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Swap Beyond the Crystalverse Chapter 6: Shift AU

Co-written with @crystalninjaphoenix Read Swapboys | Read Crystal’s AUs

Other Multiverse Stories: SITCV | SATCV | GITHV

"Watch your step. Don't want to fall."

Marvin, Bro, and Chase show up at the end of a hallway, leading to a large room. The space through the portal is reminiscent of a laboratory of some kind, with walls and floor made of stainless steel and tubes of blue lights illuminating the area. Two circular doors--one left and one right--lead out of the room. There's a similar door behind them. In the middle of the room are tables and tables of equipment, and a large device, an upright ring with part of it broken off. But the reason for the warning is clear. There is no ceiling, as the walls end in cracks and shards. Everything above is just an empty black space. And there are holes in the ground, also leading to that same black void.

Bro looks at that space with a bit of fear in his eyes, swallowing shakily as he looks at the lab set up. So many horrible memories flash before his eyes. But he shuts them and tries to shake it off- he’s gotta focus. He almost stumbles over a hole in the ground but catches himself and floats a bit over it. But even someone who can fly doesn’t like the look of the void below. “…l-lovely place you have here, Doc…” Bro mumbles, quickly finding another solid spot.

"Oh you don't need to lie to me," Shattered says, chuckling. "It is a real hazard, I know. Doll complained so much while working here." He disappears and reappears in the center of the room.

“You made Jackie work here?” Bro says with a growl, thinking of Mag using Alt.

"Where is she?!" Marvin demands. "Tell me, o-or I'll shoot!"

"Marvin, careful!" Chase pulls him back from the edge of a hole. He looks down at it and holds out a hand. Yellow magic covers over some of the holes, creating a solid bridge into the solid room.

"Over here." Shattered appears over by the right doorway. He hits a glowing blue button and it opens up. Marvin runs over in that direction, pulling ahead of Bro and Chase. As he goes through the doorway, Shattered's hand hesitates over the button again, but he doesn't push it. Bro yells a bit as he pulls ahead and quickly speeds after Marvin and through the door.

The room beyond looks like it was once a storage room of some kind, with metal shelves full of boxes and random things. But there have been some changes. Someone took plywood boards and nailed them over the holes in the floor, and a corner of the room has been made into a tiny kitchen with a mini-fridge, microwave, shoddily-made cabinet, and coffee maker. Up against the other corner is a metal bedframe, and on it--

"Dad?"

"Skyler!" Marvin rushes over to her, immediately scooping her up into a hug. Skyler is small for her age, her brown hair held back by a purple headband. She's wearing a pink dress with white accents and a rounded collar, and she has white sneakers on her feet--the type with bungee cords and not laces. Her socks are fuzzy and purple.

Bro watches the reunion with a wet smile, but then he glares behind him at Shattered. “…what’s the point of all of this huh? To torture Marvin? To have some kind of control? …a little girl doesn’t deserve to get thrown into adult messes. You’re sick.”

Shattered blinks, uncomprehending. "...She is fine, though."

"Are you fine, sweets?" Marvin asks, giving her a kiss on the forehead.

"Mm-hmm." Skyler nods. "Dad? I want ice cream."

Marvin laughs. "Is that what's on your mind?"

"I haven't had any dessert for forever. And I'm bored. I wanna go to the park."

"We'll go to the park as soon as we can, sweets, I promise you." Marvin stands up, holding her in her arms.

Chase looks over at Shattered. "Well?"

"Hmm?" Shattered stares at him. "What?"

"Where's the way out?"

"I got rid of it after you came in." Shattered grins.

Bro’s eyes flash and he lashes out to try to grab Shattered by the collar and slam him into the wall, “Fucking bastard! This was a trap?!”

Shattered's head knocks against the wall, but he just laughs. "Of course! I was not expecting others, but it works out, ja?"

Marvin's eyes widen. He takes Skyler and hurries out of the room, searching around the edges of the room.

"You bastard!" Chase's eyes flare bright yellow. "You just wanted to--to kidnap Marvin?! Why?!"

Shattered's smile fades. "yes... that is a good question," he whispers. "I... he is..." He trails off, suddenly looking lost.

Bro’s hold on him loosens a bit- confused. Then, sympathetic. What if… Shattered here is just like Glitch? Someone corrupted that can’t help but act on their impulses? Should he try to give him mercy? Should he try to appeal to who he was before..? …it’s worth a try isn't it? “…Henrik?” Bro asks quietly, “…are you still in there somewhere…?”

Shattered blinks. "Hen...rik?" he repeats. "Th-that is a... name. That is a... familiar... name."

Chase blinks. "Is that your name?" he asks, matching Bro's softer tone.

"I..." Shattered looks around, like he's taking in the details of this strange space for the first time. "This is... a broken place. For broken things. It... should not be here..."

“It was… did you forget, Schneep? …what happened- to put you here… that made this place?” Bro asks quietly. “Do you remember?”

"There was... an accident," Shattered says slowly. "I... I was... not..." He gasps, and suddenly grabs onto Bro’s shirt with both hands. "Wo sind sie? Wohin sind sie gegangen? Wie bekomme ich sieczurück? Wie bekomme ich sie zurück?!" And then, as sudden as the panic arrives, it disappears. He blinks at Bro slowly, like he's never seen him before. "...Ah. What... am I... supposed to do now?" It's like he's asking for the next line of a script.

