A month had passed since I moved out, and life had been... eventful, to say the least. Balancing hero work, running a company, and keeping up with my friends was a lot easier when you had super speed and a dimension where time moved slower. If I ever needed an extra week to finish a project, I could just step into my personal dimension for a few seconds. Time management was hardly an issue when I could cheat physics.
During the month, I invited my parents over for dinner at my new place—my private floor at Invincible Inc. I showed them around, letting them take in the luxury: guest rooms, a private office, a master bedroom with an attached bathroom, a hot tub, a theater, a pool room, a gaming lounge, and my own lab. Nolan seemed proud, in his own quiet way, while Debbie kept sneaking looks between me and Eve, her expression a little too amused.
"You just had to leave the house so soon, huh?" Debbie teased as she looked around my new place, arms folded as she exchanged a look with Eve. "Or maybe it wasn't just to give use space you were after."
"Mom…" I groaned, running a hand through my hair, already feeling the heat rise to my face.
Eve, despite her usual confidence, also looked flustered, clearing her throat and very intently focusing on setting down the silverware.
Nolan just chuckled, clearly enjoying my suffering. Traitor.
"I have to say, Mark, this is an impressive space," he admitted, eyeing my private floor with a knowing expression. "You went all out. Maybe, I'll have to take a company from one of my villains."
"I told you I wasn't moving out for anything other than to give you two privacy," I said, trying to shift the conversation.
Debbie just hummed, unconvinced and with a red face.
I took a bite of my food and gave Eve a quick glance. We were spending lots of time together, helping manage the company, working on our humanitarian projects, and doing hero work together. It wasn't like we were dating, but I wasn't stupid. I knew where this was going. And so did my mom.
Eve, being no help at all through the teasing, just smiled at Debbie. "Well, it is nice to have a professional space for our work and a personal space to get away from my parents. We're making real progress on everything."
That was true. Between balancing hero work, running our business, and managing our projects, things were moving faster than ever. The Fluid Fabric pre-order line had been launched for hospitals, police, and the GDA finally bringing in income for the company.
Eve also used her powers to supply free food to shelters and partnered with local farms creating plants, and ensuring affordable, abundant food for struggling communities. Eve and I would sell food for much cheaper than should be possible, but since there is no production cost due to Eve's powers we could afford to do so. We didn't want to sell high to make it more accessible but we needed some money to open up facilities across the world as places to give out free food to the public.
Eve also has been studying a lot about business in preparation for her new role as head of the resources department of the company and plans to get a business degree at Upstate U which she plans to attend with me.
Our company was growing, and with it, so was our impact across the world. But despite all the professional success, there were personal matters to deal with.
One of them being Monster Girl.
XXX
Amanda stood in Mark's Dimension of Solitude, staring at the strange, alien landscape around her. Towering red mountains, shimmering crystal fields, and floating AI drones roamed the vast artificial world Mark had created.
The drones were designed after the Superman Robots he remembered from modern media. He made them using his knowledge of Kryptonian robotics but the only difference from the Superman Robots was instead of the House of El symbol, they had the Viltrumite symbol.
"This place is unreal…" Amanda muttered as Mark led her toward the main laboratory, where a device sat waiting for her.
A sleek, yellow and blue wristwatch with an hourglass symbol rested on a high-tech platform.
"This is for you," Mark said, gesturing to it. "Once you put it on, it'll stabilize your body. No more de-aging every time you transform."
Amanda reached out, hesitant, before slowly picking up the watch. She stared at it, taking in the intricate designs before sliding it onto her wrist.
"...That's it?" she asked.
Mark nodded. "Try transforming."
Taking a deep breath, Amanda shifted. Her form grew in size, muscles expanding as her monstrous figure emerged. But this time, she didn't feel the familiar pull—the sensation of losing years of her life.
She looked at Mark, eyes wide. "It worked."
Mark smirked. "Of course it did."
Amanda flexed her arms, testing out her monstrous strength before reverting to human form. A weight lifted from her chest. "You don't know how much this means to me…"
But then she frowned, looking at her hands. "The only issue is… I've lost strength."
Mark sighed. "Yeah. Since your body reverted to 24, your monster form is weaker than before. But I might have a solution."
Amanda perked up. "What kind of solution?"
