A/N: This story implements universes and characters from both my other fanstories and from various franchises. None of them are mine; this story is a nonprofit work that gratefully borrows from the rightful and respective owners.
Now that is out of the way, it is time to let everything unfold as it will, but not before introducing the story thus far...
Darkness falls, and a light shines on the stage.
Ω
A man sat in a simple lawn chair, reading a book aloud to himself. On the surface, there appeared to be nothing out of the ordinary about him. His clothes were nondescript, and there was no sign at all of what lurked underneath. There was only a strange glint in his eyes, one that hinted at something beyond his exterior.
Deep within Sleeper, watching the outside world with eyes he didn't control, a man sobbed to himself. He raged at the dark force that bound him, stripped him of his will, but it was as useless as draining an ocean with a dropper. Despite it, however, he pushed on, clinging on to that last sliver of hope within his soul.
Please, he whimpered. Please, you don't have to keep me like this. Just leave me or kill me, I don't care anymore.
Another voice chuckled, the sound dragging across the back of the man's mind like a rusty blade.
Death would be a kindness to you, it rumbled, its voice as deep as hate itself. No, you are needed where I am going. I need a body if I wish to further my plans, as well as someone to torment. You suffice for both, insect. Be grateful you will not be required for as long as your predecessors had been. The Kryptonian's presence has forced me to accelerate things. For too long I have been here, recuperating from my being cast from my own world. The time has come to truly regain what I have lost.
The man's body snapped the book shut, then rose to its feet, guided along by the dark presence like a marionette. The man struggled against the presence's control, trying to move of his own accord, but it was utterly futile.
Please, continue, the voice said, a hint of amusement lining its words. It will give me great pleasure to see your will break like the others before you.
Why are you doing this? the man asked. Why do such terrible things to the people in your territory? Why take me over and make me into a puppet, just like all your other victims?
Why? Is not the answer clear? I enjoy this, insect. I am incomplete when there is no one to torment, to rule over and terrorize. It is why I seek for the antithesis to life itself.
What, that's it? You just want to kill everyone?
The voice chuckled again, scraping at the edges of the man's consciousness, gnawing away at his soul. For the briefest of moments, he swore he felt something beyond the presence, but dismissed the thought. The alternative was too horrifying to comprehend.
I do not wish for everything to meet with death, it said. Death is but the negation of life, the end of it. No, I seek for something else. Life is not just the existence of living things. It is freedom. Choice. The ability to control and decide your own destiny, to carve out an identity for yourself. It is a disgusting, chaotic thing, and I will turn it upon itself and make it mine. I will corrupt life itself, steal away its soul and make it part of me for all eternity.
The man found himself lurching forward, moving against his own volition. He exited the drab stone room that were his quarters and prison, making for the vast courtyard within. It was nighttime outside, and the Moon was nowhere to be seen. The blackness of the night was overwhelming, deadening the colors he managed to see.
Everything in Creation has an opposite, a yin to a yang. Order and Chaos. Beginning and End. Life, and Anti-Life.
Something flickered before him, like a swirl of concentric rings, then solidified into something else. It was like a vast starry field had been revealed through the circle cut into the air, laying bare an entire universe beyond the one he knew. As the moments passed, however, he realized that they weren't stars. They were Earths.
Infinite Earths.
There are places I must go to, the voice said. Armies to build, allies to make. It will take time, but time is one of the few things I have in overabundance. Soon, everyone will know there was a time when the old gods died.
The man moved forward, screaming inwardly at the sight before him, and stepped through.
Soon, all will be Darkseid.
==/*\==
Chichi-jima, (E)Earth, Five Years Later
"Why am I here again?"
Ritsuko Akagi looked up from her computer console, frowning slightly at the slight boy sitting in the corner of the room. "Security reasons, mainly. Remember what happened last time someone between universes?"
Shinji Ikari sighed, his eyes trailing to the nearby window. A lush beach could be seen past the low-lying sprawl of bunkers and equipment, with turquoise waters lapping gently at white sands. What caught his attention the most, however, was the gigantic monster peacefully sleeping beneath the waves, its massive form easily visible even from his vantage point some half-kilometer away.
"You got me there," he admitted. "It does make me wonder why you want to do it again, though."
"Godzilla's arrival and the revelation of another Earth very different from ours, despite being extremely chaotic, did work out for the best," Ritsuko replied. "If it weren't for that, we'd all probably be a great puddle of LCL right now, or worse." She turned back to the computer console, her fingers dancing over the keyboard. "There are risks involved, but there could be great benefits as well, especially with what we learned from the Leliel entity. I'm sure you read the papers Dr. Ontonashi wrote about it last month."
