Escanor POV
It was closing time at my bar, and I was just finishing up some cleaning when I heard a knock at the back door. I wiped my hands on a towel and headed over. When I opened it, there stood Molly and Gert—and a few more kids with them.
"Molly, Gert," I said, surprised but pleased. "Glad you two came back. And I'm guessing these are the friends you mentioned? So… you all talked it over? You want to accept my deal?"
A boy stepped forward. Looked about the same age as Molly and Gert. White kid, brown hair with streaks of dirty blonde at the top. He didn't look suspicious—just cautious.
"Yeah… we're willing to accept," he said. "But honestly, it sounds too good to be true. Why would you do this? What's really in it for you?"
I smiled gently, leaning against the doorframe.
"You mean besides a cleaner bar and a few extra helping hands?" I said. "Truth is, I just want to help. I know what it's like, living on the streets. I ran away from home a long time ago. My parents… well, let's just say they stopped caring after something happened. I only made it out because of two good friends—people who believed in me when no one else did."
As I said it, I couldn't help but think of Meliodas and Merlin. Two people who gave me a path when I had nothing.
The kids all exchanged glances. Quiet communication passed between them, subtle nods, looks of uncertainty that slowly turned into something like trust. Then, finally, the boy spoke again.
"…Alright. You've got yourself a deal. We'll work for you."
I smiled brighter. "Glad to hear it. Come on in. But first, I'll cook something up for you. Can't work on an empty stomach."
They followed me up into my apartment above the bar. It was modest, but clean and warm. I motioned toward the table.
"Make yourselves comfortable," I said. They all sat, a little tense but grateful.
I walked into the kitchen, pulling out ingredients from the fridge and pantry. As I started prepping the food, I called out:
"So—since I'm Escanor, and you've already figured that out—I think it's only fair you tell me your names."
A few beats passed, then one by one, they answered.
"Alex," said a Black boy with glasses.
"Nico," said the quiet Asian girl with sharp eyes.
"Karolina," said a blonde girl with a kind but distant look.
"Chase," said the boy who had done most of the talking earlier.
I nodded to each name, committing them to memory as I turned back to the stove.
"Nice to meet you all. And welcome. Let's see if we can make this little arrangement work—for all of us."
Ed POV
It had been a couple of hours, and Daisy and Cal were still talking—nonstop. Honestly, I almost didn't want to interrupt them. They deserved this time together. But I needed to speak with Jiaying, and I couldn't afford to wait around much longer.
I walked up to them.
"Sorry to interrupt," I said, keeping my tone calm and respectful, "but I need to speak with Jiaying. Do you know how to get in contact with her or where she's located?"
Cal hesitated but answered anyway. "Yes, I know where she is… but I think it's best if we set up a meeting. It'll take about a week to get word to her."
"Can we speed that up?" I asked. "I've got some pretty advanced tech at my other base."
"If I use any unfamiliar method, she might not believe it's really from me. I need to send the message the usual way—one she'll trust," Cal explained.
"Alright. Do you need me to teleport you somewhere?"
"Yes—back to the place you found me. That's where my old laptop is. I can send the message from there."
I noticed he didn't call it a gang hideout. Clearly didn't want Daisy to know too much yet. Fine—I wouldn't push it.
"Okay. I'll teleport Daisy to my main base, and we'll go get the laptop."
"Wait—what? Why can't I come?" Daisy asked, clearly not a fan of being left behind.
"It'll just be easier this way," I said. "Besides, I figured you'd want to check out my main base. We've got some AIs there—I thought you might be interested in them. Plus, there's really nothing worth seeing at his old hideout. It's dusty, worn down—we're just grabbing his laptop, sending the message, and jumping back. You two won't be apart for long."
Her eyes lit up at the mention of AIs, and she nodded, buying the half-truth. Good.
"And don't worry," I added, "I'll teleport your van to the base later."
She gave her dad a tight hug and then walked through the portal I opened.
After she was gone, Cal looked at me.
"Thank you," he said quietly.
"No problem," I replied. "But a word of advice—secrets don't stay buried forever. When the time feels right… tell her everything."
He nodded. He understood.
I opened another portal, and the two of us stepped through, arriving back at his old hideout. The place was just like I left it—run-down, quiet. Luckily, there were no cops or gang members around. Seemed like the building had been abandoned since I cleared it out.
