Granddaughter

Michael kept his eyes on the camera for a while longer before he remembered nobody was actually watching. The video needed to be uploaded first.

He stood up, brushed off the dust from his knees and got to work. After editing the final moments, making it look like he stayed on his knees to the last minute, he mapped out the subtitles for the video.

Michael wrote everything in English and in Russian. By then, the hour Dimitri and he agreed on was up.

In an e-mail, he asked the programmer to upload everything as soon as he could. Watching the video later was fine.

There was another e-mail sent to Alex, where Michael asked him to prepare subtitles in as many languages as he knew, which was at least six.

With this preparatory work done, Michael uploaded the video with English subtitles to every filesharing service and torrent site. This was his last chance. Even if everything else went wrong, Michael bet that there was no stopping an army of netizens.

…

Later in the day, there was a knock on Graves's door. With the old man's hearing, how could he not recognize the guest?

"Come in, bunny!"

A young blonde girl entered, pouting, "Grandpa, I'm not a baby anymore, you can't tease me like this!"

Graves lowered his head and revealed a naughty smile. After holding it in for a few seconds, his granddaughter couldn't keep up the pout and broke into a silvery laughter.

"If not you, then who should I tease? Rosa?"

The principal's trusty secretary spoke up from a corner, "Sir, please don't."

Rosa was an apprentice to Graves, and she owed him her life and much more. After her mentor took up this peaceful job, she didn't hesitate to accompany him, same as before. With Graves, the jungles of Vietnam and the streets of Switzerland made no difference to her.

The young girl wasn't startled but nodded at Rosa, apparently aware of her presence from the beginning. The older woman returned the nod as a gesture of respect.

"Bunny, why are you here?" Graves said, opening his arms in a hug. The young blonde jumped into his embrace and rubbed her cheek against his. Her grandfather was the only person in the world who knew this side of her. As for Rosa, she was completely ignored.

"Ah, grandpa, big news! I came by because I knew you might find out too late!"

The girl flashed a meaningful grin, gave him a smartphone and pressed play.

There was a handsome teenager on the screen, pouring his heart out in a world-shaking speech. "The reason so many strange things happened this week is… the comet has given us powers… My name is Michael North, and I am the first Alter."

With every word, Graves frowned more and more. That damn kid, the secret he'd been hiding was this big?

In the video, Michael performed feats of inhuman strength and agility, explained a little on how to control Alters' powers and asked everyone to come together at this time.

The video ended with him on his knees, teary-eyed, looking a little comical as he referred to his young peers like an adult.

"Save the children!"

"Pfft!" Graves's granddaughter chuckled, "Mike is so bad at this!"

"Silly bunny, your father isn't teaching you the right things," the principal shook his head in frustration.

Unlike Graves with his wide experience and skill set, his son-in-law was an army general, a somewhat rigid military thinker. The girl learned from her father, and her candor made the old spy worry about her future. She was too honest and straightforward. Not every situation could be approached like a battle!

"What do you mean, grandpa?"

"The kid is good. Say, do you trust his words after watching the video?"

The girl nodded repeatedly.

"What if you didn't know him beforehand? Would you trust him then?"

Graves's granddaughter chewed on her lips, "Probably?"

"That's right. Look how well-structured his speech is. He proves he has superpowers, shows concern for others, even asks people to unite. If I was looking for an apprentice, he would be my first choice."

"Sir?" Rosa spoke up, frowning.

"Don't worry, dear. That's not happening, I'm already too old."

"Grandpa!" the girl interrupted, "Is Mike really that good?"

The old man sighed, collecting his thoughts. "Yes. He is clearly smart and capable, but his last words carry the biggest punch. When he drops to his knees, he hands the imaginary power to the viewers. 'Save' he says. Not protect or help, but save, meaning the children are in real danger. He implies if we don't act, that's as good as hurting them ourselves."

"I don't feel much," his granddaughter shrugged.

"That's because you're not a parent, bunny. Even I reacted to his speech. There is an instinct in every adult to protect their kids, and young Michael knows how to press their buttons."

In fact, Michael was not as good at controlling people as the principal imagined him to be. However, his impulsiveness finally became an advantage. Nobody can manipulate emotional people as well as a shrewd emotional person. What often held Michael back was now his greatest strength.

"Can you control your power after hearing his explanations?"

"Not yet," the girl extended her hand, palm facing upwards. Ten, twenty seconds later nothing happened. She clenched her fist and hit the table, showing her character.

"Guh, so difficult!"

"Do you feel the fullness?"

"Yeah, Qi. I can't push it out."

"Don't worry, this is also a good outcome. What if your power is dangerous?" the old man rubbed her shoulder.

The girl nodded in agreement. While becoming an Alter sounded great in theory, it depended on her power. What if it was sleeping for 20 hours a day or her head would turn 180 degrees back?

"You did the right thing, coming to see me so quick. Less than two hours have passed since young Michael posted the video. I might be able to smooth things down."

"Yay!"

At that moment, Rosa's phone vibrated. She checked the message and informed her mentor calmly, "Sir, we have a visitor. Agent Weismann with Swiss intelligence is at the gates. He'd like to speak to a Michael North or Mikhail Severniy, whichever we prefer."

"The Swiss work fast!" praised Graves, lifting himself from the chair. "Call Mr. North here, I'd like to have a quick word with him. Then, after ten minutes, invite Weismann."

With a nod, Rosa left the office, punching commands into her phone.

"Let's talk again later, bunny," the old man kissed his grandchild's head.

"Grandpa, you'll protect Mike, right?"

Caught off guard, Graves looked at the girl as if for the first time. The boy sure was a charmer! He already had young Anna, and now his own granddaughter was interested in him?

The blonde's cheeks showed a hint of red. "Grandpa, don't be a perv. I want to talk to him, get him to help me with my power."

Perv?

Graves coughed at his granddaughter's impolite words. Too frank, too honest!

"It's not entirely up to me, bunny. First, I need to see if he's worth protecting. As long as I'm convinced… let them try!"

The girl clapped her hands in excitement.

She knew her grandfather never gave such high assessments to her, even if he loved her very much. But, her heart was pure, and plotting against someone wasn't in her vocabulary. Instead, she yearned to compete with the first person worthy of becoming her grandfather's apprentice.

'Good luck, Mike. Let's see what you're made of.'