Bubble Boy

The Earth was quiet.

The sky, once fractured by fire and screams, now bathed in golden calm. The storms of energy that had danced above cities were gone. The drones that once streamed death now hovered still, capturing peace they couldn't comprehend.

Then, a black streak broke through the clouds like a second sun.

He came back, black cape trailing behind him, fists still trembling from fury, eyes dulled to soft warmth.

Starman landed in the center of an empty field outside Nightingale City. No fanfare. No crowd. Just birds flying away in awe.

Behind him, a second flash. Jace.

Still wearing the shadow cloak of his long voyage, he touched down beside the god with tired eyes and a small, proud smile.

"I killed him," Starman murmured, voice hoarse.

"I know," Jace replied. "You saved the galaxy and left a message."

Starman nodded once. "She's safe?"

Jace's eyes lit with a touch of amusement. "Zoe's fine. She screamed your name like a war drum."

Starman's shoulders, heavy with centuries, dropped just slightly.

"I'll see her soon," he whispered.

Jace touched his shoulder. "Let's go see your son first."

Troy's House – Nightfall

The front door opened before Jace could knock.

Troy stood there, motionless.

No armor. No shield. Just a man, face stained with dried tears, holding a half-drunk cup of tea he no longer remembered pouring.

His voice cracked. "Jace?"

Jace smiled softly. "Hey."

Troy didn't speak. Just stepped forward.

And hugged him.

Tight.

Like a brother pulled from the grave.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Troy choked out, hands trembling. "You let me think, You were gone."

Jace squeezed him back, just as tight.

"Because I had to help him," he said quietly.

Troy pulled back just slightly. "Help him?"

He looked past Jace.

Starman stood a few feet away, silent, hands clasped before him, eyes unreadable.

Troy's jaw clenched.

Jace stepped between them. "He brought Xeno down. Saved the Earth. Saved your daughter."

Troy looked at Starman, and for the first time in years… he didn't see the monster of his nightmares.

He saw the man holding the line.

The man his daughter called Grandpa.

Still, his voice was cold. "You did what you had to. That doesn't make us okay."

Starman nodded. "I don't expect it to."

"But…" Troy swallowed, staring at the ground, then back at Jace. "If Jace trusts you... If Zoe smiles when she sees you…"

He took a deep breath.

"You can stay. For now."

Jace smiled faintly.

Starman said nothing, but his eyes shimmered with something close to gratitude.

Inside, Zoe peeked from behind the living room wall. The second she saw Starman, she squealed.

"GRANDPA!"

She bolted.

Troy instinctively reached out to stop her but didn't.

Starman dropped to one knee, arms open.

She crashed into him with full force.

He held her close. And this time, the man who fought gods trembled.

Jace stepped inside the house beside Troy. "It's not over yet."

Troy nodded. "No. But it's starting to feel like we have a chance."

Later That Night – Starlit Porch

Troy stood outside alone, arms crossed, staring up at the stars.

Starman approached quietly, but Troy didn't turn.

"I know why you came back," Troy said. "And I know what's coming."

Starman stood beside him.

Troy finally looked at him. "You're going after your uncle, aren't you?"

Starman nodded. "He sent Xeno. He erased our history. Our bloodline."

"You want the throne?"

Starman shook his head. "I want it gone."

Troy exhaled, a bitter laugh escaping. "Then we're on the same page for once."

They stood there, silent, enemies not yet friends, but no longer strangers.

Behind them, inside the house, Zoe laughed.

And somewhere, the stars stirred.

The next day.

The world was healing.

Cities still bore the bruises of battle, shattered windows, scorched streets, and statues of fallen heroes draped in mourning banners. But lights had returned to the skyline. Laughter crept back into parks. The air, once choked with fire and fear, now carried the tentative promise of tomorrow.

And in the heart of it all, the Legion Tower stood tall again.

It was patched together with new alloys, reinforced with alien tech and old Earth grit. It hummed with energy, not just of machines, but of people. Survivors. Fighters. Legends.

Inside, in the high council chamber, the bandaged heroes gathered.

Troy, Bubble Boy, sat at the head, arm in a sling, cheek still scratched from Xeno's heat vision. But his eyes? Sharper than ever.

Beside him sat Bolt, ankle wrapped, but legs bouncing with kinetic energy.

Construct had metal braces over her ribs, but was already multitasking between a dozen holograms.

Psion floated above her seat, meditation keeping the pain at bay.

Umbra stood near the shadows of the room, one eye still covered, cloak hanging like a curtain of silence.

Gladiator sat with a bruised jaw and crossed arms, every inch of her still vibrating with warrior's pride.

Seaman had a cast on his leg and sea salt in his beard, nodding grimly.

Inferno leaned on his cane, fire crackling gently in his broken fingertips.

Void stood expressionless, half of her body still covered in a regenerating tech-shell.

Eden smiled quietly.

And at the back, cloaked in mystery, Michael the government official and Shadow stood, people of light and night, watching.

Troy rose slowly. The room quieted.

"I don't need to tell you what we lost," he began. "We all feel it. In our bones, in the streets, in the empty chairs at this table."

A pause. A breath.

"But Xeno was only the messenger. The real enemy still sits on a distant throne. Watching. Laughing. Planning."

He turned to the center display, a star map lighting up with a red pulse where the enemy empire lay.

"Xypho," he said. "Starman's uncle. The one who sent this war. Who erased the past of our people. Who believes he still owns the future."

The map shifted, showing a new plan, a strike line, a pathway across space.

"We're not going to wait for him to come knocking again. We're taking the fight to him."

Gasps. Nods. A few murmured agreements.

"We're building a new team. A strike force. Volunteers. Trained by Starman himself. Chosen not just for power, but for will."

"And Earth?"

Troy smiled faintly. "Starman will also train heroes here too. He'll train those who remain. Because the next wave, if it comes, will find Earth ready."

Umbra stepped forward. "So this is it. A war on two fronts."

"Not a war," Troy corrected. "A reckoning."

Later That Week – Global Conference Broadcast

Troy stood before the largest crowd he'd ever faced, not in person, but through every screen, every satellite. The world was watching.

Behind him, the full roster of heroes. Some in chairs. Some on crutches. All standing tall.

"People of Earth," he began, voice steady. "We've bled. We've lost. But we're still here."

"The threat is not over. But neither is our spirit."

He gestured to the heroes behind him. "These men and women and more joining them, will take the stars. They'll meet the empire that tried to end us, and show them that Earth does not bow."

Applause thundered through the world.

"And those who stay will protect what we've rebuilt. They will be ready. We all will."

He looked into the camera, eyes burning.

"This is our home. Our galaxy. And from this day forward, we protect it like gods come home."

Post-Conference – Night, Legion Tower Balcony

Jace joined Troy under the stars.

"They listened," Jace said.

Troy nodded. "They're ready."

"You?"

Troy looked out over the sleeping city.

"Not yet. But I will be."

And somewhere in the cosmos, the stars shifted, not in threat, but in answer.

The gods of Earth were home.

And they were no longer running.