Chapter 12 Local Danger Part 2

Deep in the heart of a dense forest lay a trail of splintered trees and destroyed earth. The Guardians of the Globe arrived at the scene, staring in amazement at the creature responsible for all this destruction. The serpent was a colossal beast, its scales glistening like polished obsidian and eyes burning with a malevolent light.

The awe lasted only a moment. Immediately, the team sprang into action, each member attacking from various angles. The Immortal, however, refrained from joining the fight right away. Instead hovered above, examining the situation and formulating a plan.

Looking in the direction the serpent was heading, the Immortal spotted a group of hikers trying to capture photos. Shaking his head in disbelief, he thought, 'No matter the scenario, there will always be people like this.'

"Red Rush, clear the civilians! And make sure there aren't any more people up ahead," the Immortal shouted, his voice cutting through the surrounding noise.

Red Rush needed no more words. He immediately became a blur of red and white, darting between the trees with his super-speed. Within moments, he had the hikers safely out of the danger zone and continued searching for any others who might be in harm's way.

Returning his focus to the serpent, the Immortal noticed its speed. Despite the Guardians' relentless attacks, the beast seemed unbothered, moving forward at a fast pace. At this rate, it would soon reach a nearby town.

"Aquarius, we need to slow this thing down. Turn the path ahead into mud," he commanded, hoping the strategy would work.

Aquarius, wielding his trident, summoned his hydrokinesis. Streams of water erupted from the ground, saturating the soil and turning it into a thick, muddy quagmire. The serpent's advance slowed as it struggled against the sudden change in terrain.

With Red Rush checking for civilians and Aquarius impeding the beast's movement, the Immortal decided it was time to join the fight. He flew straight at the serpent's face, unleashing a flurry of powerful punches that sent shockwaves through the forest. Seizing the opportunity, the rest of the team joined in. Martian Man and Green Ghost used their abilities to impede its movement, while Darkwing and War Woman dealt heavy damage.

Crash! Crush!

The serpent thrashed wildly, its tail whipping through the air and causing massive destruction. In one of its strikes, it managed to hit Martian Man and Darkwing, launching them away from the fight.

"Argh, it can really take a hit! " War Woman shouted in frustration she kept hitting and hitting trying to break its scales but at most she would leave some cracks.

"Let see how you like this" Tired of not doing significant damage War Woman flew up in the air. Once high enough she came back down in full force using gravity to increase her momentum as she slammed her mace shattering through the scales. 

The serpent Roared out in pain at this while a hole gushing with blood appeared on its side.

RAAHWWR

The other members just smiled at her brute strength. They would have liked to copy this action but it was impossible for the rest of the team besides immortal.

The Immortal noticed the team's reaction and made sure to make a comment that kept their heads in the game. "Aquarius's mud is slowing it down, so we have time. Just aim for vulnerable areas where the scales might be thinner and if it doesn't work just do your best to retrain it" 

Darkwing flew in on his board and took the advice. With swift action he attached multiple explosives to the serpent's face. Before it even had the chance to retaliate.

BOOM!

The explosion hindered their vision as smoke filled the air. The team kept their distance, watching and waiting to see if the attack had caused any damage.

As the smoke cleared, the serpent stopped slithering forward for the first time. Instead it halted in place and  rose up, showing its true size. Once it's head pierced through the smoke it looked down at the Guardians in anger. 

All across its face were cracks leaking blood making the already terrifying beast more frightening.

"Great job Darkwing" War Woman called from the side with a grin eager to deliver an equally powerblow.

Feeling confident, the group readied themselves to continue the fight. But the King Serpent suddenly began convulsing.

"Huh, was Darkwing's attack effective?" Green Ghost asked as the beast collapsed and began shaking. The rest of the group wondered the same thing and continued watching, but the feeling soon changed as the serpent gave off an ominous aura.

"I don't know what's wrong with it, but I think we should kill it now that it's down," War Woman suggested. But by this point, it was already too late.

The serpent rose from the ground once more, and huge wings sprouted from its back. It looked towards the sky and shrieked, the sound changing as the air in its mouth formed a beam that pierced the clouds.

