“I’m sorry,” the Cavalier shook his head, “Say that again?”

“I am afraid we must place Rex Robinson under arrest,” Mansoor repeated.

“What are the charges?,” Ryan Bennings asked incredulously.

“I’m afraid that cannot he declassified at this time.”

“That ain’t good enough for me,” Creed crossed his arms, “I don’t trust cops, I don’t care if you got powers and shit… In fact, I don’t trust them especially if they got powers.”

“Once again…,” Ryan pointed to Creed, “… Total agreement.”

“This isn’t any easier for us, mate,” Bronson assured them.

“Can we just talk about this?,” Cavalier asked, “I know these things are classified or whatever, but you can’t expect us to just stand down while you slap a pair of cuffs on the Hero of Humanity.”

“I’m afraid that’s not possible,” Jones told him sincerely, “But if you let us do our job then-”

“I think I can end this disagreement,” Rex offered and then turned to Ryan and the Cavalier, “They’re here to arrest me because this invasion is my fault.”

Cavalier and Ryan were equally confused. After the revelation, they stared at Rex Robinson with blank expressions as they processed the news. His trademark smile was gone, replaced by a look of shame and humility which was not an expression any of them had ever seen on his face.

“Obviously, an explanation is in order,” he began, “I’m not sure how much any of you understand about the Vietnam War but I’m sure it’s enough to know it was a rather dark time in US history, particularly for my generation. My parents were immigrants as you know; they came to America hoping to start a new and better life, always instilling a sense of optimism in me. Once I began my career as an adventurer, that optimism gave men courage on the battlefield of World War 2. It was also used when leading a team of fellow heroes on the battle against insurmountable odds and again as a beckon of hope to the world during the Cold War,” Rex’s eyes stared off into the distance, “I was proud to be the man people turned to for leadership and morale.”

“Rex, what are you getting at?,” Ryan’s voice cracked.

“I always had to be the man with the answers, the Hero of Humanity. I never asked for it but I accepted it and I think I believed it at times, just as my parents had, despite the Great Depression or the Second World War. Alas, I should have known I was only kidding myself. The Vietnam War, Watergate, racial injustice,… I kept a brave face during it and convinced myself my parents’ dream of a better tomorrow was attainable. The world counted on me being that unflappable hero with a sure smile to ensure that attainability.”

“What does this have to do with anything?,” Cavalier pleaded, “Just give us a straight answer.”

“My dream led me to build an intergalactic transmitter in hopes of meeting new life forms on other planets who could potentially help us… this part you know about.”

“The U’ntari contacted you after you sent a signal,” Mansoor responded, “… But they contacted you far sooner than you let on.”

“Almost a full year,” he admitted, “… And the fleet was actually a science expedition reaching out to Earth to help developing civilizations. It wasn’t a military fleet, nor were they trying to invade.”

“What?,” Ryan said flatly.

“They were not here to attack. In fact, I was able to learn all I could from them specifically because they were sharing information. This is how I learned so much about Neutronium, their biology and, of course, how their satellite network operated, which allowed me to implant a computer virus to bring down their ships.”

“Holy shit,” Cavalier brought his hands up to his temples, “The U’ntari kept talking about revenge… Admiral Kull even said something about his wife dying in 1981… and we never stopped to wonder why they considered us the aggressor. We just naturally assumed them to all be batshit without question.”

“Because we trusted Rex,” Creed growled.

“But why would you do that?,” Ryan asked, his usual arrogant demeanor now dissolving.

“It goes back to the Vietnam War,” Rex continued, his body now appearing far older than the eternally youthful man they knew him as, “You all remember Sgt. Stripes, otherwise known as Dan Taggart. He was in the Allied Front with me, the original Cavalier and Femme Phantom. He retired as a superhero and became a general later in life as you know. I think it was around 1975 that I visited his home one fateful night. He had one too many to drink and he told me about the Gulf of Tonkin. This information has been declassified since 2005, not that it was brought up very often, but I’m sure you know of the situation…”

“The US claimed North Vietnam fired on their destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin,” Ryan explained, “That information was … supposedly an error that they learned about later but they went with it and it led to the Vietnam War.”

“Dan Taggert told me that the government absolutely knew the attack at Tonkin was fabricated but used it as an excuse to go to war against Communists. They needed support for the war and this was the best way they could achieve that. Now, I wasn’t naïve enough to think there weren’t folks out there looking for a fight. What irked me was that Taggart, a man who was a trusted teammate and gentleman who wore the American flag on his costume in addition to being a high-ranking military officer, saw nothing wrong with this. He felt that going to war against the enemy was beneficial, even if the reasoning was a lie. We… had a falling out that wasn’t reconciled until I visited his deathbed in 1993.”

