After the transmission ended, Lagarto and Switch made sure everything was off before removing the bag and collar off of Alex.

"Lo siento. I had to make it convincing", the lizard bowed apologetically.

"Understandable."

Switch saw a guilty look on Alex's face.


He thought about Barria's voice. How full of concern and guilt it held. "Is it possible to..... convince her and the others with the information for extra help?"

"And how would you explain your absence to them? Would they even believe you?", Lagarto asked.

"They will. They are good people, even Marks."

"I don't know about that", Switch doubted.

"I spent time with them so-

"And you did the same with Prime. What if they knew the truth about the prison incident and condoned it?", the retired villain argued back.

"Barria and Aqua are not like that! Not even Quick or Marks would accept that."

"Listen, Alex. Your closeness with them may be your weakness."

Alex tilted his head quizzically.

"He means that even if they accept the truth, what can they do against Prime? Do you want them to die?", Lagarto clarified.

Alex trembled from what he said. That was a possibility. They would go all out to stop an impossible obstacle. It would be his fault that lives would be lost. Just like last time.

"And what if they ask questions?"

"That's what our technopath will help you with tomorrow. You must not tell them anything."

"Fine", Alex said with reluctance.

"I'm going to go and check what needs to be done around the ship. What do you want to do?"

"Are there some metal parts I can play with?"

"I know the perfect place for that. Follow me", the lizard offered.

Brooke was waiting outside for them, and she followed them to a miniature junkyard. Some of it had been dissolved, dented from punches, and a variety of different powers have been applied to them.

"Best place to work on your anger issues", the lizard hybrid explained.

Alex took off his green sweater to reveal a white t-shirt. Brooke couldn't help but notice his muscular biceps and triceps. His wide and tapered back. She shook off the dirty thoughts that were popping in her head. She had to accept that things were too different for them to be together. There was also another reason why.


Alex stepped onto a car and raised his hands. The metal parts and the car he is on top levitated. Brooke's eyes widened in wonder.

He "drove" the car around and then jumped off. He made some of the scrap as a landing platform and he made a crushing motion with his hands. The car caved inward from both sides and he attacked it with license plates, metal cans, and everything else he could find. The plates pierced the car, and he held it all in place into a giant ball. He "flew" over to it using the scraps and jumped on top of the ball. He widened his fingers, and the ball expanded showing a large, clear opening.


He then sent it flying at the other parts of the scrapyard before dropping down safely. Metal clashes against other pieces of metal. Lagarto was impressed and glad that Alex didn't use those methods against him during their getaway. Alex heard clapping from Brooke.

He cracked a grin at her. But it felt weird since it's been a while since he felt some semblance of happiness. He couldn't be happy right now, not until Prime has been dealt with. He took some nuts and bolts to practice for later.

"Feel better?", Lagarto asked.

"Así así."

He yawned as it was a long day for him. The time showed 9pm.

"Brooke will escort you to your room."

"Okay."

Brooke saw Lagarto is doing a hand motion for "no kissing." She blushed and Alex turned around to find Lagarto hiding his hands behind him. Brooke led him to the door of his room. that has a pad right next to it.

"Place your hand on it."


He does so and there was a slight prick to his hand before the door slides open. From his studies, he remembered seeing a biometric scanner for security purposes.

"The pricking is only done one time to register you to the system. Only you can access your room. You could give permission for others to be allowed in if you want."


Alex looked inside his assigned room. It had the basic necessities: a bathroom with across the bed, a sliding closet, and a messaging service on a nightstand that's for internal use only. On his made bed, was a pile of folded clothes along with a power collar for his temporary stay. His window showed the dark depths of the ocean with the light blue water on top.

"My room is down the corner if you need anything. You can even message me if you want."

"Thanks for everything, Brooke."

He embraced her again. She found her hands tracing his muscular back and triceps. She pushed herself back because she started feeling warm inside.

"I have to go! Good night!", she stammered while walking briskly to her room. He watched her walk away. He shook his head as he couldn't get attached to her. He couldn't be distracted from his goal. He closed the door.

Alex changed his clothes and laid in bed with the power collar activated. He found it hard to go to sleep after everything he had witnessed. The real killer was the hero he and his sister looked up to. The same person who helped him through his traumatic moments.


