Chapter Text
Willow clapped her hands, expecting purple lightning to spark from her palms, but that wasn’t the case. The GDA medical staff didn’t notice anything odd about her DNA when she asked them if the blast had done something to her. She called her parents to inform them that she was okay, and that she wanted to speak to her great grandmother. The witch came to the building in person in her youthful appearance, and discreetly put a spell on any hearing devices in the room so anything they said would be changed in the recording to something normal.
Willow explained, “I definitely activated my powers when I had that Freak Out, but now, there’s nothing.” She clapped her hands as proof. “I think I created a kinetic absorption field around me, and just the slightest shift of particles powered me. Strange thing is I don’t think there was enough movement around me since I was in a closed building and the ReAnimen weren’t running fast enough to generate that amount of power.”
The divinator pointed out, “It was a full moon last night, my love. The feminine energy is strongest then, so it multiplied your power by ten folds. Maybe even more.”
“Explains why I don’t even have bruises or a strained ankle. Count my lucky stars that I was born a woman, otherwise I’d have to die from a heart attack to activate that power. Was everyone else okay?”
“Thanks to you, no one was hurt by the ReAnimen. A few with medical issues did die due to the first EMP attack, but other than that, no other issues. I would say good job, but it’s already to be expected of a Riach.”
Willow let out a sigh of relief, “That’s good to hear. And thanks for coming all this way to see me despite being so busy.”
“Never too busy for you, my love. And congratulations on meeting another person with a compatible soul. This Robot hero you like so much. He will be a great asset to you emotionally and mentally. Can’t say much physically since your boyfriend is hopeless.”
“First of all, EW! And I already told you no spoilers on Mark! I want him to tell me when he’s ready. Amber and everyone else thinks I’m too lenient on him, but I know he’s just trying to prove himself since we practically did everything together growing up. I want to give him that space to explore.”
His great grandmother kept a steady smile. “You two indeed have compatible souls, but even they drift apart. I see a reunion in your future, so don’t be afraid to walk away, even when it's a whole shit show.” The witch kissed her forehead and left.
Willow took her words to mean that her and Mark will be too busy that they will drift away from the relationship eventually. But with the promise of a reunion, she was confident that they will have their happily ever after.
She relaxed on her hospital bed until someone activated the sliding door. She jolted up when she saw it was ROBOT!
With his monotone voice that edged with sincerity, he said, “Good afternoon, Miss Clockwell. I hope I’m not disturbing you.”
She quickly sat up straighter, trying to discreetly fix her hair to appear professional, “Not at all! Please take a seat if you like! I’m open to answering any questions you may have!”
“Thank you. I prefer standing if you don’t mind. And do not worry. I did not come here with questions pertaining to D.A. Sinclair. What you’ve given the GDA is more than efficient to catch this benefactor of his.”
“I hope so since they had just lost their star engineer. At least that’s what I believe from how Sinclair bragged about how much they funded his project, so this benefactor may try to kidnap me to finish what he started if they can’t get to him.”
“That is why I’m here. I have looked into your kinetic energy absorption device, and I was quite impressed with what you have made so far. The engineers here in the GDA have been working on a similar device, but where they had spent years trying to create a successful prototype, you’ve accomplished it in mere months. As you may be aware, I am currently a member of the Guardians of the Globe, but I would like to offer you the position as my assistant.”
Willow blinked rapidly several times. “What? Y-you want me to be your assistant?”
“Yes. After I speak with the director and get his approval, you may stay with me at the Guardian’s headquarters. While you are there, I can arrange for your loved ones to be moved to a safe place until we can find this benefactor.”
Willow figured her family would be safe, so she thought about Mark and Amber. She had given Amber a watch that will create a powerful flash or a powerful noise to help her get out of bad situations. It would also alert her immediately if Amber did. Although after the EMP incident, she may need to create a stronger watch. As for Mark, he wasn’t around and she didn’t want to worry Debbie who was already going through so much. Villains don’t usually go for the protagonist’s lover’s parents, so she wasn’t worried.
