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*****
Steel Woman—no, it should be Fiora.
She had only just steadied herself when she saw Mike flying toward her.
Her expression changed, and she immediately turned toward her home.
Right now, there was only one thought in her mind.
Her son—Auren!
But before she could get far, Mike intercepted her.
"Get out of my way!"
She roared, her eyes instantly turning scarlet as twin beams of heat vision shot toward Mike.
Mike's gaze sharpened, and he unleashed his own heat vision to meet hers head-on.
The twin rays clashed in midair, scattering destructive energy in all directions, as though they could burn through space itself. The collision point twisted and warped violently.
Mike snorted coldly, his heat vision surging until it overpowered Fiora's and sent her flying. Before she could even stabilize herself, he was already behind her.
With a flash of light in his hand, a short kryptonite dagger gleaming green appeared. He gently pressed it against the back of Fiora's neck.
Both of their powers began draining rapidly, and they slowly descended toward the ground.
Fiora's expression turned grim—she finally recognized Mike.
This was the man who had killed General Zod and the other Kryptonians during the Battle of New York. She wasn't his match.
"Don't move," Mike warned as he felt her power fading. "I want to talk."
Fiora nodded silently.
With a wave, Mike dismissed the kryptonite dagger and flew back toward the apartment.
Fiora hurriedly followed.
When they returned, Fiora rushed straight to Auren, scooping the little boy into her arms.
Auren: )Д(
Why the sudden hug?
I mean, I'm happy to be hugged by Steel Woman, but… why me?
His little head was full of question marks.
"Auren, my Auren, are you okay?"
Fiora asked softly, running her hands over him as if checking for injuries.
Auren's face turned red, like a tomato.
"What are you doing!"
He stared at Fiora, his eyes darting nervously.
Fiora let out a breath of relief. Meeting his suspicious gaze, she bit her lip, then deactivated her battle suit.
As the armor vanished, so did the disguise on her face.
Auren's eyes went wide at the familiar features.
"M-Mom? Mom?!"
His mother was Steel Woman?
Fiora gently patted his head, then shielded him behind her as she calmly faced Mike. "What do you want from me?"
She understood Mike's strength—there was no escaping him. The fact that he hadn't killed her immediately meant he needed her for something.
Gwen's eyes lit up. "We need you—"
"Wait."
Mike raised his hand, cutting her off. "We'll talk about that later. I have a question for her first."
Fiora pressed her lips together, her eyes dark and unreadable. She already guessed what Mike would ask.
"Who is this child's father?"
At Mike's question, Gwen blinked in confusion. But Auren peeked out from behind his mother, glancing at her, then at Mike. A sudden thought struck him, and his eyes widened.
Could it be… this man was his… dad?
He quickly looked up at his mother.
Fiora clenched her jaw and forced out a few words:
"This has nothing to do with you."
Gwen gave her father a puzzled look, not understanding why Mike would ask such a question.
Noticing Gwen's confusion, Mike explained: "This child looks a lot like Clark when he was young."
"What?"
Gwen gasped, staring at the boy.
Auren also blinked, looking at Fiora with questioning eyes.
But Fiora's face remained expressionless, revealing nothing.
Mike lifted his hand, and a glowing card appeared at his fingertips. "Whether it has anything to do with me isn't for you to decide with a single sentence."
The card dissolved into specks of light.
Name: Professor X.
Mike's eyes glinted as his psychic power surged into Fiora's mind.
"Hm?"
He couldn't penetrate her thoughts.
This wasn't a Kryptonian ability. Then it must be…
"Will you remove the psychic-blocking device yourself, or should I?" he asked coolly.
Fiora's body trembled slightly.
As General Zod's female commander, she had never been threatened like this before.
But then…
She looked down at Auren in her arms. Taking a deep breath, she said reluctantly, "I'll take it off…"
Her hand slowly moved toward the back of her neck. But in the same instant, when Mike and Gwen's attention was fixed on her gesture, she suddenly tightened her hold on Auren and bolted for the exit.
Mike was faster.
In a flash, he cut her off, once again holding the kryptonite dagger.
Fiora's face went pale, and she took two steps back.
"Don't waste my patience with cheap tricks."
Mike's calm voice carried a deadly chill.
Looking at Auren, who gazed up at her with innocent eyes, Fiora exhaled deeply. She reached behind her neck, beneath her hair, and removed a black device no larger than a fingernail.
This was a Kryptonian invention: the psychic jammer. Back during the Battle of New York, it was this very device that had nullified Charles Xavier's powers.
The next moment, Mike's eyes hardened, and his psychic energy surged into Fiora's mind.
Even a Kryptonian couldn't resist that level of power.
Moments later, Mike withdrew his ability, while Fiora grimly reattached the jammer to her neck.
"Dad, what about the boy?" Gwen asked curiously.
"He's Clark's son."
"What?!" Gwen exclaimed. "How is that possible? My brother and her? But he's been missing for seven years!"
She stared in shock at Fiora and Auren, while Auren quietly memorized the name—Clark.
"Her people, along with the Star Alliance, captured Clark. That's why he disappeared."
Mike's gaze stayed on Fiora, his killing intent pressing against her like a blade.
"And the boy?"
"Artificial insemination."
Mike's eye twitched slightly.
At least it wasn't what he had feared.
Still, Fiora's thinking was astonishing.
She had wanted to preserve Kryptonian bloodlines without diluting them with alien genetics, so she had used Clark as nothing more than a tool—to bear a pure-blood Kryptonian child.
Gwen exhaled in relief, then quickly asked with excitement, "Then where is my brother? Where is he?"
Fiora shook her head, her cold, beautiful face impassive. "I don't know. I haven't seen him since that incident."
Mike nodded.
He had already confirmed this in her memories.
"Is he still alive?"
Gwen asked urgently.
"She doesn't know," Mike replied flatly.
He had already scoured Fiora's mind for any trace of Clark.
(End of Chapter)