Thursday, 9 May 2024, 1:09 am
For a moment he sits motionless as he processes the news and the thousands of possibilities that it brings start twisting through his mind, but the sudden vibration and beeping of his phone startles him back to his current reality.
"You see the news? 15th gate in Sydney! Come to the lounge, we're gonna watch it on TV." A message from Ghazal reads, Reyn's body reacts almost through reflex and he immediately leaps from his bed and begins scrabbling around his room. He slips into some appropriate sportswear and quickly cleans up his appearance before rushing down to the dormitory's lounge along with a number of other graduates, most clad in their pajamas or even less appropriate apparel. The dormitory's residents end up crowded around the lounge's obscenely large TV, flipping through channels to find GAARD's special report. Reserved for gate invasions, it would show them the most comprehensive and up-to-date information regarding the defence preparations and ongoing invasion. Providing a real-time, front-line view of the defense of Earth. The graduates squeeze themselves onto the numerous couches that line the lounge and drag in even more from different areas of the building, making themselves comfortable for the lengthy battle that would follow. Some have already brought along snacks and other goods to allow them to watch unhindered while others skulk off into dark corners to call loved ones or pray for humanity's good fortune.
"Reyn!" Ghazal yells out as Reyn bursts into the lounge, looking around frantically for his friend. He finds Ghazal sitting on the couch centered across the TV, slapping an empty space next to him. Reyn rushes over and slides in next to Ghazal.
"Gaz!" He utters loudly, his breath ragged. "What happened? Where is it?"
"Sydney! They said it's right near Hyde Park, dunno where the hell that is. They've already started the evac and defense prep." Ghazal responds, the presence of concern is clearly noticeable in the minor quiver of his voice. The two turn towards the screen to watch for more details as the defense preparations of the city unfolds. The TV shows the view from a drone camera surveying the scenes from the sky, showing the various multi-government agencies and militaries working furiously to set up a large security perimeter around the city while innumerable people are moved in gigantic hordes. The screen then switches to a street-level view of the ensuing chaos as hundreds of people run through city streets, instructed and directed by military personnel and GAARD staff overseeing their immense, yet mostly orderly evacuation. The camera abruptly turns up towards the sky, capturing the gigantic swirling circle of extreme density aether. The shimmering portal floats precariously in the city's skyline, hovering high above the tallest buildings, flashing and sparking with the raw aetheric energies that power it. In its center, a swirling kaleidoscope of impossible colors.
"What do you think's coming out this time?" one of the graduates wonder's aloud.
"I just hope it's not dragons." another adds.
"Or constructs. Those fuckers are tough as hell." Ghazal scowls as the TV's audience begins to speculate on the nature of the latest invasion's hostile forces, the 15th to strike humanity since the war began. Each invasion before it presented a new and different challenge to the defenders of humanity and everybody watching started to wonder what manner of monstrosity their enemy would present itself in this time. The dormitory's lounge suddenly grows quiet, all eyes focus their attention on the TV in anxious anticipation as the GAARD reporter on the scene appears and starts going into details on the city's defence preparations.
"A-Are we live? Brett! You have to tell me if… Oh, hello again folks, if you're just joining us, I'm Logan Jepson with GNN. You are joining me live as we cover scenes of what will become the 15th Invasion of Earth, here, in the city of Sydney, Australia!" The reporter says into his microphone, he sits precariously on the doorseat edge of a helicopter hovering over the city, the throbbing beat of its spinning blades slapping his microphone and behind him, glimpses of the invasion gate flick into focus.
After 15 years of almost yearly incursions, humanity has developed an instinctual ability to prepare for the annual threats, with almost every nation on Earth investing considerable resources and man-power to assist in this regard. Considered one of humanity's greatest displays of global unity and understanding, the Invasion Gate Suppression Initiative was set up shortly after the first gate invasion as a means for all governments and private institutions to assist and invest in the defense of Earth and her people. Years were spent perfecting plans and procedures to counteract the invasions, from military defenses to civilian evacuations, every aspect of Earth's defense had been considered and planned for. GAARD stood as the spearhead of humanity's entire defence network, working closely with every government and private organization that had a role to play in the planet's protection. They would oversee and advise on every aspect of defence planning and preparations of all the planet's largest cities and population centres, setting in place comprehensive plans that would serve as the rulebook to handling an incoming invasion.
