[Scene: New Plan.....]
Smoke drifted lazily through the broken streets. Pieces of masonry littered the pavement, while shattered windows reflected the red glow of Pentagram's sky. What had once been a place of hope now looked like a monument to everything that had gone wrong.
Blitzo stood with his hands on his hips, staring at the ruins.
Moxxie stood beside him, still trying to process everything Baxter had told them.
Millie quietly rested her axe against her shoulder.
Loona had her arms folded, her eyes narrowed.
And Charlie...
Charlie couldn't stop thinking about Baxter.
He knew him.
All this time, Baxter had known Victor Von Doom personally. He had known about the incursions. He had known that Heaven and Hell were heading toward some catastrophic collision.
And he had said nothing.
Charlie lowered her head. "I still can't believe he kept all of that from me."
Moxxie glanced toward her.
"I don't think he was trying to hurt you, Charlie."
"Maybe not," Charlie said quietly. "But he knew my father was in danger." Her voice trembled.
Nobody answered.
The silence said enough.
Blitzo finally turned toward the others. "Come on. We need to figure out our next fucking move."
One by one, they climbed back into the I.M.P. van.
Loona took the driver's seat.
Blitzo climbed into the passenger seat while Moxxie, Millie, and Charlie settled into the back.
The doors slammed shut.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
The ruined hotel remained visible through the windows.
Moxxie finally broke the silence. "Sir..."
Blitzo stared straight ahead.
"What do we do now?" Mox asked.
Blitzo didn't answer.
His fingers tapped against his knee.
His eyes remained fixed on the road ahead.
Then he slowly exhaled.
"There's only one thing we can do, gang."
He turned toward them. "We have to go back to Doctor Strange..."
Moxxie's eyes widened. "Sir, are you crazy?"
Blitzo grimaced.
"You do realize that we are not exactly in good terms with them considering our, you know..." Moxxie gestured vaguely. "...business practices involving the killing of people?"
"Yeah." Blitzo sighed. "I know."
He turned around in his seat to face everyone. "But meeting with the New Avengers again is our best shot at beating Victor Von Dome."
Loona rolled her eyes. "Here we go again this crap....."
Millie, however, grinned. "I'm up for it."
Moxxie slowly sank back into his seat. "This is going to be a long day....."
Charlie remained quiet.
She stared out the window.
The ruined hotel.
The missing souls.
Her father.
Vaggie.
Doctor Doom.....
Everything seemed impossible.
But doing nothing wasn't an option.
Charlie finally looked toward Blitzo. "...I'm in."
Blitzo's eyes widened slightly.
Then a grin spread across his face. "That's what I'm talking about, princess!"
He turned toward Loona. "All right, Loony. Fire it up."
Loona sighed. "Yeah, yeah."
She turned the key. VRRRRMMM!
The engine roared to life.
Blitzo grabbed the dashboard as the van lurched forward. "Then let's go kick some evil sorcery butt!"
"That's not exactly what we do...." Moxxie muttered.
"I don't care!" Blitz said.
The I.M.P. van accelerated down the ruined street.
Charlie watched the Hazbin Hotel disappear behind them.
She clenched her hands together.
Somewhere out there, her father was being held prisoner.
Somewhere beyond their reality, Doctor Doom was preparing to reshape existence itself.
And now, once again, the strangest collection of allies imaginable was heading toward the same fight.
The van disappeared into the distance. Their next destination: Doctor Strange and the New Avengers.
[At Latverion.....]
Baxter stood before a massive holographic display suspended above the polished stone floor. The projection illuminated the chamber in pale blue light, revealing a terrifying image of reality itself.
Worlds.
Planets.
Dimensions.
Countless spheres floated within the projection, each one surrounded by glowing lines representing dimensional boundaries. Several of those lines were already beginning to overlap.
And at the center of it all—
Heaven.
Hell.
Earth.
Amphibia.
And countless other realities were slowly drifting toward one another.
Baxter adjusted his glasses.
His expression had become increasingly solemn. "Four days..."
The words barely escaped him. "Four days until the collision becomes irreversible."
The hologram shifted.
Several of the worlds began overlapping. The simulation suddenly displayed a violent burst of energy. Baxter flinched. "If the mechanism isn't completed and activated before then..." he whispered, "...everything ends."
Behind him, the massive doors of the throne room suddenly opened.
Baxter spun around.
Three mysterious witches entered first.
Each wore an expressionless metal mask that completely concealed their faces. Their robes were different colors, flowing behind them as they walked in perfect silence.
They separated and stood on either side of the doorway.
Then came their guests.
Yunan.
Olivia.
Andrias.
And finally....
Paimon, the most powerful of the goetia family.
The creatures of Amphibia entered cautiously, taking in the enormous chamber around them.
