"Sir, we wanted Nolan off-planet so we could investigate him for the murders without arousing his suspicion. What does sending Mark away get us?"
"A chance to see what this kid can do and, more importantly, if his heart's in the right place."
"Do you have doubts about him?"
"Well, let's just say, that kid has managed to go from Muay Tai and MMA champion in the U18 to the second most powerful being we have on Earth in two months. When I asked him what happened in the Flaxxan dimension, he didn't tell me clearly. But since then, the invasions have stopped. And, well, what do you think he did to make them stop? Ask nicely?"
"So what if his isn't in the right place? What do we do then?"
"One nightmare scenario is enough to worry about now, Donald. But we should prepare nontheless. He has an air of unbotheredness that bothers me all the more. I can't help to think that we have a massive fuck up on our hands and the sooner we take care of it, the better."
"You mean..."
"Should he die, well... he at least never got the chance to prove our fears right."
"That seems a bit..."
"Extreme. But I can't take any more risks."
.
"Mark."
"Sup, Eve? You doing alright? All good with your folks?"
"I've got some crap to deal with right now."
"Rex bothering you again?"
"It's not just Rex, Mark. It's everything. It's my parents, and school and college, and I don't know if being a superhero is what I want to do right now."
"Aha. Well, I agree with you."
"You do? I have never seen you struggle with anything but boredom."
"Ha, nice. While that's true, I mean more on the topic of being a hero."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm not a hero. I also never wanted to be one. Being a hero is boring, and many responsibilities are attached to it. If anything, I'm a hero for fun. I go around kneecapping criminals and punching faces. So, your wanting to quit is perfectly understandable to me."
"I see. Thank you, Mark. You're the first one to listen to my problems truly. I can't talk to my parents at all."
"Well, you're the only one I can talk to without wishing narcolepsy to return."
"Oh, right. What happened to that? Didn't you fall asleep all the time?"
"Apparently, my body works like an old car. It needs some time to warm up."
"Sometimes I can't tell whether you're joking or serious." Eve sighs.
"So what are you going to do now?"
"...I don't know. That's the problem."
"You know, if you don't know what to do, I might have something that could interest you."
"You do? What?"
"We'll talk after I return from Mars."
"I'd like that."
.
Mark puts on the oxygen tank that Cecil gave him and flies into space, following the spaceship that has just taken off. He had to get something from his warehouse before he left on this expedition. What he discussed with his mother the day before was true, but he also had other ideas on earning money. He was a Viltrumite, and while the universe followed the rule of the strong, if he wanted to enjoy his time on Earth, he would need money. But why would he not use his powers to make money? Naturally, he thought of that and already had a plan.
He would create a firm with his Invincible identity and name his firm after it. Something like Invincible Inc. or Corporation or something similar. He would offer different things like transportation, since that's something he is very good at, and mining any type of resource one can find. But instead of mining on Earth, he will do so throughout the galaxy and, later, the Universe. Later on, he may also start to manufacture the minerals and materials he mines to sell jewelry to the uber-wealthy and pompous pricks who enjoy such things.
[Cutting it close, kid.]
"I'm here."
[Yeah, you are. Okay, first thing, stay out of sight unless something goes wrong. This is supposed to be a win for human spaceflight.]
"Mm-hmm."
[Second, the main reason you're on this mission is the Martians. We don't know much about 'em, but we know they live underground and keep to themselves. You shouldn't have any trouble. Just keep an eye out.]
"Sure."
[Make sure our astronauts get home safe. Humanity is counting on you.]
"That is a gross exaggeration. But okay."
[What's with that device you carry with you?]
"Mining device I created. No way I'll pass up a chance to mine minerals and other resources on Mars when I'm already going there."
[That so? What for?]
"I'm going to sell it, of course. Better this way than sucking our own planet dry."
[Just make sure the Martians don't find out, or you might start a war between us. That's not something I want, understood?]
"I'll try to leave some for them as well, don't worry."
[Sigh]
Mark looks around into the void of space and smiles lightly. This is impressive, and while he was on the moon, when Allen came, it wasn't the same as this. It truly was a void. So empty and cold. Mark looks at his watch and starts the timer. He didn't come here on this trip expecting a vacation. He took a deep breath and then started the timer. He will use this chance to train his ability to hold his breath. His father told him he could hold his breath for two weeks or something like that. That was insane, and he needed to learn that as well. If anything, it would be better if he didn't need as much oxygen anymore and from what he had experienced in his life so far, he might just be able to grow accustomed to almost anything.
Mark trains his ability to hold his breath while he does physical exercise. His oxygen tank has enough oxygen he could ever need, so there is nothing to worry about. He also trains his ability to keep going while not adding any sustenance, something that is especially hard since he eats like a Saiyan. As he trains, the time passes by slowly, and he experiences considerable growth when they finally arrive on Mars.
When he gained his powers, he was able to hold his breath for as much as seven hours, maybe a bit more. After training it during the journey, he has increased that amount to almost an entire day. He has realised that it's more or less a mental thing for him, and he pushes himself to go far beyond what he could previously.
