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Issue #3 by Dan Dolan
"Some Assembly Required - Part Three" December 20017 |
Another New York, Another Earth
“Something’s changing.” Tommy Maximoff said gravely, wringing his hands.
“Hopefully it’s where you’re standing cuz you’re in my light.” Will Maximoff answered, clad only in high cut pair of blood red swim trunks and sunglasses, sunning himself in a chaise, never looking up from behind his sun reflector.
The twins were atop the roof of this world’s Avengers Tower. This version of Earth happened to the closest to the “real” one as any they’d ever found, the only difference being that the world’s climate was slightly off, per example: the eastern hemisphere of the united states bearing the usual weather we’d associate with the west and vice versa.
“I just talked with Mom.” Tommy said nervously, characteristically so, despite being identical to his brother on paper, Tommy had always been more skittish, plagued by anxiety day and night. More visibly Will had always been very fit, athletic, while Tommy had been underweight, gangly even. Even now Tommy countered his brother’s audacious wardrobe choice by wearing an oversized tee shirt and shorts that were as long as possible, frankly just shy of being pants, both in subdued earth tones.
“Wanda.” Will corrected, again without sitting up or removing his sunglasses.
“She asked us to call her mom.” Tommy’s tone implied this wasn’t the first time they had had this conversation.
“And I declined because: she isn’t.” Will said curtly.
“Will… That’s not very nice.” Tommy whined ever so slightly as he spoke.
At this his brother finally made himself upright, lifting his shades to look Tommy in the eye.
“It has nothing to do with being nice, it’s just facts. We’ve known this version of the Scarlet Witch for roughly what? Five months? Tops. She may be the equivalent of our mother on this world but she is not her. Don’t romanticize her just because you’re afraid of going home.”
“I’m not afraid of that… what do you think we’ve been working for?”
“Exactly. This search has been you’re entire life, you spend every waking moment studying dimensional maps and scrying crystals and what not. Whatever will your life revolve around once we’re back home?”
Tommy looked dismal but said nothing, merely furrowing his brow, lower lip quivering ever so slightly.
“Listen,” Will said, his hardened face falling a bit as he put his discarded tank top, also red though a lighter shade, on and stood up, “I didn’t mean to upset you. You know how I tend to be a little…”
“Mean.”
“I was going to say blunt but yes, that works too.” Will smiled placing a hand on his brother’s shoulder, “What was your news?”
“Mom… er… Wanda said that she’s felt a change in the nexus. That the fetch that had been preventing us from returning home has weakened. She thinks it could be gone at any moment now.” Tommy rambled.
“Gone? 100% gone?” Will breathed finally showing genuine interest, “She’s sure?” He asked intently his brother nodding hesitantly in the affirmative, “Finally. That fucking demon finally slipped up huh?” Tommy wrinkled his nose at his brother’s language but said nothing, “Shall we?” Will outstretched his hand but Tommy shook his head and took a step back.
“No not yet. If we try to ‘jump’ before he’s fully let go of our signature we’ll just end up in yet another parallel. M… Wanda says she’ll let us know when it’s time.”
“Ok but once it’s gone we have to do it right away, no packing, no nothing. Who knows how long it will last.” Will ordered, locking eyes with Tommy.
“Will… I must admit: you are at least partly right,” the ‘as always’ went unsaid, “I’m afraid… we’ve waited so long and now?”
Whatever else Tommy was about to say was interrupted as the roof entrance flew open and the Scarlet Witch emerged a sad but determined look on her face. Both boys turned towards her at once, all three sets of eyes meeting as the arcane avenger gave the smallest of nods.
Will looked back at Tommy who was trembling.
“Ready?” He held out his hand.
Tommy reached for it.
“No.” He said as he took it and white flash enveloped them both.
# # # # #
“What the hell…?” Kate stammered, this was all becoming a bit too much for all involved.
“Nobody move, nobody panic.” Josiah ordered, breathing deep, “Billy stop, whatever this is… it will not work.” He said turning to Will and Tommy.
“Billy?” Tommy questioned, looking to Will desperately.
“He means the demon.” Will answered meeting Josiah’s eyes.
Out of the group Teddy was the most shaken, the most unnerved. He moved closer and almost immediately moved back, looking to the others hoping for some kind of solution; mouth agape.
“What the hell is this?” Victor said still floating above the others.
“Pleased to meet you,” Will smirked, “Won’t you guess my name?”
“Will please, not now...” Tommy quietly begged
“Right, right, Okay I supposed I’ll do the introductions.” He swanned, “My name is William Maximoff, call me Will, and this is my brother Tommy.”
“Maximoff? As in the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver?” Riri asked.
“Don’t talk to it!” Eli hissed.
“The very same.” Will nodded, ignoring Patriot.
“This is another trick!” Eli shouted but he seemed to have more control over himself now that Billy had been dispersed.
“No I swear…” Tommy began to panic.
“Whatever.” The nonchalant phrase was matched with disproportionate force by Victor Mancha as he swooped in from above, “He or they need to be dealt with first and then we can sort this out.”
Will stepped in front of his brother and raised his hands, which were soon encircled by a faint crimson light.
Victor stopped short, his arms and legs briefly flailing as he struggled to right himself in the air.
“What the…” He stammered as overlaid over his vision were the words: ‘internal service error’.
“Problem?” Will smirked cockily, only for Tommy to start tugging on his shirt, he started to turn to ask him what was wrong when he noticed a peripheral blur of motion in the other direction, swinging his head around just in time to watch as Queen Divine Justice’s boot connected with his face.
# # # # #
“Should we call the Avengers?” It was Eli’s voice Will heard as he groggily returned to consciousness.
The group had tied the “Two Billys” or “Will and Tommy” to chairs on opposite sides of the area just outside the now locked training room, still lined with the black residue, which the team was still picking off their clothes.
“No.” Josiah said simply, hand on his chin, “You all wanted to train to be the next generation of Earth’s mightiest heroes? You don’t get there by crying for help every time the going gets rough. No: we will handle this. Anyone who wants to leave may.”
