A tough, dirty ground met their faces on the other side of the wormhole. It closed behind them, and they stood up, brushing themselves off and exhaling all the fear that had built up.
"We made it!" exclaimed Ryan, arms wild in the air. Their destination was a new society, filled with colors, sounds, and smells unfamiliar to them. They observed their surroundings, amazed.
"An alien civilization. Scientists would kill for this opportunity," Sam marveled.
Johnny looked around, as if missing something. "Where is Rose?"
"She isn't here," Jane notified. Dustin and Sam each looked around. She had vanished.
Ryan gulped deeply. All the excitement vaporized. "Rose? Rose!" he shouted. As the group ran to the side of a building, other species walked by them. Some conversed, others sprinted, still others fiddled with holograms. "What the hell is that?!" whispered Ryan, looking the figure up and down in horror.
"It's an alien, at least to us," Johnny responded.
"Yeah, what did you think you would see?" Dustin retorted. "Humans?"
"Rose!" Ryan screamed. Johnny and the others joined him in yelling her name, listening for any response among the sounds of this new world.
After searching for five more minutes, it became obvious that she was not anywhere nearby. The wormhole would've dropped them all off at the same place.
"She isn't here," Ryan mumbled.
"What are we going to do?" Jane asked.
Ryan dropped to the ground, defeated. "A new world, endless opportunities, but the one thing I wanted didn't make it."
Johnny placed his arm around his shoulder. "I've been thinking for the past fifteen seconds—extended into nearly two minutes for me. She made it through. For sure."
"What?" Ryan retorted.
"Johnny, what are you talkin' about?" Dustin replied.
"This was never her destination," Johnny explained. "It was ours."
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying Titan tricked us," Johnny stated flatly.
"I'll kill him!" Ryan shouted.
"Oh no," fretted Jane. "This is what he always wanted, wasn't it?"
"Then we need to go! We need to find him!" exclaimed Ryan, now standing and reinvigorated by his rage.
"How?" replied Sam.
"We can ask Chronos," Jane asserted. "You know, my A.I. helper." Jane tapped her chest and spoke the keyword, "Chronos."
"Yes, Miss Cooper?" it answered in its wonderfully unemotional voice.
"We need your help," Jane said.
"What may I assist you with?" Chronos asked.
"Where is Titan?" Jane inquired.
A few minutes passed, with a "searching" notification sounding every thirty seconds. "It appears Lord Titan's main vessel is located upwards," Chronos stated.
"Well that doesn't help us at all," Sam complained.
"Yes, it does! He means in space!" Johnny replied.
"We can't go into space!" fussed Dustin. "Gosh, man! Listen to yourself!"
"Well, man the hell up, because that's exactly where we're going," Johnny said. "I always dreamed of this."
There was a long pause. "Fine." Dustin groaned. "But if I die, it's on you."
"And if I die too?" Johnny retorted.
"That's still on you."
A kiosk sat nearby. In a flash, Johnny sprinted to it while the others followed at a normal pace. "Welcome to Azintea, Capital of Nexon," the kiosk stated. "Booth set to English, a language of Earth."
"Oh, it's an information booth," Johnny realized.
"Well, that's neat," Dustin admired.
"Yep, proof we know nothing about everyone, yet they know everything about us," added Sam.
"It's Big Brother," Dustin shivered, eyes wide as a conspiracy theorist.
The screen turned blue. "What would you like to learn about?"
A byline that read 'Titan' appeared on a scrolling list. "Dude, hit that!" Ryan whispered. The group gathered around.
The screen shifted to show Titan and his empire. The hologram of the massive figure rotated in place, standing in excess of nine feet tall, eyes red. "Titan. Savior of Civilizations, Lord, Mighty One, and the Endless Creator. The Tetra, the empire he founded, consists of dozens of worlds. This planet, Nexon, owes its survival to him."
"Holy shit, he's . . . big," Ryan blurted.
The information booth continued, "Per Titan's teaching, there exist two universes. The material universe that you stand in now, and a parallel universe—his home-universe—the Shadowverse. As he learned to manipulate Ooris, Titan grew strong, but remained pure, just, and elegant in his ways. This empire, the Tetra, he constructed brick-by-brick serves him and him alone." The piece of information ended but more followed.
Another topic popped up. It read 'Sonovan Lung.' Johnny pressed it. What a legendary name, he thought.
"That's a badass name," Sam said. "Like, phew."
"It really is," Dustin nodded.
