Villain Retirement

"You… want to do what?"

"Pregnancy. I want a baby."

Almost 2 decades ago, in a small cafe somewhere in the world, Diana almost spilled the coffee she was drinking; the disbelief in her eyes, almost visible even through the sunglasses she was wearing as she stared at the woman sitting opposite her— a being born of chaos itself…

…Alice Lane.

"Why… are you even telling me this?" Diana could really only sigh; taking another sip of her coffee and swallowing it before Alice says something ridiculous again.

"Because I want to do it because of you," Alice then said as she placed both her palms on the table.

"...What?"

"You've always told me stories about your baby girl… and I've seen how happy you are with just the slight mention of her name. That's the only time I see you like that, you know. So…

…I want something like that as well," Alice's reflection on Diana's sunglasses remained still, only disappearing as Diana shook her head.

"An offspring is not a toy, Alice," Diana breathed out, "And you just got out of prison. You want another cage to surround you? Just live your youth while it is still there, you humans have very little of it."

"No," Alice also shook her head, "If I lived the entirety of my youth, then I would be too old to play with my son."

"You want a son?"

"Yes. And it will be the cutest baby in the world— no. It will be the cutest baby this entire universe will ever see."

Alice's words may seem like the words of a woman that did not know what she was getting into; words uttered by a madman— but Diana could feel her resolution with every breath that escapes her lips.

No one is going to stop her— and with that thought, Diana could really only sigh before finally placing her coffee on the table.

"Last I checked, you're not engaging in any sort of sexual relations, Alice."

"And I still don't," Alice scoffed, "I don't see the use for it."

"...You need to actually procreate to have a baby."

"No, I don't," Alice shook her head before pointing at Diana,

"I have you, my best friend that would do anything for me," she then let out a small chuckle as she stared Diana straight in the eyes.

"..."

"..."

"Yeah, no."

"Why not!?" And upon hearing Diana's stern rejection, Alice could really only stand up from her seat; lightly slamming her palms on the table as she did so, "You've done it to the female prisoners of the Supermax!"

"That's a completely different procedure with no regard to the subject's life," Diana once again took a sip of her coffee as she gestured to Alice to sit back down, "I mix all sorts of different stands from different species. 90% of them are unsuccessful."

"Really? You suck."

"...No," Diana sighed, "It's just not possible for both the child and the mother to survive. There is only one combination that both parties survive each time— themarians. But the offspring is just another normal human, except they get infected and become supers at a very early age."

"Like Hannah."

"Like Hannah," Diana smiled as her head nodded on its own.

"What about the rest of the 10% that aren't themarians?"

"Dead, I killed them myself," Diana once again took a sip of her coffee.

"..."

"..."

"Eh, it doesn't matter, I guess," Alice shrugged before finally returning to her seat, "What species and races do you have there? Put the most beautiful and cutest one inside me, and I'll be set."

"...Do you really not understand the gravity of what you're asking me?"

"What's gravity to a woman that could enslave it?"

"Wow, you practiced that line?" Diana could not help but let out a small giggle as she heard Alice's words. But although Diana was slightly amused with her statement— it was true. Alice was a completely different existence from the rest of the inhabitants of this planet, a human with strength comparable with the Higher Races… comparable with the Themarians.

The only other being that she considers equal to her.

People might see Alice as mad, an adult that never really grew up, a prankster— but this woman could probably crush the entire planet with a single bat of her eyelids.

"Come on, D. Just give me a list of aliens and I'll just pick them out personally."

"..."

"..."

"...I'm not going to be able to stop you, am I?"

"Only if you kill me."

"I might not need to, the pregnancy might beat me to it."

"Me? I won't die."

Alice once again stood up… this time on top of the table; completely spilling whatever was left of Diana's cup.

"It says so on my superhero name, Ms. Phoenix," Alice then took in a deep breath as she crossed her arms, "I will catch death before it catches me."

"Phoenix die, Alice. They just resurrect."

"W… What?" Alice slowly lowered her arms as she heard Diana's words, "What the fuck? Mama told me they were immortal."

"They are, in a sense."

"...Wait, do you have a phoenix's DNA?" Alice's eyes almost glistened as she sat at the table.

