76: Offers
November 14, 2007, early in the morning, Daniel's farm.
Making breakfast was an easy task, and soon both of them found themselves sitting across from each other in the modest dining room of the house, starting the first and most important meal of the day.
"I've been thinking a lot about what you told me," Harleen said after a few moments, her mouth half full of pancakes and the maple syrup sliding down the corner of her pink lips.
"About what exactly? I've said a lot of things," Daniel asked with slight confusion, taking a long sip from his coffee mug.
It wasn't that his memory was bad; in fact, it was quite good, and if he wanted, he could make it even better by using his core. But if he had to live constantly remembering every single thing he said or did at every moment of the day, he felt he might go crazy… or worse.
So he didn't even try, unless it was something truly important, of course.
"You know, about how dangerous the big cities are going to become and all that," she reminded him, making a few gestures with the utensils in her hands.
"You were pretty convincing, and in retrospect, looking at everything that's happened in New York just this year... well, I'm not too eager to lose another apartment anytime soon."
Daniel remembered that talk. It had been after they tested Harleen's powers in the fortress, a day before he participated in the Baxter Foundation science fair and all the fiasco that came afterward.
They had talked about where Harleen would go now that she no longer had a place to live. She had thought about getting another apartment near Manhattan with the money Daniel had helped her recover from the insurance company, but he had warned her about the risk of doing so.
"So I came up with a great idea!" she exclaimed excitedly, pulling him out of his thoughts.
Daniel blinked slowly, watching the big smile that adorned her face with an uncomfortable sense of premonition.
"Don't tell me you..." he didn't get to finish the sentence when she was already nodding eagerly, her clenched fists shaking up and down over the table.
"I'm moving to Smallville!" she announced cheerfully, and in the distance, Daniel could hear something shatter loudly.
'That came from Carol's house,' a part of his mind thought.
"It looks like you took my advice about finding a secluded place pretty seriously, huh?" he finally said with a slight smile after overcoming his bewilderment.
"Of course! Now that I can fly, I don't have to worry anymore about stupid traffic or long distances. I can practically go anywhere I want in just a few minutes, it's amazing!!" Harleen replied enthusiastically, recalling some of the flights she had made on her own in the past few days.
Certainly, they had only been 'short' flights since she still hadn't dared to leave the country on her own. But being able to go from one state to another in less than five minutes? That, without a doubt, had made it very clear to her how free she was now compared to before and how wide her possible housing options were.
Taking a bite of his own pancakes, Daniel watched her smiling face while chewing slowly.
Honestly, he was surprised. Although he knew she had taken his advice seriously when he gave it, he hadn't expected her to act so quickly or with such determination. It seemed her sense of caution had weakened, or maybe she had simply become bolder and more daring?
"Why Smallville?" he asked after swallowing, more intrigued than anything else.
"You don't sound very excited." Harleen raised an eyebrow, noticing his lack of enthusiasm. She had expected a stronger reaction, but aside from his initial surprise, he now just seemed calm.
"I'm still processing it. It's not that I think it's bad having you nearby... just a bit unexpected," Daniel clarified when he noticed the frown beginning to form between her brows.
Harleen narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously but didn't press the matter. With a slight shrug, she easily returned to her cheerful attitude and answered his question.
"Actually, at first I had no idea where to go. With so many options, it felt impossible to choose, so I decided to come here and see what you thought. A surprise visit!... Or at least that was the plan, but you weren't home, and no matter how many times I called, you did not answer or respond to any of my messages," she explained, her tone slightly aggrieved.
Daniel could only offer her an apologetic look. It wasn't that he had meant to ignore her, but he had just lost his phone during his little space adventure and hadn't had time yet to replace it with one of his spares, something he reminded himself he needed to rectify soon.
"Anyway, I thought I'd wait a while in case you came back, and while I was at it, I started walking around the area. I didn't expect that by doing so I'd come across an incredible offer!~" Harleen continued, pointing with her hand toward the southern side of the farm..
"There was a house for sale nearby. Luckily, I ran into the owner as I passed by and, out of curiosity, asked her the price; but when I heard the figure, I almost thought she was joking with me. It was way too low! The woman seemed to be in a big hurry to sell it... If you ask me, I think someone was murdered there or something," she whispered halfway through the sentence, leaning toward him and covering her mouth with one hand, as if she were revealing a great secret.
Daniel raised an eyebrow before rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
'Nearby?' If he remembered correctly, aside from the Kent farm to the north, the next closest family was on the opposite end, about a mile away, closer to town.
