"That's how you got here so fast," Jennifer said understanding dawning. She had clearly been surprised by how quickly he arrived.
Victor returned to the couch in a blur, steering the air around himself. "Yeah."
A brief moment of silence followed.
"So....How long have you had your powers?"
Victor paused, pondering how to answer. After a second, he shrugged, deciding to tell the truth.
"Since I woke up from the coma,"
Jennifer crossed her arms in mock anger. "And you didn't think to tell me?"
"Don't take it the wrong way," Victor said quickly. "I was protecting you."
"How does not telling me protect me?" she asked, unconvinced.
"The less you know, the more you can live your life without worrying," Victor replied. Her irritation faded, replaced with a helpless sigh. She had thought he simply didn't trust her.
There was another brief moment of silence before Jennifer spoke again.
"So the particle accelerator," Jennifer said slowly. "That explosion… it gave people superpowers.
"Yeah. Sounds straight out of science fiction, but yeah, it did," Victor responded, a slight smile on his face.
"This… will take some getting used to," Jennifer said, pressing a hand to her forehead. In all her days, she never thought superpowers could become a real-life phenomenon.
Victor plopped down beside her, resting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Yeah, it probably will. But hey, at least we're not the only ones with powers in the family."
Jennifer froze. Her face drained of color. "What are you talking about?"
"Matt and Chloe. They have powers too," Victor said sheepishly.
"What? And you didn't think to tell me sooner?" she asked reflexively. "Are you messing with me right now? How do you even know?" she added rapidly, already starting to pace back and forth.
"I can sense other superpowered people," Victor said finally.
Jennifer slumped deeper into the couch and exhaled deeply, mentally exhausted. She was already doing enough mental gymnastics just trying to grasp the idea of people having superpowers.
"What are we going to do?" she asked, worry creeping in. "They're just kids. This is dangerous. They'll be reckless."
"Calm down," Victor said gently. "From what I can tell, their powers won't awaken for a few more years."
That eased her slightly. Then she looked down at her hands.
"What about me?" she asked quietly. "What am I going to do about this power?"
"You train it," Victor said without hesitation. "Now that the city is full of superpowered people, both good and bad, you'll need to be able to protect yourself and the twins."
"Hmm. That doesn't sound half bad," Jennifer thought inwardly. Becoming a hero or some vigilante never crossed her mind, but having supernatural abilities was undeniably exciting. More importantly, she could protect her children. A resolve quitely formed in her heart.
She clenched her fists, almost feeling the power coursing through her.
Victor watched the excitement bloom behind her calm expression and couldn't help but smile. He would oversee her training over the next few days, quietly enhancing her physique bit by bit.
He already had templates prepared. A body capable of absorbing sunlight and radiation, something he had perfected over the past few days. He had managed to create something very close to the original.
But even with biokinesis, he wasn't omnipotent. There were limits. The upper threshold of strength enhancement was capped, and he doubted it could rival a Kryptonian. Still, it would do for now.
---
Back at STAR Labs, Barry had just returned from Star City. Oliver's advice had been enough to put him back on track.
It was late, but Barry convinced Caitlyn and Cisco to help him track down Mardon and any other rogue metahumans.
They stood around a stack of documents, unsolved CCPD cases Barry had dug up.
"I've been going through unsolved cases from the last nine months," Barry said. "There's been a sharp increase in unexplained deaths and missing people. Your metahumans have been busy."
"I'm not blaming you," he added quickly. "I know you didn't mean for any of this to happen." His gaze shifted to Caitlyn. "I know we all lost something."
"But I need your help to catch Mardon and anyone else like him. And I can't do it without you."
Silence lingered until Cisco broke into a grin. "If we're doing this, I've got something you should see."
He led them to a corner of the room and pulled back a cover, revealing a crimson suit.
"Something Victor and I have been playing with."
