"Why? Why did you have to go?" a teenage girl thought to herself as she held back her tears.
"Talia, do you care to say a couple of words about your father?" a woman in her late 20s asked.
"Not really, my mother taught me I shouldn't talk bad about the dead." The girl said.
"Alright, but I wish you wouldn't hold it against him. I'm sure he didn't abandon you and your mother on purpose." The woman said.
"Please don't. Don't try to make it seem like my father had good reasons for what he did. He abandoned his pregnant girlfriend to become a rich and famous douchebag. For all I care, I hope he ends up in hell." Talia said before walking away from the grave marked Malcolm Black (Sentry).
The woman sighs while thinking to herself. "Malcolm, what am I supposed to do?"
"Hey, Mary, how you been?" Valkyrie asked.
"Not good. Losing one of my best friends and boyfriend really takes a toll. Not to mention, his daughter, who he abandoned her, lost her mother. So, I have to take care of her." She answered.
"Daughter?"
"He found out about her last year but decided to stay out of her life. But I decided to get in contact with her. She's a good kid, but she's hateful."
"Let me guess. She hates Malcolm."
"Good guess, but he's not the only one." Mary said.
"She doesn't hate you, do she? What happened?"
"No, it quite the opposite. She loves me almost like a sister. But, she lost all hope." Mary said with a concerned expression.
"How about you bring her to my office? See if I can help her." Valkyrie suggested.
"Alright, I'll bring her by the office around 1pm. We're meeting with the lawyers and board members about his will." Mary said.
"Sure, anytime. I'm not going to be busy for a while since we're busy rebuilding." Valkyrie said before flying off. Mary, then, went after Talia, who was waiting for her beside the car, with her headphones. Mary sighs and unlocks the car door.
"Oh, are you done? I thought you were talking to your friend." Talia asked.
"Well, my friend had to go somewhere. Besides, I couldn't be there anymore." Mary said as she got in the car.
"Oh," Talia said as she got in the car. "So, how close were you with him?" She asked.
"Let's leave it at very close," Mary said as she started the car. She, then, pressed the pedal to floor, and sped out of the graveyard. Twenty minutes later, they arrived at a tall building with the word "BLACK" at the top of building.
"Welcome home, Talia. One of them at least." Mary said.
"Home? This is more like a fortress." Talia thought.
"Well, Malcolm didn't the commute from the Mansion outside of town, so he built a penthouse at the top of the building." Mary explained.
"Wow," Talia said as she looked out the car window.
Opening the door, Talia gets out and walks up to the front of the stairs. Looking at how shocked she was, Mary activated the car's secret autopilot mode and got out of the car. As the car drove away, to park itself, Mary walked up beside Talia.
"Ready?" Mary asks.
Talia nods and begins going up the stairs. Walking into the building, Mary and Talia were greeted by a hologram of Malcolm Black.
"Welcome to Black Inc. Where we strive for greatness." It spoke.
"Dad?" Talia said.
"Yeah, he used to say that every person that walks into the building should be greeted by the man in charge. It's silly when I think about it." Mary said.
"Hmph," Talia said as she looked at the smiling hologram. Then, she walked away towards the elevator.
Noticing Talia's mood change, Mary rushed to follow her. "Wait, Talia! The security system!" she yelled.
"What!" Talia said as she activated a hidden trigger near the floor. Immediately, Guards and drones rushed out secret compartments and pointed their weapons at Talia. "Woah! Wait! This girl is Talia Davis, Malcolm Black's biological daughter." Mary said as she got in between them and Talia.
"Sorry, Ms. Mary. We were told not to let you or anyone you might bring with you up to the penthouse." A guard said.
"Who gave you that order?" Mary said.
"I did. We can't have you getting into highly classified Black Inc. files." A young 22-year-old man said he walked down the stairs. He wore an expensive all-black, foreign suit, which should be rare to find since the Demon's invasion started.
"Mason? What are you doing here?" Mary asked."
