Rex Sloan

Rex leaned against the briefing table, arms crossed, trying not to make it obvious he was staring.

The new girl stood at the front of the room, back straight, expression unreadable as Cecil rattled off some official welcome speech. She barely looked at anyone, just nodded in the right places, hands clasped behind her like she wasn’t nervous at all.

Maybe she wasn’t. Maybe people like her didn’t get nervous.

Rex didn’t know much about her—just the one thing that mattered. Grayson.

Mark’s sister. Nolan's daughter. Omni-Man’s daughter.

That name alone made his skin itch. It was like letting a bomb waltz through the front door and act like it belonged there. No one had forgotten what Nolan did, least of all him. And now, here she was, standing where the old Guardians used to stand, where people had died. His jaw tightened as he watched them.

“—And with that, let’s get to work,” Cecil finished, nodding toward her before turning back to the team. “You’ll bring her up to speed. She’s one of you now.”

Rex barely heard the rest. The moment Cecil left, silence settled over the room. No one spoke. No one moved. Then, finally, she looked at him.

Her eyes were sharp—too sharp, like she was already sizing him up, like she could see the thoughts crawling through his head. Rex forced himself to meet her gaze, leaning back just enough to look like he didn’t care.

“Right,” he said, clapping his hands together. “Guess we’re just letting anyone in these days.”

No reaction. No glare, no scoff, not even a twitch. Just that same, steady stare. It pissed him off more than it should have.

The others started to break off, murmuring among themselves, but Rex stayed put, watching her, waiting for something. Some sign of weakness. Some hint that she wasn’t as put together as she looked. Nothing.

Rex exhaled sharply through his nose. He didn’t trust her. Didn’t trust anyone with that name.

And if she wanted to be one of them?

She had a hell of a lot to prove.