“It’s fine. I get the feeling this benefactor is the type to go to the source. I would be honored to be your assistant.”
Willow was aware that Robot may be keeping her close just in case she may actually be hiding the truth that she knew who the benefactor was all along. But this was such a great opportunity, she couldn’t say no!
“Then I will take my leave and be back once I have the director’s approval.” Robot exited the room.
Willow planted her face in her pillow to contain her excited giggles. “Oh my gawd! I am going to be Robot’s assistant! One of the most brilliant minds in the world of superheroism and engineering!” She kicked her feet in the air, squealing! “I gotta tell Amber and Mark!” She texted Amber all about it, but then hesitated with Mark.
Her excitement died down, remembering that she had just narrowly escaped being kidnapped by a maniac. If Mark knew, he would drop everything and come see her. She didn’t want him to do that. He’s working so hard to build his own future- to become the man he hoped to become so he could support her and their family. She didn’t want to stall it. He can get mad and forgive her later. She let Amber know not to tell Mark or Debbie so he didn’t needlessly feel guilty for something he can’t control.
She laid back down, seeing Mark when she closed her eyes.
“Mark, I miss you. But I know we’ll have a whole future ahead of us. I can wait.”
._._._.
Willow was disappointed.
Immediately after recovering, the assistant director, Donald Ferguson, had brought her to the GDA’s Director’s office where she sat before Cecil Stedman. He personally told her that he rejected her membership into the Guardians and instead, he wanted to hire her to work in the GDA’s engineering wing. It turned out that he was also impressed by not only her kinetic absorption device but by the other gadgets she had on her body and at home. Cecil figured that she would be more useful inventing gadgets for all the superheroes on their payroll. Not just Robot.
He also said that Robot had been agreeable, so Willow didn’t truly have a solid reason to say no. There was definitely a secret agenda, but she knew that would always be the case once she entered the field. However, she wasn’t going to be that easily led.
“I will work for you but only on one condition.”
Cecil raised an eyebrow, mildly intrigued by the mystery of her condition. “What are your demands?”
“I was informed by one of your employees that D.A. Sinclair will be locked up for what he attempted to do under his benefactor. But I know how an organization like this works. D.A. Sinclair is too brilliant of an asset and only his ReAnimen shows promise to take down other aliens like Omniman.” She didn’t know that for sure, but she couldn’t risk it. “I’m sure you’ll supply him with corpses of soldiers and those with unique abilities for an undead army.”
Cecil neither confirmed or denied it with his silence.
Willow continued, “But what if I could supply you with a better alternative? My kinetic absorption device was intended to be another source of clean energy. But I can easily change its intention for battle. What if I build you a suit that can absorb the kinetic energy of a punch as powerful as Omniman’s? That the impact will feel like nothing more than the left hook from a rookie boxer? And all that absorbed energy will be easily given right back in the form of a phantom punch.”
“That’s quite the promise you’re setting yourself up for. What makes you so sure you can deliver on it?”
“I already have the blueprint right here.” She pointed at her temple. “At first I wanted to create cybernetic limbs for construction workers who have been injured on the job, but I dropped the idea after meeting Sinclair. So instead, I looked into safety prevention. Construction workers, miners, firefighters and other blue collar jobs face the danger of explosions, collapsing buildings and more. But if I were to create protective gear that can absorb the impact or the temperature of the situation, the likelihood of their survival would rise.”
Cecil seemed to soften, “It sounds like you truly put a lot of thought into the everyday worker.”
“Heroes save my life. But everyday people like me save my livelihood. And that’s why I don’t want someone like Sinclair to be allowed to continue what he considers his passion project. I don’t want the foundation of the protection against what could be our next biggest threat to be in the hands of a psychopath. And for it to come with the possibility that my life may come as an exchange for that.”
“I would never do that to you.”
