MoM3

MoM3

Death was staring me down in the form of a man with a machete and a remote.

Jack Slash had gotten into the panic room. That meant he at least somewhat knew how to use Dodge’s tech. Which meant he could follow me when I fled.

I wasn’t afraid, yet I was simultaneously terrified.

My mind was split into two directions. One part of me screamed that Jack Slash was weak, that he wasn’t a threat. I was Cranial, I was too important to be killed by a low level thug with a machete. It simply wasn’t possible, for me to be done in. I was confident that Jack wouldn’t kill me. He couldn’t kill me.

The other part of my mind screamed at me to run, to press the button on Dodge’s device and escape. This was the head of the Slaughterhouse Nine I was facing down. The Nine had reputation, and Jack had been around from the beginning. He was the only original member left, which counted for something. He had tricks up his sleeve, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to find out what they were.

If I fled, I would have a higher chance of survival. I would have and keep the advantage in every way. But fleeing requires that I ran. I didn’t run. Neither did I engage. I stood on the periphery, watching as my thralls did the dirty work. I didn’t have my thralls, but I didn’t need them to survive. I stifled the desire to run. There was no way I was dying.

After all, Jack Slash was going to recruit me.

We were cut from the same cloth really. It only made sense that Jack would recruit me. We were both monsters, and the Nine only consisted of monsters. I had a drive that the rest of Toybox, sans Bauble, lacked.

The biggest difference between the two of us was that I was the biggest monster in the room.

Disdain and apathy laced my voice, and I forced my hands to relax their grips. “I’m sorry, but we don’t take walk-in appointments.”

Jack’s eyes narrowed for a moment, “Well that’s alright, doctor. I didn’t walk in. Consider this meeting as one that’s off the clock, a little interview between you and I. Let’s get started, shall we?”

An interview? Perhaps I was something of a role model for Jack. “We shall.”

“Tell me, doctor, why Toybox? Jack’s eyes seemed to almost shine, staring at my with an intensity to them.

The answer came easily to me, “I like being around interesting people and making them bow to me.”

Something indescribable shifted on Jack’s face. I didn’t like it. “Is that so? You lack imagination, then.”

I bristled. I lacked imagination? I worked with brains, I understood imagination perfectly. “I’m sorry, I don’t think I heard you right. Compared to you, I have plenty of imagination. Raiding town after town repeatedly? Boring. Having Shatterbird ruin the city every time? Boring. Only ever having nine members at the most? Boring. Don’t you dare criticize me about imagination. Hypocrite.”

Jack smiled. “True. I’m tiring of it all myself. Something opened my eyes, doctor. Small towns are too pedestrian, big cities too bland. They all blend together. I’m setting my sights higher, and I think you could be of use. I won’t even test you.”

It was exactly what I wanted to hear. I was Nine material. Jack Slash wasn’t going to kill me. Now, all that was left was to stab him in the back and harvest all of his memories the instant I could.

A small part of me pointed out that something was off. I had heard great things about Jack, about how he was manipulative, how he was cunning and ruthless. The man before me had a demeanor that portrayed anything but.

Jack continued talking, his feral grin growing wider. “After all, I’m on a deadline. There’s not enough time to test you when I’m simply going to kill you anyways. I like interesting people too, doctor, but you aren’t one of them.” Jack’s machete swung. He wasn’t anywhere near me, but he didn’t need to be.

I felt a force collide with my armor as I teleported away.

I fell on my back as I landed on a burgundy colored carpet. Jack Slash had nearly killed me. Anger bubbled up in me. I wanted nothing more then to slice him open, turn him into a mockery of what he once was, a complete shell of a man. But that would require surviving. Jack Slash had a remote, but he wasn’t a tinker and he hadn’t worked with Dodge. I could use the remotes faster then Jack could. I knew what I was doing. I was in my own base.

I was going to kill Jack.

