The magma below us bubbled and popped, the only sound left in the massive, echoing cavern.
I looked down at the shredded, sparking remnants of my suit hanging off my body. How the hell did he come across Robot's drone technology without being detected by Rudy? I thought, as the adrenaline of the battle began to wear off. He must have reverse-engineered parts and pieces of them or something.
I winced, attempting to sit up against the ruined metal. With that drone tech and the ability to teleport, he could cause chaos and destruction from nearly anywhere, at any point in time. What can I even do? Get the GDA involved? They'll just try to use the situation to get access to our tech and resources. Get the Viltrumites? That would only cause Dinosaurus to get paranoid and exacerbate his plans.
I shook my head, my bruised ribs protesting the movement. He was physically stronger than he was a couple of months ago, too. It's not like he just gained a slight boost in strength either. Him easily getting through this suit's alloy is a terrifying feat in itself.
"What a situation to be in," I groaned aloud.
Then my eyes landed on Eve's unconscious form resting peacefully on the steel grating a few yards away.
I reached up, unlatching the manual releases on my armor. I peeled myself out of the tattered and broken suit, my muscles screaming in protest. I took a step toward Eve, but my legs instantly buckled.
Before I could hit the floor, a strong arm wrapped securely around my waist. Anissa had effortlessly scooped me up against her side, her eyes scanning my bruised face with a mixture of concern and possessive pride.
Without a word, she ascended toward the massive exit tunnel.
"Hey, you're forgetting someone," I pointed out, gesturing weakly toward Eve.
Anissa didn't say anything. She just smiled beautifully, looking straight ahead without a worry in the world, pretending she didn't hear a word I just said.
As we flew farther and farther away from the platform, I turned and glared at her. Her smile quickly vanished. She let out a heavy, annoyed sigh, rolled her eyes in sheer disgust, and begrudgingly flew back, scooping Eve's unconscious body up under her free arm like a sack of potatoes.
The flight back to Invincible Inc. was quiet, but incredibly tense. Anissa held me very close to her chest, the wind whipping past us as we soared through the lower troposphere.
Aye, I know you're feeling down right now, my libido suddenly chimed in. But if you could just lean your head a little more into her chest, that'd be great.
Not now, I groaned internally, not even having the energy to retort.
As we flew, my mind drifted back to several questions I had regarding the situation. How's the GDA going to react to Dinosaurus having access to some of their most highly-guarded tech, let alone almost causing a worldwide extinction event? Where is that lizard going next? Are Thragg and 'em watching these events unfold from above? The chances of that are high.
Before I knew it, we were back at Invincible Inc., where the medical team was waiting for us on the landing pad.
They immediately tended to my bruised ribs, wrapping them tightly in special recovery wraps. They took Eve from Anissa and gently placed her inside a specialized solar-containment pod. My engineering team had built it right after her battle with Omnipotus to help her recover her stamina quickly, taking heavy inspiration from the solar power tech they developed after my first brutal battle against Conquest and my variants. Seeing her bathed in the warm, restorative artificial sunlight took a massive weight off my shoulders.
I wanted to stay by her side, but my Logistics Lead stepped into the med-bay, handing me a secure datapad.
"Sir, Cecil is on the line," she said quietly. "Regarding the emergency message you had us send to the GDA."
Ah, great, his timing is as impeccable as ever, I thought sarcastically, as I sighed and stepped out into the hallway to accept the video call.
Cecil's scarred and nearly unreadable face flickered into view.
"Mark," he said, his voice smooth and deceptively calm. "Titan gave us the heads-up about Wyoming. We sent a squad down into the caldera. They found a lot of dead drones and a defunct detonator. Care to tell me how an oversized lizard almost blew up the continent right under our noses?"
"Beats me," I shrugged. "That's something I'd like to know too."
Cecil's expression tightened imperceptibly. "Alright, how 'bout you tell me what you do know," he said. "Like how you were even able to find him."
"I didn't find him per se; I just happened to stumble upon him some time ago and tracked some of his movements," I responded. "And from what we've gathered so far…"
I promptly briefed him on everything I thought he should know regarding Dinosaurus—how he had been under the radar for some time, how he replicated Robot's drones, and more importantly, how he had escaped just recently.
