Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The sewers had been my home for months now. Dark, damp, and reeking of decay, but down here, we were safe. Hidden beneath the ruins of what was once a thriving city, the underground tunnels served as the headquarters for our resistance. Our mission was simple in theory, impossible in practice: kill Omni Man and his son, Invincible.

Even now, I couldn’t fully understand how Mark Grayson, born and raised on this planet, had chosen to stand beside the monster who wanted to conquer it. To erase everything and everyone that didn’t fall in line. To claim Earth as his own. We all hated him for it. Invincible. A name once synonymous with hope, trust, and unshakable strength. He’d been our hero. Someone we looked up to. Believed in. And he betrayed everything. He betrayed us. Now, all we wanted was his death.

I sat alone on a rusted metal ramp, legs dangling above the sluggish, greenish water. My faint reflection trembled across the surface like a ghost I couldn’t recognize anymore. Most of the remaining heroes had joined our cause: Atom Eve, Robot, even a handful from the shattered Guardians of the Globe. We needed them. Without powers, those of us left, ordinary civilians, were little more than meat shields. We handled what we could: medics, scouts, strategists. Every one of us played a role. A concept completely foreign to the gods flying above.

Angstrom Levy had left hours ago, venturing into the wreckage in search of something, anything, that could give us a fighting chance against the Viltrumites. If he was caught, if he was followed back here, we were already dead.

I swung my legs absently. The stench didn’t bother me anymore. If I had powers, hell, even a sliver of strength, I’d fight too. But I was just a normal girl with a weak body and low blood pressure. Physical stress could knock me out cold. So instead, I did what I could. I comforted the new arrivals. The broken, the scared, the angry. One by one, I helped hold them together. It wasn’t much. But it was mine to give.

“Y/N.” I didn’t turn. I didn’t have to.
Eve’s voice was soft but tense as she stepped beside me. “The door. I heard the mechanism. Angstrom’s back.” She extended a hand. I took it, letting her pull me up.

She had been one of the bravest among us. After everything she’d been through, fighting beside Invincible, loving him, trusting him, she was still here. Still fighting. Even now, he kept showing up, trying to talk to her like none of this mattered. Like she was the only thing that mattered. I felt for her. Because I knew what it was like to be haunted by someone who used to mean everything.

We moved quickly through the base, rallying others toward the center chamber. Moments later, Angstrom emerged from the tunnel entrance, looking like hell. His sweatshirt was coated in soot and ash, his signature backpack slung loosely over one shoulder. “I found this,” he said, pulling a vial from his bag. It glowed with a sickly violet light...thick, viscous, and humming with dangerous energy.

Robot approached, scanning the substance through the sensors in his mechanical body. His fingers were steady, but I noticed the slight tilt of his head, a pause just long enough to mean uncertainty. “This might be enough,” Robot said at last. “To knock Omni Man out” Angstrom didn’t speak. He rarely did. But the look in his eyes told the story of a man who’d lost everything. His wife. His son. His world. All because of them.

I stepped forward, unable to keep the desperation from my voice. “Will it work then?”

Robot’s twisted, half-human face was unreadable. He loaded the vial into a compartment on his arm: it locked in with a heavy, metallic click. “I don’t know,” he said. “If we’re lucky? It might incapacitate him. For a few minutes…maybe just seconds.”

Seconds.
That wouldn’t be enough.
I felt my stomach sink as the implications hit. If it failed, this was it. No backup plan. No cavalry. Just us, and whatever time we could steal before the world ended all over again.

Then the ground trembled. A boom loud enough to rattle the bones in my chest. Screams. People shouting. Cracks spiderwebbed across the ceiling.

They had found us.

I barely had time to raise my arms before the explosion tore through the roof. Debris rained down. A massive chunk of concrete missed me by inches. Others weren’t so lucky.
Invincible and Omni Man descended through the smoke and falling dust like gods of vengeance. Blood-stained and merciless.

Eve raised a shield to protect the fleeing civilians, but it wasn’t enough. It couldn’t be. Bodies fell. Screams echoed. I watched people I knew, people I’d spoken to just minutes ago, get buried beneath rubble, or sliced in half by shockwaves.

That sound, the one I heard the day my city was reduced to ash, was back. That high-pitched wail of chaos and despair. The sound of everything you love, dying at once. And just like before, there was nothing I could do but survive.

Angstrom stepped forward, fearless.
He didn’t flinch, didn’t hide. He stood tall in front of us like a shield, ready to take whatever came next.

“Well, well…” Invincible sneered, hovering in the ruined opening above us. “Looks like Immortal was trying to protect this little hideout.” His voice was pure venom: cocky, cruel, completely devoid of empathy. Once, he’d been a hero. Now he was just another monster with too much power. The sight of him made my stomach churn.

I wouldn’t die today. Not without fighting first.
My fingers slid under my oversized hoodie, finding the cold metal hidden against my ribs. My father’s gun. I’d kept it hidden for months. Just in case. Maybe, just maybe, a well-placed shot could slow him down. He was half-human, after all. A bullet to the head might buy us a few precious seconds.

Robot raised his arm and fired first.
A searing violet beam erupted from his gauntlet, slamming Omni Man into the far wall. Stone and rebar crumbled around the impact like paper. Invincible didn’t flinch. His gaze swept across the room...then locked on Eve.

And that’s when everything fell apart.

He lunged. One second she was standing beside me, the next she was crushed against the railing, his hand tight around her throat. She kicked and writhed, but he didn’t even blink.

Across the room, Omni Man was already back on his feet, charging Robot like a battering ram. Eve was going to die.
And if she died, we were all next.

I loaded the gun. My hands trembled. My heartbeat crashed in my ears.
I raised the barrel. Took aim at his head. This was it. Eve needed help. The resistance needed her. Without her, we were already dead.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Angstrom step closer. He didn’t stop me...just rested a hand on my arm. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes…his eyes screamed yes.

Do it.

For her.

For all of us.

I pulled the trigger.

The gunshot cracked through the air. The bullet tore across the space between us and buried itself into Invincible’s skull. He staggered. That split second was all Eve needed to break free. She gasped, stumbled, then bolted down the corridor, yelling for survivors.

“Who dared-” Invincible’s voice boomed like thunder. He turned, eyes locked on me.
He didn’t need to ask. I held up the gun so he’d know. So he’d see. It was me.

I didn’t flinch. I reloaded and fired again...too slow. He twisted midair, dodging the shot with terrifying grace. The bullet ricocheted off a rusted pipe, sending sparks raining down.

“You insolent little thing,” he growled. Even behind his mask, I could feel the fury rolling off him. The blood from his temple had begun to drip into his goggle, and it only made him look more like the villain he truly was.

I was out of ammo. He flew at me like a missile. Civilians scattered in all directions. I stood my ground until he was inches away.
He raised a fist. I didn’t think. I just swung the gun with everything I had, cracking it against his temple again. He grunted, stumbling back just enough. The gun slipped from my grip and hit the ground. I didn’t wait. I turned and sprinted toward the nearest tunnel, lungs burning, legs screaming.

He followed. But not like someone hunting. Like someone playing. Floating behind me, fast enough to stay close, slow enough to watch me suffer.

And then...a portal blinked into existence in front of me. Green. Shimmering. Alien. No time to stop. I fell in. Tumbling headfirst into swirling energy, completely weightless, completely out of control. Behind me, Invincible stood at the edge, his face twisted in rage as the portal snapped shut between us.

I was gone. No idea where I was going. No idea who had pulled me in. The trip only lasted seconds. But inside the vortex, time felt...wrong. My insides twisted like wet rope. My bones cracked and reset. Images that weren’t mine flickered behind my eyes, memories from lives I’d never lived.

By the time I was spat out the other side, I felt like someone else.

I hit the ground hard, flat on my back, staring up at a sky I didn’t recognize. The portal sealed behind me with a sickening snap. And just like that, I was alone...in another world.

Chapter Text

I shot up from the ground, lungs heaving as if I'd just surfaced from drowning. A wave of nausea curled in my gut, followed by a sharp, disorienting pulse of panic.

“No…no, no, no. What- what is this place?!” My voice came out hoarse, cracking under the weight of terror. My hands flew to my head, clawing through tangled strands of hair as if that might somehow ground me. Sweat beaded along my forehead and slid down the sides of my face, mixing with the dust and grime. The world tilted slightly, colors swimming in and out of focus. I blinked hard, but it didn’t help. My stomach clenched violently, part hunger, part sheer anxiety.
This wasn’t real. It couldn’t be real.

“Take me back,” I whispered at first, then screamed, “Please, take me back!” My knees buckled beneath me, and I collapsed onto the blistering asphalt. The heat from the ground bit through my pants, but I barely registered it. I curled in on myself, sobs wracking my chest as I buried my face in my trembling hands.

I had left them. I had abandoned them.
Atom Eve, Robot, all of them…I had run away, and now Invincible would go back and wipe them out. There would be no one left. My sacrifice, everything I had done, it was all for nothing. I was a coward.

The shame dug into my ribs like claws. I wanted to scream until my throat gave out, to disappear into the pavement and never be found again. I laid there, chest heaving, tears soaking my palms. Somewhere in the distance, the screech of tires broke through the noise in my head, followed by slamming car doors and hurried footsteps. Someone was coming. I didn’t move.

“Miss? Are you...are you alright?” A woman’s voice. Soft, uncertain. She knelt beside me and hesitated before placing a gentle hand between my shoulder blades. I flinched at the touch but didn’t lift my head. “Hey…you’re in the middle of the road,” she said cautiously. “Are you hurt? Do you need help?”

My body shook uncontrollably. I could barely catch my breath, much less explain what had happened...or where I’d come from. Was this a dream? No. I knew the difference. What I’d lived through, the screams, the blood, the look in his eyes, was too vivid to be a trick of the mind. The terror still clung to me like damp clothes.

The woman tried to guide me to my feet, but I jerked away violently. “Don’t touch me!” My voice cracked. “Just let me go home! I want to go home!” My fingers latched onto her arms before I could stop myself. I wasn’t thinking, just pleading. “Please,” I choked out, “open the portal. I know you can. You have to send me back.”

Her expression twisted with confusion. She pulled away, not harshly, but with firm insistence. “What are you talking about?” she asked, standing. Her eyes were wide now. Unnerved. Suspicious. I reached for her again, grabbing at her leg in desperation, but she stepped back out of reach. “I don’t know what you’re on, but I’m calling the police,” she muttered, reaching into her pocket. “You need help...real help.”

I froze. “No…” My voice was barely a whisper as she raised the phone to her ear.

“911? Yeah, hi, I’m on Sycamore and Fifth. There’s a girl sitting in the middle of the street. Her clothes are torn, she’s crying and...honestly? I think she might be homeless. Or on something.” The words landed like a slap. I didn’t even hear the rest. Homeless. Crazy. That’s what she saw when she looked at me.

Not someone who had barely survived.

Not someone who had lost everything.

Just another broken girl on the street.

I broke down again, hands clutching at my hair, fingers tangled in the dirt and sweat matted strands. My chest rose and fell in uneven jerks, every breath like a betrayal. My ribs ached. My throat was raw. I wasn’t going to make it back. Wherever “back” even was.

This world...too clean, too calm...wasn’t mine. I didn’t care how peaceful it looked, how neatly the skyline towered above me or how the air lacked the metallic bite of blood and smoke. I wanted to go home. I needed to go home. To them. To fight beside them. To die with them, if it came to that.

The thought pierced deeper than anything else: why me? Why had I escaped when no one else had? Why was I the one who got out, while the others...friends, family, strangers I'd come to love...were swallowed whole by Invincible’s rampage?

I folded into myself, sitting with my back pressed against a grimy brick wall, barely noticing the woman returning to her car. I watched numbly as she climbed in, probably to wait for the cops she’d called on the crazy girl in the road.

Who could blame her? Nothing I said would make sense to them. To anyone here. What would they do with me? Sedate me? Lock me up in some sterile psychiatric ward? Deport me back to a padded cell under fluorescent lights? I prayed, begged, it wouldn’t get worse. But of course, it did.

Sirens rose in the distance, their sound swelling until it vibrated through the pavement. A couple of drivers honked impatiently, and I stirred enough to drag myself from the road to the sidewalk. Every step felt like a betrayal to the people I’d left behind. Once safely against the wall of a closed laundromat, I curled up again, arms looped tightly around my knees.

I hated it here. I hated everything. Invincible. Omni Man. The destruction. The way they smiled while reducing cities to ash. If I ever returned, I’d find a way to make them pay. I’d burn the stars down if I had to....

My eyes, puffy and red from tears, burned with something else now. Anger. Rage. A gnawing fire inside that wanted to scream, to howl, to destroy...but I kept silent. Not here. Not now.

A hand rested gently on my shoulder.
I flinched, shrinking back like a wounded animal, and looked up through tear-glossed lashes. Two police officers stood above me, one slightly older with sharp eyes and a frown etched into his weathered features. The other younger, more unsure.

The older one crouched, eyeing me closely. He opened his mouth to speak, but then he stopped. Our eyes locked. His breath hitched. His pupils dilated. “Y/N…?” he whispered.

Time stilled.

My heart dropped into the pit of my stomach “…Dad?” We just stared for a second that felt like a lifetime. The younger officer froze too, eyes flicking between us with wide-eyed confusion. And then...he pulled me into a hug.

I collapsed against his chest, the floodgates breaking open again. But this time, it wasn’t fear pouring out. It was relief. Bitter, aching relief. His arms were strong and solid around me, like they used to be when I was a kid. He held me like he never wanted to let go again.

“You’re alive,” he murmured, his voice cracking. “How…how is this even possible?”

Alive? The word echoed strangely in my mind. “I…” I hesitated, confused. “What do you mean?”

His expression shifted, like something inside him just clicked. “The girl who died in that explosion…that wasn’t you?” His hands cupped my face, eyes searching me like he couldn’t believe I was real. “You’re really here. You’re safe. You’re home.”

Home. But that wasn’t possible. This wasn’t my world. My chest tightened. He thought I had died. In this version of reality, I must’ve perished in whatever explosion I’d escaped from. To him, this was a miracle. But to me…it was just another strange corner of a multiverse I didn’t belong to.

“What happened to you?” he asked, running his hands over my arms and shoulders, checking for wounds. He grimaced at the state of my cclothe: torn, stained, reeking of sewer water and smoke. “Who did this?”

That answer was simple. “Invincible,” I breathed, the name tasting like ash in my mouth.

He froze. His entire body went rigid. The younger officer looked sharply at me, then at him. “Invincible did this to you?” my father growled, rising suddenly to his feet. “He faked your death? He kidnapped you, hurt you...this?” His voice rose, every word louder than the last. I flinched again. “I told you not to date him!” he snapped, throwing a hand through his hair.

My blood ran cold. Date him? I blinked, slowly processing what he’d said. In this world…I had been dating him? The same Invincible who tore my world to pieces? The same one whose hands were soaked in innocent blood?

“No. No, that can’t be right,” I said, stumbling to my feet. “He’s...he’s a monster! A killer!”
He didn’t seem to hear me. Or maybe he refused to believe it.

“I’m taking you home,” he said firmly, placing his hands on my shoulders again. “You need rest. We’ll get you cleaned up. And then…then I’m going to pay Invincible a little visit.” That one sentence made my heart stop.

“NO!” I panicked. He couldn’t go after him. He couldn’t start this. He didn’t know the truth, not about what Invincible was, not about what he would become. “Please,” I begged. “Let me talk to him. Just…give me a chance. Don’t do anything yet.”

He didn’t respond. Just guided me into the back seat of the police car, silent and brooding. His partner shut the door gently behind me. “You barely escaped,” he muttered under his breath as he climbed into the driver’s seat. “You’re lucky I don’t shoot him on sight.” The key turned. The engine growled to life. “It’s been two years,” he added, his voice softer now, but no less wounded. “You were seventeen when you disappeared. You just…vanished. And he told everyone you were dead.”

I stared at the passing buildings outside the window. I couldn’t bring myself to speak. There was no explaining the truth to him. Not now. Not when he’d already built an entire narrative around the lie. The real problem was still ahead. Because sooner or later, Invincible would find out. False accusations would only set him off. And if that happened...my father wouldn’t walk away alive. Maybe neither would I.

“I’ll make sure he never touches you again,” my father muttered, voice shaking with quiet fury as the car pulled into motion. “Never hurts you again, sweetheart. Not while I’m still breathing.” I didn’t respond. I couldn’t. My throat felt raw, my thoughts a tangled mess of panic and exhaustion.

I leaned my head against the window, the cool glass a small comfort against my burning skin. My eyes fluttered shut, heavy with fatigue, but sleep refused to come. My body begged for rest, but my mind was a battlefield, chaotic and unforgiving. Everything felt unreal. I was in a world that wasn’t mine, sitting beside a man who should’ve been buried in rubble, listening to him talk about protecting me from a version of someone I hated more than anyone.
But here, I was supposed to have loved him.
That thought made my stomach twist.

How could I have ever been with him? What kind of person was the version of me that belonged to this world? Was she…like him? The thought made me feel sick. Unless…this Invincible was different. Unless he wasn’t the monster I knew. But that couldn’t matter. Not really. He was still the son of the man who tore mine apart. The same alien who leveled cities without remorse. The same alien who treated human life like ants under a boot.
There was no world where I could’ve ever fallen in love with someone like that.

Right?

The silence in the car was broken only by the soft hum of the radio. It played some slow, forgettable tune until it abruptly cut to static, then news. “Breaking news. Invincible is currently giving a live interview from Washington D.C. in honor of the two-year anniversary of the Omni Man Incident. As many remember, the devastating attack on Chicago claimed thousands of lives. But today, the man once known as Invincible speaks out, live, for the first time in over a year.” My father’s hand shot out to lower the volume, though not all the way. He thought I was asleep. I wasn’t.

Then I heard him, that voice. I went rigid. Even through the filter of a cheap car speaker, I recognized it instantly. Familiar, but wrong. Calmer. Measured. Controlled. It wasn’t the voice of the arrogant killer I remembered. But it was still his.

“People of America,” he began, solemn and clear, “today marks two years since the tragedy that took place in Chicago. A day when Omni Man, my father, revealed his true identity and nearly destroyed this planet.”

My heart stuttered. He was condemning his father? That didn’t sound like him at all.

“The man who raised me,” he continued, “was a Viltrumite soldier. A conqueror hiding behind a hero’s name. But for twenty years, he fought beside this world’s greatest defenders. He saved countless lives. And despite everything...I can’t ignore that part of him.”

And just like that, I knew. Knew this wasn’t a version I could trust either. He was doing it again: framing the narrative, twisting it to suit himself. Telling half-truths to keep the public on his side. This was damage control. Pure propaganda. He sounded like he meant it. But I knew better.

“Which is why,” he said, “from this day forward, I’m choosing a new name. One that honors the man I once admired, but improves on the legacy he failed to uphold. From now on, you can call me Omni-Invincible.” The crowd, audible even through the radio, fell into a stunned hush.

My eyes widened. What the hell?

“I don’t serve Viltrum,” he added. “I never did. I never will. Let me be the hero my father never could be. Let me protect this world the right way.” Then...applause.

Applause. I almost laughed. Bitter and sharp. What was this place? Were they seriously clapping for him? For the son of the man who turned Chicago into a crater? Did they forget so easily? Or did they just not care?

My father’s jaw clenched. He reached out and finally turned the radio off completely. Silence fell again, heavy and strained. He didn’t say anything for a while. Just drove, one hand white-knuckled on the steering wheel, the other resting tensely on his lap. His partner shifted uncomfortably in the passenger seat.

“If I ever see that bastard again,” my dad muttered, not looking at anyone, “I won’t think twice. I’ll kill him.” His voice was low. Steady. And dead serious. Something inside me clenched. I knew he meant it. Every word.
And he had no idea what he was walking into. It wasn’t bravery. It was suicide.

“He’s scheduled to speak again downtown tonight,” the other officer offered, almost casually, like it wasn’t the most dangerous suggestion I’d ever heard. “There’s a memorial event. Some states are holding vigils for the anniversary.”

My dad didn’t respond. But I could see it in his face...he was thinking about it. Considering it. Planning. Panic bubbled up inside me, sharp and cold. I had to stop him.
If they met, if my father faced him, there wouldn’t be time for misunderstandings. Invincible wouldn’t hesitate. He never did.
And I’d lose him again.

We pulled up to the house, and for a moment, I forgot how to breathe. It looked exactly like mine...same cracked sidewalk, same faded numbers on the mailbox, same climbing ivy reaching up toward the window of what used to be my bedroom. It was unsettling how precise the replica was. I blinked hard, willing the lump in my throat to dissolve. At least I wouldn’t have to stumble around learning a new layout. Some small mercy.

The car came to a stop, and the officers got out first. I followed, fingers trembling as I opened the door and stepped out. My legs felt like they weren’t quite mine. Like they still belonged to that other version of me, the one who didn’t belong here. Then he was there, my dad, already moving toward me with urgent, purposeful steps. His arm wrapped around my shoulders, grounding me.

He guided me gently toward the front door, like I might shatter if he held me too tight. “Just imagine your mom’s face when she sees you,” he said, trying for levity, though his voice cracked at the edges.

I gave him the smallest smile I could manage. He meant well, but beneath the surface, I was terrified. Terrified of getting too comfortable. Terrified this was all temporary. Terrified of losing them again. The door creaked open. And then I saw her.

My mother’s expression twisted from confusion to disbelief to something wordless and primal...a mother recognizing her child. She stumbled forward like the ground had given out beneath her, arms outstretched. A sob tore from her throat as she pulled me into a fierce hug, holding me like she might never let go again. She didn’t ask if I was really me. She didn’t question whether I was a clone, an imposter, a mistake. She knew. And in that moment, her acceptance made it harder not to cry. Tears pricked the corners of my eyes, but I blinked them away.

She led me inside with trembling hands, up the stairs, guiding me into what used to be my room. My breath hitched. It hadn’t changed. The bed was still made. The walls still bore my old posters. There was even a sweater draped over the chair like I’d just left it there a few hours ago. It was...haunting.

“Sit here, sweetheart,” she murmured, easing me down onto the bed. “Do you want anything? Water? Something sweet?”

I nodded weakly. “Water. Maybe some sugar, if we have any. I think my blood pressure’s tanking.” She nodded and disappeared down the stairs, and I laid back, letting the familiar sheets cool the sweat at the back of my neck. I looked around, absorbing every detail...until my gaze landed on something that didn’t belong.

A photo. On the dresser. I sat up slowly, squinting. It was me, at least, the version of me from this world, standing next to him. Invincible. His arm draped loosely around my shoulders, his expression neutral...while she smiled. We looked happy. The kind of happy you can’t fake. A sick chill crept down my spine.

Footsteps sounded in the hallway, and I quickly turned my face away from the picture. Mom reappeared, glass in one hand, sugar cubes in the other. I downed them both in seconds, my body desperate for anything stable. She didn’t comment on my appearance, didn’t flinch at how rough or broken I must’ve looked.

She just touched my cheek with shaking fingers and whispered, “You’re home now.”
And then, quietly, “What happened to you, honey?”

I froze. I couldn’t tell her the truth...not the whole truth. So I fell back on the version my dad and I had agreed on. Safer that way.

Before I could answer, his voice cut in from the doorway. “I’ll tell you what happened,” he said, arms crossed tightly over his chest. “It was Invincible. He did this. He made us believe she was dead.” My mother turned to him, eyes wide with shock, and then back to me. “I told you he wasn’t right,” Dad went on, stepping into the room now, like he needed the space to contain his fury. “You remember what his father did. And you think he’s any different?”

I opened my mouth to agree, but my mother spoke first, her voice rising with disbelief. “Invincible would never hurt her. He loved her. He...he killed Omni Man! He saved people that day! Do you not remember how broken he was when she- when we thought she died?”

Killed Omni Man? That wasn’t possible. Not the version I knew. My Invincible had joined him. So why would this version go that far?
Had he snapped?

Dad scoffed. “You’ve always been too soft on him.” Then he turned to me. “Tell her. Tell her the truth.” Both of them stared at me. Waiting.

My mouth was dry. My pulse a hammering drumbeat. “It was him,” I said quietly. “He...he took me. Kept me somewhere, I don’t know where. He told everyone I died, but I didn’t. I was just...gone.” It hurt to say. Not because it was a lie, but because part of me wanted to believe the version in that photo had been real. That he’d meant something to me. That I’d meant something to him.

My mom sat beside me, hugging me close. “Did he...did he ever hurt you?”

I shook my head. “No. Not like that. Just...locked me away. Watched me. Like I was some kind of secret. I don’t know why.”

Dad’s face was red now, rage boiling beneath the surface. “He’s going to regret it.” He crossed the room, grabbed the photo of me and Mark and threw it to the ground. The frame shattered, glass skittering across the floor. “Tonight,” he said through clenched teeth, “I’m going to find him. Look him in the eye. And make sure he never lays a hand on anyone again.”

My mother flinched, reaching for his arm. “Please, don’t. Think about what you’re saying.”

I was already up, heart in my throat. “Dad, no. You don’t understand...he’s not just some guy in a cape. He’s dangerous. He could kill you before you even move.”

“He hurt you,” my father spat, already moving toward the stairs. “You think I can just sit here and let that slide?” A burst of static from his police radio interrupted us. An emergency. A summons. And then he was gone. I stood there for a moment, numb.

My mom touched my shoulder gently. “Sweetheart...why don’t you rest a little? You’ve been through so much.”

I nodded. “Yeah. I think I will. Just...wake me when dinner's ready?”

She smiled, still teary-eyed. “Of course.”

But as I lay back down, listening to the quiet hum of the house around me, I knew there’d be no real rest...

Forty minutes later, I was curled up on my unmade bed, knees tucked close to my chest, a slice of pizza balanced in one hand like it was the Holy Grail. I bit into it with the desperation of someone who hadn’t eaten in days, because I hadn’t, not really. Atom Eve’s food replacements had kept us alive underground, but they weren’t food. They didn’t have flavor, didn’t have warmth. Not like this. This was real. Greasy, cheesy, overcooked-on-the-edges pizza. Heaven in cardboard.

The TV on my wall buzzed softly in the background. I flipped through channels, hoping for a distraction. But every single station was locked in on one thing: Invincible’s speech in Washington, the upcoming press conference downtown, or some over-polished news anchor praising him like he hadn’t nearly helped end the world. Same words. Same narrative. Same lies. My gaze drifted to the small digital clock glowing on my nightstand. 8:40 PM. Twenty minutes.

I swallowed a mouthful of crust that suddenly tasted like ash in my throat. I could only hope he wouldn’t hurt my dad tonight, not that hope meant anything anymore. The man on those screens, with his pristine white-and-red costume and heroic speeches, wasn’t the same boy who’d once called Earth home. He wore a new suit now, eerily reminiscent of Omni Man’s, just…twisted. A mirror image with an “I” replacing the “O.” As if that tiny change somehow made it better. As if it could erase what he’d done.

Didn’t anyone see it? Didn’t they want to? The world was so quick to forgive. A few public rescues, some staged interviews, and now he was their golden boy again. Not his father, they said. Not the same. But I saw through it. All of it. How could they not hate him?

A breeze slipped through the wide-open window beside me, rustling the long white curtains like restless ghosts. Outside, the sky was a heavy curtain of black, the kind that swallowed everything. I took another bite of pizza, chewing slowly this time, and reached for my glass of water. My eyes never left the screen. His face was everywhere. Beneath the bed, the shattered photo frame still laid in pieces, the image inside cracked clean down the middle. I hadn’t bothered to clean it up. Somehow, the broken glass felt honest. Everything else felt like a lie.

8:51. Nine minutes. That was all the time I had left before the conference started. Before the world watched him again. Before my father either showed up…or didn’t. My stomach twisted.

Then I heard it. A faint rustle from outside.
I paused, mid-chew, the slice hovering near my mouth. My instincts, honed by months of hiding, running, surviving, kicked in. My heart skipped a beat. I slowly lowered the slice and set the box aside, pushing myself up from the bed on bare feet. My legs ached. My hair was still a mess from the last nap I’d forced myself into earlier. I moved silently, step by careful step, and slipped behind the curtain.

Outside: nothing.
Just wind. Just branches swaying.
I let out a quiet breath, shoulders easing.
Then I heard it again. Closer.
I turned slowly, and that’s when I saw him. Hovering just outside my window. The red-and-white suit caught the moonlight like polished metal. The long cape billowed behind him. His arms were crossed, stance casual, but it didn’t fool me. It was the stance of someone dangerous who wanted to look harmless.

My knees buckled. I stumbled backward, tripping over the edge of the bed and hitting the mattress before sliding onto the floor. My vision spun. He floated down slightly, closing the distance, his boots inches above the ground. And then I saw his face, or rather, the lenses of his mask, black and empty. I scrambled back, breath caught in my throat.

My palms burned against the floor as I searched for anything, anything, to throw. My hand closed around a shoe. I hurled it. Missed. The second shoe met the same fate.
Desperate, I snatched the broken photo frame and launched it. He caught it. Effortless. Calm. Like catching a leaf.

My voice broke. “I won’t let you hurt my family, you monster!” I was on my feet, adrenaline wiping away my fear for a moment. I grabbed anything I could reach...a vase, a lamp, a stack of books...and flung them one after another. “I won’t let you hurt my people either!”

He dodged everything with insulting ease. When he stepped inside, I backed up and he stopped only inches away. Even with the mask, I could feel his eyes on me. “Is it you?” he asked, voice low, almost…lost. He reached for my hair, messy, tangled, still damp with sweat. I flinched, a scream ripping from my throat. He jerked back like I’d slapped him, confusion spreading across his face. “You’re scared I might hurt you?” he said softly.

“Get out of my house, killer!” I grabbed the pizza box and hurled it at him. This time, it hit. Sauce and cheese splattered across his chest. Red against red. Fitting. “Don’t ever come back!” I knew I couldn’t hurt him. But I wanted him to know I wasn’t helpless.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” he said. He looked down at the mess, unbothered. Then he stepped closer. I had nothing left to throw. He pressed me against the wall, not violently, but firmly. His body blocked out the light. I could feel his strength like a storm waiting behind a dam. “I thought you were…” He hesitated. Reached out again, this time brushing a gloved hand against my cheek. “Dead.”

Then, slowly, he peeled the mask away.
And I saw his face. I had never seen it before. Not in this world, not in mine. But something about it...hazel-green eyes, furrowed brow, that quiet ache just behind the cold...made me freeze. “You can’t be her,” he whispered.

My breath hitched. I didn’t know what to say.
So I spit in his face. He blinked, wiping it away slowly. His expression didn’t change, not much. But his silence stretched into something heavy. “Monster,” I whispered.

“She’s dead,” he said, voice flat. “Even if she survived the explosion…she’d still be dead now.” I frowned. What did that mean? “You’re just a copy,” he added. “A fake trying to steal her life.”

“That’s not-! You don’t understand-!”

Suddenly, the door flew open with a bang.
He turned instantly, mask snapping back into place. My mom. She stormed into the room like a bullet of fury, eyes blazing. Without a word, she shoved him aside and threw her arms around me. “Stay away from my daughter, you monster!”

He didn’t fight. Didn’t even speak. He looked at her. Then at me. Then turned and left.
No threats. No grand exit. Just…silence. And somehow, that scared me more than if he’d screamed.

We were safe. For now. But I had no idea how long that would last....

Chapter Text

Two Years Ago - Current Dimension

The school hall buzzed with morning chatter and scuffed sneakers, sunlight slanting through the windows in golden beams. I walked in with my friends, voices overlapping in excitement as we gushed about prom: the dresses, the dancing, the carefully curated playlists. Who was going with who. What kind of corsage they'd want. How it was finally happening, that picture-perfect teenage cliché we’d all seen in movies and swore we didn’t care about…until we did.

But unlike them, I didn’t have a date. And the longer I walked with them, smiled with them, laughed along like everything was fine, the more the silence inside me grew. Like something hollow echoing in my chest. I wasn’t brave enough to ask anyone out. And no one had asked me either.

Every time the topic came up, every time someone squealed about their boyfriend's plans or joked about slow dancing, I felt smaller. Invisible. My self-esteem was like a soap bubble in a thunderstorm: fragile and one bad look away from bursting.

My friends didn’t mean to make me feel that way. It just happened. They all had someone. And even if someone had asked me, what would I have done? Said yes? Started panicking the minute they smiled at me? Let them get the wrong idea and then ghost them out of fear? No. I probably would've found a way to sabotage it. That’s what I always did. People got too close, and I shut down.

Amber must’ve seen the shadow pass over my face because she slowed her step, brushing her arm against mine. “Don’t worry. Someone will ask you,” she said gently. “You’re a beautiful girl. People just…don’t get it. Or maybe they’re just scared you’ll say no.”

I let out a soft laugh, all sarcasm and practiced ease. “Do I really look that intimidating?” It was easier to pretend I didn’t care.

She didn’t answer. Her hand found mine for a brief second before we were pulled into another topic, this time about Mark. Her boyfriend. The same Mark Grayson who’d humiliated Todd in front of the whole school when he caught him harassing her. It was kind of legendary. After that, they'd gotten close quickly. Too quickly, maybe. But now, it was like every time they tried to go out, something interrupted them. Amber pretended it didn’t bother her, but we all knew better.

“If it weren’t for my boyfriend,” Laura chimed in suddenly, dramatic as ever with her sleek ponytail and flawless eyeliner, “I’d totally go with you myself.”

I blinked at her. “You’re joking.”

“Nope.” She spun on her heel and faced me like we were in some old rom-com. “Actually…” Her purse flipped over her shoulder with a flourish. “Who says I can’t invite you anyway?” She extended her hand with theatrical flair. “Y/N, would you do me the honor of being my date to prom?”

I laughed, flattered and embarrassed all at once. “You can’t be serious.”

“Dead serious. You’re adorable. And taken or not, who says I can’t handle two baddies at once?” her teasing smile softened the moment, but there was something real in her voice too, a quiet sincerity beneath the banter “Prom’s gotten too obsessed with romance,” she said. “It’s just a party. A final celebration before we all go our separate ways. This is about friendship first, then relationships. So screw tradition...if nobody else asks, you’re with us.”

I felt my throat tighten. Something about her words stuck deeper than I expected. I didn’t want it to end, not the school year, not my time with them. Not my time, period. But the bell rang, loud and final, snapping the moment in two. We split off into our classes, waving over our shoulders like it was just another day.

History felt like punishment. The teacher droned on, monotone and weightless, like the sound of rain against glass. I stared at the clock, watching each minute drag itself across the face like it hated being there.

The air felt thick. My head buzzed. My body was exhausted, not just from the boredom, but from the weight I carried every day. The weight of not knowing how many days I had left. The leukemia wasn’t getting better. The doctors had already told me, gently but firmly, that this year might be my last. I slumped in my seat, willing the world to blur around me. Then a light tap on my shoulder. I turned, just in time to see a folded piece of paper land on my desk. I opened it carefully.

