Darian Kane was not in a good mood. Years, decades of waiting and it was all for nothing. The power he had needed so desperately would forever be out of his grasp, according to his prisoner. That man had played him like a fool, guiding him to achieve his own goal. Darian had been stupid to think that all this time would have weakened the man, that his spirit had been broken. The Oculus had been a formidable enemy in his prime and it seemed he hadn't lost his wits.
But worst of all was that now there were seven recently birthed super-humans. Darian shivered at the thought. Oculus had no idea what he had unleashed here today. Times had changed drastically since his superheroing days. Darian needed to find those new powered people and get control of the situation fast or else he'd have SRC breathing down his neck. And if they found out what he'd been up to, things would get much worse.
His best people were already on it, scouring discreetly as possible for any information on who these people might be. Given they had just received superpowers, Darian knew it wouldn't be long before they started making waves. The original Cloak Guard had changed the world and parts of the universe in their time. Hopefully he could snuff out these lights before they could shine, for the good of everyone.
"Sir?"
He looked up, spotting Shen. "What is it?"
"You have a call. From, uh…him."
Darian blinked. "That means nothing to me. I know many people that could be referred to as him. Be more specific."
"Right, sorry. It's Slayer, sir."
That made him sit up. "Put him through," he said as he turned to face the monitor. A few seconds later, it came to life and a shadowy figure appeared on the screen.
"Lord Kane," the figure said.
"Slayer," Darian replied. "To what do I owe this honor?"
"Was your project a success?" Slayer asked bluntly.
Darian sighed. "No. We were able to successfully remove the energy from the comet, but it seems that we were unable to contain it after that. It escaped and now has, apparently, found new hosts." Darian hated to reveal all this but over the years, this was one of the few individuals on the planet he truly respected. They had both had to make tough choices after the war, to find a way in the new world. But through it all, and unlike others, they hadn't lost their respect.
"That…is not good."
"No shit," Darian muttered.
"Do you require assistance?"
"Not at the moment. I'll keep you updated on the situation. So far, no word on who these people are. But that's likely to change soon enough."
"Very well. Be warned. When they do emerge, it may not be just the SRC that comes knocking."
Darian nodded. There were many parties across the globe that would very interested in the return of the Cloak Guard. He sighed even deeper as the call ended, sinking into his seat. This was a disaster in the making.
Time to do what he did best then. Turn it to his advantage.
"Call everyone," he ordered Shen. "We'll need all hands on deck for what comes next."
As Shen ran off, he clasped his hands together and pondered. Decades ago, the world had changed completely. Now, had he unintentionally caused another paradigm shift? Or would this just be a blip on the time scale?
It all depended on what these newly powered people did next.