Ever since Cecil turned me into his protégé to one day inherit the Global Defense Agency, my days were now spent at the pentagon then at my penthouse. I was learning the motions, the people, the policies, and the jargon. What would've taken years to gain experience, I crushed into weeks thanks to my power. I had photographic memory which was a cheat code to the game of bureaucracy.
"Are you nervous about one day leading the GDA, Zandale?" Donald threw the question at me like a fastball, catching me off guard as I stared at the paperwork sprawled across my desk.
"Of course not, I fight monsters for a living," my eyes glowed just to punctuate the sarcasm, "What's a bunch of suits to me?" But inside, my heart was racing like a Formula 1 car. Leading the GDA? The gravity of that didn't hit me until I was knee-deep in briefings and strategy meetings.
It would seem that my physiology didn't allow me to feel any nervousness when I was fighting villainy as my body had adapted to it. But I wasn't adapted to this specific scenario of sitting behind a desk, sipping coffee, and pretending to be a bureaucrat. It's like asking a shark to be a dolphin trainer—it's just not in their nature. I took a deep breath and reminded myself why I was here. I had the power to make a difference, not just on the battlefield but in the boardroom too.
I also finally met Donald now, Cecil's assistant, who looked like he'd been around since the dawn of the GDA. The world knew us as the big three, me, Cecil and Donald as thunder, lightning, and the guy who keeps the umbrella from getting blown away. Donald kept everything together while Cecil led the charge and I smacked the bad guys around with my fists of fury.
He put a hand on my shoulder, his grip firm yet gentle. "Zandale, you're more than just a punching bag for the villains. You're Bastion-Prime, world's strongest superhero, remember?" I blinked a little before smirking, "Thanks, Don. That's what I needed to hear." His knowing smile told me he'd seen this kind of doubt in heroes before, probably a gazillion times.
The truth was, while I was nervous now, my power would inevitably allow me to do this job as if I was made for it. All I had to do was sit and wait until one day, there was no nervousness. Until one day, I knew everything about the GDA like the back of my hand. I'd have more then just photographic memory, I'd have Bureaucratic Mastery, assuming this power evolved past just GDA usage.
"You know," I began, getting to work on my paperwork, "I was going to change the name from Bastion-Prime to Sovereign." Donald raised an eyebrow, his expression a mix of surprise and amusement. "It's got a nice ring to it," I said with a shrug. "But the old man seems pretty attached to the 'Bastion' brand."
"Well, it is what we marketed you as," Donald chuckled, leaning on my desk with his usual casual yet professional stance, "But it's your choice, kid. Just make sure it doesn't mess with the merch sales." We shared a laugh, but I knew he was serious. Branding was everything in our line of work, just look at the Guardians of the Globe.
"It won't," I promised, smiling at the thought of action figures with my new name slapped on them. Before I left for the Viltrumite War, I was waiting for Conquest to show up on Earth and tell him to take a hike with his invasion plans. But here I was, playing office hero.
Conquest could prove to be a good fight against me if Earth did not push me past his level. A fight like this would've had me a little worried, but with Wonder Woman on Earth, I basically had functional plot armor. I couldn't help but wonder if she'd ever need my help, but for now, I had to keep my eye on the GDA prize.
Or maybe not, I just remembered about someone. Power Plex. The dude with a nonsensical hate boner for Invincible. I could either leave him to his fate or try to speak some sense into Power Plex just like I had with Invincible. Speaking of the latter, I wonder how he took my advice. Did he start to see things my way or was he just that stubborn? The way I broke it down meant that even if he tried to explain it to anyone else, they'd still see that I was right.
I sighed, in the end, I'd be doing myself a dishonor as a hero by not stopping Power Plex before it was too late. Besides, if he was causing trouble, it was just another chance to flex my muscles and keep the world safe. I looked up at Donald, "Hey Don, got anything on Power Plex?"
"Yeah, he was one of ours before he went rogue with his hatred for Invincible. His powers involve absorbing kinetic energy in order to gain immense strength. He's been keeping a low profile but he's definitely not a fan of yours either," Donald said with a knowing look.
"I want to put an end to him," I murmured, more to myself than to Donald, as I leaned back in my chair, my fingers drumming a beat on the armrest.
"Really? This is below your paygrade. You should leave the street-level stuff to the Guardians," Donald said, but I just ignored him. I knew I could handle Power Plex with ease, and besides, it was a good excuse to not sit behind this desk anymore. As much as it was becoming less work, and more instinctive with my adapting powers, I was still a guy who could fly and shoot lasers out of my eyes. I couldn't resist the itch to use them.
"I know but I'm going anyways," I said, leaning my head on my palm. "I'm still a guy with extroardinary powers, not just a paper pusher."
"If you say so," he said, raising his hands in mock surrender. "I'll give you his file that has everything you need to know about him. But remember, you're not just Bastion-Prime anymore, you're the future of the GDA."
"Right," I said almost forgetting that I was Cecil's protégé first before everything else. "Let's get to it then."
**
Finding Power Plex didn't take much effort, I was back at my penthouse watching the news when the reports of a guy throwing cars around like they were toys hit the airwaves. Classic street-level supervillain move, trying to get noticed. I suited up, my heart thumping with expectation. After all, I was use to fighting Kaijus and alien invasions, this guy here didn't even compare.
