Earth: 24 Years Ago
A light breeze was blowing high above the ocean, causing the waves down below to gently crash against the rocky cliffs of Newfoundland. It was a warm and cloudless night, allowing the moon to bathe the land in its brilliant white glow. It was here that Isaac Bousfield and his wife chose to live because it was just so beautiful. Their home wasn't too grand, just a simple wooden cottage was enough to satisfy them, but the cottage was just a clever disguise to something much larger.
Isaac was no ordinary man, far from that. He is one of the many generals throughout the world that is in charge of a specific area, with his charge being the East coast of Canada. Underneath his home was a vast underground complex, a place filled with all types of weapons, devices, and classified information. It was there where he worked most of the time, often leaving his wife and child above for extended periods of time.
Isaac tossed and turned in his bed, his eyes were moving rapidly underneath his eyelids. Sweat poured from his forehead and other parts of his body, thoroughly soaking his beard and the sheets of his bed. His mumbling and outbursts eventually woke up his wife, who was immediately filled with concern when she saw the state her husband was in.
"Isaac... Isaac..." she whispered gently and she carefully placed his right hand in both of her own. "Isaac! Wake up! You're having that nightmare again!" She released her husband's clammy hand and began to shake his shoulder with all of her might, for he was quite a big man. Isaac's eyes at last flew open and he suddenly sat up breathing heavily. It took Isaac a few minutes to slowly regain his senses and he looked over at his wife to see that her face was filled with worry.
"C- Clara? The nightmare... it seemed so real this time," Isaac said, his voice slightly shaky still. "All I saw was you and... and our son being killed over and over again... and I couldn't do anything to stop it... I couldn't stop the Ze-" He was interrupted when Clara placed a cold hand over his mouth and she smiled.
"Shh... it was just a nightmare my love. You stopped the Zek along with the other generals of the world many months ago, you're a hero," she whispered and hugged her husband, which he did in return. "We have a beautiful son and both of us are alive, things couldn't possibly be better than how they are now." Isaac nodded in agreement when both of them suddenly heard a faint crying coming from the foot of their bed. Isaac threw off his blankets and got out of the bed, stretching as he did so. At a height of six feet and weighing two hundred and forty pounds, Isaac was a force to be reckoned with. His years of training had left him with a body that most amateur body builders would kill for. He had a full grown beard the colour of brown which was so grand it could make a lumberjack weep tears of joy and shame at the same time. Isaac was bald, but he felt it made him look better, and his eyes were a lightning blue colour.
He walked over to the source of the crying, the floorboards creaking beneath him as he did so until he at last reached the crib. With one swift motion he picked up his son and carried him back to the bed. Their son had stopped crying immediately and looked back and forth between his mother and father. At one year of age, he had already begun to look more and more like his father everyday, having also inherited the same brown hair and lightning blue eyes.
"He's so beautiful..." Clara whispered as she caressed her son's face and she looked up at Isaac. "He'll be proud to know that you are his father." Isaac chuckled to himself as he continued to rock his son back and forth, slowly but surely making him fall asleep. "I wonder what he'll want to be when he is all grown up, what do you think Isaac?" Isaac simply shook his head in return.
"I have no idea Clara, but I'll always be there to support his decisions, even if they are ones that I wouldn't make," he replied and smiled at his son who had now fallen asleep again before looking at Clara. She was a beautiful woman, having captured his heart nearly six years ago now. She had wavy brown hair and hazel eyes that were full of love and warmth. She was about five feet and four inches tall and weighed around one hundred and thirty pounds, but she could definitely put up a fight. In fact, a fight club was how they met in the first place when Isaac was scouting for potential army candidates. She had been off duty for a while now to take care of their son, but she was expected to return to the field soon enough.
"I think we should get some sleep my love, the morning is only a few hours away and you have a busy day tomorrow," Clara said and she yawned right after, which caused Isaac to yawn too.
"You're right Clara, I have to fill out all of those documents tomorrow in order to prove that one of our latest devices that I obtained down in the complex is legal to use," Isaac replied. "It's the weirdest thing I've ever seen, it can apparently transport particles from one place to-" Isaac's wrist band suddenly began to flash red, causing Isaac to immediately look concerned. "Red? At this hour? This can't be good..." He pressed a button on the side of wrist band and a hologram appeared above it, showing the bloodied face of a corporal.
