A/N. Exams, holidays and a two-week vacation, that's why this has taken so long, that and a new PvP system for WoW. I've tried to answer all of your questions, you do have to use your imagination a bit. At the moment I don't actually have any races set, however I have been tossing around the idea of using the Warhammer 40,000 races, aka Orks, Tau (with the Kroot, Vespid, etc) Eldar or Dark Eldar, not Tyranids or Necrons, chaos in a way I guess, perhaps some space dwarves or something like that. We'll see, if you have a suggestion go for it. This is all a good ways away and so I won't say much else on the issue. Okay now the next statement you have to understand. I am not good at current politics, or in anyway know its various intricacies. It is not my intent to offend anyone with how various governments and peoples will be acting within this story, I am going off limited knowledge and mostly a creative license. If you are knowledgeable in this field then please talk to me, I would love to know more so that the story works out as logically as possible, and so that nothing strange happens…just you get the idea.
Heaven and Hell
"I still don't understand." Hermione said perplexed. "What is the Unity exactly? Who were your allies?"
Alos really hadn't imagined the explanation would be so hard, he had grown up in a sprawling galaxy full of life, and to his consciousness he had spent the last year preparing to save humanity, and now here he was. "The Unity were five unique species united under one banner, one common goal. We didn't have any stable allies, but really what does it matter? They're all dead now anyway, or if they aren't then who knows what has happened in the last hundred thousand years."
Hermione nodded, still trying hard to piece things together.
Seeing them still puzzling over the information overload Alos simplified things a bit. "Okay let me make things really, really simple. Humans break past the confines of their planet and begin space exploration. Humans find aliens and a war going on, a galactic one. Humans keep expanding and no one takes them seriously. Humans get the crap kicked out of them and shrink back to a handful of solar systems. Human realize that they had better do something and create what is to become the most feared force in the galaxy, Exodus. Humans start building fleet and drawing up plans for super ships. Humans go out again and through exploiting enemy weaknesses start to dominate the galaxy. Big bad guys get all emotional and decide that if they can't rule the galaxy then no one can and so create a virus that it is designed to kill off humans but ultimately the virus evolves and kills almost everything. Uninfected humans don't like the idea of dieing off and create two planets from which humanity would grow again. They splice the DNA of these new humans so that they are unrecognizable on a DNA level from the original humans should anything happen. Time passes, human DNA fixes itself, they live happily, unaware of their past and then I come here to you and try to explain everything."
"Okay that sounds a bit better, I still can't understand the whole techno gene, it just doesn't make sense." Amanda Flowers said.
"How so?"
"Well, its just, I mean a gene for magic I can understand, but a gene for technology?"
"Well yes. The wizards, those who do not have the techno gene would be very limited when it came to technology. The techno gene gives humans extrapolative thinking, extreme situational adaptation, stress management, and body musculature. A person without the techno gene is on average weaker physically when compared to a person with the techno gene. They would also not be able to comprehend advanced physics, and computers. Their bodies are not as adaptable to environmental changes, they would reject any organ transplant, and their bodies would certainly reject any form of nano technology or technological alteration to their bodies." Alos looked for an example, his eyes settled on Homir Munn. "For example, when you try out a wand it fizzles, and sparks right? Do you know why? I'll tell you, magic surrounds our dimension of space and time like an ocean, when you use magic you tap into this source and manipulate it in its pure form, hence you cast spells and your wand sparks the first time its picked up, it's the magic burning its way through. Now when you have someone with both a magio and techno gene the techno gene acts as sort of a controlling device for it, the training wand I gave to Homir tapped into the magic for him but subconsciously he controlled it."
"You said you broke the project up between two planets. What happened to the second?" Harry asked quietly, the room went deathly silent, waiting for a response only to have Alos open and close his mouth as if to start a sentence. "That bad?"
"Worse." He replied painfully.
"How worse?"
"The margin of probability for the occurrence was minimal, less then one percent." He said quietly.
"What occurrence?" Harry urged.
"Somewhere along the line something went wrong, I cannot honestly tell you what, perhaps the blue prints were off, some social factor, or even possible meddling with DNA, I just don't know…nor is there any way to find out."
"What happened?"
"Mass mutation, chaos, anarchy." He took a deep breath. "You could call me a god in that I created both Heaven and Hell." He gathered his thoughts, not knowing how to tell them what they were to do. "And Hell is where you must go, for the survival of Heaven rests upon the complete destruction of Hell."
"Are there are still humans on that planet?" Destroyer asked.