I grabbed the gear that had fallen around me. Pyrotechnical’s gun, my magnum opus, Dodge’s remote. It was awkward carrying the artificial brain, the box it was in was somewhat large. But there was no way I was going to abandon it. I had worked on it for months. Just because the Nine murdered all of Toybox except me didn’t mean I would stop.

They hadn’t murdered Glace either, but that was besides the point.

My jetpack activated and I zipped down the pristine halls. I took corner after corner, hastily plotting out a route. I knew this base like the back of my hand, there was no way I would die. But if I wanted to fight, I needed weapons. I needed something better then Pyrotechnical’s gun.

I dipped into a room on the right. It was a storage room for the more aggressive tinkertech we had attained over the years. I grabbed one of Pyrotechnical and Stinger’s collaborations. The revolver had a bright color scheme, all of it was in reds, yellows, and blacks. What made it special was that it fired miniature rockets. I had no need for Pyrotechnical’s gun anymore.

My mind raced over the options I could take. These storerooms had so much in them that I could use. Except, almost all of it was inferior for what I wanted. The big homing missiles were too bulky. The rocket launchers were worse, they were bulky and had to be reloaded every time. There were flamethrowers and firebombs, even flashbangs, but those wouldn’t do. We even had made our own variant on containment foam, drawing inspiration from Glace and Bakuda, but I didn’t want to contain Jack, I wanted to kill him.

There was no such thing as being over prepared, so I grabbed the ventriloquy projector that Pyrotechnical had made. I shoved the revolver in with my magnum opus. I could retrieve it easily enough when I needed to.

I jetted down the corridors again. I had already wasted enough time and I didn’t have much to begin with. I refrained from activating the neurotoxin gas this building had, I was sure Bonesaw could counter it somehow.

I had to get out of the corridors. They were far too long and far too straight. I wouldn’t be able to dodge if Jack suddenly showed up. I flew around the corner, pushing through the fogged over glass doors into an unbearably cold room.

Glace’s area was crazy. It was constantly kept at a frigid temperature and it had a winter wonderland vibe going on. It was giant and wide open, with fields of snow and the slightest hint of a a hill covering the whole area. A frozen lake lay in one corner, a miniature forest in another. At the end of the room was a giant, spanning castle of snow and ice. I hated it. It was unbearably cold, and Glace’s attitude pissed me off. I couldn’t even fight Jack here, I only had six shots and I didn’t want to risk missing a single one.

I floated over the snow. There was no point in getting bogged down in it and leaving footprints if I didn’t have to. The castle was anything but how one would inspect it. Rather then wood or even more snow, the inside was completely covered with metal and frozen ice mixed together. Staircases of slippery ice and carved statues decorated in, making it feel like a real castle. Glace should be around here somewhere, he never left his ‘domain’ longer then he had to.

It took far too much time to glance through the dozens of extra rooms in the castle. Glace never really stuck to one part of his castle, he wandered around on a whim. Eventually, I found the blond seated at a long table, muttering to himself.

Glace was one of the members of Toybox who was most likely to leave soon. His specialty was about as niche as you could get. He was what had allowed for us to keep our clones alive, but he wasn’t exactly profitable. I would kick him out if he survived the day. Glace was a large, stocky man, whose body was more rectangular then spherical. He wore a shimmering crown of blue opaque glass that descended down to shield his face. It ended in two long, sharp, narrow points, much like a giant pair of fangs.

His head snapped up as I flew in. He grunted in acknowledgement, “What?”

I didn’t have time for this, I didn’t have time to convince Glace to fight rather then flee. I didn’t doubt that Jack was on my heels and every second counted. “Adsignatos.”

Glace slumped forward over the table, before slowly sitting back up. He moved like he was underwater, each action slow, telegraphed, and seemingly uncertain. I snapped my fingers in front of his face. He didn’t react. Perfect.

“Glace, kill the intruders and defend the castle. Don’t let them get to the clone room.”

