Jackie shook his head, squinting his eyes. "This is risky..."

"If anyone here knows how risky this is, it's Jameson," Chase insisted. JJ grimaced, clearing his throat weakly, though he nodded in agreement.

I'm willing to try it, he signed.

The trio was walking together through London, discussing upcoming videos and, in particular, their plan for the dreaded Halloween event. They made these walks regularly, ambling through the maze of old streets and gradually making their way to the hospital, where they would pay a visit to their friend.

"Personally, my plan was to ignore Halloween entirely," Jackie said, with a nervous smile. "You know how riled up Anti gets around this time of year."

He made a big play in August. He probably won't show up again, Jameson argued.

"Don't take this the wrong way, tophat, but you're a little new to be analyzing Anti's behavioral patterns," Jackie said, slowly, as if each word pained him a little.

"Not really, Jackie," Chase cut in, shaking his head. He threw his arm out to stop Jackie from walking into the intersection; the walk light had switched to a halt. With a sigh, Chase tucked his hand back into his hoodie pocket and added, "JJ's been around Anti for longer than we gave him credit for. Isn't that right?"

JJ nodded solemnly.

"All I'm saying is, you'll be there, I'll be there. The three of us can at least keep him in check. And introducing Jameson will be good for the fans," Chase explained, shrugging.

Jackie took a deep breath, still hovering on the curb beside the busy street. He seemed to mull this over; his eyes trailed from JJ's hopeful look to Chase's stern one. At last, his his hero's scowl melted into a begrudging smile. "Okay. Okay..." he said, and JJ's face split into a wide grin.  "You twisted my arm... We can talk filming logistics later. Welcome aboard, JJ."

Thank you! Thankyouthankyouthankyou- JJ signed frantically, before pulling Jackie into a bear hug. Jackie laughed nervously, tolerated the hug for a moment, and then peeled the other ego off him.

"Yeah, yeah, let's all get out of this alive, and then you can thank me."

JJ was bouncing with every step as they carried on. Chase began chattering to Jackie about how they planned to edit in title cards with JJ's dialogue- "You know, like a silent movie!" -and how he could carve the pumpkin with 20's-animation-style pie-cut eyes. "There's gonna be old-timey ragtime music, and we're going to filter it in black and white," Chase explained.

Jackie just nodded along, trying to swallow the uneasy feeling in his stomach. Surely this was a good idea, right? Jackie zoned out, watching his friends without really seeing them. Everything about this made him worried. He was supposed to be the hero. He had to protect them. So why were they giving Anti this golden opportunity?

Jameson has a chance to perform again. And Chase is... happy, he thought. Jackie lowered his head, smiling a little to himself. Maybe protecting them has to do with more than just making sure they don't get killed.

"Hey... what are you grinning about?" Chase asked, shoving him. The hero laughed, but didn't answer. They had at last reached the hospital; it was just across the intersection. Chase forgot about Jackie for a moment as he shivered subconsciously, staring over the building's monolithic exterior.

"Huh, that's wack, bro," he muttered, tilting his head.

"What?" Jackie asked.

Chase nodded at the hospital. "Jack's window. Third floor, two from the left."

"How do you-"

"Shut up. I've spent a lot of time here, ok? It's just... the blinds are drawn."

What's weird about that? Jackie asked.

Chase glanced at him. "I just- I always kept the blinds open so, like, it doesn't look like a dungeon in his room. I... I guess it's not that wack. One of the doctors must've closed them."

Suspicion was burning in Jackie's eyes even as JJ nodded, satisfied with this explanation.

"Is the doctor doing that?" Jackie demanded, nodding at the window again. Chase and JJ stared up in horror- it was unmistakable. An eerie green glow was spilling through the blinds.

Chase broke into a run. "Oh, god, oh, fuck-"

"Chase!" Jackie shouted, tearing off after him. Jameson kept up behind them as they sprinted into the hospital.

Chase swore his heart would pound out of his chest as he screeched to a halt outside Jack's room. He felt his limbs freeze up as he noticed the light spilling under the door. Green light, oozing out like syrup.

Jackie skidded to a halt behind them, and JJ followed suit.

"Chase, you ok?" Jackie whispered.

"Yeah, yeah. C'mon," Chase insisted, though his voice trembled in his throat. He reached out for the door handle and twisted it - no luck. The door was locked. Chase didn't know whether to be relieved or panicked. He shook the handle, growing more impatient by the second.

"Stand back," Jackie growled. "I'm kicking the door in."

Jameson grabbed Jackie by the shoulder and shook his head vehemently.

"No wait, wait-" Chase gasped, as the lock clicked and the handle swung open.

All three egos stood, petrified, in the doorway as the door swung slowly, painfully open, drenching them all in neon light. As the door drifted, though, the glow grew dimmer, dimmer, and Chase forced himself to examine the figure standing over Jack's bed.

It was a man in a cloak, a cloak which hovered and rippled around him as if he were in zero gravity. He wore a mask, but his eyes were burning so brightly green that Chase couldn't make out the details. His hands were extended, palms up, and above them floated a rainbow of playing cards. He was like a specter, his long hair swaying around his head freely.

Chase gasped, lurching into the room. "Marvin?!"

The figure blinked. Just like that, the cards dropped onto the bed. The man snapped his hands across his chest, and with a flash of golden light, he vanished.

"No fucking way!" Chase shouted, charging into the room. "No fucking way- MARVIN!"

"Oh my god," Jackie sighed, letting his tense shoulders slouch. Jameson was slack-jawed, still lingering in the hallway as the Jackie and Chase began to examine the room.

"Good riddance to that... that creep," Chase shuddered. "What the hell was he doing in here?"

"Why is he showing up now?" Jackie growled, shaking his head.

That was Marvin? Marvin the Magnificent? JJ signed, slowly stepping into the room. He pulled the door shut behind him gently.

Chase and Jackie exchanged glances.

"Yep," Chase sighed, lowering himself into a chair beside Jack's bed. "That's Marvin."