Todd flew low over Nomanisan Island, his clothes fluttering behind him as he surveyed the ruins.
The island was larger than he expected, dense jungle mixed with rocky cliffs and the scars of old battles.
Everywhere he looked, he saw the remnants of destruction.
Massive black spherical shells lay scattered across the landscape, destroyed Omnidroids.
Some were half-buried in sand, others torn apart with giant holes in their armor.
These machines had taken the lives of many powerful superheroes, delivering a devastating blow to the Global Defense Agency when they were lost.
Todd’s enhanced memory recalled the names from his research:
Universal Man possessed molecular density control, allowing him to turn intangible or become nearly indestructible; Psycwave wielded mental waves, telepathic attacks, and emotion manipulation; and Everseer had telepathy, clairvoyance, and enhanced vision ranging from microscopic to long-range.
Also among them were Macroburst, who could unleash massive concussive blasts, shockwaves, and boasted super strength; Phylange, who used sound manipulation to deliver powerful voice-based attacks; and Blazestone, who generated and controlled fire while being highly resistant to heat.
Downburst could manipulate atomic and molecular structures, Apogee controlled gravity and flew using sunlight-powered energy, and Blitzerman moved at high speeds and struck with kinetic force.
Gazerbeam fired laser beams from his eyes and had enhanced durability, Hypershock commanded electrical abilities alongside great strength, and Stormicide could control the weather.
Vectress created impenetrable force fields and could teleport short distances, while Tradewind mastered the manipulation of air and wind currents.
And finally, there was his own father, Gamma Jack, whose powers included projecting radiation and unleashing deadly toxic energy blasts.
All of them had been lured here, tested against early versions of the Omnidroids, and killed while Syndrome gathered data to build the ultimate killing machine.
Most of their powers had been useless against adaptive technology, or the robots had simply evolved countermeasures mid-fight.
He continued flying until he spotted a collapsed entrance partially hidden by vines and rubble.
There was still a decent-sized hole leading inside.
The tunnel was surprisingly long.
He flew for over a minute before emerging into a massive underground facility.
The scale was impressive even years after abandonment.
Todd began exploring systematically.
The main area looked like a high-tech laboratory with rows of monitors, workstations, and scattered tools.
Further in, he found living quarters, a surprisingly comfortable sleeping area with multiple bedrooms, a full kitchen, and even a recreational lounge.
There was a well-equipped gym with heavy training equipment, though most of it was covered in dust.
“Syndrome really built himself a proper secret base,” Todd said, running a hand along a console.
“Not bad.”
He moved deeper and discovered a huge hangar bay.
Several unfinished Omnidroids stood in various states of completion, some missing limbs, others with exposed wiring and half-assembled armor plating.
The sheer size of the machines was intimidating.
As Todd stepped closer to examine one, he accidentally bumped into its leg.
Whirrrr…
The Omnidroid’s single large eye suddenly lit up bright red.
Without any warning, its mechanical arm shot out, grabbed Todd by the ankle, and slammed him hard into the concrete floor.
The impact was strong enough to crack the ground.
Even with his durability, the suddenness caught Todd off guard.
He quickly stood up, brushing dust off his clothes with an annoyed expression.
“Alright, you piece of scrap…”
He launched forward and drove his fist into the robot’s body, denting the armor significantly.
The Omnidroid retaliated with a sweeping arm.
Todd chopped down with a sharp karate strike, cleanly severing the mechanical limb.
His eyes glowed bright red as he fired concentrated heat vision directly into the robot’s eye sensor, melting it.
He then flew upward, dove down with one arm extended, and slammed straight through the head unit, destroying the core in a shower of sparks and metal.
Todd floated back up, dusting his hands with a satisfied smirk.
“Too slow.”
But then he heard it, multiple low whirring and mechanical activation sounds echoing throughout the hangar.
Whirrrr… Click… Whirrrr…
Dozens of red eyes lit up across the unfinished Omnidroids.
The machines began powering on, servos whining as they turned their attention toward him.
Todd’s eyes widened.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”