Epilogue

For a while the calamity known as Venger, alias Eddie Munson, did not move. The sight of his beloved trinket of so many ages ago brought back memories both good and bad, and it reawakened the humanity that had been slumbering for so long within the demonic shell. And now the realization of all the things he had done, all the things had caused, it all came crashing down on him. 

“Eddie… Are you all right?” Anakin asked.

“Who gave you that dice?” Venger asked, “The only person who could have known about this has been dead for centuries.”

“Hondo Ohnaka,” Anakin replied, “Your friend.”

Venger turned around, surprised to hear his old friend’s name: “How can this be?”

“The multiverse is more than just a prism of different realities and possibilities,” Doctor Strange said, walking up to them, “Time flows differently in some worlds, and that may influence your perspective. What has been ages for you in the Shadow Realm and in this world, has been only a few years in the galaxy you came from…”

“So Hondo is alive?” Venger asked.

“If he didn’t get himself killed for his stupidity in the meantime,” Anakin replied.

“Heh,” Venger grinned, “That would be very typical of him.”

Anakin left Venger to his own thoughts for a moment, realizing the demon sorcerer had plenty to process. He walked up to Doctor Strange, who seemed to be observing the sky. “What happens now, Doctor?” he asked, “The threat of Venger is gone, but this world… it looks bleak.”

“That’s where we come in,” Prince Zuko said, emerging on the scene with his companions, “Data here will save the day.”

“With magic,” Worf scoffed.

“With magic,” Data said, “I will restore balance to this world, but everything comes with a price.” 

“What is the price?” Anakin asked.

“Knowledge,” Data said, “Restoring the balance of the elements and shadow doesn’t matter, if people still remember all which transpired. So as part of the magic, everybody will forget. Everybody but Venger.” 

“A fitting punishment, I must forever remember what I’ve done, as the only one,” Venger said.

“Indeed,” spoke Anakin, “You will always carry that burden with you; but it doesn’t need to be here, in this world.”

“What do you mean?” Venger asked.

“We can send you back to your own reality, back to Hondo; you two can create new adventures together, with the lessons from your past by your side.”

“Interesting,” Venger said, considering those words for a while. “I… I would like that.”

The others agreed as well; Venger’s brutal deeds and mass murder would be forgotten soon anyway, forgotten by all but Venger himself. He would live with this knowledge for the rest of his life. But at least he would be back home.

So it was decided, and so it was done. Venger was sent back through the Stargate, and after that the device was finally dismantled and everybody prepared themselves for the final moment, Data’s final spell as the new Avatar.

“Are you all ready?” Data asked.

They nodded. “Ready.”

“Very well,” Data said, and breathed in -despite his lack of lungs- one final time, before uttering the incantation that would restore all as it was:

Abraca-the-end. 

Chapter XVIII – Not the greatest showdown of ultimate destiny

Upon returning to Earth, Doctor Doom had expected to be received with cheers and applause, as is befitting of his status. He did not expect to return with several battalions of government soldiers pointing guns, riffles and even anti tank weaponry at him. And yet here they were. And here he was. “Interesting,” was all he could say to summarize the situation.
Among the soldiers he spotted his fateful executive, Omega Red, who had remained behind with a small crew to defend the Stargate in case of an emergency. It seemed a lot had happened since then. Omega Red was missing an arm, which was remarkable, given his body’s ability for self recovery, and he seemed to be leading the battalions that were now keeping their weapons pointed at him. “Explain yourself, commander,” he demanded.

“Things have changed since you’ve left, Doctor Doom,” Omega Red answered, “In fact, they have changed considerably. This country has a new ruler now, and as a leader he is very convincing in instilling loyalty from his people.”

“You will remember that the same goes for me,” Doctor Doom replied, clenching a fist. 

“Yes, but you don’t have the might of the entire United States government behind you,” Omega Red said, “It is important to show loyalty.”

“You were originally a Soviet operative,” Doctor Doom reminded him, “It would be odd for your loyalties to lie with the Americans now, don’t you agree?”

“You have been gone longer than you realize, Doctor,” Omega Red said, “For you it may have been hours or even days, but here it has been months; and the world has changed. For the better, I would say.”

Loki and Anakin, standing beside Doctor Doom, looked around. The Stargate was still in the middle of the original crater, and the world beyond it seemed darkened, lifeless. “It doesn’t seem much better from here,” Loki commented.

“Despite your connection to other worlds, your point of view is narrow, doctor,” Omega Red replied, “This world has become stronger, more united; an alliance was formed between the United States and the Soviet Union. A new world is about to be born.”

“A new world?” Anakin repeated, “And what about Europe, Africa, other countries outside this alliance? Do you expect them to fall in line?”

Omega Red paused in his answer, then repeated: “A new world is about to be born; they will see the light.”

“Peace through conquest?” Anakin said, “Through tyranny even? Does that really sound okay to you?”

“Will you accept Venger’s rule?” Omega Red asked, ignoring Anakin’s question.

“I have a better proposal,” Doctor Doom said, “I will accept your unconditional surrender.”

“Wait,” Anakin interrupted, trying to keep this situation from escalating any further, “We won’t surrender just yet; but we wish to see your master. Can you take us to him?”

“Venger will only see the worthy,” Omega Red replied, “And you are not worthy. Even after swearing allegiance such a chance is small.”

“You will find Doom quite worthy, and out of patience,” Doctor Doom replied, “Step aside, Omega. We’re going to see Venger. Through you if we have to.”

“Through me it is,” Omega Red replied, “Men. Take aim, shoot to kill.”

The battle that followed was fierce but didn’t take too long. Anakin ducked for cover while the two doctors took care of the enemy forces. Loki had no problem in taking on all enemy soldiers by himself, somehow, somewhere along the way he’d picked up an unusual talent for magic, using that to wind his opponents in illusion, and finally catching them with mystically conjured robes to bind them all together, restraining them.
Meanwhile Doctor Doom assaulted Omega Red and that battle was equally short and one sided. Whatever battle Omega Red had fought in the past that had cost him his arm, it put him at a disadvantage now, and Doctor Doom did not hold back, assaulting his former comrade with a brutal barrage, and finally completely evaporating his opponent’s body with an energy blast fired from both wrists. With their leader gone, the remaining soldiers lost their will to fight as well and scattered. 

“You killed your own underling,” Loki concluded, “What a waste.”

“The price for betrayal was known to him,” Doctor Doom said, “He was prepared to pay it.”

“He could have led us to Venger,” Loki protested.

“Perhaps,” Doom replied, “But Venger has set himself up as the ruler of this country; I doubt it will be difficult to find him.”

“Then let’s get out of this pit first,” Loki suggested, “Though it will mean leaving the Stargate behind; our friends will be stranded. But finishing off Venger comes first now.”

“And you call me cruel,” Doctor Doom replied.

“I would rather not leave the gate behind either,” Loki agreed, “But you heard what Omega Red said; Venger is consolidating his physical power; soon he will become unstoppable.”

“Perhaps we’ll be able to help,” a familiar voice offered.

The two Lannister twins had appeared on the scene, emerging seemingly out of nowhere. Despite several months having passed in this world they pretty much looked the same, except for Jaime’s hand, which had been lost, and replaced with a golden substitute. “Good to see you again,” Jaime said, “Seems like you’ve had quite the adventure.”

“Seems you had as well,” Anakin said, hinting at Jaime’s hand.

“A price paid for the fight against Venger’s troops,” Jaime said, “If only we’d fought back earlier, perhaps none of this would have happened.”

“Venger took over?” Anakin asked.

“He used some sort of sorcery to influence the senate and the president,” Cersei said, “He became a senator himself, of Indiana, and introduced a series of reforms at a rapid pace, through manipulating the other representatives. Within months the president and vice president resigned and Venger was appointed the next president. It took him only a month more to consolidate power and effectively become a dictator.”

“Incredible,” Anakin said, “So that’s how democracy dies; through sorcery and scheming.”

“We will stay with the Stargate,” Jaime offered, “We’ll keep watch and will retrieve your friends when they ask for it; that way you can travel to Washington, to stop Venger once and for all.”

“And why should we trust the two of you?” Doctor Doom asked, “It has been months, and your previous track record isn’t exactly clean; who’s to say you’re not working for Venger, stealing the Stargate as soon as we leave?”

“It doesn’t seem like you have a lot of choice in the matter,” Cersei said, “If you leave, we’ll come and guard the gate anyway, so we might just as well make it official.”

“I could kill you instead, then the dilemma is solved,” Doctor Doom retorted. He did a step forward, and the twins stepped back in response, but didn’t execute his threat just yet.

“I don’t think your companions will allow that so easily,” Cersei resisted.

“There is the alternative of putting you into a magical coma,” Loki suggested.

“Anakin,” Cersei tried, “You remember what our family motto is, right?”

“A Lannister always pays his debts,” Anakin recited, “Yes, what about it?”

“We are indebted to you for saving us,” Cersei said, “And we left you alone a few months back to fend for yourselves; this is our way of settling that debt.”

“Not even mentioning the debt we owe the world,” Jaime said, “If there’s anything we can do to help, then this is it. Please allow us to guard the gate!”

“Very well,” Loki said after a brief pause, “We need to conserve our resources anyway; if Anakin trusts you, then I trust you.”

“I do,” Anakin said, “They’re bullies sometimes, but they’re honest.”

“Then let’s depart,” Doctor Doom said, “Washington is a long distance away, and we don’t know what’s waiting for us out there. We must assume we have no allies, only enemies.”

“Actually, it’s not a long way at all,” Loki said, and he made a swirling gesture with his hand, opening a portal to Washington DC, “Literally a few steps away. Picked that one up from Doctor Strange.” 

“What a convenient device to push things along,” Doctor Doom grumbled, and stepped through the portal, quickly followed by Anakin and Loki. The Lannisters stayed behind to guard the Stargate as planned, while Anakin and his group now found themselves in the middle of Washington DC.

Their arrival had not gone unnoticed. A shadow creature was waiting for them as the portal closed, and Anakin recognised it as the strange humanoid shadow that had accompanied The Joker when he had invaded the SG-1 base several months ago. “Greetings, foolish humans,” it said. 

“I recognize you,” Loki said, “You were trapped in the Shadow Realm with Venger. You serve him.”

“And serve him well,” the shadow demon replied, “My master sends his greetings. He would prefer to meet you in person, were it not for the fact that you are unworthy. But do not despair, for he has sent plenty in his stead to keep you entertained.”

“We will thank your master for that when we see him in person,” Loki said, “Don’t think for a moment that you can stop us from reaching him.”

“Most interesting,” the shadow replied, “Very well, show us what you got then.”

“Your funeral,” the shadow smirked, and dissolved into nothingness.

What followed was a massive display of force, a group of attackers consisting of military forces, secret agents and even ordinary civilians who had been brainwashed through social media into thinking they were doing the right thing.
This group of ordinary fighters was little match to the combined power of Doctor Doom and Loki, though the latter was distracted because he needed to protect a powerless Anakin, preventing him from both unleashing his full potential and also preventing Doctor Doom from killing too many innocent civilians. 

“Leave me!” Anakin shouted, “I’m only slowing you down this way!”

“No, Anakin,” Loki shouted back, surrounding them both with a force barrier made of strong air currents, “You aren’t as defenseless as you believe; don’t forget, it was you who closed the gate to the Shadow Realm.”

“I fail to see how that’s relevant here,” Anakin said, “You said I had a special power, a special connection to the Shadow Realm, just as Frieza had. But how can that help us here?”

“Like Frieza, your power isn’t limited to the Shadow Realm alone,” Loki said, “Reach out, try to feel it again; you do feel it, right? The disturbance of this world, but also how it connects to your inner being?”

“I…” Anakin paused for a moment, “I don’t feel anything…”

“Calm yourself, Anakin,” Loki said, “I will keep the world at bay, so don’t worry about what’s going on around you; find that calmness and connect to it.”

“I… I am trying,” Anakin said, “It’s there, but I just can’t find the calmness I need…”

“I see…” Loki said, “I was hoping it wouldn’t come to this… but then we need to try something else…”

“What… what do you mean..?” Anakin asked.

Loki sighed but said nothing in response, but instead manipulated the defensive magic he was casting, allowing an opening in the protective air shield to appear, unseen to Anakin. One of the snipers the enemy employed took notice however, using the opportunity given to him to strike. The sniper shot echoed across the street and Loki cried out in pain as the shot pierced his body, disrupting his concentration and sending him collapsing to the ground. “Loki!!” Anakin shouted out, fear and rage overtaking him, “No!”

“Anakin…” Loki said, stretching out his arm, “I thought…you were stronger… You have failed…”

“I… It can end like this..!”  Anakin shouted, his emotions a swirling mass; any chance of concentrating and finding calmness was gone now, and he knew it. 

The sniper lined up again and fired a second time, this time aiming to take down Anakin. But something snapped in the young boy, and suddenly, his fears turned to rage and in this rage he found a new calmness, a purpose darker than salvation, but still as clear and bright as day. He could sense the sniper, sense the approaching bullet. And with his hand he reached out, as if to grab it. But an unseen force grabbed it inside, knowing Anakin’s intention. And the bullet spinned and turned mid-flight, swirling back to its point of origin, shooting through the rifle at an incredible speed, shattering it completely, and killing its wielder.

“Inconceivable…” Doctor Doom whispered, watching the spectacle from afar.

“Go get ‘em, Anakin…” Loki  whispered, already using his magic to heal himself. The wound wasn’t mortal, he’d given the sniper an opening, hoping to provoke Anakin’s despair and anger, but he was no fool; the shot looked bad, but the wound was far from lethal. 

Anakin wasn’t aware of Loki’s ploy however. He still believed his friend and mentor had been shot, wounded by these deluded fools. And he used that rage to find strength within, the same power that he’d used to seal the gate to the Shadow Realm, only this time as a weapon, something dangerous. “You will pay…” he whispered, “All of you will pay…”
Anakin did not hold back. He stepped away from Loki and towards the group of national guard soldiers that were struggling against Doctor Doom. He stretched out with the unseen Force that now felt so familiar to him, using it to destroy weaponry and send soldiers flying left and right, not caring if they landed safely or broke bones or neck in their fall. Doctor Doom joined in as well, and their combined assault scattered the enemy forces, while a recovered Loki took care of any snipers on the roofs, turning their weapons into candy canes.
The remainder of the battle did not take long, and soon the streets were quiet again. Except for the applause of a single individual.

“Bravo! Simply bravo!” the Joker called out from behind them, “Didn’t think you’d have it in you. Well done! Especially you, murderous Anakin!”

“I will show you murderous, Joker,” Anakin said, “How can you be siding with this monster? I trusted you! You were our friend!”

“Calm down, Anakin,” Loki said softly, “Remember, that is not your friend anymore; Venger’s power killed him, then possessed him.”

“I remember,” Anakin said, taking a step forward towards the Joker, “All the more reason why I’m not going to hold back in this; I’m going to avenge the memory of my friend and show Venger what happens to those who hurt me!”

“Oh really?” The Joker grinned, “You really didn’t think I would come out here all alone to fight you, did you? Not my style, kiddo.”

Another portal opened up and all manner of villains and creatures emerged from it from some unknown origin place. Anakin recognized each and every single one of them, all heroes from TV shows he used to watch, now turned villains. Why were they here? And why were they helping Venger?
Whatever the reason, it was clear they were outmatched now. Even if the three of them were exceptionally strong, the same went for each individual adversary. They could probably hold off a few, but never all of them. All hope seemed lost. 

And then the sky cracked open and another portal opened. From it emerged Doctor Strange, hovering down from above and landing next to Anakin and Loki. “Hope we’re not too late,” he said.

“We had to pick up a few friends,” Wanda added, and landed next to Doctor Strange.

“Joyous!” the Joker exclaimed, “Do you really think your new friends are a match for my new friends?”

“Bet on it,” Doctor Strange grinned, and to the larger and larger group of cliche villains that was emerging from the portal he said: “Strangevengers: Assemble.”

