LES MUSICIENS DU MONDE
A CROSSOVER STORY
2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
Here is the second part on what happens after Vilgax sends in his scouts to scope out Earth's defenses. The esoteric population of magi and mystics. Without further delay, besides life's circumstances, here we go.
CHAPTER TEN, PART TWO
"THE LONGEST DAY"
AUGUST 2013, WEEK TWO
Marrakesh, Morocco
[Monday, 12:00 PM]
Like the onset of a summer storm, they came without warning. The African priest Hakeem in the span of fifteen minutes stunned one scout for questioning, and killed several in his party. However, he did sustain superficial injuries in the process while diverting the alien fighters away from the city. North of his position were the Arab prince Mahbeer, and his uncle. They were fending off seven with their scimitars and mystical abilities tied with the wind. As such, they moved at speeds where when observed, they appeared distorted under normal vision. The alien scouts had no such problem with the vision enhancing visors they wore to keep track, and keep up with the Arab warriors.
South of the priest's location was the British Indian woman, Anan. She used her powers involving perception with sight and shadow. Using the date palm trees at her location, she appeared and disappeared from view to attack the scouts at their weak points. But the scouts accounted for this with the software uploaded to their visors. They tracked her movement in increments of five to seven seconds before she re-appeared. Due to this advantage of advanced technology, they were slowly keeping up with Anan's attacks.
Mahbeer took down his foes with quick dexterity when he was soon faced to use his hidden power. In a flurry of wind and steel, he cut down three while his uncle took down the last two. Mahbeer in haste sees Anan having to defend herself more, rushed to her aid. His uncle quickly followed suit.
Hakeem senses the two Arabs were done, he grabbed his newly acquired prisoner, and with a quick tap to the forehead, the prisoner stopped moving and was a vegetable in his hand. He propelled himself south to Anan's position via apparation. The wind blew past Mahbeer and his uncle when they reached Anan, who was then slammed against the stone masonry of the city's old walls. She coughed out air as she was then held by the throat.
The three remaining scouts looked at each other and spoke a language she had no hope of understanding. But by seeing their body postures, she knew she would either be taken in, or killed on the spot. In the split decision, she chanted one of the Shiva Sutras in the ancient language of Sanskrit.
She then felt her sense of time slow down. Her eyes rolled back and allowed her form to sink into the shadows behind her. The three looked on in surprise before they defended themselves from the incoming men. In the shadows, Anan floated in the darkness and saw an opening, illuminated by the afternoon sun. She rushed forward and jumped up from the shadows of nearby shrubbery. Anan then knelt down, unsheathed her only hidden knife from the back of her leg and rushed forward. The three alien scouts then jumped up and levitated via their boots.
The four esoterics looked above them. Heard the alien language and saw the three heading east. Anan felt herself coming back from a state of adrenaline and can make out what Mahbeer and his uncle spoke to the priest. Horses, but only three so they could hunt down the three. Or perhaps more if they were unlucky. Anan walked to Mahbeer, "Only three? You can't be serious!"
"I am. Now go back to the riad and await us."
"Mahbeer!"
"Do as I command!"
Anan and Mahbeer shared intense glares, not giving an inch. His uncle then spoke in a hushed tone to his nephew while Hakeem took Anan aside. He then gave her specific instructions.
"I need you to take my prisoner and interrogate him with the rest of the prince's entourage. Can you do that?"
She was shocked by what the priest had instructed her to do, "Interrogation? But sir, I've never done that sort of thing before."
Hakeem's face then turned grim, "It is not a pleasant task. But whatever information you can gather from him, it will save countless lives. Please."
She nodded silently before accepting. Soon enough the three horses with provisions for the night were brought over. The three men mounted them and began to walk forward. The prince took one last glance at Anan before returning his focus on the task at hand. Anan then saw the men galloping with a fury, heading east to hunt down the remaining three. She breathed in and out to calm herself.
The prince's entourage took the prisoner from her and escorted her back. Once at the riad, she went to her bedchamber to rinse off the excursion. The dirt and blood. Her own mystical powers were already healing her wounds, which would take half a night to complete the process. Once she finished, dried up, and changed into some fresh clothes, she joined the entourage down in the cellars. Ready to start the interrogation.
Later that evening,
[9:00 PM]
Mahbeer, his uncle, and Hakeem were in the desert proper after riding hard to search for the remaining scouts. Using the Door to Anywhere to shorten the journey, they have made good time. But with night falling, they made camp, with the moon and stars illuminating the landscape. They were just outside of the village Tabant. Hakeem tended the horses near a stream while Mahbeer and his uncle set up camp.
Two hours have passed and with the horses asleep, the three men surveyed the land atop the nearby foothills. The moon and stars illuminated the land before them and only the sounds of the night insects and the wind blowing in from the northwest were heard. Mahbeer turned to his uncle, "إنه هادئ للغاية. (It's too quiet.)"
He whispered and his uncle whispered back in response, "هو - نحن نُراقبُ. (It is-we're being watched.)"
"لكن من أين؟ (But from where?)," Mahbeer asked, until he was shushed by Hakeem, "هدوء ، مجرد الاستماع. الاستماع عن كثب. (Quiet, just listen. Listen closely.)"