That was where a middle-aged woman and her niece lived. Daniel didn't know much about them, since he had never met them in person, but thanks to one of his many talks with Carol, he at least knew that the woman's name was Nell Potter and that she owned a flower shop in town.
That she was in such a rush not only to sell her house but also to abandon her business was certainly strange. However, considering that her niece's name was Lana Lang, the mystery quickly cleared up for him.
'The only survivor of Greg's attack,' he thought, recalling the insectoid monster that had massacred several students right in front of Smallville High School's gates several months earlier. The first of many monsters he would encounter, though he hadn't known that back then.
That Nell and her niece had decided to leave town was understandable. Daniel was only a little surprised that it had taken them so long to do it; he supposed it must have been due to the difficulty of selling a property in such a remote place.
With the housing crisis beginning to rear its ugly head and the recent incident on the East Coast, selling a house was already difficult even in the best areas, much more so in a town that barely showed up on the map.
Harleen was probably one of the few options Nell had found, and that was why she hadn't hesitated to make her an "incredible offer," even if it meant lowering the sale price.
"So you decided to accept and ended up buying it?"
Harleen nodded with a big smile.
"Yes! Well, there are still a few more formalities to take care of, but it's practically mine already, and it's amazing. It's a wonderful house, much better than my old apartment and in perfect condition; it even has a spacious backyard!" she said with obvious excitement.
It might have seemed like she had been a bit hasty in her decision, but in truth, Harleen had thought it over quite a bit... More or less. Certainly, being able to live near Daniel was a big factor, but it wasn't the only reason!
Her new home perfectly met all the requirements she had been looking for, and even though she still didn't know much about Smallville, thanks to what Daniel had told her about the town in the past, combined with what little she had seen these past few days while handling the paperwork, it was enough for her to say it would be a pretty pleasant and peaceful place to live.
Practically a perfect choice, at least in her mind.
"Well, congratulations on the new house," Daniel said sincerely, raising his cup of coffee toward her. Following his gesture, Harleen lifted hers as well, and the two cups clinked together as if they were wine glasses.
'This will make things complicated,' Daniel thought to himself, feeling a burning gaze coming from the Kent farm. Somehow, he sensed his headaches would increase in the future… Maybe it was time to extend his patrol hours, just in case.
Their conversation didn't interrupt breakfast, and soon both of them were done. While Harleen busied herself washing the dishes, humming a strange melody, Daniel went up to his room to change clothes and put on something more presentable.
It was still early in the morning, and normally he would already be preparing to start his usual heroic duties; however, this time he didn't rush to leave.
Not only because his super-suit had recently been destroyed, since with all the V-element fabric he kept in his workshop, making another one in a few minutes would be easy, but also because he had agreed to go shopping with Harleen in town and help her settle into her new home.
Normally, a move couldn't be done so quickly, but it seemed Nell Potter and her niece had already been away from town for some time, and Nell had only been nearby by coincidence when she ran into Harleen. The place was practically empty, and although there were still a few formalities left to complete, Harleen could already move in and start living there.
The only problem she had now was that she had lost nearly all her belongings when her apartment was destroyed. Because of that, she not only needed to get new furniture but also to replace all her personal items, from her toothbrush to her underwear.
"I never thought the day would come when I'd use this old thing," he told himself with a hint of nostalgia as he stepped into the farm's backyard and walked toward one of the most remote areas of the property, covered in thick weeds.
There, amid the tall grass and 'protected' by a worn-out cover, was an old International Light Line Pickup that looked more like scrap metal than an actual vehicle.
With its peeling paint, rusted metal, flat tires, and shattered windows, anyone who saw it would say that wasn't a car anymore, but just junk ready for the scrapyard.
When he first found it while testing his powers at the beginning of the year, he had been somewhat interested in trying to restore it. However, upon examining it closely, he realized the engine damage was simply beyond repair and quickly lost interest, more focused on starting his new life and eventually forgetting it even existed… at least until today.
Now, almost a year later, it seemed its moment to shine once again had finally arrived.
Stretching out his hand, he removed the tattered cover that draped over it and then placed his palm on its battered chassis. An imperceptible pulse of cosmic energy ran through its entire structure in a fraction of a second, allowing him to scan every part of it with precision.
"Oh! Luckily, you still have your papers," he murmured with amusement upon sensing the documents, or what was left of them, inside the glove compartment.
Without another thought, he let his cosmic energy flare a bit stronger as he activated his core, and after a brief flash of blue light, the abandoned vehicle was completely transformed.