Josiah looked around the group: Chanté and Eli didn’t waver, Kate and Riri leaned on each other but didn’t budge and the only two who seemed to be hesitant were Teddy and Victor.
“What about you two? Teddy I’m sure you’re feeling a lot of complicated things right now but Victor, after what happened; I’d understand if you wanted to go but I would like to convey our sincere apologies for putting you in a difficult situation.” Victor held his hand up before Josiah could continue.
“Please, I do understand you know. I probably would have joined in had situations been reversed. I’m just not sure this is what I thought I was signing up for. You saw the way my girlfriend bolted, I don’t blame her either. I’ll stay… for now.”
Josiah nodded to the boy before turning to the young Skrull, “Teddy?”
“I just want to know what’s going on.” Teddy cried in a pained voice, “I don’t understand any of this and… is Billy gone? Was there ever a Billy? I mean none of this makes sense: He had a whole life! Parents! Memories!”
“It would have been the first spell “he” learned.” Tommy managed to stammer out but he looked like he immediately regretted it. Especially when the entire team turned to him at once, which would be almost comical under different circumstances, the boy was nearly scared to death.
“Quiet!” Eli snapped.
“Leave him alone!” Will snarled protectively from the other side of the room.
“Eli stop. Even if it’s a trick we could still learn something from it.” Josiah motioned for Tommy to go on.
“Agatha Harkness cast a spell on our mother to forget we ever existed, I’m sure he probably used a similar spell to forget what he was and in reverse to make up a whole new life for himself, adding memories to anyone he wanted.”
“Agatha Harkness?” Kate asked trying to follow along.
“I don’t know if you even know who we are, or have heard our story…? The Scarlet Witch is our mother.” Tommy continued reluctantly.
“The Scarlet Witch doesn’t have kids…?” Eli said looking around to the other who mostly shrugged.
“She did.” Came Victor’s voice, “Ever since finding out… what I am. I’ve done my research on my “family". When the Vision was married to Scarlet Witch she bore twins under incredibly strange circumstances from what I’ve gathered, and lost them in even stranger ones.”
“So you’re claiming the Vision is your father?” Kate asked, her eyes squinted.
“No. Not technically. We were intended to be raised by him, yes but scientifically speaking we were born through parthenogenesis, triggered by a mix of our mother’s mutant probability control and magic.”
“That gobbledygook was scientific?” Kate turned to Riri.
“Only in the strictest terms.” The other girl proffered.
“Wouldn’t you two only be like five or six years old?” Victor said perplexed.
“We’ve been dimension hopping since birth, we can do it at will… when we were in physical contact at least. It should really only work to return us to this dimension but while that thing you call Billy used our essence like a Halloween costume all it did was shunt us into yet another parallel. Time works slightly differently in each one.” Will sighed.
“And that creature always reflected us to the letter, including aging with us… presumably subconsciously manipulating the memories of those around him to compensate.” Tommy added meekly.
“I’m sorry but this all sounds like a pretty big load of BS to me.” Kate snapped, “How do we know that this isn’t just one of Billy’s magic tricks?”
“It’s true.” Will groaned, “We can explain your “Billy” too. Our birth was more than just strange it was a significant mystical event that allowed for other powers to enter our world.”
“What other “powers”?” Josiah questioned.
“You’ve heard of Mephisto. Think of these as polyps he had removed and Earth as the waste bin they ended up in.” Will spat.
“Charming.” Chanté said, turning up her nose.
“Will, try to be nice… they have no reason to trust us.” Tommy hissed.
“Some third rate would be villain named “Master Pandemonium,” Will continued, ignoring his brother, “Manipulated these forces using us. Literally us, our physical bodies, as conduits. So we were basically reduced to a magic wand for some birthday magician.”
“I know most of this, albeit it was described slightly more ‘historically’,” Victor said, “Didn’t the Scarlet Witch’s twins vanish after that? Because they were “figments of her imagination”.” He went on complete with air quotes.
“That’s what you think happened? Is that what everyone thinks happened? That’s really fucked up and kind of sexist.” Will stammered.
“Our mother shunted us into another dimension, another version of Earth, in an effort to subconsciously protect us.”
“Yes because that makes perfect sense.” Eli scowled but Kate looked like she at least was right there with him, the others seemed unsure.
“Wanda Maximoff is a nexus being. It means she is tied to this dimension, your dimension… that you got to grow up in might I add... on a very primal level, Jesus have any of you done any research on the ADULT Avengers? Don’t they give you like textbooks or anything?” Will snapped.
“It’s why we can always return to this dimension.” Tommy interjected trying to downplay his brother’s rudeness, “We’ve been trying to get back for ages,” Tommy said talking over his brother for once, his voice desperate, “That thing… “Billy”, it used our essence to try and fill the hole left by Master Pandemonium and Mephisto before him. Making kind of an approximation of the both of us.” He did his best to gesture to Will and himself in his restricted state, “We couldn’t while he was maintaining his copy. In dimensional terms he “took our spot”. He had absorbed us as infants, for a small time we were technically the same being. He’s been channeling us for years, across realities.”
“Will plus Tommy equals Billy?”
“EXACTLY.” Came an echoing groan from the training room. They all turned to see the dark black substance swirling anew. Forming a torrent in the center of the room.
“Hear all that whining they just did?” The words bled into their minds rather than their ears. Made them feel nauseous and starving all at once. Like something deep inside of them was being twisted in knots, “That’s my story too. I was born the same time they were… you could say we’re triplets… after a fashion. No one pities me though do they? No one wants to make it all better. So I did it for myself. Wrote myself a new story. Got what I wanted.”
Again the inky black formed the visage of “Billy Kaplan” in the dark twister’s center.
“I always will.” As “Billy” said these words a small bit of black they hadn’t noticed, splashed on Josiah’s shirt, sprang to life. It formed a spiked tendril and wrapped around the would-be super soldier’s neck with a passion.
“Unc!” Eli screamed rushing to his side, the others following. They all struggled to pull it off to no avail, Josiah clearly struggling for breath.
