BOOK II: COUNTDOWN TO ARMAGEDDON

---THE IMPENDING DARKNESS---
Survival Horror

THE CITY OF ACRE
UNKNOWN LOCATION
UNKNOWN TIME

Leon gave furtive looks this way and that as he kept running. He kept looking around for any sign of a weapon he could use, though preferably not a melee weapon; he'd seen the Swarm in action several times today, and going toe-to-toe with them was generally a practice in suicide.

As he continued to search, he saw a shadow in the window of a nearby building, one of a disfigured creature.

I see you, you son of a bitch, he thought to himself. When I'm better armed, I'm going to take vengeance for what you did to my family by killing you and all your kind.

He continued on, though his thoughts returned to the Fallen Angel. Could the Devil himself really be here? If he was, the town certainly would be an appropriate scene for Armageddon. Every now and again, he'd glance up at the sky to see if she had followed him. While he hadn't yet, or maybe thought he did a couple times, which made him jump, there was no question in his mind that she would be back. Hopefully by that time, he'd found some comrades he could stand his ground with, and was suitably armed.

As he glanced off to the side, he noticed a liquor store. Knowing that alcohol burns, he thought he might go inside to see what he could get, but no. If he stopped now, there was a pretty fair chance that the Swarm would catch up to him. The last thing he wanted was to have his will enslaved to the Swarm – becoming a killing machine in a race of monsters was something no man should ever be subjected to.

Off to Leon's right, on a pile of rubble, he spotted something black. Rebar. “Well, it's better than nothing, I suppose,” he said to himself. It might provide a good mid-range weapon, but knowing a ghoul's strength, it could very easily be destroyed as well. Still, if one came, he could at the very least swat them away.

He looked in every direction. There was no one around, but that likely wouldn't last very long. Indeed, he could hear the faint screams of Swarm coming from the south. Damn, they were persistent! He needed to hurry.

Leaping at the piece of rebar, he hefted it off the pile, but was disappointed at its size – it couldn't have been more than 4 or five feet long. Still, better than nothing.

The howls of the Swarm brought him back to full alertness. Holding the rebar very much like a rifle, he ran with it swinging back and forth in front of his body. “I promise you, Julianne...I will never forget you or our children.”

He continued North, towards the Market district. Hopefully he'd see a friendly face on the way...

THE CITY OF OR'DYSEE
PLANET KEL'AR'IY, KEL'ARIY SYSTEM, NOVA-VERSE
0243 HOURS, MAY 6, 3961 A.D.

A lone man wandered the streets of Or'Dysee, the Capital City of Kel'Ar'Iy. He was looking this way and that, trying to ensure that no one saw him as he prepared to arrive at his destination. His comrades, carefully inserted in other areas on the planet, were to perform their tasks at the same time he did, which he would communicate when the time was right.

He took out his watch, and checked the time.

02:44:32 A.M.

He had 30 seconds to find a suitable position before he called in. There was much to do, and they needed to be completely synchronized with each other.

“All hands, report.”

More than 60 responses came back with confirmation they were ready. He looked at his watch yet again.

02:44:53 A.M.

“On my count,” he ordered. “Three...two...one...fire. Now. Now. Now.”

(beep)
(FRA-BOOOOM!)

The explosives he'd placed worked perfectly. The entire installation was destroyed in an instant. Across the planet and its ring, numerous other explosions also rippled across the surface, as small blooms of light visible from space suddenly lit up Kel'Ar'Iy like a Christmas Tree.

They had accomplished their mission; all power plants, starports, communications, and planetary shields were knocked offline in seconds. Lord Akasi would be pleased with their work.

A new era for the JR/VA was dawning.

FEDERATION BARRACKS 354
PLANET MISFIRE, TRISHKA SYSTEM
0527 HOURS, MAY 6, 3961 A.D.

Major Harridan was in his office. It'd been a long night for he and his boys, yet he couldn't get to sleep. Something didn't feel right in the Federation, lately. Granted, having met with the Imperials opened his eyes a little bit, but even then, it seemed to be too quiet these days. What was the Bureau up to?

Suddenly, his communicator began screaming at him to answer. What in God's name was it now?

