Previously on
CRISIS
The night grows darker with every passing moment. Expecting a typical raid against their enemies the Yeerks, the Animorphs instead find themselves in a hellish scenario. Horrific enemies have come from the stars and beyond, putting their world to the sword, and their old foes are more dangerous than ever before.
It is only through the combined intervention of the Ellimist and Crayak that the Animorphs, along with Toby Hamee and her Free Hork-Bajir, are able to flee to another universe, finding themselves aboard the Red Dwarf. There, they meet with the forces of good gathered throughout the multiverse, who plan to stop Darkseid from conquering the entire multiverse.
While they prepare, however, the New God plans on taking on yet another world, a broken one that has only begun to rise from the ashes. But Darkseid shall not underestimate it, for great Men and Monsters alike stride the earth, protecting it from anyone who may dare bring it harm. He shall have to go against the might of The King of the Monsters himself if he wants the world to be his.
When Darkseid wants something, however, he ofttimes gets it...
A
Aboard the Red Dwarf
The so-called "meeting room" was nothing more than a repurposed mess hall, Jake learned. One of the long tables had been laid out, while the rest had been hastily shoved against the walls as to avoid cluttering, many of them near some huge metal box of sorts. There was a trio of figures sitting around the table, deep in conversation, and Jake realized with a sinking feeling in his chest that they probably the entire resistance. Only one other appeared to be human; the other were utterly alien in shape. One of them, Jake noted, even appeared to have two heads.
"We've got some more guys here to help us," Louis announced as they stepped inside. "Does anyone care to introduce themselves? Nessus? Speaker?"
One of the figures at the table raised his head at the name, and Jake had to resist the urge to jump back. 'Speaker' bore an uncanny resemblance to an upright tiger, albeit with a stockier appearance. A naked tail writhed behind him, almost like that of a rats, and he seemed almost poised to strike as he looked up. A pair of ears unfolded from his furry head like Chinese parasols, and Jake could see the intelligence behind his eyes as he spoke.
"You have fetched more meat, Louis?" Speaker inquired, flashing a pair of white fangs. His voice was slurred somewhat, most likely due to having a different jaw structure from humans. The Hork-Bajir had similar problems, Jake remembered.
"Very funny, Speaker," Louis replied sardonically. He turned back to Jake and the others, folding his arms across his chest. "Sorry about that; his humor's not like ours."
"Who said I was making a jest, Louis?" Speaker said, rising from his seat. Fully upright, he towered over everyone in the room, which only served to make him more intimidating. His all-too-intelligent eyes scanned Jake and everyone behind him like a piece of meat. "Apologies for the introduction; I am not in the best of moods. My title is Speaker-to-Animals, if you care for formalities."
"Uh, you can call me Jake if you want. The other, er, humans behind me are Marco, Rachel, and Cassie. The hawk's name is Tobias, the blue alien is Ax, and the brown alien is Toby."
"Why does the hawk have a name?" Speaker asked.
(Why don't you?) Tobias retorted.
Speaker seemed taken aback by the fact that an animal had just snapped back at him, but seemed to dismiss it quickly. Jake found himself wondering just what the group had encountered to warrant such a non-reaction.
"Because kzin earn their names by proving their worthiness," Speaker replied. A low growl escaped his throat as he spoke, like he was going to attack at any moment, but he sat back down. "I will earn my name a thousand times over once this task has been completed."
"Now, who wants to introduce themselves next?" Louis drawled, clapping his hands together. "Rimmer, maybe? He's always wanting to yap about himself."
"He and the original crew are elsewhere." Speaker made a chuffing sound, most likely of annoyance. "The creature called Cat is grooming himself, while Lister and the android are looking for more of that accursed vindaloo."
"Well, guess that leaves only three others."
The two-headed alien warbled in some language, then rose to its three feet. Its body was almost like a goat or cattle animal, but with a single hind leg tipped with claw-like hooves. A pair of serpentine necks supported unusually small heads; almost like that of a python, but with a single eye deeply set in each.
"You may call me Nessus," it replied. Jake felt a tingle run up his spine at the alien's voice; it was like that of a seductress or sex symbol, not a bizarre-looking creature.
"Ya know, I'm pretty sure Ax would fit that name better," Marco muttered.
