Bubble Boy

[LOCATION – Edge of Space]

[STREAM TITLE – "THE MARTIAN VS THE MONSTER "]

[VIEWERS – 17,204,989 and climbing…]

Troy's blade glowed, an elegant, razor edge formed from quantum bubble-light. It aimed for Mr Mars' heart.

But then...

CLANG.

A hand.

An impossibly strong hand caught Troy's wrist mid-swing.

The world paused.

STARMAN.

The sky dimmed behind his silhouette. His eyes burned crimson, but his face… it wasn't rage.

It was grief.

Troy struggled. "LET. ME. GO!"

He pulled, twisted, popped bubbles hiding his presence and reappeared, only to find himself trapped in Starman's arms, caught in a crushing hug.

Not one of war.

One of desperation.

"Troy," he whispered, voice breaking cosmic silence. "Stop."

[CHAT REPLAY]:

@ISCREAM4ICE: "YO STARMAN JUST SHOWED UP!!"

@HeroOfNone: "IS HE HUGGING HIM?! WTF?!"

@VoidFangirl: "I CAN'T BREATHE...WHAT IS HAPPENING??"

Troy trembled, trying to pull away, with his bubbles.

But he couldn't.

Starman's grip was absolute.

Mr Mars, groaning under the strain, threw the compressed meteor, hurling it into deep space like a pitcher from the gods. It vanished in a flash of light, dodging Earth by a thread.

The camera drone zoomed in on him.

Mr Mars turned, blood dripping from his nose.

He looked straight into the lens.

And smiled.

Then BLAST.

A flicker of emerald flame, the stream went dead.

[CHAT REPLAY]:

@StreamersUnite: "NOOOOOOOO!"

@WePaidForThis: "BRO TOOK OUT THE CAMERA. I'M DONE."

@BubbleFaith: "I THINK I'M CRYING?! WHAT IS THIS SHOW??"

Troy's bubble-blade flickered… then vanished in his hand.

His voice cracked. "Isn't this… what you wanted?"

Starman closed his eyes. "Yes… at first."

He looked down at his son.

"But I never knew… you were mine."

"And your mother wouldn't have wanted this. I promised to keep you safe."

Troy's jaw clenched. "That woman isn't my mother."

Starman paused.

"No. The woman taking care of you… isn't your real mother."

Silence.

Troy stopped struggling.

His breath steadied.

And together, they floated down… toward Earth.

As they breached the clouds, Troy's eyes opened fully and he saw it.

Destruction.

Seaman, unmoving, floating in a blood-dyed sea, his trident broken beside him.

Bolt, legs twisted at sickening angles, collapsed in the ruins of a thunder-scorched city rooftop.

Construct, convulsing on the ground, foam trailing from his lips, body twitching.

Gladiator, buried in a crater, helmet shattered, sword shattered, breath shallow.

Troy whispered. "What have I done…"

His fingers curled as tears welled in his eyes, floating in zero-gravity.

The Earth was silent.

For the first time since the battle began… it was utterly quiet.

[NO STREAM AVAILABLE]

Troy never wanted to be a monster.

But now… he wasn't sure he had a choice.

Rotor blades chopped through clouds as military medical helicopters emerged from the horizon. Their spotlights pierced the smoke and starlight, revealing the battlefield's quiet devastation.

Mr Mars, bruised and bloodied, hovered near the ground, lifting chunks of collapsed debris with one hand and cradling Bolt's limp body with the other.

Medics in white suits with red Legion insignias leapt from hovering crafts, shouting orders.

"GLADIATOR! WE GOT HER!"

"SEAMAN IS STILL BREATHING...MOVE!"

Construct, twitching and foaming, was strapped onto a floating gurney. His wild grin was gone. Replaced with terrified, unconscious silence.

Gladiator's sword, broken.

Bolt's legs, splinted with speedtech.

Seaman's trident, cracked and floating in his blood.

And in the corner of it all, the Bubble Crew, confused, bruised, but alive, watched.

Jackson's fiery aura was dim as he helped carry Annie, her scarred and bleeding body swaddled in damaged hero suit, green hair covered in blood but still vibrant.

As the medics brought her aboard the helicopter, her head slowly turned. Her brown eyes, half-closed and hazy, locked onto the sky above.

Floating there...

Troy.

Beside Starman.

Their silhouettes eclipsed the moon.

A second helicopter landed. From it stepped Michael, in a black tailored suit.

He looked up...his expression unreadable.

And then, Starman spoke.

"I'm the only one who can help you control it."

Troy didn't answer. His jaw clenched.

"You're not a monster," Starman added. "You're my son."

"I almost killed them…" Troy's voice cracked. "What if I hurt Annie? ,What if I do it again and this time hurt Annie?"

Starman's crimson eyes dimmed.

"Then you learn. You train. With me. With the Legion."

Troy looked down.

The Earth still smoldered. The skies were red. The sea tainted.

"I don't trust you."

"You shouldn't," Starman admitted. "But I'll never stop watching over you. And I'll never let you fall."

Troy looked toward the helicopter carrying Annie.

She was still staring up.

He raised his hand slowly, shyly.

Annie's cracked lips curled into the smallest, pained smile.

Tears welled in Troy's eyes again.

"…Alright," he whispered.

Starman turned. "You'll join the Legion?"

Troy looked at the devastation. Thought of what he'd done. Thought of Annie's smile, even now. Thought of the monster he could become.

"…Yes."

But quietly, so quietly even Starman almost didn't hear, he added:

"But I'll never be like you."

Starman's face didn't change.

But for the first time… there was something almost proud in his silence.

Together, they floated downward. Toward the burning world.

And somewhere far below… behind broken walls and flickering powerlines, a young villain broadcast replay in grainy silence.

He smiled.

The Orphan whispered:

"Now this… this is gonna be fun."