[AN]
To anyone who is still reading this, Hello, and sorry it has been so long.
Well what can I say. i havent given up with this story. I do plan to finish it. I really do.
Life has been and gone in a lot of strange directions since my last update and it has taken me a while to... recover would be the word. I hope that I can now finish this story to everyones satisfaction.
So here we go, when last we left our Heroes, they had just become guardians of the local nexus points and learned why Kate and peter were in Beacon Hills.
On with the story.
[/AN]
Chapter 11 - Into the valley of Death rode the six hundred:
The alarm klaxons sounded throughout the Wolf Lair, lights flashed and startled Werewolves ran back and forward arming themselves and entering a defensive position around the lair to protect it from any on coming attack. Everyone scrambled to a high alert status anticipating the worst. Melissa, following the protocols she had been shown, ran to the wine cellar and pressed the bottles in the wine rack on the back wall, the lock clicked and swung open; she was about to enter the lift when Marcus and Callum caught up with her.
"You seem to have a fair idea of what's going on here, lass." Callum said.
Melissa paused, they had purposely not show the under lair to the wolves that had come as it was their inner den, as Damion had described it their 'Sanctum Sanctorum', which had made Stiles and Scott laugh at some geek reference. Instead they had limited all their meetings and demonstrations to the upper house. Taking a half second to decide she nodded. "Yes, those are the alarms from the monitoring net that we have set up. If you come with me we can see what the alarms mean." She indicated the lift and the three of them entered and Melissa pushed the down button.
As the lift dropped down the shaft the red glow of the alert light that filled the cabin every so often would flair of the wolves' eyes.
"We realise the brevity of the situation if you are inviting us to your inner den." Marcus told Melissa.
"Damion told me when the alarms go of like this that something big was happening. You need to know what's going on so you can organise, so it was quicker just to get you to come down." Melissa told them as she pushed a loose lock of hair behind her ear. "With all the others having run of on another crisis it just makes sense."
Marcus and Callum nodded and both turned as the bell binged and the door opened. As the doors opened they were greeted with a sonorous toning bell that sounded like it had been taken from a church. The central area where the tower of computing and sensor arrays that dominated the space was now a frenetic blaze of flashing and humming as it tried to analyse what was happening. The holo-tank above it was full of graphs and figures and calculations that swamped the display field.
Melissa bypassed that and led the other two down the stairs and into the war room. She went to the main console and entered the sequences that she had been shown to get an assessment of what was going on. The main screen cleared of the alert messages and a widescreen external shoots filled the screen and they could see the disturbance that was centring over the far side of the preserve. The storm clouds were illuminated by the lightning storm that was scorching the earth below it. An overhead satellite map was also show and it displayed what looked like a cyclone system centred over the preserve area.
Melissa reached for her cell and turning from the screen she dialled a number and when it was answered on the first ring she spoke with a rushed tone she spoke into it. "It's started." She told Stan on the other end.
"Shit… Understood." Stan replied.
Melissa made a noise of agreement and then a rushed. "Be careful Stan." Then they ended the call.
Marcus and Callum were watching the displays. "It's like it's pounding the area around where the lay lines cross, you better tell Merlin and his Knight." Callum said.
The phone rang and Melissa checked the caller display before she picked it up. "Speak of the devil. Derek it's started." She told Derek and then she listened to him as he filled her in, giving affirmative to several points. She hung up and turned back to Marcus and Callum. "They had an insurgence of turned hunters at the School. There was some sort of local guardian of the nexus there and they killed her to stop her interfering with whatever they are planning. They're on the way back now."
Marcus nodded. "We need to make sure the defensive perimeter is set and get the final preparations made."
Melissa nodded to the pair and they headed back towards the stairs. She turned and looked at the screens showing the oncoming devastation. "Oh Scott… please be ok in this." She said to herself.
..oo00OO00oo..
Peter stood on the bluff overlooking the valley that was being blitzed by the lightning, behind him were the combined forces waiting for their moment to deploy. The Lightning storm was the first step in clearing the way for the temple, once it had died down and they had achieved interface then he would release their forces into the temple and the remains of the valley to secure it and prepare for the counter attack that he knew was coming from the Hale pack.
Kate stood beside Peter with her hands outstretched, the blue crystal floated above her hands turning slowly as golden glyphs appeared inside the different facets and then disappeared. "I love the feeling that comes with fresh decimation." She told Peter who smiled in return, Kate was like the high priestess and he was the high priest waiting to give benediction to their gods.
Off to the side there was movement and the honour guard that surrounded the pair snapped to alert and pointed their weapons at the area, even when the twelve men that had been sent to kill the guardian appeared they kept their weapons trained on them till Peter indicated that they should lower them.
The lead trooper came forward and took to his knee in front of Peter. "It has been done my lord, the Guardian has been killed."
"Excellent." Peter nodded and with a flick of his hand dismissed the troops to locate their places in the waiting ranks, he then looked slowly towards the lighting again and with a smile said. "Yes it has begun, hasn't it?" He looked at Kate who grinned in return.
..oo00OO00oo..
Derek ran ahead leading the pack, they had all shifted to Beta form and were loping along in their four legged run. The resounding booms from the lightning storm that was playing out over the far side of the preserve made him wince as they assaulted his wolf enhanced hearing.
The majority of the pack had left most of their cars in favour of taking a more direct route back to the wolf lair, things were entering the final innings now and time was a precious commodity. Allison had stayed with Lydia and they were driving back as Lydia couldn't move as quickly as the running wolves. Bounding through the preserve each member of the pack was filled with trepidation over what was about to come. The distance below their feet and claws being eaten away as the moved towards destiny.
A howl sounded out as they approached the lair and Derek answered it with one of his own. From either side other wolves appeared running parallel to them and then forming an escort to the pack back to the lair itself. Skidding to a halt, Derek and Damion took in the mobilised Avalon Wolves who were running defensive patrols of the surrounding area. He turned and nodded to Sean who had lead their escort back to the lair.
