| Overview: | In In the year 2113 A.D., a team of scientists is dispatched to Antarctica to investigate the region's abnormal seismic activity. Near the epicenter of the activity, the expedition discovers vast land markings akin to the Nazca paleoglyphs drawn in the Peruvian desert. Stranger still is the presence of an enormous underground cavern below these symbols. At the bottom of the chasm, a portion of a tremendous tower juts from the ground. Armed with ultra-digital cameras, the scientific team transmits their findings to the Command Center. One explorer traces the image of a star chart engraved on the tower's exterior. The tower begins to emit a sinister howling as if possessed by demonic forces. One by one, the members of the expedition writhe in pain and die. Those observing the scene at the Command Center watch helplessly. As the high-frequency noise suffuses their headquarters, they too succumb and die in agony. When the waves of the frequency are analyzed, they are discovered to be a beacon directed at the planet Elysium, which lies beyond Earth's solar system.
Van, the reluctant hero of the story, is an 18-year-old pizza delivery boy in Manhattan. He competes in the most popular sport of the 22nd century -- turbo jai alai racing. These races are fast paced and deadly affairs that integrate virtual reality into the competition. He's deeply in love with Lydia, a talented ballerina. In the chaotic futuristic metropolis, they only have each other and their dreams. Van and Lydia desperately want the chance to escape the polluted city-scape. Despite the dangers, Van enters a turbo jai alai race in the hopes of winning first prize -- two tickets to a galactic resort where Lydia can audition for the Jupiter Ballet.
Meanwhile, earth's deep space observation vessel, the Odyssey, patrols the planet's orbital perimeter. The Odyssey is confronted by an armada of sophisticated alien spacecraft from Elysium. The awed human crew prepares to receive the Elysian ambassador, Yaspe. Without warning, the Odyssey loses control of its weapons, fires on the ambassador's vessel and destroys it. This tragic misunderstanding results in brutal retaliation by the Elysian fleet, culminating in the destruction of the Odyssey and a full-scale attack on Earth.
Van's deadly sport of choice turns deadlier when the stadium he is competing in comes under fire from the Elysian barrage. Van struggles through the chaos on his turbo-cycle to rescue Lydia from the collapsing stands. The indiscriminate Elysian onslaught scorches cities worldwide. Van and Lydia flee through the burning streets of Manhattan seeking safety. After a series of harrowing escapes, they find refuge in a claustrophobic fall-out shelter.
Life in the shelters is miserable, with little food and medicine, and even less privacy. Lydia dreams of fresh air, sunshine, and the chance to dance again. Van offers to take Lydia to the hillside where they had once spent many carefree days. His worst fears are realized when they are caught in the open by advancing Elysian troops. During their desperate attempt to reach safety, a brutal Elysian warrior, Kronos, fatally wounds Lydia. Van finds himself caught in the crossfire between earth's air defense forces and Elysian ground troops. He is knocked unconscious during the battle and awakens to find himself drafted into the army. Lost without Lydia and sickened by war, Van is only intent upon wreaking revenge on the one Elysian responsible for Lydia's death. During a firefight with the Elysians, Van is nearly killed as the defenders' positions are over-run.
Death and destruction rage across the globe, but deep below the earth's surface, in a remote region of the Peruvian desert, the Ark comes to life. This ancient vessel and its enigmatic commander, Sonra, simultaneously waken from eons of slumber. The Ark is a defense mechanism created by superior extra-terrestrial beings. Sonra's mission is to search for the prophesied four Knights who will aid the Ark in its battle against the Elysian invaders.
Earth's defense forces valiantly fight off alien troops. Christopher, a selfless Stratojet pilot, leads a fighter squadron against Elysian Hellcons. In the middle of a dogfight, he is surrounded by a mysteriously light and transported out of his jet. Meanwhile, Paul, a headstrong thirteen year old, and his clumsy sidekick robot, Oz, fight off a gang of young bullies in an underground bunker. The shelter soon comes under attack and Paul and Oz vanish like Christopher.
Sonra transports Van to the Ark after his life is spared by Nix, an armored Elysian warrior. Once aboard the Ark, Van learns from the Sonra that he is the first Knight. Christopher is the second Knight. The third Knight is Paul, who is skeptical of Van's abilities. The identity of the fourth Knight remains unknown, but the comical Oz claims that he is the missing hero. Sonra presents the Knights with individual suits of massive biomorphic combat armor. Each suit of armor serves as a cybernetic 'metal skin' that functions in symbiosis with the heroes' genetic structure. Christopher commands the Talos armor, Paul the Arion armor, and Van controls the awesome armor of Charon.
