Manhattan

Ezekiel Thompson awoke in his dorm room bed, rubbing his eyes as he yawned. It would be another day of school of Ezekiel, before he could do more exciting things. Not that he was opposed to learning, but as a current member of the Young Protectors, everything else just paled in comparison. He got ready for school. As a student of Monolith, considered among the most prestigious out there, he knew he had expectations to live up to, which put pressure on him to say the least.

After having breakfast, he took a shower, washed his hair, and brushed his teeth. Ezekiel was ready. He headed out the door, just in time for class, like everyone else. Monolith's interior was a clean white color, with both the walls and floors matching, giving the impression of an idealistic future that they wish to present. As he was walking, he felt a tap on his right shoulder. He already knew who it was.

"Hey, how's the whole 'Protector' thing going out for you, friend?"

Zaky Malik. His best friend in school, who was always wondering about him ever since he joined the Protectors.

"It's alright." Ezekiel said. "Being able to fly? It doesn't suck."

It had been about a year now since that day. The day that changed everything for him, when a field trip to a Pennsylvania Museum of Protectors went wrong, and the Splisen Cube latched onto him. Now it's grafted onto his spine, and is impossible for him to remove without the risk of death. The topic has surrounded him ever since.

"It must be pretty nice going into Protectors Tower, hm?" Zaky said.

"Yeah, I like it."

"Way to make the rest of us jealous."

He could always count on Zaky to ask him these questions. It was like knowing a Costumed crimefighter himself, something that not too many others can lay claim to, and naturally he wanted to know everything. They entered the first classroom, and a day of schoolwork was ahead of them.

Most of these went without much of an issue. What he really looked forward to was history class. There they would hear all about how superheroes changed the world through their acts of courage, something that gave him inspiration as one of them.

During lunch, he sat across from Zaky as they ate their sandwiches. He found it funny that ever since he got the armor, he still was a nobody in school. Ezekiel would've thought that it would mean more, but most just ask 'How's that YP thing going' if they bother to ask at all. The students of Monolith had their own lives to attend to, and they couldn't focus all their energy on a student who's got an alien device on their spine.

At least Ezekiel could still look normal. The armor would only cover him when he willed it to, otherwise he appears ordinary with his clothes covering his machine on him. Zaky sat resting his head on his hand, staring at something in admiration. Ezekiel wondered what it was, and of course, it was Linda West hanging out with her friends beside the wall. The blonde beauty immediately captured his attention too.

"You think we got a chance with her?" Zaky said.

"Eh, let's not think about it right now."

Linda spoke to her friends Carly, Grace and Stella. From where Ezekiel sat, he could hear what they were saying, and it was hard not to feel excited. It was about the Protectors. He could feel his heart racing as they talked about their crush.

"So, you could go out with one of those heroes. Who would it be?" Grace asked.

"Hmm... I've always had this massive crush of Phantom. He's just so dashing!" Linda said.

They all giggled.

"But wait, isn't he dating that purple alien girl?" Stella said. "Might be hard to compete with that."

"Yeah, I mean him dating another Protector? It's just so hard to compare." Carly said.

"A girl can dream, can't she?" Linda said.

Zaky tapped his shoulder, harder than the last time. Ezekiel already knew what he was going to say.

"Hey, you're a Young Protector right? I mean, if my remember right, Phantom is one of them too. You know him don't you? Why not impress them with your knowledge, I'm sure she'll like it."

"Oh come on, Zaky. Yeah I know him, but that's not a big deal."

Ezekiel knew Phantom, or Jason McCoy, very well as a member of the Young Protectors. In his heroic alter ego, Ezekiel was known as Kid Mega, and Phantom acts as the leader alongside his girlfriend Aera. But that's not something he wanted to impress people with. They knew better than that.

"Your loss, man."

Five minutes later, the bell ringed. Lunch was over, and it was time for history class. The best part of the day, if Ezekiel had to say so. He took his seat at the front of the classroom. Once class started, Ezekiel made sure to pay close attention. He wanted the chance to show off his history knowledge. Mrs. Wilkerson sat on her desk as she used her computer to show images on the projector.

This one was about the Splisen War.

"Good day, class." Mrs. Wilkerson said. "Today we'll be discussing the Splisen War."

"Sweet," Ezekiel said. "The time where great heroes rose up and banded together to save the world?"

"More like the time all of humankind was nearly massacred by a psychotic alien race, the same kind that made the armor you fool around with after school."

