EARTH - 910206-17

Gravesfield, Connecticut

It starts like it always starts. Peace. Afro-Latina teen Luz Noceda was perusing the streets of Gravesfield, Connecticut with her girlfriend, the witch Amity Blight. Luz had a dark caramel skin tone which seemed to both clash and complement Amity's pale skin tone. Luz also had combed short dark brown hair while Amity had long purple hair combed to the back of her head, brushed behind her long elf-like ears. With them were friends Willow Park (a chubbier but also muscular witch with pale skin, glasses and short green hair), her boyfriend Hunter (a blonde haired witch with darker scarred skin, notably golden eyes, and a slightly loose follicle that fell in front of his head with a burn mark), and their other friend Gus Porter (a witch with the darkest brown skin tone, and black curly hair perfectly shaped to his head).

Luz smiled slyly and asked, "What's this movie you're dragging us to by Gus?"

Gus' eyes perked up as he and Hunter said in unison, "Cosmic Frontier!"

Gus said, "I've been waiting for this movie since they announced it two years ago!"

Hunter said he was most excited to try the popped corn.

Willow giggled and said, "He means popcorn."

Hunter replied, "That's what I said."

Amity laughed and said, "Hopefully there's seats available."

It had been about a year since they had freed the home of the Witches (an alternate realm connected to the earth by a magic doorway known as the Boiling Isles) from tyranny and oppression. Now with reconstruction efforts underway, they could enjoy being in the human world, thanks to a permanent door linking both worlds together.

The five friends laughed together as they approached the theater.

Los Angeles, California

Anne Boonchuy, a young Thai-American girl with curly messy hair and tan skin, was sitting in her room at her family's home, studying for college entrance exams. She was bored and decided to call up her friends in a group chat.

It had been about a year since Anne had saved an alternate world of amphibian humanoids from enslavement and destruction. Now with reconstruction efforts underway, she could continue her life in the human world, though she always missed her friends in the amphibian world.

Both friends answered almost immediately. There was Asian-American Marcy Wu with short black hair combed into a bob, and Caucasian Sasha Waybright with long blonde hair tied into a ponytail.

Sasha said, "Hey Boonchuy...college prep kicking your butt?"

Anne sighed and said, "Yep...I need to take a study break. How about we go see a movie?"

Marcy excitedly said, "Oooh ooh oh! Let's go see the new Cosmic Frontier movie!"

Sasha raised an eyebrow with a smile and said, "Haha I thought your thing was fantasy. Where'd this sudden sci-fi craze come from?"

Marcy Wu shrugged and said, "I'm an equal opportunities geek. Plus I heard this was based on some weird book from the 90s, so that's gotta bring some interesting stuff to the table."

Anne said, "I'm down if y'all are."

Sasha said, "Let's do it!"

FBI Base, Area 51, Nevada

The flamboyant and almost drag-dressed Mr. X was rollerskating through the halls of his base, drawn by an alert, one that had never sounded before. He roller skated into the control room where various scientists and technicians monitored alien invasion threats. For the first time ever, the sound was going off.

Mr. X slid between the computers and said, "Somebody talk to me!"

One worker said, "It's a first timer sir. We're picking up unidentified objects descending into Earth's atmosphere."

Mr. X inquired, "And you're absolutely certain it's not a meteor?"

Another worker said, "The flight path doesn't match the typical trajectory of a meteor. We picked up a sudden and rapid change in direction before it set down somewhere in the middle of North Dakota. Should we mobilize a team to investigate?"

Mr. X said, "Yes. But not a team. Just send a drone. We're not going big and loud until the situation calls for big and loud."

North Dakota

Rectangular prism-like ships descended on a plateau mountain top. The sides closest to the ground opened up and strange calcified beasts and creatures dropped to the Earth.

Some of them were smaller, spindly creatures with dome heads, humanoid bodies, sharp teeth and long three fingered claws known as Thralls. Others were taller with chitinous armor and three glowing eyes and strange brown weapons, seemingly like guns, in their hand known as Acolytes. Others were much larger, and wielded either massive guns or giant stone-based swords known as Knights.

Descending from above were three spindly creatures with three glowing eyes each. They work long cloaks that draped over their feet, and while the rest of this army dropped to the ground, they slowly descended. One of them wore a crown with three thorns, and the other two wore crowns with one (one was more pointed to the left brow and the other to the right)

The three horned crowned cloaked creature crackled, "This place..."

The left horned creature said, "It smells...alive..."

The right horned creature said, "We can come back and smell the life later, Yshra."

The left horned creature rolled her eyes at Yshra and said, "Ayriax, surely even you must appreciate that which is around us."

Yshra flatly stated, "No. I wish to be home soon. Voshyr, where are they?"

Voshyr, the three horned one, said, "I landed us right on the midpoint of this landmass between the two. And would it kill you to call me 'mother'?"

Ayriax said, "No. But I'd rather not let anyone know about us."

