Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Follow the tunnel, into the portal, lay all our burdens to rest...”

Saturday, 1:38 AM
Absolution Mark 14

TOM stared at the vast ends of space, while a nice old episode of Cowboy Bebop played on his computer “screen”. It had been 3 years, and yet he and SARA hadn’t recovered from the events that took place in the Forge, even though they had already left that spaceship behind. TOM, however, had something else on his mind.

“TOM, is there something on your mind?” SARA said, fluttering close to him.

“Yeah, it’s just… you think alternate universes exist?”

SARA gave TOM a small pat on the head. “I ask myself the same thing sometimes. After that little time travel incident back in the Vindication, it wouldn’t be a surprise if alternate universes exist.”

The stars were absolutely beautiful tonight. If he weren’t on the job at the moment, TOM would have taken a moment to lay down and stargaze. He knew just about everything there is to know about space and the stars that inhabit it. He’s been traveling through space since 1999, he knows his shit.

“Looking at something, TOM?”

“Ah, crap, sorry. I got a little distracted.” TOM said, sheepishly scratching his head.

It was a lovely night in space. Nothing could go wrong…

That is, until a crystal blue portal opened up in front of them.

TOM immediately pulled out a shotgun and aimed at the portal.

“Who’s there? What do you want?”

Nothing much seemed to happen for a while, until something could be heard.

“GAAAAAAAAAAHH!”

A figure burst out of the portal and crashed into TOM. The impact was so great that they crashed into a wall. TOM immediately got up and went to examine the figure. It looked just like him, except it looked rather… feminine. It had a long, light blue ponytail that looked like it was made of electricity. Afterwards, a deep, feminine voice could be heard.

“Oh… damn, that hurt. Memo to me, never jump into a portal dramatically… never doing that again.”

TOM stared bewildered. Could it be possible that this strange robot is him from a different universe? Well, this only meant one thing: he and SARA had to ask questions. SARA floated over to the female robot.

“Excuse me, I hope you don’t mind us asking, but who are you? How did you get here?”

The robot stared wistfully at SARA. “Eh? SARA, is that you? You look… different. And didn’t I tell you to hide and send a call signal to the other TOMs?”

“Eh…”

TOM walked towards the robot. “I’m sorry, but who are you?”

The robot sheepishly laughed. “Oh, wow, where are my manners? I’m the Toonami Animations Module. But call me TAM for short. And you must be TOM. Nice to meet you!” She grabbed TOM’s hand to shake it, unaware that she was this close to pulling TOM’s arm out of its socket… again.

“CRAP, MY ARM!”

“Oh, sh*bleep*, sorry. I don’t know my own strength sometimes.” TAM said awkwardly.

“Hang on, how do you know us?” SARA said while TOM tried to recover from that absolutely painful handshake. TAM immediately answered “Oh, isn’t it obvious? I’m TOM from another universe!”

TOM and SARA stared, bewildered. All this time, they believed that maybe, just maybe, there could be a TOM and SARA from another universe, and this just confirmed that.

“You’re from another universe?” TOM said, bewildered.

“I just said that, bitch.”

“OK… a bit rude, but OK. Still, why are you here? And what about that distress call you mentioned?” SARA asked.

TAM sighed and walked towards TOM.

“The reason I came here is to warn you. The multiverse is in danger.”

“T-The multiverse? There’s other TOMs out there, besides you?” TOM said, wondering about all the possibilities. Maybe there’s a cat version of me, he thought, or a ninja! Or a demon! Or a werewolf!

“Obviously. There’s a group of killers running around and killing anyone from any universe that’s associated with Toonami. That includes us TOMs. We need your help, TOM Prime. You are our only hope.” TAM said, in an unusually serious tone.

“T-TOM Prime?”

“Yeah, you’re THE TOM. The basis, the blueprint. You get my point.” TAM said with her hand on her hip.

