Adventures in The Omniverse: A Refresh Story

Sneak Peak

   Karma remembered stepping into the AU with Fortune. The AU was blank no matter how hard any watcher tried to change it. Karma and Fortune were sent to investigate seeing as they might have had experience here. They couldn't do much either. 

   Karma remembered stepping out... and seeing Cypher. 

   Cypher as an adult with a ponytail down his back and a little boy clutching his leg. Cypher with an outfit Karma had never seen. Cypher in a very not fucked up lab in the castle. Cypher who looked about 10 years older... meaning who knew how much time had passed. 

   Cypher who dropped the clipboard he was holding and pushed the little boy behind him as he stepped away. "Who are you?"

   Karma swayed lightly in a daze. His head hurt and his soul was pounding. Was he seeing things?

   "Cypher..?" That wasn't Karma's voice. A glance to the side showed Fortune in the same confused state as Karma. 

   Cypher tensed up even more. He glanced down at the boy and then back at Karma and Fortune. "Raine go find your grandfather."

   "Okay daddy..." The boy turned and took off out the door."

   Karma's soul jumped. Daddy? What happened? He had only been gone about an hour... He must be dreaming. Or this AU was messing with him. "Cyph..?" Karma tried this time.

   "Who are you?" Cypher repeated again reaching toward his face and peeling a few pale blue strings away. 

   "Cypher it's-" Karma choked back any hurt he felt right now. "It's me-"

   Cypher stepped back. "Who. Are. You."

   "Cypher that's your father! And I'm Fortune!" Fortune put in stepping forward. "What are you talking about? What's going on? 

   Cypher seemed a bit taken aback. "My father and uncle Fortune died nearly eighteen hundred years ago." 

   Karma felt his soul drop into his stomach. "Eighteen- It's... It's only been an hour! We went to the blank AU and we came back to this-" Karma gripped his hair. "What the hell is going on?!"

   Furtune was in a similar state of shock. "What do you mean we died? We were just in that Au!"

   Cypher seemed confused now as his stance dropped from defensive. "What are you talking about? How did you even get into the Center? No one but Watchers should be able to get here."

   "Cypher! What's going on? Raine came and said there were intruders-" The voice was caught in the mans throat as he stopped at the door. A hand came up to brace himself before he fell. His eyes were wide with shock. 

   "Father! I was just trying to find out what was happening. I sent Raine to get you because- Dad..?"

   The man swayed a little on his feet. His mouth opened and closed like a fish before finally words came to him. "Karma..?"