"Not humans, there is life on that planet. We no longer share the same DNA, nor do all of them resemble us. They can be described as daemons, mutants, things too horrible to imagine, but nevertheless things you must face."
"I know we're good, but how the hell are we supposed to wipe out an entire planet? Unless you got one Really Big Fucking Gun or a bomb in the planets core or something." Destroyer said with a grim chuckle.
Alos looked at him seriously.
"No shit…"
"We were prepared for every eventuality, even this one."
Joker raised his hand up. "Question. Right, maybe you haven't noticed but we don't really have space flight capability. You know, could be a problem an all."
"But we have the Doorway. It is a teleportation device we set up on both planets."
"Ok cool, I call dibs on pushing the big red button." Joker joked, the humor was lost on the audience.
"But why must we go and destroy this other planet in the first place? Can we not simply leave it alone?" Dumbledore asked Alos.
"We could if they hadn't found it."
"If they hadn't found it?"
"Yes, they have been trying to get through for years, and recently they have almost gotten through a couple times. When we put the Doorway in place we did not want it to be sealed with no hope of opening it. The consensus was that we wanted it openable without my assistance; whatever was to try and open the doorway would in some way possess both magic and technology within them, nanites, bionics, or something similar. Were it to happen that if my brother Jalonos or myself were to die or were in some way unable to meet with the new humans then eventually they themselves could detect it and open it. The logic behind this is that the first planet to succeed could help the other one out and theoretically could have doubled the population, efforts for space travel could have been increased, hence the reason for such a small doorway."
"So why not just destroy the door?" Ron looked at him as if it were the simplest answer, and yet he knew that things couldn't possibly be that simple.
"We cannot destroy the door because it is outside our dimension, or rather fused with the magical one. Basically there is no tangible way to destroy it because it's basically an artificial wormhole."
"So why not just guard our end and stop them when they try to get through?" Ron continued on.
"What's to stop them from sending a bomb, a gas, an agent, or something through that would wipe out everything, waiting a few moments and then coming through and having a blast? Nothing. Trust me kiddo we thought this through."
Ron had nothing else to say, it seemed like they had to go in after all.
"About a thousand miles away from each of the doorways we hid a facility, which cannot be found without you knowing where to look. In this facility are the controls that will allow for the detonation of the planet's core via bombs and magical conduits arranged around the planet. Before you ask there is a size restriction, nothing much bigger then Destroyer will fit through, which means that Bessy and vehicles cannot be used." The lights in the room dimmed as he explained this and a holographic projection appeared out of thin air, floating like a cloud. "You have to get from here, to here." Two dots appeared on the map, a red line connecting the two points in space. "I cannot say what is here as there is simply no way of telling without going there. Prior to you departing we will send in a bomb to clear the surrounding area, from there on out you will be on your own."
"Mission objective is to reach instillation and self destruct the planet. Assume everything is hostile. Operation time is unknown. If that's everything we leave in five hours, get me the twins I want to talk to them." Harry stated to the room.
"Harry you can't do this right now, we need to prepare and go over things." Hermione protested, a look of fear in her eyes as she realized what he had planned.
"No. The only certainty here is that at any moment those things, whatever is out there, will get through this Doorway, or wormhole or whatever the fuck it is and kill and everything here. I will NOT let that happen." And there for the first time ever the only fear that Harry would ever show was made evident to Hermione for a brief flicker in time, the fear of losing her and James, the fear of losing his only family. She knew in that instant that no matter what he would be ready to go in five hours or less, even if he had to go by himself.
"Okay." Tears brimmed her eyes. "But promise me that you will be back, swear to me and James that you will come back to us." She told him in a trembling voice.
"I swear to you both that I will be back." Bending down he kissed her passionately and gave James a long hug.
"Come back soon daddy." James whispered into his ear.
"I will, I swear it." Tearing his eyes away from them he made his way to the door, his brothers following behind, grim determination set in their features. "Alos, Miller, come with us." Sarge led the way to the spacious combat prep room that was located in the middle of the hive. As they walked people looked up to them happily only to realize that something was wrong, Exodus did not march through the Hive in quiet contemplation and deathly determination.
Once they were all inside and the door shut with a hiss Sarge turned around to face the expectant faces of his brothers and makers, Bessy slithering up behind him expectantly.
"Would I be correct in assuming that you wish to leave a lot sooner then in your stated five hours?" Miller asked.
Sarge nodded. "Alos what are the chances of our survival?"
"Experimental, meaning I have no bloody idea."
"Of anyone other then Exodus?"