An unexpected alliance between a hero and a crew of villains. To think that he would be here right now.

---

Alex woke up the next day, emotionally drained from the other day. He forced himself to get up to meet the technopath. After his shower, he noticed a key for his collar and new clothes on his nightstand that weren't there before. He unlocked the collar and changed into the new clothes. 

He opened the door to find Madame Heavy and Shriek waiting for him.

"Bonjour, Alex. Did you sleep well?"

"I tried, but I got some sleep", he yawned. His eyes looked around for Brooke.

"Were you expecting her?", Shriek smirked.

"I-It's nothing like that", as his cheeks got rosy.

"Brooke is in the garden right now, but we need to have you meet the technopath", M Heavy informed.

His face turned serious. "Lead the way."

The duo led him to a separate room. The room lit up from his presence. A large technological lab with various high-end pieces of equipment. Monitors, control panels, modules, a workshop, and half of a model car to the side. He looked around for the person who will help him out.

The car's headlights suddenly turned on and shot a concentrated pulse at Alex!


The pulse wasn't painful, yet he felt severed from using his powers to defend himself. He scanned the room and his eyes shot open.

Prime?!

His trauma and anger were conflicting with each other, which froze him in place. Prime threw a punch, and Alex couldn't move a muscle despite wanting to.

Prime then stopped mid-attack and a gruff voice was heard.

"If that was real, you would have died."

A quick light flashed and Prime was actually a robot similar to the ones at the hero base. Alex couldn't believe his eyes and he's able to move again.

The Level 5 Technopath stepped out from the darkness and he's a grizzled veteran in his 40s. His face had battle scars from the combat experience he obtained. His old camouflage gear had seen a lot with the cuts all over it.

"My name is Gizmo and I'm here to help you."

"Help me? What did you even do to me?"

"I used a controlled EMP pulse to temporarily sever your technopathy and I also used this to make Prime's appearance."

He pulled out a small jar and tossed it to him. Alex caught it and couldn't see well what it was. it started moving to his surprise.

"Nanobots. They can do whatever I want them to do. A makeshift disguise for robots is just one aspect", the technopath explained. Alex bowed to him and the veteran didn't expect that.

"I want to learn everything I can from you. I will listen to your every word."

"That will make things a lot easier. First things first."

The veteran "communicated" with the car. Another focused pulse shot at Alex, and he felt his main power coming back.

"Lesson 1. Always inspect a room with your power before entering. This will help minimize any potential surprises. Prime hasn't been seen using tech like that, but who knows what could happen."

Alex hung onto that lesson with an attentive gaze.

"I heard what you did to Lagarto and the others when you tried to apprehend them. A car alarm blast and monitoring their movements through street cameras. You're not a total amateur. It will save us both some time."

"I'm ready to get started."

"You're not ready", he bluntly informed him.

Alex was confused until he explained.

"You hesitated upon seeing Prime. You were angry, but you froze in place. Until you conquer that, I can't teach you more about technopathy."

"But how do I do that?"

"Exposure therapy."

Alex tilted his head.

"Basically, I will project an image of Prime on a robot when you least expect it. Over time, you should be able to attack him. Once you do that, then we can start. You are already angry at him, but what's holding you back?"

"There's nothing holding me back. I want him dead!"

"And that's the problem. What do you have left to fight for? And I'm not talking about saving other people."

Alex got sad as no one else came to mind. Tiffany was hopefully far away from California, but she's living her new life. Barria would be there for him, but who knows if she was on the same side as Prime. The whole team could be compromised. His silence spoke volumes.

"Until you answer that question, get out of my sight", Gizmo turned his back to him.

Alex's hands trembled and he used his metal powers to "rip" out pieces of the floor to direct it like a snake. He went to wrap it around Gizmo to force him to help. Before it could do so, he lost control of his hands. The "snake" dropped to the floor as well as the empty vial.


Gizmo turned around and by wiggling his fingers, Alex was forced to his knees. He went to hack the nanobots to his side, but they weren't responding to his commands at all.


Gizmo then placed a knife to his throat. Alex's heart almost jumped out of his chest.

"Attack me again like that and I won't hold back. I will just come up with a new plan to expose Prime without you."


The veteran took the knife away and undid the control he had over Alex. He double checked and the nanobots have returned to the vial and they rolled back to its master. Alex left the lab in a huff.

