It was hard to believe, but it turned out that Shalla-Bal was right. Terri proved it when she tried touching her. She just saw her hand go right through and she felt nothing at all.
She asked, "Do you remember where Mephisto kept your body?"
Shalla-Bal shook her head; however, she did remember him saying that it was taken to an intergalactic graveyard.
Trake suddenly looked up and said that it was known as the Magik Domain. No one knew because nobody has ever been there personally. It was said that it was a distant universe in which a powerful ruler reigns over a mysterious junkyard of sorts. Rumor had it that a lot of black holes were created there, some of the junk was brought there by very strong cosmic pulses. No one has ever survived while being carried to this place.
"I suppose it's ironic since it doesn't seem to be magic at all," Trake thought sadly watching over his fallen comrade.
Recently Norrin came to Fennan's side and used his hands to make him breathe again but remain unconscious. According to the analysis, Trake and Reed concluded the Magik Domain was six light years south from where the group last visited. They wasted no time heading to the space graveyard.
When the mothership arrived a few hours later, Trake immediately shown Reed and the others an amazing surprise. The FantastiCar looked the same, but, from the exterior, it was different. Half of the day and night crews had remade the body so it could be able to travel in space. The group, in astonishment, can now use it to look for Shalla-Bal's body. They only went by themselves because Norrin was certain that he couldn't proceed in the other galaxy, since he was still in exile. He stayed with Trake and Shalla-Bal while they set off with the new FantastiCar and the AstroWing.
They were approaching unknown territory and then enemies started attacking them from everywhere. They were in large groups but they were lightning fast. The team managed to press on and saw a lot of space trash. Some were entire vessels, others were small parts of them. They all looked abandoned and destroyed. It was depressing like a cemetery, instead of tombstones there were ships engraved with their names and skeletons were seen inside them.
Just then meteors came toward the quintet along with a few asteroids. They realized the legends were true, since the ruler was defending his graveyard from intruders. After long bouts with the space rocks and some tricky pathways, they finally made it to the heart of the graveyard.
They could see stars from miles around. Red ones, yellow, blue, white, big and small, even red giants, neutron stars, and white dwarfs. The five grew in awe at their surroundings. Just as they saw Shalla-Bal's lifeless body inside a small glass jar. They heard a deep digital two-toned voice that said he cannot allow them to go any further.
A man with black short hair, a pale blue face, and a long dark blue and red cape emerged holding Shalla-Bal's prison. "This is what you came for, isn't it?" he said. "You've come to the right place, to be demolished just like many of the other ships that came here." Then in astonishment, he declared to keep the AstroWing and the FantastiCar since he was interested on adding the Fantastic Five to his collection.
"Such a pity that you must go down," he sighed.
He spread out his hands and an enormous volley of missiles and lasers shot out toward the team. The two vessels split up. Terri evaded some of the melee and shot at the oncoming missiles. The FantastiCar was protected by Sue's force field. Reed and Johnny fended off the onslaught, while Ben skillfully piloted his vessel. Then behind them, a short volley of honing missiles soared toward them. They've tried to avoid them but they were always being chased so they took turns wiping out every missile on their tails. Few of the missiles hit the ruler. They took a few hits but eventually the area was clear.
The ruler was impressed but then turned alert shortly as he changed into a humongous suit of armor built with every bomb and gun made from the universe. Once again they were in combat. Their wings were severely damaged and the weaponry he had was infinite. After a painstaking, brutal assault they stopped shooting.
"Intrigued...I'm no match for you...I admit defeat."
He turned away and Johnny chirped that he was lying through his teeth, if he had any. He immediately turned back and hollered. "You're not as stupid as you look!"
He spread out his arms again and his body started to glow and collapse into itself. Reed and the others gasped as they realized what was happening. They heard a whooshing sound growing louder every second and the stars were being sucked into the ruler of the graveyard.
Reed ordered to turn their tails and run as the unthinkable was occurring. He was transforming into a black hole! He was sacrificing his own life to take in the entire universe. He became the singularity as the two vessels escaped with their lives after Reed snatched Shalla-Bal's body with a grappling hook.
The five were unsure they were going to escape since the wings were mangled and the fuel was running out. The black hole was closing in fast as they made their way to the mothership. From there, Trake ordered the crew to take the two ships in before they and Shalla-Bal get sucked in. It shot a tractor beam which pulled them in quickly. Norrin aided using his board.
The FantastiCar and the AstroWing materialized inside the parking zone along with Shalla-Bal's encased body. The mothership turned and at warp speed flew away from the black hole. The group sighed with relief after some long breaths and slowly came out, opened the container, and carried the body to the room where Fennan, Norrin, and Trake waited for them.
The body was laid on a bed beside Fennan. In a scared voice, Shalla-Bal hopes that she can reunite with her battered body. She climbed onto the bed and laid back into her body. The soul disappeared and Norrin put his hand on her heart.
"Come on, Shalla, you can make it..." he whispered.
He closed his eyes and a few minutes later, there was a light breathing and a pulse. He squeezed her hand and then she returned the pressure as she opened her eyes. He embraced her and Fennan was awakened too. He looked at his hands and realized he was alive again.
The gang giggled and Fennan muttered. "Another family reunited." He tried to give his half-brother's attention but he was still holding Shalla-Bal close to him. "I think we should leave these two alone." he said.
They left and Norrin, for the first time, broke into tears. Shalla-Bal asked if he was okay and said soothing words as she stroked him. He promised that he'll never leave her side again.
The mothership headed home as the two caught up and embraced each other once more.
Back where they started, at the Arctic Circle, Trake just got a message somewhere from deep space. He told Norrin and the others the news. "You know, I think your the first extraterrestrial to go off exile early for good behavior."
Terri shocked said. "Good behavior?"
"That's what I'm calling it, if you got a problem with that call somebody who cares."
She laughed as she repeated herself but shortly fell to depression. "Well, then I guess there's one problem left."
Johnny asked and she answered. "How much I'm going to miss him."
He assured that it isn't the Dark Ages, they'll still see each other...someday.
Norrin thanked everyone and that he would owe them all his life.
Terri said, "A life is never owed when saved out of friendship." She shook his hand firmly and slowly before he and Shalla-Bal got on his board and left with the mothership.
The group along with Alicia, John Myers, and Frankie cheered as they watched them leave to Zenn-La.
Love sure conquered all boundaries. Aliens and mankind both its best and its worst accomplished the mission. Every evening they would look at the stars together and wonder when the one they loved will finally return.
A/N: Finally, it's done. Like I kept saying, it's an old story and it's not entirely my best work. However, if you loyal viewers happen to like this, then kudos to you. I was disappointed that the Mister Sinister look-a-alike turned out to be some kind of mega mech in the game. So I decided to make him seem different. By canon, I don't think he's the same as the one from the X-Men series. Again, some things were ripped off from Disturbia and Star Fox, mostly 64. I hope the Fantastic Four did see Norrin and the Zenn-Lavians a second time as allies.
So another story over and done with. What'll be next? I guess it depends on what the future will bring. See you all next time!