"General? General! Do you read me!?" the corporal shouted.
"Loud and clear corporal, what the hell is going on there!?" Isaac replied, trying extremely hard not to wake up his son. The corporal gulped as an explosion rocked the room he was in, interfering with the transmission for a brief second. When the connection was clear again, the corporal had been knocked to the floor along with the communicator. Blood was spilling from his temple, but he was able to mouth one word that Isaac knew all too well. Zek. Isaac watched helplessly as the soldier died in front of him, but the communicator was still running, allowing him to catch a glimpse of the enemy right as it shot the communicator. The words connection failure flashed red on the hologram and he quickly turned it off.
"No... this can't be happening, this can't be happening..." Clara whispered to herself when a flash of light suddenly appeared outside their window, briefly lighting up the room and blinding them for a split second.
"They know where we are... Clara! We have to get underground!" Isaac shouted when they suddenly heard a loud banging on their door. Isaac quickly gave his son to Clara and he slowly stood up. The banging returned once more as Isaac made his way over to the door. The door was then blasted off of its hinges, but Isaac was ready. He quickly ducked as the door sailed over his head and he rushed the Zek that was standing there with its weapon raised, slamming it into the wall. The Zek hissed furiously at Isaac as he disarmed it and began bashing its head against the wall. Its exoskeleton was tough, but Isaac knew exactly where the weak points were. The Zek tried to push him off, but with one last slam, the Zek slumped down against the wall, only to have three holes put through it immediately afterwards with its own gun.
"Clara, let's go! Leave anything we don't need behind, I have to get to my armour before more come," Isaac said, panting from the rush he had felt when he fought the insect bastard. Clara appeared by his side shortly after with their son in her arms and they made their way downstairs. The whole place had been turned upside down by the Zek, and two of them were currently trying to break into the elevator which led to the complex. With two quick shots to their heads, they fell over and Isaac and Clara kicked them out of the way. Isaac typed out the code on a computer panel and the doors hissed open, allowing them to board the elevator.
"Isaac, look out!" Clara yelled, causing Isaac to turn around and he just barely dodged whatever was thrown into the elevator. "Oh crap... that's a Zek pyro grenade! Quickly! Get rid of it!" Without hesitating, Isaac picked up the grenade with his bare hand and threw it out as the elevator began to descend. They felt the grenade explode above them, causing the elevator shaft to vibrate and filling it with flame. Isaac activated the distress signal on his wrist band and began to speak into it.
"Attention all personnel! We are under attack! Code Red! I repeat, Code Red! Ready yourselves for a fight against the Zek!" Isaac yelled as the elevator slowed to a stop. He turned to Clara and placed a warm hand on her shoulder. "Clara, I want you to take the next vehicle out of here as soon as possible. You and our son can't stay here."
"W- what!? No! I can't do that Isaac, I can't-" Clara began to say when Isaac suddenly punched the wall of the elevator, startling her and waking up their son who began to bawl immediately.
"You can and you will Clara! And if you don't want to listen to your husband, then you'll listen to your superior. Please Clara, that's an order," Isaac said, letting his anger slowly subside. "I've lost many friends to the Zek... I can't lose both of you as well." The elevator slowed to a halt and its doors opened, revealing a sight that wasn't too pleasant to see. Debris and flames were everywhere, along with the slain bodies of his men and women that were underneath his command. Isaac clenched his teeth in frustration and anger. "Damn! Damn it all! Not even the vehicles were spared. We'll have to go with Plan B. Clara, follow me."
As they rushed through the areas, it was clear that the Zek had left nothing untouched, but strangely, they didn't see any as Isaac made his way toward the armoury, followed by Clara and their whimpering child. Fortunately when they arrived, the armoury vault doors hadn't been destroyed, although it was clear that the Zek tried to get in due to the various body parts and scorch marks. Isaac placed his hand on a nearby panel and stood back as the armoury opened up, revealing an assortment of weapons, but what he was looking for was his own personal chamber.
