"The only one dying here today is YOU"

Anti growled at Marvin, "We'll see about that. I'll leave your mangled corpse all over the walls for the janitor to clean up."

A mass of green lightning gathered around him.

Henrik poked his glasses up, "But you killed my janitor!"

Chase mumbled to him, "Dude, I think he was just trying to talk 'cool' or something"

Jackie forced himself to stand before running behind Marvin. It was clear it was the strongest of them at the moment, no matter how much he hated to admit.

As Antisepticeye aimed the lightning at them, Marvin drew up a protection shield just as Jackie ran behind him.

Antisepticeye's blast crackled around Marvin's shield like fire against water but it was still coming.

Marvin squinted his eyes behind his mask, "That all you got, glitch bitch!?"

Jackie blinked, 'Hey, that's what I called him before!'

Antisepticeye's green energy snapped off of him like a broken fuse and he drew back in the blast. He wasn't going to waste his energy on a shield.

"Those what you want your last words to be!?"

"Who says I got any last words TODAY!?" Marvin stuck his tongue out at him and turned around with a whip of his cape, "Everyone grab hands!!!"

Henrik instinctively gripped onto Chase and Jameson since they were right next to him and Marvin grabbed hold of Jackie and then onto Henrik.

Antisepticeye felt his fury rise, "Damn you! I'm not letting you get away from me that easily again!! COWARD!!! GO ON AND RUN AWAY! I'LL FIND YOU!!! I ALWAYS DO!!! THIS WILL NEVER BE OVER!!"

But Marvin ignored him and conjured a wormhole that sucked them all through.

The last thing Anti saw was Marvin flipping him off with both hands and that stupid fucking grin and he mouthed the words 'Fuck You' to him.

They were gone.

'Damn magician! Always getting in the fucking way! A fucking nuisance!'

"I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!!!!!!!"

His eyes and hair glowed green and in his rage, let out a massive explosion, completely obliterating the I.R.I.S. headquarters.

Marvin teleported them to a different building, counting heads when they were safe and he took out his crystal ball in his palm to see Anti's line of damage left behind.

Chase puked on the floor.

"Good. Looks like we all made it"

"All!?" Henrik seethed, "A lot of good people died in zhat building!"

"Yeah, well at least YOU survived!" Marvin snapped at him, "Look . . .. Let's all just take a breather and-"

"THE FUCK IS HAPPENING!?" Chase yelled, wiping his mouth, "Who the fuck are you people!? Why am I fucking here!? What did I do to fucking deserve this bullshit!?"

Marvin cleared his throat, "Well, I guess introductions ARE in order"

"Vait" Henrik looked around, "We didn't go to a different dimension . . . Zhis is MY house!"

"Uh-huh" Marvin nodded, "Sure is. Now as I was trying to get to- . . .. let's just go around and introduce ourselves real quick . . . alright? It'll make things a lot easier to explain. I promise"

No one spoke or moved a muscle.

Marvin sighed with much sass, "Don't everyone jump in at once. I'll go first, then. My name is Marvin. I'm from another dimension just like you all are. Right now, we are in Henrik's dimension."

Henrik raised his hand slightly, "I uh . . . .I'm Henrik.. . . . . . .  Dr. Henrik Schneeplestein. I  . . some of you already know me. I am zhe founder  . . . or was . . . the founder of I.R.I.S.  . . . I vas trying to protect you all as you came to my dimension one by one"

"And I am the one that teleported you all to him" Marvin put his hands on his hips, "Antisepticeye is an evil bastard that has hurt us all in one way or another and his sole desire is to kill all versions of us there is until he's the only one left. If he succeeds, he can rip through time and space and obliterate everything in existence if he desired."

"I got a question" Chase raised his hand, "The fuck does any of that mean?"

Jackie rolled his eyes, ignoring how sore he was still, "It means we're all fucked we don't stop the bastard NOW"

Chase snorted, giving Jackie a once over look, "And who the fuck are you supposed to be, action man?"