Yshra simply and teasingly spat, "Let us conclude this, mother so Ayriax can return to sulking in her nook with Nokris."

Voshyr shook her head and said, "Very well. Ayriax, you will go west for Anne Boonchuy since you crave brevity. Yshra will go east for Luz Noceda. I will fortify our defenses here."

The two bowed their heads before floating and then flying away.

FBI Base

Mr. X had heard everything. A small drone had been remotely launched from a site in the state, allowing him to overhear the conversation. He said, "We need to warn Boonchuy now. Also, do a check on the Eastern seaboard. Look for a Luz Noc..."

The worker responded, "Already have it. She lives in Gravesfield, Connecticut. Father deceased, single mother. Reportedly was replaced by a shapeshifting basilisk but was found shortly after."

Mr. X said, "Ok...wait what was that last part?"

The worker repeated the part about the basilisk.

Mr. X rubbed his chin. He said, "Do we have two parallel worlds connected here?..."

He shook his head and said, "Doesn't matter. Find her contact info."

The worker said, "We already did. No dice. Looks like she's in a movie theater. Boonchuy too."

Mr. X facepalmed, sliding his hand down his face as he said, "Of course...just our luck. Keep trying their cells. Messages too. Something they'll see the moment the movie is over. And get in contact with the base near Connecticut. Tell them to send some men. I feel like we just walked into a world of shiitake mushrooms..."

Los Angeles, California

Anne, Sasha, and Marcy walked out of the film, Marcy having eyes wide with enraptured wonder. Sasha and Anne were happy. Marcy said, "That was AWESOMEEEEEE."

Sasha smiled and said, "Glad you had fun, Mars. I kept feeling Anne's phone going off, any idea what that was about?"

Anne sighed and said, "Sorry about that. I have no idea what that was about."

She pulled it out, and saw over fifty messages, spamming the phrase *PICK UP THE PHONE! YOU ARE IN DANGER!*

Anne showed the phone to Sasha and Marcy prompting looks of concern between them. Sasha said, "That's...ominous."

Then the phone rang. She picked it up and heard a familiar voice on the other end.

"Boonchuy! About time you picked up the phone. You need to be am-scraying right now!"

Anne blinked in confusion and said, "Mr. X? Back up. What's happening?"

Mr. X said, "Some freak of the week called Ayriax is flying at you now! Get to cover and hide right now until we can..."

A screech cut off the comms. And the ground rumbled. And she landed. Ayriax, spreading her clawed arms. She called out, "Anne Boonchuy!"

When she was met only by the screams of the crowds on the streets she rolled her eyes and said, "My patience was already thin as hair before I arrived on this planet. You cannot imagine how much less reasonable I will be if you don't SHOW YOURSELF!"

The trio were hiding behind a wall.

Her hand glowed and she threw it forward, firing a blast of energy incinerating one of the bystanders.

"I know what you look like. Show yourself...or I execute more of these bystanders!"

Sasha shuddered and said, "Oh my God."

Anne said, "That...that must be Ayriax."

Marcy said, "Why does she want you?"

Anne said, "I don't know..."

Ayriax yelled, "NO?! Fine then!"

She fired off another blast, incinerating another bystander.

Anne screamed, "NO! STOP!"

She ran out as Sasha screamed, "Anne, wait!"

Anne held her hands up in surrender as she shouted, "I don't know who you are or what you want. But please stop th..."

Before she could finish, Ayriax's hand was around her throat and body. She pulled her close and said, "Mother will explain. I just pray Yshra isn't stopping to smell the Earth smells."

She waved her hand in a circle around her, disappearing into a shower of light. Truth is, she could've teleported to where Anne was, but being cooped up in a ship had left her needing to move, and the flight back would likely kill Anne when she was needed alive.

Sasha and Marcy shouted out for Anne. Sasha noticed her phone on the ground and grabbed it, hearing Mr. X on the other line, and put it on speaker. Mr. X said, "What just happened?!"

Sasha yelled, "Some three eyed freak just incinerated two people and took Anne!"

Mr. X sighed and said, "Oh no...that's Ayriax."

Marcy yelled, "You know who they are?!"

Mr. X said, "Barely. We picked them up when they landed and had a drone observing them. We picked up their names and that they were after Boonchuy and another girl."

Sasha said, "What other girl?"

Gravesfield, Connecticut

Hunter and Gus were larping shooting lasers from their fists walking out of the movie.

Willow said, "I guess someone liked that movie!"

Amity said, "You know, when you think about it, Luz is kinda like an alien."

Luz said, "No we're on my world. You're the alien technically. But you're a cute alien!"

Amity blushed and said, "Your phone was buzzing a lot during that movie."

Luz said, "Oh right. What was that about?"

Luz looked at the missed phone calls and texts reading *PICK UP THE PHONE! YOU ARE IN DANGER!*

Luz and Amity were both concerned. Then a voice crackled from an alleyway. "If you value the life of Camila Noceda...you will come here, Luz Noceda."

The group looked at each other. Luz said, "Get to my house now."

