“Ryan, where am I going?,” Labrat asked as he was shoved into the back of a self-driving sky car with a backpack full of cheese and other snacks. Ryan checked the program of the vehicle as he spoke, “You’re gonna go underground with snooty rich people, buddy, and I’m wondering if it might be worse than dealing with an alien invasion,” Ryan looked at the sky as he continued, “There is a bunker in this area for such an occasion. I would join you but…”

“You have to fight the aliens?,” he asked innocently.

“Looks that way.”

“When will you be back?,” he gave Ryan a look almost as if his already large eyes grew larger.

“I’ll be back when I know it’s safe for you to be around me but don’t worry, you know I always have a plan,” he closed the door and watched it fly off. Then he quickly turned and raced back inside his house to prepare for the oncoming war.

In Winghaven, Farrell Creed and Alysa Saraki stepped out of their private investigator office, Creed calmly locking the door behind them.

“Is this even bothering you?,” Alysa asked while instinctively checking the sky.

“Yeah, ‘course it is but what can we do about it?,” Creed asked her as they moved to the back of the building where their vehicles were parked, “They got their ships in the big cities, right? We don’t live close enough to where the action is.”

“This town is a weird-shit magnet, you know that. They’re gonna show up here for one reason or another and next thing you know, we’re in the middle of it.”

“When and if that happens, we’ll deal with it,” he climbed into his truck, “Until then, I’m gett’n a drink.”

“Yeah, well I’m keeping an eye out.”

“That’s why you’ll make a helluva priestess,” Creed said with a sure smile, “… Always protecting the village.”

In New York, Michael Hawkwood had donned his Cavalier armor and was taking off in his Dragon hovercraft. As he zipped between buildings, he called Commissioner Reins.

“I was wondering when you were gonna call,” Reins began, “We’re getting ready for civilian evac.”

“Rex Robinson gave the city robotic drones to help in this sort of emergency, right?”

“That he did and the National Guard is moving in too; they’re bringing that guy with the armor. I’m sure some of the other superheroes in town are gonna show up sooner or later along with a few outsiders.”

“The Metro Knights will assist. I’m going to swing by Agartha to see if they’ll come out and help too.”

“Sounds good but what can you do about our visitors up there?”

Cavalier looked up at the massive ship in the distance, “We’re about to find out.”

In the Retribution, Kull and Shujai supervised the stations of each Commander Ship via holographic screens depicting maps and intel on potential targets.

“They know we’re here. Good,” Kull took note of military movements toward the Commander Ships, “We’ll give them some time to recognize us. Remember us. Contemplate their past mistakes. And as the fear sets in, their morale will plummet.”

“This also gives them time to get their citizens to safety,” Shujai added.

Kull gave him an annoyed glance, “I have to wonder if they would afford us that same courtesy.”

Council’s hologram appeared on the bridge, “It is unlawful to intentionally harm noncombatants according to U’ntari Military Code Article 874 Section Alpha.”

“Thank you, Council,” Kull’s voice had a note of derision, “I take it you’ve been successful in achieving your mission?”

“Yes, Supreme Admiral. I have infiltrated nearly every communication satellite and online platform.”

“Let’s send those apes a message.”

Council unlocked itself from the top module of the ship and floated toward the Bridge Sector. The satellite was silver and hundreds of feet long with rotating panels at either end. A bay hatch under the bridge slid open and Kull’s crab-shaped shuttle flew out just as Council opened a docking bay. Once the shuttle entered the satellite, its channel was linked directly to Council with a series of modules inside. Once everything was in place, Kull stood on a circular platform with red lights around the edge; a floating sphere hovering in front of him. “Communication channels have been compromised,” Council informed him, “Beginning transmission, Supreme Admiral. As a reminder, I will be translating in all available languages based on region.”

At once, nearly every TV screen, computer, phone and similar electronic devices on the planet began streaming the same image: Supreme Admiral Kull’s face washed in red light. Concerned people, many of whom were keeping their televisions on to stay informed of the invasion, were horrified but paid attention nonetheless. In a military base, the Upstarts sat around a briefing table and watched the screen in front of them intently. At the Interpol headquarters in Lyon, Sean Pierce and Kisi Yeboah gazed at a wall of monitors, each one displaying Kull glaring at them menacingly.