"While I'm suiting up, grab me a gun Clara and take whatever you need, you know the one I want," Isaac said and Clara nodded as he stepped into another room and onto a circular platform. He tossed the Zek gun to the side before speaking. "Isaac Bousfield, reporting for duty, Code Red access, no limitations." The very room itself sprung to life as it began to go to work, working as fast as it could to suit him up. The familiar weight of the armour felt good, like seeing an old friend and going to a bar to get a beer or two. The final piece to be placed on him was his helmet, which immediately caused the suit's systems to boot up. The inside of his helmet showed many things, such as his vitals and a personal radar. This was the very suit he wore in the battle against the Zek a few months ago, having been one of the first to receive it. After he felt comfortable enough he stepped out of the room to find that his wife was waiting patiently for him. She held out his gun in one hand and he grabbed it without hesitation.
"So where are we going exactly?" Clara asked as she loaded up her pistols. You do have a plan, right Isaac?" Isaac pressed a button on the side of his helmet which caused it to disappear and he nodded.
"Of course, we are going to fight our way to the technological department and use that particle transporter to get to some place safe," Isaac replied and his helmet appeared again, causing his voice to deepen. "It's a long shot, but it sounds like we are on our own for now, are you ready?"
"Yep, and so is our little man," Clara said, her voice sounding rather dangerous. "I gave him some sleeping medicine, so he should be out for a while. Let's show these bastards that they are messing with the wrong planet and family." Isaac smiled at her words and left the armoury, followed closely behind by Clara. Their footsteps echoed off of the concrete floor as sirens wailed. Isaac hoped that they would come across survivors, but every room they passed through showed nothing but death and destruction. They continued to make their way further down into the depths of the complex, where the lights were dim and the air was cold and damp.
At the bottom of yet another ramp, they finally encountered the Zek for the first time underground. It was a group of five, clicking and clacking in whatever foul language they used. Isaac held up a fist and turned around to face Clara.
"Alright Clara, that group stands between us and the department, are you ready for this?" Isaac asked and he watched as Clara nodded. He gave her a brief hug and stood up. With one final nod, he walked out into the sights of the Zek. "Hey you alien bastards, remember me?" The Zek began to click furiously as they fired at him, but their shots simply bounced off his armour and Isaac laughed at their effort. He returned fire, bullets ripping through their exoskeletons easily. Clara appeared beside him and she aimed at their heads, finishing off the ones that didn't succumb to Isaac's bullets. Isaac stomped on their heads for good measure and activated the panel, causing the door to slide open. What laid before them however caused them to take a step back. The Zek were fiddling with the equipment, but what concerned them the most was the large one on the opposite end of the room, right where the particle transporter was.
"Now that is gonna be a tough one to bring down," Clara whispered and Isaac nodded. "I'm ready when you are my love, we can do this."
"I know," Isaac said. He sprinted into the room picked up the nearest Zek before hurling it into a group of others. Clara followed afterwards and began pulling the trigger as fast as she could. At first the Zek were confused, but they quickly mobilized to repel the two humans. Isaac used every bullet he had, bringing down as many as he could before finally throwing the gun, instantly killing another Zek when it collided with its head.
"Isaac! Catch!" Clara shouted and she tossed him a pistol which he caught with ease, shooting the Zek in front of him between the eyes immediately afterwards. After enough Zek had fallen, the big one that had been watching the whole time slowly began to clap, or what looked like a clap anyway. The remaining Zek suddenly began to back down, much to the surprise of Isaac and Clara.
"Wh- what's going on here? Why are they backing down?" Isaac asked out loud, his muscles still tense from the fighting.
"I must say, bravo for making it all the way here," the large Zek said, much to Clara's and Isaac's surprise. "For humans, the two of you show quite the fighting spirit, but I'm afraid you're just wasting your time." Isaac pointed his pistol at the large Zek as Clara slowly moved behind him.
"We destroyed you! Why are you doing this?" Isaac asked, the rage clearly present in his voice. The large Zek simply laughed in return, further enraging Isaac.
"Tsk tsk, I'm surprised you haven't figured it out yet," the large Zek replied calmly and it began to pace in a circle around them. "Let me properly introduce myself. I am Xorthak. You see, we the Zeks feed on war, we worship it, we are the very manifestation of war itself. If it weren't for your petty feuds over ridiculous ideals, we could have easily skipped over you without even knowing, but alas, that did not happen." Isaac felt Clara activate a function on his suit and he smiled since he knew what was going to happen in the next few moments.
"So why are you here in my complex?" Isaac asked, doing his best to keep Xorthak occupied. "What are you looking for?"
