The weeks flew by like a training montage. I spent my mornings in the air with Nolan, learning how to maximize my momentum, and my afternoons watching the news feeds for specific events.
I knew Robot was making his move. The security footage from the Mauler Twins' breakout was "accidentally" corrupted, but I knew better.
I tracked the living Mauler to a salvage yard three days later. He was ripping apart a high-tech generator, likely scavenging parts for the cloning machine.
I landed on a stack of crushed cars behind him. "You know, people usually pay for those."
The Mauler spun around, a massive plasma cannon spinning up in his hand. "Invincible. I will disintegrate you before you can blink."
"Relax," I said, holding up my hands. "I'm not here to fight. I'm here to give you a heads-up."
He lowered the gun an inch, confused. "A heads-up?"
"About the person that broke you out of jail." I saw the confusion still on his face. "I know the person and they're watching you as you build your machine. He wants to use your expertise in cloning to make a body for himself, and once you're done, he's going to dispose of you."
"Why tell me this?" Mauler growled. "You're suppose to be a hero."
"Because," I began. "I have better use for geniuses of your caliber, but not right now. I need you independent of him." I tossed a small, black disc at him. He caught it. "That's a communication device. Untraceable. When that person turns on you—and he will—you use that. We can work out a mutually beneficial partnership."
Mauler looked at the device, then at me. "A partnership?"
"Yes, one that might entice your thirst for greater knowledge. Just stay on course when that person reveals themselves to you."
He grunted, pocketed the device, and ran.
Seed planted. Now, we wait for the harvest.
When I got home, the atmosphere was heavy. Cecil was in the living room with Nolan and Debbie.
"It's a simple escort mission, Nolan," Cecil was saying, his arms crossed as he stood by the fireplace. "NASA is sending a manned mission to Mars. It's historic, it's expensive, and the President is terrified something is going to blow up on the launchpad or get hit by a wayward asteroid. We need insurance."
"You want me to babysit astronauts for two weeks?" Nolan asked, swirling a glass of wine. He looked bored. "I have responsibilities here, Cecil. The world doesn't stop turning just because NASA wants to play in some red dirt."
"We can cover your patrol routes. The Guardians—what's left of them—can pick up the slack," Cecil countered. "We just need someone to shadow the ship. Unseen. Just in case."
Nolan sighed, setting his glass down. "Two weeks in the void of space, moving at a snail's pace behind a tin can. It sounds… tedious."
Oh yea, that mission. I probably have to go huh?
I dropped my backpack by the door, making my presence known. "I'll go."
The room went silent. All three heads turned toward me.
"Mark?" Debbie stood up from the couch, her brow furrowed. "You have school. You can't just miss two weeks of classes to go to another planet."
"Eh, I ain't doing nothing at the moment anyways," I said, walking further into the room.
"He has a point, Debbie," Nolan chimed in, a little too quickly. He looked relieved to be off the hook. "The boy needs the flight hours. Space travel is different from atmospheric flight. He needs to learn how to handle his momentum in a vacuum."
"I don't care about flight hours," Debbie argued, looking at Cecil. "He's a teenager. He needs stability, not…"
"We can handle the school board, Debbie," Cecil interrupted smoothly. "We'll document it as an extended independent study program. His grades won't suffer."
Debbie looked between the three of us and sighed. "Fine. But you take your textbooks with you. And you call me. Or… I guess you can't call. Just… come back in one piece."
"I will," I promised.
"Great," Cecil said, adjusting his tie. "You leave tomorrow morning at 0400. You'll shadow the shuttle until touchdown, keep a perimeter while they collect their rocks, and bring them home. Unnoticed. Do not engage unless the mission is compromised."
"Gotcha," I nodded.
As Cecil teleported away and my parents went to the kitchen to argue about dinner, I went upstairs to pack.
Mars, The Sequids, and Shapesmith. A very interesting set of situations.
I threw a few shirts into a bag, my mind racing through the canon events.
If I go, I can control what happens in a way. The Sequids are going to be annoying to deal with, but the real issue is Rus Livingston.
I sat on the edge of my bed.
In the original timeline, Rus gets left behind, hosted by the Sequids, and eventually invades Earth. Shapesmith takes his place. If I stop Shapesmith from swapping… then the Sequids never get organized. But if I don't bring Shapesmith back, the Guardians lose a future member, and he might just find a way to Earth anyways if another species of aliens land on Mars."
I zipped up the bag.
I'll have to play this by ear. I need to make sure the Sequid threat is containable. They can't be as big of a problem as they were in the original timeline.
My phone buzzed. It was a text from Amber.
Amber: You free tomorrow?
Ah, fuck.
Me: Independent Study Program. Two weeks. I'll make it up to ya.
Amber: Two weeks? You serious?
Me: Yea, Ma signed me up some time ago.
I tossed the phone on the bed and looked out the window at the stars.
Two weeks on Mars. Hopefully, everything happens fast. These little inconveniences are getting a bit annoying.
The trip to Mars was exactly as Nolan described: tedious.
