Chapter Text
Scene 1
Setting: Marvel Multiverse, Earth-616a, Manhattan
Rick Sheridan is sleeping. His body thrashes and claws at the air, as if drowning. While he dreams, Sleepwalker is out on patrol. But their time together has taught Rick how to sense when something's amiss in the dream world. He knows someone is watching this dream. It doesn't feel like anyone familiar. "Hello?" he calls, hands cupped to his mouth. "Who are you? Why are you in my dream?"
His voice echoes down the hallway of the high school he hasn't thought about in years. Silence, followed by the returning echo of running footsteps. It sounds like a group of at least four or five people. As the footsteps come closer, he can hear whoever it is engaged in a lively conversation... but it's too muffled to make out any words.
Yelling to announce his position may have been very stupid. Luckily, there's an open locker next to where he's standing. Rick ducks inside, and pulling the door most of the way closed behind him. The footsteps get louder, but no one appears. He waits a moment, then cautiously exits the locker into the hall. Glancing to the left and right, there is still no one else with him. But on the floor, at the intersection with a perpendicular hallway, sits a medium-sized black leather briefcase.
He prods it with his foot first. Nothing. Rick picks up the briefcase. The two locks, on either side of the handle, read "1234" and "5678". When he tries the switches, it pops open.
Inside, tucked into custom cut-out chambers in foam, are six objects: an hourglass, an ankh, a stylized gas mask, a heart, a ring with a hook, and a butterfly. They are all made of brass, and each is small enough to be held easily in one hand. The empty, seventh cut-out chamber in the foam is shaped like a dagger or sword. Looking closer, Rick notices that the glass on the hourglass is badly cracked. Sand isn't leaking out of it, though.
The little brass gas mask begins to glow a light electric blue, pulsating first slowly, and then with increasing speed. Rick drops the briefcase, startled. The rest of the objects fall with the briefcase, but the glowing mask remains suspended in the air, its blue glow flashing ever faster. There's a brilliant flash... and then the light is gone.
A voice, chilly yet caring, rational but also intuitive, comes from all around him: "How curious. It has been a long time since I encountered an adult dreamer entirely unknown to me. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Dream of the Endless, called Lord Shaper or Morpheus by some. Where I come from, I am king of all dreams. But here in your world, it is all I can do just to make contact. I regret that I am unable to manifest, or else I would look you in the eye and shake your hand."
Rick shakes his head, more than a little bewildered. "It's fine, no problem. My name's Rick. Rick Sheridan. And you're going to want to talk to my friend, when he gets back. This metaphysical stuff is way above my pay grade."
He feels the hair on the back of his neck stand at attention, all at once. The effect continues down his back, and he feels his whole body start to shiver. "Uh... Mr. Morpheus? I'm going to have to ask you to leave. Right now."
Rick hears an edge in the voice this time. "Do not be fooled by your inability to see me. As a rule, kings are... unaccustomed to being dismissed in this manner. Explain yourself."
Rick shakes his head. "I'm sorry, I should have explained. Something... someone has noticed you. His name is Nightmare, and for good reason. Even if my friend were already back from his patrols... even if all of his people were here... it still might not be enough. Nightmare has his own realm like you do, but he's not a king... he's more like the biggest thug on the mountain. I don't know what he would do if he found you, but it wouldn't be pleasant. Not for either of us."
The tone of the disembodied voice softens. "My apologies for misjudging your intentions, Rick Sheridan. We have only just met, and already you have proven to be a valuable ally. Soon, you and your friends will be meeting my agents in the physical world. They will present you with a briefcase identical to the one you have already seen. Should you need to speak with me directly, place the brass mask under your pillow and sleep. We will find each other again here."
Rick looks back down into the briefcase. "But what about the other five sculptures? And why is the seventh one missing?"
"Let us hope you never need to know the answer to either of those questions."
Scene 2
Earth 616a, Xavier's Asylum for Troubled Metahumans
After a long and stressful day that left him with more questions than answers, Jon Osterman sleeps the deep sleep of a truly exhausted man. And for the first time in he doesn't even remember how long, he dreams of Laurie. It reminds him how she used to be in his dreams frequently... but it's been so long since he even needed to sleep. Of course this was one of the many "minor" human things he somehow allowed himself to forget, as Doctor Manhattan.
They are sitting together in the grass, admiring a vast, wide lake with not a single boat or swimmer to be seen. Unspoiled wilderness stretches around the two of them. From the slightly chilly temperature and the barren trees around, Jon assumes it must be early spring or late fall.
"I love coming here in the off season," Laurie says. She squeezes Jon's shoulders with the arm already wrapped around them. Then she lays down and puts her head in his lap, folding her arms over her chest.
