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The darkness of space was absolute, unmolested. In the distance of lightyears, stars shone, light that had taken millions of years to travel finally reaching this tomb of silence. Nothing disturbed the stillness.

Until now.

Space warped, a blue tear in the fabric of spacetime. No sooner had the tear opened, than hundreds of starships began flying through like a swarm of locusts. They were of all shapes and sizes, each armed with dozens of blaster cannons, missile bays and laser blisters. At the head of the fleet was a unique ship, even amongst this fleet. It was long and sleek, with a spherical observation deck that took much of the forward portion of the ship.

Inside the ship, on the observation deck, stood a man. His face was half human, but the upper portion of his face was replaced with a starfield of nebulas and other stellar phenomena. Seen from above, the starfield on his head looked very much like a stylized circle with comet tails arcing away. He was the commander of this fleet. This sector of space was his responsibility, a task given him by his God-Emperor.

"General Jkzzzn, the fleet has entirely arrived within the Bright Universe."

Jkzzzn turned to his astronavigation officer. "Thank you, Officer Rkn. I want a scan of this sector and all habitable worlds. Lord Charon has been very specific that we make the assaults as soon as we arrive. The Sigil-Bearers cannot be allowed any warning."

"The scan has been running since the flagship arrived, General," replied Rkn. The officer's own face had a starfield similar to Jkzzzn, but much smaller. "We expect full results within a few seconds."

Jkzzzn nodded approvingly. This part of the Negation Empire's invasion would go as planned. He would not fail Lord Charon.

He would die first.

 

DC INFINITY PROUDLY PRESENTS

#5

'NEGATION WAR - PART ONE'

BY MIKE HINTZE

 

It was one of the most amazing sights Kyle Rayner had ever seen.he had seen this display over a dozen times now, but everytime it amazed him.

The journey between universes was not one of absolutes. Sometimes, the jump lasted less than a second. Other times, it lasted several minutes. Time was subjective in the gap between worlds, however, so Kyle could never be sure how long the trip ever took.

The colors and lightshow that was the division between worlds was always the same, though. Kyle had seen supernovae, quasars and other stellar phenomena first hand, but none of those events had ever matched the sight he saw on these travels. He had decided to always take the time to enjoy the trip when he and Axel warped to another reality. After all, you never knew what you were jumping into when you landed at your destination.

Beside him, grasping his hand, was Axel Asher. He was a human with a unique gift: he could traverse the rift between alternate universes and also seek out so-called 'Prime Realities', those universes that established a unique foundation to the greater Megaverse and Multiverse. The Keepers of the Cluster, psychotic dwarves that acted as counterparts to the Guardians of the Universe, had sent themselves and other agents out to seek these Prime Realities and destroy them. If enough of the Prime Realities were destroyed, existence would collapse. The Keepers seemed to think they would be able to remold the ether to their own whims and wishes. How, Kyle wasn't exactly sure of. If all of existence crumbled, that would surely include the Keepers' own home in the so-called Anti-Matter Universe as well. Still, whether they had a plan for that or were just a screwball suicide death cult, they had to be stopped.

Kyle and Axel had just left a reality where the population of Earth had been killed by a group of deranged superhumans. The Guardians of that reality had sealed off the planet to contain the heroes, leaving them free to rule a devastated planet. Kyle and Axel had arrived there within the planetary shield and encountered several versions of superheroes from Kyle's home reality. They had also encountered the Power Ring agent sent by the Keepers. The agent had died in the conflict, but the Cyborg-Superboy had gained the agent's parasitic power ring. A conflict ensued, but in the end Kyle had won.

Axel meanwhile, had been given his own Green Lantern power ring by a Guardian to protect him when he and Kyle were separated. Axel also had come across a man who was not of that reality and who seemed to have arrived from a huge conflict in his own universe. His name was Kevin.

Kevin's memory was spotty, but his massive frame showed he had some degree of superhuman ability and endurance. Kyle satisfied himself as to Kevin's intentions and agreed to let him accompany them to the next Prime Reality.

Kevin held Axel's other hand and marveled at the sight before him. Kyle grinned. Kevin was enjoying this sight as much as Kyle was. Axel on the other hand, didn't look happy. He was concentrating.

"Everything ok?' asked Kyle through a communication link between their power rings.