The three men listened to the land itself. The wind was heard, and the insects, and then another sound. It was some sort of electrical noise not local to the area. Quickly, Mahbeer's uncle unsheathed his scimitar and cut the air above him. The energy from it flew upward to an unknown target. It found the target in slicing open the levitating pack on the back of one of the alien scouts. He fell and soon recovered to return fire.
Hakeem puts up an energy shield to protect himself. The other alien scouts soon began to make their presence known by trying to outflank the three. The prince and his uncle were quick to put up energy shields. The barrage continued until the three separated and went forward to fight the scouts. The three maintained their shields while holding their weapons firmly, preparing to attack. The scouts countered this by putting their plasma laser rifles back into their back holsters and unsheathed their curved energy swords.
Normally the energy swords would cut through metal-based weaponry as a pair of scissors would to wet paper. But the scouts found out whatever the weapons the three esoterics wielded, they were able to withstand the energy quotient. The ringing that came from the impact resonated to started the horses down in the valley. As well as dogs in the nearby village.
Noise aside, the esoterics were fighting the scouts. Their movements were dance-like, but with each strike made, the aliens backed off due to the data being collected. Each time the esoterics powered up to attack or defend, their equipment would go haywire. The scouts increasingly went on the defensive. When two scouts then attacked Hakeem, the priest's iron rod also was undamaged by their energy blades. This was due to the energy he was channeling through it, and because of the carved runes in the metal. Like the two Arabs and their blades. As time passed, the confrontation looked more and more likely to end in a stalemate. Until…
One of the scouts propelled himself upward with his levitating pack. He heard instructions from the alien war cruiser. Once he understood he looked to the others on the ground. To the surprise of the esoterics, he spoke in English due to a device on his suit, "Listen up boys!"
The scouts stopped and soon propelled themselves upward as well, "We've done all we can! The data we've collected from the others is nearly complete! We need to get to a safe zone to teleport off this planet! Let's finish them up and…"
But before he could finish, Mahbeer's uncle slashed his sword through the air and the energy wave sliced the scout in the air in two. His entrails spilled out down to the ground and his two halves fell as well. The two remaining scouts looked at the esoterics in fear and as the three were about to flee, the three esoterics were stopped by incoming plasma laser blasts. The two scouts looked up and see five incoming scouts from the north.
"Come on," one of them shouted and the two propelled upward and flew with the remaining five.
The esoterics did not have time to catch them. The seven scouts flew eastward before teleporting in mid-air. To the three men, the scouts just vanished from sight. They sensed nothing in the air. But for Hakeem, he searched another way. His eyes rolled backward to see into the ether. He can see the paths of the fleeing alien auras go upward and upward. Passing the moon, Mars, and the asteroids. Then he saw it, and what was inside.
Hakeem came back into consciousness. Mahbeer and his uncle walked up to him, "ماذا رأيت ؟ (What did you see?)"
"سفينة طيران عظيمة. جيش عظيم - انهم قادمون. (A great flying ship. A great army-they're coming.)," he spoke with sober seriousness to them. Then they heard new noises coming from the valley.
The three men looked below and can see a group of two dozen desert riders. All clothed in black robes to camouflage with the night and dark landscape. The three men now know something is coming. And it has an army. Then Mahbeer's uncle spoke, "نحن بحاجة لجمع الجميع. ومقابلة السباكين. (We need to gather everyone. And meet with the Plumbers.)"
"ماذا ؟ لا يمكنك أن تكون جاد! (What? You can't be serious!)" But Mahbeer was silenced by his uncle's stare, "أنا جاد يا فتى. (I am serious, boy.)"
Hakeem knew what it was and nodded at him, "والحكماء أيضا. الحرب قادمة ونحن بحاجة للحلفاء. (The sages as well. A war is coming and we need allies.)"
As the three men headed down the valley to meet with the desert riders, to the east, another situation unfolded similarly to what the men experienced today. Fatma with her dragon, the dragon aliens, Kitty, her mother and sister, and Albedo experienced a dance in the skies over Mount Ararat and its sister mountains.
Turkey/Armenia
[Mount Ararat, Armenian Highlands, ]
Albedo could not believe his eyes when he saw the aerial battle above. In the night skies of the highlands, he witnessed the human woman atop the dragon, directing and listening to the dragon aliens as they pursued the scouts from mountain to mountain. The dragon fire exhibited from the earth dragon filled Albedo with awe and fear. It surpassed the potency of even the alpha dragon aliens on their home world. He held Marjan's hand and continued to run from the fighting down the valley.
Marjan was holding Albedo's hand as they both ran. Her mother running alongside Kitty, the mute beast master from across the Door, and a Ledger Domain representative who came to assist Kitty a few hours ago. Then they dodged in the nick of time when incoming plasma laser fire came their way.
Albedo sees two alien scouts and immediately recognized them. Seven-Seven and Six-Six. Professional bounty hunters and mercenaries, infamous across the galaxy. Rumored to have worked in the Andromeda Galaxy as well. Albedo was stricken with fear. Marjan filled with renewed boldness stepped forward and asked in her native Persian, "شماکیهستید? چهچیزیمیخواهید? (Who are you? What do you want?)"