That kind of burned to hear something like that. He knew that the Splisen were genocidal, but he wanted to look at the glass half-full. It was what started The Age of Heroes, a time of unity where men and women of all types banded together to save the people of Earth.

"I was just saying that we drove them away, and it was because heroes like the Protectors were brave enough to stop them."

"And think of the lives lost in the process." Mrs. Wilkerson said. "I know you weren't around yet at the time to see horrors of what the aliens did to Earth, and you get to view it through rose-tinted glasses, but not all of us have that luxury."

Ezekiel faced his head down, looking at his desk regretting that his teacher is talking down to him like this. The Splisen War must've been a sore spot for her, he assumes. As the class continued, he wrote in his laptop all the details he could. Even if he knew these things already, Ezekiel wanted her to think he was still a good student.

"It all started in the year 2010, when a Splisen battleship hovered above the city of Bucharest, Romania for several hours. Its intentions became known when the ship fired upon the city in a single strike, decimating the municipality in one blow. In the hours leading up to the attack, it was wondered if the aliens came in peace. That gave us their answer."

Ezekiel knew this, as did everyone else. The event that started the war was pretty well-known to all, as the destruction of Bucharest gave off an impression, to say the least. But you can't explain the war without this important detail. Images of the destruction projected on the screen, showing the details of the catastrophic attack. The destroyed buildings, the people in panic, the fire that set the city ablaze. These were just some of the things that displayed just what the country that suffered most had to go through.

"Of course, there was the Miracle of London." Linda said. "The event that changed everything around. Shouldn't we discuss that?"

"That's for another time."

Ezekiel could tell Linda felt uncomfortable after seeing those images, as it was a horrifying sight to behold. Those who viewed that would like to know the bright side of the conflict, but you can't have the good without the bad. Class continued, she covered more about the war, moving through the timeline on her computer.

"The topic of nuclear force was brought up right away, as you can imagine. North Korea was the first to try to nuke the alien menace, but to no avail. They learned the hard way that the Splisen can reflect their nukes back at the sender, and Pyongyang was annihilated by their own weapons. They refused to release any images, but one can get an idea of how hard they were hit just by the sound of that."

All the talk about the war made his skin crawl. It's as if Mrs. Wilkerson was trying to make everyone uncomfortable by only showing the negative sides of the war. She sat there, stoically looking at the computer screen behind her glasses. While the tragedy of war cannot be overstated, Ezekiel knew that this wasn't completely despair.

She flashed images of the Splisen. They looked both human and insect-like, with their humanoid bodies covered by their armor, while insectoid limbs protruded out of their backs. It was a similar manner to how his Splisen armor would generate those limbs when he wills it.

"They were as deadly as they were heartless." Mrs. Wilkerson said. "Ezekiel, I'd be careful about that armor you have if I were you. Don't want it to act out of line."

"My armor is fine." Ezekiel said. "I have it under control."

"I just think we've been a little too lenient with our standards." Mrs. Wilkerson said. "Now we're letting aliens live on our planet, and we're sending costumed folks to the cosmos to represent Earth. Have we learned nothing?"

Ezekiel turned his head away from her. He didn't know what Mrs. Wilkerson's problem was with the situation, she apparently doesn't believe in The Age of Heroes like he and others do. He sat through the lessons, more about death and destruction with barely a mention of the heroes that held them off. She also apparently had an agenda towards non-humans on the planet, even after they've proven they can do good like the rest of us, as she clearly referring to Aera. Earth sending in Protectors to help against alien threats before they could potentially reach Earth was essential, as well as useful for building relationships with other races. It had been a dream to join a Cosmic Protector team one day and see what it's like to travel the galaxy, if Ezekiel was to be honest.

Twenty more minutes of this, and it was over. Ezekiel thanked the stars he didn't have to head more about Mrs. Wilkerson's apparent agenda against non-normals. Two more classes that were completed without much difficulty, and the school day was done. Ezekiel was happy, practically giddy with excitement and smiles, because that meant he could go to the Young Protectors building in Brooklyn.

Ezekiel practically ran through the hallways, dodging classmates as he made it to the front entrance. At the front, it looked like the doors to any old building, seeming rather drab as the bricks appeared worn down. But Monolith was more than just that. Ezekiel was glad to be here, but it was just so hard to be excited about school when he got to hang out with superheroes and be one himself.

A voice was heard before he could suit up and fly. Zaky, of course. He sighed.

"So, is that where you spend all your free time? And you go on special 'missions'? Aren't you worried you'll get killed one day?"

"I can play a million questions later. But right now, I just kind of want to get out of here."

