Chapter 10

Atom Eve, also known as Samantha Eve Wilkins, flew through the city, using her powers to transform trash littered on the streets into numerous toys that she later gifted to children at random. She flew past the homeless and gifted everyone numerous nutritious meals; at times like these, she enjoyed using her powers. She didn't need big recognition or anything like that; it was enough if her efforts made someone else happy.

She couldn't help but feel a sense of fulfillment with each smile and expression of gratitude she encountered. She frowned, thinking about her conversation with Omni-Man. She really meant what she said; this time Mark was in the wrong, and she wished he was the one who came to speak to her so she could tell him just that and more.

In her opinion, at least Omni-Man made an honest effort to right his mistake. What did Mark do? hide his problems under the rug until they explode on his face. She wished Mark had the courage to face his problems head-on, just like his father seemed willing to do.

As she distributed food and toys, a thought crossed her mind. How would life have been if she had Omni-Man as a father?

Deep in thought, she didn't notice a sudden disturbance in the air until a gust of wind blew past her. Turning around, she saw a group of armed individuals descending from a hovering vehicle. Their menacing looks and advanced weaponry indicated that they weren't here for a friendly chat.

Reacting quickly, she created a protective barrier around herself as the armed group surrounded her. One of them, apparently the leader, stepped forward.

"Atom Eve, we've been instructed to bring you in," the leader declared, a sinister grin on their face.

Atom Eve's expression turned serious. "Who sent you, and why?"

The leader chuckled. "Let's just say there are people who believe your powers could be put to better use. Come with us peacefully, and there won't be any trouble."

Her eyes narrowed. She wasn't one to be easily intimidated. With a swift motion, she transformed the ground beneath the group into a thick, sticky substance, trapping their feet. It gave her a moment to take to the skies.

As she soared above the city, the armed group struggled to free themselves from the makeshift trap. She contemplated her next move. Should she investigate who sent them or call for backup? There was the possibility that these grunts were merely a distraction.

Her eyes scanned the area for any signs of additional threats. Besides some civilians watching them with curiosity and taking pictures, and others going about their way, she didn't see any indication of more of these guys.

She still decided to play it safe and call for backup. She quickly activated her communicator and contacted the Teen Team's emergency channel. "Guys, I've got a situation here. I was just ambushed by a group of armed individuals. They claimed something about someone wanting to make use of my powers."

Robot's voice responded promptly. "Copied. We're on our way. Stay airborne, and we'll reach you as fast as we can."

Rex spoke as well. "Hold up, what's this about some creepy guys wanting my girl for something?" He spoke with annoyance.

Eve sighed. deciding to ignore him for now. "Alright, I'll just keep an eye on these guys and make sure they don't do anything stupid." She cut off the call after that.

As she floated above the scene, her mind raced with questions. Who were these people, and why were they so interested in capturing her? The leader's mention of someone wanting to "make use of her powers" only fueled her curiosity.

"I almost forgot." She waved a hand at the struggling individuals, transforming their sophisticated weapons into bubbles. "Can't have you little boys hurting yourselves with those toys."

They could only watch helplessly as the bubbles floated around them; now they couldn't move and had no weapons, so to speak. Nodding her in satisfaction, she decided to make small talk to see what else those clowns would say.

"So... do you try to kidnap someone every weekend, or is this your first time? You all seem like newbies, so I can make some guesses."

The captors exchanged frustrated glances. The leader, now weaponless and trapped, scowled at her."We're professionals," the leader grumbled, trying to maintain a semblance of authority. "You won't get away with this."

She chuckled. "Well, whatever helps you sleep at night. Now, how about you tell me who sent you?" She raised an eyebrow. "And don't bother trying to deny it; you literally told me when I didn't ask you earlier, so come on, don't get shy around me now."

The leader hesitated, shooting a venomous look at her The situation had turned from an ambush to an embarrassing defeat. After a moment of silence, the leader sighed in resignation.

"Fine, you win. It's Machine Head. He's the one who hired us," the leader admitted, their frustration evident.

"Machine Head, huh?" She muttered to herself. "What's he want with me?" That name bounced here and there in the criminal underworld, though she herself didn't know much about that guy.

The leader smirked, seemingly finding satisfaction in revealing the information. "Machine Head has his reasons. You'll find out soon enough."

Her curiosity was piqued, but before she could press for more information, a group of distant shouts grabbed her attention. A glance downward revealed that backup had arrived.

Rex walked with confidence in his steps, though Eve knew that in the face of people like Omni-Man, it was nothing more than barking. "Sup, Eve, are these guys bothering you?"

She cast a glance at Rex. "Actually, no, we were just having a friendly chat before you arrived. They claimed someone named Machine Head hired them to bring me in."

Rex, with a smirk on his face, approached the trapped captors, pocking one of the bubbles that used to be their weapons. "Machine Head, huh? You idiots really picked the wrong day to mess with us." He turned back to her with a confident grin. "Well, I guess we're adding Machine Head to our list of people who don't like us."

Her eyes widened when she looked at the sky. "Oh, shoot, it's late; I need to go home; see you guys tomorrow." She nodded at the team. "Thanks for the support. I'll catch up with you later." With that, she took to the sky and disappeared.

Rex, still grinning, turned back to the trapped captors. "Now, let's have a little chat, shall we?"

Robot approached, his metallic face devoid of emotion. "You're in quite the predicament, and I doubt you'll get any sympathy from us. Speak quickly; we have little patience for those who threaten our team."

The leader of the captors scowled but realized they were in no position to negotiate. "Fine, fine. Machine Head wanted Atom Eve for some job. He's been recruiting people with special abilities for something big. That's all I know, I swear!"