[Did you find a date for prom yet? Also... is Amber mad I didn’t show up this morning?]

Mark. Of course. Back of the classroom, pretending to be subtle. Typical. He didn’t care about prom. Not really. And he definitely didn’t care about my situation. He just wanted an excuse to ask about his girlfriend without making it obvious. I scrawled two quick words.

[No. No.]

I passed it back without looking at him.

Then- it happened.

A low, shuddering boom. The building jolted like it had been punched from below.
Screams. Desks screeching. The air filled with chaos in a heartbeat. Everyone ducked under their desks, panic crackling through the room like wildfire.

My heart leapt into my throat. I looked back at Mark, he wasn’t afraid. His face was calm. Too calm. Then he was gone. Out of his seat. Out the door. Amber. He was going to find Amber. The rest of the class stampeded after him, a chaotic blur of bodies and panic.

But I didn’t move. The emergency protocol said to stay under your desk. Stay calm. Wait.
No one followed that. Not even the teacher. I curled into myself, clutching my backpack like a lifeline. This didn’t feel like an earthquake. Not here. Not now. Something was wrong. Deeply wrong.

I peeked out. Students were gathering in the courtyard. Some were crying. Some were on their phones. All of them looked…okay. I waited a few more seconds. Just enough time to bolt-

“Looks like you didn’t make it out in time.” A voice. Close. Too close. A hand clamped down on my shoulder. I froze. Tried to scream, but a second hand slammed over my mouth before I could.

The man wore all black. Masked. Armed. Not a uniform. Not a cop. Something else entirely. A gun hung heavy across his chest. Assault rifle. Maybe worse. I thrashed, tried to break free, but he was stronger. Much stronger. He dragged me into the hallway. There were more of them. All masked. All armed. All looking at me like I was something they’d been hoping to find.

“Well, well,” the first one muttered, jerking my arm like a puppet string. “Look what I found.”

“Holy shit,” another said, eyes widening. “That’s the cop’s kid” my blood ran cold.

“Bastard locked us up. Think he’ll trade her in if we fill her with bullets?” They all laughed. Loud. Mean. I stared at the floor, legs trembling. Maybe this was it. Maybe dying now was easier.

“Aww, what’s the matter?” one of them mocked, voice high and cruel. “Feeling a little scared, sweetheart?”

“She doesn’t look scared enough,” another growled. He dragged the edge of his metal bat along my cheek. “Maybe I should fix that.”

Before he could do anything, the man holding me lashed out, striking him across the face with the back of his hand. “Idiot. Do you know what we have? This girl is leverage. Blackmail gold. Her life for whatever we want. That’s how we win.” I was shaking. But part of me…was still alive. Still listening. Still thinking. Still hoping.

Then, from the hallway behind us, more screaming. Gunshots. Crashing. The men turned, weapons raised, then they all ran towards the noise, disappearing behind the wall.

They crashed through the one at the end of the hallway like it was made of paper: wood, brick, and plaster exploding outward in a rain of debris. They were probably dead.
I didn’t scream. I couldn’t. My breath caught mid-inhale, suspended in my throat like a shard of glass. Someone was coming for me.

A shadow emerged from the smoke and dust, slow, deliberate, and utterly unshaken. Colors came into view: black, blue, and yellow. Blood spattered across the once-pristine suit. Fabric torn. Knuckles bruised. But nothing about him looked fragile.

“Invincible” we both said it at once, me and the man holding the gun to my head. Our voices overlapped like a bad echo. Hope bloomed in my chest. The man’s grip around me tightened in response. He yanked me backward like a ragdoll, pressing the cold barrel of his rifle against my temple. His other arm locked around me like a vice, crushing and immovable. I couldn’t move. Could barely breathe.

Invincible didn’t rush. He turned slowly, like a force of nature, measured and deadly. His eyes found mine through the chaos. And then something in the air shifted. The dust seemed to still. The entire room waited.

"One wrong move and her brains are toast!" the man snapped, jamming the gun harder against my skull. The chill of it seeped into my skin, sharp and nauseating.

Invincible didn’t blink. "That’s not going to happen." His voice was calm. Steady. The kind of calm that didn’t come from lack of fear, but from the certainty that he could end this. I believed him. I really did. But belief didn’t make me bulletproof.

My entire life now hung in the balance, swaying with each breath, every twitch of the man's finger on the trigger. One mistake, and I’d be a stain on the floor. "Let the girl go," Invincible said, voice low and cold.

The man laughed, a bitter, ugly sound. "Do I look stupid to you? She’s my insurance. My way out. And don’t worry...I’m not interested in her like that if you are wondering. I’d rather shoot her than touch her." My stomach turned. I wasn’t a person to him. Just leverage. Just meat with a heartbeat.

I saw something flicker across Invincible’s face. Disgust. "She’s in high school, man..." The gun dug deeper into my skin. It hurt. I bit down a whimper. "Okay," Invincible said, hands still open at his sides. "Let’s talk. What do you want?" At least he was trying. Buying me time. Keeping things from tipping over the edge.

The man hesitated. "Still thinking about it...but I’m leaning toward a big stack of cash. Oh, and immunity. Full pardon. Everything I’ve done. Everything I’m going to do. Wipe it clean."

There was a long pause. Invincible didn’t answer right away. His jaw tightened. His hands curled into fists at his sides. "You know I can’t give you that."

The man didn’t flinch. "Then she dies."
And for a moment I believed he would do it. Just for the satisfaction. I didn’t beg. I didn’t cry. I stood frozen, every nerve buzzing like a live wire. It wouldn’t matter if I died now or later. The doctors had been clear: chronic leukemia. The kind that didn’t respond to treatment. The kind that didn’t leave survivors. This wasn’t how I thought it would end. But maybe it was better this way, fast. Final. A bullet instead of a slow fade.

Invincible’s posture shifted. And then everything happened at once. A blur of movement. A sickening crunch. The gun was gone from my temple.

I hit the ground hard, pain blooming in my ribs as I rolled onto my side. But I was free.
Invincible had him. One hand around the man's throat, lifting him off the ground like he weighed nothing. The man choked, legs kicking, face turning a deep, unnatural purple.

"Wait!" I forced myself upright, coughing. "Don’t kill him!" he didn’t look at me. His eyes stayed on his target, unmoving "He deserves to stand trial. Let the law handle it," I pleaded, heart pounding.

Sirens wailed in the distance closer now. Help was coming. This didn’t have to end in blood. Invincible’s voice was low, colder than I’d ever heard it. "So he can escape again? Like he did today?" My throat tightened. "You almost died," he continued. "He would’ve killed every student in this building just to make a point."

The man’s eyes were rolling back. He was seconds from death. I reached for the rifle, his rifle, lying abandoned on the floor. I aimed it at the only person who could still change the outcome. "Stop!"

But it was too late. He let go only when the man went limp. A slow death. Choking on his own breath. Not the kind of death he would’ve given me or any of the others.
Invincible stepped back, breathing hard. His hands dropped to his sides.

I lowered the rifle and stared at him. "Why...why did you do that? Every man deserves a chance to live."

He didn’t look at me right away. When he did, his gaze was heavy. "Not every man."

His words hit harder than I expected. Not because they were wrong, but because they reminded me of something I hated. Some people die young. Some people die for no reason at all. And no one can save them.

He reached a hand out to me. "Come on. Let’s get you out of here." But I didn’t move. I looked down at the ground, folding in on myself. He took a step back, reading the silence wrong. "You’re in shock. The police will take care of you now." His voice had softened again. Warm. Comforting. The kind of voice superheroes used in comic books.

I sighed. My body moved before my brain could stop it. I stepped forward and hugged him. "Thank you," I whispered into the fabric of his suit.

He froze, totally unprepared. His arms hovered awkwardly for a second before wrapping around me in a hesitant, almost gentle embrace. Then he scooped me into his arms. The wind tore past us as he took to the sky. His black hair whipped around his face, jaw tight as he focused on flying straight through the smoke and sirens.

I watched him from below, from where my head rested against his chest. And then, almost without thinking, I spoke. "Hey, Invincible…I have a weird question." He glanced down, clearly surprised I was speaking again. "Would you…maybe want to go to prom with me?"

His entire body flinched in the air. We dipped a little before he recovered. He didn’t answer immediately. I didn’t know who he really was. I didn’t know his name, or how old he was.
But I wanted to. Before I died, I just wanted to feel normal, just once. To dance. To laugh. To pretend the world wasn’t ending.

"I don’t think they let outsiders into school events..." he muttered.

I gave him a crooked smile. "Seriously? That’s the lamest excuse I’ve ever heard. You’re Invincible. Trust me, they’ll roll out the red carpet for you."

He didn’t respond until we landed in the courtyard. A crowd had gathered: students, teachers, police officers. They erupted into cheers when they saw him. He set me down gently. "Maybe I’ll drop by," he said.

Then he was gone, soaring up into the sky, disappearing into the clouds like a comet.
I placed a hand on my chest. My heart was still racing...not just from fear or adrenaline.
Maybe from something else. Officers rushed to my side, wrapping me in a thermal blanket, guiding me to a waiting police car. Their voices were kind, but distant.

Amber spotted me from across the courtyard and sprinted toward me like her life depended on it. The second she reached me, she threw her arms around my shoulders and pulled me in tight. “You’re okay! Thank God you’re okay.” Her voice cracked with relief. “Laura and I were looking everywhere, we couldn’t find you, we thought-” She didn’t finish. She didn’t need to.

I clung to her, my fingers digging into the back of her jacket. The chaos around us melted away, even if just for a second. I had only done what we were told to do during drills: follow protocol, stay quiet, wait it out. But that decision had turned out to be the most dangerous thing I could’ve done.

Sirens wailed in the distance, growing louder. Blue and red lights danced over the courtyard as an ambulance pulled up alongside a cluster of police cars. Forensics were already beginning to gather what was left of the terrorists Invincible had stopped. Blood on pavement. Scorch marks. The smell of burnt metal.

A paramedic approached and gently began checking me over for injuries. I blinked at him, still half-numb, only now starting to feel the pain blooming across my body. He led me toward the ambulance, his hand light on my back as if I might shatter. “We need to do a full examination, okay? Just to make sure there’s no internal damage.”

Amber and Laura climbed in with me without hesitation, crowding into the cramped, sterile space. As the doors closed behind them, I slowly peeled off my shirt, left in just my bra. The medic examined my arms first, then my stomach, my chest. Every touch was clinical, but I still felt exposed. Vulnerable.

When he turned me gently and laid a hand on my back, I flinched. A sharp inhale. There it was: the bruise. Massive, deep purple, spreading like a stain under my skin.

“Jesus…” Laura whispered, her hand flying up to cover her mouth. “They really hurt you, huh?” But that wasn’t what had caused it. Not entirely. I didn’t answer. Couldn’t. They didn’t know.

They didn’t know the truth I’d kept buried for years. The truth that followed me into every room like a shadow. Leukemia. The one thing I never told them. The one thing I never wanted them to know. I didn’t want pity. I didn’t want fear. I wanted to laugh with them over coffee, argue about stupid movies, plan for summers that I might never see. I wanted to feel normal...even if I wasn’t.

The doctor hesitated, his fingertips hovering near the bruise, his expression shifting from concern to something heavier. “This wasn’t caused by blunt force trauma,” he murmured. “If she’d been slammed into the ground or hit, there’d be more impact points around the area.” He pressed gently on the discoloration, studying it closely. “This kind of hematoma...it’s consistent with chronic leukemia.”

Silence. The kind that rings in your ears.
I didn’t turn around. I couldn’t look at Amber or Laura. My skin prickled, heart thudding like a warning bell.

“Leukemia?” Amber echoed. Her voice was barely a whisper. “That’s…serious, right?”

“She’s had it for a while apparently,” the doctor replied, his voice level, careful. “Chronic leukemia can be manageable with proper treatment. Some patients live with it for years. But it weakens the immune system significantly, which makes it dangerous, even life-threatening, if not treated regularly.” I stared at the floor of the ambulance, biting the inside of my cheek so hard I tasted blood. I felt like I was unraveling.

The doctor handed back my shirt, and I slowly slid it over my shoulders before starting on my jeans. I didn’t care about modesty anymore. When I pulled them down, my pale legs were covered in splotchy, violet marks scattered like bruised petals blooming under my skin.

Laura gasped. “Y/N…” she sounded horrified. Like she was seeing me for the first time “It makes sense now,” she murmured. “Why you always got out of gym class…why you were always tired…”

Amber’s eyes brimmed with something between betrayal and heartbreak. “Why didn’t you tell us?” Her voice cracked. “You know how much I hate being kept in the dark. Was it really so hard to just…trust us?” I wanted to answer her. I wanted to say something that would fix it. But the words tangled up in my throat like thorns.

The doctor spoke again, still focused on my legs. “These marks…they’re spreading. That’s not a good sign.” He looked me dead in the eyes. “You have been following your treatments, right?” I nodded slowly, but I could tell he wasn’t convinced.

“Could you both wait outside for a minute?” I said, barely louder than a whisper. “Please. I’ll explain everything…after.”

Amber and Laura exchanged glances, but didn’t argue. They stepped out without another word, closing the doors softly behind them. The quiet that followed felt suffocating.

The doctor turned to face me again, his expression grim “You don’t have much time left,” he said gently. I nodded. I already knew. “It’s terminal. With the rate of deterioration in your blood cells, I’d say you have a few months...maybe less. Have you been seeing specialists? Are you still on active treatment?”

“My parents know,” I murmured. “They’ve been trying everything since I was eight. I’ve been poked with more needles than I can count. We’ve been to every hospital, tried every protocol.” He listened without interrupting, and I kept going, like if I stopped talking, I’d fall apart. “The doctors warned me it would stop working eventually. That there’d come a point when…” I swallowed. “When it would be better to just live what little life I had left.”

He looked at me like he wanted to say something else, but I was already reaching for my clothes. “I appreciate your concern,” I told him, voice steady now. “But I’ve made my peace. I know what’s coming” a few minutes later, I stepped out of the ambulance fully dressed. I didn’t let the officers help me.

Around me, life was slowly resuming. Classes regrouped. Teachers tried to restore some sense of order. But everything felt distant. Like I was watching it all from behind glass.

I spotted my friends at the edge of the courtyard, clustered beneath the shadow of a half-dead tree. The wind stirred Amber’s jacket, but she didn’t seem to notice. Her back was to me, her fingers flying over her phone screen as she called and texted in rapid succession, jaw clenched. Even from this distance, I could tell she was furious.

I shoved my hands into the pockets of my hoodie and made my way toward them slowly, my eyes fixed on the pavement. Each step felt heavier than the last. I wasn’t ready for this. Not really. But I had to be.

“Are you still trying to reach him?” I heard Laura murmur as I got close.

Amber’s voice was sharp, trembling with barely-contained frustration. “Where the hell is he when stuff like this happens? I swear, this time he’s gone too far.”

Laura reached out, placing a calming hand on her friend’s shoulder. “Maybe he’s with his class. Or a teacher didn’t let him leave. Or he’s already on his way-”

Amber cut her off with a scoff. “He always has an excuse. It’s either school, or his dad, or some mysterious emergency. It’s the 21st century...he has a phone. He couldn’t send one damn message? Ask if I was okay?” Her voice cracked. “I’m so done. And if he tries to spin this again, I swear I’ll-”

Laura was the first to notice me. Her eyes found mine, and for a second, I froze. She didn’t look angry or disappointed. Just...worried. Deeply, genuinely worried.
“Y/N, you’re here!” she said, her expression softening. She closed the distance and wrapped her arms around me in a hug that almost knocked the breath from my lungs.

Amber finally turned around. Her face lit up when she saw me, but the fire behind her eyes hadn’t gone out. She locked her phone and shoved it into her back pocket, plastering on a smile that looked more like a mask.

I opened my mouth to say something, anything, but nothing came out at first. My fingers twisted together, lips pressed tight. The silence pressed in on us like fog. “I’m sorry,” I said finally, barely above a whisper. “I should’ve told you sooner.” Laura blinked, confused. Amber narrowed her eyes, but stayed quiet, watching me intently. “It’s...more complicated than it looks,” I added, swallowing hard. My throat burned. “I didn’t want to ruin everything. I didn’t want to be that friend. The one who drags everyone down.”

They didn’t say a word. Their silence gave me the courage to keep going. “I’ve been fighting this disease since I was eight. Monthly checkups, treatments, hospitals. My parents…they’ve built their lives around trying to keep me alive. And I’ve made it so hard for them.” My voice trembled as the words spilled out.

Laura’s eyebrows shot up. “Don’t say that,” she said, shaking her head fiercely. “You didn’t choose this. You’re not a burden, Y/N. Not to them. Not to us.”

My attempt at a smile faltered. “You don’t know what it’s like. For almost ten years, they haven’t had a full night of sleep. They’ve spent every cent hoping someone could fix me. Especially now… now that it’s getting worse.” A lump rose in my throat, threatening to choke me. But I had to keep going. I owed them that much. “I didn’t tell you because...I wanted things to feel normal. With you two, I had that. Talking about school, complaining about teachers, laughing about boys…” I let out a shaky breath. “I didn’t want to give that up. You guys made me feel like I was just another girl, not some ticking time bomb.”

Amber’s jaw tensed. She tilted her head slightly, watching me like she was trying to piece it all together. “Why do you sound like you’re saying goodbye?” she asked quietly, but the strain in her voice gave her away. “Y/N…what are you saying?” I met her eyes. That was all it took. Her lips parted. “Oh no…” she moved before I could react, arms wrapping around me tight. Laura joined her a second later, and suddenly I was sandwiched between them in a hug that was more desperate than comforting.

“Don’t panic,” I whispered, blinking back tears. “There’s still time. Maybe.”

Laura’s voice was muffled. “What do you mean, maybe?”

I hesitated. “The doctors say…a few months. Six, if I’m lucky.”

Amber pulled back just enough to look at me. “Six months?” Her voice cracked like glass. “And we were just supposed to not know? Were you really going to let us find out after you were...after you were gone?” Her words hit harder than I expected. She looked away, blinking fast, as if trying to stop the flood behind her eyes.

“I didn’t want to hurt you,” I murmured.

“You did anyway,” she said, voice flat. “We spent all that time with you without even really knowing you.” Silence settled over us like a heavy blanket. “But I get it actually, it's understandable” she said after a beat, rubbing at her temples. “Maybe I made you feel guilty now, I’m sorry. It's that…I’m still messed up over Mark, so...maybe I took it out on you.”

I placed a hand gently on her arm. “Don’t apologize. I understand, Amber. I just...wanted things to be good for a while. To be normal.” I let out a dry, humorless laugh. “Guess that worked...until now.” That’s when I remembered. “Mark,” I said, suddenly alert. “He was in my class right before the evacuation. He ran out first. I thought he was going to find you.”

Amber scoffed. “He wasn’t with the others. He didn’t even text. I’m starting to think I imagined the whole relationship.” She paused, staring down at her shoes. “Should I just break up with him?” she asked. Her voice was small. It startled me. Amber never asked. She decided. But right now she looked like she didn’t even trust her own judgment.

Truth be told, I’d always liked Mark, at least at first. There was something magnetic about him. Quiet confidence. Kind eyes. But that version of him didn’t last long. He forgot dates, ignored texts, vanished without warning. I’d defended him before, but even I couldn’t explain his absence today.

Laura stepped in gently. “Maybe you should talk to him first. Just…figure out if there’s a reason behind it. A real one.”

Amber gave a bitter laugh. “We’ve talked. Fought. Rinse and repeat. Every time I tell him how much it hurts when he ghosts me, he comes up with some grand excuse. School. Helping his dad. Even volunteering, for all I know. I’m tired, you know?”

“Have you told him you’re tired?” I asked.

She nodded. “More than once.”

Laura sighed. “You still care about him. That’s obvious. But maybe he’s just…not the one.”

Amber looked away. “And what about Prom? I already got the dress. I imagined the photos. Now I don’t even know if I like him anymore.” A beat passed. “I’ll think about it,” she muttered. “Right now, I just need to be mad, to ‘overreact’ like I always do. Let me have that.”

I tilted my head “You’re not overreacting, Amber. Expecting someone to show they care about you...that’s not a crime.”

The sharp clang of the school bell shattered the moment like glass. Around us, the chaos that had just barely settled began to stir again. Students picked up bags they had dropped in panic, rejoined classes that had been scattered by the emergency, and murmured anxiously about what had just happened as they moved toward the school entrance.

I stood there for a beat longer, reluctant to let go of the fragile safety of my friends' embrace. But duty called. My history teacher was waving our class forward, his eyes scanning for stragglers. I pulled away gently from Laura and Amber, squeezing both of their hands with a promise I couldn’t say out loud. Then I turned and fell into step with the others. One foot in front of the other. Breathe in. Breathe out.

And then I saw him. Mark Grayson. Just...standing there. By the front doors, perfectly fine. Unbothered. Like nothing had happened. Like he hadn’t completely disappeared during an emergency. Like he hadn’t left Amber spiraling, afraid, abandoned.

The sight of him twisted something hot and sharp in my chest. I didn’t even stop to think. My feet changed direction before my mind caught up. I walked toward him, hands curled into fists inside my sleeves. He noticed me when I was already beside him, matching his pace as we fell into step heading inside.

“Where the hell were you?” The words came out before I could soften them. My voice was hard, maybe harder than I intended, but I didn’t care. Someone needed to say it.

Mark blinked, clearly caught off guard. “I was trying to find you girls. I couldn’t...I didn’t know where you went.” His tone was quiet, almost defensive, but there was a flicker of something in his eyes. Panic? Guilt? I couldn’t tell. He looked around like he was still expecting the floor to crack open beneath us or the ceiling to fall. “You okay?”

That question, his question, hit me wrong. His voice was softer now, gentler, and for a moment it almost sounded like he cared.
But he shouldn’t be asking me that. Not when Amber had been the one calling, texting, begging for a sign that he was okay. Not when she had been shaking with anger and heartbreak only minutes ago. I felt something cold settle in my chest.

“You should be asking Amber that, not me,” I snapped. And just like that, I picked up my pace and started to walk ahead. I couldn’t stand to look at him anymore.

He didn’t stop me, but after a moment I heard his footsteps quicken. He jogged to catch up, falling back in step beside me. “She’s mad at me, isn’t she?” he asked quietly.

I stopped walking. I turned to look at him fully, really look at him. There it was again, that tone. Regret. But it rang hollow. Why did he only sound like this when it was me? Why not when it mattered?

“Mad doesn’t even begin to cover it,” I said, my voice flat. “She’s been trying to find you since the lockdown started. She thought something happened to you. And you…you didn’t even check your phone.”

“I didn’t hear it,” he muttered, pulling it out of his pocket. The lock screen lit up, and I saw the damage: dozens of missed calls, unread messages. All from Amber. All unanswered.
It was on silent. Of course it was. Convenient. Predictable. Pathetic.

“That’s not an excuse,” I said, my voice cold. And it wasn’t. He had the time to pull it out now, didn’t he? I turned away before he could say anything else. I didn’t want to hear more excuses. I didn’t want to know if he was going to lie or if he was going to tell the truth. Neither would make Amber feel better. Neither would change what he had or hadn’t done.

I made my way into the classroom, heart pounding. The room was untouched, eerily normal. My desk sat where I left it, and my textbook was still inside my bag, as if nothing had ever happened. I sat down, my hands trembling as I pulled it out and placed it on the desk like I was preparing for a regular history lecture. But nothing felt regular anymore.

Mark walked in a few seconds later and slipped into his seat at the back of the room. He didn’t try to talk to me again. We didn’t exchange another word.

Not that day.
Not that week.

Not until Prom.

Chapter Text

Present Time - Current Dimension

I woke up that morning with a relentless pounding in my head. The dull ache settled deep behind my temples, like a stubborn reminder of the night before. My room was a mess, chaotic and scattered, a clear testament to the fight I'd had with Invincible just hours ago. The bed was a wreck, sheets twisted and tangled, pillows tossed aside like forgotten casualties. I hadn't even found the strength to shower as I'd intended. All I wanted was to close my eyes again, to slip back into the fragile peace of sleep, to rest.

A sudden pang of guilt hit me, sharp and unwelcome. Mom would probably be the one to clean this up. The thought was like a stone in my stomach.

Fragments of strange memories drifted hazily in my mind: blurred snapshots, like the remnants of a dream slipping through my fingers. None of it made sense. I struggled to hold on to what I was remembering, but the images refused to settle, refusing to form a clear picture. The one thing that played on an endless loop in my thoughts was the moment Invincible saved me in that school. That instant felt etched into my skin, impossible to erase.

Why had I been so... lost before that? It was as if I hadn't even wanted to be alive. And yet, after he appeared, something inside me shifted, subtly, but undeniably. The world around me seemed different. A new weight settled on my chest.

Soft morning light filtered through the blinds, slicing thin lines of gold across the cluttered room. I lay there on the mattress, one arm draped over my forehead, my gaze fixed on the peeling paint of the ceiling above. Maybe it was just my mind playing tricks. After all, I'd only met Invincible last night. And that photo I'd seen, the one with him in it, kept haunting me.

Right before he turned hostile, I thought I saw something flicker in his eyes. Like a ghost, a memory, or maybe even hope. Like he was seeing someone lost to him come back from the dead. And honestly? I think he was.

For a fleeting moment, I allowed myself to believe he might be... good. But the illusion shattered fast. The second my memory reminded me of what he and Omni Man had done to my dimension, that fragile warmth evaporated. I needed to get out. To find a way back. The only clue I had was the portal: a glowing, green circle, humming with power. Clearly, it was controlled by someone with extraordinary abilities. The problem was figuring out who.

I dragged myself out of the ruined bed, the mattress sagging under me as I stood. The stale smell of sweat and dust filled the air, making me wrinkle my nose. Hygiene hadn't exactly been my priority lately. Survival had taken all my focus these past months. But here, at least in this version of the world, I could afford to take a moment for myself. To breathe. To regain some strength.

I pulled up the blinds fully, flooding the room with sunlight. The wreckage became painfully obvious: broken pottery shards scattered across the floor, the shattered photo frame lying face up with Invincible and my alternate self frozen inside it, shoes kicked off in no particular order.

I'd clean it all up later. Maybe.

Opening my wardrobe, I was greeted by rows of neatly folded clothes and the faint, comforting scent of lavender. It lingered for a brief second before my own odor quickly overwhelmed it.
"Gross..." I muttered, scrunching my nose. Still, I told myself, it was nothing a good shower couldn't fix. I pulled out a fresh outfit. My body hadn't changed much over the past two years, so the clothes still fit, though a few pieces seemed shorter or tighter than I remembered. The style was close enough to what I liked, I could make it work.

Just as I stepped into the hallway, clothes in hand, I almost ran straight into my mom standing by my bedroom door.
"Oh! You're up," she said, clearly surprised. "It's already eleven. Did you sleep okay?" Her eyes flicked down to the clothes I was carrying. "Shower? That sounds like a good idea. You need it."

I looked away, a blush rising to my cheeks. "Yeah... um, about that. The bed's kind of a mess. Sorry if it's a problem-"

She laughed softly, waving me off with a shake of her head. "Sweetheart, you just got back from... who knows where. You needed to rest. That's all that matters." Her hands reached up to cup my cheeks gently, warm and steady. Her smile was full of love and understanding. "Don't worry about the bed. I'll take care of it."

But then, just as quickly, her expression shifted. Her eyes darkened with worry, and a shadow crossed her face. I knew what she was thinking about: Invincible's unexpected visit.
"Dad?" I asked before she could say anything else. The last I'd heard, he was supposed to meet the superhero during that conference, but there'd been no news since. I silently prayed he was safe. That he was still whole.

"He's fine," she said quietly. "Didn't even get a chance to talk to him. Or... should I say Omni-Invincible now? Apparently, he's changed his name." She frowned, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "The whole thing feels off. Like he's trying to honor his father's legacy. And that can't be good."

I wasn't surprised. No matter how much he hated his father, maybe Invincible was starting to think like him. Same blood, same instincts. You can't run from what's inside you forever.
Like father, like son. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

But I couldn't say any of this out loud. I couldn't tell her about my Invincible, the one from my dimension. It would terrify her. Or worse, she wouldn't believe me. So I kept it locked inside.
"Maybe... it's just strange. His dad was a monster. I don't understand why he'd want to honor that name," I whispered.
But deep down, I had a terrible feeling that I already knew the answer.

Mom stared at me, disbelief clear in her eyes. "Seeing him in that costume last night... it gave me chills. In some way, I saw Omni Man in him. I feared the worst-for you... that he might do something. Again." She placed her hands firmly on my shoulders and looked me straight in the eyes. "He wasn't like this when you were seeing him...what happened?"

The question hit me like a punch to the gut.
"I have no idea," I said, voice cracking. "He kidnapped me, kept me hidden from everyone, from everything. Apparently, he's been spreading lies about me. And I swear, I don't know what came over him that day."

I tried to sound convincing, though my heart felt shattered and raw. It was almost impossible. The person who'd broken me was now the one I hated most in the world. And yet... somehow, he could still act kind. Gentle. Protective. Seeing that side of him, that version, felt horribly wrong.

"Did you two fight?" her voice was soft, tentative, but the question hung heavily in the air.

For a long moment, silence settled between us. Honestly, I didn't even know how to begin answering. The truth was messy, tangled up in feelings I barely understood myself. And the more details I tried to gather, the harder it became to keep them straight. I wasn't ready to mess it up in front of her, not again.

"I'm sorry if I'm pressing," she said after a pause, her tone gentle but desperate. "I just... I really thought he was a good guy. I'd seen him on TV so many times, and you...well, you knew he wasn't like that, right? But something changed in him the day you disappeared. You could see it in his face...like he was hurting. Deeply."

That stung. The fact that my mother seemed more inclined to believe him than me.
He was good at pretending, at wearing whatever mask he needed to get what he wanted. Fake kindness, fake sorrow-it came so easily for him. People trusted the name he carried, the reputation he'd built. And somehow, he'd managed to weave himself into my parents' lives.
Meanwhile, I had been through hell. I'd been "gone" for two years.
And yet she wanted to believe him.
He was a liar. Even if, in this case, I was the one lying. But I had my reasons, good ones.

"He started hating his father after that day," she continued, stepping back as if trying to make space for her own thoughts. "I just hope... now that you're back, he doesn't start missing him. I can't handle another incident like what happened in Chicago...especially not if it's because of him."

I wanted to tell her it wouldn't happen. But that would've been a lie too.
Still, I needed to say something, anything, to ease the worry in her eyes. She looked so broken, so scared. But the words I found felt hollow, suspicious, empty. So I stayed silent.

"This afternoon, I managed to get an appointment with the doctor," she said, her voice softening, a fragile hope creeping in. "After everything that happened, they're going to do more than just a routine check-up. There'll be tests. They want to see how your illness is holding up..."
Her smile was tender, filled with pride and emotion. "You survived two years. That's... incredible, sweetheart."

But when she said illness, a cold wave of anxiety swept through me.

What illness?

I nodded, not wanting to seem clueless. But as far as I knew, I wasn't sick. Not in my body.
What if the tests showed something strange? Something that didn't fit? What if they discovered I wasn't from this dimension? A shiver crawled up my spine.
I moved toward the bathroom and closed the door behind me, leaning against it for a moment. My gaze fixed on the window across the room. The shower stood to my right-big, modern, with glass panels. A luxury I wasn't used to.

I laid the clean clothes beside the sink and began peeling off the sweaty ones, tossing them in the basket near the toilet.
When I was completely naked, I paused in front of the mirror: my skin looked flawless, except for a few fading bruises that would heal soon. No open wounds. I looked strong. Normal.
I had no idea what kind of disease my variant had been suffering from.

The only real health issue I ever had was low blood pressure. As a kid, I barely ate enough. My diet was unbalanced: missing essential vitamins, proteins, fats. I never had the strength to power through long, hot summer days. My body seemed to reject more food than it needed.
Honestly, I still didn't understand how I survived the chaos back in my own dimension.
Truth was, I was still weak. It might take weeks, maybe months, to regain the energy I'd lost...if I ever could.

I turned on the shower and waited for the water to warm.
Feeling clean, fresh water hit my skin for the first time in what felt like forever was almost like a rebirth. I stepped inside without hesitation.
The water crashed down, soothing, washing away more than just dirt. I leaned my head back and closed my eyes, letting the warmth wrap around me before I started washing.

I began with my hair: several washes to strip away the grime and sweat. My scalp finally felt light and free. Then I moved on to my body.
But the moment I poured the body wash into my palm, a sudden flash hit me.
My vision blurred, blacking out for a second. A sharp, stabbing pain seared through my skull.
I reached out instinctively, pressing my hand against the cold tile wall for support. The chill on my bare skin made me flinch.

"What the hell was that?" I looked down at my hand, slick with soap. For a brief moment, I thought I saw something-deep purple bruises creeping up my arm.
Memories? Could those have been memories, leftover echoes from my dead variant?

Was that illness?
Or abuse?
I didn't know.
I wasn't trained in medicine. Just a few months of pre-law back home.

I needed answers. Maybe the hospital could give me some.
But what if they found out the truth about me?
I was stuck.
I had to decide-how to get the information I needed without raising suspicion with my parents.
"I could go alone," I thought as I resumed scrubbing. "Ask my mother to wait outside the clinic."

When I stepped out of the shower, warmth clinging to my skin like a second layer, I felt... lighter. Cleaner, somehow. Like I had shed more than just sweat and grime, I had washed off the weight of everything that had happened in the past months.
For a moment, I just stood there, wrapped in a soft robe, towel pressed against my damp hair. Steam curled behind me as I stepped into the cooler hallway. The contrast made me shiver, but it was almost pleasant. Familiar. Normal.

In silence, I padded to my room, careful to step around the shards of broken glass still glittering faintly on the floor. They caught the light from the window, little reminders of chaos I didn't yet have the strength to address. My eyes scanned the room, searching for the hairdryer.
Drawer. Nothing.
Desk. Nothing.
Wardrobe-

"Mom! Where's the-?"
I stopped.
Something had caught my eye.

Partially hidden beneath the edge of a folded sweater, a sliver of glossy paper peeked out, almost as if it had been placed there on purpose. My fingers hesitated for a second before tugging it free. It was thin and cool to the touch-familiar. A photo.
I turned it over first, heart ticking just a little faster.
On the back, ink flowed in elegant cursive: "To my hero."

I read the words aloud, voice soft in the stillness. They didn't stir anything in me. No wave of recognition. No jolt of emotion. Just... curiosity. It was probably one of the many photos meant for the shelf, maybe fallen and forgotten.

Still, I flipped it over.
Relief hit me like a wave.
Me and Dad. Just us.
I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding.
"For a second, I thought it might've been another photo of me and Invincible. Thank God I was wrong," I muttered to myself, voice laced with bitter humor.