Power Plex was up against the heroes Rex-Splode, Robot, and Monstergirl. He was blasting them with electricity, probably feeling like the king of the hill. I hovered above, watching the show, my eyes scanning the area for any signs of innocents getting caught in the crossfire. It was like watching a bunch of kindergartners fight over a toy, except the toy was the fate of the street block.
With Invincible not around, the target which he really wanted, he was ready to fly away using his energy blasts to propel him through the city air. He was about to blast his foes away when he paused. He took the sight of me in, Bastion-Prime, hovering like I owned the sky above.
"You're here?" Power Plex's voice crackled with surprise and a hint of fear over the chaos below. It's like he'd seen a ghost, or in his case, the Ghost of Pwnings Past. "Don't you got bigger fish to fry than me?"
"No." I said simply, floating closer, "But you're gonna be a big enough snack."
Before he could react, I dove down, my cape fluttering like a majestic bird of prey. The wind howled around me as I descended, the very air parting to make way for the hero everyone had been waiting for. The look on Power Plex's face was priceless. It was a mix of shock and terror, like a kid caught with their hand in the cookie jar, only the jar was full of nuclear missiles and the kid was about to get slapped by Superman.
I took him far away from the city, to a deserted area where his little tantrum wouldn't blow anyone's house down. Power Plex had the gall to look surprised when I didn't go full ham on him right away. "You know, I've been wondering," I said, floating just out of his electric arm's reach, "What's your deal with Invincible?"
"My deal with Invincible?" Power Plex looked at me like I'd just asked why water was wet. But then he remembered he was talking me, someone who had immense influence in the superhero community. Someone if he could convince of his irrational vendetta, could potentially have the backing of the GDA. "He killed my sister, Jessica Duvall, in his stupid fight with Omni-Man. And you expect me to just sit around while that monster walks free?"
I almost wanted to laugh at how stupid it sounded, at least to me. But then I had to understand, Power Plex was just a regular guy with limited knowledge about superheroes. The public didn't know much about us, they just knew we had powers and normally had some tragic or interesting backstory. They didn't know the naunces, the politics, or the sheer complexity of our lives. They just knew we had cool costumes and smacked villains around.
Even with our fights, news coverage normally just had the results of the fight. Fights were too unpredictable to know when it will happen and when it does, it's already over. To Power Plex, it looked as if Invincible just fought an Omni-Man turned rogue, and couldn't stop any collateral damage. To him, it was a clear case of murder. But to me, it was a battle for survival.
"Then I'm here to tell ya, buddy," I began, "that your perception of Invincible is wrong. When he fought Omni-Man, he had just gotten his powers while Omni-Man had his and was well-trained. He tried his best for someone who had zero experience."
"How do you know all this?" Power Plex screeched, his electricity crackling in agitation, his eyes narrowing to slits.
"I've talked with and worked with the guy, it's that simple." I said like he had just asked me why the sky was blue.
"I don't care! He's a murderer!" Power Plex's electricity flared, his rage palpable. "You can't change the facts!"
"You sound crazy right now, and you know it's true," I said, trying to keep my voice calm but firm, like a parent to a stubborn toddler. Then I remembered he was still grieving, and usually people grieving needed something or someone to blame and he picked Invincible. "Look, I get it. You're mad, you're hurt and yo, I'd be too if something happened to my folks, but I've just told you what really happened and I think it's time for you to let it go. Maybe we can work together, you know, for the greater good?"
I extended my hand to him, hoping he'd see reason. I've just told him everything he needed to hear, and so if he continued this charade, he'd be mentally insane at this point. "Don't die a fool, Power Plex. You've got a chance to do some real good here, to honor your sister's memory in a way that actually matters."
That seemed to stop his rage for a moment. He looked at my hand like it was a grenade with a loose pin, his mind full of thoughts. Then he did something I didn't expect. He just flew away in confused rage. I guess the moment was too much for him to handle. I hovered there for a bit, watching him retreat into the horizon. Maybe he'd think about it, maybe not. But I had strong feeling that he would, and this time his family would live and not die foolishly.
At this moment, I had two options go home or continue work at the GDA. I've already finished my training for the day in record time, so I figured, why not live a little. I flew home, the penthouse and the PS5 calling my name. I had more then enough time before Diana came home or if one of my girls rang my phone.
When I landed on the balcony and saw my reflection in the mirror, my hair had turned white and I felt that I had new abilities. The first one it seemed was a telescopic vision, the second was one to read emotions like a book and influence them. The first ability was obviously from me flying around enough times over cities, my eyes had to adapt to see everything from afar. The second, I had no idea where that came from but it was probably from dealing with enough drama between my girls, Invincible, the GDA, and now Power Plex.
If sleeping with women was already easy, now I could do it in my sleep. I decided to then and there in the mirror to shave my white mustache, this new costume look did not look good with a mustache and so I lasered it off by lasering the mirror and letting the reflection do the rest. The mirror eventually shattered into a million pieces but it did the trick.
I suppose I should finally let my hair grow out now, before I combed it back and become a black version of Supreme. With that in mind, I kissed my waves goodbye.