The young Samantha Eve Wilkins has just found out that she isn't a normal girl. On the contrary, she has unconsciously transmutated the atoms of her food and discovered that she has one of the most powerful abilities imaginable. Not getting understanding from her father and her mother, who do not know how to deal with it, the young Samatha decides to take things into her own hands and be her own person. She donned a small mask covering her eyes and a pink disk flying through the night sky of New York.
In front of a dog shelter, a van halts, and two men with ski masks step out.
"This is fucked up. Why are we stealing dogs?" the first one asks.
"Because, no one gives a shit about dogs, and they pay for them down at the lab." the second one says. "You need the money or not?"
"I guess. Just seems kinda mean."
"Spay and neuter your pets, man. Not our fault, there are too many."
The two men get to work and load up the first few dogs when Samantha appears from the sky, wearing her mask and descending on a pink disc. But the men don't seem to take her very seriously.
"What the-"
"Dude, I think it's a Powerpuff Girl." the first one says.
"Shut up."
"You shut up."
"Both of you shut up. What are you doing?" Samantha asks.
"None of your business," the second goon says.
"Doesn't look like it's your business either," Samantha says and jumps to the ground, ready for a fight.
But the goon doesn't take her seriously.
"Buzz off, Powerpuff. Come on, we need to get the rest-"
Samantha creates a wall of pink energy, causing the man to walk into it. Seeing the potential in this, she changes the masks they are wearing into metal, making them fall face-first to the ground. Her celebration is interrupted by a voice, though.
"What now?" An old man in a raincoat and with a full, unkept beard stands there looking at her. Are you going to leave them squirming, like turtles on their backs?"
"Don't come any closer," Samantha says.
"Don't worry. I know who you are and what you can do," the man says.
"Who are you?" Samantha asks.
"Maybe we could speak somewhere else?" the old man asks.
"Ever heard of stranger danger? Hard pass, creep," she says.
"I'm not here to hurt you. I just want to talk about where you came from. Where your powers come from."
Samantha is wary of the man, but eventually she agrees to follow him. They make it to Central Park to be alone for a while, without anyone listening in.
"There's no easy way to say this, but... I made you, Samantha," the man tells her.
"I know about the birds and the bees, dude. My parents made me," she answers.
"Adam and Betsy Wilkins are not your real parents," he tells her.
"I'm... adopted? Man, that would explain a lot."
"My name is Dr. Elias Brandyworth. I was the assistant director of the Pentagon's Department of Superhuman Research." Brandyworth says.
"Sure you were. And now, you eat out of dumpsters?" she asks skeptically.
"Yes. Yeah. To stay off the grid. To protect you. You were one of my projects, Samantha. A superhero with almost limitless potential, made after the inspiration of another superhero, but under the control of the US Military." Brandyworth explains.
"You're crazy. I'm leaving." Samantha says and creates a disk to fly off.
"You can see molecules. Turn paper into stone. Feel the chemical components of the world in your bones. But you can't change people or animals. Never people or animals. I hid you with your parents when I realised I couldn't trust the people I worked with, and how cruel your life with them would be." Brandyworth tells Samantha.
"Then, why come find me now?"
"Because of your powers. The military thinks you're dead. If they discover you're not, they will come for you... But not just them. The one who I took inspiration from, the one who inspired your creation in the first place... You must stop using your powers."
"What? No, I can do things that matter. I can help people." Samantha says.
"I'm begging you not to. Samantha-" Brandyworth says, but is interrupted by another voice.
"Would you look at that... the Sentry inspired you, Brandyworth. Imagine that."
Samantha turns around and sees another man standing behind her without having heard or felt anything. She is surprised and jumps back in fright. Brandyworth suddenly gets really excited and scared for some reason.
"Go! Samantha, go now! I'll hold him off!" Brandyworth shouts and starts attacking the man.
Not knowing what to do, Samantha does as he says and flies away. After she leaves, Brandyworth realises just how much pain he is in right now, from punching Robert, who hasn't moved a millimetre.
"Are you done?"
"You can't have her, she is innocent!" Brandyworth
*Slap*
Robert slaps Brandyworth and gets him to stop the nonsense.
"What are you doing, you idiot? Why would I be interested in the girl?" Robert asks.
"I-... I... I made her after the powers of the Sentry."
"I am aware of that. But you gave her inhibitors to stop her from affecting humans and animals. But why are you so adamant that I don't find out about her? Are you afraid that you found out about my powers? Or that you found out who I am? I wasn't hiding, Brandyworth."
"..."
"What you should be worried about is how you rewarded my generosity," Robert says, getting serious.
"I... I..."
"I took you in, gave you a job at the hospital and allowed you to study and learn. And after having an idea, you run off and offer your services to the US Military, all for the fact that you get to experiment on a woman."
"You would never have allowed me to do it," Brandyworth says.
"Please, don't make any excuses. You were eager to develop something on your own and didn't care about the ethical problems at all. You got lucky because she needed the money. She was special, and your experiment killed her. That was your mistake, and you will have to live with that burden, Brandyworth. You will have to tell her daughter as well."
