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huffle-dork · 6 months ago

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Glitch into the Hufflverse Chapter 7: Septnautical

Read Swapboys | Read Crystal’s AUs | Read Septnautical

Read SITCV | Read SATCV | GITHV Masterpost

Once they're on the other side: they're immediately met by a strange site. It seems to be a huge cavern filled with low floating greenish brine. And what looks like a huge gigantic ribcage of a long dead creature smack dab in the middle like a pathway.

Once Marvin sees he gasps and the merboys grab the visitors nearest to them and quickly dash them all behind some rocks.

"Whoaa—" Jackie marvels at the ribcage before getting pulled away. "Hey! What the hell?!"

"Marvin!" Mer-Jackie whispers in a hush, "I thought you said you were taking us straight to that arch thing! You put us right in the getting-eaten-territory!!"

Marvin looks freaked out, "I-I I didn't mean to put us here! I-It shouldn't have put us here!”

Jackie's eyes widen and he immediately regrets shouting. He pokes his head over the rocks but JJ grabs him and drags him down again.

"I-it must have been a mistake," Schneep whispers, trying to see if he senses any especially large creatures nearby. "Perhaps something interfered with your powers? Like—like how radio waves interfere with each other sometimes and make static?"

I don't think they'll understand that, JJ points out.

Marvin growls and shows off his fangs. "I-It's okay... we can't panic we just... gotta figure out how to get a-all of us to the arch without a-alerting mesmers or ghost leviathans or getting in the brine..."

"And... crabsquids." Jamie adds nervously.

"That's a very long dangerous check-list..." Chase mumbles.

Mer-Jackie swims up like Jackie did to look at the area. "... I don't see any ghost leviathans yet... but those things are sneaky..."

JJ also looks over the rocks. He vaguely remembers Anti showing him some pictures of stuff from Subnautica... if he's correct, the ghost leviathans are huge and glowy. Yeah, no sign of them. We just... have to be quiet, he says. With all of us, we can keep an eye out.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Schneep asks. "I am, apparently, made for this environment." He flicks his tail. "Maybe I should go first? Even with the... you know." He waves his hand in front of his face.

"Technically you and JJ are safe here. Ghost rays also live around here," Henrik says. "So... maybe that could work."

"We can form a group," Jackie mutters. "Like a little ball. The ones who are more vulnerable to the poison brine stay in the middle, and the rest stick to the edges.”

"Can't you simply make another warp gate?" Schneep asks Marvin.

"If he could, I'm sure he would've suggested that," Jackie says.

"Oh- y-yeah lemme see-" Marvin says as he quietly tries to open a new gate- they can be kinda loud. However, when he tries, he gets a shock of green electricity up his hands and he yelps. Then, he full blown starts to panic, his voice raising. "i-I-i! I can't m-make another gate!!"

"Shit- I didn't think we were near the no-warp zone!" Mer-Jackie curses.

"I-I don't think we are! I just... i-I can't make one!" Marvin screeches in distress. Jamie surges over and grabs his arm, trying to shush him. Chase also comes over and tries to quiet him, "M-Marv calm down, we'll figure something out!"

Alt suddenly pales and curses, "...ah shit- m-maybe my glitches...?"

"Alt!" Bro hisses, "I told you!!"

"I know I know I'm sorry!" Alt whispers.

Marvin doesn't seem to hear his brothers though as he looks up at Alt and suddenly snarls. "Y-You! Your f-freaky powers messed with mine!" He then bursts out from where Chase and Jamie are holding him and goes to tackle Alt to the ground with a yell. Alt squeaks in response and tries to push him off but he's a bit freaked out. "I-I didn't think it'd hurt you! I-I'm sorry!"

Jackie blanches and rushes over to Marvin and Alt. The mandibles on his back instinctively shoot out and grab Marvin on either side. "Leave him alone! He didn't do anything!" Jackie says, trying to pull Marvin back.

Jackie, be careful! JJ says, also jumping in to help. He casts a protective shield in between Alt and Marvin, hoping to push Marvin's hands away.

"I think JJ was right earlier, I think we should be quiet!" Schneep says, trying to be heard without raising his voice too much. He keeps trying to sense nearby souls.

Marvin is snarling like a terrifying predator eyes trying to go pink behind his mask. Alt covers his head and then blinks as JJ shields him.

Bro gets in between Marvin and Alt and pushes Marvin back with a snarl. “Back off!”

Anti and Mer Jackie growls at seeing Marvin get pushed and Chase has to grab them both to make sure they don’t go after them too.

Then, there’s a terrifying roar coming from the expanse before them- the area starting to show a blue glow.

Bro freezes, “…that’s bad news isn’t.”

The way Marvin and Reaper Jackie freeze seem to answer their questions.

Jackie lets go of Marvin and backs away at the sound of the roar.

Ghost? JJ guesses.

Schneep's eyes widen. "That feels big." He feels around the rocks. "I-is there anywhere to hide?! Any—any small crevices? If not, fucking run."

“Marvin, which way is the arch?!” Henrik asks sharply.

“I don’t know!” Marvin squeaks, “That’s why I was hoping we’d just warp there! I haven’t been over there lately this place is like a fucking maze!!”

“S-So run then?!” Bro asks.

“Swim!” Mer-Jackie yells as a bright blue horrifying fish with a hammerhead like head barrels towards them through the murky water, trailing blue like ribbons and roaring so loud they can feel its vibrations in the water.

Bro sees this terrifying thing coming and for a second he freezes- but he sees Henrik is too. Without thinking he barrels into Hen right as this thing sails over top of them and ends up crashing the two of them back down into one of the rocks. Jackie and JJ dive down, swimming as fast as they possibly can away. Meanwhile, Schneep is gone the moment he feels the vibration of the roar. Just completely out of sight, having leapt away. Alt glitches away and has to right himself as he feels a bit dizzy doing so.

The rest of the boys manage to dodge okay while Marvin panickedly look around. He spies something in the distance and spurs down, "I-I'm starting to remember! Swim down towards that smaller set of ribs!" Bro helps Henrik up and grabs his hand to help him follow. Mer-Jackie does the same with Anti and Chase grabs Jamie- just because their tails make them a bit slow. Jackie and JJ swim after them. Schneep waits until the group is on the very end of his soul sensing range and then leaps over to them from his hiding spot in that strange cooler section of water near the ground.

Luckily for them, the Ghost Leviathan is clumsy and sped straight past them- too big to turn back around to chase them in time. By the time it does, the merboys have all swam down into a lower section of the briney falls. They all stop to catch their breath.

"F-Fucking hell..." Alt gasps, "T-that thing was terrifying...!"

“That was so loud," Schneep gasps.

If I wasn't running on pure adrenaline and terror that might have been cool, JJ says. But again. Pure adrenaline and terror.

"I-is everyone okay?" Jackie asks, looking around. "Schneep? You kind of disappeared for a moment there."

"I was in a cooler section of water, I think it was perhaps some sort of mist," Schneep says. "It must have hid me."

“That is the brine-“ Henrik explains. “Ah but no worries for you… it can be your protection here. It is too close to the ground for the ghosts to go towards.”

"The brine..." Schneep repeats. "Brine. Brine. Briiiine." He giggles a little. "A funny word."

"Oh god the near-death experience made you loopy," Jackie comments.

"I tend to disassociate when too upset, actually," Schneep says casually. And then break down, but that doesn't need to be shared. "I just think it is a funny word."

“You sound like Alt when he’s loopy after glitching too much.” Bro snickers. Alt frowns and flicks Bro. Then he laughs. “It is a fun word though- don’t get to say it often. Briiiiine-“

“Okay that’s enough,” Chase laughs.

Alt swallows and then timidly goes up to Marvin. “…I’m so sorry I caused this I… is there any way I can help?”

Marvin looks away and rubs his wrists. “…we probably need to just… give it a bit… I-I self repair… whatever you did will get out of my system somehow…”

"Sorry I grabbed you, too," Jackie mutters. "Panicked."

No harm done, it all seems! JJ signs cheerfully.

“Let’s not get too dragged down gang,” Bro tries to say lightly. “We can get through this! Who knows how to navigate down here?”

“Probably Marvin… the rest of us don’t come here…” Anti grumbles. He seems to be swimming a bit slower as he wraps his arms around himself, “p-probably because it’s f-fucking freezing down here…”

“Is it?” Marvin says, flicking his tails. “… I never noticed.”

“It is kinda chilly…” Chase agrees, rubbing his arms.

“I think it’s bracing!” Mer-Jackie grins. Anti whacks him with one of his tails.

JJ shrugs. Seems perfectly fine to me.

"Me too," Schneep adds.

Jackie frowns. "Maybe it's a bit chilly."

"Perhaps it has to do with the temperatures our, ah... fish... samples? The temperatures they can live in," Schneep says.

"Then why am I cold?" Jackie asks. "I thought I was some arctic creature!"

You're also a lobster, JJ says, amused.

"Ssshut!"

“What’s a lob-ster?” Jamie whispers with a tilted head.

“Some weird human thing I’m guessing.” Anti grunts.

Marvin stiffens a bit and his eyes turn slightly pink as he drones, “The chelicerate is a predatory animal that patrols the warmer waters found near thermal vents.”

“Ohhh so that’s why!” Mer-Jackie grins, “Your species hunts in warmer waters. Guess not everything is icy over there.”

“Huh. Guess that explains it,” Jackie says. “Weird that there’s some animal that sticks to a vent when the rest of the water is so cold. Like—you think they’d evolve to tolerate the cold, then.”

“There are animals like that on Earth.” Schneep shrugs. “I suppose it just shows that if life is possible, it will find a way.”

“S’also why i’m miserable…” Anti pouts. “I need a thermal vent…”

“I think there’s some on the way, Anti.” Marvin tries to smile at him. “C’mon.”

Marvin starts to lead them down further into the cave, swimming right above the brine as it swirls like a cloud on the sea floor. The area is beautiful in an eerie way. Above them they can see ghost rays swimming, letting out an ethereal ghostly song.

Alt grins and nudges JJ, “Look! It’s you!”

JJ looks up at the ghost rays. “Ooooo.” He waves at them, grinning wide. Prettyyyyy.

“So how far d’you think we are from that place?” Jackie asks. “And can you describe the stuff to avoid? Heard you mention… mesmers and… crabsquids?”

“I think a crabsquid is described in its name,” Schneep points out.

“Hey, you never know.”

“I mean other Schneep’s not wrong,” Chase laughs, “They’re… big creatures with long legs like a crab. They emit emp blasts.”

Alt pales at this, “Oh they do? …gotta make sure to avoid that…”

“Mesmers are smaller but I think they stay mainly around those bones…” Mer-Jackie says as he looks around.

“There are also the river prowlers…” Henrik points out. “But maybe they will avoid us because we have one with us?”

The corridor is starting to get darker, bits of bright blue light shining on the cave walls.

But suddenly… there’s the sound of a drone of some sort… and something foreign calling out to the group. Strange creatures… come closer… don’t be afraid… come over this way….

Schneep stops swimming momentarily. “Do you all hear that?” It’s a voice. How unusual… he doesn’t think he can sense any strong souls. He turns to face that way just in case.

“Hmm?” Jackie also turns towards the pull.

JJ frowns and quickly shoves the voice into the back of his head. Anything that talks to you like that can’t be good.

Anti hears the voice in his head and freezes, then shrinks up and curls to put his hands over his ears. “No! No no g-get out!”

Henrik quickly swims over to see what’s wrong. “A-Anti??”

Alt shudders as he hears the voice and hunches up, his tail starting to light up with sparks.

Those who feel the pull turn to see creatures with beautiful swirling wings flowing out of the darker water, coming towards them. Once they hear it and look at the colors- it’s impossible to turn away. They feel themselves drawn forward towards that beautiful light. It’s just… so pretty…

As the boys are drawn in they see the water around their vision swirling with beautiful pastels green purple and blues- the effect getting stronger the more they turn towards the creatures. Stronger the closer they get… they want to get closer.

Oh… that’s beautiful. Jackie has never seen anything so beautiful. He grabs onto Schneep’s shoulder. “Wish you could see this,” he whispers.

Schneep frowns. “Why? What is happening?”

JJ looks back at the others. His eyes widen. No no no! It’s just like those spirals in that SCLERA place! He darts forward, keeping his eyes down and squinted, and grabs onto Jackie, trying to pull him back. But Jackie just frowns in annoyance and shoves him away without even looking.

Bro looks over and gets drawn into the swirls of color. “…wow…” he laughs dazedly and starts to swim forward. The Mesmer beckons him closer.

Marvin and Reaper Jackie, who are leading the pack, look back in confusion as the group starts to disperse. “What are you guys doing?” Marvin squeaks in concern.

Henrik gasps, “It is a swarm of mesmers! E-everyone do not listen and do not look! Try to get away from them!”

But, it seems Chase and Jamie have fallen for the voices too. Floating together towards one Mesmer, Bro going towards another.

The Mesmer drawing Jackie in seems pleased. That’s it child… very good… don’t resist… don’t look away.. come closer… let me show you something beautiful. The mesmers drone to their prey.

As Jackie nears it- it suddenly opens up its mouth and 4 sharp toothed tentacles try to snap shut around his face.

JJ cries out. Schneep, get him away from there! he signs. He backs up, concentrating, and sends out a spray of magic, aiming mostly for the one that's trying to eat Jackie but hoping to catch others in the crossfire. But nerves cause his magic to go wide by a long shot.

Schneep leaps out of Jackie's grip and grabs his tail from behind, pulling him away and downward.

Jackie yelps and finally looks away, down at Schneep. "Dude, what the fuck?!"

"Try to think clearly, Jackie!" Schneep shouts. "Do you think this is normal?!"

Alt doesn’t know why he’s able to avoid this so well but he dives towards the Mesmer drawing in Bro and tries to shock it.

The Mesmer trying to draw in Bro dodges Alt’s attack and swims away, dragging Bro to follow closely after it. He grins in delight and doesn’t take his eyes away.

“C-Chase! Wake up!” Alt tries to call, grabbing onto Bro’s arm. But he makes the mistake of looking up and- fuck! Another comes up a bit closer to get in Alt’s line of sight- and Alt looks directly at it. He feels his senses leave him completely. The drone overtaking everything else.

yes… don’t resist now… come come… I’m very friendly… come see my beauty…

Alt’s shoulders slump and he breathes out, relaxing. “Okay…” he lets go of Bro and starts to swim dazedly towards the one pulling him away.

“No! D-Don’t!” Marvin tries to warn but he swims back- terrified of the swarm as it brings back memories. Without his warps- he feels powerless.

JJ sees Alt get taken in out of the corner of his eyes. He gasps and sends a spear of icy magic towards that mesmer.

The ice shreds through the Mesmer, leaking yellow blood into the water as its fishy body is cut in half. Alt stops swimming but- his eyes are still swirling with its colors. He still feels entranced. He doesn’t seem to notice anything else around him. He can’t even bring himself to keep his tail swimming so he starts to fall through the water.

Mer-Jackie roars and tries to tackle the ones targeting his brothers. As ReaperJackie tries to tackle the Mesmer drawing in Chase and JJ- another one gets right in his face. His eyes immediately start to swirl and he lowers his mandibles and hands.

oh… we remember you strange reaper… you were quite the tasty meal… will you let us feed on you again? In exchange we will let you gaze upon our beauty for as long as you can…

Mer-Jackie breathes, his head lolling a bit on his neck. “Y…yeah…” he whispers- going in a tight circle as the Mesmer makes its prey follow it docilely like a game.

“J-Jackie!” Henrik shouts. Anti is still too freaked out to do anything- his body shaking against his will.

Bro gets close to his Mesmer- staring at its wings with delight in his eyes- its mouth starts to spread apart- fangs glistening in the dull cave light but he doesn’t seem to notice.

Jackie shakes his head. Huh? What was he doing? Schneep has pulled him close to the ground, almost to the brine, and as he looks up he sees the teeth and fangs on the mesmers. "Holy shit!" he gasps. "Th-they're gonna—we got to do something!"

Schneep reaches to a side for a weapon—and pulls out his trusty scissors. "Tell me where they are and I will go there."

"You can tell where people are, right?!" Jackie says urgently.

"Yes!"

"There's one right in front of Bro, i-it's the one closest to someone, it's about to fucking eat him!"

"Got it!" Schneep disappears, and reappears in the water right above the mesmer, stabbing downwards. Schneep manages to skewer the Mesmer and it shrieks in anger and tries to wrap a tentacle around Schneep’s arm.

Jackie looks around wildly, trying not to look directly at anything. He sees his hybrid counterpart try and get close to one of the mesmers, only to get caught in its grip. He has to do something! Closing his eyes, he charges through the water with a yell, hoping to pin the mesmer.

By some miracle, Jackie’s hybrid instincts kick in and his mandible crushes the Mesmer into one of the stalagmites. Mer-Jackie is still entranced though, just slowing to a halt and sinking a bit through the water- not knowing where else to swim.

Marvin yelps and dives down to catch him, holding his twin close to his chest.

Schneep stabs the mesmer’s tentacle as soon as it latches onto him, then leaps behind Bro. He grabs onto him and starts pulling the same way he did with Jackie. JJ grabs onto Alt where he’s floating and starts swimming away. Jackie backs away from the crushed mesmer, breathing heavily, stunned at his own capabilities. He sees the other two and Marvin grabbing the mesmer victims and dives down next to Marvin to help.

The Mesmer Schneep attacks screeches in pain and swims away. And soon, Bro is able to shake out of the trance and blinks up at Schneep as they’re pulled away. “H-huh? Schneep?”

Chase and Jamie have neared theirs, Chase reaching out towards it. The Mesmer snaps out its jaw and bites down hard on Chase’s arm. He’s snapped out of trance as he yells in pain. This is enough to make Anti uncurl and roar in anger. Sending a fire ball out to blast and kill their Mesmer. Jamie blinks in slow dazed confusion and Chase tries to scoop him up, looking for a place to take everyone to hide.

Henrik seems to pick up on this and looks around and points down below where the brine makes a couple waterfalls, seeing a plateau of safe rock just below the streams. “D-Down there! Hide behind the brine, I think there’s a cave there!”

Chase and Marvin nod and hurry down, curving around the stream and finding safety behind the falls. As soon as the three others hear Henrik shout, they move in that direction as well, JJ taking Alt, Schneep taking Bro, and Jackie taking mer-Jackie- seeing Marvin have some difficulty carrying him.

They’re all taken down under the falls and luckily, enough of them glow enough to shed at least some light in the shallow cave.

Henrik leads in with Anti and sighs shakily. “W-Who’s hurt?”

“I-I got bit,” Chase says and Henrik swims over and rummages through his bag, finding some creepvines and wrapping up Chase’s hand.

Marvin is shaking but stays outside the cave to watch out for any more signs of trouble.

Bro settles to the ground, still a bit disoriented and spacey. “What… what happened…?”

“Mesmers…” Henrik snarls, showing a bit of anger.

Jackie shivers. “I-I thought you said those things stick around the bones. I figured we’d gone far enough away from them to not have to fucking worry.”

“Maybe we weren’t far enough away… or we were too interesting to ignore…” Chase mumbles, frowning at the still tranced Jamie.

JJ shakes his head. I don’t like that. I don’t like things that… mess with your head.

Jackie gives him a strange look. “Uh… you mentioned… something called Distorter once…”

JJ pales a little. Lets just say that if Distorter was a hybrid, he would definitely be one of those things.

“I see…” Jackie mutters.

“I-I think we are all safe?” Schneep says, holding tight to his scissors still.

Bro sees Alt still tranced in JJ’s arms and he hurries over, trying to shake Alt awake. “A-Alt?! Alt hey!” But Alt’s head just dazedly lolls backs and forth. “T-The fuck?!”

Anti looks at JJ with probably the most sympathetic look he’s given yet. He then swims over to Jamie in Chase’s arm and frowns, “I don’t get it… w-we killed those fuckers right? Why are they still… caught in this?”

Jackie frowns. "Maybe—maybe we just need to snap them out of it?"

"If Alt is not being snapped out by Bro shouting at him, what will snap him out of it?" Schneep asks.

"Uhhhh... we could slap him?"

Schneep frowns disapprovingly.

JJ looks out through the brine waterfall, checking that there are no threats. There aren't, but something could show up at any moment. He pulls back. I think we should move on. We can carry them with us.

Henrik snaps out of his focus as he finished Chase’s arm and nods to Jackie. “A-Actually yes! The only thing I have found to work is… t-temporary pain. I do not know why… but the trance only lingers if a Mesmer is killed while their victim is in trance.”

"Huh. Weird." Jackie pauses for a moment. "Maybe it's something like... the signal is able to continue in their head? Sort of... sustain itself? I dunno, I know there are a lot of mental magick spells like that.

“That is a good theory…” Henrik muses.

“Anyway." Jackie swims over to Alt. "Sorry, Alt." And he slaps him across the face.

Alt immediately exclaims in surprise and grabs his cheek, the colors immediately clearing from his eyes. “Ow! Jesus!”

Schneep can't help but laugh a little at the sudden slap noise. "Ah—sorry, that is not funny. Just—the noise without context."

“Oh thank god…” Bro sighs in relief. “T-Thanks Jackie I dunno if I could have done that.”

Alt massages his cheek with a confused frown then sits up with a gasp. “T-That weird fish! It.. it-“ He looks visibly pale as he swallows shakily. “…f-fucking god damn it…”

"No problem." Jackie nods at Bro. "You okay, Alt? I don't think I hit you too hard, but I also feel stonger in this merman form so I might not be a good judge.”

Alt tries to nod but he’s visibly shaken. “Y-Yeah I’m… it s-stung like a bitch but I’m… I’m fine.” Bro frowns and brings in Alt for a very gentle hug. Alt shudders and flicks his tail to try not to spiral.

Anti frowns at Jamie and then slaps one of his tentacles against his face. Jamie makes a noise of surprise then sits up, blinking up at his brothers in confusion.

Mer Jackie is still under too but he seems to slightly be waking up, not down as long as the others. “…m..Marv…?” He mumbles, blinking like it’s still kinda hard to see.

"Oh! Hey, other me!" Jackie looks back at mer-Jackie. "Marvin? He wants you!"

Marvin perks up and swims back quickly to his brother, bending down. “J-Jackie?? Are you okay?”

Mer-Jackie grins dazedly, “Didn’t get bit this time…!”

Marvin snorts and pushes his face away playfully, “Yeah… thank the stars we weren’t alone again…” Marvin sighs and lightly taps mer- Jackie’s cheek to wake him up too and the colors start to completely clear from his eyes. He pushes himself up and shakes himself out like a dog. “Fuck dude! I hate fucking mesmers…”

“….t-those things are really strong for s-something so small…” Bro mumbles.

“It is because their calls can reach your mind…” Henrik says with a shudder. “They are smarter than most prey here… maybe not as smart as a sea emperor or a warper but… smart enough to draw fish into their thrall.”

"Not smart enough for me to sense their souls, apparently," Schneep grumbles unhappily. But if those emperors and warpers are stronger, he'll probably be able to sense them, at least?

Do you think covering our ears would protect us from mesmers? JJ asks. I know it's not a good idea to cover your ears while swimming somewhere dangerous, but I'm just trying to establish how they work.

Schneep nods. "Rules are always good to know."

“I… I think we’re for sure out of their territory though…” Marvin says quietly, “I think I-I’m starting to remember the way. We should be safe…” he looks to JJ and shrugs, “Covering your ears won’t work against them… cuz it’s in y-your head… and to be honest it’s about to get kinda dark … but only for a little bit. There’s river prowlers ahead and… i-I think that’s it until we swim up…”

“We just gotta try our best to lay low and not draw too much attention,” Mer-Jackie says with a shake of his tail as he swims up from the ground. “…sadly though just us being here brings a lot of attention… so we just gotta be brutal enough to send fish swimming’ scared~!” He grins.

"Hell yeah, I can be brutal." Jackie flashes a dark grin. "Let's move. The sooner we head out, the sooner we get there."

JJ nods slowly. That does make sense... Schneep, perhaps you should stay in front? Maybe it'll discourage the river prowlers from getting close to us.

"I'm willing to do that, but someone should be next to me," Schneep says.

Marvin nods, “I’ll stay by other Schneep then… Since I mostly know the way.”

“Alright- let’s keep it going then!” Bro tries to say brightly, hoping his enthusiasm is contagious. Mer-Jackie grins at him and nods.

The boys all filter back out into the main cavern past the brine and Marvin starts to lead them down a bit more in the lower parts. The brine still flows but- now there seems to be a big island below surrounded by the mist. Big funnels puff warmer water into this area like heated vents. And strangely to the right are large glowing pillars… and what looks like massive metal cables sunk into the cavern walls. And under them, by the vents and in between some more falling brine… is a decently sized skeleton. Not the size of the rib cages they saw… but pretty big. This thing must have been at least 100 meters…! It looks big enough for you to even swim inside of it.

"Whoaaa," Jackie whistles. He's so tempted to swim through that skeleton but they have to stay focused. "I so wish you could see this, Schneep." He diverts down to one of the funnels, enjoying the warmer waters.

"Describe it for me," Schneep says.

"Well, this whole place has been pretty green. The brine is green, and it looks like rivers and waterfalls. There are these glowing pillar things and this huge ass skeleton!"

And these strange cables, JJ adds.

Alt looks down at the skeleton and can’t help but shudder. Bro whistles too, “Damn that thing is sick! What is that thing you think?”

The merboys (except Marvin) all pause to look down and then they gasp. Anti seems palest of the all as he stammers out, “T-That’s… that’s a sea dragon…! What… what was one doing down here…?”

"A sea dragon?" Jackie repeats. "Oh, like—oh."

"Perhaps it was looking for food?" Schneep speculates. "Well, in any case, if it is old enough to just be bones now, whatever killed it is definitely no longer around. So we don't need to worry."

Mer-Jackie stares at the skeleton and hums. Then starts to swim and gestures for the others to follow as he talks, “you know- Zara told me a story once. About how this planet got the khaara… said the architects that lived here came here to look for a cure and captured a sea emperor. But it was old… and they didn’t know how to hatch its eggs… and a sea dragon was really similar to the sea emperors so they took one of its eggs and… she got angry and attacked a big base of theirs. And… it broke the base and spread the disease into the ocean. Causing the outbreak almost a 1000 years ago…”

"Outbreak? Oh, so it's some sort of disease?" Jackie asks. "Or, well. It was almost a thousand years ago, so I'm guessing—hoping—it's not around any more."

"I'm sure that would've come up with the list of dangers," Schneep points out.

"Oh yeah! You guys don't know about that!" Mer-Jackie says. He then laughs and shakes his head. "We don't really get what it is but yeah its not around anymore. Except the time that Chase got it."

"It is a strange disease..." Henrik mumbles, "It nearly wiped out the whole planet I am told... it was only about a 100 years ago that someone from Alterra fell to the planet and got the cure from the sea emperors... they were the only one who had the cure surprisingly. It is something they produce naturally. ...which is probably why they took Jack... just in case it ever returned..."

"I'm... sorry that happened to you guys... that your brother went missing..." Jackie says slowly. "And that bit about Chase getting it, too. Sorry about that."

"It's okay," Chase says, having swam back to swim with the others. He smiles tightly. "We got it fixed really fast... but that’s how we found out what warpers could do. They were made to get rid of the khaara... or creatures that were too sick with it since they didn't have a cure. But, things had been so peaceful here for so long no one had seen a warper act aggressively. So we were all pretty shocked when Marvin suddenly warped me into the grand reef." He rubs his arms, "It's okay though... we're figuring it out. And... we have Jack back now... we'll figure out how to wake him soon..."

Anti seems to be sinking a bit as he's swimming, looking like he's having trouble staying awake as Chase says this.

JJ notices Anti sinking a bit and ducks down, shaking him a little.

Anti blinks sleepily at JJ and tiredly bares his fangs at him. His Jamie comes up and subtly grabs his arm, looking at JJ gratefully.

JJ looks back at the cables again then asks, What are those? Man made? Or... alien made?

Marvin seems determined to get past this part as quickly as possible and bites but a growl of frustration at people getting distracted. But as Jamie mentions the cables Marvin freezes almost robotically. He doesn’t look that way but stammers out. “..a-alien-made- don’t… don’t go that way-“

JJ looks at Marvin, puzzled. Then nods slowly. Alright. We'll avoid it if there's danger. Let's keep going.

Marvin shivers and nods, quickly swimming away from this corridor as fast as he can.

Alt looks curiously at the path with the cables. Wonder what’s over there that’s got Marvin so spooked?

The merboys shake out their fear as they see their brother booking it away. “M-Marvin! Hang on!” Chase shouts and tries to follow.

Jamie looks at where Alt and JJ are looking and flicks his tails sadly, whispering. “…I think over there is where the bad man kept Marvin… that’s why he’s scared…”

JJ looks at his other self and softens. He nods.

Jackie and Schneep also glance back at the corridor with the cables. "I get it," Jackie mutters. "I really get it."

"I think we all understand that response," Schneep says.

Alt seems to shiver at this too and nods, holding his arms. "Yeah... w-we get it. Let's not dwell on it."

"I agree with Alt, let us not dwell," Schneep says.

Let's hurry past, JJ says. Onwards we go.

They all speed away from the skeleton and weird cables, coming towards an expanse of even more green brine waterfalls. Marvin starts to swim upwards quickly, a very steep expanse- swimming towards a strange tree with white tips that glow brightly in the darkness.

JJ unconsciously starts to swim faster, looking up at the tree with wide eyes. That's so pretty! he says. Why is there a tree here? A glowing tree?

Marvin pauses in his faster swimming and slows down, twitching a bit to answer JJ's question. "Oh... those are ghost trees I think... they're our way of finding where this arch is... t-there's a whole area of them... I dunno why but they grow down here..."

"Maybe it's cuz of that biggg pink one that has that giant egg!" Mer- Jackie says, swimming up towards Marvin and startling him some. "Maybe these are just its baby trees!"

Marvin laughs a bit, "Maybe..."

"Oh, a giant egg? How fascinating." Schneep chuckles. "In all honesty, that would make sense, if there is one big tree it is probably sending out some sort of seeds--or, well, it is not likely seeds because this is underwater, but something like that. But eventually it lands and new trees go."

“Ah… I heard that those are… more ghost Leviathans…” Henrik says quietly, adjusting his goggles. “Their parents come here from the void to lay their eggs because the tree somehow provides nutrients to the eggs…”

“Yeah well- never seen one hatch before.” Mer-Jackie says with a shrug.

"From the void?!" Jackie repeats. "The hell is that?! Doesn't sound good."

“Oh… yes-“ Henrik coughs, “The life on this side of the planet is only contained in a crater… if you travel outside the crater’s safety- then you meet a spot that is almost devoid of life… and here is where the adult ghost leviathans live.”

"What about Jackie?" Schneep asks. "His fish species isn't from the crater."

I suppose there's another bit of life in that arctic area, JJ figures.

Marvin twitches a bit and slows, eyes turning pink. “4546B’s craters edge is inaccessible because of its depth, freezing waters and lack of life. The voids connect the warmer waters to the colder waters of Sector Zero, where another crater breeds more life. The Void of Sector Zero contains the Void Chelicerate. A rare mutation of the chelicerate that prefers to roam in dark, open waters at the edge of the sector. Like the Ghost Leviathans of the warmer sectors of 4546B these creatures roam the dark waters searching for microscopic fauna to eat.” He then shakes himself out of it and blinks. “Huh… didn’t know about that…”

"Oh." Jackie pauses. "...huh."

"So the planet is mostly uninhabitable except for some craters," Schneep sums up. "Fascinating."

Marvin looks up at the cavern and sets his face in a determinated look. "...we're almost there but... when we get to the ghost forest... w-we gotta be careful... there's another ghost leviathan up there... i... I dunno how we'll avoid it though... the area is... p-pretty open despite all the trees..."

A lot of things named after ghosts in this area, JJ comments, looking down at his own body. Probably because they're translucent and/or glowing.

"Another one of those giant things?" Jackie mutters. "Okay, we'll have to hurry through, then. Fast and quiet."

Marvin nods, “Yes… the arch is at the highest point of the cave… we’re almost there.”

Now they can see bigger branches of ghost trees underneath an arch where one more big waterfall of brine falls.

JJ gasps. Oh, this place really is so pretty! He looks at all the ghost trees and underwater waterfalls in awe.

Schneep sighs. "I am usually okay with not seeing things, but this universe in particular is proving the exception."

JJ winces. Sorry, Schneep.

"No no, is fine, it's not anyone's fault. And I am not going to stop you from saying it's beautiful just because I cannot see it."

Alt swallows nervously, “…I really hope this arch thing works…”

"It'll work," Jackie says, unusually optimistic. "And if it doesn't, we just have to wait for another rift, and try to find another way in the meantime."

Alt giggles, “That’s pretty positive coming from you, Jackie.”

Jackie tries for a smile. "W-well, I think we have to be, in this situation. I mean... if we don't have optimism, what do we have?" He shakes his head. "I don't want to... I don't want to feel hopeless, you know?"

Alt smiles shakily but Bro nods enthusiastically. “yeah! Good srat, dude!” He bumps into Alt. “We got this!”

Alt shakes his head with a laugh.

JJ nods. How close are we to the arch?

Marvin slows and holds out a hand to everyone to stop. Just before them is a smaller cavern that seems to be source of the brine rivers and falls. It has a shallower tier of pools weaving through taller ghost trees. At the edge of the pools- there’s one more huge waterfall- and what looks like a broken metal door behind it. But swimming just in front of it is another Ghost Leviathan.

“…it’s just up there- right in its path.” Marvin says quietly, trying to hide his shaking.

Jackie quickly stops swimming, holding his arms out to stop anyone behind him. "God they really are so big," he whispers. "Okay. We have to get around that thing, avoiding all the brine except in the case of Schneep and JJ, and to that metal door behind the brine waterfall. The--the brinefall. It is... right in front of the door. Ooookay."

JJ frowns, staring. There must be a way through. Maybe we can wait for it to leave? Or, well, I suppose Schneep could just appear right by the door... right, Schneep?

"Yes, I have no doubt I could appear right there, no matter where it is," Schneep says. "Ever since I got control of my powers I haven't had difficulty reaching a location within, ah... 'eyeshot.'"

"Okay, but the rest of us can't do that," Jackie whispers. "And you and Alt can only take a few passengers while glitching. And your glitching feels terrible. No offense."

Schneep shrugs. "None taken. By the way, the leviathan cannot see or sense us over here, right?"

“I’m not so sure…” Marvin whispers. “I-I think we might be far enough away…”

“…you all only need Marv and yourselves to go to this arch thingy right?” Anti says sleepily. He looks at the others and then puffs out his chest, light shining brighter in his eyes. “…then we’ll distract the thing while you get inside. That way you all have time to get to the thing using your majic whatever.”

“But I.. I can’t warp right now-“ Marvin emphasizes.

Mer-Jackie shakes his head. “Anti’s right! If Alt and Schneep can just pop over there then we’ll only need to distract it for a second! We’ll drive it away! The others can stay over here where it’s safe- or oh! we can all meet up at the cove tree over there.” He points over to a spot of glowing blue in the dark back the way they came. “It’s completely safe over there!”

Anti cracks his knuckles then grins at Reaper Jackie. “I’ve been itching for a fight… I’m actually looking forward to this. No more swimming away scared…!” Reaper Jackie shares his grin and grows out his claws. “Agreed.”

Jackie nods as he listens to Anti and mer-Jackie talk. "Hell yeah. I bet I could be helpful in this." He grins, and his mandibles snap a little. "I've been in a lot of fights—though I've never fought a giant glowing fish."

I'd be surprised if you had, JJ says.

The merboys all laugh at this. “It does sound strange like that doesn’t it?” Henrik chuckles.

Chase, Henrik and JJ look nervous. But eventually Chase sighs. “…alright bros just.. be careful. Don’t try to kill it- just… distract it long enough for them to get inside and then come find us.”

Bro looks at Alt and Schneep, “…you both okay with this?”

Alt seems nervous, flicking his tail as it sparks slightly. “… glitching feels wrong here but… I-I can try…”

"I am okay with it, yes," Schneep says.

"How's your powers?" Jackie asks.

"I have been able to jump normally so far, I do not think there will be trouble."

I could be helpful, too, JJ continues. My magic might not be so helpful with the arch, it'll be more useful as a distraction. I could also help heal people up if they get too hurt.

Bro nods, “If it seems like it’s going after us Jackie, JJ, me and Alt can help keep it back- but we should all focus on getting in that tunnel! Soo! Let’s get it rolling!”

Chase swims up to the boys and smiles warmly. “just in case this works and we don’t see you again… this was fucking weird but… nice too. S’nice to meet humans who… relate to what we’ve been through.”

Jamie beams. “If you ever can come back… somehow- it would be nice to meet again!”

Henrik smiles, “But if not… please be safe. I do hope you all get home.”

Of course! JJ beams. You've all been so kind.

Jackie leans close. "Even Anti?" he whispers.

JJ nudges him playfully. Yes, even him. When you don't trust people, trust is the kindest thing.

Anti blinks at this and then hides his flushing face with one of his tails.

"Sure." Jackie looks at the others and smiles. "Yeah, I'd love to come here again if possible. I have a lot of stuff going on back home that I want to take care of first, but eventually."

"I agree, it's been strange, but nice." Schneep nods. "So... goodbye." He grins. "Until we may meet again."

“Goodbye-“ Henrik smiles and Chase, JJ and Henrik all go towards the cove tree.

Anti and Mer-Jackie grin at the others. “I guess we should do that too and shit.” Jackie laughs. He turns towards them. “This has been super cool and I’d love to show you so much next time! If you can. But until then- let’s fuck shit up!”

He goes to hit Anti’s shoulder and braces to swim. “We’ll get its attention! Try to swim or warp past whatever it is you do!”

Anti looks at the others and nods. “…bye.” Then he and Jackie rocket towards the ghost leviathans, both of them roaring loudly at it. The ghost Leviathan roars and races up to meet them.

Jackie watches them go, wanting to go after—and starting to for a moment—before he thinks better of it. After all, if they're going to leave, they have to all leave together.

Alt startles and goes to grab some of the others. “Link up! I can get us up there!”

Marvin swims back and holds his hands close to him. “No way! I-I’m not getting near your weird powers again!”

“Why didn’t you say anything about that before this?!” Alt snaps in frustration.

"Marvin, you don't really have a choice," Schneep points out. "We need you up there! Are we just going to swim there? Right by the fight?"

You could bring him, JJ suggests.

"IIIII don't think he would like that."

"We don't have a lot of time!" Jackie says. "Whatever we're going to do, we have to do it fast!" He turns to look at the fight.

The ghost Levithan rushes to meet the boys and mer-Jackie rushes to try to spear it with his mandibles. But it moves too quickly and grabs Jackie by his tail and then tosses him into the cave wall.

“Jackie!!” Anti screams and then turns to growl at the ghost Leviathan. He builds up fire balls and starts to loop around the bigger fish, pelting it with fire as it screeches in pain.

Bro yells out, “Fuck! Jackie!”

“M-Marvin come on!” Alt urges, going to grab his arm. But Marvin lashes out and scratches at Alt’s arm with his claws, his eyes going a bit pink and his voice sounding a bit more robotic. “No! I-I-“ he looks back to where Jackie fell and then speeds over to try to get to him.

Alt grabs his arm and yells out in pain before trying to yell out after him. “M-Marvin!”

"Fucking hell!" Jackie shouts. He swims after Marvin.

"Wait, hold on!" Schneep swims after him as well, in case they need to make a quick getaway.

Marvin is too fast- having been here before he knows what to dodge and where to go.

Alt and Bro try to follow after the others but can’t catch up to Marvin.

Luckily Anti is still keeping the Ghost Leviathan occupied but it already seems like he’s slowing.

Schneep tries leaping closer to Marvin, but his targeting is slightly off. He has to swim the rest of the way.

Jackie curses under his breath. He's not going to be able to catch up! So he instead turns to look at Anti and rushes over, determined to help. "Hey! Ghostie goo!" he shouts.

“Jackie?! The fuck are you doing?!” Bro shouts and spurs after him.

Jackie’s shout distracts the Ghost Leviathan enough for it to look his way- and Anti lands a fireball in its face. It roars in pain and runs into some of the trees around as its vision is affected.

Marvin races over to Mer-Jackie and tries to shake him awake. Orange hybrid blood clouds in the water from Jackie’s bitten tail and a spot on his head where he hit the wall. Marvin blinks tears out of his eyes as he tries to wake his brother up. “j-Jackie?? Jackie! W-wake up!!”

Schneep stops next to Marvin. He reaches out, and feels the slightly warm blood in the water. "Jameson?!"

JJ hurries after everyone else, quickly catching up. He looks at mer-Jackie, assessing the damage. Head wound—tail wound—if there's ever a time for healing magic, it's now. This will take a minute, he says, eyes glowing blue as he grabs onto reaper Jackie's arm. A film of blue magic starts to cover his wounds, healing them slowly.

Marvin slightly snarls at JJ as he comes closer, almost curling up around Jackie protectively. But he blinks in surprise as he sees the wounds start to close.

Alt spurs over to the small group surrounding Reaper Jackie and then floats a bit away from them and uses his magic to create a shield around them.

JJ smiles at Marvin reassuringly. This is what my magic does, he says. Meanwhile, the wounds seal up.

"We have to get there soon! While it's distracted!" Schneep hisses.

Jackie grins and decides to put these mandible things to use. He swims up to the ghost leviathan and latches onto its side, serrated edges digging into its flesh and then quickly letting go. He swims downward immediately after. The Ghost Leviathan roars in pain and is immediately diverted off course and starts to swim away from its territory with fervor.

Bro blinks at Jackie’s attack and laughs, ramming against its tail slightly as it swims. “Yeahhh!! Dudes you guys fucked that thing up!!” Bro says, turning to Jackie and Anti.

Anti grins, the water bubbling a bit hot around the edges of his mouth. “Fuck yeah. I needed that.” He looks at Jackie though, “You were very impressive though… you know- for a human.”

"Ha! I'll take it." Jackie grins.

Alt braces his shield, thinking about Schneep’s warning and then gasps as he hears the Ghost Leviathan swimming away. He laughs in disbelief and lowers his shield. “I… I think we’re good to breathe for a second Schneep… it’s swimming away!”

"What the—oh, it is!" Schneep gasps. "Amazing! Driving off something so big. Truly a marvel."

Anti grins and then swims down back to everyone else, Bro follows close behind.

Marvin watches the magic with muted fascination and wonder, slowly getting closer and reaching out like he wants to touch it. “…y-you didn’t have to do this… w-why are you doing this?” He asks JJ. “…does it hurt you?”

JJ smiles at Marvin gently. No, it doesn't hurt me. It tires me out, if I use a lot of it, but it doesn't hurt me. As for why... well, I don't like seeing people hurt. Most people don't. Jackie is a good man—or, a good hybrid. He doesn't deserve to be hurt. He nods at the magic. You can touch it. But it won't feel like much of anything.

Marvin does go to touch it and just marvels at the sight of it. He feels over Jackie’s tail and balks as he feels the skin being healed over so fast. He laughs a little. “…that’s amazing… s-some white suit machines can do stuff like this… b-but I don’t think they’re this fast… or through. T-they still leave scars…”

He frowns as he sees the large scar on Jackie’s side and thoughtfully touches parts of his jaw.

Jackie notices the scar when Marvin does. He narrows his eyes slightly, wondering if the white suits were healing their own actions... and hating them just at the possibility.

If the wounds were worse there would be scars, JJ says. But lucky they weren't, and I got here quickly. He rubs his neck.

Anti lands down, looking a bit worried. “Is Jackie-?” Then he stops himself and blinks in surprise as Jackie looks almost completely fine. “W-Woah…”

Bro grins, “Yeah JJ! Way to go!”

JJ grins, a bit shyly. I'm just doing what I thought would help.

Schneep nudges him slightly. "And that is an admirable thing--not to mention it must take a lot of magic to heal."

Not that much, really. Though... he hopes that he doesn't have to use magic for a while. Just in case.

Soon enough the injured reaper opens his eyes, his wounds pretty much healed. He blinks in confusion then grins dopily- though he might just be dazed still. “…did we win?”

"Yes, Jackie, we won!" Schneep says, laughing.

Marvin snorts through his nose and playfully slaps mer- Jackie. “You fuck… you gave us all a fucking heart attack-“

“I didn’t ask to be bit and thrown across the cave!” The reaper protests.

Alt and Bro laugh.

“…just in case that thing is still around, why don’t you two join us inside the tunnel? Maybe Marvin will be able to warp again once we’re gone.” Alt says.

Jackie nods. "Yeah, we should get out of here quickly."

Anti shrugs. Mer-Jackie smiles and tries to get up but still seems kinda weak so Marvin grabs him and puts his arm over his shoulder. “…yeah okay I-I’m sticking with Marv…” the reaper laughs.

Marvin doesn’t really look at the others as he hurries towards the metal doorway. “c-c’mon then…”

Alt starts to follow closely behind, followed by Bro then Anti dragging behind the pack. The other three hurry after everyone else.

The cavern clearly looks like an underground cave that has slowly filled with water over the past century. The way is twisted and a bit confusing- branches of ghost trees jutting out and parts of the path looks like it’s made of its branches. Eventually, Marvin swims up a walkway made of wood before floating in front of a large impressive structure. It houses a glowing green field of energy, shining like light on top of water- inside a metal diamond frame. It looks completely foreign and alien to anything they’ve seen so far.

Such strange architecture, JJ comments. And then they arrive at the glowing green field. His eyes widen. How strange! Is this what we're looking for?

"Maybe?" Jackie says. "Certainly looks like fucking... alien stuff. Just by design."

Schneep slowly reaches out, and JJ pushes his hand to the side so that he touches the frame instead of the energy field. That probably wasn't something they wanted to do.

Marvin does exclaim as Schneep reaches out but relaxes as JJ diverts him. “y-Yeah this is it… it’s programmed to take people to… hq I think. Down in the lava zone. But… I think it can be programmed to go other places…?”

He looks at Alt finally and nudges his head towards the structure. “Wanna give it a try?”

"You got this, Alt!" Jackie says encouragingly.

Alt swallows shakily and then nods. He goes to place a hand on the structure and closes his eyes, feeling out the energy inside it. His tail sparks up as he tries. And trying to access the tech- trying to insert some of his own magic into it to find a grip- god it hurts! It’s a rush of a foreign alien language that makes no sense- just jumbles of words and symbols and things he couldn’t possibly understand. He digs claws into it before breaking off connection with a yell and falling down to the ground, clutching his head.

“Alt!” Bro shouts in concern and tries to swim towards him- but as he gets too close he gets mildly shocked and he spurs back. “What happened?!”

“T-Too m-much-“ Alt whimpers, his eyes filled with green light rippling just like the portal. His voice echoes slightly with static, sounding robotic. “D-Don’t under s-stand… too much p-p̵̯̕o̵͙̾ẅ̸̥e̵̪̊r̴̤̄”

JJ gasps. He starts rushing forward as well but then Bro gets shocked back and he stops.

"Too much power?!" Schneep repeats. "What does that--"

The swirling mass of energy seems to glitch slightly- and seems to start to darken… in the middle- it almost seems like a crack is forming.

Jackie gasps. "Look!" He points at the energy... at the spot where it's darkening. "Is that--"

If it is, we have to link up! JJ says.

Alt’s head snaps up and his eyes widen. “W-What?! D-Did I do that?!”

“I-I dunno- we probably just have really bad luck!” Bro shouts, holding out a hand to Alt.

Anti pushes Marvin and Reaper Jackie behind him, growling at whatever this growing mass of black energy is.

“W-what is that?!” Marvin gasps.

The cavern shakes and the rift cracks open even bigger, glitching more and the water around the boys starts to get drawn in.

“It’s the rift! I… I guess this was all for nothing huh?” Alt says a bit tearfully. He looks to the merboys and smiles as they start getting pulled. “…thanks so much for trying to help us…”

"Yes, thank you so much," Schneep says. "Get out of here as soon as we are gone!"

It was nice to meet you! JJ adds.

"Maybe we'll see each other again!" Jackie shouts. He grabs onto Alt, and JJ grabs onto him and Schneep. "It wasn't all for nothing, Alt! We spent time with these guys, at least!"

Alt blinks and then smiles with Jackie and nods. “y-Yeah…”

Jackie smiles back at them. "Goodbye!"

"Goodbye!" Schneep adds.

JJ nods a farewell.

Mer-Jackie tries to swim closer, looking like he wants to help but Anti holds him back with one of his tails. “W-We’ll see each other again! I-I just know it!” The reaper shouts after them.

Bro grins, “I hope so! Take care of each other, okay?”

Anti blinks and then smiles giving them a nod. “…we will.”

The rift expands bigger with another crack and the pull is too much to resist. Down down the boys are pulled… falling through twisting caverns and caves that echo into nothingness.

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huffle-dork · 6 months ago

Text

Glitch into the Hufflverse Chapter 6: Septnautical

Read Swapboys | Read Crystal’s AUs | Read Septnautical

Read SITCV | Read SATCV | GITHV Masterpost

Once Alt is done describing outside, the others have reached the secret hidden research lab holding Jack. The boys and Zara all come into another tank of water- which seems to be an observatory aquarium facing the lab.

Curled up on the sparse white floor is Anti. He’s lying on top of a few of his tails, idly watching the view into the lab. His ear twitches as he hears people enter and then blinks in surprise at seeing all his brothers. “O-Oh… hey.” He smirks and looks at reaper Jackie and Henrik. “Did those weird humans get eaten yet? I hope so-“

His eyes then widen as the human-hybrids enter and then they quickly narrow as he bares his fangs. “What the fucking hell?! Is this a joke?! Is this a white suit trick?!” He hisses as his back fin puffs up.

“Anti please- try to stay calm.” Henrik says gently. “It is strange I know but… this is not a trick. We’re trying to help them get home.”

Anti doesn’t seem convinced as he curls up more and growls at them. “How do you know this wasn’t just a-a elaborate plan to get to Jack?! You all just lead them straight here!”

“Cuz we trust them dude!” Mer- Jackie says. Marvin and Chase kinda grumble but Jackie ignores them. “I don’t think they could lie about all this- not even Alterra could make up some of the shit we’ve heard!”

“Look man, if we wanted to get into this place we wouldn’t bother with some fucking elaborate trick,” Jackie says, trying not to snap. “We’d be plenty capable of getting in here without any trickery.”

“I do not think that’s as reassuring as you want it to be,” Schneep mutters, hanging back.

We understand that this is strange, and you don’t have to trust us, JJ says calmly. But we really don’t mean you any harm. If there’s anything we can do or say to prove that, we would.

“As long as you don’t tell us to do something we can’t,” Jackie mutters. He leans to the side. “So… this is some kind of lab space. Or, it is on the other side.”

“Anything interesting?” Schneep asks curiously.

Anti bristles and growls at Jackie, bunching up like he might lash out. But Jamie comes over and shakes his head at him and touches over his heart. This seems to give Anti pause. Then, hearing JJ use the same robot as Jamie has him relaxing even more. But, he still on edge.

Behind Anti and through the glass is the lab space. Seems to be open air at the moment as a couple people in blue and black suits are walking around, typing stuff in on holo screens or checking on the main subject of the room. Which of course is Jack. He seems to be asleep, set mostly upright on a lab table with wires and things tucked under brown armor-like plates on his arms and upper torso. He has 5 similarly armored tails that are submerged in a small tank of water below him. They seem to have glowing bits of blue underneath like suction cups. He seems to have a breathing mask on his face but filled with water that also filters over the gills on his neck.

“Ya wanna prove yourselves to me? Okay- I wanna hear what Jack has to say about this.” Anti growls.

His brothers all balk and look at each other. “Uh… I dunno how that’s gonna happen Anti…” Chase says quietly. “You’re really the only one here that talks to him… r-regularly in your dreams…”

“He’d know if these bitches are a threat or not.” Anti glares at the newcomers. “I’m not letting them near him otherwise.”

“Anti please be reasonable!” Zara tries to say, “We just need to talk to Danan and you know she’s-“

“No!” Anti growls sitting up to spread out his tentacles in a defensive stance. “Don’t get any closer…”

JJ backs up, hands raised. We’ll stay back, he promises. He looks at the others. Won’t we?

Jackie looks up and nods. While this exchange has been going on he’s been describing the lab—and Jack—to Schneep. Now he looks at Anti warily. He doesn’t want to fight him, but if it comes down to it he’ll defend himself.

“Jack… is the one outside of the glass?” Schneep asks slowly. That soul feels strange. Like his Jack, but… there’s something about it. Like the magic he senses in JJ, Alt, and Bro. “A-and he speaks in your dreams? How? A-and… how are you going to get advice from him? You are not asleep.”

“He can hear us,” Anti says eerily. “If he’s as worried as I am… he’ll do something…”

“Like.. what exactly?” Alt says with a raised eyebrow. “Look I-if you let me closer I could talk to him for you- I could go into minds and-!” He attempts to swim a bit closer but Anti snaps his jaws and lunges forward. But not to attack just to keep Alt back. And Alt glitches back and Bro catches him.

“Don’t test me ya fucking fake humans! I’ll tear you to ribbons!” Anti growls. Jamie hugs his neck and tries to hold him back but- Anti is bigger and stronger than him.

Jackie tenses, glaring at Anti, the mandibles on his back instinctively snapping. JJ holds his hands out, a shield starting to form. Schneep backs up, scleras turning black, getting ready to leap out of the way of danger.

However before the situation can get anymore tense- the human-hybrids and Anti feel a sudden pull in their guts- and their eyes fill with cyan. And then… it’s like they’re pulled into sleep and they all sink to the floor as their consciousnesses get pulled somewhere else.

When they open their eyes, they seem to be in the deepest reaches of the ocean- almost pitch black around them. It still feels like water- and they’re still in their hybrid forms. But it also feels… floaty. Like a dream.

And… Schneep finds he can see.

A bit before them is… the hybrid they saw in the lab. But he’s awake now, staring at them with startling bright cyan eyes. He regards them with a neutral expression, tilting his head as he studies them.

“Huh?” Jackie looks around. “What? Huh?! Huh?!”

“W-Woah…” Alt whispers.

“T-The fuck is this place?” Bro asks.

JJ backs up. Is this an illusion?

“Ah!” Schneep presses his hands to his eyes, closing and opening them several times. He expects them to hurt from the sudden influx of imagery… but they don’t. Confused, he looks around.

Alt startles and goes over to Schneep, “A-Are you okay Schneep?”

Bro sees him seemingly looking around and gasps, “Can you see?”

“Oh! I can see! I can see!” Schneep laughs in amazement.

“What?!” Alt and Bro both shout in delight.

Alt smiles. “This is the mind I guess… like you being able to see in dreams.”

Schneep looks at the others, starting with Alt and Bro. “Oh! I can see the resemblance, but you two look less like my friends than I was picturing.”

Bro and Alt look at each other then laugh. “It’s the freckles I bet.” Alt snickers.

Then Schneep looks at JJ. “You look very much like my Jamie, though—except for the mouth of course.” Then he looks at Jackie. His eyes widen in shock for a moment. But he doesn’t say anything. He looks down at Jackie’s tail. “Oh—you have a lobster tail.”

“Wh—no I don’t!” Jackie protests.

JJ laughs. Lobster boy.

“Shut up!”

Bro laughs too, “Oh my god! He is a lobster!” Alt hides his laugh behind his hand.

Anti shakes out his head then gasps and spurs up towards Jack, “Jack!!”

The other hybrid smiles at Anti and open his arms and Anti hurries over and gives him a quick hug. Then he seems to protectively hang over Jack’s shoulder as he glares and growls at the visitors. Jack keeps his face neutral but there’s a bit of warmth radiating from him.

