FUSIONFALL OR:

HOW WE GOT TOGETHER TO FIGHT THE INVASION

PART 4: MOJO'S BIZARRE ADVENTURE

Far to the north of the cities, beyond the Prickly Pine forest and the Pimpleback Mountains, lie the untamed Wilds. Covered in dense, tangled tropical bush, expanding for miles and miles unmeasured; it is a mystery that remains largely uncharted to this day. One thing known about it, however, is the existence of a great mountain that rests deep within. The mountain has stood there for aeons, and for as long as time has been recorded it has been a place that people have avoided. As surrounding it is a volatile, volcanic land: prone to blistering with expulsions of boiling lava, while a constant thick cloud of ash rains down from mountain's always smoking tip. The only living beings that have ever dared to explore this territory are the many races of monkeys endemic to the Wilds, attracted to a rare fruit that grows only from the cluster of trees that have evolved to sprout from the volcano's base. For this reason, those who are familiar with the place know it to be called "Monkey Mountain".

In recent times, however, things have not been as they usually are. Colossal structures, erected to utterly dominate the environment are the most prominent sign that change is afoot. The monkeys have grown to fear them, for they cannot understand how one of their own can be so large and stand so still. Of course, they cannot realise that these structures are in fact statues - huge, ostentatious tributes to the new chief in town. They tower over the foothills that lead through to his claimed domain, each depicting the same individual striking a series of impressive poses, with a glare that dares anyone to weave their way between them. Because even in his exile, only the best will do for Mojo Jojo.

Yadda Yadda marched through the gates into the New Simian Nation, nodding at the gorilla guards that saluted him as he walked past. His troop of simian scouts skipped in after him, chattering to each other as they celebrated their return from another uneventful patrol. They were itching to drop off their kit at the barracks, freshen up, and unwind for the evening; debating what the chefs had cooked up for dinner and whether they wanted to play darts or cards tonight. One of them pleaded against the games, complaining that they were running out of bananas and weren't going to get paid for another two weeks. Yadda smirked as he listened from ahead, a rare expression, endeared by the casual bickering of his people.

The troop slowed as they approached the colony's central area. A hub of activity where simians gathered en masse to attend to their duties, train or exchange goods and services; each display pulled at the troop's gaze as they entered the midst. Passing the open grounds, they could see the soldiers engaged in combat practice – powerfully chanting in unison as they drilled moves, repeating over and over as they strived for perfection. Moving on, the scent of fumes and light of electrical sparks told them they were nearing the workshops - here, they saw engineers chucking each other parts and tools, working on flight suit upgrades and improvements to the power grid they had installed to harvest the volcanic earth beneath them. The troop continued, carrying on past the armoury where simians traded equipment; the dining hall where the scent of food being dished out beckoned to them; and the launderers where simians handed in clothes to wash or repair. Throughout their path, they watched as people shouted out greetings, swapped conversation, bickered and made up – the picture of a thriving community.

Finally, they reached the barracks. Yadda dismissed his troop, waving them off as they ran to unpack their bags. He paused a moment to watch as they filed in, and as he did so he felt that familiar sense of appreciation again for all the achievements they had made these past few months. Even though he remembered it well, it seemed so long ago now that they had desperately drifted from place to place, unable to find anywhere they could settle. They had even reached a point where they believed that they would be lost forever... That was, until their great leader rose again, and put aside his own suffering so he could guide them to the most unwanted of lands and force it to become a worthy settlement. His wisdom, his tenacity, his sheer unbreakable will: that is what made Mojo Jojo, first of his evolved kind, the Simian Supreme.

Now that he was alone, Yadda had one more task to complete - giving his report to Mojo. He turned to head onwards to the observatory, situated at furthest end of the colony. The observatory had been built into the base of Monkey Mountain itself, or rather, atop a natural ledge in the rock that jutted out from the base, nestled in the heart of where most of the fruit trees grew. For the way it overlooked the colony, the ledge had been dubbed "Simian Summit", second only to the mountain's own peak. Mojo had identified it as a perfect position from which to observe the stars. He had even refused to carve a way up when he first built the observatory, stating that only those who could make the climb deserved to be there. Yadda could very much feel this challenge as he clung to the rock surface, pulling himself up with swinging grasps at the holds above him, muscles straining as he crawled up until he was pulling himself over the cliff edge and back to his feet.

