Inconceivable Ch. 16 (Invincible AU) (Patreon)

(Every character depicted in the story below is a consenting legal adult over the age of 18)

A/N: The Viltrumites arrive.

[Also this is the day that the first chapter of Inconceivable goes live on all of my public websites! If you follow me on any of them please consider going and giving the story some love to get it in front of as many eyeballs as possible!]

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Argan’s first impression upon arriving at Earth is that it was startlingly similar in coloration to Viltrum. Perhaps not as Viltrum had been in the present before its destruction, but certainly how it had been in the distant past. Indeed, Argan remembered seeing images of Viltrum from before things like the Scourge Virus... it had been beautiful, once.

Earth was beautiful still. From orbit, Argan looks and sees a world largely untouched by time and advancement. Oh, there are certainly portions of the planet that he can see suffered from unintelligent methods of extracting resources and minerals needed for technological advancement, but by and large there were still more places of beauty than there was not.

It was enough to make Argan worry, if only for a moment, over whether Nolan might have exaggerated the human population a bit. Billions of humans on a planet this size with so much untamed wilderness? Ah, but then he looks closer and sees them. They scurry about like ants, packed into certain portions of the planet. Mostly, they’re focused more around their world’s equator than anything else, but there’s also their cities, which while nothing compared to Viltrum, are nevertheless bustling with constant activity.

Humans, it would seem, are as fragile a people as Nolan had said. They cannot live in the cold temperatures closer to their planet’s poles, at least not in great numbers. Perhaps that is where the new generation of Viltrumites will eventually settle, though at first they will have to be close to their prospective human mates.

Grand Regent. General. Everyone.

Turning, Argan acknowledges Nolan as he arrives. The other Viltrumite is wearing his ‘costume’, a strange outfit that he apparently trapezes around in while going by the name of ‘Omni-Man’. Nolan had tried to explain this concept of ‘heroes and villains’ to Argan back before he’d left for Earth, but truth be told much of it was still incomprehensible to him.

He supposed he would have to get used to it. That said…

Nolan. Where is your daughter?

He’d been looking forward to meeting the young female Viltrumite. This ‘Maya’ represented proof that their people had not only found a new home… but a species with which to repopulate their lost numbers. A resurgence was on the horizon… so long as Nolan had not lied to them.

Hesitating for a moment, Nolan glances back to the planet below.

She hasn’t been to space yet.

There’s a pause as Argan and the rest of the Viltrumites take it in. And then…

You coddle her.

Those are Argan’s thoughts, but he was not the one to send them out. Instead it is Anissa’s ‘voice’ that rings through all of their minds, causing Nolan to bristle and look at her angrily as his hands curl into fists at his sides.

She has only just awakened her Viltrumite Heritage in the past few weeks. I was called back to Viltrum before I could fully begin her training. I do not coddle her, there simply hasn’t been time.

Anissa’s own hands curl into fists… but Argan cuts in, stopping their brewing argument in its tracks.

Enough. We will visit her now. I would see our hope with my own eyes.

Again Nolan hesitates. This time is far more egregious in Argan’s eyes.

Cecil Stedman, the Director of the GDA has agreed to meet with you to discuss the… expedition to Earth, Grand Regent. He will probably not take kindly to being kept waiting.

The only reason Nolan gets to ‘speak’ for so long is because rather than cutting him off, Argan simply begins to ignore him as he starts searching the planet below. Even from this distance it is not hard for him to find what he is looking for. Or rather, who.

There she is. Ah. She is fighting. Good.

Nolan jerks, alarmed as he whips around and looks down as well.

What? She-!

She is about to die. Not so good. Attend me.

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It was official. Maya Grayson hated the Flaxans. With all her heart. She really, really hated them. The second invasion had taken place three days after the first. Three days of Earth time, with Robot postulating that it had been decades in the Flaxans’ home universe.

When they hadn’t shown up for over a week after the second invasion, Maya had actually started to relax a little bit. Especially when her father had come back home. After all, her dad was the strongest protector Earth had to offer. It didn’t matter how much prep time the Flaxans had when he was around, right?

Well… there was the rub. What if he wasn’t around? Maya didn’t know where her dad was, not anymore than she usually did most days. What she did know was that she’d been flying over Chicago when this latest portal had opened up in the same place as last time. Except this time instead of one portal, its three.

The GDA had moved in and completely cordoned off the area after the second attack, setting up full blown barricades and making boatloads of preparations for when the third inevitably happened. And unlike Maya, they hadn’t let their guards down for even a second as time had passed.

… It didn’t matter though. The Flaxans were playing for keeps this time and had apparently advanced massively in the century or so that they’d had from these past eight to nine days of Earth time. They had their usual laser rifles and laser tanks, except more advanced than ever before.

But on top of that… they had power armor now. Dozens of suits of power armor, all of which put them on the same level as her, The Immortal, and War Woman. And they were making good use of that power armor to utterly kick their asses.

Put bluntly… Maya was pretty sure she was about to die. She’d managed to overcome one of the Power Armored Flaxans, ripping enough of his armor away to be able to take him out with one final punch. However, just as she’d managed that another had grabbed her by the throat, tossed her to the ground, and began pummeling her with the most painful blows Maya had ever experienced.