The other villains gave him time and space to think. He went to the weight room to burn off his stress, but it still lingered.

After a shower and getting dressed, another Prime robot surprised him with a jab to the nose. Alex got stunned by the surprise hit and the same thing happened where he's conflicted on what to do. His mind was telling him to run while his anger was telling him to fight. He froze in place again. The robot turned off the disguise and runs away.

"Damn it!", as he wiped blood from his nose.

He turned his blood into a small spike so he would be ready next time. He held it between his knuckles as he left the bathroom. He also used his technopathy to scan his surroundings for any Prime robot. He continuously scanned as he exits. He was heading to his way to see Brooke in the garden but got held by the throat by another Prime robot. He felt the cold hand squeezing around his throat. He went for a jab with the spike, but his fear was stronger. 


His mind replayed what he did to his family and the possibility of what Prime could do to counterattack. During this, the robot raised a fist and threw a punch. Alex closed his eyes and felt...nothing. He got dropped to the ground and the robot ran off. Alex's anger is divided. He hated Prime, but he also hated his indecisiveness. He sank against the wall, cursing himself.

He later returned to his room. A Prime robot was waiting for him inside, but Alex had no fight left in him. The robot left him alone and closed the door behind it. Alex plopped onto the bed and covered his face with his arm to hide the angry tears rolling down his face.

Gizmo was watching this through a small camera. He hated doing this to his "student", but he understood he had to keep doing this so Alex could overcome his fear.

"Gizmo, there has to be another way for him to get through this", Shriek gently suggested.

"Give me an actual recommendation instead of complaining. And no, you can't be with him to give him courage. He has to do it on his own."

Shriek was silent as he didn't have an alternative.

Brooke finished gardening and knew that Gizmo is here since his lab was lit up.

"Hey, Gizmo. Did Alex come down to talk to you?"

"He did and he's open to receiving my instruction."

"That's good. Where is he?"

"He's in the middle of training. We're done for today, but it was a lot for him."

"Did you hurt him?", Brooke got a little upset.

"No. It's just a mental task. I won't tell you what it is."

Brooke left the lab and went straight to Alex's room. She knocked on the door. "Alex? Are you in there?"

"I am. Just tired", his voice revealed doubt in it.

"May I come inside?"

He didn't respond.

"It's okay. I will be right here when you are ready to talk", she gently told him. She sat against the wall outside his door. She heard sniffling from inside the room. She wanted to badly hold him to show he's not alone in this. Finding out the truth and the mental training must have taken a toll on him.


Time passed and she left shortly to return with a blanket. She wrapped it around herself and took a nap.

Alex calmed down eventually and saw Brooke's act of compassion. He got out of bed and cleaned his face. Once his eyes weren't red, he checked the door's camera. No Prime robot in sight. He tugged on her blanket to gently wake her up. Her eyes opened to find Alex to her side.

"Let me take you to your room", he spoke softly.

"Okay", she yawned. She got up and quickly hugged him with the blanket around him.

"I don't know if I can do this."

"Just try. I'm here for you whether you win or fail."

He appreciated her words by staying in that embrace. She rubbed his back to soothe him, and she didn't let go until he did. Alex escorted her to her room, and she opened the door. Alex walked back to his room, but she said something to him.

"Alex, tomorrow's a new day to try again."

He was silent as she closed her door. Her words begin to settle inside his mind as he returned to his room. He then saw snacks on the nightstand and it's a mystery to him. No one else had access to his room besides Gizmo. He ate a protein bar from the pile as he looked outside to the deep dark depths of the ocean. He applied some medi-gel to reduce the bruising that will be on his nose. He latched on the collar before nodding off. One thought crossed his mind.

Tomorrow's a new day.

---

The next day, Alex got up with Brooke's advice in mind. He will find a way to overcome his fear and to progress further in Gizmo's training. He checked the camera in the hallway. No one was there.

He showered, ate a snack, and reapplied medi-gel. He took the small metal plate and placed it in the back of his pants as a precaution. His eyes darted around as the robot could appear at any time. So far, nothing. He got to an elevator and pushed the button that said "Garden." 

