14 Chapter 14

° Reginald Val Johnson

° The Next Day

Matthew was alone with his thoughts, sitting by himself at one of the cafeteria benches with a half eaten food tray in front of him.

Usually Madison would be sitting right beside him, but she focused herself on studying for a test she was expecting this afternoon. And his brother was not in the best mood for talking to. Or much of anything else if the complete silence he experienced all morning was any indication.

Still, despite being alone, Matthew wasn't without any means of entertaining himself.

He had finally gotten a grasp on how to manually activate his telepathy, having done so last night by using it on the government agent that checked in on them. A feat he managed simply by focusing on the man.

The concerning thoughts of 'hot RnD consultants' aside, Matthew felt that it could definitely be useful in many ways if he practiced with it enough.

And so, he did.

He let his mind wander around the cafeteria, picking up snippets of thought and stray glimpses of memory from the teenagers around him with rising ease. And the things he was hearing amused him enough to ignore the approaching redhead making a beeline for the empty seat in front of him.

He was pulled out of his mental exercises by the sudden clap of plastic on metal as a food tray was somewhat forcibly slammed on his table.

He looked and directly met the eyes of Eve Wilkins, who was currently glaring at him intently. Again.

"We need to talk" she said, emphasizing each word with a barely hidden anger in her voice.

Matthew sighed lightly, "Right. Please, take a seat"

Eve nodded and smoothly set herself on the seat in front of him, "Done. Now talk"

"Okay" Matthew cleared his throat, "Straight with it then. I'm sorry, for all the worry I must've put you through when I hinted at you being...you know"

Eve nodded "Go on".

"I wasn't trying to do that or blackmail you or anything negative unintentionally. I was just surprised to figure out that one of my classmates was...well you, and I blurted it out" Matthew said, motioning to the entirety of Eve.

"I see. So how did you figure it out?" Eve asked, her anger cooling as she processed the answer but was still curious.

"Well...I was, sort of, already suspecting something about you. I mean, you literally put your name in your hero moniker. So it wasn't that hard to put two and two together" Matthew explained "I mean, if I named myself Super Matt wouldn't that be very obvious?"

Eve couldn't hide the slight quirk at the corner of one lip.

"Funny thing though, you seem to be the only one who thinks so" Eve pointed out.

"I don't know what to tell you, Eve. I just did" Matthew admitted, "Both you and your 'other persona' are really popular, I just thought about you wearing pink and then it clicked. Big fan of both, by the way"

Eve smiled plainly "Thanks but I have a boyfriend"

Matthew quickly raised both hands, "Woah. That was not what I meant. I mean, I admire you. You have good grades in school, super popular with the beautiful crowd, have awesome powers, yet have somehow enough time to help people and beat the crap out of some powerful villains. While I'm still trying to catch up with homework and not screwing up the exams"

Matthew watched the expression on Eve's face soften as she took in his words.

"Not every compliment from a guy has to be some kind of sly move to get into your pants, you know. Most of them maybe, but not all" Matthew admitted, omitting the fact that he used to be one of those guys.

"Oh. Well, thank you then" Eve said in embarrassment.

"Don't mention it. My bestfriend thinks the same way, with all the horny dudes hitting on her" Matthew said.

Eve smiled again, this time more sincerely in with a hint of amusement in her eyes.

"So, we're good?" Matthew asked cautiously.

"Yeah, we're good" Eve nodded, giving him her best smile as relief replaced her previous worries.

Matthew smiled back and held out his hand, Eve took it and they shook on it.

"Good" he said as he started eating his food "Because I'm really hungry"

Eve watched him go at it, contemplating on what to say next.

"You know" Eve eventually said "This honestly wasn't how I expected this conversation to go"

"Oh yeah? How so?" Matthew asked as he chewed slowly.

"Honestly? I thought you'd blackmail me into doing some favors for you, maybe transform some rocks into high-quality diamonds or gold or something else" Eve replied.

Matthew raised an eyebrow, "That's...huh. I have to admit it is tempting, but I wouldn't think you'd agree to it even if I did try"

"No, I wouldn't" Eve shook her head emphatically "Not even if you threaten to post it on social media"

"Right. Also, you can really do it? Transmute matter to that degree?" Matthew asked curiously" How exactly does you powers work, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Oh yeah, easy. It's just rearranging atoms, turning something into something else. I can control matter and energy at a sub-atomic level, you know" she smiled and leaned in closer to him, "One time, I turned my whole algebra textbook into glass!"

"Damn" Matthew was impressed, liking her to a comic character who shared similar power he knew in his past life "That's overpowered"

She shrugged, "Hmph, not really. I have my limits, and pretty big ones too"

"Such as?" Matthew asked, leaning in close.

"I'll tell you, after you tell me what you can do first" she said, pointing at him.

Matthew shrugged "What's there to tell? I'm a 'flying brick', as a friend once told me"

Upon mentioning it, Matthew suddenly remembered a particular blonde who hadn't given him a text yet. Thinking about her made him regret not asking for her number instead of the other way around.

