Stabbed in the Back! Over and Over Again RPG

It had been a rough two days for Jason, he had recently taken the life of an unknown businessman for the small fee of two thousand. He did it of course with his trade mark shot in the back, but after the mans body fell to the ground dead, he couldn't help wondering who his next target would be. As he entered his low rent apartment, he began pondering upon when he would make the big leagues of assassins like the famous “The Mercenary” that he kept hearing about. He knew full well he had the training and skills to be a top notch killer his only problem was nobody hires an unknown for the big hits. Filled with exhaustion Jason plopped into his lazyboy recliner and clicked on the television. As usual there was not a word of his actions mentioned. Damn It, he thought, Maybe I should take out a politician sometime their deaths always make the news. In frustration, he grabbed his remote control and hurled it across the room at his (POS) TV. But the second the controller hit the screen it miraculously deflected off in an upward position, that later hit the ceiling, then fell right back into Jason's waiting hand. Like I'm going to smash another TV, those things cost money.

At this point Jason had enough of the whole deal and decided he needed some ME time. Immediately he began peeling off his dirt encrusted assassin gear and dropped them on the floor accordingly as he made his way towards the bathroom. Then as he stood naked as the day he was born, he stepped inside his shower and turned on the hot water. In seconds his bathroom was covered in a thick fog of steam as Jason covered his body head to toe in a lather of soap. Other than killing and beer there was nothing else he loved more than a good hot shower and this one was turning out to be one of his bests. As he ran his face under the shower head again he could barely make out the fact his phone was ringing in the other room. There was no way in the world he was leaving this shower, but he did turn down the tap just enough to hear his answering machine.

After four rings, the answering machine picked up and an elderly male voice spoke from the other end in a disturbed voice, “Hello, anyone there. I got your name from your add in the Special Soldiers underground magazine and I'd like to do some business.” Interested Jason began thinking to himself Please be a politician, please be a politician. The voice on the phone continued “I have this Department of Sanitation officer I would like to see.......spoken with.......you can reach me at (555) 457- 3366. Call me back as soon as possible and we can discuss the rest.” Immediately Jason started pondering the aspects of this newest hit as he got back to his shower and turned the hot water up. It wasn't a high level politician but it was a politician none the lest. Maybe with this hit he could get more than just a small paragraph in the paper, maybe this time he could get a crime scene photo. Jason was now getting excited about this hit, in fact parts of his lower body started getting aroused. At that moment he began spending an enormous amount of time lathering his special happy place. With all of his attention now centered on his soapy shower his mind was oblivious to anything else going on around him. The only thing important to him were the next two minutes.

Time is a mysterious mistress.

F*ck.

Time is a perplexing person.

Sh*t.

Time is a strange stranger.

What, am I even trying here?

Screw it, get the tapes rolling.

---

"So this is the little blue orb my Between Realm counterpart found himself fancying, huh? I can't lie, this is a pretty little spot for some sweet activities. Most of which are nonsensical and involve either apple juice or puppets. I f*cking love puppets. Wait, where was I? Nowhere, that's right. This conversation is pointless. F*ck, I love time manipulation."

---

FAST FORWARD FIVE MORE ATTEMPTS AT STORYTELLING

---

"And that's how I met your mother."

---

You know what, forget it

---

Name's Antonio Roman. I'm part of an interdimensional name, something like a brand or something. Betty Crocker-level tomfoolery. I'm one of the Undefeated, something I share with countless other Antonio and Antonia Romans across space-time. We're not all stupid strong like the one from the Between Realm, but we're all undefeated for a reason. For some, it's not because of how strong their bodies are, but how unbreakable their hearts are.

Those are my favorite.

I hope that explains a few things concerning where I come from. Now my purpose here is to seek out an important piece in the upcoming event that will change the outcome of the fate of many millions of universes. I just hope that together, we will -

What smells like body butter and old soap?

Oh God, I landed in some dude's bathroom! F*cking ugly shower curtain too! The drain's all clogged with hair! Gross! There's no mat either, so fidgeting around in overwhelming disgust is all the harder to accomplish thanks to the uncleaned suds caked on the bottom of the tub!

Wait, what's with all the steam?

Someone's in here with me.

Sh!t. Sh!t. Sh!t. Sh!t. Sh!t. Sh!t. SH!T.

Oh f*ck it. Might as well make the best out of this situation. I contemplate a reach around, but this is already perfectly ironic.

"Chef Boyardee," I whisper oh so sensually into the ear of this very enthusiastic individual.

He seemed to enjoy it. Or it could have just been the last peaceful thought he had before images of canned mass-produced pseudo-Italian food started ballooning into his mind. Then, the screaming and shouting would start. I was hella prepared for this.

Taking in a lungful of steamy air, I let out a hearty "YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" before cavorting into the shower veil, knocking it off the rings, and fumbling into a fetal position on the floor. At length, I stood up, still very much alive, and looked at my host through excellently pointy sunglasses that were preserved through the crash despite gravity's best efforts to smash them.

"Dude, let's order pizza."

“Oh ya Paris, you're a dirty girl, thats right shake that thing!”Jason continued moaning these words over and over as he moved his hand back and forth. At this point he was feeling very enthusiastic about his project leaving him oblivious to anything else. Again he went back to his dirty talk, adding the emphasis on the certain sexual acts a woman could do with her mouth. With only seconds before his eminent release he heard the faint whisper of the words “Chef Boyardee” mentioned sexually in his ear. Had it been said at any other place or time Jason would have reacted differently, but at this moment it felt right in his fantasy. “Sure baby, you can pour spaghetti all over your body, I'll eat it off you!” But then it finally dawned on him that he was not alone. Immediately he spun around, with his private part still at attention, in time to see a strange individual with pointy sunglasses standing in his shower. At that point Jason's first impulse was simply to scream like a little girl with a screech that kept getting louder and louder.

But after such an embarrassing moment for the both of them Jason's anger outmatched his awkwardness and his more aggressive side took over. With a voice full of venom he screamed out loud “You S.O.B. Who the hell are you and how the hell did you get here?” But before he could make a single move or action the stranger yelled "YOOOOOOOOO!" just before cavorting into the shower veil, knocking it off the rings, and fumbling into a fetal position on the floor. Jason wasn't to sure but at the moment the stranger yelled, it was almost as if he recognized Jason as Backstabber, or maybe the other way around. None the less, Jason knew he would have to kill this guy immediately. With the full force of his elbow he slammed it hard into the cheap tiling around his shower walls loosening several shards of plaster. Then with an uncanny ability he hurled each one of them at the stranger's head with enough force to slice through a human body and the wall behind him.

