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"Big base, hard working conditions, weird looking leader that looks like his own guys..." Mirka said as she jotted notes down in her small notepad. She was hiding at a bush with Anna, hidden enough to not get seen but close enough to know whats happening at Goop's base. In fact, this was a disguise bush, given by the organization that both Anna and Mirka work on, literally called The Organization.

"Sounds like a 9 to 5 job on crack." Anna commented.

"I think this is all we can mainly get. Let's raid him next month-ish." Mirka stated.

"Alright, lead the way girl!" Anna said.

Mirka opened a portal using her wristwatch, which led back to the lobby of The Organization. Both Mirka and Anna packed their stuff and went back.

—The Goop—

"Hmm.."

Goop sighed, thinking while he stared through his window. He was on the top floor of his newly built base.  He was in a giant room with tall glass windows that made him see everything outside.  Inside the room was a large table that contained papers, specifically secret files.  A sleek black laptop laid on top of it all.

However, as he continued staring, seeing his minions working, he noticed something. He's the main one giving orders and doing things around here, which is getting rather overwhelming with his rapidly growing army.

That, of course, was to the amusement of the man, but even he admitted that he couldn’t do it all by himself anymore.  He stepped away from the window and went to the announcement mic, tapping it thrice and clearing his throat.

"Attention! I’m providing an opportunity to become my assistant.  This job will replace your current one, and entails helping me with projects and giving orders.  If you are interested in this, come to my office for an interview." Goop spoke in the mic, turning it off after.  He could hear the confusion among his minions as they ran around and screamed.

—5 minutes later—

Only 3 minions came to his office.  Goop scowled.

"You will also get breadsticks." He spoke into the microphone.

Suddenly, a whole stampede of minions came into his office.  They lined up at the door, along the walls, and got comfortable on the floor.

Goop smirked and sat down at his desk, ushering the first minion forward.

"What is your name, what can you do?" Goop asked.

"I'm Minion #36, and I’m ok with computers." He said, tapping his chin.

"Show me."

Minion #36 pulled a laptop seemingly out of nowhere, opening it excitedly.  He waited a few seconds and started banging his head on the laptop's keyboard.

"HEY!  STOP THAT!" Goop screamed.

"Oh, sorry sir." The minion said, frowning.

"Next." Goop said through gritted teeth, which was enough to signify for Minion #36 to leave.  "My sincerest apologies for that." Goop sighed and smiled.  “Tell me about yourself.”

"I’m Minion #89, and I read books."

"Seriously? That’s it?  What do you think that’s going to do?" Goop said, completely and utterly unimpressed.  He was just about ready to send this guy away when he spoke again.

"Well, I can translate different languages quickly and accurately." Minion #89 said with full confidence.

Goop thought for a moment.  “Maybe not as an assistant, but I believe your talents can be put to good use.  You can be our translator.”

Minion #89 nodded curtly and walked away.  Goop shifted around some papers on his desk and looked up, his eyebrows raising at the familiar face.  It was Minion #1.

"Ah, it's you! Make me proud today!” Goop said and smiled.

Minion #1 smiled back, his tone and maneuvers humble.  "I know a lot of different battle tactics, and, well, I already give orders to most of the other minions.  But only when they need some shaping up!" Minion Number #1 said a bit sheepishly.  Goop looked at him for a moment, then gave a hearty laugh.

“I like your attitude!  Is there anything else?”

"That's about it, sir." Minion #1 said.

“Well, you’re not much of an assistant fit, but I find your moxie amusing.  Just keep up the good work.” Goop said simply.

Minion #1 smiled and waved, leaving the office quickly.  Another Minion came up to him.

"Who are you, and what do you do?" Goop asked.

"Uhh. Uhhhhhhh." The Minion said nervously, fidgeting with his fingers.

“I don't have all day." Goop said, eyebrows furrowed.

"I'm Minion #16, and I’m good with computers....?" Minion #16 said, trailing off and avoiding eye contact.  The tension in the air made the Minion wonder if he truly even knew what a computer was.

"...."

Goop was silent.

"I will give you a chance, but do NOT, and I mean, do NOT, start banging your head to the keyboard." Goop said, his hands balling up into fists that remained firm on his desk.

"Sweet! Thanks!" Minion #16 said happily and pulled out another laptop out of nowhere.  He was using its keyboard and trackpad correctly, so Goop was already impressed.

However, upon closer inspection, it looked like he was playing a game on it.

"Are you playing a game?" Goop asked, and despite his seemingly calm tone, was absolutely seething with rage. He grabbed the laptop and saw multiple games had been downloaded on it.

"I'M SORRY!!! YOU NEVER GIVE ME BREAKS!!!!" Minion #16 got on his knees and pleaded.

Goop looked down at him.

"Go."

"PLEASE!!!" Minion #16 pleaded once more.

"I SAID GO!" Goop shouted, his hands slamming on the table.

Minion #16 scrambled from his knees and ran out of Goop’s office.  Some other minions in line might have even noticed him tearing up a bit.

Goop sighed, and another minion went up to him.

"So, I’m Minion #42, and I can-" He started, but was interrupted by Goop.

“No, the meeting's canceled.  Tell everyone to get back to work."

He could hear the minions in the room collectively mumble and whisper, but he remained put.  He waited until everyone left.  He was alone.

Suddenly, he slammed one of his hands against the desk, causing it to shake.  He sat back down and rubbed his temple.

Why couldn’t they just give him what he wanted, he wondered?  It was so simple.  Goop was rather stressed by this outcome.