“This is Major Joseph C. Harridan speaking.”
“Major, this is First Sergeant Timothy Reese, reporting. I have an update on the Snowmelt base.”
“Go ahead, Reese. What'cha got?”
“Nothing real interesting, I'm afraid. There's been some new developments, but they don't look like much.”
Joseph looked up, confused. “Show me.”

Reese immediately began transmitting the data he'd recovered to Harridan's computer at once. The data he was seeing at first didn't mean much, but then, something caught his eye.

“Wait, stop!” he commanded.
“...Sir?”
“Reese...go back a few pages.”

The First Sergeant did as his superior told him, scrolling back slowly.

“There! Hold it!” Harridan said, after he'd gone 3 pages. He looked over the schemata of what appeared to be a missile of some sort. It didn't seem like much, so why was he drawn to it?

“Project Surtur? What the hell is this?” he thought aloud.

In the lower right corner, he spotted some data that made him freeze with horror - and what had caught his attention in the first place.

“Oh my...God...” he whispered.
“Sir? Is everything alright?”
“Reese...start running. Now. Get to your ship immediately.”
“Major? What's going on?”
“Get out of there, NOW!” Harridan shouted.
“Sir, yes, sir!” Reese quickly replied. The communication terminated.

Harridan dove for his Trans-Dimensional Communicator. What he had just seen needed to be addressed at once.

“Get me Commander,” he stated. “We have a panic situation on our hands. And inform the Illuminati to come at once. Their very lives are at stake.”

Later...

IMPERIAL HIGH COMMAND
PLANET XYBER XVII, MANOS SYSTEM, IMPERIAL UNIVERSE
0900 HOURS, JANUARY 30, 3037 A.D.

The Chrono-Dimensional Transport Chamber was soon buzzing with activity as the Illuminati's ships began pouring through the Time Gate. The others were rather puzzled why they'd been summoned so early, but they would know soon enough.

Harridan didn't waste a second once the Freedom touched down. He ran down the egress ramp, holding a few pages of notes in his hands. Some fluttered out of his hands, and he was forced to run back and pick them up.

“Hey, Harridan,” Greyshoulders remarked, “where's the fire?”
“In Formalhaut, Olaf,” Joseph replied, as he continued collecting fallen notes. “I need to get this data to Commander, NOW.” He dashed off, this time holding the pages a bit closer to his chest and running as fast as he could.

The others looked at each other in confusion. What had gotten into this man? Most of them just shrugged, thinking maybe he was just overreacting. But Techerakh couldn't help but feel that something was genuinely wrong. He left without even as much as a “hello,” never mind walking with them to the meeting room. For Harridan, a man who did things by the book, this was very unsettling behavior.

It wasn't long before Harridan arrived at the chamber. He was panting heavily as he flopped the pile of pages onto the space in front of his chair.

“Where's everyone else?” Commander asked, sternly. Harridan knew that he was to arrive with the others if they were all summoned.
“I'm sorry, Commander, but I HAD to get this data to you immediately. It concerns something that I've long suspected ever since we discovered the Bureau base on Snowmelt, and it reeks every bit of Akasi.”
Commander then craned his neck. “What is it?”

Harridan got up, having regained his breath, and walked over with the pile of notes. He handed the page containing the missile he'd seen earlier.

“Here,” Joseph said, pointing at the corner. “This is the warhead.”
It was only a few seconds before his eyes widened at what he was seeing. “Are these schematics real?” he questioned.
“Handed to me by my best operative,” he affirmed, nodding. “There's no questioning the authenticity.”

Just then, the rest of the Illuminati showed up.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, please take your seats,” Commander quickly stated.
Everyone was still confused as to why they'd been summoned.
“Are you gonna tell me why you dragged me out of bed at four in the morning, Harridan?” Flannigan asked, still somewhat cranky.
“Indeed,” Commander replied. “Ladies and Gentlemen, Major Joseph C. Harridan has brought to our attention a matter of absolutely critical information. We have discovered the purpose of the base on Snowmelt in the Formalhaut system at last.”

A projector was activated as the pages were placed on them.

