The beam of energy fired from the pyramid pierced the atmosphere and continued up into Earth's outer orbit. The beam flew until it reached about halfway to Earth's moon, where a much smaller burst of energy flew out from its mass and sped ahead of the beam. The smaller blast burst into a shimmering portal in space. The beam passed through the portal, which then closed, quietly disappearing as if it were never there to begin with.
Across the vast, infinite emptiness of space, untold lightyears from Earth, a ship silently drifted through the stars. A ship whose size would dwarf most planet's moons. If one unfamiliar with space travel and the means to attain it were to look upon this vessel, its shape and design would not invoke images of ships or planes or any sort of vehicle at all. They would see the obsidian hand of god, with a black hole in its grip.
And this ship, and the ones who inhabited it, were the beam's ultimate destination.
The bridge of this vessel was a sleepy place, as being without an actual destination (and being bigger than anything that might otherwise threaten their voyage) left the crew with very little to do. So, when the ship's sensors blared to life, half of the humanoid technicians fell out of their seats. Which caused quite a loud echoing bang, given that everyone on the ship was concealed in heavy gunmetal grey armor. Despite the obvious weight of such armor, every technician on the bridge immediately rushed to work without any trouble whatsoever. Their language was similar to that of the orb in the same way Middle English was similar to the modern variety. The technicians shouted back and forth at one another as they toiled away on their consoles. A larger holographic screen wisped to life in front of the large front window. The screen zoomed in on the same portal that appeared above Earth appearing in front of their ship. Through the portal came the beam, which flew for just a minute more before dissipating, leaving a single metal capsule floating helplessly through space.
The technicians, after exchanging more shouting, returned to their computers. The capsule was then guided to their ship by a tractor beam. Several minutes passed before one of the technicians received a notification from the men who retrieved the pod. The technician took this information and ran to the center of the bridge, where sat the captain, also clad in armor that hid all discernable features, except that his armor was pitch black and slightly more decorative in design.
The captain looked over the information given to him, looked up at the technician, and nodded. The technician returned to his post, and the captain pointed forward, silently issuing his command. The ship lurched forth, gaining speed. From the ship came the same burst of energy produced by the beam. And like before, but on a much, much larger scale, a portal opened for them. The ship passed through the gate, and disappeared.
To say that the hours following the ascension of the pyramid were tense would be to compete for the biggest understatement in recorded history. While GDI forces had yet to arrive, fusions had arrive en masse, surrounding and inspecting the gigantic structure.
Kira, Ed and Jack had just barely managed to hide before the full horde had arrived, and were now watching from a nearby bush as the fusions descended on the pyramid. Over and over, fusions latched onto the pyramid's walls with intent to consume its material, but they would only slide off and gather on the ground. Whatever metal the pyramid was made from was completely resistant to fusion matter.
Something that fascinated the observing Kira.
"The fusions, they…" Kira breathed out in disbelief.
"Can't even dent it," Ed finished.
"We may not have found the Orion's Hammer, but this may still prove useful," said Jack. "For now though, we should wait until help arrives. I highly doubt that Dexter is just going to ignore this."
"Yeah," Kira said, "backup sounds really nice right now."
"No matter what we try, sire, our fusion matter simply won't bond with the material," said Fusion Untonium to a fusion emissary.
"If it cannot be fused, it must be destroyed," said Fuse through the emissary. "The humans are stubborn enough as they are. We cannot have them gaining material that is beyond our power."
Fusion Utonium gave a curt bow. "It shall be done, my lord." With that, the emissary took to the sky, leaving the fusion general to his work. Fusion Utonium turned to his horde and pointed at the pyramid. "Destroy!" he shouted. The fusions turned and fired on the pyramid, destructive fusion matter peppering the walls with acid and explosions. But the structure still refused to budge, even when Fusion Utonium joined in the blasting. After a while, he just commanded his troops to give up. "Perhaps the other fusion generals can help speed things along," he said. But his thoughts were broken a sound reached his ears. A sort of booming sound, similar to the sound barrier breaking far above their heads. Fusion Utonium looked up, and his red eyes widened in shock.
In the sky above burst to life another blue portal. But instead of the large ship from before coming through, five smaller ships zoomed through the portal and down to the pyramid below. Like large silver and blue birds, they raced across the sky, descending on the structure. Their thrusters shifted downwards, hovering the ships in the air as they surrounded the pyramid in a protective ring around its tip.
Naturally, the fusions turned their fire to the ships. But like the pyramid, the ships withstood the barrage effortlessly. And once the fusions had tired themselves out, the ships gave their reply. One turret dropped from the bottom of each ship, and from their barrels burst blue light and fire. Within minutes, the fusion horde was either scattered or dead. With the area properly cleansed, the ships lowered themselves a few feet before opening their side doors. Soldiers clad in the same armor as before leapt out of their ships and crashed down on the ground. Once everyone was on the ground, the soldiers got to work setting up a perimeter.
