Monday, August 29, 2016 — Grayson Residence — 9:54 a.m. (Chicago Time)
The front door opened harder than necessary.
Debbie walked in, dropped her purse on the entryway table, and shut the door behind her. Kai was sitting on the couch with his phone in hand and looked up as she passed through the living room.
"You're back early."
"I was encouraged to take some time off."
He set his phone aside and studied her expression for a moment.
"Looks like somebody had a terrible start to her day."
Debbie headed into the kitchen, and Kai followed.
"I went to show a house to a couple. The husband spent the entire tour treating his wife like she wasn't even there. Every time she tried to say something, he'd interrupt her. When she said she liked the kitchen, he told her he was the one who made the decisions."
She opened the refrigerator and stood there staring at the shelves without really looking for anything.
"After listening to that, I told him she wasn't his pet to order around."
Kai stopped beside the counter.
For a few seconds, he couldn't think of anything to say.
His communicator rang.
The tiny dot in his ear identified the call as Cecil. Kai raised two fingers to it, but didn't open the channel.
Debbie closed the refrigerator.
"Duty calls, honey. Go."
The signal kept ringing for another few seconds.
Kai removed the communicator.
"Not today. Mark can handle this one."
He set the dot on the counter and opened the refrigerator Debbie had just closed.
"I'm staying here today."
She still looked like she was about to insist, but Kai was already pulling out ingredients and setting them on the counter.
"You can keep telling me about it while we make lunch."
Debbie looked at the ingredients.
Then at the clock.
"It's ten in the morning."
"Then we've got plenty of time."
Some of the tension left her face.
Meanwhile — Eiffel Tower, Paris — 4:56 p.m. (Paris Time)
Paris stretched out below them in the late-afternoon light.
Amber stood by the railing, looking out over the city, with Mark beside her. For a few minutes, neither of them needed to be anywhere else.
His communicator rang.
Mark looked away and brought a hand to his ear.
Cecil's voice came through immediately.
"Mark? We've got a problem that needs you."
"I'm busy right now, Cecil. Call Kai."
"Already did. He didn't answer, and it needs to be one of you two."
Mark looked at Amber.
She already understood.
"Undertow will be with you. Whatever's happening is important."
Mark exhaled, annoyed.
"Great."
Amber put a hand on his arm.
"Go." She smiled.
He leaned in and kissed her quickly.
"You're the best."
"Yeah, I know."
Mark stepped back toward the edge with her in his arms.
"I'll take you home first."
Then the two of them vanished into the sky.
Some Time Later — Somewhere in the Atlantic
Rain hammered the small island as Mark descended from the sky.
He landed near the shore already wearing his Invincible suit. Cecil waited for him as water streamed off his overcoat, apparently indifferent to the storm.
Undertow stood beside him.
The dark-blue uniform, almost black, clung tightly to his body and ended in silver boots. A mask of the same color covered only the area around his eyes. Undertow was adjusting one side of it as Mark approached.
"Where are the Guardians?"
"Working." Cecil looked toward the ocean. "The Lizard League decided to hit a facility while half the planet apparently picked today to cause trouble."
Undertow finished adjusting his mask.
"I got left behind."
Mark looked at him.
"Why?"
A grin appeared.
"Because according to the grumpy old man over there, your problem involves spending a whole lot of time underwater."
Cecil didn't even bother reacting.
"You two are going to Atlantis."
Meanwhile — Research Facility Outside Dallas
An explosion tore away part of the wall.
Rex came sliding out of the smoke across the floor and hurled two coins before he'd even regained his balance.
BOOM! BOOM!
"I hate these guys!"
"Less complaining, more working!"
Three copies of Dupli-Kate had already surrounded the nearest soldiers while a fourth pulled researchers out of the line of fire. Bulletproof flew over them and crashed through a table along with another member of the Lizard League.
On the other side of the facility, Frost had turned half the corridor to ice. Shrinking Rae vanished among the trapped enemies while Robot covered her advance, and Black Samson cleared a path so Monster Girl could keep evacuating the employees still trapped in the sector.
"Left!"
Immortal's order came with a grenade.
Robot intercepted it before it reached the group.
BOOM!
Shapesmith burst through the wall beside them transformed into something halfway between a battering ram and an octopus.
Everyone close enough to see him looked over.
He stopped.
"This form seemed more efficient in my head."
Rex blinked.
"I'm not even gonna ask."
Immortal flew over them and slammed into the group trying to reach the exit.
"Talk later. Finish this first."
The Lizard League began to retreat.
Minutes Later — Atlantis
The Atlantean vessel descended into the depths until the surface light disappeared completely.
Mark remained near one of the transparent openings, watching structures emerge from the darkness as they descended. Undertow didn't seem nearly as interested. He sat several yards behind him, fiddling with his mask while two Atlantean soldiers watched them as though they still hadn't decided which of the two was stranger.
When the vessel finally crossed into the city, Mark moved closer to the glass.
Atlantis spread across the ocean floor in enormous structures lit by shades of blue and green. Towers rose between rock formations, passageways crossed the seabed, and thousands of Atlanteans moved through the city.
Undertow got to his feet.
"Okay. That's pretty cool."
One of the soldiers handed Mark a small breathing device.
Undertow pointed at himself when they offered him another.
"Don't need it."
The Atlantean kept holding the device out.
"I breathe underwater."
The soldier didn't move.
Undertow looked at Mark.
"He doesn't believe me."
Mark put on his own equipment.
"You talk to fish. I think breathing underwater is the least weird part."
The doors opened.
Water flooded the compartment.
Mark gave Undertow one last look before following the soldiers.
"That's exactly what I'm talking about."
The royal chamber was packed when they arrived.
Atlanteans filled the stands around a massive open arena, while armed guards formed two rows in front of the throne. The queen sat at the center, wearing an elongated crown and robes that drifted slowly with the current.
Mark stopped before her.
Undertow remained a few steps behind, looking around.
The queen kept her eyes on Invincible.
"Welcome, son of the man who killed my husband."
Mark took a breath.
"About that... Your Majesty, I'm sorry for what my father did."
One of the advisers narrowed his eyes.
"Address the queen properly, air-breather."
"I did."
Mark turned back to her.
"I came here to settle this. But I need to make one thing clear first."
The queen waited.
Mark hesitated.
"I have a girlfriend."
Undertow slowly turned his head toward him.
Mark noticed.
"Cecil said I'd have to marry her."
"Oh."
Undertow nodded.
"Now it makes sense."
Mark continued before it could get any worse.
"We're finally doing well, and I really like her, so it wouldn't be right for me to show up here and marry someone else. Even if it's symbolic. And obviously I don't have anything against you personally."
The queen's expression shifted from confusion to offense.
"Why would I need another king?"
Mark stopped.
She rose slightly from the throne.
"I ruled Atlantis for years while Aquarus spent his time on the surface with your Guardians."
"So... we're not getting married?"
"That custom was abolished long ago. We are a civilization, not barbarians chained to the past."
Relief washed across Mark's face.
"Thank God."
The adviser frowned.
Mark corrected himself immediately.
"I mean... great. Excellent decision."
Undertow lowered his face, fighting back a laugh.
Mark looked at the queen again.
"So what's the law now?"
The chamber fell silent.
The queen pointed toward the center of the arena.
"Combat."
A metal structure began to open on the floor below.
Mark looked down.
"Of course."
Heavy chains appeared first.
