It had all begun that night in the parking lot—one of those moments that would go down in history. Johnny Sparks and his friends were imbued with superpowers from the mysterious Z. The journey of a lifetime was set into motion. And now, the end neared.
Johnny had never wished to witness a glaring Titan on Earth soil, the world he had called home since birth. Yet, Ryan, Rose, Jane, Sam, and Dustin felt the same. But that very reaction spurred something fresh: a global patriotism.
Head held high, Titan scowled at The Shadowforce. "So, the heroes found a way back home. Incredible! Your power is unprecedented!"
"You know what we've come for, Titan," responded Johnny, scowling. "You think you can take away the free will of the universe? I believe you are mistaken."
"You can recollect what I said about free will, can you not? Free will is an illusion. A mirage. Take this place, for example. A beautiful planet, yet its inhabitants cannot control their evil. Even now, a murder is taking place. Even now, someone starves to death. Even now, something terrible ensues.
"The political leaders of this planet are naïve, corrupt, greedy, and inhumane. They only seek to do evil—to better their lives. Fakes! Don't you understand? Give a species free will and they will destroy themselves. Your world will fail, like all the others."
"I believe in humanity. We may hurt each other, but if we work together, we can achieve anything," replied Johnny.
"No. Humans are too weak to do as you say. This world—this society—is far beyond repair. Won't you agree, Adia? Or may I say, Justice? Did your time with me not show you the truth?"
Rose glared at him and ignored his question. "You will pay dearly for my parents. You will wish you stayed in the Shadowverse."
"I miss you, my dear," Titan said.
Her jaw clenched. "I never wanted you as my lord."
Sighing with a feigned sadness, he continued, "Don't you see? This civilization is too weak! They say 'I believe in humanity' yet continue their evil deeds. And now it has reached the point of irony. The politicians, and so-called good people, condemn the acts of treason and murder, yet take part in them. In their little huddles—their sects of debauchery—they secretly condone the very acts they would condemn. Irony! So, since humanity is too weak to change, I will do it for them."
"You're right, Titan. You're right. But while people fail in so many areas, I still believe in hope. Hope that humanity will one day choose the right path."
Sonovan nodded, as did the others. "You must have faith and hope, my old enemy. You must have faith. Not everyone is evil."
Titan shook his head. "Then, since they are too slow to improve—to change—I will speed it up. No longer will there be death, chaos, or war, for all will be me. All will be me." Johnny flinched under the chilling declaration. The others gulped. "And I will rule with an iron rod for all the days that remain."
But Sonovan was fearless, for he had been through this before and knew Titan better than anyone. "So be it," he challenged. "Time tends to repeat itself. What has happened before . . . will happen again."
Titan chuckled aloud. "When I win, your powers will be mine as well, and there will be no Shadows to stop me this time. Orslon, Venarian, Zydok. They truly became legends. But they are now dead. I will inhabit your bodies, and your powers will be spread across all of us. Think of it! Speed, wind, ice, absorption. All mine!"
Sonovan shook his head. "It was I who masked our location," he said. "You may think it was an extraordinary act of your faith, but it was me. You failed."
Titan narrowed his eyes thinner than a razor blade. "It doesn't matter. You will not stop me. No matter how hard you try, you cannot avoid your destinies."
"And how can you be so sure?"
"Your ignorance blinds you. You are not the first, nor will you be the last. Many have been as arrogant as your freshly christened 'Shadowforce.'" With this, he turned his head to Sonovan, smiling maliciously.
Sonovan recognized who Titan was referring. "And we defeated you. Orslon. Venarian. Zydok. In their name, I will defeat you again—permanently." Titan snarled at the comment. Sonovan stepped closer. "By the end of today, you and I will be together in the Shadowverse. You will never again be able to escape and terrorize reality."
"Now, do not jinx your already dwindling odds," Titan muttered.
"You talk a lot," Dustin cut in. "Even more than me. Damn, I never thought I'd see the day. Someone who blabbers more than me!"
"You will never win—any of you," Titan said. "If I fail today, Earth will destroy itself within the century. Would you not rather save your species than let it slowly suffocate over time?"
"I would rather do my part in saving ourselves," Johnny countered.
Rotating in place, Titan created a telekinetic shield around the Justification Machine. "Well then, if you love these feeble souls so much, you will have to slay me to ever stop the Justification."
"And that, Titan, we shall," Johnny hissed.
The soldiers behind Titan adjusted their stances. At the same time, Sonovan unsheathed the Vorson Swords and charged them with a huge flow of Ooris. They almost resembled dark lightsabers now.