“It’s pointless to act idealistically from where you're sitting. When I chose my career to be an engineer as a kid, I received the full support of my parents, but when I hit puberty, they gave me the harsh truths that my career choice came with. I can’t afford to have blind faith in you. I can only believe in myself to never let it happen.”
Cecil sighed through his nose, looking down at his desk with memories of the past. He had full confidence he could control Sinclair to do what is right and not gain anything from it. However, Willow was right. He can’t afford to be idealistic from where he sat.
“............I’ll give you three months. If you can’t give me half of what you’re promising, then consider our deal void.”
Willow smiled brightly with determination in her eyes, “I won’t let you down!”
The two worked out the details on paper to legitimize their deal. Afterwards, Willow was led by Donald to her own personal bedroom. It was the typical 11x12 space with sage green walls and surprisingly wooden floors. It had one twin size bed, a mounted flat screen tv, an artist table at one corner with a drawer full of supplies, a sofa chair and small table over a soft rug and potted indoor plants. There were also tags hung next to the door to inform the cleaning staff. Willow also had her own personal bathroom with the typical shower and bathtub combo but the diffuser they used brought about a nice calming smell. There were no windows for safety reasons, so there were air ventilators instead. They did have smoke and poison sensors, and in the event that it happens, there was a backup oxygen tank hidden underneath the bed that would last 72 hours.
Donald informed her that she would start her project tomorrow, and that their people would bring all her luggage and a new uniform and badge in a few hours. He also provided her a new cell phone since her own broke the other night. He reassured her that it was protected from being bugged, and will distort other bugged phones she called. He excused himself afterwards.
Willow took the time to inform her parents and Amber about her three month absence, and they were both worried yet excited for her new job. Amber reassured her that she would keep her watch on her, even in the shower, until this whole benefactor thing cleared up. Willow also informed Debbie so she could inform Mark, but unlike with the others, she lied that it was an international internship. She didn’t want Mark to become worried about her, yet was unable to see her since she couldn’t afford distractions.
When the staff delivered her luggage, she got herself situated in her new living space. She found her thick leather journal that was protected by a number code password. It had all of her mini blueprints inside, so for the rest of the day, she spent it at the artist desk to copy her kinetic suit blueprints with some changes now that she can afford anything on the government dime.
._._._.
What should’ve been three months to build, only really took up to about two weeks since Willow only really needed to assemble everything like a puzzle, and she was provided with assistants to cut down the workload.
“Doing great work, missy.” Art Rosenbaum commented as she fitted the suit on a jacked up mannequin. He was called in by the GDA as a favor to help Willow learn how to tailor the suit.
The full body suit was an eminence purple color with geometric silver patterns. It all led back to the disc reactor at its chest that glowed a starry color.
Willow dripped eye drops into her heavily baggy eyes that hung on her clean face. She did have a bedroom, but she instead had a cot brought over, where she allowed herself only three hours of sleep every two days so she didn’t die of a caffeine overdose.
“Thanks, Art. Couldn’t have done it without you and the rest of the team. Otherwise, I might’ve needed those three months after all.”
“With how anxious you were to finish this project, how could I not? Now that you’re done with the first stage, you should finally give yourself some well deserved shuteye.”
“I should.” She yawned. “But not yet. I still need to get this tested, and I have the perfect person in mind.”
Right on time, Scott Duvall stepped in with Black Samson and Robot behind him.
“Miss Clockwell, I brought them as you asked.”
“Thanks, Scott. I can always count on you.”
Scott chuckled, “I brought you iced coffee to help you stay awake during the test trial.”
Willow took a big gulp which only made her gestures more lively, “Whew! Okay! Let’s get this trial going!” She went over to Black Samson with an extended hand, “Welcome, my name is Willow Clockwell. I believe my top assistant here already went over the details as to why you’re here.”
“That he did.” He shook her hand. “It’s nice to finally meet you. Robot has mentioned you before, which means you left quite the impression on him.”
“I did?” She looked over to Robot with overwhelmed yet exhausted joy.