"They would not understand your or other languages of this planet! Not without a universal translator," Albedo told her, "Now get back here! They will capture us if we remain here!"
"Then why aren't they doing so," Marjan pointed out.
When she asked that question, the scouts then held out a portable device to scan Marjan first. The first of the two, Six-Six was slowly approaching her and Albedo hearing what the male bounty hunter said, immediately stood in front of Marjan with his arms outstretched protectively.
Six-Six then held his rifle out and pointed it towards him. He gulped and prepared himself to die on the spot. But then one of the dragon aliens appeared to its side with his own rifle pointed to Six-Six, "That's far enough!"
The alien bounty hunter spoke and to Marjan it sounded like a mixture of clicks and gurgles. But to Albedo and the dragon alien reacted immediately with outrage, "You will do no such thing, you Sotoraggian bastard!"
Albedo exclaimed as Marjan looked on and the dragon alien responded equally with, "While we stand guard, the humans here are under our protection!"
Marjan looked at the two and then at the male looking Sotoraggian. As Six-Six responded, Marjan knelt to draw a seal around her. Six-Six then sprinted to capture Marjan. But when his foot touched the seal, he was then pulled to the ground by an unknown force. Then a wall of energy enveloped Six-Six. The alien tried to blast through the wall of energy, but he had no luck. The alien yelled in noises Marjan can only understand as rage and frustration.
Then she looked at the other Sotoraggian, Seven-Seven. This was a female, and her build was more of acrobatic than her male counterpart, who was more muscular. Marjan walked cautiously backward to get into a defensive stance. But Seven-Seven was too quick and caught her off guard with a quick jab to her abdomen, and then delivered quick punches and kicks all around Marjan, before she fell to the ground.
Albedo charged to save her but with a quick roundhouse kick, Seven-Seven made short work of him. And to subdue the dragon alien she used her rifle to launch a plasma net to keep it from rescuing the human. As both tried to get up and break free, Seven-Seven approached Marjan slowly and as she was about to run, Seven-Seven fired an energy net. It wrapped around her and she struggled to get free. Seven-Seven was about to grab her by the collar before she ran backwards to her partner Six-Six. Fatma landed with her dragon, as well as the other dragon aliens.
Fatma looked scornfully upon the bounty hunters. And on Seven-Seven in particular, "اينجاروترککن! يابايدبسوزوني! همونطورکهپيشاهنگاتبودند! (Leave this place! Or you shall burn! Just as your scouts were!)"
The dragon then reared its horned head upon the aliens and roared. Seven-Seven rushed to put on the ground besides Six-Six, an energy decompressor. It negates the effects of an energy shield wall around a combatant within an eight-foot radius. In just seven seconds the device then pulsed around Marjan's seal and blasted it away. Which also pulsed against Six-Six, stunning him. Six-Six recovered and was about to open fire, but Seven-Seven stopped him and between them, they communicated. Amidst their gurgles and clicks, they nodded and propelled themselves upward. Before Fatma could ride upward with her dragon, or any of the dragon aliens for that matter, the two mercenaries above were then teleported away.
As the dragon roared in the sky, along with the dragon aliens, Albedo approached Marjan. She fell to the ground, with her now on her knees. She then felt something pulsing inside of her. Then felt her eyes rolling backward. When Albedo approached her, all he could see were the white of her eyes.
He called out her name, but she did not respond. He even went as far as to shake her by the shoulders. But nothing could sever her focus into the ether. When everyone was on the ground again, they noticed Marjan in a trance. Nazeria rushed to her daughter's side and Fatma got off her dragon to run towards her sister as well. They pushed Albedo aside, with the mother apologizing. Fatma held her sister by the head with her left hand and with her right hand, she placed it on Marjan's forehead. She chanted a Zoroastrian prayer and after repeating it several times. After calling upon her god, Ahura Mazda, Marjan returned to consciousness.
Albedo just observed his surroundings, back towards the dragon and the alien counterparts, towards the beast master, and to the family before him. Since the esoteric rogues from last year and the recent Void Lock, he began his research into the energies projected and conjured by them. But the more he investigated the subject, solo research would only take him so far. He needed to speak with Fatma about this, hence why he ventured here. But seeing Marjan going into a meditative state and brought out of it by her sister, he felt he found another opening into further research. All he need was the young woman's consent.
Kyoto, Japan
[Sakyo-kū Ward, 8:45 PM]
Shinji was with Takuya and Ryo in the woods surrounding the city because of Koji. Once they conduct a cleansing ritual before going to their location via a Door to Anywhere; the Aokigahara Forest near Mt. Fuji, they may proceed with caution. Due to hungry spirits and a miasma of sadness permeating the land. Takuya was nervous. Which caused Ryo to tease him a bit, "あなたは森に入ることに緊張していませんか? (You're not nervous about going into a forest, are you?)"
"黙って！怖くない! (S-Shut up! I'm not scared!)"
"たとえそれが鳥でさえあまりにも長く滞在しない森であっても? (Even if it's a forest where not even birds would stay for too long?)"
