Ch: 368-371 (End of Invincible Arc)
368 Invincible Ascendant Part One
Finding a nearby dimension without super powers was surprisingly difficult. I wanted to insert Angstrum into a world where he either died of natural causes or had an accident, not being murdered by a villain or caught in an explosion during a superhero fight. It would be too difficult for him to explain himself if he miraculously came back from being incinerated or obliterated.
However, I did find a world that suffered an apocalyptic event that killed the entire world's population with a super virus. Luckily, it wasn't a zombie virus or could survive without a living host, so as soon as the last person died, so did the virus.
I wasn't an idiot, though. I send a ghostly Glaistig Uaine through a portal and had her make a thousand Nilbogs to spread all over the world. Something had set that virus loose and both she and he searched for the cause and then used their powers to produce a counter-virus and wiped out everything that could possibly contaminate anyone else.
I also had them clean the waters, lakes, and oceans first, then they targeted the water tables, recycling systems, and reservoirs. Nothing free-standing was left untouched and everything was checked, even the trees and plants that might have absorbed any contaminated water. Thankfully, because they were ghostly figures, they were not bound by physical limitations and flowed through everything without trouble.
By the time I found a plausible world for Angstrum to resume his life and regain a wife, the work was done and I informed the Eves first, whom spread the news to everyone. They had a new world to go to and everything still worked, so there was no danger of being without either power or water. I would have to spend some time there to automate those, just in case.
I suspected that none of them would be returning to their normal homes, not with the richer neighbourhoods there that were ripe for the picking. Maybe the hotels and other posh buildings would also be claimed, since there wouldn't be any kind of businesses operating, unless they did it themselves.
That did bring up the need for food producers, then Samantha told us about how the resistance on her world had handled the food situation by having personal gardens that easily fed a large family without trouble. That had the other Eves give her liberal hugs and kisses and they thanked her for the great idea.
It would be easy for them to convert small lots all over the city for general foodstuffs that could be easily harvested. It would be up to the people to maintain their own food sources when the local stuff expired. The canned things would still be good for years and the perishable things for several weeks to months, so there was no danger of starvation for a long time.
I also suggested putting stasis wards on the restaurants, supermarkets, and food warehouses. That way, it would all last for far longer than normal. I was kissed several times before Angstrum came over to me and asked to be sent to his new life. He claimed he was going to miss having to fight for his life, making everyone laugh, and said he was ready.
I poked his forehead and stepped him to near his house. He walked over to the front door and it was opened as a black woman jumped out of it.
"ANGUS!" Tisha yelled and tackled him. "They said you died of a heart attack!"
Angstrum laughed and hugged her. "That was the patient in the next room to mine. One of the orderlies knocked our charts off the nurse's desk and the papers were switched."
"Oh, thank god!" Tisha gasped and kissed him.
I stopped watching and opened a large dimensional portal to the center of Chicago. Glaistig Uaine floated out and I thanked her for her help. She smiled and nodded as she faded away and I felt her grateful feeling for letting her see so many new worlds and gaining so many powers. Since I gave her everything I didn't want, she was quite happy with her life as a spirit familiar.
"All right, people!" Samantha shouted to get everyone's attention. "There's still some work to do to ensure the new world doesn't fall apart right after you move in; but, for now, it's ready enough for you to spread out and claim places to live for yourself."
The refugees cheered and started moving towards the large portal.
"It's in downtown Chicago, so if you need to go anywhere, be careful driving a car. We haven't cleared out the streets of obstructions yet." Angel said and formed orange pylons in her hands and a construction worker vest over her shoulders as she directed the people into the portal.
A bunch of them laughed at her and moved in an orderly fashion past her and into their new world. The other Eves helped them along and handed out water bottles and snacks to those that wanted them. It didn't take long for the last of them to pass through and the expanded warehouse was empty and eerily quiet.
"Us, too?" SP-One asked.
"No, we have to take a break. They have to find a place to live and that's going to take time." Sam said and gave me a pointed look. "What was it you said? We did some work, some more work, and then we could play again."
Both I and the other Eves smiled and I closed the large portal. We went back inside our space and had another great time for about two hours, which all six of them enjoyed. After that, we cleaned up and then followed the refugees into their new dimension to start the cleanup of the streets and to fix the power and water stations.
Chicago would be the first city to be made self-sufficient. Over the next few days, we would continue to visit occasionally and would move on to the next big cities to do them as well. All of the capitals were first, just in case, and the smaller towns could be done later if they were needed.
We might eventually find some experienced farmers that could take over the vast tracts of land in the mid-west to continue growing food in America's breadbasket. My own methods were a bit too involved to convert all of the farms into enclosed greenhouses, even if they would be able to produce food year-round without fail.
I should probably introduce the idea to Cecil and let him deal with the Department of the Interior to see if it would be a good strategy for a backup food source. There was a whole lot of free land out there owned by the government that would work well for a self-contained ecosystem like I had designed.
Oh, and I still needed to patrol and check in with Cecil, visit with Debbie, and had to give Monster Woman a call to see if she was busy. I quickly did the first one and tried the third one. Amanda was helping to take care of a group of minor villains named The Serpent Society, so I told her to call me if she needed help. She laughed and hung up.
Debbie was delighted when I showed up at her work to take her out to lunch. Of course, we also had a quickie because she needed it, and I left her happy and satisfied before returning her to work and I went back to the warehouse.
The Eves didn't mind me sticking around the base with them, even if they were curious about the Eve of this dimension. She didn't answer her cell phone when I called her, so meeting her would have to wait for a bit longer. I left a message to call me when she wasn't busy and went back to work.
Redesigning a power plant to become automated wasn't a 'snap my fingers and it was done' kind of job. It took real engineering and technical know-how to rework things to not need a human's intervention to monitor possible problems. The emergency services needed to be integrated as well, since the fire department wouldn't exist until the new population decided to make one for themselves.
*
Mark woke up at his normal time and tried to not wonder how his body knew it was the break of dawn back on Earth. He attributed it to power bullshit and forgot about it as he stored his bed and went to the pilot's seat to check the console. It was the sixth day and the distance counter to his destination was ticking down almost too fast to see.
He sat down and ran another diagnostic to see that the spaceship was running fine. No anomalies had been encountered during the entire journey, even in the dark space between galaxies. He had felt how close the Shadowverse was when he was about halfway between the Milky Way galaxy and the Andromeda galaxy.
He didn't try to enter it, because there was no guarantee he could get back onto the ship with it moving so fast. Maybe he could stop on the trip back to Earth and try it, just to see if the creatures this far out were different than the ones that had access to a planet's gravity. The shadows were much darker and deeper when there were no stars nearby, after all.
The spaceship started to slow down as it entered a solar system with several oddly-shaped planets. One of the larger ones had obvious signs of habitation and the ship flew over to it and down into the atmosphere. It slowed down even further and there were no heat flames from reentry, which Mark noted down to pass on to the scientists.
