---
Tears
Elias Brandyworth, one of the scientists responsible for the Phase One project, would never forgive himself for what he had done. His work, which was supposed to be a scientific breakthrough, had turned into a nightmare. He had helped create a weapon for the U.S. government, but in the process, he destroyed lives. One of those lives was Polly's—Eve's mother.
She had been a homeless woman who agreed to participate in the experiments. At first, they promised her a better life, a second chance. Instead, they gave her an existence filled with pain and suffering. Brandyworth carried deep guilt, a weight he bore every day. As her creator—and, in a way, her father—he felt obligated to atone for what he had done to Eve's mother.
When he saw on television that Samantha was in danger, his mind went into high alert. Panic gripped his body. He had to act. Without a second thought, he grabbed his car keys and drove as fast as possible toward the site of the confrontation. He didn't care about his own life; he only wanted to help her.
Upon arriving at the overpass where the fight was taking place, Brandyworth was about to ram his car into Eve's brother, who was attacking her relentlessly. But suddenly, he noticed something unexpected: someone had appeared to help her. Feeling a momentary relief, he stopped the car at a distance and watched.
His fingers gripped the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles turning white. He wanted to rush in, to tend to her injuries, to protect her—but he couldn't act recklessly. He needed the right moment.
However, before he even realized it, several military vehicles arrived at the scene. U.S. government troops emerged, armed and organized, with a single objective: to retrieve their perfect weapon. But now, with the interference of a possible Viltrumite, the mission had become even more complicated. They knew capturing Eve directly was impossible. The only alternative was blackmail.
And Brandyworth was the perfect bait.
A chill ran down his spine as he recognized the faces of the soldiers. People he had once worked with. People he deeply regretted ever assisting. And at the center of it all, stood him.
Steven—the man responsible for all this madness.
Brandyworth clenched his fists, his expression hardening, hatred burning in his eyes.
— You... — he muttered, his blood boiling. — You bastard... You better stay away from her! I won't let you touch her again!
Steven remained unfazed, adjusting his sunglasses. Then, he gave the order:
— Take him alive.
Before Brandyworth could react, tranquilizer darts were fired. He tried to run, but sharp stings pierced his neck and arms. His vision blurred, his legs weakened, and he collapsed to his knees.
— I want him alive, — Steven reiterated, stepping closer. — He's useless dead. At least until we have the girl.
One of the captains beside Steven asked:
— Sir, what do we do now?
Steven crossed his arms and smirked.
— Now, we wait. They'll come for him. Order everyone to pull back.
— Yes, sir.
---
Meanwhile...
From a distance, Henry had overheard every word spoken by Steven and his soldiers. It annoyed him, but right now, he had a bigger problem to deal with.
In front of him, Phase 2 attacked with blind rage. His body was deteriorating—his anger was all he had left.
Henry sighed, frustrated.
— If you keep this up, you're going to die. Your body can't take it. You should be directing all this rage at the people who did this to you.
Phase 2's eyes burned with hatred.
— Shut up! I have to kill her!
Eve, standing a little behind them, felt a lump form in her throat. Those words hurt. They were siblings, in a way. They had all been through the same experiments. The only difference was that, in her case, the experiments worked. She gained incredible powers, while they became... abominations. Defective creations doomed to die young.
She didn't want it to end like this.
Her eyes filled with tears, and with a trembling voice, she took a hesitant step forward.
— It doesn't have to be this way... I... I'm so sorry for everything you've been through. But that doesn't mean you have to take your pain out on others.
Phase 2 hesitated. For a brief moment, his rage wavered.
What was he doing? Deep down, he knew she was right. But it was already too late. He was dying. His body—a failed experiment—was falling apart before his eyes. His robotic arms sparked, his synthetic flesh dissolving into a sticky mess.
He had always been a mistake. A defective weapon.
His gaze met Eve's, and something inside him cracked.
— Shut up! — he screamed, his voice rough and desperate. — You don't understand anything!
With one final act of fury, he poured every ounce of strength left into a single punch. His energy, his life—everything he had—was thrown into that attack.
The impact struck Henry square in the chest. The explosion's sound echoed across the overpass, sending Eve flying backward with the shockwave. The sharp wind whipped through the air.
But Henry didn't even flinch.
It was as if the punch had hit an immovable mountain of solid iron.
Silence fell. Henry looked down at Phase 2, his face serious.
He understood. Deep down, he understood this boy. If he had been treated as a broken weapon his entire life, maybe he would have done the same.
The punch had done no damage to Henry—but it had been devastating for Phase 2 himself. The impact tore his arm apart, scattering blood and metal fragments into the air.
He had killed himself with his own attack.
His body was thrown backward, hitting the ground with a heavy thud. Or at least, what was left of it.
Eve, ignoring the pain in her body, pressing a hand to the wound in her stomach, rushed toward him. Her eyes burned.
— No...
She dropped to her knees beside him, her hands trembling.
Her brother... The family she never had... Everything she could have had... was simply gone.
Eve buried her face in her hands and sobbed.
Why did it have to end like this?
As she cried, a voice came from behind her.
— I'm sorry. This must be hard for you. You've been through so much.
Eve, still in tears, couldn't stop herself. She was overwhelmed with grief and just needed a moment of comfort. Without thinking, she turned to the stranger beside her and threw herself into his arms.
Henry was caught off guard. He was truly saddened by all of this. When Eve hugged him, he simply let her. He was taller than her, so as she held onto him, she buried her face into his chest and began to cry, soaking his shirt. He wasn't sure what to do. The only idea that came to him was to gently run his fingers through her long hair, trying to comfort her.
Eve realized what she had done and quickly pulled away, embarrassed.
— I'm sorry... I didn't mean to...
Henry just smiled.
— It's okay. I don't mind.
To be honest, Eve had felt like his chest was made of steel. And yet, somehow... it was strangely comforting.
And then, as she fully processed what had just happened, her face turned red with embarrassment.
Henry noticed the slight blush on her cheeks and couldn't help but find it...
Kind of cute.
---