The Sentinel ominously declared, "Tesseract Protocol Activated!"

. . .

"Come on! Give me your hand! Please, Billy!", Billy's mother, Janet pleaded as she tried to get him out of the burning car whose top was crushed and left him trapped inside it.

"Mom! I can't get out! I can't!", Billy said as he tried to get himself out of the seat but he couldn't.

Janet's tears rolled down her cheeks as she desperately tried to get her son out of their car and thought, 'Please! Someone help me! I don't want my son to die! He's my baby! Please! Someone! Anyone! Please help me!'

As if answering her pleas....

* BOOM *

The top of the car was torn apart suddenly and Janet looked up only to see Val in his armor throwing away the metal piece.

He tore off the seatbelt around Billy and took him out of the burning car.

Then, he arrived in front of Janet and calmly placed Billy on the ground.

Janet snapped out of her reverie when she saw Billy safe and sound and hugged him tightly.

Billy held onto his mom as he cried, "Mommy! Uwaaahhh!"

Janet tried to calm him down as she said, "It's okay! Mommy's here! It's okay! You're safe now!"

Billy calmed down a little causing her to smile.

She raised her head to look at Val and asked, "Who... are you?"

With a smile on his face, Val replied, "I am Starl-"

* BOOOM *

Suddenly, a dark blue energy beam struck Val from the side and he was helplessly tossed through the air, just like a limp ragdoll.

* BANG *

With a deafening crash, he smashed through the body of a nearby car.

* BANG *

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The impact was brutal as he plowed through the sturdy frame of a truck, sending shards of glass and metal flying.

* BANG *

There was no respite as he collided with yet another car.

* THUD *

Finally, after a series of violent collisions, Val's flight came to a halt.

He landed on the rough ground and skidded for several meters, leaving behind a trail of dust and debris until he finally came to a stop.

* SPLURT *

Val coughed up blood as he lay there and thought, 'W-What happened? W- Who attacked me? M-More importantly, why am I feeling pain? Pain... I haven't felt pain in a loooong time.'

He struggled as he got up and thought, 'I have to take down whoever attacked me.'

* BOOM *

Val felt another energy beam approaching him from the back and he quickly dodged it.

He clenched his teeth in anger and thought, 'Who the fuck is this coward who's only attacking me from the back?'

However, when he turned around, he was shocked.

The Sentinel which he knew he had almost destroyed had another layer of armor on it.

It was walking toward Val as it's eyes, palms and chest glowed with a sinister dark blue color.

Val narrowed his eyes at the Sentinel and thought, 'What is up with that blue glow? I have to check it out.'

His eyes glowed golden and various different types of energy strands floating around appeared in his view.

However, he focused on the Sentinel and he was shocked.

Because the energy strands around the Sentinel weren't like anything he had seen before.

They were blue... like highly destructive blue.

He saw the blue energy strands immediately swallow any other energy strand that dared to get too close to it.

Val's eyes returned normal and he thought, 'What is that? Come on! Think! It is...'

While Val was busy figuring out what the blue energy strands were, the Sentinel raised it's palms at Val and fired more energy beams at him.

* BOOM *

Val shook his head and quickly raised his hand to block the energy beam and thought, 'It's energy, anyway and I can absorb all kinds of energies.'

* BANG *

The energy beam struck Val's hand and he suddenly realized, 'Wait a minute! This is Tesseract! This is fucking... Tesseract! That bitch even gave the Sentinel the leftover energy harvested from it during the second world war?!'

He tried to absorb it but... he couldn't.

He tried to again but... the same thing happened.

He didn't lose hope and tried to absorb it for a third time.. but the same thing happened yet again.

Val's eyes widened in alarm as he glanced at the Sentinel and thought, 'Well.... I am fucked!'

. . .

In a seemingly normal building in New York,

Peggy was sitting behind her desk and reading through the files of a device that had been released to the public by Lawrence Industries.

She glanced at the phone beside the files and picked it up.

She curiously checked it out and thought, 'Val gave me this... phone. He told me it would be used for our private conversations.'

She smiled sweetly and thought, 'Hehehe! He gave me one of the two advanced ones and he has the other.'

'Wait!', she thought, 'What was it called?'

She glanced at the back of the phone and murmured, "Chrono..."

Instead of relying on cellular networks like modern smartphones, Chrono depended on a robust radio technology to enable long-distance communication without external infrastructure.

The device incorporated a retractable antenna that could be extended for optimal signal reception.

This small antenna design not only enhanced the device's functionality but also added to its appeal.

Users could initiate and receive voice communication by activating the push-to-talk button on the Chrono.

This button was prominently located on the front surface, allowing for easy access.

When pressed, it activated the device's radio transmitter and enabled real-time voice communication with other Chrono users within a considerable range.

The Chrono's communication system operated on a designated frequency band specifically allocated for this purpose.

This ensured secure and interference-free communication, fostering reliable connections between users.

The device also featured a range selector dial, allowing users to adjust the communication range based on their needs, just like tuning a radio.

While she was engrossed in her own thoughts, suddenly someone knocked on the door of her office.

* KNOCK *

* KNOCK *

* KNOCK *

Peggy quickly hid the phone in her uniform and straightened her posture.

Then, she ordered, "Come in!"

The door slowly opened, revealing a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who had a worried expression on his face.

Seeing the worry on his face, Peggy asked, "What happened, Barry? Why are you worried?"

Barry gulped and pointed at the T.V. on the wall and said, "Director Carter... you need to see this."

He turned and switched the T.V. on.

Peggy's eyes widened as she looked at the screen and murmured, "This is..."