Sentinel - Chapter 5 (Patreon)

Chapter 5

Sentinel cut through the air like a missile. Robot had told him to head to the site as quickly as he could. Thanks to the Bronze ticket he'd gotten a while back, he had an ability that came in extremely handy when he was flying to specific places.

[Route, Common Ability, You see a line directing you to the location you want to go as long as you precisely know the location of where you want to go.]

Thanks to Robot, he had the precise coordinates for where the invaders were coming through their portals, making it easy for him to just follow the glowing line. As he flew, he came up with his plan of action; it was a basic plan, but that was all he needed.

The moment he could see the invasion with his own eyes, he immediately swapped Route back out and put Tinker – Star Wars back in. As he flew over the invasion zone, he tapped into Power Mimicry and used Kate's power to split into dozens of copies of himself. It was disorienting as hell, but each version of himself focused their attention on a different civilian in need of rescue.

All copies of himself worked to rescue as many people as they could, even interposing themselves between the aliens and the civilians. The aliens were green, ironically, with antennae coming from the tops and sides of their heads. All of them wore matching white armor and carried large rifles that fired some sort of energy beam. Sentinel put himself between as many people and those beams as he could. Each time a copy of himself was hit, it hurt but didn't deal any lasting damage.

As he worked, a clone spotted an unfamiliar person come flying in. Seeing the guy slam a fist into one of the invaders, he believed the new arrival was a hero. The new hero wore a blue, black, and yellow skin-tight outfit similar to Sentinel's own, though with a clearly different design. It definitely had to be Art's work. Their masks were the opposite, though with the new guy covering the top half of his face and sporting a pair of yellow-tinted goggles.

Unfortunately, the sheer number of people in need of help and his inexperience in the usage of Kate's power meant he had to focus on the civilians. Besides, he'd seen the new guy take a couple of hits, and he seemed fine, so it shouldn't be an issue. Besides, the new guy seemed to be going on the offensive, so he was drawing more fire, leaving Sentinel to focus on the lives of others first.

Thankfully, he moved fast, if carefully, and managed to evacuate everyone he could find. By the time he looked around, he saw that the Teen Team had arrived on scene. Eve had a shield construct up and was protecting the new guy and an elderly woman as they hid in a crater. He scowled at the sight; clearly he'd missed things, and he didn't like that. Especially not when he'd been in a dozen places at once.

He stood as his clones charged toward him and merged with his body. The moment he did, he switched from Kate's power to Eve's in Power Mimicry. The aliens clearly had evil intentions and were more than willing to kill people. Despite how fast he'd been, he hadn't been fast enough to save everyone. Bodies lay on the ground as a testament to his failure.

This wasn't heroes versus villains; this was war.

Pink energy crackled over each of his hands as he launched himself into the air. He hovered over the battlefield, watching Rex, Kate, Robot, and Eve go on the offensive since there was no one left to save. As more aliens started to come through the large portal, his items finished coming into being: Thermal Detonators.

Thermal Detonators used a highly volatile substance called baradium. The detonator put the baradium into a state of fusion reaction. In short, it was a fusion bomb, a nuke. When detonated, it would release an expanding particle field that limited the range of the destruction, usually to five or six meters. Though there were military-grade models that could reach one hundred meters.

Sentinel wasn't crazy enough to use fusion explosives with a one hundred meter blast radius; he stuck to ten meters. Without hesitation, he depressed the buttons on the grenades and threw them so that each one landed underneath a tank.

Five seconds into making his next pair, the first two detonated and obliterated perfectly spherical chunks out of the alien tanks, leaving only smoldering pieces behind. Seeing the results, he didn't hesitate to throw out two more that landed beneath two more tanks.

Before he could make another set, the aliens suddenly began retreating in a panic. He swooped down from the air and landed next to Eve just as the portal closed, “Why did they run?”

Eve turned to face him, “I don't know, but they looked panicked.”

As the adrenaline and anger began to fade, Sentinel realized he was covered in blood, both human and alien. He'd seen death up close and personal before, but the scale of this... His gaze swept over the area where bodies lay, mostly in pieces.

“I should have got here faster,” he muttered.

Eve reached over and placed her hand on his shoulder, “You got here as fast as you could. You saved SO many people. I can't even begin to imagine how many people would have died without you.”

“I've... I've never seen anything like this before.”

Eve pulled Sentinel into a tight hug, “I understand. It sucks, so much, but it's an unfortunate reality that we can't save everyone. People will die. We can only do our best to save as many as possible, and you did that amazingly today.”

She stepped back and looked him in the eyes, “Go get some rest. Maybe take a flight or something else you find relaxing.”

Sentinel thought it over. He still felt guilty for the people he failed to save and disgusted at himself for not being better, but Eve's words had helped a little. He gave her the best smile he could at the moment, “I think I will.”

He bent his knees slightly before launching himself into the air with a boom. He immediately accelerated to his maximum speed while heading straight for the atmosphere. As he flew, he used Power Mimicry to create a simple helmet around his head so he could still hear through his earpiece. He didn't want to miss anything.

At the same time, he swapped out his tinker ability for Radiation Absorption.

[Feat Achieved! Defend against the 1st wave of the Flaxan invasion. +1 Gold Gacha Ticket.]

He stared at the message, then dismissed it. He wasn't the least bit interested in his power at the moment. Instead, he focused on putting some distance between himself and the Earth while bathing in the radiation of the solar winds. He sighed and closed his eyes.

Floating in space and bathing in the light of the sun had become his second favorite way to sleep. Nothing beat sleeping as a cat, no matter how big the cat.

-----Line Break-----

“Sentinel, come in.”

He sighed, “I'm here, Cecil.”

“How you doing, kid?”

“Been better.” He opened his eyes and looked down at the Earth, “There's something you need to know. The Flaxan's will be back.”

There was a pause before Cecil spoke, his tone deadly serious, “How do you know they're called the Flaxan's?”

“My reward for the incident said it was only the first wave. I don't know how many there will be, but more are coming.”