—5 hours later—

Goop stood at the front of one of his battleships.  He looked over the horizon, ignoring the insolent chatter of his minions.  They knew little when going into this raid, other than the fact that this planet's population consisted mostly of leeches.  Just in case, they all came with salt.  Most of the actual planet consisted of a dense marshland, and it seemed like just a gloomy place to be.  The cool, yet salty air made Goop’s nose scrunch up.

They eventually landed on the planet, and his minions started preparing a temporary base.

"Where do we go, sir?" Minion #1 asked, approaching Goop from behind.

"That way." Goop pointed at a sign which literally said "that way".  Upon closer inspection, it was pointing to a nearby village.

Minion #1 nodded and turned away, going to the other minions and telling them the news.  They all continued to chatter.

After some of the minions were done building the temporary base, they went to go attack the village. Most of the residents of the village were unarmed, so Goop's army conquered the village very fast. After that, the minions started stealing stuff from the houses and gathering many useful things for the future battles.

"Well done everyone, that might have been the fastest raid we have ever done." Goop said, standing up tall and addressing the minions.

"How about we throw a damn party?" Minion #2 shouted, and everyone started cheering.

"Hold it.” Goop put a hand up, which practically froze all of the minions in place.  “We still have  work to do.  We have to build a shield around us, in case somebody attacks us unexpectedly."

Everyone collectively groaned and looked at the ground.

"I'll add breadsticks to the food roster instead of noodles." Goop said.

And like clockwork, all the minions got to building.

"...Always works." Goop mumbled under his breath.

—10 minutes later—

Everyone was eating breadsticks and noodles in front of the destroyed village. The minions were all chatting.

Goop stood in his temporary base and planned something by writing on a huge paper. He had another minion with him in the base, which is Minion #7, the spy.

"So Sir, what would you like me to do?" Minion #7 asked, smirking.

"Just explore anything around. Take this walkie talkie and give me updates.” Goop threw a walkie talkie to Minion #7, who caught it swiftly.  He turned around to move, but Goop spoke up and he stopped in his tracks. “And I will also get a soldier to assist with you, in case of anything" Goop said.

Minion #7 looked visibly disappointed, but didn’t say much.  "Just don't pair me with Benjamin. He's really loud.”

Goop opened his mouth to speak, but was at a loss for words.  He pointed to just outside of the tent, to a minion that had already finished eating their lunch.  Goop stepped out to speak to him, and when the two returned, the minion was arguing with Goop.

“But, boss! I still have other stuff to do!!" Minion #123 pleaded.

"Oh yeah? What kind of other stuff?" Goop tilted his head, annoyed.

"Uhm, uhhhhhh."

"Exactly. Go with him, and if I hear anymore complaining, it’ll be your head." Goop said and went back to his desk.

Minion #123 was thoroughly silenced, but looked shaken up by the threat.  Minion #7 opened the tent entrance and ushered Minion #123 out, then bowed and smirked.

“You’re such a gentleman.” Minion #123 said, rolling his eyes.

Minion #7 dusted his shoulder.  “Don’t mention it.”

The two made their way to the tent with all the armor, and started sifting through it.

"Tough luck, eh?" Minion #7 asked with a cocked eyebrow.

"Don't even get me started." Minion #123 said tiredly.

The two shuffled around the tent for a bit, but found nothing of use.

“Looks like we’re out of luck.” Minion #123 crossed his arms and looked over at Minion #7.

“Guess we’ll have to wing it.  I know I’ll be fine, but you might need a knight in shining armor to protect you.” Minion #7 smirked, inching towards Minion #123, who only scoffed and rolled his eyes.

After a bit, they both went around the forest, wandering to see if there's anything that might be stalking.

"You know, I have a bad feeling that someone's watching us." Minion #123 said nervously.

Minion #7 huffed.  “Let's hope not.  I mean, the most I've got was 5 minute self defense training that I got a few months ago."

"Then why the hell are you a spy?  Doesn’t that make you under qualified?” Minion #123 asked.

Minion #7 shrugged.  "That's all they had. Plus, free food, and it's just easy to do.” He counted off on his fingers. “You could just walk around the same location over and over again and Goop wouldn't even care.

"How much food does he give you??" Minion #123 asked.

"Thrice the amount that you goons get. I used to only have one meal per day." Minion #7 answered confidently.

"No way! Why do I get to only have one meal by slaving away, building stuff and constantly killing anything that breathes, but you get to have three by just walking around in circles???" Minion #123 argued, clearly upset.

Minon #7 laughed.  "Sucks for you pal! But, I guess spies risk their lives more since we don’t usually have any weapons.”

Minion #123 looked down at the ground, dejected.

"Is Goop at least hiring spies right now?" Minion #123 asked, looking back up at Minion #7, who rubbed the back of his neck.

"Nope.” He popped the ‘P’.  “He's kinda budgeting us cuz’ so many people wanna be spies.” Minion #7 shrugged.

"Aww.." Minion #123 said, sadly.

“But if you were a spy, I don’t think I’d be able to focus on my work anymore.” Minion #7 took Minion #123’s hand in his own, kissing the top of it with a wink.  The only response he got was a push and an exasperated sigh.

—Goop's base—

"I want everyone to line up, I'm choosing who's going to go with me. We'll be going to another village, as one of our spies has located another one." Goop said, instructing all the Minions. They lined up horizontally in front of him.

"You, go get your stuff." Goop pointed at a Minion.

"Come on! You always pick me!!" Minion #500 pleased.

"Then you shouldn't be such a good soldier." Goop said. Minion #500 let out a sigh after and went to get his equipment.

"Anyways, you, you and you, go. I haven't seen you three do anything at all." Goop pointed at three different Minions, which were also the least picked out of all them. They immediately listened to Goop's orders and went to the base to get their equipment.

