#muddleverse

˗ˏˋ⚡︎ˎˊ˗ZAP˗ˏˋ⚡︎ˎˊ˗

This couldn't be happening. This couldn't be real. Yet, here Penn was zapping into another world with evil versions of his dear friends. But how? How did all of this come to be? Questions that flooded his mind became more scrambled and frantic when taking over the entirety of some random person's being or some villain in this case.

He absolutely dreaded the incoming situation at hand, becoming the villain for the day? It was a distressing reality he wanted no part of at the slightest. But there was nothing he could do... at the moment. He could still get out of this. He could just not participate! Yes, of course. It shouldn't be that hard to fail this mission, Rippen does that all the tims. That was the first part of his newly formed plan: What was the mission at hand?

As soon as the illuminating red beams dissipated from his form, a cursory look at his surroundings didn't give him a good idea of what he was dealing with. From the looks of it all, it was a generic evil scientist's lair. Fit with all the tacky gizmos and gadgets you will never need unless it's for the most utterly convenient of situations. Beakers and test tubes littered across already messy tables. Some were even rolled onto the side, dripping whatever mystery liquid that previously resided within the glasses.

The most appalling thing that insulted Penn's senses was the smell. It was like being smothered under gallons upon gallons of raw sewerage, with the generous spritzing of wet dogs that vomited all over the place. A skunk or two may have jogged by after indulging in some rotten eggs. It was unbearable, to say the least.

Penn decided to take a peek around instead of just wallowing within the stenches of this very enclosed space. While wandering around, he took a moment to check out what his form was currently. The only thing of note was a simple dark spandex bodysuit with a darker stripe encircling his chest and back. Nothing memorable or familiar in the slightest. Not unlike this hideout, well, except for the smell. Something did catch his eye, and that something was tucked away under a large, draping tarp. It couldn't hide how humongous the hidden object was. It was about a few feet taller than a city bus and as wide as an african elephant. Could be even bigger with the right measurements.

With his curiosity piqued, he cautiously tiptoed over towards the towering object. Grabbing ahold of the tarp and failing to dramatically unveil it. "Well, that's anticlimactic." He mumbled under his breath. "Let's give this another go—" interrupting himself with an exasperated grunt, struggling against the tarp's weight. "C'mon! Everything is stressful enough. Just. Give. Me. This!" With all the strength occupying his scrawny body, he gave it one final tug and was finally rewarded for his efforts.

"Now, let's see what we're—" His blood ran cold as the cover fell onto the floor. Those familiar colors of orangish to red, gold, and black painted along the colossal mech suit took hold of his attention. Its body sat lifelessly, and the four legs that were capable of holding up the mighty machine were sprawled upon the cold floor, the gorilla-like arms slouched the same. "...dealing with." He fixated on the empty void that was the pilot's compartment, as if it was the hungry maw of some sort of mechanical beast. it slouched over, the dark void directly focusing on him, almost like it was inviting him in. Waiting to devour him.

Sudden sounds erupted from robotic suit, growling and groaning stirring deep within its mechanized bowels. It made Penn leap back in alarm, believing for a fleeting moment that it was, in fact, alive. His attention had pinpointed to the direct source of the disturbing racket: the stomach.

Before he could put two and two together, the stomach's shutter unfurled wide open to reveal Boone hidden inside. The twisted, purple visage of his supposed 'friend' was plastered onto a form that one would describe as: a chewed-up wad of mutant gum. Body exuding with strange and, quite frankly, stomach-churning ooze. He emerged from the shadowy depths and simply scowled at Penn.

"Are you just going to stand there like a dopey, dimwitted meerkat, or are you going to assist me?" He sneered, gesturing towards the umbilical cord-like tube attached to where his legs would be if he had any in this world. It seemed like he was going to ignore Penn's freakout from before the zap. Maybe that's a good thing for the moment.

Penn was hesitant to lend a hand, not only because he really didn't want to accidentally touch the oozy texture of his 'skin' but he didn't want to be near this Boone at all. Yet, he had to. He had to play along for now. He bent down and made work on removing the cord, inevitably touching the ooze to his dismay. He attempted to hide his grimace and ignore the feeling of warm, melted ice cream leaking into his hair. With some jerking and tugging around, the cord unlatched, creating a hissing sound from its departure.

"Grab the thruster belt. Now!" Boone ordered, directing him towards the tacky gizmos and gadgets. Penn's sights, insisted of following the direction, stared at the leech-like mouths that replaced Boone's hands. Did they always look like that?

"Go!" That broke Penn's attention, making him jump slightly from the sheer volume of Boone's commanding voice. He felt like a lackey as he grabbed the thruster off a table of junk. It certainly didn't look like a belt, more along the lines of an attachment. It was heavy either way.

Heaving it over to Boone, who was now laying on his back, presenting himself for the attachment. It was extremely awkward as Penn stood there. The weight of the hunk of metal made his noodly arms wobble. "What are you waiting for? Boone questioned, narrowing his eyes. "Just shove it in!"

Ohgoddon'tsaythatpleasedearlord—

"Okay..." Penn winced, gearing up to just shove it in and get it over with as fast as possible. He adjusted the thruster to line up with the hole in Boone's full-body vest thing. He closed his eyes as he rammed it in the hole, jolting Boone until it clicked into place. "What was all that?" He grilled.

"I- I don't know! Look, I did the thing, okay?" Penn got defensive. He waved his arms around in a dismissive fashion. "Let's just never bring this up for any reason. Got it?" Ending his sentence by crossing his arms.

"Don't tell me what to do. That's my job." Boone sneered once more. He pressed a button on his vest and activated the thruster, granting him the ability to fly around with the added bonus of scorching anyone's face if he pleased. He drifted over to a rugged laptop sitting on one of the cluttered tables. He flipped it open and began to type, somehow.

"Isn't it technically my job—"

"Open that box and get puttin' together, or do you want to stand there and be useless?" Boone rudely interrupted him, not even sparing a glance. Whether interrupting him was intentional or not was left up in the air. He also muttered something under his breath but loud enough for Penn to hear. "Like that pile of boxed scrap metal."

He could stand there and be useless, but that won't prevent whatever evil deed they were assigned to for the day. So, Penn strolled over to the bulky cardboard box and began to pry open the taped top, digging his nails into it. He could search for something sharp, but he didn't want to annoy Boone. He seemed irritable. Although from what he gathered, he's just like that. He could either walk on eggshells around his, hopefully, temporary coworker, or stand up to his authority. He'll have to think about which path he wants to take.

After some minor struggle, he ripped open the box and let out a startled yelp. He jumped back from the sight, only to cautiously return to it. He hesitantly asked, "Sashi?"

"Sorry... I didn't mean to scare you." Her voice softly whirred in a robotic tone. A pile of mechanical body parts filled the cardboard's confines, her head rested on top of the clutter. She drew her line of sight away from the redhead. A look of embarrassment was clear on her metallic face. Penn could hear her eyes physically moving and clicking around in her sockets. It was unsettling.

"Nah, you're good." Penn assured, also looking away. The awkward moment passed in silence. "Guess I should put you together, huh?" His eyes returned to her, giving her a reassuring smile.

"Y- Yeah..."

With a determined nod, he delicately picked up her detached head and placed it on a nearby table. She watched as he got to work putting her together, struggle and confusion ensued. Fluctuating from hair-pulling frustration at his errors to prideful boasting at his successes, so on and so forth. Sashi observed with quiet amusement while Boone clicked-clacked away with growing annoyance. Finally, he assembled all the pieces, big and small, together. His hard work is able to stand on its two legs.

He picked Sashi's soon to be attached head and popped onto the neck peg, her head lopsided. He cupped the sides of her face and straightened it out. "I'm gonna spin you around, 'kay?" Penn kindly informed her.

Sashi meekly nodded to the best of her abilities. And, with a sudden spin with the help of his quick hands, she's screwed onto her body and able to access all its functions. As she wiggled her segmented fingers on one hand and bent her legs to make sure everything was operating, Penn got a good look at her form. Her frame was a bit bulkier than her original body and was now built out of metal and circuits. The colors plastered onto the metal were the same as the mech suit's own, along with all the same details and designs. Her space buns were replaced with spiked orbs similar to the end of a morning star. One arm fitted with a cannon while the other remained relatively normal.

Her glowing amber eyes flicked back at him for a brief moment, then back on the floor, a running trait of hers. "T- Thank you..." She mumbled. "I'm sorry you wasted your time..." Holding her hand and cannon together like she was preparing to brace herself.

"Hey, no need to apologize. No time was wasted." He reassured her. He wanted to place a hand on her shoulder, but from her demeanor, now wasn't the best time. "You a part of the team, we need you all in one piece." He smiled.

Her eyes were now completely glued onto him and widened with staggered confoundment. Acting as if those words were never uttered in her presence. That wasn't the case, right? The hesitant smile that pulled at the corner of her mouth certainly told a story. A story he wanted to change.

"Can we get on with the mission at hand instead of stewing in this sappy, lovey-dovey drivel?" Once again, rudely interrupted by Boone, this time glaring at the two.

"Wha—NO! I mean—YES! I mean, let's ah... get this show on the road! Huh, guys?" Penn's voice cracked, followed by a flush of red across his cheeks. He stepped away from Sashi, putting some distance between them.

Sashi shrank back in response, folding her arms and gluing her eyes back to the floor. A look of hurt rested on her face, which turned into somber yet accepting one. Like this was all routine. Penn wanted to say something but held his tongue. Hopefully, he can speak his mind sometime soon. But, sadly, not now.

"Alright, Sash, check the—"

"Watanabe, review the specs." Boone instructed the minion, giving his full attention as her robotic form suddenly rattled from panic. Penn was quite perturbed as well from how Boone addressed his coworker. Her orangish tinted specs displayed the trio's objective.

"O- Okay, your mission is to obtain a substance called Inferiorite. The only way to get it now is in Siegster's Comet, w- which is currently passing by the city. T- Then, you use the Inferiorite to create a weapon to weaken all the city's superheroes at the comet celebration."