Mark smirked. "I can modify the watch so that while your human form stays at 24, your monster form continues to develop naturally over time. You'll also be able to work out in that form and keep the gains."
Amanda blinked, processing his words. "So… I'd still get stronger?"
"Exactly."
For a moment, Amanda just stared at him.
Then, she lunged forward and pressed her lips against his.
Mark stiffened at the suddenness before relaxing into the kiss. They continued making out for a while, passionately crossing tongues with each other.
"Thank you," she whispered after pulling back. "Seriously."
Mark, in a daze, just responded. "Y-Yeah, no problem."
Amanda seemed really grateful, then... hesitant about something. They were all alone in Mark's Dimension of Solitude.
"So, time here works differently, right?" she asked, eyes gleaming with interest.
"Yeah," Mark nodded. "Ten minutes in the real world is about a year here."
Amanda blinked. "A year?"
Mark smirked at her stunned expression. "Yeah. It's useful when I need time to think—or work on something without the world noticing I'm gone."
Amanda's expression shifted, she was inwardly thinking this would be a good place for some privacy together for a while, but after a moment, she knew she had to go back to her home and prepare herself if she wanted to stay.
Amanda just nodded cryptically. "Good to know."
Mark had a feeling that the conversation wasn't over.
XXX
Mark had already helped Amanda, but there was another Guardian who needed assistance.
Black Samson.
Ever since losing his powers, Samson had been struggling to keep up with the new generation of heroes.
That's why he built a restoration chamber, he built a chamber that would put Samson in a near-death state by depriving him of oxygen and shocking him with high-voltage electricity, essentially jump-starting his powers. It was a gamble, but it was the best chance he had.
"You sure about this?" Mark asked as Samson stood in front of the machine.
Samson clenched his fists. "I have to be. I won't be dead weight anymore."
Mark sighed, stepping back. "Alright. Just… brace yourself."
The process wasn't painless.
Samson screamed as his body convulsed, the machine draining oxygen before sending a massive electrical charge through his system. The pain was overwhelming, but then—something clicked.
His body absorbed the energy.
Samson gasped, eyes snapping open. Power surged through his veins. His lost strength had returned—stronger than ever.
Mark helped him out of the chamber, watching as Samson flexed his hands.
"How do you feel?"
Samson grinned. "Better than ever."
He turned to Mark, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. "I owe you, Invincible. If you ever need anything, anything at all—you call on me."
Mark nodded. "You got it."
XXX
A month of preparation had led to this moment. Mark, knowing that Angstrom Levy's appearance was imminent, increased surveillance on the Mauler Twins, who were locked up in GDA cells after their last failed bank heist by none other than Eve and himself.
And when the moment came—he was ready.
*Mark's POV*
I had been monitoring the Mauler Twins for weeks, waiting for the inevitable. And today… it happened.
My overwatch computer pinged.
I turned toward the holographic screen, watching as two glowing green portals formed in the Mauler's cells and they walked through it. I waited for a little bit so that the trackers I implanted into their skin during the time Eve and I took them down would indicate when they would return to this dimension. Then, their location reappeared at a warehouse.
It's time.
I blasted off, soaring through the sky toward the warehouse where Angstrom Levy had brought the Mauler Twins.
By the time I arrived, the Mauler Twins were talking with him, asking him what he needed them for.
I didn't hesitate.
In a blur, I moved behind them, tapping their necks with just enough force to knock each of them out.
Levy had no time to react before I was on him. His eyes widened in shock before I knocked him out too.
"No dangerous supervillain today, buddy," I muttered excitedly.
Opening a portal, I dragged his unconscious body through—straight into my dimension. Leaving the Mauler Twins faceplanted on the floor.
By the time Levy woke up, he was strapped to an examination table, locked inside a containment cell. One designed to block interdimensional travel. Even I couldn't use magic to portal out of it, but I wasn't sure if it would work with Angstrom's abilities. If this worked, he was trapped.
His eyes darted around in panic. "Where… Where am I?"
I stood outside the cell, arms crossed. "Somewhere safe."
Levy's face twisted in confusion—then rage.
"What did you do to me?!"
I spoke plainly. "Let's just say… I need your powers more than you do."
