Family System: Chapter 62

Jean arrived, just missing them.

Well... since Diana wasn’t officially his yet, it was better to avoid encounters with the others for now.

---

They appeared at Diana’s home in London.

Vex observed the cozy space, adorned with various "antique" items. Each one seemed to be worth a fortune.

Diana placed her weapons into her Space Ring and noticed Vex's interest.

"See anything you like? Feel free to take it."

"Oh?" Vex stood up, smiling. "Are you sure anything I want is fair game?"

Diana responded with a graceful smile.

"Except for me."

Feigning disappointment, Vex sighed and picked up a framed photo from the table.

The frame wasn’t valuable, but the photo inside was of Diana herself.

"Then I’ll have to settle for this," he said.

Diana didn’t stop him.

After Vex carefully tucked the frame away while Diana suggested "I know a nice French restaurant nearby. Since we’re here, care to join me?"

"A gentleman should never refuse a lady’s invitation."

---

Meanwhile, in an abandoned factory, Steppenwolf knelt before a projected image.

"Desaad, that alien was too powerful!" Steppenwolf admitted, his head bowed. "He took my axe, and I couldn’t stand against him."

Desaad looked down at Steppenwolf with undisguised contempt.

"I told the great Darkseid you couldn’t handle this," he replied sharply before turning away, seemingly about to end the call.

"Wait!" Steppenwolf called out urgently. "I found the Anti-Life Equation! It’s on this planet!"

Desaad paused, turning back with renewed interest.

"The Mother Boxes aren’t united, and without that, we can’t open a Boom Tube. Don’t even think about claiming the artifact yet," he warned.

"But," Desaad continued, "I’ll grant you access to the energy keys for the Mother Boxes. Absorb as much as you can to enhance yourself and make a last stand."

"If you manage to bring back the Anti-Life Equation, I’ll speak on your behalf to the great Darkseid. Perhaps he’ll forgive your past betrayal and let you come home."

Desaad’s tone was as sharp as his words, but Steppenwolf trembled in excitement.

"For the great Darkseid, I will claim the Anti-Life Equation!"

Desaad gave a satisfied nod, transferred the energy key, and severed the connection.

Steppenwolf rose, his eyes wild with madness.

"Bring me that big green one. I’ll grant it new life!"

---

Back on the Helicarrier, in the holding cells, Stark and the others regarded Loki with mixed expressions.

So... they’d been working for two days and hadn’t accomplished nearly as much as Vex had in just hours?

"Loki’s captured, the Mother Box is reclaimed, and Steppenwolf is no match for Vex..." Homelander said, throwing his hands up. "So... are we off duty now?"

"What, are you running away again?" Logan retorted sarcastically.

Homelander’s face darkened, his eyes flashing red.

But Clark only had to look at him, and Homelander extinguished the red glow, falling silent with a scowl. Typical bully behavior.

No one spoke up for him, not even his own team.

Homelander’s cowardice during a recent battle, though not widely known, was common knowledge among those present.

Because of his fear, several members of the Seven—Deep, A-Train, and Black Noir—had perished.

If it weren’t for his powers, he’d have been thrown off the Helicarrier by now.

"Hahaha..."

Loki, from within his glass cell, let out a low chuckle.

"How amusing!"

"And you fools think you can protect Midgard?" Loki sneered. "I've severely overestimated you all!"

The heroes only stared coldly at him.

"So... who's the one locked up here again?" Stark exaggerated. "Oh, wait! It’s the 'Great Loki!'"

Loki’s smirk faltered, his eyes narrowing as he glanced at Stark, then at Banner.

"Do you know who this glass cell was originally built for?" he taunted.

Several people’s faces changed, instinctively glancing at Banner, worried he’d transform on the spot.

But Banner only gave a good-natured smile. "If I couldn’t handle it, I wouldn’t be here."

Even so, how could Banner remain unaffected by all these doubtful stares?

"Alright, everyone," Fury interrupted. "Great job. You've seen him. Now please return to standby."

Superheroes may be powerful, but their personalities varied wildly. Clashes had been frequent over the past few days. Fury was grateful for Clark's presence to keep things under control; without him, the situation might have been tense.

As the crowd dispersed, only Xavier remained.

"He's all yours," Fury said darkly. "The main goal is to locate the Space Stone, then uncover Loki's true plan."

Xavier nodded, placing a hand on his temple, ready to use his telepathy on Loki.

Loki chuckled mockingly.

Before coming here, he’d shielded his mind with the Mind Stone; no mere mortal could breach it!

As expected, Xavier's mental attacks were blocked by an impenetrable barrier.

Realizing he couldn’t break through, Xavier did the only sensible thing: call for backup.

Jean reentered, her expression surprised. "Charles, you couldn't break through?"

"There's a strange mental force here," Xavier admitted with a bitter smile. "It's very potent, and it consumes my attacks."

"Oh? Let me try!" Jean unleashed her Phoenix Force, directing it into Loki's mind.

At first, Loki was smug, but his face soon twisted in shock.

The reddish-orange energy seemed to neutralize the Mind Stone’s influence, clashing with it in a suicidal attack that matched its power.

This meant...

"Impossible!" Loki whispered in disbelief. "That’s an Infinity Stone! How could any energy match its potency?"

Fury and Xavier smiled. This was the first time since boarding the Helicarrier that Loki's confidence had faltered. Clearly, Jean's power was having an effect.

It was only a matter of time before the truth surfaced...

Suddenly—

CRASH!

A bolt of lightning struck out of nowhere, followed by a loud crash that tilted the entire Helicarrier.

BOOM!

The metal wall tore open as Thor strode in, drenched in electricity and radiating fierce energy.

Loki, who had previously been fine, suddenly dropped to his knees, clutching his head in apparent agony.

Thor, the fiercely protective brother, was having none of it. He launched himself, hammer swinging, straight at Jean, who was deep in her battle with the Mind Stone, unable to react in the real world.

The hammer was about to make contact...

WHIRRR—

A green barrier appeared, shattering under Mjolnir’s impact but diverting it just enough that it missed Jean.

Thor recalled his hammer, frowning as he focused on Sharon, who had appeared to shield Jean.

Electricity crackled around Thor, signaling a battle was imminent!

"Thor!" Fury shouted angrily. "She’s Vex’s wife!"

Thor froze, glancing between Sharon and Jean.

"Which one?"

"Both of them!" Fury replied hastily. "Think of Vex and all he's done for you. Do you really want to strike his wives?"

Thor scratched his head, looking torn.

Xavier cut through the tension. "Jean's Phoenix Force won’t hurt Loki; he’s faking."

"What?"