Glace stood, walking at a brisk pace down the hall of the castle. It would take a minute or two for him to get himself in armor, and another minute for him to get in a defensive position. The base was large, and it had a plethora of rooms. Jack would have to check every one of them, which would take time. Yet I was also on an unknown timer. Eventually Jack would engage Glace. Eventually either one of them would die.

There was no point in wasting time. I needed somewhere to hide. Jack could fight at all ranges, long or short. Mobility and surprise was the primary advantage that I had. I glanced up. The dining room was wide open. A chandelier dangled from the ceiling. It was empty and useless, but it was a platform to fire from.

It swung somewhat as I set my feet down upon it. Slowly, it stabilized. My magnum opus found a spot within the useless candleholders of the chandelier. Pyrotechnical’s noise projector has to be set up next. It was a sleek black box, with flame decals inching up the sides. A red funnel, like the ones on an airhorn, jutted out the side of it. I turned the dial, adjusting the sound from ‘horror movie scream’ to ‘cleared throat’. Satisfied, I pulled out my rocket revolver. The weight was light in my hands.

All that was left to do was wait. A sense of dread filled me as seconds went by. I had to wonder if Glace’s stasis specialty caused a time dilation effect. The seconds seem to last hours. The castle was overly quiet, to the point that my breath seemed to echo. Faintly, I heard a distant, repeated sound. It was far and dull, barley noticeable, but it carried far in the building’s compete quiet. Jack was searching the building for me.

My mind couldn’t help but go over the worst case scenarios. Bonesaw hadn’t been seen yet, but there was no way she wasn’t here. The biotinker would be a nightmare to fight if I didn’t get the drop on her. She would be a nightmare even if I did. I didn’t doubt that Bonesaw carried an innumerable amount of plagues on her to be released at a moments notice. I also didn’t doubt that she had a deadman’s switch to set them all off. It only made sense; I had one after all.

Jack and Bonesaw weren’t likely to stay in a pair either. I could get the drop on one, but the other would know what’s up immediately after. I would have to make up for it with mobility and excessive firepower.

Glace remained quiet and inactive. The slapping footsteps were marginally louder, but they were still distant. What were the two doing? They had brought Night Hag along, hadn’t they. They had warped her in and now they were just letting her take over the whole base. Whatever they were doing, could they hurry it up? I physically felt my nerves fraying as the seconds ticked by. They had to get hear soon. The longer they waited, the more that sense of dread grew. They were planning something. It had been minutes now. They had to have found the armory. Jack Slash now had rocket launchers and everything else that had been in that room. That room had held swords. Jack Slash was now carrying an overly large sword and he was hunting for me, all whilst Night Hag spread her reaches through the base. For a moment I regretted not activating the neurotoxins, but Bonesaw existed. I had no doubt that she would manage to counter it.

I couldn’t tell how much time passed, but eventually the footsteps grew louder in intensity. A moment later, I heard a slight hiss that turned into a whoosh. Glace had fired his freeze ray, or whatever weapon he had grabbed.

The fight outside was unnervingly quiet. Incredibly faint scuffling, and the occasional hiss-whoosh of the freeze ray was the only sound that broke the silence. I thought I could hear some one sided attempt at conversation, but I wasn’t sure.

A deadened thud echoed through the building. Silence followed it, and followed by another muffled attempt at conversation. A pause. And then a watery gurgle.

Silence followed after that, and then steadily louder, echoing footsteps.

Jack was almost here. I forced my hand not to tremble. Pound. Pound. Rattle. The doorknob slowly turned. I raised the sound projector as it creaked open. Jack moved into the doorway, red splotches covering the legs of his pants. He carried a butcher’s knife. I pressed down on the noise projector, and the sound of someone clearing their throat erupted behind Jack, echoing in the room.

He didn’t even flinch, didn’t even turn to check what it was. Subtly, his hand moved, the knife in his grip moved the slightest inch. I wouldn’t have noticed had I not been watching his every move.

