Chapter Text
Universe 7
Reginald Vel Johnson Highschool’s prom was in full swing at the Ramova Theater. They were screaming in delight when the famous Kpop band, DTF, came on stage and gave an amazing performance as the kids danced.
Willow Clockwell was in the crowd dancing to her heart's content. She was twirling in a silver dress with one shoulder strap up while the other was hanging off. Her sheer bodice was beaded which made it twinkle under the lights. The sheer beaded work continued down the front of her skirt with strips from the metallic fabric used for the back of the skirt included. She had her hair up in a modern french twist, and kept her makeup soft and light since she knew the heat from dancing made her perspire a little. Her shoes were a pair of sparkling ankle strap low wedge sandals and her jewelry consisted of a silver cuff bracelet, crystal drop earrings and a promise ring.
When the song died down, she noticed her body aching from such exhilaration that she decided to get a drink from the automatic drink dispenser she made so no one could spike it.
Her best friend Amber approached her, “Damn girl, you really know how to have a good time.”
Willow took a few more breaths and a gulp before answering, “After hauling my butt to make all of this happen as the school’s president, I better! It’ll be even better when they finally announce this school year’s promising Prom Queen, yours truly!”
“Right. Pray that your Prom King isn’t going to be Todd.”
“If it is, I already have Evan from the football team ready to tackle him if he tries to touch me inappropriately during the slow dance portion.”
Amber arched an eyebrow at that. “Evan, huh. Not your boyfriend? Is he not coming? I didn’t want to bring it up, but I think everyone noticed that you’re not wearing a corsage.”
“Mark got caught up helping his mom with something. He’ll try to make it when he can.” Willow waved it off.
But Amber scowled at the behavior, “And you’re okay with that? Hasn’t he been acting a bit odd lately? He’s been late to your dates, making these lame dumb excuses, or doesn’t even bother showing up at all. He’s even been gone for weeks at a time. I know you two are childhood sweethearts and all but if I were you, I would have already dumped his ass.”
“It’s our senior year.” Willow explained with an understanding tone, “Just like how I’ve been crazy busy with all of this to make a good impression on my letters of recommendation, Mark has things to figure out and it just became a whole lot harder since his dad died.”
The Chicago incident still laid heavily in the hearts of everyone after Omni-Man was revealed to be a traitor. Only alien invasion conspiracy theories from podcasters were given as a reason as to why the once beloved superhero did it. All people truly knew from the news was that they had Invincible to thank for stopping him.
Amber pointed out, “Yeah, but instead of confiding in you, he’s been confiding in that other girl, Eve Wilkins. Doesn’t that alarm you?”
“I know what you mean, Amber, but they’re just friends. God knows Mark needs more of them.”
Amber stared at her for a moment before giving in, “Alright, if you say so. But if it turns out he’s been cheating on you, I already have the tools in my trunk to bury a body.
In cement.
”
Willow giggled and hugged her best friend.
Just then, one of the DTF members announced, “Alright everyone! It’s time to announce the Prom King and Queen! For our Prom Queen we have, Willow Clockwell!”
Everyone cheered as Willow was escorted to the stage by Amber, and she accepted the sash, the bouquet and tiara. She posed in the middle of the band members for the photos.
“Now for our Prom King!”
They called out a name that was thankfully not Todd, so Willow was able to have a nice slow dance with a cute boy and several others who wanted a chance to slow dance with her before graduation.
After the slow dance portion was over, they went back to dancing their hearts out until the time was up. Her and Amber remained behind while everyone went home since they were part of the clean up crew. When that was over, Willow stayed back a little longer. Lying to her friend that her dad was picking her up late.
It wasn’t necessary to lie, but she knew Amber would be a bit too judgy of Mark if she knew what Willow had in mind.
Even though prom was over for them, it wasn’t over for her. She had booked two extra hours and hired the prop makers in her school to re-set up the photo area, the buffet area, and also set up a garden with a gazebo on the stage. She freshened up and then waited at the gazebo until Mark came in scrambling to his feet in a messy tux.
“I-I’m here! I’m here! Uhm…Where is everyone?”
“They went home.” Willow said as she stood up and slowly walked out of the gazebo like a princess. “I may have given you the wrong time so you thought you could try to squeeze in at the last hour instead of heading to my house to profusely apologize for not being here at all.”
“So I missed it.” He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.
“Yeah, pretty much. But that doesn’t mean we can’t have our own little prom. Just between the two of us.” She walked down the stage and went over to Mark. She held out her wrist expectantly.
