It was like Eddy was looking through some sort of distorting mirror. The man looking back at him looked like he took all the features Eddy had and made them perfect. Eddy's double chin was replaced with a chiseled chin, void of any fat. Edward's black hair was cut short and stylish, unlike the mop that Eddy kept. Even Edward's eyes held an intensity that intimidated Eddy.
Eddy instinctively took a step back and stumbled back into Stephanie. She rubbed his back to comfort him, but her touch was like electricity and Eddy quickly jumped away from her.
Edward smirked, raising his hands as robotic arms descended from the ceiling and emerged from the floor. They attached themselves to pieces of the Gargoyle armor and began removing them from Edward's body, revealing his defined chest and abs. As the arms removed armor, they reassembled the pieces alongside the wall. However, when the mechanical arms attached themselves to Edwards limbs, they simply removed thicker outer plates, leaving robotic prosthetics. Both Edward's arms and his body below the waist were replaced with cybernetics. Eddy could almost feel his eyes bulging from his sockets as he studied the mechanical limbs.
"Maybe the explanations can wait until we get upstairs," Edward said, unbothered by Eddy's stares.
Eddy was quickly swept into Edward's pace as he was led to the elevator, something that oddly wasn't in Eddy's initial designs. Along the way, Edward gave him the grand tour of the facilities. He pointed out the laboratory, the firing range, and the fitness room before stopping at a closed door. "This is the interrogation room," Edward explained before swiftly walking past it.
Eddy wondered why Edward didn't open the door and give him an actual tour of the room. Stephanie could see the confusion on Eddy's face and answered his unspoken question, "Edward never let anyone in there. He says that we don't need to see what's beyond the door."
It was the longest elevator ride Eddy was ever a part of. He had no idea where to look, not wanting to bring attention to the robotic parts that comprised most of Edward's body. He stole a glance at Stephanie and she didn't seem to be bothered by it. In fact, it seemed like Stephanie was staring at Eddy through his reflection. But that couldn't have been right.
The elevator came to a halt as an announcement played, "Welcome to the penthouse, Master Edward."
The aroma attacked Eddy's nose even before the doors opened, revealing a glass dining table that held a spread that could have been enough for a feast. The table was covered in salads, pastas, chicken and pork. The scent was enough to make Eddy's mouth water. He didn't realize how hungry he was.
There was a red silk robe that was draped over the chair at the head of the table. Edward walked over and put on the robe before taking a seat, motioning for Eddy and Stephanie to do the same. Stephanie took the seat across from Eddy, and she unfolded the napkin and placed it on her lap.
"Please, dig in," Edward said, a small hum accompanying his waving hand. "Traveling dimensions definitely can work up your appetite."
Without hesitation, Eddy dove in and served himself hearty helpings from almost every dish on the table. Everything but salad. Not because he hated it, but because he wasn't sure he'd have room in his belly to try out all the dishes on the table. The only sound that could be heard was cutlery scraping on plates and the occasional gulp from a glass. Eddy already devoured two platefuls before his companions could finish one.
Finally breaking the silence, Edward set down his fork and said, "So Eddy, surely you must have some questions."
Caught mid-chew, Eddy could only nod as he swallowed his food. His mind couldn't stop racing as it tried to digest all that happened. "How is this all real? The Cathedral and the Gargoyle armor?""
"I made it all," Edward answered. "Like you, I've always been fascinated with superheroes. But, instead of staying in art school, I made a different choice and majored in engineering. I also studied quantum mechanics and theoretical physics. I graduated with doctorates and started my own company."
Surprised, Eddy asked, "Wait, how old are you?"
"I'm twenty-five, seven years older than you," Edward answered. "Our universes are somewhat displaced and I was born earlier."
"Then she's not my age either?" Eddy asked, motioning to Stephanie with his fork.
But Edward shook his head, "This Stephanie and the one from your universe were born at the same time. That's why it was so easy for her to take your Stephanie's place."
It was difficult for Eddy to wrap his head around universe displacements, so he tried to ask a question that he could probably comprehend. "What happened to your body?"
Edward brought his robotic hand in front of his face, turning his wrist to examine it. "There was an accident. I was working on crossing dimensions and one of my machines went haywire. I lost my arms and everything below my waist."
Stephanie added, "I was one floor above his lab and I felt the aftershocks. When I got there, he was barely alive."
"Stephanie is the reason I'm still here," Edward continued. "She brought me to the Rejuvenation Tank and was able to stabilize me enough to attach these prototype armor pieces."
"This is nuts," Eddy said, resting his head in his hands. When he opened his eyes, he was met with such luxury: the quality of the food, the chair he sat on and the plates he ate off of. It was more than he ever experienced in his life. "Why me?"