The rust on its metal vanished like dust swept away by the wind; the once dull and worn blue paint regained its depth and shine, and the cracked leather seats were restored with a soft creak. At the same time, the deflated tires suddenly filled with air, and the cracks in the glass disappeared as if they had never existed.
In the blink of an eye, the ravages of time that had struck it after years of abandonment dissipated into nothing, leaving it gleaming, more dazzling even than the day it rolled out of the dealership.
Taking a step back, Daniel admired the sight with a smile on his face, quite satisfied with the result.
"How did you do that!" a shout behind him made him turn around, only to see Harleen standing a few meters away, staring at the truck with her mouth agape, completely astonished.
"A magician never reveals his secrets…" he replied playfully, making her raise an eyebrow as the sparkle of curiosity in her eyes grew stronger.
Smiling at her mysteriously, he stretched out his hand and opened the truck's door, gesturing for her to get in.
"Come on, I'll tell you on the way."
Snapping out of her stupor, Harleen nodded excitedly and hurried toward him, nearly tripping as she walked.
Once she got in, Daniel didn't follow right away; instead, he lifted his foot slightly and then brought it down, producing a soft, dull thud against the ground.
In an instant, cosmic energy lit up the surroundings again, and like a breeze, all the weeds around the truck vanished. At the same time, the surrounding terrain began to shift, flattening until it formed a short dirt path, perfectly clean and passable, that connected the farm to the main road.
Inside the truck, Harleen rolled down the passenger window and looked down at the ground in bewilderment; not only because of what she had seen, but also because of what she had felt.
She didn't know why, but somehow her power had flared for a brief moment without her doing anything, reacting to that phenomenon as if it had come across something… familiar? She couldn't put it into words, since it had been a faint and fleeting connection that sent an electrifying shiver through her, a tingling that made every inch of her skin prickle and every and ignited every cell in her body.
It was intense, like nothing she had ever felt before, leaving her with trembling legs and her heart racing a mile a minute.
"Let's get going." Ignoring Harleen's state, Daniel climbed into the driver's seat and rummaged through the glove compartment for a moment until he finally found what he was looking for: a set of keys.
'Bingo!' he thought. In truth, he didn't actually know where the truck's main keys were, but luckily there was a spare set stored inside, saving him the trouble of having to start it using any of the questionable methods he had learned in college.
Vroom!
As he inserted the key into the ignition switch and turned it, the truck's engine roared to life with a deep, clean, resonant sound, the melody of a machine in perfect condition.
With his hands on the wheel, ready to move forward, Daniel suddenly paused.
'Wait… do I have a license?'
He hesitated before shrugging and stepping on the accelerator; he'd deal with the paperwork later.
"What do you want to get first?" he asked Harleen, pulling her out of whatever thoughts she had been lost in.
She blinked, turning toward him and resting a finger on her chin as if she were considering it.
"Since you've got a truck now, why don't we start with some furniture? I'd like to get at least a bed," she decided, eager to begin her shopping spree.
Beside her, Daniel suddenly felt his masculine instincts scream, and a shiver ran down his spine.
He was going to have to carry tons of bags today, wasn't he?
'Damn it…'
.
.
.
"What do you think? For the master bedroom, I'm torn between cobalt blue and this indigo shade."
Daniel felt his left eyelid twitch as he stared at the two pieces of fabric Harleen was showing him.
Half an hour. They had been arguing about curtain colors for half an hour.
At first, things had gone quite well. Harleen started off fast, like a whirlwind sweeping through everything in her path: if she saw something she liked and needed, she simply grabbed it without hesitation. She barely spent ten minutes choosing a full furniture set with a matching theme, and because of that, Daniel actually believed they'd be done before noon.
But he was wrong. Oh, how wrong he was.
For some reason, when it came time to choose curtains, sheets, and comforters, she simply couldn't make up her mind.
Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, he shrugged and answered without thinking too much.
"Why not both?"
The look Harleen gave him upon hearing that almost made him regret it… almost.
Narrowing her eyes, she leaned toward him and studied his face in that way only she could, scrutinizing him as if she could see right through his gaze, straight into his soul. Finally, as though she had found what she was looking for, she nodded to herself and looked down at the indigo fabric she was holding in her left hand.
"Indigo it is."
If she was going to choose like that anyway, then why did she even ask him?
Shaking his head inwardly, he held back a sigh and crossed his arms, his attention wandering absently around the mall.
Despite being called a town in "the middle of nowhere," Smallville was, surprisingly, quite modern for its time, boasting a notable variety of establishments and shops—most run by local families, though there were also a few belonging to well-known chains.
