I was making my way toward Sabrina's room, already dressed in my tux. And I've got to say—I looked damn good in it. Sharp, clean, confident. I reached her door and knocked.
After a few seconds, she opened it. She was wearing a stunning red dress, and for a moment, I actually forgot what I was about to say.
"Wow, Sabrina. You look beautiful. I might just fall for you," I said with a teasing smile, lacing my voice with humor.
She smirked. "Well, if you fall, sorry—I'm not catching you. You're not my type."
"Ouch," I said, holding a hand over my heart like I'd just been shot. "That hurts."
She rolled her eyes with a laugh, then reached out and grabbed my head. In a flash, we teleported to Omnitek Nexus.
The party wasn't at Nexus—it was just where I kept my car. I got behind the wheel and drove us to the real venue: a large building we'd rented out for the occasion.
We arrived at the venue, and I pulled the car around to the valet. I stepped out first, walked around, and opened the door for Sabrina.
"Wow, what a gentleman," she said with a teasing smile.
"Of course I am. I'm always a gentleman," I replied, flashing a grin.
She stepped out, closed the door behind her, then slipped her arm through mine. I handed the keys to the valet, and together we walked into the building.
The place was huge, already buzzing with people—and I mean everyone. From scientists and engineers to janitors and security, the entire Omnitek staff was here. I made sure this night wasn't just for the big names—it was for everyone who helped build the company.
But it wasn't just internal folks either. I extended the invite list a bit. The Fantastic Four showed up, Lena Luthor made an appearance, and even Emma Frost came—bringing her daughters along too.
Was I worried about telepathic eavesdropping? Not in the slightest. I had the entire building rigged with devices that scramble and block telepathy. No mind-reading tonight. Everyone's thoughts stayed their own.
Ashley was already there with Stratos and Yuriko when we arrived. As we walked over, Stratos spotted me and broke into a run.
"Uncle Ed!" he shouted, throwing his arms around me.
I bent down and scooped him up into a hug. "Hi, Stratos. You act like you haven't seen me in forever," I said with a smile as I set him back down.
"I'm just always happy to see you da—Uncle Ed," he corrected himself quickly.
Yeah, we had an understanding. In public, he couldn't call me "dad." Too many eyes, too many questions. So we stuck with "Uncle."
Ashley smirked as she crossed her arms. "So I'm guessing you didn't write that speech and you're just gonna wing it."
"You know me too well," I said.
She rolled her eyes and looked down at Stratos. "Son, whatever you do, don't inherit your father's laziness when it comes to the little things. Always be prepared."
"Hey now, who said I'm not prepared?" I asked, acting offended.
"Maybe prepared to take down monsters and villains—not paperwork," she said without missing a beat.
"Okay, that's fair," I admitted.
Ashley laughed, then walked over and hugged Sabrina
"I'm glad you came," she said warmly, releasing her from the hug.
Sabrina shrugged playfully. "Yeah, I figured this might be fun."
"Oh, it will be. Good music, great food," Ashley said, then gave me a quick grin. "Sorry in advance—I'm gonna steal your date for a bit."
She didn't wait for a response. Just like that, she whisked Sabrina, Yuriko and Stratos away, leaving me standing there with a grin and no backup.
I stood alone for only a moment before I noticed them—Emma Frost and her daughters, walking toward me with that usual calm, icy elegance. I didn't move. I just waited.
I already knew what this was probably about.
They couldn't read anyone's mind in here—thanks to the devices I installed across the entire building—but that didn't mean I trusted them. Telepaths always had backup plans. And Emma? She was the queen of manipulation. Her daughters weren't far behind.
Still, this situation presented me with the perfect opportunity to test a theory I've been sitting on for a long time.
As they closed the distance, I activated my super speed.
Everything around me slowed... then stopped.
Time became molasses.
I moved—fast and unseen—right up to the Frost girls. With surgical precision, I plucked a strand of hair from one of the daughters. No alarms. No flinching. No trace.
