The descent toward Earth in the small confines of the Viltrumite scout ship was absolute torture.
Without my powers to act as a buffer, my human senses were completely overwhelmed. I was hyper-aware of the danger I was in. Every time the ship shifted, I braced myself. And every time Anissa moved even an inch, I flinched internally.
Uh-oh, there she goes, my libido echoed in the back of my mind. You've noticed how her eyes haven't left your body since you got aboard the ship, right?
Shut up, man. Stop making me nervous, I fired back, keeping my eyes glued to the viewport.
You better HOPE this ship doesn't abruptly 'experience technical difficulties,' it purred sadistically. Or else you might be cooked from the ideas that might form in her mind.
I shook my head, ignoring the voice. As Earth's atmosphere burned blue outside the window, I directed Anissa to navigate the ship toward the thick woods near my parents' house. I knew I needed to see Debbie first before dealing with the inevitable other headaches.
Because we had to land a fair distance away to keep the ship hidden, Anissa turned to me, a sickeningly sweet smile crossing her face. "I will have to carry you the rest of the way."
I took a step back. "You carry me? Uh-uh. That's not happen—"
In a fraction of a second, Anissa stepped completely into my personal space.
"It wasn't up for negotiation," she said smoothly. She wrapped an arm securely around my abdomen, pulling my body against her, and shot out of the ship's airlock.
The sudden acceleration ripped the breath from my lungs. I squeezed my eyes shut as the wind whipped violently past my face.
Oh great, I groaned internally, feeling completely helpless in her grip. I used to own these skies. Now I've been relegated to a passenger princess.
We touched down silently in the backyard of my childhood home.
"We're here," I said stiffly, gently pushing away from her. "You can let go now."
"And so we are," she responded.
She released me, but her hands lingered. She carefully brushed imaginary dust off my shoulders, her touch light but suffocatingly possessive. "Can't be too cautious now, can we?"
I stepped away from her, my skin crawling, and opened the back door.
"Aye, Ma! I'm home!" I called out, my voice echoing into the quiet house.
I found her in the kitchen. Debbie was aggressively scrubbing a spot on an already perfectly clean counter. She looked utterly exhausted. Dark, heavy circles bagged under her eyes, and her shoulders were slumped with the weight of a grief she was desperately trying to clean away.
At the sound of my voice, she froze. The wet sponge slipped from her fingers, hitting the floor with a soft smack.
"Mark?" she whispered, turning around slowly as if she was afraid I was a hallucination.
"Hey, Ma. How's it goin'?" I asked.
Tears instantly welled in her eyes. A choked sob escaped her throat as she rushed across the kitchen, throwing her arms around my neck in a desperate, crushing hug.
"Your father told me about what happened to you and Oliver," she let out. "I was so worried, I didn't know what to do."
I hugged her back as best as I could to calm her down. "Sorry for making you worry," I said. "And don't worry, we'll get Oliver back."
She was so relieved that I was awake and home, but the moment was fleeting.
I felt Debbie pull back slightly. Her tear-filled eyes shifted over my shoulder, locking onto the towering figure standing right behind me in pristine white. The relief on her face instantly evaporated, morphing into total confusion, and then, stark terror.
Anissa looked down at her with an almost condescending curiosity. She tilted her head, her eyes scanning Debbie from head to toe like she was looking at an animal at a zoo exhibit.
"So, this is the human… incubator," she remarked, her tone chillingly flat. "You appear far too fragile to have birthed a Viltrumite of his caliber."
Debbie stiffened, and instinctively took a half-step behind me.
Incubator? What the fuck?! I questioned internally. I know she fucking lyin', speaking in such a manner in my presence.
Before I could snap at Anissa to watch her mouth, the sharp, shrill ring of the front doorbell echoed through the house, shattering the tense silence.
I glared at Anissa before making my way to the door. I opened it, and standing there was none other than Cecil, wearing his customary grim expression.
Ah, great, I thought, facepalming internally. Just what I needed right now.
"Cecil," I said, leaning against the doorframe, trying to look far more casual than I felt.
"The neighborhood sensors tripped the second that ship of yours hit the atmosphere," he said, his eyes immediately darting past me to look inside the house. He looked composed, dressed in his usual crisp suit, but knowing him as long as I had, I could see the rigid stress rolling off his shoulders. "What the hell is going on, Mark? Why did they suddenly let you come back to Earth after keeping you locked up for months?"
Wow. Not even a 'welcome back kid, glad you're alive and well,' I thought.
"I just made a very reasonable point on why I should return," I replied smoothly, crossing my arms.
Cecil's gaze snapped back to me. "That being?"
"Since I'm entirely powerless, it wouldn't make any sense for me to stay with them in an unfamiliar environment while being so vulnerable," I said flatly. "So, they've graciously shipped me back to Earth."