"Oh, look, look over there!" The reporter exclaims excitedly. "The ATG's have already been set. They've started the transfers! It looks like they're bringing in more artillery and…. And here come more people as well. It looks like the defence perimeter preparations are falling into place." On the ground, teams had set up multiple Aetheric Transfer Gates across the defense perimeter that now stretched 5 kilometers in diameter, surrounding the invasion gate in every direction, from Sydney university to the Royal North Shore hospital on the opposite side of the harbor. The mobile teleportation gates allowed GAARD to instantly move equipment and personnel from various facilities and storage locations around the globe, allowing for a seamless means of moving resources and personnel. The process requires tremendous electrical and aetheric resources to operate, but would prove as the most efficient way for humanity to prepare a suitable defence line in the limited time available between the appearance of the invasion gate and the release of the hostile entities waiting within.
The ATG's are promptly set up across the Sydney defence perimeter and brilliant flashes of shimmering light would mark the arrival of various people and equipment on the platforms, which were quickly cleared and prepared for their next arrivals. Legions of people assigned to the defence initiative arrive first, scrambling off the ATGs as soon as they arrive and they jump to the predefined tasks that have been carefully set out for each of them. Archaners start appearing on the scene and they work quickly to assist the various teams with their preparations. Some use their immense strength or aetheric skills to help with the movement and setup of equipment and weapons, while others use their aetheric abilities to help boost the physical and mental strength and resilience of the various teams that worked across the perimeter. Others weaved their aetherics into the various armaments that lined the perimeter, increasing their strength, power and durability. Much of the offensive systems that had been prepared around the city have already been modified in preparation for use in the Aether Concentration Zone that appears with every battle. The scientific minds at GAARD had figured out how to weave synthesized aether into the construction of various munitions, allowing them to be used effectively in areas of high aether concentration, where regular ordinance would succumb to the aether's physics-fluctuating energies, causing unexpected and unwanted behaviour in their operation.
As the preparations of the perimeter commenced, an immense evacuation operation had already begun as soon as the gate's appearance was made known. Trained personnel and prepared equipment worked quickly and orderly to move legions of civilians into the hundreds of safe areas and bunkers set up across the city, while the bulk of the city's population was moved out of the defence perimeter, and within 8 hours, almost every non-combatant had been moved to safety and soon the heart of Sydney stood silent and empty under the midday sun. Preparations continued for hours, as more and more weapons and equipment were teleported and moved into positions across the defence perimeter. Ships specially equipped and prepared for the occasion filled the outskirts of the harbour, across the globe ICBM silos sprang to life, opening their apertures and preparing powerful payloads while in low-earth orbit, satellites moved into attack positions and prepared their devastating offensive arsenals. Eleven hours have passed since the gate's appearance and all humanity stands ready for the incoming invasion. A solemn silence seems to pervade the entire globe as all eyes focus intently on the pulsating vortex crowning the center of the Sydney skyline.
"I'm getting a report, and I-I can confirm that we have word from GAARD HQ that we now have Strike Teams Grimwatch and Veilstrike on the scene and all other defence preparations are complete. I repeat, defense preparations are complete! For those of you that don't know what this means, the city has been evacuated and everything, every person, every weapon, all of it has been set in place for today's battle! For a comprehensive overview of today's defence preparations, please visit the official GAARD website where you'll find a detailed guide on the gate defense protocols and what you should do if a gate opens near you!" The onscreen reporter declares as he continues to hover over the city. "Now, as we wait, I am proud to announce that today's preparation time was eleven hours and 36 minutes! We at GAARD applaud the Australian government and the people of Sydney on their commitment to the defense planning and preparations set out by I.G.S.I. With your continued commitment to the Invasion Gate Suppression Initiative, we can ensure that humanity is always prepared."
