The proceedings for the funeral took place in Washington. The event was broadcast to every country in the world. Billions of people watched from their homes and in public spaces. The disbelief was so thick that it could be felt in the air.
The crowd in Washington numbered in the thousands. Mark and Debbie Grayson sat amongst them. Like everyone else they were dressed in black funeral attire. The only exceptions to this unspoken rule of color were the heroes.
There were hundreds of them, all dressed in their superhero outfits. Usually the sight of them inspired admiration and envy. Today was different. The deaths of the Guardians had shaken the entire world. The earth's remaining protectors were shaken as well.
The Guardians of The Globe were the pinnacle of earth's combat force. They were the towering figures that held up the sky when disaster struck. Only Omni-Man had survived the attack with severe injuries. The attack made the world's heroes realise how fragile they truly were.
The Guardians had been killed in their own HQ. It was the one place that should have been always been safe for them. The GDA hadn't released any details about the killer. The public statement they gave only stated that they would bring the murderer to justice. It seemed that even they had no idea who had killed the Guardians.
Alex was sat in a row of superheroes. He wore his black and white hero costume and his wings were folded against his back. The Teen Team were sat not far away. The GDA had increased the security measures for the funeral to the highest level. The heroes were there in mourning, they had also been given clear instructions to eliminate any threats or disturbances to the proceedings.
The mourners in the front row held onto their hats as a gust of wind swept across. Two fighter jets whooshed overhead. A superhero in a red and white costume slowly descended to the stage.
A gigantic screen showed the image of Omni-Man staring at the microphone. The usually unshakeable hero looked sorrowfull.
Omni-Man looked up, his gaze travelled across the crowd of mourners, "I've fought the unimaginable in the defence of this world.
I've battled alien tyrants, defeated nightmares from the deep. Gone toe-to-toe with ancient gods."
The whole world watched his speech. The Guardian's deaths had brought together nations. Their deaths represented the greatest threat to global security that the world had ever known. Peace couldn't make arrogant queens and kings set aside petty squabbles. Fear could.
"But no matter what threat I faced, I knew I wasn't facing it alone. Darkwing, Aquarus, War Woman, Green Ghost, Red Rush, Martian Manhunter, 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." He said firmly.
Omni-Man looked out into the crowd and began to smile. The cameras thought he was addressing the whole world. Only a handful of people knew who his words were really for, "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 those great souls who came before us.
You will have moments of doubt, of fear, of uncertainty, but in those moments, have faith." Omni-Man began to rise into the air.
"And look to the sky." The red cape billowed behind him. In an instant he soared into the air and became a small speck in the far-away sky. The crowds craned their necks to watch him leave.
Later in the day, the sky was painted grey by rain clouds. A much smaller crowd of mourners were gathered. They held clear umbrellas to keep away the pattering rain. The Atlantean representatives declined the umbrellas that were offered to them.
The public couldn't know the true location of the Guardian's bodies. The private funeral was held in a secret location.
The rain bounced off the smooth black stone of the caskets. The polished surface reflected rain-soaked veils and eyes that were red from crying. For the people at the private funeral, the Guardians weren't just heroes. They were husbands, sisters and friends.
Alex stood in the small crowd. He'd worked with the Guardians a handful of times. He couldn't call any of them friends, but they were certainly colleagues. He wore a black suit and tie. He didn't conceal his identity.
The golden band on his finger pulsed softly. His expression didn't change. The ring was sending him a message. Something was hiding amongst them. Something from a plane of brimstone and hellfire.
The caskets began to lower into the ground. A woman cried out, "Get your hands off me!"
She wore a pair of black sunglasses that covered her eyes. The rain had made the ground slippery and wet. She lost her balance and fell forwards. She landed on her chest in the muddy earth.
"Olga, please, calm down." A GDA agent said. His tone gave away his uncertainty on how to handle the situation.
Olga looked up from the muddy ground. Her voice was raw with anguish, "You wouldn't even let me see him."
She slammed her fist down on the ground. Her voice cracked and tears streaked down her cheeks, "Josef is finally standing still! And I still can't see him!"
The crowd began to depart. A woman with black hair held an arm around the distraught Olga and led her away. Alex looked at the black-haired woman for a moment longer than usual. There wasn't anything extraordinary about her. He didn't know her name. But the way Omni-Man stood beside her showed that there was something important between the two of them.
After he'd committed her face to memory, he followed after the departing crowd. He noticed his breath fog up as he exhaled. He didn't turn back. He didn't need to. Through his powers he could sense the demonic presence that had just decided to make itself known. He didn't linger to investigate. The demon wasn't his problem to solve. The red-skinned creature seemed only interested in one person.
He heard Omni-Man's shoes squelch in the mud. The earth's greatest protector said in a gravelly tone, "This is a private ceremony Darkblood."
The death of the Guardians sent shockwaves through the world. Once the story had gone public, criminal and supervillain activity began to stir. The greatest obstacles to evil's progress had been suddenly and violently removed from the equation alltogether. Villains and criminals rushed to fill the vacuum left behind.