Takuya nervously sweated as he crossed his arms, "私は私が言ったことを支持する!私は幽霊や悪魔に直面した、覚えていますか? (I-stand by what I said! I faced down ghosts and demons, remember?)"
"しかし、東京に戻ってきたガールフレンドを恐れていることもあります。 (But you're also afraid of your girlfriend back in Tokyo.)," Ryo chimed, and Takuya, embarrassed, blushed.
"ねえ！私は彼女を恐れていません!私はちょうどこのたわごとについてわからない!私はいくつかの触り心地の良い男ではありません!しかし、私は彼女が好きですが、私は彼女とのデートにロープを持ったとき、どのように私は知っているはずだったのですか?男は女の子をデートに誘うことになっていませんか?逆ではないですか? (Hey! I'm not afraid of her! I'm just unsure about this shit! I'm not some touchy-feely guy! But I do like her, but how was I supposed to know when I got roped into a date with her? Aren't guys supposed to ask out the girl? Not the other way around?)"
Ryo snickered a bit, "誰もあなたに「はい」と言うように頼みなかった。「おい、今は適切な時期じゃない。来週はどうですか?しかし、いいえ!あなたは彼女を泣かせるのを恐れているから、はいと言わなければならなかった。 (No one asked you to say yes. You could have just said, 'Hey this isn't the right time. How about next week'? But nah! You had to say yes cause you're afraid of making her cry.)"
Shinji smiled a bit as he heard the two bickered back and forth. The silent type and the hothead. Like the duo he sees often in shōnen anime, even seinen.
Once at the temple, the three young men donned fundoshi loincloths, walked to a nearby stream, and Koji, also in a fundoshi chanted as he rang his bell and held his staff. As he chanted, he sets down his bell on a nearby boulder, and took a cup he laid there. He dipped it into the stream and poured the water onto the three, one by one. Once that was done, he finished the ritual cleansing and ushered them back to the temple to dress up again. As he walked he looked up at the evening sky, with concern written on his face. He then walked back to join the others.
Once the four young men dried off and dressed up again, they walked out of the temple and headed for the river again. But instead of wadding into the water, Koji halted them. He raised his shakujou and tapped the rocky watery bed three times. Then the ground rumbled as a stone Door to Anywhere rises. Along the arched doorway, kanji words dotted it with animal pictographs. The door opened to reveal the dense Aokigahara Forest.
The four young men stepped through the Door and once in the forest, it shut behind them. The Door then lowered itself into the ground again. From the sounds of songbirds in the woods surrounding Kyoto, the stark silence of Aokigahara was deafening. Takuya and Ryo steadied themselves, as did Shinji. None of them ever have been this deep in the forest. But Koji had and he knew where to go. So, he ushered them to follow him along a gravel path.
Hours later in the Aokigahara Forest,
Shinji didn't know where he was in the silent forest. All he knew right now was to run. He ran down the dirt path, with nothing but the dark forest around him. No insect sounds, not even the nocturnal creatures he's accustomed to hearing. But thanks to a pendant Koji gave him, he was sensing and running from wraiths and ghosts who died from suicide, or elders who were left here to die by family who could no longer take care of them. But this knowledge didn't help with the fact that alien scouts were chasing him and his friends. And to top it off, he had no clue where they were.
As he ran, he held his sword at the ready to strike down wraiths and ghosts. Which he did many times thanks to the Buddhist sutras on the blade. He was also looking around and above for one of the scouts that have ambushed them. He ran for an overgrown tree. He sat down on the ground, holding his sword and closed his eyes. He listened for anything out of the ordinary, but all he heard was silence, his own heartbeat, and his breathing.
Then another noise, a moaning in the darkness around him. A ghost? A wraith? He opened his eyes to find anything taking shape. When he turned around, he saw nothing. He wanted to see the stars above, but the trees' thick foliage blocked his view. He was secluded; both protected and isolated. Until he heard voices up the path before him. Koji's voice was heard, and he could faintly hear the ringing of his friend's shakujou. Takuya and Ryo's voice soon were heard, also calling for him.
Shinji relaxed when he saw the three coming to him. They looked a little worse for wear. Koji's robes were torn, dirtied, and bloodied. He couldn't tell if it was his friend's blood or not. Then he took a look at the two martial artists. They looked like they've been in the ringer. Bloodied up, their own and the scouts', their gi shirts and robes torn, with looks of satisfaction across their faces.
"あなたはとても幸せそうに見える。 (You look so happy.)," Shinji tiredly said as he looked at Takuya and Ryo. The two martial artists laughed good naturedly.
Koji helped Shinji up and the four reunited now, took to their path. Takuya and Ryo were on guard to take on other scouts, Koji was on alert for any more wraiths, but Shinji was in a cloud of fatigue and hyperawareness. He was moving on autopilot, gripping his sword. His AT Field was all over the place.
Then they came to a fork in the road and Shinji can make out worn out signs, "私はこれらの標識を知っています。それらは高城訓練コンパウンドにつながります！もしそこに到達できれば、私たちを助けてくれる人がいます。(I know these signs—they lead to the Takashiro Training Compound! If we can get there, we'd have people to help us!)"