It was Cecil's turn to sigh, “Come to the GDA. You need to debrief, and there are some things I need to fill you in on.”

“I'll be there shortly.”

“See you then, Sentinel.”

Sentinel accelerated to his top cruising speed and hit the atmosphere like a rocket. Plasma formed around him, burning off all signs of the battle against the Flaxans. Swapping Route in let him pinpoint where the Pentagon was from high in the sky. It only took him a few minutes to arrive at the GDA entrance and make his way inside, where Cecil met him.

Cecil looked Sentinel over, then turned and gestured for him to follow, “Come with me.”

As they walked, Cecil spoke, “Last night someone killed the Guardians of the Globe. Not only that, but whoever it was managed to beat Omni-Man into a coma.”

Sentinel stopped cold, “What?!”

“You heard me. On top of that, we've got these Flaxan assholes invading. This is a real shit show.” He stopped and faced Sentinel, “I'm only telling you this so you know how serious the situation is and that I'm not joking when I say this. I need you to copy Omni-Man's power.”

Sentinel's first instinct was to immediately reject the idea of copying Omni-Man's power without his permission. But his logical side, the side he'd been trained to listen to in emergencies by EMTs so he could properly triage in bad situations, said to think. So, when Cecil started walking again, he followed in silence and thought over the situation.

It was easy enough to see why Cecil wanted him to copy Omni-Man's power. With the Guardians dead and Omni-Man so injured he was in a coma, there was a massive power vacuum that villains could take advantage of. Not to mention the guaranteed return of the Flaxans in the future. Omni-Man's power might be desperately needed while it was unavailable.

Taking a deep breath, he came to his decision. The world was far more important than his own moral beliefs, “I'll do it.”

Cecil nodded in understanding, “I knew you would.”

They walked in silence for a bit longer until they came to a private room. Cecil knocked on the door, then immediately opened it. Sentinel glanced inside, and the first thing he saw was the large form of Omni-Man lying on a bed, unconscious and attached to monitoring equipment. The next thing he noticed was an attractive middle-aged woman with Asian features sitting beside the bed.

Stepping into the room showed a third person present, a young man who looked to be around Sentinel's own age. His features looked like a mix between the woman and Omni-Man, marking him as their son. As they stepped in, the woman, her eyes puffy from crying, looked up and gave Cecil a rather unpleasant look, “What are you doing here, Cecil?” Her gaze snapped to Sentinel, “Who is he, and why is he here?”

Sentinel flinched a little at her acidic tone. Cecil held his hands up in a conciliatory manner, “Sentinel is just here to check on Omni-Man, he has a wide range of abilities, and one might be useful in this situation, Debbie.”

The teenager next to her spoke up, “It's alright, Mom. I've seen Sentinel in action. He's pretty amazing.” The teen then stood and offered his hand to Sentinel, “Thanks for earlier. You and Atom Eve really helped me out.”

Sentinel took the hand and shook it, actually feeling some pressure from the other guy's grip. He studied him for a minute before it clicked, “Oh! You were the guy in blue and yellow?”

The teenager looked mildly embarrassed, “Uh. Yeah. That was, uh, that was me. I'm... Well, I'm Invincible in costume. Which, uh, sounds kind of stupid now that I'm saying it out loud.”

They stopped shaking hands, and Sentinel turned to look at Debbie, “Uhm, with your permission, ma'am, I can see if there's something I can do to help.”

Debbie studied him like a hawk before she slumped and let out a defeated sigh, “If you think there's something you can do...”

He peeled off one of his gloves and walked to the side of the bed. Reaching out, he touched Omni-Man's forehead and copied his power into Power Mimicry, though he didn't activate it. He could potentially use Eve's power to heal Omni-Man, in fact, he was using it at that moment to study the hero, and everything about the man was fascinating. However, he didn't want to out Eve's secret like that. It was one thing to bend his own morals to copy Omni-Man's power. It was a completely different thing to betray a friend's secret.

There was a chance though...

'Roll the gold ticket.'

[ROLLING!]

[Physical Therapy, Elite Ability, Allows you to convert the physical force you exert into positive energy, allowing you to heal people by hitting them with your body. The larger amounts of strength you exert, the higher the healing. The amount of health you heal is equal to the amount of damage you would have managed to inflict with that attack otherwise.]

“Huh.”

Cecil's eyes narrowed in suspicion. He knew that look, so he had to ask, “What is it, Sentinel?”

“I can heal him.”

There was a pair of gasps from Debbie and Invincible. Debbie immediately launched out of her seat to grab Sentinel's wrist where he was still touching Omni-Man's forehead, “Please! Help him!”

Cecil was highly suspicious about Sentinel's sudden ability to heal. Granted, he was aware of the chance for a new power from the invasion, and he'd seen the kid roll it, but the odds of getting a healing power right then? He didn't like it. Was the kid hiding things from him? Worse, he didn't actually want Omni-Man healed. Not yet, not with the investigation still just beginning. He didn't want to think about what it meant to find the guardians dead and Omni-Man nearly beaten to death. The whole thing reeked. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do to stop the kid from healing Omni-Man without turning the whole room against him.

He gave Sentinel a shallow nod of approval. What else could he do?

Sentinel gently pulled his hand from Debbie's, “Alright, I need everyone to step back. My method of healing is... well, you'll see.”

It was too awkward and strange to try and explain that he was going to punch Omni-Man back to perfect health. That was just too weird for anyone to believe, and if Debbie told him not to do it, he wouldn't. He couldn't risk that, so a small omission on exactly how he would heal the hero was necessary.

Everyone did as he asked and retreated to the walls of the room, though Sentinel could feel all three sets of eyes watching him like a hawk. He took a breath and swapped in Physical Therapy. He was tempted to use Omni-Man's strength, but that seemed like a bad idea since he had no experience with it or with Physical Therapy.

Taking a deep breath and bracing himself for a lot of yelling, Sentinel moved as fast as he could and slammed his fist into the side of Omni-Man's head with as much force as he could physically muster. The force of the impact sent out a shock wave strong enough to force everyone back a step.