The elevator took him down and it opened up. He saw a large garden area filled with a section for flowers where he recognized some of them that Brooke had left him in the bouquet. He found artificial sunlight from above. Varieties of colored fruits and vegetables everywhere and an AC unit installed for air flow.

"Hello, there", a gentle voice spooked him from a booth. He turned to find a woman with green skin and hair with multi-colored flowers on her body. 

"Sorry about that. You must be Alex?", she asked. If she was a villain, she didn't seem like it. She sounded sweet with a pleasant demeanor.

"That's me."

"My name is Gardina. Welcome to my humble abode."

"It's beautiful."

"Thanks. I put a lot of work into it and thankfully Brooke and the others helped out. I grow some of the produce for food and other uses."

"I never heard of you before. Not even in the hero database."

"You ever heard of the Bioengineers?"

"Not really."

"They're a group that operates in the shadows. They hate all powered individuals, but they hate Prime the most. I was designed by them to fight him, but I failed their purpose. They were going to throw me out, but I escaped. I hid until Switch found me and help me appreciate what I could do. I've been helping with this haven ever since."

Just like with Brooke, Alex thought. The retired villain had made an impact on those he came across.

"Whoa. It's nice to meet you. Are there more people like you?"

"There is one in particular, but that's for another time. Are you looking for Brooke?"

"How did you know?"

"I know love when I see it", she said in a sing-song voice. Alex's face turned beet red. Gardina laughed at his response. She pointed over to the back of the room. He walked over and saw Brooke with some kids with her. There's a little boy that looks like the mini version of Lagarto that captured his attention.

The lizard boy ate a passing fly with its long tongue. There's a little girl that has a shell of an armadillo helping Brooke with her long claws to dig up some dirt.

"Thank you so much, sweetie."

"De nada, hermana", the girl spoke with a Texan accent.

"Your Spanish has gotten better. Good job!", Brooke congratulated her.

The kids then noticed him from his footsteps and the girl hid behind Brooke. The boy stood in front to protect them. Alex stayed in place to keep the peace.

"It's okay, Cama. Everyone, this is Alex."

"Isn't he the hero you guys captured?", his slitted eyes didn't leave the stranger.

"I was, but I want to help Switch out. Aren't you Lagarto's son?"

"Yes, I am. He's one of the strongest villains out there", the boy proudly proclaimed.

"He really is. He smacked me with his tail during our bar fight. It really hurt."

"I bet my dad won."

"It was close. Do you have the same powers as your dad? Like the acid spit?"

"No, but I can do this."

He camouflaged himself among the flowers. He was almost undetectable. He then reappeared.

"That's pretty neat. You can call me Techno or Alex."

Cama realized what he was doing and stopped talking to him.

"Be nice, Cama. Alex is not going to hurt any of us."

"But he's an enemy, hermana!"

"Hey! He is going to be here for a bit so try and get along", Brooke sternly instructed him.

Cama scoffed as he walked backwards behind Brooke.

"Thanks for being a big help to Brooke. I got a gift for you", Alex spoke to the armadillo hybrid.

He took out some bolts and parts from his pocket. He placed a hand above his palm and used his metal ability to twist and combine the shapes. The girl's brown eyes lit up from the work as it turned into a metal flower. The girl was amazed, but she's hesitant to step out.

"Wow, Arma! That is so pretty", Brooke took it to hand it to her. Arma grasped it with her claws and admired the delicate work of the flower. The artificial sunlight made it sparkle to her delight.

"What do you say when given a gift?"

"Thank you", she almost whispered.

"De nada, Arma. Brooke, would you like some help?"

"Sure. Can you grab that pitcher and water the soil?"

Alex got the pitcher of water. Brooke dropped some seeds into the soil and brushed the dirt over them. Alex poured the water.

"That's good enough."

"What are you growing?"

"Sunflowers", Arma spoke up.

"Wow. That's really cool. Do you like eating the seeds?"

Arma nodded as she played with the flower.

"I always use to eat them with my Pops wh-

He couldn't find the strength to finish that sentence. Brooke changed the subject after noticing.

"And the flowers will grow fast because of Gardina. She helps them grow quickly so we can have food and pretty flowers to look at."

"T-that's great."

"Okay, run along now. Cama, make sure you hold Arma's hand."

"I will! Can we play later?"

"Of course."

Cama took Arma's hand and lead her to the elevator.

