Chapter 9:
….
-Milky Way
- 26th February 2003
Unknown to anyone on Earth, far out in the vast expanse of space, seven meteors—each the size of a house—were hurtling through the cosmic ocean. They shot past countless planets, beyond entire solar systems, and cut straight through asteroid fields on a direct path to Earth. After piercing through the Oort Cloud, they entered our solar system at breakneck speed, heading straight for Earth. They faced no obstacles, but they didn't go unnoticed…
…..
…..
-LINEAR (Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research), New Mexico
-27 February 2003
It was very early in the morning at MIT's Lincoln Laboratory. The astronomers were quietly monitoring the skies when a group of scientists on duty suddenly jolted in their seats as an alert about incoming meteors flashed on their screens. One man glanced at the monitor and nearly spilled his coffee all over the readings.
"Get the chief in here! Now!" the man shouted. "And contact our people at the United States Air Force and NASA, ASAP!"
Two other scientists immediately ran off to do just that and came back within seconds with the lead specialist in meteors and asteroids.
"What's the situation?" the specialist asked.
"We've got seven meteors incoming," a female scientist said. "And they're big!"
The meteor specialist looked at the monitor, his eyes widening as the massive space rocks hurtled toward Earth, splitting off in different directions as they finally pierced the atmosphere. Each one continued its descent to Earth without losing any mass in the process.
Under the specialist's direction, the other scientists began searching for any signs of the fallen meteors.
Suddenly, one of the scientists said, "Sir, one of the meteors seems to have landed on an uninhabited island somewhere in the Arctic Ocean."
The specialist looked at the screen and said, "Get in touch with the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Tell them to send a crew to the island to investigate that rock. If it poses any kind of threat, the public needs to know."
"Sir, we've already contacted the United States Air Force and NASA to address the situation."
"Good. Maybe that way we can pin down the locations of the other six meteors…"
Within hours, a team of analysts and hazardous material specialists had been prepped and geared up, soon boarding a helicopter headed toward the island where the meteor had landed. Everyone expected little more than a routine day figuring out what made that space rock tick, having no idea that it held a far more dangerous threat.
…
That same evening, the team of analysts and specialists finally reached the island.
Once there, Task Force Commander General Richard Ross briefed his crew. He had been chosen to lead the group, as he needed to ensure that air and space travel would not be affected by any potential dangers posed by the meteor.
"Listen up, ladies and gentlemen. We've got a big job ahead of us, and we need to do it right," Ross said in his no-nonsense tone. "This meteor is far from populated areas, so we can all relax a little knowing no lives were affected by this unexpected impact. But we're not out of the woods yet. NASA and the government need to know if this rock poses any other danger to Earth or its people, and it's up to us to figure it out. Any questions?"
"No, sir!" the crew responded in unison.
"Good," General Ross replied. "Now, let's form up and get to that island. We've got a meteor to analyze. Move out."
With that, the helicopter landed about 400 yards from the meteor, and the crew disembarked. Within minutes, the investigation began, with some analysts scanning the massive rock for any radioactive residues or energy while others checked its temperature, structure, age, and mineral composition.
"We're getting heat readings from this thing, but no radiation," one scientist reported.
"No residue either," another said.
"Sir, we've run a series of scans on this thing, and it's completely uncharted," a third scientist told General Ross. "Whatever this thing is made of, its composition doesn't match anything we've seen or recorded before."
"Then we'll need to take a sample for the experts to analyze and secure the perimeter to make sure no one else comes into contact with this thing," General Ross said.
One of the analysts grabbed a small pick and approached the meteor to chip off a piece. But the moment he touched it, a sharp, high-pitched moan echoed from inside the meteor.
Then, a strange, deep voice—unlike anything any of them had ever heard—seemed to emanate from the rock's exterior, as if it were part technology, part organic matter, speaking in a bizarre, alien dialect.
"What is that? Some kind of warning?" one of the scientists asked, nervous.
The group hoped that was the case, but General Ross knew from the tone of the voice that it was something else entirely.
"It's a threat…" he said.
Suddenly, the voice cut out, and a rumbling, cracking sound filled the air, which the crew initially assumed was an earthquake.
"That's not an earthquake! It's coming from the meteor!" one of the scientists shouted.
