Chapter 18- Apocalypse Part 1

*TOKYO BAY*

The Doctor, Shu, and Kurachi stood at the edge of a cargo ship where their helicopter had landed.

"We've reached the edge of the perimeter!" One of the men called out.

"Alright, we're here. Gai's border. We cross it and the Leukocytes fire." Kurachi said.

"Hm…" the Doctor put his hand on his chin. "Cross it."

"What?!"

"Cross it."

"Is getting everyone killed part of your plan?!"

"Oh, no plan. I'm just making things up as I go."

Kurachi was going to punch the Doctor but Shu laid her hand down.

"Look, I trust the Doctor with my life." Shu said. "He has never let me down."

Kurachi gave an angry stare at the Doctor then sighed. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

"Weren't you asking for my help back at the ship? You asked me because you needed me. So…" the Doctor smiled. "…trust me and move forward."

Kurachi reluctantly held her radio to her mouth. "All fleets push forward and enter the perimeter. Repeat. All fleets push forward and enter the perimeter."

"But ma'am the Leukocytes…" a voice replied.

"That's an order." Kurachi put the radio down. "You better be right about this, Doctor."

….

"Ten minutes into the perimeter… nothing. No fire, no resistance." Kurachi looked at the sky.

"When I sent a distress signal to the Shadow Proclamation, it was via Andromeda's secret channel in order to get past the shield around Earth." The Doctor explained. "During that time, there was no satellite interference. Just the force field. No satellites…"

"…no Leukocytes." Kurachi finished.

"Aren't I a clever one?"

"OK… but here on out, the military is handling the operation. No more stunts like that."

"Pfft! Let them do what they want." The Doctor went back into the cargo bay.

"We OK?" Tsugumi asked.

"Yup…" the Doctor sat at a table and took his screwdriver and used it on the amplifier.

"Alright, everyone. Let's go over the plan once more." Shibungi called everyone's attention. "Once we reach the docks, expect heavy resistance. A team led by Shu and the Doctor will try to get to the facility via the underground tunnels while the rest of the fleet will keep the GHQ busy."

"Remember, our objective is to get Mana out of Inori. If I can get close enough, I might be able to psychic link with her." The Doctor spoke without taking his eyes off the amplifier. "Once the link between Inori and Mana's severed, the Da'ath will have no way of terraforming this universe. I'll reassemble the TARDIS at the rift and use it to send them all to the void. Any question?"

The ship fell silent.

"Good. Shu? Can you come here for a sec?"

Shu entered the bay. "What is it, Doctor?"

"Do you mind giving me a piece of your void?"

"What?!"

The Doctor took the void crystal out of the amplifier and threw it into the sea. "I made adjustments to the amplifier. I need to test something out."

Shu nodded and pulled out a knife. He used it to cut a piece of his right arm and handed it to the Doctor. Placing the piece inside the amplifier, the Doctor put it on. The device glowed bright green.

"What did that do?" Shu asked.

"We'll see…"

….

"All attack units will arrive at Point Delta in a few moments." A voice from a radio said. "All endlaves begin descent!"

The Doctor and the others watched from the ship as dozens of robots with parachutes floated down from sky. He checked his sonic and realized that the energy spike was growing.

"Void energy is spiking! Gai's attacking!" He shouted. It was too late. A single bright purple arrow shot into the air and exploded. It divided itself into more arrows and came down on the UN forces. The arrows glowed until they exploded causing the fleet to crystallize. The Doctor turned around to realize they had docked.

"Doctor! This way!" Shu shouted as he got on a hover scooter. "Everyone! Remember to keep your earpiece on at all times!"

Another scooter was placed beside him. The Doctor jumped on and followed Shu. A convoy of trucks stayed behind them as they made their way towards the underground path.

"Ghosts incoming!" Kurachi shouted.

A couple of black and purple endlaves rolled their way towards the group.

"Cover! That way!" The Doctor pointed to a nearby building. The convoy followed them behind the structure. Shu and the Doctor got off their scooters and ran towards the robots.

"Ayase! With us!" The Doctor yelled into his earpiece. Ayase's endlave shout out from behind the building and fired at the Ghosts. The black endlaves fired back. The Doctor shielded him and Shu until they got behind another building. One of the Ghosts was approaching fast.

"Yahiro!" Shu shouted as he held out his right hand and formed Yahiro's void. He jumped out and slashed the endlave in half. The Doctor came out and blasted the oncoming Ghosts with sound waves.

"There's more coming!" Ayase shouted.

More Ghosts approached the area while GHQ helicopters soared through the sky.

"We won't be able to take them all on…" Shu said.

The Doctor gritted his teeth but then noticed the sky was flickering.

"Doctor? What's wrong with the sky?" Shu asked.

