The Shadowverse

by Francesca Gallo

  “And hello, Jane Cooper. It is a pleasure.”

  She was caught off guard because the spotlight had shifted so quickly to her. “Um, hi.”

  “I always loved that name. You should be very glad your parents named you that.”

  “Thank you,” she said, almost a whisper.

  “Hey Johnny, would you look at that! He’s picking her up faster than you could,”

  Dustin laughed. Johnny jabbed his side. “Ow!”

  “Look, are you going to help us or not?”

  “Yes, in fact, I am.”

  “I saw you on Earth,” Rose interjected. “Why were you there?”

  “To make sense of that would require knowledge of many things.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “One day, but not today.”

  “How did you get your powers? I have seen you have super speed too.”

  “An anomaly.”

  “What sort of anomaly?”

  Z ignored his question. “I have for you a wormhole device constructed by Titan. I have modified it. Now, interstel ar distances can be journeyed in a short period of time.”

  “Oh my God! Really?” Dustin exclaimed. “Told you! Guardian angel!”

  “Yes really.” He wheeled it out of the cave. It was rather large and bulky, with orange stripes on it. Constructed of a core and eight subsequent attachments, Johnny assumed it to be about ten feet in diameter. Some variant of metal enclosed balls of cyan energy on the attachments.

  “Holy shit,” Ryan drooled. His jaw hit the floor.

  “Please, do not touch.”

  “All right, wel , prove your worth and activate it,” Johnny demanded in a serious tone.

  Z obeyed. “Surely.” The mechanism activated, and the blue orbs of energy expanded. Streams of energy burst from each orb and integrated into a black sphere. It grew larger as the energies swirled throughout, bathing the room in its intense hues.

  The group backed up as Z stood in the midst of it. “True power,” he acknowledged.

  The energies ceased and it went halcyon quicker than it had grown loud. But the dark sphere continued to rotate. Their bodies, despite persistent resistance, were dragged toward its embrace.

  “Whoa wait!” Ryan yel ed. The rest screamed as they were sucked into the wormhole. Dustin turned back, as wel as Sonovan, for the last glimpse of Herook before it fleeted away.

  Inside the wormhole, space curved and warped in various different directions. Most kept their eyes closed. As suddenly as they had been drawn into its gravity, they were dropped off and landed on hard but undeniably soft ground.

  After more than a week among the stars, home at last.

  CHAPTER 33

  SHADOWFORCE

  Subject to a crazed indignation he had not experienced in years, criminals were shoved in for Titan’s enjoyment as he slaughtered them without remorse. A seemingly endless repetition of snaps, breaks, and spewing blood characterized this enjoyment.

  Solis strode in, but kept his attention diverted from the dead, who lay there.

  “My lord, they completely destroyed the hideout. The mountaintop is also severed.

  But there were no dead bodies found. So, we obliterated their ship, which they stole from us.”

  Titan released his telekinetic grip on an already dead lawbreaker, exhaling deeply as it fell to the floor. “They cannot be far. They think they are now marooned. Drop a C9

  bomb in the surrounding parts. I want them dead. Wel , possibly. At least scare them a bit.”

  A C9 bomb was the third largest his military had constructed. Yet, its power to destroy was apocalyptic. It would annihilate anything within a three-hundred-mile radius, and the radiation would destroy even more.

  “Yes, my lord.”

  “But, make sure the divisions of troops are ready for action once we reach Earth.

  You can never prepare enough. Heroes could always find a way. I want them armed and ready.”

  “Of course.”

  “Here is my command to you: equilibrium. You understand what that entails, correct?”

  Solis nodded once. “Yes, Titan. I do.”

  Smiling in a conniving manner, Titan bid him away. “Then see to its completion, Solis.”