There was a beat of silence before everything went to hell. Invincible shot across the room and slammed into Sentinel with enough force to actually knock the air out of his lungs, all while shouting, “Why the hell did you do that?!”

Sentinel wanted to answer, but physically couldn't. The situation devolved further when Invincible's fist slammed into Sentinel's jaw hard enough for Sentinel to see white. Just as Invincible was cocking his arm back for another blow, Debbie's shout stopped him short, “Mark! Look at your father!”

The now properly named Mark, still very clearly pissed off, turned his head just slightly to look at his father. His eyes widened in shock at what he saw. His dad looked better than he had just a moment ago. Dark purple bruises had faded slightly and were yellow-green around the edges, while his swollen eye was no longer swollen. He was still unconscious, but it looked like he'd been healing for a lot longer than just a few hours.

Slowly, almost reluctantly, he stepped back from Sentinel and moved over toward his mother. Sentinel slumped a little while rubbing his jaw. Mark hit like a truck. It was the first time he'd been hit that hard since he gained Super. Mark and he were probably at about the same level of strength.

Debbie, the voice of reason, looked at Sentinel and asked, “What just happened?”

Sentinel stopped rubbing his jaw so he could answer her, “I have an ability that lets me convert physical force into healing energy. The harder I hit someone, the more I heal them.”

All three people in the room stared at Sentinel in surprise. Debbie summed up the majority of their feelings, “That is the dumbest method of healing I've ever heard of.” She looked down at her clearly healed husband, “But it clearly works. Please, continue.”

While Sentinel approached the bed, everyone else took some distance again. Sentinel took a deep breath and then began to rain down blows as hard as he could onto Omni-Man. The room filled with the sound of thunder claps from each heavy blow. But after each hit, Omni-Man's coloring improved, and his wounds faded. In less than a minute, Omni-Man's injuries were completely gone, though the man himself was still unconscious.

Everyone stood in silence for a bit before Cecil broke it, “I'll have a doctor sent in to check on him. Sentinel, come with me, we should leave them alone.”

Sentinel nodded and followed Cecil out of the room. After they gained some distance, Cecil turned his head to look at Sentinel, “That was a hell of a coincidence, gaining a healing power, no matter how weird, right then.”

All Sentinel could do was shrug his shoulders as he replied, “I've got no idea why it happened then. Maybe there's more to my power than we know?”

Cecil sighed and muttered, “And don't I just hate that.”

A short walk later, Cecil stopped in front of another door and turned to face Sentinel, “There's something you need to see.”

Without further ado, he opened the door to reveal a morgue. There were dozens of Kate's clones lying out, but Cecil led him to the only covered one. Giving no warning, Cecil pulled the sheet back and revealed a sight that sent a shiver down Sentinel's spine.

His own face stared back up at him with glassy, lifeless eyes.

A shiver of dread ran down Sentinel's spine as he stared at his own dead face. Cecil let him have all the time he needed. Eventually, Sentinel cleared his throat, “I... I didn't even notice. There were so many of me doing so much...” his voice cracked, “How could I not notice that I died?”

“I don't know, kid. But you did. From the initial exam, it looks like this clone got hit by three coordinated shots from their tanks.” Cecil's gaze bore into Sentinel's eyes, “You need to be careful when they return. They killed you once already, they could do it again.”

Sentinel swallowed heavily, “Is it a clone? Or is that the original me? I... I can't tell.”

Cecil gripped Sentinel's shoulder tightly, “Take a break. Go do something to relax. Tomorrow is a new day, and we can use that day to prepare for the Flaxans' return.”

With his piece said, Cecil turned and left the morgue.

Sentinel stood in the morgue looking at his own corpse for a while longer. Eventually, he managed to shake his melancholy off and leave the GDA. Once outside, he launched into the air and made his way directly toward the Teen Team tower. Seeing his own dead body made him want to do something he'd been procrastinating on. If he could die at any moment, then there was a need for him to push through his fear and move forward in his life.

Arriving at the Teen Team's tower, he made his way inside, where he found most of the team, Robot wasn't present. Eve and Rex were off to the side, cuddling on the couch and kissing. Kate, on the other hand, was at the ping pong table playing against herself.

It was toward Kate that he walked.

As he drew closer, he could feel his nerves growing, but he pushed through them, “Hey, Kate, can we, uh, talk. In private?”

The Kates looked at him curiously before they both shrugged their shoulders and spoke together, “Sure. This way.”

He followed the Kates to their room, though on the way they combined into one. Kate opened the door to her room and gestured for him to enter, “Come on in.”

Stepping into her room, he took a moment to look around. Inside, he found another pair of Kates wearing casual clothing and playing a video game together. The room was nicely decorated, enough for him to notice, but he didn't pay too much attention to it. His gaze moved to the Kate he'd followed into the room as she asked, “So, what did you want to talk about?”

He didn't know how to ease into it, so he just spoke what was on his mind, “I died today. Or, one of me did at least. I was so busy, so distracted, that I didn't even notice I died.”

Kate placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, “It's okay, that's happened to me sometimes too.”

He shook his head, “That just makes me respect you all the more.” He looked into her eyes, “I've seen you die a dozen times. The first time I freaked out a little, but you just moved on like it didn't even matter. I got so used to it that I stopped thinking about it. But now... now I realize how terrifying it has to be for you. I've only had one clone die, and I don't even remember it, but you've died hundreds, maybe thousands, of times. I can't even comprehend how you're still sane. The fact that you are says so much about how strong you are.”

Staring into her eyes, he could see her understanding, so he continued, “There's been something I've wanted to ask you for a while, but I was too afraid.”

Kate tilted her head curiously, “Oh?”

“Will you go out with me?”

All three Kate's in the room focused on him. The one he was focused on spoke for them, “As in a date?”

He nodded, “As in, I'd like you to be my girlfriend.” He reached up and pulled down his mask, “Which probably means I should properly introduce myself.” He grinned nervously, “Hi, I'm Adam Cross.”

