"Let's hope this visit goes smoother than the last time we protected a Megacore vault." Troy whispered to Ish as he, Tua and Ish followed behind the large number of kids from the hospital. The trio had arrived at Lincoln Financial Field for the Eagles community program, and currently they where on their way towards the teams Megacore vault.
"We had no problems with our patrol, it was Ash and Marty who got attacked, but we should have been able to prevent it." Ish said with a determined tone in his whisper, as he did not want the kids to overhear their conversation.
"Hey Ish, you think this new threat will show up?" Tua whispered to his leader.
"In my time as a Guardian, I've learned to never rule out anything, if it aint this new threat, it could be Wild Card or the Anticorians, so keep your guard up, we've got three kinds of enemies we have to be prepared for." Ish said wisely, which earned head nods from Tory and Tua.
"Up ahead is the main attraction of this tour," the Eagles Rusher Swoop said as the group rounded a corner and came face to face with what looked like a giant banks vault door, "the Philadelphia Eagles Meagacore." Swoop said with a slight bow as the vault door as if on command swung open, revealing the green and white Megacore of the Eagles, slightly levitating above a podium protected by a glowing blue force field.
"It's amazing." the Guardian trio heard a kid say in an almost giddy tone as other kids pulled out their cell-phones and began snapping pictures and selfies of themselves doing poses in front of the Megacore.
"Alright everyone, we are now going to visit the owners box, so please follow me." Swoop requested as they all began morning forward, all except for about ten children who seemed almost lost in a trance.
"Check it out," Tua said louder since the group had passed , "something doesn't seem right." he said, which got a head nod from his two friends.
"Hey, you're falling behind, you alright?" Ish asked as he and his friends walked up to the children and Ish put a hand on ones kids shoulder, only for two of the kids to spring around and tackle him to the ground, the remaining children did the same with super human strength and put glasses on their eyes, there was a flash of white light, and everything went black...
'I can't believe I'm not being used,' Joseph thought to himself with a sigh as he walked down the sidewalk towards his house, 'I ace every simulation, and yet it's to risky to go into battle, then why even choose me.' he thought as he kicked a pebble down the sidewalk.
"'Sup Joseph?" Joseph heard from behind him and he turned around and saw his fellow Guardian Marty walking up behind him.
"Just fuming over how RZ refuses to send me into battle." he answered the Jewish blonde Guardians question.
"RZ is just playing it safe, don't take it personalty." Marty tried to calm down his new friend.
"I know I probably shouldn't, but it doesn't make sense, you where sent into battle literally hours after you where chosen, and yet I've been training for days." Joseph fumed as he reached into his pocket to return a text message.
"How do you know I as sent into battle that quickly?" Marty asked his friend.
"I watched the archive footage as part of my training, and I know you managed to save the Steelers Megacore." Joseph said, and Marty had to admit he was impressed with Joseph's knowledge of his first battle.
"You will also recall that I lost the Browns Megacore during that battle, so all wasn't perfect." Marty said honestly.
"I know, I know, but the point remains, RZ sent you into battle so quickly, yet I'm stuck in the darn simulation room." Joseph said with a sigh, but before Marty could respond, their NFL-R's began to beep indicating an incoming message.
"Marty, Joseph, I've lost all communications with Ish and his team in Philadelphia, I fear they might be in trouble-." RZ never got to finish due to Joseph speaking up.
"Send us to Philly!" Joseph said as he and Marty exchanged a look.
"Marty, with Ricky engaged in Denver, I need you to go to Philly at once and check out what's going on." RZ informed his fifth Guardian.
"What about me?" Joseph asked his leader.
"Joseph, you are to remain as backup, but both of you will return to the HOK at once, where Marty will head to Philadelphia." RZ said as the transmission went dead.
"RZ, I've arrived at the stadium, so far nothing seems out of the ordinary." Marty said as he walked around in his orange, blue and white Guardian armor.
"Keep yours eyes open Guardian, we don't know what to expect." RZ informed Marty through his NFL-R, which earned a head nod from Marty as he rounded a corner and saw his three friends walking towards him in their Guardian armor.
