Part 3 - Devil's Dawn
Chapter 51 - Call to Arms
The bridge of the SGC Valour had been cleared apart from officers at the three stations. Edward Melbourne sat down in his chair and thought hard about what he was going to say.
"Ops, tell the fleet to transmit this message to as many dimensions as they can. A number of ships are to proceed to other dimensions which do not possess the required technology and are to deliver it. Understood?"
"Yes sir, what's the message?"
Edward stood up again and took a deep breath.
"This is Grand Admiral Edward Melbourne of Sol Galactic Command, originating from dimension 9559. You may be aware of a multi-dimensional war against a being named Helltreader. Helltreader has been slain, but another threat has risen in his place. Alduin, the Devourer of Worlds, has been unleashed with the power to destroy everything you know and love. To you who hear this, we ask for your aid. Alduin cannot be defeated by us alone. Attached are blueprints for a device capable of transporting a single person between dimensions. We wait for a representative of your people to arrive for the formation of the resistance in three day's time: dimension 9559."
The admiral made a gesture at his ops officer who pressed a button, ending the recording.
"Message transmitted to the fleet, along with the blueprints. We just created the biggest beacon in the history of beacons."
"Let's just hope it's big enough."
"SGCs Arachnid, Vega, Betelguese, Proxima Centauri, London, Anchorage, New York..."
"Get to the point."
"They're departing to deliver the message."
"Keep me posted."
The SGC Arachnid, former home of Flux Force, burst from temporal warp over a small village on a high ocean cliff. Peter B Parker leapt off the ramp as the ship descended to the cliff edge. He landed perfectly and the corvette pulled away to hover out at sea. The spider walked into the centre of the village. The inhabitants seemed surprised to see him, but not confused despite being Vikings. The ship had been here not so long ago to deal with one of Helltreader's appearances. Peter had been there, being a member of Flux Force. What he noticed, however, was that everything was repaired. If he hadn't watched the village be annihilated, he wouldn't have known it ever happened. He stopped as a man with brown hair and a beard approached, followed closely by a woman with blond hair.
"I seem to remember you're the chief of the village?" Asked Peter to the man.
"I am. Hiccup, in case you've forgotten in the seven years since your last visit."
"Seven years? It was a week and a half ago."
Hiccup frowned.
"We have some very different concepts of time."
"Clearly. Anyway, I have a message for you and your people."
Peter pulled a sheet of paper from a pocket in his suit and read the same message Edward had dictated an hour earlier. When he finished, the villagers had gathered around to listen, yet there was silence as they waited for their chief to react. Hiccup turned to his wife.
"What do you think, Astrid?"
"We're Vikings. Fighting is what we do, but a war between...dimensions? All we have are axes. Compared to something like that," She pointed out at the Arachnid, "We have nothing."
It was Peter's turn to frown.
"I thought you guys were the ones with dragons?"
"It's been seven years. The dragons left." Said Hiccup.
"Where did they go?"
"A place we like to call the Hidden World. They visit from time to time, but only every couple of years."
"Then let's go and find them! Any idea where this Hidden World is?"
"Yes. Come inside. I have a map somewhere."
Gwen was getting agitated. An enormous beast watched her, laughing deeply, its glowing red eyes piercing the darkness.
"You would ask me to return a warrior from Sovngarde? What power do you hold?"
"A power beyond your understanding."
"I am the Devourer of Worlds. There is little beyond me."
Gwen laughed.
"You have no idea, Alduin."
"Prove yourself, girl."
The black monster rose up into the sky and opened its mouth, letting out a roar which summoned a powerful shockwave. Gwen didn't even flinch as it struck her. When it had died down, she spread magenta wings and rose higher than the dragon, unleashing a beam of energy that drove the beast back to the ground. Alduin let out a belch of flame as he landed. Gwen crossed her arms and a magenta bubble appeared around her, blocking the fire. The Devourer of Worlds snorted as she touched down, folding her wings and making them vanish.
"I have proven myself. Now will you do as I ask?"
"I will return to you this...Miles Morales if you send a billion more to take his place in the fogs of Sovngarde. In addition, you shall bring me the head of the Dovahkiin. And finally: you will give me and my kin free passage to the other worlds."
"Very well. We have a deal."
Sol Galactic Command orbital headquarters, dimension 9559:
Three days had passed since the transmission was sent. Edward sat behind a table positioned behind, and slightly to the side of a podium raised on a stage above an immense chamber filled with chairs. This was a testament to humanity's achievements: enormous halls orbiting the blue and green ball the species called home. There were people here already, that was good. Some had arrived shortly after the message was sent, others just a few hours ago. He looked to his side as someone sat down next to him.
"Nervous?" Asked Darian, or 'Mystery Man' as Peter liked to call him.