“These are schematics for the Surtur-class Missile. The base has been used as a chemical-production facility to produce the foul cocktail that's to be put in the missile.”
“And what 'cocktail' is that?” Bis Andreya questioned.
“It is a highly virulent strain of the Nexus Virus – a deadly pathogen that attacks those with psionic capabilities and has no cure. This same virus wiped out our planet's initial inhabitants, the Xybanian Mage Clan, who were the first users of psionics in our Universe. Adding to the mix, there is a nerve gas known as VX, which is the most powerful nerve agent known to exist. A mere ten milligrams is enough to be considered a lethal dose in humans. To give you a comparison point, a raindrop weighs around 80 milligrams. VX is also very potent to other races, and death takes place in a matter of hours, if not minutes. These qualities make VX more than 10 times as lethal as Sarin, of which only a pin-prick's worth is needed to kill a man.”

Bowser then stood, bringing up more data.

“The V-series of nerve agents (of which VX is part of) are also highly persistent. They do not dissipate or wash away easily, and contamination can linger for a few days. If it gets on you, you MUST treat it immediately, or you're looking at death within 2 hours. Very excruciating death, at that.”

There were stunned looks of disbelief. This weapon broke every rule listed in the Geneva Convention, and then some. They could not allow this missile to get off the ground. Iuso stood immediately and addressed those present.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” he began, I must inform you that a series of explosions that occurred on Kel'Ar'Iy, the capital of the Polaris. The blasts have destroyed all communications centers, as well as most starports; only Bis Andreya's personal hangar was undamaged, and even then, we needed to ensure no one noticed our departure, as it would undoubtedly give our people rise to question her authority.”
“This must be it, then,” Vasily concluded. “Cutting off a planet's ability to evacuate would maximize casualties, and minimize resistance once both Virus and Nerve Agent burned themselves out. We'll do what we can, Bis Andreya, but even with our resources, we might not get everyone out in time.”
“Everyone else, in the meantime,” Richard added, “keep a close eye out in your own regions of space. If anything else suspicious grabs your attention, report it immediately.”
“You have your orders, Ladies and gentlemen,” Ambassador Williams concluded. “Dismissed!”

REPAIR BAY 385
PLANET XYBER XVII, MANOS SYSTEM
1007 HOURS, JANUARY 30, 3037 A.D.

Mike strolled into the bay, wearing his uniform as all manner of repairs were being done to various craft. However, he'd come here before he set out for Snowmelt, upon learning of the Surtur-class. He was going to enter Colosseum's tournament, but it'd have to wait for a day or two before things could be done. As such, he needed to inform an old companion that their reunion would be on hold.

He eventually found his way to a giant, mechanized Liger of the Zoids Universe. It was his personal ride, Alpha-Omega, who he'd come to see. A couple techs were doing some touch-up work on the werewolf's Zoid as he approached his old friend.

“Hey, Mike! How are you?”
“Fine, Zeb,” the wolf replied. “How you doin', Omega?”
[Never better! These boys of yours know how to keep me in ship-shape!] the mechanical cat replied, in his robotic voice.
“Sorry to cut our meeting short, but I'm afraid our participation in the tournament will have to be delayed. Akasi decided to throw us a curveball.”
[Awww...] the Zoid grumbled.
“Don't worry,” Mike reasured, “I'm sure it won't be long, buddy. Just keep yourself entertained, alrighty?”
[Okay. Just be sure to come back in one piece, you lunatic!] Omega joked.
“Don't I always?”

With that, Mike turned on his heel, and made for the C.N.S. Vigilance. There was a lot to do.

COLOSSEUM STATION
COLOSSEUM SYSTEM, NOVA UNIVERSE
0834 HOURS, MAY 6, 3961 A.D.

“Do you have a visual of your target, 61987?” a voice stated on the other end.
“Acknowledged, base. The Ubercept known as Delphis has retreated to his shuttle. He appears severely injured. Requesting a Rift Door, immediately.”
Copy, 61987, activating Rift Door. Dispatching 3 additional agents to assist with rescue and retrieval.”
“Understood. 61987 out.”