Then a creature was dragged into the arena.
The Depth-Dweller looked big, but not big enough to justify the crowd's reaction. Its misshapen body remained bound by several chains as it opened a mouth packed with teeth.
Mark studied the monster, then looked at Undertow.
"That's it?"
Undertow tilted his head.
"Don't say that. What if he understands you?"
The signal was given.
The creature charged.
Mark vanished.
His fist slammed into the Depth-Dweller's face and sent it crashing into the arena floor. Stone shattered beneath the creature's body.
The crowd fell silent.
Mark spread his arms.
"Is that it?"
A deep sound came from the crater.
Undertow looked down.
"You had to ask."
The Depth-Dweller's body began to change.
Its mass expanded. Larger limbs tore through what seemed to have been only an outer layer, and the body kept growing until it occupied a large portion of the arena.
Mark raised his head, watching the transformation.
"Oh."
Undertow swam over to him.
"Now that looks more fair."
The creature attacked.
Mark avoided the first bite, but one of its limbs hit him and hurled him into a column. Undertow opened his hands.
The water around the monster's limb changed direction.
The artificial current shoved the limb several yards aside before it could strike Mark again. The sheer volume of water resisted Undertow's control almost immediately, his arms trembling until he had to let go.
"That's a lot of water."
Mark tore himself out of the stone.
"We're in the ocean!"
"That's exactly the problem!"
The Depth-Dweller charged again.
Undertow put himself between it and Mark and raised one hand.
"Hey! Big guy!"
The monster opened its jaws.
Undertow waited.
"Easy. Nobody needs to—"
The teeth snapped shut inches away from him.
Undertow slipped beneath its head and accelerated away.
"Okay! No talking this one down."
Mark flew past him and struck the creature beneath the jaw.
"You tried talking to it?"
"He's really pissed off!"
"He's trying to eat us!"
"That's how I figured it out!"
The monster twisted its body.
A massive tail struck Mark and launched him across the chamber. Undertow barely dodged it as part of the stands shattered behind them.
The smile disappeared from his face.
He looked at the fish fleeing through the damaged structures.
"Frank!"
Mark recovered in the middle of the water.
"Who the fuck is Frank?"
Undertow seemed to be listening to something.
"A friend."
"What friend?"
A school of fish swept through the columns.
Then another.
Hundreds of fish poured into the arena from every direction, circling the Depth-Dweller. More began arriving from the streets of Atlantis.
Mark stared.
"You called all of them?"
"Not all of them."
A shadow passed over them.
A shark dove straight at the monster's face.
Then another.
Undertow pointed.
"Frank brought his cousins."
"Frank's the shark?"
"No. Frank's that one."
Mark followed his finger.
There were hundreds of fish.
"Which one?"
"That one's Frank."
"Forget it."
The animals surrounded the Depth-Dweller.
They couldn't truly hurt it, but they were enough to distract it. Sharks bit at its extremities while entire schools swarmed through its field of vision.
Mark took the opening.
He tore through the water and struck the monster several times, each impact making the chains vibrate against the arena floor.
Undertow moved his arms.
The water around the creature's head spun, forcing it in the opposite direction for several seconds.
"Now!"
Mark struck its jaw.
The blow cracked the structure beneath them.
The creature recoiled.
Then opened its mouth.
The sound tore through the water.
Mark froze instantly.
It wasn't just loud.
The vibration entered through his ears and struck something much deeper. His balance vanished. His eyes lost focus as sharp pain ripped through his head.
He clamped both hands over his ears.
"Argh!"
The sound continued.
Undertow felt the pressure pass through his body, and the surrounding fish scattered in panic, but Mark had it much worse. He spun helplessly, unable to tell which way the floor was.
"Invincible!"
Undertow reached him before he could collide with a wall.
Cecil's voice came distorted through the communicator.
"Mark. Talk to me."
Mark tried to answer.
"That... sound."
Undertow grabbed his arm.
"He's disoriented. Bad."
The creature charged.
Undertow pulled Mark out of the way as the jaws snapped through the space they'd occupied.
"Cecil, this would be a great time for that backup."
"It's already coming."
Projectiles tore through the water from outside Atlantis.
Undertow watched them pass.
"That looks like a terrible—"
The explosions struck the Depth-Dweller.
BOOM!
The shockwave tore through the arena.
Mark and Undertow were hurled backward.
When the underwater cloud cleared, the monster was still alive.
The chains weren't as lucky.
One came loose.
Then another.
The structure restraining the Depth-Dweller broke apart, and the creature charged directly toward the stands.
Undertow stared.
"I was gonna say idea."
Atlanteans began fleeing.
The Depth-Dweller smashed through one of the platforms and sent dozens of them tumbling through the water.
Mark was slowly regaining his balance when Cecil spoke.
"Now. Get out of there."
Undertow grabbed two Atlanteans before debris could hit them and shoved them toward a safe passage. When he turned around, Mark was already heading toward the exit.
For a few seconds, it looked like he was going to obey.
Another impact shook Atlantis.
Mark looked back.
The Depth-Dweller was destroying one of the structures surrounding the palace. Guards tried to contain it with no effect.
The queen was still there.
"Cecil, it got loose."
"Their problem. They're the ones who released that thing."
Mark remained still.
"It's gonna kill everyone."
"They were trying to kill you a few minutes ago."
Mark looked over the fleeing Atlanteans.
"They wanted justice for what my dad did."
A brief pause came through the communicator.
"You're not your father, Mark."
Mark looked at the creature.
"That's exactly why I'm going back."
He changed direction.
Undertow watched Invincible fly past him.
Undertow pointed toward the animals still moving through the city.
"My friends live around here."
The two of them charged.
The Depth-Dweller raised one of its limbs over the queen.
Mark reached her first.
He grabbed the queen around the waist and pulled her clear just as the limb struck the seabed. The impact left a crater where she'd been standing.
Mark set her down beside two guards.
"Stay here."
The queen looked offended.
"I am the queen of—"
Mark was already gone.
Undertow passed a moment later with three sharks swimming around him.
"He does that."
The creature opened its mouth again.
Undertow realized what was happening before the sound began.
"Frank! Eyes!"
The schools surged toward the monster's face.
Fish covered its eyes while the sharks attacked the sides of its head. The Depth-Dweller thrashed, losing its sense of direction.
Mark grabbed one of the chains still attached to its body.
He pulled.
The creature spun in the water.
Undertow understood what he was trying to do.
"Where are you planning to throw that thing?"
Mark looked toward the enormous fissure on the ocean floor beneath Atlantis.
"There."
"Good answer."
Undertow extended his arms.
The water began moving around the monster.
Not enough to drag it. The volume was too great, and his body was already trembling from the strain.
"Now!"
Mark pulled the chain with all his strength.
The Depth-Dweller was dragged across the seabed, shattering stone before falling toward the fissure. Its limbs caught the edges and tried to hold on.
Mark dove after it.
The chain pulled taut.
His arms tensed.
For several seconds, the creature stopped.
Undertow gritted his teeth and forced another current downward.
The sharks cleared the way.
Mark pulled again.
The last piece of stone beneath the Depth-Dweller broke apart.
The creature vanished into the darkness of the fissure.
The chain raced through Mark's hands. He opened them before it could drag him down with it, and the last length disappeared into the darkness after the creature.
Silence.
Undertow kept staring down.
"Frank?"
A small fish swam past him.
Undertow exhaled.