"Is that honestly question you had to ask? I'm disappointed in you human," Xorthak replied. "We are here for your primitive particle transporter, for it'll most certainly help us get around faster. I've now grown tired of this petty talk though, farewell humans." He opened his mouth and a light began to glow in the back of his throat, but Xorthak's eyes widened as Isaac's chest opened up, revealing a flame thrower.
"I don't think so," Isaac said and he pressed a button on his forearm, bathing Xorthak in flames. Xorthak shrieked in pain as he stumbled around the room, setting the other Zek on fire as well if they were unlucky enough to have been standing in Xorthak's path. "Come on Clara! It's now or never!" Isaac grabbed Clara's hand and they rushed over to the particle transporter.
"Hurry Isaac! Get this thing on!" Clara yelled and she shot a Zek that was slowly creeping up on them, splattering its juices all over the floor.
"I'm working on it!" Isaac yelled back. He typed away furiously at the keyboard, trying to set a destination that was anywhere but here. "Alright! I got it!" He slammed his fist against the start button, but the machine simply sputtered. "Damn it! It doesn't have enough power!" Isaac quickly looked around the room and noticed a tesla coil that had been powered down. He sprinted over to it, dodging the burning bodies and lifted it up onto his back. "Clara! There's a switch on the wall that I want you to activate as soon as I-" Isaac was interrupted when Xorthak picked him up and began to crush the life out of him. His face and body had been horribly disfigured by the flames.
"Don't think you're getting away so easily, human!" Xorthak roared.
"Clara! Now! Hit the switch!" Isaac managed to yell out.
"But Isaac! The coil is still too close to-" she was interrupted when a piece of the ceiling fell, crushing a bunch of devices right next to her.
"NOW CLARA!" Isaac yelled, knowing that he only had seconds to live before being crushed. Clara looked away from the two as she flipped the switch, causing thousands of volts to be discharged throughout the room. Isaac watched as Xorthak was electrocuted while he only felt a tingle due to his rubber suit he wore underneath the outer armour. He looked over at Clara to see that she was just far enough away to not be affected. He was then suddenly thrown into the air, but instead of falling onto the floor, he positioned himself and brought his arm back. As he neared Xorthak, he swung his fist with all his might, the electricity having also super charged his suit. He felt his fist connect with the foul thing's face, causing Xorthak's head to be ripped clean off by the force of the impact. His head flew through the air and smashed into the wall while Isaac slammed into the ground, breaking a few ribs and twisting his ankle in the process.
"Isaac!" Clara cried out when a portal suddenly materialized out of thin air next to her. Isaac began to drag himself across the floor and he raised an arm and motioned for her to go through. "No! I- I can help you! I can-" She choked on her own words as Isaac slowly got to his feet. The tesla coil had overloaded every device in the room, which meant that there was little time left until the whole place was but a crater. He limped towards them and collapsed against the particle transporter. He took off his helmet and dropped it on the ground before reaching inside his suit and pulling out a necklace.
"Clara... take my necklace," Isaac whispered, his voice having become rather hoarse. He held it out for her as the portal suddenly began to flicker in and out of existence, having lost its brief connection to the different location. Clara hesitated and shook her head.
"Isaac... don't do this! We can still leave together! As a family, please... I'm begging you!" Clara cried. Tears had begun to flow freely down the side of her face, but all Isaac did was smile warmly at her. He took her hand and placed the necklace in her palm before making her close her hand around it with his own.
"I've made my choice Clara... I need to connect myself between the coil and the device in order for there to be a sufficient amount of power for the two of you to go through. Please... go through... that's an order..." Isaac managed to whisper. Clara reached over the device and grabbed Isaac, giving him what would be the last kiss both of them would ever share together. Isaac looked over at his son and smiled as he watched Clara place the black and gold necklace around his neck. Isaac kissed his hand and placed it on his son's forehead "I believe you will be destined for greatness... Oliver..." With one last look at his wife and son, Isaac turned around and placed his right hand on the device, and then connected his left hand to the tesla coil. A Zek laughed nearby as it watched the scene play out before it.