"Zero."
"My thoughts exactly. Miller are the new ammunition packs ready?"
"Yes, the twins finished working on them a few days ago. Cartridges loaded into the packs are one tenth the size and weight, they work just like your previous packs except that now you have a lot more ammunition."
"Good."
"Do you still want the twins?"
"No, that was just to make them think I wasn't going to go off without them."
"Understood, I'll call up the Firebolt." Miller opened up a small palm sized computer to give the instructions.
The Firebolt was technologically the same to Exodus' normal jet, except that it quiet literally had some magical touches added to it, as did all of their gear. The armor was now slightly lighter and even more durable, a few clever charms helped fight gravity, meaning that they could now jump higher and land softer then before, then there were other small miscellaneous things that helped them survive.
"Bessy you're not going to be able to come with us on this one, not because we don't want you to but because you literally can't. Your responsibility will be to make sure that nothing gets through to this world." He instructed Bessy.
"I understand, I'll take care of them don't worry." She assured him.
"Alos tell us where we need to go and how to do what we need to do." No sooner had Sarge finished the sentence then a wave of information was literally downloaded into their brains.
"That works too." Harry gasped. The others blinked a few times, the sensation making their heads throb.
"The fuck was that?" Bulldog rubbed his temple.
"Everything I know, which at the moment isn't very much. There is one thing that I did not mention to the others."
They were about to ask what when almost randomly a thought surfaced on their consciousness.
"Don't go looking for them, but if you happen to come across them then find out all you can. I will update all of the imaging and scan that I have to your suits once you are ready." Alos told them.
"Well then, what are we waiting for? We gonna sit around n' chat all day are we gonna start some fires with our burnin desires?" Pyro grinned.
Without another word and grins that only true bad asses could wear, Exodus went to prepare their equipment. Magic now allowed them to shrink their weapons with a flick of a switch, a fact which made carrying two weapons extremely easy.
"I have watched this sight hundreds of times before, and still I have shivers running down my spine every time." Alos told Miller as they looked upon Exodus preparing. "They have a bond that you and I will never understand nor experience."
"I've tried figuring out how they time their last segment together so well, but have never been able to." Miller replied to him.
"You could say it is a mystery of the universe."
"Identification confirmed. Stalker."
"Identification confirmed. Joker."
"Identification confirmed. JJ."
"Identification confirmed. Bulldog."
"Identification confirmed. Snipe."
"Identification confirmed. Pyro."
"Identification confirmed. Destroyer."
There was a short pause wherein a low whine announced the BFG coming online. "Identification confirmed. Sarge."
- - -
The Firebolt skimmed just feet above the ocean floor, a tail of white water following in its wake, quiet literally the key to humanities survival sitting patiently in its hold.
"What does the Doorway look like?" Snipe asked Alos who sat beside a small but very powerful bomb.
"You've all seen it, Sarge has actually seen it thousands of times." At this they all looked at him, their body language betraying their façade of emotionless killers. "In fact, all of the people who have walked through the great doors of Hogwarts have laid on eyes on it and have never suspected a thing."
- - -
The Firebolt landed in a flowing gust of rain, eight armored figures jumped out and walked purposefully towards the looming castle before them. Gray storm clouds blocked out the sun, echoing the mood of the warrior below. Alos and Miller followed behind them, the weight of the matter fully settling in, all that they had both worked to achieve was about to be put to the ultimate test.
The great front doors of Hogwarts creaked open with a sound that echoed throughout the dark great hall, spreading out into the castle. The enchanted ceiling was the only source of light as a thunderstorm began to rage outside, the ceiling mirroring the weather. Destroyer planted the bomb in the center of the room with a resonating thud.
Muttering under his breath Alos lifted his hands up into the air as the ceiling above began to swirl and crackle with brilliant white energy. "You may set the count down to five seconds." He told Destroyer who stood beside the bomb.
Flicking a switch and turning a small dial Destroyer activated the cylindrical weapon. Stepping away from it two seconds past before a bolt of white light struck it and the bomb disappeared.
"3. 2. 1. Merry Christmas." JJ counted down.
"Don't forget to put up a defense around this place." Sarge told the two old men.
"Don't forget that we don't have a plan B in this scenario."
"Don't worry. I promised my family I'd be back." Sarge stated in a tone that you did not bullshit with.
"We've knocked on Daddy's door. Now lets go say hi." Destroyer cycled his minigun as on giant bolt of energy crashed into Exodus.
A.N. Updated both HPZ and this today, hope you enjoyed it.
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