“We have temporary control of all transmissions. I am Supreme Admiral Batu Kull. I know that you recognize my face and the faces of my brothers and sisters. In 1981, you destroyed our ships, plundered our resources and stole our technology. 11,478 of my people died…,” Kull clenched his jaws tightly as if barely stopping himself from flying into a rage, then continued, “… This included my wife who was only a science officer. Transmissions were sent to our world detailing what had happened as the ships began malfunctioning and we knew the culprit… Rex Robinson. As we understand it, he is a hero of yours. Know this: if that man is surrendered to us within a week, we will peacefully leave your planet, in keeping with terms set by my superiors. I highly doubt you will agree to those terms so I’ll cut to the chase,” his yellow eyes narrowed and his wide nostrils flared, “We have a ship above every major city that contains military, political or economic power. Know that every ship has a payload that could destroy these cities in seconds. Know that the ships also contain a fleet of fighters that are far more advanced than your jets and drones. Know that the satellite I currently use for this transmission could remove your power grids and means of communication with a simple command. If you think your metahumans can help you, know that my super soldiers outnumber them by the hundreds. In short, you cannot defeat us and we will not relent until our mission is complete one way or another. If you had simply cooperated with us when given the opportunity, none of this would have occurred so you’ll get no peace-accord from us. Our attack begins immediately.”

The moment the transmission cut off, a fleet of Fighter Class ships poured out of the Commander Ship above New York as well as one-man Gliders. The National Guard began opening fire to no avail as the small ships out-maneuvered them and began firing down into the streets. The armored National Guard pilot known as Dragonfly took off into the air, firing missiles to blast the Gliders out of the sky.

Astra Machina had been on her way to New York from New Jersey when the attack happened. She had already sent her friends to a bunker before leaving and picked up the transmission on her way. She flew across the sky toward the city, pouring on as much speed as she could from her newly created jetpack.

Ryan Bennings began a conference with Rex Robinson immediately following the transmission.

“They’re only attacking New York right now,” Ryan told Rex from his lab, “Lyon doesn’t have a ship hovering over it but it’s the IMD headquarters so there’s a good chance something will happen soon. They’re too much of a threat to ignore but at the same time, the U’ntari don’t want to announce that they’re about to take on a team with that much power and skill. Maybe there’s a surprise for them.”

“I had the same notion,” Rex was in Hyperion’s Light, en route across the ocean, “They’re probably going to attack Lyon but they’ll play it smart. I’m on my way to France now to lend a hand but I’m stopping to pick up a friend.”

“Gathering allies is the perfect strategy,” Ryan agreed, “I’ll see if I can get some allies to join the squad. We need all the help we can get, right?”

“Brilliant deduction, my boy. I’ve sent you the communication code to the Cavalier’s hovercraft. He’s not the version you once met but he’s a good man.”

“I’ll give him a call. Thanks, Rex.”

“I’ll be in touch. If you’ll excuse me, I have some other matters to attend to.”

In the Retribution, Kull returned to the bridge where he was greeted by the holographic image of one of his highest-ranked officers: the female U’ntari wore a sleek body suit that was lightly armored as if prepared for battle. This was Director Q’werz of the Silencers: an elite black ops unit comprised of highly trained assassinations that, like the super soldiers, were powered by Neutronium. “Supreme Admiral,” she began, “One of my squads believe they’ve located Rex Robinson’s ship.”

An arrogant smirk crept along Kull’s face, “That didn’t take long. They have clearance to kill on sight.”

“Yes, sir.”

Five Gliders flew over the water and made their way to the large golden sphere flying through the air. “It’s driving slower than expected,” one of the Silencers spoke into her ear piece, “Wasn’t it built from a destroyed Expedition Class ship? We shouldn’t be able to catch up to it so easily.”