Digging through the desk, I found a roll of tape and stuck the photo to the inside of my closet door, right side, the one that faced the light from the window.
"There we go," I murmured, hands on my hips as I admired my work. "You'll stay right here for now."
The moment didn't last. With a soft hiss, the tape gave way, and the photo drifted down, fluttering to the floor like a leaf in autumn. It landed between my bare feet.
I sighed. "Maybe I should've used more-"

That's when it hit me.
The silence.
Too still.
Something shifted in the air, like gravity itself had leaned in. My body froze. A drop of sweat slid down my temple. My heart thundered loud enough I was sure someone could hear it.

I could hear my mom moving around in the kitchen downstairs.
But up here?
I wasn't alone.

Every instinct screamed at me. Stay quiet. Stay still.
Then, with no warning, the closet door slammed shut.
My breath caught in my throat. I scrambled back in instinct, landing hard on the floor, the photo still clutched in my hand.
He stood in front of me, arms crossed, his eyes locked on my legs.

Invincible. His gaze was too sharp, too cold. It didn't just look: it assessed. Measured.

"You..." I whispered. My voice felt small, fragile.
He didn't speak at first. Just stared.

Then his eyes dragged over my legs again, slower this time, and it made my skin crawl.
"You don't have any bruises..." he said, voice low, almost to himself.

I swallowed hard, trying not to flinch.
"They healed. It's been two years," I replied, tone steady only because I forced it to be. "I still have a few left, though. They'll fade soon." It was a gamble. I had no idea what he remembered, what he was comparing me to. Maybe he meant the dark marks that had briefly surfaced in the shower, I thought the little bruises I had all over my body could trick him.

He didn't buy it.
I saw it in his eyes: the flicker of doubt, the hunger for confirmation. He needed more.
And he stepped closer.
Floating just above the floor, he moved without a sound, his shadow stretching toward me. From where I sat, he seemed even taller, more imposing.
"Is that so?" he murmured. Then, softly, chillingly "Then show me." He crouched. His hand reached for the collar of my robe.

"No." Panic surged through me. My hand snapped up, slamming into his. Flesh met glove, heat meeting cold. I looked him dead in the eyes. "Stop. Please."

He didn't speak, didn't blink. Just stared.
Then he saw it: a bruise, faint but visible, blooming along the curve of my arm.
He stopped. Let go.

I could see it in his face.
The calculation.
The shift.
If he had truly believed I was her, he wouldn't have needed to check.
But now he knew for sure. I wasn't her.

"Happy now?" I snapped, rising unsteadily to my feet, backing away until my spine pressed into the desk behind me. My hands shook, but my voice didn't.
"Get out of my house."

"This house isn't yours," he said, rising slowly to his full height. His silhouette cut sharply against the dim light filtering through the curtains. The curve of his lips twisted into a thin, razor-like smile. "I bet if I asked you a few personal questions, you wouldn't even know how to answer."
I let out a short laugh, tight, brittle. It cracked in the middle.
I was so, so screwed.
He noticed. Of course he noticed. His expression shifted, that smug smirk deepening, feeding off my nervousness like a predator who'd just cornered his prey "Funny, isn't it?" he murmured, head tilted.

"Let's not get carried away," I said, raising both hands in mock surrender, as if the gesture could diffuse the tension or distract him long enough for me to think.
But then, the amusement vanished from his face like someone had flipped a switch.

And I froze.

His eyes locked onto mine, cold and unreadable, yet burning with something deeper. Anger? Grief? I couldn't tell. "Give me one good reason," he said, voice suddenly low and venomous, "why I shouldn't kill you right here, slowly, for wearing her face like a mask and pretending you were someone I cared about."

My stomach twisted into a knot. He wasn't bluffing.
I had a split second to choose.

Option one: Tell the truth. Risk it all. Hope he had some shred of humanity left in him, and that maybe we could work out a temporary truce until I figured out how to get back to my dimension.
Option two: Lie. Keep the upper hand. Manipulate him before he manipulated me.

I didn't even hesitate.
Of course I chose the second. There was no way I was handing over control to him.

"How about I give you more than one reason?" I said carefully, eyes trained on him, voice steady even as my heart pounded against my ribs like it wanted out. "I look exactly like your dead ex, the one who disappeared two years ago. Everyone thought she died in that explosion..." I took a slow step closer, forcing calm into every inch of my body. Arms at my sides. Shoulders squared. Eyes locked on his like a dare.
"Her parents found me. A girl who looks just like their daughter. Practically a clone. They were grieving...shattered. And now they think the universe gave them a second chance..."

He raised an eyebrow. "Temporarily," he said, watching me like a hawk.

I nodded, letting the word echo in the air between us. "Exactly. I'm not here to stay. I'm here by accident, I'm gonna leave soon. But until then... you can't touch me."
I stopped in front of him and pressed a single finger to the center of his chest. His heartbeat was maddeningly steady beneath the fabric of his suit.
"Her parents believe I'm her," I whispered. "What do you think they'd do if Invincible suddenly killed their daughter? They already hate you. They think you're the reason she vanished. That you faked her death. Hid her away."

His jaw clenched hard enough to crack bone.
I had struck something: nerve or guilt, I wasn't sure. But it was something.
"You're already ruining my life," he said through gritted teeth. "And now you want to ruin my reputation too? Paint me as the villain in this story?"

Something in me snapped.
I stepped forward, heat flooding my voice "I ruined your life?" my hands curled into fists. My voice rose with every syllable, every memory I'd buried clawing its way to the surface.
"You ruined mine! You and your father murdered my family! You turned my world into rubble! You made us bow to Viltrum...slaughtered thousands like they were nothing! You killed everything I ever dreamed of becoming!" My breath came fast and shallow. My chest burned. My vision blurred with unshed tears, but I kept going.
"You took everything from me!" I shouted, the words ringing through the room like a slap.

Still, he didn't flinch. He didn't even blink. My fury washed over him like wind over stone.
"I hate you," I said, voice raw. "You say you're not like your father, but I see it in you. You want the same thing. Power. Control. You want to conquer." I stepped closer, lowering my voice to a knife-edge whisper. "But I won't let you."

That got to him. His brow furrowed, just barely. A muscle in his jaw twitched.
"Oooh I get it now," he said, slowly, the weight of his words dragging the air around us into silence. "You're not from here....you're from another dimension."
I didn't answer.
He stepped back, eyes scanning me with unsettling intensity. "A dimension where apparently I... turned on my people. Where I became a monster." His voice was low now, almost thoughtful. "I would never do that. I'm part human. What I'm doing... it's for humanity's future."

My blood ran cold.
I'd heard those exact words before.
They were lies then, and they were lies now.
"Liar!" I screamed, lunging at him with everything I had left.

But he was faster. So much faster. He caught my wrists mid-air, effortlessly pinning them with both hands. His grip was firm-but not painful.
A slow, deliberate smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth. And in that moment, I knew.
He was no different from the monster who destroyed my world. No different at all.
"You're just another murderer," I said, my voice trembling with fury. "A genocidal maniac."

He didn't flinch "For your information," he replied coldly, "I don't want to wipe out innocent civilizations. I hate getting my hands dirty... but if I'm not given a choice, I will fight back."
He stepped closer, and the heat of his glare settled like fire on my skin.
"So don't do anything stupid," he added, his voice dipping into something darker, quieter, but no less threatening. "And don't badmouth me again... or I'll finish what my variant couldn't."
Then, finally, he let go.

I stumbled back, sucking in a breath, only now realizing how tightly he'd been gripping me. Red welts bloomed on my wrists where his fingers had dug into the skin. I met his gaze again, not bothering to hide the disgust in my eyes.

"You know," I said, adjusting the bathrobe that had slipped from my shoulder, "When I first got here, my mom didn't believe me. She couldn't picture you doing the things I told her about. I guess you fooled them too. Pulled the whole 'nice guy' act with them just like you did with her."
His lips twitched-like he wanted to argue. But whatever words formed behind his teeth, he swallowed them.
"I'm not afraid to bring her up," I pressed, taking a breath. "I don't care if it bothers you. We're talking about me. Maybe a different version, sure-but still me. And here's a newsflash for you: she doesn't belong to you. She's her own person."

His jaw tightened. "You don't even know her," he muttered, fists clenched so hard his knuckles blanched. "You're nothing like her."

I scoffed. "Did it ever cross your mind that maybe I come from a world where everything I cared about, everything I loved, was destroyed by the people we were supposed to trust? Heroes." I spat the word. "Every ounce of hope I had for you... every shred of trust... was obliterated the day I saw what you did. You destroyed my home. You took everything from me."
I pressed a hand to my chest, grounding myself in the rage and grief bubbling beneath the surface. "You lied to her from the beginning. Pretended to be good. Pretended to be human. But your plan? Your plan to conquer Earth? That started the moment you got your powers. I lived through the truth. That's why I hate you. She lived a lie. It's not the same."

He turned his back on me, cape swaying as he walked slowly to the window. It draped around him like armor-his silence sharper than any weapon.
"I wasn't lying," he said at last. "Not back then."
He paused, glancing over his shoulder. For a second, something flickered in his expression, regret, maybe. Or just the ghost of it.
"It happened much later." Another beat of silence. "But I'm not discussing her with someone who means nothing to me."

I froze.
I thought, maybe, he'd say something else. Maybe this was the moment he cracked. But instead, he simply pointed out where the hairdryer was... then vanished. Out the window. Just like that. The wind followed him, tugging at the curtains as if trying to pull him back.

He was gone.
And somehow, I was still alive.
But I didn't feel safe. Not even a little.
He had walked into my room like it was nothing-like my space didn't matter. And with powers like his-Viltrumite powers-he was a threat. A constant one.

Once I'd finished drying my hair and thrown on some clean clothes, I headed downstairs for lunch. The smell of food grounded me slightly, pulling me away from the storm in my chest.
It was just me and my mom at the table. Dad was out working. She didn't seem to notice anything had happened upstairs. When I'd called earlier asking for the hairdryer, she hadn't even heard me.

We ate mostly in silence, after we finished eating we got out the house and got in the car: the ride to the hospital should've lasted at least 30 minutes.

"Your dad's doing everything he can to sort out the paperwork and get your new documents ready," she said, eyes bright with hope. "It's tricky, of course, but he's got some good connections. They said they'd try to speed things up." Mom smiled, like things were finally falling into place.
"And you'll have to go back to school," she continued. "They might even let you skip ahead. Straight into college, maybe, because of what happened to you. Isn't that wonderful?"

"Isn't that kind of... illegal?" I raised a brow, voice quiet but steady as I leaned back in the passenger seat. The car vibrated faintly beneath me, the steady hum of the engine filling the silence between words. I gave a half-hearted shrug, eyes fixed on the blurred scenery slipping past the window. "Besides... I'm not even sure I want to go to college. I think I'd rather focus on getting my mental health back on track. Try to stand on my own two feet again."

The idea of college didn't completely repulse me. In fact, under different circumstances, it might've even sounded appealing. Structure. Distance. A reason to keep moving. And realistically, it was probably one of the safest places to hide. A campus full of strangers and deadlines wasn't exactly where Invincible would come looking for me. It was ideal, on paper.
But the thought of leaving my parents alone sent a cold shiver down my spine. If he wanted to hurt me, he could hurt them. It would be easy. Too easy.

"Oh, sweetheart..." My mom's voice softened instantly, her fingers tightening around the steering wheel. "After everything you've been through, it's perfectly natural to want to take care of yourself first. I'm sorry if I came off as pushy. That wasn't my intention."
A brief pause stretched between us, warm but weighted, like something neither of us wanted to put into words.

Still, the silence gave me space, just enough to push out the thought that had been quietly nagging at the back of my mind for days. I cleared my throat. "I've actually been thinking about studying law." My voice sounded tentative even to me. "There's this nearby college with a decent program... and they accept mid-year transfers."
It wasn't a lie. That same college existed in my original universe. I'd studied there, well, started to. Passed the entrance exams, sat through a few lectures, felt the shaky beginnings of a future taking root... before it had all gone to hell.

Mom blinked. "Law?" She looked genuinely surprised, her eyebrows knitting together. "I thought you wanted to go into medicine. You were so focused back then, so determined to find better treatments for your illness. You even volunteered at the lab that summer, remember?"
I swallowed hard, unable to meet her eyes. I wasn't her. Not really. But I just nodded faintly, choosing silence over explanation.
After a beat, she exhaled and smiled again, softer this time. "Well, if you've had a change of heart, I'll support you. Law's a solid career path. You'll find work easily, I'm sure of it."

Work. That word felt like a joke. I wasn't thinking that far ahead, couldn't. I wasn't going to college to build a future. I was going to stay hidden. To observe. To keep one step ahead of what was coming. This wasn't my home, and I didn't plan on staying long enough to worry about internships or job offers.

"Amber's going to a college nearby too," Mom said suddenly, glancing at me like the name should mean something. "Might even be the same one."
Amber. That name... it rang a distant bell, muffled and untraceable.
"You remember Amber, don't you?"

I gave her a tight smile, trying to mask the tension crawling up my spine. "Not really? I guess she was a friend of mine?"

Her eyes narrowed just slightly-curious, maybe even suspicious-but she didn't press.
"Amber Bennett," she clarified. "You two were close in high school. There was another girl too...Laura? But she moved out of state. Wanted a more prestigious school."
That bit of information wasn't just helpful: it was gold. I filed it away quietly, grateful she hadn't started digging deeper into my half-baked amnesia.
"Maybe you'll run into Amber on campus," Mom added after a moment. "Oh, and on the way back, we'll stop at the mall. You need a phone. That way we can stay in touch. I'll get the SIM card in my name since, well... no documents yet."

That offer actually made my chest loosen a little. A phone would change everything-access to the internet, tools to track anomalies, ways to contact people if something went wrong. It was a lifeline.
"Thanks, Mom. That's... super helpful, actually."

By then, we were pulling into the hospital parking lot. The place looked almost identical to the one I remembered: clinical, bland, sterile. We walked side by side into the diagnostics wing, my steps slower than usual, a small knot forming in my stomach.
I wasn't even sure how I was supposed to get treated without proper ID. But something told me Mom had already handled it-probably slipped some money into the right hands.

"Mrs. L/N, Miss L/N, welcome back," a man in a white coat greeted us as we entered the department. He looked to be in his fifties, professional but kind-eyed. He motioned for us to follow him down the corridor. "It's been two years since your last private check-up. I must say, you've improved remarkably."
His smile was genuine, warm even, but I couldn't shake the unsettling feeling crawling beneath my skin. If he only knew. If any of them knew.
"Your health is honestly surprising," he continued as we walked. "You have color in your face again. Your skin tone's returned to normal. How have the treatments been going?"

I glanced at my mom for help. Her expression was tight, almost pleading. She wanted me to lie to him.
"Pretty well, actually," I said, forcing a nervous laugh. "They've helped me a lot over the years. I mean... just look at me now, right?"

The doctor chuckled. "You're definitely more lively than I remember. Guess the college transition has done wonders." He gestured for us to enter a small office lined with medical posters and a sleek computer desk. Once we were all inside, he closed the door behind us. "So, you're here for the usual tests, yeah?"

I hesitated. "Actually... I have a request."
Both Mom and the doctor turned toward me in sync, expectant.
"Could my mom wait outside?" I asked, lowering my voice. "I just... I'd prefer some privacy."

My mom didn't even blink. "Of course, sweetheart. I'm so used to being in these appointments with you, I forgot you're nineteen now." She smiled as she dug into her oversized purse. "I'll wait outside, just like we did last time."
She handed the doctor a thick file-reports, prescriptions, lab results, all meticulously organized. The words chronic leukemia were stamped across several pages.

I picked one up. The date on the oldest report made my throat tighten, eleven years ago. That had been the beginning. Mild, manageable. But more recent entries told a darker story: fatigue, bruising, dangerously low white cell counts. The past few years had been rough. This girl, my variant, had been fading. If a simple flu didn't kill her, something else would.

Once my mom stepped out of the room, the doctor offered me a tight-lipped smile and gestured toward the exam table. "Go ahead and lie down," he said, already pulling out a tray of long, glinting needles that caught the overhead light a little too well. He moved with the kind of ease that only came from years of routine, setting up his tools like this was just another day.
"You know," he added conversationally, "in the last few years, our tech has come a long way. We get real-time results now-no more waiting for the lab to analyze vials. Just a few drops of blood, and we'll have your leukemia markers right here on the screen in minutes."

He uncapped a needle, and the moment I caught sight of the silver tip, I quickly turned my head and shut my eyes tight. Just hearing the tiny hiss of the cap being pulled off was enough to set my nerves on edge. "Needle-phobic now, Y/N?" His voice carried a teasing lilt. "That's new. What, two years away from hospitals and you've gone soft on me? You used to take this stuff like a champ." I didn't answer. My jaw was clenched too tight.

The sharp sting came next-swift and clinical. He pierced my vein with practiced precision, and I felt the warm rush of blood leave my body, fast and steady like a flood that had just found its way through a broken dam. He filled several vials before slipping them into a machine connected to his computer by a thick coil of wire.

I sat up slowly, pressing a cotton swab to the pinprick in my arm to stop the bleeding. The air was sterile, humming quietly with the whir of machines and distant hospital sounds-muffled footsteps, the soft beeping of a monitor in another room. I drifted toward the screen out of habit, curiosity nibbling at me. But the display was just a mess of percentages, color-coded bars, subcategories I didn't understand. It looked more like alien code than medical data.

Then I glanced at the doctor.
His face had gone pale.
He stared at the screen like it had slapped him across the face.
"What is it?" I asked, a chill creeping down my spine. "Something wrong?"

He didn't answer at first-just adjusted his glasses with a trembling hand, flicking his gaze between the screen and me, over and over again.
"This... this can't be," he whispered.

I straightened up. "What can't be?"

He looked like he was trying to convince himself of what he was seeing. "You're... you're cured."
Of course I was. I knew that. I hadn't really been sick in the first place. But seeing his face-his stunned disbelief, his complete unraveling-sent a cold shiver through me. This wasn't going to end well.

"Cured?" I tilted my head, schooling my expression into one of wide-eyed confusion. "Like... it's just regular leukemia now?"

He shook his head. "No, I mean cured. As in, there is no leukemia. Not a single trace. Your blood is... perfect. Like it was never there in the first place."
His voice had risen with every word, trembling with something between awe and unfiltered joy. "You beat it. You beat...the unbeatable. This is a miracle, Y/N. Whatever those treatments did, this could change everything. We may have found a cure!"

He was practically glowing, eyes wide and shining with excitement. It was kind of pathetic, honestly. The incurable...cured? There was a reason if it was called incurable, genius. Still, I had to admit: everyone in this dimension was so eager to believe in miracles. Everyone except my parents. They hated Invincible at least, which, in this moment, made them the only people I almost respected.

"Oh my God, that's... amazing!" I clapped my hands together, faking a breathless, joyful laugh. I could've won an Oscar. Inside, I felt nothing but a sinking dread. This was bad. Really bad. And it was only going to get worse.

I didn't have long to dwell on it. The doctor sprinted out of the room like a man possessed, nearly colliding with my mother in the hallway.
"Your daughter ma'am, she's the first person to ever recover from chronic leukemia!" he exclaimed breathlessly, gripping her shoulders with both hands. She looked past him at me, her expression unreadable. I gave her the smallest nod. Still, she didn't look surprised.
"The treatments worked!" he continued, voice rising. "Two years of therapy and she's completely, officially cured!"

"Oh my God," my mom whispered. Her hand flew to her chest as she stood, unsteady on her feet. "Is this really happening?"

Within moments, people began gathering. Doctors, nurses, even a few curious patients. They all looked at me like I had grown wings and floated off the table. So much for privacy during a check-up.

My mom quickly slipped into the room and shut the door behind her, blocking out the growing noise.
She turned to me, gripping my arms firmly. "Y/N," she said, staring into my eyes, "You haven't had a single check-up since the day you were taken."

"Yeah," I replied quietly. "I was kidnapped. Invincible didn't let me leave. Not for anything."

Her eyes narrowed. "But without your treatments... there's no way you could have survived this long. He must've helped you somehow, right?..."

I pulled back, sharply. "Why do you want to believe that? Why does it have to be him?" My voice cracked with the strain I'd been holding back. "I survived on my own. I got through it by myself. Mom, why are you still defending him?"

She flinched, just a little. "I'm not defending him. I just... Y/N, this doesn't make sense. You weren't supposed to last more than a few months without treatment. But you're alive. You're cured. How do you explain that?"
I couldn't.
She rubbed her forehead like she was trying to press the pieces of logic into place. "I believe you, okay? I do. But now the world thinks the therapies worked. They think there's a cure. What do we even tell them?"

I stepped closer, gently laying a hand on her shoulder. Her muscles were tense, her breath shaky.
"It's going to be okay," I whispered. "We'll tell them the truth. Just... not all of it. Not yet." I left the room. Outside, the doctor was still caught in a storm of questions and congratulations. I approached him, heart pounding.
"There's something I need to say," I told him, my voice clear. "I didn't follow the treatments. Not a single one. I haven't had any medical care since my last visit." I hesitated, the name Invincible teetering on the tip of my tongue. But if I said it, I knew it would spiral into something I couldn't control.

Before I could say more, a girl in a wheelchair rolled closer to me, her eyes wide and glassy with hope. "So... if you didn't follow your treatment... maybe I could stop mine too? And I'd get better?"

My heart sank. "I never said that-" I started, but the doctor stepped in quickly, holding up a hand.

"We'll need to run more tests before we say anything definitive," he said firmly, eyes shining. "But this... this could change the world." He turned to me, gripping my hands with almost childlike enthusiasm.
"You've reignited hope," he said. "You might be the key to curing leukemia. Y/N, you're going to be famous!"

Famous. For a lie. For something I didn't even do.
And somehow, in trying to avoid everything... I'd made it worse.
I wasn't going home anytime soon. And as for seeing Invincible again?
Well... I thought I wouldn't.

But I was wrong.

God, I really need to learn to keep my mouth shut.

Chapter Text

The doctors had arranged a private room for me. It was quiet, tucked away in a far wing of the hospital: sterile white walls, humming fluorescent lights, and the soft beeping of machines the only constant companions. I was told I’d be here for a few weeks, maybe longer. Officially, I was just another girl awaiting surgery, another name on a list no one would question. But that was a lie, carefully crafted to keep me hidden.

They didn’t want anyone to know I was here…not yet. Not until they were ready. Until they’d run enough tests. Until they had answers. Until they were certain I was what they hoped for.
They wanted to surprise the world with their so-called discovery.

But I wasn’t a discovery. I was a person.
And I hated everything about this situation.

I’d begged them to stop, pleaded for them to see me not as a miracle or a medical anomaly, but as a human being. I told them I didn’t want their wires, their questions, their needles. But no one listened. Not really. They were far too blinded by excitement, by ambition. Too enamored by what I might represent. My thoughts, my body, my consent…none of it mattered. Somewhere along the line, I’d stopped being a girl. I had become a subject, a project…an object.

Even my mother was only allowed to visit during designated hours, her presence rationed like medication. And when my father found out what they were doing, how they were isolating me, studying me, he exploded with rage. He demanded answers, threatened legal action, cornered the lead doctor in front of witnesses.
But all he got in return was a rehearsed speech, a monologue laced with grandeur and self-importance: something about “the fate of humanity” and “unprecedented potential.” As if that justified locking me up and dissecting me like I wasn’t even real.

All because I’d beaten leukemia. Or rather… because they thought I was more than just a survivor. Did they believe I could stop Invincible? That I could stand against a Viltrumite? Is this what they meant with “unprecedented potential” and “the fate of humanity”?
Ridiculous.
No, actually, that wasn’t fair. I shouldn’t sell myself short. I would stop him. But not because of anything these so-called scientists were doing to me right now, and of course not because of their discoveries.

It had been days since the tests began. Time was beginning to blur together, minutes bleeding into hours, hours into something heavier. I sat cross-legged on the hospital bed, cheek resting against my palm, eyes glazed over with boredom. There was a TV mounted on the wall across from me: a small mercy. I kept it on, not for entertainment, but as a surveillance tool: a way to keep tabs on him.

The media loved him, of course. He was everywhere. Every channel. Every headline. “Invincible saves the day!” “Invincible defeats kaiju threat in record time!” “Invincible: The Hero Earth Needs!”
I listened to it all. The praise. The admiration. The naive worship.

It reminded me of him…how, in my universe, Omni Man had been treated the same way before everything fell apart. The same blind faith. The same dangerous optimism. Here, Invincible wasn’t even part of the Guardians of the Globe. He didn’t take orders from the GDA. He operated alone, and still, people adored him. They thought he was untouchable. Noble. The ultimate protector.

Idiots.

“So easy to fool,” I muttered, flipping through the channels with the remote, lips twisting into something that wasn’t quite a smile. The same country that had held candlelight vigils after the Chicago disaster was now ready to move on, to forgive and forget. To fall for it all over again.
And if I did speak up, if I told them the truth, explained what I knew from my world, they’d laugh in my face. Brand me as a liar. A lunatic. A conspiracy theorist. That’s how it always worked. The truth didn’t matter when it contradicted the fantasy.

Besides, he’d already warned me. Threatened me, really: if I tried to expose him, there would be consequences. So I stayed quiet.

But it hurt. God, it hurt to watch people celebrate a monster. To see children wear his symbol on their backpacks, their shirts. To hear mothers say they slept easier at night knowing he was out there, watching over them. He was their hope. Their pride. Their shield. And one day, he’d destroy them.

I turned my head toward the window. Sunlight filtered in through the glass, casting soft patterns across the linoleum floor. Outside, the hospital’s courtyard looked almost idyllic. Green bushes in bloom. Trees swaying in the breeze. A few patients strolled slowly through the garden, arm in arm with nurses or family members. Some sat on benches, enjoying the warm weather.

It was peaceful…and unbearably sad. Because not everyone outside would survive. Some of them were here to die. And even those who lived…what future would they be stepping into? What was the point of surviving in a world that didn’t belong to you anymore? A world where one man, one guy, could crush continents if he felt like it? We were already prisoners. Even if he hadn't taken control yet, we were living under the shadow of inevitability.

I dug my fingers into my hair, pressing my palms against my face, trying to quiet the storm building inside me. I wanted to fight. I wanted to stop him. But how? How could one powerless girl stand against someone like him? I wasn’t even sure the world’s strongest heroes could.

And yet… maybe they could.
My thoughts drifted. To Robot. To Atom Eve. To the Guardians of the Globe. They weren’t like the heroes from my world, but they were strong. Smart. Determined. They hadn’t given up. Not yet.

In my universe, even with everything they’d done, even with all their efforts, we lost. There had been more Viltrumites back then, two of them to be exact. And still, people fought. They refused to surrender.
But here… here, there was only one.
One Viltrumite.
Just one.
Maybe, just maybe, this world still had a chance.

I dropped my hands slowly, heart pounding with something unfamiliar: hope.
“If I could reach them,” I whispered. “If I could contact Atom Eve, or Robot, or anyone who still believed in doing the right thing…” My breath caught in my throat. “…Maybe they could stop him.”

The real problem, of course, was how to contact them. Heroes like Atom Eve or the Guardians of the Globe didn’t just show up because someone asked nicely. They only responded to large-scale threats…things that shattered skylines, made the news, and left entire cities scrambling to recover.

And Atom Eve... well, she hadn’t been in the news for a while. That silence gnawed at me.
Was she just laying low? Had she retired? Or…god forbid…had something happened to her? Maybe she’d lost her powers? That would be a catastrophe. Her ability to manipulate matter at will was possibly the only advantage we had. If she hadn’t them in this version of the world, then...then maybe this dimension didn’t stand a chance either.

"It takes something really serious to get the Guardians of the Globe involved," I murmured under my breath, resting my chin on my palm. My fingers tapped lightly against my cheek as I stared blankly at the TV screen, my thoughts miles away.

Something big. Something dangerous. Something that would make them drop everything and come running….But not too dangerous. Not something that would actually hurt anyone. Especially not the patients in this hospital, people already clinging to life. I couldn’t be responsible for any more suffering, no matter how desperate I was.

Still... it was becoming painfully clear: if I wanted their attention, I’d have to play the villain. Just for a little while. Set the stage, create a believable threat, enough to make them come to me.
I swallowed hard, shame rising in my throat like bile.
A fire: maybe that would do it. A blaze in the east wing, spreading fast. A panicked evacuation. A girl at the center of it all. People screaming. Nurses running for safety….yeah, that would definitely make headlines. But people could die.
I shut my eyes and let out a long breath through my nose. “No. No way... That’s not an option.”

I leaned forward, elbows on my knees, and buried my face in my hands. My brain was running in circles. There had to be another way…something believable, urgent, but safe. A bluff that looked just real enough to trigger the right response. Then something clicked.
“A bomb,” I whispered, eyes widening. “A bomb in the hospital basement...” It was just an idea. Just smoke and mirrors. But it might work.

I leapt to my feet and darted to the window. My breath fogged up the glass as I looked down into the courtyard. If I played it right, I could spark enough panic to clear the hospital. No real threat. Just the illusion of one: an anonymous tip, a suspicious device, a perfectly timed fire alarm. The Guardians would have no choice but to investigate. And when they arrived…I’d be there, waiting.
It was reckless. Stupid, even…but it might be the only chance I had.

My thoughts were still spinning when the door creaked open behind me. I turned sharply, heart leaping in my throat…but it was just my parents. My mom stepped inside first, holding a small plastic container: homemade cake. Behind her, my dad entered with a tired smile and settled into the plastic chair by the bed. The tension in my shoulders eased, but only slightly.

“What are you doing by the window, sweetheart?” my mom asked gently. “You should be resting after all those tests.”

“I just needed some air,” I replied, moving back to sit on the edge of the bed. “The view helps me think.”
She came closer, handing me the container without another word. I opened it slowly. Chocolate cake, her signature. It was sweet of her, I supposed…comforting, even. But that didn’t mean I could let my guard down. “Thanks…” I mumbled, taking a small bite.

My dad leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. “How are the tests going? You feeling okay?”

I shrugged. “They said my results are... strange. Like I never had leukemia at all.” His eyebrows pulled together in concern, but he didn’t say anything. I continued, trying to sound casual. “They’re comparing everything: my old test results, the treatments I got over the years, how often, how intense… everything. They’re trying to figure out how this is even possible.”

“A long process, huh?” he said, glancing toward my mom. Her face was unreadable. She stood quietly beside the bed, smiling faintly…but there was something off, something in her eyes. She looked at me the way people look at a puzzle missing its final piece. Like she didn’t quite believe I was real. “They told us they’ll need at least a month before they discharge you,” she said softly, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear as if I were five years old again.

A month? Panic flickered in my chest. That was too long. I didn’t have a month. Every second that passed was another second closer to disaster…and no one else could see it coming.

“In the meantime…” she dug into her purse and pulled out a small white box. “Remember what I promised you during your last check-up? I finally found one. I’ve been spending more time here…just in case something happened.”

I frowned. “But visiting hours are strict. You’re only allowed in for part of the day. Why were you here all the time? Why not go home? Get some sleep?”

She didn’t answer. She just handed me the box. I opened it slowly: inside was a sleek new phone. Brand new, high-tech, probably expensive.
My fingers hovered over the screen. Something about this felt... wrong. Still, I started setting it up. My parents watched me in silence, their presence suddenly feeling more like surveillance than support.

What did she mean, ‘in case something happened to me? The tests weren’t dangerous. At least, they weren’t supposed to be. Everything I was going through now had already happened…to the other version of me. The one from this world. Unless she was worried about something else. Unless she thought... he might come back.

My fingers froze on the screen.
What if she wasn’t just worried? What if she knew something I didn’t? What if she was on his side?
I forced myself to keep a neutral expression as my mind spiraled through worst-case scenarios. I couldn’t trust anyone…not completely, not anymore.

It was one of the newest models. Sleek, fast, expensive. I turned it over in my hands, letting my fingers trace the polished edge of the phone, pretending not to feel the quiet weight of suspicion settling in my chest. How the hell could they afford this?
I knew what my father did: police captain, respected, sure, but not exactly raking in luxury-level money. And my mother? She hadn’t worked a day since I’d known her. No job. No paycheck. Just home all day, doing chores, playing the devoted wife.

But those tests I’d undergone over the years weren’t cheap. Specialists, labs, machines that scanned your cells like they were pages in a book. Every visit, every overnight stay, every whispered conversation with a white coat... it all added up. Thousands, maybe tens of thousands of dollars. And yet their house still looked like it came straight out of a showroom. Every piece of furniture designer, every surface spotless.

It didn’t make sense, none of it did. “It’s really nice,” I said at last, forcing a grateful smile as I looked up. “I love it, thank you.”
They both relaxed a little, visibly reassured by my reaction. But my mind was already spiraling elsewhere. I needed out. “But I can’t stay here for a month,” I added quickly, clutching the phone just a little tighter. “I have to enroll in college. Midterms are right around the corner. Applications too. If I don’t show up in person... that’s it. I miss my window.”

They exchanged a glance. That kind of glance parents think you won’t notice: quiet, short, heavy with unspoken things.
“We know,” my dad said gently, his voice low and apologetic. “But there’s nothing we can do. I’ve talked to the staff…every single one of them. They’re firm about this, they won’t discharge you. Not yet…”

My breath caught in my throat. That couldn't be true. It shouldn’t be true. “This is illegal,” I snapped, fists clenched in my lap. “I’m not a minor anymore. I have rights. They can’t just keep me here against my will! I can decide for myself!”
I could feel the frustration bubbling up inside me, hot and sharp. It was suffocating. I couldn’t breathe in this place. Couldn’t think. Couldn’t move.

College wasn’t just some random goal: it was the only place I might be safe. Invincible might not think to look for me there. Or maybe he’d assume I wasn’t bold enough to show up. The hospital wasn’t a secret. If he really wanted to find me... this was the first place he’d check. What if he’d sat in these very halls, accompanied her during treatment? Watched the layout, memorized every exit? I wasn’t safe here. Not even close.

“We really tried everything, sweetheart,” my mom said, her voice soft, her hand sliding over mine. Her touch was warm, steady…comforting, in theory. “If we could’ve taken you home, we would’ve. I promise.”
Then she tilted her head, brows pulling slightly. “But... don’t you want to help people? People like you? These tests could lead to real change, real breakthroughs. That’s what you always said, isn’t it? That you wanted to make a difference?”

I hesitated. “I know, Mom, I remember.” My voice came out quieter. “But college can help me. I could learn something useful. Make new connections. Even run into Amber. I need...” I paused, then looked down. “I need a fresh start. Away from this.”

She didn’t answer. Just stared at me, like she wanted to believe me—but didn’t. The silence between us stretched like a tightrope.
My dad finally stepped in. “Amber! Hey, that’s your friend, right?” He smiled like he was trying to pull us out of the tension. “Have you reached out to her yet?”

