Vandal Savage resurrected again.
This time Jack saw clearly how it happened—something like a body rollback, an instant restoration that completed and left him whole. Judging from both deaths, the process took the same amount of time whether his throat had been slit or he'd been blown to powder.
The newly resurrected Savage immediately leaped back, putting distance between them, watching Jack warily.
"Shall we chat?" Jack smiled at him.
Savage's expression shifted through several emotions before he suddenly smiled back and sat down.
"You did this deliberately. All that nonsense about not wanting to talk, about not seeing how I resurrected—negotiation tactics. You used this to seize initiative in our conversation. Fine. I believe you're a time traveler. Help me, and I'll give you the highest respect."
"Stop. You're overthinking." Jack's tone was indifferent. "I was just too lazy to talk. I'm stronger than you, which means I don't need to consider your thoughts. You understand that."
Whether Savage understood it or not, Valentina certainly did. Jack was strong, so he hadn't paid attention to her thoughts at all.
"Besides," Jack added, "if I don't show off a few tricks, you might start thinking you're the top dog around here."
Another verbal knife into Savage, whose expression had already soured.
"I've already worked out terms with Valentina. You don't need to do anything, don't need to change anything—just wait for events to unfold on schedule."
"Any other questions?"
"What is your name?" Savage paused.
"Jack Kadere."
"I'll leave him to you." Savage turned to Valentina, then stood and smiled at Jack. "I await your good news."
"Take care."
Savage left, but Valentina felt awkward. If not for the "waste is shameful" incident, facing Jack might not have been difficult. But now it was hard to act as though nothing had happened.
Everyone cares about dignity. Especially someone as capable as Valentina.
But Jack didn't take what happened to heart at all. He chatted with her as if nothing had occurred—sometimes a gentle "my dear," other times a polite "please"—until gradually she forgot what had happened and understood him even less than before.
After finishing the milk and eating breakfast, Jack began systematically studying physics from the ground up with Valentina.
Physics was the foundation of all her research, after all.
Jack had no intention of researching Firestorm on his own—acquiring abilities was too simple for him. His reasons for studying were twofold: first, to understand Firestorm's principles so he could create one at will, and second, to lay groundwork for more interesting projects later. For instance, he really wanted a set of Iron Man armor.
If someone wearing Iron Man armor attacked him, he could copy all the suit's abilities—but he couldn't conjure armor out of thin air. Fundamentally there was no difference in capability. But having armor versus not having armor? The coolness factor was completely different.
Anyway, he didn't currently need a new body pillow and couldn't think of anywhere to go wild, so he might as well play the role of diligent student. Besides, Jack remembered that while Protégé's power manifested as infinite superposition and infinite copying, it actually seemed related to thinking and the mind. Learning more couldn't hurt.
And if he copied an interesting ability but couldn't think of an interesting way to use it? That would be pathetic.
So Jack studied seriously, with full dedication. Every day he learned basic knowledge from Valentina, and his rapid progress had her repeatedly calling him a genius.
That became the routine: studying with Valentina during the day, spending nights with Lilah.
Three months passed before he realized it.
…
"Incredible."
In the bedroom, Jack set down his book and spoke to Lilah, who was positioned over his lap.
"What?"
She raised her head.
"I didn't expect my enthusiasm for studying to last this long. Three months now? With my fickle personality, even the most interesting things should feel boring by now." He said it with genuine wonder.
Three months of living together had given Lilah some understanding of Jack. She hesitated, then asked:
"Th-Then what about me?"
"You?" Jack chuckled. "Your shelf life is already impressive. You're just not as fresh as before. At least earlier I couldn't multitask—couldn't read this attentively at times like this."
He waved the book.
Lilah felt a pang of sadness.
"Don't be too upset. Even the best food gets tiresome if you eat it every day."
The comfort had the opposite effect. These past three months had been the most comfortable of Lilah's life—shopping, serving Jack, body and mind fulfilled, finally integrated into this era.
Now she felt a sense of crisis. She had to do something. She had to have value worth keeping.
She thought of what she should do.
Over the following weeks, Lilah's contact with Valentina increased. She didn't understand what those incomprehensible equations represented, but she knew Firestorm required two people, and Valentina alone couldn't become Firestorm. So she did her best to learn material that made no sense to her.
At the same time, she used Valentina's connections to search for Doctor Manhattan.
She'd heard Laurie say Doctor Manhattan was no longer on Earth. But she had to do something.
"There's news about the person you're looking for."
Valentina came in from outside, took off her coat, and looked at Lilah. "Now will you tell me why you're looking for her?"
"Do you want to become Firestorm?" Lilah asked.
"You know?" Valentina stared.
"Help me now," Lilah said, "and I'll help you when the time comes."
"What does that mean?" Valentina frowned, but Lilah didn't explain—just held her gaze.