The third figure rose as well. He was an older-looking man, dark-skinned, with a neatly trimmed beard. For clothing, he wore a red tunic or robe with plates of black armor sewn in, and a turban adorned his noble brow. What caught Jake most, however, was his eyes. There was something about them, neither their shape nor color nor anything he could discern, that struck more terror into his chest than even Speaker's predatory gaze.
"There are many names you may call me by," the man said, retrieving some tobacco from a pouch on his belt. "For convenience, however, you may simply call me Yama."
"Like the Hindu god of death?" Cassie asked.
Yama nodded, nimbly rolling up a cigarette as he did. Lighting it, he took a deep puff and exhaled, letting the smell of smoke fill the room. "Yes, that is the case."
"You aren't actually the god of death or something, right?" Marco asked. "Because after everything we've seen, I'd probably believe you if you said yes."
"The short answer is no; I am not a god in the sense you would understand it. What defines a god, however? That is something that would take too long to answer. For now, we must focus on what is before us."
(You mean trying to save the universe,) Tobias said.
"Every universe," Louis corrected. "Still gets to me every tanjing time I think of it. Speaker, Nessus, and I were heading back from the Ringworld when we wound up making the initial group-"
"Wait, did you just say Ringworld?" Cassie asked.
Louis furrowed his brow. "You know about it? That doesn't make any sense."
"Does anything make sense since we have begun this task?" Speaker asked. "We found ourselves plucked from our native universe and given the mission to save it along with an infinite multitude of others. We do not even know the name of our benefactor, nor do we know exactly what we are going up against."
"The kzin is right," Nessus said. "Everything is already maddening as it is. I fear that the answer will only worsen it."
"Tanj right it will," Louis replied. He turned back to Cassie, a concerned look on his face. "There's a book about the expedition? Your world hasn't even developed ramscoops yet, let alone invent the hyperdrive-"
"Buy," Speaker interrupted.
"-buy the hyperdrive," Louis continued, briefly glaring at the large kzin standing nearby before focusing once more on the new group. "Tanj, you aren't even in the same universe as us, how can you know about the expedition?"
(Maybe some of the universes are fictional to each other?) Tobias offered. (Like, maybe your adventure is a book in our universe, and our adventures are books in someone else's?)
"The possibility seems likely," Yama said, casually twiddling with what remained of his cigarette. "I have been looking through the Brahman at the other worlds, and some of them evoke old legends from lost Urath."
"You mean Earth, right?" Marco asked.
Yama shrugged slightly, crushing his cigarette butt underneath a sandaled foot. "A name is a name; that which is behind it is what matters."
"Thanks, Yoda," Marco muttered.
"So, it's basically possible that there is a universe where, I don't know, Star Trek exists," Rachel said.
"Never heard of it," Louis said.
"It's still a good point," Rachel retorted.
"Amazing possibilities, then," Toby murmured.
(I must agree with that sentiment,) Ax said. (If there are universes with human stories as reality, what about Andalite, or Hork-Bajir?)
"Well, the Hork-Bajir do seem like the best damn storytellers in the universe, even though they seem as dumb as a bag of rocks at times," Marco said. "We can talk about that when we aren't worrying about dying. Hey, Wu-dude, didn't you say there was someone else here?"
"Well, he's a bit grumpy," Louis began, only to be interrupted by a loud din to the side.
Jake and the others turned in time to see the metal box get up, rising on a pair of stubby legs as thick as tree trunks. A pair of titanic mechanical arms emerged from the sea of benches and chairs; one a cannon of sorts, the other tipped with massive claws that seemed to crackle. Stretching to its full height, the thing was easily more than fifteen feet tall, which only made the fact that it was waving its arms around even more frightening.
"Well, shit," Rachel said.
The mechanical thing turned to face the group, hydraulics hissing as it did. Flexing claws longer than a man is tall, it began to speak in a loud booming voice.
"WHO WAKES BJORN?"
"Well, we got new friends for the fight," Louis replied, fidgeting uncomfortably. The others, Jake saw, were also uneasy in the thing's presence; Nessus had even curled up into a ball nearby, trembling slightly.
The boxy machine turned slightly to look at the new arrivals, revealing what appeared to be a coffin of sorts in its center face. "MORE XENOS JOIN US, I SEE."
(Do you have issue with that?) Ax inquired.
"NO," Bjorn replied after a moment's pause. "THE IMPERIAL TRUTH IS NOT LIMITED TO MAN; IF YOU ARE HERE TO HELP US, THEN YOU ARE HERE TO STAY."
"That's good to hear," Louis said.