It slowed down even further as it approached a large city with weird shaped buildings and arches were everywhere. They had no discernible function besides being a flying hazard, and the spaceship deftly avoided them as it came in for a landing on a landing pad. It was the only one in the entire city, so that was a bit concerning.
Did they only have the one spaceship? Mark asked himself as the ramp opened.
He shut down the ship's power and locked the commands with a human password before he equipped his Invincible costume. He left the ship and there were hundreds of Praying Mantis people gathered around. They hadn't been there when he landed, so they were either hiding or had arrived in the few seconds the ship took to power down.
"Greetings from Earth." Invincible said and bowed slightly. "On behalf of the Global Defense Agency, we hope this meeting will benefit both of our peoples."
The bug people exchanged odd looks, probably because they had bug faces, then the entire group turned as one and started walking towards the center of the city and the large temple-like structure there.
"That wasn't a no." Invincible whispered and followed. His eyes caught many children running and playing, and also a few of the females trying to corral them. He had to admit that a few of them had great bodies, both from the front and the back.
Whether they were physically functional was up for debate, though. Just because those bumps on their chest looked like breast shapes and the bumps on their backsides looked like heart-shaped asses, that didn't mean they actually were. Did they have nipples? Was it actual flesh or was it chitinous armor?
Also, who's to say what they had under their dress-like clothing? They looked humanoid enough to pass a basic inspection, he supposed. He didn't use X-Ray Vision to check, though. He wasn't that curious about it and would leave it to the scientists back on Earth.
We approached the temple and they stopped walking and spread out at the bottom of the large set of steps that led inside.
"Inform the Monarch that Mark Grayson has arrived." One of the male bug people said loudly to the three females at the top of the stairs.
"My name is Invincible while in this costume." Invincible said and held in his surprise at them knowing his name, because he hadn't told them. Someone came out of the shadows at the top of the stairs and all of the bug people bowed deeply and folded an arm across their chest. Mark didn't bother bowing and stared up at the person.
"Hello, my son." Nolan said with an accepting look on his face and held a hand down towards him, as if welcoming him. "Welcome to Thraxia."
Invincible started to take a step up towards him, then launched himself at sub-sonic speed and buried his fist into Nolan's face. That accepting look instantly changed to worry as his cheek cracked and his nose broke as Mark's momentum carried over and the both of them flew up into the air and through the ceiling, the next floor and ceiling, and out through the main spire in the middle of the temple.
"Hello, dad." Invincible said and grabbed him by the neck with his other hand and his fist punched him again. The cracked cheek shattered and his nose was crushed. Blood spurted out and Mark easily dodged it, flipped them over, and drop-kicked him in the chest.
Nolan grunted with pain as his chest caved slightly and his ribs creaked. The force threw him back down to the ground almost instantly and he made a crater behind the temple-like palace and dust flew up into the air.
Invincible flew down and stopped ten feet above the crater and the force of the air shifting pushed the dust away and cleared his view. He saw Nolan cough and held in his smile.
"I know you're upset..." Nolan started to say.
"Upset? Why would I be upset?" Invincible asked and moved in a blur as his fist punched the other side of Nolan's face. "Is it because you beat me to death?" He asked and punched him again, shattering his other cheek. "Is it because you called mom a pet?" He asked and his foot slammed down and crushed Nolan's ankle. "Is it because you abandoned us to be slaughtered by your people?"
Nolan didn't cry out as his other ankle was crushed, then he lunged up and tackled Mark, then rained punches on his face and chest. "Mark, I... I made a mistake."
"Yes, you did." Invincible said and caught Nolan's fist, surprising the older man. He held onto the fist and turned his upper body to drive his elbow into his father's and the loud crack echoed across the landscape.
"ARGH!" Nolan finally yelled in pain and clutched at his broken arm.
There were many gasps from all the bugs that were watching. Their Monarch was being beaten to a pulp by his own son and there was nothing they could do about it.
"You made several mistakes, actually." Invincible said and punched him in the left kidney. "You overreacted to me getting powers." He said and punched his right kidney. "You murdered your friends in the Guardians of the Globe." He jabbed his liver. "You trained me badly." He jabbed his stomach and made him dry-heave. "You tried to convince me to betray the Earth."
Nolan took a deep breath and tried to stand up straight and winced. "Mark..."
"You told me how you really felt about mom." Invincible said and punched him in the diaphragm and knocked the wind out of him, bending him over. "You beat me into a pulp and left me to die." He said and his knee came up and smashed Nolan's broken nose, making the man stand up straight again. "But, you know what? None of that compares to your biggest mistake."
Nolan needed a moment to recover when he wasn't punched again. "What..." *cough* *wheeze* "...what mistake?"
"You told me yourself, dad. You'll live for thousands of years and a human lifetime in comparison is meaningless." Invincible said and Nolan nodded. "If you had just stayed quiet about your mission and went through the same motions you've been doing for 20 years pretending to be human, nearly everyone currently alive would have died of old age. You could have taken over the whole world as its champion without any fuss or trouble at all."
Nolan's eyes widened in shock at hearing such a simple solution to his problems.
"Can you guess what I'm going to do now?" Invincible asked as his fist blurred and went through the carefully and methodically softened up facial structure and crushed the older man's brain against the back of his hardened skull.
Invincible pulled his blood-covered fist out of his father's head and the body dropped to the ground. The eyes had popped out and hung by strings from the gaping hole where his face used to be. It looked disgusting and he shook his hands, blood flinging all over, and he waved his hand to store the body and cleaned up the blood.
He turned around and walked back over to the palace and all the bug people followed him. He didn't object to that and walked all the way around to the front of the temple-like palace to the large set of stairs. He went up them and saw a well dressed female standing at the top.
"Mark? Where is my husband?" The creature asked when he was close enough.
Invincible paused walking for a moment, then barked a laugh and continued. "He fled a lot farther from humanity than I thought he did." He commented and came to a stop in front of her at the top of the stairs. "What did he do to you?"
"He saved my science team and my ship from being sucked into a black hole." She responded. "I fell in love with him, spent the majority of my life with him, and gave him a son."
"The majority of..." Invincible tilted his head and read her mind to find out she was a queen and only lived for a single year, or 365 days. "You have a son? How? A normal pregnancy would... oh, that son of a bitch. He used your short lifespan to gestate a replacement for me, just like he said he would."
"That's not what happened." She said. "He loves me and our son."
"Of course he did, Queen Andressa." Invincible said and went inside the temple.
"What do you mean?" Andressa asked and followed him. "Where are you going?"
"I need to check on your son and see if he really is viable as my replacement." Invincible said and went to the queen's private chambers. He found the cradle and inside was a dark purple humanoid baby that looked to be about 8 months old. He reached in and touched the baby's hand, making the boy giggle. "Okay, there's good news and bad news."