Kate giggled, “Adam? With Eve right outside.”

He snorted, “Eve's name is even weirder for me. My twin sister's name is Eve.”

“Adam and Eve Cross?” Kate snorted, “Are your parents super religious or something?”

He shook his head, “No, just weirdos who thought it was funny.”

Kate chuckled, “Your family is weird, and yes.”

Adam blinked, “Yes?”

Kate nodded, “Yes, I will be your girlfriend.”

The smile that broke out on Adam's face would have blinded someone with less fortitude than Kate possessed.

-----Line Break-----

After spending some time talking and playing games together, Adam and Kate walked out of her room hand-in-hand. The moment they entered the main area, Eve spotted them. She let out a squeal, leaped from her seat next to Rex, and literally flew through the space between them to kidnap Kate. Eve dragged Kate into her room and slammed the door.

Rex looked between Adam and the door a couple of times before asking, “The fuck?”

Adam shrugged and began walking toward the couch where Rex was sitting. On the way, he tapped into Eve's power and used it to change his costume into a pair of jeans, a dark t-shirt, and a pair of low tops, “I dunno. Girl shit?”

As he got to the couch, he added, “Adam, by the way. Adam Cross.”

Rex snorted, “Fucking seriously? Your name is Adam?!”

Adam smirked, “If you think that's weird, I have a twin sister named Eve.”

“Bullshit!”

Adam chuckled, “Weird parents.”

Rex shrugged, “I wouldn't know. Anyway, 'bout fucking time you actually relaxed enough to let us know your name.” He climbed to his feet and walked around the couch, “Now, what's this shit I heard about you giving out lightsabers? Where the fuck is mine!”

Adam laughed and held his hand out. A short time later, a new plain lightsaber handle sat in his hand. He tossed it to Rex, who immediately snatched it out of the air. Once he found the ignition switch, he hit it and ignited the red blade, “The hell, man?!”

Adam shrugged, “Eve's is pink, Kate's is purple, yours could have been red or yellow, and yellow sucks for a lightsaber.”

Rex paused in swinging the lightsaber around, then slowly nodded, “You know what, fair.”

Adam chuckled and changed the topic, “Any luck breaking your gourd?”

Rex shook his head, “You weren't fucking kidding when you said that shit would be hard. I haven't given up though.”

“Good. It will totally be worth it once you get to the end.”

Rex finally turned off his new toy and grinned at Adam, “So, you and Kate, huh?”

Robot chose that moment to step into the area, “Sentinel and Kate what?”

Adam spoke up, “Feel free to call me Adam now, Robot. And he's referring to Kate and me deciding to date.”

Robot moved closer to the pair, his lenses looking at the lightsaber cylinder in Rex's hand, then back to Adam, “I see. It seems fortuitous, as I wanted to discuss you joining Teen Team as an official member.”

Rex perked up, “Yeah! It's about fucking time! Most people think he's a member of the team anyway.”

Adam smiled happily, “I'd love to officially join the team.”

Robot extended his hand, “Welcome aboard then, Adam.”

Adam shook Robot's hand. After they parted, Robot spoke up, “If you have a moment, Adam, I would like to discuss the explosive devices you used earlier.”

“Yeah, what the fuck were those?!”

“They're called Thermal Detonators. They're from Star Wars. Basically, think of them as handheld fusion bombs with precisely limited ranges.”

“Holy fucking shit!”

Ignoring Rex, he continued, “The ones I used had a range of only ten meters. Anything in the range of a Thermal Detonator is reduced to atoms.” He held his hand up and used Eve's power to make one, “Here, take one Robot. It's got a ten-meter range and a five-second fuse.”

Robot accepted the explosive device, “Thank you. I'll enjoy examining it.”

Adam held his hands up, “Do NOT disassemble it. The material that allows for the fusion, baradium, is extremely volatile. I'd also suggest no high-energy scans. If the baradium is exposed to too much energy, it will detonate without the range limitation.”

Robot froze at the warning. Even Rex looked slightly more terrified of the device. Robot slowly and carefully lowered his hand with the Thermal Detonator in it, “I see. I will use extreme caution in my examinations.”

“Don't look too worried. As long as it's within the grenade, the baradium is fine.” He crossed his arms over his chest, “You know, we should do some work together, Robot. With the knowledge I have and Eve's molecular transmutation, I think we can create some rather impressive upgrades for you. I mean the material sciences knowledge alone could drastically improve your durability.”

Rex tilted his head and thought about it, “You know, he's right. There's some seriously fucking OP metals in Star Wars, like Beskar.”

Adam nodded, “Yeah, that's one of them. Durasteel is a more common material, but still really durable. Both are good for use in all kinds of things.”

Robot interjected between the pair, “I will consider it. Would you be willing to create samples of these metals for me to examine?”

Adam nodded, “Sure thing, man.”

Pink light flared in his hands, allowing him to create a small bar of processed Beskar and another of Durasteel. He kept going, though, and created bars of Phrik and Cortosis as well. He held out all four bars, naming each as he handed them over to Robot, “Here you go. The first is Beskar. Second is Durasteel. Third is Phrik, extremely durable and good in alloys. Lastly, we have Cortosis, which is actually kind of brittle. However! It has excellent energy conduction properties. Threaded into armor, it could actually short out lightsabers that touch it.”

“No shit?”

Adam nodded at Rex's question, “No shit. Now...”

More light flared as he created a small blaster pistol and a small container of Tibanna gas, “Here's a blaster you can take apart and a container of Tibanna gas. The gas is used in combination with the energy source of the blaster to produce bolts of plasma. It doesn't take a ton of the gas. The average blaster could hold enough gas for several hundred shots. The power packs need to be changed more often.”

Robot accepted the large pile of items from Adam as each one was handed over. He ended up having to open ports in his torso to store the large number of items. He held the blaster pistol in his hand and examined it, “I see. The process seems remarkably simple.”

