The blackness of space stretched endlessly beyond Jupiter, broken only by the clash of two ships locked in battle.
A hulking brown warship bristled with cannons, its engines glowing with raw power. It fired relentlessly at a smaller teal vessel darting through the void like a desperate animal.
Inside the warship's bridge, klaxons wailed. Sparks rained from the ceiling as a mutated chimpanzee hunched over a glowing console. His dark fur bristled with static, and the atomic symbol etched into his chest seemed to pulse faintly under the flashing red lights.
"Captain!" he barked, voice crisp and commanding despite the chaos. "Hull damage at twenty percent, but weapons systems remain online. Shields holding steady."
The figure seated in the command chair leaned forward, gripping the armrests tightly. His green skin gleamed in the artificial light, his oversized brain pulsing beneath a glass dome. His eyes burned with fury as he watched the smaller ship dance between plasma fire.
Mojo Jojo.
"We have come too far to be denied," Mojo hissed, each word dripping with malice. "That Ultralink will be mine! Mine to command, mine to wield, mine to conquer this miserable galaxy! There is not a being alive who can stop me—not man, not alien, not even that purple potato!"
Simion's lip curled slightly, but he kept his tone neutral. "Their pilot is skilled. If they've risked everything to carry the Ultralink this far, it must be critical. We should anticipate an escape maneuver."
Outside, the teal ship abruptly broke formation, spinning into a reckless dive. Its cannons flared—
PZZZHHH!!
A precise shot slammed directly into Mojo's control tower. The bridge shook violently, fire spilling across the ceiling as metal screamed in protest. Officers tumbled across the floor.
"Direct hit!" Simion shouted. His sharp eyes darted across the screens, fingers racing to stabilize power. "Structural integrity failing on the upper deck!"
Mojo slammed a fist against his armrest, teeth bared. "INSOLENCE! Return fire! Destroy them, destroy them now!"
The massive warship's central cannon swelled with energy, pulsing like a star ready to burst.
FWOOOOOM!!
The blast engulfed the smaller ship in blinding light.
KRA-BOOOOM!
Fragments of teal metal scattered across the void. Silence returned, broken only by the hum of the warship's engines.
But then—
A small pod detached from the wreckage, its thrusters flaring as it streaked toward Earth's distant glow.
Simion's console pinged. His sharp eyes followed the trajectory. "Captain, a pod has ejected. Energy readings confirm that the Ultralink is aboard."
Mojo's snarl twisted into a grin, sharp and cruel. "Send our boys to recover it at once. That Ultralink belongs to me. And soon… Earth will kneel before Mojo Jojo!"
"But beware, Earth is not undefended." He rested his chin on a clenched fist, eyes narrowing with disdain. "Superhumans infest that planet. Especially the Hyperian… and his scientifically gifted trio of daughters."
The pod entered the edge of Earth's atmosphere, glowing brighter as it plummeted.
Simion turned his gaze from the screen to Mojo. "Then allow me to oversee the retrieval personally. If the Ultralink truly is the key, you'll want someone who understands both alien tech… and Earth's champions."
Mojo tapped a finger against the armrest of his throne, deep in thought. Slowly, a wicked grin spread across his face.
"Yes… Go, Simion. Retrieve it. And if anyone dares stand in your way... remove them." His eyes gleamed with malice. "Oh, and while you're at it, deliver a message to those three girls. Tell them… I'm back! Hahahaha!"
Simion's atomic chest symbol glowed faintly. He bowed his head. "As you command."
The warship loomed silently as the pod streaked toward the blue planet below—
—when suddenly, BANG!
The pod jolted violently, its descent veering off course. Out of the void, another ship burst from hyperspace, smaller and rugged,
its hull was dent as if it cane from dozens of battles. Its engines roared as it clipped the pod's trajectory, sending sparks scattering into the void.
Simion's eyes snapped to his console. "Captain another vessel has appeared! Its configuration is… unfamiliar. Not listed in our records."
Mojo's head whipped toward the screen, his jaw tightening. "What? Who dares intrude upon MY conquest?!"
The mysterious craft spun past the pod, stabilizing itself with surprising agility. It didn't fire, it didn't signal. It simply nudged the Ultralink's pod off its course, almost deliberately, before vanishing to Earth.
The ship fell silent, only the crackle of static from damaged panels filling the air.
Simion's eyes narrowed. "Whoever that pilot was… they weren't trying to destroy it." His tone darkened. "Now the pod's entry vector is unstable. Estimated landing zone is unknown."
