Two years had passed since the prison break, and PRISM had been hunting shadows ever since.
The masked man and the four escaped inmates—Brute, Creature, Pyrosin, and Aurora—had slipped through the cracks of the world, leaving only chaos behind. Despite Marvel and Michelle's tireless efforts to track them down, their trail had long gone cold. They followed every lead, analyzed every signal, chased every whisper—and still came up empty-handed.
Danny hadn't taken it lightly.
Driven by a mix of guilt and determination, he had gone rogue more than once, sneaking into PRISM's vault to borrow—or rather, steal—mechanized suits built for advanced fieldwork. On his own, without permission or backup, he'd flown across continents, tracked anomalies, interrogated lowlifes. All in secret. All without results.
But not everything in the world had been grim.
In those same two years, the Protectors of the Planet had lived up to their name—and in some ways, even surpassed the legacy of the original team.
Droid had taken down a rogue AI network threatening the Pacific region, disabling it remotely before it could trigger a war. Volt once absorbed a power plant's entire electrical overload, saving thousands from an impending explosion. Lucid, in a rare psychic crisis, had entered a child's nightmare and safely led him back to consciousness. Aftershock used his seismic abilities to divert a meteor on a collision course with the Earth, creating a shockwave felt on another continent. And Aetherion—mysterious and ethereal—used the powers from the four elements to stop take down a small league of villians.
They weren't just a replacement squad anymore. They were legends in the making.
Amidst all the turmoil, Danny had found one constant: Astrea.
Their bond had grown deeper since their Comic Con trip years ago. What started as playful teasing and shared banter had blossomed into something real. Somewhere along the way, between chaos and comfort, they had fallen in love.
Now, Danny's eighteenth birthday had arrived—June 22nd—and it wasn't going unnoticed.
That morning at PRISM HQ, Astrea walked through the corridors with purpose. As she passed Marvel near the command deck, the woman raised a brow and smirked.
"Take care of him," Marvel said casually, arms folded across her chest. "That boy has a habit of leaping into danger head-first."
Then she added, with a half-smile, "And I want him back by eight."
Astrea laughed, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'll do my best. Can't promise he won't come back with his ego twice the size, though."
Michelle appeared briefly, waving from around a corner. "Happy birthday, Danny! Don't get into trouble today… or at least wait until tomorrow."
Danny gave a sheepish grin. "No promises."
A few minutes later, Astrea found him standing outside, already waiting. She offered him her hand.
"Ready for your birthday flight?" she asked, eyes bright.
Danny glanced at her wings, then back at her face. "You mean, finally better than the time I beat you at rooftop chess?"
"Beginner's luck," she said, rolling her eyes. "Now stop stalling."
With a graceful flap of her wings, she lifted him into the air, holding him close as they soared above the city. The wind rushed past, but she adjusted her speed to keep him safe—no sonic bursts, just smooth, floating ascents. The sky opened up before them, clear and vast, and the horizon glowed gold as the sun began to dip.
Their first stop was a hidden garden nestled atop a plateau, filled with bioluminescent alien plants Astrea then said how weird this planet is. Next, they flew to an old rooftop theater where they sat alone, watching retro sci-fi films projected onto cracked concrete. Later, they visited a secluded beach glowing with algae beneath the waves. And finally, they stood together at a mountaintop observatory, stargazing in silence as a meteor crossed the sky.
Each stop was more intimate than the last. Each moment carried the quiet weight of love and gratitude.
As evening fell, Astrea picked him up again, wings catching the cool night breeze. She flew them deep into the forest, far from the reach of city lights. Below them sat a small wooden cottage, glowing softly with warm light.
She set him down just outside the front door.
"Go on," she whispered. "Take a look."
Danny raised an eyebrow but obeyed, pushing the door open. What met him inside made him stop in his tracks.
