S
I was losing.
As the fight went on in the shade of the shadow square, I could feel myself growing weaker, while he only became even stronger, his blows more punishing. He was clumsy as he fought, and still slower, but I could feel my hits become weaker and weaker with each passing moment. We were both battered and bloodied, but I couldn't help but feel he was just doing that for show, that the wounds meant nothing to him.
It finally came to a crux when he fired his Omega Beams again, striking me dead on, and I sprawled to the ground on my back. I struggled to rise, but his boot came crashing down on my face, keeping me pinned.
"This is where you belong, Kryptonian," Darkseid growled, pressing his foot down even harder, the Ringworld foundation cracking against my skull. "Under my heel."
My eyes flooded with warmth, and I let loose with my heat vision, putting all that I had left into one final blast. I could carve lines in continents with it when I went full out; it was time to see how they'd do against him. Sure enough, Darkseid cried out as the twin beams of scarlet light punched through his foot, and I took the opportunity to shove him off. He staggered away, steam rising from two new holes in his foot, and I went in for a ultrasonic tackle.
Before I could do anything else, his hand took me by the throat, threatening to crush bone with the sheer force behind his grip.
"You give a fight like no other, Superwoman," he snarled.
He took my legs into his other hands, and hoisted me over his head, like a champion holding his trophy for the crowd to see. I tried to struggle, but I was too tired, too weak.
"But you are just a woman. And I? I am a god."
He brought me down on his knee with relativistic speed, and I could hear something crack in my body. As he dropped my limp body to the ground, my legs refusing to move, I numbly realized it was my spine. Even Scion hadn't been able to do that, and I was just a teenager when we had fought.
Darkseid loomed over me, a triumphant grin on his stony face as he stared down at my broken form, and a low chuckle escaped him.
"Time to die, woman of steel."
I managed to prop myself up on my arms, gaze focused on him, and spat in his face. The glob, tinged pink with blood, hit him right in the eye.
His grin disappeared, and his eyes began to glow with that wrong light, signaling that death was coming for me on swift wings.
"Fail, knowing that your wife shall die first."
What happened next seemed almost surreal; the pain clouding my mind didn't help with that. A beam of white light smashed into Darkseid's chest, bright enough to leave a streak in my dimming vision, and he went flying back, skidding across the ground like a stone. He rose to his feet, teeth bared, only to receive another blast, this time targeting his eyes. A sharp bark of pain escaped him, and he clamped his hands over his steaming face.
My rescuer descended from the sky, wreathed in that same white light. He touched down gently at my side, and placed a hand on my shoulder.
"This seems oddly familiar," Shinji muttered.
"What... are..." I croaked out, only for the boy to put a finger to his lips. Behind him, Darkseid still staggered, eyes healing.
"I have a trick up my sleeve," Shinji whispered. "You don't think Jake and Marco are the only kids who read comics, do you?"
He rose to his feet, brushing some dust off his knees, and aimed an outstretched palm at my chest. Before I could ask what he was doing, bright blue light engulfed me, and I felt a wave of relief flood my body. I felt like I had just stepped out of the shower, or stepped out into the warm summer sun, but on a even stronger level. My vertebrae knitted back together, and the aches and pains from my fight just washed away before the light.
"Blue sunlight makes you even tougher," Shinji said. "Let's see how much of a boost I can give-"
A massive hand suddenly swatted him to the ground, audibly snapping bone, and Darkseid stepped over his body towards me. A glance showed that Shinji was still alive, but it would be a few moments before his wounds were healed.
"Kryptonian," Darkseid snarled.
"Asshole," I replied, standing up to greet him.
His eyes widened in shock, then narrowed as he lunged at me. Time slowed down as he raised a fist, moving like he was trying to run through molasses. I watched idly as his fist came closer, then caught it dead in its track with the palm of my hand. I could feel the force behind the blow, but I did not let it budge me an inch as I saw the look of shock slowly dawn on Darkseid's face.
Then I squeezed.