Penn nodded along, acting as if he was going to follow through on all of this, which, of course ge wasn't planning on it. Behind his eyes? A scheme was taking shape:

Obtain the Inferiorite

Keep it far away from Boone and Sashi

Uh... figure the rest out

Boone straightforwardly asked. "How much time do I have?" As if it was solely his mission to complete, even Sashi was subtly acknowledging it by saying "your" instead of 'our.' Maybe Penn could play that within his favor somehow. This also made him question his position in this team because it's looking like the other Penn wasn't exactly the leader.

"You have until sunrise t- tomorrow." She answered.

"Okay," Penn started. "So we..."

Obtain the Inferiorite

Use it on the superheroes at the comet thing

And then.... we win? Simple enough—

"No." Boone snapped back. "I'll..."

Obtain the Inferiorite

Steal back the Medallion

Gather all the superheroes in Megasupertropolis

Use the Inferiorite

Hypnotize them into my thralls

Build a new city for me to rule over

Then take over the world!

Boone threw his leech mouth-hands up in the air and tossed his head back, laughing maniacally like the crazed supervillain he was. This perturbed Penn, making him reel back in discomfort. That demented energy was pointed towards Penn, along with a toothy hand. Boone's expression contorted from devious glee to blazing ire.

And you will not mess this up again!

Again?

He couldn't question that right now. He just had to pretend he wasn't the swapped version of his friend—no, friend was too strong of a term. His coworker was more like it. He 'owned' up to whatever mistake that happened in the past. "Aye aye, Captain! It won't happen again." Giving a half-hearted salute as well.

Boone curled his lips in irritation at what he saw as mockery. He returned to the laptop, now becoming more clear to Penn that he was scanning over some floorplans, but to where? He had no clue at the moment.

I can't convince him not to go through with the plan, obviously. Boone seems pretty set on that, and I can't take him down alone—Sashi probably wouldn't help, I can't fault her for that. So that leaves... Penn took a hard gulp. Getting help from... Rippen and Larry. The mere thought alone made his body physically shudder in revulsion, his arms and fingers curled along with it. But how am I going to lie my way out of here? Hmm...

"Hey, team, I was thinking—"

"Never a good thing." Boone really had a knack for interrupting people, especially Penn. Which, in turn, was starting to get on his nerves. He seemed to take some notice at Penn's irritation, even if it was subtle enough to slip past other people's notice. He flicked his wrist. "Proceed."

"I was thinking, what if I went out and made sure everyone is all accounted for, hmm? Put on a clever disguise and snoop around, all quiet like." Penn gave a confident smirk, knowing full well that this was going to be shot down, and he'll have to come up with something else.

Boone arched his brow, looking the redhead up and down. "Better get moving then." He responded, giving him the go-ahead. "Break a leg."

He wouldn't lie, Penn was genuinely surprised that worked out. Without missing a single beat, he took off in a random direction. Not wanting to give Boone enough time to change his mind and take away his chances. He had no clue of where he was or how to get out of here, yet this hero was determined to find away. Not just in getting out, but also saving the day.

"Ladder's that way." Boone directed a mouth-hand towards a ladder nearby.

Not acknowledging his mistake, Penn changed course and strutted over to the ladder. "I knew that." He fibbed, climbing up it like a hyped-up squirrel on a utility pole. At the very top was a manhole cover, giving Penn the information that their evil hideout was currently in the city's sewer system. How lovely.

He used his nimbly arms to move the cover over just enough for him to exit. Breaching to the surface and taking in the setting sun's warmth and crisp breeze as he slipped out. A reward for his all his efforts was almost getting hit by an oncoming ice cream truck. He ducked and rolled out of the way just in time, letting out a yelp of terror at the same time. Instead of the truck honking in anger or simply keep driving, it came to a halt, right in the middle of the street.

The frost covered vehicle jostled around as the owner stepped out and revealed herself. A tall, burly vanilla blonde woman dressed in a snow-themed costume walked around the front and towered over Penn as he laid on the asphalt. His legs failed to gain traction as he attempted to stand up and bolt away from the incoming tongue lashing.

"Hey there, sugar, you alright? I didn't hit ya or nothin', did I?" Her kindly southern drawl broke through Penn's frazzled state for a moment. Of course, she wanted to make sure he was okay. She's a superhero. Why wouldn't she?

But he couldn't stick around in case she recognizes who he's pretending to be. So, fleeing from her concerns was the best option to make sure that she and everyone else's lives are saved. Hiding away in the nearby alleyway's shadows was his only saving grace as she worriedly called out to him.

Hiding away like a villain on the run.

After sneaking inside Capes, Boots & Beyond, discreetly stealing a disguise fitted with a classic identity-concealing trench coat from the disguise section of the store, and sneaking back out, he was ready to continue his mission.

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MEGASUPERTROPOLIS

Even with his disguise, he still felt the need to stay close to the shadows in dingy alleyways until he reached a good spot where he could see the comet festival in full view in a familiar alley. He observed all the excitement, fun activities, and the plethora of food trucks and stands that littered around Liberty Square. No traffic to interrupt the festivities, the traffic cones and barricades made sure of that. But Rippen and Larry were nowhere to be found.

He continued to scan around the area from behind a dumpster. The smell was rancid but not as rancid as the sewer he was stuck it, thankfully. C'mon—where are you? Maybe it was the fact that the sun was almost out of view and made everything more difficult to see, or maybe he really was just that blind. A third option was that neither of them were there, and it was all too late, Boone's mission was already in motion. He hoped that wasn't the case.

While searching and wishing he had stolen some binoculars to help aid him, a shadowy presence stealthy made his way behind Penn and dug his fingers in the boy's shoulder. Turning him around and slamming him against a wall, knocking the air out of Penn's lungs. Now grabbing hold of his stolen trench coat's collar.

"How dare you show your repulsive countenance around this city!" The man's mechanical vocals buzzed between Penn's ears as he shook off the painful blow his head had taken.

When his eyes could finally focus, he was frightened by the wrathful face staring back at him. Half-flesh, half-cybernetic, all pissed off. His red, robotic eye bore into his own blue stare as he interrogated him. "Where's the rest of your cohorts?" Before Penn could answer, he thwacked the boy against the once more.

"I- I don't know! I swear—"

"Don't you dare lie to me, you vile scum!" He barked back.

"Look, let's talk about this! We've had our good evil moments together, right?" Penn blurted. If he was correct in his assumption, then this alternative team must have worked with this version of Professor Evil Professor. He was possibly enraged because of the 'mess up' the other Penn caused, like Rippen in his universe. This only set off the cyborg even more as he raised an arm, clenching a fist and gearing up for a powerful looking punch. Ready to break Penn's nose, or even his skull.

"Professor."

A calm yet stern voice broke through the tension, both turned to see a figure descending from the sky and carefully landed on the ground in a heroic pose. A light shining brightly behind him, cutting through the darkness. It was Rippen, now dressed in the iconic yellow and blue suit. His stylized hair flowed freely from his cowl, and the cape attached followed suit. A kiss curl sprung from his locks. Adorned with the indistinguishable symbol upon his broad chest. His body hadn't changed in the slightest, no added muscle was needed to pad out his strength. That fact made Penn feel very small in that moment. This whole display made him feel sick to his stomach. In his eyes, that was his costume.

Rippen noticed the light shining behind him and broke from his pose to turn around, glancing down at a child with beams radiating from her eye sockets. He kneeled down to her level while shielding his sight with a hand and asked, "Where are your parents?"

"Over there!" The little girl pointed somewhere in the fair while her other hand gripped a cutesy blankie.

"Why don't you stick by them, okay? Go have some fun!" He politely suggested. Not wanting her to be in a private and potentially dangerous situation, "Okie dokie!" She squeaked and skipped away, blinding anyone in her path back to her parents. He chuckled as he stood back up. Once he turned back around to face them, his expression became stoic once more.

"Professor." He addressed as he drew closer to the two, raising a dissuading hand. "Let him go. Please."

The professor begrudgingly lowered his fist and dropped the boy, taking a few steps back and grumbling to himself. Penn began to pick himself up until a familiar helping hand reached out. He took a moment to stare at the hand, then the arm, then all the way to the face. Rippen's face. No strife laid upon his face, only a tender smile. A contorted expression that Penn's never thought thay face was capable of until today. It made his skin crawl.

Hesitantly, he took hold of the gloved hand and was instantly pulled to his feet by the man's strength. Gingerly placed his hand upon the redhead's shoulder right after, ushering him away from the professor so they could talk more privately. "How are you doing? Feeling better? I was very concerned about your well-being, what with the crying out and all." Those red eyes watched him intently as Penn thought up an excuse for earlier.

"Oh, uh—Yeah, no, I'm fine, really! I just... ah—I was having a moment. Yep. An emotional moment." He lied, awkwardly pursing his lips.

Rippen wrinkled his brow and tilted his head slightly. "You mean a mental breakdown?"

The boy quickly deflected from the on point analysis. "Look, are you gonna lock me up, or can I ask you something?"

"Shoot." Rippen responded.

Penn took in a deep breath before asking. "I was wondering if I could maybe, possibly, feel free to say no... help you guys?"

"Help us?" Rippen questioned, removing his hand from Penn's boney shoulder and resting it underneath his own chin. "Why would you—Ooooh, I get it." It was like actively watching a light switch on as he snapped his fingers.

"You do?" Penn confusingly asked. No clue where Rippen was going with this.

"Yeah, it's one of those 'get back at Boone and Sashi' missions, right?" He said it all so cheerfully, like it was just a normal thing for Penn, or the other Penn, to do. His expression made it seem like he was right on the money.

"Yeah... sure." Penn reluctantly accepted.

"Alrighty, then! Here are some ground rules: number one, no backstabbing me or Larry, again. Number two—uh. Let's just worry about rule number one for now, okay?" Rippen stated, or half-stated. Even when describing the fact that the other Penn had apparently backstabbed them and he's just still so bubbly. Does this guy ever get upset?

"Gotcha." The teen pathetically shot up some finger guns.

"Then let's be on our way!" With a pointer finger whipped towards the heavens, he began to lead the way until a certain someone who had been standing to the side patiently speaks up. "Is it finally time to lock up that miscreant once more?"

Rippen turned around and placed a hand behind his neck, rubbing it sheepishly. "Umm... about that." He winced, now taking both hands and pressing his fingertips together. "He's going to help aid us in protecting the city."

"Are you out of your right mind!? What makes you think this isn't all a part of his little scheme!?" The professor thundered, marching towards Penn with the oncoming threat of him jabbing his waggling finger directly in the boy's poor chest.