Alex soared across the Detroit skyline. To the people below, every beat of his wings was mesmerizing. On sites set up by his fans, he saw people offering thousands of dollars for a single feather. They endlessly discussed the enchanting beauty of his wings
He also noticed, to his amusement, that a movement had sprung up claiming that he was an angel sent down from heaven to wash away sin. In a way, there was some truth to their claim.
He looked down to the street below. Something unusual caught his attention, "This is Omega. Possible robbery in progress. Moving to intervene."
The earpiece crackled and Dr Molay's reply came almost immediately, "Copy that."
The bank seemed ordinary. There was no alarm going off or civillians running and screaming. While flying over the city he'd spotted an older woman attempt to open the bank's expensive-looking set of doors. The doors didn't budge.
He was too far away to hear what she'd said, but he saw her lips move. The curse word was easy to lip-read. The woman knocked on the door several times and no one-answered. She swore again and turned away angrily. She gestured aggrievedly while walking away.
Alex landed softly on a rooftop opposite the bank. His wings folded neatly behind him. His emotions were unreadable beneath his mask.
He spoke aloud, seemingly to himself, "Presidential bank. Can you check the security cameras inside? Its midday, but the doors are shut."
The question was picked up by his earpiece. Dr Molay ordered a technician to pull up the security feed. It only took a few seconds for the live footage to appear on her computer screen.
The technician hesitated, "Everything seems normal Dr."
Dr Molay scanned the footage intently. There were several tellers behind the counter assisting customers. A sharply-dressed manager smiled and called forwards a customer from the line.
The flaw was subtle. If she hadn't been looking for something amiss, she might never have noticed it.
"The footage is a loop. The clock is wrong." Dr Molay's voice sounded in Alex's ear.
The technician swallowed and hurriedly magnified the image on her screen. She cursed under her breath when she saw that the time was several hours off. A high-class bank didn't forget to adjust their clocks and they'd never allow a broken one to remain out on display.
Alex's wings stretched out. He flapped once and dashed into the air. He angled downwards and flapped again. He kept his speed just beyond the level of triggering a sonic boom. The two hundred or so meters between him and the ground was covered in less than a second.
The bank's large doors clattered to the floor. The hinges were left empty.
A man dressed all in black wearing a balaclava cursed loudly and turned his rifle to the unwelcome intruder, "Motherfucker! Don't you even-"
The gunman dropped to the floor. He would wake up in a few hours with a pounding headache and a large bruise on the back of his neck. The blow wouldn't leave any permaneant damage. Alex knew exactly which nerve cluster to strike to incapacitate.
Bang!
One of the other gunman trembled. His finger accidentally pulled the trigger and the weapon spat out a stream of bullets. The rounds bounced off or embedded themselves in the bank's marble interior.
Alex dealt with the remaining gunmen swiftly. The postures of the shooters were an easy giveaway of when and where they were about to fire and even at close range, he was quick enough to outrun bullets.
The robbers had large-calibre rifles and bulletproof vests. They'd been smart enough to rig the security cameras. It was unfortunate for them that he'd happened to be passing by.
A trembling hostage dragged himself to his feet, "Thank you Omega!"
The bank staff and other hostages breathed out a sigh of relief. They started to crawl out from their hiding spots.
Alex addressed the hostages, "Police are on there way. You're safe now."
The second he finished speaking, a police siren wailed in the distance. Outside the bank a car with flashing blue lights screeched to a stop. The two police officers raced towards the bank. They couldn't help but stiffen and stop when they saw the two large metal doors that had been torn from their hinges.
The officers looked at each other fearfully. In a world full of supervillains, law enforcement was a dangerous job.
One of the police officers gritted her teeth. She gripped her gun tightly, "Omega's already in there."
The police officer steeled herself and charged into the bank. Her partner followed not far behind.
"Officers, it's good to see you. The robbers are over there." The masked hero pointed to a pile of bodies. The unconscious gunmen were arranged in a heap on top of one another. There was a seperate pile of their semi-automatic rifles and handguns.
The braver officer blinked, she lowered her weapon, "T-thanks."
The two officers got to work cuffing the sleeping criminals. Fortunately no one had been injured in the attempted robbery. The only damage was a few cracks in the marble and a couple soiled pairs of trousers.
Another wave of police officers arrived. They had to work in pairs to carry the still-sleeping criminals to detainment vehicles. The criminals remained soundly asleep despite the sirens and not exactly gentle handling.
The officers had the situation under control. Once the last criminal was loaded into a van, he took off into the sky.
"Good spot." Dr Molay commented.
Alex smiled and replied, "I'll treasure that."
He could picture Dr Molay rolling her eyes at the other end of the line in perfect detail.
"The director wants to speak to you. Head to Poletown East."
The request took him slightly by surprise. He knew that many of his missions were directly given to him to handle by Cecil. There was a difference between recieving an instruction and meeting someone in person. Cecil commanded an agency that spanned the entire globe. A second of his time was probably worth millions.
"Copy that." He replied.
Poletown East was an old and partially abandoned manafacturing district from Detroit's glory days. He could feel the broken dreams in the air. He flew past broken windows and buildings that had fallen into a state of complete disrepair.