“...OH! RIGHT! Right…” He took out a corsage of wax flowers.
Willow took off her cuff and accepted the accessory. She then took out a boutonniere of wax flowers and pinned it to his suit jacket.
Next, she led him to the photo backdrop where they posed for an automatic camera that flashes when they say “Prom!”. Willow made use of several poses, which she told him was one of the perks to not having a line of their classmates stare at them as they waited for their turn.
She then brought him over to the party table filled with smaller portions of the same food that was served during prom, which she had prepared. The two had a meal at the gazebo while Willow told him everything that was happening in the present tense so he could imagine being there. The two shared laughs when they began sharing their high school memories.
After they had their fill, Willow had them stand up for their own slow dance. She turned on the speakers, playing Love and love by Baek Ji Young . It was a pretty depressing song to play, but it was her favorite because it also carried the hope that they would still be in love in spite of the bitter moments.
Willow gazed at Mark, falling in love all over again with his soft brown eyes and the way he oh so gently says, “I love you.”
Willow repeats just as gently, “I love you, too.”
The two shared a kiss and continued slow dancing until it was time to leave. Mark was able to borrow his mom’s car, so he could drop her home, but Willow had other plans.
She leaned into his ear, “I booked us a hotel suite for the night. It was my gift for getting into Grainger.”
“Wha-What?” Mark looked at his girlfriend, not sure if he was hearing her right or if he was correctly assuming what she meant. But the sultry look she gave him quieted any doubts. “O-Oh. Uhm. I-I-” He blushed bright pink. “I thought we were waiting until marriage.”
Willow displayed her promise ring to him. It had cost a little over two hundred dollars which he worked hard to earn from his job at Burger Mart. He had his mom help him pick it out, and had Amber help him plan the perfect date to pop the question since promise rings were technically pre-engagement rings. And what could be better than crafting a scrapbook together since they’ve known each other since they were 5, started dating when they were 9, and during their last summer as high schoolers, he wanted to let Willow know he was dead serious about their relationship.
So when they reached the last page, he pulled out the rings. He wished he was brave enough at the time to look her in the eye when he suggested that they should take a picture of this exact moment. The door had been open, so her mom was able to take the picture.
Willow was in tears as she happily accepted the promise ring and kissed Mark before going over to her mother to show off the silver ring with a teardrop amethyst.
Presently, she said, “We’re practically married. Just missing the paper.”
“Oh…”
._._._.
Willow stared at the promise ring while waiting for her boyfriend at Upstate University. She was still going to attend Grainger, but came to check it out with Amber who had a cousin attending. She had her hair parted to the side with waves cascading down her shoulders and accompanied by large pearl stud earrings. She had on an ivory white turtleneck long sleeve blouse with lacing from her shoulders to her neckline and it was tucked into a belted gray pencil skirt above comfortable stiletto heels.
“He’s late.” Amber let her know.
Willow let her know, “We have location trackers, so he can find me. I’ll just text him that we’re going ahead.”
“Is that so? Where is he now?”
Willow opened the app on her compowder, “It looks like he’s still at home. Must have overslept.”
“Oooor, he left it there on purpose and is off doing who knows what. He hasn’t been responding to your text since this morning.”
Willow defended, “He just started his new job as an intern for his mom. He figured that he could attend college online and that having hands-on experience in the adult world was more effective. We’re both ridiculously busy so being a little estranged cannot be helped.”
“You are way too good for him.”
Willow joked, “I know.”
The two met up with the cousin who was about to head to a biology class and they were allowed to join.
Willow had thought about becoming a doctor, but felt more passionate about engineering. And apparently someone almost felt the same, although a bit too egotistical.
“Oh please.” DA Sinclair started, “All human failings are simply engineering challenges crying out to be solved. We’re machines! And the sooner we recognize that, the sooner we’ll reach our true potential.”
“Dramatic much.” Amber commented.
“I’m sorry?”
“I’m not.” She stood up. “You’re being a jerk.”
Sinclair glared and walked up to her, yet stopped when Willow commented, “Definitely could use some speech classes to deliver your point since you’re not wrong.” She flashed her signature customer service smile. “Cybernetic enhancements could definitely improve human physiology, but we don’t have humane resources nor the right metals to make it sustainable as we age. Sure we use technology to do things more efficiently, but even cars and planes require a team to keep them efficient as they are. So unlike humans who can attend a doctor’s appointment whenever it's necessary, these machines have daily appointments.”