There was a wet crunch, and Darkseid howled in pain as every bone in his hand splintered into tiny pieces. He swung at me with his other hand, and I ducked beneath the blow with an almost absurd level of ease, a sudden calm over me. I caught him in the side with a well-aimed punch, and there was a satisfying crack as his ribs broke under my fist. He went flying straight up, the air turning to a sheath of plasma around his body, and I raced upwards to greet him again, this time sending him flying back down with a kick.
Time sped up again as I descended, arms folded. Darkseid rose from the crater made in the foundation, black blood trickling down his nose, and glared at me. To the side, Shinji staggered to his feet, his wounds already healed.
"Shinji," I said, my voice firm, "get to the others. Now."
"But-"
"I can handle him."
"Just came in for an assist," he grumbled. He gave me a wary glance, then sped off, a trail of light following after him as he flew to regroup with the others.
I walked towards Darkseid, fists clenched. Dull, red flames lapped all over my skin; the sheer power I now wielded was enough to flash-fry the air itself. I could only imagine the kind of sight I must've made for, with the aura of red light about me. Any nearby inhabitants probably would've thought they had seen the fire goddess herself, coming to bring retribution to all sinners.
Darkseid's eyes flared, and he moved to fire his Omega Beams. I rushed forward and clamped my hands over his eyes, digging my nails into his rough skin. There was a bright flash, red light seeping out from between my fingers, and Darkseid was blasted away, smoke rising from his face. My hands burned, but it was a manageable pain, unlike before.
The so-called New God struggled to rise, hideous burns covering his face. Blood trickled from his eyes, and I could see a look in them that I hadn't seen before.
Fear.
"I believe I said something about showing what I meant when I said I could do anything," I said, a steel edge to my voice. "Let's go."
-/-\-
Aboard the Thuktun Flishithy
"The main enemy ship has been destroyed from within by an unknown force," the Defensemaster reported. "The other ships are retreating as we speak."
"That's good to hear," Dragon said, her voice crackling over the radio. "What is your condition."
"Message Bearer is holding strong. We have sustained some damage on the right flank, when a nuclear device detonated against the hull."
"What of the Michael?"
The Defensemaster lowered his head. "The ship can no longer fight. It has sustained heavy damage to its reactor following an altercation with so-called 'Bug Fighters'. It took down several larger vessels before it was incapacitated; it fought well."
"Make sure the crew is safe," Dragon replied. "Then, I need you to began bombardment of these positions."
The coordinates came up on the CIC's main computer, and Rufutzonth-nimp's eyes widened.
"These are very close to your current positions," he protested, only for Dragon to cut him off.
"If you do not, we will be overwhelmed. The Herdmaster will hold you fully culpable for such failure; you know how irritable he can be."
"Understood." The Defensemaster switched the radio off, and gestured to the other fithp in the CIC. "Prepare bombardment of these coordinates."
"Yes, Defensemaster."
As the old fi' turned once more to watch the battle unfold on the screen, he hoped that Dragon knew what she was doing.
A
The Ringworld
"They're turning back!" Speaker bellowed.
Jake looked up from the dead daemon beneath him. Sure enough, the Marines in the outskirts were turning back, running towards a commotion beyond the hill. A powerful roar reached his ears, and he realized that Godzilla was there, drawing them away.
They left two dozen dead Hork-Bajir behind.
"Gamera and the other kaiju are mopping up the Marines near the valley, but there's still the issue of the enemy forces actually inside the valley," Dragon's drone said. "We're running low on ammo, and they could overrun us at any moment."
(What does that mean?) Rachel inquired.
"It means duck," came the swift reply.
Green light suddenly came down from the heavens, tracing the valley in a lazy ellipsoid. Speaker was the first to recognize what was going on, and therefore the first to sprawl on the blood-soaked earth, hands over his head.
"Everyone, do as the machine says!" the kzin growled. "This is going to be dangerous!"
Jake did as told, crouching down against the forest floor. The others followed suit, some still uncomfortably exposed due to their size. Rachel and Tobias in particular looked like they were going to be in trouble, and Jake hoped they would be alright.
Steel rained from the sky. It came down in a flurry, then a hailstorm, the air growing uncomfortably hot as molten slugs pounded the valley. The ground trembled, sending pine needles and leaves gently falling from the branches above the group. Jake watched as the valley floor was churned into fine rubble by the bombardment, then into ash and smoke that rose into the air.
