---
(GDA, 1 month before Mark wakes up)
Immortal and some other Guardians were unconscious in a coma, receiving treatment. They lay on stretchers in the medical wing of the GD, still recovering from the battle with Omni-Man.
Darkwing, Green Ghost, and Red Rush were already conscious and in good condition, while the others remained in a coma.
Mark was lying in bed, intubated. He was probably the one who was hurt the most.
His mother, Debbie, was sitting by his bedside, crying. She visited him regularly.
Cecil stood by her side.
(One month later)
Mark woke up.
"Ha?" Mark said, waking up. He didn't recognize where he was. He woke up in a strange room, without his suit, his face battered and bruised.
"Oh... well... you're awake..." Cecil said, standing in front of Mark's bed. He was dressed in his usual black suit and red tie.
"I... I think I had a nightmare..." Mark said, sitting up in bed.
"Believe me, kid, I wish that were the case. You've been unconscious for a month. But my team managed to bring you back. You should be fully recovered in another day or two. We're keeping you here just as a precaution," Cecil explained.
"My name is Cecil Stedman. You don't know me, but I knew your father... or at least, I thought I did..."
"I hold such a high position in the U.S. government that the position doesn't even officially exist. I'm above the CIA, to the point where they don't even know I exist. I also lead the Guardians of the Globe."
"My job is to keep the world safe, no matter the cost. Your father was my top agent," Cecil continued.
"I was the man on the other end of the line when he was in action. I was the one he talked to through his earpiece. Whenever trouble arose, your father was sent to deal with it."
"I had no idea of his true intentions," Cecil added.
"It's good to see you're okay. Your mom was almost catatonic the first week... she's recovering now," Cecil said.
"Now, if you could just..." he began, but Mark was still staring blankly at him, his face empty, as if lost in thought. Mark seemed sad, hollow. Cecil noticed.
"Oh, another time then... Sorry to bother you," Cecil said, walking out and leaving Mark alone in the room.
---
(GDA, advanced post, 1 month before Mark wakes up)
In a desert base underground...
Nolan woke up. He was trapped.
He had been unconscious for two weeks. His legs were healed, his Viltrumite healing factor had restored them quickly.
His hands and feet were completely shackled in thick bars, and his head was held in place by the same restraints.
Nolan felt his legs and arms; everything seemed fine.
A sad expression appeared on his face as he began to remember everything he had done.
"I hurt him..." Nolan said, recalling Mark.
"I... everything he said was true... what did I do..." Nolan cried, thinking back to Mark.
"I did horrible things... if it weren't for them, I would've done worse. I would've killed the Guardians and many others..." Nolan murmured.
"They were my friends..." he whispered to himself, alone in the dark cell.
Nolan was filled with regret. He felt such shame for what he had done to his son and wife, Debbie.
Nolan just wanted to run away...
He started using his strength, shaking the whole base. Even though he was injured, he was still a seasoned Viltrumite, and this facility couldn't hold him.
A siren began to sound, and the light in his cell turned red.
The agents noticed Nolan's escape attempt.
The siren grew louder.
Nolan used more force, breaking the steel bars that held him, then flew straight up, smashing through the roof of the base.
(Boom)
Nolan easily escaped the government facility, still in his suit, they hadn't even had time to change his clothes.
After escaping, Nolan flew upward, rising as high as he could.
He left the atmosphere and reached space. He looked back at Earth, then flew farther away.
Nolan only had one thought.
He had two options: he could return to Viltrum, warn the council, and bring more Viltrumites to conquer Earth...
But instead, he chose to leave.
Nolan flew far away from Earth, tears in his eyes.
It wasn't an easy decision. Nolan chose to turn his back on Viltrum.
Nolan had lived as a Viltrumite for thousands of years before coming to Earth, but that short time on Earth had changed him. He could have killed Mark.
Mark was weak. When he challenged him and lost, Nolan should've killed him, but he didn't.
Nolan couldn't kill his son. He loved him, even though he denied it sometimes.
Nolan became a fugitive. It was only a matter of time before Viltrum found out about his betrayal.
Nolan chose to hide.
He was now sitting on a planet in space, staring at the emptiness of the galaxy, reflecting.
Nolan had fled Earth, but that didn't mean he had given up on living. If he did nothing for Viltrum, they would come and kill him.
Nolan thought maybe if he conquered another planet for Viltrum, the council would lessen his punishment.
So Nolan searched for such a planet to conquer.
He wandered space for a week before finding a planet with life.
Nolan was now descending toward that planet.
---
(GDA)
"He escaped, sir," Donald said, looking at the monitor.
"I noticed..." Cecil said, irritated.
"What should we do, sir?"
"What should we do? I don't know! Most of the Guardians are in a coma, and the ones who are awake aren't enough to handle this," Cecil said.
"What about the kid? Has he woken up yet?" Cecil asked.
"No, sir, still unconscious..." Donald replied.
"Then call him, damn it..." Cecil snapped.
"He's not answering, sir..." Donald said.
"If he's not answering, we're screwed," Cecil said, analyzing the situation.
His fighters were all in a coma or injured. Henry wasn't answering. The situation was worse than before.
"Sir, look at this..." an agent said.
"What?" Cecil asked.
"He's leaving the atmosphere, sir," the agent said, showing footage of Nolan heading into space.
"Where is he going?" Cecil asked.
"I want you to keep an eye on him. See if he comes back... Donald, keep trying to contact him. I really hope he's leaving," Cecil said.
---
(Fortress of Solitude, days after the fight with Nolan)
"Are you sure this will work?" Henry asked Alura.
"Yes... the bracelets are working perfectly. You just need to press this button, and you'll enter the Phantom Zone. Press it again to return," Alura said.
Henry looked at Alura and said, "Don't tell Eve that I entered the Phantom Zone."
"But... she won't like hearing that..."
"I know, but we don't know what's inside. This is for her own good. I know that if she finds out, she'll want to come with me... but if I don't come back, tell her for me," Henry said.
"Tell her yourself when you come back, my son..." Alura said, handing him a device.
"I've set the tracker to look for bio-signatures compatible with the House of El," Alura said.
"Thanks," Henry replied, taking the tracker from her hand.
"Take this with you as well..." Alura said.
She handed him another device. This one was a Kryptonian crystal.
"It's set to locate any Kryptonian distress signals. I don't know if she left one, but take it with you," Alura said.
"Thanks..." Henry said, gratefully.
Henry moved away from her and headed to an open area. He had already done tests, but this time it was for real.
He pressed the button to activate the Phantom Zone.
After that, energy coursed through his arm and into his whole body.
A crack in space appeared in front of the bracelet, expanding until it matched his size.
The portal to the Phantom Zone expanded, and Henry walked into it.
Once inside, the portal closed completely in an instant, as if it had never existed.
---