—2 hours later—

The other villages had already been burnt to the ground, and the Minions retreated back. But Goop stayed for a bit more, looking at the burning village.


He stood still, his hands linked firmly behind his back. It was sort of funny, actually. It filled him with adrenaline.

They thought they had a chance. His Minions, for once, had made good work of this place. But still, he needed an assistant. He sighed, rubbing the bridge of nose slowly. Then he heard a rustle. His head shot up and he looked around. He caught a glimpse of a figure running behind a tree.

“Come out.” He said sternly. He stood like a pillar as he watched a figure shuffle out from behind the tree.

She was tall and thin, with deadly pale skin. She had a hunch and sported glasses that covered her big, tired eyes. Her hair was jet black, falling over her back in big swoops. Almost like tentacles, of some sort.

Goop brushed it off. He stared at her.

“Funny seeing someone else here.“ She spoke, her voice coming out bland, and almost automated.

She was unable to continue before Goop raised his hand in the air.

“I’ll do the talking here.”

She didn’t react. He scowled, picking up a few loose sprinkles of salt from the floor and throwing them in her face. She hissed, clutching the spot where the salt had been thrown tightly with her hand.

“That’ll get a damn reaction out of you.”  He sneered, but he straightened up upon seeing her reaction.

She was a leech. But like, a human one! He hadn’t seen very many of those here! Was she special? How was she different from the rest?

He thought more.

The idea came to Goop in a stroke of brilliance.  She looked smart. Could she make a better assistant than his minions? Well, that wasn’t a hard thing to accomplish. Of course, he had just been looking in all the wrong places!

However, Goop was snapped out of his thoughts as the girl shuffled through her pockets, looking for something. She was just about to pull something out, but Goop was faster. He reached into his side, pulling out a blaster. He held it to her forehead. Her hands steadily retreated back to her side. Her face, however, didn’t seem to portray many emotions.

Goop scoffed and rolled his eyes.

“Listen here, worm, I’ve got a deal for you.” He started. “I’m looking for an assistant to help me out around my lab. I think you’d be a great fit!” Goop smiled, giving a very false sense of security.

“Well, it’s not like you’ve got much of a choice, anyways.” He sneered, moving the blaster slightly as he spoke, causing it to click.

But when she didn’t respond, he motioned his head to the side, and what he revealed was a vastly burning landscape. The marshland had been heavily trashed, and dried up leeches peppered the ground. She wordlessly nodded.

—Nor—

Nor's eyes shot open. He sat in… In a what? He looked around. It was all black. He was the only one there.

He gulped, slowly getting up. He reached down, trying to touch the ground. But what greeted him was different. Different and unexpected.

He blinked, and what stood just below his knees was a small, colorful bushel of flowers.

He touched the ground again, and this time what sprouted from his hands was a small tree. He laughed, but still remained uneasy. He simply ran his hand through the air, feeling no resistance as he painted a bright picture.

In a matter of seconds, the bleak room became warm and friendly. There were flowers, grass, trees, and even a bright sky! Nor smiled, his excitable gaze following the birds. They made no noise.

Then he stopped for a moment, in consideration. He gently grazed the space in front of him, and he got exactly what he was thinking of. In front of him appeared Stretcher, smiling wide and waving to Nor.

Nor beamed, laughing heartily.

“Aw man, this is awesome!” He breathed out in between laughs.  “But, where am I?”

Saying that seemed to trigger something.

All the joy from the scene came to a screeching halt.

He looked down at his hand.

“Where am… I?” He asked quietly, bringing his hand up to the sun.

Well, at least it was. He grimaced as the landscape grew darker. Colder.

The sun, the birds, even Stretcher, had disappeared.

The previously white and fluffy clouds had turned a dark gray.  He looked around.

He felt a shiver go straight through his spine.  He could almost see his breath in the air.

“Hello.” A small voice said.

Nor looked to where he heard the voice. He looked behind and saw a small monochrome looking figure that sort of looked like him, but also didn’t at the same time.  He had some noticeable features that resembled Nor, but also some other that made him different.

Nor slowly waved back at him.


The figure didn’t say anything. It only stared back at him. Nor was creeped out, to say the least.

“H-Hello?” He tried his best to smile.

“Do you ever feel like you have no control over yourself?” The figure asked, tilting its head to the side.

“Excuse me?” He hesitated before speaking.

“Do you ever feel like you have no control over yourself?” The figure asked again, their voice the slightest bit more firm.

Nor shivered. “I… No? I guess not?”

“Are you sure?” The figure got closer. Nor stepped back.

“Yes..” His voice trailed off.

“Do you believe that the events that occur in your life are natural?” The figure’s head tilted even more.

Nor stayed silent.

“You are unsure. I can tell. You hesitate, and waste my time. I’d like for you to answer.” If the figure had teeth, they’d be gritted.

Nor felt the beads of sweat roll off of his forehead as the speed of his breathing increased.

“Who are you?” He asked desperately.

“You.” They said simply.

“What?”

“I am a manifestation of your negative emotions. You summoned me.”

“No I didn’t.” Nor whispered.

“Yes you did.” The figure insisted.

“No I didn’t! What do you want?” Nor shouted, his confusion turning to desperation and anger.

“It’s not about what I want, Nor. Not everything is as pretty as it seems in your little life.”

Nor didn’t respond again.


“But you know that now. I can sense your fear. You won't get far.”

—Nor—

Nor suddenly woke up, breathing heavily and eyes darting around his room like a maniac.

Stretcher, who was on the computer, looked back at Nor.  "Are you okay?? What happened????" Stretcher asked, hopping over to Nor.

