The Mental Unifier sat in the center of a large cylindrical room, surrounded by several doors. A small side door opened up and a man in a mask walked out of it. He leisurely strolled towards the glowing device in the center when he heard a mechanical humming sound.

“Not one step further.”

There stood Londyn Green, Director of the ILS. She held her fully-charged grav-cannon in her hands, pointed straight at the man. The man stopped walking and raised his hands. Londyn glared at him for moment before heaving a sigh.

“You know, I took the utmost care in setting this up. No records. Every single person here scrubbed clean and personally verified by PSI Omega. The best network security out there. Minimal contact with the outside world, no one has come or gone since we started. A freaking psionic prodigy, who I let bring in an army of monsters and that little Nemesis band. And yet, not only am I not surprised you made it here, I straight up expected it. How do you get into places like this, Bob?”

Bob simply shrugged.

“I have my ways.”

“I’m sure. And so do I.”

Londyn squeezed the trigger on her cannon, firing a weight-increasing bolt. Bob grunted as he fell to the ground.

Londyn’s jaw dropped.

“Really? That’s it, Bob? You’re just going to let me hit you with the first shot? You didn’t have any countermeasures for my standard grav-weaponry? I got to say, I’m disappointed in you. Or do you have some other plan going on?”

Bob groaned.

“Didn’t need one.”

Londyn raised an eyebrow.

“Didn’t need one? Cut the crap, Bob. You wouldn’t have come here without a plan.”

“If I was here to stop you, then yes. But I’m not.”

Londyn just closed her eyes and sighed. Bob slowly moved a trembling arm and removed his mask.

“I’m here for you. Londyn, I’m sorry.”

Londyn fell silent for a moment. Eventually she spoke in a quiet voice.

“...you’re really going to go with that crap?”

“Yes.”

“Seriously? What, Bob, do you think I’m some fragile maiden who got my feelings hurt and is just waiting for you to figure out what you did and apologize? You think you can just waltz in here, give me a hug, and everything will be alright? DON’T SCREW WITH ME, BOB!”

“I know. I don’t expect your forgiveness, or your trust. But you were my friend, and I lied to and betrayed you. I need to apologize for that.”

Londyn just glared at him.

“And I don’t care. It doesn’t much matter, Bob. We were never really friends, were we?”

Bob gave a sad smile.

“I wanted us to be…but I’ll admit I didn’t treat you much like one, did I?”

“...is that all you have to say? Just a half-hearted apology and empty talk about friendship from a traitorous villain?”

Bob frowned.

“It’s because I’m a villain that I can say this. Director Green, what you’re doing here is wrong.”

Londyn chuckled as her eyes narrowed.

“Oh, this is rich. Well, go on Bob, why am I wrong?”

“Punishing me, punishing Linda, that is within your rights. Punishing the rest of the world is not.”

“I’m protecting the world, in case you haven’t noticed.”

Bob managed to press a button on his gauntlet. A holographic screen projected into the air, displaying images of Nemesis when the Mental Unifier first activated. It ended with Nana’s tear-filled face.

“Does that look like protection?”

Londyn frowned, furrowing her brow.

“That looks like a group of known villains.”

“They’re children, Londyn.”

“Didn’t stop whoever hired and trained them, did it, Bob? And I’m guessing that was you, wasn’t it?”

“Fair enough, but what you’re doing goes beyond that. This is not a necessary evil to protect the world. This is a play for control.”

“...Bob, can you even hear yourself? You’ve been manipulating me, the entire world. You built an entire League just so you could have me send the heroes wherever YOU wanted. Now, you want to talk about ‘control’ and ‘necessary evils’? You know what, I’m done with this. I don’t know why I’m even talking with you.”

She charged up her grav-cannon once more, frowning at Bob.

“We’re done here. Looks like you failed, Bob. With my authority as the Director of the International League of Superheroes, I hereby place you under arrest, Bob.”

Bob heaved a sigh.

“Well, it was worth a shot. But looks like the situation is as predicted. Guess it's time for plan B then.”

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“...you really want to do the ‘I know everything’ routine when you’re laying on the ground like that?”