I blinked at him. Really?
“I just got the phone today.”

“Riiight...” he mumbled, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly.

The rest of the visit passed in quiet waves. Small talk, forced laughter, the usual. No one mentioned the elephant in the room: the invisible cage I was being held in.

When they finally left, I waited. Fifteen minutes. Just enough time for the “guards”, nurses, doctors, whatever they were, to shift focus. I didn’t have another test scheduled for two hours. That gave me a small window. And I planned to use every second of it.
I slid on the oversized hospital hoodie and cracked my door open. The hallway was mostly clear. No staff, no visitors. Just pale lights and sterile silence.
I stepped out, closing the door quietly behind me, and moved fast.

The hospital was a maze…corridors that looked identical, walls plastered with confusing signage. I stopped at every intersection, squinting at arrows and names I didn’t recognize. “Seriously?” I muttered under my breath. “They stuck me in the most isolated room in the entire hospital?” It felt intentional. Like they’d wanted to keep me out of sight. Hide me. Like some kind of... experiment.

To get to the admissions area, I’d have to cross the courtyard. That’s where they did all the real stuff: surgeries, diagnostics, bloodwork. If I wanted to stage my little performance, I had to make it there first.
But then “Miss L/N?”
I froze.
The voice came from behind me. A nurse, maybe mid-thirties, holding several vials of blood samples. Her expression was surprised, more confused than angry. “What are you doing out of your room?”

My heart jumped into my throat. Time to bluff.
“I was just...” I turned around, trying to summon the most casual expression I could. “Heading to the café. In the other building, right? I thought I’d grab something warm.” I gave her a tight-lipped smile.

She blinked, then smiled in return. But it didn’t reach her eyes. “You know we can bring you anything you want, dear. You’re not allowed to leave the building. We’re here to take care of you-”
I ran. Didn’t wait for her to finish. Didn’t think. I just bolted. Her voice shouted behind me, echoing down the hall “Miss L/N!” but my legs were already moving, heart hammering against my ribs.

I pushed myself harder, lungs burning with every breath. I didn’t care where I was going, didn’t care what signs I passed. I just needed away.
Then, suddenly- doctors. Three of them stepped into the corridor ahead, blocking the exit. I didn’t slow down. I veered to the left and slammed my shoulder into a metal cart full of vials and syringes. It toppled with a crash, scattering samples across the floor.
Maybe some of them were mine, didn’t matter.

I didn’t stop. I couldn’t stop.
“Stop her!” The shout echoed off the sterile white walls, followed by a thundering of footsteps.

I barely made it five more steps before two nurses lunged at me from opposite sides, grabbing my arms with practiced strength and dragging me to the floor. The cold linoleum pressed against my back as they pinned me down, their grips unrelenting. They had me.

But this wasn’t over. Not even close.
This was only the beginning.
I twisted in their hold, gasping like a frightened animal. “Please listen to me! You don’t understand!” I cried, forcing tears to gather at the corners of my eyes. My voice shook as I channeled every ounce of panic I could fake. “There’s a bomb in the hospital!”

Silence dropped like a stone. The nurses froze.
“A bomb?” one of them repeated, eyes wide with disbelief. The younger of the two loosened her grip instinctively, glancing at her colleague. “Did she just say-”

“Where is it?” another voice asked, urgent.
But not everyone was so easily rattled.

“Oh, come on. She’s clearly making this up.” Great. At least not all of them were gullible. I’d have to push harder.

“I swear…I swear on everything I love!” I shouted, breath hitching. “I saw a guy, he looked... off. He was running down my hallway just minutes ago! He had something in his hands! I think he planted it in the basement. You have to believe me, call the cops, evacuate the hospital, please! If we don’t act now, people are going to die!”

Another pause. The air crackled with tension.

One of the nurses looked at me, then at the others, visibly torn. “We have procedures for this. We can’t just ignore a threat like that.”

“Screw procedures,” said another, already dialing. “I’m calling 911.”

A second nurse jumped into action. “We’ll need backup, now.”

Voices rose around me like a tidal wave: shouting, frantic orders, radio static blaring. Everyone was moving, arguing, scrambling to respond. That was my moment. In the chaos, I slipped out of their grasp like water through cupped hands. No one noticed, too busy reacting, too overwhelmed by the lie I’d just planted.

I sprinted. The emergency exit sign glowed like salvation. “Finally!” I gasped as I shoved the heavy door open and stumbled into the courtyard. The cool air hit me like a slap, but I didn’t stop. People milled about the courtyard: nurses on break, visitors clutching coffee cups, a child playing with a balloon.

I didn’t hesitate. I raised my voice and screamed, “There’s a bomb in the hospital! Get out, get out now!” Heads turned, some blinked at me in confusion, a few laughed nervously, unsure if I was serious. But I didn’t stop. “I’m not kidding! You need to evacuate! Go! Run!” I kept shouting, again and again, as I ran toward the main building’s entrance.

It was like lighting a fuse.
Skepticism turned to fear, people scattered in every direction, pushing past one another, shoving chairs out of the way. Bags hit the ground. Screams erupted. Someone dropped their phone. Another tripped and had to be dragged up by a friend. It worked. Chaos bloomed around me like fire in dry grass. And I ran straight into the heart of it.

The lobby inside was enormous: full of echo and tension, it was packed shoulder to shoulder with patients, doctors, families. A kid was crying in the corner. A woman clutched a clipboard to her chest.
“There’s a bomb in the basement! You need to evacuate right now!” I screamed again, my voice hoarse.

Dozens of heads turned in my direction. I could feel their fear, their uncertainty. It hung in the air like thick fog. And then, right on cue, a sharp beep sounded overhead. The emergency speaker crackled to life.
“Code Black. Initiate evacuation protocol. Repeat: Code Black.”

That was it. Panic detonated.
People surged toward the doors like a wave crashing through a narrow canyon. I was jostled and thrown, caught in the tide of elbows and bodies. Someone’s bag hit me in the ribs, right where my bruises hadn’t healed. I winced, nearly lost my balance, but kept going. Pain didn't matter. Not now. I had to get to the basement.

I let myself be carried back out into the courtyard, where the chaos had fully spread. Dozens, maybe hundreds, were fleeing now, like ants from a kicked nest. I spun around, eyes scanning for any entrance that wasn’t being flooded with terrified civilians.
“Come on, come on...” There! A white maintenance door tucked beneath an overhang. No crowd. No cameras. Perfect.
I shoved my way against the current, muttering apologies I didn’t mean, forcing myself toward that door. It was locked. Of course. I cursed under my breath, eyes darting around until they landed on a jagged piece of metal near the bushes. Probably part of some construction debris. I grabbed it without thinking, jammed it into the door’s lock, and wrenched until it clicked.

The door swung open. Inside, the hallway was dark and humming with the low buzz of fluorescent lights. One of them flickered, casting everything in a sickly glow.
I pulled the door shut behind me and took off running, my footsteps echoing. The air was colder here, laced with disinfectant and something metallic.

Stairs. I found them at the end of the hall.
I didn’t hesitate, just started descending, two steps at a time, heart pounding like a drum in my chest.

Down.
Down.
Down.

Finally, I reached the bottom.
A massive yellow door stood before me, clearly marked with bold black letters:
STORAGE / RESTRICTED ACCESS.
This was it. The basement.
Behind this door were piles of waste bins, sterile disposal units, and a stockpile of medical resources that matched the size and importance of the facility. Enough to last through a siege. Or... enough to make something disappear quietly, without a trace.
I reached for the handle. This was where things would really begin. I flipped the switch.

For a moment, nothing happened, just a heavy silence pressing in on me like a second skin, then, with a sharp flicker, the overhead lights buzzed to life one by one, bathing the space in a sterile, flickering glow. My breath caught in my throat.

It was like stepping into some sort of forgotten cathedral, all steel and silence. Cold gray walls stretched out endlessly, lined with rows upon rows of industrial shelving. Each one was stacked high with cardboard boxes and sealed crates, hundreds of them…no… thousands. The entire basement stretched beneath the hospital like a hidden world. Tucked away. Unseen. Vast.

I craned my neck to look up at the ceiling, which seemed miles above me. My voice came out as a breathless whisper. “This place is… huge.”
But I didn’t have the luxury of standing around in awe.
I had a job to do and not much time to do it.

I needed to be found somewhere noticeable. Somewhere that couldn’t be ignored. Somewhere that would look suspicious enough to draw attention, but not so suspicious that they’d immediately realize I was bluffing. The center of the basement would work. It was far enough in to feel secretive, but visible enough to sell the story. If I stacked a few boxes to look like a hidden explosive… maybe that would be enough. Not perfect, just believable.

But then came the harder part.
What would I do when they showed up? How would I act? What would I say? If they found me alone in a place like this, would they immediately assume I was behind it all? Some unhinged lunatic who’d orchestrated the chaos? Would they take me down on sight, ask questions later? Or would they look at me and see someone scared and cornered? A victim. A civilian. A girl out of her depth.

I couldn’t predict that. I had to be prepared for all of it. I needed backup plans, alternate explanations, escape routes…anything that would keep me from freezing when the moment came. Swallowing hard, I forced myself to move.

The boxes weren’t light. I dug my fingers under one and tugged, grunting with the effort. My muscles strained. They barely budged. I gave up trying to look effortless and instead leaned my full weight into dragging them. Eventually, I managed to shift three into a rough cluster. It looked messy. Desperate. Almost convincing.

That was when I heard it.
A sound, barely audible over the hum of the lights, but unmistakable. A soft whoosh of movement. Controlled. Quick. Someone flying through the aisles, smooth as silk. My breath hitched.

They were here.

I dropped down beside the boxes, adrenaline surging through my veins. My mind raced. I still didn’t know what kind of expression to wear: terror, confidence, guilt, helplessness? I abandoned the idea of choosing and let instinct take the reins.
“Help!” I shouted, my voice breaking as I forced panic into my tone. “The bomb!”
The footsteps, no, the flight, slowed. Hovering. Searching for the source of the cry.

Had to be Atom Eve. Perfect.

“It was Invincible! He did it!” I figured I’d get ahead of the narrative. If I sounded afraid enough, if I looked helpless enough, maybe she’d buy it. Maybe she’d hesitate long enough for the rest to fall into place.
I stayed still, lowering myself to the ground with my hands clasped behind my back, as if I’d been tied up. I even let out a few shaky breaths, adding the illusion of a breakdown.
“Invincible planted the bomb! He wants to kill me…and everyone else!”

Then I heard it. A voice that made my entire body lock up: low, furious, familiar.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

I didn’t turn around. I couldn’t.
My heart dropped. No.
Not her. Him.
Why was he here? Why wasn’t it the Guardians? Why wasn’t it Eve?
What did this mean?

“Still trying to make me look like the bad guy?” he snarled, his voice cut like a blade. He was hovering behind me, the weight of his presence sinking into my spine like a loaded gun pointed at the back of my neck.

My breathing picked up, shallow and frantic. I could feel sweat sliding down the side of my face, my palms clammy, my chest tight with panic.
But I couldn’t shut down. Not now.
I forced my voice to work. I didn’t let it tremble. “I told you I wouldn’t let you kill my people,” I said, each word deliberate, measured. Despite the chaos inside me, my voice came out steady…stronger than I felt. “I can’t stop you on my own. But who said I have to do it alone?”

In a blink, he was in front of me.
He didn’t move like a person, more like a storm, his cape still floated weightlessly, suspended by some invisible force, even though he stood perfectly still, arms crossed. His dark goggles gleamed under the fluorescent light, hiding his eyes, his expression. It made him unreadable. Untouchable. My stomach twisted.

“What exactly were you trying to do?” he barked. “You caused mass panic. This hospital was thrown into chaos. People fled in terror. Terminal patients who couldn’t even be moved were put in danger because of you!” His words hit like gunfire. Sharp. Precise. Merciless. He said it like it was fact. Like he believed it. But how could I trust that he wasn’t twisting the truth? How could I know this wasn’t another tactic…another performance, to make me feel guilty?

I clenched my jaw “Don't act like you care about those people! This is all your fault, admit it!” I snapped. “Go on, say you’re planning to take over the planet in front of the whole world, and my debt will be paid!” I was locked so deep in the role I hadn’t even noticed I was still kneeling, hands behind me, legs stiff against the cold concrete.

“You wouldn’t stop there,” he muttered. His voice dropped to something more dangerous, quieter, but filled with venom. “You want me gone.”

And there it was. He finally understood.
“Of course I want you gone,” I spat. “You’re a threat to society!” My body jerked forward, fueled by instinct, by fury, by fear. I leaned toward him, like I wanted to scream in his face. But he didn’t flinch. He didn’t move. To him, I wasn’t a threat, I was just a bug. A bug he could crush at any moment. And he knew it.

“I’ve had enough of this.” His voice was low, lethal. Each syllable cut through the heavy silence like a blade. He dropped from the air with force, boots slamming against the concrete. The impact echoed through the vast basement, reverberating off metal walls and endless rows of crates. He stalked toward me, eyes hidden behind those dark lenses, but I could still feel the fury radiating off him.

I scrambled backward on instinct, palms scraping against the floor until my back collided with the cardboard boxes. My breath caught. Trapped. He didn’t stop. “If I kill you now,” he said, tone almost casual, like we were discussing the weather, “and blow up this hospital… your parents will think you died in the explosion. They’ll never know the bomb was fake.”

His words rolled off his tongue like they meant nothing. But to me, they hit like a sledgehammer. I knew that voice…that tone: detached, practical, cruel. It reminded me of something. Of a certain someone.
I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to meet his gaze, even if I couldn’t see his eyes. “Oh, so that’s your plan?” I snapped, venom lacing my words. “You’re going to kill me the same way you killed her? My variant?” I tilted my head slightly, keeping my voice razor-sharp. “Am I doomed to die the same interdimensional death? Help me out here…I’m just trying to understand.”

I wanted to get under his skin. To make him feel something. Guilt, remorse…anything. Especially after he’d spoken so callously of the other version of me. One he’d already erased from existence. But he didn’t flinch. Didn’t pause. Didn’t care. Killing me wouldn't weigh on him. If anything, it might ease whatever conscience he still had left.

His elbow rose.
His fist clenched.
He was going to do it.
And he would have…if something hadn’t stopped him.
A voice rang out from above. Metallic. Controlled. Unfazed. “Omni-Invincible.” The sound bounced through the basement like a gunshot. A blur of orange dropped from the steel beams high above, landing with a metallic thud that shook the floor. Dust kicked up around him. The figure straightened, the glow of polished orange armor reflecting the harsh overhead lights.

Robot.
For a split second, I couldn’t breathe. Relief, confusion, and terror mixed in my chest. If Robot was here, then…the Guardians were here too.
Invincible slowly lowered his arm. Not because he was afraid…but because he didn’t have to be afraid. He was confident, even with witnesses.

“I see you’ve found a civilian,” Robot said calmly, stepping forward. His voice was steady. Mechanical. Impossible to read, but not immediately accusatory. That gave me hope.

“Yeah, but she’s fine,” Invincible said, waving a dismissive hand in my direction. “There’s no bomb. She made the whole thing up.” He didn’t even look at me as he said it, just pointed, like I was some exhibit at a museum. A curiosity. A freak show.

Robot tilted his head slightly, green optics flickering. “Forgive me, but I don’t quite understand what you mean by that.” His voice was mild. Almost soothing in its neutrality. Unlike Invincible, Robot wasn’t here to make threats, he was here to gather information. And more importantly, he was no fool. Working with the GDA, he had seen things. He knew how dangerous Invincible could become. Knew better than to take him at his word.

“She’s trying to frame me,” Invincible muttered darkly.

That was it. I was done staying silent.
“I’m not framing anyone!” I shouted, my voice echoing off the cold walls. “I’m telling the truth!”
I pushed myself to my feet, fists clenched, heart pounding. “I’m trying to save the world! He’s the one who wants to destroy it! He’s going to follow in his father’s footsteps…murder thousands!”

I turned to Robot, looking him square in the eyes, or what passed for them. “Please. I’m not a hero. I’m not strong. But you are. You and the Guardians…you’re the only ones who can stop him.” Robot didn’t respond right away. Just stood there, as if processing every word. I could almost see the calculations running through his circuits.

But Invincible didn’t give him time. “Yeah, sounds like another Powerplex situation,” he said, his voice dripping with contempt. “Let me guess. Lost a family member, needs someone to blame… Am I right? Chicago? Two years ago?” He knew exactly what to say to break me. And he did.

My chest tightened. My fists shook. I saw red.
Before I could stop myself, I launched forward, screaming, hitting him with everything I had. Punch after punch rained down on his chest. They landed with dull, useless thuds, like fists striking concrete. He didn’t even try to defend himself. Maybe because he knew I couldn’t hurt him. Or maybe because he wanted to watch me try. “You bastard!” I shrieked. “You monster! You’re going to hand this planet over to Viltrum…I know it!”

I slapped him across the face. He didn’t move.
Robot still stood in silence. Observing.
“She’s unstable,” Invincible said. “A danger to others.”
He grabbed the front of my hoodie and yanked me back. My feet dragged along the floor as I fought him, teeth bared, clawing at his wrist. “Not a threat to us, obviously,” he added. “But to everyone else? Definitely.”

“I would never hurt innocent people!” I yelled, thrashing in his grip. “You’re the one who needs to disappear from this planet!” In desperation, I latched onto his gloved wrist with both hands and sank my teeth into the fabric, trying to pierce through to the skin. He didn’t even flinch. “What do you think, Robot?” he asked, voice bored now. “Let her go… or toss her in prison?”

Robot took a moment. Processing.
His lenses flicked toward me. Then toward Invincible.
Finally, he spoke. “Considering the circumstances, the damage to the hospital, the panic caused, the unnecessary involvement of law enforcement and Guardians alike…” His voice was flat. Icy. Mechanical “…prison seems the most appropriate option.”
There was no empathy. No emotion. Just calculated judgment. The kind that stung worse than any punch.

I wanted to scream. To beg. To explain more.
But I knew it wouldn’t matter. Invincible, on the other hand, looked oddly… disappointed. As if he’d expected a different verdict. As if he’d hoped Robot might be harsher. Or perhaps, deeper down, he hadn’t wanted me locked away at all. But none of that changed the outcome. I was alone. Powerless. And they had made their decision.

“Robot! Please… you have to believe me…at least you!” My voice cracked with desperation, barely holding back tears. “I lived through it. Invincible… and his father, they destroyed Earth. I know the truth, Robot. You have to listen!” My chest tightened, and a sting of tears blurred my vision. Was this really how it was going to end? Locked away, branded a criminal for trying to warn them? All I wanted was to build an alliance to stop him. The only chance we had left.

But Robot’s response was calm, almost clinical, as if my pain was irrelevant. “I’m afraid you’re mistaken,” he said quietly. “Omni Man was killed by Omni-Invincible before he could do any more damage. You must be confusing this with the Chicago incident. But at that time, Omni-Invincible was doing everything in his power to stop his father, despite the casualties.” He paused. His voice dropped to an almost final tone. “Omni-Invincible is entirely innocent. In fact, he’s been assisting us for the past two years.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Even Robot had fallen for his carefully constructed mask? “Omni-Man saved lives for years too,” I snapped bitterly, “and look how that turned out!”
Invincible finally released me. My feet hit the cold floor, solid and steady. I squared my shoulders and faced Robot directly.
“Robot,” I said, voice firm despite the exhaustion clawing at my throat, “if you care even a little about the survival of humanity, you have to find a way to stop him.”

Invincible let out a low chuckle, a smirk playing across his lips. “A way to stop me? That’s adorable. I don’t have any weaknesses.”

Robot stepped forward, extending a hand toward me in an almost courteous gesture. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, we need to escort you out of the hospital.”
Invincible’s eyes never left the gesture, sharp and watchful as a hawk surveying its prey. “You’ll be taken to headquarters for questioning,” he added coolly.

But I refused his hand, crossing my arms stubbornly as if I were a child in protest. “Not a chance. I’m staying right here. I’m not throwing my life away in some damn prison.”

The two of them exchanged a brief, confused glance.
“You’ve already ruined the lives of several patients and their families with this pathetic stunt,” Invincible said with infuriating calm, as if that justified everything. “It’s clearly your fault.”

I clenched my fists, biting back a scream. That was exactly what he wanted: me broken, reduced to a hysterical wreck. Instead, I spat on the floor in front of him. “I hope you die soon, asshole.”
Before I could react, Robot’s metal arm was around me, lifting me over his shoulder with effortless strength. I struggled, but it was no use.
Dragging me toward the exit, I muttered bitterly, “You really disappoint me, Robot…” And no matter how much I fought, I was powerless to break free.

Chapter Text

Two Years Ago – Current Dimension

Prom night…it was finally here.
I had spent hours picking out the perfect dress: something elegant, something soft that didn’t scream look at me, but still made me feel like I belonged in a place where people did look. And it actually looked... good, better than I’d expected.

The event officially started at five, just the standard school gathering stuff, mostly a meet-and-greet with awkward photos and forced punch conversations. Everyone knew the real party wouldn’t start until around eight. Still, we had to show up early. Part of the ritual, I guess.

I was nervous. Stupidly, embarrassingly nervous.
And the worst part? I couldn’t even pin down exactly why. Maybe it was the way I looked: the dress was unlike anything I normally wore: soft pastel, short-sleeved, flaring slightly above the knees with subtle lace details. It was feminine. It was vulnerable.

But maybe... it wasn’t the dress. Maybe it was the bruises.

Some of them were going to be visible for the first time…my arms, the backs of my legs…there wasn’t enough fabric to hide all of them tonight, and makeup could only do so much. I had spent so long hiding the signs, making sure no one asked questions, no one jumped to conclusions. No rumors about abuse. No whispered accusations. No sympathy I didn’t ask for.

But standing in front of the mirror, smoothing down the skirt one last time, all the logic in the world couldn’t quiet the pounding in my chest. Because somewhere in that storm of thoughts, he appeared again…

Invincible.

He said he might stop by. Not exactly a promise, I knew that. But I’d asked him right after he saved my life, when my heart was still racing from more than just adrenaline…and he’d said he’d try. That was enough. Enough to imagine things. Enough to hope.

Maybe that was my mistake. Hoping.

I hadn’t bothered finding a backup date after his vague “maybe”, I told myself I didn’t care…but the truth? I didn’t want anyone else. It felt like he was coming for me, and I held on to that. I built the night around it, like if I believed hard enough, maybe it would come true.

I just didn’t want to be the only girl left standing during the slow song: there was always a slow song. It was tradition. Something cheesy and overplayed would echo across the gym floor, and suddenly everyone would pair off like a scene from a coming-of-age movie.

I didn’t know exactly how to slow dance, I wasn’t even sure I wanted to try in front of everyone else. But skipping it meant skipping the moment. The one that made Prom feel real.
And honestly? I didn’t want to end up paired with another loner just because we were the last two wallflowers left. I know…that sounds cruel, but at least we’d have that in common?

A sharp honk broke through my thoughts.

Laura and Amber were outside waiting, already in the car. Laura was the only one with a license, and her mom had generously handed over the keys for the night. She’d promised to bring us home no matter how late it got, said she didn’t want any of our parents having to roll out of bed to come get us.

I hovered in the doorway, frozen. My fingers clutched my clutch like it was a lifeline. I told myself to move, to step outside, to breathe.

It’ll be fine. You’ll have fun. It’ll be the best night of your life.

I inhaled slowly and opened my eyes. They were still out there, Amber and Laura, laughing, glowing, beautiful…Amber’s makeup shimmered in the twilight, that green eyeshadow perfectly matching her dress and making her eyes pop. She looked flawless.
And me?

I looked like... this.

The doubt hit me like a punch. I was already regretting the bare sleeves, the short hem. Already regretting being seen.

“Come on, Y/N! We don’t have all night!” Laura shouted from the open window, impatience mixing with excitement. I realized I’d been standing there for longer than I thought. Probably a full minute, maybe more.

Behind me, I felt the warmth of a hand on my arm. I turned, my mom was smiling gently. “It’s your big night, sweetheart. Go have fun,” she said softly, pressing a kiss to my cheek. I tried to smile back, and it didn’t feel fake. Not entirely.
“If anything happens, call us, okay? You know your dad and I are here. Always.” Even if Dad was working late, I knew he'd come, he always did, no matter the time, no matter how far. He’d show up.

“I will,” I murmured, adjusting my purse strap.

I stepped off the porch and headed to the car. Laura gave a little cheer when I opened the door, and Amber turned in her seat to beam at me.
“Well, well! So you did settle on something to wear.” Her eyes scanned me with playful approval.

“Barely,” I said, climbing into the backseat. “It was a whole thing. A crisis, actually. Are you sure it was the right call not to cover up?” My hands were sweating. I wiped my palms on my dress, already regretting it.

Laura glanced at me through the rearview mirror.
“Since when do you care what people think?” she teased. “It’s prom, Y/N. Everyone’s gonna be too busy dancing and partying to notice anything.”
I flinched. Just a little. I wanted to be noticed. Just... not for that.

“And didn’t you say you wanted to impress Invincible?” Amber chimed in, her grin widening.

Instant blush. I buried my face in my clutch.
“What if he doesn’t like me?” I blurted. “What if he sees me and just... regrets even saying he might come? I mean, look at me! I look like I lost a fight!”

Amber smiled “The dress is beautiful. You’re beautiful. And anyone who doesn’t see that? Not worth your time.”

“She’s right,” Laura added, pulling onto the road. “And honestly, Invincible doesn’t seem like the type to judge someone over a few bruises. That guy literally flies around saving people, he’s probably seen worse.”

I raised an eyebrow at her. “He flies. That’s not a personality trait, Laura. That’s a superpower. What does that have to do with my immune system trying to kill me?”

“Well, superpower or not, it’s still something that sets him apart,” Laura said, her voice tentative, as if she wasn’t sure whether she was making things better or worse. “Kind of like your leukemia.”
I blinked, not quite believing she’d said it out loud. She must’ve noticed my expression, because she rushed to add, “I don’t mean that in a bad way! I just think... a lot of superheroes have powers that could work against them. Not all powers are blessings, you know?”

The words hung awkwardly in the air. I knew she was only bringing up Invincible because she knew I was supposed to see him tonight. But what she said didn’t make much sense…not to me. There was nothing tragic about Invincible’s powers: no visible flaw, no fatal downside. He could fly, he had super strength. He was literally…invincible. Those abilities weren’t going to kill him. They weren’t double-edged swords.

“What Laura meant,” Amber jumped in quickly, clearly trying to do damage control, “is that you and Invincible might have something in common. You both have... unique qualities.”

I didn’t even bother to hide the look I gave her.
They were reaching now. And this…this was exactly why I never wanted them to know about the leukemia in the first place. They weren’t being cruel, I knew that, but they didn’t get it. They couldn’t. They had no idea how isolating it was when people tried to include you with these clumsy, pity-filled metaphors. It never felt sincere. Just... forced.

Before they knew, I felt like I truly belonged in our trio, like I wasn’t different. Now I was the exception, the fragile one. The burden.

“‘Qualities’ isn’t really the right word for what I have,” I said quietly, not quite looking at them. “Having chronic leukemia isn’t exactly a fun fact.”
I turned to the window, furrowing my brows as I stared out at the blur of passing buildings and trees. I didn’t want them to see my face. The last round of test results hadn’t been good. My life expectancy had dropped again: what used to be six months was now down to three. Just three.

Time was folding in on itself, faster and faster. Between classes and constant medical appointments, it felt like I was living on borrowed seconds. I’d already stopped thinking about college. There was no point planning for a future I wouldn’t reach.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw them exchange a glance. That guilty look people get when they realize they’ve said too much, or too little, or just the wrong thing entirely. They apologized, softly. Said they didn’t mean it that way. I told them it was fine. That I didn’t care.

But the truth? I just didn’t care as much…anymore. Not enough to be hurt. Not enough to argue.

Laura, ever the mood-saver, switched gears like she always did when conversations veered into uncomfortable territory. “So, Amber,” she said, forcing brightness into her voice, “how are things with Mark? Has he told you what he’s wearing to prom? Any idea what color his suit will be?”

Amber smiled faintly, but her posture remained distant, her elbow propped against the car door, her head leaning into the window like she wanted to melt into it. “Probably something classic,” she said after a beat. “Black tux. Like every other guy. They don’t have a lot of options, really.”
There was a pause, and then she sighed.
“I just hope he doesn’t bail again. If he ghosts me tonight, we’re done.”

I leaned forward, trying to catch her eyes in the side mirror. “I don’t think he will,” I said gently. “He hasn’t missed a date in weeks, right? He’s been showing up. That has to count for something.”

She gave a small shrug, a hint of a smile playing on her lips. “Maybe. But just because he’s been good lately doesn’t mean he’s completely changed. Anyway, I’m going to prom to have fun with you two.” She glanced at Laura, then at me. “Like we said, it’s a celebration of friendship, not just couples.”
And then she turned toward me fully, a glint of mischief in her eyes as she added, “Although... some couples could be forming tonight.”

My cheeks flushed instantly. “Oh, come on,” I groaned, flinging myself forward dramatically. “He’s Invincible, Amber, why would he ever want to date me? He’s important. He’s literally a superhero. I’m... I’m just me.”

Amber laughed, and Laura chimed in from the driver’s seat without missing a beat. “He did say yes to your invitation.”

“He said maybe,” I corrected, gripping the headrest and leaning closer. “Not yes. Maybe means nothing. There’s still every chance he doesn’t show.”

“But when you told us, it sounded like a yes,” Amber teased, clearly loving every second of this.

I slumped back into the seat, feeling the heat rise to my face. My heart was thudding. My palms were clammy. Great…just what my dress needed.
“Honestly, I don’t even remember how that conversation went anymore,” I muttered. “If he shows up, cool. If not, whatever. I’ll survive.”

Amber wasn’t finished. “You do know he has a secret identity, right? What if tonight, after a couple dances, he pulls you aside and tells you who he really is? Like, what if he’s not in costume? What if he shows up in a tux, all mysterious, and you find out your prom date is actually Invincible?”

Laura burst into laughter. “Please! Imagine him in full superhero gear... with a tux jacket over it. Like, just casually blending in.”

I waved my arms toward Amber, exasperated. “Right! Because no one at school would notice a total stranger showing up to prom and dancing with one of the students! Not even the teachers! It’s totally normal!” I paused. “Besides... I don’t even know how old he is.”

They burst into laughter again, louder this time, and I could only cross my arms with a dramatic huff. Great. They weren’t going to stop teasing me any time soon. Honestly? I kind of had it coming. When the roles were reversed, when they were the ones swooning, I’d done the same. Teased them mercilessly.

Karma really was a bitch.

“Now that’s true love!” they squealed in perfect, horrifying unison. I seriously considered disappearing. Right there. Just vanish into thin air. Maybe the universe would open a sinkhole beneath me and spare me from further humiliation…but no such luck.

“But, seriously now,” Laura said, her tone shifting from playful to curious. “What exactly do you like about him?”

I blinked. Finally an actual question, a real one, not dipped in sarcasm or giggles.
The truth? I had no idea. It wasn’t something I could easily explain. I just… liked him. For reasons that weren’t crystal clear, even to me.

“Is it just because he’s a superhero?” Laura pushed gently, that mischievous glint returning to her eyes. “Or is it, like… a hidden quality only you noticed? Something no one else sees?”

I rolled my eyes, shaking my head. “Are you kidding me?”

They laughed again, so delighted to see me squirm, but once the initial wave of embarrassment passed, I took a breath and tried to give them a real answer. One that wasn’t just defensiveness or panic.
“I think…” I hesitated, fidgeting with the zipper on my bag. “I think he has a noble heart. I mean, when I thought about who to invite tonight, he just seemed like the right person. Someone who...deserved to celebrate. That’s all.”

Laura raised an eyebrow. “That’s it? Boring! I was hoping something had already happened between you two. You know, a moment, something romantic that lit a spark in your tiny, cold heart. Like Amber and Mark’s ‘meet-cute.’”

At the mention of her name, Amber perked up.
“Please,” she scoffed “Mark stood up for me against Todd once. That’s it, it wasn’t even that big a deal.”

“Not a big deal?” the blonde pressed. “You told us it made you feel something. Like it was the classic ‘damsel meets knight’ moment.”

Amber rolled her eyes hard enough to strain a muscle. “You do realize you’re comparing Mark to Invincible, right? That’s hilarious. Invincible would never stand me up the way Mark does.” Her tone sharpened, and she crossed her arms tightly across her chest. There was that tension again, always right below the surface with them lately.

I tried to defuse it. “Well… Invincible is a superhero. If duty calls, he can’t exactly blow it off to show up for a school dance.”

It was meant to be neutral, but Amber zeroed in on me like I’d just taken Mark’s side in a trial.
“Yeah, but Mark isn’t Invincible,” she snapped. “And his excuses? Pathetic. I’m sure if Invincible did have a girlfriend, he’d tell her the truth so she wouldn’t just be left guessing all the time.” Her voice rose with every word, filling the car with an edge I hadn’t expected.

I pressed my lips together, deciding that was enough from me. Anything else and I’d just be adding fuel to a fire that didn’t need my help.
Luckily, Laura spoke from behind the wheel, her eyes scanning for a parking spot near the school. “Come on, Amber. Secret identities exist for a reason. He can’t just go around revealing it to every girl he dates.”

Amber didn’t answer. The silence that followed was thick, like the air itself had turned solid. Laura and I exchanged a quick glance, both of us regretting we’d said anything. Amber’s mood hung over us like a cloud, and all I could do was hope that maybe, just maybe, the party would help us all forget about it.

Laura found a spot and pulled in smoothly. We stepped out in silence, walking shoulder to shoulder toward the school, the clack of our shoes against the pavement the only sound. I held my purse a little too tightly, my knuckles pale against the fabric. Probably the only outward sign of how weird I felt.
The entrance was already bustling: two desks stood outside like security checkpoints, staffed by a few of our teachers, there to collect our invites and check off names like we were at some kind of VIP gala.

Prom. Just high school prom. And yet they’d made it feel…oddly prestigious.

The gym was the main venue, but even the hallways leading there had been transformed. Colorful streamers and banners fluttered above us, student artwork and photos from past field trips covered the walls, glittery confetti clung to the floor, catching the light and colorful balloons everywhere. For a moment, I let myself smile. It actually felt like a real party.

Just before we stepped into the gym, Amber checked her phone. No sign of Mark. Her fingers flew across the screen: We’re here. Where are you? Are you already inside?

A voice called out before she got a reply. “Finally, you made it.” We turned as one.
Mark stood across the room, leaning casually near the refreshment table, dressed in a perfectly tailored black tux. He already had a drink in hand, and his gaze swept over the group landing on Amber first, then Laura, and finally... me.