The battle that followed was one for the ages, a conflict so epic and indescribable that I won’t even attempt to describe it. Hero versus villain, good versus bad, all traditional roles were reversed in a battle that changed the landscape of Washington DC forever. The fight lasted for nearly a day, with neither side willing to give in, and neither side really getting an upper hand. Finally, when the battle was about to enter its second day, did the forces summoned by Venger and The Joker falter and their lines began to break. Then a breakthrough could be realized and the enemy routed. A few remained behind, trying to fight for honor, because they were paid too, or because they had developed a vendetta against the opponent, but eventually the battle subsided and the city quieted down. And the Joker? Nowhere to be found.

“Looks like we did it,” Wanda said, “The enemy has been scattered.”

“Scattered but not yet entirely beaten,” Doctor Strange said, “But it suits our purposes; the road to Venger is clear.”

“Then let us proceed and end this,” Doctor Doom said, “It’s time this Venger felt the full might of Doctor Doom, and that he learns what it means to oppose Doom.”

They made sure that there were no enemy stragglers and that Anakin had calmed down somewhat, then they went on, marching on foot towards the White House, normally the seat of the president of the United States, and now the place where Venger had set up his base of operations.
In the distance they could already see the White House, standing out because of its marble white walls. And in front of it, in front of the massive fence that surrounded the presidential home, a single individual stood waiting, towering high, with batlike wings spread out to make him look even more menacing.

Venger.

“Greetings, young ones,” Venger said as his wings folded again behind his back, “How not good to see you again.”

“Young ones?” Doom laughed, “You are mocking us, Venger.”

“Compared to me, you are all but fledglings,” Venger said, “Little insects come to meet your doom.”

“We already met him,” Anakin retorted, “He’s standing next to us.”

“Charming,” Doctor Doom said, glancing sideways at Anakin.

“Pathetic,” Venger said, and hurled an energy bolt which sent an unprepared Wanda flying. She was flung against a wall and the force of impact knocked her unconscious. “One down,” Venger smirked.

Doctor Doom and Doctor Strange reacted instantly. Doctor Doom charged directly at Venger and Doctor Strange flew up into the air to fight Venger from up above. But the evil sorcerer was well prepared for their onslaught. He hurled an energy blast upward which enveloped Doctor Strange and dragged him along into the stratosphere. Doctor Doom’s attack was halted by an invisible energy barrier. The scientist quickly broke through with the energy weapons in his armor, but the delay gave Venger time to prepare, grabbing the Doctor’s arm and sending a surge of electric energy through him, which shorted out most critical functions of Doom’s armor. The Doctor groaned as he fell on both knees, struggling to get up again.
Venger didn’t allow him to recover, blasting the Doctor with an energy blast which sent him flying back a good distance. Doctor Doom collapsed on the pavement hard, and while still alive, he didn’t get up again.

“What about you, boy?” Venger spat at Anakin, “Do you want to have a go at me as well? Or will you flee and perhaps survive?”

“I will not flee, Venger,” Anakin said defiantly.

“Amusing,” Venger said, “You may have closed the gate to the Shadow Realm once, but the Shadow now lives here; you are powerless boy, what do you believe you can do?”

“You will find that I am not as powerless as you may think,” Anakin said, and approached defiantly as he began to gather his inner power, his inner rage.

“Oh?” Venger perked, sensing the other’s growing power, “Looks like the welp has picked up a few new tricks? Amusing.”

Anakin completely let go then, forgetting about everything they had planned beforehand, about his journey across the multiverse. He wanted to do only one thing, and that was to end this conflict, and to end this villain who had been the cause of so much suffering. He charged, and hurled a blast of unseen Force ahead of himself, hoping to throw Venger off balance. The demonic wizard braced himself for the attack and was forced several feet back, but remained standing, shrugging off the boy’s sudden assault with relative ease.
Anakin kept up his charge, using his special power to lift up cars, sewer covers, trash cans, anything that wasn’t attached or too properly attached. He then hurled it at Venger, who had to make a considerable effort to repel it all. Then the wizard grew tired of it and began casting a terrible spell. The sky blackened and a lightning bolt struck from up above, striking Anakin directly. The boy screamed, then collapsed to the pavement.

But as he did, an object rolled out of his pocket. And Venger froze. It was a D20 dice. And he recognised it all too well. 

Silence followed.

“What..?” Venger finally uttered, his voice barely a whisper.

Anakin wanted to get up, but he had hardly any strength left in his body after the vicious attack. Still he struggled, but failed. All he could do was utter a single name, even though he almost lacked the breath to utter it: “Eddie…”

“What..?!” Venger repeated, louder this time. His eyes widened when he heard Anakin speak.

The winged demon sorcerer rushed forward, lifting Anakin off the ground with one hand as if he weighed nothing: “Why did you say that name?!!” 

“What.. Martha..?” Anakin muttered, his mind completely out of it due to the force of impact.

“You know what name!” Venger shouted, “Why!”

“Eddie… your name is Eddie Munson…” Anakin managed to utter.

Venger let go of Anakin, who slumped to the floor, and he began to stagger backwards, shocked, frozen, remembering things he had forgotten for so long. “Impossible…” he said, “I… how can this be..?”

The world grew silent for a moment. Anakin was struggling to get back up on his feet, which took him several minutes, while Venger was silent, his back turned to the young man, the wizard was staring off into the distance. “Eddie Munson…” he finally said, “Now there’s a name I haven’t heard in a long while…”

Chapter XVII – Perfectly balanced; as all things should be except for mimes

The shiny swirling disc of the Stargate closed behind them, leaving no trace of their unnatural arrival. They had landed in an area close to a small town, yet in the middle of a forest, so they wouldn’t be noticed easily. The world they had arrived at wasn’t much like planet Earth, the continents had evolved differently, and so had its nations, though some of the cultures found seemed rather similar to cultures that once thrived on planet Earth.

“Where do we need to go now?” Worf asked, “Where are we anyway?”

“We’re in a place that has been named the Earth Kingdom,” Data said, measuring some readings on a device he carried, “The inhabitants of this realm are, as the name suggests, very devoted to the element earth. They even seem to have some ability in manipulating it.”

“That sounds incredible,” Zuko said, “I can hardly imagine anyone being able to manipulate the power of the very elements themselves.”

“Indeed,” Data agreed, “It is remarkable how worlds can evolve differently, this multiverse concept it really intriguing.” 

“Indeed,” Worf also agreed, mimicking Deputy Data’s choice of words, “It is no surprise that we may find a way to restore balance back to our own world here.”

“Speaking of surprise,” Zuko said, suddenly standing still, “Isn’t it time the two of you started telling more about who you really are?”

“What do you mean, young Zuko?” Worf asked.

“Let’s begin with Deputy Data,” Zuko said, “He’s not human! A robot!”

“Partially correct,” Data corrected, “I am indeed not human, but I am not a robot either; the correct term would be an android, an artificial construct, designed to look like a human.”

“Exactly!” Zuko said, “Such a thing shouldn’t exist in our world, it couldn’t exist!”

“You are not entirely correct,” Data said, but did not elaborate on his protest.

“And you,” Zuko said, looking at Worf from head to toe, “You don’t even look entirely human, your head is all… weird; I thought it was just a mutation or a family sickness, so I never said anything; but clearly something doesn’t add up!” 

“Then this whole multiverse situation happened and now I understand,” Zuko said, pointing at both of them, “You two aren’t from my planet Earth, are you? You’re from another world altogether!”

“Actually, we are both from planet Earth,” Deputy Data corrected, “Well, you are correct that Worf is no native Earthling, but I was created on this very planet.”

“That’s impossible,” Zuko said, “Our science isn’t that advanced! Not yet!”

“Correct,” Data agreed.

“Not yet,” Worf repeated, “But in a few centuries it will be, and your planet will join a Federation of Planets that will unify the known galaxy. It will not be a time of peace, but it will be… better.”

Then it dawned on Zuko: “You’re from the future.”

“That is correct,” Data said, “We have traveled back in time to investigate a distortion that threatens our future.”

“What kind of distortion?” Zuko asked.

“Unclear,” Data said, “All we know is that it will occur somewhere in the 80s, so we’ve sent agents to various moments and places of interest in that time period. Hawkins is one such place.”

“Is it because of Venger?” Zuko asked, “It doesn’t get much weirder than that.”

“We’re not sure,” Worf said, “All we know is that there is something happening in this time period that should not occur, something which threatens to upset the timeline and change the future we’re from. We can’t let that happen.”

“That sounds very complicated and troublesome,” Zuko said, “Is there any way I can help?”

“Restoring the balance of the world sounds like the most logical course of action,” Worf said, “I’m sure Data here would agree.”

Data nodded.

“So for now we continue with what we were doing,” Worf said, “And that means finding whatever we’re meant to find on this world to restore Earth to its proper order.”

“To restore balance to the elements,” Zuko said, repeating Skeletor’s words, “But how do we go about such a way?”

“With the first step, as any journey does,” an old voice replied, coming from the bushes.

“Who’s there?!” Worf demanded, “Show yourself!”

A small old man emerged from the bushes, dressed in oriental robes, with a small beard and massive bangs to match, his long gray hair tied in a bun: “It seems this isn’t the first step in your lengthy journey,” the old man said, “Would you humor this old man with your names?”

“Worf, Son of Mogh,” Worf said.

“Commander Data,” Data replied.

“Zuko,” Zuko said.

“Zuko…”  the old man repeated, as if pondering the words he’d heard, “What an interesting name that is…”

“My mom gave it to me,” Zuko said.

“It’s usually the parents who name their offspring, but rarely the offspring who name their parents,” the old man smiled, “A pleasure to meet you all; my name is Iroh.”

“It is not common to find a lone old man in the middle of some far off woods,” Worf observed, sounding distrusting.

“But I am not a common old man,” Iroh replied, “Don’t worry, Worf, I am not your enemy. In fact, I may even be able to help you on your quest.”

“You, help us? Worf asked, “How do you even know what we are looking for, old man?”

“Well, you spoke about restoring balance and the elements before,” Iroh replied, “I didn’t mean to overhear that, but I was just coming this way and heard you talking. And I know a little bit about that; and it’s more than clear to me that you are strangers to these lands.”

“An astute observation,” Data complimented.

“Who are you then?” Worf asked, “How can you help us?”

“I am but a lonely traveler and a peddler of tea,” the old man replied, “But as a man of age, I’ve seen a lot, and learned a lot; what do you know about the elements?”

“What’s there to know?” Zuko asked, “There’s four of them, right? Fire, Earth, Water, Air?”

Iroh smiled. “How interesting that you mentioned fire first; but yes, you are correct, young Zuko. But in this world, the elements are so much more than that.”

“You talk as if you believe us total strangers,” Worf accused.

Iroh smiled again. “Let’s not play pretend, Mr. Worf,” he said, “I don’t care where you’re from, if you don’t want to share, but it’s very obvious that you are not native to this world; at least not to the Four Nations.”

“The four nations?” Data repeated.

Iroh nodded: “Four nations, each revolving around an element: The Fire Nation, The Earth Kingdom, the Water Tribes and the Air Nomads; though technically those last two are not as much a nation but more a collective of people.”

“How interesting, ” Data replied, “And each nation has their own culture, and their own way of governing?” 

“That is correct,” Iroh nodded, “And you’re now in the Earth Kingdom, very level headed people but also very stubborn people.”

“Ah,” Data realized, “As unmoving as the earth itself, I presume?”

Iroh nodded.

“Perhaps you can help us after all,” Zuko said, “Right now we have nothing to go on, and you seem friendly enough. I don’t think we have anything to lose here, right?”

“Perhaps,” Worf agreed reluctantly.

“You are very wise, young man,” Iroh said to Zuko. Then the man fell silent for a moment, as if reminiscing something, or perhaps weighing his own words, “Tell me, I am curious as to your tale… Zuko is a Fire Nation name, yet you are not from around here. Will you please indulge this old man? Perhaps it will improve my understanding and allow me to help you better.”

Zuko nodded and agreed, and began to tell the tale of their arrival and what happened before, leaving out no details. Iroh expressed great interest not only in their adventures, but also in the planet Earth as a whole, and Zuko’s early life. He wanted to know a lot about the boy, up to the point where Worf stopped him, asking how all of that was relevant for their current problems; Iroh seemed disappointed, but abided with the decision; he did not ask any more about Zuko’s own past. “An interesting tale though,” he said, “This Venger really sounds like a menace to your world.”

“He is,” Zuko nodded, “But that’s not why we came here.”

“Yes,” Iroh said, “The Shadow Realm, and the sickness that is corrupting your world; the sage Skeletor was wise to send you here. Only by restoring balance to the elements can you repair your world. That is how it is, how it’s always been.”

“Can you help us, old man?” Worf asked.

“I can’t,” Iroh replied, “But I know someone who can. But first, there is something you must know about this world and the balance it holds.”

“The four nations, four elements,” Zuko recalled.

“Yes,” Iroh said, “But while these nations exist in harmony, they are also at odds; the nature of the elements is fundamentally different for each element: Stone is unmoving, water is fluid and fickle, air can’t be grasped and fire is passion. As the elements differ, so do the people, so do their cultures.”

“It does sound like a difficult world to keep in balance,” Worf said, “I’m surprised these nations are at peace.”

“They are now,” Iroh said, “But not always; throughout our history there have been disputes, even conflicts. And the nations have difficulty calling upon other lands as arbiters, exactly because of those differences. It would be like asking a vegetarian to be the judge at a hotdog competition.”

“Ah, a clever comparison,” Data complimented, ‘I understood that reference.”

“You would need a neutral party,” Worf said, “Someone who is either a part of all nations, or of none.”

“Exactly so,” Iroh nodded, “And such a person has existed for many generations, perhaps as long as the Four Nations have existed.”

“A single person?” Zuko asked, “He commands that much respect?”

“The Avatar is a holy person, respected because of devotion he shows and the wisdom he brings,” Iroh said, “Every generation a new Avatar emerges in one of the four nations and starts a pilgrimage, mastering all four elements and connecting to his past; not only holds he great strength in controlling all elements, but also the collective wisdom of his past lives. There isn’t a person in this world who does not know or respect him.”

“Impressive,” Worf said, “It is understandable such a person would command respect; and it is equally impressive that he keeps the world in balance with that history.”

“And you believe this Avatar can help us?” Zuko asked.

“I believe he is the only person in this world who can,” Iroh said, “And I believe you are destined to meet him, Zuko. I am convinced of this.”

“Why?” Zuko asked.

“I can’t explain right now,” Iroh said, “I don’t completely understand it yet myself. But I do believe it will become clear when you meet the Avatar.”

“Very well, let us then proceed,” Worf suggested, “We will set out and find this Avatar. This world is vast and we have little time, so let us make haste.”

“You are in luck,” Iroh said, “The Avatar is visiting the Earth Kingdom right now; in fact, that’s why I was traveling; I was hoping to catch a glimpse of him.”

“That is fortunate,” Data said, “May we accompany you then?”

“Of course, that was the general idea,” Iroh said, “Then perhaps we should get going; the city that the Avatar will be visiting is still a two day journey from here. If we dally around too long, we might miss him altogether.” 

“Very well then,” Worf said, “It is decided then. Let us be off.”

The journey through the forests of the Earth Kingdom was a gentle and uneventful one. They hardly encountered anyone during their travels, except for the animals of the forest, which seemed curious about the strange travels, yet never came too close. Iroh was curious as well, and often asked about the group’s history and their world, using it as an excuse to pass time, at the same time trying to mask his unusual interest in Zuko. Zuko was also the most talkative of the group, sharing tales of his youth, while Worf and Data kept to themselves, not wanting to complicate things further that they were time travelers from a far future trying to stop the alteration of history. That would probably be too much for the old man.
Finally they arrived in a small town. The journey had gone faster than expected and they had arrived a day early, renting a room for the night while waiting for the Avatar to arrive the next day. Worf was the first up that morning, unable to sleep and not wanting to wake the others. He decided to go outside to get some fresh air, in an attempt to take his mind off things, especially his worries about the current state of Earth as well as the danger of having no future left to return to.
Worf’s wandering unwittingly brought him to the town entrance, and he realized he had wandered off too far; he was about to turn back and return to the inn when he spotted someone sneaking into the city, his face covered by a hood. It shouldn’t be any of his business, but at this moment his sheriff instinct kicked in; anyone entering the city at dawn under such suspicious circumstances would have a good reason to hide his or her identity, and usually it involved trouble.