Finally, the storm ceased. Jake rose on unsteady legs, and peered at the devastation below. The valley floor was blackened, flattened, devoid of anything that resembled an army.
(An orbital bombardment,) Ax murmured to Jake's side. (Very impressive.)
(Does that mean it's over?) Marco inquired.
(Not quite,) another voice replied.
At once, the group turned to the source of the voice. A hulking creature lurched towards them, easily more than fifty feet tall. Jake's eyes widened with recognition as he realized just who it was.
(Visser Three,) Ax said, his voice low.
(That's 'Emperor' to you,) the Andalite-Controller replied. He rose to his full height, baring rows of sickly-blue teeth. (Not that it matters; you'll be dead in a few minutes, anyway.)
(You sure about that?) Marco asked. (Cause it seems like your entire army just got its ass whooped.)
(Will that matter to you when I'm pulling your intestines out through your throat?), the Emperor asked mockingly. (Now, let's end this, shall we?)
A laser beam suddenly struck the Controller in the eye, and he stumbled back, blue blood trickling from the wound. Dragon's drone flew ahead, and the others charged, capitalizing on the distraction. Jake sprung forward, claws out, and sank his teeth into the former Visser's shin, while Rachel and Tobias took out the Controller's other leg in a concentrated charge.
The Emperor morphed as he fell, his flesh shifting with alarming speed as he turned into a seven-headed serpent. Fire shot from his maws, and several Hork-Bajir fell, burning. Jake backpedaled away, eyes wide.
(H-he can't do that, can he?)
(Looks like he can, the cheating bastard,) Marco grumbled.
(Evidently his alliance gained him some new tricks,) Ax added, sullen.
Speaker was not given pause by such a development. A low growl escaping him, five hundred pounds of kzin warrior jumped into the air, slicing off two heads with a swing of his variable sword. The Emperor stumbled back, yellow ichor spraying from the writhing stumps, then morphed again, this time into some kind of hairy ape-thing. Letting loose a fearsome howl, he swiped Speaker across the chest, sending the kzin hurtling away with a broken rib.
That was when something suddenly pierced through the Emperor's throat, nearly decapitating him. He stumbled, as if about to fall, then morphed into a fifteen-foot tall creature that resembled a insectoid dinosaur.
A shadow passed over Jake's head, and he realized that the Batman had joined the fight, now. Sure enough, the caped hero dropped down by his side, panting heavily. Light scratches covered his armor, along with dried blood.
"Sitrep. Now."
(He can transform into anything whose DNA's he's acquired,) Jake replied, watching as Rachel kept the Controller occupied. (Morphing is tiring, though; we should be able to keep him from doing it forever.)
"Got it," the Batman said. He pulled a grappling hook from his belt, and fired at the Emperor. The cable wrapped around the Controller's legs, binding them together, then blurred as they suddenly activated their nano thorns. Blood and dust gushed from the Emperor's legs, and he fell, the entire upper half of his body coming free.
"Box him in," the Batman continued. "Make sure he can't escape to recover his strength."
Jake nodded, then bounded forward. The Emperor was still halfway through his transformation into the seven-headed serpent, rendering him helpless as tiger claws began to tear into his flesh. The other Animorphs joined in, attacking from all angles with tooth and claw and tusk, while Toby managed to sever one of the morph's legs with a swing of her nanothorn sword.
It was working. The Yeerk Emperor began to morph again, trying to transform into an Antarean Bog, but he was slower now, the process rougher. The Batman threw more of his nanothorn blades, disintegrating chunks of flesh with each it, and the Animorphs continued to tear away at the Controller, refusing to grant a moment's reprieve.
The Emperor's death was neither grand or meaningful. It was an ugly affair, a pathetic struggle as his ill-gotten powers failed him in the most crucial moment. There were no last words to be spoken, no one last gesture to his enemies; just a pitiful wail as he bled out mid-morph, the flesh permanently contorted in a macabre display.
Ax pulled away first, flicking blood off his tail-blade. A quartet of eyes studied the corpse, as if to confirm that the Emperor was indeed dead, then knelt down to utter a prayer for his avenged brother.
