VS.
Authors: FatBaconUnicorn, Shippersdreamer, & GodzillavsRayquaza
Word count: 56,028
Banner: UltimateDitto
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Chapter 1: Convergence
Reality Prime, The Ocean
Beneath the ocean waves lay an ancient leviathan, one that sparked fear within millions while others saw him as a savior, the Kaiju Alpha saving the Earth time and time again.
Bright yellow eyes snapped open as he looked at his environment, observing as small fish and glowing sharks swam by, attempting to make sense of what he was feeling. Something felt off, even in this familiar environment he found himself in, the guardian of Earth pondered as he began to rise to his feet.
Where was he? And… Who was he?
He did not recall why he was here nor his own identity, the memories of his past being wiped by unknown circumstances. Perhaps that is what he sensed, a change in his climate and mind, the very ocean feeling as if he had never been here before and what he sensed off in the distance felt abnormal.
A pool of energy in the center of this new reality, surging with power unlike any he had felt, could this be what was responsible for his state of mind?
The ancient alpha predator quickly took off, swimming upward as he began his journey to discover the truth and return what was taken from him, the wildlife quickly swimming away as he propelled himself through the vast body of water.
If this was a sheer accident that he appeared here then he would simply move on, but if something or someone had dragged him here and taken all that he had cherished, they would face oblivion from the monster King.
***
Reality 77, Variant 1, The Outer Rim
The vast emptiness of space could go on for eternity, a never ending span of galaxies making up the much larger universe, life flourishing across it all.
But this anomaly was unlike anything that had been seen by any mortal within this galaxy. A rift between time and space remained open, purple and blue hues flowing through it as the center of the rift glowed white, the anomaly being blinding to most of the crew on the Imperial Star Destroyer.
Military personnel searched through records spanning decades to find even a single clue as to what this was, the data banks not having any information at what "stood" before them.
Though unlike the officers and storm troopers that were on board, one being could sense something within the pool of energy, something familiar.
A lone figure stood impassively on the bridge of the Super Star Destroyer, seemingly unphased by the near blinding light of the anomaly before him. The Force had guided him to this spot and now the Force was all but pouring out of this strange rift. And as he probed deeper to find that familiar sensation, his anger began to bubble as it constantly slipped from his grasp. It was as if the more he attempted to locate the source, the more it fled from him.
A scientist wearing heavy protective shielding over his eyes walked over to him, snapping into an instant salute. “My Lord, the probe droids we’ve sent out haven’t responded. It’s as if they went offline.”
“I doubt that,” The dark lord said. “It’s more likely that it simply cannot relay the data back to us through the rift. If it is indeed what we believe it to be, then it’s hardly a surprise.” He turned his head a little towards the scientist. “Any news from the Emperor?”
Even through the heavy shielding, the Force gave him the answer long before the scientists’ hesitation broke through. “Yes, My Lord. Although…” He trailed off when the Dark Lord looked down at him expectantly. “I’m not sure it’s safe.” He said at last.
Folding his arms, the lord gazed out into the swirling abyss of the rift before them all. “He wants us to enter, is that it?” That sounded like something the Emperor would want. With how powerful he was in the Force, no doubt he could sense the power pouring out of this rift. Whatever was on the other side would be of great benefit to the Empire.
“Y-Yes, but like I said I’m not sure it’s safe.” The scientist babbled on, clearly scared out of his wits. “We have no idea if even the star destroyer would survive going through the rift. Surely, sending a smaller craft to um,” He faltered a bit, unsure if his lord was even paying attention now. “Sending a smaller craft on a test flight would be easier and safer, surely?”
“No.” The lord spoke plainly. With that simple word, he turned on his heels and marched over towards where the captain of the vessel was watching everything. “Prepare the ship for hyperspeed, the Emperor has ordered us to enter the rift and we are to do so immediately.”
"Yes my lord…" The deck's personnel began to prepare the ship for hyperspace, the Imperial workers doing as they were told as fast as they could as to not anger the dark lord, even if they were to fear the outcome with the rift it would be a much better fate than that of Lord Vader's wrath.
Stars began to seem like they were being ripped towards them at super speeds as the ship began the process moments before entering the anomaly, rainbow rays blinding the ship's crew covered their eyes to shield themselves from the vibrant colors while some of them simply collapsed.
This energy they were going through was unlike anything the dark lord had sensed, the pressure within the rift was astounding, it was as if he was staring at the manifestation of the Force itself. Such power, such raw energy, the Emperor would be most pleased when he were to report back.
Then suddenly they had reached it, their destination being a small island surrounded by a large body of water. From above the clouds it would seem as though the seasons were clashing as entire ecosystems were different from one another.
"Prepare the troops for landing, we must reach the planet's surface as quickly as possible."
The Imperial officers all turned towards the dark lord in surprise, a few of the group looking at each other in confusion as one of them stepped up and spoke cautiously.
"Who are you?"
The sith lord turned his attention towards the Imperial workers, pausing to contemplate the question. Their confusion was genuine, he could sense that. It just made the situation even more curious. Had the rift affected their memories somehow? It was something to make note of for the Emperor’s report later. "Your commanding officer has given you an order, obey it or you will suffer the fate so many before you have endured."
He let out a small inkling of the Dark Side towards the officers on the bridge to let them know that he was serious. Despite their confusion, they all snapped to attention and began running around, ordering for a landing party to be assembled at once at the commander’s orders.
The Dark Lord marched through the confusion towards his personal ship in the hanger bay. Hopefully the rift hadn’t addled their brains completely and they still remembered how to fire their blasters. If not, then at least any potential danger would be met with a white-armored wall of cannon fodder.
It didn’t take long for the landing party to make contact. A soft, gentle breeze amidst a peaceful looking forest. A legion of Stormtroopers swooped in, checking the area for any dangerous wildlife or enemies. At least that part of their training hadn’t been wiped. Darth Vader was not afraid of any threat to come his way. The Force would be his guide. Reaching out into the vast depths, he could feel that same familiarity that had drawn him in with such vigor. It was closer now, but why could he not pinpoint it?
There were other sources as well. Blips on the radar mostly… except for one. Something so malign and evil - swimming within the Dark Side that for a brief moment Vader thought the Emperor himself had somehow turned up. That was the true target. He turned towards the Stormtrooper captain, pointing out towards the giant tree. “That is where we go next Captain. Claim any and all territory for the name of the Emperor and the Galactic Empire.”
“Sir!” As a cohesive unit, the Stormtroopers began their undaunting march towards the World Tree.
***
Reality Prime, The World Tree
Within this strange new realm lay a man on the ground, his outfit torn from the last encounter with the supernatural in Earth's past, the man thrown back in time to destroy said evil.
The middle-aged man opened his eyes and slowly began to get up, looking around and taking in his new surroundings to see gigantic tree leaves glowing hot pink, while what appeared to be a projection of a gigantic flower appeared around it, glowing orange with radiant power.
The man looked down to his hand, seeing a metallic replacement take the limb’s place, prompting him to take a look on the ground. Quickly finding his most trusted weapons on the blue, grassy fields, the replacement for his fallen hand, the very weapon that was used to remove the evil from his soul.
The Homelite XL-12 brand Chainsaw was the closest the man had to a partner in crime across the small time he had found himself in a situation above that of any normal man, the "hero" of time placing the weapon on his back before reaching down for his other means of protection against the undead. He had used it in the Cabin, an event that felt like a lifetime ago, especially after his last encounter with the forces of evil. He had used it to scare the population of the past into control and silence the forces of the afterlife, his trusty Boomstick never failing him in his mission.
The man slotted the gun into its holster on his back, placing it carefully as he looked back to the magnificent tree before him, energy radiating out of it like a fountain.
He wasn't home.
The older man reached to his side, wrapping his metallic hand around an ancient book of evil incantation, the very source of the horror he had witnessed from that fateful night in the Cabin.
The Necronomicon Ex Mortis, The Book of The Dead.
"Now listen here you sorry excuse for a paperweight," The man yelled in frustration. "I said the damn incantation correctly this time, so why the hell aren't we home!?" He shook the book angrily to prove his point.
The book stayed silent for a few moments, the man's grip tightening with both of his hands as it took longer for the demonic book to answer his question. “I swear to god, if you don’t answer me I’m turning you into toilet paper and -”
"Ashley Williams, I am not familiar with this… realm. It is as if we were pulled into this one as we slept for a millennia."
The chosen one's eyes widened at the answer the book gave. He was told that what he held had vast knowledge gathered from Earth and Hell's histories respectively and yet it was just as confused as he was. "How do I know that this isn't some kind of trick?"
The book hummed, eyes glowing green. "I sense great energy in this realm, a pool of power manifesting itself across this vast landmass, unlike anything I have ever sensed in my long existence. Besides, surely you know our ways by now. We are in this together Ashley…"
The S-Mart employee huffled before placing the damned item on his hip, walking forward in this new world. A million questions ran through his mind with every step, where was he? How could this have happened? How could he get home and fall asleep in his own bed?
Questions that would require answers, even if it took some persuasion on his part.
***
Chapter 2: The Ultimate Alliance
There was a fat load of nothing, as Ash quickly found out. He had no idea how long he had been wandering this strange new place. It looked like Earth, and it even smelled a little like Earth, but according to the damned book? It wasn’t Earth. At least he had some protection against whatever might be out there.
The book wasn’t any help either, it absolutely refused to give any help. Citing that its powers were “limited in this new realm.” Ash thought that was a load of bull, but it was better than trying to actively kill him. Again.
Finally, two figures appeared not far from him. In fact, with the way they were pointing and gesturing, they spotted him before he saw them. He waved his real hand a little, calling out what he hoped was a friendly greeting. “Hey there!” As he approached them, it struck him as odd the clothing they were wearing.
One of them was wearing an all white martial artist’s gi, a red bandanna tied around his forehead. There was a thick, brown beard around his face, the guy clearly hadn’t shaved in a while. The other made Ash squint a little in confusion. A brown and yellow costume, something that wouldn’t look out of place in the Halloween section at S-Mart. It was this costume that made Ash wonder if he had seen it before.
The Martial Artist spoke, his voice calm and firm. “Another one so soon. The portals are growing more frequent with activity. It’s very alarming.”
The Super Hero snorted derisively, his voice sounding like someone had broken into a smoke shop and tore through every carton. “Doesn’t matter, at least he doesn’t look dangerous.” He paused, then sniffed the air again, his eyes immediately narrowing. “But something on him does.”
Ash tensed a little as the karate guy unfolded his arms. His hard gaze looked over him once, then twice. He hummed in agreement, hands clenched into fists. Ash stepped back a little warily. “Yes, there is something off about him. What is your name, Stranger?”
“Ash Williams, and look fellas. Really, I’m not dangerous.” He made a motion to his beloved chainsaw and boomstick. “This place is uh, pretty dangerous you know? Tons of crazy things out here. A guy has to have protection.”
“It aint your weapons, bub.” The costumed man snarled. He took a step closer, and Ash backed away again nervously. “It’s…” He sniffed the air again and grunted. “The book at your hip. Smells like… human. Know anything about it?”
Shit. Ash swallowed, his hand slowly moving upwards and scratching the back of his head. Play stupid, Williams. “Book? What book?” At their unamused looks, he cringed internally. Too stupid. “Oh, this book! Well I just ah…” He laughed nervously, his hand gripping the butt of his boomstick. “Oh, you know! The things you just find lying around. People oughta take better care of their stuff.”
His hand gripped the gun’s butt harder when the shorter man took another step closer. With a soft snickt, three metal claws slid out of the man’s knuckles and shone dangerously in the sunlight. “Then you don’t mind if I take a look at it? Do you, Ash?”
Ash immediately swung his gun around, cocking it in a fluid motion and aiming it directly at Wolverine’s chest. His eyes were hard now, and this time he stood his ground. “Stay away from the book.” He said in a low, dangerous voice.
“Logan,” The martial artist interjected. He stepped closer, placing a calming hand on his shoulder. “Perhaps it would be best if-”
Logan shrugged off his friend’s hand, gritting his teeth at Ash and showing off his canines. “Why are you so protective of the book? I thought you said you just found it lying around.”
Ash’s thumb switched off the safety with a distressingly loud click. “It’s dangerous,” He said quietly. “Now step away and don’t touch the damn book.”
“If it’s so dangerous, you can tell us why.” The Martial Artist’s voice cut in again, his gaze flickering between Logan and Ash. “And what did he mean by it smelled like a human?”
His real hand shook slightly, and Ash swallowed thickly. “Because the book’s made of human. Bound in human flesh, written in human blood. And I can’t tell you why it’s dangerous becau-SHIT!”
Logan launched himself at Ash suddenly, an enraged roar of ‘you sick bastard!’ was the only warning he got. Immediately, Ash fired both shells of his boomstick and both struck home square in Logan’s chest. There was a sick squelch as blood sprayed all over the place and the little man was sent flying on his back. He lay there, blood coating his chest.
“Dammit, I told you not to move!” Ash yelled out, but instinctively he moved his hand down to check that the book was still there before reloading his gun and pointing it at the Martial Artist. “Look buddy, I don’t want to hurt you. I really, really don’t. I don’t know where I am, and I don’t know what’s going on. So why don’t you mind your damn business and-”
He stopped himself when there was a groan from the corpse. His mouth hung open in shock when he saw the torn up chest begin to knit itself back together. The damn thing started moving. He pointed his boomstick again only to be stopped when the martial artists’ strong hand reached down and yanked the gun up suddenly. “That’s enough,” He said gently. His tone made it clear that if Ash tried anything, he would be in for a world of hurt.
“I believe that you’re not dangerous, Ash Williams. The book might be, but it’s clear how violently you’re willing to prevent others from having it, you understand the dangers as well.” He hummed, letting go of the barrel. “We could use someone with a more cautious mind. Please, we’re on the same side. We all want to go back home. Perhaps the book can help us somehow.”
Ash and the Martial Artist stared at each other for a moment, until they both jumped when the book spoke. “He speaks the truth, Ashley Williams. They will guide you towards our path to our home realm.”
“Not helping our case!” He hissed back angrily, then gave an apologetic smile. “Sorry about that, the damn thing seems to think it has a mind of its own.”
A loud groan brought everyone’s attention back to Logan, who was rising gingerly to his feet. With a huff, the two shells that blew his chest wide open clattered to the ground, his torso completely coated in blood. “I don’t like it,” He growled, and for a moment Ash thought he was going to attack again. “...But Ryu’s right, we need every advantage we can get. Even from something as sickening as that book.” He grunted, walking past Ash and Ryu. “Come on, let’s bring him back to the Bat.”
“The Bat?” Ash questioned, his hand firmly on the Necronomicon. The two warriors didn’t answer him, and instead began walking away towards a nearby hill. “H-Hey, hey wait up!” Switching the safety back on, Ash put his trusty boomstick back in its holster and jogged a little to catch up to the others.
***
Several Minutes Later…
"So we were all pulled here by some mysterious force?," Ash questioned as they continued walking through the strange forest, the trees and grass colored with a bright blue, fruit across the landscape glowing with energy. "I hate that I am having more experience with this than I should."
"That is correct," Ryu replied as he reached down to a bush, grabbing the fruit from it as the other two stopped to wait for him. "My spiritual energy is being held back by this realm, my Ki has diminished greatly. Though that does not make me weak by any means."
If he had said these things before he had seen the forces of Evil, he would have called Ryu insane. But after everything he had seen, he would be more foolish than usual if he denied what he said.
It seemed everywhere he went, it would turn into a damn freakshow.
The martial artist stood back up and walked over to Ash, handing the man lost in time the berries he had picked.
"Eat these, they hold a mysterious power that can protect you from great damage. It will come in handy if we are to encounter any threats in our journey."
The S-Mart employee looked at the mysterious fruit in his palm, the strange berries being the size of his palm, making him reluctant to eat it. "Shouldn't you two eat it too?”
Wolverine turned back to the "normal" man and replied. "You saw my healing factor first hand, I'll be fine. However since you don’t seem to be that special, I suggest you eat the damn fruit.”
The Chosen One reluctantly opened his mouth and began eating the fruit, his body glowing blue with every bite as he felt energy coursing through his veins. He not only felt rejuvenated, but felt as if he could take on the entire Deadite horde by himself.
"Another thing seems odd with you Ash," Ryu said as he crossed his arms, looking directly at the prophesied one. "You retained your memories when you arrived here," the pair turning to the Necronomicon on Ash's hip as Ryu continued. "I suspect it is due to that book. Most aren’t that lucky."
"Were you like me when you first arrived?"
"No. We were lost in mind and body, our memories completely wiped and lost in what seemed to be an endless cycle of combat every twenty minutes." Ryu turned away from the pair and began to walk forward as he continued on the path, the memories of what he had to do to survive the cycles in this world still dug deep in his heart. Even if what he had done was in self defense…
Wolverine and Ash followed behind him, the S-Mart employee sensing a bit of tension in the reveals of this world, still he needed more answers and they were the only ones that could answer him until they arrived at this "Bat".
"So spandex, if all your memories were erased then how did they come back?"
The Mutant gave Ash a glare before answering his question. "A temporary ally in this whole mess managed to bring them back," Wolverine stopped in his tracks before managing to grab Ash by the shirt collar, putting his free fist to the man's chest and popping out the two side claws, the metal glaring in the corner of Ash's view.
"And listen here bub, we may be allies in this ordeal but I have no patience for a jackass who is dressed up in thrift store clothing. Especially not one that smells like baked human."
"Hey! Watch the threads, Angry Badger! It may not be much, but a mix of modern and medieval clothing works wonders on the ladies."
Ryu turned around, raising his volume before erupting, making the two turn their attention to the martial artist."We don't have time for this! Every second we waste, the others wait for us." He shook his head a little, muttering something about a guy named ‘Ken’ under his breath.
Wolverine turned his head back to Ash, groaning before pulling back his arm and retracting his claws. The Mutant gave him a glare as he continued past Ryu, walking down the path.
The man thrown through time started following in example, walking behind the Mutant as Ryu joined him. "Do not take his anger personally Williams, I do believe this isn't his first time in a situation like this."
They began to continue on the trail for several minutes, every step taken with silence amongst the group. The environment around them began to slowly change, turning from the mysterious lush blue field of trees, grass, and fungi to an ordinary forest.
Green fields and trees covered the area for what seemed to be miles but in the middle of the area made Ash pause in suspicion.
A cabin with a spray painted Bat.
It was technically a shed, judging by its size and the official S-Mart handbook, but it made him stop dead in his tracks anyways. “This is your secret base,” He said skeptically. “A cabin.”
“Shed,” Logan corrected gruffly. “Bat’s insistent on the terminology for some stupid reason. It’s a shed.”
That hardly made Ash feel any better, following the two warriors wearily towards the door. “How many of you did you say there were?” His question went ignored as Logan flung open the door and strode in.
Ryu folded his arms, nodding at Ash to go inside. “It is safe, Ash Williams.”
The inside was just as barren as the outside. A few maps littered the sole table in the room. There were a few chairs, and to Ash’s surprise there was a roaring and warm fire in the fireplace. A gaunt looking man with stringy black hair, wearing all black, sat at the hearth. With a casual flick of his hand, a log floated up into the air and gently set down into the flames. He glanced at the others, turning in his chair. His eyes immediately flickered towards the Necronomicon. “I could sense you coming from miles away. Come downstairs, we have a lot to discuss. Including that book.”
Ash immediately put his hand on the book. He wasn’t willing to go through the whole argument process again. He opened his mouth but the younger man immediately cut him off. “The book is safest with you, Ash Williams. Good luck convincing the Bat of that though.” He stood, dusting himself off of the ashes. “Kylo Ren, by the way.” Ash gaped in astonishment as he walked over towards a painting on the wall and clicked it to the side. The wall slid back to reveal a staircase going down into the unknown. “To answer your question, no, I cannot read your mind. Not easily at least. You have… a special connection to the Force though, Ash Williams.”
Kylo Ren turned his head, giving Ash a piercing stare. A look that bore past all of his humanity and right into his soul. “Your destiny isn’t here. That much is certain. But the only way to achieve that destiny is to work with us. Come, as I said, there is much to discuss.”
The group followed the mysterious man down the steps, entering a barren room with the other members of this group.
The first was a bulky looking man wearing futuristic green military armor standing against a wall, a yellow visor looking directly at the group as they walked down the steps. The numbers “117” were painted in white across his chest, marking some kind of significance unknown to Ash. The space marine carried a rifle in his hands and a gigantic club-like weapon was attached to the soldier’s back as he stood stoically. Master Chief of the UNSC stood ready for action, the sooner he got home, the sooner he could return to his mission.
The second person the chosen one spotted was a man covered in all black sitting on the ground with his legs crossed and arms in meditation stance, his outfit looking like a typical Ninja but covered in body armor, Ash had seen much like his outfit in the store during October. A star with white stripes following behind it was painted in all black on the Ninja’s shoulders, the visor of his helmet slightly turning as the group made their entrance. Snake Eyes of the G.I. Joes prepared his mind for the upcoming conflict, he must be ready for anything if he is to not only survive but help the others escape this reality.
The third was a cyborg, silver and black cybernetics covered his human body, with only one part seeming to appear human, that being the mouth. His black visor seemed as empty as his movements, the members of this group seeming to have little left of what could be called human even by first glance. The “man” walked forward towards Ash and the others, his movements being incredibly hard for the S-Mart employee to read, a slight anxiety building up as the cyborg approached only for those thoughts to be dashed as he held out his hand. Ash looked into the visor as the man spoke.
“Officer Murphey of the D.C.P.D, a pleasure to make your acquaintance, citizen.” The man out of time let his guard down as he let out his hand to meet the police officer, shaking it with a firm grip.
“Ashley Williams of S-Mart.” The group all turned in unison, shocked that he remembered his own name. A man covered in body armor across his chest, shoulders, and legs quickly turned around. A dark black cloak covered his face and back, ending with a ripped cape. A grenade strap sat across his chest, his left arm’s bicep being open to the outside world as part of his outfit had been ripped, gauntlets with spikes leading to the shoulder on his left side turned into fists as he quickly approached Ash. The ordinary man’s eyes widened as he saw the man’s eyes narrow in on him before noticing the symbol on his chest, a bat.
“So uh you must be The Bat I keep heari-”
“Where did you find him?” The man ignored Ash speaking, directly speaking to Logan and Ryu who stood behind the Chosen One.
“We found him in the blue forest near the Reality Tree,” Ryu said as he stepped forward with his arms crossed. “When we found him he knew what his name was and furthermore we couldn’t just leave him out there.” The Dark Knight turned towards the Mutant that stood next to Ryu, glaring at the buckshot damage across the hero’s outfit, the towering man stepping forward while not taking his eyes off of Logan. While he could suspect the newcomer of the first blow, he had been around Wolverine enough to know that he was hot headed enough to strike out, although there had to be a pretty good reason for it. The detective took his eyes off his allies and redirected them back to Ash, quickly noticing the book attached to be his hip. His eyes narrowed.
“What’s with the book?”
Sweat quickly began to slide down Ash’s head, a feeling of needing to defend the book from someone else starting to build, even though he knew it would most likely end in his death, the feeling of needing to take action was slowly taking over that feeling of dread.
Suddenly a man in the corner in the room turned around, lifting up his arms and holding a futuristic gun up with both of his hands, a rusty brown covering the armor that the man wore across his entire body. Gigantic boots stood on the ground as three little blue lines aimed at Ash, a blue light exiting his visor as he stared at the man.
Everyone quickly turned at the man, he had been one to act without reason at times, losing himself in the guilt within his mind but even this rash action seemed to be out of character for him. “That book is evil.”
“Isaac,” The Bat spoke as he attempted to get the man’s attention. “Do you recognize this?”
“No… No but I know Evil when I see it! That thing is just like the Markers that brought the dead back to life on the Ishimura!” The man shook as he continued to aim at Ash, sweat running down his brow as he didn’t turn his attention from his target.
Ryu stepped in front of Ash, the martial artist staring at Isaac as he continued to tremble uncontrollably. “Isaac, I know you must be distrusting of Ash, but he would understand you more than you would think. When Logan lunged at him, he quickly took action to defend the book and himself.”
“You’re right,” The group all turned in unison as Ash continued to speak. “This book is evil. This book is made from human flesh and written in human blood, it is demonic in nature. The Necronomicon Ex Mortis.” He held the book up, letting its demonic face be shown briefly. “Me and my friends found this book in a cabin in the woods…it was just supposed to be a vacation. God, I was in college back then.” He sighed wearily, suddenly the weight of his past adventures hanging on him. “But it quickly turned into a bloodbath as the incantation unleashed evil. I was the only survivor. Out of all of my friends, my girlfriend, and my sister. Just me.”
Ash felt rage steaming up, and he raised his voice a little without realizing it. “Then I was tortured by the deadites for a whole fucking day, then I got my ass kicked and shoved into a cellar with one of them because some random hicks thought I was a murderer. And then, after all of that bullshit I get transported back in time to bumfuck nowhere with more of the damned things! After that, I finally get to go home AND I END UP HERE!”
He had devolved into shouting, his breathing getting heavy. Once he realized everyone was staring at him with mixtures of pity, sympathy, and empathy, he swallowed and forced his nerves to relax. “So I’m only gonna ask this of all of you once. Don’t. Touch. The Book.”
Ash stepped out from behind Ryu, his arms raised into the air as he slowly approached. “You said Markers that resurrect the dead? It seems even across realities, evil changes form and brings the hordes of the damned against us.”
Isaac still pointed the weapon at Ash’s head, the voices in his head growing louder as he looked at the book. He had felt it enter the room with him, but he needed to be sure before he could simply raise a gun to a man, even with his reasons.
“Hey,” a new voice spoke as they approached Isaac, Ash slightly shifting his attention to the other person he did not see when entering the room, his eyebrow raising ever so slightly as he was met with a beautiful woman with short blue hair in a lab coat. “We know you’ve been through a lot, but don’t fall apart on us now. We are almost home, we are so close. Please, Isaac.”
“You don’t understand.” Isaac hissed angrily, turning his saw tool towards Ash’s waistline. “I can hear it.”
There was an uneasy quiet in the air. Isaac’s hands were trembling and no one made a move. “It’s talking to me. Taunting me. Why can’t I have peace?” Isaac steeled his resolve when Ash took a step forward. “Stay away! Don’t come any closer!”
Ash paused, then gave a deep and weary sigh. All of his youthful vigor seemed to vanish before everyone’s eyes. He gently rolled a small little pendant in his hand after fishing it out of his pocket, staring at it with haunted eyes. “I get it. Isaac, right? I get it. The Evil won’t leave you alone. It keeps pulling at you, gnawing at you until you finally break.” The Chosen One looked over at Isaac, his eyes now full of fire and determination. “But I promise you buddy, I promise you. You will not be harmed by this book, and the demons won’t get you.”
The man slowly put down the gun and stepped back, clenching his helmet with his free hand as he stumbled back and crashed into the wall. Isaac began shuddering, and started to sob quietly.
“Just… stay the hell away from me.”
Ash shook his head in sympathy as he stepped back and then turned towards the towering Dark Knight, the one that Logan and Ryu had spoken of on their way back to this Shed. “So what do I call you?”
The man turned back towards Ash briefly. “Batman.” Ash shook his head up and down before speaking, trying to pretend to not be creeped out by the company here.
“I’m surrounded by people more crazy than me…”
There was a question that had been burning in the back of his mind though, and he looked around the strange collection of people. “How long have you all been here?”
That, apparently, was the wrong question to ask. An uncomfortable silence fell over the group, minus the blue-haired babe and Batman working on some schematics together. Ash looked around, a little nervous as the silence dragged on until Officer Murphy spoke up. “We do not know.” He said at last.
Ash frowned, looking at the cyborg in confusion. “What d’you mean you don’t know? I mean, I only have been here a few hours at most thanks to all of that walking but surely-”
“Time… moves differently here, Mr. Williams.” Robocop continued. Despite how inhuman he looked, Ash could see the frown twitching at the man’s lips. “My internal sensors indicate that I personally have been here for around… 20 years, give or take. Yet it feels as if not a day has gone by.”
Ash’s jaw dropped in astonishment. “That.. that can’t be right. 20 years?”
“Some of us have been here longer.” Robocop indicated with his hand towards Batman. “I believe Batman was here from the beginning. I can only imagine how long he has been here. I think even he has been unable to tell anymore. And yet some of us have claimed to only be here for less than a few minutes. As I said, time works differently here.”
The Chosen One blew out a breath, leaning against the wall as he tried to process it all. “Well, it’s a good thing none of us here are experts on time travel then, right?”
“Actually, Miss Briefs and the T-800 happen to have experience with it.”
“The T-what now?”
A hulking, looming figure stepped out from the shadows. Ash immediately jumped and stepped away, unsure how he had not seen such a massive figure before him. The leather and his sunglasses shone in the dim light and on his back was strapped with a more modern-age shotgun than the traditional double barrel Ash carried. “I am Model T-800 codenamed: Terminator.”
Ash stared in awe at the man before him, and the first thing that game to mind blurted out before he could catch himself. “Holy shit, it’s Arnold Schwarzenegger.”
There were a few laughs from the others. Wolverine chuckled, downing what Ash hoped wasn’t beer. The T-800 remained impassive at the comment, not even bothering to move a muscle. “Any resemblance to a celebrity that may exist in your universe is purely coincidental. I was built for maximum psychological and physical prowess alongside my advanced processing power and cybernetic enhancements.”
“And a penchant for breaking the law.” Robocop chimed in. Despite the visor, Ash could have sworn the officer was giving the Terminator a dirty look. Before he could even ask the question, the officer had the answer ready. “Some of us… are already acquainted from prior endeavors.”
Well, that was that mystery settled. Now that everyone had fallen into a more comfortable silence, Ash made his way up to the only woman of the group. Despite her odd hair, he couldn’t help but notice the lovely dress she was wearing. The way her hips stretched the fabric, and her luscious… pearls, hanging at her chest. “Hey, blue-haired bombshell. Name’s Ash.” He gave her the most dazzling Williams Charm smile he could muster. “How you doing?”
Without even looking up from her blueprints, Bulma lifted up a hand to the light. A glistening, diamond ring on her ring finger. “Married, bozo.”
Damn. Wolverine laughed, clapping Ash on the back. “Believe me bub, we’ve all tried.”
Right, time to switch gears. He craned his neck, trying to see what Bulma was working on. “So uh, what are the blueprints for?”
She looked up, her blue eyes sparkling in the lighting of the impromptu base. “This is our ticket out of here. It’s-”
Before she could continue, Batman gruffly cut in. “A weapon. Something that Snake Eyes and I managed to steal with help from the others. With any luck, it’ll be our best chance of going home.”
Ash squinted at the blueprints, trying to understand what it was supposed to be. Bulma chimed in, sounding a bit miffed at being interrupted. “Why don’t we just show you? It’s nearly done anyways, we just need to finish the wiring and the computers. Installing a few weapons here and there, but overall it’s done! We have it docked in the hanger, deeper underground. I’ll show you!”
Pulling on a lantern chord, Ash watched as a wall panel slid back to reveal a neat set of stairs, handrails included. He assumed they were thanks to Officer Murphy and he quietly appreciated the cop’s attention to safety as he grabbed the railing and descended down into the hanger with Bulma. Absolutely not trying to look at her ass. No sir.
Kylo Ren unfolded his arms and opened his eyes. The Force was flowing through him stronger than ever, and it had warned him of the danger ahead. He looked at Ryu, and caught the warrior’s eye. “You feel it, don’t you Ryu? A storm coming, a wave of darkness coming to drown us all.”
The warrior folded his arms, sighing heavily. “I do. I believe Isaac can sense some of it as well.” They both looked at the trembling man. Despite staying as far away from Ash as possible, his shakes hadn’t died down. “I can only think of two men from my universe who exude this… darkness.” And he hoped to whatever deities his new comrades prayed too, that it was neither M. Bison or Akuma.
The force user seemed conflicted about something before he spoke. “It seems… familiar to me but I.. I can’t quite place it yet. So much death happening above us, the Force is screaming in pain. I can’t get a clear fix.”
