The building was silent.
To be more precise, it was the vicinity surrounding the president's office that was, as everyone avoided it, as if it could kill them just by standing near it.
18, now in disguise, was perusing reports and financial documents, her mind operating at a speed beyond what an average individual could even grasp.
After two weeks, her company was finally regaining its footing; the lab was functioning at around 60% capacity and the investors were showing interest in the outcomes.
Everything was beginning to take form.
The insurance company was still withholding payment, so legal action was necessary; her assistant had already joined forces with several other business owners and approached the mayor to compel the insurance agency to fulfill its obligations.
They had superhero damage coverage and the claim had been submitted as directed, yet the insurance contended that the plants were not part of a superhero fight, since the actual battle occurred elsewhere.
This was a foolish and illogical justification, but they had influential allies and the small businesses affected typically stood no chance against them.
However, 18 was not going to allow this to go unchallenged, so 16 collected evidence of the politicians aiding the insurance and accepting bribes by retrieving deleted conversations and emails, which she forwarded to the local newspaper.
In particular, a reporter named Louis Lane was involved and this was the type of story she thrived on, exposing corruption and individuals being exploited by large corporations, was one of her specialties.
18 was relieved she had not killed her when they met; she was now proving to be valuable.
The android could have threatened the CEO or resorted to violence to achieve her objectives, but it was still premature to disclose her affiliation with Blue Tie Corp.
She understood that eventually, they would discover this company belonged to her; the crucial aspect was that by the time they did, they would be powerless to act.
She had suffered a financial setback; the funds she received from Boomerang and the other criminals barely made a dent and according to her assistant, if they did not begin generating profit, the company would face bankruptcy within approximately one year.
They wanted to limit the number of investors to keep control of the assets and ideas.
Contemplating the situation reignited her anger, prompting her to consider infiltrating the prison to eliminate the members of the Injustice League who had escaped.
However, she decided against it due to the potential complications that could arise.
With an increasing workload, she became acutely aware of her need for trustworthy individuals around her.
The door swung open and her assistant entered, carrying a stack of documents.
"Miss 18, I have received the lab reports. They indicated that the household product line should be ready in one month, although they are currently engaged in debates over the designs."
"Instruct them to send me the design options and I will select the ones we will proceed with."
"Understood."
She placed the documents on her desk and hurried out to resume her own tasks, leaving 18 to review the latest absurdities from the development department.
A group of scientists that, although very competent, were also stubborn and eccentric.
They had utilized the schematics and insights she provided regarding her world's technology to devise new inventions for this one.
Thus far, nothing overly extravagant had been built, no hover cars, robotic servants, or time machines, but 16 had stumbled upon something intriguing.
The energy efficiency of her world was significantly superior to that of this one.
While a standard refrigerator consumes between 40 to 80 watts of power per hour, one from her world could operate on just 30 to 60 watts.
Although this may seem like a minor difference, it accumulates over time.
This represented a 25% decrease in energy consumption, resulting in lower electricity bills, extended battery life and increased power availability for larger inventions.
This revelation also clarified many aspects for the project teams; hover cars would require an enormous amount of energy, making them impractical with conventional resources, except for short distances.
They required improved fuel sources and power and this insight was immensely beneficial.
Upon discovering this, 16 had 18 file a patent immediately and now the company was on the verge of launching an entire product line that would ensure a significant reduction in energy consumption.
As she had suspected, that woman was indeed a genius.
She observed the significant amount of heat dissipated as waste in all electric devices. This observation inspired her to develop machines that would not require constant recharging, leading her to incorporate a piece of technology of her own design.
Years later, not only households but also governments, military organizations and various companies began utilizing Capsule Corp hardware.
Now, 18 had the opportunity to replicate this success; it was simply a matter of implementation and marketing.
Engaging in this project kept her busy; she had not assumed her identity as 18 for some time, while the heroes continued their search across the globe and the Light remained unusually silent.
She had been preoccupied with her business and training to enhance her strength, so she did not ponder why the villains had not made contact.
Whatever their activities were, she felt indifferent.
Or so she believed.
Initially, it was a subtle disturbance, barely perceptible. Her ki sense alerted her to something that made her uneasy; the energy felt familiar yet distinct.
"Magic."
Something was brewing, something substantial enough for her to sense even before it manifested.
Without hesitation, she activated her energy shield just as a wave of power surged towards her, distorting the world around her. Once the distortion subsided, she maintained her protective stance for a few moments, making sure the event was over.
"16, check the surroundings using the cameras and report everything you can about the situation."
"Acknowledged."
