"I've fought the unimaginable in defense of this world. I've battled alien tyrants, defeated nightmares from the deep. Gone toe-to-toe with ancient gods... but no matter what threat I faced, I knew I wasn't facing it alone. Darkwing. Aquarus. War Woman. Green Ghost. Red Rush. Martian Man. Immortal. The Guardians of the Globe. Today, we have lost titans, protectors, heroes, and we are left to wonder... who will save us now? I will, and so will others like me. New heroes answering the call. New champions ready to risk everything to keep this planet safe. All inspired by these great souls who came before us. You will have moments of doubt, of fear, of uncertainty, but in those moments, have faith... and look to the sky."
Nolan gives his televised speech and flies into the sky. But that wasn't the real burial. Later that same day, the closest friends, family and loved ones of the deceased Guardians attend a private burial.
"Balls! Do we seriously have to do this again? I nearly passed out the first time, and now again?"
"Mark Grayson! You will show some respect to the deceased." Debbie reprimands her son. She has no sense of humor when it comes to this. But Mark wasn't trying to be funny.
"The big one's for show, but the public can't know where the actual bodies are buried. Souvenir hunters." Eve says.
"For fucks sake."
"I was never a Guardian of the Globe, but it was the Guardians who welcomed me when I first arrived on this planet. They were my mentors. My comrades. My friends. They knew the reality of this life. Martian Man was exiled from his own people. War Woman was from a different age. Darkwing... heh... Well, Darkwing made his own kind of solitude. It was a rare, lucky few of us who found someone who understood our path, even rarer if they accepted it. I hope they will rest in peace, but at least they will rest together."
The coffins are buried in the holes, as Red Rush's widow Olga, still sobbing, tries to reach her man's coffin, with Cecil and Ferguson trying to stop her.
"Get your hands off me!" she screams in anguish as she falls to the ground.
"Olga, please, calm down." Donald tries to comfort her, but he feels just as bad.
"You wouldn't even let me see him. Josef is finally standing still, and I still can't see him!"
"I'd better..." Debbie says to Mark and walks forward embracing Olga and comforting her.
"And of course it's raining. What is this, cliché day?"
"You okay?" Eve asks Mark.
"The amount of hypocrisy is making me nauseous."
"Hypocrisy? What do you mean?"
Mark doesn't answer and just looks around. He doesn't like what he sees and thinks back to the plan he made a while ago. It might be time for him to go through with it. But seeing the others here, he might not even have to do it himself. He was smart, and it was time to prove that.
"Robot! You know, for a bunch of computer code, you run a mean superhero team. You really did a good job with those Flaxxans."
"Thank you, Cecil. It means a lot coming from you."
"I know you've always been independent, but I want you to come work for the GDA and build me a new Guardians of the Globe. Now, you'll pick the team. You'll be in charge. The only person that you will answer to is me."
"Forgive me, but would Omni-Man not be the natural choice? Or even Invincible."
"Sure. Except it's never gonna happen. I've tried for a decade to make Omni-Man an official Guardian. He helps out, yeah, but he's never taken orders, not from me, anyway. And it seems he will teach his son on his own."
"Then, I don't know what to say."
"Easy. Say you'll do it."
.
The Graysons make it back home after the funeral. Debbie and Mark are beat. Not for the same reason, of course, but they're both beat. Debbie is somewhat shaken by what she saw from Olga and knows that that could have been her. Mark, on the other hand, would rather run a marathon on his hands while listening to a physics podcast than experience so much hypocrisy again. The only one who isn't down, is Nolan.
"I'm feeling pizza. I can be in Naples and back before the cheese stops bubbling."
"Honey, let the delivery guy do it tonight."
"Sure."
Nolan turns on the TV and sees his own speech.
[I've battled alien tyrants, defeated nightmares from the deep, gone toe to toe...]
*click*
[...You will have moments of doubt...]
*click*
[...We are left to wonder, who will save us now?]
"Mark? Why don't you call William?"
"Why, so he can annoy me again? The dude talks more than an UTuber doing a 10-minute intro for a 2-minute recipe. He's like if a podcast and a car alarm had an abomination - a very loud and pointless one that no one asked for, but now it's there and-"
"Hey! Watch the tone," Nolan says.
"It's okay."
"No, it's not. This is new; I get it, but you need to keep that separate. What happens out there, the mistakes, even the victories, you can't bring it home."
"... So what does that have to do with William?"
"Don't sass me, Mark."
"I'm not sassing anyone. If anything, it's William I'm-"
Nolan places his hand on Mark's shoulder and squeezes.
"I understand that you had a rough time in there, but don't talk to your mother that way and me as well. Understood?"
"I don't feel like I disrespected anyone, but I understand. I'll just go to my room and... mast-"
"Mark!"
"Right. Soooo..."
"You can go to your room or anywhere you like, Mark. Take your time to process this."
"Why would I take my time? I'm not doing surgery. I made peace with my mortality long ago; it's not something I have had trouble with. If I can go the same way as the Guardians did, with a banger fight, I'm game."
Mark walks up the stairs and goes into his room. Both Nolan and Debbie have a concerned look on their face. Debbie looks at Nolan with a displeased expression.
"What?"
"We just came from your friend's funeral."
"Co-workers."
"And you're talking about pizza and not telling Mark not to feel anything?"
