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*****
Beneath the sea, inside Mike's base.
A golden portal suddenly flared open, and all kinds of raw materials flew through it. In no time, they were sorted by category and stacked into small mountains.
With a single stride, Mike stepped into the base and casually dispelled the portal.
The base looked completely different now.
Its ceiling stood ten meters high, and the floor space had expanded to well over a thousand square meters.
Once the base got past the hardest initial phase of construction, further expansion only accelerated.
Under Jor-El's guidance, Mike had built out the energy and defense systems. Then Jor-El handed him a materials list. After Mike purchased a massive stock of supplies through Nick Fury, he assembled several devices—obsolete on Krypton for who knew how many years—following Jor-El's instructions.
After that, Mike kept buying raw materials through Fury, and Jor-El used those devices—along with Mike's help—to manufacture a number of robots designed for Jor-El's own use.
This way, even if Mike was busy, as long as raw materials were available, construction on the base would continue to speed up.
Meanwhile, the starship—built on the framework of Clark's birthing pod—was slowly taking shape.
"Jor."
Mike called softly, and a figure with the presence of a living man—but in truth only a projection—appeared before him.
The intelligent system: Jor-El.
"I brought back the materials," Mike said.
Jor-El nodded. "I saw."
"From here on, we won't need to purchase materials," he added. "I've produced more new robots. They'll handle the mining."
Mike exhaled in relief.
Finally, no more bleeding money.
He'd been spending a lot lately.
"What do you need from me today?"
His gaze drifted to the starship at the center of the base.
Jor-El paused, then smiled. "You don't actually need to lift a finger. With enough material, the current cohort of robots can finish the ship quickly."
"I know," Mike said, nodding. "I know. But I still want to build the first starship with my own hands."
Mostly, he wanted to understand the ship's structure—definitely not because he was idle.
"As you wish."
Jor-El didn't press the matter. After assigning Mike his tasks for the day, he directed the base's robots and set them in motion.
Standing before the starship, Mike watched the hive of activity within the base and smiled with satisfaction.
Finally, it was starting to look like something.
…
A month later.
A new superhero team, the Guardians, had been formed!
Scanning a draft of tomorrow's front-page story, Clark raised an eyebrow.
The team had been created by the Department of Defense.
Its leader was General "Thunderbolt" Ross, and its members were James Rhodes, Sam Wilson, Reed Richards, Susan Storm, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm.
Each of the seven had a codename.
Red Hulk—General Ross.
War Machine—Colonel Rhodes.
Falcon—Sam Wilson.
The other four were scientists who had survived a cosmic storm and come away with powers:
Mr. Fantastic—Reed Richards.
Invisible Woman—Susan Storm.
Human Torch—Johnny Storm.
The Thing—Ben Grimm.
Seven individuals with distinct abilities, but formidable as a unit.
Studying the photos and one-line bios on the press release, Clark folded his hands behind his head and leaned back in his chair.
A few seconds later, he broke into a grin.
He'd done the math: they still weren't stronger than his family.
The Guardians' announcement would run tomorrow, and the team would hold a media availability in the morning.
Clark would cover the event as a Daily Planet reporter.
"At tomorrow's press conference they'll do a short powers demo," he murmured. "I can get a closer look at what they can actually do."
The DoD forming its own superhero team hadn't come out of nowhere.
As far as Clark knew, the idea had been brewing since after the Celestials incident, but they hadn't found the right candidates.
"Guardians…"
He repeated the name under his breath.
Just then, two people walked up.
Carrie and Lois.
"Hey, want to come out with us?" Carrie asked, inviting him along.
"We've got a reservation—dinner," Lois said.
Clark pointed between the two of them, teasing, "Me? Is that… appropriate?"
Carrie licked her lips. "All three of us…I don't mind."
Clark startled, while Lois shot Carrie a glare.
Knowing this witch, she just might try it.
"Haha!"
Carrie laughed with zero decorum; Lois only looked more annoyed.
Carrie's laughter dwindled to nothing. She ducked her head. "Sorry."
Lois gave a soft huff and turned to Clark. "Tomorrow's interview is in your hands."
"Got it."
He watched them leave, then tidied his notes for the next day. He had just powered down his laptop when his phone rang.
Seeing the caller ID, Clark smiled.
"Hope!"
"What? San Francisco?"
"No problem—I'm on my way."
Cheerfully ending the call, he glanced at the clock—quitting time. He dashed out of the office, changed into his suit in a deserted corner, and vanished in a crack of sonic thunder.
San Francisco wasn't far.
…
The next morning, at dawn.
Clark woke to the faint perfume lingering beside him and smiled.
"Clark, breakfast," Hope called as she stepped into the room, smiling warmly. "Don't you have an interview?"
"Coming," he said. He lazily rolled out of bed, sprang up, brushed a kiss across her lips, and darted into the bathroom.
Touching her mouth, Hope couldn't help but chuckle.
After washing up and eating, Clark said goodbye in San Francisco, then flew back to New York. He dropped near the office and headed straight for the press conference.
By the time he arrived, the attending reporters were filing into the venue.
He double-checked his kit to make sure nothing was missing, clipped on his press badge, and went in.
At exactly nine, the press conference began on schedule.
After a stream of boilerplate from the Defense Department spokesperson—protecting the nation, making America greater, and so on—the main event finally arrived.
The seven heroes of the Guardians stepped out under a forest of eager eyes.
Uniformed in red-and-black battle suits, they cut a dashing figure as they faced the crowd.