"JUST ONE THING." Bjorn leaned forward, or as much as a giant robot-thing could lean, looming over the group. Looking up at the machine, Jake couldn't help but feel that it would teeter over at any moment and crush him.
"NO WOLVES. NO ASKING ABOUT FELL HANDS. ABSOLUTELY NO ASKING FOR 'STORY TIME'. IF YOU FOLLOW THOSE THREE GUIDELINES, THEN WE WILL GET ALONG BEAUTIFULLY. IF NOT, THEN YOU'LL LEARN WHAT IT IS LIKE TO ANGER A DREADNAUGHT. AM I CLEAR?"
"Yep," Jake said. The others agreed unanimously, trying to scoot away from the maddening thing before them.
"GOOD." Bjorn turned to the table, absentmindedly flexing his claws. "NOW, WHEN SHALL WE BEGIN TO ACTUALLY FIGHT?"
"We still aren't ready," Louis replied. "Tanj, we still know next to nothing about what we're up against."
"OF COURSE WE DO," Bjorn boomed. "WE HAVE SEEN THE FORCES WITH OUR OWN EYES AND VOX RECORDERS. THE FORCES OF CHAOS ARE ON THE MOVE, TRYING TO LAY WASTE TO EVERYTHING THEY CAN GET THEIR GRUBBY CLAWS ON."
"Actually, I think it's more than that," Jake said.
When everyone turned to look at him, he explained what he and the others had seen, including the two figures closing in on the portal. Speaker and Nessus revealed no emotions on their alien faces, as did the expressionless metal of Bjorn's coffin, but Jake could see the growing concern on Louis and Yama's.
He finished, and the room fell quiet for a few moments, as if to grasp the full gravity of his words. It was Yama who finally broke the silence, rolling up another cigarette as he spoke.
"This is worse than I feared. The struggles I shared with Sam over the decades on my own world trifle in comparison to what we face, like a gentle rain against a swirling tempest. When I used my Attributes and creations to look through the Brahman, I never realized what dangers truly lurked within. If this threat is what you say it to be, then there is more to be done if we are to achieve victory."
"You mean to seek more alliances, instead of waiting for them to come to us," Nessus said, a head peeking out from underneath. "Truly, you are mad if you are willing to risk being attacked by unfriendly universes in hope of finding an ally."
"Your opinion holds little matter here, leaf-eater," Speaker growled. "If you were in charge of this expedition, we'd all be hiding in balls, waiting for the enemy to kill us."
"I have the tasp, kzin," Nessus warned. "And though my experience in battle is nonexistent, I know General Products technology the best."
(Maybe we should focus that negative energy on the guys who deserve it,) Tobias offered.
"Negative energy is only a theory," Speaker retorted.
(Wait, wha- no, never mind. Just make sure you're hitting the bad guys instead of your teammates.)
Speaker clicked his tongue thoughtfully. "That is sensible. It also requires us to find and fight the enemy."
"That shall be done soon enough," Yama said. "It should not be difficult to find the enemy's main force, now that I know what to search for within the Brahman. Fighting them, however, is another matter altogether. Even with the weapons we have made by pooling our knowledge together, we still cannot stand against what waits for us, and I doubt our newest arrivals can fully turn the tide."
"Hey!" Marco protested.
"Unfortunately, he's right," Cassie said. "I mean, we failed to fight them off, didn't we? We need more help if we want to win next time around."
"AND MORE HELP YOU SHALL RECEIVE," Bjorn rumbled. "AS LONG AS A SINGLE ASTARTES STANDS, CHAOS SHALL NEVER PREVAIL."
"We're going to need more than that, big guy," Louis said, patting the Dreadnaught's shin. "We need heavy firepower. Really heavy firepower."
"I concur," Speaker said. "Who can provide such firepower, however?"
"I believe I have already found someone that can be of service," Yama replied, taking another puff of his cigarette. "I have watched her world intensively since I began to search through the Brahman, and I have reason to believe she would be willing to help. It should be a simple matter to contact her via that altered hyperdrive of yours; I'd advise sending someone over as well."
He took one last puff of his cigarette, then gestured for Louis to follow after him. "Come, let us make haste. The others shall stay here and continue other preparations."
Jake watched as the two men left the mess hall, then turned to Marco. "She?" he mouthed.
"Just who the hell are they talking about?" Rachel asked aloud.
S
Earth Bet
"Superwoman!" I heard someone in Tokyo cry.
