Black Panther

Hal adjusted their route, taking the boy on a detour toward the planet Glan to investigate his origins and possibly find the "grandpa" he kept mentioning. The journey would take a while, so Charlie handed control of the ship's navigation over to the Green Lantern Corps' AI. This freed him up to handle some other tasks on Earth.

Since the last invasion of Earth by the Cantel aliens, things had changed drastically. The Starry Sky Committee and Charlie's team now had much more support and resources than before. Earth's leaders finally understood that alien threats weren't just stories but real dangers that could strike at any time. And with the way the Avengers had defended the planet, people saw how essential they were for keeping Earth safe. Even those who'd been unsure about the Avengers' role on Earth had come around after the Cantel attack.

Thanks to the support from leaders and allies, Charlie's surveillance plan was moving forward fast. Drones now monitored more cities, each acting like an extra eye for the Avengers and Watchtower. Lower-level heroes, the C-level ones, were stationed in cities to help manage any issues that arose. While these heroes might not be powerful enough to fight on the front lines, they were perfect for watching over local areas and dealing with smaller threats. Charlie's ultimate goal was to have at least three or four heroes stationed in each city, although he still didn't have enough heroes in his pool to cover that many places yet.

The drones had received upgrades too. Now they were equipped with advanced object recognition modules that allowed them to detect infections or potential threats even before symptoms appeared. This was critical for catching problems early. If the drone detected an issue, it would report the event to its base AI, which would assess the threat level. For lower-level events, the AI would notify the local Secret Service Division; for bigger threats, it would alert the Watchtower directly, which could then dispatch heroes to handle the situation. Infection incidents still occurred fairly often, and the new scanning tech helped immensely in reducing response time.

With all the successful missions recently, Charlie had accumulated a good amount of Hero Points, enough for a round of twenty draws. Deciding to take advantage of the free time, he pulled out his console and went for it.

The first few heroes were C-level ones. While they weren't top-tier, they were useful for maintaining coverage in cities and bolstering his network. After all, having a hero in a city, even a lower-level one, was better than leaving areas unprotected.

Then he drew something more exciting: a B-level hero, Black Panther. Black Panther was famous for his super-soldier-level physical abilities, which let him go toe-to-toe with even the strongest heroes. Plus, he was a master of close combat and had powerful fighting skills. However, Charlie couldn't help but notice how many Marvel heroes, like Black Panther, seemed drawn to close combat, even when they had other options.

Black Panther's Vibranium suit was top-tier, providing him with near-unbreakable protection. The suit could absorb and release energy, making Black Panther a tough opponent. But the suit's offensive abilities were limited to its Vibranium claws, so while it was great for defense, it wasn't as versatile as Iron Man's armor, which could attack from a distance with various weapons. This might have been one reason why Black Panther was only rated B-level.

Beyond his combat skills, Charlie was even more interested in Wakanda's technology. Wakanda's advanced inventions, which were all based on Vibranium, could change Earth's technology forever. However, he quickly realized that the tech from Black Panther depended on Vibranium itself—a rare material he hadn't drawn yet. Without it, Charlie couldn't access Wakanda's unique tech. Still, the potential was intriguing, and he made a mental note to watch for it in future draws.

The next item to appear in his pulls was unexpected—a Green Lantern spaceship from the planet Oa.

This was Charlie's first fully-functional spacecraft. The ship was top-notch, built by the Guardians of the Universe, who were known for their advanced technology. Though the ship didn't have any weapons, it was extremely fast and well-designed for travel across space. The Guardians must have figured that anyone flying this ship would be a Green Lantern, already equipped with the power to handle threats.

This ship also came with something extra: an advanced AI named Aiya. Charlie recognized Aiya as a character from Green Lantern: The Animated Series. Aiya's personality was intelligent and resourceful, making her a valuable partner. This added a new layer of support to Charlie's team, as Aiya could manage operations and communications during interstellar missions. Now that he had this spaceship, Charlie realized he could send multiple teams on missions across the galaxy, creating new opportunities.

The best draw, however, was saved for last. It was Iron Man—but not the Iron Man he already had in his team. This was an upgraded, Iron Man, equipped with better armor, weapons, and tech than the previous version.

Charlie's twenty draws had strengthened his team in meaningful ways. The new heroes and advanced equipment added firepower and flexibility to his Watchtower operations, helping him spread their reach even further.

As the ship continued its journey to Glan, Charlie switched back to Hal's view, checking in on their progress. Soon they would arrive on the mysterious planet, where, with any luck, they would uncover clues about the boy's origins—and perhaps learn more about the "grandpa" the boy kept mentioning.