“Sorry to just… pull you in. I didn’t want Anti to hurt you… if you’re as innocent as you claim.” He says with a bit of authority.

“U-um…” Jackie stares at Jack. It’s a bit… strange… to hear his voice, so similar to the Jack he knows. When was the last time he heard Jack’s voice?

It’s fine, it seemed like an emergency, JJ says.

Jack tilts his head, “Anti said you were …fake. And… I can sense you are not Alterans but also… so strange… were you really.. human?”

“We were indeed human,” Schneep says. “A-and we can be human again. It is unusual, I know, but it’s true. We mean you no harm. You or any of your family.”

JJ glances around. So… this isn’t an illusion. It must be some sort of… mental landscape.

Jack nods, “Yeah we’re… I dunno exactly where but I have like… telepathy I think it’s called. The hybrid part of me is sea emperor and they have that too… I think the doctors here think I can do a bit more cuz of you know- having a human mind.” He laughs. “It’s weird but… I can talk to people like this… least until they figure out how to wake me up.”

Jack separates himself from Anti, much to the younger brother’s dismay and appears in front of the group in a flash of blue. He studies them closer.

“Alt… Chase… Schneep… JJ and… Jackie huh?” He says slowly looking at all of them. He then smiles and nods. “…yeah I… I think you’re good.”

“What?! You trust them just like that?!” Anti yells.

“Mmm yeah. I can see… bits and pieces of where they come from. This isn’t their home… and it seems like they all have a lot to get back to… family and people they really love.” Jack smiles sadly and holds a hand over his chest. “…I know the feeling…”

Jackie backs up a little as Jack appears closer. “O-oh. You can like—read our minds?” he says. “Can you um—n-not do that? There are things in my brain that I-I don’t want people to see.”

“Not fully,” Jack laughs, answering Jackie, “I just get… feelings and snippets. Flashes of things that are important or like.. really strong feelings. I can talk in the mind more than see it. I won’t pry I promise…”

Jackie lets out a sigh of relief. "I-I know you won't. Still... thanks."

“You’re like… an enchanter almost…” Alt mutters.

Jack blinks, “…I dunno what that word means but… thank you?”

JJ also looks a bit uneasy, but he pushes through that, knowing Jack means no harm. We would very much like to get home, he says. I sort of left my friend waiting.

Jack looks to JJ with sympathy and nods, “Unfortunately me and my brothers don’t have the kinda powers you guys have… but I’m sure my brothers will do what they can to help. Even Anti.”

Anti makes a noise of protest but Jack gives him a look and Anti crosses his arms and grumbles. “…yer sure they’re not with Alterra?””

Jack nods, “I’m sure.”

There’s a beat of silence before Anti groans, “Finneeee!”

JJ laughs a little at Anti's attitude. He can't help but be reminded of his friend. Thank you, Anti. I'm sure there's a lot you could do to help us.

"You know, Jamie, if this is the mind, why are you still signing?" Schneep asks. "Shouldn't you be able to talk if I can see?"

JJ shrugs. I suppose I'm more used to this by now.

"Ah. Well, in any case, thank you, Jack." Schneep nods at him. "Now we have to figure a way out of here."

Jack laughs and shakes his head, “Don’t worry. I got that. It was… nice to meet you all. I wish it could have been in person but… keep my brothers safe if you can, okay?” He smiles sadly and then his eyes turn cyan before the space around the boys turns white.

"Bye Jack!" Jackie shouts, a bit desperately, as the space starts to fade.

"Nice to meet you too," Schneep adds.

Your brothers will help you, I know it, JJ says.

Jack smiles at them all before everything goes white.

Then, they’re back in the lab observatory. Alt shakes himself out and blinks as the merboys have surrounded the passed out visitors.

“Are you guys okay?!” Mer Jackie asks.

Anti pushes himself up and shakes his head out like a dog. Jamie hugs his head with Anti lets him do so begrudgingly.

Schneep blinks. "Ah, back to reality."

"We're okay." Jackie pats himself down. "Jack just wanted a word with us—well, kind of? He wanted Anti to know we were safe to trust."

Which we are! JJ says cheerfully.

Chase's eyes widen. "Y-You talked to Jack??"

"Yeah... and they're all good." Anti sighs.

"Now. Is Danan out here?" Schneep swims up to the wall of the tank, facing out. "I can tell there are people, is she one of them?" Anti lets Schneep pass with a huff.

At the window, an older black woman with bouncy black hair and bright green eyes is writing notes on her own PDA. She blinks as Schneep comes forward and smiles. She touches a button on her jacket and her voice comes from a speaker on their side. "Oh Henrik I-!" Then, she blinks and takes notice of how different Schneep looks and seems confused.

Jackie chuckles. "I think you've been spotted, Schneep. And she looks really confused."

"Ha! I can imagine." Schneep grins.

"Yeah just- hang on-" Henrik says and goes to push the button for the comms as Alt and Bro come over to meet her. "Hello Danan? Is there a way for you to meet us in here? We have... many things to discuss with you."

Danan looks surprised but then she nods and touches the button again. "Of course. Lemme just get finished up in here."

It takes a few minutes but soon the door to the observatory opens and the woman swims in. She smiles at everyone but she can't hide her surprise. "Oh well! Hello there... I did not know we had so many new people on my base."

JJ waves at Danan. Hello! This must be very surprising. Well you're going to be even more surprised when we tell you where we came from.

"We're not from here," Jackie says. "To the point where we haven't even heard of Alterra. I'm Jackie, this is JJ, Schneep, Alt, and Chase. We're from another universe."

"Nice to meet you!" Schneep waves cheerfully. "The others speak highly of you."

“Do they now?” Danan says with a smirk. “I’m glad my reputation precedes me! Well I’m Dr. Kendra Danan and…I’m sorry did you say another universe?”

“Insane, right?” Zara laughs. “Have you ever heard of traveling to different universes?”

“Well… it was a theory I remember being vaguely interested in for a bit…” Danan says, crossing her arms. “Alterra was very interested in the possiblity of it off planet but… not here.”

Alt deflates a bit, “Oh well… we were hoping you might know if it’s.. possible to maybe reprogram a… what were they called?”

Marvin’s eyes flicker pink, “Alien Arch.”

“yeah that!”

Danan hums and then thinks. “…I’m not sure we have the tools but.. if they were maybe connected to architect technology somehow…?” She looks at Marvin.

Marvin shakes out himself then looks at Danan with wide eyes. “M-Me?!”

“You are the only warper around that can possibly understand technology like that…” Danan says with an encouraging smile.

“Oh I.., I don’t k-know…”

“Well… it’s either we try this out or… we just wait for the rifts to find us again… which is not ideal…” Alt mutters.

Danan and Zara blink, “Rifts?” Danan asks.

"They're what sucked us here in the first place," Jackie explains. "See, the three of us—" He gestures at himself, Schneep, and JJ. "—were actually from a different universe than those two." And he gestures at Alt and Bro.

"Three separate universes, actually," Schneep says. "But then we were pulled to their world through these rifts, and all five of us were pulled from that one to this one some time later."

They look like black cracks or tears, JJ explains. Like the air itself has been ripped. And they pull at people nearby. Like... when you open an airlock and all the air goes rushing into the vacuum.

"How do you know what airlocks do? You've never been in space!" Jackie says. "H-have you?"

No, but I've seen movies! You ever seen a movie where someone got ejected into space?

"...I've played Sonic Adventure 2 and Sonic Unleashed, does that count?"

"Ayyy SBA2! That's me and Alt's favorite!" Bro says excitedly. Alt slaps his tail with his own. "Focus-"

JJ blinks. Sorry, I've never played a Sonic game.

"Really?" Schneep says. "Even I have played a Sonic game--the classic sidescrollers, though, none of the 3D games."

"We're getting so distracted." Jackie shakes his head. "God—I've probably missed my time to take my ADHD meds. Anyway. The point is. You really think that we might be able to mess with these alien gates to open up a way to another universe? That seems... complicated."

"... I'm sorry I don't know anything about these rifts...." Danan says.

"They also have like- magic and stuff." Mer Jackie says excitedly. "So- maybe that could help?"

"Well... what the architects could do was nothing short of magical... so- who knows? It's still a mystery to us but... maybe it just needs the right touch." Danan smiles. "Us scientists believe there's nothing wrong with trying something out. They should be safe to look at, at the very least."

Alt sighs, "... It at least gives us a goal for now... and if it works, great! If it doesn't then... gotta wait for the rifts then... honestly it could be worse."

Bro grins at the merboys, "You guys up for taking us on an adventure?"

"I wanna! I wanna!" Mer Jackie says excitedly. Jamie claps and swims around his brothers in a couple big loops. Henrik chuckles, "I am quite curious what we could find." Anti and Marvin grumble a bit but Chase nudges them and they get quieter. "If Jack trusts you all then... yeah. I'm willing to help you guys get home." Chase smiles.

"Awesome!" Jackie whoops. "Let's see more of this place! It's the strangest fucking place I've ever been, so might as well enjoy it while it lasts."

"I am getting better at swimming, I swear I am," Schneep says.

"Y'know, if might actually be better if you took off your shirt," Jackie suggests. "Less drag. More maneuverability. I mean--the fish'll still be there, but still."

"Huh. You might be right, actually," Schneep says, tilting his head thoughtfully. "Okay, might as well try. This is not time to be modest." He starts taking his shirt off.

JJ frowns at Jackie. Did you just want him to join the rest of us in some weird peer pressure thing?

"No, I don't care what he wears or doesn't," Jackie shrugs. "But I really do think it might help. Here, put it in the bundle. Also, do you guys have a bag or something for all our clothes?"

"Of course," Danan laughs. She swims over to the wall and there seems to be a fabricator in here too. After clicking a few buttons it starts to create a large flexible bag. She swims over and hands it to Jackie. "There! That should work right?"

"Ah sweet, thanks!" Jackie grins and takes the bag, putting all their clothes inside. "I hope one of you two know how to dry stuff for when we get out," he says, looking at Alt and JJ.

Oh, of course, that's easy, JJ says.

Then, Danan seems to think and looks over to Marvin, "Marvin... how did you know about the alien arches? Most of them are on land where you all can't reach..."

Marvin quickly looks away and holds his arms. "Um well... I... one it's this... f-fucking chip in my head... but um... I also found one in the lost river...? I... I think the forcefield that kept the water out got d-damaged by a Ghost Leviathan."

"The Lost River?!" Chase shouts, "T-That place with the brine that poisons you guys??"

"...I mean the new Schneep guy is a river prowler- he'll be fine." Marvin says shortly. "And JJ.. he's a ghost ray. And I-I can... self-repair... apparently."

"Ghost leviathan?" Jackie repeats, raising an eyebrow. If that reaper thing was also a leviathan—and there was poisonous brine— "This doesn't sound like a good place."

"Oh! I think there's another forcefield that got damaged in the one by the mushroom forest though!" Zara says happily. "I'm pretty sure I came across that recently but- wasn't really sure how to use those things still..."

"They need an ion cube to work usually," Danan explains. "Most of them that need ion cubes in the main gates are down in HQ but... I think those are still intact...? hm... the mountain base is probably one that needs one."

"...the Lost River one was active." Marvin says quietly.

"...that's really dangerous though! Last time you and me went there you nearly lost your arm and I got bitten to death by mesmers!" Mer-Jackie explains.

"We didn't die Jackie-" Marvin snaps at him. The two glare at each other the way siblings always do when they fight and want to be right.

"W-well, don't fight about it," Jackie says, voice trembling a little. "Don't—don't fight about it.”

"What the fuck happened that nearly lost you an arm?" Schneep mutters.

And... what was that? Mesmers? JJ repeats, spelling out the word. He's visibly uncomfortable with the implications of that name.

Marvin looks to Schneep, "...a Ghost Leviathan attacked me and bit my arm. ...and it was just a baby too." He shudders and grabs his arm, where the others can see what looks like bite marks. "And uh.. m-mesmers are fish that can... pull you in with colors on their fins and they can s-speak in your mind."

"They majorly suck." Reaper Jackie says and Henrik nods in confirmation.

Hypnotizing fish, JJ comments. Great. He signs the word slowly, making the fish robot say it in a drawl that's clearly meant to be sarcastic.

Alt bursts into giggles. "Oh my god- that was great JJ. But also- mood."

"Also… uh, The brine is easy enough to avoid. It's only on the bottom of things and like... the falls and pools." Marvin mutters.

"Since when do you know so much about it?" Mer Jackie asks with a growl.

"Since I was trapped there for a month, asshole!" Marvin snaps back. Henrik quickly goes to push them aside. "Enough you two!"

Jackie cringes while looking at mer-Jackie and Marvin. He knows that they're siblings, bickering is probably normal, but—why is he thinking of fights with his Marvin? He doesn't like thinking about him— “We can—maybe we can grab one of those cube things from the lost river base and take it to the mushroom place?"

If we're going there anyway we might as well just stay there, JJ points out.

"Can you not make an ion cube with your machines?" Schneep asks, confused. "Or... do you need the design or something?"

"The ion cubes are architect tech so... we don't know how to make them." Danan explains, "They seem to grow in these places though and there's a self-replenishing supply in HQ. But that one is one you all cannot reach... or my boys can't at least."

"Plus uh- Alterra." Zara points out.

"Yes that too."

"Huh. I suppose even machines that can rearrange matter have a limit," Schneep says thoughtfully. "But that limit is not helping right now."

Alt looks at Jackie with a bit of concern and lightly touches his tail against his. Then he sighs and says, "... if the one in this lost river is the only one you all can take us to that's active... then we'll just have to take our chances."

When Alt touches him, Jackie jumps a little, then quickly shakes himself off. "Yeah. And we have safety in numbers, too."

"Besides! We got tons of natives here to help us!" Bro tries to say positively. The merboys either smiles at him or snort and look away.

Danan smiles and nods, "It shouldn't be a long trip. Marvin should just be able to warp you straight there. Unless you all are eager to explore. It is an eerily beautiful place down there."

JJ smiles at Danan. Perhaps we can explore a little bit, but we should do this quickly, I think. Messing with these arches might take a while.

"So we are leaving right now, then?" Schneep asks. "Or—should we prepare? I would be fine with leaving now, in either case."

The merboys all look at each other. Anti shrugs, "I say lets get this over with. I'm eager for things to... be less exciting." He grumbles.

Marvin nods and then opens up a warp gate in the middle of the room. "This should take us straight there." He says, "Everyone swim on through."

"Hmm. Swim through? So you open up a portal," Schneep muses. "Like a small wormhole. Or like a portal from the game Portal." He giggles to himself at the repetition of the word.

"Yeah, actually, it does look a bit like a portal," Jackie says. "But you can't see through to the other side and it's this swirling... pink and purple and blue—"

"Oooo, my favorite colors," Schneep says, grinning. "As my Jackie would say, bisexual lighting."

Jackie and JJ both burst into laughter at that. A little less intense, but you got the idea! JJ says.

Alt studies the warp gate curiously. "... I wonder what would happen if I tried to glitch through this..."

"I dunno if now is the time to play around like that Alt." Bro chuckles.

Marvin makes a face then shrugs, "If it's similar to warping... hm... I can't say I'm not curious too..."

Alt's eyes sparkle a bit and he grins and then glitches through. From their end- nothing seems to have happened- except a tiny spark of green across the surface. And a bit of green reflecting in Marvin's eyes and a barely noticeable twitch in his hands. Bro hurries after Alt.

JJ frowns as Alt glitches through. Not sure that was a good idea.

"Well, it's too late now." Jackie shrugs, making sure that he has the bag on securely. Then he swims on through.

Schneep frowns. He swims forward hesitantly, then passes on through.

JJ lingers nervously at the back. He probably shouldn't be worried. Probably nothing happened. But still, he can't stop the anxiety as he approaches and slowly goes through the warp gate.

Mer-Jackie doesn't look excited to go in the warp gate but Jamie grabs his hand and starts to lead him through. Henrik and Chase laugh a bit at this and follow after. Anti gives the others a neutral glance before he shuffles through.

Once everyone is through, Marvin follows and the gate closes. Zara and Danan wave goodbye. "You have your radios if you need us boys!"

#GITHV #glitch into the huffleverse #GITHV Septnautical #alt anti #bro fantastic #stitched schneep #the jaunty jackson #inverted jackie #reaper jackie #sea dragon anti #sea emperor jack #warper marvin #cuddlefish jamie #stalker schneep #rabbit ray chase #dr kendra danan #zara caley #OH BOY SO MANY CHARACTERS TODAY AHGJBK #sorry im late i had like no sleep last night gahbk

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huffle-dork · 6 months ago

Text

Glitch into the Hufflverse Chapter 5: Septnautical

Read Swapboys | Read Crystal’s AUs | Read Septnautical

Read SITCV | Read SATCV | GITHV Masterpost

Diving under the water they see the murky yellow water under the aurora and the shapes of the hybrids swimming through it. Mer Jackie waves and then loops around to catch up with Henrik.

As they all swim after them, the water quickly starts to transition towards more of a green, rough rocks jutting out from the sea floor. Then, it turns a brilliant bright blue, the sun shining dream-like through the surface of the waves above.

Jackie and JJ both fumble for a while as they swim. This isn't like swimming as a person at all. Jackie figures it out first, moving his tail up and down. JJ takes a bit longer, but soon realizes how he has to use his new wings to help him glide along. It's a strange arms-out position.

Schneep, unfortunately, struggles for a while. His soul sensing abilities don't extend to all animals, only the bigger or smarter ones. And so, since there are a lot of alien fish in this alien ocean, he keeps bumping into them and slowing down. Eventually, JJ doubles back, reaching out and offering his arm. Schneep finds it and quickly clings onto JJ, looking a bit upset about how he can't swim as well as the others yet.

As they swim Henrik starts to explain, "Ah... we are obviously not fully human. But you cannot be... naturally born as this. And Alterra is a large company who has been given free reign to... experiment on this planet. And that is how... we all came to be. ...to them, we are not even known by our names. We all chose these names... but we are only letters and numbers to them- a result to be studied. They know me as... SH-003. The... third of the hybrids to be created."

Alt feels dread hit him like a punch in the gut. "... you all are... experiments...?" He asks quietly.

Mer-Jackie nods and holds his arms. "Yeah... I'm- uhhh RL-006-! But, we don't usually use those. Feels icky."

JJ sighs. He knew it wasn't good.

"Don't worry, if you do not like those titles, we will not use them," Schneep says.

"Yeah, I'd hate to call someone something that makes them feel icky," Jackie adds. "Uh... I'm uh... s-sorry if..." He clears his throat. "Well, I'm glad you were able to find your names."

"How many of you are there? If Jackie is six and he mentioned two others younger than him... eight?" Schneep is more talking to himself than anyone else.

"Oh! There's 7 actually- that fact makes it confusing." Reaper Jackie laughs, "Actually i think... right after I was born I... I technically died? But me and Marv were the only ones born outside of eggs and we were ready at around the same time so... I think putting us together saved me somehow?" He shrugs, "That's what Zara told me a PDA file said about me and him. But- that's why I'm technically older but he's the fifth- WH-005. The last one is Jamie- he's CH-007."

Henrik nods as if to confirm this. "Yes and other than them and me. There is RR-001, Chase- SE-002, Jack..." Henrik seems to linger on Jack's name before moving forward, "And... my near twin, Anti, SD-004."

“Died?" Jackie blinks, surprised. "I'm guessing you don't remember that. I hope you don't." He shakes his head. "I, uh... know someone named Marvin, too... But I can't imagine being paired with him." He hides a shudder.

"I can picture it all too well," Schneep mutters.

Reaper Jackie laughs, "Nah I don't remember- Marvin doesn't either! We were like... just a few days old i think." He swims back to look at Jackie and tilts his head at him. "Huh? Why...? Is your Marvin mean? ... I mean mine can be too but- I'm also kinda mean sometimes." He bares his teeth in a sharp grin and flexes his mandibles. "Then again I'm biased~ he's my twin!"

'You are not actually twins, Jackie." Henrik chuckles.

"It's close enough!" Mer-Jackie argues.

Jackie shakes his head. "The Marvin I know... isn't a good person..." he says slowly. "It's a long story." He wishes he could put his hoodie on over his new mandibles.

"What do all those Letters mean?" Bro asks, "I get the numbers just... the letters seem weird."

Henrik chuckles, "Those let the scientists know what species of hybrid we are. Like me- SH, stands for Stalker Hybrid."

"And I'm Reaper Levithian, RL!" Reaper Jackie adds with a grin, easily swimming circles around the others.

"You will understand better when you meet the rest." Henrik smirks. "Since it seems you are all not familiar with the fauna here."

"yeah- totally in the dark," Alt mutters. "... they're neat though I... I'd love to learn more."

JJ nods slowly. I vaguely remember hearing some of these names from my Anti, he says. While he uses his arms to sign, Schneep transfers his grip to JJ's waist, holding on via tendrils.

Mer-Jackie bllinks at JJ's signs and then looks to Alt. "What did mustache guy say?"

Alt laughs, "He said his friend Anti told him some of those names."

"Oh yeah! Cuz they said it was a game! Man- that's weird. Is it a naming game? Like- name all the fauna? That's nooo fun- that sounds like white suits drills." The reaper grumbles.

JJ chuckles at being called mustache man. I wish I had a spell that could let everyone understand me... but at least one person can.

"It is much more helpful than having someone translate for me," Schneep says. "Or the morse code system me and my JJ use. It is just a shame we found a wor—we found somewhere where most people do not know."

“I have a spell- but it’s still kinda iffy on non- spoken languages,” Alt sighs.

“It’s just that your signs are weird! But also cuz no one really uses them here much- ‘Cept Jamie now. And like- we didn’t really know how to read for a while so learning stuff like that is hard!” Mer Jackie chuckles.

“Imagine having to learn to read with your fingers," Schneep says. "I'm sure sign language is easier."

JJ looks back at him and frowns. Braille is an alphabet. BSL has individual words.

Schneep laughs. "You are right, you are right."

“We all have our struggles Schneep,” Alt laughs.

As they're swimming, they're now in a more colorful patch of ocean. Large tunnels of coral and weird looping structures of rocks. Colorful rays with bright blue and orange swim by, singing a sweet melody. The ocean is alive with schools of fish and colorful plumes of plant life.

JJ looks around with wide eyes. This place is beautiful! He waves at the rays as they swim by. Jackie can't help but duck through some of the rock loops.

The hybrids slow down a bit as the others take in the sea. Henrik smiles. "It is beautiful out here, is it not?"

"The shallows is one of the prettiest places! That's why our cove is over here! But also cuz it's the safest place!" Mer Jackie explains.

Bro sees Jackie swimming through some of the loops and laughs, trying it out himself. Man- it feels just like flying when he swims- just a bit more muscle work. Alt laughs at their antics.

"It is just a bit further to the forest," Henrik calls, spurring forward. "Careful you keep up- we have been building up our camouflage so you could get lost!"

The group speeds up as Henrik says to. Schneep bats angrily at the kelp strands as they pass. He makes a note to himself: never travel through forests. He doesn't want to hit his head on low-hanging branches. JJ squeezes his hand, reassuring him that he's there.

Henrik has taken to the kelp forest with ease- this is clearly his element and he has the way memorized well. They start to go a bit lower into the tall flowing strands of thick kelp. There’s even bundles of glowing seeds clustered together to make patches of bright light. Which helps since the ocean seems a bit… darker here amongst the swaying fronds.

Eventually they seem to come across a hole amongst the rocks and kelp and in it, surrounded by tall rocks is a white base. Most of it is covered in windows and… tubes? But there are some parts hidden amongst the twisted maze of hallways and rooms.

“Woahhh!” Bro laughs, “That’s so cool!”

Henrik grins. “Welcome to the Ocean’s Arms.”

"Whoa!" Jackie gasps. "Look at that scifi shit!"

JJ stares up in awe. His eyes are practically sparkling.

Schneep tilts his head to the side. He can sense nearby human souls... though none seem familiar. "What is it like?"

"Oh—well it's all white and glass," Jackie says. "Made of tube and round rooms—very round in general. It's all twisting and stuff."

"Ooooo. Sounds very nice." Schneep grins.

After Schneep is done getting the lay of the land- a black and white bundle speeds up and suddenly tackles mer-Jackie in a big tentacle-y hug. The reaper laughs and pats the new tinier merman that has attached himself to him. “Hi Jamie! We brought some new friends- you wanna meet them?”

A head of teal hair perks up away from Jackie’s chest and looks at the others. He has the same mustache as JJ’s except less maintained. He has black and white dots all over his face like freckles except one large patch that covers his left eye. And instead of the long singular tails the rest of the boys have- this tiny merman has 5 black and white spotted tentacles. He gasps quietly at seeing the others and then shakes mer-Jackie’s arm, pointing wildly.

Mer-Jackie laughs. “Yes I see them! Say hi! Show off your new thingy!”

Jamie nods and swims up closer to the others. Now that they are closer- it seems like he’s wearing… gloves of some kind? But with strange robotic-like finger attachments on the outside. He taps on a bag he has on his side and a strange robotic fish swims out, its body mostly consisting of a green and blue eye. Jamie makes a show of coughing in a somewhat dramatic manner like he’s gonna speak before- he starts to sign. And as he does- sound comes from the fish that sounds exactly like JJ from the few things they’ve heard him talk.

“Hello! I am Jamie! I’m still learning this so- forgive me if I am slow. My friend Ollie is teaching me trans-universal sign!” he beams once he’s done, flicking and swirling his tails, almost like a happy dance.

"Oh!" Jackie gasps. "Ohhhh that's so cool! Gloves that like—like translate sign language! That's so cool!"

JJ laughs. It would definitely be helpful—though it seems like sign language here is different.

"Yeah, no wonder they were calling BSL weird," Jackie agrees. "Anyway—it's nice to meet you, Jamie! You're like—some kind of black-and-white speckled octopus—pentapus? Cause there are only five tentacles?" He laughs and shakes his head. "This place is crazy."

Jamie tilts his head to the side. “What’s an octopus?” He whispers in a very quiet voice.

“Yeah or a pentapus- the fuck is that?” Reaper Jackie asks.

“Uh- creatures from our world.” Alt explains, “They’re helping us… take all this in better.”

“A pentapus isn’t even real,” Jackie laughs. “That was a joke.”

“Ah well here- he’s a cuddlefish!” Mer-Jackie grins. Jamie smiles shyly and twists his tails again.

"We should introduce ourselves," Schneep says. "Though... if you are anything like your brothers here, you will find it strange. My name is Schneep, and this is JJ—"

JJ waves.

"—and Jackie—"

"Hey!" Jackie grins.

"—and Alt and Chase."

Alt gives a two fingered salute to his name and Bro grins. “Yo! Nice to meet ya!”

Jamie blinks at all of them before pointing at the others and looking back to Henrik and mer-Jackie. “…they have your names.”

“Yes-“ Henrik nods.

“They look like you too!” Jamie tries to say a bit louder.

“Kinda freaky isn’t it?” Reaper Jackie laughs.

“Freaky? I can imagine,” Schneep says, amused.

Jamie swims up so he’s face to face with JJ. He blinks big blue eyes at him and tilts his head curiously. He signs and the robot fish says “You look like me! JJ… I like that!” Jamie smiles wide.

JJ blinks, then nods excitedly, matching Jamie’s enthusiasm. “I do look like you!” He says—though he then coughs and rubs his throat. Probably best to avoid that for a while.

Jamie’s expression turns into one of my sympathy and he floats towards JJ and lightly touches his neck. “…hurts?” He asks quietly. He then touches his own neck and nods like he relates. JJ can see a bit of scarring there.

JJ nods back, giving Jamie a small smile. He hopes the understanding comes across.

Then, Jamie looks at Alt and Bro. He points at Bro. “…Chase-“ then at Alt, “Anti!”

Alt chuckles, “That’s one of my names yeah- but only Chase calls me that. You all can stick to calling me Alt.”

Jamie looks back at the hybrids and signs, “Anti came back here earlier. He looked mad. Said something about freaky new humans.”

“Oh? Did you see where he went?” Henrik asks.

“He went to go see Jack.”

“Oh. Well um…” Jackie squirms slightly, tail flicking. “We… might know something about those ‘freaky new humans’.”

“Surprise! It is us.” Schneep waves. “You are not going to believe hearing that, but it is true. You can ask your Jackie and Schneep.”

Jamie then blinks and looks at all the others and then mer-Jackie and Henrik. They laugh.

“Strange is it not? They have uh… magic I guess. To turn from human to hybrid.” Henrik says.

Jamie’s eyes sparkle with wonder as he swims excitedly all around the others and studies all their tails.

Jackie blinks. “…Jack, huh? He flipped out about him earlier. Sensitive subject, I take it.”

Jamie deflates as Jack is brought up. He looks back to his brothers as if asking for permission.

Reaper Jackie sighs “…we might as well tell them.”

Jamie looks back at the others and signs slowly, “Our older brother Jack is… asleep. He has been for a long time. The white suits did something to him and… Anti was used by Alterra to protect him… as a weapon. But, he still loves Jack so much- we all do. It makes us sad that he is still asleep.”

Bro’s eyes widen, “…woah that’s… that’s insane.”

Alt feels a bit in his stomach. “Anti.. he was used as a weapon…? How?”

The merboys all look a bit uncomfortable. Finally reaper Jackie says “… mind control. They erased Anti’s memories of us and put these weird chips in his ears that made him obey them. But he’s- he’s better now! We saved him from that.”

“Oh,” Jackie says quietly. “I-I’m um… I’m sorry about your brother.”

“Fucking mind control,” Schneep mutters. “I have dealt with a…similar situation with a friend of mine.”

JJ sighs. He nods. Me too. We’ve all had to deal with that in my home.

“Lotsa fucking mind control out there, isn’t there?” Jackie says.

Alt looks angry at hearing what happened to his counterpart, his tail flickering and a few zaps of electricity coming off him. Bro gets zapped and he yelps. “Ow Alt! careful!”

Alt blinks and then looks at his fins and tries to shake out the electricity. “ah sorry…”

“I-it is good that you are all past that, though,” Schneep says, smiling a little. “I suppose that makes sense why Anti was not trusting of us.”

Jackie pauses for a moment, giving the news the respect it deserves before moving on. “Well. Uh… This is where you guys live, then?” Jackie says, gesturing at the base. “Cool. I’m guessing you guys can’t actually go inside. Cause like… you’d need legs and stuff. But this is where those Ocean’s Arms guys live? They’re, uh… your friends?”

Mer-Jackie laughs, “We don’t live here! Our family has a cave together in the shallows! But, Henrik stays here mostly- he has a neat little cave he made for himself to hide all his scrap!”

Henrik blushes a little and flicks his tail. “… we all spilt up for a bit but we are… coming back together.”

Jamie smiles, “yes the base has our friends! The Ocean’s Arms saved my brothers from lots of things so now they make it so we feel safe here. They take care of Jack and! They made it so we can travel inside- in fact I think Marvin, Chase and Anti are inside if you’d like to meet them!”

“Coming back together, huh?” Jackie repeats. For a moment, he looks thoughtful. Then he shakes his head and smiles at the hybrids. “Yeah, we can go meet them.”

JJ nods excitedly. He wonders what the others will look like! The fish seem to have some crazy variations here!

Schneep chuckles. “I am glad of that. Everyone should have a place where they feel safe. We would love to meet your brothers. Ah, how do we get in?”

Reaper Jackie grins and flicks his tail. "Just follow us!" He dives down towards the base with Henrik and Jamie following closely after him. Alt and Bro follow after them.

Jackie quickly chases after the rest of the group, while JJ and Schneep are a bit slower.

As they approach the base, they suddenly notice the tubes have a couple entrances into the water, which the merboys slip easily inside. Alt looks a bit apprehensive about going inside but Bro helps him in.

"... these are a bit tight..." Alt mutters.

Henrik laughs, " A bit- you get used to them. These designs were made for tinier fish but they make it work!"

"Honestly I prefer this," Schneep mutters. "Less options for places to go--and nowhere for the fish to jump out at me—"

JJ laughs. You weren't hurt by running into all those fish, were you?

"I think the fish were more hurt, actually."

Jackie taps the tube walls as they go along—sometimes unintentionally hitting them with his mandibles. He wonders if people can hear that on the other side.

They swim for a bit in dizzying circles before stopping inside a larger aquarium tank that flanks an inner most hallway. There is another hybrid with bright yellow green hair, a large blue speckled tail with bright orange fins and even orange appendages that stick out from his back. He also has wings like JJ's attached to his arms with bright blue edges. He seems to be sitting in the sand, talking animatedly to... a couple kids?

Jamie swims over first and tackle hugs the new hybrid. He yelps in surprise and then laughs, hugging him back. "Oh hi Jamie! The kids were wondering where you went!"

Jamie beams and waves at the kids. There's a tiny brunette boy with- what looks like a prosthetic leg. And a tinier blonde girl with her hair in pig tails. And she's holding an almost holographic looking device in her hands. When she sees Jamie she lights up and starts rapidly typing on the pad. A robotic voice calls out, "Hello Jamie! Welcome back!" Jamie giggles and then tugs on the hybrid's arm to try to get him to get up. The older hybrid laughs, "What's got your tails twisted, Jay??"

The hybrid then looks up at the approaching group of new hybirds and freezes. Especially as he meets Bro's eyes. "oh... woah..."

The little boy gasps, "More hybrids?! I-I didn't know they were more!"

Mer Jackie laughs, "They're... kinda new? But also- kinda human? It's... super weird."

Henrik smiles, "Everyone, this is Chase. Our eldest brother."

Chase spurs up to look at the others higher in the water. "Uh... h-hello..." He stares at them apprehensively and a bit guarded, pushing Jamie behind him. The smaller merman huffs a bit. "Who... are all of you exactly...?"

"Uh... hi." Jackie waves a little at the kids. "And... hello to you, Chase."

JJ also waves, much more enthusiastically. How cute! The friendly blonde girl sort of reminds him of his Jackie's daughter—though they look nothing alike.

"This is going to sound very unbelievable," Schneep says. "But we have the same names as your group. I am Schneep, for example."

"And I'm Jackie," Jackie says. "This is JJ, Chase, and Anti—but he prefers Alt."

"You sound a bit nervous," Schneep mutters. "I... suppose that is understandable. But we are not here to do anything. It is a long story, how we even ended up here."

Bro waves awkwardly, "Uh yeah I... I'm also Chase..."

Chase stares at his copy. "...you look just like me..."

"Uh... yeah." Bro agrees. "Even got the same hair~"

Chase's eyes narrow and he bares surprisingly sharp teeth at the others, eyes flitting around a bit wildly. "S-So what is this? Is this a trick from Alterra?! D-Did they make you all t-to replace us?"

"H-Hey Chase calm down bro! I-It's not like that!" Reaper Jackie tries to say.

Jackie holds his arms up, showing that he has no intent to harm though—though he's aware that it might look like he's concealing something inside their bundle of clothes. "We're really not here to hurt you. We've never even heard of Alterra before we arrived here!"

"Y-Yes they are... they are human, but they are not Alterran!" Henrik adds.

Chase quiets down but still seems defensive. "...where did you all come from then? W-Why are you hybrids-"

Alt swims a bit forward, "Um... I know it doesn't make much sense to you but... I'm a magician! I can cause... strange things to happen by just- thinking about it and I... I knew a way to let us come underwater since there wasn't much for us on land."

"and if they are lost... I think Danan and Zara can help them find a way back to where they are from," Henrik adds.

Chase hums in thought, still warily looking at Bro but seems to relax a bit. "... okay uh... w-welcome then..." Jamie swims up and hugs Chase's middle, both to show the others he means no harm and to comfort Chase.

"Thank you for the welcome." Schneep smiles in Chase's direction. "It is nice to hear. Things were very confusing back when your brothers first met us. Hopefully we can take care of things quickly."

JJ nods. It's good to meet you—even if I know it might be confusing.

"JJ says it's good to meet you, even though it's probably confusing," Jackie relays.

Bro tries to smile encouragingly at Chase.

Chase seems to fully take in the way JJ signs and looks at Jamie behind him. "... he does the hand thing that Ollie taught you." Jamie nods excitedly. Chase seems to hum and then looks back at JJ. "... Henrik and another blue suit made the robot that Jamie is using to talk... maybe they can make one for you too? Just so we can understand you..."

Alt's eyes sparkle as he looks to Henrik, "You made that robot??"

Henrik flushes more and nods, "With some help... M-Marvin helped me to draw it and Tessie put the ideas i-into the fabricator... it can make anything so... w-we could make another..."

JJ’s eyes light up and he nods eagerly. That would be so helpful! Can they make one so fast? Well, this is supposed to be the future, isn’t it? That would make sense.

Schneep clears his throat. "Your Jackie and Henrik mentioned those two. Danan and Zara. They are... friends of yours?"

Mer Jackie swims up and nods excitedly to Schneep, "Yeah! They're our friends! Danan is a former scientist with the white suits but she left to form this place! Cuz she wanted to take care of us but also let us be free! And Zara- well... she realized she was doing bad stuff and left to help us too! Now she's like- one of my best friends."

Chase smirks, "More than friends, I'd say."

"Huh?? What's that supposed to mean??" The reaper screeches, face getting red.

Jamie looks up and then makes kissing faces at mer-Jackie. The reaper shrieks in response and tackles Jamie to the ground and the two start to wrestle. Henrik and Chase don't seem phased by this but they do laugh.

Jackie grins. “Ah… reminds me of a friend of mine who constantly teased me about my dating life. His name is Chase, too.” He shakes his head. “Still can’t believe he figured out Frederick was my boyfriend before we told him…”

JJ blinks at him. You know, in my world you’re married to a lovely person named Rama.

“Really? Never met anyone with that name. Glad he’s happy with them, though.”

Alt looks over at Jackie with wide eyes and then swims over, looking excited, "You guys got together?! Thank god! Dude you were sooo obvious the last time I was there!"

“Wh—sh-shut up, I was not!” Jackie protests.

JJ laughs. If you’re anything like my Jackie, you were.

“Oh yes, same,” Schneep says. “The Jackie I know is not dating anyone right now—the whole… situation kind of interfered with that—but in the past, when he did—”

“You all are so mean to me,” Jackie whines.

"You're one to talk Alt," Bro snickers, "Sounds like there's another doppelganger of your boyfriend here if I'm guessing right."

Alt shuts up as his face turns red. "y-you don't know that... m-maybe its just... similar names!"

Bro rolls his eyes and then looks at Mer Jackie. "In our world you- I mean... our Jackie is married to someone named Zara. They have 3 kids together."

Reaper Jackie seems to short circuit. "k-kids?!" His face becomes as red as his hood.

The rest of the merboys laugh. Alt and Bro also burst into laughter at the other boys' banter.

Jackie laughs as well. “Yeah, I know, right? I can’t see it for myself, personally. Kids, I mean.”

"Anyways- Danan knows a lot about this kinda stuff. More than we would. If you guys... don't know Alterra and got lost here, she can probably help." Chase explains.

Schneep clears his throat. “In any case, yes, we would love to meet Danan. She sounds wonderful.”

Henrik swims up back towards the tubes, "Come- we can stop by the lab first to get a device for JJ. Maybe Danan will be nearby!"

“Ooo, ‘the lab,’” Schneep repeats, eyes lighting up—literally, irises turning turquoise. “That sounds fascinating. Well, lead the way, then! Ah, if you want to, of course.”

Henrik smiles, "Of course! Follow me." And he swims back up into the tubes. The others start to follow. Jackie follows after Henrik immediately, and Schneep isn't far behind. But JJ lingers, waiting for everyone. Chase swims down and meets back up with the kids. "I think my brothers need me anddd your mom is probably looking for you." He laughs and pokes the glass. "Don't get into more trouble, okay? "

"Awww okay Chase." The boy whines. Chase chuckles, "Don't be sad, Grayson. We'll catch up later okay?" The girl perks up and types out another message. "Bye Chase! Love you!" Chase blinks and blushes a bit before smiling warmly, "Yeah... bye Skylar..."

Grayson grabs Skylar's hand and starts to lead her back down the hall and Skye leans back to keep waving at Chase. Chase floats there for a second waving after them before sighing and following after the others.

JJ smiles as he sees Chase's interaction with the kids. He doesn't know a Chase in his world... but if he's anything like Bro and this Chase, he must be kind. And yet, as that thought comes to him, something bad lingers at the back of his mind. Why does he feel... dread? His smile fades and he shakes it off, following everyone else into the tube system.

The tubes lead into a few more confusing circles before they wind up in a green tinted room. It's filled to the brim with gadgets and materials, fabricators lining the walls and bigger machines in the corners. A workbench-like table is set up in the middle and even though this place looks like it’s made more for humans, it’s filled with water on the inside. Inside curled up in the corner is a bundle of purple.

"Oooo." Jackie looks around. More scifi shit.

Jamie seems excited and swims forward, "Marvin!" He quietly greets.

The purple thing jumps- and a bunch of metal starts to float around it, caught in a blue light that reflects in its eyes. Upon closer look- it's another hybrid! But this one seems closer to JJ- in which his tails are see-through, you can see his inner organs inside his chest and he has two tentacle-like legs. A purple armored cape hangs around his shoulders that end in tentacle-like tails too. He has bright green hair that is quite long compared to the others, pulled back into a ponytail by a bright blue ribbon. And most notable at all, he has a white cat mask on his face, a strange red symbol in the middle.

Reaper Jackie swims up next and grins, "Marv! I wondered where ya were!"

Schneep lingers near the wall, pressing a hand to the glass. There's someone else in here. He can feel them even before Reaper Jackie calls out his name. Marvin, huh?

JJ grins widely, flapping his arms and causing the attached wings to flutter. This place is so cool! Oh, and another Marvin! A nice one, he hopes--feels like he's the only one who has a nice Marvin. This one has cool powers!

"y-yeah h-hi...?" Marvin mumbles out nervously, "I was just... I..."

"You were trying out those new powers of yours, yes?" Henrik supplies. Marvin sheepishly nods. Then, he seems to notice the new people and he yells, throwing out a hand and sending bits of glowing metal junk hurtling towards through the water.

"Holy shit!" Jackie starts to dodge the junk but a big bit hits him in the stomach, sending him flying back. JJ isn't as fast and takes two blows, one to the chest and one to the tail. Schneep immediately tenses when he hears Marvin yell and the whoosh of water. He instinctively leaps to the side, but he doesn't quite get out of the way and a sharp bit of metal cuts his upper arm. "Motherfucker!" Schneep curses. "We mean you no harm!"

Alt and Bro try to dodge- But Bro gets hit across his cheek and he holds it with a yelp. "Ow! Jesus!" Alt almost manages to glitch out of the way- only to be disoriented by glitching in water which feels weird and actually kinda hurts! So he gets hit by another piece that hit him in the chest. He oomfs and tumbles back in a bit of somersault before he rights himself.

"Stay back!" Marvin hisses, holding out his hand as more objects lift up in the water, glowing like the blue light in his eyes that starts to shift to a hot pink. "I-I don't know who you guys are but-!" He gasps a bit as he sees Alt glitch though and the objects all float back down as the power dies down. He appears next to Alt in a circle of purple and blue magic and gets right up in his face. "Y-You... you warped! H-How?? How did you do that? Y-You're not a warper!"

"A-A what?!" Alt stammers out, nervous now that Marvin is in his face. That shade of purple is... luckily not like Mag's. But, it's too close for comfort.

Marvin swims back with wide panicked eyes and behind all the human-hybrids a pull is felt. But- it's not like the rifts- this one is glowing and swirling with pink and blue like a whirlpool. "I-I dunno what you are but! G-Get away from my brothers!" Marvin shouts.

"Really! We're not here to hurt you!" Jackie holds his hands up--then spins around as the pull appears behind them. JJ gasps in surprise. A whirlpool?! Schneep immediately latches onto the closest person—who turns out to be Jackie—and braces himself to be sucked in.

Then, Mer-Jackie tackles Marvin and the warp gate behind them bursts into bubbles as the concentration is broken. "M-Marv! It's okay! They're with us!"

JJ shakes his head, also raising his hands, and tries to look as harmless as possible.

"I said we're not here to hurt you," Jackie mutters.

The rest of the merboys come over and try to explain, kneeling down by Marvin.

"Friends!" Jamie emphasizes.

"I-I still don't get it but i-I Think they're harmless..." Chase adds.

"We are trying to help them, Marvin, but we will not let them hurt you...!" Henrik says gently.

Marvin still seems freaked as he looks up towards the human strangers. "W-Who are you?"

"um- I'm Alt, if that helps..." Alt speaks up. "And t-this is my brother... Chase."

Bro waves, "You guys can call me Bro though if you want... s'easier."

"I... think this will be very strange for you to hear," Schneep says slowly. "But I am Schneep, and this is Jackie and JJ."

"Hi." Jackie tries for a smile.

Marvin's eyes widen as he hears their names and looks at all his brothers with a bit of distress. Reaper Jackie gives him a tight smile. "Yeah... it's weird I know but... I just think they're lost. And they have like weird powers which is why they're hybrids too. Alterra didn't make em..."

JJ swims over towards Jackie and Schneep, holding onto Schneep's arm. A bit of blue magic wipes away the cut on his arm. Is anyone else hurt? he asks.

"I'm fine... just got my breath knocked out of me," Jackie says, looking down at his stomach where the junk hit him. He might have a bruise there later.

Marvin still looks a bit guarded but that goes out the window as he sees the blue magic and how JJ healed Schneep. He swims over and then pulls on Schneep's arm and then lifts it up like he can see where the cut went. He looks at JJ with wide eyes. "H-How did you do that??"

The other merboys also look fascinated by this and swim a bit closer.

Schneep stiffens a little, but he doesn't pull away as Marvin grabs his arm. JJ notices, though. He smiles at Marvin and gently pulls his hand away from Schneep. Magic, JJ says.

"He says it's magic," Jackie says. "That's some of those weird powers your Jackie mentioned."

Bro timidly raises his hand and points to his cheek, "...if you wanna show them more, J."

JJ looks at Bro and nods. He puts his hand on his face, next to the scrape, and similar blue magic heals it away. He then pulls away, shaking his head slightly. I can't do it forever. I have a limited amount of energy. So I think I'll save it for emergencies for now. Jackie repeats this for the hybrids.

Alt looks at JJ with worry. "Do you need anything to fuel your magic like I do? M-Maybe some food will help..."

JJ looks at Alt. Time and rest, is usually all I need. But food does help. I like thinking of it as a stamina bar in a video game. It recharges slowly but there are items to help fill it.

Alt laughs with JJ, "I like thinking of it that way too!"

"Magic?" Marvin's eyes shine a little bit then he giggles a bit shyly, "...i've always liked that word. .. it's how it feels to make my warp gates... you know? Making something out of nothing..."

Henrik notices the boys having to translate for JJ and hurries down to one of the fabricators, bringing up a hologram menu and clicking around on it. After finding the right plans he beams then swims around to collect the materials. He sets down the right ones and sets the machine to create. Two beams of light start to create the base of a fish robot like Jamie's. Henrik hurries over to another and makes the gloves that go with.

Schneep hears Henrik working around and swims closer, trying to figure out what's happening just by the sounds. He grins. This seems so interesting. Even just the noises are cool.

Alt can't help but be fascinated as he sees the machines create stuff- so much so that his tail starts sparking again. "Woah! Oh my god that's so fucking cool?! How is it doing that??"

"Oh uh... I dunno." Henrik says.

"Oh oh! Zara says it has something to do withhh rearranging maffer." Mer-Jackie says.

"It rearranges matter at the atomic level," Marvin says almost robotically, a bit of pink appearing in his eyes. "It was the catalyst behind the great expansion, and remains the backbone of the modern world." He shakes himself out. "It uh- makes stuff from other stuff."

The merboys look at Marvin weirdly.

Jackie frowns. "I'm guessing you didn't mean to say that," he mutters.

"...he's doing that fancy talking thing again," Reaper Jackie mutters. Chase laughs and ruffles Marvin's hair, "Kinda nice I'm not the know it all anymore!"

Marvin swats them with his tails. "I-I am not! Besides- Schneep is the know-it-all!"

"Yes, but I did not know that." Henrik laughs. He does give Marvin a look, something that holds a bit of concern.

Schneep turns his face towards Marvin again. "I am guessing you quoted something? It did not sound like your voice at all. Ah, I mean your personality—I assume, I mean." He tilts his head. "Rearrange matter at the atomic level... that must take an incredible amount of power. Yet this room does not seem so big. And I think the others would have mentioned it if you saw a huge power plant nearby. Oooo, how incredible it must be, then! The technology you could have that is possible but only limited by power—" He grins excitedly.

Jackie sighs. "All this science and magic stuff flies right by me. I mean... it's cool. But still." He rolls onto his back, floating with his hands behind his head.

Bro laughs with Jackie and nudges him, "dude me too- I don't get a lick of this stuff."

Marvin looks freaked out and backs up some. "I-I uh... I-I..." His eyes have a bit of pink in them again and he stiffens a bit, "T-There's multiple power sources on the planet. We are on top of a super volcano which provides thermal power the lower you go. Or Solar power which runs this base. Power Transmitters can use both solar and thermal power to power a single seabas-" He then shudders and swims backwards, holding his hands to his chest. He looks scared. "S-Sorry- sorry-" Jamie swims over and tries to hug Marvin- Marvin is stiff at first but slowly lets him.

Schneep faces Marvin again as he speaks some more. "N... no, I am sorry, for making that happen," he says quietly. He's curious, but he doesn't want Marvin to be seemingly taken over by whatever this is. Still, he's not the best at comfort, so he stays silent and lets Jamie take care of it.

"I-It's... fine." Marvin grumbles, "I'm t-trying to learn how to c-control it... sorry..."

Henrik grabs the new objects and hands them to JJ. "Here- put on these gloves... and then try to sign something. The robot should translate out loud for you. I have it set to have the same voice as Jamie's."

JJ's eyes light up. He puts the gloves on, making sure they're secure, then signs, Thank you. Can you understand me now?

The robot fish powers on and swims around JJ, partially translating. "Thank- you understand?"

"Huh... guess it's still struggling with BSL..." Alt mumbles.

"BSL? I've heard of that!" A new figure appears in the lab, and she has black hair bundled back into a ponytail and- oh she's human! She's in a blue and black dive suit with a strange symbol on her shoulder glowing blue and white. She also has purple eyes. Bro and Alt seem to recognize her immediately and stare a bit in dumbfounded awe. She's... younger than the Zara they know but- definitely Zara.

Mer-Jackie perks up and swims over to throw his arms around the woman. "Zara!! Hi!!"

The others turn to look at Zara—or, Schneep faces her. She's not familiar to the three of them, but Jackie does blink in surprise. So the Jackieboy from Bro and Alt's world is married to someone like that? ...well she is cute. Maybe if he'd never met Frederick he would've found her cuter, but he can understand it. He laughs a bit at mer-Jackie's excitement.

Zara laughs and hugs Jackie back, "Hey you!" She then blinks and realizes how many hybirds are in the room. "Woahhh- I knew our scanners picked up new lifeforms in the system but... wasn't expecting this..." She then grins and goes to swim over to grab JJ's fish robot. "Lemme try to fix this for ya though before we do intros!" She takes out a tool from a small bag tied to her leg and opens up a panel on the side of the fish. A small hologram menu shows up again and she scrolls through the options before she beams. "ah ha! Here it is!" She selects it and closes the panel before gesturing for JJ to try again. "Give it another try!"

JJ looks down at his gloves and tries signing again. Hello! It's nice to meet you. All of you.

The robot repeats his words back perfectly. The merboys all perk up and smiles. "Yay! We can understand you now!!" Mer Jackie says excitedly. Jamie swims around JJ in circles, giggling. "New friend! New sign friend!" His robot says.

Alt and Bro look relieved too and smile at JJ. Zara giggles, "Sorry it's usually set to Trans-Universal- BSL is like ancient now but some people still use it!"

Alt smiles at Zara, "I'm Alt- this is Chase." Bro waves.

Schneep nods. "Nice to meet you, Zara. This is going to sound very strange, but I am Schneep, and this is Jackie, JJ, Chase, and Alt. We are... ah..."

"We're from another universe," Jackie says bluntly. The others turn to face him, surprised, and he shrugs. "What? I got tired of dancing around it. Technically we're from other universes, actually."

Zara starts to smile at first but her face falls a bit and her eyes widen. "What...? a... different universe? Different universes?" She emphasizes looking shocked. "you're... all not even from this star system?"

"We're not even from this... plane of existence." Alt answers, rubbing his arm. "Like... good example- what year is it here? For us... it's 2020. Or for me and Chase- I mean Bro at least."

"WHAT?!" Zara exclaims in pure shock.

JJ nods slowly. Well actually it's 2019 in my world.

"Oh same," Jackie says.

"In mine, too," Schneep says.

Really? What month is it for you? It's March for us.

"January," Schneep answers, and at the same time Jackie says, "June."

"Oh you all are a year behind us- huh." Bro comments.

JJ looks at the hybrids. Sorry for not saying all this earlier. We weren't sure you would believe or understand us.

"Hell, I barely understood it, at first," Jackie says.

Schneep sighs. "And yet, you were so eager to share it."

"Honestly, I think it was rude for us to hide it."

"Well...Anti was very aggressive for us even mentioning our friends called Jack," Schneep says carefully. "Based on that, I was a bit hesitant."

"I'm not even sure I understand it..." Mer-Jackie says as he scratches his head. "The fuck is a universe?"

The merboys do all look a bit confused about this. Marvin grips at his head a bit but bites his lip to keep from saying anything.

"If you don't even know what a universe is, then... I am not sure how to describe it," Schneep says. "Think of it like... you have a piece of paper with a drawing on it. You copy the drawing, and on one you add some more details, but on the other you add different ones? Does that make sense at all?"

The merboys look even more confused. Well- except Marvin. He seems to understand the drawing analogy and nods. “Okay… I guess that makes sense.”

“Does it?” Henrik asks, making a face.

Zara still looks shocked, "I.. I can't believe that... h-here it's... 2232-"

"2232?!" Jackie inhales sharply. "Whoa... I-I guess it makes sense that time wouldn't line up perfectly... and that some worlds would be way ahead or way behind of the others.”

Alt sputters, "What?! t-that's insane-"

"As insane as you saying you're from another universe!! That's like- not in ours-"

"It's... parallel actually." Alt explains, "...that's why we all look similar or have similar names... in a way- we are some of you. Just... from somewhere different."

Chase makes a face, "How does that work? I.. I'm me- I'm not- not that guy!" He points at Bro.

Bro laughs nervously. "It's... complicated. But there's always ah... trends- similarities that tell us we're the same. B-Besides you know... looking like each other and having the same name."

I think that in a lot of ways that matter, we're not like you, JJ says. So... if it's easier for you, you can just think of us as a group of people who are kind of similar to your little family.

Chase nods to JJ, “y-yeah… you’re just… g-guys that look like us… that’s all.” He hugs his arms. “I-I don’t wanna think of it more beyond that…”

JJ smiles back at Chase. We'll leave it at that, then.

"Are you okay Ms. Zara?" Schneep asks. "You sound very shocked." He chuckles. "Though... that is understandable. It is very shocking."

Zara blinks at Schneep and then waves her hand. “Y-Yeah I’m just… trying to process all of this… like there’s a world- m-multiple worlds where these guys… don’t grow up here. In the past… that’s so crazy.” She laughs, “Do I even have a parallel in your worlds?”

“Uh… not in theirs,” Bro gestures to JJ, Jackie and Schneep. “But in mine and Alt’s? … yeah. You… you’re… a mum. And married to our friend, Jackie. Jackie Mann. But I think… is your last name uh… Caley? Cuz that was her maiden name.”

Zara’s face turns dark red and she holds her cheeks. “W-woah… god I… I’m way too young to be a mum!”

