super-powers Beware the Uncorrupted (Epilogue Added 05/28/22)

[palisade]

I love stories in general where time manipulation is a big factor (time travel episodes of Star Trek have always been a favourite of mine for instance!), so this is thrilling!

I'm still trying to decide if Sam has an ace up his sleeve or not; right at the end of chapter 13 as the Corruption is taking control of him he tells Percy not to worry as he'll adapt but that could also be him falling for the Corruption's manipulation.

[dredlifter]

I squealed when the Dad returned!

Amazing as always.  Your stories are so cinematic.

[nypup2train]

On 5/10/2021 at 9:44 AM, Philosopher said:

"Everyone! May I have your attention please?" Princess spoke, and her words emanated throughout the room. "You are all under my complete control. You will serve me, and in return I shall grant you a spot in my army of loyal subjects. Together, we will finally take this city from the filthy hands of the Province, and we shall usher a new era of humanity. One that is connected. Loved. Accepted. Fall in line, and become complete," she sang.

 

Mr. Osopher (...may I call you Phil?) — I'm only a little ways through this and still catching up, so no real reactions yet, but I do have a minor suggestion.

I normally use the site with the default (dark) theme, so it's not really an issue personally, but when I saw that pink text there my accessibility-dar went off. (Even worse superpower than the Feather-Levitator!) So I experimentally switched over to the light theme, just to have a look-see. The results were... as poor as I'd feared.

However, as I said, I do have a suggestion! The pink text effect is fine and works well for the story, but to make it readable to all users of the site regardless what theme they've selected, it would be a good idea to also set the background color on that text. The post editor lets you control both the foreground and the background, and generally it's not a great idea to set one without the other. Most text colors are really only appropriate for one theme or the other. (The default auto-switching body color excepted, of course.)

While text colored like this (where I've also explicitly set the background color, to match the dark theme's default background color in fact) doesn't look great in the light theme, it looks a hell of a lot better than text colored like this (which is what light-theme readers would currently see).

Just an observation. Now, back to the story of the most insufferably gung-ho flash mob the world has ever known  — horrors!  (Though I wouldn't object if Princess felt like compelling them all to whip out a couple verses of "Thriller", all the same...) 

[Philosopher]

3 hours ago, nypup2train said:

Mr. Osopher (...may I call you Phil?) — I'm only a little ways through this and still catching up, so no real reactions yet, but I do have a minor suggestion.

I normally use the site with the default (dark) theme, so it's not really an issue personally, but when I saw that pink text there my accessibility-dar went off. (Even worse superpower than the Feather-Levitator!) So I experimentally switched over to the light theme, just to have a look-see. The results were... as poor as I'd feared.

However, as I said, I do have a suggestion! The pink text effect is fine and works well for the story, but to make it readable to all users of the site regardless what theme they've selected, it would be a good idea to also set the background color on that text. The post editor lets you control both the foreground and the background, and generally it's not a great idea to set one without the other. Most text colors are really only appropriate for one theme or the other. (The default auto-switching body color excepted, of course.)

While text colored like this (where I've also explicitly set the background color, to match the dark theme's default background color in fact) doesn't look great in the light theme, it looks a hell of a lot better than text colored like this (which is what light-theme readers would currently see).

Just an observation. Now, back to the story of the most insufferably gung-ho flash mob the world has ever known  — horrors!  (Though I wouldn't object if Princess felt like compelling them all to whip out a couple verses of "Thriller", all the same...) 

Thanks a bunch for noticing that out! It never crossed my mind to change the background color since I assumed that most people use the dark theme, but I do see how horrid it looks if the light theme is applied instead! I’ll make sure to change the background color in those areas where Princess speaks!

(Fun fact! Princess was named after my friends’ cat. She’s very friendly with everyone and loves attention, and it just breaks your heart to leave her! Makes her power very appropriate for the overall theme of her character!)

[cregssatx]

@Philosopher - Hey, man, I hate to bug you, but this BIG cliffhanger needs some love.  I know the next chapter is probably complex as hell as you try to rewrite what happened, or somehow encapsulate the timeline manipulation, but I need my Percy and Sam fix!  Hope all is well with you!

[Philosopher]

7 hours ago, cregssatx said:

@Philosopher - Hey, man, I hate to bug you, but this BIG cliffhanger needs some love.  I know the next chapter is probably complex as hell as you try to rewrite what happened, or somehow encapsulate the timeline manipulation, but I need my Percy and Sam fix!  Hope all is well with you!

Hey! The chapter is basically ready, I just need to fix it up a bit before I upload it! University has been really busy for me and I’ve been taking some time for personal care, so sorry for the delays

[Philosopher]

I've been so busy with molecular biology and a myriad of assignments that I forgot to post the next part of the story. Needless to say, we're nearing the end. There may be a few typos around the chapter, so please excuse that. I'll also try to be a bit more active, though school is beginning to demand more and more of my free time.

Enjoy! This is quite a long one.

PART 15

White.

An endless, perfect white.

Chaos forced into order.

It felt like swimming in a cup full of milk. All around me stood a flawless, still mist, fairer than any clouds I had ever seen. It was like visiting a literal depiction of Heaven, all the angels sitting around puffy, pale clouds.

The only thing that broke the illusion was that I was alone.