Thankfully, Rippen stood in his path before the cyborg could tower over the kid. "I know you're hesitant, but please, trust me." He wrapped an arm around Penn, forcing him to careen towards the man's side. "Trust him!" Those red eyes nervously looked down at Penn and then back at the infuriated professor. "Right now, Megasupertropolis' Super Spectacular Grand Comet Mega-Palooza needs us."

The super drew in a deep breath, composing himself by placing both hands on his metallic temples and giving them a rub. "Fine—But if he betrays you, don't say I didn't warn you." He urged, once again waving that finger around.

Rippen flew into the air and spun around like a super-ballerina. "Thank you so much! I really appreciate it—" He took in a deep breath before belting out, "Professsorrr Superrrr Professsorrr!" He leads the way out of the alley and towards the palooza. As he flew off, Penn hurriedly followed while Professor Super Professor stalked him from close behind.

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This is what Penn was doing now, standing around in a disguise in the middle of the lengthiest titled palooza he's currently heard of, with people who have the faces of his mortal enemies. At least the music was good.

He attention was held by the sight of a familiar superhero chatting with Regular Size Giant Old Lady: Skunk Woman, simply existing and having fun. He never thought about what the people he and his friends had zapped into looked like before. It was extremely jarring. Actually, everything about this day was extremely jarring.

His observations were interrupted by a hotdog in his vision. He was about to freak out due to there being floating processed meat in his face until he saw the hand it was attached to. It was Rippen's. He faced the smiling man who asked, "Hotdog?"

"I'm more of a turkey dog guy myself, but ah—thanks anyways." Politely declining the offer. He wasn't exactly lying.

"No worries, more for me than!" Instantly scarfing down both hotdogs like a starving animal. Penn wanted to look away but couldn't help himself. The sight was like watching an old, stray dog being taken in and finally eating a good meal after years of neglect. But way less cuter and heartwarming by a long shot.

"Mhmm—" Rippen almost choked out a word before stopping himself, bringing a fist to his lips while using his other fist to pump his chest. He cleared his throat, seemingly getting both those dogs down. "You know whut? I think he might sell turkey dogs, too. Here, let me go check!"

Penn tried to dissuade him. "You don't have to—and he's gone... okay." He watched as Rippen took flight, now out of view. Leaving him to stand there alone again, awkwardly.

He turned his sights to a nearby petting zoo full of superpowered animals. Such as rabbits that can lay eggs filled with a mysterious substance as shown when one of them plopped out an egg due to fear of a tiny child. A miniature pony that keeps shrinking to only grow back to regular miniature stature for no apparent reason and some goats that can shoot webbing out of their utters. A sign next to them saying they could "shoot on command." The handler looked real thrilled to be here with all these small, unpredictable super children grabbing at the poor animals. Very clear on his tired, expressionless face.

He kept watching until Larry quietly appeared right next to him. When Penn finally noticed, he let out a surprised shriek that he swiftly stuffed back down his throat. "Oh—Hey, Principal Larry, how're you doing?" He blurted, putting an uneasy smile on his face.

Larry plainly stared at him, not even trying to hide it. He stood—actually he floated there, menacingly. All dressed up in a costume Penn could only recognize as Boone's. Like everything else, that bothered him.

Man, this Larry really has no problem with this, huh? Or—I guess he has loads of problems. Especially with me. Jeez, how bad was the other Penn? I mean, he has to be just as bad as Rippen, of course, but what was he willing to do that Rippen wouldn't? What lines has he crossed? And is it something I'm just as capable of? He didn't expect to be stuck in deep thought in the middle of a fair for a comet that could disrupt everyone's livelihoods. As he continued to think, he noticed Larry looking quite confused, slight head tilt and all.

What's up with him now? Is there something in my hair or on my face? If so, the least he could do is say something. I kinda wish he would, I'm curious as to how he sounds. Does he sound like Larry? The costume-cladded man just stared confusingly at Penn. What? I'm just standing here! Thinking—OH MY GOD! HE CAN READ MY THOUGHTS! GET OUT OF MY THOUGHTS! Wait... this could be helpful! Larry! I'm not—

"So... about that turkey dog." Rippen approached.

What? Oh no, not him! Not now! Dang it! All I can think about is turkey dogs! Thanks a lot, Nice Rippen!

"I asked if the hotdog vendor had any, and he got super offended! Ah—no pun intended. And I just kept asking whut his problem with turkey dogs was and just said, 'If you want turkey, wait until Thanksgiving! Then we'll talk!'" Rather than being upset, he simply laughed it off. "The city is full of such colorful personalities, huh?"

Penn gave him a, "Yep, sure is..."

That apathetic answer gave Rippen the impression that Penn was disappointed in by his findings. He rubbed the dorsum of his hand and then moved to scratching his palm despite wearing gloves. He hovered in the air and threw a thumb past his shoulder towards the city. "I can go get some from the grocery store! I'll be back in a jiff—"

"No! Look, I'm just not hungry! So, can we drop the turkey dogs—please? We have bigger things to worry about!" He really shouldn't have to remind this man masquerading as a superhero that possible impending doom is on the horizon. Let alone plead for him not to the grocery store for hotdogs of all things.

Rippen hovered back down to ground level and rubbed the back of his neck. "Right... sorry." He apologized.

Penn almost felt bad, but he quickly shot that feeling down. No, he wanted to see if this version of Rippen was capable of understanding what being a true hero really meant. It did sound a tad hypocritical coming from someone who almost destroyed a literal planet for personal reasons. But he'd rather not be reminded of that right now.

"I still can't believe you're letting him walk around freely." A familiar voice rattled into hearing range. Professor Super Professor made himself known when he came in view from whatever shadowy corner he was hiding in, arriving at Rippen's side.

Even though this version of the cyborg was supposedly a good guy, he dressed exactly like the evil one. Which, in turn, made him stand out against the crowds of cheerful ongoers and the little kids having fun. But, many people noticeably avoided him, making sure not to get too close or averting their gaze from his.

"You just need to give him a chance." Rippen emphasized. He turned towards his ally, both began to step away from Penn and Larry to contain the conversation to just them. Penn, on the other hand, could still hear them.

"A chance for betrayal." The super professor scoffed as he watched a boy dressed in a dinosaur costume threw a frisbee for a familiar super dog.

"You didn't betray me when you were given the chance." Rippen's voice broke into a gentler tone. This paused the other man's stride, making both of them stop in place.

Those words crawl towards the back of Professor Super Professor's mind and forcibly pried open his memory vault. Thoughts and feelings of the first day they properly met unraveled and played over his rationality. The same frisbee from before struck his metallic head with a hard CLANG! He didn't let that recollection draw out for too long as he kneeled down to pick up the flying disc. "I know you're a good man, but at times, I think you have far too much goodwill and faith in everything to the point of blinding you from what's really important." His voice crackled.

The dino boy and super dog slowly approached him, the dog sticking close to the child's side. The timidness was crystal clear on the boy's expression, and yet here he was, standing before such a frightening man on the hopes that he would return the disc. And with that given faith, the cyborg's stoic face softened as he handed it over. The boy's face lit up as he took back the frisbee with glee, his furry friend tagged his tail. Without hesitation, a mighty supercharged throw broke through the air, and the dog gave chase by zipping after it. An act of goodwill conveyed wordlessy.

Rippen placed a delicate hand upon the super's broad shoulder as the professor stood back up. "This is whut's really important, not just to me but to the city and to so many others! Look, after everything that's happened to you, how everyone's treated you. I knew the risk of putting my faith in you when everyone else warned me about your past. You had the option to join people scorned by society just like you... but you didn't." He got closer, grabbing the man by both shoulders and turning him so they could be face to face. Both gazing deeply into each other's eyes. "And I'll risk it all again because then I can become your friend and see your grow all over once more."

Professor Super Professor has always pondered what exactly Rippen meant whenever he brought up their shared similarities. From what he could tell, they were worlds apart. Especially after the whole vortexes tearing through the multiverse situation. Rippen, a hero to the people, and himself, a man trying to right his wrongs. And yet, those eyes, the windows to the soul... those couldn't lie to him. Maybe, just maybe, their worlds were more interwoven than he previously thought. Like neighbors. Like neighbors trying to find their place in this great, wide neighborhood.

"A chance was taken with me." Placing a hand on his own chest. "A chance was taken with you." Now, moving his hand and resting against the professor's chest, right over his beating heart. The only other thing that ever gotten so close to his heart was his medallion, an object created out of pure spite, villainy, and power, the only thing he could relay on. Now replaced with the tender touch of another man who truly sees him. "And a chance can be taken with him." To the cyborg's dismay, that very hand was taken away, now signaling towards the villain that's gathered his ire. Rippen's eyes bore into his own once more. "So, please, have faith in him... Clarence."

That name. One he's abandoned long ago, until some idiot decided to bring it up around the hero and had shot down any usage of it. But now? Just this once, he'll allow it. Only because it made him feel more human.

The professor huffed, not out of annoyance or irritation but of hesitance. With a heavy blink, a subtle smile curved at the corner of his mouth as he spoke. "Don't mess this up." The way Rippen's eyes became so radiant in an instant from his approval had a way with the old man's sensibilities.

"I won't, I promise! He has so much potential. He's a good ki—guy deep down, I just know it!" Rippen cheerfully declared, bouncing from excitement.

This little heart to heart between two ultra ripped supermen made Penn really think. Yet again, his train of thought was halted when the two walked back over, and Professor Super Professor asked Rippen a simple question. "So, what information did you get out of him?"

This stopped Rippen dead in his tracks, all excitement vanished. He fumbled over his words. "Uh—Well, you know, the basics. Nothing to divergent from the info I gave you. Like..." He trailed off in the hopes that Penn would back him up.

Which, thankfully, he did. "Get the Inferiorite from Siegfried's Comet—"

"Siegster's Comet." The professor cut in.

"That's what I said. Keep up." Penn corrected with unreasonable confidence aimed at a man that could snap him like a toothpick if he wanted to. "Where was I? Oh, right." He listed off with the aid of counting on his fingers. "Get the Inferiorite, steal the medallion, get everyone in place, enslave them all, force labor, and take over the world. Mwa-ha-ha and all." Finishing with a mockery of Boone's gesturing when he evil-laughed.