From among the soldiers walked Solis in full gear. He wore gray armor with metallic rib cages and held his massive, technologically advanced scythe. He stopped when he reached where Titan stood. "The ultimatum is here, my lord."
"Yes, Solis. It will pave the way to millions of worlds with no heroes to guard them."
"No!" Johnny screamed. He sprinted to Titan and aimed for his side. Titan threw a hook punch, but Johnny ducked and lashed back with an array of punches. They were so quick that Titan lost his balance. Johnny pounced onto him, but Titan was ready this time. Grabbing Johnny by the throat, he squeezed with a tremendous force. Ryan stormed in and kicked Titan in the side.
"Get off my friend!" he screamed. Titan stood back up, squaring off with Ryan. Titan attempted to thrust kick him, but Ryan moved to the side, squatted low, and sprang out like a trampoline, just as Sonovan had taught him. The two slammed into each other, flying through the air and landing with an earth-shaking bang.
The Special Forces, realizing battle had begun, bolted into action. Their armored outfits resembled the ones Z had given The Shadowforce, since the Tetra initially created theirs for the very Special Forces the heroes were now fighting.
Dustin flared up a torrent of wind, collapsing the soldiers, which were half-robot, half-organic. The wind from Dustin threw them off-balance, which was exactly what The Shadowforce sought. Ice rained down upon the army. Sam had unleashed a furious stream of icy shards, which froze nearly seventy of the robotic soldiers. The frozen water shaped gargantuan drifts.
Rose followed by discharging fire, aiming at the warriors surrounding them. She leapt into the air and slammed back into the ground, similar to how she had when she had fought as Justice. When she landed, an explosion of fire and energy burst out from her center. Her eyes burned in fury as the robots blew apart and fell to their knees, still ablaze. Though no longer a servant of Titan, the lessons he had inadvertently taught her had not been forgotten.
Titan lifted Ryan off him and attempted to break his neck by slamming him into the ground. He smashed Ryan down, forming a hole in the soil as if from a meteorite strike. But it was to no avail, as Ryan was still alive and kicking, the matter his body had absorbed protecting his human frame.
Jane shoved Titan forward, lifting him up and smashed him into the ground as well. To her horror, Titan jumped back onto his feet in one motion.
He reached out and telekinetically grasped her by the throat. "Come over here, weakling!" he bellowed.
But she didn't budge. For the first time ever, her own telekinesis held him back. He furrowed his brow and kicked his power into full gear. But still she barely moved. He realized one thing: She was getting much stronger.
"I . . . can't hold it . . . much . . . longer!" she cried. Nevertheless, she held strong, much to Titan's bewilderment as she began to close his hand. He fought to maintain his superiority, but he was losing.
He expelled as much possible Ooris as he could, which finally broke through. She flew in a straight line, right into Titan's grasp, who choked her there.
Johnny made his way through the army, catching sight of Sonovan, who had been enjoying himself in the heat of battle. Then he turned and saw Titan with Jane in his grasp once again. "No!" he screamed. He bolted through the misty dirt and gravel, kicking Titan in the crotch. A painful spray of knees, elbows, and punches followed the first strike, before Johnny leapt onto him, arms strangled around Titan's neck.
Titan dropped Jane and grunted as Johnny held on, dangling above the ground, due to Titan's massive, nine-foot height. Reaching as far back as he could, Titan latched onto Johnny's hair, pulling him up and slamming him onto the ground with a thunderous thump.
Titan spoke into his armor. "Take me to the lab." A portal opened just as Johnny stood up again. To his horror, Johnny watched as Titan sneered, about to jump into the floating transport. He had to move fast and come up with a plan in only a millisecond.
Jane thought for him. In retaliation, she reached out and angrily shoved Titan into the portal.
Sprinting to Sonovan's location, Johnny grabbed him and ran toward the spherical portal. The world progressed in slow motion as Johnny pulled Sonovan along. The duo slipped into the rapidly-closing sphere at the very last moment, as Jane too aided them, her telekinetic abilities pushing them through. If it had taken a moment longer, Johnny would have missed the chance.
Titan exited the wormhole at a high velocity, thanks to Jane's final push. He had crashed onto the soil, where the smells of war instantly evaporated. Standing up at the former Montauk Air Force Base, he observed all kinds of tents, trucks, cars, and mobile homes. The scientific community, news outlets, and NASA had been there ever since the wormholes had first opened.
