The evening had settled into something warm and lively.
Laughter and conversation filled the small food stall as the group continued eating, the earlier excitement of the convention still fresh in the air.
"UNCLE LUCIUS!"
Dash shot up from his seat and sprinted straight at the tall man near a woman who had just arrived. Lucius laughed and caught him easily.
"Hey there, little man. Miss me already?"
"You're late!" Dash grinned.
Lucius raised a brow, glancing at Bob. "Are we?"
Bob stood with a chuckle. "Oh, you're very late." He stepped forward and pulled Lucius into a quick hug.
Harold immediately joined in, grinning widely. "Oh, you have no idea what you missed!"
Lucius pulled back slightly. "That bad, huh?"
"That good," Harold corrected proudly, placing a hand on Dexter's shoulder. "My boy just presented something at the convention and blew the whole place away! A transforming robot! Walks, talks, protects, a real cutting-edge stuff!"
Lucius blinked. "A transforming robot?"
Bob let out a low whistle. "Yeah… we saw it. It was something else."
"You should've seen the crowd," Harold continued, clearly enjoying himself. "They were eating it up! Investors, scientists, everyone!"
Lucius glanced at Dexter with new interest. "Sounds like I showed up late to the main event."
"Exactly!" Harold laughed. "You missed history in the making!"
Meanwhile, Helen greeted Honey warmly with a cheek kiss. "Good to see you again."
"You too," Honey smiled.
For a moment, everything felt normal.
Then—
…beep… beep… beep…
A faint red glow pulsed from Dexter's wrist. His expression shifted instantly.
He tapped it.
[Dexter] Metal's voice came through, low and urgent. [There is a problem.]
Dexter frowned slightly. "What is it?"
[The one who was pursuing me in space… has found my signal. I believe they are approaching Earth.]
Dexter's eyes narrowed. "Approaching? what do you mea—"
The sky lit up.
Dozens of streaks tore through the clouds and without warning they struck.
BOOM!!!
From afar, the convention center erupted into flames, half the structure collapsing as explosions ripped through it. Screams filled the air as people ran out in panic.
Everything froze for half a second.
Then chaos.
Dexter immediately turned and started running but Susan grabbed his arm tightly.
"Dexter, no! It's dangerous!"
He looked back at her, calm despite the fire reflecting in his glasses. "Don't worry about me, Mom. I can help. Arcee is still inside, I can control her remotely. She can get people out faster than anyone else."
"It's too dangerous!" she insisted, fear clear in her voice. "You could get hurt!"
Dexter gently placed his hand over hers. "They need help, Mom and I'm not going in blindly, I have Arcee. I can coordinate everything from outside. The Ultron units will be here soon too, so I won't be alone."
Susan hesitated, her grip tightening for a moment before slowly loosening.
"…Be careful."
"I will."
And then he ran.
Behind him, the Parr and Best families moved together with the Labs, but there was something different in their eyes now.
Dexter sprinted toward the burning convention, tapping his wrist again. "Metal, what's the status inside?"
[Multiple civilians are trapped. Several injured. Structural integrity is rapidly failing.]
"Tell Arcee to prioritize rescue. Get everyone out and meet me at the entrance."
[Understood]
The heat hit him as he approached. Flames roared through the broken structure, smoke billowing into the night sky as people stumbled out, coughing and panicked.
Near the entrance...
"Are you okay?" Tadashi asked a girl who staggered out.
"I—I'm okay…" she coughed. "But there are still people inside!"
Tadashi didn't hesitate. "I'm going in."
"Tadashi, no!" Hiro grabbed him.
"People are still in there. Someone has to help!"
He broke free and rushed toward the burning building.
But just as he reached the entrance a hand grabbed his shoulder and yanked him back.
"What—?!"
Tadashi turned, ready to snap but froze.
Dexter stood there, eyes sharp behind his glasses.
"Running blindly into a collapsing structure without a plan," Dexter said evenly, "is not heroism. It's suicide."
Tadashi clenched his fists. "People are in there!"
"And you think going in now will help?" Dexter shot back. "You'll only add to the number that needs saving."
Before Tadashi could respond
BOOOOOM!!!
The building exploded.
A violent shockwave blasted outward, throwing all three of them back across the pavement.
Dexter hit the ground hard, ears ringing as he pushed himself up, staring at the burning wreckage.
"…shit."
His jaw tightened.
He knew this was supposed to happen—the fire, the chaos. A certain man, obsessed with technology, was supposed to start it as a distraction. That was exactly why Dexter left Arcee and Metal inside to rescue civilians and stay one step ahead.
But this…
This explosion and bombardment wasn't part of it.
Something had changed.
He immediately tapped his wrist. "Metal! Where are you?!"
Only static answered.
"Metal!"
Then—
[We're here.]
Dexter turned.
Through the smoke, Arcee emerged, her metal frame illuminated by firelight as she carefully carried survivors. Three people were held securely in her arms, two perched on her shoulders and clinging awkwardly to her neck was a robot dog. Above her floated Metal, projecting a glowing barrier that shielded them all.
"JIMMY!!! THIS RIDE IS AMAZING!!" Sheen yelled at the top of his lungs.
"I'm gonna puke…" Carl groaned, barely holding it in.
Jimmy slid off as soon as Arcee lowered herself, collapsing onto the pavement, completely dizzy. "Next time… less spinning…"
Lisa, still perched on Arcee's shoulder, adjusted her glasses and muttered, "Thermal resistance, structural adaptability, and active shielding under explosive stress… this is beyond cutting-edge."
As Arcee carefully lowered everyone to the ground, Carl immediately stumbled away and threw up while Jimmy sat there trying to recover, the others still shaken from everything that just happened.
Dexter stepped forward, his expression serious. "What's the situation inside?"
Metal responded calmly. "These were the only survivors detected."
Dexter's face hardened.
He turned to Tadashi. "You wanted to help, right? Then help now. Get them out of here."
Tadashi nodded immediately. "Got it."
He pulled Jimmy up, slinging his arm over his shoulder. "Come on, let's move!"
Hiro followed quickly, helping the others as they began moving away from the burning wreckage.
Dexter stayed behind.
_____
High above, the descending ships broke through the clouds.
Inside the lead vessel, Simion stood before a holographic display showing a boy in a lab coat, a humanoid robot, and a floating construct.
A small smile formed on his face.
"Found you."