Chapter 80

Luz blinked. "So um, the last guy named Bill I met was a total jerk and then I ate him."

"I know, that was hilarious!" the Eye of Providence replied. "Look if it gets confusing, my full name is Bill Cipher. You can call me Billy C if you like," Cipher continued.

"I won't be doing that," Luz replied to the strange figment of her dream... At least she hoped this was a dream. "So what do you want?"

"Well, ya see your Majesty, I just got out of the slammer and that means I've got some unfinished business to take care of. First and foremost, I want to give you my sincerest thanks for utterly humiliating Philip. and I mean that." A mass of blue flames erupted in the middle of the floor and suddenly there was a headstone: 'Here Lies Belos: He Never Scored.' "You might not be the one who finished him off but meeting you led directly to every bad thing that's happened to him in the last six months and let me say it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. By the way, that shack in the woods you and your friends hang out in was the Wittebane family home once upon a time so if you and Princess Pink Hair make out in there he'd really hate it."

"...So... You're yet another person he's hurt aren't you?" Luz asked, wary of the fact that this being had apparently been to prison.

"Well I wouldn't say hurt exactly, it's not like I was emotionally invested in the relationship, but I did teach him everything he knew about advanced science and helped him out with a certain project and then he goes and doesn't uphold his end of the deal," Cipher replied. "Now, I've got some stuff to catch up on, old friends to look into, and deals to make but first... Well, the guy who sprung me has a plan and it'd be boring if he won without any challenge, so I'm giving you a friendly warning: Do you know what a tribulation event is?"

"No," Luz replied.

"It's a term for events that are sort of... Fixed points, if you will. Not every universe has them, mind you, but they're patterns that repeat across different versions of the same world and across timelines. Moments of great chaos and danger with the potential for mass casualties. If, when, and how a given tribulation plays out affects which of the infinite possibilities a given timeline will go down. You've lived through a couple yourself, kiddo. The Frogvasion, The Coming of The King in Black, The Day of Unity, Weirdmegeddon, they were all tribulation events."

"I've never heard of that last one," Luz noted.

"Well then forget I mentioned it!" Cipher said with a laugh.

"So... The guy who got you out of prison is going to cause one of those?" Luz asked.

"Yes and no, it's more... I'm not the only one he busted out, and the other guy alreadycaused one and is looking to pick up where it left off."

"Are you going to tell me who or what to keep an eye out for?" Luz asked.

"Nope!" Cipher said with another laugh. "But I'll give you a hint. Someone you know will know what this means, let's see if you can figure out who and tell them before it's too late: The other guy is an unnatural thing that didn't sleep and thought it would never die. It's looking to replace its army, and find a replacement for a source of power that is now beyond its reach, but what it wants most of all is a living host. I give it a couple of weeks before it has a new body and comes back to Earth to finish what it started."

"And you think I can stop this if I figure it out," Luz reasoned out, "and that it'll be less boring if I do."

"More or less," Cipher finished. "Oh, and there's gonna be a knock on your door when you wake up. Anyway, if you need anything you know how to call me and also-remember-to-invest-in-silver!" he finished quickly and suddenly—

Luz was startled awake at the sound of someone knocking on the front door. Normal living room, still cuddled up to Amity, who was also stirring... That'd been a weird dream.

"I got it," Luz said as she reluctantly got up and went to the door. Opening, she saw an almost non-descript man in a nice suit with a dark green tie.

"Is this the residence of the Noceda Family of Gravesfield, Connecticut?" the man asked in an accent Luz couldn't quite place.

"...Yes," Luz confirmed.

"I am looking for a Miss Luz Noceda," the man continued.

"It's actually Noceda-Clawthorne," Luz said, "but that's me."

The suited man then withdrew... Oh, Titan, he pulled out an actual parchment scroll. "Luz Noceda of Gravesfield, Connecticut," he recited. "Your presence, and that of one guest, is formally requested at the Latverian Embassy, this Sunday afternoon, to have tea with his Lordship, Doctor Victor von Doom."

Luz blinked. She just woke up. "How and why does he even know who I am? He wasn't watching the dancethon, was he?"

"It is not my place to question Lord Doom," the man said as he refurled the parchment and handed it to her. "But he is expecting you at no later than two thirty." Luz was very annoyed at the implication that she didn't have a say in attending this meeting.

The man walked away just as Luz's Mom pulled up in her van. "Luz, who was that?" She asked as she came up.

Luz sighed. "We're about to have a longtalk."

TLOA

In the end, it was, with great reluctance, decided that based on Doom's reputation for pettiness and maliciously abusing his diplomatic immunity it would be best if Luz accepted the invitation if only to avoid whatever complicated revenge scheme would inevitably result from snubbing the tyrant. Her Mom wanted to go with her, because what parent wouldn't want to be there beside her child in a potentially dangerous meeting? However, the fact that it wasdangerous meant that, well... So, ultimately it was decided that Amity would accompany Luz, as Amity was second only to Hunter among her friend group in terms of fighting skill, she should have superhuman strength, and bringing her girlfriend should be totally unsuspicious.