A hologram appeared, showing a large man, with a human appearance, long hair and piercing eyes. "Sonovan Lung. Long ago, Sonovan Lung was known as the greatest fighter of Earth before he opened a portal into another realm, paving the way for an army of creatures to cross over. This subjected his feeble human body to the greatest outpouring of Ooris in known history. In his lust for power, and with the aid of three others, known as The Shadows, Sonovan slaughtered them all, including our beloved Titan.
"But not even death could kill our savior! A hero arose from the remnants of the Old Empire. This hero, who, upon his desire, remains anonymous, resurrected our liberator from the Shadowverse, where he had been trapped. He became Solis, Titan's current Voir, his second-in-command.
"Titan, upon returning, forced Sonovan into hiding. This would be punishment for his sins. His current whereabouts are unknown, and have been for centuries. Titan has declared, 'Sonovan Lung has become a despicable, ruthless, self-serving threat, and will never cease until he becomes all-powerful.' Sonovan Lung will never be permitted to inhibit our peaceful realm again. And with The Shadows gone, that peace will live on forever."
"That is a lot of information," Dustin said.
"Something tells me Sonovan wasn't the bad guy," Johnny replied. He looked at the others for their thoughts.
Suddenly, Jane collapsed as two words echoed throughout her mind, enveloping her very being.
The Shadows.
The Shadows.
The Shadows.
Her mind went blank as if someone had draped a sheet over her eyes. Her surroundings vanished. She was alone, but not for long. The blackness subsided and, in its place, she was thrust into some sort of environment that ran like a movie reel. There was light flickering everywhere, as glimpses of different worlds and people appeared continuously around her, as if she were omnipresent. There were voices, men and women she did not recognize, and locations she had never seen before.
She saw a man approach a huge cave and a subsequent explosion of light, followed by a giant being resembling Titan crawl out of a portal. Except there were two views of the same event. In the first one, she watched as Titan sprang out like a bank robber. Seconds later, the scene switched to a dark planet and a cloaked man. The same Titan dropped out, albeit differently, followed by the sounds of more voices.
I am Solis.
You will be my Voir. We shall bring the Justification.
Like Dave in 2001: A Space Odyssey, Jane was left confused, but the scenes kept playing. They were everywhere. She felt everywhere, as if splintered across time and space.
The man from the cave scene materialized again—this time shrouded in a dark, lightly multicolor Energy. It covered him from head to toe and turned his eyes into glowing lightbulbs. He was surrounded by other figures she could not identify—all wearing large suits. The scenes were flying by now—this time on an alien street corner, outside of a gigantic structure.
Who are you?
I am Zydok of The Shadows. We want to help you. What is your name?
Sonovan Lung.
She could not peel her eyes away as the setting altered again. She turned and watched as an Asian woman was sucked into a portal, screaming. Sonovan was there, begging for her to grab his hand.
No, Aiko! Hold me!
I cannot!
Aiko!
Jane couldn't help it. Tears streamed down her face and fell into nothingness. Before she could scream her panic and confusion, the scene switched to Sonovan, handcuffed in front of Titan, who brooded behind him. Titan's voice was exactly the same as the one in her bedroom. And the eyes. They were bright red, just like those in her bedroom that night.
Tell me, why do you run?
Without warning, the scene switched once more to four armored figures standing on top of a mountain, embracing each other and gazing off into a glorious sunset, streaks of yellow and orange skewed in a beautiful, picturesque display.
Zydok. Orslon. Venarian. Sonovan Lung. That is who we shall always be, warriors. We are heroes, warriors, legends. We are The Shadows.
Once more, the location changed to Sonovan Lung again, except now he was alone on a cliff overlooking a beautiful valley. It seemed as if he were meditating. Jane walked up to him timidly, afraid. Unexpectedly, a portal opened and out jumped a fully-armored, godlike figure. He spoke to Sonovan, who appeared shaken by his words. The figure's armor was deep gray, its chest shaped like rib bones, with a blue energy bubbling underneath. The figure did not resemble any of the others she had seen so far. Sonovan spoke.
Who are you? Why should I do this?
I am the future, Sonovan Lung. You will pave the way for a new generation. They will find you. You must find them first.
Why must I save them?
You would always save them.
With that, the spectacle ended. The light of day entered her eyelids once more. The first thing she saw was Johnny, kneeling over. He began to smile when she awoke fully. The brothers and Ryan were right next to him, almost surrounding her. They jumped when her eyes popped open.
