MUTOSTERONE

After a frustrating search through the filthy, garbage-strewn alleys of Ashmere, Professor Langley and Seraphina finally caught sight of their slippery little thief—Blink—standing casually atop a mountain of trash, arms crossed, looking as smug as ever.

"Well, well, well… you two again? Persistent, aren't we?" Blink smirked, tossing Seraphina's bag up and down like a ball.

Seraphina cracked her knuckles, veins practically glowing with frustration. "Alright, you teleporting cockroach, playtime's OVER."

Before Blink could react, she snapped her fingers, and—BOOM!—a shimmering energy barrier sprang up around him, forming an impenetrable force-field prison.

She grinned. "Gotcha."

Blink blinked. Looked around. Looked at her. Then grinned back. "Hah! Cute trick."

Then—POOF. He teleported outside the prison in an instant.

Seraphina's smile vanished. "WHAT?!"

Before she could react—WHACK. Blink's fist gently bopped the top of her head. "You were saying?" he teased.

Seraphina lunged again, fingers glowing as she summoned another energy cage. "YOU WON'T ESCAPE THIS ONE!"

POOF. He appeared right behind her. BONK. Another light punch to her head. Seraphina froze, trembling in sheer disbelief.

"Are you SERIOUS?!" She turned around and tried again. This time, she made a dozen barriers, a maze of shimmering energy walls to trap him inside.

Blink just smirked. "Nice effort!"

POOF. Gone. Before she could react—BOP. A punch to the shoulder. "GOTCHA AGAIN!"

"AAAAARRRGHHH!!" She whipped around, flailing her arms, only for Blink to vanish and appear behind her once more.

BOP.

"Oops! Missed me!"

"STAY STILL, YOU LITTLE—!!"

She tried throwing a blast of energy. Blink sidestepped like he was dodging a slow-motion punch.

"Oof, so close!"

"STAND STILL SO I CAN KICK YOUR—!!"

POOF. He teleported five feet away, hands on his hips, watching her like a teacher watching a tantrum-throwing student.

"Wow, for a big shot, you sure miss a lot. Maybe you should—"

Seraphina didn't let him finish. SHE JUMPED AT HIM. "YOU'RE MINEEEE!!"

POOF.

She face-planted straight into a pile of garbage. The sound of Blink wheezing with laughter filled the alley.

"HAAAHAAAHAA!! OH MY GOD, THAT WAS PERFECT!"

Seraphina, now covered in mystery sludge, potato peels, and something that smelled disturbingly like expired fish, lifted her head slowly, her eye twitching violently.

"…Professor."

Langley, who had been watching this entire debacle with deep amusement, simply adjusted his glasses.

"Yes, Seraphina?"

"KILL. HIM."

Blink was still laughing his skinny little butt off, wiping a tear from his eye as Seraphina fumed like an active volcano.

"Oh man, you are the BEST entertainment I've had all week!" he cackled. "I mean, you really thought you could—"

Then he froze. His laughter cut off abruptly like someone had hit the pause button. His eyes widened. His body tensed.

A sudden sharp pain shot through his skull—like an invisible hand had gripped his brain. Blink clutched his head, groaning. "Ugh… wh-what the hell?!"

Professor Langley stood calmly, two fingers pressed against his temple, eyes locked on Blink with an eerie focus.

"Enough games, young man," Langley's voice echoed inside Blink's mind—not loud, not aggressive, just… firm. That was worse than shouting.

Blink staggered, his knees wobbling. His usual cocky smirk vanished, replaced with the guilty expression of a child caught stealing cookies. "H-Hey—! What is this?! Let me go! Are you telepath?!" he blurted out, genuinely panicked.

Seraphina, now grinning like a demon who just found a new victim, brushed some leftover garbage off her shoulder and cracked her knuckles.

"Oh, you poor little teleporting rat. You just picked a fight with the BEST of his type."

Blink gulped.

Seraphina took a step forward.

"W-Wait—! Let's talk about—"

BAM!

Her fist crashed right into his face. Blink collapsed like a sack of potatoes, rolling off the garbage pile and landing flat on his back.

Seraphina dusted her hands off. "Hah. Finally gotcha."

Professor Langley sighed, releasing Blink from his mental grip. "That was unnecessary."

Seraphina beamed. "Oh, I KNOW. But it felt GREAT."

Professor Langley crouched down, observing Blink like a scientist studying a rare specimen—except his gaze wasn't cold or calculating. It was curious, even kind.

"What's your real name, son?"

Blink, still rubbing his aching jaw, snorted. "Why should I tell you?"

Langley didn't blink. "Because I asked nicely."

Blink exhaled sharply, rolling his eyes like a rebellious teenager caught sneaking out past curfew.

"Tch. It's Kai. Kai Vex." He spat out the name like it didn't matter, but there was a hint of something—a weight, a history—behind it.

"And where do you come from, Kai?"

Blink—Kai—tilted his head, staring past Langley, past the garbage, past the slums of Ashmere, as if looking back into a memory he didn't want to relive.

"Nowhere worth remembering, old man. Just another hole people like me crawl out of."

Langley nodded, absorbing the response without pushing. "And others like you?"

Kai hesitated. For a moment, his usual cocky mask slipped. Then, almost reluctantly, he muttered, "Yeah. There are others. Plenty."

Langley stood up. He had what he needed.

Kai dusted himself off, turning away. "Anyway, fun talk, but I got better things to do than play Q&A with government pawns."

He took one step—And Seraphina's hand clamped down on his shoulder.

Kai stiffened. Slowly, he turned his head. "What?" His voice was guarded now, his usual smug confidence tainted with suspicion. "You guys want me to join up with your little 'good mutant' squad? Maybe register like a nice little obedient pet?" He scoffed. "Not happening."

Seraphina's lips curled into a smirk. "Damn right, kid."

Professor Langley stepped closer, his presence calm but undeniable, like a storm that never needed to roar to be feared. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small, sleek card.

Without a word, he held it out. Kai hesitated. His fingers twitched. Then, with a quick, almost reluctant swipe, he took the card.

"In case you ever need it," Langley said simply.

Kai scoffed, twirling the card between his fingers. "Yeah, sure. I'll totally call if I ever need a bedtime story."

Langley only smiled faintly before turning away. Seraphina followed, but not before giving Kai a mocking salute. "Try not to get punched again, kid."

Kai muttered something under his breath, but they were already walking toward the car.

The engine roared to life, and the sleek black vehicle began to pull away from the slums of Ashmere.

Kai remained standing there, alone, watching as the car disappeared down the cracked, littered road.

His fingers tightened around the business card. Then—BLINK. A sudden whoosh of displaced air.

Seraphina barely had time to react before a familiar lean figure materialized beside her in the passenger seat, arms folded, legs kicked up on the dashboard.

"So, where's my room?"

Seraphina's head snapped toward him.

"WHAT THE—?!"

Kai gave her a lazy grin.

"So, you're taking that as a yes, huh?"

Langley, without missing a beat, simply smiled and kept driving. Find another one, Next.... There will be more to join A-Team.