“Then we must hope that this darkness does not reach us.”
Kylo Ren pursed his lips and remained quiet. It was a foolish hope, one both men knew. Without even indicating that he heard them, Batman moved over to tap Snake Eyes on the shoulder. The Joe stood, and took out his swords for inspection. This prompted everyone else to get out their weapons to do the same. Like it or not, they all knew that war was coming soon. Except for the poor man deep below in Mecha-Strike Commander’s hanger.
Master Chief quickly checked the ammo within his MA5C Assault Rifle, the standard weapon for the UNSC Spartans. The super soldier, seeing that the weapon has retained all thirty two rounds to his disposal before quickly turning his attention to his Gravity Hammer, seeing that his secondary weapon had retained all of the energy that was stored. The final weapon in the soldier’s arsenal being strapped to his hip, the hilt of the newly found blade earning a glance from Kylo Ren, the energy signature on the Lightsaber being that of the girl.
Though he had not sensed her energy within this realm, was it possible that she was within this reality before escaping herself? The Supreme Leader quickly dismissed the thought as Master Chief spoke.
"My gear is fully operational," the Spartan said as he walked over to a desk and grabbed two grenades before placing them on his hip. "I am more than ready for whatever we face."
Snake Eyes nodded in agreement, the Joe finishing his inspection of his gear before the oncoming battle.
"All systems are fully operational," The T-800 stated as the android finished checking the shells within his shotgun, the only weapon that the disguised robotic being had been with as he was pulled into the rift, quickly turning his attention to Officer Murphy as he strapped the gun to his back, the police officer attempting to appear to not notice the Terminator's gaze. "Together with our combined might, we will reach our realities."
Robocop reluctantly turned back towards the Arnold lookalike, the officer of Detroit simply nodding before responding with "It would appear so."
The Supreme Leader of the First Order reached for his hilt on his hip, the force user wrapping his hands around the weapon before igniting the blade, the Lightsaber glowing a dark red as the hot plasma flickered like a broken lightbulb. The crystal within may not be intact, but his trusted weapon would be necessary for what he sensed ahead of him. Kylo Ren placed his thumb on the activation button before turning the weapon off and returning it to his side, his confidence in his weapon reassured even if his mind was not.
The Dark Knight of Gotham walked over to the wall near his plans, grabbing a glass vile filled with black moving ooze, the container’s glass constantly being tapped as it expanded and decreased as if it was pulsing.
Wolverine looked over to Batman, his eyes widening as he realized what what it was, the mere sight of it making the mutant remember his countless brawls against the Web Swinger’s dark reflection.
“Where’d you find that?” The X-Man asked as the detective turned his attention back to his costumed comrade, the caped crusader carefully inspected the vial for any cracks or faults before nodding in satisfaction.
“When I had first arrived to the second ‘layer’ of this reality, I had been tracking it after the first encounter with it. It drained people of their lives, I assume looking for a suitable host.” Batman clipped it to his utility belt, eyes narrowed at the mutant. “I take it that you’re familiar with this creature?”
Wolverine continued to stare at the Symbiote within the vile, the Mutant remembering a man that was lost in his own rage just as he once was, a man that he tried to help time and time again. Though they had fought just as many times as they had worked together, Logan had always seen the man as someone who was just lost, someone that just needed the right push but sadly it had seemed that he was no longer around. The X-Man took his gaze off of the vile and returned his attention to Batman, a glare fueled by frustration staring directly into the detective’s eyes.
“Yeah, I am. So you have this and you don’t bring it up once with the entire time we have been here. What if that thing broke out? No one here’s equipped to deal with that.”
Batman gave Wolverine a dangerous look. “I wasn’t familiar with anyone here when we all first arrived. The parasite could have very well been from one of your worlds, which you’ve now confirmed. I didn’t trust you all then and I don’t trust you all now.” The Dark Knight stepped closer to him, looming over him with his height. “Don’t be mistaken. We’re comrades, but only by circumstance. Not by choice.”
Wolverine grit his teeth as he crossed his arms, the shorter man trying to not have the conversation turn into a brawl. “That Symbiote caused a lot of people a lot of heartache. Been attached to a dumbass madman, a kid with a good heart, and a man that makes my anger issues look like temper tantrums. That thing caused all three to turn into real jackasses, feeding into the worst parts of themselves.” Wolverine sniffed a little. “And got people killed. I would advise against using it unless you really think you need it bub. Less you end up turning into what you hate the most.”
Batman only continued to glare before walking in the other direction, passing Isaac who was still clinging to his helmet as he sat on the wall, the survivor of the Ishimura mumbling to himself as he smacked the helmet. The voices of the Necronomicon still whispered to him even as Ash was below in the hanger.
“S-Shut up… Please stop talking. I just want peace… I can hear her voice.” Though the engineer’s helmet covered his face, through the armor you could hear the man shedding tears as he spoke, hearing the voice of who mattered most again bringing back the trauma all over again.
One by one the others passed by the man and began to walk down the stairs to the fully built Mecha, the T-800 not even acknowledging the troubled man as it walked past. There was no tactical reason to even try and comfort him, even if John would say otherwise. His participation was useful, but not required.
As Officer Murphy walked past the man, he wished to speak to him and to help him. That strain of humanity was still tugging at him, to cry out to be like his people but the machinery in him was struggling to come up with something to say. The police officer tried his best, but ultimately he looked away from Isaac. With great disappointment in himself, Robocop finally took the steps down to the launch room to prepare for the final battle.
Kylo Ren looked at the crouching man, a strange feeling of empathy washing over him. This man was suffering, the voices within his head being chaos to his soul. But why did he feel this way? The Supreme Leader of the First Order had committed atrocities, slaughtered hundreds and was responsible for the deaths of thousands, if not millions, and yet seeing a man that could not even help himself stand on his own two feet had him feel… remorseful. The light still tugged at his heart, the darkness within his soul being further pushed away as the guilt of everything he had done washed over him, the rage being slowly removed like a cancer. Why did he still hear his foolish father call him? The failed teachings of his uncle wishing for him to be as his grandfather had done and return to the light? The love of a mother wishing to see her son at her side once again?
No… he didn’t deserve this chance. Not after everything he’d done.
Kylo Ren simply walked past the sobbing man, his gaze being completely removed as he took the steps down to join the others, not even bothering to take a second to stop and look back.
The first to stop and even acknowledge Isaac was the armored Ninja of G.I. Joe, Snake Eyes simply placing a hand on his shoulders. Isaac looked up, and although the ninja would not speak, the Joe shook his shoulder slightly in a friendly manner. The veteran knew what it was like to have a past haunt them, the horrors he had seen in war clawing at him every night as he silently screamed alone, his vow of silence being honor bound. He however had faith in Isaac that one day he could begin to heal from whatever he had gone through. The human spirit being the strongest thing he had ever known, he had seen that countless times in his fight against Cobra. Snake Eyes raised his hand off of the engineer’s shoulder and snapped a quick, respectful salute before heading down to join the others.
The Spartan approached the engineer, the soldier understanding to some extent what he was going through, the loss of partner waying on his soul as well. “I can hear her voice…” It had been months since Cortana’s passing, the Didact being the final mission they faced together, a part of him leaving with her. He had always considered her to be his human half, he was more machine than man at this point but… he still wished to ease this man the best he could.
“Isaac… Ash spoke of the dead rising just as you had on that mission. It seems that this kind of evil has affected generations of humanity, entire universes affected by this plague. I have faced an enemy like no other, The Flood being a threat to my entire universe. Corpses of every species being taken by this evil and returning to life,” Master Chief kneeled down next to Isaac before turning to the man’s “face”, placing the bottom of the rifle on the ground as he reached out with his free hand, placing it on the troubled man’s shoulder. “You aren't alone."
John 117 of the UNSC stood back up and returned his attention to the stairs, walking down the steps and joining the others.
Wolverine sat down next to the weeping Isaac, a can of beer dangling in his hands. “Hey, you gonna be alright?” When all Isaac did was whimper a little, Wolverine put the can of beer in the engineer’s hands. He could practically see the confusion behind the mask. “Drink it. Liquid courage. We’re gonna need you Clarke.”
“Why?” Isaac asked weakly. His trembling hands held the beer, as if afraid it would vanish. “I... I don’t think I can anymore. Not with that book, not with-”
“You fought stuff like that before, right?” Wolverine cut in gruffly. Wearily, Isaac nodded. “And you were alone too. Can’t have been easy.” He sighed a little, grabbing another beer from his inventory and stabbing into it with one of his claws. He held it up, gulping down the liquid. “It was like that for me once too. Whole bunch of shit done to me in the name of ‘science.’”
He scoffed at that, crushing the can and tossing it aside. “Worst part about it all was that no one was around to help me.” The mutant looked over at Isaac, an unreadable emotion on his hardened face. “But that’s what makes the fact we still made it mean that we can make it through this too.”
Isaac hesitated for a moment, before speaking in a quiet voice. “But, what if I don’t want to go back? What if… there’ll be more demons out there?”
Wolverine shrugged, standing up and stretching out his back a bit. “Then you stay when we all leave. No one’s forcing you to stay here Clarke. Just remember that you got more back home than you do here.” He pat the engineer on the shoulder, and moved downstairs.
Ryu had finished with his last minute preparations. A quick round of meditation and double checking that his secret weapon was fastened behind his gi. He patted the belt, and moved over to Isaac Clarke. The man was clearly haunted, that much was certain. The Necronomicon had done a number to his already dwindling sanity. Briefly, Ryu wondered if he would even pull through, but he shook his head. He had to have faith.
“Do you really intend on staying here, Isaac Clarke?”
Isaac looked up at Ryu with his expressionless helmet, before lowering it again. “I… I don’t know. Maybe. I don’t have anything to go back to after all. Ever since that hellscape and… and Nicole…” He shook his head. “Maybe it would be better to stay. Free from the nightmares.”
Ryu frowned, rubbing his chin as he mulled the words over. “...I do not believe the nightmares will end. Nor do I think, will you. Yes, you will lose your memories, but the trauma will stay. While I cannot recall what had happened when I was under the Hado’s influence… the scars are there all the same.”
He shrugged his shoulders at that, shaking off the bad memories. “We will not judge you if you choose to stay, Isaac. Just remember that you will lose everything that has made you yourself if the portal closes and they find you here.” He looked at the poor, traumatized man and wondered if his words sank in. It was the best he could do, considering the circumstances. “I will see you in the Hanger.” With that, Ryu headed downstairs.
Isaac Clarke was by himself. In the shitty little cabin where all of his unlikely friends and allies grouped together for the sole purpose of going home. Home. He scoffed a little, shaking his head at the idea. What home did he have to go back to? Some asylum because of what happened to him on the ship? The trauma of… of losing Nicole? Was that really what he wanted to go back to?
Would it even matter, considering that if he did stay it would all be forgotten anyways. Forget about the ship, the demons, the nightmares. Forget… about Nicole. About her gorgeous smile, her beautiful laugh, her blonde hair flowing through his hands. All of the memories that kept him strong when he had first stepped into his destiny. Could he give her up?
The helmet that protected Isaac's head quickly disassembled, the armor moving on its own to wrap around to the back of his head, and downed the beer in a few gulps. He threw the can up into the air and quickly brought out his laser cutter and with a flash of light, the aluminum was cut clean in half, the two sides clattered onto the floor. Satisfied, he let the helmet quickly reform on and stomped downstairs. He had a job to do, and he wasn’t going to let them down.
***
The Imagined Order’s Collider
Smoke rose into the sky as flames engulfed what was once a military base, one of many outposts created by the ones in charge of this reality. The bodies of those that defended the strong hold lay across the area. Smoke rose from their armor as Stormtroopers had slaughtered them with the ruthless efficiency the Empire demanded. The imperial forces slowly entered the base as Lord Vader followed behind.
A gigantic tower sat at the center of the outpost, golden lights outside of the structure glowing with power, and a concrete wall covered the back of the base. Protecting the area from whatever dangers came from the water, the outpost being located next to a gigantic lake. Though it did seem rather off that the walls would not surround the entire outpost, only the part that seemed to line with the bay. Perhaps this realm had dangers within the aquatic environment, more so than any main threat on the land, the dark lord would have to take a mental note of this observation and see if there was any form of data on the computers.
The force user stood on the beach near the wall, staring across the land and seeing what appeared to be multiple ecosystems coexisting with each other. Mountains covered in snow lined the north, a blue forest appeared to cover the entire visible west of this island, while the east seemed to hold a small town with a gigantic clocktower in the middle of the community. This realm was strange, it coursed with the Force, being a raw conductor for it. The outpost they had taken appeared to be the epicenter of it, the pool of energy feeling unlike anything he had ever felt, even on the mysterious planet of Mortis a lifetime ago.
It was… oddly peaceful, in a way. A paradise free from the horrors of the universe. Although there scarcely seemed to be any people, there was a charm to the surroundings that made it seem worth preserving.
“Lord Vader,” a Stromtrooper stated as he approached the Sith Lord, Darth Vader slightly shifting his head to signal that he was paying attention. “All targets in the area have been neutralized, all bodies are accounted for. We have also spotted several species of wildlife amongst the terrain, some of the troopers have gone to investi-”
Quickly the Stormtrooper went to aim his blaster at the lake as the water suddenly burst, a shark which glowed emerald green erupting from the lake with jaws wide open in an attempt to devour the dark lord. The trooper fired two rounds of his blaster, missing the target as the element rained down on the pair of men for a moment, before the droplets of water along with the animal stood still in the air.
The dark lord did not even lift a finger to restrain the beast, the shark flailing in the air, massive jaws snapping as it stared at the dark cloaked figure. The Loot Shark wished to rip the dark lord to shreds, it writhed angrily in the grip of the Force. The Stormtrooper lowered his blaster as he returned his attention to Darth Vader, the Sith Lord looking directly at him, not even paying the shark any attention.
“Have those troopers report to me as soon as they have made any more significant discoveries relating to the native wildlife," Vader closed his fist slowly, and the predator bulged out suddenly, before bursting open behind the pair. Blood and water sprayed across the sands as Vader quite literally squeezed the thing to death. With a wet slap the remains flopped onto the beach, staining the sands darker with blood. Almost comically, some confetti and a bunch of old looking weapons flopped out next to the remains. "If there are any that can bring value to the Empire, then we will bring them with us through the rift."
"Y-Yes my lord." The trooper quickly turned around to do what he was commanded, the soldier not looking back as Lord Vader quickly turned his head in a new direction, seeing an emerald green forest lined with plant life. He sensed what had drawn him here to this place, that signal, that marking… he finally could feel it clearly.
Amongst the stars and rift the signal was nothing more than a familiar feeling, barely an inkling as to what it could be. A Force user? Perhaps someone from his past? Vader searched deep within himself, trying to remember why it was so familiar. Perhaps the son of Anakin Skywalker had also come to this strange land.
Finally, it came to him. What he sensed was a family bond similar to the boy his old master had trained, the foolish young man attempting to play Jedi. It was not him however, if it was then this dark cloud that surrounded his heart was new to the Sith's knowledge. The last time he had met Luke Skywalker, he had been bathed in the Light Side of the force. Surely he hadn’t been coerced that easily.
Perhaps it would be wiser to take him under his own teachings and then one day destroy the Emperor, the rule of two continuing on with hatred, with father and son. And perhaps, if one of his children were alive… then the other was as well.
Darth Vader began to walk towards the signal, he would discover what this feeling truly was and turn their hatred into an asset.
Soon he would control the galaxy, and all would know to fear his name.
***
Chapter 3: Operation-Home
The Batshed’s Hanger
As the others still remained upstairs, Ash stared up at the weapon they had stolen from who was in control of this realm. He had seen many things in his life, but as the everyday man stared up in confusion at the machine, he wondered if this would top it. The machine had a humanoid build, the armor covering the gray machinery was painted a dark blue across its form. The left hand resembled some kind of animal’s head on the top of it, underneath being five gray metallic digits which matched the right hand. On the right side of the warmachine was a painted gray broken heart, the middle being split in two. The head was what made Ash feel the most strange about the weapon.
It looked like a teddy bear’s head.
“This is Mecha-Strike Commander!” Bulma said gleefully, clapping her hands with glee. “With this we are getting the hell out of here and back home!”
Ash placed his hand on his face as he spoke with confusion. “So you're telling me that the weapon that you all stole from those that can merge realities together… is a gigantic teddy bear?” The time traveler continued to stare at the weapon, lost for words to even describe how he felt about this, the man simply thinking “What”.
“While its appearance may seem childish,” Batman spoke as he walked into the hanger, causing Ash to stare at him with an equally dumbfounded face. “Its destructive capabilities are nothing to scoff at.” One by one more of the group descended, the gathered forces of the multiverse arriving to what they all hoped to be their salvation.
What could Ash even say to something like this? The whole goddamn thing was ridiculous, even by his own standards. He opened his mouth to speak, but found that no words came out as Batman and Bulma ascended towards what could only be the cockpit and began the final checks. Robocop stomped up next to him. “In addition to the Batman and Miss Briefs, the T-800, Snake Eyes, and myself shall be piloting the machine.”
Ash looked at him sharply now, a frown on his face. “Well what about the rest of us? Are we just gonna sit somewhere with our thumbs in our asses and wait for you?”
The officer hummed thoughtfully, before shaking his head. “It would be wiser for you to join the raid team to break into the interdimensional portal room and secure it for us. It is not only your only way home, but it would be safer to have… the book within distance of us at all times. We cannot chance losing it somehow.”
That made a lot of sense and Ash hated it. He reached down, making sure the Book was still there just in case. He nodded towards Isaac, who was busy pawing over the schematics to see if he had missed anything crucial during construction. “What about him? I…” He trailed off a bit, struggling to find the right words. “I don’t wanna hurt him more.” He said at last.
“You are a kind soul Ash Williams.” Robocop said. He placed a comforting hand on Ash’s shoulder, surprisingly gentle with how study he seemed. “Mr. Clarke will be fine.”
Ash smiled a bit and nodded. He glanced down at his chainsaw and frowned a bit. “Hey, this is a shed right? Anyone got some spare Gasoline?”
There were a few snorts of amusement, but amazingly Batman’s voice boomed over the intercom system. “Behind the right leg, there’s a small tool shed.” With a knowing smile, Ash quickly moved to where the Bat had instructed him and found himself in a familiar little location. He grabbed the gasoline and filled the tank before swishing the chainsaw. The chainsaw wasn’t the top of the line S-Mart chainsaws, but it would do. He re-attached the tool to his stump and jerked his arm a little to turn it on. The mighty tool roared to life and he gave the saw an experimental whirl. Satisfied, the Chosen One turned it off and stepped back out into the hanger.
He grinned at the others, and Isaac gave a respectful nod at the contraption. “Groovy. Do you always carry a chainsaw around like that?”
Ash shook his head, pulling out his fake hand to show it off before tucking it back safely on his person. “Nah, I have this. Built it myself.”
Isaac paused for a moment, mulling it over. “I’m impressed. I’d like to take a look at it if we have the time. I may be able to improve it. Back home, I’m an engineer you see. Building shit’s my life.” He held up the circular saw shooter as a demonstration. “Take this little beauty for instance.” Ash blinked in surprise, but couldn’t help the warm smile from spreading across his face. He nodded, happy that Isaac was feeling better.
He held up his boomstick, loading some fresh shells and aiming it experimentally into the air. Ash didn’t look up when Master Chief spoke for the first time. “Bit antiquated, don’t you think? You can probably find something better when we’re on the move.”
Ash shook his head, slinging the boomstick in its holster. “Thanks, but I’ll stick to the classics pal. Besides, you have a hammer on your back.”
Master Chief unslung the weapon, holding it up to show the chosen one. “This is called a Type-2 Energy Weapon/Hammer, ‘Grav Hammer’ for short. Do you know why it’s called that, Williams?” Ash shook his head, and Master Chief moved over towards a training dummy. With a grunt of effort, a small pulse of energy boomed out of the Grav Hammer and smashed it into splinters. “Basically, you’ll be sent flying when it hits. Any more questions?”
Ash swallowed thickly, and shook his head. “No sir.”
Kylo Ren hummed, opening his eyes from his meditation. “Your weapon still has practical use though, Ashley Williams. For instance, lead-based projectiles are particularly effective against lightsaber wielding opponents. While laser fire and blaster fire can be deflected, the lead melts straight through.”
Wolverine raised a skeptical eyebrow at him. “You expecting us to run into another Force user or something?”
All Kylo did was smile mysteriously at him, and it gave Ash an immense sense of unease.
As the final preparations were underway, Ash seemed a bit more content to finally relax for a few moments. As if on cue however, the ground began to shake.
They all stilled as the tremor died down. A few of them glanced upwards towards the ceiling cautiously. Then the ground shook again, more violently this time. Ash stumbled, holding onto Robocop to keep himself from falling until suddenly it died down again.
“The hell’s going on?” Ash wondered aloud. Wolverine sniffed the air, frowned, then sniffed again.
Kylo Ren spoke up, his quiet voice somehow making itself known. “Something is coming.”
Batman wasted no time and indicated to Bulma to get into the cockpit. She, Robocop, The T-800, and Snake-Eyes all hauled themselves up towards the pilot’s seat as fast as they could all go. “We’re evacuating, now! Ground Team, you know where to go. Once we’re all together, we’ll rendezvous at the portal.” With a swirl of his cloak, and amidst another tremor that he gave them all one last look before ascending to the cockpit.
As Mecha-Strike Commander jerked into life, Ash watched in astonishment as the mighty hanger doors swung open and began moving. The ground shook as it took its first few steps out into the open.
And then came the water. The ground team jerked back in alarm when a giant wave of water suddenly splashed in. The sound was deafening to Ash and he scrambled back in fear. Mecha-Strike Commander’s hand slammed down, throwing the ground team back by the sheer force of its movement and the water crashing against the metallic palm. “Go! Now!” Batman thundered.
They all recomposed themselves and ran over towards the staircase, Ash having to duck to avoid a workbench being thrown at him from the tidal wave that suddenly came rushing in. He glanced behind himself and instantly wished he hadn’t. The water was pouring in at a truly alarming rate and his first thought was that they weren’t going to make it.
The water lapped at his heels as he and the others began climbing the staircase. Master Chief shoved past them all and knelt down. Immediately, a large bubble formed around him and he grunted with effort as the water crashed against his Bubble Shield. He glanced behind him, nodding at the others. “Go. I’ll catch up.”
With an increasing sense of guilt, Ash did as he was told and sprinted up the long staircase towards the shed properly. Isaac stepped forward, firing bolts of energy from his Plasma Cutter and slicing the door in half before roughly kicking the thing down. He motioned for the others to follow, leaning over to check on Master Chief. It didn’t take long for the Spartan to sprint up the stairs, literally outrunning a raging river.
Kylo Ren stepped into place when Chief ran past. Holding up his hands, he grit his teeth and concentrated. The Force responded in an instant, and the violent water swirled up over everyone’s heads and completely blew out the entrance to the shed. Wood and steel buckled under nature’s mighty power. Slowly, Kylo Ren was walking backwards, keeping the Ground Team alive. “Come on!” He yelled out, and together they were able to finally break out of the Shed.
The supreme leader dropped his hands, panting hard as the water splashed back and began carving up a river from the shed. He sucked in a breath, nodding to Ryu in thanks when he patted him on the shoulder.
Ash looked around, scared out of his damn mind. “No one told me that we were next to a damn lake!”
Ryu’s face looked grim, and he folded his arms. “We aren’t. There shouldn’t be water for miles.”
Ash was about to open his mouth to argue that clearly he was mistaken when a loud, deafening roar made his heart stop for a moment. All of the Ground Team could only stand there, dumbfounded as they heard the roar. Looking out towards the source of the sound, spotting a gigantic leviathan glowing bright blue with power, the nuclear goliath marching further inland. “Holy fucking shit.”
Wolverine sighed, shaking his head in exasperation. “Figures that would show up here.”
“You know what that thing is?!” Ash screeched in alarm.
He nodded, pulling out a cigar from his uniform and lighting it up with Isaac’s help. “Yup. And we can’t do much against it. Come on, we’re burning daylight.” He took a drag, and began walking towards the rendezvous point.
As they walked, Ash pulled the book from its spot and hissed at it angrily. “What the hell’s going on?! What is that thing?”
To his surprise, the Book answered him curtly and honestly. “I don’t know, Ashley Williams. All I know is two things: It will be much, much more difficult to get home thanks to his presence.”
“And what’s the other thing?”
“Its name is Godzilla.”
***
The grass beneath his feet folded as he took steps forward, the dark lord tracking the signal once again, sensing that whoever brought him here was near. The sign grew stronger by the second, the man now gaining a clearer picture than before.
It wasn't the boy, that much was clear now, but with that answered more questions had come into play. Was this signal the other child he had thought lost? Or perhaps his thoughts had been clouded by this realm, the Force flowed through this island like a beacon and he had not seen the sun move since his arrival.
Maybe this realm had more similarities with Mortis than he had initially considered, the trails of that planet affecting his old master and padawan just as it affected himself. Not knowing the difference between illusion and reality with an entire planet brimming with the Force. What he sensed was that of a relative, that much was certain, but perhaps he was looking towards the wrong time…
Suddenly, blaster fire within the forest earned the dark lord's attention, the blood curdling cries of his soldiers echoing within the dense foliage as he marched forward. The Sith Lord turned his attention to the ground as he spotted a corpse, the trooper ripped to shreds by the native wildlife, claw marks covering his chest as liquid crimson covered the plant life and armor. Pieces of the Stormtrooper’s armor lined the forest floor, the soldier’s blaster laying beside his motionless body.
The imperial warlord continued to stare at the corpse until he noticed a trail of blood going deeper into the forest, the trail seeming to line up with the continued blaster fire and screams. Darth Vader stepped over the corpse and continued forward, though he still needed to investigate the energy signature, he could quickly deal with whatever was picking off his troops, and perhaps even gain new assists for the Empire in the process.
The cries of battle became closer than before, the dark lord finally being able to properly assess the situation now as he cleared the area into an open field, the corpses of imperial troopers lining the battlefield. The dark lord of the Sith gazed upon this new enemy with curiosity as he watched the trio of animals continue to slaughter his men, their builds, while standing at the same height as his men, were much more agile than expected. One of the animals roared as they jumped on top of a trooper and ripped into his throat with ease, blood spraying in the air and staining his armor as he attempted to scream. The blood flowed through the wound and onto the open grass, dying the green plant life red with liquid ichor.
The trio of animals stood on two legs each, scales covering their reptilian bodies, long tails swinging back and forth as their avian-like eyes observed the area. They searched for more prey, spotting a few soldiers remaining amongst the fallen. The trio of animals hissed as they charged forward at the Stormtroopers, the soldiers beginning to panic and opening fire in a desperate attempt for survival. Though the soldiers had outnumbered the predators, the animals had swiftly destroyed their numbers within minutes, getting the jump on them within the forest.
The small group of troopers prepared for the worst when suddenly the animals were lifted into the air, the three predators screeching and swiping furiously at the Stormtroopers in front of them, saliva and blood spitting forward at the small group. The soldiers all began to calm down as they turned to see Lord Vader approaching them, the Sith saving what remained of their group with swift action.
The dark lord observed the floating animals, inspecting their form as the troopers began to compose themselves. The predators’ sharp teeth shone in the sunlight, black talons on their hands and feet swiped at the Sith, dark green scales with olive green stripes covered their reptilian form. Feathers covered the back of their head, the leader's colors on their feathers and face being a dark red while the companion Raptors were yellow and orange respectively.
"Thank you Lord Vad-" the lead trooper of the group finally had the courage to speak to their superior officer, but Darth Vader did not even turn towards the Stormtrooper as he spoke, continuing to observe the lifeforms as he interrupted the soldier's thoughts.
"Report."
The soldier took a second to remain composed before speaking. "We were tracking footprints made by these three when they got an ambush on our men in the forest, though we had outnumbered them two to one, they used superior speed and planning to slaughter the others."
Darth Vader finally turned his attention to the troopers as the Raptors suddenly fell limp and dropped to the ground, standing with authority over the unconscious animals. "You will escort these primitives to the ship, these creatures can make for a great asset for the Empire. If they happen to wake up, I expect nothing less than a stun blast to them. Do I make myself clear?"
“Yes my lord, alright men you heard Lord Vader. Quickly gather the anim-”
The environment quickly was submerged in water, trees snapping like twigs as the waves engulfed all in sight. Vader quickly turned towards the approaching element, reaching out with both hands and creating a Force Bubble to protect himself and the others with swift action, not even a fraction of his strength used. As the water flowed past the group, the dark lord could feel a signature, a life sign with great power within it.
It wasn’t like any animal he had witnessed, all he could see was its shadow as it emerged from the depths, the element flowing off of its form like a waterfall. He could sense raw power within the beast, the Force flowed through its form like the Zillo Beast he had once encountered, the animal having a deep connection to it even if it wasn’t aware of it.
With a slight turn of the wrist, Darth Vader lifted the group into the air within the Force Bubble and bore witness to the behemoth before them. Their form was reptilian in nature, brown and black scales covering the animal’s hide from head to toe, two trunk-like legs that ended with four digits carried the beast forwards, his hands flexing their four fingers as he stretched. The Titan’s long tail dragged across the ground as he made landfall, three rows of dorsal spines covered the creature’s back, his box-like head looking in all directions with his glowing yellow eyes as he observed this new realm, the journey to the mysterious island not being a long one, but one he felt he needed to make as quickly as possible.
This island felt… different.
The energy here reminded him of home somehow, a home that he could not even remember, the core of this island pulsing with a signature that made the beast feel as if it was a part of him. Why did he feel this way? It was as if the energy was luring him here, perhaps with the correct course, he could find the answers he seeked.
The behemoth took steps forward, crushing the earth underneath his feet and leaving craters in his wake, he sensed that the source of the signal was near… but that would have to wait. The leviathan turned his attention to the floating group above the water, the energy surrounding the one in the center being filled with vile intent, pure malice surrounding the dark figure like a storm. He sensed nothing but aggression from the being as he lifted the others around him above the water line, the dark figure not taking his “eyes” off of the nuclear behemoth.
“You must all retreat for now, gather the remaining troopers and return to the ship. I shall deal with the monster myself.”
The group of soldiers and unconscious Raptors finally landed safely on the ground, the Stormtoopers quickly grabbing the animals and turning their backs on the situation, listening to their superior officer’s orders without question.
The dark lord continued to stare at the large behemoth, feeling nothing but animosity towards him from the Titan, it seemed that his theory could be correct and this beast had a connection to the energy of the universe to some extent. Though he did not know how this ancient predator was connected, surely he would find out within a few minutes. Darth Vader reached down to his side and grabbed the hilt of the Lightsaber, pressing the ignition button as he raised it in the air, the red blade glowing with energy and hatred as the two stared at each other.
Suddenly the Sith lord jolted forward, his speed being increased with the Force as he charged at the hulking goliath. However, something was different, this realm has greatly enhanced his ability, already making it to the giant’s body within seconds. Parting the water below him as he charged, he was faster than Anakin Skywalker could have ever achieved, perhaps his physical power would have been increased as well.
The monster king unleashed a roar as he quickly turned his body, his tail aiming to slam down on the approaching target, only for the dark lord to dodge the attack and leap forward, landing on the back of the goliath with ease. Darth Vader quickly swung the blade at the scales, noticing the Lightsaber sending sparks as it collided with the nuclear behemoth’s scales, though it did somewhat resist the saber, it wasn’t for long. The Sith quickly stabbed the blade into the creature’s back, earning a grunt of pain as the Kaiju grit his teeth and turned his attention to his back, witnessing the commander of the 501st Legion charge forward with violent intent, the energy blade slicing through flesh with ease.