Bro can’t help but flinch back and look at Shattered with wide eyes. German- German-! He knows some from Henny? Where… he’s asking where someone is? Bro takes a deep breath and holds Shattered’s wrist gently in his hand, “…you’re missing someone, huh? Is that why you took Skyler? Why you want Marvin? …you’re trying to replace something that you’ve lost.” He says quietly, firmly, but also, with compassion.

"Replace...? Replace what?" Shattered blinks. "Who are... ah, you are a Hero, ja?" And he looks over at Chase. "And a Magician." He turns to look at Marvin and Skyler, still searching for some other way out of here. "Oh! Such a cute little one. She looks tired. She should probably lie down, maybe."

Bro gets frustrated at this and then shoves Shattered back, “Okay don’t play dumb, Schneep! I’m trying to help you! You took Skyler, remember?? You trapped us all in here- are you just losing your mind?! What that fuck happened to you?!”

Shattered stares at him, then laughs. "What did you say? Shneep? What a funny word. No, no, we are not trapped in here. You just have to concentrate! Or... is that just me?"

“Schneep! Henrik! That’s who you used to be cuz I fucking know you dude! Or I know what you’re supposed to be! you-!” Bro starts to yell, frustrated tears brimming in his eyes. The way Shattered’s blue eyes glow and his black coat- it can only make Bro think of the Schneep he knows becoming like this… just like he saw Alt in Glitch.

Chase walks over and puts a hand on Bro's shoulder. "Um... Bro? I don't think he's playing dumb. I think he's just... like this."

Bro flinches a bit as Chase touches his shoulder and glances at him briefly. He loosens his grip a bit more but looks at Shattered with sadness. “… how did this happen…?” He whispers before finally letting Shattered go, not expecting an answer. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath then addresses Shattered again, “… you’re right- the little girl does look tired, doesn’t she? I don’t think that bed is good for her back there- can you help us get her back to rest somewhere?” He asks.

"Hm? Oh, yes that would probably be a good idea." Shattered nods. "Where is that way out...?" He wanders over, pressing his metal hand to the nearest wall. He closes his eyes for a moment. "Where are we going?"

"Um--we have some friends at a building on South Project Street," Chase says hurriedly. "The number is 223. Does that help?"

"Oh yes, that place! They should be able to get her home from there." A cracking noise rings out and the section of the wall breaks, forming another portal. Shattered looks back at Bro and Chase and smiles. "Let's go, then."

Bro looks pretty weirded out and guarded but he nods and whistles to get Marvin’s attention, “Marvin!! Hurry over here!”

The whistle is not necessary. Marvin is already looking in that direction, a concerned expression on his face. He takes Skyler by the hand and the two of them hurry over. "We're leaving for real, then, Dad?"

"Yes, Skyler, we're leaving for real," Marvin says.

Shattered blinks as Marvin gets close. "You are her father? Do... do I know you?"

"Uh--nope." Marvin turns his face away.

"You seem familiar, though."

"Just a coincidence." Marvin hurries over to the portal. "Chase, Chase--both Chases, um--you better be right behind us. C'mon, Sky, you go first."

"Come with me!" Skyler clings to his hand.

"At the same time!" Marvin glances back at Shattered, who is staring at him with a puzzled expression, brows furrowed in thought. "Okay, at the same time. C'mon you two." And he and Skyler hurry through the portal.

Bro looks back at Shattered, expression conflicted. But, then he nods and follows right after the other two.

As Chase follows as well, Shattered's eyes seem to snap into place. "Wait!" he shouts. "You cannot leave!"

The portal starts to close, but Chase lunges forward, the edges scraping against his skin, and barely manages to make it out before it shuts altogether. The three of them and Skyler are standing in the lobby of the building, alone.

Bro breathes heavily as they make it to the other side, clenching a hand over his heart. “J-Jesus Christ… t-that was insane…!” He then shakes himself out then kneels down by Skyler, giving her a gentle smile. “Hi Skyler, you okay? Nothing bruised?”

Skyler stares at him with wide eyes. "Are you Uncle Chase's twin?"

Chase laughs. "Uh--no, not exactly. But he's a friend. So, it's okay to answer his question."

“Oh yeah uh sorry! You can call me Bro, okay?” Bro laughs sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. “I-I’m a hero so I help people like your dad, you know?”

"Oh. Yeah, I'm okay." She pats her own arms, checking herself over.

"Were you scared?" Marvin asks quietly.

"...sometimes," Skyler says, even quieter than him. "Because, uh... I didn' know what was going on."

Marvin leans down and gives her a tight hug. "Well, it's all over now. I promise."

Bro smiles sadly and pats Marvin’s shoulder. “I’m glad you’re okay, Skyler… we’ll get you home real soon, okay?” He looks up at the ceiling, knitting his eyebrows in concern.

"Yeah, all your other uncles came to find you, too, but they had to stay back," Marvin says. "They're somewhere upstairs right now, with Bro's brother, too. Do you want to go find them, or do you want to stay here with me and wait for them?"

"Um..." Skyler twists back and forth, twirling her skirt as she thinks. "I wanna go find them."

"Alright." Marvin nods. "Let's go, then." He glances at Chase and Bro. "You two lead the way."

Bro chuckles a little, “You’re really brave, Skyler. A tough lass!” He smiles at her then heads towards the stairs.

————-

It’s easy enough to try to find Alt- the second he’s alone on an upper floor- he’s not even sure which one— he screams in rage and a rocket of power comes out of him, throwing anything left over around in an explosive burst. He starts to grab things and throw them, hit the walls with electric bursts, yelling until his throat starts to go raw. Then, he looks at the damage he’s done as he pants heavily, then yells out with a cracked voice before he curls up, curling his fingers in his hair.