"That's it? Nothing else you want to share?" Eve pried.

Matthew gave it a thought and offhandedly said, "My way of flight doesn't require me to push off a stable surface, I can basically create my own leverage anywhere. Even on empty air"

Eve cocked her head to the side in thought "Thats a unique take on it. I mostly just change the density in the air around me and create tiny energy bursts to propel and navigate myself through"

"That sounds like a lot of physics work for something you just regarded so offhandedly" Matthew said.

"It is" Eve admitted "But it got easier with more practice and time. And I've tried everything else and none of it worked just as easily for me"

Matthew was quiet as he thought for a bit before speaking up, "I have to admit, its a brilliant combination. You're basically a rocket that can go infinitely faster with very little need for fuel. You're a genius"

"Aw. Thank you" Eve smiled and stared at him for a long while.

Matthew noticed and grew a bit shy from being watched "What? Is there some food on my face?"

Eve smiled happily "No, your face is fine. I just...I get now why Madison likes you so much. You're pretty easy to talk to"

Matthew smirked, "Yeah, right. I'm pretty much convinced that she's around me just because she likes to tease me a lot"

"Speaking of, where is she by the way?" Eve asked.

"Studying. Somewhere quiet, I think. Most likely the library or the quad" Matthew almost immediately.

"I see" she stared at him, a question just waiting behind her bright green eyes.

The bell rang, signifiying the end of lunch break.

"Well, that was...shorter than I thought it was" Eve commented.

"Yeah. I didn't even get to finish my apple juice" Matthew made a disgusted face as he held the small red carton in one hand.

"You don't like it?" Eve asked.

"I would say that the proper word for how I feel about it would be that I am 'compelled' to like it. It's either this or melon, and I'd rather suffer through apple before I defile my mouth with melon" Matthew said, looking at the juice in his hands with reluctance.

Until, that is, his gaze drifted to Eve. Who was looking at him with amusement.

"Eve" he said.

"Matthew" Eve replied.

"Could you--"

"Sure" Eve shook her head and picked up the bottle in one hand.

"I'd like a Coca-Cola, please" Matthew quickly said.

She gave it a good shake and flowery flourish before handing it back to him, her pink energy momentarily coated the small object before disappearing, transforming the carton into an unopened 180ml can of Coca-cola.

Matthew received it as if he was a gift from heaven, with both hands and a large awed smile on his face.

"You are an angel" he said in full reverence.

"Stop it, you weirdo" she giggled.

Eve turned to leave, but not before leaving him with a few more words.

"Hey, meet me later after school. I wanna introduce you to the Team" she said.

"The team?" Matthew asked blindly as he savored his cola, until it quickly dawned on him "Ohhh, THE Team. Yeah, of course! I'll be there!"

"Great!" she said, "See you out front later!"

****

School ended after a few hours and Matthew was getting ready to go meet up with Eve when he received a message from an unknown number.

[Hey there, Superboy! Nice work on those freaks yesterday. I'm impressed. You just got yourself your first fan⚡]

Matthew narrowed down the possible senders to one almost immediately after seeing that lightning emoji, but he needed to be sure.

[Umm, who's this? How did you get my number?]

The reply came just a second later.

[I asked for it when you went all white knight and saved my ass from the Eruptor. Not that I'm complaining though, I appreciate watching you work 😉]

With the confirmation, Matthew finally smiled.

[Throwbolt? I'm surprised you reached out first. I was just thinking about you earlier]

[Been busy, it isn't easy being a college student/part-time superhero you know. But I have free time now, so wanna hang out?]

Matthew began walking towards the main entrance while texting. Realizing that the woman was a college girl and older than him didn't even faze his interest. Though he would have to come clean about it soon.

[I can't, not right now anyway. Already have plans going on. But I'll be happy to talk to you later tonight]

The response was slower this time.

[Yeah, sure. Call me later?]

[I definitely will, trust me. I wouldn't dare miss it]

[We'll see about that. See you then!]

Matthew slid his phone into his pocket with a sly smile, already excited for tonight.

He exited the school and was immediately greeted by Mark, who was waving at him. Matthew felt a bit relieved that his brother's mood was better now, though that led the question of who was responsible for it up for questioning.

"Hey" Mark said as Matthew approached, "I heard from Eve, are you also excited about it?"

The question of 'who' was immediately answered. A small smirk grew from his mouth.

"Oh, yeah. But my opinion on one of them in particular has already been made and all I can say is that I don't like the guy" Matthew said.

"Speaking of Eve though..." Matthew let his words fall as he wiggled his eyebrows.

"W-what are you doing?" Mark moved himself back.

"Oh, don't give me that shit. You guys talked, right?" Matthew asked.

"Yeah. So?" Mark replied.

"What did you talk about?" Matthew's smirk grew to a small grin.

"Just some...personal stuff. Nothing else" Mark replied.

"Right. So you somehow just magically tore yourself out of your mood to finally talk to me after being silent for the last 8 hours and you're telling me that Eve Wilkins had nothing to do with it?" Matthew pointed out.