“To be fair our Zara is more of Bro’s age,” Alt laughs nervously.

“…there’s a universe where I… I get to be with Jackie and… have a family…?” She whispers, slowly smiling to herself.

"Yeah—and the kids are very cute," Jackie says, grinning. "I saw them for a bit when I popped into Alt and Bro's world. But I didn't see you." He pauses, thinking about what Bro said about Zara and their worlds. "Actually, maybe you do exist in our worlds? Our three. Maybe you exist, but we just don't know you?" He guesses. "It's a big world, after all. A whole planet—oh! Wait a second, by the way, is there even a planet Earth in this universe? Or did humans evolve on a different planet?"

"Perhaps it does?" Schneep says. "Alterra—the company name has 'terra' in it, and that is a word for Earth. It could be a very big coincidence that Alterra was called that—but perhaps not?"

Zara laughs, getting over her blush even if she glances at reaper Jackie who looks equally as flushed, hiding his face in his hood. “No you’re actually spot on! A lot of companies who went off into the further reaches of space came from earth of course, but Alterra was the only one bold enough to take its name. This is a planet far from Earth though. I’ve never even been near Earth- I was born here.” She explains, “We’re around a star called 4546 in the Ariadne Arm. This planet was the first found around 4546 so we call it 4546B. It’s a bit far from federation space but it’s more habitable than it was when it was rediscovered by Alterra almost a century ago. Right now Alterra’s trying to find… use of it. There’s lots of good resources and… well- ample places to experiment.”

Schneep makes a little "ooo"ing sound as Zara talks, and JJ swims closer, fascinated. But she lost Jackie the moment she confirmed that Earth existed.

“Those are… so many big words.” Bro mutters.

Zara laughs, “That sounds like something Jackie would say!” Mer-Jackie flicks his tail a bit in annoyance.

“I… I can’t believe we’re on a completely different planet…” Alt whispers in awe. “We’ve never managed to do that before.”

Zara blinks, “You’ve been to… other universes before?”

“Yeah! A ton! Me and Alt are like regular multiverse travelers now!” Bro grins.

"Not us, though." Jackie gestures at himself, Schneep, and JJ. "This is the first time I've been sucked into multiverse travel. Though—I guess I can't speak for you guys."

JJ shrugs. I got snapped to Alt and Bro's world one time, alone with some friends. But nothing since then.

Schneep shakes his head. "No, it is the same for me, Jackie, you are right." He pauses. "Though... one time, when I was getting used to my powers, I... ended up somewhere very strange. It is hard to describe... but it might have been outside my world." After a moment, he shakes his head again. "Don't ask me to go back there, though, I do not think I can. It was a freak accident... and very confusing."

"Well... what do we do now that we know more about this world?" Jackie looks at the others—mainly Alt and Bro, the experienced travelers. "We have these cool mermaid forms—hybrid forms, I guess. So I guess we could go anywhere? But... just, what do we do?"

“I… I dunno-“ Alt admits. “Honestly I was hoping… if this was future tech then… maybe they’d have a TRVLR like IRIS but… I don’t think they do.”

“Yeah sorry… none of those are ringing a bell.” Zara says softly.

Marvin seems to stiffen again and then clasps hands over his mouth. The merboys all look at him with confusion. “…do you know of something, Marvin?” Henrik asks.

Marvin tries to shake his head but then blurts out, his eyes going a bit pink again. “Sector Zero has an interplanetary phase gate hidden for Architect use-“

Zara’s eyes widen, “What?! A… a phase gate?!”

“Uhh- what’s a phase gate?” Bro asks.

"Ooooo, a phase gate," Schneep repeats, interested. "It sounds like some sort of... man-made wormhole."

Like from that movie Stargate! JJ says. He looks at the others. If you guys know what that is.

"I've vaguely heard of it, but I've never seen it," Jackie says.

“Yeah same- never was big on sci-fi movies.” Bro laughs.

“Phase gates are used for travel between sectors of space- they’re huge things used to teleport whole space crafts to other worlds. Sector Zero has that??” Zara gasps.

“The fuck is sector zero?!” Mer Jackie asks. Marvin almost seems to pale.

“It’s the arctic part of this planet outside the crater where we are now… I know there used to be researchers there a while ago but… that place gets abandoned a lot. It’s too cold.” Zara laughs lightly. Then she perks up and seems to realize what Jackie is. “oh!! That’s why you look so strange! You’re not a species from this side of the planet you’re a- a… oh what are they called?”

“A chelicerate.” Marvin supplies robotically before clasping his mouth shut again.

“Yeah!! That!” Zara beams. She swims around Jackie to admire him. “yeah! They’re like… the equivalent of reapers over there! That’s what my dad said at least- I think he and Zeke studied there for a bit!”

Jackie looks down at himself. "Oh. Huh." The mandibles snap again. "So... guess it's fitting that I turned into one, if this Jackie is part reaper. Parallels and shit."

Are you okay, Marvin? JJ asks, concerned. Do you need us to stop asking questions?

Marvin shakes his head. “I… it’s fine I just- h-hate that this k-keeps happening. I-It’s like my head fills with words and they don’t go away until I… I say them.”

“Danan did say it could be from your warper chip… warpers apparently are very smart.” Chase says.

Marvin grumbles. “I don’t wanna be smart… I don’t like being a… computer thing that just s-spews stuff out…” Jamie frowns and hugs Marvin around his shoulders.

Schneep frowns at the implications. Did they put a chip in Marvin’s head? Sure, the guys are experiments in this world, but something about that seems a bit too far even by those standards. "Unfortunately, I have another question that seems important," Schneep continues. "What does this phase gate have to do with the TRVLR thing, and IRIS? I see the connection between traveling through space and traveling through worlds, but... it is a different thing with a different purpose. And apparently made by a different company."

"And who the hell is Zeke?" Jackie asks.

Zara sighs, “Unfortunately… Zeke is my older brother. He’s… not a good guy. He’s the reason I left to stay here and… he tried to turn Marvin into a…a full time warper for him to use. And uh here- warpers are a type of like- mix of biology and tech… they were made by an ancient group of aliens that lived here like… a thousand years ago I think?” She shrugs, “The ones that live here are pretty harmless. Just- warping around, which is like teleporting. They’re Predators but they keep to themselves mostly. Not many are left cuz… they don’t reproduce and the Architects are gone So… Zeke thought Marvin was… fascinating.” Both Zara and Marvin shudder.

“Oh, so he’s an asshole,” Jackie says.

You can’t just call someone’s relative an asshole, even if they’re a bad person, JJ says.

“No no no, let him keep going,” Schneep says. See, that’s why he thought it was too far to put a chip in someone. Who knows how that could be taken advantage of? Even if these real warpers have tech, he can’t believe Alterra did that. Or—any of this, really.

Zara laughs, “No you’re right. He’s the biggest asshole. …but I think he just… got influenced by all the Alterans we worked with… I dunno. Part of me wants to… find some way to…” She shakes her head. “no… there’s no excusing what he did. But uh- speaking of the architects that brings me back to Schneep’s point. I.. I don’t know how a phase gate relates? I mean… they’re powerful… maybe there’s a way to set it to… different universes? I dunno… I don’t know many people here who work on that kinda tech. Most of us are like… Xeno-biologists or simple Alteran engineers.” Zara explains. “Besides I feel like if Alterra had that kind of knowledge they’d be advertising it like crazy. Those guys only care about research and money…”

“Hm… maybe Marvin simply got triggered to say that from hearing traveler?” Henrik suggests.

“Fuck if I know…” Marvin sighs, crossing his arms.

Alt hums, “…maybe we can try to see if we can like- work with a phase gate?”

“I dunno- those things are hugeee.” Zara says. “And still- no one here knows how to work them…”

“Hm… is there anything… smaller then? M-Maybe like- interacting with something like that could… I dunno- sense we’re not from here and send us home? Or like- I’m good with tech…maybe I could figure something out..”

Marvin stiffens again, “Similar technology is used in the Alien arches scattered across the crater. All connect to the Primary Containment facility.” He says robotically.

The merboys all gasp slightly. “T-That is where they had Jack and Anti…”

Alien technology… JJ repeats. It’d be exciting if the hybrids didn’t all have an immediate negative reaction to hearing about this containment facility. I’m going to guess the place is under the company’s control?

“Then it’s probably not safe to get too close,” Jackie says. “People like that would be fascinated with your guys’ magic.”

“But we still need to get home,” Schneep mutters.

“Yes but… the base there was also destroyed.” Henrik replies to JJ, adjusting his goggles. “I do not know if the containment was destroyed… but we also do not know if there are any… survivors down there.”

“It’s also not safe to go there cuz it’ll boil most of us alive.” Mer- Jackie says, “It’s down in the lava zone. Only Marvin and Anti can go down there without being fried.”

“Lava zone?!” Jackie gasps. “That would be so cool if it wasn’t able to kill us! Well—still kinda cool, I guess, but you know what I mean.”

Schneep frowns. He almost wants to ask what destroyed the base… but maybe later. He doesn’t want to get sidetracked.

Marvin’s eyes dim a bit and he answers a bit more quietly, “…I think A-Ant- Alt is onto something though… if similar tech exists in these arches then… t-they’re teleporters. Maybe there is a way to make the destination back towards your homes…”

“That is true… these humans do possess power that even the white suits do not have…” Henrik muses.

“And um… we don’t need to go to the lava zone… we can find one of the arches c-closer by I think…? I’ve… seen a few around.” Marvin says timidly.

“Oh yeah- isn’t there one in the mountains?” Chase says. “It’s that- freaky black diamond thing we sometimes race through.”

“Y-Yeah that’s it.”

I suppose it makes sense that there are closer ones, JJ says. If you have teleporting technology you would want to use it.

“…we should ask Danan,” Zara says. “She’s been researching on this planet longer than I have and might know more about this architect stuff.”

“Danan, right.” Jackie nods slowly. “If she’s in charge here, we should let her know we’re here, anyway.”

“Where is Danan?” Bro asks.

Zara sighs. “She’s taking care of Jack… which means well- you’ll be able to see Anti again because.. he’s there too. Doing his uh- guard thing.”

JJ tilts his head. You know, where I’m from, Jack is Anti’s cousin. They’re the only ones of us who are related.

“They’re pretty close where I’m from, too,” Jackie says. “I uh… don’t know how to describe it. They’re like best friends and family and a weird symbiotic relationship wrapped all into one.”

“Ha… weird. I got a friend named Jack back at home. He helps me make my music for shows.” Alt grins.

Schneep laughs nervously. “Well… that is fun to know. Anyway, should we head in that direction?” He doesn’t want to talk about his Jack and Anti.

The merboys shift a bit uncomfortably. “Jack and Anti have always been close… despite Jack being a bit older than him.” Chase says sadly. “But… now Anti hardly leaves Jack’s side… I think it’s cuz…”

“Cuz of what those white suit fucks did to him.” Reaper Jackie growls, digging his nails into his arms. “They made him their personal bodyguard to make sure Jack never escaped. But- heh, that backfired on them.” He grins.

The more I learn about Alterra the less I like them,” Schneep mutters. JJ and Jackie nod in agreement.

“Yeah just know he might be a bit… snippy, to put it lightly.” Zara says with a wince.

“Don’t worry though! We’ll protect ya!” Mer-Jackie says brightly.

Bro laughs, “I’m not worried dude- I think we can handle it. We’re all a pretty tough bunch.”

“Hey, I can handle a snippy Anti,” Jackie says. “The one I know is a dick. Good person, but a little mean.”

JJ chuckles. My Anti can be like that too. You have to get through the prickly outside.

“Yeah I think all Antis are like that- especially the good ones.” Bro laughs, nudging Alt. Alt glares a bit then flicks his tail at Bro giving him a tiny shock. Bro yelps then makes a face at Alt who only grins back. “What? You said I was prickly, prick.”

“Okay, I suppose that you should all go in front, then?” Schneep hurriedly says before anyone can notice him avoiding the topic of his Anti. “So that way he sees you first before us. I imagine we look quite shocking.”

“Your tail is transparent, by the way,” Jackie comments. “We can see the bones.”

“What?!” Schneep leans down and grabs onto his tail, but it feels like normal fish flesh to him.

The others all kinda hide their laughter. “Y-You didn’t know? You’re just like me actually.” Marvin tries to smile.

“Oh uh- Schneep is… blind.” Bro tells everyone. The ones who didn’t know eyes widen.

“Oh! Wow- you… don’t super act like it but that makes sense..” Zara says. “Good thing you got those tendrils though! I bet they help.”

“River Prowlers use their tendrils to lure in prey.” Marvin says with a twitch and then shudders.

“The extra limbs are helpful, yes,” Schneep says, one of the tendrils grabbing onto JJ’s arm. JJ looks at it a bit warily as Marvin makes that comment, but doesn’t pull away.

Mer-Jackie nods to Schneep, “Well you got the right idea other Schneep, we’ll head the group, c’mon!”

He quickly swims back up into the tubes, the rest of his brothers following after. Zara smiles at the rest of them before following.

“Oh, Zara’s coming with us?” Jackie says, surprised. “I, uh, hope we’re not interrupting anything.”

“I’m sure she knows what she’s doing,” Schneep says. “It will be nice to have someone to help explain.”

Thank you again for your help with the robot, by the way, JJ adds. Then they all follow the others, leaving in that order.

“Ha don’t worry! Hanging out with these guys is kinda my part time job now. ” Zara says with a wink. “Except better cuz I enjoy it! …and I don’t get paid regardless.” She laughs. “Plus it seems like you all need some more uh- human explanations. The boys are still- learning a bunch.”

Alt and Bro follow closely behind but Alt starts mumbling. “I wish I knew a spell that could like… I dunno… fix your vision or at least let you see temporary, Hen…”

“Hmm? Oh.” Schneep turns back towards him and smiles. “Thank you for the concern, Alt. It means a lot, truly. But you don’t have to go out of your way for me. There is a sadness that I lost my sight, but I have grown used to it. I have more accommodations than most blind people, since I can tell where people are, at least. I am mostly satisfied with my situation. I don’t think I need anything more.”

“Wow Schneep you’ve taken losing a whole sense with a lot of grace.” Bro smiles.

Alt frowns and holds his arms. “…I can’t imagine losing my vision. Maybe it’s just cuz I’m an artist but… I just… that terrifies me. I dunno how you do it.”

“I do wish you could see all this though,” Bro says quietly, looking outside the base as they cross through the glass tunnels. “All of this is… just insane.”

“Oh, well, it has not been easy, of course,” Schneep says. “I had to leave my job—hard to be a surgeon when you cannot see the patient. And there are many inconveniences. Even something like buying food can be difficult. Cannot read the labels, yes? But I am lucky to have had support in adjusting. My friends are always willing to help.”

Jackie looks back at him for a moment, thinking. “You… I’m glad they’re there for you,” he says softly.

Schneep nods. “I am very thankful for them.” He presses a hand to the glass wall of the tube. “But I am sad to be missing out on the view.”

We could describe it for you? JJ suggests.

Schneep laughs. “Give me the colors, if anything. I can figure out the rest with my other senses.”

Bro sighs, “Damn… going to medical school for so long and then having to stop… that majorly sucks.”

“Your friends are good ones though,” Alt smiles. Then he blinks and looks out the windows. “Well here it’s- it’s kinda green but I think that’s cuz there’s these tall kelp vines. You probably felt those. Most of the leaves are at the top of the water though so it kinda makes a canopy? So it’s a bit darker here… and there’s like these glowing fruit things on the vines so it’s all- glowing and shit.”

“Glowing…” Schneep repeats. He smiles. “It must be beautiful.”

#GITHV #glitch into the huffleverse #GITHV septnautical #alt anti #bro fantastic #stitched schneep #the jaunty jackson #inverted jackie #reaper jackie #cuddlefish jamie #stalker schneep #rabbit ray chase #warper marvin #zara caley #theres hints to stories ive been meaning to write in here-#and hints to the current BZ event! :D #septnautical #sorry it ends on an awkward place here!!

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huffle-dork · 6 months ago

Text

Glitch into the Hufflverse Chapter 10: Darker Seas

Read Swapboys | Read Crystal’s AUs | Read Septnautical | Darker Seas AU

Read SITCV | Read SATCV | GITHV Masterpost

The boys have been sleeping for a few hours when Anti suddenly crashes into the lab with a bit of pained cry and quickly scrambles over to try to wake up Schneep and JJ.

Schneep cries out and immediately lashes out. Luckily, JJ awakens first, and has enough wit to reach out and push Schneep's arm out of the way before he can punch Anti. "What?! Who?!" Schneep shouts. Then his soul sensing kicks in and he remembers who everyone is. "A-Anti? What is it?"

Are you okay?! JJ asks.

Blood is clouding the water around the jagged cut in one of Anti’s tails. He shoves his bag towards them that has a few peepers in it and says in a panic. “E-eat these and then we- you all need to go! I… I dunno how much time we have-“

JJ sits up straight. You're bleeding! I can help, if you want. Like I did earlier with Schneep.

Schneep feels out the peepers. Normally he's not the biggest fan of fish, but he's really hungry. "What happened? Did they—did they—" He sniffs. Is that... blood? "Did they find you? Did they hurt you?!"

Anti scrambles back a bit in fear with wide eyes, his tails shaking. “Y-Yeah I was h-hunting in the reefs and they just- s-showed up out of nowhere! The weird armored guy cut my tail I-I’m fine but stars… I-I might have led them straight here! I…I can’t let them find the others… I…!” He heaves in panic.

"Weird armor guy—Jackie?!" Schneep gasps. “Or Bro?!”

If we get out of here quickly, we can lure them away from the base, JJ says. We need to stop by and ask Zara about stuff but then we GO.

Schneep nods and immediately begins tearing into the peepers. Wow—that tastes good? Must be something based on this form. "We go now!" he says after a couple bites. "Eat on the way!"

JJ nods hurriedly.

“R-Right yeah let’s go-!” Anti says, speeding over to the hatch to the hallway to try to find Zara. The other two quickly follow after him.

Anti zips through the hallway and then finds Zara sitting in a cramped small lab space and bangs on the window. Zara startles and then looks up and hurries to open the hatch to her space. “Anti?! What’s wrong you- you’re bleeding!” She gasps.

"He says that the hybrids found him!" Schneep says. "And--at least one of them was our friend!"

Anti, really, I can help with that blood, JJ says.

Anti acknowledges JJ and nods, waving his hand. “uh yeah yeah sure!”

JJ nods, swimming over and gently placing a hand on Anti's tail just above his wound. A blue film covers the wound, cool and healing.

Anti stares at JJ’s magic with wide eyes before looking up at him and stammering out. “..t-thanks…”

JJ smiles back. Not a problem.

Schneep continues on. "W-we have to get out of here quickly before they follow to the base."

Zara gasps and scrambles through the hatch, pulling out the thing she was working on. “Okay uh- yeah you guys need to try to get out! W-we don’t have the defenses… but m-maybe this can help?” She hands the device to Schneep. It’s… like a small taser- “If you can get close to their ears- this might be enough to cancel the signal? I-If only for a moment… but that might be what you need.”

Schneep turns the device over in his hands. "Like a stun gun, I see. Or a taser, I suppose. Okay. I will be able to make much use of this. Thank you, Zara."

“O-Of course…” Zara says with a nervous smile. “I… I wish I could help more but I’d… I’d just slow you down so- go quickly.”

Anti then hesitates before going to hug Zara tightly. Zara is surprised but hugs him back. “In case I don’t… I don’t-“ he whispers in a bit of broken voice. Zara shakes her head. “you’ll come back… I know it. Now g-get out of here!”

Anti lets go and nods, hurrying back down the hall to open up the door to outside and rocketing out into the dark ocean around them.

Schneep hesitates before he follows JJ and Anti out of the base. He looks back at Zara. "We'll keep him safe," he says quietly. "I promise." Then he turns and chases after the other two.

Zara smiles and nods. “Thank you… good luck.”

Once outside, Anti hurries as fast as his tails will take him. He constantly looks back behind him to check for a sight of the others. He starts to pale as he remembers. “S-Shit! Most of those guys don’t glow! M-Marvin is with him though so… l-look out for any sign of something blue!”

"Ah, Anti, i-if you are worried about them sneaking up on us, I can keep a look out," Schneep says. "My eyes are blind, but... I have the ability to know when people are nearby."

How close do they have to be for that? JJ asks.

Schneep frowns. "I... am not sure, actually."

Well, keep your senses sharp, anyway, JJ says. I'll look out for the blue glow. I think the ends of Alt's spike things also glow a bit.

“Right… o-okay good. That’s good… keep your… senses peeled or whatever.” Anti says to Schneep. “Y-Yeah… the ampeel guy…” He mumbles, shuddering. “…he… he looked like me. You guys said y-you’re like my brothers if they were from a different world… i-is he…?”

JJ nods. Yes. He prefers being called Alt, but his name is Anti. He spells out the names, the fish robot picking up on it and saying the names as they should be said.

“I… I see. Alt…” he tries out the name.

"He and the boneshark, Bro—Chase—are the only real brothers between us," Schneep says. "The rest of us are from somewhere else. They are... quite close."

“Heh… weird to think of all of us… not being brothers…” Anti says quietly. “Though we uh… haven’t been for… for a bit. I… I miss Chase. They don’t let him leave HQ with the others much… precious collateral and all… he was the first hybrid they ever made…” He laughs bitterly.

JJ's expression darkens. Collateral, he repeats bitterly. I don't have experience with Alterra, but I know a different company that would do something like that.

"I am truly so sorry, Anti," Schneep says. "I... know what it is like... to miss Chase—though, my Chase is different than yours, of course. There was a period of time in my home when... he was pulled away from the rest of us. Made into something different." He shakes his head. "B-but... we... we freed him after time. Or, the rest of my friends did, I was also out of commission at that point." He laughs drily.

“…thanks…” Anti says shortly. He then laughs a bit. “… it’s been a bit since I was around someone who felt like they… get this. I know Google feels it cuz of…” He swallows and his head, “…I don’t think Zara and Danan really understand though… this ache. I miss them so much it hurts.”

He starts to swim up, not looking back as much as the cavern gets a bit lighter. “…sometimes on bad nights… I’d think of just going to find them…joining them just so it wouldn’t hurt as much….” He laughs bitterly again. “…they’d kill me for that though. A-Actual them… who they were.”

JJ shakes his head. You’re right, they wouldn’t want that for you. Not to mention what would all these humans do? You’re clearly a great help to them.

Schneep nods. “It’s okay to miss them. But don’t throw your life away for that. They would want you to live free—” He suddenly stops. “Do you hear that?”

Below them- something flickers in the darkness- sparks of blue and the sound of a distant roar.

JJ looks down into the darkness with wide eyes. That must be them! Anti—which ones were they? How many?!

Anti freezes, looking back with wide eyes too. “Shit! U-uh- I think all 3 of your friends and m-Marvin-! I-I dunno for how long that’ll be though… m-Marvin could have warped the others here-! O-or maybe he’s waiting until-“ He swallows shakily and looks around then darts towards another tunnel. “C-C’mon! Let’s make it to open water at least!”

“All of them?!” Schneep repeats. “Well—at least we won’t have to go into the headquarters to find them.” He swims hurriedly after Anti but JJ hesitates for a moment, wanting to be sure that the hybrids are following them and not going towards the base.

“Y-Yeah you two wouldn’t be able to survive down there…” Anti stops when he sees JJ stop and is about to ask what he’s doing when his eyes widen. His blood trail ended at the base! He scrambles back out past JJ and takes in a huge breath before letting a fireball sail through the open water and hit a stalagmite with a big crash. “HEY FUCKERS!!” He yells afterwards, “CANT CATCH MEEEE!!” His voice echoes through the cavern and then they hear a familiar roar of anger… it sounds like Bro. though it sounds more animalistic and feral than anything Schneep and JJ have heard before.

“Okay now we swim!” Anti says hurriedly and starts swimming back through the tunnel.

“Swimming!” Schneep says, hurrying into the tunnel, tendrils tracing the sides. JJ darts after him, some instinctual part of his brain telling him that the sound meant danger.

“W-was that really—them?” Schneep says, shaken. “That sound—”

There’s another sound just as he says that, a different one. A horrible screech that sounds almost human but mostly animalistic and aggressive. JJ stops for a moment, disoriented, and one of Schneep’s tendrils reaches back and grabs him, pulling him along.

“Don’t stop! I-I know you’ll wanna but I-it’ll be easier to fight out in the open!” Anti pants.

Early morning light shines through the exit and they just about make it to the surface- then AE-10 glitches right in front of them. He regards them coldly, blocking off their path as his tail crackles with electricity. Also leaving them vulnerable for CE-9 and BS-8 to attack them from behind.

“You will not escape this time SD-4.” AE’s static laced voice drones through his radio. “Make this easier on yourself and give in.” His eyes flicker to JJ and Schneep- but there’s no recognition in his alien looking eyes. “You two as well. Alterra has you slated for assimilation.”

JJ swims back, a look of horror on his face. Alt? What have they done to you? That horrible mask!

AE-10's eyes flicker a bit at hearing that name... and he tilts his head in confusion.

“I do not think we can reason with him in this state,” Schneep says. His eyes narrow, sclera turning black. “The only thing we can do is—” And without warning he leaps forward, suddenly right in front of Alt as he attempts to tackle him to the ground or out of the tunnel.

AE doesn't expect Schneep to suddenly appear before him and his eyes widen before he's tackled to the ground. His radio makes a static screech that sounds like AE yelling in surprise but more corrupted. He narrows his eyes at Schneep and then tries to hide his tail against him to shock him.

Schneep shrieks as the electricity courses through him, instinctively letting go and backing up. But with Alt out of the way there's enough room for Anti and JJ to get out.

Anti meanwhile grabs JJ and tries to swim past them out of the tunnel- hearing aggressive roars closing in.

JJ glances back over his shoulder and throws magic back down the tunnel, blocking it off with a crystalline wall. It won't stop them forever but it might get them time to deal with Alt before the others show up.

There’s a loud roar- and then a crash as BS-8 crashes headfirst into the crystalline wall, a small crack forming in it- but not enough to break it. He blinks in mild confusion and pats the surface to see what the hell it is.

JJ glances over his shoulder, worried, as Bro cracks the wall.

"Verdammt!" Schneep curses, shaking himself off. "Guess who can do that too," he says through gritted teeth, and lunges forward again, pointing Zara's device at Alt.

AE-10 rolls over to push himself back up in the water. His eyes widen as he sees the device but he quickly glitches away. “What is that thing?!” he growls.

"Get closer and you'll see," Schneep says, lunging forward again.

AE-10 jerks back and then catches Schneep’s hand before he can get any closer- but AE stopped his hand just before it reached his neck/ear. The crackling of the tool seems to cause a reaction as AE’s grip loosens slightly and his eyes shift for a second back to normal.

“S-Schneep?” Alt breathes, sounding scared.

Then, his gauges shock him and AE stiffens holding on tighter to Schneep before tossing him away. “D-Do not try that again!” AE-10 snarls.

Behind BS-8, CE-9 runs right into him, pushing him into the wall some more. He backs up, just as confused as him. Then makes a low shrieking sound in his throat as he charges at the wall again. It shatters immediately, and JJ whirls around, surprised and a bit afraid. That should have lasted at least a little longer!

Once the barrier is broken Anti scrambles back and tries to grab JJ- but BS-8 roars and heads straight for JJ- trying to tackle him into the sand.

Schneep doesn't even have time to respond to Alt before being tossed to the side, spinning through the water for a while before he regains his balance. He shakes his head, a bit disoriented—but he knows what he heard there. "Hold on, Alt," he whispers. Then he turns to the side. "JJ!"

But JJ is too busy dodging Bro's attack to respond. He manages to avoid being caught but can't slowly down enough to sign. He makes a whistling sound to let Schneep knows he's listening.

"We have to work together!" Schneep says, lunging for Alt again, tendrils flaring out.

BS-8 crashes into the sand and spits it out before giggling sinisterly and turning on JJ. “Yer slippery aren’t ya?” He laughs darkly before lashing back out at JJ with teeth and claws.

Meanwhile, CE-9 recovers from hitting the wall and charges at Anti, screeching.

Anti dodges quickly, surging up higher in the water. He growls at CE-9 and blasts a fireball at him. CE-9 dodges, ducking to the ground. "No more fire! No more burning!" he shrieks. The words grow into a screeching roar as he charges at Anti again with mandibles out.

Anti cries out in slight fear and soars past CE-9’s charge overhead and laughs out, “I won’t if y-you just leave me alone!” CE-9 just snarls and screeches again, a completely feral look in his purple and white eye. He spins around and lashes out with his mandibles.

AE-10 grows claws and tries to slash at Schneep. Surprisingly, Schneep dodges easily—and when Alt's hands reach out, one of his tendrils wrap around them. "Stay still! Please! JJ!" He tries using the device again.

JJ dodges Bro again, head whipping over to Schneep and Alt. He rushes over—if Schneep's able to use the device again, maybe there will be an opening to take those ear things off!

BS-8 growls and rushes up to try to grab JJ and pull him back. “Hey! Yer fighting me small fry!” He snaps. JJ yelps as Bro grabs his tail. He looks down, eyes wide. And he mouths the word 'sorry' as he blasts dust-like sparkling magic right into his face. BS-8 is momentarily blinded but he just charges blindly and tries to bite onto JJ’s tail.

AE-10 panics slightly at being caught by Schneep’s tendril, especially when he tries to use the device again. He moves his head out of the way then tries to shock Schneep off, even if his eyes flicker with fear again.

Schneep cries out, muscles spasming, but he holds tight. "A-Alt! You have to listen to us! You don't want to do this! Y-you are not the type of person to hurt people anymore! Try to remember!"

AE-10’s hand trembles and he tries to pull himself out of Schneep’s hold. His eyes are wide as he shakes his head. “N-No- I… I’m-” He shudders and then glares at Schneep as his head twitches to the side. “I’m not a person. I’m a weapon. And I will serve Alterra.” He lashes out a clawed hand to try to cut himself out of Schneep’s grip.

Schneep screams as Alt's new claws dig into his tendrils—he wasn't expecting that to hurt! He pulls his tendrils back quickly, orange blood drifting through the water. JJ's head snaps towards him and he struggles out of Bro's grip, shooting through the water and aiming a magic blast at Alt.

Anti ducks and weaves out of the way of the mandibles and he giggles. “Jackie fights better with those things better than you!” He taunts.

CE-9 shrieks and roars, rage pushing him into a feral state. He continues to swim after Anti, trying to grab him. The only thought in his head is that Alterra wants SD-4, he needs to get SD-4.

Anti shudders, this feral state reminding him too much of fights with his brother. But… this isn’t his brother. And if he could see Jackie again right now… he growls and suddenly turns to grab CE-9 and pushes them both down into the ground, making a cloud of sand with the impact. He growls and digs his claws into CE’s shoulders and yells, “Fucking stop it! You’re not a tool for Alterra- they don’t give a fuck about you! They’re using you!! Wake the fuck up!!”

AE pushes back and is about ready to shock Schneep again- only to get blasted back by JJ’s magic, rolling over himself in the water- disoriented.

BS-8 yells and scrambles to try to grab JJ again. “yer no fun! Give me a better fucking fight, coward!”

Schneep breathes heavily, recovering from the pain while JJ dodges Bro again. "JJ! Hold Alt!" he shouts. "Your magic!"

JJ nods. He flings out a hand, blue magic whipping through the water, ribbons wrapping around Alt's torso and pinning his arms.

AE-10 makes a confused static noise through his speakers as he’s grabbed. He looks down at the magic and something sparks in his eyes. He then glitches out of the magic easily and a sinister laughs echoes out as he builds up magic in his hands. “I almost forgot… I can do that too-” He tries to send a bolt of lightning out at JJ.

BS-8 snarls ferally and changes course to try to grab Schneep.

JJ tries conjuring a shield but isn't fast enough and the lightning hits him, sending him back, flipping through the water. Meanwhile, Schneep dodges Bro's attack. "You are not really good at this, are you?" he says. "Not if the blind one can—" And he suddenly lunges back at Bro, aiming to use the device on him.

BS-8 snarls, baring his sharp teeth, “What do you know?! You won’t even fucking fight-!” He then yells out as Schneep plants the device right next to Bro’s ear. There’s a spark as the waves from the gauges are destroyed by the ones from the device- then a pop as the gauge starts to smoke and seems looser in BS’s ear.

Bro’s eyes snap back to his normal bright blue eyes as he gasps in pain, his back arching. Then he goes limp and falls back down to the sand in a heap.

Schneep hears the pop and reaches for the gauge. Once he feels where it is he starts to pull it free. The gauge is loose but still sort of stuck even if Schneep makes it a bit more loose. Bro makes a groaning sound and blearily tries to open his eyes, but they’re so unfocused. “S…Schneep…?” He whispers. Ugh… lifting his head makes him feel dizzy.

Schneep nods. "Yes. Are you okay?"

“ ‘m all… fuzzy…” Bro slurs, blinking dazedly. “What’s happenin’…?”

CE-9 shrieks and struggles against Anti in the sand. He feels his claws dig into his skin and glares at him. But the glare weakens a little. Why does this—why does this feel so familiar? This face—shouting at him—about how he's... wrong? His eyes flicker, turning normal blue. "...Anti?" he whispers. "What's... happening...?"

Anti blinks in surprise, jaw dropping. “I-it can be that easy?” He whispers.

But- CE-9’s gauges try to spark up to shock him back under.

Jackie screams, head flailing. His eyes flicker again back to that purple and white. "N-no! No! I can't—" Images and memories are flashing in his mind—but no! He's—he's a weapon, meant to serve Alterra—he's not supposed to care about anything else! "I d-don't want—I h-have to be better! I'm not a wea—I—Alterra, prey, prey—"

JJ recovers, glancing back over at Anti and Jackie. His eyes widen and he starts zooming over there. Anti! The ears! he says, his little robot shouting the words.

Anti’s head snaps to JJ and he looks down at Jackie as he fights. He sees the gauges and looks at his claws before trying to see if he can pry one of them off. “K-keep fighting!” He tries to encourage.

AE-10 sees his companions falling and the radio on his neck crackles loudly with static and angry growls. He goes to tackle JJ to try ground, claws flashing and eyes wild.

Jackie's eye rolls back in his head as he thrashes. Anti has a hard time holding him still for a moment, but after some effort, he pries a gauge free. Jackie cries out as his eye turns blue again and he suddenly goes still.

Anti pants as soon as the gauge is popped out and then falls back, watching Jackie wearily. They’ve never been able to remove these before… what’s gonna happen? Is it.. over?

JJ barely manages to dodge Alt's wild attack, claws just barely scraping by but not drawing blood. Now that Alt is close JJ tries something new. He reaches out to him and the temperature of the water around them suddenly drops, ice forming around Alt. He'll be able to glitch free of bonds, so he needs to hold him in place some other way. Maybe he can freeze his arms or something?!

AE-10 screeches in rage as the ice forms around him, making it hard for him to stay up and swim. He struggles to surge upwards as he starts to sink through the water, struggling and fighting as hard as he can.

Jackie's eyelid flutters. "Wh... what happened...? Anti...?" He looks, confused, at the face before him. "What happened to you eye-patch... and neck?"

Anti blinks at Jackie in confusion, “…the fuck are you talking about?”

Jackie blinks, then frowns. "S-sorry, I... thought you were someone else."

JJ grabs onto Alt, pulling him downwards. Then he lets go and looks back at the others, signing, Schneep! The device!

Schneep looks back at him and nods. "Hold on tight, Bro," he says, and then leaps away, reappearing next to Alt, and he immediately tries to use the device again.

AE-10 makes lots of screeches that dissolve into static on his radio as he tries to fight his way out. “No! L-Let me go! I can’t fail! I can’t fail!!” As Schneep appears and tries to use the device, AE closes his eyes then shouts out, “WH-5! H-Help!”

A ball of blue and pink water hits Schneep in the shoulder and sends him off course, forming a bit of a vortex that dies down quickly.

WH-5 appears next to AE-10 and looks at all the chaos before looking down at AE. “…what a waste of resources. You all are not fit to serve Alterra.”

AE-10 thrashes desperately in the ice, trying to claw himself free. “I can still be useful! I can still do this! Just-help me!”

Anti freezes as he hears that familiar drone. His stomach drops and he shouts out. “d-don’t let him open a warp gate!” He then rushes to try to tackle WH away from AE.

Anti manages to push WH into a nearby rock but WH-5 regards him coldly and scratches at his face, hard. Anti yells out in pain and lets go, pushing himself away to hold the orange leak on his face. “M-Marvin please-! It’s me! Wake up- a-aren’t you sick of this?!”

“Don’t try to play mind games with me, SD-004.” WH-5 hisses. “I serve Alterra with all I am. And you will join us or you will die.”

JJ watches WH appear in surprise. The fight with Anti and him happens so fast that he's not able to jump in for a while. Something about seeing a Marvin act like this, be controlled like this—it breaks his heart and fills him with rage at the same time. His expression darkens and he lunges at WH at from behind, not even bothering with magic.

Schneep recovers from the warp projectile and senses JJ do this. "Jamie!" he shouts, also lunging at WH.

WH-5 is starting up a warp gate as Anti shrinks back in fear- bracing himself for whoever Marvin brings to fight.

But to both of their surprise- both JJ and Schneep manages to land blows. JJ grabbing Marvin and pulling him down and Schneep tackling him fully to the sand. WH-5’s radio screeches with static as he tries to get away. “Unidentified hybrids s-s-stand down! Do not interfere with Alterran affairs!”

“WH!” AE-10 yells and bursts through the ice, trying to rush over to help.

Jackie gets up, shaking, regaining his senses. He sees Alt break free and—without really thinking—he charges at him, sending both of them flying to the sides as he screeches.

WH's fighting sends Schneep flying, letting go of the device. but JJ grits his teeth and keeps holding him down. His hand darts out and grabs the device from where it's floating in the air and presses it against WH. "Snap out of it, Marvin!" he says in his hoarse voice.

Something seems to snap in WH-5 demeanor- his fight goes as he stares wide eyed at JJ. “J-Jamie?” he says. Right before the device is placed near his gauges and he screams, spasming wildly. The gauge closest to the device snaps- and then pops apart with a bit of smoke. Marvin’s head falls to the sand, wide eyed- staring out unfocused but his eyes are cleared of pink.

Anti sees this and then hurries to crash down next to Marvin’s side. “M-Marvin!!” He yells desperately, trying to shake him. JJ slumps in relief and backs away so Anti can get close to his brother.

Bro is also pushing himself up, trying to shake of the fog. Ugh.. he feels really sick though. He blinks and then gasps as he sees Alt.

Schneep shakes his head and rushes over to Bro. “W-we have to help him!” He says. “L-let’s go!”

Bro shakes himself out and clumsily follows after Schneep. “R-Right!”

AE-10’s radio bursts into static shrieking as he’s tackled and he desperately tries to claw his way out of Jackie’s grasp. “No! No!!”

Jackie holds tight onto Alt even as he claws at him. The mandibles close in as he grits his teeth. Don’t let go. Don’t let go!

JJ grabs the device again and hurries over to Alt and Jackie.

AE-10 cries like a wounded animal, terrified tears pricked in his eyes as he tries to get loose. “Let go! Let me go!”

Bro crashes down next to Jackie and Alt and helps to hold him down. “Alt! Come lil bro! You gotta wake up!”

“No! I-I’m AE-10! I-I serve Alterra- I need to-! Let me go!!” AE wails, his radio glitching and raked with static.

Bro can’t help but cry seeing his brother like this. “Anti- please!”

Jackie shakes Alt slightly. “Snap out of it! Don’t let those fuckers win!”

“You are not just a number! Schneep shouts. “Try to remember!”

“This is what those fuckers at SCLERA wanna make you, Alt!” Bro sobs. “Don’t let these fuckers keep changing you! You’re stronger than this!”

Something flickers in AE’s eyes and he fights a little less- mostly shaking. “I-I-I-” his radio starts to skip, glitching more and more.

JJ brings the device over. He glances at Bro and hesitates, not wanting to do this in front of him.

“JJ, do you have it?!” Schneep says. “Hurry!”

Bro looks up at JJ but just nods. “W-Whatever you have to do!”

This will look painful, JJ says, glancing apologetically at Bro, and then lunges forward, using the device.

The device hits its mark and the radio bursts into glitched screaming as the brain waves of the gauges are shattered. The gauge lets off dangerous bright sparks then completely breaks off. The screaming stops and AE-10’s eyes fade from their ampeel hue back to his normal green-blue with white scleras. His body falls completely limp, head lolling back on his neck as his wide eyes stare out into the distance, unfocused.

Jackie quickly lets go of him, but Schneep darts in, checking Alt's vitals, feeling the collar and mask in the process. His expression darkens. "This fucking thing..." he growls.

JJ puts the device down. That was a stronger reaction, he signs slowly. Is he okay?

"I-I think so," Schneep says.

Jackie rubs his own ears, pulling the other gauge free. "Wh... wh-what the fuck?" he whispers, eyes wide in horror.

Are you all okay? JJ asks.

"Well they are clearly not," Schneep mutters.

The newly freed boys still can feel lingering feelings of aggression and… they feel kinda feverish and shaky. That was a lot of strain on their bodies and minds…

Jackie leans back, staring up at the distant surface, breathing through the shaky feeling.

Bro chokes on a sob and goes to hold Alt in his arms, holding him close as he breaks down. “W-What was that?! What h-happened? I-It’s all j-jumbled but we were… w-we- that lady at Alterra-!” He suddenly shifts to anger, his eyes going back to boneshark-blue as he bares his teeth and holds Alt tighter. “I’ll kill her- I-I’m gonna fucking kill her!”

"E-everyone calm down, yes? We are not able to go after anyone right now." Schneep stares then- "Bro, please, be careful!" He says, worried at the sounds of the growls. "A-Alt probably still needs help. That mask—it felt..." He shudders.

Jackie growls too, shaking his head. He's not sure if he wants to kill that Alterra woman or run far, far away from here.

"Jackie, you too," Schneep says, turning towards him. "Just—just breathe."

Bro is breathing heavily through growls and trying not to dig claws into Alt but the anger won’t leave him. It’s eating away at him and he can’t-

JJ turns over to look at Anti and Marvin. Anti is holding Marvin like he’s made of glass. Watching him with wide eyes. Marvin twitches a bit but still stares out at nothing. It could be the mask…Jj swims over and sees if he can take the mask off Marvin's face.

Marvin’s mask seems to be stuck into his jaw through his skin- but pulling at it makes Marvin make a muffled yell of pain and then blink his eyes back into focus. He looks around in confusion, still very out of it. “W-Where am I..?” his radio says shakily.

“Marv?!” Anti say hopefully. Marvin sits up in surprise and looks at Anti with wide eyes. “Anti…?” he whispers- like he’s just seen a ghost. Anti cries out in happiness and tackles Marvin to the sandy floor, curling all his tails around him. “you’re back! You’re back!!” Anti wails. Marvin blinks in confusion but slowly brings up his arms to loop around Anti’s. Then he’s melting, curling one of his tails across Anti’s back as he starts to cry.

JJ backs up, letting the two brothers have this moment. He smiles sadly, reminded of his own Marvin. He... he wonders when he'll next see him. He shakes off the anxious thoughts and tells himself he's just happy that one Marvin has been reunited with someone who cares about him.

Anti laughs and starts to let go of Marvin but the littler brother just clings to Anti and won’t let go. Anti puffs out a small laugh and holds him with one arm and he swims over to the others.

Bro finds himself able to breathe, his eyes fading back to how they’re supposed to be and he blinks out slowly. He looks down at Alt and feels his heart break again. He touches the mask where it meets his jaw and- god it’s hard to keep back the anger. Plus he just- doesn’t feel good… he feels hot and shaky and confused. “…w-we gotta get this off him…” he breathes.

“…d-Danan might know how to get these off…” Anti says, “w-we don’t have much in the lab but they have some stuff… and you all can rest and stuff for a bit… and we can figure out how to get you home.”

"If the mask is stuck, w-we definitely need to get it off," Schneep says, going a bit pale. "They—they need to eat, after all. Or—S-surely there must be some way to get them food, even if it is stuck. W-we have something like that where I am from, surely there's something like that here."

“God yeah… Alt hasn’t eaten in… h-how fucking long has it been?” Bro breathes. “This is s-so fucking cruel…”

Calm down, Schneep, JJ says. Everyone stay calm. We're done for now. We can rest—we just need to get somewhere safe.

"Y-yeah, let's," Jackie says, getting up. "I-I—Make sure to get rid of the gauges. Leave them to fucking get lost in the sand."

Bro blinks up at Jackie and nods, going to pull the gauges off his ears and then take the last one off of Alt. Taking off his other one- ugh… why did he get another way of dizziness?

How is Alt? JJ asks.

The hero dazedly looks back at JJ then Alt. He’s breathing but still out of it and Bro sighs, “Still… s-staring weird… but m-Marvin woke up from pulling on the mask right?” Bro tries to pull at it even if it hurts to do so.

Alt gasps painfully and blinks back up to full consciousness, staring out at everyone blankly. Then, “C-Chase…?” he breathes, his radio crackling a bit.

“A-Alt thank god…!” Bro tries to smile.

Schneep sighs in relief. "Good to hear from you, Alt."

How do you feel? JJ asks. Then he looks at Bro and Jackie. How do you two feel, too?

"W-weird and... shaky," Jackie says. He clears his throat. "B-but I can swim, if we need to go soon."

Alt blinks slowly and looks around at everyone. “F-Freaked…?” he says. Bro laughs a bit, “me too bro…” he blinks up at JJ and shakes his head, “uh.. dizzy… I think but s-same.” He smacks his lips and then sticks out his tongue, “Also my mouth feels weird?? Ugh… did I eat something weird while under??”

Anti makes a face and looks away- not really ready to reveal what Bro was like during that time.

"Wait, actually, yeah, me too." Jackie copies Bro's expression, also sticking out his tongue. "That's so weird."

JJ and Schneep choose not to say anything, either.

“I… w-what is on my face-?” Alt says in confusion then shakily reaches out and tries to pull the mask off. When it doesn’t come off and he feels it tugging on his skin his eyes widen and his radio picks up on his hyperventilating. “W-What the-?! Ow- I-I-!”

Bro startles then looks to Anti. “uh- you said you had your Dr friend right? I think now's the time to see her!”

Anti nods quickly, “R-Right! Follow me.” He holds Marvin close to him, who only slightly peeks out his head to look as he speeds back towards the tunnel.

"Let's go!" Schneep says, hurrying after Anti. JJ quickly follows after him. Jackie, still a bit stunned, takes a moment to shake himself off before following after. JJ slows down a bit, holding out a hand for Jackie to take. He does so, wordlessly.

Bro hurries after the others, holding Alt close as he whispers, “Breathe Alt… we’re gonna get you out of this thing soon… just hang in there…”

Alt whimpers and curls up in Bro’s arms, holding shaky hands over the mask.

#GITHV #glitch into the huffleverse #GITHV Darker seas #yippie!! mind controlled boy fight :D #but also!! saved!!#god this was so much fun to write this is def one of my fav sections of GITHV #but theres also so much fun coming!! :D #mind control #brainwashing #alt anti #bro fantastic #the jaunty jackson #inverted jackie #stitched schneep #zara caley #septnautical #warper marvin #whump

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huffle-dork · 6 months ago

Text

Glitch into the Hufflverse Chapter 9: Darker Seas

Read Swapboys | Read Crystal’s AUs | Read Septnautical | Darker Seas AU

Read SITCV | Read SATCV | GITHV Masterpost

Schneep, JJ and Anti have been swimming for a while. But finally, they seem to enter a new area. It’s filled with floating balls of glowing blue, caught in net like substances that keep them from floating completely off the sea floor. It’s dark down here and kinda chilly.

Wish you could see this place, Schneep, JJ says. It truly is fantastical.

Schneep sighs. "I am starting to get tired of hearing that."

Oh. Sorry.

"No, it is not your fault. Just keep to objective descriptions, yes?"

They swim through large trenches of dark stone, keeping low and towards the rocks. Then, Anti suddenly turns and starts to head down a seemingly random dark hole.

JJ blinks in surprise as Anti chooses this hole, of all of them. Watch your head, he says as he follows Anti through.

"Watching," Schneep says, swimming after the two of them, tendrils outstretched to keep track of the walls of the tunnel.

Anti hurries through and soon enough they enter a huge cavern with even more of those floating blue pods. It’s even darker here though, the glowing pods being the only real source of illumination besides the boys’ bioluminescence. There’s the sound of eerie clicking and screeches in the distance. “…stay close- lots of crabsquids here… but we’re almost there.” Anti says.

Schneep frowns. “I do not like those clicking sounds…” JJ reaches out and holds his hand.

“Yeah the clicking is the crabsquids… they’re more threats to the human subs and shit but.. still not pleasant to deal with. And they taste terrible too.” Anti grumbles.

Curious bright rays swim through the dim water- similar to JJ’s color and shape but they have longer tendril-like wings and a long flowing tail. They make high pitched song-like cries as they circle through the water.

“Oh, those sounds are better though!” Schneep perks up a little.

JJ laughs. They look a bit like me, but with tendrils for wings.

“Interesting.”

Finally, the darkness recedes a bit to show a dark blue colored base hidden amongst the rough tall stones on the sea floor.

There’s movement and then a familiar face to the other boys shows up. It’s Zara. She’s in a darker version of her suit- her hair chopped short and a very stark scar on her cheek like she’s been raked with claws. But, she grins as she sees Anti. “Anti hey! Did hunting go alright? We were wondering-“ then she stops herself as she takes in the sight of the other hybrids. “…woah w-what?”

“…long story.” Anti says quietly, gripping the bag on his shoulder. “…rather explain it all to Danan and Google all at once. …these guys say they want your help though.”

Zara looks surprised by this, “..r-really?”

JJ nods. It’s nice to see you, he signs, the robot translating his words. My name is JJ, and this is Schneep.

Zara’s eyes shine at seeing the robot, “woahhh! That’s some really cool tech…!” She whispers.

Schneep nods. “We are, ah… Anti is right, it might be best to explain everything with everyone there. But basically, we are from far away, and when we arrived here the hybrids took three of our friends.”

Zara shakes out her head and nods, gesturing to follow. “y-yeah of course… follow me.”

She dives down towards the base and Anti swoops down after her. JJ and Schneep glance at each other before also following.

Unlike the last base- this one doesn’t have a lot of attachments or tunnels. There’s a few but… not a lot. Only a few large rooms and no windows- bordered up with dark tints and very little light on the outside.

Zara swims to a bulk head door and knocks something on the metal. A pattern. There’s a pause and then a man opens the door just peeking through, his eyes glowing bright blue. He looks startled slightly then says in a rough voice. “Zara what is..?”

“Anti brought them… and you know he’s trustworthy.” Zara says shortly.

There’s a pause and then the man opens the door. He’s about average height, long messy black hair cut about shoulder length. And unusual robotic eyes shine behind glasses. “…Danan is in the lab.” He says simply then swims down the flooded hall. Zara looks at the others then follows. Anti sighs and follows.

“That’s Tillman… but he asks everyone to call him Google.” Zara says quietly. “…it’s what his brother used to call him.”

Anti is quiet at this, though his face looks a bit pained. Soon enough Google stops and opens another hatch to go inside.

The two of them trail behind the others. Schneep frowns. He leans over to JJ and mutters, “We did not see him last time, did we?”

JJ shakes his head. This whole place is giving him a bad feeling. A dreadful feeling. This place is so small… and Zara’s comment about what Tillman’s brother ‘used’ to do isn’t going unnoticed. He just knows something bad happened here.

Inside is a sparsely filled lab space with a few fabricators, though some look damaged. There’s some energy converters and a small aquarium that’s currently empty except for plants. The boys recognize the face of Dr. Danan as she concentrates on trying to fix one of the fabricators.

She blinks up at the approaching figures and smiles tightly. She looks a lot more worn down and tired then she did before. She floats over to meet Anti. “Anti! Good I was getting worried… what were you able to find?”

Anti takes off his bag and hands it to Danan. “…a few med kits… a couple bladderfishes, a couple good fish from the shallows… I think there’s a nutrient pack in there too…”

Danan busies herself with looking and nods. “Okay… w-we can work with this… S-Stacy is sick and the kids are not looking great either… but this should… should help. Thank you.”

“…sorry I wanted to get more but… I ran into complications…” Anti mutters, flicking his tails, one nudging Danan to look up. She does and then her eyes widen at seeing JJ and Schneep. “…o-oh my stars…!”

JJ waves, trying to look friendly.

"Hello there," Schneep says. "I imagine this is quite a shock for you. Let me explain quickly. My name is Schneep, and this is JJ. Us and three friends suddenly arrived here, and got attacked by those other hybrids. A-Anti has told us about them and Alterra. O-our three friends were caught by them."

JJ nods in agreement. We need to get them back. We need to get home.

Danan’s eyes widen and looks at Anti, “…j-just like…”

“Yeah.” Anti says shortly. “…looks like him too. T-thought it was a sick clone joke but… I don’t think it is. Marv tried to capture them too.”

Danan looks even more surprised. “I… I don’t understand… you have… other hybrid friends?”

“Yeah,” Zara snorts, “I thought they were culling their hybrids. Getting rid of the mindless defective ones. So their fucking pets get their enrichment-”

Anti growls and glares at Zara, “Don’t call them that!”

Zara blinks and then slinks back, gripping her arm. “…sorry Anti I… sorry..”

“What do you mean by home?” Google speaks up, narrowing his eyes. “Alterra has prohibited any unauthorized entry or exit of the planet until they’ve… perfected the hybrid project. So… either you’re from the other bases but… we haven’t had much contact with anyone else lately… and they… only HQ makes the hybrids.”

"Well... what if we were to tell you that we were not from this planet?" Schneep says slowly. "What if we were to tell you that we're from another universe?"

Four different universes, actually, between the five of us, JJ says. Places where things like THIS are possible. He holds his hands up, conjuring a little light show with his magic.

"It sounds incredible, but I promise you, it is true," Schneep says. "The reason we look like the hybrids you know is because we are them, from some other branch of the multiverse. We've been hopping through a couple universes, actually. The last one we were in... was much like this one. Only, the hybrids were not under Alterra's control. None of them."

I know it's unbelievable, but this is not a joke, JJ says, looking very serious.

Everyone’s eyes widen.

“T-That’s possible?” Zara breathes.

“I-I’ve heard of theories but…!” Danan whispers.

Anti zooms up to Schneep and JJ, his eyes wide and desperate. “…t-there’s a world where my… my brothers are safe? Where they’re free?” his voice chokes up at the end, pin pricks of tears in his eyes.

Schneep instinctively swims backwards, but JJ stays where he is and nods. Yes. In fact, I remember them saying that YOU had been caught by Alterra for a while. But they rescued you. And in that world, you're all safe... or, as safe as you can be.

Tears freely fall from Anti’s eyes now as he looks to JJ with a sad expression- but there seems to be the lingering of hope behind his eyes. “…they can be saved…?” he breathes.

"Th-this is why it's so important that we find our friends," Schneep says. "We are not supposed to be here. Th-they all have lives—friends and jobs and families—to get back to." He shakes his head. "I-I know it will be difficult, but we need to find them. And if... Alterra has done anything to them, we have to figure out how to undo it. I-I'm sure you have been working on something like that, even if you haven't been able to do anything yet. Yes? Perhaps with our more unique abilities, we can help."

