They all stared at Marvin, awaiting an explanation while there was an unconscious version of Antisepticeye with an eye patch on the ground.

"Good?" Chase snorted, "Good?! You're saying there's a GOOD version of that son of a bitch!? Nu-UH, I'm not fucking buying it! What other shit have you lied to us about!?"

Jackie stared down at the unconscious alternate, "If he was as ruthless as the other one. . . . wouldn't he have been able to dodge that? . . If our other fights are anything to go by, that is"

Marvin blew a raspberry with his lips, getting annoyed with them, "Look . . . I just . . . I didn't even WANT to come here, either, okay? That's why it was Plan B. Maybe I should have him awake to help explain"

"No" Henrik stated firmly, "Let him . . . let him stay like that for a bit longer"

He kind of liked seeing a version of Antisepticeye so weak and helpless. Unconscious.

Marvin glared at him. They didn't have time for this.

He waved his hand, "Wake up, Anti"

Anti gasped, shooting upwards to sit up. He seemed very surprised, looking around at all of them. But instead of ecstatic joy like earlier. . .. it was with disappointment.

"You're not MY Septics . . . . are you?"

They all stared down at him, very confused.

Jackie crossed his arms with a brow raised, "Septics?"

"That's what the other set called themselves" Marvin waved it off staring down at the depressed glitch, "But look . . . we don't have much time, Anti. When the previous version of me . .. the one that YOU knew .. was dying. . . he warned me that that OTHER version of you was coming after US. If that makes sense."

"Yeah, it does" Anti remained sitting on the floor and curled his knees up under his chin, resting his face on them, "My Marvin was always really mysterious. I guess he'd know what to do next before he . . . ." he started to tear up a bit, "You know"

Marvin nodded. This was so fucking weird for all of them. Was he actually CRYING?

Chase cleared his throat, "If you're a version of HIM . . . then why aren't you trying to kill us? No offense, but I sure as hell don't fucking trust you"

Anti looked up at him and scratched at where the eye patch was, "I'd never hurt any of you"

He finally stood up and Jackie backed up instinctively but Anti didn't seem affected by it. He expected it, really.

He cracked his back and rubbed his jaw where Jackie had punched him, "Come on. Let's sit in the kitchen, yeah? I'll get some tea ready. We have a lot to talk about"

At this point, he looked even more depressed than Chase had been. They didn't know how to feel about it. Was he really an Antisepticeye?

Marvin was the first to follow him and then Jameson was right behind him.

Henrik fixed his glasses and took a deep breathe but decided on following. He trusted Marvin, even if he had been keeping secrets.

Chase and Jackie looked at each other and Chase bit his lip, "Do you trust him?"

Jackie really wasn't sure. Did he?

He shrugged, "I don't know. He's different, that's for sure. Something's just . . . REALLY different, though, about his vibe than the other Antisepticeye's. This one seems . . . like us. Does that make sense?"

Chase kept gnawing at his bottom lip, getting more and more anxious, "What if it's all just a big trick, though?"

"I don't know. We'll keep our guard up just in case. But . . . . there's something different about him"

Chase snorted, "Yeah, like maybe smarter with his tricks"

Finally, they followed behind the others, coming into the kitchen where Anti was turning on the Keurig machine.

"I uh . . . I know some of ya like coffee better but I'm afraid I'm fresh out of the stuff. Just tea left. Hope that's . . alright"

"It's fine" Marvin reassured him.

Anti swallowed, obvious looking very uncomfortable, rubbing his arms to try and calm himself, "So . . . I wonder if your tastes are all the same. Chase, you still like black vanilla tea with honey?"

"Uh . . . I mean, I guess. Yeah"

Anti smiled just a little, "And Jameson likes lavender chamomile with honey, sugar and creamer. Marvin likes green tea, Henrik likes Peppermint with a LITTLE dash of creamer. And Jackie likes Lemon Hibiscus with almond vanilla creamer! Right?"

They all stared at him.

What the fuck? Did he memorize that?

Jackie cleared his throat, "Uh . . . . how long have you been on your own?"

Anti frowned again and went back to preparing their tea, " . . . . A few years, I guess. . . is it that noticeable?"

"Look, maybe I'll just ask the obvious." Chase blurted out, "How can we trust you?"

Anti scoffed, "Ask your magician. Apparently he knows everything, like always. He just refuses to trust anyone else except himself until shit hits the fan"

Marvin coughed a little, "Well . . I was a bit unprepared for that . . . My previous version told me I had to save them or else Antisepticeye would-"

"But I'M an Anti" Anti crossed his arms, "Come on . . . out with it"

"Fine" Marvin rolled his eyes, "I had been watching you and your set for months before the other Antisepticeye arrived here. The other Marvin knew I had been and warned me he'd be coming for us next. I bought us some time but . . . Unfortunately, Antisepticeye has just gotten stronger."

