"Just tell me what happened, Mr. Grayson," the principal asks Mark when they are alone in his office.
"Todd was picking on Steve White, the kid who has the locker next to me. I asked him to leave Steve alone, so he thought it smart to punch me. I don't like being punched so ..."
"So?"
"So I punched back."
"He vomited on the floor. That boy has a history of causing trouble. You are also not innocent, it would seem. You never start a fight; I am aware of that. I know that you are a good kid, Mark. I don't want to see you start down that path."
"I'm not going down any path. I need to study quite hard to get into a good college next year. I am aware of how important this stuff is, despite not really feeling like I will enjoy the process. I simply don't like bullies, and if I see one, I'll do something about it. It's as simple as that."
"I understand that, and to be quite honest ... I condone bullying, but you should have gotten a teacher or one of the security guards. That boy was almost twice your size; it's not your responsibility to protect the other kids here. You're not invincible, you know."
"Huh ..."
.
"Alright, Art, I think I got it." Mark went back to Art to tell him about the name.
"Well, I hope so. This one just isn't working out for me." Art says, pointing at the picture Mark drew.
[Picture]
"Yeah, well ... there's nothing as cool as Broly, and since we're both barbaric in a way, I thought it would fit. But I have another name for you."
"You do? Which one?"
"Invincible."
"...Really? Invincible."
"What, you don't like it?"
"I don't have to like it. It might be a bit optimistic, but at least it's better than Savage."
"I don't agree; I'd say it's about the same."
"So, do you have another picture for me?"
"I do. Here." Mark says and hands him a picture.
[Picture]
"Why the hoodie? And what happened to not wanting to have your upper body covered?"
"You didn't like my first pitch, so I thought I'd go with this one instead. I still don't want my face covered, which is why I have a hoodie, just in case."
"What about the pants? Still baggy?"
"Yes. I still want to keep those. What do you think? Possible?
"Since you want a mix between the two looks, I will have to spend some time on it. But theoretically, it should work. I'll make it work. What about the hood?"
"I don't know. Since I don't like wearing something that covers my face, I thought the hood would be a good alternative. It might also allow me to listen to music while zooming through the sky."
"You think you have time to listen to music at the speed you fly? It would blow away, and if you get into a fight, you don't have time to turn the music off first. That's not something that's possible to add."
"Why would I turn the music off while fighting? I want to listen to AC/DC or something else. That's how I get my blood pumping. It's what I do while I'm in the gym."
"You worked out before you got your powers?"
"Of course. How do you think I got so jacked? I'm at the gym two to three times a week when I have school. During holidays, that almost doubles. And then I also have martial arts class."
"Impressive. All right, I'll see what I can do."
"And the headphones?"
"Haaa ... very well, the headphones as well."
"Thanks, Art, you're the best."
"I know."
.
Mark sits atop a construction crane, wearing his new suit, and looks out at the city. For some reason, he feels amazing right now. It might be teenage hormones, but the drive to move his body is constant, and since he gained his powers, he has been eager to push himself to the limit. The sparring against his father was rather ... stale. Something was missing, but Mark wasn't aware of what it was just yet.
Feeling good, Mark decides to take to the sky and lets himself fall. He loves feeling the wind in his face and enjoys it as he can tell how much better he has become at flying. There is nothing like the grind and feeling the pump after an exercise. And there was plenty of excercises to have on Earth. As he is flying through the city, he hears an explosion taking place.
*BOOM*
A laser hits a skyscraper in the distance, and Mark decides to make his first appearance. He shoots through the sky and sees Killcannon, who has just blown up a cop car, pointing his left arm-cannon at the police. He goes off of what his father told him and pushes off the air. He arrives in front of Killcannon and punches him with a right cross, right in the face.
*BOOOOM*
*CRASHH*
Killcannon shoots through the air and through the building close by, exiting out back. Mark furrows his eyebrows, seeing the hole left behind by Killcannon and puts it to memory that he will try to minimise collateral damage in the future. He should have used a grappling move instead and then pummeled him on the ground. He flies through the hole and appears in front of Killcannon again. He delivers a beautiful uppercut straight to the chin.
*BANG*
Killcannon's head snaps back. Before his body can fly into the sky, Mark grabs him by the hair and pulls his head down, right into his rising knee.
*BOOOM*
Mark kicks Killcannon's knee and breaks it and then sends the man to dreamland with a left hook.
*BOOM*
Mark looks at the man on the ground and the surroundings. He nods his head with satisfaction. He managed to develop ever so slightly in this fight and knows what he shouldn't do in the future. He's not alone in the city and needs to be careful not to harm civilians when using his strength. After a final look around, he takes to the sky again, leaving Killcannon for the police to pick up. Invincible has made his debut. It's unfortunate that he didn't reveal his name to anyone, so no one will know who he is.
.
Debbie wakes up with a gasp. She looks at the spot next to her and sees that Nolan's bedside is empty. She makes herself breakfast and takes a shower, later getting ready to go outside. This isn't the first time Nolan hasn't come home, but she still can't help but miss her husband. It's her nature. Mark comes downstairs and sees her feeling down for some reason and asks her.