"Everybody's okay."
Mark looked at the fish.
He didn't ask.
Part of the city remained destroyed, but the monster's attack had been stopped.
Behind them, the queen was waiting.
Then she looked at Undertow.
Fish still circled behind him.
A shark passed slowly over his head.
She followed the animal before returning her gaze to the hero.
"You."
Undertow pointed at himself.
"Me?"
"The inhabitants of the ocean obey you."
"Obey is a strong word. We understand each other."
She approached.
"Perhaps I was too hasty in abolishing all of our ancient customs."
Mark turned toward Undertow.
Undertow's smile disappeared.
The queen continued.
"You could remain in Atlantis. At my side."
"Oh."
"With someone capable of rallying the ocean itself, perhaps I would no longer need to speak with the surface at all."
Mark opened his mouth.
"Hey."
The queen never took her eyes off Undertow.
Undertow looked at her.
Then at Mark.
Then at the thousands of Atlanteans around them.
"I'd love to, Your Majesty. Seriously."
He pointed upward.
"But I've got... training."
Mark narrowed his eyes.
"Training?"
"Very important training."
Undertow started swimming upward.
"Immortal gets really pissed when I miss it."
The queen watched him retreat.
"I can send guards to explain your absence."
"No need!"
Undertow accelerated.
"He's really complicated!"
Mark held back a laugh and followed him.
The two ascended through the waters above Atlantis.
The closer they got to the surface, the brighter it became. Undertow looked down one last time and picked up speed.
A short while later, the two broke through the ocean surface.
Mark hovered in the air, water streaming off his uniform, while Undertow emerged below him.
"Looks like we work pretty well together."
He looked at Mark.
"Dude, I almost lost my virginity to a fish. Hell no! I'm way too good-looking for that."
Mark laughed.
"Yeah, speaking of girl problems, my girlfriend's waiting for me." He began gaining altitude. "Later, fish-boy. Give Frank a hug for me."
Undertow pointed at him.
"Why would anybody hug a fish?"
Mark shot through the sky before he could answer.
Undertow stared after him for a few seconds, then lowered his eyes toward the ocean.
"Don't listen to him, Frank."
Later That Day — Grayson Residence — 9:42 p.m.
The television filled much of the living room, its volume turned low. Debbie sat at one end of the couch while Kai remained at the other, finishing something on his phone.
The dinner dishes had already been put away when the front door opened and Mark walked in.
"Thanks for making me leave in the middle of my date with Amber earlier."
Kai looked up.
"You're welcome. Were you stuck doing that until now?"
Mark dropped his keys on the entryway table and walked into the living room.
"No. I actually finished pretty fast and went back to spend time with her."
Kai sank a little deeper into the couch.
"See? Love won in the end."
"Fuck you."
Mark took the empty space on the couch. Debbie watched the exchange, then looked at him.
"Was it a difficult mission, honey? Kai spent the afternoon with me."
"A little. But Undertow came with me." Mark turned toward his brother. "Let's just say you missed an interesting mission."
"More interesting than watching..."
Kai looked at the television, trying to figure out what was even on.
"...this?"
A mocking smile appeared.
"I'll survive."
Mark rolled his eyes at his brother.
"Undertow talks to fish."
Kai looked away from the television.
"And that's supposed to make me regret something?"
"No. He actually talks to them." Mark pointed toward the floor as if the ocean were directly beneath the house. "He called some guy named Frank, and suddenly a bunch of fish showed up. There were even sharks."
Debbie frowned.
"Frank?"
"I asked too." Mark pointed toward an imaginary spot in front of him. "He pointed at one fish and said, 'That's Frank.'"
Kai started laughing.
"And that wasn't even the weirdest part. At the end, the queen of Atlantis practically invited him to stay there with her and become the new king."
Kai laughed harder.
"Wait. The fish queen wanted to marry the fish-boy?"
"Basically."
Debbie tried to hide her smile as Mark settled into the couch.
"And I didn't even mention Undertow can talk underwater. His voice sounds completely normal."
Kai was still smiling when the information finally registered.
He tilted his head slightly.
"How?"
Debbie looked at him too.
Mark rested his chin on his hand.
"No idea."
"You spent hours underwater with him and didn't ask?"
Mark spread his hands.
"I was kind of busy stopping another giant fish monster from destroying Atlantis."
Kai held his gaze for a moment before picking up his phone again.
"Yeah. Hell of a day for you."
Mark got up from the couch.
"Next time, maybe you could think about helping."
Kai looked up from the screen.
Mark was already heading toward the stairs.
"I'm going to bed."
Debbie watched her son until he disappeared upstairs.
Three Days Later — Thursday, September 1, 2016 — Guardians of the Globe Base — 9:38 a.m.
Rex walked into the training room and stopped after two steps.
Dupli-Kate was lying on the bench press, pushing the bar upward while two duplicates stood behind her, ready to spot. A few treadmills away, Monster Girl ran in her normal form with her eyes fixed on the display.
Kate noticed Rex in the mirror and met his eyes.
"Fuck."
Rex turned around to leave.
Behind him, the bar dropped back onto the rack.
"Can we talk, or is this gonna be weird forever?"
Rex stopped near the door and crossed his arms.
"Second option."
Kate sat up on the bench as the two duplicates dissolved.
"Are you planning to act like this every time you see me?"
"I don't know. Are you planning to keep fucking a fossil every time I turn my back?"
Monster Girl slowed the treadmill slightly but kept her eyes on the display.
Kate's expression hardened.
"Are you serious?"
"Very."
"You and I were never a thing, Rex."
"Right. Now that's the story."
"We were never a couple." Kate stood. "You were cheating on Eve with me before anything ever happened between us."
Rex opened one hand.
"That's completely different."
Kate stared at him.
"How?"
He opened his mouth.
The answer took far too long.
"Because... it worked out pretty well for you in the end."
Monster Girl slowly turned her head.
Kate gave a humorless laugh.
"You're unbelievable."
"And you're sleeping with a guy who's like a thousand years old."
"So?"
"So that's fucking weird."
Kate grabbed her towel and draped it around her neck.
"If you add up how long all my duplicates have lived, maybe I'm older than you think."
Rex blinked.
"So now I'm too young?"
"No. You're just an asshole."
"That's not news."
Kate tried to move past him, but Rex uncrossed his arms and stepped away from the door.
"Okay. Wait."
She stopped.
This time, some of the sarcasm faded before he asked.
"Why him?"
Kate stayed silent for a few seconds. When she answered, she no longer seemed interested in winning the argument.
"Because he's the only person I've ever met who's died as many times as I have."
Rex didn't answer.
Kate lowered her eyes to her hands.
"Do you know how many times I've felt a version of myself die? I remember every single one. Sometimes it's quick. Sometimes it isn't."
When she looked at him again, some of her anger was gone.
"Immortal understands that. Not because I had to explain it to him. He's come back from the dead enough times to know what it's like."
Some of the resistance left Rex's expression. He tried to find an answer, but for the first time since he'd entered the room, none came.
Kate picked up her water bottle.
"That means something to me."
She walked past him and left the room.
Monster Girl kept running.
The silence lasted only a few seconds before Rex looked in her direction.
"Don't even start."
"I didn't say anything."
"Your face did."
"My face thinks it's funny that you're discovering actions have consequences."
Rex pointed at her.
"This is why nobody likes kids."
Monster Girl increased the treadmill speed.
"I'm twenty-four."