"Wait" Henrik stopped him, "But zhe other Antisepticeye cracked open the Mini Pheno. It killed him, did it not? He couldn't have-"

Marvin shook his head, "He's alive. He sucked in all that power and although he IS weakened and unconscious for now . .. when he wakes up, we're gonna have the fight for our lives"

"Of fucking course we are" Chase growled, "Dammit, this is all fucking BULLSHIT!!"

"You made the Pheno reactor THERE, too? My god, you think you'd learn your lesson in at least ONE reality" Anti huffed at the doctor.

"Zhere's one HERE, too?"

"Was" Anti shrugged, "I destroyed it before Antisepticeye could get his hands on it. Just like you told me to. I glitched it like mad. That's how the house hasn't been destroyed if you were wondering."

When the teas were finished, he gave them all theirs one by one. Having watched him make them all, they were sure he hadn't put anything in them to poison them.

"So" Anti held up his cup, just thinking about something, "Why'd you come to ME, kitty?"

Marvin spat out his tea and glared at him, "Don't . . . call me . . . kitty"

Anti sipped his tea with a small smirk behind the cup, "Just as touchy, I see"

Marvin sat back in his chair, recovering from his little cheeky insult, " . . . . . You're our last option"

Everyone stared at Marvin.

What?

Anti leaned against the counter and crossed his arms, setting his cup on the side, " . . . . . . . " he shook his head.

"Anti . . ." Marvin tried again, "Our plan was to destroy him with the Pheno energy. Derived from my energy. Put into a gun, Chase would shoot him with it and kill him."

Anti snorted in disbelief but said nothing.

Jackie glared at Marvin, "Seriously? This is it? All you have for us? HIM?"

"Don't you think I've tried everything I could think of?!" Marvin humorlessly laughed, "Before you all KNEW about Antisepticeye or ANY of it, I've been fighting him. He's like a bad virus. Nothing can kill him" he looked over to Anti, "Except . . . maybe another VERSION of him"

Jameson set down his tea, 'I suppose that makes sense'

"No, it doesn't" Chase shook his head, laughing just as humorlessly, "He's on his last leg and is blindly HOPING. Let me ask YOU something" he directly his questioning to Anti now, "How'd you lose your eye? How'd the other versions of us die? Hell, why am I even asking? How do we know YOU didn't kill them WITH the bastard!?"

Anti's energy fizzed off of him in a weak glitch but he slammed his cup on the floor, shattering it. He stared Chase down, pointing at him angrily, "DON'T YOU EVER FUCKING SAY ANYTHING LIKE THAT TO ME AGAIN! YOU DON'T KNOW A DAMN FUCKING THING, BRODY!!"

They all backed away from him, afraid, he'd snap.

Of course, Anti sensed this and immediately tried to calm down. Emotions ran through him like wildfire and he started to tear up, unable to stop himself, "I . . .. I loved them" he sniffled, "They were . . they were my FAMILY. . . . Don't you ever fucking say that shit again . . . . don't . . .."

Marvin snapped his fingers, cleaning up the broken pieces of the cup, not really sure what else to do or say in this situation.

Anti sniffled again, wiping his tears from his face sloppily, "I tried so hard to protect them . . . . I loved them so much even though they didn't feel the same way about me. They were still . .unsure. But to me . . .they were EVERYTHING. They were my BROTHERS. All I had. . .. and now they're gone . . . . because of HIM"

He wiped his face again and sniffled, "I'm gonna . . . . I gotta walk away for a moment. Excuse me" with that, Anti walked out of the room, leaving them all alone in the kitchen.

Jameson got their attention and signed, 'There's a Pheno reactor here, too'

Henrik grumbled, "Yes, but weren't you listening? He destroyed it so the other one couldn't get to it"

'But couldn't you rebuild it?'

He shrugged, "I don't know . . not without looking at it, I guess"

"Hold on" Marvin stopped them, "There's a few more things I have to ask him before we just go running around without his permission. It is HIS house now, after all, it seems"

Henrik rolled his eyes, "Still MY house, actually . . freeloaders"

They waited a few moments but Jackie finally lost patience, "I'm gonna go check on him. Make sure he's alright."

"You sure that's a good idea?" Chase huffed, "I don't know, still, if I trust him. Even after what he said."

"Neither did the other set" Jackie pointed out, "And yet he still fought with his life to try and protect them."