I was there in the blink of an eye, leaving the new gang in Murmansk for the local authors to handle. The person who had called for me was a boy, no older than thirteen; judging by the ragged clothes he wore, I surmised that he was one of the many refugees still living in poverty after Leviathan sank Kyushu all those years back. A group of thugs had cornered him in the alleyway, drawing around him as to prevent escape. As soon as they saw me descend from the sky, however, they all tried to run.
Emphasis on tried.
After nearly six years of heroics, I still wonder why criminals try to evade or fight me. It was more acceptable when I started out and no one knew who I was, but after the fights with Behemoth and his siblings, and especially after Scion, you'd think they'd learn to just surrender and get a lighter sentence. Just another part of being human, I guess.
It was over with in a heartbeat. Once I had them all secured, I turned my attention to the boy. His heart rate was elevated, and I could smell the adrenaline coming off of his cooling skin, but he otherwise seemed all right.
"You okay?" I asked in Japanese.
The boy nodded, an awestruck look in his eyes. "Y-yes."
I allowed myself a small smile. "That's good to hear. Be more careful when you head out, okay? Make sure you have a buddy, travel when it's bright out, and don't be afraid to go to the police. Do you want me to take you home?"
The boy nodded, eyes still wide. Gently hoisting him into my arms, I flew to the nearby apartment building. It wasn't hard to tell where he had come from; I could still see the faint infrared trail his body heat made when he left. In an instant he was back at the door, and I made sure he got in safely before flying off again.
Making a mental note to bring up the refugee crisis at the next League meeting, I then began to use my senses to search the other Earths for signs of trouble. Earth Aleph flickered before my eyes, followed by Gimel, Dalet, and Shin. It was still hard to do, even after so many years, but I could tell that it was getting easier with each go.
There. A fire going on in Dalet-Leningrad, close to the city center. I flew to the portal in my Earth's St. Petersburg to handle it, then did some more work in Dalet-Europe before heading to Aleph-Africa.
I continued on with my daily routine, stopping crimes and accidents around my Earth and the alternates as I flew around. Earthquake in Shin-Madrid. Attempted mass-shooting in Aleph-Boston. The list went on and on; handling one Earth had been bad enough, but the responsibility of handling four had never gotten easier over the years.
Thankfully, I had help.
After one brief layover in Bet-Brockton Bay to help a kid retrieve a lost balloon, I headed straight up, listening to the wind howl past my ears as I speeded up, only for the sound to die down as I broke free of the last vestiges of atmosphere.
Up in the thermosphere, where I'd have to strain my hearing to pick anything up, I could enjoy some peace and quiet. I had done it plenty of times before, just to ease up on the stress of the job, but it was not why I was there again.
The Watchtower, as Dragon had decided to call it, hung over the blue orb like a silvery trinket, all smooth curves of strange metal that glittered in the sunlight. It was once a Kryptonian colony ship that I had made into a personal base, but now it was the headquarters for the biggest cape team on any Earth. We had started with just a few members, many of them only part-time, but it grew quickly.
The airlock was open for me as I flew towards the ship. Dragon had set it aside for Leaguers that could survive in the vacuum of space, like myself, as to cut down on lengthy transfer time between ground stations and orbit. I stepped inside the airlock, feeling a sudden tug of gravity, and felt the ship rumble slightly as the door shut behind me. There was a rush of air as the airlock pressurized, then the door opened.
Amy was waiting for me as I stepped inside the Watchtower, a smile on her face. She had grown alongside me, a young woman now. Her costume had changed as well; she had gotten rid of the hood, and the robes were more like a loose tunic as to make it easier to move about while in uniform.
"You're later than usual," she said, folding her arms across her chest.
"I was busier than usual," I replied, giving her a quick peck on the cheek. "Saving lives, helping people, that kind of thing."
Amy chuckled. "How long are you going to keep using that excuse?"
"It's worked pretty well so far," I replied with a grin. "Anything happen while I was gone?"
"There has," another voice cut in.
Turning, I saw Colin walk towards me, one of Dragon's public synths following after him. Even after five years of working with him, he still managed to make an intimidating sight in his uniform. The main part of the suit was a mirror match of mine, but colored a dark grey. A symbol representing a stylized bat replaced the usual sigil, and his cape was pitch black in color. A helmet completely obscured his face, with glowing white lenses where his eyes should be.
"You rarely come up here as the Batman unless something's wrong," I said, frowning slightly. "What happened?"
