Ed POV
2 Days Later
I was in the medical bay, just watching over all the AIs in their new bodies. Angela wanted to make sure everyone adjusted fine. Honestly, they were all settling in way faster than I expected.
Church was immediately showing off, flexing his brand-new muscles and flirting with Tex nonstop.
Tex was ignoring him completely. She was too busy examining her own body, opening and closing her hands, getting used to everything.
The twins were doing well too, talking to each other, comparing details of their new appearances like a pair of excited siblings.
Omega was silent, lying on his bed, waiting for orders like always. But even he seemed… content.
Theta was happily chatting with Wendy, bouncing with the energy of a little kid. Gamma and Delta were calm, collected, yeah, they liked having bodies, but they were already thinking about logistics, efficiency, and future tasks.
Sigma was ecstatic. He kept staring at his hands and smiling like he just discovered a new world.
"So, how's everyone liking their body?" I asked.
"I freaking love it! I can't wait to try food like Stratos!" Theta said, basically vibrating with excitement.
"I appreciate the body as well," Gamma said, pushing his glasses up, "even if you made me wear these."
"I don't mind the glasses," Delta added. " They complete my look."
"We like our bodies too!" Iota said. "We can't wait to go swimming, it always looked fun!"
"I want to go fly on Appa's back," Eta said, already daydreaming.
"I am also happy to have a body," Sigma said. "I feel like I can be more useful like this."
Omega stayed silent, but the way he moved his fingers told me enough. He appreciated it too.
Tex finally looked up."Same here. I can't wait to test this body in the training room. With the enhancements you gave us, it's gonna be wild."
She meant my newest invention: the Super-Soldier Cell.
Something I'd been planning for a long time.
The Cell works by upgrading the body in real time. If they train their muscles, the Cell strengthens them faster. If they hold their breath long enough, the Cell adapts so they can hold it longer. If they take enough damage, it boosts durability and healing.
And whatever super-soldier serum I inject? The Cell enhances that too.
Basically, adaptive evolution in a jar. It takes time, but it works. They grow stronger, tougher, smarter, and more efficient all on their own.
"Well, I'm glad to hear you all love the bodies," I said. "Take a couple of days to adjust, have fun, explore, because some of you do have missions coming up."
They all looked at me with sudden seriousness, like someone flipped a switch.
"Omega and Tex, you two will be on the Black Ops team. After you finish adjusting, head into the Hyperbolic Time Chamber with Bang. He'll train you up.I know your brains downloaded every martial art ever created, but your bodies didn't, so you still need the physical training."
They both nodded.
"Iota and Eta, you two are going undercover. I'll give you military backgrounds so you can blend in with SHIELD. Your mission is to infiltrate SHIELD and get close to Fury's side. Be careful, this mission is dangerous. You will catch Hydra's attention."
Their eyes widened slightly.
"I'll give you powers before you leave, but don't use them unless you're in real danger. I don't want Fury or SHIELD realizing you're enhanced. They're only for emergencies, like if Hydra tries to snatch you."
"Church, you're going to be trained by All Might so you can join the team. Don't worry, I'll give you your powers soon. We're gearing up to take down the Hellfire Club, and that's going to be a tough mission. Big moving parts. I'm going to need all hands on deck."
Church smirked, already flexing.
"Delta, you'll be helping Peggy and Sage in Overwatch."
"Gamma, you're focusing on a list of people I've been trying to find for a long time."
"Sigma, you're infiltrating the government. I want you to gain political influence to help us later. But listen carefully, no corruption, no shady deals, nothing that will stain your name.Use your manipulation skills for good, not to become another corrupt politician."
Then I looked at Theta.
"Theta… you don't have a mission. Just enjoy being a kid."
The poor guy visibly deflated, his shoulders dropping like someone popped his balloon.
"Aww, man…" he whispered, looking genuinely sad.
Wendy immediately put her hand on his shoulder."Hey, don't be sad! While your siblings are out on missions, you get to have fun. And trust me, there are a lot of fun things you can do on this island."
Theta perked up a little at that, though he still looked unsure.
"Well, I'll leave you guys to it. I gotta go talk to someone," I said.I waved goodbye and teleported away, appearing inside April's apartment.
She'd asked to talk about something important.
"April, you in here?" I called out.
"In the shower! Give me a minute!" she yelled back.
I sat down on the couch and waited. I wasn't worried about Kara hearing anything. April told me she was at work, and this was April's day off.After a few minutes, April came out of her room wearing comfy pajamas, hair still damp. She sat down right next to me.
"So, what's the important thing you wanted to talk about?" I asked.
"Kara is… going to try to be a hero now," April said.
That honestly surprised me."Okay… explain, please."
April POV
A couple of days ago
I was at my desk finishing some work when someone grabbed my shoulder. I looked up, it was Kara.
"Oh, hey, sweetie. Need something?" I asked.
"I need to talk to you. Come on, follow me," Kara said.
She looked nervous. Really nervous.I got up and followed her down two floors to an abandoned room. Winn was already there, sitting and looking confused. I sat next to him. Kara shut the door, locked it, and stood in front of us like she was about to confess to a murder.
"Okay, not that I mind hanging out with you two, but I do have work to finish," I said. "Just because I saved Cat life doesn't mean I get a free paycheck."
