"The greater the power, the greater the responsibility..."
Gwen repeated Zod's words as she lay on her bed, reflecting. Up close, she had found Zod unexpectedly gentle—and undeniably handsome. Though she wasn't the type to fall for appearances alone, his words weighed on her. The idea of responsibility was a lot to consider for a high school student who became a superhero partly to impress her father. For Gwen, it was all about showing she was growing up, helping her dad, and feeling the thrill of using her powers. Yet now, she began to understand there might be more to it.
Outside her window, Zod floated silently, observing her. The weight of that lesson, "If you have the ability to make a difference and choose not to, the consequences are on you," was standard fare for most superheroes. But Zod knew Gwen still had much to learn.
Elsewhere in the city, Johnny Storm, aka the Human Torch, was busy enjoying his superhero fame when a scream shattered the calm. Instantly, he took off, only to come face-to-face with a towering monster. The creature had a human-like face, wore an ancient-looking crown, a red cape, and had blue skin with fins running down its back. Despite looking like an underwater being, it stood on two legs with massive, muscular arms.
"Boom!" Johnny's flames hit the creature in the face, buying him enough time to pull a trapped civilian from its grasp, though he was horrified to find half the man's body missing. "Fak!" he cursed, the gruesome scene churning his stomach.
The monster turned to him with a disdainful look. "Strange that a land creature can burn," it said, its voice deep and gravelly.
"You speak English?" Johnny stammered in surprise.
"Your land language isn't hard to pick up," the monster replied, grinning.
Johnny attempted to gather more intel. "What do you mean by 'land creature'?"
The monster sneered, "Land creature is land creature. What's there to explain?" With blinding speed, it lunged, and Johnny barely had time to react before he was sent crashing through a building.
Disoriented, Johnny gritted his teeth. This monster is way too strong!
He tried another burst of flames, but the creature simply grabbed a chunk of debris and hurled it, knocking him down before he could take off. The monster stalked closer. "I'll be stronger after I consume you," it said, reaching down.
Suddenly, an invisible force field shielded Johnny. "Johnny!" Susan Storm, the Invisible Woman, had arrived. She created a shockwave, forcing the monster to dodge and giving Johnny a chance to recover.
Reed Richards, Mr. Fantastic, extended his arms to wrap around the creature's legs, attempting to restrain it. However, the monster proved too strong, ripping Reed's elongated arms apart with a laugh. "Land creatures... each stranger than the last," it muttered, unfazed by their powers.
Susan quickly formed another force field to push the monster back, calling out to her brother, "Johnny, can you still fight?"
Johnny nodded, determined. "Oh, I'm not letting this freak off easy." He summoned his flames to their maximum strength as Susan contained the fire within her force field. The monster shrieked, tearing through a wall to escape the blaze.
"He's on the street!" Johnny shouted, rushing after it, only to be blindsided by a brutal punch that distorted his face and sent him flying. The monster lunged, catching him by the leg midair and slamming him to the ground repeatedly.
"Johnny!" Susan screamed as she released a force blast directly inside the monster's body, causing it to vomit blood and pieces of its internal organs. However, the resilient creature's body began regenerating before their eyes.
Reed pulled Johnny out of the monster's grasp, grimly assessing the situation. "This creature is too fast, too strong, and regenerates from injuries. We're not equipped to take it down alone."
Susan glanced at the monster, her expression tense. "We need backup. Either another superhero or Dark Knight Zod."
Reed nodded, realizing that, with the Thing no longer on their team, they lacked the brute strength necessary for a head-on fight. The monster seemed to sense their dilemma and charged again, its eyes glinting with savage intelligence. It was a predator, and it had set its sights on them.