Yellow eyes stared at the approaching warlord as he launched himself straight at the behemoth’s maw, the Lightsaber aiming towards the creature’s eye, when he suddenly felt a rush of air flow by him as the monster king quickly raised his arm upward. Darth Vader instantly formed a barrier around himself and though the Kaiju could not see it, the barrier shattered like glass as his hand crashed into it, the Sith Lord flying backwards towards the water before catching himself above the element. He had instantly lost control of the situation from a single strike from the beast, rage building up as he lifted himself enough to see the creature glowing blue across his form. Dorsal spines glowed bright with azure power as the Kaiju opened his maw, the eyes and throat like a tunnel taking the same glow before a beam of pure radiation charged forward, making Vader quickly rush away from the sea. The Atomic Blast chased after him with violent intent as the Sith Lord actually managed to dodge the blast, Godzilla tilting his head until the ray slammed into a land mass.
A gigantic explosion shook the environment as debris was sent flying into the air, causing the Kaiju Alpha to cease his attack, not sensing his attacker anymore. The vile energy ceased in a second, causing the Titan to turn his attention back to the energy signature…
Suddenly from the dust, the crimson blade rushed forward at incredible speeds, the Lightsaber slicing into the Kaiju’s arm. The Titan once again cringed from the pain before growling, seeing the figure emerge from the dust in the air, floating in the sky and staring at the goliath as the weapon returned to his side.
A new tactic was in order, the dark lord was not able to properly dispose of the creature with physical force. With a wave of his arm, the dark lord controlled the lake that sat below him, throwing the element straight at the Titan. The monster king roared as the water collided with his form, though it did not harm the beast, it did greatly anger him as the water fell back to the ground and his target had escaped his line of sight.
The ancient leviathan scanned the area, though he could not see where the dark figure had disappeared to, he could sense them all the same. His eyes widened as he felt flashes within his mind, his two hands covering his head as memories emerged from deep within. The Sith had switched to a new tactic, standing far away on wet grass with his hand reaching out to the beast, he would not make the same mistake as he had while facing the Zillo Beast long ago. The Force would guide him to the answer he sought, everything has a weakness no matter how powerful.
Visions of this creature’s past revealed themselves to him, a battle with his natural predators within a destroyed city, men rushing past them as red smoke followed close behind. A power within the creature awakening as he approached a golden hydra, the environment melting as he approached the downed alien invader, divine symbiosis building up before unleashing a devastating blow to his opponent. Missiles flying at his form as he parted the sea waves, this reality’s military attempting to force him away from their cargo, the chained, gigantic ape snarling as he moved to defend himself. A gigantic red beam of power bursting forth from a mountain, making the goliath’s adrenaline spike as he panted, anticipating the mechanical menace’s reveal, sensing his nemesis deep within the doppelganger's form.
This creature’s history intrigued the dark lord, a reality where Titans were common across one world, such power to destroy entire cities with swift action was impressive. Where the Empire would need to send military warships and thousands of Stormtroopers to cause the destruction of that civilization, these Kaiju simply only needed themselves. Perhaps after escaping from this reality, the Empire would conquer this world and subjugate these gigantic beings.
The monster king roared into the heavens as everything came back to him, his memories returning to him as the dark lord searched within his mind. His dorsal spines shattering as the alpha of his natural enemy decimated him in battle, his search for a new home having him encounter the serpent within the dark waters of the ocean, the swarm parasite he chased for decades ending in a weapon of mankind attempting to stop them both. He was the Alpha of Earth, the planet’s white blood cell of balance, lost and alone on this new world.
His eyes once again scanned the area and finally spotted the dark figure, his eyes narrowing on him as rage began to build, the Alpha Titan puffing in his chest before unleashing a roar so strong the very air felt as if it was shaking. Darth Vader was forced out of the Kaiju’s mind, the Sith being pushed back by the pressure. Though the fallen hero had been removed from his target’s mind he had found his answer.
The gills.
He held his hand out towards a distant cliff-face, ripping it free of the earth with only a few seconds of effort. Even his master would have struggled with such a feat, and taken much more time. How much grander would his power be once he fully discovered and utilized this place’s energy?
With a mental command, the mass of stone and dirt was sent flying at Godzilla, crashing into the opposite side from where his foe actually stood. It shattered against his face, making him turn away.
Leaping onto the colossus’ tail, the dark lord swiftly raced up the spines with each step. His foe was none the wiser, as Vader had predicted, these spines lacked the same sensitivity as his skin. With careful precision that only a master of the Force could attain, he leapt off one of the spines protruding between the titan’s shoulders, landing on an arm. Godzilla noticed him, growling in frustration before lunging towards him with open jaws.
Thrusting both arms forward, he deflected the bite with a blast of his power, making Godzilla’s teeth clank together through open air mere feet above his body. Extending his lightsaber, he leapt towards the now-exposed gills, pointing it forward.
It took everything in Vader’s power to avoid being shaken off as the monster king reared back in agony, bellowing loud enough to make the Sith’s bones shudder. The crimson lance was embedded into soft flesh. Getting a foothold on one of the gills, practically a ledge made of tissue and scale, Vader pulled himself into the opening and began to hack apart his surroundings. It clearly hurt his target, but he would need to delve deeper to deliver any sort of lethal damage.
He was almost crushed by the flexing of the internal structure, but a combination of the Force and swiftly carving a hole for his feet into the “ground” kept him from a grisly demise.
Godzilla stopped thrashing. Vader felt his world shift, a look back confirming that the colossus was bending down. Burnt flesh fell past him as he felt his weight shift, prompting him to try and scurry up in order to reach the throat deeper within.
A claw entered the gill, the point striking him. He lost his footing and dropped his lightsaber, falling free from the orifice. Godzilla’s eyes locked onto him as he fell, face contorted in a hateful expression.
The back of the divinity’s hand struck the fallen knight, a swift application of a Force Shield being the only thing stopping him from becoming a mess of mangled machinery and meat. The ground cratered under him, the impact still pushing him to his limits.
All he could hear was the sound of his own heavy breathing. He felt the mechanisms placed inside his ravaged lungs working overtime to keep him alive. His lightsaber clattered to the ground somewhere nearby, but he was only vaguely aware of this as he leaned on one knee.
A dark shadow fell over him, forcing him to lift his head to see a colossal foot descending like a hammer. Summoning the remaining strength he had, he pushed against it with the Force. Inches before contact, he stopped it.
Godzilla shook at the unexpected resistance, nearly losing his balance. He put more weight on the foot, intent on crushing his opposition utterly.
Vader shook violently as he shoved with all his might, hands vibrating as muscles longed to just give out. His feet dug into the ground as he started to move the colossal limb backwards. He heard the growls of frustration, felt the weight grow more, but still he pushed. He mentally dug deep, remembering all that he had gone through, every agony and torment that made the building blocks of his path in life.
The dark side fed on those things, grew stronger with them, so he basked in them as with one last shout of effort, he forced Godzilla to stumble back a few steps. Each stomp backwards shook him, the last making him fall over. His lightsaber rolled over to him, letting him pick it up and place it in its holster as he tried to collect his breath.
He was keenly aware that all his effort had equaled as much as a schoolyard push. Godzilla began to march forward yet again, greater wrath than before embedded on his face.
Before he could destroy the dark, armored insect, a blast of red energy slammed into his skull, making him cry out in shock. He looked up, only to be greeted by a swarm of starships descending and firing tinier rays of light. He ignored them as he focused on the triangular vessel behind the swarm, the source of his pain.
The Star Destroyer fired once more, this time a barrage. It made Godzilla stumble back, as did the pain when some of the TIE Fighters began to strike his damaged gills. Some flew too close, allowing him to turn and send his tail against them like a whip, taking out several of the vehicles.
Vader’s ears were filled with the sound of static, before the communication device properly connected. “Apologies for the interference, Lord Vader, but I made the decision to attack with all resources. I will accept any punishment you deem necessary, for defying your orders and for doubting your ability to complete the task at hand.” It was one of the commanding officers.
The Sith could only continue to breathe heavily. He would likely have ordered the strike soon anyway, but could not even bother to try and save face as his body ached and his mind swam with what he had just beheld.
His internal struggle only grew worse as Godzilla’s spines flashed blue, heralding a pillar of blue flames to erupt from his maw. He swept it over the squadrons of TIE Fighters, turning them into dust in the wind. Another ray, another destruction of so many soldiers and ships.
The Star Destroyer continued its barrage from miles in the air, out of range of the atomic blast. But Godzilla’s back glowed regardless, intensifying as the azure radiance spread out to fill the lines in his armored body like veins of molten power. The battery continued to fall upon him, but either he was no longer feeling it or had reached a level of adrenaline that made him ignore them.
Opening his maw to the sky, the king of the monsters unleashed an immense blast. Vader, still watching in awestruck horror from the ground, found himself comparing it less to a ray from a normal ship, and more to the Death Star’s own laser.
It was not quite so powerful, but such a comparison was not utterly incorrect, for Godzilla had once torn a hole from the surface almost down to the very core of his world with this beam.
The sky was lit up with that intense blue hue as the Star Destroyer was ripped through by the Atomic Ray, a blazing hole punched into its form. It fell apart in two halves, both falling to the dirt below swiftly. They detonated, filling the horizon with fire. Not a soul on board survived the devastation. Vader could feel that some of his troops had not made it onto the vessel, but that meant nothing to him.
What meant everything was finding what he had come here for. To ensure that this was not in vain, and to ensure he could crush this titan. The feeling he hated most in all existence was being powerless, and right now, that was exactly what he felt. He would not let that happen again.
Godzilla roared in a booming triumph. He once again proved himself superior above all others, the dominant one. He would never be overpowered.
The sound of distant stomps drew his attention. Cresting over a mountain was a colossal mecha, quite different to the one he had faced before, but still drawing his ire for its very nature as an attempt by mortals to create a titan. His triumphant call was followed with a challenging one, demanding it face him.
***
As the others charged forward towards their destination, Ash couldn’t help but continue to stare at Godzilla as he roared at their allies, the Mecha taking a defensive stance as they waited for the goliath to make his move.
The others seemed unfazed by the whole situation as they proceeded forward, Wolverine even recognizing the creature at first sight. “I’m going insane,” He muttered in disbelief, following behind them in a daze.
“The book couldn’t do it but this sure as hell is. This is fucking nuts.”
It was Isaac, surprisingly, who put a sympathetic hand on the Chosen One’s shoulder. “Just focus on getting home and you’ll make it through okay. Although, this is admittedly a lot to take in.”
“Can the uh, “Mecha-Strike Commander” or whatever even beat Godzilla?” Ash asked skeptically. He watched as the machine and monster eyed each other up.
“Depends,” Wolverine grunted, glancing over at the hulking behemoth for a moment. “The guy I met in New York was pretty strong, enough to give Thor trouble. None of us could so much as scratch it, even Fury and Stark’s giant robot toy. In the end he just up and vanished of his own accord. If that thing’s the same as the one I knew. They’re screwed.”
Ryu’s frown deepened. “In which case, we had better hurry.”
The world warrior’s eyes quickly widened before throwing Ash to the ground, causing a blaster bolt to pass right by the S-Mart cashier, the hero lost in time looked in shock that his ally had just saved his life. The man quickly turned around to see a small group covered in white armor riding on Wolves charging at them as they aimed their blasters at them, the beasts they rode appeared to be the size of a big cat, much larger than the average Timber Wolf.
“In the name of the Galactic Empire, you will surrender. The warning shot we gave to your friend will not occur twice!”
As soon as the leading Stormtrooper stopped speaking, one of his comrades was thrown off of his steed, screaming as he slammed into a tree and his skull shattered with the helmet. The body fell to the ground limp as blood trailed down the tree. Kylo Ren smiled as he had the soldier meet a quick end, the supreme leader igniting his lightsaber a moment before blocking blaster fire, the energy bolts flying into the woods. The Wolf the trooper rode still charged forward, snarling as it grit its teeth.
Ash quickly got back to his feet, the hero aimed his shotgun at the approaching group and pulled the trigger as the giant canine jumped up with a wide jaw, the mammal going for the kill with the first action. Lucky for Ash, he had the reflexes to defend himself and blocked the animal’s jaws with the barrel of his boomstick. “Get off of me you flea-infested mutt!” The everyday man attempted to kick the attacking Wolf’s stomach, only to be met with the wild canine shaking his head back and forth, forcing Ash to focus on making sure the grip on his gun didn’t yield. Doing this with two arms would be quite the task, but with only one hand protecting him from death, fear began to climb into his mind with the speed of a bullet.
Though his fears would be met with hope as Ryu wrapped his hands around the Wolf’s tail, causing the animal to yelp as the martial artist threw the animal at the approaching group, the predator yelping in pain as it collided with another Stormtooper, the two falling onto the ground with a loud thud. Yet the second Wolf continued to charge straight at Ryu, saliva pooling from the predator’s maw as it jumped at the hero of Japan. Wind began to build around the martial artist’s hand as he took a specific stance, quickly countering the animal’s attack with a powerful uppercut.
“SHORYUKEN!”
The swift attack cracking the animal’s bottom jaw as he was thrown backwards, landing unconscious on the ground with one attack. Ryu once again swiftly dodged a series of blaster bolts as another Stormtrooper attempted to take action against the group, the soldier quickly meeting his end as lead punctured his armor and body, making the imperial lackey fall on the ground with a splat of red ichor against the green grass. Master Chief had instantly taken the man’s life with a simple pull of the trigger. The third wolf continued to charge at the people just as the others had, only to be met with buckshot as Ash quickly pulled the trigger. The shotgun shells entered the animal’s skull and made them drop mid run, the body falling like a ragdoll from the sudden impact before stopping at Ash’s feet.
The final trooper and Wolf stood in defiance, the animal snarling with rage as it barked at the group, the Stormtrooper responding by aiming his weapon. The soldier began to panic as the squad of multiversal heroes stared at them.
“Last chance,” Wolverine stated as he popped his claws, a loud shink being heard by the soldier as the Mutant smirked. “I promise you won’t win this.”
The Stormtrooper refused the option of surrender as he pulled the trigger, the soldier and steed suddenly being frozen in place as the blaster bolt struck Logan on the shoulder. The imperial did not even have the ability to turn to see who was responsible as Isaac walked up and placed his Plasma Cutter on the soldier’s temple before pulling the trigger.
The corpse of the soldier landed on the ground with a thud as the Wolf turned towards Isaac, the animal’s fear quickly overwhelmed his mind as the Stasis suddenly stopped. Unlike the other members of his pack and their masters, he would not waste time with an unwinnable hunt and quickly retreated into the woods.
Wolverine put away his claws as he looked over the corpses of the small group that attacked them, noticing Ryu observing the battle with sorrow. They hadn’t been together for long but they had been around each other enough to know that the martial artist was bothered by the loss of life, he had often spoken of inner peace and mediation, to work on one’s self and to make the best version of themselves, to avoid the darkness at all costs.
Yet they had butchered this group with little remorse, the first action that had come to mind to defend themselves. The Mutant walked over to his friend and placed his hand on his shoulder, Ryu turning his attention to Logan before the X-Man nodded. He knew this was not the path he wished to follow, but if they were to survive this conflict, they would have to do some things they weren’t comfortable with.
And deep down he knew Ryu knew this as well, the martial artist simply nodding as he took a deep breath and then turned his attention to Kylo Ren, the supreme leader deactivating his lightsaber as the martial artist spoke. “You did not hesitate to land the first blow nor take that man’s life, you also knew to block their gunfire, recognize them?”
“Just as it has affected us here, it seems that this reality can affect all time as well as space. These Stormtroopers are unlike those of my time but they are the same nonetheless, Imperial soldiers that helped the Galactic Empire rule the galaxy for decades. I knew that they would simply not surrender or retreat, so I did what was left for me to do.”
Ryu glared at the Force user, he sensed that the boy was telling the truth but there was something he wasn’t telling him. “Earlier you said that you sensed ‘something familiar’ to you, we both felt that signal, if these Stormtroopers are here from your universe’s past, is it possible for whatever you sense also originates from your past or future?”
The fallen student of Luke Skywalker raised his hand to his chin, thinking of what Ryu had said. It was possible, but if that was true, then that would mean the end of them all.
They both knew that avoiding the signal was impossible, but now he hoped to his very core that it was not who he suspected the being to be.
Then all hope was dashed in a mere instant, the signal being so close that the pressure in the air changed, tension rising amongst the group within mere seconds. The group all suddenly turned in unison as Wolverine sniffed the air, the mutant's eyes glaring in front of them as he opened his claws. "I smell… burnt flesh and… hatred. I think we have company."
"I can't sense energy like you guys and I can sense that… I have a bad feeling about this." Ash stated as he quickly checked his shotgun rounds, the man lost in time preparing for the worst that was to come.
"This presence…” Ryu said as he calmed his mind, closing his eyes and breathing in before taking a defensive stance. "I fear we face pure evil itself."
The engineer quickly aimed his weapon at the hillside, the mentally ill man shaking as he waited for what was to arrive. The pressure that surrounded this entity dwarfed what he faced on the Ishimura and that planet. Issac Clarke had seen the horrors of deep space and yet this presence made him feel as if he hadn't seen what true evil really was.
Master Chief couldn't sense what the others had, but knowing what they were describing made the Spartan take an aggressive stance. The soldier aimed his rifle directly at the hillside, the sound of approaching footsteps making the group feel unease.
The corpses of the Imperial Stormtroopers that laid before them finally solidified the familiar signal that Kylo felt, his eyes widening as panic began to build within him, this reality was able to alter time and space and yet the possibility of him arriving had completely gone by. Or, at least he had hoped that he was not correct in his assessment.
"We have to go! NOW! We don't stand a cha-" The Supreme Leader's attention was quickly stolen as he turned around to see his worst fear come to fruition, the man he chased his entire life standing before them on the hill top, the dark lord's breathing cutting off all thought the Knight of Ren had.
The herald of The Empire stared at the group before quickly turning his attention towards Kylo Ren, he had finally found the signature he had been tracking, the appearance of the man catching him off guard. Had she given birth to two sons? It was not Luke Skywalker that stood before him, his heart filled with darkness unlike the boy, his long black hair flowing in the air as he continued to stare.
Kylo Ren ignited his Lightsaber, the glowing blade flickering as he took a defensive stance, his heart rate skyrocketing as anxiety began to build. Never in his wildest dreams did he believe he would face off against his own grandfather.
"Kylo," asked the Master Chief. "Who or what is that?"
"The one I chased for my entire life, the most powerful Sith in modern history… Darth Vader."
Lord Vader looked at each of the group one by one, observing the warriors and reaching deep within their minds, revealing to him more realities. A significant world all but the Force sensitive was connected to, the very one that even Godzilla had been birthed from.
Earth.
He saw potential worlds to further enhance the Empire’s abilities, specifically turning to John 117 of the UNSC, the armor hiding his face just as his did. Deep within, he could sense that the man had little humanity to him, more machine than man. Just as he was. Perhaps he could reach out to him and the one who had the familiar signature.
Within the engineer's mind, he saw horror, a survivor that seeked to reach the one he loved even though he knew of her demise before taking a single step onto the ship. Just as Anakin Skywalker had done when his beloved perished, the anger took control completely within moments.
Isaac placed one hand on his helmet as he felt Vader begin to search through his mind, memories of the Markers pulling at his soul, the horde of Necromorphs roaring as he entered the room, the sound of bullets hitting the ground and the screams of the undead ringing through his ears.
"Get the fuck out of my head!"
The Mutant grit his teeth as he stared at him, the dark lord sensing that the superhero had dealt with situations like this before. The Professor within his memories being shown to have accessed his mind in the past.
"We aren't too fond of people going through our history, so would you piss off!"
"You misunderstand the situation, James," the group turned towards each other with quick glances before returning their attention to the dark lord of the Sith. "You are in no position to bargain."
Darth Vader then turned his attention to the martial artist, sensing a connection to the Force that even he could not quite understand. The Sith Lord could tell that unlike himself, the man that stood before him had grown weaker from this reality's energy. The man's glare of determination to escape penetrated his soul, the lightside of the Force bathed within his heart, holding back a great darkness from within.
Perhaps like the boy and the soldier, he could sway the man.
"Ryu Hoshi, I sense great darkness within you. One that matches even my own, your hatred and lust for combat being embedded into your very core."
The hero of Earth stepped forward, standing in front of the group before he spoke. "And I sense conflict within you Vader, that constant pull to the light. I do not know what events transpired to turn you into this, but make no mistake that I will do what I must to return home."
Rage began to build within the dark lord, the man's words reminding him of his old master. How foolish they were for believing they could still reach him, the man they spoke of was long gone, the chosen one not surviving the Jedi Purge alongside the rest of his order.
Before the Imperial warlord made his first move, his attention turned to Ash, the man having a strange aura to him. He had a connection to the Force, just as Ryu and Kylo Ren had, but not nearly as potent. The memories of a cabin and the deaths of many weighing on his soul. Then, he noticed the book attached to his hip. The cursed item whispering within his mind, attempting to make fear emerge from the Sith.
If he could take this "Book of The Dead" back with him to the Emperor, he would bring a valuable asset to their Empire and release untold ancient evil onto unsuspecting planets. Once and for all, the Rebel Alliance would crumble beneath their might.
"It would be wise to surrender the Necronomicon Ex Mortis."
The group all turned to the book on Ash's hip, the S-Mart employee staring with wide eyes at the dark figure, he had vowed to not let anyone suffer the same fate as his friends and family, and this great evil before him wished to bring misery and misfortune upon others. Ash grit his teeth as he pulled his chainsaw up, the rope attaching to a part of his shirt before starting, the smell of gas entering the air as the weapon rumbled. The chosen one stared with determination at his foe as he raised his shotgun directly at Vader.
"Kiss my ass Zerg! You’ll have to take it from my corpse!"
Darth Vader quickly obliged the man's offer, reaching down to his hip and wrapping his hand around the hilt of his weapon before activating his Lightsaber. The crimson blade stayed stable with a hum unlike that of Kylo Ren's blade.
"You are surrounded, dark lord!" Ryu shouted as the group all took aggressive stances, waiting for the Sith to make his move.
"I am only surrounded by fear and dead men."
Wolverine roared as he charged forward at full speed, adrenaline quickly overwhelming his senses. Master Chief quickly followed suit, managing to instantly catch up with the mutant. Kylo Ren with fear in his heart joined the others, the young man hoping that they could not only survive but perhaps turn the tide of history. Isaac, while not reaching the speed of the others, charged forward with determination, this dark lord wished to bring unholy demons into the world and he would do whatever it took to make sure that book didn’t fall into the wrong hands.
Ryu leaped above the group, almost appearing to fly as he quickly descended in front of the group of misfits, leading the charge with a stone-cold determination to return home.
Though fear quickly engulfed his heart, Ash followed suit with a battlecry of his own, the chosen one wishing to help the others in any way he could. They had all agreed to aid in defending the book and return him home, he could not simply watch as they were potentially slaughtered by the Sith.
No more running away.
***
Chapter 4: Many Worlds, Two Battles
Godzilla shook the world with each thundering step he took, charging forth towards the mecha. He recalled a battle with a colossal machine, carved into his own image like a mocking statue. This was far from the case here, but the encounter left a sour taste in his mouth at the mere idea of a mechanical warrior on the same scale as he and his fellow titans.
Miniguns emerged from the mecha’s shoulders, firing rapidly. Laser cannons flared to life, as did rockets with red tips as they launched from Mecha-Strike Commander. Godzilla groaned as the barrage made contact, stopping for a moment before charging with even further fury.
“He’s not slowing down!” Bulma exclaimed, trying to get the colossal weapon to back away without turning. She could not help but remember the mech she had piloted a long time ago, on an alien world called Namek. This was tremendously different from that, a simple machine that mostly kept her safe underwater and had seen only the action of killing a large crab.
“We can tell.” The Terminator replied, aiming the miniguns further upwards towards the beast’s eyes.
An eyelid closed over the sensitive organ, acting as a shield from the bullets. They clattered to the ground after flattening against the membrane. The killing machine from a dark future could not help but be impressed by the sheer resiliency of the colossus. Skynet would likely have been powerless before such a titan, a sight he knew the rebellion would have cheered over.
“Brace for impact!” Bruce Wayne shouted, the arms of the giant machine moving upwards to block as Godzilla closed the distance. His clawed hands grasped the arms of Mecha-Strike Commander, immediately denting metal as he gripped with hellacious force.
The alpha titan shoved it back, roaring loudly in his enemy’s face. His jaws lunged forward, teeth primed to pierce steel. The cartoonish head of the mecha reared back, barely avoiding a crushing blow, before rocketing forwards in a headbutt. Godzilla yelped as he released his grip, stumbling slightly. A punch crashed against his neck, driving him back another few steps as the artificial warrior swung another strike with its shark-like “hand”.
A tail swept through its legs before it could land, sending the Mecha-Strike Commander plummeting to the ground. The pilots were shaken in their seats. Robocop held firm, continuing to unleash missiles as Godzilla loomed over them.
“Our weaponry isn’t working!” Bulma shouted.
“Then keep firing until it does.” Murphy replied. The colossus bellowed, letting him land a rocket in the beast’s maw. The explosion on the roof of the mouth made Godzilla stumble, letting off a shriek.
Fire roared out from the Mecha-Strike Commander’s feet, pushing it off the ground and letting it return to a standing position. As soon as it did, the pilots found themselves once again on the defensive as Godzilla barreled forward, swinging his claws across the machine’s chest. Steel parted like cloth under the organic blades, sharpened on the hides of countless titans.
“Was hoping to not have to use this so quickly, but we’re lacking in other options.” Bruce Wayne declared as the mecha’s hand reached back, grasping an object which it pulled free.
It was swiftly revealed to be the hilt of a sword as the Mecha-Strike Commander swung a gigantic blade of crimson energy forward, carving a gash into Godzilla’s chest. The monster king screamed as he fell backwards, kicking up clouds of dust. The dark knight heard cheers from his fellow pilots, but he remained stoic.
Several times had he been within a glorified suit of armor, clashing with a far superior force to himself. But every time, it was only his wits and planning that brought him victory. A time when his team had turned against him crossed his mind, infected by the scourge his nemesis spread to drive people mad. His colossal mech suit was successful against most of them, but one man was still beyond it. The Fenrir protocol, or “Justice Buster”, a weapon designed to defeat the entire Justice League.
And Clark had still torn through it with ease, a piece of kryptonite hidden in a wad of gum being the only thing that had let Bruce survive. That had taught Batman that no matter how much steel you wrapped yourself within, how tempered your armor was, you could never become invincible.
Godzilla got back to his feet, but remained slouched. Low to the ground. They realized why when he placed his hands on the dirt, lunging forward like a crocodile. Mecha-Strike Commander tried to stab downwards, but the blade was caught by the towering spines atop their foe’s back, bouncing off with a shower of sparks as Godzilla shot upwards into an upright position, teeth closing onto the bear’s head. He lifted it up by his maw, feet dangling in the air before he twisted his body, tossing the mechanical foe away a great distance. Metal peeled off, falling from his mouth as he watched it.
Mecha-Strike Commander bounced several times, each impact leaving a trench in the dirt as debris soared. By the time they stopped, while Murphy and the Terminator remained clear-headed, the three human pilots found themselves mentally spinning.
“I do not envy Goku and Vegeta right now.” Bulma mused as she tried to focus, remembering all the times she watched them get sent flying by strikes and into a building or mountain hard enough to tear it apart.
“I have no clue how Clark does this shit…” Bruce stated, a similar train of thought to the blue-haired scientist running in his mind.
“Get us up, he’s not going to stop to let you people get a drink of water!” The Terminator demanded, already feeling the ground shake with the stomping of his approach.
As they complied, Batman recalled another distant memory. A creature of a similar build to this one, though much skinnier and shorter. That one almost looked like a gigantic human in a costume with how it was built, as opposed to the bear-like one standing before him. But it still bore rows of spines on its back, scales harder than any steel, and a gaze that struck fear with the sheer power it radiated.
“Godzilla.” He said. When he heard murmurs and confusion, he clarified. “I faced something like this once. They called it Godzilla, King of the Monsters, and it was unstoppable. We had to… send it into space.”
“Oh, so simple.” Bulma replied sarcastically.
“That one was much smaller than this one. So, don’t hold back for a moment, use everything we have and focus it all on him. Or else we won’t get out of this alive.”
Batman could not help but dread the vastness of the multiverse, and all the things that moved amongst it.
***
The group all roared with battle cries as they charged at the Sith, the batch of heroic misfits seeking to quickly surround and overwhelm him with swift action.
But hope was foolish to cling onto during this conflict.
Darth Vader reached out with both of his arms, creating a Force Push with very little effort that was strong enough to send the group flying across the battlefield in all directions, leaving Kylo Ren alone to defend himself.
The supreme leader swung at the Sith Lord, the two blades clashing with Vader quickly overpowering the young Skywalker. He loomed over the man as he began to push downward, overwhelming the boy with his superior strength, the fallen Jedi’s breathing overpowering the sound of the clashing lightsabers as Kylo Ren grit his teeth and pulled away. He attempted to spin and strike his grandfather, only for the dark lord to counter the blow by grabbing Kylo’s arm and lifting him into the air before throwing him on his back. His lightsaber skid across the ground as the force sensitive stared upward, the dark figure looming with malicious intent.
Suddenly, Darth Vader quickly turned his hand and blocked incoming blaster fire, Isaac’s Plasma Cutter unloading round after round at the dark lord, the engineer attempting to act as a distraction as Kylo recovered. Within the helmet, Isaac’s eyes widened with fear at the display of power, his weapon becoming completely useless with such a simple act. The dark lord lifted Isaac with the force, holding him still as he turned his attention to the engineer.
“It is useless to resist, Isaac Clarke.” The crimson blade trailed on the grass, burning the line to cinders, the red light engulfing the engineer’s vision as Darth Vader approached.
Kylo Ren quickly jumped towards his own blade, wrapping his hands around the hilt before igniting it once more and charging straight at the Sith, swinging his lightsaber upward before attempting to slam the blade on Vader’s head. The dark lord simply raised his blade behind him and blocked the attack. Isaac dropped onto the ground, the engineer breathing heavily as he retreated, he needed a new way to aid the others in this conflict.
Kylo Ren continued to swing at his opponent, Darth Vader simply blocking each strike with precision. “I sense great anger within you child, you could make for a great Inquisitor.”
“You don’t have to do this!” Kylo Ren shouted at the top of his lungs, his lightsaber violently clashing with the man of his dreams and nightmares. He pushed him back with the force, only to bring his lightsaber up to block another vicious and aggressive attack from Darth Vader. “You’re not the Emperor’s lackey!”
Vader kept up the assault, taking steps forward as he forced Kylo Ren on the backfoot. “No, but I want to do this. Even a universe away from the Emperor, I am not willing to betray my master. Not yet. And as for you.”
He paused for a moment, reaching out with the force. “You are… familiar to me, somehow.”
Kylo Ren sucked in his teeth, only vaguely aware of the others gathering around him. “That’s because I am your grandson. My original name was Ben Skywalker. It is why I know that somewhere, you can still be pulled from the darkness. I am from your future, Grandfather.”
“Skywalker… Yes, what you say rings true. The Force is acknowledging you as my descendant.” Vader took all of five seconds to consider his grandson’s words. “Pathetic. Just like your parents. It seems that I have not one but two generations of Skywalkers to purge from the universe.” Vader surged forward, only to be met with Wolverine’s snarling face and his adamantium claws blocking his lightsaber.
“Don’t think you’re going anywhere soon, bub.” Wolverine roared as he kicked out at Vader’s midsection, forcing the Sith Lord back before he lashed out with his claws, only to find his arms outstretched by the Force.
He writhed, trying to break free from the Sith Lord’s grip until Vader made his arms be pulled back to himself, stabbing himself with his own claws. The Sith threw Wolverine away like a ragdoll.
Kylo Ren took a defensive stance before a grenade was thrown between the two duelists, the supreme leader’s eyes widening as he quickly tossed the explosive directly at his grandfather, the weapon igniting seconds later. The younger dark one was pushed back by the explosion, rolling across the ground before coming to a stop, looking upward as the smoke cleared to see Lord Vader unfazed by the attack, the Force defending him with very little effort.