Cecil's usual stone-cold composure cracked. "You're powerless?!"
"That's right," I nodded. "Which is why getting back to Invincible Inc. and hammering out a timetable on the return of my powers is my top priority right now."
Cecil processed the information for a split second before his eyes shifted to the towering Viltrumite woman standing just a few feet behind me. He squared his shoulders, slipping right back into his role as Earth's top defender.
"And what about her?" he asked, gesturing his head toward Anissa.
I let out a heavy, tired sigh. "They've appointed me a... bodyguard," I replied. "After understanding how fast of a life I live, they wanted to be cautious about our... particular situation."
"You mean you being an alien space prince," Cecil clarified dryly.
I nearly cringed. "You don't gotta put it that way, but yeah. That's the gist of it."
Cecil wasn't amused. He stepped fully into the doorway, staring Anissa down like she was a hostile foreign dignitary. "Listen to me very carefully," Cecil warned, his voice hard. "You might be his little shadow, but you are standing on my planet. You will abide by GDA regulations, you will not interfere with Earth's jurisdiction, and if you so much as sneeze in the wrong direction—"
Anissa let out a sharp, genuine laugh. In a blur of motion, she stepped right between Cecil and me. She looked down at the scarred director, a chilling smile spreading across her face.
"I can hear twelve elevated heartbeats surrounding this perimeter, Director," Anissa said, her voice dripping with casual malice. "Three in the tree line across the street. Four on the neighboring rooftops. The rest holding highly primitive projectile weapons inside that cloaked transport vehicle two blocks away."
Cecil didn't flinch, but his jaw tightened.
Anissa leaned in just a fraction. "I can silence every single one of them before yours beats a second time. Do not presume to give me orders."
The air in the doorway turned to ice. She'd slaughter them without effort, I thought, watching as a potential bloodbath was millisecond away from happening. And she'd do it with a smile on her face.
"Alright, that's enough of that," I said, clapping my hands together. I stepped forward and put myself directly between the two of them. "We don't have time to make any more small talk, Cecil. I need to get to my company right now, so this is where we're gonna end this little impromptu visit."
I didn't wait for Cecil to argue. I turned back into the kitchen, giving Debbie one last, tight hug.
"I'll be back as soon as I can, I promise," I whispered, pulling away before she could protest.
I walked back out the back door, leaving Cecil standing there, his jaw practically cemented shut in frustration. I gestured to Anissa that it was time for us to go. Without a word, she wrapped her arm securely around my abdomen again and launched us away from the house.
When we got back to the ship, I gave her the coordinates to the Invincible Inc. headquarters. As we broke through the cloud cover, leveling out in the upper atmosphere, Anissa finally broke the silence.
"Based on what we know, that man heads Earth's entire global defenses," she said, a curious, almost predatory smile playing on her lips. "So why did you not divulge the information of the Scourge Virus sample to him?"
I didn't respond to her, which made her smile grow even wider.
"Perhaps not all factions on this planet are as unified as you tried to make us believe."
I didn't answer her again right away. I just stared straight ahead, watching the clouds part as the ship tore through them.
"Oh, have I struck a nerve by chance?" she purred with that same condescending smile adorned on her face.
Man, she really knows how to get under someone's skin, huh? I thought, side-eyeing her.
I let out a sigh, and finally decided to speak. "The less Cecil knows about the deeper levels of the situation, the better it is for everyone."
Especially for my mental well-being, I added internally.
"Even so," Anissa mused, leaning into me. "You are thinking for the benefit of your own authority. The benefit of our Empire."
I turned my head to look at her. "Is that so?"
Anissa nodded, leaning in more. "A wise ruler deals with threats against them with haste," she began. "Especially when those threats demonstrate any kind of peril to his rule. But you do not need to worry, because If those threats prove to be impending obstacles, then I will gladly remove them for you."
I side-eyed her smiling face. There's a whole lot of evil in that smile, I thought briefly.
"How fortunate," I replied sarcastically and looked back out over the horizon, dreading the potential chaos that was coming sooner rather than later. "I'm truly blessed, aren't I?"
A few minutes later, the towering structure of the Invincible Inc. HQ came into view. I directed Anissa to the private, reinforced landing pad connected to my top-floor office. We touched down, and as we exited the ship, she stepped back into a rigid, protective stance right next to me.
The glass doors slid open, and a small welcoming committee rushed out. Titan, Isotope, and my logistics lead stopped dead in their tracks, their eyes wide with shock.
"Mark?" Titan said as he stepped forward. "You're... you're awake."
"Good to see you too, Titan," I responded, making my way into the facility.
When Titan's eyes landed upon the towering woman at my side, his skin instinctively hardened into his rocky exterior. Isotope adjusted his neck-tie, looking like he was half a second away from teleporting out of the room. Anissa didn't even acknowledge them; she just looked right through them like they were insects.