It was then he noticed his greatest flaw. No man can look bad @ss with his private part pointing the way. Immediately he dropped any of the plaster shards he was still holding and quickly placed both hands over his member. Still trying to act tough, Jason yelled at the stranger with rage saying “It's not what it looks like I was.......oh hell never mind, you're a dead man!” It was then he noticed that his shard attacks had absolutely no effect on the stranger, none at all. Jason was now beginning to get concerned. First of all this stranger managed to sneak into his apartment without a sound and second he manged to survive several shards thrown at him at point blank range. In Jason's head it meant only one thing, This Stranger is a meta-human sent here to take him in.

Right now Jason was in no way ready for a fight, especially nude and facing someone that could survive one of his special attacks. Instead he leaped out of the shower grabbing the nearest towel he could find and wrapped it around his waist. The stranger on the other hand seemed to be taking some joy in the situation by cheerfully saying“ Dude, let's order pizza." To Jason he could have said anything, even I love you! but all Jason knew was to get out of there as fast as possible. Upon making it to his den, he quickly rushed to the door after picking up only three items. His costume, his gun and his answering machine. If he had any more time to think about it he would have picked up his cash as well, but this situation was dire. Instead he ran to his red 2009 Dodge parked outside while desperately trying to put his costume on over his wet and soapy body. Realizing he left his keys back in the apartment he began ripping out wires in an attempt to hot wire the car and go. Instead as he crossed the two wires together to start the engine, his head was under the dash board unaware that there was another figure standing at the drivers side window looking down upon him.

Damn, and I thought he would be happy to see me.

Instead all I get is the pointy end of the stick.

Like, it's all I do these days is get shafted.

This dude's such a prick, hardly throwing me a bone here.

The dude had a raging [PUNCHLINE OMITTED].

---

Nah, lame jokes aside, he reacted perfectly normal. At least, from what I've seen from first timers. When people meet their first time traveller, things tend to get a bit hectic. Fast. Some things are said that shouldn't have been said, feelings are hurt, and bones are broken. Wait, forget that last part. I don't want to hurt this guy, he's my bud. We've been through so much together.

"Near, far, wherever you are," oh no.

"I believe the heart does go on," oh God no.

Parkouring through Jason's ransacked apartment, Antonio almost ignored the fact that he almost died. The shard of broken shower tile struck him as a surprise and would have gone straight through his head if not for his quick thinking. Actually, that's a lie. He slowed down time enough to think of a plan to survive and look badass enough doing it. The process took about three minutes for him, but seemed like barely even a second for Jason. Those precious "minutes" were wasted mostly by incessant bickering with himself, but Antonio managed to agree on something.

Dodging was for wimps.

So he plucked it out of the air with a pair of tweezers he found in the top drawer. Upon closer inspection, he found old caked-on toe jam inside of the tweezers and promptly flushed them "accidentally".

"We'll stay forever this way!"

Leaping onto the top of the stairwell, Antonio watched Jason frantically cast a shadow over his escape vehicle of choice. Dodge? Didn't I just establish that dodging was for wimps? Whatever.

"You are safe in my heart!"

The power ballad had to come to an end, despite what multiple copyright cases clamored about. The final few lyrics were set up for prime time. But The Dion would be entertained enough by the irony. She had to be satisfied some other way. While Jason tried to hotwire his own damned car, Antonio shifted time to when he was already in the car because time is stupid and mysterious that way or something. In fact, Antonio would spend a lot of time in Jason's car. So he just sped up the process according to time in the back seat, changing the hands on the clock to the exact moment where he would be sitting there. He peeked over the cushion to the driver's side.

"Happy Birthday Jason. I'm glad to see you're already in your suit, because I brought the cake,"

For ironic purposes, he had purchased a cake in the future and sent it back in time for this exact moment, lit candles and all.

"Blow out the f*cking candles."

Suddenly, a shadowy a$$hole (@the_assassin_) would be making his move. Antonio anticipated this. The three of them would become good friends in the next few seconds.

And by "friends" I mean trying to shoot each other in the foot for a slice of this delicious pastry.

Hot damn, is this thing moist and flavorful.

Jason worked franticly to get the last two wires connected to hot wire his own car, and after only a few second of tampering, his engine began to roar. For the last ten minutes, his life had been turned more upside down than ever before. He had just met some strange man in his shower and now he is half naked in his car. At least now I can get the hell out of here, Jason thought as he was just about to shift his car into drive. But before he was about to move he once again heard the strangers voice resonating from the back seat. In one swift move Jason quickly turned around while at the same time drawing his gun. Then at the exact moment he saw the stranger sitting in his back seat, Jason held his gun inches away from his face and continually pulled the trigger over and over. Unfortunately at that time he was completely out of bullets, making him look more foolish than he did in the shower. Upset Jason began banging his head on his car seat while trying to hold back tears.

In an attempt to ease the awkwardness, the stranger jovially spoke up and said "Happy Birthday Jason. I'm glad to see you're already in your suit, because I brought the cake." Confused Jason wiped away the tears from his eyes and responded in a weeping tone “You mean (sob sob) you're not here to take me in? Oh thank you.” Immediately he began composing himself as the stranger continued on "Blow out the f*cking candles." Jason was in no way going to upset or cross the stranger after seeing what he could do, so instead he humbly responded “Can I at least put my pants on first?” After a few second of fumbling around in the front seat he finally got himself covered, thus relieving a massive amount of tension in the car and of course making him feel less awkward. But now Jason needed to deal with the elephant in the room. He knew full well the stranger's abilities easily exceeded his own and if he was going to stay on his good side he needed to play along. In one deep breath he extinguished ever candle on the cake, then looked up and said “Not to be rude but how did you know my birthday is in two weeks? And on another point....who are you?”

All of a sudden Jason heard a tapping sound outside his car window, but when he spun around and saw who it came from, never in his life would he believe who it was. The man standing there was Jason himself, dressed in full Backstabber attire compete with an arsenal of weapons. However this version of the assassin was much older and grittier. Immediately the future Backstabber spoke up and said “Oh crap this isn't right, I, you, we, shouldn't be here. Not together!” Then the future Jason recognize the stranger in the back and shouted “Antonio, you son of a b!tch, I should have know it would be you. You still owe me $12.95 for the pizza.” Suddenly future Backstabber face turned aghast as he started talking to his present version “If the three of us are here together then, that means the time differential is out of whack.” As he continued talking his appearance started flickering as if he was shifting in and out of existence. With his last few words before disappearing for good he said “ Listen closely, Antonio you know what to do, and Jason listen to what he says. Believe it or not he is here to help.” Then as the last physical representation of his being flickered away he managed to find the ability to say one last sentence. “and Jason, for the love of God, stop acting like such a wussy, It makes me look bad!”