"THE MEDALLION!?" Professor Super Professor boomed, his voice crackling on each letter like lightning traveling through storm clouds. Both Penn and Rippen shrank from the bassy tone alone. "You didn't mention my medallion was being stolen from Megasupertropolis' Museum of Superb History in the Vault of Mega Super Secret Artifacts!"

"I guess I... I forgot to ask." Rippen answered ashamedly, anxiously cuppiig and rubbing his gloves while accepting all the blame and bore the brunt of tongue lashing. He also took the time to step in front of Penn, in case his ally decided to direct his wrath at the boy.

The older man threw up his burly arms and started to lash out in a sarcastic manner. "Oh! Of course! My apologies. You simply forgot to ask for such pertinent information!"

Larry was unfazed by the shouting but was beginning to become miffed by the man's beratement of his coworker. He menacing floated closer to him, gearing up to give this super a piece of his mind, perhaps quite literally—

"Larry."

The sidekick paused his pursuit. He was about to huff and roll his eyes until he saw the expression on Rippen's face. He was no longer looking at anyone of their faces, only staring towards the sky. Pure terror had widened his gaze. Penn and Professor Super Professor, too, took notice of his frightened state.

"Warn everyone."

Penn turned his head up, fear striking his heart and forcing it to plummet down into the pit of his stomach. Above the city's skyline was that damned mech suit sporting a pair of wings to help aid the rocket boosters, and next to it... was the comet. Both slowly loomed over the celebration. Black, jagged icy spikes encrusted the exterior of the rocky sphere, while red and orange lights glowed deep within. Trailing by the gigantic robot like an obedient pet.

"Oh, did I crash the party? Whoopsie~" Boone playfully announced. Not popping out of the suit's stomach like Penn expected, but comfortable in the confines of the pilot's compartment, now with a protective glass dome shielding him from the potential of being yanked out of the mech.

Larry twirled his hands near his enlarged brain, cyan-tinged lights pulsated under the folds. Sending a flashing signal to the antennas that were fixed deeply into his head, telepathically warning all the other superheroes. Each and every super's smile disappeared, only leaving them to glue their sights onto the oncoming attack. Many prepare for a fight and strike poses while other's escorted any children and those unable to fight to a secure location.

Devilish glee curled Boone's lips. "Here—let me make it up to you! I brought you all a gift!" With a dramatic push of his remote, a beam of crimson light shooting out from one of many holes that littered the celestial body and hit a police officer. His power was draining from his body as he twisted around from the affliction. Instead of one's abilities being taken by a simple touch or hug, their body would suffer under the Inferiorite's effects, utterly agonizing. Leaving him writhing on the ground, groaning in pain. This appeared to have brought the actual villain of the mission great amounts of joy as he continued blasting more innocents.

"The power of the comet in the palm of my hand!"

Rippen joined in on the evacuation by scooping up the redhead and zipping into flight. Larry and Professor Super Professor do the same with any stragglers. Penn, on the other hand, felt like a dog sticking his head out of a rocket's window. Something he's never experienced in the very form Rippen was taking over, must have been a super thing.

Back to the shady alley Penn went as he slipped out of the man's broad arms, and his feet hit the ground. "Stay here." He was told, the super began to walk back out to the streets.

But this went against his nature, his moral code, he couldn't sit by the sidelines and watch people suffer. Especially by the mouth-hands of an evil version of his friends. He blurted out, "No way!" Much to the shock of Rippen as he twirled around to meet with Penn's valiant expression. "There's absolutely no way that I'm just gonna hide in a corner and let him get away with this!" He declared his disdain for the whole situation, about to make his way out of the shadows towards Rippen.

"STAY BACK!" Rippen barked with a raised hand, ordering the boy to a halt. Penn's heart skipped a beat from the striking bellow that bounced off the brick walls. Making him take a step back into the shadows.

Obviously, it was out of safety... but as Penn observed Rippen's behavior, he was behaving more like a terrified man holding back a rampaging monster from crashing into the city. It was clear that command wasn't supposed to come out in such a forceful and a tad fearful way. He composed himself, clasping his hand tightly and restraining it to his side. Turning back around to face the city and hanging his head low, all he said back in a quieter, almost somber voice was, "You have no power here." Raising his head towards the sky and correcting his posture to a more valorous pose, he takes flight.

No.

Even if he wasn't a hero here, that doesn't stop him from still being one. And being powerless was never enough to deter him before. Penn wasted no time racing back onto the streets and was exposed to all the damage that Boone had already caused in seconds. Buildings crumbling, more people sapped of energy and others desperately trying to escape from the villain's destructive path. Seeing Rippen, Larry, and Professor Super Professor helping as best as they could.

He spotted someone bolting his way to the alleyway until another blast knocked him to the ground. It was that spatula repair guy. Penn scrambled to his side and dragged him to refuge in the alley.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyou." The spatula-costumed man blubbered, snot threatening to pour out from his nostrils. "Just stay put, okay?" Penn instructed as he left to keep doing his job: saving lives.

The petting zoo handler from earlier released all the animals presumably for backup, or maybe he saw an opportunity to get rid of them because he was sick of them, Penn couldn't tell at the moment. This gained interest from Boone and decided it was the best time to pause his pursuit and inflict horrible torture against some poor animals. Before the beam could reach any of them, a protective wall of ice shielded them from the nasty impact. This being from the courtesy of the ice cream vendor, the cool-headed Flurry Delight.

This immediately backfired as the light refracted off the ice and dispersed multiple beams to strike other heroes, adding them to the count. Horror washed over her face as her mistake helped further supervillain's plan. Distant, horrid laughter only punctuated the sting she felt. A Capes, Boots & Beyond sign was flung at the icy wall, almost smashing a rabbit in the process. It did knock the heroine down. All the animals quickly flee in opposite directions as she tried to get back on her feet. Another beam was aimed at her, but a blue blur swept her up from the ground.

"I got you, honey." Speedster lovingly reassured. "My hero." A battered Flurry tenderly drawled back. Both share a comforting gaze, as if the world around them wasn't crumbling. As if they were already safe, because they were, they had each other. The world they saw in shared with each other was shattered as a red flash shot the snowy heroine's head, sending her flying back onto the asphalt and causing Speedster to trip over like a high-speed motorcycle hitting a stray tire.

A heavy thud caused the ground both heroes laid upon to shake, clunking foosteps approaching them. Flurry bobbed her head up to see the enormous robot suit right behind Speedster. She was unable to get up as a large hand wrapped its grip around the downed super. It lifted her up and brought her to chest level, where the medallion was stuck in place. As Speedster finally awoke, it was too late. Before she could even put on a face of shock, all autonomy was snatched away from her. In the blink of an eye, she was gone. The orders of her new evil overlord occupy any thought behind her eyes.

"Fetch me any runaways!"

Immediately, she turned around to collect her first hero: Flurry Delight. "Neela... please... don't do this... not again..." She begged, taking a chance in the hopes that her dear Neela was still deep down in there, struggling just below the surface. Just like the first time.

"Nothing personal, Crystal. Just business." All told in her cheerful, on-the-job tone. A smile replacing any guilt she was possibly feeling, it was uncanny. And in a flash, Flurry was swiped off the ground and presented to the supervillain's stolen medallion. With no power or ounce of strength left, she could only weakly watch as her fate was sealed.

After dragging another civilian to safety, Penn caught a glimpse of the hypnotizing and gritted his teeth. He could have saved them—No. He still could. There's still time to set this right.

"BEA!? BEA CONNE!? BEA—BABY, WHERE ARE YOU!?" A distraught mother frantically called out for her daughter, not caring if she had to put her life in danger to find her child.

Bea Conne. Bea-conne—Beacon! Little light‐eyes girl with the blankie!

Seems like he wasn't the only one to make the connection as Rippen stopped in mid-flight and whipped his head around, searching for the little girl. He called out, acting as the mother's echo. While he searched from above, Penn hunted from the ground. Along the way, he directed others to safe spots, as did Rippen, swooping down and grabbing any injured to hide them out of harms way.

Boone on the other side of the mission kept on blasting anyone in his sights. The only reason Rippen wasn't hit yet was because of his speed. So, instead of wasting his time trying to get the perfect shot, he'll continue with his plan. Which involves capturing any superpowered heroes, sapping their power either through blasts or, like now, tossing them within his stomach hatch and shutting it tight until he depowers them with just one touch. Spewing them back out and hypnotizing them to capture other weaklings. With the help of Speedster and the more recently turned Giant Old Lady, this should all go swimmingly. Perhaps they'll be the very few to keep their powers. Along with Rippen, if everything continues going his way.

"Mommy? Mommy, I'm scared!"

Penn followed her cries, finally reaching the little girl who's now cowering and hiding under her blankie out of fear. He sped up his pace, making it halfway across a street to reach her and scanning around for somewhere to—

Don't do it.

A familiar voice rang out but not through the street but in his brain. The demand made him pause. He looked around for a source, and he found from a distance Larry staring his way, slowly shaking his head in disapproval as he held up an injured citizen.

I'm going to save her—

No. You're not.

Penn shot back a look of defiance at Larry's cold demeanor, about to start running again to do his job and help this defenseless little girl. But two words made him stop once more.

Trust me.

His colder guise melted away enough to give off being intentionally earnest. No longer wearing a frown but bearing an expression of silent anticipating hope. Penn's sights flicked by to the crying child and then back at Larry. His heart pounded against his chest and eardrums like a drum set as he closed his eyes, slowing his heart rate. Listening closely to it.

Okay... I'll trust you.

He took a chance by leaving that terrified little girl alone in the street during a cataclysmic attack. She could be injured, blasted by Boone , or crashed by falling rubble from crumbling buildings.

"Mommy? Mommy, I'm scared!"

That's the exact same cadence and tone as the first time, and for a frightened child looking for her mother, she wasn't exactly trying very hard to get out of this terrifying situation. Fear is one thing, but something was extremely off. But before Penn could think—

"I GOT YOU!"

Up in the sky, it wasn't a bird, it wasn't a plane—No, it was Rippen about to make a huge mistake. He flew down at what felt like the speed of light with open arms, confident in his rescue of the helpless Bea Conne.

"Rippen, wait!"