“Hello?” I called at the featureless void around me, but my voice was dead here. No reverberation or any form of echo. I suspected that since there were no hard surfaces I could discern, sonic waves would be unable to bounce back at me. “Is anyone there?” I tried again, not sure that there was even a person around to answer my question.

Silence.

The only noise I could hear was my own ragged breath, still reeling from the seconds before I was sent here. I could feel the rhythmic thud of my heart increasing as my fear intensified.

As if it was responding to the beat of my heart, the void flashed for just a millisecond. I saw a faint shape in the distance, a tiny shadow pressing against the infinite void.

“Hello? Is anyone there?” I heard a muffled voice, barely a whisper.

That can’t be good.

The shape was moving now, a tiny worm burying itself closer and closer to me. An alien shark, attracted by my own voice. “Hello? Is anyone there?” it asked again, the sound stronger and clearer than before.

It took me a second to realize that I was hearing my own voice back at me.

“Oh shit,” I whispered and started running the other way. My feet were sinking into the whiteness below me, the material feeling like something extraterrestrial and twisted.

“Oh shit,” the worm sang behind me. It was so close now that I could see its full form. It certainly wasn’t human or anything I had seen on Earth. It would vanish and merge into the white milkiness around it, before appearing a few ‘feet’ in front of me. It was circling around me with what I could only describe as interest, and something told me that it was toying with me.

I stopped running. There was no point of it anyways, as the space around me seemed to stretch to infinity. “Can you understand me?” I breathed out, and the shape flashed. Legs, or tails, stretched all around me. The legs contained patterns that suggested different materials, from leather, to marble and flesh. The main outline of the alien silhouette seemed to wobble and change from moment to moment, intangible and surreal.

Yes.

The sudden noise in my head made me stumble back.

“You… you can understand me?” I trembled, afraid that I would do something that would insult the entity in front of me.

I can understand you.

“Are you a human? Are you a person?”

The silhouette swirled around me, its legs dissolving and becoming smoke.

I was. Human. Before.

The voice in my mind was akin to something so neutral that I had trouble grasping its gender. It did sound faintly feminine, but I couldn’t be too sure.

“Did… did you also use a machine like me?” I continued, unsure what exactly this thing wanted from me.

The entity’s skin changed, becoming a different shade of white that was impossible to name.

Yes. Used machine. Long time ago.

“Are… are you from another dimension? Are you from another timeline?” I continued as I saw the shape change again. It now resembled a massive, otherworldly beast, a thousand different tentacles worming around its body.

Matters. Not. I am here. Now. Before. After. This is eternity. This is all.

“Does that mean you’re trapped? Am I trapped here as well?” I whispered, afraid to hear the answer.

In the beginning. Felt like trapped. Now. I am free. I can see all. Past. Future. All possibilities. Worth. Price.

“Did you come here to change an event in the past? Did you succeed?”

Success. Relative. Event was altered. Never interacted with. Target. New world. Created.

“Do you remember your name?” I spoke. This sounded familiar with our mission.

Name. Cannot recall. Too. Impatient. Machine did not. Charge. Trapped me here. Forever.

Oh crap. I was beginning to suspect what had happened. Meeting this thing, this entity. It wasn’t random.

“Does the name Lydia Addams mean anything to you?” I gulped as I spoke these words.

The entity seemed to recoil at the sound of the name. It’s form shifted once again, fangs and teeth and horns appearing everywhere. It was bulging out now, increasing in size in near exponential speed.

You. You. Remember. You. Failure. Boy. Made me. Trapped. Legacy. Voided.

“You… you’re the Director?” I gasped in horror as I saw a giant elephant’s foot appear out of nowhere and slam down on me. I jumped out of the way, my own body sinking more in the white. “But I just saw you! You were right next to me!” I tried to plead with the entity.

YOUR FAULT. YOUR MISTAKE.

The Director, or what remained of her, shot a transparent tentacle right on me, its thin end coiling around my arm and expanding like a mushroom. On its surface, I could see a thousand different images, all playing at the same time. A house, a small blonde boy, a tall smiling woman, a fire, broken bones, even more fire.

And then, in the end, the Director’s face. It had been stretched impossibly wide, an infinite scream coming out of the abyss that was her mouth. The face screamed, a horrible wail of rage, insanity, revenge.

LET ME OUT.

The ground broke below me, and I began to fall.

^ ^ ^

The white melted away into a peaceful, azure blue. I was falling down an endless drop.

The terror I experienced just moments before melted away. I wasn’t scared. I felt like a bird, free to do whatever I wanted.

In front of me stood the multiversal lattice. Entire worlds floating in transparent bubbles, orbiting around themselves in a soup of infinity.

As I circled closer to them, visions of these dimensions flashed through my mind, a movie played in impossible speeds.

A world of conspiracies and ancient power. A place of magic and wonder, an Earth where the mystical arts had been hidden and only practiced by a select few, trying to bend order and chaos to their will and making their dreams come true. I saw a young couple, eager to learn to control their magic and grow. Grow until the hunger was satisfied.

A world infected with a trans-human bug. A company of evil and greed having successfully contaminated the majority of humanity with a novel virus capable of unlocking the true potential hidden inside all. I saw a handsome man with grey eyes, nearly insane with envy and lust, preparing to choose between the two. Once and for all.