Will grimaced from where he was tied up, an angry gurgle making its way out of his throat as his eyes lit up red, as did his hands and the ropes binding him began to wither and fray at an accelerated rate and suddenly he was able to burst free, running over to untie Tommy.
“Stand back.” Victor said keeping his hands on the writhing tentacle. They all reluctantly did so and the robotic teen closed his eyes and exhaled, letting a volt of electricity loose from his palms causing the tendril to go wild and a strange high pitched scream to be heard as it released Josiah, crawling back to the training room; it opened the door from the outside and rejoined “Billy”.
Josiah was unconscious but seemed otherwise unhurt, he’d have a bruised neck though and he’d most likely be pretty pissed when he woke up.
“That’s enough.” Teddy said staring at Josiah’s limp form for a moment before turning back to the training room, “This is my fault too… I should have done more when Billy was losing it. I shouldn’t have let my feelings get in the way… maybe then Michael would be… This ends now.” Teddy said finally walking towards the training room.
Everyone else shared worried looks but slowly they, including Will, began to follow him, “Billy” smiling at them as they did so.
Tommy was gripped with fear and hung back, kneeling next to Josiah.
As Teddy neared the tornado of black he felt Eli, Will and Chanté at his back, Victor overhead and knew Kate and Riri brought up the rear. He felt their support bloom inside his chest, allowing him to continue as the face of his beloved rose from the inky dark to mock him.
“Teddy… I’m sorry about everything I’ve put you through,” His/its voice was slightly more normal now more like the old Billy’s, “We can start fresh now, don’t you see? It’s what you wanted.”
“It won’t work… I know what you are now.” Teddy said simply.
“No matter what I am…” The voice was Billy’s yet it was still tainted. There was a sickly wet undercurrent that made it all the more unnerving its familiarity, “As I told you before my feelings for you are very real.”
“Billy… Mephisto… whoever you are…”
“I am who you want me to be. Don’t you understand? Know that I understand the scope of my power, how it works. A demon of desire, I appear to be. At first based on merely my own but now? Yours too. Anything you desire can be yours.”
The black tendrils snaked out and separated Teddy from the group, wrapping all of the others in their grip.
“No! I…” Teddy started strong but blanked on what to say as the image of Billy became more real, almost as if he were standing calmly at the center of the storm of black.
“It’s not real kid.” Will shouted to Teddy from where he battled one of the shadowy tentacles, the other boy’s own likeness to Billy helping to give the young Skrull some perspective.
“I do want something.” Teddy said suddenly focused.
“Teddy no!” Riri shouted.
“Name it.” The approximation of Billy said reaching out a cold hand to caress Teddy’s cheek.
“I want Michael back.” Teddy said sadly.
“Billy” looked conflicted but said nothing and after a moment he nodded. The others weren’t sure what to do, even after the inky tendrils they had been fighting slithered back and rejoined the whole.
“Can he do that?” Riri said, eyes going wide. Kate said nothing but walked up and softly took Riri’s hand.
“He shouldn’t.” Will opined, helping Victor up.
“Stay out of it, new kid.” Eli snapped before looking back at “Billy” with hope/fear.
“No. This is life or death stuff we’re talking about here. Interfering with that cycle has never brought anyone happiness.” Will went on, raising his hands toward “Billy”.
In the “eye” of the funnel of black slime “Billy” seemed to be in some sort of trance, eyes closed and unmoving. After a pregnant pause a figure began to form behind him.
“No…” Will groaned as the red glow formed around his hands, still aimed at “Billy”.
“Wait!” Eli snapped, hurling a dulled throwing star at Will’s wrist. Causing the other boy to shout in pain and breaking his concentration.
The figure at first just resembled Michael, still being made of the writhing black soup “Billy” had conjured but as the moments went on it began to transform, become more “real”. Wearing plain white clothes and completely unblemished unlike the corpse still lying in the entranceway.
“Your wish is my command…” “Billy” said at last, opening his eyes and looking directly at Teddy.
“Michael…?” Eli rasped.
“My legs…” The figure behind “Billy” spoke and sure enough it was Michael’s voice, damaged yes but true, “I feel my legs.”
Riri stepped closer, a more unsure Kate following a step behind; Eli however practically rushed the aberration in front of them, only to be stopped by Teddy’s arm springing out like a soccer mom hitting a bump in the road.
Victor and Will however hung back, distrust and fear on their faces.
The image of Michael seemed to shift between a dreamy vision and a more flesh and blood reality, leaning towards the latter. In front of him, the slick black semblance of “Billy Kaplan” reached out from the same inky maelstrom to cup Teddy’s face and kissed the Skrull.
“Well that’s disturbing.” Will said, his face scrunched up in revulsion.
“Don’t you all see?” “Billy” said breaking away from Teddy, who seemed to be in shock, “We can all get what we want now. No more “fighting for the future” now we can take the present!”
“No.” Michael said sternly.
“What?” “Billy” turned confused, “What did you say?”
“This is wrong. Selfishness, blind desire… that’s not what this is supposed to be about. We don’t take what we want, we earn it. I’m a Young Avenger… I should know.” Michael grabbed “Billy” around the throat surprising the creature.
“Michael!” Riri called out.
“All of you… together. Never doubt that that is what I wanted, and you earned it. We all did. Don’t let that be taken from you.” The former Iron Manacle said sadly but also with a hopeful expression on his face, meeting eyes with each of them in turn.
Before anyone could respond Michael fell backwards into the dark void, taking “Billy” with him. The slime following after them as the whole torrent of black collapsed in on itself. Eli jumped forward trying to catch hold of him but was left with empty air, hitting the ground in front of him instead.
They were gone, as if they’d never been; the group left in unease and silence.
# # # # #
The Fort Meyers Memorial Gardens Cemetery, Fort Myers, Florida
A week had passed since the team engaged the demon of desire they had once known as their friend Billy Kaplan. What truly happened to the demonic spirit or the manifestation of their late friend Michael Corson after that? They may never know. Even Doctor Strange himself had been tapped to give the Hideout a once over and despite assuring them the threat had passed he could not, or would not, elaborate on what may have occurred.
