"It is my pleasure, to introduce the new Guardians of The Globe. Shrinking Rae. Silver Giant. Monster Girl-"
Rex-Splode burst into laughter. He doubled over and placed his hands on his knees, "Ahaha! Ahaha!"
He leaned forwards, placing his face at the same level as Monster Girl's, "Aww, look at her, she's adorable! But isn't there like an age requirement for for this ride? Am I wrong? Because this seems weird, right?"
Monster Girl was only as tall as a eight or nine year old. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail. A yellow scrunchie held it in place.
"Isn't there a dick size requirement?"
Rex-Splode took a step closer to Monster Girl. He shot back, "I'm sorry?"
Monster Girl held up her pinky finger, "For what, your tiny dick?" I mean the way you've been strutting round here, you must be compensating for something."
Rex-Splode gritted his teeth. He reached down to one of the dispensers at his waist. His hand immediately began to glow with yellow energy. Sparks crackled in the air.
"Somebody ought to teach you some motherfucking-what the fu-"
Rex-Splode's eyes widened. Magical green smoke swirled around Monster Girl. One of her arms began to grow rapidly larger. Her previously small fingers were clenched into an enormous green fist. The punch was headed straight for his face.
Whish!
A hand caught Monster Girl's fist. The Silver Giant stood in front of Rex-Splode.
Monster Girl grunted angrily and tried to take back her hand. It felt as if she were trying to shift a mountain range. She couldn't do anything.
Clark slowly released Monster Girl's hand. He had no affection for Rex-Splode, but he did respect Robot. Cecil had chosen the android to lead the new Guardians. Cecil wasn't the kind of person to do anything without a damn good reason. If he'd selected Robot, then the bronze android was the best person, or machine, to lead the new team.
Rex-Splode's outburst had interrupted Robot before the android could even finish listing the new Guardians. There were still three more spots open. If the new Guardians saw Robot's leadership as weak, they would never listen to him. Clark didn't mind lending a hand to help the android out.
Robot's processing unit whirred. His voice gained a grateful quality, "Thank you, Silver Giant. As I was saying. Dupli-Kate, Rex-Splode, and our final member, Atom-Eve."
"Thank you to all candidates who attended. Your work is vital, you have shown great courage today. Please, do not be dissapointed if you have not been selected." Robot announced. The unsuccessful candidates filed out the way they'd came in. A few of them grumbled in low voices about not being chosen.
Soon, the only people left in the room, were the new Guardians.
"I can't be on the same team with Rex and Kate." Atom-Eve said angrily. She pulled away from Invincible and stormed out of the hall.
Invincible hurried after her. He groaned in pain as the movement aggravated the injury to his abdomen, "Eve! Wait up! Hey, wait!"
Dupli-Kate looked awkwardly at the ground. The remaining group could feel an unusual tension in the air.
"Please, follow me." Robot announced.
The new team followed Robot deeper into the underground labryinth of the GDA facility. They soon arrived to an enormous empty hall. On the way, they passed through dozens of rooms full of exercise equipment and simulated emergency scenarios.
The new Guardians took a seat, or stood by, several concrete blocks arranged in the centre of the hall. The Silver Giant chose to stand. His armour still required more development, it was slightly uncomfortable to wear for normal activites like sitting.
Robot handed out a laminated training schedule to each of the new Guardians, "As soon as the forensic investigation has concluded, we'll be moving into the Guardians' headquarters. Until then, we'll be training here. Breakfast is at 6am, then close in-combat exercises until lunch."
Rex-Splode peered over the Silver Giant's shoulder and read the first few lines of his schedule, "Woah, woah, woah! How come his is different to mine? Shouldn't metal-face need to do in-combat exercises as well?"
Clark turned to stare at Rex-Splode. The explosive hero suddenly felt as if he'd fallen into an ice cellar. His instincts were screaming at him to back away.
Rex-Splode scoffed. He pretended that his legs didn't feel like giving way. He stepped back casually, as if it was his own choice, "Tch! Whatever!"