I raised the rocket revolver, lining it up with Jack’s chest. Just as lethal as a shot to the head, but easier to hit. And even if I missed it would take him down.

There a loud hiss and a bright, orange flash that reflected off the ice. The rocket shot forward in an orange glow. It went a little wide, not quite dead center with Jack’s chest, but it would still hit.

Jack moved, dropping to the ground with something of a practiced nimbleness. The rocket soared over him, exploding in a burst of sound and light. His arm swung out a moment later, the blade slicing through the air. A faint line was cut into the far wall of the room.

Jack pushed him self up with a slowness that was surprising after his quickness as dodging my first shot. It had to be a ruse, Bonesaw was his personal tinker and I didn’t doubt that she had effectively made him a brute.

Jack wasn’t back on his feet yet. I lowered the gun a slight bit, firing a second shot. Another flash and hiss, and Jack jumped, the rocket exploding in a burst of light under him. The small explosion scorched the bottom of his shoes. I had missed again.

Jack staggered on his feet as he landed, stumbling a few steps before regaining his balance. He looked up, eyes locking with mine. “I was right to say you lack imagination. Hiding away, giving up the initiative. Pathetic.”

Pathetic? Pathetic? I wasn’t the one who had somehow managed to get Sphere, Siberian, and Crawler killed. He had no right to call me pathetic. I was capable of so much more then he was. With a flash of light, I fired a third shot. It whizzed past Jack, the leader of the Nine sidestepping it. I knew he would dodge that, he wouldn’t lead the Nine if he wasn’t. I followed his movement, firing again.

Jack’s butcher’s knife swung, and I leapt from the chandelier. The rocket exploded midair, bursting into a bright orange ball of light, heat, and sound. A notch appeared on the thick ice cord holding the chandelier up.

My jetpack blinked to life with a subvocalization, and I shot backwards. It fought gravity, slowing my fall for a few long seconds before sending me upwards. Jack’s knife slashed through the air as I ascended, and I could feel the edge of his knife slice into the armor.

I had two shots left. Two shots to kill Jack. Jack barely had to aim his knife to hit me. I had to aim my gun. I had to get closer, even if it meant taking another slash of his knife.

I hovered for a moment, ascending to the center of the room. Jack flicked his wrist, and I narrowly avoided being sliced by his knife. My eyes flicked downwards, towards the noise machine I had clutched in my fingers. It had failed, I didn’t need it anymore. I shot to the right, feeling the knife’s extended edge catch my arm as I dodged. The armor held, but my arm stung from the pain. I threw the noise projector towards Jack, launching myself through the air after it. Jack spun out of the way, his cleaver’s blade scraping across the walls of the room in a wide arc.

Pain erupted across my chest as I felt the knife cut across me. I winced, cursing Jack’s existence. I pulled myself in a wide arc, steadily approaching Jack. The wide slashes of his cleaver got me as I flew. I ignored the pain flaring through me, ignored the trickling sensation of blood down my arm. Nearly overhead, I spiraled to the right, dancing away from the slash that Jack directed towards me. I dove down, bringing my revolver up towards Jack as I descended.

A piercing scream echoed throughout the castle. It was Pyrotechnical’s. A moment later, the screams of Bauble, Dodge, and the rest of Toybox joined in on the cacophony. Another voice was distinct among them. Mine. The voice yelled an indescribable sound of outrage before fading away into a gurgle.

Someone had killed all the clones.

Silence filled the castle again, broken by Jack’s voice a moment later. “Much mixer of a fight without a safety net, wouldn’t you say? All great minds die, and fortunately for you, you get to die twice.” Jack’s blade sliced quickly through the air. I groaned, my body crying out as my arm erupted in pain. Blood trickled down it in steadier flows.