Why is he so angry? He doesn’t even know this kid! But… thinking about her- all alone and scared and taken from her family makes his blood boil. …Is it because no one came for him? That he wanted so badly to help save her? Is it because Shattered wears his friend’s face but has the attitude of the scientists that tortured him? The people that changed him and Chase forever?

Maybe maybe- he’s not sure- all he knows is he’s so so angry and he can’t control it and all the others must think he’s just as bad as the other hims and-!

He’s not even sure when the tears started to come until he felt the wet warmth on his face.

"...Alt, are you... okay?" Anti's voice comes from the phone. "I haven't seen this... reaction from you before. And I don't think... this is something you usually do."

Alt is quiet for a long time after hearing Anti’s voice. “…I… I don’t know…” he answers truthfully. Then he laughs bitterly, “obviously I’m not okay… I… I don’t know why I’m so angry I… s-she’s not even my kid- she’s not a kid I know- but a-all of this… I…” he lightly touches his neck and closes his eyes. “…guess it just brings up b-bad memories…”

"Ah. So it's a trauma response," Anti says bluntly. "You don't want any other kid to go through something that reminds you of something you went through. You might have even been seeing Shattered as the people who hurt you, striking back in a way you couldn't back then." He pauses. "Well... all of that is understandable. It really is. But you have to know you were going a bit too far back there.”

Alt is quiet, gripping his arms tight as he curls up around his knees. “…yeah I… I know…” he whispers. “…I think it was more too. I saw him as… as the people in SCLERA… the Alterra people that hurt us… I-i guess it was just… not wanting to be scared. Easier to be angry than… afraid.”

“You can't let your anger control you like that, as valid as it is. I know you're not... like that. If that makes sense."

Alt laughs a bit bitterly at Anti’s last statement, “…you didn’t know me at my worst… there was a reason I was… targeted. I was always an angry kid… angry when Chase found me again… a-always so angry… I don’t think it… really leaves, you know?”

Anti doesn't respond to that right away. "...maybe," he says quietly. "But—"

And then he stops, the phone microphone detecting sounds.

There are footsteps in the hallway outside the room Alt is in. "--just follow the loud ass noises," Dr. Anti's voice is saying.

"D'you think he's alright?" Jackie asks, worried. "Seemed a bit rattled by the whole thing."

"Fucking understatement."

Alt stiffens as he hears the others’ voices and he looks at the door with wide eyes. He doesn’t think- he just glitches to hide behind something- not ready to face anyone.

The door to the room opens, and JJ walks inside, looking around. Jackie follows behind him, then Dr. Anti.

"Well... this is definitely where he was," Dr. Anti says.

"D'you think he left?"

JJ shakes his head. His eyes scan the room... and then he walks directly towards Alt's hiding space behind an overturned table. He stops a few feet away, and starts typing on the brace on his wrist. "Alt?" says a robotic voice. "Do you want to talk or would you rather stay quiet?" It sounds like a computerized version of Dr. J's voice.

Alt freezes as he hears JJ start to walk towards him. He’s quiet for a few intense beats. Then, he quietly laughs, though it sounds… pained. “…forgot you said you had ESP.. c-cool communicator though.” He doesn’t move to come out of the spot though, opting to curl up more against the table.

“Thank you. My brother made it.” JJ glances back at Jackie and Dr. Anti. The two of them come over, and they all sit down on the floor. “We just wanted to check that you were okay.”

“You, um… didn’t get hurt while throwing stuff around, did you?” Dr. Anti asks awkwardly. “I’m not that kind of doctor but I’m still a doctor. I got… bandages and stuff.”

“I’m okay…” Alt replies quietly, “…not hurt or anything.”

“…sorry about all that,” Jackie says quietly. “He’s… really frustrating. When he’s like that.”

“I don’t think Alt was ‘frustrated,’ exactly,” JJ says.

Alt laughs bitterly and grips at his arms, “…not exactly no… I… I’m sorry I-it’s… complicated. …I didn’t mean to e-explode though-“

“It’s okay,” JJ says. “It’s an understandable thing to get mad at.”

“I won’t lie, it was a tad shocking,” Jackie says. “But if I got upset with people for having a temper I’d spend half my life mad at Anti.”

“Ha.” Dr. Anti rolls his eyes. “Look, Alt. We get it. And Shattered deserves it. And judging by your brother’s reaction, this isn’t something that happens a lot with you. So it’s fine.”

“We just want to know what we can do to help,” JJ says.

Alt is quiet for a long time, idly touching his scar. “… just you all being here… for Skyler… that’s enough. …it’s more than I got. She’s a lucky girl… seems like she’s got a big family who loves her a lot.”

"Oh..." Jackie breathes, eyes widening. He quickly starts talking. "Oh yes, absolutely. It's a really good thing, innit? I mean, poor girl doesn't have a mom, the least we can do it give her some extra uncles. And, ah, you know what they say about kids and villages. I think. I don't know if that expression exists in your world."

Alt laughs quietly, “Y-Yeah… I know that one.”

JJ looks in Alt's direction thoughtfully. He knows there's something bothering him. Some lingering pain. But this isn't the time to bring it up. After all, they only met about thirty minutes ago.

"Are you, um.... going to... sit here?" Dr. Anti asks awkwardly. "Or... maybe something else will help?"

"Absolutely," JJ says. "We can talk about something else, if you want."

