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Henry and Cecil walked side by side through the halls of the GDA.
'Only a few members are here. The others are busy.'
'That's fine. Either way, I have to head back.'
'I see.'
As they walked, Henry remembered that he still needed to build the Phantom Zone bracelets.
'I have a request, Cecil.'
'Go ahead. If I can help, I will.'
'I need some tech parts.'
'What kind of parts? And what do you need them for?'
'I have to build something… but it's a secret.'
'I'll think about it.'
They arrived at the entrance to the Command Room, a reinforced metal structure about ten feet tall with high-pressure magnetic locks. It had a biometric scanner for authorized access and slid open laterally when unlocked. In case of an invasion, it sealed automatically and could be locked remotely by the GDA.
The room was large and circular, designed to accommodate heroes with different physical abilities and needs. Its walls were made of an experimental metal alloy, resistant to extreme impacts and reinforced to contain potential internal conflicts.
Holographic screens surrounded the room, displaying global alerts and real-time battle analysis. At the center stood a large holographic table, projecting digital maps and tactical data. This was where the Guardians gathered before every mission. Panels around the room provided constant updates on villains, invasions, and catastrophic events. Cecil could communicate at any time to issue new orders.
Inside the room, there were three people.
One of them was his aunt, Holly—War Woman. She wore a red suit with golden details, without heavy armor. Her cape was blue, and she wielded a golden mace as her weapon.
The second was Darkwing. His suit was black, with a wing-shaped cape, a mask covering his face, and a utility belt packed with gadgets. He looked a lot like Batman.
The last was Red Rush, whom Henry had seen before.
They were apparently on break.
Cecil: 'Where are the others?'
Holly: 'They just left.'
Holly walked up to Henry, hugged him tightly, and pinched his cheeks.
'You look so handsome! I'm so proud of you!'
Henry felt a bit shy, being babied in front of the others.
Darkwing watched him closely. Even though he had no powers, his gaze was intimidating. He stepped forward.
'It's a pleasure to meet you. Holly always speaks highly of you.' – Darkwing extended his hand for a handshake.
Henry shook his hand.
'The pleasure is mine.'
The Russian speedster, who had been sitting and eating, suddenly appeared beside Henry.
Henry actually managed to sense him approaching. His reflexes were sharper than before. That test had done something.
With his Russian accent, Red Rush said:
'And you, kid? I see you're still alive.'
'Looks like it… I almost didn't see you coming.'
'Hahaha! That's a good one!'
They started talking about superhero-related things—their powers—when, suddenly, one of the monitors in the room turned on.
All the Guardians, who had been relaxed and distracted, instantly tensed up. Henry knew something was wrong.
Cecil, standing in the room, placed his hand on his earpiece and activated his communicator.
The monitor displayed images of a massive monster heading toward a cruise ship.
A kaiju.
It had two thick, massive arms. Its legs were large, but not as much as its arms. It had a long, spiked tail built for swimming. Its skin was covered in a thick, bullet-resistant hide. It moved swiftly through the water. Its body was twice the size of the cruise ship, which was near a beach.
Cecil: 'I need you to get over there and handle it. A kaiju is headed straight for the civilians.'
'Yes, sir!' – the Guardians responded in unison.
'I want to go with you guys.'
'Kid, this isn't a game.' – Red Rush said.
'I know… but I think I can help.'
Darkwing: 'Maybe next time.'
The team left the base. Darkwing took off in a jet. Red Rush ran at full speed. Holly flew into the sky.
That left only Henry and Cecil.
'Let me help…'
Cecil considered it. Henry had been asking for a while.
'Alright.'
Cecil called Holly and the others.
'The kid wants to go with you. Holly, not my fault if he dies.'
'Wait, Cecil! I never agreed to this!'
Cecil turned to Henry.
'Go ahead. Just focus on getting the civilians out first. And take this communicator—I'll stay in touch.'
Cecil grabbed a spare communicator and tossed it to Henry.
'Got it.'
