The False Apocalypse
Book 1: A New Beginning
Chapter One
Beginning of the End
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Disclaimer: I do not own any of the worlds or characters from the crossovers. If I did I would be working on them and not this. The original characters and world in the first chapter are however of my own creation.
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WARNING! - If you haven't already read the synopsis
This is a dimension hopper, an original story / Crossover Hybrid. The first couple chapters are PROLOGUE depicting the OC's universe and the events lead him do jump dimensions. This story will cover the events of Rurouni Kenshin up until the next dimensional jump. The Star Wars universe will be covered in the second book The False Apocalypse – Rise of the Guardians. This is a multiple story dimension hopper story that will accumulate main characters from multiple fandoms as it progresses.
Synopsis: A man from a doomed world makes a failed attempt at time travel and ends up a dimension hopper with no control over which dimension he will see next. Read and see the trials and tribulations leading to the creation of the Inter-Dimensional Republic!
Main characters will eventually include a couple of OC's, Kenshin Himura, Yoda, Mace Windu, Naruto Uzumaki, and frequent showings of other characters accumulated along the way. Each will play their own key roles. This is not a crack story as so many dimension hoppers are.
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-Let the Story Begin-
-Prologue-
"Fate rarely calls upon us at the moment of our choosing," a wise statement from a wise warrior (Optimus Prime). Similarly, few of our heroes have ever waited upon its call. Destiny calls those who are needed, not those who want to be. And so, destiny is forced upon our heroes' whether by the times or the conflict they come to fight.
Why them you may ask? Children dream of adventure and men dream of glory. It takes a mind with purer desires to become a true hero. It takes such a being to inspire the masses to fight for their future. No matter how great or how much is obtained, glory will fade and the adventure grow dull. Then those who dream of power must ask themselves; what good is power without a purpose? Power without purpose merely leads to a life without harmony.
So come near and listen to this tale; the tale of a man who forsaking his past and even his future, finds purpose in saving worlds he never dreamed existed. This is the story of one such hero. The story a man; once content with life, thrown deep into the misery of war and lost in worlds that should only exist in the minds of writers.
Who is this hero you might ask, a man from a world too different from your own to care, perhaps? Perhaps yet, it is similar…too similar…"
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- Planet Earth: 2 AA (After Apocalypse) -
Deep in a dim and moist cavern, covered in tattered linens and lamenting refugees; a depressed and mournful warrior leaned against a cold stone wall, exhausted by the combat of a recent raid. Covered head to toe in artificial leather, he fought to stay awake, just warm enough to keep his sanity through the horrors he had seen. He would be needed to report in soon and couldn't be caught napping. Occupying his mind with the past the young man in his mid-thirties thought back on the horrors that caused his deplorable situation.
The year was 2133 AD, and planet Earth could hardly be recognized. Over the past two years the once lush planet had become devastated by war. This was certainly not your average war. Literal billions had died, not in traditional combat, but in complete annihilation. It was a massacre the likes of which dwarfed even the horrors of the previous World Wars. Even New York City had been burned to the ground. Few survived and those who did were left with scars more horrific than a few burns. Their minds were broken and exhausted from the stress. All across the world cities burned, the landscape cratered beyond recognition.
It was difficult to believe that a mere two years ago this ravaged husk of a world was on the verge of a new technological era. The world's greatest buildings rose literal miles into the sky, surrounded by flying vehicles so advanced they could nearly touch the empty void beyond. Just in the last decade the first real efforts had been made to colonize the far reaches of the solar system. It was necessary really. Technology had come so far that wealthy humans were living past 150 years of age. Given another half century that would have likely been the average and terraforming efforts would be well underway.
Thinking of Earth's former greatness was difficult for how far it had fallen. Few knew why all this had occurred and those who knew could hardly believe it. The few dozen warriors who protected this cavern were among the few who knew the truth. In fact, it was the reason they were still alive, what few of them were left that is. Once Project Phoenix began, most special ops forces who deserted were killed as part of a resistance movement. They had little choice but to make that resistance a reality. After nearly two years of war only the best remained and that certainly wasn't many.
