The skylight shatters as Alphaman crashes through, landing with a force that topples over several statues. Everyone scrambles to avoid the impact: Stygian summons a wall to cover him and Jay, the doppelgänger nearly gets pelted by a flying bit of tile, Echo huddles behind a stone pedestal, and Pixamena is almost crushed by a large concrete form, saved last minute by Razzmatazz swooping in to scoop the magical girl into her arms and away from danger.

As Stygian dissipates their protection, Jay grabs his staff, tensely awaiting Alphaman's next move. He stands from the crater he's just made, swaying subtly as he observes the onlookers. An ugly, mottled flush paints his cheeks. He's still intoxicated, further proven by the fact he's forgotten his helmet. He sneers as he turns to face Jay, eyes glinting.

"So this is where my guests went. Pixamena, Quickwit, don't you have any manners? Just what are you two doing here?"

Jay's jaw clenches. His eyes dart to Pixamena. She stares back, similarly at a loss for words.

Alphaman chuckles, shadows crawling up the walls. "I asked you a question. What are you doing here?"

Jay swallows his fear. There was no way around the truth.

"Give up now Alphaman! You're at a disadvantage!"

Alphaman turns to Pixamena, stumbling into a pedestal. "He's gone rogue. I knew it. He's like Calamity—hah—no, no, hehehe,-" Alphaman's smile drops suddenly, eyes lifeless, "what about you, Princess? You abandoning us too?"

Jay tenses, waiting for the right time to strike. He has to wait. He has to see what side Pixamena takes first.

Pixamena covers her mouth. She's shaking as her eyes dart to Stygian. "No! No. But Is it true? That the Network did—did experiments on Gannet? That you hurt him? They didn't tell me that."

Alphaman glares, head tilted. "So that's what this is all about. The villain takes you aside to tell you his sob story, and the tender-hearted heroine takes pity on him? What a joke. I thought you were better than this, both of you. Can't you see a villain's tricks when it's right in front of you?"

Pixamena tightens her grip on her gun, wings shivering as she looks at Stygian. "Just tell me the truth. What did the Network do? Was it really all necessary?"

"You act like it was my idea. My idea was to cure my damned cancer! They didn't want to! I don't, I don't know why they even wanted to clone me!"

"What? Didn't they do it to prevent another Calamity Day?"

"Calamity was fucking Class-A!" Alphaman roars.

Silence swallows the gallery. Jay's eyes dart about the ruined sculptures as his mind puts everything together. Calamity was Class-A?

Oh. Oh no.

Pixamena realizes the same moment Jay does. "You did it?! You were the one who—"

She's cut off as Alphaman raises his hand, conjuring a wave of black that decimates all the exhibits it swallows up. Both Razzmatazz and Pixamena freeze in shock, only spared their fate by Stygian walling off the typhoon of darkness. Jay yelps as suddenly they're all pulled forward by purple tendrils. Stygian's eyes go wide as he huddles them all inside a protective bubble, flinching as a pounding sound reverberates against the shell.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Stygian cries, tail thrashing, "Jay, what do we do? Did I hear that right?"

"That Alphaman is the one who did Calamity Day? Yeah. You heard that right. Fuck!"

Razzmatazz pulls at her braids anxiously. "Why? Why did he do it?"

"I don't know. But my hunch was it was an accident. Like what happened the night we got Frame back."

Another bang! Bang! Bang! Makes all the supers flinch.

Stygian gasps with each hit. "He's going to get in soon. We need to come up with a plan, and quick."

Echo glitches, pointing at Pixamena. "What plan can we make with a hero here?! You dolt, why did you bring her!?"

"He was going to kill her! I couldn't just leave her!"

Pixamena chimes in, switching her weapon to her bow. "We can have a truce for now. You were right, Alphaman has gone crazy. We need to work together, at least until he's not a threat to Houston."

Razzmatazz nods. "So, what are we going to do? Jay, got any ideas?"

"Yes. he's still drunk, so we have the advantage. We need to work in teams. He's emotionally vulnerable, but we can't trigger him too much. Razz, you especially need to be careful."

She nods, face grim. "I figured that much already."

"Try to get him to monologue. He's aware of that weakness, but I'm hoping in this state he's not in his right mind. Razzmatazz and Pixamena will distract him while Stygian attacks, looking for openings. Me and Echo will provide support. If we tell you to do something, you have to do it. Okay?"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Jay tenses. The fragile walls are beginning to fracture. Light seeping through the cracks.

"We're out of time!" Stygian cries.

"Alright. Let's go."

They all tense as the walls come down. Immediately, Stygian is deflecting the shards of red darkness that come flying at them. Alphaman laughs madly as the supers disperse, getting ready to attack.

"Finally done with your little pow-wow?!"