Dupli Kate crossed her arms as her smirk widened. "That's pretty vague. What's this 'something big'?"

The captor hesitated but eventually relented. "I don't know the details, okay? I'm just a messenger. You'll find out soon enough when Machine Head decides to make his move."

Robot analyzed the situation, processing the information. "We should take them to the authorities. Attempted kidnapping and conspiracy are serious crimes that will land them behind bars in no time."

Rex nodded. "Works for me. Let's wrap this up, and then we can find out more about this Machine Head and what he wants."

Robot's eye shone for a moment. "Leave that to me; in the meantime, make sure they stay properly restrained." Without waiting for an answer, he flew away in his hoverbike, leaving Rex and Kate behind with no explanation.

Rex was not happy. "What the hell, man? Did you forget your charger at home? Why are you leaving all the work to me?" Seeing as he had no intention of returning, he grumbled under his breath while looking at the trapped captors. "Fine, whatever. I guess I'll babysit the bad guys while the tin can does his thing."

As Rex grumbled, Kate chuckled. "Guess we drew the short straws today. But hey, at least we get to play the good cop, bad cop routine. I call dibs on being the bad cop."

The captors exchanged uneasy glances. Rex cracked his knuckles with a mischievous grin on his face. "Time's ticking, and my friend here has a short fuse. You wouldn't want to see her angry."

Kate patted his shoulder and raised an eyebrow. "Is that your impression of a good cop? I wouldn't want to see you trying to be bad."

Rex shrugged. "I just prefer being a bad boy." He winked at her. "Would you like to see it?"

Kate adopted a stern expression and stepped forward. "Alright, enough with the games. We're not here to play around. So keep it in your pants." She didn't appreciate his effort at flirting.

Nolan returned home, contemplating his upcoming conversation with Mark. As he entered, he noticed the relaxed atmosphere. Mark sat in the living room, lost in thought, while Debbie was in the kitchen, preparing dinner with a focused expression.

He expected them to look at him and silently judge him, or to see Mark walking to him angrily. Whatever happened here was enough to ease their nerves. He looked at him from the couch and avoided his gaze, not in anger but in embarrassment.

Nolan took a deep breath and approached him, attempting to read the emotions on his son's face. "Mark," he began with a steady voice. "We—"

"I'm sorry." Mark got up from the couch and avoided his gaze. "I was being dumb; I should have listened to you, not try to dance around the subject, hoping that everything would be fine, and—well, I still think you were a jerk, but." He ruffled his hair in frustration. "I don't blame you."

Nolan raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You're apologizing? I didn't expect that." He briefly wondered if this was just to get his guard down, but quickly dismissed it. Mark wasn't like that.

Mark sighed, finally meeting his father's gaze. "Yeah, well, maybe I was too harsh. I mean, I get it. Let's just forget about all this. It's stupid to keep fighting over this when there are more important things." He glanced at the kitchen. "Uh, like saving people together?"

He nodded slowly, processing his words. "I appreciate that. And you're right; there are more important things." He was just glad he didn't have to deal with this anymore. One thing he and the old Omni-Man had in common was having the emotional intelligence of a fish.

Debbie walked into the living room with a tray of snacks and a pleased smile on her face. "Well, it's about time you two sorted things out," she remarked, setting the tray on the coffee table.

Mark scratched the back of his head, a sheepish grin on his face. "Yeah, sorry about all that. It was just a mess."

Nolan nodded while grabbing one cookie from the tray. "That's right, let's just be glad it was just a little discussion." It could have been worse—many, many times worse—for Mark's bones if he was a little more angrier when it happened.

They sat on the couch, finally settling after all was said and done, and Nolan turned on the TV. As they relaxed, Mark glanced at his father. "So, uh, what's next?" he asked cautiously.

Nolan leaned back on the couch, considering the question. "Well, nothing for now; get ready tomorrow for the guardians funeral, and after that, we have to go evaluate the candidates to see if they have what it takes."

Mark rubbed his neck, a little unconfortable. "Uh, isn't that so soon? and the day of their funeral? Really?" When he looked at Nolan's expression, he cleared his throat. "I mean, yeah, I'm totally cool with that; I was just wondering and stuff."

Nolan chuckled and stopped frowning. "I get it; it's not ideal timing. But at the same time, are you sure you want to take more time?" He poked Mark's chest. "When will it be a good time, then? when people get over it? If we don't give them someone to look up to, they will never get over it."

Mark chuckled unconfortably. "Alright, I get it. I'll make sure to be ready for tomorrow if that's the case." He wanted to protest more, but at the same time, it wasn't really his place to tell his dad or Cecil what they should do.

Nolan nodded in satisfaction. "Good. It won't be easy, but it's necessary. We have to show the world that we're still standing strong. Besides, it's what the Guardians would have wanted." He glanced at Mark, noticing the resignation in his face, but it's not like he could do something about it; they already wasted enough time as it is.

Mark sighed but nodded. "Yeah, you're right. I'll do my best." He glanced at the TV, where a news report about the recent events played. It was mostly information about villains being captured here and there.

With nothing more to discuss He got up from the couch. "Well, good night."

Nolan nodded in acknowledgment. "See you tomorrow." He watched as his son left the room and turned to Debbie.

She turned her attention to Nolan. "I'm glad you two worked things out." She hugged him. "But next time, I do hope this doesn't happen again, but if it does, don't leave it up to me to sort it out."

Nolan returned the hug with a soft smile on his face. "I'll do my best. This was a learning experience for everyone involved." He squeezed her hand reassuringly.