'In five or ten years, I might even see a McDonald's near my house,' Daniel thought with amusement, picturing the distant future.
And speaking of the future…
"Still haven't found another job, right?" he asked Harleen, making the girl pause for a moment and turn to look at him again, shaking her head in response.
"Nope, I'm still waiting for my severance pay. Although I heard the government plans to offer their old positions to some of the former employees at the new prison they're building. Maybe they'll call me," she said, though she didn't sound particularly excited about the idea.
"Well, if you want to take a break from psychiatry and try something new, you might be interested to know that I'm putting together a team."
At that, Harleen raised both eyebrows with clear interest.
"A team? Like… a superhero team?!" she asked excitedly, and he nodded.
"Yes, it's already official and will be announced soon. We'll be working alongside the world's governments to ensure the planet's protection. There'll be a 'salary' and certain benefits; not as many as in a regular job, of course, given the secret identities and all that, but enough to maintain a decent standard of living, and since you've got powers now, I thought you might be interested," he explained.
The matter of salary, or rather, financial support, was something he had previously discussed with Tony and later mentioned to Fury. While it was possible that many heroes didn't seek any kind of monetary reward for their heroic acts, people don't live on air alone.
If you wanted heroes ready to act at any time, day or night, for the good of the world, the least you could do was make sure they had a roof over their heads.
Holding a steady job wouldn't be easy for most of those who chose to wear a mask, and Daniel believed that if they were going to risk their lives, the least they deserved was a few basic benefits. Nothing extravagant, but enough to support themselves or their families, if they had any.
All of this, of course, would be temporarily funded by Tony and, in part, by S.H.I.E.L.D. There was a plan to accept certain public donations in the future, though nothing concrete yet, since the team was still small in size.
At the same time, Daniel also hoped to contribute to this 'hero funding' plan with the profits he would make once his textile business started operating… if it ever did.
"Superheroes with a salary, huh?... Why do I feel like that idea could go horribly wrong?" Harleen remarked, causing Daniel to roll his eyes. Still, he ended up nodding, agreeing with her point.
"It could go wrong, yes. That's why there are no contracts involved. As I said, it's not a formal job: secret identities will be fully respected, and accepting financial aid is completely optional, though recommended. You could give it a try."
"Oh, and there'll also be excellent medical 'insurance'... and maybe vacations," he added, as if that were enough to convince anyone.
"So tempting, Big D~ To give up the career I killed myself studying for all those years just to go out on the streets and fight in spandex against monsters and crazy supervillains? Definitely the American dream." Harleen joked, but she actually started to consider it seriously.
The truth was that trying to return to an ordinary life seemed far too boring. She wasn't the same as before, for obvious reasons, and normality was no longer in her sights. Getting another formal job? That felt quite wrong in many ways. Now she was more than that, someone truly special, and she didn't want to waste it.
Being a heroine sounded pretty awesome, and if God existed, this was surely Him handing her the opportunity on a silver platter.
'That's a terrible nickname,' Daniel thought upon hearing what she called him. Perhaps the only thing he regretted about choosing his heroic name and symbol was how easily people could make double entendres about it.
Whether on television, online, or even in person, he had heard plenty of bad jokes about it.
"I think I could give it a try…" Harleen's words pulled him out of his thoughts, making him pay attention to her again and notice the seriousness in her eyes, along with a mix of fear and hope.
"Alright, there'll be a meeting in a few days before the official announcement. You can come with me then and I'll introduce you to the others," he told her, talking a bit about S.H.I.E.L.D. and the other new member, besides her, who would also be there, that is, Flash.
"I'm glad I'm not the only new one; being the rookie always sucks," said Harleen with some relief upon hearing about Flash. But then her expression changed drastically to one of panic, as if she had just realized a huge problem.
"W-Wait! A few days!? As in less than a week?!" she asked urgently, and Daniel nodded in confusion, not understanding why she seemed so upset.
"In three days, to be exact," he clarified, only to see her pupils shrink when she heard it.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?! I don't even have a codename! Crap!, I don't even have a costume! A superhero without a costume is like a clown without makeup or a nose! I'll look ridiculous if I show up in normal clothes!" she exclaimed, ruffling her hair in frustration and drawing the attention of some nearby people.
Daniel was about to mention that, usually, he was the only one who tended to wear a costume at those meetings, but on second thought, he decided not to.
Instead, he stepped closer and gently patted her back, trying to cheer her up.