Now they tried to put that all behind them as they gathered to lay Michael to rest and despite themselves… Billy too.
Michael’s parents seemed sad but ultimately? Disinterested. As they had been in life. It was his friends who mourned the hardest.
Quiet conversation began after the priest finished talking.
Eli found Chanté in the crowd.
“Listen I know we didn’t get off to a great start.” The boy said, hand on the back of his neck.
“Look I get it. I didn’t mean to “show you up” or anything.”
“No I mean, that was what I was feeling but I shouldn’t have been. This isn’t supposed to be about what I want or how I feel. The last thing Michael said to me, “we’re a team” that’s what this is about. If you’re better than me then well, you just are and that’s that.”
“Eli no one is better than anyone. We’re all just… different. Learn to appreciate that and life will get so much easier I assure you.” She smiled calmly and for moment they let an extended but not unpleasant silence fall over them.
“So… teammates?” Eli suggested holding out a hand, to which she took and with a firm shake they smiled once more and parted, mixing into the crowd.
Meanwhile Kate and Riri were approached by someone none of them had seen in quite a long time before today; Cassandra Lang.
“Kate.” Cassie said emphatically hugging the brunette, who reciprocated but in a noticeably less enthusiastic way.
“Cassie.” Kate said with a sad smile, “It’s been awhile.” She finished somewhat pointedly, “This is my friend and our new teammate Riri Williams.” She said resting her hand on Riri’s arm. Riri stood forwards, brushing a stray tear away before taking Cassie’s hand.
“Good to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you.” The prodigy said sweetly.
“Good to meet you too.” She smiled, “So no sign of Bryon?” She turned back to Kate.
“No so far we haven’t been able to contact him. He probably doesn’t even know.” Kate said sadly, “It’s hard not to feel a little abandoned.”
Cassie’s eyes found Kate’s and met the betrayal in the brunette’s gaze with resigned sadness. She hadn’t expected ‘everyone’ to understand her decision not to rejoin the group and ultimately these events only reinforced that decision.
Across the way, in borrowed clothes, stood Will and Tommy Maximoff mostly keeping to themselves and only coming at all as an attempt at an “olive branch” to soften their confrontational first meeting with the team.
“Will, you’ll never believe some of the superheroes are here. Plain clothed of course.” Tommy said, almost giggling as did.
“Yes I recognize some, from when we “met” before.” Will scoffed, referring to their times with the Avengers of other worlds.
“I talked to Scott Lang. He’s not an Avenger at the moment but he was really nice and really interested in all of these guys,” He waved in the “Young Avengers” general direction, “He said that as far as he knew the Avengers haven’t been in touch with mom for a long while and the current group is busy dealing with some crisis but he did say he’d talk to them for us and--”
“Tommy stop for a second.” Will clasped his brothers wildly gesticulating hands, “Let’s not try to find her just yet.”
“Why?” All of Tommy’s bluster went completely out.
“Before when I said you were scared… Maybe I’m scared too.” Will’s usually boisterous voice went quiet.
“Of what?” Tommy said perplexed but he immediately placed his hands on his brother’s shoulder.
“Of finding her. The real her. I never gave those copies a second thought they… didn’t abandon us. She did. Scared of finding her and being so angry I can’t take it. I don’t want to… face that yet so please can we wait?” Will said through near gritted teeth, the word ‘please’ especially seemingly hard for him to say.
“Yeah… we can wait.” Tommy said with equal reluctance but better acting, “Besides, I feel like we found these guys for a reason.” This last part held real sincerity.
“Yeah, maybe.” Will said with an eye-roll allowing his brother to give him a hug.
By the graveside now stood almost solely the still forms of Teddy Altman and Josiah Bradley, most of the other mourners moving off to the outskirts.
“I know it doesn’t feel like it right now Teddy but this will get better.”
“I just keep remembering things. Small, stupid things from when we were just being “normal”. Just two teenagers, a “happy young couple”, I mean really as cliché as it sounds. Was it all a trick?” He turned to Josiah, though ultimately he didn’t really expect an answer.
Josiah sighed.
“There’s a quote in the holy book about life being nothing but an amusing diversion and that those who know that the true life is yet to come are the wise ones… I won’t bore you with it but suffice to say that this life? It’s messy. It’s imperfect. It does not make sense. There are no absolutes and few answers and in the end? That may just be the point of it all yet.”
Teddy nodded, then he looked over in the twins’ direction.
“What about them?”
“Same thing really. All things are complicated. If it makes you feel better. I believe they are who they say they are and so does Doctor Strange. I should tell, I do plan on offering them a place with us. Would that… disturb you?”
“They aren’t him, as you just said. It’s not their fault that they have that face, in fact they’re his victims as much any of us are, more.”
“There’s that wisdom I was hoping for. The kind of wisdom that comes with living.” Josiah said patting him on the back.
Scott Lang, his arm around his daughter Cassie made his way over to Josiah, hand out, and rather than bear witness to the formal goodbyes and “passing of the torch” exchange that would surely follow Teddy excused himself to join up with the others whose mini groups had mostly coalesced into one.
As Teddy walked over the group rearranged to make room for him.
“You just missed Stingray, he was even partially in costume apparently just barely taking a break from a mission. He gave us the current Avengers regards.” Kate said, face unreadable. Eli’s face was much more apparent in its displeasure.
“Screw that. This is their fault!” Eli snapped, “You heard Thing #1 and Thing #2,” He gestured to Will and Tommy who rolled their eyes and smiled respectively but said nothing, “If they had handled this correctly when it first happened. Who knows? Michael would still be alive for sure.”
“We would have grown up in our own dimension.” Will said, nodding.
“I wouldn’t have fallen for a demon.” Teddy frowned, Riri patting his shoulder.
“So that’s how we “fight for tomorrow”? That’s our inheritance? Their problems?” Kate sighed.
“It’s always the way with the younger generation.” Eli said, “But it’s what we’ve got to do: be better than them.”