“OK, so what you’re saying is… me and other versions of me and SARA are being hunted down by a killer gang, and we have to stop them?” TAM nodded.

“I mean, I can see why. Everybody wants this hot piece of metallic ass. I’ve seen the comments.” TOM said, jokingly.

“Same goes for me too, buddy. The folks online LOVE me.” TAM laughed along with TOM.

SARA sighed. “Look, let’s just get to the point. Are you helping or not, TOM?”

“Well, obviously! I can’t let other versions of me DIE! I’m a troll, not a monster!” TOM crossed his arms and picked his shotgun back up, ready to kick ass, take names and chew gum. And he’s all out of gum.

“Good! Now let’s go!” TAM grabbed TOM and picked him up over her shoulder, while SARA trailed along near them.

“AAAAGH! You know, I can walk on my own!” TOM complained. If his arms were free, he would have been crossing them.

“Let’s go save the MULTIVERSE!” TAM said gleefully, marching out of the room.

“Fine, fine, but could you PLEASE, let me go? You’re crushing my back…” TOM groaned.

“Nnnope! By the way, what anime do you show on YOUR Toonami? Mine shows Precure, Cowboy Bebop and Naruto!” TAM said joyfully.

“If I answer, will you put me down?”

“No!”

“Guys, could you quit arguing?” SARA said. She followed TAM, who was unknowingly, crushing TOM’s spine.

“Fine…”

And so begins an epic, if not, chaotic tale of multiple versions of one saving the Toonamiverse. Hopefully TOM has his spine and arms intact for the next part.

Chapter Text

“So many doors, so many questions! My eyes are getting heavy and I just want it to end.”

Saturday, 2:01 AM
Absolution Mark 14 Hallway

After about a few hours, the Toonami gang made it to one of the hallways of the Absolution. TOM, for one, was grateful, since that meant TAM could finally put him down.

“Finally… TAM, can you please put me down now? I’m starting to lose all sense of feeling in my back…” TOM groaned, while TAM just dropped him to the floor.

“Ok! You’re free to go!” She stretched her arms and pulled out two handguns. “It’s quiet… too quiet.”

The three stayed alert, knowing that at any time, mooks would appear. TOM readied his shotgun, while TAM walked in a circle, ready to shoot the crap out of any enemy that dared walk their way. Suddenly, footsteps could be heard.

“Ready your guns! I just heard something!” SARA shouted, while TOM and TAM hid somewhere and aimed at the end of the hallway.

A tall figure in TOM’s armor ran through the hallway. TOM thought of asking what it was doing with his armor on, but SARA said otherwise.

“What if it's the killer in disguise?”

As soon as the figure disappeared, the coast was clear. TOM and the others made their way through the hallway. Apparently, TAM thought this was boring, so she decided to ask her other counterpart some questions.

“Hey, wanna play 20 Questions? I’m getting bored!” TAM whined.

TOM sighed. “Fine. But if any enemies find us because of how loud we’re being, I’m blaming you.”

TAM giggled. “Alrighty, so.. When did you start running Toonami? Did you ever air a magical girl show? Have you ever had intruders?”

TOM froze once she mentioned intruders. “I-Intruders?”

“Oh, uhh… did I say something wrong? I’m sorry! I didn’t know!”

“It’s fine. I’ve had a TON of intruders. I just… I don’t like talking about a specific one.” TOM said with a sorrowful tone.

“If it’s the one I think you’re talking about, I know how you feel. Might not be the one YOU ran into, but yeah.”

SARA immediately stopped in her tracks. “Wait, you mean… you ran into…” She whispered towards TAM. “The Intruder?” TAM nodded.

TOM sighed. “Let’s stop talking about this. You can keep asking me stuff, TAM.”

“Not until you answer my frickin questions.”

“Language.”

“Whatever.” If TAM had eyes, she would be rolling them.