We hadn’t really spoken since that argument. I’d been mad, maybe a little childish about it, but keeping my distance had helped me ignore the stupid crush I hadn’t quite shaken. But seeing him now didn’t help…

Amber rushed to him, throwing her arms around his neck before pressing a kiss to his lips.
I looked away. It wasn’t like I hadn’t seen them kiss before. We’d hung out as a group plenty of times, and they weren’t shy about PDA.
Even when I liked him, I’d dealt with it, managed to smile and laugh and pretend it didn’t sting. But tonight, it felt different. Like I was seeing them through new eyes, and I couldn’t quite figure out why…

Before I could think too hard about it, Laura’s boyfriend, Jack, showed up, and just like that, she disappeared into the crowd with him, leaving me standing alone.

So much for friendship night…

When Amber and Mark finally pulled apart, his gaze slid back to me and his expression changed. His eyes widened. “What happened to your body?” he asked, stepping closer. “Did someone hurt you?”

I stiffened, instinctively pulling my arm back. “It’s nothing. Just a few bruises.”

His brow furrowed. “They don’t look like ‘nothing’. Are you sure they’re just surface-level?”

Yep. I knew wearing this dress was a mistake…Laura and Amber had convinced me not to cover up, told me I looked amazing, that no one would notice.
But Mark noticed. And I knew he wouldn’t be the last tonight.

I forced a smile, pretending it didn’t matter.
But it did. “I’m fine, Mark. Really.” I crossed my arms tightly, like that would somehow reinforce the words I didn’t fully believe myself. I wasn’t fine, and I was definitely still mad at him. He didn’t get to act concerned now, not after how things had been between us.
And yet... earlier, in the car, when Amber was tearing into him with her usual sharp-tongued bitterness, I’d stepped in. Not fully defending him, maybe, but close enough. Close enough to confuse me.

I didn’t know what was wrong with me tonight.
He looked good, though. Too good.
That didn’t help.

Amber was glowing beside him, radiant in a way only people in love can manage. She was talking quickly, her hands moving with every word, eyes wide with hope. College dreams, maybe. Vacation plans. A shared future she clearly wanted to believe in.

But Mark…

He wasn’t matching her energy. Not even close.
His posture was stiff, arms crossed loosely in front of him, shoulders slightly hunched like he was trying to shrink into himself. He kept nodding at the right moments, but his eyes were scanning the room, flicking from face to face, never settling. He wasn’t listening, he wasn’t there.

And that... that bothered me more than I wanted to admit.

I’d been telling myself for weeks that I was over him. That I’d let go. That I’d grown past the crush that had crept up on me like an ambush. But standing here, watching him so obviously not care about someone who did, stirred something bitter in my chest.
It was disrespectful. Amber deserved better than to be ignored like that, especially at a party she’d been excited about for weeks.

And me? Well, I was alone, no surprise there.
I turned and made my way toward the buffet, hoping a distraction would help. The night was just beginning, but already I could feel the weight of it dragging at my shoulders.

The food looked amazing, to be fair: mini pizzas, little sandwiches, trays of colorful cupcakes, bowls overflowing with candy. All the drinks were clearly non-alcoholic, the school might’ve gone all out for decorations, but they weren’t about to risk their precious no-liability policy.
I grabbed a slice of pizza and slowly began nibbling at the edge, my eyes drifting back to the couple across the room.

Amber was still talking, still smiling, her hands brushing his arm as she laughed. But Mark?
Still closed off. Still distracted. Still distant.
He looked like he wanted to be anywhere but there.

The longer I watched, the more it rubbed me the wrong way. It wasn’t jealousy…not entirely, at least. It was frustration. Even if he probably didn’t love her anymore, especially if he didn’t, he owed her more than this. More than indifference.
Because even if I hadn’t gotten over him…even if a small, stupid part of me still hoped...that wasn’t how you treat someone you care about. Not even a little.

“They ditched you too, huh?” A voice behind me made me jump so hard I nearly dropped my plate. I spun around, and there he was.
William. Mark’s best friend. He stood casually, one hand in his pocket, the other holding a plastic cup of fruit punch. His suit looked almost identical to Mark’s, except for a faint embroidery detail near the cuffs, barely noticeable, but stylish.

I blinked at him in surprise, then managed a tight smile. “Yeah,” I said, shifting the plate to my other hand. “Looks like it.”

He glanced toward Mark and Amber, then back at me. I could tell the wheels were turning, he probably felt sorry for me…or maybe he was just bored and looking for company: his college boyfriend couldn’t make it tonight, after all. His eyes caught on the faint bruises along my arms. I saw the shock register in his face before he could hide it.

“It’s nothing serious,” I said quickly, cutting off whatever question was about to leave his lips. “But…thanks. For noticing.”

He nodded, but didn’t push. Another reason I liked William. He knew when to leave something alone.
We stood side by side for a minute, our attention drawn to the couple sitting on a makeshift bench near the other food table. It was too loud to hear anything, but the body language was enough.

“William,” I said quietly, “do you… do you know what’s going on with Mark tonight?”

He glanced at me, then followed my gaze back to his best friend. “Why? He doing something weird?”

I hesitated. “He just seems… off. Like, really off. Look at how he’s acting with Amber.”

William’s brow furrowed. He squinted toward the bench. “Huh. Yeah… now that you mention it...”

I could tell he was thinking, processing something. I finished the rest of my pizza, wiping my hands on a napkin as I watched him. He was hiding something. I could see it now, clear as day. “William?” I tilted my head. “What is it? You know something.”
He avoided my gaze, suddenly very interested in his drink. Took a long sip like it would erase the tension.
It didn’t. I waited, arms crossed, my silence pressing on him until he finally sighed in defeat.

He set his cup on the table behind us and gently rested his hands on my shoulders.
“Okay,” he whispered. “I promised Mark I wouldn’t say anything, but… I don’t think he’d care if you knew. Just… don’t tell Amber.”
I nodded quickly. He leaned in, like he was about to share top-secret intel. “Mark’s planning to break up with her. Tonight. He was gonna do it after the party, but-”

“WHAT?” It wasn’t a scream, exactly, but it sure felt like one.
Heads turned, conversations stopped, music seemed to pause mid-beat. Across the room, Amber and Mark looked up at us: Mark’s brow furrowed, Amber's expression darkened.
William looked like a deer in headlights. So did I.
I grabbed his sleeve, yanking him closer so I could hiss through my teeth. “He can’t do that tonight! He’ll destroy her! What the hell is he thinking?!”

The crowd slowly turned back to their own conversations, but the damage was done. Mark and Amber were already heading toward us, their strides in sync, expressions unreadable.

William’s face went pale.
“Mark said he’s sick of how Amber always complains when he’s busy… says she’s too clingy or whatever.”

I blinked, then scoffed.
Of course. Of course he’d say something like that.
What a hypocrite.
He was the one who always bailed. On plans he made. On things he suggested. And now he wanted to play the victim?

I folded my arms tighter and gave William a sharp look, not because I was angry at him, but because I couldn’t very well scream at Mark right now, could I?
Still, I didn’t want to put William in a worse spot than he was already in. He hadn’t meant to stir up drama.
I gritted my teeth and muttered under my breath, “What an absolute- ugh. Never mind. Not saying it.”

I turned on my heel to walk away...and crashed straight into someone.
Mark.
Of course.

Amber stood beside him, practically glowing, the picture of contentment. “You two seem popular tonight,” she said with a teasing smile. “What were you talking about?” Her voice was light, playful. She looked kinda happy to be here, to be by his side.

I wanted to scream.

I shot Mark a glare I hoped would shatter glass, but he only gave me an awkward half-smile, like he had no idea why I was upset. Figures.

William floundered beside me, his eyes wide as he searched for a lifeline. “Uh... we were just talking about... that lake trip. You know, with Rick,” he said, voice rising slightly with desperation.

What lake trip? I had no idea what he was talking about, but apparently Mark did, because his expression brightened.
“Oh, that one. Yeah...”

William, running with it, nodded quickly. “And that scream from Y/N was about the best part. She’s not really, um...well-versed in that stuff…”

“What, gay sex?” I asked, deadpan.
Silence. All three of them stared at me like I’d sprouted horns.
My face flushed immediately. “What? It’s not a taboo,” I mumbled, fidgeting with the hem of my dress.

But I could already feel it: my body overheating, sweat prickling at the back of my neck.
Not from embarrassment.
From this. From the damn leukemia.
“Excuse me,” I said, stepping back. “I need to freshen up.”

Without waiting for a response, I hurried toward the girls’ locker room, where the sinks and mirrors were tucked away from the crowd and noise. My skin was practically humming, my temperature rising faster than I could manage. I wasn’t about to reek of sweat halfway through the night.

As I ran cold water over my arms, I heard footsteps behind me. “Y/N?” Amber’s voice was soft, concerned. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” I said quickly, avoiding her eyes in the mirror. “Just a heat spike. Leukemia side effect, nothing serious. I just... I needed to cool down.”
I gestured toward the paper towels. “Could you grab me some?”

Amber pulled a few sheets from the dispenser and handed them over. I dabbed my arms and hands, watching as the damp paper clung to my skin like it was trying to make things worse. “Ugh. Whatever. Guess it means my arms will stay fresh longer.”

She laughed gently. “Want to step outside? Get some real air?” I nodded. We went back to let the boys know we were stepping out, then made our way to the front of the school.

The air outside was crisp, cool, and exactly what I needed. We sat together on the front steps, just far enough from the music to hear ourselves think.
“I’m worried about you,” Amber said quietly, eyes fixed on the ground. “I just... I don’t want…”

“Amber,” I cut in, resting my arm over her shoulders. “Why are you thinking about that tonight?” She didn’t answer.
I sighed. “I still have three months. I’m not dying right now. And if something happens, just call an ambulance. We’ll handle it.” She flinched a little at my words, but I continued. “When you and Laura talk about it behind my back...I know you mean well. But it stings. I wish you didn’t have to carry this, either of you. I wish you’d never found out…”

Amber slowly turned her head toward me, her expression clouded with emotion. “We had to know, we needed to, so we could be there for you.”

“But it changed everything,” I whispered. “You stopped living your life. You started putting everything on hold for me.” She was silent. “You and Mark…you both have a life, dreams, a future. I didn’t want you to feel chained to me.”

“We don’t feel chained,” she said, but her voice trembled. “Plus me and Laura feel terrified…we’re terrified of losing you. And we didn’t want to waste time pretending everything was normal.” She glanced at the bruises on my arms.
“Mark told me he’s done with me by the way...” Her voice cracked, barely a whisper. “He said it’s too hard, that it hurts too much…he wants to break up with me…so it's not a ‘problem’ anymore for you…”

So he told her. That wooden bench, the closed-off body language…it all made sense now.
My heart ached for her.

“I’m sorry, Amber, I really am” I said, then a long pause. “But I warned you this would happen once you'd known about my illness. That knowing it would make our friendship worse somehow...” I hugged my knees to my chest, fingers twitching. “Before you knew...you both lived your lives. We made memories that meant something. Now it’s like you’re constantly walking on eggshells.”

Amber looked away, her hands clenched on the step.
“If we hadn’t known, we’d regret it forever. After you were gone, we’d hate ourselves for wasting that time.”

I didn’t have an answer to that. Not a real one.
So I gave her the truth.
“These past few weeks, we’ve done nothing special. Just... sat around. You were there, sure, but it felt more like babysitting than friendship. It was a waste of time for the three of us, you could've gone out with Mark instead…maybe he would've changed his mind about it.” I exhaled slowly. “I remember everything from before. The day we met in the school library. The shopping days. The way we always found something new to laugh about...that was real.”

Amber didn’t say anything for a while. Her silence wasn’t angry, though. She was just... thinking.
Eventually, she nodded, slow and thoughtful.
Then, without warning, she wrapped her arms around me. I let her, hugged her back, feeling her warmth press into mine.

Around us, the entrance to the school was filling up. Girls in glittering dresses. Boys adjusting ties. Laughter and flash photography. Someone even stepped out of a limo, like we were at the freakin’ Oscars.

A sudden gust of wind swept past, cool and sharp against my skin, pulling me out of my thoughts. I instinctively looked up, heart skipping a beat.
A beat later, the entire courtyard erupted in shouts. Screams, giddy, breathless, rose into the air, and dozens of phones were whipped out in a synchronized frenzy. Students craned their necks, stretching on tiptoe just to get a glimpse. And there, hovering confidently above us in a blur of black, electric blue, and golden yellow, was the reason for all the chaos.

Invincible had arrived.

“Am I late?” he called out, voice light, teasing, his smile wide and unbothered, like he’d been looking forward to this moment just as much as everyone else. Maybe more.

Amber and I stood up at the same time, our movements almost mirrored. My eyes were fixed on him, unmoving. For a moment, it didn’t feel real: he’d actually come.
Not just to the event, not just to smile for the cameras or make a token appearance. He was here…for me.

I opened my mouth, but no words came out.
Luckily, Amber stepped in, her voice steady where mine faltered. “No, actually… you’re pretty early,” she said with a small, amused smile. “Most students haven’t even arrived yet. This is just the meet-up window.”

She gave me a knowing look, then gently placed a hand on my back, nudging me forward with just enough pressure to encourage movement. My legs felt heavy, like my body hadn’t caught up to what was happening. Invincible had begun to lower himself from the sky, descending slowly, intentionally, as if to give me time to adjust.

I took a step forward, then another. I awkwardly extended my hand toward him, unsure of what to expect. Was he the type to shake hands? To bow? Hug? Was this a normal meet-and-greet moment, or something entirely different? I never had a prom date with a superhero before…and definitely not one who looked like he’d stepped out of a dream.

My hand hovered, half-shaking with nerves, I hated that he could probably see it: that my body was giving away everything I was trying not to feel.
“Welcome…” I managed, my voice softer than I meant it to be. Amber’s hand pressed a little more firmly against my back, a quiet nudge of support.
“I’m Y/N,” I added, finally meeting his gaze.

Before he could respond, a wave of students surged toward us, mostly girls, loud and breathless, swarming him like he was some long-lost pop star. Amber and I instinctively stepped back, retreating up a few steps to avoid the chaos. Phones flashed. Papers were thrust into his hands. Voices overlapped as people shouted his name over and over again.

It was overwhelming to watch. I couldn’t imagine how it felt to be in the center of it.

Invincible looked…surprised. Not annoyed, not uncomfortable exactly, but you could tell he hadn’t expected this level of intensity. He hesitated for a second, visibly realizing that signing even one thing would set off a chain reaction he wouldn’t escape.
So, with a flash of that signature grin, he did the only thing he could: he shot straight into the air, soaring above the mob in one swift movement. Students gasped and scattered beneath him, trying to follow his trajectory. But his focus was back on me.

He hovered for a second, then flew directly toward where I stood, slowing only once he was close enough to reach for me. “Wanna go for a little flight while they all head inside?” he asked, extending both arms toward me like it was the most casual thing in the world.

I hesitated. My heart stuttered.
Flight.
I swallowed hard and gave a small nod. As I stepped forward, I let my arms wrap gently around his neck. The gesture felt far too intimate, like something out of a movie. My skin burned with the awareness of every point of contact: his hands, steady and warm, settling around my waist.

What if he could feel how fast my heart was beating? Or worse…what if he noticed the bruises I tried so hard to keep hidden back when we met  and pointed it out? I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to quiet the storm of thoughts in my head. And then my feet lifted off the ground. I felt it before I saw it: the gentle weightlessness, the breeze teasing my hair, the sudden shift in gravity as we rose together into the sky.

When I opened one eye, Amber was still on the steps, winking at me with a smug, delighted grin. She gave me a thumbs up, then turned to head inside, probably to join Mark and William. And just like that, I was off on the most surreal date of my life.

“I want to take you somewhere special,” Invincible said as we gained altitude. “Somewhere I’m pretty sure you’ve never been.”

My hair whipped wildly in every direction, turning into a tangled mess I already knew I’d regret later. But I didn’t care, not even a little. He hadn’t said a single thing about how I looked: no compliments, no judgments, he wasn’t here for that. He just wanted to be with me.

His hands held me carefully, firm but gentle, as if he was hyper-aware of how fragile I was. I realized I’d been clutching the collar of his suit without meaning to, fingers curled into the fabric like a lifeline. But he didn’t flinch. He didn’t comment. He just kept flying.

Below us, the city blurred into miniature pieces: cars like ants, buildings like toys. The clouds looked close enough to touch, the wind bit at my cheeks and nose, but I didn’t mind. This was magic. Real, actual magic.
And for a moment… it felt like I was flying on my own.

Then his grip shifted, lower, to my hips, and before I could question it, he gave me a sudden push upward.
I gasped as I shot into the sky, weightless and suspended beneath the stars. But I didn’t panic because I trusted him.

For the first time in so long, I felt… free.
No overthinking. No pain. Just sky and air and laughter.

Seconds later, he caught me effortlessly: one arm under my back, the other behind my knees, like a hero out of a fairytale. “You’ve never flown this high before, huh?” he teased, eyes crinkling.

I laughed, breathless. “Do dreams count?”

He chuckled, clearly loving that answer. “We’re almost there. Promise.” Because he was carrying me bridal-style, he couldn’t fly at full speed, but I didn’t mind. I didn’t want this to end too quickly.

As I looked down, I spotted glistening water below us, wide and silver in the fading light, and the outline of sprawling bridges. We were over Brooklyn.

Moments later, he landed softly on one of the pillars of the most iconic bridge in the country. The wind howled around us, but the view stole my breath.
Manhattan glittered in the distance, and the sky had turned golden with hints of deep pink and navy blue.

He helped me down gently, like I might shatter.
I walked toward the edge, hands gripping the rail, eyes fixed on the skyline. It was beautiful.
I’d never been to New York before. Not once. And now…here I was. Five minutes ago, I was in a school courtyard. Now I was standing above the world.

“Do you like the view?” he asked, stepping beside me.

I nodded quickly. “This is incredible. I’ve never seen New York in person before.”

His brows raised beneath the mask. “Seriously? That’s wild.” He turned to take in the view with me, and we both fell quiet.

Neither of us spoke for a while: not because we didn’t have anything to say, but because we didn’t need to. The silence felt okay. Safe.
His hand brushed against my arm once. Just a featherlight touch. But he didn’t hold it, so I did, because I didn’t want to waste a second of this night.
I didn’t have many left.

He looked down at our joined hands, then smiled.
“So…” he started, clearly searching for something to say. “What do you study?”

I laughed softly. “Wow. That’s your go-to first date question?”

He shrugged, a little sheepishly. “Guess I’m out of practice.” And I realized… maybe he was just as nervous as I was.

Chapter Text

The sun had already dipped beyond the horizon, leaving behind a sky tinted in hues of purple and gold. Invincible and I had been sitting there for what felt like hours, simply talking. About our lives, our thoughts, the weight we both carried…although, of course, he hadn’t told me his real name. That much was off-limits. Instead, he spoke about his heroic deeds, the battles he had fought, the cities he had saved.

His stories were vivid, detailed, laced with a quiet pride. He described the different techniques he’d learned to take down his enemies, lessons passed down from his father, Omni Man. The strongest man on Earth.

I couldn’t help but imagine what it would be like to grow up with someone like that. A mentor. A guide. Not many people got the chance to be taught by a legend. And according to him, it made a real difference: his father said he learned quickly, faster than most, and you could tell how proud that made him, how much it mattered that he lived up to that legacy. He’d mastered flying almost instantly. Landing took a bit more practice, but even that only cost him a day. He was, by every definition, a prodigy.

He told me about the Viltrumites too, his father’s people, aliens from a distant planet, advanced and powerful. They were a peaceful race, he said. Generous, even. Offering their strength and technology to civilizations in need. Having a Viltrumite assigned to your planet was an honor. A safeguard. It meant you were protected from cosmic threats. And Earth, as fate would have it, had two.

“Have you ever been to Viltrum?” I asked softly, legs dangling over the edge, the breeze brushing against my skin and raising goosebumps. “Have you ever met anyone else like you?”

He turned to me, the lenses of his mask catching the city lights. “No,” he said after a beat. “Only my dad. But…I hope to meet others someday. It would be amazing if more Viltrumites came to Earth. People wouldn’t have to be afraid anymore.”

I chuckled under my breath. “And what would happen to the other superheroes? Wouldn’t they be…out of a job?”

He laughed, genuinely amused, and the sound of it filled the quiet air around us. Then, for a while, we both fell silent. The city sparkled below, skyscrapers glowing against the night sky. Our hands rested close, but not touching, on the ledge beneath us. And yet, being near him made me feel small. Insignificant. He was a hero. I was…just a girl.

Still, I loved moments like this. These normal conversations. They reminded me that under all that strength and power, he was still just a teenager. Raised on Earth. Living a life not too far removed from mine.

“Do you think we’ll be late for the party if we stay here much longer?” I asked after a while. The school event had probably started already, and we were miles away. With his powers, we could be back in seconds. But still…would the teachers start worrying if I didn’t show up? Unless Amber had covered for me. Even then, telling them I ran off with Invincible might be pushing it…

“You don’t need to worry about that,” he said with a small smile. “With my powers, we can be there in no time.” Then, his expression shifted. Something dimmed in his eyes. “…Do you want to go back?” he asked, like he was hoping I’d say no. Like the idea of returning to that place left a bad taste in his mouth.

I frowned slightly. “That’s not what I meant…” I lifted my hands in a small gesture of reassurance, worried I had made him feel unwanted. “It’s just…it’s my last end-of-year party. Ever.”

My fingers tightened around the hem of my dress as I looked down. My legs swung gently, feet hovering just above the dark sea far below. He tilted his head, curious, and began asking questions, gentle but persistent, almost like he was trying to piece me together.

“The Prom is supposed to be the last one,” he said with an innocent shrug, as if it were obvious. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing. Of course it’s your last.” He said it with such childlike clarity, it made me smile despite myself. He didn’t know. Of course he didn’t. “Why do you say it like that?” he asked quietly, eyes scanning my face, then drifting, just for a second, over the skin of my arms. I still had goosebumps. But not because of the breeze.

“I’ve never really told anyone,” I began, my voice barely above a whisper. “Well…except for my closest friends. And even then, it wasn’t really voluntary. They found out. I owed them an explanation.” I paused, steadying myself. He was Invincible. A stranger, really. I probably wouldn’t see him again after tonight. That made this easier somehow. Safer. Like talking to someone on a train you'll never ride again. “I have chronic leukemia,” I said. “In a few months…I’ll be gone. Completely.”

I wasn’t ready for what happened next.

He moved faster than I could process. Suddenly, his arms were wrapped around me: tight, protective, desperate. It startled me. I didn’t understand why he was reacting this way. He didn’t say anything at first. Just held me, like he was trying to keep me from fading away.

“Invincible?” I murmured, returning the hug slowly, uncertainly. “What’s going on? Why…why do you care this much?” His grip didn’t loosen. His chest was pressed so close to mine I could feel his heartbeat…rapid, heavy, almost frightened. My cheeks flushed with warmth.

He hadn’t even flinched at the marks on my skin. The visible signs of treatment. He didn’t look away, didn’t pity me. He just held me. Like I wasn’t broken.
“I don’t want you to disappear,” he whispered, voice so low I almost missed it. His fingers curled slightly, almost like they were trying to anchor me in place.

I blinked, startled. “What…?”

“I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

“Wait-” I pulled back slightly, pressing my hands to his shoulders to create space between us. “Why? Why does it matter to you? I’m nobody. You don’t even know me.”

His gaze dropped, his mouth slightly open as if he wanted to say something else. For a heartbeat, I thought he might lift the mask. Reveal who he really was. But then that moment passed. His duty held him back. And I was oddly relieved. I didn’t want him to risk anything for me.

“That’s not true,” he said, voice softer than before. “You’re somebody to me. Someone important. Someone special.” He turned away for a second, eyes following a small boat slicing through the waves beneath the bridge. I stared at him, unsure what to say. My heart beat louder than it should’ve.

Special…to him…

“You only have a few months left…” he said, almost to himself. “You’re so young. That’s not fair. That’s not something I can accept.”

"I'm sorry...but there's nothing you can do about it."
My voice came out low, almost hushed, as if I were confessing a secret I’d kept buried for too long. "The doctors have already tried everything. Every single one, whether they were good or bad, well-known or barely qualified. I’ve seen them all, at least once."
I let out a tired sigh, shoulders sinking with the weight of a truth I had long accepted.

"You may be a superhero, fighting crime and supervillains…but you can’t fight this. You can’t fix me." The words hung in the air between us like a storm cloud. His expression faltered, his gaze dimming with a quiet helplessness I hadn’t expected from someone like him. For the first time, his powers were completely useless, and he knew it.

A heavy silence fell over us, filled only by the distant calls of seagulls wheeling above the sea and the occasional honk of traffic far below. The atmosphere felt strangely fragile, like we were balancing on the edge of something…of reality, maybe.
And honestly? I didn’t even know why I’d told him.
What had I hoped to gain? I wasn’t cured just because I’d spoken the words aloud.

Invincible stood up on the edge of the bridge pillar where we’d been sitting, then reached down toward me, his hand outstretched. “If your time really is limited…” he said gently, the faintest smile tugging at his lips, “then I think the least I can do is help you enjoy it. You should be at your Prom, celebrating with your friends.” He was smiling, but I could tell it didn’t reach his eyes. He was disappointed, and something about seeing him like that made my chest ache.

“I want to spend this night with you.” The words escaped before I could stop them, before I could think them through. The moment I realized what I’d just blurted out, my mouth clamped shut and I looked away, cheeks burning with humiliation.
God, I sounded so pathetic.

But he didn’t mock me. Instead, he reached out and brushed a lock of hair behind my ear, his touch feather-light. My heart thundered against my ribs. I was practically on fire inside.

“T-To be honest…” I stammered, struggling to string a sentence together, “I think end-of-year parties are kind of all the same. But this? Spending the night like this…with you? That’s something that doesn’t happen every day. You’re one of the most important superheroes in America…maybe even the world.”
I looked up at him, managing a small, shy smile.

For a moment, his smile disappeared, just briefly, as if something dark had crossed his mind. I didn’t ask. A second later, the warmth returned to his face. “I just got an idea. Wait here,” he said, suddenly perking up. “I’ll be right back.”

And then he was gone, launching himself into the sky with a gust of wind, leaving me alone on the pillar. I tilted my head back to look at the stars above. The night was peaceful, quiet, soft, and clear. It felt like the kind of evening made for magic. For moments that shouldn’t exist but somehow do.
Just me and Invincible. Alone. Together.
In a place no one else would ever think to find us.

But like an unwanted echo, Mark and Amber flashed through my mind. Their breakup. The strange silence that followed it. The unanswered questions…especially about him.
Why had he left her? What had changed?
He had acted like a total jerk.
I wanted to ask him. I needed to ask him…

But not tonight.

No, this was about me and Invincible. Not Mark.
And certainly not the feelings I wasn’t supposed to have anymore.

“I’m over it,” I whispered to myself, pressing a hand to my forehead and closing my eyes. “Mark is a jerk. After what he did to Amber…how could I still be thinking about him?” But every word felt like a flimsy excuse, a weak attempt to lie to myself.
I wasn’t over it. Not really.

“Hey.” His voice behind me snapped me back to reality.

I turned my head and saw him landing softly, holding a medium-sized cardboard box in his arms. There was something warm in his expression, something comforting. I stood up slowly and moved toward him, careful not to lose my balance on the narrow ledge.

He placed the box down and started opening it before I could even ask. “You said you wanted to make this night special,” he explained, smiling. “So I thought this might help.”

From inside, he pulled out… “A stereo?” I raised an eyebrow. “You’re planning a party here? Are you sure this is legal?” Hands on my hips, I shot him a look of mock disapproval. We were on a bridge pillar, for god’s sake…not exactly the kind of place you’d expect to find a school dance.

He placed the stereo down gently and inserted a few CDs, skipping through tracks like a DJ searching for the perfect vibe. After a minute, soft, slow music began to play. A love song. Romantic. Dreamy.
He stood and stepped closer to me, his smile shy but inviting. “I don’t think anyone’s gonna bother us up here…I, uh, made sure of that.” He gently placed his hands on my shoulders.

I smirked. “So you did plan this all along. You had it all figured out.”

“You could say that,” he replied with a nervous chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck.

I wrapped my arms around his waist, catching him off guard. He blinked, eyes wide as I leaned in with a teasing grin. “So if you brought a stereo…that means you want to dance, right? Just like at a real Prom?”
I tilted my head. “You better be ready. I’ve been practicing different styles of dance just for tonight.”
I placed a hand dramatically over my heart.

He laughed. “Well, I don’t know any dances where the girl wraps her arms around a guy’s waist like that.” Embarrassed, I instantly let go, hands falling stiffly to my sides. He stepped in and gently placed his hands on my waist. “I’m not really prepared. Just a warning. I don’t even watch movies, so I have no idea how this is supposed to go…”

“Wait…you don’t watch movies?” I lifted my arms, this time wrapping them around his neck, and we began to move in time with the slow rhythm of the music.

We held each other close. Our bodies swayed gently to the melody, and even though I couldn’t see his eyes behind the lenses of his mask, I wanted to.
Were they green like forests? Blue like the sky?
Brown like warm wood?
I needed to know.

“I’m more of a comic book guy,” he admitted with a chuckle. “I go to conventions sometimes…stock up on new titles, meet the writers. That kind of thing.”
His hands were soft, careful. Gentle. Like he was afraid to hurt me, afraid to touch any bruises the illness might have left.

“I guess that makes me the exact opposite, then,” I murmured, breaking our eye contact as I glanced down at the ground beneath our feet. A soft, nervous laugh escaped my lips. “I go to the cinema all the time…well, whenever I’ve got a little free time, anyway. I love catching the new releases every month. It’s kind of a ritual for me.” I paused for a second, my lips curling into a smile at the memory. “And caramel popcorn? It’s my weakness. I swear, the ones from the theater near my place are heavenly. Like...life-changing.”

“Caramel popcorn?” he echoed with playful disbelief. “No way. Salty popcorn is the real deal. Classic. Untouchable.” His mock seriousness made me laugh, really laugh, the kind that bubbles out of you before you can stop it.

We were spinning slowly now, circling to the rhythm of the soft music, our steps uncoordinated but somehow in sync, like two clumsy tops swirling under the stars.

“You’re really into this whole dancing thing, huh?” he chuckled breathlessly. “I mean, it shows. You’ve clearly practiced. Meanwhile, I’m over here moving like a stiff tree trunk.”

“That’s not true!” I lifted my gaze to meet his, a flush of warmth blooming in my chest. “You’re doing great. Honestly, I think you’re dancing beautifully.”

His arms instinctively tightened around me at the compliment, pulling me closer. The air between us shifted. My breath caught in my throat. Suddenly, I didn’t know where to look, what to say, or even how to breathe. “So,” he said softly after a pause, his voice a little strained, as if the words were caught in his throat. “I’ve talked a bit about the whole superhero thing...maybe now you could tell me something about you. Your friends, maybe?”

The question caught me off guard: not because it was invasive, but because it sounded so...human. Gentle. Like he genuinely wanted to know. Not the girl with the illness, just...me. I swallowed and nodded, touched by his interest.

“Well...I’m in high school. Pretty normal, right?” I smiled faintly. “My closest friends are Amber and Laura. You might’ve seen Amber earlier, actually…she was the one waiting with me outside school.” He nodded, encouraging me to continue. “We’ve known each other for a few years now. Met during a school project at the library. Since then, the three of us have been inseparable.” I paused, memories of laughter and inside jokes flickering through my mind. But then something shifted inside me, an ache.

“They’re amazing,” I added, more quietly. “We always have fun when we go shopping or hang out…but things have changed a little since they found out about my condition. Now, I think they’re afraid of missing time with me. Like…they only want to be around because they’re scared I won’t be, you know, around much longer.”

Invincible’s hand rose, gentle and warm, to brush against my cheek. The gesture made me flinch, startled, not because it was unwelcome, but because it was so intimate. So kind. “It makes sense that they’d want to be with you,” he said softly. “But...they shouldn’t do it because of the diagnosis. You’re worth their time. With or without it. Trust me...I know a little something about people staying for the wrong reasons.”

I tilted my head, intrigued. “You do?”

His hand slipped back to my waist, and I noticed the subtle tension in his shoulders. “Y-Yeah, I guess. A lot of people wanna hang out with me because I’m, well…Invincible. A superhero.” He offered a sheepish smile, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “They’re not really interested in me. Just the image.”

I frowned in sympathy. “That sucks.” We stood in silence for a beat, the music swelling softly around us. Then I spoke again, needing him to hear it. “For what it’s worth,” I said quietly, “I’m not here for the fame, or the mask, or anything like that. I asked you to Prom because…I thought you were the right person to spend this night with.”

His expression softened. “That means a lot,” he whispered. “You…you looked past the mask. Not many people do.” Our eyes locked again, and this time neither of us looked away. The space between us vanished, our faces just inches apart. I thought, just for a second, that maybe he’d kiss me. That maybe I wanted him to. But then...he pulled back. “So…do you have any other friends besides those two?”

I blinked, the shift in topic jarring. The moment dissolved like sugar in water. “Yeah,” I said eventually, trying not to sound too disappointed. “There’s William…and Mark.”

As soon as I said the last name, Invincible’s posture subtly changed. Was it just me, or was he…more alert now?

“They’re just friends,” I clarified quickly. “William’s gay, and Mark…well, he was dating Amber. Until tonight, anyway.” My voice tightened without meaning to. I saw his brow furrow with concern, and I wasn’t sure why that bothered him so much.

“What happened?”

I stared directly at him, my body tense. “He dumped her,” I said sharply. “Tonight. On Prom night, can you believe that?” Invincible stayed quiet, his hands still gently resting on my waist. “And it’s not like this was sudden,” I continued, the words tumbling out like a dam had burst. “He’s been awful to her for weeks. Ignoring her texts, bailing on plans, always coming up with the worst excuses. And still...somehow...I kept liking him.” My voice cracked. “Even after hearing everything Amber said, all the red flags…I still liked him. I told myself I was over it, but…” I sighed, covering my face with both hands. “Clearly I’m not.”

“Wait…” Invincible’s voice was quieter now. Hesitant. “You…you like Mark?”

The silence that followed was deafening. My throat went dry. I had said too much. “I…I don’t know,” I confessed at last. “It’s complicated. I know I shouldn’t. I mean, he hurt someone I care about. He’s a jerk. I shouldn’t want anything to do with him.” I hugged my arms around myself. “But my heart doesn’t seem to get that memo.”

I lifted my gaze to meet his again, eyes uncertain. “I know I asked you out tonight, and I’m not saying it has to be anything romantic. I just…I want to move forward. Get to know you better. Even if we just stay friends-”

Before I could finish, his arms wrapped tightly around me, pulling me into his chest.
And then…he kissed me. His lips found mine gently at first, testing, hesitant. I froze, overwhelmed, not knowing whether to pull away or lean in.