"You already know me. One of me. Maybe,"

Composing what he had to say with a temporary spasm of thought in the back seat, Antonio smacked himself in the forehead with the heel of his hand and continued.

"Name's Antonio Roman, and it's all a little complicated. Like that, for example,"

The conversation between present and future Jason went about as well as expected. In an alternate timeline, present Jason panicked and shot his future self in the face with a concealed sawed-off shotgun. Luckily, the cake managed to calm him down enough for future Jason to explain a few things before disappearing and totally not dying. Nope. No dead Jasons here. Not a single one. Elsewhere, however...

Stupid! Stop thinking about dead Jasons! In fact, stop thinking of dead people in the first place!

Okay okay, fine. I'll play along with the dumb time spaghetti for now.

"Okay, there's someone trying to kill you. I'm not sure who because in every alternate timeline I visited until this point had someone different. One had a car bomb like in Godfather so I guess you could say that it was more than the battery that died,"

A pause.

You have never said anything more idiotic in your life, Antonio! Hit yourself! Hit yourself hard!

Ow! F*ck, okay, stop!

"Just drive. I have someone who can help us, but mostly you, at a secret hideout at the Taco Bell near the interstate,"

You just hope that Jason has enough common sense to listen to his future self.

I just hope that Jason has enough common sense to listen to his future self.

...

Oh no you didn't. Stop doing that!

...

"I smell Assy," Antonio blurted out loud, making himself sound like more of an idiot than usual. Dude, seriously, f*ck off.

"No seriously, there's this guy I know in this timeline who is a total bro. I forgot he existed now. Last time I saw him we defeated the anthropomorphic squids trying to get their undulating tentacles in the English monarchy. Luckily we did that or the British Isles would be swarming with the eldritch horrors right now. Or something like that. That might have happened in another dimension. Come to think of it, which version of Backstabber are you? F*ck, that was a bad question. Are there even Taco Bells around here? Ugh, I hate time and space travel sometimes. My inferior squishy human brain can't cope with all of the information sometimes,"

Shoving a handful of cake into his mouth, Antonio expelled it quickly with a vast 'BLUH' exerted in disgust. The cake was horrendously out of season! Instead of pumpkin cinnamon flavor, he had mistakenly sent back a blueberry cheesecake. How vile! Summer treats were meant to be enjoyed during the summer, not pseudo-autumn!

Using the delightfully colorful yet hideously off-topic dessert as a makeshift cinderblock, Antonio hurled it through the back window and cavorted out, falling to the ground about as merrily as a sack of wet potatoes.

Conveniently, they were in the parking lot of the aforementioned totally-not-Mexican fast food chain restaurant. The smell alone would have staved off hordes of all save the most iron-stomached of customers. Or zombies. Zombies would swarm to Taco Bells like no tomorrow.

Antonio was the first to barge inside with a dropkick to the door, shattering the glass across the entire counter. Luckily, no one seemed to be in the establishment - all except for a baby with blonde hair and a pair of shades much like Antonio's, but rounder.

"Goo," he, the baby, spouted.

"Dave! There you are!" Antonio replied, leaping towards the child and scooping him up in one blurred motion.

"You had me worried you little sh!t. This is Jason. Say hi, Dave,"

"Goo."

"I swear to God, you're f*cking with me so hard sometimes."

Just as the last bit of life flickered away from future Backstabber, present Jason tried desperately to hold on to his sanity. Had it not been for Antonio's constant blabbering in the back seat, he would have passed it all off as the D.T.'s and gone back to bed. But Antonio was real, very real and continued the pleasantries with Jason by saying “You already know me. One of me. Maybe." The last thing Jason wanted to do was anger or provoke the stranger any more, so instead of returning with a smart @ss response he instead tried to wrap his head around the story and asked “OK what the hell is really going on?” In response Antonio replied back "Name's Antonio Roman, and it's all a little complicated. Like that, for example," It wasn't much of a beginning between the two of them, but Jason had to admit he was right. After all the future Backstabber did seem real enough to him. Unfortunately for Jason though, that wasn't enough. If he was going to trust his life in someone else's hands, he was going to need to know a little bit more than just a name. After a quick bout of twenty questions, Antonio divulged "Okay, there's someone trying to kill you. I'm not sure who because in every alternate timeline I visited until this point had someone different. One had a car bomb like in Godfather so I guess you could say that it was more than the battery that died!" Immediately Jason began freaking out as he yelled back “A CAR BOMB, YOU SAID A CAR BOMB, YOU TELL ME THAT AFTER I GET IN A STARTED CAR! GOD I HATE YOU” But instead of giving any comfort or reassurance that his life was in safe hands Antonio responded back with "Just drive. I have someone who can help us, but mostly you, at a secret hideout at the Taco Bell near the interstate."

Jason was still frazzled, he gritted his teeth as he answered back “Ya I know the place it's about ten miles down the road we could get there in a few minutes.” but the fact was he was cursing Antonio out under his breath. Now in the drivers seat Jason was getting back some of his confidence. Instead of the whiny girl he had been so far, he was now getting accustomed to the fact someone out there wanted to kill him. It kind of made him feel important, recognized and even a bit feared. It was the life of a high class Hitman, all that was missing now was the money and B!tches. Jason put the pedal to the metal and inquired about Antonio's friend and in response he replied “There's this guy I know in this timeline who is a total bro. I forgot he existed now. Last time I saw him we defeated the anthropomorphic squids trying to get their undulating tentacles in the English monarchy. Luckily we did that or the British Isles would be swarming with the eldritch horrors right now.," Antonio continued on with more dribble drabble, but half way through his speech Jason just shut him out. Instead all he could think about was the smell of that delicious birthday cake in the back seat. But just before he had a chance to get a slice, Antonio hurled it through the back window and down the street. As Jason watched the remains in his rear view mirror all he could think was, Oh God how I hate you Antonio, I just hope in some time line I killed you. Because if I didn't I surely will in this one!

A few minutes later, and several red lights runned, the two of them reached the aforementioned Taco stand. Luckily they arrived in the middle of the night so the place was empty and lit only by the moon light. Antonio was the first to barge inside with a dropkick to the door, as Jason regretfully followed in behind him. Once inside they saw a baby with blonde hair and a pair of shades much like Antonios sitting alone on a corner booth. Immediately Jason reached for the closest thing he could use a weapon but before he could hurl anything at the babies head Antonio treated the child like a close friend. Again Jason wasn't sure what exactly was going on, but he could see that Antonio was engaging the baby in, baby talk. Having had more than enough of this Jason leaped over the counter and began emptying the cash registers. Then in a sarcastic tone he began saying to Antonio “Wait don't tell me, That kid Dave is you, right, but from the past. No wait the kid is me in the future. No, no, I got it the kid's the one that's trying to kill me, right?” At that point Jason reached behind the counter and poured himself a diet coke, and continued on “So which is it? Or is he just your total bro you been talking about?” Either way Jason didn't care anymore, instead he plopped down on the booth next to Dave and tried to put his arm around him in an arrogant and cocky way. “Well which is it?”

