The Protagonist System
355 Loose Ends

Needless to say, the other Guardians of the Globe were shocked to see Monster Girl, now re-branded as Monster Woman, in an adult body. She wouldn't say anything about how I had fixed her, because she didn't want to anger me by giving away my secrets. I honestly thought that was adorable and whispered my thanks in her ear, then I nibbled on it and she blushed and laughed in equal measure.

None of them missed the implication of her reaction, except for one person. The surprised and confused Robot, or Rudy in his civilian identity. He had somehow cloned Rex-Splode's body into a younger version to 'grow up' with Amanda, as some weird form of camaraderie. Yeah, I didn't get it, either. How did that help her? Their situations were not alike at all.

Robot was supposed to be around 30 years old, if his birth records were correct, and he had intentionally made himself a new and much younger body. I was sure there was another reason than being near Amanda's apparent age and I had to use some telepathy to poke around his head. I found Robot's master password and used it to copy his personal database to my cell phone. Secretly, of course.

I couldn't read it there at the base, so I had to excuse myself and said I had to get home to sleep and then the next day was another world patrol for me. Amanda extracted a promise from me to visit for supper again and to finish the base tour. Her eyes were full of undisguised lust and I agreed.

I flew away from the base with a mostly positive impression made with the other heroes and Robot was the only one that seemed at a loss for words, because of his confusion over Amanda being an adult again.

The best part about the whole thing? Amanda's monster form grew more powerful the longer she was transformed, so as a full adult, she could stay as Monster Girl for a much longer period of time and she didn't have to worry about the de-aging part of the curse for a very long time.

Also, she was going to be a little shocked the next time she transformed, because I couldn't resist altering it and fixing it. Hopefully, she wouldn't be angry about the change and would thank me for it. I wouldn't know how she'll react until she chooses to change again, which she won't until it's necessary. She was too used to only changing when she was fighting and wouldn't do it casually.

I flew to a random city and landed in an alleyway, stepped back home, and changed back to my Mark Grayson appearance. Losing the extra muscles and a few inches of height had been disorienting at first; but, I had the hang of it after two weeks of practising and my balance was perfect.

I went downstairs and there was a Russian woman sharing a glass of wine with her at the kitchen table and I didn't know her.

“Mark! You're up.” Debbie said and stood to let me give her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “I'm sorry if we woke you.”

I chuckled and shook my head. “I was reading and didn't realize how late it was, so I came downstairs to keep you company.”

Debbie smiled warmly at me and turned to motion towards the blonde woman sitting at the table. “I'm sure you remember Olga? She was married to...” Her face dropped the smile as she tried to come up with something besides giving away the truth.

“...a coworker of your dad's.” Olga said and her accent wasn't as thick as it could be.

I walked over to her and held a hand out to her. “I think I do remember her visiting a while ago.” I said and went through my memories as she shook my hand daintily. I didn't let the surprise show on my face when I remembered that this was Red Rush's wife, make that widow, and dad had killed her husband. “Josef, right? He was pretty funny.”

Olga's face lit up with a huge smile. “Yes, he was. Always a joker.”

I let her hand go and turned to my mom. “I guess I don't have to torture you with putting up with my presence tonight, huh?”

Both women let out soft laughs at the implication it was them suffering and not me.

“Olga's staying for a while, so you can go back to reading if you want.” Debbie said and pulled me in to give me a hug and whispered in my ear. “Thank you for offering to keep me company like usual.”

“It's no trouble, mom. I love you.” I whispered, then she let me go and I stepped back. “You girls have fun and don't stay up too late, okay? You have work in the morning.”

Debbie and Olga let out soft laughs again and Olga saluted me with her wine glass.

“No promises.” They both said and kept laughing.

I waved goodbye and went back up the stairs and to my room. I laid on the bed and took out my cell phone. I had reams and reams of data to pour through that I had pilfered from Robot's personal files and I was sure it was going to be interesting reading.