"I don't know," said Axel. "Something is wrong..I'm sensing another Prime Reality, but its tough going.I'm almost being tugged another direction by something.like an undercurrent in a river."

The smooth ride the trio had been enjoying was interrupted as they began to be thrown about by unseen forces. Axel was right.it was like they were caught in an undertow and in danger of being taken under.

When Kyle was ten, he had gone swimming with friends in a river in California. He had gone too far out despite his friends' warnings and been caught in the undertow. He almost drowned, but had been able to kick free and get back to the surface. When he once again breathed air, he saw he was several hundred yards from where he had been with his friends. Never before had he thought about dying. That day had changed all of that.

Now, caught in the currents of space-time, Kyle had lost any feeling of enjoyment he had felt. He was reminded of that time in his childhood and his survival instincts were kicking in. He created an emerald energy cocoon that surrounded all three of them.

"Hold on," said Kyle, "There's no telling what will happen.just be ready for anything!"

The undertow increased in intensity, throwing around the energy sphere like a billiard ball.

Then everything went white.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The plan was falling apart.

Danik watched in his mind's eye as each of his avatars went about their tasks. Each of the aspects of himself had been created as mentors to watch over key beings of power, power that could work to stop the Naegation Empire from conquering this universe. The selection of the candidates, the particular powers that were endowed on each of the chosen ones.all had been part of a master plan. That plan was now crumbling before his many eyes.

Danik had been mortal at one time, a citizen of a nation called Atlantis on the planet Earth. While the majority of humanity were still residing in caves, the Atlantean society had reached a technological, mental and spiritual perfection. The majority of the Atlanteans pursued research or worked to expand the bounds of their natural psionic abilities in one of five areas: Mind, Body, Spirit, Passion and Empathy. Danik pursued the area of spirit and was believed to possess the most powerful mind in Atlantis. Capricia was one of the best friends of Danik and was a student of the body, herself a powerful shapeshifter. The Atlantean society was a utopia, one where knowledge and the pursuit of new frontiers was all that anyone needed to worry about.

Eventually, the Atlanteans discovered a way to move to the next state of existence, to exist as pure energy and become one with the universe. This change was called the Transition. The Atlantean race was about to make the next step in evolution, but not everyone was eager to make the change. Capricia and Danik argued over whether the Transition should be undergone. Capricia believed the still evolving humans would need a guiding hand as they realized their potential. Danik believed the chance to evolve to a higher state was an example of what Atlantis was capable of, and that they were duty bound to undergo the Transition.

In the end, only 1,140 Atlanteans, including Capricia, the energy manipulating twin brothers Galvan and Gammid, the beautiful and super-fast Zephyre, the superstrong Tug and the precognitive boy Verityn, stayed behind. These people were placed in suspended animation, so that they could periodically awaken and shepherd the humans to their own state of perfection. The remaining Atlanteans, led by Danik and another named Solusandra, made the Transition, becoming pure energy and leaving the earthly plane. The shock of their passing, however, caused a massive cataclysm that sunk the Atlantean nation beneath the ocean waves. The suspended animation technology protected the remaining Atlanteans, but their awakening program malfunctioned. It would be a long time before they would awaken.

The Atlanteans believed that to succeed in Transition, they had to shed all feeling and emotion. Solusandra did not agree with this interpretation. Years after Transition took place and the changed Atlanteans were elevated, the group realized that Solusandra was not shedding her emotions and was eventually mindwiped and cast back to the universe as an aberration lest she infect the rest of the evolved god-like race. Danik was sent to watch over her, himself not entirely agreeing with the majority of the Atlanteans' decision to become emotionless.

Solusandra lost much in being cast out. She regressed to a child-like state from the mindwipe and had no recollection of her past life. Solusandra was relegated to a distant corner of the universe to play with reality away from the others. Solusandra created many worlds and races, each with a specific culture or way of life that suited her child-like mind. The first was named Avalon, then others followed: Elysia, Ciress, Tanipal, Hann Jinn, Quin, Demetria and many more. She also created a race of god-like beings patterned after human emotions. She named them The First, and their leader Altwaal, was Solusandra's playmate and friend. Solusandra bestowed Altwaal with seven weapons that were symbols of her power, to use as he governed the First. Danik acted a member of the First himself, but none of them were aware of his true nature.