Andrias wore a long robe, his old royal attire replaced by something far more subdued. His right arm was no longer the one he had possessed as king.
It had been replaced by a crude but surprisingly sturdy mechanical arm assembled from salvaged Amphibian technology.
Yunan marched proudly beside him, although even she couldn't completely hide the uncertainty in her expression.
Olivia remained close by, studying everything with cautious curiosity.
Paimon walked separately.
The ancient demon prince's expression was unusually serious.
There was no arrogance in his posture this time. No smugness. Only concern.
They had all been brought here for the same reason.
Victor had personally visited Amphibia after the Core's defeat.
He had warned them.
Something was coming.
Something far worse than the Core.
An incursion capable of consuming their entire world.
And Victor had promised them that he possessed a solution.
Paimon had come for another reason.
After discussing the growing crisis with the Overlords and the Six Sins, he had finally been forced to acknowledge an uncomfortable truth. The grimoire.
Hell's ability to travel between realms. The constant crossing of boundaries that were never meant to be crossed. It had been one factor among many that had contributed to the cracks forming between realities. And now Paimon wanted to help repair what his realm had helped damage.
Baxter stared at them. "You're here."
Yunan stepped forward. "Indeed!"
She struck a heroic pose. "I am General Yunan! Scourge of—"
Olivia gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "Yunan."
Yunan paused. "...Right."
She cleared her throat. "Yunan."
Olivia stepped forward. "And I am Olivia....."
Andrias approached next.
The former king extended his mechanical hand. "Andrias."
Baxter stared at the metal limb for a moment before shaking it.
CLANK.
"Pleasure to meet you too....'' Bax said.
Andrias glanced around the enormous throne room. "So, uh..."
He looked toward the empty throne. "...where is Victor?"
Baxter turned his head.
The others followed his gaze.
At the far end of the chamber stood Doctor Doom.
Victor wasn't sitting upon his throne.
Instead, he stood before an enormous torn painting. The image depicted a woman.
Cynthia von Doom. Victor's mother. Much of the painting had been destroyed long ago. The canvas was ripped and burned around the edges.
His armored fingers gently touched the surviving portion of his mother's face.
For several seconds, he said nothing.
The entire room remained silent.
Victor slowly lowered his hand.
Then he turned.
His eyes met those of the group. "Something is coming."
His voice echoed through the throne room. "Something that we will not be able to deter...."
Yunan's confident expression faded.
Victor stepped away from the painting. "And before that day is done..."
He approached them. "...we will all be faced with an unthinkable decision."
Yunan scratched nervously at the back of her neck. "Righhhht..."
She glanced toward Andrias. Then Olivia. Then Baxter.
"...So, about your plan."
"Wait. What exactly is your plan again?"
Baxter blinked. "Oh, yes. Right."
He hurried toward the holographic display. "Our plan is to construct a mechanism powerful enough to pull the colliding planets and dimensions together..."
The separate worlds began converging toward a single central point. "...and unify them into one world."
Andrias stared, a bit concerned. "One world?"
"Yes."
Baxter gestured toward the enormous structure displayed in the hologram. "Rather than allowing these realities to collide naturally and annihilate one another, the mechanism will forcibly stabilize them."
"But not simply smashing it together."
"We would create a unified reality."
Paimon narrowed his eyes. "And who controls this unified reality?"
The room went quiet.
Baxter hesitated.
Victor eerily answered. ''That is none of your concern....''
Andrias then looked at Victor.
Yunan looked at Olivia.
Olivia looked back at Baxter.
Baxter quickly continued. "It is quite a step in magnificent technology, if I do say so myself."
His enthusiasm immediately faded. "But we have no more time to waste."
Andrias stepped closer. "Are you certain this machine of yours will actually work?"
Baxter looked at him. "It is our best shot."
Andrias stared at the hologram.
A projection of Amphibia floated among the countless worlds.
His expression softened. "My home..."
He clenched his mechanical fist. "After everything that has happened, I won't let Amphibia disappear....''
Yunan's eyes narrowed with determination. "I can't argue with that."
Olivia nodded. "Neither can I."
Paimon remained silent.
Victor turned toward the hologram again.
The worlds continued drifting closer.
Closer.
Closer.
A countdown appeared. (96:00:00)
The numbers continued ticking downward.
95:59:59.
95:59:58.
Victor stared at the approaching realities. "Four days."
"Then there will be no worlds left to save....''
For one brief moment, another image appeared.
A red-and-black planet.
A blue world.
Heaven.
Hell.
Amphibia.
Latverion.
(Boiling Isles).
All of them converging toward the same point.
Victor's fist slowly tightened. "Finish building the mechanism....."
Baxter nodded. "Yes, Victor...."
Victor turned back his gaze to the doomsday clock, then walked away from the throne room, disappearing as the large doors closed behind him.