“Better than them.” They all said at once, putting their hands in a circle, and as a group raising them up.
“Something’s changing.” Tommy Maximoff said gravely, wringing his hands.
“Hopefully it’s where you’re standing cuz you’re in my light.” Will Maximoff answered, clad only in high cut pair of blood red swim trunks and sunglasses, sunning himself in a chaise, never looking up from behind his sun reflector.
The twins were atop the roof of this world’s Avengers Tower. This version of Earth happened to the closest to the “real” one as any they’d ever found, the only difference being that the world’s climate was slightly off, per example: the eastern hemisphere of the united states bearing the usual weather we’d associate with the west and vice versa.
“I just talked with Mom.” Tommy said nervously, characteristically so, despite being identical to his brother on paper, Tommy had always been more skittish, plagued by anxiety day and night. More visibly Will had always been very fit, athletic, while Tommy had been underweight, gangly even. Even now Tommy countered his brother’s audacious wardrobe choice by wearing an oversized tee shirt and shorts that were as long as possible, frankly just shy of being pants, both in subdued earth tones.
“Wanda.” Will corrected, again without sitting up or removing his sunglasses.
“She asked us to call her mom.” Tommy’s tone implied this wasn’t the first time they had had this conversation.
“And I declined because: she isn’t.” Will said curtly.
“Will… That’s not very nice.” Tommy whined ever so slightly as he spoke.
At this his brother finally made himself upright, lifting his shades to look Tommy in the eye.
“It has nothing to do with being nice, it’s just facts. We’ve known this version of the Scarlet Witch for roughly what? Five months? Tops. She may be the equivalent of our mother on this world but she is not her. Don’t romanticize her just because you’re afraid of going home.”
“I’m not afraid of that… what do you think we’ve been working for?”
“Exactly. This search has been you’re entire life, you spend every waking moment studying dimensional maps and scrying crystals and what not. Whatever will your life revolve around once we’re back home?”
Tommy looked dismal but said nothing, merely furrowing his brow, lower lip quivering ever so slightly.
“Listen,” Will said, his hardened face falling a bit as he put his discarded tank top, also red though a lighter shade, on and stood up, “I didn’t mean to upset you. You know how I tend to be a little…”
“Mean.”
“I was going to say blunt but yes, that works too.” Will smiled placing a hand on his brother’s shoulder, “What was your news?”
“Mom… er… Wanda said that she’s felt a change in the nexus. That the fetch that had been preventing us from returning home has weakened. She thinks it could be gone at any moment now.” Tommy rambled.
“Gone? 100% gone?” Will breathed finally showing genuine interest, “She’s sure?” He asked intently his brother nodding hesitantly in the affirmative, “Finally. That fucking demon finally slipped up huh?” Tommy wrinkled his nose at his brother’s language but said nothing, “Shall we?” Will outstretched his hand but Tommy shook his head and took a step back.
“No not yet. If we try to ‘jump’ before he’s fully let go of our signature we’ll just end up in yet another parallel. M… Wanda says she’ll let us know when it’s time.”
“Ok but once it’s gone we have to do it right away, no packing, no nothing. Who knows how long it will last.” Will ordered, locking eyes with Tommy.
“Will… I must admit: you are at least partly right,” the ‘as always’ went unsaid, “I’m afraid… we’ve waited so long and now?”
Whatever else Tommy was about to say was interrupted as the roof entrance flew open and the Scarlet Witch emerged a sad but determined look on her face. Both boys turned towards her at once, all three sets of eyes meeting as the arcane avenger gave the smallest of nods.
Will looked back at Tommy who was trembling.
“Ready?” He held out his hand.
Tommy reached for it.
“No.” He said as he took it and white flash enveloped them both.
# # # # #
“What the hell…?” Kate stammered, this was all becoming a bit too much for all involved.
“Nobody move, nobody panic.” Josiah ordered, breathing deep, “Billy stop, whatever this is… it will not work.” He said turning to Will and Tommy.
“Billy?” Tommy questioned, looking to Will desperately.
“He means the demon.” Will answered meeting Josiah’s eyes.
Out of the group Teddy was the most shaken, the most unnerved. He moved closer and almost immediately moved back, looking to the others hoping for some kind of solution; mouth agape.
“What the hell is this?” Victor said still floating above the others.
“Pleased to meet you,” Will smirked, “Won’t you guess my name?”
“Will please, not now...” Tommy quietly begged
“Right, right, Okay I supposed I’ll do the introductions.” He swanned, “My name is William Maximoff, call me Will, and this is my brother Tommy.”
“Maximoff? As in the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver?” Riri asked.
“Don’t talk to it!” Eli hissed.
“The very same.” Will nodded, ignoring Patriot.
“This is another trick!” Eli shouted but he seemed to have more control over himself now that Billy had been dispersed.
“No I swear…” Tommy began to panic.
“Whatever.” The nonchalant phrase was matched with disproportionate force by Victor Mancha as he swooped in from above, “He or they need to be dealt with first and then we can sort this out.”
Will stepped in front of his brother and raised his hands, which were soon encircled by a faint crimson light.
Victor stopped short, his arms and legs briefly flailing as he struggled to right himself in the air.
“What the…” He stammered as overlaid over his vision were the words: ‘internal service error’.
“Problem?” Will smirked cockily, only for Tommy to start tugging on his shirt, he started to turn to ask him what was wrong when he noticed a peripheral blur of motion in the other direction, swinging his head around just in time to watch as Queen Divine Justice’s boot connected with his face.
# # # # #
“Should we call the Avengers?” It was Eli’s voice Will heard as he groggily returned to consciousness.
The group had tied the “Two Billys” or “Will and Tommy” to chairs on opposite sides of the area just outside the now locked training room, still lined with the black residue, which the team was still picking off their clothes.
“No.” Josiah said simply, hand on his chin, “You all wanted to train to be the next generation of Earth’s mightiest heroes? You don’t get there by crying for help every time the going gets rough. No: we will handle this. Anyone who wants to leave may.”
