Villain Retirement

"Please… Megawoman, you're the only one who can stop this!"

Megawoman's eyes traveled across the room; looking at every member of the Hope Guild with a dreaded and panicked expression on her face. Everything moved so slowly, allowing her to see every bit of expression on everyone's faces.

Tempo was the only one moving fast enough for her to see normally; the desperate and pained cries that he was letting out reverberated through her bones quite deeply. All of his limbs were broken, and yet he was trying to reach for Riley despite the fact that Bulwark was pulling him away to save him from disintegrating into pieces.

Bulwark probably held the expression close to hers– dread and panic. He could try and put his efforts into trying to stop Alice. But out of the people in the Hope Guild, Megawoman knew Bulwark the most. Bulwark would prioritize saving Tempo rather than trying to stop Alice from killing Riley, solely for the fact that there was a low chance his powers would actually be effective against Alice.

Empress was just rage and regret– her mouth, already bleeding from grinding her teeth as she still tried to rush toward Alice. Her palms, also dripping blood. Besides Bulwark, Megawoman knew her best as she mentored Empress when she was younger. And although Empress had the capacity to be violent, there were almost no moments where she let her emotions get the best of her. There was only one– when her child was murdered by a super that got out of prison… as revenge for having been arrested.

Whiteking was someone who Megawoman barely knew, but since he was just a normal human, there really was nothing he could do currently and directly. But still, he seemed to be calmer than even her as he fidgeted with his fancy technology trying to do whatever.

Charlotte… was losing it. Judging by the strength of the beam that blasted from her eyes, she copied Megawoman's abilities– meaning she was truly trying to kill her daughter. The beam was enough to scald Megawoman's palm, if it went through, then Alice would have died almost instantly.

Megawoman couldn't really explain whatever it was that Charlotte was feeling right now; the expression on her face was something that she had never seen before– at least not this close. Throughout her time as a superhero, she had seen mothers and fathers trying to risk their lives for their children. But to see a mother trying to kill her daughter to stop her from killing her own son?

This was probably the first time.

No, perhaps she actually knew what Charlotte's face represented–

It was hopelessness.

Charlotte was making an impossible choice that no one in this universe should even experience. Megawoman could not even think what her choice would be if she was to be put in the same position. Her son was only a couple of years older than Riley; Megawoman could not even fathom the expression she would have if ever the time comes.

No, she would do everything in her power to prevent something like this from happ–

Megawoman then momentarily closed her eyes; shaking off all the thoughts that were racing through her mind.

And finally, she turned her eyes toward the final member of the Hope Guild… Alice.

"!!!"

And to her surprise, Alice… was looking at her, holding absolutely no expression on her face. Her hands, still struggling to strangle her son, who was already bawling his eyes out; his breaths, probably already cracking based on the pink streaks and stretched skin surrounding his neck.

But… he was alive.

"..." Megawoman then returned her focus to Alice. Alice… was probably the strongest creature on this planet. Granted, Megawoman was not using all of her strength, but she was using enough to probably neutralize most of the people in this room with a single flick of her finger.

But even then, Alice was able to stop her and also attack anyone able to get near her. Even on her planet, the people that could probably match Alice could be counted on one hand– she was already impressed with what Charlotte could do, but her daughter was something else.

Megawoman thought she could stop this scenario swiftly– the very first time she overestimated herself.

And so, her focus remained on Alice's face; stoic and completely devoid of any emotions. But why… why was she looking at her?

"..." Megawoman stared at her face for a few milliseconds, dozens of thoughts once again racing through her mind. But then, when she could no longer think of what to do– she focused on Alice's eyes;

–Her eyes were empty, also devoid of any emotions– that is if one were to only glance at them. Perhaps out of everyone in this room, only she and Tempo would be able to see what they truly held.

But alas, Tempo was too busy trying to reach for Riley. And so, Megawoman…

…she was probably the only one who could see it. The weight of her eyes.

A weight that Megawoman could probably never be able to carry.

"Megawoman, please!"

Everything then returned to normal as Megawoman could once again hear the hopelessness in Charlotte's voice.

"Just hold her!" Charlotte's voice cracked as her eyes once again lit up in red,

"I just need… I just need you to stop her for a second and I will be the one to end it!"

"..." Hearing Charlotte's words, Megawoman no longer hesitated. She suddenly stretched her hands to the side, causing the air around them to crack along with the small mountain the Hope Guild's base stood on. The sky and clouds above it… also split in half.

A fountain of blood then sprayed from Alice's nose; the blood, showering on Riley's face– getting into his mouth, and making him gag. As soon as Megawoman saw this, she quickly pulled Alice away and locked all of her limbs with her own.