"Mornin'. What's wrong?"
"Nothing, just missing your dad. He didn't come home last night."
"He didn't, huh ... I wouldn't worry about it. He probably got buried under a mountain again or something."
"Well, it wouldn't be the first time."
"Right. I mean, I sparred against dad and let me tell you, he is one tough cookie. What's the worst that could happen?"
As Debbie opens the door, agents are waiting for her outside.
...
"Well, now I look like an asshole, don't I?" Mark says after hearing that something happened to his father.
"Nolan is receiving the absolute pinnacle of care. As the Global Defense Agency, we have access to medical technology far beyond any normal hospital." Donald Ferguson tells Debbie and Mark as they make their way through the secret building.
Mark observes the men standing ready and the advanced vehicles and units down below.
"That's quite neat stuff you have here."
"Ah, that's one of our Threat-Response teams. They're able to get anywhere-"
"We're not in the mood for the tour, Donald."
"Sorry, Debbie."
"So, why did Dad never mention you guys?"
"That's the idea. We work with superheroes like your father to keep the world safe."
"Ah, so that's why. 'Cause I'm not a Superhero."
"Who knows, maybe someday, we'll even work with Invincible."
"Nah. I'm not superhero material."
"You think so? I saw what you did to Killcannon. I'd say you are very much-"
"Donald!"
"Right."
The door to Nolan's room unseals, and they see his state. He is beat up pretty badly, for hi,m at least.
"Oh, my god, Nolan!" Debbie says and rushes forward, touching her husband's forehead.
Mark doesn't hurry like she does after he sees that he's in rather good condition. But he is worried, even if he doesn't show it. He's just optimistic that someone as strong as his father wouldn't die from the wounds he is seeing. He wouldn't either.
"He'll be ok."
"We ... hope so, and our doctors are clearly doing their best, but we dont' get a lot of Vilturmites in here."
"So, who was it? Who was strong enough to do this to him?" Mark asks.
"We have no idea. Not yet, anyway," another man standing in the corner says. "But we'll find out, and when we do, they're gonna look a hell of a lot worse than your dad right over there. Cecil Steadman. Director of the GDA."
Mark looks at the man and then shakes his hand.
"Deborah, I'm so sorry."
"Cecil, you've got a lot of nerve-"
"Someone murdered the Guardians of the Globe last night."
*Gasp*
"All of them?"
"All of them. Tore 'em limb from limb. Now we tried like hell to bring 'em back, but Nolan was the only survivor."
"You're telling us that all of the Guardians died, and Dad is the only survivor?"
"Yes."
"That doesn't seem likely. How is that possible? Do you have a lead?" Mark asks, but Cecil shakes his head.
"Not yet. We also don't know why your dad was at the Guardian's HQ. Our working theory is that whoever killed the Guardians lured him there, tried to wipe 'em all out at once."
Mark furrows his brows. Then he shakes his head.
"That's bullshit."
"It is, but-"
"No. I said that's bullshit. You can scratch that theory."
"And why would we do that? You have a better one?"
"No. But I have good arguments as to why that is horseshit."
"Well? Mind telling me?"
"If someone had the capacity and power to take out all the Guardians of the Globe and Omni-Man at the same time, kill all of the Guardians and then nearly kill Omni-Man, why would he leave? Why not finish he job?"
"..."
"Mark!"
"I'm just saying, it makes no-"
"Enough!"
Mark nods his head.
"At least we can guess the why part. There isn't a super-villain alive who didn't want Omni-Man and the Guardians six feet under. We're keeping this all hush-hush for now, but the news will break. I wanted you and Mark to know first."
Debbie wipes the tears from her eyes and then looks at Cecil.
"Cold towels and ice water, and have a cot brought in here for me."
"Deborah, we've got the best-trained ..."
"I've patched Nolan up for 20 years, Cecil. I am not leaving." Debbie says and walks towards Cecil. Understanding that it's no use arguing with the worried wife, Cecil nods his head.
"Of-of course, Debbie," Donals says.
At that moment, Donald receives a transmission. He listens and then tells Cecil about it.
"Sir. It seems there's some kind of attack happening downtown. Numerous contacts. Heavy weaponry. Multiple casualties."
"Now? We're a little understaffed in the hero department."
The two men leave the room to address the new threat. Mark looks at them, leaving and then at his father and mother. He sees the worry etched in his mother's face, speaking of years of experience in similar situations. But he can't help but wonder why he's uneasy. He never felt worried about his father's or his own health. He doesn't know why, but he always managed to bounce back, no matter how serious it seemed at first. But this time, something was wrong, and it had to do with what the strange secret government director had told him. This situation didn't make sense, but Mark wasn't an intelligent kind of character. He was more brawn than brain, and that's what he would use.
There was a serious threat downtown, so he was going to be there.
"You keep watch over dad; I'll be right back," Mark says, leaving the room.