"What do you mean, Mark?" Andressa asked.
"Good news, his growth will slow down as he gets older and he will live longer than a year." Invincible said and Andressa looked happy. "Bad news is his body is too weak to grow his powers anywhere near what a normal Viltrumite can handle, let alone what his father was capable of."
Andressa huffed, like it didn't matter, and picked the baby up to hug him. "He is our little miracle. I don't care if he's going to be strong or not."
Invincible opened his mouth to argue, then huffed as well. "Yeah, okay. Not my problem." He said and walked towards the door.
"Wait!" Andressa gasped and jogged over to me. "Did Nolan convince you to help?"
"Help with what?" Invincible asked before he could stop himself.
"The Viltrumites." Andressa said and hugged her baby. "They will hunt him down to execute him, then they will kill the rest of us." She said and her mouth kissed the boy's forehead. "Because of him."
Again, Invincible opened his mouth to argue, then turned away and walked out of the private chamber. "Of all the arrogant, self-important, and asinine things to bring me here for, that was the last thing I expected him to do." He stomped out of the palace and stopped at the top of the length of stairs. "Since I suspect dad was stupid enough to wait until it was nearly too late to contact me for help..."
A light buzzing came from the back of his head from his Danger Sense.
"...they will be arriving here in a few minutes." Invincible said and looked up into the sky as a crack of thunder came from something breaking the sound barrier.
369 Invincible Ascendant Part Two
I used Telescopic Vision to see three beings just entering the atmosphere and they were heading towards the main city. They didn't look like they were going to slow down, so I knew they were going to use their speed to cause huge impacts and devastation for the shock and awe value. I flew over to the spaceship and stored it, surprising the Praying Mantis people near it.
"Tell everyone to scatter and hide." I warned them and braced myself, then I launched myself upwards at cruising speed until I was high enough and then poured on the speed as I broke the sound barrier. I needed to intercept them as far up in the air as possible and the sound should reach them and cause them to slow down to figure out what caused it.
My ploy worked even better than I expected as all three of them came to a stop. They were worried about something and were discussing how to handle it before they were overwhelmed. I flew up towards them and it gave me a few moments to observe them.
They were the oddest trio anyone could think of, with a tall overweight black man, a muscular blond man wearing mechanical goggles that looked like a part of his head, and an old woman with grey hair in a long interwoven braid. She looked quite fit and her formfitting whitish-grey uniform looked good on her.
The large loincloth in front and back was a slight disappointment. Although, to be fair, the men wore the same thing. Not having to see their bulges was worth it, in my opinion. I flew up to them and the three of them seemed to both relax and tense up at the same time, so I knew I wasn't who they expected to see here.
"Where is the Great Nowl-Ahn?" The big black man asked as his fists clenched.
"We backtracked his movements for months along the path of planets with breathable air until we reached this one." The blond man added.
I heard the difference in how the man said Nolan's name and scoffed. "I caught him here before he could move on and killed him for deserting his post and abandoning his duty."
The three of them looked surprised and briefly exchanged worried looks before schooling their faces.
"Who are you?" The old woman asked me. Surprisingly, she didn't look angry at hearing Nolan was dead. In fact, she kind of looked intrigued.
Since I couldn't give them my Earth name, Markus Sebastian Grayson, because it would be meaningless to them, I decided to fit the pronunciation with what the black man said. "I'm his son, Sebast-Ahn."
The woman smiled slightly and nodded. "Greetings, Sebast. I am called Thula." She motioned to the blond man. "That is Vidor..." She said and wiggled her fingers at the big black man. "...and Lucan."
"Greetings." I said and nodded my head at each of them.
"You do not wear an Empire approved uniform." The blond man commented. Like Thula, he didn't sound angry, even knowing I had killed one of his people.
I scoffed again, because I needed to keep up the act to stop them from attacking me. "That's because the idiot left me ignorant for the last 17 years about his mission. Since I didn't know any better, I conformed to my planet's culture of heroism and bright colors to distract criminals during fights and to please the masses."
They exchanged looks again, only their worry was gone and they looked curious instead.
Thula floated forward and stopped a few feet away from me. "We were sent here to retrieve your father to face justice for his crimes." She said and her eyes dropped down to my waist and went back up to my face. "But, it seems his upcoming trial and execution will be unnecessary."
I couldn't help but smile at both her words and her interest. Distracting her with some flirting could only help me at this point. "It took a bit of work to deal with him, that's true." I said and made my hands into fists. "He still fell in the end and paid for what he did."
The old woman smiled warmly and her hand reached out to lightly caress my chest, making my Danger Sense flare up. I moved instantly and grabbed her hand, flung her around to flare out her loincloths and gave myself a great view of both her front and her ass, and caught her long braid with my other hand. I hugged her tightly from behind and pinned her arms to her sides, trapping her.
Thula let out a purr sound and wiggled her hips to rub her ass against my crotch. "You knew I was testing you?"
"Hmm." I said as I grew hard for her and bit her earlobe hard enough to almost draw blood.
"Ohhh." Thula moaned and shivered. She definitely liked being treated roughly.
"We need to see his body." Lucan said and his large fists unclenched. Apparently, if Thula was relaxed around me, that was enough for him as well. "Take us to him."
I chuckled and made a copy of it in my inventory and quickly used Thula's braid to bind her wrists with one hand and I used the other to make the body appear and grabbed it by the neck to shake it. The two men floated backwards at the sudden appearance and braced for an attack, which didn't come.
"I developed gravity manipulation as a secondary power and can reduce things in size until they are needed." I explained and they relaxed.
Thula let out a pleased sound when she saw the caved in face on the body and the two intact eyeballs dangling from it. She knew it took precision strikes to allow that to happen, because eyes were delicate and were usually destroyed first, and she liked seeing it.
I tossed the body to the big black man and he easily caught it. "You can have it as evidence, even if I should take it back with me to Earth and show it off as proof that I dealt with him."
That had the three of them smile, because proving your accomplishments to others fit right in with their mentality. The strong ruled the weak and the Viltrumites were the strongest race in the universe.
"You are making me regret I am past my child-bearing years." Thula said, then she tried to slam her head backwards into my face to distract me and possibly make me let her go.
I moved my head aside and avoided the blow. She tried to use her elbow, which was ineffective with her wrists bound, so she tried to bash her hips backwards to push me away, except my hardness easily slid between her firm cheeks and she rubbed herself over me instead. She moaned wantonly and froze, because that was not what she had wanted to do.
"You're making me regret it, too." I said and let her braid go, letting it unravel and freeing her hands as I pushed her away and slapped her ass really hard.
*CRACK!*
"Ohhhh." Thula moaned as she floated away from me and spun around several times. When she stopped herself and faced me again, her face was red and she had bitten her bottom lip. She was definitely turned on because I could easily make her feel impacts like that without trying.
The blond man named Vidor chuckled. "We need to report back to the ship that the situation has been dealt with."