Beth, one of the Alpha's, came over to them. "We went to defensive stance as soon as the lightning storm started, Marcus and Callum are with Melissa, and we're running a patrol ring around the perimeter in case they mount an attack now."
Damion nodded. "Good, they shouldn't but let's not take a chance."
Derek nodded. "A wise precaution, now's not the time to be careless."
The rest of the Pack were shifting restlessly from foot to foot. Derek indicated to the house. "Get ready." He said to them and they took off running towards the back door.
"We need to make contact with the hunters and ensure that they don't go half-cocked at this until we know what is going on." Beth said, looking towards the glowing hill.
Derek nodded. "Agreed, we also need to ascertain the full picture of what is going on and then we can finalise plans."
Beth nodded and they headed towards the house and past the marque which was doubling as the command area.
Damion looked to Derek. "We need to get a move on, if the hunters do go off without us, they could end up slaughtered and we lose half our attacking force."
Derek sighed in agreement. "This could be a cluster fuck if they screw up."
Beth indicated her agreement of the hunter situation and she headed over to a group of Beta's and the Alpha pair headed towards the house and down to the under lair.
..oo00OO00oo..
Melissa was still there watching screens with Marcus and Callum as the Alpha's descended into the war room. She looked over and then glanced at the other wolves giving Derek a loaded look in bringing down the other wolves, Derek nodded that she had done the right thing in bringing them down to the under lair and she nodded slightly at that.
"What a light show." Marcus said as he turned, acknowledging their presence.
"It's more than that." Said Damion as he went over and started looking at various displays and readings, he also silenced the Cloister bell which were still toning its warning. "It's the first stage of the temple being brought into our plane and being anchored.
"All this for that?" Callum asked with a raised eyebrow.
"It's preparing the ground work for it and clearing the area of anything that could interfere with the temples emergence. The storm itself is weakening the dimensional interface and once the storm has passed then the temple itself will start to descend through the higher dimensions and literary slide into this one, inhabiting the space that has been prepared." Damion told the collective group.
"We need to be ready to move when the storm's stop, and we need to make sure that the hunters don't jump the gun." Derek said.
Marcus nodded. "I've been double checking the terrain maps, the camp ground this side of Beacon Hill will still be the best staging point, there is nothing closer I would risk with this storm ongoing, we get everyone there and ready to mobilise the moment we get the all clear to mobilise."
"I'll call Argent and let him know, hopefully Gerard hasn't assumed total control." Derek said, the reservation in having to deal with the hunter family thick in his voice. He moved away from the main area and made the phone call to Chris Argents cell.
Damion was working at the terminals and trying to get clearer imaging. "If I can filter out the interference I may be able to locate their forces, give us an idea of where their staging from.
Marcus nodded. Callum turned to Melissa. "Let's you and I go and ensure that all the supplies are readied. I know what waiting can be like." He said, and Melissa taking one last look at the screens nodded and the pair left the others.
Damion swore several times at the terminal he was using. "The interference that is being thrown off by the storm is bleeding through the whole EM Spectrum, I have vague readings of life-forms and movement from the far side of the valley from us, but I can't localise the reading anymore."
Marcus sighed at that. "It would seem that Murphy has set up camp as well for this."
Damion shrugged and nodded in agreement. At that his own cell went off and he excused himself to take it. Looking at the call screen he saw it was Sheriff. "Stan, how are things in town?" He asked cutting straight to the point.
"Well we have a state of emergency in place right now and there is an exclusion zone around the preserve. State forces are being called in as part of that to ensure that town is ready in case it needs to be evacuated due to forest fires that may start or storm damage. So far they're treating it as a fluke natural occurrence caused by a massive drop in pressure in a localised weather pattern." Stan told him. "So far everyone is buying that, we are making plans to evacuate the patients from the hospital and to clear non-essential people from the town."
"So we shouldn't get interference from the local or state authorities for the moment?" Damion asked.
Stan agreed. "Yeah, we have that covered for the moment. I wish I could be there with you guys, but I need to be here for the town." The concern over Stiles and the other pups could be heard in his voice.
"We'll keep them as safe as we can Stan, you're doing what needs to be done for the town, and we'll do what we can to keep it from spreading there." Damion told him.
Stan sighed. "Yeah. Good luck, I see you on the other side." He told Damion.
"Will do Stan, see you soon." Damion replied and ended the call, he knew that Stiles would be getting a call very soon.
Derek had finished his phone call as well. "Well Gerard was making overtures about heading in now, thankfully Chris talked him down. They are mobilising to the camp grounds and should be there within the hour." He told them.
Marcus nodded. "We're ready to go as well."
Damion added. "The town is on emergency evacuation orders, Stan is overseeing it. The preserve has an exclusion zone around it so we shouldn't get any interference from outsiders."
Derek sighed. "I guess this is it."
Marcus clasped him on the shoulder. "You're doing fine."
Derek nodded. "Let's go."
..oo00OO00oo..
Boyd tugged on the straps on the pack he had put together and secured it, around him men were doing the same, each taking the last few moments to double check and ensure they had all their equipment. Boyd's hands traced over the rifle he had been given to use. It was semi-automatic and filled with the silver bullets the wolf pack had provided. He swallowed again tasting bile in his throat, the realisation of what was to come pressing heavily onto his shoulders.
Chris Argent came up behind him and clasped a hand on his shoulder. "You always feel that when you first go into action. If you're smart you never lose it, but you control it. Just remember what we do here is no for us, but for all of humanity, we lay our lives on the line to protect everyone."
Boyd nodded, not trusting himself to speak, the look in Chris's eyes told him he understood.
Chris gave a final squeeze. "We go with the code."
A voice like gravel in hell came from behind them. "Always with the code Chris."
Chris turned. "Yes Gerard. Always with the code. It prevents us from becoming the very monsters we are pledged to hunt." He told his father.