A world broken beyond belief. A universe where life on Earth was annihilated by something too powerful to be contained. A shattered planet, a ruined moon, meteors falling down what was left of it. Orbiting around the dead planet stood an order of knowledge seekers, their aim being the complete protection of the multiverse. They were inspecting me, deciding whether they should do something about the multiversal breach the machine had opened. They would protect all, by any means necessary.

A world of boredom and monotony. An unassuming Earth filled with normalcy, lacking magic, powers, or anything that gave life the spark that it so desperately needed. A planet on the brisk of climate change, preparing for decades filled with hardship and pain. A daydreamer, sick with battling his demons every single day, had finally had enough. I am taking control of my own fate.

A world of heroes and villains. A brighter version of my Earth, a universe where the Corruption had been locked away for the time being, lulled to sleep by the combined efforts of humans and Unhumans. A world where my dad never left, a world where Julia never experienced her trauma, a world where Sam was free from his past. An ephemeral perfection.

I could see so many other worlds etching around the infinite blue sky. Worlds where humanity had advanced to levels only seen in science fiction. Worlds where humanity had been wiped out from its own hate. Most Earths though were similar to mine, although the people there lacked powers. They had no idea that someone outside their reality was currently observing them, deciding whether he should pay them a visit.

Decide.

My instincts told me that I could go wherever I wanted. I was somehow unchained from my own reality, able to access the entire multiversal lattice without any limitations or side-effects. I simply had to choose a world, and I’d appear in it.

My decision was instant.

Take me to the world of heroes and villains. Take me to the world that the Director managed to make into reality, paying for it with her sanity.

The invisible energy quickly accepted my response, and the light around me intensified.

^ ^ ^

I woke up to the smell of freshly made pancakes. My eyes shot open with alarm and panic, and I found myself falling off my bed.

“Jesus!” I moaned as I rubbed my palms, which had taken the brunt of the fall. Looking around, I realized that I was in my old room. I wasn’t in the apartment with Johnny anymore.

I was back in my family house.

Wait. Of course, I’m in my room. Where else would I possibly be?

I rubbed my head in mild alarm, hoping that the awkward landing on the wooden tiles of my bedroom hadn’t given me some kind of concussion.

My phone started ringing, and I slowly grabbed it. I saw Julia’s serene face on the screen, her tongue sticking out of her mouth in a silly, but endearing expression. With a smile, I accepted it.

“Hey! Man, you should start waking up earlier! You’re missing out the entire day sleeping,” I heard her voice from the other side of the line. She was trying to sound like she was complaining, but we both knew that she had also woken up the same time as me.

“Right, Jules. As if you’re not a night owl,” I laughed. “We’re still on for today, right?” I asked as I got up from my bed and grabbed whatever clothes I could find from the closet. “Sammy really doesn’t want to go to the cinema, but I’ve convinced him otherwise. You should definitely join us!” I beamed at the phone, excitement now rippling through me.

Julia groaned on the phone. “God, it’s like you guys never left your honeymoon phase! I don’t want to spend my entire afternoon watching you two try to suck each other’s mouth,” she giggled, obviously trying to tease me. “You can watch that stupid slasher film on your own. Afterwards, we can chill at Pizza Planet?” she yawned.

I looked at the time. It was around eleven in the morning.

God, I definitely need to fix my sleep schedule. I mean, I have to wake up early for my job at the Pr-

A sudden stab of pain made me almost drop the phone. “Ouch! The fuck?” I mouthed, rubbing my head. It wasn’t like me to wake up with a migraine.

“Are you alright? Did you hurt your toe again?” Julia giggled at the phone. “Listen, I’ll meet you guys at the mall, alright? I still have to finish my maths lesson.”

I shook my head, trying to expel the pain away. “Girl, I don’t even know why you’re studying maths. Don’t you have like, the best grades in our class? You’re practically a genius at it.”

“Eh, I’m really into the stuff! You should look the guys I’ll be at MIT with! They are the ones who basically live and breathe for those numbers!” she burst in laughter. “Anyways, see you soon!” she snickered again and ended the phone call.

Julia did indeed have a small obsession with maths and numbers in general, always trying to expand her knowledge of mathematics. I smiled, knowing that having such a smart friend only brought boons in life. Her and Sammy were the two most important people in my life.

Not including family, of course.

“Percy! The pancakes will get old!” my father’s rich voice boomed from the kitchen. I heard Johnny next to him groan, obviously munching down my share of the delicious breakfast.

“Coming!” I shouted as I started climbing down the stairs with dangerous speed, jumping down the last three steps. “Get your filthy hands off my food!” I snapped at Johnny, seeing his Cheshire Cat grin as he munched down one of my pancakes, syrup dripping from his fingers.

“You snooze, you lose,” he grinned as he handed me the butter and syrup. The pancakes in front of me were still steaming, the smell simply delicious. “Besides, I’m doing you a favor. Dad packs a ton of calories in them. That’s why they taste like heaven.”

My dad looked back from the oven and smiled. His wavy brown hair had been styled today, the tiny patch of his grey hair expertly hidden away, and he was wearing an expensive suit, obviously ready for work. He laughed as he saw me pour a metric ton of maple syrup on top of his pancakes and approached the table. “Percy, I have to agree with your brother. You’re eating a thousand calories of breakfast, not even adding the syrup. How can you eat so much?” he said as he ruffled my hair. I could feel the strength of his arms in my head, his entire body wide and heavy with muscle.

