Henry flew as fast as he could.
He was carrying Kara to a safe place.
He was taking her to the Fortress of Solitude. The mage was on his back.
"When will I be able to fly like you?" the mage asked from behind him.
"I don't know… Maybe in a few hours, maybe in a few days. But we don't have time to figure it out now. Will you help me?" Henry replied.
"I will… I don't know how useful I'll be. I've got a bit of mana left," she answered.
They were flying over the Arctic.
The cold didn't bother the mage too much—she could resist it. Her sister could, too.
"When this is over, if we manage to win… what will you do?" Henry asked.
The mage fell silent, lost in thought, and didn't answer right away.
"I'll tell you later," she finally said.
Henry reached the fortress and landed.
"This is your house?" the mage asked, eyeing the structure.
"Not exactly. More like my secret base," Henry replied as he opened the door.
As it opened, four fortress robots emerged.
"It's good to see you back, sir. Lady Alura will be pleased to see you," said one of the robots.
"Do you need anything, sir?" another asked.
"Yes. I need you to run a scan on her and see if you can figure out what's wrong. She won't wake up. Do everything you can," Henry said as he stepped inside.
"Where's Eve?" he asked.
"Lady Eve hasn't been to the fortress in at least two weeks, sir. She used to come by often looking for you," the robot replied.
"I see… Send her a message. Tell her I want to see her," Henry said.
He carried Kara to one of the medical rooms—an infirmary equipped for treatment.
The mage followed close behind.
"Who's Eve?" she asked as they walked.
"My wife," Henry replied.
"I see. You care about her a lot?" the mage asked.
Henry paused, thinking before he answered.
"Yeah… now that I think about it, I left for days without telling her where I was going. I didn't want to drag her into my problems. But now I realize… she must've been really worried. I should've told her. I hope she forgives me," he said.
"If she loves you, she will," the mage replied.
Henry looked at her.
"Thanks," he said sincerely.
He gently laid Kara down on the medical bed and turned to the robots.
"After this, take her outside for some sunlight. I'm heading out."
"Yes, sir. Anything else?" one of the robots asked.
"Let Cecil and the others know I'm back."
---
(A little earlier, before Henry's return)
Mark had been summoned by Cecil. He went to the GDA.
He descended through several levels and entered a room where many heroes had gathered.
The Guardians of the Globe were there. The Teen Team too.
There were others Mark had known for a while.
Shrinking Rae—a pretty girl with glasses, wearing a green suit with yellow accents.
There was a yellow "R" emblem on her chest.
Her brown hair was tied up in a bun.
She could change her size at will.
Then there was Black Samson—a tall, dark-skinned man with a bald head.
His suit had a yellow chest piece and black arms.
His powers were super strength, enhanced durability, and a minor healing factor.
Also present was Monster Girl—a short girl who looked about twelve years old.
She could transform into a powerful green monster.
Her powers came from a curse that made her younger each time she used them.
The younger she got, the stronger she became.
Everyone was gathered when Mark arrived, making everyone turn to look at him.
Cecil stood at the front, addressing the group.
"I called you all here because we have an emergency. A few hours ago, three beings appeared out of nowhere. They're as strong as Nolan—maybe stronger," Cecil said.
"What do we know about them? Are they Viltrumites?" the Immortal asked.
"We're not sure. We don't think so… We've never seen Nolan use any of the abilities they're displaying," Cecil replied.
The screen changed, showing a woman flying and destroying a city with laser blasts.
"Holy shit," Rex muttered, watching the footage. Someone came to mind.
"The only person I know who can do stuff like that is…"
"Superboy. You think he's involved in this?" the Immortal asked.
"I don't know… but I'm not ruling it out."
"Maybe that kid really is the same as Nolan. Maybe he betrayed us," said Darkwing.
Holly stepped forward, defending her nephew.
"You all better stop talking like that about him. He has nothing to do with this. If you keep it up, you'll have to answer to me."
"She's right. We have no proof he's involved. More likely, they're just from the same species," Robot said.
"And what about Eve? If he's not involved, then why has she disappeared? We haven't heard from her in days," Cecil said.
"I don't know…" Robot replied.
Eve had been looking for Henry for a while, but then she vanished days ago.
"Anyway… listen up. I'm splitting you into teams. Each team will take on one of the intruders. Invincible—you're going to play a key role in this. Think you can handle it?"
Mark stood in the back.
Everyone turned to look at him.
"I… I'll do my best," he said.
"Good."
"The teams are as follows—"
"Mark, you'll take on the woman alone."
"Immortal, War Woman, and Black Samson—you take the man," Cecil said, referring to Zod.
"As for the rest of you… you'll deal with the big guy," he continued.
"Mark, your job is to hold the woman off long enough for the others to finish their missions."
"Do they have any weaknesses?" Robot asked.
"None that we know of… But they are very similar to him. There is one thing that might work…"
Robot quickly pieced it together.
"They all wear helmets. They're probably not used to Earth. Those helmets must serve a purpose. And judging by how they move, they're not fully used to their powers yet either. Disorienting their senses might work."
"Exactly. Focus on destroying their helmets. Take these with you… the same device we used on Nolan should work on them," Cecil said.
Each team took one of the devices.
"Now go," Cecil ordered.
The teams split and left the room.
Meanwhile, Cecil stayed behind at the GDA.
About ten minutes after the teams departed, he received a notification.
He let out a sigh of relief.
It was from Henry.
He was back—and on his way.