Alphaman seems to have his sights set on Pixamena. He raises his arm, hurling a ball of shadow at her. She ducks last minute, barely escaping as the orb of darkness explodes with a deafening boom! The explosion tears a hole in the museum's wall, throwing concrete and rebar everywhere. As soon as the dust begins to settle, Pixamena uses the opportunity to escape through the newly formed exit, luring Alphaman out into the open. He takes the bait, using dark wings to chase her.

"Shield!" Echo yells.

Pixamena summons a glistening heart-shaped shield, cowering behind it as Alphaman slashes with a blade of black. He laughs as his attack cuts straight through with one hit, leaving the shield to fall out of Pixamena's hands with a clatter.

He sneers. "How cute. You think you can take me on yourselves? I think you've forgotten you've only been alive for a fraction of just the time I've been a hero!"

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"That makes you an old ass fart! Aren't you a hundred years old, you fuck!?" Razzmatazz yells from the ground.

Alphaman grimaces. His wings flex as he widens his stance. "I'm a hundred and twenty-five, you fucking fetus!"

Razzmatazz squeals as a tendril of red-hued black attempts to coil around her. She darts around evasively, shifting from a woman, to a child, to an armadillo, to a mockingbird. Alphaman grunts in annoyance as he flails the tendrils around, failing to land a single hit.

"Take the shot, Stygian!" Jay yells.

Alphaman's head whips around to Jay, pulling his arm back to attack. But in his sluggishness, his reaction time is too slow to prevent the spear of purple-tinged darkness that stabs through his hand. He screams in pain as he's dragged downward, slammed so hard into the earth that a plume of dust is thrown up into the air.

"Razz go, get him confused! Stygian, get her back!" Jay orders.

Razz enters the cloud of dust, changing her shape. Alphaman lifts himself from the ground with a grunt, dusting the chunks of concrete and broken armor off his person. His head swivels around in the murk, holding his injured hand to his chest.

A dark shape moves to his right. He holds his hand out, sending a spear of black towards the movement. The dust in the air moves with the force, revealing nothing. Alphaman grimaces, clenching his hand.

A male voice echoes disturbingly in the night, the voice of Calamity. Razzmatazz scampers close to the ground as a ratlike monster, unseen in the murk. "You missed me Griffin!"

Alphaman's eyes flare with rage. "Fuck you, clown!"

Suddenly, Alphaman cries out in pain as a purple-tinged, crescent shape slices into his side, cutting through his armor like soft butter. He clutches his wound, bending over as red spills onto the ground. He grits his teeth, stumbling as he just barely avoids the next attack. A purple spear of black attempts to stab him through the chest, foiled only by Alphaman's own powers. He forming a wave of black to shield himself, grunting with effort to keep himself steady.

Razzmatazz's voice rings out again eerily. "Lost your touch, Griffin? You're not the man I used to know at all."

"Shut up!" He yells.

"Everyone duck!" Echo yells suddenly.

Alphaman manifests a giant blade of shadow that must be at least a football field long, spinning it at neck-level. It slices through everything it contacts with ruthless efficiency, even toppling a nearby skyscraper and sending civilians out of their apartments and cars to run for their lives.

As the massive shape sweeps through the settling dust, the cloud of particulate disperses. He targets Razzmatazz first, razor sharp tendrils aiming for where she crouches low to the ground. Razzmatazz squeaks in fear, attempting to roll out of the way, but Alphaman's boot crashes into her side with a sickening crack! She cries out, morphing back into her usual form as her hair goes a sick shade of gray. She looks up in fear, flinching as Alphaman presses his boot onto her chest, pressing down hard.

His expression is giddy as he observes her torment. "Fucking scum. Shoulda just stayed in whatever fucking hole you crawled out of!"

"Ah! Stop!"

Tears leak from her eyes as her hands scrabble uselessly against the cold metal of his shin. Both Pixamena and Stygian attempt to interrupt the assault, sending shadows and arrows to knock Alphaman away, but he's hyper-focused now. He blocks all the attacks effortlessly, still staring at Razzmatazz's face.

"Razz!" Jay cries in dismay.

He rushes to her aid, heart racing with fear. Alphaman conjures another wall of black, but Jay just braces himself for impact. Alphaman makes a shocked sound as Jay bursts through the other side—he must've underestimated Jay's strength.

Jay doesn't stop to celebrate the miscalculation. He tackles Alphaman to the ground with a crash of metal. He chokes as Jay grabs him around the neck, pulling his other arm back for a punch. But as he swings down again and again with his newfound power, Alphaman's right hand clenches around Jay's wrist until he's screaming in pain. His attack falters just long enough to allow Alphaman to yank him down and deliver a vicious right hook. Jay's eyes squeeze shut as the whole world goes fuzzy, and he falls to the ground.

Alphaman must've punched hard, hard enough for some kind of gruesome result, because he can hear Pixamena cry out. "You killed him! How could you!?"

