Golden sunlight beat down on the American flag as it snapped in the wind.
One by one, famous superheroes arrived with their families and took their seats in neat rows across the National Mall. No one spoke. They mourned in silence—paying tribute to the greatest heroes this world had ever known: the Guardians of the Globe.
Near the middle, Mark, Debbie, and Jovian sat quietly together.
"WHOOSH—!"
Cutting through the heavy silence, two of the United States' top fighter jets screamed overhead. And between them—splitting the sky like a blade—flew the strongest man on the planet:
Omni-Man.
He rose above the jets, caught the sunlight at his back, and slowly descended.
At last, he landed at the podium stamped with the Global Defense Agency logo.
"To protect this world, I've fought things you could barely imagine," Nolan began, his voice carrying across the crowd. "I've defeated alien warlords. I've beaten back nightmares from the depths of hell. I've faced ancient gods—old, powerful beings who walked the Earth and sought to enslave humanity once again."
"But no matter what enemy I fought, I always knew I wasn't alone."
"Darkwing. Aquarus. War Woman. Red Rush. Green Ghost. The Immortal. Martian Man. Every member of the Guardians of the Globe…"
"Today, we have lost giants. Protectors. Heroes."
"And you can't help asking yourself… now that the Guardians are gone, who will be there to protect you?!"
"I can tell you, right here and now: I will."
"And my children will, too."
"New heroes are answering the call!"
Up on the podium, Nolan flicked a look toward Jovian.
Jovian understood immediately. He rose and gave Mark's shoulder a firm pat.
"Mark. We're going up."
"What—up there? Now?!" Mark stared down at his suit, completely baffled. "In regular clothes?"
Nobody had warned him. Nobody had told him this world-wide broadcast speech involved him at all.
"Not in regular clothes," Jovian said, pulling out two hero suits like he'd been carrying them the whole time. "In uniform. People need us."
"Uh… okay." Mark looked at the suit, went silent for a few seconds, then nodded.
A few seconds later, Mark and Jovian—now suited up—dropped from the sky and landed beside Nolan.
"Freeborn… and Invincible," Nolan announced, introducing their hero names to the entire world.
"We were never fighting alone before, and we are not fighting alone now!"
"A new era of heroes has awakened!"
"They hate evil, and they will not let wickedness run wild just because the Guardians are gone!"
Nolan's voice surged with passion.
"When you face danger—hold onto your faith," he said, then placed a hand on Mark and Jovian's shoulders. "And don't forget… look up at the sky."
The next second, all three tore through the air and shot upward—vanishing into the clouds.
"So that bastard Nolan turned a global memorial for the Guardians of the Globe into a celebrity showcase for himself and his sons?!" Cecil snarled, watching the broadcast. "What the hell does he think this is?! Damn alien bastard…"
Yeah—Mark hadn't known.
And neither had Cecil.
It almost looked like Nolan had intentionally used the Guardians' deaths as a stepping stone for his kids—like he was having them climb onto the world's stage over the Guardians' corpses.
Cecil's expression darkened, like the sky outside the building—slowly turning from bright to overcast. Whether he liked it or not, he had to start thinking harder about what Nolan really thought of Jovian.
And he had to seriously consider whether Nolan had a hand in the Guardians' deaths at all.
Because right now…
He was starting to suspect the whole family might be tied to it.
When the morning broadcast ended, a light rain began to fall—like the world itself was quietly crying for the heroes it had lost.
At the heroes' cemetery, Nolan, Mark, Jovian, and Debbie stood with the families of other superheroes, all dressed in black suits and holding umbrellas. They watched in silence as the coffins were lowered into the earth.
Rain tapped steadily—drip… drip… drip—like it was knocking on everyone's heart.
Eight coffins were lined up in perfect order on the grass.
Eight.
Because alongside the Guardians—Darkwing, Aquarus, Red Rush, Green Ghost, War Woman, Martian Man, and The Immortal—
There was one more.
Rex.
By any normal standard, Rex had no right to be buried alongside seven legendary heroes.
But at Jovian's insistence—his strong, uncompromising insistence—Rex was granted the same burial treatment as the world-famous Guardians.
"Thank me, Rex," Jovian thought, staring at the grave with a faintly amused look.
"Starting today, you won't be some nobody."
"When good, generous people come here to lay flowers for the Guardians, they'll ask why there are seven Guardians but eight coffins."
"And after someone explains it… maybe you'll get a few pretty flowers on your grave, too."
"Rex…" Atom Eve's face tightened with pain as she watched the coffin descend.
Thinking back, she'd ignored Rex for a full month.
If she'd known he was going to die… she would've been more forgiving.
Eve stepped forward a little more, but the rain had made the ground slick. In heels, her foot slipped, and her body tilted.
"Careful, Eve."
Jovian caught her gently and steadied her.
"Jovian… on behalf of the Teen Team, thank you," Eve said, wiping at her tears. "For letting Rex be buried with the heroes."
"No need to thank me," Jovian replied, voice calm. "Rex was a hero."
"Yeah, his mouth got him in trouble, and he made jokes at the worst times… but I know he was a good person."
"I'll carry the Guardians' will forward."
"And I'll carry Rex's will forward, too."
"So don't worry."
As he spoke, Jovian pulled her into a quiet, firm embrace, holding her against him. His eyes stayed level and steady, fixed on Rex's burial.
"Thank you," Eve whispered. "With you here… I feel safer."
At first she'd tensed at the sudden closeness, but after hearing his words, she stopped resisting and let herself lean into it.
"Rest easy, Rex," Jovian thought as the coffin disappeared into the ground.
"Eve—and the Teen Team—I'll 'take care of them' for you."
"And you… you just focus on your training in hell."
"Use the lava down there to scrub that filthy mouth of yours—since you never knew when to shut up."
Jovian's face remained perfectly composed as he watched Rex go into the ground beside the Guardians.
After all, almost everyone lying here was dead because of him.
Did he feel guilt? Pain?
Yeah.
He felt pain.
Because holding back laughter hurt like hell.
And if this damn funeral didn't end soon, he was going to hurt himself from keeping it in.