"Not exactly sure," he replied. "It was Dragon who found him."
"Him?" Amy asked. "What are you talking about?"
Dragon stepped forward. "Just fifteen minutes ago, I detected a strange surge of energy in the Watchtower's greenhouse section. When one of my drones arrived, I found a man in strange clothing. He's in one of our holding cells right now."
"Parahuman?" I asked.
Dragons shook her head. "I did a basic body scan while escorting him to the cell. No sign of a shard connection. There is something strange in his blood, but it's definitely not something involving powers." She sighed before continuing. "He claims to be from yet another Earth, and it appears he's telling the truth."
I narrowed my eyes. "Something tells me that's not the worst thing."
"It isn't," Colin interjected, a grave tone in his voice. Seeing the look on his face through his helmet, I suddenly felt nervous. "He also claims that everything is in danger. And he means everything."
S
The cell was a preexisting room from the colony ship, meant to house the crew while they terraformed. A clear sheet of Kryptonian plastic served as a barrier, keeping the man inside from escaping.
Not that he was trying. He seemed to content himself with sitting on the cot, calmly watching us through the plastic. His clothes weren't like anything I had seen before; there was something odd about them, like they were from some sci-fi show. Dragon had confiscated something that looked like a flashlight, but could be focused into a fairly strong laser. Tinkertech, perhaps.
The man himself seemed to be the ultimate blend of humanity, with features from a plethora of racial groups. Tan skin, dark hair and eyes, a slight epicanthal fold to his eyes, and a vaguely European facial structure. He looked no older than twenty, but I could see the age behind his eyes.
"Last time I picked up a comic book, you were a bit different," the man said. He turned to Colin, giving him a brief once-over. "You? Not as much."
"Who are you?" I asked, ignoring his statement for the time being.
"My name's Louis Wu," he replied, folding his hands across his lap. "I'm a Flatlander."
No change in body temperature or heart rate. If he was lying, then he was good at hiding it. And that name... it had to be a coincidence.
"What's a Flatlander?" Dragon inquired. "Is it a term from 'your Earth'?"
"Yah," Louis replied. "It means I'm actually from Earth. The name came around because it's our only planet with a flat-looking horizon."
"Your Earth has colonized other worlds?" Colin asked.
Louis nodded, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Well, there's Wunderland, We Made It, Jinx, Margrave... I can talk about that later, though. I'm here about something else."
"You're talking about the threat to our Earth," I said, frowning slightly. So far, he was still telling the truth, which was really disconcerting.
If he wasn't lying, then that meant I was talking to a man that, just a half-hour ago, was fictional as far as anyone knew.
"It's not just your Earth," Louis replied. "It's my Earth, and everyone else's. Everything is at risk because of a bunch of tanjing futzers going from universe to universe and conquering Earths. I was sent here, as the best people-person in our motley crew, to get your help. You'd be the powerhouse on the team, that's for sure."
"How do you know about me?" I asked. For some reason, I found myself dreading the answer.
"What, that you're the last of the Kryptonians, sent here to protect the Earth and be a symbol?" Louis leaned back, and I could see that he was also a bit disconcerted. "I read comic books while studying Prewar Culture in university. You were still popular before the ARM started revising history."
"Just what the fuck are you talking about?" Colin snarled, stepping towards the plastic.
Even with the nigh-indestructible plastic separating the two, I could see Louis's heart rate spike. Nonetheless, he managed to project a calm look as he leaned forward, looking Colin right in the eye.
"I'm saying that, where I come from, you and Superwoman there are fictional characters. Superheroes from pulp comics, stretching back to the 1930's. Well, there were some differences. For one, it was Batman and Superman. You two were cultural icons for centuries." He looked at Dragon, his eyes narrowed. "Never recalled reading about someone like you, though."
Colin huffed and opened his mouth to reply, but I beat him to the punch.
"He's right."
"You can't be serious," Colin said, turning back to me. "Do you really believe the crap he's spouting about fictional universes?"
"Five years ago, the world was pretty certain it was alone in the universe, and that we'd never learn the truth about souls," came my reply. "You have lie-detecting equipment. What does it say?"
Colin fell silent, his jaw clenched. His equipment had also determined Louis was telling the truth, then.
Dragon stepped forward, arms folded over her chest as she studied the enigmatic man across the plastic from us. "That compound in your blood is boosterspice, isn't it?"
