Riley Ross

"You… have a daughter?"

The Empress and Bulwark looked at each other. And although it wasn't quite as obvious, Bulwark was also extremely shocked at Bernard's sudden, and obnoxiously unwelcome revelation.

The Empress carefully approached Megawoman to look at her face, and from how her glares were just one step from releasing her energy beam, there was no denying that what Bernard said was true.

Megawoman kept quiet after that, but her silence caused even Bernard to sweat. Fortunately for them, the silence did not last long at all.

She gently placed her hand on his shoulder, sighing as she looked him in the eyes.

"You said there was a third viable option," she said. "Can I take a guess at what it is?"

"By all means, Megawoman." Bernard nodded.

"The third option…" Megawoman slightly lifted her hand from his shoulder and started tracing her finger toward his chest, lightly jabbing it as she kept her eyes locked with his, "...is you. You are the third option."

The Empress's eyes instantly widened at her words, and she immediately rushed back to their side; her eyes darting back and forth between them.

"It makes sense," Megawoman shrugged and took a step back, "You've done this rodeo twice already. One with your daughter, and the other with the electricity girl. It stands to reason that you could do it again."

"That's true…" Bernard smiled, "...But you are missing the fact that both of them are, in a way, Elementals. Elementals are easy to suppress; TKs are a different matter altogether."

"But I'm guessing you have a way?" Megawoman raised an eyebrow at him, and Bernard lowered his head in response and chuckled. He then shook his head, letting out a long, and very deep sigh before turning his gaze back to her.

"I do," he whispered. "But his body will slowly gain immunity to it. Sooner or later, he'll get his powers back. From my estimation, he'll be dormant for approximately ten years."

"Then let's just do that and let him live with me as originally planned." The Empress placed her hand on Bernard's shoulder and faced him toward her, "He doesn't need to live with you."

"But he does," he sighed and shook his head, "I need to constantly check on him every hour in the first eighteen months."

"Then… you can do that, and I'll come and get him after eighteen—"

"You said it yourself, Adaeze. He's not a dog," Bernard shook his head again, "Riley is an abnormally intelligent toddler, transitioning him from one home to another at that point would only lead to him developing even more issues mentally—we can't have that."

"But—"

"And he's also not your son." The tone of Bernard's voice sank deeper as he looked The Empress in the eyes.

"He can be," The Empress looked down at him, meeting his gaze and not retreating at all. "You don't need to do whatever procedure you need to do with him to suppress his powers. I'll take him now. I'll retire from being a hero and take care of him twenty-four seven."

"You can't," Bernard shook his head. "It's already done."

"What…?"

"I've already done the procedure." He sighed and moved away from The Empress, "I did it in the medic bay. The boy doesn't have any powers anymore, and I need to check on him hourly from now on."

"W-why…? But you told me you wanted to put him down."

"No. We need to put him down. I never wanted to," he shook his head again. "I may never develop love for the boy, and perhaps that is what he would need—an unbiased guiding hand. But I assure you, Diana and Hannah would be enough. And of course, you'll also be here."

"This is…" The Empress didn't really know what to say, or to think, for that matter. She could only stare at the floor as her eyes moved on their own. She glanced at Bernard for a moment, then at Bulwark and Megawoman. "But… I was supposed to take care of him."

Her lips began to tremble, and Megawoman rushed to her to embrace her as soon as she noticed that—and without even caring about anyone else in the hall, she fell into her arms and her cries burst out from her lungs without shame.

"I… I promised her I would take care of him. I… I held her corpse in my arms, and I promised her. He… he's supposed to be…"

Megawoman held her breath, brushing her palm on The Empress's shoulder with her eyes closed. And when she let her breath go, she quickly planted her eyes on Bernard.

"For your sake, I hope you made the right decision," she said.

"For all of our sakes, I hope so too," and Bernard quickly replied. "Because after his body fully develops immunity to the procedure…

…we won't have the chance to seal his powers again."

***

"I remember Aunt Adaeze was supposed to be the one who would take care of me, Megawoman—but after the first time we visited my biological mother's grave, the next memory I have is waking up with Hannah sleeping on top of me. I almost suffocated."