Titan chuckled to himself at their amazement, but it did not last long, because the people spotted him and fled in fear. On top of that, Johnny and Sonovan had somehow passed through the portal too. "Why must you persist? Will you ever learn?" he said, frustrated.
"No, I'm very thick-headed," Johnny replied. "I hope you got a good look at someone else standing up to you, by the way. Her name is Jane. Call her by it."
"A mere man telling me what to do," Titan retorted. "Your respect is shameful." He turned to the tents, trucks, and stations that had been set up. "Look at them. How primitive and underdeveloped. Now it is too late to wake up this place and bring you all back to life—to reality!" he bellowed. "If I do not save them, this species will destroy themselves. Can't you see that? I am not hurting them—I am trying to save them!" he bellowed again, balling his raised fist.
"You are not wholly misguided, Titan," responded Sonovan. "These people are distressed and agitated. And you are right. Freedom can destroy a people, and this place is becoming increasingly lawless. But you must not give up hope. Each person should strive to be the peacemaker—controlled, serene—not a nothing. All should work together towards a common goal."
"It pleases me we can agree on something, but Earth is beyond hope. And any hope they do have I will rip from them."
"You still have not changed," Sonovan retorted.
"Justice never changes."
"Enough talking," Johnny said.
"What do you think I am doing? I am distracting you to prolong the time!"
Johnny darted to Titan, who, though foreseeing an attack, was not fast enough to dodge the speedster. Johnny sent Titan through the gate, landing as many punches as possible, instantly shattering the 'No Trespassing' sign.
Sonovan sprinted behind—trying his best to catch up to Johnny's blazing speed. Titan and Johnny both slammed into the ground, Johnny on top of the armored ruler of the Tetra. Consumed by hatred for his enemy, Johnny struck with punches, palm strikes, and a basket of other techniques without any sign of relenting. His anger fueled his every move, unremittingly and ruthlessly venting his pure rage. "I will kill you!" he screamed. In a span of three seconds, Johnny had landed sixty hits.
Now it was Titan's turn to retaliate. The giant man swept his arm to the right, easily shoving Johnny off his body. As his eyes burned red, Titan picked up Johnny by the back of his neck and rammed him into a wall. Roaring in fury, he grabbed the speedster's leg and slammed his body back into the ground like a rag doll. Telekinetically grasping him, he flung Johnny's body back into the wall of the building and Johnny yelled and writhed in dizzying pain. The Ooris in him worked on overdrive to resist his body's tendency to faint.
The damage would have been worse if Sonovan had not rushed to the rescue, executing another flying side-kick on Titan's shoulder, eliciting a grunt and pushing him away from the downed, but recovering, Johnny Sparks.
"A rematch, once again," Titan noted. Titan looked about at their surroundings, not ever imagining this to be the place. "The years have led to this moment, Sonovan. Here we are again. Oh, such memories."
"It has been a millennium in waiting," Sonovan replied. "This is for Zydok, Orslon, and Venarian. For The Shadows."
The memory returned to Titan. He remembered them clearly. It was so long ago, but even then, he had known in his very being they would defeat him. In their eyes had been the desire and the will to overcome. And now, almost one thousand years later, Titan could still see the same in the eyes of Sonovan. Much time had passed, but Sonovan had the unchanged, consistent look of wisdom and strength in his eyes. For that reason only, Titan found respect for him. Never in all his journeys had Titan ever come across a being of such passion and conviction.
Sonovan advanced toward him, skillfully sidestepping a wide kick from Titan, who then spun into a spinning backhand, followed by a hammer fist. Sonovan ducked the attempt, but instead of getting hit or dodging the downward attack, he clutched the giant fist with both hands. Gripping tightly, Sonovan threw the giant arm aside, as Titan's entire expression shifted. Without warning, Sonovan executed a 540-degree jump triple kick, landing potent strikes on Titan's leg, body, and face—all with one swift kick.
Titan was heaved backward as his eyes widened. "Indeed, you are powerful," he marveled, astonished. Yet, what had he expected? Though he himself had trained in his own style, Sonovan had been a member of the most skilled league of warriors in history.
Sonovan slid his swords back into their respective sheaths. "No. Power does not determine anything. Only will and desire does. And I have both." Pieces of the wall of Montauk Laboratory slid off their bearings, crashing to the ground as the two dueled with bare hands.
The duo worked off each other's strikes, parrying, ducking, and responding with similar attacks. The attacks were fueled with Ooris, leading to blows with such ferocity and power that any other being would be ripped apart. Not even The Shadowforce members could resist the sheer power of every strike.