Danan, Zara and Google all share glances. Zara then grips her arms and looks away, “…my brother is the reason this fucked up process exists… we found WH- …Marvin… I-in the lost river and I’m good with tech and biology and so I… I got Zeke some scans. Marvin was hurting… and I thought we were gonna help him. But… zeke had worse plans. He took my blueprints and made those awful masks and worked with Demerci to make those chips and…”

“…they all got captured… one by one…” Anti says quietly, “…they waited until they found me to test it completely… I saw it happen. I saw them shock the memories out of my brothers until they were all unrecognizable. They don’t even remember their names… or me.” Anti glances briefly at JJ and Schneep, “…they probably did that to your friends.. I.. I’m sorry.”

“Of course we’ve been trying to figure out a way to free them…” Danan says miserably, “I… I helped to raise them. I watched them grow and explore the ocean and… I-i thought Alterra would move on from them… m-maybe leave them alone,.. but I was wrong…”

“They still have Jack too..,” Anti whimpers.

“… we think interfering with their ear chips or their masks if they have them might disrupt the mind control signal the Alterans are using. The technology is based on hive minds found on other planets… but with WH-005’s ability to warp in aid and CH-007’s ability to control the wildlife and.. and the other two's ferocity and speed… we haven’t been able to try.” Google explains.

All this technical talk goes over JJ's head, but Schneep nods slowly, parsing out what he hears. JJ winces. Memories can't be gotten rid of—only suppressed. His signs are slow, and there's a slight desperate expression on his face. I'm sure that there's some way...

Anti’s eyes widen, “…really…? They… they might still remember?” He pauses. “…I can’t hurt them,” He says, digging his claws into his shoulders, “… I know they wouldn’t want to be doing this so I… I can’t. If I fight them I could… I.. I’m too dangerous to be around them…”

“And Anti’s the only one who can even get close to them…” Zara says sadly, “…O-Ollie and Lizzie tried but…”

Google shuts his eyes with a pained look, quickly looking away.

JJ winces. I'm... sorry for your losses. He can't believe that the same kind people they met in the last world did something like that.

"Ear chips and masks..." Schneep repeats absentmindedly. "JJ, did the hybrids all have something like that?"

I think so? I didn't get close enough to Henrik or Jackie to check their ears, but they must have, JJ says.

"So... we must interfere with the signal somehow..." Schneep says slowly. His tail and tendrils whip around, eyes darting randomly as he thinks. "Do you know any magic that might be able to do that?"

I try to stay away from mind magic, but... I could try? JJ suggests. There has to be something about magic against technology.

"I think if they have been caught, you will have to be the one trying to get their chips out," Schneep says. "I will not be able to find something as small as an ear chip—not quickly enough, at least. I can distract them in the meantime. I'm sure that even if they pin me down, I can jump out."

What if they catch you? JJ says, worried. What if they hurt you?

"I can probably jump out," Schneep mutters. "And if I get hurt... well, you'll have to conserve your magic, then."

JJ still looks worried.

“I’m sorry we’ve never heard of… actual magic before. Only ancient stories from our ancestors on earth…” Danan says. “but.. if you all have a power Alterra doesn’t… there could be a chance…”

JJ nods. Magic isn't even well-known where I come from. But yes, it seems like this world doesn't have any. They won't be prepared.

“In the mean time…” Google says slowly, “we are all well hidden here… they haven’t found us yet. We don’t have much for food but… we can at least give you a place to rest and prepare.”

"We would really appreciate a place to rest," Schneep says.

Zara fidgets with her hands and glances about, “…I’ve been trying to work on something… s-something that could possibly affect the chips but it’s still very experimental and I’m a good fighter but.. “ she touches her cheek and shudders, “… I had a bad run in with RL-006… I… I haven’t been able to swim as well since then… but… maybe if you all and anti and me work together-?”

“M-Me?” Anti looks up at Zara and then swims back. “N-No way. I… I’m not getting involved in this anymore than I have!”

You don't have to participate if you don't want to, Anti, JJ says. I’m sure it's difficult for you.

"But at the same time, you would be a good help," Schneep says. "Any combat experience would be helpful."

JJ nudges him.

"What? It is true. I am good, but there will be a lot of them! And I will remind you, I cannot fucking see."

Anti holds his arms and suppresses a shiver. “…Alterra wants me too. Keep telling me they n-need the complete ‘set’. I-If I expose myself to them then I… I…”

“You can’t see?!” Zara shouts in disbelief. “Oh god… that’s- this must be sooo confusing for you. …and strange because uh.. I’m guessing you’re supposed to be SH-003 based on your face and accent but he definitely can see…”

“…he used to need goggles. Like Google.” Anti mumbles.

Schneep laughs. "Oh, so confusing. But yes, I am blind. I used to be able to see, but there was an... incident. And this was the result."

Do you want to talk about that? JJ asks.

"No. Not yet." Schneep shakes his head.

Danan looks at the boys kindly and tries to smile. “Please… rest here as long as you need… I wish we could give you more to prepare but…”

“I-I’ll… I’ll get more food. I won’t leave the reef.” Anti says shortly and then swims towards the tube at the top of this room.

“…give him time… I.. I know he cares, deep down.” Danan says gently. “I can tell he’s worried about your friends… but he’s been through so much with what happened to his brothers…”

No no, we understand, JJ says. Us and our friends have been through a lot, too.

“We’ll help though…” Zara says, anger burning in her eyes, “…I c-couldn’t help to save the boys before but I… I can help now. I can make sure Alterra doesn’t keep taking away the people we care about.”

"Thank you," Schneep whispers to Zara.

There’s a beat then Google asks in a monotone, “…do you all need… beds? Or a… a nest?” He looks confused. “…I don’t know what hybrids sleep on… Anti sleeps on anything.”

“Especially if it’s warm,” Zara laughs. “Like a cat on a heating pad.”

JJ and Schneep glance at each other. Do you think we should change back? JJ asks.

"Well, this place is mostly underwater, so this is certainly more convenient." Schneep absentmindedly touches the bracelet on his wrist. "If we have to move quickly, this would be better."

That's fair. Then... where do we sleep?

Schneep shrugs. "Somewhere to curl up, I suppose? Somewhere soft."

JJ tilts his head. Yes... that feels right, somehow. I have the strangest urge to find some small space and squeeze in.

Schneep laughs.

“Hybrids usually do find themselves compelled to act on their mother species instincts,” Danan laughs lightly. “…Chase used to sing. Henrik collected scrap and made piles…” she cuts herself off, her voice getting a bit choked up. “…d-do whatever you need to make yourselves comfortable.”

“I think there’s some extra dock leaves around… let me get you a pile. Or… maybe some extra blankets.” Google says as he floats back out into the hallway.

JJ nods. Some blankets would be great.

“You said…Change… back, Schneep?” Zara asks with a tilt of her head. “What do you mean by that?”

"Ah... the changing back is complicated," Schneep says. "Let's just say that, in our worlds, we can be human."

Zara and Danan’s jaws drop.

“I.. I haven’t heard of something like that…!” Danan stammers. “I mean of course you’re half human with the DNA but…”

“You can change just like that?! To a human??” Zara gasps.

Well we have to be on land to do it, JJ says. We can't do it in the water. It's these bracelets that help us do that. He indicates his wrist. Our friend Alt made them. He's... one of the ones who got taken.

"These bracelets are surprisingly secure," Schneep mutters. Then his eyes widen. "Ah! W-we should probably talk about our friends, yes? Just—just in case."

JJ nods. Alt, Bro, and Jackie. Alt has magic like me, but more electricity based. Bro is super strong. Jackie... seems fairly normal. Normal in terms of hybrids, I mean.

“That’s… that’s insane…!” Zara laughs breathlessly. “God… Alterra would kill for tech like that…” but her face falls hearing the name Jackie and she swallows shakily.

"What are the names of their fish species...?" Schneep's brows furrow. "Alt is some sort of electric eel, Bro is a shark of some kind, heavy armor, and Jackie is something from a different crater—something called a chelicerate."

JJ raises an eyebrow. You don't remember amp-eel or bone-shark but you remember that long word?

"It comes from the scientific word for that sort of sea crab species."

Danan’s eyes widen, “A chelicerate? Outside of sector zero?? …those are all hybrids Alterra hadn’t attempted to make a stable version of yet… n-no wonder Alterra took an interest in them…”

Google swims back in with a bundle of plush comforter type blankets and sets them down in a corner. “There… I hope that is enough. It was all I could find.”

JJ smiles. Thank you, sir. I think this will be enough.

Schneep swims over, feeling out the blankets. "Oh! Oh, soft. Soooooft." He grins, settling down on the blankets, his eyes turning yellow for a brief moment.

JJ laughs. Save some for me!

"Oh, right, of course." Schneep gets up and starts separating the blankets out.

Danan laughs a bit at Schneep’s response to the blankets. “Get as much rest as you need. We will be around if you need anything.”

JJ looks at the humans in the room. Thank you all so much for your help. And tell Anti thank you too if you see him before we do. You're all so kind, and so brave.

Zara looks touched. “…thanks JJ. I.. I’m gonna try to see if I can improve my device! Maybe it can help you…” she quickly swims out.

Google gives them a slight smile, his lip just barely curling up. “It’s no problem. Give them hell if you can. … for Ollie.”

"We will," Schneep promises, facing Google. "And thank you some more."

“Anti should be back soon… try to rest until then okay?” Danan smiles and her and Google head out.

After the humans leave, JJ settles down to rest as well, pulling some of the blankets over himself. He makes a strange ghostly noise in his throat—which he doesn't mean to do, but immediately regrets as soon as it happens. He rubs his throat, frowning.

"Was that you?" Schneep asks, amused.

Yes. I didn't know I could do that. JJ pauses. Maybe... being in this form so long is affecting us. Back home, a danger of animal transformation is becoming the animal for real.

Schneep frowns. "Well, we are not fully animal. We will... probably just have some strange reactions. It will be fine."

I suppose you're right, JJ says. Well... good night?

"Good night." Schneep settles down on top of the blankets, curling his tail up. "We should sleep well. Tomorrow... I'm sure we'll need the rest."

And it's been a long day, too, JJ says. Good night, he says again, then closes his eyes.

The two of them try to sleep, and slowly, despite their worries, they drift off.

=========

Meanwhile, even as the sun sets on the surface and the ocean turns dark- the new Alteran weapons are trying to sniff out their prey.

“How are we supposed to find these guys anyways?” BS-8 growls, “we don’t know what they look like!”

AE-10’s speaker sounds off, “SD… he is a sea dragon.” he says shortly.

“Oh… well. One of them we know at least. Did they even tell us what the other hybrids looked like?”

CE-9 shakes his head. "No. They didn't. But—they won't be under Alterra control. They'll probably run when they see us." He grins. "And we'll chase them."

“Yess! That’ll be such a thrill!” BS-8 grins too, showing off his sharp teeth.

“…they are most likely hiding…” AE-10 says, “Which means running to them out in the open is unlikely…”

"Right, of course. Hiding, hiding, hiding." CE-9 starts swimming in circles for a moment. "Hiding... where would prey hide? Maybe—maybe deep down. Can we go deep down? Let's go deep down. We need to find a way." He starts diving.

BS-8’s eyes flash and he grins. “Yeah yeah!!” He quickly dives after CE-9.

AE-10 seems to regard them with a bit of annoyance but glitches to catch up. He shakes himself out as electricity courses along his tail in response. “…I suppose that is logical… they were in the… kelp forest.” His gaze becomes unfocused for a second as if processing information then he nods. “If they found a way underground… that leads to the grand reef. Northwards-”

"Northwards," CE-9 repeats, changing direction. He knows which way is north instinctively. "Grand reef? Reef..." He shakes his head. The word isn't familiar to him. This whole environment seems strange to him, actually, but it doesn't matter, does it? There is still prey here to find.

“Correct. Though it is night, now. They could be sleeping. Which will make detection harder.” AE-10 replies.

BS-8 snorts and bares his teeth. “I don’t like just lookin’ I wanna tear something’ up. I’m fucking starving.” He hears a call up above and grins as he sees a large looming creature, long floating tentacles dangling behind it. Spots of green glow underneath it in small clusters. “Ohhh! Think we could kill that??”

CE-9 also starts drifting up towards the creature. He could take that. He knows he can.

“Not advisable BS-8.” AE-10 drones, “Please stay focused.”

“But I’m hungryyy AE!” BS-8 whines.

CE-9 frowns at AE-10 as well. But he's right. They have to stay focused. Even so. "We need to eat, we need to eat to swim," he says, twitching a little. He looks around. "Small things, maybe? Anything. They'll be fast, good practice for fast things."

Oooo, what about that fish with a big eye? CE-9's lock onto it. His throat rumbles with the beginning of a roar.

“…fine. Don’t stray too far.” AE-10 drones.

“Don’t you wanna join AE?” BS-8 asks.

“My mask prevents me. I will get fuel when we return successfully.” AE answers. BS shrugs then grins at CE-9, “Let’s see how many we can kill!”

Then he rockets down into the trench below them, darting out to try to catch the peepers.

They are over a large expanse of ocean that looks very sparse except these trenches and spots of glowing flora. Peepers and Reginalds float around though, good source of food.

It doesn’t look like they’re too far from the grand reef though- there’s spots of glowing blue up ahead.

…and it looks like they’re not the only large creatures attempting to hunt here. Though that is strange.. this place looks pretty barren. It’s hard to see what kind of creature it is through the dense fog- but it does seem to have multiple tails.

CE-9 lunges at one of the peepers, catching it in his arm and immediately biting into its flesh. Once he's done tearing it apart, he looks up, and catches the sight of some tails flicking through the fog. He grins. And instantly charges that way, letting out a screeching roar.

The creature stiffens and then cries out in surprise as he’s suddenly tackled to the sea bed by CE-9. This hybrid has dark green hair and black sclera- kinda like AE-10. He’s got green scales and sharp teeth and claws. He looks like he’ll make a fun fight.

The hybrid’s breath hitches, especially once he notices the gauges on CE-9’s ears. “N-No!”

He panics and then opens his mouth, trying to hit CE with a fireball.

CE-9 shrieks and jerks backwards, trying to shake off the burning fire, unintentionally freeing the hybrid in the process. He shakes his head--and then realizes what just happened. That's not normal prey. That's the target. "Sea dragon!" he gasps. "SD-4!"

Anti looks absolutely terrified and quickly tries to kick up sand with his tails to temporarily blind CE-9 to try to escape.

Meanwhile, AE-10’s head snaps down to see the target and CE. He stiffens getting a message from WH-5, who’s still watching them, in his head. ‘Thats the target. Do not let him get away. Do not fail.’ Yellow pulses in AE’s eyes as he nods and calls out. “BS! We found him!”

BS-8 looks up from where he’s caught a peeper in his mouth, yellow blood sprayed around his face, slowly chewing. He spits out the rest then grins and starts to give chase. AE-10 follows close after, charging up electricity in his hands.

CE-9 closes his eyes and charges forward, grabbing onto Anti, trying to pin him down. He glances back at the others. Have to secure the target! Don't let go, don't let go!

Anti yells out and quickly slips his tails out of CE-9’s grip and tries to scramble away. He quickly breathes out another fireball at CE in his scramble.

BS-8 soars after him but is having trouble keeping up.

AE-10 tries to throw out blasts of his magic but misses as Anti serpentines out of the way. He hurriedly swims north towards the reef, making sure he still has his bag.

CE-9 screeches, letting go and clawing at the space where the fireball hit. Not burning! Not burning! Anything but burning! He drops down to the floor of the sea and rolls in the sand for a bit until he doesn't feel the pain anymore. Then he gets up again, breathing heavily, and darts after Anti, letting out another roar.

BS-8 hears CE-9’s distress and looks back, going up to swim next to him. “You okay CE?”

"Fine!" CE-9 snaps. "Let's go!" He snarls ferally and keeps swimming, determinedly charging forward after Anti.

“Right!” BS-8 grins, his eyes flashing brighter. He hurries after them too.

AE is still trying to get closer, glitching to get further down and trying to blast SD-4 off course. But the sea dragon knows this area better than them- he’s darting behind rocks and places the others aren’t prepared for. AE finally manages to glitch close to Anti to blast an electric ball right into his side. Anti screeches and crashes into a rocky wall, momentarily disoriented.

“Don’t resist, SD-004.” AE-10 growls out, “Capturing you will prove our worth to Alterra. We will not fail.”

Anti spits out sand and glares at AE. “T-they don’t give a single shit about you! J-just leave me alone!”

CE-9 catches up, growling down at Anti. He lunges forward, trying to grab him again, screeching so loudly that it's disorienting.

Anti yells and curls up to try cover his ears, then whips out one of his tails to wrap around CE’s tail and throws him back into the rock before darting away again.

"Ah!" CE-9 wasn't expecting that. He hesitates for a moment, then shakes himself off and lauches himself forward again, mandibles outstretched.

BS-8 shrieks and tries to follow Anti hot on his tail. AE-10 tries to glitch after them.

CE-9’s mandibles catch onto Anti’s tail and pulls him back and Anti screams in fear. “No- no!!” CE-9 growls. He looks back at the others as he tries to pull Anti closer—but that moment of distraction is enough for Anti to wriggle free again, at the cost of scraping his tail on the serrated ends of CE-9's mandibles. Orange blood flies into the air. CE-9 screeches in anger.

Anti hurries away as fast as he can- but a trail of blood follows him through the water.

AE-10 manages to tackle Anti to the ground and pins him down, “WH-5! We need a warp!”

Blue and purple blooms bright behind AE and Anti and Anti sees a flash of familiar pink eyes. He panics and throws AE-10 back and WH and AE crash into each other in a heap. Sparse electricity crackles from AE’s tail and mildly shocks WH and the warp gate crackles with green before bursting into bubbles. WH makes a confused screech and- his blue eyes show through the pink, looking confused.

Anti watches this with wide eyes and hesitates- then he quickly tries to dart away while eveyone is distracted.

AE tries to glitch after him- only causing WH more distress as his body momentarily glitches too.

CE-9 stares at AE and WH in shock for a moment, a little scared of what he sees. But then he remembers the target is getting away. He screeches and swims after Anti, but he has a head start. Even CE-9's charging speed isn't enough to close the distance. BS-9 also stares at AE in confusion but tries to dart out after Anti, nipping at his tail. Then Anti manages to throw sand in their faces again before he slips down into a tunnel and disappears from sight.

WH-5 pushes AE-10 off of him and swims away, looking at him with wide eyes. “T-That was Anti- I… y-you…!” He sounds more emotional than anyone had heard him so far. He opens up his palm to try to make another wrap gate but then his hands crackles with green lightning and he makes a muffled shout, holding his hand. “I-I can’t warp?! What did you do to me?!”

AE-10 trembles back, something flickering in his eyes. Why does this feel so familiar? … this hasn’t happened before right?

"Anti?" CE-9 repeats, looking back at WH-5. Why does that name... make him feel both angry and fond at the same time? He's never heard that name. CE-9 shakes it off and swims over to the tunnel opening. Anti isn't in sight. They lost him. He growls in anger, then swims back to WH and AE. "What happened?! What do we do?!" The electricity seems dangerous, but he starts to reach out anyway. "Wh-what do we do?!" They need—they need direction. Direction of some kind.

“Why am I here?!” Marvin says with a trembling static voice. “W-What is this thing on me?!” He tries to pull at his mask- but it’s stuck on tight.

AE-10 tries to swim up and hold out hands towards WH-5, “Calm down WH!”

“My name is Marvi-!” The warper tries to screech before he suddenly stiffens as a shock goes through his gauges. He then slumps to the ground, head bent over his chest.

CE-9 backs up, suddenly strangely scared upon seeing WH-5's breakdown.

BS-8 swims back towards the group and looks at WH-5 with wide eyes. “W-What happened?!”

Then, all their gauges crackle with static as Demerci’s voice echoes in their minds. ‘Let this be an example of what happens to failures, Hybrids…’

The threat lingers in the air before WH-005 stiffly and robotically sits up, his eyes pink again. He floats up, regarding the other hybrids emotionlessly once more. “…that was a momentary setback. We can still find SD-004. He can’t have gotten far.”

“What will you do without your warps, sir?” AE-10 says quietly.

“We will make do until my powers are fully functional again.”

It's... nothing. It's nothing. CE-9 shakes his head. "Yes. Of course. Surely this is temporary." He turns back to the tunnel Anti went down. "The target went that way. Should we follow directly, or try to circle around?"

“Directly. You injured him. We can follow the scent of his blood.” WH-5 drones and starts swimming forward. “BS-8, CE-9, show me where SD-4 escaped.”

AE-10 hesitates then follows shortly after.

“I didn’t see which way for sure…” BS-8 says quietly, “I-I think CE-9 saw where he went exactly.”

"Yes, down here." CE-9 hovers at the mouth of the tunnel. Once everyone is over, he dives down into the tunnel. "Where does this lead?"

“Presumedly towards the Deep Grand Reef.” WH-5 says and starts to swim through after CE. AE-10 and BS-8 follow close behind. “Either his nest is here or.. we’re on the scent of the rebels.”

#GITHV #glitch into the huffleverse #GITHV darker seas #septnautical #ehhehe writing the brainwashed boys is so fun #i feel like writing this was just a way to torture all my septnautical readers jhbak #im too tired to write all the other tags rn-#im also sick so please read our stuff it would make me so happy #imma go pass out now ahjbka

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huffle-dork · 5 months ago

Text

Glitch into the Hufflverse Chapter 16: Swapboys Bad End

Read Swapboys | Read Crystal’s AUs | Read One Villain falls Another One Rises

Read SITCV | Read SATCV | GITHV Masterpost

On the other side of the ring they’re in another destroyed part of town. This time it seems more like apartment buildings and a mix of businesses. Henny moves right along, Sahne following at his side.

Schneep walks along slowly, sweeping wide space with his cane in front of him, trying to sense anyone nearby.

Bro sees Alt and goes to walk beside him. “…you okay?”

Alt stays quiet, gripping his arms. “A…l-little better… I guess.”

“Hey let’s… try to look on the bright side! The doorway… if we can get it to work then… maybe it’ll take us back to JJ’s world so we can get another TRVLR! Or… maybe it’ll take us to Jackie’s world like the first time and we can find Anti… it’s gonna be okay, lil bro….”

JJ overhears Bro and Alt's conversation. He nods in agreement. I'm sure that anything will help. It's definitely going to be okay.

Jackie looks around at the buildings. "Wow... really... did a number on things, huh?" he mutters to himself.

“Yes… every day something new is destroyed…” Henny says quietly to Jackie. “I am glad I was able to get many people out before it got worse. Luckily it seems the Glitch is more interested in trying to find a way out of this universe than in making puppets like Magnificent. That could be the reason for his… insanity. We know Magnificent sustained himself by stealing magic or life from others… I do not think Glitch does the same.”

Alt nods a bit to JJ and listens quietly to Henny. His eyes dart around though- jumping at every glitchy sound and too dark shadow.

"Really? Then I suppose this could be worse?" Schneep wonders.

"Doesn't mean it's not bad," Jackie mutters, tightening his grip on his staff. "Why is it that all of these powerful black magic guys eventually start looking for the multiverse?"

"Mine did not," Schneep says. "Our Anti was focused on us."

"Yeah, well, maybe if you gave him enough time he'd have turned his sights there."

“…selfishly I like to believe it is because… Alt is still somewhere in there… and he remembers what it was like to be under Magnificent’s power. And he does not want to inflict that on others… but it is… complicated. He still has his victims…“ Henny quietly explains.

Well... there's nothing to prove it's NOT that, JJ says. Even if he hurts others...

"Victims, huh?" Jackie mutters. "Um... I don't think... We might need, uh, information on what to watch out for. What do you think Al—the Glitch would do if he found us? Obviously he'd try to fucking... kidnap Bro or something, but what about the rest of us?"

"... I do not know..." Henny admits, " We managed to get Jackie and Jewel out of harm's way once... once Chase was..." He swallows shakily. "So I... I do not know how he will react to... people who share their faces."

Alt shudders at this, holding his arms. Bro tries to keep a positive vibe though, "M-Maybe that means he'll leave us alone?"

Jackie frowns. "...maybe." But he doesn't believe it. That other Alt already tried to glitch out the ground beneath him and Schneep.

"We should prepare for the worst just in case," Schneep says.

JJ shakes his head. I don't know if I could fight any version of Alt, though...

"Well, we'll see, won't we?" Jackie says. "You might surprise yourself."

JJ looks troubled. That's quite grim.

"S...sorry," Jackie mumbles. "I guess I'm not an optimistic person."

A glitchy laugh echoes around them before a voice giggles in Jackie's ear, "Well~ Isn't that perfect? Cuz optimism is dead here. I could use someone like you, Jackie~!"

Henny freezes and whips around, "No! Jackie!"

Glitch Alt laughs madly and tries to whip out green strings to capture Jackie. Jackie whirls around, swinging his staff, but he's not fast enough. The strings wrap around his torso, forcibly pinning his arms to his sides. "Fuck!"

Meanwhile- several big cat bodies slink out and try to tackle the others. Schneep and JJ start running for Jackie, focused on him—and therefore not noticing the cats. JJ yelps as one pins him to the ground, and Schneep cries out as the same happens to him. "Motherfucker!" He tries to leap out of its grip, and JJ struggles to push the cat who tackled him away with magic. Alt dodges the cat going after him in a quick glitch then hurries over to try to help JJ. Bro almost yells but thinks better of it and tries to stagger back.

Glitch laughs and glitches up onto a building and lets Jackie dangle off the edge. The copy kicks his feet almost like a child excited by an insect he captured, that same mad gleeful expression on his face. And looking at his boots up this close… those look very familiar. The same kind Bro wears- just dirty and faded by time. But before Jackie can dwell on that further- Glitch brings up the strings so he can look the trapped vigilante in the face. "Come on Jackie! We're f̷̪̓r̴͍̽i̴̪͆ḛ̶͒n̴̤̈́d̶͔͗s̷̖͌~ aren't we? No need to be scared of me~" He giggles.

Jackie yelps and kicks his legs wildly, trying to find purchase that doesn't exist. "Have you lost your fucking mind?!" he shouts. "You tell me not to be scared of you while you dangle me fucking a hundred feet off the ground?!"

"Well I know you can handle it-" Glitch says matter-of-factly, tilting his head with a grin. "And you know-a bit of danger means you'll probably listen to me more... you can tell me where Chase is, right?"

"No, I can't actually," Jackie says through gritted teeth. "I haven't seen him in a while. We knew we had to hide him from you."

“Hmm I’m not sure I believe you,” Glitch hums in amusement. He rocks Jackie back and forth with a giggle. “But if that’s what you wanna tell me maybe I’ll just use you to help me look instead!” His eyes start to swirl as he laughs, “Cmon Jackie… don’t you wanna help your old pal, A̸͚̓ļ̴̈́ţ̸͝?”

JJ quickly grabs onto Alt as he gets close, still trying to struggle against the cat, but the cat just growls and pushes him further into the ground. Schneep yelps as the claws of the cat dig into his shoulder, breaking his concentration. "Where did he go?! Where did he take Jackie?!" He can't sense his soul nearby! Gritting his teeth, he pulls out his scissors and slashes at the cat.

Schneep manages to slash the cat off as it roars in pain and lets him go. Alt yells and tries to shoot lightning magic to get the cat off JJ. Bro looks conflicted up towards where Glitch has Jackie.

"Do not even think about it Chase!" Henny warns.

"But he needs help!" Bro tries to argue.

"Yes- but Glitch wants you!" Henny yells and then whips around and freezes two of the cats in time, holding out his hand.

Schneep leaps out of the way of the cat as soon as he's free. JJ scrambles away and staggers to his feet. "Seriously, where is Jackie?!" Schneep asks.

JJ looks up. On top of a building!

"Which one?! Point me in that direction."

JJ runs over to him and physically turns him towards the building in question, moving his head so he'd be looking at Glitch and Jackie if he could see.

"A bit forceful, but thank you!" Schneep says. "Let's go! Alt, grab Henrik!" Schneep latches onto JJ and leaps out of sight, heading towards the roof.

Alt startles and then nods and grabs Henny. He looks back towards Bro and narrows his eyes, “Stay here! We’ll be back.” Bro tries to open his mouth to protest but then Alt glitches away with Henny.

Schneep and JJ appear on top of the roof, on the opposite side where Glitch is dangling Jackie. JJ shudders, holding back the nausea of Schneep's teleportation, and looks at the two of them. He gasps and starts rushing forward, but Schneep grabs him and whispers, "Be subtle. He might drop Jackie."

Right. JJ nods and the two of them go forward as quickly and quietly as possible. They just need to get within range of JJ's long-range spells!

Alt appears with Henny next to the others. Henny pulls out his watch, watching the two of them cautiously. Alt feels himself wanting to glitch angrily but tries to hold back.

Jackie glances down at the air beneath his feet and tries to hide his fear. Then he looks up at Glitch—only to see his eyes swirling. He quickly tries to look away. "You're not my 'old pal.' Some version of you might be, but we have no history."

Glitch frowns and tilts his head at Jackie. “Damn… don’t have loyalty to anyone huh? No wonder you lost your Schneep.”

Jackie stiffens, going a bit pale. "Y-you—you don't know anything! I-it's not—I tried to go back for him, they tried to get him out, they have a tight hold on his—on his fucking mind! W-we—we'll need to—you shut the fuck up! H-how do you even know about that?!"

"Cuz I was there," Glitch says matter-of-factly, grinning sinisterly, "I was the same Alt that went on adventures with all of you~! I know a lot more than you think, Jackie Parker..." He tilts his head to try to catch his attention again, eyes glowing and swirling even more, "Which is why you should be able to trust me~!"

As they walk forward, Schneep hits the end of his cane against a metal vent of some kind, making a small ding! sound. He winces. Alt glitches a bit in surprise and Glitch's gaze flickers for just a second to notice the others. He twitches his head and a glitchy shield appears in front of Glitch and Jackie- cutting the others off. Alt tries to glitch through it and gets blown back, skidding across the roof with a cry of pain.

JJ rushes forward, throwing magic at the shield, trying to break it down. Schneep also leaps the rest of the way forward and slashes his scissors across the shield to cut them. Schneep’s scissors manage to break through, making a rip in the shield.

Jackie's stomach sinks as he stares at Glitch in horror. Then he quickly looks down again as his eyes start to swirl. "No, you're not him," he says quietly. "Maybe you were him once, but it's clear that something happened to change you. I don't even recognize you. You're not my friend anymore."

Glitch’s face falls and then flares with anger. “F̶̣̓i̵̳͛n̸̠̉e̵̥͌,” he snarls and opens up his hand- letting Jackie fall.

“NO!” Alt cries out.

Jackie screams as he falls, wind rushing past him.

"Jackie!" Schneep shouts.

JJ throws his hand out, blue magic shooting out. It forms into the shape of a big hand and grabs Jackie before he can get too far. JJ's arm trembles with the effort of the spell—he put as much power as possible in this to be sure that he got him, maybe too much. But it works, as he manages to pull him back onto the roof. Jackie breathes heavily, visibly shaking.

Bro screams at seeing Jackie fall, ready to get up and fly towards him. He quiets once he sees JJ manage to save him… but if Glitch is throwing his friends off buildings- he can’t just sit here! He flies up, trying to stay away but being close by. Sahne, who was left on the ground, barks after him in distress.

Schneep hurries over. He feels the strings that Glitch wrapped Jackie up in and starts cutting through them.

Glitch glitches to his feet and growls in anger. “Hey! Let me play with my toys how I please!”

“Fuck that!” Alt snarls, glitching so he’s in between Glitch, Jackie and Schneep.

Glitch stands taller and narrows his eyes, “hmm… okay. I guess I can play with all of you too.” He glances at JJ then glitches to try to grab him. JJ gasps and barely manages to dodge, Glitch's hands an inch from him.

"We are not your fucking toys!" Schneep snarls, and throws his scissors past Alt and towards Glitch as Jackie shakes off the rest of the strings. JJ conjures a shield around Schneep and Jackie, leaving himself, Alt, and Henny exposed.

Glitch yells as he’s struck and then growls and glitches to try to grab Schneep but gets stopped by the shield. He glitches back, giggling unstably. “That’s some pretty strong magic there J…. Let me have a taste-!” he lashes out to grab JJ again.

Henny tries to whip out his hand to stop him but Glitch dodges it easily.

JJ yelps as Glitch grabs him and squirms against his grip. Glitch laughs and digs claws into JJ’s arm, trying to drain some of his magic… just like Magnificent.

"Jamie!" Schneep gasps, and leaps out from the bubble shield, pulling out another pair of scissors and going to stab Glitch.

He easily dodged Schneep’s scissors and laughs wildly. “Gonna have to try harder than that Schneep!”

Alt hesitates and then tries to see if he can glitch over and grab JJ.

JJ gasps in horror. He recognizes the feeling of his magic being pulled away from him and squirms in discomfort. As his magic is drained, the shield around Jackie flickers and dies. Jackie gets to his feet shakily. He dropped his staff earlier but he has to do something! He jumps at the Glitch, planning to tackle him.

Glitch easily skirts his way out of Alt’s path- but ends up being barreled into by Jackie, getting tackled away from JJ. JJ staggers backwards, away from the Glitch, staring in shock. Schneep rushes to his side and helps support him as he sways tiredly.

Glitch laughs wildly though, grabbing onto Jackie’s face and spiraling his eyes to try to capture his gaze again. “Hehehe! I wanna see you fight, Jackie! I wanna see alll the damage you won’t let yourself do! Show me!”

Jackie is expecting Glitch to fight back, not try more hypnotism. He tries to jerk back from his grip, but he looks into Glitch's eyes at just the wrong time. He stops, slumping, as the spirals draw him in. "You... want... to see that?"

"Jackie, no!" Schneep gasps. "Don't listen to him!" JJ tries to grab Jackie with magic again but his power flickers and fails.

“Yes! Yes!” Glitch giggles, grinning sharply. “Show me how brutal you can beee~! Then all of you can help me find Chase! It’ll be so fun!”

Bro eeps slightly and goes to hide at the edge of the building- trying to stay close in case they need help.

“No!” Alt calls, pushing himself up, “Jackie! Wake up!”

Henny yells out in anger and tries to grab Glitch in his magic but Glitch twitches his head and Henny’s magic gets sent back at him and sends him skidding back, trapped in his own magic.

Glitch lets go and helps Jackie up. “Go on Jackie~ give us a good show!”

Jackie gets to his feet, staring at the others with spirals in his eyes. He bends over and grabs the scissors that Schneep had thrown and missed, then rushes forward, bringing the scissors down towards Schneep. He cries out as his own scissors pierce his shoulder and leaps back. Jackie keeps hold of the weapon and whirls on JJ instead. JJ's eyes widen and he runs, not wanting to face Jackie. But Jackie chases after him.

"You bastard!" Schneep hisses, whirling on Glitch. He leaps forward, grabbing him.

Glitch laughs wildly and lets Schneep grab him. He studies him then frowns. “Aw you’re no fun- I can’t hypnotize you… fine-“ He grabs onto Schneep’s arm and lets sparks crackle across his jacket sleeve but not letting it shock him yet. “Will you tell me where Chase is?”

Schneep feels the electricity crawling across his arm. His eyes widen but he grits his teeth and glares. "You cannot torture me into giving you information! I've lived through enough pain already!" Then he tries to wrest his arms free.

“Wrong answer, Henrik.” Glitch cackles as he shocks Schneep heavily.

Alt panics slightly at seeing Jackie get caught. He glitches over to try to tackle him away from JJ. Jackie yelps as Alt tackles him. He immediately twists around to stab him in the back with the scissors. Alt grabs Jackie’s hand to stop him and bares his teeth, “Jackie! C’mon! Cut it out!” He tries his best to keep Jackie down.

Jackie snarls, glaring at Alt with those spiral eyes. He does everything he can to fight against Alt, kicking and writhing and trying to headbutt him. Jackie manages to head butt Alt hard enough that he sees stars, crying out as he lets go of Jackie. He doesn't hesitate. As soon as he's free he tries to stab Alt again.

Schneep cries out, collapsing to the ground as pain wracks his body. JJ's head snaps towards him and he throws a ball of icy magic at Glitch.

Glitch manages to dodge JJ’s magic with a giggle then glitches over to try to grab JJ too, eyes spiraling again. “You need an upgrade on your magic, J~! Let me help you!” JJ shuts his eyes immediately. He pulls an arm free and presses a hand to Glitch's chest, trying to freeze him in place. Glitch grabs his hand and snarls, “Nice try-“ He tries to shock him too.

JJ's eyes widen and he screams hoarsely. The sound snaps Schneep out of the trance he was in after being shocked himself. He leaps over and attacks Glitch from behind with yet another pair of scissors. Glitch senses Schneep coming behind him and throws JJ at Schneep with a wild laugh. “Too slow!”

Schneep stumbles and he and JJ fall to the ground as JJ gets thrown into him. JJ scrambles up first and aims another magic blast at Glitch. Glitch grins and does the same trick he did with Henny, forcing JJ’s spell to backfire and blast into himself. JJ cries out, skidding back against the roof. He pounds against the bubble that's now formed around him, trying to break free. But while Glitch is distracted, Schneep leaps forward and tries to slash at him.

Glitch glitches away and giggles, “You guys are really bad at this! It’s almost fun to watch! But we don’t have to dooo this, you know! Just let me know where Chase is!”

"Fuck off!" Schneep snaps. "Nothing about you tells me he will be safe with you!" He attacks again.

Bro notices that Henny is still struggling to get out of his magic and carefully tries to fly over, seeing if he can help.

Alt tries to dodge Jackie but gets stabbed in the shoulder. He yells out then tries to blast Jackie back with his magic. Jackie gets pushed back but leaps forward immediately, making to stab again. Alt gasps and grabs Jackie’s wrist again, trying to keep him from stabbing him before trying to punch him in the face. Jackie's head snaps back, and for a moment the spirals in his eyes flicker as he gasps in pain. Then they return in full force and he tries to punch Alt right back in turn. Alt’s eyes widen a bit- then narrow in determination. He dodges the punch then tries to grab Jackie’s arm to shock him.

Jackie cries out, his body shuddering as the electricity jolts through his body. The spirals in his eyes disappear. "H-holy shit, Alt!" he gasps out. "I—" He shakes his head. "Th-the magic—h-hypnosis—it's trying to come back—"

Alt looks apologetic but he grabs Jackie’s shoulders and shakes him, “Fight it, Jackie! I know you can!”

"I... I-I..." Jackie's eyelids flutter. The magic in his head is trying to sink in again, telling him to listen to the Glitch, to do as he said--And then, suddenly, there's a SNAP in his mind. He cries out and suddenly, the magic is completely gone. "Wha—what the—?" He presses a hand to his head. "What was that?" He takes a deep breath and gets to his feet. "I-I'm good. I'm good! We—we have to help Schneep!"

Alt seems to relax at getting Jackie back and he nods. “JJ too… then maybe we can get out of here-!”

Glitch gets slashed and he bares his teeth at him but tries to laugh, “c’mon Schneep~! He’s my brother! You’re not gonna keep me from my own family are you~?” He tries to slash claws at Schneep.

Bro shudders at this and then gets up on the roof to try to see if he can untie Henny. …how do you untie magic??

Henny stiffens and looks back with a sinking stomach. “C-Chase? What are you doing??” He whispers. “You were not supposed to come up here!”

“You need help! I can’t just sit around!” Bro hisses.

“I am fine! You will not be!!”

JJ notices the strange distortion in the air by Henny. His eyes widen. Get out of here! he signs.

Bro hesitates- then scrambles to try to pull Henny free.

“Chase!” Henny hisses quietly, “You must go now!”

Schneep leaps out of the way. "He is not your brother!" He snarls. "He is our Alt's brother! Just because you are similar does not mean that you are entitled to his life!"

"Schneep!" Jackie shouts. "My staff!"

Hearing this, Schneep reaches out and grabs Jackie's staff, tossing it back in Jackie's direction. Jackie grabs it, extending it to its full length, and lunges forward. Schneep does too, both of them attacking Glitch at the same time.

Glitch growls and starts to spark dangerously with purple lightning. Alt notices this and tries to warn the others- but then Glitch sends out a shockwave of electricity, sending all 3 of them off their feet and skidding back.

JJ's eyes widen at the lightning and Chase's refusal to leave. He takes a deep breath. What did that Marvin in the last world say? Remember who you're fighting for? He's fighting for not just the ability to get home and see all his friends, but also to protect the friends he's made here—-his friends who are now in danger. His eyes start to glow, the blue entirely consuming it. He slams his hands against the bubble—

And it shatters like glass.

JJ lunges for Glitch, closing the distance remarkably quickly, and grabs him. Magic swirls around him, trailing, a blizzard, extending from his back—in a way that almost resembles wings. The magic around him swirls around Glitch as well, the temperature noticeably lowering as he tries, again, to freeze him.

Alt gapes at seeing JJ break from his magic and then form- wings?? Just like his own lightning bird form! He laughs breathlessly then calls out, “Yeahh JJ!! Kick his ass!!”

Glitch jolts back- not expecting this and is completely caught off guard. His whole body gets encased in ice except for his head and Glitch tries his best to struggle and pull himself out, “W-what the fuck?! Since when could you do something like that?!” He snarls.

JJ backs away, looking down at himself, surprised. This feels familiar... but he can't remember ever doing anything like this before. He looks around at the others. We're getting out of here! he says. He dashes over to Jackie, Schneep, and Alt, making contact with all of them. There's a puff of blue smoke and all of them reappear near Henny—and the invisible Bro. Another puff of smoke surrounds them all, and they are gone—

Reappearing back on the street, right by Sahne who was left behind.

Sahne barks in surprise and Henny finally manages to break out of his own magic. He looks at JJ with awe, “Jamie… that was incredible!”

“Yeah!! Way to go man!!” Bro exclaims happily. Henny takes a second to find where Bro is then hits him. “Ow!! Hen!?”

“That was incredibly stupid Chase! You are so lucky you were not caught!” Henny scolds.

Alt nervously watches the building they left Glitch on. “We should hurry- who knows how long that will hold… how much farther, Hen?”

“Yes… not too much farther. Come-“ Henny says and starts to hurry back down the street.

I'm not sure how I did that... JJ says slowly, and the magic around his splutters out. He falls to his knees, and Jackie and Schneep rush to his side. He waves them off and stands up again. Not sure I can do that again, though. At least not easily.

"That's fine," Jackie says. "Do you need any help?"

JJ shakes his head. He starts to stumble, and Schneep reaches out to help him. JJ insists.

"Yes, but you may not be able to run," Schneep says. "So let us help you."

JJ hesitates, then nods. He leans on Jackie and the three of them rush after Henny.

Alt slows down to look at JJ with worry, “You okay dude? …it’s crazy huh? Suddenly using power like that-“

Henny notices JJ’s struggle and slows down too, but keeps an eye out for anything coming their way.

JJ nods. I'm fine. It's strange, but that felt... familiar somehow. But I know I've never done anything like that.

"Maybe you have, but you forgot?" Schneep asks. "Is that possible?"

For a moment, JJ just frowns thoughtfully. Maybe... I'm not sure, though. I'll have to do some research once I get home.

Alt nods, “Yeah… I get that. I hardly remember the first time I did something like that. Chase said it was kinda freaky though.”

“Yeah! You damn near gave all of us a heart attack!” Bro grumbles.

JJ chuckles, but then pauses thoughtfully. After... after me and my friends escaped IRIS, I was very exhausted. Most of the escape is a blur to me. Perhaps... then...?

"You think you did something like that back then?" Jackie asks.

Maybe...

“Damn right.. you mentioned that… that makes sense though. I think that kinda power can be brought up through… desperation more often than not? I’m still learning how mine works too..” Alt says.

I was thinking a lot about saving the rest of you, JJ says.

"Daww," Jackie grins.

JJ laughs slightly. And getting home to see my friends again, of course.

"Hmm... you know, in my world, my Jamie was able to gain magic," Schneep says. "What did you say he might be, Jamie?"

A warlock, JJ says. That is indeed someone who gains magic through desperation. Though they also need to be exposed to a lot of magic beforehand.

"So perhaps desperation plays a part in many types of magic."

Alt smiles warmly. “Yeah… I think my J would say… it deals with just how much power the mind and body have that we don’t even know about… even if he doesn’t get magic I think that principle is there.”

“Very true! We often don’t know what we’re really capable of until we’re pushed to a certain point.” Bro adds.

Jackie nods slowly. "Though... I'm not sure how much I like the idea that desperation is a sort of power."

It's not the desperation itself, I think, JJ says. It is the desperation FOR something, wanting to do something so much that you break through your limits.

“Kinda Like… determination! In Undertale!” Bro grins.

Alt laughs, “It does kinda feel like that, huh?”

Schneep hums the game over theme, Determination, a bit.

Jackie laughs. "You a fan of that game? In my world, it came out on your birthday."

"Oh yes, it did in my world, too." Schneep grins. "Jack insisted that I play it for that reason, even though I am not a game player usually."

“It’s such a good game!! Shame it got meme’d to death- me and the lads all love it!” Bro laughs.

"Ah, lots of good games get meme'd to death," Jackie says. "Doesn't make them less good."

Alt chuckles, “It has a good message… I guess its mechanics can be applied to magic! Who knew?”

"Who knew?" Schneep repeats. "I suppose it shows how great stories hit at the heart of life."

How deep of you, JJ says, smiling.

Alt and Bro laugh. “So true!” Bro grins.

Henny slows completely in front of them. Sahne’s fur bristles as they stand in front of a large building with the name of Hope Water hospital barely visible through the destroyed concrete and rubble. “We’re here.”

Jackie stops walking. "Wow... this place really has gone to shit, hasn't it?" he mutters. "Destroyed hospital. Real apocalyptic."

Hope Water Hospital... JJ repeats. There's a SCLERA thing here?

“Yes… SCLERA had a habit of using hospitals as fronts for their underground operations. Real sneaky shady way of getting subjects for their experiments…” Henny says darkly.

Alt shudders, looking at the familiar logo.

“Come,” Henny says as he starts to make his way through the rubble, searching for a way down.

"That would explain everything that happened in the first world," Schneep mutters.

"They disgust me," Jackie says darkly. "If the IRIS in my world is anything like this, no wonder my Anti hates them so much." He sighs. "Anyway. We're gonna have to sift through this rubble, Schneep."

"Oh joy," Schneep says drily.

Can you just glitch down there? JJ asks.

"I can try—but I don't want to risk it if there is this much rubble."

"Old-fashioned way, then," Jackie says, and the three of them start looking through the destroyed area.

Alt looks around, “…this is the same SCLERA we’ve been to… I… I think I can glitch us down to the right room.” He suppresses another shudder. “I remember it very clearly.”

Bro laughs, his invisible form a bit higher than the others as he hovers. “Good idea then Alt- I was starting to feel bad for everyone!”

Alt rolls his eyes.

Henny looks back and then smiles, “Ah yes I almost forgot Alt… I am so used to uh… dealing without your glitching. We link up, yes?”

Alt nods.

"Right, yeah." Jackie backs away and grabs onto Schneep and JJ. Then JJ walks over and holds out a hand for Alt to take.

Alt grabs JJ’s hand and Bro floats down and grabs Henny and Sahne. Henny laughs, “it is very strange to be grabbed by something you cannot see.”

“Oh right- sorry!” Bro chuckles.

Alt glitches them all down.

#GITHV #glitch into the huffleverse #GITHV Swap bad end #glitch alt #bad end alt #alt anti #bro fantastic #the jaunty jackson #inverted jackie #stitched schneep #ended up adding a fun fact in here that you can also see in glitch's picture from yesterday #he's so fun to write aghjab

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huffle-dork · 5 months ago

Text

Glitch into the Hufflverse Chapter 15: Swapboys...? Again?

Read Swapboys | Read Crystal’s AUs | Read One Villain falls Another One Rises

Read SITCV | Read SATCV | GITHV Masterpost

When the boys all fall into the new world- it’s nothing like they’ve seen before. It’s a city street… but the buildings look like they’re falling apart. Like something out of a dystopian film. The city is strangely quiet. Except for this strange- glitch-like sound- tinkling like computerized wind chimes. Looking closer at the buildings- it seems like it’s not breaking apart normally… no- it’s breaking into computer code. Binary, ones and zeros, long swatches of words and letters that are completely unreadable.

And worst of all- Bro and Alt realize this… this place is familiar. Why is it familiar…?

“What… is all this?” Alt breathes in confusion.

"H-huh?" Jackie looks around. "Whaaaat the fuuuuck..."

I've never seen anything like this, JJ shakes his head in disbelief.

"What is that sound?" Schneep turns his head around, catching the noises. "It is all around us. It sounds like... some s-sort of... computer or static... glitches?"

"Schneep, you're not going to believe this," Jackie mutters. "But we're in a city. And all the buildings are turning into fucking binary."

"What?!"

What is this, some sort of... simulation world? JJ asks, frowning.

"How the fuck does that make sense?!" Jackie asks.

I don't know! I don't know what this is!

Bro pales and holds onto Alt. “Alt… d-doesn’t this… doesn’t this look like… like downtown? Like… o-our downtown?”

“What are you-“ Alt starts to say, then really looks and he seems to pale. “N-No… no way…”

Something is slinking behind in the shadows of some of the buildings- something,.. big and… cat like? But Alt and Bro don’t notice- too freaked out by this.

"Your downtown?" Jackie repeats. "So this is—this is Brighton?"

JJ shivers. What could have possibly happened to cause this?

Schneep gets out his cane and starts feeling around. His head turns wildly, trying to hear through the glitchy noises. "Is there anyone coming?"

"I don't see anyone, no," Jackie says, but he takes out his staff and extends it anyway. Something about this place is giving him the creeps.

Schneep frowns. "F-for a moment I thought I... sensed... something."

Suddenly the shadowy figure lashes out, trying to tackle down one of the boys.

Bro sees this and gets in front of the others- the thing is a big cat! Almost like a panther but… fluffier? It plows slightly into Jackie, throwing him off before it tackles Bro to the ground.

"Whoa!" Jackie spins and staggers before regaining his balance by pushing against the ground with his staff.

"What is that?!" Schneep gasps.

"Some sort of cat! Hey!" Jackie starts to run back over to attack but JJ grabs him, pulling him back. JJ then tries to cast a protective shield around Bro to push the cat back.

The shield pushes the cat back and it mrows slightly in distress then bends back down to the ground and snarls at the rest of them. Alt glitches over to be in front of Bro, holding out his hand with magic sparking in it. Then, he freezes, face going pale. “…Glitches…?” he whispers in disbelief.

"Glitches?" Jackie repeats, blinking in confusion.

Isn't that your cat? JJ asks.

A glitchy haunting laugh echoes across the empty city street, sending shivers down Bro and Alt’s spines. Why did it sound so… familiar too?

At the sound of the laughter, Schneep immediately pulls out his scissors and spins around, trying to figure out where it came from. "What was that?"

"Show yourself, coward!" Jackie shouts.

JJ looks at him like he's completely lost his mind. No! Let's get out of here!

Alt is frozen in place, staring at the cat like he’s seen a ghost. Glitches growls at him, but looks… confused. Conflicted. Alt almost tries to reach out before they hear the laugh and Bro pulls Alt back.

Something suddenly… glitches next to the cat. The same effect as Alt’s just… more purple and neon. The figure laughs more and pets Glitches head. He slowly lifts his head and…

It’s… Alt?

But this Alt is very different- his brown hair is overgrown and pulled into a small ponytail. He wears his old impulse jacket that’s dirty and ripped. He has purple branching scars on his cheek and across his nose. And his eyes… they look just like Magnificent’s.

“…no…” Alt breathes, looking beyond freaked out.

"H-huh?" Jackie stares with wide eyes. "Alt?!"

"Alt..." Schneep breathes, feeling the similarities between their souls. But... "I-is that... dark magic?"

JJ looks horrified. He instinctively conjures a shield in front of them all.

The copy laughs wildly, “I thought I felt the rifts! It’s been so long… I thought they’d never come here again-“

“W-What is this?!” Bro snarls, “Is this some kind of s-sick joke? Who the hell are you? Cuz y-you- you’re not Alt!”

The copy finally looks properly at Bro and his other self- but his eyes widen as he sees Bro. He glitches past the shield to be right in Bro’s face. “C-Chase?” He whispers- like he’s just seen a ghost. Then he laughs wildly and grabs either side of Bro’s face, digging claws into his skin, “T-The universe brought you back!! The rifts brought you back!! F-Finally!! I can start to make things right- you’re not gonna leave me again are you, Chase?!”

Alt looks like he’s gonna be sick. Bro tries to shove the other Alt off him. “F-Fucking let go!! The fuck are you talking about?!”

"You know about the rifts?!" Jackie gasps. "You—what do you mean, 'they'd come here again'?"

"This is... some sort of... s-strange universe," Schneep whispers. His stomach sinks as he takes in the implications of the strange Alt's world. Brought Chase back...? "Some s-strange... tragedy must have happened..."

JJ cries out as the other Alt just glitches past his shield—he's got to remember he can do that! He hurries over to help Bro push the other Alt away.

The strange Alt gets pushed away and he stumbles back. Then he grins and glitches to look at all the others properly. “Oh! So many familiar faces!! It’s been so long, friends~! I thought I was cut off from the other universes now but here you all are!!” He giggles, floating a bit off the ground.

Then, He glitches to grab Alt by his face- and his eyes flash with hatred. “…even you.”

Alt is trembling, staring at this- corrupted version of himself but not being able to move or do anything in response. Bro shoves the strange Alt away and growls. “Hands off!”

The weird Alt giggles and snatches Bro by his wrist. He then glitches the both of them over back by big cat Glitches and his eyes swirl as he looks into Bro’s eyes, floating so they’re the same height. “Come on Chase! Let’s quit all this mucking about! You know how much I need you… come home with me?” Bro struggles but then- seems to be slowly drawn into other Alt’s eyes. “I…I-“

"Oh no you fucking don't!" Jackie breaks into a run heading right for the other Alt.

"Jackie! Do not be a fool!" Schneep says. "Not by yourself!" He leaps towards Bro and the other Alt, aiming to knock Bro to the ground—or otherwise break his eye contact. Jackie arrives shortly after he does and immediately attacks the other Alt with his staff.

JJ grabs Alt's hand, squeezing it tight, and gets ready to throw magic at the first sign of trouble.

Alt squeezes tight on JJ’s hand, on the verge of a panic attack. This must all be just a terrible dream… right? This… this only happens in his absolutely worst nightmares.

Breathe, JJ signs to Alt.

The staff hits the other Alt with a resounding clang and the spirals fade from his eyes. But then he grabs Bro before Schneep can and holds him possessively, claws digging into his neck. “Back off! You don’t get it! I need him- I won’t let you take him away again!”

“You’re out of your fucking mind, man!” Jackie says. “You’re gonna hurt him!”

“We do not want to fight you, but we will if we must!” Schneep adds, holding out his scissors.

JJ turns his attention back to the others, silently debating what to do. Maybe—if he distracts this strange Alt, the others can grab Bro? With that in mind, he draws back a hand and throws a bolt of magic towards the other Alt—something mostly harmless that will draw his attention.

Jackie notices this and takes the opportunity to try and pull Bro away.

The strange Alt makes a glitchy shield without even looking at JJ- but Jackie is strong enough to pull Bro away. Bro shakes out of the strange trance and clings to Jackie. “fuck- t-thanks…!”

The strange Alt growls and purple electricity sparks around him dangerously. “Enough! This fucking city and this world is fucking mine!” He laughs insanely and holds out a hand at Jackie, Schneep and Bro. The ground beneath them flickers and shifts like it might fade into pixels and code like the buildings. “I wanna hear you all go s̷̨̅p̶̩̍l̸̤͗ȃ̶̮t̴̨̓!” he giggles.

Schneep yelps upon feeling the ground under his feet shift. Jackie tries running, dragging Bro with him, but it's hard to find his footing to do so.