"Mom made sure of that," Shinji said, absentmindedly playing with his thumbs. "It's so... different having her around now, but it's a good different. Why couldn't she come with me to this spot? Or Misato?"
"Well, Misato's on the other Earth right now, giving lectures to EDF personnel and nagging for better trade agreements, if I recall correctly. As for your mother, this is supposed to be secret until we can determine that the public can know about it, and she wasn't cleared. Considering what happened last time she was involved in a secret project..."
Shinji sighed again. "Okay, then. How much longer do I have to be here? Asuka and I have a movie night planned."
Ritsuko paused, a coy smile on her face. "A bit anxious, hmm?"
"W-well, I mean..." Shinji stammered, his cheeks blushing a bright red. He stopped himself, took a deep breath, then continued. "I just don't want to miss out on it."
"Don't worry, you'll be able to leave soon enough; we're starting small today." Ritsuko rose from her seat, looking over the half-dozen technicians in front of her. "Status on the singularity generator."
"We're green," one replied. "Kerr generators are primed."
Ritsuko nodded. "Commence with two millisecond pulses, then work up to a full second of sustained tunneling."
"Yes, ma'am."
Half a kilometer away, a complicated-looking piece of machinery whirred to life. There was a low sound, one more felt than heard, and Shinji could see a small black sphere flicker into life, if only for the briefest of moments. A few seconds passed, and there was another flicker, more lasting than before. The cycle repeated, each appearance more lasting, and Shinji could see the strange interplay of light within the warped spacetime over the bay.
Then there was a flash of light, bright enough to leave a violet afterimage in Shinji's eyes, followed by a deafening crash that rattled the foundations of the building. The rumbling died down slowly, giving way to silence.
"Status report!" Ritsuko barked.
"The wormhole's closed," one of the technicians replied, rubbing his eyes. "Close range scanners are downed, most likely a short range EMP. We reroute some connections to get the cameras working again."
"There's no need," Ritsuko said numbly, her eyes fixated on a point on the beach. "We already know what came across."
Shinji blinked a few times, then followed the faux blonde's line of sight, his breath catching when he realized what had landed in the bay.
Some massive thing stood in the bay, towering over the nearby buildings and trees. Its appearance was much like that if a tortoise or turtle, if they could grow to be eighty meters tall, and stood on two trunk-like legs tipped with clawed toes. The head was decidedly more bestial, with a pair of massive tusks protruding from the lower jaw, yet there was something wise behind the creature's unusually large eyes.
It was wounded, grievously so. Bright green blood trickled from large gashes on its throat and chest, the creature's right arm had been unevenly severed at the elbow, as though something had managed to blast it off. Something glinted white from the stump in the afternoon sun, and Shinji realized it was a jagged piece of bone.
The creature surveyed its surroundings, taking in deep and ragged breaths. It wobbled slightly, as though it would fall at any moment, but Shinji could sense the aura of strength about the thing that refused to let it do so. Broken, but unbowed.
"Another kaiju," Ritsuko said. It was more of a statement than anything else, considering previous circumstances. "Shinji, you should head out to investigate. Be careful; it looks pretty roughed up, but there's no telling what it could do."
"Right." Shinji rose from his seat, taking a deep breath. There was a brief flash of light, and suddenly he was clad in his armor again. It was strange, wearing it without his old companion offering guidance, but he brushed it aside as he made for the door.
The sound of thousands of gallons of seawater sloshing about reached his ears, and he realized he had to hurry.
Godzilla had woken up.
Stepping outside, Shinji took to the air at full speed, rocketing towards the bay. Godzilla was already rising from beneath the waves, titanic amounts of seawater cascading off his charcoal scales as he did so. His fiery orange eyes briefly noted Shinji as the boy flew beside him, then locked on the wounded kaiju standing nearby. The turtle-like creature did the same, clenching its remaining fist as it prepared for a possible fight.
There was a pregnant pause as the two titans squared off. A low growl escaped Godzilla's throat as he studied the wounded creature, then he took a tentative step forward, the deep waters of the lagoon only coming up to his thighs. The turtle-like kaiju did the same, shifting slightly to the left, towards the open ocean. Trying to escape, perhaps?
Shinji landed on the beach, sand crunching beneath his still human-sized metal boots. He watched the two kaiju stare at each other, waiting. If a fight did break out, then it would be for the best if he tried to help Godzilla move it away from the technicians back at the base. Until then, however, he would simply stand on the sidelines; there was no point in size-shifting if it would only worsen the situation. Folding his arms, he began to wait.
Something surprising happened. Godzilla called out at the creature, and it responded in kind. Unlike the bass shriek of the nuclear leviathan, the new kaiju's roar sounded almost like the bellowing of an elephant. A few more vocalizations were traded between the two, then Godzilla visibly relaxed, his shoulders sagging. The turtle-like kaiju did the same, gently kneeling into the water.