61987 drug a hand across his face as an Inter-Dimensional Time Gate opened in front of Delphis' ship. The Rift Door would allow he and his comrades to walk inside and get the Ubercept to a stable area for him to recover. The Imperials had already set up a specific suite at the hospital aboard the station for his treatment. Still, the Agent was understandably nervous – if what he and his comrades knew about them to be true, Ubercept were reputedly very hostile to humans, quite possibly beyond any hatred the Voinians could ever muster. Even so, perhaps this effort to save his life could make a standing impression on his superior officer, whoever that may be.

The Agent started as the engines aboard the shuttle screamed to life and surged at full strength. He leapt aside to avoid the thrust output. When he looked up at the shuttle again, he realized that it was still connected to the station via the docking clamps, and couldn't pull off.

The three additional agents came pounding through a Rift Door. Agent 61987 waved them at the other door, yelling that they had to get in before the shuttle burned its engines out. The agents headed into the shuttle, coming back out moments later staggered under the weight of the seven foot insectoid. 61987 led the way as they headed to the Imperial Suite. He only prayed that they weren't too late.

Meanwhile...

SOUTH POLE
PLANET SNOWMELT, FORMALHAUT SYSTEM, NOVA UNIVERSE
1139 HOURS, MAY 6, 3961 A.D.

As Mike exited into the frozen wasteland of Snowmelt's South Pole, he shifted into his Wolf Form to try and keep warm. His normally gray fur coat assumed its white winter sheen, and he began trudging through the snow, along with Bowser, Kurana, Samuel, and Isaac. Commander was still busy with more political matters at home.

Bowser, wearing a thick parka, held out a scanner as he attempted to see in the blinding snow where the base was located. The wind howled loudly while flurries whipped around the group, daring them to continue. The chief technician motioned them to a plain-looking hole in the ground, as Mike led the way.

“Are you sure this is the place?!” Mike shouted above the sound of the wind.
“It has to be!” Bowser replied. “There aren't supposed to be any animal burrows within 30 miles of here!”
“Then let's get inside!” Kurana shouted. “The cold's getting worse, and we'll be risking frostbite if we stay out any longer!”

They crawled into the small hole, which, thankfully, was large enough for even Kurana's substantial frame to fit in easily. It was surprisingly warm inside, and what was more, there seemed to be what appeared to be seats carved out of snow.

“What do you think, Mike?” Sammy asked.

The wolf sat down, and felt the “seat.”
“This can not be natural,” he commented. “It's too smooth.”
Bowser stroked his chin. “I wonder...” he thought aloud.

He ran his clawed hands over where Mike was sitting, feeling around for anything that seemed out of place.

Suddenly...

(ting!)
“Ah-ha...” Bowser muttered, smugly.

The Koopa King channeled some fire into his hands, and slowly melted the ice. The snow didn't just look like seats; they were seats – seats of metal. This had to be where the next shift would wait for the previous shift to come back after scouting the terrain. Poor fools would probably freeze from such a task.

“Where there's artificial seats, an artificial structure is sure to soon follow,” Bowser commented. “Let's explore this 'cave' a little more.”

They trudged further on into the cavern, where icicles and snow gave way to steel and cameras, dodged artfully by the team. A Bureau base, indeed. A few autocannons guarded the entrance, but a small EMP Charge placed by Bowser disabled not only the guns, but the doors, as well.

Using their impressive strength, Bowser, Mike, and Kurana pried open the doors using only their hands, something Mike needed a crowbar for when he was a human. They proceeded inside without incident, though being a military base, security would likely be on their positions at any moment.

To avoid revealing his new form, Mike shifted back to his human state. He and the others wandered down the various hallways, looking for any sign of the missile. But all they found were bunks, toilets, and the mess hall. And the occasional guard that interrupted them.

Eventually, though, they came to one of the warehouses that Harridan's insider, Timothy Reese, had scoped out months before. The walls were packed with food, munitions, and general supplies needed for running a base this size. But there was still no sign of the missile.

They exited the building, disheartened. Where was the silo? They'd combed the base at least twice over and still hadn't found it. Even for the Bureau, they couldn't hide something that large so easily.

*siren blares*

Suddenly, Mike and the others found themselves trapped by a force field in the middle of a crossway. They tried using everything they could to defeat it, but it was useless. Slowly, Bureau troopers surrounded them, weapons drawn.

