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huffle-dork · 19 days

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Swap Across the CrystalVerse Chapter 16: The Bad End

Read Swapboys | Crystal’s AUs| You've reached a Bad End (Also on AO3!)

Read SITCV | SATCV Masterpost | AO3 Link

These caves all look the same, with rock all around, but Chase and Stacy seem to know where they’re going. They keep going down for a while, until, suddenly, they stop in the middle of a stretch of tunnel.

“Here we are,” Chase says. He pushes on part of the wall, revealing that it’s fake, a bit of painted plaster covering up a cave entrance. He pushes it inward and slides it to the side.

Jackie blinks and then looks at the construction grinning. “Damn- that’s a pretty good decoy! I would have no idea if I wasn’t looking for it! How you guys don’t get completely lost in here is beyond me!”

Stacy grins. “Thanks. It took us forever to make. And we’ve mapped the tunnels out.”

“They’re in our brains now,” Chase laughs. “But I’m still new to them so I’m not quite used to it yet. Come on.”

The group steps into a small antechamber, where there’s a man sitting on a folding chair and reading by the light of a lantern. A big piece of plywood blocks the other entrance to the room.

“Hey, Quinten,” Stacy says. “We’re back. This is Jackie. The weather is nice upstairs, a bit of a breeze.”

That last part must be some kind of code, because it makes no sense.

Jackie carefully follows the others in and waves at the new man, Quinten. "Yo!" He tries to smile. He then looks at Stacy in a bit of confusion. ...it was kinda nice outside? He guesses?

“Hey.” Quinten waves. He folds over a page corner in his book and stands up, going over to move the plywood— And then there is the sound of footsteps down the tunnel. Stacy and Chase tense. Chase reaches into his jacket and pulls out a handgun. Stacy carefully leans out into the tunnel, peering towards the sound…

“Stacy? Is that you?” A voice calls.

Stacy relaxes. “Trisha. Hi.”

Trisha, Bro, and the rest of the group are approaching the hidden entrance from the other end of the tunnel.

Trisha waves. “The weather is nice upstairs, a bit of a breeze,” she says.

“Yeah, all of you get in here,” Stacy says, gesturing.

Jackie stiffens and unconsciously goes to hide behind Chase as they tense towards the footsteps. Then his faces brightens as he sees Bro with the others. “Chase!”

Bro blinks and then looks relived. He hurries over and scoops up Jackie to hug him, breathing against his shoulder, “You’re okay…!”

Jackie blinks in a bit of confusion but he hugs Bro back and pats him. “Yeah bro I’m okay!” As the hug ends, Jackie can see the pain in Bro’s eyes and he immediately gets concerned. “…what happened? What’s wrong?”

Bro flinches slightly and looks away, gripping his hands into fists. “…they got Alt… I couldn’t stop them…”

Jackie gasps, his eyes wide.

“Alt?” Stacy repeats. “Your magician friend?”

“Your brother,” Chase says quietly, eyes wide. “Oh. I-I’m so sorry.”

“I said we would get him back,” Trisha tells the two of them.

Stacy nods, determined. “We will. Come on, get in. We’ll talk about it in here.” She finishes pushing the plywood away, clearing the entrance.

Jackie carefully leads Bro inside and guides him to sit down, acting like a worried dad. “Okay- tell us what happened…”

Bro lets himself get lead in and sits himself heavily on the floor. He shudders. “We…appeared in this rundown street- everything looked abandoned. And then… your doppelgänger found us, Jackie. But he got… mad when we called him that. Told us to call him Error.” He grips at his arms. “He grabbed Alt and put a knife to his neck and I just… froze. I didn’t know how to help-“ He knits his eyebrows together, “then something really weird happened! His eyes went from black to white and he suddenly let Alt go- told us to run. So I did- and Alt seemed to know where to go! We found the entrance to underground and I… I thought Alt would glitch down right beside me down the stairs! He stayed for a second to try to buy us time with a shield and then- the door slammed. And no matter what I did I couldn’t get it open!” Tears fill up his eyes again as he adds quietly. “…h-He told Error he’d go with him if he left me alone… I… I couldn’t stop him.., a-and now.. now they…!” He hiccups a bit and hides his face.

Jackie looks at him in shock but slowly goes to pull him into a hug. “…we’ll find him Chase… we always do, right?”

As Bro talks, the group files into the antechamber and blocks off the entrance with the fake wall.

Most of them head past into the main cave but Stacy and Chase linger.

“White eyes…?” Stacy repeats, looking at Chase. “Do you think… Jack?”

“Must have been,” Chase agrees. “He’ll show up sooner or later.”

Bro looks back up at the others with wet eyes, “…Jack? I,.. I didn’t see anyone else- but… Alt did seem to call to someone besides me…?” He shakes his head, looking miserable.

Chase pauses, staring at his other self. “Listen… Chase. It’s weird to call you that, but… Chase. I-I know how you feel. Something similar happened here. Henrik, my friend, stayed behind to get me and my friend Marvin away from somewhere we were stuck. That’s how they got him. I-I know it feels horrible. I know that… you think you could’ve done something more to save him. It sucks. It fucking sucks.” He takes a deep breath. “But we’re gonna get your brother back, okay? W-we know stuff now that we didn’t back then. And you guys from another world can probably do a bunch of stuff that he won’t expect. We can do it, man. I promise.”

Bro listens to Chase and holds his arms. He’s quiet for a minute before he nods. “…okay… I… I trust you guys.” He sighs and then grips himself harder. “I’m just so… angry that he did that! How could he do that?! We could have gotten out together! I could have helped! He’s so vulnerable to t-this kind of stuff! The mind control shit! He just…! I’m supposed to protect him…!” He finally cries out at the end, burying his face into his arms.

Jackie holds his friend close and rubs his back, at a loss for words. “…y..you did your best Chase… I know Alt knows that… he wants to protect you too.”

"Heh." Chase gives a sad smile. "Some people love their friends and family more than anything. Even their own safety." He sighs. "If it makes you feel any better, corruption takes a long time. It's strong, because of that, but i-it means we have some time."

Bro nods, “that… does help me feel a bit better.”

Stacy walks into the main cave. "We'll talk about it right away. I'm sure Jack's back by now. Probably looking for us."