The invitation did not specify if transport would be provided, but the part where they were 'expected' at a certain time suggested that they were expected to get there on their own... On short notice. And the Latverian Embassy was all the way back in New York, which was... Odd, when you think about it. Embassies were usually in DC. Whatever, they were strong flyers, getting back there on their own wouldn't be too hard or take too long.

Calls were made, Luz apologized to Masha for having to bail, and then off they went.

"At least the view is nice," Amity had said when they stopped halfway there for a brief rest.

And it was nice. Especially when they got to New York City proper. It was amazing to see it from below but more amazing from above. After taking a minute to appreciate the way the afternoon sun made the windows of the skyscrapers shimmer and shine before landing on top of a large building in Manhattan.

Not the Latverian Embassy. This? This was where they were told to land after having made some calls.

"The Baxter Building, home of the World Famous Fantastic Four," Luz noted. "I'm not super into the science heroes but you can't notknow about these guys."

"Too bad they're all in the Negative Zone right now," came a voice. Leaning up against the roof access stairwell came April... Er, Mayhem right now. "Otherwise this would be as easy as having Brainstorm go in with you. Doom's a real son of a... Gun, but hurting his Goddaughter may be the one thing he'd never do and she has free reign of the Embassy. Regardless, Four and my Dad consider each other family so we've got more or less free access. Make's for a nice recognizable landmark, easy to see from the air."

"Hey, Mayhem," Luz greeted. Amity waved.

"Hey to you," Mayhem replied. "Wasn't expecting to see you in person again so soon... Wish it was under better circumstances."

"Same," Luz agreed. "But, you know... How does Doom even know about me? Seriously?"

"No clue," Mayhem said with a shrug. "So, here's what's going on: Dad's at Avenger's mansion, they're coordinating things... If he just wanted you to go to his castle upstate or even fly to Latveria this would be one thing but... There's not much we can do at the Embassy without risking an international incident which means..."

"Which means the only plan is to walk into the manticor's den and hope for the best," Amity finished.

"Not quite," Mayhem replied. "We don't know what Doom is planning. This could be some evil scheme to steal Calamity's powers for himself, or he could genuinely intend this to be a friendly invitation. He's weird like that. Two months ago he crashed a celebrity poker game Dad and Uncle Reed were doing for a charity and doubled the pot for his entry fee just to be able to say he beat Reed Richards at a hand a Texas Hold'em. The orphans appreciated the money but seriously."

"...So is that like Hexes Hold'em?" Amity asked.

"It is not," Luz replied.

"So anyway," Mayhem said, "the adults are all trying to get in touch with people that Doom respects or fears enough to listen to... Really wish I had Squirrel Girl's number... to try and talk him down just in case, and we're gonna escort you to the Embassy and hang out outside. If this goes south, the secondyou get past the fence you should be clear so make a break for it as soon as there's trouble, if he, his guards, or some Doombots chase you out then it's perfectly legal for us to beat them up."

"...We? Us?" Luz asked.

"Seriously Calamity," Mayhem replied, "you need to get used to tapping your ESP at all times. It could save your life."

Luz rolled her eyes and then plugged in, so to speak, and noticed that there was another person on the roof, standing next to April. "...Who's there?"

There came a loud sigh as a figure materialized from thin air. A young man, maybe a tall sixteen? He was dressed head to toe in a black version of Spider-Man's costume, with red webbing, loga, and accents. The other Spider-Man, the new one. "Was really hoping you'd properly introduce me to your friends, Arañita Azul."

"Not the time or place," Mayhem replied.

Something clicked in Luz's mind. "¿Arañita? ¿Eres dominicano?"

"No," the other Spider-Man replied. "Yo soy Boricua."

Luz grunted in acknowledgment. "Sé que ustedes lo crearon, pero me gusta más nuestra versión de mofongo," she deadpanned.

"No, no lo has probado hasta que lo has probado al auténtico estilo puertorriqueño," the young Spider-Man replied.

"Oh my God," Mayhem said in a one of sudden realization and horror.

"What?" Amity asked.

"I just realized that... Well..." She breathed in. "If I'm like Hunter, he's my Luz," she said with a gesture to the younger Spider-Man.

"I fail to see how that's a bad thing," Amity replied.

"They must still be early on in their surrogate sibling's arc," Luz noted.

"Anyway, I don't exactly have much experience with Dr. Doom," the other Spider-Man said but..."

"When dealing with him in person," Mayhem added, "it's important to be polite but firm and don't eat or drink anything he gives you unless he's willing to try it first."

"Already knew that part," Luz replied.

"Anyway, he's expecting you in half an hour but it's a bit of a swing, and getting there early can't hurt if it's an evil plan and can only help if it's not," Mayhem finished. "So let's get going."