"Yeah, go on to your little club and leave the rest of us hanging."

"Okay."

In a moment's notice, the armor formed around him. It was a blue and black suit that completely covered every inch of his body, while a dark blue visor covered his face. In this state, as Kid Mega, he felt like he could take on the world. His wings extended, which projected a blue energy that allowed him to take off to the skies.

"WOOHOO!!!" Kid Mega exclaimed.

If there was one good thing about the Splisen War, it was that it created The Age of Heroes. Getting a nice suit of armor that lets him be a part of it was a nice bonus, too. Beneath his helmet, he was grinning. The skyline of New York drew increasingly further away. If he were to be honest, he would never ceased to be amazed by the sight of it. The buildings became smaller as he arose through the air, and then he zoomed through the sky to Brooklyn.

Being able to fly definitely doesn't suck.

The Young Protectors building came into view, and he sped to the site where he would meet with his friends. It was a large, square complex with a gray color on the outside. While not as luxurious as Protectors Tower, it certainly was something that many dream they could reside in.

Kid Mega landed just outside the doorway. He went inside, and the grin returned once again. The helmet retracted to reveal his face, just to make him more approachable. The indoor area was a pleasant view. A stone floor, stairs to more floors, elevators if one doesn't wish to take the stairs, and young people like him hanging around the place.

The room was spacious, wide and easy to traverse. It was meant to be this way so that no one bumps into each other by accident. Kid Mega moved through the complex, waving 'hello' to Winter Witch and Redfire, who were playing air hockey together. He went to the elevator, and after a ding! he rode to the top floor where the command room is. Kid Mega wanted to see what was going on.

Once the doors opened, he stepped out and saw Phantom and Aera together. They weren't dressed in costume, instead appearing in civilian clothes. Phantom crossed his arms as he looked at Kid Mega.

"Is it really necessary to be suited up right now, Ezekiel?"

"I just feel more powerful this way, Phantom."

"We're not on the job right now. Just call me Jason."

"Alright, Jason."

Aera, the purple-skinned alien on Earth, looked rather disapprovingly at Kid Mega's suit. He knew since they first met that she didn't trust him, or rather, his armor. It belonged to the Splisen, after all.

"Okay, fine. Powering down."

The armor retracted back to the point on his upper-spine, and he appeared as his normal self again. He sat down on a chair beside him, and examined the room. The command center had a gigantic computer monitor in front of the room, meant for being in contact with the Protectors.

"I was wondering if there were any missions for us?"

"As a matter of fact, there is." Jason said.

"Are you sure he should come along?" Aera said. "He still has school to attend."

"School can wait, the innocent people of the world can't."

"I like that enthusiasm you got there." Jason said.

"So what is it?"

"We're expected to get a call about an assignment soon. Why don't you wait here until they do?"

Ezekiel nodded. He sat on the chair and played around on his phone until incoming call was received roughly twenty minutes later. Once the monitor displayed the message, he smiled. It was Green Gadget, known by his moniker as The Emerald Android. He looked emotionless, the stoic sentient machine spoke through the monitor, ready to issue the assignment.

"The Protectors have an assignment for you." Green Gadget said. "You are to infiltrate the Caribbean island known as San Paraíso. The criminal organization known as the Black Mark have been using its resources to create their own narcotics, and have essentially taken over the area in this illegal operation. Find the source of the Black Mark's dealings, and the mission will be complete. Do you accept?"

"Of course we accept." Jason said. "Just give us a date."

"In four days. That is when you will strike. Be ready."

The transmission ended. Ezekiel smiled, he couldn't wait to bring the Black Mark to justice.

"One of the first lessons learned: never go to drugs." Ezekiel said.

"Apparently they never learned that." Jason said. "We'll strike them when they do not expect."

Aera leaned on Jason's shoulders as a playful sign of affection. It was difficult for him to keep her up, since she actually had several inches on him in height and was super strong, but he pulled through regardless.

"I'd say six is a good number for the mission." Jason said. "There's three of us, which leaves three more to join."

"Night Spider sounds good for the job." Aera said.

"I would like Blazewing and Origami to join us as well." Jason said.

"That settles it then." Aera said. "We'll be sure to plan ahead for this."

They nodded, and came down the elevator back to the bottom floor. There would be a day of planning needed to undertake this mission, so it was best to start as soon as they could. Ezekiel took the opportunity to relax. He sat down on the couch out on the bottom floor, and played some video games for the rest of the day.

He knew it was best have an eased mind before undergoing a serious task.