"Space is beautiful," people say. Yeah, for about five minutes. Then it's just black void, distant stars, and the realization that you are moving very fast while not appearing to move at all. I spent most of the flight doing mental math on Viltrumite flight physics and re-evaluating my plans for the future.
When the shuttle finally touched down, I stayed in orbit, cloaked by the thin atmosphere and my own speed. I watched the astronauts bounce around, collect rocks, and take photos.
Boring. Boring. Boring.
Then, the ground opened up and Martians swarmed out of the red dust. They didn't look friendly. Before the astronauts could even radio Houston, they were surrounded. The Martians dragged them toward an underground hatch.
I dove. I moved fast enough to intercept the rear guard and I followed them into the cavernous underground city.
The Martian Emperor was already monologuing when I floated into the chamber, staying near the shadowy ceiling. He was sentencing the humans to death to prevent the Sequids from finding a host.
A bit extreme, but understandable in a way.
Then, the Sequids attacked. A wave of purple, starfish-like aliens surged from the deeper tunnels. They were mindless, writhing, and fast. The Martians panicked. The astronauts screamed.
I dropped from the ceiling, landing between the astronauts and the Sequid wave. I clapped my hands together, creating a shockwave that enclosed the cavern. It turned the front line of Sequids into purple paste and knocked the Martians off their feet.
"Move!" I yelled at the astronauts. "Back to the ship!"
They scrambled. I stayed behind, acting as a wall. A Sequid latched onto my arm. I looked at it, feeling its tiny teeth try to pierce my skin.
"Nice try pal." I flicked it off, sending it rocketting into another one.
I went on the offensive. I wasn't just defending; I was culling. I tore through the swarm, ripping them apart, stomping them, reducing their numbers significantly.
Gotta thin the herd now and make sure they don't overwhelm us immediately when they try to get to Earth.
Then, amidst the chaos, I saw it.
Rus Livingston had been separated from the group. He was cornered by a massive cluster of Sequids. And right next to him, a Martian was shifting perfectly into his form.
Shapesmith.
I hovered there for a split second, time seeming to slow down.
I could save Rus. I have the speed. I could grab him and Shapesmith and haul them both out.
I looked at the real Rus, terror in his eyes as the Sequids began to cover him.
"But if I save him, the Sequids don't get a host. If they don't get a host, they don't organize. If they don't organize, I can't wipe them out in one fell swoop later. And Shapesmith… he needs to come to Earth to expose the flaws in the GDA."
I made my decision and turned my back on him. I grabbed the "Rus" that was running toward me and the other astronauts.
"We're leaving!" I shouted.
I flew them up the tunnel, blasting through the rock and sand, depositing them gently next to the shuttle.
"Go!" I ordered. "Launch Now!"
I hovered in orbit until they cleared the atmosphere, watching the red planet shrink below me.
Two weeks later, I was back in school.
"So," William asked at lunch. "How was 'Independent Study'?"
"Detailed," I lied, stabbing a tater tot. "Lots of geology."
"You missed a killer party at Amber's. I tried to cover for you, said you were at a monastery for monks who take vows of silence."
"And she believed you?!"
"She called you a nerd, so… maybe."
A nerd?! Oh my god!
My burner phone vibrated in my pocket. A blocked number. "Scuse me," I said, standing up. "My monastery's calling."
I walked to the hallway. "Yea, it's me."
"Invincible," a deep, gravelly voice answered. "It's time."
"Titan," I greeted. "You got the layout?"
"Tonight. Machine Head knows I'm coming. He's fortified the penthouse."
"Good. Saves us the trouble of hunting him down."
"And the... deal?" Titan asked hesitantly.
"10% of the liquid assets, 5% of future earnings for 'consulting fees.' Transferred to an offshore account I'll provide."
"You're a cold piece of work for a hero."
"I'm a business, man. Cause I'm all about my business man. See you at sundown."
Rock boy got in contact with me some time after I came back to Earth. He was giving me the whole spiel about taking down Machine Head for the greater good or whatever, but I snuffed it out quickly and got him to, reluctantly, tell me about his plan to overthrow him.
Instead of turning my back on him, I enticed him with a partnership that would involve him taking over Machine Head's place and me getting resources from him in return.
After all, Invincible Inc. needs start-up money. And this time, it won't just be some small little side gig, I'm turning it into a fortune 500. It's a win-win for the both of us.
The raid started exactly like I expected. We stormed the lobby, Titan taking point while I handled the heavy lifting. We reached the penthouse, and the doors slid open.
Machine Head sat behind his desk, that stupid auto-tuned voice filling the room. "I knew you would return, Titan. My probability engine predicted it."
"Then did it predict this?" Titan roared, charging in.
The side doors burst open and mercenaries poured out.
Damn, I guess he did.
"Kursk. Furnace. Magmaniac. Tether Tyrant." Titan said.
"The B-Team," I sighed, dodging a glob of slime from Tether Tyrant. "Is this really the best money can buy?"
I wove through them effortlessly. I knocked Magmaniac and Furnace away with a flick of my wrists. And I tied Tether Tyrant up with his own appendages, while Titan dealt with Kursk.
"Is this it?" I taunted, floating in the center of the room. "I'm gonna be late for dinner."