"確かに、それはマイル離れている! (Sure, but that's miles away!)," Takuya pointed out, "決して時間をかけてはいけません。スカウトやわさびは私たちに新しい穴を引き裂くだろう！ (We'll never make it in time! The scouts or the wraiths will tear us new assholes!)"
Ryo then pointed out, "[ ドア（Door ）] を使用してショートカットを作成できます。(We can use the Door to Anywhere to make a shortcut.)," and the three guys looked to Koji who nodded in agreement.
As he prepared to summon the Door, Shinji heard something along the trees, "伏せて！(Get down!)"
The four hit the dirt when a rain of plasma shots rained down on them. Koji managed to put up a shield in time. Shinji couldn't put up his AT Field as whatever the scouts were using was perhaps messing with his connection between him and Unit-01. Shinji held his sword, preparing to fight again, and find the one who had the device interrupting connection to the EVA. Once they landed, the fight commenced.
Koji spun his staff to defect incoming blasts and knocked their weapons out of their hands. They the alien scouts took out energy charged knives to fight the four human men. The swordsman took out his sword to fight one and the martial artist used his skills to get out of the way of the knives and used grappling, punches, and ultimately kicks to knock out the one he fought.
Shinji also used his sword to fight the alien with his energy charged sword, and just like Ryo, his sword did not get sliced by the high energy blade. But instead created a high- and low-pitched sound that resonated in his ears. He dodged and continued to fight off the alien before managing to pierce the alien's armor. Shinji then delivered the definitive blow by slicing the alien's neck.
The alien fell to the ground, gripping his neck and Shinji rushed to him and demanded to know what device he's using. The alien gave one last look of bewilderment and died before uttering a response.
Shinji searched the alien for anything that may be affecting his AT Field. He found nothing. If it wasn't the alien interfering with his AT Field, then what was it? He had little time to think about it when he was attacked again. The new alien scout was revenging for his fallen comrade. As Shinji was led back, his own back met Ryo's, "どんな計画だ？ (What's the plan?)"
Ryo asked with Shinji replying with, "パートナーを切り替えてみましょう。 (Let's switch partners—Now!)"
In a quick moment, Ryo was fight Shinji's opponent, and Shinji with Ryo's. The switching made the difference with the aliens not having time to adapt to the sudden change in styles. Takuya fought hard hand-to-hand, but when he was cornered, he raised his hand, made a gun gesture with his right hand and smirked, "鉛を食べなさい! (Eat lead!)"
He fired pure energy from his hand in subsequent bolts of energy that penetrated his opponents. The aliens he fought fell down dead. Takuya was satisfied and then to his left Koji was finished with subduing his two opponents. They looked on how Ryo and Shinji were holding off their fighters and before they could deliver their final blows, the two aliens retreated and as they propelled themselves upward with their boots, they then called to be teleported out of there.
"We have several men down! I repeat! Several men down," one shouted into his transmitter.
"Prepare for transport!"
That was all the alien and the remaining scout next to him heard. The two were then teleported, alongside the dead bodies. The young men on the ground were beyond confused as to who or what the scouts were. But before they could rest, Koji ushered them to his spot. They were going to head for the Takashiro Training Compound via the Door to Anywhere. Their only threat beyond this were the wraiths from the forest and just outside the compound. But the energy wards around the compound kept them at bay during the night. The young men were safe and ushered inside.
While the sudden attacks were happening from North Africa to the Middle East, and East Asia, the same was happening in North America. But the difference here lies in the intensity of the attacks. Instead of just studying the defenders, the attacks in North America at the moment were fiercer and more aggressive.
New York City, NY, USA
[Astoria, Queens, 2:00 AM]
The alien scouts were surveying the urban landscape of Queens. They tracked down the people they were relayed from the alien cruiser. The technicians aboard Vilgax's ship accessed classified files in the Plumber database. The names that came up involved an orchestra, with a headquarters in this city. The seven scouts were perplexed about this group. But with the level of clearance their file needed and a connection to three mecha units in Earth orbit, they exercised caution.
"No sight of the two pilots or the rest of the orchestra," one scout relayed to his leader.
"Keep searching. According to their file, they are proficient in urban guerilla warfare. Let's not give them the opportunity."
"Roger."
As the seven surveyed above Astoria, the orchestra who managed to give them the slip were surveying them from above. Cecilia was the lone mystic with LMM. Danny was intangible as he floated above the group. He gave her quick hand gestures, to which she nodded. Cecilia relayed the signal to the others, and they understood. Asuka and Dante looked at each other and flanked both sides of the orchestra, with Danny's team flanking the front and back of them. In addition to Danny's new powers to put up a shield over them, rendering them invisible to visible eyes, they were safe for the moment.
Since yesterday, they've spent the better part of a day and night dodging the aliens. They tried to contact Kevin and Gwen, to see if they're facing the same threat. But no response. They were on their own and for the first time, they were deer in the headlights. Exposed and now running and hiding. Asuka had no weapons, nor did Dante. They only had their AT Fields, which only provided a defense in the mid-range. With Danny able to handle attacks in the long range, the rest could only handle close range.