The observatory proudly revealed itself as Yadda made his way through the trees into a clearing. Designed to be a replica of Mojo's original home in Townsville, it was built with materials salvaged from what his people could carry during their escape and from the new environment they found themselves in. It was certainly rougher in execution, a little more makeshift in appearance but somehow cosier in atmosphere as a result. Furthermore, the sunlight that peered in from the colourful canopy above created a kaleidoscope effect that basked the outside in various shades of tropical hues; painting the image of a miniature paradise that drew a stark contrast to the fire and smoke that surrounded everywhere else. It was of course Mojo's favourite place to be, and even more so at present as he seemed to never come out anymore, instead observing the skies for extended stretches of the day and night. Among his minions, Yadda was one of the few that had free reign to visit him.

Yadda climbed the outside steps up to the observatory's front door and let himself in. He stepped into the great dome, where the environment was tinted blue by the cool lighting reflecting off the metallic panelling on the inner surface. The floor was occupied by multiple workspaces: desks where stacks of books surrounded piles of notes Mojo had made throughout his research; benches where half-finished inventions sat in clamps and frames, waiting to resume being operated on; huge monitors for the multiple computers Mojo had installed in between. And in the centre, an elevated platform from where the observatory's telescope aimed upwards and outwards, and at which Mojo was sat at this very instant, eye pressed into its lens as he continued to study the world beyond.

Yadda came to a halt in front of the platform and kneeled, gruff voice projecting to announce himself. "Simian Supreme, I come with my report of the daily patrol." Mojo made no noise or movement, nonindicative of whether he had heard his minion. He continued to stare into his lens, making minor adjustments to its focus and viewing position. Yadda waited. When Mojo was focused, his work was the only priority, and all one could do was wait until he felt like giving his attention.

Finally, Mojo's lips parted to murmur a response. "… Yes, yes. Thank you, Yadda, for your hard work."

Yadda frowned. That was it? "Simian Supreme," he ventured, "Would you… like to hear my report?"

No answer from the Simian Supreme, who had immediately been reabsorbed by his work. This was strange. Usually, even if busy Mojo always paused to keenly hear every detail of Yadda's reports, as it was in his interest to ensure the colony's security. His being so dismissive was unlike him. Yadda tentatively stood up, watching Mojo as he scratched at his head, muttering under his breath in frustration while he swivelled in his seat to match the telescope's movements. Yadda was not so educated, but he was observant. There was something up there, he concluded. Mojo must have noticed something new during his usual sessions – which explained why he had become so reclusive. Yadda didn't really understand the science, but he knew that anything that would concern the Simian Supreme would concern the colony. He stepped closer to the platform, and dared to ask, "Simian Supreme - is something the matter?"

This time, Mojo clearly heard. He let go of the telescope, and turned his face to look down at Yadda. His expression was indistinguishable. Yadda felt a jolt of fear course through him as the silence stretched. He had offended the Simian Supreme, he was sure of it. He opened his mouth to beg for forgiveness, but then, Mojo's lips peeled back into a wide, excited grin.

"Yadda Yadda," Mojo spoke. "I have made a discovery. A discovery of something that has previously been undiscovered, and that has now been discovered by myself."

Suddenly, he leapt from his chair and sped forward, hurdling straight over the platform's railing onto the floor below. Baffled, Yadda followed him as he brushed past, heading towards a desk, beside which he had hung up his cloak.

"Prepare yourself, Yadda," he commanded, as he swung the cloak around his shoulders. "Inform the colony to prepare themselves, and summon the Umbra Troop, as preparation is necessary!" He marched towards the observatory's door, flinging it wide open to step outside. He jabbed a single finger up to point into the air, cloak billowing in the outside wind, his voice filled with triumph, and his eyes alight with determination:

"FOR CONQUEST AWAITS!"

The moment had come. At Mojo's behest, the engineering team threw everything aside to prep the special project he had commissioned them to build over the past few weeks. They brought it out of the workshops, transporting it on a carrier to the open grounds, pushing aside the soldiers still in mid-training. They would need the room. When the object was transferred onto the ground, the engineers immediately climbed into and all over it, running the essential checks of every system, every panel, every tool they had equipped it with. They were still in the dark of course as to what purpose Mojo had possibly built it for, and more so what could possibly prompt him to require it now, but whatever it was they could absolutely guarantee: the spaceship was more than ready to fly, and it would do so at lightspeed.