"Dude, spoiler alert! Tag your damned spoilers you f*cking loser!" Antonio commanded, furiously jabbing at Jason with a plastic spork. The implementation of such a construct would be seen as futile in any situation - including this one - and it breaks upon contact with Jason's raw muscular shoulder.

Antonio, retrieve stylish hat for Dave to wear.

The wayward time traveller appearifies a cap for the little dude with a cunningly ironic "my eyes are up here" slogan with an arrow pointing straight up. Though this has nothing to do with anything, you have to admit it makes Dave at least 300% more adorable.

"Okay, Jason, the reason why I brought you here is because I'm not the one to help you. I'm actually on business elsewhere with little Dave in another timestream. I'm going to disappear in about five seconds but I'm going to come back once everything's sorted out in that other timeline. Those other douche cookies should be here any second. Bye!"

With a tip of his headgear and a gallant shimmer of his sunglasses, Antonio did what he promised and vanished into thin air along with Dave. Whether or not they would actually return to Jason's timeline was up for debate in the vigilante's mind. Perhaps he just wanted to go home?

Too late a$$hole! There's already a figure in the doorway blocking your exit.

This is Kurloz, though you don't know that yet. He is six feet and five inches of time-travelling alien with a messy afro and two large horns further exaggerating his already great height. His face is covered in what seems to be clown makeup while his eyes stare into Jason's soul with a cold, yet oddly compelling, dead aura. Everything about Kurloz seems to be relaxing, including the skeleton skinsuit and purple briefs. It is at this time that Kurloz actually steps closer to Jason. The reason for his continued silence is made all the clearer once the stitches keeping his mouth shut gleam in the dull after-hours lamplight.

Kurloz sits across from Jason and waves politely. He takes a bunch of those old salt and pepper packets and spreads their contents on the table. This is his way of communicating - a good old fashioned note scribbling! After about a minute, Kurloz leaned back for Jason to admire his handiwork.

"SuP," the condiment pile stated. "KuRlOz, FrIeNd :o)"

Suddenly, the soda machine started humming ferociously. Whether or not Jason expected this turn of events, another creature much like Kurloz had managed to materialize inside of the vague excuse of a restaurant without either of them noticing. This one is named Gamzee, though he's much too concerned with drowning his esophagus with orange Faygo to care about much else. Just as righteous retribution was about to come down on Gamzee's unsuspecting head, Kurloz scribbled another note in the black and white sandbox.

"ReAdY?"

As Antonio continued to furiously jab at Jason with a plastic spork, all he could think of was the four hundred and seventy-eight ways he could kill him with it. It even brought a smile to his face as he replayed number two hundred and ninety-three over and over in his mind. Mainly because that was the one in which he shoved it up Antonio's butt repeatedly. It may not have been as bloody as the other deaths but it was the most satisfying. But as Antonio continued rambling on, he shouted the statement "Dude, spoiler alert! Tag your damned spoilers you f*cking loser!" That was the last straw. Jason had tried to be polite through the whole endeavor but this yelling in his face crossed the line. In anger Jason shouted back “You want to talk about spoilers, I'll tell you about spoilers. So far you have been spoiling my life. You spoiled my day, you have spoiled my shower and most if all you spoiled it when I was diddling with my....... Well never mind the last one lets just say you have been spoiling everything since I met you!” Enraged, Jason continued with his verbal assault against Antonio using every dirty word in the book. He held nothing back, making sure every point came across loud and crystal clear . He had just arrived at the point where he was going to compare Antonio with a diseased maggot when he suddenly noticed little Dave sporting a stylish “my eyes are up here” cap. At that moment, all the anger left Jason's body as he smiled down at the child and said “Awe, Don't you just look adorable. Yes you do, Yes you do.”

Using the brief moment that Jason had calmed down, Antonio took it upon himself to explain some of the finer points of Jasons present and future. He said in as simplistic terms as he could put them “The reason why I brought you here is because I'm not the one to help you. I'm actually on business elsewhere with little Dave in another time stream. I'm going to disappear in about five seconds but I'm going to come back once everything is sorted out in that other time line.” At that moment Jason grew a large smile on his face as he looked down at his watch and started counting from five to one, all the time waving good bye to his departing acquaintance. With a tip of his headgear and a gallant shimmer of his sunglasses, Antonio vanished into thin air along with Dave. Their vanishing away was not as fulfilling as Jason had hoped, but still at the moment they left, Jason dropped to his knees and thanked God.

After all that had gone on, Jason was sure that by now someone had set off a silent alarm, so after gathering a few extra perishables he headed towards the front door. But before he could reach it a rather large intimidating presence stepped forth from the shadows blocking his way. It was the figure of a six foot tall alien with a messy afro and two large horns further exaggerating his already great height, his face was covered in what seems to be clown makeup. As always Jason prepared himself for a fight as he grabbed the same spork Antonio was using earlier and shouted “I know four hundred and seventy-eight ways to kill you with this, so whatever you are, you should be afraid!” But as the monstrous form stepped forward, some unseen force, seemed to be relaxing Jason completely. Now with a honest smile on his face, one worthy of the situation, Jason couldn't help but notice that the monsters mouth had been stitched shut, and by the looks of it, it had been stitched for quite sometime.

At this point, for some unknown reason, Jason seemed to trust the new stranger. In fact as the creature made its way over to a booth, Jason felt compelled to follow. Then as they sat down together the creature took a bunch of the old salt and pepper packets and spreads their contents on the table. Then with his index finger he scribbled out the words “SuP! KuRlOz, FrIeNd :o)" mixed within the condiments. After a few seconds of examining the writings Jason concluded “I get it now. Your name is Kurloz, and we're friends, right? Well whoop-de-do!” In full Backstabber motif he went back to being more concerned for himself than others and was just about to leave the Taco Bell without even a goodbye, but just as he moved towards the door, there was a small ruckus coming from one of the back rooms. Immediately Jason assumed that it was the police sneaking their way in, and for the first time in years he gave a damn about someone else. In a rush he grabbed Kurloz by the arm and whispered to him “You need to come with me now. I don't know if you understand me but if we stay here bad things will happen.” He then began leading him to the door, but just before Kurloz left the booth he reassuringly scribbled the one word “ReAdY" upon the table. Immediately they moved for the door, but at the exact moment just before the stores door closed behind him Jason sniffed the air and picked up the faint but recognizable scent of marijuana. Doubting himself, he continued to his car, ready for a fast get away.