Alt breathes slowly, “I’m… not sure. I-I guess I need to… go look for the TRVLR piece now but I… I t-think I just… need some… time.” He wipes at his face, “…you guys are nice for… sitting here with me…. But, you don’t have to. Kinda awkward to do that with a stranger huh?”

"Well... we're not going to just leave you," Jackie says. "You don't have to be a friend to feel for someone. Especially in JJ's case." JJ chuckles silently. "And you do remind me of Anti, in a way."

"Well yeah, he looks like me," Dr. Anti says. "Cept for the eyes."

"I mean in the way you get angry when you're scared." "I--I don't--!" Dr. Anti stammers. "You can't just--!"

"My point being, you don't feel like a stranger, even if you are," JJ continues.

Alt’s eyes widen and he glitches a bit in place. Then he throws a hand over his eyes and laughs, teetering on the edge of sounding pained. “…I’m that obvious now, huh?”

"To a fucking empath, maybe," Dr. Anti mutters. "You can't hide this shit from Jackson."

"Sorry. I can't turn it off." JJ looks apologetic as he types.

“…Oh you’re … you can actually feel that-“ Alt chuckles, “that explains a lot…”

"You don't have to talk about it," Jackie says hurriedly. "But, uh, if you want to... I, um... went through some stuff... with Shattered. It might... be, um... Sorry, I don't know what I'm saying."

Alt glances back and then grips at his arm, looking at the purple rings on his wrist. “… I noticed… he called you Doll.” He feels that burst of anger that has him gripping nails into his skin and magic sparking in his eyes. “… does Shattered make… puppets?” He asks quietly.

"Not... how you're... thinking, probably," Jackie says slowly. "But... he does have this... hypnotizing effect, if he wants to use it. He rarely does, but when it... happens, it's like... You're just... confused all the time. In this weird daze that leaves you wanting to listen to suggestions from anyone." Dr. Anti shudders slightly. Alt shudders at the mention of hypnosis too."But I mean... I was taken from my time," Jackie continues. "I left behind a lot. I don't think Shattered meant to do it, but still."

“…I’m sorry Jackie… that must be really hard.” Alt says quietly. He waits a few more beats before he asks, “…did any of you know Shattered…? Before he became… this? Or …how it happened?”

"Not at all," JJ says. "Jackie would know the most," Dr. Anti says, glancing at him.

"He was like this when I showed up," Jackie shrugs. "But... I know it wasn't always like this. He's not some strange creature. There are moments when... there's something else." He shakes his head. "They've never happened while he was out here, only in that pocket world." He pauses. "He didn't always call me Doll... he knew my name once. But over time, he... stopped using it. And I think it's because he forgot."

Alt sighs and then finally glitches out of his hiding space to sit in front of the others, sitting cross-legged. He doesn’t look at them at first, “…that’s another reason why this is hard… I know who’s supposed to be.” Finally he looks them in the eyes, a deep sadness behind them. “…he used to be Henrik von Schneeplestein… I know his face. And… his approach to all this… scientific and medical it- …he’s not like my Hen… but like others I know. Like a very good friend of mine…” He looks at his hands as he idly plays with them, “…recently in our travels… I… we saw what… could happen if I- became something like Shattered. And not just… another Anti… it was me. I saw Shattered and… I got so angry… seeing him like he was my friend.” He laughs bitterly, “…I think some part of me thought I could… knock some sense back into him… but he’s not my Schneep. He’s not Henny either. …it’s still tough though- to see the face of someone you care about… twisted like that.” He shudders- almost relived he can’t ever really picture Distorter’s face clearly, even if he knows the truth.

The other three jump slightly as he appears, but none of them say anything as he talks. "Oh... I'm... I'm so sorry, Alt," Jackie whispers. "I can't even imagine..." He shivers.

So it seemed personal to you, JJ says, signing now that Alt can see him. I see. He nods slowly. I suppose that if you go through enough worlds, you'll eventually find something very disturbing. A you that went down the wrong path. Or a friend who did. But it doesn't make it easy.

Alt nods and holds his arm, looking away. “… personal for that and… o-other reasons. But yeah… seeing him and… a child being in danger. …it was a lot and… my magic reacts to my emotions. Sometimes… it’s like- the anger becomes its own uncontrollable power and… takes over, I guess? …that sounds like an excuse but.. t-that’s what it feels like. I… I couldn’t think straight I… I’m sorry.”

JJ nods slowly. I understand.

"It can be hard to control sometimes," Dr. Anti mutters. "You ever think about anger management classes?"

Jackie shoves him. "Not the time!"

"Well, if it becomes a problem, you know? Personally sometimes I think it helps to remove my--yourself, but... I guess that wasn't really an option back there."

Alt’s eyes flicker angrily towards Dr. Anti and spark a bit, bits of his hair sticking up from the electricity. “…I used to be worse.” He bites out.

Dr. Anti blinks. "...sorry," he says quietly. "I guess I don't know your life. I just..." He shakes his head.

Ignore him, JJ says. He's not good with emotions. It's fine, Alt. Everyone is going to be okay. I'm sure of it.

Alt’s magic dies down as JJ signs and he gives him a weak smile. “…yeah, I’m sure Chase- …Bro has everything taken care of…”

I'm sure too. JJ smiles. But I think it will be a good idea to leave as soon as possible once he and the others get back with Skyler. Are you feeling up to moving on?

Alt nods and glitches to his feet. He looks around, “Any idea what floor this is? …I kinda just- glitched to a random place.”