“To answer your questions, I started running Toonami back in 1999, and I aired Sailor Moon back in the old days. We wanted to broadcast Madoka Magica, but it was hard getting the rights. Anything else?”

“Oh! Well… what’s your personal favorite show you’ve ever aired? Is there a game you’ve always wanted to play but never got the chance to? What’s your relationship status?”

“My favorites were Outlaw Star, Cowboy Bebop and Guren Lagann. I always wanted to play Persona 3, but the network deemed it “TOo INapPRoPriAtE”.” He said in a mocking tone. “And about that last one, I’m actually surprised that I’m single. With all the thirsty comments I get, you’d be surprised at the fact that I’m single.” TOM said, crossing his arms. “But enough about me, what about you? I’ve only known you for about a few couple minutes.”

“An hour, to be exact.” SARA corrected.

“Well… an hour. Anyway, what’s it like back in your universe? Do you sometimes get lonely back in your universe? Do you have a SARA?” TOM asked.

“Well…” TAM answered. “My universe is kinda like yours. I’m always running into danger every now and then. Some people say I overwork myself when it comes to Toonami, but I doubt that. I’m just bringing people quality entertainment, just like you.”

“Ok, about that last part… you should get some goddamn sleep.” TOM said in a worried tone.

“Like hell I’m sleeping! It’s what I was born to do. And besides, you do the same.”

“Yeah, I broadcast anime too, but at least I get some sleep!” TOM refuted.

“Except for when he was in The Forge!” SARA interrupted.

“Not. Helping.” TOM grunted at SARA. “Let’s just get back to the questions.”

“Aaalrighty! Well, then, I DO have a SARA. She’s absolutely WONDERFUL. I love being around her, she just radiates good vibes, y’know?” TAM sounded happy to talk about her SARA.

Suddenly, TOM heard some footsteps. A certain feeling of discomfort took over his body. His vision was getting blurry, with a strange, glitchy red tint. A buzzing noise overtook his head. When he looked up towards the hallway, he saw a strange entity. The entity was pitch black, with a bright green coat. It had a black mask covering its entire face, with its features glowing red. The figure slowly turned towards TOM, walking away.

“TOM, are you alright? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” SARA said, flying towards TOM.

“I-I saw something. It was tall, a-and it had red eyes… I don't know if I should say this but… I'm scared. Like, REALLY scared. What if that thing’s out for me?” TOM’s voice sounded strained, like he was trying not to cry. Whatever that figure was, it was terrifying.

TAM hugged TOM, giving him a warm pat on the head. “Aww, come here! Let your multiversal sister comfort you!” TOM… well, he was lucky to survive that hug.

“TAM, let go of- Intruder Alert. Intruder Alert. Unknown Fleet of Spaceships detected nearby.” SARA said. Her alert blared throughout all of the ship.

Suddenly, a small brigade of people ambushed TOM and the others in the hallway. They looked similar to the entity TOM had seen earlier before, except for a few key differences. They were all of different species, some looked like humanoid cats, others looked like robots, and a few others looked like strange aliens. Their coats were black and red instead of bright green, and they didn’t blur or glitch TOM’s eyesight. The only thing they had in common was their mask, which eerily looked like the one the entity wore…

“TOM Prime and TOM from Universe 2819-FM spotted. Engage: Formation Assassinate. Prepare to die.” said the leader of the brigade.

TOM sighed. “Well, we’re screwed. Any last words?” TOM said in a sarcastic tone.

TAM giggled. If she had a face, she would be smirking. “Hmm… last words, you say? How about… Omae wa mou shindeiru.” She pulled out both of her handguns and posed, spreading both of her arms aside as she readied her weapons.

“That’s more like it. If there’s one thing we TOMs know how to do well, it's watch anime, play games and FIGHT!” TOM immediately ran towards one of the mooks and punched them in the stomach. He pulled out his guns and immediately started firing at the mooks. God knows how many survived, but all I can tell you is that there were at least 3 casualties.

