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Robot, or rather, Rudolph Connors, had created a robot to overcome his physical limitations. He wasn't originally a robot; in fact, he controlled this body from a safe distance.
When Rudy was born, his motor cortex was drastically smaller than it should have been, and parts of his brain had been eaten alive by his oversized brain, with brain cells denser than normal, causing his lungs to suffer an extreme toxic reaction to oxygen. As a result, Rudy was horribly deformed for his entire life, with the only advantage being his high intelligence.
He used his intelligence to create a body and transfer his consciousness into it. He finally had a functional body and could interact with things.
At this moment, Robot (Rudy) was following a world-famous individual. Rudy was intelligent and kept up with the news. The person who had come to him, as far as anyone knew, was an alien, one of the strong ones, who had fought against enemies of great power. He had defeated most of them with ease. He had fought alongside the Guardians to protect Earth from threats multiple times, and now this person had come to him and was taking him somewhere mysterious.
Today was his first appearance in his 'robotic' body.
They were flying toward some unknown destination. Robot had to ask something; he wasn't afraid anyway, since this wasn't his real body, so there was no danger.
"Where are you taking me?" asked Robot.
"My boss wants to meet you. Actually, I don't really know what he wants with you," replied Henry.
"Your boss? You have a boss?" asked Robot, a bit incredulous. He found it strange that someone as powerful as Henry would have a 'boss,' since he could do whatever he wanted with his strength.
They were flying side by side. Henry slowed down so Robot could keep up. He turned to Robot and said:
"Yeah, he's my boss, but it's not like he gives me orders. I do what I want. I just like helping out. I leave the administrative stuff to him."
Robot thought about what he said and found his reasoning acceptable.
Henry continued:
"I usually work alone, but the GDA can be useful sometimes. I don't trust them, but I like their ideals."
They started talking. Henry found it quite odd to converse with a 'robot.' It didn't take a genius to realize that Robot was being remotely controlled by a person because he acted so much like a human.
During the trip to the GDA, they discussed more personal matters. Robot had a few questions, and Henry answered some of them, mainly the ones that didn't compromise him.
"So, you're an alien who grew up on Earth?"
"Yeah... And you're really a robot?" Henry asked.
"It's complicated," Rudy remembered his real appearance and felt sad.
Henry noticed and decided not to bring it up again. It was clear that it bothered him, so they talked about other things.
They arrived at the GDA (Pentagon).
Henry landed right at the entrance. The soldiers saw him and didn't react; they were used to seeing strange things, and nothing surprised them anymore. Many had already seen different kinds of monsters, aberrations.
He walked through them, followed by Robot, and they descended the floors of the GDA until they reached Cecil.
Robot was surprised. He had been invited to a defense agency. As he walked through the GDA, he felt that the technology there was the most amazing thing he'd ever seen. He had to ask:
"This place... what's it for?"
"This is the organization I told you about. My boss is the legal owner, right?"
"Yeah..."
They reached a testing room, the same one Henry had been in when he first visited the GDA. Cecil probably wanted to test Robot's abilities, just like he did with him.
In the room were Cecil, Donald, and another person.
It was a Chinese girl, Dupli-Kate (Katherine Cha). She had short black hair, gray eyes, and fair skin. As Dupli-Kate, she wore a gray and black suit with a numerical emblem. She looked between 16 and 18 years old and was very pretty.
Cecil approached Henry and said:
"You brought him?"
Henry nodded.
Cecil walked up to Robot and greeted him. They started talking.
"I've seen what you're capable of. What do you think about working for me?"
Robot thought about the offer. Actually, it would be easier for him to receive support. He pondered Cecil's proposal for a while and decided that it was better to accept. He would be better off with help from others.
"Let me introduce you to the new member of your team. You can call her Dupli-Kate," Cecil gestured for Dupli-Kate to step forward.
"Hi, it's a pleasure to meet you," she stepped forward and shook Robot's hand.
"Wow, you have a strong handshake," Dupli-Kate said, impressed by his strength when shaking his hand.
Henry became a little shy.
"Thanks."
Dupli-Kate seemed very confident, and she was also quite attractive.
Robot asked Cecil:
"What do you mean by 'team'?"
"You'll be a new team for the GDA. You'll have time to think about a name and other things."
Dupli-Kate asked:
"Are there more members, or is it just us?"
"Yeah, there's another member, but he can't be here right now."
Henry asked:
"Why can't he be here?"
"It's complicated," replied Cecil.
"Changing the subject, I want to see what you're capable of," said Cecil, looking at Robot.
Henry knew exactly what Cecil wanted to do with Robot. He had gone through the same thing years ago. Probably, among these new members, he could consider himself a 'veteran' now.
Cecil took Robot to the same training room where he had taken Henry for the first time. The goal was to train them. Robot and Dupli-Kate began to showcase their abilities. Cecil already knew Dupli-Kate's powers.
When Cecil returned, Henry was waiting for him. They didn't say anything, but they communicated through a glance.
Henry had made an agreement with Cecil. The deal was simple: if Robot agreed to join the group, they would be an independent team. In other words, he had agreed to bring Robot in, but the condition was that the GDA wouldn't have permission to interfere in their lives. So, the group would be 'theirs.'
Some time ago, Cecil and Henry had spent some time talking. Henry told Cecil everything he knew about Nolan and warned him about the Viltrumites. At first, Cecil didn't believe him, thinking Henry was making things up. However, Henry convinced him as he revealed the truths about the Viltrum Empire. When Cecil learned the truth about Nolan, he desperately wanted to increase his forces. So, during that time, he searched for new people who could face Nolan. He was considering the idea of creating a new team that could help the Guardians. He found Dupli-Kate and even another boy who wasn't there at the time. Originally, the GDA wouldn't involve these teenagers, but once he learned the truth about Nolan, he was willing to use whatever he could. He sent his agents to recruit these teens.
Cecil already knew about Nolan, but he hadn't told any of the Guardians yet. He was preparing to tell them, but Henry said Nolan couldn't know, because if Nolan found out, they could send more Viltrumites, and if the Empire learned about Earth's resistance...
Cecil would tell the Guardians, but it wasn't the right time yet. During this time, he prepared in every way he could.
He and Henry exchanged glances. Both knew exactly what they were saying without saying a word.
Meanwhile, Dupli-Kate and Robot left the room. Donald had been observing their training and was taking notes on the results.
Henry approached Cecil and said:
"I have to go, Cecil. If anything strange happens, call me. I'll be there as fast as I can."
"Of course, I'm very grateful."
They didn't say anything more, but they both knew exactly what they were really talking about. Henry made it clear to Cecil that if he noticed anything strange with Nolan, he should call him.
Henry left the GDA and went home. When he arrived, he greeted his family and went to the kitchen, as usual. He grabbed something from the fridge to eat when his phone started ringing. He picked it up and checked who it was.
It was Ned. He was calling him. Henry stopped what he was doing and answered, sighing:
"Ned, now's not the time. I'm busy."
"Man, are you seeing this? You've got to do something!" Ned said, excitedly.
"What are you talking about, Ned?" Henry asked.
"I'm talking about what's happening right now. Aren't you watching TV?"
"TV?" Henry walked to the living room, turned on the TV, and switched channels until he stopped on one where a stunning girl, with fair skin, Caucasian, a slender and curvy physique, was being beaten by a monster. Her beautiful face was covered in blood. She was badly hurt, and it looked like she was in danger.
"Shit... Bastard..."
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