Earlier in the boat, The New Heroes sailed and swayed through the sea.
Stark gathered them into a room. "How about after all of this, we have ourselves a fun adventure exploring the outside world," he requested.
"You know my answer," Lucius happily affirmed and chuckled with a sickly expression. He held a bucket in his hands.
"Have we talked about this before? Well, my answer hasn't changed," Pepe pointed out and nodded.
"If it's close to our home, I don't see why not," Aaron asserted.
Bridget agreed with a nod and admitted, "I love adventures."
Matteo hopped with enthusiasm.
Hafen smirked and chuckled.
"It's settled then," Stark declared with a sparkle in his eyes.
Now, in a gory battlefield, Hafen, Stark, and Matteo fought their way towards the boat.
In a low tide, the boat settled on the sand but close to the water.
In front, Hafen ran and faced a horde of cyborgs.
Cyborgs aimed their laser guns.
Hafen halted and extended his arms out. He concentrated for his Telekinesis technique.
Laser guns, from the arms of the cyborgs, flung out of their grasp and floated in the air. They crushed together and exploded in a large fire.
At the same time, Matteo opened his mouth wide, revealing his clean teeth.
As a spectacle, flames emerged out of his mouth.
Matteo furrowed his brows and controlled the fire into a small ball. He blew it to a cyborg.
The cyborg was consumed by its flames and melted in the heat. As the fire dissipated, he writhed and groaned in pain.
Matteo coughed harshly, and sparks flew out of his mouth.
Stark charged and leaped over an onslaught of lasers. He landed and glared forward at an entourage of cyborgs. He swung his arms forward, and energy flowed throughout.
In an instant, vines sprouted out of the sand and wrapped around the cyborgs, restricting their movements.
Soon, Stark, Hafen, and Matteo reached the boat and defeated any cyborgs nearby. They looked around, but there were no other signs of their squadmates.
"Where's everyone? We're supposed to meet here," Matteo commented with a worried look. His hands rested on his knees, and he breathed heavily.
Stark and Hafen squinted back. Their chests heaved.
The rest of The New Heroes were dead.
More cyborgs loomed closer.
Some cyborgs stayed behind and dragged the bodies away.
Stark groaned in anger and clenched his fists.
"All my cyborgs! Beat him up some more," Commander Number 3 commanded in a turn of events.
The cyborgs halted and ignored the three kids. They hurried back.
Confused, Hafen, Stark, and Matteo turned to look.
A big sand dune caught their attention.
Commander Number 3 and thousands of cyborgs surrounded Pepe.
Pepe was in a bad state and in a worse situation.
"Pepe," Stark screamed out and readied to run to his aid. He felt a nudge, and he glanced behind him.
Hafen pulled him back and shook his head with a stern expression.
"Why," Stark queried with a frown.
"We have to retreat," Hafen replied.
Stark swatted his brother's arm off and muttered, "What are you saying? We should abandon Pepe? He's our squad leader."
"If we try to save him, we will all be defeated. The three of us cannot win against thousands of cyborgs. It's pointless to stay and fight," Hafen solemnly explained. A drop of sweat trickled down his temple.
In his heart, Stark did not believe him and scoffed.
Matteo stared at Pepe with concern.
Pepe, exhausted and covered with blood, laid on the ground.
"I won't abandon him," Stark protested and gazed at the battlefield with Matteo.
Matteo gulped and trembled. He interjected, "We should at least get the boat ready."
Hafen looked at him and nodded.
The two of them rushed back to the boat.
Meanwhile, Stark continued to observe Pepe and The Evil Cyborgs with a fierce stare.
"Stark! Don't just stand there! Help us," Hafen urged in the boat.
Stark remained silent. His lips curled inwards and tightened.
Hafen and Matteo started the engine.
"Stark! Get on the boat," Hafen demanded.
"They defeated Pepe," Stark murmured in a whisper, and he took a deep breath. Should he attempt to rescue their older sibling? He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. Tears welled up in his eyes.
"Stark! Hurry! We can come back with reinforcements," Hafen implored. His eyes widened in disbelief.
Now, The Evil Cyborgs turned and charged towards them.
Matteo poked his head out and asked, "Stark?" He noticed the immense army of cyborgs and froze in place. He shrieked in fear.