Once outside the store Jason quickly got Kurloz in his car and subsequently back to his cheap apartment. By now it was about four in the morning and all Jason wanted to do was get some sleep. After getting a extra pillow and blanket from his closet, he tossed them to the time traveling alien and said in a groggy voice “You can sleep on the couch, it folds out. I'll see you in the morning.” Then realizing he was talking to an alien. Jason turned back to Kurloz and said in a more pompous and belittling way “YOU SLEEP HERE, COUCH IS BED, ME GO TO OTHER ROOM, SEE YOU IN MORNING” With that said, he then left to his bed room commenting under his breath freaking aliens. The next morning Jason awoke horrified to see the looming figure of Kurloz standing over him looking down upon him, as an owner would do to a pet. Normally Jason would have reached for the loaded revolver under his pillow but instead he rose up from his bed and said “Crap, I was hoping it was all a bad dream.” Still in denial of the whole situation, Jason began his daily routine as always by pouring himself a hot cup of coffee mixed with two shots of Jack Daniels. But with every move he made Kurloz followed him step by step, and room by room. Frustrated Jason turned to him and yelled “Enough! You and me in the den right now! Alright, assuming all of last night was real and someone is trying to kill me who is it?” Kurloz merely stared back and pointed to his stitched mouth. This was seriously getting on Jason's last nerves, but trying to defuse the situation he grabbed a nearby pen and a piece of paper and handed them to the Kurloz while once again speaking to him like a child “YOU WRITE NAME, MAN WHO KILL ME!” He then waited for what seemed to be a life time as the time traveling alien scribbled upon the paper. Finally, after he was done he handed it back to Jason with only the numbers 618 written on it. At this point Jason just exploded ripping the paper in two. “I go through all this and all I get back is 618, what the hell is 618? Is this some cosmic joke being played on me or what?” But Kurloz kept a serious face and continually pointed down at the ripped paper as if it was the most important thing in the world. At this point the veins on Jason's neck were throbbing and his blood pressure was through the roof, “That's it I have had enough” he bellowed as he ran to the kitchen and retrieved the sharpest knife he could find, “I'm going to cut those F'n stitches out and we are going to have a serious conversation about what is going on! And If I think for one second you're playing with me I swear I'll kill you!” Jason began moving towards Kurloz one hundred percent dedicated to his mission. Either he was going to slice Kurloz's mouth open or some unknowing force would intervene. But one thing was for certain Jason was going to get answers.

At this point, Kurloz almost panicked. He waved his hands back and forth, trying to cautiously dissuade Jason from opening his mouth with the despicably sharp knife. He wanted to explain so many things, he really did, but if he so much as uttered a peep all life would be extinguished before he could form a single world. A cold sweat started peeling back his clown makeup. He hopped up on the nightstand, knocking over the lamp in the process. He adopted a defensive position cunningly implemented over his lips by covering them with both hands. He did a little jig on top of the table before absconding to the other side of the room, popping a light bulb on the ceiling fan with one of his horns in the process. He crashed and rolled into the wall, still holding his mouth for dear life.

Jason was close now, so maliciously close. One swipe and everything would be over in a flash.

Kurloz, in a fit of franticity, hurled his lean mass under the bed and clung to the bottom of the frame. That should buy him some precious time.

Before Jason could flip the sleeping device over on its side and corner Kurloz yet again, the door vibrated with a gentle knocking sensation. The curious sound resonated through the apartment, chilling the air and freezing the two inside. Kurloz smiled and put himself into a standing position. After dusting off his garb, he ignored any attempt at Jason trying to keep him from answering the sound and twisted the doorknob into an unlocked position. A creature much like Jason's new pal stood in the entryway, though much smaller and with a wide and toothy grin replacing the stitched together macabre scene that Kurloz possessed. This one seemed much more talkative.

"WhAt's gOiNg oN Up iN HeRe, My bRoThEr?" he said confidently, embracing Kurloz heartily.

This new arrival looked at Jason with a comforting smile.

"ThIs tHe gUy?" he inquired of his mute 'brother'.

Kurloz pushed him into visual range of his neck motion before nodding affirmatively.

"AlRiGhT! hElLo, My SqUiShY PiNk hUmAn bRoThEr! nAmE'S GaMzEe!"

Gamzee reached into his pockets and retrieved a bicycle horn, which he honked twice. He laughed a little afterward.

"I TrIeD To mOtHeRf*cKiNg fInD YoU, bUt i sPeNt aLl nIgHt dRiNkInG FaYgO FrOm tHaT MaChInE UnTiL It rAn oUt. FuNnY, a bIg fAt dUdE KiCkEd mE OuT OnCe tHe pLaCe oPeNeD AnD I JuSt fOlLoWeD KuRlOz's cLuEs uNtIl i gOt hErE. nIcE To mEeT YoU :o)"

Kurloz shut the door and gave a tour of Jason's apartment much like the one its owner gave him the night before. Gamzee did most of the talking and upon investigation of the bathroom, he found the mouthwash most intriguing. A little sniff and a giggle preceded a vast amount of chugging and coughing. Some murmurings about note taking ended up with Gamzee inquiring about Kurloz and the number 618, such as if Jason already knew about it. Kurloz responded with a shrug. Gamzee then rummaged through the medicine cabinet.

"WhAt aRe aLl tHeSe cAnDiEs yOu gOt? ThEy lOoK MoThErF*CkInG DeLiCiOuS,"

Gamzee's apparent older brother slapped his hands before the much more mischievous clown alien could ingest Tylenol and obviously stolen prescription drugs by the fistful. An hour of this tomfoolery passed with Gamzee making a splendid mess of an otherwise already splendidly messy bathroom.

"ThInK We nEeD To bRiNg hIm tO DaD?"

Kurloz shook his head and turned the dial to activate the running water in the sink. Gamzee became instantly entranced. He started playing with the water, inquisitively at first, and then rambunctiously. Considering that water on their home planet either harbored unspeakable terrors or killed its drinkers instantaneously, the purpose of clean running tap facilities both puzzled and hypnotized them - particularly if their brain pans were running on minimal capacity much like Gamzee's.

Kurloz started to scribble a message on the mirror with Jason's shaving cream.