Cal found his laptop. Thing looked ancient.
He powered it on, typed for a few minutes, and sent the message to his wife.
"I found our daughter—with some help. He wants to talk to you."
Now, all we had to do was wait.
After everything was done, I teleported us to my main base. We appeared in the briefing room.
"Take a seat," I said. "There's some stuff I want to talk to you about."
Cal nodded and sat down. I sat across from him, elbows resting on the table.
"Here's the thing—I know everything you've done. I know you've killed people. I know about the super-drug you made—the one that basically turns you into a super soldier but messes with your mind, makes you angry and unstable. That ends now. You're going to stop using it."
"You don't have to tell me twice," Cal said quietly. "Now that I've found my daughter, I'd rather she never sees me like that."
"I also know you only did all of this because of her. Because you wanted your family back. But the truth is—you still caused a lot of damage."
"I know," he said, lowering his head. "And if you want me to go to jail, I'm fine with that. I just want the chance to reunite with my family first. Once I know they're safe, I'll gladly turn myself in."
He wasn't lying. I could see it—his soul, his intent. He meant every word.
"That's an interesting thought," I said. "Because I've actually been considering something else… something different. What if, instead of prison, you stayed here—redeemed yourself—and stayed with your family?"
He looked stunned. "What?"
"You wouldn't be the first scientist to surprise me. And definitely not the first one who did terrible things out of love. there's a man named Victor here he's different. He's a public figure. The world knows what he did. Even after I cure him, I have to send him back to Gotham to face justice. People need closure. They deserve it."
I leaned back slightly, watching Cal's reaction.
"But you? You're basically a ghost. No one's really looking for you. So I'm giving you a chance to stay here—to try and make up for what you've done. Not for me. For Daisy. For your wife. For yourself."
Cal didn't say anything at first. His hands were clenched, trembling slightly.
"I… I don't know what to say," he finally whispered.
"Then don't say anything yet. Just prove it. One day at a time."
"Tex," I called out.
She appeared in a flash. "Yeah?"
"Is Church giving her the tour like I asked?"
"Yeah, he is. They're in the cafeteria now. And I gotta say—it's kinda hilarious how she reacted to Ice Bear."
"Okay, first—if you have a picture, send it to me. And second, take Cal to Daisy."
"No problem, boss." She gave a quick salute and walked out of the briefing room with Cal following behind.
Now all I had to do was wait a week for Jiaying. That was fine—I'd waited longer for less. In the meantime, I had something else to deal with… something purple.
I got up and teleported straight to the hotel where Kilgrave was holed up. He was staying in the top floor penthouse. I landed quietly on the balcony. The sliding glass door wasn't even locked. Bold move.
I opened it and stepped inside. There he was—the Purple Man—surrounded by women like some kind of twisted king. Two bodyguards stood at the door, and I could sense more stationed just outside. He didn't even notice me at first, too busy being a creep.
"You know," I said, breaking the silence, "you're probably one of the most disgusting human beings I've ever come across."
He froze mid-kiss and slowly turned his head toward me. And yep—he looked exactly like my favorite Doctor… but purple. That somehow made me hate him even more.
"Arsenal," he said with a smirk. "The new hero I keep hearing about. I have to admit, I'm surprised you're here. Or even know about me. But this is good… having you as my tool could be very useful. Come here. Let me get a closer look—and take off that ridiculous helmet."
"Yeah… fuck you. My helmet's not ridiculous."
The second I said that, I saw the surprise flicker in his eyes. Fear. His powers weren't working on me.
He opened his mouth, probably to command everyone to attack me, but I used my telekinesis to slam it shut.
"Not gonna happen," I growled. "You'll never use your power to control anyone again, you sick waste of skin."
I yanked him across the room with my telekinesis, grabbed him by the throat, and squeezed until he passed out cold.
I teleported back to the base, dumping him straight into one of our most secure cells. He was going to die—but not today. First, I needed to know exactly how many people he hurt. How many lives he ruined. How many innocent people he might've framed.
"Your death will come," I muttered, glaring through the reinforced glass. "But not today, bastard."
I gave Eta and Iota strict orders to monitor him around the clock. His cell had special filtration to neutralize his pheromones—air could enter, but none could leave. There was no escape. Not from me.