“*bleep*! One of the guns got jammed! SARA, help me out here!” TAM shouted. SARA immediately zoomed out of the hallway and came back with a giant shotgun. “Hell yeah, let’s go!” TAM started firing at all the mooks, laughing maniacally as she started sniping at all the mooks.

“TAM, you’re insane.” TOM sighed as he punched a mook in the chest.

“Yeah, so? Everyone’s a bit crazy!” TAM laughed.

“Would you guys quit it with the banter and fight?” SARA screamed at them as she flew away from the mooks.

As they kept fighting, eventually they lost the upper hand. TOM was being overtaken by the mooks, and TAM was moments away from being strangled to death. If they don’t get a random miracle soon, they’ll be nothing but broken robot parts.

“God, we’re screwed… I sure do hope something happens and we come out of this alive!” TAM said.

“TAM, for the love of God, now’s not the time! We can get out of this alive!” TOM yelled at her.

“Hey, don’t lie to me, you’re just as scared as me, you know you want a miracle to happen!” TAM argued back.

“Stop exposing me!” TOM grumbled.

“TOM Prime and TOM from Universe 2819-FM apprehended. Will be terminated in: 5…”

“Please, let there be a miracle happen…” TAM whispered.

“4…”

“I’ll have to agree with you this time, TAM!”

“3…”

“Crapcrapcrapcrapcraaaap!” TAM screamed.

“2…”

*BLAM!*

A firing sound could be heard. In a few seconds, the mook apprehending them was soon found lying dead on the floor, alien blood splattered around them. Their mask flickered, and eventually powered off.

“What the… we’re alive?” TAM said.

“Of course we are!” TOM said in his usual sarcastic tone.

The two looked behind them. At the end of the hallway stood another TOM, except his eyes were glowing a bright cyan.

“Well, what are the odds?” SARA said.

TOM just facepalmed. “This day just got weirder. I won’t be surprised if another TOM just waltzed out of another portal.”

The other TOM dashed towards the mooks, destroying them all. He then kicked one of the surviving mooks to the ground, stepped on them, pointed a gun at their head and growled. “Say a word about this to your boss or crewmates, and you’ll go through what they went through, but worse.”

The mook blushed and stammered. “Y-Yes, sir!” They got up and left, a blushing mess.

The mooks looked at each other. “Like hell we’re getting slaughtered! Did you see what happened to Stacy and Juniper? We’re not going through that! We’re out of here!” One of them said, running out of the hallway in fear.

“You heard Candela! Scram!” All the mooks immediately dashed out of the hallway.

The other TOM sighed and turned towards TOM and the others. “Everyone alright?”

TOM, TAM and SARA just stared in shock. TAM’s non-existent jaw was on the floor. “Oh damn. Oh damn! OH DAMN!”

“That’s three Oh damns!” TOM immediately shouted.

The other TOM helped the others up. “You really need to be careful. They’re really strong opponents. I’m speaking from experience.”

TOM just stared. “I’ve faced worse. Anyway, what’s your deal? I mean, TAM’s deal is that she’s a gender-flipped version of me, so… what’s up with you?”

The other TOM just sighed and flipped a switch in the back of his armor. Suddenly, his armor disintegrated in a blue, pixelated blaze. It revealed a tall, human version of TOM. His hair was long and dark blue, with a light blue streak in his bangs. His eyes were a vibrant cyan, with sharp, dark lashes, just like a cat’s. He had scars all over his gorgeous, pretty face. He had a muscular, yet smooth frame. His black rubber midriff turtleneck hugged his curves tightly, only being covered by a dark blue cardigan with the signature Toonami nuclear symbol. A pair of black leather pants hung low on his waist, showing off his wide and shapely hips. He had tall, grayish blue stiletto boots.

TOM, TAM and SARA stared in awe. TOM was just surprised.

“Holy crap.”