Gerard snorted and clapped Chris on the shoulder in an almost patronising way. "The code is fine in an ideal world. I live in the real world, maybe you'd like to join us."
Chris looked at Gerard and frowned. "I don't know what real world you live on, but it's starting to bear little resemblance to the one the rest of us are in."
Gerard gave Chris a watery smirk, this time there was a pitying look in his eyes as if to say that he knew Chris was wrong and all it would take was time to be proven right.
The exchange wasn't filling Boyd with any more confidence, in fact it cemented his resolve to try and find a way to distance himself from the hunters when this was over.
Gerard turned to the men and shouted. "We roll in twenty!" The men made acknowledging sounds and Gerard turned and walked away as Chris just watched him with a concerned look in his eyes.
Chris turned to see Boyd watching him and he gave the boy a reassuring smile, but to Boyd the smile never reached his eyes. "Get your gear together, your still in a support role but best to be prepared for anything."
Boyd nodded. "Understood."
"Watch yourself out there." Chris said and turned away towards the others getting their gear together.
..oo00OO00oo..
The wolves ran through the woods, they were a silent force moving through the night and towards their destiny. They were heading to the camp ground that had been designated as the meeting area for themselves and the Hunter forces.
All the preparations had been made and all the plans had been set. Now was the time for it all to come together or to fall apart.
The wolves as a whole could feel the pull of the almost full moon hanging over head. Soon it would wax to full as they fought, full and looking down on the battle to decide the fate of everything. Everyone knew what was at stake and had dedicated themselves to this goal. It was all or nothing now, no quarters held, not mercies given.
The number of wolves that were involved meant that having a single battle unit would be counterproductive. So to combat this they were split into battle packs, each one was led by an Alpha that directed them. To do this a battle bond was established between the fighters, it was like the pack bond that they had with their own packs, but it allowed them to function together and to act as a co-ordinated force with their battle pack.
Derek glanced from side to side at his pack, they were a single unit even though Marcus has suggested that they younger ones be paired with more experienced fighters. Derek couldn't explain it but he felt that the pack had to be together for this, perhaps it was the new role as guardians to the local nexus that was having this effect or some other force he just knew that they needed to be together for this, an impression that was enforced by Lydia as well.
They arrived at the camp site and swiftly ran a perimeter and checked for any signs of an incursion this far into the preserve. So far the Horsemen and their forces had remained on the far side of the valley, almost content to wait for the opposition to come to them.
The lightning storm was still raging over the hill and through the grounds were on the lay side of the Beacon Hill it was still getting buffeted by the run of from the storm. The effect of the continuous lightning strikes was a thunderous roll that sounded almost like a monstrous heart beat that was beating the death knell of the planet.
Several trucks were brought in with the supplies that would be needed for battle. Out off the lead truck Lydia dismounted and joined her pack who were waiting near the Alpha's. Weapons were snapped together and prepared for battle, Swords drawn, knives strapped on, and guns given a final check before being cocked for action.
From the access road large Suv's arrived and discouraged their cargo of Hunters and their gear. Gerard took one look at the assembled creatures he had sworn to eliminate and the sneer was carved deep into his face, then gone again so fast you could have missed it, at having to stomach this assemblage.
Chris led the way for the lieutenants that were leading the Hunter cells and approached the collapsible awning that had been set up over a picnic table. Around the table were the Alphas looking over the topography map of the area and making final placement decisions. At the approach of the Hunters the Alpha's straightened and acknowledged the presence of their opposite numbers.
"Let's get his over with." Gerard said and indicated for the men to approach the table. The Hunters were hesitant but followed the orders they had been given to work with their enemies.
The wolves were no less reticent about the alliance, it was one thing to theoretically agree that working together was the best thing, putting it into practice with so many distrustful people and wolves was another matter entirely.
Derek's eyes narrowed at Gerard's approach and he could feel his body tense in preparation for it to all go to shit. He stood matching the unblinking glaze of Gerard. He finally chewed out. "Let's go over placement."
Gerard nodded and took the final few steps up to the open side of the table. "Let's." He replied looking down at the map.
Chris joined them, nodding his acknowledgement of the others at the table. "What's the status of the valley?" He asked taking of his leather gloves and putting them on the table.
"We have a scouting pair here." Marcus said pointing at the side of the Hill on the map. "They have reported that the valley is a combination of ablaze and being pummelled by the storm. So far none of their forces have made any attempts to circle the valley to this side."
"They won't." Damion said and the others looked to him. "They are going to bring the temple through first and anchor it, till that happens they will be playing defence to keep us away from the crystal."
"Then we should be trying to destroy it now." One of the Hunter lieutenants said, Chris and Gerard said nothing but they did seem to agree with that line of thought.
"It's too late for that. The process has begun and if we destroy the Crystal then we could create a dimensional breach which they could also try and use. Besides the energy that would be released would be like a hundred Hiroshima's." Damion said with a shake of his head, they had already covered that in the briefings but it seemed that tensions of this alliance were going to keep the Hunters testing what they had been told and the both them and the Wolves would be on constant alert for betrayal. "We need to prepare for the temple to come through, at the moment the area is a sinkhole for void energy and dimensional flux, it would be suicide to broach the area that's why their forces are running defence as well. Once the temple is through, once that has happened, the area will be dimensional stable for the moment and we won't run the risk of slipping through the dimensional cracks that are saturating the area."
"So we go with the setting up the teams along this side of the ridge, that way we are on station for this temple to appear." Gerard said and punched a finger at several points along the slope of the Hill.
Marcus and the other Alpha's nodded at that. "We know that they will have to descend to the valley floor to make full use of the temple. That gives us time to get into position as well and to launch the first strike at them." He said and indicated the manoeuvres on the map.
Chris nodded. "I agree, we have the advantage that we aren't restricted by having to defend a set point, but they will have opportunity to dig in and then it could end as a battle of attrition."