Josiah looked around the group: Chanté and Eli didn’t waver, Kate and Riri leaned on each other but didn’t budge and the only two who seemed to be hesitant were Teddy and Victor.
“What about you two? Teddy I’m sure you’re feeling a lot of complicated things right now but Victor, after what happened; I’d understand if you wanted to go but I would like to convey our sincere apologies for putting you in a difficult situation.” Victor held his hand up before Josiah could continue.
“Please, I do understand you know. I probably would have joined in had situations been reversed. I’m just not sure this is what I thought I was signing up for. You saw the way my girlfriend bolted, I don’t blame her either. I’ll stay… for now.”
Josiah nodded to the boy before turning to the young Skrull, “Teddy?”
“I just want to know what’s going on.” Teddy cried in a pained voice, “I don’t understand any of this and… is Billy gone? Was there ever a Billy? I mean none of this makes sense: He had a whole life! Parents! Memories!”
“It would have been the first spell “he” learned.” Tommy managed to stammer out but he looked like he immediately regretted it. Especially when the entire team turned to him at once, which would be almost comical under different circumstances, the boy was nearly scared to death.
“Quiet!” Eli snapped.
“Leave him alone!” Will snarled protectively from the other side of the room.
“Eli stop. Even if it’s a trick we could still learn something from it.” Josiah motioned for Tommy to go on.
“Agatha Harkness cast a spell on our mother to forget we ever existed, I’m sure he probably used a similar spell to forget what he was and in reverse to make up a whole new life for himself, adding memories to anyone he wanted.”
“Agatha Harkness?” Kate asked trying to follow along.
“I don’t know if you even know who we are, or have heard our story…? The Scarlet Witch is our mother.” Tommy continued reluctantly.
“The Scarlet Witch doesn’t have kids…?” Eli said looking around to the other who mostly shrugged.
“She did.” Came Victor’s voice, “Ever since finding out… what I am. I’ve done my research on my “family". When the Vision was married to Scarlet Witch she bore twins under incredibly strange circumstances from what I’ve gathered, and lost them in even stranger ones.”
“So you’re claiming the Vision is your father?” Kate asked, her eyes squinted.
“No. Not technically. We were intended to be raised by him, yes but scientifically speaking we were born through parthenogenesis, triggered by a mix of our mother’s mutant probability control and magic.”
“That gobbledygook was scientific?” Kate turned to Riri.
“Only in the strictest terms.” The other girl proffered.
“Wouldn’t you two only be like five or six years old?” Victor said perplexed.
“We’ve been dimension hopping since birth, we can do it at will… when we were in physical contact at least. It should really only work to return us to this dimension but while that thing you call Billy used our essence like a Halloween costume all it did was shunt us into yet another parallel. Time works slightly differently in each one.” Will sighed.
“And that creature always reflected us to the letter, including aging with us… presumably subconsciously manipulating the memories of those around him to compensate.” Tommy added meekly.
“I’m sorry but this all sounds like a pretty big load of BS to me.” Kate snapped, “How do we know that this isn’t just one of Billy’s magic tricks?”
“It’s true.” Will groaned, “We can explain your “Billy” too. Our birth was more than just strange it was a significant mystical event that allowed for other powers to enter our world.”
“What other “powers”?” Josiah questioned.
“You’ve heard of Mephisto. Think of these as polyps he had removed and Earth as the waste bin they ended up in.” Will spat.
“Charming.” Chanté said, turning up her nose.
“Will, try to be nice… they have no reason to trust us.” Tommy hissed.
“Some third rate would be villain named “Master Pandemonium,” Will continued, ignoring his brother, “Manipulated these forces using us. Literally us, our physical bodies, as conduits. So we were basically reduced to a magic wand for some birthday magician.”
“I know most of this, albeit it was described slightly more ‘historically’,” Victor said, “Didn’t the Scarlet Witch’s twins vanish after that? Because they were “figments of her imagination”.” He went on complete with air quotes.
“That’s what you think happened? Is that what everyone thinks happened? That’s really fucked up and kind of sexist.” Will stammered.
“Our mother shunted us into another dimension, another version of Earth, in an effort to subconsciously protect us.”
“Yes because that makes perfect sense.” Eli scowled but Kate looked like she at least was right there with him, the others seemed unsure.
“Wanda Maximoff is a nexus being. It means she is tied to this dimension, your dimension… that you got to grow up in might I add... on a very primal level, Jesus have any of you done any research on the ADULT Avengers? Don’t they give you like textbooks or anything?” Will snapped.
“It’s why we can always return to this dimension.” Tommy interjected trying to downplay his brother’s rudeness, “We’ve been trying to get back for ages,” Tommy said talking over his brother for once, his voice desperate, “That thing… “Billy”, it used our essence to try and fill the hole left by Master Pandemonium and Mephisto before him. Making kind of an approximation of the both of us.” He did his best to gesture to Will and himself in his restricted state, “We couldn’t while he was maintaining his copy. In dimensional terms he “took our spot”. He had absorbed us as infants, for a small time we were technically the same being. He’s been channeling us for years, across realities.”
“Will plus Tommy equals Billy?”
“EXACTLY.” Came an echoing groan from the training room. They all turned to see the dark black substance swirling anew. Forming a torrent in the center of the room.
“Hear all that whining they just did?” The words bled into their minds rather than their ears. Made them feel nauseous and starving all at once. Like something deep inside of them was being twisted in knots, “That’s my story too. I was born the same time they were… you could say we’re triplets… after a fashion. No one pities me though do they? No one wants to make it all better. So I did it for myself. Wrote myself a new story. Got what I wanted.”
Again the inky black formed the visage of “Billy Kaplan” in the dark twister’s center.
“I always will.” As “Billy” said these words a small bit of black they hadn’t noticed, splashed on Josiah’s shirt, sprang to life. It formed a spiked tendril and wrapped around the would-be super soldier’s neck with a passion.
“Unc!” Eli screamed rushing to his side, the others following. They all struggled to pull it off to no avail, Josiah clearly struggling for breath.