"Do it now!" Megawoman then screamed.

"I love you, Alice!" And with that bellow, the red light on Charlotte's eyes turned into a beam– its target, straight through Alice's chest.

"What…" But before they could pierce through Alice's heart… Megawoman once again blocked its path,

"...Why!?"

"No… mother should bear this kind of pain."

And with those words whispering from Megawoman's mouth, she suddenly let go of Alice; her hands, moving straight towards her head.

"No one!"

And with those screaming words following her whispers, a huge ripple echoed through the skies as Megawoman snapped Alice's neck. This time, it was Megawoman's screams that resounded in the air, perhaps almost a whisper that could be heard throughout the entire galaxy.

It lasted exactly 5 seconds; with Megawoman's open palms resting on her sides, as if all of the strength they contained were no more. And whatever expression she had on her face right now, she absolutely had no idea.

As for Alice, she lay dead on the floor– the weight that her eyes contained, no more.

And after that…

…was silence.

No one moving, no one breathing– everyone reflecting Alice.

Tempo's broken and shattered bones that were cracking in the air, no longer whispering.

Bulwark's eyes that were glowing ceaselessly, now faded.

Empress's trembling and furrowed eyebrows, now rested but seemingly more restless than before.

Whiteking's fingers that were moving without pause, now completely still.

Charlotte… was just broken.

*** *** ***

"And then… eventually, Whiteking's family adopted you."

A whisper of a sniffle faded in the living room as Charlotte lightly rubbed her nose; her other hand, whirling the glass of wine that was sitting on the table… and had been doing so throughout her long story.

And finally, with her story reaching its end, Charlotte grabbed the glass of wine– finally allowing herself to feel the burn of the alcohol; letting it slide through her throat all at once.

"Why were you not the one to adopt me, Miss Charlotte?"

And perhaps even more stinging than the alcohol was Riley's sudden question.

"I am not adept with laws not relating to murder. But should I not have been taken to your custody?"

"..." Charlotte once again placed the glass in her mouth, but with it empty, the only thing she was able to gulp was her own anxiety. It took a few glances, but finally, after a few seconds… she was able to remove the glass from her lips.

"I… blamed you," Charlotte then whispered, "I blamed you for everything that happened. My daughter never would have become like that if you did not appear in her life."

"Do you–"

"And I regret giving you away immediately," Charlotte did not let Riley talk as she looked Riley straight in the eyes, "I… tried to take you from the Ross's… but I saw how happy Bernard's wife was and I just… I couldn't, you know?"

"..."

"I killed my daughter– your mother," Charlotte then slightly stuttered as she shook her head, "How could someone like that deserve to hold you?"

"But you did not kill Alice, miss Charlotte. Megawoman–"

"No, I did it," Charlotte once again shook her head, "I killed her the very moment I prioritized the lives of everyone else. I neglected her as a child and every mistake she made was a result of that– I led her to her death…

…and now every mistake you make is because of me."

"...I don't understand, Miss Charlotte."

"What I mean is that I fucked up," Charlotte wiped the tears that were trying to fall from her eyes,

"I should have been there for you and maybe… maybe this wouldn't have happened again," she then chuckled wryly as her eyes traveled across the house, "I… just repeated the past."

"Well, you still make a good dessert, miss Charlotte," Riley then let out a small but very deep sigh, "That is what matters now."

"You–" Charlotte was about to say something, but only let out a sigh of her own in the end, "You really resemble your mother."

"I was not aware that she was autistic and had lower melanin levels, miss Charlotte."

"No, she– She might actually have been in the spectrum," Charlotte then once again chuckled as she rested her back on the sofa; her eyes, turning to the ceiling, "I miss her… I miss her so much."

"..."

"..."

"May I ask you questions regarding your recollection of the past, miss Charlotte?"

"...If you can call me grandma."

"Grandmother Charlotte."

"..."

"..."

"Go ahead."

"How do you know what Megawoman felt at that moment?" Riley then asked, "Your story is quite different than the others."

"Because we talked about it several times," Charlotte breathed out, "I was a wreck after what happened and she… she and the others helped me pull through."

"Megawoman truly is a kind person," Riley nodded several times, "I have another question, Miss Charlotte."

"Hm?"

"The friend that Alice was referring to…"

"You mean the one who coaxed her to get the IVF?" Charlotte furrowed her eyebrows, "Then no, I still don't know who she is."

"Is it possible that she was mother?"

"What?"

"Her friend," Riley blinked a couple of times, "Is it possible that…

…it was Diana Ross?"