The big black man named Lucan hung the corpse over his shoulder. "General Kregg will be pleased."
Thula took a breath and let it out. "As the Great Nowl-Ahn's son, his mission automatically falls to you." She said and floated back over to me. Her eyes dropped to my waist briefly and she licked her lips. "It will be your job to subjugate the people on your planet to put them under Viltrumite rule."
I smiled as my hand darted out and I grabbed her by the throat. My grip was tight but not smothering, so she only let out a soft choking sound as I pulled her in close. "Give me 50 years and I'll have them eating out of my hand. Give me a hundred and they'll willingly elect me as the Planetary Governor."
Thula let out a soft moan and her hands reached out. She didn't reach for the hand around her throat, though. She caressed the pectoral muscles of my chest instead and her eyes were full of desire.
I chuckled and kissed her hard, making her squirm happily, then I broke the kiss and pushed her away again. "If you're allowed to take a break from enforcement in a few years, come visit me."
"I will." Thula said, her voice full of promise.
"Perhaps I'll figure out how to reinstate your estrous cycle by then and I can give you exactly what you want." I said, even though I could have given it back to her immediately.
"By Grand Regent Thragg's grace, you better!" Thula spat, almost angrily, and turned to give the two men with her a pointed look. "Let's go before I break my vow and take him while I'm working."
The two men chuckled and the blond waved her forward.
"The ship won't be far away now." Lucan said.
Thula nodded and flew ahead and the two men started to fly after her, then the blond paused and looked back at me.
"Be prepared to have someone visit to check on your progress in a few years." Vidor warned.
I had to grin at that. "If it's not Thula, make sure whoever it is, is female and is ready to contribute to the population of the Viltrumite Empire."
"I'll pass that along." Vidor said and flew up after the other two.
After a minute, I felt someone glare at me and then her words reached my ears.
"It's going to be me as well!" Thula shouted.
She must have yelled at the top of her lungs to reach me from that far away. I thought with a laugh and used an amplify spell on my own voice. "I'LL BE WAITING!"
After another few minutes, my Danger Sense finally stopped and I let out a sigh. I flew back down to the main city and all the Praying Mantis people were still in hiding. I landed at the top of the temple-like entrance and walked inside.
"Andressa?" I asked and she opened the door to her private chambers. "They're gone."
"They didn't attack?" Andressa asked, surprised.
I pointed at the purple baby. "They would have if they saw that."
Andressa sighed and nodded. "His is a miracle."
"That shouldn't exist." I said and she nodded again. "What are you going to do with him?"
Andressa didn't answer me as she undid the top of her dress and revealed her breasts, with actual nipples, and then she picked up the baby and nursed him right there in front of me. I had to admit that her modest chest was quite appealing, despite being blue and her nipples being dark blue.
"Unfortunately, I am not suited to care for him." Andressa said, despite the baby having quite a good time suckling on her breast and drinking her mother's milk. "I am nearing the end of my life cycle and all those he has come to know will die of old age before he is little more than a toddler."
I didn't mention anything about ensuring a legacy group to continuously care for him, since his much longer lifespan would see him live past several generations before he's a teenager and then countless other generations as his Viltrumite genes kicked in and would extend his lifetime to a thousand years. That was a thousand generations of Thraxians and he would become a living ancient historic relic of their people.
"You want me to take him with me when I leave." I said, understanding her need without having to read her mind.
"Yes. His place is with his family. His more humanoid family." Andressa said and transferred his suckling mouth to her other breast. "Ones with similar lifespans, even if by your standards he will grow quickly, by ours he will be as long-lived as our buildings and just as revered."
I had to sigh at that. "He'll be an oddity if he stays or if he goes. He'll just be less of one if he's among similar looking people."
"Yes, Mark. That is what I desire. For him to not be the outsider. To be accepted. To become more than just the oldest person among my people." Andressa said and kissed the baby's forehead with her large lips. She walked over to me and held him out to me. "My staff have prepared the things you will need for the trip back to your world."
I wanted to refuse, I really did; but, I knew if the Viltrumites returned here, they would find him and slaughter him and the rest of the Thraxians. I took him into my arms and he cooed up at me and reached for my mask.
"I wonder... could I ask you for a favor?" I asked.
"What is it?" Andressa asked back.
"If you want to start another colony, Earth has plenty of room and the scout you sent is still there." I said and she looked surprised. "You mentioned a science team before. Perhaps a couple of them and some children or teenagers. When they are breeding age, they'll have plenty to choose from."
Andressa thought about it and crossed her arms under her breasts. That pushed them up and I barely avoided looking at them. Her mouth twitched at that and then she nodded. "I will talk to a few that are nearing their ends. Perhaps the thought of sending them on a final grand adventure will appeal to them."
I smiled and nodded back. The attendants brought me several cases of clothing, materials, and milk, which I assumed Andressa produced or they had something else making milk for the baby. I didn't see any kid of cow or cow-like thing anywhere on the surface, so maybe they kept them underground.
Funnily enough, she didn't put her dress back on as she sent several attendants to retrieve who she wanted to talk to. She walked around her private quarters as if I wasn't there and she went to her closet, picked out a different ornate dress, and stripped off the old one.
I was surprised that she was so uncaring about showing herself off to the son of her husband. She gave me a full view of how anatomically correct she was and again I had to admit that the only thing that detracted from her being quite attractive was her bug-like head. The different hands and feet were negligible and didn't really impact their function.
However, I was smart enough to not ask why she didn't do the same thing the normal Praying Mantis females did to their males after they mated. That was not something I needed to know until whomever she sent with me reached breeding age. Then I would need to know and could ask the elders, assuming they would give away their people's secrets like that.
I stored the baby's things and Andressa led me out into the main area of the palace and met with several older bug-people whom looked excited about her idea to establish another colony in another galaxy. I didn't correct them and let them believe it was their queen's idea to ensure their people would always survive.
Shockingly, a hundred of them chose to join me on my journey and they had several tons of things to bring with them. Building materials, computers, crops, seeds, furniture, and everything else they could think of to bring along.
Needless to say, I brought out the copied spaceship and went inside, then enchanted it to become a hundred times the size inside. The Praying Mantis people cheered and brought everything inside as I made chairs for everyone. The trip was only going to be six days and should pass fairy quickly with so many others there to talk to and keep my mind occupied. I could entertain them with a few stories of my own, too.
Andressa walked over to me and knelt by the cradle I had transfigured next to the pilot's seat. She gave the baby another kiss on the forehead and pet his dark hair, then she stood and gave me a very sad look.
"I know." I said and stepped close to give her a hug and held her.
Andressa let out a soft sob and her slim body shook as she cried for several minutes. She eventually calmed down and eased her hold on me and looked up at my face. "Safe travels and good luck."
"Thank you." I said and she leaned in to kiss my cheek.