“You there!” Worf called out, “A word, please!”

The hooded figure seemed to react and looked up. There was some hesitation, and Worf had expected the person to run. But the opposite happened: to his surprise, the hooded figure approached Worf just as he had asked, standing still in front of him. “Why are you sneaking into the city like this, at this hour?” Worf asked. He was anything if not direct.

“To avoid anyone from recognising me,” the hooded figure replied, “I’d prefer to go anonymous.”

“That…” Worf began, then paused, “You sound familiar; have we met before?”

“I doubt we have, stranger,” the hooded figure replied.

“Please, reveal yourself,” Worf asked.

The mysterious stranger seemed to hesitate for a moment on whether or not to fulfill Worf’s request. Then, slowly he grabbed the edges of his hood, pulling it back and revealing his face to the interreality traveler. And much to his surprise, a familiar face appeared from underneath the hood, which Worf blurted out:” Zuko!!”

“Excuse me?” the other said, “Have we met before?”

“What are you talking about?” Worf asked, not sure if the young one was joking or not, “Of course we have. You are Zuko, right?”

“I’m more commonly referred to by my title or as Prince Zuko,” Prince Zuko replied, “And I’m sorry, but I don’t think we’ve met before.”

“What do you mean? Why are you acting like this, Zuko?” Worf said, baffled, “I don’t understand.”

“You do appear quite confused, but are confusing as well, stranger,” Prince Zuko replied, “But I must insist you address me with my title, since we are strangers.”

“You don’t make any sense,” Worf said, “Why are you treating me like we’ve never met before.”

“It’s because you haven’t, sheriff,” Data said, approaching them from the other side of the road, “Please observe behind you.”

Worf did as Data said and turned around. Surprise shocked him a second time; standing behind him was none other than Zuko, dressed in the same clothes as he’d been wearing since their journey began. Confused, he turned around again, only to face the same Zuko, only this one wearing the robes which he’d used to conceal himself. “I am confused,” Worf said.

“I have to admit, I am quite confused as well,” the robed Zuko said, “Who are you guys? And why is there a doppelganger of mine in your group? Are you enemies of the Four Nations?”

“Allow me to explain, nephew,” Iroh said, walking up beside the original Zuko, “But first of all, let me assure you that these are not enemies. They are friends of mine.”

“Under normal circumstances that would be more than enough for me, uncle,” the other Zuko said, “But I’ve just seen a doppelganger, a duplicate of myself; why shouldn’t I assume that you’re a doppelganger as well?”

“I think you already know the answer to that, young prince,” Iroh smiled.

“I guess I do,” the other Zuko said, “Or I suppose I already gave it away when I called you uncle…”

“You are wise enough, nephew,” Iroh smiled.

“So this Zuko is the Zuko from this world?” Worf asked, “How can that be? The multiverse is one thing, but our Zuko is from Earth, not some distant world.”

“Are you so certain, sheriff?” Data asked.

“What do you mean?” Worf said.

“I don’t think this boy Zuko is from your world, sheriff,” Iroh replied, “That’s why I’ve been asking about him, about his past; the similarities in appearance and behavior to my Zuko are too great to ignore. I suspect he is from this world.”

“But that can’t be,” Worf said, “Your nephew is right in front of you.”

“He must mean another reality much like this one,” Zuko said, “So I didn’t come from Earth?”

“Records do indicate that you were adopted by your current parents,” Data confirmed.

“Uncle Iroh, this is a bit confusing,” the other Zuko replied, “Would you mind explaining what is going on?”

“But of course, nephew,” Iroh said, “But not out here in the street; shall we go to a more quiet place, all right?” 

They returned to the inn where the group had spent the night, and there they got the Prince Zuko of this world up to speed on current events; it sounded very incredible to the young man, but the evidence was right in front of him, and he trusted the word of his own uncle Iroh more than anything in this world. “So that’s how it is?” Prince Zuko finally asked, “And they came to this world to seek to save their own?”

“They are looking for the Avatar, nephew,” Iroh said with a smile.

“I see,” Prince Zuko said, pondering those words, “I see…”

“Do you know where we can find him, Zuko of this world?” Worf asked.

“You already have, Worf,” Iroh smiled, “My nephew here is the Avatar.”

“I am?” Zuko gasped, “He is? That is amazing! How did that come to pass?”

“As any Avatar comes to pass,” Iroh said, “Destiny; the two previous Avatars, Kuruk and Kyoshi, both led bountiful and long lives, and when Kyoshi died of old age, just at that time my nephew was born in the Fire Nation, and turned out to be the new incarnation of the Avatar. Had Kuruk lived shorter and Kyoshi not lived nearly 300 years, things might have been different, of course. But Prince Zuko was him, completing the quest to become the true Avatar as the youngest Avatar ever.”

“Impressive,” Worf said.

“What do you need the Avatar for?” Prince Zuko asked, “I must warn you: I am not opposed to helping you out, but I can’t leave this world; turmoil is brewing, and disappearing now, when the world needs me most, would be unwise and dangerous.”

“I don’t think that is necessary, nephew,” Iroh said, “They need to save their own world anyway; but I do believe you can teach them about balance, about the elements.”

“That I can do,” Prince Zuko said, “And will gladly do.”

“How will you do this?” Data asked, “We can not manipulate the elements like the people of this world do.”

“Not yet you can,” Prince Zuko replied, “And I sense that neither of you has the potential to do so; except for you, Data; you have a very unique composition and brain that will allow you to become somewhat of an Avatar yourself.”

“Intriguing,” Data replied, “I did not think we were capable of this feat which is close to magic; especially not an artificial construct like myself.”

“It isn’t just about being flesh and blood or not,” Prince Zuko grinned, “But about heart; and you my friend seem to have plenty of that.”

“So when do we start and how long does this take?” Zuko asked, “We need to get home quickly, or there won’t be any home left to save.”

“We start right away, as there is no time to lose,” Prince Zuko said, “But I must warn you, this will be no easy task; it took me several years to master all four elements. And that was when already possessing a natural talent for Fire Bending.”

“You will find that I am a quick study,” Data assured.

“You will find that I am a strict teacher,” Prince Zuko said with a sinister grin.

And so Data’s fierce training began.

Chapter XVI – They’re pirates; they don’t know the meaning of the word ‘plot device’. No wait, that’s two words

Anakin’s stomach almost turned at the sudden shock when the space saucer came out of hyperspace. Ahead, the swirling mass of the star lane made way for an ordinary starry sky, with a deep orange planet visible at the horizon and coming quickly more into view. Hyperspace travel was more than common in this reality, or rather in this universe, which seemed to be ages away from their own planet Earth. In fact, after asking around, nobody even knew about a planet called Earth, not even in stories or legends. 

“We’re here,” Hondo said, seated in a comfortable chair on the far side of the space ship’s bridge. The flying saucer Hondo owned was a cliche where space ships were concerned, but it was fast and hard to hit, and that made it a popular choice for the space pirate.
The planet in front of them was called Kareena, a remote and primitive world in what was called the Outer Rim, at least according to Hondo. It was a place where Hondo had spent several years before becoming a successful (depending on who you ask) pirate leader, and where he had apparently met Venger in his younger years.
It had been a most surprising turn of events, and while both Doctor Doom and Loki were skeptical about the pirate’s intentions, Anakin trusted the pirate on this for some reason, as if sensing the pirate’s intentions weren’t all bad, in this instance. Of course he didn’t trust him completely yet either; Anakin was no fool. But he didn’t think it was a trap either; after all, why bring them all the way to this place then, when they were already smack down in the middle of Hondo’s base of operations, surrounded by a hopeless multitude of enemies. 

“Planet Kareena,” Anakin said.

“This sight sure does bring back memories,” Hondo replied, rising up from his chair, “And most of them aren’t even all that bad. Some are even legal.”

“This is where Venger is from?” Loki asked, “Where you met him?”

“Yes, but he was not Venger at the time,” Hondo said, “At the time he was human, pretty much like yourselves; we were good friends for several years; but something happened, it changed him.”

Hondo stopped talking after that. It seemed like he didn’t want to share any more, at least not for now; it was also a complete opposite from the cheerful and arrogant pirate they had met a few hours ago, so no one pursued the issue.
Meanwhile, on the viewing screen the dark orange planet came more and more into view, and finally the flying saucer began to descend, entering the planet’s atmosphere and finally touching down with a controlled landing, just outside a small city. 

“Ah, I remember that city,” Hondo said, “A thriving trade hub once, but now all but forgotten, even its inhabitants don’t remember its name.”

“That’s a bit odd,” Loki commented, “You do have computers and books and stuff, right? Something to write down the history and geographic data with?”

“Hush, and let me be poetic,” Hondo said, making a wavy gesture with one hand, as if to shoo Loki away, “Of course the name’s probably still remembered somewhere. But that’s not the point.”

“What is the point?” Loki asked.

“I remember this town well,” Hondo went on, ignoring Loki’s question, “We’ve spent quite a few youthful years there. We were scoundrels, that’s for sure, but no real criminals yet. For me that came later. For him it came too soon.”

“What happened?” Anakin asked.

Hondo didn’t answer, and fell silent again.

They entered the town with Hondo in the lead. There were some civilians around, but the town was a lot more empty than it should have been, judging from its size; nobody was really paying them any attention, even though they were a rather remarkable group, and had space pirates accompanying them; it was as if all life and motivation had been drained from the city.
They stopped in front of an abandoned club house of some sort. Hondo kept staring at it for a moment in silence, as if reminiscing. Then he left out a soft sigh. “So many memories,” he said softly.

“From your time with him?” Anakin asked.

“We used to play Dungeons and Dragons in this club house,” Hondo replied, “Me, Cad, a few others; Eddie was our DM.” 

“Eddie?” Loki asked.

“Venger,” Hondo replied, “Before he became Venger, Eddie was Eddie. A classy guy, a guitar player, a nerd.”

“Like you,” Anakin guessed.

“My LEGO collection is nothing to brag about, but you should see my Funko Pop room,” Hondo replied with a smirk.

“What happened?” Doctor Doom asked.

“LEGO is expensive, so I don’t buy it all too often,” Hondo replied, “But the Funko’s, those really got out of hand.”

“I was referring to the birth of Venger,” Doctor Doom replied, clear annoyance in his voice.

“Ah,” Hondo said, “That happened one day after a tough Dungeons and Dragons session. We went to an amusement park called Rex World…”

“Excuse me, Rex World?” Loki repeated.

“An amusement park named after the hero who saved the galaxy,” Hondo replied, “A few years ago there was the threat of a civil war in the galaxy, and an army of cloned soldiers was created to combat the other side; but one of those clones, a Captain Rex, single handedly discovered a deeper plot, a villain in the Galactic Senate, playing both sides and orchestrating the whole thing; this senator was arrested, and Rex declared a hero for stopping a civil war that could have gone on for years and might have resulted in the death of democracy.”

“That’s quite a tale,” Loki said, “So… Rex World.”

“The biggest intergalactic amusement park asteroid in existence,” Hondo said, “Eddie and I went there, but something went wrong; some sort of dark matter intergalactic event or something; as we were riding the roller coaster, it entered a tunnel and transported us to another world, someplace different.”

“A galactic event,” Doctor Doom surmised, even though that explanation was saying nothing at all.

“It was a wondrous world, with magic, adventure and even monsters,” Hondo went on, “I had all but forgotten about it; they were pleasant memories, but the ending… wasn’t so pleasant.” 

“What happened?” Anakin asked.

“We ran into a complicated dilemma, powerful enemies,” Hondo said, “Eddie made a choice, choosing power in exchange for, well, everything. He became something powerful, but something less than human.”

“And what about you?” Anakin asked.

“I got away,” Hondo said, “Back to this planet, and never saw or heard from Eddie again. But based on what you told me, he’s had quite the adventure himself. And the outcome isn’t all that good.”

“So you want to help your old friend, is that it?” Doctor Doom asked.

Hondo shrugged: “Hey, I’m anything if not sentimental.”

They entered the club house and went upstairs, with Hondo in the lead. Upstairs there were several small chambers which had been used as living quarters somewhere in the past, but now they stood abandoned, a silent reminder of those days past.
“We used to live here,” Hondo said, answering the question that was on Anakin’s lips, “Illegally, of course, without paying for it; but it was our home. And every good home has one or two hiding places. This used to be Eddie’s room.”

“What do you hope to find here?” Anakin asked.

“Something personal,” Hondo replied, searching the floorboards, “Something to remind him of his past, of who he was. To wash away the evil that has taken over him and find the man within.”

“If such a man still exists,” Doctor Doom said grimly, “Evil consumes; and he has been trapped in the Shadow Realm for ages.”

“But how can that be?” Anakin asked, “Hondo used to know him when he was younger; and I don’t think Hondo really is centuries old.”

“Thank you,” Hondo said.

“The multiverse is more complex than just parallel worlds,” Doctor Doom explained, “Some realities are vastly different, with no similarities to our realm whatsoever; and some are largely the same, but older, or younger. This is such a young reality, so in effect, it would be like us traveling to another place, another reality, and another time. That’s why for us and for Hondo only years have passed, but for Venger it has been centuries.”

“Works wonders if you have some money in the bank, collecting interest,” Hondo commented from his crouching position. He then stopped what he was doing, as if he’d found something and tapped a single plank on the floor: “AHA!” he exclaimed.

“You found something?” Loki asked.

Hondo tapped the floorboard again, which sprang loose. He then shoved it aside, retrieving a small satchel, opening it and spreading out the contents on the floor. They were several sets of dice, in various sizes, which Anakin recognised as the dice they used to play Dungeons and Dragons with. Hondo examined the small pile for a moment, then smiled and picked up a single dice, a twenty sided dice (D20) with a number on every side and a green and purple color scheme. “Found it,” he said proudly.

“A dice?” Loki asked, “That’s it? That’s what will stop Venger?”

“This dice is special,” Hondo Ohnaka explained, “It was a gift from me to him, during our first Dungeons and Dragons session where Eddie was the Dungeon Master. I wanted to give him something to commemorate his first session as Dungeon Master, as well as our friendship.”

There was a brief moment of silence. “What?!” Hondo asked, raising his hands.

Another brief moment of silence. Then Anakin spoke: “You rigged it, didn’t you?”

“Eh, it might not be the luckiest of dice,” Hondo shrugged, “But can you blame a man for trying? He found out though and never used that dice again after that session. It was a very important life lesson. Which is also why it’s very important.”

“Is there anything else?” Loki asked, folding his arms across his chest in disbelief, “A memento from his mother? A childhood drawing?”

“There isn’t; and trust me, this will work,” Hondo reassured, “Despite its troublesome nature, this dice had a special meaning to Eddie. I’m sure he will remember it when you give it to him.”

“Very well then,” Anakin said, “Give us the dice then; it’s the best shot we have.”

“Ah yes, a funny way of wording that,” Hondo grinned, closing his fist around the dice, “There still is the matter of my payment.”

“What do you mean, payment?” Loki asked, “Weren’t you helping an old friend?”

“The two aren’t mutually exclusive,” Hondo replied, taking a step back while a few of his pirate associates walked into the room, “I am still a businessman, after all; and my reputation will suffer if I go around handing out freebies; I told you, I am anything if not sentimental. Emphasis on not.”

“I am sure this is not surprising anyone?” Doctor Doom asked rhetorically, crossing his arms as well. 

“Not really,” Anakin said, “But I did have some hope for all this. I am disappointed, Hondo Ohanka.” 

“Ah well, join the line,” Hondo said, “Starts with mom, ends with, well, you, I guess.”

“Hand over the dice, Ohnaka,” Doctor Doom warned, “Do not make this more difficult; crossing Doom will not benefit you.”

“That’s why these guys are doing the crossing,” Hondo replied, pointing with both hands at the two pirates, “And they’re among my best, so you might want to reconsider putting up a fight.”

Doctor Doom did in fact not reconsider. He engaged the two pirates, who fired their laser pistols. The beams deflected off Doom’s armor however; the fight that followed lasted less than two minutes, then one of the pirates lay knocked out on the floor, the other had been flung out of the window. “Your brave words mean nothing to Doom,” he said, “I hope you are wise enough not to back them up.”