But then I did something I hadn’t done in a long time.
I let go. My eyes drifted shut, and I kissed him back. Slowly. Warmly. As if this moment, here on top of the world, was all that existed.

And then the kiss deepened. His lips moved against mine with more certainty, more need. Suddenly our tongues met in a tender, breathless dance. I could feel his heartbeat pounding as wildly as mine.

“I...I forgot to ask, are you...seeing anyone?” His voice was soft, almost hesitant, and I could see the faint flush of embarrassment creeping up his cheeks. "You're not, are you?"

"No," I answered quickly, my breath uneven as I struggled to catch my breath, craving some cool air. "What about you?"

"I'm single...always have been." He managed a smile, and without thinking, I leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek.

"For someone who's always been single, you're a pretty good kisser," I whispered teasingly, my lips curling into a grin. I pulled back slightly, meeting his eyes. "So...what does this mean?"

He shrugged, a playful glint in his eyes. "It could mean a lot of things...depends on what you want." He passed the decision back to me, as if he was okay with whatever I chose. But the question lingered, heavier than it seemed.

Was this the right thing to do? My heart raced, uncertainty mixing with something else, something deeper. Could this even work? I barely knew him, and yet everything about this felt new, exhilarating. Was this really what I wanted? I lowered my gaze, my thoughts swirling as I stared at the ground, lost in a sea of conflicting emotions. "I don’t have much time...our relationship might-"

"Don’t think about that." His voice cut through the noise in my mind, urging me to look up at him. He took a step closer, his eyes locking onto mine, intense and unwavering. "I promise I’ll find a way to help you heal. But what do you want, really?"

I hesitated, feeling the weight of his words. He was looking at me so earnestly, and for a moment, I almost thought about him removing his mask, about revealing his secret identity. But I couldn’t let him do that…not for me. He didn’t need to put himself in danger just to prove something. Maybe someone could force me to reveal his identity...and I couldn't risk that.

"I want to move forward," I said, my voice firm as I placed my hand on his, gently stopping him from pulling off his mask. "I want to be with you...I’m not going to see Mark anymore anyway, and I’ll forget about him. I promise."

He kissed me again, this time deeper, longer. The music in the background became the soundtrack to our moment, coursing through our veins. When we finally pulled apart, his gaze held something unreadable…conflict, perhaps, as if he was trying to say something but couldn’t quite find the words.

“I...I can make you happy,” he said at last, his voice low, tentative. “Forget about Mark. He doesn’t deserve you...he didn’t even deserve Amber.”

I pressed my head against his chest, feeling the steady rhythm of his heart beneath my ear. "I’ll try, really. I’ll do my best to make this work," I murmured, my voice soft but sincere. I could feel his arms around me, pulling me closer, as if holding me tighter could somehow make everything easier. But I knew there were things that neither of us could fix, things that went beyond just the two of us.

“I’ll do everything I can to help you with your...illness. I want you to get better, I promise.” His words were filled with determination, and though he meant them with all his heart, I couldn’t help but feel a pang of doubt. He wasn’t a doctor, after all. But I nodded, accepting his promise, knowing he cared even if there was little he could do.

"So...are we a couple now?" The question felt surreal. Me and Invincible…we were together? I’d never been in a relationship before, and the idea of it still felt foreign to me. He nodded, his lips curving into a soft smile.

We sat in silence for a moment, listening to the soft hum of the music drifting from the stereo, the wind tugging at our clothes and hair. Everything felt perfect, like a dream I didn’t want to wake up from. But then, the reality of the situation hit me. The Prom…it was already eight o’clock, and the party had probably started without me. My teachers were probably wondering where I was. I was still underage, which meant I was technically still their responsibility.

“So...how about a little stroll around the city?” He asked, glancing down at me “Maybe we could window shop? I’m not sure if it’s something you’d enjoy, but you mentioned shopping with your friends, so...” His expression shifted “Or do you want to head back to school?”

“I think my curfew's up…” I gave a small smile, though I was secretly dying to see the sights of Manhattan. I’d never been there before, and the idea of exploring New York City filled me with excitement.

Invincible seemed to read my thoughts, and without another word, he scooped me up in his arms and lifted off the ground, soaring into the night sky. He didn’t even bother to turn off the stereo or bring it along, there was no need. No one would be reaching this place anytime soon to steal it.

“It’ll only take a minute, I promise,” he said, his voice soft, reassuring. He was determined to make me happy, and I couldn’t help but feel that he was exactly the right person for me despite not even knowing who he truly was. As we flew toward the heart of the city, I could see the traffic jam below us, the lights from the shops reflecting off the sidewalk, where people, both locals and tourists, strolled lazily.

We landed in front of a vinyl shop that caught my eye. A crowd began to form around us, snapping photos of Invincible, treating him like some kind of trophy. He seemed unsure of how to act, probably more worried about me being uncomfortable than the attention he was getting.

“Don’t worry, I’m not bothered,” I reassured him, my eyes glued to the display case. I couldn’t take my gaze off one of the albums from my favorite band: a record I’d dreamed of buying but could never find in my hometown. Either it was sold out, or it was too underground for the shopkeepers to bother ordering.

“I’m not really into music,” Invincible admitted, stepping closer and standing next to me. “But I’ve heard of them.” I could feel the weight of people’s stares, their gazes sharp like needles in my skin. Some were curious, others more hostile, and I could almost sense the tension in the air.
“My friend Will-” He paused suddenly, and I raised an eyebrow. “Wilbur, yes, he listens to them.”

The hesitation was obvious, and I couldn’t help but feel a chill. He had just mentioned the name of a friend…someone from his “normal” life? I stayed silent, watching him closely. "Well, I have to admit…he’s got great taste in music." I placed my hands on my hips with a playful tilt of my head, throwing him a teasing glance from the corner of my eye. "Actually, my friend William listens to them too. He’s the one who introduced me to their music, come to think of it."

Invincible began to sweat visibly. I didn’t understand why.

"Don’t worry," I added with a smirk, trying to ease the tension I didn’t fully grasp, "Even if you don’t like them, I won’t force you to start just because I’m your girlfriend." I walked toward the shop’s entrance. The little bell over the door jingled as I pushed it open, and the warm light of the store washed over me.

A middle-aged man behind the counter turned toward me immediately, his face brightening. "Good evening, good evening! What can I do for you today?" But then Invincible stepped in behind me and, for a moment, it looked like the poor guy was about to faint.
"Is that…? Oh my God! Invincible?! In my store?!"

The clerk practically dashed toward him, completely ignoring me, starstruck and practically vibrating with excitement. "Y-Yes, actually..." Invincible stepped past me quietly, eyes trained on the display window. He reached for the exact vinyl I had been staring at earlier and handed it to the man behind the counter. "I’d like to buy this."

"Of course! For you, I’ll even apply a 50% discount. It’s the least I can do for everything you do for this city!" The shop owner rushed over to the register, Invincible right behind him. I blinked, surprised, watching him pass me without a word.
Was he seriously going to pay for it? He was already spending money on me? Again?

"Hey," I called, stepping closer. My tone was colder than I meant it to be. "You're not really thinking of paying for that too, are you?" I didn’t want him to spoil me like this. It wasn’t about the money, it was about…I don’t know. Feeling like I owed him something.

"You don’t have to worry about it," he said calmly, pulling out a few bills from a hidden pocket in his suit, one I hadn't even noticed. He handed them to the clerk, who quickly rang up the purchase, bagged the vinyl, and passed it to him with a reverent "thank you." Then Invincible turned to me, offering it gently.
"Here. For you."

My fingers brushed against the plastic bag as I took it, eyes wide. "You actually spent eighty bucks on this?" I asked in disbelief. I knew he had just bought a whole stereo for our little secret hideout, and now this?

He chuckled softly. "With the discount, it was only forty. It’s not that big of a deal." We made our way out of the shop, and once we were back on the street, he placed a hand gently on my shoulder. "I just…I want you to know I care," he said, sounding so genuinely unsure of himself. "Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do…in a relationship?"

God, he was so endearingly awkward. But who was I to judge? I was new to this too. Maybe I had my own ideas of what a relationship should look like…ones that didn’t necessarily match the norm either.

"You wanna keep walking around?" he asked.
I nodded with a small smile. We spent almost an hour strolling from one store to another. I didn’t buy anything else, mostly out of practicality. Showing up at school suddenly weighed down by shopping bags would’ve raised too many questions.

When it started getting late, he flew me back to school. From the air, we could already hear the booming bass of the music pouring from the gym: classic American prom playlist, as predictable as ever.

"Are you thinking of coming in to dance?" I asked as he set me down gently on the stone steps outside the entrance. "You know…wearing your costume might make that a bit complicated." I didn’t need to say more.
He probably knew exactly what I meant…his presence would draw attention, lots of it. "You need to learn to tell people to back off sometimes, you know?" I added. "You smile through it, but it’s obvious when it bothers you."

"Nah," he shrugged, crossing his arms. "They don’t really bother me. I’ll go in just like this, and it’ll be fine."

But I frowned. Something was off. He was tense. Too tense. "What’s wrong?" I asked. "You seem like you’re holding something in."

He hesitated. Then finally, he said it. "The Prom."

I blinked. "The prom? What about it?"

He sighed, scratching the back of his neck. "Tonight...my school’s having their Prom too."

My heart sank. "You’re kidding." I clutched the vinyl bag against my chest, feeling suddenly guilty. "If I had known…I wouldn’t have dragged you away! You missed your own prom just to be with me?"

He immediately shook his head. "No, no, don’t feel bad. I wanted to be here with you. I don’t care about my Prom. This night...being with you? It means way more to me." His words hit me hard. Not because they were sweet, though they were, but because I could feel how much he meant them.
He reached out his hand. "Come on. Let’s go inside."

We entered the school together, walking through the decorated hallways. The walls were plastered with photos from all the graduating classes, including mine. Students milled about with red plastic cups in hand, chatting, laughing, enjoying themselves.

Everywhere we went, eyes followed him.
Some were filled with admiration, others with awe, and a few with jealousy. A couple of students even tried to approach him, but he politely turned them away, staying close to me instead.

The gym was packed. Music thumped so loudly through the speakers that talking was nearly impossible. I scanned the crowd, trying to spot my friends. It wasn’t easy: so many bodies, so many moving lights.
Invincible tapped me on the shoulder and gestured toward one of the gym doors. There stood Amber, next to Laura and William. Amber didn’t look thrilled…and honestly, I couldn’t blame her.

I started walking toward them, but noticed he hadn’t followed. "You coming?" I called, pushing back through the crowd to reach him again. Students were bumping into me left and right, some a bit too forcefully. Invincible instinctively tried to shield me, scolding a couple of them with a surprisingly cold tone. "Don’t change the subject," I said sharply. "It’s fine if they bump into me, I asked you a question."

He let out a reluctant sigh. "I’m coming..." This time, I grabbed his hand, firmly. There was no escaping it now.

I led him through the crowd, weaving between dancing couples and clumps of students.
When we finally reached my friends, I let go of his hand and stood beside him, still clutching the bag with the vinyl against my chest. “Here we are!” I called out cheerfully, hoping to sound casual as I approached my friends. The three of them turned around at once, their eyes widening in surprise when they saw who was with me.

William’s gaze immediately zeroed in on the vinyl shop bag I was holding, clearly putting two and two together. He didn’t even need to ask, he already knew what was inside.

Laura, on the other hand, was already walking toward me, that familiar mischievous glint in her eyes. I could practically see the storm of questions forming in her mind: questions only she would dare to ask, and of course they would all revolve around my possible relationship with the superhero by my side.

Amber stayed where she was. She didn’t speak. She didn’t move. She just looked at me and offered a small smile…one that didn’t quite reach her eyes. It wasn’t genuine. At least, it didn’t feel like it to me.

“Y/N! Invincible!” Laura exclaimed, a little too loudly. “So? How’s the party been treating you?”

A few students wandered up behind Invincible, eager to get his attention. He was forced to brush them off with polite waves and half-hearted smiles, clearly trying his best to appear composed. But I could tell it was exhausting for him, having to keep up appearances while also trying to enjoy the night.

“He took me to New York,” I said, the excitement still fresh in my voice. It felt surreal just saying it out loud. He nodded in confirmation, still gently warding off admirers who didn’t seem to understand personal space.

William stepped closer, giving me a playful wink. “You hit up Rock&Rolls, didn’t you?” he said, folding his arms. “That place has a way better selection than anything we’ve got around here.” His gaze dropped to the bag again, curiosity sparking in his expression. “Did you find the vinyl?”

With a proud little smile, I pulled it out and held it up like a trophy. “Exactly the one I was looking for.”
I handed it to him so he could take a better look.

While William examined the vinyl, Laura and I started recounting our evening in more detail. I didn’t hold back. I told them everything: from the surprise trip to the way he’d handled the shop owner. They both listened intently, sometimes gasping, sometimes laughing, but always pushing me for more. It felt good, telling the story. Like it helped me make sense of it all.

Amber and Invincible, meanwhile, had drifted a little apart from us. He’d finally managed to shake off the clingy students, and now stood quietly beside her. She was focused on her drink, not saying a word. They didn’t speak. They just…stood there. I couldn’t help but notice the silence between them felt heavy. Uncomfortable.

“Y/N, want something to drink?” Laura asked, holding up her cup filled with a deep violet liquid. “They’ve got this amazing blueberry juice at the snack tables. Trust me, you have to try it!” Then she leaned in, lowering her voice into my ear with a sly grin. “You do know what blueberry juice does to a girl’s body, right?”

I blinked. “No…?” I glanced over at William for help, but he only shrugged, clearly just as clueless. “What is it supposed to do?”

Laura threw an arm around my shoulders and leaned closer, that teasing smile never fading. “Well, you know when a guy goes down on a girl…?”

I shoved her away, face burning, barely able to look her in the eye. “Okay, okay! I get it. That’s enough, Laura!” I gripped the vinyl bag a little tighter. My hands felt stiff, tense. “I don’t think that’s ever gonna happen,” I muttered under my breath. “I’m seventeen, Laura. I’m not even sure-”

“Come on,” she interrupted, rolling her eyes. “Nobody actually waits till eighteen these days. You’ve gotta live while you can. Especially you.” She winked again, and this time her words stung. I knew what she meant. Because in just a few months…I wouldn’t be here anymore. Still, it wasn’t something I wanted to think about tonight. Not now. Not with him.

“Laura…” William gently stepped in, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Maybe she wants to take her time. You shouldn’t pressure her.”

“I’m not pressuring her,” she huffed, clearly annoyed. “I’m just giving advice.”

The two of them went off into a quiet argument, about me, ironically, while I stood there, ignored and caught in the middle. I let them talk and instead tuned my ears to the quiet murmurs happening just behind me.

Amber and Invincible…they were talking now.

Her tone was sharp, almost like she was scolding him. But I couldn’t make out her words over the music, and they were speaking low on purpose.

“You need to let it go, Amber,” I finally heard him say. His voice was soft, maybe even…comforting. I figured he was talking about Mark. He knew what her ex had done, and maybe he was trying to help.
“Forget about it.”

“I found the clothes,” Amber replied, her voice shaking.

Wait- what?

“Stop pretending this doesn’t make sense. In the locker room. I saw them.” Her words made no sense to me. What clothes? What locker room?

I fought the urge to turn around. If she was confiding in him, maybe that meant she trusted him with something she couldn’t yet say aloud. Still…it didn’t sit right with me.

“You knew this was never going to work out,” Invincible replied, a little edge in his voice now.
“Just don’t talk about it okay? If you have to, talk to me, not to them.” That struck a nerve. Why wouldn’t he want her to tell us? We were her friends. We cared.

I turned toward them just as the voice of the school principal echoed over the speakers, cutting through the music and drawing everyone’s attention to the stage. “Ladies and gentlemen, faculty members…”
He paused, his gaze falling in our direction. “…and superheroes.” The crowd chuckled softly at that. “Thank you for being part of this end-of-year celebration. For many of you in your final year, this is a turning point. College, careers…a new chapter in life awaits you.”

It was the usual end-of-high-school speech, one I’d heard in every movie ever made, but I found myself tuning it out anyway. My eyes drifted toward Amber.
She wasn’t looking at the stage. She stared down into her cup, swirling the dark liquid inside like it could give her the answers she needed. She didn’t seem sad. Just…angry. Like something inside her had broken and she couldn’t fix it.

Mark wasn’t here. Maybe he’d gone home. Or maybe he was off with someone else. Whatever the reason, he hadn’t thought it important enough to be here…not even for Amber. And that…might’ve been what hurt her the most.

The sound of applause snapped me out of my thoughts. The crowd around us was clapping, cheering, and I followed suit even though I hadn’t heard a word the principal said. My thoughts were still tangled in everything that had just happened.

Invincible stepped closer and gently placed a hand on my shoulder. He smiled. A small, sincere smile.
And I returned it, hoping it would be enough to reassure him. To tell him I was okay.

But deep down, I knew it wasn’t over.
Not for Amber. And definitely not for me.
He wasn’t telling me everything.
And I was going to find out what it was. No matter what.

Chapter Text

Present Time – Current Dimension

The prison cell I’d been thrown into was cold and empty. Not in a metaphorical way: it was literally freezing, and there wasn’t even a bench to sit on. Just concrete and silence. Still, I’d been through worse.
I had spent months surviving in the sewers, eating scraps, hiding from things far more dangerous than loneliness. So no, this wasn’t the worst. I could take it.

What haunted me, though, wasn’t the cold.
It was what would come after.
When they let me out, if they let me out, what would my parents think of me? What would they believe?

I hated that Robot hadn’t trusted me. That none of the Guardians had. When I saw them outside the hospital, I’d begged them to listen, to just hear me out. But they didn’t. Some had even laughed. Called me insane. A delusional, raving lunatic.

So when the heavy doors at the end of the corridor creaked open, I didn’t bother moving. My legs stayed stretched along the cold cement floor, my arms folded tightly across my chest. Whoever was coming, I didn’t want to hear them. I didn’t want to be told, again, that I was crazy.

“You really messed up this time.” The voice was deep, gravelly, old…but unfamiliar.

I turned my head just slightly, just enough to catch a glimpse of the man in my peripheral vision: suit, tie, American flag pinned to his lapel….
Government.
Great.
Another big name come to mock me.

“People could’ve died,” he continued, walking closer. Robot trailed behind him, blank-faced as always. Of course.

“I’m aware,” I replied flatly, still not looking up. “But I did what I did for a reason. A good one.”

I wasn’t afraid of him. Power or no power, I’d explain the truth if he let me. And if he didn’t? Fine. I’d watch him eat his own words once reality caught up with him.

“And this good reason,” he said, a note of accusation creeping into his voice, “justifies framing one of our most effective heroes? Justifies killing innocent people, all for the sake of proving a point?” He stepped up to the bars, placing a hand on the cold metal, ignoring the standard prison protocol. No distancing. No caution.

He was either extremely confident…or he knew I wasn’t going to hurt him.

“That hero,” I said, finally glancing up, “isn’t even under your command. He runs around dressed like Omni Man, doesn’t follow your orders, doesn’t answer to you...ring any bells?” That gave him pause. He stood silent, the gears in his mind clearly turning.

Robot stepped forward in his place. “Cecil, if I may,” he said, calm and mechanical. The old man, Cecil, nodded, though he didn’t take his eyes off me. “I overheard part of the conversation she had with...Omni-Invincible-”

I shot to my feet. Finally.
I rushed to the bars, and to my surprise, Cecil took a quick step back, reflexes faster than I expected from someone his age. “You heard him?! You heard what he said to me? The threats?” My voice cracked from the sudden spark of hope, and I knew they both saw it.

“Yes,” Robot confirmed. “I heard the threat he made.” Cecil turned sharply to his subordinate, clearly not expecting that. His eyebrows furrowed, his stance shifting. “I didn’t want to give him any reason to suspect we were onto him,” Robot continued. “So I played along. But the way he spoke to you…it was enough. Something’s wrong.” He reached a hand toward me, not in a condescending way, but with…understanding. Recognition. There was someone in this building who might actually believe me.

“So what are you saying, Robot?” Cecil asked, stepping forward again. “You think Omni-Invincible is a threat now?”

“He’s always been a threat,” I cut in before Robot could answer. Cecil shot me a sharp look, but he didn’t push back. Not yet. He was curious. He wanted to know more…especially if it could serve his interests.

“And what’s your foundation for this theory, girl?” he asked, sticking his hands in his pants pockets. He looked down at me with that smug, top-of-the-food-chain expression that people like him wore like armor.

“His father’s a murderer. He’s like him. Isn’t that enough?” I shrugged, feigning indifference. But deep down…I wanted to tell him everything: about the other dimension, about what Invincible and Omni Man had done there. If only they’d believe me. If only they’d let me tell them the truth.

“I’ve heard that one before,” Cecil muttered, glancing toward Robot again. Still, Robot didn’t move. Didn’t flinch. “Did Powerplex have any other followers?” Cecil asked suddenly.

That name, Powerplex, meant nothing to me at first. I had never heard of him. But then…it clicked.
Invincible had mentioned him at the hospital.
Mockingly, of course. Trying to frame me.

“Not that I know of,” Robot answered coldly. “Only his wife, and she’s being held in a different facility. Their son was placed into foster care.” Robot’s tone was detached. Factual. Loyal as ever. A soldier following orders.

“I don’t even know who this Powerplex guy is,” I said, stepping slightly closer to the bars again. “What was he, some activist you locked up for protesting superheroes?” I stretched my arms through the bars, half out of frustration, half out of challenge. Robot gestured for me to retreat back into the cell, and I let out a tired sigh.

“That man is dangerous. And his beliefs? Suspiciously similar to yours,” Cecil said, his tone bitter, heavy. “You both hate Invincible. You both want him dead. What the hell is going on with you people?” He sounded tired, like speaking to me was a waste of time. Like I wasn’t worth the effort. That didn’t sit well with me.

“So now we’re not even allowed to have opinions anymore?” I snapped, teeth clenched with restrained fury. Robot moved again, stepping in between us, clearly trying to prevent things from escalating.

“Powerplex was an extremist,” Robot began, his voice smoother now, though touched with something almost like regret. “He hurt a lot of civilians in an attempt to prove his point. What you did at the hospital…it mirrored that. But at least now, we have some proof that what you’ve been saying...might not be total nonsense.”

“I didn’t want to hurt anyone,” I cut in quickly, lifting my voice as if that could somehow erase the memory of it all. “There wasn’t even a real bomb! It was just a bluff: me trying to make you listen!”

Cecil’s eyes darted from Robot to me, one at a time. He said nothing at first, just stared. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. His face gave nothing away, like stone. Then, slowly, he crouched down, just enough to meet my eye through the bars. There was something unsettling in how calm his voice became.

“You’re hiding something, kid.” His gaze didn’t waver. And for the first time during that conversation...I felt a flicker of unease. I didn’t like the way he was looking at me. Like he was trying to pick me apart piece by piece. “You’re going to stay in here for a few days,” he added coldly, standing again. “Clear your head. When you’re ready to tell me the truth, I’ll be back. And maybe I’ll let you out.”

Truth? I had told him the truth.
“And my parents?” I called after him as he turned to leave. “What are they going to think?” No answer. He didn’t even turn around. He was already halfway down the corridor. Only Robot lingered. “If it weren’t for you,” I muttered, voice low, “I’d be in here a hell of a lot longer. So…thanks.”

Robot nodded once, curtly. He didn’t seem moved by my gratitude. He wasn’t here for that. He wanted answers. “What made you come to the conclusion that Omni-Invincible is a threat?” he asked finally, hands tightening into fists. It was a fair question…but one I didn’t exactly know how to answer.

What could I say? That I came from an alternate dimension? That I had seen the destruction with my own eyes? No. If I told him that, he’d probably stop believing me altogether. So I went with the next best thing.

“Chicago,” I said, lowering my eyes to the concrete floor. “The incident. The day they turned that city into a graveyard. My friends…they were all gone. Because of them.” I forced myself to keep speaking, even as the memory carved through my thoughts like a knife. “Invincible and Omni Man…they caused that destruction. All those deaths. And then Omni Man…he wanted to conquer this entire planet. What kind of monster does that?” I looked up, lips trembling slightly. “And Invincible supported him. There’s no other explanation.”

Robot stared at me for a long time before responding. “Hm,” he hummed thoughtfully. “Omni Man was killed by Omni-Invincible.”

My eyes widened. I had forgotten. That was the major difference between this world and mine. “So he…turned on his own father?” I asked quietly, trying to piece it together. “Perhaps as a strategy,” I said quickly, recovering. “A calculated move to build himself an alibi. If he kills the monster, he looks like the hero…right? But I’m sure he believed in his father’s ideals. He just figured out that it’d be more useful to kill him and take his place.”

Robot tilted his head. “That’s…not impossible,” he admitted. He brought a metal hand to his chin, artificial fingers tapping lightly. “Still, we need more than theories. If he’s opened up to you at all, we can use that. We can dig.”

“Why don’t you believe me?!” I cried out, stepping away from the bars. I was done pleading. Done trying to convince people who had already decided I was a lunatic. “You all act like I’m crazy, but I’ve seen it!”
I spun around in the cell, pacing like a caged animal.

Robot reached into his palm, and something small unfolded from his hand. I stopped in my tracks. “What’s that?” I asked, cautiously approaching the bars.

“An earpiece,” he replied. “We need your help.” Translation: They wanted me to do all the dirty work. Actually Robot wanted it, Cecil didn’t trust me enough to recruit me. He was probably still convinced I’d try to blow up a hospital again.

“You want me, a powerless civilian, to risk my life just to prove I’m right?” I took the device from him, examining it. It was tiny, so tiny it might pass completely unnoticed. “Are you out of your damn minds?”

“You won’t be in danger,” Robot said calmly. “I’ll monitor you directly. If anything happens, we’ll intervene immediately.”

“You’re underestimating the powers of a Viltrumite,” I shot back, rubbing my forehead. “By the time you get to me, he’ll have scattered my intestines across half the planet.” Robot didn’t flinch. I sighed heavily, biting the inside of my cheek. This could be my only chance to prove anything. My only shot at being believed. “Wait…you said you’ll be the one monitoring me?” I asked suddenly. “So Cecil doesn’t even approve of this?”

“No,” Robot admitted. “Cecil still doesn’t trust you. But if you’re willing to change that, to offer yourself up in order to uncover the truth about Omni-Invincible, even his weaknesses, he might.” His tone was firm. Final. There was no other offer coming. If I didn’t take this...I’d be right back where I started: alone, locked up, and helpless.

“And how exactly am I supposed to get close enough to learn something without ending up dead?” I asked, voice low, bitter. “What the hell am I supposed to do?”

Robot hesitated, just a moment. “You resemble his ex-girlfriend. Strongly,” he said. “In fact...you remind me of her.”

I froze. What?
My blood went cold, and my body stiffened. I didn’t know what to say.
Did he know I was from another universe? Or did he think I was just a doppelgänger? A clone? Something else?

“You just need to use that to your advantage,” Robot finished.

“It’s not going to work,” I snapped almost instantly, shaking my head. “He already knows I’m not his ex-girlfriend. He has proof. The moment he sees me, he’ll try to kill me.” I exhaled slowly, the weight of it all pressing against my chest. “So tell me what the hell am I supposed to do?”

Robot didn’t respond right away. His silence stretched between us like an invisible wire pulled taut, as if he were computing thousands of scenarios at once in his synthetic mind. I tried to brainstorm too, but nothing came. Every possible plan I thought of was crushed by one simple, immovable fact: I couldn’t reveal I was from an alternate universe. That truth, dangerous and unbelievable, was something only Invincible had figured out, just by looking at me that day in my room.

“If you could convince him to strike a deal,” Robot said slowly, “offer him something he might want, maybe then he’d spare you.”

I blinked, deadpan. That wasn’t helpful at all. “And what exactly am I supposed to offer him?” I asked, sarcasm slipping into my voice. “I have nothing he wants...except maybe the eternal blessing of never seeing my face again.” A bitter laugh almost escaped me. It was true. I had nothing of value, no leverage. And if this was supposed to be a deal, a negotiation between two parties, then I deserved something in return too. It couldn’t just be surrender.

“There’s something I’ve been wondering,” Robot said, cutting through my spiraling thoughts. “You’re not from here, are you?”

I froze. My pulse skipped. “What are you talking about?” I asked, narrowing my eyes, heart beginning to race.

“When Cecil asked you earlier to tell the truth…don’t think we didn’t already know. You’re not from this dimension.” He said it calmly, as if he were telling me the sky was blue. My entire body locked up, frozen with embarrassment and shock. “We were all a little...surprised,” he continued. “Even my superior seemed to suspect it, though…look at this world: aliens, demons, world-ending threats. Is it really so hard to believe that alternate universes exist?”

I lunged toward the bars, grabbing them in both hands as desperation flooded out of me. “Why didn’t you say anything?! Do you have any idea how stupid I made myself look in front of the only person who might stand a chance against Invincible?!”

Robot didn’t flinch. He was expecting that reaction. “We needed to see if you’d come clean on your own,” he replied. “And let’s be honest…you were afraid we wouldn’t believe you, weren’t you?”

I laughed, bitter and exhausted. “You didn’t even believe me about Invincible! What was I supposed to do, humiliate myself even more by dropping that bombshell?!” My fingers curled tighter around the tiny earpiece in my hand. It cracked slightly beneath the pressure.

Robot stepped closer, hands folded behind his back, calm and composed as always. “Now that we know…and now that you know we know…why don’t you tell me what Invincible did in your dimension to make you hate him this much?”

The offer hung in the air, fragile and dangerous. He was giving me a chance to finally tell my story, my truth. But that meant revealing everything: the rebellion, the resistance, even the monstrous variant that tore my world apart.

I hesitated for just a second. “…Fine,” I said softly. “But if you’re screwing with me, if you’re just trying to get a laugh out of this…” He didn’t say anything. Just waited.

I took a breath. “In my dimension, Invincible and Omni Man succeeded. They didn’t just try to conquer Earth…they did. They destroyed everything. I was part of a rebel group led by your variant and Atom Eve. A few of the Guardians of the Globe who’d survived volunteered to protect us, to fight back. It didn’t matter. We were discovered anyway...”

Robot was silent, letting my words sink in. “And how exactly did you end up here, in our dimension?” he finally asked. “You don’t have powers. Interdimensional travel isn’t something someone like you can just…do.”

“I don’t know,” I whispered, staring at the floor. “When they came for us I volunteered to distract Invincible. I thought I could buy them time. I ran, and…and then I fell through a portal.” Tears were forming before I could stop them. I blinked fast, but they spilled anyway, hot and merciless. “I wasn’t supposed to survive,” I choked. “I was supposed to die with them. With everyone.” My knees gave out. I collapsed to the ground, gripping the bars for support as sobs forced their way up my throat. I tried to hold them back. I failed.

Robot knelt on the other side of the cell, placing one hand gently on the bar in front of me. “Are you sure you want to go back there? That world is gone. This…this might be your second chance. If you helped us stop Omni-Invincible here, maybe, just maybe, this Earth won’t fall the same way yours did.”

I shook my head. “I don’t belong here,” I said firmly. “I won’t abandon the people I left behind. I’m not a coward, and I refuse to let those two monsters rule my world.” I forced myself to my feet, wiping my face with the back of my hand. I was done breaking down. “I’ll help you here. And then I’m leaving. Got it?”

He stood as well, unreadable as ever. “Very well,” he said. “I assume you’ll want something in return for your help. But actually, I might have a better idea for our little agreement. Something that ties neatly back to our original plan.”

I raised an eyebrow, wary but curious. “What kind of idea?”

“If you want to go home,” he began, “you’ll need to find the person who opened that interdimensional portal in the first place. And I have a feeling Omni-Invincible would find that kind of individual…extremely valuable.”

My stomach dropped. “You can’t be serious,” I said, narrowing my eyes. “I’m not risking the only way I have to go home. If he finds out who that person is, he’ll kill them and I’ll be trapped here forever.”

“That’s why it has to be a deal,” Robot said calmly. “You promise to help him find the portal-maker, and in exchange, he promises to let you return to your original dimension. Simple.”

Simple, he said. As if anything about this was simple.
I stared at him, skeptical. “And what makes you think he won’t just take the information and do everything himself? You really think a Viltrumite would honor a deal?”

Robot didn’t blink. “Because I’ll be watching. Every moment. And when the time comes, when you find them…we’ll step in. You’ll go home, and we’ll handle the rest. Trust me, we won’t let him hurt you…or the one who built the portals.”

“Okay, but…why exactly should I make a deal with him?” I narrowed my eyes, doubt dripping from every word. “I’m pretty sure that the moment I mention someone with powers like that, he’ll want to take care of it all on his own. Don’t you think?”

Robot tilted his head, calm and calculated as always. “From what I’ve studied, Viltrumites are fiercely loyal. Think about it: Omni Man was so loyal to his empire that even twenty years living among humans didn’t stop him from trying to conquer Earth.”

His logic wasn’t entirely flawed. Still…my pact wouldn’t last twenty years. Hell, it might not last a week. “What would make this agreement feel worth honoring for Invincible?” I asked, my tone dry. “It’s not like he owes me anything.”

Robot continued, unfazed. “I doubt Omni-Invincible would break a deal. If anything, he likely wants you as far away from here as possible. You’ve been a thorn in his side since day one. Add to that the fact that you look like someone he once cared about, and he might be more inclined to listen.”

I let out a slow breath. “So, let me get this straight. I’m supposed to pretend to be on his side? I have to act like a villain…like a criminal?” The thought alone turned my stomach. Teaming up with the enemy, my enemy, just to get close enough to stop him. I never imagined things would go this far.

“You seem to be pretty good at playing the criminal,” Robot quipped, his voice annoyingly smug. “After all, you did end up behind bars.”

My jaw clenched. I hated to admit he had a point. One reckless lie, and I’d nearly gotten innocent people killed. “Riiight…and I’ll be under surveillance the entire time, I assume?”

“Of course,” he replied smoothly.

“Got it.” I slipped the earpiece into my ear and gave him a thumbs-up to signal I was in. Robot nodded silently, then turned and walked away, leaving me alone in the dim light of the holding cell.

A few days later, I was finally released.
I had spoken to Cecil, told him the truth…all of it. About where I was from, about what happened in my universe. Surprisingly, he hadn’t seemed shocked. He’d known for a while. Apparently, since the day I was first detained.
At the facility’s exit, my parents were waiting. My mom looked like she’d aged five years in a week, worry painted across every feature. My dad was tense, his leg bouncing with visible anxiety.

“M-Mom? Dad?” I called out hesitantly. The moment they heard my voice, they turned, rushing toward me. My mother wrapped me in a tight hug, holding on like she never wanted to let go again. Robot stood several feet behind me, watching in silence.

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” Mom whispered, tears running down her cheeks but unable to erase the joy in her eyes.