During this time, the human race became the dominant life on Earth and evolved into a civilized race. They came into this on their own, without the aid of the Atlanteans who were still in suspended animation beneath the ocean. They would remain so for 100,000 years.

Time passed on Earth, until around the 100 th Century an archaeologist named Robert Charon and a scientist named Nathan Appolyon came across part of the sunken nation of Atlantis and more specifically databanks regarding details on Transition. Fascinated, the two reconstructed a device based on the Atlantean designs to facilitate Transition for the human race. The Transition did not succeed as it was meant to. Humanity was shunted into another universe, one where the laws of physics were chaotic. The 'Transition' did grant Charon and Appolyon god-like power, however. They were more powerful than any Transitioned Atlantean. Charon, mad with power, cast away Appolyon, making him a prisoner, as he sensed Appolyon's power could potentially challenge him. The rest of humanity had been changed as well, but none near the power levels of Charon. Charon's body was a blue and white starfield of energy. The rest of humanity was similar in appearance, but reduced in appearance with the starfield effect, many with only their head or eyes appearing as such. Eventually, Charon convinced humanity to follow him in conquering this universe, and he created an empire called The Negation.

Danik proposed a game to Solusandra. He sensed that Solusandra was the only Atlantean to truly undergo Transition fully and properly. He suggested that she bestow part of her power on sentients from each of the worlds she had created. These powered individuals would then serve as a distraction and entertainment for Solusandra as they learned and dealt with the powers they had come across. Danik hoped that these powered people would make up an army that could stop the Transitioned Atlanteans, since he sensed that their incomplete Transition would make them unstable and dangerous to the universe. Solusandra branded those chosen with a symbol that she had used I her mortal life, a spherical symbol used to represent opposing forces working in unison. A Sigil.

Solusandra recovered from her mindwipe at the Atlanteans' hands and retaliated. The god-like Atlanteans and Solusandra fought, destroying portions of the universe, all while Danik watched helplessly. Solusandra instinctively reached for more power and found it in the Negation universe. Solusandra used this power to defend herself, but in the end Charon was the true victor. The Atlanteans were all killed and Solusandra was broken apart, a portion of her essence fleeing into those she had bestowed Sigils upon. Charon, meanwhile, absorbed the energies created by the Atlanteans' deaths, making him even more powerful. This also did something else: it made Charon aware of his old universe and that there was a way back. Another universe for the Negation Empire to conquer. Danik realized the threat of Charon as well as who the Negation Empire truly was. His universe was not prepared for such an invasion. The only hope was the Sigil-Bearers.

When Solusandra had bestowed the Sigils on those chosen, Danik had then separated portions of his being into multiple beings who insinuated themselves into the lives of the many Sigil-Bearers, acting as mentors while they learned of their powers. These mentors assumed various identities and shapes, but all could be identified with orange eyes. These mentors now acted to prepare the Sigil-Bearers for the coming Negation invasion, although they were mostly unaware of the true natures of their mentors or the Negation.

Danik returned to Earth and awoke Capricia from her hypersleep as Negation agents were warping into sunken Atlantis. This aspect of Danik had limited power, as he was split apart as mentors. He told Capricia he could revive only a few Atlanteans to assist her, and she chose Tug, Zephyre, Verityn, Galvan and Gammid. Each of them were bestowed with Danik's own version of the Sigil, granting them the ability to breathe underwater among other small abilities. These revived Atlanteans were now the crux upon which the fate of Earth was held.

Eventually, the Atlanteans, investigating what had happened to humanity since their sleep, discovered some humans still lived on Earth in the continent of Australia. They were attempting to undergo their own Transition, but this one was meant to work now that the Atlanteans were there to assist, an advantage Charon did not have before. The remaining humans underwent Transition, with Gammid deciding to go with them to help them adjust once they had Transitioned.

The Australians found themselves in Negation space and were taken prisoner, along with Gammid. Gammid eventually found himself freed and working with a resistance force within the Negation universe, one made up of denizens from Gammid's own universe. These people, powered and non-powered, had been kidnapped by Negation agents for Charon to investigate the phenomenon of the Sigil-Bearers. Many of the kidnapees were killed, but the survivors had started a resistance movement as they tried to find a way home. This group was led by a non-powered human, a military officer named Obregon Kaine.

