Chapter 5

Arc 1

Sunstone City

Cedric sat in Dr. Hart's kitchen sitting at her kitchen island eating his 3rd sandwich that he's eaten in the past 20 minutes. Dr. Hart stood across from him just staring at him wondering how he was still alive. In her mind, she kept replaying the events of his funeral over and over in her head. She watched them lower a casket into the ground. She watched his family and friends shed tears for him. She watched the reactor collapse on top of him. She watched him die. And now here he was, sitting in her kitchen eating his 3rd pastrami sandwich with swiss and pickles.

"Hungry much?" She joked with him as he rubbed his hands on a napkin and grabbed the soda can and took a sip.

"You have no idea. Ever since I came back, I've been eating scraps out of a damn trash cans . I forgot what real food tastes like but those sandwiches were very delicious and I thank you for that."

"You're welcome. I gotta ask-"

"How am I standing here? I went to go try to fix the machine but I couldn't. I opened the door to the reactor but it got jammed so I went inside to close and lock off the blast. And as I did, I saw a ball of energy forming. And right as I closed the door and locked it off, that ball of energy came towards me. And I thought it killed me but it didn't, instead, it went into my cells and because of my DNA, I lived and I was blessed with amazing abilities. I am part-human, part-alien and my cells have been absorbing solar energy which actually powers my abilities but the-"

"The energy from the Fusion Reactor actually jump started it. And how are you alien? Aliens don't exist."

"Or so we think." He said as he took off the necklace that his father had given him many years ago showing the 8 point star pendant that his father had given to him and handed it to Dr. Hart. She took the pendant and held it in her hands looking at it, looking at it in fine detail.

"What is this?"

"Something my father gave me. Something his father gave to him. It's part of my family history and it's something that links me to my homeworld." She gave him back the necklace as he put it on.

"I'm guessing that was you, that stopped that thing a few weeks ago?" She asked.

"It was." He answered.

"That was you. That was spectacular what you were doing, speed, flight, strength and not to mention, your energy-based powers. You shouldn't exist but you do. You're the answer."

"I'm sorry?"

"The answer to the question that we've been asking for centuries. Are we alone in the universe? And the answer is no."

"I'm still part human."

"But at the same time, you're part alien. And even with your human DNA, you still have abilities. How come your human DNA doesn't counteract your alien DNA?"

"It makes me stronger. My powers are connected to my emotions. The angrier I am, the more powerful I am but at the same time I can lose control."

"Do you have limits? Or any weaknesses?"

"I don't know."

"I think we should test that. I could find us a-" Dr. Hart was saying excitedly until Cedric cut her off.

"Before we do that, I need to ask you for something."

"What is it?" He pulled out the CPU Card from the droid he fought weeks ago and laid the chip on the kitchen counter.

"I need you to check this out for me. I don't know anything about it except it came from Maverick Industries, I figured you would still have access after all your work there."

"I can check but what am I supposed to be looking for?"

"I don't know just whatever you can find can help. I got a feeling that a billionaire had something to do with it."

"Okay." She said as she grabbed the CPU Card and looked down at it in her hands.

"Can I ask for your opinion?" Dr. Hart nodded making Cedric sigh before he spoke.

"Should I tell my mom and Kala that I'm back?"

"I don't see why you shouldn't. Coming back will make them extremely happy. I know they miss you."

"I just don't want to be selfish. Both of them have started new lives without me. Kala's happy with her boyfriend now and she's a reporter. My mom's a detective now and I'm pretty sure that getting used to a life without me, they both are."

"I can tell you from what I saw at your funeral, both of them were devastated. Your mom buried an empty casket of her only child and Kala lost her best friend. They believed you died being a hero and you did. But I do think you should go home. Let them know that you're alive." Both Cedric and Alyssa started to laugh, that is until Alyssa got an alert on her phone making her pick it up and look at the screen. She sighed as Cedric looked her up and down seeing the expression on her face.

"What's wrong?"

"Miles Maverick has called a press conference." Alyssa said as she walked out of her kitchen to the living room walking in grabbing the remote off the coffee table and turning on the TV changing it into Channel 6.

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Maverick Industries

Several members of the press were lined up in the Maverick Industries conference room. Of those members, it included Kalani Rose and Natalia Rodigruez who sat in the front row waiting to hear why Maverick called the press conference. Whenever Maverick spoke, people around the world listened and it was evident in the number of members of the press that were present. There were cameras everywhere with cameramen recording the conference. It was just lucky whenever the president called a press conference if the president was an arrogant billionaire.

"I wonder what this is about?" Kala asked as she grabbed her notepad from her purse.

"Probably something stupid about how Maverick Industries probably made more money than they did last year."

"If he did that would be a total waste of time."

Almost on cue, Miles Maverick walked into the room. The billionaire was dressed in an expensive black suit. Everyone in the press stood up on their feet and clapped as the billionaire walked up to the stage with a toothy grin showing his perfect straightened white teeth.

"Thank you. Thank you." Miles Maverick said waving to the crowd as everyone sat down.

"I'm pretty sure a lot of you are wondering why I brought you down here this afternoon. I can assure you that it is a good reason. 4 weeks ago, we were attacked by something, some type of android or robot. This android seemed to be programmed with only one goal in mind. To destroy everything in its path and it did for a while. It did until it was stopped by the impossible. A flying man. We witnessed that man commit remarkable feats and defeat that android saving us from total demise. Now, I'm guessing that most of you are asking the same questions that everyone seems to be asking, Who is he? What is he? How is he able to do the things he does?"