"It's designed to replace the turnout gear firefighters traditionally wear," Cisco explained. "I thought if STAR Labs did something nice for the community, maybe people wouldn't be so angry at Dr. Wells anymore."
"How does it help me?" Barry asked, intrigued.
"It's made of reinforced tri-polymer. Heat-resistant, abrasion-resistant, built to withstand your high-velocity speeds," Cisco said. "The aerodynamic design helps you maintain control, and it has built-in sensors so we can track your vitals and stay in contact."
Barry stared at the red suit trimmed in gold. Thanks to Victor, it was far more detailed, aesthetically pleasing.
"Thanks," Barry said quitely.
"Now," he added, "how do we find Mardon?"
Caitlyn stepped forward with a tablet. "I retasked a STAR Labs satellite to track meteorological anomalies over Central City. We just got a ping. Atmospheric pressure dropped twenty millibars in seconds."
"I've tracked it to a farm west of the city."
Barry smiled, his imagination already running wild as he glanced back at the suit. "How long until Victor gets here?"
"Five minutes," Cisco said checking his phone
"Good."
---
On the outskirts of Central City, a car came to a stop at the entrance of a farm. Joe and Eddie stepped out.
"I'm not saying Mardon is alive," Joe said, "but if he is, this is the last place he and his brother hid out."
With guns in hand, they quietly made their way toward the open barn. Joe took the lead, rounding the corner first. To his surprise, Barry had been right.
Not far from them sat a figure with his back turned. The hair, the build. It was undeniably Mardon.
"Mardon! On your feet! Hands on your head!" Joe shouted, gun raised and ready to fire.
"You got me," Mardon said calmly, confidence untouched. "The night of the storm… after STAR Labs blew, after our plane went down. I woke up alive. When I realized what I could do, I understood."
He chuckled softly. "I am God."
"Shut the hell up," Joe snapped.
Eddie moved in closer, reaching for his cuffs. "Turn around," he barked.
Mardon's hands clenched into fists. The wind began to howl, coalescing violently around him. The air itself bent unnaturally.
Joe's instincts screamed. He tried to pull the trigger, but the force of nature struck first. Both men were hurled across the barn.
"It's true," Joe thought grimly, remembering Barry's words. He glanced over. Eddie had struck his head and lay unconscious.
"Do you really think your guns can stop God?" Mardon sneered.
"Why the hell would God need to rob banks?" Joe shot back, despite the danger.
Mardon paused. "You're right. I've been thinking too small."
The air spiraled tighter, forming a growing tornado around him. Joe grabbed Eddie and retreated, but his injuries slowed him. He barely made it to a wrecked car before collapsing beside it.
With no strength left to escape, Joe could only watch as the tornado tore through the barn, ripping chunks of metal and wood free and hurling projectiles the size of cars straight toward them. He raised his arms and turned his back slightly, bracing himself, hoping to lessen the impact.
But the collision he expected never came.
Joe's head snapped up.
Two figures now stood a few meters away. One wore a red suit, standing firm against the raging wind. The other had snow-white hair and was dressed casually, a mask obscuring his face.
"Barry, Victor, this thing's getting closer," Cisco's voice crackled over the comms. "Wind speeds are hitting two hundred miles per hour and still climbing."
A beat of static followed.
"You two hear me?"
"Yeah," Barry replied. "Loud and clear."
"If this keeps up, it could become an F-5 tornado."
"How do we stop it?" Victor asked, grumbling inwardly. He had planned to stay out of this. He hadn't expected Barry to call him for help, but as his close friend, he had no choice but to agree.
"What if I unravel it?" Barry suggested.
"How are you going to do that?" Caitlyn asked.
"I'll run around it in the opposite direction," Barry said. "Cut off its legs."
"Your body might not be able to handle those speeds. You'll die," Caitlyn warned.
"I have to try," Barry said, glancing sideways at Victor before giving a brief nod.
Without hesitation, Barry took off, sprinting straight toward the tornado, committing to the only viable idea they had.