"Greetings, companions!"
Shapesmith entered from the other side of the room and walked directly to an empty treadmill. He pressed several buttons, studied the belt for a moment, then climbed onto the machine without turning it on.
He started running backward.
Rex watched in silence.
Monster Girl slowed down too.
Shapesmith moved his legs faster and faster, forcing the stationary belt to slide beneath his feet while he remained almost entirely in place.
"Once again, this Earthling's training shall be exceptionally intense!"
Rex narrowed his eyes.
"I'm not even gonna ask why this lunatic is doing that."
Shapesmith looked back without stopping.
"To remain in a stationary location while performing the terrestrial act of running."
He slowed down.
Looked at the display.
Then at his own feet.
"Oh."
The door opened behind Rex.
Undertow walked in, finishing an adjustment to his silver mask, and stopped when he found Shapesmith studying the treadmill like he'd just discovered alien technology.
"That dude ain't right."
Monster Girl looked at Shapesmith.
Then at Undertow.
"Yeah. Says the guy who talks to fish."
Undertow frowned.
"What's wrong with talking to fish?"
"They don't talk."
"They talk to me."
Rex covered his face with one hand.
"Fuck. It's not even ten in the morning."
Later That Day, Elsewhere — Upstate University — 2:48 p.m.
The parking lot in front of the dorms was packed with cars, boxes, and families trying to figure out which building they were supposed to haul too much stuff into.
Debbie shut the trunk after taking out the last suitcase.
"That's everything?"
Mark adjusted his backpack on his shoulder.
"Yeah."
She looked at both of her sons as if searching for one last thing she could do before leaving them there.
"You have money?"
"We do."
"Your IDs?"
"Yes, Mom."
"And you know where your rooms are?"
Mark exhaled through his nose.
"You already asked that."
"I'm checking."
Kai stood beside him with a small suitcase and a backpack.
"He's right this time. You already asked."
Debbie ignored him.
"And stay away from alcohol and drugs."
Mark looked at Kai.
"I don't even know if that stuff works on us."
"Alcohol doesn't," Kai answered casually. "Probably drugs too."
Debbie slowly turned toward him.
"Wait. When did you two test that?"
Mark immediately pointed at his brother.
"See? And you think he's the good son."
"I never said that, Mark."
"You think it."
Kai started walking with his suitcase.
"I'll let you two work this out as a family."
A smile appeared on Debbie's face, but didn't last long.
The university stretched out behind her sons. Kids their age crossed the walkways carrying computers, posters, suitcases, and boxes. Some had already gathered into small groups as though they'd known each other for months.
Debbie took a deep breath.
"Just... be careful."
Mark lowered his backpack slightly.
"Mom."
"I know you can take care of yourselves. That doesn't mean I'm going to stop worrying."
Mark hugged her.
Debbie held him tightly, and when she let him go, she pulled Kai in before he had a chance to escape.
Kai froze for a moment before wrapping one arm around her.
"Call when you get home."
Debbie pulled back.
"I'm supposed to tell you that."
"Then we'll both call."
She nodded.
"Have a good first week, boys."
Debbie got into the car and watched her sons in the rearview mirror as she pulled away. Mark remained beside the luggage; Kai said something she couldn't hear and got shoved in the shoulder for it.
She smiled.
By the time she reached the main road, the smile had faded.
Debbie opened the compartment beside the gearshift, looking for her sunglasses. Her fingers found a small card Olga had given her weeks earlier.
She pulled it out.
On the front was the name of a support group, an address, and a time. People who shared something too difficult to explain to any ordinary therapist.
Partners and spouses of superheroes.
Debbie ran her thumb along the edge of the card.
The light turned green.
She put it away and drove on.
Back on campus, Kai followed Mark toward the dorms. His eyes passed over the students and families crowding the walkways almost without thinking. He hadn't seen July.
He kept walking.
Mark and Kai found William near the entrance to the men's dorm. He carried two stacked boxes in his arms with a third braced against his leg.
"Finally."
Mark took one of them.
"Amber?"
"Women's dorm."
The three of them went inside.
William looked at Kai's small suitcase as they climbed the stairs.
"That's all you brought?"
"I don't need much."
"You're living here."
Mark glanced at his brother.
Kai ignored him.
On the third floor, William stopped in front of a door and held his card to the lock.
"Our palace."
Kai looked from William to Mark.
"Good luck putting up with him."
William opened the door.
"Still bitter he isn't rooming with you? You spent the whole summer not deciding whether you were coming."
Mark set the boxes down.
"When we had to confirm rooms, you were still saying you might stay in Chicago."
"And when you finally decided to show up, classes were only a few days away." William spread his arms. "I wasn't wasting the greatest opportunity of my life to find out whether your brother snores."
Mark pointed at him.
"I don't snore."
William looked at the room number written on the paper Kai was holding.
"Yours is on the other side of the building."
"Then I guess I'll go find out who I'm living with."
Kai left the two of them there and headed down the hall.
When he reached his room, the smell hit him before he even opened the door.
Kai stopped at the entrance, took a breath, and turned the handle.
A short-haired guy sat on one of the beds smoking. Another occupied a chair near the window. Their conversation died when they noticed Kai standing in the doorway.
He looked at the smoke hanging in the room.
Then at the joint.
"Oh... my day's off to a great start."
Neither of them said anything.
The guy sitting on the bed showed no interest in pretending to be welcoming.
Kai walked in, set his suitcase beside the empty bed, and pointed toward the joint.
"Can you smoke that outside?"
"There's a window."
"I saw it."
"Then open it."
His friend laughed.
Kai looked at the two of them.
There wasn't much left of the joint. The guy examined it between his fingers.
"No need."
He flicked the roach at Kai.
"It's done."
The remains of the joint struck Kai in the face and fell to the floor.
He didn't move.
The guy grinned.
Kai looked down at the still-burning roach near his feet.
Then back at him.
The irritation lasted only an instant before something lighter took its place.
"All right."
A short while later, screams echoed across the courtyard.
"PULL ME BACK UP!"
"FUCK! HELP!"
Several students stopped outside the dorm and raised their phones toward the third floor.
Kai leaned casually against the windowsill.
One arm extended outside the window.
In his hand, gripped firmly by their clothes, were his roommate and his friend. To Kai, their combined weight took less effort than carrying a backpack.
They didn't know that.
"Dude, my hand's starting to get tired."
"NO!"
Kai looked at his fingers.
"Funny. I thought you guys liked windows."
"WE'RE SORRY!"
"How long do you think one hand can hold two people?"
"PULL US UP!"
Kai seemed to consider it.
"I don't know. Never tested it."
Footsteps pounded down the hallway.
Mark appeared in the doorway.
"What the fuck are you doing?"
Kai looked over his shoulder.
"Teaching manners."
Mark rushed to the window and found the two men hanging several stories above the ground.
"Kai!"
"They're fine."
"THEY'RE HANGING OUT OF A THIRD-STORY WINDOW!"
"Exactly. Wouldn't work from the first floor."
"PULL US UP!"
Kai sighed.
"Fine."
He hauled both of them up at once and dropped them back into the room. They landed on the bed and clung to the mattress, breathing like they'd just escaped an execution.
Kai walked past Mark toward the door, but stopped before leaving.
"If you touch my stuff, the next lesson gets more creative."
Neither of them answered.
He left.
Mark caught up to him in the hallway.
William waited a few steps ahead.
