Bang! Bang! Bang!
Inside a secured training room deep within the CIA base, the sound of violent impacts echoed repeatedly through the steel walls.
Rorschach stood shirtless in the center of the room, his upper body bare as he drove punch after punch into the target hanging in front of him. His muscles were sharply defined, every line of his body looking as if it had been carved from solid steel. Anyone who saw him would immediately recognize the sheer strength contained within that physique.
If a girl happened to walk into the room, it would be nearly impossible for her not to stare twice.
The object he was striking wasn't an ordinary sandbag.
It was made entirely of metal.
That unusual piece of equipment existed for a very simple reason: Rorschach had already grown far too strong for normal training methods to be useful. Ordinary punching bags would have torn apart the moment he hit them.
So Charles had specially arranged for this reinforced metal sandbag to be installed for him.
Rorschach's current physical condition was more than fourteen times stronger than that of a normal person. He wasn't completely bulletproof yet, but small-caliber rounds would only pierce his skin slightly before getting lodged inside the muscle.
At that level of durability, punching a metal bag with wrapped fists posed absolutely no risk.
Another heavy punch slammed into the target, causing the chains above it to rattle violently.
More than a week had passed since the incident at the Springfield amusement park. During that time, everything had remained unusually quiet.
No retaliation.
No investigation.
No trouble of any kind.
Rorschach had no idea whether Stryker had failed to uncover any clues, was secretly preparing something bigger, or was simply too busy with other matters to pursue the issue further.
Either way, Rorschach wasn't particularly concerned.
With his current level of strength, Stryker would need to bring an entire army if he wanted to pose any real threat.
Compared with worrying about Stryker, Rorschach was far more focused on understanding his own rapidly growing power.
Another punch landed, denting the metal surface slightly.
"Yes," Rorschach thought with satisfaction while continuing his training, "after several days of practice, I've finally adapted to my current speed and strength."
Just then, he suddenly stopped.
His fists lowered, and he slowly reached for a towel to wipe the sweat from his body. After that, he casually walked over to a nearby hanger to pick up his clothes.
The reason for the sudden pause was simple.
He had heard footsteps approaching.
With his enhanced hearing, Rorschach could now distinguish people by the rhythm and force of their footsteps alone. Every person's walking pattern was slightly different, something he had never noticed before gaining super hearing.
And the footsteps approaching now belonged to someone he recognized instantly.
Raven.
Squeak.
A moment later, the door opened exactly as he expected.
Raven stepped inside the training room and froze the moment she saw him.
"Holy—"
Her eyes widened dramatically as she stared.
"Rorschach, your body is ridiculous! No girl could resist something like that!"
She didn't even bother hiding her reaction as she looked him up and down.
"That's enough," Rorschach said calmly while pulling on his tank top before she could stare any longer. "Your eyes are about to fall out."
Raven clicked her tongue but didn't argue.
Instead, her attention shifted toward the massive metal sandbag hanging nearby. She walked over and examined the dents covering its surface.
"So this is your training method?" she asked with a crooked grin. "Punching a metal bag?"
She shook her head slowly.
"What kind of monster are you?"
"Not really," Rorschach replied with a completely straight face. "My real secret is drinking more hot water."
Raven stared at him blankly.
"…What?"
Who in the world boiled water before drinking it?
"Forget it," Raven said with a sigh, deciding not to argue with him. "The party already started. Everyone's waiting for you."
"Sorry," Rorschach admitted honestly. "I lost track of time."
He had been so focused on training that he hadn't noticed how late it had gotten.
"I figured," Raven said with a roll of her eyes. "Go take a shower and get down there quickly. Don't keep everyone waiting."
"Alright. I'll be there soon."
Rorschach returned to his dormitory, took a quick shower, and changed into clean clothes before heading down to the recreation bar on the first floor of the base.
When he pushed open the door, he found the place filled with noise and laughter.
Raven, Hank, Alex, Sean, Aman, and several other mutants were gathered around the room. Some were talking, others were joking around, and the atmosphere felt more like a college party than a military facility.
It was lively and chaotic.
Rorschach stepped inside and greeted everyone.
"Sorry, I'm late."
"Perfect timing!" Raven said excitedly. "We were just talking about choosing cool nicknames. Mine is Mystique now, and Aman's calling himself Darwin!"
She looked extremely proud of her announcement.
"Mystique?" Rorschach repeated with a small smile. "That's actually a great name."
Then he turned toward Aman.
"And Darwin… is that the Darwin from evolutionary theory?"
"Exactly," Aman said simply. "My power is adaptation."
"Rorschach, you should've seen it," Alex said enthusiastically. "Darwin stuck his head into the fish tank earlier and literally grew gills. It was insane."
Everyone began throwing out their own ideas for superhero-style names.
"What about Siren?" Sean suggested.
"If it were me, I'd go with Angel," Warren said while spreading his wings slightly. "That was already my stage name."
"The Destroyer," Alex declared confidently. "That one matches my personality."
Future Siren.
Future Havok.
Future Angel.
One by one, the famous mutant names began to take shape.
"What about you, Rorschach?" Angel asked while hovering casually above the floor.
Rorschach paused for a moment.
Then he answered with three simple words.
"Homelander."
The room went silent.
Everyone stared at him in confusion.
"…Homelander?" Raven repeated. "What kind of name is that supposed to be?"
No one seemed to understand it at all.
"Exactly," Rorschach said with a grin. "A nickname nobody understands sounds even cooler."
The explanation clearly didn't convince anyone, but they quickly lost interest.
Soon the party returned to its noisy chaos as the young mutants began showing off their powers for fun.
Sean opened his mouth and released a powerful sonic wave that shattered several glasses on the table.
Alex fired glowing energy rings that shot through the window and sliced apart statues outside.
Everyone was laughing and competing with each other.
Rorschach, however, stayed seated quietly on a sofa near the wall.
According to the timeline he remembered, Sebastian Shaw and his people should be appearing soon.
Instead of participating in the chaos, Rorschach simply watched and waited.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
The furious shout exploded across the room like a thunderclap.
The bar instantly fell silent.
Agent Moira had just stormed into the room, followed closely by Charles and Eric. The moment she saw the destruction around them, her face turned red with anger.
Charles and Eric looked equally disappointed.
Just minutes earlier, they had finished an important meeting. The CIA had finally uncovered new clues regarding Sebastian Shaw, and Moira had successfully convinced them to allow the young mutants to assist in the investigation.
It hadn't been easy.
Many of the higher-ranking officials had questioned the decision, but Moira had defended the recruits fiercely. She insisted that they weren't ordinary teenagers but extremely talented individuals with unique abilities.
And now this was what they found.
Broken glass.
Destroyed statues.
A room full of laughing mutants.
It felt like a slap in the face.
Except for Rorschach, none of them looked particularly impressive.
"Who broke the statue outside?" Moira demanded sharply.
"Alex did," someone said.
"No," Raven corrected proudly. "It was the Destroyer. That's his new name."
She pointed at Charles and Eric with a mischievous grin.
"We were just thinking about your names too. You should be Professor X, and you should be Magneto."
.....
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