Then I teleported to the base, quickly stored the sample for later analysis, and teleported right back into position. Same posture, same breath, as if I had never moved.
And then… time resumed.
You might wonder why I did that. The answer is simple: I have a theory.
Everyone knows Emma Frost's daughters—the Stepford Cuckoos—are clones. But what most don't know is that they were connected to Weapon X. At least, that was the theory back in my old world. A black-budget offshoot. Something about psychics built as living weapons. Designed to obey. Designed to kill.
But there's another theory: They added something to the Cuckoos to make them stronger, and I have a feeling I know what it is, but I need to test it first before I confirm it.
"Mr. Valtheris," Emma said with that trademark elegant smile. "So good to see you again. I'm happy you invited us to this party. Though I must admit, I'm surprised by the building—it's... very interesting."
"Thank you," I replied smoothly. "I had some modifications added to it."
"Yeah, and they're really annoying," Phoebe chimed in with a huff. "We told you we weren't going to read anyone's mind."
"Well, trust only goes so far," I said. "And I have more than just my guests to think about. I have employees, friends. I have to protect them all."
Emma gave a nod, her tone still cool but understanding. "We get it. It's just a bit unsettling—not feeling any minds around us. Like walking into silence. But… we'll adjust."
"I appreciate you understanding the situation," I said with a slight smile.
I turned my attention toward one of the sisters. "Hello, Esme. How've you been?"
There was a noticeable shift in their energy. Not just Esme—all of them looked at me in shock.
"You can tell us apart?" Celeste asked, clearly surprised.
"Of course I can. What—no one else can?" I confusedly said, "Sure, at first it's tricky. But each of you moves, stands, and speaks just a little differently."
"I'm calling bull," Phoebe said, narrowing her eyes. "There's no way you can tell who's who between us."
I grinned. "Want proof? You're Phoebe. You're Irma. And you"—I pointed—"you're Sophie."
All of them blinked, stunned.
Emma raised an eyebrow, clearly impressed. "That's… impressive. The only person I've ever known who could tell them apart was me."
I shrugged. "Honestly? I think anyone could do it—if they actually paid attention."
Emma and I talked for a while, mostly about business—nothing too important. Eventually, I excused myself when I spotted Reed Richards across the room. I walked over and struck up a conversation with him. The spaceship was nearly finished, which meant the Fantastic Four would be getting their powers soon.
Part of me wanted to invite them to join the Vanguard Initiative once that happened. They'd be valuable allies. But deep down, I knew it was better if they formed their own team. That path suited them more.
After we wrapped up our talk, I made my way toward Lena Luthor.
"Hey Lena, it's good to see you again," I said with a smile.
"Ed, it's good to see you too," she replied warmly. "I have to say, I love what your company is doing—it's helping the world in so many ways."
"Well, that was always the plan," I said. "I'm glad to see it's working out. How have you been?"
"I've been doing well," she said. "LuthorCorp's thriving, especially after I scrapped most of my brother's old experiments and shifted focus to medical innovation."
"I've noticed," I nodded. "Your medical division is doing incredible work—especially with the military."
"Thank you, but it doesn't compare to what your division is doing," Lena replied. "I heard you're developing artificial blood that works across all blood types. It doesn't matter what a person's blood type is—your formula adapts. And then there's those Baymax units you created. Hospitals, homes… they're everywhere now. And I'm honestly impressed by your synthetic skin technology."
"Thank you," I said, "but I can't take all the credit. I did design Baymax, but I've got an amazing robotics team behind me. The artificial blood was developed by Dr. Morbius—I brought him on a month ago—and the synthetic skin was created by Helen Cho. They're both geniuses in their fields, and I'm lucky to have them at Omnitek Nexus."
I leaned in slightly. "And they're not the only brilliant minds I've found. In our energy division, there's a man named Max. He's a true genius architect. We're working on a project that could power an entire city. I can't say much—spoilers and all—but it's a few years out. Contracts, construction… you know how it is."