"The Silver Giant has additional commitments, he will be unable to attend training during the daytime. I assure you, if an emergency arises, he will be present." Robot announced.
One of Robot's sensors detected something, "Where is Kate-Prime?"
"Had a thing. I can fill her in." Dupli-Kate replied casually.
Rex-Splode sat down on one of the blocks. He held the schedule between his index finger and thumb. Without warning, it burst into flames. Embers drifted to the floor, "Okay, just to make it clear, there is no universe in which I wake up at 6 am, and the world isn't on fire. Come on Robot, we don't need this boot camp bullshit! It's us!"
Green light pulsed in Robot's eye sockets, "We're not on the Teen Team any longer Rex. We don't have anyone else to call for backup. If we fail, people will be badly hurt. That outcome isn't acceptable."
The heaviness of his sentence settled on the people present. Passing the audition to become a Guardian might've been the easiest part of the job. From here on, everything was destined to get much, much, harder.
The Guardians' were earth's final line of defence. The new team had large shoes to fill.
Rex-Splode's adam apple bobbed. He wanted to say something provokatory like he usually did, but ultimately, he said nothing.
No one else in the group made a move to raise any further disagreement. Robot's processors captured the invisible sentiment of agreement.
Robot knew that his leadership was fragile. Until he could establish himself properly, he would always be walking on a tight rope. He'd studied up extensively on the qualities demonstrated by history's famous leaders.
"I would like to suggest that we all introduce ourselves, and explain our powers. This will be helpful for us to work together as a team. I hope, that in time, we will become more than just colleagues. I will start." Robot declared.
"My name is Robot. I am a product of advanced technological innovation. I am fitted with multiple weapons systems. I am also able to interface with most alien technologies."
The rest of the group were silent. Rex-Splode warily looked from side to side. No one was certain whether to follow Robot's lead.
"I am the Silver Giant. I possess super strength, speed, and durability. I can also fly. It is a privelege, to have been selected as a Guardian. "
Rex-Splode's eyes bulged. He'd assumed that the Silver Giant couldn't talk. It was shocking to find out that he could. All this time, the armoured hero had simply been choosing not to.
The Silver Giant's voice wasn't his own. A heavy distortion effect was applied by a receptor in his suit.
The Silver Giant had stepped in to end the conflict between Monster Girl and Rex-Splode. Now, he'd chosen to follow Robot's lead. It was obvious to the group, that the Silver Giant was supporting Robot's nascent leadership.
"I'm Shrinking Rae, I can shrink down to the size of an ant, and I keep my normal strength." Shrinking Rae volunteered an answer.
The Silver Giant had created the momentum for the rest of the group to follow. A spark of something united and determined, began to burn between the new Guardians.
"I'm Monster Girl. When I transform into that green guy, I get super strength and durability. But I'm not a kid, I'm 24! I only look like this because of my powers!" Monster Girl said. She put a strong emphasis on the latter half of her introduction.
Rex-Splode groaned, he held his head in his hands, "Fine! I'm Rex! I can blow stuff up, it's pretty fucking cool! I like pizza, and pink fluffy penguins, you happy now Robot?"
Although Robot's mechanical body was incapable of expressing happiness, he was in fact very pleased with the change in the group's attitude. They had begun to show promising signs of being able to work together as a team.
"Thank you. That was excellent. I would like to suggest that we train independently for an hour, in order to reflect on our new responsibilities. Then, we can gather for lunch. Studies have shown that eating together released endorphins which are conducive to the development of friendship." Robot said.
Rex-Splode groaned again, "Can't you ever talk like a normal person Robot? Fucking conducive, who says that? I'm going to the gym! Ladies, if you want to see what a real man looks like, follow me!"
Dupli-Kate rolled her eyes and made a disgusted noise. She kept a wide berth from Rex, but still walked in the same direction as him, towards the gym.
"Would you like to spar?"
