For a while now, the existence of the multiverse is something the Supers of the world have known about. Personally, Jay thinks it's kinda...boring. Ooh, look, a universe where Jay is a woman. Or wow, a universe where Jay is from Britain, or drives a mech, or god forbid, a universe where he has actual superpowers like superstrength or telepathy.

That is to say, Jay has met his multiversal equivalents on multiple occasions (girl Jay was his favorite. She was cool.) But they never really seem to be actually him so much as they are versions of Quickwit. It's as if different people had taken up the mantle of being a lame sidekick who fetches lattes, and memorized why electric cars can actually be worse for the environment sometimes. But this, this is a little more intense...

The alternate Jay is ranting, hands tightly clenched around his staff. "These wannabe gods want to pretend I exist to play out their tropes—they don't realize the power I have! The power to change the narrative to anything I want. And you know, I kinda got bored of the hero's journey. I got bored of superheroes..." Jay's doppelganger looks off to the side, eyes still wide. "So I changed things."

Jay takes a step back. "You're insane!"

"No, I'm not. I'm just not an idiot hiding behind denial like you."

"I'd rather be an idiot than a mass murder! How could you—to all those people?!"

The copy smirks, looking behind Jay. "Well it wasn't really me doing the murder. It was him."

Jay turns around, heart in his throat. Ice fills his veins as he spots two pin-pricks of red standing out from the gloom.

It's Stygian. But not Jay's Stygian.

The little bat-winged Pixiepuff runs to Pixamena's supine form.

"Wake up! Hurry!"

She startles awake, hugging both the pomeranians to her chest. She gives Jay a guilty look before disappearing in a flash of purple, pulling herself and the Pixiepuffs into her Pixie-Pocket dimension. Jay attempts to flee as well, but the plan is quickly foiled by a barrage of dark shapes that dart forward and quickly coil around him.

"Augh! Stop—!"

Jay cries out in pain as constricting coils of black wrap around him. It's not like the other times, not at all. Even before he and Gannet had their truce, the shadows were never like this, never painfully squeezing and pressing up against him so hard that white dances behind his eyes. Jay struggles fruitlessly, his vision swimming.

"'Gian..." he slurs.

Glowing hands cup his face, and he sees two cardinal-red irises before the world goes black.

Last time Jay had lost consciousness was when he'd been stabbed by Techtra. Like last time, he's dropped into a vast, empty, white space. Only, the words are back. Jay watches them fill in slowly, letter by letter. Sometimes, they even pause or blink out and are replaced by a different word. Most strange of all, though, was that the words were spelling out exactly what he was thinking...

Most strange of all, though, was that the words were spelling out exactly what he was thinking [https://img.wattpad.com/fb75accaa52b808a9383c49cc223c23fa40d8908/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f48517065456a33374961365f59413d3d2d313432373336383436352e313762386534306264623262373437623635313538393835393935312e706e67?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]

He jolts awake suddenly, vision and mind swimming. He looks around blearily—he's been bound and gagged with thick rope, having been kidnapped once again and, unfortunately, taken to a second location. They're in the shell of a skyscraper, long since abandoned and left to rot. The windows are all shattered, but no light pierces through writhing shadows which cocoon the entire building.

"Awake, princess?"

Jay's eyes dart to the right. His double is leaning against the wall, sipping a canned coffee. His eyes are cold and they focus on Jay in an unsettling fashion. Though, if Jay's doppelgänger unsettling, Stygian's is downright terrifying. He approaches Jay with a demented smile, wide, dead eyes, zoned in on his prey. A droplet of sweat drips down Jay's brow. It's been awhile since he's been genuinely afraid of that intense gaze on him.

This Stygian seems much less vibrant than Jay's, though. His hair is mussed up, red accents have replaced pink, and most odd, he's wearing combat boots instead of the iconic heels. Absently, Jay realizes it's a pair that he'd been looking at before, wondering if he should buy them for Gannet. Ultimately, the purchase was never made because Jay figured it might hurt Gannet's feelings to imply he should change his shoes. Even if boots were more practical...

Suddenly, Jay flinches as a glowing index finger caresses his cheek. The fake Stygian giggles.

"Cute...remember when you used to be scared of me?"

"Can you fucking not," the doppelganger Jay spits.

"I'm just playing with my food. Don't get jealous, Witty."

"Don't be stupid. I just don't want you fucking around when you're supposed to be keeping watch. We don't know what potential hazards this world presents yet."

"It looks the same to me. Maybe they're just—" he pokes Jay in the chest, "softer here?"

"Fucking idiot—I can't handle this right now. I'm going to see if I can make contact with Techtra. Just stay focused."

The alternate Stygian nods obediently, watching his partner in crime leave the room. Once they're alone, he turns his gaze to Jay with a grin.