The other Alt glitches a bit in place and starts to close his hand-then… it’s like a pause button has been pressed, capturing him mid laugh and mid glitch.

Someone whistles from an alleyway nearby and then an arm gestures for them to follow. “Hurry! Over here!”

JJ's head snaps towards the voice and immediately books it towards the gesturing arm, taking Alt with him. He whistles sharply, drawing the other two's attention. Schneep and Jackie break into a run as well, taking Bro. Bro is able to run pretty soon with them and hurries over. Alt tries his best to keep up-

The dark alley makes it hard to see but soon there’s a tealish ring of light that appears and a shadowy figure jumps through- followed by something that looks like a… dog? “In here! Quickly! My spell will not last long-“

"Coming!" Jackie gasps, running as fast as he can. "Schneep, you're going to have to jump!"

"Tell me when!" Schneep says.

Jackie heads through first. "Now!"

Schneep stumbles a bit as he goes through the ring but manages to land well enough.

JJ goes through next, still holding onto Alt's hand.

"I-is this—who I think it is?" Schneep asks, recognizing the feel of the person's soul.

“I-It sounds like…!” Bro pants as he jumps in with the others.

They all land in a warmly lit but still somewhat dim room. It’s slightly cold in here… stone walls? Maybe underground? It’s jammed to the brim with a couple beds, a desk with med kits, water and packs of food. Bags of dog food line the wall and big duffle bags. One of the beds is filled with open spell books and notebooks with writing in them. Various suitcases lie around the beds, in different degrees of usage.

And standing before them is- it’s Henny and Sahne. Henny looks like he’s seen hell- his usual bright sunny face haggard and dirty- deep bags under his eyes. His glasses are cracked- he’s in a dark dingy trench coat. Sahne sits obediently at his feet. But she looks to see the others and her tail starts to wag.

“That was very very close- are you all alright? This place should be safe from-“ he starts to say.

“H…Henny?” Alt interrupts.

Henny looks up now and his eyes widen. “…my.. mein gott-“ he whispers. He looks like he’s seen a ghost. “Chase- you’re … you’re alive…!” Henny laughs in teary eyed disbelief and runs at Bro and hugs him tightly.

Bro blinks and pats Henny’s back. “Y-Yeah I’m… h-hi Hen?”

Henny laughs wetly and then goes to grab Alt too and hugs him with Bro, pressing his head onto both of their shoulders, “Oh! And… Alt… Alt, my friend… is it actually you…! Not that… that glitched Ungeheuerlichkeit!” Alt is frozen in his hug, still trembling.

Sahne starts to bark happily- though definitely more quiet barks as she dances around everyone, pressing her noses against hands and legs and rubbing up against them, tail wagging wildly.

JJ stares, stunned, at this other version of Henny. What... happened to him? He probably should have expected that this wouldn't be a good place to live, given the glitchy state of everything outside, but it's another thing to see someone who was so smiley look so tired.

Jackie is just as stunned. But he zeroes in on one thing in particular. "...'alive'?" he whispers. "What the... what the fuck happened in this world...?"

Schneep inches away from Sahne and starts getting the lay of things with his cane. "Wh-where are we? What... what happened to the Alt is this world?"

And what about the others? JJ says, worried.

"Um... also, uh... hi?" Jackie raises a hand.

Henny let’s go and wipes at his eyes. He laughs and looks back over Bro and Alt, “oh… you both look so young…” He says, gently cupping their cheeks. The others can notice this Henny does seem a bit older than the one they knew- though maybe the slight salt and pepper hair is from stress.

He smiles tiredly at the others. “Yes hallo.. it is… good to see friendly faces… I.. you all must be so confused. Please- sit and I… I will try to explain.”

“Yes explaining is good cuz what?!” Bro exclaims, throwing up his hands, “I… the me from this universe, he’s dead?”

Alt and Henny seem to wince at this. “I… I will explain Chase… please just…I-I am sorry it is tight in here-“

“If I’m dead then- w-what about Jackie and Jay? Henrik what-“

“They are safe.” Henny says firmly, gripping his hands into fists. “Z-Zara got them out of the city…on a boat. The children… Zara, Jackie and Jewel. They are all fine… all of this s-seems to be contained to Brighton… b-but I do not know for how much longer.”

"They're not even here?" Jackie's eyes widen. "It's that bad? Holy shit." He shakes his head and sits down on one of the beds. "Okay. Jeez."

Something must have happened to Alt in this world, JJ says. Something that gave him incredible power, but made him... unstable. He looks a bit haunted for a moment as he remembers what happened in the last world, but quickly pushes that away. Clearly, this is much worse, probably not even comparable.

"Yes, Jamie, I agree, that must be it," Schneep says. "Do not worry about the space, ah, Henrik, it is fine. Why are you still here, if the others have all left?"

“…someone needs to continue what… what Chase could not.” Henny says quietly, hugging his arms. “…I did not have nearly as much power as Alt or Bro Fantastic did but… I-I could do something. I stay to… to help anyone else who is left. It… it isn’t much now. I try to get people out to safety. But just in case I… I stay.” He smiles weakly. “Is good I did, ja?”

“Hen what…” Alt voice cracks, “what happened…?”

Henny is silent for a beat. “…it was supposed to be a victory. We had… finally defeated Magnificent. He was… he was dead. But s-something happened… the lingering black magic it… it found a way to claw itself into Alt’s- our Alt’s soul. Or body or… mind- maybe all 3. All we know is after that… it all changed. Alt tried to fight it but it just- consumed him. He started to tear the city apart- started doing things Magnificent would have done. He left us alone though… but it was hard to watch him… hurt innocents. Chase he-he could not stand it. He tried to confront Alt and-“ Henny grips his fingers tighter into his arms. “…he killed him. That fucking Glitch- he killed him!”

Bro and Alt go white as a sheet. Alt’s stomach lurches and he scrambles to find a trash can to retch into. Sahne carefully paws over to sit by him.

"...holy shit," Jackie whispers, his stomach sinking. "That... that's what...? I-I can't believe..." He shakes his head. He can't blame Alt for his reaction.

"Black magic always finds a way to linger, yes?" Schneep mutters darkly. "Even when... it should not." He shudders a bit.

He... couldn't have meant to do it... JJ signs slowly. Alt would never... and that version of him out there... maybe he regretted it? He leans heavily against the wall.

"Are you okay, Alt?" Jackie says softly. "I mean... I get it. I really, really get it."

Alt is bracing himself against the floor, shaking like a leaf as tears fall down his face, “T-t-this is a n-nightmare right? This… t-this can’t be r-real…! I-I w-wouldn’t… I-I would never-!”

Bro hurries over to kneel down by Alt and rub his back, “Breathe, Anti… it’s…”

“It’s okay, Alt,” Schneep says softly. “Black magic can do terrible things to people. It is not because of you that this is happening in this world.”

Alt doesn’t respond to Schneep, holding his arms and shaking wildly as he curls up to cover his mouth. Trying not to get sick again. He feels like he’s disconnecting from all of this- hardly able to grab onto any thoughts to ground him.

“I-I am sorry for my emotions,” Henny says, looking regretful for his anger, “… the wound is s-still fresh… but that is why the city is in the state it is in. After the Glitch-or our Alt got corrupted… he gained so much more power- insight into other worlds he did not have before. He believes himself a… a god almost. Claiming that this world and all worlds are his. But he never got the ability to travel to other worlds again… so he’s been- tearing our reality apart- trying to find some universe where… where he can get Chase back. And he does not care who he hurts to get there.”

“Insight into other worlds, huh?” Jackie mutters. “Seems like that’s something Antis are prone to get.”

Wait, if he’s looking for a world where he can get his Chase back, then—we just walked right into his hands, didn’t we? JJ says, eyes wide. No wonder he went straight for Chase. He’s probably going to keep going for him as long as we’re here.

Bro pales at JJ’s realization and gets to his feet, “F-Fuck J, you’re right!”

“You all are safe here for now,” Henny says softly. “I have learned wards to hide this place. He had not found it yet.”

“Even so, we had better try to think about some way to get out of here,” Schneep decides. “I know the rifts may show up, but we should not count on them.”

“Great idea, except we have no idea how to do that,” Jackie comments.

JJ frowns. Alt, Chase, how did you two show up to our world before? You didn’t have the TRVLR yet—you got it from our world. I don’t remember if you told us how you got there.

Bro blinks at JJ and then hums, thinking about it. “Oh right! Um… the arch! Mag found an archway thing we’ve seen one other time before in a SCLERA basement. He used Alt’s magic and his to open up the gate and then… we wound up in your world!”

Henny frowns, “hm… SCLERA has been… destroyed by the Glitch… but if it was underground like this… maybe? But if Alt knew of this… he might have already tried to get to that.”

"He destroyed SCLERA?!" Jackie gasps. "Well—I guess that makes sense. If I was an all-powerful glitch being, I would destroy them too. They might get in the way."

Schneep stands up. "It is the only lead we have, yes? I think we should at least try to go find it."

It would probably feel better to take action rather than just wait here for a rift to come, JJ agrees.

Henny nods, “Destroying SCLERA was the one good thing the Glitch has done… but I worry- he has eyes all over the city. Magnificent’s cats… the Glitch uses them and he has a few puppets lingering around the city I could not save…”

Bro sighs and crosses his arms, “I agree it’s dangerous… but we can’t just sit here. We can’t afford to wait for another rift… maybe if the arch is destroyed we can repair it somehow?”

JJ nods slowly. Perhaps my magic could help. What does this arch look like?

"Oh, I've seen ours before," Jackie says. " I'm gonna assume it's similar here. It's a freestanding doorway. One side of it is made of black rock, like obsidian or something, and the other side is regular stone that's been carved with a bunch of designs."

Runes, presumably. I've been learning some alphabets to help Marvin with his card magic, I might... know some? JJ guesses.

“Yes! It’s just like the one from your world, Jackie!” Bro says with a smile.

"That is the best chance we have, I think," Schneep mutters. "Alt. Are you...?" He trails off. Clearly, Alt is not okay. Asking probably wouldn't help.

Henny looks over at Alt with worry. And- a bit of fear. He knows this isn’t the Glitch- it helps that Alt looks so much younger but… he keeps his distance.

Which doesn’t help Alt at all. Everyone sounds like they’re underwater- the room is tilting and he feels- lost. Just staring at the floor, as he curls up as small as he can. It’s hard to tell if he’s ever registered anything they’ve been saying.

JJ winces. He's not doing well.

"No, really?" Jackie drawls.

This isn't the time for sarcasm, Jackie. JJ shoots him a disapproving look.

Jackie winces. "No. You're right. It's not." After a moment, he gets up and walks over to Alt. He hesitates, then puts a hand on his shoulder. "Hey." His voice is quiet. "I know. It sucks. Sucks to know what could happen. What you could do. But you're different, right? You're trying to be better, right? Doesn't mean it's not hard to hear about all this, I know. But that's not you. I know you're a good person, Alt. This... mess in this world... Don't let it break you down."

Alt jolts as Jackie touches him and finally looks up at him with red rimmed eyes. He listens but then whispers brokenly, “…what if this i-is my future…?”

“Hey Alt don’t say-“ Bro tries to say.

“No! What if?! The other me- he- he knows about the rifts- Hen says he travelled though worlds too. He’s o-older than me- what if this is just what happens to me?!” He pushes himself out of Jackie’s grip and pulls at his hair, eyes blown wide in panic as glitches break apart at his body. “T-This isn’t like s-seeing other Antis and knowing I’m different! T-That’s me! it doesn’t matter if I know I’m a good person- it doesn’t matter if I’m different now! This… this could be what I become!! It could mean e-everything I’ve learned about myself- everything I’ve fought for means fucking nothing!” he screeches at the end, his voice loud enough to make the room shake with vibrations as his magic whips around him wildly.

"And do you think the future is set in stone?" Schneep suddenly snaps. "Do you believe you are so powerless in the face of what will come? Are you going to just lie down and accept that you are some evil glitch, or are you going to get up and tell the world that you will not be like him? I have not known you for very long, Alt, but I know you have a fighting spirit in you. And yet, whenever the universe tells you that you will become something you don't wish to be, you accept it. Are you going to let the world do that to you? Are you going to believe that disaster is inevitable? Or are you going to take back your life on your terms? Are you going to look fate in the eye and tell it to go fuck itself when it says there is no other way? You have fought for your life, Alt! Do you really think you will give up so easily?"

Alt bursts into ugly sobbing, curling up to hold his head against his knees. “I-I don’t know! I don’t know!!”

“Anti…” Bro tries to say, trying to get closer. Alt flinches and glitches to the very back wall and wails, “I-I always thought I-I-I wouldn’t ever d-do something like this! That I’d never hurt Chase- my friends…! T-They’ve always saved me before- why was this time different?! I don’t want this- but if even the m-me from here fought so hard then? Does it even fucking matter?!”

JJ clears his throat and signs weakly, And this Henrik said that it started when you all killed Magnificent, right? So... you know how to... prevent it...

Luckily- Alt always tries to look at JJ when he demands attention for his signs. He quiets down a bit.

Henny nods, “Yes.. I do believe if we found another way to stop Magnificent… then this may have never happened.”

“JJ is right Alt… w-we can make sure this doesn’t happen! Now we know…” Bro says gently, “You and me can work to make sure this future never ever comes to pass. But you can’t give up now… we gotta get to a better future together, okay?”

"It always matters, Alt," Jackie says firmly. "Every single little bit of effort matters. Even if it feels like it doesn't. You know, my Chase told me how you saved him. How Jameson tried to get in your head about this same thing. H-he doesn't remember it all too well, but he remembers that you got him out of there. If you hadn't pushed through Jameson's taunting back then, Chase would still be there. If you hadn't decided that you were going to get him out of here despite everything that happened the first time you visited our world, he would still be there. Even if it feels like it doesn't matter to you, it means the world to others when you fight against these—these claims that you're evil."

Alt looks up at Jackie with surprise. “He… he remembered all of that…?” He swallows shakily. “I-I couldn’t just leave him…”

“That’s where the differences lies, Alt. No matter what, no what how many Antis are different you have a kind heart…” Bro says with a sad smile.

Henny smiles sadly too, “yes… that sounds more like the Alt I knew… I think deep down… you are still the same, Alt. But you know how… invasive black magic in. Perhaps that is another reason I stay… I want to see if there’s still a way to save my friend… even after everything he has done.”

"And now that you are warned, it will be easier, yes?" Schneep says. "The future is never set in stone, even if it feels like it is. You have been to many worlds now. Surely you have seen worlds where even the worst can be reversed. We were there in one, weren't we? That second underwater world. Everything seemed so bleak there, but we changed it a little, did we not? I do believe things will be able to change even somewhere like that. So your world will also be able to change."

Alt thinks about both the Schneep’s words and eventually he nods, “we… we did help it get better…. Didn’t we? For other me and Marvin…” He’s quiet again before he glitches up to his feet and wipes at his face with his sleeve. “okay… l-let’s just… g-get out of here then… a-as quickly as we can…”

JJ nods. We’ll probably have to move fast. And Alt? He pauses. Let us know if… there’s anything we can do.

“I… yeah I… I will.” Alt says quietly.

“Yes, please do,” Jackie adds. “For now, uh… we gotta go find a SCLERA place, I guess? They have that weird eye symbol, right?”

“Other me, is there anything we will need for going out?” Schneep asks.

Henny hums in thought, “I would recommend some way to hide Chase… he will be the biggest target. Do any of you know invisibility spells?”

Jackie and Schneep immediately look over at JJ.

JJ frowns. I know one. But I've never cast it before, just read about it.

"Might as well try," Jackie says.

Yes, of course. JJ walks over to Bro. Hold still. That will make it easier, I think.

Bro looks a bit nervous but gives JJ a thumbs up. “I trust you, bro!” He quickly puts his hand back by his side and closes his eyes so he’s not too tempted to move.

JJ nods, and takes a deep breath. He's a little nervous about this. But he tries to hide it, adjusting his mask. A blue glow envelops his hands as he places them both on Bro's shoulders and concentrates. The blue magic ripples over Bro's form from the point of contact. He feels a little chilly for a moment as the invisibility slowly spreads across him, following the magic. Then JJ pulls his hands back and Bro is gone. Or, kind of. There's a person-shaped distortion in the air, like Bro has been turned into a pure glass statue that casts no shadow.

Alt blinks in surprise and glitches over. He tilts his head then tries poking at the distortion.

Bro yelps a bit and jumps, "Hey! ...shit did it not work??"

"No! It... it worked-" Alt laughs a bit breathlessly. "You're... still a bit noticeable but? from a far... I think you should be good."

"Whoa, that's trippy." Jackie leans side to side, staring at Bro. "It's like uh... that effect when you put a straw in a glass of water and it looks like it breaks."

Bro blinks and looks at himself, “woahhh!”

"Oh? Interesting," Schneep says. "Jamie, can you keep that up?"

It should last an hour, JJ says. After that, I'll need to renew it.

Henny smiles and nods. "That should be good. ...outside- try to avoid anything glitching or- anything slinking in the shadows. Those are most likely the Glitch's eyes... but I can try my best to lead you to where SCLERA is."

“An hour should be plenty of time.” Henny says with a nod. He looks to Sahne, “You will keep an ear out too, right, Sahne?” Sahne barks in response. Henny smiles then opens up his hand and another teal ring of light forms. “I cannot go very long distances but this should help cut our journey.” He jumps through, Sahne close by.

Bro feels a bit nervous but he jumps through next. Alt hesitates.

"Gonna have to climb through again, Schneep," Jackie says.

"Very well." Schneep reaches out, feeling the edge of the ring, and hops through.

JJ notices Alt lingering back. He looks back and smiles at him. Ready to come? We'll need your help, I think.

Alt looks at JJ with a bit of fear but then closes his eyes before nodding. “y-Yeah I’m… I’m coming.” He eyes the ring then glitches through.

Jackie looks after Alt, a bit worried, and then hops through. JJ jumps through last.

#GITHV #glitch into the huffleverse #GITHV Swap bad end #sooo if anyone read that one drabble i did where alt became the next mag?#....yeahhhhh #since rifts lead to different timelines in the SATCV i thought lets explore a bad time line for swap! >:D #and omg glitch alt is so fun to play #it was really fun to think of like how would alt go crazy- then how would present day alt react?#my poor boy i put him through so much agjvhbak #bad end alt #glitch alt #bro fantastic #the jaunty jackson #inverted jackie #stitched schneep

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huffle-dork · 5 months ago

Text

Glitch into the Hufflverse Chapter 20: Epilogues

Read Swapboys | Read Crystal’s AUs

Read SITCV | Read SATCV | GITHV Masterpost

Alt and Bro step into their apartment- and Alt is immediately tackled by a black yowling bolt of fur. Alt yelps and skids to the floor, then bursts into laughter. “Glitches!! Oh it’s so good to see the real you!!” He giggles as he kisses her cheeks. Glitches purrs loudly like a motorboat. Chase laughs.

There’s someone behind him that startles up with a gasp. Semi-blended into the couch with his yellow sweatshirt. “Alt?! Chase?!!”

Alt freezes and quickly gets back up, holding Glitches in his arms. “O-Oli??”

It is Oliver, his eyes brimming with tears as he laughs wetly. “Y-you’re okay!” He pushes himself to rush at Alt and hugs him tightly. Alt is stiff but then his lip warbles and he timidly hugs Oliver back. “y-you… you were- w-why are you here?” Alt asks breathlessly.

“Last the others heard from you- you were overdosing and Chase took you the hospital and then y-you were just gone! They came rushing to our office to try to find you but we hadn’t seen you! I… I had been crashing here cuz i… I dunno I figured you might come back here and we’ve been trying to look and t-the others just left to get food and… god I’m so glad you’re okay!” Ollie cries quietly, curling his arms around Alt’s neck.

“You know I was gonna make a sarcastic ‘hey I’m here too’ comment but like- yeah this is a valid reaction.” Bro says with an awkward laugh.

Oliver laughs and this and shakes his head. “I-I’m glad you’re okay too, Chase.”

“H-How long were we gone…?” Alt asks.

Oliver lets him go and leans back to give him a look. “…you didn’t know??”

“No uh… it’s such a long story but I take it the others told you about the other guys that came here? And the rifts?” Alt asks.

Oliver nods, “Yeah… I-it’s still really confusing… all this magic stuff but… t-they tried to explain.”

“We got sucked in with them… we were going in and out of worlds with no way back. But I-it’s okay now…!” Alt says as he takes one of Oliver’s hands, “We’re… we’re okay… mostly.”

“Yeah mostly… you both look like you need to be looked at,” Oliver says with a raised eyebrow.

“C’mon Doc!” Bro tries to say.

“Chase, I keep telling you I’m not a doctor ye-!” Oliver interrupts.

Then the doorknob to the apartment starts to jingle- and 3 other heads pop in, Jackie leading the charge with a bag of groceries. He’s ruffling his hair and starting to talk, “Ol, I know you’re worried but Hen said you hadn’t been eating much so we’re making dinner instead of take ou-!”

He looks up and blinks- and Henny and Dr. J gasp. Jackie makes a pog face then drops the bag to point dramatically at Alt and Bro, “you fucking son of bitches!! Do you have any idea how fucking worried we’ve been?! 3 fucking days!! Where the hell were you?!”

Bro and Alt look at him wide-eyed- then Bro bursts into laughter. “Oh man… I missed you bud.” He goes over to pick up the bag and heads to the kitchen. “there enough in here for everyone? We can catch you all up over dinner- me and Alt’s treat.”

“What?? Chase, you know I can’t cook!” Alt exclaims.

Jackie blinks in confusion then laughs lightly, “Alright… better just make it on you then, Chase. Seems like Oliver and Alt wanna catch up together anyways.” He smirks at the both of them.

Alt and Ollie both blush and quickly look away from each other.

Henny and Dr. J chuckle behind their hands.

“Go go you two!! Dinner will be a bit it seems!” Henny grins.

Alt stammers, face even more red. Oliver giggles and takes Alt’s hand. “C’mon…”

“…you’re gonna use this as an excuse to patch me up aren’t you?” Alt mutters.

“Only a little bit. With some kisses in between- does that make it better?” Ollie giggles.

“…maybe a little-”

=========

JJ walks out into his house. It's been a while since he saw it. How long had he been wandering the worlds?

"Mister! What happened?!" A voice echoes down the hallway. "Somet'ing spook ye?"

JJ's heart soars. He whistles, a loud sound meant for attention.

"H-huh?!"

Footsteps rush down the hallway—more than one set. And suddenly, Schneep, Jackie, and Anti burst into the entrance hall. "Holy shit!" Anti gasps. "Jameson! I-is that really you?"

"It is!" Schneep nods excitedly.

"JJ!" Jackie rushes forward, giving him a big hug. JJ laughs and stumbles backwards, returning the embrace. "What happened to you?! Was it Distorter? Was it IRIS? Are you alright?" He backs away, scanning JJ with his eyes. "You seem alright."

It's a long story, JJ says. He starts going down the corridor. What are you all doing here?

"Fucking talking about you, Jackson," Anti mumbles, following him. "You can't fucking disappear for three days and not expect us to worry."

"I do not think he meant to disappear," Schneep says.

JJ pokes his head through an ajar door and into the room beyond. Marvin's bedroom. As expected, Marvin is there, already making his way to the doorway. He stops, eyes going wide. "Jems?" he breathes. "Y-you... you're alrigh'?"

Smiling, JJ nods. I'm alright. More or less. Very exhausted.

"Oh t'ank god." Marvin collapses back onto the nearest chair, sitting down heavily. Mr. Fluffington trots up to JJ, sniffing him, and JJ bends over to pet his head. "What the hell happened?! Wh-where did you go? I waited for what must've been ten minutes, and t'en you didn' answer any of my messages! I-I t'ought—we all t'ought—"

I'm sorry to have worried you all, JJ says. But Volt is right, I didn't mean to disappear. It's a long story. But it's nobody's fault. It wasn't Distorter or IRIS or anything.

"Well what happened, then?!" Jackie asks.

"Yeah, fucking what?" Anti asks as well.

JJ laughs. It's going to take a while, I think. We should head to the kitchen. Make dinner. I'm starving.

"O'course." Marvin pushes himself to his feet again. "Let's go. I'm... so glad you're alrigh'."

JJ nods. I am. And honestly? You're all not going to believe what happened. Remember that time we went to another world? He starts to explain to everyone as they all walk down the hall towards the kitchen. This is going to take a while. And then... he's going to need some rest.

=========

Jackie looks around. It's almost strange to be back in Frederick's house after all that. "Uh... hello?" he calls out.

Something clatters in the kitchen. "Jackie?!" Chase turns around and rushes on over. "Oh my god, you found him! Fucking finally!"

"You're welcome," Anti says, and glitches over to sit on the sofa.

"Frederick!" Chase shouts. "He found Jackie! He's here now!"

"What?!" The shout comes from down the hallway. Suddenly, Frederick is there, tackling Jackie in a tight hug. "Oh my god! Jackieboy! You're okay! Thank the heavens, thank the gods, thank fucking everyone!"

Jackie tries to laugh it off, but some tears start to line his eyes. "Y-yeah, I'm back. I... missed you guys."

"We missed you too, Jackie," Chase whispers. He hesitates, then walks on over, joining the hug.

Frederick presses a kiss against Jackie's cheek.

A moment passes. Then Jackie starts to wiggle. "Alright alright, e-enough of the—the sappy shit. H-how have things been here? Did you guys know where I was?"

Frederick withdraws, Chase right behind him. "Anti told us," he says. "Something about a rift to different worlds. He says there's a chance more of them might appear."

"Really?" Jackie looks back at Anti.

"Unfortunately," Anti says. "So I suggest you guys all stick together for a while."

"Great, I love being a third wheel!" Chase says, cheerfully sarcastic.

Jackie laughs and puts a hand on his shoulder. "Good to hear you make comments like that. Missed them, really."

"How about I make you some tea, melon?" Frederick asks. "And then, if you want to talk about what happened, we can do it over drinks."

Jackie smiles. "That sounds great."

=========

Schneep feels the air suddenly shift, becoming slightly warmer—huh, the space in-between didn't really have much of a temperature at all. Isn't that strange? But that must mean he's somewhere else now—

"Holy shit! Schneep!"

Schneep gasps and whirls towards the sound. "Chase?!" No, not just him. He can feel—all of them. All of his friends.

"Schneep!" Jackie shouts. He rushes over. "I'm hugging you now!"

"Whoa, hey—!"

Too late, Jackie already has him in a tight squeeze. "We were so worried!"

"A-are you okay?!" Jack asks, hurrying over. Chase, JJ, and Marvin are right behind him. "You just—disappeared one day. I-it's been so fucking worrying!"

Like back then. JJ knocks on a wooden surface, relaying his words through morse code.

"I can imagine," Schneep mutters. "Ah, where am I?"

"We're all in Jameson's shop," Marvin explains. "We thought there might be some way to find you. Cause when—when neither me or him could track you, we—we sort of freaked out. Y...you're okay, right?"

"I am fine, I promise." Schneep reaches out and pats his shoulder. "It is a long story. But I am not surprised you couldn't track me. I was... in a very strange place. Multiple very strange places, actually. Ah, do you all remember those two visitors from another world a while ago?"

"With that freaky black magic magician guy?" Chase asks.

"Yes, them. Oh, I suppose Jackie and Marvin would not remember, though."

"Uhhhh..." Jackie hums. "I remember... something very strange. A... third half..."

"There can't be three halves of anything, Jackie," Marvin mutters.

"You know what I mean!"

"I do, I do."

"Right, th-that did happen when they were here," Jack says. "But what does that have to do with your disappearance?"

"I was sucked to their world," Schneep explains. "And I was not alone."

That's crazy, JJ says.

"It was, it was. Well... it was not all bad," Schneep says. "Here, I can sit down and tell you all about it."

"Let's go upstairs into the apartment, then," Chase suggests.

"Great idea." Schneep nods. He takes out his cane and gets his bearings. "Is the staircase... this way?"

Yep, JJ confirms. Let's go.

"Start telling us on the way, okay?" Jack says. "This sounds fucking wild."

Schneep chuckles "It was. And... we may see them again soon." He still remembers what that giant Sam told him, sending the feeling of the missing part directly into his mind. It will be difficult, but the least he could do is find it for his new friends.

He couldn't wait to see them again.

#GITHV #alt anti #bro fantastic #inverted jackie #stitched schneep #the jaunty jackson #omg this is the first time ive posted ollie and alt actually being a couple agjbhk #so uh swap spoilers XD #tbh regular swap is like in 2018- and the rp timeline is like 2020 #and takes places after like alt.exe where alt is like really improving his magic!#i dont think ive ever really explained that here XD #anyways the end!! :D #i hope you guys enjoyed GITHV as much as me and cry did!!#glitch into the huffleverse

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huffle-dork · 6 months ago

Text

Glitch into the Hufflverse Chapter 4: Septnautical

Read Swapboys | Read Crystal’s AUs | Read Septnautical

Read SITCV | Read SATCV | GITHV Masterpost

The fall is long- the rush intense. Enough to make their heads spin.

So- landing onto water is just another jarring surprise. They splash into a semi warm but mostly cool body of water. But… it’s not just a body. It’s an ocean. A wide expanse of ocean… there’s no end in sight. They don’t fall too far away from each other for once- but that might be because there’s nothing to see for miles but water.

"Holy fucking shit!" Jackie splutters, almost sinking but managing to stay on the surface through wild flailing.

Schneep doesn't even have time to curse, he's immediately confused and disoriented. There's nothing to grab onto! He can sense the others nearby—what the hell is this?! Water?! Where are they?! "H-help!" It's lucky he's a strong swimmer. But where is land?!

JJ gasps, kicking wildly. The cape he's wearing is heavy with water. He looks around and starts swimming towards Schneep. As he gets close, he puts a hand on the surface of the water, and part of it freezes into a small island about the size of a card table. He steers it over to Schneep, who grabs onto it the moment it bumps into his side.

Bro tries to stop his momentum with his flight, just barely managing to avoid getting halfway submerged before he gets airborne again. He looks out at all the water. “What the fuck?!”

Alt isn’t so lucky- he gets submerged for a second before he scrambles back up to the surface to desperately gasp for breath. He looks around in confusion. “W-what?!”

“Is everyone okay??” Bro calls, hurrying to fly over to Schneep and help him up onto the ice.

"Y-yes, f-f-fine," Schneep says, carefully balancing on the ice with his hands and knees.

JJ gives a thumbs up.

"I'm fucking drowning!" Jackie shouts. He is not actually drowning, but he's clearly not that good a swimmer, just treading water.

JJ sighs a little and uses that same spell, pushing the new ice floe towards Jackie and Alt's direction. Then he shivers, losing strength for a moment and ducking under the water before scrambling back up, half-on the ice floe. His magic isn't at its peak.

"Wh-where did we land?" Schneep asks. "Where is—the land?"

"Uhhh... bad news... I don't see any," Jackie says. He grabs onto the second ice floe, helping steer it towards Alt.

Bro quickly helps JJ as best as he can before he hovers a bit higher. He pales as he looks out to see. “Yeah it’s just… it’s just water… I guess we’re pretty far out in this ocean…”

Alt scrambles to hold onto the ice floe and shivers against it. “Rifts are awful… the TRVLR n-never put us in the m-middle of the fucking ocean…”

"The ocean?!" Schneep gasps. "W-well... ah..." His eyes dart slightly as he thinks. "How... do we get... out of the ocean?"

"I don't know, it's the fucking ocean!" Jackie shakes his head.

JJ looks despondent for a moment, but then he shakes his head. Well. This is as good a time as any to try this spell he'd recently found. He makes sure his mask is secure on his face and grabs onto Schneep's hand, concentrating.

Schneep jumps in surprise—especially as a bit of blue magic flows down JJ's arm and onto his, up along his body into his chest. "Wh-what was that?!"

Can you hear this? JJ signs.

Schneep nods as he hears Jameson's voice come from beside him. "Y-yes... your voice sounds less gravelly, did you do something?"

A spell to translate my sign language into a voice that you hear in your head. It only works on one person at a time, so I thought it wouldn't be useful, but I kept it anyway.

"Ah. Well, it is certainly very helpful. How long does it last?"

I should be able to keep it up for a while, it doesn't take much power, JJ says. But if I suddenly run out of magic, the spell will end.

"Hmm. Alright, I understand." Schneep nods slowly.

Bro watches the exchange between Schneep and JJ and smiles, “Oh hey that’s awesome! Very useful-“

Alt shivers and looks down at the water. He… might be able to shapeshift to swim around and see what’s around but that’s not helpful for the guys here.He looks up to Bro, “C-Chase? Can you fly out and see if there’s anything we can at least rest on until we get our b-bearings?”

“Oh yeah sure! Hang tight guys!” Bro rises higher in the air then starts to look around.

He comes back really soon, grinning. “Good news! There’s a big landing of metal not too far away! It was kinda hard to see close to surface cuz it looks like it’s something that like… crashed I guess? But then like sank- It’s biggg! So it should give us a good place to rest!”

“Something that crashed?” Schneep raises his eyebrow. “Like an airplane?”

“Or like a spaceship?” Jackie adds. “Cause you know, there’s that thing about spaceships landing in the ocean when they come back. In like, movies and stuff.”

"It kinda looks like a spaceship actually yeah!" Bro laughs.

Wll, whatever it is, it has to be better than being stuck on a bit of ice, JJ says. This will melt eventually. He lowers himself more into the water and starts swimming in the direction Bro pointed, pushing the ice floe along.

Alt nods to JJ and starts to push their ice floe along too.

“There has to be a faster way than swimming,” Jackie mutters.

"I could always try to carry some of you~" Bro semi-teases, grinning at Jackie.

“Uh—no,” Jackie says. “I’m not scared of heights but that’s a bit much.”

“At least you would land in water if you fell,” Schneep says. “Ah—not that you would drop him, Bro, I mean.”

“Yeah I expected that response,” Chase laughs. “No one likes being flown! Can’t imagine why-“

“No one likes being dangled like dead weight in your arms, Chase,” Alt deadpans, kicking faster.

“Hey! I don’t always carry people like that-“

“They also don’t like being held bridal style- or on your back like a monkey.” Alt continues, looking up to give his brother a look. Bro flushes and looks away. “Alright alright… jeez…”

“Well we want to stick together anyway and we’d be limited to the slowest swimming speed,” Jackie points out.

Nobody is going to comment on the spaceship? JJ asks.

“We’ll comment on it when we get there,” Jackie says, helping Alt with the ice.

As they swim it does appear the sight of the ship was just a bit past the horizon where they landed. A bit of crooked metal sticks up top of a small island of dull gray metal, eroded and rusted by time. It’d be hard to tell it was anything except for the small rounded peaks of metal poking out of the water- reminiscent of thrusters on an airplane or jet. Stripes of yellow are just barely visible on the tail end, peeking out through years of grime and erosion.

Alt’s eyes widen, “…holy fuck that really does look like a space ship…”

“…huh.” Jackie stares. “Yeah. And not a modern spaceship, either, which… is concerning, given how rusted it looks.”

“What do you mean, not a modern ship?” Schneep asks.

Looks like something out of a science fiction movie. JJ’s eyes light up with excitement. Did we get pulled to a universe that’s in the future?!

“Well… we’ve been pulled into the past before,” Alt mutters, “so it’s plausible we could be pulled into the future?”

“Yeah but even if that’s future tech now it looks ancient!” Bro exaggerates, “This must have crashed a long long time ago!”

Schneep blinks. “Well. Ah… Jackie, how rusted is it?”

“Pretty fucking rusted and corroded, dude.” Jackie shakes his head. “It must’ve been here for a while. Which, again, giving the whole sci-fi sorta thing, is kind of concerning. It also means that there’s probably not people on it.”

“Do you think this place is… just as abandoned then?” Alt asks nervously. “T-That can’t be right? We’ve always found universes that had… us in it! This is so strange…”

As if to answer their questions, below the water they feel the vibrations and echo of a terrifying roar.

Schneep stiffens and looks down. “What the fuck was that?” he whispers.

Jackie instinctively reaches for his pocket—but SCLERA took his staff earlier. And even if they hadn’t, it wouldn’t do much against something that sounds so big. “I-I changed my mind about the flying thing, we have to get out of here as fast as possible.”

JJ doesn’t say anything, just scrambles on top of the ice floe and pulls Schneep with him. It’s barely big enough for the two of them to sit with their knees drawn up.

Alt narrows his eyes at the sound and then pushes off the ice to go dive under the water and look.

“Alt?! Wait!” Bro tries to call out after him.

Alt sinks down and tries his best to look towards the sound- then feels his stomach drop as he sees in the distance. The water here is murky and sandy, casting everything in a yellow-ish tint. But, Alt sees a shadow of something huge swimming in the distance. It roars again, and something at the front of it flexes like giant claws. Then it seems to turn towards them.

Alt bursts up from the water and sputters out, “F-FUCKING GIANT MONSTER THING!! CHASE FLY US!!”

Chase startles and then starts to scoop up the others, JJ and Schneep first. “Sorry Schneep just hang on!” He mutters.

Schneep yelps as Bro grabs him, clinging to him. JJ cries out as well, instinctively kicking his legs.

Alt panics and grabs Jackie, just managing to glitch them onto the edge of the spaceship as they hear the roar get so much closer, the water shuddering beneath them in giant waves. But glitching while wet fuckinh hurts. Once they’re on the metal Alt pants and gets to his knees, breathing heavily. He clutches over his heart. “W…what the fuck…???”

Jackie staggers back, losing his footing and falling down. “Ow!” He quickly sits up. “Yeah, wh-what the fuck is right! Why?! How?! What?!”

Soon enough Bro joins them helping JJ and Schneep to settle on the metal of the ship. “Jesus Christ! E-everyone okay?”

Schneep stumbles a bit, grabbing his cane from nowhere to help him feel his way around. “I—I am f-fine,” he says. “What… was that? What did you see, Alt?”

Alt gasps and clutches his soaking shirt. “I-It was… f-fucking huge! Like a giant serpent- but it had like…. Big sharp things sticking out if it’s face?? Or I’m assuming it’s its face cuz it like- flexed when it roared. God it must be like… 50 meters long?? Maybe more??”

“The fuck?! I-I didn’t think creatures like that existed!” Bro whispers in fear.

“I-I dunno dude I… I saw it though… god it was t-terrifying…”

JJ stands there with his arms and legs out, like he’s expecting the wreckage to tilt beneath him. It doesn’t, so he feels safe enough to sign. We must be in a very different universe if there are old spaceships and giant monsters.

“Maybe—maybe there’s not a lot of people here,”Jackie says. “Maybe this is some kind of… Waterworld situation.”

“Waterworld?” Schneep repeats.

“It’s a movie. Not a really good one but I like its style—”

“No, I know the movie, but it does not account for giant sea monsters!”

JJ shakes his head, getting wet hair out of his eyes. We need to think calmly. Maybe there’s something useful in this ship? It’s the only thing around, in any case.

Alt nods to JJ and tries to get to his feet, looking at the wreckage. “I… I can’t see any way in… m-most of this seems to be submerged…”

Then, that roar sounds off again- and something jolts into the part of the ship closest to them, trying to knock them off balance and into the water. They can see the hint of a red tail and the tips of sharp red and black claw-like appendages peeking out through the water.

Alt hadn’t moved too far from the edge- so as the ship is jolted he yells and is thrown back under the water.

“Alt!” Schneep shouts, immediately dropping his cane and jumping into the water after him.

“Schneep!” Jackie scrambles to his feet. “Have you lost your mind?!” He jumps into the water after him.

Bro gasps and tries to keep on his feet then pales as they all go under. “Guys!” He looks to JJ and then goes after them all. “I’ll be quick! Stay safe JJ!”

JJ starts to protest, but Bro is already gone. He crouches at the edge of the water and stares down after everyone else.

As they dive under- they can see the gigantic creature in all its glory. Or- Schneep can sense its soul. It’s massive- over 50 meters with razor sharp mandibles attached to its head and a red horn like fin. Terrifying pitch black eyes, 4 of them, lock onto the falling bodies as it moves away from attacking the ship and it snaps its razor sharp teeth- rows and rows of stained teeth pulled together in a terrifying grin.

Alt was sinking, struggling to swim back up but freezes as he takes in the monster. It roars at the 4, mandibles flexing back as it shows off its incredibly large mouth that will definitely swallow them whole.

Jackie stalls, shocked at the size and terrifying visage of this creature. But Schneep keeps going, aware of where the creature is and stunned by the roar—but he can’t leave Alt there. He dives fast—can he leap through the water? He takes a moment to concentrate, and suddenly he’s by Alt’s side, grabbing him and trying wildly to swim upwards as fast as possible.

Alt gasps as he’s grabbed, bubbles flying out his mouth but he clings to Schneep for dear life.

Bro is also temporarily frozen by the creature and he flinches as it roars, trying to grab Jackie and pull him behind him.

But then, a creature bigger than them but smaller than the monster shows up, swimming up in between the monster and the boys. It has the same mandibles on its back but… smaller. And the top half of it is… human?

The alien merman bunches up his tail and then lets out an equally terrifying roar out at the monster, his mandibles stretching out and scratching at the creature’s face. The monster roars in pain and tries to lash out but the merman swims rapidly up to grab one of its mandibles and then toss it further away into the water below. He roars again for good measure and the monster seems to think better of its attack and swims away under the bones of the ship beneath them.

The merman turns back towards the others and- Jackie recognizes his own face.

Jackie stops, staring in shock at this whole display. Wait—is that—is that—

But, he doesn’t get too long to dwell on that as the merman scoops up Bro and Jackie and rockets them up quickly towards the surface.

Schneep is confused by this whole exchange, but he knows that whoever just appeared and started roaring feels strangely familiar. As soon as they grab Bro and Jackie, Schneep starts frantically swimming upward, taking Alt with him.

The moment as they break the surface Jackie gasps for air and grabs onto the ship for dear life. He was running out of air down there! Schneep does the same beside him.

JJ gasps. Are you all okay?! Is the monster— And then he sees who, or what, brought Bro and Jackie to the surface and stops, eyes wide.

Jackie turns back to get a good look at this—this merman? Alien? This person who shares his face. “Th-thanks?”

The merman is surprisingly very strong and he helps all of the boys get back on the metal island. “N-No problem! You all okay? Stars… that was a close one!” The merman says.

Alt coughs up some water and heaves to get some air back. He looks back at the merman and his eyes widen. Bro also stares at the merman with wide eyes.

Upon a closer look- the merman has bright green hair hidden underneath a ratty red bit of cloth wrapped around his head and shoulders like a hooded scarf. His arms and chest are riddled with tiny scars like he’s been in a ton of fights and he has a band of blue scales across his eyes like a mask.

The merman blinks innocently and tilts his head at the others. “…we havin a staring contest? I just learned about those! Zara says it’s not fair for her though cuz fish don’t need to blink as much. But I think it’s fun!” Then he slowly blinks more and takes the look of all of them in. “Woah… you guys don’t look like any blue suits or white suits I’ve seen…! Where did you guys come from anyways?? Everyone knows you don’t go near the Aurora without protection!” He smirks confidently and crosses his arm and you can see the end of his tail flick in the water. “Luckily for you! I was in the area~!”

“…Zara,” Jackie repeats, latching onto one of the few familiar terms in that little speech. He looks at Bro and Alt. “Okay… guess that’s a sometimes constant.”

The merman tilts his head, “A constant? What’s that mean?”

Alt and Bro look at this merman with wide eyes before looking back at each other. “…he’s not gonna fucking believe this-“ Bro mutters.

Alt laughs a bit unstably, “Y-Yeah for real!”

“We did not mean to be here,” Schneep says. “I-it is hard to explain, but we are from somewhere far away and we just suddenly appeared here. Thank you for helping us.”

JJ nudges him. Do you know he’s a merman?

“Wha—OH.” Schneep’s eyes go wide. “Th-that would explain some things.”

The merman blinks more and watches JJ’s hands with interest. “Oh! You’re using your hands to talk! My little brother does that now! …I dunno what any of the motions mean though-“

JJ tilts his head, interested. Little brother.

“Sooo… what’s your naaaame?” Jackie asks, though he already knows the answer.

The merman perks up as Jackie asks his name and his tail almost wags as his eyes light up, “I’m Jackie! What’s all of your names?”

“Well I’m—” Jackie starts to say.

Then, another head pops out of the water- this one has even lighter green hair and the hint of goggles on his face. “Jackie?? What are you doing? Get away from there!”

The mer-Jackie blinks and turns around and then scoffs at this new figure, “It’s okay Schneep! I don’t think these guys are white suits at all- they’re not even wearing dive suits!”

Another head pops up- this one was darker green hair and black sclera, green and blue irises glowing slightly. As his face comes out of the water, he bares very sharp teeth. “It could be a trick somehow! C’mon! Ya saved these fuckers now we can leave them alone!”

Mer-Jackie rolls his eyes, “That’s not how saving works, Anti-“

Alt’s eyes widen as he looks at the new figures popping up. “A..anti?” He whispers. Bro looks similarly shocked.

Jackie goes on edge a little as the other two figures appear, backing up.

“Huh.” Schneep tilts his head to the side. Another Schneep and another Anti. That’s… surprising. He hopes this world has a kind Anti—not one like his Anti.

“You’re not gonna believe us if we tell you our names,” Jackie says. “But I’ll tell you anyway. I’m Jackie. This is JJ and Schneep and Chase and Alt.”

Mer Jackie's eyes widen and then he hurries over to the side of the Aurora and pushes himself up with wide excited eyes and a huge smile. "Whattt??? That's crazy!! Most of those are my brothers' names! E-Even Hen's nickname!! How'd you know that??" Now you can clearly see the ridges on his his pale blue-gray tail and where the scales meet his more fleshy stomach. He's got black slightly sharp nails and also has sharp teeth.

"Jackie! Shush up!" The other Schneep calls. A white and purple tail flicks angrily across the surface of the water.

"C'mon guys don't be such guppies!" The merman Jackie replies, "They don't look like they'd hurt us!"

Schneep laughs. “Well—We are not lying, those really are our names. We… maybe we are like you, in a way.”

"You're not like us- you got legs!" Mer-Jackie laughs.

“Well, you can leave us if you want, but please, before you go, can you please let us know where to find, ah… people? We are sort of lost.” Schneep continues.

"If you wanna find people, you're shit out of luck." The other Anti growls, "No one lives on the surface any more. They're all under the water. unless you got breathing equipment yer hiding- You're fucked."

"Anti! That's so mean! Don't scare them like that!" Jackie snaps back. Anti just gives him a toothy grin.

Jackie glares at Anti. “Gee. Thanks.” This guy has an attitude like his Anti!

"Wait wait- e-everything's under water??" Bro gasps. "...is everyone mermaids?? Then- why does a spaceship like this exist?" Bro gestures around.

Mer Jackie bursts into laughter, "Ha! You're really funny! No not everyone's- ...what's that word?? Merrr maids? I dunno what that is- the white suits call us Hybrids. But like- most people here are human. S'only me and my brothers that are hybrids!"

JJ blinks. Hybrids? I’m figuring this out. I think these hybrids are us in this world. Maybe… human combined with the sea monsters here?

“That would make sense,” Jackie says slowly. “This other me kinda looks like that big monster with the face spikes.”

“You talked about the white suits and blue suits,” Schneep says. “What does that mean?”

The other Schneep looks out at his counterpart and seems- momenatrily weirded out. But, he shakes it off as he adjusts his goggles. "That is what we call the human scientists that work with Alterra. Well, the white suits at least..."

"The blue suits are our friends!" Mer-Jackie says happily, "They made their own group called the Ocean's Arms that are on our side! They wear black and blue wetsuits while the white suits wear white and orange-"

"...the fuck is Alterra?" Alt asks.

Anti blinks at this and cocks his head. "...you all have never heard of Alterra?"

“I told you, we are from very far away,” Schneep says. “Too far away to have heard of that.”

"...Alterra controls like- majority of this star system... You would have to have heard of them to enter their phase gate-" Mer-Schneep says. Anti and Jackie look at him with confusion. "...what? Danan has been teaching me a lot about how all this shit works!"

But to the side, JJ’s eyes slowly widen. He knows he’s heard that name before. Are we in Subnautica?

Jackie blinks. “That’s a long word you just spelled there. What’s it—”

JJ suddenly gasps and points at mer-Jackie’s mandible things. Like a reaper! Oh my god, was that monster a reaper?! I didn’t get a good look at it—

“What are you talking about?” Schneep asks.

It’s a game! My friend Anti has played it a lot and he mentioned there was a corporation called Alterra and something called a reaper leviathan—oh and this ship is the ship that crashes! It must be! He grins, looking proud of himself.

Alt and Bro's eyes widen at JJ's realization. Mer Jackie blinks and looks at his manibles with confusion, turning around comically in the water. "What what?? Is he talking about my mandibles??"

Bro laughs with a wide grin, "Oh yeah!! Subnautica!! Oh my god- Jackie was obsessed with that game!"

"H-How are we in a game?? That's... that's never happened before!" Alt says with a bit of panic.

"The fuck do you mean 'a game'?" Anti growls. "This shit ain't a game- its real fucking life!"

"Anti- do not get angry- I do not think that is what they meant..." Henrik tries to say calmly to Anti.

“No, of course it’s not, we’re just saying it’s like a game that we know,” Jackie says carefully. “Or… that these guys know. I’ve never heard of it. Maybe. Maybe Jack played it…?” He looks vaguely guilty at the thought of Jack.

“My friend Jack played it too, but I do not know anything about it,” Schneep says.

Well, it takes place on an alien planet that’s mostly ocean— JJ starts, then stops, looking around. Oh. If this is some form of the world from that game, they really are far from home, in more ways than one.

"You all are talking nonsense-" Anti growls, his back fin bristling and getting bigger, "I don't like it." Then, his eyes widen and he growls out, starting to lash forward towards the others. "Wait how do you know Jack?! You fuckers-! I knew you were hiding something!"

Schneep yelps as he feels Anti lunge forward and quickly scrambles back. JJ throws a hand out in front of him.

"Hey hey Anti!" Mer-Jackie shouts, grabbing Anti and pulling him back. "M-Maybe they just mean someone else who has the same name! Like all of them! Human reuse names all the time you know- like how Jack used to say Xander's brother was also Jack! It's fine-" He tries to grin at him.

"Yeah yeah yeah, i-it's a different guy!" Jackie says hurriedly. "Like--me and Schneep here were talking about two other people, i-it's a really common name, yknow?" He laughs nervously.

Anti growls and flicks some green tentacles out of the water in his anger. Then, he spurs down to go under the surface, showing off that his tentacles are... glowing slightly with little small balls of yellow before he disappears from view. Reaper Jackie watches him go and sighs then looks at the others "D-Don't mind him he's... really sensitive about some stuff. Like our brother, Jack..." He looks sad for a second before he shakes himself out of it.

Jackie’s expression falls into something more serious. He notices other Jackie's sadness. But he's not sure how to respond.

Reaper Jackie then puts a finger to his chin and makes a thinking face, " Okay soooo let's... put this altogether. You.. kinda know what Alterra is but only cuz its like a game... you've played. Like tag I'm guessing? That makes sense, Zara says Alterra is hugeee!" He makes big wide sweeping gestures with his hands before continuing. "But- you're not a white suit orrr a blue suit- cuz you don't got any equipment... how'd that happen? Most anyone who comes here knows the planet is mostly water."

"We did not plan for this..." Alt grumbles. "We just... fell here. Its a long story."

Henrik snorts and crosses his arms. "Fell here... that is ridiculous! You cannot fall straight from space into the water-"

"But you guys really got nothin' at all to breathe with?" Mer-Jackie asks. "Cuz... mmm I might be able to get you some- but I dunno how well you'd swim with all those clothes on ya. The OA base is a bit farther down into the reefs. Plus- that reaper won't stay away for too long- this is his territory! He gets realll mad when other fish come nearby."

"Y-yes, nothing to breathe with," Schneep says hesitantly. "And no suitable clothes."

Jackie throws his hands into the air. "Well—guess we'll fucking die, then!"

Maybe I know some magic that can help? JJ says. I just need a moment to remember. He sighs. This is why the ABIM encourages magicians to carry around their own book of spells.

"No, I'm sure we can figure something out, don't waste your magic," Jackie says. "We'll try nonmagical means before magic ones."

Alt seems to think before he perks up, "...I have a spell- I've done it before!" He seems excited, "I-It turned us into mermen before- m-maybe it'll still work here! Oh... i might need to change some runes to make sure we're the right type of fish... hmmm-"

Bro looks at Alt worriedly, "I mean... do you still have enough magic Alt? We just went through a lot of shit..."

Mer-Jackie and Mer-Schneep look at all of the with confusion. "...what does all that stuff mean? Spells? Magic?" Stalker Schneep asks.

"They sound like Marvin... I still don't know where he learned words like that..." Reaper Jackie grumbles. "Maybe they mean warps? mmm but those don't work outside of the water last I checked-"

Alt then grips at his head and curses, "Argh! I dunno how that would work though! I don't have my spellbook and my phone is probably fried! I don't even know how I'd write the runes-!"

It’s okay, Alt, not your fault, JJ says. None of us could’ve predicted this. Then he glances at the mer-people in the water. He grins. Someone translate what I say for them. Do you want to see something cool?

“JJ asks if you want to see something cool,” Jackie relays.

Reaper Jackie's eyes widen and he nods eagerly, "Yes yes! I wanna see something cool!!"

Stalker Schneep chuckles and then shrugs, "Alright... I suppose."

JJ holds out his hands. After a second, flickering blue lights appear around his fingers, coalescing into a couple glowing spheres. He sends them flying around the area, moving like big fireflies, the blue shifting through various colors.

Reaper Jackie's eyes light up with excitement and he quickly swims around and tries to chase them. "Oh my stars!!! Look at that!! SCHNEEP LOOK!!"

Henrik laughs a bit breathlessly, "I... I am seeing- that is..." He looks back to JJ- "H-How are you doing that?"

"Its like Marvin with his warps! I bet he just thinks its and then whoooosh!" Reaper Jackie says, making weird arm gestures again.

Alt laughs, "It's called magic but... you aren't too far off? It's... kinda hard to explain..."

JJ laughs, happy that they like his little light show. The balls of light slowly fade away and he brushes his hands off, then signs, It’s a lot like that—thinking about something and making it happen. But sometimes it needs something a little extra, like a word or a gesture.

Jackie repeats what he says for the boys in the water, and adds, “Alt can do stuff like that, too, but slightly different. And our Schneep and Chase have their own stuff—”

“Jackie, what if we do not want to share that?” Schneep asks.

“Oh. Sorry.”

"I'm okay with sharing!" Bro pipes up and pushes off the metal- leaping into the air and then flying above the merboys. "I'm a superhero! so- I can fly!"

The mermen looks absolutely flabbergasted. Reaper Jackie grabs Henrik's shoulder and starts shaking him wildly, "Schneep! He's flying! What i- I didn't know humans could do that without their rockets and shit!!"

"Incredible..." Henrik breathes. Then, he gets annoyed by Jackie's shaking and he snaps his teeth at him. "Jackie! Enough I can see him!"

"Oh- Sorry-" Mer-Jackie grins sheepishly.

Bro goes to touch back down and brushes down his outfit. "Sadly- flying doesn't really help when we need to go underwater..."

"Oh oh! Maybe we can ask Zara to drive that reallly big ship over here for these guys! Cuz- I think a sea moth is too small." Mer-Jackie says.

Henrik frowns, "That will alert the reapers though..."

"ohhh yeah- that's not good..."

"If I just had something to write with... something I can make sure stays on all of us I... I bet I could try the spell...?" Alt mumbles to himself.

Schneep casually reaches to the side and grabs a permanent marker. “Would this work or do you need something else?”