"You're doing a great job as their big sister", Alex complimented.

"Thanks. It helps that they are good kids too. Cama means well."

"I know. I didn't know that Lagarto had a child. That was never mentioned in his files from the hero database. I wonder what else they hid from me."

"It's best not to dwell on that. But Lagarto is a good father to him. I know you still have issues with him attacking Barria, but I hope that you might get along with him one day. I think you have already seen his wife around here."

"Huh. I think I remember seeing her with him, but I wasn't sure. I will try to get along with him. I'm a little upset at M Heavy for injuring Quickness, but I'm not too mad. Does she have kids as well?"

"She dislikes children, but she always plays with Arma. It's so cute to see."

"Are Arma's parents here?"

Brooke looked down at the ground and Alex assumed the worst.

"Her father died after she was born. But her mother took care of her the whole time. Her villain codename was Rollin Dilla, but she died during the prison attack."

Alex was surprised and angry at Prime for doing that to Arma. He grabbed the grass by his sides to stop an outburst.

"Before she died, she had a bad feeling something was going to happen, so she had a caretaker send Arma to Switch for protection and get her affairs in order. Switch tried to break her and a few others out since he trusted her instincts. He told Arma what happened after that." 

Alex's mind had changed multiple times. Not all the villains were as heartless as his company made them out to be. He remembered reading about Rollin' Dilla and that her crimes were mostly bank and jewelry robberies. However, she was careful not to kill anyone during her sprees. Was all of that to help out Arma?

"And another reason why Madame Heavy is nice to her is because Dilla was her closest friend."

He remembered seeing her with M Heavy during his reading of these villains.


"I had no idea. How is Arma?"

"Some nights she cries herself to sleep, but we are helping her through it. Switch told me her relatives won't take her in because of her mother's association. That's why you saw Madame at the bar that night. She finally received official paperwork to become Arma's guardian after their refusal. She also made sure to secure Dilla's place and assets so Arma will have a future."


Alex was moved by the villainess' actions. Before all this, her appearance and attitude always conveyed she was cold and uncaring.

"That's really nice of her. How's Madame feeling from all this?"

"I never seen her cry, but she must be in a lot of pain. She hides it so well from everyone else to focus on caring for Arma."

"At least she has you guys for support."


Brooke flashed him a smile in appreciation of his words. Alex was disarmed again, so he changed the topic. "I didn't know you had a green thumb."

"I just set things up."

"It's all very nice. I have more of a black thumb."

"That's terrible", she laughed.

"I might kill a cactus just by looking at it."

She laughed harder and this lightened him up. "I can teach you a few things."

"I would like that."

"How did it go with Gizmo?", she tried to broach the subject.

"I like his thinking, but I still have a long way to go."

"That's okay. We all start somewhere. I believe that you will master it, Alex."

"How do you know that?"

"As Latinos, we are quite stubborn when we want something, and we always find a way", she half-joked.

Alex laughed, but he needed that.

"Gizmo is tough, but he means well. He doesn't do things without a purpose."

"Got it. If you have some time, can we.....get to know each other better?"

Brooke's pupils enlarged when he asked that question.


"Sure. What do you want to know?", her tone had gotten chipper.

"What kind of music do you like?"

"I like a bit of everything. You?"

"Don't laugh. It's a mix of metal and electronic music."

Brooke laughed to his confusion. "That explains your powers so well."

"You're right. I didn't think of it like that", he chuckled.

"But seriously, what is that like?"

"It's like you're stuck at the club, but a mosh pit will start soon."

"That is interesting. I never heard that type before."

"Maybe I can take you to a concert."

He was surprised by what he said. It's like what happened on their date.


Brooke kept her expectations low. "So what's your favorite food to eat?"

"I love me some mangu con salami, queso frito, y huevos fritos."

"Now you're making me hungry. May I take that as a favorite meal?", she licked her lips.

"Don't be such a copycat. And you called me basic."

She grinned from his joke.

"What is your favorite meal?"

"I like Ethiopian food, but I love pastelitos."

"Good choices right there."

"Can you cook?"

"A little. I do make a nice flan."

"Get out of here! I love flan!", she playfully shoved him.

"If we have the ingredients, I can make us one."

"I'm going to hold you to that. Do you dislike any food?"

