After Kara left, silence settled over the small group in the worn leather armchairs. Dust floated in a single beam of afternoon sunlight coming through the dirty window, highlighting everyone's nervous fidgeting. Freddie, always restless, finally broke the tension.
"Alright, team! Let's get started. Since we're all working closely together, we should probably know each other's skills. That way, we can avoid any accidental explosions during training, right?" He grinned, but it didn't quite reach his eyes, showing a bit of nervousness.
They exchanged hesitant glances. Meanwhile, Freddie flopped onto a sofa, legs stretched out, gesturing widely.
"Come on, let's be honest. No need for secrets here. I'll start. I have telekinesis—I can move things with my mind....well, at least I try, but it's great for grabbing the remote." He winked, but his confident tone hid a bit of unease.
Leo and Luis, identical twins with matching mischievous looks, shared a quick glance before Luis spoke with a smirk. "We're speedsters." He nudged his brother, who rolled his eyes but smiled. "Yeah," Leo said, sounding a little tired. "We're fast. But don't suggest a race. Trust me, it's better not to."
Joel, smiling brightly in his crisp button-down shirt that seemed out of place in the dim room, raised his hand like he was in class. "Super strength and a hypersonic scream. Strong and loud. Not a bad combo, right?" He laughed, a bit too loudly and a bit forced.
Emma pushed her glasses up and spoke quietly, a contrast to Joel's loudness. "I can manipulate matter, density, and sound frequencies. It's complicated. I'm still working on the details—precision really matters."
Sophia leaned against the wall with her arms crossed, looking calm and distant. She barely moved except to shift her weight. "Telepath," she said simply. "I read minds. So try not to think of anything embarrassing." A small smile appeared, and the room felt tense—a warning more than a joke.
Robert stood by the door with his arms crossed, staring at a scuff mark on the old carpet. The mood in the room changed, growing tense. Freddie's grin faded a little as he looked at Robert. "Your turn, boss. Let's hear it."
Robert's jaw tightened. He hated moments like this—the exposure, the way things always changed afterward. He swallowed, his throat dry with anxiety.
"I'm a power replicator," he said, his voice flat. The words hung in the air, full of unspoken meaning. He waited for the usual fear and nervous looks. But this time, things were different. Joel's eyes went wide, not with fear but with excitement. "Wait, really?" he said, stepping forward, sounding almost like a kid. "A power replicator? That's amazing! Emma and I actually wrote a research paper on power replicators—the theoretical side, anyway." Emma pushed her glasses up and leaned in, clearly curious. "If you don't mind, I have a few questions. How does it work? Is there a limit to how many abilities you can copy? Can you combine them?"
Robert felt a wave of relief. Leo and Luis were excited, not nervous. "Leo and I always thought being a power replicator would be awesome," Luis said, sounding genuinely enthusiastic. Leo nodded, smiling warmly for once. "Yeah," he said. "It would have helped a lot back at the orphanage."
Even Sophia looked impressed, her usual distance replaced by real interest. "That's… actually pretty impressive," she said, her voice softer than Robert had ever heard.
The room buzzed with nervous energy, surprising Robert. Normally, his power made people uneasy, but now everyone looked excited. Joel drummed his fingers on the armrest, full of nervous energy. Emma, usually shy, leaned forward with wide, curious eyes. Their reactions were nothing like Robert expected.
"If you don't mind, would you answer a few questions for us?" said Joel. Emma, with her Nexband, started typing "How many abilities can you hold? How do they work exactly? Is it overwhelming? How do you choose them?" She asked
"Do Replicator others' skills or just their abilities?" Asked Joel
He stared at them, feeling years of loneliness start to fade. Usually, people feared power replicators like him, thinking they were dangerous. But these people were different. agmatist, let out a low chuckle, the sound a welcome counterpoint to the giddy excitement. "Told you they'd be cool, Rob. Now, are you going to sit down, or are you just going to stand there?"
Robert gave a small, hesitant smile and shook his head as he relaxed. "Yeah, yeah. I'm coming."
He sat down in the comfortable chair, the cool leather calming him as adrenaline still rushed through him. The group launched into a lively discussion, full of ideas and excitement. For the first time in ages, Robert felt like he belonged and was understood.
"Okay, another question," Freddie said, frowning a little as he shifted in his seat. "Why did you decide to become Guardians?"