"My thoughts are with you." Andressa said and let me go and faced the other bug-people and smiled. "My thoughts are with you as well."
"Queen Andressa." They all said and bowed to her.
Andressa nodded and walked by them all and went down the ramp. "Save travels and good luck to you all."
The ramp closed and I let out the sigh I was holding and sat down on the pilot's seat. I set the autopilot to return to the last coordinates in the Milky Way Galaxy and the ship lifted off. We were on our way and the bug-people cheered, both inside the ship and outside.
I glanced down using X-Ray Vision and saw Andressa waving goodbye, so I sent her a warm feeling of family and contentedness. It was the least I could do for her after losing her husband and her son because of the Viltrumite threat.
370 Intermission: Back On Earth
Atlas had been quite busy for the last two weeks and still made time for the people in his life. He also got to meet some of the other heroes that existed and sometimes worked with the Global Defense Agency. A bunch of them had been called together by Cecil to fight against a 20 foot tall being calling himself Omnipotus. He had a skull for a face and spiky armor.
Well, he used to have a face like a skull. Calling himself after Omni-man had been a huge mistake and everyone wailed on the fool for reminding them of what happened, especially The Immortal. Atlas had hung back and let them get their aggression out, then he picked Monster Woman up and copied Wolverine's and Colossus' Fastball Special move by throwing her and caved the giant skull in.
It was actually nice to meet some of the heroes afterwards. Someone called Two Punch Man that never succeeds in ever delivering the second punch, Beefy Guy that was just strong, Green Girl that had weird light powers, Shapesmith that was pretending to be human and was really a Martian from Mars, Hunk who just looked handsome and was slightly enhanced, Bugeye seemed like just a woman wearing a costume, and they were the least powered ones.
Then there was Throwbolt, a woman whose powers were obvious, Minotaur, again obvious powers, Knockout was a strong woman on par with Wonder Woman, Brit was an older superhero that saved Cecil's life once, Tech Jacket was an Iron Man ripoff, Shrapnel was a young black woman with a metal arm, and Pangea was a large muscular woman wearing dinosaur bones.
Then there were the weird ones, like the Mr. Freeze rip-off in an orange suit, Moth-man, who was like Arthur from The Tick, Not-Japandroid, which was and AI android and not a copy of the original Japandroid, as if that distinction meant anything to anyone, a red hood guy with a tech mask and equipment belt, a big green monster guy that wasn't like the Hulk or Monster Girl's original monster form named Big Mildew, and a boy that looked about 4 called Business Baby with super strength and fighting skills. Yes, really.
It was a hugely odd mix and was pretty entertaining to be apart of, actually. The giant opponent gave everyone a good chance to fight as well, to show off what they could do in an actual dangerous situation and not under the pressure of a tryout for the Guardians of the Globe. Atlas only had to step in a few times to stop the low-powered ones from being splattered, which they had been grateful for.
Now Atlas was back with his Eves at the warehouse and they finally managed to contact this dimension's Atom Eve and she agreed to visit, only for her to see the six alternate versions of herself and their slightly different costumes as soon as she arrived. She screamed almost wordlessly, accused Atlas of ruining her life, and she flew away at her best speed.
"Well, fuck." Atlas said and started to float to go after her and stopped when Samantha grabbed his hand and pulled him back down. She had cut her hair back to how she liked it and gave him a tender and love-filled kiss.
"I've got this." Eve said and smiled.
Atlas gave her a hug and kissed her back. "I'll leave it in your hands."
Eve let him go and flew up into the air. "Don't worry, Atlas. I'll make her accept the truth."
"Kick her ass!" Several of the other Eves encouraged her.
Eve grinned at them and her hands and feet glowed brightly with pink energy, then she took off like a rocket, which was much faster than the local Atom Eve could manage. Atlas and her counterparts had taught her a lot as they worked to fix and repair a dozen cities and their infrastructure to support thousands of people. They had all grown more powerful in a very short amount of time.
Atom Eve went to the same cliff she sat on when she hung out with Invincible and more recently with Atlas. In her mind, she had started seeing it as her spot and only a few people knew about it. She liked it that way, too. No one bothered her when she went there to think and tried to deal with her problems.
Unfortunately, she had been busy with personal things the last few weeks and regretted not keeping in touch with Atlas, especially after seeing what he wanted her to see. He had a bunch of clones of her! She just knew he was doing all kinds of things with them, too.
Atom Eve blushed as she remembered doing some of those thing with Atlas, then she had to fight down the anger she felt at him cheapening it and using her body like that without her knowledge. How dare he violate her privacy like that! The sheer nerve! It was insulting that as soon as she was busy, he found or created alternate versions of her to keep enjoying the things he did with her.
Although, her thoughts tried to not think about how flattering it was that he had chosen her to use, too. That conflicted with her righteous anger and several emotions crossed her face as she tried to resolve how she really felt. Being insulted and flattered at the same time was really confusing.
Atom Eve felt an atomic distortion nearby and turned her head just in time for a glowing fist to slam into her cheek and she was tackled to the ground and they tumbled over a few times before she kicked out with both feet and knocked whoever it was away from her. She paused in surprise when she saw the short fuzzy red hair on the head of her attacker.
"It's time you learned a hard truth, Atom Eve." Eve said and her hands glowed brightly.
Atom Eve formed a glowing pink shield just in time for a beam to shatter it and then a heavy boot kicked her in the gut and doubled her over. An uppercut snapped her teeth together and she flipped over in the air, then her cape was grabbed and she was flipped around and thrown down into the dirt on her back.
She couldn't breathe after two strong hits like that and she stared up at the smug look on a copy of her own face. It was not a nice look and she didn't like seeing it on her face, because she had never felt smug before.
A glowing fist moved down to punch her lights out and she made a wedge and deflected it and rolled over to her side, her own glowing hand swiped at the other Eve's feet, only to bounce off the reinforced boots. She was too shocked by that to defend as a knee caught the side of her head and knocked her head over heels again.
She hadn't been hit that hard in a long time and she wondered if she could win against someone that must know all of her moves. She tried to shoot two beams at the other Eve and both were deflected and then a beam came from the other Eve's foot. She wasn't flying with it, though. It shot at her and Atom Eve could do nothing as it hit her in the chest and threw her into and through a tree.
"You've already forgotten what Atlas taught you about fighting with what you have?" Eve asked as her fist hit Atom Eve's forehead and pushed her down into a small crater. "What have you been doing the last few weeks while Atlas has been saving tens of thousands of people from alternate Earths?"
Atom Eve couldn't catch her breath when she heard that and only stared as the two heavy combat boots dropped onto her chest and shoved her body down into the dirt and increased the size of the crater she was in. Thankfully, the hit let her suck in a huge breath and she coughed and sputtered as the other Eve floated up slightly.
"I think you need a reality check, Atom Eve." Eve said and her hands glowed brightly.
"W-wait... s-stop... please." Atom Eve pleaded.
