I hate this illustration a little bit more every time I look at it so I'm just already sorry.
The Hub
"So, what's in it for you?"
The cloaked man shifted in his seat.
"Why does it matter to you, Raynald?"
"What you are giving me is suspiciously liberal."
"I wouldn't get excited just yet, boy. I still don't know if your "gauntlet" will actually work."
"Are you saying you doubt me?"
"I'm saying you're a pathetic bastard who even in timelines where you don't get such a weapon you still kill and torture across the world. You already have killed millions."
"Well, without me, your plan is useless."
The man lifted his hand. Two figures stepped out of the darkness and locked the door. A muffled laugh exited the cloak. "Raynald, you are nothing but an expedient to me. I could have that gauntlet in my hand with the slightest gesture. You are just lucky I am merciful... for now."
"Are you threatening me?"
"That wasn't a threat, it was a
promise."
Raynald sighed. He tensed his hand slightly, but saw more eyes in the darkness looking at him.
"So, what do you want?"
"I will take the gauntlet for a while. Use it for my means. Don't worry, I will make sure you are safe in the meantime. And when I leave this plane, I will leave you in control of not only the gauntlet but all of the Perfected Ones I created."
"I only believe in one God, and he sure as hell isn't you."
"You have much to learn, Raynald."
"...who the hell are you, anyway?"
"I have many names.
But you can call me Trios."
________________
"Who are you people?!?"
Joan of Arc grabbed a small surgical knife off of the wall of the infirmary and held it directly up to Thande's throat.
"Hey, hey, easy. Sit down."
"Are you with Raynald?"
Khatarq stepped forward. "Wait, who?"
"Tell me!" Joan thrusted the knife at Khatarq, who grabbed her wrist rather effortlessly.
"We aren't going to hurt you. I know it's scary waking up in clothes you don't recognize surrounded by people you don't know but we aren't going to hurt you. Honest."
Joan sat down, her hands still shaking like tree limbs in the wind. "So, who are you?"
Khatarq sighed. "How do I word this.... I'm a lady from another dimension on a continent that you haven't discovered yet." She jestured at Thande and Dr What. "These are idiots who live in Outer Space." She looked at GBR. "This is... actually, I don't know your name, what do you do?"
GBR gave Khatarq a look, before saying "I'm GBR... well, if I were to start talking about outer space stuff, it would go over your head. I do math."
Joan nodded a few times, before rubbing her face, trying to take it all in. "Where's Barbarossa?"
"He's in a doctor's tank. He was a lot more beat up than you are, but he's gonna be okay."
"Oh..."
Thande piped up. "How did you meet him, anyway? Isn't he-"
"Three-hundred years in the past, I know."
GBR shifted forward, intrigued. "How did that happen?"
"Al-Khwarizmi built a time machine and collected all of us from history to stop Raynald from collecting a series of religious articles to kill a bunch of people."
"Welp, there it is. A crazy dude took a bunch of random bits of old wood and metal and stuck it in a magic glove and snapped away people. What's next-"
"What, you are a space ranger who travels to different universes. You have fought zombies before.
You literally have hit on a physical God before."
"She rejected me."
"So?"
Thande gave What quite an angry look. "So, you are ok with the concept of you dating a god but something like this is too far?"
"You have to draw the line somewhere."
"I know what I saw!" A few tears streamed down Joan's face.
Khatarq sat down on the bed next to Joan. "I believe you. I'm going to make sure you get your friends back. But for now, I need to know everything I can about this Raynald. So please, tell me everything, from the beginning."
________________
Warning! Warning! Warning! Intruder alert! Sigma Sigma 995
"Ah damn, what is it now?" Dom pushed on the floor, wheeling over to his banhammer.
"Probably just some sockpuppet troll. Nothing we can't handle." Calbear grabbed his banhammer. He circled his shoulder, cracking a few times.
"I'll call Ian, if anything, we can just go and get the damned alarm fixed." Burton grabbed his banhammer.
"Wait, Burt." Calbear looked over to his comrade. "You should probably be here with us. You know, just in case."
"If you say so, but I think this is just going to be some more-"
SLAM
The door to the office slammed open. The three raised their hammers. A dark figure slowly revealed itself, the heavy thudding of boots echoing through the hall.
"Who the hell are you!?"
"I think my reputation precedes myself."
"Trios." Calbear walked forward a few steps. "I thought you were dead."
"Dead? A man can't disappear for a few months without someone thinking they're dead, can they?"
"What are you here for?" Burton stood up.
"I'm sure you can guess."
"You already know how this is going to end. I don't even think you'll end up in Coventry."
"Welp." The cloak thudded onto the ground, revealing Trios in his armor. The gauntlet glowed in his hand. A smirk cracked across his face. "I think you'll find that I am far different than was the last time you met me."
"Okay, I think we're done here." Calbear threw the banhammer at Trios. The hammer crackled and sparked as it flew through the air.
Tong
The gauntlet brightly glowed as the banhammer suddenly stopped in Trios' hand. The three mods looked in horrified shock as the hammer shook and cracked but stayed still. Trios smiled. The hammer slowly moved slower... and slower... and stopped. Trios tossed the hammer into the air, before grabbing the handle with the gauntlet.
"No..."
A bright flash struck Calbear, with a deafening sound like thunder. In an instant, Calbear disappeared.
"That's not possible! Burt, go get Ian. I'll hold him off."
"Dom, I don't think I
can hold him off. This hasn't exactly happened before."
Trios threw the hammer into his other hand. He closed the gauntlet, and disappeared.
"Where did he go!?"
"I don't know, but wherever it is, it's not good."
"What about Cal?"
"We need to stop him first."
"But how?"
"Call Ian! Warn the guards! Engage all defenses!"
___________________________
"So what do we do?"
Khatarq looked out the portside window of her ship. "I think I know where I can go."
"Where?"
"I know someone." Khatarq looked to her main navigational. "Uuthan, set a course for Kazembe, Timeline 44582."
"Yes, Captain." The ship sputtered a few times, before flying into hyperspace.