"Hey, don't worry, you'll come up with something. I mean, your sense of fashion is definitely good, and with your power, any outfit you imagine will turn out exactly as you want it. It'll be perfect."
Luckily, that seemed enough to bring Harleen back to her senses. Taking a deep breath, she nodded firmly and slapped her own face hard with both hands to motivate herself. If she hadn't been hiding her new skin tone with her powers, two big red marks would have stayed printed on her cheeks for quite a while.
"You're right, I can do this! I never told anyone, but as a teenager I always thought I'd be a great designer. Of course, I never tried, but I still have the spark!... I think."
Daniel found it genuinely fascinating how she could go from absolute confidence to self-doubt in a matter of seconds.
"Cheer up! If you need help, I'll lend a hand. After all, two heads are better than one, right?" he said, pointing a thumb at his own chest with a confident smile. A confidence that, of course, came from his memories of dozens and dozens of heroic suits designed by people far more creative than him.
He wouldn't suggest making an exact copy of any of them, but no one said they couldn't take inspiration from those designs to create something new, right?
After that talk, Harleen sped up her shopping pace, much to Daniel's relief.
The prospect of working on a new heroic identity seemed to excite her almost as much as her move, which led her to want to finish all her pending tasks as soon as possible so she could focus entirely on designing her costume and finding a codename she truly liked.
That way, time passed, and before they knew it, noon had arrived. Hours of walking from one place to another had inevitably tired Harleen out. And just as they were about to finish getting everything they had come for, her stomach started growling with hunger, making her blush.
"Sorry! Looks like I need to recharge a bit hehe~" she said, rubbing her belly with a laugh.
"Well, I know a nearby café with good food on the menu. We can grab something to eat and then finish the shopping," Daniel suggested, and Harleen didn't think twice before agreeing.
Soon, they arrived at the place and settled at a table overlooking Smallville's central square, watching the townsfolk go about their daily routines.
After placing their orders, Harleen began speaking excitedly about some of her ideas for her costume.
"I'm not sure if I should have a cape. I mean, it'd be cool to have one, but I feel like it'd just get in the way when I move around. How do you fight with one without tripping all the time?" she asked with clear curiosity, lowering her voice so only the two of them could hear.
"Practice and good reflexes," he pointed out. "Though its length matters too. If it's too long, you'll definitely step on it; but if it's too short, it'll look ridiculous and lose all style. Not to mention how easy it is for someone to use it against you, like having hair that's too long. A clever enemy could take advantage of that and pull it hard if you're not careful."
Harleen frowned as she listened, jotting everything down in a small notepad that Daniel didn't know where she had gotten it from.
'At least she's taking it seriously,' he thought as he watched her so focused. At first, he had hesitated a bit about whether to invite her to the team or not. After all, having powers didn't necessarily mean they had to be used for good or evil.
There was always the option of trying to live a normal life away from trouble, and if Daniel had believed that was what she truly wanted, he wouldn't have extended the invitation to her. But he knew her well enough to realize there was something inside her that wouldn't be satisfied with just that.
So, after thinking it over for a while, he decided to make her the offer before she tried to go out on the streets on her own without telling anyone.
'With her and Flash, we'll have four members. Not bad for a start, but it could be better.'
He needed to talk to Matt and Peter and see what they thought. Since they were already working together on the whole Ten Rings matter, convincing them to officially join shouldn't be difficult.
'Possibly six, then.'
Diana might also want to be part of the team, but he decided not to rush into asking her, since that would indirectly mean asking her to leave her home, and that wasn't something he wanted unless she decided it herself.
'And I can't forget about Susan, Johnny and Ben.' He wasn't so sure about them. Under normal circumstances, Johnny would probably agree without thinking too much, and Susan would follow just to make sure he didn't get into trouble. But with their father's recent passing and the upcoming funeral, he didn't think they were in the right state of mind to deal with everything that joining the team involved.
'I should test the waters after the funeral,' he decided.
Things with Ben were somewhat more complicated, given his situation. However, Daniel now felt far more confident in being able to fix his problem than before. His understanding of cosmic radiation had advanced considerably, and he already had in mind the prototype of a device that, hopefully, would be enough to restore his human form.
He just needed to make a few adjustments and run some tests; things that shouldn't take more than a week or two.
While thinking about all of this, he made sure to keep part of his mind attentive to the conversation with Harleen, which wasn't very hard, since for the most part she was the one doing the talking.
"And as part of the outfit, maybe I could try a different hair color! What do you think? I always thought red would look good on me... oh, or blue!" she asked while holding a few strands of her hair, showing them to him as if she wanted him to picture it.