Chapter Text

“Maybe it is all a test, cause I feel like I’m the worst, so I always act like I’m the best!”

TOM and the others stared in awe. In front of them stood a human version of him, towering over them with his tall frame. After an awkward moment of silence, TOM finally said something.

“So… you’re me as a human?”

“Yeah, obviously.” The human said.

“...Damn. I always wondered how I’d look as a human. Glad to know I’m still handsome.” SARA just glared at him. “Did I lie? I don’t judge you whenever you’re swooning over those anime girls you like!”

TAM just got up and squealed. “Oh my god! Where did you get that gun? What kind of model is it? Did you make it yourself?” She said while looking intently at the gun the human carried around. It was clear that she was less interested in the human’s identity, and more interested in the damn gun.

“Eh…”

“Oh! Sorry. I’ll let you introduce yourself, then I'll ask the questions.” TAM said, backing off nervously.

The human breathed out a sigh of relief, as he straightened his posture. “Finally… I was getting a headache.” He said, putting away his gun.

“Alright, man. You rehearsed this in your room a thousand times… don’t mess this up.” The human muttered to himself, while TOM and the others quietly turned to themselves in confusion.

“From the glowing neon lights of Mirai City, Japan’s capital of Adventure and Chaos, lies a warrior feared by everyone. A lone ronin daylighting as a source of entertainment and stories. Only in his time of solace does he reveal his true colors: The most revered swordsman in the city, the Azure Wolf of Mirai, a name that makes the most heartless monsters tremble in fear… The Blue Death, Tom Tachibana.” The long-haired man said, striking a pose with a glowing blue katana made of light.

TOM, SARA and TAM stood in place, bewildered by the sight they just happened to see. A modern ronin? Mirai City? The Blue Death? There were so many questions. TAM, of course, didn’t care, giving Tachibana a standing ovation. TOM slowly followed suit, along with SARA.

“Thank you. I appreciate the praise.” Tachibana said with a smirk.

“WOO! BLUE DEATH! YEAH!” TAM shouted, while TOM just stared at her. Could she stop being so loud? The intruders could hear her…

“...I have SO many questions.” SARA flew towards the robotic man, hovering around him, but not before getting a few glances at his mysterious sword.

“Ask away, fairy lady.” He said, letting out a small chuckle.

“So.. how did you get here? TAM said something about a distress call…”

“Well, funny story: I was in the middle of a face-off with the yakuza, maiming and beheading some bastards who almost bombed one of my neighbors, who’s a lawyer, over being accused of tax evasion. I was in the middle of cutting a guy in half when I received a distress call from an alternate SARA. I knew it wasn’t mine since my SARA was with me at the moment, so after we were done, I got my stuff, opened the portal and BOOM! I’m in a giant spaceship. Yeah, I know, it’s hilarious.” Tachibana said with a grin, while the others stared in horror.

“Well, this one’s not just human, but he’s crazy too. If I end up alive and mentally stable after this, it’ll be a miracle.” TOM thought to himself. “Uh… yeah! Very funny! Hilarious, even! Anyway, let’s just go and try and find out where these alternate me’s are coming from.”

“Fine… but I can tell you guys a story while we try to make sense of this!” Tachibana said with a smile, as TAM nodded in excitement. If this is what she finds entertaining, God knows what’s going on in her head…

As everyone walked through the Absolution, careful to not run into any of the red hooded people, while Tachibana told them his story to entertain them.

“So, basically I was made as a child weapon/soldier for Mirai, but I managed to get out cuz Moltar answered the distress call I sent when the station was getting raided! Oh! I also learned how to do this while I was getting chased down by one of the monsters! Check this out.”

Tachibana stood in a running position, while blue sparks of electricity surrounded him, eventually covering his body, making him rush toward another corner of the corridor and back again in a cyan spark. “I call it… the Flash Step!”

“Uh… wow. That’s actually really cool.” TOM said.