"Hey guys, where you guys been, RZ has been trying to contact you?" Marty asked his friends, and his response was Ish firing an energy blast to his face and knocking Marty backwards.
"RZ, I'm under attack from... QB1 and the others!" Marty yelled to his leader using Ish's call sign as he began dodging and weaving around the energy blast, but Troy used his super speed to run to Marty's backside and blast his back with an energy blast, and Marty went down, and Tua picked hip up using his super size ability and pinned Marty's arms behind his back, and quickly removed his NFL-R before the fifth Guardian could use his teleportation power, and with a swift punch from Troy, Marty was out of the battle.
"That doesn't sound good." Joseph said as he was listening to Mary's communications.
"Indeed," RZ said as he tried to think of a plan, and with a sigh, he realized there was only one option, even though he didn't want to, "Joseph, the time had come for you to enter the battle," RZ said as Joseph had a serious looking expression on his face, "normally I would make you earn this as the others before you, but," RZ said as the Panthers rusher walked forward holding a small coin with the NFL shield on it and handed it to Joseph, "with this Shield coin your armor will be at full power, now head to Philadelphia at once, we are all counting on you Guardian." RZ said with a smile as Joseph plugged the shield coin into his NFL-R.
"Enter the Rush Zone!" Joseph shouted as his clothing was replaced with his black and red Guardian armor and he was looking out from behind his black tinted visor, as he ran to the passageway to Philly, and Guardian CB7 was on his way.
"RZ, I'm in the stadium, can you give me a lock on the others signals?" Joseph asked his leader.
"They are not to far from the Megacore vault, take a next left and then wing a right." RZ ordered as Joseph began running through the halls and upon winging the right he saw Marty tied and gagged with some kind of weird energy net.
"RZ, are you seeing this?" Joseph asked as he ran up to Marty and began trying to free him from the net.
"Affirmative, I'm analyzing the net as we speak, I'll be able to tell your shortly how to get through the net." RZ said as Marty suddenly jerked his head up, and Joseph knew what the meant, and quickly grabbed him and jumped to the side, as an energy blast struck the wall where they where just sitting, and upon turning around, he saw the three missing Guardians standing here in a combat stance.
'Well you wanted to get into the fight, be careful what you wish for Joseph.' the rookie Guardian though to himself as he took up his own fighting stance, he had been training against simulations of Blitz Bots and Borgs, but never his fellow Guardians, but he had one major advantage, he had watched the footage of all their battles, he knew their abilities, while he was a new Guardian, they had no idea what he could do, then again, he barley knew what he could do.
"'Sup boys, I don't know what's going on with you, bur why don't you just surrender and we can all go home?" Joseph asked in a hopeful tone, to which ths turned Guardians began cracking their knuckles.
"No," Joseph said as he took up a fighting stance, "alright then," Joseph said as he fired an energy blast at Ish's armored face, "Come on!" Joseph shouted as he rushed at the three Guardians in an attempt to tackle them to the ground in one attack, only to have Try run behind him and try to fire his own energy blast, but Joseph activated his defensive shield and deflected the attack towards Tua, who stumbled back as the energy blast to the stomach sent him flying backwards.
Ish charged up a precision power blast and took aim and fired towards where Joseph was about to be, but to his surprise Joseph front-flipped over the attack and landed a jump kick to Ish's jaw that sent the lead Guardian flying back and leaving a rather large hole in the wall.
However Troy was running circles around Joseph using his light speed ability, and due to the speed Joseph was lifted off the ground and Troy jumped into the air and smashed the rookie Guardian back to the concrete floor.
"My turn," Joseph snarled as his wings formed from his armor and he took flight, and with precision speed and timing Joseph used his speed to slam his foot into the ground, as a giant shockwave knocked Troy off his feet, "thank goodness for that experimental armor ability." Joseph said as he mentally thanked Ish's mom for programing the copycat ability into his armor, and even though Joseph's abilities where mostly experimental, they where holding their own against three much more experienced Guardians.
"Joseph, your armor will absorb the energy of the net, and you can use your enhanced strength to free Marty." RX informed the rookie out of nowhere.