Looks like they talked it out, Shinji thought to himself. Never expected Godzilla to do that.
Something else caught his eye. A few small shapes were paddling towards his general direction, and Shinji realized they were actually a trio of people. Looking closer, he saw that they had swords on their back, trailing behind them as they swam. One of them was swimming foremost to the others, occasionally helping them to stay afloat.
The seeming leader of the group reached the shore first, crawling onto the pristine white sands and rolling onto his back. The others followed suit, panting as they collapsed to the ground. It was then that Shinji decided to head over to investigate, the ground flitting beneath him as he floated towards the small group.
The leader spotted him first. Willing himself upright, he reached for a sword and pointed it at Shinji, still panting heavily.
"Stay back," he growled in perfect Japanese. "No closer."
Shinji lowered to the ground, his hands raised in the universal gesture of peace. With a thought, he willed his helmet to retract, allowing them to see his face. "It's alright. You can trust me."
The leader said nothing, but Shinji could see his sword lower a fraction of an inch. He turned to the prone forms of his comrades, then to the turtle-like kaiju. Sighing, he turned back to Shinji. "I have a feeling we'd be dead if you wanted us to be."
Shinji stepped closer, kneeling down as to look the man in the eyes. "What happened to you? Why are you here?"
The man's expression didn't change from its almost bored look, but Shinji could see something shift behind his eyes. "It was going so well at first. Gamera-" he gestured to the turtle-like kaiju "-was pushing them back. Winning. Eren helped as well, once he learned to control himself. For the first time in forever, things were looking good. We were even starting to live in Wall Maria again, and there were talks about a push to the outside." He sighed. "Then they came."
"Who?"
"T-they came from the sky," another voice said.
Turning, Shinji saw that one of the others had risen to a sitting position. His blond hair was long and wet with seawater, covering half his face, but Shinji could see the wide eyes behind it. There was a look of unadulterated fear in them, one that made Shinji grow suddenly uneasy.
"T-they came out of nowhere," the boy continued, rocking back and forth gently. "Monsters. Men. Things that were neither. They came to our land and unmade it all, taking apart everything we had done. They shattered the walls and flooded in with their army, burning everything in sight. Anyone that wasn't slaughtered was either enslaved or transformed into more monsters. Gamera tried to fight them off, but even he couldn't do it, not with him leading the monsters in."
"Who are you talking about?" Shinji asked, feeling a knot tighten in his gut.
The boy looked straight through him, a far-away glint in his eyes.
"The stone man," he hissed. "The stone man with the red eyes. H-he's coming for us. He's coming for us all."
Ω
Dramatis Personae
The Forces of Evil
He that is Uxas, the Sleeper, the Tiger-Force at the heart of Creation... DARKSEID
...His vast army of Kaiju, Titans, Parademons, and other assorted dark creatures.
Barachiel; Primarch of the Eleventh Legion, The Coming Storm
...Countless Chaos Marines, Daemons, Titans, and other horrific weapons of war
...His flagship, The World Maelstrom
Visser Three; Architect of the Yeerk Invasion of Earth
...An assortment of Human, Taxxon, and Hork-Bajir Controllers.
...The Blade Ship
The White Woman; the forbidden union of Knowledge and Life
Countless more
The Forces of Good
Taylor Hebert; The Last Daughter of Krypton
...Amy Dallon-Hebert; the powerful biokinetic known as Panacea
...Colin Wallis; the Batman
...Tess Theresa Ricter; the AI known as Dragon
Shinji Ikari; former host to the being known as Zone Fighter
...Godzilla; King of the Monsters
...Junior, his son
...Anguirus, Mothra, and Rodan; his companions
Gamera; the Guardian of the Universe
...Armin Alrert; his human link
...Eren Yeager; the Rogue Titan
...Levi Ackerman; Humanity's Strongest
Atvar; Viceroy of the Race on Tosev Three
...Kirel; his second in command
...Wallafess; a disgruntled Rabotev troopmale
...Harpanet; Advisor to the Herdmaster
...Assorted members of the Race Conquest Fleet and Thuktun Flishithy
Yama; the Deathgod
...His wondrous inventions
Louis Wu; a Flatlander
...Speaker-To-Animals, a Kzinti
...Nessus; a Pierson's Puppeteer
...Their ship; the Lying Bastard
Jake, Cassie, Marco, Rachel, Tobias, and Ax; the Animorphs
...Toby Hamee; Seer of the Free Hork-Bajir
Bjorn the Fell-Handed; a grumpy old man
You have been reading:
CRISIS, Prologue
The end-times have come for all that is, was, and will be. The battle for mankind's soul has begun.