Londyn fired a small bolt, this time at the gauntlet on Bob’s arm. The device cracked and smoked as its circuits fried. She then fired another weight increase bolt at Bob, preventing him from moving any further.

“Well looks like you miscalculated, villain. There’s nothing more you can do here.”

Bob grit his teeth as he struggled to speak.

“I knew…I couldn’t stop you…”

His face trembled as his mouth curled into a grin.

“...but they can.”

The main door burst open as Wonder Knight smashed through them. Aurora Legion rushed into the room, followed by Captain Hot Devil and Icy Falcon.

“Director! Please, stop this!”

Londyn narrowed her eyes.

“Stay out of this, Wonder. For your own good.”

“I won’t! That device, that’s what’s controlling people, isn’t it? We need to stop it!”

Londyn sighed.

“Look, Wonder, I know you mean well, but you have to understand this is how the world works. We hurt the villains, or they hurt others. This is necessary.”

Pink Star’s eyes widened.

“Director, how can you say that?!”

“You all were there. You saw just how many people died in the past year alone. I’m not letting that happen again.”

Chronolock’s eyes narrowed while Voidspeaker’s jaw dropped.

“Are you serious, Director?”

“You’ve got to be kidding me!”

“You’re the last person I want to hear that from, Mr. Cultist.”

“Oh come on!”

Icy Rose trembled, tears welling up in her eyes.

“Director, this, this is wrong. Please don’t do this.”

“Sorry Rose, but I have to.”

Captain Hot Devil sighed and glanced at Icy Falcon. The man nodded back and the two stepped forward, gently moving Aurora Legion out of the way. Londyn raised an eyebrow.

“You two have something to say?”

“Something like that.”

Captain Hot Devil quickly swung his hand forward, a fireball shooting straight into Londyn’s grav-cannon and knocking it out of her hands. Icy Falcon opened his cape and walls of ice grew around Londyn, encasing her hands and feet. Her eyes widened as Aurora Legion’s jaws dropped.

In the ensuing chaos, no one noticed as Bob quietly moved his thumb, pressing the remote he was already hiding in his hand. A piece of grav-tech of his own activated, clearing the effects of Londyn’s grav-bolts. He quietly stood up and snuck around the walls of the room, heading towards the door to the targeting center.

“Hold it.”

PSI Omega was already waiting for him inside. Her face scrunched up as a rune appeared on her forehead.

“...your thoughts are weird. Why are you playing cards right now?”

Bob shrugged.

“Because it’s fun.”

Bob smirked as the girl puffed her cheeks.

“And because if the room is full, it’s harder for someone to walk in.”

Bob of course, did not mention the prototype earpiece he was wearing. Fortunately, the Tanifuji Corporation was just legitimate enough to avoid Londyn’s threshold for villainy. And they had real time data of the mind control from Elise. A mind control device that was specifically sending orders from PSI Omega and therefore giving Elise data on her powers as well.

They hadn’t determined a way to stop it yet, unfortunately.

But they could develop a jammer to fill PSI Omega’s wavelength with noise. False thoughts that would make it tough to determine what the wearer was really thinking.

If PSI Omega was aware of the device, she could hypothetically overpower it. But she wasn’t aware of it.

She frowned and raised her hand.

“Well, whatever. I don’t need to know what you’re thinking to stop you.”

Bob continued to smirk at her. He began to raise his hand. PSI Omega furrowed her brow, ready to blast him into the wall…

“PSI Omega, I need your help.”

The girl just stared at him.

“...what?”

“You’re the only one who can help, in fact.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You haven’t noticed, have you?”

She frowned, crossing her arms.

“...I’m getting annoyed. If you have something to say, say it. Otherwise, I’m going to crush you.”

“Look into Londyn’s mind. Deep, deep down.”

PSI Omega continued to frown. She glared at Bob. But Bob just met her gaze.

So she turned her head in the direction of the door and concentrated, several runes appearing on her forehead.

She gasped.

Bob nodded, making a sad smile.