  “Your command is my life, my lord. Expect it done already.”

  ~~~

  The heroes and Sonovan slushed their faces to the ground. Joy was an understatement. They were the most jovial they had ever been. Sonovan smel ed the ground in earnest and admiration, for he had not done so for five-hundred years. “Home at last! Never have I been so glad!” he exclaimed, smiling and laughing from ear to ear.

  “We’re back! Holy crap!” Ryan exclaimed as wel . He ripped out grass and smooshed it onto his cheek. The others, to their own surprise, did the same.

  “Oh yeah, I can be here al day!” cried Dustin.

  “I almost want to eat it,” Sam added, motioning to the dirt.

  “Ew, no. That’s disgusting,” Rose replied. Jane laughed.

  Only Johnny was standing. He faced Z. The man seems strangely familiar, yet so dissimilar to anyone he had ever met. “Look, I think I was wrong about you. So, I’m

  sorry for that.”

  Z shook his head twice and gave Johnny a clean, hard look. “There is nothing to be sorry for, Johnny Sparks. The one you had met was not…really me. He was a fake.

  That was not Z.”

  “Then who are you?”

  “I am Z. Just…not him.” At this, Johnny furrowed his brow, not understanding the words Z spoke.

  After a few seconds of silence, Johnny responded, “Is your name really Z?”

  “What do you think?”

  “I don’t know anything anymore. What I’ve been through has generated questions I have never contemplated.”

  “At one time, I felt the same. Don’t worry. Heroes always figure it out in the end.” His white mask moved with his mouth as he spoke.

  “Can you join us? It’s fine if you keep the mask on. But we need more help. A lot more help.”

  “No, this is your fight. I have to free more planets, you know? Well, among other things.” Unlatching a case he had brought with him, Z unboxed a thin, long cylinder.

  Johnny inspected it, but the cylinder was absent of any form of writing. It was smooth and gray. “Just do what you do best. Be the hero.”

  That phrase again, Johnny noted.

  By this time, the others had come over. Ryan leaned in. “Hey, whoever you are, I want to shake your hand.”

  Z extended his hand as well. “Thank you, Ryan. Godspeed. Godspeed to al of you.

  In whatever you do, do good.”

  Johnny shook his hand as well—a firm grip. “Good luck. But, uh, wil I ever see you again?”

  “Possibly,” he replied. The machine activated, although not a wormhole. A clear, mirrored circle appeared out of the cylinder, flashes of blew emanated from it. In a glimmer of time, Z collapsed into it and disappeared.

  “What the hel was that? That was not a wormhole.”

  “I don’t know,” Johnny replied, his eyes staring into the place Z had been.

  “I am sure it was not,” Sonovan replied.

  “Then what could it have been?”

  “Something else. I do not know.”

  “Well, what the hell are we supposed to do now?” Ryan “We just went through a week-long journey through time and space, and now it’s almost over.”

  “Yeah, what do we do now?” Dustin added.

  “What about Henry? She, uh, you know, did that stuff to him. Is she a suspect?”

  “How am I supposed to know?”

  “Please don’t mention it,” Rose requested. “Ryan and I will go. Then we’ll see his mom. We are stil labeled missing, so we had better keep quiet.”

  “No, that is not what’s going to happen,” Johnny responded in a commanding tone.

  “We’re going straight to the White House. After that, we can do whatever we want. We’l get there by a p
ortal.”

  “No offense, but that is a much better plan,” Sam said, pointing at Johnny to show it.

  “Thank you.” He realized what he said and quickly glanced at Rose. “No offense.”

  “I don’t really care. Let’s just get a move on.”

  “Echo, activate bridge to the White House in Washington, D.C., United States of America, Earth,” spoke Sam. “And yes, we are in Quadrant 33 of the galaxy MW1.”

  “Granted. Enjoy the trip.”

  “I don’t think it was necessary to say all that,” Jane replied.

  “It sounds cooler. I saw it on the hideout entry.”

  A wormhole opened and they took it, the trip a breeze. They arrived at the front door of the White House. “What a place to be dropped off, Echo!” Ryan exclaimed. Guards and secret service unhinged their guns and weapons.

  “Freeze!” they commanded in unison.

