Chapter Two : The Heart Of Darkness

''The ride back across the Interstate was incredibly tense and uncomfortable, not only because of the massive militia surrounding the New York-New Jersey border , but because of the heavy feeling of wanting to throw up. Spica was incredibly full of things in her head, all of them hurting , badly. She needs sleep. Yes, sleep. She would sleep and wake up tomorrow morning, ready to formulate a plan .''

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''The next day, a bad rainstorm had been fluttering about overhead for a few hours , dumping a lot of rain over that small window of time .Flood alerts were put in place for many across the East Coast as a hurricane were to brush by the weekend ahead. Some rain and a lot of wind was expected. This didn't deter Spica and what was going on in her mind. The Cassiopites were near Earth, she thought. A well few hundred thousand miles. That meant that they could reach in five days, but , no , their machinery is faster. Three ? Maybe even one ? Not enough time. Spica and Brandon went to the dining table, forging a plan. Due to the severity of the situation, Rigel's cousin , Windy , was called to help them. Windy is a short girl, roughly 5 feet in height , with messy , black hair , dyed gray to resemble clouds .''

''" Alright, " Spica said , standing in front of the store's bulletin board. A line, wavy and distorted was supposed to resemble the ocean , while a circle under water and one above represented their targets. A pink marker was circled around the poorly drawn diagrams ." We need to take out my ship and both the Heart Of Darkness before the day is done . This won't guarantee no sort of an attack at all, but can completely heighten our chances of winning . I already auto-piloted it to go below the ocean , but I have reason to believe that it may be hijacked . "''

''" Well what's the plan ?" Misty asked anxiously .''

''" I have been building a boat of mine that I previously planned to be a surprise for our honeymoon, but the stakes are high now . " Spica winced a bit. " Sorry, sweetie , maybe next month ? "''

''Brandon smiled and kissed her on the cheek. " Its alright . We've got a planet to save . "''

Misty, Rigel and Windy all cleared their throats in a noisy cacophony .

" Like I said, what's the plan ."

''Spica took a deep breath, annoyed. " When we get out to sea, we will go into two teams , you , me and Dahlia . Brandon , Rigel , Windy will take out my ship . We'll take out the Heart Of Darkness . We have to destroy it before it launches , and if it does launch , we'll have the Coast Guard assist with destroying it when it's in the sky . "''

''"The Heart Of Darkness ? " Windy gasped. " Spica, what is going on here ? "''

"You're just going to have to trust me when I say that the entire world may be at stake, and only we can save it . "

" What about Adalene ? "

''" You all go ," Adalene added. " I will stay near the island . If you need me, I will have my cellphone . I will also have my family members contact the NYPD ."''

" Alright, then , we'll commence our plans at noon . " Spica decided .

As noon approached, the wind and rains of a nearby storm , one Hurricane Magnellan , was churning up quite a commotion over the past few hours , as the shores were placed under mandatory evacuation .

''Rigel, Misty and Spica were all in his car , whilst Dahlia , Brandon and Windy were in hers. With a farewell wave and hugs from Adalene, the group began on their commute to New York , searching for the two machines that could mean total annihilation of Earth itself. The drive was tense as before, the waves crashing onto the harbor as they entered the city's limits again. A destroyed car was being pulled up from the bay underneath the overpass, with a family weeping feverishly. A body was being placed into the back of a nearby ambulance. The air had its thick, solid feature again , with no one saying anything at all in both vehicles .''

''The waters were choppy, the air heavy and dark. It was, sullen and depressing .''

''They turned off onto Hudson Bay, to the dockyards , leaving their vehicles and stepping onto the wooden tapestry that led to Spica's boat. As the team split up, Brandon and Spica shared one last kiss before entering the boat themselves , looking up to see helicopters and large gunboats veer out to the stormy sea .''

" I really hope this is worth the trouble . " Misty sneered .

Dahlia patted her shoulder .

''" It will be ." she consoled .''

''The boat, white and trim , veered out to the ocean as well , under the protection of the military. The chopping of helicopters and the roar of massive ships passed as well. Spica knew that they weren't after them, but the massive black capsule that stood erect in the choppy seas. The Heart Of Darkness. Inside that thing was a weapon capable of destroying worlds at a time with startling proficiency .''