“Of course. Were my words not clear the other day?”
“It’s been so long ago, and you never visited me.”
“I apologize. I should have been the one to give you the news about our lack of partnership, but I’m always available if you need me, Miss Clockwell.”
Black Samson said, “If your suit works, then I may ask Cecil myself to make you an honorary member of the Guardians. Scott informed me that this may be the key to fighting aliens like Omniman, which I’m all for.”
“Then let’s not waste anymore time!” She led the group to the suit and explained, “Flexible and durable, this suit was built with nanotechnology that will form an invisible kinetic absorption field that will practically be like a third skin. So before the person hits you, the kinetic energy would be instantly absorbed so the impact will feel only like a feather. Naturally,” She went over to a board to write down the mathematics, “the nanotech will not absorb each force it receives with the same amount of intensity each time. Otherwise doing so may not only slow things down but also affect the temperature of the surroundings as well and freeze the opponent. That doesn’t sound like a bad thing depending on the enemy, but without this controlled measurement, you will be cooked inside the suit since the kinetic energy can convert into not only electricity, but also heat, sound or just a straight up explosion. Kaboom!”
Samson understood, “So these are the drawbacks I have to watch out for, which is why you have me in the suit since I have electrical based powers.”
“I did consider Throwbolt, but she’s too green compared to you. But she’s one of the super heroes I want this suit assigned to once it's in production through Art. The suit will allow your electric powers to seep through and be absorbed by the suit to fuel it in the event that you're constricted.”
“That way we could convert that energy into heat that could melt through such constrictions. But what about those without super powers like mine?”
“Way ahead of you!” She held up a matching purple helmet that had the silver form lightning patterns. “It has its own regulating cooling system and cushioning material for comfort. But most importantly, your mouth cannot be covered, so just scream with all your might into the helmet and it will help power the suit. Now for those who are mute or have been muted,” She made a slicing gesture at her throat, “That’s still in the works since putting an emergency timer for lack of activity may disrupt non hazardous situations like sleep if they were put in a situation where they can’t take off their suit. Probably wouldn’t be good for spy missions either.”
Samson commented, “What you’ve done already is plenty.”
“Couldn’t have done it without my team and the government money!” She fist bumped Scott, who awkwardly reciprocated it. “Now let’s take this magnificent piece of work out for a spin!”
They carried out the trial in the training room where robots aimed to either hurt him or constrict him, and like a dream, the suit worked perfectly. It might’ve been a dream since Willow fell asleep right after.
When she woke up, she found herself in her bedroom. She reached for her phone to check the calendar, and found that she had been only asleep for a whole day. She sat up and was surprised to see Robot standing at the corner like some life sized nutcracker doll.
The light turned on in Robot’s eyes, “Good morning, Miss Clockwell. I apologize if this appears unsettling. I simply thought it would be rude to leave after you requested to see me so I had left a double here that would only activate once you awoke.”
“Definitely gave some Twilight vibes, but there is the whole benefactor mystery thing, so I understand why you stood there and not outside my bedroom.” Willow honestly did not get predator vibes from Robot, so she gave him more leniency than she would for others.
“With the suit nearly completed, Cecil held his end of the bargain to not let Sinclair out of jail. I made sure of that, but that will come with its own set of problems. His benefactor may have had the same thought as you where Cecil would’ve used Sinclair to build an army against Ominiman’s people known as the Viltrumites. However, now that he is in jail and Black Samson will be using your suit in public from now on, I’m afraid you will become the direct target.”
“That’s really nothing new.” She shrugged with a frank smile. “But thank you for thinking about me.”
Robot added, “I do have good news. I was able to find a lead into who D.A. Sinclair’s benefactor could be. There is an underground criminal organization known as The Order. They have been able to move in secret for many centuries that not even Cecil knows about them.”
“Why did they want to raid through part of Illinois?”