"Or both," he replied, causing her to give him a blank look and purse her lips momentarily before nodding cheerfully.
"Or both!" she repeated enthusiastically.
With the sound of footsteps approaching, the waitress arrived carrying their lunch, briefly interrupting their conversation.
As he watched Harleen devour her food with delight, Daniel, who really did not need to eat, simply took a few quick bites of the turkey sandwich he had ordered, trying not to focus too much on the taste.
Over time, he had learned to dull his sense of taste to some degree, but that didn't block everything, and if the food wasn't carefully prepared, certain flavors could still slip through, unintentionally ruining the experience.
So, whenever he could, he tried to practice so that, someday, he might be able to eat any kind of meal again, like a normal person.
'Oh, you could cheat,' a part of his mind thought, and before he could stop it, the idea began to grow stronger in his head.
'This could go very wrong,' he told himself, trying to resist, but eventually his curiosity overcame his caution and, carefully, he let his cosmic energy begin to extend toward the sandwich in his hand.
'Focus, focus… If you mess this up, it'll blow up in your face and you'll have to clean it up before anyone notices,' he repeated to himself, ignoring everything happening around him and focusing completely on the atomic structure of the sandwich.
He just needed to make a few subtle adjustments: slightly improve the ingredients while eliminating everything that shouldn't be in a meal. A fairly simple task, right?
Wrong! The process turned out to be much more complicated than he expected and almost got out of hand more than once. Fortunately, after several seconds of intense struggle, he managed to make it work.
"I got it!" he exclaimed, startling Harleen and making her almost choke on her food.
"Cough, cough, cough!"
"Oh, shit!" Seeing her cough, his victorious smile faded, and he quickly handed her his glass of juice, helping her take several sips until she could breathe again.
The situation drew the attention of the other customers in the place, who watched them for a moment before looking away once they saw that everything was fine… or at least, most of them did.
At a table farther away, a customer who had just sat down kept her eyes in their direction, focusing her gaze on Daniel's face as if she had just stumbled upon something extremely interesting.
"W-what...? Cough! What made you shout like that and almost kill me?!" Harleen asked, aggrieved.Her reddened eyes and traces of tears gave her such a pitiful expression that Daniel could only offer a guilty grimace.
"I'm sorry! But it was for a good reason, I promise!" he said, regaining his enthusiasm and raising his sandwich toward her.
"Your sandwich is a good reason?" Harleen asked, raising an eyebrow in obvious confusion.
Daniel did not answer directly. Instead, he pushed the food toward her lips, and automatically Harleen took a bite, the doubt on her face instantly vanishing and being replaced by an expression full of astonishment.
"Oh!-Oooooh!~" she moaned, taking several more bites in quick succession until she almost put Daniel's fingers in her mouth.
"Hey!" Daniel complained, pulling his hand back and looking at the small piece of his sandwich that remained between his fingers.
'She barely left me anything…' he thought regretfully.
"How did you do that!" Harleen asked after swallowing, looking at him with stars in her eyes.
Daniel gave her a flat look before letting out a sigh and tossing the small remaining piece of his food into his mouth. As soon as he did, his tongue exploded with flavor, and he could not help but regret it even more.
"Do you remember what I told you about the cosmic energy I now possess? Well, I used it to manipulate its atomic structure and give it an 'upgrade,' so to speak."
Earlier in the day, taking advantage of their trip to Smallville's town center and then some of the time while they were shopping, Daniel had broadly explained to her his new 'ability,' bringing her up to date on the most recent events.
"Incredible! Wait! So, does that mean it was a cosmic sandwich? Because it definitely tasted stellar~" she said, wiggling her eyebrows up and down.
"Pfff, hahahaha!" Daniel didn't even know why he found it so funny; it wasn't even that good of a pun, but the way she said it made him burst into a long laugh.
Harleen laughed along with him for a while before lowering her gaze to her own food and narrowing her eyes.
"I think I could do something similar…" she said suddenly, as if struck by a sudden burst of inspiration.
Up until that point, her commands had proven to be temporary, requiring her to actively focus a part of her mind to maintain them after a certain period of time, which varied greatly depending on the type of command.
For example, the command she used to hide her new pale skin tone was one of the ones that required almost no effort; she only needed to reactivate it once every three hours, and that was only if she forgot to think about it again before that.
Others, like the one for flying, required greater concentration and lasted less time. Fortunately, her brain still wasn't fully used to the sensation of soaring through the skies, so she tended to remind herself of it frequently, which made it easier to reactivate the command before it expired.