She exited her office only to find the building deserted; all her employees, including her assistant, had vanished.
Changing out of her office attire, she searched the premises but found no one. She then flew outside and was met with the sounds of chaos: children crying, alarms blaring and a general uproar throughout the city.
"What is happening?"
Her phone rang and it was 16.
"I have confirmed the absence of adults throughout the city and based on social media updates, this phenomenon appears to be occurring globally."
This revelation caused her to raise an eyebrow.
"Why would anyone want to make the adults disappear?"
Before she could continue questioning the motives of the individual responsible for this, her attention was drawn to a girl plummeting from a nearby window.
The young girl was attempting to peer outside while calling for her mother when she lost her footing and fell.
18 did not hesitate or deliberate; she reacted swiftly and caught the girl before she could become a mark on the pavement.
The child had her eyes shut and upon feeling someone catch her, she anticipated the presence of Superman. However, when she opened her eyes, she found 18 scowling at her.
"What are you doing, you stupid waste of space?"
The girl, merely 10 years old, should have acted more responsibly, which infuriated the android for having to intervene on her behalf.
"I'm sorry."
Tears welled in the small human's eyes as she spoke.
"My mom is gone."
18 watched her and sensed a headache beginning to form.
"I don't care."
She descended and released the girl, preparing to depart when the child stopped her.
"What now?"
"Thank you."
"Shut up."
She swiftly took off, her face flushed, in what she believed was anger.
Panicked children and teenagers filled the streets, shouting, crying and running about like headless chickens.
"Is this occurring globally?"
"Affirmative; reports from the teenagers indicate widespread chaos in all nations."
"What about the so-called superheroes? Are they taking action?"
"All evidence suggests that they have also disappeared."
"They are so useless."
She landed and observed a group of teenagers breaking into a store and stealing various items.
Though she felt indifferent, she approached them, lost in thought and ignoring their actions, until one of the teens decided to brandish a pistol and threaten her.
"Hey, get out of here; you better not come any closer."
They appeared to be around 17 or 18 years old, dressed like gang members.
Assuming they were still minors given the circumstances, 18 continued to advance, prompting the teen to aim the weapon at her.
"Listen, I am warning you."
"Either do it or shut up."
The sound of the gunshot startled the others, who had not expected him to actually pull the trigger. The bullet flew wildly off course and 18 quickly noticed its trajectory and moved faster than the eye can see, catching the bullet that was about to hit a boy walking close by.
"You idiot, if you can't aim, don't pick up a gun."
She then opened her hand, allowing the bullet to drop to the ground, leaving the criminals in shock.
The only girl in the group gasped and pointed at her.
"You're that one, the crazy robot from the news."
Before she knew it, a hand was resting on her shoulder.
"Think very carefully about what you say next."
"I'm really, really sorry."
"That's better. I could easily kill you, but I have a better use for a bunch of rats like you."
The teens called for others, friends, classmates and even made a public post urging everyone in Metropolis to gather at different locations in the city. With the help of 16 and the strength of 18, the kids were assembled and organized.
She reflected on how strange it was that she even cared; usually, 18 would let chaos reign and maybe go grab a bite to eat.
But something about her earlier encounter with that child made her want to help, even if just a little.
17 and her were not comfortable with the idea of killing kids, at least not directly. They had launched attacks on buildings without knowing who was inside.
But they had never outright broken a child's neck or severed a limb; they considered that gratuitous and dull.
Now, she wasn't so sure that was the only reason; perhaps they were clinging to the last bits of their humanity.
As she flew, she noticed the team sending a message to all the kids around the world: take care of each other, hold onto hope, we're on it, blah blah blah.
When she recalled all her interactions, she realized she could actually talk to them and now she might need their help. This situation was magical in nature and she couldn't just punch her way through it.
Making a choice, she set out to find those who might know how to fix this mess.
The global alerts kept pouring in; the team and other young heroes were doing their best to manage it, but many had already been hurt and some kids had lost their lives in accidents worldwide.
To tackle the bigger issues, they had to overlook many of the numerous reports they were receiving.
Kid Flash called and in the background, there were hundreds of kids being looked after by older teens.
"Guys, we're finally getting organized."
Robin was managing communications and evaluating the immediate impact of the disaster.
"The people in Metropolis are using social media to coordinate and others are following suit."
Aqualad, who had just finished rescuing another ship full of kids, spoke next.
"Do we have any clue about the source of the spell?"
"Zatara is on it; she's searching for a spell to track the magic used. She recalled her father had one that might work."
Megan was cradling a baby and moving it towards another gathering point.