This... wasn't the most ethical thing I'd done, but I needed his abilities. And I couldn't afford to let him roam free. So, I had to place Levy into a medically-induced coma ensuring he wouldn't be able to escape and I could work in peace.
I surrounded him with scanners, IV lines, and containment fields built using my Kryptonian knowledge of biology, technology, and medicine. My machines, made for genetic engineering, analyzed his DNA, pinpointing the gene responsible for his dimension-hopping.
Previously, months of research in the Flaxan dimension studying human genetics and Kryptonian genetic engineering, had led to this moment.
Now after a few weeks of recording everything I could about Angstrom's biology. I built two chambers—one to splice Levy's DNA and extract the gene granting him his powers, the other strong enough to affect even Viltrumite biology and infuse those genes into me. I had some trouble substituting some Kryptonian technology for Flaxan but I got the necessary components together.
But, before I could begin the process I had to spend a long time draining myself of my solar levels to weaken my Kryptonian abilities. To do this I spent a long time shooting my heat vision into space but the time it was taking to do so would be too long for me to patiently do. So I resorted to something I didn't think I would be pushed to use for a while.
Superman's Solar Flare.
On paper the technique seemed pretty easy. Pushing out all your solar energy stores out into an omnidirectional attack. So I did just that. I went out into space, taking a deep breath before doing so, and dug deep within myself. Feeling the energy in my body I began to push it all out causing my body to deplete my energy levels and explode in light like a star.
After doing so I felt myself get dramatically weaker. I hadn't felt this weak in a while, but it seems like I'm still pretty strong. My half-Viltrumite physiology continued adapting my strength so even without my half-Kryptonian physiology being fueled by a yellow sun, I'm still stronger than my father.
When everything was ready, I placed Angstrom in his chamber before climbing into my own and pressing a button on the inside.
This closed both of our chambers starting up the machines and initiating the process.
Levy screamed awake, agony contorting his features as the machine forcibly spliced his very DNA and stripped his abilities. I felt a moment of pity—but I didn't stop it.
Then it was my turn.
The pain was unbelievable, like my body was being torn to shreds and rewritten on an atomic level. My muscles seized as though they were locked in place. I had to build the machine strong enough to bypass my smart atoms resistances and force them to accept and adapt to the new gene, but that brought about unimaginable pain. Not so shamed to say I blacked out at moments.
And then—it was over.
The machine powered down, and I stayed still for a long moment, before picking myself up and staggering forward, sweating for the first time in a long while.
My breath hitched as I raised my hand—and without the use of my magic willed a green portal open.
Poking my head through the other side, I saw a familiar red sky.
The Flaxan dimension.
But, there were differences, specifically the people who were looking at the portal. In this dimension the Flaxans were still alive.
Pulling back my head and willing the portal away. I clenched my fist, my heart pounding.
It worked. I now had the power to go beyond just the Invincible Universe.
Levy, meanwhile, groaned on the table, weak and powerless. His eyes, once filled with intelligent arrogance, now only reflected despair.
"What... did you do to me?"
I met his glare without flinching. "I took your powers."
His face twisted in rage. "You... stole them?! You had no right—"
I cut him off. "You weren't equipped to handle them. I know what you would've done. In the future you would have gone on to cause a war killing millions of people for the sake of revenge on one single person that caused you know harm."
Levy's rage turned to confusion. "W-What are you talking about? What war?"
"That doesn't matter anymore because without your powers that future will be prevented and I will use them for a better cause." I told him.
I sort of embellished the truth since that was a different variant of Angstrom. Or... was it because I'm the different variant? Either way it was a possible future so it technically wasn't a lie.
He kept shouting at me, cursing my name. I ignored him. I didn't want to kill him as he was the Angstrom who hadn't turned completely evil, but I couldn't leave him here either.
I'd use my new powers to find a dimension for him—somewhere peaceful, where he couldn't cause harm.
But, this was the beginning point of new adventures across the multiverse for me.
.
.
.
Author's Notes:
Be sure to check out my p*tr-eon where you get early access to my chapter and you'll be able to talk to me as I'm writing the story. You'll be giving me ideas I can incorporate into the story or feedback as I am a new writer so their make be plot points or mistakes that I haven't thought about. My p*tr-eon name is Bah_Goat.