Published at 17th of April 2026 6:09 am

Chapter 23 Atonement

This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl

Oh, Carbon, thank you for this wonderful gift. The power to create perfect copies of an object, even if they disappear after five minutes, is a truly formidable ability. It does come with an unfortunate personality piece in the form of paranoia. But the benefits of the power far outweigh the detrimental piece. The potential synergies with abilities Ive already collected have the potential to be truly busted. Carbon also showed that while it may not be the most offensive superpower Ive seen, it has a multitude of applications. Using it to lay down infinite cover fire was a truly inspired idea by him. Unfortunately for him, I sent my infinitely regenerating girlfriend to grab him. It still feels weird to refer to her like that. In some ways, shes just like Maria, and in others, shes nothing like her. Her incessant need to be validated is bothersome, but that was far from Marias worst trait.

Where do you wanna go, Nobody? Vivienne asked, breaking me out of my contemplative stupor.

Drop me off at the base. Kai just informed me that Miles is awake, I answered.

Really? That's a relief. Glad to hear that he's pulled through. We should get a cake. It can say something like glad you didn't die or youre positively radiating. What do you think?

I despise puns; they're the lowest form of comedy, I sighed, rubbing the bridge of my nose. The first one's slightly funny. Its a nice gesture, but where are we going to get a cake at this hour? It's nearly three am.

There's got to be a late-night bakery in Quinstin. The people who are out clubbing might want a cookie or cupcake; it's a whole untapped market they'd be leaving untouched, Vivienne explained emphatically.

Is she fucking with me? Where is this weird passion for late-night baked goods coming from? To call her behavior suspicious would be the understatement of a century. Vivienne has her quirks, but this is just odd. I search for a bakery that might be open this late in Quinstin on my phone, and I actually find one. Carmies Confections, a bakery that's been around for a decade, closed due to money problems last year. It reopened a month and a half ago under new management, and people are happy theyre back. Four point eight out of five stars with over a hundred ratings is impressive. Despite lacking a sweet tooth, I can respect and appreciate baking from a cooking standpoint. It's rigid, exact, and clinical; I'm sure people would use those same terms to describe me. While it lacks the fluid nature and creative adaptations of regular cooking, it is still a skill.

I found one called Carmies Confections thats open till five am. We could go there. They have pictures of custom cakes on their website, so they will probably have some premade ones we can get them to write on for us, I replied.

Carmies Confections? That sounds like a nice establishment. I bet their cookies are tasty, V said.

What the fuck is going on? Has someone replaced Vivienne with a lookalike or a clone? Obviously not, my power sense is still emanating from inside her. Theres something shes not telling me.

Probably, it looks like it is quite popular. It all looks incredibly excessive to me; you know I hate sugary things, I responded.

Mhmm. You hate sugar, you hate puns, and youre apathetic about fun. Youre like a raincloud personified, Vivienne complained.

It is my civic duty to rain on your parade, I joked.

Youre the worst boss ever.

Vivienne parallel parks right out in front of the bakery, which is nestled between a second-hand jeweler and a bookstore. Its located on West End Ave, which is one of the streets where the buildings are crammed together without any space between. Every shop is shorter than fifteen feet across, but they make up for it by having them all be much longer than they are wide. Im sure people think it makes the shops cozy and comfy, but as someone happy to be alone, I find them claustrophobically crowded. It has a well-lit sign with the bakerys name on it protruding out from the top of the store, hanging over the sidewalk.

We get out, and Vivienne walks right in, doing a little happy dance. I follow behind, getting struck by the smell of chocolate, sugar, honey, and all things sweet. Why does every woman in my life love sweets so much? The bakery is warm, likely because of all the ovens, so V and I are able to get out of the freezing cold. The left side is a display case, coolers with drinks, and the sales counter. The back of the building is the kitchen from the sounds coming from it. On the right are a bunch of tables and chairs set up like a cafe. An extremely tired-looking man in a charcoal suit is scrolling on his phone with a coffee and a half-eaten Danish of some variety. The only other customers are a man and a woman who must be twins. Theyre both objectively attractive and have high cheekbones, deep blue hair, and stormy gray eyes. The two of them look like the thirty-something-year-old actors they cast as high schoolers in television and movies. Definitely related.

The woman catches me looking, and we lock eyes as her brother continues to talk. Their looks make me immediately think theyre Neuvohumans. It doesnt mean theyre Capes or Cowls, plenty of people with powers dont don disguises and get involved with criminals or stopping them. The woman continues to watch me as Vivienne, and I approach the counter. What does she want? Why is she staring at me? I ignore her for now, but I cant shake the feeling that shes still watching me. The guy at the counter is wearing a blue and pink apron, the color of cotton candy. Hes got plugs, snakebites, and a bright orange buzzcut. The nametag on his apron reads Theo.

How we doing, yall? Theo asked us.

Fine, I said.

Were fantastic, how are you? V responded enthusiastically.

Im good, not looking forward to my ten am online class today, Theo joked.

Oh, where do you go to school? Vivienne asked.

QUTD, Theo answered.

No way! My friend goes there, Vivienne said, pointing to me. Hes a little grumpy, but dont take it personally; hes always like that.

I dont know what cosmic entity I ran afoul of, but the universe is conspiring against me to make this night never end. Its three-thirty in the morning, and we still have to see Miles and Kai. I am running out of energy and patience. Why is she making this take even longer?