My dad loved to keep his physique at an amazing level. He put Johnny’s younger body in shame, and my brother had recently started going to the gym, showing off his beginner gains every time he could. While Johnny had more of a swimmer’s build, my dad was more like a powerhouse, a lot of muscle and little fat packed in a tall frame, making him a rather intimidating CEO at his architecture company. His suit was barely able to contain his big biceps and heavy chest, the buttons struggling to contain the mass behind them. Although, once you got to know him, his inner kindness and goofiness shined through, instantly winning you over.

I never understood why he kept going at work, as he was more than capable of altering the molecular composition of mere salt powder into gold or platinum, but he kept telling me that being around other people helped him remember the important things in life, as well as his own mortality.

“I left some money for the cinema, alright? Please tell Sammy that he’s more than welcome to come for dinner tonight. Your mother is making her famous lasagna, and I want my future son-in-law to understand what true cuisine is,” he winked as he grabbed his hat and went towards the door.

“Hey, dad?” I said, bits of pancake still in my mouth. “I love you.”

He went still for a moment, his brown eyes a bit more sparkly than before. “I… I love you too, son. Always,” he added, and then left the house.

Dad… But wasn’t he in the Mount-

My migraine returned with a vengeance, and it almost made me choke on the pancakes that I was still eating.

“Hey man, you’re looking kind of pale,” Johnny said as he got up from the table. “I keep telling you, getting enough sunlight is the most important part of the day. Plus, it helps these beasts keep their wonderful tan!” he smiled as he flexed his arms. Two sizable lumps instantly appeared, making his t-shirt strain a bit at the increased mass. “Look at these beauties. Fifteen inches of brawn!” he beamed with pride.

I rolled my eyes. “Aha. All fear Johnny Duval, upcoming mass monster! All the guys and gals will swoon over his gigantic muscles!” I pretended to be enamored, before bursting into laughter.

“Fine, be like that!” Johnny unflexed, taking the plate of pancakes from the table. “You don’t need the calories, stick-man. This body though,” he said, pumping his pecs, “needs all it can take.”

I sighed and got off the table. Johnny was a few inches taller than me, a good 6’1 that he could probably develop in a wonderful physique if he really tried. “Whatever, dude. Sammy still outmatches you,” I smirked as I grabbed the money Dad had left me. “See you later!” I laughed as I ran outside before Johnny’s long arms could grab me.

Seattle was shining, clearly enjoying the bright sun over a cloudless sky. I could never get used to such perfect view. Electric cars would slowly drive around the neighborhood road, heading towards a glittering center. The skyscrapers where like jewels in the horizon, sparkling and showing off the achievement of human ingenuity and engineering.

“Morning Percy!” an elderly neighbor waved at me. “Sleeping late again?” she smiled as she picked up a newspaper from the ground.

“Yeah!” I smiled back, trying to remember her name. My brain seemed to have trouble placing her, and eventually, I drew a blank.

Must be the exhaustion. God, I’m never sleeping late again.

I picked up my phone again, and a few texts were already waiting for me.

[Sammy: Percy wtf I told you I hate scary movies why did you pick this one??]

[Sammy: I swear to god if there’s a single jump-scare I’m eating all your popcorn ;)]

[Sammy: I’ll be by the art gallery in the mall, there’s some cool paintings there. C u soon <3]

I couldn’t help myself but smile mischievously. I was well aware of Sammy’s aversion of horror movies, but during every jump-scare he would grab my hand or hug me so tightly that it was more than worth it.

Popping the phone back in my pocket, I grabbed my bicycle from the front of the garage and started making my way towards the Brightburn Mall. I couldn’t wait to see him again.

^ ^ ^

It didn’t take much to find him. Sammy was sitting on a bench, wearing a black hoodie and some expensive jeans that showed off his long, muscular legs. His beautiful face was halfway covered by his sandy-blonde hair, and he was leaning down, checking his phone. Then, as if he knew I was there, he raised his head and gave me a wide smile.

It was, and still is, the most beautiful smile I had ever seen. Sammy was beyond handsome, still retaining his boyish looks as he matured into a young adult. His eyes sparkled with a beautiful, deep blue, while his straight nose and sharp jaw gave him that irresistible aura of a teen model. He quickly sat up from the bench, and rushed to me, hugging me tightly.

Sammy was tall, nearly 6’4. He wasn’t really into training or the gym, but he loved playing football sometimes, giving him a slightly athletic frame to complement his height. Still, his overall demeanor made you feel safe and comfortable. It felt so nice being embraced by him, his scent an intoxicating combination of oranges and sandalwood.

I looked up to him, and I saw him frown. “Hey silly. Why are you crying?” he said as he brought his fingers to wipe a tear away from my cheek.

Sam. H-he’s not- the Corruption-

A slow ringing was beginning to rise in pitch from the depths of my brain. I shook my head and smiled. “Allergies, I guess. Or I’m really happy to see you,” I laughed as I rose in my tip-toes to give him a kiss.

We stayed in that position for a few seconds. The kiss didn’t feel electrifying or mind-blowing like you see in the movies, but it was amazing, nevertheless.

It felt right.

Eventually, I broke the kiss. My legs were beginning to hurt, and I lowered myself down, instead holding his hands for a few moments. For some reason, he laughed, and his grip tightened around my fingers, not enough to hurt me, but enough to tell me that he was there.

Present, and in the moment.