"My name is Jackie. And I guess you could say that" he smirked at him, "I'm a hero in my world. I have super strength and-"

"Similar powers to Antisepticeye" Marvin finished for him, "I copied the powers myself from him and me and put them in your blue mask.

Jackie stared at him, "Wh . . what?"

He just nodded, "Yeah . . . I mean, the previous version of you was born with those powers so I had to-"

"Stop. Hold up." Jackie halted him, "Previous version? Antisepticeye said something like that to me before, too. What does that mean?"

"Who the fuck cares what it means?! How do we go home?" Chase shouted, "I have a fucking court date to get to so I can prove my fucking innocence!"

"And who the fuck are you, exactly?HUH?!" Jackie snapped back at him, losing his patience, "Don't you see a lot more is happening right now? There's more important things to worry about than a stupid court date!"

"For your information, my name is Chase. Chase fucking Brody. I'm just a normal dude with no special powers. I have a YouTube channel. I had a wife and son BEFORE they were fucking MURDERED by that FREAK who FRAMED ME for it!"

"Oh boo fucking hoo" Jackie snarled, not feeling sorry for him at the moment, "We've ALL lost people we cared about. Weren't you listening?! If we don't take out this bastard now, we're finished anyway"

"What's that got to do with me!?" Chase scoffed, "I'm not strong. I'm not super smart. I don't have magic. I can't defend myself anyway and-"

"You're wrong" Marvin stopped him, "I've seen it before"

They all stared at him, waiting for him to explain more.

"Look . . . There was a previous set of us before. We've fought him before but things were different. Very different and they were unprepared. But now we're a different set with all the same abilities who ARE prepared. Or at least more so. Chase . . . I saw you were damn good with a gun"

Chase shrugged, "Yeah, so? I was in the army for a couple years before they honorably discharged me. I was a deadshot with the sniper but I panicked and couldn't kill anyone. They diagnosed me with PTSD and trauma and honorably discharged me a few months after basic training. I was in a bad place until I made a new hobby with the YouTube channel and met Stacey. . . . . . . . . ." his eyes seemed to wander off just thinking about her, " . . . . but a gun's not gonna do anything against that freak. He's . . superhuman. Besides . . . I don't really like messing with guns anymore. I'm a coward just like Antisepticeye said"

Jameson tugged on Chase's shirt and the father stared at him as he signed to him.

But Chase raised a brow, "Someone here speak deaf? I have no idea what ASL is trying to say here"

Marvin rolled his eyes and cast a spell on them all, "He's not deaf. He's mute. There. . . now we can all understand him without needing to know sign language."

Chase glanced at Jameson again, unsure but the mute tried again.

'You're not a coward. My name is Jameson. I was stage performer in my realm. Things were great at first. I was going to finally ask Emily out until . . she asked ME. . . and then Antisepticeye killed her. . .  puppeted her lifeless limbs on the stage. And then he cut out my tongue'

"Jesus fucking christ" Jackie commented.

Jameson signed more, 'I am the coward. I could have saved her . .. . maybe . . ..  but I just stood there shaking. I couldn't do anything. I was frozen. And I let her die. And then a few months later I was getting ready to do a show with my friends in the crowd . .  Antisepticeye  . . possessed me and used my body to kill everyone in the theater. Including my friends.'

Chase was silent for a moment. He looked away and stared at the floor as if thinking deeply about something.

Finally he looked around at everyone else, "What'd he do to you all?"

None of them wanted to speak out or relive it but Henrik cleared his throat, "He uh  . ..  he killed my father . . and zhen months later he killed my wife, my daughter and my unborn daughter. . .. put them into zhe reactor and turned it on. Zhey were ashes in seconds"

Chase didn't know what he was talking about with a reactor but he could feel the man's pain.

Jackie hated talking about it. But he was to share, it was now. Besides, they were all versions of him in some way so really he was just talking to himself, right?

