The Third Convergence Day

Melbourne

Melbourne, Australia

January 1st, 2054

4:40 AM

Jared Wallace looked at the cargo crate in front of him and sneered, this process was starting to get grating. He shot a look at the man with a crowbar standing next to the crate, and said.

"Well it isn't gonna check itself, pop it open." The man nodded and with a bit of effort fit the pry of the crowbar between the planks and popped the top off the crate. As the top of the crate was lifted up and off, revealing the contents inside, Jared took a step forward. He let out a sigh, it was the same as the last few shipments he had inspected, pelts, bagged meats and organs, claws, teeth, and all the little bits you could squeeze out of an endangered animal's corpse that freaks on the black market pay top dollar for. Despite the legality of the contents, reviewing them became very dull very quickly.

Jared wasn't in this business for thrills however, he was here for money, simple as that, and considering the global economy was about to go tits up because of the big fellas appearing across the world, he wasn't going to allow a chance to get some cash to slip through his fingertips. Leaving Australia wouldn't hurt either, the continent was going into a lockdown surveillance state because of that dragon that appeared in the ruins of Sydney, and apparently at least two more ultra-fauna were b-lining towards the continent. It didn't matter much, as soon as they got to Antalaha it was gonna be out of sight and out of mind, no Ultra Fauna had ever made landfall in Madagascar, maybe they were scared of lemurs.

Jared chuckled at the thought as his eyes shifted towards the small ship sitting in port. It wasn't a very large vessel, but it didn't have to be for cargo like this, and it made getting passed the coast guard, who were patrolling the waters, just in case one of those things decided to make landfall, like having a patrol for that would do much, even a smaller Ultra, like Cannibarah or something, would bust through any patrol in moments. Jared sighed as his men moved in front of him carrying another large crate. Just a couple more, then it's just some sailing and lemur hunting for a couple months. He smiled as he gestured with his hand for them to open the crate.

Buzzz.

Jared looked over his shoulder, expecting to see a pesky fly whizzing past his ear, but his eyes didn't see anything out of the ordinary. No matter where the smuggler looked, that faint buzzing remained consistent, a steady, constant hum. He looked towards his men, and they all looked equally confused. Then Jared noticed something, he stepped forward, pushing through his men until he reached the edge of the pier. He looked over the side, and his breath caught in his throat. It was subtle, but the surface of the water wasn't still, it was vibrating ever so slightly.

"Oh fucking hell..." Jared muttered as a new sound caught his attention. His head snapped up as he saw one of his men standing at the bow of the ship,yelling hysterically and frantically waving his arms and pointing... out to sea. Jared followed the man's gaze and felt his body freeze in place. There, in the distance, barely a speck upon the endless black horizon, was a splash of white, which seemed to grow larger and larger with each passing moment.

It was a wake, a very, very, very big wake. Holy shit, it was an Ultra Fauna.

A low rumble shook the earth beneath the smuggler's feet as whatever was making its way towards the shore let out a deafening wail. Jared could hear his men, he heard their voices strain from screaming, and the rhythmic slapping of their shoes against the concrete pier as they took off running, but no matter how much he wanted to flee, run off to try to find some imaginary sanctuary that would save him from whatever this thing was, he simply couldn't move. Jared hadn't even noticed that the buzzing noise had grown louder, not until his body was plunged into an even deeper dark than before. The noise, that had been so faint mere moments ago it seemed, was now unbearably loud. Jared grunted in pain and raised his gloved hands to his ears in a desperate attempt to drown out the accursed hum, that's when the severity of his situation dawned on him.

Slowly, shakily, the smuggler turned around, and tilted his head skyward. Where once had been a stunningly beautiful night sky, its true vastness no longer shadowed by the city's countless lights, was now an eerily dark void. But this void was not endless, it had... an outline, and that outline was very familiar looking. The humming stopped, and the massive silhouette grew larger and larger.

The creature landed with a thunderous boom. The creature's massive body loomed over Jared, who fell ass first onto the concrete below in sheer terror. He wanted to scream, to get to his feet and run, but he couldn't move, he couldn't even blink as he watched the creature mass stay motionless for a mere contemplative moment. Then that low rumble came again, and this creature responded with its own defiant series of ear-splittingly high pitched clicks.

Suddenly a light filled the air, illuminating the abhorrent world that Jared now found himself in. The blueish glow exposed the details of the creature that now towered above him. It's red and black exoskeleton gleamed eerily in the light, its many limbs stiffened and relaxed as if in a constant state of motion, and as he turned, curiosity getting the better of him, he saw the horrible mandibles that adorned this ultra fauna's insect-like head.

Jared yelled in pain as the deafening hum filled the air once again, and did even notice as the insectoid creature rocketed upwards, and out of the source of the glow. The smuggler screams were snuffed out in an instant, as Melbourne was engulfed in a heavenly blue.