Another figure made his way through the crowd, parting troopers to the left and right. He was dressed in the Templar's Garb as he strode up, arrogantly towards Mike and his friends.

Stukov.

“We must stop meeting like this, boy,” he mocked.

Mike let out a frustrated sigh, and threw his staff on the ground, raising his hands in surrender.

“Drop your weapons,” he said, plaintively. “They won this round.”

Rifles and melee weapons clattered to the floor as the others did as told. Helpless, they were led off by troopers at gunpoint.

Later...

Well, there was good news, and bad news. The good news – they found the missile.

The bad news – not quite in the way they intended. They were tied up to the missile's thrusters as it prepared for lift off. Akasi, bastard that he was, watched in amusement as his foes writhed over their defeat.

“And so here we are again,” he announced to his captives, “trapped by yours truly, and in yet another fix. Do you ever learn, Michael?”
“I dunno,” he responded, while he morphed his hand into his clawed form. “You often do a pretty good job of disguising traps, Akasi, so I guess not.”
Akasi laughed evilly. “Really, Michael, flattery will get you nowhere.”

Mike proceeded with using his claw to cut the rope. C'mon...cut already!

“So how about letting us go, you heartless bastard?” Isaac taunted.
“Oh, what fun that would be,” Akasi mocked, “but I want to ensure you're incinerated.”
“Well, tying us up would prevent that, except those of us with claws,” Kurana jeered. “I suppose that's why you had my hands and Bowser's covered.”
“Indeed, you are quite insightful, Ms. Val'Tyr,” Akasi replied. “It's a pity I had to kill you all so soon - I would so have wished you lived long enough to witness the return of the Dark Prince.”
Bowser then sat up, shocked. “What did he just say...?” he whispered, not loud enough to be heard by anyone else.
“Ah, well. We have other business to attend to, and I'm afraid it requires immediate attention. Farewell, Imperials; I'm sure we'll meet again, knowing you.”

The door to the silo shut. They were left to their fates once again.

“Well, let's review where we stand, shall we?” Bowser commented. “We're tied up...”
“Yup,” Mike replied.
“Stripped of our weapons...”
“Uh-huh.”
“And we have about five minutes before we're roasted well beyond extra-crispy.”
“...Yeah, pretty much.”
*sigh* “Just another typical day for us, eh, Mike?”
“Indeed, Bowser. And with just a few more scratches...”
(SNAP!)
“...I'm out!”

Mike then shifted to Wolf Form, then sliced the others' ropes in two, freeing them. Once freed, Bowser and Kurana, tore out of their gloved hands, allowing them to slice through whatever may be in their way. Unfortunately, while they were no longer restrained, there still was no way out of the silo.

*siren blares*

The exhaust doors were opening. Launch time was less than 5 minutes away. Still...

“Make for the door! We might be able to escape along a side corridor!” Bowser ordered.

They rushed down several corridors, but the doors closed too quickly for all of them to get inside. Frustrated, they had to settle with diving under the doors of different hallways just to avoid getting burnt to a crisp. The order went: Isaac, Kurana, Bowser, Samuel, and Mike. Five Agents in five hallways, in under five minutes. They needed to get back together and grab their gear.

Everyone, can you hear me? Mike psychically communicated.
Yes, sir, replied Bowser.
Ready and waitin', said Kurana.
Loud and clear, Isaac stated.
You bet, said Sammy.
Alright, good. I know this'll be risky, but keep your psionic presence almost at full. If we're going to keep track of each other, it's what'll have to be done, Mike stated.
Okay. We'll meet each other when we can, Bowser replied.

Mike dashed down his halls, using his mastery of psionics to fry any attackers, and getting their weapons. It wasn't more than a minute when he saw a massive wall of flame issue from an adjacent corridor. It had to mean only one thing...

Bowser.

He peeked around the corner, gun drawn, when he spotted his scaly friend. Mike secured his weapon as he walked towards him.

“Well,” Bowser began, “fancy meeting you here!”
“And you as well,” Mike replied. “Now let's get the others.”