Jon gazes down into her adoring face. The words come easily: "That's why I was happy to bring you. It's even more beautiful than you said it would be."
He remembers this trip, even though it never happened. It must be a memory from one of those alternate versions of myself, he reasons. Either that, or just deja vu. But he has learned far too much about time to believe in the concept of "just deja vu" anymore.
Laurie sits up, tugging on Jon's left hand. "Come on. I wanna dip my toes in the water before it gets any colder."
He nods, slips off his shoes, and jogs behind her to the water's edge, still holding hands the whole way. If only I could stay here forever.
As she takes her first step into the lake, Jon's vision blurs. The world lurches and spins. For a split second he feels seasick, but then it passes instantly. He is still holding hands with a woman, but now it is Janey Slater. They are at Disney World, riding the teacup ride. As it twirls them in concentric circles, Janey lets go of the safety bar in front of her, shrieking with pure exhilaration. This never happened either. Jon hasn't been to Disney World.
He decides to enjoy the moment. Jon slides one arm around Janey's waist, and holds the other up in the air like she is. The teacup whips around another curve and he finds himself screaming. When the ride slows to a stop, he turns back to her, only to find in her place a short figure wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and jeans. He can't see the face within the hood, but Jon feels the oddest sense that the eyes just did a double-take. She (somehow he knows it's a she) begins to speak. It's the voice of an older child, or perhaps a young teenager. "Uh... hello. Who are you? Where are we? And what happened to my brother?"
Jon is about to speak, but the girl interrupts him before he can. "You seem so familiar... are you one of our other brothers?"
He shakes his head. "I don't have any brothers or sisters. Are you lost? Do you need help finding your way back to... wherever?"
She shrugs. He still can't see her face, but now he feels like her eyes have gone wide. "OH. You're that guy who- um, sorry, gotta go. This isn't when you and I are supposed to meet. Sorry to interrupt... I can find my own way back, eventually."
And then "D" vanishes. There's no puff of smoke, not even a distortion pattern in the air. She's just there one second, and gone the next. The dream image of Janey doesn't return. In her place sits the Book of Destiny. Jon stares at it, but does not pick it up.
When he awakens, the Book is sitting on the chair across the room from his bed. It glows and pulsates with a warm red light, as if taunting him. Jon stares at it some more. He knows he's not going to be able to sleep again any time soon.
Scene 3
Earth-616a, Pittsburgh, same smelly alley where we found Axel before, 1:51 AM on a Sunday
Axel Asher, Cisco Ramon, Liri Lee, and the rest of their companions (including the large black bird) burst out of a dumpster, with a bright flash of blue and red light, accompanied by much rustling followed by a loud crash. Everyone without flight or super-speed lands in a heap on the street. "Ow," Rex groans from the bottom of the pile. "Could you all get off me now?"
Liri, Eobard, Axel, the raven (who still hasn't given his name), and Jo wait patiently while Axel, Cisco, and Lady Johanna stand up, brush themselves off, and help Rex to his feet. Liri plucks a soggy receipt from her hair and flings it away.
Everyone but the bird is wearing what they consider to be street clothes (though Lady Johanna's are rather formal by modern standards). The general consensus, before they all left the Dreaming, was that unfamiliar costumes might draw too much attention in this world. To whatever extent possible, this has to be a stealth mission.
Ultra Boy is the first to speak. "So, how do we think we're going to find this guy?"
"This is the right universe," Axel says. "It wasn't easy to find. It's also one that I've never seen before. And I used to think I had been to all of them at least once."
Cisco raises an eyebrow. "How can-"
Axel waves the question away with his hand. "We don't have time for me to explain that right now. What really concerns me is that I couldn't get here without your help. That shouldn't be possible."
"Right there with you, chief. I don't normally need an assist with my powers either." Cisco reaches into his pocket and unwraps a granola bar, biting into it with a crunch.
"Hey!" Rex cries. "I'm pretty hungry too. I don't suppose you have enough for the whole class."
With a smile, Cisco removes another granola bar from his pocket and hands it to Rex. "I do, as it happens. Somebody has to think about practicalities, and more often than not, that somebody is me. Anybody else want one?"
After a pause, Thawne nods with an obvious scowl on his face. Cisco tosses him one. "Don't worry, Thawne. You don't owe me anything for this. Feel free to go back to being your same old obnoxious self after we've saved both of these multiverses."
Thawne laughs. "As if I need your permission."
Cisco's smile vanishes. "You will, if I open a breach in the middle of your body. Can't run away when you have no legs. Now be a good boy and eat your snack."
Thawne has no response. He turns and faces the wall while he eats his granola bar.