Titan telekinetically grabbed Sonovan to bring him closer. Sonovan felt himself floating, but only a moment elapsed before his body sailed into Titan's grip. "No, not this time, nemesis!" Sonovan said. He channeled even more Ooris—the dark, misty Energy flowing all the more than before. The beast had awoken. They were now matched. The Ooris coursed through Sonovan's arms, discharging through his darkened, misty fingers before rupturing into Titan like a blaster. The two were once again flung into opposite walls. Crashes of concrete walls pinned the nemeses in an arena as Johnny still recuperated.
Groaning, Titan pushed himself to stand, as did Sonovan. He scowled at the man. "Argh!" he roared, preparing for an onslaught no person could survive without a miracle—but Sonovan was the miracle. A perfect product of the Shadowverse itself.
Sonovan, his form almost completely shrouded in the Ooris, took a step forward. Titan took a step. One. Two. Three. On the fourth beat, the rivals vaulted into the air—the red eyes of Titan matching the gleam of Sonovan's white. It was time for an onslaught of pure Ooris.
Now standing, Johnny flipped over rubble to escape the sheer force of the two opposing Energies, as Titan and Sonovan exhausted themselves in a fury of Ooris. They both landed fist-first, Titan's giant hand landing in sync with Sonovan's. The dark blast radiated first from a single whitish-red point. The ground shivered underneath the ferocious power. The two nemeses were left in stasis—neither able to push back the other as the dark Ooris blasted in every direction like ripples in a lake. The circle of energy pushed forth further still, like an uncontrolled tornado, snapping trees, cables, and the fence surrounding the former military base. Johnny rushed through the debris as it hailed down around him.
"You . . . will . . . kneel!" Titan roared through the thunderous reverberation of the two Energies. It was a stalemate, as the two glared into each other's eyes. This would be their destiny—always opposites, always equals.
"No!" Sonovan shouted back through the whirlwind. "We both will!" Ooris leveled the surrounding area, forming a red-white barrier between Sonovan and Titan. Their fists remained in stasis, as if sending their Ooris through the terrain, despite only being within inches of each other. Soon enough, though, the resistance barrier between the two grew too much to bear. They were both flung in opposite directions, hundreds of yards apart. Within seconds, the two had risen again. Johnny sprinted back at super-speed through the now desolate Montauk Lab. Only soil was left. No grass. No trees. No walls. No fences. Yet, Titan and Sonovan inched not away, but closer.
"You . . . you are truly powerful, Sonovan Lung," Titan said. "Why did we end up being so different?"
Sonovan was quiet for a few seconds as Johnny arrived, sliding to a stop next to him. "My God," Johnny marveled. "I'm out for like a minute and it all goes to shit." Surprisingly, Titan began to laugh in his signature, deep tone. In a crazy turn of events, Sonovan did as well, before stopping himself. The humor erased itself quickly as the mist wreathed from his body.
"I wished so much for us to have been brothers, Titan," Sonovan said. "But I was mistaken. This is our destiny."
"I know," Titan answered. "But not anymore." Titan lifted his arm and spoke, "Zeo," into its gauntlet.
The spherical portal rose from the ground and Titan leapt in. Johnny grabbed Sonovan and they squeezed through the rapidly-collapsing wormhole. Zeo turned out to be Stonehenge, in England. The Sun shone high in the sky as Titan walked among the gargantuan slabs of rock. The wires once attached to the back of his head swung loose in the wind.
With his back turned to Sonovan and Johnny, Titan began a monologue once again. "All of creation has groaned from the beginning until now. This is the reckoning, or, may I say, I am. I am humanity's savior and the reckoning of the omniverse. The Shadowverse, at long last, has an emperor. Oora will be pleasantly surprised when I bring the Justification to the Shadowverse and this universe. Even the One, the name I have given the creator of everything, will be glad. No more injustice. No more corruption. No more death. No more free will."
"Oora would never agree with you," Johnny replied. "I can say so from experience."
"No, Johnny Sparks. You have never truly experienced it."
"My redemption is at hand, Titan," interrupted Sonovan. Sonovan kept his plan hidden from his thoughts, so that Titan would not discover it. He had learned to master mental warfare. The psychic powers of Titan could not affect him. Well, not anymore.
In a spurt of anger, Titan telekinetically grabbed Sonovan and flung him into Johnny. They both bounced off a rock slab. Titan stomped to them, but Johnny moved quickly and swept Titan's leg. The move shook him off-balance, so Johnny pointed an uppercut right under the jaw, which smacked Titan with enough force to stagger him backward.