“It really is. The power of the plasma is also decided by the purity of the gas. Naturally, I gave you the purest form of it in green, since that seemed to be a color you liked.”

Robot faced Adam and nodded, “Your thoughtfulness is appreciated. I will enjoy going over these items and materials.”

“You're welcome, Robot.”

While Robot walked away, Rex grabbed Adam by the shoulders and stared into his eyes, “DL-44, now.”

Adam chuckled and made two of the infamous blaster pistols favored by Han Solo. If he was going to make one for Rex, there was no way he wasn't going to make one for himself. After handing a pistol over to Rex, he sighed, “Alright, that's enough for now. I'm running out of energy. Making Beskar was taxing as hell.”

Rex ignored him and turned to run off to play with his new toys. Adam watched him go before he focused on a few things he'd been ignoring for a while.

[Feat Achieved! Heal Omni-Man. +1 Silver Gacha Ticket.]

[Feat Achieved! Get Kate Cha (Dupli-Kate) as your girlfriend. +1 Gold Gacha Ticket.]

'Roll the silver ticket.'

[Refined Heart-Shaped Herb, Elite Item, MCU - A mystical herb from Wakanda blessed by the goddess Bast. This harvest has been refined to filter out any harmful side effects and mystical strings attached, making it completely safe to consume. Consuming it grants enhanced strength, speed, stamina, durability, reflexes, agility, and instincts. Restock Timer: 240 Hours]

He didn't know what the MCU was and he'd never heard of Wakanda, but the reward was pretty damned awesome. He pulled it out of his inventory and looked at the small purple fruit sitting in his hand. Looking close, it almost seemed to glow from within. Getting the power to turn someone superhuman every ten days was... world-changing. He tucked the herb into his inventory and grinned, he had a perfect plan for it.

'Roll the golden ticket.'

[Trait Ticket, Epic Item, A ticket that acts as a 6x Advantage Platinum Trait Gacha Ticket.]

Adam stared at the result and blinked. He'd never gotten anything like it before. Frankly, he was fairly happy. He now not only got to choose from six rolls, but the ticket was upgraded to platinum! Hopefully he'd get a good trait!

'Roll the platinum ticket.'

[ROLLING!]

[Power Lifter, Elite Trait, You are a natural-born strongman, or more like a stronger man. You possess greatly enhanced physical strength, allowing you to exert far more physical force with your body than you otherwise would be able to.]

[Hypertrophic Mechanic, Elite Trait, Whenever you use machinery or sufficiently complex technology, it develops hypertrophy. After using it and letting it rest or repairing the item, it will become slightly more robust and more powerful. Slow and steady wins the race.]

[Super Sniffer, Epic Trait, Demon Slayer - Your nose is scarily good, to the point where it is impossibly accurate and precise. You can discern people by smell, sniff out emotions, sniff out even intent and just about anything that the ol’ sniffer can sense.]

[Hamon, Elite Trait, JoJo- You possess a unique physique and affinity, allowing you to instinctively use and master the Hamon breathing technique to utilize the force of Life Magnetism and harness the power of sunlight through your breathing. Practicing Hamon for extended periods of time can grant a superhuman physique, vitality, longevity, and a bunch of other effects. You can also grant others Hamon Breathing by punching their diaphragms.]

[Glowing One, Epic Trait, You passively absorb radiation with your body like a sponge, using it to fuel your body and energy and consuming it in the process. Absorbing enough radiation, such as Gamma Radiation, X-rays, and even ultraviolet radiation, will have the effect of permanently increasing your physical stats and energy reserves proportional to how much you absorb. You are also immune to the negative effects of radiation and recover stamina and energy faster when exposed to it. While sunlight would have a negligible effect, eating some radium chips would probably act like cultivation pills for you.]

[Adamantium Bonding, Elite Trait, Marvel - Your Skeleton is bonded with Adamantium, making it borderline unbreakable but also severely poisons you. Unless you have countermeasures lined up, you should wait before you activate this trait.]

Adam slowly read over the rolls. Adamantium Bonding was immediately dismissed as an option. Being poisoned by his own skeleton seemed stupid. Power Lifter was dismissed next. While more strength would be nice, it was less impressive than other options. Super Sniffer was kicked to the curb because... hell no. He did NOT want to have a super sensitive nose while living in the city.

The last three were all interesting for different reasons. Hypertrophic Mechanic had some possibilities but was definitely a more long-term prospect.

Hamon, intrigued him. The thing was... he already had a breathing technique. He highly doubted the two breathing techniques were compatible. While the benefits to physique, vitality, and longevity were interesting, they weren't different from the benefits of Total Concentration Breathing. As far as the whole producing sunlight energy part... he didn't see how that would be helpful. As far as he knew, there were no vampires or other beings weak to sunlight that it would help hurt. He felt that whole section was pretty useless, making Hamon slightly less impressive.

The last, Glowing One, was amazing and synergized extremely well with his Radiation Absorption ability. Only it was even better because it actually increased his physical stats, not just his maximum energy capacity. Really, there was only one possible choice for him.

Finally, he made his selection, “Glowing One.”

Well, that took care of that. He slowly flew into the air while pulling out his cell phone to send a quick text to Kate.

→ We still on for dinner at my place, or has Eve kidnapped you for the night?

← We're still totally on. See you at 6:30.

→ See you then.

After leaving the Teen Team tower, he made his way to his apartment. As he got close, he landed near an Asian grocery store. He was rich now, so he could afford the good things in life. Not to mention this would be his first time using Divine Cooking since he got it oh so long ago. He either ate food prepared by the people at the GDA facilities or from a fast food joint. He had very little to worry about when it came to getting fat. He burned more calories in a day than the average athlete.

He'd spent most of his life shopping at Walmart, but there was no way Walmart was going to carry the things he was looking for. He planned to cook some authentic Chinese cuisine for his dinner with Kate.