The clones were dead. I didn’t have a sort of immortality to fall back on. I was in dangerously close range to Jack Slash, I had two shots left. I had a jetpack, armor, I knew the terrain.

Yet I was losing.

This fight was effectively over. Even if Jack miraculously only took one rocket to go down, that still left Bonesaw. And whatever undead cape that Bonesaw was likely bringing with her. I didn’t have enough rockets, I was going to die.

No. I wouldn’t die. I refused to. Death wasn’t something I faced, it was something I dealt on a whim that the world had to handle. I was Cranial. I was the one who forced the PRT to rotate therapists. I was the one who founded Toybox. This was not about to be my final stand.

A plan formed in my mind. It was risky. It was beyond risk, it was suicide. Damned if I do, damned if I don’t.

I rocketed backwards, nearly slamming my head on the chandelier. I ducked behind it, using it as cover. Jack’s knife sliced through the air. There was force behind his swing, enough that the ice cord of the chandelier snapped.

The chandelier crashed to the ground, pulling me with it. The jetpack spluttered weakly as it fought gravity. I slammed into the ground, the chandelier shattering over me and shooting thousands of jagged shards of ice at me. My legs felt like a giant dull ache, and I didn’t try to put pressure on them.

My magnum opus, lay entangled with the ice. I had reinforced it, guaranteed it wouldn’t accidentally break. Dodge’s remote was mixed in with it. My arm protested the movement, but I clutched the remote. Jack Slash approached my in slow, measured steps. His cleaver was pulled back, his mouth opening to speak.

I teleported out rather then listen to him monologue.

Pain shot through my legs at the rough landing in my office. I barely recognized my office. The walls, floor, and ceiling were all pitch black. The ground seemed to ripple, parts of it slowly rising up and twisting into various shapes and forms. My tinkertech didn’t seem nearly as distorted. The black that covered everything into the room faded into a gray on my brain scanner and database.

My jetpack quietly whooped back to life and I guided myself over to the desk. My legs aches from being dragged, but they were too hurt to walk on right now. I slid the drawer open, pressing a button hidden in it while simultaneously pressing a few of the keys on the keyboard. The computer let out a loud beep, part of it opening up. Slowly, it fed a series of disks out.

Night Hag’s reflection was barely visible in the glass of the computer screen. I whirled around, bringing my rocket revolver up. I snapped my eyes closed as I fired at Night Hag. The rocket made it a scant few feet away before exploding into a burst of light.

I could see the explosion through my closed eyelids, feel the shockwave of it batter my bruised body, compounding the pain of every ache. My ears rang with the tremendous bang that the rocket had made.

Spots danced upon my vision as I opened my eyes again. Slowly, disk after disk slid out of my computer. Backup memories. Night Hag’s pale hand grabbed my forearm as I reached for the disks. It was cold, almost burning in its lack of heat. With a surprising strength, she pulled. I heard a sickening pop and a piercing pain erupted in my shoulder. My arm fell dead by my side. Night Hag’s hand slid down my arm, moving towards my wrist with its burningly cold touch.

I had one shot left. I wanted to save it for Jack, but it didn’t matter if I died here and now. Night Hag was immortal, this would only delay her somewhat. I snapped my eyes shut, raising the rocket revolver again. I fired, the explosion of orange light shattering Night Hag and leaving me with a splitting headache. I tossed the gun away, snatching the mess of cds up. My fingers fumbled with the remote, but I managed to teleport even after a moment of bumbling. Night Hag rose from the ground in a distortion of black, her pale arm reaching out for me.

I landed on the piles of snow outside the castle. My legs flared up with pain at landing heavily. A deadened thud marked my arrival, and I swore I could hear faint footsteps in the castle. Dodge’s tech was complex to readjust, and I had accidentally bumped the setting around on my jumps. I spun the dial, shifting the numbers. I wasn’t sure if I was positioning it right. If I failed I could end up crushed under a mountain or drowning. Damned if I do, damned if I don’t.