"And as much as I would like to know the answer to those questions, I also have to make sure that this man knows that I consider him to be a friend, I consider him to be a hero. And I would like to publicly commend him on being a hero and being brave enough to help fight the battle that our brave men and women tried to fight. I would like the Black-and-Blue Blur to know that he is a hero and that I appreciate him and his efforts. I hope that one day we all could strive to be as brave as he is. Thank you and God bless you all and God bless Sunstone City." Miles Maverick said as he waved once more while everyone was up to their feet and clapped as he walked out of the conference room before any reporters could get a chance to talk to him.

"Did he just publicly endorse The Blur?" Kala just asked as she looked on with a confused frown.

"I think he did." Natalia replied

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Dr. Hart turned to look at Cedric who was just staring at the television clenching his fist. He had a blank stare on his face and she couldn't tell if he was angry or if he was just disappointed. She couldn't read him, she definitely couldn't read him like Kala could.

"Cedric, are you okay?" Dr. Hart asked as she walked towards him and placed a hand on his arm.

"You know I hear everything. It's one of my abilities. It's a gift but it can also be a curse. I hear people screaming for help every day. I hear people dying every day. I fly around trying to save everybody and make sure that they live to see another day. I try to be the guardian angel that everyone needs. I try to be the man that they want me to. But what if I can't live up to their expectations. What if I end up putting the things I want first?"

"Then you would be human and there's nothing wrong with that. If you don't mind me asking, what do you want?"

"All I want is for my mom and Kala to be safe. That's all I want. Let's face it, with me having the power that I have and me being the person I am. I'll make enemies. And I know for a fact that they'll come after anybody that's close to me just to get to me. What if something happens and I put my needs before everybody else? What kind of hero would that make me?"

"Cedric, I've watched you walk into Maverick Industries, this scared 18-year-old boy and I've watched you do things that some older men can't even handle. You went to college while simultaneously working at Maverick Industries and you've had some of the brightest ideas I have seen. Anything that you've put your mind to, you did it. I think what's making you react this way is that you realize the margin for error has increased exponentially. Cedric, you're one of the best men that I've ever come across in my entire life. No one can question you as a hero because you're in a class of your own. If I know you like I think I know you then I know you'll find a way to keep everyone safe." Dr. Hart said, making Cedric turn to look her in the eyes.

"You said they buried me. Can you tell me where?"

"Summer Grove Cemetery. You might wanna shower first, you kinda stink. I'm pretty sure my ex left some stuff here so you might have a change of clothes afterward if it fits you."

"You have an ex?"

"Yes, I would have you know when I'm not dressing like a High School Principal I can look pretty damn good."

"Alright Doc, if you say so." He said as he then walked to the bathroom and closed the door behind himself.

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The time was now 4:34 PM. Being that it was now September the weather was up in the mid 70s and it was very fall-like outside. Clouds covered the sky giving it a sort of greyish-color which was the mood of the two women who stood in front of a tombstone in Summer Grove Cemetery. The tombstone read "Here lies a hero, a son, a brother. Cedric Harvey, March 3rd, 1993 - August 13rd, 1997". 24 years old. He was only 24 when he "died". Both Kala and Kimberly had to continue on with their lives but it was a struggle. A struggle that at times overtook them but in order to make him proud they kept going.

"I miss him." Kala said as she walked towards the tombstone and placed her hand on the tombstone.

"I do too. I was thinking about him earlier when I saw that flying man."

"I know. He would've loved seeing that. He was into the impossible."

"Yeah, he always wanted to make the impossible into the possible."

"A true Champion of Tomorrow."

From afar a man leaned up against a tree with a black hat on his head looking on at the two women at the tombstone. The man was the man the tomb belonged to in the first place, Cedric. He had on a pair of shades looking on at the grieving women with a frown on his face.

"I'll be home soon." Cedric said to himself as he continued to watch them.

(!)-(!)-(!)-(!)

It was now 8:06 PM in Sunstone City as Cedric's mother, Kimberly had just gotten home from her day at SCPD as a Detective. Cedric stood across the street watching her as he saw her setting the table. It felt different from earlier. Hopefully, his mom didn't try to shoot him thinking that it was a trick. He was bulletproof but still, the thought would hurt if she tried.

"Be a man. Cedric. Be a man." He sighed. He then walked across the street dressed in blue jeans with his "Wheat' Timberland boots with a black v-neck. The shirt he wore was kinda small because it was from Dr. Hart's ex. She gave him a BioMatrix, a device that they both had come up with years ago but she just happened to finish it. Due to his use of the BioMatrix, his muscle definition had lessened making him look a bit skinnier but he still had some definition. He had some light 5 o'clock shadow. The BioMatrix even had some communication functions as well.

He walked up the steps up onto the walkway leading to his front porch. He smiled as he walked up to his front door. He pressed on the doorbell as he felt his heart about to beat out of his super-powered chest.

It was almost as time slowed as he watched Kimberly open the door to his childhood home. He was now facing his mother. Both of them stared at each other with him staring at her with a toothy grin while she looked at him in shock.

"What the hell?" She let out as a whisper as tears started to form in her eyes.

"Hi, mom." He smiled as a few tears of happiness formed in his eyes.

"This can't be real. This is a joke."

"It's not a joke mom. I'm real and I'm alive."

"This isn't real. You died in the Fusion Reactor explosion." She sobbed now as her son stood in front of her. Cedric gently took her hand and placed it over her heart.

"I'm real mom. And I'm home." He said, wiping the tears using his other hand.

"My baby. My baby." She sobbed as they both embraced each other hugging with neither one looking to let each other go. To Kimberly, her baby boy, her only child, her son had returned to her from the dead. And to Cedric, he had his mother back.