“D.A. Sinclair informed us that they wanted to send a message of how powerful they had become in the eyes of other evil organizations. Thankfully through you, they were stopped in time. However, The Order is difficult to track, so it’s unknown whether we can assure your safety anytime soon.”
“That blows, but with the new kinetic suit, even if The Order could create an undead army, we’ll be prepared.”
“It was truly a marvel of technology that you invented with Mr. Rosenbaum and Mr. Duvall. It fills me with regret that I didn’t invent it with you as well.”
Willow tried not to sound too eager, “You still can. I still need to figure out how to make the suit work for everyone like those who are mute. But after working practically nonstop for two weeks, I need a break. If it’s okay with you, do you want to go watch a movie? As friends of course.”
Robot was silent for a while, which eventually made her laugh, “If you don’t want to, that’s okay.”
“No.” Robot finally said. “I would like to. I just have never been to one before.”
“Really? Why’s that? Social settings not your style?”
“No. It’s just that no one has ever invited me. Even when I created the Teen Team, none of my team members has ever invited me out to see a movie.”
“Wow, that’s harsh.”
“I never thought it was since we were only colleagues. There’s also the fact that I am just an artificial intelligent robot. I’m not human like the rest of you.”
“That doesn’t sound like a reason to not hang out with you. Maybe you just never found your own crowd. Come on.” She got up. “After I freshen up, how about we have breakfast at the cafeteria, and we go see that movie. Give me an hour.”
Robot was silent again for a few minutes before agreeing. He excused himself out of the bedroom so Willow could get ready. She made sure to deep scrub herself since she hasn’t bathed in awhile. Only having gotten by without smelling rotten through deodorant and not sweating.
Afterwards, she sat down at her vanity table, having requested one during work when Cecil had checked on her mid progress. She went through her full skincare routine before applying makeup. Since it was a friendly night out, she put on her daily makeup of mauve purple lips and eyeshadow. On a mini plexiglass lectern, she opened a book of complex hairstyles, and chose the double dutch hair buns and kept two skinny locks of hair out to frame her face.
For her outfit, she wanted to match Robot, but she ironically didn’t have any tech wear outfits because they were too monochromatic which was really too bland for her. Instead, she put on a faded deconstructed blackberry purple top woven with straps which really gave cable like vibes. She put on a pair of stirrup pants with an abstract design that continued the cable like vibes. To keep herself warm, she put on a fitted brown denim jacket with a really cool mechanical design that made it look like it came from a futuristic society from ancient times. And she finished her outfit with a pair of platform boots and her promise ring.
Done, she came out of her bedroom and the two headed to the cafeteria. She grabbed herself breakfast and the two sat down at one of the many free round tables. They talked about literature which Willow wasn’t so fond of, but it was one of Robot’s hobbies and it was something besides engineering. So as they talked, she was mostly asking questions and giving input when they got philosophical. They also talked about their favorite color and such, politics, trashy reality tv shows and Willow helped set up a social media account for Robot to appeal to more people in his crowd.
When she was done eating and it was well into the afternoon, Robot drove them to the nearest movie theater that Willow booked the tickets for online. It was the weekday so not many people were there and the ticket agent didn’t react when they saw Robot. The movie they saw was the Pixar movie, Onward since Willow wanted a different vibe.
After the movie, the two talked about the importance of fatherhood, death of a loved one and other topics.
“I’m glad you liked the movie.” Willow said as they walked through the mall. They only received a few passing glances by adults and full on stares from children, but they were left unbothered. “I was worried it would be too childish for you.”
“I don’t think the movie was childish at all.” Robot responded with a casual tone that was lighter than his usual flat voice. “Granted the pacing was awkward and the gimmicks were colorful, but I think that has some resemblance to reality when you live in a city. Yet it did slow down when it counted most. I truly appreciate you taking me out to see it, Ms. Clockwell.”
“You can just call me Willow when we’re not on the clock. What about you? Do you have another name besides Robot?”
“Should I?”