"I heard somebody screaming that he was gonna die."
Mark pointed at Kai.
"He hung his roommate and some other guy out the window."
William looked at Kai.
"You did what!?"
William blinked.
Mark grabbed Kai by the arm before he could keep walking.
"You can't do that. They're normal people."
"I wasn't going to drop them."
Mark dragged a hand over his face.
"That's not the point."
Kai opened one hand.
"They threw a joint in my face, Mark. What did you want me to do?"
"I don't know, tell them to go fuck themselves instead of hanging both of them out a window!"
Kai gestured toward the room behind them.
"People like that only learn through fear."
Mark stared at him for several seconds.
"That's not helping."
Kai started walking again.
"They're fine. Nobody fell. It's over."
Mark remained in the hallway.
It was true that as long as Kai was holding them, the two had never been remotely close to falling. For someone capable of lifting tons, their weight barely required effort.
That wasn't the problem.
Kai kept walking without caring.
William stepped up beside Mark again.
"Your semester's gonna be fun."
"Yeah, and it hasn't even started yet."
When Kai returned to his room, the door was open.
A T-shirt flew past him and vanished out the window.
Kai stopped.
His roommate was holding another piece of clothing while his friend pulled the last clothes from Kai's open suitcase on the floor.
They saw him.
Everything stopped.
The guy beside the bed still had a pair of pants in his hands. The fear was there, but apparently losing to Kai once mattered less than proving he wasn't intimidated.
Kai looked at the suitcase.
Then the window.
Then the two of them.
"You guys are really stupid."
The pants slipped from the guy's hands and fell to the floor.
"What're you gonna do? Throw us out this time?"
Kai forced a smile.
"No."
A few minutes later, both of them were inside the closet.
"OPEN THIS FUCKING THING!"
Kai shoved one of the beds against the wardrobe and stood it upright across the doors.
The pounding began immediately.
"YOU CAN'T LOCK US IN HERE!"
Kai braced the bed in place and checked that it was secure.
"Since you don't know where clothes belong, I'll leave you in there so you can get acquainted with the place."
"YOU SON OF A BITCH!"
"WHERE DID THIS BASTARD GET SO MUCH STRENGTH?"
"You should have realized that when I held both of you idiots with one hand a few minutes ago."
He looked out the window, considering going down to retrieve what they'd thrown out, but the headache started.
He grabbed the pillow from the empty bed and lay down.
The pounding continued from behind the furniture.
"OPEN UP!"
Kai stared at the ceiling.
The silence he wanted never came. People moved through the hall, doors slammed, and music started playing from a nearby room, mixing with voices bleeding through the walls.
Behind the upright bed, the two kept shouting for help.
What the fuck am I doing here...
Kai closed his eyes.
I guess taking part in some kind of sanity test.
It didn't take long for him to fall asleep.
Elsewhere on the third floor, Mark was trying to tape a poster to the wall.
William watched from his bed.
"You brought that to college?"
Mark pressed another corner of tape into place.
"What's wrong with it?"
"Seance Dog."
"It's cool."
"You're eighteen."
Mark took a step back and examined his work.
"Exactly. Look at the bright side. Makes your half of the room look cooler."
William stared at the poster.
Then looked at his own side.
"Yeah. You're right. My side looks way better now that you hung a magic dog on the wall."
Mark ignored him and kept fixing one of the corners.
Later — Support Group — 7:18 p.m.
Debbie remained near the door for a few seconds before going inside.
There was nothing particularly unusual about the place. Chairs arranged in a circle, a table with coffee in the back, and people talking in small groups while they waited for the meeting to start.
Even so, it took her a while to choose a seat.
A woman approached not long afterward.
"Debbie?"
She nodded.
"Carol?"
"That's me. Sorry about the call the other day. My baby decided sleep was no longer part of the routine."
Debbie gave a faint smile.
"I remember that stage."
"How old is yours?"
"Eighteen."
Carol gave a small laugh.
"So you survived."
"Barely."
The answer came more easily than Debbie had expected.
Carol explained the rules as they walked toward the circle. The main one was simple: first names only. Nobody had to reveal who their partner was, which identity they used, or any information that might put somebody else at risk.
Nobody had to speak until they felt ready, either.
Debbie seemed to particularly like that part.
She sat down.
The meeting had already begun when a man a few chairs away spoke.
"Theo."
The conversations died down.
He kept his hands clasped between his knees as he tried to explain what it felt like to be caught off guard by the memory of the person he'd lost. It wasn't just sadness. Sometimes it felt as though the ground vanished beneath his feet and he had to find something to hold on to, even when he knew there was nothing there.
Debbie remained quiet.
She didn't speak when her turn came.
After a while, Carol announced a break, and people began getting up for coffee.
Theo appeared beside her.
"First time?"
"Is it that obvious?"
"I almost left during mine."
Debbie looked at the empty circle.
"Maybe you had the right idea."
"I didn't."
She looked up.
Theo shrugged.
"Took me almost a month to speak. Now they have trouble getting me to stop."
Debbie smiled.
He discreetly pointed toward the exit.
"There's a bar nearby. Some people usually go afterward."
"Some people?"
"Tonight, apparently, me."
She gave a small laugh.
Theo continued.
"No pressure. Just seems like neither of us is in much of a hurry to go back to an empty house."
Debbie thought for a moment.
"I could use a drink."
Some Time Later — Bar Near the Support Group
The place was small, dimly lit, and loud enough that nobody paid attention to the conversation at the table in the corner.
Debbie rolled the glass between her fingers.
"Did you change anything after you lost your partner?"
Theo took a moment to answer.
"I moved the furniture."
She looked at him.
"It was all I could afford."
Debbie laughed softly.
"I stayed in the same house because of my sons. Now they're both in college."
"Empty house?"
"For the first time in eighteen years."
Theo nodded like someone who genuinely understood the weight of that sentence.
"Maybe moving would help."
"Maybe."
She took a sip.
"I just don't know where."
For several minutes, they talked about things that were still tied to the people they'd lost. Restaurants. Trips. Places that stopped being simple to visit because every memory seemed to belong to two people.
Theo smiled at some of Debbie's stories.
"Sounds like you had an incredible life."
She looked at her glass.
"We did."
The word came out harder than it should have.
Theo noticed.
"You're still allowed to be angry."
Debbie looked up.
"I am."
"So am I."
He leaned back.
"Alana died almost a year ago and I still wake up reaching for her beside me."
Debbie froze.
"Alana?"
Theo realized too late.
"Yeah."
His expression changed.
"Green Ghost."
The bar suddenly seemed louder around them.
Theo exhaled.
"Broke the first rule of the group on the first drink."
Debbie kept holding her glass.
"I didn't know she had a husband."
"She liked it that way."
Theo smiled without humor.
"Thought keeping me away from all of that would protect me."
He drank.
"Worked out great."
Debbie looked away.
"Excuse me."
"You okay?"
"I just need to use the restroom."
She stood before he could ask anything else.
Upstate University — Men's Dorm
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Kai opened his eyes.
For a few seconds, he remained lying there staring at the ceiling, trying to figure out how long he'd been asleep.
Another blow struck the door.
"Fuck, Kurt! I know you're in there! Pay the goddamn money you owe!"
The pounding from inside the closet started almost immediately in response.
"HEY! GET US OUT OF HERE!"
Kai closed his eyes again.
"I'm not gonna say it again!"
BAM!