Globally, there have been minor attempts at rebellion with very few successful operations. The Resistance has been maintained in small cells around the world, hiding underground in communes ranging from 100 to 1000 people. None of them were connected to another in any way. The last group that tried it found themselves surrounded by an entire battalion. By our estimates there are somewhere between four and five million people left opposing this massacre. The world has become a godless wasteland devoid of truth or justice. All that remains is war and self-induced genetic plague. The death tolls have risen well above five billion, and none of them due to nuclear strikes. No they have a better less totalitarian method of destruction, more than a century of hidden technology and genetic plague touted as our salvation at the start of this God forsaken war.
What could possibly bring the world into such a state one might ask? If you could believe it, the truth was in fact quite simple to explain. When faced with an extinction level natural disaster, a group called 'The Saviors' proposed a method of out-evolving the aftermath. Whether by design or sheer bad luck their genetic serum was far closer than a plague than anything so 'Project Phoenix' was born.
As one might imagine a phoenix is a mythical creature capable of birth from its own ashes. If one can imagine human kind metaphorically reviving from destruction it is no longer difficult to grasp the concept, as asinine as it may be. They intend to wipe out humanity as we know it. How they plan to save us all by killing billions and burning our cities is simply beyond my comprehension. I can still remember the day this all started, the day our fate was sealed.
It all started on July 4th 2131, I was fitting Wedge for a cyber-suit I had developed. He was the leader of Zeta squad, a Special Forces team for the United States. Former Special Forces myself, I was the designated engineer for their team after a mental disorder rendered me 'unfit for action'. No longer a member of the operations team itself, I was responsible for developing and maintaining equipment that far surpassed anything that was public knowledge.
At first is seemed like a normal day until we got an unexpected visitor.
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-Flashback-
"Hey Wedge, come see how this fits. The new power core is quite a bit overpowered but it seems to be working." A silvery haired man called from a steel workbench at the corner of a whitewashed laboratory. It was where all the team's best equipment was developed and tested.
"Well this should be interesting. I didn't think you'd get the reactor done so fast." Although the dark haired Wedge appeared to be about the same age as the other man he was in fact nearly twenty years his senior. Modern technology truly was miraculous. Wedge was a chiseled man as were the rest of his team. His hair was short, per military standard, and dressed in a solid black cyber suit. It was all heavy duty but this new technology was poised to change that.
"You know me. You were right about the coil by the way. I swear, if you got on with the energy department we would have already mastered the production of anti-matter."
"You give yourself too little credit Alden. There's not many who could grasp half the stuff my brain comes up with."
"If only I were that creative." Alden's silver hair draped down nearly a foot beyond his neck line. Beneath the bright lights of the lab it nearly blended in with his white lab coat. Though his hair was silver as an elderly man, his body was as young and fit as any recruit. His parents had manipulated their genetics to give their line a series of dominant yet peculiar traits. Their hair was all like Alden's and their eyes as blue as frost. It was amazing how far genetic manipulation had come over the last century.
"I'm a physicist not an engineer. I'm not supposed to build this stuff. You just keep me alive while I'm on the front lines and we'll call it even." Wedge replied as he took a seemingly leather glove from the desk and fitted his fingers tightly within.
Wedge was the team Captain. A doctor in theoretical physics he paid for his education through the military but found he enjoyed the excitement of the front lines. He was more of a genius than I could ever hope to be. Together the two of us developed black ops equipment that took Zeta squad to the top. They were among the best and it filled me with pride to think I had something to do with it.
With but a thought Wedge's hand became transparent to the edge of the glove. A moment later it returned to its charcoal black pigment. A smirk adorned his face he reached for a device to measure his grip strength. With but a squeeze the two glanced at a nearby holographic display.
