Two weeks later…

While Remy dug his hand into a bag of salty popcorn, he held an expression of awe and wonder as Sky and Slater, the two magnificent superhero robots, sparred for the 18,000th time.

18,432 to be precise. That was what the robots had told them.

Their heads clashed together, and simultaneously they leapt backwards before exchanging a stunning blend of martial arts—capoeira, taekwondo, and karate. Any doubt Remy had about them possessing individuality was completely erased by the countless sparring matches he had witnessed with Jay.

Slater’s style reminded Remy of his own, though more diverse and creative. Instead of mainly relying on boxing, Slater threw his metal body around with grace to perform a variety of bold, high-risk, manoeuvres such as spinning kicks and spinning elbows.

Sky’s fighting style, on the other hand, was a perfect imitation of his personality– extremely paranoid. His defence was tight, with his head constantly bobbing and his body always reacting rather than initiating.

Sky edged backwards in Booming Cyborg’s training facility, as usual, ducking and blocking a mesmerizing array of Slater’s kicks. He then retaliated with a flying knee, connecting with Slater’s chin.

“Ooooohh!” Jay and Remy said, gripping each other. Apparently, Slater had beaten Sky 98% of the time. Were they about to witness a rare miracle?

Slater staggered backwards, and Sky exploded forwards, throwing a quick series of jabs until Slater took Sky’s feet from underneath him with a perfect leg sweep.

CRASH!

The robots immediately fought for the superior position, tussling punching and rolling. Remy’s head tilted to one side, and then he frowned as Slater perfectly isolated Sky’s arm and pulled it away from his body. He had executed a perfect arm bar.

“I submit! I submit!” Sky wailed.

Slater jumped back to his feet and rubbed his hands together. He turned to Jay and Remy. “In close combat scenarios, jujitsu can be highly effective at eliminating your opponent. Both of you are exceptional at fighting while standing but do not neglect your ground game. The last thing you want is to be taken off guard. Any questions?”

“Sky doesn’t have a nervous system and doesn’t feel pain,” Jay said. “Why did he submit?”

“That’s a good question,” Slater said. “Why is that, brother?”

Sky’s head flashed with an angry, red face. “Because I didn’t want to lose a fucking arm!”

“It’s only sparring though,” Remy said.

“See, that’s what he wants you to think. He hasn’t done it before but I know how he operates.”

“Pffft, that’s ridiculous,” Slater said in a suspiciously unconvincing tone. “But it is true that I would break an arm without hesitation in a high-stakes situation where lives are on the line. Superheroes must create a safe environment as efficiently as possible and this will almost always involve incapacitating or killing the villain. Hesitating is the difference between life and death. Understood?”

“Yes, Sensei,” Remy and Jay said.

Slater turned away and slapped the air. “Stop it. I’m no Sensei, hehehe.”

“Don’t inflate his ego more,” Sky said miserably. “You know I have to work with the trash can.”

“Who are you calling trash can, trash can?”

“You heard me. Round two right now. Weapons on this time.”

The two robots faced each other, both entering fight stances, but then abruptly stopped.

I have received a message from Tulip,” Slater said. “Remy, It seems your gauntlets are ready.”

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Remy nearly skipped into Lyra’s workshop, a wide grin planted on his face. He genuinely couldn’t remember the last time he was this excited. Maybe the last time was a few years ago when Wide Awake broke into the top 20 superheroes. Even though Amelia didn’t seem to care about it at the time, it was a big deal and everyone at his school had talked about it. But unlike that time, this excitement was far more ominous. He had many plans for the gauntlets, and they weren’t exactly wholesome or respectable.

Tulip and Lyra didn’t acknowledge Remy’s existence as he walked in, both of them deep in a conversation that included too much jargon for him to bother processing. So he waited patiently, smiling eagerly, until they finally finished their conversation.

Eventually, Lyra placed the obsidian gauntlets on the workbench in front of her and gave Remy a serious look. “As you already know, it has different forms as well as a resting mode, which is the one it's in now.

Remy swallowed hard as he picked the weapons up, inspecting each glove with curiosity. They were surprisingly flat, just like a pair of winter gloves, but crafted from a strange metal and very dense.