DA Sinclair’s glare softened to a look of intrigue, albeit slight annoyance. “And who are you?”
“Willow Clockwell. I’m a student enrolling into Grainger to become a mechanical engineer.”
“A mechanical engineer? Yet you speak as if you know anything about cybernetics.”
“I mean these fields do overlap when it comes to a project. One of the machines I’m hoping to invent are cybernetic prosthetics for construction workers who have been injured on the job. Companies want to completely replace them with AI machines, but forget that while the rest of our body needs enhancement, our brains cannot be replicated.”
“I’m inclined to agree, though not every individual has a brain worth preserving.”
“I’m inclined to disagree. The more brains, the merrier to compare during testing.”
Sinclair huffed a laugh before covering his mouth. He passed Willow another intrigued yet confused look. The teen was used to men being surprised by her intelligence. Insulting yet funny to see.
The professor cleared his throat loudly and asked if he could continue the lesson. Sinclair straightened his suit and exited the class.
Amber sat back down, “Why did you bother entertaining that asshole?”
“Comes with the job as a woman in a male dominated field. Besides, I know him from magazines and research papers. He’s an actual genius when it comes to cybernetics, so it’d be an advantage to know him.”
“Sure, but be careful. He gave some major incel vibes.”
Willow agreed and thought that they might not see each other for a long while since she was only here for one night. However, when the class was over, Sinclair called out to her in the hallway.
“Miss Clockwell, if you have the time, I would find it preferable if you dine with me for lunch.”
Amber answered for her, “Uh yeah no. She has a boyfriend.”
Willow answered much more nicely, “Sure if it’s just about engineering. I do actually have a boyfriend.” She happily showed off her promise ring.
Sinclair frowned at the jewelry, but he didn’t back down. “Congratulations, Miss Clockwell. He is certainly a lucky man, but I would still like to further discuss with you about the future of cybernetics. Very rarely I meet someone who actually cares for the field and is not doing it for the money or family expectations.”
“Much like an athlete who gets a high off of victory like a gambler, I feel the same when I successfully invent something. The more difficult, the sweeter, but I have my ethics.”
“I see. Then follow me. I made reservations at a 5 star restaurant and what you are wearing is decent.”
“Thank you.” She turned to Amber and whispered, “It’s just lunch. The more connections I make, the better for my career. I’ll text you in thirty minutes, but if I don’t, call me first, then call the police if I don’t answer.”
“You better know what you’re doing.”
Willow followed Sinclair to his car, which was a practical SUV. On their way, they talked as if they were interviewing each other. Eventually, they arrived at the 5 star French restaurant and having expected to have meetings like these with potential buyers and co-workers, Willow had taken French classes so she was able to order easily, which impressed the man.
“You seem rather well-rounded, Miss Clockwell. I’m surprised you are not attending MIT instead, or at least Harvard. Why Grainger of all places?”
“Sentimentality, I’m afraid. I grew up in Illinois, so I want to put my talents here and raise a family with my boyfriend after our careers are steady and we finally tie the knot.”
Sinclair seemed a bit critical of the answer yet replied, “That’s a sensible plan to have for the future. I personally decided to attend Upstate University to gain a higher grant since the school could use a few geniuses to raise their reputation. It also gives me more flexibility with my work. Tell me, Miss Clockwell,” He took out a folder from his bag. “What do you think of cybernetic enhancements to this degree?”
Willow looked over the designs of “Reanimen”, finding their schematics and such striking. She commented, “Wow, you truly created what the government would love to have applied to their soldiers. If you had worked with them prior, you could’ve helped prevent Omni-man from destroying part of Chicago.”
Sinclair smirked, “They could’ve wouldn’t they. However, I don’t take kindly to the idea of becoming part of such an unstable organization where funding is treated like your typical house finances depending on who is elected.”
“In that case, the GDA may be your next best option.” She further observed the design. “Although living subjects may not be your best options to try these out.”
Sinclair’s brows knitted at her, “Why do you say that?”
She explained, “Clearly you are working to create the ultimate soldier. I don’t think using such cybernetics on living human beings would give you that. When we’re alive, we have brain inhibitors so we don’t try to overstrain ourselves. We’re also complex creatures when we’re alive, so any abnormality in the brain may cause issues in the tech. It would make more sense to implant them in fresh corpses of those willing to donate their bodies to battle one more time.”
“That’s…quite the comment.”