Rippen! Stop! It's not—

"Mommy? Mommy, I'm sc—Sorry, Mr. Rippen!"

The blankie was thrown off, not by little Bea but by Sashi hidden underneath it. Before Penn and Larry were given the chance to act, in zero seconds flat, she pulled out her arm cannon and instantly blasted him straight in the chest with Inferiorite. Knocking out of the air and onto the hard asphalt, limply laying there.

Larry dropped the still injured citizen and floated to Rippen's side, yanking him up by the shoulders and shaking him in a desperate attempt to wake him up. Professor Super Professor almost ran past the scene due to fleeing a rabid super dog earlier with the dino-dressed boy in his arms, clinging to him. "Remember; quack means duck, moo means move, bark means—" Once he caught a glimpse of his ally unconscious on the street, it was like his gravitational pull was being drawn to a dying sun. A dying sun that kept him alive.

He stood over him, air jammed in his throat and heart skipping in dread like a stone skipping across a still lake. He couldn't stand the dead stillness of the super's body, no obnoxiously cheery voice to break through the silence. Still tenderly cradling the boy, he stood over and watched as Larry continued with his best efforts to stir him awake. Shards of Inferiorite embed themselves in the hero's symbol, revealing slivers of his skin hidden under his costume.

That trademark, maniacal cackling courtesy of the one and only evil Boone cut through the quietness between the group, hypnotized heroes flocking around them. Penn was in immediate fight mode as the mech stomped its way towards them. "Wow, Watanabe, I'm shocked and slightly impressed that actually worked." Amusement could be picked from his words. Sashi threw her arms behind her back and crossed her legs, almost like she felt bad until Penn saw the slightest twinkle of a smile.

This impression of a smile quickly vanished as soon as Boone opened his mouth again. "I mean, only an idiot would fall for such a ruse—" Pausing his course of thought to have a fake realization dawn on his oozy face, it melted into a smug look. "Oh, one did." He hummed. If only Penn could reach in that suit in punch him in the snotty mug at that very moment, but alas, his imagination would have to suffice. Sashi held her cannon arm close to her chest, the weight of her actions now settling upon her face.

"If you would excuse me, I'll be taking that lumbering brute now." One giant step towards the unconscious man was greeted with instant opposition from the three. The mind-controlled superheroes prepared to attack on command. Boone only taking real issue with Penn's part in all this.

"Don't think I haven't noticed you pulling your 'heroic' weight, Scillan." Boone's voice lowered in a menacing way, doing the same with the robotic suit while he waved his large pointer finger around. "I had a feeling you would whip out the betrayal card sometime this month, but actively helping them in being pack mule of salvation?" That last part almost broke out into a snarl of disgust. Penn's valiance unflinching. Even though he didn't care for this version of Rippen, it doesn't mean he'll give evil whatever it wants.

"Tsk, tsk~ Your parents would be so disappointed."

That valiance he proudly displayed shattered at those few little words, slicing through his heart like despondency by a thousand cuts. The mouth behind such a blow contorted his visage to the point Penn was no longer looking at an evil version of a friend but a copy of a familiar villainous teacher. Frozen in place as Boone's voice echoed in his brain, those words circulating it. Spending a moment too long and it cost him a straight kick in the gut from one of the four legs of mech. The sheer force sending flying through the street and slamming against a tipped over transit bus. All air trapped in his body escaping out of him like a whoopee cushion.

Penn!

"Seize him!"

A pair of buff construction workers apprehended Larry and dragged him away from Rippen at the supervillain's instructions. Some residents from Saggy Tights Retirement Home closed in on Penn, the redhead feebly attempting to move but to no avail. Painful coughing is the only thing he could manage to do. Even then, it was in a weak manner.

The little dino-costumed boy cried as he was torn from Professor Super Professor's grasp. Tears streamed down his cheeks when reaching out for the cyborg as he was held in the clutches of a corrupted police officer. It's funny how they acted like he's simply going to stand by and let this play out. How unfortunate for them. While a rock-bodied super dared to lay hands on the professor, he looked directly into the child's violet eyes and made the most out of context sound to everyone's confusion.

"Quack."

The boy's tears subsided as he understood what he needed to do and trusted that the professor knew what he was doing. He wrapped his arms over his head and lowered himself as best as he could. The grizzled man, in turn, swiveled around and head-butted his metal head against the rocky super's own. In any other case, this would result in the attacker's skull itself getting smashed, but this was a fight of rock against reinforced metal of the professor's own making. It didn't help that the rocky hero was much older than he was. Resulting in a very unfair fight, which didn't bother him in the slightest.

The rock-bodied man drew back in pain from the head-bashing, and an extra kick in the gut sent the poor, enthralled elder flying back. He tossed another striking blow using his fist this time around and decking the policeman square in the face, also sending him flying back, screaming. In those very few milliseconds where the officer let go of the child and sent him falling towards the ground, Professor Super Professor ripped his cape off and throwing it at the boy. The cape, in turn, rapidly wrapped around him and flew off in a separate direction from all the chaos. Ensuring the boy's safety, he turned on his heels and bolted straight in Boone's direction, disarming any enemies that got in his way.

Penn and Larry watched on as he leaped onto the mech and started punching at the glass dome around the supervillain in the attempts to seize the remote. Then, the medallion next.

"Sashi—don't just stand there! Shoot him!" Boone shouted out before trying to get the man off by shaking as hard as the suit was capable of handling. The yelling startled Sashi into action, raising her cannon as she aimed and blasted at the attacker.

She missed. She missed, again. She missed quite a few times, actually. Some of the entranced heroes tried to tear him off in the meantime, but anyone who laid their hands on him was met with a punch or kick to the face. Breaking anything he needed to in order to break the barrier between him and the one thing that could end this madness.

"Watanabe—hurry up!" He urged, glass beginning to crack and splinter in various directions before his eyes.

After practically wasting so many precious Inferiorite shards, she finally landed a shot in the man's back. But that had no effect on him whatsoever. "Can't shoot away what isn't there." Professor Super Professor growled like he had sparks buzzing between his teeth, punctuating his words with one last blow that shattered a jagged hole big enough to climb in and snatch the remote.

But before he had the chance, Boone thought on his feet, or lack thereof. He pointed the bottom of his thruster belt and slammed the button on his vest that would activate it, granting him the ability to scorch anything he pleased. Like the old man's face. The flames spewed against the cybernetic half of the professor's face, turning his head so the side with his robotic eye could take the brunt of the burning. He continued his struggle to reach for the remote, even as the flames began to reach and nip his fleshy bottom half. Soon enough, the heat was too much to bear as his self-preservation took over, and he reared back in pain.

In that split second of letting his guard down, the suit's massive hands wrapped around him, seizing all control of his movements. Not matter how hard he attempted to wriggle out, he wasn't escaping the cramped clutches of his foe. At least, not with his free will still intact. He was pulled down to medallion level so the brainwashing could commence.

To Boone's amusement, the old cyborg was putting up a good fight this time around. "Awww, you really did have a change of heart. Let's see how fickle it is, shall we?" He gleefully sneered. He sped up the process by poking and prodding by saying all the right things, the words acting as the string that would wrap around every vital part of his puppet.

No matter how loudly the professor strained to deny it, to block it out, there was nothing or no one to set him free. Only himself. A man he couldn't trust.

"C...Clar...ence?" A weary voice broke out, calling to him. It was Rippen's.

The scene taking place made Penn's heart plummet back down to the pit of his stomach again. Professor Super Professor struggling against being hypnotized by an evil version of his childhood best friend, Rippen just waking up from be shot by a dispirited version of his newer best friend, and Larry, unable to do anything but to watch as it all happened. Just like Rippen, and just like Penn.

It only took a few moments for the professor to succumb to Boone's power. He was dropped to the ground and turned to loom over the weakened super. Rippen got a better look at the damage his advisory had caused to his ally. Before he could attempt to lay a hand on one hair of Rippen's head, something appeared to have violently taken ahold of his brain. He gripped his metal-covered skull and instantly knew the cause: Larry.

"Take care of his little sidekick, won't you?" Boone requested in a faux politeness he added in his rhetorical question was slimy.

Professor Super Professor obliged and stomped in Larry's direction, raising a hand and with full force, jamming his fingers in the sidekick's exposed brain. Larry barely got out a pained cry before the next brutal assault, which involved the cyborg reaching behind his back, plucking the largest shard of Inferiorite and jabbing it into the cerebrum The construction workers that once held him up dropped him to the ground, stepping back from the torment in horror. This all left the sidekick incapacitated and wounded, giving the professor permission to forcefully drag Larry away by his brain folds without any worry of him putting up a fight.

"Lar...rry..."

Tears filled Rippen's eyes and flowed down face, watching his friend being torn away from him. Despite taking a blast to the chest, rendering him to the most weakened his been in at least a few months, he rolled off his back and started to feebly push himself up. Strained groans of pain were forced out of him, and he strived against the suffering his body was going through in the hopes of catching up to his friend and saving him.

None of his efforts mattered in the end. He was snatched off the ground by Boone, and the grip around him was tightened to the point of being unable to breathe. Some bones could be heard cracking underneath the mech's fingers. "Now, for the big finish." Boone's crypticness made it clear that he had big plans for Rippen. And wherever it was happening, it was going to be high up in air, given how eager Boone was to activate the suit's rocket boosters. This gave the residents the go on retrieving Penn.

"Leave him. He can't do anything anyways, he has no power here."

And with that, Boone flew up high into the air, leaving Penn to wallow in his failings. But one more figurative punch to the gut left him feeling dejected before Rippen was completely out of sight.

"Pe...nn..."

Any mind-controlled hero that lingered swiftly left, Sashi soon following not too far behind by the use of some built-in rocket boosters in her feet. The street was empty of any life, and Penn was completely and utterly alone. A fact that's persisted ever since he was zapped into these bizarro dimension, that's only now sinking in. That feeling clawed it's was deep inside his chest as he closed his eyes. Shutting himself out from the world.

He was alone, a villain and a failure of a hero.

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Don't lose hope, especially when things look darkest. Hope is what gives you the power to do great things. If you stop hoping, you've got no chance.

"Baa-aa-aa!" A loose goat bleated nearby Penn, having a tagalong in the form of a rabbit riding its back. A plastic bag tangled in its horns as it chewed on an ice cream cone.

