The Outcasts' Alternate Universes & Hellscapes

5 - Earth 510: Love Is Where The Star Is

WRITTEN BY CONNOR HICKMAN

"What..." he spoke to himself, sounding shocked. "Was someone inside that asteroid?"

Freight-Tale scanned around the area of the crash site, noticing the footprints on the ground. They looked like they belonged to a human or something of the sort. However, there was no sign of anyone else in the vicinity. Scratching the top of his head out of confusion, something would suddenly capture the hero.

Finding himself unable to move, the feeling of fear crept up on Sky's back. It was as if he was frozen in place. As he attempted to figure out what was happening, he used all his strength to try and move any part of his body but realized it was useless. The more he tried to use his abilities to resist, the stronger the effect became. In fact, it was so strong that even his ability to speak felt like it slowly began to fall away.

Suddenly, a figure covered in darkness made itself known. Wearing a dark blue and black spandex-like suit, what seemed like a man smiled wickedly. His face was on display for all to see, but it couldn't be seen clearly due to the darkness surrounding him. All that could be seen was a pair of large, round eyes peering at the hero.

"Where am I?" the figure asked with a voice that sounded both soft and gentle, yet also cold.

"W... What?" Sky struggled to speak, his throat feeling dry.

"This planet!" the attacker yelled.

"E- Earth!"

"Earth? I'm on Earth?!"

The strange figure laughed loudly as if hearing a joke, the sound echoing through the space around them. As he peered around, the man would take in the sights of the grass and flowers. He would be surprised by them as if he'd never seen flora before.

"Who are you?" Freight-Tale managed to squeak out.

"I. Am. Graviton!" the alien man said, extending his arms forward.

Freight-Tale suddenly found himself lifted up into the air, unable to speak once again. He tried to activate his flame form, but he had no control over his own body. Slowly rotating in midair, the hero watched helplessly as clumps of metal began to surround him. At the same time, an overwhelming sense of nausea came over him.

"Ahh! Gah!" Freight-Tale suddenly cried out in pain.

Without a second's notice, the metal lumps began to wrap around the hero's body, squeezing tightly, and cutting off his oxygen supply. With the lack of air, he began to feel light-headed. Eventually, the last bit of breath left his lungs and Freight-Tale fell limp, with the metal fully encasing his body.

"Gravity." Graviton chuckled. "It's a funny thing..."

With that, the mysterious man turned around and walked away from the crash site. His footsteps were quiet and distant, fading quickly as he left the area.

Soon Graviton found himself surrounded by more trees and grass. Looking down, the man noticed the ground was beginning to become rocky before soon coming across a large cliff drop. Taking a step on the very edge of the ledge, he looked over the side to see many homes and houses at the bottom. The scenery below him was beautiful, with a nice breeze blowing through the area.

"This feels wrong but looks incredible... This is nothing like Titol..." Graviton muttered to himself, taking in his surroundings before remembering something. "Sapphire, where is she?"

His sister most likely landed on this planet somewhere after everything that happened back home. If he didn't find her, then he wouldn't know what to do next. A slight frown crossed his face as he thought about the situation.