“You know, when this first happened, I thought Londyn was lost. I thought this was all my fault, and hers. But once I calmed down and really thought about it, something didn’t add up. Londyn took on the Necrosaurus in person. She confronted the most powerful person in the world even when I warned her against it, even when I told her she would lose for sure. She likes being in control, but she also doesn't hesitate to rise up and stand against impossible odds. So…why did she resort to the mind control device I thought she would have destroyed immediately? Why didn’t she try to confront me personally? Why does she believe now that she’s protecting the world?”

Bob’s smile dropped.

“Because Londyn Green is not in charge. Not entirely. There’s someone else in there.”

PSI Omega’s eyes widened.

“How did…I didn’t even…”

Bob shrugged.

“You aren’t the only psychic to ever exist, you know? Who do you think designed this device in the first place? Someone who had been doing this for a lot longer than you. And your powers are suppressed right now, right? I don’t think you would have noticed unless you were looking very closely…and I’m guessing the Director didn’t appreciate the last time you did that, did she, Little PSI?”

The girl began to tremble.

“W-What have I done…what do I do…”

Bob walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“That’s easy. You can fix this right away.”

She looked up at him, eyes still quivering. Bob simply pointed to the chair in the center of the room.

“Use his own weapon against him.”

PSI Omega turned to the chair, then looked back up at Bob. She frowned, and then nodded, walking over to the chair. She took a seat, and lowered the dome on her head.

Yellow light surged around the dome. PSI Omega’s whole body began to glow…

Her vision faded to white...

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When PSI Omega came to she was on the command deck of the ILS’s main HQ. Director Green stood at her post, staring out at the world.

A world on fire.

Giant monsters tore apart cities…

Undead dinosaurs feasted on screaming civilians...

The bodies of heroes lay unmoving across the ground...

And a girl in silk robes laughed as she punched a fist straight through Captain Hot Devil’s chest, tossing his corpse beside the bodies of Aurora Legion.

A purple shadow floated behind Director Green, whispering into her ear.

“This is all because of you.”

“You didn’t do enough.”

“You let him trick you.”

“You let him beat you.”

“And now everyone is dead.”

“Everything you built in flames.”

“Because you didn’t do enough.”

“Because you let him do what he wanted.”

“Stop this.”

“Stop him.”

“Do whatever it takes.”

“Save the world.”

“Bring peace, bring order.”

“Take control, put him in his place.”

“Put them all in their place.”

“Protect my world.”

PSI Omega grit her teeth and lifted her hands.

She swung them forward.

“GET AWAY FROM HER!!!”

Yellow lighting surged from her hand. The shadow suddenly turned. The lightning struck it straight in the chest, the apparition letting out a piercing screech.

“No! Not when I’m so close!”

PSI Omega lifted her hand, palm facing up. The shade slammed into the ceiling.

“Curse you…I’ll be back!”

With that, the shade swirled and vanished. PSI Omega nodded and her vision faded to white once more…

----------------------------------------

Captain Hot Devil frowned, crossing his arms. They had Londyn trapped, unable to move or activate any of her devices. He was trying to talk her down…

But she refused to listen.

In fact, it felt like she wasn’t listening to them at all.

Then suddenly, she began to scream.

“Londyn! What’s wrong!”

Something like dark purple mist flowed from her head, spiraling into the air and dispersing…

----------------------------------------

Back with Nemesis, Elise turned to Chiyeko.

“Requesting Assistance: Incorporeal foe needs to be terminated. Please prepare appropriate seals.”

Chiyeko looked up at her.

“Hm? What was that?”

Elise’s core was already glowing purple, finishing the calculations she had started a while back.

“Loading Profile: Arachnalich.”

Elise lifted her hand and a purple magic circle formed in the air…

Suddenly some sort of shadowy figure appeared.

“W-What is this?! W-Who dares?!”

Chiyeko didn’t know what was going on. But she was a trained ninja, always prepared for the unexpected.

And so she already had a scroll unrolled, her hands flashing in signs.

“NOOOOOO!!!”

Characters leapt off the scroll and wrapped around the shadow, curling around it until it couldn’t be seen. Then the characters shrunk down and vanished with a flash of light.

And it was over.