Then, the floor shook.
A heavy, rhythmic thudding echoed from the back room. The other villains stopped fighting. They looked... scared.
A massive, white-furred lion-man stepped into the light. He carried a mace that looked like it weighed as much as a sedan. He wore distinct, gladiatorial armor.
Battle Beast.
"Finally," I grinned, stomach dropping. "A real threat."
"I was promised a battle," Battle Beast roared, his voice shaking the glass panes of the windows. "This is a nursery!"
He swung his mace. Titan tried to block it with his rock skin.
CRACK.
Titan flew across the room, smashing through a structural pillar and groaning in a pile of rubble.
Holy shit, he could have died.
I launched myself at him. I put real effort into it, flying at Mach 2, aiming for his chest. I hit him and it felt like running into a mountain. He slid back maybe three inches.
Battle Beast looked down at me, unimpressed. "Pathetic."
He backhanded me.
The world spun. I felt my jaw unhinge. I crashed through Machine Head's desk, shattering it into splinters. Pain, sharp and hot, exploded in my skull.
"Okay, that... actually hurt," I mumbled, spitting blood and snapping my jaw back into alignment.
Battle Beast didn't give me time to recover. He was on me, faster than anything that size should be. He grabbed me by the throat and slammed me into the floor, cratering the concrete. He raised the mace.
Ight bitch, lemme show you how these hands work.
I caught the handle of the mace with both hands just before it crushed my skull. The floor buckled under the pressure. I gritted my teeth, pushing back with everything I had. For a second, just a second, I held him in place.
"You have strength," Battle Beast growled, surprised. "But no technique."
Oh yeah?! Then how bout this?!
I used the leverage to kick him in the stomach, launching myself out from under him. I flew up to the ceiling, then turned and dive-bombed him. I hit him with a flurry of blows—jabs, hooks, uppercuts—moving faster than the eye could track. Each punch landed with the force of a wrecking ball.
Thud. Thud. Crack.
I actually staggered him. He took a step back, wiping a trickle of blood from his lip.
"Better!" Battle Beast laughed, a terrifying, guttural sound. "Now we fight!"
What?! I gave him everything I had!
He swung the mace. I dodged the first swing, but he anticipated my movement. The backswing caught me in the ribs. I felt bones snap. I gasped, air leaving my lungs. He followed up with a kick that sent me flying through the wall and out into the night sky.
He leaped after me. We clashed in mid-air, trading blows that shattered windows in the surrounding buildings.
Yea this guy's a real deal monster! I thought, blocking a strike that made my arms go numb. I'm dealing damage, but he's just tanking it!
I tried to use my speed to get behind him, to choke him out, but he grabbed my leg and swung me around like a ragdoll, slamming me back into the penthouse floor. I bounced, coughing up blood.
Yea, I'm hurt now.
My vision blurred. My healing factor was working overtime, but it wasn't enough. He was just too strong, too experienced.
Battle Beast loomed over me, raising his mace for the killing blow.
"Hold on there, big guy!" I placed a hand out.
Battle Beast paused, the spikes inches from my nose. "You beg? Disgraceful."
"Not mercy," I wheezed. I grabbed his fur, pulling myself up so I could whisper directly into his ear. "I am a Viltrumite."
His ears twitched. His eyes narrowed.
"I am a hatchling," I hissed, staring into his predatory yellow eyes. "I just received my powers. Killing me now is like hunting a baby. There is no honor in that. No glory."
Battle Beast growled low in his throat.
"Give me time," I pressed, seeing the hesitation. "Three years. Let me grow. Let me train. In three years... I will be the strongest being in this sector. I will give you the battle you crave. A battle that will crack the sky."
Battle Beast stared at me. He sniffed the air—smelling the blood, the fear, and the absolute conviction in my voice.
"A Viltrumite..." he rumbled. "If what you speak is true, then you would be a trophy worth waiting for."
"In the name of the devil, I guarantee it."
Believe me man! I'm fuckin' dyin' over here!
"Very well." He lowered the mace. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.
Then, he brought it up again.
SLASH.
"AAAAGH!"
What the fuck!
He raked the head of the mace across my chest. It tore through my suit, through my skin, carving a deep, jagged 'X' over my heart. Blood sprayed across the floor.
"A reminder," Battle Beast said, his voice cold. He stood up, looming over me. "Do not forget this pain. If you are not ready when I return... I will make your end slow."
He turned and walked toward the window.
"Where are you going?!" Machine Head shrieked. "I paid you!"
"There is no sport here," Battle Beast scoffed. He activated a device on his belt, creating a portal like doorway and vanished within it.
I lay on the floor, clutching my chest. The pain was blinding. I could feel my healing factor kicking in, but it was slow.
"Invincible!" Titan called out, limping over.
Sirens wailed in the distance. The GDA stealth jets were inbound.
I looked up at Titan, my vision blurry. "The money..." I coughed, blood bubbling on my lips. "Don't... forget... my cut."
"You're crazy," Titan muttered, looking at the carnage.
"No, I'm...[Title Card (Invincible)] I slurred, before the darkness took me.