I teleported into the open air. The clearing looked so small beneath me as I plummeted towards it. The jetpack activated, trying to fight the forces of gravity. A scream tore its way loose from my throat as the ground rushed upwards at dizzying speeds to meet me. The jetpack spluttered and did it’s best to slow me down. It helped, but it wasn’t enough.

I let out a sharp yelp of pain as I hit the ground. My legs slammed into the earth, the contact making sensations of pain burst all over them. It felt like they were burning, every individual nerve in them activating to put out pain. The jetpack lifted me up from the ground. My legs dangled uselessly under me.

Dodge’s table, the one with all of his remotes on it, was somewhat empty, but it still held a few remotes. I let myself float over there, snatching one of the remotes up and trading it out for the one I already had. My old remote only went to the base. It was useless now.

I activated the new remote, whisking myself away to a new pocket dimension. It was an unfurnished, lightless void that lacked darkness. Swirling purple energy seemed to spread out in infinite directions, yet also reach up and to make this pocket dimension a simple square room. True silence filled the area, disturbed by my breath and the faint whoosh of my jetpack. With a groan, I set down my magnum opus and the set of cds. This place wasn’t safe, not truly. Jack could figure out the remote with enough time. The remotes naturally started to make connections to existing pocket dimensions. It wouldn’t be hard for Jack to time me.

I warped out, my jetpack saving me from a collision with the ground. This was risky, there was little chance it would even work, but that didn’t matter. It was better then nothing.

Big Rig’s storm of drones had been disrupted by the scaffolding. Whole sections had been pushed out of order and crushed. It had gaps to fly through. I floated into the eye of the robotic hurricane. I saw a hint of a hand under the scaffolding. Big Rig.

I ignored his body. He was dead, he couldn’t help me now. My arm protested lifting parts of the scaffolding, but I didn’t let that stop me. The drone computer console had broken as it fell, but that was only a benefit. I stared at the mess of wires and circuitry, trying to pick out what I needed. I pried panels loose, ripping out wires and boards. A drone fell out of the sky, crashing into the ground. Perfect.

I flitted over to it. It was a somewhat lightweight, but it had weight to it. It would do. I shifted the wires into my useless hand, tucking the drone under my arm. A second drone was sparking wildly next to it. I pushed myself into it.

Something slammed into the back of my armor hard, and I lurched forward. My thumb pressed the remote’s button, and I face planted into the swirling purple ground of the pocket dimension. I groaned, my bones creaking as I pushed myself up. I didn’t bother to fully stand, instead letting the jetpack push me forward towards my magnum opus.

This was a crazy idea. There was no guarantee it would work, and even if it did there would be consequences. But I’d rather suffer consequences then be dead. This fight wasn’t salvageable. Jack didn’t want to recruit me, so I couldn’t talk my way out. My arm was dislocated and I didn’t trust my legs to work. I didn’t have a weapon. All I could do was hide. And finish my magnum opus.

Within the jumble of wires that made up my magnum opus was a cd reader. I stared at the cds arrayed before me. There were eleven. Seven for Toybox, one for clusters, one for Cass 53’s, one for other parahumans, one for unpowered individuals. I grabbed the disk that held my stored memories, sliding it into the slot. I would be the base, the one in control. No one else could do it.

I grabbed the sparking drone, pressing it against the wire. This would be better if I had real tools, not whatever I could grab. I could do it regardless, I wasn’t one for failure. A flash of electricity went through the wires. The cd spun for a moment, but it stopped seconds later. I sighed, grateful for the fact that I was wearing armor that was shock proof. My fingers dug into the drone, pulling at a panel. I set it between my legs for leverage, resolutely ignoring the pain running up them. I pulled and the panel lifted back. The sparks increased in intensity. I pressed it back to the wire.

The cd spun, and it didn’t stop after I took it away.