"If I take that gag out, will you scream?"

Jay glares defiantly, refusing to be cowed.

A glowing finger curls, and a coil of black takes the gag out. Jay licks his lips, grimacing at the dryness of his mouth. "Screaming wouldn't really be productive, would it?"

"Well, It would make me happy."

Jay grimaces harder, clenching his fists. A glowing finger pokes at the space between his eyebrows.

"You have the same wrinkle here from frowning. You'll age prematurely if you keep doing that, Quickwit."

"Well, I've been told I have dilf vibes so it would match my aesthetic, would it not?"

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

The alternate Stygian laughs sharply before covering his mouth abruptly. He glances towards the entrance nervously for a moment.

"Are you...scared of him?" Jay asks.

"No, of course not. Why would I—? I love him. In this universe are we...?"

"Me and Stygian? We're enemies, of course," Jay lies. There was no sense in giving these alternates a reason to hurt Gannet.

The doppelganger grins maliciously. "You're lying."

"I'm not, I—"

"What's this then?"

Jay flinches as a glowing hand attaches itself to his chest, right over the handprint there. He grunts in pain as sharp nails dig into him.

"Let go!"

The alternate Stygian grins, leaning in close. "It's so strange. I can feel myself here, inside you, but it's not really me. Should I try to draw it out and replace it?"

"Gannet, don't do this," Jay pleads.

"Gannet's not here right now."

The hand tightens and Jay screams out. The alternate Stygian muffles the sound with his hand, giggling insanely.

"I'll keep you. I'll make you mine. That'll be nice, right? You already love him so it won't be hard to make you love me."

Jay feels a tightening in his chest accompanied by a horrible ripping sensation. He squeezes his eyes shut, trying not to hyperventilate. Thankfully it only lasts a minute; Stygian's doppelganger falls back with a pained yelp.

"Augh!"

Jay watches with mild horror as the doppelganger furiously waves his hand, fingers melting into black shadow. When it finally stops, he glances at the shimmery mass—formerly a hand—with a look of anger.

"Ugh, that's gonna take a minute to grow back."

The door slams open as Jay's doppelganger storms back in. "Stygian, what the fuck is all this noise?"

"I was just messing around. Don't worry."

"This is serious, If we can't contract Techtra then we can't fix this world, Stygian. We need her!"

"I hate working with her anyway, Witty. Do we have to—"

Jay flinches as his copy storms over and roughly grabs the alternate Stygian by the horn. The violent action causes him to stumble, eyes wide as a gloved hand grips him tight by the jaw.

"I don't need your input. Just do as I tell you."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry—"

"You love me, right?"

Red eyes widen, mania spiraling in their cinnabar depths. "Yes, always—" He whimpers as he's thrown to the ground.

"Then don't apologize. Prove it. Go outside and keep watch."

Stygian's doppelganger nods furiously. He picks himself off the ground, heading toward the shattered windows. Shadows part to reveal a storm raging outside. He jumps straight into the fray, disappearing with a flourish of black. Jay's heart races—he's alone again with his copy. The anxiety must be clear on his face, because the alternate smirks.

"Sorry you had to see that. He's a bit difficult to keep in line sometimes. You understand, right? Or is yours more obedient?"

"I don't really feel like conversing right now."

"Don't think you have much choice. I know you're used to plot armor, but with me here that point is kinda moot, right?"

"What? Armor?"

Jay's doppelgänger sighs. "You're kidding me...just what happened to make you so clueless ?"

"I don't know, what made you such an asshole? Did you have to treat him like that...?"

"What, you mean how I treat Stygian?"

Jay clenches his hands. It probably isn't the right time to be lecturing his evil twin, but seriously, that pissed him off. "Yes."

"What, you think I should be nicer? Maybe you are softer. You really have sympathy for him? For my stalker? I didn't catch all the insane shit he was saying to you, but I can tell by those marks on your chest that it wasn't just a fan asking his hero some innocent questions."

"Still it's—it's not productive to treat him like that."

Jay's copy laughs out loud. "That look on your face—oh my god—did you actually fall for him? You call me insane, are you actually in love with an experiment gone wrong?"

"Shut the fuck up," Jay growls.

"So spicy. I never talk like that. Just how much time are you spending with him?"

"My Gannet is a good influence on me. Maybe you would be less fucked up if you spent more time with yours!"

Jay's copy leans on his staff, narrowing his eyes as he smirks. "Gannet? Gannet's long gone by now. Or so I'm told."

"What do you mean Gannet's gone?"

"I didn't need him."

Before Jay gets his answer, the sound of breaking glass and bending metal interrupts them. Two dark figures tumble in—it's Jay's Stygian and his double! One gets pinned to the ground, barely dodging a brutal punch that shatters the floor. The shockwave causes Jay's double to fall back.

