Sia's body flew backward, hurled with unimaginable force by the concentrated beam of the laser. Her scream was lost in the roar of collapsing matter, and within moments she was engulfed by the searing, chaotic brilliance of a supernova's nucleus. The very star she fought near had reached its explosive climax—and now, Sia was caught in its dying breath.
Within the swirling mass of gases and radiation, hope seemed like a fool's wish. And yet, even as pain flooded her body and consciousness teetered on the edge of oblivion, she reached out. Her hand, trembling, extended toward a tiny speck in the distance. Earth. Her home. A place that now seemed impossibly far.
"If only I can make it back…" she murmured, her voice fading as darkness claimed her mind. Her arm fell limp, and she succumbed to unconsciousness.
Back on the battlefield, the one responsible for unleashing the laser—Magnograv—stood frozen. The realization of what had just occurred hit him like a tidal wave. He spun on his heel, adrenaline surging.
"Oh shit," he muttered, glancing at the control panel. "How the hell am I gonna turn this thing off?"
Before he could move, a sharp beam of concentrated energy shot from behind him, striking the laser device and reducing it to smoldering debris. Magnograv turned, startled. Two figures stood before him, clad in dark cloaks, their faces obscured.
"What?! How?!"
One of them lowered their arm—the one that had fired the beam—and casually dropped it to their side.
"Need a hand?" the figure asked coolly.
Before Magnograv could respond, a figure nearby stumbled. It was Silver, breathless, body weakened from exertion.
"Damn it," he muttered under his breath. "I need to get out of here." With a tap on his suit, he vanished—first turning invisible, then teleporting away entirely in a flash of light.
Magnograv clenched his fists, frustration bubbling in his chest. "Damn it, he got away."
"He'll be back," said the second cloaked figure calmly. "Luckily, we took care of that laser before it did more damage."
While the battlefield grew quiet, something strange was happening at the heart of the supernova. Sia's body, now fused with remnants of the dying star, floated within its core. Cosmic gases and energy surged around her, binding to her form. Then, something stirred inside her.
Her eyes snapped open, glowing with radiant energy. Though she was only partially conscious, the desperation she'd felt moments ago burned bright. Without understanding how, her body began moving—drawn toward Earth at unimaginable speed. A glowing streak, like a comet, she rocketed through space, blazing a fiery trail. As she neared Earth's atmosphere, her light intensified. The heat of reentry burned around her like a second skin, until finally—her consciousness flickered out again, and she began to fall.
From the ground, Magnograv looked up and saw the blaze streaking through the sky.
"A meteor?" he guessed, narrowing his eyes. "I need to stop it before it hits the city."
Activating his suit's thrusters and coupling it with his unique ability to manipulate gravity, he surged upward. As he approached the flaming object, a sudden shock ran through him—it wasn't a rock. It was a person.
"It's… a girl?"
Realizing the danger of a direct catch, which would injure them both, he made a split-second decision. Adjusting the gravitational fields around them, he gradually slowed her descent, gently lowering her toward the ground. Together, they landed near the old warehouse site where the earlier battle had taken place.
He knelt beside her. She wasn't moving.
"She's out cold," he murmured, a deep guilt creeping into his chest. "What have I done?"
Footsteps echoed behind him. The two cloaked strangers approached again.
"My, my," said one, voice dripping with faux innocence. "What a predicament we have here."
"She must have lost consciousness from the fall," Magnograv said, not taking his eyes off Sia.
"I think it would be hard for you to handle this alone," the second stranger added. He glanced at his companion. "Shall we take them to HQ?"
"That would be wise."
A light touch to the belt around his waist activated a teleportation mechanism. In an instant, the world around them dissolved and reformed into a vast, high-tech hall with a glowing crest emblazoned on the floor. Attendants rushed forward, placing Sia on a stretcher and wheeling her away. Magnograv stood, stunned, as he took in the grandeur of the place.
"We've been watching you for a while," said one of the cloaked men, removing his hood to reveal his face. "And I've got to say, you've got wits, kid."
Magnograv's jaw dropped.
"You're—Optics… and that's… Elementrion." His legs buckled. "This is insane. I never thought I'd even see the IPF headquarters, let alone meet two of its top heroes."
He tried to steady himself but couldn't. His knees gave out, and he collapsed from exhaustion.
Elementrion watched him fall and gave a subtle nod to a nearby medic. "I was wondering how he was still standing after all that."
"He's strong," Optics added with a grin. "For someone so new, he handled himself well. Reminds me of when I first started—"
"Nope," Elementrion cut in, already walking away. "Not another one of your stories."
Optics laughed and turned toward the opposite corridor. "Alright then. Time to give NASA their debrief."
Elsewhere, in a high-rise office far from the battlefield, Katy sat with a smirk on her face, watching a drone's feed replay the entire scene.
"Ha. Carl's disappeared. But if those guys are who I think they are, he'll be just fine."
Beatrix, standing by the desk, nodded. "They are exactly who you think they are."
"Then I won't worry," Katy said, standing and stretching. "But knowing Carl, that fight probably wiped him out. I better come up with an excuse for school if he's out for long. As for Silver… we can track him later."
Carl groaned as he opened his eyes, blinking against the sterile white of the infirmary room.
"Where… am I?" he muttered, then winced. "Ah, my head…"
"You're in the IPF medical wing," said a voice from the doorway.
Carl turned to see a young-looking man standing there, arms crossed.
"I watched your fight," he said. "Pretty impressive for someone untrained."
Carl sat up slowly. "Thanks… and who might you be?"
The man smirked. "Watch your tone. I'm older than I look."
Carl blinked. "Sorry, I just thought—well, you're definitely one of the heroes here, right? Which one are you?"
The man walked forward and extended a hand. "Can't tell you that just yet. But you can call me Brody Jones. Nice to meet you."
Carl shook his hand. "Carl Vincent. Nice to meet you too."
"I saw how you used gravity and magnetism out there," Brody said. "Not bad."
"I've been training… mostly against criminals," Carl admitted. "Hey, do you know where my gear is?"
"Yeah, it's been with the tech department for upgrades. Dropped it off two days ago."
Carl blinked. "Two days ago? Wait… how long have I been out?"
"Three days."
Carl's eyes widened. "Three what?! Oh no—I missed school for three days?!"
Brody chuckled. "Relax, we handled it."
Carl sighed, though his mind was already racing.
That's not the issue, he thought. Silver's going to get suspicious if I'm missing. This… is going to be a long ride.