I’m Not a Villain, I Just Absorb Women’s Powers

The night dragged on as the car ate up the miles, Hannah slouched in the passenger seat, ropes biting into her wrists.

She gave directions casually, as if she wasn't tied down at all.

"So," Jace said, keeping his eyes on the road, "what can you tell me about your little group?"

Hannah tilted her head, her lips twitching into a smirk. "You think I'd just tell you that?"

"If you want to live, yes." His tone didn't waver.

She ignored the bite in his words and let her gaze wander to his hand on the wheel. "That ring of yours… I tried to take it off while you were out. Wouldn't budge. Can I see it for a minute?"

Jace turned his head slightly, just enough to look at her. "No."

"Bummer." Her smirk lingered, testing him.

Jace went silent, letting the hum of the tires and the low rumble of the engine fill the space. Finally, he added, "You'll see it only after you've told me about your group."

Hannah shrugged like the ropes didn't exist. "Fine. My little sister? Stronger than she looks. Super strength. One of the muscle heads? Telekinesis. The other? Fire powers."

She recited it too easily, like reading from a script.

[You believe her?] Zin asked in his head, voice low and skeptical.

Jace didn't answer out loud. He kept his eyes forward, hands steady on the wheel. He wasn't naïve enough to take her word for it. If anything, he knew he was being fed scraps, half-truths at best, lies at worst.

Hannah leaned closer against the seatbelt, lowering her voice with a playful edge. "So. The ring."

Jace ignored her and pressed the gas, the car picking up speed.

She chuckled under her breath, tapping her bound fingers against the seat. "Suit yourself."

Inside, Jace wasn't rattled. He'd already made up his mind: nothing she gave up came free, and nothing she said could be trusted until he saw it with his own eyes.

The drive stretched on, Hannah's playful edge wearing off, but her constant chatter never stopping.

Jace stayed quiet, keeping his jaw tight, every mile building more of a headache.

By the time the car slowed, the warehouse loomed ahead, rusted metal, busted windows, the kind of place that had seen better decades.

Eva's car sat outside.

Jace's stomach twisted. He killed the engine, got out, and circled to the passenger side. Hannah was still smirking, ropes biting into her wrists like none of this mattered.

"Up," he muttered, yanking the door open.

She didn't resist, but she didn't cooperate either, her feet dragging as he pulled her toward the warehouse entrance. She was too relaxed. Too sure.

[She's playing games,] Zin warned. [Eyes open.]

Jace shoved her forward, reaching for the heavy door —

That's when he caught it. The faint shift of her arm, the flash of something metallic in her hand.

He reacted instantly. His grip clamped around her wrist, twisting hard. The blade jerked free of its intended path and drove into her own throat.

Her eyes went wide. A guttural sound tore from her as he shoved, pushing the steel deeper until her breath turned into a wet gargle.

Jace let her drop.

Blood spilled down her front, slick and fast. She clutched at her neck, but instead of panic, she smiled.

"You dumbass," she choked, voice bubbling. "I can heal… this."

But Jace didn't flinch. He watched.

Her grin faltered when the wound didn't close. The blood didn't stop. Her eyes darted up at him, confused, then angry, then desperate.

She tried to speak again, but all that came out was a choking rush of red.

[Finish her, Jace,] Zin urged. [Don't hesitate.]

But Jace stood frozen, his expression cold, his eyes locked on hers as she squirmed.

Her mouth opened, half a word slipping through. "Pow—"

The rest drowned in another gush of blood. Her body twitched, then stilled.

Zin's voice cut sharp. [JACE!]

He blinked, like coming out of a trance. "Yeah." His voice was low, distracted.

But it was too late. Hannah lay sprawled at his feet, eyes glassy, blood pooling beneath her. Whatever she'd meant to say with her last breath, it was gone with her.

Jace exhaled, shoulders tight. "...Nothing. Let's just save Eva."

[How?] Zin's voice was cold, cutting straight through. [We've lost our bargaining chip. Do you really think they'll negotiate for Eva with their friend, and sister, lying dead in a puddle of her own blood?]

"They don't know she's dead."

[So your plan is to negotiate with a corpse? What happens if they want proof she's alive?]