(So much for Epslin or Epsilon or whatever his name was,) Rachel muttered.
(Is it over now?) Marco asked.
"We'll head back and regroup with the others, first," the Batman panted. "I have a feeling there's going to be more trouble ahead."
"I have wounded," Toby said. "We need to get them to the healer."
(We'll help you with that,) Jake said. (Ax, how much time do we have left in morph?)
(We have forty-five minutes left,) the aristh replied.
Marco paused in the act of helping a Hork-Bajir up. (Forty-five... minutes?)
(Forty-five of your Earth minutes,) Ax corrected hastily.
A chuckle. (They're everyone's minutes, Ax.)
"I don't get the joke," the Batman said.
A
"Easy now," Panacea said, a hand on Speaker's chest. "Your biology is a bit weirder than what I usually deal with, but that doesn't mean you can hiss at me like that."
"Apologies," the kzin rumbled. "I am not used to a female human tending to my wounds as such. The females of my species are non-sentient."
"And they still wonder why they lost," Louis quipped.
"Hurr. Your jokes are not appreciated at the moment, Louis. How did you even get arrive, might I ask?"
"Nessus and I came in for a landing after the elephant aliens took out the bad guys' fleet," the flatlander replied. "Looks like everything's settling down."
A nearby Hork-Bajir groaned in pain, black blood trickling from a compound fracture on its arm. Panacea left Speaker's side and moved to take care of it.
"I believe he would disagree with you," Speaker remarked.
"As would the Race troopmales," one of Dragon's drones added, hovering into view. "Apparently they lost their Fleetlord in combat. He commandeered a landcruiser and used it to draw away enemy Marines when the bombardment came."
"He died a hero's death," Speaker said. "That is better than most can hope for. The multiverse may have been saved in part to his sacrifice."
"And I don't think his people will know that," Louis muttered. "I did some reading while we were on that Earth. His own people shunned him after he helped the US win the war, forgetting that he did it to save millions of innocent lives."
"Perhaps we will rectify that, once this is all over," Speaker offered. "I would like to see their sheltered Emperor quiver when he sees a kzin for the first time."
"Tanj it, why does that sound like a good idea to me?"
Before they could say anything else, they saw Shinji descend to the ground nearby, his armor dimming in brightness. The boy ran up to them, eyes wide.
"Is Asuka-"
"They're safe," Louis assured, gesturing towards the middle of the main camp. "What about Superwoman?"
"She said she'd handle Darkseid on her own," Shinji replied.
"Now what the tanj does that-"
A bright flash cut him off, and he turned to see a distant explosion on the upward curve of the Ringworld. Already he could see a massive spike of foundation material rising into the air, taller than any mountain on Earth.
"She must have performed a relativistic impact," Speaker remarked. "Like a smaller scale version of the event that created Fist-Of-God."
"Fist-Of-Superwoman," Louis muttered.
"Uh, I think something's coming this way," Shinji stammered.
Sure enough, Louis managed to catch a glimpse of a shooting star, right before it landed a few dozen yards away. Everyone scattered away from the impact point, and Louis could hear rumbling in the distance as Godzilla and the other kaiju approached.
Out of the smoke, Darkseid emerged. Speaker growled and unfurled his variable sword, while Shinji prepared to fire. Low growls came from the kaiju, and Louis began to feel nervous as he stared at the figure of the New God.
Darkseid took a step forward, then promptly collapsed.
"Talk about anticlimactic," Louis heard Marco quip.
There was a crack of thunder, and Superwoman was suddenly there, arms folded across her chest. Darkseid tried to rise, only for her to plant him back into the ground with a vicious kick.
"Everyone, clear away!" she barked.
Louis did as told, numbly backpedaling away from the sight before him. The tension in the camp was thick enough to cut with a knife, and he could hear as Godzilla prepared to blast the area with atomic breath, if anything were to go wrong.
"It's over," Superwoman growled. "Your armies are finished; your allies have either died or abandoned you. Give up now, before we're forced to kill you."
At that, a throaty guffaw came from the crumpled figure of the New God. Darkseid laughed freely, madly, even as his ribs cracked and popped with each breath.