"Four times stronger than the last model and five times lighter. I'm impressed." Wedge commented, satisfied with the results. This could completely change the way they did business. Removing the glove and placing in back on the bench, the team Captain delivered the expected order.
"I want prototypes ready for the squad by next month. We're going to dominate at the war games."
Without warning the automatic door to the lab slid open to the sound of an antibacterial spray that misted the man who strode in. Like Alden his hair was a light silver though it flowed down to his waist and beyond. Somewhat taller and thinner this man entered like he owned the place. His confident stride did not match the square glasses that framed his face.
"What are you doing here? This is a secure facility, no unauthorized personnel!" Wedge demanded an explanation. "Guards!" He called but no answer came.
"Stand down Captain I have authorization. It's good to see you again Alden." The condescending man approached the engineer like he had known him for a long time.
"Zereth…" Alden spoke in an annoyed tone. He could hardly believe this man was here. It had been years but certainly not long enough. Never again would have been too soon with this man.
"Come now Alden, is that any way to greet your little brother?" Zereth wore a cocky smile as he took a nearby seat and made himself at home.
"I have nothing to say to you."
"So you still won't agree to my offer, pity." Clearly Zereth had expected the hostility and shrugged it off. There were clearly bigger things on his mind.
"You did enough to me."
"Oh you have no idea. Captain Wedge Pierce I believe it is? Gather your squad. You're expected in the war room at the top of the hour. I think they have a mission for you."
"Under whose authority? We're black ops and you're not even military."
"Oh believe me, it's not my order. They just told me to let you know and give you this. It does come from a bit higher than the military ranks though." Now that was perplexing. The only one that high on the food chain was The President himself. It was then that Zereth pulled a document from within his coat. Handing it to the Captain it was soon evident that the president's signature and seal adorned the document in the appropriate place.
"I'll have my team ready."
"Oh don't forget Alden. It would seem he's needed as well." The two intellects frowned with a quick glance at one another. Something simply did not add up. Not a moment later Zereth stood and turned to leave.
"It was good seeing you again Alden. I do hope we can put the past behind us." By the time anyone could have replied Zereth was already past the threshold, the door closing behind him.
"Mind explaining what the hell that was all about?" Wedge inquired, completely clueless as to how the hell someone like that got this kind of clearance.
"Believe me, if I knew he were coming I probably would have stayed home today." Alden replied, exasperated by the short incident.
"Right, and since when do you have a brother?"
"In case you couldn't tell, we don't exactly get along." They most certainly didn't. Everyone seemed to have some family member they couldn't stand. Zereth was certainly Alden's.
"I can see why. He's a prick if I've ever seen one. What the hell did he do to get this level of clearance?" It took elite qualifications to enter this building. Even the janitors had to know enough chemistry so as not to blow themselves up while cleaning a chemical spill.
"Zereth Nayel, I'm sure you've heard of him, the renowned geneticist."
"That Zereth? Well that explains a lot." It certainly did. He was one of the best known geneticists of the last thirty years. If genetics were more closely followed he would be as famous as Steven Hawking.
"You don't know the half of it."
"You're not kidding. Geneticists don't normally have the ear of The President."
"It has to have something to do with 'The Saviors,' I know it." Alden could see the perplexed look on Wedge's face and decided to explain. "Some blasted organization he tried getting me to join. Stabbed me with some syringe when I refused."
"Infection?" Wedge assumed.
"No, but it's the reason I was dropped from ops. It did something to my mind, made me unstable under combat conditions."
"I read your profile. These 'Saviors,' I wonder what they could be here for?" When Wedge's mind started running it certainly went places. Already he had thought of over twenty reasons why world leaders would need a geneticist. Few of them meant good things in the near future.
"I wish I knew, they obviously want us though so it's clearly something we can't avoid. You better get going if you're going to gather everyone in time."
"I'll see you before the meeting. Let me know if you think of anything I might want to know." Wedge said as he turned to leave. Somehow he knew this was going to be a long day.
