“Well, that name certainly inspires trust, that's for sure,” said Eamon, breaking the brief silence that had followed the statement of the newly introduced Mr. Morningstar.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.
“Hello? Morningstar?” asked Friday, “It's one of Lucifer's names.”
I WAS NOT FAMILIAR WITH SUCH AN APPELLATION FOR THAT ENTITY.
Either he's lying or he comes from a reality where there is no Christian religion, thought Wednesday, But that's not really important right now.
“How do you know Enid is the Volvaugr?” asked the Addams, crossing her arms in front of the column of screens and monitors. Inside them, the resplendent figure of Mr. Morningstar seemed to move with a certain uneasiness.
I HAVE TRAVELED. I HAVE TRAVELED WIDELY THROUGHOUT THE MULTIVERSE AND I HAVE LEARNED TO LISTEN TO ITS STORIES. AND MANY TELL OF THE DEED OF A RAVEN OF THE ADDAMS FAMILY BONDED WITH A LEGENDARY GUARDIAN FACING AN UNPARALLELED THREAT.
“It sounds like we're famous,“ Taylor whispered to Pup.
“You realize he only mentioned Wednesday and Enid, right?” replied Pup. “No mention of the rest of us.”
BUT THE REST OF YOU ARE WELL KNOWN TOO. ESPECIALLY THE ONE WHO DEALT THE FINAL BLOW TO THE MONSTER.
All eyes turned to Friday. The pink-clad Addams shrugged.
IT WAS PRECISELY BECAUSE OF YOUR TRIUMPH THAT I HOPED TO BE ABLE TO REUNITE WITH YOU. THAT WAS THE PURPOSE OF AMANDA'S MISSION.
“To find us,” said Wednesday, “Us, specifically.”
ANY OTHER WEDNESDAY THAT MISS BUCKMAN COULD HAVE SAVED WOULD HAVE BEEN A HELP TO OUR CAUSE AND AN OBSTACLE TO OUR ENEMIES, BUT YOU ARE THE ITERATIONS OF WEDNESDAY ADDAMS AND ENID SINCLAIR...
“Enid Addams,” corrected the she-wolf.
ENID ADDAMS. MY APOLOGIES. AS I SAID, YOU ARE THE ONLY ONES WITH THE EXPERIENCE AND POWER TO FACE OUR ENEMIES.
“The Normalcy Nine.”
OH, I SEE MISS BUCKMAN HAS ALREADY INFORMED YOU.
“Not quite... just the general gist of what we know about those lunatics. The only one they've met is Norman,” said Amanda.
SURELY A FAMILIAR FACE TO SOME OF YOU.
“Yes,” said Shark, “Although the Norman I am familiar with is older and as far as I know has not joined a gang of interdimensional morons.”
THE SITUATION IS SIMILAR WITH THE OTHER MEMBERS. YOU HAVE ALREADY MET NORMAN NORMANMEYER, OR ONE OF THE NORMAN NORMANMEYERS. THE OTHER MEMBERS OF THE NINE WHO I HAVE IDENTIFIED OVER TIME ARE...
A series of different faces in photographs and videos began to appear on the monitors and television screens.
“That's Mr. Hilliard!” exclaimed Pup.
“The truant officer?” asked Taylor.
“Yes. Pugsley and I had to go to public school because of him,” continued Pup, “Then he tried to get into politics, running for mayor, but he ended up being the head of the school board. I always noticed that he had some apprehension towards our family, but the life of this version had to be very different. Despite everything, the Mr. Hilliard I knew wasn't the kind of person who would join a cult of universe destroyers.”
“Weds, look at those two...” said Enid, pointing at two of the screens.
“Crackstone. And Laurel,” said the Addams, fixing her dark gaze on the faces of two hated enemies. “This certainly brings back memories,” she said, absently rubbing the part of her abdomen where she sometimes still felt the phantom pain of a dagger piercing her flesh.
WE HAVE MANAGED TO FIND OUT THAT THEY COME FROM TWO DIFFERENT REALITIES AND THIS LAUREL FEELS A CERTAIN DISLIKE TOWARDS THIS CRAKCSTONE. IT COULD BE USEFUL TO YOU.
“I recognize three of them on those displays,” said Woe, barely able to hide the irritation she felt at seeing those faces.
“Yes, I guess you still recall Gary from camp,” said Amanda, “And from what I remember my Wednesday told me, that's Debbie, your uncle's ex.”