“Now, now, surely we can talk business?” Hondo said, looking startled and still backing off slowly, “For the sake of our cooperation so far? How about: No payment needed, and we end our cooperation here?”

“Sound fair, but with one additional request,” Doctor Doom suggested.

“Which is?” Honda asked nervously, and carefully.

“You take us back to that desert planet,” Doom said, “Consider it a reward for our company, and an excuse for this minor inconvenience just now.”

“Fine,” Honda sighed, “We will take you back with us to Tatooine. But we won’t be landing; I’m sick and tired of that planet anyway, we’ll be leaving Mos Doba for better grounds.”

“You will find me not caring,” Doctor Doom replied.

They left the club house and the planet Kareena behind, returning to the fortified city of Mos Doba on Tatooine. There Hondo gathered his men and announced that they were leaving, leaving Mos Doba to its citizens, or to whatever party might have an interest in it. Just before the flying sauces which was Hondo’s flagship was about to leave, Hondo exited again to say goodbye to the mysterious group he had so recently met.

“So this is goodbye then?” Anakin asked, “To us, but to this planet as well?”

“Yes,” Hondo confirmed, “Reliving old memories has made me rethink the current situation as well. We’ll be relocating, setting up a new base somewhere that is more lucrative, in a different part of the outer rim. I’m sure Eddie would have wanted that as well.”

“Any idea where you’re going then?”

“Florrum sounds good,” Hondo said, “I’ve always wanted to visit Florrum. And it’s close to some important shipping lanes. I’m sure business will be booming.”

“Pirate business, of course?” Loki guessed.

“Best there is,” Hondo replied, “I assume you lot will soon be off as well? Back to whatever place you’re from?”

“Yes,” Doctor Doom said, “I’ve already signaled our home base to activate the Stargate. It should open any moment now.”

“A convenient travel tool, I’m sure I could do wonderful things with it,” Hondo pondered, “But it has to be opened from here specifically?”

“No,” Doom replied.

“No?” Hondo repeated, “Then why did you ask me to bring you back to Tatooine?”

“To teach you a lesson,” Doctor Doom replied, “Doom congratulates you on your newfound wisdom.”

Before Hondo had a chance to respond the Stargate opened, illuminating the area with a spectacular display. For the first time in, well, a long while, Hondo Ohnaka was actually baffled and speechless.

“Goodbye, Hondo Ohnaka,” Anakin said, turning around one last time before he entered the Stargate, “Stay out of trouble, and don’t do anything too crazy.”

“Stay out of trouble is my middle name,” Hondo shouted back, “You be careful as well, young man. Keep a level head in tough times and you’ll do just fine.”

“Oh don’t worry about that,” Anakin said, “I’m as calm as they come.”

“And say hello to Eddie for me,” Hondo added, “Tell him… I miss him; and I hope to see him again someday.”

Loki smiled: “You’re an emotional sap after all, Ohnaka.”

“Eddie would make an excellent business partner,” Hondo shrugged; but he was convincing no one.

The group left to the Stargate which closed behind them, returning them back to Earth, which was slowly hurtling towards ruin; the other groups hadn’t returned yet though, and their assistance would be sorely needed to put things right…

Chapter XV – The stories he could tell; so many of them true

The world on which they arrived was unlike anything Anakin had ever seen, and he was certain that Loki and Doctor Doom were feeling the same thing. All around them was barren desert land, lit by a binary sun, which gave the world an even more alien appearance. Wherever they were, it wasn’t the same place they had left behind, planet Earth was nowhere close.

“This world really is remarkable,” Anakin said, trying to ignore the heat, “Where do you suppose we are?”

“Not Earth, that is for sure,” Loki said. 

“The Stargate has the ability to transport us across worlds but also space,” Doctor Doom stated, “It is no surprise that we could end up in a galaxy far, far away.”

“Perhaps we should find someplace inhabited first,” Loki suggested, “Whatever it is we’re supposed to find here, we’re certainly not going to find it in this vast desert.” 

“Agreed,” Doctor Doom said, and focused his gaze on the eastern direction, “My armor’s internal sensors are detecting a small settlement in that direction. Let’s start from there.”

They started walking in eastern direction and it took a little over two hours before they reached the small settlement, which was little more than a few houses and some sort of public gathering place. There was an enforced dirt road running next to it though, indicating that this establishment, remote as it were, was frequently inhabited by travelers, probably a halfway destination between two larger cities or hubs.
Even though they clearly weren’t from around there, the locals paid them little attention. Maybe they didn’t stand out from other locals after all, most seemed to be human; or these people were used to uncommon travelers, which could mean a lot of things.

“Let’s visit that meeting place,” Anakin suggested, “Maybe we’ll learn something from any other visitors, or the barman; and we could all use a drink, I’m sure.”

“Doom needs no refreshments,” Doctor Doom protested, “But I agree with your proposal.”

The bar however was all but abandoned, apart from a few of the locals, who were hardly discussing anything interesting, instead talking about the local weather predictions (spoiler: lots of sunshine) and the behavior of the planet’s natives. This went on for about an hour, and just as Doctor Doom was about to suggest they’d leave, another one of the locals walked in: “Did you hear?! Ohnaka’s back in town!”

“You say that like that’s a good thing,” one of the locals at the bar groaned, “Nothing good ever comes of it when he returns.”

“You hear that?” Anakin whispered to the others, “Sounds like something is happening after all. I wonder who this Ohnaka is.”

“Probably some local thug,” Loki whispered back, “I doubt we’ll get anything useful from that. Let’s pack up and get going.”

“Nothing wrong with trying,” Anakin whispered.

“Let’s just ignore him this time,” one of the guys at the bar said, “Eventually he’ll go away again.”

“You say that like he’s some sort of deal,” Anakin interrupted, getting the attention of the rest of the bar, “Just who is this Ohnaka anyway?”

“A thug, a criminal, a pirate,” another said, “A swindler in every sense of the word. You outsiders probably don’t know about him, but around here he’s infamous.”

“Best stay away from him,” another bar patron said, before returning to his original conversation.

“Thank you,” Anakin said, “We’ll consider that!”

The group packed their belongings shortly after and left the establishment, gathering just outside to discuss their next move. “You heard that?” Anakin said, “A local swindler of some reputation; that sounds like something worth checking out.”

“Just because we’re looking for a swindler, it doesn’t automatically mean that this is our guy,” Loki protested, “Take it from me, there are a lot of corrupt people out there; and pirates are notably the worst.”

“Space pirates,” Anakin corrected; he even sounded a little giddy. 

“Same difference, but in space,” Loki said.

“It is a poor lead, but also our only lead,” Doctor Doom said, “So let’s pursue it anyway. Even if this Ohnaka isn’t the one we’re looking for, he might be of assistance; figures of repute in the underworld usually rely on an extensive network for their information and communication; he might be able to help us find who we’re looking for.”

“All right, fine,” Loki sighed, “But don’t say I didn’t warn you when things get out of hand.”

Following the directions of some of the townsfolk, they got on board of some transport vehicle which brought them to a larger city in the vicinity, Mos Doba; the city was a fortified one, yet despite this imposing exterior, it was poorly guarded, and Doctor Doom judged it ripe for the taking by any mercenary gang looking to make a name for themselves. With such sparse security it was no wonder that it had become a den for thieves and pirates. Despite the lack of official security, the pirate group that had made its base in Mos Doba had some lookouts on the wall, so Doctor Doom was certain their entry into the city wouldn’t go unnoticed. He wondered how long it would take before the pirates would decide to confront them.

It didn’t take very long.

As they made their way through Mos Doba’s main street, Loki began to notice that the street was becoming less and less crowded, and at a busy time of day that was seldom a good thing. Then several rowdy looking humanoids and aliens stepped out onto the street from various alleyways, blocking their path: “Welcome to Mos Doba, strangers,” one of them greeted. Somehow, Loki didn’t feel very welcome.

Caution might be advisory in such a situation. However Doctor Doom already stepped forward to address the group: “You stand in the path of Doom; have you come to offer tribute?

The group of pirate thugs was silent for a moment, looking at each other in confusion as Doom’s words sank in; then they all burst into laughter simultaneously. Doctor Doom did not laugh. Nor did he respond.
The group of thugs moved aside to let one of them step forward; this one wasn’t remarkably more buff or taller than the others, but somehow the air around him felt different, stronger in a unique non odorous way. Anakin gauged him from head to toe, trying to establish what kind of figure this was, but he couldn’t really gauge him. He was about the same height as Anakin and clearly humanoid, but his body was different, more alien, with a leathery, darker skin and small horns growing from his lower jaw. He was wearing a long red coat and what seemed like some sort of infantry helmet and goggles that provided shade and protection to his eyes. “Well, well, what do we have here?” the apparent leader said, raising his arms and greeting them in an overly dramatic and loud manner, “Guests to our fair town of Mos Doba? How rude of us to block your passage!”

“Your rudeness is forgiven,” Doctor Doom replied, “If you remove yourselves from my sights right now.”

“But of course, of course oh traveler,” the pirate replied, “We’ll move out of the way right away; there’s just the matter of compensation.”

“I very much doubt that,” Doctor Doom replied, slowly clenching his hand into a fist but not raising it just yet. 

“Oh, but there is, good sir,” the pirate went on, “You see, my boys here were simply being polite and welcoming some travelers to the impressive city of Mos Doba. However instead of being received with kindness, you were most impolite, even rude, towards them. And that has really upset them, as you can see.”

The pirates pretended to be upset. Poorly.

“Yes,” the pirate went on, “Therapy for this lot is going to cost a bundle, trust me; and who will pay for that? As the cause of their misery, it’s only fair that you take responsibility for just that.”

“Pirates,” Loki grumbled, just loud enough that only his comrades could hear.

“You have got to be joking,” Doctor Doom replied, taking another step towards the dastardly but bold pirate chief, “I will fix it so that therapy is the least of your boys’ problems.”

“Now, now,” the pirate replied, flicking his finger, while the other pirates drew and raised all sorts of firearms, “Before you do anything rash, better check the rooftops first.”

Doom looked up and saw even more guns and rifles pointed at them from various rooftops, behind them as well. They were in quite a proverbial pickle. “Why we were getting acquainted, my men were so kind as to get into position and surround you,” the pirate went on, “I’d like to thank you for cooperating so nicely and allowing me to keep you distracted, just as I will thank you for cooperating and handing over your valuables.”

“Let me guess,” Loki glared, “Compensation?”

“Oh no, no,” the pirate corrected, “That was before; this is simply because we’re pirates. We steal.”

“You should have brought more men,” Doctor Doom replied, glaring from behind his mask and not backing off just yet. 

“Should I now?” the pirate said, and laughed, gesturing at his men and pointing at Doctor Doom, “You hear that? Maybe we should have brought everyone. I really underestimated this one, boys. Don’t you think?”

The group laughed again, mocking Doctor Doom and his companions. 

“I like you, armored man,” the pirate said, “Tell me your name, so that I may tell your stories to my grandchildren someday.”

“Doctor Victor von Doom,” Doctor Doom replied.

“A pleasure,” the pirate said, then made a deep mock bow, “Hondo Ohnaka, at your service. Or disservice, if you so prefer.”

Hondo

“Ohnaka,” Anakin whispered, “That’s the one we’re looking for.”

“What’s that, boy?” Hondo asked, “Anything you want to share with the group? It’s not polite to whisper, you know; also not a very sensible thing to do with a bunch of trigger happy and not always sober pirates.”

“We know about you,” Anakin said.

“Well, I do have a bit of a reputation I pride myself with,” Hondo replied.

“No, I mean: We’re looking for you,” Anakin explained, “We have business with you.”

“Business? With me?” Hondo repeated, with an overly extensive display of body language, “Tell me, boy; this business, it does not involve the law or bounty hunting, I hope?”

“No, none of that,” Anakin answered, “We require your assistance.”

“Well, why didn’t you say so right away,” Hondo said, raising his arms again and stepping away from the group of his pirate companions, approaching Doctor Doom, who was still highly on edge, “Boys! Weapons down! We’re not doing the looting today; well, not right now at least; no, it’s time for business!”

The pirates cheered, and the atmosphere seemed to become somewhat less tense.

“I do hope you know what you’re doing, boy,” Doctor Doom spoke softly.

“Improving our odds,” Anakin spoke back, “Besides, maybe this Ohnaka guy can help us after all. It’s worth seeing what he knows, right?”

“Let’s go,” Hondo said, turning around, “Take our guests back with us to our headquarters slash bar; but make sure they’re unarmed, I wouldn’t want any backstabbing to happen, unless I am the one doing the proverbial stabbing.”

The pirates on the roof retreated and the other accompanied Hondo and the group of travelers to a large saloon in the middle of Mos Doba. The saloon had obviously been modified to be the pirates’ base of operations, with reinforcements everywhere, and extra men stationed on the roof to keep an eye out; but at the same time it seemed just as casual as any other saloon, the atmosphere was quite good when they walked in. 

“Step into my office,” Hondo grinned, gesturing at a large round table in the corner of the saloon yet close to the bar. He dropped himself in one of the chairs, leaning back and placing one foot on the table, “Where I do the best of my business!” 

“A fine station for a fine man,” Loki complimented, “Perhaps I misjudged you.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere, my friend,” Hondo smiled, “Well, all right, maybe it’ll get you partially along the way; but Hondo’s deals aren’t made on friendship alone.”

“No doubt they are costly as well,” Doctor Doom guessed.

Hondo shrugged: “Hey, I am good to my friends; but in the end business is, after all, business.”

“We’re looking for information,” Anakin began to explain, “Where we come from, this place is plagued by a powerful enemy; and we’re looking for someone who can help us find the means to stop them.”

“And do you know what you’re looking for, this item?” Hondo asked.

Anakin shook his head: “We don’t know.”

“Then do you know the person who can help you? Who does know?”

Anakin shook his head again.

“This sounds complicated, and therefore expensive,” Hondo smiled, leaning back into his chair again, “Excellent! My favorite type of transactions!”

“The swindler speaks,” Loki commented, glaring at the smug pirate, “But can he deliver?”

“Ah, the trickster of the group challenges me,” Hondo smirked, “But don’t worry, I am a man with a sense of humor; and I will show you just how I deliver.”

“That remains to be seen,” Loki spat back.

“So young man,” Hondo addressed Anakin, pretty much ignoring Loki, “Tell me more about this situation of yours; what do you need help for, hmm?” 

Anakin proceeded to explain the situation, telling about where they were from, though he explained it as another world, another planet, rather than introducing these pirates to the whole multiverse concept; he didn’t want them to know about it, at least not yet, and he also didn’t want to risk not being taken seriously. He told them of the threat of Venger and the mission they had to find some sort of object, the only thing that might be able to stop Venger. Oddly enough, Hondo’s cheerful and carefree attitude had all but subsided, and when Anakin went on, he was listening in all earnest and with his full attention. “I see,” he finally said, “That’s quite the predicament, young man.”

“And we’re not in the mood for any games,” Loki warned.

“Understandable,” Hondo replied, “But don’t worry; I have taken an interest in all of this, and I believe old Hondo can help.”

“You really think so?” Anakin asked, “We’re looking for someone who can help us find the item we seek. You think you know who can help us?”

“I do believe I can,” Hondo said, “But why not cut out the middle man? I believe I can help you get the object you seek.”

“That sounds a bit too good to be true,” Doctor Doom interrupted, “And why this sudden charitable attitude? Why are you so helpful?”

“Because of what you said to me, your honesty; and mostly because of the person involved,” Hondo said, “You see: I know Venger.”

He paused. For drama.

“He is my best friend.”

Chapter XIV – Let’s be like the Scooby Gang and split up

Even though the distance traveled was something that could not be measured by normal means the journey itself only took a few seconds. The group emerged from the gateway which closed behind them, leaving no trace of their unnatural appearance there.
The world around them didn’t look all that different. In fact, it looked like they were still in America; Zuko recognized their current location by some of the buildings on the horizon. They were just outside the city of Los Angeles. “What happened?” he asked, “Didn’t we travel to another world?”