"Will do." Out of the corner of Alden's eye his prototype armor set caught his eye. Of all the people he knew Zereth was the one he trusted least. If he had access to this lab then the prototype was not secure to his liking.
"Hmm… perhaps it's time for a test run.
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An hour passed quickly and Alden was pushing it making the war room on time. He had spent quite a bit of time equipping the new battle gear and manipulating some of its programing to make it more closely resemble his traditional lab gear. In the end he looked little different than he did in the lab. The gear was light enough that it fit neatly under his lab coat. The gloves were easily programed to become invisible such that it appeared he wore none at all. The weapons were a bit more complicated as they did not conform quite so neatly as the cloth like armor. In the end he opted to break them down and conceal them as standard equipment within the firing range. It was not as secure as he would like but he couldn't walk into the war room with live weapons.
Though Alden had promised, his attempt to ensure his prototypes were safe ensured that he was nearly the last person to enter the war room. This facility could easily seat upwards of a hundred personnel if necessary. It was currently populated with at least two thirds that number. The room was shaped as an elongated egg. A number of audience seats were positioned towards the back of the room and easily removable. Towards the front a holo-terminal had been placed where the war table usually sat. It was flanked by a number of chairs, filled by important dignitaries. Finding a seat near Wedge and the rest of the squad Alden spared a glance at his brother. Like them he seemed to be a mere spectator for the event. It was some minor relief but Alden's mind was still edge when a speaker came in.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, Artimus Marquis, President of the United States." An easily recognizable man stood in front of the terminal and announced the most important person in the room. All present stood in respect as the President approached.
"That's enough of the formalities everyone, we have an emergency." The President announced gravely. He was a middle-aged man of French genetics, with blond hair that came straight down to his ears. His business suit was effectively standard issue as it had been for the Presidency since more than two centuries ago.
"For those of you, not yet in the loop, Halley's comet will return in roughly three years' time. Unfortunately NASA has determined that its orbit has shifted. Their latest projection places the comet well within the Earth's path. In fact, every modern simulation available predicts a direct impact.
Roughly a year ago, that changed. We tried altering its orbit ourselves. That attempt failed miserably. In conjunction with the other nuclear powers the decision was made to simply blow it up and deal with the fragments. I am proud to tell you that as of yesterday we succeeded." With that announcement the room burst into applause but a few of the more scientifically mined individuals could tell that something was wrong. If the problem was solved then why gather all these prominent scientists and military personnel for a private announcement? The president raised his hands and motioned to calm everyone down.
"It is with regret however, that I say the cleanup is going to be far more difficult than anticipated. We are currently tracking the fragments. Current simulations show we will be hit by no less than thirty fragments large enough to wipe out major cities. These are Meteor Crater size events. In short, we are still looking at potential mass extinction. If just one of these impacts Yellowstone – well let's just say we're talking ice age levels of climate change regardless of the immediate damage." Silence now permeated the room. A single thought however resonated between nearly every mind involved. This didn't sound much better than a direct hit.
"Thankfully we should be able to break up most of the larger threats with further strikes. Now that everyone is up to speed. We need ideas. Even with the best case scenario we are looking at enough debris to drop global temperatures below freezing for up to five years. We need food, we need shelter and we don't have enough time to gather anywhere near enough. We need ideas people!" The President stated with urgency and the room immediately filled with chatter.
Three years was not much time to act. Yes there were contingency plans for the elite but the global economy would be wrecked for decades if not centuries. Few had time to even gather their thoughts, the few who did had very general ideas. The most advantageous involved tracking every fragment over the size of a car and evacuating the target site. They still did not manage to solve the long term problems. That was until Zereth stood and began to speak.
"I believe I may have a solution Mr. President." Adjusting his glasses as he stood, the silver haired man seemed the very essence of a scientist.
"And you are?" The President asked to know who he was talking to.
"Zereth Nayel, geneticist for The Saviors." He clarified.
"The organization that terraformed the Middle East?" Zereth nodded in response to the President's question. "Very well, I'm listening."