"What the fuck!? Stygian, take care of it!"

"I'm trying!" they both yell.

The one pinned down kicks the other in the stomach, freeing himself. He stands, looking between the two Jays rapidly.

"I'm tied up! It's obviously me who's the real one!" Jay whines.

Stygian rushes forward, tugging at the bindings. "Okay know-it-all, next time I just won't worry who's the evil maniacal version!"

He yelps as Jay's doppelgänger swings at him with his staff. He catches the weapon, ripping it out of the gloved grip. The alternate attempts to grab his gun, but he's too slow. Without hesitation, Stygian lunges forward, clenching Jay's doppelgänger by the bicep, and flinging him straight out the window.

"Quickwit!" Stygian's double cries.

Dark wings open and he dives out the window. Stygian takes the opportunity to help Jay to his feet.

"We need to go! If I have to fight him, it's going to be a bloodbath."

Jay yelps as he's swept off his feet and carried princess-style out of the building. He clings to Stygian as he jumps into the storm, flying so fast the rain parts for them both. Skyscrapers zoom past them as they flee, and Jay gets a glimpse of his own wide eyes before the moment ends.

Suddenly, his stomach drops as they enter freefall, Stygian's wings opening at the last minute to land on the rooftop of a nightclub. Jay wobbles as he's set down, feeling extremely motion sick. Stygian rubs his back soothingly.

"Are you okay?" he asks, biting his lip.

"I'm fine I—I don't think I like flying."

"I'm sorry I couldn't come faster. I knew I couldn't just rush in..."

"We need to find Paradoxico and force him to put things back to normal."

"I did you one better, c'mon."

Gannet grins wearily, tugging Jay toward the rooftop exit and into the building. As they enter the stairwell, they can hear pulsating music. Jay looks down at the long way down, studying the row of metal stairs weakly lit by struggling fluorescents. "Where are we going?"

"I don't trust Paradoxico to not fuck up again, but I got a text from someone willing to help..."

"Who?"

"Echo! She's alive, Influentia found her. She's been hiding out here—apparently she runs her own nightclub."

"That's great news! We're going to need all the help we can get..."

They stop at a heavy set of double doors. "You ready?"

"Let's go."

A coil of shadow rubs against Jay's back softly as he pushes against the door. Suddenly, he tenses and feels nauseous. His body is rebelling and his mind is flashing back to that horrible moment of constriction, black, and red, red, eyes. He can't help but start to hyperventilate a little.

Suddenly, the shadows slacken and fall away.

Jay looks up, dizzy. "What, I—Gannet—"

The horns and tail vanish with a purple flash, and warm arms are suddenly circled around Jay's chest.

"It's okay, deep breaths. Jay, I'm right here."

Jay buries his face into the crook of Gannet's neck, heart pounding. He closes his eyes for a moment. "I'm sorry, I just—"

Gannet's voice rasps in Jay's ear softly. "Don't apologize. He hurt you, didn't he? I felt it."

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry—"

Jay flinches away at the familiar turn of phrase, covering his face. He takes a few deep breaths, before looking up at Gannet. He looks devastated, looking so small in his villain uniform without Stygian's devilish characteristics. Guilt roils in Jay's stomach uncomfortably..

"Are you scared of me now?" Gannet asks quietly.

Jay hugs Gannet close to his chest. "No, no, I'm not. I'm not. It's just been a lot today, Gannet, please..."

"I would never do that. I would never hurt you like that."

Jay pulls away, letting his hands trail down the sides of Gannet's arms before coming to hold him by the hands. "I know you wouldn't. I know. Will you turn back for me?"

Nervously, like he's afraid Jay will flee, Gannet lets his villainous traits materialize. Jay smiles weakly, meeting nervous red eyes with a soft expression. He brings a glowing hand to his mouth, leaving a soft kiss.

"I'm not scared of you. You saved me, remember?"

"No, I didn't..."

"You did, though. You have multiple times now. Today, from Techtra, from Hellfire and Frigid, and even, hell, from Massasauga!"

Gannet laughs, a tendril of shadow flitting playfully around him. "Sorry, that time was just for me. I wanted to fuck him up."

Jay raises his hand to allow the tendril to float over to him. It darts to wrap around his wrist, curling around it. He takes a moment to take in the sensation; It's gentle against his skin, tentatively testing the waters for signs of rejection. He watches it closely. Dread is still brewing in his heart, but the more he thinks on it, the more he realizes it's not Gannet that is frightening, but himself. In that alternate reality, Jay was the one in control, a mastermind gone insane with the world's strongest henchman. So what pushed him there?

...Hi Jay, we are observing how your story gets told. Call us the Readers...