The engine hummed steadily beneath the hood, a low and calming sound as Kevin's car cruised along the quiet stretch of road. Trees blurred past on either side, mingling with the silhouettes of houses in the evening light. In the back seat, Ben sat slouched and thoughtful. Gwen, of course, couldn't resist stirring the pot.
"We can't rule out the possibility that you're part alien, right?" she asked, flashing Ben a sideways glance. Her tone was casual, but the excitement in her expression was unmistakable, barely restrained. She was clearly thrilled by the idea that he might not be completely normal—just like her.
Truthfully, even Ben wasn't sure. He didn't know exactly how the Son of Rob had given him his powers. Had his DNA been rewritten? Or were the abilities simply granted, with no actual change to his biology? He quickly dismissed that last idea.
There was no way his body could handle what he could do without having changed to accommodate it in one way or form. Something in him was different now. Unmistakably.
Gwen's gaze lingered on him, her expression oddly serene. She had worried about her own alien origin—but the root of that worry wasn't just about her identity. It was about how he would react. She'd been afraid he'd be repulsed.
To her surprise, he hadn't been.
In fact, not long after she confessed her truth, Ben had revealed his own. He had powers—more than one—and that only made the likelihood of his own alien heritage stronger. The idea that they might both be aliens clearly excited her.
Possibilities danced through her mind—both innocent and... less so. Future moments, shared experiences, even the thought of them together.
Her cheeks flushed a soft pink as the images played out in her head, and her eyes shifted briefly to where Ben's arm rested between them.
For a split second, the idea of reaching out, of touching him, crossed her mind. But it passed as quickly as it came.
Then Kevin shattered the quiet.
"What if he is?" Kevin groaned from the driver's seat, glancing at them through the rearview mirror with a dry look, clearly annoyed. "Big deal."
Gwen rolled her eyes, annoyed by his sudden interruption. She leaned back in her seat, folding her arms with a small huff. "It is a big deal, Kevin. This could explain a lot."
"Yeah, right," Kevin replied, similarly rolling his eye.
Ben grinned as the bickering flared. "Kevin, buddy… if you're jealous, just say so. I mean, it must sting, watching me rock the 'handsome alien powerhouse' look while you're stuck with 'grumpy gremlin.' It's okay. No shame," he teased, flashing a smug grin.
Kevin's eye twitched, his grip tightening on the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. "Jealous? Of you?" He snorted. "Please."
Ben leaned forward slightly. "I can fly, Kevin."
For just a heartbeat, there was no retort. No comeback. Just the hard stare of a man internally screaming into the void. His eyes locked with Ben's in the mirror. Pure glare. Ben met it head-on, his smirk not budging an inch.
From beside him, Gwen let out a groan. "Seriously? You two again?"
She looked between them with a mix of exhaustion and disbelief. Arms crossed, brow furrowed—classic referee mode. The moment she stepped in, the match ended.
As the silence settled, Ben leaned back into his seat. The road kept unspooling ahead, but his thoughts drifted somewhere darker.
A memory replayed—one he had been ignoring but couldn't shake. Bodies—bodies of Earth's strongest heroes, broken, bleeding, mangled. It was a slaughter. Their killer? A man draped in white and red. A symbol of strength, revere, and respect—the best of heroes turned executioner. Omni-Man.
He hadn't just slaughtered them. He had done it without showing mercy, remorse—just sheer brutality.
Even before his memories returned, Ben had always felt something off about that man. A chill beneath the surface. Now, he knew why.
Then there was Mark Grayson. Omni-Man's son. Ben had seen him around school a couple of time. Quiet kid. Unassuming. But blood doesn't lie. Once he awakened his powers, he ran the possibility of going rogue under his father's influence.
Deep in thought, he hadn't noticed the car coming to a halt. Gwen had to step in.
"Ben… hey, we're here."
Gwen's voice snapped Ben out of his thoughts. He blinked rapidly, gave his head a small shake, and looked around, like shaking off a dream.
"Already?" he muttered, glancing out the window. Kevin's car was idling in front of Ben's house. In the driver's seat, Kevin leaned back, his eyes flicking to Ben with subtle annoyance. Subtle enough that Gwen could pretend not to notice—though she definitely did. She just didn't say anything.
