Armageddon

by Erik Schubach

  Daria nodded and said as she counted off on her fingers, “The mortal realm, Oz, and Neverland.” She smirked and challenged, “Which is why your brethren didn't use demons to punish Perchta when she refused passage through her gardens.”

  Masika gave a crooked smile as she finished braiding Mandy's hair. “Precisely.”

  Mari provided, “And now that Neverland is sealed away behind the Nothing, and Oz stopped the demons there, that leaves our realm as the only gateway to the demon realm.”

  The Elder inclined her head and glanced at Illya, who was looking uncomfortable with all the talk of demons, as she was one. Belle pulled her into a protective hug. She looked to be trying to catch up with whatever Red and Daria were thinking.

  She asked in her soothing, gentle tones, “I must be missing something here. Masika, would you mind terribly telling the story of your people again?”

  The woman moved her tightly braided rows of beaded hair back over her shoulder as she smiled sadly. “Not at all, child.”

  She looked at Amanda as the girl stood, gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, then gave Robyn one on the lips as she told the group while she started to fly toward the stairs to the upper deck, “I'll go spell mother at the wheel. She'll want to be in on any new planning.” And she was gone.

  Masika looked after her fondly, and I wondered if the magics that had affected Wendy and Robyn were actually influencing her, an Elder, as well, or if she was really fond of Mandy. They really did act like grandmother and granddaughter.

  The woman seemed to settle in her chair as she contemplated her words. “Long before many of the realms sprang into existence, when time itself was just a concept, a race of great beings walked the roads of the fabric of existence between the new, budding realms. My people, the Elders.”

  Her eyes focused out into the void as if she were reliving the memory. “We took it upon ourselves to document the development of these new realms, as new worlds and new peoples developed. The seven, now six, Elders were the chroniclers of so many new civilizations.”

  A shadow cast across her dark features at the next. “As with many civilizations, some were poisoned with the thirst for power, even if accumulating that power destroyed everything. And time and again, for every realm that lived in peace, and communed with the nature around them, becoming one with it, there were ten which ended in tragedy. Entire civilizations were wiped out, and in some cases, entire realms fell, leaving a hole in the fabric of all things.”

  Thoughtful emotion colored her words as she sighed. “The Elders, save me, decided that it was not just their way to simply record the rise and fall of these fledgling realms. They believed it to be our responsibility to shepherd these realms, and to stop the poison of corruption from spreading.”

  Reality seemed to ripple with power as Masika waved a hand in the air, and with the tinging of a tuning fork, light erupted from the table, and a projection encompassed the gun deck. I shivered as I tasted the sheer magnitude of the magic being used, and it felt as if we were sitting inside of creation itself, a void with so many sparkling lights like stars, but somehow, I understood each star was a realm, shining with life.

  A lumbering form turned its back on others who were gathered, and I could feel the magic shaping my understanding, and that form took on that of a woman, shoulders slumped, leaving a group of these titans, these Elders, her back to us as she stepped out into the wilderness of the void between all of these budding realities. It was Titania in her Masika form.

  The woman almost growled out, “They assigned wardens to each of the new realities. Scales who were to make sure that a balance was kept between the lightness and the dark, believing that only by maintaining a balance could the realms the Elders oversaw truly reach their potential.”

  Her expression was full of sadness and compassion as she shook her head and exhaled. “I fear they have forgotten themselves, and that same corruption they despised has crept into their own minds. They lord their power over others now, and woe to any who oppose their view of how realms should progress. They even tried to impress their will upon the other realms that existed before the Elders. But found that for all their formidable power, some realms either had a power they didn't understand and could not combat or some that were actually created by beings that were more powerful than themselves as you have so aptly pointed out.”

  She gave Red and Daria a knowing smirk.

  Then flashes of battles of incomprehensible scale flickered all around us. Some, the Elders walked away from victorious, some with them licking their wounds, and there were extreme cases where entire realms fell. Reset to a clean slate as they put it.

  One had that familiar golden brick path leading up to a city made of emerald crystal. I had in this short time almost forgotten just how beautiful Oz was. I watched as the Elders were denied, and wound up leaving that land battered and beaten in retreat.

  Masika narrowed her eyes as she watched, then added, “The mortal realm has been in flux in recent years, and the Scales there were hard-pressed to keep a balance as the realm sought its own equilibrium which is something other than the balance the Elders require. For too long the shadow of evil was consuming the realm, but the Avatars became an overwhelming force, a natural defense against the sickness enveloping the land. Too powerful for the Elders to allow to exist.”

  She inhaled deeply and we watched as the Elders started moving again, walking the roads between the realms, a dimly lit, far away realm their destination. The magic impressing upon me that it was the mortal realm.

  Her voice was a whisper. “So now the Elders are moving, to reset the mortal realm, wiping out the civilizations here because it doesn't fit their template. They yet punish the Scales after their power was stripped. And are incensed that the new Scales of the realm refuse their masters.” She winked at Mari and Daria at that.