And that duration was also relative, because the more familiar she became with how a command worked, the easier it was for her to give it again and the longer it could stay active, as if the effort required gradually decreased for some reason.
The only way she could explain it was by comparing it to a muscle, one that, just like real ones, grew and strengthened with constant training and practice.
But in this case, she didn't need to worry about any of that, right? Tasting a meal didn't need to be something eternal, and once it was in her stomach, whether the command remained active or not no longer mattered, since it would have already fulfilled its purpose.
'Improve every aspect, improve every aspect,' Harleen repeated to herself as she closed her eyes, trying to shape the idea. She might not have been an expert in food or the science behind it, but she knew enough about cooking to feel like she could pull it off.
Her sudden silence was noticeable, and Daniel, who had already stopped laughing, watched her closely, noticing the great focus and seriousness that took hold of her.
If he didn't know what she was trying to do, he might have thought she was concentrating on finding the cure for a deadly disease or solving one of the most complex mathematical problems in the world.
"I got it!" she exclaimed suddenly, then leaned toward her plate and began whispering softly to it, her violet eyes focused on the food so intensely it almost looked like she was trying to set it on fire with her gaze.
"Become super delicious~" she commanded, and Daniel could feel it. Literally, feel it. Reality itself wavered, rippling, distorting, and bending before her power without resistance.
'It's familiar, yet distant.' Ever since Harleen had obtained her powers, Daniel had always felt a deep curiosity to know what kind of energy fueled them, what kind of force it was that allowed her to mold the world to her will.
When he had gained the cosmic energy and understood its potential, he thought he had figured it out… but now he was not so sure.
"Oooh! Mmmm!~" While Daniel was distracted thinking about it, Harleen had already taken a bite of her little experiment, letting out several more moans that made people turn to look at them again.
Letting out a sigh, Daniel quickly reached out and covered her mouth with his palm.
"You're being too loud," he said in a flat tone, and in response, she laughed, looking at him with eyes full of amusement.
Luckily, this time not many people had turned their way, and the attention they received soon faded, at least for the most part.
"Hey!" Daniel shuddered as he felt a warm, wet sensation on his palm. Pulling his hand back, he saw Harleen sticking her tongue out at him with a slightly teasing expression, before then taking a piece of the food with her spoon and stretching it out toward him.
"Come on, try it~. You'll love it!" she said in a tempting voice, and Daniel hesitated for half a second before shrugging and opening his mouth.
Seeing his acceptance, Harleen quickly brought the spoon to his lips, letting him taste that absolute delicacy.
"It's very good…" he admitted reluctantly after several seconds in silence.
Luckily, he had managed to contain himself and not make a shameful scene, although his impassive reaction clearly was not what Harleen expected, causing her to pout and grumble in disappointment.
'I'll just have to make it even better,' she promised herself, deciding that sooner or later she would make him show her an expression full of ecstasy.
"I don't like that glint in your eyes," Daniel said with a frown, feeling a sudden chill. For some reason, he had the impression that Harleen was thinking about something sinister.
"What? What do you mean?" Harleen blinked, feigning innocence.
Daniel narrowed his eyes, not buying it.
Looking for a distraction, Harleen cast a quick glance around and, as if she had found something extremely interesting, leaned toward him and whispered softly, a spark of mischief lighting up her violet eyes.
"I didn't want to say anything, but! did you notice that woman hasn't stopped looking at you? Do you know her?" she asked, gesturing not very discreetly with her head in a specific direction.
Daniel frowned, sighing inwardly once again.
Of course he had noticed. At first, he ignored it, thinking it was only because of the little scene he had caused after successfully modifying his sandwich and startling Harleen, but when the feeling of being watched persisted, even after everyone else had stopped paying attention to them, he knew there was something more.
"I don't know her," he said honestly. Although he had not yet seen her face, thanks to his super senses, Daniel was certain she was not someone he had met before; otherwise, he would have recognized her instantly.
"Well, why don't you go see what she wants? Maybe she's interested in getting your number!" Harleen suggested with obvious excitement, though somehow Daniel could tell that her cheerfulness, this time, was less genuine.
"I don't think she wants my number," he said, but even so, he began to stand up.
Continuing to ignore the matter, now that Harleen had pointed it out, was no longer possible; it was best to deal with it quickly and go on with his day.
After all, as a hero, he could not always afford to go out and have a good time, and who knew when he would get another chance to take a break, so he did not want to waste it—unless it turned out to be something truly important.
