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More than two years of silence shattered in a single breath.
The women stared at Jack as if time itself had cracked open. For a heartbeat no one moved, no one spoke. Then emotion surged like a wave breaking against a dam.
"Jack…" The cry escaped almost together, voices trembling, disbelieving, relieved. It echoed through the villa's wide hall, bounced off marble floors and pale walls, and returned as something fragile and human.
"Father!" Becky was the first to run. Her chair scraped backward, the sound sharp and sudden, then she was already moving—feet light, hair flying, eyes bright with tears she hadn't allowed herself to shed for months. She crossed the distance in seconds and threw herself at him without hesitation.
"Teri!" Jill called instinctively, but Teri was already running too.
"Jack!" Teri's voice broke. She didn't care. She collided into him from the side, arms wrapping tight, face pressed against his shoulder as if anchoring herself to reality.
Alice, Claire, Ada, and K-Mart followed almost at once. Years of tension, grief, resentment, guilt, affection—everything dissolved into motion. Hands reached, bodies pressed close. In an instant Jack was submerged beneath a storm of embraces, half laughing, half suffocating.
Warmth. Noise. The scent of perfume, cigarette smoke, and tears.
Jack blinked, momentarily stunned, then exhaled with theatrical exaggeration.
"Your enthusiasm," he said, voice muffled beneath Becky's hair and Teri's shoulder, "really burns like fire."
Becky pulled back just enough to look at him. Tears clung to her lashes. "Father… you really woke up…"
Jack lifted a hand and ruffled her hair gently. "Clever daughter. Did you think I'd sleep forever?"
Alice didn't speak. She only looked at him. Her eyes searched his face with a quiet intensity that words could never match. The faint scar near his brow. That crooked, infuriating smile. The maddening calm.
Alive.
After the emotional chaos settled—after laughter mixed awkwardly with tears, after Jill muttered something about "damn perverted miracle," after Claire wiped her eyes pretending it was dust—they finally sat.
The mood shifted into something softer, uncertain, almost surreal. Slight embarrassment crept in now that the shock had passed. Coffee grew cold on the table. Outside, the sea breeze moved the curtains like a slow, indifferent witness.
Jack leaned back, stretching lazily.
"My deep sleep lasted long?" he asked, as if discussing an afternoon nap.
"More than two years," Ada answered.
For once, Jack didn't joke immediately. He touched his nose, brows knitting slightly.
"Your mother's time," he murmured, "really was a bit long."
Ada folded her arms. "Why were you unable to wake up for two years?"
Jack's gaze drifted briefly to the ceiling, then back to them. "The short union between T-Cell and Transformer Cell came at a serious price. Half of both cells died. My body entered forced recovery. Consciousness faded. I slept."
His tone was casual, but the implication hung heavy.
Jill frowned. "They can't fuse permanently? The power produced by those two cells working together was insane."
Claire leaned forward. "Isn't there any method to stabilize the union? Some way to let those two mix?"
Jack shook his head slowly. "For now? No solution."
Silence followed.
White Queen, standing near the window, added quietly, "Transformer Cell exceeds my current cognition. Researching it is extremely difficult. In the short term, there is no answer."
Jack turned to her, eyes narrowing slightly. "Two cells united produced terrifying power. That power must be controlled." His voice hardened. "White Queen, you'll find a way."
White Queen curled her lip. "You really enjoy enslaving me."
Jack grinned. "You're still here, aren't you?"
Becky rolled her eyes. "Father…"
Jack immediately pulled her onto his lap. "So long as my clever daughter lives well, why should I care about others?"
"Cruel," Becky muttered, though she didn't resist.
Teri glanced toward the distant skyline. "How many humans survived?"
"Approximately two billion restored," White Queen replied. "The biochemical disaster reduced Earth's population drastically."
Teri sighed softly. "From seven billion to two…"
Jack shrugged. "Good and evil both included. Two billion is still plenty."
"You're heartless," Becky said.
Jack smiled faintly. "Realistic."
For a moment, peace lingered. A strange, fragile peace born from survival rather than safety. They had rebuilt cities, restarted power grids, learned how to breathe without constant fear. Yet scars—visible and invisible—remained everywhere.
Alice finally broke the quiet.
"Jack," she said, eyes steady, "what do you plan to do now?"
Jack glanced at her. His expression changed—subtle, but unmistakable.
"Leave this world," he said lightly. "Time's up. About ten minutes."
Every face stiffened.
"Leave?" Claire repeated.
"What do you mean leave?" Jill demanded.
Jack leaned forward, elbows on knees. "Exactly what it sounds like. I'm not from this world."
Claire stood abruptly and pressed a hand to his forehead. "Do you have a fever?"
Jack swatted her hand away. "I'm perfectly sane."
Ada's voice was quiet. "Another space…"
K-Mart's eyes widened. "You're serious?"
Jack nodded. "I don't belong here."
Becky clutched his sleeve. "Father… where are you going? Take Becky with you."
Jack smiled. "Naturally."
"No," Alice said firmly.
Everyone turned.
Alice stood, gaze unwavering. "Whether what you say is true or false, you owe me too much. You don't leave alone."
Claire crossed her arms. "Same here."
"Teri," Jill muttered.
Teri swallowed, then nodded bravely. "I'm going too."
Jill scoffed. "Like hell I'm staying behind."
Ada lowered her head slightly. "I've already decided."
K-Mart hesitated only a second. "I'll follow."
White Queen sighed dramatically. "Do I have a choice? Obviously I'm coming with my perverted uncle."
Jack stared at them, then burst into laughter.
"I underestimated my charm," he declared. "I even prepared to tie unwilling participants."
The women collectively rolled their eyes.
Jack produced a small metallic cube, placing it on the table. Its surface shimmered faintly with an otherworldly glow.
"Three minutes," he said. "Touch this."
Claire narrowed her eyes. "What is it?"
"No questions. Just trust."
One by one, reluctant yet resolved, they extended their hands. Fingers brushed the cube. A pulse of energy responded—soft, humming, alive.
Ada looked at him. "Can we return someday?"
Jack paused.
"I don't know."
The honesty startled them more than any joke.
"Countdown," Jack said quietly. "Ten… nine…"
Hearts tightened.
"…eight… seven…"
No one moved.
"…three… two…"
Becky squeezed Alice's hand.
"…one."
Light erupted beneath their feet. A circular halo expanded, swallowing shadow, swallowing sound. For an instant there was only brilliance—pure, endless.
Then—
Nothing.
The villa fell silent.
And somewhere beyond worlds, a new story waited.