Eve looked down at her and the glow around her fists faded. She landed beside the crater and transfigured the ground into a suitable chair and plopped down onto it. Atom Eve looked shocked that had worked and she didn't know what to do next.
"You and I have a lot to talk about, now that I have your attention and you're not angry anymore." Eve said and waved her hand. The crater filled in, lifted Atom Eve up and the ground changed into a copy of the same chair and Atom Eve was sitting on it.
Atom Eve was surprised by the other Eve's words and realized she was right. Her anger had fled and she felt empty. She slumped in the chair and Eve nodded. Her ploy had worked and now she could tell Atom Eve what she needed to know and could explain why there were so many Eves and why they were all in love with the man that gave them their lives back and restored their bodies.
*
Cecil was in the command center and working out a few changes to the Guardians of the Globe with one of the secretaries. There had been a few standout heroes at that last battle that would be beneficial to the team and he wanted to make the offers before they dispersed back to their own cities.
"Sir, the new sensors and detectors have picked up a huge energy signature coming from Mars." One of the techs monitoring the solar system grid said. It had been Atlas that suggested seeding independent satellites between all of the planets for both communications and information relays.
"Bring it up on the screen." Cecil said and leaned back down to the secretary. "Deliver the messages as soon as you can and coordinate with Carol to set up a few meetings."
"Yes, sir." The woman said and continued typing.
Cecil walked away from her and stopped in the center of the room. "That thing is huge."
On the screen was a gigantic spaceship that was much larger than any ship had any right to be. The power readings were it being charged up or its reactors coming online. The odd thing was, the damn thing was slow as a turtle going uphill, because it launched and very slowly lifted up into the air.
"Rough estimate is its about the size of two aircraft carriers side by side." The man added.
"Lifesigns?" Cecil asked.
"One humanoid." Another tech said. "It's also fairly large and seems to have several echos."
"Dammit, it's those squid things Invincible discovered the last time he was on Mars with the astronauts. They must have finally gathered enough together to defeat the martians." Cecil said and walked over to the communications console. "Connect me to Atlas."
"Go ahead, sir. He's online." The woman said.
"Hey, Atlas. Enjoying your day off?" Cecil asked with a knowing smile.
Atlas chuckled. "You say that every damn time you interrupt me on my day off, sir."
A few of the techs also chuckled, because something always seemed to come up when their on-call hero booked off for the day.
"We've got an impending situation." Cecil told him.
"Is it immediate and world ending like usual?" Atlas asked.
"Of course, I wouldn't call otherwise." Cecil said. "Although, the immediate part could be delayed for a few months as the enormous squid infested martian spaceship makes its lumbering way to Earth."
Atlas was quiet for a moment. "The Sequids are coming?"
"It's only one lifesign and it's scattered across most of the ship, so yes. It's confirmed." Cecil answered.
"How far away from Mars is it?" Atlas asked.
"It's just leaving the thin atmosphere now." The tech that first discovered it responded.
"I'm on my way." Atlas said.
Cecil nodded. "That's good, kid. When you get here, we can discuss what to do about it."
There was no response and he glanced at the woman at the console.
"He's still connected." She said in her defense.
"Atlas?" Cecil asked. "What's your ETA?"
"About two minutes." Atlas said.
"That's a bit faster than usual. You don't have to rush." Cecil commented.
Atlas didn't respond and everyone in the room waited. Almost right at the two minute mark, he spoke. "Watch the screen."
Everyone stopped working and looked at the screen at the front of the room that showed the giant spaceship. To their surprise, the entire front of it caved in as it collapsed from something impacting it, then there was a bright light and the screen blacked out.
"Atlas! What the hell was that?" Cecil asked.
"That was a reactor core failing its containment." Atlas said.
"You didn't..." Cecil started to say.
"No, that was an accelerated railgun fired from high Earth orbit." Atlas interrupted.
One of the techs split the screen to the local feed and it showed Atlas with a big ass gun the size of a sailboat. He waved at the camera and showed off the thing, shrunk it, and gave them a thumbs-up.
"You need to drop that off." Cecil said, his voice flat. "Immediately."
Atlas chuckled and flew back down into the atmosphere. "I'll be there in a few minutes."
"Good." Cecil said. "How long have you been working on that?"
"Do you want the truth or me trying to inflate my reputation?" Atlas asked.
"Humor me." Cecil said, his voice still flat and without emotion.
"About ten minutes." Atlas admitted and a few of the secretaries let out soft pleased sounds. "I figured Earth needed a few things to help defend it from extraterrestrial threats and this was the easiest and quickest to construct."
"You have to spend a few days with the lab guys if that was the easiest one." Cecil ordered.
"Ha, I figured you'd say that. Have Carol adjust my patrol schedule to include appropriate lab time and consultations with Mark and Justine. Sinclair's going to be too busy to help." Atlas told him.
"What did you hear?" Cecil asked, because he didn't want to give away that Atlas and Mark were the same person in two different bodies.
"Just that Invincible's mission was more successful than anyone could have anticipated." Atlas answered. "Oh, and he's bringing back a large group of Praying Mantis people to start a new colony under the GDA's supervision."
Cecil usually didn't let things startle him, not after all the shit he had been through during his lifetime. But that? That was a shock he couldn't hide and everyone around him saw it. "You're serious?"
"Yes, sir. A hundred of them, along with the one you captured, will create a new colony of short-lived and technologically advanced bug-people. They love digging, working, and reproducing. They only live for a year, so the reproducing is going to happen really really fast."
"Damn." Cecil said and sat down. "Goddamn."
"My thoughts exactly, sir." Atlas said and walked into the command center as he tapped his earpiece to turn it off. "I already dropped off the gun and the construction plans at the White Room."
"How many baby offers do you have now?" The closest secretary asked.
"I've lost count." Atlas said with a laugh and gave her a quick one arm hug. He didn't want to disrupt her too much while she was working. "Isn't that a sight for sore eyes?"
Everyone turned and looked at the screen and it showed a very small debris field of metal scraps and nothing else.
"No life signs." A tech said and let out a relieved sigh.
"Good work." Cecil said and didn't clarify who he was talking to. He stood up and walked towards the door "Atlas, walk with me. We need to talk."
Atlas nodded and followed the man out of the room and everyone started talking about what just happened. Many of them wondered how long it was going to take to produce more of those railguns to help protect Earth. A few of them wondered what the females of the bug-people looked like, too.
*
"That really happened?" Atom Eve whispered, shocked. "And you... all of you..."
"At the same time, usually." Eve said and didn't blush. They had been together for a couple of weeks already and she was used to it. "They do it for me."
Atom Eve wanted to ask why and saw how tense Eve was, and chose not to. She would find out later from one of the other Eves, assuming she could build up the courage to ask. "And Atlas?"
"Treats us all differently, since he knows we're similar and also not the same person. We all have different experiences and that's what makes us who we are." Eve said.
