Chapter 6 – The Spark That Took Root
Late Evening – Queen Maeve Children's Hospital
---
Third Person POV
The world didn't sleep that night.
It buzzed. Across continents, whispers spread of miracles—disasters averted, plagues cured, lives saved by a golden blur. Cell phones caught flickers of light. Satellite feeds were scrambled. No face, no name.
Only one word repeated:
> "Sentry."
No one had seen him clearly. No one had stopped him. Some doubted he existed at all.
But something had happened.
And that something had changed everything.
---
Low Orbit – Edge of the Thermosphere
Sentry hovered above Earth, drifting silently among the stars.
His body still pulsed from the energy he had poured out that day. Dozens of rescues. Hundreds of lives saved. He had expected exhaustion.
Instead—he felt something strange.
> "What is that?"
A resonance.
A familiar frequency. Faint. Buried. But undeniably his.
His eyes widened.
> "Her."
---
New York – 8:39 PM – Sarah's Room
The hospital had quieted. Only a few nurses made rounds. Sarah slept peacefully, her breathing steady, color returned to her cheeks.
Shawn sat at her side, dozing lightly in his chair.
Then, he felt a change in the air.
A soft hum.
A pulse of warmth.
Sarah began to glow.
Golden light shimmered across her skin. Her fingers twitched. Her body slowly lifted off the bed, hovering inches above it.
Shawn jolted upright.
> "Sarah?!"
She didn't respond—still sleeping. But light wrapped around her in gentle arcs.
And then—Sentry appeared.
A soft whoosh of wind. No flash, no grand entrance. Just presence. One moment he wasn't there. The next… he was.
His cape hung behind him, his glow subtle but undeniable.
> "It's happening," he said softly.
Shawn stood, protective and stunned.
> "What… what's wrong with her?"
Sentry stepped forward, examining Sarah. His expression was calm—but focused.
> "Nothing is wrong. Something is awakening."
He raised a hand near her, his energy synchronizing with hers. Golden threads of light wove between his palm and her chest.
He narrowed his eyes.
> This wasn't natural, he thought. Something was already in her. Mutating her cells. Altering her on a molecular level. Some kind of artificial agent…
He clenched his jaw, pushing the suspicion down.
> It's not time for that yet.
> "When I healed her," he said aloud, "my energy took root. I didn't realize it then. But it found something inside her—something unstable. And it stabilized it. Gave it form."
Sarah slowly drifted back down onto the bed. Her glow faded. Her breathing softened.
She was calm. Whole. Peaceful.
> "Is she… like you now?" Shawn asked quietly.
> "Not like me. But… connected. A spark of me lives within her."
He looked Shawn in the eyes.
> "She's special. And someone's going to notice."
> "Who?"
Sentry paused.
> "That doesn't matter yet. But you need to be careful."
> "Will she be okay?"
> "Yes. I'll make sure of it."
He turned to leave—then hesitated.
> "If I stay too long, I'll draw attention. But I'll be watching."
> "From where?"
> "Everywhere."
And then, in a soft beam of light—he vanished.
---
Sarah's POV – Moments Later
She dreamed of warmth.
Of golden clouds. Of stars that whispered her name.
Of flying.
She stirred in her bed, opening her eyes slowly.
> "Daddy… I had the dream again."
Shawn leaned in, voice cracking.
> "What dream, sweetheart?"
> "The one where I could fly."
He smiled through the tears.
> "Maybe one day."
---