"They're not real, Alice," Diana sighed.

.

"Well do you have any other species that could revive if they die!?" Alice then grabbed Diana's shoulders; the light in her eyes almost piercing through Diana's sunglasses.

"Yes."

"What is it!?"

"Themarians."

"That's fucking boring," Alice rolled her eyes before leaping from the table, "And you guys die, you're just hard to kill. Come on, just show me a list of aliens so I can pick already."

"...Fine."

And as soon as Diana said that, she disappeared, leaving only a set of coins twirling on the table and a squeaking cafe door.

"Pft," Alice didn't seem to mind Diana's sudden disappearance, however, as a small smirk appeared on her face before she flew up… creating a hole in the cafe's ceiling as she followed Diana, who was already flying through the skies.

"Where are we going?"

"Arlington Cemetery."

"Shouldn't we go faster, then? You and I both need to go home," Alice said as she increased her speed to fly beside Diana.

"No, any faster and a child will come snooping around."

"...Megawoman?"

"..."

"You still haven't told me why she's searching for you."

"Because I am an intergalactic criminal?"

"...Cool," Alice breathed out, "What did you do?"

"I committed genocide here and there."

"Fuck me… that's some heavy stuff."

"..." Diana could really only glance as she heard Alice's response, before letting out a small chuckle and nodding her head,

"It is. I… still carry those deaths with me."

It took a few hours, but Alice and Diana finally found themselves inside the exact same ship Riley would be in 2 decades later. And like it was and would be in the future, the ship was… immaculate. Devoid of any furniture, devoid of anything, really. Just walls, a ceiling, and a floor.

"I… was expecting some creepy Frankenstein stuff, but your lab is even cleaner than mama's bathroom."

"Because this isn't my lab, it's my ship. And Frankenstein's lab is in Europe."

"Wait… Dr. Frankenstein was a real person?"

"Who do you think it was?" Diana smirked.

"No fucking way," Alice's eyes started to widen, "You!?"

"I've been here for thousands of years and assumed many names," Diana's voice was almost proud.

"I know, you're old as hell," Alice burst out in laughter, "Oh man, I hope you don't leave before my son gets married."

"...Right," Diana shook her head before raising her hand. And as soon as she did so, several screens started emerging from the empty silver walls— their images, holographic.

"Holy… This is some next-generation 3D stuff," Alice said as she tried touching the images floating around her.

"Anna, show me the DNA Library."

"Anna? What—"

And before Alice could even wonder what Diana was suddenly saying, several… creatures and people suddenly appeared around them— the different races of the universe.

"What the fuck is that!?"

And almost instantly, Alice found herself pointing at one of the races.

"Is… is that a fucking planet beside it!?"

"It's a Nunlius— universally known as the Messengers," Diana said as she stood beside the hologram, "The only one left of the Ancient Races. Well, there is only a handful of them left, so they would be extinct soon."

"They… are as large as Earth?"

"One of them is even bigger," Diana smiled as she saw the look of shock and awe in Alice's eyes.

"Fuck…"

Alice's stuttered chuckles echoed throughout the silver room as she covered her mouth,

"Them," Alice then said before taking in a big gulp, "I want you to put one of those inside me."

"...No," Diana raised an eyebrow; this time, it was her who was in awe, "The last try I placed a Messenger's DNA in a human, it opened its mother from the inside— I had to squash it before it could grow bigger."

"Damn," Alice blinked a couple of times before moving on. Her eyes, scanning each nook and cranny of every race around her.

"This one looks like a penis."

"..."

"That's a fish."

"What the… this one looks like Bulwark! I knew that guy was an alien the first time I saw— Nevermind, it doesn't have a nose."

"..." Diana could really only sigh as she followed behind Alice. But after what seemed like an entire hour, Diana grabbed Alice's hand and pulled her towards a certain race,

"How about them?"

"...Aren't they just humans with fancy hair?" Alice squinted her eyes as she looked at the race Diana was pointing to, only to see a pair of silver-haired humans; their entire body, blanketed with some sort of glowing tattoo.

"No, they are descendants of a god, in a sense…

…the Evaniels."