"You okay?" Gwen asked, tilting her head slightly as she studied his face. She knew him too well. The silence, the faraway look—it wasn't like him.
Ben hesitated for a second, then shrugged. "It's nothing. Just… thinking about what all this means, you know? Having powers. What we're supposed to do with them."
Gwen was quiet for a moment, her expression thoughtful. A flicker of something passed through her eyes. The idea of being a hero—of actually helping people—crossed her mind, sparking a quiet kind of excitement. But she tucked the thought away for later.
"I get it," she said. "But… let's not get too deep into that now. I'm already flirting with curfew."
Ben chuckled. "Right. Almost forgot about the almighty curfew. Your parents are like… military strict."
"Yeah, tell me about it," Gwen sighed, rolling her eyes. "I swear, one minute late and I'm getting the full lecture."
Ben opened the door and stepped out, closing it gently behind him. He leaned down slightly, smirking at Gwen through the window. "Later, Gwen. See ya, Kev."
"Tch." Kevin didn't answer. Instead, he stomped the gas, tires screeching as the car took off. Ben watched it disappear down the street, his smile fading with it.
He turned toward the house, keys dangling in hand. As he stepped inside, a familiar sound greeted him—the low hum of the TV, rapid button clicks, and the comforting buzz of home. His senses picked up the details sharper than usual, every sound and shadow a little more defined. He took a breath, let the weird feeling pass, then walked in.
Upon entry, he spotted his mom sprawled across the couch, wrapped in her favorite red robe, her hair tossed into a lazy bun. The TV flicked through channels as she scrolled with the remote, half-watching, half-looking for something better.
He hovered for a second, letting the normalcy wash over him before breaking the silence.
"I'm home," he called, stepping into the living room.
"Welcome back, sweetheart," she said warmly, barely glancing up at first. Then she looked at the time on her phone and raised an eyebrow. "Mmhmm. Took your time, Care to explain?"
There was no edge to her voice. Just curiosity and that mom-level intuition that always saw too much.
Ben rubbed the back of his neck. "I was just hanging out with Gwen and Kevin. Nothing much."
His mom's lips curved into a knowing smile at the mention of a familiar name. "Ah, Gwen," she said, like the name itself answered every question. Kevin might as well have been invisible.
"So," she added, eyes twinkling, "did you finally ask her out?"
Ben groaned, rolling his eye exasperatedly. "Moooom…"
"Beeeen," she sing-songed, totally unfazed. "Is it a yes or no?"
"No. Not yet," he mumbled, staring at a spot on the wall.
She sighed dramatically, folding her arms with disappointment. "You're hopeless. At this rate, that Kevin guy is gonna swoop in while you're busy waiting for the right time."
Ben rolled his eyes. "Kevin's not like that."
She rolled her eye, sighing deeply, before she decided it was time to finally intervene. "Okay, how about this—we haven't had the Davis in a while. How about movie night this Friday? Just us the Tennysons and Davis, a mountain of snacks and way too much soda."
Ben hesitated, thinking it through before finally resigning with a sigh. "Yeah… that sounds good."
"Good," she said with a nod, her smile widening. "Just don't miss your chance before it's too late—or you might regret it," she added, her tone playful but with a hint of seriousness. Then she leaned back into the couch, grabbing the remote and flipping through channels with casual ease.
"Don't worry, I won't," Ben murmured under his breath as he walked into the kitchen.
"Dinner's in the fridge," his mother called out from the living room without taking her eyes off the screen.
Ben gave a small nod, even though she couldn't see it, and opened the fridge carefully. He'd nearly forgotten how much his strength had changed lately—what used to be an easy tug now required precise control. He was still adjusting, but thankfully, it was becoming easier with each passing moment.
"Where's Dad?" he asked, pulling out the leftover pasta wrapped neatly in foil.
"Upstairs," she replied simply.
"Right," Ben muttered, more to himself than to her, as he set the pasta on the counter and began searching for a plate. He was in a rush. He had awakened numerous abilities, yet he hadn't had the chance to test any of them. He had to at least experiment a little.