"Jane!" Johnny screamed. "You're alive!"
"What the hell just happened?" Ryan asked.
"Yeah, that's a big fat Q," Dustin added. "What the hell just happened to you?!"
Jane did not feel tired, faint, or shaky. She felt more alive than she ever had. "What didn't happen? I was . . . in this world. Everything, even you, disappeared." She sat up and stared at the alien passers-by in dawning understanding. She knew their purpose now. "There were these people and images—people I've never seen before. Titan, this Sonovan person, but not just them. Others." She breathed deeply.
"You saw them? What do you mean?" Johnny asked.
"It was . . . movie-like, but I could move around in it. There were people and figures everywhere I looked."
Ryan was confused, of course. "I don't understand. You saw other people? Where? When?"
"That's the point," she responded, trying to form words. "I think they were from different times."
"Times?" Sam repeated.
"Like you time-traveled?" Johnny asked.
Jane held her head, trying to recollect the visions. "I don't know. What I do know is we must find Sonovan Lung. He was the center of everything."
"Anything else?" Ryan asked. Jane stood up and walked over to a bench. They watched her, bewildered, but followed. She sat down, feeling delirious with insight. Johnny folded his arms like a detective.
"I remember some names now: Orslon, Zydok . . . Vena-something . . ." she trailed off.
"Does everybody have awesome names?" Sam interrupted. "Like, damn."
"They do," she replied. "Titan, Sonovan Lung, Orslon, Zydok, that other V dude, and . . . someone else."
Johnny's expression changed. "Who?"
"He didn't look like any of the others. He referred to himself as 'the future.'"
How. Ryan shot a look at Johnny. "Z? Are you sure?"
She nodded. "He talked to Sonovan."
"He talked to Lung?" Ryan repeated.
"What the hell did he say?" Dustin questioned, more interested in this than anything that had come before.
"Some gibberish . . . that Sonovan must save 'them,'" she said, making quotation marks with her fingers. "But he wasn't wearing that jacket. He had armor unlike anything I've ever seen . . . like it was alive."
"Hold on a second," Ryan said. "How many characters are there? So far there's Titan, Sonovan, Z, us, this Zydok fellow, Orslon, and that other guy. Who are the good guys, who are the bad ones?"
"I think Titan is not good," Jane answered. She tried to recollect more. "There is also someone called Solis."
"That was who controlled the bug back home, if I remember correctly," Johnny said.
"All I know is that we must find Sonovan Lung," Jane said. "He's the key."
Johnny turned around and began to pace to the brink of the street where aliens walked, then six feet away and back.
"So, you want us to find Sonovan? Did your vision explain more of who he is?" Sam asked.
"He's a warrior from years ago." Jane said. "Some kind of hero."
"Can you remember any more?" Sam replied.
"No."
Johnny broke into the conversation and announced with determination, "We must find Rose first. We know where she is. We go to Titan."
Dustin scoffed. "Really? That's the best you got?"
"You want us to visit Titan himself?" Sam added. "Did you hear what I heard? He's the ruler of an empire. Ruler of an empire. That's like going to fight the Emperor, literally, before even being trained by Yoda. Are you all right in the head?"
"I agree with Johnny," Ryan interrupted, arms crossed. "We find Rose and bring her back."
"And what if he totally overpowers us?" Dustin replied. "What then?"
"Ah, I can help there," a voice piped. Someone appeared from behind the booth. His skin was covered in green scales. He had purple eyes with black irises, and pointy ears complete with a few earrings. Despite these differences, he was almost comically human-looking. He was clothed in two layers of interlocking white and black garments, topped by a long, knee-length blue-brown jacket, which fit his frame perfectly. He resembled some kind of space pirate. "I couldn't help but listen in. 'Ya need help. I'm the help, Earthlings."
Ryan snorted. "Who are you, exactly? Beast Boy?"
"Name's Ledarius Wepon," the alien said.
"I'm sorry . . . your last name is actually 'weapon'?" sniggered Sam.
"No, it's Wepon," Ledarius snapped, speaking in a peculiarly smooth accent which sounded all kinds of wrong to the human ear.
"What are you?" Dustin asked.
Ledarius eyed them, annoyed they even cared. "What matters is that I hate Titan. You want to get to him? Here's your chance."
"Wait, you hate Titan?" Sam blurted. Ledarius tried to cover his mouth, but Johnny stopped him in a quick motion, pushing Ledarius back.