Walking through the store, he was glad that his cooking skill was Mythical in rarity because he couldn't read a single label on anything. Instead, he was able to tell what it was just from a look. Recipes rolled in his head as he grabbed item after item. In the end, he spent hundreds of dollars on all kinds of ingredients. He wasn't one hundred percent certain what he was going to cook, but it was going to be amazing.

-----Line Break-----

Kate waved to Robot as he drove away on his newest flying bike-jet-thing. She had no idea what he called it, but she appreciated that he was willing to use it to ferry her to her new boyfriend's apartment.

The thought that Sentinel, Adam, was now her boyfriend still sent a thrill through her. She'd thought he was cute the first time she'd seen him, but getting to know him just made him so much better. She couldn't help comparing him to Rex and Robot, the only other two males she spent a lot of time with. She found both of them lacking when compared to Adam.

She'd had a crush on Rex for a long time, though he was with Eve, her best friend, so nothing could have happened there. After meeting Adam, she'd lost her crush on Rex. Rex was a good guy... deep down. It was hard to see unless you really got to know him.

Then Adam had come along. Adam was like an overexcited puppy always on the lookout for the next person he could save. Rex was all about fighting the bad guys. Adam was all about saving people. The difference was striking, and it made her examine her feelings for both of them. In the end, she realized her attraction to Rex was almost stereotypical. He was a 'bad boy' and the only living one she spent any time around. What other option did she have BUT to have a crush on him?

She walked up the stairs toward Adam's apartment, smiling to herself. Adam was sweet, caring, and saw being a hero in a different light. Then he'd confessed to her and told her how he saw her as a hero. During his speech, she realized something. He was possibly the only man on Earth, minus her dick brother, who could even remotely comprehend what she went through when using her curse.

No one understood what she went through until now. She could see it in his eyes and hear it in the way he talked. Adam knew death like she knew death. Intimately. What really surprised her, though, was what he thought of her after he learned what she went through. She giggled a little at the memory of telling Eve what Adam had said. She'd looked SO jealous. It was kind of nice to be the one making someone else jealous instead of being the jealous one.

She paused as she approached the door to Adam's apartment. Her nostrils flared, and she inhaled deeply. The aromas coming from Adam's apartment already made her mouth water with excitement. He'd told her he would cook dinner for her, but she'd half expected frozen pizza. She'd never seen him eat anything but frozen or fast food in the entire time she'd known him.

She quickly reached up and knocked on his door.

“One second!”

She heard sounds of movement through the door, then it swung open. A blast of intense smells slammed into her nose. The scent had been good before, but now it was heavenly. Just the scent sent a shiver down her spine and flooded her mouth with saliva. She didn't know it, but her pupils had dilated, and she was breathing heavily through her nose.

Adam smiled as he looked Kate over. She was wearing a lavender shirt with a dark purple light jacket over it, blue jeans, and white tennis shoes. It also looked like she'd put on just a bit of makeup to highlight her features.

They both stood there awkwardly for just a moment before he remembered his manners. He moved out of the doorway and gestured into his apartment, “Come on in.”

Kate shook off the scent-induced haze and stepped into Adam's apartment for the first time. She found herself in his living room. Looking around, she smiled. It was definitely a bachelor pad. The living room had a couch, a table, a TV stand, an older model TV, and a gaming system hooked up to it. Though it looked like his game collection was much smaller than her own.

After walking inside a bit, she turned and watched Adam close the door and walk into the open kitchen where the heavenly scents were coming from. She had to swallow before she could talk, “So, what's for dinner?”

“Don't get offended, but I decided to make some authentic Chinese food. Not the westernized stuff from buffets or Panda Express.”

Kate was slightly surprised and definitely not offended. She'd honestly never eaten authentic Chinese food, so it sounded good to her, “I'm not offended at all. It smells amazing!”

“Thanks! It's the first time I've cooked in what feels like months. I've been so busy being a hero and training that I've barely spent any time here. I practically live at the GDA and Teen Team tower.”

Kate chuckled, “That's the life. I've basically lived at the tower since I joined Teen Team. I wouldn't change it for the world... well, except maybe to join the Guardians.” She snorted, “Like that will ever happen.”

She didn't notice Adam freeze in his cooking for a moment before he pushed the conversation forward, “Hey, I wouldn't say it's impossible for you. Especially not after you master Total Concentration Breathing and then Thunder Breathing. With that under your belt, you'll be a nightmare to fight. How is that going anyway?”

Kate sighed, “I'm still working on it, but I think I'm getting closer to breaking the gourd.”

Adam started moving food from the kitchen to his dining room table. Granted, his dining room was tiny, but it was big enough for a small table and four seats. All of which he had bought earlier that afternoon. He'd gotten home with his groceries and realized that he had nowhere for them to sit and eat the food he'd make.

After setting out all the food, he gestured to one of the chairs, “Have a seat.”

Kate sat and looked at the colorful display of food, “So, what are we having?”

Adam pointed to a large bowl filled with bright red sauce and stained chunks that were once white, “Mapo tofu, very spicy.” He pointed to a collection of pale dumplings, “Xiao Long Bao, or soup dumplings. Yes, they have actual soup inside of them.” He gestured to the last dish, “Yangzhou fried rice.”

Kate looked over everything with wide eyes and flaring nostrils. It was like her body was trying to eat the food via its scent, “It all looks and smells incredible.”

Adam carefully dished out food onto her plate, then his own, before finally taking his seat across from her, “Dig in before it gets cold.”

Both of them decided to try the Mapo Tofu first.

Kate speared a piece of soft tofu and brought it to her mouth. The moment the spicy sauce coating the tofu touched her tongue, her whole body jerked up and went stiff. Her pupils blew wide while both pain and pleasure coursed through her. The tofu was possibly the spiciest thing she'd ever eaten, spicy enough to numb her tongue with just a touch. Then came the flavors like a flood. She couldn't think, couldn't breathe. All she could do was taste, and it was divine.

When the sensation faded, she felt like her whole world had changed. She highly doubted anything she ate would ever compare to Adam's cooking. Looking at him across the table, she realized she didn't have a single objection to having Adam in her life forever. He was almost as important to her as Eve. The thought of her gorgeous best friend brought her up short as she realized something she'd fought to ignore for years...