Shrinking Rae blinked. She'd intended to follow Rex-Splode and Dupli-Kate to the gym. Instead, for some bizzare and crazy reason, the Silver Giant was asking her if she wanted to spar?
"Uh-you-couldn't you break my bones by just like breathing heavily?" Shrinking Rae asked uncertainly. She'd watched the way the Silver Giant tore through every attack Atom-Eve threw at him. Even if he stood still and let her hit him, she wouldn't be able to leave a mark on his skin.
The Silver Giant's enormous frame shrank suddenly. The interlocking metal plates that made up his armour shifted to adapt to his reduced size.
"No, not anymore." Clark replied. He spoke in his real voice, without the distortion from the suit.
Shrinking Rae looked at him with a mixture of surprise and astonishment. Seconds ago, he'd been a muscular giant. Now, even with the armour, she could tell that he was only an average sized person.
"Didn't know you could do that. Well-uh-sure, let's spar." Shrinking Rae answered. She wasn't exactly sure why the Silver Giant was interested in her, but she didn't have any reason to refuse.
She lowered her stance. Her calf muscles tensed up, ready to push off explosively and charge towards her opponent.
"Wait!" Clark called out.
He activated a sensor inside the suit. The interlocking plates slid off his body. They folded themselves over and gathered in a neat rectangle at his feet. He only kept a thin silver mask that covered his face.
"Ready!" He yelled.
Clark made the first move. He sprinted across to Shrinking Rae and threw a fierce punch. If he'd been in a bar fight, the strike might've knocked his opponent to the ground. But he was facing a superhero with extensive combat training.
Shrinking Rae turned her shoulder. Clark's fist flew past harmlessly. His upper body was full of flaws that she could exploit.
Shrinking Rae couldn't tell if it was a trick. In this smaller body, the Silver Giant fought like a complete amateur. He wasn't completely awful, he was decently quick and he'd obviously had some training. But he was full of openings.
She generated power in her legs. This power flowed upwards into the twist of her waist and finally to her fist.
The Silver Giant stumbled backwards. The world around him was spinning. Shrinking Rae had landed a powerful uppercut to the bottom of his jaw.
'Shit!' Clark thought to himself. A nauseous feeling rolled through his throat. He gritted his teeth and forcibly swallowed back down the taste of vomit.
He charged forwards again, ignoring his dizziness.
The Silver Giant hadn't dodged her attack. It had landed with brutal precision. Shrinking Rae had heard as the bones in his jaw slammed together. After recieving a hit like that, the Silver Giant must've felt like the world was spinning. The brain didn't like being rattled around inside its cage.
Shrinking Rae sprinted forwards to meet the Silver Giant's charge. She took the initative to throw out another punch. This time, the Silver Giant blocked it with his forearm. She dodged out of the way as he responded with a left hook.
Monster Girl and Robot stood on the sidelines of the training hall. They watched with interest as the two heroes fought fiercely. Shrinking Rae was dominating the fight, but the shrunken Silver Giant fought with a stubborn desperation. Even when he spat blood, he continued to attack relentlessly.
Robot analysed the Silver Giant. The hero's current biometric data was incomparable to his larger form. His muscle and bone density barely reached the level of a regional athlete. Even without using her powers, Shrinking Rae could easily overpower him.
Robot ran hundreds of different simulation. He calculated for dozens of variables. His effort to crack the mysteries behind the Silver Giant were largely unsuccessful. However, he did uncover a few important pieces of data.
In his larger form, the Silver Giant displayed a 100% physical similarity with the viltrumite hero, Omni-Man. Robot's sophisticated detection systems could easily bypass the shielding effect of the Silver Giant's armour.
One of Robot's simulations picked up on a repeating pattern. The Silver Giant and Omni-Man, at least on the surface, were completely identical. Just over a week ago, an unknown superhero in a silver mask had assisted the Teen Team in repelling an alien invasion. The silver-masked hero displayed identical biometric data to Invincible.
The Silver Giant hadn't shared the truth about his powers. Whatever secrets he was keeping, concerned more than just his identity.