"You… remember that?"

"Yes, Megawoman. But nothing in between. I must have fainted due to exhaustion."

"Y-yeah. You… did."

Riley and Megawoman were still in the air. It really only took Riley and Megawoman seconds to try and remember what happened then—Megawoman longer, of course, as she remembered the moments vividly.

Riley slightly leaned back from Megawoman, freeing herself from her grasp while in the air. Megawoman hesitated for a moment, but when she noticed Riley's hair not being affected by the violent gusts of wind at all, she carefully let go of him.

Riley slowly hovered away from her, but their eyes remained locked with each other as if they were chained together.

"So, I ask again, Megawoman…" Riley whispered, "...If you did not like Father, why did none of you volunteer to take care of me instead?"

"Because… of this."

Megawoman gestured to him, motioning her hand at him from head to toe, "You're not a normal child, and I know you're very well aware of that yourself."

"I am."

"The only one who was truly fit to take care of you was Bernard."

"Hmm." Riley blinked, "I agree, Megawoman."

"Well… it was very nice chatting with you, Riley Ross." Megawoman then started unlatching the harnesses attached to her waist, "I'm assuming you can carry all of them? You can just go down here, and you'll find yourself back at the mural."

Riley glanced at the students who were hanging like plastic bags from her hand before nodding to her. He slightly raised his hand, and his classmates started hovering around him.

He then turned to look at the only other person who was still hanging onto her waist.

"What are you going to do with his body, Megawoman?" He asked.

"Drop it somewhere the others can find him." Megawoman shrugged, "I'm retired. I only came here because my—because I heard someone ask for my help."

"Oh, that was me."

"I know." Megawoman smiled at him, "You didn't really need the help, but your classmates did. So, good work."

"Thank you, Megawoman."

"Also, before I go…" Megawoman sighed as she looked Riley in the eyes, "...You're very strong, Riley Ross. I… don't know what else you remember from when you were just a baby—but I want you to know that Alice was sick."

"I know, Megawoman—no normally healthy mother would strangle her own child."

"That…" A small gasp escaped from her lips as she heard that. But after a few seconds, she nodded and smiled at him, "...Do you remember what happened before then?"

"Yes."

"Then you know how much your mother loved you."

"I believe so, Megawoman. But I would not really know as I am incapable of feeling it."

"Well…" Megawoman softly chuckled, "...You'll get there, someday. Goodb—"

Megawoman was about to turn, but noticed Riley raise his hand.

"Before you go, Megawoman. I have one more question," he said. "I assume you have been asked this many times before. But why do you save people?"

"Huh… you'd actually be surprised—this is the first time in a very long time that someone asked me that question."

"And what is your answer?"

"It's not really my intention to save anyone, Riley Ross." Megawoman shrugged, "But it just… feels right, and it's the right thing to do. I just do what I can to make the world a better place."

Then you and I are the same, Megawoman. It is not my intention to kill or hurt anyone. But it just… feels right.

"I suppose we are similar in that regard, Megawoman."

"I'm glad to hear that…" Megawoman once again chuckled, "...But never be anyone but yourself, okay?"

"Okay."

"Good. I'll repeat myself—you're very strong. And someday, I know it… that strength will have a greater purpose in the future. Goodbye, Riley Ross. I hope to see you again soon."

And with that, Megawoman turned around and flew away, dragging the corpse of Mr. Saturday along with her in the air.

What purpose do you think that is, Megawoman? The future—perhaps my purpose is to make sure that there is no future?

Riley watched as Megawoman disappeared deeper into the sky. It wasn't until she was completely gone that he started slowly descending down to the ground—and true enough, past the dark clouds, he saw several lights and tents set up next to the large monument of the Phoenix Wrath.

There were a lot more people there now, a lot more.

…And the first people to notice him, of course, were one of the new additions.

"Someone's coming down! It's the rest of the students!"

"Wait… that's not Megawoman! Quick, the camera. The camera!"

Of course, the first to notice him coming down would be the vultures.

The media.

"Wait... that's Sweet Snowy Little Baby Boy!"

"...Wasn't it Snowy Sweet Little Baby Boy?"

"What does it fucking matter?! The camera!"