The redhead fluttered open his eyes and was drawn to the odd sight. Then, he looked up to the city's skyline, searching until his gaze landed on a familiar comet looming near the Daily Prism. A plan was slowly forming in his slightly scrambled mind.

Grab some eggs

Penn rose from his spot of bent metal and some broke glass. Thanks to the sudden movement, he discovered immense pain that resided in his back, almost toppling over but ultimately pushing himself to reach the goat and rabbit.

He tugged the plastic bag of the goat's horns and whooshed the bag open and cautiously slipped it over the fatty rabbit's butt. He stared in the rabbit's eyes and tried to put the animal at ease with a few peta. "Ok, I'm going to squeeze, you know—but not in a weird way." He assured, surely to the rabbit's confusion, the boy began to squeeze the poor thing hard enough to produce some eggs. By the time the bag was filled with a good amount, the rabbit wiggled out of the bag and hopped away from the awkward situation.

"Your eggs won't go to waste, you weird super-rabbit—mutant thing?"

Grab some eggs

Grab the goat

He grabbed the goat. If the sign by the goat pen was correct, he only needed the command.

"Shoot!" Nothing.

"Shazam?" Still nothing.

"Go!" Nada.

"Spider-Goat to the—No? Nothing?" Nope. "C'mon!"

"Pew?" A lucky made caused a shot of webbing to fly past him in response. "Woohoo! Yes, finally! Let's get this super messed up party ended!" He cheered, slithering the bags handled through his arm and picked up the goat. Thankfully, it wasn't too big and only slightly heavy. His back pain would have to deal with it for now. With everything figured out, all that was left was...

Grab some eggs

Grab the goat

Ruin Boone's plans and entire day!

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Up near the Daily Prism building, Boone was rattling off about his evil plans next to the looming comet, not knowing Penn had scaled up the building with his spider-goat. "—And in taking the prism, that would grant me more firing range for Siegster's Comet, and I'll be able to take over this world with my enthralled army!" Before he could bust out in maniacal cackling, he added. "But first, I need to take care of you." Addressing the weakened hero in his grasp.

"That's awfully kind of you. I could go for some tea and maybe a nice nap." Rippen grinned. Even in his sapped state, he could still playfully tease his enemy.

The provoking worked for a moment, but Boone was too far into his plan to let it bother him. "How does being hypnotized sound instead?"

"That didn't work before."

"Oh, I believe I'll be far more effective than that good-for-nothing, backstabbing Captain ever was!" Boone barked, clearly getting heated by his ex-ally's actions. He calmed himself and said something rather ominous. "Especially after obtaining some... vital knowledge."

Rippen opted to ignore how unease that made him feel. "It'll never work on me!"

"OOoooOH! Because YOUR the most purest of heart in the whole multiverse and never ever did any wrongdoings to anyone in your entire life! Not a negative bone in your body! Not a terrible, dark, impulsive thought lingering in that thick skull of yours! Is that it? Is that what you truly believe, Mr. High-and-Mighty?"

Rippen had nothing to say against that. Many possible responses were stuck in his throat, but none could surface. He turned his gaze away in, what appeared to be, shame. He knew deep down, none of that was true.

"Then you wouldn't mind if I tested you, just to be sure." A malicious grin tugged at the corners of his goopy mouth. Rippen's heroic demeanor slolwy diminished as he was pulled closer to the medallion. He began to struggle against his young nemesis' hold in the hopes that somehow, he could escape. The most he could move was his head, but that freedom didn't last long when Boone slithered his index fingers out and jabbed them to both sides of the man's head, forcing him to face forward. Straight in the medallion's direction. An unmistakable glint flashed behind Boone's eyes, his wicked grin grew wider in anticipation. "What? Afraid old habits die hard?"

Pure horror crossed Rippen's face, his mouth dropping open, trying to cry out in retaliation, but any sound that left his lips died out quickly by the medallion's power. His expression shifted from terror to an almost tranquil one. His shoulders were slumped, and his eyes glazed over. From the outside, it looked as if he had already given up, but inside was a battle for free will.

While Rippen fought of the medallion effects, Penn sneaked around on the rooftop. Bypassing the possible problem of the goat blowing his cover by ushering it through the roof access door and hoping it didn't cause a mess. Then, it was back to sneaking around. Maybe they should've been someone guarding that door or any other thralls up here at all. I mean, at that point, they were just asking for someone to bust it down and ambush them.

But someone was supposed to guard the door and just so happened to catch Penn lurking around. It was Sashi. They stared at each other for a few awkward moments. Her amber, irisless eyes were glued on him, but she felt no need to call him out and gather everyone's attention. So, he went on his merry way, feeling a tad anxious that she might change her mind.

What really set him on edge was crossing Professor Super Professor's path, especially after what he did to Larry. He stole a glimpse of the two near the huge sign, Larry being tied up on the letter S. He looked worse for wear, letting Penn know that once he was dragged away after that brutal assault, it didn't exactly stop there. He hoped that he could relieve the sidekick of his cybernetic aggressor, somehow. An idea popped into the scheming mind of his. It wasn't a great one, but it'll do for now.

He scrambled back to the door and, holding his breath, quietly opened it and swung it shut as louldy as he could. He ducked out of the way and hid out of the cyborg's view. This indeed got the desired effect. The professor made his way towards the door and opened it, trying to gather any clues as to what caused the sound. As he peered down the stairs, Penn, as quietly as possible, snuck up on him and pushed him with full force down the stairs. Topping it off with slamming the door closed once more and running off.

He hurriedly made his way behind the giant S and started untying Larry. He fumbled a bit, theses were pretty sturdy knots, but eventually, he loosened them enough for Larry to fall the the ground. "Oooo, sorry about that—but you need to hide or something, the Professor's going to come back." Penn whispered.

Larry looked up at him, not in a confused manner but a curious one. That quickly shifted as he struggled to pull himself back up, Penn grabbing his arm and tugging him to his feet. With that, the sidekick began to wobble towards Boone and Rippen, Penn holding him back by yanking the same arm, Larry turned his head with a frown.

"I'll deal with him, okay? Go!"

Reluctantly, Larry listened and backed away. He didn't hide, only standing out of sight. Penn crouched and drew closer to the two, fishing out an egg as quietly as he could and almost dropping it. Egg in hand, he steady himself and adjusted his aim until it was just right.

"Wouldn't it be so nice to go back to before? Before all this heroing nonsense?"

"It.... would be... so nice... to... to stop the hurting... I caused..." Tears threatening to spill over Rippen's mask. His glazed eyes changed from red to purple, to blue, and back to red once more until the colorful loop started again.

This wasn't the answer Boone was looking for. "NO!" His patience was wearing thin. "You've hurt so many people—maybe there's a reason for that? Maybe you were destined to hurt people, to cause problems, to destroy!"

"N...o...." Rippen whimpered, pathetically.

"But your life didn't build up to this, right? You were never supposed to be here. Were you? Aren't you the least bit curious to know what it would've been like on the other side... if she hadn't gotten to you first?"

".......y...e...s...."

Boone had him right where he wanted him, that horrid grin on his goopy visage. "Well, here's your chance." He removed his fingers from the sides of Rippen's head, making him slump forward, gazing deeply into the eye of the medallion. Showing that no outer forces will distract him from his entrancing fate. Like a moth drawn to a flame.

"Just let go."

Abruptly, an egg flung through the large crack in the mech's glass dome and smashed against Boone's oozy face, the grossly colored yoke splattered across it, making him even more slimy. He swung his jaw open in shock and whipped his head around, searching for the source. His ire landed on Penn, now proudly standing in front of the Daily Prism sign.

"HOW ABOUT YOU LET GO OF HIM!" Penn shouted, threatening to throw another one.

"Eggs? Serious—" Another egg cracked against his forehead before he could even finish his sentence. The mystery yoke dripped into his mouth, and the taste made him dry heave.

"Rabbit eggs!" The redhead corrected his foe, hurling another one straight on the medallion and breaking its hold over Rippen. "—And rabbit hops!"

"Wha—huh? Penn?" Rippen mumbled.

Penn dropped the bag of eggs and made a mad dash across what was left of the rooftop between him and the mech and took a mighty leap, grabbing on tightly to whatever his hands got a grip on. He pulled at the medallion off the suit with all he could muster and ripped it clean off, discovering that it had a magnet on the back. So, pulling so strongly wasn't necessary—really, anyone could've ripped it off just like that. Rippen was just as surprised by the discovery.

Penn beamed, achieving the first part of his goal. Honestly, he thought it'd be more difficult to obtain it. But now, to finish this by snapping it in half. A soft smile subtly grew on Rippen's face at the sight of Penn doing something... heroic. At first, he thought the boy was going to use it for himself, but Rippen didn't mind being proven wrong. Especially in this moment.

Before Boone could realize that his betraying cohort had stolen and broke the medallion, he knocked Penn off with a THWACK, sending him falling to his demise. Sashi and Larry gasped from the rooftop as they watched him drop.

"PENN! NOOO!" Rippen cried out, struggling to release himself from mech's hold. Boone shook the look of shock and panic that was plastered on his face and peered down at the hero. "What are you going to do? You have no power here!"

"I'm going to save him."

He channeled what little strength he within him and forcibly shifted the suit's arm, using his weight to make it move with him, ultimately careening it into the comet. The jagged, icy spikes piercing through the metal, showing that not just the Inferiorite inside the comet was dangerous, but the whole exterior was too. This stunned Boone, making him lose function in the robotic arm. Giving Rippen the opportunity to break free and plummet down below.

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Penn felt the wind whistle past him, his heart beating rapidly against his ribcage. The feeling of weightlessness was utterly terrifying to all of his senses. He kept waving around his arms in the hopes he'd grab onto something, but to no avail. There was nothing to stop his fall.

He whipped his head in every direction. He didn't fully know what he was searching for, but was hoping for something, anything at this point! The rising suns rays beamed at the side of his face, making him rotate his body in its direction. A realization hit him: it was tomorrow. He thwarted Boone's plans.. he won the mission.

I won!

I won.

I... won...

He was a hero... and he was going to perish like one.