"Whoa, what was that buddy?" Ledarius whispered. "Didn't know you were in link with the Energy. Won't screw with you."
"Yeah, so don't try anything. Wait . . . Energy? What do you mean?" asked Johnny.
"I'm sure you'll figure that out soon enough. And you better not talk hate"—Ledarius leaned in and whispered— "about Titan or we'll all be jail bugs. That's if we get lucky and aren't immediately killed." Ledarius shot significant looks at several nearby soldiers of the Tetra. They wore blue outfits covered in armor, similar to the ones the group sported. They were dotted everywhere, like swarming bees, in every nook and cranny. The sheer number made the Stormtroopers from Star Wars look understaffed.
"Can you help us or not?" Ryan cut in. Ledarius slipped into bargaining mode.
"What's your offer?" Ledarius asked.
"Offer?" repeated Johnny. It seemed that he had landed in some 40's movie.
"Well, you got to supply the funds if you want the job done," Ledarius stated.
"Look, buddy," Ryan informed him, "We have no funds on us."
Ledarius considered their predicament for a moment. "Well, since you're broke, how about you do a little job for me? We can help each other out."
"What's the job?" Johnny replied.
"I just got scammed out of a deal. Gal stole ten thousand credits from me. You could say that she's a criminal."
"Like you?" Jane quipped.
Ledarius chuckled, but narrowed his eyes. "Good one."
"So, what do you expect us to do?" Ryan replied.
"Well, since she is currently hiding away, like she always does, how about you find 'er and use your little speedy friend here to apprehend and throw 'er in a cell, eh?"
"You want us to make a hit, like in those mafia movies?" replied Sam.
Ledarius shrugged. "I don't know what that is, buddy, but I'll take it that it's good."
"Always wanted to do that," mused Dustin.
"Same!" added Sam.
Ledarius smirked. "So, it's a deal?"
Johnny considered it. "Give me a minute." He huddled with the others. "I think we should do it," he whispered.
"Anything for Rose," Ryan vowed. They glowered at him.
"Really?" Dustin responded. "Damn, at least try to be subtle."
Ryan frowned. "What?"
"He's going through the thirsty stage, I reckon," Sam said.
Rolling her eyes but literally used to it by now, Jane interrupted their chatter. "Let's do it. We can take on anything."
"All right," Johnny agreed. He left the huddle first and held out his hand. "We'll do it."
Ledarius peered around at their surroundings, making sure no one was listening in. "Great choice, speedy. The scumbag's name is Trypher. She lives somewhere around the slums, probably in her underground hideout. Find 'er and bring 'er here."
"I thought you said to throw her in a prison cell?" Johnny replied.
"Hehe, I have to get my money back first, buddy," Ledarius quipped.
"I'm sorry, but why haven't you gone after her yourself?" Ryan asked.
"Let's just say she has a bunch of bodyguards with years of training," Johnny said.
"When does the bad guy ever not have bodyguards?" complained Dustin.
"After you get 'er, bring 'er to me. I have a shop right over there." Ledarius pointed to a small shack that had clearly seen better days. Of course, it was a weapons shop. "See you around!" He walked across the street, past the flying vehicles, and into his shop, turning around at the door to encourage them with a thumbs-up. The door slid vertically closed in an instant.
Ryan chuckled nervously. "Yeah, thumbs-up. Woo."
"Are you kidding? This is going to be lit!" exclaimed Sam.
"Wow, just look at this place," Jane marveled.
"First humans to see it!" Sam noted. "Like, just look at that!" A hovering transport vehicle lay within twenty-five feet of them. It was loud, sturdy, and looked like one-of-a-kind. Blue magnetic stripes connected one transport with another. Passing citizens eyed the group suspiciously, like they had never seen a human before.
Ignoring it all, Ryan turned the information booth on once again. "How may I be of assistance?" it asked.
"Locate the Slums," Ryan commanded.
"Locating the Slums. The Slums. Tia Corsin. Two point five lengths away."
"Lengths?" asked Ryan.
"Yes, lengths," the booth said. "The length is a standard of measurement in the Tetra."
"OK, well how long is that?" Ryan replied.
"Precisely one thousand eight hundred minuxes."
"Minuxes?" Ryan asked again, annoyed at all the new vocabulary.