Jackie helps him up and Bro blinks at Stacy- now taking her in. “Oh…other Stacy- uh- hi?”

Stacy smiles at Bro. "Hi."

Bro feels his cheeks heat up a bit as Stacy smiles and he looks away quickly.

Jackie looks at Stacy, “oh yeah? Where would Jack be then?”

She looks at Jackie. "I'm not sure. He can be anywhere, really. I'm trusting that he'll find us."

"Come on," Chase says, and steps into the main cave.

The cave is massive, an almost perfectly regular dome shape. The ground is packed dirt, and there are small alcoves around the edges of the main area. There are people hanging out, sitting on top of boxes and playing games, lying on blankets reading, running laps around the perimeter of the cave for exercise. A few nearby wave and greet Stacy when they see her. Some wave at Chase, too, but less of them.

The two of them look around the cave as they walk in, mouths open in awe.

"Woah! This place is so big!" Jackie exclaims excitedly.

"I know right? It's so lucky that we found it," Stacy says. "We have about... eighty people in here so far? There's this big long cave at the back where we sleep, and over there is where we keep the medical supplies, and there's the one where we keep food and weapons--"

"And there's the one where you locked me up for weeks," Chase says, chuckling.

"Don't just say that without an explanation!" Stacy gasps.

"Right. Yeah." Chase rubs the back of his head. "I told Jackie this, other-me, but uh... I was corrupted for a while. If they'd let me go I definitely would've told A--him everything, so they made the right choice. And it worked out in the end!"

Bro's eyes widen, "Oh... woah. I mean- they told me the others were being controlled but... they said everyone but you. I just thought... you were lucky I guess..."

Jackie frowns and looks but at Chase, "... how did you get... un-corrupted?"

“Yeah.” Chase laughs awkwardly. “No. Not lucky. Uh… Jack uncorrupted me. He… it’s hard to explain, he like… went into my brain… and I had a weird symbolic dream where he helped me get rid of it… He started calling that place the ‘mindscape’ recently. So, long story short… magic.”

"Ah- magic. That usually seems to be a the solution." Jackie laughs. Bro hums in thought at this.

“Oh, there he is!” Stacy points. “He’s with Sam, cmon.” She starts walking.

Jackie and Bro quickly follow after Stacy.

The group weaves around boxes and people until they reach a big crate. Sitting on top is… a giant eyeball. About the size of a basketball, with a green sclera and blue iris. An optic nerve extends from the back like a tail, little zaps of lightning dancing along it. The eye turns around to look at them.

“Hey Sam!” Chase says. “Hey Jack!”

There is nobody standing nearby.

Jackie and Bro jump slightly at seeing the big ol' eye. "Woah..! That one is... so much bigger than the one I've seen before." Bro whispers.

"Wait you've seen one of these guys before?? I mean... they look like the robots in the superhero world!" Jackie asks.

"Oh yeah uh- in Distorter's world- Their Jack has a little Sam too."

"Oh wait yeah! That weird Anti had one! The one with... all the screens and stuff!"

"ohhh yeah!" Bro chuckles. "They were very small- but cute." He looks at the bigger Sam, "N-Not saying you're not... cute?" He laughs nervously.

Jackie blinks and looks around, "Uhhh... where's Jack exactly? I don't see anyone else?"

Sam flicks Their nerve-tail happily. “Oh! Watch this,” Chase says. “Sam, show them how you can change size and stuff.” Sam tilts up and down, like They’re nodding, and slowly shrinks down to the size of a baseball.

“Oh. Right, we forgot to mention,” Stacy says. “Jack is… invisible. And most people can’t hear him. Or touch him. But he’s really there.”

“Well now we sound like we’re fucking crazy,” Chase mutters.

"...only slightly," Jackie says with a small laugh.

Sam lifts into the air and flies in a circle around a specific spot in the air.

Bro watches Sam shrink and fly around the specfic spot and hesitates before waving at it. "Uh... hi? Jack?" He laughs, pushing back his hair. "I feel like I'm losing my mind...!"

Jackie turns to Stacy and Chase, "How come you guys can see him but we can't?"

“I couldn’t see him before either,” Chase says. “But then after the uncorruption I could. Maybe he needs to possess you guys.”

Stacy shakes her head. “No, I don’t think that’s it,” she says. “Sam gave me the ability to see him. Maybe They could do the same for you?”

Sam tilts to the side, considering. They fly up to Bro and Jackie and hold out Their nerve-tail, like a person asking for a handshake.

Bro and Jackie exchange uneasy glances. Then, Bro steps up and says quietly. "... I just wanna say for the record- this is one of the weirdest things we've done yet-" He then hesitates before holding onto Sam's nerve-tail.

Bro feels a weird tingling sensation travel up his arm. “Did it… did it work?” A voice says. “Can you see me?”

Bro jumps at the new voice and looks towards it with wide eyes. "Uhh- I can hear you! So that's something?"

"Oh my god what?" Jackie says, blinking and looking around almost comically. He then pushes Bro slightly so he can touch Sam's tail now too.

Jackie feels the same tingling sensation. Jack laughs. “Well that’s better than nothing,” he says. “Dunno why Sam can’t do that for everyone, it would make things so much easier. Nice to meet you guys!”

Jackie gasps, "Woahhh! Ghost voice!"

Bro laughs, "Nice to meet you too. Would be nicer to see you, but I guess we'll take what we can get!"

"Yeah, even just talking to people is good. You have no idea how long I wandered around for without being able to interact with anyone." Jack laughs, and then sounds serious again. "Other Chase. Bro, right? I saw what happened with Alt and you and Error. I-I'm sorry I couldn't hold him back longer."

Bro blinks, "Oh! That was you!" He smiles sadly. "I... it's okay. You helped us a lot- we... probably would have been been fine if... A-Alt hadn't..." He closes his eyes and takes a shaky breath.

"We'll get him back," Chase whispers softly, looking at Bro. "And You did your best, Jack," Chase says. "There's only so much you can do with you being, uh, a coma ghost."

"ohhh is that why can't see you? You're in a coma?" Jackie winces and sucks in air through his teeth, "Jesus man... that really sucks."

"Yeah, um... I'm kind of disconnected from my body," Jack says. "I can only really interact with electrical stuff. But, thanks to me being like this, I can go basically anywhere. Including the Place where Error took Alt. I-I almost headed there right away but I wanted to be sure you other guys were alright, too. Uh... Sam said there would be a fourth guy, too? Is that the dangerous guy They mentioned?"