''As the team drifted closer to the thing, Spica's boat made a repetitive pinging sound. They slowed down, the boat being rocked gently by the rough waves as Brandon , Rigel and Windy got into their group. The wind made their hair flail about in their faces, making the situation a bit awkward. A helicopter also stopped a few feet ahead of them as a soldier gave them the all clear to continue. They responded back with a thumbs up .''

''" Alright, team , let's do this . " Misty proclaimed. A glass dome encircled the boat as it pierced the water, going under its surface to the shallow bottom , a mere two hundred feet down. Passing through the water gave off a mystical sort of appeal as they approached the bottom .''

''" It's so beautiful . ", Dahlia exclaimed. Ever since her time on Earth, it seemed as if she grew more fond of the planet and all it have to offer. Some of the teammates began to say that she might actually stay here permanently. What a dream that would be. They continued their voyage through the water, a handful of fish passing by like a swarm of bees in a field. The beauty of the ocean was one to behold .''

The submarine came onto the submerged ship as everyone got ready for their respective tasks .

''"It's go time . " Brandon said, as he kicked in a window of the ship and entered , along with Windy and Rigel. The three had began to start down a hallway that led to the scout ship hanger, needing to place a bomb in the middle that would destroy the entire ship. Windy, however noticed a gleam on the floor of the hall , sleek and nearly unnoticeable. It was a trip wire of sorts .''

" Wait ! " Windy shouted .

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''Spica, Misty and Dahlia had steered out above the water , returning to its choppy surface , gaining speed to meet the capsule before them. Black, huge and cumbersome to look at , Spica had to blow it before the Cassiopites made it to Earth. Intently, as they reached the ship , the three had made it to the entrance of the structure , taking a look at the intricate architecture and such of the like. The thing was dark, needless to say. Dark and scary. And although its assumed that to be afraid of the dark is childish, this darkness was different. It was......alive .''

''" Hey, what is this ? " Misty called out. A faint red glow emanated from a massive ring, chrome and shiny in design. It had the smell of bad eggs. Sulfur. It had just completed being recharged, the smell of the magma clinging to the machine. It was there. The Heart Of Darkness, only a few feet ahead of them .''

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''Rigel had stepped in the wire, setting off an alarm , and feeling the eerie shudder of the ship as it risen out of the seafloor and began to ascend. The walls of the ship had shot out these small robots that had began to move in their direction .''

''" Uh, Brandon ? " Windy asked. Brandon was preoccupied with tampering with the ship's security system .''

" Yeah ? " He responded .

" Fucking run !!!"

''Brandon turned back to see the small robots shooting at them with lasers. A few barely grazed him as he got up and ran. The three ducked and dodged these white-hot projectiles as they came upon the control bridge .''

''" In here, hurry !! " Rigel shouted back. The crew ran in and closed the door behind them. The control bridge was roomy and chrome, the only thing being a dashboard and a futuristic looking chair. The three were astonished, but also very conflicted as time was running out .''

Suddenly, a loud , peculiar sounding alarm began to ring , much to everyone's displeasure .

''" What is that ?! " Brandon asked as Windy pressed a few buttons on the dashboard. The windshield turned into a screen, as a massive diamond - shaped ship came onto the screen , surrounded by many smaller ones .''

''" The --the Cassiopites ?!!" Everyone exclaimed in horror .''

One of the smaller diamond -shaped ships detached itself from the larger one and began a descent into the Earth's atmosphere .

''" Oh god . We got to call Spica and the others ! " Brandon said. He began to call them, but stopped as the other three plunged into the control room .''

''"Spica ! " Windy shouted. " We're in some deep shit ."''

''" We know . " Spica responded. " Come on, we have to--"''

''The screen switched over to show a face none of them wanted to see. Andromeda Vexan. She was wearing a white, elegant captain attire , obviously the leader of the entire invasion fleet .''

''" Greetings, sub-lifeforms of Earth ," She said. " I'am Andromeda Vexan of the Cassiopeian Empire . As you may or may not know, your planet is under siege by a group of insidious , destructive criminals that have escaped our security . They are a hellish team , bent on turning the Earth into a barren wasteland . We Cassiopites will eliminated these evil pests , freeing you all of their plans . Unfortunately , your world will be exterminated as well . That is all . " Everyone was deathly afraid as of now , even Dahlia. " And please, have a terrific day . "''

''" Oh my god . It's actually happening . " Spica said. " They're actually invading !! "''