BATTLEWORLD: Doomstadt, Castle Doom, Sunday afternoon
Jessica
Jessica spent the night imprisoned in Doomgard. In the morning, Sheriff Strange himself picked her up and teleported her to Castle Doom in the capital province of Doomstadt. As she was marched through the castle, her hands were magically bound to make sure she didn't try anything drastic. And then she finally reached the throne room of Victor von Doom, King and God of Battleworld.
It was a little intimidating.
Doom
"Jessica Drew," Doom greeted. His voice was surprisingly gentle. He also somehow looked comfortable in his throne, which was part of a very ominous tree. Knowing a little bit about Thor's background, Jessica thought she knew what the tree was, too. "Thank you for not attempting to escape. I would have regretted not having an opportunity to speak with you."
Jessica
Was... was that a retroactive threat? Doom would never be a greeter at Wal-Mart, that was for sure. "Well, this is where I wanted to be this whole time. It wouldn't make sense to try to escape when I made this much effort to gain an audience. But if I had known I just needed to get arrested, I would have surrendered immediately."
Doom
"You would have been investigated by the Foundation as a heretical relic. You would have been destroyed almost immediately," Doom explained with terrifying certainty. "But constantly breaking my law? Creating chaos throughout Higher Avalon? Confronting my law-bringers in their own realm?"
"You have piqued my interest. I would know what it is you seek."
Jessica
"I seek the truth," Jessica answered. "I've come to Battleworld from another world, escaped whatever has come after me, and crossed every border in my way, all to ask you for the truth."
Doom
"I am the truth. This planet, Latverion - which you crudely call 'Battleworld' - is all that remains of what came before. It exists because its God willed it into being from the darkness that came between," Doom said. "You struggled with physical boundaries. This all exists because I took from those who are Beyond. Those who I saved live their lives in my creation, and I ask nothing more of them."
Jessica
"I respect all that you've done. I'm sad more couldn't be done, but I'm thankful for what you could do," Jessica explained. "But I don't really care about this world. There's nothing for me here. I want to know what happened before. What happened to my world?"
Doom
"Your refusal to acknowledge the truth of Latverion is dangerous," Doom noted. "This is why Thor would have been right to smite you."
Jessica
"It's who I am. I am what I was created to be, and my very existence was a crime against the laws of man and nature there, too," Jessica said. "That's nothing new to me. And neither is challenging powers way bigger than me to get to the truth. That's how I'm going to die someday, but it's not going to be today."
"Tell me what happened to my world. Tell me happened to reality. Tell me why your creation is necessary."
Doom
"Tell me why I should abide by your demands rather than destroy you with a thought," Doom ordered, rising from his throne. He began to glow a bright white, gathering his power.
Strange
"Because she will understand your actions, Victor," Strange said, stepping in. "She poses no threat to this world, and when she knows why this world exists, when she truly understands the challenges we faced, she will understand your burden, old friend, in a way few ever will."
Jessica
"I only want closure on the past," Jessica said. "I want to understand why I can't go home so I can move forward with my life. The rest of this planet will never hear what you tell me repeated. It's only for me."
Doom
Doom stood quiet, clearly considering the words of Jessica and of his oldest friend. Until, finally, "Would you swear fealty? Would you willingly become my subject were I to answer your questions?"
Jessica
Jessica paused, terrified of her own answer. But there was only one answer she could give. "No. I wouldn't. This isn't my world. I don't even believe in god. But I would leave you in peace and vow not to disrupt anything more than I already have. And if I could have some assistance, I'll even leave and return to the world where I've been living."
Doom
"You make demands and request aid," Doom said in the most potentially violent sigh Jessica had ever heard. "What assistance would you need?"
Jessica
"The device I had to summon a portal back to my world was destroyed in my first fight with that big dog Thor," Jessica said. "Without it, I can't go anywhere."
Doom
"The Foundation found this," Doom said as a platform raised from the floor. Clearly, he had prepared for this meeting more than he might have let on initially. "They were unable to determine what the scraps were." Doom raised a hand and the scraps started to glow. In seconds, Jessica's portal device was intact.
"I will answer your question. Then you will leave. You will never return and the memory of your existence will fade from those who encountered you here," Doom said. "If you ever return, I will destroy you and my forces will invade your new home now that I know how to find you."
Jessica
"That's as good a deal as I'm going to get," Jessica said. "Agreed. What happened to my world?"
Doom
"Very well. A race of unimaginably powerful creatures called the Beyonders lived just outside of our reality. Long ago, they placed a bomb that connected all realities. When this bomb was triggered, a chain reaction was caused, drawing two Earths at a time into each other. When the Earths collided, both universes were destroyed," Doom explained.
"The more this happened, the rate of these Incursions increased. As the rate of the Incursions increased, a series of plays and counter-plays began. Some began destroying worlds early to cause gaps in these Incursions; remove a world to prevent a collision. Destroy one world to prevent the destruction of two. The Beyonders responded in kind, scouring life from saved worlds and using them to restart the chain reaction. Opposition to these forces rose. And all parties became more frantic as the number of remaining worlds dwindled."
"Stephen and I confronted the Beyonders directly with a weapon of my devising," Doom continued."We defeated them at great cost and I took their power. When their plans succeeded and nothing remained, I used that power to rebuild from the scraps that survived their worlds' Incursions. Without this power mated to my will, this world will fall apart. This is why your heretical existence here cannot be allowed. If anything happens to my hold on this reality, reality will fail."
"So, your question. What happened to your world, Jessica Drew?" Doom asked. "I do not know. Perhaps another Earth crashed into it. Perhaps the Beyonders scoured life from the planet first. Perhaps they faced another planet whose desperation and preparation for survival was greater than theirs and they were destroyed by frightened people who bought themselves mere months. But if your loved ones suffered, it was not for long. Most likely, life ended before they understood the magnitude of what transpired. What I can tell you is that you are the sole remnant of your world here."
Strange
"Victor speaks the truth," Strange said. Maybe not the entire truth. But there were no lies, and any more wouldn't be helpful.
Jessica
As Doom explained, a few tears fell down Jessica's face. This knowledge wasn't comforting. Kitty. Miles. May. Mary Jane. Everyone died, probably scared and confused. And the same thing happened throughout the multiverse until virtually nothing remained.
But she knew. Now she knew. There wasn't any hope for her world. She could stop searching.
There was a kind of horrifying peace in her heart. "Thank you. Thank you both."
Strange
"I hope this knowledge helps you on some level," Strange said.
Doom
"Now uphold your agreement," Doom ordered. "Leave, and never return."
Jessica
Jessica picked up her portal device and activated it. A shimmering blue portal appeared behind her. "Treat your subjects well, Doom. Strange. Please."
Jessica turned and walked through the portal back to Stark's. Back to Fandom. And away from Battleworld forever.
[OOC: BATTLEWORLD ENDS, for Jessica, at least. She'll be back on island later today. For further information on BATTLEWORLD, read any Marvel comic this year.]