One of Obregon's allies, a member of the First named Evilea, turned on her allies and presented herself as a consort for Charon, pledging to assist him in conquering her universe. He accepted and together they pushed on into what Charon called 'The Bright Universe'.

The first world attacked was home to a Sigil-Bearer named Taylor, a reporter who had a secret identity as Mighty Man. The initial invasion obliterated Mighty Man's city, killing his family and loved ones. He fought back, but was killed by Evinlea. Mighty Man's mentor, a young boy, was discovered and Charon came to personally investigate what the mentor's true nature was. Realizing that Charon's death was worth any sacrifice, Danik detonated that aspect of himself, annihilating Mighty Man's world. Charon did not die, however. In fact, this merely focused his resolve to conquer the Bright Universe.

Danik had also learned that Solusandra had regained her sense of self, and had begun seeking out the various Sigil-Bearers. Each of them held within them a memory or aspect of Solusandra. She began reclaiming these memories, seemingly stripping each Sigil-Bearer of their powers and Sigil in the process. This was not the case, as the powers and sigils both returned, indicating the power and sigil was imbued in each being on a genetic level.

Danik began gathering the various Sigil-Bearers into an army to face the Negation, led by Samandahl 'Sam' Rey, a soldier whose Sigil granted him powers far more than the other Sigil-Bearers possessed. Danik also convinced Capricia to shapeshift into the form of Sam's lover Zanniati. Sam and 'Zanniati' conceive a child, and Danik spirits Capricia far away from the coming war, hoping that if all else fails, the power bestowed upon Sam with Capricia's Atlantean bloodline will act as a backup plan in the future to stop Charon and his forces.

Danik returned to the present. He concentrated and recalled all of his aspects back into one central being. The invasion had begun and he needed to consolidate his power. All his various aspects shot across the universe, becoming one being, one Danik. The recombination was always jarring, as all the life experiences of the various aspects came together, giving Danik multiple sets of memories.

He concentrated. Something was different. One of his aspects had just encountered something.different. Not Negation. Not a Sigil-Bearer.

A trio of dimensional travelers..one of great power.

This was too important to ignore. His army would have to wait, however briefly. These travelers warranted investigaton.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He floated, feeling nothing. He tried to awaken, but his mind refused to do so. It wanted to sleep. He wanted to sleep. But he needed to open his eyes. He slowly opened them and saw blackness all around him. Then he saw stars. It took a second to realize he was floating in space. His ring had erected a shield around him. He looked from side to side. Axel was a short distance away, his own ring having protected him as well.

Beside Axel, Kevin floated. He had no shield. He was gasping for air where there was none.His eyes were bulging. His massive body was undergoing decompression. Kyle fired a pressurized coccon around Kevin, creating a breathable atmosphere through sheer willpower. Kevin began to breathe again, then fell unconscious.

"Ring," said Kyle, "Scan Kevin, check for vitals." He grabbed Axel as well and created a replica of a sandy beach for them to stand on within a larger energy sphere.

"SCANNING," said Kyle's artificially intelligent ring, "ANOMALIES DETECTED. BASELINE HUMAN GENOME NOT PRESENT. VITALS SEEM WITHING ACCEPTABLE RANGE, BUT CANNOT BE SURE AT THIS TIME."

"Well," said Kyle, "I didn't think he got that big and musclebound through exercise. Let me know if his breathing or heart rate decline any further."

"NOTED," said the ring.

"Whoa," said Axel as he awoke. "What the hell happened?"

"I'm not sure," said Kyle. "Whatever that was, we made it alive. Kevin just about didn't, though."

"Damn," said Axel as he rubbed his eyes. "Maybe we should have left him on that last trip."

"Oh, I think he's better off here," said Kyle. "That last world wasn't one I'd leave my worst enemy.well, ok, maybe Major Force. Him, I'd leave there."

Axel looked around. "Where are we?"

"Ring," said Kyle, "Scan for a location."

"SCANNING," said the ring. "CONSTELLATIONS MATCH NO KNOWN OAN RECORDS. LOCATION IS UNKNOWN."

"Guess that answers that," said Kyle. "Axel, can you tell if this is a Prime Reality?"

