Ed POV
A couple of days passed, and honestly… Cell and Selene adjusted way faster than I expected.
Stratos has been glued to them nonstop. Can't even blame him; he's taking the whole "big brother" role seriously. Watching him play with them, talk to them like they've always been here… yeah, I'd say he's doing a damn good job.
I've been around a lot, too. I even stopped going on patrol for a bit.
And yeah… people noticed.
You can really tell when the internet starts spiraling. The theories alone are wild. My personal favorite? Apparently, I've been off fighting demons in some "Hell dimension."
…Not gonna lie, that one sounds kind of cool. Haven't done it yet, but I might, if I ever get the chance.
Still, no point letting people worry too much.
So I got back out there. Did the usual, saved a few people, shut down a bank robbery, and even helped a cat out of a tree.
Honestly? That part was kinda fun.
Now, though… things are a little different.
I'm hovering over a beach in California, the ocean stretching out in front of me. It is a nice view… but that's not why I'm here. Out in the distance, a giant monster is making its way toward the city.
"I know this world's a mix of Marvel and DC, but I still want to know where these things are coming from. There's no way it's just radiation," I muttered to myself.
Then I shrugged.
Honestly… who cares?
I've been waiting for a giant monster to show up anyway.
"Arsenal, Calamity is ready. So is Ted and the others. Just give the signal, and we can teleport them to you," Sage's voice came through my earpiece.
A grin spread across my face.
After months of work… one of my Jaegers is finally finished.
I've got two more close behind, just a few final adjustments left. Building them was a pain in the ass. I had to construct an entire underground workshop just to house them.
And the clones… Yeah, I made over a dozen copies of myself just to speed things up. Worth it. Because Calamity? It's a beast. Built on the same level as Titan Redeemer.
And the pilots?
Ted, Panda, and Ice Bear, yeah… I know how that sounds.
Ted practically begged me to let them handle it. I only agreed because Panda and Ice Bear are there to keep him in check. Between the three of them, it actually works.
More importantly…
They were the best option. Because the other volunteers? Deadpool, Peacemaker, and Vigilante.
…....
Yeah, there's really nothing else to say about that. Letting those three maniacs pilot Calamity would've been a global disaster waiting to happen.
I was brought out of my thoughts when I heard something moving at high speed towards me.
I turned just in time to see Superman coming in fast before stopping beside me midair.
Haven't seen him in a while, kind of curious how he's liking the new suit.
"Arsenal. Good to see you again," he said.
"Good to see you too, Supes. So… how's the suit treating you?" I asked.
His expression shifted into a small, genuinely grateful smile. "It's amazing. Helps me absorb solar energy faster, it's more durable… and even if it tears, it repairs itself."
"Good. That's exactly what it was built for. If anything goes wrong, just let me know."
"I will," he said, then glanced past me toward the ocean. "But I have to ask… why are you just standing here? That monster's getting close to the city."
"They are going to handle it," I said calmly. "Don't worry about it."
He frowned slightly. "They? You're not going to fight it?"
"Nope." I shook my head. "And I'd prefer if you didn't step in either… unless it becomes necessary."
That definitely didn't help his confusion.
"Are these new heroes you're training?" he asked.
"You could say that," I replied. "But this? This is more of a test run."
He just stared at me, trying to piece it together. Yeah… easier to show him.
I tapped my earpiece. "Alright, Overwatch… Brother Bears. You're up."
"Acknowledged."
A massive ground bridge tore open in the sky above us, and a giant machine dropped straight through it. It slammed into the ground below with a thunderous impact, shaking the coastline.
For a second, everything just… paused.
"What…?" Superman said, equal parts stunned and confused.
"Superman, meet one of my first Jaegers, Calamity," I said, a hint of pride slipping into my voice. "Built for destruction… and turning any Kaiju into roadkill."
Superman looked the machine over, clearly impressed, but still skeptical. "I'll admit, that's… incredible. But why do you even need something like this? We could take that thing down together."
"I know," I said with a small shrug. "But don't lie to yourself, you've always wanted to see a giant robot fight a monster."
He hesitated.
"…I guess?"
I smirked. "Trust me. You're gonna love this. Besides, the people piloting it are professionals."
"I hope you're ready, you ugly lizard motherfu—"
Ted's voice cut in over the comms and was immediately cut off. I blinked, then exhaled. Yeah… shoutout to whoever hit the mute button.
"…Okay," I corrected flatly, "two professionals… and one idiot who just happens to be their brother."
Superman's expression shifted. "Uh…"
Yeah. Now he looked concerned.
"Relax," I added. "He's only handling the weapons. The other two are controlling movement."