Willow shrugged. “I’ve read enough conspiracy theories and actual reports on what the government and the GDA are willing to do to their own people for the people. The only matter I have with it is consent. I’m telling you now that after what occurred with Omni-man and the potential aliens that could attack us, they will be more than willing to support your research.”
Sinclair thought about that for a moment with a sip of his water. “You may be onto something, Miss Clockwell. Experimenting on living humans does pose too many obstacles that it’s best to experiment on the least complicated.”
Willow carefully observed Sinclair’s thinking expression since he spoke as if he had some cleaning to do. She thought about the missing posters on the university’s board and how the victims all looked perfect as test subjects to this project. However with no evidence, it wouldn’t be right to report him just from a hunch.
When it was 30 minutes, Willow informed Amber that she was okay and enjoyed the rest of her meal.
It became pretty late when she was dropped back to the university. Sinclair insisted on opening the car door for her, which she accepted, thanking him for the meal and conversation.
Yet Sinclair replied, “It should be me thanking you. You’ve enlightened me. Not many I can say this to. At least not alive.”
Willow felt that nagging hunch again that this man was a serial killer for science, but she pushed it away again. Besides, she didn’t expect to see this man again.
She went to the dorm where Amber’s cousin was staying at, and to her delight, Mark was there!
“Willow! You’re back! I’m so so sorry about this morning! I got called in last minute at this new job, and forgot my phone at home! And I couldn’t get in contact with you-”
Used to his apologies, she casually interjected, “Sorry about that. I had lunch with a prodigious engineer in cybernetics, so I had my phone on mute.” She pulled it out and checked her notifications to see the many missed calls and unread messages. “Oh wow. You were really worried.” She glanced at Amber who was not at all amused to have Mark here.
Amber explained, “I told him, but apparently, he can’t stand the idea of you being around another guy when mister popular here is who knows where with other girls.”
Mark passed an annoyed look at her and defended himself, “I wasn’t with other girls and you told me he was a creep, so how can I not be worried?”
“But you saw that she was at a legit 5 star restaurant with your tracker and I told you she called me and told me she was safe.”
“Anything can happen afterwards! Am I the asshole for being worried about my girlfriend eating with some creep?”
“It does when she trusts you and you don’t.”
Mark wanted to continue arguing but Amber spoke facts. Both women knew he was off doing something secretive. With Eve no doubt. But Willow never accused him of anything, interrogated him or intruded on his property.
He gave in, “Okay! Okay. I’m sorry. I was just really worried.”
Willow gave him a kiss on the cheek to cheer him up but informed him, “Meeting creepy men comes with the job. Read enough news about the subject, so you know I come prepared.” She showed her watch which monitored her heart and brain patterns. If she were to be drugged or knocked out, the watch would send out an immediate alert and location to her loved ones. She also showed her hidden pocket knife in her sleeves, the pepper spray necklace, the disguised alarm on her belt that would emit a high pitched screech, and other gadgets.
But despite showing them, Mark only seemed defeated. Willow wrapped her arms around one of his, still awed by how much muscle he built rapidly throughout their senior year. They almost felt like steel, that Willow was almost tempted to try and test them with a hammer.
She pushed away her thoughts before they got naughty, and told Amber that they were going out to talk. She brought Mark out of the dorm and into the wide empty field that led to a forest.
“Are you alright? You seem shaken by something, and I don’t think it’s my impromptu meeting with Sinclair.”
Mark held a contemplative expression before answering, “My new job…I’ve actually had it for a while, and it has me…check on dangerous sites- not when the danger happens of course! And last night, the site I was at was attacked. I was one of the very few survivors.”
Willow gasped, “Mark. That must have been horrifying!” She hugged him tightly.
He wrapped his arms around her gently, “Yeah. It was.” He sighed. “I’m sorry for acting like a complete jerk. But when Amber told me you were with that creep, the thought of losing you scared me, even though I know that you can handle yourself.”
Willow held him tighter, letting him know silently that she was still alive. That everything would be okay because she had no plans of dying anytime soon. But the idea of letting him go tonight just didn’t sit right with her. “Let’s go back to your place. I’ll call Amber, and let her know.”
“No. I don’t want to get in the way of your plans.”
“What plans are more important than being there for you in sickness and health?”
“Yeah, except this useless boyfriend of yours is barely around when you need me.”
“But you always do come around.” She leaned back. “And if I truly need you, I’ll come to you. Just like you did right now. I wasn’t there for you when it happened, but you came to me, and you were honest with me. And I’m here.”