Will grimaced from where he was tied up, an angry gurgle making its way out of his throat as his eyes lit up red, as did his hands and the ropes binding him began to wither and fray at an accelerated rate and suddenly he was able to burst free, running over to untie Tommy.
“Stand back.” Victor said keeping his hands on the writhing tentacle. They all reluctantly did so and the robotic teen closed his eyes and exhaled, letting a volt of electricity loose from his palms causing the tendril to go wild and a strange high pitched scream to be heard as it released Josiah, crawling back to the training room; it opened the door from the outside and rejoined “Billy”.
Josiah was unconscious but seemed otherwise unhurt, he’d have a bruised neck though and he’d most likely be pretty pissed when he woke up.
“That’s enough.” Teddy said staring at Josiah’s limp form for a moment before turning back to the training room, “This is my fault too… I should have done more when Billy was losing it. I shouldn’t have let my feelings get in the way… maybe then Michael would be… This ends now.” Teddy said finally walking towards the training room.
Everyone else shared worried looks but slowly they, including Will, began to follow him, “Billy” smiling at them as they did so.
Tommy was gripped with fear and hung back, kneeling next to Josiah.
As Teddy neared the tornado of black he felt Eli, Will and Chanté at his back, Victor overhead and knew Kate and Riri brought up the rear. He felt their support bloom inside his chest, allowing him to continue as the face of his beloved rose from the inky dark to mock him.
“Teddy… I’m sorry about everything I’ve put you through,” His/its voice was slightly more normal now more like the old Billy’s, “We can start fresh now, don’t you see? It’s what you wanted.”
“It won’t work… I know what you are now.” Teddy said simply.
“No matter what I am…” The voice was Billy’s yet it was still tainted. There was a sickly wet undercurrent that made it all the more unnerving its familiarity, “As I told you before my feelings for you are very real.”
“Billy… Mephisto… whoever you are…”
“I am who you want me to be. Don’t you understand? Know that I understand the scope of my power, how it works. A demon of desire, I appear to be. At first based on merely my own but now? Yours too. Anything you desire can be yours.”
The black tendrils snaked out and separated Teddy from the group, wrapping all of the others in their grip.
“No! I…” Teddy started strong but blanked on what to say as the image of Billy became more real, almost as if he were standing calmly at the center of the storm of black.
“It’s not real kid.” Will shouted to Teddy from where he battled one of the shadowy tentacles, the other boy’s own likeness to Billy helping to give the young Skrull some perspective.
“I do want something.” Teddy said suddenly focused.
“Teddy no!” Riri shouted.
“Name it.” The approximation of Billy said reaching out a cold hand to caress Teddy’s cheek.
“I want Michael back.” Teddy said sadly.
“Billy” looked conflicted but said nothing and after a moment he nodded. The others weren’t sure what to do, even after the inky tendrils they had been fighting slithered back and rejoined the whole.
“Can he do that?” Riri said, eyes going wide. Kate said nothing but walked up and softly took Riri’s hand.
“He shouldn’t.” Will opined, helping Victor up.
“Stay out of it, new kid.” Eli snapped before looking back at “Billy” with hope/fear.
“No. This is life or death stuff we’re talking about here. Interfering with that cycle has never brought anyone happiness.” Will went on, raising his hands toward “Billy”.
In the “eye” of the funnel of black slime “Billy” seemed to be in some sort of trance, eyes closed and unmoving. After a pregnant pause a figure began to form behind him.
“No…” Will groaned as the red glow formed around his hands, still aimed at “Billy”.
“Wait!” Eli snapped, hurling a dulled throwing star at Will’s wrist. Causing the other boy to shout in pain and breaking his concentration.
The figure at first just resembled Michael, still being made of the writhing black soup “Billy” had conjured but as the moments went on it began to transform, become more “real”. Wearing plain white clothes and completely unblemished unlike the corpse still lying in the entranceway.
“Your wish is my command…” “Billy” said at last, opening his eyes and looking directly at Teddy.
“Michael…?” Eli rasped.
“My legs…” The figure behind “Billy” spoke and sure enough it was Michael’s voice, damaged yes but true, “I feel my legs.”
Riri stepped closer, a more unsure Kate following a step behind; Eli however practically rushed the aberration in front of them, only to be stopped by Teddy’s arm springing out like a soccer mom hitting a bump in the road.
Victor and Will however hung back, distrust and fear on their faces.
The image of Michael seemed to shift between a dreamy vision and a more flesh and blood reality, leaning towards the latter. In front of him, the slick black semblance of “Billy Kaplan” reached out from the same inky maelstrom to cup Teddy’s face and kissed the Skrull.
“Well that’s disturbing.” Will said, his face scrunched up in revulsion.
“Don’t you all see?” “Billy” said breaking away from Teddy, who seemed to be in shock, “We can all get what we want now. No more “fighting for the future” now we can take the present!”
“No.” Michael said sternly.
“What?” “Billy” turned confused, “What did you say?”
“This is wrong. Selfishness, blind desire… that’s not what this is supposed to be about. We don’t take what we want, we earn it. I’m a Young Avenger… I should know.” Michael grabbed “Billy” around the throat surprising the creature.
“Michael!” Riri called out.
“All of you… together. Never doubt that that is what I wanted, and you earned it. We all did. Don’t let that be taken from you.” The former Iron Manacle said sadly but also with a hopeful expression on his face, meeting eyes with each of them in turn.
Before anyone could respond Michael fell backwards into the dark void, taking “Billy” with him. The slime following after them as the whole torrent of black collapsed in on itself. Eli jumped forward trying to catch hold of him but was left with empty air, hitting the ground in front of him instead.
They were gone, as if they’d never been; the group left in unease and silence.
# # # # #
The Fort Meyers Memorial Gardens Cemetery, Fort Myers, Florida
A week had passed since the team engaged the demon of desire they had once known as their friend Billy Kaplan. What truly happened to the demonic spirit or the manifestation of their late friend Michael Corson after that? They may never know. Even Doctor Strange himself had been tapped to give the Hideout a once over and despite assuring them the threat had passed he could not, or would not, elaborate on what may have occurred.