The Doctor stared up. "The force field… it's…"

The entire sky lit up bright blue. It glowed until the color faded away. Multiple space ships entered Earth's atmosphere.

"Attention hostiles!" A voice boomed from one of the ships. "In accordance to Article 57 of the Shadow Proclamation: this is a level 5 fully established planet! Your actions violate our laws therefore we are authorized to use lethal force!"

"Looks like they got the message…" the Doctor smiled. Raising his screwdriver in the air, he spoke. "Shadow Proclamation, I'm currently sending you the data for Da'ath signitures. Target your weapons to them! Oh, we could also use some help!"

Judoon suddenly appeared around them and opened fire on the Ghosts. One of the ships fired a beam at the helicopters making them explode in mid-air.

"There's our distraction! Let's go!" The Doctor and Shu got back on their scooters and zoomed off.

"Up ahead!" Shu pointed. Ahead of them was the entrance to an underground path that led to the GHQ facility.

"Tsugumi! Now!" The Doctor shouted.

"On it!" Tsugumi yelled from inside the truck. A hologram display surrounded her. "There it is! Haruka's backdoor!"

The doors opened as they entered the tunnel.

The Doctor raised his screwdriver. "Endlaves are offline! Let's go!"

A huge mechanical door stood in front of them, blocking their path. The Doctor scanned it.

"Deadlocked! Shu!" The Doctor shouted.

"Souta!" Shu raised his arm and Souta's camera void formed in his hand. He fired it at the door and it opened with ease.

"We're in…" the Doctor smiled.

….

The convoy stopped at a junction. Shu and the Doctor got off their scooters.

"Looks like this is where we part ways…" Tsugumi came out of the truck. "Don't worry! I'll make sure to screw them up and guide you all to safety!"

"Thank you, Tsugumi." The Doctor said while smiling.

"Just make sure to save Inori. Then we'll all have a happy ending!" Tsugumj smiled back.

….

Shu and the Doctor led the rest of the team, Haruka, Kurachi, Argo, and a truck containing Ayase who was piloting an endlave, through the basement of the facility.

"Doctor, where's Inori?" Shu asked.

"Hold on…" the Doctor fiddled with his screwdriver. "…I'll try scanning for her void signature as well as her DNA."

The sonic buzzed then suddenly screeched. The doctor hit the device with his other palm a few times.

"Well that's strange…" the Doctor said.

"What's wrong, Doctor?" Haruka asked from behind them.

The Doctor ran ahead across the large corridor and into a huge room. The walls were the same white color but they were cracked. The breaks in the wall exposed small purple fragments. The Doctor immediately scanned the cracks.

"Doctor!" Shu ran into the room. "Wait up! What's wrong?!"

"Mana…" the Doctor traced the wall with his finger. "She's still half human…"

"Yeah? They need her to be a hybrid right?"

"Yeah but… Haruka? What happened to her body when she died?"

"The reports say her body just tore itself apart and disappeared." Haruka answered.

"Anything on crystallization?" The Doctor turned around.

"No…"

The Doctor took a step back "Oh… oh that's clever…"

"Doctor?" Shu said.

"Mana. She needs Inori's body but she somehow retains her human self. When she died, she didn't crystallize because she had been converted into a Da'ath but the one thing that keeps you human is… your void."

"Mana has a void?"

"Of course she does! Every human being within the blast radius either crystallized or grew a void within them. To keep Mana part human, they needed to put her void somewhere safe. Somewhere no one would expect. Somewhere in plain sight…" the Doctor grasped a large crack and pulled the concrete off the wall revealing a purple wall of void crystal.

"My god…" Haruka gasped.

"We're standing inside Mana's heart…"

"Correct."

The Doctor turned around to find a group of Da'ath soldiers standing with some endlaves covered in crystal.

"Mana is still preparing. Stop them at all costs."

The people with glowing eyes ran forward.

"Ayase, Shu, Doctor, front lines! The rest of us will provide cover fire!" Kurachi shouted while pulling out a rifle. Haruka and Argo pulled out weapons as well.

"Well Shu, time to see what this can do." The Doctor activated the amplifier. It glowed bright green before shards of void crystals came bursting out of the nearest wall and attached themselves to the Doctor's right arm. The crystals gathered to form a sharp sword. "Hah! Conductor!"

Shu called upon Yahiro's shears and charged in along with the Doctor and Ayase's endlave. The duo slashed at the Da'ath while Ayase handled the void endlaves. Two men surrounded the Doctor and put their hands on the ground. Void crystals sprung up one by one and was heading towards the time lord. He then used his void sword to slash away the oncoming crystals and pulled out the sonic, using it to create a sound wave, making the crystals on his arm fly into the two Da'aths who exploded. Meanwhile, Shu combined Yahiro's shears with Ayase's boots to dash around the attackers and slice them. He managed to take out an endlave.