Lena laughed lightly. "You've really got an eye for talent. I wish I had that. Maybe my company would be doing even more."
I smiled. "I've had some help. But I'm always looking for the right minds—especially those who want to make a difference. Omnitek is open to thinkers who care."
I paused for a moment, then shifted the topic. "But enough business. We've been talking shop longer than I like. What about your personal life? Made any new friends? Maybe a relationship?"
She chuckled, but her expression turned a bit reserved. "Sadly, no on the friends part. And relationship-wise… I've been focused on the company. You?"
"A bit of the same. I've made some new friends here and there, but no relationship yet. I don't know… maybe I'm just waiting for the right person."
"Well," she said with a soft smile, "whoever that ends up being… she'll be very lucky to have you."
"Thank you," I said, returning the smile. "And I could say the same about you. Honestly, I'm surprised no one's tried to ask you out. Who wouldn't want a brilliant, beautiful, and kind woman?"
She laughed. "You'd better stop—you're going to make me blush."
"I don't want to stop. I think you'd look even cuter if you did blush."
And right on cue, she did.
"Look at that," I said with a grin. "I was right."
Lena and I ended up talking for a while—probably a good forty minutes. We joked, shared a few stories, and talked about things we both found interesting. Honestly, I could've kept the conversation going longer… but then I noticed Sabrina, sitting alone with a drink in her hand.
I politely excused myself from Lena and made my way over.
I sat down beside her.
"Hey, Sabrina. Having any fun?" I asked.
"Not really," she said with a small shrug. "After I finished talking to Ashley and saw you were busy, I just decided to grab a drink."
"I was hoping you'd try talking to some people," I said gently. "Make a few friends. Socialize a bit, you know?"
She looked like she was about to respond, but just then the music shifted. A slow dance started, and I glanced at the floor as couples began pairing off. Friends, partners—it didn't matter. Everyone was caught up in the moment.
I turned to her.
"May I have this dance?" I asked with a soft smile.
She chuckled but nodded.
We stood, walked to the dance floor, and started swaying to the rhythm. We weren't really near anyone else, so it gave us a bit of privacy—a rare moment in a crowded room.
After a beat, I spoke again.
"Sabrina… can I ask you something? Something I've been wondering about for a while."
"Ask away," she replied.
"Why haven't you left the island? I mean… why not try to live a new life? For months, you've mostly stayed here—studying the Book of Shadows, staying in your room. You could have something more. Something normal. Like Escanor… or Ashley. Even April's finding her rhythm. Why not you?"
She was quiet for a few seconds. Then she finally said:
"It's hard… moving on. Especially when you know the people you left behind are still out there, hurting. I miss my aunties. My cousin. And… I miss my boyfriend. So much. And the worst part? Knowing I'll never see them again.
They think I'm gone for good, probably mourning me… while I'm here, living a new life. A good life. It just feels unfair. Part of me keeps hoping you'll summon them one day."
"Sabrina…" I said gently, "I understand. But you know how it works. The summons are random. I don't control who comes through. Maybe one day, your family will show up… or maybe they won't."
I looked her in the eyes.
"But do you really think they'd want you to waste this second chance waiting for something that might never come?"
She didn't answer right away, but when she did, her voice was soft.
"No… they'd want me to live. They'd want me to have a normal life. As normal as I can, anyway," she said with a small smile.
"Exactly," I said. "They'd want you to enjoy this life. To do things you never had the chance to do before. Travel. Explore. Meet new people. Make new memories. Maybe even get a job—though, let's be real, you won't need it. Not when you've got your team's unofficial sugar daddy funding everything."
She laughed at that.
"Or," I added with a smirk, "you could just travel the world. Go see places you've never been. And trust me—there's a lot you haven't seen yet."
She smiled again, a little brighter this time.
"Thank you, Ed. I think I'll give that world-traveling thing a shot. Might be fun," she said.
"It will be. But if you ever feel homesick, you can always come back to the island anytime. Just one Ground Bridge away."