The spaceship finally lands on the surface of Mars, and Mark makes sure that none of the astronauts see him. He never cared for the ego of others, but right now, he has something better to do. He makes his way over a small mountain, out of sight of the others and checks the mineral composition of the ground. What he told Cecil wasn't a lie, and he would soon sell this stuff to make the big bucks. He had found a way to capitalise on his powers and was rather happy about that. He fires up his machine and punches the ground.
*BOOOM*
The ground shakes lightly and cracks up, allowing him to suck up the dust far easier. Then he remembers that this might not be the best of ideas since the astronauts might hear him. So he takes flight and moves quite a bit away to ensure no one will hear him. He can't destroy planets with his punches... not yet, at least.
So he continues. He punched the rocks, turning them to dust and then uses his machine to suck them in and store them for later use. His barbaric brain finds joy in this act, like playing an extraterrestrial game. Not that he ever did that, but it was still fun to do for some reason. It might be his simplicity pushing through his newly discovered genius. As the hours pass by, Mark suddenly realises that he might have forgotten about the astronauts and since he is a very responsible and upright young man... he continues for a while longer.
He only stops when his tank is full. He should have brought more with him, but for the first time, that's enough. He takes it with him and flies back to the spaceship. However, as he arrives there, he finds the area abandoned.
'I was gone for like two seconds. Where could they have gone?'
Mark flies forward and notices their gear lying on the ground and a hatch in the ground.
'So they were abducted by Martians? How cliché is that?'
Mark opens the large hatch and is suddenly assaulted by hundreds of pink, squid-like aliens with three tentacles and heads resembling brains.
'What in the name of... are these things poking me? Yuck, that's absolutely horrendous.'
Suddenly, all of the squid-like aliens are electrocuted, and two Martians stand before Mark. They hold the staffs with which they electrocuted them. One of them approaches Mark.
"You will come with us."
"How interesting... I can understand you. Sure, let's go."
The Martians lead Mark deeper into halls they must have created. Everything looks rather technologically advanced.
"I apologise for the attack. The Sequids have been in a frenzy since we brought the solids through here."
"I assume Sequids is the name of these disgusting pieces of waste with tentacles. But what are solids?"
"The men who arrived in that ship. We've taken them into custody."
"Interesting. Slight problem. I was supposed to keep watch over them, so can I have them back?"
"Your resistance to the Sequid attack has earned you an audience with Monarch Prime. He will answer your questions, or he will not. Such is his right."
"So the usual then. So, what language are you talking right now?"
"Martian, of course."
"Of course. Sure, let's meet Monarch Prime. I'm sure we will get along nicely. People love me where I come from."
All three of them are teleported to another location. They are in some kind of penthouse or room that overlooks an underground city. At the window stands who Mark assumes to be 'Monarch Prime.'
"You will come closer. I will have an audience with you."
"Haha, that's hilarious."
"Silence! It is I who will ask the questions, solid. You will listen to what I have to say."
"Sheesh, I wasn't even asking a question, though. Way to ruin the mood, fluid."
"Silence!! The Sequids arrived here hundreds of years ago. After a malfunction of their mother ship caused it to crash on the surface above us. All their hosts died in the crash. Sequids have one mind - a single consciousness between them. They are only linked through the minds of their hosts. Without a host, they are mindless beasts, easily manipulated - the perfect slave race. Their will to bond with solids is insurmountable. We Martians were incompatible and could not be bonded with them due to our shape-shifting ability. Without a single host to link their minds, they were easily conquered."
"Ugh, how long will this take?"
"They have existed as a slave race for centuries - assisting us in all aspects of life. We have been mindful of the fact that if even one solid were to be found on our planet, it could mean doom for us all. We have been breeding Sequids, making them stronger in order for them to better serve us. Were they to discover a host who could link their minds, I have no doubt they could overthrow us almost instantly. Which is why we have taken your 'As-tro-nots' into custody to prevent them from being taken over. You, though, are solid as well and resisted the Sequids' attempts. Your skin could not be punctured by their tendrils. How is this? How is it you were able to resist them?"
"Oh, are you finished already?"
"You will answer my question, solid, or you will be executed."
"How nice. Alright, I'll tell you what I think. I think that a race knowing about a potential hive-mind parasite that has landed on their planet, not only doesn't kill each one, but also breeds them and makes them stronger, might just be the dumbest one I have ever seen. To have such a death wish is astonishing, and I am surprised evolution hasn't eradicated you yet. As for me, well, I'm just covered with an awesomeness that's impenetrable."
"..."
"Now that our nice talk is over, I'd like the astronauts back. There are some people back home who would be pissed if they didn't return and I'd have to listen to the complaints. So, if you would be so kind as to hand them over now, we'll be on our way."
"I'm afraid that is not possible. They are scheduled to be executed."
"Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. I see. Well then, there's only one thing we can do, is there?"
...
"RUN! Run as fast as you can! These idiots want to kill you!" Invincible shouts as they flee from the thousands of Martians who chase them.