Hunter, Gus, and Willow nodded. Gus and Willow pulled out small animals called palismans. They transformed into staffs, which they jumped on and flew away. Amity remained.

Amity said, "I'm not going anywhere."

Luz and Amity held hands before walking into the alley. Yshra waited, and said, "I knew the quick and subtle approach would work. Grandma taught me well."

Luz could only see the glowing eyes in the darkness.

Luz said, "Was my mom ever in any danger? How did you even know about her?"

Yshra said, "No. And more trained witches of my people can read minds. Somewhat. All I needed to know was the name of your mother."

Luz said, "What even are you?"

Yshra slowly emerged and rose from the shadows, towering over the two. Amity said, "If she wasn't in any danger then..."

Amity called upon her palisman and drew a circle of energy. A fist of purple goop emerged from the circle almost like a portal, striking at Yshra. She easily cut through it with her hands, chopping through them in one swing of her arms. She then swung her glowing hand in a back swipe, knocking Amity away with a blast of energy. Amity hit the floor, smoke emerging from her chest from the wound. Luz called out, "Amity!" Before Luz could run for Amity, Yshra grabbed her. She tried to grab her palisman, but Yshra flicked it away. Luz yelled as she hit Yshra's hand. "What did you do to her?! Let me go!"

Yshra sighed and said, "Mother will explain everything."

She waved her hand, and teleported herself and Luz away.

FBI base

Mr. X was mobilizing his forces. He yelled out, "Let's move people! Did a team already pick up Sasha and Marcy?"

One soldier said, "They're en route and being equipped. Although, if I may ask sir, why are we sending them?"

Mr. X said, "We need all the help we can get. Plus, they'd want to help, and I can't worry about babysitting them on the opposite end of the country making sure they stay still."

Gravesfield, Connecticut

Amity awoke from her injury, finding Luz's palisman on the ground she grabbed it, transforming it back into its animal form (a small worm-like creature named Stringbean). Amity said, "Come on, Stringbean. We're getting reinforcements."

She took off on her palisman staff with Stringbean by her side.

North Dakota Plateau

Yshra and Ayriax arrived with Anne and Luz. They floated above where the other creatures were stationed. They floated downwards while Anne and Luz furiously tried to escape. Luz screamed, "Let me go you psycho! What did you do to Amity?!"

Anne yelled, "I'm...I'm not the only one you kidnapped?!"

Vosyhr said, "I take it you failed to avoid leaving bodies?"

Anne yelled, "She killed two people bringing me he-"

She was cutoff by Ayriax flicking her in the head. The comment didn't go unnoticed. Voshyr said, "I'm disappointed, Ayriax. I thought my mother taught you better than that."

Yshra said, "I incapacitated one who struck first. No death needed..."

The relief that Amity was alive was of little comfort from her situation. Who were these beasts, speaking so eloquently despite not having lips? Why did their voices almost seem to echo or layer each other?

Voshyr replied, "Though I'd prefer you did this cleanly, I admire the brevity."

Anne yelled, "HEY! We're still here...whatever you are!"

Voshyr waved her hand, signaling Ayriax and Yshra to put them down.

Voshyr said, "You have many questions...allow me to explain."

Voshyr dragged her long fingers in the dirt beneath them, creating a circle. The circle glowed, and a dark void appeared within the glowing lines. Images of the creatures began to appear. Voshyr spoke.

"We...are the Hive. Servants of the Darkness and its many forms. Our family is as deep as your oceans, and we spread our influence and the Darkness' great embrace across the cosmos."

Luz said, "Darkness...doesn't sound good."

Voshyr said, "Well then you'll be happy to hear that your world is low on the list of priorities."

Luz asked, "Then...why are you here?"

Voshyr replied, "We seek power. Your world united is measly. But not you two. You both possess incredible might and magic."

Anne said, "Hate to burst your bubble there, space freak, but I lost that power a year ago."

Luz said, "Mine too."

Voshyr shook her head and said, "Then why can I still sense it in you? I will tell you why. You've both died before haven't you?"

Luz and Anne's eyes widened before exchanging looks.

Voshyr continued, "Not only have you both died, but you were revived through this power. It is still a part of your bodies. No magic or trauma on your world could reawaken it. Thankfully we are not of your world."

Anne said, "Ok. Say I bought that you could bring back our powers. What do you want from us?"

Voshyr bent down to Anne and said, "Your strength. It's simple as that. We have a very powerful patriarch as our God-King. He will make great use of that power."

Anne's eyes widened and she shook her head. Anne yelled, "Screw. That. We're not helping you with-"

She was silenced by Ayriax grabbing her. Yshra grabbed Luz as well. They drew their own circles in the ground and threw Luz and Anne in each of them. The circles glowed bright before a cage made of a bright green energy sprouted around them.

Voshyr shook her head and said, "Do not mistake my calmness for kindness. This is not a suggestion. You will serve the Hive and the Darkness. By choice or by force..."