"Magnificent," Chase says. "Jackie told us his name and some of the stuff he can do. He sounds pretty similar to him. In what they do, at least."

Bro's eyes burn with anger, "Fucking Mag... what is he gonna be doing with all of this?"

"Nothin' good, I can tell you that much." Jackie snorts, crossing his arms. He looks back at Sam and tilts his head, "...how come Sam knows so much about all of us already? Like- its the first time we've been someplace where everyone knew we were from a parallel world right away."

"Oh, Sam sees everything," Jack says casually.

Sam bobs up and down in the air, agreeing.

Chase looks back at the others. "Trust me, the rest of us don't get it either. Jack, Jackie, and I knew Sam the longest, and we still don't know much about Them. Jack only started being able to understand what They're saying recently. We're all still adjusting to this, but basically, Sam's fucking powerful."

Another bob from Sam.

"...damn- that's sick as hell." Jackie laughs and smiles at Sam. "Good on ya- Sam."

"I guess- being a giant eyeball makes seeing everything a lot easier." Bro chuckles.

"Ba-dum-tss," Chase says.

"Ayyyy~!" Jackie says, pointing finger guns at the two Chases. He high-fives Bro.

Stacy rolls her eyes fondly.

Bro laughs a bit more before his face falls to something serious. "So... You know about us and Magnificent... do you know how we can find Alt? How we can... fight against these corrupted guys? I mean Error... he was crazy powerful... I can be too but... I dunno if we can take on a whole bunch of corrupted puppets, and Mag, and An- the... leader."

"Yeah I'm not like Alt and Bro- I'm... just a regular guy." Jackie sighs, "...I... I dunno how to help..."

"I mean... we can give you a gun," Stacy says. "That tends to help regular guys like us."

Jackie hums, "...not usually a gun person but I think I can work with that."

Chase laughs at that. “Well... Error will have taken him to the Place. I know that's a vague name, but I didn't come up with it. It's a sort of pocket dimension where he lives. All the corrupted, too. That's where they..." He swallows nervously. "Th-that's where you get corrupted."

"I've been able to get in and out," Jack says. "But it's tough for other people. The Place tends to shift around. I-I could, at the very least, check on Alt and make sure he's okay."

Bro does seem a bit pale and nods vaguely in Jack's direction, "u-uh yeah that... that'd be good I think... we... gotta come up with a way to... to get in there."

"The entrances shift around, too," Chase says. "The places where they connect to this world. But I-I remember the signs of them, and some spots where they often show up."

"Getting in isn't the problem, it's getting out," Stacy says.

Sam looks at the spot where Jack is, tilting to the side.

"No, I know," Jack says. "But I've never tried it before."

"Huh?" Chase looks at Jack. "What're you talking about?"

Jack sighs. "I... theoretically, I could control the Place like An--like he does. We're the same, after all."

"You are?" Jackie asks with a bit of disbelief. "... is he a coma ghost thing too??"

"...kind of," Jack says reluctantly. "I, um... we're... the same person... technically."

"...oh-" Jackie replies quietly. "...that's... huh."

"Yyyyeah, I know," Jack says. "It's a long story."

Bro thinks about this, "... if we could get A- him... out of the place then... maybe that could work? Because I doubt it would work if he's in there and can control it right back... right?"

Stacy blinks. She grins. "That's a fucking great idea. Jack, is that true?"

"I think so. I think he just kind of... leaves it on autopilot when he leaves. But how do we get him out?"

Chase frowns. "He's been gunning to get me back. Maybe... if he found out I would be somewhere, he would come to get me personally?"

"You're not using yourself as bait, Chase," Stacy says firmly.

"I don't have to actually be somewhere," Chase says. "Though... I guess it would help..."

"...what if it was someone that looked like you?" Bro says quietly. "Someone who could take some of the corrupted on?"

Stacy and Chase look at him.

"Are you sure?" Chase asks. "He"... usually possesses someone when he leaves the Place. Someone pretty powerful."

"You mean Voice," Jack says. "Course I do. The guy summons endless knives and stops time on anything he touches. That's pretty OP."

"...fuck that is really hard to fight..." Bro sighs.

"Do you have powers, other Chase?" Stacy asks. "If Jackie is the 'normal' one, that implies that you aren't."

Bro ruffles his hair. "Uh yeah... back home, I'm a superhero. I can fly- and have like, super speed and super strength. Stuff like that. I can channel my energy into different parts of my body and sometimes can like- shoot it out like a bullet. Oh! And I can heal pretty fast." He sighs and crosses his arms, "...I might be able to catch this Voice off guard... but I dunno if I could like- hold him off..."

Stacy blinks. "Flying would be helpful. I don't think any of them can fly."

"They can't," Jack says. "You don't need to actually fight him, other Chase, you just need to keep him distracted for long enough. I-I could... probably help Alt get out from the inside."

"And we have a whole group of people here who can help with the distraction," Chase says, gesturing around. "You don't have to do it alone."

Bro blinks and then grins, "Well then... sounds like we have the beginning of a plan then! I'll lure him out and then we can get Alt out of there!"

Jackie frowns and then sighs, "...I feel like I should comment that feels very risky but... I can't think of any other plan. Plus, I trust you, bro." He knocks his fist against Bro's arm.

Bro laughs, "Thanks mate."

"It is pretty risky, riskier than I'd like," Stacy says. "But I think it's better than all of us rushing into the Place. We could really get lost forever in there."

"That's settled, then," Chase says. "We should talk to the rest of the people here and see who's able to help. I guess I need to stay away?"

"Ideally, yes," Stacy nods.

"I can go check on Alt right now, if you guys want," Jack offers.

“Sure, Jack. That’d be awesome if you could,” Bro says, rubbing his arm anxiously. “We’ll start ironing out more details.

"I'll go right now, then," Jack says. "Goodbye, I'll be back."

"Aaaand he's gone," Stacy says.

“Maybe… hm… maybe me and other Chase should swap clothes? Would they notice that?” Bro asks.

Chase nods. "Swapping clothes would be great. I... I like to keep my arms and hands covered." He looks down at Bro's hands. "If you're not wearing gloves he'll know right away that you're not me." He takes off one of his fingerless gloves, showing that he has a strange, oval-shaped scar on the back of his hand. "See?"