"I'm breaking this door down!"
Kai sighed.
"And my day just keeps getting better."
He ran one hand over his face.
"Feels like the universe is sending me a dozen signs that I should leave."
The door burst inward.
The lock tore a chunk out of the wood as a man entered the room.
He stopped.
The bed stood upright in front of the closet.
Muffled pounding came from behind it.
The newcomer looked around.
"What the fuck? Is everybody at this university insane? I just passed some lunatic dressed like a dog in the hallway, and now this."
Kai remained lying down.
The man practically ignored him.
"Get me out of here!"
"Shut up, Kurt."
He walked over to the bed, grabbed one side, and pulled it away from the closet with little effort.
Kai's eyes opened fully.
The bed wasn't particularly heavy. Moving it one-handed that casually was another matter.
Kai raised his head from the pillow.
This guy has powers.
The stranger set the bed back down.
This isn't a university. It's a circus.
"I don't know what the fuck you two did to this guy." He put a hand on the closet door. "But I'm kicking your asses first. After that, he can lock you wherever he wants—"
He turned his head.
Kai was already sitting up.
Their eyes met.
Recognition struck both of them at once.
For an instant, the dorm room disappeared.
Viktor on the ground.
Mirage.
Blood.
Bruce went pale.
"You."
Kai vanished from the bed.
CRASH!
The window exploded.
Bruce tore through the shards before he could finish the word. Kai had him by the shirt as the two climbed above the dorm.
Bruce reacted immediately.
Strength entered his body first.
Then speed.
Flight.
Durability.
The familiar sensation of something far greater being copied and adapted into his muscles.
It wasn't enough.
His fist struck Kai's face.
Kai's head turned only a few inches from the impact.
Bruce's smile disappeared.
He grabbed Kai's arm.
This time the blow produced a thunderclap in the air.
Kai was knocked backward.
Bruce charged after him.
Another punch.
Kai blocked.
The impact rippled through the nearby clouds.
Bruce tried to hit him with the other hand.
Kai dodged.
A knee struck Bruce in the stomach.
The air left his lungs.
Kai grabbed him by the back of the neck and hurled him upward.
Bruce regained control a few seconds later.
Kai reached him before he'd finished thinking.
A fist slammed into his ribs.
Bruce felt something break.
CRACK!
His body flew hundreds of yards before he managed to stop.
Damn it! One person isn't enough to draw strength from.
It was different from the other times.
Before, there had always been others nearby. Other strength to steal. Other powers to stack until his own body became something none of the sources could have faced alone.
Now there was only Kai.
And copying Kai didn't make him Kai.
Bruce raised his arms just as another blow arrived.
Both bones in his forearms protested from the impact.
I need more people.
Kai punched him in the stomach.
Bruce spat saliva and blood.
Anyone.
He tried to look for the city below.
They were already too far away.
Kai had taken him out of it on purpose.
The realization came with fear.
It's over.
Bruce tried to fly in the opposite direction.
Kai appeared in front of him.
"Where are you going?"
Bruce stopped.
Robert's face flashed through his mind.
Then Russell's.
Both dead.
He's going to kill me.
Kai charged.
Just like he killed them.
Bruce barely managed to raise his arms.
Kai grabbed his face and dove.
The sky vanished above them.
The ground grew far too quickly.
"Wait—"
BOOOOM!
The impact threw a cloud of dust over the field.
Dirt and stone blasted in every direction.
When the dust began to settle, Bruce lay at the center of a crater.
Kai stood over him.
Bruce tried to rise.
A punch drove him back down.
"I've been wondering what I actually want to do..."
Another hit his face.
"And today... I really wanted to hit something."
Then another.
"I've owed you this beating for a long time."
Kai avoided a weak attempt to strike back and hit his ribs.
Bruce rolled away.
"Oh."
Kai appeared on the other side before he could stop.
A kick launched him several yards across the dirt.
Bruce tried to brace one hand against the ground.
Kai stepped on his arm.
"Everything that happened, and you're still out there pulling shit."
Bruce tried to speak.
Blood came out first.
Kai grabbed him by the shirt and started hitting him again.
This time Bruce couldn't fight back.
The blows slowed only when his body stopped trying to protect itself.
Kai released his clothes.
Bruce's face was covered in bruises. Blood ran from his nose and mouth, and his breathing came short but steady.
Kai stared at him.
His jaw remained clenched.
Kurt and the other guy came to mind.
Two pieces of shit.
Bruce was worse.
Much worse.
And he was still here.
Alive.
Viktor wasn't.
Mirage wasn't.
Kai clenched his fist.
One hit.
Maybe less.
And Bruce wouldn't wake up to do it again.
The thought stayed too long.
Bruce's voice came out broken.
"P-please. I'm a father."
Then the phone rang inside Kai's pocket.
Kai didn't move.
It rang again.
Finally, he pulled it out.
Two messages from Debbie.
Son?
He hadn't seen the first one. It was from two minutes ago. The second had just arrived.
How was your first day at college?
Kai kept staring at the screen. Something about it felt wrong.
Then he looked at Bruce.
His hand was still closed.
The question was so normal it almost seemed to belong to another life.
His jaw slowly relaxed.
Kai exhaled.
His fist finally relaxed as his fingers moved across the screen.
Where are you?
The response came less than a minute later.
Kai read the address.
He put his phone away and gave Bruce one final look where he lay unconscious on the ground.
"You got lucky."
The air exploded around him.
Kai vanished into the sky, leaving Bruce alone in the middle of the field.
Meanwhile — Upstate University
Mark was about to go to bed when someone knocked on the door.
William looked over his shoulder.
"If it's somebody looking for Kai, I don't know where he is."
Another knock.
William went to the door.
"Mark Grayson?"
He opened it and stood there for a few seconds.
Then he closed the door again and looked at Mark.
"It's for you."
Mark frowned and walked over.
When he opened it again, Seance Dog stood in the hallway.
"Mark Grayson. I require your assistance."
Mark stared at him.
Then glanced at the poster hanging on the wall behind William.
"You've gotta be fucking kidding me."
Seance Dog tried to introduce himself as if this were completely normal.
Mark grabbed him by the clothes.
"Who are you?"
"I am Seance Dog."
A faint green energy appeared between his paws.
Mark didn't wait to find out what he was trying to do.
The window flew open.
William's eyes widened.
"Mark?"
Mark vanished through it with Seance Dog in his grip.
"MARK!"
Forest Near the University
Branches snapped as the two crashed through the trees.
Seance Dog tried to free himself during the descent.
"Wait! You don't understand!"
Mark threw him to the ground.
Dirt and leaves scattered around him.
Seance Dog tried to rise.
Mark landed in front of him.
"Seance Dog isn't real."
"In your dimension, perhaps there is an explanation for—"
"He's a comic-book character."
"There are countless worlds where dogs and magic are every bit as real as—"
"We have dogs."
Seance Dog hesitated.
"Then you're already halfway there."
Another green glow began to form.
Mark stepped forward.
"Whatever you're doing, stop."
"Mark Grayson, I came because—"
Mark grabbed him again and pressed him into the ground.
"Last chance."
The energy disappeared.
"Who are you, and what do you want?"
Seance Dog remained still for several seconds.
Then he exhaled.
The form began to unravel.
The fur vanished along with the canine structure, revealing the slender body of a bluish alien with insect-like features.
Mark moved back only far enough to get a look at him.
The alien kept his hands raised.