“Yeah, I know. You spend almost your whole life in a city full of warriors who can kick your ass in 25 different languages, dialects and ways, so ya gotta hone the skills you were given, along with some you learn from others.”

“Sounds like you live a pretty good life, fighting monsters and all that. You’re practically a real-life anime protagonist, mysterious past and all.” SARA remarked, until she spotted something in the corner.

It was the same green hooded being TOM saw. His vision clouded, with that distinct red tint that haunted him. His hearing was fading, only being replaced by a loud ringing noise, and he felt like he would fall apart any second. Was this what fear and panic felt like? After all this time fearing nothing in his adventures, he had finally found something that actually scared him: Paranoia. That thing was out for him. It was just painful thinking about it. How long had it followed him? How did it find him? What did it want with him? He fell to his knees, banging his head on the floor to make the pain stop.

“Hey, hey! What are you doing?” SARA hovered around him, trying to stop him from breaking down.

“I SAW IT AGAIN! The green thing with the mask… it’s after me… it’s watching me… please… make it stop…” TOM yelled, his screen cracking as he kept banging his head.

“TOM, please! Here, let me just…” SARA held out her hand on his chest, trying to help him breathe. “In and out… you’re going to be ok… I’m with you, by your side.” She kept holding out her hand, as TOM slowly stopped hyperventilating, eventually calming down… sort of.

“Sigh… thanks SARA… You’re a real treat, y’know?” TOM sighed, as his alternate selves walked up to him and patted him on the back.

“What happened? Did you see something?” TAM asked, worried about his safety.

“I saw the green thing he saw back in the other corridor. It was looking directly at me. It said something, but… I couldn’t decipher it. Their voice was grainy and garbled, almost as if their voice box or cords were broken or tampered with.” SARA said, trying to make sense of the situation.

“Odd… do you have any idea what that is, Tachi?” TAM turned to the human.

“Uh… maybe we should discuss this somewhere else. Somewhere they can’t see?” He shrugged.

“I’ve got just the place…” TOM said in a mischievous tone.

Cut to the gang in the middle of the weapons closet. TAM was busy gushing over all the guns and swords, while Tachibana just sat around, almost falling asleep.

“So… it had some sort of red mask, probably made of an LED screen. That glow doesn’t just come from any sort of paint.” SARA said, pulling out a bulletin board.

“Yeah… then there’s the fact I got some kinda ringing in my ears, and it kinda tampered with my systems. It can’t be any sort of alien or monster. It’s gotta be something mechanical.” TOM added to the discussion, while SARA wrote down his words and added it to the board.

“Eh, I don’t know about that… TAM and I didn’t get that same vision. It doesn’t have any business with us, so it’s probably got something against you. You could have done something personal towards… whatever that is.” Tachibana remarked, as SARA kept on adding evidence and evidence.

“Wait… Reddish tint, can tamper with the inner workings of artificial intelligence and beings, and it has something against me… SARA, do you think it’s…”

“Maybe?”

“...Could that be Swayzak?”

As soon as his name was mentioned, Tachibana felt an instant chill down his back. Something about him felt… familiar. Maybe it was a memory he blocked? Whatever it was, it brought him fear.

“Uh… Tachi? You ok?” TOM asked.

“I-I’m good. No need to worry.”

TAM ran towards TOM, holding a giant crossbow in hand. The size of it was giving TOM the creeps, not to mention she was pointing it right at him.

“Hey, can I keep this? I’ve always wanted a crossbow! Please please PLEEEEAAAASEEE?”

“H-HEY! GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF THAT! It’s REALLY expensive!” TOM shouted, chasing his female self around the room, trying to grab the crossbow.

“So… you gotta put up with this every day, SARA?” Tachibana said, leaning back on his chair.

“Yeah. It really isn’t every day you have to see thousands of alternate versions of your best friend.” She shrugged. “Come to think about it… You seem rather calm about all this. I assume this isn’t your first time dealing with this kinda crap?”