The machine rebooted for a split second, before a hologram appeared. "Minuxes. A basic unit of measurement in the Tetra. For your clarification, here is the specific size of a minux. One thousand eight hundred of these equal a length." The size of the minux hologram was about two feet, and Johnny measured it to be about three-fourths of the length of his arm.
"OK, so a length is basically two miles," said Ryan. "So, this trip of ours will be nearly five damn miles."
Johnny nodded in understanding. "We'd better start, then."
* * *
"Under present circumstances, it appears your friends did not complete the journey," Titan explained. "While it is possible they are dead, it is likely that they were simply dropped off at a nearby planet."
"Yeah, right," Rose scoffed. She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Considering your resources, I don't think you would just mess up their transport."
Titan narrowed his eyes. "I am not perfect, Adia. The present situation would require orders, by me, to my subordinates. In turn, my officers would declare a search for your friends. It would not take long, Adia."
"Please stop calling me that," Rose replied.
Titan eyed her. "It is who you truly are."
"No, it isn't."
As he stomped back towards the transparent, glass enclosure, he crossed his arms behind his large waist. "All will be revealed, Rose Johnson. In time, you will come to realize your true origin and your true destiny." Titan turned back to the view outside his ship, taking it all in. Rose felt the aura in the room change. Everything felt darker.
"You can't force anything upon me. I am my own person, and I've got along just fine without you my whole life. Thank you for telling me all this, but I want my friends back."
"Yet, your purpose has still evaded you. The people of Earth are perplexing. They seem to revel in their squalor, even though humans could be so much more. Why fight? Why hurt each other, instead of uniting and standing as one species?"
"It's because of our free will. Humans rarely ever follow leaders. Our greed has fueled our desire to be better than every other person."
Titan laughed deeply, turning back to her once more. "Fascinating choice of words. Why use 'our'? You are not one of them, Adia. And free will is a mirage. There is no such thing, and the illusion it paints destroys entire civilizations."
"I identify more with them than with my own people," Rose replied. "I guess you could say I had little time to ever get to know my own."
"You need not defend the humans, my dear," Titan retorted.
"I can do whatever I want," she quipped.
"You were never one of them," he stated.
"I've been meaning to ask you. Why—"
"Why did I lie?" he finished.
"Wha—"
"Oh, please," Titan chuckled. "The abilities of your 'friends' are nothing compared to mine, Adia. I knew you were resisting my explanation. Did you really think you could fool me?" His voice deepened, taking on a chalky, firm tone. "Did you really think you could out-think me? Those were the words I said to your father once. My eyes have seen the rise and fall of countless heroes, societies, civilizations, and worlds. Originally, I hypothesized that soft, knowing words would charm you, and alleviate your anger and stress."
Her demeanor changed as quickly as his did. "What do you want from me?"
"Everything," Titan answered. "Everything Ta-Vir took from me I will take back. Thus, I will take all of you."
"You can try." She leapt into the air, channeling her powers and the training she had received from Johnny and the others. She landed a flying side-kick to his face, pushing Titan back. It was not the end of her fury. She followed up her first attack with a full onslaught of her powers. Fire streamed out of her hands like a viscous mountain river. "I'm going to kill you!" she screamed.
Only when Titan pushed back did she realize her fiery strike had been for naught. A translucent shield of energy had formed around her adversary, protecting him from any kind of onslaught. "My dear, have you learned nothing?" Reaching out, he telekinetically choked her, raising her body fully off the floor.
Her mind began to darken. Dad, I'm so sorry, she thought in distress. He held her up higher still.
Titan's eyes burned crimson, like the devil. "If it accomplishes anything, it was I who killed your parents. In fact, it was I who snapped your pathetic mother's neck into a multitude of pieces. You should be grateful. I saved you from the squalor of Xalen, and now you will fulfill your true destiny—live out your true purpose."
Rose was defenseless. Nothing could inhibit the power Titan wielded. At first, he was simply holding her up, but then his mind fully overwhelmed hers. Titan exercised his psychic powers as a weapon, cutting through her very being. Nothing was safe from him. Every feeling, every emotion, and every event of her life was unlocked. She could feel him prodding through, rendering her impotent.
"My friends will come for me!" she croaked.
"I am counting on it," he spat. There was nowhere else to go. Nothing could stop it.
Gripping tighter, he pulled her closer, keeping her steady. "You need not fret, my dear," he proclaimed in his deep, hardened voice. "Now, you will leave behind your past. Now, you will do my bidding. Now, you will accept your true destiny. Now, and forevermore, you will bring Justice."