Bro's eyes widen but then he nods, "Okay... good to know. I have some in my bag but... they're like really bright. Superhero costume and all that." He grins sheepishly.

Jackie peeks over curiously, "...how'd ya get a scar like that?"

Chase flinches slightly. "S-side effect of the corruption." He rolls his sleeve up to his elbow, briefly showing a row of identical scars along his arm before rolling it back down again. "It changes you physically. For me, I got these markings all up my arms and down my spine. Once I was uncorrupted, they disappeared and left these behind."

"Eyes," Stacy says. "Markings that looked like eyes. Moving and everything. Fucking freaky." She glances at Chase. "I never wanted to see you like that," she whispers.

"I... appreciate that," Chase replies in an equally quiet voice.

Jackie and Bro both shudder at the image. "Uh... noted- sorry...." Jackie says quietly.

"Let's... focus on finding clothes then, other me. You can... uh- prep me, I guess. On what to expect." Bro mutters.

"No, it's okay. Everyone here knows, it's only fair that you do, too," Chase says. "Come on. We have some clothes in storage you can use. I'll fill you in while we look through there."

-----------

Error takes Alt to a small room, made smaller by the fact that a chain link fence divides it into one-third and two-thirds parts. Even though there's no visible lights it's still bright enough to see. Alt is guided into the larger part.

Alt keeps himself small as he follows Error- Chase's words echoing in his ears. ...he's gonna kill him when they meet back up.

"Wait here," Error says. "I'm sure he'll be here soon." And then he turns around and leaves, closing the door behind him. It blends seamlessly into the black wall... no, wait. It's gone. The door is gone. There are no other doors.

Alt makes a face at Error as he leaves, silently mocking him behind his back. But, he stops when he realizes the door is gone. ...okay- that's a problem... but! Bet they don't have any barriers set up for a glitch here! He grins and then tries to see if he can glitch out of the well- where the door used to be at least.

It’s like the world has disappeared except for this room. This limitation… it reminds him of that world… with those horrors…

Alt staggers back as he realizes he's blocked. Then, his stomach drops into cold dread. ...it's just like- the place Notarzt kept him. ...fuck. He really really fucked up. He super duper fucked up- He grips at his head, starting to feel panic wrapping around his throat. He didn't realize it would be like there!

Time passes.

It’s unclear how much. But eventually, Alt realizes that there’s something strange on the other side of the fence. A patch of air seems to shimmer, looking darker than the rest of the metal walls.

Alt is pacing back and forth, trying and failing to stave off a panic attack. Out of the corner of his eye he sees the patch of air and squints at it. He frowns and then glitches to try to be a bit closer, wondering what it could be.

The patch suddenly jumps back in surprise, and suddenly it's clear what it is. A man, sitting cross-legged on the ground. He's wearing a cape that makes him blend into the background. Magic, no doubt. Underneath the cape he's wearing a button-up shirt, nice pants, and socks, no shoes. He's also wearing a green collar and a green mask shaped like a cat. His brown hair is long, shoulder-length. He stares at Alt... no. Wait. He can't be looking at Alt.

The mask has no eyeholes, only black ovals in the shape of them.

Alt gasps and jumps back too and stares at the man with wide eyes. He shakes out his head and then tries to get close again, looking at him in confusion. "...m...marvin...?"

The man shakes his head vigorously, scooting back across the floor for a second. He definitely looks like he's staring at Alt, tilting his head up as Alt gets closer.

Alt blinks in surprise and then holds up his hands. "I-It's okay! I'm not gonna hurt you... are you... okay?" he suppresses a shiver- eyes fixated on the black spots on his mask.

The man nods. He shifts position slightly into something more like a crouch, folding his arms on top of his knees.

Alt knits his eyebrows in concern. "Oh... well.. o-okay. What are you... doing here?" He asks quietly. He also notices the collar and grips up at his neck, trying to mask his discomfort. He... almost looks like...

He tilts his head. It's hard to read his expression with the mask, but he seems nervous. After a moment, he makes a gesture. Two fingers from his eyes to Alt. A nonverbal sign of keeping an eye on things.

"..oh.. you're... watching me." Alt says, his shoulders sagging. "I guess that makes sense... you probably are working for him, huh?" He sits down on the floor. "...did he take away your voice?" He asks quietly. "Or are you not allowed to talk?" His voice has dropped down to something tinged with righteous anger, but also sympathy. He's dealt with puppet masters enough to know what to expect.

He holds up two fingers. The second option.

"Ah... figures." Alt tsks, anger on his face. He studies him up and down. "... he's keeping you as... a... a pet." He spits out the last word like it's poison, gripping his hands into fists.

The man lets out a breath. He nods, seeming almost relieved that Alt has said it out loud.

Alt's eyes spark with anger as he grits his teeth and glitches in place. "...that's... that's so fucking cruel-!" He yells, suddenly glitching to his feet. "W-Who are these motherfuckers that they get to just-?! Decide that for us? To r-reduce human fucking beings into- into fucking house pets?! It's wrong! It's fucking sick and-"

Alt suddenly laughs, pushing back his hair and grabbing at it, "T-That's what they're gonna do to me, isn't it?! T-Turn me into a f-fucking pet or- or worse!" He laughs hysterically, teetering between laughing and crying. "I-I shouldn't have left Chase I...! Why did I do that?! S-Sure he won't be exposed to this and m-maybe now Jackie will be safe but i...! I-I-!"

The man leans back a bit. He stares at Alt during his panic, uneasy. Then he opens his mouth. "I-it's n--"

A door opens. The man stiffens and immediately shuts his mouth again. The door is on his side of the chain link fence. In walks a man, who closes the door quickly before Alt can even think of trying anything. The man is wearing a black hoodie and has a slit throat. It's immediately clear who he is.

"You're not having a good time in here, huh?" Anti says. "I didn't think you'd fall to pieces so quickly."

Alt stiffens and quickly glitches back, staring at the other him with wide eyes. "...y-you're...!" His panic is taking his breath away, making it hard to breathe.

"You in another world? Apparently," Anti says casually. "I never would've thought it."

Alt glares at Anti and bares his teeth. "Me neither. I'm nothing like you."