Sam, Valerie, and Tucker were surveying everything and tried to use their equipment. Instead of looking for cold signatures that would indicate ghosts or other apparitions, they now set up their devices to detect heat signatures that were not human. So far, only the scouts above were detected. Within the LMM ranks however, Juliette approached Cecilia, clearly nervous.
"Can we stop them? I mean, we just survived the demonic horde in Bellwood and Buenos Aires. Can we just—do the same thing?"
The Brazilian however, nodded a no, "The Void Lock is only used when a demonic infestation goes beyond esoteric containment. What we have here is simple: we're being hunted."
The French girl gulped in fear asked, "Should we contact the Plumbers? Ben? Anyone from Bellwood?"
But instead of Cecilia answering, it was Asuka to turned to her right to face Juliette, "I think it's safe to say Kevin and Gwen are in Bellwood and if we're targeted by aliens, they are too."
This did nothing but elevate the fear within LMM. Mohammad and his family were in hiding themselves when they were notified by the orchestra on what's been happening. Mohammad assured them he and his family would be safe. And with that level of assurance, they trusted him. Cecilia had an idea. She waved to Danny to come down. He landed in front of the group and the others stopped, "Danny, can you open a portal?"
Danny looked at her and nodded cautiously, "But when I do, the shield would be gone, and those aliens would shoot at us like ducks in a pond."
Cecilia nodded, "I know. My other idea was to summon the Door. But the magical energy from it would also tear apart your shield. Exposing us regardless."
Danny looked at her for moment before responding, "You want to head to Quebec don't ya?"
"According to Wil, the trading town is evacuating the town along the border up north to move into Quebec where they'll be protected. If we can get there, we can perhaps use that to our advantage."
Dante overheard this, "And we'll be opening up ourselves to hellfire. No, we can't bring this to Wilfredo's end!"
"Then do you have a better idea? Because I'm all ears," Cecilia practically shouted at him.
Truth be told, Dante didn't have a clue on what to do. With his training, and only here in New York to be with the group and Mohammad since their past incursion with demons, his head was operating on all cylinders. Processing the new and the strange. And now, he was clueless. Their past tactics will not work here. They're outgunned and exposed. After looking at everyone and feeling outnumbered, he bit down on his pride and looked to the Afro-Brazilian before him.
"Cecilia, are you positive the terrain Wilfredo is in would aid us?"
"Absolutely."
The group then heard whistling. They turned to the sound of the whistling and readied themselves for an assault. But Cecilia knew better, as the energy around them was charged with magic. She raised her hand to the roofs of downtown Astoria to see if anyone can see her. In a split second, several figures apparated before her. Danny recognized them. The magi from last year who helped them out with the WWAEI. Robert van der Berg who was the fixer for them, but really was working against them in preventing a full-scale conflict. He was dressed in a three-piece seer sucker suit, with brown loafers, and a lapel pinned over his blazer pocket. Next to him was the man in brown robes, holding a staff, and wore a wreath of leaves around his head, named Gary. Then they heard the noise of footsteps of spurs. They turned to see a man in a cowboy hat, jeans, a leather vest over a blue buttoned shirt, and a stubble across his face. It was the gunslinger named Raymond.
Robert, Gary, and Raymond shook hands with one another and looked to the group before them, "Looks like you kids need an escort."
"How did you figure," Danny asked, which Raymond replied, "It's obvious. Now let's open the portal and head to your destination."
"Right! Which is where," Gary asked as he cleaned his glasses.
After being filled in with the details, Cecilia with the assistance of Robert, summoned the Door to Anywhere. Along the edges were carved images of trees, bears, wolves, ravens, and woodsmen. Once the door was opened, the shield used to protect the group from prying eyes was blown away by the magical energy from the door. The aliens above spotted them. They flew down and began to fire. Gary twirled his staff and deflected many of the blasts, Raymond began to laydown cover fire, and Robert fired a flurry of spells and curses to the aliens. Once LMM, as well as Danny and his friends went through the door, so did the adult men. But before the door could closed, the aliens flew right through. Then the door closed.
Québec, Canada
[Le Verendrye Wildlife Preserve]
Wilfredo was with several axe men, frontiersmen, hunters, and woodland sheriffs who work for Lizavetta: as well as for the local town deep in the countryside, far from Montreal and Quebec City. The night air and the full moon enlivened him and the men around him. They have begun their hunt to rid the alien scouts from encircling the air. Wilfredo was great help with his mystical abilities to ward them off and to fight them head on. Leveling the playing the field in the process.
The men followed an older sheriff who led them to get into formation and cover Wilfredo, who throughout the day and now night, went out alone. The sheriff made sure this young man who works for Lizavetta does not die because of his foolhardiness. However, he also respected the foolhardy bravery of the young man.
Wilfredo then turned to his friend from the trading town, Oliver Picard, who wore a now torn flannel shirt, jeans, boots, and had in each hand, a hatchet. Wilfredo himself was holding a hunting axe and was shirtless due to him blasted earlier by alien propulsion plasma blast. He only survived because his mystical powers shielded him. He whispered to Oliver on what he intended to do. Draw the attention of the aliens long enough so the others can lead them north to a clearing near Lac Douaire for their final skirmish. Oliver thought his friend went crazy from exhaustion and desperation. But Wilfredo assured him he wasn't crazy.