Nor took a few moments to respond, but his breathing remained heavy and labored. "It was.... He looked black and white."

Those were the only words that managed to escape his mouth.

"What? Did you have a nightmare or something?" Stretcher asked, bouncing over to Nor’s bedside.

Nor looked over at Stretcher, eyes wide.  “I don't know.”

Stretcher put a hand on Nor’s shoulder, coaxing him to continue.

"I saw a guy that looked like me, but he was all black and white, and like, smaller?"

Stretcher thought for a few seconds, then reached over and gave Nor a big hug.  Nor hugged back.

"T-Thanks…” Nor breathed out, Stretcher shuddering as a small tear fell onto him.

After Stretcher had finished comforting Nor, he eventually spoke up.

"Tell me again, what was it?”

"Uhm...I had a dream of a happy and sunny place, and I even saw you waving at me! But after a while, everything just suddenly turned black. I heard a voice behind me and then I saw a black and white version of me. But he looked really off. He said something like "I have no control over myself, I don't remember what he said after." Nor explained with a sigh.

"That's...... That's really weird.” He thought for a moment.  “Maybe this is something bigger.  Maybe this has something to do with all the alternate universes you’ve talked about before." Stretcher said, his fingers on his chin.

"I mean, he said he was made because of me and my negative emotions.” Nor looked down at his hands, clenching and unclenching them slowly.

"Whatever it was, it's alright now, I'm here for you." Stretcher said in a more hushed tone.  Nor smiled.

"Thanks a lot. Maybe we should discuss it with Scarlet and John, maybe they would know?"

"That seems like a good idea!  Let's go ask them." Stretcher said, him and Nor making their way downstairs.

First, they dialed up Scarlet.

"Hey Scarlet." Nor said.

"Hey Nor! Whatcha calling me for?" Scarlet asked, her voice crackling through the phone.

"Well, uhh, I just want you to come down to my house for a sec. I, uh, me and Stretcher need to talk about something with you.  And John." Nor quickly.

Scarlet remained silent for a few seconds, seemingly shocked.  "Alright, sure, I guess. But is it alright if I bring Nohr along too?" Scarlet asked.  Nor and Stretcher exchanged glances.

"We don't mind." Nor said.

"Alright, thanks!  Be there in a minute." Scarlet said, hanging up.

“Good to see those two are getting along!” Stretcher commented happily, Nor smiling in agreement as he searched for John’s number in his phone.

"Hey, do you think that John would know about all this alternate universe stuff? I mean, after all, he looks much more different than us two." Stretcher asked.

"I don't know.”  Nor shrugged sadly.  “But, he seems to be really oblivious about this world." Nor said.

"That is true." Stretcher nodded thoughtfully.

Nor called up John after Stretcher.

"What?" John snapped into the phone, causing Nor and Stretcher to cackle a bit.

"Can you come down here? We gotta talk about something.  Scarlet’s coming too." Nor said.

"About what?"

"Alternate universes." Nor said, quite serious, but John just laughed.  Nor and Stretcher exchanged bewildered glances.

"Pfft, finally!  I mean, uh, yeah, actually here is.  Knew that, duh."

"But can you come?" Nor asked.

"....Fine.."

"Okay, thanks!" Nor said and hung up.

—5 minutes later—

Scarlet approached Nor's house with Nohr getting a piggyback ride from her. She pressed the doorbell, giving John a quick smile as he joined beside her.  The sassy man only gave a sigh, digging his hands deeper into his pockets.

Nor opened the door, seeming a bit panicked.

"Hey everyone, you guys can take a seat anywhere." Nor said, rushing back into the house and running around like a mini tornado before finally taking a seat on a stool.  Stretcher sat contently beside him.

Scarlet proceeds to take a seat on the couch with Nohr on her lap, while John stands behind the couch, crossing his arms. They both give each other confused glances, none the wiser as to why Nor called them over in such a panic.

"So, uhm, what are we gonna talk about?" Scarlet asked.

"Oh, right, right. Don’t you guys think everything has been too weird recently? I mean, except for John, he already knows this place is weird." Nor said.

The two gave each other another set of confused looks.

"I mean, not really." Scarlet said, shrugging.

John shook his head.

"Nope." Stretcher said simply.

"Spaghetti!" Nohr jumped up excitedly, quickly getting settled down by Scarlet.

"Well, what are the chances?  Could all of us, all from significantly different worlds, be in the same room together, at the same time? No, it feels weird to think about. Something's going on.” Nor sighed.  “Me and Stretcher, maybe not so much, but for John because he remembers what his old world was.  But Scarlet doesn't because she wasn't sentient yet."

The room was silent, and everyone looked at each other or the floor.  Scarlet and John both seemed bothered by the frankly offhand comments, but didn’t say anything.

“I guess McDonalds doesn’t pay for your meds, does it?-“ John teased before getting swatted on the arm by a very stern Scarlet, who shook her head and gave him a look that said ’shame on you’.

John laughed uneasily.  “I'm starting to get what you mean, but I’m not too sure.”

"Like, something's controlling us? Something's controlling this world? Like we're in some sort of story?" Scarlet said, grunting quietly as Nohr climbed up on her shoulder and sat there.

"Yeah! Kind of like that!” Nor perked up.  “Actually, speaking of that, I had a dream where I saw someone who said something like that.  He said he was created by my negative emotions, and that this world, I guess, isn’t natural?  And that I have no control?” Nor explained with a shrug.

“Are you sure you aren’t just stressing so much it’s affecting your sleep?” John inquired with a raised eyebrow.

“I’m one hundred and ONE percent sure it’s real!” Nor snapped back, to which John looked away and raised his hands.