Master Chief aimed his weapon at the Sith before unloading his ammunition, the muzzle flashing as bullets rained down upon Darth Vader. One struck his shoulder and earned a grunt of pain from the enemy, sparks flying from the armor as the Spartan continued to fire. The dark figure lifted his hand into the air and caught all the bullets mid air, blocking them with his lightsaber would simply rip him to shreds, something that this group must have accounted for with his grandson being among them.
As the Spartan stopped his charge, Vader pushed the bullets back at his opponent, blue sparks covering Master Chief’s body as the barrage of bullets rained down on him. The power of the mysterious fruit proliferating this place protected him from the attack as he was forced to his knees. Darth Vader walked slowly towards the downed soldier, watching as John looked upward at the approaching evil.
“John 117 of the UNSC.”
The Spartan paid no attention to what the Sith said, only jumping forward with a swing of his rifle, aiming to slam the weapon into his chest. He couldn’t even manage that, as Vader held up his hand and just blocked his attack with his bare hand. With a flick of his wrist, Master Chief rose slowly in the air. “You would fit in well with the Stormtrooper corps, John 117.” Vader commented idly.
Chief reached behind him, grabbing the handle of the Grav Hammer slowly. “Met your type before, not interested.” With a grunt, he swung the hammer down at close range and with a satisfying boom both Vader and Chief were thrown in opposite directions, Chief landing in a heap on the ground while Vader skidded back. Without even looking, he threw his lightsaber towards Isaac.
Who actually caught it with his stasis field. The engineer felt sweat pouring down his face as his hands shook, though he had taken the same precaution to avoid fatal damage as the others, deep down he knew that unlike his comrades one hit from this strange energy weapon would’ve turned him into sushi. He reached out, grabbing the lightsaber and swinging it experimentally before he felt his body jerk forward.
Isaac was used to anti-gravity however, and quickly used his momentum to swing his stolen lightsaber around and force Vader to swerve out of the way as he landed back onto his feet and turned around. “Your fancy tech doesn’t work on me.”
Vader stood impassively, relaxing his combat stance. “It doesn’t have too. The Force will do the work for me. Now, Isaac Clarke, time to remember the darkness.”
The memories came flooding back into Isaac’s mind, breaking through his meager mental defenses. All of the horror of the Ishimura, the rest of the rescue team dying around him, the voices in his head clawing at his sanity. The Necromorphs and their awful stench of evil around him. The visions of his beloved girlfriend, and her dying words. Isaac grit his teeth, taking a forceful step closer. “You won’t break me.” He whispered.
“I can, and I will.” With another harsh yank, the lightsaber flew back into Vader’s hands and he began walking slowly towards Isaac.
“Hey! Asshole!” Whirling around, Vader jumped back as Ash fired two slugs of his boomstick at the Sith Lord. With lightning fast reflexes, Ash reloaded the boomstick and started walking slowly. “Heard that you can’t handle a little lead!” He called, firing another two rounds and forcing Vader to clumsily swerve to the side.
“This is your final warning, Ashley J. Williams. The Book of the Dead.” Vader held his ground, twirling his lightsaber in his hand briefly before pointing it at Ash. “Now.”
Ash cocked his boomstick, but before he could fire another couple of rounds, Vader ripped the gun from his hands with the Force and caught it easily. He watched in horror as the Sith Lord literally crushed the damn thing with his bare hands and threw the mangled wreck away. “You asshole!” He hissed, revving up his chainsaw. “This means war!” He declared angrily.
“No, this is pest control.”
The Chosen One swung the weapon at his target, only to suddenly be punched in the stomach before being struck on the jaw, each strike forcing a blue aura around his body with a loud crack. Ash fell onto the ground, the everyday man staring upward as Vader hovered over him, the Sith not even moving an inch as he attacked him.
The dark lord waved his hand at the S-Mart employee, raising him into the air and holding his lightsaber above his head, aiming to strike Ash down, though he did not know what was protecting the group from his attacks, he sensed that the barrier on Ash Williams was soon to break.
Ash closed his eyes as the Sith went in to swing the blade, only to be slowed down as Isaac used his stasis field on the dark lord, Vader turning towards him with a slight motion, signaling that he knew the origin of the attack.
"Your technology is nothing compared to the power of the Force."
In a display of power, Vader instantly caused the effects of the attack to cease, the blade quickly continuing to swing downward before being stopped by Kylo Ren, the grandson of Anakin Skywalker filled with rage as he looked into his grandfather's soulless mask.
Ash stared in awe and fear at the violent clash of blades as he quickly crawled backwards, the supreme leader swung at full force with each blow, the dark lord parrying the attacks with little effort. Isaac dashed for Ash, hoping to get him out of the crossfire, catching the attention of the Sith lord.
Darth Vader attempted to grab the engineer with the Force, only to be stopped by Ryu suddenly charging into the battle and striking him across the helmet, pushing him back and leaving him open for an attack from Kylo Ren. The force user attempted to strike his target down with this single strike, only for his hopes to be dashed as he was violently thrown backwards into the woods, the Sith's attention now focused on the martial artist that stood before him.
Before they could see what was to occur, the S-Mart employee and engineer retreated into the woods, looking for cover as they ran.
"We can't beat him like this," Isaac spoke as he took in his surroundings. "I can't even do a damn thing!" The engineer quickly replenished his Stasis and reloaded the Plasma Caster, the man looking over to Ash as he did so.
Ash suddenly stopped in his tracks, panting as he stared at a tree. "I got an idea to even the odds." The chainsaw brimmed with life as the chosen one pulled the string before swinging it into the tree, the man smiling as the first step to his plan began to unfold.
Ryu and Vader stared at each other, both warriors waiting for the other to make the first move. The Sith had the advantage in every way and yet the world warrior believed that he could actually survive this encounter, let alone defeat him in combat. Hope was always such a delusional emotion.
“You have not grown from being here, how unfortunate that you cannot access the Force as I can. Even that disgrace is capable of such a feat.”
The world champion narrowed his eyes on Vader, the experienced warrior taking in a deep breath before responding to the enemy. “I have faced much worse in equal circumstances, I do not fear you Vader.”
“Then you will die braver than most.”
Ryu charged in, the warlord not moving an inch as he suddenly felt another life sign approach him from behind, quickly alerting him to the fist that was about to make contact from above, the Sith catching the blow as he glanced above him. Seeing Master Chief return to the fight, the world warrior raised his fist towards the dark lord’s chest, the two attempting to get a team attack on him.
Foolish.
Vader quickly swung the Master Chief at Ryu, the martial artist being forced to form a block to prepare for impact, the two colliding and flying backwards. The pair of heroes rolled across the earth before catching themselves and looking up to see Vader instantly appear in front of them, the ground behind him flying into the air as the Force boosted his speed, Ryu’s eyes widening as he quickly blocked the oncoming blow. Spit exited his mouth as he was thrown backwards before colliding into a rock, the wind being knocked out of him in an instant. The hero landed onto the ground as his right hand held his chest and the left reached outward to catch his fall.
Though it was fast, he saw a flash of power within Vader, the Sith’s hand being surrounded by light before he struck true.
Master Chief quickly charged forward and swung both arms out, the area around them cracking as the Sith quickly turned and grabbed both fists mid swing, the two being put in a lock with Chief instantly on the backend. Vader forced the Spartan to his knees, stared down at his opponent, the Sith’s heavy breathing being the only thing John heard as he attempted to overpower his attacker. He had faced plenty of strong opponents, but this was the first to truly force him into a corner.
The fight had been completely dominated by the dark lord of the Sith since the very beginning. Chief quickly returned his attention to the conflict at hand when Vader pulled his head back, causing the Spartan to quickly react and follow in example, the pair of warriors slamming their heads into each other. A shockwave went in all directions as a result of the blow, the earth cracking even further, the trees shaking violently from the sudden rush of air.
The pair continued the onslaught, each headbutt resulting the same as the last, but as Vader continued to grow with rage to add fuel to his power, the Spartan was left with no such boost. Each blow pushed him further to the ground, the strength within him being taken away quickly. Vader went to pull his head back once more when the Mutant roared with fury as he jumped at the Sith’s back, his adamantium claws aiming straight for the killing blow, only for the fallen Jedi’s weapon to fly off his hip and ignite mid air. The lightsaber’s crimson blade struck Wolverine’s claws, the weapon looking like it was acting on its own as it swung in the air and forced the super hero backwards, every swing that he took being met with strong defensive blows.
The X-Man snarled as he grit his teeth. He had been in a lot of strange situations in his long lifetime. But fighting with a floating laser sword? Yeah, that ranked high up there. Wolverine formed a protective barrier with his claws as the lightsaber slammed against them, sparks hissing and spitting from the blade as he tensed his muscles. Immediately, he tried to grab the handle and was quickly forced to parry another swing of the lightsaber with his claws.
The weapon floated up, before whirling around and becoming a red buzzsaw and hurtling itself towards Wolverine, who leaped over the thing and made a beeline towards its master. The hum of energy was the only warning Wolverine got before he whirled around and slammed his claws against the saber again, pushing with all of his might against the will of Vader.
There was no way he could match this thing blow for blow, not for long anyways. Wolverine huffed in annoyance, taking a step back. He had to think about this a little. If he couldn’t reach the saber... He pursed his lips unhappily as the idea formed in his mind. It would hurt, oh it would hurt like absolute hell but it was probably his best chance at getting the damn thing in his hands. With a deep breath, he roared and lunged forward, purposefully over-extending his arms so when the lightsaber moved out, he soared over it.
The saber reared up and slammed itself into Wolverine’s waist, immediately ripping through the flesh and muscle with painful ease. He growled out in agony before jolting as the saber stopped at his skeleton. “Gotcha,” He growled, reaching down and grabbing the hilt of the blade lodged into his gut. He grunted, yanking on the thing as it kept pushing him forward, trying to cleave him clean in two. “Aint… gonna happen bub!” He grit out, keeping a tight hold of the hilt with his hand while the other extended his claws. “Time to shut you down for good!”
Then with a sharp click and a hiss, the blade retracted and dissipated into nothingness. Wolverine stabbed downward, only too late realizing what had happened as he once again plunged his claws deep into his body as the newly freed hilt was able to wiggle out of the way just in the nick of time. Wolverine let go with a howl of pain before the saber reignited and slashed across his face. The mutant stepped back before screaming out in agony when the lightsaber jammed itself into one of his eye sockets. He reached up, trying to yank the thing out, but the last thing Wolverine saw before his vision went totally black was a glowing, evil red. His healing factor would repair the damage, but there was no way he could participate now. Falling to his knees, he held his hand over his eyes and shook violently.
John watched in horror as the superhero dropped to the ground in agony, only to realize that he had left himself open for Vader to finish this contest of strength with a knee to the gut before properly kicking him away, the Spartan rolling across the ground before being caught by Ryu, the martial artist patting him on the back before standing back up.
Ryu’s knuckles whitened as he tightened his fists harder, his brow furrowing in determination at the sound of his comrade’s screams of pain. He only had one chance to get in close before the demon standing before him refocused his whole attention on the world warrior. As Darth Vader held out his hand and his lightsaber flew back into it seamlessly, he sprung into action. Sprinting forward, he crouched down under the lightsaber swing and sprung up like a rocket, uppercutting Vader in the jaw hard enough to send him flying backwards. “Shoryuken!” He bellowed out, rising into the air from the force of the attack.
Finally, the ground team had scored their first direct hit against Darth Vader.
Vader quickly rose up to his feet, cracking his neck experimentally and pointing at Ryu. “A bold yet well executed move.” He complimented his foe, but he quickly adopted a different stance and turned the setting down on his lightsaber. “But a fruitless one. I am your superior physically as well.”
Ryu’s brow furrowed, and slipped into his style’s traditional stance. Normally, he hated knowing what his fighting style had been meant for. To take the life of another, it made him feel sick to his stomach. But much like the fight against M. Bison, such reservations would only get himself and his allies killed. Ryu’s frown settled and he mentally prepared himself. If they had any chance of winning, then he would be aiming to kill Darth Vader. Next to him, Master Chief hobbled up and clapped him on the shoulder. “I’ll back you up.” He nodded his thanks briefly, before turning his attention back towards Darth Vader.
The three fighters inched closer, Vader making lengthy strides to match Ryu’s more cautioned shuffling before dashing forwards and swinging his lightsaber overhead, forcing Ryu to lift up his elbow to block the strike with a spray of sparks and then swerve to the side to avoid the Sith Lord’s mighty boot from lodging itself into his stomach. He crouched low and swept his leg out, catching Vader off guard and sending him tumbling to the ground.
The sith lord quickly stood back up, reigniting his lightsaber and twirling it around before thrusting out his hand to attempt to force push Ryu down to the ground. He held up his arms, grunting with effort as he resisted the attack and felt Master Chief run in beside him, Grav Hammer at the ready.
This time, Vader did a sluggish roll out of the way, quickly regaining his composure and savagely kicking Master Chief in the midsection before whirling around and slapping him across the face with his lightsaber. Vader calmly walked forward, each twirl and slash causing sparks to fly from Chief as the Sith Lord brutalized him.
Ryu sprinted forward, grabbing the Sith Lord by the chest and rolling backwards, launching him upwards with his foot. Master Chief ran after him, dragging the Grav Hammer across the ground before swinging it up and catching Vader squarely on the stomach, the Hammer’s energy igniting and sending him spiraling back into the air. Ryu stepped forward, leaping high into the air before channeling some of his ki into his next attack. “Tatsumaki Senpyukyaku!” He whirled around like a hurricane, kicking Vader repeatedly and sending him hurtling back down. Chief crouched into position, springing up and grabbing the falling Vader and powerbombing him down into the ground with a tremendous thud as chunks of the ground flew up around him.
As the dust settled, Ryu’s eyes widened in shock as he saw Master Chief floating in the air, writhing and clutching his neck while Darth Vader stood impassively. Although his armor was scuffed and dirtied, he looked none the worse for wear. “Pathetic.” He said impassively. With a grunt, Darth Vader threw Master Chief as hard as he could as his teammate, the impact making John-117 physically bounce off of Ryu and straight into another boot from Vader. Chief was sent sailing back again before Vader reached out his hand and caught him with the force, whirling him around like a wrecking ball and slamming him into Ryu again.
And then he didn’t stop. Vader kept lifting up and slamming Chief down again and again against the bruised and battered body of his teammate, before reaching out his other hand and lifting Ryu up with the force. “Your physical gifts are indeed impressive, but even they pale in comparison to the might of the Dark Side.”
Like a master conductor at his podium with the orchestra, Vader began swaying and moving his hands back and forth, forcing Ryu and Master Chief to pinball around the makeshift arena, slamming into the ground, the trees, and each other over and over again. Once he was done, Vader flung his hand over his shoulder and Master Chief was thrown away like a piece of garbage, landing in a heap of cracked armor.
Ryu gasped out in pain when he was suddenly dragged forward through the air and Vader had his hands clasped around the world warrior’s throat. “I could break you without even touching you, Ryu Hoshi.” Vader began, squeezing the warrior’s windpipe harder. Ryu gasped, coughing and struggling against Vader’s imperial-class grip. “You and your comrades are nothing to me. And you will die, knowing that you will be powerless and that your efforts will be in vain. No one will mourn you. Not your father Akuma, not your master Gouken, not your friend Chun-Li. Not even your student Sakura or your best friend, Ken Masters.” Vader ramped up the pressure more, leering down at the dying Ryu. “When I am done killing you with my bare hands, I shall personally invade your universe and wipe your name from existence.”
Through choking breaths, Ryu reached down to his belt. He fumbled for something as his vision began to grow spots. If he could just reach his buckler…
A sharp whistle forced Vader to look up. Standing on a nearby hill was a smug Ashley J. Williams and Isaac Clarke, now surrounded by tons of cut logs, each held in place by Isaac’s stasis field. “Hey, Battlestar Galactica!” Ash called out, then clicked his fingers towards Isaac. “Eat tree.”
The logs came hurtling down like an avalanche. The roaring sound of timber bouncing against cold hard ground and each other was deafening. Ash whooped with joy, kicking one of the logs down the hill, high fiving Isaac, and beckoning to Ryu to move out of the way as Vader finally let the warrior go and re-ignited his lightsaber, only barely scrambling away before the dark one started savagely hacking into the wood, lifting up his hand to grab a few logs and crush them into sharpened splinters.
Their faces of joy quickly turned into horror when they realized that a swirling maelstrom of raw hatred and tree splinters were growing around Darth Vader. With a simple swing of his arm, the lightsaber swung outwards like a deadly beyblade and carved more spikes into the giant mass of spikes and splinters. Ash nudged Isaac on the shoulder. “That fancy gun of yours have a shield?”
“Nope.”
“Oh shit.”
Vader inclined his head briefly. “Eat tree.” On cue, a huge swarm of tiny wooden missiles launched themselves at the poor duo, who quickly dove out of the way to escape the weaponized shrapnel.
Revving up his chainsaw, Ash swung it up and cleaved a log hurtling at him in half before Isaac blasted another one into strips of paper with his cutter. “Bad idea, bad idea.” Ash chanted over and over, the roar of his beloved chainsaw drowning his words out as he tilted his head back to avoid a sudden burst of sawdust entering his face and lungs as he blocked another tree.
Darth Vader turned away from the two as a familiar and, to him, disgusting presence made itself known again. “You are stubborn, like your parents and uncle.” He told Kylo Ren.
The Supreme Leader swallowed, staring down his grandfather and reigniting his lightsaber one more time. They were running out of time and he knew that his grandfather couldn’t be beaten. But maybe he didn’t need to be beaten, just slowed down. “Yeah, well, it runs in the family.” He replied back.
In the back of his mind, he felt the swell of the Light Side again. The pull that he found he couldn’t ignore. The Dark Side would give him power, but that wasn’t what he needed. With a clarity only found when facing one’s oncoming death did Ben Skywalker realize that what he needed wasn’t the power of the Dark. It was the strength of the Light.
Bracing himself, Ben used his own powerful connection to the force to pick up the bodies of Ryu, Chief, and Wolverine and throw them at the last two standing, Isaac only barely catching them in his stasis field. “Go! Get them to the rendezvous point and help them heal!”
He turned his attention back towards his grandfather, his heart racing. For the first time in his life, Ben Skywalker knew what his purpose was. “I’ll hold him off.”
Vader pointed his lightsaber at his newly reborn Grandson. “You will die trying, but you will not succeed. Once I am through with you, Kylo Ren, I shall obtain the Necronomicon.”
“My name,” He said calmly, moving away from his aggressive fighting style into the old, more passive one that his uncle had taught him so many years ago. “Is Ben Skywalker.” With that, he charged forward, roaring a battle cry and swinging his lightsaber down.
His grandfather lifted his hand and blocked the attack easily, the two red blades hissing as they clashed together. “Then you will die a weak, pathetic fool like the rest of the Skywalkers.”
“No,” Ben said firmly, stepping away and blocking a few aggressive swipes from his opponent. He focused his breathing, trying to tap into the same Zero Point that had empowered his grandfather so tremendously. “The only dead fool is the one standing in front of me. I know your future, Anakin Skywalker. And you do not live to see glory.”
With a tremendous roar, he surged forward with a renewed sense of power and brought his lightsaber hard against his grandfather’s. The two warring sides of the force within them both clashed hard against one another and Ben Skywalker felt the force move his hands in a way he had never felt before. It let him dodge and parry each of his grandfather’s unfocused and angry attempts.
Slowly though, Darth Vader began to overwhelm his grandson. “You have such vast potential, yet you waste it on something as trivial as compassion. You are weak. It is not love that guides your hands to victory.” Vader parried another attack, seemingly growing stronger as he swatted aside more attacks. “It is not the Light that will save you.” He thrust out his hand, blocking Ben’s attempt to swing at him with the power of the Force alone. “The Force is mine to command in this reality, Ben Skywalker. All of the hatred in this universe, the loathing of being trapped and your identities stolen. Every death and every reset allows the Dark Side to become the only guide the Force needs.”
The Sith Lord force pushed Ben away, towards the rest of his comrades. Those still conscious could only watch in silent horror as Darth Vader marched slowly towards the weakened ground team. They could all feel the raw hatred and power pouring from him. “And with the Necronomicon, the Galaxy shall feel the power of the Dark Side. The Empire will expand to its greatest heights. Not just one universe, every universe will kneel before the might of the Galactic Empire!”
***
Chapter 5: Power Unyielding
The group within the mechanical behemoth braced themselves as the Leviathan charged forward, roaring as he lunged forward to once again overwhelm them with his strength, only for Mecha-Strike Commander to quickly evade the blow by dodging to the side and attempting to swing the crimson blade at the monster king. But Godzilla had dealt with a foe braced with a weapon once, the ancient rivalry between his race and the Kong coming to an end within the streets of Hong Kong. He was prepared for the weapon's swing as he wrapped his maw around the hilt and began to shake violently to left and right.
The crew panicked as they attempted to free themselves from the ancient alpha predator's grasp, the free hand lifting above the creature's head to slam into the skull. Yellow eyes narrowed in on the cartoonish Mecha before he pulled with all his strength, making the team stumble forward as they lost grasp of the blade. Godzilla evaded the oncoming blow entirely as he quickly turned and slammed his tail into Mecha-Strike Commander's chest. The pilots held firm within the cockpit for dear life as they were thrown across the landscape, the earth leaving a trench in their wake.
"Is everyone alright?" Batman stated as quickly turned his head towards Snake Eyes, the Joe simply nodding in response before the both of them narrowed their attention on Godzilla, the atomic leviathan attempting to snap the hilt of the blade with his jaws as the crimson energy returned back to the base, applying more pressure with every snap of his jaws.
"My systems are fully operational Batman." The Terminator stated as he prepared the machine guns across the Mecha's form to blast at the stationary monster king, the enemy being distracted with attempting to remove the weapon out of the equation leaving him wide open.
"I'll be alright when this is over and I have some godd-What is he doing!?" Bulma shouted at the top of her lungs as the ancient alpha predator dropped the hilt of the blade and turned his attention towards the downed Mecha Strike Commander, grinning as azure energy began to climb up his spines, the glow of his atomic breath illuminating the area in a bright blue.
The detective quickly grit his teeth as he made the Mecha stand up, he had seen the other creature he had faced with the Justice League prepare this attack, and with prior knowledge they would gain the advantage.
"Unleash all firepower on Godzilla!"
Machine gun fire and rockets were unleashed at the leviathan, explosions covering the animal's torso and forcing a roar of anguish out of his maw as he tumbled backward before catching himself, snarling as the attack continued. The Mecha standing still as the bombardment of various weapons continued, rage and adrenaline quickly overtook the Earth's guardian as he once again began the process of charging his most devastating attack.
"We have to move now!" Ordered Murphy as he witnessed the animal's form change at a rapid rate. His hand swept over a few sensors, and his mouth creased into a frown. “I believe the Ground Team may need our assistance.”
"No," Batman demanded. "We stand our ground. I have a plan."
"Well I kind of like living and knowing how beams work in my world, I think we should dodge!" Bulma screamed as fear began to overtake her mind, this creature was unlike anything she had seen in her life since Goku as a kid transformed into the apex of his race, the Oozaru's rampage causing great destruction. She didn't know if this "Godzilla" was stronger than her friend back then but she feared the possibility all the same. The thought of this thing being stronger than that rampaging ape sent shivers up her spine.
Godzilla's eyes glowed bright blue as he opened his maw, the ancient reptile unleashed a stream of atomic power at the opposing Mecha Strike Commander, only for the robotic adversary to act in an unexpected way. Both arms quickly reached out as the assault of weapons ceased across his form, the hands of the cartoonish weapon of war slammed into the beam of energy and began to absorb its power. The red light across its form changed to a bright blue hue as the power of the atom rushed through it, not only empowering it but returning all functions to maximum capacity.
Batman slightly grinned to himself as his plan began to work, Bulma may have forgotten due to fear but the detective’s photographic memory allowed him to keep all the information after studying the machine since they had stolen it.
The ancient reptile ceased the attack as he watched the Mecha get back on it’s feet, the glowing mechanical humanoid stood tall with new found power, glowing blue with his own attack. Godzilla growled in annoyance, the Kong had done the same trick with a weapon made of a dorsal spine from his race. That axe had gained a decisive blow on him, he would need to be careful if he was going to defeat his adversary.
The monster king slammed his tail on the ground as he took an aggressive stance, waiting for the enemy to make their move, only for them to take the bait and instantly charge forward. Each step Mecha Strike Commander took broke the earth underneath their feet, the earth seeming to shake before they leapt into the air, aiming their shark-like arm to strike the creature’s head, only for the atomic leviathan to quickly spin around, slamming his tail across the Mecha’s head. The pilots braced for impact as they were once again thrown to the ground, the lash from Godzilla leaving a gash across their vessel’s head, sparks flying as wiring was revealed to the open. The glowing on the head flickering before resetting as it slammed into the ground, the energy that was built up within their hand thankfully not lost during the attack.
The mecha’s head looked over to the side, spotting the hilt of their blade, their best bet to once again gain the upper hand, but the thought shared by the pilots was quickly dashed as Godzilla slammed his foot into the back of the downed Mecha Strike Commander. He roared with fury as scales across his form quickly flashed red, the cracks between each scale glowing with power and rage.
Each slam into the ground forced the mechanical Titan into the earth, the pilots within being violently shaken with each strike.
That was when an idea formed within the scientist's mind, Bulma taking control of the situation with relative ease. The fist that glowed with atomic power rose into the air, even as Godzilla continued his onslaught, before slamming into the ground. The shockwave of the attack sent the monster king backwards with a cry of surprise exiting his maw, the Titan slamming into the ground at full force.
Bulma let out a cheer as their vessel rose to its feet and quickly charged towards the hilt of their energy sword, not wasting a second to regain the upper hand. Batman took a quick glance back at the scientist, a feeling of nostalgia washing over him as her energy reminded him of Barbara. He needed to thank her before they went their separate ways.
But such thoughts would have to remain as such until this battle had concluded.
Godzilla rose back to his feet, shaking his head back and forth to rid himself of the ringing that echoed in ears, the leviathan quickly regaining composure as adrenaline entered his system at full force. The ancient lifeform snarled as he noticed his enemy reach their weapon once again before turning towards him and taking a charging stance.
The crimson blade ignited as the jet propulsion on the bottom of the Mecha’s feet launched it forward, the energy sword flickering with power as the weapon was aimed at the leviathan’s head. Godzilla quickly ducked to all fours, attempting to dodge the scarlet weapon only for the attack to land its mark. The weapon sliced through the tops of the tallest dorsal spines that covered the animal’s back, his eyes widening as pain flared through his body, the heat of the blade cauterizing the wounds shut, but the burn from the attack left the Titan King filled with hatred towards his mechanical foe.
While Mecha-Strike Commander went to turn their blade directly towards Godzilla’s back, the alliance was quickly forced onto a knee as the ancient alpha predator kicked the back of their right leg. The pilots inside quickly resumed fearing as the leviathan got to his feet within a second, a glimpse of power being shown as the cracks between his scales once again flashed red, steam rising from his body as he attempted to force the energy he sensed within him.
Their bond had never broken, she still remained within him, together they could do anything, together they were an unstoppable force of nature. He couldn’t summon her power during the duel with the ape or his mechanical duplicate, but this realm had awakened it within him. Even if it was nothing more than embers to a fire, he felt her all the same.
The Mecha swung backwards to attempt to strike their elbow into Godzilla’s snout, only for the gigantic radioactive reptile to grab ahold of the vessel’s limb and hold it in place as his other hand reached out to the back of the head. Talons wrapped around the robotic humanoid’s “skull” as he forced them into the earth, slamming it repeatedly into the ground with no remorse.
“Okay, this is getting old!” Bulma shouted as they all rocked in their seats, holding onto dear life as they took the onslaught.
“Affirmative,” The Terminator stated as he turned towards the others. “What do you suggest we do? My systems cannot form a plan of action without seeing the target ahead.”
“We must aim for Godzilla’s chest, if we manage to get him to back off or land a fatal blow with our sword, the tide of the battle will be in our favor.” Officer Murphy replied stoically.
The Mecha's arm quickly switched the sword's position, having it be held backwards and aiming blindly behind it. The ancient king's eyes widened as the blade swung backwards, forcing the Titan to quickly take action to evade the crimson blade, managing to luckily receive only a slash across his chest, the wound burning and cauterizing flesh but not landing a fatal blow.
Godzilla screamed as he stumbled backwards, smoke rising from his burnt flesh as he panted, vision becoming hazy from the blow to his torso. If he had been any slower, it was possible he would not have survived the attack.
As the leviathan recovered, the Mecha stumbled back to its feet, sparks flying from the now exposed circuits.
"Power has dropped to seventy five percent, while we are heavily damaged we have pushed him back." Batman stated as the Mecha turned around, their "eyes" meeting as the monster king stared with malice at his foe. "My Godzilla had the ability to use magnetism, if we don't finish this now he might ascend!" Not taking a second chance for the monster king to recover, Mecha-Strike Commander charged forward with their blade aimed at his chest, they would finish this here and now!
Scarlet bolts of energy danced across his dorsal spines, his scales glowing a bright red with power, his eyes becoming like a gateway into a star as the light engulfed the sensitive organs. He believed in the power she granted him, he believed in himself to return to her side, he believed himself to be… King.
Before the sword could land its mark, the monster king dodged to the side and then slammed his foot into the earth, igniting his dorsal plates with power in a single action. A dome of radiation erupted from his back, red flames coating the Mecha in an instant. The only thing they heard was a large boom as Godzilla roared with fury, his battle cry mixed in with his queen's, her wings spreading open for a split second as their combined power manifested. The pilots held on with all of their strength as the atomic pulse sent them flying into the sky, the radioactive flames engulfing their vision as they collided with the earth.
Red sirens blared within the cockpit, ringing echoed within their ears, minor wounds across the body released ichor onto the ground. Bulma placed her hand against her head, her brain throbbing from the concussion she had just received. The scientist looking around her to her fellow pilots, making sure they were all alive after the immense blow only for her eyes to widen as her vision began to set, staring at the ripped apart Terminator.
"Holy shit!"
The manhunter of the future turned towards her, half of his human face now missing and revealing the mechanical exoskeleton underneath. "Do not worry Ms. Briefs, I have sustained little actual damage. Only my human disguise has received anything permanent."
"You will get used to it." Robocop stated as he attempted to calm her mind, though he wasn't the best at human emotion since his transformation.
The scientist took in a deep breath before turning her attention towards Snake Eyes, the Joe having a thumbs up even before she could ask if he was alright. "At least we made it out okay." she said as turned to Batman in the front who was only staring at the now glowing Godzilla, the behemoth slamming his tail on the ground and roaring at the downed Mecha.
"We can recover after we make it out of here alive. We need to get up now!"
Mecha-Strike Commander began to rise to its feet, dust falling off of the robotic teddy bear's form as it stood tall. The nuclear leviathan snarled as he began to open his maw once again, his dorsal spines illuminating bright red as a loud thum was heard.
"He is preparing his atomic breath, should we absorb the energy like last time?” Stated Robocop in a calm manner.
“No,” Batman replied. “His energy is different from before, we could risk overloading and dying in the process.” The detective began pressing buttons on his control center, putting in the correct inputs for the Mecha’s ultimate weapon.
The chest cavity opened up, revealing a red glowing mechanical heart within, energy pulsing inward as the Heartbreaker began to grow at a rapid rate.
“FIRE!”
The two combatants released their respective beams, the two crimson energies colliding into each other at full speed, their feet dragged in the soil as the beam clash forced them both backward for a split moment. The Red Spiral Ray and Heartbreaker interlocked in a beam struggle, the light being too bright for any of the pilots but the Terminator to focus on what was in front of them.
Anxiety ran through Bulma’s mind at the thought of Godzilla winning the struggle, she had heard stories of how they had ended up in the past when Goku had faced Vegeta all those years ago, the scientist did not envy any of her friends in this at all.
Power bounced back and forth between the two beams, heavy winds beginning to build up due to the power struggle of Titans, the environment around them burning from the mere falling cinders of the beams. Water around them began to boil and evaporate, even within the cockpit the pilots felt the extreme heat coming off of the attack… until a sudden boom erupted within the locked beams, the power struggle ending with sending both of them flying across the battlefield, the two crashing into the ground laying motionless.