"Well, a few years ago I was leading a private super soldier initiative. We were manipulating the genetics of private soldiers to make them stronger, faster and the like."
"Forgive me but how exactly does this solve our problem." The President replied, not really seeing where this was going.
"If your arsenals can resolve the immediate threat of vaporizing entire continents then we can simply adapt to our new environment through genetic manipulation. We've already created plants that are taking back deserts and parts of Greenland. Doing the same for ourselves is not outside of our grasp."
"You want to alter the genetics of the entire human population?" It was an outlandish idea. Still, it's not like anyone else had something.
"Put bluntly, yes. I've created super soldiers capable of thriving in Antarctica. Reducing necessary food consumption is a simple matter."
"I like it, but can we do it in time."
"Genetic manipulation is a simple task once you know what you want. The serum already exists. With the right resources we can introduce it to the water supply within the week. The change should be complete within a month." Zereth answered with a grin. Few failed to notice that Zereth stood to profit greatly from this.
"What about side effects? Serums don't have nearly the survival rate of the full procedure." Alden asked, knowing more than his fair share of his brother's business.
"Hmm, one in three thousand I'd say. Far better than mass extinction I think." Zereth replied before the negative thought could sink in too far.
"Agreed, unless anyone has any better ideas?" The room was silent. Oh how I wish I thought of something. It was the beginning of the end.
-End flashback-
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At first I was proud, if a little skeptical of Zereth's idea. The concept itself seemed sound but I couldn't shake the feeling that something would go wrong. In the end, I was right. Once the serum had been introduced to the population everything seemed fine for the first couple weeks. People were stronger. The rates of heat exhaustion plummeted well beyond record levels. It was then that the side effects started to kick in. At first it seemed like the rejection Zereth had mentioned. When widespread mood swings started afflicting millions an investigation was ordered. Those mood swings soon turned to uncontrollable rage and violence. Most who managed to calm down were changed forever.
That was when it clicked with me. This 'serum' was a more advanced version of the syringe Zereth stuck me with. While it did what my brother promised, it also created alternate and violent personalities within anyone affected. These split personalities became more prominent and volatile around stressful situations. We soon learned that these personalities were like independent beings, like two entirely different people stuck in the same body struggling for control. They wanted control, and badly.
Nearly two months after the chaos began I approached Zereth, hoping he was working on something to get rid of these parasites. To my horror he had truly lost it. His words of madness still ring in my mind.
"Don't you see dear brother, we are the future. These bodies are ours, not theirs! We are humanity evolved. What human could understand these gifts? They don't think like we do. They're not strong like we are. Soon we will rule this world and a new age will begin! All that's left is to free our brothers from their human bonds."
It was then that I realized exactly what had happened. These other personalities were taking over and all they had to do was cause enough grief to give these personalities strength. The rage took hold in me and I tried to kill Zereth. Nothing would have pleased me more than have strangled him with my bare hands for creating this mess. But I was incomplete. Though I could feel this other thing in my mind it was faint compared to what everyone else was feeling. I didn't have the level of strength they did. He tossed me aside like a rag doll.
The next day I returned to the lab, working with Wedge and the team to come up with something. We may not have been geneticists but we were intelligent and had all the world's greatest knowledge at out fingertips. That was, until the order came down. As the plague took hold among world leaders they came to listen intently to the words of The Saviors, their creators. Project Phoenix was a go.
It was the beginning of the end.
"This is normal talk"'This represents thought'
"This represents talking in mindscape."
'This is Demon/ Summon thought'
"This is Demon Mindscape Talk"
"This is Demon/ Summon/ Gundam/ Mobile suit Talk"
-Flashback-
This is standard text in flashback
"This is talking in flashback"
'This is thought in flashback'
-End Flashback-
Chapter Notes
Yes I did break this up into two chapters. This simply seemed to be a good place to end this one. It was also proving difficult to flow into the next as well as getting too long for a single chapter.
I hope you enjoy the new opening. Chapter 2 is already here.