"It's the fourth, we saw the number next to the door while coming up the stairs," Jackie says, also getting up.

"So if your thing is still on the fifth floor, we just have to go up one more set of stairs," Anti adds, standing.

Let's go then. JJ gets to his feet and leads the way out of the room, glancing back to make sure Alt is following.

Alt hesitates- then follows after them. No sense in glitching ahead now. He glances at the mess he made then quickly hurries after the others.

They go down a hallway and back to the stairwell, climbing up the steps to the next floor. The whole building is still pretty dim, since the lights aren't on and the only source of illumination comes from the windows. But none of the guys dare turn on the lights.

Though, Alt crackles out a blue-green ball of light in his hand to help light the way.

The fifth floor has a U-shaped hallway, with lockers at one end for the employees and a breakroom at the other end. The bend of the U has a set of glass doors leading into what looks like a chemistry lab of some kind. "Do you have any idea what we're looking for?" Jackie asks Alt.

Alt blinks at Jackie then pulls out the tracker to check. “Let’s see…” The tracker tells him that the part is in a trash can in the lab area.

Alt hums and glitches forward, “…I dunno what exactly it looks like- but according to this it’s in a trash can.” He glitches over to the first one he sees and tries to search through it.

"It's in a bin? Oh boooo." Jackie frowns.

There's only one trash can in the hallway, and it's empty. JJ goes over to the break area to check, but quickly returns. Everything in there is empty.

"They really abandoned this place, didn't they?" Dr. Anti mutters. "Well, at least they were courteous enough to take out the garbage." He walks up to the glass doors leading into the lab. "Another card reader. Alt? D'you want to try that thing again?"

Alt stands up once he realizes this isn’t the right place.

He hears Dr. Anti and glitches over to the door, wordlessly zapping the card reader with his magic again.

The red light flickers, but doesn't disappear. "...huh." Dr. Anti blinks.

JJ watches this happen. You've probably spent a lot of energy, Alt. It's okay, we can find some other way in.

Alt looks a bit unnerved but the fact that his magic wasn’t enough. But he nods to JJ’s logic. Alt

Jackie immediately walks over and punches the glass. "Ow!"

"Jackie!" Dr. Anti stares at him in shock. "You dumb bastard!"

"I've punched through glass before!"

Alt jumps a bit then hides a laugh behind his hand. “J-Jackie..!”

"Your wrist is sprained!" Dr. Anti shoves him aside. "You probably just made it worse! Go fucking--rest. Actually take care of yourself for once."

JJ laughs silently. Do you still have that card thing, Anti? Do you think it will work? Dr. Anti hesitates. "Mmmmaybe?"

Alt touches the door- then tries to see if he can just glitch inside.

Yep. He's on the other side easily enough.

"Oh." Dr. Anti blinks. "That works, too." He checks his pockets, pulling out a wallet. "But now I'm curious... nope, I don't even have it with me. Nevermind."

"You dumb bastard!" Jackie says jokingly.

"Well I'm not going to carry around some PUPIL shit after what they did to Marvin!"

JJ rolls his eyes. Can you open it from the other side, Alt?

Alt tries to look for a way to open the door, chuckling at the banter between Jackie and Anti.

Looks like it just opens when pushed. The others file in as soon as Alt opens the door.

JJ looks around. So... the trash bins, then?

"Yippeeeee," Jackie comments.

"There's ones all along the walls, let's all get searching," Dr. Anti says.

“Oh yay, love me a bin scavenger hunt,” Alt drones with sarcasm. He glitches around, peeking inside. Most of them are empty. “…I am glad we’re not actually shifting through trash though-“

"Yeah, lucky," Jackie says.

There are a surprising number of trash cans in the big lab, so it takes longer than expected. But eventually, Alt sees a glint in the bottom of one. A small copper ring, with other copper rings inside it, a series of concentric circles tied by a wire that sticks out on one side. The whole thing is intricate in its smallness, only as big as a fingertip.

Alt brightens up at the glint then carefully grabs the piece- marveling at how small it is. Something this intricate must be it! “I think I found it!” He calls, putting it in the bag quickly so he doesn’t lose it.

Then there's a knock on the glass doors leading to the lab. On the other side--Bro, Chase, Marvin, and a little girl in Marvin's arms, blinking sleepily (she got tired of climbing stairs.)

Alt glitches up in a bit of fear at the knock then sees it’s the others… and Skyler. His expression lightens up and he relaxes. “…you found her.”

Bro smiles, “Yup! Safe and sound~! And sounds like you have the piece! Mission accomplished gentlemen!!” He beams.

Jackie hurries over to open up the door. "Hullo, Sky!"

"Jackie!" Skyler smiles tiredly. "Hi!"

JJ and Dr. Anti hurries over.

"How are you?" Dr. Anti asks in an unusually soft voice. "You're not hurt, are you?"

"I'm tired. But no, Uncle Anti."

"That's good." Dr. Anti nods. "If you feel anything weird, you tell us, okay?"

"Mm-hmm."

JJ smiles down at Skyler. We're going to get you home, okay?

"Mmmm-hmm."

Alt smiles warmly as the others check over Skyler. Then, he looks away, holding his arms.

Bro sees this and comes over, pulling Alt into a side hug. “…you okay?” Bro asks.

Alt nods, not looking at him, but not glitching away either.

Bro looks down at him in concern but doesn’t say anything. He’s pretty sure he gets it. He felt that all too.

"So if you guys found it, we can just leave right away, then?" Chase asks. "This place makes me nervous. And, uh... Shattered might be coming after us soon."