Anti looks down at the man still sitting on the floor. "Were you two talking?"

The man hurriedly stands up. "No, Anti," he whispers.

"Hmm. Go keep an eye on our other visitor, okay, Cat?"

"Yes, Anti." The man--Cat--disappears in a puff of smoke.

Alt watches Cat leave with a pain in his chest before looking back at Anti with hatred. "... you're a sick motherfucker."

"I've been told that," Anti says, unfazed. "Even by myself. So this is nothing new, really."

He stands there, staring at Alt, arms loose at his sides. "I want to ask you some things. I want to learn more about your world. And your life in it. Error told me you have a brother, and that's weird, because I don't have one, so there must be a lot different. Where did you come from?"

"From your mother's arsehole." Alt spits, glaring at Anti with disdain. "I ain't telling you shit."

Anti looks taken aback. "...that's not even how it works, you idiot," he mutters. "Alright. Fine. There are other ways. How good are you with electricity?"

The floor suddenly starts to glow, and-- ZAP!

Alt's teeth grit as the electricity courses into him and he staggers a bit. But, then he glares at Anti, green electricity sparking in his eyes. He doesn't give him a response.

"Worse than I can," Anti says, which is true, given he hadn't flinched at all. "But there's something that could be worse for you, isn't there?" He tilts his head, thinking. "Hmm. This might be easier if... yes."

There's a horrible sound of metal on metal, and the ceiling of the room starts to lower, but only on Alt's side of the fence. It's gaining speed as it gets closer. The room was maybe eight feet tall before and it's already gone down to seven.

Alt flinches hard as the horrible screeching sound and covers his ears, only to look up and see the ceiling lowering. He panics and tries to glitch away- only realizing at the last second he's glitching onto the corner of the room Anti is in. So he glitches over and then goes to the farthest place he can away from Anti.

He ends up in the opposite corner of the room, but the whole ceiling is lowering, so there's no escape here. Six feet--five feet--four feet--then it stops. "I can't see you all the way over there," Anti says, ducking down to see Alt. "Come closer." Another screeching sound, and the far wall starts coming closer, making the room smaller, pushing Alt towards Anti.

Alt grits his teeth at Anti and then yelps out as the walls start to close in. Now, he glitches onto Anti's side but keeps his distance as he spreads out his arms, "There! You can see me." He growls.

"Heh." Anti grins. "Perfect. Are you going to actually talk to me now? Or should I try something else? It'll only get worse, you know."

"What good is knowing about my world going to do for you?" Alt bites out, "I could care less about how you work! I already know what you are- a low pathetic puppet master who gets himself off by controlling others. A fucking demon! I'm the opposite of you- and that's all you need to fucking know!"

Anti just smiles. "My opposite already exists. You're not my opposite, per se, you're more like... a different shade of a color. A more pleasant one. Supposedly." He rests his chin in one hand, cupping the elbow of that arm with the hand of the other. "I'm curious about how different things are. What you've gone through. Not to use it against you, don't misunderstand. To... compare." He laughs. "I'm not good with describing this sort of stuff. Thoughts and all that."

"Just because you're a twisted version of me doesn't mean you get to know what I've been through." Alt growls, "I'm not telling you anything. You don't get to know about my brother- about my life! I'm telling you nothing- got that?! Nothing!"

The smile on Anti's face fades. "Fine. I can take it, then." His body fizzles with black static and he lunges for Alt.

Alt staggers back with wide eyes and tries to glitch away, thinking he might be able to escape.

But, their glitches collide and there's the sound of screaming. The static pushes and pulls like taffy- parts of it trying to tear itself away. Then, the static mass combines and stills- before it glitches like a broken screen and starts to jitter back into the form of a man.

At first glance- it doesn't seem too different from the Antis that stood before. Same brown hair- a black hoodie, ripped clothes. But, it lifts its head and the black static doesn't fade from it's left side, a glowing green scleraed eye peeking out from the shifting mass. The same static makes up its left hand- and other parts of its body and clothes. A red wound weeps from their neck. Static and glitches buzz around like angry bees as they clash and butt into each other. Their hoodie best shows their fusion- the black hoodie having colored sleeves and a glitched frowny face- their ripped jeans having spots of glowing paint across the fabric.

The fusion stumbles and goes to grip at its head, heaving in panic. "N-N-Nnnnn-no! No no n-n-n-not aga̸i̶n̶! G-G-ge-t-t-t Ö̴̠́U̷͔͑T̶̲̈́!̷̙̈́!̶̝̿!̶̟́" It screeches, digging nails into its head, like its trying to rip itself back apart.

"Wh-wh-who are y-y-you?" The words tumble from its mouth as one hand grabs the wrist of the other. "Wh-wh-wh-why are you different?!" The bitterness is a tangible taste in its mouth. And the byproduct of the bitterness, the seething hate and anger, is a fire in its stomach. The static fingers on the left hand turn to claws, digging into its own skin. "Why?! Why?! W̵HY̧?̧̢͝!̶͡ It's not f̕͞ąir!̶̀"

And yet, this feeling is familiar. This merging, this... crowdedness, that comes from there being two where there should be one. It's familiar. Discontent wrapped up in a shell of static. No no no--the Severing, the Split, it was supposed to--this wasn't supposed to happen again! But--no, it can't end yet. It can't end yet. It needs to... know something? Is that it?

The merged being barks out a laugh, digging its fingers in harder to its wrist- feeling the blood wanting to pool. "Y-Y-You lonely b-bastard! Only m-m-making friends by c-corrupting them! Y-Y-You don't d-d-d̷̛̳é̸͉s̵̝̔ë̸̮r̸̙͘v̸̻͋e̷͝ them! A sick freak like you could n̵e̵v̷e̵r̸ be their friend!"

It recognizes this feeling- this self-loathing. it hates it- it hates itself. It laughs wildly, glitching like crazy as it pries its hand from its wrist and then digs its claws into its slit neck. "Y-Y-You shouldn't be near them- You only m-m-make everything w̵̿̉o̵͓̍r̴̐͑s̶̅͂e̶͆͠! E-Everything would be b-b-better if you just didn't ë̴́̌x̵̛̄ĩ̷̃s̷̎̃t̸̥̋!" It screeches. "A-A-All of this would be better if they never m-m-met you!"