"We didn't even know you were back in the solar system," Isotope said, quickly falling into step beside me, his eyes darting nervously toward Anissa. "You really need to hear this, we've got a massive situation regarding—"
"Hold that thought," I cut him off, raising a hand as I strode toward my private office. I turned to my logistics lead. "Initiate Code Iron. Lock down the facility, secure all comms, and organize a meeting with every department lead in the conference room in ten minutes."
"Code Iron?!" Titan repeated, stepping in front of me to block my path. " What happened for that to be initiated?!"
"I've lost my powers," I said, causing them to go dead silent.
Titan and Isotope stared at me, completely speechless.
"I have no powers, and I've got a million things I need to sort out immediately to get them back," I continued, gesturing toward my office doors. "So y'all gotta save whatever y'all gotta say until the meeting."
Without waiting for a response, I rushed in the direction of my office.
Whatever news they have can't be as important as me not having my powers, I thought. Getting them back as quickly as possible is my main priority at the moment and that starts with contacting Angstrom. However, there's still one major headache that I'll have to shake off.
I glanced behind me, watching Anissa crossing her arms and glaring at the Invincible Inc. workers we passed with a look of disgust on her face. Her feet hadn't even touched the ground of the building since we walked in.
Now, how the hell do I get rid of her while I make contact with Angstrom? I mused internally.
By putting on the charm of course, my libidio answered.
I nearly rolled my eyes internally. Bro, now's not the time for that. This is serious, I replied.
I'm completely serious, it said. To get rid of her for a few minutes you just gotta use the advantages she has against you currently against her. You know, like reverse psychology in a way.
Eh, quit bullshitting, I said. You ain't know shit about no damn reverse psychology.
No lies told there, it laughed. But, I do know how to buy some time. Now tag me in and let me work.
I sighed internally. Fine. Just don't dig us in a deeper hole, I told it. Time is of the essence.
I reached the doors of my private office and stopped, turning to face Anissa. She was already flying forward to follow me inside.
Ight, showtime, my libido commented as I watched it operate my body.
It seemingly dropped the shoulders and relaxed the jaw, shifting my posture to stand as straight as my aching human body would allow. "Anissa," I called out.
"Yes?" she responded, her eyes scanning the empty hallway before locking onto mine.
"I need you to go down to the conference room," I instructed, my voice smooth and level. "Observe the others. Make sure they are organizing the meeting exactly as I ordered."
Her brow furrowed instantly, a flash of irritation crossing her features. "My orders from the Grand Regent are to remain at your side at all times. I am your protector. I will not leave you unguarded to watch these lesser beings scramble around."
I stepped in and closed the gap between us, completely invading her personal space.
Even though she was currently stronger than me, I was still physically taller than her, forcing her to look up at me. I leaned in, my face inches from hers.
"You're not gonna do what I say?" I asked. My voice laced with a low, commanding rasp that demanded absolute submission.
For a split second, Anissa froze. I watched closely as her eyes locked onto mine. Her pupils dilated, her irises visibly expanding as a faint flush crept up her neck.
"Your Empire's heir is giving you a direct order," I said, my lips barely brushing hers. "Are you really going to ignore it?"
She let out a soft, staggered breath, clearly captivated.
Aye, we got her, my libido said. Look at her face, her brain's short-circuiting. She's even touching the ground now, too.
"As... as you wish," she murmured, her voice suddenly losing all of its sharp edges.
She offered a stiff, almost reverent nod, turned on her heel, and walked down the hallway. She glanced back at me only once, a sultry smirk playing on her lips, before disappearing around the corner.
I can't believe that actually worked, I exhaled, feeling a cold sweat break out on my forehead.
You're welcome, my libido chuckled, stepping back into the shadows of my mind. Now hurry up, we got a redhead to indulge in later.
Red—right, Eve, I thought. She must have been stressing. I'll hit her up later, as for now…
I immediately slipped into my office and locked the door behind me. I tapped into my interdimensional earpiece and wrist communicator Angstrom had given me before I left Earth.
"Angstrom, you there?" I whispered urgently.
A crackle of static hissed in my ear for a few minutes before his voice came through. "Mark? I wasn't expecting a transmission so soon. What's the situation?"
"It's an emergency," I quickly explained. "I was exposed to the Scourge Virus. My powers are completely gone. The Viltrumite Empire uncovered that I'm a part of their royal bloodline, and I'm basically being held hostage by a 24/7 guard. I have a sample of mutated Scourge blood on me. I need you and the Maulers to reverse-engineer a cure or a weapon immediately, and I need a timetable on when my powers may be back or even how I can accelerate things. Time is critical."
There was a heavy pause on the other end of the line.
"Your powers are gone?!" Angstrom asked, his tone shifting into serious concern.
"Angstrom!" I called out in a panicked whisper. "That's what you got from all I've said?"
