From morning to night, Enrique Nova stopped six more small-time crimes.
Though he hadn't managed to convert any more of the victims he saved, his efforts were not in vain. Playing Hero seemed like a good strategy to earn Faith Points from people, according to Mut who said she received quite some faith from him spreading her name.
However, it was a slow process. Even if he gained 10 million followers, he might not be able to revive Ogdoad back to its prime. He would need to figure out a better solution in the upcoming days. Today, he had only earned a single believer. Still, both he and Mut were satisfied with this development; it was, after all, his first day on the job.
When the sun began to dip, Enrique decided to call it a day and changed back into his business suit. Interestingly, he realized he wasn't tired at all, despite running around all day. Not a drop of sweat marked his brow. Super Stamina was good.
With this newfound information, Enrique mentally noted all the powers he had discovered so far:
Peak Human Condition: This is applied to strength, agility, stamina, durability, and senses.✔️
Super-Durable Super-Suit: It also strengthened his above-mentioned stats, to an unknown degree. ✔️
Lightning Manipulation ✔️
Flight ✔️
That's right, Flight. He figured that one out earlier. He didn't count his magic mask as a separate power, although it was useful. Flight was the hardest to master; he could barely maneuver in the air, but he knew it would become invaluable once he got the hang of it.
Walking out of an alley and blending into the crowd, Enrique noticed his suit was dirt-resistant. It looked as pristine as before. Neat.
After walking for a few minutes, and making his way toward his apartment, he decided to change up the route. He realized something due to his heightened senses. He was being followed.
'Is it SHIELD? Already?' Deciding to lead the spy into a corner, he prepared for confrontation.
****
Anna Marie had run away from home that morning, after ensuring her ex-boyfriend had woken up from his coma.
The weird mutant power she had unlocked three weeks ago was horrifying. Anyone whose skin touched hers instantly went into a seizure. Planning to flee to Canada, away from her family who saw her as a freak, she had encountered someone… special.
This man, running around in a suit with a lightning symbol on his chest, was presumably a mutant too. She didn't know much about super-stuff, so she hoped he was.
She wasn't sure about the differences between mutants and other superhumans, but as someone fighting crime and saving people, he at least seemed trustworthy. He's a Hero, after all. Maybe he could offer her advice or even a way to deactivate her power. To find out, she decided to follow him.
She trailed behind him until his last alleyway, where he emerged wearing a normal white business suit.
This is…? Anna realized why his costume had changed. This must be his hidden "civilian identity". Some superheroes, such as the Fantastic Four, played the game with their identities publicly known, while others like Spider-Man kept their identities a secret.
Was this person playing Spider-Man's game? Should she approach him in his civilian persona? He might get mad. Shaking her head, she decided to take the chance. Who knew if she would ever see him again?
Carefully, she followed him again, trailing him to the outskirts of the city. He stood outside a Walmart, in front of a vending machine, buying two cold coffees.
Huh, two? Is he addicted? Anna felt bad for him. Maybe he didn't get to sleep due to his double identities. As he walked out of sight, she followed, only to find nobody on the other side of the wall she peeked around.
"Huh-"
"Hey there," an arm went around her shoulder, a cold can, as well as thick fingers, pressing against her cheek. "Wanna grab a drink?"
Anna screamed, "Kya!" and pushed him away before jumping back. "D-don't touch me!"
The man's expression remained unchanged. He uncapped one of the drinks, his silver eyes locked on her. "Quite rude for a stalker, but I guess teenagers things."
Anna huffed, touching her cold cheek. His fingers… they had clearly brushed her cheek. And his arm had been around her shoulder. Yet he was fine.
He tossed her a drink—a can of coffee—while he uncapped his own, taking a sip. Wiping his lips, he locked eyes with her again. "Identify yourself. State your reason for following me before I decide to change suits."
Calming herself with a mouthful of soda, she replied, "I am… Rogue." She used her made-up name. "Can you touch me again?"
"...."
****
"Can you touch me again?"
What the fuck? Enrique shook his head. Were teenagers in this world so desperate? She didn't even look unattractive; why was she so desperate?
Also, didn't she just yell at him to not touch her? What was this bipolar tomfoolery? Did seeing his face up close turn her on or something?
"I-I didn't mean it that way!" the girl quickly protested, realizing the meaning behind her words. She waved her hands with a flustered face. "It's just… I saw you using your superpowers. I… I also have a superpower, but it's more like a curse. My power puts anyone whose skin touches mine into a seizure. Naturally, you should have fallen into a state of seizure, that's why I yelled. But here you are, standing upright."
"…Rogue?" Enrique muttered, suppressing his eyes from widening. "You said your name is Rogue?"Ah, that's right. He recognized her now. Her hair was entirely brown, with no white streaks, but those emerald eyes. He was sure of her identity.
Great.
It was a great find. Also dangerous. He had somehow avoided falling into a seizure, but this was a prime example of why he shouldn't touch any random person, even if they looked harmless.
[You know her?] Mut's voice boomed in his mind as he gave a soft nod. [Interesting. Go on, I will not waste your time with questions.]
"…Yes?" the teenage girl answered uncomfortably. "My real name is Anna though. I'm not telling you my last name; you might turn me into the police."