“But what if I’m too late?”
“If you’re gonna ask questions like that, then direct them at me, too. What if I’m too late, Mark? What if I was somewhere out of reach when you needed me most?”
Mark’s eyes seem to widen like a puppy, “Yeah, but you don’t…”
Willow wasn’t sure where Mark was going with that sentence, so she waited patiently for him to finish.
However after Mark dealt with his inner struggle, he answered, “I wouldn’t blame you. If anything, I’d be waiting for you to help me make it all better. Because you’re my best friend, Willow. I can’t think of anyone who knows me better than you do.”
Willow smiled approvingly at the answer, “Exactly what I was thinking. Let’s go home.”
._._._.
Willow knew she would have to deal with creepy men and misogyny, but that was to be when she joined the competitive workforce. Her university years were going to be different since not just anyone could enter the rooms she did without having her level of intelligence and determination.
At least that was what she hoped, but to her horror, the creepy part came true.
Sinclair transferred to her university.
For her.
He said that it was purely for her intellect, which she could tell was true and she was flattered. But when he spoke about having found a benefactor for his ReAnimen project, she had a hunch that he wasn’t talking about either the government or the GDA. She did not want any part of some menacing organization. Not that the two organizations she suggested were respectable despite the propaganda, but at least there was some transparency!
If she could without postponing her future, she would avoid Sinclair at all cost. But with no evidence to get a restraining order, it was inevitable. Fearing what he may do if she rejected him, she agreed to only have lunch together every now and then to discuss engineering.
However, what should’ve been a once-a-week interaction, her classmates made it otherwise. Sinclair may have an ego, but his genius could not be ignored. So when he offered to have lunch in person, her classmates would try to join in. Willow honestly thought Sinclair would reject them, but to her surprise, he actually made an effort to get along with them. She thought he may be up to something, but after weeks went by, Sinclair had kept it very professional. He never made a pass at her, never crossed a boundary as acquaintances and never belittled her or her pre-engagement.
Even though there was good material to belittle since Mark had pretty much ghosted her for over a month despite being terrified for her safety.
She reached out to Debbie who told her that he joined an international aid program and didn’t tell Willow because it was last minute. According to her, Mark felt restless from his job as an assistant site manager for a corporation she never heard of but was legit from her research.
Then suddenly Mark remembered how the two of them joined Amber to build schools in the Philippines, so he took the first opportunity he saw.
Willow was convinced since Mark was an opportunist, but when it came to asking the details, Debbie couldn’t give a straight answer. Instead the widow sobbed, blaming herself for not informing Willow since she had been so distraught since Nolan’s passing.
Willow had been there for the family after it happened. She cooked the meals, did the chores and was willing to talk with Debbie when she was willing to open up. But Debbie never really did. Willow thought it was because of her age, so she would wait for whenever Debbie thought she was older and mature enough to rely on and take that chance.
She dropped the questions to finally comfort Debbie, and she figured she’d talk to Mark once he got back. She’s known him practically their whole lives, so she confidently knew Mark wasn’t the type to do anything sinister.
There’s absolutely no way he would.
“You’ve been staring at your ring for a while.” Sinclair commented.
Him and Willow were currently at one of Grainger’s labs at night. Not exactly a good time to be alone with a possible serial killer, but after all the time they spent together, she had seen a softer side to Sinclair. She was almost convinced that she may have been wrong about the fellow engineer. But the reason was mostly because Willow’s desire to work on her project outweighed her protective instincts. The machine was a kinetic energy absorber for underneath the floors, which she hoped would be a new source of clean energy.
“I’m just missing my boyfriend.” She sadly smiled. “He joined an international aid program, but it’s like he’s been deployed to the military, so I can’t contact him as often as I would like.”
“That must be…difficult for you?”
Willow gave a happier smile, finding Sinclair’s attempts at empathy adorable. “It is, but this is what growing up is about. His mom told me that he doesn’t have much cell service where he’s at so he updates me through her on how he’s doing.”
“Has she been updating you?”
“Not yet. But she will.”
“Right. Right…Miss Willow, if I may be frank. I-”
RING!!!
Sinclair glared at his own cell phone, yet excused himself from the room. Willow continued the project, careful to not tap on the device too hard since that would strangely elicit purple electricity from her hand.