"We can't allow that to happen. We know when they have to be in place for and when the window for their attempt can be made. If we aren't in a place to stop it before or by then then we fail." Derek told the assembled group.
"What if we can't stop them?" Another of the Hunters asked.
"Then we have a fail safe." Damion told them and placed a black sphere onto the map. "This is the activator for a trans-temporal dimensional collapse."
"Why aren't we just using that?" The same Hunter as before asked.
"We aren't because it will destroy the area around here and cause massive damage, California and Nevada will be erased from existence and there will be like radioactive fallout over the west coast of the Americas all the way to Kansas for generations to come." Damion replied and the Hunter nodded. "There is no guarantee that this would even stop them, it's if everything else fails and we are about to lose everything then we sacrifice the few for the many."
"How is it deployed?" Chris asked as Gerard eyed up the sphere.
Damion picked it up and sliding panels that were invisible to the naked eye he changed the sphere into two half spheres separated by a crystal shaft. "It's armed now. To activate it both sides have to be pressed together to complete the sphere. Once that happens the dimensional fractures that have been created and have saturated the area over the last few months will be forced to reach a critical particle reaction breaking them down, this causes anti time to be forced into local time and split the fundamental forces holding this plane of reality together. Like splitting the atom but splitting time instead, as I say everything within a four hundred mile sphere will be gone."
"So who holds onto it?" Chris asked, know that both sides would have qualms about the other holding the last resort.
"That has already been decided. We all know that no side would agree to the other holding such a device so we leave it with someone capable of taking the necessary actions if necessary." Derek replied.
"Who?" Gerard asked in a hard tone.
"That would be me." A voice from behind them said.
The Hunters turned and saw Alan Deaton coming forward with Melissa.
Gerard growled. "What are you doing here?"
"I am running the triage station here for any one that is wounded and requires it, Human or Wolf." Alan said. "I am also taking on the responsibility of knowing if and when this battle can no longer be won and we are about to lose it all."
"He's also a neutral party in all of this, someone that we can trust to be impartial." Damion said and he passed the activator over to Alan. When he touched it, it glowed red. "It has also just been imprinted so that he is the only person that can activate it." He added looking at Gerard.
Gerard's eyes narrowed as he met Damion's look and then turning away he growled. "Fine."
The rest of the meeting was spent finalising placements of forces and setting watches for the troops.
..oo00OO00oo..
Isaac nervously checked his gear as the others in the pack were doing the same. He let out a sigh as he tightened the strap on the harness he was wearing that would carry some of his supplies. It was all real now, everything that had happened up till now, it was almost like watching a movie and being part of the story, like a choose your own adventure book.
Even his dad's death seemed like a dream sometimes. He would wake at night sometimes waiting for it to have all been a dream and that his dad would storm in and hit him for waking him up and then drag him down to the freezer.
Now, now it was really real and it was everything that was on the line, almost too much for Isaac to take in, all of reality. How can one cope with the pressure of that, a ragtag group of Werewolves and hunters facing twisted versions of themselves in a battle that stretched beyond the beginning of time and space? If they couldn't stop it all then everything would be destroyed.
Isaac didn't want to lose his new family, didn't want to lose any of his new brothers and sisters and his new dad's that had found and saved him.
Isaac swallowed and took a deep breath, then felt a firm hand on his shoulder. Turning he saw Derek looking at him, Isaac swallowed again. Derek made a fuss of adjusting one of the shoulder straps on Isaacs harness.
"You don't have to come with us Isaac, you can stay here and help be protecting Melissa and Deaton." Derek told the young wolf. "It isn't your fight."
Isaac shook his head firmly. "No, no, this is the Packs fight and I'm part of the Pack. I have to do this." He told Derek and Derek nodded.
"Ok, stay close to Scott and Jackson, they'll be fighting in a similar style to you. If they say to drop back, do it, if they say stay put you do it." Derek told Isaac.
Isaac nodded.
Scott came over and reaching up ruffled Isaac's hair like a younger brother. "You stick with us, we'll be like the three musketeers." He said with a smile.
Jackson joined them and shook his head and rolled his eyes at Scott, but smiled as well.
Derek clapped Isaac on the shoulders and Isaac took strength from it. "For the pack." He said to himself.
..oo00OO00oo..
The storm lasted until the late afternoon, through the eye of the storm that now hung over the valley sunlight streamed down, though storm like weather carried on outside of the preserve. The remains of the valley could now be seen and the ground was cracked and like blasted glass and rivers of molten rock had solidified but were still glowing with the heat that had been forced into them.
The combined forces looked down upon it, waiting for the final stage to take effect and for the temple to finally be shown to them. The ground began to glow and anyone looking at it started to get a vertigo like effect from the dimensional interactions. The ground gave sharp jerks, almost like an earthquake but localised to the preserve area.
"Is this meant to be happening?" Sean asked.
Damion nodded. "It's a brutal thing to interface dimensions like this, it like being in a car crash and there is resistance to the two bodies being slammed together." He told Sean but the others were listening as well.
As they watched the ground below took on an almost translucent quality and looked like it was stretching in places.
Damion looked up at the moon that was now rising as the sun set, around the moon the three commentary fragments were bright and looked like they bracketed the moon. "It's happening!" He called out. "Eldorado rise!"
Stiles turned to Damion and called out. "What do you mean Eldorado rises? Since when are we talking about the city of gold?"
Damion pointed to one of the larger bulges and as they watched it seemed to split or flow away from what was pushing through and a stepped pyramid of gold pushed its way into reality.
"This is where the legend of the city of gold came from. The city was purposely pushed from this reality to stop the white man from ravaging it and taking the secrets it held. By the time that the Spanish had arrived the original purpose was lost to history and it had become a sacred site. Only a handful of guardians knew its true purpose and they made the decision to protect it." Damion told the others.