“Oh? The one Pubert electrocuted to death?” asked Saint-Clair, looking at the image... “I've never seen any pictures of her...”
“We got rid of all the photos of her in the house because Uncle Fester would start crying like a beaten puppy every time he saw them...”
“Mmm, blonde, blue eyes, a penchant for bright colors...” the werecat smiled mischievously, directing her gaze at Enid and Wednesday, “It seems that some Addams have a type.”
“Don't even joke about that,” said Woe, trying to ignore the brief flash of pain that crossed Buckman's gaze.
“Who is the other woman?” asked Wodnesdæg. Both he and Eneit were intrigued by the fact that they recognized some of the faces, even with different names than the ones they remembered from their own universe.
“Abigail Craven,” clarified Woe, “A thief and con artist who conspired with our family accountant and used an amnesiac Uncle Fester as the instrument of our destruction. She failed, of course.”
“And that one over there is my mother,” said Parker, pointing to an image of Margaux Needler, “The sad thing is that it doesn't surprise me, I've always believed that Mom is one nervous breakdown away from supervillainy.”
“Her plan to control an entire suburban population as a self-proclaimed Big Brother would certainly suggest it,” said Needler, giving her wife a gentle pat on the shoulder.
“I don't recognize the last one,” said Friday, observing a man with brown hair and an unremarkable appearance except for the expression of jaded contempt that oozed from his features.
HARRY PALMER. HAND MODEL IN HOLLYWOOD.
“Is that a real job?” asked Saint-Clair, raising an eyebrow.
“And quite lucrative,” said Amanda, “Until a member of the Addams family stole his stardom.”
“Oh, I remember him!” exclaimed Shark with a clap, “It must have been around the time that Thing worked in television!”
“So... what's the plan?” asked Enid, “Because I'm not saying we agree to join this particular crusade, but I don't think anyone here wants to stand by and do nothing if there are universes in danger...”
“The plan,” interrupted Monday, “is exactly the same as the one you used on your last escapade. Or so I've been told.”
THERE ARE. . . SIGNS THAT SOMEONE IS BEHIND THE NINE. NINE INDIVIDUALS FROM NINE DIFFERENT UNIVERSES DO NOT BECOME UNITED OR ORGANIZED LIKE THAT WITHOUT SOME KIND OF EXTERNAL INFLUENCE.
“A mastermind,” said Wednesday, ”And the only thing you've come up with to force their hand and compel them to reveal themselves is to repeat the plan we used with The Bright One: to thwart their activities and prevent their lackeys from carrying them out until they decide to intervene personally.”
“I wasn't there when it happened,” said Eneit, “but from what you told me, that plan didn't go very well the first time, did it?”
“No,” growled Enid, recalling the massacre caused by The Bright One in the universe of Agent A, “Not even close.”
I AM AWARE OF THIS. BUT IT IS THE BEST CHANCE WE HAVE. AND OUR BEST HOPE.
Wednesday frowned. Despite the lack of features and the unnatural resonance of his voice, the Addams noticed a certain nervousness in Mr. Morningstar's tone.
“There's something you're not telling us.”
The white silhouette against a background of dark static on the monitor seemed to take a breath, as if gathering courage or patience, before starting to shake his head slightly as a faint laugh escaped him.
I KNEW YOU WOULD NOTICE. WHAT I AM GOING TO TELL YOU IS A DETAIL THAT NEITHER MISS BUCKMAN NOR MISS JONES KNEW.
“Sir?” asked the young woman dressed as an astronaut. Monday merely narrowed her eyes in an expression very similar to some of the other Wednesdays.
THE SITUATION IS POTENTIALLY MORE URGENT THAN IT MAY APPEAR. THE NORMALCY NINE ARE LOOKING TO EXTERMINATE ANY UNIVERSE THAT CONTAINS THE ADDAMS FAMILY IN ONE FORM OR ANOTHER.
“Yes? We already knew that,” said Saint-Clair.
I HAVE NOT EXPLAINED MYSELF WELL: I HAVE SAID IN ONE FORM OR ANOTHER.
Needler clicked her fingers, “Oh... Oh! They're going to attack meta-parallel realities!”
“What the hell is a meta-parallel reality?” the werecat asked again.