“Then maybe you can try to talk to this ‘guy’ again, when you’re sleeping or something.”

"Yeah, but he's kind of scary." Nor rubbed the back of his neck and avoided John’s judgemental gaze.

John deadpanned.  "Come on, he's probably just trying to tell you something.   Maybe you should think of the greater good here."

"Yeah, but-" Nor started, but got interrupted when Nohr scrambled off of Scarlet and ran to the kitchen.  The group was silent until they heard the distinct noises of pots, pans, and boiling water.  They all slowly turned to look at Scarlet, who laughed nervously.

"Oh!  Uhm, haha, sorry, I'll get him." Scarlet said, getting off the couch quickly and going after Nohr.

“Well, at least we’re eating good today.” John said wistfully and turned back to Nor.

"Uh, anyways, what if like....” Nor thought for a moment.  “He did say he's made from my negative emotions. What if it's bad??" He finally asked.

John looked at him like he had three heads.  “Do you not know what the word ‘negative’ means?  It’s only a dream, after all, there isn’t even anything he can do.  I mean, maybe he’d somehow get out, but I doubt it.” He brushed it off.

"...Okay." Nor said hesitantly, somewhat disturbed by the thought of the mysterious person escaping his mind.

Scarlet eventually came back into the living room, carrying Nohr in her arms like a baby. "Anything I missed?" She asked as she sat back down.

"Do you think that guy from my dreams could get out of my head?" Nor frantically asked, John silently cursing at himself for getting the yellow fellow riled up.

"Ehh, not really." Scarlet said, making an ‘iffy motion with her hand.

Nor sighed.  "I guess that marks the end of this conversation then.  You guys want food or anything like that?”

"Sure, why not?" Scarlet shrugged and smiled.  “Can we use the TV?” Scarlet looked over at Stretcher, who had been silent the entire time.  He gave a quick and absentminded thumbs up and she grabbed the remote and started watching the TV with Nohr.

"I’d rather cook my own food.  Do you even know any more recipes other than scrambled eggs or hotdogs?" John asked.

"Nope." Nor declared confidently.

"Guess I'll stay then. Do you know what a computer is?"

"Yeah, I have one upstairs in me and Stretcher's bedroom. If you wanna use it, you can." Nor said as he shuffled around the kitchen cabinets.

"Oh wait, not yet. I’m kinda busy with something on it." Stretcher said.

"I can wait.  I have to get my daily reward in League of Legends.” John stated.

"Oh, maybe I can buy one for you at your house!  There's a store near us anyways, do you want the money for it?" Nor asked excitedly.

John shrugged.  "Sure, I'll get it after I’m out of here."

—10 hours later—

"Goodnight Stretcher!" Nor chirped as he settled down in his bed and tucked in his blanket.

"Goodnight Nor! Sweet dreams!" Stretcher said, continuing to stare out of the window.

—Nor?—

Nor’s eyes opened.  Everything around him was a shade of red and pink.  What is this, where was he?

"Hello." A mysterious voice said, kind of echoing.

THE mysterious voice.

Nor looked around frantically to find where the voice came from, but got nothing.

"...What do you want? What do you want from me?" Nor breathed out slowly.

Faster than he could blink, a figure suddenly appeared in front of Nor.  The same figure.

"Do you wanna know the truth?" The figure asked.

"What??" Nor said, confused.

"Lucifer." The figure simply said.

"Huh?? Don't bring him into this! What could he possibly be doing??" Nor said, getting defensive.

"No. Not that. A key.”

Nor pondered for a bit, then spoke, "But why?"

"Someone made you, Nor. They're controlling you.  And your friends." The figure said.

"Wh-what do you mean??" Nor said, overwhelmed with confusion.

"Where do you think Scarlet came from?" The figure asked.

"I mean, I guess from here?? Or another world???" Nor guessed.

"There's a reason why she was trying to kill you, Nor." The figure said.

"Yeah, but like, we're good friends now! Nothing can possibly happen between us!!" Nor said in a desperate attempt to reassure himself.

"Are you sure? Think again." The figure said.

Nor thought about it for just about 5 seconds. "Well, what about John?? He said he's from another world, but he didn't straight up try to kill me!"

"Difference is, he's from the same universe that the person who’s controlling you is from." The figure said.

Nor went silent for a bit.

"How do you know all of this? What’s your name???" Nor asked, demanding for answers.

The figure seemed to stop and think for a moment.  "Noir."

"Okay, uh, Noir… How do you even know all of this???" Nor asked.

“That’s none of your concern.”

Nor opened his mouth to protest, but Noir cut him off.

“But, I’m sure you’ll find out eventually.  You have big things planned for you, Nor.”

Nor stepped forward and tried to grab at Noir, but all he felt as the ground as his face planted forward.

“Hey, wait!  What do you mean-“ Nor cried out, but Noir was gone.

Everything around Nor suddenly went static, dizzying him.

"NOIR!! NOIR!!"

—Nor—

"AH!!!" Nor shot up, screaming as if he had just seen the most terrifying thing in his life.

He looked around, his breathing quickening as he saw no signs of Stretcher.  He debates what to do until Stretcher slams the bedroom door open, looking ready to defend Nor from any soft of figmented danger.

When he looked around and saw nothing, his gaze went back to Nor.  His eyes grew tired and sympathetic, hopping over to Nor and putting a hand on his leg.  “What happened?” He asked gently.

"Just...just a nightmare again." Nor said hesitantly, his hands gripping the blanket that haphazardly covered him.

"Did he say anything about this world again?" Stretcher asked

"Who?" Nor said.

"You know, the guy that looks like you. Did you dream about him?" Stretcher said.