“I don’t see why not. You said that you aren’t close with your colleagues, but maybe they don’t realize that they internalized a stigma around mechanical artificial life forms. Of course you shouldn’t change for them, but think of the name as an add on. Maybe they just need that extra help to finally get around to really learn about you just like I do. I mean I would never have guessed you actually prefer to read horror novels. Many would stereotype you to only read nonfiction pieces.”
“....I supposed it would help remove that barrier. There’s a colleague of mine in the Guardians who I want to form a closer bond with, but I’m afraid my form has built a barrier between us. Perhaps if I gave myself a more human name, then we could grow closer as friends.”
“Do you have one in mind?”
“.......Rudy?”
“Rudy? So unexpected but I like it. Sounds like a really casual name, but perfect for someone who can lead a team. So Rudy, why do you want to form a closer bond with this colleague over everyone else?”
“She’s…trapped in a situation similar to mine. Because of her powers, she can’t live her life like the rest of us.”
“So you can relate to her situation. But from how you speak of her, I take it that you fancy her, too.” Willow has read enough android x human sci fi novels to have faith Robot had the ability to form affection.
“I do. Right now, I am trying to find a way to fix her problem with the Flaxan technology, but it’s been proving difficult.”
“Want me to take a look? I’ve never seen foreign dimension tech before, but I might learn something.”
“I would like that.”
Robot brought her to the Teen Team’s old base at one of Chicago’s bridges. Willow was brought over to the lab section of the building which was much smaller than the one she got used to in the GDA. Robot opened a secret compartment in the wall that revealed the Flaxan tech that has been pulled apart.
“The Flaxans were able to create a device that could stop them from aging once they stepped into our dimension. I was able to remove this from one of them without damaging it too much.”
Willow took a look and it was like reading a whole new computer code in a foreign language. But like an etymologist, she could find hints in the tech that could be translated into her own language. But she needed to know what she was looking to translate.
“May I know who you are doing this for?”
Robot brought up Monster Girl’s image on the screens with her information. “If it was simply about not letting her age anymore, I would simply let her wear that. However, what I am trying to fix is how her transformation makes her younger by days in mere minutes.” He put all the information into a tablet and handed it over to Willow.
The engineer thought about calling her great grandmother about it. However, she didn’t want to lose the opportunity to work with Robot to overcome something not scientific. This could be a breakthrough that could bring them closer as friends since she lost the opportunity to become his sidekick.
So she took a moment to really examine the data of Monster Girl and it was definitely magical. She thought back to what her great grandmother had taught her about curses. Something about how it always took its pound of flesh whether it was done correctly or incorrectly.
Her thoughts processed in a unique way that blended science with social constructions, and as a result, she bluntly answered without realizing, “Cells.”
“What?”
Willow took a moment to let the theory settle in her brain and then explained, “Growing up, I was kinda into the occult, so I know a few things about magic. In Monster Girl’s case, she becomes younger after each transformation but she also becomes stronger with each transformation the more she deages. If she wasn’t a hero, this curse would actually be seen as a blessing of immortality. The whole increase of strength may have been an added advantage in the event the person may need to use the form in a bad situation.”
“So this curse was intended to be a blessing?”
“Hard to say. Witches live in a completely different reality since they can manipulate it somewhat. Anyway, there may be a way to counteract the magic by understanding what it is stripping away so we can provide the replacement. In this case it may be cells since the more you de-age, the less cells you have.”
“So if we can provide the copy of cells it needs, then the curse won’t affect her!” he exclaimed with so much emotion behind it, that Willow almost believed he had fully evolved into a human.
“Bingo! And we won’t need Flaxan tech to make one! It would be cool if you let me have it though for future projects.”
“For what could possibly be a breakthrough that you have given me months in advance, you may take anything you like.”
“Then…how about you let me crash here every now and then? You and the Teen Team used to live here, and it would be nice to have somewhere we can hangout from time to time or be alone and chill, y’know.”
“I’ll prepare a room for you right now.”