Louis nodded. "Looks like the thing about fiction is mutual, huh? Someone else mentioned the Ringworld expedition a bit back, but this pretty much confirms it."
"It seems so," Dragon said. "If you are from another universe, one that resembles a fictional story, then how did you get here?"
"Modified hyperdrive. The actual device is back with the others, but I came with coordinates on that comm device you confiscated."
"We're actually going with this, then," Colin said, trying to rub his forehead through his helmet. "I'd say this is insane, but I think I've dealt with crazier."
"Protecting the multiverse... again," I muttered. Raising my chin, I turned to Dragon. "Get Legend and Chevalier over to the meeting room ASAP. We need to do something about this."
"If you do, you better hurry," Louis said. "What we're up against won't wait."
Ω
Aboard the World Maelstrom
Barachiel leaned forward, knuckles pressed into the table as he looked over the holomap. A chain of islands was laid out before him, lush with vegetation. What drew his eye the most, however, were the small structures clustered on the southern end of the largest island.
"The stealthed probe sent these images a few hours ago," he said. "I don't see what gives you so much concern about it. If you wish to dispense of these monsters and their false human allies, why not simply blast them with our orbital lasers before they even know it?"
"Two reasons," Darkseid replied, his tone gravelly as he stood across the table from the Primarch, arms folded behind his back. "Firstly, killing everyone on this planet defeats the purpose of the invasion. You get more stock for your Marines, the Yeerks receive more territory and hosts, and in turn I shall grow even stronger as they are subsumed into my will."
"Of course, you shall get them from the world the 'monsters' come from," the White Woman said. "The children birthed from the Seed of Knowledge shall be mine."
A nod. "Naturally."
"And the second?" Barachiel inquired impatiently.
The Lord of Apokolips glared up, and the Primarch felt a chill run down his spine as he stared into the lifeless eyes of the New God. There was something behind them, Barachiel saw, something full of hate, and he had to repress the urge to avert his gaze.
"Secondly," Darkseid continued, a steel edge to his voice, "you cannot kill what lurks below with simple orbital bombardment. If you scour their world with fire, they shall rise from the rubble and ash, with only a thirst for vengeance in their hearts. These are not the demons and xenos you slaughtered before. They are more than mere beasts, Primarch. They are forces of nature given flesh, charged with protecting all they survey. We shall have to fight them directly if we are to obtain victory."
Barachiel darted his eyes back to the holomap. "Yes, of course."
"I'm glad you understand," Darkseid said in a mocking tone. "Now, the three creatures of the highest concern are on that island. We encountered one of them on the previous contest, before it was spirited away to this world. It is a stubborn manner of beast, one that refuses to give in to its wounds, and I sense that its full strength is returning."
"We've wounded it before," Barachiel said. "I still remember its pitiful cry as its arm was torn asunder."
"That was before. The power of fate flows through its veins, giving it strength. Now, it shall soon be like what it once was, rivaling even Gojira in strength."
"Gojira," the Primarch muttered. "You speak of it like it is death itself. What manner of beast could wield such power? My Librarians have found nothing on such a creature."
"He has many names," Darkseid replied. "Godzilla. Leviathan. Jormungandr. He is a monster that can wield the power of the atom itself, a beast that no mere army can slay. He is the King of the Monsters, and he has earned that title time and time again with blood and fire. Do not take him lightly, or you shall learn his fury firsthand."
Barachiel looked down at the holomap, trying to discern the thing's form through the water. "I shall bring down my entire strike force on the monsters, as well as the Titans. Now, what of the third thing you speak of?"
"It would be more accurate to call it a man," came the rumbling reply. "He wields a vast reserve of power, but has only once before used the full extent of it."
"He is a fusion of both Fruit, then," the White Woman said. "A god, like me, but he refuses to acknowledge it."
"An abomination," Barachiel muttered.
The White Woman's crimson eyes shot upwards. "Keep to your monsters, Primarch; the boy is mine. I shall steal his godhood and soul from him before I do the rest to his world, making them one with me."
Darkseid straightened. "I shall prepare my own forces for the assault. The new Yeerk Emperor has returned from his sojourn, has he not?"
"He arrived half an hour ago, smug as ever," Barachiel replied. "He's feeding in his Kandrona chamber right now, I believe."
"Good. Tell him to get his forces ready; we strike within the day."
You have been reading:
CRISIS, Chapter Two: Gathering
A/N: Chapter Three is on its way. BRACE FOR EPIC.