"Je peux le faire! La nuit fait des merveilles pour moi! Je le jure devant Dieu! (I can do this! The night does wonders for me! Honest to God!)"
"Quand même, vous serez dans une grêle de ce feu de plasma! (Still, you'll be in a hailstorm of that plasma fire!)"
"Tu as d'autres idées? (Got any other ideas?)"
"N-Non, mais... (N-No but…)"
"Mais rien! Fais-moi confiance et prépare-toi à aller vers le nord pendant que je vais vers l'est. Tu me suis? (But nothing! Trust me and get ready to move north while I head east. You get me?)"
Oliver with hesitancy answered simply with, "Clair et net. (Loud and clear.)"
The sheriff noticed Wilfredo was hunkering down, readying himself to go on the attack. He sent one of his boys to head over there to figure out what. After a few moments, the uniformed youth came back and relayed on the plan. The sheriff thought the young man to be mad, but if this was to give them time to get to the lake for a final skirmish, then so be it. He blew his horn and then the men were ready to for the aliens to now come down from the sky.
Wilfredo was the first to see them. Their cloaking energies were warping the air around them. A seal formed around his right hand and fired an energy blast upward, colored white with black electrical charges. This startled the aliens and damaged one of the aliens flying equipment. Causing him to plummet to the earth. The thud of the alien body gave the men present their signal: run.
Wilfredo headed east while the rest headed north. As he ran further and further, he captured the aliens' attention who then propelled after him. Flying between the trees and landed ahead of him. They pointed their plasma laser weapons toward him. He got into his stance with his hunting axe. A seal of his energy formed below his feet. The aliens observed and readied themselves. They fired plasma bolts and the seal activated. The bolts of energy were neutralized when they contact with the wall of energy around Wilfredo. He then extended his energy into the space around them. The night then took on a more menacing look before the aliens' eyes. Wilfredo felt himself feeling energized by the night air and the moonlight. He gripped his axe, bent his knees, and then went forward with great speed.
The aliens regained their focus from sensing the energy via their equipment. They noticed the human male rushing toward them with his weapon. Wilfredo struck down one with ease, then was fending off from another. He flipped the alien over him and struck at the torso at another alien. His energy seal neutralized more blasts of plasma bolts aimed at him. He was cornered by an aged tree behind. His seal was working more and more to block the plasma bolts. He soon saw cracks forming in his energy shield. A few more moments, he'd be open to close quarters combat. He smiled at the prospect.
Then heard rumbling in the earth below and around him. So did the aliens. Then they all saw a Door to Anywhere rise from the ground. The stone doors opened, and Wilfredo couldn't have been happier. Out came Danny, Sam, Tucker, Valerie, the members of LMM, and the American magi as well. The LMM members ran around the aliens with Cecilia, Asuka, Dante, and Danny shielding them as best they could. The trees and hilly terrain provided an extra advantage. Reducing the aliens' capability to fire upon them. Wilfredo ran alongside them. They ran and ran, with the mystics firing their energy blasts towards the aliens.
Wilfredo ran to where Danny was flying and with him sprinting to keep pace with his Philadelphian friend, he shouted, "What's the plan?"
Danny looked at him confused, "Plan? Don't you have one?"
"No!"
"Then think of something!"
"Don't put me on the spot asshole!"
"Hey! I just figure you'd have something!"
"Well, I don't!"
Then in a split decision, both stopped and then turned to face the incoming aliens. Danny flew above the running LMM members and his friends, while Wilfredo propelled himself over the group with a blast of energy using his seal. He landed right in front of the aliens and proceeded to cut them down. Danny fired from above and when he used his intangible form to avoid the plasma blasts, the aliens resorted to the thermo-based setting on their rifles. The same used to hunt Necrofriggian space wanderers. He quickly dodged and turned tangible again to then fight alongside Wilfredo. He formed an ice blade between his hands, charged with ectoplasmic energy. Wilfredo gripped his axe, they both looked at each other, nodded and fought off the aliens.
While the two fought, the rest were still running. Sam fired an energy bolt from her pistol, while Cecilia formed her seal between her hands. She then stopped running to then jump over her friends and colleagues. She used her momentum to twirl in the air and kick the seal. It fired a wave of energy to the aliens. It short circuited their equipment. She used the trees one by one to jump down to the ground. She was in front of the aliens, she unleased a deadly dance of capoeira.
Asuka puts up her AT Field to shield the rest of the orchestra. Gilberto, Alberto, and Zane did not have their weapons with them. They were back at home. But they nonetheless stood as the last line of defense to protect the others. Jang stood beside Christine protectively. Asuka however was having to project her AT Field more and more, putting a strain on her mental faculties. When her shield shattered, the three American magi who came with them stepped in to run in and carry on the attack.