“We did,” Doctor Strange replied, “Remember what I said? Some worlds might be radically different, but others will be very much like our own world, the differences being only minimal.”

“And this is one such world?” Anakin asked.

“No,” Doctor Strange said, “If you go into that city, you’ll find that it has become a Russian colony after the War of Invasion twenty years ago. But aside from the US being split, this world isn’t all that different from our own world.”

“I see,” Anakin replied.

“Enough chit chat,” Doctor Doom interrupted, “Strange, where do we need to go to see this sage of yours?” 

“Over there,” Doctor Strange said, pointing to a small house at the edge of a cliff overseeing the area, “We will find what we seek in there.”

“Very well,” Doom replied, “Let’s get going then.”

The group set out for the small house that the mystic had pointed out to them, hoping that the sage who lived there would be able to help them. The trek was a bit longer and more troublesome than initially thought, because they repeatedly had to go out of their way to avoid the locals of this world, not wanting to stand out of draw any unwanted attention, especially if part of the country was in the hands of a Russian force and war was looming over the horizon.
They reached the house, which was more like a cottage, about two hours later, and as they arrived, someone stood already outside, waiting for them.

“Is that the sage we seek?” Anakin asked. But Doctor Strange shook his head.

“Welcome you are,” the one outside said, a small green creature, humanoid yet alien, aged yet youthful, greeted them, “What is it you seek?”

“We seek the sage who lives here,” Anakin said, “It is of the utmost importance that we meet with him.”

“Seek the sage you do, hmm?” the creature replied, “It is wisdom you need, hmm?”

“Why is he talking like that?” Wanda whispered to Zuko.

“I think he’s testing us,” Zuko whispered back, “Testing our patience; I think he is in fact the sage.”

“Mistaken you are,” the creature replied, “Yoda my name is, a humble servant I am. Inside the sage you will find.”

“Just wait,” Zuko whispered again, “We go inside, and then that creature, Yoda, will go inside as well, and introduce himself as the sage. Clever ploy.”

“Are you sure?” Wanda whispered. And Zuko only nodded.

They went inside and immediately wound up in a living room, which seemed to encompass most of the ground level of the cottage. It was empty, but there was a fire on, keeping the room warm and comfortable. “Where is the sage?” Doctor Doom asked.

“Outside?” Zuko suggested, hinting at Yoda.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Doctor Doom replied, “That creature is no ancient sage.”

“Actually, he is, but he is not ancient,” a voice spoke from somewhere in the room. 

“Who’s there?” Wanda called out.

And then they saw him. The person in the room had a human figure, so they didn’t notice right away that his face was gone, only an empty skull. He was dressed in an odd blue bodysuit, with a purple hood masking part but not all of this skull. “Hi,” he said.

And Zuko and Anakin immediately recognised the person that had just spoken, a figure from one of their favorite childhood shows: “Skeletor?!”

“Nyaah, my reputation precedes me, I see?” the sage called Skeletor replied, “But is it because of my status as an ancient wisdom, I wonder?” 

“It is your status as the villain in a children’s TV show,” Doctor Strange replied, “A funny thing this multiverse is, isn’t it?”

“You will find that I am the villain in a TV show in many multiverses,” Skeletor replied, “And sometimes even the villain in the flesh; or, well, as a matter of speaking, that is. This is no coincidence, but a means to keep people from finding me, the actual me, that is before you.”

Skeletor.

“Because knowledge can be a dangerous thing?” Doctor Strange surmised.

“Exactly,” Skeletor replied, “You are a wise human, Stephen Strange; it is no wonder that you end up as the Sorcerer Supreme or a similar role of importance in so many realities. Even now, in this world without heroes, you have grown beyond your role and become a figure of power and influence.”

“Second only to Doom,” Doctor Doom interrupted.

“Perhaps,” Skeletor said, “Both your names are well known throughout the multiverse; it is an odd sense of humor by existence itself, perhaps. At least too consistent to be a coincidence.” 

“What about us?” Anakin asked, “Are we someone special in the multiverse as well?”

Skeletor ignored the question, and turned his attention to the two doctors again: “Why have you come here, seeking my advice?”

“An enemy has been unleashed upon our world,” Doctor Strange replied, “He has grown too powerful for us to stop; too powerful for anything in our reality to stop; so we’ve come seeking help, to find a means to stop this evil outside our world.”

“But you don’t know where to start, so you’ve come seeking advice?” Skeletor guessed.

“Correct,” Doctor Strange confirmed, “The multiverse is vast, limitless, so the odds of finding something which can help us are good; but at the same time that vastness works against us, we have no idea where to go or who to turn to; and thus we’ve come seeking wisdom.”

“Knowledge is power, a familiar and proven proverb,” Skeletor nodded, “Tell me more of this enemy you face.”

“You mean you don’t know?” Zuko asked.

“I am knowledgeable, not omniscient or a mind reader,” Skeletor replied, “I may be able to help you, but I need to know more first.”

“Our enemy comes from a reality known as the Shadow Realm,” Doctor Strange explained, “A bleak, dead and twisted version of our world; we assumed he was an inhabitant of that place, perhaps a ruler, but it turns out the Shadow Realm was its prison. And in contacting the Shadow Realm, we’ve accidentally set in motion a series of events that led to his release.”

“The enemy you released… Venger?” Skeletor asked.

Doctor Strange and Doctor Doom nodded.

“A dangerous foe,” Skeletor said, “The Shadow Realm you mentioned, it is indeed a prison, but it is more than just a copy of your world. It is a separate existence on the edge of reality, a dimension of its own, close to other realities, yet far removed from it at the same time; it molds itself to whatever world it comes into contact with, that’s why it looks like a pale, dead version of your own world to you, but in truth it is a unique existence that can’t be described in mere words, that can’t even be perceived in a mortal sense; and because of that unique nature, it is the perfect prison for Venger, but for other beings as well. Ancient beings.”

“Wait,” Anakin interrupted, “Other beings? You mean Venger wasn’t the only thing in there? There are other things as well?”

Skeletor nodded. 

“Like the Remorhaz?” Zuko asked.

Skeletor shook his head. “No, the Remorhaz was more like an animal, or a monster born of shadow; the prisoners from outside the Shadow Realm might have influenced its creation indirectly, but the creature itself spawned from there. It is likely that Venger used such a creature to further his designs and encourage his own escape however.”

“What about those other things trapped in the Shadow Realm?” Anakin asked, “You spoke of other prisoners; does that mean the situation is even worse than we thought? Can they escape into our reality as well?”

“That is not likely,” Skeletor said, “The Shadow Realm is a vast reality, and every entity sent there has been imprisoned in their own personal prison, like humans are said to experience their own personal heaven or hell in the afterlife. Theoretically, mind you. So it’s unlikely that anyone besides Venger has escaped, or can escape.”

“That’s good,” Worf commented.

“However, if the breach to the Shadow Realm isn’t closed, more and more of that dimension will flow into your world and merge with it; it’s possible that eventually one or more of those entities will be a part of that as well,” Skeletor warned.

“So what do we do?” Doctor Strange asked, “Is there a way to undo what has been done and trap Venger again?”

“There is a way to undo the damage that has been done,” Skeletor said, “There is a path that can be walked; in fact, there are multiple paths that can be walked, and multiple paths should be walked. Perhaps some at the same time, because time is not on your side in this.”

“You have a solution,” Doctor Strange guessed.

“Not a single solution,” Skeletor corrected, “You have three problems, therefore logic dictates that you also need three solutions.”

“Three?” Anakin repeated the number. He didn’t understand what the skeletal sage meant.

“Correct,” Skeletor said, raising his hand into a clenched fist, then extending a single digit to emphasize his counting; he was wearing a gauntlet, so it couldn’t be said if the gauntlet covered skeletal fingers or a normal human hand. “First,” he said, “Your main problem: Venger has been released and has grown powerful; he needs to be dealt with.” The skeletal sage extended another finger: “Secondly, the breach to the Shadow Realm needs to be closed and any damage to your world reversed, if possible.” then Skeletor extended a third finger: “And finally, with every passing moment, the chance of something else escaping the Shadow Realm grows. You will need to prepare yourselves for that, seek allies that can help you, as diverse a group as possible, to counter any potential threat.”

“Helping allies is something I can do,” Doctor Strange said, “I know my way around the multiverse, through a connection with my other selves; a team can be assembled.”

“A means to stop Venger,” Doctor Doom said, “Where can such a thing be found?”

“You will need to find a special item, unique in all the multiverse,” Skeletor replied, “It is bound to Venger in a unique way, but with it he will become undone.”

“What is it?” Anakin asked, “Where can we find such a thing?”

“You will need to travel to a reality where history developed differently, far, far away,” Skeletor said, “There you will need to seek out a prince of thieves who will try to swindle you, sway you, but eventually will also help you.”

“And the second quest? To repair the imbalance of the Shadow Realm?” Zuko asked.

“You must restore the balance of your world by restoring the balance of the elements,” Skeletor said, “When you do, the shadows will also find their place in this. There is one such world where this may happen.”

“Then we have our assignments,” Doctor Strange said, “But now we need to choose the best teams. Who will go where?”

“I will go for restoration of the world and elements,” Zuko said.

“Then deputy Data and I will accompany you,” Sheriff Worf proposed.

“I will seek out this item that will stop Venger,” Anakin said, “I’ve closed the Shadow Realm and thwarted him before, so it feels natural; and I feel compelled somehow to do this.”

“Then I will go with you, I guess,” Loki said.

“Doom will also accompany you,” Doctor Doom replied.

“Then I will go with Doctor Strange to scour the multiverse for allies,” Wanda suggested.

“Very well,” Doctor Doom said, “We have our missions then; let’s split up, gang.”

“What a Scooby Doo thing to say,” Wanda commented.

“Yes,” the man smiled back at her, “It was my favorite TV show when I was a child.”

“Your Stargate will take you to where you must go,” Skeletor said, “Good luck, heroes. And may the outcome of your travels be fortuitous. May the Power protect you always.”

Doctor Doom started a communication across dimensions and soon later the Stargate opened up again to take them home. From there out they set out, in three separate teams, spreading out all across the multiverse, the beginning of an adventure that would change everything, forever. 

Chapter XIII – Multiverse of mentally not being in a very sane state of mind

The sky darkened and the sun was blotted out by a thick deck of clouds which seemed to originate above the town of Hawkins itself. It felt almost unnatural. It was, in fact, unnatural. The temperature dropped as well, making a gentle late summer afternoon suddenly a lot more chilly. And the town and nature around it fell eerily quiet.

“What is happening?” Anakin asked, “The town, the forests, they feel so… I’m not sure what the word is. Cold, frightened.”

“With the barrier between world severed, and its prisoner free, the Shadow Realm now flows into our world, the real world,” Omega Red said, “This darkening and this unseen feeling is the first step; but gradually our world will become like that one, a cold, lifeless world.”

“Venger is controlling it,” Doctor Doom said, “He is keeping the gateway open, and controlling the power of the Shadow Realm. It is him we must defeat.”

“Can he be beaten?” Wanda asked.

“Not as he is now,” Omega Red replied, “The Shadow Realm weakened him, but here, his power is almost boundless. Within hours he will be too powerful for anything in this world to stop.”

“Then what can we do?” Zuko asked, “It sounds hopeless.”

Doctor Doom stretched his arm and pointed. He was pointing at the crater where the school had been: “Over there. That is where we need to go.”

“Over there?” Wanda asked, “But why? Your hidden base is gone.”

“Doom has no time to explain,” Doctor Doom said, activating hidden rockets in his boots and flying off towards and into the crater, leaving the group behind.

“He always does that,” Omega Red, “I will join him. But all of you, find your families; get to safety.”

“We can help,” Anakin proposed, “I can…”

“This is not your fight,” Omega Red interrupted, “You were great students and I enjoyed teaching you, but now I must go and do what I do best. And what I do ain’t pretty.”

Omega Red then turned around and ran off in the direction of where Hawkins Middle School had been, leaving the group behind. Wanda called out after him, yelling his name, but the armored teacher ignored it, disappearing from sight.

“Now what do we do?” Cersei asked.

“You heard what he said,” Jaime replied, “We have to get out of here. This town isn’t safe anymore.”

“Has it ever been safe, brother?” Cersei asked.

“I for one refuse to give up,” Anakin said, “I have a power, I closed the gateway to the Shadow Realm before. I can do it again.”

“But this is different,” Wanda said, “This time the breach is a whole lot bigger.”

“Maybe we should find Doctor Strange,” Zuko suggested, “He helped us before, and he also knew about Anakin’s potential. Maybe he can help us this time.”

“You do as you will,” Cersei said, “But Jaime and I are leaving. This is too much for young people like us.”

“We are?” Jaime asked. Cersei said nothing, but glared fiercely at him. Jaime did not protest. 

“Well, I’m going to follow Omega Red and head for our school,” Anakin said, “I don’t know if I can help, but I want to at least try. We’ve come this far, we can’t give up now.”

“I agree,” Zuko nodded, “We’ve faced this situation twice before. Even without Frieza…” he paused for a moment, remembering his friend’s name, “Even without, we need to make a stand.”

“Then good luck,” Cersei said, and began to walk in the opposite direction, “We are leaving.”

“Good luck,” Jaime said, as he followed along, “Hope you won’t die!”

“What about you, Wanda?” Zuko asked, “What will you do?”

“Ever since we arrived at that underground base, at the metal circle, that gateway thing… I don’t know, I felt something,” she said, “Like… it’s been calling out to me or something. I need to know what that is.”

“So you’re coming along?” Anakin asked.

“Yes.”

They confiscated a parked and not locked car to get there faster and drove over to the general school area, to the edge of the enormous crater. Other townspeople had come looking as well, alerted and curious by this sudden disaster, while most were trying to get away from the disaster area.
Sheriff Worf and Deputy Data were there as well, along with pretty much every police officer in town, attempting to seal off the area and keep people from coming too close, and potentially falling into the pit and killing themselves. When Deputy Data spotted the group he blinked twice in confusion, then tapped Worf’s shoulder, pointing out the youngsters to him. “Kids,” he greeted, as he approached them.

“Sheriff,” Zuko said, “It’s the Shadow Realm.”

“Not this shit again,” Worf said uncharacteristically, though his voice remained calm and stern, as it always was. 

“Afraid it is, sheriff,” Wanda said, “There is a gateway to the Shadow Realm at the bottom of that hole.”

“All the more reason to keep people away from it,” Worf said, “And that includes you; you shouldn’t be here.”

“We were there,” Anakin said, “We were down there.”

Worf rolled his eyes: “Of course you were.”

“There was a hidden base underneath,” Zuko said, “The entrance was hidden in our school.”

“The probability of such a thing existing and being real is…” Data began.

“Shut up, Data,” Worf snapped, silencing his assistant, “I think we’ve seen enough the last three years to take this claim seriously. But Hawkins Lab was closed and its crew transferred. And I have no doubt that they all left town. So how can this be?”

“This was a different group,” Wanda said, “Or at least they were different people. They were more… militaristic I guess, and differently organized. They claimed they were already around last year.”

“Preposterous!” Worf said.

Sparks began flying suddenly and without warning, as a small human-sized circular golden gateway opened and Doctor Strange stepped through: “Not all that strange,” he said. Worf growled.

“Doctor Strange,” Anakin greeted, “Something is really wrong here.”

“I know,” the doctor-slash-scientist replied, “I have been reassigned to New York, but even there I could sense the disturbance.”

“What disturbance?” Data asked, “This explosion was powerful, but scientifically speaking it would be unlikely that it could be noticed in New York, which is many hundreds of miles away.”

“I am not talking about the explosion itself,” Doctor Strange said, “But the collision with the Shadow Realm, and how it is slowly corrupting this planet, with this city as its focal point.”

“Ah,” Deputy Data replied, seemingly considering and interpreting the words, “Curious. I thought this was a mere gas leak.”

“It is not,” Worf grumbled.

“Indeed,” Doctor Strange said, “We need to get down there. I will explain then.”

“We?” Worf asked, “You mean these… children as well?”

“Do not underestimate them, sheriff,” the doctor replied, “Their lives are more significant and out of the ordinary than you might think.”