Necros, the Grand General of Elysium's elite troops, and his lackey, Lycon, direct the offensive against earth from the mighty flagship Colonus. They are aided by two loyal officers, Nix and Kronos. Nix is the daughter of Ambassador Yaspe and is intent on avenging her father's death. She is convinced that humans are a vicious and primitive people who must be destroyed to preserve the universe. Nix begins to doubt her beliefs when she observes human sacrifice and altruism. Necros entrusts Nix and Kronos with a secret assignment known only as 'Operation Babel.'
Against Sonra's wishes, Paul and Christopher rush into battle with the Elysians who attack defenseless civilians. The Knights encounter Nix and Kronos in their fight. Van too disobeys Sonra's orders once he recognizes Kronos as Lydia's killer. Van spares Nix's life because of her uncanny resemblence to Lydia. Nix and Kronos are forced to retreat. Although the Knights win the battle, their presence reveals the Ark's existence to Necros.
Nix becomes increasingly dissatisfied with Elysian conduct in the war and questions the objectives of the Babel Project. Nix pursues her doubts and learns that the tower uncovered in the Antarctic is Babel, the fortress-prison of renegade Elysians known as the Tenebrans. The Tenebrans were evil devotees of a legendary Elysian cult who sought to enslave the universe. Millennia ago, the demonic Tenebrans were exiled to Earth and sealed beneath thousands of feet of ice inside Babel.
The war between Elysium and earth is a carefully orchestrated plot by Necros meant to divert attention from his true objective: freeing the Tenebrans from captivity. Armed with this knowledge, Nix resolves to assassinate Necros. Her daring attempt is unsuccessful and she is captured by Lycon. Kronos gives his life to help Nix escape and put a stop to Necros' treachery. Nix transports to earth and heads for the Nazca region where the Ark resides.
Van is reluctant to accept his destiny as a hero. His only interest is in avenging himself against Lydia's killer, Kronos. However, when Nix appears, he is struck by her resemblance to Lydia and finds inspiration in her presence. After being brought aboard the Ark by Van, Nix explains the Tenebran conspiracy to the Knights. Sonra announces that she will stop Necros from releasing the Tenebrans by using Armageddon, an ancient weapon. Armageddon will freeze the planet into a new ice age, killing most living creatures. The Knights oppose Sonra's plan. She tries to convince them that the only way to save the universe from Tenebran domination is to sacrifice most of humanity.
Nix and Van are drawn to each other, but he struggles to overcome his attraction. Together they outline a plan to thwart Necros' schemes without firing the Armageddon cannon. Sonra consents and determines that Nix is the missing fourth Knight. Paul refuses to accept Nix, stubbornly insisting that she is a spy.
Necros' Colonus flagship reaches the Antarctic resting place of Babel. The Knights prepare for their deadly mission to intercept this rendezvous. The Knights must infiltrate the Colonus and kill Necros to prevent him from using the ship to break Babel's seal. After battling their way through Elysian defenders, the Knights confront the powerful Necros. Christopher sacrifices himself to defeat Necros so that the other Knights can complete their mission. The remaining Knights barely have time to recover from their battle with Necros before they notice that Babel continues to rise towards the Colonus. The Tenebrans have infected the Colonus' computers to ensure their rendezvous with the flagship. Oz meets up with a similarly designed Elysian robot who leads the Knights to the Colonus' control area.
Van and Nix mount an Elysian cycle, attempting to destroy the computers and prevent the Tenebran escape. Their mission is successful. The legions of Tenebrans who burst from Babel's seal are sucked back inside. The hideous tower and the Colonus plunge into the Antarctic, swallowed up by glacial ice. The heroes escape the devastation thanks to Sonra's intervention. She immediately vanishes with the Ark.
As the smoke and fires of combat cease, human survivors emerge from underground bunkers to welcome the sunlight with laughter and tears. Van and Nix walk hand in hand through the countryside and begin to appreciate the beauty around them. Paul is reconciled to Van's heroism and Nix's bravery. Oz is pursued by the Elysian robot who has fallen in love with him. The heroes dedicate themselves to the future and see the promise of a rainbow spread above them.
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