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.