"My body may be shattered, but my true self grows stronger with each passing moment," he rasped. "I finally have the strength to reach it."
"Reach what?" Superwoman asked, her voice hard.
"The heart of creation itself." A grin broke out on Darkseid's battered face. "I don't need to beat you to win, Kryptonian; I already have."
Suddenly, he was gone, a void taking his place. It was as if a chunk had been taken out of reality itself, leaving only a white sphere that just seemed to go against the natural order of things. No light came from it, yet Louis found it hard to stare directly into the center, as though it would hurt his eyes. The sphere expanded rapidly, the edges wavering and contorting, and everyone began to back away.
It wasn't fast enough.
The sphere seemed to almost expand outwards, moving too fast for Louis to conceive, and there was only blinding light after that.
S
The Heart of Creation
It took me a few moments to get a bearing of what was going on. Or maybe aeons had passed, for all I knew; there was no way to tell.
Blinking a few times, I realized that I was in some kind of white void, stretching out forever. There was nothing in it; no heat blooms, no tiny motes of dust, nothing. There was nothing to hear, or to smell, and I began to wonder if I had actually turned blind.
Where are we? a familiar voice said. There was no way to tell where it was coming from; it was as though the words were appearing right in my ears.
Shinji? I called. My voice sounded strange as well, like the words coming out of my mouth were simply being willed into being. Shinji, is that you?
I'm here, he replied. And suddenly he was, just floating a few feet away. His armor had faded away, leaving him in his old school uniform, and his eyes were wide as he looked at me.
What's going on? he asked. Where is everybody, and why are we talking like this?
I shook my head. I'm just as lost as you are.
A low growl came from all directions and nowhere. Godzilla came into being, just as swiftly as Shinji had. He was as titanic as ever, but at the same time he seemed so... small, dwarfed by the infinite nothingness around us. He furrowed his brow and cocked his head, curious.
Uh, something's up with you, big guy, Shinji said.
I saw what the teenager meant. Godzilla seemed almost ephemeral, like a faint mist, swirling and shifting. He looked normal one moment, and the next his eyes were a milky white, his features altered into something that looked almost demonic. That passed, too, and soon his face softened, becoming friendlier, before he shifted into a rougher form with green scales and purple spines.
Is he... transforming or something? Shinji asked. And I think it's happening to you, too!
Sure enough, I looked down to see that my costume had shifted. Silky material covered my arm, covered with chitinous armor plates, and my vision became tinged yellow as lenses formed over my eyes. Before I could make sense of it, the costume disappeared, leaving me back in something like my old uniform, only more spandex-like. A wisp of my hair floated in front of me, and I realized that I some of it had turned gray.
I think we're all changing, I told Shinji.
He looked down to see armor swirl into being around him, evocative of some old Japanese action show, only to be replaced by a uniform eerily similar to my own. That, too, disappeared, and he was back in his uniform.
I'm starting to freak out over here, he mumbled.
Let's find the others before we panic, I said.
And suddenly, we did. All of us were drifting together, like a absurd swarm of meteoroids hurtling through space. Colin drifted past me, his costume flickering between variations of both his old and new costume.
I think we're shifting between alternate versions of ourselves, he said. This is the heart of reality or whatever, right?
Only thing I can think of, I replied. We can talk about after we find Darkseid.
You already have.
I looked around, but saw nothing but the others. We all seemed so insignificant, so small, before the infinite. Everyone was looking around, trying to find where the voice came from, but they were as helpless as I was. Gamera hurtled past me, eyes closed in concentration. What was he trying to do?
What exactly is this place? I heard Eren demand. Where the hell are you?!
This is the hub of all reality, the conjunction of every possible universe, Darkseid replied. A window into eternity and infinity. It is here that I shall bring it all into myself.
Fat chance of that, Dorkside, Marco retorted. You'd need the Anti-Life equation for a stunt like that.
A pause.
Oh god, he actually has it.
It is weakened, limited, Darkseid said. But it is unstoppable, in this axis of the Source. Here, I will use it to corrupt everything that is, was, or will be.
Isn't bad luck for a villain to reveal his devious master plan? Dragon asked aloud. Or is your ego that huge?