Cecil's eyes narrowed slightly at the mention of blue flash teleportation, though his posture remained completely relaxed.
"Boy, he really gave you three the run-around," he said, letting out a low whistle. "With a thing like that running around, the world really needs to be on its toes. Especially with you being out of commission."
My eyes narrowed at what he was saying.
"So, why doesn't Invincible Inc. let the GDA handle things from here?" he continued. "With Robot handling the global security grid of Earth, we can reverse-engineer his frequency and find him faster than he can escape our radar. Just send over the telemetry data and my guys'll handle him. You can just focus on resting up."
"That's a nice thought, but we'll be fine over here," I replied, while side-eyeing him internally. "We'll send you the telemetry logs so you can patch things on your end, but Invincible Inc. will continue to track down Dinosaurus and deal with him as quickly as possible. Let's keep in touch though when we finally locate him."
Before Cecil could attempt another angle, my interdimensional wrist communicator started to ping me.
Ah, so Angstrom is finally in the building, I realized. Thank goodness. I could use some great news, right now.
I stretched my arms over my head and let out an exaggerated yawn. "Hey, it's been really good seeing you again, Cecil, but I think it's time for me to get some rest," I said, rubbing my eyes. "Just go ahead and patch your teleporters, check those frequencies, and stay hydrated. Alright, bye."
I cut the connection before the Director could get another word in.
"A remarkably wise decision," a smooth, arrogant voice purred from the end of the hallway.
I turned to see Anissa leaning against the wall of the med-bay. Her arms were crossed, and a genuine, highly approving smile rested on her face.
"You handled that human exactly as a conqueror should," she commended, stepping closer. "Feeding him only the scraps of information he requires to feel useful, while retaining the true authority for yourself. You are learning."
Yea, learning how to juggle psychopaths, I thought dryly.
"I just know how Cecil operates," I said, rubbing the back of my neck. "But we have a bigger problem now. Dinosaurus has teleportation tech. He could be anywhere. Which is why I need a massive favor from you."
Anissa's smile faltered, her blue eyes narrowing slightly with suspicion. "A favor?"
"I need you to head back to the Viltrumite dreadnought," I instructed, shifting my tone. "Brief Thragg and the rest of the empire on what just happened. They need to put a high-priority watch on Dinosaurus. If he has access to GDA tech, he might try to target the empire next."
Anissa's posture turned rigid and defiant. "Absolutely not. My orders are to remain by your side at all times. I am not leaving you unprotected when these creatures move against you with such ill intent."
"I am protected," I argued, gesturing vaguely to the reinforced walls of the facility. "But more importantly, you're the only one who can do this."
Anissa paused, her pride visibly warring with her obsession. "Explain."
"Other than Thragg and me, you're the fastest Viltrumite I know," I said, my words coming out as smooth as butter. "If I send a drone or a transmission, it could be intercepted or delayed. If you fly there, you can deliver the message directly to Thragg and be back before anything even happens. You are the only warrior I can rely on to execute this quickly."
She thought briefly before a pleased, deeply arrogant smirk returned to her lips. She stepped directly into my personal space, trailing a single finger down the center of my bruised chest.
"Very well," she murmured softly. "I will deliver your message to the Grand Regent. But know this, Mark..."
Her eyes darkened, flashing with a terrifying, possessive intensity. "...If a single scratch is placed upon you in my absence, I will return and reduce this entire facility to ash. And everyone in it."
Hmm, threatening us with a good time, my libido said, popping itself back up. An odd action, but a welcome one.
"You have nothing to worry about," I nodded, internally dismissing my libido. "I won't be leaving the building. You'll see me upon your return."
Satisfied, Anissa turned on her heel and marched toward the nearest launch bay. A second later, a deafening sonic boom rattled the reinforced glass of the hallway as she shot into the atmosphere, leaving a trail of displaced air in her wake.
Finally, some room to breathe, I exhaled, feeling a huge amount of tension leave my shoulders.