“There’s something going on in that big brain of yours, Percy. Is there something you want to tell me?” he said as we started to walk around the art gallery of the mall. It was an annual event, made to showcase the hidden talents of Seattle.

The theme of this event was self-discovery and self-healing. Every art piece was made from someone who wanted to be free of their own demons and show the world what they were capable of. It was particularly famous for helping artists overcome their  addictions or fears, and finally begin their journey of discovery and wonder.

“I-I don’t know. I’m just so happy to see you,” I said as I snuggled next to his arm. Sam rewarded him with a peck on my cheek, which only made me feel happier.

We continued the walk around the gallery. It was the only way to reach the cinemas, but we didn’t feel the need to rush. “Come on Percy. I think I’m the only person in this world that knows you best. The same applies to you about me. I know there’s something you’re not telling me. But we’re a team, and we can go through this together,” he said as he hunched his long arm over my shoulders and brought me closer to his warm body.

“It’s just-I can’t explain it. There’s this feeling, this sense inside me, telling me that something is wrong. It’s the feeling you get when you think you’ve forgotten to turn off the oven. This state of confusion, second-guessing and plain old fear.”

On my left, I could see the painting of a man hiding his face with his hands. A black, vengeful sea was swimming all around him. The man was smiling, but at the same time he was crying, as if he had no control of his actions.

Sam. My Sam.

The ringing intensified, and I quickly averted my gaze. “It’s like I’m not myself. Every time I hear my voice, it’s as if I’m hearing someone else. I’m scared. Scared that this is all a dream, and that I’m going to wake up and lose everything again.”

Sammy stopped our walk and watched me. His beautiful eyes drilled into mine. “Again? Percy, is there something going on? I don’t know if this is a metaphor or something, but you can tell me everything. I would protect you from everything, you know that right?” he whispered in my ear as he held me close. I could feel his warm breath on my face, his face serious and unyielding.

He’s so kind. So perfect.

“Are you trying to win the title of the best boyfriend of the year? Because you’re succeeding,” I laughed as I tried to shoo the tension away. From the edge of my vision, I could see someone approaching, and I didn’t want them to hear my mad ramblings.

To my relief, it was Julia, dressed in her usual t-shirt of her new favorite band and her old, ripped jeans. She had tied her hair in a ponytail and was wearing her glasses, oblivious to all the paintings around her. She instantly smiled the moment she saw us, and her grin only widened as he saw how close Sammy was keeping me to him.

“My, my. If it isn’t the two lovebirds!” she cackled like a schoolgirl at the sight and quickly snapped a picture in lighting-speed. “Can you too be any cuter? You’re breaking hearts at the school. Half of them want to be with you Sammy, while the other half want you, Percy. Hell, some want you both!” she hooted like a witch.

“Well, we’re very exclusive,” Sammy winked at me as he hugged Julia. “Damn girl, have you been working out? You feel like marble!” he commented as he let go of Julia, who went to hug me. I instantly understood what he meant. Julia had definitely put on some lean muscle.

“It’s for college. I’ve been doing track for my entire senior year, and I can’t wait for it to be over. I won the medals I wanted, just enough to justify adding it to my school application, and now I’m ready for the summer to arrive and make me into a couch potato,” she explained, red appearing on her cheeks. “Speaking of college, have you guys decided where you’re applying for?” she asked, changing the conversation from her well-trained body.

Sammy and I looked each other mischievously. “We’ve actually to the exact same universities. We’ll both go to the one that accepts us both!” I described with a wide smile on my face. Sammy only nodded, the same smile on his face.

“Damn! You guys are really giving this a shot!” Julia appeared surprised by the revelation. “It makes sense, though. You two are like the definition of a power couple. Makes you unstoppable.”

We continued our conversation as we finished looking around the gallery. Julia updated us on the situation with MIT, and how her interviewer was amazed at her extended knowledge on mathematics, especially her research on predictive algorithms.

“Numbers have the ability to perceive the future. It’s basically a superpower!” she said as she rambled about her new theories and analysis on the field.

But Julia hates numbers. She can’t even think about them.

More ringing flooded my mind, and I did my best to stop myself from vomiting.

“Anyways, I’ll go browse around the shops for a bit. I’ll see you guys after the movie!” Julia eventually said as she blew us some kisses, disappearing into the crowd.

Sammy was still looking at me like I had grown a second head. “Percy, you look awfully pale. Are you sick or something?” he said, putting his hand on my face and raising it to meet his. “I can smell the worry and anxiety from here. Seriously, tell me what’s wrong.”

Sam. My Sam is different than this angel in front of me. My Sam is bigger and meaner. Taken over my something ancient. Something evil.

“Okay, maybe I’m a bit worried about college, alright? I just really hope going at the same place together won’t stop us from growing as people and discovering ourselves. I wouldn’t want to hold you back if you found something… or someone more interesting than me.”

Sammy burst out in laughter. He was laughing so much that he almost started to cry. Then he grabbed me and nearly raised me off the ground. His face was a mask of beauty and passion. “Percy Duval. If there’s anyone I feel closer to, it’s you. Before I met you, I always felt like something was missing from my life. You are that piece, Percy. Nobody will ever come close to you. You are my soulmate,” he said with the most serious expression I had ever seen him take. “So do me a favor and never doubt my love for you. I will always be there. Always.” With that, he lowered me to the ground.

My voice was trembling as I said the next words. “I… I love you, Sam. I love you so much I would die for you.”