"Earth... will... die... We... will... find... you..." the Zek managed to spit out before it died. Isaac raised his head and let loose a roar as the electricity surged through his body, frying his suit's circuits and melting the rubber suit he wore underneath. His beard caught on fire as the portal suddenly stabilized and Clara rushed through it. Isaac's final thoughts were that of relief as he watched Clara and Oliver go through the portal and he closed his eyes. And he started to hum. All around him, the room began to disappear as he continued to hold the connection, bringing him to the outside world. Zek flagships patrolled above the atmosphere as the defenders of Earth gave it their all, but the Zek's numbers were simply too great. Another small jump through time and he arrived at the time that the order was given for the Zek to begin to drill to the planet's core with the weapons from their ships above. There was no mercy, no surrendering, only destruction. As the oceans began to erupt and the mountains began to crumble, Isaac at last opened his eyes one last time, only to disappear as the Earth, once a mighty symbol of hope and power for all, was no more.
Clara emerged from the portal and held Oliver close to her as they rolled across the bumpy ground to a complete stop. She slowly breathed in and out as the cool air touched her skin, giving her goosebumps. Wherever she was, it was quite damp and it had an earthy scent to it. She slowly got to her feet and allowed her eyes to slowly adjust to what little light there was. She looked to be in a forest of sorts, and already she had begun to attract various bugs due to how sweaty she was. She wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her dress, already regretting what she had done, leaving Isaac behind like that.
"My dear Isaac... what am I supposed to do now?" she whispered sadly. "You were my light in the darkness... but I can't give up. I never will, especially since I have you Oliver." Oliver yawned and he slowly rubbed his sleepy eyes. He looked up at his mother and smiled, causing her to smile in return. She pulled out her last pistol and checked to see how much ammunition she had left. She only had six bullets, so she had to make them count.
"Alright Oliver, let's see if we can figure out where we are... I hope the Zek haven't reached anywhere else yet," she said. "Ugh, it's ridiculously dark in here, I really need a-" A howling in the distance caused Clara to freeze in place. If a wolf pack was prowling the woods, there was absolutely no way she could beat them with six bullets and her bare hands. Thinking fast, she looked at Oliver and hugged him. "Don't you worry Oliver, mommy will be right back, she promises." She quickly kissed him on his forehead and found a nearby tree hollow which she carefully placed him inside. Just as she was turning around, a glowing pair of green eyes had appeared in the darkness, followed by even more pairs.
The first pair of eyes slowly emerged itself from the shadows, revealing itself to be something Clara did not expect. It looked like a wolf... but the only problem was that it was made up of a variety of sticks and twigs. It growled at her as she slowly drew her pistol from its holster.
"Alright big guy... I don't know what the hell you are, but if you want to get me, you have to catch me!" Clara shouted at all of them and she began to sprint away from Oliver. The rest of the wolves immediately went after her, not wanting their potential prey to get away. One however stayed behind, having picked up a different scent. It sniffed its way over to the tree that Oliver was hiding in, and it just so happened that Oliver began to cry, causing the wolf to growl as it climbed up to the hole. The wolf's mouth began to foam as it laid its beady little eyes on Oliver. Just as he was about to bite him, a twig snapped behind it, immediately capturing its attention. No sooner had it turned around when the shadow of a bear appeared in front of the wolf. The wolf's eyes widened in fear, knowing that it stood no chance against an Ursa Minor and definitely not an Ursa Major. It slowly backed off, snarling while it did so until it disappeared into the depths of the woods.
"Heh, well that is one way to handle a timberwolf, nasty little creatures they are," a new voice said and the stranger that the voice belonged to appeared from behind the bushes, revealing it be none other than a pony wearing a sun hat. "Now... where is that sad crying sound coming from?" As if on cue, Oliver began to cry again, revealing his location to the pony. She made her way over to the tree and peered inside the hollow, seeing little Oliver covered in leaves. "Oh you poor thing... what are you doing out here on your own?" Oliver looked at the pony's face and continued to cry.
"Oh no! I didn't mean to frighten you, I'm terribly sorry, uh, whatever it is that you are," the pony whispered. She quickly looked at the surrounding area and then back at Oliver. "Well, I'm not going to leave you out here on your own in this darkness, so you're coming with me little guy!" She gently picked up Oliver and his blanket with her teeth and did one last check of the woods to make sure there wasn't a mother or father. When nothing showed itself, she shrugged and began to walk away, although she was actually secretly excited that she had found him.
"You're gonna love it in Ponyville little guy," the pony said between clenched teeth. "My name is Rose Wind by the way, but you can just call me Rose, what's yours?" Oliver remained silent and Rose smiled. "That's okay if you don't talk much. Oh! I know! How about I give you a name? I'm sure I can come up with something that fits ya!"