“They’re teenagers in a remote American town!” Worf spat.

“Perhaps,” Doctor Strange replied.

“Please, we have to hurry,” Anakin said, “There’s already some people down there; and if there’s trouble, they might need help.”

“Then let the Winds of Wallonia carry us to the bottom of the pit!” Doctor Strange said, making a few elaborate gestures with his hands. Where there was a wind stillness before, a gust suddenly rose up, growing into an amazing wind. Dust picked up around them, obscuring their sight, and when it settled down again, they were somewhere down, with tall walls of earth surrounding them; Worf quickly guessed they were at the bottom of the mysterious massive pit. 

Anakin and the others recognised the place where they were standing as the remnants of the SG-1 base’s main hall, where the gateway to the Shadow Realm had first opened. It had also been one of the focal points of the self-destruct system which had annihilated the base, so it had been annihilated almost completely. The only thing still standing by which they could get their bearings was the mysterious circle which had formed the gateway to the Shadow Realm earlier. But there was no more gateway there, only a lifeless dead silver circle. “This is where it started…” Anakin whispered.

“Yes,” Doctor Strange confirmed, “This is where the gate first opened; but this place only served as a catalyst. After the enemy escaped, multiple breaches appeared, spreading from here.”

“Venger,” Anakin said, “He called himself Venger.”

A figure emerged from behind the gate, and they immediately recognised the imposing figure of Doctor Doom. “Doctor Strange,” he said, as he emerged, “I was wondering when you’d show up.”

“Doctor Doom,” Doctor Strange greeted, “I am not surprised to find you here; I must say, I find this incarnation of you more pleasurable than the others, even though the arrogance is still there.”

“You are not lacking in that yourself, Strange,” the other replied, “But Doom respects that, if it is backed by power.”

“And there it is,” Doctor Strange replied, “But that is unimportant for now. You’ve let an incredible force loose upon this world.”

“We were tricked,” Doctor Doom replied, “And let’s not forget it is a process you set in motion years ago, Strange. Do not pretend to be innocent in this.”

Doctor Strange was silent for a moment, and nobody else spoke up as well. Then he continued: “What’s done is done, Venger would have found his way back here eventually after all. Nothing stays imprisoned forever.”

“Some of Doom’s prisoners might beg to differ,” Doctor Doom interjected.

“Can you two stop comparing egos?” Wanda interrupted, “You both agreed that the solution to the problem can be found here. So what is it?”

Another uncomfortable silence. Doctor Doom glared at Wanda Maximoff from behind his mask for a moment, but somehow managed to keep his ego in check. “This,” he said, gesturing at the silver circle device, “This Stargate is the tool to solve this problem.”

“Stargate?” Anakin asked, “That seems a bit like an odd name; it isn’t used for space travel, is it?”

“In theory it could be,” Doctor Doom replied, “But you are correct, this gate is used in a different way, to travel between dimensions and realities; it was named after the creator of the interdimensional travel theory, Sapphire Star.” 

“We have been experimenting with the Stargate, trying to get it to work,” Omega Red continued, “But it is complex alien technology, and our success rate has been minimal so far.”

“You didn’t invent it?” Zuko asked.

“Scientists uncovered it in the sixties,” Omega Red answered, “Over a decade was spent determining its origin and function; then the years after on experiments on getting it to work. It was moved to this base after the threat of the Shadow Realm became very real.”

“The threat has always been real,” Doctor Strange protested.

“So how can it help us?” Wanda asked.

“It can get us help,” Doctor Strange replied, “This gate is a doorway to the multiverse; you see, this world in which we live is but one of many realities out there. There are a virtual unlimited number of realities out there, some very much like our own, others radically different. In some realities you might find yourself, but as a soldier instead of a student, or your parent has incredible powers; or you might not even exist, because your parents never got together in that other reality; or even more extreme: Earth might not exist.”

“That sounds like a lot to take in,” Wanda replied, “How do you know all of this then? How can you be sure it is all real?”

“Because I’ve seen it,” Doctor Strange replied, “In here, I am but a scientist, but in most other realities I am a user of magic, a Sorcerer Supreme. THE Sorcerer Supreme. And one of my other selves linked minds once years ago; it nearly drove me mad, the amount of knowledge I gained in a single moment, but at the same time, after I recovered, it also opened my eyes.”

“That’s how you gained that power you showed when fighting with me,” Worf realized, “So magic is real; that sounds incredible; but, as Data would say, we’ve seen so much lately, that it sounds credible at the same time.”

“Indeed,” Deputy Data agreed.

“Science guided us along a similar path,” Doctor Doom replied, “Science and research; while we’ve had only moderate success in piercing the veil, we are convinced that this multiverse is out there, and that other realities have solutions to the problems this reality faces.”

“On that we agree,” Doctor Strange nodded.

“But if you haven’t gotten this Stargate to work yet, then how can it help us now?” Zuko asked, “If it took you decades of research to get this far, how can you expect a breakthrough now, when time is of the essence and the world is at stake?”

“Doom will find a way,” Doctor Doom said resolutely.

“Or perhaps there is another way,” Doctor Strange suggested, and walked up to Doctor Doom, approaching him and pressing his index finger to the masked man’s forehead, or rather, against his mask. Doctor Doom gasped briefly, then did a step back as Doctor Strange withdrew his hand. “What did you do?” he demanded.

“Something I shouldn’t,” Doctor Strange replied, “I drew knowledge from beyond the veil, from the multiverse itself, knowledge from another reality where the Stargate is operational, and I implanted that knowledge inside your head. You should know all you need to know now to make it work.”

“Yes…” Doctor Doom said, “It’s so simple now; though I would wager I could have discovered all this on my own, eventually.”

“Eventually,” Doctor Strange added.

“If you could have done this, then why didn’t you do so before?” Worf asked, “It could have prevented a lot of problems, if I understand correctly.”

“Knowledge is a double edged sword, sheriff,” Deputy Data offered. 

“Your deputy is correct, sheriff,” Doctor Strange agreed, “Knowledge, once gained, is not easily taken away again; and this knowledge ranks amongst the most dangerous there is, the ability to travel beyond the boundaries of existence and give one the tools to reshape the very world, the very universe.”

“I see,” was all Worf said.

“So do you think you can get this gate operational, Mr. Doctor Doom Sir?” Wanda asked.

“Of course,” the armored mask man replied, “All the tools and materials I need can be found in the city; I will need no more than six hours for this.”

“Impressive,” Data complimented.

“Make it so,” Worf said, “We will prepare ourselves until the moment arrives.”

Time went by in the blink of an eye. Everybody was busy either working on the Gate, gathering the materials needed, or with training in preparation of a most incredible journey. Meanwhile the world around them grew colder and more sinister, though no strange incidents occurred, and Venger did not show himself again. Doctor Doom managed to keep his promise, and finished even before the six hours had passed, with twenty minutes to spare. But at that time the Stargate was finally ready and operational.
The silver circle shaped object that formed the gate itself had barely been touched, but Doctor Doom had spent most of the time in creating a device that could control it, and determine their destination. 

“So what happens next?” Anakin asked, “I mean, we can go anywhere now. But do we actually have a destination in mind? If this multiverse is really near infinite, finding what we need to stop Venger sounds near impossible.”

“A fair question,” Doctor Strange said, “Well, Doom. Do you have something in mind?”

“I have no set destination in mind,” Doctor Doom admitted, “My main focus has been on restoring the Gate.”

“Understandable,” Doctor Strange said, not pursuing the topic, “Then allow me to make a suggestion: There is a wisdom in the multiverse, a guru that is wiser than any being in existence or that has ever existed. It is said that he can even see the past and future because of this.”

“That does sound very incredible,” sheriff Worf commented, “And how do you know all of this?”

“Do you remember what I said before about knowledge and my experience with the multiverse?” Doctor Strange asked, but the question was rhetorical. “When I gained knowledge of the existence of the multiverse, I also learned more about my other selves, and their encounters; this being is but one of them. And the one fact that drove me closest to madness.”

“Very well,” Omega Red said, “It is the best lead we have so far. Operative; follow Doctor Strange’s instructions and activate the Stargate.”

“Yes sir,” an operative named Mandark replied, and began pressing buttons and touching in instructions to activate the Gate. 

The silver circle vibrated, then filled itself with a shiny disc of energy, light blue and calm, as opposed to the swirling Shadow Realm gate that had opened there before. “The connection is stable,” the operative named Mandark reported, “We’ve successfully created a stable doorway to another reality in the multiverse.”

“Excellent” Doctor Doom said, folding his arms, “This will change everything.”

“That is what I’m afraid of,” Doctor Strange said softly, “But we have no choice; not anymore.”

“I will stay behind with the operator and a small tech crew to activate the Stargate if needed,” Omega Red said, “And to defend it, should Venger decide to come back here.”

“The rest of us will depart now,” Doctor Doom said resolutely, “There is little time to lose if we want to save this world.”

They entered the Stargate and the world disappeared around them. Suddenly this adventure had gotten a whole lot bigger than any of them. And the adventure was far from over.

Chapter XII – The one where things really get out of hand

Anakin had his gaze cast down the floor, ashamed not so much of sneaking around on forbidden terrain, but rather on getting caught. A quick glance sideways learned that the others had reacted in a similar way.
They had been brought to a meeting room of some sort, though by the way things were, it would probably be used for interrogation now. Standing behind them were half a dozen guards who kept them from leaving. In front of them, seated in the chair at the edge of the table, was the armored man who had caught them before; standing next to him, arms folded across his chest was Omega Red, who looked very displeased, and confirmed that with his words: “I am very displeased.”

“We’re sorry, teacher,” Wanda said, still looking down.

“I don’t think that title qualified anymore,” Omega Red replied, “Not in this situation; you’ve seen too much for that.”

“So you are a Russian spy after all,” Gaston blurted out.

After that the room fell silent. Omega Red looked to the side, to the one seated at a table, who glanced sideways at him, but showed little emotion or response. Then Omega Red burst out into laughter, keeping his hands folded to his chest but laughing loudly. “What’s so funny?!” Gaston finally shouted, agitated at this type of response.
After a moment Omega Red calmed down again, though there was still an obvious broad smirk on his face. “I’m sorry, Gaston,” he said, “But your response struck me as funny. You seem to have gotten quite the wrong idea here.”

“They think we’re Russian spies, invaders,” the armored one concluded. But he did not laugh. 

“Of course,” Wanda said, “I mean: The secret base, the Russian teacher, all these guards; what else would this be?”

“Our last, best hope for peace,” the armored man replied calmly.

“For peace?” Zuko asked, “What are you talking about? There isn’t even a war!”

“Isn’t there?” the man replied.

“Is there?” Gaston asked.

“You should know,” Omega Red replied, “You have been a soldier in it for over two years now, though not by choice.”

“The Shadow Realm,” Zuko realized.

“Correct,” the armored man replied, “Last year young Skywalker here closed the gateway to the Shadow Realm, but that isn’t the end of this.”

“But the connection is severed,” Anakin protested, “I’m pretty sure that gateway is now permanently closed. I could sense no presence from the Shadow Realm anymore.”

“You are correct,” Omega Red replied, “That gateway has been sealed and can’t be reopened.”

“But..?” Anakin asked.

“We have reason to believe that the enemy from the Shadow Realm is still active in this world, and seeks to move against us once again,” the armored man said, “That’s why this base was founded.”

“SG-1 you called it?” Jaime Lannister asked.

“We are a government funded organization with the explicit task to form a defense against any incursion from the Shadow Realm,” the masked armored man replied, “I am General Hammond, but most address me by my nickname, Doctor Doom.”

“That’s a rather ominous and unfitting name for a US general,” Wanda commented.

“It is my online podcast name,” Doctor Doom replied.

“Your what now?” Gaston asked. He sometimes had trouble with difficult words, but he was positive he had never heard these words before. 

“They don’t know the internet yet over here,” Omega Red advised Doctor Doom, “Please refrain from telling them too much.”

“It’s not like I told them to invest in Apple,” Doctor Doom replied, to which Gaston took notice, “But you are correct; and it is not like Doom to err.” 

“SG-1 stands for Shadow Gate One, named after the former breach into our world,” Omega Red explained, “We’re dedicated to monitoring activity in the Shadow Realm and stopping any incursion into our world, before or after it occurs.”

“Have there been any incidents since the closing of the gate?” Zuko asked.

“That information is classified,” Omega Red replied, “But: Yes.”

“And now that you know, you must never leave here alive,” Doom added ominously. 

They were silent and Gaston took an involuntary step backwards at that. Had they just sealed their own fates? 

“Doom is well known for his sense of humor,” Doctor Doom said, ending the silence, “Don’t worry, you will not die today; but you will sign a document of nondisclosure. Then you will leave this base, or you will find Doom a bit less pleasant.”

“Follow me,” Omega Red said, “We’ll get things settled.”

They left the meeting room where Doctor Doom began a conference call with some yet to be disclosed people and followed Omega Red through the complex to a separate desk area, where they signed the documents of nondisclosure, stating that they wouldn’t disclose anything about SG-1, the base or anything related to it to the general public. 

“So what happens next?” Wanda asked as they were brought back to the elevator leading back to Hawkins Middle School. 

“Our operations continue, as does your school lives,” Omega Red replied, “If you run into anything out of the ordinary, or anything alarming, don’t hesitate to contact us, through me.”

Then suddenly the lights went out and immediately the emergency lights switched on. A loud siren was blaring across all the hallways. “Well, what a coincidence,” Gaston said, “That does sound rather alarming, doesn’t it?”

“What is that?” Zuko shouted at Omega Red, “What is going on?!”

“Intrusion alarm,” Omega Red said, and just then the elevator doors closed again, closing shut and shutting them out, or rather, shutting them inside the base, “The base has gone on lockdown. That isn’t good at all.”

“Don’t you mean an intruder alarm?” Wanda asked.

“No, intrusion,” Omega Red said, rushing back deeper into the base and gesturing for them to follow him, “It means there is a breach somewhere, a connection to the Shadow Realm.”

“That sounds bad,” Jaime responded, “But then why is this base going into lockdown?”

“It can mean only one thing,” their teacher replied, “The intrusion is happening here, somewhere inside this base. We’ve been compromised.”

They didn’t speak anymore after that. Omega Red’s mind was obviously occupied with the intrusion and with securing the base, and they hardly had a clue about what was going on; all they could do now was to follow him.
He brought them directly to the main room where the mysterious artificial circular object was. There were more soldiers there than they had seen before, all on high alert; Doctor Doom was there as well. “Commander Red,” he greeted.

“The intrusion alert,” Omega Red replied, without further conversation, then asked: “Do we know where the breach is?”

“There is no breach yet,” Doctor Doom replied, “But current readings indicate it will open up somewhere in this base; that makes this Gate the most likely target.”

“You plan to make a last stand here?” Omega Red asked.

“A last stand sounds like the move of a desperate man,” Doctor Doom replied, “And Doom does not make desperate moves. No, we will anticipate the enemy here, where he is likely to appear and crush him with overwhelming force.”

“You plan to take up the fight yourself?” 

“Doom does not ask what he is not willing to do himself,” Doctor Doom replied, “Our foe will learn that the hard way, as I crush him underneath my heel.” 

“Very well then,” Omega Red said, “Then I shall join you and we will wait for the enemy here. Operator Mandark, any sign of where the breach will appear yet?”

“No sir, no, none at all,” the operator named Mandark said, pressing keys on a laptop frantically, attempting to retrieve more data, “Wait, I’ve got something, sirs. A large concentration of Shadow energy. The readings are similar to last year’s incident with the boy.”

“Joker,” Zuko realized, whispering the name out loud. 

“Attempting to isolate now and get a more exact location,” the operator called Mandark went on, “Got it, sirs. It’s not inside the base, but rather above it; a large hostile is approaching via the elevator.” 

“A foolish move,” Omega Red said, “Move Teams Delta and Omikron to the entrance area; intercept and contain.”

“Yes, sir!” a voice acknowledged over the intercom.