"Now you tell me, I could have used that information and Marty's help back when the fight first began." Joseph said with a sigh, knowing he had maybe a minute tops until his three friends returned for more combat.
"It took until now for my calculations to finish, so please break the net." RZ said as the line went dead and Joseph bent down and quickly freed his friend from the energy net, and removed his gag.
"Thanks for the save." Marty thanked his friend.
"Don't mention it, let me guess, they took your NFL-R?" Joseph asked the more experienced Guardian.
"They took it alright, and speaking of them..." Marty said as Ish came flying back though the hole in the wall and tired to tackle Joseph, but Marty reached in and deactivated Ish's NFL-R with one move and Ish's armor vanished, revealing the young African-American Guardian, and the black sunglasses on his face where the most prominent feature on his face, and with a small precise energy blast, the glasses where shattered and Lay sparking on he floor, and Ish was standing there, with a confused look on his face.
"What the heck just happened?" he asked Marty in a confused tone.
"You attacked us both, dude." Marty said quickly.
"I don't remember any of this, I remember some kids where hanging near the vault, the three of us went up to them, and then nothing." Ish said as he tired to remember.
"I think this will answer the question," Joseph said as he squatted down next to the glasses and held them up to his black visor, "RZ, you seeing this?" he asked his leader.
"I got it Joseph, I'm analyzing them as we speak, but for now rescue the others, they are currently in the Megacore vault." RZ said as Ish reactivated his armor and handed Marty his NFL-R, who proceeded to activate his armor and the trio quickly ran to the vault, only to fine Tua holding the Megacore in his right hand, and he and Troy quickly ran past the trio and an up a pair of stairs that lead to the stadium's seating, but when the trio arrived he saw Troy and Tua without their Guardian armor sitting dangerously on a ledge.
"I don't like this one bit." Marty said as he took a step forward.
"Don't move, or you'll quickly see the effects of the laws of gravity on a human body." Troy said in a robotic tone as he leaned back just a little bit, almost falling of the multi story ledge, which froze the trio in place, as suddenly a surveillance Blitz Bot came flying out form another tunnel and Tua handed the Megacore tot he Blitz Bot who proceeded to put it inside it's metal body, but instead of flying away, a holographic image was projected from the bot's camera, revealing a purple and black armored man with purple glowing eyes, and with a capital W on his armored chest, a man even Joseph recognized instantly.
"Wildcard!" Joseph snarled.
"Hello Guardians, it's been awhile hasn't it," Wildcard began in his evil tone, "as you can see I have control of two of your friends, and even the addition of a seventh Guardian couldn't win this battle, as you can see, if you move, I will order them to jump over the edge, or you can surrender the Megacore to me, your choice." Wild Card said through the projection.
"How about option C!" an unknown voice called out and upon turning around Wild Card saw Swoop only in time for the bot to be tackled and shattered by the rusher, just as Ish and Marty quickly grabbed their friends and shattered their glasses, while Joseph grabbed the Megacore.
"That was close." Swoop said as Joseph handed him the Megacore.
"Where is the rest of the tour group?" Ish asked in a concerned tone.
"Hunkered down in a safe-room, that's why it took me so long to get here, but it seems I got here just in time." Swoop said with a smile.
"Indeed, we almost felt the laws of gravity." Tua said as he and Troy kept their distance from the ledge.
"What about the kids who attacked you, what happened to them?" Marty asked his leader.
"They are gone," Swoop said sadly, "Wild Card teleported them out a few minutes ago." he informed the Guardians.
"He's certainly evolved, he never really took hostages before." Joseph said to his leader.
"Seems everything has changed today, we need RZ to track the children, so grab what's left of the glasses, and let's head back to the HOK." Ish ordered as he and his fellow Guardians headed towards the Eagles Passageway, while Swoop headed towards a secret location to hide the Megacore in until things quieted down, for with Wild Card's return, and with his new means of attacking, things would surely never be the same...
So Wild Card has returned, and he is now more brutal than ever, will the Guardians be able to save the children, tune in next time to find out.