A Sentry’s Duty
"Shit," Captain Wilkins hissed venomously, the acrid stench of another laser boring through the feeble concrete pillar he clung to. His eyes swept over the grotesque spectacle in downtown Chicago, a gruesome panorama of shattered bodies twisted and mangled in ways that defied the limits of human comprehension. The heart of the city had become a gruesome battleground, and Wilkins and his squad, Squad 12, had endured the worst of it. Only twelve brutal minutes had passed since their arrival, and now, abandoned and isolated, Wilkins found himself fervently praying for the arrival of the Guardians of the Globe to quell this living nightmare.
Amid the chaos, Wilkins's internal monologue screamed, demanding to know where the hell the Guardians were. He sprinted through the nightmarish scene, vaulting over mutilated corpses and narrowly avoiding laser barrages hell-bent on erasing every trace of life. The alien invaders, adorned in cold, white metallic armor with a sinister blue uniform, showed no mercy. Men, women, and children were reduced to lifeless forms strewn across the urban battlefield.
Atom Wilkins's mind raced, grappling with the enormity of the cataclysm unfolding. This was a crisis fit for the Guardians, not mere mortals like him. The very essence of superheroes was to confront the inconceivable, yet in his direst moment of need, he felt abandoned and betrayed.
With grim determination etched across his face, Captain Wilkins seized an AR-15 from a fallen comrade while tightening a belt around his left forearm to stanch the bleeding from a gruesome palm wound. The haunting hum of approaching alien soldiers signaled impending doom, and Wilkins braced himself for what seemed like an inevitable death.
BOOM!!
Then, as if by divine intervention, a bus moving at unimaginable speed crashed into the invaders, leaving behind a crater of death and destruction.
"Thank God!" Wilkins bellowed, looking up to behold his savior—a young man suspended in the smog. Clad in black with a red S on his chest, the hero's attire radiated power and purpose.
The moment of silence soon passed, the surprise faded, and the invader pointed their weapons at this new challenger.
The young hero quickly spears toward the heavy hitters, aiming to draw their attention away from the civilians. As the tanks adjusted fire he dove into the earth digging rows of trenches, halting the invader's assault.
The alien general, recognizing the menace, ordered a ruthless counterattack.
As plasma cannons unleashed their fury, the hero ascended into the heavens, preparing to launch another brutal attack. A direct hit sent him hurtling back to the ground. Yet, like a phoenix, he rose, unleashing a barbaric counterattack. Crashing into the infantry divisions with his arms stretched, mimicking a plane, his body acted as a scythe harvesting thousands of alien lives.
"Jesus Christ," Captain Wilkins whispered, grappling with the surreal sight before him.
The once indomitable force wavered in uncertainty. Some fled, but the general, unyielding, commanded a final, desperate assault.
The cannons charged up together creating an electric hum heard throughout the battlefield. The cannons released their charge. He dodged at first, flying through a mass of plasma and massive ensuing explosions. The explosions temporarily blinded him long enough for the next volley of plasma bolts to strike true. The blast sent him crashing down to the ground he seemingly ignored. His breath escaped him, his eyes failed to see, his mind failed to understand, and yet his body absorbed the pain. Like a sponge, he drank up the pain like a blade forged in the heart of a volcano.
As the smoke cleared the general screeched in joy, giving orders for the invasion force to push forward and check the remains of the once glorious hero. As if killing their young hero wasn't enough.
The hero's once-immaculate costume now bore the gruesome marks of battle—bloodied and torn, revealing wounds that mirrored the brutal toll he'd taken. His hair was signed, his chest was charred, and agonizing hard black blood oozed from massive cracks and tears all over his varying burnt body.
"I DO NOT LOSE! THIS PLANET IS GUARDED BY ME" Yelled the mangled hero who crawled out of the hole, causing the general to twist his head in confusion, that attack was enough to level a mountain.
How was this man alive?
"DON'T YOU FORGET IT" He roared through a badly burnt throat. The top half of his costume is now nowhere to be seen. Once again diving into the invading army with savage intent, he quickly destroyed multiple plasma cannons and tank divisions.
While his onslaught decimated row after row of alien infantry, the invaders' skin began to fade from the once proud green to a demoralizing gray. As tanks oxidized and armor withered away it was clear the battle was coming to an end.
As the General realized the current situation he quickly ordered a retreat. A once proud army was reduced to a handful of frightened old men who experienced firsthand the wrath of a God. The observers rejoiced as the invaders escaped through portals; they couldn't help but wonder what our hero's name was.
"Where do you think you're going?" He shouted, flying after the terrified aliens that filed into the closing wormhole.
"Wait!" Shouted a flying member of Teen Team, a private team of superheroes led by the mechanical robot who had just arrived on the scene. They watched the unnamed hero spear past the portal, that closed a moment before contact and crash into the subsequent cars and buildings.
"Guys I think he's knocked out."
"He needs a hospital," said a young redhead superhero in a pink super suit that left nothing to the imagination
"Yeah...not me." a light-skinned superhero with a super suit that screamed look at me, with its red and yellow color scheme.
"I'll check on him, handle the wounded and trapped" Robot ordered while walking toward the wreckage where the savior slept.
With each step closer the hero's injuries became more and more apparent, looking down at the hero with two-thirds of his body covered in burns as black as asphalt and a puddle of crimson-red blood surrounding him. "Cecil!, we need medical support here now. There is a chance we lose him"
As Robot attempted first aid he was tempted to collect a DNA sample. "Could this power be duplicated?" he thought as he addressed the major wounds covering his chess and lower torso.
Once Robot sealed the hero's gaping chest wound, with a skin sealant of his design. He attempted to capture a DNA sample but suddenly the hero shot up onto his feet, knocking Robot back from the force generated. Robot approached once more to help stead the champion.
Grabbing onto his shoulders allowing for the hero to rest upon him.
"Chough" a bloodied and broken hero tried to clear his throat only to find it filled with blood. "Chough Chough" again another attempt, spewing blood out of his burned mouth, this time allowing for a single question to be asked.
"Did we Win?" Not waiting for an answer he quickly fell into Robot's metallic arms. With Robot's left side now coated in blood, he ordered "Atom Eve he needs medical treatment as quickly as possible. Bring him to Cecil as quickly as possible. You are his only hope"
Atom Eve not knowing what to say when looking a the remains of this day's savior. Quickly acknowledged Robot's order and formed a pink sphere around him. Flying towards G.D.A headquarters at a rapid pace, the same question occupied her mind. "Who is he?" Dismissing the questions occupying her mind, she entered the G.D.A headquarters to find a waiting room filled with soldiers pointing rifles at her.
"He needs a doctor now" she ordered. "We will take it from here," a group of doctors said as they started to address the young man's many wounds.
"Don't let his mother see him like that" Cecil commanded now making his presence known to Atom Eve.
"Good work kid but there is still work to be done," Cecil said to Eve turning his back towards her.
"Wha...What's his name?" Eve asked weakly still shocked by the young man's resolve to put his body and soul on the line to face an invasion force head-on.
"He goes by Sentry," Cecil said with a slight grin