Jace's jaw flexed. "Then I'll improvise. I'm sure one of the muscle heads will leave the room to check if i really have hannah. If I'm fast enough, I can take the opening, free Eva, and—"

[And then what?] Zin snapped. [Eva doesn't have her powers anymore. You'll be dragging her through a fight against at least two metas, maybe three if the other comes back in time. Even with kinetic enhancements and Hannah's healing, you're still one man against a stacked deck.]

Jace fell silent for a moment, gripping the wheel tighter. His knuckles whitened, but his eyes stayed locked on the road ahead.

.

.

.

.

Jace sat in the driver's seat, his hands still on the wheel even though the engine was dead.

Hannah's body was slumped in the passenger seat, blood drying down her front.

The silence pressed heavy inside the car, broken only by Zin's voice cutting sharp into his head.

[Listen closely, Jace. Bargaining is gone, but that doesn't mean you're out of options. You can still get Eva back alive. You just need to play this right.]

Jace leaned back, staring at the rusted warehouse across the lot. He didn't answer, but his jaw tightened. He was listening.

[First, use Hannah. They don't know she's dead. Keep her tied up, make sure the blood isn't visible. From a distance, in shadow, she'll still look alive. If they demand proof, stall. Force one of them to move toward you. That creates an opening.]

Jace glanced at Hannah's lifeless face, his lip curling. "So I'm dragging a corpse into a bluff. Great."

[Second, control the environment. Don't walk straight into their nest. Circle the perimeter. Find alternate entrances, weak walls, windows, anything. If you only have one way in and out, you'll die in there.]

Jace's eyes flicked to the warehouse. Rusted panels, broken windows. He could already see the weak points Zin was talking about.

[Third, split their focus. Don't give them a chance to swarm you. You need chaos. Noise outside, fire, structural damage, anything that forces one of them to step away. If you can reduce them to two, your odds increase. Three-on-one isn't survivable, not with Eva to drag out.]

Jace rubbed his face, thinking it through. Zin's voice didn't slow.

[Fourth, prioritize Eva. Do not fight to win. Fight to free her. Once she's loose, disengage. Run. She doesn't have powers anymore, but two people moving together is better than one man carrying dead weight.]

Jace let out a slow breath, his fists tightening on the wheel.

[And fifth, know your enemies. If the sister truly has super strength, don't grapple. If one of the others has telekinesis, line of sight is their weapon, use cover. And if fire powers are in play? Fire eats oxygen. Stay low, force them to suffocate their own allies if they overuse it.]

Jace finally muttered, "You're saying I don't need to beat them. Just break their setup, grab Eva, and get out."

[Exactly.] Zin's tone sharpened. [But you have to move fast. The longer you sit here, the more likely they realize Hannah isn't coming back. Once that happens, your window closes.]

Jace stared at the warehouse again. His heartbeat steadied. Zin wasn't wrong, this was the cleanest play he had. Risky, sure, but not suicidal if he played it smart.

"Alright," Jace said under his breath, reaching for the door handle. "Let's make this work."

Jace wiped the blood from Hannah's face with a rag he found in the backseat.

Her body slumped lifelessly against the chair, head tilted awkwardly. The ropes around her wrists stayed tight, no reason to untie her even now.

He muttered under his breath, "You know Hannah probably bullshitted us about the info she gave."

[Of course,] Zin replied dryly. [But just in case she didn't, we'll use what we know. Always prepare for the worst version of the truth.]

Jace glanced at the warehouse again. "So strength, fire, telekinesis. Even if she made that up, we're walking into something nasty."

He wiped his hands on his jeans, looking down at Hannah one last time. "And what if she was lying about everything?"

[Then it doesn't matter. Because what's waiting for you inside is still hostile, still dangerous. Your approach doesn't change. You assume the enemy has every advantage until you take it away.]

Jace leaned back against the car, his chest tightening. For a second, he let his eyes close.

The image of Eva's car parked outside the warehouse burned in his mind.

She was inside, bound, maybe worse, and he couldn't waste more time second-guessing.

He pushed himself upright, jaw set. "Fine. Then we go with your plan."

[Good,] Zin answered. [But remember this, do not fight to win. Fight to free Eva. Prioritize her, then leave. Anything else is suicide.]

Jace looked at Hannah's corpse again, the blood already stiffening her shirt.

He pulled her body upright, re-tied the ropes tighter to make it look like she was still bound and conscious. From a distance, in shadows, it would pass.

"Alright," Jace muttered. "Let's bluff with a corpse."