The fusion screeches. "It's not ḿ̧e!̡ It's ţ́̀h̶e͡͡m̛̀!̨ It's Y̶O҉U̸!̵" Its head shakes side to side, black static pixels drifting off. It glitches wildly around the room before falling to its hands and knees. "It's you it's you it's you its you its you itsyouitsyouitsyouitsy̵̛͢oui̕͠t҉̛̀s͏y̴̨o̸͝͡ui̵̕͝t̀͢͡s̀̀͠--"

Then, as abruptly as it happened, the fusion falls apart, the black static peeling off like a second skin, forming a shivering lump on the floor that slowly regains its form--Anti's form.

Alt is left where Anode (how did they know its name?) was kneeling before.

Anti lies on the floor, breathing heavily for a moment. That... was like... It was too crowded again. Thoughts coming apart like pieces of paper thrown in a bowl of water. He didn't want that. He didn't want that. But then he remembers Alt. He abruptly glitches upright, pressing his back up against the nearest wall, glaring at Alt. "What... the fuck... did you do just now?" he hisses.

Alt is a shivering, sobbing mess on the floor, the tears on his face still somewhat static. He retches and throws up that black static onto the floor- gasping in pain and agony as he tries to get the feeling out of him. He hardly acknowledges Anti- just stuttering and crying as he grips at his throat like he can still feel it gaping open. He can't breathe- His mind was torn open and laid bare and it hurts and aches and he feels similar to that- that thing!

Anti narrows his eyes. "Why are you crying?" he growls. "You--you're a whole person, with a brother and friends and magic that didn't happen because some fucking eldritch eyeball tore you apart by accident. You can touch, you can talk, you can be seen. You have a job and a boyfriend and you were able to stop with your fucking shit crimes a-a-and—and—and—" His body trembles and glitches with rage.

Abruptly, he turns around, throws open a door that wasn't there before, and walks through, slamming it behind him. It becomes part of the wall again, leaving no way out.

Alt trembles and curls up on himself as Anti yells at him. He couldn't try to get out even if he wanted to. He just curls up as small as he can and now that he's alone- he lets himself break down completely.

Of course Anti only saw the good now -ignoring the being on the streets for years- the part where he became a villain and almost killed his friends over and over. The mind control- being turned into a puppet- a pet. Being a fucking experiment for a fucked up cooperation. None of that matters does it? None of it matters... He wants to go home...

"...Alt?" Someone walks through the wall where the door was.

Anti is back. Though... he looks different. His clothes have changed, now he's wearing a white hospital gown and a pair of pale blue leggings, no shoes. And the eye with the green sclera has switched sides, being his left instead of his right. And the throat slash has closed up, leaving a dark green-black scar that fades into the surrounding veins. And the static that shivers around his limbs is white instead of black.

...is it Anti at all?

"A-are you... okay?" Anti? asks. "Can you... can you hear me?"

Alt stiffens and glitches to sit up and quickly scrambles away and into a corner, curling up as tight as he can. "W-Who-a- g-get a-away from me!" He tries to cry out but his voice breaks at the end and he just curls back up, trying to hide.

The man backs away, raising his hands. "I'm sorry! I'm--I-I didn't think--I'm sorry." He shakes his head. "I'm not going to hurt you. I-I'm not even capable of that, I haven't figured out how to be physical here yet. I'm... My name is Jack. I... saw you and your brother earlier. I tried to help."

Jack? That name was strong in Anti's memories.

Alt slowly peeks through his arms to look back at Jack. "J...Jack?" He breathes. He remembers the white eyes on Error and he slowly nods. "Y-Yeah... I... I r-remember that..." He doesn't move to uncurl himself. "...h-how are you... h-here?"

Jack laughs gently. "I'm just about the only person who could get in here without him noticing. I can be invisible and pass through objects. In fact, I have to be outside of this Place."

Alt blinks and looks at Jack and then slowly nods, "...right cuz you're... you're half of... of his soul. So you...." He shudders and holds himself.

Jack blinks. "You know about that? Uh, y'know what, I'm not gonna ask about how you know that now." He sits down next to Alt. "I'm here to check on you. Your brother and your friend Jackie are working with some friends of mine to get you out of here."

It takes Alt a second to acknowledge the last statement and he laughs, though the smile doesn't quite reach his eyes. "...'course they're looking for me... i... I knew they would..." His smile then fades as he curls his knees to his chest. "... Jack... when you see my brother... can you tell him... i-I'm sorry I was an idiot." He pushes his hair back and grips at it. "...I don't think I'm gonna g-get out of here unscathed... and... I... I should have stayed with him... A-Anti might k-kill me or... or worse-" He laughs in the way you do when you're scared but its all you know how to do, tears lingering back in his eyes.

"What? No, I-I'm not going to--I mean, th-there's not much I can do, but--" Jack shakes his head. "Alt. Please. It's going to be okay. I won't let him kill you. A-and if... if something worse happens... I think you mean the corruption... It takes a while to take effect. Y-you won't lose yourself so quickly. And even if you do, we can undo it. We can undo it. It will be fine. I-I can stay with you, if you want. I might have to go invisible for a while, but I'll stay with you."

Alt is quiet for a while- maybe too long, not looking at Jack. Then, he laughs again and grips at his head, tears slipping down his face with more intensity as he whimpers out. "...i... I'm s-scared, Jack... I'm so fucking scared I... I-!" He hangs his head, "I don't want t-this to keep h-happening! Why d-does it keep happening?!"

"I don't know," Jack whispers. "I don't know what you've been through. I can tell it's probably some pretty terrible stuff. I'm not going to tell you that it all happens for a reason. I'm not going to tell you that you're strong enough to get through this, though I'm sure you are." He half-reaches out. "But I am going to tell you that it gets better. Even when it feels the most hopeless, even when you feel like you can't do anything against all the terrible things that happen to you, it gets better. It's hard to see it, I know. But things get better. You're able to make things get better, often, but even when you're not, just getting through it is enough. It's enough, Alt. It's enough."

Alt is quiet again, soaking in Jack's words. He eventually nods and wipes at his face. "Y-You sound like... s-someone else I know... A good friend of mine." He chuckles hollowly. He looks at his hand, as if expecting it to turn into static. "...better doesn't stop what's gonna happen though but... I... I won't have to f-face it... alone. I guess..."