'This better be worth the…' His thought was interrupted halfway when he finally looked in the direction Harleen had been pointing at so blatantly, and at the person sitting there.
For a moment he was stunned, genuinely surprised. He didn't know what he had been expecting, but he certainly hadn't imagined it would be her.
His pause was barely noticeable, but Harleen, who had always kept her attention on him, realized it instantly and, before it could drag on too long, acted by giving him a kick in the shin that made him react.
Daniel blinked. When he turned back, he saw Harleen make a brief grimace of pain before composing herself and looking at him with one eyebrow raised and a tense smile; her expression was full of confusion, as well as a hint of irritation.
Letting out a dry cough, Daniel pulled himself together and, ignoring Harleen, began walking as if nothing had happened.
"May I sit?" he asked politely once he reached his destination, and the woman, who hardly seemed surprised that he had approached so openly, nodded with a faint smile.
"I was just about to go to your table," she said, closing the lid of the laptop in front of her.
"That's interesting. I don't recall us having met before," Daniel replied, now seated.
"That's true, but you've surely heard of me, and you could say I have a particular interest in you."
'Interest in me?' Daniel frowned, somewhat intrigued. Since he was in his civilian identity right now, he didn't think he would attract much attention, much less from someone like her.
'Did Carol mention me? No… she wouldn't do that, and a physical description alone shouldn't make her so sure that I'm the person she's interested in.'
Had his secret identity been discovered? He knew it would happen sooner or later. It wasn't like he had made a great effort to hide it; still, it was quite unexpected that she would be the one to find him first.
'No… she's too calm. Excited, yes, but calm. If she knew I'm Defiant, she should be more nervous or something, right?' Maybe he was overthinking it, but he didn't want to rush and make a stupid mistake.
"Well… whatever I did to earn the personal attention of a Luthor, it must be important," he said, making Lena smile.
"Oh, it undoubtedly is. And I believe it could benefit us both greatly… if you're willing to hear my proposal."
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Note:
A little over seven thousand words.
Originally, this chapter was going to be short and simple, kind of a transition piece to lighten up the heaviness of the previous ones, but I guess I got a bit carried away, haha.
Still, a bit of slice of life every now and then is always nice.
Now, onto more important matters, what kind of name do you think would suit Harleen as a heroine? For obvious reasons, using 'Harley' would be complicated. It's not that it can't be done, but I thought it'd be better to try something different first, something that represents the new path her character is taking.
Given her power, my first idea was something like 'Queen' which also combines in a way with her surname, 'Quinzel', and is essentially the opposite of a harlequin, since she's no longer anyone's 'servant' or 'jester', but her own 'mistress' a Queen who commands with absolute authority… or something like that.
Well, I'm still refining the idea, but I think the point gets across. Still, I'd love to hear your suggestions. Do you have any names in mind that you think would fit her better?
As for her costume, I'm even more lost there. I really like how the original Harley Quinn dresses, but her whole aesthetic revolves around her status and concept as an 'arlecchino', and if she's going to have a new name, it wouldn't make much sense for her to keep that same style.
So, if you have ideas for that too, I'd really appreciate it. And if there are reference images, even better, haha.
If a lot of options come up for both names and costume styles, I'll probably make a poll. We'll see.
(P.S. As an additional piece of information, you've probably noticed that Daniel used his cosmic energy against the undergrowth, when it was pointed out in the previous chapter that using it on "living" beings was "complicated" for him. The key, of course, is that it is "complicated," but not impossible.
It probably doesn't need clarification, but yes: Daniel can affect living beings through his control over matter. However, this becomes more difficult when said beings possess a stronger will/spirit and, therefore, the resistance they can impose, whether consciously or unconsciously, is also greater.
Conversely, the lesser the will of the living being, the easier it is for Daniel to crush that will. And the undergrowth, like most plants and weeds, does not have a high degree of real sensibility, so the resistance they can impose is minimal, and therefore it is quite simple for him to get rid of it in many different ways. In this case, he directly disintegrated it out of existence, hahaha.
Daniel only has reservations about imposing his will when dealing with truly conscious living beings, such as humans or animals, since crushing their spirits does not come without consequences; that is, they could end up in a comatose state… or with brain death in the worst-case scenario. )
That said, there's nothing else for me to comment on for now.
Thanks for the patience. Have a good day, afternoon, or night, wherever you are.
Remember that you can already find the next chapter of this story on Patreon( patreon com/EmmaCruzader ) All the support received is appreciated ;D