  Johnny ignored them and brought everyone to the President’s desk. This meant he went back and forth to bring them, but his speed made the risk of guards very etiolated.

  The President was interrupted and nearly called his secret service in. Fortunately, the guards were already on their way to the door.

  “What is the meaning of this? Do you know who I am?”

  “Wait! Mr. President, don’t cal anyone! We can explain and are here to warn you!”

  Johnny implored.

  “Warn me?” the President asked, amused. “A bunch of kids? Warning me? About what?”

  “How about the end of the world?” Ryan replied. The President eyed him.

  “How did you get in here?”

  “Long story. But, if you care about anything on this planet, you have to listen to us.”

  The guards stormed in. “Freeze! Hands behind your back!”

  “Wait!” the President ordered. “Do not.”

  “But Mr. President! These are criminals! Trespassers! Not to mention, possibly spies!”

  “No! We aren’t spies! Honestly!” Sam defended vivaciously.

  “Quiet!” the President boomed. “I want to hear what these kids have to say.”

  Intrigued, he sat back and waited. The guards and secret servicemen lowered their weapons. “Please, elaborate.”

  “Rose, you go first.”

  She stepped forward. “This is an honor, Mr. President. Please, get comfortable. This will take a while.”

  So she, along with occasional complementing words by the others, explained every event that had happened over the past week. In fact, she even mentioned Titan control ed her for a while, and served him only.

  “The Shadowverse is an alternate universe, fil ed with Ooris. It lies beyond ours.

  Titan harnessed this power to create his empire, cal ed the Tetra. And he’s now coming here, to Earth. Our friend, Z, as I told you, built us a device to get back here. Without him, we’d still be stuck on Herook.”

  The President frowned, flabbergasted and bewildered. “So let me get this straight, a giant alien madman who has built an empire throughout the galaxy is coming here to invade our bodies?”

  “Yes, that is correct,” said Dustin, nodding.

  “Mr. President, take that with a grain of salt. That’s impossible,” one serviceman cut in.

  “Well, how do you think we got here? A portal. You want to see one?”

  “And how do you think we can do this?” Sam replied. He froze the glass of coffee on the President’s desk. Johnny sprinted throughout the room, as well. Rose lit her arm on fire, and extinguished it in an instant.

  “Wow,” the President marveled. “Tony, are we in a comic book?” he said to his aide.

  “I think so.”

  “I think that’s enough for today. I don’t need to see portals to comprehend what you are saying.” He led them out of the room. “Let me contemplate for a bit.”

  They led the group, including Sonovan, out of the Oval Office. Secret Servicemen eyed them behind the opaque shades each wore, as the group stood there in silence.

  Dustin tried to ease the tension. “So, uh, what’s up?” None responded. “OK, uh, you guys really take your job seriously. Look at you! Standing there like a statue. All black suits and sunglasses. Tel me, you got a laser blaster in there?” The guard turned his deadpan, run-down face to him. “Oh, I see how it is. No talking. Got it.”

  “Dustin, would you please shut up?” Johnny begged.

  “I am trying to ease the tension! It’s like a rubber band in here.”

  The group watched as people crowded through the door into the Oval Office. Of course, each person eyed them in curiosity, intrigue, and amusement. Their suits stood out among those of everyone else.

  “This is going to take a while,” Ryan murmured.

  “Patience,” Sonovan replied. His pack was slung around his back, stil carrying essentials.

  “Easy for you to say. You’ve had a millennium to learn patience.”

  “Patience,” he repeated.

  “It’s crazy,” Jane interrupted. “We were just on Herook thirty minutes ago. What the hell has happened to my life?”

  “Titan happened,” Johnny replied.

  “And Sonovan,” added Dustin.

  “And basically everything else,” Ryan finished.

  “We are just one part in a much larger, grander story, my friends,” Sonovan responded, turning to each. Per the norm, Sonovan’s samurai bandana wrapped around his ponytail, where his jet-black hair had been arranged into a bun.