A single cake stood at the center of the room, its candles flickering gently. Surrounding it were delicate floral decorations, strung with care, and photos from the last two years—selfies from missions, quiet moments, laughing snapshots from the beach, the mountaintop, the rooftop chess game. It was a visual diary of their time together.
He stepped inside slowly.
Behind him, Astrea walked in and wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him close.
"You've been everything to me, Danny," she said softly. "Through the chaos, through the quiet… you made me feel like I belong. I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't stayed by my side. You're not just someone I love… you're the piece of me I didn't know was missing."
Danny turned around to face her. His heart swelled with something raw, something honest.
"I'm not going anywhere," he whispered.
They kissed, slow and full of meaning.
Later, they sat on the floor beside the cake, legs stretched out, her wings carefully folded to the side so they wouldn't get in the way. Each of them took a slice of the cake and ate in content silence, their eyes occasionally meeting with soft smiles.
Elsewhere, deep in the forest…
The Creature sat crouched in the damp cave he had claimed as home. Rodent bones littered the floor. His fingers twitched with frustration, and his eyes burned green with exhaustion.
He threw a half-eaten rat against the wall.
"I'm still trapped on this cursed planet," he snarled. "My transmuter… gone. Without it, I can't leave. I can't jump systems. I'm stuck. I'm stuck!"
He let out a guttural scream that echoed off the stone walls.
"One day… I'll burn this rock to ash. One day."
Back at the cottage, the fire had dimmed. The cake was mostly gone, and the night air cooled the room. The mood between Danny and Astrea had grown warmer, more tender. Their hands found each other, their touch lingering longer. They didn't speak much—some feelings didn't need words.
Later, as they lay close in the soft silence, Astrea glanced at the clock on the wall and sighed quietly.
"It's late," she said. "I should probably take you back before Marvel sends a search party."
Danny chuckled, brushing a lock of hair from her face. "I'm gonna remember this night forever."
She grinned. "You'd better."
She scooped him up gently and flew back toward PRISM HQ. The flight was quiet, the stars above them brilliant.
When they landed, Danny turned to her with a teasing smile. "Best birthday ever. You sure you don't want to outdo it next year?"
Astrea smirked. "I'll start planning tomorrow."
They kissed one last time before she turned and disappeared into the night sky.
Danny watched her fly off until she became a dot on the horizon. Then he turned and walked back inside.
The Next Morning
Danny woke early. The world was quiet. He got dressed quickly, already planning his next move.
He snuck into the lab again and stole another flight suit—one he had modified the week before.
Soon, he was high in the sky, soaring alone. The wind whipped past him as the sun rose in orange streaks across the clouds.
That's when he saw it—a flash of light, far off near a riverbed.
Curious, Danny flew toward it.
What he found was a small shuttle, mostly intact but scorched from atmospheric entry. Smoke still drifted from its vents. He forced open the hatch, expecting a pilot—or a body—but found no one.
Only two strange devices lay inside. They looked like metallic rings, faintly glowing.
As he stepped forward, the suit around him sparked.
"What the—?"
The metal burned against his skin, and sparks burst from the shoulder panels. He quickly backed out, yanking the helmet off and tearing at the chest plate as smoke rose from it.
Once free from the suit, he hesitated… then reached inside with his bare hand.
The moment his fingers touched one of the rings, he felt a strange tingling run up his arm.
And then—it moved.
The ring shot upward, startling him as he stumbled back and fell to the ground. Before he could react, it latched onto his chest, tearing through his shirt.
"No! Get off!"
The second ring flew from the shuttle and landed on him too. He tried to rip them off, but both slid down his arms and locked tightly around his wrists.
They pulsed with energy, symbols glowing.
Danny stood there, chest heaving, shirt torn to ribbons. He yanked at the rings, twisted his arms, even tried hitting them against the ground.
Nothing worked.
"Seriously? You've gotta be kidding me," he muttered, breathless.
He looked down at the strange alien bands now fused to his skin.
"What are you?"
But the rings gave no answer.