It is also correct, Darkseid rumbled. There is nothing you can do to stop me. No amount of firepower can destroy me, for I may as well not exist physically in this realm of nothingness, and there is nothing you can say to sway me.
Doesn't mean we'll just roll over! Eren snarled.
Out of the corner, almost impossible to notice, I saw a flicker travel from Eren and into Gamera, as though a piece of his soul itself had traveled-
The realization hit Jake and Marco the same time as it did me.
If there was an Anti-Life Equation, then there was a Life Equation.
What took away from life, and what gave it meaning? Maybe, if we knew that, we'd be able to counteract what Darkseid would do.
Guys, it sounds crazy, but we need to focus on really good stuff, I called out. What is your most positive defining trait? Think of that, and foster it, let it grow.
Flickers of light danced away from the Animorphs, and I could see what they meant. Determination, in spite of hopeless odds. They had fought the Yeerks for years, outnumbered and outgunned, with no real chance of backup, but they soldiered on anyway.
The others began to follow suit, unable to see how the light began to blossom and well in Gamera's chest, swirling around his heart. From Godzilla came bravery, from Shinji came courage. Love, altruism, charity, atonement; the raw concepts swirled into being, pooling inside of Gamera. Faintly, I remembered the mystical talents he wielded, and I saw that Mothra was aiding him along. The two mystics of our little group were doing something, and I hoped it would work.
It looked like Darkseid saw what was happening, too. He was suddenly there, towering over us, impossibly huge. He could've hold the Earth in the palm of his hand, and I could see his eyes flare with the light of the Anti-Life Equation. If that hit, then it was all over. Reality would be his to play with, and everything good about life would be forever erased.
Darkseid is, he rumbled. The entire universe seemed to quiver before his voice, rippling through eternity.
There was no time left. Gamera's chest opened up, like a blossoming flower, and an intense golden light blasted from his chest just as Darkseid fired with his own attack. Life and Anti-Life collided, a literal clash of ideals and philosophies, and began to struggle.
Uh, I think we're missing something, Marco said. Superwoman, I think you need to give our weird combo attack the extra oomph it needs.
But what? I asked. I'm thinking, but I've got nothing.
Dammit, are you really that afraid of sounding like a braggart?! Hope, for fuck's sake. You aren't just a symbol of hope, or a bringer of one, Taylor. You are hope. You inspire people to be better than what they are. Now spit that out before we get our souls eaten!
I took a deep breath, and closed my eyes.
Like a fragile bird, flapping up into the sky, Hope came on swift wings as it flew into Gamera's chest.
The effect was immediate. The beam pressed forward, and Anti-Life folded in upon itself, crumbling away as self-destructive ideals fell before the attack. The beam hit Darkseid, and there was an intense light, blinding out everything else as the New God was shattered, his essence scattered.
Life had prevailed.
Amy found my side, and I held her close to me as the light washed over me. I closed my eyes, and waited for what came next. Death? Nothing?
Instead, I felt solid ground beneath my feet. Opening my eyes, I saw that I was standing in a small room, like something back home in Brockton Bay. Maps and posters covered the walls, while a old bookcase stood in the far corner, the massive piles of books inside gathering dust. A glance outside revealed a beautiful blue sky, with puffy white summer clouds. Several pine trees were visible, birds and squirrels scurrying along the branches.
"Where are we?" Amy muttered.
"I'm not sure," I replied. Twisting my head, I saw that Shinji and the Animorphs were in the room, barely fitting inside, while Yama and Colin peered in curiously from the hall. "Something seems awfully familiar about this."
"It should."
I turned to the source of the voice, as did everyone else. A boy sat in a old black swivel chair, twirling to face us from a scuffed computer. He was young, younger than me, but he looked older, with his solid frame and weathered face. His thick brown hair looked ruffled, and he smiled with tired, yet kindly eyes as he leaned forward. He was dressed casually, with old shorts and a Hawaiian t-shirt, and I saw that he was barefoot as he stood to greet us, half a foot shorter than me.
I knew who he was, even if no one else didn't. I had seen him countless times before, even watched him grow a little.
"You," I said.
"Hello," said the Author.
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CRISIS, Chapter Ten: Götterdämmerung, Part Three