"Antisepticeye killed my sister and little nephew and another dear friend of mine. He lit the car on fire, baking my sister and nephew alive with no escape. I didn't even know the monster had been the one to do it until I finally listened to my sister's voicemails from that day. It was all my fault, I wasn't there to pick up Benny from school like I said I would. . . . he tortured them . . .  If I had been a better person, they'd still be alive." he breathed out shakily but refused to even meet anyone's eyes. He just couldn't.

Marvin pat his shoulder but Jackie ripped himself away from him.

The magician wasn't perturbed though. He knew it'd be hard to talk to each other. But this was necessary so they could come together against Antisepticeye.

Marvin licked his lips, "I didn't have actual family like most of you. I was an orphan. But I did meet fellow magicians a few years ago. They were my family. Evan was my boyfriend. But then I followed down a path of dark magic and a part of that was looking in on other dimensions.  . . . I watched our previous set for months. Their lives were different but also . . . so fucking similar too . . .but that's not the point. . . . .  Antisepticeye took it upon himself to kill all the magicians in my world. Everyone in the magical government. He obliterated them all like it was nothing. It was just me, Evan, Bee and Sampson then. But he was quick. It was within MINUTES . . . ..  Antisepticeye appeared and killed them. I managed to bring back Evan for a few seconds but Antisepticeye wouldn't let that stand and he decapitated him. . . .while he was still in my arms . . . . ."

Chase got it. He understood.

The lengths this monster would go to. He even destroyed an entire government within minutes.

"Alright" Chase chuckled humorlessly, "How the fuck we gonna take the bastard down, then? It's clear that action man here can't do it himself. And neither can you, magician, if you had to flee from him"

Jackie mumbled to himself, rolling his sore muscles, "Saved YOUR ass, didn't I?"

Marvin nodded, "Well . . . . Plan A . . . . Doctor" he pointed to Henrik.

Henrik looked lost, "OH . .. .uh . . . me? Vhy?"

"The Pheno Reactor, doc!" Marvin turned excited, "Remember?! I gave you a part of my mask long ago. You took it and it multiplied in power, right? My mask has special properties in which the more magic and power I gain, the more it stores in the mask. There's a bond between a magician's magic and mask. And then when I gave you the second piece of it! Whoa! I couldn't believe it!"

"Vhat? Vhat happened!?"

Marvin grinned, "Doc, you single handedly found a way to collect and harvest magic! You were able to multiply it somehow in the Reactor! That's what we need to take Antisepticeye down! With that, he won't stand a chance!"

"Great. . . uh . .. except. . . ." Henrik scratched his head, looking up on his phone, "Except it seems Antisepticeye has blown up my facility" he showed them all the video of his building up in flames and crumbling down.

"What about the Reactor in the basement?" Marvin suggested.

Henrik sighed, "You knew I still had it? Don't even know if it still works. . .You've really been watching us closely, huh?"

Jackie, Chase and Jameson glanced at each other.

Had Marvin been watching them all as closely, too?

"Now hold on" Jackie crossed his arms, "Reactor. Power enough to destroy Antisepticeye. Sure. Whatever. But what if we can't execute that? What's Plan B?"

Marvin groaned, "Plan B . . . .. is something I hope we don't have to resort to."

. . . . .

"Cryptic" Chase rolled his eyes, "One of us had to be, right? Figures it's the knock-off Disney Wizard"

"How long do we have until Antisepticeye finds us again?" Henrik brought up the obvious question, "He found us all before in different realms and in my facility. He'll have to know eventually where we all went, correct?"

Marvin nodded, "Yep . . ..  Probably not long. Not sure, honestly. Maybe a day or so? He did just use up a shit load of energy"

Henrik nodded, "Alright. I'll tend to Jackie's wounds first and zhen we can see to the Pheno Reactor if it's even still operational"

"I'm fine" Jackie shook his head, "I tend to heal pretty quick"

"How quick?"Henrik challenged, "Quick enough before Antisepticeye returns?"

". . . . " Jackie didn't have a good comeback, "Whatever. Do what you want"

"Thank you. I vill." Henrik wandered to his kitchen, finding a first aid kit in the cupboard under the sink.

