Eve stumbled, catching herself as the world spun around her. She shook her head, trying to clear the dizziness, but the sight of Mark disappearing into the portal left her frozen in disbelief. He'd thrown her aside—literally. He'd taken her choice away, deciding what was "best" for her without a second thought. All those talks with Omni-
Man, all the plans for peace, for opening a dialogue with the Flaxans—gone. She could've given them anything they needed with her power of creation. But now? Now it was all for nothing.
"Mark!" she screamed, her voice raw with anger, echoing into the void where he'd vanished.
Nearby, Monster Girl reverted to her smaller form, scratching the back of her head awkwardly. She exchanged a glance with Kate and Robot, who stood there just as stunned.
Amanda broke the silence first, her tone dry but laced with disbelief. "Yikes. So… that just happened."
Kate nodded slowly, her expression a mix of exasperation and resignation. "Yeah. That… definitely just happened."
Eve clenched her fists, her whole body trembling with frustration. "He didn't even listen," she muttered, her voice barely above a whisper. "He just—he decided for me, like I wasn't even part of this."
Robot adjusted his stance, his mechanical gaze fixed on the now-closed portal. "Regardless of his reasoning, Mark has engaged in an incredibly reckless course of action. If Omni-Man is—"
Eve spun around, her eyes blazing with anger. "Don't you dare finish that sentence." She thrust a finger toward the empty space where the portal had been moments ago. "You three weren't even worth debriefing in the first place. You have no idea what really happened back there."
Robot went quiet, but Eve wasn't done. She turned away, her chest heaving, her hands trembling at her sides. "I was supposed to go with them," she said, her voice tight with frustration. "Omni-Man knew about this invasion beforehand. He wanted me to handle it—peacefully." She didn't wait for them to ask. The words spilled out before they could even open their mouths.
Amanda hesitated, exchanging a wary glance with Kate before speaking. "Eve, slow down. Are you saying—Omni-Man planned this?"
Eve exhaled sharply, running a hand through her hair. "I don't know if planned is the right word, but he knew they were coming. He told me I could stop it without a fight. That I could fix things." Her voice wavered, frustration mounting. "But now? Thanks to Mark, that chance is gone."
Robot analyzed her words carefully. "If what you're saying is true, then this situation is even more volatile than we anticipated. Omni-Man had foreknowledge of the invasion, yet he chose not to act until now."
Kate frowned. "You think he wanted this to happen?"
Eve clenched her fists. "I don't know what to think anymore." She turned back to them, her jaw set. "But I do know one thing—I need to cool off. Thanks to a certain imbecile, Omni-man will have to find a solution on his own."
Kate folded her arms, her expression unreadable. "So, what? You're just done? You're not gonna do anything?"
Eve let out a bitter laugh, the sound sharp and hollow. "What can I even do? Mar—Invincible—made sure I wasn't part of this. He tossed me aside like I was just some… obstacle in his way." She shook her head, her anger simmering just beneath the surface, threatening to boil over. "And unless any of you can magically open a portal, we're done here." Her eyes flicked to Robot, but he simply shook his head. He was good—brilliant, even—but not that good. Analyzing the coordinates alone would take time, and creating technology capable of opening a portal to wherever they'd gone? That was a whole other problem.
Eve began to float upward, her body glowing faintly as she rose. "There you have it, hussy," she spat, glaring down at them. "Keep licking the ground for scraps, twiddling your thumbs and waiting around for all I care." Her words were sharp, cutting like a blade. To her credit, guilt crossed her face as soon as the words left her mouth—but she didn't apologize. Instead, she clenched her jaw, turned away, and shot off into the sky without another word.
Kate blinked, taken aback by the venom in Eve's voice. She wasn't the only one. Amanda frowned, crossing her arms. "Okay, what was that?"
Robot remained silent, analyzing the situation as always, but Kate wasn't about to let it slide. "She's pissed—yeah, no surprise there. But what was that whole 'hussy' thing? Where did that come from?"
Amanda exhaled through her nose, shaking her head. "Didn't you steal Rex from her?"
Kate's jaw tightened, her expression flickering between frustration and guilt. "Oh, I forgot." she muttered. "And it's not like she and Rex were even—" She stopped herself, exhaling sharply. "Look, I thought we were past that."
Amanda shrugged, unimpressed. "Maybe you were. Eve? Not so much. She had me fooled too."
Kate shook her head, crossing her arms. "I don't know… This isn't about Rex. She's mad because Mark didn't let her handle things her way. And I get it, but snapping at us? Like we had anything to do with it?" She scoffed. "That's not fair."
Robot finally spoke, his tone as neutral as ever. "Emotions rarely are." His optics flickered as he turned slightly. "Regardless of personal conflicts, our next steps remain the same. The Flaxan invasion, Omni-Man's foreknowledge, and Invincible's actions all require deeper analysis."
Amanda sighed. "Great. Homework. Exactly what I wanted after fighting an alien army."
Kate didn't respond right away. Instead, she looked up at the sky, where Eve had vanished moments ago. "...She's gonna cool off and come back, right?"
Amanda didn't answer immediately, just staring at the same spot. "I hope so."
Eve found a small sense of reassurance in conjuring food for those who needed it most—people who couldn't afford even the basics. It was a temporary fix, sure, but it made her feel like she was doing something good. And honestly, their smiles and heartfelt thanks were enough to keep her going, at least for now. She knew she'd have to find a more permanent solution eventually, but for the moment, she just wanted to push those bigger thoughts aside. Not now. Not yet.