Mojo slammed a fist against the armrest. "Cursed meddler!" His voice rose, manic. "No matter. No matter! The Ultralink will still fall to Earth, and once it does—Simion, you will find it! Before anyone else dares lay a finger on it!"
Simion's atomic chest symbol glowed faintly. "Understood."
Mojo leaned forward in his throne, lips curling into a cruel smile despite the interference. "Run where you will, little Ultralink… Soon enough, you will belong to Mojo Jojo!"
________
Earth
Dexter wiped the sweat from his brow and tugged hard on the rope. One by one, the groaning thugs were bound together against a lamppost, the eyepatch man sagging unconscious in the middle of them.
"All done," Dexter muttered.
Satisfied, he turned toward the parked truck the gang had arrived in. With a metallic screech, he wrenched open the back doors—then froze.
"Well, well, well… what do we have here?"
Inside the truck, stacked haphazardly under a tarp, were broken mechanical parts. At first glance they looked like scrap but Dexter's eyes immediately picked out the familiar shape of a Bio-War unit's plating. He shoved aside more junk, revealing scorched servos, cracked optics, and pieces of other bots mixed in.
A grin spread across his face. "Finders, keepers."
Thanks to the strength of his prototype suit, even the heavy Biowar parts were manageable. Piece by piece, Dexter hauled them over to his own truck, loading the cargo bed until the last shard clanged into place. He dusted off his gloves, standing proudly over the pile.
"Fifteen minutes of heavy lifting and we're good. Not bad, Mk-1," he said, tapping the side of his arm display.
He glanced back at the tied-up gang. A thought tugged at him. His grin shifted into something sharper.
"…Right. I still need a sample."
Dexter rummaged through the cab of his truck until he found a surgical kit and a small vial. Kneeling beside the unconscious eyepatch man, he muttered, "Sorry, old man. Science calls." He located the vein and carefully drew blood, smirking as the vial filled.
"First superhuman specimen… officially acquired." He capped it, storing it safely in the kit.
This was the first time he had ever come face-to-face with a super. Sure, he'd crossed paths with Bob Parr and even the Powerpuff Girls before, but getting a DNA sample from any of them was like trying to find a needle in a haystack.
"...Hmmm?"
He was halfway back to his truck when the night sky caught his eye.
A streak of light blazed across the heavens, burning brighter by the second.
"Whoa… a shooting star?"
The streak swerved suddenly and instantly changes course, aiming straight for him
Dexter's eyes widened. "Wait, what the fu—"
KRA-BOOOOM!!
The meteor slammed directly into the gang's truck. The explosion ripped the air apart, launching Dexter off his feet. He hit the asphalt hard, coughing through the smoke and ringing in his ears.
"The hell… was that?" he rasped, wings twitching as he forced himself upright.
Through the haze, a crater smoldered where the truck had been. Metal twisted like melted paper around a sleek, oval pod that hissed with escaping steam.
Dexter slid down the edge of the crater, wings flaring to keep his balance. "No way… that's not a meteor."
The pod split open with a hiss of pressurized air. From within, a glowing red orb emerged, floating upward like a living machine. Its core pulsed with alien energy, tendrils of light crawling across its shell.
Dexter's breath hitched. "What… is that…?"
The orb spun once, scanning the area—then shot straight at him.
"Shit—!"
It slammed into his chest like a magnet snapping shut. Dexter staggered, clawing at it. The device pulsed, locking in place, red circuitry spiderwebbing across his torso.
"Get off! What the hell is this thing?!"
A voice resonated in his skull. Smooth, digital and... Inhuman.
[Human, your armor is battered, your body is strained. If you are agreeable… my matrix can help.]
Dexter froze, panting. "…You're talking to me?"
[Symbiosis is required. I can repair you, enhance you and together we can survive.]
"Uhmmm... Can I say no?"
[Denied]
"Than why the heck do you even ask me—"
FWOOOOOSH!
The orb erupted—
White and red nanotech surged out in liquid streams, consuming his prototype suit. Plates of sleek alien alloy snapped across his body, wings reforging into sharper, deadlier blades of light. Crimson lines pulsed along the armor's joints, alive with energy. A helmet sealed over his head, HUD flaring red with alien glyphs that translated themselves before his eyes.
Dexter staggered, staring at his reflection in a shard of scrap metal.
His voice cracked into a laugh. "…Holy shit. I look like a goddamn superhero."
[Connection: Ultralink host. Synchronization: 87%. Armor integrity: 100%. Systems online.]
"But seriously what are you?"
________
[A/N: For those who don't know the Ultralink came from the universe of Max Steel. Also you can check the pics of Mojo and Simion on the auxiliary chap.]