“What happened? What did you get yourself into?” Dad’s voice was sharp, trying to sound stern. But I could tell he was just relieved to see me standing there. I hesitated, unsure how much to tell them…how much they could handle. I didn’t have to answer, though.

“She attempted to flee from the hospital during a bomb scare,” Robot interjected smoothly. “Unfortunately, due to the experimental nature of her treatment, escaping violated a contract she had signed. That’s why she was detained.”

“Are you kidding me?” My dad was furious now. “She was running for her life! And she’s the one punished, not the bastards who locked her up like some test subject?!”

Mom reached over and gently placed a hand on his arm. He simmered down immediately, then gave me another soft look. “At least you’re home now, sweetheart…” she said, brushing a hand across my cheek. “Let’s put the hospital behind us for now. Let’s go home. Do you still have the phone I got you?” I patted my pockets. Empty.

Robot stepped up, tapped my shoulder, and silently handed over my phone, nodding toward my parents. His gesture said everything: Go with them. You’re not alone anymore.

After leaving the facility, Dad muttered under his breath, getting into the driver’s seat. “I’m going to pay that hospital a surprise visit. Something about all this doesn’t sit right with me.”

I slid into the backseat and turned on my phone. It had been wiped completely clean. No apps, no customization. Only my parents' numbers were saved. Suspicious, I opened the notes app, half expecting something.

Sure enough, there it was: a message.

[In case of emergency, call this number. - GDA]

I barely had time to process it before Robot’s voice crackled in my ear, making me jump. “Glad to see you found the message,” he said. “Try not to look too startled, or Omni-Invincible will figure it out in a heartbeat when you're trying to talk to him...”

Mom glanced back at me, alarmed. “What’s wrong?”

“I- uh…spider! There was a spider on my leg.” I pointed vaguely to my knee. “It’s gone now, I think…”

Mom chuckled, covering her mouth in mock horror. “A spider? I never thought you’d jump like that over something so small!” I blushed, sinking back into my seat. As they started talking again in the front seats, I quietly saved the GDA number in my contacts.

“You bluffed well,” Robot said, amused. “Let’s see if you can do the same with your real target.” There was something challenging in his tone, like he wanted to see if I’d crumble.

My heart was pounding. There were so many things I needed to ask…but with my parents in the car, there was no way to speak freely. I’d look like I was talking to myself.

“It’s okay,” his voice returned, as if he’d read my mind. Which…was exactly what he had done. “This tech doesn’t belong to the GDA,” he explained. “It’s mine. More advanced. Stronger. Not only can I speak with you…I can read your thoughts.”

WHAT?! That was a complete invasion of privacy!

"It's not, if you've agreed to collaborate," Robot answered immediately, his voice calm and without a trace of guilt. "I developed this technology specifically to keep you monitored as efficiently as possible. When you're around Omni-Invincible, you'll be able to communicate with me through your thoughts. That way, you won’t have to speak out loud or risk revealing your identity."

I crossed my arms, my body tense with suspicion. That explanation didn’t sit right with me…not entirely, at least. I could feel it in my gut that there was more to it, something he was carefully leaving out. And I was right.

"...Fine," he finally confessed, "I also enhanced the tech to allow me to monitor your thoughts in his presence..."

Ohhh, that wasn’t invasive at all. Right?

"It's for your protection," he insisted, trying to sound reassuring, but it only made me more uneasy. "Omni-Invincible lost his girlfriend in an explosion. Since then, he hasn't been the same. If a similar situation were to occur during your mission, he might...act out. I need to make sure you don't change your mind about him."

What he was implying made my stomach turn. I almost laughed, not because it was funny, but because of how absurd it was. Me? Change my mind about Invincible? Or worse…fall for him? Please.

"It's all to keep you safe," he added. "That’s what you wanted, isn’t it? You’re just a powerless civilian, after all."

Okay, I had to admit, that part was true. I was the one who had insisted they treat me like a noncombatant.

“Now,” Robot continued, shifting the topic, “I should give you some critical intel about Omni-Invincible that might help you during the mission. But this information is classified: GDA-level clearance only. If he suspects anything, we're all screwed. You understand that, right?”

I swallowed hard. The weight of what I was doing began to truly settle in. One misstep, even a small one, and I could get people killed. And the worst part? I didn’t have any powers to stop it. I was essentially walking a tightrope without a safety net.

“He killed his father during the Chicago incident two years ago. That happened before his girlfriend died in the explosion…two completely separate events. And no, the explosion wasn’t caused by Omni Man trying to hurt or manipulate his son. We’re sure of that.”

But how had the explosion happened? Who had caused it? And more importantly...why? Why had my variant been the one to die?

“So many questions,” Robot admitted, almost sympathetically. “Unfortunately, we don’t have the answers. The explosion is a mystery to us, too. We only know it occurred days before Y/N’s official death. If you didn’t already know, she had chronic leukemia. There wasn’t much that could be done, not even with our best tech.”

He paused briefly, before moving on. “As for Omni-Invincible’s mother…she’s dead too. We don’t know the circumstances. But her death was one of the first signs that something was wrong with him.”

I froze. Wait...he possibly killed his own mother? That was insane. What kind of person could do something like that?

“I didn’t say we’re sure he did it,” Robot clarified, picking up on my reaction. “But the condition of the body…his reaction when she was found…it raised some serious red flags.”

Then why the hell wasn’t he locked up in a prison cell like me?

“Calm down,” Robot said, still reading my thoughts. “He’s one of the most powerful beings on the planet. And back then, he’d just snapped, probably. He was unstable after Y/N’s death. We had no idea what he might do, and we were still recovering from the fight against his father. We weren’t equipped to take him down. Not yet.”

I clenched my fists. It made sense, but that didn’t make it right. The man was a ticking time bomb.

“I know you hate him,” Robot added softly. “And I hope you continue to. You’ll need that hate to complete your mission.” He let that hang in the air before continuing. “As for his civilian life…”

My mind flashed back to our first meeting. I remembered how he’d taken off his mask and revealed his identity to me like it was nothing.

“His name is Mark Grayson, in case you weren’t aware,” Robot continued. “He attends college and he’s currently dating Atom Eve.”

That last part made something twist in my stomach. So he hadn’t exactly wasted time moving on, even after supposedly losing his mind over my variant’s death.

“According to our intel, and due to our connection with Eve, we know he treats her poorly. It’s nothing like the way he used to treat your variant.”

And that was supposed to mean…what?

“It means,” Robot explained, “he doesn’t care about her the way he cared about your version of Y/N. That gives you an advantage…an emotional weakness you can exploit.”

I could already see where this was going, and I hated it. He wanted me to pretend to be interested in him. To manipulate him emotionally. I wasn’t even going to entertain the idea. “No,” I whispered under my breath.

“You have to,” Robot said firmly. “For the sake of both worlds. You only have to pretend. That’s why I altered this tech…to keep you focused. To stop you from changing your mind about him.”

Like that would ever happen. “But I don’t even know how to act like I like him,” I muttered. “Not after everything I’ve said to his face. Not after our past encounters…”

“Start with the proposal,” Robot advised. “Once the pact is in place, the rest will flow more naturally. You’ll see.”

Yeah, sure. “Natural.” That was one word for it. I called it torture. A constant threat hanging over my life. But if this really was the only way to save both dimensions…I’d do it. Even if I hated every second of it.

Still, I couldn’t help wondering: how long would it have taken me to find the portal man on my own? I didn’t even know if he was human. There were over eight billion people on the planet, and I had no leads. If he wasn’t cooperative or refused to reveal himself, I could be stuck here forever.

“That’s where we come in,” said a new voice in my earpiece. I nearly jumped. Cecil. He’d been listening too. Of course. “We’ve opened a case file on the person who brought you here,” he explained. “Anytime we find a lead, we’ll update you. But you need to make sure Mark believes you’re doing your own digging. Don’t act suspicious.”

Great. Just what I needed. More pressure.

“Drop hints here and there,” Cecil continued. “Mention theories, observations, but don’t overdo it. You need to come across as insightful, not rehearsed.”

I leaned my head back against the seat, exhaling slowly as the full weight of my task settled in.
So this was my life now: fake alliances, mind-reading tech, emotional manipulation, and trying to outwit a ticking bomb in human skin.
He was asking too much of me. Way too much.
I was supposed to help with the investigation, and simultaneously build some sort of emotional connection with him? That was insane. It was overwhelming just to think about.

“You can always back out,” Cecil’s voice cut through the static, cold and firm as ever. “But you’ll never go home again.”

Shit. He knew. He had access not only to my thoughts but…God, maybe even my memories. The things I cared about most…the people, the moments…he could see all of it now. That realization left a bitter taste in my mouth.

“I’m guessing you don’t want to take that risk, do you? So pull yourself together and do what needs to be done.”

Robot’s voice replaced Cecil’s, smooth and almost robotic again. “Cecil will only intervene when there’s an update about the unidentified individual who brought you here. If you have questions or intel concerning Omni-Invincible, I’ll be your sole point of contact.”

Well. At least one old man wasn’t digging through my thoughts 24/7.

“I heard that. Show some respect,” Cecil snapped immediately, his voice flat and sharp like a blade. It reminded me of a parent scolding a child.
Right. I’d already forgotten he was still listening, even if he wasn’t speaking anymore.

Robot cleared his throat, metaphorically, anyway. “You’ll need to go back to school. College, correct?”

Right. That part of the plan was still in motion.
I had to pass the entrance exams. The semester had already started, and mid-year enrollment was my only way to enter. The tests were scheduled just a few days from now. How was I supposed to prepare for that on top of everything else?

“Just tell me which major you’re aiming for,” Robot continued. “Pick something you genuinely care about, something that’s actually offered at that school. And be aware: you’ll have to commit to this cover. You’ll attend classes, do the assignments. As far as anyone’s concerned, you’re just another student.”

That was easy. Law. I had studied it back in my original dimension. I already knew what I’d be facing. No surprises there.

“Law? Excellent. We’ll make sure you pass the entrance exam without lifting a finger.”

Not that I would have needed to. I already knew the structure of the test, some of the exact questions, even. Plus, I remembered the topics they covered at the beginning of the year. I had an advantage no one else did.

“You’ll be living on campus,” Robot added. “Omni-Invincible attends the same college-”

No. No, that had to be a joke.
He couldn’t be serious.
Please tell me he wasn’t serious.

“He’s not in your program,” Robot clarified, as if sensing my panic. “But he does study there. It’s part of maintaining his civilian cover…blending in, acting normal. Being there allows you two to interact more frequently, and more discreetly. No costumes, no GDA surveillance cameras, no suspicion. Just…casual.”

I didn’t like how that sounded.
I remembered the way he’d looked at me that night, his eyes full of something too soft, too nostalgic. The way he tried to read my expression like I was some ghost from his past. Like he wanted to believe I was her. His Y/N.
I shook the thought away. Hard.

“Don’t start changing your mind,” Robot warned, his voice low and stern. “Even if he’s not wearing the mask, you need to keep seeing him for who he is. Omni-Invincible. Got it?”

Loud and clear…

Chapter Text

One month later…I had finally made it.
Thanks to Robot and the GDA, who had taken it upon themselves to guide me through the admission process, I had passed the entry exams and secured a place in the college I’d be attending. It still felt surreal.

My parents had driven me to the front gates of the campus, which turned out to be far larger than I had imagined: massive, almost overwhelming. The grounds stretched on endlessly, with buildings I couldn’t even begin to count. Some were classrooms, others dormitories. I stood frozen for a moment, trying to take it all in.

When I stepped out of the car, a large messenger bag slung over my shoulder, I couldn't help but stare. The university was beautiful. Striking, even. It resembled the one back in my own world…though, if I had to be honest, this one seemed even more advanced, more equipped.

My father popped open the trunk and began pulling out the luggage I had packed obsessively over the past week: clothes, toiletries, medicine, towels, even two different types of moisturizer. I hadn’t exactly packed light. “Sweetheart, are you sure you’re going to need all of this?” my dad asked with a breathy chuckle, wiping sweat from his forehead as he eyed the mountain of bags.

I walked over and grabbed one of the smaller suitcases. “Yes, Dad. I don’t know when I’ll be able to come home again…or if I’ll even be able to visit soon,” I replied quietly, heading toward the main entrance with the wheels of the suitcase thumping behind me.

My mom had exited the car too, clutching her handbag tightly as her eyes wandered over every detail of the building. I could tell she was trying to memorize it. My dad followed behind us, carrying the heaviest of the bags with the kind of determined effort only a dad would put in when trying not to complain.

Inside, the college was already buzzing with life. Students filled the corridors, balancing textbooks, chatting in groups, or studying alone with sleek tablets and laptops. It was modern. Alive. Intimidating.

I made my way to the administrative office, my steps quickening. “Name, please?” came the voice of a woman sitting behind a cluttered desk. She looked to be in her sixties and definitely gave off the vibe of someone who was over this job.

“Y/N L/N,” I answered, digging into my bag to retrieve the necessary documents. “I passed the mid-semester law exam.” I handed her the papers, which she took with sluggish fingers before beginning to type at her ancient monitor with the speed of a sloth. “We’ll be here forever,” I muttered under my breath.

She squinted at the screen, then glanced at the ID in her hand. “Age?” she asked flatly.

I blinked. Really? She literally had my ID. “Nineteen,” I replied, forcing a polite smile. “Female, in case you need that too,” I added, only half-whispering. Apparently, she did hear me. My mom elbowed me sharply in the ribs. I probably deserved that.

The secretary sighed, opened a drawer, and retrieved a small silver key before standing up, slowly, and gesturing for us to follow. “Come with me, please. I’ll show you to your dorm.”

I shot my dad a quick apologetic look as we followed the woman. He waved me off, pausing to rest near a bench. I had given him the heaviest suitcase for a reason: I wouldn’t have been able to carry it more than a few feet.

The secretary led us down a hallway and stopped in front of a door marked 276. My new room. My stomach twisted. Who would I be sharing it with?
She handed me the key with a sharp look. “Don’t lose this. If you do, it’ll cost you fifty dollars to replace.” I nodded just as she knocked briskly on the door.

Someone was inside.

A second later, the door opened, and a girl with long red hair peered out. She was wearing only a bra, her hair an absolute mess. “Rex, what the hell-” she started, but stopped cold when she saw me, my mother, and the secretary standing awkwardly in the hallway. “Oh. Uh. Sorry! I thought you were someone else- give me one second!” She shut the door just as quickly, muttering something under her breath that I didn’t quite catch.

“You all know the rules,” the secretary scolded with all the enthusiasm of someone who’s had to say it a thousand times. “Boys and girls. Separate dorms.”

“I was just sleeping!” the voice called back from inside, followed by the unmistakable rustle of someone throwing on clothes. Moments later, the door opened again, and this time, the girl, fully dressed, stepped aside to let us in.
“Sorry about the mess,” she said, a bit breathless. “I didn’t get a chance to clean before you got here…between studying and classes, it’s been chaos. I’m-”

“Eve,” I said for her, quietly.

Her brows drew together. “Uh…yeah. That’s right. And you are?”

“Y/N,” I replied, extending my hand. She took it, giving me a warm, if confused, smile. She didn’t know me. But I knew her…well, the version of her from my world looked a little different, but it was unmistakably her.

“Looks like you two are hitting it off,” my mom said cheerfully. “I’m her mother, Mrs. L/N.” Eve shook her hand too, just as my father appeared at the door with the last of my luggage. “I’ll go help Dad,” My mom said, slipping past us. By the time she returned, Eve had already cleared a bit of space for me.

“Want help unpacking?” she offered, brushing red curls out of her face.

I hesitated. She seemed so nice, genuine. “Yeah… sure, thanks.”

“I need to tidy my stuff anyway,” she smiled, returning to her side of the room where clothes and books were stacked in precarious towers. Her blanket was still twisted up from where she must have leapt out of bed. I could guess what she had probably been up to before we arrived.

“Y/N, come grab your suitcase!” my dad called from the hallway, dragging it in with some effort. He set it down with a huff and looked at me, eyes softening.
“Well…this is where we say goodbye, sweetheart. We can’t stay.” He reached out and ruffled my hair gently. “Remember to call us if you need anything, okay? And text us. Every morning, and every night. Just a quick message.”

“I will,” I promised, hugging them both. “Safe drive back.” They gave me one last smile and turned to go.

The secretary stood outside the room, arms crossed, watching me. “I assume you know the college rules already?” she began, her voice stern but not unkind. “Students are free to manage their time however they wish. That means you can technically skip classes…but if you're here, I doubt you're the type to do that.” I nodded. “Breakfast is served from 7:00 to 8:00 AM. Lunch from 12:00 to 2:00 PM. Dinner, 7:00 to 8:00 PM. You can eat at the cafeteria, order takeout, or eat outside…doesn’t matter to us.”

“Alright. Thanks a lot,” I said softly, stepping into the room and gently closing the door behind me.

The dorm was quiet now, the chaos from earlier smoothed over as if it had never happened. Eve had already finished organizing her half of the room: every item perfectly placed, her bed neatly made as if she’d never even touched it. I glanced around, quietly impressed. Everything looked pristine. Almost too pristine. My eyes flicked over to her desk, her shelves, the corners of the room. It all screamed of something beyond human efficiency.

She must have used her powers. But I couldn’t let her know that I knew.

“Eve doesn’t know why you’re here,” Robot’s voice crackled in my ear through the comms piece tucked carefully beneath my hair. His tone was calm but firm. “She doesn’t know who you really are. She’s not aware of what happened at the hospital either. So keep a low profile, alright?”

I nodded slightly to myself. Got it.
I’d suspected as much already. From the little I’d seen on the news in this dimension, Eve hadn’t been making many appearances as a superhero lately. I wasn’t even sure if she still was one.

“She still has her powers,” Robot assured me, reading my thoughts like a book. “But lately she’s taken some distance from the hero scene for personal reasons.” That made sense. And if she was vulnerable, maybe…maybe that was a way in.

“What are you doing just standing there?” Eve asked with a half-smile, one hand resting casually on her hip as she leaned against the window. “What’s your major?”

Her tone was warm, friendly, open. I could use that.
This was my chance to build a connection with her…something genuine enough that, one day, she might trust me. Maybe enough to tell me the truth about herself. Maybe even enough to help me when the time came.

“I’m studying law,” I answered, walking toward my half of the room and unzipping one of my suitcases. Clothes spilled over the edges in a somewhat organized mess, carefully folded, but crammed in like my whole life had been stuffed into a few bags. “Got in after passing the mid-semester entrance exams. What about you?”

“Architecture,” she said with a little shrug. “Or at least...I think I am. Honestly, I’m still figuring it out. Feels like I should already know what I want to do with my life at this age, you know?” She took a handful of my clothes and brought them to the wardrobe that would now be mine. “Can I put these here?” I nodded, smiling gratefully, and began placing the rest of my clothes on the shelf she’d started filling.

Robot interrupted in my ear again. “I wouldn’t recommend bringing up Invincible, even in passing. Eve may be more willing to talk about her powers, but if you open the door to him…she might tell him things. Things we can’t afford to risk.”

But Eve’s on our side, isn’t she?

“She supports us, yes. The issue is that she’s very close to Invincible. If something feels off, he’ll pick up on it. Quickly.”

I didn’t get a chance to reply. Eve had turned back toward me, a sheepish smile tugging at her lips as she reached up and scratched the back of her head. “Sorry again for earlier,” she said with an awkward laugh. “I seriously thought you were someone else. My ex. And, well…I wasn’t alone in the room, so…”

Her expression gave her away. Even if she didn’t say his name, I already knew who she meant. Mark Grayson. Either he’d been here just moments ago, or she’d been…with someone else. But that seemed unlikely. I raised my eyebrows teasingly, a grin curling at my lips as I nudged her lightly. “Oooh…and who’s the lucky guy…or girl?”

Eve giggled, brushing a loose strand of red hair behind her ear. “Okay, okay, I like how inclusive you are,” she joked with a wink. “It’s a guy. Mark Grayson. He’s my boyfriend.” My stomach clenched at the name. “He studies medicine,” she continued, walking to her bedside table and swiping open her phone. “Things ended really badly with his ex-girlfriend. She…she died. She wanted to go into medicine too. I think that’s why he chose it. To honor her memory.”

My blood turned to ice. She was talking about my variant.

Robot immediately stepped in with reassurance. “Don’t panic. She doesn’t know your face, or even your name. Just that you existed. Anything she knows, she learned from Mark…and he wouldn’t have had reason to give specifics.”

I let out a breath of relief. Still, I had to say something before the silence stretched on too long.

“Oh…I see. I’m really sorry to hear that,” I replied, keeping my tone soft and sympathetic. “That’s…actually kind of romantic, in a way.” The words tasted like ash in my mouth. I didn’t mean a single one of them. But if pretending to care got me closer to her trust? Then I’d lie through my teeth. Even if it meant swallowing my disgust for Invincible and everything he represented.

“You think so?” Eve asked, tilting her head as she thought it over. “Yeah, I guess it is...in a sense.” She paused, holding some of my things in her hands, lost in thought. “If only he weren’t doing so badly on his exams.”

That caught my attention. “Why do you say that?” I asked, already suspecting the answer. “Isn’t he studying?”

“He is. Kind of. It’s just…his heart’s not in it. He picked medicine not because it’s what he wanted, but because she did. Everything about it feels like he’s stuck in the past.” She turned to continue organizing, folding some of my shirts and placing them gently in the drawer.

I walked up beside her and looked into her eyes, lowering my voice. “Doesn’t that…bother you tho? Even just a little? It’s like he’s still clinging to someone who’s not here anymore…even though he’s with you now.” I reached out and gently touched her shoulder. “I mean…I’m no expert, but maybe you should bring it up to him. He can’t live in the past forever.”

Eve sighed. Her expression darkened as she set the clothes down. “He’s not the most open guy, Y/N. I’ve tried. God knows I’ve tried. I’m usually really good at listening, at being there for people. But with Mark...he’s always held something back. It’s hurting our relationship.” She paused, her voice barely above a whisper. “I really, really like him.”

And there it was. The part that stung.

Not because I didn’t expect it, but because I knew how this would end. I’d seen it in my own world. My own Eve had cared for Mark too, maybe even loved him more than she admitted. And in the end? That love had been her downfall. Because no matter how close she was to him, Invincible would always be willing to hurt her for the sake of his twisted ideology.

He’d betray anyone. Even her.
Even now…I wondered if this Eve would suffer the same fate. And whether I could stop it.

I gently placed a hand on Eve’s shoulder. “What he needs to do now is let go of his trauma. He has to forget about his ex and move on...if he wants a real relationship again, he needs to leave her behind.”

“That’s never going to happen.” Her voice cracked slightly, as if she already knew deep down that what I was saying wasn’t realistic. “It’s been months…almost a year, and nothing’s changed...”
She glanced at her phone. 3:00 PM. “Shit, I have class in thirty minutes!” Her eyes widened in panic. “I’m so sorry, I really wanted to help you settle in and talk more, but if I don’t leave now, I won’t find a seat.”

She dashed over to the shelf and grabbed a few freshly stacked textbooks before rushing out the door. But she paused at the threshold and turned back with a smile. “Once they give you your class schedule, let me know, okay? That way I’ll know when you’re around!” And then she was gone. Silence settled like a fog over the dorm room.

Alone now, I finished unpacking the last of my things. I tucked the empty suitcases under the bed, neatly stacked the books on the shelf above my mattress, and arranged the rest of my clothes in the wardrobe.

“There. All done.” I murmured to myself, letting out a small, relieved sigh. I collapsed on the mattress, hoping for even a moment of rest.

But peace was a luxury I wasn’t allowed. Not here.

“Nice work with Eve,” Robot’s voice echoed softly through my earpiece. “I have some information you should know, about people on campus. Some of them are involved with the superhero world. Their identities are classified, obviously, but I thought it might be useful for you to know who’s who. For instance, Rex is one of the Guardians. Just remember: this mission is confidential. If you meet him, keep your identity to yourself.” He paused for a moment, as if anticipating a reaction. “And to be honest, I don’t think that’ll be too hard, given the circumstances.”

...What did he mean by that?

“Rex and Eve...had a history. Before she got together with Omni-Invincible, I mean.” I raised an eyebrow, unsure where he was going. “Rex has a...reputation. He hits on every girl that breathes. Bit of a jackass, to be frank. But if you manage to win him over, his powers could be...useful.”

Before I could even respond, I heard a faint sound, something strange, just outside the window.

I jolted upright, muscles tight with instinct. My eyes scanned the room. Robot went quiet immediately, sensing my shift in attention. He knew I needed silence to assess what was happening. My time in the underground, hunted and always on edge, had sharpened my senses. I knew danger when it crept close.

Mark. He had been on campus before I arrived. He wasn’t in the room, that much was clear. It was just a dorm, two beds and a bathroom, and there was nowhere to hide. But what if he’d been outside the window? Listening?

Robot had modified my earpiece just in time, that way if Mark had been eavesdropping, he wouldn’t have heard the most important parts. I grabbed the lamp from my nightstand and gripped it like a baseball bat. Step by step, I crept toward the window, silent and tense. Outside, the courtyard was alive with students milling about.

No sign of him.

I opened the glass slowly, scanning every inch of wall for any sign of him clinging to the ledge or floating nearby, but there was nothing. Not even a flicker. Either he hadn’t been spying...or he’d already left. That thought gave me a sliver of relief. I placed the lamp temporarily on Eve’s desk, closed the window again, and tugged the curtain shut. I returned the lamp to its place and-

A knock.
Hard. Sharp. Too sudden.
I froze.

“Answer the door,” Robot instructed calmly. “Don’t worry. I’m here. If things go south, I’ll intervene.”

I swallowed hard. I had no choice. “I’m coming!” I called out, doing my best to keep my voice steady as I crossed the room. The moment I opened the door, a strong hand clamped around my throat. I was shoved backward into the room with violent force. The door slammed shut behind us.

When I looked up, Invincible was hovering inches above the floor…no, Mark. His eyes burned with fury. But there was something else in them too. Something deeper. Something unspoken. I clawed at his wrist, trying to break free, but it was useless.

“What the hell are you doing here?!” His voice was a snarl. “Why aren’t you rotting in a cell like Robot said?!” I gasped, struggling for air.

“You’re going to want to stall,” Robot whispered through my earpiece. “I’ve already called backup.” I wanted to say something, anything. But there wasn’t enough air.

“You’re turning into a real pain in the ass,” Mark growled, his grip tightening. I felt his fingers digging into my skin. White pressure marks began to bloom across my neck. Drool slipped from the corner of my mouth as my eyes rolled back. He was really going to kill me.

“S-Stop,” I croaked. “Wait-” That one word bought me a second to breathe. He didn’t loosen his grip, but he didn’t crush my windpipe either. He was listening. “I want...to make a deal,” I wheezed.

His expression remained cold, skeptical. He didn’t buy it. “I don’t care about your deals,” he snapped. His grip didn’t falter. “What could you possibly offer? You’re just a weak little human…useless and pathetic.” But his eyes betrayed him. The hatred was still there. But something had changed. Since I’d opened my mouth, something in his stare had shifted just enough.

It wasn’t much. But maybe...it would be enough.

"P-Power..." It was all I could manage to whisper. My lungs screamed for air, my ribs ached from the pressure. I wouldn’t be able to endure much longer, not like this. I just hoped that answer would be enough to satisfy him, to make him loosen his grip even slightly.

And it did. I felt it…a shift. His hold softened, just enough to let a trickle of air reach my chest. But he didn’t let go. Not yet. The pain didn’t stop. “I- I can explain better if you just-” As if reading my mind, or maybe just tired of hearing my voice, he abruptly released me, not with grace or concern, but with force.

My body hit the floor hard. My right arm and leg collided against the cold, merciless tiles with a sickening thud. The impact stole the breath from my lungs again, and a pained whimper escaped my lips.

He didn’t flinch. “What could a pathetic human possibly offer someone like me?” There it was again, that voice. Human-like in tone, but not in weight. He looked human, at least partially, but he didn’t feel like one. Not in the way he spoke. His words dripped with superiority, like I was something lesser. A lesser being. A means to an end.

I dragged myself into a sitting position, wincing as I pressed a trembling hand to my throat, then to my arm, and finally to my leg. The bruises were already blooming, fiery and deep. I could still feel the shape of his hand imprinted on my neck, a phantom burn that wouldn’t fade.

“Listen, Invincible…” I rasped, my voice raw, my throat torn. Sweet, cold air finally filled my lungs, but it wasn't enough to steady me. “You know I’m not from this dimension…right?” I looked up. He stood a few feet away, imposing, unshaken, fists clenched and gaze locked on me. Predatory. Curious. “And I know what it is you want. Don’t bother denying it.”

“Get to the point.” Sharp. Impatient. But…interested. That was a good sign. He wanted to know. That meant I still had a card to play.

“That power, the ability to travel between dimensions, it could help you. Fuel your conquest. Expand your reach.” He arched a brow, and I pressed on. “If you help me find the one who started all of this, I swear you could use him for your own goals. Leverage his knowledge, his tech, whatever he has. Just…help me get to him.”

Even as I said it, shame wrapped its claws around my chest. The person I was talking about might’ve been innocent. Might’ve even tried to protect me. But now I was throwing them to the wolves. Condemning them to death or worse.

“You want me to help you track down the person who dumped you here...” he repeated slowly, landing on the floor with a controlled, almost theatrical ease. His feet touched down, and he looked me over with a mix of amusement and scrutiny. “All so you can save your own ass? And I’m just supposed to trust that I’ll get something out of this?”

I pushed myself up, forcing my legs to steady even though they threatened to give out. I needed to look him in the eyes. I needed to seem like I had control even if I didn’t. “We find that guy. He gets me back to my dimension, and you use him for whatever the hell you want. Just…don’t conquer mine. It’s already barely surviving thanks to your variant.” I hadn’t meant for the bitterness to slip into my voice, but it did.

His lips twitched just barely. A cruel little smirk. He was entertained.

“So?” I asked, breathless.

He brought a hand to his chin, pretending to ponder. “I’ll admit…expanding my reach doesn’t sound too bad.” He was considering it. He was actually considering it. “…Do you have any idea where this person might be?” he asked, stepping closer. His presence was like a storm front: loud, heavy, and impossible to ignore. His face hovered inches from mine. I instinctively stepped back.

“N-Not exactly…” I whispered. My heart pounded against my ribs like a war drum. Before he could say something snide, I lifted both hands in a defensive gesture. “But we can investigate together! I swear I’ll be useful. I have amazing instincts!”

He crossed his arms. “If your instincts are so great, why do you need me?” His brow lifted again, and his smirk deepened as he watched the panic bloom across my face. “You need me…for what, exactly? Scared that mystery guy’s gonna hurt you? I don’t get it…you’re afraid of him, but you’re not afraid of me?”

“I’m not afraid of either of you,” I said quickly. Too quickly. Not what he wanted to hear. “You broke into my dorm room, college dorm, might I add where I was hoping to build a life and tried to strangle me with your bare hands. You left me no choice. I did what I had to, to survive.”

A short, humorless laugh slipped out of him. “First you threaten me…wish me dead…” His voice darkened with sarcasm. He was talking about the hospital. The day Robot had dragged me away. “…and now you come crawling back for help?” He moved closer, hands on his hips. “Sorry, but I’m not buying it.”

Wait- what?

Panic surged through me like a jolt of electricity. My eyes darted around the room, looking for support, a cue, anything. But Robot was silent, probably just as unsure of how to respond. The silence between us stretched on, thick and unbearable.

My mind raced. I had so many possible responses but none that felt safe. None that wouldn’t risk everything.

And then-
Another knock at the door.

“Eve? Everything okay? I thought I heard something…” A male voice. Unfamiliar to me, but judging by the look on Mark’s face, he recognized it. And he clearly wasn’t pleased.

Mark turned toward me, his hand reaching for my arm. His grip was firm, controlling, but not violent this time. He leaned in. “Do not do anything stupid,” he whispered. “I’m opening that door, and you’re going to act like a completely normal college girl who just met her roommate’s boyfriend. Got it?”

I wanted to scream. What kind of twisted plan was that? What if people started gossiping that I had something going on with him…on my first day at this school? He let go and strode toward the door. One hand on the handle. The door opened.

“Mark?” The stranger looked from him to me. His eyes scanned the room, narrowed as they took in the bruises, the disheveled state I was in, the fingerprints still ghosting across my throat. “What were you doing here alone…with her? In Eve’s room? While she’s gone?”

Mark looked at me. Then back at the guy.
Said nothing.
He wanted me to answer. To make something up. I didn’t even know who this guy was!

Robot’s voice crackled in my ear. "That’s Rex Splode. I sent him to check on you. Mark won’t lay a finger on you with him nearby…he wouldn’t risk it." That wasn’t helpful. Not at all.

What the hell am I supposed to say?

“Whatever you say, he’ll believe it.” Robot’s voice again.

But it also had to be believable enough for Invincible. And that was the hard part.

“Mark…that is your name, right?” I turned to look at him, who glared at me in response. But I kept up the act, refusing to let my expression falter. “He came looking for Eve and…um…” I hesitated, the weight of too many expectant stares pressing down on me. Mark was ready to jump in and back me up, but I subtly raised a hand to stop him. I needed to finish this myself. “I let him in. He didn’t believe me when I said Eve wasn’t here.” I forced a tight smile, feeling a cold bead of sweat roll down my temple.

Mark looked like he was fighting the urge to bury his face in his hands after hearing what I’d just said. Still, he stepped forward and, in one swift move, rewrote the entire story. “I came to grab something Eve forgot. She’s got a class in half an hour,” he said, arms crossed and voice calm but commanding. “She asked me to swing by. And you know she wouldn’t send me in here if she didn’t trust me.”

Rex, the guy standing in the doorway with that arrogant air about him, scoffed like Mark’s words personally offended him. “She only trusts you ‘cause you’re always in and out of her pants. And her room.”

I froze in place, heat flooding my face from the sheer awkwardness of it all. Seriously? He said that in front of me, a complete stranger? What if I didn’t know they were hooking up? What kind of messed-up first impression was that supposed to be?

“Rex, come on.” Mark sighed and extended a hand toward him like he was trying to calm a tantruming child. “Stop being jealous. Face it, I’m with Eve. It’s been over a year now. And you of all people shouldn’t be talking after cheating on her…what? More than once?”

The conversation was spiraling fast. I instinctively moved back, but Robot’s voice buzzed in my ear. “Let them argue. It’s routine. This always happens when Eve is involved.” So…this was normal? God, this place was insane.

“I never brought up cheating, man,” Rex fired back, pointing a finger in Mark’s face. “You’re the one who brought that crap up all on your own. Makes me wonder why it’s the first thing that came to your mind…feeling guilty, maybe?”