Twelve hours passed since the gate's appearance, the city stood almost empty while its skyline buzzed with activity as numerous helicopters and camera-drones fought for air space to capture various views of the metropolitan. Military jets streak past the area every few minutes to join in the preparations, blowing through the skies in deafening sonic booms. On the ground, the streets of Sydney had already been lined with aether-infused communication pylons that would allow for direct audio-based contact between the front-line and the battle's command center situated at GAARD HQ.
"And now wait folks. It's been about 12 hours since the gate's appearance, it's only a matter of time before the invaders start arriving." the reporter announces on the screen. In the dormitory lounge, the graduates still crowd around the TV, many now properly dressed and prepared to watch the battle, while others have started to doze off after the long wait. Reyn and Ghazal have dug themselves deep into their seats, relentlessly watching the ongoing events on the TV, thoughts of personal hygiene or sustenance completely forgotten in the face of the upcoming invasion. Time passes slowly as the world waits, then, suddenly, it starts and the TV reporter announces with an excited scream into his microphone. "It's opening! The gate! Look! Look! It's starting to open! Folks, this is it! The 15th gate invasion defence is about to start. I repeat. The battle is about to start. I will remind sensitive viewers that we do provide a delayed and censored broadcast of the battle, but I will be reporting live as we cover this historical event, and the scenes we see here today may disturb sensitive viewers."
Every eye watching the broadcast across the globe shifts closer to their viewing screens as they observe the scenes of history unfolding in real-time, with countless drones and perimeter cameras covering the scenes from every available angle. The swirling vortex slowly begins to open, releasing from within a cascade of raw aether. The shower of shimmering particles pours from the gate like an iridescent waterfall of light and color, an undeniably beautiful sight to the human eye. As the doorway reaches its maximum width, stretching across the Sydney skyline for almost three kilometres above Hyde Park, the first arrival breaches its threshold.
"I-is that a… a foot? I-It looks… there seems to be a foot coming out of the gate!" The reporter shouts incredulously as he struggles to describe the ongoing event to his viewers. The world watches intently as a distinctly human-looking foot slowly descends from the black void that had opened in the gate's center. Its complexion is ghostly and the texture of its skin seems unnaturally smooth, its skin almost seems to be composed of polished marble. The feet are followed by slender legs, then a flowing white robe, a golden sword and 6 brilliant feathered wings. Perched atop a long slender neck appears a face of near perfection, as if carved by divine means, every feature looked flawless and refined on the being's visage, while its hair looks like threads of finely weaved aetherite that exudes a luminous, heavenly shimmer.
"Are those fucking angels? Bloody hell!" Ghazal cries out, jumping towards the screen to confirm his suspicions with a closer view. His face ends up inches away from the TV screen, prompting other graduates to move him out their way, but the sight was unmistakable. Brilliant beings that glowed with an angelic radiance soared graciously just below the gate. The enormous wings on their backs flicking effortlessly as they bob delicately in the air, each flap releasing a shimmer of light and color.
"I-It looks like the E.T.A.E. in today's battle are in fact, angels. We are being invaded by angels!" the reporter yells. "But, it looks like they're just floating around the gate for now. No movement from the enemy, yet. The invaders…" As the reporter continues, a total of 16 Extraterrestrial Aetheric Entities would exit the portal above Sydney, basked in an otherworldly elegance, their flapping wings raining down streams of shimmering light onto the world below them.
The gate begins to ripple and pop with new energy, sending shimmering sparks and flickers across the sky, the gate's energies grow in sound and intensity, reaching a crushing crescendo and from within an explosion of raw aether rain down to Earth. "It's the Barrier Crystal!" The reporter screams as an enormous aetherite crystal slowly starts to descend from the gate. At least 12 meters tall and half as wide, the gigantic shimmering rock hovers ominously in the sky for a moment before promptly plunging to the ground. Dust and debris fills the air as the crystal bursts through the St. Mary's cathedral on the outskirts of Hyde Park, ripping apart its pristine, intricately-ornate roof. It slams through every floor and structure in its path, blowing out most of the building's windows, walls and ground supports, sending the entire structure collapsing violently in a devastating cloud of dust. The barrier crystal now lay deep beneath the flaming crater it had created, settled into the crumbling crypt beneath the eviscerated cathedral.