I immediately tapped into my comms. "Engineering, begin development on the second-stage of the Code Iron armor. I want improved impact stabilizers and reinforced thruster housings based on the combat data I just uploaded. Get to work."
Without waiting for a response, I quickly made my way down the corridor to my private office.
The metal doors hissed shut behind me, sealing the room. Standing in the center of the office, bathed in the faint green residual glow of a closing portal, was Angstrom.
His cybernetic enhancements looked even more advanced than the last time I had seen him, gleaming with sleek, otherworldly metals and glowing circuitry.
"It took you long enough," he remarked dryly, adjusting the collar of his coat.
"Yea, well," I sighed, limping over to my desk and slumping heavily into the chair. "A giant lizard problem came up that needed my immediate attention."
"Well, now I'm here to remedy the situation," he replied, walking over and taking a seat across from me. "Let's start from when you lost your powers."
I leaned back in my chair, wincing as my bruised ribs pressed against the leather, and told him everything.
I gave Angstrom the complete rundown of the Viltrumite War's catastrophic end. I detailed my execution of Thaedus, the revelation of my royal heritage, and the desperate attempt to stop the planetary bomb that ultimately stripped me of my powers. I explained how Thragg was still firmly in control of the Empire, and how Anissa had been assigned as my glorified, psychotic watchdog.
Angstrom listened in silence, his new glowing cybernetics whirring as he processed the sheer scale of the political nightmare I had orchestrated.
"Executing the leader of the Coalition of Planets was a remarkably bold move," Angstrom said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "And incredibly dangerous. You've essentially painted a target on Earth's back. The Coalition will not let the death of their founder go unpunished."
"I know," I sighed heavily. "But it was the only way to keep them from ending potential millions."
And specifically our own,my libido added. I still can't believe that crazy old bastard even attempted it.
I then brought Angstrom up to speed on the immediate crisis: Dinosaurus hacking Robot's drones, cracking the GDA teleportation frequency, and nearly setting off the Yellowstone supervolcano.
Angstrom frowned and pulled out a datapad from his coat. He tapped on some files, pulling up holographic streams of multiversal data.
"That Dinosaurus situation is far worse than you realize," he said, his tone grave. "When you originally captured him, I did some multiversal scouting to see what we were dealing with. I observed countless timelines where Dinosaurus eventually succeeded in his apocalyptic endeavors. But in almost every single one of those universes, he operated in the shadows for years. He slowly and meticulously built up his resources before making a move of this magnitude."
Angstrom tapped the screen, highlighting a pulsing red anomaly. "But here? In this universe? His operations are years ahead of schedule. It's as if something pushed him into accelerating his plans. He is moving at a drastically panicked, worst-case-scenario pace."
Oh shit, that might have been us, my libidio communicated.
Nah, don't say that, I quickly shut it down. This just happens to be by coincidence really.
Nah, think about it," it said. When we first met him, we beat him with so much ease that he probably remembers it every single day. There's probably not a day that goes by that he doesn't think about that ass-whooping. You're the cause of all this, once again.
Me?! What happened to 'us'? I questioned internally. Why are you absolving yourself of the blame?! Aren't we a packaged duo?!
Not in this case, it replied. I didn't pummel that seven foot gecko.
You also hadn't given me another way to put him down, either, I retorted.
Be that as it may, you needa get us out this jam, my boi, it responded. And the sooner you do, the sooner we can find ourselves back in the presence of superpowered cheeks. THINK OF THE CHEEKS, YOU SELFISH BASTARD!
I could do nothing but shake my head.
"But let's first address your current vulnerability," Angstrom continued, breaking me out of my internal conversation and setting the datapad aside. He reached into his coat and pulled out a small, circular device covered in glowing, alien circuitry. "Open your shirt."
I raised an eyebrow but complied. Angstrom pressed the cold metal device directly against the center of my chest. It hummed softly, emitting a pale blue scanning laser that swept across my skin.
"Your Smart Atoms are essentially an engine that was flooded by the immense radiation of that planetary bomb," Angstrom explained, reading the holographic outputs. "Atom Eve did an incredible job bleeding off that excess pressure, and jumpstarting them. They are slowly waking up from their stasis state."