Little did I realize how interesting it was going to be, as in the ancient Chinese curse about living in interesting times.

*

Atom Eve flew through the air using her powers, except she wasn't wearing her iconic pink suit and cape. Her normal clothes were much darker and let her fly around at night without looking like more than a few pink lights moving across the sky. It kept people's attention away from her, too. Her costume was too flashy when all she wanted to do was go out for a fly and clear her head.

Before she realized what she was doing, Eve ended up in a very familiar neighborhood and came to a stop as she hovered in the backyard of Mark's house. Her mind went over everything that happened and she knew she handled the whole thing badly, especially when all Mark wanted was for her to apologize for not having his back.

Eve had been too angry at the time about her gesture of concern being ignored to really understand what he was asking for. Then she had let it fester and thought he just needed some time to come to his senses, until she realized that was the exact wrong decision to make. Now, he wouldn't even look at her in the hallways at school, and that hurt. That hurt a lot.

She didn't know what she could to to fix things, especially with her feelings for him growing. She had kept herself at a distance, because he had been with Amber. It wasn't until she started considering that they were both heroes, and might be able to get it to work, that she started seeing Mark was a really nice guy.

The thoughts of dating another hero brought her mind right to Rex-Splode, her cheating scum of an ex-boyfriend. Being heroes together on the same team only worked when they were heroes and their personal lives were almost empty without the hero stuff to talk about. She was sure Mark wasn't like that, then he said what he said when she went to visit him at home after his recovery.

The problem was, he wasn't recovered, was he? Mark was forced to retire from hero work as Invincible and that made Eve feel all kinds of feelings, both good and bad. On one hand, he was out of danger and could have a normal life, with a regular job and maybe go to college in the fall after they all graduated from high school next month.

On the other hand, he wasn't using his powers to help people and was stuck at home all the time. It must be eating him up inside to see and hear people calling out for help and he can't do anything about it, because of his injuries.

Maybe... just maybe... he might want to go flying with her? No obligations or anything. It was just them going for a walk, only in the sky. It would stop his limping, too. Yes, that's what she would do. She can knock on the window and ask him if he wants to go outside for a while.

Eve floated there and didn't move any closer to the house, as if something was between her and her destination. She did shift her position just enough to look in through Mark's bedroom window and saw him laying on his bed and he was looking at his cell phone. He wasn't typing or anything, just swiping up constantly, so he was skimming something really quickly.

That still wasn't enough to make her move forward. She suddenly realized she was scared. Why was she feeling like that? It didn't make sense to her, until she realized she didn't want him to say no. If he rejected her simple offer to go flying, it would hurt almost as bad if he told her that he didn't want anything to do with her.

Eve's heart pained at the thought of him saying that to her, or looking at her with disgust, or a bunch of other things that were more and more ridiculous as her mind whirled. Her fear of rejection brought her thoughts back to her adoptive family and how her asshole of a father treated her. She definitely didn't want Mark to look at her like he did. Like she was trash and not worth scraping off his boot.

“As a hero, you should know that stalking is a crime.” A sexy male voice said from behind her.

Eve whipped around as her clothing changed into her pink hero suit and her hands glowed brightly, then she saw the hunk of a man floating there. Her mouth dropped open at the skin-tight white costume that left nothing to the imagination, then she noticed his bright blue eyes that should only be seen in a bedroom, and his styled blond hair that looked like he just stepped out of a professional salon. Oh, and muscles. Lots and lots of muscles. Yummy muscles.

“Is he an ex or something?” The man asked and motioned towards the house behind her. “Do you still hold a torch for him in your heart?”

Eve needed a minute to calm her heart down from the surprise, and from the sight that had her blood pumping in a different way. She closed her mouth and floated over to stop a few feet away from him. “I'm Atom Eve and I was just checking to see if a schoolmate was okay.”

“So, you do know him.” The man said and relaxed. “Why didn't you knock on his window?”