"Shu!" Ayase shouted. Her robot had been caught in the grasp of a Da'ath endlave's crystal tentacle and was slowly crystallizing.

Without hesitation, Shu dashed to her and cut the tentacles off. The endlave retaliated by firing its gun at the boy. The Doctor ran up to the robot and fired multiple blasts of sound.

"Is that your best shot?!" The Doctor shouted.

"Atmospheric conversion complete. Void levels stabilized." One of the void endlaves said.

"Oh me and my big mouth…" the Doctor said.

"Doctor, what are they…?"

The Da'ath soldiers froze in place and started shaking rapidly before exploding into a purple light. On the floor were burnt remains of the bodies they once wore. Dozens of bright purple creatures stood before them. They looked humanoid except they were significantly taller with elongated arms and legs, huge hands with sharp-looking fingers, faces with glowing eyes and jagged teeth. They were bent over abnormally making them lift their head to a ninety degree angle.

"Behold! The true form of the Da'ath!" One of them shouted.

"Of course, of course, of course!" The Doctor yelled. "We're standing inside a giant void, of course they would have enough void energy to survive in their real form!"

"That won't save them from us!" Ayase shouted as she grazed the Da'ath with her bullets. The creatures stood unharmed as on jumped on her endlave abnormally fast and slashed at it. Ayase stumbled back, hitting the wall behind her. The rest started running towards the team.

"They're in their natural bodies!" The Doctor activated his shield. "They're energy based! You can't kill them with physical weapons!"

Shu slashed at some but to no avail. "So how do we fight them?!"

"Fight energy with energy!" The Doctor blasted some Da'ath with sonic blasts, knocking them back. "Use the plasma blaster!"

Shu reached into his pocket. Right. He still had Andromeda's blaster. He used it to kill a few entities before moving forward. The Da'ath then started heading towards the convoy.

"Doctor!" Haruka shouted. One Da'ath jumped towards them. Kurachi immediately shoved a stun rod into it. The electricity made the Da'ath disappear.

"Your welcome." She said.

Ayase managed to get her endlave back up. "OK… energy… energy…"

"Ayase!" The Doctor shouted. "I made some upgrades to your endlave! Use the electricity pump in the right hand!"

Ayse controlled the right arm. The hand sparked and let out a blast of electricity, frying a large amount of Da'ath.

"Their forces are getting weaker! Push forward!" Shu yelled.

….

"I'm about to erase the memories and emotions that constituted you as a person."

Gai held his arm up as it glowed. Purple energy surged into Inori's chest and crystals surrounded her.

"You will be reborn as Mana… Resent me, Inori." Gai said. "If I hadn't awakened you, nothing would have begun… and nothing would have ended either."

"No… I'm grateful, Gai. Because…" Inori smiled. "You gave me life… you let me meet Shu…"

…

With Shu leading the charge, the group managed to get past the Da'ath. They made their way across the outer area of the facility. Up ahead was one of the Da'ath endlaves attacking an antibody. It grabbed the terrified man by the waist with a tentacle and held him up. Void Crystals started to form around his body. Shu immediately jumped into action using Ayase's void. He swiftly grabbed the tentacle making the soldier fall to the ground.

"Ayase!" Shu shouted.

"On it!" Ayase punched the endlave in the gut and sent it flying off the tower.

Gai: "What did Shu give you? What sort of world did he show you?"

Inori: "The sadness of this world… and its beauty. Shu suffered, doubted, made mistakes…"

Shu approached the infected man.

"Shu, what are you doing?" The Doctor said.

Inori: "…and he was ashamed of his ugliness. But the reason I love him is…"

Shu placed his void hand on the man who tried to get away in fear but realized what he was doing. The void glowed as the crystals from the soldier disappeared.

Inori: "He's human… he's heartbreakingly human."

"Shu! That's enough!" The Doctor shouted.

Void crystals accumulated around his right eye, adding to the crystal he had previously absorbed.

"It's alright, Doctor… I can take it." Shu smiled

"Shu. If you absorb too much, you might not be able to fight!"

The antibody then got up and ran away.

"Shu!" Ayase yelled. "You shouldn't be so reckless!"

"The Doctor said I can cure people. I'm not letting my ability go to waste."

"You idiot!"

Inori: "That's why, even though I'm only a vessel… I still got to fall in love… like a normal person."

….

The Doctor rechecked the map he had as they sped through corridors. "The highest accumulation of void energy seems to be coming from the top of the facility…"

"Good. We head there." Shu said.

"Shu?"

The group stopped in their tracks and turned their attention to a figure ahead of them. At the entrance of a gateway stood a familiar face.

"No…" the Doctor said. "Shu, just…"

"Hare…" Shu muttered.

Hare was wearing a white dress. She smiled at Shu.

"I missed you…"