The forest around them was now in ruins, burning into nothing more than a memory and ash as the flames engulfed the foliage and native wildlife in an instant, ash engulfing the sky in mere seconds. Little did the pilots within Mecha-Strike Commander know, they had left an opening for their allies’ escape…
***
They were running for their lives and they knew it. They all sprinted through the forest, ignoring the oncoming sense of dread from Darth Vader as he sliced open trees and hurled them like missiles through the forest. Ryu whirled around and flat out kicked one of the trees out the way, grunting with effort. His gi was torn and his gloves had been shredded by the battle, blood oozing from his knuckles. “We must keep going,” He panted.
“But not like this,” Wolverine grunted. He seemed more or less fine in everyone’s eyes, his healing factor had repaired any damage the Lightsaber caused him. “We’re clearly not a match for the walking respirator, the more we fight the more we’re worn down.” He sniffed the air, growling. “He ain't even slowed down. If we wanna reach the rendezvous point then we gotta split-up for a bit and regain some of our strength.”
They all stared at him in silence, and he folded his arms and arched an eyebrow. “It’s the only way we can survive. I know it ain't the best call but we’re all capable of taking care of ourselves. I don’t feel like dying in a hellhole like this.”
“What about the book?” Isaac spoke up, motioning towards Ash. “Vader seemed pretty interested in it.”
Wolverine’s claws popped back open, and he crouched down with a snarl. “I’ll make sure he doesn't get far. Now go, he’s nearly here.” The others hesitated for a moment, before one by one they began running into the forest. Ash lingered, looking sadly at Wolverine.
“Hey, buddy. About earlier, if we don’t get the chance I-”
“Save it, Williams. There'll be time for apologies later. Now go.”
Swallowing hard, he nodded and ran off into the forest. Ryu, Chief, and Ben following close behind. Only Isaac Clarke stayed behind, walking over to Wolverine and shouldering his gun. “Sorry bud, can’t leave you here completely by yourself.”
“Suit yourself, just don’t get in my way when the show starts.”
Logan stood there for a moment and took a deep inhale of the cool richness of nature. It reminded him of the Canadian Wilderness, of the calm before the storm. The taint of metal and burnt flesh was the only thing that ruined it. He could smell Vader approaching before he heard the rasping, slow breathing of the Sith Lord. He turned, cracking his neck a bit. “Took your sweet time.”
“I have no need to rush, not when you are so outmatched.” Vader lifted his lightsaber towards Wolverine. “I need a bit of sport.”
The X-Man lunged forward, claws primed to tear into the armored Sith. “Is charging headfirst all you know how to do, Logan?” Vader replied as he parried a swing, his boot cracking against the mutant’s stomach an instant later.
Adamantium claws scraped down the outstretched leg, ripping it open and exposing ruined flesh to the world. “If it works, it works.” Wolverine replied, before going for another stab to the midsection. Vader’s hand grasped the middle claw, stopping the strike. Before he could do anything else, his sixth sense alerted him to an attack from behind. He turned, catching a white sphere with the Force. Isaac stood several meters back, holding a weapon.
The sphere detonated in a blast of fire, knocking Vader backwards. He yelled as he felt Wolverine’s claws puncture his side in the tumble, the mutant trapped under him. Isaac stepped forward, the weapon shifting as he changed its firing mode. Fire spewed from the front, the Hydrogen Flamethrower a powerful tool not designed for combat, but it fit perfectly well on a battlefield. The Sith Lord stopped the stream with his telekinesis, making it look as though Isaac fired upon an invisible wall. With his other hand he threw his lightsaber, the crimson blade spinning through the air as it moved towards the traumatized engineer’s side.
Isaac’s finger left the trigger as he ducked, giving Vader the chance to stand up. The adamantium claws left his body as Wolverine’s hand grasped his foe’s cape. “Where do you think you’re goi-“ The dark curtain was severed with the passing of the evil one’s lightsaber, along with chunks of Logan’s flesh.
A swing with the now-recovered blade pierced the superhero’s leg, forcing him to a knee as his regeneration made new sinew and tied them together, discarding still glowing strands.
Vader knew that he could not permanently put the mutant down, but with his focus shifted towards the engineer, he knew one he could bring through death’s door.
Isaac’s Pulse Rifle shook as it discharged a stream of bullets. This was the only object in his arsenal actually designed to kill, the rest simply tools for mining whose purpose had been perverted by his circumstances. The projectiles were stopped by Vader putting up a Force barrier, bouncing off the translucent shield.
Between reloads of the weapon, Isaac found himself lifted off his feet, pulled towards his foe swiftly. Vader brought his lightsaber forward, intent on skewering his mundane enemy upon it. Isaac was unable to bring his gun before him, the seconds feeling like hours as the distance closed.
With a loud growl, Wolverine’s skull smashed against Vader’s back, making the dark lord stumble. Isaac fell out of the telekinetic grip, stumbling forward with a few steps from the momentum. His ally was not fully healed yet, the maneuver just pulled being a brazen attempt to save him with a wounded leg. The healing process became longer as Vader grasped the mutant with the force, dragging him through the dirt violently before tossing him upwards.
Isaac’s mind raced through his options. The Disc Ripper would just get himself killed by his own shots, spinning razor blades being an awful weapon against a telekinetic warrior. The Supercollider Contact Beam was too slow, by the time it finished charging his torso would be parted from his waist.
Thinking quickly, he took out the Hydrogen Flamethrower once more, releasing a stream of potent fire. But quick decisions were rarely the correct ones, as instead of simply stopping it, Vader pushed the geyser back. The wall of Force power in the form of a push struck the flamethrower’s stream, sending it all back to envelop Isaac in its wretched heat. He screamed, cutting off the power as he staggered. Smoke rose off him and from the blackened grass beneath his feet.
Feet which left the ground a moment later as Darth Vader lifted him up, placing pressure on his throat. The armored suit offered him some protection from this, but dents quickly made themselves apparent.
“Put him down!” Wolverine stood tall, claws out.
The dark lord complied. Thrusting both his hands down, the Sith smashed Isaac into the dirt with immense pressure, enough to create a crater in the ground around him. The traumatized engineer screamed as the back of his armor was cracked open like an egg, limbs being bent at unnatural angles by the crushing assault.
Wolverine screamed as he lunged forward, vision going red. He succeeded in stopping the agony on his ally as Vader’s attention fell on him. The one swathed in darkness leapt backwards, taking note of the fury etched into his foe’s face. This action seemed to have struck a particular nerve.
Logan did not know Isaac’s full story. But what he could grasp was that of a man plunged into an isolated hell, all for the sake of some cruel “greater purpose” that he had no stake in or desire for. He couldn’t help but see himself in the engineer, knowing that exact same pain. To see him like that, broken upon the ground by a cruel and uncaring destroyer, it made something inside his mind snap.
“Are you a mutant, or a beast?” Vader questioned as he observed Logan bear his teeth and snarl.
“Human. More than you’ll ever fucking be!” He shouted as he swung his claws across the dark lord’s stomach, the warrior’s reflexes being the only thing keeping him from being disemboweled. Blood still sprayed out from in between torn armor.
Vader kept dodging and pulling back, all he could do as Wolverine descended upon him with a flurry of swings, a berserker fury clear with every movement and shout.
A swing of his lightsaber, parried by claws. The next instant, he raised his hand, but the other set of three blades pierced his palm. His lightsaber jabbed forwards, burning the skin off the hand bearing those claws, revealing the skeleton underneath. The force of the strike tore the Adamantium-coated daggers from his own palm, spilling yet more blood.
Wolverine leapt forward, slamming his skull against Vader’s faceplate, denting the black steel and making the dark lord stumble back with a wheeze. He tried to pierce his foe with his crimson sword once more, only for a backhand to knock the implement from his hand. It clattered to the ground as Vader barely avoided being stabbed through the head by the skinless hand of his foe, instead leaving three shallow trenches in his helmet.
Death flashed before the Sith’s eyes. A lifetime of sin flared through his mind, and a darkness inside himself rose up as well. He grasped Wolverine with the Force, the mutant so intense in his fervor that he still was able to drag his feet across the ground to step forward, able to move his arm sluggishly to try and slice the tyrant to ribbons even as pressure to crush steel weighed down upon him. Two wills of rage collided, like twin waves crashing against one another, a defender trying to avenge and bring forth the light of a new day versus one who had plunged into the depths of hell to get what he desired, only to have that still taken away from him in the end.
With a wretched sounding pop, the winner was made known. Vader knew he could not destroy the skeleton of his enhanced foe, but he had taken apart enough bodies to understand that even an unbreakable skeleton would have a weakpoint.
Wolverine was twisted at the midsection, flesh and muscle ripped apart as his top half faced backwards, his legs still forward as they had been a moment before. Organs dangled out, staining the ground along with the viscera that had sprayed out from the event.
The guardian dropped, ichor spilling out from his mouth, nostrils, and eyes as Vader walked past him. His breathing was heavy and strained, if it were not for the mysterious energies of this place fueling him, he would have dropped a long time ago. But he carried on, determined to ensure that his life was important to the fate of all things, as he had been promised it would be when he was a boy.
***
Chapter 6: Hidden Scars
The group ran forward as fast as they could, the four warriors just trying to get far enough from the Sith Lord to get to the portal. The longer they stayed in this realm, the higher the possibility of something else attacking from the shadows rose, and so did Ash's fear.
He had never seen anything like Darth Vader along his travels, the Deadites were evil incarnate and yet he felt dread fill his mind at the thought of what the fallen knight was capable of. The others might have faced forces of darkness like this in their homeworlds but Ash was completely outclassed, a normal man with luck, a store clerk, how could he do anything against him?
Ben quickly turned around, causing the others to stop in their tracks, a look of dread washing on his face as he returned his attention to the group. "I can barely sense their energy, they are alive but he is approaching and fast," the redeemed Knight of Ren closed his eyes for a moment, focusing on the Zero Point's energy signature and opening his eyes once again. "We need to split up, it is the only way to assure we aren't slaughtered."
"Woah woah woah," Ash said with fear in his voice. "In my experience splitting up only causes people to get killed, if we split apart, he will kill us one by one." The chosen one tried not to show it but he was scared shitless, the others had ways to defend themselves and he had nothing but an ordinary chainsaw, his only advantage against Vader crushed in his hand like a toothpick.
"I can sense fear in you Williams," Ben said as he approached and placed his hand on the man's shoulder. "But we will get out of this alive."
Ryu continued to stare into the forest, waiting for a sign of conflict to reveal itself; he couldn't hear Vader's breathing but he knew he was closing in. The forest felt as if it was being poisoned by his mere presence. The martial artist sighed before speaking.
"He's right. We have to go now. We'll split into groups of two, Ben, you are with me. John, Ash, I wish you both luck." The world warrior quickly sprinted deeper into the forest, using his full strength and speed to leap into the air as he sprinted in order to gain better momentum.
Ben turned towards the pair with a smile before saying one last thing to them. "May the Force be with you." The redeemed Knight quickly followed Ryu, catching up much faster than expected due to manipulating the Force.
"We need to hurry." Chief stated as he turned around and began to sprint further into the forest, Ash quickly had to catch up the best he could, running at full speed just to not get left behind.
The time traveler should have been used to fear by now. He still had nightmares of that night in the cabin, his friends being butchered at the hands of the Deadites, he had personally killed his own sister and buried her corpse. What’s worse, he had been possessed by one of the damn things. The book taunted him in his sleep, whispering in his mind and trying to coax him back into that darkness that he found himself trapped in. He sprinted through the forest, feeling guilty and ashamed of himself as Wolverine and Isaac urged him to go without them. The book was too dangerous to fall into Vader’s hands, but he didn’t want to leave them.
If they died, he couldn’t even give them a burial. Ash leaned against one of the trees, holding onto Linda’s pendant tightly and squeezing his eyes shut. All of this stupid Chosen One nonsense, and yet here he was running for his damn life. He could barely stop the deadites and he couldn’t even stop Vader.
It was the sound of the slow, labored breathing of the Sith Lord’s respirators and life support machines that gave Ash the shot of adrenaline he needed to hold the book tightly like a baby and run further into the woods. A thick fog had begun to settle over the forest, had they been fighting all day and into the night? Ash looked up, suddenly realizing he couldn’t see the sky anymore. Just a swirling, permeating mist.
“Ashley Williams,” Vader’s voice boomed out into the darkness. The Sith Lord swept his gaze across the landscape, noting the sudden fog that had settled over the land. “You cannot hide from me in this fog, Ashley. You bleed your fear through the force, and I shall hunt you like a shark until I have captured you and the book.”
"Don't listen to him," The Spartan stated as he turned around to meet Ash's terrified face. "He is trying to get into your head, we must move forward if we are to survive." The S-Mart employee attempted to cling onto the soldier's words but yet it felt as if it was false hope, a feeling he was all too familiar with.
Ash kept running, sprinting as fast as he could up an incline, barreling through brushes and branches in a vain attempt to put as much distance between himself and Vader as possible. The book couldn’t fall into his hands, but he had no way of stopping him. As he breached an opening, he went right past the Delta- wait. The Delta?
Turning slowly, Ash could only stare in slack-jawed amazement as Scotty’s oldsmobile sat there silently in the forest. He swallowed, knowing for a fact that the car didn’t come with him this time. He hesitated, walking slowly towards it and placing his real hand on the hood. The metal was cold to the touch thanks to the weather, but when he shivered it wasn’t due to the chill. “What the hell…”
He jerked when the book spoke up suddenly. “I took you to where you needed to be, Chosen One. A recreation, but an accurate one.”
Ash’s heart stopped at the Book’s words. He looked around suddenly, eyes widening with horror as he realized what he meant. “No,” He breathed out. The trees looked familiar, much too familiar. Up ahead, he saw a burnt cross where the lightning had struck and he buried Linda. Slowly, he approached the makeshift grave and reached out to touch the charred wood. Would their bodies be here? Buried in the ground in an unknown world? Did the book have the power to bring their bodies just to mock him?
Turning slowly, Ash’s face went white as that fucking cabin was sitting there in front of him. Exactly how it had looked on that damned, dreadful night that had ruined his life forever. “That’s not fair,” Ash said weakly, taking lumbering steps towards the door.
Master Chief stared at Ash as the man began to panic, he had not seen this cabin as anything more than a building lost to this realm but clearly this is where it had all happened. John stepped forward, slightly raising his voice as he spoke to the ordinary man. "Ash, focus!"
“You know what you have to do, chosen one.” The book whispered. The door banged open, the candles and the lights burning and flickering of their own accord. “Open me.”
“No.” Ash’s voice sounded a million miles away in his own head as he stepped into the cabin. The door slammed shut behind him and the fireplace roared with an inviting and warm fire. Master Chief bolted towards the door, attempting to slam his weight into it and break it in an instant, but to his surprise, the door remained unfazed. The Spartan continued to slam his side into the door, the Necronomicon holding him at bay.
Ash looked around, noticing the blood that stained the floors and the walls. His blood mixed with his friends. “I can’t. Not again.”
“But you must,” The book hissed menacingly. There was a sharp click and suddenly the voice of the late owner of the cabin suddenly filled in the air.
“I believe I have made a significant find in the Kandarian ruins, a volume of ancient Sumarian burial practices and funerary incantations.”
Ash slammed the book down on the writing deck, trying to control himself. He seethed, tears pricking at his eyes. “Don’t make me do this,” He begged quietly. “Don’t make me piss all over their graves.”
“It is entitled "Naturum De Montum", roughly translated: Book of the Dead. The book is bound in human flesh and inked in human blood. It’s the only way Ash. The only way you can save your new friends. Open the book, and recite the words to release hell.”
Chief reached to his back, wrapping his hands around the Gravity Hammer, aiming the blunt weapon towards the door to force his way into the cabin when the sudden breathing of Darth Vader was the only thing John could hear. The Spartan turned around, meeting the glare of the Sith Lord and his crimson blade, the Lightsaber trailing across the ground as he approached.
"This destroyed cabin was your plan? What a foolish mistake for you to make, it seems that you lost your intellect along with your humanity."
John quickly dashed towards the fallen Jedi, raising the Gravity Hammer above his head as he leapt into the air in an attempt to bring it down on his enemy's head, only for the dark lord to reach up and catch it with his free hand. A shockwave broke the earth below Vader but yet he remained unfazed by the attack. “I know how to deal with your tricks, Spartan.”
Before the Master Chief could truly process what was happening, the fallen knight swung his blade with swift procession, slicing the Gravity Hammer in half. John quickly attempted to switch to his rifle but the Sith Lord was too fast, flames surrounding his hand as he raised it in the air. "I grow tired of these games."
The cyborg swung at the Spartan, the closed backhand striking the soldier's helmet and sending the hero of Earth flying, slamming through a tree before coming to a stop. Tossing the super soldier to the side with a single strike, the dark lord returning his attention towards his target.
Ash looked out the window, seeing John suffer for his mistake, Vader's breathing seeming to make the man shake, each step making fear creep into his mind. "No…"
"You see, chosen one," the Necronomicon hissed. "You must open to the darkness, let it consume you or your friends will suffer a fate worse than death."
The S-Mart employee gritted his teeth as he made his decision…
Darth Vader’s boots stomped up onto the porch. There was a hiss of the lightsaber before in one swing the door was cleaved in two and the pieces were thrown aside with a flick of his wrist. “No more running.” He said calmly. Deactivating his lightsaber, Vader entered the cabin and began his slow, steady march towards Ash.
Screaming in frustration, Ash ripped open the book to the needed pages. His eyes began to water as he held the book up to the lights hanging above his head. “Linda? Scotty? Shelly? Cheryl? I’m so sorry.”
Tears dripped down onto the book. Ash took a breath and began to recite the words he had sworn to never, ever utter again. The words that he had sworn to prevent from ever taking another life as long as he himself drew breath. "Tantir-ah-mis-trobeen-ha-zar-ta.”
The world seemed to slow around Ash and Darth Vader. The hallway expanded outwards for infinity, Vader being pulled away from Ash by an unknown but dark force. The darkest the Sith Lord had ever felt in his life. He reached out his hand, intending to tap into the force and yank Williams closer, but to his surprise Ash remained unmoving, his eyes unblinking and transfixed on Vader. For the first time since his arrival, a sense of unease washed over him as the chosen one spoke. “Tantir-man-ov-mis-hazen-sober.”
There was a soft, mocking laughter coming from all around him. Vader whirled about, seeing the various furniture giggling and snickering softly. “Couldn’t make it to Master, could he?” The couch wheezed.
“Stuck as a lowly knight, even when he got his own padawan!” The clock could barely contain its laughter.
The cellar door banged open, shrieking with mocking laughter. “And now look at him! A burnt out husk of his former self, his own children wanting him dead! Even his grandchildren wanna see him bite the dust!”
“Some legacy!” The chair howled. The deer head began bellowing with laughter, and soon Vader couldn’t hear anything else but the sounds of laughter. Laughter at him.
“Enough of this.” Vader hissed angrily and threw his lightsaber at the deer head, slicing it clean in half. The damned thing still brayed and laughed, flopping and wobbling around on the floor. Vader turned towards Ash, who was staring at him with an evil smile. “How could you possibly know any of that?” He demanded.
“It’s simple. Ani. The dead always know. KANDA!” The book snapped shut suddenly, and the whole house was plunged into darkness.
Darth Vader stood alone in the silence. He could sense and see nothing but pure, unwavering blackness. Unimpressed, he relit his lightsaber and was only mildly surprised to find that even his weapon’s light failed to illuminate his surroundings. “A trick,” He said out loud. “Do not think I will fall for it.”
“Have you really learned so much in such a short time, Anakin?”
Vader whirled around sharply, recoiling in shock as the cellar door lay open and an impossible figure stood at the precipice of the darkness below. Obi-Wan Kenobi, proudly adorned in his jedi robes and his arms folded, was giving his young padawan a disappointed look. The look he had seen so many times. “Impossible,” Vader said at last.
Obi-Wan shook his head sadly. “Nothing is impossible to the Force, Anakin. You never did understand that lesson, did you?” His eyes narrowed at his pupil, head tilting up a bit as if he was examining some filthy vermin that had just come across his pass. “All you’ll ever be is a sad little boy, throwing his toys around and screaming about how life is unfair.”
Vader seethed, pointing his lightsaber at his dead master. “And yet it is I who stand here alive. When I killed you, I fed your clothes to the creature living in the Death Star’s trash compactor. A fitting way to send the last Jedi.”
Another, much older voice suddenly cut through the conversation. The door to the cabin burst open and light poured in from behind the figure. Vader couldn’t help but gasp at what he saw. “Master Qui-Gon?”
The dead master shook his head and looked sadly at Vader. “Look at what you’ve become Anakin. It was a mistake to save you from Watto.” His words cut into Vader like a plasma knife. The jedi master stepped closer, his voice soft and disappointed. “To think that the little boy who had such promise would turn into such a monster. If I had known back then…”
Vader gripped his lightsaber tightly, anchoring himself to the Dark Side as his rage began to build even more. He needed to control himself, unwilling to let whatever tricks Williams had unleashed get the better of him. “It is not I you should blame,” Vader said darkly. “The Jedi were corrupt, down to the last. I did the Galaxy a favor by expunging your kind.”
Obi-Wan clicked his tongue disapprovingly. “Is that really what you think? That genocide is the answer? Like what you did to those Tusken Raiders after your mother died? I wonder what she’d think if she saw you now.”
That was the final straw. Vader had moved forward with far greater speed than even he realized and cut down Obi-Wan with one stroke of his saber and kicked the corpse down back into the cellar. He whirled around, grabbing Qui-Gon’s throat with the Force and hurling him down to join his padawan. The cellar door slammed shut and chains rattled into place on its own accord and Vader could hear the mocking laughter of his two masters down below. “Leave my mother out of this,” Vader hissed angrily.
“Why, Ani? Are you afraid of what I’ll see?” Shmi Skywalker stood at the doorway inside the hall. Her face was gaunt and harrowed, just like it was back in Tatooine. Her beautiful face was unblemished, and her hair was tied back in a neat bun. She walked over to Darth Vader and looked so sad. “Oh Anakin… what have you become?” She reached up, cupping Vader’s face.
He reached up, gently taking her hand with his. Shmi shook her head at the gesture. “Oh Ani… you’ve lost so much. Your friends, your family. Your humanity, your soul.”
“Because they took you from me. I did what was right, the Sand People needed to pay for their transgressions,” Vader retorted coldly.
She sighed, stroking his cheek. “Such a disappointment…” Her hands moved to Vader’s throat, her face contorting in an ugly rage. “You should’ve died a long time ago, Ani.”
"Yet I survived. I slaughtered the sand people like the worthless barbarians they are. I couldn’t save you, but I could give them what they deserved, Mother.”
Another, even more painful voice cut into the scene. "Did I deserve it?"
Vader froze where he stood in pure shock as none other than Padme Amidala Skywalker sat in the armchair, her hands folded over her stomach. She looked up at him with wide, doe-like eyes. “When you choked me on Mustafar, nearly killed our unborn children? Did I deserve it Ani?”
He reached out towards her, only to hesitate and drop his hand. He looked away, and although his mask covered his face, his voice couldn’t hide his shame. “I couldn’t save you, I thought…”
“You did.” Padme hissed angrily. She glared at Darth Vader, her neck swelling and purpling with bruising. “You left me to die. If Obi-Wan hadn’t found me-”
Vader stomped over, looming over the specter of his long dead wife. “If Obi-Wan hadn’t meddled in our affairs, I could have saved you. I could have raised our children-”
“To be monsters Anakin!” Padme insisted, rising to her feet. A fire in her eyes that even in death was intoxicating. “Our children shouldn’t have had to live in fear because of you! You nearly killed your son, tortured your own daughter!”
As the Deadites were doing their work, the distorted features of Ashley J. Williams quietly tiptoed out through the back of the shed. He sprinted around to the front to find Master Chief laying in a heap in the dirt. He kicked at the armored warrior, reaching down to aggressively shake him. “Come on Johnny, wakey wakey! We’re not out of the woods yet!”
“Daughter?” An understanding suddenly dawned on Darth Vader in that moment. He had always felt something from her but he could never be sure what it was. He had initially assumed that it was simply a result of her heritage on Alderaan but now he realized the truth. “Leia.”
Padme’s eyes burned into his very soul, her head twisting at an odd angle. “How does it feel to know you nearly killed your own children, Anakin?”
“Don’t call me that,” Vader began, his hand reaching down to his lightsaber when another hand caught his wrist. He looked up and couldn’t believe his eyes at the sight before him. It was like staring into a mirror of the past. His brown and wild hair falling across his face. The piercing blue eyes and the determination in them. The will of a Jedi Knight who had seen countless heartache and war.
Anakin Skywalker glared at Darth Vader, letting go of his hand. “That’s right, you killed me didn’t you? Swore you’d cleanse the name “Skywalker” from the galaxy.” Anakin smirked that irritating, cocky smirk that Vader had always been told made him look like bantha poodoo. “Funny how even after our children are gone, the name will survive.”
Visions of the future flashed into Darth Vader’s mind. Of Luke Skywalker, now an aged and cynical old man teaching an unfamiliar young woman. Of an ancient planet, steeped in the dark side of the force. Palpatine sitting there, cackling maniacally as that same woman was doing her best to fight him off. Tatooine in the sunset, that woman burying his old lightsaber. “My name is Rey. Rey Skywalker.”
His lightsaber flashed and Anakin Skywalker fell to the ground in a carved up heap. “No.” Rage like never before had coursed through Darth Vader. He held aloft his hand and hoisted the revenant of Padme up off her feet and with a squeeze of his hand her throat tightened like a paper cup and blood spurted out of her mouth. She was thrown aside and he marched over to Shmi, booting her body back down into the cellar where she crawled out of.
“The name of Skywalker will die by my hand. Even if I have to change the future to do so.” Vader lifted up the head of the deer and threw it at Qui-Gon, goring him with the horns and sending him crashing through the window. “I hold the power of life and death in this realm, and if I must cut down everyone in my path, then so be it!”
“Even us, Master Skywalker?” They were all around him now. The haunted, charred faces of the younglings. He remembered each and every one of them, all of their names. They all stared at him with their wide, scared eyes. “Even us?”
Vader simply raised his lightsaber high into the air. “Yes.”
As if on cue, all of the youngling deadites screamed out. They screamed loud and shrilly, before they all pounced onto Darth Vader like rabid animals, clawing and scratching at his armor and his face. His chest controls, everything they could get their filthy, bloody hands on. The whole cabin shook as Vader tapped deep into the well of the force and threw all of them off of him, their bodies slamming into one another and crashing through the various walls and furniture. “WHERE IS THE BOOK?” He demanded the house loudly.
Mace Windu stood impassively in the middle of the wreckage, glaring at Darth Vader. “You always did let your anger get the better of you, Skywalker. So blinded by what’s in front of you that you couldn’t see what’s right in front of your face. This is why you never became a master.”
Lifting up his hand, Vader thrust it down and the entire roof caved in and crashed around Mace Windu. Debris and dust were scattered everywhere as Vader swiped his hand aside and the whole mess was shunted through the destruction. “WHERE. IS. ASHLEY. WILLIAMS?”
Count Dooku rose where Mace Windu once stood, casually brushing off a piece of dust from his immaculate uniform. He sniffed, clearly disinterested and bored with the rampaging Sith Lord. “You never could listen, could you boy? Oh I tried to warn you about Sidious, but would the spoiled brat listen to his betters? No, he thought he knew everything.”
The front door to the house, miraculously still standing despite the chaos around it banged open suddenly and Darth Vader suddenly wheeled around completely, lightsaber blurred as something paused dead in its tracks. Darth Vader lowered his head, his voice quivering with his raw fury. “Enough games. Enough tricks. This. Ends. Now.”
Both hands were lifted into the air. The very foundations of the cabin began to rumble and shake as Vader poured every ounce of his rage to augment his powers. Wood split and screamed, brickwork was reduced to powder as the entire cabin was ripped apart piece by piece by the angry Sith Lord. “The Necronomicon Ex Mortis!” Vader boomed, finally seeing Ash and a groggy Master Chief trying to get away. “Once I get the book, I shall make you BEG for the mercy of death itself!”
With a grunt, Darth Vader had thrown the entire damn cabin - basement included - off into the distance. The thundering crash heralded Vader sprinting after the two warriors, literally smashing his way through the delta in his fury.
Finally coming to his senses, Chief looked down in surprise when the Necronomicon was thrust into his gloved hands. He recoiled in shock when the warped features of Ash Williams leered in his visor. “Take the book and go. Run as far as you can, where you’re supposed to. We’ll catch up.” He gave Master Chief a nasty smile. “We won’t hurt Ash too much, promise.”
Feeling the raw maelstrom of rage gravitating from Vader, Chief looked up at Ash and grabbed him by the collar. “If you don’t, I’ll find you and hunt you down.”
The Deadite-controlled chosen one snapped into a mock salute. “Sir yes sir! Now go Petty Officer.”
Clutching the book tight to his chest, Master Chief sprinted off into the misty forest. The sound of his footsteps fading and fading, until there was no trace of him left. Ash sucked in a deep, exaggerated breath and turned his attention back towards the still advancing Vader. “This is where the fun begins.”
***
The two warriors continued to charge forward, the forest was dense and the fog would have had others be lost, but the both of them could sense that they were close to the Imagined Order's Collider, the energy of the Zero Point pulled to them.
The fog began to fade, the sun's rays punctured through to reveal the hope of freedom as the forest regained color, the bright emerald green of the plant life revealing itself once more, the sounds of animals entering their ears when they finally met the edge of a cliff. The two overlooked the environment and spotted their destination, the Collider being surrounded by Imperial Stormtrooper in the dozens.
"This doesn't look good." Ryu said as observed the area, the soldiers had put a barricade around the facility, making it near impossible for others to enter.
"Perhaps," Ben replied as he made an eerie smile. "But together with the others it will seem like a novel task."
The world warrior made a slight grin as he placed his hand on the redeemed Knight's shoulder, the man he had met when they had been brought to this realm was not the same as the person that stood before him. When they met, his heart was filled with hate.
Hatred for himself, hatred for those that had betrayed his trust, hatred for the systems of his universe that repeated the sins of the past.
Kylo Ren truly was no more.
Suddenly the two felt a strange presence within the fog, causing the two to turn around and take defensive positions, the lightsaber igniting instantly with the violent hum being the only sound being heard. Sweat ran down the pair's brows, anxiety began to climb within their minds.
What they felt was not any of the others nor was it Darth Vader, had a new enemy arise from this dark fog? They had encountered this realm's wildlife so it wasn't too out of the question but yet… it felt different. The energy from this would more than likely come from a powerful entity. They were both worn down from their duel with the Sith Lord, a new threat against a cliff would certainly be met with bloodshed…
Then suddenly Ben's eyes lit up as he saw a faint blue glow in the distance, the fog parting as the energy signature began to walk closer, the unnatural entity's form started to get more and more clear as it approached. Then the Skywalker realized what was approaching and knew that there was no threat, no Sith could ever achieve this form beyond death. Whoever this once was, had clearly come with a purpose.
Ben Skywalker turned off his lightsaber before placing it on his hip, Ryu slowly bringing his defenses down as he continued to stare at the ghostly entity approaching. "Do not worry Ryu," Ben stated. "The Force works in mysterious ways, it seems we have found an unlikely aid from beyond the grave."
The world warrior nodded as he trusted his comrades' words, completely lowering his guard and crossing his arms as the pair finally could see the figure clearly. The Force Ghost was humanoid in nature, the entity wore robes of an order long gone, a cloak covering their face as the backend of the uniform dragged across the ground, the figure's arms being held together underneath the cloak.
The figure stopped in front of them, the two waiting for whoever this was to finally reveal themselves completely, only for the ghost of Jedi's past to lift up the hooded cloak, causing Ben Skywalker to step back.