˗ˏˋ⚡︎ˎˊ˗—˗ˏˋ⚡︎ˎˊ˗—˗ˏˋ⚡︎ˎˊ˗—˗ˏˋ⚡︎ˎˊ˗—˗ˏˋ⚡︎ˎˊ˗—˗ˏˋ⚡︎ˎˊ˗

With in a blink of an eye and the crackling sound of a zap whizzing through his ears, the sun's warmth suddenly vanished, and the city below him was replaced by scorching, pinkish red flames. A humongous, absolutely ginormous leviathan-like creature appeared from the fire and widened its mouth, large jagged teeth littered its mouth, even more fire residing within its gullet. Waiting for to clamp its jaws over him. He flipped his body back upwards, shielding from the sight likely out of terror.

WHAT!? NO! NONONO! THIS IS NOT HOW IT ENDS PLEASE NO! THIS CAN'T HAPPENING!!! NOOOOO!

He screamed, but no words fell out, only cries. He squeezed his eyes shut, tears rushed up his face, droplets carried by the wind. He hugged himself tightly, feeling his heartbeating at what felt like as speeds it had never reached before. His breath continuously gets caught in his throat. He kept his eyes shut, not daring to see what happened to him in the end.

He thought of his friends, his parents, even Uncle Chuck, Aunt Rose, and that damned chinchilla. How he'll never see them ever again. How they'll never know what happened to their friend, their son, their nephew. How in his final moments... he thought of them for the last time.

"Penn!"

When he opened his eyes in response, he was greeted with the visage of his mortal enemy. His cape whipped through the air and flowing behind him, forming the shape of that hairstyle that's haunted the boy's dreams for nights on end.Those fiery red eyes pierced his sky blue ones. Penn wanted to kick him, punch him, and tear that skunky hair out of his skull for forcing him into this role in the first place. For taking his parents away from him. All he could do was cry.

Wordlessy, Rippen offered his hand as they both hurled closer to the ground, hoping Penn would take it. Teardrops left both of their eyes and became skybound.

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Penn took a chance and grabbed a hold of his hand, pulling himself towards the man and wrapping his arms around him, hugging him tightly. He'd never ever dared to hug his enemy in a million years, but... he wasn't his enemy. He didn't do any of those things... he was just trying to be a hero. Just like him. Rippen rotated his body to make so that he would be the one to take the brunt of the fall. He held the boy closely with a tenderness that surprised Penn. It wasn't unwelcome, at least, in this moment, it wasn't.

"You'll be okay... I promise." Rippen vowed in a gentle voice, almost serene. They were falling to their demise, yet he was behaving so calmly. Was it because he believed they'd be saved, or did he already accept their fate. Or maybe, just maybe because no matter what, he wanted to sooth a scared child.

They were only several feet off the ground at this point, milliseconds passed as they drew closer and closer until—everything was black.

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Was this it—death, or even limbo? Shrouded in eternal darkness felt like hugging a teddy bear—or was Penn still hugging... yep, he was. It was almost suffocating, not the hug but the dark. Also warm, very warm, actually, that might be due to the hug. Either way, it was like being trapped under a collapsed pillow fort, a blanket sealing out all the air.

An opening of sorts blossomed from the top of where they were, and the sun shined down upon them, both gazing up in befuddlement. It descended and hit some sort of ground. That's what they felt, at least. When it fully opened, it was revealed that they were back before the comet came: Liberty Square. No flames or giant leviathan creature, everything was completely normal. Superheroes surrounding the two and looking on with concern. Penn released himself from Rippen's embrace in response, feeling a tad embarrassed.

What caught their fall was a familiar dark magenta cape. The owner of the cape walked up to the two, his face still half-melted. "Clarence!" Rippen leaped up like a kangaroo and gave the older man a big old bear hug.

Professor Super Professor had a sorrowful expression upon his face. "I'm sorry I couldn't fight off the medallion's effects... again—"

"No need to apologize!" Rippen swiftly cut him off, now grabbing him by the shoulders. "You're still a good person, like everyone else here that was hypnotized. You saved so many people in such a desperate time. He could never take that away from you."

This warmed the man's hearts and circuitry. "Well, like a wise man once said, 'all it takes is to help one person'." Alluding to a past conversation they shared. Rippen moved his hands from the professor's shoulders and traced them along his muscular, reaching his hands and clasping his own around the. The two shared a warm smile together.

"And the only one you should be apologetic to is Larry—Wait, where is he?" Worry crept across his face as he swiveled his head all over in the hopes of spotting him.

"Oh god... he might still be—"

The most horrible, ear-piercing shrieking could be heard way up in the sky, the source rapidly approaching. Penn instantly recognized that scream from anywhere, any dimension. "Boone?"

The mech came crashing down, almost landing on the Liberty statue. An emergency airbag deployed, only seconds after its use was needed. Luckily, he didn't exactly have a spine, or perhaps any bones for that matter. Police officers made their way in his direction. Sashi descended not far behind, holding Larry as she did so. Was this her doing, or did Larry make her carry him? Who's to say.

Rippen rushed towards him and snatched Larry up before they even landed on the ground. He held him as close as humanly possible, but he wasn't bear-hugging him, no, only the gentlest for his friend. He couldn't bear linger on those bruises that littered his body and brain, mainly the shard of Inferiorite sticking out of his folds. As he held him, he called out, "Is there a doctor here?"

"I'm a doctor!" Somebody responded.

But Rippen couldn't find them, a few people looked around confusingly also. "Right here." A pair of floating glasses, doctor's scrubs, and classic white coat walked up to the two. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't..."

"See me? That's alright, happens all the time." The doctor responded, their tone of voice luckily conveying that they really didn't mind. They took a gander at Larry's current state. "Let's see—OH BOY! Yeah, uhhh, can someone call an ambulance?" The amount of alarm in their voice after barley even observing him for a full minute raised Rippen's anxiety.

"I'll go tell them!" Speedster announced. She ran and a second later, "They're on their way!" Assuring that everything is handled. After everyone was put at ease and turned their attention elsewhere, she slumped over, no longer needing to hide her fatigue. Flurry Delight rested her hand on Speedster's shoulders, giving them a hardy rub. "Easy there, hun. You can rest now." Topping it off with a kiss on her silvery blue-haired head. The tired math teacher leaned back onto her loving wife with a content spread across both of their faces.

Penn watched on as Larry was sat on the ground, doctor's orders, and Professor Super Professor sat down next to him. "I'm truly sorry for," he gestured at Larry, "You know, all of that." He didn't expect his apology to be accepted in the slightest. Larry's response was to punch him in the arm with all the might he had left in him, which was enough to hurt. The professor let out a pained grunt and gave his arm a half-hearted rub. He looked back at the sidekick and swore he saw a cheeky grin for a spilt second.

The dino-costumed boy came out of hiding with Bea holding his hand, both strolling up to the cyborg. "Hi, Doctor Th- Thuper Robot-Man." The boy lisped, giving a little wobbly wave.

Rippen took notice of the kids and the professor's tentativeness, his one good eye looking back and forth between the children and the hero. Rippen gave an encouraging double thumbs up while mouthing. "You got this."

While, yes, he talked the boy before, but that was a life or death situation. He barely even spoke, just cried and nodded along. So, this was all new territory for him. Being a better person was still a path he was walking. He hadn't reached the end quite yet if there was an end goal to reach. He glanced over to Larry, who also let him take the reigns. He cleared his throat and slowly stood up. "Hey, kiddo... who's your friend?"

"Her name'th Bea, I helped her."

That sweet response made him smile with pride. After everything he saw, the danger, the terror, and that giant robot, this little boy went out of his way to save a fellow child in need. After he was saved by... Professor Super Professor. A true selfless act always sparks another. "Did you now?" He inquired, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. The boy nodded, the dino head flopping about as he did so. "Well, we should find your parents and tell them, don't you think?" He ushered them to scout around the area for them.

The parents instantly spot their respective kids. "SAMMY!" A man shouted, one of the construction workers. "BEA!" The mother from before, both came running towards them, tears in their eyes. The children followed suit and dashed over to them, Bea accidentally blinding Sammy's father along the way. Both parties hug each other. The mother peeked over at Professor Super Professor and told him. "Thank you so, so much."

He awkwardly struck a hero pose and said, "You're welcome." It might have helped if he was still wearing his cape. Everything seemed to have wrapped up nicely in a little bow—

"Don't think that everything's wrapped up nicely in a little bow!" Boone sneered, the police still trying to get him out of the suit. "I have the power, and I can do whatever I want with it—And I choose to destroy you all!" He whisked out the remote and pressed an ominous looking button and smashed it across an officer's face. Laughing like a madman as the comet hanging straight above all the gathered people of Megasupertropolis began to drop from the air and hurled towards them, threatening to crush them. Many screamed and ran, and others froze in fear.

"Quit ya panicking, I got it." Regular Size Giant Old Lady downplayed the severity of situation as she dropped the 'regular size' and grew to her gigantic form. She caught the comet before it splattered everyone across the street. Cheers roared from the smaller citizens. Those cheers immediately went quiet when she began to struggle, her size slowly diminishing due to the comet's effects. "I'ma set this over here." She set it a on a road, causing a future traffic jam and shrink back to regular size. Almost collapsing, but Rippen caught her in the nick of time.

"Thanks, dollface." She said, fluttering her eyes closed. "Anytime, Suzanne." He mused, noticing numerous ambulances arriving. He dragged her over to one of them. Better safe than sorry.

Ruin Boone's plans and entire day!

Boone did the whole villain spiel. He cursed out the good guys as he was slipped out of his mech and thrown into a now present police vehicle, Sashi willing, following him inside much to his chagrin. Professor Super Professor sneaking a glimpse of her, he didn't want to make direct eye contact with his creation. They had an... odd relationship, it only becomes stranger after a certain event that recently took place.

Penn acted as a crutch for Larry, both also making way to the ambulances. Larry was put on a stretcher straight away by some buff paramedics, Suzanne settling on a separate one. Before the sidekick was taken into the ambulance, he pointed right at Rippen, imparting the information that he was also injured.

"Sir, I think you should go to the hospital. Like, now." A paramedic with a stretcher spoke.

It was clear on Rippen expression that he really didn't want to do that, but Larry gave him the trademark stare down. He took a deep breath and almost reluctantly so, and hopped onto the stretcher. Penn following beside him, and Professor Super Professor right behind him. Everyone packing into the ambulance like sardines. Penn hearing some chatter before the doors shut behind them.

