After everything that had happened today, Eve arrived home. Her house was ordinary—it had a garage, a yard with green grass, and several rooms. Without anyone noticing, she landed at the entrance of her house and used her powers to undo her suit. Before going inside, she sat on the steps of the porch, reflecting on everything that had happened today—her mother, the boy... and everything else.
After a while, Eve went inside. There, she found her parents sitting at the kitchen table, waiting for her birthday celebration. A banner reading "Happy Birthday" hung behind them, with a few balloons decorating the space. On the table, there were some presents and a birthday cake—already partially eaten.
Her father, Adam Wilkins, spoke first.
Adam' Where have you been? — he asked nervously.
Her mother, Betsy Wilkins, tried to defend her.
Betsy' Adam, wait. Don't talk to her like that. — Betsy tried to soften the situation.
Adam' Don't defend her. She was late for her own birthday! You should have called. We were worried.
Eve...
Eve' You guys ate my cake...
Adam' How dare you!
Eve sighed.
Eve' I have to go. — she said, stepping back toward her room. She quickly turned and walked away, heading upstairs.
Adam' Go where? We're your only family, whether you like it or not!
Eve rushed into her room. After closing the door, she leaned against it and slowly slid down to the floor, sitting there for a moment. After a while, she got up, walked to a small table in her room, and picked up a photo of her adoptive family. Using her powers, she altered the image, replacing her adoptive parents with her biological mother and siblings. Then, she put the picture away.
A moment later, her adoptive mother appeared at the door.
Betsy knocked softly and called out, "Samantha?"
Eve hesitated for a moment, then walked to the door and opened it.
Betsy' Samantha, I'm so sorry...
Eve threw herself into her mother's arms and hugged her tightly. Betsy comforted her, and Eve began to cry.
---
Meanwhile, Henry was flying home, his mind occupied with thoughts of Eve. He wondered if she would be okay.
As night fell, Henry arrived at his house. It had a green grassy yard, a garage on the right side, the front door on the left, and two floors—slightly larger than Eve's house.
Before entering, Henry made sure no one had followed him and that there were no eyes watching. Satisfied, he removed his uniform in the backyard.
Henry realized a problem with his suit—it was too inconvenient to take off and put on. He needed a more practical one. Later, he would ask Art if he could make a thinner suit, something he could wear under his clothes... or maybe another alternative.
He rang the doorbell.
(Doorbell sound)
His mother opened the door, looking at him with a stern expression.
Henry' Hey, Mom. I missed you.
She reached out as if to caress his face but instead grabbed his ear and pulled him inside.
Henry' Ow, ow! Mom, you're gonna rip my ear off! — Henry yelped in pain.
Still holding his ear, she dragged him inside.
Already indoors, Henry groaned.
Henry' That hurt, Mom!
Lia' Hmm... I hope it did.
Henry' Where's Dad?
Lia' In his room, working. He's very busy.
Henry's father was a police commissioner. He looked about 35 years old, with black hair streaked with white. He was tall, fair-skinned, and slightly overweight—but nothing too extreme.
His mother was slightly shorter than his father, with long brown hair and a beautiful face. She used to be a lawyer, but after having children, she became a stay-at-home mom. She looked about 32.
Henry also had a younger brother—Wally Matthew, 9 years old.
Lia' I need you to take a shower. You smell like rotten fish and sweat. — she said, pinching her nose.
Lia' And when you're done, wake up your brother, okay? — she added, kissing his cheek.
Henry sniffed his armpits.
Henry' Yeah... you have a point.
Lia' One more thing. Your teachers sent a message saying there was a problem at school today. Apparently, something in the gym broke, so there won't be classes tomorrow. But the teachers sent you assignments by email, and I transferred them to your computer. Don't forget to do them. — she said as she walked away.
Henry sighed. Destroying part of the school wasn't enough to stop the teachers from assigning homework.
He climbed the stairs to his room, threw himself face-first onto the bed, then, reluctantly, got up, grabbed some clothes from his closet, and went to take a shower.
After his bath, Henry walked to his little brother Wally's room.
The place was full of toys—especially bows and arrows. Wally loved archery and had a natural talent for it. Besides that, he had an assortment of toy weapons, swords, and action figures. It was the perfect room for a kid.
Wally was asleep on the floor, as if he had run a marathon before passing out. He was sleeping deeply. Henry approached him.
Henry' Wally, wake up. Mom's calling you. — Henry said, shaking his brother's shoulder.
Henry' Wally, come on...
Nothing. His brother didn't move.
So, Henry grabbed Wally by the shoulders and lifted him to his feet by force.
Wally' What... what is it? — Wally muttered, rubbing his sleepy eyes.
Henry' Mom's calling you. Dinner's ready.
The moment Wally heard "dinner," his sleepy and exhausted expression vanished instantly. He sprinted down the stairs like a demon.
Henry followed. He was starving too.