He had never met the man before him but he knew who this was, the man who had saved his mother from the Empire's clutches as a child and on the first Death Star along with his uncles and father. The hero of the Clone Wars, the Jedi Master trained under Master Qui-Gon, the hermit of Tatoonie…
"Hello There," The Ghost said as he smiled, his appearance being much younger than when he faced death at the hands of Darth Vader, his hair was his original brown, his beard not shaved in quite some time. "It's an honor to finally meet you Ben. I just wish it was under better circumstances, Young Skywalker."
"Ben Kenobi…" The supreme leader dropped to his knees shaking, his name sake stood in front of him, an honorable man that had saved countless people during times of crisis even when he was vastly overwhelmed by the enemy. Tears began to shed as he stared back at the ghost, only to be met with a smile and a helping hand up. "I'm so sorry… I have done so many horrible things, so much I cannot take back, atrocities that will never leave my soul… all while bearing your name."
"Ben Skywalker," The entity for the Force stated as he lifted the redeemed Knight to his feet, wiping away his tears of rage and regret with his cloak. "You may not be able to change the past, but you can choose to walk the path of betterment, a path you have already begun by rejecting Vader."
Ben stared at Obi-Wan, trying to force a smile as he heard words of hope from a man that his mother greatly admired, words of redemption… perhaps it truly wasn't too late for him. That his turn to the light was not one of desperation but of true inner light reaching the surface. If even his grandfather could see the light in the end…then maybe things can be different.
The ghost turned towards Ryu, the martial artist bringing great interest from the ghost of the past. "You have a strange aura about you Ryu Hoshi, you have a connection to the force, one very different from anyone I have ever encountered. You have a key role in all of this." The world warrior raised a brow, curious as to what he meant.
"How are you even here? In this place?" Ben Skywalker stated as he would cautiously turn towards the fog every once and awhile, the darkness from within the forest keeping him on high alert.
"The Force is everything, is it not young Skywalker? This realm is the birthplace of the Force, the birthplace of the vast multiverse. All I had to do was look, feel your energies and search for you. In this realm I was even able to appear how I appeared to your uncle and grandfather before I passed.” The old ghost chuckled, bowing his head a bit before shaking it. “It seems the Jedi were truly wrong in the end, there is so much to learn."
The world warrior reached into his belt buckle, wrapping his hands around and staring at a mysterious coin of untold power. It glittered slightly in the sunlight, its golden sheen unblemished by the battles and grime of humanity. A righteous and proud looking hawk was adorned on both sides of the coin. Ben Kenobi had spoken that the Force is in everything, that is why their power levels had not been drained by this realm, but his secret weapon would truly turn the tides, this power would return to him tenfold.
Ryu returned the coin to his belt buckle, holding it close, he would know the proper time to unleash this power. That was their way, to only unleash that power when absolutely needed. He would honor that as best he could.
"Ben Kenobi," the hero of Japan stated as he approached, gaining the Jedi's attention. "If this is true, if I am truly a key to our victory, was this the only reason you have revealed yourself to us?"
The Jedi chuckled a bit before answering. "No my friend. I am afraid I am here for a more tasking request. You have been through so much already… but I feel Ashley Williams being pulled into the darkness. He is a good man and I have already lost a brave young man to the darkness, and I will not allow his grandson to lose a friend to the same darkness." The ghost looked so sad at that moment, and he looked off into the distance. “He has fought this before, but he may need help.”
The two heroes turned towards each other, they had felt what Kenobi spoke of, Ash's signature was different from before, almost as if it was corrupted by something. They both nodded and spoke the same words out loud, “The book.”
Ryu gripped his fist as he began to walk towards the fog, staring at the corrupted forest as Kenobi continued to speak. "He has seen unspeakable horror in such a short time, he needs you to return to the light. I know you both have overcome such darkness. Please. Save him."
Ryu turned towards the ghostly figure before nodding and charging forward into the forest, Ash and the others needed his help and he would do everything in his power to save them. Ben Skywalker followed suit but stopped in his tracks for one last glance back at the ghost of the past, smiling at Obi-Wan Kenobi.
"Thank you, Master Kenobi."
The young Skywalker charged forward, joining his friend in the search for Ash and the others.
The Force Ghost fading behind him, two were informed now all that remained was to inform the others… and look into Anakin's fallen form one last time.
***
Isaac Clarke couldn’t see a damn thing through the mist. His hand hovered on the trigger to his laser cutter, jumping and aiming at every little noise he heard. Most of them were just himself, wandering through the forest like a lost child. There was an uneasy paranoia settling in his mind, making the shadows look larger and the darkness more consuming. Considering that paranoia also saved his life, maybe he had a reason to trust it.
His spine glowed red, blinking as his life drained from him, the survivor of the Ishumura had ways to heal himself but he would first make sure Logan was okay before he aided himself. The engineer stared at the regenerating mutant, the X-Man's entire torso forcing itself back together, the hero gritting his teeth as he silently screamed through the process.
"Clarke, don't worry, I'll be fine. Just give me a few minutes," Logan took deep breaths as the final few wounds began to fix itself. "When I get my hands on that bastard, I'll rip him to shreds!"
Isaac sat down next to Logan, reloading his ammunition in each weapon as he continued to observe the foggy forest, with each weapon being fully reloaded he would quickly scan the area before switching to the next. Each action was committed with caution.
Finally his arsenal had returned to full capacity, now was the time to heal, injecting the med pack he had into his suit, fully recovering in an instant. The glowing flickering red on his spine illuminated blue as the drugs took effect, the injured man returning to his full strength. Though Darth Vader had beaten him senseless, he had been through some terrible injuries and like all he had faced on the ship, he would show the Sith the meaning of hell.
Suddenly a faint blue glow illuminated the fog in the distance, causing Isaac to jump to his feet in an instant and aim his Plasma Cutter directly at the light, the survivor ready to fire rapidly at his target. Though a strange feeling did wash over him as he continued to stare at the approaching figure, he felt calm, that there was no threat from whatever approached him, though his paranoia would not let him lower his guard. The glow became more clear as it approached, Wolverine grunted as the final stretch of his recovery began to finish, the superhero looking up with Isaac to see a faint blue glow.
The strange figure finally revealed itself as the fog parted away, revealing a little green man with long ears and a smile looking at the pair. Isaac and Logan stood prepared to face this possible new threat, only for the ghost to motion with his three digit hand to sit.
"Fear not, Clarke, Howlett, harm shall not come to you."
"What are you?" The mutant asked, continuing to stare at the Force ghost.
"A guide, ensure your survival I must. For a lifetime of agony, born from misguidence, I must pay. Anakin Skywalker, a good man he once was, but that man is long gone. Replaced by evil, he has."
Isaac lowered his aim, interested in what the little man had to say, causing Wolverine to do the same, the two men taking a seat on a log next to the strange figure.
"I sense darkness within Ashley Williams, a man with a good heart, foolish in actions but valorous in spirit and courage he has become. A hero born from a simple place, and now he requires your help in saving his soul."
The two heroes of the multiverse turned towards each other and knew what he spoke of, the pair answering in unison. "The book."
"Yes. The book of the dead must not claim young Williams' soul. Failed I have before, lost a good friend in Anakin I did. Never again will I allow such a descent into darkness."
Wolverine sniffed the air, getting a lock on Ash's scent and instantly backing away a tad. "I can smell him, but something's different, his scent reeks of death. Decay even. It is as if Ash has been consumed and replaced."
"Go you must, free Ash of his demons. You both have faced such darkness, return him to the light."
The two stood up and turned towards where Ash's scent led to, the dense forest being nothing as Logan had a lock on to his location, but as the X-Man continued to march forward he noticed Isaac continuing to stare at the ghost, causing him to halt his tracking.
"How do you know I can save him? I barely escaped with my life on that ship, how can I return him to the light?"
The ghost of the Jedi Master walked forward towards Isaac before placing the end of the cane at the engineer's chest, directly over the heart. "Alone you were and survived, fought for yourself against demons you did. Now you fight for others, a strength they do not possess. Stronger you are than you think." The old hermit smacked the top of Isaac's helmet with his cane and chuckled a little before turning his back and beginning to walk into the fog.
"Wait!," Isaac shouted, causing the ghost of a fallen order to turn his attention back to the troubled man. "What do I call you?"
The Jedi master laughed before answering with a smile. "A name matters not when one is with the Force, but you may call me Yoda."
"Thank you… Yoda."
The Jedi master nodded before entering the fog once more and disappearing completely from view, the blue glow disappearing into the mist as fast as it appeared. Wolverine walked up and placed his hand on Isaac's shoulder, earning his attention.
"We have to go. Ash needs us." The engineer and mutant turned and began sprinting towards the location of the others, Logan turning towards Isaac with a slight grin to him as they made their way through the cursed forest. It seemed that Isaac needed to hear what Yoda had to say, and with it was born new courage and determination to see this to the end.
They wouldn't leave a single person behind in this hell, no one should have to endure what they had, and it would take Darth Vader taking their lives to make them not reach that task.
"We'll save you Ash, I promise." Isaac stated under his breath, the survivor of the Ishumura was ready more than ever to end this fight.
***
Chapter 7: Dark as Pitch
"No more games, Williams!" The dark lord roared as he opened his hand to use the Force on the possessed Ash, only for the Deadite to make a sinister grin before pointing and laughing.
"That won't work little Ani!" The possessed chosen one quickly leapt into the air as his opponent threw his crimson blade, the lightsaber rushing past him and slicing a tree in two as the demon landed behind the Sith, wrapping his hands around his back and lifting him in the air before throwing him into a tree. The plantlife snapped in two from the impact, the loud sound of the tumbling tree echoing throughout the forest as Ash made his way towards the downed imperial warlord.
Darth Vader quickly reacted as Ash slammed his foot into the earth, aiming for his helmet with the attack, the ground beneath his feet cracking from the sheer might of the stomp. The Sith Lord quickly retracted his lightsaber from the forest, igniting it as Ash unleashed an unholy scream at him. The master swordsman swung the corrupted blade at the descending demon, only for the possessed chosen one to dodge the attack and smile as red lightning surrounded his fist.
The demon's eyes flashed yellow as the Necronomicon flooded his veins with power, the metallic hand striking Vader across the chest, sending the fallen knight flying before he stuck the lightsaber into the ground and stopped his momentum. The Sith heavily breathed as smoke rose into the air, hatred beginning to become uncontrollable as the possessed Ash mocked him more. He danced as he laughed like a hyena within the demonic smog.
"Poor little Anakin got his feelings hurt! Shut up! Ash has lost far more than you ever could and he didn't become a monster! I can't tell if he’s foolish or if you’re straight stupid!"
"Silence!" Vader hissed with rage as the forest broke into splinters, the trees around them shattering into a million pieces, the Force parting the dense fog away as the Sith Lord’s rage was like that of a supernova. The million splinters were thrown at the possessed chosen one, only for the smiling Kandarian Demon to vanish before his very eyes.
The forest echoed with the demon's taunting laughter as Vader kept turning, attempting to lock in on his target's location.
"You had everything, you know. A loving wife, a future with two beautiful children, friends that would have loved you even if you had left the order…"
"You know not what you speak, demon!"
"You failed as a friend, a teacher, a husband, a Jedi and even a Sith. You couldn't even kill your apprentice!"
"Ahsoka Tano is dead! Long gone and buried under ruins!"
"No," the demon laughed once again before continuing. "No, far from it Skywalker. She outlives you by quite a long time…"
Visions of the future once again rushed through the fallen Jedi's mind, images of his padawan all grown up on a mysterious planet, surrounded by trees. She watched a young member of his son's new Jedi Order train as droids moved dozens of bricks to build a temple, his padawan smiling next to him as they both watched the youngling.
"You are just like your father."
No....why? Why did she still see the light within him even after attempting to kill her like so many other Jedi? Why did…it doesn't matter.
He had left that life behind a long time ago.
"WILLIAMS!"
Suddenly the Sith was sent flying by a strike to the helmet, the protective armor cracking across the right eye as he was sent flying and crashed into a boulder. The dark lord breathed heavily as he stared back with vile, yellow orbs of hatred at the smiling, possessed demon, his skin glowing red as yellow lightning danced across his biceps and golden glowing eyes stared back at the downed warlord.
Lightning surrounded his finger tips before unleashing yellow bolts of energy at the Sith, prompting Vader to quickly counter by blocking with his crimson blade. The lightsaber absorbed the energy as Ash approached, chuckling to himself as he stared at the dark lord. Darth Vader quickly lunged for his throat with his free hand, violent intent rushing through him with an aim to kill, the dark lord aiming to choke the life of the chosen one, only for a glowing, crimson barrier with runes to surround Ash's form.
A sinister grin lay on his face as he spoke with a wicked tongue. "Perhaps I should make you feel at home, Anakin. Should I turn up the temperature?"
Vader had to react quickly as suddenly, dozens of tiny meteors came down from the sky, the burning hot boulders of cosmic power slamming all around the pair, forcing the fallen Jedi to put up a barrier of his own. While each was tiny compared to most meteors, the danger stayed all the same. His vile, yellow eye turned towards Ash as he attempted to concentrate on surviving, but the hot coals of vengeance continued to stir within his very soul.
All he could do was watch as the buffoon gained the upper hand.
"Your emotions betray you, little slave from Tatooine. If you hadn't been clouded by rage perhaps you would have survived this," The demonic Ash pointed and laughed within his own barrier before continuing to speak more. "You'll be dead by dawn, little podracer!"
The possessed Ash knew not what was about to happen, but his words would mean more than he would realize as a sonic boom engulfed the area, the woods being destroyed in a single action and red light engulfing his vision as the collision of beams erupted. Darth Vader attempted to focus but the power was too much, the barrier shattering like glass and the light engulfing his form in an instant.
The Necronomicon forced everything into the demonic bubble, the power of hell protecting Ash as the smoke cleared, if anyone was going to send Willians to hell it would be them, dammit all!
The forest was now nothing but ash and cinders, leaving Ash alone… just as he always was. The chosen one turned, sensing the other's approach at a rapid rate. Those fools would try to save his soul but if the book had their way, he would be consumed by the darkness.
***
The earth beneath his feet kicked up as John sprinted faster than he had in his entire life, holding the damned book in hand as he continued forward, the thing chuckling to itself with every step. The Spartan quickly halted his run and lifted the cursed item to his face, though the Necronomicon couldn't see the emotions that lay on his face, it smiled in delight as he stared into the yellow glass of his helmet.
"If anything has happened to him when this is over, I'll shove a grenade into your wretched maw, demon."
The book of the dead chuckled before responding to the soldier. "The Chosen One will not survive this, his soul will be mine!" The demonic item smiled as John curled his free hand into a fist, this thing had tortured him for god knows how long, even here in this realm he was not free.
Recreating the very place that brought Ash ruin, took everything from him. His friends, his family, his normal life.
John 117 wrapped his other hand around the book, slightly pulling oh so very carefully, the book twitched for a second as it felt the tearing in its form. "What are you doing!? If you destroy me then you will never be able to retrieve Ash's soul!"
"Then we both have something to lose, your existence and my friend's very soul."
"Wait!" A voice cried out making John turn towards the source, seeing Wolverine and Isaac running towards him. The Spartan ceased his action in an instant, releasing the book from his grip, noticing the two were tired and beaten.
Logan's uniform has been torn to shreds across his body, blood staining what remained of the uniform, though the wounds had been sealed away, the healing factor making quick work of them. Isaac panted as he stared at the Spartan, the survivor raising his hand towards the book, gesturing to give it over.
The Master Chief quickly did so, throwing the cursed item towards him, the engineer catching it before turning towards the demon.
"You won't be able to sav-"
"Shut the fuck up!" Isaac retorted as he quickly pulled his Plasma Caster and aimed it at the damned book's wicked face, his emotions quickly rising before taking in slow breaths and calming himself. He couldn't destroy the Necronomicon Ex Mortis, without it, there was a possibility that they would lose Ash forever.
The engineer turned when he sensed Ben and Ryu approaching, the pair of warriors having a look of fear on their faces as the last Skywalker started to speak. "Ash, his soul is corrup-"
Before they could finish even explaining what was happening, Ben quickly turned around and put up a barrier, the Force wrapping around the group in unison as a wave of flames and atomic might washed over them. Ben grit his teeth as his feet dragged in the dirt, the soil being pushed back as he stood in the ground. Bones felt as if they would shatter, his muscles wanted to give out but Ben wouldn't allow it.
With a scream of determination, he put everything into the barrier, he wouldn't let a single one of them die because of his weakness! The Light Side of the Force flowed around him as his newfound power broke his limits. The devastating attack had left the area a barren wasteland, fire consumed the ruined woods as ash fell from the sky.
Ben collapsed onto the ground, heavily breathing as Ryu quickly ran over to him, a look of worry upon his face. The world warrior helped the redeemed Knight to his knees, the famous Skywalker smirk being upon his face. "Do not worry my friend… I'll be fine." The Jedi rose to his feet fully before staring into the woods. He felt… what had replaced Ash, as did the others as they all continued to stare down the destroyed pathway.
Ben quickly turned, opening his mouth to explain what had happened to Ash when Isaac charged into the woods, passing by them all. "Wait! Isaac! He isn't the same!"
"He knows," Logan interrupted, the others turning towards him. "Some ghost named Yoda told us to save Ash. I am guessing the same kind of thing happened to you?"
Ben nodded. "Then we have no time to lose." Everyone quickly charged in, following Isaac as fast as they could. There was no time to discuss details, they needed to save their friend now if they were all going to return home.
Isaac had never run faster in his entire life than he was doing right now. He huffed and wheezed, sprinting through the forest with the others hot on his heels. For the first time in Isaac’s life he was running towards the danger and not away from it.
Funny how he never was much of a religious man, but here he was, fighting off hordes of actual demons. Isaac roared out, brutally kicking a Deadite warrior out of the way and splitting another one’s head open with his laser cutter. He couldn’t see Yoda anymore, but the little alien’s presence seemed to be guiding him deeper into the forest -or at least what was left of it.
Smoke and ash fell around the band of misfits as Isaac saw Ash sitting on his knees in the middle of a crater, his eyes were wide, terrified and sad. When he heard Isaac’s boots crunching against the ruined ground, his head snapped up unnaturally and a large toothy grin spread across his face. “Hey fellas!” He called out, his eyes flashing dangerously.
Ben and Ryu stopped in their tracks, staring in horror as the overwhelming wave of darkness crashed into them like a tsunami. This was what the book did to people? They stood, frozen in fear until they saw Isaac marching slowly towards the fallen chosen one. “Isaac,” Ben said weakly. “He’s…”
Isaac turned his head for a moment, before focusing his attention back on Ash. “I know. I’m going to get him back.”
Although unaware of the darkness surrounding Ash, both Ben and Ryu could see Isaac like a beacon of light. A sense of pureness that was cutting through the cold and the dead around them until he reached Ash and dropped to his knees with his friends. “Ash, you have to fight it off.”
“He can’t hear you!” The demon-possessed man howled in delight. He made to stand but Isaac placed a firm hand on his friend’s shoulder and forced him back down. His gaze fixated on Isaac, his visage snarling. “What can you do, Clarke? You’re scared of your own fucking shadow.”
Slowly, Isaac’s gloved hand fished around in Ash’s shirt pocket before he held up Linda’s pendant. It glittered in the dim light, surrounded by the flames and the ash of the ruined forest. “I know. But he’s gonna do it for her.”
Ash stared at Linda’s pendant that dangled between Isaac’s fingers. He hesitated for a moment, the soot and the grime on his face settling as his eyes widened innocently. “Linda?” He whispered, trembling hands reaching up to grab the pendant.
He heaved, the demon snarling against his hands. “No! We won’t let you go again, Williams!”
He lurched, shuddering violently. His nose began to bleed and he shook his head. “No! No no I won’t let you fuckers win!” He grit his teeth, recalling the last time he was possessed. Pulling at the inner strength to do it one more time. One more time.
Ash let out a howl of agony before leaning back and screaming as the Book flew out of Isaac's hands and hovered menacingly above him. Eyes glowing darkly, the Book’s twisted face of flesh glowered down at him. “You can never escape us Ashley Williams, we won’t let you!”
The book suddenly snapped shut and Ash felt a weight lift off his chest. He looked around clearly, aware of Isaac gently placing the book in his hands and folding them over the cover. “You’re safe, Ash.” He said quietly. “You’re safe.”
A poor choice of words as the tender moment was cut short.
Suddenly, from beneath the earth, hands burst from the soil. Ash's eyes instantly turned towards the Necronomicon, if they could not devour his soul then no one could have them. The chosen one quickly took off his metal hand and placed it on his hip, switching it out with his chainsaw.
Master Chief placed his rifle on his back before reaching down to his hip, wrapping his hand around the hilt of his secret weapon before putting it in front of him. The Spartan was never properly trained with bladed weapons, only becoming accustomed to them as he adapted on the battlefield with the stolen Type-1 Energy Sword, but now was not the time to have such a feeling of weapon preference.
The soldier ignited the blade, a radiant glowing yellow emerged from the hilt. John stood, waiting for the others to make their move as the undead rose.
Wolverine unleashed his claws, Isaac aimed down the sights of his Plasma Caster at the undead, Ryu cracked his knuckles. Ben followed in the petty officer's footsteps, igniting his flickering crimson blade for a final charge into hell.
Ash pulled the string on the chainsaw, the tool roaring to life as the nameless Deadites fully rose. Those that had fallen in this realm, never making it home, a fate they would not meet.
With a battle cry the group charged forward, making their way through the horde as they made their way towards the ravenous point.
“We are going home." The chosen one said under his breath.
***
Chapter 8: Utter Chaos
There was a deathly silence over the vast crater where Godzilla and the Mecha-Strike Commander had been battling. Nothing moved but falling dust and rising smoke.
The earth rumbled, what seemed to be a mountain of dirt forming, lifting up ravaged trees with it. Like water, the debris parted to reveal the rising leviathan. He shook the soil off his form, revealing burns upon his body. He breathed heavily, but it was immediately clear that he was in far better shape than anything organic should be in after being at the epicenter of such a massive blast. His Burning state was gone, having barely clung to it in far better health.
And he was certainly doing better than his enemy. The machine rose to its feet, also carrying a wall of dirt up with it that fell to reveal ravaged armor and exposed wiring. One of its ears was gone, the fingers on one hand were so mutilated that they were useless, and deep cracks formed across its entire body. Steel plates fell with its rise.
The pilots were in better shape, but the living ones did not feel like it. Bulma groaned as she rubbed her head, pulling her hand away to find blood on it. Bruce Wayne did not let his pain be audible, but a continuous ringing in his ears and an ache in his skull made his fists clench around the controls. Snake Eyes was a trained soldier, but even he found himself having a hard time focusing on what was ahead. The cyborg and robot were in far better condition, but they knew this could not continue for long.
Especially as Godzilla marched forth yet again, sluggish compared to before but still in too good of a shape for any confidence to dwell in their hearts and minds.
Murphy was incredulous, mouth open silently for a moment before he found his voice. “What does it take to bring this thing down?”
“Clearly more than what we’re packing.” Replied the T-800, unhelpfully.
Miniguns roared to life, only for one to jam and detonate from the internal damage dealt to it. The laser cannons worked, but with weakened power. Only one of the sets of rocket launchers was utilized, sensors revealing that the other would likely explode in the holding pin if used.
Even this pathetic assault was enough to make Godzilla cry out in pain. The Mecha-Strike Commander took a step back as the Titan continued his march, sending a tremor throughout the construct as ravaged joints in the legs held firm with a shrieking protest.
“We can’t hold up under any more attacks, and he’s not slowing down!” The Terminator exclaimed.
“I know!” Bruce Wayne replied. “We’re just holding him off, buying as much time as we can. Once he gets close, draw the sword and go for a neck chop. If that doesn’t work, get to the escape pods and hope the others did what they needed to do.”
Spines flared with azure light, signaling a quickly charged burst of nuclear fire which severed one of the mecha’s arms. It crashed to the dirt, smoke pouring from the glowing stump. They kept up their assault, which despite the clear pain it was inflicting, seemed to actually make Godzilla approach faster.
He looked at his artificial foe with immense hatred, not just for anything it had done, but because in that silence following the cataclysmic blast, it fully sank in the abysmal nature of his situation. He was alone, separated from his home which needed him as much as he needed it, in some strange place being assaulted by such strange things. He wanted to be home, every moment spent in this hellhole only made him more and more furious.
Godzilla was within melee range. The Mecha-Strike Commander’s remaining arm went behind its back, drew its blade, and swung towards its foe’s throat. The fraction of a second between swing and connect felt like hours to the pilots.
Teeth clamped down onto the crimson saber, sending smoke pouring up from the burning gums of the alpha predator. An atomic ray soared forth from the depths of his throat, washing over the sword and overpowering it, dispersing the field containing its power and sending it out alongside the blue stream that had burned the hides of gods and devils alike.
He swept his head down diagonally, carving a gigantic gash into the machine’s torso that glowed white.
“Escape pods, now!”
“Way ahead of you!” Bulma replied as a door closed on the front of her seat, enclosing her.
The other four joined her in a moment. The Mecha-Strike Commander fell over backwards, sending the pods launching out across the landscape with white trails following them. Godzilla noticed them, but paid them little mind.
As he unleashed another atomic ray upon the downed machine, swiftly melting it, along with the ground beneath it, he was already focused on something else. That distant energy, the one that emanated throughout this whole wretched place, he knew finding it would give him exactly what he wanted. That took far greater priority than pursuing five mortals who could not do anything to him now.
A molten lake spewed smoke before him. He bellowed triumphantly once more, and then walked past the remains of his enemy and towards his destination. Towards salvation.
Miles away, five pods opened to reveal the pilots. Murphy and the T-800 got out first, unburdened by the exhaustion and pain that afflicted their comrades. They moved towards the other three pods and helped them get out.
Once they had gotten bandages around Bulma’s head to deal with the bleeding, they set out to try and meet up with the others.
Batman looked back at Godzilla. A being of immense, unrelenting power, standing over the remains of a machine built by someone, or something, that crossed universes and bridged the multiverse. A powerhouse of nuclear might. A Titan.
Most people would be awed beyond words. He had a feeling some of his comrades were choosing to push past their feelings of insignificance before it. The T-800 likely didn’t have those feelings as a machine, but Murphy and Snake-Eyes were soldiers, they knew to focus on the mission.
He himself already knew what it was to be insignificant. He fought alongside and talked with gods every day, beings who could tear him apart with him unable to do a thing. So he was not shaken too much, mentally at least. Physical pain still plagued him, and the ringing in his ears was still present.
Bulma only had one thought regarding the colossus as they moved away from him. ”Bet this would have gone way different if a Saiyan had been with me.” Then she smiled as she pictured the resulting interaction that would ensue. She could just imagine her husband’s reaction to this thing. “Wait til Vegeta hears about this,” She laughed.
***
The Stormtroopers surrounding the base felt something shift in the air. They raised their guns in anticipation. They knew not what exactly had happened, but even those as normal as them could feel that a darkness was permeating the environment.
The ground began to burst open before them, hands rising up. Dozens, hundreds of rotted hands began to emerge. “Hold!” The lead trooper commanded, waiting for them to fully be visible before opening fire. He knew his troops were shaking and terrified, but he needed to hold order, for the glory of the Empire.
The first pair of hands to emerge grasped the ground, pulling themselves up to reveal… an orange fish-man. With a bulbous head bearing yellow lips and dopey eyes that looked like a cartoon character more than an actual fish. His skin was pale and falling off in places, but it was unmistakable what he was.
The lead trooper meant to give a command to fire, but he was dumbfounded even as more fiends crawled up from behind it.
Fishstick, or more accurately, the Deadite wearing his corpse like a suit, pulled out an assault rifle. With the pulling of its trigger, several bullets punctured the lead trooper’s armor and body within, sending him to the ground with a spray of blood.
Order was swallowed by chaos instantly, as blaster bolts and bullets filled the air, along with screams of horror. The initial offender was punched full of holes by the Stormtroopers’ blasters, falling to the ground in a burning heap.
***
As Godzilla stomped towards the energy source, he felt prickling at his legs. Looking down, he saw hordes of undead, guns firing between themselves and at him. He paid little mind, not even bothering to get a proper look at them, just swinging his tail across the ground before him.
Deadites and rubble flew like paper balls, crashing to the ground and breaking apart. Rotted gore and dust spilled across the earth. He focused on the distance, seeing a great fortress. Within it was what he needed.
One of the zombies leapt into the air, cupping his hands together. They were dressed in dark clothing, white paint upon it to resemble a skeleton’s bones. Blue energy formed in his palms as they chanted something, Godzilla not quite being able to make out the specific words.
“Ha!” The corpse shouted, releasing a beam of light. In this twisted place, a nexus of realms, powers and items from differing realities had spilled in for the contenders of the wretched game held here to use for themselves. The cribbed Kamehameha’s wielder was nothing next to its true users, so when the nameless battle royale’s combatant used it, it blazed against the titan’s scales without accomplishing a thing.
An atomic ray in retaliation erased him, along with hundreds of revived warriors.
***
The mecha’s pilots saw the fortress in their sights. But the sounds they heard all around them, between them and their goal, did not give them good feelings.
“What the hell happened while we were fighting Godzilla? Are those gunshots?” Bruce Wayne questioned. They crested a hill, and found their answer.
The fortress, a flat plain between it and them. But in that empty space were hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Deadites battling each other. Guns roared as they tore into each other, swinging weapons and hurling explosives. It was pure chaos.
This realm was a battlefield, dropping people across the multiverse into one realm and forcing them into combat. Forever and ever, new warriors constantly appearing and dying, being revived and forced to battle again. Corpses and death lined this place like rocks, so when magics to revive the dead spread outwards across it, the only result was sheer pandemonium.
And in the middle of it all was the ground team, carving a bloody path of destruction towards the rendezvous point. Ben and Chief’s lightsabers whirled and flashed in the light while the others used other various and bloodied fists, chainsaws, and plasma cutters to keep fighting their way through. Hot on their heels, a whirling red maelstrom of hatred and death. Darth Vader.
“Looks like we’re running out of time,” Batman noted unhappily, lips pursed at the chaos all around him. “We’re going to have to hurry if we’re to make it before they’re killed.”
The Terminator slung his shotgun off of his back and checked how many rounds he had on his person, not looking at the Dark Knight as he spoke. “I do not register any human lifesigns from whatever those creatures are. It would be unwise to adhere to your ‘no killing’ rule.”
As much as Murphy hated to agree with the murder machine, he found himself nodding. “Yes, I believe that lethal force will be needed to make it to the exit on time. Miss Briefs, if you would stick close to me, I will-”
He stopped himself when he saw Bulma rip a gun from one of the dead and aimed down the sights carefully, before checking how much was in her clip. She locked the clip back into place and thumbed off the safety. She smirked at Murphy, shooting him a wink. “I know how to handle myself. Just get me to the portal room and I’ll have everyone home in a jiffy.”
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Snake Eyes unsheathing his swords. Batman’s hand moved down, hovering over the little glass vial he had stashed in his utility belt before his fist tightened and instead he flicked out a couple of batarangs. “Fine, but don’t fall behind. We can’t afford to waste time covering for anyone.”
Gunfire tore through Deadites en masse as the five marched towards their destination. However, it was proving too dense to carve through. Their progress was slowing down, until it ground to a halt.
Suddenly, what appeared to be a man in a decayed banana costume leapt out, firing a sniper rifle at the group. Bulma and Bruce recoiled, hiding behind Murphy and the T-800 as they took the bullets without a scratch. The two machines marched forth in sync, ignoring the sniper rifle’s ping with each shot as the Deadite Peely lacked much strategy beyond firing wildly.
The assassin from the future swung his fist out, smashing the ribcage of the costumed fiend. He grabbed the costumed zombie by the throat, crushing the costume, before lifting him up and tossing him. The law enforcer’s leg opened to reveal a compartment, which he reached into and pulled out a large gun, resembling a rifle.
It soon proved itself to be far more powerful as with its firing, filling the air with a heavy sound, a powerful explosion ripped Peely apart, alongside a crowd of other Deadites.
The two machines nodded to one another, before leading their fully organic friends through the opening they created.