Henry shot off from the GDA, heading toward the kaiju's location.
He caught up to Holly and the others. Darkwing was piloting a jet that looked like something Batman would own. Holly was flying beside it. Red Rush was somewhere ahead—probably already there.
'Hey, guys!'
Holly noticed Henry flying next to her. She was a little tense—he had come without their permission, in the middle of a mission.
She flew closer to Henry and smacked him on the head a few times.
'Ow! Tia Holly's trying to kill me!'
'Hmm… that was nothing. Just wait till we get back.'
'I can help!'
'I don't care. Your mom's gonna kill me when she finds out.'
Darkwing, inside the jet, couldn't hear a thing.
They left the GDA quickly and flew over the cruise ship. From above, Henry saw something.
A red blur was darting across the water, pulling civilians off the ship and bringing them to shore.
— Moments earlier…
Inside the cruise ship, the passengers were calm. They had no idea a giant monster was heading straight for them. The GDA's satellites had detected the anomaly moving through the water and alerted the Guardians.
At one point, a passenger standing near the railing saw the creature. At first, he thought he was hallucinating and asked someone nearby if they saw it too. More and more people gathered to look at the monster—then panic erupted.
People screamed in terror, alerting the captain. Some, overwhelmed with fear, jumped overboard, trying to swim to shore. Others rushed for the lifeboats.
That's when a red blur zipped across the ship, removing every single passenger.
Henry saw the kaiju approaching and was about to attack it—but before he could do anything, his communicator came to life.
'Forget the kaiju. Focus on helping Red Rush. Get the people off the ship first. We'll figure out the rest later.'
The kaiju was closing in fast. Red Rush was saving people as quickly as possible, but there were too many.
At least 4,000 passengers.
And he could only carry one at a time.
Darkwing flew his jet toward the kaiju and fired missiles at it.
They did no damage.
But they did get the creature's attention.
It turned toward the jet, distracted.
At that moment, War Woman appeared above its head, gripping her war mace.
She swung it down with full force, striking the kaiju's skull.
It didn't do much damage… but it did daze the beast.
War Woman and Darkwing kept distracting the kaiju.
Henry approached the cruise ship, sank into the water, and went under it. Then, he coated the ship with his bioelectric force field and began lifting it slowly.
He had to exert some effort, but he managed to raise the ship into the air.
The people inside the ship felt as if they were dreaming. The cruise ship was… flying.
Red Rush, who had been rescuing people one by one, stopped on the shore and watched the boy lift the ship, which weighed several tons.
People began gathering and recording. It was impressive… Was there someone else as strong as Omni-Man?
Red Rush: 'The kid's pretty strong…'
Henry moved the cruise ship toward a nearby port and asked the sailors for help in connecting the gangway and assisting the passengers in disembarking.
Meanwhile, Red Rush continued rescuing those who had jumped into the sea.
After Henry helped evacuate the cruise ship, many civilians thanked him. Some hadn't even realized what had happened, but those who did were relieved and impressed.
With the people safe, Henry flew to the site of the battle between Holly, Darkwing, and the kaiju.
He decided to help.
With a quick move, he grabbed one of the creature's arms and tore it off.
Green, slimy blood splattered from the monster.
As Henry delivered brutal blows to the creature, the Guardians simply watched.
Suddenly, Henry's communicator started buzzing again.
'Don't kill this creature! We need it alive.'
'Are you sure? Wouldn't it be better to just finish it off?'
'The GDA needs this creature. I won't allow you to kill it.'
'Fine…'
The kaiju tried to punch Henry, but its blows had no effect.
Henry grabbed the other arm of the creature.
'I'm heading out now, guys.'
With a powerful thrust, he flew off, carrying the kaiju by its remaining arm.
Down below, the people on the beach filmed everything from a distance.
Red Rush, still moving the civilians across the water fast enough to avoid sinking, commented:
'The kid's getting cocky...'
Holly sighed.
She prayed that Henry wouldn't throw the kaiju directly onto Cecil…
He wouldn't do that, would he?
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