She loved Eve.

That realization didn't change her thoughts on Adam at all. She could be emotionally distant, she knew that. It was a poor defense mechanism, and she'd used it to push her feelings for Eve to the side. She used her crush on Rex as a smokescreen. When she'd looked at them and felt jealousy, it was because she wanted to be kissing both of them. She smiled a little because she had the power to actually kiss both at the same time.

She gazed at Adam and felt herself smiling. Now she wanted to be sitting on the couch kissing Adam and Eve, and wasn't that just the best?

Finally, she could move again and immediately went for one of the soup dumplings. Yeah, she could definitely get used to eating food like this all the time.

At the same time that Kate took her first bite, Adam took his. He knew it would be good, his skill said so. It just failed to convey exactly how good it would be. He knew from that very first taste that the only food he would ever be able to eat again would be his own. Which sucked so much. It was less time he could dedicate to saving people.

That thought led him to think of the Flaxan invasion and his failure to save so many people. But Eve's words echoed in his mind. He couldn't save everyone, and he had saved as many people as he possibly could. He'd even used an ability he wasn't used to to save as many people as possible. He'd even died to save someone.

And... There was literally nothing more he could have done. The evil perpetuated by the Flaxan invaders wasn't his fault. It could never BE his fault. Despite all the power he had from the Gacha, he was still just a man. Not even the strongest one. Omni-Man was the most powerful man in the world, and even he couldn't save everyone. How could Adam possibly do better than Omni-Man?

It was pure ego, that's what it was. Yes, he felt bad for not saving those people, but it was nothing but ego to think he could have done better. Maybe he could do more, once he was a god of some sort. Until then, he needed to make sure he didn't let his ego get in the way of doing as much good as he could.

He mimicked Kate and went for a soup dumpling next. He expected there wouldn't be much conversation. The food was just too good to stop eating for a paltry thing like speaking to each other. So, no words were said until every scrap of food on the table had been devoured. Both teens leaned back in their seats and let out sighs of sheer pleasure at the lingering aftertaste.

Kate was the one to break the silence, “That was the best food I've ever eaten in my entire life. I had no idea you were so good at cooking.”

Adam chuckled softly, “My power gave me my cooking skill. It's literally called Divine Cooking.”

Kate rolled her eyes in exasperation, “You are such pure bullshit. Though I'm not going to complain.” She looked at him mockingly and spoke in a playful tone, “Though now you're going to have to cook for me for the rest of my life. I don't think I can eat anything less ever again.”

He laughed, then gave her a mischievous look, “It's not over.”

Kate's eyes widened, and her heart began to race, “Dessert?”

Adam smirked playfully and got to his feet to go back to the kitchen. He opened his freezer and pulled out a single glass bowl. He placed it in front of Kate with some flair, “I present to you, Heart-Shaped Herb Sorbet.”

Kate looked at the glittering frozen treat with its unique purple coloring. She pulled her gaze from it to ask, “Heart-Shaped Herb? I've never heard of anything like that.”

Adam walked back to his side of the table and sat down, “That's because it came from my power. Before you eat that, you should be aware of what it will do.”

She glanced down at the dessert, then back up to Adam, “What will it do?”

“If you choose to eat that dessert, you will gain enhanced strength, speed, stamina, reflexes, agility, and instincts. I'm not sure to what degree, but you will definitely be beyond a normal human.”

Kate gaped at him as she processed his statement. Once she recovered, she was incredulous, “You're giving me a dessert that will literally turn me superhuman? I'm flattered, really, but shouldn't you give it to someone else?”

He waved her concern off, “I'll get another one in ten days.”

Kate's jaw dropped in shock, “You can turn someone superhuman every ten days?!” She groaned, “Eve was completely right. Your superhero name should be Captain Bullshit!” She looked at the dessert once more, then picked up her spoon, though she asked once more, “Are you sure?”

Adam leaned forward to look at her as seriously as he could, “I'm sure I want to offer it to you. Whether you eat it or not is entirely up to you. If you don't, I'm sure someone else would be glad to. But I want you to be safe, and this is something I can give you to help toward that.”

He didn't mention the next two were earmarked for his mother and his sister. It would give them some protection and make him less worried about them getting hurt.

Kate let out a soft sigh, then immediately dug into the dessert. He saw the effect it had on her as she tasted it. It might've been a mythical magical herb, but the Heart-Shaped Herb was still an ingredient, and his Divine Cooking let him prepare it perfectly.

The moans that Kate let out as she ate the dessert did things to him best not mentioned in polite company. They were downright pornographic. She was so focused on the dessert that she didn't notice him silently staring at her while she did. He quietly watched her eat every last bite until it was all gone. After setting her spoon down, she looked up and saw him staring at her, causing her to flush slightly and ask defensively, “What?”

“Nothing, I was just enjoying watching you.”

Kate's flush was turning into a blush before her eyes rolled up into the back of her head and she slumped in her seat. Adam was up like a shot and around the table to her side in a split second. His EMT training kicked in, and he began checking her vitals. He even went so far as to use Eve's power to make a penlight to check her pupil response.

Everything looked fine. He glanced at the empty bowl and frowned, “Was it the herb?”

He pulled a chair closer and sat down next to her while keeping an eye on her vitals. She was stable and didn't seem to be in any danger, so he decided to give it a few minutes. If she was still in the same condition in five minutes, he'd take her to the GDA and have them check her over.

Fortunately, it turned out that wouldn't be necessary. After only a couple of minutes, Kate shot up and looked around until her gaze landed on Adam, “What happened?”

He moved closer, checking her over with professional care once more, “You passed out for a few minutes after finishing the dessert. I'm sorry, I didn't expect that to happen.”

Kate waved off his concern, “It's alright. Nothing happened, and everything seems to be fine. Better than fine, really.”