Jack nods. "I'll stay. A-and I'll try to do everything I can. I know Anti won't be able to see me or hear me... but you were able to see me out there in the real world. Maybe you'll be able to see me here now." He gives him a small smile.

Alt knits his eyebrows together, looking back at Jack, "...Yeah I can see you...? I-I've been able to see you this whole time..."

Jack laughs a little. "Most people can't. In fact, there are only two people besides you that can see me and hear me all of the time. Their names are Chase and Stacy, they're some of the friends I mentioned who are looking for you. In here, I can choose to be seen or not, but out there, I'm invisible all the time."

"Oh... t-that explains why Chase-- my Chase seemed so confused when you were helping us." Alt chuckles quietly. "... he must have thought I had like.... p-psychic powers or something. I mean I have magic but i... I'm not that good."

"Hah. Your Chase is so much buffer than mine." Jack blinks. "I, uh... didn't mean to just blurt that out."

Alt bursts into giggles and shakes his head. "N-No you're right! Everyone keeps mentioning that!" He laughs. "It's cuz he's fighting bad guys all the time!"

"Man. I gotta build up some muscle once I get my body back," Jack mutters. "Jackie used to work out a lot, too, he was also fighting criminals--and running from the police. Vigilantism is still illegal, hah."

"Heh- I dunno how Chase got the city to be okay with him but... they are. Maybe it was worse before we found each other again." Alt hugs his legs, "...he's the best person I know. Even after everything we've been through." He smiles fondly.

Jack smiles. "I only talked with him for a minute, but he seems like a great guy." He shifts his position a little, getting more comfortable. "I'd love to hear more about him. Why don't you tell me a little?"

That might help him take his mind off things for a while. Maybe not completely, but anything would be good.

Alt blinks, a bit surprised. But then he laughs and rubs his wrist as he starts, “well… we didn’t always get along, but…”

-----------

The hallway Magnificent walks down goes in one direction, without any others branching off. It curves slightly, gently sloping downward for a while. Until he reaches a section where the floor is covered in cables. It's like the ground is lifted from the worst-organized computer room in the world, though the cables are just loose, not connecting to any devices. Clearly a serious tripping hazard.

Magnificent almost trips then teleports to be on my even ground and looks at the floor with a mildly disgruntled face.

“…cute.” He snorts.

Then, he remembered Anti mentioning cables. He follows their path-

He comes to a four-way intersection, the walls lined with metal doors that all look very secure.

One of them creaks open, and a man walks out. He wears a white coat and a pair of glaseses with cracks in the lenses. Cables and wires wrap around his limbs and torso, and there's a thick black one around his neck. He starts walking down the hallway towards Magnificent, and then stops when he sees him. "Hello? Who are you?"

Magnificent blinks at the new comer then grins, “oh… isn’t this rich?” He laughs. “You can call me Magnificent, pet. What are you called, hm?”

The man raises an eyebrow. "That's your name? Aaalright." He walks closer. Magnificent can see his had bright, acid green eyes. A branching scar goes up the left side of his face. Lichtenberg figures, they're caused by electricity, aren't they?

"I am Surgeon, I am in charge of this section."

“How fascinating~” Magnificent giggles. “What happens in this section exactly? And don’t worry- I was invited by your master. He told me I could look around.”

"By Anti?" Surgeon flinches slightly before becoming calm again. "Well, if that is the case." He gestures at the doors. "This is where the corruptors do the corrupting, of course. Inside some of those rooms, there is someone undergoing the process. Some are empty, though." He leans over to the nearest door and pulls it open. The room beyond is dark, with vague shapes hiding in the shadows.

Magnificent grins wide and prowls closer, peering into the room curiously. “So- there are more corrupters than just Anti?”

“Well it all comes from Anti, of course,” Surgeon says. “He chooses the targets, and he gives us the corruption to use. But yes. Anti is busy he cannot spend so long on the process. Some of us have the power to share it. I was the first, I am told.” He reaches into the room and the lights turn on, though he didn’t flip a switch or anything.

The walls of the room are lined with screens and speakers. In the center are a table and chair, both equipped with chains. Along the edges of the room are tables full of items. Some of them are obvious: knives, rope, heavy objects you can swing, syringes with strange liquid inside. Others are not familiar, but a lot of them look sharp and dangerous.

Magnificent whistles, equal parts amusement and amazement. “My my! What a set up!” He giggles as he runs his hands across the tables and items, looking a few of them over. “Quite the operation he has here~! How curious…”

“It has been a long time in the making,” Surgeon says, staying in the doorway. “Though it helps that the Place can provide whatever he asks for.” He looks back into the hallway and suddenly starts. “Oh! Katzchen, what are you doing here?”

Magnificent pauses in his browsing to peek back out at who Surgeon is talking to.

“Come, come, see this new, ah, companion,” Surgeon says, reaching to the side and pulling someone over to the doorway.

A man, wearing a cape and a green cat mask without eyeholes. The man Alt met earlier, Cat. He stumbles a little when Surgeon pulls him but turns to face Magnificent, freezing in place when he “sees” him.

Magnificent eyes widen a bit as he sees Cat. But then he grins and laughs, prowling closer and observing the mask. ��My my… isn’t this a sight to see~?” He purrs. He looks at his collar and flicks it with a chuckle. “How fitting.”

Cat stumbles back a bit, reaching for his neck.

"Ah--please do not touch him," Surgeon says. "Anti will get very upset.”

Magnificent holds up his hand with a laugh. “Apologizes. I just can’t resist such a pretty kitty~” He hums in amusement.

“Though... Katzchen, why are you out here? Anti is home, you do not need to keep an eye on things."

Cat doesn't answer. He keeps facing Magnificent, seeming a bit uneasy.

Mag tilts his head at Cat and then chuckles. “Were you told to watch me, Kitten?”

Cat hesitates, then nods.

"Ah, that would explain it," Surgeon says. "I suppose Anti wasn't sure where you would be, or that I would be here. I think I can handle it, Katzchen, but I know you will not leave, so you can at least relax. This man, Magnificent, was wondering about the corruption."

Another slow nod from Cat. He does seem a bit calmer, but still slightly on edge.