The silence that followed was deafening and unsettling. The gathered force in the main room remained on edge, waiting for any news from the forces that had gone in to intercept this intruder. It would  be a few moments more before both forces clashed, and then all hell would really break loose.
Finally the silence was broken as the operator named Mandark gave a live update of what was happening: “Hostile force has arrived at lowest basement level; Delta and Omikron on high alert, contact in three seconds… two… one…”  there was a moment of silence and the operator went on: “Contact lost; Team Delta, Omikron, and hostile force; they’ve all disappeared!” 

“Disappeared?” Omega Red repeated, “What do you mean, disappeared? Tell me what’s going on, operator. Locate the hostile, quickly!” 

“Attempting to, sirs,” the operator called Mandark said, frantically pressing buttons and typing in command words, “Localizing… hang on…” 

Then one of the double doors leading into the main room burst open inward, torn to pieces as something forced its way through it. A large shadowy mass flowed through, then shrunk again, taking the form of a limbless black specter which hovered silently beside the hole it had just created, as if waiting for something. Or rather someone: Another figure entered the room, his skin pale as snow, dressed in a purple business suit with a matching fedora, barely masking a familiar shade of green hair. Zuko was the first to recognise their old friend: “Joker!”

“The Joker,” the Joker corrected with a smirk, “I’d like to welcome myself to your Fun House.”

“The vessel from last year,” Omega Red said, “But the connection was severed.”

“I don’t understand,” Anakin said, “Joker, what is this? I thought you returned to normal. That the thing possessing you was expelled when the portal closed.”

“Oh, you did; the ruler in the shadows had complete control over me, all I could do was watch, and commune with it; it was boring,” the Joker replied, “But all that changed when you closed that portal, Anakin.”

“Changed how?!”

“The apprentice became the master, and the master became the servant,” the Joker grinned, “Part of the shadow remained inside me, whispering, ever present; but now I was in control again. And I liked what I’d experienced and what it had to offer; the only catch was that I also liked remaining in control.”

“You sold us out,” Zuko said, “And yourself as well.”

“We struck a bargain,” the Joker grinned, “Fun times for me, and freedom for the one living in the Shadow Realm. In return it helped me, with this servant, this Shadow Demon over here.”

“I serve my master, and I serve you as long as you serve him,” the shadow creature replied.

“Po-tay-to, po-ta-to,” the Joker grinned, “It’s all boring backstory anyway. To skip right to the conclusion: Today is when your little operation ends, and when the Shadow Realm is finally cracked wide open. Isn’t that fun?!”

“This is… this is insane..!” Gaston gasped, taking a step back, “We can’t possibly beat this guy now.”

“Your cowardice and lack of will to fight is understandable,” Doctor Doom said, walking past the group and towards the smirking Joker, “But Doom does not share this sentiment. You may watch your friend get crushed.”

“You can’t do that!” Zuko shouted, “Exactly because he is our friend!”

“Can’t you restrain and capture him?” Wanda suggested, “The shadow monster is another thing altogether, but surely that’s no problem for the mighty Doom, is it?”

“Of course not,” Doctor Doom scoffed, “Don’t worry, your friend will live. Barely.”

“Fun!” the Joker laughed, “You really do enjoy underestimating your opponent, don’t you, Doom Boy?”

“When you are Doom, there is no such thing as underestimating a weaker opponent,” Doctor Doom replied, “As you are about to discover.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t claim that I am stronger than you,” the Joker laughed, “But it isn’t always the strongest that wins.”

“Doom begs to differ,” Doctor Doom replied.

“True, someone strong would crush their opponent with ease,” the Joker grinned, taking a step back to keep some distance between himself and the approaching Doctor Doom, “But a truly devious someone would bypass his opponent altogether and strike unexpectedly.”

Then Doctor Doom realized what was really going on, and that they had been tricked. He ignored the taunts of the Joker and turned around, only to see what he feared about to be realized: “No…”

Zuko turned around as well, to see what Doctor Doom was looking at, and saw Gaston, fumbling with a control panel next to the mysterious archway, pressing buttons and entering stuff. Remarkable, since Gaston wasn’t exactly an ace with technology. “No one Shyamalen Plot Twists like Gaston!” Gaston shouted, slamming a button on the control panel.

The circular contraption began to vibrate softly and started to emit a faint light blue glow. “He’s activating the Worldgate!” Omega Red shouted, “Stop it. Shut it down!”

“Unable to comply,” the operator named Mandark said, “The coordinates are already locked and he has shut us out of the system.”

“What is the destination?” Doctor Doom asked.

“The destination.. it shouldn’t be possible,” the operator named Mandark said, checking his data, to make sure he was reading it correctly, “The device is not programmed to go there, and there are safeguards in place… but it looks like it’s attempting to open a gate to the Shadow Realm!”

“What a surprise!”  the Joker laughed.

A black mass appeared within the circular object, filling it completely with a shadowy mass. Various operators attempted to shut down the device, but to no avail. The gateway had opened again. And something was about to pass through.

“Gaston, why!” Anakin shouted, “We trusted you! You came back from the dead to help us a year ago!”

“No, I didn’t,” Gaston replied, smirking at Anakin with an almost unnatural grin and with a look in his eyes that bordered madness, “You just wished he did.”

“Gaston didn’t survive that explosion that day after all, did he?” Wanda asked. But she already knew the answer.

“People die when they are killed,” the Joker grinned, “And yes, your friend died that way. Not as spectacular as a crowbar bludgeoning, but still quite a way to go: death by explosion! Bam!” 

“Controlling the dead is really no difficult task at all,” Gaston added, stepping away from the console and the gateway, “I can’t wait to meet you all in person.” Then the body collapsed, as if all life left him at once, and didn’t move again.

The dark shadowy disk that was still swirling wildly vibrated again for a moment, and then a figure stepped through, larger than any man, of seven foot tall, yet clearly humanoid. He was wearing a black and red body armor of some sort, with underneath some sort of gray robes. The face was as pale as Joker’s, but more notable were the red helmet and single horn on his head, and the large black batlike wings that sprouted from his back. “At last,” the figure spoke, with a deep and menacing voice, “I have awaited this day for so many years.”

“The one in control of the Shadow Realm,” Doctor Doom surmised, stepping forward to face this new foe.

“Bye,” the Joker said, just loud enough for some of them to hear, and used the confusion to dash out of the room, fleeing the scene. 

“Doctor Doom,” the intruder spoke slowly, calmly, “Victor. At last we meet face to face. Or, well, face to masked face.”

“You seem to have me at a disadvantage,” Doctor Doom replied calmly, “You know who I am, and that is no small surprise to me; but I do not know who you are.”

“I am called Venger,” the intruder replied, “But from you I will also accept the title ‘Master’.”

“Venger,” Anakin repeated with a whisper, “Is this the ruler of the Shadow Realm?”

“The Shadow Realm is no kingdom, but a prison, child,” Venger replied, overhearing Anakin’s words, “But every prison has its weaknesses. And when your comrade Frieza reached into this world so many years ago, it exposed one of them, gave me a small crack in the void from which I could reach into your world, and began the orchestration of  my freedom.”

“A sentence of imprisonment is better than a sentence of death, Venger,” Doctor Doom interrupted, “And by coming here you have sealed your fate.”

“Death?” Venger smirked, “That is poor comedy, Doom. But do strike out at me, if you can. I will enjoy the little show you may put up.” 

Omega Red made a hand gesture, and all soldiers in the room immediately turned their attention towards the intruder called Venger, aiming their automatic weapons and unloading entire clips at the enemy. The effect was devastating, but not to Venger, as bullets either passed straight through him, or were redirected into another direction. The result was catastrophic damage to the entire room and several soldiers dead, multiple injured.
Doctor Doom, seeing the failure of his soldiers, immediately sprang to action, raising his hand, launching an energy blast from an unknown device concealed in his gauntlet. The energy blast did not miss Venger, but impacted on an invisible barrier of some sort, where it dissipated without doing any real damage. “Charming, but futile,” Venger commented.

“Omega Red, ensure that these civilians are brought to safety and order SG-1 to evacuate,” Doctor Doom said, not taking his eyes off the powerful intruder, “Make sure you survive as well; your skills will be essential in the battle ahead.”

“And what about you, sir?” Omega Red asked, “Don’t tell me you plan on..?”

“I have already activated an emergency protocol in my suit, which has sent a self destruct command to this base,” Doctor Doom replied, “You will have time to evacuate, but someone needs to contain the threat here, to ensure he doesn’t escape before the base destructs.”

“You intend to sacrifice yourself? Nonsense!” Omega Red protested, “I will fight him!”

“A noble gesture,” Doctor Doom replied, “But futile. There is only one being in this room strong enough to keep Venger pinned here, and you are not him.”

“Very well,” Omega Red replied, residing in his superior’s command, “I will order the evacuation.”

“See to it, commander,” Doctor Doom replied, then stepped by the group to confront Venger in all seriousness. 

Omega Red quickly took charge then, ordering a series of commands to the soldiers in the room in an encoded language, but based on their reaction and on what Doom had said earlier, it was obviously a command for a hasty retreat and evacuation. “Follow me,” he then commanded Zuko and his companions, taking them with him and guiding them out of the large central room and deeper inside the base, leaving Doctor Doom alone in the room with a smirking Venger. 

“Where are we going, teacher?” Wanda asked, still referring to Omega Red as teacher, despite the revelations earlier, “This isn’t how we came in.”

“She’s right,” Jaime agreed, “The elevator is in another direction.”

“The elevator was compromised when The Joker attacked this base,” Omega Red explained, “We can’t go back that way; it would also take too long; I’m taking you to a hidden  emergency exit.”

They didn’t argue his explanation and followed along. They weren’t certain how much time they still had before the base would destruct, but it stood without doubt that it wouldn’t be too long. Finally they reached what was obviously the entrance to another elevator. Omega Red opened it with an access key card, rushed the small group of youngsters inside, then stepped in as well.
The elevator was different from the one they had entered the base with. That one was intended for normal transport, and this elevator was obviously for emergency evacuations. After they had entered, it zoomed up with an incredibly ludicrous speed, arriving at some unknown overground destination in a matter of seconds. 

“Where are we?” Cersei asked as they got out of the elevator. The place looked rather familiar, but she couldn’t quite place it. 

“This is the Hawkins Arcade,” Jaime recognised, “We came up right after Pac Man.” 

“If you’re not playing, you’re not staying,” the nameless student employee that supervised the arcade called out to them from his desk.

And so they went outside.

The Hawkins Arcade was situated on a small hill, allowing them to survey much of the town from there, to see if anything was going on. Then a rumbling sound was heard in the distance, and the ground vibrated. Zuko pointed at something, and in the distance they saw Hawkins Middle School partially exploding, then collapsing into the ground, evidence that the underground SG-1 base had indeed finally self-destructed. “I guess that takes care of the Shadow Realm and that monster,” Anakin said.

“Doom…” Omega Red said softly, mourning the loss of his commander and friend.

“You write me off far too easily, Red,” Doctor Doom said, stepping out from behind the arcade and standing next to his underling.

“You…” Omega Red gasped, “But… How did you escape that disaster?”

“I didn’t,” Doctor Doom replied, “That was a mechanical construct you’ve seen, a copy, a Doom Bot. It valiantly sacrificed itself to destroy that thing that called itself Venger.” 

“You switched places with a robot?” Omega Red asked.

“I was never there in the first place.”

The town was shaken by yet another explosion, at the same place where the school had been. There a giant ball of fire erupted from the Earth, sending pieces of building, secret base and dirt sending everywhere and revealing a massive deep crater from which a shadowy mass of clouds emerged. The mass took the form of a grinning Venger who clenched his fist in the general direction of the group at the arcade, then made an obscene gesture; then the clouds drifted apart and he was gone. And the town became eerily quiet. 

“Does that mean he is defeated?” Zuko asked.

“No,” Doctor Doom stated, “It means we have failed. And this world is lost.”

SG-1

Despite the introduction of Omega Red as the new substitute teacher, the next few weeks at Hawkins Middle School were rather uneventful. Papa Smurf didn’t return to school for several days, but when he did, the bullying had stopped, and instead he gradually developed himself as a different kind of menace altogether: a womanizer. For Zuko and his friends that didn’t matter much: they were no longer the target of his bullying, and Wanda was outside his range of interests where the opposite sex was concerned.
Still, their new teacher was doing things very differently compared to other teachers and his methods took some getting used to. There also was some distrust concerning his nationality. It was the middle of the Cold War after all, and the Soviet Union was anything but popular in the world. The childrens’ parents distrusted the Russian teacher and projected that distrust on their children. But Omega Red proved to be a strict teacher who prided both discipline and results. But at the same time he was also a fair teacher and quickly won over most of the students, despite the feelings of distrust going around.

Zuko wouldn’t have any of it and called for another group meeting, this time at school, in the currently empty gym. There wouldn’t be another class for the rest of the day so they had the room to themselves; it was a better alternative to their usual meeting spot, which was outside, but rainy weather made that less than ideal.

“All right, glad that you could all make it,” Zuko said, “We’re here to discuss our substitute teacher, Omega Red.”

“We are not all here,” Wanda corrected, “The Joker is not here; he didn’t come.”

“That’s another situation, something we need to discuss another time,” Zuko replied.

“And what about them?” Gaston asked, gesturing at the two Lannister siblings, “Why are they here?”

“A common cause,” Zuko said, “But we’ll get to that in a moment. Is it clear to everyone why we’re here?”

“You think Omega Red is a Russian spy,” Anakin said, and from the tone of his voice, he didn’t sound too convinced of that, “And you want to unmask him.”

“Exactly,” Zuko replied, not catching on to Anakin’s tone of voice, “For a while now I’ve suspected Omega Red, and I want to uncover the truth of it all.”

“The brat is correct,” Jaime Lannister said, “Omega Red is a Russian spy. I’ve seen the evidence of it with my own two eyes.”

“And my brother never lies,” Cersei added.

“Yes, yes,” Zuko said, “We’ll get to that in just a minute; but first I want to lay out my own reasons for suspecting our teacher, tell you why we’re here.”

“This ought to be good,” Gaston commented; he didn’t believe anything of Zuko’s claim at all, and considered their presence here a waste of time. 

“Quiet, Gaston,” Wanda hushed, “Tell us then, Zuko.”

“It was a few days ago,” Zuko began, “I was still at school, because, you know, I had detention so I needed to stay after class with the school caretaker. But after I was released, I got sidetracked; and I caught Omega Red; I heard him speak Russian.”

“You heard our teacher from Russia speak Russian?” Gaston taunted, “What a shocker. Well, I’ve got news for you, Zuko: My mom speaks French!”

“I know,” Zuko replied.

“That’s enough of that, Gaston,” Wanda scolded again, then turned to Zuko again: “But I have to agree with Gaston on this one, Zuko; speaking Russian is hardly anything substantial.”

“I know,” Zuko said, “But here’s the deal: I speak Russian as well.”

Gaston made a mock gasp. “You do?” He said, “Then you must be a Russian spy!”

“Gaston…” Wanda sighed.

“I took some Russian classes the last few years,” Zuko went on, “It was my mother’s idea. She thought we would be invaded by Russians before the turn of the century, so figured it would be a good skill to have; my point is: I could understand what he said.”

“And what did he say?” Jaime Lannister asked.

“He was talking to someone I couldn’t see,” Zuko said, “Said the base was nearly complete, and that they had already started to break open the dark lands.”

“That doesn’t seem to make much sense,” Wanda said, “But the bit of a base does sound worrying. Are you sure that’s what he said?”

Zuko nodded: “I am. I may have misinterpreted some words, or maybe I didn’t catch the exact proper meaning. But of that word I’m sure.”

“Then what does it mean?” Cersei asked, “Do the Russians really have something going on here? In Hawkins?”

“It could be an advance base for something larger,” Jaimie guessed, “Or maybe it is a major spy operation; there’s some important industrial areas in the next state.”

“But then wouldn’t they be in that state?” Zuko said, “It makes no sense for them to be here.”

“Assuming there is a them, not a single person,” Jaimie pointed out.

“The mention of a base seems to indicate that,” Anakin deduced, “Maybe they’re testing some sort of secret weapon; or a nerve gas.”

“But how do they get that here?” Cersei asked, “Or are they producing it here? Somewhere in the woods?”