Now they tried to put that all behind them as they gathered to lay Michael to rest and despite themselves… Billy too.
Michael’s parents seemed sad but ultimately? Disinterested. As they had been in life. It was his friends who mourned the hardest.
Quiet conversation began after the priest finished talking.
Eli found Chanté in the crowd.
“Listen I know we didn’t get off to a great start.” The boy said, hand on the back of his neck.
“Look I get it. I didn’t mean to “show you up” or anything.”
“No I mean, that was what I was feeling but I shouldn’t have been. This isn’t supposed to be about what I want or how I feel. The last thing Michael said to me, “we’re a team” that’s what this is about. If you’re better than me then well, you just are and that’s that.”
“Eli no one is better than anyone. We’re all just… different. Learn to appreciate that and life will get so much easier I assure you.” She smiled calmly and for moment they let an extended but not unpleasant silence fall over them.
“So… teammates?” Eli suggested holding out a hand, to which she took and with a firm shake they smiled once more and parted, mixing into the crowd.
Meanwhile Kate and Riri were approached by someone none of them had seen in quite a long time before today; Cassandra Lang.
“Kate.” Cassie said emphatically hugging the brunette, who reciprocated but in a noticeably less enthusiastic way.
“Cassie.” Kate said with a sad smile, “It’s been awhile.” She finished somewhat pointedly, “This is my friend and our new teammate Riri Williams.” She said resting her hand on Riri’s arm. Riri stood forwards, brushing a stray tear away before taking Cassie’s hand.
“Good to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you.” The prodigy said sweetly.
“Good to meet you too.” She smiled, “So no sign of Bryon?” She turned back to Kate.
“No so far we haven’t been able to contact him. He probably doesn’t even know.” Kate said sadly, “It’s hard not to feel a little abandoned.”
Cassie’s eyes found Kate’s and met the betrayal in the brunette’s gaze with resigned sadness. She hadn’t expected ‘everyone’ to understand her decision not to rejoin the group and ultimately these events only reinforced that decision.
Across the way, in borrowed clothes, stood Will and Tommy Maximoff mostly keeping to themselves and only coming at all as an attempt at an “olive branch” to soften their confrontational first meeting with the team.
“Will, you’ll never believe some of the superheroes are here. Plain clothed of course.” Tommy said, almost giggling as did.
“Yes I recognize some, from when we “met” before.” Will scoffed, referring to their times with the Avengers of other worlds.
“I talked to Scott Lang. He’s not an Avenger at the moment but he was really nice and really interested in all of these guys,” He waved in the “Young Avengers” general direction, “He said that as far as he knew the Avengers haven’t been in touch with mom for a long while and the current group is busy dealing with some crisis but he did say he’d talk to them for us and--”
“Tommy stop for a second.” Will clasped his brothers wildly gesticulating hands, “Let’s not try to find her just yet.”
“Why?” All of Tommy’s bluster went completely out.
“Before when I said you were scared… Maybe I’m scared too.” Will’s usually boisterous voice went quiet.
“Of what?” Tommy said perplexed but he immediately placed his hands on his brother’s shoulder.
“Of finding her. The real her. I never gave those copies a second thought they… didn’t abandon us. She did. Scared of finding her and being so angry I can’t take it. I don’t want to… face that yet so please can we wait?” Will said through near gritted teeth, the word ‘please’ especially seemingly hard for him to say.
“Yeah… we can wait.” Tommy said with equal reluctance but better acting, “Besides, I feel like we found these guys for a reason.” This last part held real sincerity.
“Yeah, maybe.” Will said with an eye-roll allowing his brother to give him a hug.
By the graveside now stood almost solely the still forms of Teddy Altman and Josiah Bradley, most of the other mourners moving off to the outskirts.
“I know it doesn’t feel like it right now Teddy but this will get better.”
“I just keep remembering things. Small, stupid things from when we were just being “normal”. Just two teenagers, a “happy young couple”, I mean really as cliché as it sounds. Was it all a trick?” He turned to Josiah, though ultimately he didn’t really expect an answer.
Josiah sighed.
“There’s a quote in the holy book about life being nothing but an amusing diversion and that those who know that the true life is yet to come are the wise ones… I won’t bore you with it but suffice to say that this life? It’s messy. It’s imperfect. It does not make sense. There are no absolutes and few answers and in the end? That may just be the point of it all yet.”
Teddy nodded, then he looked over in the twins’ direction.
“What about them?”
“Same thing really. All things are complicated. If it makes you feel better. I believe they are who they say they are and so does Doctor Strange. I should tell, I do plan on offering them a place with us. Would that… disturb you?”
“They aren’t him, as you just said. It’s not their fault that they have that face, in fact they’re his victims as much any of us are, more.”
“There’s that wisdom I was hoping for. The kind of wisdom that comes with living.” Josiah said patting him on the back.
Scott Lang, his arm around his daughter Cassie made his way over to Josiah, hand out, and rather than bear witness to the formal goodbyes and “passing of the torch” exchange that would surely follow Teddy excused himself to join up with the others whose mini groups had mostly coalesced into one.
As Teddy walked over the group rearranged to make room for him.
“You just missed Stingray, he was even partially in costume apparently just barely taking a break from a mission. He gave us the current Avengers regards.” Kate said, face unreadable. Eli’s face was much more apparent in its displeasure.
“Screw that. This is their fault!” Eli snapped, “You heard Thing #1 and Thing #2,” He gestured to Will and Tommy who rolled their eyes and smiled respectively but said nothing, “If they had handled this correctly when it first happened. Who knows? Michael would still be alive for sure.”
“We would have grown up in our own dimension.” Will said, nodding.
“I wouldn’t have fallen for a demon.” Teddy frowned, Riri patting his shoulder.
“So that’s how we “fight for tomorrow”? That’s our inheritance? Their problems?” Kate sighed.
“It’s always the way with the younger generation.” Eli said, “But it’s what we’ve got to do: be better than them.”
“Better than them.” They all said at once, putting their hands in a circle, and as a group raising them up.