  I tried to blurt something out, forgetting I was just a passenger in this body, Ella chuckled and voiced my question. “You say the old Scales, the fuckin' Grimm brothers are being punished by the Elders for helping us?”

  The power in the room faded and it felt as if we weren't being smothered by it anymore as Masika nodded gravely. “My people have forgotten their way, and it is petty vengeance they seek against Wilhelm and Jacob. They wish to break them, but even without the mantle of power that had been bestowed upon them, they've proved to be surprisingly resilient and verbally... combative.”

  Then she sighed. “They bring them in chains to witness the folly of their machinations as the mortal realm falls.”

  For as much of a pain in the ass the brothers have been for us over the years, I had to admit that I kind of liked them. They had been playing the long game, manipulating things within their power to align the Avatars for this moment. I may not agree with their methods, but they, in their own way had been protecting our reality and preparing us for this.

  Then the woman straightened her flowing skirts and placed her hands in front of her, prim and proper as Hook strode in, her heavy buccaneer boots clomping menacingly with each step. The feel of her magic seemed to cast the room in shadow, the temperature dropping a few degrees as she peered out from the shadow of her pirate's hat, candlelight glinting almost impossibly bright off the hook that adorned her left arm where a hand should be.

  I had to give Wendy kudos for projecting an imposing and foreboding figure, Tinkerbell riding her shoulder. But then the woman known as Captain Hook broke the illusion by suddenly smiling brightly, and kissing Masika on the top of her head before slumping down into Mandy's abandoned seat. She chirped out almost cutely, “Ladies, what'd I miss?”

  Katiana, our Goldilocks, who I had thought was sleeping, since she sleeps more than she is awake, to store up her rest for manifesting her power, said in her Slavic accent, “Titania was just telling us about all the times the Elders got their posteriors handed to them.”

  Wendy just nodded and smirked, causing Masika to shake her head without looki
ng at her. “I helped, child, do not forget that.”

  There was the grief of someone losing the one they loved in her tone and Hook reached out with her good hand to clasp her shoulder. “Of course.”

  Then Wendy asked us, “So besides creating complementary, balanced fighting teams, and all the endless sparring... do we still not even have the start of a plan on how to defend the mortal realm? Do we have allies, do we even know where they may step through so we can be there to meet them?”

  Mari chuckled as Dot pointed at the pirate Captain, nodding her agreement with her frustration as she absently moved her fingers in looping patterns, causing a pile of cannonballs to turn into inflatable beach balls and rubber ducks.

  Wendy tapped her hook on the table in warning, the sound of it like a magical tuning fork in my head, the taste of it dangerous and virtually limitless as she said, “What did I tell you about messing with my ship?”

  Ella had us grinning in anticipation, as mind-boggling as Dorothy's powers were, with the power of the Four Cardinal Point Witches of Oz coursing through her veins, we've already witnessed a standoff between her and Hook once before on this very subject. And to everyone's surprise, their reality-warping magics seemed to be at the same incredulous levels and they canceled each other out. It was good to see that no matter how powerful you were, there was always someone else who could match or surpass you.

  I was still curious if Snow, in her Perchta aspect, could match their power. But she was much more mature about the whole thing, and saw them, as she saw us when she was manifested, merely like children who needed to be shepherded. She left all the heavy lifting to... Snow looked at me and asked, “Parker?”

  I sighed as Ella just relaxed, relinquishing control to me as emerald energy started crackling around Dot, her eyes aflame with wicked green energy, as Wendy started to raise her Hook. I stood and moved between them as they stepped from the table, my hands out, the crystal tone of my voice ringing out, “Girls, for fuck's sake, let it be. We have bigger things to worry about now besides which of you has the bigger magical dick.”

  The space fell completely silent for a moment in a pregnant pause before it exploded into laughter and giggles while I just blushed. I said meekly, “Sorry, I'm getting a bit of Ella bleed-through here. But really girls, sit, please.”

  Dorothy's rage face faltered then without warning she broke into a smile. “That's why I love this one, always so sensible.”

  I sighed, knowing the others saw me more as the Den Mother of the group and they always looked to me for guidance, so they could remember what it was to be human, though it was getting harder and harder for me to remember myself.

  Mari said as the two oil and water titans sat, “I'm starting to get some ideas now with this last piece of information. And as Baum shared, Seattle has become a nexus in recent years with all the supernatural activity that has occurred there, so that is currently our best guess.”

  Masika inclined her head and said, “I can feel their march, and they are close... closer than I anticipated, and once they are on the precipice of the veil between the roads and this reality, I'll be able to tell you more precisely their destinations. I fear they will arrive as in the past, at various points to spread any resistance thin.”

  I sympathized with the woman, the pained look on her face telling the story. She felt she betrayed her kind, even though she was first slighted and shunned by them. But she still kept to her convictions that she would not step in with more than information unless she herself was threatened by her brethren.

  It was a tightrope the Elder walked and not one of us envied her her position in all of this.