It was all too true, because right before their eyes, a massive hand broke through the meteor's surface, and a deep, menacing growl rumbled from within.
"Move! Move! Move!" General Ross shouted, and the crew ran for the helicopter as the thing inside the meteor began to break free.
The team was almost at the helicopter when they turned and got a good look at it—and what they saw made their hearts pound with fear. A creature, like a giant made of crystal, was emerging from the meteor.
Luckily, the crew made it to the helicopter, and General Ross ordered an immediate takeoff. But as they tried to escape, a huge crystal shot through the air, slamming into the helicopter, causing its tail to explode and sending the aircraft spinning out of control. General Ross was thrown from his seat as the side door latch broke under the force of the violent impacts, and he began to plummet 250 feet toward the sea—without a parachute.
General Ross just took a deep breath and closed his eyes, bracing for the agonizing pain of broken bones and the inevitable loss of consciousness. But to his surprise, he felt himself being grabbed by someone—and then flying.
"Don't worry, General. You're in good hands now," said a calm, strong voice.
As General Ross opened his eyes to see what was happening, he was stunned to see that Superman had saved him. Superman slowly lowered him until the General's feet touched solid ground.
General Ross stared at Superman, a well-built man with jet-black hair.
Superman wasn't wearing his usual blue and red suit. Yup, Superman was dressed exactly as the hero was known around the world. He stood tall, a muscular Caucasian man with vivid blue eyes and short black hair, with that signature curl over his forehead. He wore his iconic blue suit, emblazoned with the red-and-yellow "S" shield proudly displayed on his chest. His red trunks, yellow belt, red boots, and flowing red cape completed the classic look that had become a symbol of hope to people everywhere.
"Superman?!"
"That's right," Superman replied with a smile. He had been lucky enough to spot the incident while stationed at the frozen fortress when the creature attacked the helicopter.
General Ross felt relieved, thinking the famous and beloved hero of the U.S. had saved him, but then he remembered he wasn't the only one in danger from those monsters. He shouted, "Wait a minute! Where's my crew?!"
"Rest assured, General. They're safe," Superman responded.
Nothing could've been closer to the truth, as the rest of the analysis team had been rescued from the helicopter by a giant octopus and were now riding on the backs of dolphins. The dolphins were being commanded by another hero, not as well-known as Superman but still recognized—Aquaman—who calmly petted the dolphins as they clicked and chirped softly, as if proud to have helped the man rescue the humans.
Aquaman resembled a tall, muscular Caucasian man with short blond hair, a blond beard, and piercing aqua blue eyes. He wore an orange scale-mail tunic that shimmered under the light, and dark green leggings. At his waist was a gold belt with a stylized "A" clasp that also functioned as a built-in communicator. Golden gauntlets protected his wrists, while dark green greaves covered his legs.
Then Superman said, "I have to go deal with that creature. I can't let this strange being leave the island and reach a populated area. In the meantime, General, you and your team will be taken by Aquaman to a research ship where you'll receive medical attention and can report your findings to the United States."
With that, Superman spoke with Aquaman, who relayed the message to his dolphin companions, instructing them to take the humans to the ship.
Afterward, Superman and Aquaman wasted no time and confronted the enormous crystal creature.
….
However, shortly after the battle began, an Atlantean—one of the Queen's right-hand men—arrived and delivered an urgent message to Aquaman, who was still engaged with the creature.
Upon hearing the message, Aquaman became visibly distressed and told Superman that Atlantis was in grave danger from another alien creature, and he had to return immediately to help fight.
Superman understood and told Aquaman not to worry—he'd handle this crystal creature and, if needed, would help him later.
Aquaman thanked him and departed with the Atlantean, leaving Superman to face the crystal creature on his own.
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Hi!
Apologies for the delay with this new chapter. I had to modify some things so that everything that is to come fits perfectly (or as perfect as possible heh).
I really hope you all like this chapter because now the action finally begins and at least for me it's what I'm most excited to write. As compensation I'm trying to finish the next chapter for today so you have one more chapter to read : )
Oh and if it's not too much to ask I'd love for you to support this story and give me your comments. The more support and comments I get the more it gives me motivation to keep writing.
Thank you and I sincerely hope you enjoyed reading it ( keep an eye out for the next chapter).