It was one of the most formidable vehicles they had ever built. The design language was magnificent – sleek, aerodynamic, but full of power and presence. Its body was primarily white, with parts highlighted in silver and shades of purple. Great wings splayed out, on the underneath of which were rows of circular jets which could freely rotate in their sockets, enabling the ship to launch itself from any angle. Along the bridge of the nose was a canopy through which the cockpit could be seen. The cockpit was structured to have two levels – the higher for the captain's helm and his immediate assistants, and the lower for the rest of a small crew in support. The obvious squad to embark being Mojo Jojo and the Umbra Troop.

The commotion had prompted the rest of the colony to rush into the surrounding grounds, an audience of eager eyes peering over each other's shoulders. Simians chattered to each other in excitement, all wondering what in bananas was going on but also feeling the weight of something massive about to happen. They could sense that the Simian Supreme was about to do it again – take the Nation into even greater heights than ever before.

And here they came: the astronauts, Mojo Jojo and his minions decked out in full flight suits, helmets tucked under their arms as they walked as one towards the ship. The crowd parted to let them through, many reaching out in awe or gratitude for being able to follow him to this day. They called out praise, clapping and cheering for their leader and their seniors and their bravery, all the way until they made it to the foot of the ship's door.

Finally, Mojo raised his hand to wave as they came to a stop, equal parts a greeting to his people and a signal to instruct them to listen.

"My people!" he began, his voice dripping with gravitas. "My people of the New Simian Nation, citizens of this colony, minions of myself, the Simian Supreme! We are about to embark on a new quest, that will earn us retribution!"

The simians gasped. Mojo continued.

"Up in the outer expanse, as I speak to you and you listen to me, there comes a celestial body that none have previously witnessed! A body that is hurtling towards the Earth, that nobody knows is coming – except me! And so I will travel to meet it, intercept it, capture it and analyse it! You will bear witness to history in the making! A history that will forever be marked as written by Mojo Jojo, the greatest mind of this epoch!"

The minions roared with approval. The Simian Supreme had absolutely done it again. They howled and beat at the ground as Mojo and his Umbra Troop climbed aboard, allowing themselves a moment to tap into their primal, animalistic instincts without care or shame so that they could fully express the pride they felt.

The ship door lowered into place when the final member climbed aboard. Inside, Mojo strode towards the cockpit, the Umbra Troop in tow. He climbed up into the captain's seat. The others settled into their places, Yadda Yadda acting as chief mate just to his right below him. Mojo took a moment to gaze up at the sky ahead once more, anticipating. What he would find up there was going to change everything, he knew it. His gaze came back down to find his minions looking back up at him, awaiting his command, ready to follow him to the end.

It was time. Mojo gave the order.

Outside, the crowd felt the air fill with an enormous pressure, pierced by a high-pitched whine as the ultra-powered engines kicked into gear. The ship seemed to almost vibrate, as the wings angled themselves towards the direction of travel. A massive gust of wind pushed them back, as the ship rose into the air, hovering, hovering, hovering, until…

BOOM.

The ship was gone.

Space.

Endless space.

As the ship carrying the Simian Supreme and his Umbra Troop sailed outwards from the Earth, ripping through the layers of its atmosphere as it accelerated into lightspeed, time around it came to a standstill. The cosmos pulsed and swirled around them, a universe in limbo where layers of infinite colour, infinite black ran in intertwining streams. Caressing hands that passed over the ship, dancing for the crew within, guiding them like a beautiful song towards the ultimate discovery.

They sailed. Flying through the void, a streak of bright ink crossing through the night towards a sea of stars. They called to each other as they travelled, shouting out statuses and figures, keeping other in check and grounding each other so that they would not get lost to the fathoms. Mojo surveyed the horizon, fixated on the point at which it all converged. They were approaching soon - he could see it. The galaxy was opening itself up like an oyster about to offer its hidden pearl, the horizon splitting into halves to reveal their target lying in wait-

They had arrived.