"That's not good, right?" Red Rush asked the moment he returned to the battle. While the whole group thought in unison, 'Not good, not good at all.'

Pressing his comms, the Immortal contacted Cecil. "You got to have something for me. Is there a way to seal this thing back?"

"We're working on it, but I think you have a higher chance of killing it than waiting for us to make a seal. The archaeologist didn't bring back many records, so we're working with scraps," Cecil replied.

The Immortal had a feeling it would be like this. Things were never simple.

"How about Nolan? Have you contacted him?" he asked. If anyone could take this beast down, it was him.

"I did, but he's busy fighting another Kaiju in the Caribbean. That'll keep him busy for at least an hour," Cecil said.

'Sigh, guess the old-fashioned way it is. Keep punching till it kicks the bucket,' the Immortal thought. Floating down, he regrouped with his team and noticed that the rest of the team had returned. Now having a full roster, they prepared for the next round.

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.

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Back on the Breyer farm, Brandon and his family sat in place while watching the fight on the news. It seemed that newscasters still made it within the fighting area despite Red Rush's action in removing civilians. Just because he removed them once didn't mean they couldn't return and this is exactly what happened in this case.

"Oh my god, that thing is huge. The Guardians will be fine, right?" Tori asked hesitantly, with some emotion leaking through her voice.

Kaijus were a regular occurrence in this day and age with their attacks being common, but it is one thing to watch them on TV and another to know that one is heading right for your home. This stark shift in reality brought actual weight to the beast on the screen for not just Tori but also Kyle.

As the man of the house and the main one who works the fields, he couldn't help but imagine what would happen if they lost their farm. How would he provide? Where would they live?

Kyle and Tori's worries were normal and shared amongst the rest of the town. Well, all except Brandon, who stared at the screen with glowing red eyes.

His thoughts were nowhere related to survival or worry. No… all he felt was the urge to join them. Every blow shared between the Guardians and the serpent elicited a deep reaction from him. 'I want to be there!' he thought to himself as he felt his body heat up.

However, it seemed the fight had reached a turning point as the serpent experienced a metamorphosis and shot a beam into the sky. The sound it created wasn't just heard through the screen but was also noticed on their farm hundreds of miles away from battle.

The screen suddenly went black as the newscasters struggled to connect with their own field employees.

Brandon stood still as he struggled with what to do. He knew from the show that all the members of the Guardians survived as they are all present in the future, but letting them fight alone didn't sit right with him. They were clearly struggling and things had only escalated.

A part of him held back, saying that it didn't matter if he helped; they were all destined to die at the hands of Omni-Man anyway. So it was better to just wait it out like he planned, at least till Omni-Man was off-world. During that time, he could train and make his appearance afterward.

However, when those thoughts came in, Brandon felt a subtle shift in his body. It felt like his blood boiled at the thought, and two words flashed through his mind: "Coward" and "Hypocrite."

So what if going out exposed himself and possibly put him in Omni-Man's scope? Was he some sort of hermit that needed to live in hiding? And when it came to the Guardians, how could he just accept their bleak future without even attempting to change it!

This isn't some comic book or show he can watch where he has no interference. This was the real world, and the choices he made had actual consequences. If he ignored them, then didn't this leave their blood on his hands as well? And to think he was trying to be like Superman with such a way of thinking.

Yeah, right! If the real thing was here, he wouldn't hesitate to help no matter who it was. Even when the situation seemed impossible, Superman was the one who inspired and moved all those around him… especially now when the Guardians were struggling to defend his home.

'Haha, I really wasted so much time worrying about things that may or may not happen… if I want to be a symbol then risk is something I'm going to have to live with.' Brandon's demeanor slowly changed as his eyes carried a sort of determination they never had before.

Looking to his right, he saw his parents holding one another, looking at him with gentle smiles. They gave him a nod before his mother said, "Go, they need you."

That's all he needed to hear. Turning around, Brandon ran out of his home while ripping his shirt, revealing a bright red and blue costume. His crest popped from his chest with a bold U that one day people of all nations would recognize.

The symbol of Victory!