"Yeah," said Axel, "It's not. I could tell as soon as I woke up."

"Well then," said Kyle, "Maybe we'd better see to moving on, then. Doesn't seem to be anything around for us here."

"What's that?" asked Axel. Kyle followed his pointed finger. Approaching them was some kind of starship.

"APPROACHING SHIP IS NOT ARMED," said the ring. "CLASSIFICATION IS UNKNOWN. SCANNING TWO SENTIENT BEINGS ONBOARD."

"Well," said Kyle, "Maybe they have medical equipment we can use to see if Kevin's going to be ok."

" Ahoy ," came a radio transmission over Kyle's ring. " This is the star skipper Presario. We come in peace. Do you require any assistance ?"

"Yeah," said Kyle, "Thank you, Presario, we do have an injured member of our party. Permission to come aboard?"

" Granted, " said the voice. " Airlock is on the aft side. We'll be waiting for you there ."

"Guess we're not leaving quite yet," said Axel.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Aboard the ship, Kyle and Axel met their host. Despite the strong, confident voice they had heard over the communication, they were surprised to see their rescuer was no more than three feet tall and resembled a humanoid mouse. His partner was taller, and closer to human than the other. The partner had a dark, moist skin with beady eyes that were as a bright orange. Both wore uniforms with a red and yellow yin/yang logo on the chest.

"Greetings. I am Captain Flammox and this is my first mate Zannix. Your friend looks like he has suffered from decompression," said the mouse-man. "We should be able to get him back to snuff in the medical bay." Axel and Flammox moved Kevin, who was now on a floating anti-grav bed, towards the rear of the ship.

Kyle went to follow them, but Flammox's partner raised his arm. "You.you are not from around here, are you?" he asked.

"Um, no," said Kyle. "Definitely not."

"Hm," said Zannix. "I can see now you are not Negation, you do not have the energy signature from that universe." He sniffed at Kyle. "Still.you are an unknown quantity."

"Yeah, well, we won't be long and we'll be out of your hair, ok?" Kyle moved past Zannix to head to the medical bay. As he walked away, he turned to look back. Zannix stared back with those poignant orange eyes. Kyle turned away again and saw a flash of light behind him. He turned back to Zannix.but the being was gone.

"Oh my God!" yelled Axel from the medical bay. Kyle ran towards it, forgetting about Zannix for the moment. He entered the bay and saw Axel looking like he was going to vomit. "What's wrong?!"

Axel was trying not to gag so hard he couldn't talk. Captain Flammox stood beside him, pointing. "Your friend," said Flammox, "He is.changing."

Kyle looked over at the recessed medical bed where what appeared to be Kevin was laying. His body was sagging, losing cohesion. It looked like he was melting. The massive muscled body was turning into slimy goo. Kyle had to concentrate himself from gagging. Beside him, Axel lost his fight in the medical bay sink.

Kevin's chest then stretched up, as if something was trying to get out. Another protrusion stretched up then another. Kyle thought he saw the semblance of a nose and mouth trying to get out of Kevin's chest. "Ring," said Kyle, "What the hell??"

"THERE APPEARS TO BE A BASELINE HUMAN WITHIN THE DECAYING FLUID BODY," said the ring, "BASELINE HUMAN APPEARS TO BE SUFFOCATING."

Kyle reached with his ring, but was too slow. Flammox leaped atop Kevin's decaying body with a laser scalpel and sliced open the chest cavity with two swipes. An instant later, a humanoid form fell out of Kevin's decaying body and hit the metal floor.

The smaller form was covered in the same goo, but Kyle thought the smaller form was a.boy?

"I assume," said Flammox, "That this as new to you as it is to me?"

"You got that right," said Kyle. "Jeez.he's just a kid."

"That," said Axel, "Was absolutely disgusting." His face was green from exertion.

A flash of light came from the medical bay door. Kyle turned to see what it was, expecting Zannix with his creepy eyes again. What he saw was not Zannix. It was a human wearing dark clothes with a cloak.and orange eyes.

The ma grabbed Kyle and held him up by the neck. His ring was unresponsive. The man below him did not look amused."You are not Negation," said Danik. "But I do not know what you are. Tell me now or die."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Next: NEGATION WAR continues!