Eve thought about lying and suddenly decided she was tired of keeping things to herself and needed to get it off her chest, even to a complete stranger. So, she did. She started talking, and talking, and let out all her thoughts, and fears, and feelings as she unloaded everything onto the man's broad shoulders. They seemed strong enough to carry the burden.

By the time Eve was done and was emotionally spent, the tears had flowed freely for quite some time and she didn't remember when it started. She also didn't remember when he had hugged her to his chest or how they had ended up cuddled together on top of the Great Pyramid in Egypt.

Eve didn't know why she felt safe and warm in the arms of a man she didn't even know. She lifted her head from his chest and looked at his face. The sympathy was hard to accept; but, the understanding and acceptance? She loved seeing that, so she kissed him. She didn't hold back, either. She was done doing that.

From now on, Atom Eve did what she wanted and she wanted to see him naked. As if he could read her thoughts, he pulled his stretchy suit off in one smooth motion and she saw what awaited her. He was perfect and she desperately needed him inside of her right now.

Eve dissolved her clothing into atoms and reformed them into a comfy mattress underneath them, then she climbed on top of him to kiss him passionately and rode him like there was no tomorrow. As far as she was concerned, all that mattered was that someone had fully accepted her and she would reward that as much and for as long as she possibly could.

In the back of her mind, Eve was grateful that it was Saturday and she didn't have school in the morning. She was also really really horny and she was not going to stop until she absolutely had to.

*

If I'd known Eve was that insatiable, or enjoyed sex so much, I might have changed tactics with how I handled my so called friends and ex-girlfriend. However, swooping in to confront her had worked even better than I thought it would and Eve had told me everything.

The illusion of myself that I had back at the house faded after we left the area and my mom wouldn't wonder where I was, because I had sent her a text as soon as we left. I told her that I didn't want her to worry and the heart emojis she sent back had made me smile. Staying in touch while I was out had made her happier than anything else I could have done.

It was now Sunday morning and Eve was out cold. She had run herself ragged, both physically and emotionally, and had many orgasms as the proof. We had fun for most of the night and she still didn't know my name, or bothered asking me for it, which was hilarious.

I couldn't blame her for letting herself go like that, though. She had put herself through an emotional ringer and came out of it full in insecurities and phobias about rejection, then I had listened to everything she said and let her see the understanding on my face and I accepted it all, fully winning to share the burden with her. That had set her off and she took full advantage of my acceptance to make the both of us feel good.

I had to go and report in, though. I thought about waking her, then chuckled and cast a slight illusion to hide her from everyone. I put a blanket over her and kissed her forehead, whispered for her to sleep well, and grabbed my hero suit and dressed instantly and flew away. I went high in the atmosphere to make the journey faster and back down to come in to land in front of the gates of the Pentagon.

The two guards there said hello and I greeted them back. Their thoughts were about me again, because unlike every other hero, I didn't only use the gate the first time and then bypassed them every other time. I had to chuckle and they gave me pointed looks. I thanked them for doing their jobs instead of what I was thinking and I walked inside and over to the same side entrance.

The female agent was the same as the day before. “Good morning, Atlas.”

“Good morning, Agent Howsam.” I said and she held the door open for me. “I don't see any photographs, so how am I supposed to give you my autograph?”

April softly laughed and shut the door behind us. “There's nowhere you can hide a pen in that suit!”

I laughed and we started walking to Cecil's office. “Will my paperwork be done soon? I know I need to do my interview with Cecil before my clearance level can be confirmed.”

April smiled at me knowingly. “For some reason, the entire roster of the secretarial pool fought over getting to process it as quickly as possible. I wonder why?”

I grinned back at her. “Because as soon as I have my general clearance for the base, I won't need an escort and can visit the floor they're on.”

April shook her head at me. “When should I schedule the report I have to file about your fraternization with members of the GDA?”

My grin changed to a smirk. “You didn't file it already?”

April barked a laugh just as we reached Cecil's secretary.

“That's not a good sound to hear first thing in the morning.” Carol joked.