"So he says"

"Marvin says, too. He saw it. . . . I'm willing to try, at least, and trust him. . . for now"

Chase just shrugged.

Jackie nodded to the others, leaving the kitchen to go try and find Anti. It wasn't that hard. He could hear some sort of sound upstairs in what he assumed was the bathroom. He followed it until he was just outside the door.

"Uh .. . hey . . Anti?" Jackie was still unsure, "You alright in there?"

It took a moment but Anti finally opened the door, desperately trying to look like he wasn't just sobbing his one eye out.

But Jackie knew better, "Hey . . . don't mind Chase. He's been a pain from the beginning. I'm sure he'll warm up to you soon, though"

Anti didn't look him in the eyes, "I uh . . I'm fine. . . I just . . . I let my emotions get the better of me. I'm sorry"

Jackie noticed a bruise started to form where he had punched him earlier, "Ooo. . . sorry about that. I'm sure Marvin has something to help with that"

He went to reach for Anti's face to see the bruise better but Anti glitched back to get away from him.

Jackie flinched, pulling away, "I . . I'm sorry"

Anti shook his head, scratching at the eye patch again, "No . . It's just . . . Well the other version of you never liked me. He never once looked at me like he gave a shit. I knew he trusted me, though. He had to of, right? To let me stay here with him and them all?"

Jackie didn't know what to say but he didn't have to say anything.

Anti crossed his arms. leaning on the door frame, "In his last moments, Antisepticeye came to attack me but Jackie stepped in front of me, taking the knife . . . he told me to run. . . . but I couldn't . . I couldn't just leave them. But I was too weak. . . . . He won . . . and he killed them all right in front of me . . and there wasn't a fucking thing I could do. My Jackie . . . he would have been so disappointed in me"

Jackie reached forward a little and Anti looked like he wanted to flinch again but he didn't. Jackie placed his hand on his shoulder gently, "I think he would have been very proud of you"

Anti looked down. He couldn't let the hero see him cry again.

Jackie pat his shoulder until Anti pulled away, carefully removing his hand, "You don't know that. You two are nothing alike, it seems"

Jackie put his hands on his hips, confused,"Oh really? And how's that?"

Anti looked back up at him solemnly, "Because MY Jackie would have never said anything sappy like that. At least, never to me. He was ALWAYS on his guard against me. Even after I changed."

Jackie crossed his arms, "It's hard for me to open up . . . but I know my sister and nephew would have wanted me to change. Would have wanted me to be better . . . in terms with family and friends, that is"

"Sammie and Benny would be happy"

Jackie suddenly shot him a surprised look, "Wait . .the OTHER me had the same family?"

He shrugged, "Well yeah. . . I mean they were a LITTLE different but all sets have basically the same-"

He stopped, seeing the look in Jackie's eyes. Pain.

". . . . . I never killed any of them. They were just as much family to me as the Septics. But after I came to after Antisepticeye ripped my eye out . . I tried to find them. But they were all gone. I . .. I suspected he killed them just out of spite to hurt me more when he was finished with the others."

Jackie nodded, "It's okay . . . . We're just not meant to be with the ones we loved for long. . . . we were always meant for tragic backstories, I guess"

"Fits the hero vibe, huh?"

Jackie snorted, "Come on. We have more things to discuss with ya. I promise Chase won't be too much more of an asshole"

Finally a lot calmer than before, Anti rejoined the others with Jackie in the kitchen.

Chase saw Anti first and still seemed a little pissy, "Look, all I'm saying is you're an Antisepticeye just like the man who killed our families. HOW can we TRUST you. You gotta give me something or else I'm never gonna"

Jackie had half a mind to swat him but Anti stepped forward.

"I know you don't trust me. My brothers didn't, either. So . . . should I do for you what I did for them that made them agree to let me live with them?"

Chase snorted, "Well sure, I guess"

Anti glitched and a knife was suddenly in his hand but before anyone could react, he quickly sliced his own throat!

"WHAT THE FUCK!?" Marvin nearly fell out his seat.

Henrik tried to run to him to perform first aid but Anti held up his hand to him, signaling for him to stop.

Jackie found he couldn't even move. He just looked on. He had just spoken to Anti about him and the other set. Was all that pain really that much to bear? Did it weigh on him that much?

Jameson was trembling but really, all of them didn't know what to do.

Anti gurgled out, dropping the knife, "I . . I slit my throat for them . . . too . . . . I did it for Jackie, though . . . " blood started to spill out of his mouth and he cringed but kept trying to speak. His voice was growing raspy and the blood wasn't showing any signs of stopping.