***
It wasn’t long until the ground team had reached the entrance to the way home. Chief and Ben stepped up to the large metal door, carving slowly with their lightsabers as the others desperately tried to keep the hordes of pandemonium at bay with everything they had. “Can’t you cut any faster?!” Ash yelled out, blood and ichor and god knows what else splattering across his shirt as his chainsaw tore through a few unlucky warriors.
In the distance, he could see Vader’s slow and methodical approach, and he was distressingly closer than he would’ve liked. Ben grit his teeth as he kept moving his saber through the metal. “This isn’t easy to do, you know! We’re going as fast as we can!” He called back, only to blink in shock when a couple of bat-shaped devices slapped themselves on the door and then started beeping.
Chief grabbed Ben by the shoulder and practically threw them both into the others. “Down!” He yelled, and everyone flinched when an almighty explosion blew the door clean off of its weakened hinges and sent it barreling into the corridor behind. Immediately, a deafening warning klaxon started screaming in everyone’s ears.
Batman swooped down like an angel of death, batarangs flying and downing targets left and right. “Keep moving!” He barked at the ground team, ushering Bulma in first before the others started pouring in.
Ash stopped for a moment, grabbing Batman’s arm and pointing out at the still approaching sith lord. “I dunno what the fuck you plan on doing about that guy, but he’s not gonna stop until he has this book and we’re all fucking dead!”
Ryu placed a hand on Ash’s shoulder and gently pushed him towards the insides of the base. “Go then, I shall hold the line. Batman, T-800, Ben, can I trust you all to do the same? Darth Vader is an extremely powerful foe.”
The three other warriors nodded in agreement. Ryu’s hand went into his gi and clasped firmly around the buckle he had kept hidden there. The time to use the Power was right now, and he could feel it. “Everyone with me,” he said firmly. The buckle was pulled out, and the Power Coin glinted briefly in the light. “We’re ending this now.”
***
Chapter 9: Duel For Fate
Darth Vader stood before the four warriors, panting heavily. His respirator was damaged, giving him short bursts of precious oxygen before his lungs twisted inwards on themselves. His battle suit was also damaged, sparks flying from a few parts and one of the eyes on his helmet cracked. He lifted up his lightsaber, pointing it at them. “When I am through killing you, I shall rip your friends apart one by one.”
He thrust his hand out, the T-800 immediately flying towards him in the air. The assassin robot aimed his shotgun and was too slow as Vader curled his hand into a fist and crushed the Terminator. Metal and synthetic flesh bent in on itself, wires catching alight and setting the twisted wreck aflame. He flicked his hand, and the remains of the Terminator sailed into the distance.
Ryu stood in front of the dark lord defiantly, his eyes hardened. It wasn’t that he felt no sorrow for the machine, just that he knew in the midst of life-or-death combat, such emotions needed to be suppressed. Vader shook his head in disgust. “You cannot stop me, you lack the power.”
“Wrong, I have the power.” He held out the buckler towards Vader, and immediately the raw power of The Force slammed into him like nothing he had ever felt before. Vader’s eye widened in astonishment as Ryu’s feet slid apart and he thrust his hands out.
“What are you?” He questioned in astonishment.
“I am the hope you discarded so long ago, I am the answer to all living things that wish to escape this hell, I am the protector of the innocent, I am the light in the darkness, I am Ryu Hoshi of Japan! And I am a Power Ranger!”
The dinobuckler clicked into place, and lightning slammed around Ryu. “It’s morphin time!” He called out. He held out his arms, and closed his eyes. The process ordinarily took fractions of a second but due to the influence of the Zero Point, everyone saw what was happening to the World Warrior. The dirty gi turned a sparkling white, accented with a triangle. The buckler fastened itself around his belt as chest armor formed around Ryu’s shoulders and down his chest. A helmet manifested itself out of thin air, a red hawk screeching before settling on the crest and turning into the top of the helmet. Gloved fists clenched, he stamped his foot onto the ground and struck a battle pose as a tremendous explosion rocked around him and cleared the area. “Crimson Hawk Ranger!” He bellowed triumphantly.
Batman pulled a face at the transformation, his voice dripping with unhappiness. “Another one. What are the odds.”
“You’ve met someone like this before?” Ben asked curiously. He watched with astonishment as Ryu let out a sharp kiai and launched himself into the air, doing a neat frontflip before landing feet first in front of Darth Vader. He had never felt such a powerful Light in his entire life, not even when he met Rey.
“A team of similarly powered individuals.” Batman confirmed, arms folding as the fight began to truly get underway. “They were teenagers, but they fought harder and smarter than some grown men I know.”
“Why didn’t he use this power from the start?”
“That’s their way. Never use the power they were gifted unless you absolutely need it. For them, it comes a little more frequently. For Ryu?” He relaxed, just a tiny bit. Enough for Ben to notice. “Our chances of getting home just shot up dramatically. Stay sharp, Kylo Ren.”
“Ben,” He corrected quietly. Batman shot him a quizzical look and he shrugged a little. “My name’s Ben. Ben Skywalker.”
In that moment, he saw his lost son in the man standing before him. A tortured soul who had finally, finally come back to the home he always had. He nodded in respect, and slipped out the vial containing the symbiote. “Then stay focused, Ben. We could still be needed.”
With a sharp hup! The Crimson Hawk Ranger slammed his foot into Vader’s chest, sending the dark lord stumbling backwards. The Ranger sprinted forward, neatly swerving out of the way of a clumsy lightsaber swing before delivering a sharp and pinpoint blow at Vader’s ribs. The Sith Lord let out a surprised cry of pain as pain he had thought Mustafar’s lava burnt off came flooding back into his body.
“Tatsumaki Sempyukaku!” The Ranger whirled around, leg literally glowing with power as he roundhoused Vader over and over again before he landed and kept up the assault. He swept Vader’s feet out from underneath him and thrust out with his palm, sparks flying as Vader was sent tumbling head over heel across the ground.
Standing shakily to his feet, he pushed himself back to avoid Ryu’s heel slamming down on his head and brought his lightsaber up, slashing the Ranger across the chest and much to his shock, only seeing a shower of sparks and hearing a grunt of pain. Taking the offensive, Vader moved forward, slashing over and over before lifting Ryu into the air with the force and throwing him down at the ground. The Ranger rolled himself up, backflipping out of Vader’s downward thrust. He moved forward, his hand coated in raw energy and springing up into the air like a pouncing tiger. “Shoryuken!”
Ben watched in awe as Vader quite literally was sent flying through a solid concrete and steel wall and landed with a harsh crash inside an unknown room. Ryu wasted no time leaping in after Vader, somehow able to swerve in the air to dodge a computer bank being thrown at the Ranger.
Inside the room, Ryu roundhoused another terminal clean in half and closed the gap between himself and Vader, jabbing him quickly with his elbows before punching him in the gut and grabbing him by the controls on his chest and rolling back, vaulting the Sith Lord with his foot and sending him bouncing off of the wall. Ryu cupped his hands together before thrusting them out. “Hanto Hadoken!”
A great green and red ball of roaring energy surged out of the Ranger’s palms, slamming into Vader and passing by him before it turned into a screeching hawk and slammed into the back of Vader. Ryu cupped his hands together again and gathered more of his power, his hands burning with blue energy. “Shinkuu… Hadoken!”
A giant beam of energy slammed into Darth Vader, pushing him through several more walls and rooms. It ripped up the flooring and caused parts of the foundation to cave in on itself, a hole being torn open in the roof and sunlight streaming down on the Sith Lord crumpled in a heap on the floor.
He struggled to stand to his feet. Vader coughed slightly, rasping for air and feeling his suit’s life support systems working overdrive merely to keep his battered and bruised body from keeling over on the spot. In that moment, his deep connection with the Force did something unexpected, and before his eyes flashed… himself.
Himself, decked in all white. A benevolent hand reached out, his son and daughter standing proudly next to him. “What is this?”
Choices. Paths you could have taken.
Was… that the Zero Point? Was he that close to its source? Another vision swam in his mind’s eye. He was whole again, Anakin Skywalker. Padme embraced in his arms. The vision jarred slightly, of a Sith Lord Anakin Skywalker, standing over the dead body of Emperor Palpatine on the shores of Mustafar.
And there he was, on Bespin. Fighting… the Bat? No, the Bat was off elsewhere. He was fighting a man who could hold his lightsaber’s blade in the palm of his hand. A man with an S on his chest. He said it stood as a symbol of hope. Superman.
“Why are you showing me this… is this my dying vision? To see what I could have become?”
He got no answer, instead another vision. A boy he didn’t recognize, with hair shaved down to the point he was almost bald. There he was again, resplendent in a pristine black suit. Arms folded, and telling his new apprentice Starkiller about a job well done on Raxus Prime.
One more. He couldn’t recognize the location, but he recognized that he had been triumphant in some achievement. A giant, ornate sword held in his off hand while the other cradled a sword made of crystals, demonic and holy blades with incredible might.
All memories of triumph in some form. Memories of victory. Was the Zero Point mocking him? Taunting him by showing him other versions of himself that had been more successful? No. No. Darth Vader refused to accept that.
“NO!” He roared out angrily, catching the Crimson Hawk Ranger with the force mid-kick. He coughed, but felt the surge of power from the Zero Point coursing through him. He lifted Ryu high into the air, feeling a strength that he had only felt once as a boy - when he and Obi-Wan visited the planet made of pure Force. “I shall not stand by and be mocked by myself. When I am done here, I shall invade those realities so I can be the only Darth Vader triumphant! There can be ONLY ONE LORD OF THE SITH!” With a loud roar, he hurtled Ryu through the roof and out of the Collider entirely, shooting him like a meteor out into the world that was caving in on itself with raw unfiltered violence.
"No!" Ryu roared as he was thrown out of the structure, the Power Ranger being launched miles into the air before being flung away from the structure.
Darth Vader breathed heavily as he turned his attention towards the signal, seeing the rest of the ground team struggle to get the portal room door open.
Ash's eyes widened as he saw the Sith Lord standing there, the man lost in time once again turned his chainsaw on, ready for what was to come. "Hey uh, Bulma, I think you should hurry up."
"I am trying as fast as I can!" The scientist screamed as she continued to work the controls, a mix of blood and sweat coming down her brow as fear climbed at a rapid rate.
Robocop turned to see the approaching Imperial Warlord, his raspy breathing and loud metallic footsteps echoing death itself as he walked at them with fury. "Defend Ms. Briefs at all costs."
Snake Eyes took his pistol and sword out, the Ninja was ready for what lay ahead even if it cost him his life, he would get the others home. Wolverine once again revealed his Adamantium claws, the mutant snarling as he took an aggressive stance. Master Chief stood ready with the Lightsaber, the Spartan preparing for the last stand against Darth Vader. Isaac stood in the back of the group, switching to a last resort of a weapon, though the charge could take too long and cost him dearly, it was a risk the engineer was willing to take if it meant his friends could escape.
The steel around the fallen Knight crumbled like a tin can, most filling the room as the Sith approached…
***
The group charged into the facility, each of them running past the screaming Stormtroopers that were being slain by the Deadite horde. Though the Necronomicon had worked to kill Ash and his friends, the damned book ended up being a massive aid for their goal.
Blood stained the walls crimson as the fallen bodies of imperials lined the halls, the building shook as the others held back Vader from following them, concrete rubble falling from the ceiling as it cracked with every strike. They needed to hurry if they were to survive this and escape.
From the shadows a Deadite suddenly emerged in the hallway, holding a Stormtrooper around his throat with one hand, the soldier struggling to get free before his neck snapped, the body going limp before being thrown at the group of heroes. Master Chief batted away the corpse before raising his fist towards the Deadite Skull Trooper.
“We’ll get the number o-” Before the demon could finish its sentence, John had caved in its skull with a single swing, the corpse collapsing on the ground as blood sprayed on the walls and armor. More nameless combatants emerged from the shadows, the Deadites laughing as they approached, one in a Tyrannosaur Rex suit even mimicking the Tyrant Lizard King’s roar as it stared at the group.
“We don’t have time for this.” The petty officer stated as he charged forward, drawing the small horde’s attention as the others followed suit, each of them managing to push a corpse back with whatever they had on them. An undead Stormtrooper lashed out at Bulma, only for the scientist to unload a volley of bullets into it, slaying the demon instantly. The horde began to grow as they continued forward through the facility, allowing for the UNSC officer to finally make his move. As the others passed him in the hallway, the Spartan threw the last of his grenades into the corridor, landing beneath their feet unnoticed.
A large boom erupted from the explosive, the demonic horde being incinerated with a single action as well as making the weak structure collapse in on itself, concrete and steel falling to make a barrier of rubble between the living and undead.
The group pressed onward, charging straight towards the portal room. Though the others were left behind to deal with the Sith, they had faith that they would make it back to them before they escaped. “Here!,” Bulma shouted as she pointed towards a single large door which resembled a vault, a keypad on the outside requiring a series of keys to enter. “Give me some time and I can get this door open, you all have to cover me…”
That was when they noticed Darth Vader down the corridor, rubble all around him with an aura of pure uncontrollable rage surrounded him. His heavy breathing brought an atmosphere of fear and death. Bulma quickly took the butt of her rifle and slammed it into the control pad, revealing the circuits within before tossing the gun to the side. She began taking it apart, she needed to hurry, the fastest she could be in her life, it was do or die.
“Hey uh, Bulma, you should hurry up.” Ash said with fear in his voice, the metal around the corridor that surrounded Vader began to crumble like paper, his anger reaching new heights with a new goal.
"I am trying as fast as I can!" She screeched angrily, her fingers practically a blur as she began to rewire a machine she had no idea how to operate.
“Defend Ms. Briefs at all costs.” Ordered Murphy as the others quickly prepared for combat, each of them drawing their respective weapons before charging in with a battle cry. All the while Darth Vader was silent.
The Sith prepared to charge in at full speed, the Force building around him like a volcano ready to erupt, he would pass by them and kill the woman before she could reach her goal, then kill them off one by one. Without her they could not escape, they could not return to their home dimensions and warn them of the oncoming storm of the Empire.
His Empire.
As Wolverine roared with fury and charged ahead of everyone, Vader quickly turned around and grabbed the oncoming projectiles from behind with the Force, the Batarangs beeping before exploding and sending him back a bit into the oncoming Mutant. Logan swiped at the distracted Sith, only for the fallen Knight to grab him by his exposed hair and throw him backward into the wall before turning his attention towards the charging Ben Skywalker and Batman. They must have followed Ryu’s trail, taking the best route while attempting a surprise attack on him.
It would cost them their lives.
Ben roared as he leapt into the air and attempted to downward slash his target as Master Chief came charging in with his own blade, causing the Imperial Warlord to act quickly, reaching out and grabbing his grandson’s Lightsaber hilt before kicking him away, taking the weapon away from him moments before acting with precision and countering the Spartain’s own swing. The two Lightsabers clashed, causing sparks of Red and Yellow between them.
That was when he sensed it. The energy of that girl that would dare call herself a “Skywalker” surrounded the blade, her voice entering his mind as he stared into John’s visor.
“My name is Rey. Rey Skywalker.”
No!
Darth Vader quickly activated his grandson’s blade, attempting to gain the element of surprise on his foe when Logan once again came rushing past, slashing his underbelly with his claws and forcing him onto his knees for a moment, but one moment was enough. Ben's Lightsaber had dropped to the ground, deactivated.
Wolverine quickly lunged for his target's back as John continued to slam his Lightsaber downward at Vader, attempting to overpower him. Snake Eyes and Ash charged for the sides, their respective weapons pointing at the Sith's flesh, they would finish this here and now!
Or so they hoped as victory was swiftly taken away. Before they could even process what was happening, Darth Vader quickly deactivated his weapon before grabbing the Spartan by the wrist and neck and turned around with quick precision. The Force boosted his speed and power as he slammed John into Logan, the two letting out cries of anguish as they collided into each other.
The Joe charged forward with sword and pistol in hand, firing rounds as he swung his blade at the enemy, the cyborg even while heavily damaged still was faster than his Ninja's reflexes however. Simply moving out of the way with every swing, giving young Williams false hope as he attempted to force his Chainsaw into his back. The S-Mart clerk stopped in his tracks, shaking violently as the Force held him in place.
Batman charged forward, gritting his teeth with his specialized ax in hand, the custom made weapon preparing to meet Vader's skull only for the Sith to grab it mid air before simply throwing the Dark Knight into Snake Eyes. The warriors all quickly got to their feet, ready to continue the brawl… when they suddenly all froze.
"Understand this before I slaughter you all," Vader spoke. "I will gather the Super Dragon Balls, I will master the power of the Red Lantern Ring, I will rip the Phoenix Force out of Jean Grey's corpse."
Logan snarled as he attempted to move forward, his body feeling like he was at the bottom of the sea, such an immense pressure made him remember duels with Magneto, but unlike Eric, Vader couldn't keep him out of the fight for long.
"I will enslave the Deadites with the Necronomicon in hand," the Sith continued. "Your UNSC will be eradicated, your Joes will be slaughtered, each one of your universes will suffer at the hand of Lord Vader! I will become a God!"
It was this moment that the Sith had forgotten a critical part of this battle.
He had forgotten about Clarke.
Suddenly, with violent force, Vader was thrown against the wall. A scream of agony leaving him as his back burned from the blast, Isaac Clarke stood tall with his Contact Beam in hand. The engineer had been charging the weapon this entire time, almost overloading it in the process.
"I am sick and fucking tired of people playing God!"
Ringing echoed in his ears as flames covered his back, the remains of his cape burning up from the energy blast… and yet even as Vader returned to his feet, he quickly countered what was thrown at him. Almost unconscious and yet… not, his body moving on his own as visions flooded his mind once again.
Alternative paths of those before him, just as the Zero Point had showed him his own branching destinies, it would reveal theirs.
The Batman stood amongst a room of corpses, their organs covering the walls and ceiling of an orbital space station above his home world. A sinister grin and white skin lay on his face as he burst out into laughter at the thought of Superman's reaction to their friends being slaughtered like nothing.
The Mutant wore orange and black, the superhero in a simulation amongst his students, showing them how to properly face the threats of the outside world.
The Ninja had his face revealed, fighting men in black uniforms on top of a truck, knocking them down to the road as a fellow Ninja clad in white landed on the back of the vehicle to face him.
Williams stood against a lot post, a stupid smirk on his face as he attempted to flirt with a woman covered in armor with long black hair rolled over her eyes.
His accursed grandson faced the girl that dared take his name, the boy covered in armor that resembled his own as the girl continued to attack with a blue double sided Lightsaber.
The cyborg that protected the woman was covered in black armor, sleeker, faster, deadlier. Jumping onto the back of an armed suspect from a rooftop and apprehending the criminal.
John 117 stood in an odd battlefield, the Spartan being surrounded by spirits, aliens, and cyborgs alike. Weapons suddenly dropping from the sky and arming his opponents.
The World Warrior stood with an army of warriors hellbent on ending a conflict with an eldritch being, one with angelic wings surrounding a golden ball with an army of white hands floating in the sky.
The Engineer stood in a world of prisms, the survivor of the Ishumura pointing the Plasma Caster at a man in a white robe with a long beard and glowing white eyes. A bolt of lightning formed around his hand before the vision ended.
The scientist watched in awe as her husband transformed into the apex of their race, red hair covered his body as a tail swung back and forth behind his form. A white dragon of unimaginable power stood laughing as he watched the transformation, believing himself to still be higher above his opponents.
Then… he saw something horrifying. The form resembled the goliath he faced in this realm, only it wore a gigantic smile and was surrounded by Red Dust. The Demon that resembled God turning towards him as if… it saw him as well.
The visions ceased, the Sith had returned back to the conflict at hand. Only to see his opponents on the ground battered, broken and scattered. Some of them not even in sight. All fallen but the cyborg and the woman. Vader turned, seeing Bulma still working on the control panel, the scent of fear filling the room once again as he approached.
Officer Murphy stood protectively in front of Bulma, pistol raised at the approaching sith lord. Vader stopped as Murphy spoke. “Do not come any closer, Darth Vader.” He warned.
Vader regarded Robocop curiously, tilting his head up slightly. “Interesting, you appear to be more of a machine than man. Even I have more human in me.”
Murphy remained motionless, hand unwavering. “And yet you choose to kill and maim. To control the whole multiverse. I would hardly call that human.”
“Tell me, Officer, how exactly do you plan to stop me?” Thrusting out his arm, Murphy jerked back in surprise when his hand was crushed completely. “You have no weapons that can touch me,” Vader ignited his lightsaber, stalking closer and slicing off one of his arms. “You have no powers to stop me,” He cut off Robocop’s other arm. He swung with his leg, and gasped out when it too was cut off, letting him fall to the floor in a heap of wires and bleeding oil. “You have no means to stop me,” He cut off Murphy’s last leg, then aimed the blade at his neck. “And you have no life to stop me.” With a final swing, Murphy’s head was cleaved neatly from his body.
“I can.”
Vader turned around to see his grandson standing defiantly before him, hands flexing instinctively. Holding his hand out, Ben’s lightsaber swung from the ground and into the sith lord’s palm. “With this?” He mocked, tilting the lightsaber back and forth in his hand. “Childish build, amateurish design. I don’t know what the cross guards are for…”
He tossed the lightsaber into the air and with one swing of his own saber, the weapon was sliced clean in half. “But it’s worthless to you now.”
His breath shook at the sight of his lightsaber destroyed so effortlessly by his grandfather. “You’re right,” he breathed out. Despite how quiet his voice felt, it was heard loud and clear across the room. “It’s worthless to me now. The last symbol of who I used to be.”
Ben Skywalker held out his hand, closing his eyes and relaxing his senses. He reached out, through the Zero Point and into the universe beyond. Towards the one person in the whole multiverse who could help him. Rey. He whispered in his mind.
On a far away planet, in a galaxy Far Far Away, Rey looked up at the call of her name. “Ben?” She queried quietly. She looked around, half expecting to see him standing there - or a force projection of him. Instead though, she only saw the rebel base. I need your help, Rey.
Something deep inside of her told her that wherever Ben Skywalker was, it was beyond her reach. “How?” She asked in the open air.
Your lightsaber, hold it up. I’ll need your power.
She unclipped her saber, the saber of the Skywalkers, and held it up in the air. To her astonishment, it began floating upwards towards the ceiling. A soft blue glow seemed to wrap around the weapon like a snug, warm blanket. The surge of the Light nearly made her weep. “Take it,” She encouraged. “I’ll be with you, always.”
I know.
Through the stars and through the universes, a symbol of hope burned a path across the skies. A blue streak of light that raced through the cosmos, crashing between the barriers of one universe to another. In a matter of seconds, in Ben Skywalker’s hand was a new lightsaber. With a press of the ignition, a blue blade hummed into being. The Skywalker blade had finally returned to its family.
The two walked slowly towards one another, until Ben broke out into a flat out sprint and moved forward, bringing his lightsaber down to bear on his grandfather. The two sabers clashed and spit against one another, Ben shaking with exhaustion and pain, but the Force was moving through him like he hadn’t ever felt before. “Why do you deny yourself!?” He yelled over the noise, moving them around and pushing Vader away from Bulma with a shove of the force. “We can both feel it inside of you! The spark of hope!”
“Lies!” Vader boomed. He stomped forward, pushing Ben backwards with vicious blows of his own saber. He thrust out towards Bulma, only for Ben’s saber to block the attack and force him backwards. “The only spark you feel is that of fear!”
Ben parried another swing of Vader’s saber, twirling his own around and landing a glancing blow against his side. It was enough to press the advantage, kicking at his grandfather’s sternum and forcing him back. “I won’t waste this gift again!” Ben yelled back, moving forward to clash with his grandfather one more time.
Keep fighting, Ben.
Bulma screeched out in joy when the portal door finally opened. The console room was awash with colorful buttons and displays. She sprinted in and her hands shot across the controls to designate which universe everyone belonged to. The rainbow of energy and lights shrouded Ben and Vader in shadows as they kept up the brutal fight as Vader struggled towards the doorway.
Rey Skywalker’s ghostly image appeared next to Ben, guiding his hands with her own. Urging him to keep fighting as Ben's movements refined even more. She opened her mouth and even though no words came, he and Darth Vader could hear her voice. You’re almost done. Nearly home.
“Never!” Vader shrieked in anger, swinging his saber fruitlessly at the spirit of Rey. “You will never win!”
“Even if he dies, he wins.” The ghosts of the Jedi swirled around Ben Skywalker as he kept pushing his grandfather back. Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, Qui-Gon Jinn, Ashoka Tano, Luke Skywalker.
“Come on Ben!” An elderly Han Solo and Leia appeared at Ben’s side, urging their son on in the fight of his life. Vader roared in anger, and despite the damage it would inflict on his cybernetics he unleashed a chaotic bolt of Sith Lightning that slammed into Ben and had him scream out in agony.
“Your son will die by my hand and his body will be buried in the rubble of this place!” Another shock of lightning arced out, slamming into Ben’s writhing body and causing another gasping scream of pain. Bulma could only watch on helplessly as Ben struggled to stand, still blocking the entranceway.
“I know what I have to do…” He rasped out, coughing some blood out and shuddering. “But I don’t think I have the strength to do it..”
“You do, Ben.” He looked up, astonished to see the ghost of none other than Anakin Skywalker looking down at him. He crouched, gently helping his grandson to his feet. “I know this is hard, but you must do it. Do what I never could and conquer him. These are your final steps.”
With that, he faded away into the ether once again. Ben swallowed, but with a renewed energy he nodded and re-affirmed his grip on his lightsaber. Now he understood his purpose here. He understood that he wasn’t coming home. “I’ll be with you soon, Grandfather.” He promised.
With a roar of defiance, he charged at Darth Vader one final time. “BULMA!!” He shouted over the noise, pushing the demon in the image of his grandfather back with the force, sending him crashing through another wall. “Get the others, and get them home!”
“What about you!?” She called out, scrambling to the doorway and glancing around nervously.
Their eyes met. Bulma knew that look in his eyes, it was the same look Goku and Vegeta always had when a fight was going to get serious. The silent words of someone who knew he might not come back. “....Alright, but you’d better be there!”
With that, she sprinted down the corridor to find where the others had scattered. Ben spit out some blood, and moved to where Vader had been thrown. “No promises.”
***
Bruce Wayne laid in a ruined building, a piece of rubble embedded deep in his chest. Blood coated the outside of his suit. He was struggling to breath, and he knew that his internal injuries were far too serious. If he even so much as moved, he could be dead.
Batman never gave up, but now he couldn’t figure out how to win.
No, he knew what he had to do, but now he didn’t have the strength to do it.
The door wooshed open and Bulma Briefs sprinted in. She gasped out, horrified at the sight and state of the Dark Knight. She ran over, kneeling next to him and taking his hand. “Oh.. oh god…” She breathed. “Not you too, please not you too. Everyone’s dying, everyone’s dying and I can’t.. I can’t..”
Her breath caught in her throat, and tears began to stream down her face. “Please don’t die.. I can’t lose more friends..”
Batman lolled his head to one side and looked at her. His lips moved, but nothing came out. He twitched, and finally found the ability to speak. “Belt. Second pouch. On the right. Vial.”
She fumbled with his utility belt, flipping through the pouches with trembling fingers until she pulled out the vial containing the symbiote. She held it up, and he nodded. “Give it.”
Pressing the vial in his hand, she closed his fingers around it. He nodded towards the doorway. “Go, find the others.”
“I can’t just leave you here!” She hissed angrily, and was surprised when he shook his head and motioned for her to go. He held up his fist, and the message was clear that whatever it was would be used to bring him back. “Just, promise me you’ll come back. That I can get you home.”
“Promise.” Batman rasped. “Have a son. Need to save.”
The heir to the Capsule Corporation sprinted out of the room, running as fast as she could to find the others.
The detective looked at the vial and grit his teeth as he used all the strength in his arm to break the vial, glass stabbing into his palm and cutting flesh as the Symbiote lashed out. The extraterrestrial wrapped around his fingers like webbing before quickly spreading to the rest of his body. Bruce stared with wide eyes as the wounds began to close, his internal organs being repaired with swift precision better than any surgeon.
Then he heard a voice.
"We like you."
The alien forced the Dark Knight off of the destroyed metal, falling on the ground but landing with his palm. His form grew larger as the black webbing made its way to his skull. With a booming roar, the rest of the facility was alerted of his presence.
Good.
Darth Vader would pay greatly for his transgressions.
***
Bulma dashed through the hallways, adrenaline and fear rushing through her with each turn. She was unarmed and alone, if Darth Vader cornered her, she would be dead… her friends wouldn't be able to go home. She could never see her children again, she could never see Vegeta again…
No.
She could do this. Just find the others, no more suffering, this ends now!
As if some divine intervention had finally answered her call, she found them… well one of them. Isaac was against the wall, ears ringing and vision hazy as he attempted to sit up only to collapse against the wall again. "Oh thank God!," Bulma rushed over to the engineer, wrapping her hands around his face to get his attention. "Isaac, where are the others?"
"N-Nicole?"
Her eyes widened when she heard that name, only for a frown to appear on her. When he had gone on his episodes, he had called her by that name a few times, his guilt still following him even near the end of this journey.
His head suddenly stopped spinning, seeing Bulma in front of him holding his helmet with both her hands around them…just as she did around his chin. "I… I did it again didn't I?"
"Yeah…"
Isaac got back to his feet, the armored survivor standing while breathing heavily. She had held him together during this, making sure that his episodes would go down as soon as possible, an unstable wreck… and she still chose to help him.
The two nodded before running forward, Isaac taking the front. "Last I saw the Snake Eyes and Logan was down this corridor. The others should be around here… and Bulma," She looked at the last surviving member of the Ishimura rescue team, moments passing as he took a pause. "Thank you."
The scientist lit up for a second before attempting to respond, only to find what they were looking for. The two ran straight to them, the three heroes they had discovered all lay on defeated at the hands of Darth Vader. Wolverine laid on the ground, painting as the regeneration process kept working its magic, the mutant waving at the pair as they approached.
The Mutant slowly got back to his feet as Isaac quickly rushed to the one embedded in the wall, Master Chief being forced into the very steel itself with a powerful blow. John looked at the three with hazy vision, he hasn't been hit this hard in his life, it wasn't even a contest.
The Spartan attempted to remove himself, only for his strength to be gone. Reduced for what truly felt like the first time in a very long time, weak. Not having the strength to aid his comrades nor being able to defeat the Sith. His shields returned to full power as he continued to stare down, watching as Wolverine approached and popped his claws.
Bulma quickly felt for the downed Ninja's pulse, letting out a sigh of relief as she confirmed his heart beat. Snake Eyes breathed in and out, the soldier borderline unconscious. The head of Capsule Corp spoke.
"He's alive but we need to get everyone out of here now… Ben's alone.".
Wolverine quickly stabbed into the wall, his claws ripping away metal and concrete when suddenly a booming roar caught all of their attention, even managing to slightly wake up Snake Eyes.
"I hope he knows what he’s doing," Logan stated as he stared down the hallway before returning to free John from the wall. "He just unleashed something he can't put back.
Bulma thought back to the vial, Batman holding it with utmost certainty he would return to them. "What did you do Bruce?"
With the sound of bending and shearing metal, Wolverine dug his claws into the wall such that they were behind the Spartan soldier, the flat of the blades pressed against his back. With enough of the wall gone, he was able to apply the force needed to pop him out of the indent. Master Chief’s feet hit the floor with a distinct thud.
“Come on, let’s wait in the portal room. Nobody here but me is in any fighting shape, and I need to be there as a last line of defense.” Wolverine said, nobody countering him as they made their way.
“Wait… where’s Ash?” Bulma questioned as they went.
“I didn’t see what happened to him, I don’t think Vader got him though. He should still be up, he’d want us working on this as quickly as possible.” Isaac replied.
***
The chosen one stared at the corpse of his ally, Murphy had been cut into pieces by Vader without hesitation and he couldn’t do a damn thing. As Ash pushed himself against a wall to make his way into the portal room, he grit his teeth and activated his chainsaw once more, the gas supply being lower than ever but he still had to try and help Ben.