  Chapter 3 – Seattle

  We slid from the sky, with a fighter jet escort, and slipped cleanly into the waters of Puget Sound, by the West Gates of the walled city of Seattle. The first steps of a plan we had to defend the mortal realm, but it seemed weak, as we had no intel on the movements of the incoming enemy, so it basically consisted of, step one, wait to be attacked, step two, Hulk smash.

  Our current problem was only exacerbated by the government's recent distrust of the Avatars who had just recently freed the world of the lupus contagion, then again from Styche's attempt to create a new demon contagion to convert the world for demon rule.

  There are groups within the government who believe that anyone as powerful as us need to be controlled, contained, or worse. That is the gratitude we get... suspicion. There are more who believe they... we, are heroes, which is the only reason we're still allowed our freedom... to an extent.

  We've been trying for months to warn them of the approach of the Elders but trying to convince distrustful people that the end is neigh remains frustrating. My blood had run cold when we were over Seattle when I saw they haven't evacuated the city like we had pleaded.

  Mari huffed out as we saw the destroyers moving up to port to flank us, and military vehicles coming up the coast toward the pier we were heading to. “For fuck's sake.” Even though we were all incensed, it still made me smile to hear her use one of Ella's favorite curses.

  Masika asked in confusion, “What is it?”

  Rachel was growling, it started subsonic, then up into the audible range, echoing the wolf inside her as she spat out, “Not what... who.”

  Daria's growl sounded even more frighteningly like her own wolf form as she added, “Special Agent Mattias Pike.” The collective sigh of exasperation in our group would have been humorous if millions of lives in the city... my city... weren't at immediate risk. Only Dot, Toto, Hook, and Tink shared Masika's confusion.

  I nudged Ella and she relaxed for me to explain. “He's one of the government officials who thinks we are more of a threat than an asset to the people here in the mortal realm. It is the minority of people in the military who think like him that is putting all the people in the city at risk now.”

  Dorothy started to crackle with emerald power, and I could see the wicked in her overwhelming the good as she said, “If that is all, we just need to eliminate him for the rest to listen.” The scary thing is, I knew what Dorothy was capable of when protecting those she saw as her own, and her aunt and uncle, her only living family were here in our realm. She was serious about eliminating the man, permanently.

  I reached out and my hand became crystal as I grabbed her arm to prevent her from flying off to wipe out all the approaching vehicles... and ships. Even with the protection of my crystalline form, the raw power coursing around her started to sizzle and crack my hand. “Dot, don't. That would just prove him right and turn the others against us and they'll never listen, and all the innocents in the city will...”

  I gasped, not able to hold control of my body anymore with the inadvertent damage my body was taking and I staggered before Ella took control again. This caused Dorothy's eyes to widen as the green flames in them extinguished as her feet hit the ship's deck as she steadied us. “Parker! Are you...”

  Ella shoved her away. “Back off, you wanker. Always one extreme or another with you, just cool your jets.” Causing Dot to huff and turn away, and I found us taking off the big clown shoes and red clown nose we were suddenly wearing.

  Heh, Ella being the voice of reason. She thought to me, “Hey, I can hear you you know, Parker.” I gave her a mental hug then sat back and just watched events unfold through our eyes. I was so very tired. I don't know how Marie was able to stay in control for a full fifteen minutes at a time, I felt as if I had just run a marathon... in heels.

  We just watched for a couple of minutes as the vehicles approached while we dropped anchor, then police and SWAT vehicles started streaming out the giant, permanently open silver veined city gates to the docks, and harbor patrol boats started up nearby.

  As the lines of cars arrived I felt us smirking as the Seattle PD vehicles stopped the progress of the military vehicles led by unmarked black SUVs, and those Seattle Harbor patrol vessels interposed themselves between the Sea Devil and the oncoming destroyers. Even
though the modern military vessels didn't know they were outmatched by the pirate ship we stood on. There was only one weapon in the military's arsenal that might stand a chance against the Sea Devil, but I was pretty sure that even Pike wouldn't dare nuke one of the county's most populated cities.

  We glanced back to Daria who was holding one of the cell phones Snow had spelled for us to be able to work around strong magic for a time. She smiled as she handed the phone back to Snow and shrugged as we all looked at her, one of our brows was cocked and Dar just shrugged. “What? I still have pull in the SPD.”

  I sometimes forget that my friend, someone I hold in my heart as a dear as a sister, is the cop hero of Seattle. I mean, I remember all the press and hype when everyone thought that Detective Daria McQueen had died helping the Red Hood kill one of the Marcus brothers, one of the Alpha werewolves which had terrorized our world. Hell, I had that same hero worship. Then to find she had survived, and become the Red Hood's hell hound just raised her higher onto the shoulders of the city's citizens.

  Where the local police department has a bit of contempt but grudging respect for my Ella, knowing her background as Ella Deathbringer and the destruction she leaves in her wake when she takes on evil, they show nothing but respect for one of their own. The hometown girl does good effect.

  She sighed and looked to her mate, her love, her wife, and Mari exhaled and said to the group. “Shall we go see what fresh new hell awaits us, ladies?”

  Chapter 4 – Evacuation