Sammy bopped my nose playfully. “I love you too, dummy. And hey, no death around here, alright? I will always protect you from danger, mister.”

“Are you going to protect me during the movie too?” I pouted my eyes. “Even during the gazillion jump-scares I know we will have to go through?” I smiled.

“Percy, you ingenious fucker!” Sammy punched my arm lightly. “When we go back home, I’ll tickle you so much you will beg me to stop.”

“Oh no, the horror! Please, don’t threaten me with a good time,” I snorted. “Now, come on. We’ll be late for the movie, scaredy cat.”

With that, we quickly entered the cinema, several emotions mingling around my mind. Something still felt wrong, but Sammy’s words had put a damper on the sense of danger.

He was right. We were made for each other.

And this would never change.

^ ^ ^

I knew something was not right from the moment we entered the room. The movie hadn’t started yet, and the usual ads were playing on the screen, the bright neon blue shining upon us.

It was bright.

Too bright.

“Here we are,” Sammy said and sat on one of our allocated seats, stretching his long legs to the wide space in front of us. “E9 and E10. Best view and best comfort,” he smiled as he patted the seat next to me.

I quickly sat down, trying to ignore the near-painful brightness around us. The light was coming from somewhere invisible, bathing the entire room with it. “I don’t know why they have to keep these bright lights on,” I complained as I grabbed some snacks from my pocket, handing some to Sammy.

“Dude, I can’t see anything. What are you talking about?” he laughed as he started munching on some jellybeans and toffee chocolate.

“You really don’t see the lights?”

“Uh, no? Come on, the movie is starting. Please ignore me if I latch upon you like a damsel in distress.”

A few minutes passed with us watching previews and trailers for upcoming movies. The cinema had added an interesting effect to the screen, making it appear as it was made of glass. I could see faint cracks appear on the edges, perhaps an effect to make us scared for the upcoming slasher film.

“Really cool how they made the screen look like that,” I mumbled as I shoved some popcorn down my throat.

“Huh? Like what?” Sam whispered next to me.

“You know, like it’s made of glass.”

“I don’t know if you’re trying to scare me or not, but it’s not working, little buddy,” Sam smiled as he took some popcorn too.

“You seriously can’t see the cracks on the screen?” I looked at him, and he looked back with a confused expression on his handsome face.

 I shook my head and looked back in front of me.

I almost chocked on my popcorn when I saw what was happening.

The screen was beginning to shatter. The space in front of it was breaking, fragmenting into smaller and smaller pieces. Angry, crimson veins began appearing in the very space in front of it, widening by the second. They were pulsing with ominous energy, as if they were preparing to blow up.

This is not part of the movie.

“Sam? Please tell me you’re seeing this!” I trembled in my seat, trying to understand what was going on.

Sam looked back to me, and then at the movie. “Percy, are you okay? It’s just the trailers.” I watched the space behind him also begin to fragment like shattering glass. The more I looked around us, the more I could see everything begin to break down. Ooze was beginning to splatter from the eldritch veins, and when the liquid touched the ground, it would remove it from reality, leaving nothing but a white, familiar void behind it.

A state of flux. Time locking itself in a temporal paradox. Realities beginning to bleed in each other.

These thoughts, they weren’t mine. They were someone else’s. I could swear I had heard that from somewhere.

The Director. She had warned me of this happening.

More ooze was coagulating from the ground. Nobody else seemed to notice their world beginning to disappear, erased by an inborn error in its code.

“Shit, Percy. Your nose is bleeding,” Sam dropped down his salted popcorn bag and pulled out a packet of paper towels from his pocket, before rushing onto me and putting a towel for my nose.

I watched as the blood dripped down the floor. Where it touched, more cracks would appear out of nowhere, branching out of the ground with exponential speed. In fact, everywhere I touched, space itself would break in pieces, revealing the oozing veins beneath.

I’m the error. I’m the anomaly.

It was all coming back together now. I could see it where this reality was beginning to fade, merging with the world that I had left behind.

A red sky. Heavy rain fell from the massive thunderstorm, trying to hide the charred, apocalyptic wasteland that Hawaii had been reduced to.

A tsunami made of black water. It was vastly approaching California, Washington, the entire east-side of the US. So tall and wide that nothing would survive on its wake.

A cackling demon. A taller, roided-out, demonic version of the Sam that existed in this plane of existence. A version of him that had been infected with an interdimensional horror, capable of twisting his thoughts into triggering the apocalypse.

And it had succeeded.

“No. No. No!” I whispered to myself as I saw the images widen and take over more and more space. “NO! I CAN’T GO BACK!” my voice was breaking and faltering as got up I took a step forward. Sam was next to me, trying to hold me.

“Percy! What is happening? Are you having a panic attack?!” he shouted as he helped me on the floor. His voice was filled with anxiety, but it was also becoming muffled, like someone was lowering the volume.

In fact, I was beginning to hear less and less. Light too, was beginning to dim all around me. I didn’t know if I was losing consciousness, or if this universe was about to implode on itself, and I didn’t want to find out.

The whiteness enveloped me once more. The mall, the people, Sammy, they all vanished in front of me.

I was back at the void between worlds, and in front of me stood a tall, well-dressed man.

“Hello.”

“Who… who the fuck are you?!” I shouted at the man, but my voice froze the moment he came into focus.