She stood up from the chair and bounced on her feet a couple of times, “I feel... different. Better different.” She focused on Adam, “We need to head to the tower so I can test all of this out!”

Adam laughed lightly, “Alright, I'll fly us over.”

They left his apartment through the door and made their way into the streets. Adam found a spot Cecil had pointed out that had no cameras or windows pointed at it. He smirked playfully at Kate while scooping her into his arms in a bridal carry. She giggled at being held and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Deciding to tease him a bit, Kate leaned up and whispered into his ear, “Take me home.”

Adam shuddered as a shiver went down his spine. He swallowed thickly, then nodded, “As you wish.”

He gently launched into the air but quickly picked up speed. Kate laughed and kicked her legs playfully while they cut through the air. It didn't take long for them to arrive. Once they landed and Adam let Kate down, she took off to their training room. Adam chuckled at the sight.

“Adam, I was not expecting you tonight.”

Adam turned to smile at Robot, “Kate wanted to come test her new abilities.”

Robot's eyes flashed brightly, “New abilities?”

“Let's head over and observe. I don't want to leave her alone while she's testing her new limits.”

“That would seem to be a prudent course of action.”

When the pair stepped into the training room, they found half a dozen Kates doing different things while a few played spotter. Adam chuckled at the sight. Kate didn't really need anyone to watch her, she could watch herself.

Robot's gaze swept over the room, taking everything in. He quietly processed the sight, then spoke carefully, “Kate seems to have suddenly gained a significant amount of strength and speed.” His lenses locked onto a pair of Kate's fighting, “Her flexibility and reflexes seem drastically increased as well.” His head turned to stare at Adam, “I am certain you have something to do with this.”

Adam nodded, “Something my power gave me. A special herb that grants anyone who eats it an enhanced physique. I get a new one every ten days, but decided the first should go to Kate. While her clones are always helpful, she's still only human despite them. With this, she will become much more effective since the boost obviously applies to all of her clones.”

Robot turned back to look at the copy of Kate at the bench press while two other copies of her add more plates to the bar. She then proceeded to lift it with apparent ease, and more weight was added. Robot's tone almost sounded sarcastic as he replied, “Yes, I see the benefit. With enhanced strength, durability, and speed alone, Kate's effectiveness as a hero should grow exponentially.”

The pair watched as the Kate on the bench press lifted over a ton with only a little strain showing. Adam let out a whistle of appreciation, “Damn. I knew it would make her stronger, but that's really impressive.”

Robot chimed in, “Agreed. Her strength had seen an increase of at least six hundred percent.” His green lenses moved to the Kate on a treadmill, “Meanwhile, her speed has increased over three hundred percent.” Finally, his gaze moved to the Kates fighting each other, “And her reflexes and reaction times seem to be four to five times faster. Her overall improvement is very impressive.”

The pair lapsed into silence and simply watched as Kate pushed herself to discover her new limits. It was nearly an hour before Kate finished and merged back into a single entity. She ran right up to Adam and leaped into the air. He quickly caught her in his arms while she wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! This is amazing!”

Adam laughed lightly, “I'm glad you liked it.”

“Like it?! I love it! Did you see how strong I am now?! How fast?! This changes everything for me!”

“Indeed it does. Your improvements are rather drastic. You've become the second strongest member of Teen Team, physically speaking. I look forward to seeing how much stronger you become once you have mastered Total Concentration Breathing.”

Kate looked at Robot as he spoke and laughed happily at his conclusion, “Rex is going to be sooooo pissed off and jealous!” She finally unwrapped her legs from around Adam's waist and let him set her down before she addressed him, “Adam, there's something I need your help with. Follow me?”

Adam glanced at Robot, “See you around Robot.”

“I look forward to our next meeting. Perhaps we can cooperate on some upgrades for myself. The materials you gave me have proven quite intriguing.”

“Sure, no problem Robot. I'll be looking forward to it!”

With plans for the future made, he followed Kate into the main room of the base. She smiled playfully at him, “I need you to take us somewhere.”

“Sure.” He held his arms out, “Hop aboard.”

Kate laughed and did just that. Gripping her tight, he flew into the air. Kate gave him directions that led them to a small apartment building on the edge of the city. As they landed, Adam looked at Kate with curiosity. She smiled, though she looked a little nervous, “You'll see.”

He nodded and followed her as she led him into the complex. A short elevator ride and walk down a hallway, and they were in front of a door that opened on its own. Stepping inside, he paused as he spotted another Kate, this one wearing her heroic uniform and sporting the number zero on her chest.

The Kate he was with looked at him while the zero Kate stepped closer and spoke, “I always keep at least one copy of myself hidden away and safe, just in case the worst should happen.”

Adam looked between the two Kates, then smiled, “Makes perfect sense to me. If I could use your power all the time, I would probably do the same. I can't think of a sane person who wouldn't if it was an option.”

Both Kates let out sighs of relief, “Thank you. I was worried you might be upset about it.”

He waved it off, “Nah, it's fine. Thank you for sharing such a big secret with me though.”

The Kate he'd arrived with chuckled, “Well, I had to come here anyway.” The apartment Kate moved closer and merged into the casually dressed Kate, “She didn't have my new abilities. If all the copies I made and I were to die, I would have lost it.” Another Kate stepped out of her back and walked into the apartment with a smile. Both spoke at the same time, “Now that's not a concern.”

Adam chuckled, “It's nice to know you'll be safe no matter what happens.”

One of the Kates, he'd lost track, slipped her hand into his and entwined their fingers together, “Thanks for understanding. Now, we should get back to your apartment and finish our date. You promised me dinner and a movie, mister.”

Adam laughed and scooped her into his arms once again, “Sounds like a good plan to me.”

Together, they left the apartment building and made their way back to Adam's to finish their date.

AN

Just under 10k words.

Man, a whole chapter dedicated to just a single day and so much happened!

I'd love to know what you all think about how things progressed. There was some serious character development going on in this chapter, with some lessons learned and some romance to top it off.

Anyway, let me know what you think of this chapter! I had a lot of fun writing it.