Atom Eve nodded, because she agreed with that philosophy. "And you... you are..."
"A badass." Eve said with a smile. It faded and she put a serious look on her face. "Do you think you can put aside how you feel long enough to meet with us without judging us?"
Atom even gave her a searching look and was sure she wasn't being set up to be beaten up again. Once was enough, especially because Eve was so much better at fighting than she was. "I think... yes, I want to meet them, just to see how different and alike we are."
Eve nodded and stood up. She held her hand out and Atom Eve accepted it. She stood as well, the chairs reformed into normal ground, and the pair flew up into the air together. Neither of them wanted to let the other's hand go and the both of them had small smiles on their faces.
371 Invincible Ascendant Conclusion
Invincible flew the spaceship to the right coordinates and landed where Cecil had chosen for the Praying Mantis colony to be constructed. There were also a bunch of heroes and construction people there, including Atlas and Atom Eve, and they had already made a smaller version of the temple-like structure and placed it over the entrance to the abandoned mine.
Needless to say, the bugs were ecstatic to already have the basic layout done already and they could easily move in and make their own living areas and underground structures. The city back on Thraxia was built for visitors and the temple-like structure had been retrofitted for Nolan and his wife to live in and raise their son.
The officials there explained about how the mine had to be abandoned because it was too dangerous for humans to live and breathe down there, which the bug-people were ecstatic about as well. They didn't have to worry about any of them coming into their home and bothering them.
Of course, they allowed the humans to scan their things, like the computers, tools, and materials they had brought along, then they and the gathered heroes moved everything through the temple-like structure and down into the mine. The bugs immediately started to reinforce the tunnels and dug out places for themselves and their future families.
The bug-people's older science team members were delighted when they were asked to collaborate with the government scientists and that anything they found in the mine was co-owned by the government and the profits would be split evenly when the minerals were sold. That solved the bug-people's immediate problem of not having any local currency and the newly appointed queen signed the official immigrant colony papers with Cecil.
When all of that was out of the way, Invincible managed to get Cecil alone and brought him onto the spaceship to show off the latest government asset in the form of a weak baby Viltrumite and bug hybrid. It was quickly explained what Nolan's plan had been and how Invincible had handled the situation.
That was why Atlas had said Sinclair would be busy, because Invincible had brought back Nolan's body for him to experiment on and possibly make it into an Elite ReAnimen, if it was possible. Cecil was shocked for the second time in as many weeks, because he wasn't used to having a completely cooperative superhero under his employ that actually agreed with his policy of doing everything they could to keep the people of Earth safe.
Invincible handed the dark purple baby over to Cecil and said he would grow fast, because the bug DNA was dominant at the moment and also told him about the things he had stored to help take care of the child. Cecil was actually touched to be given such a great opportunity to raise his own Viltrumite agent however he wanted, the responsibility easily fitting into his strict mindset perfectly.
They brought the baby back to the Global Defense Agency and set him up with around the clock monitoring and the items, food, and milk formula was handed over without fuss to be examined, tested, and experimented with. They might need more of it later, especially if there was a huge population boon within the next few months at the new colony.
After that, Invincible reported in officially and wrote out his report, including the encounter with the Viltrumite enforcers and what they talked about. Cecil actually praised him for talking it out instead of trying to use his fists to handle it, which is what Nolan would have done if he had been alive. He praised Invincible for that as well, especially for the efficient takedown and being decisive about it.
When Invincible informed him it was actually Debbie that told him to not let his father talk or somehow convince Mark to do what he wanted, Cecil genuinely laughed. He even did a slow clap and promised to visit Debbie later to thank her for giving Invincible such great advice that actually worked.
*
Debbie couldn't stop the squeal of delight from escaping when her son finally returned home. It had been the first time Mark had been away from home for longer than a few days and it had been a very long two weeks for her, even with Atlas regularly visiting her. She had worried like all mothers did when their child was out of their sight and she hugged Mark a bit too tightly as she peppered his face with welcome home kisses.
Mark had accepted them with a laugh and let her do what she wanted. He had felt the same way and was glad that he hadn't had to stay there for any length of time, since it really had been very far away. He was sure he could find his way back eventually, even if he didn't have a ship; but, he didn't want to test that out. He was home now and he didn't want to leave like that again, not for any reason.
He was soon settled down on the couch as his mom interrogated him about everything and he cuddled with her as he told her everything, leaving nothing out, like how he berated Omni-man for his mistakes and Debbie gave Mark a few tender cheek kisses for it. When he revealed that her husband had married one of the Praying Mantis people and had a bastard child with her, Debbie was justifiably angry.
She ranted for quite some time about how it was something he would do, because he was avoiding his responsibilities to her and to his real family, by replacing them with cheap fakes. Mark agreed and had told the bug queen that, then she handed the baby over to him anyway, even knowing it was an abomination and shouldn't exist.
It took Debbie a few minutes to defend the baby and say it wasn't his fault. He wasn't given a choice to be born and all the blame was on Nolan's now deceased shoulders. Mark agreed as well and told her that he had already handed responsibility for both the bug colony and the purple baby to Cecil and he already had everything set up to take care of both.
It was a huge relief that neither Mark nor Debbie had to assume responsibility for Nolan's mistake, even if Mark did have to conform to the Viltrumite Empire's orders. But, since they had 50 years to make the basic plan Mark suggested work, there was no rush to get it done immediately. They had time to do it right and they would succeed where Omni-man failed.
Mark and Debbie split up after that, both to shower and get cleaned up, then went to their rooms and climbed into bed. It had been a long day for the both of them, for different reasons, and they needed to get a good night's sleep, because they hadn't really had one since Mark had left on that mission.
They both felt great about how everything turned out, too. Mark had kept his word to his mom and dealt with Nolan and the looming threat of the Viltrumites. Debbie felt that her trust in Mark's abilities had been well placed and she loved him all the more for succeeding. She couldn't wait to see Atlas and tell him the good news. Her husband was actually dead and not just dead on paper!
*
Atom Eve sat inside her treehouse and couldn't believe how much her life had changed over the last few days. Not the material things, since those were easily created and changed. No, it was her emotions and her attitude. She had struggled for the longest time with confidence in herself, thanks to her foster father's attitude, and it took meeting six of her dimensional counterparts to realize how much better her life had been when compared to theirs.
They had all suffered in similar and different circumstances, each of them getting worse as they grew older, then they had their version of Mark turn on them to save them from themselves and to stop them. They resisted his domination of the planet and he made them pay for it, which gave her a new appreciation for how acceptable her Mark was.
My Mark? Atom Eve asked herself. Why did I think of him like that?
Her eyes went to Atlas as he joked with Eve and pointed out the different sights they could see from their high perch on the balcony, then his hand lightly rubbed her red fuzzy hair. She leaned into his hand for only a moment and then she was on him and kissing him with love and tenderness. It was almost a complete antithesis to her personality as a gruff and rough woman that easily handled herself in a fight.