"Isn't it obvious? I'm here to claim my birthright." He said, happily.
"Birthright? You're not his child. You're some kid from the streets he mentored. You have no right to anything that belongs to Malcolm." Mary explained, angrily.
"Oh? Well, according to this note I found from my mother, I am his illegitimate child from a one-night fling he had with my mom." He said as he held up a note.
"Impossible! Malcolm searched through every database in the world for people who shared his DNA when he was looking for his family. That's how he found Talia."
"And how do you know if he didn't make a mistake?" Mason said.
"Did you forget who I am? Of course, I know everything about Malcolm."
"Right, his widow. And this must be the long, lost daughter. Tell me… how is the old slut doing?"
"Excuse me?" Talia said.
"You know… your mother."
Immediately, Talia rushed and punched Mason, knocking him down. Angrily, Talia stood over him and punched Mason over and over again until a guard was able to pry her off of him.
"Don't you talk about my mother like that! I'll make you regret the day you were ever born!" Talia yelled as she pushed against the guard as he tried to take her away.
"Yep, she's definitely Mal's daughter." Mary thought to herself.
"Let her go. Or do you want to lose your job?" Another teenage girl said as she walked into the building.
"Who do you think you are?" Mason yelled as he got up from the ground.
"Dani Carter, one of the majority shareholders of Black Inc." She answered.
"What! You're a kid."
"Sixteen. And, last time I checked I don't have to be a certain age since my company is the owner of the stocks. Besides, the way the world is now, do you really think people would care about my age? Especially, a company that is about to majorly drop in stock numbers." Dani said.
"What!"
"And the only ones who can save it is me and my sister, Talia."
"Huh!" Psyche and Mason thought.
Later that day, Talia and Mary were driving to a large mansion on the outskirts of town that Malcolm owned. He called it Black Manor, his family legacy.
"So, when were you going to tell me?" Mary said.
"The same time you were going to tell me my father was the hero, Sentry. Besides, I assumed the world's strongest telepath would've seen it in my mind."
"I don't use my powers like that anymore. I got tired of seeing the true faces of humankind. But you're right. I should've told you the truth about your father." Mary said as she pressed a button. A secret tunnel opens from the road and Mary drives into it.
"Where are we going?" Talia said.
"The one place I think you should know about."
"The bunker?"
"Oh, you already know of it." Mary said, surprised.
"Of course, DeathDemon used to break in all the time remember. And he would always brag about it."
"Right," Mary said. "Well at least that answers one of my questions that eluded me." She thought.
"Anyway, why are you bringing me down here?"
"Well, I was hoping you woul…
"Sure, I'll take over my father place as the city's guardian."
"You can read minds?"
"No, but I was taught to read the slightest details of a person's expression. And yours screams out help? Besides, I know the impact my father had on this city's underground and with him gone… I just don't know."
"And can't depend on the others."
"Are they coming too?
"If by they... you mean Mason. No, he and Malcolm had a falling out a few years ago. And Mason haven't come around since."
As they exited the tunnel, Talia seen a large cave, filled with all of Sentry's vehicles and technology. Shocked by the sight of it, Talia looked dumbfounded and starstruck.
"Woah, this is amazing. Dad would always say this place was one his favorite spot to fight in."
"Huh, I never knew to DeathDemon to be sentimental."
"Of course, he cares for everything close to him. Especially, his family." Talia said as she gave Mary a smug expression.
"Hmph, he sounds completely different from I heard." Mary said, not noticing Talia's look, but she knew what she was thinking.
"Well, that's because my father never liked him. I guess because he stole my mother's heart from him." Talia said as the car came to a stop. Talia, then, opened her door.
"Speaking of, was your mother working with…
"If you're asking me, was my mother Sartra? Then, yes. And I'm only telling you for your protection. She might be dead, but followers are still out in the world. So don't dig too deep."
"But, won't they listen to you? You are one of the heirs to their empire."