He slipped his hands into them and the gauntlets slightly expanded in size, elongating to sleeve length. “Wow. How many iterations did you go through to reach this form?”

“Twenty-four,” Tulip said. “I requested some minor design adjustments to the dormant form. I find there is a beauty in simplicity that a lot of people ignore.”

“Minor adjustments?” Lyra said, repeatedly whacking the robot in the back multiple times. “Without your intellect and recommendations, I might have never finished it.”

“Nooo, do not lie human,” Tulip said, giggling. “I was only the assistant. You are the master.”

Lyra giggled this time. “Noooo, no, no.”

“How do they work?” Remy asked. “Can I use them now?”

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“Not yet. They’re ready but not ready.”

“Please could you explain?” Remy thought for a moment. “In layman's terms.”

“Simply wearing the gauntlets won't be enough to tap into its power. They need to be linked to your brain first since they operate according to the mental image you see in your mind. The more intensely you visualise your actions the faster and stronger the gauntlets will execute them. In other words, it responds directly to the will and actions of its user.”

“We need to insert a special chip into your brain,” Tulip added. “It’s a very quick but dangerous procedure. Are you sure you want to–”

“Yes,” Remy answered. “Fire me up.”

Lyra and Tulip exchanged a look, and Remy immediately understood what their concern was. “I know, I know. Surgical procedures like this usually involve the patient being unconscious but I physically can’t do that. I won’t move a muscle. Literally.”

“That helps immensely,” Tulip said. “We will proceed. Warning. The slightest movement will cause brain damage.”

Remy froze and watched Tulip raise and drop a micro-sized chip, a technological marvel that he could see clearly due to his Super Vision. The chip dropped through the air before disappearing through a micro-sized portal.

“There we are,” Tulip said. “What’s four plus four?”

“Hehehe. Four.”

“Was that weird laugh voluntary?” Lyra asked. “Your personality may have been distorted.”

“I’m just excited. Now what?”

Lyra rubbed her hands together and smiled. “This is where things get interesting. Normally, you must go into a deep sleep to sync the gauntlets with your brain but since that's not possible, I honestly don't know what will happen. But that's why I love the science. Let's find out.”

There was an awkward brief silence.

“Do they work?” Lyra and Tulip asked eagerly.

Remy flexed his fingers with the glove. He jabbed once and then imagined his right gauntlet transforming into one of the battle forms. Nothing happened. He clenched his fists.

“Not yet… But it will.”

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The next three days were nothing short of anxiety-inducing. No matter what Remy did, the gauntlets would not respond to his will, and unfortunately, Lyra’s best piece of advice was to simply keep wearing them.

So that’s what he did. He wore them while defecating. He wore them while taking a shower. Whenever he talked to Jay, the only thing he was willing to speak about was the gauntlets and how he couldn’t get them to work.

Then one afternoon, while window shopping inside the HeroTech store with Jay, his phone alarm rang, raising some alarm bells of his own because Star Tech was rarely invaded. It was surrounded by states with multiple S-tier superheroes so most of the time, alien threats were handled before they could cause Star Tech problems.

As for registered supervillains, the Genetic Detect Barrier blocked them out. Booming Cyborg was the one who had created it using his Barrier ability obtained from the Abnormal Flow Site.

Remy opened up his phone and gave a nod of understanding. It was the A-tier threat, Harbingers. The four-armed, grey-skinned aliens were notorious for travelling in massive hordes.

“Let’s goooo!” Lyra cried. She vaulted over the counter and gestured for Remy and Jay to follow.

“Where are we going?” Jay asked

“It’s time for a show! I’ve got front-row Capsule Viewing. Follow me!”

Remy kept up with her quick pace despite being reluctant. “Do we have to?”

“That can’t be a serious question!”

They dashed through a hectic street filled with a crowd of robots and humans where everyone headed in the same direction towards a collection of emergency portals. As a surprising tingle of excitement ran up his spine, Remy couldn’t help but remember his first time spectating Wide Awake in action with his father. At the time, it was difficult for him to understand the appeal of watching scary world-ending threats invade Earth and even now, it still felt strange. There was once a time when flight or fight responses were solely used to actually… fight or flight. But now, simultaneously, all over the world, millions were rushing to sit in their paid-for capsules.

