”

Loki sighed. “Then I guess there is no more reason for me to stay around here. A pity. I rather enjoyed the company.”

“Excuse me?” Lex Luthor said, “Leave? Do you think you can just get up and leave? You have been bound completely!”

“And what of it?” Loki smiled, “You think these petty chains will hold me?”

“Your hands are tied!” Luthor shouted, growing impatient with the trickster’s trickery, “You can’t use your magic! How could you possibly hope to escape?”

“Oh, silly Lex Luthor,” Loki smiled as his body began to fade away, “What makes you think I’d need my hands to do magic or cast illusions? That by itself would be a little bit of deception on my part…”

While Lex Luthor was left behind in the holding cell, cursing and calling for Skeletor and his security guards, Loki was already long gone, rushing through the corridors of whatever base they had wound up in. His plan had been to gather information all along, and he was a little disappointed that such a clever scheme had yielded so little result. But not all was lost, his allies were here as well, that he was certain of; and perhaps they could learn something from exploring this mysterious base they had been brought into; or at the very least they could wreck it. It didn’t take him long to find the others either; whatever this facility was, it was built pretty straightforward, and the prison complex was easily found, and oddly enough a good distance away from the cell where he was being held. It took Loki little effort to fool and overpower the guards, and even less effort to free the others. 

“I would have assumed you’d have betrayed us by now,” Doctor Strange said, stepping out of his cell.

“Don’t judge a Loki by the deeds of every other variant,” Loki replied, “Well, all right; maybe some judging is allowed.”

Loki

“It’s good to see you again,” Cheetara said, “What happened? Why did they separate you from us?”

“Exactly what Doctor Strange suspected,” Loki said, “They had hoped to recruit me, they thought I could be persuaded. I played along a bit, hoping to learn something new.”

“Did you find out anything?” Doctor Strange asked.

“No, Lex Luthor was too distrusting,” Loki replied, shaking his head, “So I left. They know I’ve escaped though, so we don’t have much time.”

“Do you know where we are?” Cheetara asked.

“Some sort of base of operations,” Loki said, “But I haven’t had a chance to look around. We might be able to find out more as we escape from here.”

“Then let’s get going,” Jotaro said, “No sense sticking around here; more guards are bound to show up sooner than later to check on us.”

They quickly left the holding area and made their way through the mysterious base, encountering remarkably little resistance. Either this base of operations was poorly manned, or the bulk of its forces were held up somewhere else entirely. They had no idea where they were going but quickly reached a larger room that held a lot of machinery and computers, but they couldn’t immediately determine its function. Adam managed to use one of the computers, accessing information about the facility and the room they were in, hoping it would help them. “Most of this data seems to be protected by some sort of encryption,” Adam explained, “But some basic data about the base’s composition and function seems publically available. I’m trying to load up more, hang on.”
He managed to access a different program that had more information on the mysterious base and its owners. “The group we’re up against calls itself The Inter Reality Cabal, or TIRC. Quite an odd name. It doesn’t state more than that, nothing about their plans or operations.”
“Then what about this place?” Cheetara asked, “What can you find out about it?”
“This place exists outside of reality somehow,” Adam explained as he read the schematics, “It’s massive, like a small city; or rather, it seems to create its own reality to sustain it. From this place, TIRC can access each and every reality there is. This room does just that: These machines allow the group to transport anything to any reality.”

“Then this room sounds like our ticket out of here,” Cheetara replied, “Can you get this thing operational?”

“I think so,” Adam replied, “I just need a few moments to figure out the controls and settings.”

“Moments that you won’t have,” Skeletor smirked, stepping into the room, “I knew I shouldn’t have left that fool Luthor alone with Loki. It takes a double crosser to know a double crosser.” 

“Skeletor,” Adam said, “I don’t have time for you now.”

“Nor do you need to make time,” All Might said, stepping up, “Continue, young Adam. We will give you the few moments you need.”

“The Magical Boy,” Skeletor smirked, “I won’t need minions to deal with you.”

“And that’s why you will fail,” All Might replied, “For underestimating your opponents.”

“Oh no,” Skeletor smirked, as soldiers and monsters poured in and assaulted the group, “I said I won’t need minions to deal with you; but I never said I wouldn’t be using them.”

“A coward as always,” Adam commented, as he continued to focus on the computer systems and the reality transportation device, “A little more time, friends. I think I have found what I need.”

The battle was fierce because fighting space was limited, but this worked to the advantage of the heroes, who were able to keep Skeletor’s forces contained, giving Prince Adam plenty of time to figure out the workings of the mysterious transporter device. “I’ve got it!” Adam finally exclaimed, pressing a few buttons and activating the machine. Several large cylinders began humming and then the air between them flickered, opening a rift in reality itself. “There we go!” Adam shouted, “That’s our way out!”

“Then let’s go!” Cheetara shouted, “We need to regroup, but not here!”

One by one they fled through the portal, escaping the enemy base. Adam was last, pressing a few more commands on the console before leaping through the rift in reality as well, leaving behind a furious Skeletor and his minions. 

But they weren’t saved, not just yet.