"I - it looks like the barrier crystal has hit the cathedral! It's, it's gone! The crystal's fall has completely demolished St. Mary's!" The reporter cries. He looks on, stunned and quivering as the dust settles below the gaping vortex in the sky. "The scenes here are… They are quite literally biblical! We have a group of, what looks like, angels, hovering over the city. The barrier crystal has just wiped out St. Mary's cathedral with its arrival. The scenes here are … I have no words! We wait now only for…" Before the reporter can finish, another figure starts to emerge as the gate cracks and pops wildly, bringing with it another shower of raw aether bursting into reality.
A colossal atrocity slowly oozes from the void beyond the gate, its shape takes form as it seeps into existence. A gigantic being emanating an aura of pure and unrelenting malice with its mere existence. It had no feet, legs, head or body, not even some kind of vaguely logical approximation of a physical structure compatible with known biology. Instead, above Sydney floated a spiralling, twisted mass of twitching eyes. The vaguely human eyeballs were each connected to each other by a tangled mess of putrid, fleshy tendrils that seemed to be weaved of rotten meat fused with aether. Gigantic wings sprouted from illogical locations around the entity's structure, flitting and flapping with immense power as they kept the massive monster afloat.
"I - I don't…" the reporter stutters, his mind cracking under the mental pressures caused by the otherworldly sight. "What… this is. This is insane! I don't know what the hell I'm looking at here! How do I report this?" The visual atrocity finishes its descent, and the gate promptly closes above it in a loud crash as the aether powering it slams shut the opened void, revealing a colorful, shimmering vortex once more. As the gate closes, deep below the devastated cathedral, the barrier crystal hums to life. The highly concentrated aetherite begins reacting violently within, building in energy which then quickly erupts from the crystal as a plasma-aetheric membrane. The membrane shoots out from the crystal at light-speed, creating a contained sphere of raw aether surrounding the crystal at its center and in an instant, a gigantic shimmering dome envelopes the area around the crystal, reaching out for more than 2 kilometres in every direction. The crystal would work to keep the dome powered with a never ending flood of raw aether, creating the Aether Concentration Zones that would become the main stage of the upcoming battle. Meanwhile, at GAARD HQ's Combat Command Center, the scene has become frantic.
"What the fuck are we dealing with here, doctor?" An authoritative voice yells from the middle of the command center. Rows of desks and monitors line the room, each manned by furiously working agents. Numerous large monitors hang from every wall as video feeds and various defense details display across their screens. At the front of the room, multiple monitors display scenes of the invasion in real time, the invaders all visible in crystal clear clarity. At its center, Director Jesse Martinez, head of the agency, and the man most responsible for handling the defense against the gate invasions.
"Ah, this is a difficult one, Director! You see, many angels…" Dr. Ravinok starts before quickly disappearing mid-sentence, appearing next to the Director a moment later. "... religions and cultures across history. This is obviously of the biblical variety…"
"I can see that doctor. What can they do? What should we expect? Flaming swords?" The Director scowls. "And the guardian! How do we fight this?"
"Ah, that, even in the bible. Very vague. Doesn't really go into the details of angelic combat abilities, you know." Ravinok says with a sigh. "I'm afraid there are too many variables, Director. Too many possibilities. We can't know for sure…"
"Damn it! GAIA, you got anything?" The Director snarls as he pokes at the computer interface next to him, rubbing his head in frustration.
"Negative. The extraterrestrial aetheric entities seem to be based on the Judeo-Christian depiction of the beings commonly known as angels. The texts, however, are vague concerning the nature and scope of their combat abilities. Doctor Ravinok's assessment…" GAIA quickly responds before the Director interrupts it as well.
"FUCK! So we're going in blind!"