…Well, kind of. Cat does let me pick whatever assignment I want now, and she offered to make me her personal bodyguard, but I turned that down.
"Okay, okay, um…" Kara rubbed her hands together. "I'm sorry. It's hard to say this out loud."
She started pacing.
"My whole life, I was told to hide a part of myself, by my parents, by my cousin, by my sister. And I thought they were right. I thought hiding was the best thing for me, so I listened. I hid who I truly was. I ran from it."
She stopped pacing and looked at both of us.
"But after that whole monster incident… I can't help thinking I can't hide who I am forever. Not when I can do so much."
Kara's voice trembled a little.
"Kara, if this is you coming out as gay, we accept you. Love is love," I said."I mean, when I was in college, I had a girlfriend and a boyfriend at the same time. It was complicated, but the point is, we accept you."
They both stared at me like I'd just confessed to murder.
"What? No, I'm not gay," Kara said.
"Okay, fine, not the right word. Lesbian."
"I'm not a lesbian."
"Pansexual?"
"No."
"Asexual?"
"No."
"Transgender?"
"No."
"Bisexual?"
"…..No."
"Okay, you hesitated that time."
"No, I didn't."
"I don't know, I did hear a slight pause," Winn said, raising a hand.
"See? Winn heard it. And it's okay if you like girls! Like I said, we'll accept you no matter what."
"Can you tell us the story about you dating a girl and a boy at the same time in college? That sounds interesting," Winn asked.
"Oh, believe me, it definitely is," I started.
"GUYS." Kara snapped.
We immediately focused back on her.
She grabbed a metal chair and bent it into a giant ball like it was aluminum foil. The metal creaked and crushed under her strength. Winn's jaw dropped.
I pretended to look shocked, too.Even though I already knew she was Kryptonian.
She set the crushed metal chair down gently in front of us and looked at us nervously.
"I'm an alien… a Kryptonian, to be specific. I've been living on Earth since I was twelve. My adopted family took me in and taught me how to be human," Kara said.
We were both silent.Winn was still in shock, and I was… well, panicking internally.
If she wants to be a hero now, that means I have to tell Ed. And if I tell Ed, he's absolutely going to invite her to the team. Which means I will have to reveal myself, everything. And basically admit that the whole time I've been friends with her, it was partly for a mission.
Yeah.Terrifying.
"Guys?" Kara said softly, sounding scared.
We both snapped out of it.
"Holy crap, you're a Kryptonian?! Like Superman?! Wait, do you know Superman?" Winn asked, practically vibrating.
Kara hesitated. "He's my cousin. But I'm not telling you his identity."
"That is so cool… and fair," Winn said, nodding with a huge smile.
Kara looked relieved by his reaction. Then she turned toward me, since I still hadn't said anything.
I didn't talk, I just got up and walked to another metal chair. If I'm going to reveal myself later, I might as well give them a preview now.
I grabbed the chair, turned toward them, and crushed it just like Kara did.Not as effortlessly, mine took actual effort, but I still did it.
Both of them stared at me with shocked faces.
"I'm not an alien," I said. "Not that cool. I'm just… enhanced. Super strong, heal fast, and my hearing is crazy good. definitely it's not as good as yours, but definitely above human."
"Holy crap, both of my friends are cool!" Winn said.
"You're not bad yourself, handsome," I said.
Kara smiled at me, that warm, sweet smile she always gives when she's relieved.
"I know what it's like to hide secrets," I told her. "Especially from your friends. I know what it feels like to hide parts of yourself. So just know, you're not alone. And if you want to be a hero like your cousin… we can help you."
Her smile somehow got even brighter. Like sunshine-level bright.
"Man, this is gonna be so cool!" Winn said, jumping up. "We can call ourselves The Super Friends!"
We both laughed, the three of us ending up in a small, messy group hug before going back to work.Meanwhile, my brain was running marathons.
Ed POV
Present Time
I stayed quiet for a moment, thinking. This was good, having a Kryptonian around could be a big help later. But I can't recruit her yet. Not until after I take over Genosha. She probably won't like the methods.
"This is definitely good for now," I said. "But don't invite her to the team yet. For now, just keep an eye on her. Try to convince her to train properly, martial arts, quick decision scenarios, and reaction drills. Things like that."
April nodded… but I could tell the second something else crossed her mind. Her body language changed immediately.
"April," I said gently. "I can tell something's on your mind. Speak up."
She hesitated for a few seconds, swallowing. Then finally.
"I know what I'm doing is important," she said quietly, "but… I don't like lying to my friends. At first, they were just missions, but I came to care about Kara, Winn, and even Cat. And I'm scared that when she finds out I knew she was Kryptonian and I was watching her because of a mission… she won't forgive me."
That actually caught me off guard.But I understood.In her eyes, she was betraying someone she genuinely cared about.
I leaned back, thinking for a long moment until the answer finally hit me.
"Okay, April. I see your point," I said. "So, from right now, you're off the mission. You no longer have to watch Kara. I'll have someone else handle it."
Her eyes widened.
"As for you," I continued, "live your life how you want. If you want to stay here, do it. If you want to come back to the base, you're welcome. If you want to travel the world, I'll give you more than enough money to do that, too."
She froze, surprised, and then smiled softly.
"Thank you, Ed… I'd like to stay here. I've made a good life here."
"Glad to hear it," I said.