Bubble Boy

They moved like whispers through the wind.

Hooded figures in white robes slithered through the alleyways of the old quarter, hands clasped, eyes gleaming beneath pale hoods. The sigil stitched into their chests was ancient, a circle split by three lines, one for death, one for birth, and one for return.

They called themselves The Rebuilders.

And tonight, beneath the full moon, they gathered in secret beneath the bones of a crumbled church, chanting soft words in an unknown tongue.

"When Titans leave…" one voice murmured.

"…the world shall crack…" said another.

"…and be rebuilt in perfect order."

Their hands rose in unison.

"Let the stars fall. Let the earth break. Let the false gods vanish into shadow."

And then silence.

A single figure stepped forward, face hidden behind a sculpted porcelain mask. He raised a spray can and turned to the brick wall behind him, painting with fast, sharp movements. When he stepped back, the shape was clear:

Bubble Boy.

But different.

Wings stretched wide behind him. Not angelic, burning, black-feathered, divine in their menace. Below, one word was scrawled in red paint:

REVELATION.

One Week Later

In the Legion launch hangar, the Titans stood ready. Their suits gleamed beneath the floodlights. The air crackled with tension, with energy, with goodbye.

Outside the platform, final farewells unfolded in every corner of the world.

In a quiet room within the Legion Tower

Kaia, the Gladiator, stood with Jason, her son, barely ten but already tempered by loss.

"You'll need to be strong now," she said, crouching down to meet his eyes. "Not with your fists, with your heart."

He tried not to cry. He failed.

Kaia kissed his forehead, then turned as the door opened and her husband, Eidolon, stepped in.

They didn't speak.

They only held each other in silence.

One last kiss. One last breath shared.

And she was gone.

In a stone garden in the hills of Haleth

Jace stood beside his old butler, Arthur, who handed him a sheathed blade.

"I had it cleaned," Arthur said, his voice cracking. "Like your father's."

Jace smirked. "I'll be back for it."

Arthur bowed. "Of course you will, Master Jace."

In a buzzing suburban backyard

Billy, Bolt, stood surrounded by his laughing, chaotic family. His little sister clung to his leg.

"Seeya, ya electric dork!" she shouted.

Billy winked. "Seeya, ya regular dork."

He turned to his mom and dad. They looked proud. Scared. But proud.

"I'll be back," he said softly. "Promise."

On the roof of a steel skyscraper in Iron City

Construct stood with his brothers and sisters, all ex-engineers, all rough as rust.

"Well," he said, tossing a wrench into the air and catching it. "See ya. Don't wanna be ya."

They laughed, hard and loud, because that's how grief sounded in their family.

Beneath the deep ocean

Zack, Seaman, knelt before his wife, her long emerald hair flowing like seaweed in the current. Their son, Zed, hovered nearby, gills fluttering.

"You lead now," Zack said to her. "You teach him what I couldn't."

She nodded, tears like pearls leaving her cheeks.

He touched his son's face.

"I'll be back. You keep the tide steady 'til I do."

Zed nodded fiercely, fists clenched.

At Troy's home, the night before launch

The air was thick.

Starman stood in the doorway of the house he once saved. Troy faced him with arms crossed, a hundred unspoken things burning in his eyes.

"I don't need your farewells..." Troy said.

"I'm not offering one," Starman replied.

Annie stood nearby, silent and tense. She didn't interrupt.

Then from the hallway, Zoe walked in, quiet and brave. She didn't hesitate, she rushed to Starman and hugged him tight.

"Come back," she whispered. "Don't make this goodbye."

He held her a moment too long.

Then pulled back.

"Watch over them," he said softly.

She nodded. "Always."

As Starman stepped out into the light, he turned once, just enough to look back at Troy.

But he didn't say a word.

And Troy didn't either.

Later That Day

The ship loomed above them like a sleeping god, titanium bones stretched into the clouds, engines humming low as they drew power from the sky itself. The Hyperion Ascendant, designed for deep-space traversal, outfitted with war-tech, stealth shielding, and quantum anchors. It wasn't just a ship.

It was a declaration.

All across the globe, the launch was being broadcast. News anchors spoke in reverent tones. Children wore replica suits of the departing heroes. Cities held watch parties. Prayers were said. Songs were sung.

The Titans marched toward the loading ramp in perfect silence. Gladiator. Bolt. Construct. Seaman. Shadow. Starman.

As one, they ascended the platform, slow, steady, final.

The world watched.

But three others did not.

At the far edge of the launch bay

Zoe stood in the shadows, hoodie pulled low over her eyes. Her bag was tight to her shoulder, packed with gear, rations, a small holo-map, and her Legion trainee badge. Her heart thundered in her chest, but she didn't hesitate. This wasn't rebellion.

This was destiny.

She waited until the deck patrol turned, then sprinted across the loading coils, ducking into a service duct as the hatch cycled open for maintenance.

In.

Near the lower cargo bay vent systems

The Orphan moved like a phantom. His bag was lighter, just tools, weapons, and a single photograph folded tight in his pocket. No one knew his real name. But he knew theirs. And if they were leaving Earth vulnerable, he wouldn't let them go without a reckoning.

He slipped through a crawlspace near the coolant lines, rewiring a security node just long enough to slide beneath the armored floor.

In.

On the upper hull, beneath a dorsal intake valve

Blaze grinned behind her fireproof mask. She had welded her way into too many scrapyards, bypassed too many power grids, to be stopped now. Her coat flared in the engine light as she climbed the vent tower.

She paused only once, to look out at the crowd beyond the barriers.

All those people. All that hope.

"Guess I'm crashing the afterparty," she muttered, and slid into the intake.

In.

Inside the ship, the Heroes took their places. Systems checked green. Gravity core stabilized. Interstellar boosters confirmed.

"Crew secured," said Gladiator.

"All stations clear," Bolt added.

"Ready on my mark," Starman said, standing tall at the helm.

The hangar roof peeled open like the jaws of a beast.

The Hyperion Ascendant rose slowly, engines glowing gold beneath its frame. Thunder rippled through the clouds. Fire bled across the sky.

The whole world stared upward, watching its champions vanish into the heavens.

A hero's farewell.

A world held its breath.

And hidden deep within the colossal ship, three stowaways braced themselves, unseen, unheard.

Zoe.

The Orphan.

Blaze.

Each with a reason.

Each with a secret.

Each ready for whatever came next.

The Heroes were leaving Earth.

But they would not go alone.