Mark wanted to argue but then somebody walked in on their conversation.

Eve Wilkins gave the twin boys a smile, "Hey guys. You ready?"

"Speak of the devil. We were just talking about you!" Matthew wore an evil grin as he greeted Eve, his eyes focused to the side and at Mark.

Mark ignored his brother's obvious teasing and nodded to her, "We're ready".

"Let's go" Eve walked ahead and guided the two out.

Mark finally elbowed Matthew on his side out of annoyance afterwards. They changed out into their hero customes at a hidden section nearby and flew off towards their destination.

****

Matthew felt like a third wheel as he flew behind his brother and Eve.

The two flew close to each other despite Mark's occasional failure to maneuver himself through sharp turns and sudden rises. He even managed to somehow overshoot his momentum, resulting in a hole through billboard. Yet somehow, that just made the resulting tease from Eve make the whole thing naturally playful.

He didn't like the feeling of it, but he kept his mouth shut and let them be. He didn't want to 'fuck things up' with his brother's mood and potential relationship by complaining.

Eve finally guided them to a support pillar in one of New York's many bridges, landing at the very top as she waited for both boys. Matthew arrived first, followed by Mark.

Matthew stared at the panoramic view around him in appreciation before focusing his attention to Eve.

"Now what?" he asked.

"Wait for it" Eve said.

The metal floor where they stood shook then depressed a few inches down, then opened up to reveal a large space inside. The trio fell slowly into the secret base and landed on a wide empty space. The entire base took up the entire height of the support pillar, divided evenly into 6 open floors with different spaces that served different functions. From the Team's library area to a hanger bay for their hovercycles.

"Cool" Mark commented as his eyes wondered around.

"No kidding. Hiding in plain sight" Matthew agreed, likening to an animated show he saw before where a similar group of teen heroes lived inside a mountain called 'Mount Justice'.

Eve walked ahead, towards the gathered Teen Team who were all engaged in their own activities before they took notice of their new arrivals.

Rex Splode met Eve's approach and opened his arms to receive her, "Babe" he said happily.

Eve eagerly dove in and gave Rex a deep kiss on the lips.

Matthew's eyebrows rose in surprise and disappointment as he whispered to Mark, "Well, that's unfortunate"

"Shut up" Mark whispered back.

The kissing ended as soon as Rex eyed Mark and laughed.

"Oh, hey! It's the iceman" he mocked.

"Rex" Eve softly reprimanded.

"Couldn't have won that fight without you" Rex added in a derisive tone, "Oh! Except we did"

"They got old" one of the three Dupli-Kate's said.

"And ran away" the other added.

The last one looked at Matthew and waved. Matthew returned it with a smile. He liked her. She was nice.

"Still counts" Rex said, sticking by his point.

"Welcome, Superboy and Invincible" Robot's mechanical voice cut through the casual conversation.

"We have not formally met. My name is Robot" Robot said, "My apologies for Rex Splode. He's..."

"Unbelievably awesome" Rex added in proudly.

"Incorrigible" Robot finished with a less than amused tone if he could manage one.

"And rude" Eve piled on.

"And bored of this" Rex waved it all away.

Dupli-Kate walked towards the twin, splitting into 4 and introducing herself to both in pairs. Simultaneously.

""I'm Dupli-Kate"" she said, her voice seemed to echo. Her duplicates standing in front of Superboy gave him a more smiley greeting.

"Invincible" Mark said, his eyes wandering to each duplicate, "Which one of you do I look at when we talk?"

"Nice to meet you again" Matthew said, looking at both as he talked "Formally this time. I hope you guys are okay, I don't know how your powers work exactly but being killed like that must be a bit...difficult"

His words seemed to only make the girl/girls smile even wider, an unintended effect to his simple concern that he wasn't about to correct.

"I'm used to it,  but I appreciate for your concern" the one to Matthew's left said.

"Hey, Robot" Eve called out, "Find anything at the site?"

"The Flaxans come from a dimension with a faster temporal rate" Robot started to explain, "As a result, the tachyons they emit spin more rapidly than our own"

He walked towards the gathered group and motioned to an active console behind them, "I've created this detector to warn us if they return"

"Ah, because we almost missed all the explosions and the screaming and the chaos" Rex blurted.

Matthew looked at the guy incredulously, but said nothing otherwise. The Dupli-Kate's beside him shook their heads.

"It should give us a few minutes of early warning" Robot answered Rex, which ended the annoyed man's replies.

"Cecil and the GDA have also requested to call on us for any possible emergencies given our proximity to likely spots for a recurrence. Since the Guardians are apparently 'indisposed' may we count on you two in the future?" Robot asked the twins.

Matthew just shrugged, "Sure. Happy to help"

Mark, on the other hand, was more hesitant.

"You sure you want my help?" he asked.

Robot didn't speak and just stared at him in silence.

"Yeah, I mean, of course. Just text me, I guess"  Mark fumbled.

"Right. So, who do we give our numbers to?" Matthew stepped in and asked for both of them.

After giving their contact details, the twins enjoyed a short tour around the base before heading out.