“Oh for crying out loud!” Gaston suddenly shouted, ending the whole discussion, “The Shadow Realm! They’re after the Shadow Realm!”

“Of course,” Zuko agreed, “Dark Lands. I might have mistranslated; both words could be interpreted differently, and then it would literally mean Shadow Realm. Why didn’t I think of that until now?”

“It’s only been upsetting our lives for two years,” Gaston grumbled.

“So the Shadow Realm again,” Anakin said, “But the gateway is closed.”

“What is a Shadow Realm?” Cersei asked.

They took a moment to bring the two Lannisters up to speed with whatever had happened the last two years, telling them the whole story, incredible as it sounded. The twin siblings were skeptical, but went along with it for now. 

“So the Shadow Realm again,” Gaston said, “So, more monsters?”

“But the Shadow Realm is sealed, as Anakin pointed out,” Zuko said, “And there is no way to open it; is there?”

“The rift was opened more or less by accident by Frieza during an experiment,” Wanda said, “And Frieza is no longer here. So that won’t work.”

“There is another way,” Anakin said almost immediately, “What if the same force that could close the rift could also reopen it? Or create a new passage?”

“You talk about your own power,” Wanda guessed, “So the Russians would be here for you then?”

“I don’t think that either,” Zuko said, “Or they would have grabbed Anakin and be done with it; no, there is something more complicated to it than that.”

“A set of conditions that need to be met perhaps?” Anakin guessed.

“Wait…has anyone seen my sister?” Jaime asked suddenly; the woman had been there with them before, but she had wandered off moments ago, even he didn’t know where. And it caused him concern. 

They looked about the room, their discussion over for now as they attempted to find Jaime’s sister. Then finally, she appeared from the hallway, calling out to him: “Over here, brother. I think I have found something.”

“What is it, sister?” Jaime asked as he approached her; the others followed as well, struck with curiosity. 

“I figured we could be speculating all we wanted about this whole situation,” she said, “Or we could find some sort of evidence to back our claim; and I might have something. With me!”

They followed her out of the gym and through the school building which was already becoming more empty, given the hour was getting late in the afternoon. She brought them to an office at the far end of a hallway, which was empty and rather lacking in decoration. “Omega Red’s office,” she announced.

“That is bold,” Anakin said, “If we don’t find any proof here, this could really get us in trouble.”

“I am already ahead of you,” Cersei said, “Look out the window.”

“What good would observing the weather do here?” Jaime asked.

“Not the sky, down below, doofus,” Cersei scolded, “Omega Red specifically requested this office, I heard; so I figured there would have been a reason for that.”

“How did you know that?” Zuko asked.

Cersei smiled slyly: “A girl has her sources and her ways.”

Anakin made his way to the window, peering outside and to the grounds below, looking for anything suspicious. “And, Anakin?” Zuko asked, “Do you see anything?”

“Nothing,” Anakin said, “All I can see are the main entrance and the courtyard. There’s nothing special out there.”

“Then why would Omega Red ask for this office specifically?” Cersei asked herself, “Surely there must be some kind of reason, right?”

“Perhaps he wanted an overview of the main entrance,” Jaime suggested, “See who’s arriving at the school grounds and such?”

“Or perhaps the answer isn’t found outside, but rather inside this office,” Anakin proposed, moving away from the window, “Anything in here that seems off?”

“Nothing at first glance,” Wandy said, surveying the room, “Just that our teacher seems to have a boring taste in decorating. Almost nothing personal, just general paintings and a few sculptures. Well, all except for that one.” she pointed at a small bust on Omega Red’s desk, representing Gorbachev, the new president of the Soviet Union. It was the only patriotic symbol in the room, perhaps Omega Red was proud of his motherland after all.

“Just because it ugly doesn’t mean it’s suspicious,” Gaston said, walking up to the bust and observing it from a close distance, “But if it makes you feel better, I can accidentally drop it out of the window if you like.”

“No, don’t!” Wanda said hurriedly, “Don’t break it!”

“Why not?” Gaston asked, “He’ll probably notice, but he’ll never know it was me.”

“You’ve got a hunch, don’t you?” Zuko asked, “What is it, Wanda?”

“That bust is of Gorbachev, the new president of the Soviet Union; he took up the position only this year,” Wanda said.

“So? It’s a new bust and not an old model then,” Gaston commented.

“Gorbachev is a symbol of renewal to many in the old Soviet Union,” Wanda said, “Of change but whispers also call him the lord of shadows. It can’t be that this bust is here just because, it has to have some kind of meaning.” 

“Because a symbol of renewal and fresh starts wouldn’t make sense to a guy who has left the old Soviet Union behind to start a new life and career as a teacher in America,” Jaime said, the sarcasm was obvious. 

“Of course, of course,” Wanda said, as she continued to observe the bust, “But that’s not it, there’s more to it, I feel it. Gaston! The nose!”

“Pardon?” Gaston asked. 

“Press Gorbachev’s nose!” Wanda pressed, “It’s a symbol for release!”

“No it isn’t!” Zuko protested. But Gaston had already pressed the nose.

For a second nothing happened. Gaston opened his mouth to say something, but then the heavy mahogany desk began to vibrate and move, shoving to the side. From the floor below, a massive cabinet arose, from a solid metal of some sort, with a single opening. Then again the room was quiet as all stared in disbelief at what had just happened. “What the actual fuck?” Gaston shouted, uttering the F-Word for the first time since this story began.

“An elevator,” Anakin realized, “Hidden in the teacher’s office.”

“I’ll be damned,” Gaston said, “Something is going on after all.”

“So what do we do now?” Cersei asked, “Inform the authorities?”

“We don’t know who is bought and who is not, now that the Russians are involved,” Gaston said, and stepped inside the mysterious elevator, “Besides, we don’t know yet what is going on.”

“You can’t be serious,” Zuko said.

“Dead serious,” Gaston grinned.

“The dead part is what I’m afraid of,” Zuko sighed. But he got in the elevator as well; then the others joined him as well. It was a tight fit, but they all managed to squeeze inside. “Now what?” Zuko asked, “Is there an activation switch or something?”

“I won’t press the nose again,” Gaston protested.

“Hang on,” Anakin said, spotting something on the wall and touching it, “I think I’ve found it…”

The response was almost instantaneous: The doors of the mysterious elevator closed and the cabinet disappeared into the floor again, yet not as slow as it had emerged, but rather at an incredible speed, forcing everybody to hold on to the walls to keep their balance.
Despite the intense speed, the ride down seemed to take forever, at least over a minute. Then the elevator slowed down and came to a more gradual stop. The doors opened again, revealing an underground passageway that seemed modern and militaristic. 

“This is below our school?” Jaime said, “I always knew the education system was corrupt.”

“This isn’t part of the school anymore, Jaime,” Wanda said, “But it is amazing that this is down here, hidden right underneath our noses. What do you think the purpose of this place is?”

“Invasion,” Gaston said resolutely, “This is huge; much too large for a simple spying operation.”

“Do we go back now?” Cersei asked, “Or press on?”

“We go further,” Zuko said, “Whatever this place is, there aren’t a lot of people here; we have a chance to snoop around and find out more before we alert the police.”

They agreed to keep on exploring this mysterious underground base but also to turn back if things got too dangerous. If this was indeed an underground Russian operation, then they didn’t count on getting caught, or security would have been much, much stricter. Most likely, this base of operations cost enough funding as it is, and spending even more on manpower would be beyond any budget; not to mention that a sudden increase of Russian speaking folk in a town called Hawkins would no doubt gain some unwanted attention.
As they explored deeper into the base, they did run into more people, a scarce scientist, and even some people in military uniforms, but there were still few of them so they could hide themselves easily and avoid being seen. That became more difficult when a duo of soldiers wearing weapons approached, obviously a patrol of some sort. Anakin hinted in silence and they fled into a small room, allowing the two guards to pass by without finding them.

“This is getting risky,” Anakin whispered, “They almost caught us.”

“Should we go back?” Wanda whispered.

“Perhaps it’s for the better,” Zuko whispered, “I don’t think we can go much further than this. There’s too many guards in this part of the base.”

“I agree,” Wanda said, “If we show the police the elevator, they have to believe us anyway.”

“Guys, wait up,” Cersei said, “Come here.”

Cersei gestured to a window on the opposite side of the room. Apparently they had been hiding in a monitoring station of some sort, surveying a much larger room below. They gathered near the window and peered down, trying to get a glimpse of what was going on down below.
The room was massive, yet at the same time very empty, apart from a massive device at the far end, a circular metal archway of some sort with all sorts of symbols carved into it; they were too far away to be able to read them. Some soldiers were patrolling the edges but otherwise the room was empty. “What in blazes is that?” Zuko asked.

“That would be the Stargate,” a man in armor with green robes said, his face obscured by a mask, “And you are trespassing at SG-1.”

Chapter X – Smurf, do you copy?

Several months had passed since the events involving the Shadow Realm and the inevitable cover up that followed and the town was preparing for an Easter celebration unlike any other. Hawkins Labs had been closed permanently, with no need for the government to be there anymore, and the kids had resumed business  as usual.
The group had gathered outside of town, at their usual gathering spot. They eyed the dirt path leading back to Hawkins a bit more often than usual, but this time, no strange monster plants emerged. Gaston had recovered quite nicely, completely restored from his near death experience with those same monsters. 

“So thank you all for coming here today,” Zuko said, “We’ve gathered here because of an ongoing issue that still hasn’t been resolved.”

“Papa Smurf,” Wanda stated.

“Yes,” Zuko confirmed, “Though I really do dislike that nickname.”

“It really is stupid, I agree,” Wanda replied.

“He is your brother,” Gaston said.

“Adopted,” Wanda corrected.”

“He’s continued bullying people ever since, even during the Christmas celebration,” Zuko said, “Even regular bullies aren’t this bad, not all the time.”

“So we agree then?” Gaston said, “This time we take action?”

“What about Joker?” Wanda asked.

“Yes, we’ll have to deal with that sooner or later as well,” Zuko agreed. He thought back of that situation a few months ago, after the gate to the Shadow Realm had been sealed. The Joker was free of the influence that had taken over his mind, but he still seemed changed somehow, distant, and troubled. Eventually he broke away from the group a few weeks later and became best friends with Papa Smurf, sharing a joint desire of bullying. The Joker wasn’t as cruel as Papa Smurf, but still, he was earning himself quite a reputation. “But let’s focus on Papa Smurf first,” Zuko suggested.

“Agreed,” Wanda said, “Maybe teaching Papa Smurf a lesson will help temper the Joker as well.”

“Perhaps,” Anakin said, “I still have doubts about this.”

“Let’s continue brainstorming a little longer then,” Wanda suggested, “Maybe we can come up with something good.”

The group remained in their gathering place a while longer. But meanwhile, in a different part of the woods outside of Hawkins, the objects of their discussion were making their way towards them. Papa Smurf had caught wind of the little group scheming and wanted to give them a good scare. And the Joker was there with him, being the one who had tipped him off, after all. 

“So you’re still they’re in these woods?” Papa Smurf asked, breaking the silence. 

“Of course,” the Joker grinned, “Plotting and scheming; hoping to humiliate you in public.”

“We’ll see who gets humiliated,” Papa Smurf replied, “I’ll put the fear of god into them.”

“But of course,” the Joker smirked, “It’s going to be so much fun!”

“So they’re hiding at their usual gathering place then?” Papa Smurf asked, “The hilltop just out of town?”

“Oh no no,” the Joker said, “We need to take a right turn soon; they know you know, so they’re gathering in a different place now.”

“Oh,” Papa Smurf said, a bit confused, “Very well then. Take me there. You know them better than I do, after all.”

“Oh, I do,” the Joker grinned, “You’re in for a whole new experience, Papa Smurf.”

The duo continued on, deeper into the woods and further away from the town of Hawkins, following the Joker’s directions, who was clearly guiding the smaller bully somewhere. The terrain was becoming less and less familiar as they progressed and at some point even Papa Smurf began wondering if the kids were really all that far out there. “Just a little further,” the Joker said, as if sensing his companion’s doubt, “There’s a clearing ahead; that’s where we need to be.”

They reached the clearing and found it to be completely empty. Papa Smurf walked to the center of the clearing, looking around himself, his eyes gazing over the edge, examining it, but he found no trace of the little group, or anyone for that matter. “Joker?” he asked, still an eye on the treeline, “Is this another one of your jokes?”

“Oh no,” the Joker grinned, stepping back, “This is me being deadly serious.”

“You tricked me?” Papa Smurf shouted, turning back to face his pale skinned companion.

“I would focus less on me, and more on what’s coming for you,” the Joker grinned, pointing at something behind Papa Smurf.

Papa Smurf turned around to see what the Joker was pointing at but the beings facing him were something he had never seen before. They were humanoid in appearance, yet had the bodies of turtles, giant, human sized turtles. They wore Japanese-looking weapons and multi-colored bandanas, but not more in regards to clothing other than that. They were simply standing there, watching him, staring. “What is this?” Papa Smurf asked, “Some kind of freak show? That does match your expertise, Joker.” 

“I’m sorry, Papa Smurf, but for my master to triumph, you must die,” the Joker grinned, “Actually I’m not sorry at all.”

“Joker, I will..-” was all Papa Smurf could say, before one of the turtles approached, bringing down its foot and crushing the bully to a pulp underneath. The turtles said nothing, but simply looked at the Joker, as if waiting for a response. 

“Well done, Turtles,” the Joker complimented, “Now return to the woods; I will call for you when I need you, but for now, stealth is of the essence.” 

The turtles nodded and leapt up into the trees, disappearing from sight. The Joker took one last look at what was left of Papa Smurf, smirked, then left as well. Big things were about to happen in this little town. And the world would be forever different afterwards.

The next day the group of youngsters returned to school. Their meeting to discuss what to do about the Papa Smurf situation had been fruitless, in the end they couldn’t agree on a solution or way of dealing with things. Much to their surprise, Papa Smurf wasn’t present at school that day, he had been reported sick; that by itself was something special, since Papa Smurf had never had a sick day ever since joining school. They speculated about what was going on, but eventually concluded that even the local bully wasn’t invulnerable.

Another something special happened that morning; their usual teacher, Gomez Adams, wasn’t there; instead the school director, Mr. Coulson, addressed the class, which was an unusual thing. 

“Good Morning class,” Director Coulson began, “I have some unfortunate news to share with you this morning. Your teacher, Mr. Adams, won’t be back for the rest of the school year. An urgent family matter came up, so he has consulted me and we’ve agreed to grant him an exceptional leave of absence, so he can return to his family home. Mr. Adams expects this situation to last for several months, making it difficult for him to return as a teacher this year.”

There was some turmoil and discussion in the class. Mr. Adams had been a popular teacher and for some in the class he had been their teacher for several years. Director Coulson was silent for a moment, allowing the students to process their emotions and surprise, then scraped his throat, asking for silence again. “We have found a substitute teacher on a short notice. But even though this new teacher is officially a substitute, you can expect him to be your teacher for the remainder of the school year. In addition, Mr. Rossovich is Russian in origin, so you might notice a bit of an accent in his speech; please remain polite and accept this, as you would do with any other.”

Some in the class nodded. Others couldn’t care less.

“Well then, thank you for your time, and good luck today, class,” Director Coulson said, then left the classroom to do other important director stuff. As he left, he passed someone who was waiting in the hallway. “Good luck, Mr. Rossovich,” they could hear him say just as he left the room.

The class fell silent when a hulking giant of a man stepped into the room, measuring at least two meters in height, with long blonde hair tied in a ponytail. His skin was a grayish pale color, but what stood out most, besides the imposing figure, was that he wasn’t wearing a traditional teacher’s outfit, but rather stepped into the classroom in a full red and white combat armor. What on Earth had they told him about this school? Or was this a Russian thing? 

“My god,” Zuko whispered to Wanda, “That guy is huge.”

“Yes…” Wanda smiled, a blush on both her cheeks.

“Greetings, students!” their new teacher greeted them. Indeed, he had a heavy Russian accent, and a dominating heavy voice, “I am your new teacher as of today; you may address me as Teacher or as Omega Red.”

There was a brief moment of silence, the class was completely overwhelmed at their Russian substitute teacher in armor. “Any questions?” he asked.