Villain Retirement

"The other… themarian?"

The wind that was violently snapping Caitlain's long white gown withered away, almost literally as her hair and clothes slowly started to settle and calm down. She noticed this, of course, but her eyes were completely locked on to the mysterious human floating ever so calm in front of her.

Mysterious, eerily so.

"You spoke my language," Caitlain looked at Riley from head to toe, "But you're not a themarian. You are not exactly human either."

"I am not, Dr. Caitlain'Ur," Riley shook his head, "I am—Why is it doing that?"

Caitlain looked Riley in the eyes for a few seconds, before looking down to where she was pointing — only to see a red light blinking and reflecting on her white gown. It was the collar attached around her neck, blinking and beeping at the same time.

"The humans are trying to control me," Caitlain shrugged before casually snapping the collar off, "At least they thought they were. The technology in this world is still primitive, it was interesting to see how they react…

…Who are you?"

"My name is Riley Ross," Riley bowed his head, "Bernard Ross and Diana Ross's adopted son, Dr. Caitlain'Ur."

"Am I supposed to know who they are?" Caitlain squinted her eyes.

"No."

"You seem to know a lot about me," Caitlain then looked down toward the balcony. And as she saw Hera trying to help and calm Miller down, she could not help but tilt her head to the side, "She is human, but I sense a different energy from her. Who are you two? Are you from the Common Council?"

"The Common Council exists here, Dr. Caitlain'Ur?" Riley placed his hand on his chin.

"Here? You're not from the Common Council," Caitlain's eyes squinted even further as she very slowly floated closer to Riley, "What do you mean 'exists here'? Why did you term it like—"

"!!!"

And before Caitlain could finish her words, a loud explosion boomed in the air and she found herself covered in fire and smoke. The helicopters that were just recovering from the turbulence she set off, once again trying their best not to fall.

Caitlain, however, just had her palm slightly raised as bits and pieces of what seemed to be shards of metal disintegrated and fall from it. She then looked up, her eyes reflecting the fighter jet that just passed by them.

Her eyes once again lit up, but no gush of light escaped from them. Only a groan from her mouth as she coughed.

"You are weaker, Dr. Caitlain," Riley tilted his head as he looked at Caitlain's flushed face.

"Self-punishment. It doesn't matter," Caitlain shook her head, "This planet and the people in it are still too weak to stop me, but they will try now that they know I am not actually in their control — to the point they disregard the safety of their own kind. But they get to live, while my kind does not."

"You are not the only one that has failed to rescue her people, Dr. Caitlain'Ur," Riley let out a small but deep sigh.

"Have you lost your people too?"

"No, I meant you, Dr. Caitlain," Riley blinked a couple of times, "The other versions of you have also failed to save her people."

"Other versions—" Caitlain's eyes turned incredibly wide as she looked Riley in the eyes. She then glanced at Hera again, "The multiverse theory."

"Not a theory, Dr. Caitlain."

"You're from another universe," Caitlain pointed at Riley. A small awkward smile, slowly forming on her face, "But what do you mean my other versions also failed to save our people? Does that mean… I'm not truly meant to save them?"

"There are others who succeeded," Riley shrugged, "But I have not had the pleasure of meeting them yet, Dr. Caitlain. Follow me, we have something to discuss with you."

"Wait," and as Riley started to descend back to the balcony, Caitlain grabbed his arm, "When you said the other themarian, who else were you expecting to find?"

"Megawoman, Dr. Caitlain," Riley breathed out, "Aerith."

"Aerith… Princess Aerith…? You also know her?" Caitlain's eyes once again widened as she followed Riley to the balcony, "What is your relationship with her?"

"It is complicated, Dr. Caitlain. I am her lover, but she is not mine."

"What?"

"But she kissed me, but we have not really had the time to talk about that since everything is messy."

"The princess kissed you…?" Caitlain could not be more shocked as she stared at Riley's back, "Wait, then who am I to you?"

"No one important, Dr. Caitlain," Riley just waved his hand as he landed back on the balcony, "I have more things to tell and explain to you, and whether or not you help us or not will be up to you."

"..." Caitlain did not really say anything and just continued to follow Riley. Before she followed him inside the suite, however, her eyes landed on Miller, who was hyperventilating on the floor as he tried his best to calm down.