The ship slid into a smooth cruise. Here, everything was quiet. A pocket in the galaxy that rested alone, away from all the planets, and all their moons. Here, there was but the company of solitude. Mojo Jojo and his Umbra Troop watched it all in a hush, eyes searching for… there it was.

There in the distance, was the reason that Mojo had brought them.

It was unlike anything they had ever seen. In size, it was titanic. Perhaps not as large as a planet in this system, but from the distance they could see it, easily dwarfing any of its moons. In colour, it was like a chameleon. On first glance they would have said it was mostly a lucid green - but even as they watched they could see it illuminating with various other shades: bursts of violent red, deep purple, electric blue, and burning yellow phasing through. In shape, it seemed to be roughly globular, but it also had many masses bulging out from all over it: random appendages that could possibly be moons of its own… or parasitic growths. Its surface did not appear to be solid, nor even gaseous, but rather something viscous, almost gelatinous. And surrounding it all, a shield of rapidly orbiting asteroids, great lumps of glowing rock that hurled in arcs; an impenetrable wall.

It was here that the first citizens of Earth faced the entity that would be known as Planet Fusion in all its terrible grandeur.

Mojo realised he had been clenching his fist and relaxed his grip. He could feel his breathing getting heavier. Whatever this discovery was, he had to have it. Townsville would matter no more – with this, he would have not just the world of Earth, but maybe even create a new world of his own.

He called out to the crew below him to begin examination. "Close in at a crawling pace," he ordered. "Send out initial probes for sample collection."

The ship slowed down as it drifted towards the entity. As they entered its shadow, a set of slots in its body twisted open, from which a pair of tiny probing devices shot out. The ship allowed itself to float in free space as the crew watched the probes zoom towards the asteroid shield. Aiming to be nimble enough to nip the rocks as they passed without interrupting their trajectory, they would collect a fragment for the ship to obtain initial readings.

The probes closed in, twitching ever so slightly at the last second to make contact at the optimum angle – and were instantly destroyed. To the crew's shock, the asteroids they touched seemed to melt away, literally shifting out of shape to expand into two jagged protrusions that clamped down over the probes like a pair of snapping jaws. The rocks then held themselves in place, pulling themselves out of their orbiting path to just… sit static. As they continued to watch they could see the surface where the 'jaws' had clamped continue to twist and contort, expanding and contracting like a writhing muscle. Despite knowing it to be impossible, the crew would later swear that they could hear a vicious, sinister hiss emanate from the asteroids as the probes were digested.

Mojo stared with wide open eyes.

"Send another probe," he whispered.

Yadda repeated his order to the crew, and they obeyed. Another pair of probes jetted out, flying towards the asteroids. As soon as they touched the exact same thing happened again – the probes were consumed.

Mojo curled his eyebrows into a glare. No. Whatever this obstacle was, he had come too far to be turned away. He was Mojo Jojo, the Simian Supreme.

"Activate the guns."

Yadda hesitated to repeat the order. He looked back up at Mojo, his eyes asking - are you sure?

"BRING OUT THE GUNS!" Mojo roared.

Yadda nodded and repeated the order. Along the ship's length more slots opened up, and a half dozen blasters slid out and into place. If they could not probe them, Mojo decided, then they would shatter them completely and seize their broken fragments.

"Fire with extreme prejudice," Mojo ordered.

The guns lit up with energy, mechanisms clicking rapidly as they loaded up ammunition. They aimed at the pair of rocks, three upon either thing, and released a volley of bolts. The asteroids were barraged by an unrelenting assault, a rain of fire that struck them with such frenzy that the crew could not even see them react. Little by little, pieces of rock were ripped away, flinging out into the space around to float like loose gravel.

The crew grinned, exchanging fist bumps and high fives. Mojo nodded, satisfied. He looked down at Yadda, who understood his wordless instruction, and Yadda commanded the crew to quickly send out drones to collect the fragments. Their priority now was to bring the samples home for study before whatever preservation response that lay in the rock was reactivated.

The drones were sent out. They were much larger than the probes, with claws that could grab and vacuums that could suck up. They began hoovering the fragments, reaching for larger pieces to deposit into their compartments that slid open to accept them. The drones glided back and forth, moving at a deceptively relaxed pace but making rapid work of the task. Finally, they collected the last piece and turned back to return to the ship. They flew in unison a few meters… and stopped.