Leo looked distant as he started to speak. He swallowed. "We… we were rescued by Guardians." The words carried a lot of unspoken history. He glanced at Luis, who leaned in, his eyes bright with memory.
"Yeah," Luis said quietly. "The orphanage staff said two speedsters just showed up and dropped us off. Just like that." He gestured vaguely, his eyes showing both wonder and sadness. "This is our way of paying them back."
A heavy silence followed, broken only by the hum of the vents. Emma looked concerned. "Orphanage?" she whispered, her voice full of pity. "What happened to your parents?" Luis shrugged helplessly. "We don't know. They just left us." He stared down at his hands, his knuckles white.
Sophia spoke in a low, rough voice, breaking the silence. "My dad was a Guardian," she said, staring off into the distance. "He died in the Haven Station crash." A single tear ran down her cheek. "This is for him."
Robert mumbled, "I'm sorry," knowing it wasn't enough for such deep grief.
Freddie looked at Joel and Emma. "What about you two?"
Joel met his eyes, looking both tired and a little defiant. "Emma and I? We joined so our parents might finally notice us." Leo's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"
Emma looked down, her voice shaking. "Our parents co-own ExoMateria Inc," she said quietly. "They have everything—except time for us. They're always busy. Always." A single tear ran down her cheek, revealing the pain of neglect.
Freddie leaned in and whispered to Robert, his voice barely above the room's sigh, "Dang. And I thought I had it rough with my dad."
The doors slid open with a soft hiss, and Kara walked in, looking calm and confident. With her was Darian, a young man who looked nervous and out of place among the lively group.
The room went quiet as everyone turned to look. Kara smiled warmly at the group. "Looks like you're all getting to know each other," she said gently. "That's exactly what I wanted."
Darian shifted his weight and put his hands in the pockets of his worn jacket. "Uh, hi. I'm Darian. Nice to meet you all." He gave a hesitant smile, his eyes moving nervously around the room.
People nodded and smiled politely, but Sophia suddenly interrupted, her voice sharp. "Wait a second. Why is there a human here?"
A cold silence filled the room, broken only by the hum of the vents. Everyone looked at Kara, whose smile faded as she sighed heavily.
"I was going to tell you all eventually," Kara said quietly. "But now is as good a time as any. Darian and his family are from Earth. They were accidentally brought here and have been hiding ever since. This is highly classified, so don't tell anyone else. Understood?"
A stunned silence filled the room as everyone exchanged wide-eyed looks. Joel and Emma were the first to react. Joel's eyes lit up with excitement, while Emma adjusted her glasses, looking thoughtful.
"A human? From Earth?" Joel said, sounding amazed. "That's incredible! This day just keeps getting better!"
Emma leaned forward, thinking hard. "This is a unique opportunity. We could study human anatomy, physiology, even society and history. Darian, would you answer some questions about your world? It could really help our research."
Darian blinked, surprised by the sudden attention. "Uh, sure," he said, a little startled. "I'll help however I can."
Kara nodded, looking a bit relieved. "We'll need all the help we can get to send him and his family back. In a couple of hours, we're moving to our new base. It's a secure place, better for delicate research and fewer interruptions." She looked at Darian, showing she understood how uncertain things were.
Joel raised his hand, grinning. "Awesome, I can't wait to work with you on this, Darian. And with you, too, princess."
Freddie joined in. "Since we're getting a base, are we getting codenames too?"
Kara laughed and shook her head. "No codenames, Freddie. But yes, it's a secure place where we can focus on our mission."
Emma turned to Kara, sounding serious. "You mentioned getting Darian and his family back to Earth? Joel and I can start on that right away. With the right resources, we might be able to make a stable portal."
Kara smiled, looking relieved. "That's exactly what I wanted to hear. Darian, would you work with them? Your knowledge of Earth could really help."
Darian nodded, looking more determined than nervous now. "Of course. I'll do whatever it takes to help."
Freddie broke the tension. "Alright, team! Looks like we've got a lot to do. Let's get ready to move."
"Freddie, we're not leaving for a couple of hours," Kara said, putting her hands on her hips.
"Right, sorry. I got carried away," Freddie said with a chuckle.
As the group talked about their next steps, Robert felt a flicker of hope. For the first time in a long while, it seemed like everyone was working together toward the same goal. Maybe, just maybe, they could make it work.