“What?!” Jackie stares. “Can—can you do that with anything?”

“Nothing too big, I need to be able to hold it,” Schneep says.

“Can… can you get specific stuff?” Jackie asks. “Because SCLERA took my staff… and I kinda liked it…”

“Hmm. I am not sure. Let me try…” Schneep reaches out with his other hand… and finds Jackie’s collapsed staff.

“Whoa.” Jackie whistles.

“I don’t know if it is the same one or a near identical-one, but here,” Schneep holds it out.

“That’ll work!” Jackie happily takes the staff.

Alt blinks wide eyed at the marker, his jaw falling open. He then blinks at Schneep and mumbles out quickly. "I-If i describe a certain bracelet- could you grab that?? I... I can make duplicate from there and... well maybe it can just be a bracelet but the one im thinking of we used for these kind of travels cuz it had a tracking spell on it- but either way! T-then I can do the spell to make us mermen! ...cuz it sounds like there's fuck-all up here." He looks to Mer-Jackie and Schneep who just nod in agreement.

"All the fun stuff is underwater!" Reaper Jackie says with a sharp grin.

"Oh- does that take a lot of energy Schneep?? Maybe we can get JJ and my spellbooks too??" Alt adds on.

"Getting a specific item? No, not really. In all honesty, I do not get tired from my powers the way that my Marvin and Jackie get tired from theirs," Schneep says. "Or the way that you do, I suppose. I just do not know if I am literally grabbing it or somehow conjuring it. Hmm... perhaps I should try to test that some time..." He trails off for a moment, thinking. Then shakes his head. "I have never tried something with magic before, either, but I can at least try to get you a bracelet as you describe."

"Oh... huh... that's interesting," Alt says with a curious hum. Then, he focuses, "Uh... right um- it's like a leather bracelet and it has a gem on top of it and runes on the inside. Does... that help?"

Schneep nods slowly. "Yes, it does. Now let's see." He reaches out... and after a second grabs something. He pulls it back. "This seems fitting."

It is indeed a leather bracelet with a gem—exactly like the ones Alt was picturing, but lacking the runes.

Alt perks up and goes to take the bracelet and look it over. He deflates as he sees the tracking runes are gone. He doesn't have those memorized... and getting the bracelets attuned for that takes a long time. But- that's okay! They only need these for the transformation spell. Alt smiles at Schneep, "Y-Yes this is good Schneep, thanks!"

Alt starts to mumble to himself, duplicating the bracelets until there's 5 of them. He sets them all down, starting to write out the runes he needs with the marker: water. breathing, transformation and... can he still use fish here? That made them like... real life fish back in the merman world they found... but maybe the principle will still work here? Just in case... he knows the rune for space? Space...fish... that seems like it could work? He grabs a bracelet and secures it on, whispering some magic words to himself. As he does, his eyes and the runes glow blue. He gets to his feet and is about to take stuff off before he shrugs. All their stuff is already ruined... but mermen usually at least have their shirts off… god he missed his jacket. He pulls off his shirt then takes a steady breath. "Alright... Lemme see if this works..." He mumbles, before he dives into the water.

"Wait hey!" Mer-Jackie yells in a bit of concern, "The reaper!"

But, then Alt pops back up and- first thing you can notice is he has gills. and some kind of blue green armor on his arms. Henrik and Mer-Jackie's eyes widen. Alt takes stock of himself and then lifts up his legs- but now its a tail! A big thick tail that has... weird reddish prongs on the ends. Alt blinks in confusion. "What the hell??"

JJ applauds, impressed by Alt's work.

"Oh, so cool!" Jackie whoops.

Mer-Jackie gasps and swims closer and lifts up his tail to look at better above the water, effectively pushing Alt under the water in the motion. "Oh!! Oh my stars you're a hybrid now!!”

"But unlike one we have ever seen..." Henrik breathes, getting closer too to see.

"I know what you are though!" Jackie pipes up excitedly, "You're a- OW!"

A shock runs up the tail and reaper Jackie lets go and Alt pops his head back out with a glare. "...a little warning, next time?"

"You're an ampeel!" Mer Jackie says happily, as if that didn't just happen.

Alt's eyes widen. "...it worked?" Then he laughs in victory and pumps his fists, "Yes! It worked!" He then glitches back onto the ship and the other boys can see that out of the water, Alt still has gills and the weird armor on his arms and legs but- he has legs again and is mostly human. He quickly bends down and starts saying the spell words to make all the bracelets work.

"wooahhh- how'd you do that?? I've never seen a- a hybrid become human before!!" Mer-Jackie gasps. Alt just smirks, "It's magic~!"

Schneep laughs. "Wish I could have seen it. An ampeel?"

"Apparently it's a fish with armored plating and these parts that stick out and shock people," Jackie describes. "So—that'll work for all of us?" His eye lights up. "Can I try? Oh, what about our clothes?"

Alt grins, "Yeah- i-it'll probably turn you into different things... It's based on the soul. So... huh- you could become something like these guys or... maybe something completely different." Alt then laughs and gestures to himself, "Seems like they stay intact with the spell... thank god or I'd be really embarrassed right now." He hands the bracelet to Jackie and nods, "Give it a try!"

"Oh hell yeah!" Jackie takes the bracelet and pulls it on. He hesitates, but then—just in case, quickly takes off his hoodie and shirt beneath. Not that he doesn't trust Alt's magic. He just thinks it's better safe than sorry. Taking off his pants is a bit too far, though.

He takes a deep breath, then dives into the water. A moment later, he surfaces, and looks down at himself. He has a long tail instead of legs, covered in red armor that's white on the belly. A ridge of fins runs down the back, and two small flippers poke out near his waist. On his back are mandibles, similar to Mer-Jackie's but a bit different, all black and a bit serrated on the inside. "Whoa... this feels so weird. But also, kinda cool."

Mer-Jackie blinks in surprise and circles around Jackie. He looks... confused. He tilts his head and studies him. "I... I've never seen a fish like you before... Are there fish like this on this planet, Schneep?" he asks looking over at Henrik. Stalker Schneep looks just as confused and shakes his head, "... I have never seen a creature like this..."

"Huh... weird..." Mer-Jackie mutters. "Guess we can always ask Danan."

"Hah... I'm special." Jackie grins. This is strange... he lost his legs but gained four extra limbs. As he thinks about it, the mandibles snap a little. Good thing he took his shirt and hoodie off after all, these new things might've torn through them. But... it does leave his chest exposed. With all its scars... He folds his arm, trying to be casual about it.

Alt watches Jackie jump in with a smile then goes to hand a bracelet to Schneep. "Do you wanna try Schneep? We'll try our best to stick by you and help..."

"Hmm? Oh yes, of course." Schneep looks down at the bracelet as Alt places it in his hand, and he quickly puts it on. He takes his coat off—the water makes it heavy—but leaves his shirt on as he slides into the water. When he surfaces, his upper torso is unchanged, but his legs have been replaced by a bony tail covered in translucent flesh that allows the skeleton inside to be seen. Four tendrils branch off at his waist, moving slowly. One wraps around Jackie's new tail and he yelps in surprise. "Ah, s-sorry, Jackie."

Alt blinks over to look at the two of them and grins, "Woah! Awesome!"

"Ohhh! You are a River Prowler!" Henrik says brightly, swimming around Schneep. As he swims he does seem to take in Schneep's face a bit more, tilting his head. "... Jackie? ... do these strangers look... really familiar to you?"

Mer-Jackie is still swimming and trying to figure out what the hell other Jackie is. He pops back up and blinks at Henrik. "Hah?" He looks back at other Jackie and tilts his head too. "... mmmm maybe? I dunno..."

"..without the scars... this Jackie kinda looks like you... if you had brown hair." Henrik points out.

Mer-Jackie whips around to look at his brother then back at Jackie. "What?? n-no way! ... well if that's the case then- you look like this Schneep a lot! He just needs your goggles and green hair!"

"..h-hah??" Henrik gasps and looks at Schneep with wide eyes.

Jackie laughs a bit nervously. "Yeah, uh... funny, isn't it?"

Schneep blinks. "They have green hair? All three of them?"

"Yeah, they do, it's a bit strange... but kind of cool looking," Jackie says.

"Oh, I can imagine. My friends Jack and Chase dyed their hair together some years ago, I can picture it vividly," Schneep says. He turns to the hybrids. "Oh yes, I should explain. I actually cannot see." He waves his hand in front of his eyes, demonstrating. "Not at all. It is just black to me. So, if I have seemed clueless, that is why."

"OOOHH!" Mer Jackie says, "That explains a lot! Hey! The reapers are technically blind too! Maybe I can teach you to roar so you can like- echo stuff out and feel things!"

"I do not think River Prowlers can roar like you do, Jackie." Henrik says with a raised eyebrow. Mer-Jackie grumbles and crosses his arms. "You don't know-! Maybe.. they get special abilities or something... like that new thing Marvin can do! Or how Jamie can talk to other fish!"

If we're going to become fish I should do something really quick before that, JJ says. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out the tooth Bro knocked out in their fight back in SCLERA. He presses it to the empty space, concentrates hard... and, after a moment, there's a flash of blue light and the tooth is reattached. He shakes his head, wobbling a bit. That took more power than he thought, but he can still make do.

Bro blinks at JJ and then his eyes widen and he goes to help JJ get steady afterwards. He hesitates for a second before lightly hugging JJ around the shoulders. "...sorry I did that... sorry..."

JJ blinks. He smiles at Bro and pats him on the back. It's alright. I know by now that you can't blame someone for the things they do while controlled. His smile fades. I'm... sorry, too. I don't know what came over me back there. I was just so angry... and... He shudders, remembering what it was like. So that was the effect of black magic, was it? He'd read about how it changes people, but he'd never understood the temptation until it was right there. So much power... but at the cost of acting on his worst impulses and feelings.

Bro squeezes JJ back and then smiles at him. "Hey, it's okay dude. Water under the bridge~!" He grins dopeily and nudges JJ with his elbow a bit. "Besides- no harm done." He gestures to the claw marks on his suit. The skin underneath is still a bit red and patchy but it's already starting to heal. "I heal fast, remember?"

J looks surprised, then laughs and nods. That's right. I forgot. Well... if there's 'no harm done', and we're both sorry, then we shouldn't worry about it.

Bro laughs and pats JJ on the shoulder, "Alright- I'm good with that~ You ready to try this crazy shit?"

JJ laughs. Of course!

Bro smiles at JJ and goes to take a bracelet and put it on. He takes off his hero jacket and then dives in. When he comes back up- he has purple markings on his face and purple like veins going up his neck. He has scalloped plates on his arms like armor and on his shoulder blades. And this strange armor like structure on his chest that sticks out a bit from his collarbone. He blinks down at it and pokes at it. "The hell is this thing??"

Alt bursts into laughter.

Jackie grins. "You're like if a fish was a tank."

Mer-Jackie blinks out of his mood and swims over and brightens up. "Oh oh!! You're a boneshark!! cool!!!" He points at his eyes. "We got the same kind of markings too! That's so cool??"

Bro blinks, "Really??" Then he grins and holds up his hand for Jackie to high-five. But the hybrid just blinks at him in confusion.

JJ giggles at Mer-Jackie's confusion. I don't think they know what high fives are.

"Really? Well, you do it like this." Schneep holds up a hand, and Jackie swims over to slap it. Classic high five. "It is an expression of friendship, or acknowledging that something is cool."

Mer-Jackie's eyes light up and he rushes to go to high-five Bro- wayyy too hard. "Ow! Jesus!" Bro exclaims, holding his hand. He grins nervously, "T-That was great Jackie! just... not so hard?"

"Ohhh okay!" He grins, showing off his teeth again. "That's fun- I like that! Imma high five alll my brothers!"

Well, I suppose it's my turn. JJ takes the last of the bracelets, removes his cape—much like Schneep's coat, it gets heavy when wet—and shirt, and jumps into the water. He pops to the surface with a blue glowing tail, slightly translucent, with a diamond-shaped fin at the end. Wings are attached to his arms, pointed at the ends, like some sort of fancy scarves or long sleeves. The blue translucence carries up his torso all the way to his shoulders. Red shapes can be seen inside his body, about where his lungs and stomach would be. He looks down at himself in surprise. He can see through him. It's a bit disconcerting... but he likes the glow.

As JJ jumps in Mer Jackie swims over and beams. "Woahh! A ghost ray!!" He swims over and holds up one of JJ's wings, "You got wings just like Chase does!"

"What?" Bro says, looking at his arms, "I don't got wings!"

"Not you! My brother Chase!" Reaper Jackie laughs. He then blinks and grins even bigger. "Now you can all meet them!! Oh Oh- Jamie is gonna love all of you!! And Chase! ... probably- mmm Marvin might be a mixed bag and... well- you have met Anti..." He shakes his head and smiles again. "And we can show the base!! Oh! This will be so much fun!"

Alt chuckles and dives back into the water with everyone. "You guys might wanna make sure you keep your things on you... unless Schneep can grab them for us later? I'm just worried a rift will show up and they'll get stuck here..."

"A rift?" Stalker Schneep asks, "What is that?"

"...that's a complicated story- we can try to tell you later okay?"

"Better safe than sorry," Schneep says. "Somebody grab my coat.

"On it." Jackie climbs out of the water, temporarily turning human again—the mandibles shrink down but still stick out a bit, little nubs on his back—and grabs all their stuff, bundling it up in JJ's cape. He jumps back into the water. "So. Sounds like you have a bunch of, uh... are they... brothers, then? You're all related?"

How are you all different fish, then? JJ asks.

"That's a good point. How are you all different fish?"

"And where are we going?" Schneep asks. "Exactly, I mean. Details."

"Oh well uhhh-" Mer-Jackie makes a face as he thinks, "I dunno- Jack started calling us all brothers long before I was even born. Do you know why Schneep?" He then looks back at the others and grins. "Schneep is older than me. Most of them are- the only one that isn't is Jamie... oh! and Marvin! I found out I'm older~!" He says proudly, puffing out his chest. Then he laughs, "But to be honest? I've always seen us like twins."

"The reason why we are all different is... complicated." Stalker Schneep says.

"Well- me and Chase are brothers and we're different right now!" Alt points out, flicking his tail. "Maybe its a soul thing? Maybe its... magic?"

"It is not that." Henrik says with finality. "It is... come, I will explain while we swim. We have a bit of one." He dives under the water.

JJ tilts his head at Henrik's statement. Why does he have a bad feeling about this? A world where there are humans, but the only hybrids are their little group... something abnormal happened there. And maybe something not so good.

Mer-Jackie smiles and motions for them to follow after. "We're going to our friends' base! It’s down at the end of the shallows near the kelp forest!"

Alt and Bro look at each other. Bro instinctually takes a breath before going under and Alt rolls his eyes before he follows.

"Shallows and kelp forest, okay," Jackie mutters. That means nothing to him, but it might make sense when he sees it. He also instinctively takes a breath before diving. JJ is next, then Schneep.

#GITHV #glitch into the huffleverse #GITHV Septnautical #septnautical #alt anti #bro fantastic #stitched schneep #inverted jackie #the jaunty jackson #reaper jackie #stalker schneep #sea dragon anti #YEAHHH ITS SEPTNAUTICAL TIMEEE #TIME TO FEED MY OTHER BLOG LETS GOOO #for septnautical readers- i am still working on requests but this will hopefully help fill in the gaps ahgja #And i'll post everyone's designs in a bit!!#cuz you know i did them gahjba #i feel bad that i give away the surprise with the title but ghavj #i have like 3 aus so it was bound to happen HGVJB

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huffle-dork · 6 months ago

Text

Glitch into the Hufflverse Chapter 3: SCLERA

Read Swapboys | Read Crystal’s AUs

Read SITCV | Read SATCV | GITHV Masterpost

When everyone starts to wake up- they realize they’ve been moved out of the main lab space they were brought into and put somewhere entirely new. The walls are bright white- almost blindly so. Alt, Schneep, JJ and Jackie all find themselves in separate small rooms. Each one has a tiny bed (that they weren’t even put on) and a collection of monitors along one wall. A camera whirls up in the upper corner, focusing on their every move. Windows are placed along two walls on each cell, positioned so they can all see each other. 2 rooms facing the other 2. Alt and Jackie on one side. JJ and Schneep on the other.

As they all wake up and take stock of their bodies- they’ll all notice there’s now a cuff on their ankle, tethering them to the wall.

Alt instantly starts to panic, trying to pull at the cuff or glitch- but he gets shocked for even trying, causing him to cry out. JJ isn't far behind in the panic department. He runs up to the window, pressing his hands against it and staring through the glass. He tries to cast some magic to break through the window but receives a similar shock.

Jackie's first instinct is to pull at the cuff, testing its strength. No good. The tether is sturdy and the cuff itself is tight around his ankle. "Fuck!" he shouts. His eyes dart around this small cell. There's a bed at least—that's good. A camera—bad. Monitors—unusual. He feels his breath quickening but he refuses to panic like Alt and JJ are. This can't be too bad. He's been through worse. At least this time he has the smallest bit of hope that someone will find him. Surely the others from this world will come looking for their friends.

Schneep feels around the room, getting a hold of his surroundings. The sparse furniture and small size mean he's quickly able to get a hang of it. Which... does not bode well for what's going to happen to them. If they don't care enough to give their subjects more than a bed, that's not a good sign of these people's intentions. He can sense souls nearby. It must be Alt, Jackie, and JJ...but...

JJ stares out the window at the others... and realizes something. The Jackie across from him... He's different. You're not my friend Jackie, he signs, staring at him.

Jackie looks up and shakes his head. "No, sorry. It's a bit hard to explain."

“Fuck!” Alt shouts, his voice breaking a bit at the end. He staggers to the windows and looks over at the others, “Fucking shit I… I’m so sorry guys- this… none of this was supposed to happen! I… I never thought they… that they’d get Chase…” he grits his teeth and then hits his fist against the window. “Fucking shit-!”

“Don’t blame yourself, Alt,” Jackie says quietly. “I don’t think any of us could’ve predicted that.”

Schneep shakes his head. “I should have run when you told me to instead of coming back. I would be more help out there than in here.”

“It’s fine Schneep… you’re not one to leave your friends…” Alt mutters.

JJ looks at him as well. That’s Schneep but… it’s not any Schneep he knows. I’m sorry, I’m very confused, he signs slowly.

“Don’t worry about it, you were tripping balls the whole time, that doesn’t exactly lend itself to a clear head. Fuck that Overdose woman.” Jackie runs a hand through his hair. “Basically we took you and Alt to the hospital because you were in danger, but it turned out to be a trap and we all got captured. You’re in another universe, by the way. And me and Schneep also aren’t from here.”

“Oh, so this Jameson also uses sign language?” Schneep comments.

“Yeah, what do youohhh shit, right, you wouldn’t be able to read signs if you’re blind!” Jackie gasps.

Schneep chuckles a little. “No, I would not. My JJ and I have a system, but I think it will be difficult if we are all in separate rooms.”

“I can relay it for now, don’t worry,” Jackie says.

JJ looks around some more. He still seems pretty confused, but nods slowly.

“By the way, where is other Chase?” Schneep asks. “I cannot feel him nearby.” Maybe he should go looking? Can he leap out of this cuff? “Ow!” Nope, the moment he starts, there’s a distracting shock.

Alt looks guiltily at Schneep and sighs, “…you won’t be able to use your powers here… not unless they want you to.” He looks sad and glances down the hall. “…I dunno where Chase is… but I’m guessing they’re… they’re gonna keep… using him.” He shudders and grits his teeth, eyes flashing brighter in anger.

Alt slowly takes a deep breath then looks away, “…I’ll catch you guys up though… fill in some gaps. So… I heard you all got sucked in here by… by rifts. They’re… new. The device I used to visit you all just… broke. And Basically the rifts are broken holes that suck people into different worlds …or even different timelines. but I… I thought they wouldn’t be able to come here but that’s… another long story. JJ- like when you all fell here these are… other versions of our friends I’ve met. I’d… explain how they’re different but-“ He glances at the camera in his cell and glares at it. Then he deflates, “…fuck it. I think they already know more than I think… Schneep is from a world where… his Anti is made of black magic… and he’s also Jackie and Marvin fused together.

“And Jackie is… from a world where everyone but Anti is… well evil. Jackie’s trying to be better now though and their Chase has been put through some massive shit but… his Anti? He’s one of the most powerful ones I’ve met. He was able to get me, Bro and Jackie home after the TRVLR broke.” He laughs dazedly and shakes his head, “…I’ll have to try to see if I can c-contact him to get you all home but I… now we’re here and…

He shakes his head and looks between Jackie and Schneep, “Oh and for you two… JJ here is a magician in his world. Like me… he uses mainly ice magic though. But in his world… everyone’s roles are switched around from how you and me know things… like- their Jackie is a doctor… and their Schneep... Volt- he’s a superhero.”

The others listen to Alt talk for a while, staying quiet, their expressions all varying types of shock. Once Alt is done, they look at each other with wide eyes, really taking the other two in.

“I know you said your Anti was evil, but… you didn’t say your Anti was me,” Jackie says to Schneep.

“It didn’t come up—though I don’t know if I would have told you if there was an opportunity,” Schneep replies. “I am not sure how to tell someone that they are part of a black magic abomination.”

“Well Alt just did it,” Jackie points out.

Schneep chuckles. “He did, didn’t he?”

“It’s easier for me to say I think… since I’ve been to every one of your universes.” Alt says with a shrug, “If I didn’t point out and learn your differences you’d all blend together…”

“But… also… the Anti from my world is gone now,” Schneep says slowly. “I… do not want to talk about him too much. It is in the past.”

Alt perks up at hearing Anti is gone and he smiles warmly, “You guys saved them? That’s… that’s great. I’m glad that… that’s over.”

Schneep nods. "Yes... we are so relieved it's over," he says quietly.

“Oh.” Jackie blinks. “Well, uh, Jameson. Do you have an Anti?”

JJ nods. Nothing like yours, though. Anti is just a normal person there—one of my dear friends. Not some fusion or… whatever your Anti is.

Jackie repeats JJ’s words for Schneep, then adds with a shrug, “Anti is Anti. I think the closest description is some sort of electrical being.”

JJ nods. Are we really… that bad in your world?

“Are you really that bad? Uh… I don’t want to upset you or anything but… yes, absolutely.” Jackie nods. “I mean… my Schneep could probably get better, his case is kinda complicated, but my Jameson is… the worst. Just… just the worst.” He shudders.

JJ’s shoulders slump. He’s not sure how to respond to that.

Alt looks at JJ with understanding. “I know it’s hard to hear that J… but you and him are completely different. You’re the jaunty Jackson, you’re you.” He then laughs a bit bitterly and shrugs, “and well… if it makes you feel any better… I’ve really only met one bad Jameson… there’s way more evil Antis out there…” He grips his arms and lets himself feel for a second before shaking it off.

Schneep decides to brush this news off. “So… I am a superhero in another world.”

JJ blinks and smiles. A very brave one.

“Do I have powers, or…?”

In a sense. You have a lot of advanced technology.

Schneep nods. “I can see that.”

Alt laughs, “Volt is super cool Schneep… you’d like him.”

JJ still looks a bit disturbed by the news of an evil him, but he nods in agreement with Alt's statement. You do sort of remind me of him—more than the Schneep from this world.

"Yeah, it's strange," Jackie adds. "You definitely also remind me of my Schneep...but you know, a sane one with morals."

Schneep laughs. "Hearing you does sometimes remind me of my Jackie, too. And I know I have not interacted as much with you, JJ, but if Jackie is accurately translating your signs you at least speak a lot like mine."

"Doing my best." Jackie shrugs.

“God… if I had my spells books I’m sure I could find something to help you understand better Schneep,” Alt grumbles.

I may know something that can help, at least letting you understand my signing, JJ offers. Though… seems I can’t use my magic here. He looks down at the cuff.

"The JJ in my world also has magic," Schneep says. "Though... he is not a magician. It is very strange, he simply... gained magic one day. Very specific magic, too. It can help others, but not himself."

JJ tilts his head. He might be a warlock, then. Sometimes if a human is desperate enough for something, and has already been exposed to lots of magic, they gain magic of their own that's targeted to helping them achieve that goal.

"Yes, that does sound familiar," Schneep says slowly.

"My Jameson has magic, too... but it's not like either of those," Jackie mutters. "It's all contained in his pocket watch."

Oh, so he's a witch, then? JJ asks.

"Yeah, I've heard others call him that."

Alt looks very interested in the break down of different kind of magicians. Huh… interesting. He’s heard Mag call himself a sorcerer… is that what Alt is too…?

Jackie laughs. "You know... I think our three worlds might have more in common with each other than with this world. I mean, I'm sure this world is great, but things feel... different."

I've been here before, they ARE slightly different, JJ says. It's interesting.

Schneep tilts his head, thinking. "Perhaps... our three worlds are close to each other. And that is why a rift appeared in each of them."

Alt nods with a hum, “That makes sense… you all were really close to each other on the list the TRVLR had. Though… I dunno. I’ve definitely noticed that outside of mine and JJ’s worlds… that every other one had our friend group in pretty similar roles. Like… Schneep is normally a doctor. Jackie usually fights crime somehow… Chase is usually, normal? Sometimes a dad… mostly a dad actually now that I think about it. Marvin’s a magician… or powerful. JJ too… usually Marvins and JJs are like… really close… and JJ usually has something to do with… time? Old fashioned if nothing else… and Antis are… glitches. Evil electric… things. Not human…” He digs his fingers into his arms, shivering as he remembers all the horrible antis he’s faced. “…there’s other exceptions but… that’s a pattern I’ve noticed.”

“Huh. Well… I guess there are… similarities, then,” Jackie says slowly.

“Not too many,” Schneep says. “In my world, Marvin and Jamie are not close at all. They are really barely friends, in a way.”

And those roles don’t fit my world at all, JJ adds.

“Well he did say there were exceptions,” Jackie points out.

“Still… if anything is possible, surely there are many worlds that don’t fit those patterns,” Schneep says. “It’s simply that maybe… maybe this is a pattern in the worlds we can reach, and it breaks down the farther away you go.”

“Yeah…” Alt shrugs, “Universes get… messy. Usually you can tell who’s who based on looks though or like- certain behaviors or mannerisms. JJ always has a mustache or is mute somehow, always uses some type of sign language. Jackie always wears red or a red hoodie, Schneep is always German. Usually brunette. Chase always wears a hat at the very least… he’s the easiest for me to recognize though.” Alt laughs a bit hollowly. “And Antis…” He touches his neck and then pulls away his mask to show his scar. “…if they don’t glitch then… they usually have a wound like this. Or… green eyes… sometimes green-blue, like mine.”

Alt quickly reties his mask and sighs, “But… yeah… that’s basically the gist of patterns I’ve seen. We’re always together too… always connected somehow.” He smiles a bit, “…I think that’s… cool, you know? You always wonder if… you’d know your closet friends if things were different…”

"Your closest friends," Jackie repeats a bit darkly. He shakes his head. No, he shouldn't be jealous of others. Just because things didn't work out in his world doesn't mean it's anyone's fault. "Well... I guess it's kind of... sweet, somehow, that these people always find each other."

Alt gives Jackie an apologetic smile. “…you all were friends before…” He tries to say before shaking his head. “Again it’s… complicated.”

JJ frowns. There isn't a Chase in my world, though. Then he pauses. You said he usually wears a hat...? Why does it feel like he's forgetting something? Like... he's on the edge of a cliff and about to tumble into an important realization?

Alt makes a bit of a choking noise at JJ’s comment and then swallows nervously. “S-Sometimes there’s gaps… I-I wish I knew what… h-happened to your Chase, JJ…”

Schneep chuckles. "So you have an impressive mustache, too, Jamie. Good to know."

JJ is distracted from his thoughts by that comment. He grins. I'm quite proud of it, too!

Alt laughs, “Never met a JJ with a bad mustache! Unless they couldn’t grow one yet.” He smiles thinking of the younger JJ he met.

But then he sighs and looks at their surroundings. “…now that we’re caught up with that… I guess I should tell you guys about this place…” he waves his hand at the cells. “This is Sclera… Jackie, JJ… it’s similar to your IRIS. Except Sclera is more focused on studying magic with science than just… science. So… they know how to handle super powered people… or strange things like… people from other worlds.” He rubs his wrist underneath the purple bands on his right arm. “…they’ve captured me before… experimented on me… I-I don’t know what they’ll try to do to you all but…” He swallows shakily, looking scared.

"Oh..." Jackie isn't sure what to say. "I... I'm sorry. F-from what I've heard from Anti about IRIS... that's bad."

JJ shudders. He sits down on the bed, pulling his knees up to his chest. Alt... Not too long after we got pulled into your universe, something similar happened to my friends and I. Well... a lot of stuff happened before that. But eventually we were all taken by our IRIS. So... I know what you've been through.

Alt’s expression falls, “JJ I… I’m so sorry…” He grips at his wrist, “…no one should ever have to go through that.. I’m…” He growls in frustration and his hands light up with his magic as it reacts to his emotions. He gets shocked for that though and he yelps and stumbles back.

Schneep is quiet, looking troubled. "I... think there is an IRIS in my world, too. B-but they just make technology. I have not heard of any sort of... experimentation..."

Alt shakes out his head and addresses Schneep, “On the outside… that’s what these companies do. Experiment in secret to push their futuristic tech to the masses… trying to gain more control…” he growls, “It’s fucked.”

“Aw… thank you for the glowing endorsement, Mr. Brody~!” Dr. Cornelius’s voice echoes down the hall.

Alt glitches in surprise and then yells out as he’s shocked again and tumbles to his knee as he holds his stomach. “Motherfucker…!”

Coming down the hall and towards their collection of cells walks in Dr. Cornelius, Overdose… and Chase. Dazedly and stoically following after the scientists.

“Hello gents~ have a good nap?” Overdose giggles.

"Oh fuck off," Jackie growls, as close to the cell windows as he can and glaring. "Fuck both of you. Fuck you so hard."

“Oh- the tough one’s feisty~” Overdose giggles and goes to meet him at his window, grinning wide. “I like that… they’ll be fun to break~”

“Jin, please don’t rile up the subjects too much,” Dr. Cornelius chuckles.

Jackie just glares back at Overdose. He's not going to be broken. He's not going to give them the satisfaction. He's not going to cry or scream or beg. He's had enough of that.

JJ stays where he is, looking at the doctors silently. He tries to stay calm but can't help but shrink away. It's going to be okay. It's going to be okay. It's going to be okay—he has to keep telling himself that because he doesn't know what he'll do if he stops.

Schneep inhales sharply. "Chase?! Chase is that you?!" He can feel him approaching—is it true? Is he really being controlled by the scientists?!

Chase looks over at Schneep, something flickering in his eyes, but Cornelius snaps and his focus is brought back towards him.

“Yes it is~ Chase has been a wonderful helper for us here!” The mad scientist laughs.

Alt gets up and slams his hands against his window, his eyes burning bright and toxic with held back magic. “The fuck did you do to my brother?!”

Cornelius grins at Alt and then looks back at Chase and shrugs. “You know what? I think it’d be better to hear from him. Hero, why don’t you tell Alt what got you here, hm?”

Chase’s eyes slip shut and he slumps a bit, before he shakes his head rapidly and seems to wake up from his daze. He looks out at the others and seems panicked. “W-What…? How- no…! Alt I-!”

Cornelius snaps his fingers, “Hero, stay focused.”

Chase stiffens and looks a bit scared but he mumbles out. “I… a-after the TRVLR broke… I… I was trying to find more information about the rifts and I… I wound up here.” He looks at Alt with tearful eyes, “I thought they… they could help. I thought it’d be different- just getting i-information-! I thought I knew the risks… I thought it’d be okay- I’m sorry Alt, I’m so so sorry- I wanted to help-!”

“That’s enough, Hero.” Dr Cornelius snaps and Chase’s mouth shuts and the emotions drain off his face as he stands stoically still once again.

Alt watches his brother get controlled by the man who tortured him and- he can only stare back with a heartbroken expression.

“And from there… we slipped in.” Cornelius grins, “Just enough so he would be none the wiser… a few subliminal videos here- some experimental things he could try for us in exchange for information… soon enough we were able to make a pretty little sleeper agent out of Mr. Fantastic~ while he was none the wiser.” The doctor sighs though, “It was tricky to get a hold of though… there’s some kind of mental block that prevents true mental control. But… luckily there are other ways to control a body~”

Schneep staggers back, listening to Bro talk. The control this Dr. Cornelius displays over Bro's actions... it's bringing back awful memories. Memories of what happened to his own Chase, with Anti. Then he walks up to the glass, practically trembling with rage. He doesn't say anything, but his eyes change color, his scleras darkening to black and his irises turning a greenish turquoise.

JJ shakes his head, stunned. Seeing someone who he knows as a brave hero, acting like this... it's terrible. You're sick, he says, not knowing if they'll understand him.

"Yeah, they are, aren't they?" Jackie mutters in agreement.

Dr. Cornelius merely shakes his head at the others' attempts at insults. "Are we sick? Perhaps... only to those who don't see the good in what we do~! We're on the way to capturing magic for the masses to use! To understand its principles like they should be understood... by logic."

"How are you doing this...?" Alt asks quietly, glancing back at Chase.

"Hm? Oh, how are we controlling your brother?" Dr. Cornelius grins sharply, "It's fascinating, really! We're using a similar process to that dormant chip of yours Alt~" Alt stiffens and grabs his wrist, holding it close to his side. "We're capturing the energy that fuels his power- and only taking a bit of his brain power. Mostly controlling the limbic system and the thalamus- and generally leaving the cortex alone in case we need to influence something there~" He giggles. "We found that only in trying to control the whole of his mind was when we would get the... snag. That moment where something would hitch and he would break it. But, now? Well... these last few months have been very enlightening~"

Alt then yells in anger and hits the window. "You fuckers-!" He screams, electricity starting to rise around him. "I'll kill you for this-! I'll-!" He then screeches as Dr. Cornelius seems to click something in his pocket and Alt is shocked even harder than he has been. It only lasts a few short seconds, but Alt screams as his limbs jolt and jerk out of his control. He can't help but slump into a heap in his cell, clutching at his chest.

Jackie and JJ watch in horror. Schneep flinches upon hearing Alt scream. "Alt! A-are you okay?!" he shouts, facing towards him, a concerned expression on his face. JJ also rushes to the side closest to Alt, pressing against the window and staring at him, hoping he's alright.

"I-I'm okay S-Schneep..." Alt tries to pant, "I... I'm... ngh... 'm fine-"

"Holy shit," Jackie whispers. "Do you mean—does Chase know what's happening? Or do you—a-are you blanking out his mind?" Both options are terrifying for different reasons.

"Mmm... a little of both- though mostly the latter." Cornelius grins at Jackie. "He'll only know what we want him to know."

"You—you fuckers,” Jackie growls. “You motherfuckers!" It's like his Jameson and Marvin started some sort of company to standardize their fucked up business.

JJ shudders, looking back at Overdose and Cornelius. Well, at least one of them understands him. What are you going to do to us? he asks, not sure if he wants the answer but needing to know.

Overdose giggles at JJ and prowls close to him too. "Oh excellent question! Right now... we're just gonna... get to know each other a little better."

Suddenly, mechanical arms shoot out from the walls of their cells. They grab the boys with one arm while the other presses a syringe into the vein on their necks. The injection burns through their veins but soon enough they're released.

"Holy shit!" Jackie's first instinct is to punch the robotic arm, but that only—"Ah fuck!"—hurts his hand. JJ reacts similarly, trying to use his magic but only receiving a shock in response. Schneep yelps and tries to squirm out.

Alt heaves, holding his neck with a look of panic. "W-What was that?!"

"Oh.. you'll see~" Overdose giggles.

Soon enough, they all find their vision getting blurry. Any panic they were feeling starts to flow out of them like water- they start to feel themselves relax. Their heartbeats slow, their breathing gets shallower and everything seems to start to... float. It's similar to how being on ecstasy felt but there's no undertone of panic or pain. It's just... nice.

Dread immediately fills JJ's chest as the effects start, with it being all too familiar to the drug from before. But that dread slowly fades. He giggles a little, swinging his arms as he stands.

Schneep blinks. He tries to walk up to the window but trips over the cuff's tether and falls. He pats the ground. It's still there. Yeah. He's not hovering. Would that be possible, though? These guys are weird and magic. "Mein Gott..." he mutters. "I haven't... felt... like this... ever." He shakes his head. "This... this isn't... good, I think..."

Jackie paces around the cell, trying to see if he can force the effects away with motion. But no, it's not really helping all that much. It just gets harder and harder to walk until he eventually gives up and slumps against the bed. He blinks wildly. His scars aren't hurting as much. That's good, what is Schneep talking about? That's good.

Alt tries to push himself up but finds himself falling over and over. He would normally be angry but he... doesn't feel that. Where did all his anger go? He staggers to the bed and climbs up it clumsily so he can at least see the others. But, that's when his limbs refuse to work anymore and he slumps against the wall, blinking up dazedly. "...what... is this...?"

He doesn't get a response- only one of the monitors on the wall sparking to life. On it- a simple colorful spiral. It has none of the colors that make Alt flinch or feel fear. No these are... nice colors... yellows and blues and whites... Jackie, JJ and Schneep get the same thing on their monitors, drawing in their gazes. Well, except for Schneep... the effect is lost on him.

Overdose giggles, "Why don't we start simple, hm? Let's start with everyone telling me your full names, ages and where you come from~"

Alt feels his mouth falling loose- the urge to answer stronger than anything else. Even as some distant part of him screams not to. That screaming part of him is smothered by the fog overtaking his whole body. "..An... A-Ant..hea... Taran Brody... 27... B-Brighton..." He can’t help but shudder after saying that name. He hasn’t heard that in a long long time.

"Anthea?" Overdose smirks at Alt. Alt manages to find her gaze and growls, baring his teeth, "C-Call me that and I'll rip you apart with my bare fucking hands-!"

Jackie panics for a moment, but... there's no purple in those spirals. But.. spirals... he shouldn't... Huh. It's kind of fun to watch them go... circle... swirling... He finds himself answering the question without really thinking about it. "M'name's Jackie... Jackie Parker. But I used to be Julia. I'm... I think I'm... 29 now? 'm from... this city called Mirygale... Not a good city, I think... but it's mine..."

JJ blinks, staring at the spiral. His head feels foggy... but not the bad kind of foggy. It's a good foggy. He didn't know something like that was possible. "I'm..." He clears his throat. "Jameson Daniel Jackson—" He coughs wildly, throat too hoarse to keep going. Signing it is, but he'll have to be careful. His hands feel distant. 28. From Mirygale, Britain.

Schneep shakes his head, trying to fight off these effects. He hears the others respond... or he hears Jackie and Alt and assumes that JJ does the same after the coughing. He takes deep breaths. Maybe... he should save his strength... for something more important. What harm could come... from this question? "D-Dr. Henrik von Schneeplestein. Th...thirty years old. I live in Mirygale... i-in Britain, but... I grew up in Arzhorchal, i-in Germany."

Overdose shrugs and- well it seems her and Dr. Cornelius are taking notes. "Very good boys! Glad to see it's working~ Now let's see... what should I ask you all next?"

She looks at Schneep, JJ and Jackie, "Hm... Mirygale boys- We know you're from different dimensions... so why don't you tell us how your cities are different?" She laughs, "We already caught a bit about how your... little groups are different. Maybe this serum wasn't really necessary, loose lips~"

"Fuck you fuck you fuck you," Jackie says, though it lacks real bite. "We can talk 'f we wanna."

"I-I don't... I-I don't know a-about their cities," Schneep gasps out. "I-I just—i-it's a normal enough city, I think..."

"Not mine," Jackie mumbles. "It's not a good place... there's fucking crime everywhere... a dozen different gangs... and drug dealers and shit..." He looks at Overdose and flashes a grin that can only be described as feral. "An' all the coppers and shit h've been corrupted... most of them, an' more than usual, I mean. Same with... lotsa officials and shit... The city's fallin' apart, really..."

JJ shakes his head, shocked. That's not what mine is like. Mine is fine. We have... He falters for a moment. What do good cities have? Parks... and stage theatres... and trains...

"We don't have trains," Schneep mutters. "Just a lot of office buildings... Crime, but... not like Jackie is d-describing..."

I like it there, JJ says. I... want to go back... I want to go home... He feels tears welling in his eyes, and he hurriedly covers his face to wipe them away.

Alt dazedly looks over at JJ to see his signs and he clumsily tries to push himself up, " I'm g-gonna get you home JJ..! I promise- W-We'll figure something out, o-okay?"

Overdose rolls her eyes, "Alright- let's get a bit personal then. I see you all have quite the bit of trauma amongst you~ How'd you all get your scars and such? Or lose your voice, in that one's case." She points towards JJ. She grins at Alt, "You too, Mr. Illusionist. Tell us how you got that pretty scar of yours?"

Alt growls and glitches slightly- which gets him shocked again. He bites back the pain and then slumps back against the wall, falling back under the drug's pull. "... I was kidnapped... when I-I was 15." He tries to fight saying more but it just slips out, "They... t-they tied me up by my neck- cuz I bit one of the fuckers who took me. I didn't know I could glitch then... but I... I managed to do it and slipped through the binds... the ropes cut my neck though." He dazedly rubs at his neck, feeling the healed skin of his scar.

"I'm... I-I'm so sorry, Alt," Schneep says quietly. "You shouldn't h-have gone through th-that..."

"It was a long time ago," Alt replies distantly, "... its fine."

JJ blinks dazedly. He's always explained it away as an animal attack, but he finds that excuse isn't coming, and instead, the truth spills out. This being called Distorter lured me out of town, made me think a missing friend was there. But it was just Distorter. He attacked me. He wanted to kill me so he went for the throat. I'm only not dead because I have a friend who can divine things, and she knew I'd be in danger. But the damage was still severe.

Alt watches JJ as he signs and inhales sharply, "Distorter... y-you could talk before? T-That fucker...." He spits.

Jackie shudders. "I don—I don' wanna talk about—I-I don't want to talk about what M-Marvin did—I don't... I..." He tries to shake himself awake—but then he looks at the spiral again, and his efforts are in vain. The words come out anyway. "I got... shot and stabbed a lot... when I was out fighting, but... th-the worst of it... was after a magician I knew, Marvin, he... decided he didn't want to put up with me anymore. His magic... burns... It doesn't always leave marks, but when it does, it... burns. I-I don't know how long I spent—" He swallows a lump in his throat, curling up a little. "—it was a year, I think, I-I was stuck down there. H-he hated me. Especially after he... changed. H-he wanted to hurt me as much as possible before he killed me. I... I would've died... if Frederick hadn't found me." His visible eye goes distant.

Alt's eyes widen as Jackie tells his story. He knew some of it but, "A... A year? God... Jackie..."

Schneep turns to face Jackie, stunned. "That... th-that is h-horrible, I-I am sorry. I don't know if it'll help, but I—" No. Wait. This is the important thing. He shouldn't say this. Not when there are these terrible people listening. And yet, now that he's started, it's hard to stop. "I—I was—I-it was magic that—that is why I cannot see, I—" His body starts to tremble. "Anti, he... h-he took my sight. I-I don't think... he knew it would happen... but he... he..." The word is on the tip of his tongue. Nightmare. Nightmare. Nightmare Nightmare Nightmare—

He suddenly shouts and tries to leap out of the cell again, but cries out as the cuff shocks him for his efforts. But he's not thinking of that word anymore, so he can't say it. Good. Good.

Alt jumps as Schneep shouts and tries to scramble up to look at him. "S-Schneep?! Are you okay??"

"I-I'm... f-f-fine," Schneep says, breathing heavily.

"Damn- you all have been through a lot," Overdose mutters as she scribbles all this down. "Interesting... very interesting... Think this is something we could use, Doc?"

Dr. Cornelius grins, "Oh, absolutely..." He eyes the others and hums, "Why don't you all tell us how your abilities work? Alt can be the exception again, we have a lot about him." He giggles. Alt glares at him and bares his teeth.

JJ shakes his head... it's not a no, it's just him trying to find the words to describe magic as he's always known it. I... learn spells... and I cast them. It's very simple... I think. I like... water and ice... and healing. But I can do a lot of things. Teleport... make shields... I can turn into an animal but I don't do it often... Some spells need gestures or spell words or my mask to focus them... Or I guess I could use a wand instead? Or a crystal ball? He trails off, looking thoughtful.

Jackie laughs somewhat hysterically. "A-abilities? Motherfucker, I don't have any special powers—other than a p-pretty high pain tolerance, I thi—" He covers his mouth. He shouldn't say that he doesn't have powers. He shouldn't say that. Not in front of these doctors. "I can still d-do a lot, th-though," he stammers out, voice somewhat muffled. "Sometimes spells aren't as fast as fists."

"Ah- sorcery... very interesting." Dr. Cornelius hums. He then eyes Jackie and smiles. "...even without knowing what you went through, I know what black magic scarring looks like... you are still a fine specimen to study, Mr. Parker~" He giggles a bit madly. "Oh... there's much to discover there... I wonder how much power lies dormant underneath~"

"I'm... not sure how it works," Schneep says slowly. "I simply... think about it... and I jump to somewhere else. Or I grab something that was not there before. I don't know what happened to make me this way... Something about m-my soul..." Are those two things his only abilities? Well, he can sense souls, too, but... something tells him to push that back. To resist revealing that. Better they think him completely unaware of his surroundings.

Cornelius studies Schneep too, "... curious. Very curious. You can disappear and reappear like Alt but... without the electricity. That is fascinating... definitely something we can try to uncover more about..." He looks to Overdose, "Dr. Sun, any other questions you think we should ask?"

"Oh yes... let's see..." Overdose hums. Then, she grins wickedly. "Give us all your weaknesses. Anything we can use against you."

Since he wasn't brought into this round of questioning, Alt's attention was brought back to the spiral on the wall. So, he answers almost immediately, too lost in the fog to try to fight it. "...loud noises... I... I have m-mysophobia... e-especially if it sounds like s-static... h-hypnosis... m' not very s-strong without my... my magic..."

JJ's eyes flicker. He recognizes that this is something he shouldn't answer, so he folds his arms to stop himself from signing—but as he does so, the words are spilling out of his mouth, anyway. "Not a physical fighter... and if I use too much magic I get sick and collapse. And I... I don't like being... watched... or ignored... a strange contradic—" He coughs again, unknowingly demonstrating another weakness.

"I don' like fire," Jackie mumbles, staring at the spiral on the wall. "Don' like... burning. I can... endure a lot, but... that... M-my head's prob'ly fucked a bit, too, I wouldn't be surprised if my James'n did some stuff... I don't know." Some tears line his eye. "I'm... I'm a bad person... I know that. Tryin' t'be better but... I know it. Maybe th' way scars hurt still is... fate's payback..."

Schneep turns towards Overdose's voice and waves his hand in front of his eyes. "I'm fucking blind, you... you... du verdammter Idiot, du Dummkopf, du Trottel..." He trails off into mumbling German insults.

"Alright alright yeah yeah it was a general question, asshat-" Overdose mumbles. Dr. Cornelius claps his hands. "Well then! This has been very enlightening~ I think that's all we need for now. Why don't you boys try to rest that off, hm?"

He looks at Bro and nods his head. "Hero? Why don't you keep an eye on them for me?"

Bro nods, "Yes, doctor." He goes to stand right at the edge of their cells, straight up against the wall, held at attention like a soldier. He's been here listening the whole time... and there's almost no way to tell if he understood anything that was revealed. Except the slight trail of tears on his cheeks, but his face still remains expressionless.

"Grand! Welp! We'll see you all in a bit~" Dr. Cornelius calls as he and Overdose walk out of the hall. The door shuts loudly and then... silence. Overwhelming silence.

Alt eventually whimpers and goes to curl up, pulling at his hair. "...I hate this... I hate this...!" He mutters through a bit of a choked up voice. "Fuck them... fuck all these fuckers...! Argh-!"

"F-fuck," Jackie breathes. As the serum is fading and his senses are returning, he begins to really process the shit they're deep in. "We just told them all of our fucking secrets." He feels a little sick just thinking about how he told them about what Marvin did to him. Even if he didn't go into detail, he didn't want them to know any of that.

JJ chokes back a sob, pressing his hands into his eyes. What are they going to do next? How are they going to exploit everything that they just told them? He raises his head slightly, and notices Bro. He crawls closer, right up to the windows. Chase, I don't know if you can understand me right now, but we'll get out of here. We will. We'll all be okay.

Bro's eyes flit to JJ's signs and his eye twitches slightly. His hand seems to tremble. But, he can't get himself to respond any other way to him.

Schneep takes a deep breath. "There are—there are others outside," he mutters. "They—they must be worried. W-we just—i-if they do not come, nothing is perfect in any case. No defense is unbreakable."

"T-The others don't know we're here!" Alt stammers in panic, tears in his eyes. "They probably thought we w-went to the Dooms...! They don't know S-Sclera found us! A-And even if they did... w-what can they do?! Jays a t-therapist! Jackie can do parkour and sorta fight but... h-he's not an escape artist...! H-Henny can do some magic but I... I don't think it'll help here and t-then he'll just get captured too and I... t-that can't happen- H-Hen can't- I-If he got s-stuck here too I-I...!"

"W-well, they will notice if we are not there—" Schneep stammers.

"They won't k-know to look here I... I don't even know if we're s-still in that other hospital-" Alt mutters.

"Alt, hey, hey, deep breaths," Jackie says, scrambling across the cell to get as close to Alt as possible. "He won't get stuck here. None of them will. I-I can—I can do everything I can to make sure they don't, if they show up."

It's fine if you need to cry, but try not to spiral, JJ says gently. We can't get lost in bad what-ifs. I'm sure these people want you to be freaking out.

"Yes, exactly," Jackie says. "If you're freaking out, you're easier to fuck with. Deep breaths, Alt. Deep breaths."

Alt looks at the others with red-rimmed eyes and nods, trying to control his breathing. "... I'm sorry... I know it's not my fault you guys are here I just... I'm so sorry you're all caught up in all this shit... none of you deserve this..." He lets his tears fall quietly, rubbing at his eyes. "B-But you're right... w-we can't give them the satisfaction of freaking out..."

"For what it's worth, I do not blame you at all," Schneep says quietly. "No one is to blame, only those rifts." Assuming those rifts were freak accidents and not caused by someone deliberately, but he doesn't think that'll help for Alt to hear.

"None of us blame you," Jackie agrees.

And if we were not here, you would be here alone, JJ says. He gives him a small smile. I'm glad that you have company, at least.

Jackie nods. "Anything we can do to help..."

Alt lets out a bitter chuckle, "... I hate that you have a point JJ..." He curls his knees up to his chest. "...I'd be more of a wreck if I was alone..."

He's quiet for a second before he looks back at the others with determination. "...which means I have a clearer head... w-we can think of a way out of this." He leaps off the bed, still a bit dizzy but he starts to pace. "Okay... god I can't say too much but... we gotta... figure something out..."

He looks at Jackie and signs close to his chest, trying to avoid the camera, can you break your cuff? or- do you have anything hidden on you to try?

Jackie blinks. He thinks. They took my staff. And I was at home so I didn't have any weapons on me, he signs back. But might as well try. He pulls at the cuff, but finds it too tight to really gain much traction. That's gonna aggravate the scars around his ankle. He sighs, patting himself down anyway. Hoodie, pants, hair—hair. His eye widens slightly as he grabs onto part of his braid. There's something hard in there. Maybe something sharp.

You know we're leaving Schneep out of this conversation, right? JJ says. Not that Schneep minds. He looks deep in thought.

“Ugh I know-" Alt sighs, "I'm trying to figure out what I can do for Schneep..." He starts to pace again, "...his glitches aren't like mine... i-if we can break his cuff somehow then... then maybe?" He looks up at the monitors and all the electric things in the room. His eyes slowly widen, "...maybe I can drain the electricity...!"

"Hmm?" Schneep blinks to attention. "Well, yes, I never even thought about it as glitching before. More like forming a wormhole. I am sure that if this shackle was not shocking me... the things they use for you would not be effective. I'm not getting where you are going with the electricity, though. What would you do with it once you have it?"

Alt nods, "...I dunno i-it could be risky but... the cuffs are electric too. If... If I could find a way to maybe drain enough power or- m-maybe short out the systems...! Then... maybe that could be enough...?" He sighs, "But... that also feels dumb- I'd probably get massively shocked for even trying that... They know I can glitch into electric things so... they might be expecting something like that... Or I could overload myself..."

Through their mutterings, they don't notice another nodule that pops out from the wall. Something that looks like some sort of gun. Without warning, it shoots a beam of black purple magic at each of the boys, lighting up their systems with burning hot black magic.

Dr. Cornelius's voice crackles on one of the monitors, "Well gentleman! Hope you enjoyed your rest but... can't have you all discussing these kind of things~ sooo! It's my turn now~! Let's see how you all react to this!"

Alt gasps as the magic hits him and he falls to his knees. His eyes try to turn black and he grits his teeth as the magic crawls up his skin like veins. "N-No-! No not... t-this shit again...!"

JJ yelps, spinning around to see the gun retreat back into the wall. A hot, irritated feeling spreads across his shoulderblade, outward from the spot where the beam of magic hit. He suddenly feels sick, falling forward, arms trembling as they hold him up. Bits of blue magic spasm outwards involuntarily, triggering a shock each time it happens. He soon cries out and collapses fully. The magic shifts color, bright red joining the bright blue.

"Ow!" Schneep rubs his arm where the blast hit. "What the...?" His vision flickers—static swarms in from the side, taking over the blackness that's usually there. "Ah! Ah!" The sudden light after such darkness is painful. He presses his hands to his eyes, but of course, there's nothing he can do to block it out.

"Hey!" Jackie gets to his feet and spins around, glaring at the camera. "Huh?! So you guys are feeling threatened?!" He spins around. "Alt?! Are you— He suddenly stops, wincing. His scars are aching. They do that sometimes, but this is a spike in pain. A spike... that's not coming down. In fact, it's becoming more intense. "F-fuck. What the—wh-what did you d--" He cries out and staggers over to the bed, sitting down. "Wh-what's happenin—" And he cries out again.

He presses back against the wall, taking deep breaths. Breathing through the rising pain. This is fine. Whatever this is happening, it can't last forever. "Ack!" His eye! His eye is burning! His hand shoots up to his eye-patch, pressing against it. The scars on the back are... glowing, slightly. And so are the ones on his face. It's a dark, dark glow, a strange black light that's purple around the edges. He shudders. As the pain intensifies, so does the glow. He falls to his side—then shrieks and turns over so he's lying on the side that's less scarred.

Alt digs his fingers into the floor and bites back a scream. The magic is eating up his own- corrupting it. Turning it into something it's not. He hears the sounds of his friends in distress and he tries to glitch up, only to be met with another shock that sends him back down on his hands and knees with a yell. He bends his head down and then- starts to giggle. Bright purple is trying to fill his irises around pure black sclera and Alt can't help but let out a manic sounding laugh, even if his face looks pained doing it. He heaves, trying to push it back, but magic is crackling around him.

Dr. Cornelius is so intrigued by what JJ's and Alt's magic is doing- he shuts off their cuffs. If anything bad happens- the hero is there to stop it. And- their cells have better protection than the last time Alt was here.

"Wh-what is happening?!" Schneep asks. "Alt?!"

Jackie hears the strange laughter coming from Alt's cell but he can't look towards it. He picks up the pillow and bites onto it. He's not going to scream. He's not going to scream. Even as his scars burn with agonizing acid, he's not going to let them hear him scream. The strange black glow is brightening.

JJ gasps, lifting his head to look at Alt. His eyes are glowing—a blue core surrounded by red light. With the cuff's magic suppression deactivated, more and more magic splashes off, almost liquid in its movement. Every place the red droplets hit, they spread, becoming a thin layer of red ice. The temperature in the cell lowers enough that JJ's breath comes out in steam.