Yo, We'rE GoInG HoMe. If yOu wAnT AnSwErS, tHeN CoMe wItH Us. SiMpLe, HuH? :o)

During a serious game of cat and mouse, Jason chased Kurloz through every room of the apartment. Every time Jason got closer to cutting Kurloz stitches out, the alien would run away even faster. At one point he even got so frantic that he did a little jig on top of the table and later ended up hiding under his bed clinging to the frame. But no matter how fast or how far Kurloz moved away, Jason continued to swing his knife with determination. Then, just at the moment he cornered the alien, under his bed, the door vibrated with a gentle knocking sensation. For some unknown reason the odd sound echoing from the door seemed to have an eerie effect on both Jason and Kurloz. Where Jason seemed to be placed in a state of suspended animation, Kurloz was some how filled with power and determination. Without a thought Kulroz made a mad dash to the door and opened it. On the other side was another alien much like Kulroz though smaller and with a wide and toothy grin instead of a stitched up mouth. Upon entry the new alien spoke up and said "WhAt's gOiNg oN Up iN HeRe, My bRoThEr?" as they heartily embraced each other.

Now free to move again, Jason approached the new alien with remorse while still holding on to the knife. It was obvious he desperately wanted to use it on the time travelers, but his wiser head prevailed and instead he slammed it into his table splitting the wood in half. The new alien, however, had a cheery deposition and greeted Jason happily with the words "AlRiGhT! hElLo, My SqUiShY PiNk hUmAn bRoThEr! nAmE'S GaMzEe!" At this point Jason began ignoring Gamzee as he continued ranting on about other seemingly important information. Instead Jason opened a new bottle of Jack Daniels and began chugging it down as fast as possible. But despite how fast he drank, Gamzee continued to make a nuisance of himself even faster, first by ransacking the place and second by ingesting anything that had a pretty color or shape. But before any serious damage was done, or any of Jason's happy pills where swallowed, Kurloz quickly put a stop to it.

It was then Jason heard the words "ThInK We nEeD To bRiNg hIm tO DaD?" followed with Kurloz scribbling the words “Yo, We'rE GoInG HoMe. If yOu wAnT AnSwErS, tHeN CoMe wItH Us. SiMpLe, HuH? :o)” with shaving cream upon a mirror, that caught his interests. Now having quite a buzz from the many alcohol shots, Jason felt relaxed enough to agree with “Why the F' not! I'm almost out of booze here anyway.” If he had waited a few more minutes for his healing factor to kick in, and counter the effects of the alcohol, he may have said no, but luckily for the aliens they reached him at just the right time. Yet before Jason was going anywhere he said “But if I'm going with you, I'm going prepared!” Then with a jolt to his closet he pulled out an arsenal of weapons, ranging from simple daggers to automatic firing hand guns, and strapped them around his body. Now with a cocky grin, he turned to the alien brothers and jokingly said “Alright Doc's lets go Back To The Future, (he laughs), Or should I say lets Quantom leap. (he laughs even louder).”

After a quick chuckle back from Gamzee, and a surprised look from Kurloz, each alien reached out and grabbed one of Jason's hands. Now with a tight grip Gamzee whispered to him “Don'T Be AfRaiD, It MaY fEEl UneASy bUT Yo WiLL bE FiNe.” With that said the aliens closed their eyes and they were off. Instantly, Jason's mind was bombarded with thoughts and ideas layered in options and possibilities. It was as if, at that moment, anything could or could not happen. Jason also saw images of a single man, standing next to other versions of him from different times in his own life. The sheer pain of the knowledge was over whelming for any man and Jason's neurons and synapses were being over loaded faster than his healing factor could repair them. In agonizing pain he screamed out loud a blood curdling cry, then just as it all started......it stopped.

Jason now found himself inside a high price office building, alone except for him and some big-wig in a five hundred dollar suit. The time traveling aliens were nowhere to be seen. Still, in a massive daze from his trip Jason stumbled around the room trying to get his bearings. In a state of panic, after seeing a highly armed man just appear in the office, The business man called out on his phone “Security, Security, This is Mr. Matlin in room 618, there is a killer in my room, come immediately!” By now Jason's head was clearing up, especially when he heard the number 618 mentioned, and noticed the business man was reaching for a small gun hidden under his desk. In that instant, Jason pulled out a simple dagger from his belt and tossed it across the room, hitting an artery in the mans arm just above the elbow, then mocked “I wouldn't do that if I were you. I have more blades and you have more arteries.” As the mans blood pored down on the floor, Jason ran out of the office and made a mad dash for the stairs just in time to see a squad of security men exiting from the elevator. Luckily for Jason, both Kurloz and Gamzee were waiting in the stairwell with a confused look in their eyes. Gamzee looked upon him and said “ThAt ShOUld nOT hAvE hapPenEd, ArE You AlriGHt?” But before Jason could answer, the aliens once again grasped his hand and they were off, traveling through the realms of time and possibilities.

This time Jason found himself alone wobbling outside in a dirt road parking lot. Unfortunately this time as he stumbled his way back to consciousness, he made the mistake of stumbling and knocking over a row of classic Harley Davidson motorcycles. With the sound of the bikes smashing in to the ground, several large men, dressed in matching jackets, made their way out of the off road bar, in the middle of nowhere, and proceeded to surround Jason. Each man was equipped with either a crowbar, blade or chain, and had an expression that they were eager to use them. In an attempt to defuse the situation, before a fight started, Jason passively said “Hey guys I don't want no trouble, I'll even pay for the damages.” He then, in a sign of good faith, carefully reached for one of his smaller guns using only two non-threating fingers to grab it. Again Jason said calmly “Nothing to worry about, I'm just going to lay this on the floor.” But just as he was about to bend over and place the weapon on the ground, he instead flipped the gun in his hand, to where he could pull the trigger and fired off only one shot straight down. The moment the bullet hit the dirt, it miraculously bounced off and took a new trajectory upwards to one of the bikers skull. Then after splattering the mans brains everywhere, the bullet, once again, took a new trajectory. This time after bouncing off a skull fragment in the air, it made it's way to hit another biker in the head. This action continued on and so forth, until ever man laid dead or dying around Jason's feet.

As the last body fell, Kurloz and Gamzee rematerialized a few feet in front of Jason. This time it appeared as if the two of them had been in a fight, or some form of a battle.. Both had several wounds and small cuts over the majority of their bodies. However, the most startling fact was one of Kurloz's stitches had been snipped. Not enough that he was able to speak, but the left corner of his mouth was now movable. Jason did not understand the full magnitude of what it meant, but he could see the shear horror of the situation in Kurloz's eyes. As Gamzee fell to the ground, overwhelmed by the pain of his wounds, he managed to get the words out “ThIS iS WronG wE ShoULd NoT bE heRe, nOT nOw!”then passed out. Immediately, Kurloz knelt down next to his brother and etched out in the dirt wE ArE In MoRE trOuBlE tHAn YoU caN ImAGinE :(! Once again Jason was out of his element. He had no idea what to do for wounded time traveling aliens but he did know what to do for a friend. With a smile on his face Jason pointed at the establishment in front of him and made the comment to Kurloz “Lucky for us we are at a BAR and it should be empty now! You bring your brother inside and I'll pour the drinks, and hopefully one of us will come up with an idea?” As they began to enter the bar, Jason couldn't help but look up at the name of the establishment. As he did his eyes just happened to notice an interstate sign by the side of the road. The Bar was called “Shots” which meant nothing to Jason, but he was startled to see it was of highway 618.