"I despise avocados and guacamole."

"But how?!", her voice was taken aback.

"My tongue just rejects the texture of it. Why are you surprised?"

"How can you call yourself a Latino and not like avocados?"

"So just because I'm Dominican, I'm supposed to love that stuff? Kind of racist to assume that", he jested.

Brooke laughed and they enjoyed their time in the garden. They got up to leave for the cafeteria. The elevator door opened and "Prime" was right there! Alex's protective instincts kicked in as he placed himself between them.

The android walked closer to them, and Alex backed up to protect Brooke. Brooke knew it's not Prime because she saw the antenna sticking out, but it still felt real to her. Alex was almost frozen again as the deaths of his loved ones go through his mind, but he felt her fear. There was something inside of him that refused to let "Prime" touch her. He focused on that feeling.

He took the metal plate from his pants and drove it through the android's head! The android fell to the floor and Alex "moved" it out of the way. He embraced Brooke to calm her down.

"You're safe. You're safe", he spoke gently.

"Alright! We will pick up training after lunch!", as Gizmo's face and voice appeared on a TV screen.

"You stupid tech! Keep your bots away from here!", Gardina warned as a few flowers bloomed on her skin.

"Last time, I promise!", he chuckled.

Alex was happy, but he wondered why he did attack this time. Was it just because he was protecting someone at that time? Alex breathed with Brooke and they both calm down.

"Thank you for that. You were so brave."

"It's no problem."

They ate lunch together and got to know each other some more. Cama and Arma come to Brooke, and they took her to play.

Alex went back to Gizmo and used the first lesson before he enters the room. There were more EMP bombs than before and he "severed" them all before entering.  The floor had been repaired from what he almost did to Gizmo. The technopath clapped.

"Glad you remembered. Now let's go over nanobots and how they can help you."

Alex took mental notes in his head as Gizmo explained how they work.

Switch noticed the progress Alex was making with each passing day. Alex saw another android and almost froze, but he imagined Brooke and the children needing protection and he fought off the android.

"Good job with the therapy. Now I want you to be calm as if you were talking with him. You can't show any anger or else he will be suspicious."

"How can I after what he did?!" The metal around him groaned, but he stopped himself.

"The mission has to come first. If he catches on, the plan will fail. You need to put on a mask to hide your intentions."

Gizmo brought out an android and used nanotech to change it to "Prime." It then spoke to him using Prime's voice which threw him off.

"It's good to see that you're alive, Alex."

"I collected his speech patterns from videos to make it as genuine as possible. Now talk to him."

Alex's mind reminded him of what the real Prime did to his loved ones. His hands and feet wanted to attack him right now. His mind brought up something that he can use for this situation: Barria's lessons.

"I'm glad to be back, Prime."

"Did they hurt you in any way?"

"A few beatings, but I handled it well."

"Did they get any information out of you?"

"I didn't tell them a thing. I just repeated my codename to them."

The android then touched him on the shoulder and Alex fought his body not to react.

"You are a good man, Alex."

"I have a good role model for that."

Prime smiled at him and the disguise disappeared.

"That was a little stiff, but good job putting your anger-

A metal plate was ripped from the wall, and he split the android in two. Alex was breathing heavily from trying not to lose it.

"I will have you do this every day from now on. We also have to keep appearances."

"What do you mean?"

"If you came back to them unscathed, what would they think?"

"They would think that I gave inf-

Gizmo sucker punched him in the stomach. Alex bent over from the pain, but Gizmo kept hitting him within an inch of his life. Alex's blood splattered on the floor from the heavy hits. He then kicked him in the face and stopped. Alex wheezed from the pain as he struggled to get up. He used his metal powers to stop the blood loss.

"Thanks for this."

"I was never congratulated for an ass whooping, but you're welcome", as Gizmo helped him up.

"You know what I meant", he grunted.

"I know. To think we would cross paths like this. Just rest for now."

He applied some healing gel which stings Alex. After he was done, he found it hard to walk back to his room. He summoned a metal plate from the floor and sat on it. He used his second ability to push him around.

"I will send bandages and more meds to your room. Come back tomorrow."

Alex shakily raised a thumbs up. The Lvl 5 technopath hid a proud smile from Alex.

He's not so bad. Be prepared for more.