---
Henry soared through the sky at high speed, heading toward the GDA. He landed right at the Pentagon.
He walked straight in, passing by the soldiers without stopping.
They didn't react — they were already used to seeing things like this.
Henry made his way down through the lower levels of the GDA, scanning the area as he went, looking for Cecil.
While searching for Cecil, a couple of familiar faces caught his attention.
Darkwing and The Immortal were walking through the hallways of the GDA.
They spotted Henry and came over to greet him.
"Good to see you again, kid. You've been off the radar lately. I heard about your team — you've gotta introduce us sometime," said The Immortal, smiling.
Darkwing, standing beside him, noticed something was off.
"Something wrong? You look tense," he asked.
Henry replied, "I'm looking for Cecil. Have you seen him?"
The Immortal rubbed his chin, thinking. "I think he's in the testing sector, but I'm not sure. Is it important?"
"…No," Henry said, avoiding eye contact.
He then looked at them both and asked, "Have either of you seen Omni-Man today?"
Darkwing and Immortal glanced at each other.
"We haven't seen him. Said he was busy with something," Darkwing answered.
"Cecil's probably still in the testing area. He barely leaves that place these days," he added.
"Thanks. I have to go. Be careful," said Henry, brushing past them.
"Careful of what?" Immortal asked, looking at Darkwing.
"I don't know. Maybe he just meant it in general. Like… good luck or something."
Henry reached the weapons testing floor of the GDA — a large open space filled with equipment designed to test strength, durability, and destructive power.
Standing at the entrance was Donald, Cecil's right-hand man.
Henry approached him.
"Donald, do you know where Cecil is?"
Donald frowned slightly. "Yeah… but he's currently tied up with something classified."
Henry didn't respond. That was typical Cecil behavior. He figured the GDA was probably already working on some kind of weapon capable of "taking him down."
"It doesn't matter. I need to speak with him. It's important," Henry said.
Donald could tell by his tone that it was serious.
"…Alright. I'll let him know," he said, adjusting his glasses.
He contacted Cecil, and after a few seconds, nodded.
"He's expecting you. Last room at the end of the hallway — door on the left," Donald said, pointing the way.
"Thanks, Donald."
Henry walked down the hall and opened the door to Cecil's office.
Inside, Cecil was seated at his desk, signing documents surrounded by a stack of paperwork.
He noticed someone had entered but didn't look up.
"I'm busy. Whatever it is, it'll have to wait," he said.
"We need to talk," Henry replied.
Cecil, always sharp, picked up on the tension in his voice.
"What happened?" he asked, already bracing for bad news.
"It's time. He's going to make his move soon. We need to be ready. His son… he's awakened his Viltrumite powers," Henry said.
Cecil looked up sharply. Henry understood the look and added, "I checked — he's not nearby, he's not listening. We're safe… for now."
Cecil stood and paced the room, deep in thought.
"I still can't believe it… He's my friend. He's protected Earth so many times. It's hard to accept this," Cecil muttered, clearly conflicted.
"You don't trust me? You think I'm making this up?" Henry asked, a little hurt.
Cecil narrowed his eyes. "How do I know you haven't been lying this whole time? You never told me where you're from. For all I know, you could be just like him."
"You don't know anything about Viltrumites, Cecil. They're a violent race. You really think he's your friend? That he cares about Earth? Viltrumites care about one thing…"
"…What?"
"…Themselves. They don't care about other species. Earth and humanity mean nothing to them."
Cecil listened in silence, processing every word.
"Maybe you're right. I don't know. Up until now, he's always acted like someone I could trust. He's been here for years. It's hard to believe otherwise."
"I get it. You don't believe me now. But that's part of their tactic. They wait until everyone lets their guard down… and then they strike."
Cecil exhaled. "Even if you're right, he hasn't done anything yet. I need evidence before I can act."
"You don't have to believe me. You'll see it with your own eyes. Everyone will."
Cecil raised an eyebrow. "What does that mean?"
Henry stared at him. "Deep down, you already know the truth. You think I don't know about the experiments you've been running since you met me? I know you've been trying to develop weapons that can hurt me. And I'm sure you've done the same for him. Knowing you, Cecil, I bet you've already got a few prototypes ready for testing."
"…Go on," Cecil said.
"I have a plan. But I'll need your help. Help me, and you'll get to see for yourself who he really is. You'll know I was telling the truth."
Cecil stood in silence, seriously considering the offer.
"…I'll help. But under one condition."
"What condition?"
"If you're right, I'll personally apologize after this is over. But if you're lying — I'll tell him everything. And I never want to see your face again. I don't tolerate liars."
He held out his hand.
"Deal."
They shook hands, locking eyes.
"Should we tell the Guardians?" Cecil asked.
They were no longer shaking hands.
Henry thought about it for a moment before answering, "It's not time yet."
"If you're telling the truth, they need to know."
"I know… I'm worried about them too, remember? My aunt is one of the Guardians. The others are my friends."
"Then what do we do?"
"I want you to start monitoring all of them. If everything goes as planned, they won't be in danger. Can you track them?"
Cecil gave him a look that said, "Obviously. I've always been tracking them."
"Good. Then we're fine. He'll come to us. And when he does, we'll be ready."
---
"What's wrong, Henry? You seem stressed," Eve asked. They were at school.
"It's nothing. Just some things I have to take care of," Henry replied, sighing.
Eve took his hand. "You know you can talk to me about anything. We'll deal with it together."
"I know… I'll tell you. Just not right now."
"I have something I need to do, Eve. I'll see you later," he said, kissing her.
"What could be bothering him so much…" she murmured, heading toward class.
---
After a quick kiss, Henry was now looking for Mark.
He focused and used his x-ray vision to find him.
The school hallways were packed — students constantly passing by on all sides.
After scanning the area, he spotted Mark in one of the halls.
Henry made his way over, weaving through the crowd until he was right behind him.
Mark was opening his locker when he heard someone calling him.
"Invincible. We need to talk." Henry said it out loud — but "Invincible" was such a generic name, no one would assume Mark Grayson was a superhero.
Mark froze. He didn't expect someone to figure out his identity that fast.
He turned around and saw a boy standing behind him.
"…Henry?"
---