"You knew? How did you know? I tried so long to keep off the radar, to escape your notice."
"Don't be ridiculous. Of course, I knew."
"Then why? WHY?!" Brandyworth cries.
"Why what?"
"Why didn't you save her? Why didn't you help her when she was giving birth? You could have saved her. I know you could." Brandyworth has started crying.
"I was surprised that you managed to find someone so quickly, but after seeing that she wasn't being forced in the slightest, I stopped watching and had you go through with it. You have the problem that you fell in love with her and couldn't handle her death. But as I said, that's for you to bear. If you had come to me, we might have been able to find Polly and make sure she survived. Your arrogance and greed killed her." Robert says.
Brandyworth is crying, thinking about Polly, the woman who was supposed to be the one who gave birth to his creation, but became the one he loved. Her death hit him hard, and he did everything to protect Samantha by staying hidden and watching her from a distance.
"What will you do?" Brandyworth asks.
"What I have always been doing. I'll fix it. Adam and Betsy Wilkins are not open-minded people. They don't understand her and will never try to do that. She is weird to them and will never fit in. It was hard for her until now, and it won't get any easier. It would seem she has already lost a friend because she showed her powers. That won't happen in my school." Robert tells the old man.
"No, no, no! Leave Samantha alone! You can't take her away!" he shouts and tries to attack Robert again.
But Robert grabs the man by the jaw, placing his hand over his mouth and lifts him up.
"I have been very, very lenient with you. This is the last time we will speak, Brandyworth." Robert says and drops the old man, disappearing right after that.
.
A few days later, Samantha is out on patrol again and is alerted by a car accident on a bridge. She tries to instruct the Police officers, but they only listen after she saves them from a car being thrown at them. Four abominations stare at Samantha in anger, while the young girl is about to face her first true challenge. She is attacked and manages to defend herself rather well, fighting the fleshy abominations while doing everything she can to avoid having them harm her.
High in the atmosphere, the Sentry observes the fight on the highway and watches as the first of the four siblings slowly dissolves. No emotion is visible on his face, but disgust is what he feels deep within. Disgust and anger that someone would create something like that and torture the poor children that way. With but a thought, he makes sure that the poor soul doesn't die just yet, but stays out of the fight.
"What's happening?" Samantha asks.
"She's dying. It's hard for us. We're not perfect like you," the eldest boy tells Samantha.
"Who are you?" she asks.
"You don't know?" the boy asks. "I have to speak for our siblings. They never were long enough out of their tanks to learn how to talk."
"'Our' siblings?" Samantha asks.
"You're phase 1, I'm phase 2, phase 3, phase 4 and phase 5... Each attempt was less successful than the last. But all one big happy family," the boy says.
"Okay, so... you're less good versions of me. Then this... should be easy." Samantha says and gets ready for the fight.
The three siblings attack Samantha. They are fuelled with anger, while Samantha is fuelled by the desire to prove herself and to do what's right. She shows her skill and uses her powers remarkably. She is assaulted by the three and manages to unleash a wave of pure power to get them off of her, while shooting into the sky. As a result of this, another one of her siblings, Phase 4, falls to the ground and starts to dissolve.
"Look what you're doing!" the eldest shouts.
"What am I doing? I didn't start this. I don't even want to do this." Samantha says.
"Then maybe you should stop," another voice says.
Samantha turns around to find the Sentry floating next to her. She recognises the man immediately.
"You?! What are you-... wait, you are..."
*Gasp*
"..." The eldest boy looks at the Sentry in awe.
He has seen pictures of the Sentry and has heard the scientists speak about him for years now, and knows who he is and what he can do. They were supposed to be like her sister, like Samantha, but in truth, they were supposed to be like the Sentry. Anger, great rage starts to cloud his mind, and he grabs a large motor with his body. He hurls it towards the Sentry and Samantha, but it turns into butterflies before it can hit him.
*pooff*
The butterflies fly all around the area, and one even sits on the boy's head, calming him down somewhat. Sentry descends slowly and stands in front of him, towering over him, and giving off a powerful and intimidating presence. But then, he touches the young man on the shoulder.
"I am truly sorry for what you had to go through, young man. Why don't you sleep for a while? I'll take care of you and your siblings in the meantime." Sentry says and makes the young boy fall asleep.
Sentry then turns to the others and touches each one, giving them a fixed form but not truly fixing them yet. He turns to Samantha and smiles gently.
"Would you like to care for your brothers and sister for a while?" he asks her.
"Uh... yes..."
"Good. Create four cradles to transport them." he instructs her and then lays the siblings inside them.
"And what now?" she asks.
"Now, you transport them to Reynolds' School and Home for Extraordinaries. They will take care of you and your siblings. I shall meet you there."
"You're not coming now? Are... are you truly the Sentry?" she asks.
"Yes, child. I will see you later, now I have someone else to meet."
"Can I come? I can help," she says.
"I don't doubt that. But this is not for young eyes to see." Sentry says and shoots into the sky with a powerful sonic boom.
Samantha looks at the disappearing Sentry in awe.
"Wooow... so coool..."