As they looked on, over the space of hour's spires, pyramids, monolithic buildings and streets of gold pushed their way through the dimensional interface and settled into reality. The streets were lined with blue crystal prominences and clusters. Crystal pillars were part of the decoration and above parts of the city there was a network of crystal conduits that interconnected various structures.
Derek looked at wrist display to check the time and it was almost six, the temple or city was almost through now so soon they would need to launch their attack. He looked up and saw that the now the sun had set the moon was brilliant in her place above the eye of the storm, almost like it was the glowing pupil in the eye surrounded as it was by the three comet tails. As he watched the moon started to stain red as the blood moon rose.
Damion checked the readings that were being fed to him, Danny, Stiles and Lydia. "It's reached stable, I think the city temple is through." He finally said.
Lydia ran calculations. "I agree, the area is as stable as it can get for now, though that isn't saying much.
Stiles gave a low whistle. "Yeah the whole area is bruised and abused."
Damion nodded in agreement of Lydia and Stile's observations, then turned to Derek and nodded his assurance to him, Derek returned it with a single nod and let out a howl to call the troops to arm. Chris took this as his queue and sent the signal to the hunters to prep themselves as well for dispatch.
As one they moved from the ridge above the valley and headed towards Eldorado with the intentions of securing the central edifices of the main temple building which was its heart and its control centre.
..oo00OO00oo..
Kate and Peter watched the as the golden city temple rose, finally Kate turned to Peter and nodded. Peter raised his hand and snapped it closed. As one the combined horsemen's forces moved to take the temple and repel any other forces.
They stood watching their forces move into the city and then both turned as they heard Derek's howl.
"They're coming to their slaughter." Kate said with a smirk.
Peter gave a cruel smile in return. "It will be glorious. Let's join the fray."
Kate nodded and gave her hand to Peter who took it and led her down their side of the valley towards the temple.
Their forces were driven by a fury that was supernatural and they had already secured a path to the central pyramid where the horsemen would set up the dimensional drill. From there they would oversee the battle and direct it as needed. Jared was still at Peter's heels as was the pair of Direwolves that Kate had taken, they were backed up by the honour guard.
Peter turned to Jared. "Hunt down the spell wolf and my nephew and ensure that they are not present for the final act."
Jared made a noise of understanding and with a brief howl took off with several dire wolves.
"Already you're making the day more special." Kate told him and Peter gave her a lopsided grin.
"If you can't do it for family who can you do it for?" Peter replied.
Kate thought about this and then turned to her pair of dire wolves. "Seek out Allison, incapacitate her and bring her to me."
Peter gave her a questioning look and Kate shrugged. "As you said family. That and I need a new play thing.
Peter grinned at this.
..oo00OO00oo..
The allied forces moved down the slope as quickly as they could. There was still some cover from trees on the upper slop so most of the forces were under cover to start with. When they got to the bottom there were several shots fired and men went down. Snipers were trying to thin the approaching forces before they got into the city proper.
Chris cursed to himself and reached for a canister that was on his belt. "Smoke Screen!" He yelled and released the gas grenade in front of himself and his men. Along the line others followed suit and they set up cover for the rest of the forces.
Chris motioned to his lieutenant to come close, as the man did Chris pointed to where a large ziggurat at the edge of the city was. "Take our two best snipers, get up there and take them out." He barked, the hunter nodded and tapped two men on the shoulder as he ran towards where the ziggurat was.
Gerard nodded in agreement of Chris's action. "Let's hope there are no more surprises." He added.
The forces moved into the outskirts of the temple complex and began to move from building to building trying to reach the central towers. Shots and howls from both wolves and dire wolves were starting to be heard as resistance was encountered by both sides.
..oo00OO00oo..
Derek lead the way deeper into the city temple, around him the pack were shifted and ready to move in an instant to counter any threat. The wolves had special gloves that had silver claws imbedded onto the backs of them, they would allow the wolves to slash with their own claws but the follow through would gouge with the blessed silver causing the wounds more damage and to retard the healing. They also carried silver infused knives as well but they were almost the size of short swords. Stiles and Lydia had their Loci extended and ready to cast, Allison held her rail rifle it loaded with silver impregnated rounds. Damion had his loci extended into the dual swords, black and red energy would lick across the surface of Excalibur and the Knight sword. Derek was in beta form, he had debated going in in alpha but the need for guerrilla tactics outweighed the brute strength and size of it though he held the shift ready just in case. He was armed similarly to the betas in the pack though instead of a knife, his arm guard's, which would stay with him if he shifted to alpha, had silver blades in them.
The streets were starting to echo to fighting already taking place though so far no resistance had come out to challenge them.
That changed as they reached the halfway point of the street way they were on. Ahead of them Jared and the seven dire wolves made their presence known with a challenging howl. Derek returned the challenge with one of his own and he and Damion started the shift to alpha form knowing that they would need the extra muscle to take on the Direwolves. Beside him the pack echoed his acceptance of the challenge with their own growling howls.
There was a moment of a standoff which allowed Derek and Damion to finish their shift and then the Direwolves charged.
As they charged down the street Lydia, Stiles and Damion led rip with blast of magical energy that rained down on the oncoming forces, scorched and singed it, but did not stop the Direwolves from their berserker charge. Allison took aim as the onrushing wall of destruction and fired on them. The bolts sliced into the leading Direwolf, and with pinpoint precision she landed shot after shot into the creatures head until it fell forward from the momentum of it's on charge. The massive bulk slumped and rolled forwarded with the momentum of its own movement and was then crushed under the charge of its fellow creatures.
Damion and the rest of the betas charged the remaining six Direwolves as they came at them, taking the lead position Damion squared up to the creature that had taken the lead, it was larger then it's fellow Direwolves. Moving with an efficiency of motion Damion swung upwards in a slash as he cleaved of his opponents right forearm. The creature howled and drew back then began to pull round to return the attack, Damion spun on the spot as the thing lunged forward, snarling and spitting in fury at the loss of its limb. Moving in a circular motion, Damion brought his other blade to bare and sliced the creatures head clean off, with a sickening, wet thud the head fell to the roadway with an ignanamous finality.