“Robinson may be intelligent but he’s still human,” the Silencer Captain explained, “There’s only so much he can do with our technology. Let’s go in.”

The Gliders flew onto the roof of the ship and landed, magnetic couplings holding them in place. The Silencers additionally wore magnetic boots that allowed them to walk along the surface despite the high velocity. A Silencer stooped down, his hands glowing with blue energy as a portion of the roof became immaterial, exposing the inside of a hangar. The Silencers all dropped in, guns ready, and once the last one was inside, the roof returned to normal. A palm-sized device indicated that only one organic lifeform was on the ship and they quickly made their way while remaining vigilant. Soon, they came to a surveillance area with an open door. Rex stood with his back to them while observing a series of monitors. The Silencer Captain quickly gave a signal and a Silencer raised a single finger, firing a laser that put a hole straight through the man’s back. They saw Rex drop to the floor and one of the Silencers leapt several feet to his location, gun drawn to make sure he was dead. Once he got there, he noticed the body had mechanical wires sticking out of a bloodless hole through its body.

“It’s a decoy!,” the Silencer announced. A moment later, a secret compartment opened and the real Rex Robinson stepped out with twin energy pistols. The Silencers had little time to retaliate as the energy blasts ripped through all five of them with perfect aim. Once they dropped to the floor of the ship, Rex holstered the guns, “I’ll admit, I almost didn’t know I was being tailed,” he carefully stepped over their bodies for a closer examination, “But when I got a good look at the five of you, I slowed down to see what you were up to.”

The Silencer Captain groaned as the wounds in his body began to stitch themselves up. “I suspected at least one of you would still have some fight left,” Rex moved quickly as the Captain raised his gun, his injuries having already healed. A twist of the arm took the weapon away and Rex grabbed a metal device from his safari jacket that generated an electric shock which rendered the Captain unconscious. “Looks like I have a prisoner onboard,” he dusted himself off, then activated a command on the holographic screen hovering above his watch, “Pick-up”. Two robots entered the room to take the Silencer Captain away to the ship’s hold. Moments later, Rex emerged on his own bridge and gave a command to the robotic flight crew, “Continue the course as full speed ahead, gentlemen. We don’t want to be late.”

In the U’ntari flag ship, Shujai and a team of super soldiers stood at attention behind a large shuttle. Behind them were infantry armed with plasma rifles. Kull appeared as a hologram to inspect the troops.

“My platoon is ready, sir,” Shujai reported.

“Great. While the humans are distracted in New York, we can take the IMD in Lyon. We can’t give them too much warning. Remember, theses `Badges’ as they call themselves are powered by Neutronium that was stolen from our ships years ago. They are well-trained metahumans but they are also pale imitations of true U’ntari super soldiers. Take them out. I have no interest in prisoners.”

“Yes, sir,” Shujai saluted proudly.

In Lyon, Sean Pierce watched twin helicopters leave the headquarters, carrying non-combative personnel. Lowanna Jones teleported the final member of the Elite Squad, Deepak Bakshi, on to the landing pad.

“Nice of you to make it, Bakshi,” Pierce greeted him, “I assume Jones has filled you in.”

“She has,” he looked around nervously, “Not that I needed to be told there was an invasion.”

“It’s a bit new for most of us. I know you have limited experience but I wouldn’t have requested you here if I didn’t think you could make a difference.”

“I understand but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little scared.”

“Not to worry, Rex Robinson will join us soon so that should alleviate some concern,” Pierce looked off into the distance once more, “Let’s just hope he makes it here in time.”

The Resurgence Reading List

The Resurgence Prologue

The Resurgence #1

The Resurgence #2

Formerly Known as Brain Boy #8

Winghaven #20

The Cavalier #21

The Badges #12

The Resurgence #3

The Resurgence #4

The Resurgence #5

The Resurgence #6

Astra Machina #10

The Resurgence #7

The Upstarts #11

The Resurgence #8

The Resurgence #9

The Resurgence #10

The Resurgence #11

The Resurgence #12

The Resurgence Epilogue