Jay wants to comfort her, but he's fading fast. Is he dying? The cacophony of screaming civilians, crumbling buildings, and Stygian's panicked voice narrow down to a quiet rumble as Jay's world goes dark.

It's comforting. It's quiet. Part of him considers sinking into the void, and leaving all this conflict behind. But even as the pull of nonexistence tugs at his core, his peace is yet again interrupted. Soft voices whisper into his ear, like they're trying to keep him awake.

...You've got this Jay! Find your happy ending...!

Jay wonders what a happy ending for them would even look like. If things weren't so dire right now, he might laugh at the sappy ideas his mind conjures. Several scenes of what could be flash in his mind: Razzmatazz singing karaoke, Pixamena trying on a new dress with the puffs, Taurrage and Texas barbecuing for their anniversary, Echo and frame dancing together, and Gannet, oh, Gannet smiling as Jay hands him a silver band. He slips it on, eyes flaring red with emotion.

Jay didn't even know he wanted that.

...I know Jay is going through a lot right now, but I hope he realizes just how lucky he is to have Gannet by his side...

He does. God. He does.

...It's been heartwarming to see someone who was so alone come to be surrounded by people that care about him...

Jay feels the ground beneath him tremble. Something is happening! He can't sit here while all the people he cares about die! He fights with all his might to banish the fog around his mind. With some effort, his eyes twitch open.

...Jay's gonna kill the dang authors after what he's been through...

Jay hefts himself off the ground, making a mental note to question that last line of thought later. His vision is bleary, and it takes a moment to understand what's happening. His eyes dart to the ground first, noting a grisly spatter of red decorating the concrete. Alphaman didn't hold back at all.

Next he notes Razzmatazz kneeling at his side, face shifting to glee as Jay turns to look at her.

"Fuck! Jay! You scared us!" she cries.

He looks around the battlefield. Around them, everything is in disarray. More destruction has been wrought by Alphaman's fury. Pixamena is on the ground, helping civilians evacuate a leaning building while Echo is nowhere to be seen. Jay doesn't blame her for deserting, anyone sane would.

Before he can comment, they both look up at a large crashing boom that shakes the entire city. Above them, Stygian and Alphaman are exchanging blows, flying with frightful amounts of kinetic energy that causes each clash between them to cause a shockwave that reverberates to Jay's core.

Jay attempts to stand, but a sharp pain in his head makes his brain go fuzzy.

"Jay! Stop! You're not done healing. Stay down!"

"I'm fine—"

"You're not fine! Your head is still open!"

"My head is what?"

"Don't—don't think about it. You're hurt bad. Fighting like that is suicide, even with a healing factor! It's okay, Stygian is handling it."

Jay almost gives in, but his worst fear comes to fruition. Stygian cries out in pain as Alphaman swipes with a red-clawed hand, his metal gauntlet lost in the fight. Stygian holds his chest in pain, giving Alphaman the opening he's been looking for. He punches with inhuman force, causing Stygian to drop like a rock.

He hits the ground with a painful thud. Alphaman lands right on top of him, one hand gripping his jaw and the other holding onto his shoulder. Stygian thrashes, but shadows pin him down.

Alphaman looks down with contempt clear in his eyes. "What? You really thought you could beat me? I may be dying, but you're still just an imitation of me."

Stygian grits his teeth. His hair is askew and his eyes wide. He attempts to speak, but Alphaman roughly covers his mouth. "Shut up. Your voice makes me sick."

"Let him go!" Jay cries hoarsely. Razzmatazz holds onto him, forcing him to stay back.

Alphaman glares at Jay before he turns his attention back to Stygian. "I finally understand who he is," Alphaman gestures to the museum. "I saw the other one in there without the mask. Let me give you some helpful advice; nothing good will come of associating with him. What happened to me will happen to you. He won't choose one. He'll just string you along, thinking one day you'll get what you want, until he's gone and you're left alone."

Stygian glares, a muffled fuck off coming from behind Alphaman's hand.

Alphaman cocks his head. "You don't think it's true? I'm a freak of nature. If anyone understands you, lab rat, it's me. You'll always be at war with your other side. You'll never know peace. Your only hope is to come back with me. Maybe the scientists will succeed with you where they failed with me. They can lock Stygian away. What do you say?"

Alphaman waits as he moves his hand away. Stygian breathes hard, nostrils flaring. He closes his eyes, allowing his horns and tail to dissipate. Gannet opens his eyes, refusing to look away from Alphaman's intense stare. "Maybe you hate yourself, but I don't! There is no war! I like who I am!"

Alphaman stares, face blank. His eye twitches. His voice switches to a softer one as Alpha breaks through the cracks for a moment. "I'm happy for you...even if he's not..."

Suddenly, he cries out as a heart-shaped arrow lodges in his side, pushing him off Gannet. He stands, turning to the culprit as he rips the arrow free. Pixamena approaches with rage in her eyes, her bow switching to a massive pink scythe.

"Get away from him!" She says.