"How slow?" I asked, leaning forward anxiously. "What's the timetable the twins gave you for them?"
"It varies," Angstrom replied, pulling the scanner away. "Depending on your adrenaline and cellular regeneration... several weeks. Possibly a few months."
"A few months?!" I exclaimed, nearly getting out of my chair. "I can't wait months! Dinosaurus could strike at any possible moment! And like you just said, the Coalition could show up over Earth's atmosphere looking for blood any day now!"
"I know," Angstrom said calmly. He reached down and hoisted a heavy, reinforced metal briefcase onto my desk, popping the latches. "Which is why I brought contingencies. You cannot fight a war on three fronts without the proper arsenal."
He spun the open briefcase around. Inside rested three distinct, highly advanced pieces of technology.
Angstrom pointed to a metallic belt fitted with glowing, yellow energy cells. "First, have Eve wear this. It is a specialized Solar-Capacitor. It absorbs and stores ambient solar radiation. If she continues to jumpstart your atoms once a day, this will feed her the raw energy she needs to do it without burning out her own stamina or slipping into a coma."
I nodded as I examined the belt.
"Second," Angstrom said, pointing to a small, cylindrical vial filled with swirling, metallic black liquid. "The Maulers and I reverse-engineered the remnants of your bio-reactive suit. These are adaptive combat nanites designed to integrate seamlessly with the exoskeleton of your suit's mainframe. Once your engineers apply this to your next armor set, the nanites will bond to the alloy. They will dynamically absorb kinetic impact, form rudimentary weapons, and repair the suit's plating instantly. It will give your armor a massive tactical edge to keep you alive."
I picked up the vial, absolutely mesmerized by the shifting, liquid metal inside.
"And finally," Angstrom said, his tone dropping into something far more serious. "The Maulers are finalizing the ultimate countermeasure against the Coalition. We are developing a stealth satellite network called the Atmospheric Scourge-Inhibitor."
My eyes went wide.
A global Scourge Virus countermeasure?! my libido uttered with surprise in its tone. Man, they're really pulling out all the stops just to keep your bitch-ass alive.
"If the Coalition attempts to drop the virus into Earth's atmosphere to wipe out the Viltrumites, the satellites will instantly deploy a chemical counter-agent," Angstrom explained. "It is designed to neutralize the specific genetic markers of the pathogen before it can infect you, or anyone else. I will begin sending the satellites through the portals in a few days."
I sat deeper in my chair, the overwhelming weight of the last twenty-four hours finally lifting off my shoulders.
"I don't know what to say, man," I admitted, looking at the arsenal he had just provided. "Thank you. Truly."
"Do not thank me yet. Just utilize everything at your disposal to survive," Angstrom said, standing up and brushing off his coat. "Keep the Viltrumites and the GDA occupied, and stop Dinosaurus. The Maulers and I will handle the multiversal logistics behind the scenes for now."
With a wave of his hand, the air crackled, and a swirling green portal tore open in the center of the office.
"Until next time," he said, giving me one last nod before stepping through. "Let's hope you've left a world intact for me to return to."
The portal snapped shut behind him, and I was left alone again.
I looked down at the vial of black liquid in my hand, turning it over to watch the metallic substance shift and swirl against the glass.
It almost looks like a symbiote, I mused, tapping my wrist communicator.
"Logistics, I'm sending down a highly classified substance for the engineering department," I ordered. "Tell them to integrate the compound directly into the Mark II suit's infrastructure."
"Understood, sir," my Logistics Lead replied. There was a brief pause on the line. "Also, sir... William Clockwell is waiting for you in the lobby. He's here for a visit."
I blinked, the tension of the multiversal war momentarily breaking. William? Here? I thought before recalling something. Oh, yea. I forgot to tell him I went to war.
Oh boy, my libido chuckled softly. Time to break the news to the bestie that we're technically an intergalactic criminal now.
Maaaaan, shutcho ass up, I replied, stretching my arms over my head before a small, genuine smile crossed my face as I stood up from my desk.
"But yea, he's gonna be in for a wild one," I muttered, leaving the office.