"Sorry. The disguise was supposed to make you less suspicious. I thought appearing as something you liked would help."
"With what?"
"I am not a threat."
He tried to stand.
Mark didn't move out of his way.
"The journey to your world consumed nearly my entire lifespan. May I stand?"
"After you answer me."
The alien remained seated.
"My name is Nuolzot. I come from a planet called Thraxa. My people sent me to ask for your help."
"Thraxa?"
"A few galaxies from here."
Mark stared at him.
"A few?"
Nuolzot began trying to explain distances and routes before giving up.
"It doesn't matter."
"How do you know who I am?"
"Stories of Invincible have traveled far beyond Earth. Your speed, your strength..."
Nuolzot paused briefly.
"But yours was not the only name."
Mark already knew which one would come next.
"Infinity."
"Your brother."
Mark's expression grew more serious.
"We need both of you."
"Why?"
"Meteor showers are destroying our world. We cannot stop them, and our cities will not survive much longer."
Mark ran a hand through his hair.
"Look, Nuol..."
"Nuolzot."
"Nuolzot."
He exhaled.
"I literally just got to college. I haven't even had my first class yet."
Leaves shifted behind them.
William emerged between the trees, out of breath.
"Are you serious?"
Mark turned his head.
"How did you get here?"
William braced his hands on his knees.
"You didn't go as far as you think."
He caught his breath and pointed at Nuolzot.
"This guy came from another planet asking for help, and you're worried about class?"
"I didn't say I wasn't going."
William looked at the alien.
"How many people are in danger?"
"All of them."
"A number."
Nuolzot thought.
"Forty-two billion."
William slowly turned toward Mark.
"Yeah."
Mark dragged a hand over his face.
William continued.
"I'll figure something out with your classes."
"Why are you so invested in this?"
The question wiped away what little humor remained on William's face.
"Because the last time you didn't want to help someone and waited too long, we both regretted it."
Mark went quiet.
Rick.
Nuolzot slowly stood.
"My people believe in you, Mark Grayson."
Mark looked at both of them.
Then exhaled.
"Okay."
Nuolzot seemed to relax.
"I'll go."
Mark pointed at him before he could celebrate.
"But you came for Kai too. I can't decide for him."
"Naturally."
"I need to find my brother and take a few minutes to get ready."
William pointed back toward the university.
"Good luck. On my way here, I heard somebody broke one of the dorm windows. Bet it was his."
Mark began to rise.
"Unfortunately, that doesn't narrow it down much."
It took him only seconds to reach the section of the building where Kai's room was.
The room was empty.
Cold night air came through the shattered window. Pieces of glass still covered the floor near the wall.
Kai wasn't there.
Mark called him.
The phone rang until it went to voicemail.
He tried again.
Nothing.
"Great."
He put the phone away.
He still needed to change and find Kai, but there was one stop he didn't want to put off.
Women's Dorm
Amber's phone vibrated.
She answered.
"Hey."
Mark's voice came from the other side.
"Come to the window."
Amber walked over and pulled back the curtain.
"Okay?"
"Look up."
She raised her eyes.
Mark hovered outside wearing his Invincible suit.
Amber opened the window.
"Mark?"
"I need to leave for a while."
It took her a few seconds to answer.
"Space again?"
"Yeah."
"Now?"
Mark nodded.
"A lot of people are gonna die if I don't go."
He hesitated.
"Sorry, I—"
"No."
Amber cut him off before he could finish.
"Don't apologize for saving people."
Mark went quiet.
"That's part of being with you. I know that."
She gave him a small smile.
"Go."
"Thanks."
Mark drifted a little farther from the window.
Amber rested her arms on the sill.
"Be careful."
Mark started to rise.
Then stopped.
"Amber, I..."
She waited.
"I love you."
Her smile appeared.
Mark looked at her for one more moment before pulling away.
Then he shot into the sky.
Amber remained at the window until he disappeared.
Mark pulled out his phone while flying and called Kai again.
It rang.
No answer.
He put the phone away and accelerated.
A Short While Later — Outside the Bar
Debbie walked through the door without returning to the table.
The cold night air hit her face, but did nothing to ease the pressure in her chest. She continued down the sidewalk, searching through her purse for her keys without really seeing what she was doing.
The door opened behind her.
"Debbie."
She kept walking.
Theo caught up a few yards later.
"Hey."
Debbie stopped.
"You okay?"
She tightened her fingers around the keys.
"Sorry. I just... need to go."
"Did I say something wrong?"
Debbie lowered her eyes.
Across the street, high above the buildings, Kai slowed down.
He recognized his mother almost immediately.
He saw the man beside her too.
Instead of descending, he landed on top of a nearby building.
Debbie had told him where she was. There was no reason to drop out of the sky in front of some stranger and turn the whole thing into another explanation.
Down below, Theo waited for an answer.
Debbie finally spoke.
"Today was too much."
He seemed to understand.
"I get it. It's a lot."
"I've never talked about this with anyone."
Debbie tried to take a deep breath.
"Only my sons."
Theo stayed beside her.
"You don't have to work through everything at once."
"I can't work through it."
She looked up.
"Because my husband didn't die."
Theo went quiet.
"He just left."
Her voice began to falter.
"After killing Alana and the other Guardians."
Theo's expression changed.
Debbie continued before she lost her nerve.
"And nearly killing one of our sons."
It took him several seconds to understand.
"Your husband..."
Debbie didn't answer.
Theo took half a step back.
"Omni-Man?"
She closed her eyes.
"I thought he was Nolan Grayson."
Theo stared at Debbie as though the person in front of him had suddenly become someone else.
"You were his wife."
"I didn't know what he was."
"Alana died because of him."
"I know."
"No." Theo's voice hardened. "You don't."
Debbie looked up.
"You had twenty years with him."
Debbie tightened her fingers around the keys.
"Twenty years believing a lie."
"And you never noticed?"
She went still.
Theo shook his head.
"Don't come back to the group."
Debbie looked like she hadn't understood him.
"That place is supposed to be safe for people like us."
"I am one of those people."
"You were married to the man who murdered our partners."
"I didn't know."
Theo held her gaze.
"You should have."
On top of the nearby building, Kai vanished.
Theo didn't even see him move.
A hand struck his chest.
THUD!
His back hit the wall before he understood what had happened.
Kai held him pinned there with his forearm.
"Shut up."
"Kai!"
Debbie took a step forward.
He didn't look at her.
Theo tried to push him away.
Kai's arm didn't move.
"Who the fuck are you?"
"Her son."
Some of the color drained from Theo's face.
"Your father killed—"
Kai leaned in slightly.
His voice came out low.
It was enough to cut him off.
"I know what my father did. If you want to hate somebody, hate Nolan."
Theo breathed rapidly against the pressure on his chest.
Debbie stood a few steps behind them.
Her first instinct had been to move forward and pull Kai away.
She didn't.
Kai indicated Debbie only with his eyes.
"She spent twenty years married to a lie. Then she watched that man nearly kill his own son."
Theo remained silent.
"And she's spent months wondering if she should've seen it."
Debbie lowered her eyes.
"So don't come here and dump the same blame on her that she's already been putting on herself. You think blaming her is gonna bring your wife back?"
Theo didn't answer.
Kai continued.
"So don't tell her she should've known."
"Kai."
The pressure against Theo eased slightly.
Kai finally exhaled through his nose.
"Actually, you should be thanking her."