Meanwhile, on Vine-NU Earth far far away...

The incomparable emperor of Elysia toiled on his latest work, a machine that would allow him to conquer time itself! The brilliant scientific mind of Doom had created many like it, but they consumed too much raw energy each time and put his people at risk. Now, he had finally accomplished the impossible. A gate, extending out to the furthest reaches of the imagination, created on both sides of a particular point in the omniverse. While the one he wished to exit from had already stood for untold trillions of years, the one he manufactured in his laboratory just now flickered to life - and a spectacular life it lived!

The primary tentative steps towards infinity were met with an ostentatious arrogance from Doom. He already knew of the machine's limitations, and there were none! This, based in immutable fact and blueprints liberated from the tombs of an alien world from five universes away. Doom always knew.

After all, he was the one who built the gate to the other side in the first place.

This, and everything else, fell into the fate of Doom.

His experiments this day would bring about the demise of an entire timeline so that one could endure - the one playing out in front of his eyes, the one destined to come under his rule. Paradoxes and interferences would be closed all at once. The continuum would survive if this one reality would only cease to exist.

Countless lives lost, erased, never set to exist - a price well worth the survival of the brilliance of Doom.

---

"Kurloz," Gamzee whispered, huddled at the bar with the other two time travellers. "What happened?"

Kurloz signed "I don't know" before sipping a bit of beer through a straw. The human drink tasted horrible, but it provided hydration in its basest form.

"I think we took a wrong turn or something, bro. This ain't what was supposed to motherf*cking happen,"

The taller of the pair looked at his younger sibling with a sad little glance. He tried tuning the radio to something more uplifting than the country songs about losing wives or dogs, but found little more than static. Anger swarmed into his normally subdued soul and he smacked the device to the floor, smashing it instantly. Gamzee started spinning in his chair.

"At least these things are fun!" he laughed.

Kurloz was about to join in the festivities when a temporal rift opened just outside of the bar. Out from it emerged a young boy, possibly just thirteen years old, with a sword much like Antonio's. The round glasses gave away his identity. Dave, grown up, without Antonio Roman. Blood and sweat foretold of a battle, one that he might not have left entirely behind. His frantic sprint towards the front door of Shots gave it away.

He was being followed.

"Guys! Gamzee, Kurloz, Jason! We gotta move!"

"What's wrong, man? I'm sure we can chill for a little while longer," Gamzee responded nonchalantly before being grabbed by the time-weary Dave and having the sword held up against his throat.

"I'm not in the mood for your games, clown. Doom is coming,"

"What's that mean?" Kurloz signed.

"It means we're all royally screwed if we don't get everyone back to Vine time. There's this guy named Doom from Elysia on Vine Earth, real bad dude, wants to take over everything he sees, yadda yadda. Point is: he figured out time travel, and he's going to your reality to end the timeline there. Poof, no more trolls, no more time crusade, just nothing. He's sending his robots throughout specific dots along the spectrum to eliminate potential threats. Four of them are in this room. Right. F*cking. Now,"

"Wait, if you know all this ill sh!t about Vine Earth, then do you know where Antonio Roman is? The time guy,"

"Yeah I know him. He raised me ever since he found me in a doomed timeline a few years back. He's...dead now," Dave choked, keeping strong. "Doom got to him, but that's not the point. All of us, Vine Earth, n-"

Without hesitation, the front wall of the bar exploded inwardly with a cloud of cosmic radiation. Even the enhanced toughness of the trolls' skin sizzled at the dawning of such raw power. Dave did his best to keep Jason alive - mostly by throwing himself in front of the hired gunman and hoping for the best.

"None shall escape the wrath of Doom," the mechanical doppelganger broadcasted over the carnage.

Shots now settled across five square miles of desert, blasted to hell and back, leaving a sandy tomb for the quartet to rest under. Kurloz cradled Gamzee in his melting arms, but remained animated for his brother to see. Dave fought past the agonizing welts swelling all across his prepubescent torso, each one reflecting a bit of bone or charred flesh underneath the popping skin. He flung open another time loop and sucked the four inside of it, aiming the other end at Vine Earth - specifically the Mississippi River.

It all happened at Highway 6.1.8.

6. Beware

1. One

8. Serenity

The coordinates were locked. The war lasted for thirty seconds, all across the entirety of this timeline. Doom had already won this fight billions of times in his calculations. Coldly, brutally, efficiently, they were proven correct - as they always were. The key to the ultimate power cosmic rested at his fingertips. The Heart of the Omniverse eluded him before, just as many things did in his first steps towards immortality. Doom would not allow it to escape a second time. Even the gods would tremble at the mention of his name.

And with his plan in place, nothing could stop the will of Doom.

Cracks in the temporal fabric heralded a vast sensation of overwhelming...was it grief? Sorrow? Perhaps, hope?

Yes, hope.

For the timeline did not vanish entirely. Perhaps someday, it might even emerge anew. All of that rested with the survivors of this story:

Six little trolls

One unlucky assassin

Eight swords, left to the son

Once entering the off road bar, Jason began pouring the alcohol freely. It was the one constant in his life, if you ever have a problem, you can always drink it away. After quickly finishing off one of the taps, Jason couldn't help but notice the two aliens discussing the seriousness of the situation they were in. But all Jason could think about, was what is on the other tap. But as he continued drinking his troubles away, the pleasant mood of the bar was disrupted when Kurloz, in anger, grabbed the bars radio and smashed it upon the floor. Gamzee seemed unfazed by the violent act, as he continued spinning around on his bar stool, with a childish grin covering his face, leaving Jason alone, as the one to intervene. Placing his mug on a table, Jason began making his way over to his frustrated friend, with arms peacefully spread out and a false attempt at caring. He was just about to open with a “Hey buddy what's a matter?' when a flash of light flickered outside the bar like a bolt of lighting. Stepping forth from the light was a young boy, possibly just thirteen years old, with a sword much like Antonio's. His face was aghast filled with knowledge of a devastating importance. In the back of Jason's mind he knew this kid, or at least recognized him from some time ago, then he spotted the glasses and it clicked....it was Dave, though much older.