Lyra reached a portal platform near the end of a street and after quickly whipping out her phone, the trio were in a flying capsule high in the sky with the perfect view of the large display painting the sky. Slater and Sky were already knee-deep into the action. Heavy artillery exploded out of their palms, missiles exploding multiple Harbinger's heads off with perfect precision before they could even land.

“I can’t believe we’re late,” Lyra complained.

“Yeah, the aliens should have waited for us,” Jay said, shooting her a weird look.“Where are the commentators?”

“I doubt they’ll show up here when the threat is on such a global scale,” Remy explained. “They’re probably focusing on S-rank superheroes.”

The holographic display switched to Tulip dashing around the city, bounding from rooftops with extraordinary strength and immaculate parkour manoeuvres. She scooped up any stragglers who still roamed about Star Tech’s streets, pushing them into emergency portals.

Then, true to his name, Booming Cyborg landed directly on a Harbinger’s head, demolishing the alien with a squelching, thunderous boom. The superhero wore a black and gold metallic super suit and a gold helmet. Rapid-fire machine guns blasted from his right arm, while sizzling orange lasers erupted from his left. He broke into a dash, and the laser cannon switched to a shotgun, obliterating each Harbinger with spreads that sent mangled alien bodies flying into the air.

The holographic display shifted back to Slater and Sky, who had regrouped with Tulip. They formed a triangle formation and gradually gunned down the colossal four-armed beasts until two remained. A deafening roar nearly made Remy flinch as the leader of the Harbinger squad—indicated by its larger frame and crimson skin—barreled toward the robots. It grabbed its last comrade, using its meaty body as a shield against gunfire, before hurling it at Tulip, sending the robot flying backwards.

“Tulip!” Lyra yelled.

Slater and Sky sprung forward, but the Harbinger leader swung with a force that sent them both rolling backwards. It leapt straight for them, but Booming Cyborg emerged from a portal and threw a soaring punch. The Harbinger flipped backwards yet landed on its feet.

Cyborg extended his human arm horizontally, and a larger red barrier encompassed him and the Harbinger leader.

“Shit,” Lyra whispered.

“What’s wrong?” Jay asked.

“The red barriers will enhance his physical abilities temporarily but he shouldn’t be using his powers like this...”

“Why not?”

Lyra didn’t reply, but Remy understood. To protect Star Tech, Booming Cyborg had decided to keep the Genetic Detect Barrier active all the time but it meant his stamina was limited. He exchanged a barrage of punches with the leader Harbinger. It was a slugfest and neither backed down until Cyborg slowly edged backwards, slowly becoming overwhelmed by the alien's raw power. If it wasn’t for his super suit, he would be an unrecognisable mess– Remy was sure of it.

When it seemed like Cyborg would finally fall, he landed a heavy blow to the skull, and the Harbinger faltered forward, temporarily losing its balance.

“Finish it!” Lyra screamed.

BOOM!

Cyborg launched a jet-fueled uppercut—a fusion of biological and technological marvel—sending the Harbinger rocketing out of the red barrier and disappearing into the sky.

Thud.

Cyborg fell to his knees, clutching his chest, then fell on his side.

The superhero lay still as Tulip performed CPR. No one in Star Tech said a single word. Two compressions. Four compressions. Eight compressions. Ten compressions.

Then Cyborg slowly stood up and raised a single metallic arm. Jay punched the air, Lyra burst into jubilant tears, and almost everyone cheered.

Almost everyone.

Remy looked as if he’d seen a ghost. His chest felt tight. Breathing became difficult.

The Genetic Detect Barrier had sealed back up only thirty seconds after Booming Cyborg was revived but it was far too late. Remy had already seen it zip through the sky into the city with his Super Vision. As an impending doom gripped him by the throat, a traumatic childhood image flashed in his mind– crimson staining the snow.

There was no hope. The Mantis Monster was going to kill them all.