Once Chase asks, the Brody Brothers look up then nod to each other. “Yeah, we can head out.” Bro says.

“…I can glitch you all to your car- but I understand if we’d rather just walk cuz uh- Skyler.” Alt says quietly. Bro can tell Alt wants so badly to go over and meet her- but he’s holding himself back.

Marvin looks over at Alt. He blinks, and smiles. "Yeah. That's probably safer, for now. Hey sweets, this is Bro's brother, Alt."

Skyler looks over at him--and gasps. "Sparkly eyes!"

Marvin laughs. "Yeah, he has cool eyes, doesn't he? He helped us find this place."

"Sparrrrklyyyy," Skyler whispers in awe.

Alt blinks over at Marvin and Skyler- then his face melts into an easy warm smile. He touches over his chest. “…she likes my eyes?” He whispers.

“They are really cool-“ Bro laughs.

Alt walks over and bends down a bit to be more at Skyler’s level. “Hi Skyler… it’s nice to meet you! We were all really worried, I’m glad you’re okay!”

"Hi!" Skyler smiles a little. "Yeah, I'm okay. It was just uh... I dunno."

"Confusing, right?" Marvin says. "Don't worry, we're heading home now, things will be less confusing there."

"Okay."

As the group heads back to the stairwell, Skyler turns around in Marvin's arms to look at Alt. "Why're your eyes sparkly? Is it like Anti's thing?"

Alt blinks then smiles, “Kinda. They didn’t always use to be like this though.”

“Yeah when we were younger, his eyes looked just like mine!” Bro grins, pointing at his eyes.

Alt chuckles, “but, like how your uncle Chase does magic, I do too. But I didn’t know I had magic until I was in very big trouble one day- then boom! I glitched out of the trouble and my eyes changed colors.” He smiles at her, “Pretty cool, huh?”

"Whoaaa." Skyler's eyes go wide. "That's a lot like what happened with Uncle Chase!"

Chase coughs. "Uh--Sky, wh-what are you talking about?"

"Dad said that you were in trouble one day and your magic saved you!"

Chase looks at Marvin, slightly alarmed.

"She was asking about it," Marvin whispers. "I didn't share any details."

"Well... that's true, Skyler," Chase says slowly. "But, uh... I'll tell you more when you're much older, okay?"

Bro looks over to Chase with concern, then nods to him with a knowing look in his eyes. He gets it. Chase nods back to Bro, relieved to not have to explain it out loud.

Skyler nods. "D'you think that if I get in trouble I'll get magic? Or my eyes will change color?"

"Don't go putting yourself in danger, Sky," Marvin says firmly. "It's more likely that nothing will happen, y'know? Except for you getting hurt."

"Okay."

The group is heading down the stairs now.

Alt nods seriously towards Skyler, “…your dad is right. …I got in that situation because I was always putting myself in danger… I was… not a good kid. I probably could have gotten my magic in a much safer way… had I been more careful.” He then looks at her and smiles. “But hey? Who knows… magic is all around us. Maybe you’ll come across your own kind of magic some day.”

Skyler nods, taking this seriously. "Okay. Maybe I'll get powers like Uncle JJ did."

JJ laughs, and types on his communication device. "That was also pretty dangerous, Skyler. You have to be careful, okay?"

"Yeah, I know." Skyler nods again, then rests her head on Marvin's shoulder.

Bro and Alt share a glance and a small laugh, smiling at Skyler.

The group heads down the stairwell until they eventually reach the ground floor. JJ is out in front, pushing the door open and leading the group down the hallway into the lobby. And... as soon as they reach that room... there's a strange cracking sound in the air behind them.

Once in the new room, Alt’s guard is up, a shiver running down his spine. He whips around towards the noise, green magic lighting up on his fingers.

The cracking noise suddenly breaks, and the air seems to shatter. Chase whirls around, conjuring up a shield that blocks most of the shards that fly out, but gets shredded as a result.

Shattered suddenly lunges forward, and manages to grab onto the nearest person--Bro. "You bastards!" he snarls. "You tricked me!" A loud sound comes from behind him, a sound like tinkling glass, like wind chimes. The air around him seems to fracture, kaleidoscope patterns moving in an intriguing pattern.

"No!" Jackie gasps. "Don't look!"

Bro cries out and tries to pull himself away, “H-Hey! Let go-!” He tries to say- but then his eyes widen as the air fractures into those… beautiful intricate patterns. Seemingly getting pulled into its thrall.

“No, Chase!” Alt cries out.

But Bro squeezes his eyes shut and easily seems to shake off the effects, grabbing Shattered’s wrist and throwing him off him. “D-Don’t try that freaky shit on me!“

Shattered staggers back, breaking up the pattern.

"Go go go!" Dr. Anti shouts, pushing Marvin and Skyler towards the doorway. He staggers and then runs, clutching her to his chest. Bro staggers back then rushes after Marvin and Skyler- ready to protect them.

"Go where?!" Shattered suddenly grabs Anti, pulling him back into the pattern. "None of you are leaving!"

JJ rushes forward, thwacking Shattered in the face with his staff. There's a Crak! sound and Shattered stumbles back once more, letting JJ grab Dr. Anti and pull him out.

"Anti!" he types into the brace. "Wake up!"

Dr. Anti leans heavily against JJ. His eyes are overcome by a strange pattern, blue and black kaleidoscope shards. "I--I--"

Shattered regains his balance. "Doctor!" he shouts. "Bring them to me!"