"Oh yeah!" Nor snapped his fingers as he remembered. "He said, uh, something about a key from Lucifer??”

"Huh? But why?" Stretcher’s head tilted.

"I don't know! He did tell me that his name was Noir." Nor said.

"Nor, but like, with an 'i' in the middle??" Stretcher asked.

"I guess so.” Nor shrugged.  “And apparently he knows who's controlling us. He said they're from John's universe." Nor explained.

"Maybe he's telling us to go there? To confront the guy?" Stretcher suggested.

"Looks like we don't have any other choices.” Nor sighed.

“We don’t have to if you’re not ready.” Stretcher said lightly, his gloved hand hovering over Nor’s shoulder.  Nor looked at the ground.

“Let's just go to Lucifer." He spat out bitterly.

Nor quickly shuffled through the bedroom, finding a key that Lucifer gave to him inside a cabinet.

He did a little motion with the key and opened the portal.  Through the other side was an image of a big building. Both Nor and Stretcher stepped inside it eventually.

They both fell face-down in an office, which looked to be Lucifer's.

Nor quickly pulled himself up from the floor.  He gave a hand to Stretcher and pulled him up, looking around. Lucifer wasn't here.

"Where's Lucifer?" Nor asked.

Stretcher shrugged.  "That's weird."

Suddenly, footsteps were heard at the entrance door of the office.

The door creaked open.

"What the hell are you guys doing here?" Lucifer asked.

"We need another key!!!" Stretcher said, waving his arms.

"What?" Lucifer scratched his head.

"You know, those portal keys." Nor said, showing Lucifer his key.

"Ohhh yeah… But why though?" Lucifer asked.

"Long story, I'll tell later.  But you know John, right?" Nor asked.

Lucifer nodded slowly.

"Do you have a key to his universe??" Nor pleaded.

"Yeah, it's in a huge cabinet. I'll be back." Lucifer said, going out of the office to get the key.

—3 minutes later—

"We've been standing here for 3 minutes." Stretcher said.

"Just wait." Nor said.

—2 minutes later—

Footsteps were heard again, and Lucifer was eventually back.

"Here," Lucifer gave the key to Nor. The key's appearance was interesting, mixing with green and blue.

"Do I just do it like what I did with my key?" Nor askes.

"Yep." Lucifer said.

Nor slowly used the key to open the portal, revealing roads, buildings, and weird uncanny things that they’ve never seen before.

Nor and Stretcher hesitantly stepped into the portal, both of them getting shot out the other end and falling down into what looked to be a bedroom.

They looked up, seeing a guy with a pot on his head, sitting at a desk which was beside a door. He quickly snapped his head around, as Nor and Stretcher’s fall made a very loud thud.

He stared for a few seconds, bewildered.  "Huh??" The guy said, looking back at his paper and at Nor, and then at his paper and then back at Nor. "You're...my drawings???"

Nor looked at Stretcher, then to the pale man.  Confusion was evident.  “Is this the guy who made me?”

Stretcher looked uncertain.  “I guess so?”

Nor pouted, his hand balling up into a fist.  There was fear in the man’s eyes, Nor knew as much.  He managed to get in one step back before Nor punched him straight to the ground.

The guy fell to the hard wooden floor with a grunt, but surprisingly, so did Nor.

"Wait, this can’t really be the best option!" Stretcher pleaded, worried about the outcome of the situation.

Nor heard the guy say something, but the only sound that filled his head was a violent static.

Nor got back up quickly, almost toppling over the pale man again as he shot right at him with full force.

His hands fumbled, eventually finding their way to the guy’s neck and squeezing it tight.

Stretcher hopped over to try and stop Nor, but nothing seemed to sedate his anger.

He ignored the pale man’s gargled cries for help, and he ignored the crushing pain that ebbed at his own throat.

He squeezed harder.

Why wasn’t he stronger?

Were his powers weaker here?  Was something wrong?

Angry tears pricked at the crevices of his eyes.

Any pleas to ‘end this nonsense’ were a blur in his head.

WHY WASN’T IT WORKING?

His facial expression contorted into one of absolute rage.

He violently slammed the man against the wall, hot tears streaming down his face.

“WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?!” He yelled.  It came out as a broken cry, tearing his vocal cords in a way he never thought was possible.

The man’s trembling hand took hold of his own, squeezing it gently.  He felt the other’s pale fingers twitch and shake.

“Augh! L-Let me g-go!” He begged, face beginning to turn a sickly shade of purple.

Nor watched as he grew pathetic under his hold, saliva bubbling out of his clenched teeth.

Nor panted like a rabid dog, giving the man one more good shove into the wall before letting go of him.

"Nor! Just calm down! Stretcher said, finally jumping up to Nor’s side.  His gloves hand hovered over Nor’s shoulder.

Amidst all the chaos, the room shook, the door slowly creaked open.

Everyone stopped and looked back at it, seeing a foot and half of a green face shove through it.

The mystery man’s gaze, once full of questioning and concern, was now hard and cold.  He stared at Nor.

“What is going on here?” He asked simply.  His voice was rough, and sent shivers through Nor’s already frayed nerves.

"Who is this?? Why does he look like an alien??" Nor asked, raising an eyebrow.

"At least I don’t look like a marshmallow." The other guy muttered under his breath, to which Nor completely ignored.

He fully entered the room, but was confused.

The man that Nor had previously harassed quickly scrambled to his feet and ran to the person at the door, hiding behind him.  The 'alien's features softened as he saw how shooken up the pale man was.  The pale man interlaced a shaky hand with a perfectly still one, Nor and Stretcher unaware of the two’s quick and intimate exchange.

"Doom, what is going on?  Who are these people, why are they here?” The 'alien' asked, his tone more hushed.

