Laura had been awakened by the slap of reality—sometimes literally. She realized the man standing before her was not someone she could handle on her own.
She needed help.
Bending down to grab her coat, Laura cautiously moved toward what she hoped was the exit.
"See her out," Jack Kadere said casually to Kate.
Kate nodded and led Laura away.
Laura remained unsettled the entire way. Only now did she truly notice her surroundings. She was on a ship—but not any ordinary vessel. When she disembarked and turned to look back, her jaw nearly dropped. The ship was gone.
At least, that's what it looked like.
The scenery blended seamlessly with its surroundings, but when Laura reached out instinctively, her fingers brushed against something solid, invisible yet undeniably there. Some sort of cloaking technology…
She stood there in silence, uneasy and thoughtful, before finally turning to leave.
Jack, meanwhile, had lost interest. With Dr. Manhattan gone, there was no reason to engage with the rest of the Watchmen. Laura had been interesting, sure—tall, confident, the kind of woman who knew how to fight—but she didn't compare to Kate in his eyes. He wasn't looking to change his current companion any time soon.
Seeing Kate return, Jack simply activated the Disciple, and the hidden ship rose into the sky, vanishing from Moscow's horizon.
His departure may have seemed insignificant, but for Laura, it was only the beginning. She would spend weeks searching for her fellow Watchmen, seeking help against a man she knew she couldn't defeat alone.
....
Moscow, Bolshoi Theatre
That night, the historic stage was alive with anticipation. A world-renowned ballet troupe was set to perform, the velvet curtains shimmering in the dim light.
In a private box, Soviet scientist Valentina Vostok sat gracefully on a leather sofa. A glass of red wine rested in her hand as she waited for the show to begin. Her long crimson dress clung elegantly to her figure, her blonde hair pinned up neatly, makeup flawless, though her eyes betrayed the weight of stress and disappointment.
Another failure.
The research on the Firestorm Matrix had collapsed once again. She had been close—so close. The threshold was right in front of her, just one step away. And yet, that one step remained impossibly out of reach, taunting her every time she thought she had solved the equation.
"What am I missing…?" she whispered bitterly, draining the rest of her glass. She straightened, determined to focus on the ballet and forget her frustration for one night.
Bang, bang, bang.
"Come in," Valentina called at the knock, expecting perhaps a staff member.
The door swung open. A man with sharp features and a confident smile entered, casually dragging someone by the arm. To Valentina's horror, she recognized the man being tossed aside—it was her driver.
"You—"
Before she could react further, the intruder stepped fully into the box, bringing with him a striking young woman who moved with subtle poise.
"Good evening, Miss Vostok," Jack Kadere said smoothly, settling himself on the far end of the sofa. His gaze flicked briefly to the wine bottle on the table, and he chuckled. "Drinking alone is such a dreary thing. Mind if I join you?"
Valentina's heart raced, but her composure never cracked. She studied him, then curved her lips into a small smile. "If you insist."
Jack reached out, but Kate—ever perceptive—was already at the table, pouring two fresh glasses.
"Cheers," Jack said, raising his glass.
"Cheers," Valentina echoed, clinking it gently against his before taking a sip.
"I admire your composure," Jack remarked with a small grin. "Most people would panic in your position. Consider this my way of making your evening more… pleasant."
"Should I be thanking you for that?" Valentina asked, her tone edged with sarcasm.
"You should," Jack replied easily. Then, without missing a beat, he added, "Tell me, have you ever heard of time travel?"
Valentina's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Ah," Jack smirked. "So you have. Let me guess—Vandal Savage told you? Perfect. Saves me the trouble of explaining the basics."
Valentina set her glass down, unimpressed. "If this is your way of flirting, Kadere, it needs serious work."
"Maybe that's because I usually skip the games and go straight to the point." Jack leaned closer, lowering his voice. "To be frank, I'm very interested in the Firestorm Matrix. I want to learn about it directly from you. In return, I'll help you become Firestorm—and I'll give you a one-way trip through time. Past, future, any point you desire."
Valentina studied him carefully, her sharp eyes scanning for weakness. "And why should I believe you?"
"You already do, or else you wouldn't still be sitting here." Jack raised his glass again. At the same time, he motioned to Kate, who quietly poured more wine. Jack pulled her gently into his side, turning his attention to the ballet performance that had just begun.
Valentina, however, wasn't watching the stage. Her mind raced, replaying his words over and over. Her research had one purpose—giving her homeland an edge over the United States. If this stranger was truly a time traveler, if he could truly help her harness the Firestorm Matrix, then perhaps his offer was worth exploring. And if he was lying, she trusted herself to uncover it quickly enough.
With that thought, she tilted her head and smiled charmingly. "Holding another woman in front of me… hardly what I'd call gentlemanly behavior."
Jack gave a soft laugh. "It doesn't matter. I've done far worse." He raised his glass, eyes briefly glinting with amusement before turning back toward the stage.
Cup after cup, conversation after conversation, the performance became mere background noise. They spoke first of ballet, then of history, then of possibilities yet to come. At first, Valentina was probing, every question a test. But as the night went on, she felt herself caught in his rhythm, his strange mix of arrogance and certainty.
She leaned forward with a small laugh. "You're saying this theater will one day be considered one of the world's top ten? Then maybe I should buy out this box permanently—or perhaps the entire building?"
"Why not the whole theater?" Jack quipped, as if the thought were nothing.
Valentina froze for only a moment, then smiled. "You may be right. Perhaps I should."
By the time the two-hour ballet concluded, she had made her decision.
Valentina rose gracefully, slipping on her coat. She turned to him, her voice even. "I accept your proposal. When will you come to find me?"
Jack grinned. "Why wait? I don't exactly have a place to stay in this era. I assume you wouldn't mind offering one?"
She smirked and reached into her unconscious driver's coat, retrieving a car key. Turning back to Jack, she asked, "Can you drive?"
He gave a dramatic bow. "With pleasure, my lady."
Valentina chuckled softly and linked her arm with his. Together, they left the theater.
Outside, her sleek Soviet-made car waited. Jack took the wheel, Kate slid into the passenger seat with obvious unease, and Valentina settled into the back, calmly giving directions as the engine roared to life.
The car pulled away into the Moscow night.
Jack Kadere had never been the bookworm type, not someone who buried himself in study. But learning about the Firestorm Matrix from Valentina was something different—it wasn't boring theory, it was power. Real power. Firestorm's abilities could reshape the world at the atomic level, changing matter itself—lead into gold, stone into steel, air into fire. It was like having a cosmic printing press in your hands, a power that could erase limitations and rewrite reality.
Not that Jack had ever been worried about money. That part had always been easy.
But Firestorm? That was something else. Something worth pursuing.