The roof of a large building had collapsed almost entirely. The floor was covered with broken rubble and rusted metal. A slim man with thinning hair stood amongst the wreckage.
In the corner of his eye, Cecil spotted a shadow flicker. He looked up.
"Alex, it's good to see you."
The white wings folded back behind Alex. He removed the mask from his face and smiled, "Good to see you too Cecil."
The GDA's director was a powerful figure. In fact he was perhaps the single-most influential person across the globe. Alex knew that Cecil's moral code sometimes caused him to stray into gray territory. He was glad that his family's safety was being taken care of by someone who wasn't afraid to get blood on their hands.
The Guardian's funeral had only been a few hours earlier. Since then he'd already stopped the attacks of two supervillains and a dozen cultists. The world was being plunged into chaos. Now more than ever, it needed people like Cecil.
Cecil looked the young man standing opposite him up and down. It had been just over a year that they'd met. Their first encounter had been after Alex tore a demon limb-from-limb.
The world had hundreds of heroes who could kill a low-ranking demon. He'd signed Alex on to the GDA's employment list thinking he would just be another ordinary set of numbers. The reality that unfolded over the next year overturned his expectations completely.
From day one Alex's database had indicated a steady growth in strength. After an unknown incident in Lake Huron involving an otherwordly being, the growth trend of his powers had seemingly been injected with rocket fuel.
In recent weeks, the soaring trend had gradually begun to slow down. If it had continued, the world might've gained a second Omni-Man.
Omega was a beloved hero nation-wide. He was strong and fast enough to put him on par or even above a member of the Guardians. At least that was before Cecil had personally watched their bodies be lowered into the ground.
Most people didn't realise exactly how fragile social stability was. The deaths of earth's protectors cast a dark shadow across everything. The world needed hope. And it needed it quickly.
"Nice catch with the robbery." Cecil remarked. The scar at the corner of his mouth twisted as he spoke.
Alex smiled and nodded, "Thanks, lucky spot."
The rubble and rusted metal at their feet was everywhere. Cecil had spent the last few moments staring at the ruined structures. He sighed and shook his head. He looked up at Alex, "Kid I won't lie to you, the world's losing its fucking mind.
The Guardians were one hell of a safety blanket and that blanket's just been buried six feet under. We're putting out fires as best we can, but I've got supervillains coming out of my godamn ears."
Alex could tell that Cecil had more to say. He waited for him to continue.
"The world needs its protectors. I'm putting together a new team. I want you on it." The weight behind his words was immense.
Alex didn't react. He looked at Cecil without blinking. He'd always felt that he saw part of himself in the older man. The part that would do whatever was necessary to keep something precious safe.
He'd stopped cities from being blown up. He'd saved entire islands of people from being swallowed up by the sea. Cecil was asking him to do more.
Someone, or something had just killed almost the entire team of Guardians. The attack had left Omni-Man in hospital for days. He didn't hold even a flicker of hope that he could defeat the Viltrumite, let alone whatever had beaten the alien warrior into a coma and killed the Guardians.
He might be able to entangle Omni-Man for a few minutes. Maybe even land a couple semi-decent blows. That would be as much as he could do.
Omni-Man's home planet of Viltrum was in a distant galaxy. The Viltrumites were a compassionate and peaceful race of protectors. If all his people were truly as strong as Omni-Man said, then it was a blessing from the universe that they were peace-loving. A single Viltrumite could dominate earth. He couldn't imagine what an army of them could do to the galaxy.
Fortunately Omni-Man and his people believed in peace and prosperity.The alien hero had spent nearly two decades safeguarding the earth. The Guardians had perished. The world celebrated that at least Omni-Man had survived.
Alex had always had a gut feeling that his powers would piece him back together even if his brain was destroyed. He was only a day away from completing the final piece of the angel's template. As his strength grew, that gut feeling had gotten stronger and stronger until it was an unshakeable fact in his mind.
There was an enormous chasm between him and Omni-Man. The alien hero was multiple times faster, stronger and almost invulnerable. His only advantage was that he could keep regenerating until his stamina was completely exhausted. In practical terms that simply meant that he could take a longer beating.
"Do you know what killed them?" Alex asked. Cecil's request was left unanswered.
Cecil seemed to have seen the question coming from a mile away. He clicked his tongue and smiled ruefully, "Most heroes would've jumped out their skin if I offered them a place on the Guardians."
The GDA's director knew that the conversation wouldn't move an inch further until he answered the question. He looked at Alex, "We've got a few clues. But-"
Cecil paused, "-but I can't tell you em' kid. It'd put your life at risk if you knew. Your family's too."
The mention of his family caused Alex to bristle. He viewed their lives as more important than his own. He would rather die than see any harm come to them. There hadn't been a single incident since his parents had moved into the secure neighbourhood. Taylor's parents too. The GDA had promised to protect them and they'd done exactly that.
"Can I think about it?" He asked.
Cecil shrugged his shoulders, "Sure kid. Try-outs are tomorrow, do me a favour and swing by. It doesn't mean that you're committing. Just humour an old man."
The space around Cecil began to fold and shimmer. The slim and sharply-dressed man vanished into thin air. He left behind a final sentence, "Think it over."