Theo looked at him in disbelief.
"Because when my father showed us who he really was, one of the few reasons I still had to stand against him was her."
Silence fell between the three of them.
Kai kept his eyes on Theo.
"If my mother wasn't who she is, maybe that whole story would've ended a lot worse for everybody, and you wouldn't be alive today."
He removed his arm.
Theo slid down the wall until he was sitting on the ground, breathing heavily, still too shaken to stand.
Kai stepped back and turned toward Debbie.
Debbie kept staring at him.
The anger was still there. His jaw remained rigid, his shoulders tense.
He walked over to her.
"Let's go home."
She glanced quickly at Theo.
Then at her son.
"Kai, my car—"
"Leave it."
Before she could protest again, Kai wrapped one arm behind her back and held her around the waist.
Debbie hugged him on reflex.
She exhaled.
Kai left the ground with her in his arms, flew over to her car, and lifted it above his head with his other hand.
The streetlights fell below them as he carefully gained altitude, keeping Debbie close against his chest.
She looked at the city for several seconds.
Then at her son.
Kai kept his eyes ahead.
Debbie settled her head more comfortably against his shoulder.
Neither of them said anything else.
They headed home.
A Short While Later — Grayson Residence
Kai landed in front of the house and carefully set Debbie down.
By the time he'd finished placing the car in the driveway, she was already opening the front door.
"You could've left the car there."
"And tomorrow you'd complain that you had to go get it."
"Someone could've seen you flying us home like that."
"It's dark, it's late, and I couldn't see that asshole mistreating you."
Debbie was about to answer when a figure quickly descended from the sky.
Mark landed on the lawn wearing his Invincible suit.
"Kai."
Kai looked from Mark to the uniform.
"What happened?"
Mark didn't waste time.
"An alien came looking for us. His planet's being destroyed by meteor showers."
"Us?"
"Invincible and Infinity. He said he needs both of us."
Debbie remained near the door.
Mark looked at her.
"Forty-two billion people are gonna die if we don't help."
The little humor Kai had left disappeared.
He remained silent for a few seconds before looking at Debbie.
Debbie already knew what he was asking.
"I'm okay. Thank you for being there for me today." She took a deep breath. "Go save them."
He watched her for another moment.
Then exhaled with half a smile.
"Okay."
Mark seemed relieved.
Kai looked in the direction of Upstate.
The broken window, Kurt, the closet, and Bruce flashed briefly through his mind.
"Honestly, I wasn't really looking forward to going back to college anyway."
Mark shook his head.
"It hasn't even been a full day."
A Short While Later — Earth Orbit
Nuolzot's small ship was already pulling away from the planet when Mark's communicator came alive.
Cecil's voice came through immediately.
"Come back."
Mark stood near the window as Earth grew smaller behind them.
"No."
"You know nothing about this planet, this alien, or what's actually waiting for you there."
Kai sat on the other side of the cabin.
"He said meteors."
"I thought you were smarter than that. You'd rather trust an alien than me?"
Nuolzot raised his head from the controls.
Kai looked at him.
"Actually, the story does sound weird. But Mark's going either way, so I'd rather be there."
Cecil continued before the argument could shift topics.
"Return. Now. Both of you."
"Forty-two billion people could die."
"And I've got almost eight billion here that you help protect."
Mark looked at Earth.
"I know."
"Then start acting like it."
His answer didn't take long.
"I've spent too long doing everything you tell me because I thought you always knew what was best."
Cecil didn't answer.
"I need to start trusting my own decisions."
Mark looked at Kai.
His brother remained seated, with no intention of asking Nuolzot to change course.
"And this time, we're going."
The communicator remained silent for several seconds.
"If this goes wrong, don't count on me to clean up your mess."
Kai leaned back in his seat and switched off the dot in his ear.
The connection ended.
Six Days Later — Thraxa
Six days aboard a ship had been enough for Mark to conclude that space travel was a lot less interesting when there wasn't a window big enough to pretend something was actually changing.
Kai had reached the same conclusion on the second day.
When they finally landed, the two followed Nuolzot outside.
Thraxa's sky was a different shade from Earth's, and organic structures rose around them while dozens of inhabitants stopped what they were doing to watch the newcomers.
Kai looked up.
"I was already wondering how far this journey would go."
The sky was completely clear.
"Not that I'm surprised, but where are the meteors?"
Mark also searched for any sign of destruction.
"I'm not seeing any craters."
Nuolzot kept walking.
The two stopped.
Mark narrowed his eyes.
"Start explaining."
"Our ruler will explain."
Nuolzot quickened his pace.
"It's a little complicated, but we are still in danger."
They passed through the entrance of one of the largest structures.
Mark was still demanding an explanation when Nuolzot stopped.
Kai almost walked past him.
Then he saw who was standing ahead of them before the throne.
Mark froze.
So did Kai.
Nolan Grayson looked at his two sons.
"Hello, sons."
Interlude — Regrets
Six Days Earlier — Remote Area
The dust had settled long before Bruce finally moved at the center of the crater.
He rolled onto his side.
Pain tore through his chest hard enough to stop him there.
Bruce coughed, spat blood into the dirt, and stayed still until breathing stopped feeling like someone was driving a knife between his ribs.
"What the fuck..."
He planted one hand against the ground and tried to push himself up.
His left arm gave out immediately.
Bruce collapsed onto his side with a strangled grunt.
The shoulder wasn't where it was supposed to be.
"Argh..."
He tried moving his legs instead.
They responded enough to prove nothing below his waist was completely broken. Not enough to stand.
Bruce rested his head against the dirt.
The city was still visible far off on the horizon.
"I said I didn't want any more super fights."
His breathing came shallow and uneven.
"I've got a kid now."
He closed his eyes for half a second.
Opened them immediately.
No.
That felt wrong.
Bruce had copied hundreds of people before. Their abilities never came with instructions, but there was always something instinctive about them. His body understood pieces of what it had taken—what muscles could endure, where strength came from, how something was supposed to move.
Even now, beneath all the pain, Bruce could feel something that wasn't his.
Strength.
Durability.
And something deeper, working quietly through the damage.
His breathing was already becoming easier.
One of the fractures in his ribs didn't feel quite as sharp as it had when he woke.
Whatever he'd copied from Kai was still there.
Maybe it was keeping him alive.
Maybe it could put him back together.
Sleep was dangerous.
Copied powers sometimes faded once his body stopped actively holding on to them. Not always. Not immediately.
But they could.
Bruce swallowed blood.
His eyelids were already getting heavy.
He forced them open.
He shifted his good arm beneath himself and tried to crawl.
Pain exploded through his ribs.
Bruce stopped after less than a foot.
"I'm not dying in a fucking hole because two assholes couldn't pay Chris."
He breathed.
Waited.
Then dragged himself another few inches.
His displaced shoulder pulsed with every movement.
The world blurred at the edges.
Stay awake.
Bruce dug his fingers into the dirt.
I was just gonna collect some money.
Another breath.
It immediately became a cough.
Blood hit the ground again.
"Nice normal fucking day."
Bruce looked toward the empty sky where Kai had disappeared.
His swollen mouth twisted.
"Fucking college."
Minutes passed.
Bruce stopped trying to reach the city.
The effort cost too much.
Instead, he stayed where he was and concentrated on one thing.
Keeping his eyes open.
"I'm fucking done."
The promise became a murmur he repeated whenever consciousness started slipping away.