"Pardon?"
"Why did you choose me? You saw how Jace was about to clobber me. If you had the ability to grab anyone from any universe, why did you choose a loser like me?"
"Because you are a loser," Edward answered bluntly, placing his utensils onto his plate, his eyes intense. "The Gargoyle has become more of a public figure and less of a myth. If interested parties did some digging, it wouldn't take much to put together where the Gargoyle came from. Not many companies have the resources to create a suit like that. And who could be piloting the suit? That list is even shorter."
Eddy furrowed his eyebrows and shot Stephanie a look. She saw that Eddy needed help, and elaborated. "It wouldn't take long for people to figure that Edward Johnson, the founder and co-CEO of Tombstone Technologies, is inside the Gargoyle suit. We needed a new public face, one that would throw off anyone sniffing around."
"You brought me here because I'm an unlikely suspect?"
"Exactly!" Edward exclaimed with a metallic clap. "Eddy, the difference between you and me is like night and day. But we cannot deny that we are the one and the same. We brought you here to become Edward Johnson."
Edward confirmed Eddy's suspicions. "But I don't know anything about running a company. If anything, I'd be more of a liability than insurance."
Edward shook his hand in dismissal. "Don't worry about that, we have it all covered. Now, if you've finished eating you should get some rest. Stephanie will show you to your room." With that, Edward got up and left Eddy and Stephanie at the table. He went up the stairs and disappeared behind one of the doors.
"He's always like that," Stephanie sighed as she began picking up the plates on the table.
"I'll help!" Eddy quickly added, grabbing the dishes he could and bringing them to the sink. Stephanie added her pile and walked over to put the leftovers in the fridge. Eddy instinctively started to wash the dishes, enjoying the sense of familiarity the chore brought to his relationship with Stephanie. He enjoyed the closeness. Absorbed in his dishwashing, Eddy didn't realize that Stephanie finished her job and leaned against the counter next to him. Breaking the silence Eddy said, "You and Edward seem close."
That caused Stephanie to chuckle. "Yeah, he's helped me out a lot." She slipped next to Eddy, dipping her hands in the sink water and grabbing dirty dishes to wash. Moments passed between them as Eddy waited for Stephanie to continue. "He took me in when I had nowhere else to go. Edward's like a brother to me."
This caused a knot to form in Eddy's stomach. If Edward was like a brother to her, then what did that make him? Eddy finished washing the rest of the dishes and dried his hands. He let out a yawn and eyed the stairs Edward walked up.
"Do you wanna head to bed?"
Stephanie's question caused Eddy to blush. He knew what she meant, but he always wished that she'd say something like that to him in a sexual way. Regardless, Eddy nodded and followed Stephanie up the stairs to his room.
The room was huge, with the biggest bed he'd ever seen in the center. Eddy barely fit on his small twin mattress at home and now he had all the room he needed. There were several closets and drawers lining the wall, sure to be filled with clothes. One of the doors was opened and Eddy could see an adjoining bathroom.
"If you need me, I'll be right down the hall," Stephanie said as she turned away with a smile. "Goodnight, Eddy."
Eddy stared at the mesmerizing sway of her hips as she walked away, closing the door behind her. Eddy plopped onto the bed, sinking into the soft mattress. His thoughts drifted and he replayed everything that happened before falling into a deep sleep.
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Eddy dreamt that night. He found himself floating above a throne room, looking down on the man seated in the ornate chair. As if he was a ghost, Eddy was able to float over to the sitting figure and what he saw startled him. The man wore a crown and his face littered with scars earned from harsh battle. His eyes were closed as if he was in deep meditation.
The doors to the throne room burst open as two guards ran into the room. They knelt down before their king and reported, "King Edwin, the Tiger Emperor's army from the north have crossed into our borders! What should we do?"
Edwin stroked his chin and raised his hand, closing his eyes. He muttered a spell, causing his hands to glow an eerie purple light. The temperature in the room seemed to lower, causing the guards to shiver. Once finished, the glow dissipated and Edwin said, "As we speak, the Tiger Emperor's men will be overrun by the bodies buried under the ground they march on."
Terrified, the guards bowed lower before leaving the king alone in the throne room. As they left, a beautiful woman slipped through the doors. Her midnight black hair was braided into a single braid that rested over her shoulder. Her hands rested on her pregnant stomach, rubbing it with light circles. "Must you scare your men so much, my love?"
"Stella?" Edwin's mood instantly perked up with the woman's appearance. Seeing the beautiful woman walk into the room, Edwin jutted up from the throne to meet her. He stopped before her, placing a kiss on her forehead before kneeling down and placing another on her belly.
"Those two looked as if you summoned the undead before them," Stella laughed. "I told you not to do that."