"If you mean about talking in front of an audience, no. When you're in my position you get used to it no matter how scared you are at first. If you're referring to Alduin, then yes. Aren't we all?"
"Honestly I'm more worried about exposing my power to the multiverse. I told you of my worries before I joined Flux Force, now so many will know."
"I understand. But it's necessary. You know more about Alduin than anyone else, although you won't say how you defeated him."
"That's because I never really did. We pushed him through time. He just needed a way to get out which is presumably what Gwen has done. After that, I left my home dimension to travel the multiverse, joining a group of nomads. I wanted to see what else was out there. After Conall massacred my friends, I escaped to Sol."
"And I'm glad you did. Where would we be without you?"
"Somewhere else."
"Somewhere else indeed."
There was a short pause before Edward spoke again.
"A word of advice: whatever you say in your part, do not mention Gwen's involvement."
"Why not? I'll scribble it out of my notes, but is there a particular reason?"
"There's always a reason. We're going to see a lot of different peoples from a lot of different cultures. Some will want to execute her. If they don't know about her then we don't have to worry about that."
"You realise, looking at the evidence, that we'll most likely have to kill her anyway?"
"Yes, but we have to give her a chance. It's what Miles would have wanted."
Gwen flew over mountains and forests, followed by a dragon. There was her target: Helgen, an Imperial fort. She tore down and landed on top of a watchtower, staring down at someone who had their head on the chopping board. The dragon thumped down behind her and roared, knocking the executioner off their feet. What did it matter? Everyone here had to die. She had a billion souls to hand over. She folded her wings and leapt down, drawing a katana. Civilians screamed as they ran. Gwen drove her blade through the belly of one of the soldiers as they rest scrambled to form a defence. She picked up the executioner and snapped their neck. Two souls...for a promise Alduin had no reason to keep. Both knew they could not harm the other. Alduin could end the entire dimension if given enough time, but she could inflict unending pain on him. Nothing damaging, more just uncomfortable. She drew a small, magenta knife and stabbed it into someone behind her: three souls. What would Miles say about this? What did it matter? He wasn't here, all that mattered was getting him back no matter the cost.
Two more days passed at the Sol orbital headquarters. Edward entered a much smaller room than the enormous hall from before, this was a briefing room. He sat down and looked at the small council which had been put together from the hundreds who had turned up. They had each been picked for a specific reason. On his right was Darian who was the resistance's greatest chance at defeating Alduin and capturing Gwen. Next to Darian was Peter who's knowledge about spider people was imperative to success. On the spider's right was Teresa: her previous experience with military operations would be priceless, and she had grown close to Gwen. Lastly, bringing it back round to the admiral, were the Viking chief and chieftess: Hiccup and Astrid. From experience, Edward knew that knowledge was power in most circumstances, and even when it wasn't it was a major advantage. Although they came from a primitive culture, their dealings with dragons made them the perfect choice.
"I know this is all pretty alien to you two, but you'll get used to it. Anyway, to business. Before we start, anyone got anything to say? No, OK, right. Alduin is a dragon capable of devouring entire dimensions, as you know. We need to kill him before he kills all of us. Any suggestions?"
"What if we find a way to tame Alduin?" Asked Hiccup.
Darian laughed.
"When you see Alduin, you will know there is no way to calm, never mind tame that beast. He is a Dovah, not one of your back garden pets. A Dovah's only goal is to dominate. If it were to be turned into a pet it would be disgraced."
"And what about the others of its kind?" Asked Astrid.
"The other Dovahs give their allegiance to the strongest of them. For all of time, that has been Alduin. If someone was to prove they are stronger than him, they may be persuaded to come to our side."
"Then that's it, isn't it? We bring the others to our side." The chieftess concluded.
"And would you like to explain your elaborate plan to defeat Alduin in order to do that?" Said Teresa.
She had been scarily quiet since she had discovered the note Gwen had left behind. Peter had been wondering what was going through her head all that time. Astrid looked at Hiccup for support. Hiccup seemed to have a bright idea.
"Can we draw Alduin into a different dimension?"
"He's smart. He'll suspect a trick." Replied Darian.
"But would it be possible to drag him through if he didn't follow himself?"
Darian looked at Edward who thought for a second.
"We could drag him through, but it would require attaching a device to him that could warp on command. But putting that aside, what's the plan once we have the thing where we want it?"
"Astrid, could we find a way to get a Bewilderbeast to fight? It would be big enough to put up a fight. It must be worth a try."
"It's better than killing every dragon one at a time, that's for sure. The question is how do we pull it off logistically?" Replied Darian.
Edward sat forward, realising this was directed at him.