“Christ, Rex,” Ryan muttered, “I could’ve told you war mongers can’t be trusted.”

“You’re likely right but… as I said,… I had faith in my parents’ vision. The revelation led me to understand human nature in a way I had refused to believe for several years: humanity always desired conflict. Whether it was based on race, religion, nationality or ideology, we as a species crave an enemy to fight,” he grew even more somber, “I had what many call a breakdown… and I’m not sure if this makes sense to all-present… but I had an image to maintain. Not out of vanity, mind you, but out of a sense of duty. I was looked up to and if I were to expose my weakness, I feared a much more dire situation.”

“The U’ntari contacted you around this time, didn’t it?,” Creed asked.

“I had built my transmitter months earlier but yes, I received a signal shortly after Taggart’s revelation and I got a bit out of my head, I’ll admit. I wanted humanity to stop fighting amongst each other but how could I achieve that end? The answer seemed simple at the time, dark as it was. If humanity was constantly looking for an enemy to fight, what if their global target of violence didn’t come from Earth. What if they did not kill their own people?,” Rex shook his head, “It wasn’t my finest moment and that was a notion I didn’t quite recognize until long after it was over. I gained the trust of the U’ntari during our correspondence over the next several months and the rest is history. Media outlets around the world believed me when I told them the U’ntari were planning to take over. No one questioned it. I know now it was a mistake.”

“How did you not realize sooner it was a mistake?,” Cavalier nearly shouted.

“Shortly after the so-called Invasion of 1981, the fall of the USSR occurred, Western powers obtained alien technology and an impending nuclear war was halted. I felt my actions justified and in the meantime, I prepared for the inevitable resurgence by studying Neutronium as a source for developing super powers while also ensuring the creation of future metahuman heroes that could be capable of fighting when the U’ntari returned.”

“You mentored me for that reason,” Ryan said quietly as his gaze shifted to the ground.

“And it’s why you founded the IMD,” Bronson added bitterly.

“You inspired future generations of the Cavaliers,” Michael Hawkwood’s voice conveyed horror and disgust.

“I knew the U’ntari would return and we would need to fight. Once more, I felt humanity needed someone to continue fighting so that future wars would be avoided,” Rex bowed his head, “I realize that thinking was wrong.”

“No shit!,” Creed shouted.

“What if we weren’t enough to defend the Earth?,” Lowanna Jones asked.

“He has a bio-weapon,” Cavalier explained, “It was always Plan B.”

“And once we repelled the second invasion,” Rex explained, “We could take the fight to their homeworld. I know where it is, after all. If that meant wars on Earth would cease or at least become redirected, then so be it,” Rex raised his palms, “Now, as to my exposure, I assume that was due to Kisi Yeboah losing her gear in Lyon. Normally, I utilize a self-hypnosis technique to make sure my lesser proclivities don’t come to the surface in order to bypass telepaths but with the U’ntari attacking and Ms. Kisi’s telepathy being unrestrained, I knew there was a possibility the Badges might come and so they have.”

“And…?,” Ryan asked impatiently.

“I mean to see this to the end,” Rex stated plainly, “I understand your resentment but I started this mess so I need to do what’s right.”

“What’s right is turning yourself in,” Cavalier told him, “Think about New York… Think about the entire planet!”

“When this is handled, I promise to turn myself in.”

“I’m afraid that can’t be done,” Mansoor and the other Badges produced stun pistols from their holsters. Creed followed suit by pulling his own gun. Ryan Bennings and the Cavalier stood in stunned silence, still processing what had transpired. Rex, meanwhile, readied himself. “We’re bringing you in now,” Mansoor continued, “Willing or not.”

“Before we begin,” Rex said quietly, “Just know that I don’t want this any more than you do.”

Meanwhile, the Cloudburst landed outside the Pentagon in Washington DC with Alysa Saraki coming out onto the landing strip while accompanied by soldiers. Astra was the first to exit, then she raced toward her, “Hi, Alysa. It’s me, Astra Machina! Do you remember me?”

“Impossible not to,” Alysa gave her a hug.

Sean Pierce exited next, “Ms. Saraki? I’m Sean Pierce, director of IMD. I heard you were quite useful in bringing down one of the big ships. We were hoping you’d like to join us on one more mission.”

“Anything’s better than this place,” she scoffed, “But what about the Upstarts? They ain’t back yet?”

“They didn’t tell you?,” Sean asked sadly.

“Nah, they didn’t tell me shit.”

“I’m sorry but… it seems an U’ntari assassin killed the Upstarts in LA. All but Dante Greer survived.”

Alysa’s fist clenched and her eyes welled up, “Take me where you need me and make sure no one gets in my way.”

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