When they got to the kitchen, their father, Elliot Cline, was already sitting at the table, eating dinner. Their mother was preparing a plate for Wally, who was too young to serve himself.
Henry' Hey, Dad. How was your day?
Elliot' Today was chaos. Things seem to be getting worse every day. Crime just keeps rising, son.
Lia' Don't talk about work during dinner. You always do this.
Elliot' Sorry, dear. You're right. So, Henry, how was your day? I heard there was an incident at school today. Thank God no one got hurt.
Henry scratched the back of his head.
Henry' Yeah... school, right?
Before Henry could come up with a lie, his little brother turned on the kitchen TV.
---
(News anchor Lisa)
"Breaking news! Earlier today, a battle took place at this location between new young superheroes. They destroyed this government facility, and the destruction shocked everyone. Even from a distance, some people were injured by the debris. Thankfully, no civilians were seriously hurt. We still don't know what caused this incident, but our reporter Lois has exclusive footage of these young heroes!"
(Footage of Henry and Eve helping people)
"My goodness, Lois! Who are these two in the footage? Are they new members of the Guardians of the Globe? Do we know their names?"
Lois' "Well… people are calling him Superboy and her Atomic Eve."
---
Henry's mother grabbed the remote and turned off the TV.
Lia' "Henry…" — she said nervously. "You're grounded."
"You disobeyed me again. You're not doing this kind of thing anymore."
Henry' "But, Mom, I can help people!" — Henry said, standing up from his chair.
Elliot' "Your mother is just worried about your safety, son."
Henry' "I know, but—"
Ding-dong! The doorbell rang.
Henry looked at his mother, and she looked back at him.
Lia' "We'll talk about this later."
She went to the door. It was Holly—also known as War Woman—Henry's aunt.
She stepped right inside.
Holly had long brown hair with bangs, wore glasses and gold earrings. Her outfit made her look like a scholar—intelligent and refined. But beneath that appearance was a strong and battle-hardened warrior.
Holly' "Hey, Lia. I'm so glad you're okay." — Holly hugged her friend. "Is Henry here? I need to talk to him about something."
Her cheerful expression suddenly turned serious.
Lia' "It's about that, isn't it…" — Lia looked troubled. Her heartbeat quickened, and she placed a hand over her mouth, as if she might cry at any moment.
Holly' "Yeah." — Holly took off her glasses.
Henry heard everything. He didn't know what it was about, but he could hear his mother's heartbeat racing. He stood up and walked over.
Henry' "Hey, Aunt Holly. I missed you."
He wasn't lying—he really liked her. She was strong and had always been there for him, almost like a second mother.
Holly hugged him tightly.
Holly' "Wow, you've grown so much! You've turned into such a handsome young man." — She pinched his cheeks.
Henry' "What's going on, Aunt Holly? I heard you talking…" — he said, struggling to speak as his cheeks were being squeezed.
Holly's expression darkened.
Holly' "Go get dressed."
---
Dressed in her Amazon warrior uniform, Holly flew through the night sky with Henry.
Henry' "Aunt Holly, what's so important that we had to leave at night? I hope it's worth it."
He was wearing a simple blue shirt and black pants.
Holly' "Henry, I hope you understand that your family loves you very much."
Henry' "I know that… but why are you telling me this?"
Holly didn't answer.
Henry had no idea what could've happened to make his aunt so nervous.
It was still a long time before Omni-Man would reveal his true nature and kill the Guardians of the Globe. And when that day came, Henry would do everything in his power to stop him. That's why he had trained ever since he came to this world. At first, he hadn't loved his family, but over time, he had come to truly care for them.
Holly and Henry flew for a long time, leaving the city behind. They flew for another 20 minutes before reaching a mountain.
Holly' "Henry, no one besides your mother, your father, and I know what's here. I spent a long time hiding this place. I had help from people who… aren't alive anymore."
Henry' "Aunt Holly…?" — Henry said, surprised.
They landed on the mountain. Holly walked over to a specific spot and revealed a hidden tunnel in the ground. She stepped inside, and Henry followed.
Henry' "What is this place, Aunt Holly?"
Holly' "I'll explain in a moment…"
They walked through the tunnel until they reached a more open space. It was simple but impressive—large enough to store something important. Unlike the rough tunnel, this interior was cleaner.
In the center of the room was a massive object covered by a tarp. The underground chamber had no other exits, likely built in a hurry. Above, there was an opening in the ceiling.
Holly walked up to the covered object and pulled the tarp away, revealing a modern-looking spaceship. It had two propulsion engines and two different symbols—one of which Henry recognized, but the other was unfamiliar.
Holly' "Henry, I'm sorry… You came to Earth in this thing. I tried everything to figure out more about it, but it looks like you're the only one who can activate it."
She handed him what looked like an alien key.
Henry thought, 'There's no freaking way I'm an alien.
---