Chase scratched at his head and spoke to Jameson softly, "Thought he was a scientist kind of doctor?"

"I am" Henrik had heard him, "But I also studied to be a medical doctor. I have many PHds. I was a doctor for a few years, actually with my own  . . . . clinic" he stopped himself, thinking back of how his father had handled things.

If his father had just SPOKEN to him . . . maybe then . . .

No. He'd still be in this predicament. But perhaps just not as knowledgeable. 

Jackie sat on the couch, letting Henrik tend to the wounds Antisepticeye inflicted on him before.

Jackie took the time, then, to look around, noticing how nice and large the house was, "Nice place you have here, doc"

Henrik was wrapping a bandage around his burns on his arm, "Thank you. My father was rich"

Chase flung his hands up in the air, "Why do all you guys  have more interesting lives than ME?  You're rich, he's a wizard, He's a superhero and even this guy was a famous performer . . .. not fair"

Jameson tried to make him feel better, 'Not exactly famous. And I'm sure your life was VERY interesting! At least you HAD a family! . . . . . .' he blushed at his poor choice of words, 'I mean . . . Oh dear, I'm so sorry. That was NOT what I meant at all!'

"Yeah, well" Chase rolled his eyes, "At least you were something. A stage performer. Did you dance or sing?"

"Ah let me guess!" Henrik stopped his process with Jackie, "Let me guess!  . . . Anti cut out your tongue so . . . A singer!"

Jameson frowned, 'I guess they all have poor choices in words' he shook his head and signed, 'I was a puppeteer! I had marionettes on stage and I made them dance and move and talk while I was above in the rafters! I controlled them with strings connecting to their limbs'

"Oh" Jackie nodded, finally understanding and mumbled to himself softly, "That kinda makes sense with what Antisepticeye did to your girl . . . "

Henrik suddenly stopped tending to Jackie, having a lightbulb moment, "Vait a moment, if you're a wizard, why can't you heal him with magic!?"

Marvin groaned and shrugged, "I don't know . . . I don't really like healing magic. Requires me doing a potion and I kind of hate making potions . . . so . . . . yeah"

They all gave him a deadpanned look. Was he serious?

Marvin rolled his eyes, "Ugh! Fine! Geez." he dug into one of his pockets and pulled out a small toy chest. He flicked his wrist and the chest grew large on the floor. 

Chase looked ready to panic at the sight of magic but didn't freak out. He had to remember everything else he's been through today.

Marvin opened the chest, not prepared for Henrik to be standing next to him, staring at it, "It's very interesting. I vonder if there is anything scientific about how it is able to do such a thing?"

Marvin shrugged and took out a book, flipping through the pages, "Ah here we go. Hey Jackie, you allergic to ginger?"

"Uh . . .  I don't think so?"

Marvin took off to Henrik's kitchen and after a few minutes, he returned with a cup of what looked like tea.

Chase grabbed it out of his hand furiously, "Are you serious?! You call this a fucking potion!? It's tea, you dumbass!" he sniffed it, "Lavender, ginger and honey to be exact!"

Marvin gripped his chest, "OH! A man after my own heart!" he snatched it back with a glare, "I fucking know it's tea but it has a bit of magic in it, too. Thus . . . .it's classified as a potion. So there."

Jackie took the drink and shot it back like whiskey. The others looked on in fascination as Jackie's bruises and cuts healed before them.

The hero clenched his fists, feeling stronger than ever, "Oh  . . .yeah. Now this, I could get used to"

"Well don't" Marvin huffed, "I don't have enough ingredients with me to make more. That was it"

"What?!" Henrik sputtered, "But zhen why did you DO it!? We could have SAVED the ingredients for a more dire moment!"

"You guys WANTED me to use the potion!" Marvin argued.

"Well you coulda SAID. . ." Chase groaned in his hands, "You know what? Nevermind. Let's just fucking go visit the fema reactor and get this shit over with"

"It's PHENO Reactor!" Henrik corrected.