He staggers to his feet. Suddenly, it doesn't hurt anymore. He presses his hands to the window, red frost spreading from the point of contact and yet not blocking the spot where he's looking. He watches Alt... and his eyes flash with rage as more of the red consumes the blue. His head whips back over to the camera in the corner. Well—why not take this chance?! He throws a bolt of red magic at the camera.

Surprisingly, it connects, splashing over the device in a burst of light. Electricity flies from the camera, a crack forming in its side, and it starts to smoke. JJ grins triumphantly, an unusual malicious bite to his smile.

"What?!" Cornelius's voice says over the comms.

Alt's head snaps up to the sound of the camera breaking, still giggling a bit with black-ish tears falling from his eyes. "J...?" The cuffs- they aren't on..! Alt takes this moment to try to see if he can cut through his connection- but his magic isn't responding to him like he wants it to. Trying to use his magic only makes his core burn and this- madness infesting him go faster. He laughs again a bit of pain in the sound but tries to curl up, twitching and digging fingers into his hair. "JJ-! ah-! t-try to g-get out...!" Alt cackles loudly, trying to fight against the force eating at his core.

"Hero! Don't let them escape!" Dr. Cornelius orders. Bro's eyes burn with blue and he stands more at attention, watching the cells carefully.

JJ's grin widens. The cuffs aren't on? How foolish. How utterly, utterly foolish.

He can't teleport while connected to something—he tried that before, last time he was stuck somewhere like this place. So he sends a spray of sharp magic at the tether, cutting through it. And the moment he's free, he teleports outside.

Bro instantly locks onto JJ as he teleports out the cell and quickly tries to tackle him down.

JJ laughs and teleports again, avoiding Bro's attack. He sends another spray of red magic out, a wide fan that can both hit Bro and the window of Schneep's cell behind him.

The magic scratches against the window but it doesn't break.

It also hits Bro but he doesn't stop in his stride, going to punch JJ in the face. Bro's fist slams against JJ's face with such force that it knocks him to the ground, stunned for a moment. But he gets up surprisingly quickly, and spits something into his hand. A tooth in a puddle of blood. He puts the tooth in his pocket and grins at Bro, eyes glowing red, blood rimming his gums. This is fun. He hears whispers at the edge of consciousness, urging him to keep going.

He lunges forward, cold red magic trailing behind him, and swipes at Bro's chest with translucent red talons.

Alt tries to stagger to his feet. Chase and JJ are fighting... he needs to help he needs to- destroykillmaimchaoschaoschaos- Alt yells out in pain and grips at his head, twitching and glitching as magic builds up stronger around him. I-It's so hard to fight it-! He doesn't want to hurt the others though...!

JJ teleports again, suddenly behind Bro. Red magic wraps around Bro's neck like a rope, and JJ grabs either end and pulls. If he can get Bro out of the way, SCLERA can't use them! He'll take away their weapon! That's what they get for hurting him and his friends!

"Wh-what is happening out there?!" Schneep gasps. He's managed to push through the brightness to pay attention to the outside—and he can feel a stark difference in JJ and Alt's souls.

Bro chokes, eyes wide, as he scrambles to find a way to get the magic to let go.

"NO!" Alt shouts and in a burst of purple glitches- he's outside the cell too. He attempts to grab JJ and pull him away from Bro as purple lightning crackles loudly around his body.

Bro slumps to the ground, coughing and heaving. Trying to catch his breath. He seems to have a bit more clarity in his eyes.

JJ gasps as Alt pulls him back. He twists around and looks at him in anger. "Don't you understand?!" he shouts, rough voice breaking. He laughs a little. "Do you hear them too, Alt?"

Alt slams JJ back into one of the walls, giggling madly as his eyes fill with corrupted magic. "I do- I-I feel it- I hear it!" He digs nails tight into JJ's shoulders, momentarily enjoying the idea of bringing him pain. His eye twitches and he tries to tell JJ through a twisted grin, "W-We c-can't listen...! We g-gotta try to fight JJ-!"

Then, in a glitch his eyes darken and a more sinister smile curls on his lips. "... then again... " He laughs manically and presses closer to JJ, "what color do you think we bleed now?! I... I- I wanna know!" He throws JJ to the floor and staggers back, giggling wildly. "E-Everything is purple...! Everything is dark-! Has it dyed me inside?! Has it dyed you?!" He keeps laughing- laughing laughing laughing-

"Alt?! Jamie?!" Schneep rushes up to the window, banging his fist on it. "Snap out of it!"

JJ doesn't react to Alt throwing him around—it doesn't really hurt all that much, or at the very least, the pain feels distant. Once Alt throws him down, he staggers to his feet again. "Do you want to see?" he whispers hoarsely. "Allow me to help!" A red crystalline knife appears in his hand and he slashes at Alt.

Alt staggers back and manages to whip out his own purple tinted knife to catch Jamie's. He grins wide and giggles, pushing back against JJ's knife. "I'll find out myself!" He cackles and tries to push JJ back and slash at him. JJ jumps back, avoiding the slash. His heart is pounding in his chest, and he grins with manic excitement. He lunges back forward, his knife glowing brighter as he aims to stab Alt's shoulder. Alt glitches out of the way, laughing crazily. He flips the knife in his hand is about to try to strike again when-

Sudden loud alarms start blaring, bathing the hallway in red light.

Alt screeches and immediately goes to cover his ears, curling up against the noise. "N-NO!"

JJ looks at the alarms in surprise, and then back down at Alt. Well—it's not fun if they're not both participating. He instead rushes to the nearest cell—Schneep's—and sends a ball of magic at it.

The magic rocks the window a bit but, it still manages to stay sturdy.

Bro blinks spots out of his eyes, trying to focus. There's... so much noise. What's happening? "...Alt...? J?" He whispers hoarsely, trying to push himself up.

Alt gasps and claws at the sides of his face like it will get rid of the noise. "S-Stop it...! Stop it!"

Soon enough, jets pop out from the bottom of the hallway and start to spray that same sweet smelling smoke that Overdose used to knock them out earlier.

Schneep perks up at the sound of the jets. "Are you fucking kidding me?!" He gets up and rushes towards the window, pounding on it in the vain hope that he'll be able to break through after the damage JJ did. Meanwhile, Jackie's barely able to lift his head to look at the smoke filling outside.

JJ staggers back, looking at the smoke. He quickly covers his mouth and nose with his shirt and starts blasting the jets with magic. The jets are easily destroyed, but the blasts are sending magic up into the air and swirling it faster and faster around the boys in the hallway.

Bro is too disoriented to try to fight- but he sees Alt struggling and tries to reach out.

Alt curls up smaller and smaller, purple eyes darting around in panic. Then, it morphs into anger as purple fully takes over his eyes. "I said- STOP IT." He throws himself forward and finds the nearest spark of electricity he can feel- and then channels all his magic into overloading the system. The lights flicker and the alarm cuts off. The lights don't go completely out though- just dim. but any remaining monitors and cuffs start to short circuit. In fact, they burst so massively in Jackie’s cell the window cracks and then shatters. After this, Alt pries himself away from the wall and staggers back before he collapses onto his back, dazedly blinking out at the thinning fog. But it's quiet...

Schneep can feel access to his powers again.

Schneep leaps out into the hallway, grabbing JJ and shaking him. "Fucking stop!"

JJ staggers back, staring at Schneep with wide eyes. They're still glowing, but that core of blue is back, peeking through the red. His body shakes suddenly as he suddenly feels sick.

"Alt! Bro!" Schneep leaps to a spot between the two of them, quickly checking both their pulses and breath. "Jackie! Help!"

Bro jumps as Schneep appears but gets a more wakeful look in his eyes. "S-Schneep-!" He tries to stagger up and grab Alt, "Alt? Alt? Can you hear us?"

Alt blinks sluggishly and looks at Bro blankly, the purple fading from his eyes. His sclera is still black but he smiles. "C-Chase...?"

Jackie pushes himself up, breathing heavily. His scars are still glowing slightly, but the burning sensation is fading. He gets up, gritting his teeth, and staggers over.

But... there's an odd feeling coming from the hallway now... a crack in the ground, dark black, pulling at the boys in the hallway's clothes.

"Do... do you f-feel that?" Jackie asks.

Schneep pauses. His eyes widen. "No. No, it cannot be."

Both Bro and Alt stiffen as they hear the others and looks towards the crack as it expands, the wind picking up more.

Dr. Cornelius can be heard brokenly through the damaged comms, "No--! The-- readings-- be-- rifts-!" Then, it fizzles out into static.

"Rifts?" Schneep looks towards the sound of the comms. "They know about the rifts?"

"Of course they do, if they knew we were from other worlds!" Jackie says.

Bro looks guilty, “I-I told them about them…” he mutters.

Alt gasps and tries to scramble away on instinct then looks at Bro with panic as he sees the wind affecting both of them, "I-It's pulling us in too?!"

"I-I guess so?" Bro answers in a panic. He looks towards the others and then reaches out a hand, "M-Maybe if we all stick together- it won't separate us into f-freaky timelines and shit! Maybe it'll take us to one of your homes!"

JJ nods and grabs onto Bro's hand, not saying anything in response. The red is quickly fading from the magic that flutters around his fingers.

"I guess anywhere is better than here!" Jackie grabs onto JJ in turn, holding onto his arm with one hand. His other grabs onto Schneep's wrist.

Alt narrows his eyes and then looks at the rift. “J-Jackie is right- anywhere is better than being stuck here!”

Schneep doesn't protest. "That makes sense to me—We better stick together, yes? Safety in numbers."

Bro nods in determination to Schneep, “We will.”

Alt sticks his middle finger up towards the ceiling, “Fuck you!”

The rift gets bigger and bigger and soon enough, is big enough that Alt gets pulled in- followed by the rest of the group. Down down down into rushing pitch black night… the sounds of that awful lab fading away.

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huffle-dork · 6 months ago

Text

Glitch into the Hufflverse Chapter 2: Swapboys

Read Swapboys | Read Crystal’s AUs

Read SITCV | Read SATCV | GITHV Masterpost | AO3 Link

JJ falls for a while in darkness until he lands somewhere- completely opposite. He’s immediately met with the sound of loud music and flashing neon lights. There’s a crowd of people dancing and laughing and drinking.

Jameson’s fall seems to have alerted someone but they just laugh and help him up. “Yooo you trippin’ dude? Oh yo- slick outfit.” The stranger laughs before getting pulled off by another person to dance. They laugh and wave at Jameson before disappearing into the crowd.

JJ is stunned for a bit, taking in all the music and lights and people and... everything. What the hell? What the actual hell? Where is he? He's never been anywhere like this before!

Looking around more, JJ can see… a really impressive light show on the wall. Making digital 3D images appear and melt across the surfaces of the wall and making parts of the building look like it’s made of code then breaking apart into pixels and numbers. A projection but… a pretty impressive illusion. Following the source he sees someone familiar at the front of the dance floor, up on a stage like a DJ. It’s… it’s Alt Brody. The mask alone gives him away- followed by the glowing led cat headphones on his head. He’s smiling and jamming to the song that’s playing, moving between his equipment with ease- and a bit of glitches here and there. A logo hangs off the table with the bold words ‘Antisepticeye’ curved around a hand drawn Sam with Alt’s smiley face drawn on top in red.

Alt...? 'Antisepticeye'? JJ is so disoriented that he takes a moment to process what he's seeing and really take in what it means. He's not... home. He must be back in that other world, the one he and his friends got accidentally sent to. And... well... he's not sure how to react to that. The lights are not helping—though they are breathtaking to look at. With nothing else to do, he starts edging through the crowd towards the front. It's not polite to interrupt an entertainer's performance, but getting Alt's attention is the best idea he can come up with.

Alt is grooving with the music, in the rhythm of flipping switches there, moving screens there. He’s in his element. But, he sees movement towards the stage and blinks in confusion, then his eyes slowly widen. “…JJ??” He mouths in surprise, pulling his headphones off.

He hurriedly clicks on some stuff on the computer and pulls out a USB to start running his wind down before he glitches off the stage and appears next to JJ. He pushes his hair back in disbelief. “Uh… h-hey? What- what are you doing here?! Did- did you guys mess up a spell again??”

JJ shakes his head. God, this place is loud. In a way it's not too different from one of his magic shows, but it's different being in the crowd compared to the stage. I'm not sure what happened. There was this black hole that opened up and pulled me in. At least he doesn't have to shout over the crowd. His voice definitely wouldn't be able to get loud enough.

Alt’s eyes widen, “What?!” He shouts, looking pale.

Then, there’s the sound like… a smoke machine going off. Colorful clouds of smoke start to billow from the middle of the crowd and they get bigger and bigger, covering the dance floor in seconds. Soon enough- people start dropping and fainting.

Alt whips around and curses, “Are you fucking serious?! Now!???” He grabs JJ by the arm and tries to push him towards an exit, “JJ get out of here! I’ll try to meet up with you in a second!”

JJ lets himself get pushed at first, shocked by what's happening. What is this? Some sort of gas. Wait, I can help! he frantically signs, regaining his senses and pushing back against Alt.

Alt looks terrified that JJ is still here, “You don’t get it-! This bitch is seriously bad news! I don’t want you to get caught up in this!”

While they’re busy arguing, someone is walking through the crowd as it thins, dazed bodies crashing to their knees or completely collapsing against the floor. The figure is a woman with tan skin and purple curly hair, popping bubblegum like it’s a casual day for her- a heavy duty mask curled around one of her fingers. She sees Alt and grins, heading over. “Hey! If it isn’t the hero wannabe! Awww did I ruin your show~?”

Alt stiffens, then narrows his eyes at the woman as he tries to push JJ behind him. His eyes burn green as he snarls. “Overdose.”

Overdose giggles, waving cheekily at Alt. “Good to see ya too~ and oh! Who’s this you’re trying to hide from me- hm?”

“Back off!” Alt tries to warn.

JJ wraps his cape around his mouth and nose, hoping to block out the worst of the gas. Who is this woman? Overdose? It seems like she and Alt have some history. And if he says she's bad news, he has to help. His eyes glow slightly blue and magic dances around his fingers. The floor between Overdose and Alt turns blue and slick. If she gets close he'll be ready.

Alt and Overdose look at the changes on the floor in confusion. Then, Overdose grins. “Well well… he’s a freak like you, huh? This will be fun~!”

Alt staggers back with a bit of fear as Overdose digs through her coat. She pops a pill into her mouth and then pulls out a vape pen- but she doesn’t direct it at Alt and JJ. She takes a casual puff and laughs. “You know- I knew about this whole operation shit right away. You bitches ain’t that clever. My partner is already taking care of that dopey hero.”

Alt’s eyes widen and his stomach drops. “No-“

“But I don’t mind- really~! The thing I want is right here… and some extra~” She giggles.

Alt pushes JJ back, confused. “W..what?”

Then, Overdose is rushing at them two of them, trying to dodge the blue but lash out to grab JJ.

JJ gasps. He wasn’t expecting her to just rush like that! He quickly starts to conjure a shield.

Overdose manages to crash through before the shield can fully conjure- mostly because she slips a bit on the ice. But she grabs him and grins. “Where do you come from, hm? If I didn’t know any better- I’d say you’re their doctor friend. But he don’t have fancy magic shit-“ But, she doesn’t give him much time to react as she blows the green blue smoke from earlier right in his face.

JJ coughs with the smoke—damn it he let go of his cape!—then blinks rapidly. His vision seems to sharpen- everything becoming warm tinted and a bit fuzzy. He feels warm but also- really really good. Like- very happy… what was he doing exactly? It’s suddenly all so… fuzzy. Oh. Wow. What’s going on? Well does it even matter all that much? He laughs absentmindedly, looking around. All the colors that seemed so loud before are—still loud, but he likes the noise now. His heart is pounding, his pulse beating fast in his neck. It’s all blurry though… wait, what’s going on, again?

“No!” Alt shouts as he glitches over to pull Overdose off JJ and try to shock her. But, he didn’t have time to pull up his mask and he gets a face full of the same smoke. He coughs wildly and staggers back, blinking rapidly. Overdose laughs sinisterly, pulling out something from her pocket- a syringe?

Then Alt yells and tackles Overdose to the floor, magic brimming around him and sparking at his fingers. “Y-You fucking bitch!” He wraps his hands around her throat and starts to choke her, murder in his eyes. Overdose looks shocked by this and wheezes, desperately trying to pry Alt’s hands off her with her free hand.

JJ’s head whips over to Alt and the woman—what’s her name?—and sees them struggling. That’s not good. He should probably do something about that. Slowly, he reaches out and grabs Alt’s shoulder, trying to pull him back. A bit of blue magic dances around his fingers… whoa, was his magic always that bright? Wow.

Alt jerks a bit at being touched and looks up at JJ dazedly, lightly letting up on Overdose. Enough for her to take her other hand and jab the syringe into Alt’s shoulder and press down. Alt yells in pain and crashes down to the ground, trying to blink past the new round of dizziness and blurring vision. “F-Fuck… JJ- run!” He wheezes out.

Overdose turns over and tries to grab JJ’s ankle and pull him towards her.

JJ stares at Alt, processing what he said—and then the woman grabs his ankle and he reacts instinctively, kicking her away. Right! No, bad news! Alt says to run. He turns and starts to run, tripping a bit.

Overdose yelps as she’s kicked and then growls, pushing herself to her feet and grabbing him as he trips. She laughs and then goes to inject JJ in his neck- the pain sorta dull compared to the rush of stimulus that floods into him. The lights get brighter, everything seems warmer- his heart is beating faster. He can’t deny that it’s… kinda nice feeling. Almost floaty. Everything is kinda dream-like… but there’s a slight current of terror underneath.

JJ tries pushing the woman away, but his movements are weak, the vague suggestion of a push. He's not able to get her away, and then after the injection he's not able to catch himself when he falls. He rolls over onto his back, staring up at the ceiling. It feels like he's on a boat... rocking back and forth... floating in the water... This isn't normal. It feels nice, but... it's not normal. Why is everything so hot all of a sudden?

Overdose pushes him over and giggles, wiping her forehead off. “There- that should keep you two occupied for a bit… hope you boys have a nice trip~!” She pulls on her mask then slinks into the cloud of smoke surrounding them, disappearing from sight. “I’m gonna go say hi to the hero~!”

Alt watches her in confusion. “W-Wait-! G-get fucking back here you-!” He cringes and grabs at his chest, sweat rapidly dripping down his face. He looks over to JJ in panic and clumsily glitches over to him, “JJ…! Can you hear me?”

JJ turns to look at the person who appears beside him. It's Anti, right? No, wait. It's someone else... He giggles hoarsely and waves at him. Then he rolls over onto his side, curling up. Ow. Ow. Why does his stomach hurt now? It's not actually his stomach, but that sort of area... he winces slightly. The bright colors around him all blend together. Where is he, again? Why is Anti here, again?

Alt looks pale and terrified as he watches JJ roll around in a daze. He fumbles with his phone and tries to get to Chase’s number but blinks in dazed confusion. “I have… s-so many messages…?” He then shakes his head and grabs JJ and closes his eyes, quickly glitching them away from the club. “Hang on J…”

=========

Meanwhile Jackieboy, Dr. J and Jackie arrive at the office. Jackieboy opens the door and turns on the light, gesturing towards the couches. "Here- make yourself comfortable... I think Henny's lift is almost here."

The office is a large pretty industrial looking space- beige walls and a bland rough gray carpet. There’s a huge L-shaped beige couch in front of a tv with all sorts of devices and games plugged into it- the wall is littered with comic books and figures and games. In the corner of the large square shaped room in a small kitchenette with a marble kitchen island that cuts it off from the rest of the office. Next to the tv is a hallway leading to other smaller offices and probably the bathroom.

Dr. J sets down his bag and tries to call Alt again. He sighs with a twitch of his mustache. "Still can't reach Alt or Chase... I'll mesage them to let them know we're here..."

Jackie looks around. "Nice place," he says, pacing around the couch. "What's it for? Some secondary hideout? Or is this, like, Alt's flat or something?" He looks slightly worried as Dr. J mentions he can't reach the others. "That's normal, right? You said it's normal to sometimes not be able to contact them?"

Jackieboy wanders to the kitchen and opens the fridge, pulling out an energy drink and popping it open. He sips it and sighs, "Something tells me I need to be more awake for this... Oh- this is my recording office." He says with a shrug. "Come here to film bigger budget videos or give my staff a better place for editing. But, we also use it for like- livestreams and to... chill mostly. Kinda became our place to hang that's not our flats." He laughs, "Alt wishes their flat was as nice as this. Cuz... it has cleaners and stuff."

Jackie laughs. "Yeah. I can't blame Alt, this is a good place. "

Dr. J snorts and rolls his eyes at Jackieboy before looking back at Jackie. "I mean... yes. But, usually if we contact them enough during these kind of instances we're more likely to get a response..."

"Chase usually answers, even when he's on patrol- but he has a biggg vendetta against this villain he's trying to find, Overdose." Jackieboy adds. "So he might be more focused than he usually is. Alt is only ever not on his phone or near it during a show... which- just... bad timing for all of us."

"Bad timing," Jackie mutters, and sighs. "Well. Guess we'll just wait." He continues to pace around the floor, passing the time.

Soon enough, there's the sound of the door opening and Henny arrives, gently guiding Schneep through the door. "Here it is, my friend! Straight ahead is a couch so be careful..." He then blinks up and looks at the others and smiles. "Oh! Jackie! Juwel! And oh- other Jackie! Yes yes Juwel said just... you look so different! But, Hello friends!" He gestures towards Schneep, "This is other me! He says he has also met Alt and Bro before!!"

Sahne is sat at Henny's side, her tail wagging. Henny kneels down to take off her vest and then she bounds towards Jackieboy and jumps on him, barking happily. Jackieboy startles and then laughs, petting her wildly. "Oh! Hello Sahneee! Who's a good girl??"

"Thank you, you have been very helpful," Schneep says to Henny.

"Of course my friend!" Henny says brightly to Schneep.

Schneep raises his head, sensing the presence of other souls. They all feel vaguely similar to the ones he knows as his friends—and two feel close to each other. Jackie and other Jackie, Henny said. That must be them. "Ah... h-hello. It is... lovely to meet you all."

Jackie blinks. "So... you're the other Schneep? The one who's also not from here?" He can see the resemblance. Henny does look a lot like the Schneep that Jackie knows, but this guy might as well be him--if not for the scars on his face. Dripping down from his eyes like his tears were acid.

Schneep turns towards Jackie. "Yes. And you are Jackie. You feel like the one I know... sort of."

"I... feel like him?" Jackie repeats, confused.

"Ah, it is a complicated matter, we can discuss it later."

Jackieboy gets up and tilts his head. "Oh so- i guess you two wouldn't have met before... only really Alt and Bro showed up in places huh? ...unless you guys have been to other places too?"

Jackie shakes his head. "Nope. Never been to other worlds." If he ever did, Marvin could never know about it--oh, fuck, he can never know about this.

"Not me, either," Schneep adds. "Though... one time, when I was getting used to my powers, I... well, it is complicated, and I do not think I could do it again, but... I may have ended up somewhere else? I am not sure. It was all very confusing." Schneep starts going around the edge of the room. Jackie can't help but stare at the cane as it makes its wide sweeping motions. But he quickly looks away. He knows just how it feels to be stared at—even if this Schneep probably wouldn't know he was doing it.

Dr. J studies this new Schneep- watching his movements. He is totally blind... oh this must be so confusing for him.

Sahne looks at this new Jackie and goes to sniff at him experimentally, her tail wagging low- she's trying to be cautious. But... he doesn't smell like he's bad!

Jackie looks down at Sahne and smiles. "Oh hello there! What a good boy—or good girl!"

"She is other-me's service dog," Schneep says, smiling a little.

"Yes! That is Sahne! She is a very sweet girl!" Henny laughs. Sahne licks Jackie's hand and barks happily, wagging her tail even faster.

"Aww. The vest, of course." Jackie nods. "Anyway." He walks over to Schneep. "Did you just say you had powers?"

"Oh yeah what do you mean by that?" Jackieboy asks.

Henny bounces on his feet, "He has magics!! Like me!! He pulled his cane out of the air!"

Schneep laughs. "Yes, that is one of the things I can do." He demonstrates, putting the cane away and pulling it out again. "But I can also do this." He steps to the side--and suddenly vanishes, reappearing back near the door where he came in. Then he's suddenly back over by Jackie, a weird fizzling effect dragging after his body.

Jackie gapes at this. "You can glitch?!"

"Huh?" Schneep looks confused.

The swaps react about the same.

"Woah! You look just like Alt when he glitches!!" Jackieboy gasps.

"Yes! Very similar!" Henny says happily, "That is so neat!!"

"How peculiar... I don't think we've heard of other glitches besides... Alt." Dr. J muses.

"There's a glitch in my world," Jackie says. "Anti."

"Anti?" Schneep repeats, his head whipping over to Jackie. "You have one too?"

"Yeah, and so do these guys—it's Alt."

"Oh, I know that, but he is different," Schneep says. "Though he looks similar to how our Anti did. Certainly gave my friends a scare when he appeared in our world."

"A scare? Well, if I assumed he was like my Anti, I can see that. I wouldn't want two versions of him, either," Jackie mutters. "That'd be fucking insufferable."

"I think it would be a bit more than insufferable," Schneep says, looking concerned.

"Huh? Well I guess if you piss him off?" Jackie says.

Schneep leans back. "I feel the two of us are missing something between us. But that is to be expected with other worlds."

"The point being, you definitely just glitched," Jackie says. "Though it looked different, I-I can't think of any other word for that."

"Huh." Schneep pats his chest and arms, as if confirming it's all unchanged.

The swaps watch the visitors' exchange.

Jackieboy coughs and speaks up, "I mean... I haven't been to Schneep's world- but from what I heard from Alt... their Anti is bad news... oh! other me! Do you remember when Alt and your Anti like... fused? And became... Amp??"

"Really?" Jackie says, intrigued. "Well, I guess I can see how Anti would be." He's been on the other end of Anti's fighting him enough times. Imagine if he actually wanted to kill him. Anyway. "Yeah, of fucking course I remember that. I'd never forget that."

Schneep tilts his head, already knowing where this is going.

"Well... Bro told us that Alt and Schneep's Anti did that too... and it was... super scary. They like- almost killed Mag. And then that bitch hunted Alt down and made him try to kill Bro! So... very different from... your Anti." Jackieboy says, holding his arms. "And I know I've met Antis that are... down right terrifying... but yeah..."

"Oh. Well... fuck." Jackie's eyes go wide.

"It is interesting that all our Antis are so different..." Henny mumbles in thought.

"Well- all of us are so different. So, is it really that strange?" Dr. J adds.

Jackie sighs. "That hunting Alt down thing sounds like something Marvin would do if he was feeling particularly spiteful."

Schneep's head snaps towards him. "What the fuck is your Marvin like?!"

"Bad." Jackie absentmindedly touches the scars on the back of his hand.

"He must be, if you are comparing him to that," Schneep says, shocked. "I know that worlds are infinite, but..." He shakes his head. "No, the other Jamie is right, we should get used to differences."

Jackie raises his eyebrows at 'Jamie.' Guess the Marvin and Jameson in this guy's world are actually decent people.

"Yeah the differences are enough to make my head spin..." Jackieboy grumbles.

"Alt and Bro probably would know the differences better than us. We haven't been to... many." Dr. J says quietly.

Then, suddenly, the air suddenly becomes electric. The air smells like burnt metal and they can feel the static electrcity pick up and make the hairs on the back of their necks stick up.

Soon enough, Alt and ... a completely new JJ to the visitors shows up, crashing to the floor. They're both heaving and covered in sweat, pupils blown wide in their eyes. Something happened to them-

And Alt is surprised to see he didn't glitch into this place alone. Henny, Dr. J and Jackieboy are here. And… two figures JJ has never seen- but Alt seems to recognize them immediately, though he stares at them blankly as he processes. “What… the hell…?” He whispers.

Jackie jumps a bit as Alt and—holy shit, is that another Jameson? The fuck is he wearing?—and the other guy appear. He's still getting used to this other Schneep with the scars on his face, and now there's a third guy. "Uh... well then. Hello again."

Schneep turns towards Alt and this stranger—this stranger who feels like his JJ, but isn't, in the same way this other stranger definitely isn't his Jackie. He doesn't say anything. This is all pretty disorienting.

The swaps all immediately rush over to kneel down by Alt and JJ. “Alt! And… JJ…? What- what fucking happened?!” Jackieboy asks in a panic.

Alt winces and curls a hand around his stomach. “O-Overdose… Chase and I t-tried to make a… a plant but she… she figured it out and… and JJ was…” He blinks rapidly, trying to right his vision as everything gets too warm.

“You both were hit then?!” Henny gasps in concern.

Dr. J quickly goes to grab JJ’s wrist and take his pulse and check his temperature. “…bloody hell… his pulse is going crazy… he’s feverish- this… this isn’t good- Jameson? Can you tell me what you’re feeling, if you can?”

JJ just lets this all happen. He pushes back his stage mask. Maybe it's the reason everything is so blurry. Nope, nothing's fixed. What's his reflection saying? Wait, no, this isn't a mirror. He takes a moment to process the question before raising his hands to sign clumsily. Heartbeat... Flying... Something hurts, stomach... Hot... The signs are barely comprehensible, his movements wide and uncoordinated.

Alt tries to stagger up towards the other two, and Henny grabs him to keep him from falling over on himself. “I don’t… h-how- why are y-you two here…? What happened…?”He looks at them like he expects them to fade away at any moment. “…are you real…?”

“I can assure you they are very real, Boltzen…” Henny answers gently, looking very worried for his friend.

"Yeah, we're real," Jackie says, nodding. He gestures to the Jameson tripping out nearby. "As real as that guy. Uh... you two should probably sit down. What the hell happened?"

"It sounds as though they were drugged," Schneep says, eyes vaguely darting back and forth as he thinks. "Something about... overdosing?"

"Overdosing? With what?" Jackie looks at Alt and the other Jameson with concern.

"Well I cannot exactly see the symptoms in action, so I do not know," Schneep drawls.

"Shit." Jackie stares at them closely. "Maybe some sort of party drug, that'd account for the 'flying' sensation."

'E-Ecstasy..." Alt mumbles out dazedly, starting to wheeze, "It's Ecstasy... I... I recognize... this..."

"You...? H-How?" Henny asks in concern.

Alt shakes his head. "l-long story...."

Dr. J looks even more worried. "...we might need to get them to a hospital-"

"What?! Already??" Jackieboy cries in distress. Dr. J nods gravelly, "Jameson is already showing signs of an overdose... I... I think... I'm not sure what this is-"

Alt tries to go towards the vistors again and looks at them with wide, unfocused eyes. "H-How are you here? How did you get here... w-why are you here?!" He shouts, a mix of panic and confusion.

"Alt, please- y-you need to sit down at least-" Dr. J tries to tell him.

"Calm down, Alt, please." Schneep raises his hands.

"Yeah, sit down," Jackie says. "W-we'll call an ambulance. Ah—I don't know what happened, but this weird rip thing opened up in my living room and sucked me in."

"Ah." Schneep's eyes widen. "Was it pulling at you?"

"Huh? Yeah, exactly."

"That must have happened to me, too. I was very confused, since I could not see what was happening, but it makes sense that we came here the same way, yes?"

"Yeah." Jackie nods, and looks at Jackieboy. "You called it a rift, didn't you?"

Alt pales a bit more at this and shakes his head, "Oh no... oh nononono-" He whispers and falls a bit and Henny hurries to help him stay up. "No no! They said they wouldn't come here- that they couldn't come here! W-We haven't even gotten the TRVLR back-!" He’s wheezing in panic and Henny and Dr. J hurry to pull him towards the couch.

Dr. J pushes him down. "Alt please- you can't panic right now! You need to breathe- please breathe...!" Alt hiccups in panic, trying to get his breathing under control. His chest feels so tight...

JJ looks over at everyone as they talk. Jackie and Schneep...? How'd they get here? What happened to them? They look hurt. He should help. He tries taking a few steps towards them, but stumbles instead. Bits of blue magic fizzle around him.

Jackieboy notices JJ trying to get up and stumble and he quickly reaches out to help him up. "Woah! JJ h-hang on- you need to take it easy, dude... We're gonna get you guys to a doctor soon, okay?"

JJ blinks up at Jackieboy. He points at him, poking him in the chest a little. No, wait. There are two Jackies. What if it's the other one? He looks at the other Jackie and points at him instead.

"Huh? I-I'm not a doctor!" Jackie backs away, raising his head.

"Oh right- your Jackie is a doctor..." Jackieboy laughs tightly. "God- it'd be helpful if he was here..."

"Don't forget I'm training right now, Jackie-" Dr. J adds.

"I just—I can try to help, I guess?” Jackie says. “Sit down, Jameson!"

JJ nods absentmindedly, stumbling over to the sofa and collapsing on it. Wow, it's so soft. He giggles a little bit.

Jackie jumps. "Oh shit he makes sound?"

Despite not being able to see Jackie, Schneep manages to give him an incredulous look. "The fuck does that mean?"

"My Jameson doesn't make any sound, it surprised me!" Jackie glances at Dr. J. "I mean—I guess there's two of them—"

"Ack, this is not the time for this!" Schneep shakes his head. "I am not kidding, someone call an ambulance! Keep their airways clear and monitor the heartbeat. Alt, how did this happen? Injection, inhalation, by mouth?"

"I'm calling- I'm calling!" Jackieboy calls as he gets on his phone. "God- now would be a great time for Bro to show up!! Where is he?!"

Dr. J looks at Alt and JJ and nods, "If they're gonna lay down make sure its on their sides- and we need to make sure we keep them cool... hyperthermia is one of the biggest dangers here and if they stop breathing... or- or seizures. So just... keep an eye on them." He looks to Schneep gratefully and nods, "Henny- strip Alt out of his jacket! I- I dunno if JJ wants to be touched but... we should try to see if we can cool him down too." He hurries over to the kitchen to look for a rag-

"Oh! Right-" Henny gently goes to unzip Alt's jacket and help him take it off, though Alt squirms and protests. He's so sweaty and hot, his vision is blurring so much. He is panickily looking around the room, breathing still rapid. "the rifts- we were s-supposed to be safe- no nonono-"

"Alt, please, you must breathe!" Henny tries to encourage him. "You are safe... we are gonna take care of this, alright?"

Alt whimpers back in response, his arms jerking in a way he can't control. He dazedly looks back at Schneep and tries to think, "...i-inhalation... but also... i-injection too... i think? Overdose had... had a syringe..." His head falls for a second, eyes slipping shut before he shudders and tries to open them back up.

"Fuck, so inducing vomiting would not help so much, would it?" Schneep mutters. "Other JJ is right, do all that. Have you heard of the recovery position? On the side, one leg and arm bent, other hand under the face. If the new JJ is wearing anything thick, you will have to take it off."

"I can do that," Jackie says, running on over. "Alright, Jameson. That cape is nice but it's not good for this situation so I'm gonna take it off you."

"Thank you Jackie," Dr. J calls and then hurries over to bend over and put a cool rag on JJ's forehead.

JJ blinks at Jackie, not really resisting all that much as he unclasps the cape around his neck and rolls up the sleeves of his purple shirt. Really, what happened to his face? And his eye? How are you supposed to wear glasses with an eye-patch? He tries to ask Jackie if he's okay but his hands aren't working. Voice it is. "Hhh... you... oh...kay?"

Jackie jumps in surprise again. "Uh—yeah, I'm fine. But are you okay? Here, lie down, lie on your side."

"Oh- woah... I don't think I've heard JJ talk-" Jackieboy comments quietly. He then straightens up as 999 picks up and he hurries over to the corner to call the ambulance.

"Fffffloatin'..." JJ murmurs as Jackie rolls him over.

"Yeah, I know, I know," Jackie says. God, this is so bizarre. He looks around at the others— "Alt! Eyes open! Don't fall asleep!"

Alt moans and half collapses into the sofa, heaving breath after heavy breath. He looks miserably at Jackie and the others, "...hurts..." His legs jerk now and then one of his shoulders and he bites down another whimper.

"Well, clearly he's capable," Jackie mutters. He keep staring at Alt. "Uh—what were you saying about seizures, other Jameson?"

Dr. J goes white as a sheet as he hurries over to kneel by Alt and look him in the eye. "Alt? Alt, my boy, you need to stay with us, okay? J-Just until the ambulance gets here!"

Then, the door bursts open and- it's Bro! He's bleeding a bit but mostly looks fine. He rips the pollution mask off his face and looks around the room in panic. "I-I got all your messages-! The mission went bad and- oh holy shit?!" Bro stares at all the new people with his friends- "Oh my... y-you guys weren't messing with me... h-hi everyone?" He waves awkwardly.

Alt blinks blankly at Dr. J- hardly even reacting to hearing Bro's voice across the room.

"Oh holy shit!" Schneep disappears and reappears halfway across the room, away from Bro. "I-I did not hear you coming! Ah--hello." He waves just as awkwardly as Bro did.

"Yeah no, they weren't fucking with you," Jackie says. "Hey Bro, good to see you again. Help!" Then he fully takes in Bro's appearance. "Wait—you're bleeding too! The fuck happened today?!"

JJ raises his head slightly as Bro comes in. Who's that? He feels like he knows him—ow! Pain shoots through his chest and stomach. He groans and starts to curl up again but Jackie stops him.

Bro startles and hurries over to where everyone is, "Oh fuck- oh shit! Was this Overdose?! Fuck! She must have gotten through all our defenses- that sneaky little-!" He cuts himself off as he shakes his head. "Right uh- Alt agreed to help me s-set up a way to draw in Overdose but I-I- She sent her partner after me who's a stupidly lucky fighter and I....! Fuck-!" He grabs at his hair, "This wasn't supposed to happen! I was supposed to stop this from happening and arrest that menace before she hurt anyone!"

"Overdose? Y-yes, Alt did mention that, I think," Schneep says. "It's a person?"

"Sounds like the worst kind of person," Jackie mutters.

"She's a villain- a fucking awful one that's been plaguing me for years!" Bro mumbles, "This is what she does! She drugs people with experimental and seriously dangerous drugs because its fun for her!"

"Chase, stop fucking mulling in guilt and snap back to reality!” Jackie shouts. “Is there anything you can do?! You're some kind of superhero, aren't you?!"

"This is not the time to snap at him!" Schneep glares in Jackie's general direction.

"This isn't the time to get lost in your feelings, this is a time for action!" Jackie looks at Bro. "I know how you're feeling right now, I really do. But we're in the middle of a crisis, this is not the time to shut down! Anything would be helpful, really!"

"Jackie!" Schneep gasps.

"If there's anything you can do, that'd be helpful, too!" Jackie says, glancing at him.

"I—I used to be a doctor, but—" Schneep stammers.

Bro jumps at the shouting and then eventually nods, "R-Right right I... I could try to fly them to the hospital? Oh god- it could be faster if Alt could glitch but I don't know if he-"

There's a dull thump as Alt falls off the couch completely- and starts to seize, eyes rolling up into his head.

"No! Alt!" Dr. J gasps, crashing down next to him. Bro cries out and hurries over, kneeling next to his little brother with terrified tears in his eyes. "Anti! No no- fuck!" He looks back at Schneep desperately, "S-Schneep! You can glitch right?! Can- Can you glitch us to a hospital if I know where it is? L-Like Alt can?!"

"I—I am not sure, I-I have never tried," Schneep says. "But if there is any time to try, it is this!" He hurries over, kneeling next to Bro as well. "Everyone hold onto me! I must warn you, people do not react well to my powers, so this will probably be uncomfortable."

Jackie grabs JJ and drags him over, grabbing onto Schneep's shoulder. "Chase, m-make sure to not touch Alt too much, i-it's not good for seizing."

"Yes, but try to keep his head supported as best you can on the journey," Schneep adds. "If you have a pillow or something else soft, use that."

“Here-!” Henny says as he grabs a pillow and helps put it under Alt’s head as Bro goes to scoop him up in his arms. Alt wheezes and chokes slightly and Bro tries to adjust him just right. “O-Okay! Let’s go!”

“We’ll stay here-“ Dr. J says with a bit of worry. “Just in case Schneep can’t carry all of us…”

“Yeah- call us if you need a ride, okay?” Jackieboy smiles nervously.

“Call us once everything is okay!” Henny calls. “And keep us inside the loop, yes?”

Bro tries to smile, “Yeah- we will.”

Schneep nods. "That is a good idea," he mutters. Last time he did this he had three passengers, and now he had one more. He takes a deep breath. "On three we will go. One... two... three!"

The others find their vision momentarily going dark, and then they arrive—just outside the intended location. Jackie shivers. "Holy fucking shit," he says. "That felt like a million needles." JJ seems similarly upset and shaken. He looks a bit green in the face.

Bro shudders, shaking himself out, “V-Very different from Alt’s o-okay-“ Alt hiccups a bit in pain and curls up against Bro, his body still randomly jerking and spasming.

"Sorry about that, I-I cannot control it," Schneep explains.

They’ve appeared right outside a big busy hospital emergency room. The large letters on the side read out ‘HopeWater Hospital’. Chase hurries through the door and calls out, “W-We have an emergency! My brother and our friend are overdosing!”

The receptionist at the counter startles and then recognizes who has rushed in. “M-Mr. Fantastic!” She looks at the others and then nods and ushers for them to follow her. “C-Come this way! I think we just got a call from another one of your friends and started prepping the room!”

Jackie carries JJ into the hospital right behind Bro. JJ's head is lolling a bit, eyelids fluttering, but at least he's not spasming. "Oh good, they know you," Jackie comments. He hurries after the nurse. Schneep also follows behind him, making sure that he's right behind him.

“Well duh- I’m a superhero!” Bro tries to laugh. But it falls flat.

The nurse leads them down into a lower floor and quickly knocks on the door. She looks at the boys nervously and then enters calling out, “Dr. Sun? Dr. Cornelius? They’re here.”

The nurse opens the door and Bro looks a bit confused. Why does that name sound familiar…? But he walks in anyways.

He freezes as two doctors turn towards the group. JJ can recognize the purple hair of a certain woman, now dressed in a white coat of a doctor. She giggles. “Well hello again boys! That shit hits fast doesn’t it?”

“O-Overdose?” Bro whispers in horror.

Once all the boys are in- the doors snap shut.

Jackie spins towards the two doctors. Overdose?! No, the doors! He sets JJ down on the floor and pulls out his staff, opening it up to its full length as his eyes dart around for another exit.

Schneep gasps. "It was a trap?!" One of his hands sweeps the cane around, getting a good sense of the space, while he tucks the other behind his back. Can he grab his weapon here, too? Yes; his fingers quickly find the handle of his scissors.

Overdose giggles and holds up her hands, “Now gentlemen~! Is now really the time to fight? After all… I have the thing that can save your friends~!”

The other doctor laughs too and studies the others. “Your plan worked so well, Jin… but I was not expecting the spares?” This doctor has black and white hair, some pulled into a small braid- and he’s wearing thick green glasses over his eyes. He eyes the newcomers with interest.

“I wasn’t either- I dunno who the fuck these guys are.” Overdose snorts. “The mustached guy was in the club when I jumped the punk. But, he’s got magic too, doc.”

“Ohhh does he now?” Dr. Cornelius giggles.

“B-Back off!” Bro tries to shout, his arms shaking as he holds the weakening Alt. “Y-You better give us that cure before we make you regret it!”

Jackie narrows his eyes. Both of these guys are setting off alarm bells in his head. He has to get out of here. This is a basement and there are no other entrances, but it doesn't look like they locked the door, and even if they did, he might be able to kick it down, he just has to knock them—

JJ groans and tries to sit up. He can't quite manage it, grabbing onto Jackie's ankle for support. A bit of cold blue magic flutters around his hand at the point of contact. Jackie glances down at him. No, he can't leave these guys. He can't. That's not what a real hero would do. "What do you mean... you have the thing to save them...?" he says cautiously.

"It is not so easy to cure an overdose," Schneep scoffs. "You cannot bluff your way into our complacency."

“Is it when I made the drug.” Overdose giggles. She pops a pill into her mouth and then blows a glowing cloud out. She twists the cloud in her hands, causing the contents to swirl. “You guys aren’t the only ones with magic round here~ ‘cept I use my scientific knowledge to fuel mine. I can create smoke from most substances and enhance the properties of them. So… you could try to escape here- which ha, you can try but we bolted those doors. Anddd you can try to save them the normal way with the doctors upstairs… or you can let me help- and they’ll be fine in 5 minutes~”

“Linger any longer- and I’m not sure they’ll make it.” Dr. Cornelius adds with a smirk.

Bro looks massively conflicted, looking down at Alt. Alt chokes on a sob as more spasms overtake him, his body trying to glitch but not able to as his body burns hotter and hotter.

Jackie also hesitates. Stupid fucking choice. Stupid fucking doctors. "What if, instead, I break your fucking bones until you agree to help?"

"Jackie!" Schneep faces him, aghast.

His heart isn't really in the threat, but he keeps glaring at Overdose and Cornelius anyway, hoping that the intimidation will help.

JJ gasps, suddenly clutching his chest. His heartbeat spikes, and the pain in his chest intensifies. He cries out.

"Okay, yes, yes, fine, do what you have to do!" Schneep says quickly, hearing Alt and JJ suffering.

Bro looks at Schneep with wide eyes. He hesitates again and then nods. “Y-Yeah just… ! … don’t let them die… please…”

Overdose smiles almost sweetly. “Of course not, Mr. Fantastic~! Please- bring them over here.” She gestures at the floor as two tables rise from it.

Bro hurries over and lays Alt down on the table. Alt’s eyes dazedly roll around in his head as he wheezes shallowly. He sees the white coats in his confusing vision and shakes his head. “N…nnn-“ he tries to say but can’t get his mouth to move right.

Overdose giggles, and comes over to lean down by Alt, pushing back his bangs. “Don’t worry, Mr. Septiceye~ we’ll get you back into top form~”

Bro growls and lashes out, grabbing her wrist and squeezing it tight- almost enough to bruise. “Don’t fucking touch him like that!”

Overdose just smiles with a cool expression. “I’d watch how you touch me, Mr. Fantastic~” Bro seems to realize what she’s hinting at and lets go, backing away.

Jackie picks JJ up and puts him down on the table. He doesn't like this. The tables are taking him back to bad memories. He glances towards the doors again. They said that they bolted them, but is that really true? No, of course it is. People like this wouldn't make such a simple mistake. But there has to be some other way out of this room. Maybe there are vents? Maybe one of these two have a key?

As he mulls over the possibilities, he feels JJ grab onto his wrist. His instinct is to yank it away, but he reminds himself that this isn't his Jameson, and holds his hand in turn. If these two do anything to him or Alt... Well, he's not planning on just letting them get away with it.

Schneep edges around the room, trying to discreetly figure out his surroundings. Maybe there's something useful here. Something they can use to... convince these two to let them out after their friends are better.

Once both of them are on the table, Overdose pulls out a vial of black pills. She quickly pops a couple in her mouth and then leans down by Alt, tilting up his chin to blow most of the smoke towards him. Alt weakly coughs and then slumps back towards the table. But, already it seems like he’s starting to breathe better.

Then, Overdose walks over to JJ and pulls him up to breathe the antidote towards him too. The smoke feels almost… grainy? Like soot. It clings to the back of his throat, feeling almost dry. But, with the smoke comes a bit of clarity. Already the pain is starting to lighten, his airways feeling cleaner, his heart starting to slow to a normal rate. He’s still massively delirious but it’s clearing… slowly.

Dr. Cornelius watches Schneep wander with a curious eye. This one was blind? Peculiar… “So- the rest of you… Where did you come from, hm? Because I don’t believe I’ve seen you around and well… we should get to know each other while your friends catch their breath, don’t you think?”

"I literally just met these guys today," Jackie mutters. It's a half-truth. He knows Alt and Bro but not the other two... even if they are technically other versions of people he knows.

"Why should we tell you anything?" Schneep asks, frowning in Cornelius's direction. "You are clearly some sort of hostile force, judging by what the two of you have done to Alt and Jameson."

Jackie sighs. "Maybe not a good idea to antagonize the 'hostile force,'" he says under his breath. "We're from out of town, if you must know. Just arrived here today. I doubt you've ever heard of Mirygale, but that's the city."

Schneep's eyes widen slightly. So—the cities are consistent between his universe and this other Jackie's. Interesting.

“Ha! The blind one is smart,” Overdose giggles. “You should listen to him, scar face.”

Cornelius tuts. “Jin- let’s try our best to be civil, hm?” Overdose rolls her eyes at the other doctor but stops her comments.

"Scar face?" Schneep mutters under his breath.

"Right, I guess you can't see it," Jackie says quietly. "Yeah, my face is pretty fucked up."

"Ah. I-I am sorry."

"It's fine, it's not your fault," Jackie whispers.

“Hm- I have not heard of Mirygale.” Dr. Cornelius laughs. “Curious… especially since our cameras have already picked up inter dimensional signatures from the three of you.” He looks back at Jackie and Schneep with a sharp smile. “You’re not from this universe, are you?”

Schneep stops wandering for a moment. "Wh-what? Cameras?"

Bro staggers back a bit in shock, “T-The Sclera cameras can sense stuff like that?? I… I knew they could sense emotions and magic signatures but- not that?”

“They are a bit similar if you think about it~” Cornelius laughs. He tilts his head at Jackie and prowls a bit closer. “So… what brought you all here then?”

Jackie tenses. His Anti had mentioned IRIS a couple times—SCLERA is a similar name. Some similarities between worlds. "Don't get too close," he growls out, holding his staff protectively in front of him and JJ. "Look, I don't know why we're here or what caused it to happen. All I know is that some weird black rift appeared and sucked me in. The same thing probably happened to these two."

JJ's eyelids flutter. A black rift...?

Dr. Cornelius chuckles a bit coldly, his eyes shining through the green on his glasses. "You don't scare me. But- that is helpful... I do believe Mr. Fantastic was informing me about those... rifts. Weren't you, Chase?"

Bro shudders a bit and looks a bit guilty, "u-uh- Doc I... I dunno what-"

Alt makes a small noise of pain before he's able to open his eyes and take in things again. He blinks slowly up at the celling, "...where... am i...?" He mumbles.

"Oh! Good morning, Alt~" Dr. Cornelius says cheerily. Alt's eyes widen and he becomes even more pale as he glitches clumsily to sit up. "N-No- nonono- what the fuck?! Why are you here?!"

"Alt calm down! It's okay..." Bro tries to reassure him. He glances at Overdose though and glares before mumbling, "Well somewhat okay..."

"C-Chase- what's happening?! Why is he here? D-Did you take us to Sclera?!" Alt asks in a panicked voice. He looks to see the others and looks even more scared. "No no-!"

"Alt, i-it's okay," Schneep says.

"It's not, but it's manageable," Jackie mutters.

JJ comes to his senses at around the same time. His eyes dart around. Where is he? Where are they?! These people look like his friends but they're not--and this area--is it IRIS again? Has it always been IRIS? Did they ever even escape? Deep breaths, JJ, deep breaths. He curls his hands into fists, trying not to draw too much attention to himself.

"Alt please try to calm down!" Chase hisses. Alt tries to glitch away but Dr. Cornelius pulls out a remote from his pocket and Alt suddenly exclaims in pain and curls up on the table, holding his middle.

"H-Hey!" Bro tries to shout at Cornelius, "What are you doing?! You said you weren't gonna-!"

"Hero, can you please restrain Alt and the visitors, please?" Dr. Cornelius coos smoothly as two more tables rise from the ground, "I believe we all have much to discuss..."

Bro stiffens, his eyes widening- his pupils suddenly rapidly expanding. And then, his expression and his eyes dull as his pupils shrink into pinpricks. Purple ripples across the blue and settle at the edge of his irises. He nods numbly, "Of course, doctor."

Chase grabs Alt by his wrists and then forces them down against the table. Two restraints snap out and latch onto his wrists and Alt exclaims in panic. "No No no-! They got you too?! Chase what did you do?!" Bro doesn't answer as he whirls around and looks around. He lashes out to try to grab Jackie first.

"Chase what are you—?!" Jackie gasps, trying to push away Bro with his staff—but Bro has the strength of a superhero and he easily shrugs off the blow, grabbing Jackie by the arms.

JJ's eyes widen and he sits up straight, flinging out a hand. Blue magic sprays out, aiming to separate Bro from Jackie. Bro's expression is empty as he tries to push Jackie onto a table like he did Alt. But, JJ's magic hits him and sends him flying back. He shakes it off and tries to lash back out- this time aiming for JJ.

Alt tries to glitch out of the restraints but attempting to do so causes the cuffs to shock him. He cries out in pain- then panickily tries to push himself out somehow.

Meanwhile, Schneep leaps forward, disappearing and reappearing behind Cornelius, aiming to plunge his scissors into the back of his shoulder. Cornelius does not expect Schneep to appear behind him- much less stab him. He yells out and drops to his knees, clutching the wound. "You little-!" The doctor hisses and tries to swipe out a leg to knock Schneep off his feet.

Overdose looks at all the chaos and then leans against the wall, grinning. "Oh- this will be fun-"

JJ yelps, trying to conjure a shield, but Bro's strength shatters it instantly. He struggles in Bro's grasp. He doesn't want to hurt him! Jackie has no such reservations. He whips his staff around Bro's body, holding either end so that Bro is pinned between him and the staff. He tries pulling him away from JJ. Bro tries to force JJ down to the table, struggling to pull his arms down onto the restraints that try to snap up. The hero isn’t deterred at all by Jackie’s staff and manages to push forward and snaps JJ’s wrists into the restraints. He then grabs Jackie’s staff and tries to grab it to throw him off it.

Schneep yelps and falls hard to the floor as well. And yet, he laughs. "Hah... th-they never expect it," he grins, and quickly leaps again, appearing over next to Alt. "Calm down, calm down please," he mutters, feeling out the cuffs. He pries at them, using his scissors to give him extra leverage.

Alt looks to Schneep with terrified tears in his eyes, the terror in his voice making it shake. “S-Schneep I-i don’t think you can break these- y-you should try to get out of here…!”

Cornelius staggers to his feet, “Dr. Sun?! A little help?!”

Overdose groans and then stands up straight. “Ugh fineee- you seemed so confident in that whole- mind control reveal thing. Didn’t wanna steal your thunder.” She starts looking through her coat for the right pill.

JJ lets out a sob, struggling against the cuffs. He tries to cast some magic, maybe teleport out of here--but instead cries out as the cuffs shock him. No no no no! Not again! He can't be stuck in a place like this again!

"Oh no you don't!" Jackie says, tightening his grip. He braces his feet against the ground and tries pushing Bro to the floor. Bro stands his ground and pushes back against Jackie, moving to push him to the ground instead.

Alt hurries to try to glitch more but just screams out as he’s shocked again. No no no! He can’t be trapped here again- not with Cornelius- not by his brother! Not with all his other friends stuck here too! He chokes on a terrified sob.

Overdose laughs as she finds the right pill and crushes in her teeth. Smoke billows out from the sides of her lips as she strides through the room, pulling out her vape and sending out clouds of calming, white sleeping drugs. “Now boys… I think it’s all time we took a nice nap, hm?” Dr. Cornelius quickly pulls on a mask to protect himself.

As the smoke reaches Bro he blinks heavily and then very quickly ends up slumping to the floor, his eyes rolling up into his head.

JJ gasps, slumping as well, already so tired from the effects of the overdose.

"What the shit?!" Jackie glances around. He lets go of Bro once he passes out and quickly covers his mouth and nose with his hoodie. "You fucker!" He lunges for Overdose and Cornelius, swinging his staff, not caring which one he hits.

