War Woman, in the middle of patrolling the city, looked at her communicator with a frown. "An emergency meeting?" she muttered, immediately changing course and heading towards their HQ.
Red Rush, who had been enjoying a rare moment of relaxation with his partner, gave a resigned sigh. "Duty calls," he said with a quick kiss before speeding off.
One by one, the Guardians converged on their headquarters, a hidden fortress carved into a remote mountain. As they arrived, they exchanged concerned glances. Something was off this much was clear.
"What's going on?" The Immortal asked, his voice echoing in the cavernous hall.
"I don't know," Martian Man replied, his shape-shifting body tensing with unease.
"But it must be serious."
They gathered in the central chamber, the heart of their operations. It was a state-of-the-art facility, equipped with the latest technology and designed to be a fortress against any threat. Yet, an eerie silence filled the room, amplifying their growing apprehension.
Thud!
Hearing someone else arrive the group turned back and saw Darkwing.
"Darkwing, why did you call us here?" Immortal asked, getting straight to the point but hearing this Darkwing looked just as confused as everyone else.
"Me?"
"So none of us singled the alert" War Woman added as she lifted her war mace. If there weren't alarm bells ringing before now there were and the whole group tensed up in high alert as.
Red Rush in particular experienced the world differently from everyone else and took advantage of his speed to look around. Everyone was here and nothing looked out of place but this all changed when he saw a silhouette moving fast right for the immortal.
In an instant Red Rush disappeared and interfered with the unknown enemy's attack as he pulled his friend out of the way.
Now that the figure was in the middle of the group they got to see exactly who the perpetrator was but the reveal left them stunned.
"Omni man! What are you doing?" The immortal shouted but Omni man gave no reply as his eyes narrowed.
"It doesn't matter he's clearly against us!" War Woman shouted, rushing to intercept, her mace swinging with deadly precision. But Omni-Man was faster, stronger. He caught her weapon mid-swing and hurled her across the room.
The rest of the team followed suit as they threw everything they had at him but every attack was basically useless. If anything they were the ones being pushed on the ropes as Red Rush saved each one of their lives at least once and it had only been 30 seconds since the fight started.
Omni man also recognized this and knew that if he were to win then the first opponent he'd need to defeat would be the Red Rush. His speed was too useful to his team and annoying to deal with.
While Omni Man was getting ready to attack the speedster, War Woman found herself hesitating as she held the alarm Brandon had given her. This was not his fight and dragging him into this days after receiving his alarm made her feel weak. But the more she watched her teammates fight the more she knew that her pride needed to be set down.
With her decision made she pressed the alarm and went back to fighting as she hurled her weapon right for Omni man. She may have called him but that didn't mean she would wait like some sort of princess for his aid. War Woman was a warrior and she would act as such.
While Omni man was getting attacked from all sides he turned to the defensive and remained idle while waiting for the perfect moment. Red Rush was fast even for him so if he were to catch the speedster his timing needed to be perfect and perfect it was.
In one fell swoop Omni man reached out into the air and intercepted the speedster's attack as he gripped him tightly on the head. With a bit more force he planned to crush his old friend's head but his instinct gained from years of battle suddenly kicked in. He tried dodging to the left but it was too late as he felt a sudden stab on his side.
Touching his side Omni man was surprised to find himself bleeding. Not many can claim to have pierced a viltrumites skin using a weapon so this definitely intrigued him but also sent warning bells. Wanting to see who was responsible, Omni man looked forward and saw someone he did not recognize. They wore completely black armor with a unique helmet.
To most, it would've just been another fancy suit but Omni Man had been to many worlds and this was definitely alien. However, he'd never been much interested in cultures so he couldn't pinpoint what planet it was from but he made sure to make a mental note of it.
.
.
.
Moments earlier before the battle Brandon was waiting in his fortress of solitude. If something happened with the guardians he wanted to be ready and as such he stopped doing hero work completely and just watched War Woman's movements.
It was during this that Zod suddenly appeared and notified him that War Woman was heading right for their presumed base and she wasn't going alone. Pulling out satellite footage that Zod hacked they saw that all the guardians were heading there.
"I've also been tracking Omni man but he suddenly disappeared around the area of this base. If what you said about viltrumites is true then I think he's going to use this opportunity to cripple this world's defenses."
"I think so too. Which means I need to be there as well. The guardians are tough but they won't win."
Zod nodded in agreement, he'd run the statistics and did the math using the ship's processors. Everything showed that it'd take a miracle for the group to win and he'd be that miracle.
Getting up Brandon flew straight for the base. He was already dressed in his armor and had his knife ready.
Upon arrival, Brandon heard the sounds of battle and felt the mountain shake every time there was a clash but he still needed to wait for the signal. Abruptly showing up would be a cause for suspicion and may strain things in the future so he held back, remaining ready.
Luckily his wait didn't last long as he heard the specific sound wave meant for him. Flying in, Brandon saw Omni man about to kill Red Rush in the same way he did in the show but he wasn't going to let that happen. Pulling out his dagger he didn't hesitate to go for the kill and aimed for the heart but he hastily dodged, managing to shift the blade to somewhere non-vital.
"I don't know who you are but I'll give you a word of advice, this isn't your fight. If you leave now I'll let you live" Omni man stated as he floated in the middle of the group.
'Yeah right the moment I interfered I became an obstacle. Even if he does let me leave that doesn't mean he won't hunt me'
Not responding to the rogue hero Brandon floated up and reached his eye level with his blade in hand. The rest of the guardians also saw this but didn't know how to react.
On one side they have their former friend who is now trying to kill them and on the other, they have some new guy hiding his face with a skull-like mask. However, War Woman who was more familiar with Brandon realized who it was and quickly notified her teammates.
"Don't worry he's with me! You can ask questions later but let's deal with him first" she stated while pointing at Omni man. The group nodded in agreement initiating the second round.
"You are all fools there's only one way this will go" Lifting his fists Omni man burst forward but suddenly blitzed mid-air straight for Aquaris.
He had spent too much time trying to take on the stronger members of the team but if things went the way they were the battle would become one of attrition. To win he needed to put pressure and there was no greater pressure than having to constantly guard the weak. This was a hero's weakness and it was one he'd exploit!
Red Rush tried to intervene once more but this had been his plan all along with one quick kick he broke Red Rush's legs.
"Agh!" With a scream, the speedster was thrown across the room. While the Immortal jumped on his back to restrain him.
"How could you! We were your friends!"
However, he gave no reply as he tossed the immortal off himself to block Brandon who had thrown a heavy punch that shook the cave's foundation.
"You're going to regret getting in my way..."
"Well see about that" Brandon replied as the two began trading blows.