Stark stood defiantly. He glanced back at Hafen and Matteo. "I never ran away from a fight before, and I will not run away now. Especially not from this one. I brought us here in the first place," he proclaimed.
"What do you mean? What will you do," Hafen queried. He jumped out of the boat and narrowed his eyes.
Stark answered with determination, "I'm going to save Pepe and General Bobby. I'll check on the others, as well."
"Wait. You can't do it alone, and we can't do it, together, either," Matteo retorted and stepped on the shore.
"We can. We will defeat The Evil Cyborgs," Stark rallied and raised his fist.
A breeze blew through them.
"Everyone is dead. We can't defeat them by ourselves," Matteo insisted.
Stark paced towards the malevolent army of charging cyborgs. A silent rage boiled inside him.
Hafen and Matteo reluctantly followed him.
"What are you doing," Hafen questioned.
"We'll be fine," Stark reassured and repeated to himself, "We will defeat the cyborgs, and we will save Pepe and General Bobby. When we can, we'll save the others, too. That's it."
"Do you really believe we will be fine," Matteo asked and raised an eyebrow. He glanced at The Evil Cyborgs. His mouth downturned, and his lips tightened. He hesitated to follow any farther.
Stark nodded with a smirk and remarked, "We're the strongest soldiers of humanity, after all."
"That doesn't mean we can't be killed, idiot," Hafen huffed and argued.
Stark growled and yelled, "We can't just leave. Don't you remember what we promised to each other?" He turned around and glared at his brothers. He swung his arm and expressed, "We never got a chance to explore the outside world under our free will. We agreed to do so with them. Didn't we?" His shoulders tensed, and his arms quivered.
Hafen and Matteo gasped.
Hafen groaned in frustration. "You're still chasing that dream, planted inside you by The Exalted One and Sabre," he retorted and reiterated, "It's not the best idea to fight. Most of our friends weren't killed but captured. We can come back for them later."
"It's always been my own dream," Stark muttered and argued, "It may not be the best idea, but we will do it, regardless." He turned and faced The Evil Cyborgs.
"If we get captured, then, our chances of survival and humankind's victory will drop. Now, come on," Hafen urged and grabbed his brother's shoulder.
Stark glared at him.
"Stop arguing," Matteo pleaded with a tear rolling down his cheek.
Hafen and Stark turned around to their younger brother.
"I'm sorry, but I'm terrified," Matteo cried and interrogated, "What are we doing? Are we going to die?"
In realization, Stark struggled to move his mouth. It hung open. He swallowed and suggested, "Well, what are you waiting for? Get to the boat and leave. I'm going to stay and fight."
"Brother. Don't do this," Hafen protested.
"Come with us, Stark," Matteo begged.
"I have the drive to win and a chance to save them. I must not let that go and risk losing it all," Stark asserted.
"You'll be captured in the best-case scenario," Hafen claimed.
"If it wasn't for Pepe and General Bobby, we would all be lost and dead. We did not make it this far without their help," Stark pointed out and smiled. "Can you believe in me at least," he requested and glanced at his brothers.
Matteo frowned and stammered, "How can we believe in you when you're heading towards certain defeat?"
"I see," Stark affirmed and took a deep breath. He mustered, "Well then, I'm ready. You, two, get out of here."
Conflicted, Hafen and Matteo exchanged looks. They looked at the boat and back at Stark.
The Evil Cyborgs were almost at a firing distance.
Matteo clenched his teeth and raised his tightened fist. He stepped forward and declared, "I will fight with you!"
Stark and Hafen looked at him.
Matteo wiped his tears and stuttered, "I'll be by your side, Stark." He stood next to Stark.
"I'll be there, too," Hafen announced and waited on the other side of Stark. His hands were in his pockets, and he sighed.
"Huh," Stark muttered and looked, back and forth, at them.
"The cyborgs won't let the boat leave the shore easily, anyways," Hafen elaborated.
Matteo agreed with a nod.
With his fists clenched, Stark proclaimed, "Alright then, it seems we're doing this."
With The Evil Cyborgs arriving, Stark, Hafen, and Matteo stood together in anticipation of a final fight.
Hafen, Stark, and Matteo were the last of The New Heroes standing. They have decided to fight. Will their rescue efforts be successful? In three years, how much stronger have they grown?