But the battle wasn't over yet, as Fusion Utonium leapt out from a rock he was hiding under. Tendrils burst out from his back as he let out a guttural roar and charged at the soldiers. Only to be stopped by one of them, who clamped his armors hand around the fusion's throat. The soldier said nothing, merely winding up and throwing Fusion Utonium into the sky, where one of the ships vaporized him with its guns. The soldiers returned to their work without another thought.
Kira jaw was sore from how many times it had hit the floor today, and this display only made it worse. All three were in complete shock and awe from what they had seen. In five minutes, one small battalion of soldiers had wiped out an entire fusion horde, including one of the moderately high fusion generals. And not only had they not lost a single man, but the soldiers hadn't even needed to fire a shot from the guns on their person. "Who the hell are these guys?" Kira whispered sharply to the other two.
"At a guess," said Jack. "The pyramids rightful owners."
"So, why aren't we booking it?" asked Ed.
"And alert them, are you crazy?" Kira shot back. "We need to wait for an opening before we run. We won't last ten seconds against those guns." Kira looked back out from their bush to watch the soldiers. But one of them was gone. "Oh no, where did the big guy go?"
"Which one?" asked Ed. Even the smallest one among them was built like a brick house.
But Kira got her answer when she felt the cold barrel of a rifle press against the back of her head. Kira's eyes widened in fear, but she calmly raised her hands into the air as she stood. Ed and Jack followed suit, and all three turned to face their captor.
The soldier's face was hidden by a grey visor, But Jack recognized his body language as being slightly surprised. Particularly with Kira, as the soldier, gun still trained, stepped closer to the girl and leaned into her.
Kira's breath was caught in her through as the soldier silently inspected her face. She couldn't see his face, but she knew he was focused on her red eyes. Kira's pale skin went bright red as the soldier's free hand rested on her right cheek, his thumb gently pushing down her cheek, which in turn pulled her right eyelid more open, giving him a better look at her ruby eye. His armored hand moved to her long white hair, holding up strands of it to examine it.
Just as the soldier was about to move on to the next part of his inspection, whatever it may have been, Ed bulked up his fist while he wasn't looking and slammed it into the side of his head. The soldier went flying a few feet, bouncing on the ground before smashing into a stone. Ed picked Kira up bridal style and turned to Jack. "Book it!" he shouted. He and Jack took off as fast as they could.
The soldier rose from the rubble, completely unfazed, and pulled out a smaller gun. Aiming upwards, he fired a signal flare. Immediately, one of the troop carriers, with three soldiers on board, flew after the three.
Ed and Jack bounded through the field, eventually reaching a thick forest. Kira shook her head to get her bearings before looking up at Ed. "Not that I'm ungrateful," she said. "But what the hell?"
"He was probably going to shoot you," Ed said. He also didn't like seeing that psycho put his hands all over her, but she didn't really need to hear that.
"I recognize this part of the darklands," Jack yelled back to the others from the lead. "If we can lose them, there's a town not far from here."
"Of course losing them is the operative term here," Kira said, pulling herself up to Ed's shoulder to look behind them. "And they're already gaining on us!" Above the tree line, the troop carrier effortlessly kept pace with them. Its mounted gun fired in front of their path, setting the forest ablaze in blue fire. Ed and Jack slid on the ground to stop themselves before making a hard right turn. Kira fumbled about in Ed's arms, retrieving her sniper rifle. Kira took aim, waiting for a break in the tree tops. Once she had her shot, Kira pulled the trigger, sending a shot of the same energy that cleaved through Fusion Ed's head rocketing towards the ship above. The blast merely bounced off its surface, not even leaving a dent. "Well, that's disheartening," she said.
The ship opened fire once again, using the trail of fire created by its blasts to force Ed and Jack into a nearby forest clearing. A ring of trees a mile wide, almost as if the forest anticipated the battle, and thus prepared an arena. Ed and Jack stopped, standing back to back as the soldiers caught up with them, surrounding the two with guns trained. Ed put Kira down, and she drew out her compound bow.
The soldier from before stepped to the front and pointed at Kira. Ed saw where he pointed, growled, and stepped in between them. "You want her, ugly," said Ed. "You go through me." Jack stepped forward as well, adding himself to that challenge.
The soldier didn't reply, but he did step forward, accepting the challenge. Kira, meanwhile, darted her eyes around the clearing. No openings that weren't covered by that damn ship above them. It was fight or die. So she notched an explosive arrow and prepared for the fight.
But then the soldiers stopped, then turned to look at a specific empty section of the clearing, as if expecting something. The boom from before reached Kira's ears, and she looked up. Another portal, right above them. But much smaller, too small for a ship.
Then, a tiny black dot came from the portal and, in a split second, crashed on the ground, where the soldiers were looking. The soldiers all gathered around the crater as the newcomer stepped out. It was the captain of the ship, clad in his regal black armor. The soldiers stood at attention, their left fists resting behind their lower backs, while their right fists rested on their right upper legs, then moved to their left shoulders, then finally their foreheads. A salute for their captain.
The leader walked through the crowd of his soldiers until he was face to face with Kira, Ed and Jack. He said nothing, did nothing, just stood there, staring at them through a pitch black visor. He held out his right hand and pointed down at the ground in front of him. Kneel.