Seeping out from the drone crevices there came a lucid green glow.

The drones imploded as suddenly the same viscid substance that the entity's surface was made out of erupted from them. Splashes of goo soaked the drones, covering them completely. Then, just as the rocks had before – the goo rose up and hardened, branching out like pointed tendrils that began stabbing down into the machinery, pulverising it into mechanical mush to allow more and more of the goo to boil out and saturate. Now unrecognisable, the ruined husks that were the drones disappeared within the substance completely, leaving behind only two masses of fusion matter floating in free space, which then merged to become one.

The fusion matter pulsed slowly, in and out, like a breathing predator. Then it began to shapeshift again. It bended and stretched, squaring off at one end and elongating into a long, tubular shape at the other, until the crew realised what it had morphed itself into.

It had taken on the form of the ship's guns.

The fusion gun began shooting back.

The ship was rocked by a screeching impact. Gigantic bolts, twelve times the size of the ones they had originally shot, hammered into the ship's body. The crew were thrown from their positions, onto the floors and into the walls as the ship was smacked around so hard it was dislodged from its position. All over the cockpit, sirens and alarms started to scream, as every system picked up incomprehensible levels of damage being suddenly inflicted upon them. They all pointed to the same solution – get out of here as fast as possible for any hope of survival.

Mojo needed to act fast. He rolled over onto his front from where he had fallen to and began crawling back to his seat on all fours. Around him, he could see members of the Umbra Troop that had been knocked unconscious. Others were making their way over to attempt resuscitation. Mojo shouted, telling them to get back to their positions. The priority now to save everyone had to be escape.

He made it to the upper level, where he found Yadda Yadda kneeling while clutching his side. Yadda looked up to meet Mojo's eyes, and dragged himself back up to his feet. He too understood that there was no time to feel the pain, only to help Mojo and the rest of the crew. They got into position, and immediately began ordering the still-capable members of the Umbra Troop to wrestle the ship back into control. They were limited, but it just meant that they would need to temporarily adopt their teammates' duties.

The ship groaned as they forced it around. They went balls to the wall, pushing every available thruster to the maximum to get out of range. The fusion gun was still shooting at them, bombarding them with green bolts that seemed to stick to the ship's body like acid before they could pull away. Mojo orchestrated in delirium, his mouth spitting out a string of non-stop orders as he instructed the crew to manoeuvre this way and that to avoid the incoming bolts.

They needed to jump, now.

"Begin transition to lightspeed!" Mojo shouted down to his minions.

"We need more time to build up energy!" came the panicked response.

"We do not have enough time! Jump now!"

"But we don't have enough to make it all the way!"

"Then turn off everything else, and jump, NOW!"

The minions complied. They slammed their hands on every off button they could find, turning off the shields, the lights, the gravity, even the oxygen reserves, so that every ounce of built up energy they had was diverted to the engines, and then-

BOOM.

Up in the sky above the New Simian Nation, there came a meteorite hurtling towards the Earth. The simians of the colony rushed to evacuate, helping each other towards shelters to brace themselves for impact. They piled in, huddling close together in fear, praying that they would not be harmed.

The meteorite slammed into the open grounds, a great ball of fire and heat. The simians were shaken furiously by the impact, some falling to the ground or getting injured by colliding with each other, but once the shock passed, they realised… they were fine?

They stepped out of their shelters. They looked around. It was safe.

They walked to the open grounds. And there they saw… the Simian Supreme!

Mojo's people ran forward to rescue the crew from the ruins of the crashed ship. They pried open the doors, lifted the wings in unison to pull them out and away so they could be attended to by the medics. Some were still unconscious, but many were waking up, and luckily, all vitals seemed to be fine. The biggest concern, of course, was Mojo. They crowded around him, supporting him together as he tried to sit up. He had a nasty black eye and heavy bruising across the side of his head. The medics hurried to his side to tend to his wounds, but he pushed them away. Instead, he gripped the arms and shoulders of his minions either side of him, using them as leverage to stumble to his feet so he could get a clear view of the sky above.

His eyes filled with horror, as he saw the cloud of bulbous objects that had followed them back begin to darken the sky.

Mojo looked around, at his minions, at his people, and at the Earth he was standing on.

"We have to warn them."

END OF PART 4