Anti blinks slowly--and then shoves JJ backwards and lunges towards Alt. He latches onto him and starts pulling him back.

Alt hesitates, horrified by watching Shattered grab Anti and affect him. So he’s not at all prepared at all for Anti to grab him. He yells out in surprise and tries to pull himself away. “h-Hey! Other me l-let go!”

"Let go?" Dr. Anti repeats idly, his grip loosening.

"Don't let go!" Shattered shouts, and Anti's grip tightens again. "Bring them here!"

Dr. Anti nods and resumes dragging Alt back.

"No!" Chase looks back and forth between Dr. Anti and Shattered. He conjures up a shield that glows bright yellow, blocking Anti's way to Shattered. "Guys! Shake him out of it!"

JJ recovers and runs forward again, trying to push Anti away from Alt. With his help, Alt manages to pull free of Anti's grip.

Alt glitches back away from Anti with wide eyes- shaking a bit. “F-Fucking hell- t-That’s his hypnosis??” It’s so different from anything he’s ever seen- …it’s kinda pretty though- in a dangerous sort of way. He glares then glitches around the shield and tries to tackle Shattered away.

Shattered immediately vanishes, letting Alt run pass him. "No no no, that won't work again," he says.

"Alt!" Chase gasps, unconsciously dropping the shield. "The fuck are you doing?!" He throws out a hand and grabs Alt with his magic, trying to drag him back. "Let's go! The car is right outside!"

JJ grabs onto Dr. Anti, pulling him back. Jackie runs up to him and shakes him slightly. "Don't listen to him don't listen to him!" Jackie says.

"No, don't listen to HIM!" Shattered shouts.

Dr. Anti's head rolls back and forth between them, his expression conflicted.

"God damn it!" Chase turns his attention back to Anti, throwing out a hand. Yellow magic wraps around Anti's head, covering his ears and eyes.

Alt yelps as he’s grabbed by Chase and struggles back. “I-I can distract him while you guys get everyone outside! We’re pretty well matched! Then I can glitch into the car once you all are safe!” He looks at Chase with determined eyes.

Chase hesitates... then nods. "Okay," he breathes. And he lets go, spinning around. "Go go go go go!"

Jackie bolts for the door, and JJ follows, dragging Dr. Anti along. Chase backs up slowly, keeping a shield in front to protect the others.

Shattered's attention immediately turns to Alt. He laughs. "How brave of you, Magician!"

Bro looks at the others coming his way and looks back with panic towards the end of the hall, “Alt!”

Alt grins, his eyes flashing. “I’ll give you a run for your money, bitch!” He makes a knife out of magic and glitches around to draw his eye around before trying to stab him with it in the shoulder.

Shattered's eyes dart around to keep track of him and then yelps in surprise when Alt is suddenly right in front of him, stabbing him. It doesn't feel like stabbing a person--it feels more akin to stabbing through a thin bit of wood. "Oh! Very good!" He grins. "Do you want to see mine?" His left hand draws back, and the air around it seems to break as he suddenly stabs towards Alt's stomach with a transparent shard.

Alt yells out in surprise and winces, then blinks as it just barely hurts. He laughs in Shattered’s face, “Ha! That’s nothing!” He grins and poofs away his knife then goes to try to shock Shattered. “Try this!”

Shattered snaps backwards, falling to the ground, electricity racing along his metal arm. For a moment, he looks very disoriented indeed, blinking up at Alt like he's never seen him before. But then he takes in the threatening look on his face. He disappears and reappears back in a standing position. The wall next to Alt makes another one of those cracking sounds and more glass-like shards burst outwards from it.

Alt quickly glitches back and forth to dodge the shards- all of them just hardly missing him. He pants then glares at Shattered, building up more magic in his hands. He sends out a wave of sound to try to disorient him.

The moment the soundwave hits Shattered, he cries out and claps his hands over his ears. The cracks on him seem to widen and he backs up, then falls to his knees. "Nein! Nein, bitte, nicht mehr! Bitte hör auf!"

Alt looks down at him in surprise, momentarily caught off guard. Especially as he shouts out in such distress. “S-Schneep-“ He whispers.

Back in the lobby, Chase is pushing JJ and Dr. Anti out of the door. He spins around. "Alt!" he shouts. "Get out of there!"

Alt’shead turns towards the others and he spares one more glance at Shattered before he glitches down the hall.

Chase runs over and grabs Alt by the hand, pulling him out the door. Everyone else is already in the car, and Marvin has it started and running. JJ leans out the open back door and whistles for them to get in. He, Jackie, and Anti are in the back seat, while Bro is in the passenger's side and Skyler is sitting on the floor between the two middle seats.

Alt lets himself get grabbed and runs with Chase, hurrying into the car with eveyone else. “I-I think I managed to throw him off enough! Let’s get out of here!” He tells Marvin.

The moment the door closes Marvin throws the van into gear. "Hold on, Sky!" he shouts, and Skyler holds onto Alt's leg as Marvin slams on the gas and the van goes flying down the street.

Alt doesn’t get into a seat he just holds onto Skyler as the van moves, curling up around her instinctively.

Marvin doesn't slow down until Project Street is well out of sight. Only then does he relax. The van gradually slows and eventually stops as Marvin pulls to the side of the road. He looks back at the others. "Who's hurt? What's up with Anti?"

"Chase and JJ are still bleeding from that first attack," Jackie says. "Anti's still in it."

Dr. Anti is squished up against the window of the van, head rolled back.

"Anti, answer me!" Jackie shakes him slightly.