“Any reality in which a version of you exists as a work of fiction!” Needler explained, “The multiverse is infinite in its impossibilities. There are realities in which our existence is a written story, or a comic strip, or a movie, or any medium of narrative artistic expression. There are realities in which the Addams family is just an idea unsprouted in the imagination of one individual!”
THE PROBLEM IS THAT EVERY REALITY IS A META-REALITY TO SOME DEGREE. ANY TALE OR STORY YOU HAVE HEARD OR INVENTED IS A REALITY SOMEWHERE IN THE MULTIVERSE. AND IF THEY BEGIN TO ERASE UNIVERSES IN WHICH THE ADDAMS ARE JUST AN IDEA...
Needler seemed to turn pale. Which, given her marble-white complexion, was somewhat difficult, “Now that... oh, entropy would skyrocket in a cascade effect and...”
“Translation for the uninitiated, please?” asked Eamon.
“The multiverse is... is infinite,” Needler explained, “And you might think that something infinite is eternal, but that's not the case. It's actually very fragile. And if what I think is going to happen happens...”
THE MULTIVERSE IS INFINITE BECAUSE THERE IS NO PURE BEGINNING OR END. BUT THE STATE OF ITS EXISTENCE CAN REVERSE TO AN OPPOSITE ONE. IF REALITIES FROM WHICH THE EXISTENCE POTENTIAL OF OTHERS EMANATE BEGIN TO BE DESTROYED...
“Other realities will begin to disappear without direct intervention from the Nine...” Needler continued.
STARTING A CHAIN REACTION, AN ANTI-BIG BANG THAT WOULD ERASE ALL OF CREATION. THAT IS WHY WE MUST STOP THEM AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
A deathly silence fell over everyone present.
Until it was finally broken by a “Mmmf” from Wednesday.
“Weds?” asked Enid.
“It seems that performing acts of heroism is the cross I have been given to bear in my life,” said the Addams, with irritated resignation.
Enid smiled, gently taking Wednesday's chin with one of her hands and drawing her wife's gaze towards her, “You're good at it, though.”
“So... shall we start blindly jumping from one universe to another in the hope of being able to face our foes?”, asked Wod.
Needler was fiddling with her dimensional bracelet, “Our devices haven't rebooted yet...”
I APOLOGISE FOR THE DISRUPTION. THE DISPOSITIVE I GAVE AMANDA IS OLD AND INACCURATE, BUT IT CAN TAKE YOU TO REALITIES WHERE THE PRESENCE OF THE NINE IS IMMINENT.
Wednesday and Enid exchanged a look, practically communicating in silence.
How curiously convenient, querida.
Yes, you don't have to be a werewolf to smell the bullshit.
For his part, Morningstar continued to speak.
I AM NOT ALMIGHTY NOR OMNISCIENT. AND MY KNOWLEDGE OF THIS TECHNOLOGY IS MORE LIMITED THAN I WOULD LIKE TO ADMIT. IN THE PAST I WOULD HAVE RESORTED TO MAGIC BUT NOW I AM NOT IN A POSITION TO USE IT AS A RESOURCE.
“Magic and science combined offer the greatest guarantees of stability,” said Needler. “What prevents you from using the arcane arts?”
THE PAST HAS MANY WOUNDS.
With that last answer, the various monitors from which Mr. Morningstar was speaking began to shut down one by one. At the same time, Amanda's device started to activate again with a loud noise.
“What the hell!?”
YOUR DEVICES SHOULD HAVE THIS POCKET DIMENSION REGISTERED WHEN THEY ARE REACTIVATED SO YOU CAN RETURN WITHOUT PROBLEMS. OR TO YOUR RESPECTIVE REALITIES. THE NEXT JUMP WILL DISPERSE YOU AMONG MULTIPLE UNIVERSES IN IMMINENT DANGER. SEARCH WEDNESDAY ADDAMS. DETAIN ANY MEMBERS OF THE NINE YOU FIND.
“Wait a minute!” roared a semi-transformed Enid, “Are you just going to send us off like this, with no more plans, no more preparation!?”
I TRUST IN YOUR SKILLS. I TRUST YOU.
“Well, we don't trust you!” replied the werewolf. Her voice began to sound distorted. Once again she and everyone present seemed to be losing consistency before the dimensional leap, their bodies becoming transparent.
The alarm on Amanda's wrist device was getting louder and louder.
“Buckman!” Wednesday asked, “Is there any way to determine how we're going to be scattered across the multiverse? Any way to guarantee that ...?”