"She kept me out of that side of the business. Dani and I were trained by DeathDemon, but only as self-defense and survival if one of their enemies tries to get to them through us."
"Woah, that's surprising," Mary thought as Talia got out the car.
Suddenly, Talia was attacked by a boy wearing green sunglasses, a red and white hoodie, and skinny jeans. However, she was countering his strikes fairly easily to the point where she was able to take control of the fight. Then, a girl, wearing red sunglasses, a yellow and red hoodie, and a red skirt with some black tights underneath, jumped into the fight, easily coordinating her attacks with the boy. Fortunately, Talia was able to hold them off.
"I knew I should've been more on guard with someone like Psyche. Of Course, she would've set up a trap." Talia thought as she knocked the two of them on the ground. "Is that everyone, Psyche!? What happened Rambo and Minerva?" she yells.
"Talia, I know how this looks but I didn't set this up. I'm just as confused as you."
"She's right. She didn't set this up. I did." Mason said as he and two others walked down the stairs.
"Mason… why does that not surprise me. You were SentryBoy." Talia said.
"Kid Sentry! And, yes…hence the reason why I can't let you, a criminal's daughter, inherent Malcolm's legacy."
"Well, that's not up to you. I plan on taking on the responsibility my father left. Who better than the person who just took down his protégés." Talia said arrogantly.
"Oh, please, little girl. You looked like you were struggling against Bishop and Rook."
"And out of the three of us, who's on the ground? Better yet, who beat you back at Black Inc. Right, me." Talia said.
Grabbing one of his pistols, Mason shot at Talia until it was empty. As Talia falls to the ground, Mary rushes to her side while screaming "Talia!" Holding pressure on one of her wounds, Mary cried out for help from the others, but they were all paralyzed by the sight of Talia bleeding out.
"Mason, what have you done?" Minerva asked.
"I-I did what was necessary." Mason said as he turned around.
"Don't you move." Mary said, as she cried. Standing from Talia, Mary looked at Mason. "Have you forgotten Malcolm's number one rule?"
"No killing unless it's the only choice."
"Yes, and you broke that rule." Mary said.
"No, that was the only choice. You saw it yourself. She's the daughter of Malcolm's greatest enemies. Who knows what she's capable of?"
Suddenly, they hear maniacal, distorted laughter.
"That's funny, and here I thought you shot Talia because you were angry and feeling insecure. But, it turns out… you were actually afraid. Hilarious! And, that personality is the easiest to get along with."
"Personality?"
"Oh, don't tell me Talia didn't mention us. Well, it's not like she has any reason too. You did just shoot her. I mean look at this… this was our favorite top."
"So, what you're saying is that you and Talia are different personalities." Mary said.
"Yes…and No. We are one of the same. Like the faces of a coin. Talia is the good while I am the less good. Each one works together to achieve a single goal."
"What is that goal?" Minerva asked.
"What's the goal of anyone who was trained by the most dangerous people in the world? To survive and thrive."
"Okay, Talia. How about you come out of the shadows? And we can talk this out as partners." Mason said. Suddenly, a knife came out of the shadows and stabbing Mason in the shoulder. Reacting quickly, Mason, Mary, and Minerva ran for cover.
"Do anyone has eyes on her?" Mason asked as he gripped his gun.
"No, but judging how where the knife hit you? I say she's up in the raptors." Minerva said as she pressed the side of her head, activating her mask's heat scanner.
"Don't bother. My mother and stepfather taught me almost everything they know, including how to hide from every scanning technology. So, your heat scanner tech is useless." Talia said as she threw another knife in front of Minerva.
"Where is she getting these knives from?" Minerva asked as she reached for the knife."
"Magic," Talia answered as she appeared behind Minerva. Reacting, Minerva quickly turned around and started to fight Talia with quick and precise attacks, much like her friends. "Seriously, did my father train all of you to fight so predictable?" Talia thinks as she easily counters every attack.
"That's right, T, keep her business as I line up my… shot." Mason thought as he pointed his gun at Talia.