Surprisingly, Jason had a firm grasp on the whole aging presence, and jovially asked him “What happened to the my eyes are up here cap?” He then noticed Dave was in pain, covered in blood and sweat. The kid stumbled his way in, fueled by both grit and determination, dedicated to informing his friends of their dire situation. His voice echoed throughout the bar as he ordered “Guys! Gamzee, Kurloz, Jason! We gotta move!" He now had Jason's full attention, but so did one last shot, that after being consumed, he whiped away from his mouth. Gamzee on the other hand responded nonchalantly that only lead to Dave holding a sword to his throat. Again Dave ordered “I'm not in the mood for your games, clown. Doom is coming!" and this time he had complete attention of all in the room. Dave continued talking about the severity of their situation, making sure it was understood by all that an Evil Force know as Doom, wants to take over everything he sees, as well as, he figured out time travel, and he's going to your reality, to end the time line there. He then went on to discuss the tragic fate of Antonio Roman's death, with a choke in his voice and a tear in his eye. In an attempt to lighten the mood Jason was about to suggest another round of beers, in honor of the fallen comrade, but then he recognized how much of a @ss he would appear to be. Instead he lowered his head in respect and then realized that throughout this entire ordeal, Antonio was indeed, a friend.

After a moment of silence, interrupted by Dave yelling “I said we have to go and I mean NOW!” Jason was about to begin asking the hundred and one questions on who exactly was Doom? But another bolt of light flashed outside. This time it was not the same as Dave's. This was more transparent and not as bright, almost as if a fake representation of it's original. But as it flashed it created a concussive force that shattered the windows of “Shots” as well as created a small wind storm outside. Then, there in the parking lot stood an ominous robotic figure with only a program that read, destruction. But before the wind storm died down Dave knew what was coming and knew the robot as a deadly threat. In a desperate attempt to save the life of Jason, he leaped across the bar floor and placed himself between the assassin and robot, using his own body as a human shield. All this was done before the deadly Doombot could electronically shout "None shall escape the wrath of Doom!" The robot then smashed his way in through one of the walls and began firing off an assortment of highly advanced weapons everywhere. But even then it wasn't finished. In one last effort to destroy it's intended target's, the machine initiated it's self destruct program and in one pulse of energy, complete with a cloud of cosmic radiation, caused everything within a five square miles radius of the desert, to be blasted to hell and back.

The bar was no more, in fact there was nothing anywhere as far as the eye could see. Jason was lying rolling around in the dust screaming to the Heaven in intense agony. His skin burned away leaving behind, nothing more than a pile of bones and a few bubbling organs. It was a miracle he even had the ability to scream. Fortunately for him, his advanced healing factor was kicking in and his body was slowly rebuilding it's self. As he coughed from the excessive dust surrounding him, he noticed Kurloz cradling Gamzee in his melting arms, both with their fur sizzling. Dave however looked in worse shape. His body showed a bit of bone next to charred and popping flesh, but like Jason he was refusing to stay down. He knew full well the ramification of their mission and if they should fail, so in a heroic manner he reached deep within him and manged to create one more time rift, that sent the four of them traveling again to his planned destination, Mississippi.

Once on the other side, the team began licking their wounds and trying to recuperate. Kurloz and Gamzee seemed to be doing better, as they smothered the remains of their sizzling fur with their paws, but Jason and Dave had bigger problems. Not only did the blast destroyed their bodies, but their clothes as well. They now stood naked as the day they were born, and completely embarrassed. In a bright flash of light, Dave shifted to and back from an adjacent time line, only to return with a futurist garment complete with flashing blue lights, and as always, his very special pair of glasses to accent the outfit. Now three against one Dave and the aliens began poking fun at the fact Jason was not well endowed. Dave would pretend to need better glasses to see it, Gamzee kept calling Jason, Janet, and Kurloz simply waved his pinky in the air. Angered and outraged Jason yelled back “I'm a grower not a shower!” but all it did was ensure more laughter. Then as if sent from the heavens above another time line opened and another Jason, an older Jason appeared. It was not the same one from the car incident earlier, but still one older than the present one. Without a word, older Jason made a straight shot to his younger self and simply touch him on his forehead.

Several hours later Jason awoke to his three time partners standing over him. Before Jason could say a word he noticed he was now dressed in his preferred uniform complete with a small arsenal of weapons. Dave then spoke up, with a tone of confusion and shock asking “Are you Okay? Because technically you should be dead. If the same person, from two time lines touch the other, they counter act each other and die! But you, you're still alive, How?” He then grabbed Jason by the collar and yelled louder “When your older version touched you, he vanished leaving only his clothes and weapons behind. But you survived? HOW?” At that point Gamzee took the opportunity to mock Jason again and said “wE dreSSeD YoU in HiS CloThEs BeCaUes wE GoT tiREd Of sEEinG YoUr TinE PenIS, hA hA!” Jason honestly had no idea, he was still shaking off the cobwebs from seeing another him. Suddenly he began convulsing, as his eyes rolled back in his head. Then just as it started it stop, and Jason jumped up and exclaimed “I understand!” Alix was now sweating profusely as he tried to grasp the thoughts running through his head and continued “I see moments of my life in the future, acts that have not happened yet, and I also see what Doom is truly after.” He then turned to Dave for reassurance and continued “It is not just my time line it is time its self. Do you remember the number 618 well it now makes sense. For every 1 time traveler there are 6 moments he must except as forever, they are called gates and they are

• The beginning of time

• The end of time

• The moment he is born

• The moment he will die

The last two are a little easier to deal with. At some point in their travels they will eventually

• Go to a point before he is born

• Go to a point after he has died

Normally the first four are avoided, and the last two ignored, but occasionally a time traveler will deal with the gates. But Doom is interested in the 8 swords. The swords, as they are called, are acts that when done could alter time its self. Many Travelers never know of them but they are out there. Antonio gave his life defending the time at which Doom would learn of the 8 swords but regretfully failed. The first 6 of the swords are the same as the 6 gates but treated different. If a traveler effects or changes in any way

• The beginning of time

• The end of time

• The moment he is born

• The moment he will die

they will accomplish the first four of the 8 swords. The next two are

• Ending his life before he is born

• Creating his life after he is dead

they will accomplish two more. The seventh sword, however, is harder to accomplish for it is

• the destruction of a complete time line

and unfortunately that time line, is mine. The last sword is still unknown to me, it is considered to be the greatest secret in existence, hidden behind rumors and speculation. Doom, however, believes that it is The Heart of the Omniverse andif he can obtain it and the other seven swords, not only will he master and control time, he will become time its self. As of right now, I have no idea how many swords he has achieved, but no matter what happens to us, we must never let him grasp all 8!” Jason then fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes, physically exhausted from his ordeal. As he lied down on the shore next to the mighty Mississippi River, he gestured for Dave to lean in closer, then in close quarters he whispered ever so quietly in Dave's ear, “I also saw Antonio telling you what the 8'th sword is.”