Ed growled once again, and threw off his green jacket. His red and white striped shirt stretched as his muscles bulked up in mass. "20 tons!" he shouted, readying his now engorged fists. "Someone check the clock. I think it's go time!"
"Agreed," said Jack, who drew his sword. Both men let out battle cries as they charged their opponent. The unknown captain merely watched as they neared, crossing his arms across his chest. Ed stopped short in front of him, using his momentum to launch himself into the air. Ed brought down his fist from above, while Jack swung at his head from below. The warrior simply caught Jack blade with one hand, and Ed's fist with the other. The two were thrown to either side like ragdolls, but Kira took that chance to launch an arrow at the warrior's head. The arrow crashed into the side of his helmet. While it did not pierce the metal, the impact set off the explosives contained within it. The warrior was engulfed in a fiery explosion of white phosphorus.
Kira went to notch another arrow, knowing the battle wasn't over. But when she looked back, she only saw the black armor looming above her. Kira froze in fear as the black visor stared down at her, its expression, its intentions, unknown.
Before the warrior could do anything, he was tackled to the ground by Ed. "Get away from her!" Ed clamped his fists together and transferred all of the mass to them. "35 ton piston!" Ed brought down his fists on the warrior's head, causing a shockwave as another crater was put in the ground.
From the smoke caused by the impact, Ed flew out, bouncing and grinding along the ground until he came to a full stop, unconscious. "ED!" Kira shouted, running over to him. The warrior stepped out from the cloud, dusting himself off. When he looked up, he caught a glimpse of Jack bringing his blade down on him. He managed to dodge in that brief window, but Jack's sword ran clean through the armor it did hit, slicing a chunk of the armor on his shoulder off. No blood was spilt, but his armor was now weakened. The warrior looked at the damage and let out a chuckle. He didn't have to hold back with Jack.
Jack readied his sword for the battle. I have one minute of full power. Hopefully, that is all I will need. Jack's heart picked up speed, his muscles bulged slightly, and veins popped out on his neck and arms. The two warriors disappeared from the naked eye, clashing at blinding speeds. For one minute, the area became akin to an active minefield, explosions happening all around Kira, who knelt down next to Ed and covered her head, to avoid being caught in the crossfire.
But the one minute ran up, and Jack had to stop, lest his heart explode in his chest. Jack scrambled for the medicine in his coat, pulling out the bottle. But the pain in his chest increased, causing him to drop the bottle. Jack reached out for it, but tripped and fell to his knees, the pain increasing.
Kira ran over to get the bottle, but the warrior made it there first. The warrior picked up the medicine bottle, inspecting it closely. He then noticed Jack writhing on the floor, gripping his chest. The warrior could not read the text on the bottle, but he knew medicine when he saw it. So he walked over to Jack, opened the bottle, and poured a handful of pills into his hands. Jack wasted no time, downing two pills and letting the rest spill on the ground. After a few moments, Jack stood up, his heart no longer about to explode. Jack gave the warrior a questioning stare. The warrior merely stood there with crossed arms, waiting for the fight to continue. Jack picked up his sword and bowed to the warrior, who simply shrugged his shoulders in a gesture of "think nothing of it".
Kira watched in disbelief as the two prepared to fight once more. But then she noticed something. There was a crack in the side of the warrior's helmet. Small, but deep, thus vulnerable. Kira sheathed the arrow she was going to use, and, though hesitant, pulled out another one. I guess this would count as an emergency, she thought to herself as she notched the arrow. She aimed at the warrior's head, right at the weak point. "Suck Omega Arrow, chump." Kira released the arrow, sending it flying right into the warrior's helmet. The arrow pierced the crack all the way through, causing a web of cracks to spread across the helmet. Then, the omega arrow exploded. The force of the blast sent Kira and Jack flying back several feet. The explosion gathered in a small mushroom cloud that towered over the forest.
Kira pulled herself out of the dirt, coughing up a storm as she forced herself to her knees. Kira panted heavily, staring at the ground below. Then, a sharp pain in the back of her neck. Then nothing.
The warrior picked Kira up by the back of her shirt, and turned back to Jack, who had just forced himself to his feet. The warrior's visor was cracked beyond repair, only held together by the rest of the helmet. The warrior himself, however, seemed no worse for wear as he gestured to the unconscious Kira, giving Jack an ultimatum.
Jack glared daggers at the warrior, but his eyes also darted to the side, seeing the other soldiers moving in to retrieve Ed. Jack looked back at the warrior and sighed. He had lost. So Jack sheathed his sword, sat down on his knees, and rested his sheathed sword across his thighs, surrendering.
The soldiers promptly cuffed Jack's hands behind his back and laid Ed down next to him. The warrior walked up and laid Kira down on the opposite side. All three of them were cuffed. The cuffs then lifted into the air, pulling them up into the troop carrier. Jack looked down at the warrior, who was removing his broken visor. Once removed, the glass fell into hundreds of tiny pieces, and the warrior looked back up at Jack. Jack's eyes narrowed, for it wasn't just the familiarity of the warrior's ruby red eyes that put him off.
It was that his eyes were those of a man who knew only war…