“Nah, it’s my first time. I’m just used to it, y’know? When you’ve spent your whole life in a city where the most boring thing that can happen is an alien invasion, it's commonplace. Hell, I’ve even had to deal with getting evicted from my apartment by the government… and possibly being the descendant of a historical samurai… and a lot of other things that are a LOT wilder than what I have just mentioned.” Tachitom just shrugged, while SARA stared at him, bewildered and speechless.

TOM came back, keeping the crossbow away from TAM, who STILL wanted it for herself.

“Ok… so… it isn’t Swayzak… it isn’t The Intruder… who else could it- HANDS OFF!” TOM pushed off his female clone away from the crossbow she so desperately wanted.

SARA thought to herself. Only one thing could come to mind… “Maybe it’s the Forge Commander? He seems like our best possible bet for now. He already has a grudge against you for freeing the TOM worker drones, so it could make sense why they’re only targetting you.”

“One problem… if it was him, I would have been nothing else but a goddamn decapitated head. Plus, the body type doesn’t match up. From what I was able to see, their skin was like… well… I guess a slimy fishy texture? Like the same sensation you get when you touch ectoplasm.” TOM refuted.

“Well, it can’t be him, so- Intruder Alert. Intruder Alert. Wave 2 of alien masked creatures entering.”

“Well, isn’t this just SWELL? Where are they?” TOM jumped after the warning.

“They’re moving at amazing speeds. They’re in Floor 3, near the machinery room!” SARA scanned, then opened the door to leave the weapons storage.

“How convenient… same floor as we are, eh? We don’t have much time to-”

Cue the brigade cornering them.

“...Prepare.”

“TOM Prime spotted. Eradicate order received.”

TAM immediately shot someone with the crossbow she somehow got her metal hands on, and made a beeline through the brigade.

“We have an opening! Follow me!”

The TOM squad and SARA dashed through the hallway, with TOM making occasional shots at the brigade following them with a handgun.

“They just keep coming… What's the battle plan?” TOM takes a moment to catch his breath while TAM keeps firing the crossbow.

“Get the elevator to another room working. I’ll hold them off.” Tachitom looked at them with a confident look in his bright blue eyes.

“Are you sure? There’s about… 50 of them! You could probably die!” SARA said, clearly concerned for the human version of her best friend.

“Trust me. I can handle it. Just get to safety.”

SARA flew away with the other TOMs as Tachitom just stood there. Blue sparks and light emerged from his eyes, as a cyan aura enveloped him. The tips of his pale fingers glowed in the same blue tint as he made a motion of drawing a sword from its sheath. Suddenly, in a flash of cobalt lightning, a blue katana appeared in his hands, bursting with energy.

“Alright, fuckwads… let’s tango.”

In just about 3 seconds, the alien army was down by 10. Tachitom cut through the brigade with ease, swooshes and swipes all over the place. The walls were coated with alien blood as some of them lost their heads, limbs, and maybe both. Tachitom blocked their attacks and missiles, blasting them away with electric energy. Safe to say, he was beating their asses.

Meanwhile, TOM and the others dashed through the corridors of the Absolution, frantically searching for an elevator. It seemed like everywhere they turned, another barrage of aliens appeared, until they were fully surrounded, right in the middle of the floor.

“Why does this always happen?! Can’t I just have ONE DAY without everyone trying to get on my ass?” TOM muttered under his breath.

“Well, we’re going to have to tread carefully from now on… that is, if we make it out alive.” SARA prepared herself for a certain death.

“If? IF? Make that when, because we are NOT going down without a fight, especially with this BADASS CROSSBOW!” TAM replied, immediately firing at the barrage. That thing had remarkable power, since it cleared an entire row of soldiers.

“We have a chance. Meet me near the corridors, I’ll mark a way to the nearest elevator. I’ll send it to you when I’m done, TOM.” SARA said, immediately dashing away.