After brief introductions, General Ross, standing at the fore as team leader, said, "We are the Guardians. We take as our duty the protection of the people, the defense of our nation, and even the safeguarding of this planet. We will strike at crime and evil and keep threats far from your lives."
Applause rose. Blending into the crowd, Clark clapped along, though his gaze drifted over the heroes and settled on the Thing.
Compared with the others, the Thing's abilities were the easiest to read.
True to his name, he was a man of stone—his skin gone, his entire body a rugged orange rock.
When Clark peered deeper with his super-vision, he found that even the internal organs had changed.
"Strength and durability should be exceptional," he thought.
Just then, Ross finished speaking, and the powers demonstration began.
Every reporter straightened.
This was what they'd come for. Anyone could spout pretty words.
Pointing to himself and War Machine, Ross smiled. "The two of us probably don't need to demonstrate."
He gestured to Falcon. "Though he has no superhuman abilities, he's a superb soldier with formidable hand-to-hand skills. I respect him a great deal."
Falcon stepped forward, offered a greeting, and returned to his spot.
Ross's smile shifted to Reed Richards. "Mr. Fantastic, the team's genius scientist. His ability… Reed?"
At the cue, the scholarly, refined Mr. Fantastic sighed and stepped out. He extended an arm toward a reporter in the distance.
His arm elongated, snapping forward like a rubber band to pluck the reporter's hat and draw it to his hand.
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
Reed nodded politely, then stretched his arm again to return the hat.
Pleased by the reaction, Ross continued, "Invisible Woman, the only woman on our team—her name speaks for her ability."
Invisible… Woman?
People blinked—and Susan vanished on the spot.
Eyes widened, but no one could track her. Then the blonde, fine-featured Susan reappeared, offering the crowd a small smile.
Ross's smile deepened.
Despite her codename, Susan's true capabilities went beyond invisibility.
Her other power was still under training and didn't need to be shown; keeping some secrets was good for the team.
"This is…"
Ross pointed to the Human Torch.
"Hi, I'm Johnny Storm. You can call me the Human Torch. Susan's my sister."
He flicked a finger, and fire wrapped his hand. Grinning at the crowd, he said, "Flame—that's my thing. And if I wanted, I could also…"
"Johnny!"
Ross barked.
Johnny shrugged and snuffed the flames. "What else I can do—classified for now. When the time's right, I'll show you."
A murmur of disappointment followed.
Some also noticed he bore a faint resemblance to Captain America.
"The Thing, Ben Grimm!"
Ross pointed to the last member.
The Thing scratched his craggy head, greeted everyone, and rumbled, "You can see my ability."
He hesitated, then added, "I'm a bit strong. Hard to demonstrate here—and it's not exactly pretty."
Unlike the others, his powers had turned him into stone—a source of frustration and even a little shame.
"Ben's a modest man," Ross explained with a mild smile.
"All right, open Q&A."
Hands shot up the instant he finished.
"You, ma'am—your question?" Ross nodded to a female reporter.
Pushing up her glasses, she asked, "What's the relationship between the Guardians and the Avengers—cooperation or competition?"
"We're all superheroes fighting crime," Ross replied. "The Avengers have deep experience, and we have much to learn. As a government-chartered team, we'll quickly close the gap."
"Next."
He pointed to another reporter.
"Did the DoD form a superhero team because you're dissatisfied with the current system for hero teams?"
"It's true that most superhero teams are private and can be hard to regulate," Ross said. "But I believe those teams will address these issues."
"After the Guardians' creation, will the Avengers and the X-Men also come under government control?"
"That will require effort from both sides."
Maintaining his smile, Ross pointed to Clark. "Your question?"
Clark took a breath and spoke clearly: "When you respond to dangerous incidents, what stance will you take?"
Ross's eyes narrowed slightly. "We oppose wrongdoing and protect the people, of course."
"No—what I mean is: as a government team, if an incident occurs in another country but benefits the United States, will you intervene? In what capacity? Or will you follow orders and stand by?"
The room fell silent.
Reporters stared at Clark in surprise, then looked back to Ross.
It was a razor-sharp question.
The Guardians exchanged looks, clearly weighing it.
They weren't alone. Everyone was thinking it.
But after a moment, their answers diverged—so all eyes turned to Ross.
He paused, then said firmly, "I trust our government to make the right choice."
So—kick the dilemma up the chain.
Clark adjusted his glasses and prepared a follow-up, but Ross raised a hand. "That's all for Q&A. We have one more important announcement."
He gestured invitingly to the Secretary of Defense, then strode to the lectern.
The Secretary took the podium. "General Ross is correct. Besides announcing the formation of the Guardians, we have another important matter."
He paused, then smiled. "The mutant issue has long troubled the world."
"Although the situation has improved thanks to the Xavier School, it's undeniable that mutants carry a significant element of unpredictability."
"They might harm others when their powers first manifest. They might harm others when emotions run hot. And absent moral restraint, they could threaten public safety—or even national security."
Most people nodded silently. It was the plain truth.
"But starting today—starting now!" the Secretary declared, "I announce this will no longer be a problem!"
A jolt went through the press corps. With their keen noses for news, they smelled a bombshell.
"We have developed a treatment. With a single injection, the mutant condition will be cured. They will be redeemed."
"We call the drug: Purification."
Cure the mutant condition?
Did that mean turning them back into ordinary people—erasing their abilities?
Shock rippled through the room.
In an instant the hall erupted in noise, cameras firing in rapid bursts. The Secretary smiled. "We'll release more details in due course. Please look forward to it."
With that, and a storm of shutter clicks, he exited the stage.
(End of Chapter)