"That's fine, Anna." Enrique pointed at a bench. "Wanna take a seat?"
She nodded. A moment later, Rogue was sitting on the bench, while Enrique leaned against the light pole in front of the bench.
"A runaway?" he said, pointing at her bag before shaking his head. "Teenager things again?"
"Hey, stop acting like you're so old yourself!" She protested, frowning. "I just… didn't want to see the fearful expression on my parents' faces. I had no choice but to run."
Rogue had already explained her story to him. Enrique took a sip of his drink as he contemplated. She was… pitiful. Unlocking an unknown power that harmed everyone, nearly killing her boyfriend with their first kiss. Pitiful indeed.
If she hadn't met Enrique and the plot had gone as usual, Professor X would have taken care of her, helping her control her powers. However, it seemed fate had tied her destiny with his.
A power-stealing, all-powerful mutant slave? Ah, teammate I mean. He was down for that any day. Once he was done contemplating, watching her fidget in silence, he decided to play his cards.
"Sooo," he looked down at her. "What do you want from me? I'm sorry to hear your story, but I don't think I have an answer to your problem."
Anna looked down before meeting his gaze. "Can you… touch me? Just my cheek is fine. I might be misunderstanding, and you might get hurt. But… I think when your fingers brushed my cheek, my powers didn't activate."
Enrique usually wouldn't try this. Never. It was too dangerous. Even if his powers were magical, Rogue drew on life force, so touching her might endanger his life. But, knowing about his void-enhanced state, and having already survived this, he believed she might be onto something.
Pouring the rest of his drink down his throat, Enrique tossed the can aside and walked over to her. Watching her nervous yet expectant eyes, he reached out and placed his hand on her cheek.
Nothing happened.
Seconds turned into ten, then into a minute. But nothing changed; the touch was as normal as it could get.
"It's…" Anna trailed off, removing her gloves and hesitantly touching his cheek. Still, nothing happened. "My powers… they're not inactive; they just don't work on you. You feel… empty, like I'm touching a wall. Uh, are you a robot?"
So that's how it worked. The void that had merged with him gave him a sort of [Blank] state, making him immune to things like mind reading and Rogue's power. An interesting discovery.
Useful. Enrique made a mental note. Focusing on the situation, he chuckled. "A robot? Certainly not. Also, have you considered what if your power only activates when you kiss someone? Maybe we should try that out?"
He laughed at his own joke, drawing back his hand, but the girl took it seriously.
Just as planned.
"Let's… let's test it out then." She said, pulling his hand back to her cheek. "Let's see if it activates when we kiss."
"Um, it was a joke." Enrique deadpanned before sighing. "Oh my days, little kids…"
"I will be 18 in a few more months, sugah!" She protested. "Now, let's try k-kissing! It's not like I am ugly, am I? Just one time? Hey, sugah, please!" The girl persisted, watching him sigh and shake his head before he leaned over and abruptly stole her lips.
She seemed like a girl who would jolt back at sudden approaches, but because of the situation, she kissed back, trying out her power on him as the kiss deepened, their tongues wrestling with each other. By the time the kiss ended, Anna realized that her powers really didn't work on him.
Enrique pulled his mouth away, wiping his lips as he stood up. "See? Now you are just embarrassed for no actual reason." Not that he hated it. "You are lucky I am not some creepy old man, or I would have suggested we try out some more things."
Anna looked flustered and was about to say something back, however, she was interrupted by a bestial growl from the side.
"Grrrr…"
Enrique frowned and snapped his head to the side, only to blink as he found a blonde-haired Liev Schreiber grinning at him.
"Was that a good kiss?" a gruff voice interrupted. "Hah, kids and their hormones."
Ah, yes. He remembered. Both the X-Men and the Brotherhood were after Rogue. This was going to get annoying.
"Look at this savage-looking bastard," Enrique rolled his shoulders as his suit changed to his Super Suit. The air around that guy was dangerous. "Fuck off, or I'll fry you."
"I'm just here for the girl. But sure, try me." The beastly man, Sabretooth, chuckled and leaped towards Enrique, swiping his claws. "I'll tear you apart first, and then take the girl."
"Kyaa!" Anna yelled, closing her eyes as Sabretooth's claws neared Enrique's neck.
– Snap!
Her eyes flew open at the sound of a thin crack, watching Sabretooth's claws shatter upon hitting the invisible helmet around Enrique's head. Unlike his archnemesis, this beast-like bastard didn't have adamantium claws.
The blonde man looked down at his claws in shock before letting out a painful grunt. Enrique took the opportunity to punch his chin, sending him airborne. He followed by jumping behind him. Grabbing the beast's huge body, Enrique slammed him down on his knee, shattering Sabretooth's spine.
High-voltage electricity coursed through Enrique's hands, making the beast groan and slump unconscious. The battle was over just like that since Enrique didn't bother to hold back unlike with the hobos. Sabretooth was still alive since he was practically immortal, but it would take him a while to heal.
Enrique doubted he would come running back for more anytime soon. He walked over to Anna and grabbed her arm. "Let's go." Yanking her into his embrace, ignoring her cry of surprise, he flew off.
The rush of adrenaline made his flight more stable. Minutes later, he landed in an alley close to his apartment, walking back to his place with a frightened Anna beside him.