The monitoring room deep within the Global Defense Agency headquarters was silent save for the soft hum of advanced technology.
The wall of screens cast an eerie blue glow over the two men watching the recorded conversation between Nolan Grayson and the mysterious visitor named Goku.
Cecil Stedman stood perfectly still, his scarred face illuminated by the displays as the footage concluded.
Beside him, Donald Ferguson adjusted his glasses, his normally impassive expression betraying a hint of genuine concern.
"Play it again," Cecil ordered, his voice tight. "From the part about the fallen angel."
Donald nodded, tapping commands into the console. The screens flickered, and Nolan's voice filled the room once more:
"Darkblood was here. He warned me about you."
"Did he? Demons often have a more... nuanced perspective on certain energies."
"He seemed afraid. Said you were some kind of fallen angel, worse than Satan himself."
Cecil raised a hand, signaling Donald to pause the playback. "Worse than Satan himself," he repeated, his tone measured despite the implications. "And Darkblood, a literal demon from Hell, was terrified enough to warn Omni-Man."
Donald cleared his throat. "Sir, I've analyzed the energy readings from the mountain during this conversation. They're... unprecedented."
He pulled up a separate display showing oscillating wavelengths and measurements. "Even at rest, this 'Goku' was emitting energy signatures that exceed our highest theoretical thresholds."
"And when he's not at rest?" Cecil asked, though his expression suggested he already knew the answer.
"The sensors we had monitoring Mark's fight with his father registered a momentary spike when they first arrived through that... portal, or whatever it was." Donald adjusted his glasses again, a nervous habit.
"The readings were off the charts before the equipment failed. Complete systems burnout."
Cecil nodded slowly, processing this information with the calculated calm that had kept him alive through decades of superhuman crises.
"So we have a visitor from another dimension or reality, with power levels that make Omni-Man look like a street-level hero, who apparently raised Mark in some alternate timeline after his death here."
"That appears to be the situation, yes," Donald confirmed. "And based on what Darkblood told Nolan, this individual may have a history of... genocidal tendencies."
Cecil turned away from the screens, pacing the small room with measured steps. "What's most interesting is his restraint.
If what Darkblood implied is true, this being has the power to destroy worlds, yet he's chosen to play guardian to three teenagers." He paused, considering. "Including our recently resurrected Mark Grayson."
"Sir, if I may," Donald ventured, "what's our protocol for this level of threat? The contingencies we developed for Omni-Man would be woefully inadequate."
Cecil's laugh was short and humorless. "Protocol? Donald, we're so far beyond protocol that we might as well be making shadow puppets for all the good our contingency plans would do." He gestured to the frozen image of Goku on the screen.
"This individual apparently shook the foundations of Hell just by existing in proximity to it. What exactly do you suggest we do? Politely ask him to fill out a visitor's visa?"
Donald remained professionally stoic despite his superior's sarcasm. "At minimum, we should document everything and prepare what countermeasures we can, however futile they might ultimately prove."
"Of course we will," Cecil agreed, his tone softening slightly. "Because that's what we do. We prepare. We plan. We protect." He turned back to the screens, studying Goku's seemingly ordinary appearance.
"But in this case, our best defense may be diplomacy rather than weaponry."
"You're suggesting we just... accommodate him?" Donald asked, unable to keep the surprise from his voice.
"I'm suggesting we don't antagonize a being who could potentially unmake our reality if he decided to have a bad day." Cecil's expression hardened.
"Besides, from everything we've observed, his primary concern appears to be Mark's wellbeing. As long as that remains the case, our interests are temporarily aligned."
Donald nodded, though his discomfort was evident. "And what about the Reanimen project? Dr. Sinclair was prepared to begin the process using Mark's original body."
Cecil's expression darkened instantly. "Absolutely not. Scrub that project immediately. Delete all files related to it. I want no record that we ever considered turning Mark Grayson's corpse into a Reanimen."
"Sir?"
"Think, Donald," Cecil said, his voice dropping to a near whisper despite the room's security protocols.
"How do you think this 'Goku' would react if he discovered we were planning to resurrect and weaponize the corpse of the boy he considers his son? The boy he apparently crossed dimensions to help?"
Donald paled slightly as the implications sank in. "I'll handle it personally."
"See that you do." Cecil turned back to the monitors. "And while you're at it, purge this conversation from our systems as well. All of it. Every frame, every audio file, every energy reading."
"Sir?" Donald's surprise was evident. "That violates at least seventeen GDA protocols regarding the documentation of potential threats."
"I'm well aware," Cecil replied calmly. "But I'd rather violate protocols than risk Mark discovering what his new... guardian... might have been in his past."
Understanding dawned on Donald's face. "You're concerned about Mark's reaction."
"Wouldn't you be?" Cecil asked. "The kid just confronted one father figure who turned out to be a genocidal conqueror.
How do you think he'd react to learning that his replacement father might be something even worse?" He shook his head. "No, this information stays between us. Mark has been through enough trauma already."
Donald considered this, then nodded. "And what about Darkblood? He clearly knows something about Goku's nature or past."
"Darkblood was an idiot to reveal what he knew to Nolan," Cecil said, frustration evident in his voice.
"If Nolan gets desperate enough, he might try to use that information to turn Mark against Goku. And the last thing we need is another family drama playing out with potentially cosmic consequences."
