Universe 7B

  New Springfield, one of the richest towns in the Western Sector, was being rebuilt. There was much debate if it should even be rebuilt at all. The last few years were quite tumultuous for the sprawling metropolis, especially the last few months.

  A few years ago, a demon possessed a man, raised the dead, and ate children. Thankfully they were able to exorcise the evil spirit from poor Chad, and the worst was averted after a day, but half of Slater Academy was destroyed.

  It was destroyed again during the Great Sauce Incident, in which a super-villain held the town for ransom, flooding it in something red, yet delicious, every day until he was paid in full.

  New Springfield was no stranger to the sporadic super-villain attacks, or, as they loved to call themselves, outlaws, but the rate of attacks were now reaching ridiculous heights, and Mayor Anderson worried that the federal government wouldn’t give the town any more funds to rebuild after another attack.

His fears came true when three months ago the end of the world occurred.

Now that the end of the world had passed it was time to pay the city’s sewage bill.

  Before he got around to the drudgery of his job, Mayor Saul Anderson begrudgingly had to meet his task force. They arrived around 5 PM, and he was pleasantly surprised they were on time.

He was also surprised that they called him.

  They met inside a conference room at City Hall. It was one of the few places left standing after the multiple attacks on New Springfield, and the placement of proton shields became more tactical and precise after the end of the world.

  Inside the dull brown conference room with the shiny long wooden table sat the familiar faces of his task force, and strangely, they all brought their children with them this time.

  Aurora and Chad’s daughter, Kay, was wearing a stained pink denim jumper with a yellow shirt. She held a slice of cheese in her hand and was glaring at Mayor Anderson, making him feel uncomfortable.

  “Kay, stop that,” Aurora said.

  Kay grinned once Mayor Anderson quickly glanced away, and Aurora scooped up her daughter.

  “She’s just trying to do a staring contest. I’ve reminded her she needs to ask first,” Aurora explained.

  Mayor Anderson kept his distance from the toddler for the rest of the night because she continued to stare at him.

  The impromptu daycare took time to calm down, and once everyone had juice, or was asleep, and the adults had their coffee and aspirin they could get down to business. Everyone was there, from Aurora to Vanessa, and even the wild Liane had arrived as well.

  Michael James was chosen to speak for all of them because he was the smartest, and they hoped he could make their story sound not that ridiculous.

  “Mayor Anderson, you need to call the Federation’s Armed Forces. Eric is still alive,” he said.

  “Who,” Mayor Anderson asked.

  “Discordia.”

  “OH! Didn’t you kill him during some giant flashy battle,” Mayor Anderson asked. He waved his hand flippintaly and leaned back in his chair, brushing the request aside.

  Mild agreements and shrugs came from everyone, awkward looks and sighs as well.

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  “I kinda let him escape,” Chad admitted. “He can’t really die either.”

  Mayor Anderson slumped in his chair when he was informed that once again, New Springfield was going to be attacked, and this time it might not make it.

  Vanessa Slater came up to the table, and in her hand was a silk satchel. She opened it up and inside were hundreds of shards, pieces of a mirror and they started to speak.

  “He’s trying to find a way back,” Lush said. “He’s already collected a few pieces of my host, and Discordia wants to make his own doorway back to our realm.”

  “Ah. A talking...what is this,” Mayor Anderson asked.

  “I am a god stuck inside a broken mirror who connects various realms and realities.”

  “Of course you are,” Mayor Anderson said with a sigh.

  “We need to find more pieces before he does and find a way to actually kill him or lock him up forever. If not he’ll return to get his revenge after he failed to conquer the seventh realm,” Vanessa said.

  “We only ask you to call the Federation and to let our families stay here. We don’t know what he’ll do when he comes back, and Liane is the only person who can visit that strange world,” Michael James said.

  Mayor Anderson stared at the woman in revealing clothing with a flaming sword and numerous tattoos and did not want the fate of the world in Liane Feardorcha’s hands.

  “I can’t even always get there,” Liane admitted. “I usually just guess.”

  “I’ll support whatever you need to keep the town safe but this is very unprofessional. You can’t bring children to this place,” Mayor Anderson said.

  “This is one of the few places left in New Springfield that shields from bombs. The Academy is destroyed as well or else we’d just go there. Why would we want to stay here,” Michael James replied.

  “This is just for the kids. If you don’t say yes we won't help you. They come first,” Liane said.

  Mayor Anderson for the first time in his life had a shred of respect for her. They all were firm on their stance, but Mayor Anderson wasn’t fighting it. He needed their help, and he agreed, he would do the same for his own family.

  But he had his own issues as well.

  “I can’t call the Federation to come to our aid,” Mayor Anderson admitted.

  “What are you talking about? Do you just not want to,” Ricky Slater shouted.

  His magical rosary lit up, and his voice shook the walls, frightening the children. He leaned over the table, threatening Mayor Anderson, and he rose to the challenge.

  “Try anything and I’ll pop your head like a grape,” Mayor Anderson said.

  Ricky shuddered and his eyes turned a dark blue.

  “Speak, and the truth shall set you free.”

  Mayor Anderson laughed nervously, and his lips became quite loose, telling everyone everything and then some.

  “Where’s the Federation’s Army,” Ricky asked.

  “They’re losing. A horrible battle against The Empire. Messages come daily, brutal deaths. I hear their screams in my sleep.”

  They all gave each other skeptical looks and glared at Ricky.

  “Your power is broken, he’s lying. The Empire’s been defeated, long ago. We were there,” Vanessa insisted.

  “I am not! Someone else can try,” Ricky replied.

  Jenny Wong was next to interrogate Mayor Anderson. She read his mind, grimacing, seeing everything from the inane, mundane, overtly sexual to plain silly until she found what she wanted.

  “He’s not lying,” Jenny said.

  “I’m not! I’ve been receiving messages from the Federation’s Army near the port of Atlaan for days,” Mayor Anderson huffed.

  “So the worst government ever to colonize multiple planets is back and is defeating our military and it's not on any news outlet? You expect us to believe this,” Michael James said.

  Mayor Anderson paused and realised that this was not quite right.

  “I can prove it,” he said.

  Mayor Anderson brought out his government issued Control Panel from his pocket, and it expanded once he took it out, to about the size of a book. It’s screen lit up, and he placed it on the table.

  It projected a holo-screen, and he scrolled through until he found what he was looking for: the voice recordings.

  “Radio systems have been picking this up in the area. I’ve been working around the clock to cover this up to stop mass hysteria,” Mayor Anderson admitted. "Whatever you hear never leaves this room."

  He pressed PLAY, and the recording began.