"I--I--" Anti's voice sounds choked up.

Alt blinks up and uncurls from around Skyler. He blinks in confusion at Dr. Anti and furrows his brow in concern. “…he’s supposed to listen to suggestions from anyone right?” He glitches up into a chair and looks down at Anti, “Anti! Break out of this! Come on, you gonna let that bitch win??”

Anti blinks at Alt for a moment, looking confused... And then something about Alt gets through to him, and abruptly the fractal designs in his eyes disappear as he snaps back to reality. "Fuck!" he gasps. "H-holy shit, I forgot what that..." He shudders. "I... f-fuck."

Jackie puts a hand on your shoulder. "You're okay," he says softly. "He can't get to you right now."

"Y-yeah, I know." Dr. Anti squeezes his eyes shut and shakes his head. "God."

Alt relaxes a bit and slumps into the seat. “Whew… good-“

Bro goes and punches Alt on the shoulder once it feels like eveyone can breathe again.

Alt yelps out in surprise then glares at Bro as he rubs it. “What??”

Bro glares at Alt back, “You fucking dumbass! You could have gotten yourself caught in that shit! You know how susceptible you are!”

“I was the only one who could have gotten away fast enough without him getting anyone else!” Alt bites back, “And it worked didn't it?!”

Marvin sighs. "He just wants you to take care of yourself, yknow," he says, turning back to look at Alt. Then he glances at Bro. "And he just wanted to make sure everyone was alright." Then he looks back and forth between the two of them. "Good intentions all around. And it's in the past now."

"Y-yeah..." Chase nods. "We're all safe. There's no reason to fight right now. I think. A-and I was hanging back, Bro, I could've grabbed him if something happened."

Bro pouts a bit at this as the two brothers stare each other down. Then they both seem to deflate at the same time and nod. “…right - thanks for watching out for him, other me.”

Chase nods. "Yeah." He glances at Alt. "Though your brother is, uh, very capable--as I'm sure you know."

Alt crosses his arms, still a bit heated but trying to calm down. Or maybe that’s just the adrenaline still pumping in his veins. “…we got the piece, so… I guess we should probably be on our way… since Skyler is safe now.” Alt says quietly.

"You're gonna go?" Skyler asks, sounding a bit disappointed.

"Yeah, sweets, they're on an important, uh, mission," Marvin says. "They were so nice to help us find you when they had something else to do."

"Oh." Skyler looks up at Alt with big brown eyes. "Are you gonna come back? To, um, visit?"

Alt looks down at Skyler with conflicted eyes. He looks back at the rest of them and Bro does the same. “…do you all want us to come back and visit?” Alt asks quietly, kneeling down next to Skyler but glancing at the rest. “…cuz I think Anti saved the address here… so… we could.” He smiles at her. “If you want.”

"Hell yeah, bro." Chase grins. "It's so cool to meet another version of me! And you're bada--you're really cool, Alt."

"You correct bad-A but not hell?" Marvin mutters.

"...oops."

Marvin laughs. "Anyway, yeah, I think you guys are really cool too. And... anyone who's willing to drop everything to help my daughter is good in my book."

I'd love to spend more time together in a less stressful situation, JJ says.

Jackie whoops. "I mean--how often do you meet people from other universes?! That's fu-fricking amazing! And you guys are, too!"

Dr. Anti nods. "...I wouldn't mind," he says quietly.

"Oooo, that's a ringing endorsement from the doc, trust me," Jackie laughs.

Alt blinks and then grins. Bro does too, pumping his fist into the air, “Heck yeah! New friends let’s goooo!!”

Alt laughs and then smiles at Skyler, “Then it sounds like we’ll be back someday! Maybe soon- we just gotta finish up this important thing okay?”

Anti speaks up from Alt's phone. "Time can be inconsistent between worlds, but I doubt it will vary more than a year between worlds this similar. So... make a note of that. I probably won't be here next time."

"Honestly, I keep forgetting about you," Jackie comments.

"I've been busy recharging."

"You can come too, of course," JJ says, typing into his brace. "We could meet properly."

"I have a lot of stuff to do back home, but thanks." Anti's voice softens just a bit.

"So, within a year, maybe," Chase nods. "I'll make a note of that!"

Alt looks a bit sad about that but he smiles and nods, “Okay- that’s at least good to keep in mind.” He leans down and pokes Skyler’s nose cheekily, “Don’t get too big before we can visit again, okay? Maybe we can even bring some of our other friends who are your age!” He grins.

“Oh god yeah, Kelsie and Alice would love you!” Bro beams.

Skyler grabs her nose, giggling. "Really?"

"Multi-dimensional playdate." Marvin chuckles. "That would be fun."

Skyler smiles shyly. "O-okay! That would be fun!"

Alt smiles warmly, “Okay- then sometime in the future, we’ll see you all again.”

"So... when you're ready to go, I suggest getting out of the car," Anti says. "Opening a rift in a place this cramped might not be good."

Alt opens the car door then glitches out right outside. He looks at JJ, Jackie and Dr. Anti. He nods to them and smiles. “…thanks guys.”

No, thank YOU, JJ says, smiling. But... you're welcome, too.

Bro laughs and climbs out, ruffling up Skyler’s hair as he goes. Then he waves wildly, “Thanks for helping us guys! Get Skyler home safe, okay?”

"We will," Marvin promises.

Alt then takes out his phone and nods to Anti, “okay… ready.”

Anti nods back. The screen becomes colorful static, and then green lightning unzips a rift in midair next to them.