Lady Johanna clears her throat. "Pardon me, gentlemen," she says, emphasizing the last word with clear and obvious sarcasm. "It seems to me that the sooner we achieve our mission, the sooner we can go home and return to whatever we would rather be doing."
From within her cloak, she pulls out Alan Scott's green lantern. It is glowing now, both inside and out. In the center of the lantern floats the ring. "Our host was gracious enough to recharge this lantern's magic for us. Since we know this is the correct universe, I should be able to use the ring to find out exactly when the first intruder entered. In theory."
Liri has been nodding along as Lady Johanna talks. She adds, "If you can get us within a few months of the time he entered this reality, I'll be able to detect the residual chronal energy on him. That will let us pinpoint his exact location in spacetime."
"And if he tries to escape when we find him, that's where I come in," Rex agrees. Everyone turns to stare at him.
Jo has tinge of a smirk at the corners of his mouth. "Seriously? How useful do you think a tiny man... raccoon... whatever you are with super-strength that only lasts an hour is really going to be, against an atomic super-being with multiversal time powers?"
"Red panda. How ignorant." Rex scowls at Jo, pointing to his necklace with one claw. "You're misinformed, my boy. Maybe that's how my counterpart's hourglass works on your world... but mine is a little more advanced. You'll see."
Ultra Boy nods in response. "All right. Didn't mean to snap at you. It's been a weird day."
"For all of us," Axel agrees. "Is everyone ready?"
A few people nod. No one shows any sign of objection. Seeing this, Lady Johanna slips the only magical Green Lantern ring onto her finger. The green glow of the lantern extends to the bottom hem of her dress, traveling rapidly up her linen gown and transforming it into rich, emerald-colored silk. A green masquerade-style mask on a long stick appears in her left hand. "Quaint, but impractical," she says, tossing it into the air. "Let me try again."
As she watches the mask and concentrates on it, it undulates and morphs into what looks like a blob of glowing green putty, floating in the air. No stranger to controlling magic through will already, it takes Lady Johanna just a few seconds to adjust to the peculiarities of this new power source. The mask transforms into a stylish top hat whose color perfectly matches her dress. "Much better," she says as she puts it on. "Now that I have a little practice with the ring, it's time for the real work to begin."
"Aren't you going to say that ridiculous, saccharine rhyme like all the others?" Thawne asks. "I wish I could forget it."
"Idiot," Rex says, laughing. "Alan's ring doesn't work that way."
Lady Johanna smiles. "By all means, Mr. Thawne, you may say the rhyme for me. Hearing you say it would be very entertaining. Such a small thing to do, to make twenty pounds. Do we have a deal?"
Scene 4
Marvel Universe 616a, Madame Web's psychic sub-dimension, bordering the Mindscape and the Nightmare Realm within the Dreamtime
Within her fortress in the waking world, Cassandra Webb sleeps and dreams, just as she does every night. Something disturbs her suddenly, but she does not awaken. If this is what it seems to be, better to remain here in her place of power.
She takes a moment to focus and gather all her psychic resources. First, she reaches out to every Spider-Man and Spider-Woman she knows about. They have arrived. Finally. But none of them seem familiar. Watch them carefully, and report back to me if they do anything suspicious. I will coordinate with the others who need to know. Madame Web out.
Then she does what she swore to herself she would never do again: she locates and touches the mind of Charles Xavier. It's just a simple knock-knock, not an attempt to break in; no sense in being reckless. After a moment, he acknowledges her call. Cassandra. What an unexpected... surprise.
For me as well, Charles. We need to talk.
The mind-image of Dr. Xavier smiles and nods in response. Yes, we certainly do. I assume you remember how the world was, yesterday. Your mind is more than resilient enough.
Madame Web nods. Xavier continues his thought. There's a young man I'd like you to meet. I suspect he has the answers to many of our questions, somewhere within his mind. I'm going to need your help with his partial amnesia. Maybe Jean's too.
Even though it has no actual effect, Cassandra finds herself taking two steps back. Are you sure that's a good idea, Charles? I told you then and I'm telling you again right now: that isn't Jean, not anymore.
He shakes his head. I know. I should have listened to you the first time. I'll do my best to avoid involving her... it. But if you and I don't have success on our own, what other choice is there?
What about Em-
Charles shakes his head even more vigorously this time. No. That's an even worse idea. She would demand an unspecified favor at some point in the future. And know how hard she is to say no to. Jean... or what used to be Jean... will either help or it won't. It doesn't negotiate.
She nods. Fair enough. Expect me at your office soon, Charles. No security guards, please. I would hate to have to erase anyone's memory. Can't be too careful, these days.
--Stay tuned for Issue 5: The Search Begins--