"We need to move quickly; the longer this goes on, the more dangerous it becomes."
Artemis arrived at the base to restock her arrows.
"We're already seeing power outages and infrastructure failures starting. If we don't resolve this soon, we'll face hundreds of disasters worldwide."
Without adults to maintain it, the infrastructure was gradually crumbling. Within hours, there were already power and water outages and accidents were happening frequently.
Crimes and violence were becoming more common; the team never realized how much they relied on emergency services until they were gone.
Doctors, paramedics, police and firefighters are the ones who help minimize damage during global emergencies and in a world without adults, they were all absent.
Alerts kept ringing and they were worn out.
"We should look for other ways to locate them."
"I'm already scanning every available database, security footage and online posts, but I haven't found anything."
Just as the group was about to break apart again, a new alert popped up on Robin's screen, showing a kid in a red shirt pressing the doorbell of the base.
Artemis moved closer.
"Who is that?"
"I have no idea, but he shouldn't know where the entrance is and according to the computer, he tried to use League authorization to get in."
The kid was flailing his arms and pointing at the door, clearly trying to get noticed and hoping to be let inside.
"I'll go check it out."
Artemis dashed towards the entrance while Robin observed her departure before returning to his tasks.
Billy Babson was nervously waiting for someone to see him; once this was over, he planned to take on his Captain Marvel persona and create a profile that reflected his true age.
He got lucky and spotted Amber; persuading her wasn't a walk in the park and if he had arrived a day later, she wouldn't have been around since her birthday was the next day.
Getting to Happy Harbor and reaching Mount Justice took longer than he anticipated and he wasn't quite sure how he could contribute, but he preferred being here, over sitting at home doing nothing.
When the door finally swung open, he attempted to rush inside but was abruptly yanked back by his shirt.
"Not so fast."
"Ah, Artemis, let me go."
"If you know who I am, then you should realize you shouldn't be here. Go home and wait for us to sort this out."
"Listen, I can help, I am..."
The sound of the wind signaled Kid Flash's arrival.
"Hey, Robin is calling everyone back."
"Did he say why?"
"No idea, but it sounds urgent."
"Alright, let's go."
She released Billy and turned to head back.
"Wait, I'm..."
The door slammed shut in his face, leaving the powerless superhero outside.
When the two teens returned, Aqualad was already there.
"Are you sure this information is correct?"
"I've verified it with several sources; there's no footage, but there are witnesses and photos, so it's 90% likely this is true."
"If she's here, then the other members of the Light must be too, which confirms this is their doing."
"Even before, it's tough to think of another villain or group capable of something like this. What I want to know is why they did it and if this is permanent."
Wally sprinted over and halted beside them.
"Don't worry, guys, we've got this."
Artemis glanced at the screen and turned pale.
"Don't tell me that..."
Robin stepped aside and displayed the photo of 18 soaring over Metropolis.
"She's the only adult spotted anywhere in the world."
Aqualad concentrated on the picture, aware that his next statement might not be taken well.
"Zatana told me she's struggling to find the info in her dad's spell books, so we can't track the source of this magic. That leaves us with one option if we want to sort this out before it's too late."
He inhaled deeply.
"We need to confront Android 18 and either force or persuade her to share what she knows."
Artemis was the first to shout.
"NO."
She shook with fear, recalling her previous encounter with the android.
"Last time, Wally nearly died and the whole team ended up in the hospital and she fought the League members several times, beating Superman and Green Lantern, who lost an arm and she wrecked Nabu's helmet. We don't stand a chance."
"We understand the risks, but we have no other option."
Superboy and Megan showed up with Billy.
Wally, eager to change the topic, asked.
"Why did you let him in?"
Megan floated in front of him.
"He's Captain Marvel."
"Wait, what?"
Superboy was skeptical, but he trusted Megan and she claimed it was true.
"We can discuss this later; for now, we need to focus on wrapping this up quickly."
Billy, oblivious to the tension, grinned and said.
"So what's the plan?"
Robin displayed the screen and clarified.
"We have two choices: wait for Zatana to uncover the source of the spell or try to extract the information from Android 18."
Wally chuckled without humor.
"Those options are terrible. Who knows how long it'll take Zatana to figure it out? And honestly, I don't want to get thrown through a truck again."
The debate was going in circles, with everyone having different opinions and no one willing to back down.
Just as they were about to vote, Robin noticed an incoming call.
"Who is this? How did you get this number?"
"My name is Android 16 and I have a proposal to resolve this situation."
(CHAPTER IMAGE.)