Stiles and Lydia concentrated their combined magic's at the Direwolf that was coming for them. They faced each other and at a central point between them created an orb of pearlescent green light. The Direwolf roared as it reached them and was thrown back by a burst of energy from the sphere. It flayed the attacker as it stood there engulfed in the beam, the warped wolf was stripped of flesh and muscle down to the bones which were blacked with the power that had been unleashed. The steaming remains clattered to the ground and there was a smell of roasted meat in the air.
Scott charged the four remaining Direwolves with Jackson, Danny and Isaac a step behind him. They struck with co-ordinated precision, knowing that they couldn't win in a head to head fight, the creatures still had them in size and raw strength. They feinted and rounded past then four creatures using quick strikes to anger the creatures and so that they turned to follow them. This caused them to open their flank to Allison, Stiles, Lydia and Damion. The four of them opened with a ranged attack that split the grouping of the Direwolves and Scott and the others that feinted past turned and stormed them from the other side. It had become a kill box and as the four of them swarmed the Direwolves ripping them to shreds while managing to only suffer minimal wounds themselves.
Meanwhile Jared was snarling at the losses, roared and charged Derek directly slamming into the Alpha wolf with his claws extended in and attempt to gouge Derek's heart from his chest. Derek knocked the claws aside and slashed at Jared abdomen scoring the surface and ripping gouges in the corrupt flesh, flesh sizzled as the silver bladed scored deeper into the wounds Derek's claws had left. Jared roared and back handed Derek across the muzzle this forced him back a step. Jared pressed forward and snapping with his jaws ripped into Derek's shoulder. Derek howled at the assault and regrouping, drove his claws into the softer underside of the Jared's muzzle and gouged into it. Pulling and ripping back with his claws he succeeded in pulling away part of Jared's lower jaw. Jared reared back and howling in agony striking out in blind anger and ripping into Derek's chest and side. Jared also pushed Derek back at the same time and space opened up between the two.
They circled each other sizing up the damage they had inflicted. Jared sprung forward and struck up the side of Derek's left arm and shoulder, gouging flesh and ripping into the muscle. Derek returned the favour and plunged his right claw deep into Jared's stomach and abdomen. Jared struck out again at Derek's left side and Derek pushed forward disregarding the assault on his left arm and sliced into Jared's neck with his right paw and claws, ripping sinew, muscle and tendons from the already damaged jaw and neck.
The wounds were deeps and fatal, but Jared surged forward in his death throws grabbing Derek's throat trying to rip it out. Derek grabbed the claws before they reached and with a great surge of strength broke both paws backwards with such force he ripped open the wrists showering him with blood from the arteries.
Jared was failing fast, the imperative to follow Peters commands were still there and he struggled to claw and rip at Derek trying to end him. The part of Jared that had never been co-opted surfaced momentarily in his eyes giving an almost pleading look for it to be ended. Derek looked almost pityingly as he plunged his claws into Jared's chest and pulled the beating heart from it, crushing it in his hands with a roaring howl of victory that was mirrored by the pack.
..oo00OO00oo..
They triaged their wounds and checked over each other for hidden damage, Derek was the worst and it was taking a combined healing spell from Damion, Stiles and Lydia to accelerate the healing from the damage given to him by Jared. The wounds were closing faster that even the accelerated Alpha healing would have done.
The decomposing bodies of the Direwolves were off to the side and Scott looked at them with pity in his eyes. "They never wanted that too happened to them, they never chose this." He said.
Isaac was next to him and looked at the other teen wondering.
Scott carried on, crouching down. "Peter never gave me a choice either, he forced being a Werewolf onto me. Don't get me wrong I wouldn't change it now, but it was still a violation on me. He keeps doing that to people, violating them and forcing them to do things that they never chose. Ok I know that these guys may have been dicks beforehand, but no one deserves this."
Isaac crouched down next to Scott and leaned into him. Scott looked over and gave Isaac a smile. "Sorry, don't mean to be so melancholy." He said gripping the teens shoulder.
Isaac shrugged. "S'okay. I think I get it." He told Scott.
Jackson came up behind them and put a hand on Scott's shoulder and Scott nuzzled it as well. "We need to move out." Jackson said quietly, nodding back to where it looked like the others were starting to finish their spell casting.
Scott stood up and nodded. "Yeah." He looked to the upper story of the building they were using for cover and saw Allison give him the all clear sign from her vantage point. He returned the signal with a regroup gesture and Allison moved swiftly to join them.
The others came together waiting for the magic users to finish and their Alpha to be healed up. Their own wounds were tended too and not as serious as his.
Allison was coming from the building when a voice called out. "Look out!" and then there a scream. Turning towards a side alley they saw several hunters getting mauled by a pair of Direwolves. It looked like the Direwolves had been casing the pack and been spotted by the hunter team. The hunters didn't stand a chance up close and three of them were already dead, and it didn't look good for the fourth.
Scott led the charge with Jackson, Danny and Isaac close behind him. Allison stood guard at the end of the alley.
The four wolves took the pair with overwhelming force. Claws slashed and gouged into the pair and the wolves snarling roars were answered by dying screams. Two on one gave the wolves more than even odds and even though they weren't long from their first battle the wolves made short work of the pair. Scott slashed into the lower back of one while Jackson finished it with a silver knife to its heart, while Danny finished the other by severing its spine while Isaac slashed open its abdomen and spilled its guts.
Scott checked the hunter to see if any of them were still alive, but for the most part it was as they had seen it, three were dead. The final hunter was a teen like them, and Isaac recognised him first of the wolves.
