"Run!" he shouted, giving her a gentle but firm push toward safety as the rumble peaked.
The moment the word left his mouth, a huge man in a red metal suit and a dome-like helmet crashed through a nearby building, bricks and glass exploding outward in a shower of debris that scattered across the road.
Mark flew directly at him, intent on tackling the intruder before he could cause more damage, rocketing forward with his shoulder braced for impact. But to Mark's surprise, the clash didn't budge the man—instead, he was barreled over like a ragdoll, the man's momentum carrying them both through the road as laughter boomed from the helmet.
The man grabbed Mark mid-tackle, slamming him into the ground with bone-jarring force that cracked the pavement, then lifted him again and smashed him down repeatedly while still charging forward, each impact sending shockwaves through Mark's body. "You think you can stop me, punk?" the man roared.
He ran through the next building, dragging Mark along like a battering ram, concrete shattering around them as screams erupted from inside. Mark grunted with each hit, pain flaring despite his durability—the guy's strength was insane, like hitting a freight train. Another building crumbled in their path, glass raining down as the juggernaut headbutted Mark hard, the dome helmet clanging against his skull with a ring that dazed him, followed by a brutal kick that launched him through several more structures, walls exploding in clouds of dust until he tumbled out of town into the desert sand, skidding to a stop in a plume of dirt.
Mark created a small crater where he landed and groaned slightly as he got up, shaking off the debris. "What the fuck was that?" he muttered to himself, feeling bruises forming even on his tough skin—it felt like he had been hit by a truck, the raw power lingering in his aching muscles. He stood up, then spun in place at superspeed, shedding his civilian clothes to reveal his costume underneath, he had decided to always wear his costume under his civilian clothes for situations exactly like this, making quick changes easier.
Mark flew back toward town, spotting the juggernaut emerging from a shattered house, his red armor dented as he kicked aside a fallen beam. "Who are you?" Mark shouted as he landed hard, cracking the ground beneath his feet.
The juggernaut turned, his dome helmet reflecting the moonlight as he laughed deeply. "I'm the Juggernaut, bitch, and I'm gonna enjoy turning your face into paste."
Mark narrowed his eyes. "What do you want? Why attack here?"
The juggernaut cracked his knuckles, the metal grinding. "Want? I want to smash that pretty-boy hero grin off your skull. You prance around like some savior, thinking you're better than the rest of us? There's no such thing as heroes kid, everyone's rotten at the core, scratching for power, for money, for a piece of the pie. You act like you're above it, saving the day with your cape and bullshit morals? Makes me sick. The world's a jungle, and I'm the apex predator, now watch as I prove it by breaking you in half."
"Blah blah blah, I'm a villain," Mark interrupted, cutting off the rant with a roll of his eyes before flying at him, punching the juggernaut square in the stomach. The impact echoed like thunder, sending the armored behemoth flying back through the air farther than Mark expected. Mark flew after him at speed, catching up mid-flight and grabbing the juggernaut by the helmet. "Where'd all that strength from earlier go?" he taunted, twisting to hurl him downward.
The juggernaut spat back graphically, "Fuck you, you flying prick? I'll rip your spine out and use it as a jump rope!" as he plummeted, but Mark slammed him into the desert ground with meteor-like force, the impact forming a deep crater that shook the earth.
The juggernaut groaned but pushed himself up, his armor cracked in places but holding, blood trickling from a split lip visible through the visor. "What the fuck is with this guy," Mark muttered, hovering above as the juggernaut roared and started charging again, his footsteps thundering like an avalanche.
Mark readied himself, throwing a punch as the juggernaut closed in, but it did nothing, the armored fist glanced off like hitting steel, and Mark was tackled again, the juggernaut's grip like a vice around his waist. "Got you now, hero!" he bellowed, picking up speed across the sand, each step a quake as he drove Mark through boulders that shattered on impact.
Mark struggled, twisting in the hold to throw punches at the helmet that rang out but barely did anything, the juggernaut laughed maniacally. "Feel that? That's unstoppable momentum, nothing stops the Juggernaut!" He leaped high, slamming Mark into the ground with a suplex that buried them both in sand, then yanked him up by the leg and swung him like a club into a rocky outcrop, the stone exploding on contact.
Pain flared through Mark's ribs as the juggernaut kept the assault going, stomping down on his chest with a boot that cracked bone before hauling him up for a series of haymakers that snapped Mark's head back with each blow. "You think you're tough? I'll break every bone in your body!" He charged again, building speed across the desert, ramming Mark into mesas that crumbled like paper, the impacts blurring Mark's vision as blood trickled from his mouth.
Mark tried to break free, prying at the arms locked around him, but the grip held like iron, the juggernaut's momentum making escape impossible as they barreled through the landscape, cacti and rocks shattering in their wake. "Give up yet, punk?" the juggernaut taunted, jumping high to pile-drive Mark into a dry riverbed, the ground splitting open under the force.
Mark gasped for air, stars dancing in his eyes, but caught both fists as the juggernaut launched punch after punch, his arms straining against the onslaught. With a surge of strength, he kicked upward, connecting with the juggernaut's chin and sending him soaring high into the air like a launched rocket.