The robe mage Gary used his staff to channel energy from the ground and the trees to power himself. He used his staff to fight the aliens off by conjuring blasts of energy. The other suited mage named Robert used his wand to conjure spells and curses to fight. Apparating from one point to another to confuse and outflank them. Then there was Raymond, who used his guns, each bullet fired with carved runes to give each firing an extra kick of power. Penetrating the armor, the aliens had. The three showcased their abilities, thus demonstrating why magi are not to be under a monolithic category.
Danny and Wilfredo successfully kept the aliens' attention and amidst the clanging of their weapons, the two proved to be effective as a duo. Both panted and readied themselves. However, just like in other locations around the world, the surviving aliens flew upward with their packs. They radioed each other and received instructions. They flew upward and teleported away. Silence fell upon everyone and headed north. They eventually arrived at Lac Douaire. Everyone there successfully handled their own but lost a few of their men in the combat. Wilfredo approached Oliver and shook hands.
"Ils se sont enfuis. (They've fled.)"
"Je sais. On a perdu des hommes. (I know. We've lost some men.)"
"Merde. (Shit.)"
"Lizavetta ne va pas aimer cela. Nous avons besoin de tous les hommes valides pour patrouiller et défendre cette terre. (Lizavetta is not going to like this. We need to every able-bodied man to patrol and defend this land.)"
Wilfredo would later tell Oliver, Danny, and his friends he cannot go back with either group. He would have to leave to train and join an order of warriors in the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. But he knew if this night was any indication, that a major conflict was coming. And no part of the world would be spared.
Bellwood, TX, USA
Ben in his Necrofriggian form, or 'Big Chill' as he named it, flew straight towards the alien scouts who fired upon him from atop several buildings. He blew out ice breath to freeze them, but whatever suits they wore negated the effect. He dove from being captured by a plasma net. He then quickly transformed into Jetray and sped towards them. His energy blasts from his eyes and tail made short work of their weapons. Then he knocked them off the buildings by using his momentum. While he took care of the problem above, Kevin and Gwen were fighting off their share of combatants. Kevin armored with the steel of his car, fought off the alien scouts with his signature brawling style of fighting. Gwen who was more skilled used her combinations of judo and karate, in addition with her mana manipulation. But unlike previous times over the course of their lives fighting and protecting Bellwood, this was more intense. Much more so.
Ken Tennyson was hunkered behind the passenger door of Ben's car. He witnessed what he only saw once in 2008 when he was abducted and nearly turned into one of the DNAliens during the High Breed invasion. He remembered more vividly his sister's display of power. Gwen destroying nearly two dozen trucks of DNAliens in less than a minute. It awed and terrified him. Today was no different. And like before, he felt a sense of helplessness. He wanted to help. But this was beyond him.
Then an aircraft came sweeping in, causing some wind. It landed and morphed into a mecha-suit. It was Julie with her Galvanic Mechamorph pet, Ship. The two helped Ben fight off several scouts in the air as she was now flying around him, firing off several missiles and laser blasts. Ben was glad to have back up. The two were in synch fighting off the alien scouts. And with things going in their favor, the scouts suddenly ceased firing. They received orders and they flew upward. Even the ones Ben and Julie were fighting off. Ben was about to chase them, but they suddenly teleported away.
"What the hell?" He exclaimed as Julie was flying next to him, "Do you think they surrendered?"
Julie asked but got a scoff from Ben before he responded, "No way! Not with all those times I've fought them in the past! In fact, they remind me of—no way!"
"What?" But Julie didn't get a response as she saw Ben flying down to Kevin and Gwen. She followed.
Ben transformed back into his human form and Ship morphed back into his dog-like Galvanic Mechamorph form. Revealing Julie in her summer outfit of biker shorts, sneakers, a tank top, and her hair now tied into a bun.
"Guys! We need to get to Plumber HQ asap!"
Kevin looked at him as if Ben just lost his mind, "Did you just forget that HQ got a new gaping asshole two weeks ago?"
Even Gwen looked at Ben bewildered, "Yeah, and remember, grandpa is still nursing the punishment the—the magi had inflicted on him."
Ben was becoming more agitated and wanted to just tell them off. And he did, "Trust me! Whatever those magi and mystic fuckers did here to scare off those demons, will be nothing compared to what's coming!"
"And who is coming," Kevin pressed Ben for what he thought was worse. And he got his answer. But not from Ben, but from the sky.
A low, rumbling noise was heard all around them. Coming from above, shaking the ground below them. People across town, from wherever and whatever they were doing, stopped to take note what was going on. The sky over downtown Bellwood flickered and charged with electromagnetic power. The clouds dispersed, the air charged and warped over a huge space. And in a moment, a huge spacecraft was seen. Far larger than the area below, with its shadow encompassing downtown and its surrounding areas. The spacecraft then moved to the direction of Plumber HQ. Ben, Gwen, Ken, and Julie were in awe, terror, and feeling this was going to be the fight of their generation. And on the hull of the ship, there it was. The symbol Ben quickly noticed before when fighting the scouts.
"Vilgax"
Kevin heard him and uttered this in resignation for what's to come, "Oh—great."
To be continued
Yep, here we go. Vilgax is back.
Read, review, critique, and I'll see you all later.