Collateral Damage

The blinding light from above slowly faded, leaving Jake with a moment of disorienting silence. For a split second, the world felt like it was holding its breath. The air was still heavy with the crackling energy from the explosion, and the ground beneath their feet seemed to tremble.

Jake's instincts kicked in. His tungsten fist shot up, scanning the surroundings. What had happened? Had Dreadstone sent reinforcements? Was it another one of his traps?

The others—Vera and her team—hadn't moved yet. They were just as stunned as Jake, their eyes searching the wreckage of the suddenly darkened battlefield.

But before anyone could speak, a figure emerged from the dust.

A tall man, cloaked in dark blue armor, with a glowing emblem on his chest. His eyes were hidden behind a visor, but there was no mistaking the sense of power that radiated from him.

"Everyone, stand down," the voice came from him, low and commanding. 

Jake's heart sank. That voice. He recognized it. 

"No way..." Jake whispered.

Lucy's eyes widened. "Is that—?"

"Maximus..." Jake muttered, his voice filled with disbelief.

Maximus. The *Maximus*—the leader of the most elite superhero team in the city. The one who had disappeared years ago after the tragic events that had shaken the entire superhero community. Everyone had assumed he was dead, lost in a catastrophe that no one had ever spoken about again. But there he was, in front of them, alive, and clearly powerful.

"Jake Reynolds," Maximus said, his voice still calm but edged with something darker. "You've been causing a lot of trouble lately."

Jake's throat tightened. "What are you doing here?" he asked, barely able to get the words out. "I thought— I thought you were gone. Everyone thought you were dead."

Maximus's expression behind his visor remained unreadable, but his posture was one of quiet authority. "That's what the world was meant to believe. But as you can see, there's more to the story. And now you're in the middle of it."

Lucy was glaring at Maximus, a fierce tension in her stance. "What the hell do you want with us?"

Maximus's eyes flicked over to her, his gaze sharp, but it was clear he wasn't going to waste time with pleasantries. "I don't want anything from you," he said, turning back to Jake. "But you've made it clear that you're no longer the person you once were. You've crossed the line. And now, you're a liability."

Jake clenched his fists. "I've been fighting to stop Dreadstone. You think I want this? You think I want to be some kind of villain? You don't understand—"

"No," Maximus interrupted, his voice suddenly cutting through the air like a blade. "You don't understand, Jake. You've been playing with powers you can't control. You've hurt innocent people, killed others—one of ours, for that matter. And you think this ends with you fighting Dreadstone? No. You've already gone too far."

Jake's vision blurred, and for a moment, everything seemed to go quiet. The weight of Maximus's words felt like a punch to the gut. He didn't know how to respond. He hadn't killed anyone—*not directly*. But the guilt gnawed at him, reminding him of the small-time villain's death—the death that had come from his own decision to let him go.

"I didn't mean for any of this to happen," Jake muttered, feeling the weight of his actions crashing over him like a wave.

Maximus took a step forward, his armor gleaming under the moonlight. "Intentions don't matter, Jake. You've lost control. And now it's up to us to stop you."

Lucy stepped forward, her voice low and filled with fury. "You can't just show up after all these years and tell us what to do. We're not backing down. Not now."

Maximus didn't seem surprised by her defiance. His posture remained as composed as ever. "I'm not giving you a choice."

Before Jake could react, Maximus raised a hand. From the shadows, a group of figures appeared—seemingly out of nowhere. Elite soldiers clad in similar dark armor, carrying weapons that hummed with energy. They were silent, their presence enough to send a chill down Jake's spine.

"You have two choices, Jake," Maximus continued, his tone unwavering. "Surrender now, and we'll put an end to this before it escalates further. Or we can do this the hard way."

Jake's heart raced. The pressure of the situation was suffocating. Here he was, standing in front of not only his former idols—the Guardians—but now the very person he had once looked up to, *Maximus* himself, who had once been the symbol of hope and order in a world teetering on the edge of chaos.

But it was too late for diplomacy. Too late for any of the old bonds they had once shared.

Jake turned to Lucy, his eyes filled with determination. "We don't have a choice. We can't give in."

Lucy nodded, gripping her weapons tightly. "We won't."

Jake clenched his fists, and his tungsten arm gleamed in the pale light, ready for whatever was coming next. He had already made his choice. And if it meant facing his childhood heroes—*his idols*—he was willing to take the risk.

The tension broke in an instant.

Maximus raised his hand, and the soldiers moved forward in perfect synchrony. It was time.