He walked to the window overlooking the GDA complex below, hands clasped behind his back. "Besides, my current working theory is that these kids – Mark, and the other two, Lelouch and Mikasa – are what's keeping Goku anchored.
They're his family now, his responsibility. As long as that remains true, I believe we're safe from whatever he might have been before."
"That's a significant gamble, sir," Donald observed quietly.
"Everything we do is a gamble, Donald," Cecil replied without turning around. "Every superhero we register, every villain we incarcerate, every technology we develop.
The difference is usually just a matter of scale." He sighed. "In this case, the scale happens to be... considerably larger."
Donald approached the console again, initiating the deletion protocols for the sensitive footage. "And what contingencies should we develop, knowing they'll likely be ineffective?"
Cecil turned, a grim smile on his scarred face. "The usual. Monitoring. Containment scenarios. Theoretical weapons systems.
It will keep the analysts busy and give the board something to review." The smile faded. "But between you and me, our real contingency plan is to ensure we never give him a reason to become a threat."
"And if that fails?" Donald asked, ever the pragmatist.
"Then we pray," Cecil said simply. "Or perhaps we ask Darkblood to put in a good word with whatever powers exist in Hell." His attempt at humor fell flat, even to his own ears.
Donald finished entering the deletion commands, then hesitated before executing them. "Sir, are you absolutely certain about erasing this? If something were to happen..."
"I'm not erasing it from my memory, Donald," Cecil replied sharply. "Just from systems that could potentially be compromised.
The fewer people who know about this, the better our chances of maintaining a stable relationship with our interdimensional visitors."
Donald nodded and pressed the final command. On the screens, the footage began to disappear, segment by segment, until nothing remained but the standard monitoring of the facility.
"Now that the Sinclair plan is scrapped, what should we do about the original body?" Donald asked. "Mark's corpse is still in our morgue."
Cecil considered this. "Offer it to them for proper burial - we would've done so before anyway, while later picking it back out. It removes a potential source of conflict."
"And our official position regarding Goku and the others?"
"Cooperative but cautious," Cecil decided. "We treat them as allies unless given reason to do otherwise. We provide whatever reasonable assistance they request.
We do not probe into their origins or abilities unless they volunteer such information." He turned to face Donald fully.
"And, again under no circumstances do we mention anything Darkblood might have said about Goku's nature or past."
Donald nodded, making mental notes. "And Nolan? Omni-Man?"
"We monitor him, but we don't interfere unless he becomes an active threat again," Cecil said.
"Based on what we just witnessed, I believe he's experiencing a genuine crisis of conscience. Whether that leads to redemption or further disaster remains to be seen."
He moved toward the door, signaling that the discussion was concluding. "For now, our priority is establishing a working relationship with Mark and his... family.
If they truly intend to help protect this world rather than harm it, we would be fools to reject such powerful allies."
"And if their intentions change?" Donald asked, following Cecil into the corridor.
Cecil's expression was grim as the secure door sealed behind them. "Then God help us all, because nothing else will. Only he would be able to stop one of his fallen sons."
As they walked through the sterile hallways of the GDA headquarters, Cecil found himself reflecting on the strange turn of events.
In less than 48 hours, they had witnessed the death of Earth's greatest hero, (Cecil no longer considers Nolan to have ever been a true hero, nor does he consider the Guardians to be equal in heroic spirit to the boy who was willing to die for this planet against even his father),
his resurrection through interdimensional means, and the arrival of a being whose power potentially dwarfed anything they had encountered before.
"One last thing, Donald," Cecil said as they approached the elevator. "Increase surveillance on Darkblood.
I want another way found for him to be banished completely, if necessary, but for now I only want to know immediately if he makes contact with anyone regarding our visitors."
"Understood, sir," Donald replied. "Though monitoring a demon detective presents its own unique challenges."
"I have faith in your resourcefulness," Cecil said, allowing himself a small smile. "After all, if we can adapt to having a potentially cosmos-threatening entity under our roof, we can certainly handle one nosy demon."
The elevator doors closed, carrying them toward the upper levels where Mark and his mother were resting, blissfully unaware of the cosmic implications of their new family connections.
Cecil's mind was already racing, calculating possibilities, assessing risks, developing approaches.
It was what he did best – navigate the impossible situations that came with managing superhumans.
But even he had to admit, this particular situation was testing the limits of his considerable experience.
A father who killed his son. A son who returned from death. And a guardian with power beyond comprehension who might once have been something terrible, but now seemed content to play the role of protective parent.
If there was one thing Cecil Stedman knew for certain, it was that family dynamics were complicated enough without adding cosmic powers to the mix.
But they were already added, so like the good protector he is, he'll deal with it.
Like he always does.
-----------------------------
(Author note: Hello everyone! I hope you all liked the chapter!
Do tell me how you found it.
Before anything, I wish to clarify, the energy signatures sensed by the machines wasn't the Ki itself,
but the affect on the environment, which collerates to how much energy it would take to normally have that effect, and there we have it.
I believe this makes sense.
So, Cecil, man do I love writing this guy.
He's geniunely become one of my favourite characters ever. Yeah, he can do stupid shit sometimes (looking at Conquest situation), but he's trying his best with a bad hand, and I respect that.
So yeah, that was all, I hope to see you all later,
Bye!)