“Copy that. Later.”

The gang made a quick haste of most of the army. TAM’s crossbow and TOM’s guns made for a powerful duo, clearing out rows and rows of masked soldiers.

“Alright, we’re almost there, SARA. You got the path ready?” TOM asked.

“Almost. I can sense something running down this hall… but it isn’t a masked soldier. If you hear the sound of a motorcycle, that’s the guy I’m talking about. Be wary, and please be safe.” SARA said through the speakers.

“Wait, WHAT?”

Perfect fucking timing, since the sound of a motorcycle was getting closer and closer. Black tentacles shot at the army, piercing through them and slamming them against the walls. The tentacles had also captured Tachitom, who was tossed towards his multiversal siblings.

“Y’know, that could have been more gentle! If you’re gonna tie me up, do it properly!”

The sound of metal slicing through alien skin could be heard, as a soldier lost their head. A figure in a white blouse, baggy black pants and antique boots, a brown corset, and a white cravat jumped into the fray, slicing through each soldier with a clean swoop. As TOM got a better look at them, they seemed to have a knight helmet on… Wait, why did it look like his face?

The guy in the motorcycle got into the fray, running over soldiers with a familiar looking bike slide. As soon as he got off, his features were quite clear. He had a black motorcycle helmet on, a mesh shirt with a ripped top, leather pants with rips and zippers, obsidian boots that went up to his knees, black gloves that showed off his sharp, claw-like nails, and a flowing trench coat. He walked slowly towards the army, his hips swaying along with his scorpion-like tail.

“Alright, you living oxygen hoarders. I’ve been chasing you down for a whole fucking day, so make this worth my damn time. We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Either you guys give up and leave me alone to do my shit, or you have to watch your lovely teammates die… One. By. One. Choice is yours.” The entity said.

“Likewise! You’re one of the TOMs we’ve been sent to hunt down! We don’t give a fuck if you’re a robot, a demon, or a kitten: WE WANT YOU DEAD!” The leader of this specific squadron responded with smug confidence.

“...Don’t say I warned you.”

Suddenly, a torrent of black tentacles plummeted against the army, as TOM and the others jumped to the side. Blood gushed through the corridors, staining the shiny floors and walls of the Absolution, some of it even splattering on the ceiling. Some were impaled, others decapitated, and the rest were submitted to horrifying deaths. As the bloodshed continued, the figure took off their helmet, revealing a handsome looking creature with long, white hair, pale blue skin, sharp monster-like teeth, sharp horns, and blue eyes with black sclerae. He sadistically laughed at the sheer bloodshed he had inflicted on the army, as TOM and the others just stared in fear.

“Hehehe… Keep begging for your lives! Your screams of pain and despair only fuel my desire to see you all dead at my hands! DIE LIKE THE FILTHY VERMIN YOU ARE!” The demonic TOM cackled, as the TOM in the knight helmet took cover behind his motorcycle.

As soon as the bloodshed was over, the gang carefully walked through the oceans of colorful alien blood, trying not to step on any dead bodies. The TOM in the knight helmet peeked out, his body language showing a mix of disgust and fear.

“You know, you could be a bit more merciful next time! What if an innocent person gets caught in the crossfire?” He said, with a slight fancy accent.

“Whatever. These bastards have killed enough of my fellow robotic kin. They deserve as painful an end as I can give them.” The demonic TOM replied, baring his fangs in a shit-eating grin.

Great, he’s an asshole, TOM thought. “Before we thank you for that absolutely traumatizing experience, could you like.. explain what the hell’s going on? It has been a whole day, and I am STILL confused.”

“...Well, if it isn’t TOM Prime…” The demonic TOM turned to him while Medieval TOM frantically cleaned off his clothes from any traces of alien blood. “You look much less impressive than the original version of a Prince of Hell would be..”

Ok, this just got WAY more confusing.