"I know you," Caitlain pointed at him, "You were there when the humans were passing me around."

"You… you saw me?"

"From afar," Caitlain looked back and forth between Riley and Miller, "I suppose it is because of you that these two came to know of my existence on this planet. Fate truly works mysteriously, as they say. And who are you?"

Caitlain then turned to look at Hera, completely intrigued as this was the first time she was sensing the kind of energy she was emitting.

"Hera," Hera did not really know how to talk to Caitlain, since she really only talked to her variant from time to time when Bernard brought him to the Hope Guild, "And I was a colleague of your variant's husband, Mrs. Ross."

"Husband?" Caitlain was completely taken aback by Hera's words. A few more breaths, however, her eyes once again widened, "Wait, Mrs. Ross? Is my name Diana Ross in your universe…?"

"Yes…?" Hera glanced at Riley, who was already waiting for them inside the suite, "The whitey didn't tell you? Shit… well, this is gonna be awkward for you. Not for him, the dude's fucked up."

"..." Caitlain looked at the floor for a few seconds, before rushing to follow Riley inside the suite, "You told me I was not important, Riley Ross!"

"You are not, Dr. Caitlain," Riley gestured to Caitlain to sit as he also sat down.

"But was I not family to you?" Caitlain raised an eyebrow as she sat in front of Riley, "Was our relationship strained? Was I… not a good mother?"

"Adoptive mother," Riley raised his hand as a bottle of water floated next to Caitlain, "And you tried your best with your situation. Hannah is very fortunate to have you as a mother, and perhaps in a way, I was too."

"Hannah, an AI?" Caitlain blinked.

"No, your biological daughter."

"I have a biological daughter? Me?" Caitlain's eyes once again widened in shock, "With this Bernard Ross?"

"Yes," Riley nodded.

"But I made an oath to myself that I will not entangle myself, much less with someone of lower… mind," Caitlain let out a breath of amazement as she took a sip of water, "The multiverse… fascinating."

"Oh, Bernard Ross is absolutely not of a lower mind, Dr. Caitlain," Riley also got another glass of milk, holding it but not really drinking. Hera, who stepped back inside the suite, immediately glanced at Riley as soon as she heard that. And without even saying a word, she got a bottle of wine and joined the two; slightly raising the bottle as she sat next to Riley.

"Hm…?" Caitlain blinked a couple of times, extremely curious as to what Riley was going to say next.

"Bernard Ross is perhaps the most complicated human, flawed in every way possible," Riley breathed out, "But he was the most intelligent creature in the entire universe, Dr. Caitlain. He is not a good man. His morals are questionable, but he is a great father — everything he did, he did for his family. He did his best with what was handed to him, and what was handed to him was not... easy. I was…

…am lucky that he was my adoptive father, not so much for everybody else."

"A jerk," Hera let out a small chuckle, "But he was the one who created my clothes so I wouldn't turn naked when my body morphs."

"Bernard Ross…" Caitlain let out a small hum, "I would very much like to meet this man. A being with much higher intelligence than I, fascinating."

"You can't, Dr. Caitlain," Riley shook his head, "He died 4 days ago trying to protect his daughter. But you can meet his other variants."

"Oh…" Caitlain leaned her back on her chair. She then looked back and forth between Hera and Riley for a few seconds, before leaning forward and letting out another hum, "...You were in a battle that led you to be stuck here. And you have no way to go back since this universe does not have multiversal travel."

"Yet, Dr. Caitlain," Riley nodded.

"...I discovered it?" Caitlain let out a small gasp.

"You helped the norinlads. You and Bernard Ross," Riley nodded.

"Oh…" Caitlain once again leaned back on her chair. Her eyes, now darting everywhere, "...The Norinlads have been extinct for more than a hundred thousand years now."

"Oh," Riley also leaned back on the sofa, and so did Hera.

"Fucking…" Hera took one big gulp of her wine, "...Does that mean we're fucking stuck here forever?"

"..."

"..."

"Perhaps not," Riley placed his hand on his chin, "If we found the object that started the norinlad's research on the Portals that ultimately led to the discovery of multiversal travel…

…Will you be able to recreate it?"