But, that was also her appeal. She gained your attention as soon as you saw her, because of how she held herself and how she dressed for combat. The thing was, she had depths within her that only Atlas was brave enough to plunge into and he helped her more than anyone else could. Atom Eve blushed as she remembered seeing him physically plunge into her counterpart and it had turned her on a lot, to her embarrassment.
The other Eves had also joined in after a short while and each of them took turns and enjoyed themselves with both Eve and Atlas. It had been a little mortifying at first, then she saw how they respected each other, their personal boundaries, and it was only Eve that received the most physical affection from all of them as well as from Atlas.
Atom Eve couldn't resist at that point, jealous that she wasn't being made love to like that as well, and she had joined them in the orgy-sized bed at the warehouse. No one objected at the time, not even the most socially awkward one named SP-One.
She hadn't left the program as a child, like she and the others had, and grew up much more restricted and controlled than the rest of them. She was the crown jewel of success for the government program, after all. They didn't want to let her go and enticed her to stay, rather than forcing her. It did not work out well and she still lost her siblings, only to Invincible's intervention and not from her own misguided ideals.
Atom Eve pushed her thoughts aside and looked over at the kitchen to see SP-One look embarrassed as Angel showed her how to make her own cookies the long way. She could have made them instantly by using her powers, they all could; but, for some reason, they always tasted better when you had to work for it and cooked them for yourself.
Her eyes went back over to Atlas and he had Eve cuddled up on his lap as he kept stroking her hair. His ideas for self-sustaining water systems and filters, for a shower, toilet, and a sink, had made her treehouse so much better.
She didn't have to use her powers to do certain things anymore and could have guests over without having to worry when they asked to use the bathroom. She was usually embarrassed to remind them it was a treehouse and not a real house; except, now it was just like a real house, thanks to Atlas and the other Eves. It had electricity, appliances, and everything else a real house had.
Atom Eve walked over to the living room area and sat on the couch with Sam. They exchanged knowing smiles and they both watched Atlas give Eve touch therapy and Angel cooking. One Eve was on patrol to keep the local area safe and the last Eve was asleep in a hammock hanging over the balcony. She had wanted to try sleeping in one and fell unconscious almost immediately when she did.
It was a nice relaxing afternoon and Atom Eve silently thanked whomever was listening for delivering Atlas and the rest of the Eves into her life right when she needed them.
*
Monster Woman wasn't sure what to think with two other women on the team. It had been just her and Dupli-Kate and the rest were men for as long as they'd been on the Guardians of the Globe's team. Throwbolt and Knockout had costumes that fit their powers, giving the team a ranged option and another heavy hitter.
The men joining were odd choices in her opinion. Shapesmith was a shapeshifting man, with no real special powers or abilities besides that. Tech Jacket had his special high-tech armor, which was similar to Robot, actually. The last one was Minotaur and he was a quiet one that was a mix of powers and armor.
All in all, their team had expanded by a lot and now had enough members to split up and deal with several threats at the same time. Those were Cecil's words and Immortal agreed with them. He had drawn up a new training schedule to help integrate the new members into the fighting styles of the current members and worked on their coordination.
A team functioned only as well as their weakest member, according to the boss, and Monster Girl's attention went right to Shapesmith. He was a weakling and was only just getting used to his recently gained powers, so if anyone was going to drag their performance down, it was going to be him.
An alarm went off and everyone scrambled to the main gathering area, the large hangar, and Cecil's face popped up on the giant screen there.
"We've got another giant moron claiming to be all powerful and he's calling you guys out to prove himself." Cecil told them.
"What's this one called?" Immortal asked.
"So we can put it on his tombstone." Monster Woman said and slapped a fist into her palm.
The others on the team chuckled as they remembered what happened to the last idiot to call them out.
"It doesn't matter what his name is." Cecil responded and they chuckled some more. "There'll be no Atlas this time and no other independent heroes will show up. It's all on you." He told them. "Call it a test if you will."
"We will pass this test." Immortal said and his eyes went to Dupli-Kate. "You can depend on us."
All three Kates blushed slightly and nodded as one, getting the implication right away. He would be there for her when she needed him.
"That's good, because your luck's going strong today." Cecil said. "The guys in the lab finally finished your new transport, thanks to designs Atlas gave them for the hover technology and the extra generators Invincible brought back from his last mission."
The roof access to the hangar opened and they all turned away from the screen to look up at the ceiling as a quite large and fancy hoverjet lowered down to land in the middle of the hangar without trouble.
"It's automated?" Robot asked.
"Only for certain operations. There's a lot of computing power in the thing, just not enough for a full AI, or so the tech guys tell me." Cecil answered. "It still needs a pilot for normal operations, so feel free to take control of it yourself."
Monster Woman chuckled and clapped Robot's shoulder before he could accept the offer. "Don't try to take it apart mid-flight. You can poke and prod at it after the mission."
"I wasn't going to..." Robot tried to deny.
Rex-Splode barked a laugh. "Ha! You're as terrible of a liar as I am! Ha hahaha!"
Several others laughed as well and they all went over to the boarding ramp. A few of them whistled at the interior being much nicer than a normal plane's insides.
"Good luck and have fun." Cecil said and ended the call.
Rex did take the pilot's seat and Tech Jacket sat in the co-pilot's seat as the rest of the team strapped in to the many available seats. The two pilots nodded to each other and quickly familiarized themselves with the controls and the capabilities of the hoverjet for several minutes, then they exchanged nods again and assumed control of the aircraft.
The hoverjet lifted off and Rex flew the transport out through the roof access and to the desert outside of Las Vegas. Apparently, the idiot was going to gamble the ransom he was demanding from the government for not harming the Guardians of the Globe.
"Open the ramp." Immortal ordered. "The flyers and heavy hitters are going in first."
"Yes!" Monster Woman and Knockout shouted, gave each other a surprised look, then they high-fived each other and fist bumped.
"Try to leave some for the rest of us." Tech Jacket joked as he hit the ramp release.
"You better hurry." Bulletproof said and ran down the ramp with Immortal and they leaped out together and dropped down to smash their fists into the head of the giant man and knocked him down.
Knockout and Monster Woman were next and dropped onto his chest and the sounds of cracking rips echoed in the desert. Black Sampson dropped down and hit the big man's belly and made him throw up, just barely missing Bulletproof. Minotaur landed head first and his horns stuck into the giant man's abs, causing a huge amount of damage, both internally and externally.
Immortal and Bulletproof used their feet and kicked either side of the giant man's head and knocked him out. By the time the hoverjet landed and the rest of the Guardians came out, their target was no longer moving and had been dealt with.
Immortal gave Dupli-Kate a firm nod and crossed his arms as he propped his foot up on the giant man's broken nose. He looked regal and Kate couldn't help but admire him when he looked like that.