Regaining his balance, Titan spat a white substance, eyeing it in curiosity and amazement. "Blood."
"That will be the least of your worries," Johnny shot back, defiantly.
"I'm afraid not. Come, let us continue this battle for the very soul of reality." Reaching out, Titan created another portal. Johnny sprinted to him, landing a kick to the leg and his side. He grunted, grabbed Johnny by the neck and threw him in. Sonovan leapt to his feet and jumped in too, just as the portal was closing.
This time, the trio of fighters jumped to somewhere in Japan, among the hills of Mount Yari. They fought and battled with speed and skill. The lessons Sonovan had taught Johnny on Herook were clearly not wasted.
The stars of the night shone down upon them at the high altitude. Many a time, Sonovan, the incarnation of the warriors of old, and Johnny, representative of the heroes of the future, would attack together, forcing Titan to hold them off with both arms. Other times, Titan would telekinetically throw their bodies. Telepathy would not totally work on them, for their minds were almost impenetrable. Whatever Sonovan had taught worked well. Both were relentless, unwilling to surrender.
* * *
On the other side of the world, the rest of The Shadowforce was thoroughly busy with Titan's robotic Special Force units. Although their abilities were quite superior to the soldiers that had been annihilated in the desert, The Shadowforce was fully equipped to make their stand.
"Jane!" called Ryan.
"What?!" she called back as she shoved another Special Forces soldier into six, ripping all seven apart. She could barely hear anything thanks to Dustin and Sam creating some form of blizzard, and Rose bathing parts of the ground in flames.
"Form a shield around yourself, Dustin, and Sam! I don't think this armor will be enough to deflect the incoming fire! I saw Titan do it! You've grown powerful enough!"
"I don't think I can!"
Ryan leapt into the air, clearing the area around them. Then he turned to her. "Yes, you can," he said in his gruff, rocky voice. "Believe in yourself."
Jane closed her eyes. The rolling waves of battle dissipated into ripples of silence. When she finally opened them, she was ready. Her forces of telekinetic Ooris burst forth, wrapping every hero and heroine in her shield. This paved the way for The Shadowforce to fully attack, no matter how temporary it would be.
The endless onslaught of fire, ice, strength, and telekinesis counteracted an equally endless array of blasters and bombs. Megiddo had turned into a war zone within the span of just ten minutes. In fact, only one thousand of the nineteen thousand members of Titan's Special Forces had been obliterated. The robotic soldiers would also teleport occasionally, to reappear behind the heroes unexpectedly.
Adding to the hardships, Solis ran the entire operation from behind the scenes. He was no slouch, but rather one of the greatest military minds to ever walk the universe.
Israeli military helicopters and fighters had been sent in, but they were easily shot out of the sky by the giant war mechanisms that Solis and his soldiers had set up. Another ten thousand soldiers were deployed, with more on the way, as the ten million aboard the five warships in space stayed in place above the face of the Earth. A few thousand were deployed every five minutes.
As the minutes raced by, The Shadowforce began to weaken. Their strength was shrinking, and their powers followed suit. Only Rose could keep up the assault unfailingly, mostly due to the fact her powers were borne from her alien DNA.
During the battle, a portal opened, and Titan, trailed by Sonovan Lung and Johnny Sparks, burst out from it. A loud kiai sounded as they saw Sonovan in mid-air executing a flying sidekick to the back of Titan's head. Johnny followed closely behind, trying to hit low on Titan's giant frame.
Stumbling, Titan turned and telekinetically threw them into the air and landed with, once again, another crash.
Solis raised his arm and snapped his fingers, and the Special Forces, to their surprise, ceased their fighting. He meandered through to Titan, who wiped the blood from the back of his neck. "Ah, would you look at the time? Soon, the universe will be on its way to freedom from injustice, tyranny, and death."
"No, I won't let you!" Johnny retorted. The Shadowforce had all run over to join them.
"Persons like you and your Shadowforce must be broken, and there is only one way. Shall we begin?"
"What are you talking about?"
"This." Titan levitated the entire team in one smooth motion. "This will take an excessive amount of Energy, but it must be done. You took my Justice from me. Do you not understand that I loved her as my own daughter? Now, I will take something you love as well, Sparks. Equilibrium."
At that very moment, Solis marched through the helpless pack of heroes. In his arms was an unconscious Irene Sparks. To Johnny's horror, the reinstated, dark-clad Voir placed her in Titan's hands.
"You have become the new Sonovan Lung," Titan stated, bestowing Johnny a sinister look. "And for that, you must be broken. All of you. One is not enough."