"Audrey! Dinner!"

My daughter moans something through her door about not wanting to do family dinners anymore. Her door opens.

"Dad, how can we have family dinners if we aren't a family anymore? Besides I live on my own now. I'm an adult you know... I have my own life."

"Audrey, you know your mom and I discussed this. what you do on campus is fine by us, but when at either of our homes we sit down for a family dinner. Besides, a family is whatever you make of it. No need to get all 1950's on me."

My partner winks at me, cute as a button in an apron embroidered with the text I could tell you the secret, but I'd have to kill you.

"Ugh! Fine." A grunted sigh escapes her lips.

We take our places at the dinner table as sirens start blaring. I stand up.

"Please, continue. I'll go check. Must be some rodent skulking about."

I pull up a camera feed on my phone and notice my nemesis. Angrily shaking her fist and mouthing words. I engage the audio feed.

"...-ING ASSHOLE! GET OUT HERE AND RETURN MY GIRLFRIEND! YOU HAVE GONE TOO FAR NOW AND WILL ANSWER FOR YOUR CRIMES! IF YOU DON'T RELEASE AUDREY RIGHT THIS MOMENT I WILL TEAR EVERYTHING YOU HOLD DEAR APART!"

As the audio spreads through the room I notice my daughter freeze.

"So Audrey, sweety. Anything I should know about you having your own life?"

I mute the audio and engage defences. Not noticeable, but doors get reinforced, walls get covered by a subtle forcefield, weapons start coming online.

Audrey looks like she's seen a ghost. My partner looks at me and motions for me to leave the room. He was always great at these things. I meanwhile leave the room and move towards my lair. I engage the microphones in the dining room.

"...and then she..." sob

I get dressed for battle as I hear how my daughter, my all, my everything tells my partner what happened. My boots click in place while I hear about the humiliation. My gloves slide on as I hear about the abuse of trust. My helmet seats firmly and connects to the torso part as I hear about the use of mind magic, coercion and ensuing blackmail.

As I leave my lair's postern I have heard enough, yet still my daughter continues telling about how my nemesis made her miserable. How she tried to end things, only to be coerced back into it.

I come into my nemesis' view. I make sure that the sound from outside carries through to the livingroom.

"Finall-" I cut her off. "You come to my house, to demand I hand over MY DAUGHTER so you can abuse her some more? I have heard all I need to. You have 3 seconds to remove yourself from my sight. If I ever see you again, you shall wish you were never born."

"What do you mean your daughter?"

"ONE"

"She is mine. I have claimed her. and I shall take her after I reduce your body to smouldering ashes"

"TWO"

My nemesis moves towards me to attack. Confident. Thinking she has had the upper hand. Fact of the matter is, I have been holding back.

When I started out, and was still married to my daughter's mother, I made a mistake. it made all the difference. Where before I was just a crazy scientist, but considered benign. After the mistake I was labeled a villain. I caused someone to die. And I swore not to do so again. But my ex-wife couldn't live with me anymore. So we separated. I promised not to tell Audrey about me, who was still an infant at the time. She would later discover my lair and I would come clean. We made it work. I promised not to meddle in her affairs she promised to keep everything under wraps. it was she who inspired me to branch out into acts of eco terrorism. Wrecking some pipelines was all for her and even though I couldn't make sure they weren't replaced, it was a bit of a bonding experience.

"Three" I say softly.

My nemesis hits me with a punch. It connects. But instead of me getting a transfer of kinetic energy and moving I stay put and absorb the impact. Other times I would only absorb part to keep up appearances.

Not this time.

As my nemesis starts throwing hit after hit, punches and kicks flying I stand there and see in my HUD various dials moving. The kinetic energy she puts out would be immense for a human. But she is not human. She is more than that. My suit takes some damage, minor stuff really. My energy reserves are near capacity.

I catch her foot.

"My turn"

I pull on her foot to get her torso closer to me as I bring my other fist forward. I engage the energy stored in my suit. An explosion of blood and viscera. When the red mist drops all I am holding is a leg. Her head has dropped and her eyes and mouth twitch.

I reach into a pocket and open a container with spores. I dump the contents on the bloody patch of ground and see fungi devour the blood and gore until nothing remains. I get back inside. I store my suit away for cleaning and trudge back inside.

I see my partner consoling my daughter. Red-eyed and bleary. She looks at me. A mix of relief and worry.

"I thought you swore you would never kill again."

"I did. But when it comes to you, I will do anything for you. If the world burns because of that then so be it. We will roast some marshmallows. "

Audrey hugs me.