He raised an eyebrow. "How is that better?"
"Trust me," I said, eyes forward as Calamity powered up, "It's better."
I crossed my arms slightly, watching the Jaeger square up with the approaching monster.
"Just watch."
The moment the monster got close enough, Calamity moved.
The Morningstar ignited, its spiked head glowing as it spun faster and faster, a blur of metal and light. Then Calamity lunged forward, closing the distance in a single, thunderous charge.
The first swing landed clean.
The impact ripped through the Kaiju's shoulder, tearing away a massive chunk of flesh as the Morningstar bit deep and kept going. The creature let out a deafening scream, staggering back as blood and debris sprayed across the shoreline.
It roared and swung wildly in retaliation, but Calamity weaved through the attacks with surprising precision for something its size.
Panels along its arms and torso snapped open.
Rows of guns were deployed, and then, they fired.
A storm of rounds tore into the Kaiju, shredding its hide, punching through weakened spots, driving it further and further back. Each hit chipped away at it, breaking its balance, slowing it down.
But Calamity wasn't done. With its other hand, it started to land, heavy, brutal strikes. The fist slammed into the Kaiju again and again, each blow tearing flesh, ripping chunks free, cracking bone beneath the surface.
The Kaiju tried to pull away, too late, Calamity caught it. Its massive hand clamped down, locking the creature in place. Then it shifted its weight, raised its leg, and kicked.
The impact sent the Kaiju flying backward, the force so violent it tore one of its arms clean off as it was launched across the coast.
"Don't you think it's suffered enough? You don't have to kill it. We could take it somewhere, study it, there might still be a way to cure whatever's doing this to it." Superman's voice was steady, but the concern in it was clear.
I didn't even look at him when I answered.
"I've studied too many of these things already," I said. "Different species, different mutations… same result. Whatever changed them, radiation or something else, it's permanent. It rewrites their bodies, their minds. There's nothing left to bring back."
I paused for a second, jaw tightening.
"I'm still working on a solution. But right now? This is the only thing we can do. Put them down and make sure they don't hurt anyone else."
Silence stretched between us.
He didn't like it, I could tell without even turning to him. But that didn't make it any less true.
I finally glanced at the creature again. Every time we found one, it was worse than the last. Twisted in a new way, barely recognizable as anything that used to be alive. Whatever was causing this wasn't random; it's tied to radiation.
More specifically, some form of gamma radiation. The moment I realized that, I had Bruce start digging into it.
I don't know if this is deliberate or just a catastrophic accident… but either way, I'm going to put a stop to it.
Boom.
The blast snapped me out of my thoughts. Another explosion, Calamity had just taken off the creature's remaining arm, leaving it completely defenseless. It howled, a raw, broken sound that echoed through the air.
Calamity didn't hesitate.
He strode forward, grabbed it by the back of the head, and drove the spinning morning star straight into its skull. The weapon tore through it in a brutal grind of metal and flesh, ending its suffering in an instant.
"Good work, Brother Bears. Return to base," I said through my earpiece.
Calamity turned, flashing me a thumbs-up. A massive ground bridge split open beside them, humming with energy. They stepped through and vanished as it sealed shut behind them.
I opened a portal beneath the corpse of the giant monster, sending it straight to the island.
"So the Brother Bears are handling giant monsters now?" Superman asked.
"Not entirely," I said. "Only when the target's far from any populated area. If one makes it into the city without me catching it, then I step in, or someone else who can end it fast without causing more damage."
"I see."
"This is just to give us a little breathing room, stop the monsters before they ever get close to civilians. And it's only the beginning. This is the first of the Jaegers. Two more are already in development; give it a couple more days, and they'll be ready. The real problem is to give them Pilots," I said.
"Do the pilots have to be… specific?" Superman asked.
"Yeah, they do," I replied. "To pilot one of my Jaegers, you need two people who are compatible, similar enough to sync. More than that, they have to trust each other completely. One person can't handle it alone. The strain would snap their mind."
"So you just need people who can work together."
"Exactly. And honestly, that's the easy part."
He frowned slightly. "Then why did you say finding pilots would be a problem?"
"You misunderstood," I said with a small smirk. "The problem isn't a lack of candidates, it's the opposite. There's already a line of people volunteering to pilot the other two Jaegers. Now I've got to sort through all of them and decide who makes the cut."
"Oh." Understanding clicked into place.
"Yeah," I added, a hint of amusement in my voice. "One of the downsides of leading the biggest superhero team on the planet."
"Well, I'll leave you to it," he said, giving a quick wave before taking off into the sky.