“Oh, it's not.” April said and propped one cheek of her ass onto the edge of Carol's desk. “He claimed he's fraternized already.”

Carol gave me a professional smile as her eyes almost twinkled, then she pushed the button to unlock the door. “The director is expecting you, Atlas. Go right in.”

“Thank you.” I said and the door shut behind me and cut off the two women whispering about the things they would do to me if I really did break the no fraternization rules in a good way.

“You're causing quite the stir already.” Cecil said and the screen behind him flicked through several still frames of me stopping crimes all over, including tearing apart the gangs and the two villains with powers fighting over territory, then it showed Monster Girl checking me out and then Monster Woman being revealed to the rest of her team.

“Special circumstances, sir.” I said and sat down. “I've already prepared a report about how dangerous my secondary power is.”

Cecil didn't react when I pulled a report out of thin air and handed it to him. “Localized teleportation?”

“No, gravity manipulation. After my dad pretty much ground me up and spit me out, I've been able to... make myself heavier. As I healed, I've gotten more powerful, and I can give myself massive resistance as well.” I said and flexed my arm to show the bulging tricep muscle.

“This was shrunk?” Cecil asked and flipped through the report. He paused at the point I knew he would. “You can accelerate time with things that are very close to you?”

“Yes, sir. Very, very close.” I said pointedly with a smirk.

Cecil gave me a surprised look, then he laughed a genuine laugh. “Damn, kid. You fucked her into an adult?”

“I had to feed her up first and used up all the spare MREs stored at the base, then yes, I did. She was very appreciative to be back to her old self, or who she would have been if she never de-aged.”

“And the monster part?” Cecil asked and closed the report.

“She hasn't tried because she too nervous about it, sir.” I said and then explained about her not wanting to lose her new body as soon as she received it. “However, I believe the curse makes the monster more powerful the longer she's a monster, which de-ages her other form, and it's not the state of her human body that denotes her power. It's just a very obvious symptom.”

Cecil nodded. “We suspected as much, since we can't really test it without harming her more than she does herself when she transforms.”

I nodded as well. “After talking to her, I've surmised that if she constantly stayed as the monster side of herself for the next month or so, without a break as a human, I suspect she would revert to being back in a teenager's body and the monster would be near Omni-man levels of strength.”

Cecil looked shocked, then he looked thoughtful. “What about cloning?”

“You'd only have either the human part or the monster part. The curse won't transfer over.” I told him. “Also, it's the nature of the curse torturing her as a monster that gives her the power. If you only had one or the other, that's all you'd have. There would be no power progression from the point of the DNA sample.”

“What about her mind?” Cecil asked.

“None for the clones. We could have the Mauler Twins use their cloning technology to make as many as we wanted, as long as we had the constant power for the machines, the time to grow the bodies into full size, and the inclination to force Amanda to give up her singular identity, because they would all be her and believe they were the original.”

Cecil gave me a very pointed look. “How do you know about that?”

I smiled and took out a tablet that I copied Robot's files onto. “I appropriated Robot's information when I was researching at the Guardian's base and discovered how he made himself into Rex-Splode's brother child.”

Cecil chuckled and took the tablet. “I don't think I've laughed this much in my life.”

“I do have that effect, sir.” I said and sat there as Cecil quickly went through the data.

“He hired them for such an important task and then double-crossed them?” Cecil asked rhetorically. “What an idiot.”

“My thoughts exactly, sir.” I said and waited for him to get to the interesting part that Robot's surveillance had caught.

“They have the Mauler Twins on the same floor in the prison? What moron runs that place?” Cecil asked and hit a button on the phone on his desk. “Carol, get the warden for the prison on the phone. He has some explaining to do.”

I sat back and let Cecil handle things. I knew he wasn't going to be happy that the supposedly secure prison was just a powder-keg waiting to blow with so many powerful villains grouped closely together. My interview for clearance would have to wait until he was done tearing someone a new asshole.