"I made him . . . I made tell me when he was sat . .satisfied. And you will, too . . ." he came closer, holding his throat with one hand until he was face to face with Chase.

Chase was not expecting any of this. On one end, he sort of liked seeing Anti suffer but on the other . . . this wasn't THAT Anti. The other Anti would never have put himself in harms way to prove anything.

Anti was so close, he leaned his forehead against Chase's, "Let me show you . . .. my feelings. Y-you'll see . . . my pain, too"

Anti glitched just slightly, still bleeding out and all of a sudden, Chase could feel a tsunami of emotions crashing down on him. The pain and sorrow. The guilt and regrets. But also. . . joy?

An image flashed in his head. A picture of Anti together with all of his Septics. He was. . . happy. Even if they didn't trust him fully.

Anti was still happy.

Chase was brought back to the real world when Anti winced and was struggling to breathe. He remembered what he said.

"O- . . . . okay. . . OKAY! Alright! You can stop it now! Henrik! Marvin! Help him!!" Chase let Anti lean on him, his hand on Chase's shoulder, shuddering.

Henrik was on him immediately. It didn't take long to finally stop the bleeding and with Marvin's help, there was only a faint paper-cut like line where he had cut. Henrik was wrapping gauze around it after putting antibiotics on and Jameson was cleaning the blood off of him.

Jackie hated it but it was a damn good way of getting them to trust him. To put his life on the line like that. They all had a newfound respect for him.

Chase sighed harshly, "Alright . . . So I guess I can trust you after that. God damn . . . . Just. . .don't do anything like that again, alright?"

Anti nodded, "Fair enough . . . .It WAS really impulsive . . . but it did get your attention."

Marvin rolled his eyes at him, "Alright, alright . . so onto the next thing. How long do you think we have until the other Antisepticeye is ready to come after us again?"

Anti scratched at the gauze on his neck, getting a light swat from Henrik which he ignored, "Hm . .. I guess since he absorbed the Pheno energy . . . probably a week or so. It'll take a toll on him. There was a time a LONG time ago when I considered doing the same. But after changing . . . . it was a different type of consideration. My Henrik would test me sometimes . .. and we figured on it together. . hypothesized things like that. But when that time is up and he's healed . . . you're gonna need a lot more energy on your side than the mini Pheno had"

Henrik nodded, "Makes sense"

Chase blinked, "It does?"

"But first, I have a question for YOU, Marvin" Anti's mood changed to something of morbid curiosity, "Where's the OTHER variant? There's supposed to be six of you excluding me, not five"

They all stared at Anti like he had grown a second head.

Marvin blinked, honestly confused, "Wait . . . what?"

"Six?" Henrik muttered, "But that CAN'T be right"

Marvin shook his head, "N-no . . I watched your dimension for MONTHS . . . there was only six INCLUDING you!"

Anti shook his head, "He hadn't been around in a long time but he WAS one of us. And the other Antisepticeye knows it, too. Before Antisepticeye heals himself from the Pheno absorption, we have to find him before he does"

Marvin gasped and snapped his fingers, "THAT'S what the other Marvin was trying to say!"

He remembered the last thing they said and repeated it, "there's another set. More of us. There's you . . .. Chase Brody. . . . Jameson Jackson . . .. .Jackie . . ..   . . . . . . . Henrik Schneeplestein . . . . . and . . . .'" Marvin paused, "But then he trailed off to something else. Like he forgot he didn't finish. I just thought that was all of us"

Antisepticeye shook his head, "No . . . he probably didn't want to tell you just yet so Antisepticeye would think you didn't know, either. Antisepticeyes' always save him for last because he is the last link in the chain of us. The last link in our set. If Antisepticeye killed him before killing all of YOU, it would kill HIM, too. But if he killed him AFTER killing all of you, he gets to move on to the next set, ripping another hole through reality"

"Well that's a lot to take in" Marvin grumbled.

Chase scratched at his head, "I think I need to get high to understand any of that."

Anti continued, "That's what Antisepticeye has already done. You see how it works, is that Antisepticeyes are a glitch. Technically he was from the previous version's set and I was from the one before. We travel ahead in the next set like a virus. Really, we have no dimension of our own and we just APPEAR. Does that make sense?"

" . . . . . ." they were all silent and Anti scratched at his eyepatch, unsure if they DID get it or not, "Anyway, we need to find the sixth before Antisepticeye does. He can't kill him before he kills us .. . but he CAN keep him hostage or with him so we can't get to him."

Marvin cracked his knuckles, "Alright then" he stood up and whipped out a crystal ball from his robe, "What's his name, then? I'll find him."

Anti nodded, "His name . . is Seán McLoughlin."