I had succeeded on that part. My magnum opus was basically complete. It wouldn’t have a proper shell, but desperate times called for desperate measures. The cd kept spinning. I hadn’t planned to use multiple cds. I wasn’t sure how long it would take to download all the memories.

I waited a long minute, before switching out the disk for the one holding Bauble’s memories. This was taking too long, Jack was out there, waiting for me. I hated myself for doing it, but I pulled my armor off. I felt so plain. No fancy armor, no white coat. Just plain clothes being worn by someone extraordinary.

I was nearly done. Pyrotechnical’s memory disk was running and then after her I would download Toy Soldier’s. A sound echoed through the dimension, one I didn’t make.

Jack Slash landed on his feet, his mouth was open to monologue. I grabbed my armor and my magnum opus and teleported away. I felt a sharp stinging pain on my wrist, and a hot trickle of blood drip down it before I was whisked away.

My body screamed at me for the rough landing on the ground. It hurt to move, but I frantically started stuffing my armor with my magnum opus. I wouldn’t let Jack break it. I commanded the jetpack to flare to life, and the armor shot into the air, soaring over the horizon with my magnum opus.

Jack landed next to me a moment later, and swung his cleaver through the air. The jetpack spluttered, the propulsion halting for a moment. It had been hit, but it still flew onwards. Jack turned down to me, a vicious smile on his face. “You ran like a mouse, doctor. Like a rat. How boring. You believe yourself to be a monster yet you don’t even do a single monstrous thing. You are truly pathetic. Aren’t you, Cranial?”

A growl escaped me. I wasn’t pathetic. I was going to show him. I jabbed the button on the remote again, and was whisked away to the pocket dimension. The remote beeped. It was running out of energy. Perfect.

The dimensions spiraling purple features spun faster and faster, the patterns less orderly and more chaotic. Pattern after pattern merged into one another. Mere moments after I teleported, Jack popped into space before me. “Still running, Cranial. When will you learn? All great minds die. Except for me. Your life has been wasted Cranial. Someone of your talents is wasted scurrying around and selling whatever they can.” Jack raised his cleaver.

I was going to die. That fact hadn’t quite sunk in before. I was staring death down. I didn’t want to die. I would do anything to live. The world couldn’t lose me. I was too important. I was too great to die. Anger mixed with my despair. Jack was going to kill me. How dare he! I was infinitely more important then he was! He deserved to die, to suffer forever for attacking me.

The anger and despair mixed into a grim satisfaction. I knew what I was going to do.

Dodge had told us all to be careful and mindful of the his remotes. His dimensions weren’t self sustaining, they had a battery that they ran off. We regularly recharged our dimensions, and we had enough energy that our main base wasn’t vanishing anytime soon. The dimension we were in now wasn’t the main base, it didn’t have a backup power source. Dodge’s power sources were stored in the remotes.

When the dimension ran out of power, it collapsed. It collided together, compressing into a singular point of space in existence. Everything in the dimension swirled, merged, and was crushed into a singular atom’s worth of space.

I was going to die anyways.

I raised the remote my fingers curling around it in a death grip. “Too bad I’m the best mind, Jack.” I squeezed, my fingers crushing the remote, rupturing the power source. I smiled at Jack as the purple spirals of the dimension swirled rapidly, merging together.

Jack pressed a button on his own remote, and he vanished.

The walls of Dodge’s dimension moved angrily, writhing like they were made up of a living swarm of ants. In a blink of an eye, the walls and floor moved, speeding towards a central point. They slammed into me and my whole body erupted into pain. Every nerve lit up in agony. It felt like I was drowning, being crushed, and being immolated all at once. Tears spilled from my eyes at the pain increased, as the pain transcended comprehension. A cry of despair choked, not leaving my throat. There was no space for it to occupy.

The walls didn’t stop, the pain constantly ratcheting as they squeezed my body. Things popped inside of me, bursting from the insurmountable pressure.

A cold darkness enveloped me.