"That mean little robot stole my blankie." Bea huffed.

"Yeah, invisibility has its perks. There's a reason that baddie couldn't find me, haha... ha... eh." The doctor didn't sound very proud of their 'hiding techniques'.

"Ice bath the old fashioned way?" Speedster proposed. "Ice bath the old fashioned way." Flurry affectionately replied.

The ride was a bit bumpy while they were driven to the hospital. The stretcher swaying with every turn. "I knew you were a good kid, deep down. I know I'm probably repeating myself, but you really did pull through." Rippen sincerely appreciated everything the boy did today, that was clear on his face.

Although he was being heartfelt, Penn couldn't help but go back to the whole 'stay back' moment from a few hours ago. He won't bring it up and sour the mood, but that doesn't mean he'll swipe it under the rug. That bellowing tone will more than likely haunt his dreams. He almost missed the "again" that Rippen muttered under his breath when recalling the moment, a half-suppressed smile playing on his lips and turning his face away from Penn's gaze.

Suddenly, both Penn and Rippen sensed the same thing, an oncoming zap. This was the time to say their goodbyes, or for Rippen to at least. Him now facing his dear ally, both sharing tender looks and soft smiles. "See you around the neighborhood."

The professor chuckled lightly, a soothing melody to Rippen's ears after the day they both had. "You don't have to say that anymore. I know your real identity, remember... Rippen?"

This meant the entire universe to him. Anyone who looked upon him in this very moment would be blinded by his beaming smile of pure, relentless joy. And what seems natural to him, shedding a few tears. "Tell Shelly I said hi." He requested, choking back those tears and failing.

"I always do." He rested a metallic hand over Rippen's.

Such a sweet scene was overshadowed by thoughts plaguing Penn's mind. I was never that close with anyone from any dimension. Even when some of them learned my true identity, nothing really came out of it. Would they miss me if I... zapped away for the last time?

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˗ˏˋ⚡︎ˎˊ˗ZAP˗ˏˋ⚡︎ˎˊ˗

A wave of relief that it was finally over washed over Penn before being stricken with the stark reminder that this was not, in fact, all over and that he still wasn't home and out of the nightmare quite yet.

The machine's beam juddered as it pulled the teens out of the dimension. It powering off mid-zap, dumping them onto their cramped platforms. Penn, not being prepared for the sudden drop, almost landing on his knees. Boone and Sashi, we're used to such an occurrence. This gave Boone the upper hand as he grabbed a handful of crimson curls and yanked his head around.

Sashi made no effort in stopping the boys' incoming tussle. She simply went to dig in her satchel nearby and pull out her work shirt, peeling her zip-up hoodie off and fitting it over her black tank top.

Boone dragged Penn around by the hair like a mop for the dirty floors of the convenience store. The redhead tried to fight back, but he was far weaker compared to this version of his friend. After a minute or two of their scuffle, Phil finally piped up. "Take it outside. Don't want blood on floor for Sashi to clean up again. It makes her sad." Oddly considerate of Sashi's feelings, but that idea of kindness was swiftly gutted. "She cleans slower when sad."

Boone begrudgingly obliged and stomped his way out the door, snatching up his backpack with his free hand while Penn's luscious locks were still in his other hands grasp. He exited with a ring from the door chime hanging above. He forcibly flung Penn onto the sidewalk, him banging his nose on the concrete and blood pouring from one of his nostrils.

"You're such a leech—you know that!? Always latching onto the next person who could give you whatever you want like that halfwit hero! You promised that this wouldn't happen again, and I stupidly believed you. Why do I keep listening to a single word that comes out of your lying loudmouth—letting you bleed me dry!?"

Penn had never seen Boone this miserably angry in his entire life, yes, this was a different one from his own but it was still his face, his voice, and it was such a woeful sight to behold.

"Boone, I—"

"No! Don't even!" He snapped, nearly huffing and puffing from all that built of rage inside him. "For your betrayal, no more parents for a week—No, a month!" He swiped his MUHU before Penn could even understand what the threat meant. He immediately jumped to his feet to take back his precious gadget.

He pushed back to the ground, but when he raised himself up, Boone had hijacked his scooter that was leaning against the wall by the store's pay phone and surprisingly not already stolen, he rode off. Leaving him in the dust with his only communication to any back at home. Why didn't I think of calling anyone!? Penn, you dumbass!

He raced after him at full speed, chasing him through multiple streets, roads, and neighborhoods for what felt like hours before he lost him. When the mere thought of losing his last hope of contacting anyone from his home dimension, he flipped. He yelled in the open street, hands on his head with his nails scraping down his scalp. Impulsively, he bit his hand vigorously, tugging it around like a rabid, hyperactive dog with a poor chew toy in its mouth.

Giving himself some time to cool off and collect his composure, he wandered the streets until he knew here he was. He bolted through a shortcut between some backyards and was back in his neighborhood. He was pinning his hopes on Boone being at his house, waiting to tease him. It made some sense. He lost him not too far from here, and he's a jerk. He'd have to take a little pit stop and taunt him.

When he arrived, no Boone was there with his MUHU. It did give him the chance to check out the exterior of his house, which looked exactly the same. And from what he remembered, inside seemed the same too, or at least, the couch was. He marched up the walkway to his front door and twisted the knob. It was locked. He didn't have his key on him, but he remembered where the spare was, always hidden in a fake rock in the bushes. His fished it out and popped th back open, only instead of a key. It was a neatly folded note. When unfolded, it read:

"And no more home! —You're Worst Enemy ;)"

"Come oooooonnnnn! Seriously!?" He groaned. An idea popped into his head. Maybe the back door was still unlocked? He rounded to the back, a gate blocking his path. He was about to climb up it like he'd done before but stopped himself and tested to see if it was unlocked first. It was. That would've been embarrassing if he didn't check first. Work smarter, not harder.

Making it to the backyard and up the porch, he tried the back door, and unfortunately, that was also locked shut. Great! Just my luck! This is what I get for being a good guy! I learned my lesson—Don't be a hero! ....fat chance. With nothing else to do, he spun around and headed for the on place left for him: his treehouse.

Passing by the obstacle course that cluttered half the grassy area, he climbed up the built-in ladder, glancing up at the 'Penn House' sign that hanged for everyone who entered the backyard to see. Replace the last N with a T, and you get the cleverness of a ten year old. That was going to be his upgrade when he was older, but now, he'd rather keep the treehouse instead. He was expecting the door to also be locked right, but thankfully, he was allowed inside with twist of the knob.

Heading inside granted him a startling sight. It was like a tornado had a fight with a bull in here. Half of the stuff in here was either broken or shredded up with the numerous knives that were stuck in the walls. A crude sketch of this world's Rippen with a big, doofy, and oddly unsettling smile was run through with one of the blades.

A few steps in, a loud crunch under his shoe made him pause. Moving his foot revealed he stepped on a broken picture frame of him and his parents, the same one that's always sat on the shelf in his bedroom. He swiped the photo from the glass-riddled wreckage and held it up, gazing at the happy faces, the beautiful landscape behind the, and the pleasant memories that all together conjured up. Something drew his attention, strange splotches stained the photo. Upon closer inspection... it was dried tears.

That discovery made him tear up, throwing himself onto the weirdly half burnt, cat hair-covered loveseat. He hugged the photo close to his heart, sobbing himself to sleep. Maybe when he woke up, this would be a distant dream, and he'd be back home with everyone. Everything would be fine.

He knew deep down... that was a comfortable lie.

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His mind once again wasn't kind to him later that night. The nightmare dam bursted, releasing a flood of terror to run amok in dreams and senses. He was desperately searching for his parents, the three of them trapped in a never-ending, ever-winding labyrinth. Endless circles of fear while chasing cries of his parents that seem so near, but he was constantly out of reach. He rounded a corner, and after catching a glimpse of his parents with their brains exposed and bleeding, a monstrous Rippen pushed him far back with a bloodied, clawed hand. He bellowed:

"STAY BACK!"

Penn fell back and was now was hurling towards the flames and leviathan from before. Only now, it had a tongue that spring forth, it being the oozy, purple parasitic form of the evil Boone, waving about and laughing maniacally. Above him, the demonic Rippen flew down with fiery wings that matched the ones below, following in Penn's direction.

"THIS IS WHERE YOUR STORY ENDS, PENN ZERO!"

He thundered with devilish glee, his serpentine forked tongue flicking between his fangs when he spoke. His tail whipped about as he clapped a claw around the petrified boy. Yanking him into a bone-crushing hug. He hissed in his ear:

"YOU WILL FAIL... THAT IS MY PROMISE."

He contorted his body to make so that he was dragging Penn down even faster than before. He clawed into the boy's chest, piercing his flesh. Penn snaked an arm out and reached out, somehow hoping someone would grab it. Rippen's ghastly laughter filled the air, amused by his feebly attempts of escaping him. It drowning out his cries for help. When the jaws of the great beast from below slowly closed overshadowing them, Penn screamed his lungs out. Shouting for somebody, anybody to save him until it suddenly SNAPPED shut.

Their fate being sealed together. Forever.

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Thunder and lightning startled him awake from the hellish nightmare. He couldn't even process the dread that he was inflicted because a hoard of feral cats hiding from the storm prowled their way to him, yowling when they drew closer. He sprung from the loveseat and dashed out the wooden house, the hoard acting as a hivemind of claws and fur and leaping at him. He slammed the door shut and climbed down the ladder, him slipping off halfway from the downpour and squashed against the muddy grass.

He slipped and slid across the sludge and flew past the swung open gate. Splashing through muddled puddles as he continued to flee, running to where? He had no clue. His body is torn by his autopilot between going to Boone's house or to Sashi's apartment, or even the Odyssey. None of them being optimal options at the moment. This left him wandering random sidewalks, all the while freezing in the rain, jumping whenever the thunder echoed through the clouds and lightning randomly striking some far-off spot.

He was lost in his thoughts that's repeated nonstop since being zapped here. Why? How? and when will I go back home? It felt like answers he'd never get at this point. A car pulled up beside the sidewalk he trudged along. The stranger inside opened the passenger door for him and asked. "Need a ride?" Penn turned his sapphire gaze into his rubied one.

"We have a lot to talk about."