Doom didn’t reply, as if he was waiting for something, but he still held onto the man’s hand like a life line.

"Doom???" Nor asked, his lips upturned into a slight sneer.  “What kind of name is that?”

The door pushed open once again.

"Sup guys, I-" Another guy walked inside the room, only to stop and see everyone staring at him. "Oh..."

"WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?? WHY DOES HE LOOK LIKE A DEER??" Nor said, pointing an accusing finger at the ‘deer’.

“Nor, just calm down.  Please.  W-We can talk it out.” Doom said, his voice raised slightly.

“Guys, it’s fine.  J-just let me talk to them.” He turned around and stuttered out to the ‘alien’ and the ‘deer’.  The ‘deer’ looked very confused.

“Are you sure about this?” The ‘alien’ looked down at Doom.  Doom nodded in reassurance.

“I’ll go with them.  I promise, it’ll be fine.”

Doom looked over at the 'deer', who shrugged with a dissatisfied look on his face.  The ‘alien’ slowly craned his neck down, his lips close to Doom’s cheeks, when Doom shakily pushed him away.  The ‘alien’ looked shocked.

The two stepped aside to make way for Nor, Stretcher and Doom, who all walked out together.  The ‘alien’ stared daggers at Nor as he left, to which the yellow fellow tried his best to ignore.

Nor and Stretcher waited until Doom shut the door, with all of them standing around the living room.

"What in the actual HELL is happening??" Nor said.

"Look, I'm just as confused as you are. You're like, my drawings… Who came to life??”

"You're supposed to be our creator or something, wouldn't you know how we came to life??" Nor pleaded.

"I don't know anything about these freaky magic things. I didn't even know you guys were alive." Doom admitted.

Nor didn't say anything, though he still looked mad.

“Who are the other people we saw?” Stretcher asked, seemingly trying to break the silence.

“Oh, those are my roommates, nothing else." Doom said very suspiciously.

"Then can we just look around your house for a bit?" Stretcher asked again.

"Yeah, sure, but just don't do anything crazy." Doom relented.  “And don’t break anything either.” He said as he opened the door to the bedroom and stepped back inside.

"Alright." Stretcher said, starting to look around.  He entered the kitchen, his hand smoothing down the cold countertop.

"This is really weird." Nor commented absentmindedly as he looked around the living room. "They have TVs here too."

"Yeah, I guess. This is another universe after all, so things are bound to be different here." Stretcher said and looked inside the refrigerator, but his nose scrunched up and his lips curled in disgust. "Ew, this looks horrible!"

Then, a strange noise was heard from another room.

"What was that?" Nor asked.

Stretcher shrugged.

They listened for it closely.  There it was again.

The two braced themselves for the worst, and a mysterious figure finally strolled into the living room.

It was.... a little gremlin.

Nor looked down, shocked.  Stretcher bounced over.

"What a strange specimen!" Stretcher said in awe.

Nor bent down and put his fingers on the creature's chin.  "Aww, it's so cute!"

Then it made that noise again.

"Meow!"

“It acts a lot like Nohr, don’t you think?” Stretcher looked over at Nor.

—In the main bedroom—

"Seriously? Just 'roommates'?" Marion said with a hint of sarcasm.

"Who knows if they would kill me if I told them I was gay!!" Doom pleaded, not wanting the two others to be hurt by his word choice.

"Doom, are you not their creator?” Cobalt crossed his arms.

Marion snickered deviously at the rebuttal.

"Well! Uh...." Doom trailed off, clearly frustrated as he ran out of things to say.

Cobalt nodded and smirked.

"So, why are ya’ here? Aren't ya’ suppose’ to talk bout’ something wit’ em’?" Marion asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't know!! I don't know how they even got here!  It was from, like, a magic portal, or something...” He trailed off.  “And I'm somehow their creator now??”

Doom let out an exasperated sigh, clearly overwhelmed.

"How is that even possible?" Cobalt asked no one in particular.

"MAGIC S' REAL!!!" Marion shouted jokingly.

Cobalt gave Marion a nasty side eye, then thought for a bit, while Doom was just standing there, extremely overwhelmed and completely confused.

"Do you have the thing that controls them?" Cobalt finally spoke up, looking over at Doom.

"Yeah! But I'm not giving it to Nor!" Doom snapped back, suddenly getting very defensive.

"Why not?" Cobalt asked simply.

"I...uhh...some of the...uhh...stories..."

"I think you shoul' jus’ give it to em’.  I mean, they deserve ta’ know the truth, or see whatever is in that thin’ of urs’. Both of those... goober lookin’ things??.. now know you're their creator." Marion spoke up quickly.

Doom was silent for a bit, but went over to the desk and solemnly shuffled through the cabinets.  He slowly pulled out a notebook that looked like it was about to burst at its rings.

Cobalt opened the door for them all to leave, and Marion stepped out first.

Cobalt then quietly shut the door, just enough that it didn’t close but enough that the people in the living room couldn’t see the two.

Doom looked up at Cobalt.  Cobalt’s gaze softened and he took Doom’s hands in his own.  Cobalt kissed Doom's forehead gently, the touch lingering there for a few seconds.

“I’ll tell you both all about this later.  I promise.” Doom said quietly.

“I trust you.” Cobalt’s thumb caressed Doom’s hand.  “I’m here for you.”

Doom nodded and smiled slightly, and they both exited the room.

They slowly stepped into the living room, just to see Nor and Stretcher playing with Doom’s cat.

"What are you guys doing??" Doom asked, flabbergasted.

"What is this thing? It's just so cute!" Stretcher spoke happily while still petting the cat.