He was gorgeous. He looked like a breathing work of art, sculpted by Michelangelo, and given life by Aphrodite. The man’s black hair had been styled in an old-fashioned haircut, and his few wrinkles only made him appear more handsome and mature. His eyes were colored a pale, icy grey that oozed intelligence out of them, shining between some immaculate reading glasses. He was wearing an expensive black suit, contrasting the blank space around us like a fly in a glass of milk. He was taller than me, and I could clearly see the suit strain around his physique.

The man smiled, although his smile didn’t reach his eyes. “I’m a friend… of a friend. Mind your language, mister,” he cleared his throat as he stepped around the white void. “I hate coming here. This space of infinite probability, infinite potential. All these lost souls drifting around, humans who were trapped in the space between dimensions. All of them mutated beyond repair. They become monsters, their body deteriorating in a quantum level, before getting absorbed by the very white substance you see all around you, eventually becoming something alien.”

I looked around me in renewed fear, and I gasped as I saw something move a few feet away from us. I could faintly see hands with too many fingers on them try to breach through the white membrane all around us, trying to escape with all their might. “The Director didn’t seem to mind. She said she liked it here,” I whispered as I curled in a ball. The tinnitus in my ears was approaching unbearable levels, but I was so tired that I couldn’t do anything else but endure it.

“Well. She’s only been here for thirty-two thousand years, relatively speaking of course. Give it a few more millennia, and the madness will return, stronger than before. That’s when they really get desperate,” the man replied, his voice lacking emotion. “My name is Ben. I’m a Librarian. It’s time to go home, Percy.” He came closer to me and offered me a hand.

I brushed it away. By some miracle, I managed to get on my feet. “Christ, my head is burning.”

“You’ve been in Earth Tau for quite some time. Even though it’s predominantly similar to your home dimension, you don’t belong here. The more you stay, the more dissonant you will feel. Eventually, you would collapse and pass away, but not before breaking the barrier between this world and Earth Upsilon, your dimension.”

Half of his words didn’t make sense to me, and the headache wasn’t making it easier for me to understand what he was talking about. “So, what now? Are you going to send me back to my world? I’d rather stay here, thank you very much.”

Ben’s eyes seemed to glow as he mentally drilled a hole in my head. His face didn’t show a single emotion, but I could see his fingers become white with anger as he gripped them into firsts. He didn’t make any steps toward me, but I could feel the bloodlust emanating out of him.

“Mister Duval, I am not a man who would beg, but I do implore you this one time. Do not make this more difficult than it already is,” he commanded as he put his hand into his pocket and got something from it. I half expected it to be a gun, but what I saw surprised me.

It was some kind of crystal, an ominous red light emanating out of it. Ben held it in his hands, and the shard seemed to float on it. “That seems dangerous,” I commented as I tried to inspect the floating gem from my position.

Ben chuckled, his hidden anger disappearing in an instant. “Oh, you have no idea. This artifact is what gave people in your dimension powers. The Director would use it every hour, every day, every month, every year of her life. God knows how many people she gave powers to. Unfortunately, she didn’t really know how to use such power,” he lamented as he stepped closer to me and put the red shard in front of my torso. He almost stabbed it in my heart, but the crystal somehow passed through my skin, as if was intangible. I expected to feel pain, but I could only sense warmth being deposited in me.

The coldness in my limbs disappeared, replaced by a welcoming warmth. The headache vanished too, and for the first time in a while, I felt content. I watched as the veins in my hands glowed red, but for some reason didn’t care.

I knew, almost instinctively, that the shard was adding power to my body. Pure, undiluted power. Knowledge was being poured into me, ways to use my antimatter manipulation, methods to make controlled explosions and limit damage. At the same time, I felt the natural safeguards of my ability fade away, increasing the power output a hundredfold.

“Right. This should be enough to help you and your reality. I’ve removed the limiters in your antimatter manipulation ability. This should allow you to control antimatter… without any safety nets,” Ben commented as he slipped the blood-red shard back into his pocket.

“What… what was that?!” I asked as I flexed my fingers. I could feel the power beneath my skin, begging to come out.

“Nothing that will change your future, mister Duval. Consider it the price that your universe paid in order to create this alternate reality. I do have to admit though, this new world is one of the nicer ones in the multiverse. I wouldn’t mind visiting it once and a while,” the handsome man mulled on his own. Then, he turned his back on me and a rectangular portal opened in front of him. “Right this way, please. If you stay too long in this pocket dimension, you risk permanent insanity and loss of individuality. You saw what happened to your precious Director, no?” he added as he went through the portal.

My body wanted to follow, but my mind refused.

Percy, what are you doing? Leaving this perfect world to go back to your own personal hell? Who knows how many people have died from the moment you left? Everyone could be dead! Here, you have a second chance!

My own mind was making a pretty convincing argument. I could stay here forever, and finally live the life I was meant to have. Who knew, maybe the multiverse would survive this paradox. Maybe it wouldn’t snap.

Maybe there was a chance everything would be fine in the end.

A chance to be happy.

A chance to be free.

I shook my head and gritted my teeth. This wasn’t my world. This wasn’t my reality. Not really. I would be robbing the life of this alternate Percy who had all these wonderful things happen to him.

But still, a part of me didn’t want to let go. It didn’t want to feel any more pain, any more loss. It wanted to stay here forever, away from all the darkness and loss of life.

I looked up at Ben. “I want to say goodbye.”