"No!" Mary yelled as she reached out. Instantly, Everyone, besides her, felt their minds split in two. "That's enough! Stop fighting amongst each other. All of you are the same side… fighting against the forces of evil that plagues this city. It's not the right time to fight domestically like children over your inheritance from your daddy."
"You know what. You're right, Mary. I don't need my father's inheritance. Especially, since he didn't want anything to do with me." Talia said, struggles to stand.
"Talia, no. You…
"No, Mary! Don't try to take up for him. He did what he did. He left the, supposedly, love of his life pregnant and alone in a dangerous city to become rich and famous, playing billionaire superhero." Talia yelled.
"I know what he done in his past, but…
"No, I had enough of this. I'll be out of your hair." Talia said as she opened a portal and stepped into it.
"No, Talia." Mary yelled as the portal closed.
"Good riddance." Mason said.
Immediately, Mary looked back at Mason, angrily. Telekinetically, she lifted Mason, Minerva, Rook, and Bishop. "You drove away the only person in the world who is capable of handling this city's meta-human criminals and regular criminals. And more effectively."
"What do you mean by that?" Mason said.
Mary sighed. "Let me play you a little video that Malcolm left me." Mary said as she walked towards the large computer on its own platform. "Computer, bring up Sentry's will addressed to me. File 072997." Mary said.
"One moment." The computer said as it searched its database. Opening up a folder named 072997, a single video file was inside.
"Play the video." Mary said, nervously.
The computer opened the video file. A black man sits down in front of a camera. This man was Malcolm Black, the hero named Sentry. He died in the first few months when the Demons invaded.
"Mary," he said before taking a long pause. "Sorry, this is harder than I expected. How do I tell the woman I love that I died? Anyway, I'm making this video because I want you to do me two favors if I ever prematurely die. First, I know you've been tracking my daughter and I'm not mad. But there's some things you need to know. Long before I became rich, I made a terrible mistake. I left a young, twenty-five-year-old pregnant woman alone in order to pursue wealth and fame with my brother. For years, I haven't thought about her and indulged myself in a lot of the unspeakable. But, after dealing with the extraordinary and supernatural for so long, I decided that one day I need to resolve my wrongs before I die. But since I'm making this video means I was too late. Hence the favors, which I'm procrastinating from telling you. Anyways, Mary, as my dying wish, I want you to find my daughter and take care of her. And, I know that's asking a lot from you, but I believe she is the only one who is capable of taking over my position as guardian of this city."
"What!" Everyone said as they looked at Mary.
"I'm assuming you're screaming "What!" Yes, I believe that she is the best option for my successor. And this is why. Remember when we were dealing with the massive prison break last month before Erius showed up. Well, some of the officers reported that two young girls, wearing mask, killed dozens of criminals by themselves. And, when I examined the corpses, I noticed the gashes came from a blade specifically used by one man, DeathDemon. So, I confronted him at his home in Aribau."
"Aribau?"
"DeathDemon's home and the headquarters of his Assassins." Mary answered.
"Wow? Do I want to know why you two never shared that information?" Mark answered.
"If you mean among our superhero partners in Central, it's because that place is the home of the world's deadliest people. They're trained to take down anyone with ease. I doubt any of them could put up a fight with them. Even Malcolm had trouble fighting his group of assassins, let alone his wife's assassins."
"And, if you're watching this with the kids, I didn't tell you all about Aribau because I didn't want you seven to do anything stupid, resulting in your deaths. Anyway, after fighting him, he told me everything I wanted to know. Turns out, her name is Talia. And her and her sister were visiting Chicago during that time. And let's just say those prisoners weren't expecting their attack. And, judging by the gashes' position on their bodies, they were trying to send a message to the other prisoners who turned themselves in." the video said.
"How? Wait, doesn't that prove that Talia isn't right to take up the position as the city protector? I mean what happened to the Sentry Code." Minerva said, confused