Mark bolted after him, drawing his fist back as he climbed higher. "This ends now!" He threw a serious punch mid-air, his knuckles cracking against his chest with a boom that echoed across the desert, launching the juggernaut even further skyward.
Mark kept ascending, pushing his speed until he couldn't even see the juggernaut anymore, then stopped and raced back down, accelerating faster and faster, the air igniting around him in a sonic boom as he met the juggernaut mid-descent and delivered a sledgehammer blow with both hands that cracked the air like thunder, sending the armored figure plummeting down to form a crater nearly half a kilometer wide, sand billowing up in a massive cloud.
The juggernaut lay there, injured with his armor cracked in multiple places, blood seeping from rents in the metal, but he still pushed himself up on shaking arms, roaring defiance. "You're pretty durable aren't you big guy," Mark muttered.
The juggernaut staggered to his feet. "I'm gonna kill you, rip you apart and feed you to the vultures!"
But before he could charge again, a swirling portal appeared behind him he was then yanked backward through it, his roar cutting off as the rift sealed shut. Mark frowned, diving toward it, but he didn't make it in time the portal vanished with a pop, leaving him alone in the cratered desert, questions swirling in his mind about who these people were and why they had targeted him. He floated there for a moment, catching his breath, before turning back toward town to check on Darcy and the others.
Mark soared back toward Puente Antiguo, his mind racing as he tried to piece together the chaotic encounter with the juggernaut, confusion gnawing at him over who this guy was and why he had attacked with such relentless fury. The portal that swallowed him left more questions than answers—who was pulling the strings, and what kind of tech or power could summon something like that out of nowhere? The desert night blurred beneath him as he flew, his bruised ribs aching with each breath, whoever this juggernaut was, he hit harder than anything Mark had faced in a while.
The town came into view, its streets loudl with panic—people shouting, running for cover, car alarms blaring from the destruction left in the juggernaut's wake. Police cruisers lined the main road, their lights flashing red and blue as officers tried to direct the crowd and cordon off the shattered buildings. Mark scanned the chaos from above, his eyes locking onto Darcy near the lab's entrance. She looked unharmed, and relief washed over him as he confirmed she was safe.
He dove down to the sheriff's station, landing lightly in front of a cluster of officers who startled at his sudden appearance in the Invincible suit. "It's okay," he said, raising his hands to calm them. "The guy who did this—he's gone. I fought him off, pushed him out of town. It's over now, so no need to panic. Just focus on getting everyone safe."
The sheriff, a grizzled man with a mustache, nodded quickly, his voice thick with gratitude. "Thank you, Invincible, we'd be picking up bodies without you. We'll handle the cleanup."
Mark gave a curt nod. "Call if you need me." He launched back into the sky, veering to a secluded alley behind a shuttered gas station where he landed and quickly stripped off his costume, stuffing it into a hidden pocket in his jacket. He pulled on his civilian clothes and jogged back to meet Darcy, who was still outside the lab.
"Mark!" Darcy spotted him and rushed over, grabbing his arms and looking him up and down like she was checking for broken bones. "Oh my God, are you okay? What the hell was that? That huge guy in the red armor just smashed through everything, and you went flying—literally flying! Did you beat him? Where'd he go? Was he some kind of mutant? Or an alien? Or a robot? I saw you hit him, like, boom, and then he was gone, and—"
"Darcy, breathe," Mark tried, holding up a hand, but she barreled on without pause.
"—the whole town's freaking out, and I thought you were dead for a second because he was slamming you through buildings like you were nothing, and what was that portal thing? Did you see it? I mean, what the hell, Mark, who was that guy—"
Mark laughed, cutting her off by leaning in and kissing her softly, his hands cupping her face. She froze mid-sentence, her eyes fluttering shut before she melted into the kiss, her hands gripping his hoodie. When he pulled back, she blinked at him, finally quiet, a flush creeping up her cheeks.
"Okay, that works," he said, chuckling. "I've gotta head out tonight."
Darcy hit his side playfully, giggling as she fell into step beside him. "You're such a tease, bailing on me after all that. Rude."Darcy glanced up at him, her tone lighter but still curious. "Seriously though, you're okay, right? That guy looked like he could bench press a tank."
"I'm fine," Mark assured her, smiling. "Just a little bruised. He was tough, but I've dealt with worse."
Darcy lingered at the door, pulling him in for one more quick kiss before stepping inside. "Don't be a stranger, space boy."
Mark grinned. "I won't. Take care, Darcy."
As soon as she was inside, he slipped around the corner, out of sight, and launched back into the sky, the desert falling away beneath him as he pushed eastward toward New York at full speed, the wind roaring in his ears. He needed answers. The man's raw power and that mysterious portal weren't random; someone had sent him, and Mark wasn't about to wait for them to strike again. His mind raced through possibilities but he'd start digging when he got back home. The juggernaut's words about heroes being a lie gnawed at him, but he pushed it aside, focusing on t getting home.
(AN: Mark has beaten the juggernaut and pretty easily, tbh it's not really even a contest. The only advantage juggernaut had was the momentum thing but even without Mark knowing he beat him pretty easily. Anyway hope you enjoyed.)
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