Wiping her brow, she slumped onto a rooftop, her legs dangling over the edge as she gazed down at the streets below. Her fingers absently played with the molecules in the air, a faint pink energy flickering in her palm like a tiny, restless flame. 'What now?' The thought crept in, unwelcome. Going back "home" didn't exactly sound appealing. 'More like a prison,' she scoffed, her lips twisting into a bitter smile. Sometimes, she wondered why she even bothered trying with her parents. No matter how many lives she saved, no matter how much good she did, it would never be enough. Not for them. Not for her father. To him, she'd always just be… a freak.
Her thoughts drifted toward Mark, but with a grimace, she pushed them aside. 'No, not now.' Instead, her mind wandered to Omni-Man. She couldn't help but wonder—what would life have been like if he'd been her father? Would he have been absent most of the time? A doting dad? Or maybe strict on the outside but secretly kind? She let out a soft chuckle. 'Knowing him, he probably would've tried to stop me from becoming a heroine.'
Mark grunted as he was flung through the air like a ragdoll. Every time he tried to steady himself, Nolan materialized out of nowhere, delivering another punch that sent him spinning again. He couldn't catch his breath, let alone figure out which way was up. "Pathetic!" Nolan's voice boomed, dripping with disdain. "Is this how you plan to protect Earth? Without me, earth would've been reduced to rubble and space dust long ago."
A brutal punch to the gut knocked the wind out of Mark, silencing any retort he might've mustered. "No witty comeback?" Nolan sneered, his tone mocking. "That's a shame. It would've made a great addition to my new novel—Memories of Failure. How's that for a title?"
Before Mark could even think of a response, a haymaker sent him crashing to the ground. The impact shattered the sound barrier, and a massive dust cloud erupted, swallowing the ruins of the city in a hazy veil.
Eve tilted her head, the wind tousling her hair as she watched the people go about their bussiness. Whatever life with Omni-Man as a father might've been like, she was sure it would've beaten having normal parents who treated her like some kind of circus freak.
She sighed, rubbing at her temples. 'Why am I even thinking about this?' It wasn't like she could change the past. It was better not to think too hard about it, too many bad memories always accompanied those kind of thoughts that always reminded her of her real family.
Eve let out a slow breath, letting her fingers weave idle patterns in the air, the pink energy shifting like liquid light. Maybe it was exhaustion, or maybe it was the weight of everything pressing down on her shoulders, but her thoughts refused to quiet.
Omni-Man. Mark. Her parents.
She scowled, shaking her head. 'Why does everything have to be so complicated?'
It should've been simple. Do good. Help people. Make a difference. But it never was, was it? No matter how hard she tried, there was always something—someone telling her she was doing it wrong, someone making decisions for her, someone taking away her choice.
Footsteps crunched behind her, snapping her out of her thoughts. She spun around, her eyes widening as she came face-to-face with the Mauler twins.
"This is why you're the clone," one of them hissed, his voice low and sharp. "Didn't we agree to do this quietly?"
The other twin rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. "You're the clone. And why bother being sneaky? She's practically useless without her boyfriend around."
Eve's jaw tightened, but before she could retort, the first twin cut in, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "Oh, look. She's staring at us like a lost puppy. How about less chit-chat and more action?"
The second twin smirked, cracking his knuckles. "Finally, something we can agree on."
Eve exhaled sharply, forcing herself to stay calm. "You do realize I can turn you both into garden ornaments before you even blink, right?" She lifted her hand, pink energy crackling at her fingertips in warning.
The first Mauler scoffed, stepping forward. "Oh, please. You wouldn't risk it. You're the nice one, remember?"
The second twin smirked, rolling his shoulders. "Yeah. You're all about helping people. So how about you help us by not fighting back?"
Eve clenched her fists. She could end this in a second, but something about their confidence set her on edge. They weren't usually this reckless. Something was off.
Then she heard it—the hum of machinery.
Her eyes darted to the rooftops just as a massive containment field snapped to life around her, glowing with an eerie blue light. A force surged through her body, and in an instant, her powers flickered and died, like a candle snuffed out in the wind.
The first twin grinned. "Gotcha."
The second twin scratched his head, a disappointed frown tugging at his lips. "Just like that? I was kinda hoping for a fight." He shrugged, stepping closer to her and giving the machine a firm pat. "Then again, I wouldn't risk our sources being wrong. Who knows? You might suddenly remember how to use that matter manipulation of yours on someone else."
The first twin shot him a glare, his voice sharp and impatient. "Shut up and get to it, clone."
Eve struggled against the invisible force pressing down on her, her body sluggish and unresponsive. She could still feel her powers, but they were like a distant echo, just out of reach.
She clenched her teeth, her mind racing. 'Think. Think.' Her powers were blocked, but that didn't mean she was helpless. If she could just—
Her foot shot forward, slamming into the second twin's knee. He raised an eyebrow. "Cute. Now stay still" He grabbed her by the arm, yanking her up roughly before snapping the collar around her neck.
Eve gasped as the device clicked shut, a cold sensation creeping through her veins. The Maulers smirked, their victory sealed.
Eve struggled against their grip, but the collar sent a wave of numbing energy through her body, leaving her limbs sluggish. It wasn't just dampening her powers—it was actively suppressing her ability to think straight.
The first Mauler tapped his knuckles against the side of her head. "Bet you're wondering how this works, huh? Don't worry, you'll find out soon enough."
The second twin leaned in, grinning. "And you? You're gonna be a very special delivery."
Eve's stomach twisted, but she forced herself to glare at them. "Who—" She barely got the word out before a surge of electricity pulsed through the collar, sending white-hot pain searing through her nerves. She bit her lip, refusing to give them the satisfaction of a scream.
The first Mauler smirked, holding up a small remote. "Don't strain yourself, sweetheart. You'll find out soon enough."
The last thing she saw before darkness crept into her vision was the second twin hoisting her over his shoulder. "Alright, let's get paid."