"The device can be created with ease. In fact, it can probably be finished by this evening. The only question is who feels so expendable they're willing to get close enough to Alduin to stick it on?"
"I'll do it." Peter volunteered immediately.
"Any opposition?"
Nobody made to reject the decision.
"That's settled. Now, how will we get you close enough?"
Peter shrugged. Teresa had an idea, however.
"Use a Phantom jet. It can turn invisible so Alduin won't see it coming. How can you hit something you can't see? When it's close enough, Peter can jump out, stick the warper on, then run like hell."
"I could take him in on a dragon, Toothless. He can turn invisible." Volunteered Hiccup.
"Except you'll be needed to find this Bewilderbeast with Astrid. Besides, a Phantom is disposable. Your knowledge of dragons, and everything else, isn't." The commander pointed out.
"So, if that's settled, how will you sort out this Bewilderbeast? And where are we putting it?" Asked Edward.
"We'll keep it in our dimension. There's no way we can get something as big as that to another. Anyway, home advantage, right?" Replied Astrid.
"Yes, that's true. I'll have some warships positioned to help out if things aren't going our way. So, if that's all bases covered, and nobody else has anything to say, then that's this first meeting concluded. Peter, stick around. Anyone else got anything?"
Silence.
"Alright, meeting adjourned. Get to your jobs ASAP."
"ASAP?" Enquired Hiccup.
Edward wondered whether the translator had just botched it, or it was just not a Viking term. He guessed the latter was more likely.
"As soon as possible."
"OK. Good luck, everyone."
When the room had cleared, except the spider and admiral, Edward clicked his tongue.
"If you're taking on Alduin with nothing but a Phantom, Peter, you'll need an upgrade. Come with me."
Edward took Peter to the R&D lab of the SGC Valour. Two scientists were waiting there.
"Peter, meet Stanley and Lisa. They designed Miles and Gwen's new suits, and now they've designed a new one for you."
Stanley and Lisa grinned.
"So, you might be a spider but you aren't all that powerful on your own." Started Stanley.
"You get in a lot of physical altercations, so the biggest concern is with them, and being able to take a hit. Introducing your new suit." Finished Lisa, stepping back and pointing round a corner.
Peter looked round it. On first glance, the suit didn't seem all that different, but he quickly realised it looked much more buffed up than his current onesie. It didn't seem to be made of programmable matter plates like Gwen and Miles' suits had. Instead, it was one large piece. As he approached it, it opened up to let him step inside.
"Nanotech: courtesy of 9578. Don't worry, it's more than a bit of metal." Explained Stanley.
Peter discarded his mask from his hand and stepped inside the suit backwards. It closed around him and a heads-up display appeared showing his vital signs and a couple of percentages he didn't understand.
"So, what can this do?" Asked the spider, raising his hands and admiring how shiny and clean it all looked.
"The biggest feature: kinetic and thermal absorption." Said Lisa.
"And in English?"
"Easiest with a demonstration."
Stanley stepped forward and picked up a boxing glove then proceeded to throw a punch straight into Peter's chest. One of the percentages on the HUD shot up.
"Did you see it?" Asked the scientist, and possibly part-time boxer with how hard he hit.
"Yep. One of the numbers went up."
"That's the percentage of kinetic energy stored. The lower the number, the better the suit is at protecting you. The higher it is, the more powerful you punch. If you get punched, the number goes up. If you punch, it goes down. It's pretty simple, really."
"I think I can get used to that. So, what about the other percentage? The red one, I mean?"
"That's your thermal capacity."
Stanley pulled off the boxing glove and picked up a pistol.
"Err..."
"Relax. It uses the same tech as Gwen's suit to protect you from bullets."
He fired a normal shot. The bullet turned to dust a few inches from Peter's body. Next the scientist loaded a clip marked with a flame symbol. The bullet that was fired also turned to dust, but a small ball of flame consumed the spider before quickly disappearing. The red percentage shot up like a rocket.
"That was fun. What's the benefit to that?"
"Two things: flamethrowers instead of webs, or you can transfer the heat down a web for whatever reason."
Edward chuckled.
"That's far too many toys. Careful in case he turns into the next villain."
Lisa rolled her eyes.
"We were thinking about a rocket launcher but thought that was a bit too much."
"Yeah...not Spiderman's style."
"Exactly. It has all the other basic features as well, including web shooters, dimensional jumping capabilities, glide suit, you name it."
"You guys have really poured everything into this."
"You're the last spider person in active service. We need you to stay alive, and not evil." Replied Edward.
"Well, thanks guys."
Crossovers in this Chapter
- How to Train Your Dragon
- Skyrim
Note
So, welcome to part three. This part I feel is not quite as spidery as the other two so far, but don't worry. Part four is going to be the most spidery part in the fan-fic.