She noticed it coming out last summer whenever she would touch things like chairs or door knobs that secretly had static electricity built-up. Her great grandmother explained that although Willow hadn’t fully awakened her powers, her magic wasn’t completely dormant. Her constant contact with electricity and her growing feminine energy was awakening her father’s dormant Jupiterean alien genes. This allowed her to absorb kinetic energy and expel it out, and it proved so useful in charging her devices, she wanted to share it with the rest of the world.
Sinclair soon came back and appeared nervous. “Miss Willow. I was just on the phone with my benefactor.”
Willow put on a safe expression, “Do they need you now?”
“Not exactly. I think it will be better if I explain everything in a different location.”
“Different location” was never a good combination of words to refer to their next unknown location. Especially to a woman. The memory of all of her self-defense classes and every possible weapon and escape route in the room she could use was at the forefront of her mind. She kept her expression from shifting, and casually moved towards the table with the tools and miniature prototypes were displayed.
Casually, she spoke, “Right now? But it’s so late. Can we go tomorrow?”
“I’m afraid not. Willow, I need you to trust me.”
Once those words left his mouth, Willow felt her body go light and cold. She tried to control her heart rate but she couldn’t hold back the words that spilled out of her mouth, “Why do I get the feeling that you’re not giving me a choice?”
Sinclair remained nervous and there was a guiltiness mixed into it now. “Please don’t make this difficult, Ms. Willow. I’m doing this for your own protection.”
“Sonofabitch! Are you fucking selling me to your benefactor?!” She yelled while discreetly grabbing a small device on the table.
The power suddenly went out. Willow waited for the generator to kick in, but the room remained pitch-black. She checked her compowder, but it won’t turn on. In fact, all of her own electronic devices on her body were turned off. She came to realize that an EMP device had been activated so she was cut off from everyone.
She forced her voice to speak clearly in between heavy quiet breaths, “Sinclair…What did you do?”
“Miss Willow,” the bastard tried to sound endearing, “I followed your advice and the test subjects were all very cooperative! They wanted the power my machines would give them! And those who were already dead, well, they were worthless to society anyways! I wouldn’t have gotten such an opportunity and our fellow classmates wouldn’t have either, if it weren’t for you! Which is why I want to protect you! Right now, my benefactor has me set my ReAnimen on a rampage in Chicago and the cities nearby to show do-”
CREAK! SLAM!
“MISS WILLOW!”
Willow sprinted for dear life! Almost miraculously, the moon was bright and full, providing enough lighting through the large windows to help her find her way through the darkness. As she ran, she fiddled with the small device in her hands that was a prototype of the kinetic device. She also snapped open her compowder, hoping that by rewiring and using her own kinetic energy, she could send an SOS to any hero!
When she reached the stairs, she slipped and tumbled down the steps. She was quick to press the devices against her chest to protect them and landed ungracefully onto the floor. Her adrenaline helped block out the pain receptors. She got on her knees and worked on the device, thinking she had enough time since Sinclair wasn’t an athlete.
CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!
The window shards fell to the ground! She froze when she saw the familiar gleaming metal cyborg helmet. Her heart pounded quickly when her sight blurred but her ears let in the loud thumping across the floor followed by inhumane snarls aimed at her!
A spike of adrenaline helped her to her feet and she ran off to wherever the monsters weren’t coming right at her! She shoved the devices in her uniform jacket’s pocket, and proceeded to clap her hands thunderously, hoping to awaken her power faster!
“COME ON ALIEN GENES! WITCH GENES! WHATEVER THE FUCK I HAVE! WORK FOR ME NOW!”
She felt one of them grab her, and her heart jumped! Every brutal and cruel news she read about a woman being assaulted in her work place flashed before her eyes! The full force of her adrenaline rush kicked in, triggering her body to discharge a field onto her surroundings! Willow was unsure of what was happening in reality as she felt her own mind expand to process the flow of energy directed towards her.
Reflexively, her body pulled out her compowder and the small prototype kinetic device from her pockets and with all the electricity she could muster from the beating of her heart, the motion of her body, the temperature of the room, anything that was moving the particles within her field, she slammed the devices together, creating another EMP that was enormous enough to disrupt the other EMP and destroy the ReAnimen. Every other device that had been turned off during the event turned back on.
Willow flew across the hallway, having her fall broken by a sofa chair that fell back, allowing the rest of the inertia to roll off her body. Still panicked from almost being kidnapped, she blacked out. When she came to, she wasn’t sure if she was even breathing or forgot how to.
When she regained her sight and hearing, she realized orange feet were approaching her. She looked up and was stunned to see Robot from Teen Team, her favorite superhero.