The two Skywalkers continued their clash, sparks of red and blue being sent out with each strike of their blades. The two looked into each other’s eyes with a determination to finish the conflict, the two generations of tortured souls interlocked.
“I know your future!” Ben screamed as he dodge an oncoming slash, rolling out of the way before quickly being on the defensive, his grandfather continuing to press onward. “You kill Palpatine! All for your son! There is light within you!”
Darth Vader swung once again, cutting the floor open and having steam emerge from the battleground, the Sith not wasting any time and through the distraction came in with a strong kick, landing it across Ben’s chest and sending him flying near the portal. Blood spilled out of his mouth as he laid on his back, powerless as he watched the dark lord of the Sith approach with a burning vengeance. “Perhaps in your future, but I will not be a slave to destiny any longer!”
The fallen Knight raised his arm in the air to put an end to this, when Ash had suddenly burst into the picture and aimed the chainsaw towards Vader’s hand, sparks flying as it made contact with the Sith’s hand and sliced it off with ease. Sparks flew as Darth Vader quickly turned and pushed Ash away with the force. “You.” He hissed angrily, raising his undamaged hand and crushing Ash’s only line of defense with the force before ripping it off and tossing it to the side. The S-Mart clerk looked in horror at Vader as he noticed not blood but sparks flying from the damaged limb, circuits being exposed to the outside world.
Was this what he could become? If the darkness overcame him, would he become something like Darth Vader? Fear continued to climb up Ash’s mind as all he could do was back away on the ground, the Sith taking his time with his steps. “I will make you suffer Willi-”
With blazing speed, Ryu had returned to the conflict, striking the Imperial Warlord on the temple and sending him flying into the wall with a loud boom. Rubble fell onto the ground as the Sith struggled to breath, the alarms blaring and turning the room red as the environment around them began to crumble. The World Warrior turned upward, sensing Godzilla attempting to force his way into the compound, immediately turning towards Ash.
“Go wait for the others near the controls,” Ryu said as he pointed towards the direction of the gate home. “We cannot risk him getting his hands on that damned book.”
The chosen one wished to argue against him, to say that he could help, but he was unarmed and out of options. Swallowing his pride, Ash Williams retreated near the controls.
Ben coughed up more blood as he returned to his feet, standing in a defensive position as he struggled to breath, all the more while his grandfather had only began to grow more powerful. A mix of anger, adrenaline, and the Zero Point fueling him as he dropped back to the ground before using the Force to call his Lightsaber to him, igniting it once again and preparing to face the two that stood before him… that was when they all turned, sensing something new.
It was the Bat’s life sign but something had changed, more rage, more animalistic…
Suddenly a horde of black bats entered the room from the entrance, making their way straight towards Darth Vader. The dark lord of the Sith swung at the swarm, slicing through some of them with ease, but something was different, they were almost like liquid. Their bodies became black puddles on the ground with burn marks across them.
The fallen Knight looked through the horde, narrowing down on the figure he saw in the distance, eyes and the symbol of a Bat on his chest glowing white. He sensed unfiltered rage, barbaric even…
Ryu and Ben looked in both amazement and horror at Batman’s transformation, his armor being replaced with a pitch black ooze that moved across his body, the pair realizing that the vial had been opened. His appearance was haunting, a gigantic smile with razor sharp fangs lined the mouth of the Detective, spikes sat on his shoulders, claws were revealed when he pushed his gigantic, moving cape back. The cape looked as if it was moving on its own, pieces of the Symbiote floating in the air, making the Batman look like a demon.
With only a thought, Vader pushed the horde of fake Bats away, causing them to retreat back into the Symbiote form. “It seems that we have both given into the abyss Bruce, two tortured men using it for our own gain. We are the same.”
Tendrils lashed out, wrapping themselves around the Sith, the Imperial Warlord not being able to properly counter in time. With his Lightsaber he slashed into one of them, having it burn through the Symbiote. Batman grit his fangs before simply slamming Darth Vader into the wall and floor repeatedly, forcing the Lightsaber out of his hand. “There is a difference between you and me, When we looked into the abyss, and it looked back… You blinked.”
"You merely adopted the abyss, I was born in it. Molded by it. And I conquered it!"
Flames surgered through the Sith's hand, the tendril engulfing in flame and making the Venom Symbiote bolt back, retreating to Bruce's form as the Dark Knight took to the ceiling. Sharp talons sank into steel as he charged forward towards the standing Sith.
Ryu followed suit, the Crimson Hawk Ranger charging at the front while Ben rose back to his feet and charged from the side.
Darth Vader stared at his three adversaries, quickly retrieving his weapon with the Force before placing it on his hip and with all of his might leaping into the air, startling all three heroes before he came down like an anchor. The Force sent a massive shockwave out, throwing them all back across the room.
The Imperial Warlord then turned his attention towards the portal's controls, seeing Ash Williams, standing with fear in his eyes. The fallen Knight took a stance, pulling his arm back. Lightning and flames surged from his palm, the Force making a bubble of elemental energy. It was damaging his body every time he used these forbidden powers of the dark, but with his apotheosis looming, he cared not. "I will not let a single one of you escape from this tomb!"
Ben quickly got back to his feet and charged forward, his Lightsaber ready to strike down his grandfather, only for his saber to fly out on its own and deflect Ben's own. The Jedi was forced back as the crimson blade attacked with ferocity.
Venom screamed in agony across Bruce's form, the flames burning the Symbiote and forcing it back to the host before they jumped back to survive the onslaught of power. Batman had to back away, the alien wouldn't be able to survive the elemental fury.
Quickly, Ryu took a stance familiar to the dark lord, chi surrounding his palms and forming a blue ball of energy. "Shinku…."
Darth Vader fired his charged attack, anger rising when he recognized the stance.
"Hadoken!"
The two beams clashed into each other, lightning surged across the steel as flames attempted to overcome the Power Ranger's energy. The two interlocked, staring into each other's souls as the Force and Morphing Grid's power attempted to overpower the other.
The other group arrived in time to witness the struggle of power and wills, Bulma’s mind immediately flaring with memories of Goku’s signature move as she looked at Ryu’s assault.
“Go! While I have him held back!” Ryu shouted as the coalescence of energies surged while waving back and forth, the reverse tug-of-war leaning in one direction before swinging back like a pendulum.
Wolverine considered charging at Vader, but even he had his limits regarding pain and effort, so he found himself not near his full capacity despite the outward appearance. Even despite that, he did not want to be caught in the midst of this. Ash joined them, keeping close.
Bulma raced to the controls, a vast array of buttons and wires and many other strange devices. She went to work, relying on intuition to navigate the labyrinthian controls as she set about trying to return them all home.
The building shook violently as the sound of the goliath's roar entered the room, the booming sound of mother nature's protector making every shake from the mere vibration.
The roof suddenly burst as the leviathan's hand burst into the portal room, concrete and steel flying in all directions as Godzilla reached for the unactivated portal, he was so close to home. So close to returning to his Earth, her protector would return and the planet could truly be safe.
His hand landed amidst the beam struggle, snuffing their powers out like two candles. He pulled his hand back instinctively, then moved on.
Ryu and Vader were dumbfounded. The culmination of their powers, their ultimate attacks, nothing but a moment of hesitation to the alpha titan. Vader’s bravado left for a moment, wondering if any truly could tame this beast.
Bulma Briefs had never worked so fast in her entire life. Hacking into an unknown and unfamiliar computer OS system to get a multidimensional portal running? That was new, even for her. Especially with the gigantic monster forcing itself into the room, The battle raged across the facility as the survivors huddled around her, each willing to put their life on the line so she could finish her work.
It was funny how despite literally knowing gods, she was never a religious person. Yet in those crucial moments she was praying to whatever god was listening that for once, for once no more people would die and she could finally get them all home.
A burst of color nearly blinded her as the machine boomed to life. The survivors all looked on in awe as the fabric of the universe was ripped open to create the portal home. Needles of light threading into the very being of space and time itself, energies beyond all of their comprehension weaving together to create a beautiful tapestry of power and hope.
The first to go through the portal was the monster king himself, Darth Vader barely being able to dodge the tons of rubble falling down around him, his burning hatred forcing him to continue forward even as Godzilla was pulled into the portal. The atomic beast did not even pay attention to the group, they didn't matter, they were an obstacle in his path but that didn't matter now. He was going home.
Ryu, Batman, and Ben lunged at him once more, a blur of motion and chaos ensuing.
Godzilla's form disappeared into the volley of colors, the portal labeling the home reality on the controls. Seeming to know instantly where they had originated from…
Isaac grabbed Bulma by the back of her shirt and immediately threw her into the portal without another word. The building rumbled violently as the clash between those powerful enough to fight kept going. “Everyone in!” He barked out sharply, “The machine will take you home automatically!”
Snake Eyes looked towards the others as he made his way towards the portal, making signals with his hands before giving them all a salute and jumping into the interdimensional gateway.
"What did he say?" Questioned Ash.
"He said thank you", answered John as he turned towards the group. "It was an honor serving with you all." The Spartan leapt forward, jumping into the portal. A part of him felt a bit more optimistic of the future, though he did not often show it, this group of people showed John that he still retained his humanity.
Wolverine placed a hand on Isaac's shoulder, gaining the engineer's attention. "Next time we meet I expect to see you offer me a beer." The Mutant joked as he let out a slight smirk, Isaac letting out a chuckle before responding.
"Don't worry, I'll get you a whole six pack." Logan smiled before patting him on the back and jumping into the portal, hope filling his heart knowing that if people from the multiverse could accept him and they could unite, perhaps there was hope for Mutantkind on his homeworld.
Ash approached the portal with hesitation, the book back on his hip where it belonged. Did he really want to go back? Back to where he was alone and was the only one fighting to keep the Book’s evil at bay?
Isaac placed a hand on Ash’s shoulder and gently shook it. “It’ll be alright Williams, I promise. Things will work out.”
The Chosen One gave the engineer a little smile of thanks before asking a question. "What was her name?"
Isaac paused for a moment before answering. "Nicole."
Ash nodded with an awkward smile before replying. "She had a nice name." With another gentle nudge, Ash squared his chest and straightened his back. He waved at Isaac before entering the portal, disappearing in a flash of light.
Now that was done, all Isaac had to do was wait for the others. He glanced overhead as the ceiling cracked from another ‘boom’ of power from the ensuing fight. It wasn’t long before Ryu, Ben, and the Bat all were sent spilling into the console room. Isaac lifted up his laser cutter as Darth Vader’s broken, bleeding, and battered body moved through the door.
“You three go before it’s too late.” Isaac said, backing hesitantly away from Vader. “It’s too late you big tin shit!” He called out towards the Sith Lord. “They’re all going home! You can’t touch them anymore!”
Batman grunted in disagreement, cracking his neck slightly and clenching his fists for another round. “As long as the console remains operational, then he can find us. It’ll just be a matter of time. One of us will have to stay behind and destroy it from this end, unless anyone has some explosives left.”
Isaac didn’t even have the chance to speak before he was lifted into the air by Ben along with Batman. The Jedi locked eyes with the two of them and with a solemn nod he threw them both into the portal. Isaac’s vision swam with beautiful colors and he felt his consciousness begin to fade away as he was sent through the multiverse itself.
The final thing he saw was Ben Skywalker and Ryu Hoshi destroying the portal room controls and turning to face Darth Vader one last time before he blacked out.
***
Chapter 10: Homecoming
Reality 7, Variant 3, Capsule Corp
There was a bright light and everything faded away into darkness. A million thoughts raced through Bulma Brief’s head. Did it work? Did she come home? Her eyes felt heavy. She forced herself to open them, squinting as artificial lights assaulted her vision and her head throbbed painfully. A familiar, effeminate voice waved a stick in front of her face. “I think she’s coming round now. Bulma, Bulma can you hear me?”
She could just make out the angel’s pale blue skin and when she moved it was a start to realize that she was lying down. Was she in her bedroom? “Whis?” She croaked out, slowly trying to sit up.
Whis put his hand gently on her shoulder, the effort making her lay back down. “Ah ah, not yet. You’ve had quite a nasty ride Bulma. That sort of interdimensional travel can get rather dicey. Barbaric, almost.” He sniffed haughtily, and it forced a small laugh from her. He smiled at that, clearly the intended reaction. “What do you remember?”
“I…” God it was so hard to concentrate. As if her mind was fighting her memories. “I was in another world. People forced to fight and kill one another. I had been saved… by a bat.” She didn’t bother to see Whis’s reaction, instead she forced herself to sit up. “I had friends back there. We all worked together and fought with each other. I even built a giant robot!” She laughed a little at the memories of Mecha-Strike Commander. “It looked like a giant teddy bear.”
A gruffer, lower voice spoke up. She looked up and saw Piccolo standing there, arms folded. “You’re not the only one who’s had an interesting time. I was wondering where you were, Earth was nearly destroyed by the Red Ribbon Army.” She stared at him blankly, and he let out a little laugh. “No, I couldn’t get a hold of Goku and Vegeta, so Gohan and I were able to take care of it.”
She sucked in a breath, and forced herself to her feet. Despite Whis’s protests, she stumbled for a moment before straightening herself up. “I need to get to my lab, I have work to do.”
Whis hovered around her, not stopping her but also frowning. “Are you sure that’s a good idea Bulma? Whatever do you need to go there for?”
Bulma looked the angel straight in the eye, a determined glint that he had never seen before. “I had friends that died back there, Whis. People who could still be trapped. I..” She shook her head to recompose herself. “I could rebuild a few of them, like Android 16 but there are also people who I can help. And I can build a dimensional transporter and-”
“And do nothing, Bulma.” She froze in her tracks when she realized none other than Beerus, God of Destruction was standing there in the room. She opened her mouth to apologize but he waved his hand dismissively. “Kidnapping people from my universe? Oh no, that won’t do at all. So I’ll go, bring your husband and Goku and a few others and make sure that they’ll pay. Will that do?”
She shivered a little at the tone in his voice and the feral grin on his face, but she hugged herself and nodded. “Yeah, just be safe okay? That place… that place changes people. You might not be as strong as you are here.” And her eyes narrowed. “And don’t you dare bring Trunks with you.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it. Now I’ll have to go fetch Goku before we go, I’ll leave you to your family. Whis?” Whis walked over and joined Piccolo and Beerus. With a little wave, he tapped his staff and they all disappeared in a flash of light.
Immediately, the door burst open and her beloved husband and child sprinted in. Trunks practically tackled his mother back on the bed, babbling on about how worried he was and all of that. Vegeta walked over, arms folded protectively. She smiled, bringing him in to the hug and kissing his cheek. “I’m safe.” She told him.
Wrapping his arms around his family, he nodded and kissed her head. He would be leaving soon to this strange dimension, where his wife’s kidnappers were. Until then though, he wanted to be there. Where they were safe.
—
Reality 616, Variant 1, Xavier Mansion
Logan blinked rapidly before his eyes adjusted to the light. He took a sniff of the air, and was immediately hit with the familiar scent of New York cut grass. The smell of teenagers’ sweat and pheromones in the air. He chuckled a little when he saw his teammates running up to him, patting Kitty Pryde on the back when she launched herself at him for a hug. “Hey kid, I’m alright.”
Charles wheeled over, a calm smile on his face. “I admit Logan, I was worried about you when you disappeared from the universe. I’m afraid that you might be going back to wherever you came from though.” He sighed, a frown on his face as he motioned for Logan to follow him. “Other people have disappeared, other heroes and civilians. You probably noticed that Ororo, Remy, Anna, and Betsy aren’t here.” His brow furrowed as they walked through the manor. A few students said hello to the pairing as they made their way down to the danger room. “They were taken too.”
They paused when they saw a giant widescreen TV playing various clips of the missing heroes. Black Panther, Captain America, Iron Man. There was a little scoff when the missing X-Men barely warranted a mention. Some things never changed it seemed.
Logan’s teeth grit angrily, it was bad enough that he was targeted. He could deal with that, but now they messed with his family? Hell no. “Charles, how the hell do I go back there? I’m gonna give them even more hell than ever before.”
Charles smiled thinly at Logan’s response, and simply inclined his head to follow him. As he entered the manor, Logan was practically swamped with by the kids who wanted to see their favorite P.E. teacher. He gave a rare, warm smile and patted a few of them on the head before a newfound determination washed over him. Wolverine didn’t know if any of the kids were taken, but if they were…
He was going to make sure no one survived the next visit.
—
Reality 8, Variant 2
His eyes opened wide, meeting the infinite span of space he left behind. The engineer sat within the escape pod, seeming to have not left for long since his abduction into the Zero Point.
Isaac stared out into the void, the distant stars being the only source of hope for light years, taking in a deep breath as he pressed a button on the side of the helmet, the armor piece quickly disassembled and wrapped to the back of his neck. The lone survivor of the Ishumura leaned back in his chair, continuing to take the moment of peace and quiet as a blessing.
The others had hopefully made it home, just as he did, they deserved to return to their original realities, they had all helped him reach the peace he so desperately chased after.
The man smiled as he thought of his friends, whatever horror he would face next he would have their words of compassion and encouragement to push him through the dark.
Though he still felt… threatened. The troubled man wrapped his hand around his Plasma Caster, sweat running down his brow as his heart began to beat at a rapid rate before quickly turning to his side to meet…
Nothing.
He really was safe, the demons were gone. Nicole was his everything, he could never forget her… but that didn't mean he couldn't let go… move on.
A tear ran down his cheek as he dropped his weapon, a smile going from ear to ear across his face.
"Thank you… all of you."
—
Reality 343, Variant 1
The void.
Deep space surrounded John, the stars being the only thing the Spartan could see. His armor was locked in position, a failsafe against suffocation within the vacuum, his life support being fully operational.
John stared into the abyss, pondering what was to happen next. He didn't know where he was in the galaxy, he could be lightyears away from the nearest civilization much less a ship. He had been through this time and time again, fear was not the emotional mixed in with this state of being. More so he was annoyed that he couldn't move after getting home.
Suddenly within the darkness, lights from a vessel approached. Hitting his back and displaying his form to the ship's crew, John noticed something, an image coming into his sight as he turned within the void.
The Halo broken, shards shooting off in space.
It would seem that his work was never finished.
—
Reality -616, Variant 1, Wayne Manor
Eyes opened to the glare of a window, the man laying in bed with his armor removed, an older man smiling as he witnessed him wake up.
"Master Bruce!" The older man rushed in and hugged his son, the Butler of the Wayne family holding tight onto him. "You had been gone for quite some time after the Anomaly was detected in Metropolis, we were beginning to worry. I was beginning to worry."
"It's nice to see you too Alfred." The Dark Knight smiled as he embraced his father figure before the two parted away and he rose out of his bed. The hero of Gotham walked towards a photo on his night stand, grabbing it and staring down at the framed memory of a young Jason Todd, himself, Barbara Gordon, Dick Greyson, and Alfred.
A family broken by a tragedy. It was one of the few pictures of Jason he had.
"Dark Kahn's invasion was just the beginning,” Bruce started. “This vast Multiverse we’re part of is only a small blip on the larger cosmic scale." The Symbiote moved across Bruce's back, causing Alfred to flinch as it caught his attention, the extraterrestrial parasite's gleaming white eyes staring back at the Butler.
The man prepared to defend himself as the entity formed away from Bruce, a face filled with fangs connected to a moving black tendril grinned at him unnervingly.
"Do not worry Alfred Pennyworth, I wish no harm upon you or your family."
"What are you?"
"We are Venom and we owe a debt to Bruce Wayne."
The family Butler turned back towards Bruce in total confusion. Bruce smiled apologetically. "While I was gone in this strange world, I met a lot of strange people. Some would fit into our world easily but others were quite different from what we have seen here. I even ran into a few familiar faces. One of them, a young man named Ben, showed me the truth."
"And what is that, sir?" Alfred asked as watched Bruce gently place Jason’s photo back on the mantelpiece. He watched it sadly, the memory of his loss to the clown prince of crime still being fresh within their minds as well as his resurrection and the broken mirror of his former self rampaging across the city. Killing any criminal that got in the way of his goal, falling from everything they had taught him.
"Redemption is possible even for the darkest of hearts. I will not let the sacrifice of those I fought alongside go in vain," Bruce’s voice softened as he stared at the photograph. "We need to find him and bring him back. It isn't too late…” His voice hardened, into familiar Batman tones. “But we need everyone."
A small look of surprise flashed across Alfred’s face before he nodded in determination. He moved towards the home phone next to Bruce's bed and though he wished for him to rest, he knew better than to hold The Batman back from a mission.
The two would bring together The Bat Family again if it was the last thing they would do. Dialing the first number, Alfred Pennyworth took in a slow breath. It was time for a family reunion. Jason Todd was coming home no matter what.
—
Reality 64, Variant 1
“Hey! Wake up!”
The Joe slightly moved in his sleep, shaking his head as he heard a voice call out to him.
“Snake Eyes wake up! Come on buddy, answer me!”
The Ninja opened his eyes under his helmet, his visor hiding his reaction as he saw Duke above him in the medical bay with a wide smile, his superior officer jumping as he rose up in his bed. The man quickly pat him on the shoulder, glad to see his friend once again before rushing out of the room into the corridor of the facility. “He’s awake!”
Snake Eyes prepared to stand up when Duke quickly rushed back in the room. “Woah, woah, woah, you sit down. The scans showed severe trauma to the skull and ribs, you broke a few of them where you were. You need to rest.” The Ninja simply nodded before sitting back down, turning towards the TV and seeing something quite… odd.
A news broadcast showing a battle with mechanical giants fighting an army alone, a small group facing certain death. The Ninja smirked underneath his helmet at the thoughts of his comrades within that strange dimension, the battle on display reminding him of the jaws of death that he had just escaped. Though his thought was cut off when the broadcast was cut short, one of the giants covered in red across his torso stood tall in front of a camera in some unknown location, looking like a warehouse by the structure of the room.
“My name is Optimus Prime, and I send a message to humanity. We have come in peace, surely you have seen that with the battle against Unicron’s forces. We need your help. After the battle to save your world, some of our comrades disappeared, simply vanished without a trace…”
Snake Eyes stood right back up when the mechanical being spoke, it had seen that the Imagined Order that taken more from his home universe. Images of those that vanished appeared on screen, their appearances varying from robotic animals to simply standing giants.
“We have lost our homeworld to war, there are so little of us left… please. I beg of you. Help us.”
The transmission cut, returning back to the news room and everyone confused at what had just occurred. Snake Eyes pointed towards the television, gaining Duke’s attention.
They needed to help.
—
Reality 78, Variant 2
Ash Williams woke up, in the comfort of his own bed. He breathed deeply, before letting out a sigh as he felt a massive weight lift off his chest. The sunlight poured in through closed window blinds, making him turn to avert his eyes.
He wanted to fall asleep, probably for a whole day or two. Work would call, his boss would yell, but he’d just rattle off an excuse about being sick. His eyes widened a bit. Did he still have a job? How long had he actually been gone? This alternate universe stuff could get funky with regards to time.
He didn’t care. Ash’s eyes closed, deciding that if he did lose his job, he’d find a new one. Or just reapply, S-Mart wasn’t exactly bursting at the seams with hopeful new recruits. Sleep, wonderful and peaceful.
There was a great boom in the distance. His eyes shot open, but he did not get up. “Come on, please just be a firework factory accident or something…” he muttered to himself. Another explosion, he curled his pillow up around the back of his head to block his other ear. “You gotta be fucking kidding-“
A call. A deep, echoing bellow that was distinctly organic. He shot out of bed. “Did that fucking thing follow me here!?”
He pushed his door open quickly, seeing smoke in the distance. Some great shape lurked in the distance, obscured by the buildings and smog, but he could tell it was something alive and terrifying. “Shiiiiiit!” He pulled at his hair, nearly tearing it out.
A chunk of rubble flew through the air. It crushed the front of a car, shattering the windows as metal bent in ways it shouldn’t have. There was someone in the back seat, a young child who cried out. His mother was currently pinned beneath that rubble, her arm having been resting on the hood of the vehicle.
Ash clicked his tongue, inhaling through his teeth. Without hesitation, he ran towards the car, putting his arms under the chunk of rubble and straining. He pushed it up barely, enough for the woman to pull her arm free. She rushed to the back door of the car, opening it to free her son. “Thank you, sir!” She said before running off.
Ash dropped the debris, breathing heavily. Hurtling through the fabric of space-time didn’t seem to have wiped away his exhaustion. It left him unable to run when a shadow fell over him.
He wished he was looking at Godzilla again. Or a Deadite. Anything but the blue humanoid with an insectoid head, elongated claws like a lobster’s, and piercing yellow eyes.
It laughed at him. A deep, cruel echoing laugh that chilled him to his bones.
It opened one of its thin claws, pointing it at him. Suddenly, he was enveloped in a bright light and a burst of power.
Only, it was not the Alien Baltan. It itself saw a red orb slam down onto the man’s location like a meteor. The extraterrestrial braced itself, knowing what was about to occur.
For in what was a moment in this realm, in another realm was a lengthier stretch of time.
Surrounded by waving lights, in a space with no walls, floor, or ceiling, Ash looked around in confusion. “Oh great, I'm on something. Was the air spiked over there? Would explain a hell of a lot.”
“No, Ashley Williams.” Spoke a monotone voice. It revealed itself to be a humanoid that manifested before Ash, red and white skin like rubber. Blue eyes like sapphires met his gaze. “I am Ultraman Powered. A warrior of light from Nebula M78.”
“You with the B-movie reject out there?” He pointed over his shoulder with a thumb.
“No. In fact, I have been sent to stop him. I need your help, Williams. For you see, I cannot be in combat on this planet for more than 3 minutes at a time.”
“Take your performance issues up with your doctor, not me.”
“We must fuse into one being.” Powered continued, Ash’s eyes widening. Before he could come up with a reply, “that will allow you to transform into me in order to combat Alien Baltan, alongside the other threats that gather on your world.”
“Woah woah woah, why me? And how do you know my name?”
“I am already picking up your thoughts and memories in this shared space. And in them I see that you are, despite your own thoughts, a hero. Though, I only chose you due to you demonstrating that with your rushing to save that woman.”
Ash sighed, rubbing his temple. “Damn me and my good nature.” He already knew he couldn’t say no, he himself wouldn’t allow it. “Alright, you got a deal buddy.”
—
Reality 54, Variant 14
Underground. Deep in the Earth, a vast chamber which had been in silence was abuzz with a deep breathing. Godzilla was back in his home, not just this place, but the realm he called home.
His senses were overwhelmed as a rush of activity he had grown used to tuning out and filtering hit him all at once. All the other Titans, the goings-on of Earth, the very energies of the planet. It was overstimulating for a moment, until he adjusted to normalcy.
What was apparent was a great joy just next to him. He looked over at the gargantuan egg, Mothra’s next life within and germinating. Despite her current state, she was aware of her surroundings. In that immense happiness, the alpha sensed a sorrow fading. He had not even considered the feelings of those he had left behind. A smile graced his face, before being replaced with a wince. Slowing down, his injuries finally caught up.
He got down to the floor, curling up as he closed his eyes. Nothing out of the ordinary seemed to be happening out there, so he peacefully drifted off to sleep.
A desperate call awoke him. He was no longer in pain, and his wounds had closed, but they were still fresh and liable to be reopened with violence. He had gotten rest, but not as much as he would have desired. He growled. A long slumber like in the old days did not seem to be possible in this new age.
The call came again, its source making a needle of concern pierce his mind. It was the ape, the one he had clashed with in a great battle to determine the alpha. He had won, but the beast’s unbending will and golden heart had proven he was simultaneously a fellow alpha and not a threat. So, they had parted ways, Godzilla claiming the surface while Kong claimed the underworld, two kings over the halves of the world.
For the king of the Hollow Earth to call for his help, against a great threat, it must be something tremendous. He rose, moving towards the exit of the chamber. He looked back at Mothra’s egg, vowing to ensure the world would be whole when she returned, then set out to be nature’s fierce protector once more.
—
Reality Prime
Dirty boots crunched against the dead grass of the surrounding area. A mist had settled over the remains of the forest where Lord Vader’s rampage had first started. There was still debris all over. A lone Stormtrooper cautiously made his way through the gloom, once pristine white armor coated in dried blood and mud. “Remember your training,” the Trooper told himself. As if that would help him.
The scent of blood and fear permeated even with the helmet’s minimal atmospheric filtering. There was a tension in the trooper’s shoulders, and every so often he jerked around and aimed his blaster at a bush or a knotted trunk. He knew he was being hunted.
As did the one hunting him. He had been walking for hours now, not daring to stop and rest out of fear of his own life. The last time he had stopped, what little men were left were attacked by some strange alien parasite.
He shuddered when he thought about his poor comrade, helmet smashed through as that thing wormed its way down his throat. Poor soul never stood a chance. Then he and the other two survivors had tried to find one of those shark things Lord Vader had so easily killed in an attempt to get some decent food. Although they didn’t feel the urge to eat, having any energy was better than nothing.
The damned thing killed the other two before the trooper had finally pelted it to death, and it didn’t even leave a body behind. Just a bunch of confetti and a few useless trinkets.
Was that a soft hissing noise he heard? He wheeled around, back pressed flat against a tree and he closed his eyes briefly to listen. The sound of his breathing, the beating of his heart. The soft grunts of something moving in the brush. The tapping of a claw against dead bark.
It was close. The trooper’s finger hovered on the trigger to the blaster, and his muscles tensed as he got ready to make a move. In the distance, he could see the remains of some type of vehicle lying on its side. If he could get it upright, maybe it would be enough shelter to get some sleep.
Silently he counted down to three and sprinted out. In a burst of activity and a hell of a lot more noise than he’d prefer he sprinted over to the ruined hunk of metal and practically wrenched the door open. He scrambled inside, uncaring that the car was toppled and shut the door. He pressed himself against the other side against the ground, the blaster angled up awkwardly but covering the most immediate point of entry.
Something large landed on the remains of the car and had the whole metal shell buckle slightly under its weight. The damned helmet was restricting his vision but he knew he couldn’t take it off. One second was all his hunter would need to kill him.
The door to the car slammed shut ahead of him and the weight was suddenly lifted off the car. He could hear its footsteps circling around behind him, towards the remains of the roof. Then there was silence.
Then something began tapping against the metal. Confused at first, but soon it became a gradual and deliberate process. He couldn’t angle his blaster behind himself in his awkward position but as he craned his neck up he saw the intelligent eyes of the creature looking down at him.
With a final thrust of her legs, the Velociraptor had thrust its talon through the weakened metal roof and directly into the trooper’s helmet. The trooper died instantaneously. Satisfied with her kill, she tore the metal down with her legs before grabbing the trooper by the neck and dragging the fresh carcass out and began half carrying half dragging it towards her cave.
Unbeknownst to her, there was another hunter in the woods. Active camouflage working as intended, the Predator watched silently as the beast moved back towards its lair. Yes, this would be a more worthy hunt than the other humanoid creatures in white. Clearly, these beasts’ tracking skills were superior.
It meant that he had to be careful though, lest he underestimate his quarry’s intelligence and die the way that white-clad one did. As the Predator approached the mouth of the cave he waited in case the Raptor decided to come back out to hunt. After a few moments, he slowly began to make his way deeper.
The stench of death was thick in the air. Clearly, this beast had been busy. He had seen her devour the other two troopers earlier - including eating whatever that thing was that the trooper had eaten - and now he had found her lair.
There was a strange, gargled noise from the back of the cave that gave him pause. He listened as the sounds grew louder. Distress? Was the trooper alive and resisting? Then the sickening sound of flesh and bones being ripped apart. The shoulder cannon whirred silently to life and the Predator advanced deeper towards the back.
The Raptor’s body was ripped apart from the inside out. In its place was a black, sleeker looking creature. Not dissimilar in body shape but immediately the Predator recognized what had happened. It seemed that this hunt would prove fulfilling after all. The Xenomorph Raptor turned around and hissed angrily. It could sense the Predator, even through the camo.
Disengaging, the Predator readied his melee weapon and let loose a booming war cry before charging at his newest target.
Spoiler:
