Sean Pierce led the team outside the building cautiously as they approached the shuttle resting on the grass in the distance. Inside, Shujai looked at Kull curiously, “You can’t destroy the planet. It completely goes against the U’ntari Military Code.”

“Sure,” Kull nodded mockingly, “If Council were here, I’d be reminded of how many laws this violates and be forced to relent,” he pointed to the monitor showcasing various views of Earth’s orbit, “Do you see our satellite out there anywhere?” Kull began rummaging through a nearby compartment hanging off the wall, “And it’s not as though any of our leaders are here so as the U’ntari with the highest authority in 39 lightyears, I made… a tough decision. Q’werz is in charge of the Retribution and will take our fleet home while I take an early retirement. I’m going out and I’m taking this entire goddamn race with me.”

“What could you possibly have that could destroy this planet?”

Kull stopped for a moment and peaked over his shoulder, “Now that would be telling, wouldn’t it?”

Shujai turned and rushed to the cargo hold; as the door was locked, he opted to simply rip through it with his bare hands. Once inside, he saw a glowing mechanical cylinder on a floating platform and recognized it immediately. “We had a Neutronium bomb onboard this entire time?,” he asked aloud. The bomb was illegal on U’ntrall as it was not only capable of destroying a planet but its volatile nature made it impossible to be launched safely from any weapon system. Therefore, it required manual triggering. Kull must have built the weapon himself before the Retribution took off and brought it along as a final solution. He was far more insane than he realized.

When Shujai turned around, he saw that Kull was now wearing a respirator and holding a weapon that released the U’ntari equivalent of nerve gas. Shujai was strong enough to not die from the attack as most lifeforms would but the gas affected him all the same and dropped him to his knees where he began to choke and gag. “You always were a strong bastard, despite your lack of convictions,” Kull said as he pushed him over with his foot and released one more cloud into his face. Then the ship’s alarm went off, warning of nearby lifeforms and when Kull activated an outside view, he saw the heroes approaching the ship on foot.

Hours earlier, Rex had been placed in the hold of his ship. Ryan Bennings had had clearance for many years so gaining access to the ship was an easy enough task once Rex had been neutralized and there was no fear of retaliation from the robot staff. Ryan, Creed and Cavalier met in the cockpit, trying to make up their minds about what to do next. The Cavalier sat silently, still processing the events that transpired while Creed and Ryan argued as usual.

“So where do you wanna lock this guy up?,” Creed asked.

“We can keep him on the ship with someone to stand guard,” Ryan explained, “Then the rest of us fly to Brussels using another mode of transportation.”

“We need to get to Brussels as soon as possible, right? This thing is the fastest ship on the planet so it makes sense to use it to get there and leave Rex in another location with someone guarding him in case he causes more trouble.”

“The U’ntari are looking for Hyperion’s Light,” he took off his glasses and began cleaning them, “They’ll intercept us in a second. Look, you’ve proven yourself the past few days but when it comes to-”

“Here we go again!”

“No listen to me!”

“I listened to you enough!”

“I’m not so sure you have!”

A silver blade swung down between the two men, cutting the tension in an almost literal fashion. They both silently turned to the Cavalier who had his sword unsheathed, “This is the last thing any of us needs right now. There is an alien invasion still going on out there, people we care about are still in danger and a man we all trusted was responsible. This whole thing is FUBAR but we have the key to ending it all right now if we work together for a bit longer. We will keep Rex on the ship and the three of us will be flying it to Brussels. That’s the plan so stop arguing and get your shit together.”

Ryan and Creed were silent in light of Cavalier’s newfound assertiveness. Ryan straightened his glasses, choosing his next words carefully, “So… what happens when we get to Brussels?”

“…We give them what they want.”

When the rear hatch of the shuttle opened, the gathered heroes witnessed Supreme Admiral Kull descending from the ramp with a strange cylinder glowing behind him. They recognized him from his initial broadcast to the world at the beginning of the invasion and were highly cautious. “I’m glad you made it,” Kull smiled, “I was hoping to see your ugly faces when I set this thing off.”

“Stay where you are,” Pierce aimed his weapon and the other heroes followed suit, still unsure of his gambit. A holographic display appeared above Kull’s open palm and he raised a finger, ready to set off the Neutronium Bomb. There were several shots from the heroes but as Kull was standing close to his ship, the bombardment was blocked by the shuttle’s forcefield. Just before Kull could make another move, however, his chest exploded in a shower of green mist and chunks of a ribcage. The hologram disappeared and his arms dropped at his side as he gazed at the exit wound in his chest. “You… traitor piece of shit,” Kull managed to choke out a few final words before he collapsed dead on the ground. Behind him, Shujai crawled along the ramp of the shuttle with a single hand raised, crackling with bio-energy.

Pierce turned to Kisi Yeboah with a confused expression, “If it’s no trouble, please explain what just bloody happened.”

Kisi tilted her head slightly as she scanned the mind of the weakened Shujai, “He just saved the planet.”

At that moment, a large portal opened. The heroes turned to see Director Q’werz emerging along with a platoon of roughly two dozen super soldiers and Silencers, many of whom were recognizable such as Bone-Breaker from the New York battle and Splitter from the Pentagon battle. The heroes took fighting stances one more time as the Silencer leader and her minions surveyed the area. Before anything could be said and done, a large shadow was cast over the field.

“Rex Robinson is finally here,” Astra Machina happily pointed to the sky as Hyperion’s Light hovered over them.

Pierce shook his head, “I’m… not sure if this is a good sign.”

“Hold fire,” Q’werz told her platoon as the tractor beam lowered four figures. Alysa Saraki’s eyes widened once she saw someone she knew, although he hadn’t spotted her yet. “Creed?,” she whispered curiously. The crowd was silent as Cavalier, Ryan Bennings and Farrell Creed stood alongside Rex Robinson who had a pair of handcuffs on. The three men hadn’t said anything to him but he understood what they planned and did not protest.

“You men have made your decision and you’ll get no judgement from me,” he told them.

“Please don’t make this worse for us by being noble,” Ryan whispered to him.

“Tell them,” Cavalier said as he placed a hand on Rex’s shoulder.

“The Invasion of 1981 was my doing and the current resurgence was a result of my actions,” Rex announced without hesitation, “These men here will fill you in on the rest, I’m sure. I am deeply sorry for my part in this and accept the consequences.”

The jaws of the gathered heroes dropped except Pierce and four Badges. While Femme Phantom was as shocked as the rest, she showed no outward emotion and glided toward Rex with her usual expressionless demeanor. “Rex, is it true?,” her voice betrayed her outward appearance and sounded deeply troubled. “I’m afraid so Lizzie,” he said sadly. For the first time in decades, he briefly saw a look of sadness on her face before she disappeared completely. Rex fell silent and lowered his head.

Q’werz approached Cavalier while flanked by Bone-Breaker and Splitter, “Will you be surrendering him now?”

The Cavalier simply nodded and said, “Yes.” Rex stepped forward, resigned to being a prisoner and whatever followed. The gathered heroes all had a variety of feelings but none were voiced. Nearby, NATO soldiers who had advanced to the location began radioing their superiors. Word got out almost instantly and the world would be divided about the goings on in that Belgian field. The Cavalier would be especially haunted by this decision in the months to come, especially after returning to the battle-torn New York.

Q’werz opened another portal and Rex was led inside. He didn’t look back, nor did he catch anyone’s gaze. He simply continued to march forward, accompanied by guards until he disappeared into the light, then the portal was closed. Rex Robinson was now in the hands of the U’ntari and the war was over. “Your people no longer need to be concerned with us,” Q’werz announced, “That is, assuming humans will no longer be our problem.”

“I wouldn’t worry about that,” Sean Pierce informed her.

Shujai had gathered enough strength to stand up and approach Q’werz, “And what is my fate, Director?”

She contemplated the dead body of Supreme Admiral Kull, then turned to him, “When he left the Retribution, I noticed he was acting strangely. As he had relieved himself of command and given me authority, I had the right and forethought to have his private shuttle secretly checked by an agent who found the Neutronium Bomb. I arrived to stop him but then you took matters into your own hands and executed a former officer when you had already been stripped of rank. That is technically an illegal act and I have no choice but to employ punishment.”

“I surmised as much.”

“Considering your otherwise noble acts throughout your career, I do not wish to execute you,” she glanced at the crowd behind him, “You seem to have a fondness for this world to the point where you have broken our laws and betrayed us,” a scorned look crossed her face, “This planet will be your exile. The humans can do with you what they will.”

Shujai knelt down in submission, “I accept your rulings”.

Q’werz walked past him and had two of her men carry Kull’s body inside his shuttle while following. Soon, the shuttle lifted off and flew back to the Retribution. Shujai remained on the ground, as if awaiting more punishment. Moments later, Pierce and some of the Badges surrounded him curiously. “Now what do we do with this one?,” Pierce asked quietly.

“Creed!,” Alysa Saraki rushed through the crowd to meet her friend, “What are you doing here?”

“What are you doing here?,” Creed happily wrapped his arms around her tightly.

Ryan saw the two of them happily recounting their exploits to one another, then searched through the crowd himself. As Dafne Mansoor passed, he stopped her. “Hey, Intrepid. Where are the Upstarts?,” a worried look crossed his face, “Please tell me they’re in some bunker somewhere.” She looked at him sadly and softly told him, “I’m so sorry.”

A look of horror and defeat crossed his face and his words were lost in his throat. Cavalier placed a hand on his shoulder sympathetically as he hung his head.

Astra watched the crowd of people silently. She saw Shujai being led away by Badges and NATO soldiers despite having saved the world, Creed and Alysa reuniting and Ryan Bennings fighting back tears. “This is victory?,” she thought to herself, “Even though it’s over and we’re all alive, no one has much of a reason to celebrate.”

On the Retribution, Rex Robinson sat alone in a cell. What was left of the crew prepared to slip into hibernation in the coming months which gave him time to contemplate. He stood up from the cot in his cell, looked out the window, and watched the stars pass by.

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