"Sorry," he replied. "It's just very surprising. I am very far away from everyone, still acquiring resources for the Technician's Utopia right now, but I'll put a pause on everything and return. I just need a little bit of time to calculate the correct dimensional transit. Hold your ground. I'll be there as soon as I can."
I let out a sigh of relief. "Ight, thank you," I said. "See you then."
The connection cut and I slumped into my chair. Alright. Help is on the way. I'll just have to rely on Code Iron until Angstrom gets here and—
"YOU!"
A furious, booming voice shattered the silence of the facility. The walls of my office literally shook from the sheer force of the soundwave.
That's Eve, I thought, leaping out of my chair.
I sprinted out the door and ran toward where the sound came from as fast as my baseline human legs could carry me.
When I rounded the corner, it was a disaster waiting to happen. Eve was floating several feet off the ground, her eyes glowing with fury as blinding pink energy swirled violently around her hands. And standing directly in front of her, entirely unbothered, was Anissa, a twisted, bloodthirsty smirk plastered across her face as she prepared to strike.
"What the fuck?!" I let out, watching as office equipment started levitating off the ground.
I turned to my right and saw Titan and Isotope watching the events unfold from a safe distance away, hiding behind a reinforced concrete pillar, looking completely panicked.
I quickly made my way towards them. "Aye! What the hell's going on?!"
"They're fighting," Titan pointed as the two women clashed fists.
"Well, no shit," I responded. "I meant why."
"Oh, when you fell into that coma, Eve rushed up to where the Viltrumites were keeping you, and she faced her," Isotope said, pointing at Anissa as she smashed through a constructed wall.
My eyes closed for a brief moment. You've got to be fucking kidding me, I thought. Knowing Anissa she probably let her know she was personally looking after me.
"Whatever the result of that battle was, it really made her mad," Titan said.
"You don't say?" I said, rhetorically. "Alright then, how 'bout you two go up there and tell them to cut it out."
They both looked at me like I was crazy.
"Are you nuts?! We'd die!" Titan stated, ducking down as a table crashed into the pillar. "That girl's been a raging ball of anger for the past couple of months. There's no way I'm getting between her and a woman who can crush me with ease with just two fingers. Why don't you go up there?!"
"Me?!" I questioned. "I ain't got no powers man I'd be gone in an instant. You two, however, do!"
"I don't like that, that twisted logic," Titan replied, shaking his head. "I'd be gone too, so I'd only
"Ahhhhhhhh," I yelled in frustration. "Well, somebody gotta stop them or this whole building might come down and we all die!"
"Whoever's gonna go up there gotta be able to get in and out," Titan said.
"You're right, we need a sacrifice—I mean a brave hero who'll get this job done," I snapped my finger in confirmation. "Someone loyal and dependable—easily replaceable—but where are we gonna get someone like that?"
We both thought for a moment, then looked at Isotope's direction. He looked at us with confusion adorned across his face, until he understood what our looks meant.
"Oh, uh-uh," Isotope said, shaking his head. "I've steered clear of her for the past couple months. Especially, anytime she'd be in a bad mood. Ever since her powers upgraded after she beat that Omnipotus guy she's been—"
"Wait, hold up, hold up," I said, cutting him off and waving my hands. "She fought Omnipotus?! And her powers upgraded?! When did this happen?!"
"Oh, some time after you left the Earth," Isotope replied over an energy blast Eve sent towards Anissa, who dodged the attack. "The battle was crazy, all the heroes showed up to face him and I honestly thought the world was as good as gone, until Eve did her thing."
I just stared at him in disbelief. "And that being?!" I questioned. "You can't just tell me she went crazy and not explain how! Tell me how she—"
"Later," Titan cut me off. "Because there's something we've been meaning to tell you."
"It's more important than Eve's powers upgrading?" I said, skeptically.
They both looked at each other, then answered simultaneously. "Yes."
"Alright, what is it then?" I questioned.
Titan and Isotope looked at each other again, daring one another to say it.
"Well!" I exclaimed, growing tired of the posturing.
"Dinosaurus broke out of his holding cell," Isotope finally let out.
My eyes widened to the size of saucers. Then, I let out a laugh. "Hahahhahaha, alright you got me," I said, wiping an imaginary tear from my eye. "Y'all really had me going there. 'Cause I thought you just said Dinosaurus broke out of his cell."
Titan grimaced as I stared at him. My expression immediately dropped, my breath hitching into a nervous pant.
"Titan! Titan!" I called out his name, genuine panic replacing the fake laughter. "Tell me it's a joke! Titan! Please!"
"He found some kind of blind spot a few weeks after you left," he said. "And he's been completely undetected from our radar for the last three months!"
I nodded, saying nothing for a moment. I took a deep breath in and out, until I finally spoke.
"WHAAAAAAAT!"