"This is the life. Mark has to get used to that. But it didn't seem as if he was feeling much grief."
"We both know that Mark doesn't grieve. He never did, but the way he's talking, he isn't doing well for some reason. What if Mark and I were burying you today?"
"I'm not so easy to kill."
"Yea, well, I'm sure Red Rush said the exact same thing to Olga."
"Hey, he could run fast, okay? It's not exactly one of your premier superpowers."
"..."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. But Mark and I can do more good out there than sulking in here."
The two embrace.
"I don't know about that, Nolan. Mark doesn't sulk. Maybe a distraction might help."
"Like what?"
"I found a small piece of paper in his pants yesterday."
"Oh?"
"Yes, with a number on it and the name Amber as well."
"Is that so? So, he has finally reached that stage."
"I hope so. He didn't take it out of the pants when he put them in the wash. I placed it on his bed. That might help."
"Hmm, I doubt it will, honestly."
...
Mark arrives in his room and lies on the bed. He finds the small piece of paper Todd put inside his trousers and which his mother placed on his bed as a 'wink wink'. He takes the paper and looks at it.
"Amber... Amber... heh, nope."
He throws it into the bin and gets to work. He has things to do, stuff to plan and an opportunity to await.
.
Eve flies to the Teen Team's headquarters after the funeral. She didn't enjoy it, but she was there to honour the dead Guardians who had protected Earth for years.
"Anyone home?"
Eve walks into the changing room and hears the shower running. As she opens her locker, Dupli-Kate walks out of the shower.
"Eve? I thought you were at the funeral."
"I was. I'd say you should have been there, but it was pretty bleak. Red Rush's girlfriend had a meltdown, and..."
*gasp*
"You okay?"
"Hiccups."
"Hmm. Anything happening? Is Rex around?"
"Eve, hang on a sec..."
Eve walks towards the shower and looks inside. There, she sees Rex making out with two Kates.
"You piece of shit."
"Babe, wait! Hang on!" Rex says and runs out of the shower.
"I knew there was a reason you skipped the funeral."
"Just-just wait a second!"
"Don't even... oh god. Are you kidding me, Kate? Three of you? I can't believe this."
"Eve..."
"Oh, I'm such an idiot."
"Rex said you're dating Invincible now. Said that you guys talked abot it."
"What?"
"Oh, don't give me that. It's true. What did you expect, huh?"
"It's not true, and whatever I expected, I guess I was wrong about both of you."
"Hold on! This? This doesn't mean shit! They're not even the real Kate."
"We're all the real Kate. Ugh, I should have tried to get closer to Invincible instead. What a waste."
"Huh? You too, oh that's just perfect, isn't it!"
.
Mark walks down he stairs with a bag and is just about to walk out the door when his mother calls him.
"Mark, did you call Amber?"
"Who?"
"Amber, the girl who gave you her number? The one I found in your pocket."
"No."
"Why not? You could use another friend, no? And you are old enough to make experience with..."
"Lust and sex?"
"Love! Mark, not sex. You are 17. Wait, where are you going?"
"Gym."
"You would rather go to the gym than potentially meet up with a lovely girl?"
"Yes. Why would I bother with 'potentially meeting with a girl' when I can definitely go to the gym? Far better in my opinion."
*Sigh*
"What will I do with you?"
"Sooo, can I go?"
"No. You won't have time."
"What do you-"
*Ding dong*
"Why don't you open the door?"
"What did you do?"
"Heh, I know you think you're all grown up, but you have much to learn still."
"You didn't."
"I did."
Mark opens the door and sees...
"William? What are you doing here?"
"Your Mom called me and explained everything. How you have Amber's number but won't call her because you're insecure and need my help to do it. Oh, don't thank me, I know I'm incredible."
"I wasn't going to."
"You say that now, but if you sit on your bed and make out with- ... uh, I mean study, with Amber... you will thank me."
William walks up to Mark's room.
*Sigh*
Mark follows William up to his room after giving his mother an annoyed look. But she seems to enjoy this a bit too much. As me makes it into his room, he sees William shaking his head.
"Hide this. Toss this. This room looks like a man cave, and for a girl like Amber, this won't work. Look at all those martial arts books and pictures... and what is it with those weights?"
"..."
"..."
"Sometimes I regret not spending more time to find friends."
"Wow. Way to treat your wing man."
"You're not my wing man. I didn't even call you; that was my Mom. Why would you agree to that? What is wrong with you?"
"Hey, she told me you were helpless, and I agreed to make sure things got started. Who knows how long it will take until you finally go on a double date with me and... well, that's not the topic for now."
"I saw your lips move, but I don't know why, and I regret the oxygen you wasted."
"...Hurtful."
"Truthful."
"I brought you some homework. A little Naomi Klein. A touch of Margaret Atwood. Some Ta-Nehisi Coates. I know you haven't read any of those, but she has. It will show her that you are interested in her. She's also into spicy foods, stand-up comedy, and fourth-wave feminism."
"Fucking kill me. I won't call her and never will. She has gotten on my nerves unlike anyone ever has. Let's see here." Mark says and takes each book for a second and looks at a few pages.
*Ding dong*
"Oh, looks like it's time."
Mark narrows his eyes.
"Time for what?"
"..."
"Time for what?!"
____________________
I hope you have some more patience for the changes to appear.