Dark Matter: Code Red

Dark Matter: Code Red is the first book within artist Taylor W. Wilson's Dark Matter Universe. The book introduces Collin Williams, known to many as Dark Matter.

## Description

*"Follow the story of a young man shot into the action he fought to avoid. Collin Williams is a high-power mutant that was exiled to Earth two years ago. When a newly-discovered sibling is being crowned queen of Managarus, he is thrown back into the cosmos. The Industry, an evil organization bent on stealing Collin's dark matter powers, is ready. They've prepared for war. Now, they test the Alliance. Collin has been restricted from utilizing his dark matter powers for two years. Will he be able to tap back into these powers and save the universe?" - Back Cover Description, Dark Matter: Code Red*

## Plot Summary

   Two years after being exiled for nearly killing hundreds of innocent researchers in a Peterson Industry facility, Collin Williams continued to struggle to make ends meet on Earth. After finding his car was broken into while he was fishing, Collin tracked the culprit to a diner. Forgetting that the Alliance had eyes on him at all times at this point, Collin attacked the thief, but only took back his cross necklace given to him by his mother over a decade before. Colonel Jarod Frey immediately took notice of Collin’s behavior and made himself known. While the Admiral pitied Collin’s situation, he scolded the young mutant and sent him his way.

The next day, a robber began threating people by the cash registers at a local grocery store Collin worked at. Collin attacked the robber, though he remembered the Alliance had planted Agents in the town to keep eyes on him. Collin bolted out of the store through the back door of the store, but was quickly apprehended by the Agents. Not long after, he was scolded again by Admiral Frey for once again refusing to cooperate. He brought up to Collin that he knew the young mutant was not sure whether the robber’s gun was loaded and that Collin put others in danger as well as exposed himself as a mutant. Frey took away Collin’s Alliance badge that he had been given for helping some Agents on Earth on numerous occasions, under the radar from the Industry. Collin, angered at the treatment, attempted to get drunk after stealing an Alliance credit card made for use on Earth. After racking up a hefty bill, he stole a car and drunkenly drove off a cliffside in a police chase.

After return home the next morning, Collin was greeted by Blare, who had been waiting for him in his run-down apartment. She explained that there was another sibling, older than the current two, named Athena who had been kidnapped by an evil sorcerer when Blare was too young to even remember. Athena had been found by accident and rescued only a short while after Collin was exiled and had utilized advanced learning equipment of Managarus to bring her mind and knowledge up to speed. After displaying incredible skills in magical combat and strategy and a heart of gold, It was decided that the King and Queen would step down from their thrones and become the new representatives of Managarus in the Intergalactic Alliance Senate on Alpha Prime, while Athena would take over as the new Queen.

Blare informed Collin that IGA would allow him to exit exile for a short time to attend the coronation festival on Managarus, with the conditions of behaving as an outstanding civilian and not using any of his powers. There, Collin reunited with his friends, pushing down the fact some of them supported his exile. While King Orion refused to accept Collin as part of the royal family, he agreed to allow Collin to stay.

Collin enjoyed festivities for only a short time before William Ordazed made his first appearance in years. After the two fought for a time on Managarus, Ordazed beat Collin and kidnapped Senator David Carnigan, who secretly worked for Ordazed. Collin was arrested by Managarus police for breaking the rules, though Kyle Reyes bailed him out hours later.

At the castle in Pearl City on Managarus, Admiral Frey informed Collin and his friends that peace was over. Three capital ships belonging to I.G.A. had gone missing and the Industry had suddenly appeared, announcing that they wanted an audience with a handful of ambassadors on Nova Station and a very high ransom amount. Jarod wished for Collin to attend this meeting in secret and record everything. At this time, Jarod informed Collin that the Industry had a massive warship now called the “Dread,” and it was built under the same facility Collin destroyed before his exile. Collin was enraged as he was proven innocent now, but had lost years of his life. Jarod convinced Collin to help, but it would be the last time, he promised.

While his friends looked for the lost ships, Collin flew to Nova Station, the largest space station in existence; home to hundreds of thousands of people of all sorts of species. Collin disguised himself as an Alliance trooper and began recording video and audio of the meeting. Things turned to hell in only moments though. There were cloaked Industry assassins throughout the room who made short work of the unarmed politicians in the meeting hall.

Collin finally jumped in on the action, clawing his way through Industry foot soldiers outside the hall. It wasn’t long before he realized the attack was ultimately an invasion. Nova Station turned into a warzone. William Ordazed finally arrived with full intent to destabilize the station’s power core, as well as to ensure that Senator Carnigan would safely find his way the station in an escape pod. Ordazed and Collin met in the power core chamber and were immediately locked into hand-to-hand combat.

Meanwhile, Collin’s friends discovered the fate of the missing I.G.A. ships after locating a data pad floating in space where the ships disappeared. The Industry had unleased an indestructible creature known as “Relic” that killed everyone aboard the ships. The ships were nowhere to be found. News finally flooded in: Nova Station was under assault. Both Managarus’ fleet and I.G.A.’s fleet took to the stars to provide aid.

On Nova Station, Collin had failed. The core was destabilized and the station was heating up. Collin struggled to save a small handful of survivors that he discovered on his way to the final escape pods. Collin sent a final distress signal to the Alliance warning them to wait before trying to come to Nova Station. Any ships jumping out of hyperspace would be caught in the explosion of the station. Ordazed made a last appearance, pinning Collin to a metal beam that now ran through Collin’s heart. Assuming the survivors were concerned for their own safety and would not risk their lives for Collin, Ordazed left his opponent. The survivors did, however, come to Collin’s aid.

The station exploded with the survivors now trapped in an escape pod. The pod survived, but life support systems were failing. To the group’s luck, the Alliance and Managarus fleets arrived and save them, as well as David Carnigan, who was found in his own pod.

Collin sat down at a table back over in orbit over Managarus. It is at this time he reveals that several months ago, he had an ex-Industry doctor seal away his dark matter powers behind a psychic lock and the only way to unlock it would be to return to Earth. Collin reluctantly agreed to help the Alliance now, believing the events that occurred within the past few days evidence that the Industry was declaring war on the Alliance.