THE NEW GUARDIENS

They stood there for about five minutes?

Ten?

Twelve?

Fifteen?

An hour?

At this point, Zack was too bored to care.

The team, led by Canman, stood in an abandoned lemonade factory for God knows how long, waiting for an important message from the President of Commonwealth himself.

Zack had gone from shaking with excitement to yawning with boredom after standing for such a long time.

Suddenly, someone spoke.

"For a leader of a nation, this man is awfully tardy," Stacya said with a sigh.

Paulina nudged her as Canman began to chuckle. Zack was a little caught off guard by the chuckle but welcomed the lightened mood.

They had no idea what was coming for them.

Or who.

"I do admit he does have a bit of a lateness streak. I was hoping he would break it since he's the one who called for this meeting for a change. Sadly, I was wrong."

"For a change? Seems like his tardiness came in his manifesto."

Canman laughed. It was a loud, hearty laugh. It felt wrong seeing it come from him, yet Zack was captivated by it. The more he observed this man, the less he understood him.

He had imagined Canman as an emotionless, stoic figure with no hint of humor in him, but it seems he was wrong. He seemed more... human now.

Laughing at a joke at the president's expense, no less.

Yet, despite this... he had an urge to make him proud.

Paulina, on the other hand, was on edge. She felt something approaching but couldn't decipher what.

Was this a trap?

A mistake?

Well, they soon got their answer.

Stacya's attention quickly turned to the left corner of the room they were in. Quickly, she pounced on said corner with a predator's ferocity.

She pinned someone to the wall. Someone hiding behind a pile of boxes, which all tumbled with a loud thud.

"Paulina! What are you doing?!" Paulina shouted as she flew towards her and pulled her away from the man she tackled.

They all stood silent at who they saw.

"Ah... it ain't her fault. I was being a bit of a creep there," the man said with a chuckle as he emerged from the shadows.

Canman hiccuped, catching Zack off guard again.

"Hello, Cammy. Nice to see you again."

It was Milten Morningstar, head of Milton Industries.

He was a 5-foot-7-inch man with an unassuming figure and a pretty lean build. He had yellow-blond hair and blue eyes and wore a gray business suit. If Zack didn't know any better, he would've been considered a background character in any comic book.

To see someone like that make Canman look surprised was a pretty insane thing to see.

"Milten?! What the hell are you doing here?!"

"Well, Cammy, I'm simply here to meet with President Bump."

"What? Why?!"

Canman's voice was deep and stern. The exact opposite of what Zack had heard all this time, but exactly how he had imagined him to be before they met.

"Oh, come on! Not a 'hey, buddy' or even a 'hi' to your oldest friend? How could you be so cruel?"

"Focus, Milten. Why are you meeting with him?"

"Well, I'm here to discuss the new super team I'm setting up."

"What?! Who gave you the authority?"

"No one. Well, not yet. That's why I called Bump here. Without any paparazzi or legal troubles getting in the way. I have no idea why you're here, though."

"I was called by him."

"Hmmm, I wonder why..."

The two stared at each other for a few seconds until Stacya stepped forward.

"Why were you hiding behind those boxes?"

"Excuse me? Is that an Atlantean? What is an Atlantean doing here?"

"She's a member of the new team I'm forming. The Danger Squad. I'd be inclined to treat her with respect."

"Danger Squad? Where have I heard that before?" Milten asked, looking up and stroking his chin playfully.

Zack felt a sense of unease as he watched the scene unfold. Something about Milten's calm demeanor and nonchalant behavior rubbed him the wrong way, but he couldn't figure out what it was.

Then Mr. Print's words rang in his head...

"There are evil forces running Commonwealth, Zack..."

He had no idea why that rang in his head now of all times, but his hand started shaking as soon as it did. He held his hand tight to control it, to no avail. Then he felt another hand hold it tight.

It was Paulina. She gave him a loving smile.

Zack looked away, Mr. Print's words still ringing in his head like some kind of message.

"Stop changing the topic, Milten."

"Ah yes. Sorry, I have a habit of doing that. You see, I was here for a while but heard someone come in through the front door. We both know Bump doesn't do that. I decided to hide and wait to see who was there. Once I saw you, I was thinking of how to appear, but it seems your Atlantean... friend was way ahead of me."

"So where is this team of yours, Milten?" Canman asked, causing Milten to scoff.

"Well, if you must know... they're here with us! You can see for yourself. Come on out, guys!"

And with that order, four costumed beings appeared out of the blue. The various boxes and leftover equipment that simply served as ambiance fell over as these figures arose.

And Zack recognized them instantly.

Except one...

"H-hey! I know these guys! They chased down that Dragon back at Empire City!" Zack said to Canman and the others.

"Really?" Canman asked.

"Ah! It seems you got a glimpse of my team in action. Behold! The new Guardians!"

"New Guardians?!"

Canman's voice turned into something else.

Something with more... rage...

"Meet Warzone! One of the greatest advancements in battleship technology!" Milten said and pointed to the large, bulky figure in a gray suit of battle armor as he stepped forward.

Every step showing the immense weight of that armor.

"Next, Viper! Femme fatale extraordinaire!" He said and pointed to the slender woman in a green spandex suit with scales on her head, gloves, and boots.

"Wow! Way to much up my introduction, Boss." She said as she stepped forward and licked her lip, revealing her long, forked tongue. A drop of green liquid fell from it, melting the floor once it dropped.

"And finally, Blue Shadow!" He said, pointing to the man who Zack didn't recognize.

He was a tall man. Almost scary to look at, too. He had black skin... or spandex... Zack couldn't figure out which was which. He had two glowing blue front-facing horns and a circular blue symbol on his chest with two small lines on each side.

He wore a long black trench coat and black boots. He was not someone you would classify as a super from his presence alone.

He had a strange aura around him. One of pure rage and hostility.

Zack couldn't help but stare at him. With all the negative emotions his presence invoked... he did add a sense of familiarity.

Stacya was staring at him too, with even more intensity.

One look from Canman was enough to piss him off, though.

"What was the point of that, Milten?" Shadow said. His voice was unlike anything Zack had ever heard. It was like listening to pure bass talking. It was both painful and alluring to the ear.

Stacya felt the worst of this.

"Oh, Shadow, my friend! Haven't you ever heard of a dramatic entrance? If you're gonna be the best team Commonwealth has to offer, you have to carry a sense of flair!"

"Yeah, Blue! Where's your sense of adventure?" Viper said as she leaned closer and caressed the circular blue symbol on his chest.

Warzone shook his head and sighed.

Canman had enough. He walked towards Milten as fast as he could and was close enough to feel his breaths.

"What is this, Milten? Some kind of sick joke? Or another one of your ploys? Who are these people? Why are you bringing them as your new... team? How dare you sully the name of the Guardians with this farce!"

"Oh, Cammy, my friend... why do you worry so much? They are humans I found. They were rock bottom. On the brink. They needed a new life. I'm giving them one. What's wrong with that?"

"You? Helping humans? Don't make me laugh! I remember all the shit you've done to them. To me!"

Zack raised an eyebrow, as did the black figure, which Stacya noticed as she observed them both.

Paulina, on the other hand, focused on the man in the metal suit. Or rather, the metal suit itself.

She felt something odd the longer she stared at it.

"I've helped humans before, Cammy. Remember Megalo?"

Canman lifted him by the collar of his shirt.

"Shut up! You have no right to talk, you..."

"Put him down, Canman."

With the sudden command, Canman let Milten fall to the floor. He looked to his left to see a glowing green portal open.

And from it came President Bump himself.