"That's Boyd." Isaac said. "He's in our year, always sits alone, never really joins in with anything, I've partnered up with him a few times, sat at the same lunch table. He never really spoke, and… I didn't either."
Scott, Danny and Jackson looked at each other and then at Boyd. Scott bent down and took inventory of the wounds as he began to apply triage to them, Isaac joining him to help with. Boyd moaned as Scott carefully moved him to get better access to the slash marks. "Hey dude, what were you doing here?" He asked the teen to try and distract him.
"Was doing a supply run to a forward cell. We were on the way out when we saw that pair stalking someone. We followed and saw it was you guys they were stalking. The others just wanted to leave you and get back to the front. I said we couldn't do that and an argument broke out. They must have heard and attacked… we didn't have a chance they were all over us." Boyd told them through gritted teeth against the pain.
Isaac was looking at Boyd's leg where it had been ripped open and hissed to himself and motioned to Scott. Scott followed Isaac's gesture and saw what had got his attention, Boyd had been bitten. Boyd seemed to pick up that something was wrong.
"So how'd you get involved with the hunters?" Jackson asked, less concerned with Boyd's health than the others.
Boyd looked away then back at Jackson. "They approached me, offered me a place in something. Said that you were dangerous beasts that needed to be watched and removed if you were a threat to anyone. Said they needed someone who could blend into School to keep an eye on your movements that I would be doing mankind a service." There was a bitterness to the end of Boyd's answer that made the others exchange looks.
"And…" Isaac asked. "What did you think?" He had to wonder if the boy had been poisoned by the dogma of the hunters.
Boyd snorted. "Damn lies all of it… bunch of crazy assed people with guns. There are a few of them that hold to the idea of protecting humanity from a threat, but they're few and far between. Like Chris Argent. The rest are like his father, crazy and just looking to kill shit with any excuse. From what I saw you guys are just like anyone else, you could be good or you could go bad there is nothing deferent about it just cause your werewolves… man Werewolves heh, who would have thought it." He groaned in pain again.
Isaac stayed by Boyd's side while the others grouped together. Scott frowned when he spoke. "He's been bitten, we know that that means he will change into one of the dire wolves." There was a certainty and a melancholy in his voice, no one deserved that fate, especially someone who didn't fear Werewolves just wanted to let them be.
"We should aske Damion, maybe there is something he can do with magic?" Allison suggested.
Jackson shrugged. "It's worth a shot."
The looked down at the teen and Isaac nodded his agreement with the consensus to see if they could do something. Scott and Allison headed back to the Alpha pair, Lydia and Stiles and explained the situation.
"Hmm, he's only just been bitten." Damion said and scratched the back of his neck as he pondered the problem. "Theoretically if he were a Werewolf then the bite wouldn't work, it would be treated like a poison and destroyed. If we slowed down the effects of the bite, and he were changing into a werewolf he might be able to fight of the Direwolf mutagen. It's only a theory mind you." He told them and shrugged. "It's the only thing I can think off. We never came up with an anti-venom for it, and it is a mutated wolf bite, no one has come up with anything for that either."
Derek considered it and what the pups had told them. "We can't let a boy die, not without giving him the choice." He decided and the group headed back down the alley to the others.
Derek looked at Boyd and saw the pain the teen was in even with Isaac leaching some of it away. "Boyd, right?" Boyd nodded "You know what's happening right?"
Boyd nodded again. "I've been bitten by one of those twisted wolves. I either shoot myself before it takes hold or I become one of them, right?" He said with a resolved tone that said he had already decided what he was going to do.
Damion nodded. "Yes, in most cases that would be true, but we have a window of opportunity here afford us because of where the bite is, and how fresh it is. I can slow down the effects of that bite, but I can't stop it."
Boyd shrugged. "So I would have more time, sounds like a bad deal."
Damion smiled. "Sometimes time is all we have. If Derek were to bite you, close to your heart, he would start the change in you to a Werewolf. Given enough time to change your body could fight off the Direwolf bite and you could transition into a Werewolf."
Allison spoke up. "You would be shunned by the hunters if you did." She spoke from experience and knowledge that her own extended family had all but disowned her.
"You wouldn't be alone though, you would have us as Pack, if you wanted it." Derek added.
Boyd lay there, propped up by Isaac. "Grammie always said that you have to pay the piper for all your dances." He mused. "Don't get me wrong, I… I actually have nothing against Werewolves, I just never thought I would end up as one."
Boy was silent and the others stayed quiet to give him time to decide.
"It's not guaranteed to work." Damion spoke up eventually. "It may also kill you the bite, the conflicting bites. The odds aren't great here but it is a shot to live." Ethically he wanted it to be clear to the teen what his chances were.
Boyd nodded. "Yeah I figured as much. So you would take me in, even after all that I did?" He asked Derek.
Derek crouched down and looked him in the eye. "You would need to earn my trust, and the trust of the pack, but you did what you did for what you thought were the right reasons, you didn't just go and abandon us to a potential threat sticking to the truce, and from what you said you were already thinking about leaving them, right?"
Boyd nodded.
"Then there you go, I've learned that you sometimes get a second chance at things, and that includes finding family." Derek finished off and held Boyd's eyes with his.
Boyd hissed at something as he moved but held out his hand to Derek, offering it to him. "Please help me." He said formally, and Derek took the hand.
Damion rushed forward and began to cast over the leg. "This won't be painless, it will probably hurt like hell, but you are strong enough to survive it." He told Boyd as he worked with magical glyphs and symbols, drawing them in the air in neon colours where they then settled to the leg.
Boyd moaned in pain as the leg was effectively frozen by magic and the Direwolf bite was slowed, it was like an ice lead fire running through Boyd's veins.
"Scott signal out position to control and organise a pickup." Derek told Scott and Scott pulled the radio from his vest and gave co-ordinates from the gps on his arm to the wolves manning the command tent, another group was close and would send a team to evac Boyd to the triage area.