"I literally don't even give a shit what it's called"

Jameson sighed heavily, watching them all bicker between one another. Really, under any other circumstance, it'd be funny but now wasn't the time for arguing.

Jackie thought different. He couldn't stop smirking slightly, being reminded of how him and his sister used to bicker like this. It pained him but also . . . it was kind of nice. 

They all wandered into Henrik's basement and the doctor turned the lights on.

"Holy shit" Chase snorted, "You weren't kidding. Looks like something from fucking Star Trek or something. . . .  how's the glass protect us from radiation, though?"

"Tis a type of polycarbonate. Unbreakable" Henrik supplied, "But also, it's not that type of power. Sure it could kill you in nano-seconds when exposed directly but thus . .  it vould not matter vhat type of glass it is at that point, would it? The glass is for the outside protection so nothing on OUTSIDE can break it and destroy us."

Chase crossed his arms, "Oh yeah . . . I feel SO much better about this now" he complained sarcastically.

Henrik dusted off the control panel, "I haven't been down here since . . . . I hope it still vorks"

Marvin grinned, hopping up and down in place as Henrik got ready to turn it on.

Meanwhile, Chase looked ready to puke again from his anxiety and Jameson hid behind him.

Jackie stepped closer as Henrik turned it on. 

There were a few lights that turned on and the sound of whooshing and whirling mechanics moving. Something that looked like electricity crackled in the core of the reactor getting ready to start up like a cigarette lighter.

It was getting stronger and stronger, and you could FEEL the buzzing in the air as the harnessed magic tried to burst to life.

Only for everything to shut off on its own and go dark and silent.

Henrik kicked the control panel, "Scheisse!! Vhat the fuck vas that?! Blasted thing!"

Marvin scratched his head, "Huh . . ..uh-oh . . . . looks like with my mask no longer being connected to it . . .it lost all its power."

"Great" Jackie pinched the bridge of his nose, "Just great . . . so what now? Plan B?"

"NO!" Marvin shouted but cleared his throat, realizing he may have sounded a bit too harsh, "I mean . . . not yet. I could still try and connect my mask again to it. We might have enough time before Antisepticeye finds us to get enough power from it"

"Okay but what then?" Chase snorted, "What do you plan to do with the power? Don't you have a way to direct it to him somehow? We can't just blow up the reactor, right? Wouldn't that be kind of messed up and kill us all?"

Marvin nodded, "Yeah it would and that's where you come in, Chase"

"Me? Why? I already told you, I'm not-"

"Just hear me out" Marvin argued, "Henrik is gonna build a gun to connect the reactor's power to. You will be the guy to shoot him"

Henrik bit his lip, crossing his arms a bit upset, "Uh . . excuse me? I can't just DO something like zhat in less than a day! That vould normally take WEEKS to do something so advanced!"

"But!" Marvin whirled around on him, "Have you ever had the help of a magician!?"

"Does the magician know how to build a gun capable of holding power stronger than an atomic bomb?"

" . . . LET'S FIND OUT!!"

Henrik cursed something in German, "I guess ve'll see . . . . I'll see vhat I can do. But first.. . . .A matter of great importance!!"

They stared at him, waiting for what the good doctor had to say.

Henrik crossed his arms and started to stomp his way up the stairs, "I need to start zhe coffee machine!"

They all lit up.

Chase groaned, "Ah FUCK yeah, now THERE'S something I can agree on!"

Jameson and Marvin nodded and they followed Henrik up the stairs. They'd be pulling an all-nighter so it'd be best if they kept as awake as they could.

Jackie stayed behind, staring at the reactor, deep in thought.

'The magician said he copied Antisepticeye and his own power and put it in my mask . . . I have both of their powers . . . . does that mean that the reactor could use or fuel me as well?'

"Hey action man!" Chase called for him at the top of the stairs, "You coming up for coffee or what?"

Jackie shook out of his thoughts, "Uh . . yeah" he stepped away to follow them up, "I'm right behind ya"