Shifting Tides

(Third Person POV)

The house felt emptier than usual, the kind of quiet that crawled under your skin and made you anxious. Debbie Grayson sat at the kitchen table, her fingers tracing the rim of her coffee mug. 

She tried to focus on mundane things like cleaning, grocery lists, or anything else that would distract her, but her thoughts kept drifting back to Mark, Carter, and Nolan.

Since Mark and Carter got their powers, life had been a whirlwind of fear and pride. She watched her sons grow into someone extraordinary, but with that came a new kind of worry. 

It wasn't just about grades or girlfriends anymore but about survival. Mark and maybe even Carter were out there, fighting god-knows-what, while she sat there, powerless to protect him.

And then there was Nolan. Her husband had been acting strange for weeks, distant and almost secretive. She had always trusted him, but now there was a coldness in his eyes that made her uneasy. He'd always been intense, but this was different. She felt like she was living with a stranger.

Her phone buzzed on the table, pulling her out of her thoughts. It was a message from Mark, telling her he'd be home late because of "hero stuff." 

She sighed, typing a quick reply to be safe and take care of himself. But the unease gnawed at her. Something was wrong, and she didn't know what it was yet.

(Line Break)

Cecil Stedman's office was always dimly lit, a reflection of the shadowy work that went on behind its walls. The head of the Global Defense Agency sat at his desk, staring at the bank of monitors that displayed feeds from all over the world. His eyes were fixed on one in particular—the Guardians' headquarters.

The massacre had been swift and brutal. The Guardians of the Globe, the most powerful team on the planet, were reduced to lifeless corpses in a matter of minutes. And the culprit? Unknown, but what was worrying was how the killer even bested Nolan Grayson, Omni-Man, Earth's greatest hero.

Cecil rubbed his temples, the weight of the situation pressing down on him like a ton of bricks. The implications were staggering. If Omni-Man had been taken down, it could mean the end of everything they had fought to protect. 

The Viltrumites were no joke, and if Nolan was unable to stop the assailant, then Earth was in deep trouble.

But what bothered Cecil the most was the "how." How could someone do this and get away so easily? What was his or her endgame? There had to be a reason, a piece of the puzzle he was missing. And until he found it, he couldn't act. He had to tread carefully one wrong move and they were all dead.

Cecil reached for the phone and dialed a secure line. "Get Donald in here," he ordered. "We need to prep for contingency. And keep an eye on Grayson, both of them."

The line went dead, and Cecil leaned back in his chair, eyes narrowing as he stared at the footage of the carnage. Whatever Nolan was planning, Cecil intended to be ready.

(Line Break)

Mark flew through the air, the wind whipping past him as he pushed his speed to the limit. The fight earlier with the Laser Man had left him drained, but it wasn't the physical exhaustion that weighed on him. It was everything else. Balancing school, relationships, and being a superhero was more complicated than he'd imagined. He couldn't shake the feeling that he was missing something, that there was a bigger picture he wasn't seeing.

He had tried talking to his dad about it, hoping for some guidance, but Nolan had been...distant. It was like he was always somewhere else, even when he was standing right in front of Mark. 

It made Mark feel more alone than ever. His mom could tell something was up, but she hadn't pushed. She never did. Mark loved her for that, but he also hated how much she worried.

As he flew, Mark's thoughts wandered to Amber. They had spent more time together recently, but he was starting to see why Carter kept himself at a distance. It hurt to have to keep secrets from people, but it's already had to do now.

He spotted the familiar rooftops of his neighborhood and angled downwards, landing softly on the front lawn. The house was dark except for a single light in the living room. He hesitated for a moment before going in. Something was off, but he couldn't put his finger on it. As he entered, his mom looked up from the couch, her face lighting up in a smile.

"Hey, Mom," he greeted her, forcing a smile. "How was your day?"

"Good, just the usual," she replied. "You look tired. Everything okay?"

"Yeah," he lied. "Just a long day."

He could tell she didn't believe him, but she didn't press. That was the thing about his mom—she always knew when to let things go. Mark kissed her on the forehead and headed upstairs, hoping sleep would bring some clarity. But as he lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, the unease only grew.

Something big was coming, and he wasn't sure he was ready for it. And it became much faster as you could hear a phone begin to ring and his mom begin to answer.

(Line Break)

Eve walked home, her thoughts tangled in a web of confusion. The conversation with Carter had left her unsettled, though she couldn't quite figure out why. 

He was odd, to say the least, a straight-A student, but something about him felt...off. Not in a bad way, especially now with his face, which was rather handsome in her opinion, even if Carter himself didn't seem to realize it.

His questions had been innocent enough, but the way he looked at her, the intensity in his eyes, it was like he saw through her, past the facade of the high schooler and straight to Atom Eve.

She shook her head, trying to dismiss the feeling. Maybe she was just being paranoid. After all, she had more important things to worry about than some guy in her history class. 

But still, it lingered in the back of her mind, gnawing at her. And her boyfriend wasn't exactly helping as he seemed a bit distant these days. She suspected a couple of things but didn't want to believe them.

Her phone buzzed with a notification, and she pulled it out, expecting a message from Mark or her parents. Instead, it was a news alert. The headline made her blood run cold: "Guardians of the Globe Found Dead, Cause Of Death Unknown."