While Nor was petting the cat, he pet it too hard and it scratched Nor's hand and just ran away. "Ow! What the heck??" Nor yelped, looking down at his hand.

Nor looked over at Doom, to see that he had no reaction to the injury whatsoever, despite the bloody cut slowly forming on his hand in an area relative to where Nor got his.

"Aren't you connected to me or something? Does that not hurt?" Nor asked.

"I mean, I am, but I guess I'm just used to it." Doom said.  Nor watched as Cobalt craned his neck and whispered something in Doom’s ear, to which Doom smiled and nodded.  Cobalt then walked off.

Nor and Stretcher watched Cobalt disappear.

"Also, I wanted to give you two this." Doom handed Nor and Stretcher the notebook.  They stared at it for a few moments.

Nor snatched it, quite aggressively.  Doom stepped back in shock, and turned to Cobalt who returned from another corner with a bandage in hand.  Nor looked at the two as Cobalt slowly put the bandage on Doom’s scratch, the pale man looking ever grateful.

“They’re weird.  Do you feel anything?” Stretcher looked up at Nor and asked.

Nor shrugged before taking a good gander at the notebook’s front cover.  “What is it?”

Doom quickly peeled his gaze away from Cobalt, the taller man straightening up as well.  "Just open it."

Nor was hesitant, but made a motion with his hands that ushered Stretcher closer.

Nor opened the notebook and slowly flipped through the pages.  At first, the two were laughing and smirking at the contents of the journal, but the humorous mood seemed to fade.  Doom shifted around nervously as Nor and Stretcher became visibly tense.

“Are you telling me that you wrote all of this?” Stretcher asked, his face anything but whimsical.  He looked utterly lost.

Doom nodded hesitantly, his hands gripping Cobalt’s arm as he stepped behind him.

Cobalt looked down at Doom, concern laced in his rough features.  He then looked at Marion.  The blue haired man gave a silent shrug.

The trio all turned their gazes back to Nor.

“Nohr...Scarlet...” Nor mumbled more incoherent things, before snapping his head back up to look at Doom.  “Are you telling me...” He hesitated, seemingly saddened.  Stretcher put a hand on his back.

“Are you telling me that it’s all a lie?” Nor’s tone wavered, looking like he was fighting back tears.

"I...I guess?" Doom shrugged and looked away.

Nor was silent.  Stretcher slowly took the notebook back from his hands and flipped to the last page.  He stared at it for a few moments.

"...Noir?" Stretcher said, looking at the page with a drawing of Noir with Nor in it as well.

"Huh? What?" Doom’s head tilted.

"This guy." Stretcher said, showing the page to Doom.

"I never drew that?" Doom said hesitantly.

Stretcher looked back up at Nor and nudged him gently.

"Didn’t Noir did say he was created from your negative emotions?" Stretcher inquired.

"Yeah, but then how'd that get here?" Nor asked.

"I have no idea, I swear I didn't draw that!" Doom said in desperation to just not get choked again.

"We don't really know much about him, anyway..  Who knows if he's as powerful as you?" Stretcher asked to no one in particular, his voice trailing off.

The group fell into an uncomfortable silence.

"Uhm, what about a deal?” Doom spoke up.  “You don't kill me or my friends, and I won't draw or write anything in that notebook anymore.  You’re free to do whatever you want.”

Nor and Stretcher looked at each other, seemingly speaking to each other without words.  They both nodded and turned back to Doom.

"Deal.  But can we keep it?" Nor asked, but it was more of a demand than a question.

"Yeah, sure." Doom sighed and frowned, rubbing the back of his head.  Cobalt visibly cringed as he patted Doom’s back.

Stretcher pressed the notebook to his chest and Nor stood behind him, almost in defense.  They all stare each other down until Nor opened a portal using Lucifer's key again, comically sending Nor and Stretcher back to their universe.

Doom, Marion and Cobalt just stared at the spot for a few seconds.

Marion sighed, shaking his head and putting his hands on his hips.  “Well Doom, you may not be pregnant, but ya’ sure do deliver’.”

—Later that night—

Cobalt groaned as he stretched his back, padding softly into the kitchen.

“What a fucking day..” He muttered, reaching up and getting a glass from the cabinet.

He walked to the sink, and his hand was just about to reach the faucet, when he saw something.  Someone.

It was a small figure, monochrome in color, laying in the fetal position.  Inside the sink.

Cobalt just stared for a few seconds, blinking a couple of times to make sure he wasn't seeing anything.  Reaching out his hand, he tried to shake it up.

He squinted when it opened one of its eyes, and it just stared at him.  He opened his mouth to say something, anything, but the figure jumped onto him swiftly.  It crawled around his body like a spider, sniffing, poking, pulling.

Cobalt was about to yank it off when it plopped down into his open arms.  He was immediately sedated.

“What do you think is the meaning of life?” The figure asked Cobalt, looking up at him expectantly.

Cobalt stared back, then stifled a laugh.  “Aww, aren’t you just the cutest thing?” He poked the figure’s nose , to which it scrunched up.  “You look a little tired, right?”

“I am not tired.  My name is Noir, and I refuse to be handled like this.” Noir stated roughly, but that didn’t seem to bother Cobalt.

He laughed once more.  “I’ll tell you what the meaning of life is, kid.  The meaning of life is to spend your life savings on a mattress that’ll give you some of the best sleeps of your life!  Why don’t you come hang out with me, huh?” He asked, motioning his head towards the door of his and Doom’s shared bedroom.

Noir thought for a bit, weighing his options, and decided that this man was not a threat.  He huffed, reluctantly snuggling deeper into Cobalt’s arms.  The man cooed as they walked off into the bedroom.

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