But she couldn't finish her question. Once again a flash of purple light illuminated the room as an electric discharge resonated like thunder, leaving behind only the empty room and the smell of ozone in the air.
Only one of the monitors was still on, showing the luminous silhouette of Mr. Morningstar.
DO NOT TRUST ME. HATE ME IF YOU MUST.
The monitor went off, but the voice still resonated in the room after the image disappeared.
MAYBE YOU'LL DO IT ANYWAY.
And all the lights went out, leaving the place plunged into the deepest darkness.
§§§
At least this time she didn't lose consciousness.
The situation didn't happen instantly. It was difficult to describe, but during the Jump it was as if the brain switched off for a few moments, as if it went into a state of semi-sleep as it passed from one reality to the other. You were aware of a certain passage of time but not exactly how much.
And suddenly you were back in a material reality. You were back in the now.
And for Wednesday Addams the now consisted of falling flat on her face onto a hard wooden floor.
She could feel the dust entering through her nose, and a tingling in all her muscles not unlike the feeling of a numb limb waking up. She noticed a heaviness in all her limbs as if she were moving underwater when she began to sit up and could feel the creak of all her pained bones.
It was strangely pleasant.
“Weds?”
Hearing that voice made it even better.
Now on her feet, Wednesday turned around and could see Enid on the ground next to her. Sitting up.
Her Enid.
“Mia cara lupa,” she muttered, taking the disoriented werewolf's hand and helping her to her feet. Enid immediately embraced her, letting the smell of her wife flood her nostrils.
“Oh, Weds, it's you... he sent us together... for a moment I feared that...” Enid whispered.
“Maybe you put the fear of the Devil in him, dear,” said the Addams, “Or maybe Mr. Morningstar is more considerate than we gave him credit for.”
“Seriously?” Enid asked, incredulous.
“No, it was probably pragmatism on his part. He knew that if he separated us he would have to face our anger in the future. But he also knew that our chances of success increase exponentially if we are together,” said Wednesday, “But I don't intend to blame him for the outcome, at least as far as your presence with me is concerned.”
The she-wolf separated slightly from her beloved, but without breaking the embrace. She fixed her gaze on Wednesday without letting go and smiled wolfishly, “I suppose I won't look for a way to gut him. For now.”
“A little bodily harm for his lack of manners wouldn't be out of place,” replied Wednesday.
“What you want is an excuse to see me use my claws, isn't it?”, said Enid, chuckling, “Where are we, by the way?”, she said as she began to look around.
Her blue eyes opened wide, emitting a slight golden glow in the darkness. Although the room they were in was dark, Enid recognized the place immediately thanks to her ability to see perfectly at night.
The wooden floor, the stone walls, the two separate beds... in truth, all the separation between two sides of the room, exemplified in the presence and lack of color in the huge circular window that led to the balcony.
“Weds... we're in our...”
“I can see it, mia lupa.”
They were in their old room in Nevermore.
A decade had passed since the last time they had been there. A flood of memories threatened to invade them...
But the reminiscences would have to wait when they heard the sound of voices on the other side of the closed door. They had been so absorbed in each other and in the place in which they found themselves that they hadn't realized that someone was about to enter the room until it was too late to find somewhere to hide.
The door opened with a bang and someone turned on the light. A figure entered the room, speaking effusively.
“I'm going to sleep with it! Do you think it would be too weird? I mean, it's not one of my stuffed animals and I don't think Bianca is going to try to sneak in and steal it from me, but...”
The voice of the newcomer trailed off as she became aware of the presence of Wednesday and Enid right in the middle of the room.
Enid Sinclair, a young Enid Sinclair dressed in her purple school uniform, holding what was clearly a newly won Poe Cup and with an expression of fear, alarm, surprise and bewilderment causing an adorable frown on a delicate, unscarred face.
And next to her, in the same uniform but in shades of gray and black with an alarmed Thing on her shoulder, a young Wednesday Addams fixing her angry gaze on the intruders as a hidden dagger slid into her right hand.
NOTES
Ah, nothing like the existential horror of realizing that every work of fiction you've ever seen, read or imagined is a reality somewhere and that the same logic can be applied to your own existence. Yay.
And look at that... my version of Wenclair meeting the canon ones from season 1. What could possibly go wrong? 😁
We'll have to wait and see, because in the next chapter we will find out what goes on with the kids.
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