Magnificent chuckles, “Such a paranoid kitten… but oh so loyal.” He sighs dramatically- “if only my cub was half as loyal as you!” He eyes the two of them and hums in thought. “Tell me you two- does working with Anti provide you with any… power per se? Any- unusual abilities?”

"Heh. Oh yes." Surgeon smiles. "Look down."

Something wraps around Magnificent's ankle. One of the cables on the ground, moving like a snake. It quickly lets go before he can kick it off, and all the cables on the ground move away from Mag in a circle.

"That is me." Surgeon extends one arm, and the cables around it wind tighter.

Mag stiffens for a second as the cable wraps around him then he chuckles. “Oh! Very impressive.”

"Fehler calls me Wires because of it. And then, well, I'm told Katzchen had his own magic beforehand, but I do not remember the specifics, so I only know about his teleporting and camouflage."

Magnificent eyes Cat again curiously. Can he sense any power off of him? He’s starting to feel that need- that hunger.

Yes, there's a magical signature around Cat. A sour power that's almost overpowered by a secondary signature, something dark and twisted. Come to think of it, a similar twisted energy is coming from Surgeon. And it feels like there are more signatures like it dotted around. Underneath all that, the Place has its own energy, a faint, shifting power that feels far away and hard to grasp.

Mag’s eyes flash hungrily. Surely Anti wouldn’t mind if he had just a taste? He teleports to try to grab Cat’s arm and see what power he can drain from him.

Cat yelps, backing up but not moving fast enough to avoid Magnificent latching onto his arm. Some of that sour magic drains into him, though that twisted energy stays where it is.

"What the fuck?!" Surgeon gasps. All the cables on the floor suddenly rise up and lunge for Magnificent, wrapping around him, trying to pull him back. "What did I just say?! Agh, Anti is going to be so upset with you!"

Magnificent shakes himself out with a laugh and lets the cables grab him. He smirks at Surgeon. “I’m sure he’ll understand~! Lighten up, Schneeple.”

"Huh? What did you call me?" Surgeon blinks, looking genuinely confused. But Cat inhales sharply.

“Schneeple- short for your last name, I’m presuming.” Mag chuckles. “But if your master is worth his salt- I know that would not be your name anymore. Still- always fun to see puppets squirm. Test the strength of your loyalty and all~”

"Oh." Surgeon blinks again. The cables fall away from Magnificent. "Well, I think you are misunderstanding something. I do not remember most of my life. I woke up in the Place a while ago with Anti there, watching me. So, yes, perhaps that was my name once. I do not remember it. He has only ever called me Surgeon."

Magnificent dusts himself off and smirks. “He’s made a very good puppet of you then, Surgeon. He must be proud~”

Surgeon nods slowly. "I suppose so... I think he is more proud of Fehler, though, since he is the most like him."

As Surgeon talks, black static gathers behind him and Cat, and Anti forms. "Doesn't mean I'm not proud of the rest of you," Anti says.

Cat yelps, and Surgeon gasps and spins around. "Ah--h-hi, Anti," he says. "Your, ah, guest w-was asking about the corruption. I think he did something to Katzchen, too."

Anti looks at Cat. "Really? You look fine. How do you feel?"

"F-fine, Anti," Cat stammers.

"Really?"

"Really. M-maybe a bit... low energy."

"Well, that's probably fine, then," Anti says, and looks over at Magnificent. "What did you do?"

Magnificent smiles and tilts his head at Anti. “Oh- I just had a taste of his magic. Forgive me for my overindulgence~ I just wanted to make sure I could stay in top shape. Just in case I can assist in any of your devious plans while my own puppets are lingering around this world~” he giggles. “You have quite the tight setup Anti. I’m very impressed. Able to corrupt without being completely involved… ah- I like playing with my food too much to do such a thing but- it must be very efficient~!”

"You can absorb magic?" Anti's eyes light up.

“Oh yes- it’s one of my many talents~” Magnificent chuckles darkly. “I no longer have human needs besides the need to sleep- magic supplies me with the energy I need.”

"Fascinating. Well, I guess if Cat is fine, it's fine. I didn't feel our connection weaken, and that's what's important." He nods, indicating the doors. "Efficiency was the idea. If I'm going to corrupt a lot of people, it needs to be efficient. And fast. The process takes a while and I can't spend all my time working on it."

He looks at Cat and Surgeon. "You two can go, by the way."

Surgeon nods. "Come on, Katzchen," he mutters, grabbing his arms. "I want to see Grau."

Cat nods and lets himself be pulled away.

Magnificent watches the two of the go and smirks. “…very well trained… fascinating to see really.” He tilts his head back at Anti and smirks. “Well? Did your other puppet manage to capture one of my kittens?”

"Ohhh yes." Anger flickers across Anti's face. "Error found your Alt. He's supposed to be me, but--but--" He shakes his head. "That fucking guy," he mutters. "Of course it's different in other worlds. Of course it is. Even the other me's don't get it."

Magnificent tilts his head more, “oh? Was it too jarring to see my cub being so different?” He chuckles.

"Very," Anti bites out. "But--that's not important right now. That's not important."

“Oh a sore spot I see.” Mag giggles.

Anti takes a deep breath, folding his arms. "I saw some of his memories, and I have a question. Your magic. You hypnotize people, don't you?"

The mad magician’s eyes light up as he grins, “Why yes I do~! One of my specialties. I’ve had Alt under my thumb more times than either of us can count~”

"Perfect. Because I'm wondering something. The problem with corruption is how long it takes. True, time is strange in this Place, but it still takes weeks at the shortest. I wonder if, perhaps, we combined our efforts..." Anti trails off into a meaningful silence.

Magnificent grins even wider. “Oh… I’m very curious to see if I could be of aid~! To see my cub as loyal as your puppets?” He giggles wildly. “What a sight that would be!”

Anti grins. "You want me to drag him down here? Not personally, I'll probably ask Error, but we could try things out."

“Oh I’d be more than happy to try~” Mag laughs.

Anti nods. "I'll get him down here right away, then. Let's set up one of the rooms." He should try not to be too vicious. No matter his feelings about the unfairness of it all, it wouldn't be good to ruin things so quickly.

#SATCV #SATCV Bad end #alt anti #swap magnificent #bro fantastic #jackie mann #lots of set up this round sjhbak #but also!! new alt fusion??#that was a fun scene ajhka

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