Damion nodded to Derek that he was done as much as he could be. Derek leaned in. "Ready?" He asked and Boyd took in a deep breath and nodded. Derek pulled away the shirt material from Boyd's left shoulder and after extending his Alpha fangs, he bit deeply into the hard flesh in the area. Boyd cursed and grabbed at Isaac's hand which he was holding. Derek drew back and wiped his mouth to clear of the blood.
Damion stepped forward again and applied a pressure bandage to the bite mark to stem the blood flow. "Hold on now, ok, the Wolves will get you to the triage area and Deaton will give you something to help this along Ok." He told the teen as he dressed the wound.
The group waited several minutes until the two wolves that had been dispatched appeared from the other side of the alley. They reported that they were meeting up with the rest of their pack who were running rescue and recovery on injured Were teams. They carefully got Boyd standing and one of them picked him up bridal style, his size only causing minor problems. With the other wolf on point they headed back down the alley and towards the preserve.
Derek looked to his pack. "Ok, we need to get moving. We keep up the central corridor as much as we can and we get to the control pyramid." He instructed the wolves and as one they headed off.
..oo00OO00oo..
Atop the golden pyramid there was a construct like Stonehenge, two concentric circles of columns that were topped with complete rings. Whereas Stonehenge was made of stone, these were made of golden slabs of metal. The central dais of the henge was the control console and that was where Peter and Kate now stood.
With a flourish Kate installed the blue crystal into the console and the concentric rings began to contra-rotate. Grinning like a mad woman her hands danced over the controls and as she made changes the columns that made the rings up began to move and change their positions, some retracting and others extending, and some turning and inking with others. The whole pyramid top was part of the great machine and was being configured by Kate for their purposes.
Finally the centre of the inner ring recessed downwards and split into eight segments and they drew back and a giant version of the blue crystal slid upwards from the core of the pyramid and into the light of day. The crystal was massive, easily twenty foot in height and ten foot in width, it was attached to a ring that travelled around the middle of the crystal and linked to two arms.
"It's Time!" Kate screamed to Peter even though he was beside her.
Peter leaned over and kissed her. "Do it! Open the Gate way!" He ordered.
Kate depressed the final sequence and the great crystal groaned as ancient mechanisms tilted it till it was horizontal and raised it over the rotating circles.
There was a silence that seemed to sweep the valley, like everything had been muted and then creation roared in pain as a beam shot from the great crystal and ripped into reality.
The bridge was opening.
..oo00OO00oo..
The pack was almost to the pyramid, they had encountered further resistance but with the aid of other allies they had made it through to the courtyard in front of the pyramid.
Then a beam of energy erupted from the top and scarred reality, fracturing it around a central point above the valety.
"SHIT! No… Were too late." Damion cried out as the beam created a vortex opening in the sky.
The pack cried out in their own defiance at the events.
Damion watched the opening. "It's through! The Titans are starting to descend!" He pointed to the cortex and shadow like specs appeared in the heart of the vortex and seemed to be moving forward.
"Can we close it?" Derek asked
"Possibly but they will be through by the time we get close to the summit…" Damion replied trying to think of something, anything to prevent all of reality being forfeit.
"Can we slow them down?" Scott asked, not taking his eyes of the monstrous shapes that seemed to be forming in the heart of the vortex bridge.
"We… no, maybe I." Damion replied an idea forming. "They still weak as they travel between our dimensions, they haven't acclimatized to our multiverse, we… I can slow them down, give us time.
Grabbing his shoulders and turning him Derek said. "You can't do this alone!" Derek shook his head at the thought.
Damion ran a hand down Derek's cheek. "I have to, no one else can. You need to stop Death and War. Lydia Danny and Stiles will be able to get the system shut down."
"I can't let you go alone, you will need help." Derek replied.
"You already are helping, but I need to do this now. We need to do this now!" Damion told him the winds whipping up as they spoke.
The pack looked on not sure what was happening, only that it felt like good bye.
Derek looked like he might break in two. Finally he growled in anguish. "Go!"
Damion nodded and ran over to one of the crystal protrusions in the courtyard. "Love you Sourwolf, see you soon!" Then extended his blades he thrust Excalibur deep into the heart of the crystals that were tied to the nexus and the planetary life force. Then he screamed and was engulfed in blue lightning.
"Shit we have to save him!" Jackson called out and started forward, only to have Scott stop him. "What the hell man, he's dyeing over there!"
Stiles shook his head. "No, he's powering up." He told Jackson and the others.
Damion's form had gone stock stiff as the lighting had coursed over his body, now he hunched over as the nexus energies rushed through him, awakening something deep inside. His wings unfurled from their resting places then something almost horrific happened, it was like the feathers were being burned from them leaving charred flesh below, but not only there all over his body. Then the flesh began to rip away as something moved under the charred remains.
Something larger than his original form was almost unfolding from the tattered flesh and was still growing. Raw surfaces began to produce scale, wings that were feather were now membrane and scale. Hands and feet became claws and paws. Damions neck lengthened and spines ran their way down his spine and grew from there.
The scales that covered their transformed pack member were black and shiny, with reds and gold running almost like streaks down then sides, the wings were jet black fading to a burnt red at the ends, the tail that was growing ended in a red and gold spiked tip.
Turning they saw the results.
He was a Dragon.
"Holy SHIT!" Stiles exclaimed.
Damion was now in the form of a Dragon, one of the ancestor races of the Lupus Arcana. He was still growing in size but was already over twenty foot tall from nose tip to tail end. His face was like a cross between dragons and a wolf's, with layered scales looking almost like fur.
Damion bellowed a shattering roar at the titans as they descended. Then with a great heave and a down rush of air, he took to the sky and headed for the vortex opening, throwing himself into battle with creatures that would end all of reality.
Derek looked at where his mate had gone and to the blossoming energies of a great battle commeneced. He turned to the pack. "Let's go."
..oo00OO00oo..