In about 3 minutes, they'd rounded everyone else up. Kurana was found next, busy raking opponents apart with her deadly claws; Isaac and Samuel were found together, firing blasters in front and behind them while they held off enemy troops. They still had to get their gear before they could leave.

Before that could take place, however, they still had to confirm where the missile was headed, and give the Empire advanced warning to divert the missile into the target system's sun. Then, they had to capture the base, its stores of viral and nerve agents, and destroy the facility.

Quite a lot to do in the next 30 minutes.

Simply destroying the missile would do no good, as all that nastiness in the warhead would be floating about space. If it was hurled into a sun, however, the intense heat and pressure would destroy the virus and the nerve gas. It would be too big a risk to capture the missile and retrieve it: if the warhead leaked, it would spread its contaminants everywhere, and prove fatal to its captors.

First stop – the missile control room.

Mike and the others entered the room with guns drawn, and ordered the technicians' surrender. They didn't put up much resistance as they bound them up with some steel cable.

Well, would YOU offer resistance to 5 VERY pissed men and women who could kill you by simply blinking?

A look at the flight-control readings confirmed what Commander and the Illuminati had suspected: Kel'Ar'Iy was indeed the target. Unfortunately, they were locked out from manually adjusting the course themselves.

Time to get the message sent out. Next stop – the Comms room.

It was empty, amazingly enough. Bowser took care of the doors, locking the doors with re-wired codes as Mike and the others hailed the Imperial ships in-universe to be ready for the missile as it exited from the Nexus in the Kel'Ariy system. A further request was put out to besiege the base with a full battalion of troopers so they could claim the base and wipe out all evidence of its existence.

Finally – the gear.

This required the team to comb the entirety of the base, as they had no idea where Akasi would have left their equipment. Oddly, as they did so, the trooper encounters steadily decreased. More likely than not, Mike and the others had already taken out the majority of the troops as they ran about the base by alerting High Command and the like.

Eventually, though, they made their way to a lab where alarmingly large quantities of viral and nerve agents were being produced, and stored in massive 3000-ton vats. Pointing guns at the scientists, Mike and the others “persuaded” the researchers to stop their work, promptly cuffing them afterwards. All their gear was found in a side-room of the lab, which they repossessed quickly.

Within the hour, Imperial troops showed up, as ordered, to assume control of the base, and to return the Imperial Agents home at once. By and far, the most difficult task was disposing the gas, as one slip-up would mean VERY bad news for anyone nearby. Thankfully, such an event did not transpire, and it was hurled into the star of Formalhaut immediately.

Back home, Bowser stewed quietly in his lab, as he reviewed old texts. What Akasi stated still rung loud in his ears...

“... I would so have wished you lived long enough to witness the return of the Dark Prince.”

Did Akasi really mean what he was saying? Or was it just his arrogance talking again? At first, he thought it was likely the latter, but as he thought about it, the former became increasingly more probable.

But...if that's the case...then... he thought to himself.

A look of absolute horror suddenly appeared on his face.

“...No...it can't be...” he whispered.

They had run out of time.

---END TRANSMISSION---

---

NOTES N' STUFF:

And here we go! Book II starts off with the besieging of the Formalhaut Base mentioned during the training arc.

So, what does Alpha-Omega look like? All you have to do is take a Liger Zero from Zoids, give it a Camo Olive Drab paintjob, and you're done! =)

Omega's more than just a Liger Zero, though - as you can see, he's also a Sentient AI, more than capable of speaking himself.

Here also marks the first interaction between the Imperials and the Ubercept. It won't be the last, I assure you - they're about to play a VERY critical role in the story.

Oh, hey. For those of you interested enough, here's the article on VX Nerve Agent. As a side note, I actually constructed a molecule of the lethal stuff (which I still have) for my High School Chemistry Class.

This is also the first post I've made by copying from the site, and THEN putting it here. It'll be how I do things from now on, as it's faster for me. =)

Well, having said that, see you tomorrow, folks!

Delphis and the Ubercept are © their owner
Bowser is © Nintendo
Stukov is © his owner
The Nova-verse and all governments/characters w/in © Ambrosia Software
The Empire, JR/VA, and all characters w/in © me