Humiliation. Rage.
Laurie felt only powerlessness. From the moment she'd put on the uniform and decided to become a hero, she had never felt so helpless—never imagined she could. All she could do was cry while the monster behind her did whatever he wanted.
After what felt like hours, the numb Laurie finally felt him leave.
She slid down the table's edge and collapsed onto the floor. Her eyes, blank and hollow, tracked Jack Kadere as he dragged a chair over and sat facing her.
"Hurts, doesn't it? Your mother was just like you back then." He leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "But you're luckier than her. Know why? You already think I'm a villain. This makes sense to you. The man who did that to your mother was a superhero. Her partner. Her teammate."
He let that sink in.
"She was in more pain than you. More despair. Don't you want revenge?"
"Who?" Laurie's head snapped up, voice raw. "Who was it?"
"Edward Blake. The Comedian."
"Him." The name hit different now. After experiencing it herself, Laurie understood her mother's suffering in a way she never had before. The anger came flooding back.
"Trust me," Jack said, standing, "that's not even the worst part." He watched her face as he delivered the next blow. "Do you know who your biological father is? That's right. Him."
"That's impossible!"
"Based on timing alone? You'd think so. But the facts are what they are. After what he did to her, your mother went back to him willingly. Superheroes." He laughed softly, heading for the door. "Heh."
The door closed with a heavy thud.
Laurie collapsed, shattered.
---
Back at the villa, Jack ignored Laurie entirely and picked up a textbook. He'd moved on from biology to electronic engineering—he wanted to see if he could build something like Stark's combat suit.
Hours passed. When he finally looked up from his reading, it was late. Valentina and Lilah still weren't back.
A woman in a Soviet military uniform was heading for the door. Jack called out casually: "Go ask when they'll be back."
The Soldier hesitated, then walked toward the telephone in the living room.
Step by step.
As she passed him, she stumbled—foot catching on the carpet, body lurching toward him.
Jack stepped back.
She hit the floor hard and looked up in disbelief.
Under normal circumstances, you catch a woman when she falls.
Jack smiled faintly at her expression. "You alright?"
"I—I'm fine."
"Then why aren't you making that call?"
Silence.
The Soldier lowered her head and slowly rose. The instant she straightened, her left arm transformed—skin hardening into dark stone—and she swung at his face.
Closer. Closer.
Just before impact, she froze.
His face had changed too. The same stone texture. The same density. Identical to her own transformed arm.
Bang.
Her fist connected. Rock against rock. A heavy crack echoed through the room.
Jack didn't move. The Soldier stumbled backward, boots scraping the floor.
"Nice ability." Jack's face shifted back to normal. He examined his hand—stone melting back into flesh—with genuine interest. "If you'd shown up a little earlier, Laurie might've had it worse."
"How did you—" The Soldier's voice caught.
She transformed fully, abandoning pretense. Her body stretched, height surging past two meters. Her cap tumbled off, revealing long purple hair. The left side of her torso became dark rock; the right side glowed like molten gold. Her right leg remained mostly normal—faintly purple—but the left looked like dead bark, gnarled and rough.
A patchwork of elements stitched together.
"Color-changing. Density control. Elemental manipulation. Size shifting." Jack ticked them off, studying her. "You can generate heat too—and control ice and water. Quite the arsenal." His smile widened. "Didn't expect to pick up something new tonight. You're not Watchmen, so—CIA? Here for Silk Spectre? Do they know what you can do?"
How does he have my ability? Her mind raced.
Not theft—replication.
He copied it.
"Don't bother asking how," Jack said. "I just do. The mechanics would bore you." He tilted his head. "What's your name?"
She didn't answer.
"Even if you copied my power, you can't beat me." Her shock hardened into resolve. It had taken her years to master these abilities. He'd had them for seconds. The advantage was hers. "You don't know how to use it yet."
She had to end this fast.
The Soldier charged.
"Guess we're not talking." Jack moved to meet her.
Infinite Superposition—fivefold.
No tricks. No flourishes. He petrified his entire body.
The floor cracked beneath his weight. He launched forward, fist already swinging.
Fist met fist.
CRACK.
The Soldier's body rocketed backward. She punched through the wall and landed hard in the courtyard, debris raining around her. She scrambled to rise—
Jack was already there.
"Attacking me was the worst decision you've ever made." His smile was bright, almost friendly. "Because what I do best is beat people with their own power."
His stone fist came down.
Thud.
A muffled grunt. Her body went slack, features softening as she shifted back to human form.
"What—what happened?" A guard's panicked voice from somewhere behind him.
"Call Valentina," Jack said, already dragging the unconscious woman toward the house. "Ask when she's getting back."
---
The basement door groaned open.
Laurie jerked upright, eyes wide with fresh panic—then watched as Jack hauled an unconscious soldier down the stairs.