Yep, first semester. What about you? I asked, my tone prickly.

Im in my third year, Theo replied.

I dont respond, letting the conversation die.

Thats cool. Well, were here to buy a cake for a friend of ours who got hurt recently. Hes finally awake, so we want to celebrate, Vivienne chimed in.

Oh, jeez, Im sorry. Well, Im glad to hear hes doing better. Are you looking for something custom, or did you want one of the premades with icing writing on it? Theo asked.

Were heading to him now. If youve got a nice chocolate cake already made, well grab that.

We definitely do. What do you want it to say? Theo asked.

I know its dark, but could it say glad you didnt die, buddy? Hed appreciate the joke, V asked.

Sure. Dark times call for dark humor, Theo chuckled. Not to pry, but was your friend a victim of the attack?

Vivienne looks at me and then back at Theo. I give her a slight head nod.

Yeah, V answered. Thankfully, hes alright now. It was touch and go for a while.

Then hes one of the lucky ones. A lot of people werent as fortunate, Theo said jadedly.

Why is he traumadumping on two total strangers?

Soooo, I said, stretching out the O. Whats that going to cost us?

Y-yeah, sorry. Itll be sixty-five before tax. Ill get started on that. Itll take less than five minutes.

Sounds good, man, I said,giving V a questioning look as he walked away.

He seems nice, she said.

I guess, if you ignore that part where he got really weird about the attack. It isnt our fault that he lost somebody; we didnt kill his friend, I said.

Damn. Ice cold.

Its too late for empathy. Lets just get the cake and get the fuck out of here.

You got it, boss.

We descend down the elevator, heading for the laboratory. Viviennes carrying the cake, and Im struggling to keep my eyes open within my helmet.

So whatd you think of the place? Pretty cool place, right? She asked me.

V, what the hell is going on? Youve been acting strange ever since we left Crimton. Are you hiding something from me? You can just tell me, whatever it is. You know I have your back, I said.

What? Vivienne asked with a high-pitched voice. Ive not been acting weird; Ive been totally normal.

Shes such an awful liar. Shes too genuine for deceit.

V, come on, I pushed.

Uggh, fine, Ill tell you. Besides basic necessities and a few bills, I really dont spend money. With all the dividends Ive made from Gerald Mckinney Seniors investing for us, I have lots of cash doing nothing but sitting in a bank account. So awhile ago I asked Rorschach for financial advice. She told me to invest in property or businesses to diversify my portfolio. All thats to say that I ended up buying the closed bakery, and then I decided to reopen it. They dont know me. Ive been dealing with them through an intermediary, Vivienne explained.

All the secrecy was because she bought a bakery?

V, the fact that the three sources of income you have are from Momentus Inc, a bakery, and a gang of drug dealers is like the plot of a movie. Why didnt you just tell me the truth?

I wanted your honest opinion. Im doing my best with the Skulls and the bakery, but Ive seen you build something from nothing. Part of me wanted to show you what Ive been up to, she admitted.

While I could have done without the subterfuge, it looks like the store is succeeding, and thats thanks to you. You should be proud of yourself, I said.

Thanks, Nobody. You think Miles will like the cake?

Maybe. Im sure Tuesday will love it if shes here, I answered.

The elevator stops, and the doors open to Kais lab. I can absorb the StarGaze Dynamics Security Force Captains power while were here. I havent been here in a bit. I need to check in with Kai on his experiments on the Subjects. As we walk toward the medical bay where I last saw Miles, we hear some shouting. Who is arguing? Vivienne holds the cake above her head and sprints toward the noise. I dont bother running after her; whatever the commotion is will still be there regardless of how quickly I get there. The source of the noise is Kai and Miles, both shouting at each other. Seeing Miles up and moving is a good sign of his health, but he doesnt look good. The normally burly man is visibly thinner since I last saw him. Hes wearing just boxers, and his face and body are covered in faded green scars. His hair and beard are streaked with gray, likely damaged from the radiation.

Stop being an idiot, Kai shouted at Miles.

I get to decide what to do. Its my fucking body, and Im choosing to keep it, Miles shouted back.

What are you two arguing about? I asked, raising my voice over them.

This moron wants to keep the radiation scarring instead of just letting me do a couple of skin grafts to fix it. It would be a trivial amount of cosmetic surgery to repair all of the damage he incurred. But clearly, I need to do a brain scan to see if his prefrontal cortex is still working properly, Kai answered derisively.

Well?

Look, Nobody. I failed to stop Ares. I failed to save the city. I failed you. These marks serve as a reminder of my mistake and are the cost I will pay for my failure. I dont deserve to walk away without any repercussions. Let these scars be my punishment for letting you down, Miles said.

Despite how weak he looks, how frail his body is, how tired he must feel, his eyes are practically glowing with determination and intent. This self-flagellation does nothing to undo his fuckup, and it means nothing to me. But what kind of leader would I be if I dismissed a mans plea for atonement?

Your hands, wrists, neck, and face must be fixed. Leaving those would jeopardize your role within Momentus Inc and destroy your secret identity. You will let the doctor do his work on those areas, but you may keep the marks on your body until you have undone the stain of this disaster. Mistakes, Miles, are an inevitable part of any plan with so many moving pieces. Mistakes can be forgiven. But failures are not tolerated, and there will be no more from you. Or else.

Share