Eve stopped dead in her tracks, her heart pounding. She read the article, the words blurring together as panic set in. The Guardians were gone—just like that. It didn't make sense. They were the strongest heroes on the planet. Who could have done this?

She thought of Mark, Carter's brother, how he idolized them, and how he was trying to find his place in the world. How was he going to handle this? How was anyone going to handle this?

Eve turned and started running, her mind racing. She needed to talk to someone, needed to figure out what the hell was going on. She pulled out her phone and dialed Carter's number, her hands shaking.

"Eve?" Carter's voice came through the line, tired and confused.

"Carter, have you seen the news? The Guardians...they're gone. All of them."

There was silence on the other end, and then Carter's voice, barely a whisper: "What? How?"

"I don't know, but we need to meet. Now."

"I'll be there," he said, the shock evident in his voice.

Eve hung up and took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. Whatever was happening, it was bigger than anything they had faced before. And she had a feeling it was just the beginning.

(Line Break)

Nolan Grayson lay in the middle of the blood-soaked chamber, his chest heaving with exertion. The bodies of his former comrades lay scattered around him, broken and lifeless. He could almost taste the blood from his mouth, his mind a tumult of conflicting emotions.

He had done it. He had eliminated the Guardians of the Globe—Earth's strongest defenders. It was a necessary step, part of the mission he had been given all those years ago. But as he looked at their lifeless forms, he felt a flicker of something unexpected. Regret? No, it was something deeper, something he hadn't felt in a long time. A pang of guilt, perhaps?

These people had been his allies, his friends, in a sense. They had fought side by side, saving countless lives. But in the end, they were just obstacles, barriers to the greater good that he was destined to achieve. Earth was weak and naive and needed to be brought into line. The Viltrumites were coming, and when they arrived, Earth had to be ready—by force if necessary.

But there was one loose end he hadn't accounted for: Mark and Carter, his sons. Half-human, half-Viltrumite, the two were Nolan's greatest triumph and his greatest challenge. The boys were strong, stronger than even Nolan had anticipated, but they were also soft, idealistic, and too much like their mother.

Nolan knew that when the time came, they would resist. He would fight back against everything Nolan stood for. And that fight would tear their family apart.

He looked down at the bodies, still slick with blood, and clenched them into fists. Mark and Carter had to understand. They had to see that what Nolan was doing was for the greater good. But convincing him wouldn't be easy. 

It would take time, careful manipulation, and perhaps a show of force. Nolan would have to break Mark and Carter down before he could build him back up in the image of a true Viltrumite.

But before he could think of any further plans, he fell unconscious. Yet even as he lay there, he felt someone else enter the room. He wasn't able to see or hear what they were saying, but it didn't matter now.

(Carter POV)

Thankfully, Eve agreed to meet tomorrow, while Mark and Debbie thought I was in my room. I needed to do one last thing before I left my warehouse.

As I lifted the power injector into my hands, I placed a piece of her hair into the device. I had managed to grab a few pieces of her hair, which I had placed in separate vials.

For now, I placed the injector up to my nose and clicked the trigger, and I felt good.

I felt pure strength being added to my bones as my body began to glow with a pink issue, but it was soon replaced with a more orange color.

I could feel something being added to my body, mind, and spirit—the power grafted onto my very being.

[Warning: vitals spiking! Immediate medical attention is required!]

" Belay that order tech jacket is needed." I was almost in immense pain now, but I felt that the process was nearly complete, so I couldn't stop now, and the light began to shine brighter and brighter. It felt as if my very body was about to shut down.

But after a few more minutes of intense pain, the seated and I fell onto the ground, sweat pouring out of every fiber of my being.

"Hehe, hahaha! Hahahahaha!" Laughter filled the warehouse as Silk watched on in a rather worried fashion. Yet, as I stood up, I lifted my hand, and after placing it onto a book that I kept nearby, I watched as it turned from a normal book into pure titanium.

After placing the book back on the table, I breathed and looked at the orange glow emanating from my hands.

Looking back at the power injector that I had placed onto the operating table, I inserted the immortal DNA that I got from the base into the gun, but I needed to wait as I couldn't inject myself with more power so soon.

My body needed time to adjust after bidding farewell to silk. I entered my room, and it seemed I had perfect timing as I began to hear an immediate knock at the door.

I walked over to the door and opened it. I saw Mark nearly in tears as I placed my hand on his shoulder. All he managed to say was, "Bro, it's it's dad. He's not in good shape. We need to go now."

Nodding my head in agreement, I put a different set of clothes on, and after meeting up with Mark and Debbie downstairs, we open the door and bags placed over our heads before I assume tranquilizers placed under our necks.

Deciding to play along, I let myself fall to the floor, using my telekinesis to slow my own heartbeat and essentially play possum while I had my tech jacket and some nano trackers that I would later place in the global defense agency's base at the Pentagon.

But now it's time to play a confused teenager.

(Apologies if these chapters aren't seemingly going fast enough. It's just that I want to take my time with this and make this more of an arc than a pitstop on the jump chain once the flaxen invasion occurs faster. At least I will try to make it faster.)