Schneep stiffens as the air suddenly becomes more humid. "Wh-what?!" He spins around. Okay, before he gets out of here, he has to take care of that, at least! He lunges towards Overdose with his scissors—assuming that she's the source of it.

Overdose easily dodges Jackie’s strike and then gracefully steps to blow smoke directly in his face. “Too slow~!” She giggles. Overdose steps away from Schneep’s attack and then goes to grab his arm and blows smoke directly in his face too. She lets go and watches Jackie and Schneep with curiosity. “Mm… it’s gonna be so much fun to see how you all tick~!”

Alt’s vision is blurring again but he tries to fight it off. He looks out dazedly as Schneep runs forward and he tries to yell, “n-no! Hen, run!”

Schneep coughs. His head is spinning, feeling heavy... He tries to leap through the door again, but he's too disoriented and slams against the door. He slumps to the ground, slowly losing consciousness. He missed his opportunity to escape. What a waste.

Alt whimpers as he watches Schneep try to reach the door but fail. Then, his eyes roll back and he fully slumps, head lolling back as he completely succumbs to the drug.

Jackie tries holding his breath while Overdose blows that smoke in his face. Even so, his vision swims a little bit. He growls at her. "You shut the fuck up! People like you—the world would be better off without you!" He musters all his energy for one last swing.

Overdose is not expecting Jackie to still have that much fight in him. Or that much strength. The swing hits- and she’s knocked out, hitting the floor with a dull thud.

Dr. Cornelius watches this with wide eyes and backs up, trying to press up against the wall.

Jackie laughs triumphantly. But his head is still swimming. He gives Cornelius a grin. "You... win for now... but watch out..." He staggers to the side, then finally loses his balance, falling to his knees, then the floor, and then fully passing out.

#GITHV #glitch into the Huffleverse #GITHV swapboys #swapboys #inverted Jackie #stitched Schneep #the jaunty Jackson #alt anti #bro fantastic #dr israh Cornelius #sclera #Jin Sun/Overdose #drug whump #lab whump #HEHEHE NEW SCLERA STUFF LETS GOOO

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huffle-dork · 5 months ago

Text

Glitch into the Hufflverse Chapter 19: The In-Between

Read Swapboys | Read Crystal’s AUs

Read SITCV | Read SATCV | GITHV Masterpost

As the guys starts walking, Schneep mutters, “I will assume that those things were not here the last time you all were.”

“Maybe this Sam scared away all the threats,” Jackie says.

How big are they, exactly? JJ asks.

“No we’ve never seen anything like that,” Alt says, “m-maybe it’s because we always came with Anti… “

“Oh dude, they’re huge! They took up the whole sky last time!” Bro replies.

"Anti does seem like the type to scare away things like that," Jackie mutters. Then his eyes widen. "Wait, what?! The whole sky?? The fucking sky???"

"That sounds terrifying, actually," Schneep says.

I can't even imagine my Jack's Sam being that big, JJ says, eyes wide.

“It was scary but also kinda dope-“ Bro laughs, “It did scare the bejesus out of me last time-“

“You weren’t even looking at the sky- I dunno what got your attention but you were all like ‘why is the sky turning green? OH!’” Alt giggles.

Bro’s cheeks turn red. “T-There was a lot going on last time!”

Jackie laughs. "I can imagine. You were dealing with, uh, weird timeline shit, right? That's what your Jackie said."

"They got caught in a world that was particularly unstable, yes."

Jackie's eye widens. He recognizes that voice. It's coming from—behind them! He spins around to see a familiar figure with a green scarf and eye-patch, suddenly right there.

“Yeah we-“ Alt starts to say then jumps and glitches to turn around. His face floods with relief at seeing the familiar figure. “Anti!”

Anti raises a hand in greeting. "Well. You all got yourself is a real fucking mess, didn't you?"

“Dude you have no fucking idea…!” Bro says with an exhausted laugh, “You have no idea how happy we are to see you!”

Schneep and JJ spin around as well. JJ's eyes widen. This Anti—he kind of reminds him of the Anti from that other world, the one where they were all creations. But... less threatening. He's kind of reminded of his Anti as well. Schneep, meanwhile, gasps. "Your voice! It was you!"

Anti looks at him. "Huh?"

"I—that time I accidentally arrived here! That was you who helped me!" Schneep insists.

"Oh. You must've met that other version of me," Anti says. "He did mention finding a glitch and some teenager in the space in-between. You must be the glitch."

"I... suppose?" Schneep says, confused but accepting this.

Alt’s eyes widen as he looks in between Schneep and Anti. Then he laughs quietly, “I-It’s confusing but uh last time we met, there was another him from another timeline… one where he never met me, Chase and my friends. That must be who you met…! Teenager though hm…” Alt wonders outloud.

"Oh, another timeline!" Schneep nods, understanding perfectly.

Then Alt shakes his head and looks at Anti earnestly, “Anti- we need your help- the rifts took these guys from their worlds and w-we didn’t know how else to bring them back! We used a doorway but it just sent us here and-“

“They took them from their worlds?" Anti looks at the three others, surprised. "All of you?"

JJ nods. It was.... quite sudden.

"D'you know if..." Jackie hesitates. "Uh... what did it look like... from...?"

"Your boyfriend's fine, if that's what you're wondering," Anti says. "He and Chase got home and saw a remnant of the rift in the living room. They called me immediately. Luckily I was in the world at the time—Something's going on in Sam's homeworld so we had to pause the TRVLR search." He shakes his head. "I was expecting you to be jumping through worlds close by... not all the way over here."

“…what do you mean by that?” Alt says, eyebrows furrowing. “I guess all these universes… felt different than the others in… some way?”

"You two are from a different branch of universes than these guys," Anti says. "That's why Sam didn't think the rifts would reach you. It takes less energy to jump between worlds on the same branch than ones on different branches."

JJ nods slowly. Let me see if I can visualize this... He holds out his hands, conjuring up a blue hologram-like image of a tree with no leaves. It's like a tree. Chase and Alt are on this branch, here. He indicates one with a lot of twigs coming off it. And our worlds are on this branch. He indicates another, with more twigs. Each world is one of these smaller twigs. It's easier to hop from stick to stick than branch to branch.

“Oh… I-I guess that explains… a lot of things actually. Like… how you’re all from Mirygale- but the other well… humans we met were from Brighton… like us.” Alt says slowly.

“…I don’t get-“ Bro says with a confused expression. “How come we could hop so easily with the TRVLR then if it takes so much energy to jump from these branches?”

“…do you think that’s why the- the ripple thing broke? Because we kept visiting places outside our branch- so it took more power…?” Alt wonders.

"Heh." Anti grins. "Well—sometimes there are people who break the rules. It's a fact of the multiverse. IRIS couldn't figure out how to generate enough energy to get the TRVLR to work. It was a failure to them. But... to those of us who are a bit different... that power is enough."

"The glitches," Schneep mutters.

“R-Right my… my glitches… I-I guess that’s why the TRVLR only really worked for me. I… I always thought I just… powered it with my electricity.” Alt says as he holds his arm, “…I guess… b-being a glitch is.. a lot more power than I-i thought…”

"Exactly." Anti nods. "As for why the ripple minimizer broke—I have no idea. I wasn't there. It's possible? Or maybe some surge of energy happened."

"Okay, so... how do we get home?" Jackie asks.

"I can get you home easily enough," Anti says. "Take you with me. And I'm guessing that this guy can get home on his own." He nods at Schneep.

"Did he point to me?" Schneep asks.

Yes, JJ says. But... what about us, then? Me and these two?

Anti shrugs. "Guess we'll have to wait for Sam. They should be here soon." He puts his hands on his hips. "So... how'd you all end up here, then? Something about rifts, and the doorways?"

“Dude Anti you won’t believe it-“ Bro explains, “first they all fell into our world- then we got captured by SCLERA but the rifts got us out of there! Then we were in a world in the far far far future!! On an alien planet like that game Subnautica! And we got to be mermen it was so sick- oh but then we ended up in a bad timeline of there… that wasn’t… as fun.” Bro shakes his head. “But then! We ended up in another version of Brighton but the guys there said they were creations of Jack which was insane! And a bad anti like- fucked with Schneep and possessed Alt but we kicked his ass!” He grins, but that falls as he remembers where they just were, “then… w-we landed back in Brighton… our Brighton but it… it was a bad future. Alt got c-corrupted and…” He can’t say any further, looking away.

Alt picks up for him, “Henny was there though and… he helped us find the doorway in SCLERA. The same one Mag used in our first adventure that got us the TRVLR… it was destroyed but we put it back together and… managed to convince the other me to let us leave. Then… we ended up here.”

“And these freaky eyeball things with mouths attacked us out of nowhere!” Bro adds, “I didn’t know this place was dangerous!!”

Anti nods slowly. "That's... a hell of a ride."

"You're fucking telling me," Jackie mutters. "Also what the hell were those eyeball things?!"

"I like to call them eyebites, but they don't have actual names." Anti frowns. "And... yeah. This place isn't the safest. Things tend to fall in here and... get warped." He shakes his head. "Some of us who are able to reach this space try to get people out. But it's a very big space. Bigger than any universe. So there's gonna be fuckups. No being is able to be everywhere. Well. Not at once." He grins a little.

Schneep shivers. "You are saying that... if that other you had not helped me...?"

"You'd have been stuck here for a while," Anti confirms.

“Wait… a-are you saying that… p-people that fall into here can…? Can become like those things?” Alt whispers in horror.

Anti pauses. "Something like that... will take a long time. And honestly, my guess is the eyebites were never human to begin with. It's more likely they were something similar to Sam—my Sam, I mean."

"That is not as reassuring as you think,” Jackie says.

JJ and Schneep look horrified.

Bro and Alt look equally as freaked out. “T-Thank god you found us then…” Bro mumbles.

"Well in any case," Anti hurriedly says. "These three really showed up in your world? Really? That's... That shouldn't be... Those rifts shouldn't have reached there..."

“Yeah that’s what I thought Sam told us!” Alt exclaims, “T-They said we’d be safe- that the rifts wouldn’t reach us! But they- they even sucked me and Chase out of our own world with these guys!” He pauses, “I mean… I-I’m glad we could help… s-since we kinda know about this but… still-“

Anti shakes his head slowly. "We'll have to ask Them when They arrive. Hopefully that won't be too long."

And we're safe from creatures like those horrors now? JJ asks, looking unsettled.

"Don't worry, they tend to avoid me." Anti flashes a grin that's a bit sharper than his usual ones. "I've made a name for myself."

Alt nods and hugs himself a bit more. Now that the danger has passed he can feel how bone tired and weary he is.

Bro chuckles a bit, “Oh yeah? …you know what I can see that you’re vicious when you wanna be-“

Jackie laughs. "Fucking understatement. Imagine fighting him for real. I don't remember how many stab wounds Schneep had to stitch up on me back then..." he sighs. "I hope Schneep's okay."

"I think he is," Anti says, softening slightly. "Or... as okay as he can be."

Jackie nods, staying quietly.

"It is so strange to hear myself discussed this way," Schneep mutters.

“Oh yeah it doesn’t get any less weird,” Bro laughs, “the amount of times I gotta remind myself that most of the time the Chases being discussed here aren’t me!”

Alt chuckles lightly, “Kinda glad I call myself something different. Makes it easier.”

We'd probably get used to it if we jumped through many worlds, JJ says. He sighs, looking up into the infinite darkness... and blinks. I think one of those lights is getting bigger...

Or maybe it's getting closer?

The Brodys blink and look where JJ is looking. Alt perks up, “I-Is that?”

It is. The green dot gets bigger and bigger, consuming the sky above quickly, much quicker than last time. Then the green expanse rolls, and that blue iris and black pupil appear.

"Holy fucking shit!" Jackie stumbles back in surprise.

JJ gapes up. THAT'S Sam?!

Schneep shivers. "I-I can feel--I can feel Them, I think." The amount of power is almost overwhelming.

{I AM SORRY FOR THE DELAY,} Sam says in their minds. {MY WORLD WAS HAVING AN EMERGENCY. I HAD TO KEEP IT TOGETHER.}

Jackie yelps, pressing his hands to his head. "Fucking—mind talker?!"

{I'M SORRY, THERE IS NO OTHER WAY TO COMMUNICATE. I DON'T EXACTLY HAVE A MOUTH.}

JJ laughs, a bit hysterically.

Bro joins the laughter too, holding his stomach and waving at Jackie. “S-Sorry-!”

Alt looks relieved, even if the power he feels radiating off of Sam is just as overwhelming as last time. “N-No no it’s okay! Your world comes first- w-we managed to tough it out, you know?” He laughs a bit.

{EVEN SO, I AM SORRY.}

"Sam." Anti looks up at Them. "I thought their world was supposed to be safe. But these three all showed up there." He points at the others. Schneep gives a little wave.

Sam is quiet for a moment. {IT SEEMS... THEIR WORLDS ARE CLOSER THAN NORMAL. I DID NOT ANTICIPATE THAT...}

"They are... closer?" Schneep asks, confused.

JJ conjures up his tree example again. Like this? he asks, moving two of the branches on the tree close enough together that some of their twigs are intermingling.

{EXACTLY LIKE THAT. THIS IS... UNUSUAL. IT HAS HAPPENED BEFORE, BUT I NEVER THOUGHT IT WOULD HAPPEN TO OUR BRANCH.}

“I mean… I guess that explains how we ended up in Anti and Jackie’s world the first time… and how JJ ended up in ours. If our universes are so tangled together…” Bro says.

Alt slowly nods, “Okay then… I-if we’re closer then… the Anti that started this… c-could he actually come to our worlds? I-I know you said destroying them takes a lot of power but I just-“ He hugs his stomach, “I’m worried… I don’t want our world or their worlds getting fucked by all of this…”

Sam is silent for a while. {I WILL DO EVERYTHING I CAN TO MAKE SURE HE STAYS AWAY. BUT... I CAN NO LONGER PROMISE... THAT YOUR BRANCH WILL BE SAFE.}

Alt’s face falls and he digs his nails into his sides, looking terrified.

Schneep gasps softly. "Is—is there anything we can do?"

JJ nods. I'd like to help them.

{YOU ALL HAVE YOUR OWN TROUBLES IN YOUR WORLDS.}

"But--you can't expect us to not do something!" Jackie protests.

"Jackie, seriously," Anti mutters. "What can you do?"

"Oh shut the fuck up! I'd—I'd try, at least!"

"Heh." Anti smiles a little. "Good to hear that. But seriously. I've been busy for so long with this stuff. I... haven't been able to pay much attention to... Jack, or Schneep. I-I need you there to do that."

Jackie stares at him. He nods slowly.

Bro looks at Jackie with sympathy and claps his hand on his shoulder, bringing him into a side hug. “…I’m sure Fredrick is worried about you too, mate.” He looks at the others, “And you all have people to go back to…. Us too.”

Alt is quiet for a bit before he looks up at Sam with determination. “I…I’m a glitch-! I… m-maybe I can learn how to w-work all this better! I-I don’t want to just sit there waiting for him to come I… I want to protect all our worlds! There has to be something I can do.. right?”

Anti starts to protest... then he stops, pausing. He looks up at Sam. "Maybe they can help...?"

Sam's pupil contracts slightly. {...THEY WILL STILL NEED A RELIABLE WAY TO TRAVEL. MY RIFTS ARE NOT AS RELIABLE AS YOU THINK.}

Anti nods. "And they have no way to communicate with you to ask for one. So we still need the TRVLR." He looks over at Bro and Alt. "Maybe... you guys can help find the last pieces. I'll take care of the more dangerous universes on my own, then I can pick you up to help with the rest. It'd go faster with multiple people, I think."

Bro also wants to protest but when Anti looks at both of them he grins and throws an arm over Alt’s shoulder and pulls him into his side. “Fuck yeah! You all are crazy if you think I’d let Alt do this on his own! We’re a team- glitch or not!”

Alt opens his mouth to argue but then… his other self’s words echo in his head. He finds himself smiling as he shakes his head. “…g-guess I can’t argue with that.” He looks to Anti and nods, “Together, I think we could do it.”

What about us? JJ asks.

"Yes—if I am a glitch, perhaps I could help as well!" Schneep says.

{JAMESON, YOU STILL HAVE YOUR OWN WORLD TO WORRY ABOUT,} Sam says. {YOUR OWN GLITCH IS STILL RUNNING RAMPANT. HE MUST BE STOPPED. YOUR FRIENDS WILL NEED YOU.}

JJ's eyes widen. Distorter is... a glitch?

{NOT A USUAL EXAMPLE, BUT YES,}

Alt and Bro’s eyes widen at the realization. “I guess that makes sense…” Alt says, “t-the house… Aspen house… he’s tied to that right? That must be where… the world’s boundaries got broken… and made him what he is.”

JJ nods. Slowly at first, and then faster. Yes, that would explain the strangeness of that house. It certainly seems like a place where boundaries are broken. And it would explain why IRIS was so interested in it.

{THE RECURSIVE ECHO CHAMBER,} Sam comments. {YOUR SOLUTION SHALL BE FOUND IN THERE.}

That's what we thought, JJ says, nodding again grimly. I'm sure we'll find a way.

“…it’s gonna be hard to part with you all,” Bro says softly, “We all make one hell of a team, don’t we?”

Jackie laughs. "Yeah. We sure do."

"Are you sure there is nothing I can do to help?" Schneep asks, eyes darting around as he thinks.

{THERE IS SOMETHING YOU CAN DO, SCHNEEPLESTEIN,} Sam says. {I BELIEVE A PART OF THE TRVLR LANDED IN YOUR WORLD. IF YOU CAN FIND IT, THAT WILL SAVE MUCH TIME.}

"Oh!" Schneep looks surprised. "Y-yes, of course, I would love to help. But how can I find it?"

{MAY I SHOW YOU THE SENSATIONS?}

Confused, Schneep nods. Then he staggers back, eyes wide. "O-oh! How unusual."

"Very strange, isn't it?" Anti comments.

"Well—it seems you and I will see each other again," Schneep says, facing the Brody brothers with a smile.

Alt and Bro look delighted at the thought of seeing Schneep again. “Fuck yeah man!” Bro grins.

And you can stop by my world any time! Once you found your way to navigate again, JJ says, smiling.

"I'd love to see you all again." Jackie nods. "Maybe... once things calm down."

Alt nods with a smile, “of course…! As soon as we can…” He looks to Anti and Jackie with determination and smirks, “Once we can- we’re coming back to kick Marvin and Jameson’s asses for what they did to you and your friends. That’s a promise.”

"Thanks," Jackie says.

"Heh. Your help would be appreciated." Anti grins. "I'm sure they won't see you coming."

{NOW... ARE YOU ALL READY TO RETURN TO YOUR HOMES?} Sam asks. {I CAN PROVIDE RIFTS, IF NEEDED.}

"Well, I... perhaps I will be able to return home on my own," Schneep says slowly. "I would like to try, at least."

I definitely will need a way home, JJ says.

"And no offense Anti, but I'd rather walk through a rift than have you take me home," Jackie says.

Anti raises an eyebrow. "Minor offense taken."

Jackie rolls his eye.

Alt hides a laugh at this. But then he looks up at Sam, “um… Sam- what can me and Bro do? To help with all of this? O-Our friends already know we do this… and Mag is a threat but… not as much as this. I think they’d understand if we focused on helping with this. So… we’ll help anyway we can.”

Sam is quiet for a moment. {YOU ARE FROM A DIFFERENT BRANCH ENTIRELY. YOUR RULES WORK DIFFERENTLY—AND YOU BREAK THEM ENTIRELY. THAT ANTI WILL NOT KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT.}

"Hell yeah, even just having backup will help with that rift bitch," Anti says.

{BUT AGAIN, YOU MUST HAVE A RELIABLE WAY TO TRAVEL, FIRST. WE MUST REPAIR THE TRVLR. SOMETHING TELLS ME THAT WILL BE THE KEY TO THIS ALL.}

Alt nods, “Alright… I-I’ll do as much research as I can and work on my magic! So maybe we won’t be so powerless without the TRVLR… but w-we can wait too.”

“Whatever you guys need, we gotcha!” Bro grins. “But also… I wanna sleep for like a week so… a rift home would be great.”

{OF COURSE. TO KEEP THINGS STABLE, I WILL ONLY BE ABLE TO OPEN ONE RIFT AT THE TIME. CHASE, ALT. YOU FIRST.}

There's a ripple of electricity and part of the world tears open. Beyond it... their apartment.

"Time is inconsistent between worlds," Anti says. "I might show up suddenly and tell you that it's time. I might show up in a month, or a year. Stay well-rested. And prepare."

I hope to see you all again, JJ says.

"I look forward to our next meeting," Schneep says.

"Until next time." Jackie gives a little salute.

Bro and Alt look at each other and seem to hesitate.

Then Bro, tears in his eyes, goes to grab all 3 of the other boys and pull them into a bone-crushing hug, “I-I…! I’m really gonna miss you guys!”

Alt wipes at his face, trying to hide the wetness in his eyes too.

"Whoa!" Schneep gasps in surprise. Then he laughs. "H-hey, it sounds like you will see me again, at least."

"And me, too!" Jackie says.

And once you get your TRVLR back, you can come visit! JJ says. He glances up at Sam. Right?

{INDEED. THOUGH YOU SHOULD BE CAREFUL. KEEP THE DEVICE AWAY FROM ENERGY SURGES, ESPECIALLY MAGICAL ONES.}

“So away from Mag, mostly.” Alt laughs.

"So it's only a matter of time, really," Anti chuckles.

“I-I know it’s just-! We just went through so much together! It feels weird to just… leave!” Bro bubblers. “And Anti just said I-it could be a while! W-We still gotta figure out if we can all play dnd together!”

Alt rolls his eyes and grabs Bro by the back of his suit. “Chase c’mon… don’t be a baby-“

“Alt! I know you’re sad too, don't act like you’re not!” Bro whines.

Alt’s face flushes. “…o-of course I am, I just… they’re right- it’s not forever…”

JJ rubs his eyes, hiding the fact that there are some tears in his eyes as well. We did indeed go through a lot together, didn't we?

"You guys want to play Dungeons and Dragons together?" Anti raises an eyebrow. "Nerds."

"That's what I said, but they convinced me!" Jackie laughs a bit awkwardly. "So, uh... would you know a way to... do that?"

Anti sighs. "Not in our world, but we can look around."

"Perhaps you should join us," Schneep says jokingly. "What would you be? A rogue?"

Bro laughs, “I can see that!”

"Jackie's a rogue, actually, I'm a monk," Anti says with a perfectly straight face. "But no, I'm not going to join you."

Killjoy, JJ says jokingly.

Anti raises his eyebrows—and actually gives a little laugh. "Maybe in the future. But not now. I have more to focus on."

Alt smiles at them weakly. “I’m sure we’ll see each other again before we even know it.”

Jackie smiles at Alt. "I'm sure of that, too."

If it's not going to happen, we'll make it happen, JJ promises.

{I HATE TO CUT THIS SHORT, BUT MY RIFTS WILL NOT LAST FOREVER,} Sam says.

Alt flinches a bit, “Right right-“ he looks meaningfully at the others. “get home safe… until next time, alright?”

"We will," Jackie promises.

Bro looks like he’s gonna cry again so Alt starts to drag him towards the rift. But- for a second he hesitates- then glitches back over to the others and hugs them too. “T-Thank you guys… for everything.”

The others all stiffen suddenly as Alt hugs them. "It is not a problem, my friend," Schneep whispers.

Take care, JJ adds.

Alt then quickly glitches back with a very red face, hurrying to grab Bro’s arm again and pull him towards the rift. Bro laughs and waves the rest of them off, “Bye!! Take care of yourselves!”

The three of them wave goodbye as the other two walk through the rift. As soon as they pass through, it disappears. {WHO IS NEXT?} Sam asks.

"H-hold on, I would like to try and see if I can get back on my own," Schneep says. "The way I did before."

JJ nods. He hesitates, then gives Schneep a quick hug.

Jackie pauses before joining as well. Then they both pull back. "Um... thank you two," he says. "For... that world, where we were all weird merpeople. You two really saved me."

Schneep chuckles. "Well in that case, thank you two for helping me get back after that Anti controlled me. I... should have thanked Alt and Bro as well." He sighs. "Well, next time I see them, then."

Good luck, JJ says. And... goodbye.

"Hope I'll see you again," Jackie says.

"Yes. And... I hope your situation with your Schneep works out." Schneep takes a deep breath. He looks upward, pupils darting. He just has to concentrate on home. He just has to think. It should be natural to return home.

And it is. Soon, he fizzles out of sight and disappears.

{HE HAS MADE IT HOME,} Sam reports.

I'll go next, then, JJ says. If you please.

Sam's pupil contracts in reply, and another rift appears. Through it, the entrance hall of JJ's house. He sees Mr. Fluffington start in surprise and then run down the hall. He can't help but chuckle a little.

"Hey, this is gonna sound weird, but... thanks for... letting me know that... not all Jamesons are like mine," Jackie says awkwardly. "All those other Jamesons, too, but... you especially."

Anti nods slowly. JJ does remind him of his Jameson, in a way.

JJ smiles. I'm glad I could help. He turns towards the rift, then looks back and waves Goodbye, tears in his eyes. Then he steps through and the rift disappears.

Jackie takes a deep breath. He looks at Anti. "Just us, then."

"You sure you don't want me to get us home?" Anti asks.

"Yeah."

Anti rolls his eye, but nods. "Alright, Sam."

Another rift forms, a familiar living room appearing beyond. He sees someone rummaging around in the kitchen nearby. Jackie takes a deep breath and heads on through. Anti looks up at Sam and nods silently. Then he goes through as well.

#GITHV #Glitch into the huffleverse #GITHV in between #alt anti #bro fantastic #inverted anti #inverted jackie #stitched schneep #the jaunty jackson #god them all saying goodbye to each other make me so soft #i love the glitch squad so much!!!#GITHV inbetween

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huffle-dork · 6 months ago

Text

Glitch into the Hufflverse Chapter 14: Curiousity Killed the Cat

Read Swapboys | Read Crystal’s AUs | Read CKTC | Read The Magnificent Series | Read Glitched Mind

Read SITCV | Read SATCV | GITHV Masterpost

They appear in a private hospital room filled with 6 empty beds. Bro hurries to go lay Alt down on one and Alt slumps against it, breathing raggedly.

“I’ll go get Schneep- o-our Schneep-“ Jackieboy says as he rushes out the door.

Schneep walks over to Alt's side, feeling out the area with his cane on the way. "That breathing does not sound good," he mutters.

Alt’s eyelids flutter and he blearily looks up at Schneep as he comes over. He smiles dazedly. “…’m okay… m…” His smile fades as he shudders, his other self’s glitchy laughter loud in his ears.

"He looks really tired," Jackie reports. "I'm guessing he used a lot of energy."

JJ nods. Though, I... my magic may have... made things worse.

Schneep nods slowly. "Well... at least you got that Anti out of him." He shivers. "I cannot imagine having someone like that in your mind."

"Yeah..." Jackie mutters. "I've, um... had some mental magick stuff happen to me, but possession is another thing, yknow?"

Indeed, JJ agrees.

“Honesty… I’m surprised he’s still conscious right now. I passed out for a couple hours after it happened to me, I think.” Marvin mumbles, “You all weren’t kidding about him being strong.”

Bro looks to Schneep in worry and tries to lead him to a bed or a chair. “Hen… you hurt your ankle- you gotta keep off your feet…”

“I hurt my—ah!” Schneep suddenly winces and lifts his injured foot up.

Jackie bursts into laughter—though he quickly stops as it sends pain through his abdomen wound. “Did you just—forget that you were injured?”

“I suppose my concern outweighed the pain,” Schneep says, sitting down on the nearest bed. “And the need to explore a new place.”

“Jesus you two…” Bro sighs in concern.

We can describe it to you, Hen, JJ says.

“Your spell for sign language has really lasted a long time,” Schneep says, impressed.

I told you, it wouldn’t take much power, JJ says. Though—seems this world’s version of me is also silent. That could be difficult.

“We’ll come to that when we come to that,” Jackie says, sitting down. “For now, Schneep, we’re in a hospital room. Six beds, one door, a couple windows.”

Marvin has gone to sit criss crossed on another bed but he leans forward in interest at seeing Schneep’s and his conversation. “Wait- you have a spell for Schneep to hear your signs in his mind? T-That’s so useful!” His eyes shine eagerly, “Do you think that’s something you could teach me?”

JJ laughs. Sure! But it's not as useful as you think. It only targets one person at a time. But to that person, as I sign, they hear a voice in their heads as if I was speaking nearby.

"It is very impressive, actually," Schneep says. "It even gets quieter with distance."

“Oh that makes sense- it’d be helpful if our Jamie ever needs to speak to us from far away!” Marvin grins.

I'd love to teach you! JJ says, smiling. I hope it will work with your magic—different universes and all.

Henrik bursts in through the door, rushing in and gathering up his supplies. “You all are hurt? Verr damnit- that Anti…! Who needs the most immediate aid?”

Jackieboy, Chase and Jameson all peek their heads in the door.

Jackie laughs. "S-sorry, I just—you're really reminding me of someone right now." He quickly becomes serious again. "Um—Alt was possessed but Marvin healed up his neck but he's still all... tired and stuff, I guess. Uh, I've been stabbed. Marvin and the other me got slashed a couple times, but maybe the other me heals fast like Bro does? And our Schneep's ankle is broken."

"No, it is only twisted," Schneep corrects. "That is very different. Much less severe."

“I’m okay-“ Jackieboy grins. “Superhero privileges~”

“Hey same!” Bro grins and shows the cuts on his arms are pretty much closed. “…should probably wrap these up though… but attend to Jackie and Schneep first.”

“Oh I see-“ Henrik nods. “Other Jackie- can I see where you got stabbed?”

"Yeah, course." Jackie pulls up his hoodie and shirt, revealing his stomach. There's a new wound on top of all the old scars, a narrow stab wound. "I don't think it hit anything important?"

"I remember not aiming for anywhere important," Schneep mutters. "In that mind controlled state, I... wanted the fight to last." He reaches out and grabs his scissors. "This is what I used, if that helps."

"Yeah, your fucking... Genocide Jack scissors," Jackie mutters.

“Ayyy Danganronpa reference!” Bro grins.

“Man- I want Jack to play Dangan one day-“ Marvin grins. “I think he’d like it!”

“I dunno bro- that dialogue can get pretty repetitive,” Chase chuckles.

“But it’s such an interesting story!”

Henrik looks at the scissors then the wound and nods. “I will stitch just to be safe… though it does not look too deep.” He grabs his supplies and starts working on the wound.

"Ayyy." Jackie grins right back at the three of them. "I only discovered it recently. My boyfriend Frederick insisted that I try it. We were gonna play the sequel soon." He's talking to distract himself from the wound treatment. Stitches, huh? Wouldn't be the first time.

What are you all talking about? JJ says, looking confused.

"Sounds like it is a game of some sort," Schneep says.

"It's a visual novel thing about kids getting trapped in a high school and being forced to play a death game," Jackie explains.

"Ahhh." Schneep nods.

I should suggest that to my friend Anti, he likes those types of stories, JJ says.

“Ah yeah, your Anti would love that game!” Bro grins. “Alt likes it a lot too. It has a great way of being funny and fucked up. Plus the pink blood is hella aesthetic.”

Speaking of Alt, he has finally closed his eyes, letting his head loll to the side- his friends are safe, he feels like he can rest now.

Henrik makes quick work of stitching up Jackie and then wraps up his wound before straightening back up. “There. Just be careful to not do too much of the stretching and it will be right as the rain.”

"Thanks, doc." Jackie smiles. "Your stitches are much neater than the ones my Schneep makes."

“Oh thank you! That is high praise.” Henrik laughs.

Jackie then sighs. "I hope he's okay..."

“Now, uh… the other me- may I see your ankle?” Henrik asks.

Schneep pushes down his sock and holds out his ankle. "It was a short fall that caused it. I must have landed wrong—which I suppose makes sense, as I could not see the ground beneath me."

“Oh yes I… noticed the cane.” Henrik says quietly and pulls out compression bandages to start wrapping up his ankle.

"That is what the cane is for," Schneep comments, chuckling a bit.

Bro looks over at Jackie with concern, “Oh yeah… a-any progress on finding out where your Schneep went?”

Jackie sighs. "He was MIA for a bit, but then Jameson and Marvin found him again and brought him back to the hotel. I don't know what happened to him in that time frame he was gone, but it wasn't good. I'm not sure if it was worse than being back with them, though."

They're that bad...? JJ asks, a concerned expression on his face.

"Yeah. But, uh, clearly they're an exception." Jackie smiles at him. "I've met a lot of good Jamesons on this journey."

Bro shudders and nods, going to hold his arms. "They're... god. Jackie's Marvin and Jameson are..." He glances at this world's Marvin and Jameson, who are both sitting on the same bed, Jameson helping wrap up Marvin's cuts. "They're... a lot. Bad people but... definitely an anomaly in universes for sure." He smiles at JJ too.

JJ also glances at the other Marvin and Jameson. He nods slowly. Yes... everyone else has seemed very kind.

Henrik finishes with the bandages. “This will help- we will also rest it up and get some ice.”

"Thank you very much,” Schneep says. “I will make sure to rest."

Henrik smiles at Schneep- then realizes he can't see him and flushes, "Oh yes- that's uh good. Here-" He helps to lift Schneep's foot to rest then hurries over and grabs an icepack. "Please take all the time you all need to rest." He says to Schneep, then turns to the room and calls out. "Alright- anyone else needs bandages?"

"Thank you,” Schneep says again, resting the ice pack on his ankle. "Ah, I believe I sliced Marvin a little. Other than that, Bro and the other Jackie heal fast. JJ, you were not hurt, were you?"

JJ shakes his head. Very luckily. Though... there is that magic... He trails off. I'm really sorry. I don't know why... He can't finish that. He just doesn't know why.

"I believe Alt needs food, yes?" Schneep says.

"Yeah, to help him recover his energy," Jackie agrees.

“Or something he can drain some electricity from,” Bro points out.

“Uhhh let’s not drain anything from the hospital…” Henrik points out nervously.

“There’s a vending machine outside! And I know a trick~” Chase grins.

Bro hurries over and gives him some cash. “Thanks other me! That’ll be awesome.” Chase grins and goes to grab some snacks.

"Right, yeah, we're in an... actual hospital," Jackie mutters.

Schneep raises an eyebrow. "What do you mean, 'an actual hospital'?"

"I'm used to less, uh... reputable places," Jackie says carefully.

JJ looks at him in concern. Is your universe OKAY?

"Probably as a whole, yeah." Jackie shrugs. "I'm just... not in the position to... go to public hospitals. Luckily, though, I know some magicians who can help with that sort of stuff."

“Oh yeah! ..wait why can’t you go to public hospitals?” Bro asks, blinking at Jackie.

Jackie freezes for a moment. "Uhhhhhhhh... cause I'm... a bit... wanted?"

"Like, criminally?" Schneep asks.

"Yyyyeah... people kinda... found out who I was..." Jackie squirms a little. "So, uh... if I go to a hospital... I'll get arrested."

“…oh.” Bro says in a small voice. “Well… it’s different now! …luckily you got Fredrick- he can heal last I remember.”

"Yeah." Jackie smiles softly. "He's really an angel."

I'm glad you have him, then, JJ says.

"What about you three?" Jackie asks, looking at Bro, JJ and Schneep. "I think I remember someone mentioning Alt having a boyfriend, too, but either of you have partners?"

I've always been too busy for dating, but I'm open for it if it happens, JJ says.

"I dated a woman named Greta for a time, but that was years ago now, I am not sure what happened to her since," Schneep says.

“Oh! I have a girlfriend,” Bro smiles, “Her name is Stacy. It’s still… kinda early? I dunno we’re both really busy… But I like her a lot and she makes me laugh. She’s real pretty too. Alt’s dating a guy named Oliver- used to help out Alt as a nurse! But he stopped once they both started getting feelings cuz you know- that’d be… bad- I think they said…”

"Aww." Jackie grins. "A real meet-cute for him, then. And Stacy? Huh. That's the name of Chase's ex-wife in my world."

"In mine too." Schneep nods. "Though they are still friendly."

I have a close friend named Stacy, JJ says. I don't think she was ever married, though, much less to someone named Chase.

“Yeah… I noticed that Stacy’s and Chases seem to be connected a lot… which is… weird? Cuz I’ve never seen an Ollie and Anti together! Though… only met one so far- but still! Why is my relationship the one that’s a constant?? Isn’t that weird??” Bro says. He then sighs and waves his hand. “Makes me wonder… if we’re just… destined to not last… which really sucks cuz… I think she’s amazing, you know?”

Jackie shakes his head. "If I've learned one thing in this early bit of a relationship, it's that it's always what you make it. You need to put in effort and communication, y'know? And honesty. I'm sure that as long as you guys have that, you can make it last. There's no destiny in love."

So I'm guessing you don't believe in soulmates, then? JJ asks, slightly amused.

"I believe that you make your soulmate, you know?"

Bro chuckles lightly, “I mean… kinda hard to communicate a lot with her though… I’m a superhero, you know? …there’s lots I can’t tell her… it kinda eats me up inside…”

Jackie sighs. "Well. Can't really help you out, there. But like... in comic books, the heroes always have to tell their love interests eventually. So... I dunno, keep that in mind, I guess? Do a lot of thinking."

With any big secret in a relationship, it will either eventually come out, or the relationship will end, JJ says. Not even just in romantic ones.

Bro sighs heavily and nods. “…yeah… I want to tell her it just… feels too soon. I dunno… it’s so complicated.”

"I'm sure you can figure it out when the time is right," Schneep says, smiling.

Chase hurries back into the room and dumps a handful of snacks and a couple of drinks on the edge of Alt’s bed. “There! That should do it, right?”

Jackie laughs. "Yeah, that should be enough! D'you think we should wake him up so he can eat, or should he rest some more?"

“I’ll wake him-“ Bro says and leans over to shake him awake. Alt sleepily grumbles and blinks open his eyes. Bro smiles gently and nudges him up. “hey bud- hungry? Other me got you some food.”

“Not much! Just- some jerky and crisps and some soda- stuff like that.” Chase says timidly.

Alt blinks at the food and then goes to grab the jerky almost desperately and starts to tear into it.

Jackie laughs again. "I guess that answers that question! Hey, someone pass me a soda, too."

Bro laughs and tosses Jackie one.

JJ turns to Alt. How do you feel?

"Probably not too good, hmm?" Schneep says.

Alt looks up at Schneep and JJ and shrugs, “…I feel like my brain got ran over by a forklift… that was also filled with electricity.”

"Alt, have you met the others from this world?" Schneep gestures over to them. "They seem very kind."

Chase has gone over to his friends and has handed them soda and coffees which they take gratefully.

Alt blinks over at the others and then quickly turns his head away, curling up. “I-I don’t think they’d… wanna meet someone who l-looks like me…”

JJ raises an eyebrow. Well, this Jackie and Marvin already saw you glitch into Schneep to get Anti's power out. They didn't react much.

"They may freak out for a moment, but you saved me, surely they will learn, as me and my friends in my world did," Schneep says.

"Besides, I haven't had any problem with the Marvins, have I?" Jackie mutters, taking a drink of his soda.

Alt doesn’t say anything, just curls up tighter.

Bro watches this for a second before rolling his eyes and taking Alt by the arm. Alt glitches a bit in protest, “Chase! Hey!”

The others are all gathered around the bed Marvin claimed. Jameson is now helping Jackie wrap up his wounds while Chase and Schneep drink their respective drinks. Marvin blinks up as Bro comes over. Bro smiles. “Hey guys- thought I should let my brother properly introduce himself- this is Alt.”

Alt yanks his arm away from Bro, his ears turning red. “Um.. hi… t-thanks for… h-helping me and my friends…”

The egos all look at Alt. He squirms under their gazes- wishing he had his mask still.

Jackieboy hums, narrowing his eyes- then he laughs. “You might look like Anti - but you sure don’t act like him!”

Marvin hits him slightly, “Jackie! Don’t be rude!”

“What?? That’s a compliment!”

Jackie laughs. "No, you're right—Alt couldn't be more different from your Anti! He's great." He smiles over at Alt. "Aren't you a superhero back in your world? Or, was it just that you were trying to be a superhero?"

"Really?" Schneep says. "I didn't remember that. But if today is any indication, Alt could be a great hero."

JJ chuckles. Indeed.

Alt’s face gets even more red- “I… I was… t-thinking about it but I… I dunno-“

Bro grins and throws his arm around Alt’s shoulder. “He’s a great fighter! And magician like you, Marvin!”

Oh! A magician! How delightful! Jameson signs with a smile.

Marvin smiles too, “Hey! Don’t get to meet too many… nice or heroic magicians so good to meet ya. Seems like you and other Chase are a lot like me and Jackie here!”

“Yeah! Like a crime fighting duo!” Jackieboy grins.

"Ha! More parallels!" Jackie laughs.

This world does seem to be fairly close to Bro and Alt's, JJ says. If we push aside that bit about them all being created by someone and having their life force tied to them. Everyone's just swapped around a little.

"Wait, what?" Schneep blinks. "They are what in this world?!"

"Oh, uh, yeah." Jackie winces. "Apparently here, some people have the ability to... make... people? Through... magic and imagination? And in this world, Jack made the whole group."

"...oh." Schneep leans back. "I suppose that would explain something Anti said. And it would explain that strange thing about all of their souls. That must be the connection to their Jack." He pauses, then nods. "Yes, I think that is what it is. But other than that one thing, they are all the same as other souls."

Alt’s eyes widen as JJ and Jackie explain how this world works. “What? You guys… just… creations? From someone else?”

Marvin huffs and crosses his arms, “Yes and no. That’s how we were born but we’re our own people! The only thing different from us is… well…”

“We technically can’t… die?” Chase says timidly.

“We fade.” Jackieboy says with a nod. “But as long as people still love our characters and give us attention… then we’ll come back.”

“T-that’s… that’s insane-“ Alt says with wide eyes. “To.. maintain that… that must take a-a lot of magic… or power-“

“Eh- Jack has millions of fans… it is not so hard to believe them to be capable. Human beings have a lot more power than they think. Even us.” Henrik shrugs.

"So it's the power of the collective, hmm?" Jackie nods like he understands this.

JJ nods in actual understanding. Of course. Spells are more powerful the more people who participate.

“It’s not as insane as what other Schneep said-“ Jackieboy says looking at him, “What’s that about our souls?? Can you… see them??”

Schneep smiles a bit. "Not exactly see them, I still cannot see anything. But I can sense them. It does come in handy, as I always know where people are. Some souls feel a bit different, a bit... I once described them as 'spicy.'"

Jackie laughs.

"That is what magic feels like," Schneep continues. "You all have a tiny bit of spice to you, though it is a different flavor than magic. That must be your connection. Of course, some of you do have that magic spice as well." He points at Marvin, Jameson, and Jackie.

“Oh! Huh- that’s neat!” Jackieboy grins. “Guess that comes in handy a lot!”

Marvin leans forward and bounces a bit excitedly on their bed. “Now that we have time to rest and stuff… can you all tell us about your universes? You said Alt’s and other Chase’s was similar but swapped? I wanna know more!”

Jameson nods too. Yes I’d also like to learn! How often do we get to meet ourselves who have their own different stories!

"Hah..." Jackie gives a weak smile. "Alright. Who wants to go first, then?"

I will, JJ says, smiling. Well, my home is also very switched around compared to you. My Jackie is a doctor, and my Henrik is a sort of hero—a vigilante, really. I have magic, as you can see, and I use it for preformances. My best friend is Marvin. He's a man from the 1920s who traveled here accidentally. Great man. We also have a friend called Anti—he plays games for YouTube. The five of us are all very close, though there are others, like Anti's cousin Jack, the previously-mentioned Stacy, Jackie's spouse named Rama and his daughter Michelle, Anti's son Will— He shakes his head. But I can't just list all my friends. His smile fades. There's also a... being... called Distorter. He's able to mess with people's minds, and he's been targeting our group for a while. But I'm sure that we'll be able to get rid of him soon.

“Oh wow JJ! Your world really is all switched around!” Marvin says.

Jackieboy laughs, “I-Imagine Anti being a gamer like Jack! God he’d hate that!”

I haven’t met anyone else out of time like me! I’d love to meet your friend some time, other me! Jameson grins, twitching his mustache. I wonder if his past is similar to mine!

“Pah! Imagine Jackie as a doctor… I’m never heard something so ridiculous- Jackie can hardly walk on his own sometimes.” Henrik snickers.

“Hey!”

Chase frowns, “huh… there’s no Chase in your world… that’s weird… wonder why that is…”

JJ shrugs. Perhaps there is a Chase, but we do not know him.

"That is a lot of talking," Schneep mutters.

You talk, then.

"Very well. In my home I am a doctor—or, was, I cannot do surgeries if I cannot see. I have since been studying physics in hope it will help me with a new job. My group of friends consists of Jack and Chase, who are both YouTubers, Jameson, a man who knows much about magick but is not exactly a magician, and Jackie and Marvin--Marvin is a magician, and Jackie used to be a vigilante as well." He pauses. "There was... an accident some years ago. Marvin and Jackie... we thought they died, but really they... it is a complicated matter, but you must know that somehow the two of them... were fused together with dark magic into a being called Anti. That Anti hurt me and my friends a lot, but we were able to defeat him and get our Jackie and Marvin back. Things are returning to normal for us."

Jackieboy and Marvin look a bit freaked out at the mention of Stitches and look at each other with wide eyes. “Woah other Schneep… that’s… honestly kinda scary. S-so close to how it is here…” Marvin says, thoughtfully rubbing some purple scars on his wrist.

“Luckily- we learned our lesson already when it comes to dealing with black magic,” Jackieboy tries to say cheerfully.

“Yeah…” Marvin replies, “I’m glad you guys got that fixed… that must have been awful… I-I can’t even imagine…”

Schneep sighs. "It was... a terrible time. But Jackie and Marvin have recovered, as have the rest of us." He smiles.

Jackie sighs. "Guess it's my turn, then? Well... things aren't... so great where I'm from." He pauses. "I, uh... used to do a lot of bad things. A-and I got along with other people who did bad things. Those people were... Chase, and Schneep, and Marvin and Jameson. Jack was also a friend, sort of, but he was actually a good guy. We... ended up hurting him a little. And this friend of his, Anti—in my world he's a good guy, if a bit of an asshole—he got real mad with us. Been trying to get Jack back for a while." He shakes his head. "I-I don't... Things have changed a lot. My Marvin and Jameson are real bad news, they... turned on the rest of us. I-I since got away, and these guys helped me get Chase away, too. The two of us are working with Anti and some magicians to hopefully get Schneep and Jack away from those two."

The egos all blink at Jackie in surprise.

“Woah… t-there’s a world where… A-Anti is good and we’re all… not?” Jackieboy whispers. Marvin lightly hits him again, “E-Except for you other me- cuz you’re trying to be better! Obviously!” Jackieboy corrects himself, grinning nervously.

“Switched mortalities…” Henrik muses, stroking his chin. “That is… fascinating…”

Jameson deflates, Gee… I-I can’t imagine acting in a way that would hurt my brothers… that’s very scary to think about.

Marvin nods. “…I know I’ve… I-I haven’t acted the best here but I… I-it wasn’t my fault. I was… I would never hurt these guys on purpose…”

"I know you wouldn't," Jackie says, giving Marvin a small smile. It feels strange to do. But he tried.

Chase seems a bit uncomfortable and gestures at Bro and Alt, “Uh- what about you two?”

Bro blinks then grins, “Well! In our world- me and Alt are like- actually brothers, you know? People in other universes always seem surprised by that.” He laughs. “but I’m a superhero named Bro Fantastic! My best mate is named Jackie Mann and he’s a YouTuber too but he does cool parkour tricks! And he’s a dad! He’s awesome. We also got someone out of time too! Our Henrik! But we call him Henny. He’s deaf but an amazing actor! And our doctor- well he’s learning more first aid hospital stuff but Dr. J is a hypnotherapist! He’s also got a daughter.”

Alt stuffs his hands in his pockets, “I’m… a magician… learning more magic and stuff but I can.. glitch too. I do… illusion shows. Light stuff but a bit of magic too - they’re a hit at raves.” He laughs softly.

Marvin’s eyes sparkle, “Really? That's so cool! What about other me??”

Bro and Alt both pale at this. “Uh… well… our… our bad guy is… a guy named Magnificent.”

Marvin’s face falls and then turns very pale.

“D-Don’t worry about him though- he’s… our problem.” Bro tries to say gently. “He’s… bad for us but like- you have no idea how many great Marvins we meet…”

JJ nods. There are plenty of kind Marvins out there! Mine would love to come here and meet you all. He nods at Jameson in particular.

“Woah… I’m a dad there too???” Jackieboy gasps.

“That might be even worse than him being a doctor-“ Henrik snickers. Jackieboy playfully punches him. “You’d be an awful actor then! You can’t even act nice to your older brother, bitch!”

Jackie laughs a little. "It seems like a lot of places we go can't imagine themselves as anything different. Which, yeah, I-I get it. It's hard to do until you see it."

"I never would have dreamt of a world where created people come to life," Schneep says. "I know that my Marvin and Jamie would be fascinated to hear about it. I will tell them all about it when I get home."

An interesting detail is that the three of us seem to come from similar worlds. JJ indicates himself, Schneep, and Jackie. We all live in the same city, for example.

"Out of curiosity, do any of you guys have an ABIM here?" Jackie asks. "The, uh... Association of British and Irish Magicians?"

"Oh! Yes, I am familiar with them." Schneep nods.

I have a friend who works for them, JJ says. Her name is Aoife.

"Hah. Yeah, Frederick works for them, too," Jackie says

Marvin blinks a bit at this then shakes his head. “No we don’t have anything like that… just the Magic Circle. They kinda govern the magic here.”

“Oh- we have one of those too. Bunch of pricks in my eyes though.” Alt smirks.

Marvin laughs, “I used to work for them so I can agree!”

“Oh yeah that reminds me we never asked! What city are we in right now? Still seems like Britain.” Bro hums.

“Oh this is Brighton.” Chase says.

Bro and Alt blink at this then both kinda rush to look at the window. “…bro no way?? This… did we not notice this is kinda like home?”

“I dunno Chase- I was kinda busy being possessed by a crazy glitch-“ Alt mumbles.

“Wait?? You guys are from Brighton too??” Jackieboy asks.

Jameson looks to the others. What city are you all from?

"It's a place called Mirygale," Jackie says. "I don't think that it exists in these guys' world." He jerks his head towards Bro and Alt. "Because we were there for a bit and no one seemed to have heard of it."

“Yeah I’ve tried looking it up and couldn’t find it,” Alt sighs.

"Which is strange, because Brighton does exist," Schneep says. "In my world, at least."

"Mine too."

Same here. JJ nods. I performed there once. Lovely place.

"Worlds are very, uh... varied, I guess." Jackie smiles and looks back at Bro and Alt. "Didn't you guys go to some sort of fantasy world once? And there were the two worlds we were in before this, and all their scifi shit."

“Oh yeah we’ve been to so many different places! Everyone single one is just slightly different or like- massively different. Always the same people- we’ve been to one where we were all like preteens or teens- one where we all were like- in a facilityyy- one where we were mermen! Well… two of those now- wait… 3? I dunno the last two kinda… blended together.” Bro says scratching his head.

“That is… so many-“ Chase says with wide eyes.

“That’s not even all of them,” Alt chuckles.

“Well… in theory it makes sense,” Henrik says, “There must be… infinite possibilities. I suppose it only makes sense for it to be so in practice.”

“…how are you guys gonna get back to your homes?” Marvin asks with a bit of concern. “You mentioned those rifts but… I haven’t heard about something like that…”

Schneep sighs. "We are not sure, to be honest. These rifts just appear."

"Like black rips or cracks in the very fabric of the world," Jackie says. "Bro and Alt used to have this device called a TRVLR, made by this company called IRIS, that let them control where they went to. But, uh... apparently that got broken."

I think in order to get home, we'd need to end up somewhere with the magic or technology to make controlled jumps like the TRVLR, JJ says. It doesn't seem impossible. Isn't there an IRIS in all three of our worlds?

"Yes, though in mine they simply make technology," Schneep says. "None of this multiverse shit."

"That you know of," Jackie mutters. "Or, I mean... we could eventually get help from someone else in the multiverse. My Anti knows about it. In fact, I think he's been traveling around a lot recently? Though... I don't know how he does that, I don't think he was powerful enough to jump worlds casually. Maybe we'll run into him eventually."

JJ sighs. I do hate that this all seems dependent on chance. My friends are no doubt worried about me.

"Mine too." Schneep nods. "I... would like to get back to them... soon."

"We'll find a way," Jackie says. "There's... there's always a way. As this Schneep says, the possibilities must be infinite."

“Yeah I… I dunno if we have an IRIS…” Jackieboy hums in thought, “sounds like something Jack would come up with though…”

“Man- imagine being able to just jump to other worlds!” Marvin says excitedly. “That would be so awesome! Just think about all the awesome magic that exists outside of here!”

Alt chuckles, “Yeah it was… it was pretty great.”

Jameson notices something out of the corner of his eye. Then he starts to shake Marvin’s shoulder- eagerly pointing.

There’s a black crack forming on the back wall of the room. Once Marvin turns to look it cracks open a little bigger. “Uhhh- you guys said they were like black rips right?!”

Jackie and JJ both immediately look in the same direction Marvin does. Schneep does not, of course, but he says, "Don't tell me. You are seeing one right now?"

"Oh my god, we are," Jackie gasps. He gets up, wincing, and hurries over to Schneep's side, helping him up. "Everyone link up! It's time!"

Alt glitches up and Bro immediately grabs his hand.

JJ looks at the egos and smiles. It was lovely to meet you! If we can figure out some way to control our travel, I'd love to come back and visit you again!

"Yes, a shame that I spent most of my time here being mind controlled," Schneep mutters.

Alt lets out a bitter laugh, “I feel that, Schneep.” He goes to hold his hand.

Jackieboy holds Marvin and Jameson to his side as the rift cracks open more and starts to pull the boys in- dragging out their clothes. Henrik grabs Chase. “I-Is it gonna suck us in too??” Jackieboy asks with worry.

Bro hurries over and grabs on to Jackie. “You guys should be fine! It only affects people who.. are out of their universes I think.”

“Well then- f-feel free to visit if you find a way back here! I’d love to hear more about all of this!” Marvin says with a shaky smile. He gives JJ a meaningful look and nods to him. “Good luck with your magic… hang onto the light, okay?”

JJ blinks, then smiles sincerely. I will. Thank you. Then he grabs onto Schneep, holding his hand.

"Until we meet again!" Jackie says. "If we don't, then I'm glad I met you all for this short time."

"Good luck with your Anti," Schneep says. "I'm sure that if you all work together, you can figure something out."

“Hell yeah dude! Don’t worry about us- we got PMA on our side!” Jackieboy grins. “Anti can’t keep us down for long- we got each other!!”

Henrik chuckles. “It was good to meet you all.”

“Even if it was… kinda weird. But also kinda cool-“ Chase grins.

Good luck! Jameson signs with a big playful smile.

“Thanks for everything-“ Alt smiles.

Then, the pull is too much and the 5 of them are sucked into the deep nothingness of the rift.

#GITHV #glitch into the huffleverse #GITHV CKTC #just a fun world building chapter :D #its always fun to sit down and have everyone compare worlds-#it was really fun to revisit CKTC now that its... basically over #i was supposed to write an epilogue but honestly i might leave CKTC where it is-#who knows gabjhk #anyways!! i say this a lot but im SUPER EXCITED FOR TOMORROWS WORLD EHEHHEHE

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