  The group stood there for about twenty minutes before the door opened and they were ushered in. Advisors and politicians filled the room. “What do you call yourselves?”

  the President asked.

  “Whoa, uh, group huddle?” Dustin motioned to the others. “OK guys, this is a huge moment for us. What’s our name?”

  “What about Team Sonovan?” Johnny suggested.

  Frowning, Dustin shook his head no. “Wow, I thought you were smarter than that.”

  “We’re not a soccer team,” Sam jested. “Sonovan?”

  “I do not care,” he replied.

  “OK, that was useless,” Sam replied.

  “How about the Shadowforce?” Dustin cut in. “It rolls off the tongue, you know?”

  “Hmm, the Shadowforce,” Ryan recited, mulling over the moniker. “Shadowforce. I like it.”

  “Guys?”

  “Yeah, that matches us pretty wel ,” Jane replied. “I agree.”

  “Rose?”

  She shrugged. “I guess. I’ve kind of just gotten here.”

  “Gentleman? Are you ready now?”

  Johnny turned around first. “We’re the Shadowforce.”

  “Oh man, I wanted to say it,” retorted Dustin.

  “The Shadowforce?” the President reiterated, turning to the Vice President as if questioning this was real. I’m going to wake up and realize it was a bad dream, he thought, hoping for that to be true. The Vice President shrugged.

  “Yes, sir!” Dustin exclaimed.

  The President raised his eyebrow, studying them each head to toe. “Very well, then.

  Everyone out. I want to speak with this Shadowforce in private.”

  The room grew silent once the door closed. The President cleared his throat. “How much time? How much time do we have before he arrives?”

  “In my estimation,” Sonovan replied, “only five days. Six at most.”

  “And when he arrives, he’ll have his own ship. It’s gigantic. Easy to spot.”

  “How is it powered?”

  “Some kind of the Alcubierre drive. In fact, the planets we visited had the same drive, just not as advanced.”

  “Alcubierre? The Mexican scientist?”

  “Yes.”

  “And how will you stop him?”

  Sonovan spoke up. “I know how to stop him. And with the help of my new friends, he will fall, for good this time.”

  “For good? What do you mean? This has happened before?”

  Sonovan nodded once, his e
xpression expertly conveying the message. The President stared at them intently. He narrowed his eyes. “I believe you, Shadowforce.”

  “Thank you, sir,” Johnny replied.

  “And how long until it happens once he lands?”

  “An hour, two at most.”

  “God help us al .”

  CHAPTER 34

  RECONCILIATION

  The throne room was still. Titan stood near the cracked belvedere, holding a book.

  Solis strode in. “My lord, we wil arrive in five days.”

  “Good. In case you were wondering what I am doing al this time, I have been studying this book.” He lifted it up. “The so-called Holy Bible. Granted, I’ve studied every religious book on Earth. No other species can boast the sheer amount of religious information and want. Anyway, I must say, it is the most interesting text of Earth.

  Human, but undeniably otherworldly. Impressed am I! The book speaks much wisdom, and I am surprised mere humans such as King Solomon understood the follies of this existence. Many species could have utilized this and built a better society. And then, it even mentions me.”

  “My lord? It mentions you?”

  “Yes, it does. As I have deciphered it, a man known as the ‘man of intrigue’ appeared in different places. It describes him as cunning and intelligent, always ready for a fight.

  “In a time of need—a time of hardship, this man will appear. The entire world wil be swept by his grandeur, and in time, the world will be under his feet. He wil control it. But mind you: He never states his plot is to destroy it, but to save it.”

  “Which indicates?”

  “In this short but profound analogy, I am he.”

  “You are this man?” questioned Solis, desiring an elaboration.

  Titan shook his head once, resting his arm on the throne. “No, I am not. But, as I said, it serves as an analogy. My plan is not to destroy Earth, but to use it.”

  “I see.”

  “Solis, see to it the forces are ready for battle. Prepare for anything.”

  “It wil be done, my savior.”

  ~~~

  Taking a deep breath, the President relaxed into his chair after a few minutes. “I want you to stay in a warehouse I have off the books. It’s quite luxurious. Until he arrives, your orders are to stay put.”