“Goodbye?” Ben shook his head. “Percy, please understand-“ he tried explaining, but I simply raised my hand.

“Just let me say goodbye and I will go wherever the hell you want me to. I can’t leave him like that.”

Ben observed me for what felt like hours. “Alright. Just so you know though, when you leave, the real Percy will take back control of his body. He won’t remember anything of what you’ve said to this alternate Sam, so please choose your words carefully,” the Librarian said as he snapped his fingers.

Instantly, I was back at the mall. The cracks were still there, dripping with ooze. The people were still here, some of them taken by the blank emptiness, but otherwise not appearing to notice that something was amiss. Nobody seemed to see me passed out on the ground, except Sammy.

He was looking all over my body, his face a mask of worry. I could see tears in his eyes, and the moment I opened mine, he let out the biggest sigh of relief I had ever heard. “PERCY! Percy, are you okay? I’ll call 911-“ he went for his pocket, but I stopped him.

“No. I need to talk to you,” I said as I stood up and held his hand, leading us out of the movie screen, towards a corridor that hadn’t been taken by the white. Finding a secluded area, I sat on the carpet, patting the space next to me.

Sammy was so worried that he was sweating bullets as he sat down next to me. “I-is there something wrong with your health? I-I need to know. Oh god Percy, what is happening?” he trembled like a leaf caught in a hurricane.

I smiled bitterly. “It’s all good. I just want to say something before I go.”

“Go where?” Sammy’s eyes widened.

“It doesn’t matter. I’m on borrowed time, so I’ll be quick. I could try explaining everything to you, but I don’t want to burden you with something of this proportion,” I sighed as I felt the dissonance return, slowly at first. I was quite literally running out of time. I slowly brought my palm towards Sammy and brushed his cheek. He was still trembling like a dog out in the rain, and my touch did little to quell his fear.

“A-are you breaking up with me or something?” he whispered, almost not believing his own words. His eyes shined like stars in a midnight sky, brimming with a cocktail of emotion.

The bitterness was sapped away from my smile. “Of course not, silly. I haven’t gone mad. It’s just that in a few minutes, I’ll go to sleep and then I’ll wake up not remembering this past day. Please be gentle with me when that happens and promise me you won’t ask any questions.

The moment he opened his mouth in obvious confusion and protest, I rushed in and kissed him.

I know. It was selfish. He wasn’t my boyfriend. Not really.

Who gives a crap? If I have to go back to that hellish dimension, I might as well enjoy my last moments here.

In the end, I had to break the kiss the same way it broke my heart. “Listen. I don’t know what will happen in the future, but I want you to know that I would do everything to save you. I will never pull away from you. Never.”

Sammy lowered his head and looked at the texture of the cinema carpet. Most of it had disappeared from view, but even he didn’t seem to notice. I was expecting him to get up and call me crazy, but he instead placed his head on my shoulder.

And then he spoke.

“I know that I never really talk about my family, or my life in general, before moving to Seattle. You know the deal with my father, how he doesn’t ‘approve’ about us, and you were there when my mom was screaming at me about my future, and how I was ‘leaving it all to the wind.”

The memories of this alternate Percy were well-aware of that particular fight. I nodded my head.

“Sometimes, I hate my family. Sometimes, I wish I was born in a different world, where I would be alone to do whatever I wanted. Hell, sometimes I even have dreams about it. A stronger, better me. It sounds awesome, right?” he looked at me with a mischievous grin.

I smiled back, the irony of his words not escaping me a single bit.

Sammy continued. “I dream of flying in the sky, saving people like a superhero. You’ve seen the posters of Mister Superior in my room. In that world, there is nothing I can’t do. Nobody I can’t touch. But that world doesn’t have you,” he said as he raised his head.

“Me? Sammy, have you looked yourself in the mirror? You’re a goddamn demigod. You could have whoever you wanted.”

“You don’t get it. The things I feel with you Percy, they’re indescribable. Everything feels natural. Every second I spend next to you makes me feel like I could take everything the world might throw at me. All these fantasies I keep having amount to… nothing when I compare them to you. Percy Duval, you’re my fucking spark, and I’m never going to let you go, you hear me?” he spoke as he hugged me.

“Oh, Sammy…”

“I don’t care about the slightest bit of power. I don’t give a crap about becoming a superhero, Percy. You know why?”

“Why?” I replied, failing to hold my tears.

“Because I already have one right… here,” he revealed as he tapped my chest with his finger.

I wanted to say something, anything to fill in the silence, but my body couldn’t move. I could feel my consciousness drifting away, an invisible hand plucking it away from this alternate, wonderful Earth. Fate had spoken, and I had to answer the call.

With every single bit of power I had, I managed to hold his hand for one last time. His blue eyes sparked as he met mine.

I know.

I know, Sam.

I’m sorry.

With a final glimpse of longing, I finally closed my eyes, knowing that when I opened them again, I’d be against the same person I loved with every single speck of my being.

It was time to be a hero.

[ploder4]

It sounds like this is an end of everything.  Percy has just become a bomb.

[cregssatx]

Wow, what an interlude.  Nice Easter egg from your prior story.    Loved it and am looking forward already to the next chapter!

[palisade]

I loved the real sense of multiversal perspectives, but I honestly hope that things turn out well for Percy and Sam as they both deserve it, and the idea of the Corruption holding on to Sam is, in a sense, heartbreaking tbh!