“Rex,” Mark’s voice dropped, sharp and ice-cold, “get that finger out of my face. Now.” Rex actually listened and pulled back his hand, but the tension between them was thick enough to cut with a knife. “I swear, if I see you hanging around again, I-”

“Guys,” I cut in, stepping between them before things escalated further. I didn’t want to be a witness to a testosterone-fueled meltdown, especially not over Eve. “If it’s not too much to ask…could you both leave? I’d really like some time alone. In my room.” They exchanged a glance, then both looked at me. Rex didn’t seem like he had a problem backing off. But he was watching Mark closely, like he didn’t trust him.

“Fine,” Mark said, brushing past me. “I’ll grab Eve’s stuff and get out of here.” He moved toward her desk, pretending to search for something specific, giving me just enough room to get out of his way.

Meanwhile, Rex lingered by the door. “So,” he said in a lower voice, “what’s your name?” I turned, surprised by his sudden shift in tone. He was smiling, charming on the surface, but there was something off behind his eyes. Did he know Invincible had almost killed me just minutes earlier? What exactly did Robot tell him to make him show up like this?

“Y/N,” I replied cautiously, reaching out for a handshake. He gripped it confidently, clearly feeding off the attention. No wonder he cheated on Eve so many times, his ego needed it to survive. “And you’re…Rex, right?”

“Rex Sloan, darling. Captain of the campus football team and, modestly speaking, the most attractive guy at this college.” He placed a hand on his chest like he expected applause. None came.

Mark, from across the room, let out a short, amused laugh.

“So I take it hot guys aren’t your type?” Rex added, mock-offended. He glanced at the mark around my neck. His smirk widened. “You into that kind of…rough stuff?”

I recoiled. “What?! No!” My voice shot up in pitch, my cheeks flaming red. “Me and Mark weren’t doing anything like that! You perv…” I quickly raised my hands to cover the bruises.

Mark had already grabbed a book and headed toward the door, not even sparing me a second glance before disappearing out of the room.

So…had he accepted my proposal or not?
Damn it- I needed to know. Otherwise Robot couldn’t plan ahead. And I needed Robot to plan ahead....

“You know…you can trust me,” Rex said, his tone dipping into something more manipulative. “Lying to someone’s face…not cool.” I was done with his smug comments.

Without thinking, I kicked him in the leg, hard enough to make him bend down in pain. “Mind explaining why you’re even here? I don't know you.” I snapped.

“Ow- wow,” he winced. “Was hoping to catch me off-guard, huh? That’s cold, baby.”

“Consider it a favor. Now you know how I feel when you talk like that.”

He rubbed his shin dramatically and staggered back up. “You’ve got a wicked sense of humor, damn…maybe I should keep my mouth shut more often.”

“I’d appreciate it.”

He let out a groan. “Thanks to you, I won’t be at my best in today’s game. You’re ruthless.”

A smile tugged at the corner of my lips. “Oh no!! The great Rex Sloan, captain of the football team, bested by a girl’s kick? How tragic.”

Honestly, he wasn’t the worst. A little cocky, sure, but there was something entertaining about him. He wasn’t ugly either…just not exactly my type.

“Focus.” Robot’s voice cut through my thoughts like a blade. Right. Mark was gone. No answer, no confirmation. Just…silence.

“You challenging me, Y/N?” He said my name. That was new. And…weirdly personal. “Alright. I’ll play today. But only if you come watch.” My eyes widened a little. My face warmed again. “The field’s huge, tons of room in the stands. You’ll find a seat easy. Most people go just to watch me anyway.”

“And humble, too…” I rolled my eyes. “You think I care whether you play or not? You could jump off a cliff for all I care.”

He pouted, actually pouted, and gave me puppy-dog eyes. What the hell was wrong with this guy?

“Fine.” I sighed in defeat. “I’ll go. But stop acting like a child.”

“Oh, I’m sure that’s not why you changed your mind.” He reached out, tapped the tip of my nose with his finger, and winked.

Cocky bastard…and yet…he wasn’t entirely wrong.

Chapter Text

"I still don’t understand why you’re so determined to attend Rex’s football game," Robot’s voice echoed from the corner of the room, mechanical but tinged with confusion. “Your target is Omni-Invincible. You don’t have time for these...side missions, your goal is to gain his trust.” It wasn’t just confusion, his tone leaned toward criticism, like a disappointed parent trying to steer a reckless child. But I wasn’t listening too closely.

I was too busy digging through the limited wardrobe I had brought with me, trying to find something breathable and not too formal. The sun outside was relentless, pouring its heat into every crack and corner. I finally settled on a light blouse and a pair of airy jeans. The outfit was simple, clean, and still within the bounds of the school’s vague dress code…assuming one even existed.

"Are you listening to me?"

"Yes, Robot, I heard you,” I replied, this time aloud, just to shut him up for a moment. The door and windows were closed, thankfully. There was no way Invincible, if he was anywhere nearby, could spy on me or overhear our conversation. I was safe for now. Eve was still in class, which meant I had the entire room to myself. “I just think...I deserve a chance to make friends, don’t I?” I said softly, turning slightly to glance at my reflection. “Everyone from my dimension was wiped out like they were nothing. Like they were insects under someone’s shoe.”

My eyes lingered on my own face for a moment. “Should I wear a hat?” I murmured, scratching at my scalp as I eyed the sunlight bleeding through the window blinds. I didn’t want to end up with heatstroke, how tragic would that be? Collapsing at a football game in a parallel universe.

“I’m not exactly a fashion expert,” Robot responded dryly. “But if you want to avoid sunburn, you probably should. The field is outdoors. Don’t forget sunscreen either. The last thing we need is you getting sick when there are far more important things you should be focusing on.”

His words were cold, detached, like always. But something in them made me pause. Was it really so wrong to want a few moments to just be in this world? To feel like I belonged to something normal just for a little while? I wouldn’t stay here forever. I knew that. My reality was a burned-out hellscape, and I didn’t get many moments like this. I wasn’t about to let this one slip by.

“Mark didn’t give me a real answer, by the way,” I said, clicking in a pair of delicate earrings as I returned my gaze to the mirror. “But maybe I’ll run into him later on campus. He didn’t seem busy today. Who knows? Maybe he’ll show up at the game too.”

I gave my reflection a soft smile. The face staring back at me looked...not quite happy, but lighter. Less burdened. Slowly, I was starting to feel like myself again. This dimension was like breathing clean air after choking for so long. Not that I had forgotten my goal: revenge. Seeing how peaceful and joyful life could be here only fueled my resolve to take down him. But I couldn’t let that goal consume me entirely. I’d lose myself if I did.

“Well then, if you do see him, try to get some clarity from him. We need more information. I have to assess variables, run calculations…” Robot paused, maybe realizing I wasn’t even pretending to care. “...you know, statistical things.”

“Yeah, right...not really my area of expertise,” I muttered. “There’s a reason I chose law, you know.”

I reached for my bag and slipped in my wallet, some tissues, and finally my phone, only to pause as a notification popped up. It was from Robot. “I’ve just shared the current med student schedule with you. Mark’s in that faculty, so you’ll be able to see when he’s free and when he’s not.”

Useful. Really useful. As I opened the document, my eyes immediately scanned the timetable: he had the afternoon off, with only a few evening classes later. That meant there was a decent chance I’d run into him at the field after all.

“From what I know, he’s not particularly into sports,” Robot added. “He used to play baseball as a kid, but I’m not sure if football is really his thing.”

“Does he play baseball here?” I asked curiously, slipping my phone into the small purse and slinging the strap over my shoulder.

“Doubtful. He’s already skipping classes regularly for his…'extracurriculars'. If he started skipping baseball practices too, it would be a problem.” His logic made sense. Mark was already juggling enough as Invincible. But then...why could Rex do both? “Rex’s situation is...different,” Robot said after a pause, as if he were reading my mind. “His childhood was a mess. The government offered him a spot in college as a way to live a more balanced life. A student life. Not just as a weapon.”

Oh. That must’ve been hard. I didn’t know all the details, but it was clear that Rex had every right to enjoy some peace. Some fun. A life. Constantly living with the awareness that you're nothing more than a tool, waiting to be activated whenever someone more powerful says so...that must’ve been suffocating. I could understand why he’d cling to anything that made him feel human.

I locked the dorm room door behind me and dropped the key into my bag. The hallway buzzed with the energy of college life: students rushing by, arms full of books and dreams.

“By the way,” Robot’s voice chimed in again, “Mark asked you earlier if you had any idea who brought you here. Cecil still hasn’t contacted you, right?”

Right. He hadn’t. Apparently, he had a mountain of work to go through, and starting from a blank slate wasn’t easy for anyone. Maybe he could use this universe’s version of me as a reference? That might at least give him a place to start.

“Not a bad idea,” Robot admitted. “But I know almost nothing about her personal life. Maybe the GDA has more data, but she’s never been admitted to their facilities, not that I know of. In theory, only superheroes are allowed.” They had the best tech, the best doctors, the best resources on the planet…and they hoarded it all for the heroes. What a joke. They could’ve changed the world if they wanted.

“Tsk. Capitalist systems,” I muttered under my breath.

“Ironic,” Robot replied, voice laced with amusement. “Coming from someone who chose law as a career path. Aspiring to be a lawyer…or maybe even a judge. People who charge fees even when they lose cases.”

“I didn’t choose law for the money,” I replied sharply. “At least, not at first.” I used to believe I could change things. Fix laws. Fight for justice. Make the world better, fairer. I studied law first for myself, then for others. And even if that belief had been shaken...some part of me still wanted to hold onto it.

As I walked down the hallway, I noticed an African American girl suddenly freeze in place, her expression twisted in shock, like she had just seen a ghost. There was something familiar about her. I couldn’t place it at first, but then it hit me: I had seen her before…not in this life, not in my memories, but in hers. The other Y/N’s. These sudden flashes, bursts of memories that didn’t belong to me, kept flooding my mind at the most random times, like static cutting through a radio broadcast. It was beginning to fry my brain.

"The memories of your variant, of course!" Robot’s voice rang out in my ear, almost excited. “The GDA isn’t exactly starting from zero, we have you. If you can provide us with access to your alternate version’s memories, we might be able to trace back the identity of whoever brought you here.”

Right…assuming my variant had ever met that person to begin with.

“Y/N?” the girl called out, slowly approaching. Her eyes were wide and glossy, disbelief all over her face. “How is this…possible?”

I froze. I couldn’t tell her the truth, not really. I couldn’t say where I truly came from. I had to stick with the story my father crafted the day he found me here. That lie was now the only truth I could afford to live by. She wrapped her arms around me before I could say anything. The hug was tight, almost desperate. I returned it, unsure of how I should feel. Her name…what was it again? Amber? Yeah, Amber. That sounded right.

“It’s…a long story,” I muttered, patting her back gently. “I could tell you on the way to the football field, if you want. I’m heading there now to see a guy I just met…he’s got a match today.” I said it as if nothing had happened. As if we weren’t standing in the middle of some heartbreaking miracle. Amber blinked at me, her brows drawing together in obvious confusion.

“I have so many questions…starting with the most obvious one: does Mark know?” Ah, right. My variant had been dating Invincible…Mark. Should I have nodded? I didn’t even know what kind of relationship Mark and Amber had before everything went to hell. From what little I gathered, they broke up during prom night…and apparently, Amber had found out about his secret identity that same evening.
“And you don’t seem…surprised,” she added, studying me like I was an alien in a human body. “I mean, look at you.” She gestured toward me, eyes falling on my skin. “You’re…healed?!”

“Uhm…yeah. That’s another long story,” I replied, offering a sheepish smile. “I’ll explain everything, I promise…”

But there was a problem. The version of the story my father came up with placed all the blame on Invincible. Would Amber side with that narrative? And what if Mark found out I had told her anything? That could get dangerous, fast.

“You mentioned you met a guy…” Amber said, tilting her head as we started walking together toward the exit of the campus. “But Mark…I mean, he’s with Eve Wilkins now. Doesn’t that…bother you?”

There it was. The question I knew would come. I forced a cool, detached tone. “Mark can do whatever he wants, as far as I’m concerned.” My voice was flat and sharp, like broken glass. “It’s been years. I’m glad he moved on, really. He knows I’m alive and doing fine…we actually ran into each other earlier, right after I finished unpacking.”

“You’re kidding,” Amber muttered, her lips pressed into a thin line. “He used to think about you all the time…even after he started seeing someone else. I never understood why he jumped into a new relationship so quickly. No reflection, no healing. Just…avoidance.” She sounded bitter, not out of hate, but disappointment. The kind that lingered. And honestly, I couldn’t blame her.

If I were in her shoes, I’d probably feel the same. And she wasn’t wrong: Eve didn’t look genuinely happy with him. They seemed okay on the surface, but deep down? I could tell something was off.

“What happened to you during these last two years, Y/N?” she asked, her voice trembling slightly. “We all thought you were dead…that explosion…” She wiped under her right eye as a tear slipped out. “It broke us.”

“Hey…” I gently placed both hands on her shoulders, offering her a comforting smile. “I’m here, okay? I’m alive. The girl in the explosion wasn’t me. Just…someone else. A random girl.” But she still looked unsure. Understandable. I had vanished without a trace for years. “I was…kidnapped,” I added quietly.

Her eyes widened in shock. “Kidnapped?! By who? Who did this to you? Did they catch them? They better have! Bastards…”

“Hey, hey, calm down,” I said, half-laughing at her sudden storm of emotions. She was fiery. But her reaction was genuine: grief, joy, and rage all tangled into one complicated knot. “They’re still out there,” I admitted. “But I escaped. After years. Can you believe that? I’m tougher than I look!”

Amber pulled me into another hug, this one even tighter than the first. She let her tears fall freely this time, not caring if her makeup ran. “I hope they catch them,” she whispered. “And I hope they suffer for what they did to you. You didn’t deserve that…no one does.” She cupped my cheek gently, her warm smile full of affection.

“I think that…” I hesitated. She didn’t know I was talking about Invincible, she probably assumed I meant some ordinary, albeit powerful, criminals. “I think everyone deserves a proper sentence. They’ll pay for what they did…for what they could still do.”

Amber blinked at me, surprised by the intensity in my tone. “Wow…when did you start talking like that? You sound…serious.”

“I’ve changed, Amber,” I admitted, sighing softly as I glanced down at the pavement. “That experience changed me forever.”

Honestly, I was surprised by how convincingly I played my part. Maybe I should’ve gone into acting instead of law. Then again, every good lawyer needs to know how to perform. How to persuade. Maybe that’s why I was so good at this.

“And I see it’s changed your health too…” Amber added with a hopeful smile. “You’re really…cured?” We kept walking as I handed her a tissue from my bag. “No more chronic leukemia?” I shook my head. She let out a breath of relief, visibly more moved by that than anything else. “They told us you wouldn’t make it…that the disease would take you within a week of your disappearance. It felt so unfair…you never even got to live your final days in peace. And to think…we believed you were dead.”

Yeah. My variant really did have it rough.

We finally made it to the football field. The pitch was still empty, but the bleachers were already starting to fill. Students and campus regulars were claiming their seats, chattering excitedly about the upcoming game. “Wanna stay and watch the game with me, if you’re free?” I offered, my voice casual but warm. “We could talk a bit more…”

Amber nodded enthusiastically, clearly happy to spend more time together. “Of course! And maybe I’ll finally get to see this ‘guy’ you said you met,” she teased with a wink, elbowing me gently in the side. But her playful expression faded just as quickly, her gaze falling, her tone softening. “It’s such a shame though…you and Mark…you were good together.”

Were. I mentally underlined the past tense. Personally, I had never been with him. Not really. That was her, the other Y/N.

“Mark was doing so much better when he was with you,” Amber continued, her voice distant, tinged with sadness. “You made him a better person. Now…he’s just not the same.” I didn’t answer right away. Sympathy didn’t come easily when it came to him. The only thing I felt was sorrow, not for Mark, but for the other Y/N. For her death. For everything she'd lost.

“He has to learn to move forward,” I said eventually, settling down onto one of the seats and gesturing for her to sit beside me. “He can’t stay trapped in the past forever. At least…that’s how I see it.”

Amber sat down, her brow furrowed. “Maybe. But the way you disappeared...it destroyed him. He switched to pre-med. Said he wanted to help you finish what you wanted to start, to find a cure for your illness.” She said it like it was noble. Like it was something I should be touched by. But I didn’t want to hear about it. Not now. Not ever.

“Too bad I study law now,” I replied, gaze fixed straight ahead. The field still lay empty, the sun blazing down from above.

Her head snapped toward me, stunned. “What? But…medicine was your dream. You wanted to help people like you…give them a better chance at life. What changed?”

Her words were like little knives, not sharp enough to wound, but enough to irritate. I wasn’t angry with her. Not really. But she didn’t get it. She couldn’t.

“I do want to help people,” I said, voice low and firm. “But I’ve realized I can do that better through justice. As a lawyer. Or maybe a judge. After the kidnapping…everything changed. I want to fight for people like me. People who were hurt. Who were taken. Who had no one speaking for them.” I clenched my fists, thinking of the people Invincible and Omni Man had slaughtered in my world, my real world. “And I will get justice. For them. For me. For all of us.”

Amber looked at me like she didn’t recognize the person beside her. “Wow…that’s…intense.”

Before I could respond, the game began. Players ran onto the field, cheers erupting from the stands. Among them was Rex. He glanced up at the crowd, eyes scanning and then he spotted me. A grin spread across his face, and he blew a kiss in my direction.

I blinked. Seriously?
It meant nothing to me…just another dumb show-off move, a cheap performance meant to impress. But Amber, of course, took it differently.

“Wait. Rex Sloan?!” she exclaimed, placing both hands on my shoulders like I’d just confessed to dating a supervillain. “Girl, what is going on?! Why him?! That guy’s a walking red flag!”

I gently pushed her hands off me. “Amber, I said I met him today. I didn’t say I was dating him. Or that I liked him.” The words were meant to be reassuring, but they came out sharper than intended, like I was annoyed she’d even asked. “I’m not interested in anyone,” I added coolly. “I have goals. That’s all.”

Amber huffed and crossed her arms, returning her gaze to the field. “Well, as your friend, I’m just saying….stay away from him. He’s Eve Wilkins’ ex, and he cheated on her with half the campus. One-night stands, no respect, nothing real. He’s…gross.”

“I’ll be careful,” I promised.

The referee’s whistle pierced the air. The match had officially begun. I had to admit, Rex’s team was good. Really good. But so was the opposing side: the game was well-balanced, almost perfectly so. The only difference? Rex’s team had an edge. A spark.

Maybe he was the edge.

He played aggressively, with precision and speed. There was a reason they made him team captain…though, to be honest, captains were supposed to mediate, not start fights. And yet Rex was clearly the first to provoke. Just like he’d done with Mark.

I looked around. The crowd had grown thick. Some people wore jerseys and painted faces, proud supporters of their teams. Others, like me, were just here for the atmosphere. I searched for Mark, but he was nowhere in sight. I wasn’t surprised. He probably didn’t care for sports.

Time passed, and somehow, both Amber and I found ourselves cheering for Rex’s team. We weren’t die-hard fans, but it was fun, unexpectedly fun. “Let’s gooo!” I cheered, rising to my feet to clap, joining in with others around me. At least I wasn’t the only one…that would’ve been awkward.

Rex noticed. Oh, he definitely noticed. The louder the crowd got, the more he fed off it, throwing his hands in the air, grinning wide. He looked like a rockstar. And for once, he wasn’t being admired as a superhero, not as “Rex Splode” or whatever name he used. Just…Rex Sloan.

And that made me happy for him. Strange, maybe. But after what Robot had told me about his past, I understood. He was searching for who he really was. Trying to become someone more than what others expected of him. Maybe that’s why I empathized. I wasn’t supposed to be here. I didn’t belong in this world. People only saw the other Y/N when they looked at me…the girl I wasn’t. The girl who’d died.

No one saw me for who I was…they saw me as a lab experiment, a secret weapon, a shadow of someone else. But I was done being invisible.
I had to make my mark. Like Rex was doing: dodging opponents, aiming for the goal. I needed to do the same, just with the obstacles life threw at me. In this universe, I had to play to win.

“Ball! Heads up!” Voices rose suddenly from the stands. I turned, eyes catching the blur of a football hurtling toward me at frightening speed. It was going to hit me. No doubt.

I threw my arms up instinctively, shielding my face. It would hurt, but at least it wouldn’t break my nose. Beside me, Amber mirrored my reaction, ducking low in fear. But the impact never came.
I felt movement, a shift in the air behind me, and then…a solid arm stretched out in front of us, intercepting the ball effortlessly. It hovered there for a second, cradled in a firm grip. The muscles flexed beneath tan skin. Strong. Familiar. Someone had caught the ball just like that. Like it was a feather in the wind.

I slowly lowered my arms. My heart was racing. And when I looked up to see who stood behind me, my breath caught. Because I knew that arm.
Shouts erupted from the crowd: cheers, whistles, gasps of awe, all aimed at the boy who had just caught the football with perfect timing and control.

The game resumed quickly, as the ball boys had already prepared a replacement, but Rex didn’t move. He remained frozen on the field, his gaze locked in my direction, though hidden behind his helmet. I turned slightly, confused by his focus, and only then did I realize what was really happening.

Mark Grayson was standing just behind me.

I hadn't noticed his arrival at all…not surprising, considering how silent he could be when he wanted to. Even more surprising, he had chosen the seat directly behind mine. His dark hair moved gently in the wind, and before I could even say a word, he stepped forward and casually handed me the ball he had just caught.

“Wha-?” The word escaped me involuntarily as I stared at the oddly shaped object now in my hands. It was still warm from his touch. “What is this supposed to mean?”

Amber glanced back and forth between us, her eyes darting nervously as if she wasn’t sure how to react to the tension that had suddenly settled over the three of us. Truth be told, neither was I.

Mark gave a nonchalant shrug, then returned to his seat with the same calm detachment he always carried. “If you catch the ball mid-air...it’s yours,” he said, his voice low and even, as though this was the most natural thing in the world. I blinked, still gripping the football against my chest. “It’s yours now. You can even ask to have it signed, if that’s your thing.”

Amber cleared her throat and forced a smile. “Mark, wow. Didn’t expect to see you here.”

He returned her smile with a quick, almost imperceptible twitch of his lips, gone as fast as it came. His expression returned to its usual unreadable mask. “I had the afternoon free. Nothing better to do,” he replied, fingers interlaced as he leaned forward to better engage with us.

Meanwhile, I was still trying to make sense of what had just happened. He had caught the ball to protect me. And then, without hesitation, handed it to me like it was no big deal. “This ball-signing thing...isn’t that more of a baseball tradition?” I asked, rotating the football slowly in my hands, noticing the small scratches and dirt marks from all the hits it had taken. “Never seen it done in any other sport.”

“It’s done here and there,” Mark said with a slight shrug. “Keeps the crowd engaged. Gives them something to chase. Even during boring games, there’s a reason to stay alert, anyone could walk away with a souvenir.” His tone shifted. He sounded…oddly smug. Confident. The kind of confidence that came from knowing a little too much about everything. My variant had once said he was a nerd…but clearly, he knew his way around sports too.

I clutched the ball tighter against my chest, suddenly protective of it. No way I was letting someone steal this from me. I already knew who I’d ask to sign it: Rex, of course. I’d keep it in my room, right above my bed, displayed on the highest shelf like a trophy. Mark noticed my reaction, but said nothing.

Amber, on the other hand, was starting to look uncomfortable. Like she didn’t belong anymore. And after everything we’d just talked about...maybe she was right. Maybe this wasn’t her conversation to witness. I needed to talk to Invincible. Alone.

Then, I felt a light tap on my shoulder. I turned slightly, and there he was: Mark, leaning in just enough to speak directly into my ear as I instinctively pressed my back against the chair. “We need to finish our conversation,” he murmured. “Come with me.” Without another word, he stood and walked off toward the edge of the stands.

I looked at Amber and gestured for her to wait, I’d be back soon. Carefully weaving my way between seated spectators, I followed Mark. It took effort not to trip over someone's legs or bags, but I made it.

He was waiting just outside the stands, leaning casually against one of the metal poles supporting the structure. His arms were crossed over his broad chest as his eyes scanned me from head to toe. I wasn’t sure if he was silently judging my outfit or...something else.

“So?” I mirrored his posture, arms crossed, brow raised. “You in? Pact official?”

Mark made a face, half-smirk, half-scowl. “You still haven’t given me a solid reason to believe you. This whole ‘truce’ of yours…either you’re incredibly naive…or you’re hiding something.” He stepped closer, his tall, muscular frame casting a shadow over mine. “And who says it can’t be both?”

“You think I’m lying?” I asked, gripping the football tighter against me like it was some sort of shield. “Pathetic or not, tell me: what could I possibly gain from screwing you over? I’m not making this up. That person exists.”

“I know,” he muttered, annoyed. “You wouldn’t be here if it weren’t true.”

“Exactly.” I took a breath. “And if I were lying? You could use his powers to track me down. Rip through dimensions and come kill me yourself. I’ll take full responsibility for whatever he does….or doesn’t do.”

He fell silent, eyes narrowing as he studied me. “You’d really risk your life for a stranger?” he finally asked. “You’d actually die in his place if he disobeyed me?”

I hesitated, then nodded slowly. “If that’s what it takes.” For a moment, something flickered behind his eyes…a hint of curiosity? Amusement? Whatever it was, it didn’t last. “And if the deal falls through?” I pressed. “You’ll have your excuse. You can come find me, kill me, whatever. But until then...help me find the portal guy, let me go home, and you get what you want: interdimensional access. No tricks. No games.”
I extended my hand to him. “And if something goes wrong, you can still make good on your threat…assuming your variant doesn’t beat you to it.”

Mark stared at my hand in silence before finally taking it. His grip was firm, calloused. But what truly surprised me was what he said next. “You made a condition. Now it’s my turn.” His voice dropped an octave. “I’ll kill my variant. And my father’s, too. If they’re still alive in your world...they’re a threat. I want them gone.”

My breath caught. “You’d actually do that?”

He nodded once. “That way, no one can kill you but me. You’ll have no threats left in your world but me.” A pause. “But I’m warning you…try anything funny, and I’ll kill you before you even get the chance to go back.”

“Crystal clear,” I muttered. “So we have a deal.” We released the handshake. But for a split second, I could’ve sworn his fingers lingered like he wasn’t quite ready to let go. Or maybe I was imagining things. “I’m going back to the game,” I said, already turning toward the bleachers.

“Y/N.” His voice stopped me in my tracks. I didn’t turn fully, just looked at him over my shoulder. Waiting. "So now you're dating Rex Sloan?" Mark's voice was sharp, laced with disdain. "He's not even the same Rex from your universe, you do remember that, right?"

The irony of those words coming from him almost made me laugh. Almost.

"I get that you want to enjoy your time here," he continued coldly, "This universe still exists thanks to the fact that I haven't conquered it yet, after all. But I don't recommend getting emotionally involved. This life…it doesn’t belong to you. It was hers." The way he said hers twisted something in my chest. He wasn’t talking to me. Not really. He was speaking to a ghost. Her shadow. Her memory. He still saw me as her.

"I could say the same to you, Mark Grayson." I turned slightly, casting him a look over my shoulder, my voice low but steady. "I'm not her. I'm just someone who happens to look like her. I've been doing everything I can to avoid suspicion while I’m here. I change my behavior around her old friends, try to walk the line between blending in and not losing myself."

I paused, letting the weight of my words hang in the air before continuing. "I know I don't even resemble her on the inside. I don't want to replace her in your mind. But tell me…how am I supposed to keep living here if I don’t at least try to act like her? I hate it, Mark. I hate pretending. I hate walking on eggshells. But don’t you dare compare me to her ever again."

"You're only saying that because you want a free pass," he accused, stepping closer, anger darkening his features. His fists clenched. "But you don’t have one. You never will." Was he really still stuck on Rex? It wasn’t about Rex. It was about control. He wasn’t grieving her anymore. He was obsessed with the idea of keeping her image untainted. "You’re playing the part of a dead girl," he spat. "Y/N has been gone for two years. You don’t get to destroy her memory by acting like someone you're not. She would never be with someone like Rex."

I shook my head, dropping the football I'd been holding. It rolled to a stop right in front of him. "What the hell is wrong with you?" I snapped.
No reply. Of course.
"You're obsessed with her. Obsessed with the idea of her. And now you're projecting that obsession onto me. You're in a relationship, Mark. You're with Eve! And still, you're stuck in the past."

He shrugged, completely unfazed. "So what? Who the hell are you to tell me how to live my life in my dimension? You’re the anomaly here. I’m just trying to make sure you don’t screw up everything she left behind." I froze, stunned. The audacity.

"You're not going to control me. Hell no." I stepped forward, arms wide before letting them fall at my sides. "I'm not her. I am someone. I have thoughts, choices, a conscience. I will do what I think is right. I won’t be your puppet." I jabbed my finger against my chest. "She's gone, Mark. She’s dead. Let it go."

His eyes darkened. He didn’t move, but the air between us was suddenly heavy, charged. He studied me like I was a puzzle he couldn’t solve, unwilling to admit I wasn’t the piece he was missing. I was a different person. Entirely. And Robot…Robot wanted me to use this? To manipulate him while he was like this? No. I wouldn't. It was wrong. Mark was too unhinged, too possessive, too controlling.

Colleagues, that’s all we could be. Nothing more.

"It's been two years, Mark," I said, lowering my voice, trying to reach the last bit of reason inside him. "Move on. Think about Eve. She’s miserable because you’re still chasing a ghost. She told me you never talk to her anymore. That’s toxic, Mark." I bent to grab the football from his feet. "Talk to her. She deserves better."

Mark growled, closing the distance between us until we were practically nose to nose. "I didn’t ask for a damn therapy session," he hissed. "So shut your mouth and mind your own business."

That was it.

SLAP.

My hand connected with his cheek, rage surging through me. "I can talk whenever I damn well want. You think you’re some untouchable god because of your powers? You're nothing but a scared, angry little man. And I could crush that ego under my boot."

His response came fast and brutal. He struck me, sending me flying backward. "Don’t you dare lay a hand on me, you insolent little brat...or I’ll be forced to reconsider our deal." His voice was sharp, calm, but laced with a warning that chilled my blood. Blood was already trickling from my nose, warm and steady.

I sank to the ground, legs folding beneath me, the rough sand grinding into my pants and the damp grass staining the fabric of my blouse. Trembling, I pulled a crumpled tissue from my pocket and pressed it against my nose, trying to slow the bleeding.

"If you so much as taint her name, her reputation, her noble heart...I swear, I’ll kill you in a way you won’t soon forget."

Tears welled in my eyes, not just from the pain throbbing through my face but from the violence of his words. My whole body ached. I could still feel the force of the blow, still hear the ringing in my ears. He stood above me, fists clenched, breathing hard. His expression twisted, conflicted. Seeing me like that...broken, small…and remembering her, my variant, wasn’t helping his already frayed self-control.

But I knew. I knew exactly where this was going. His obsessive need for control, for a version of her he could mold and command. He didn’t want me. He wanted a substitute. A clone. Something to ease the guilt gnawing at his insides. It was selfish. Desperate. Cruel.

Then, suddenly, something hit him. Hard. Right in the back of the head. He stumbled forward, nearly losing his balance.

“Dude, what the fuck is wrong with you?!” Rex's voice rang out, sharp and furious. He stood there, helmet in hand now smeared with blood. Mark’s blood.

Mark lifted a hand to the base of his skull, where the blow had landed. His fingers came away red. For any normal human, it would've been fatal. For him, it was just a wound. Barely that. “This isn’t your business, Rex. Back off.”

“Oh, hell no,” Rex snapped, stepping closer, the fury burning behind his eyes. “I’m not letting you walk away after hitting an innocent girl.” We were behind the bleachers now, far from prying eyes, or so we thought. Rex didn’t hold back. Orange sparks crackled at his fingertips, gathering heat. In a second, the helmet glowed white-hot in his hands, and without hesitation, he hurled it toward Mark’s chest. “Hope that teaches you a lesson, asshole!”

The explosion echoed across the school grounds, a blast loud enough to be impossible to ignore. Students turned, eyes wide, some already pulling out their phones. Curious footsteps approached fast.

Mark stood there, his clothes scorched and torn, tiny flames still licking at the fabric. But his skin was untouched. Completely unharmed. And then he snapped. With a furious roar, he lunged at Rex, tackling him to the ground with terrifying speed and force. I watched in horror as he pinned him down, fists raining blow after blow across Rex’s face. Blood splattered across the grass. Bruises formed in real time.

This wasn’t just anger. It was rage. Feral. Blinding. Robot had warned me about Mark’s rivalry with Rex over Eve. But this? This wasn’t about her anymore. It was about me. I couldn’t just stand there. I couldn’t let him kill someone. But what could I do? Rex couldn’t use his powers now...not with witnesses gathering around. Mark, on the other hand, looked like any other guy. His strength wasn’t something you could see…until it was too late.

I acted on instinct.

I launched myself at his back, wrapping my arms around his neck and yanking with everything I had, cutting off his air. He sputtered, furious, and within seconds, he grabbed my blouse and threw me to the ground like I weighed nothing. I landed hard next to Rex, who was still struggling, his face battered and bleeding.

But I wasn’t done. I wouldn’t let him win.
I pushed myself up, ignoring the sting in my ribs, and threw myself at him again, this time managing to knock him off Rex completely. “STOP IT!” I shouted, voice raw. I kicked him in the stomach as he sat up, but it did little.

He caught my ankle mid-air and, without hesitation, slammed me back to the ground. The air rushed from my lungs as he climbed over me, pinning me down. His forearm pressed against my throat, cutting off my breath. His face was inches from mine, eyes wild with fury and confusion.

“You wouldn’t kill me,” I gasped out, barely able to breathe. “I’m too useful to you…” The words slipped out before I could even think about them.

He froze. “Useful? Useful how? You’re just a copy. A shadow. Your help tracking down that unknown variant is irrelevant. What the hell would I need you for?” His voice was bitter, venomous. He meant every word.

I stared at him for a long second, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks, not out of affection, but out of shame. I didn’t want to do what came next. Every part of me screamed not to.

“Do it, Y/N,” came Robot’s voice from my earpiece, steady and emotionless. “It might be your only shot.”

I took a deep breath. Slowly, I raised my hands and cupped his face. My fingers trembled as I guided him down toward me. Then, with every ounce of reluctance in my soul, I kissed him.

It was calculated. Tactical.
A kiss meant to manipulate, not because I wanted it, but because I had to survive this crazy situation.

There was no logic in kissing someone right after they’d assaulted your ally. No romantic reasoning behind it. But Mark was broken. Emotionally unstable. Robot had said it himself: he was still dealing with too many things he couldn’t process.

And I hated it.
Hated myself for using that against him.
But I did it anyway.

All around us, students had gathered, phones out, recording everything. Some had already started whispering. Others were still filming. And unfortunately for me, they didn’t miss a single second of it.

Not even the kiss.