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(12 Years Ago)
It was a sunny day. Holly was doing her secret superhero work, just like any other day—saving people, fighting villains, the usual. Despite her limited experience—since it hadn't been that long since she joined the Guardians of the Globe—she was already a capable hero.
Right now, she was in the middle of the city. Robots were attacking people and destroying everything in sight, setting buildings on fire and causing chaos. The one behind all this was Doc Seismic. He had stolen technology from the GDA (Global Defense Agency), killed the creator of a high-tech glove that generated shockwaves, and improved the design for himself.
Alongside her were Red Rush, a speedster, and Green Ghost. The three of them were more than enough to handle Doc Seismic. Cecil had sent them because the other Guardians were busy dealing with a greater threat. Nolan, Immortal, and the stronger members of the team were occupied, leaving Holly, Red Rush, and Green Ghost to handle secondary missions. Among them, Holly was the strongest.
(They were already in position, ready to end this.)
But just as Holly was about to attack, her suit received a call. Her uniform had a built-in communication system.
She quickly answered.
— Holly: "Cecil, I can't talk right now, I'm in the middle of something."
— Cecil: "I know, but I need you now. Green Ghost and Red Rush can handle this on their own. Besides, I already sent Martian Man to back them up. I have another mission for you."
— Holly: "But…"
— Cecil: "This could be important, Holly. We still don't know the full situation."
— Holly: "Why me? There are other available members."
— Cecil: "Because... I trust you. And because you can fly."
Holly sighed.
— Holly: "Fine. I'm on my way."
— Cecil: "Good."
At the GDA
Cecil was inside the GDA, standing in front of several monitors showing images of an unidentified object approaching Earth. Whatever it was, it had technology advanced enough to interfere with their most sophisticated sensors, completely blocking out images from cameras, drones, and satellites. The only way to find out what it was would be to send someone there in person.
Holly arrived at the GDA, walking through the halls. She made her way down to the lower levels, where Cecil and his agents were analyzing the data.
— Cecil: "Glad you made it. I was about to send Nolan."
Holly crossed her arms.
— Holly: "What is it this time, Cecil?"
He pointed to the monitors. Holly looked at the screen, which showed something that resembled an asteroid.
— Holly: "An asteroid? If you expect me to stop it on my own, you better call Nolan, because I can't handle that."
— Cecil: "Our team doesn't think it's an asteroid. This thing interfered with our surveillance systems. Whatever it is, our cameras and satellites can't see it directly, so our agents suspect it might be something else."
— Holly: "A spaceship?"
— Cecil: "Maybe. We don't know. I need you to go there and tell us what it is. And I trust you enough to send you."
Holly thought for a moment, then nodded. It didn't seem too dangerous.
— Cecil: "Our agents have already calculated where it's going to land. I'm sending you the coordinates now. You need to leave immediately."
Holly's suit had a small display on her wrist that would guide her to the location. She left the GDA and flew toward the "meteor." After over an hour of flight, she arrived at the landing site—a tall, cold mountain. Thanks to her Amazonian physique, she had a natural resistance to the cold. She crossed her arms and waited.
Her wrist display indicated that impact would occur in five minutes.
The Arrival of the Spaceship
Holly looked around and soon spotted the "meteor" falling rapidly from the sky. As it got closer, she realized it wasn't a meteor at all—it was a high-tech alien spaceship, burning as it descended.
If the spaceship hit the mountain, it would tumble down and could explode. Something inside her told her she needed to stop it at any cost. Her heart pounded.
She made a split-second decision—she threw herself in front of the spaceship, arms outstretched, ready to stop it.
The spaceship was hot enough to burn her hands, and the force of impact pushed her backward. Her back scraped against the ground as she tried to hold onto the flaming vessel. Using her body and flight abilities, she did her best to slow it down.
The pain was unbearable. Her uniform was shredded, her hands were severely burned, and her body was covered in burns and bruises. She let out a scream, but thankfully, her communicator was off—Cecil wouldn't hear it.
Finally, she managed to stop the spaceship. But her body was wrecked. Unable to hold on any longer, she passed out.
The Discovery
After about five minutes, Holly woke up to the sound of her communicator buzzing.
— Cecil: "Holly? Answer me, Holly!"
She struggled to her feet and picked up the call.
— Holly: "I'm here…"
— Cecil: "Good to hear. So? Was it a spaceship?"
Holly hesitated.
— Holly: "I don't know yet. I'm checking it out now. Hanging up."
— Cecil: "Holly, wait—"
She ended the call.
Holly slowly walked toward the spaceship. As she approached, the hatch suddenly opened. She tensed up, ready for a possible attack, but then… she heard something unexpected—a baby crying.
When she stepped closer, she saw a small boy with pale skin, clutching a strange alien key. Around him, several transparent crystals sparkled. He was crying loudly but looked strong and healthy.
Holly's eyes widened.
— Holly: "No way… A baby? How did you end up here?"
Despite her burned hands, she carefully picked him up, wrapping him in a torn piece of her uniform to keep him warm.
The baby wouldn't stop crying. But Holly found him… adorable. In that moment, she knew she had made the right choice.
— Holly: "Where are your parents…?" — she murmured, looking up at the sky.
Before she could think about what to do, her communicator buzzed again. Cecil.
— Cecil: "Holly, what did you find? Was it a spaceship? Tell me now, and I'll send a team immediately."
Holly looked at the baby in her arms. If she turned him over to the GDA, who knew what they would do to him? Would he grow up trapped in a lab, treated like an experiment? She knew Cecil wouldn't hesitate to study him, just like he had done before.
She made up her mind. She would lie.
She covered the baby's mouth to muffle his cries.
— Holly: "It was nothing. Just a meteor. I think something in this area messed with your readings. Your team made a mistake, Cecil. There's nothing here."
Cecil sighed.
— Cecil: "Damn. I'm sorry, Holly. We made you go all the way out there for nothing. I'll call off the agents."
— Holly: "It's fine… By the way, Cecil, I need a favor."
— Cecil: "What is it?"
— Holly: "I want a vacation. Starting today."
— Cecil: "A vacation?"
— Holly: "Yep."
— Cecil: "I'll think about—Holly? Holly?"
She hung up.
Holly then looked down at the little boy in her arms, smiling softly.
— Holly: "Now… what do I do with you?"
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