Her face felt like ground beef and her vision was blurry through all the blood, but the punches still weren’t stopping. She had tried to get her arms up to block, only for the blows to make her bones vibrate and crack, sending fissures of damage through her forearms.

Now she was just lying there and… taking it. Meanwhile, off to the side The Immortal was down one arm and War Woman was dealing with her own Power Armored Flaxan holding her aloft by the throat.

Atom Eve was barely staying ahead of the three that were on her tail, while the rest of the Guardians of the Globe, including their other new members Robot and Dupli-Kate, were struggling to keep up. Robot’s electrical tricks from last time had been accounted for this time around, leaving him unable to hack into the Flaxan Tech any longer.

Frankly, the only reason that there weren’t any casualties on the same level as the second invasion yet seemed to be because the Power Armored Flaxans were focusing on killing her, The Immortal, and War Woman first.

Was this really how Maya died? Where was her father? Fuck, she felt like such a wimp… but she wanted her daddy.

As that thought goes through her likely concussed skull, the pummeling suddenly stops. Maya gasps as something warm and wet splatters across her front, looking up through heavily impaired vision to see that someone has arrived and quite literally torn the armor-wearing Flaxan in half right in front of her.

“… Daddy?”

Only a moment later, she realizes that she’s not looking at her father… while this newcomer does wear red and white and even has a mustache in the same style as Nolan, his hairstyle isn’t the same… and Omni-Man doesn’t wear a cloak with furred shoulders, he wears a cape.

Looming over her, what can only be one of the Viltrumites due to arrive on Earth stares for a second… before offering her a blood caked hand.

“On your feet, warrior.”

Maya lets out a shuddering breath. A large part of her wants to just stay down, especially when she sees even more of what have to be Viltrumites arriving in the background, slamming into armored Flaxans and ripping them apart without a moment’s hesitation.

But at the same time, humiliation and embarrassment force her to her feet. She’d just called one of her father’s people, a complete stranger ‘daddy’. Not to mention the first time he’d laid eyes on her was when she was being beaten to within an inch of her life.

If she stays down now, she will never manage to live it down. And so, gritting her teeth through the pain, she reaches out and takes the bloody hand, letting the Viltrumite yank her up onto her feet. His fingers are hard and thick, the epitome of masculine, and his grip is firm and solid as he tugs her up so fast that her stomach does flip flops.

Fuck, now that she was upright again she wasn’t sure if it was the concussion talking or the dizziness… but he was hot, wasn’t he?

“Good. You are a Viltrumite. Do not falter. Not in the face of these weaklings.”

Maya swallows, ignoring the metallic taste in her mouth as she nods unsteadily.

“R-Right.”

And then, before she can introduce herself and ask for a name… he’s off. Faster than her eyes can travel, he moves with blinding speed, ripping across the battlefield to the next Power Armored Flaxan. His hand reaches out, fingers spread like claws, and his entire arm goes right through the chestplate of the power armor.

Maya watches with her mouth agape for a moment… before a shout from Eve gets her attention and she rushes to the other heroine’s aid. With the help of all of the Viltrumites though, neither of them are really in any danger any longer… and the Third Flaxan Invasion is soon routed, with the handful of survivors fleeing back towards their portals.

But what about next time? Will the Fourth Flaxan Invasion take place in a month from now and involve even stronger technology and more counter-measures? The very thought leaves an ashen taste in Maya’s mouth as she watches the green-skinned aliens fleeing. Part of her even thinks for a moment that maybe they shouldn’t be allowed to flee. Maybe-

“Kregg. Take whoever you need with you and deal with this threat to Earth.”

Her savior’s authoritative voice suddenly splits through the air. Maya blinks as a Viltrumite with a cybernetic red eye nods resolutely and gestures sharply and wordlessly to two more Viltrumites nearby. They fall in with him instantly and all three suddenly fly like speeding bullets across the ground, making it through the largest of the three portals right before it snaps shut.

Maya’s eyes widen in disbelief… would they be trapped on the other side? Were they ever coming back? Her savior did not seem too worried about it, nor did any of the other Viltrumites on the scene. Meanwhile, her father is there too, stealing glances at her. Maya has never seen her dad look so… openly nervous before.

For a moment, her savior’s gaze lingers on her and Maya half expects him to march up to her again. If he does, she doesn’t know what she’ll do… clam up or something?

Luckily, it doesn’t come to that. After a beat, he turns away from her and looks to the Guardians, more specifically to War Woman and The Immortal.

“You are the Guardians of the Globe, yes?”

The two of them exchange cautious glances before War Woman slowly nods.

“We are.”

He’s quiet for a moment, seemingly studying them… all of them, really. In the end it’s impossible to tell what he’s thinking, but eventually he just nods.

“I am Argan, leader of this… expedition. I am ready to meet with Cecil Stedman now.”

War Woman and The Immortal share another glance, causing Nolan to break in.

“This was agreed upon beforehand. The Director has been waiting for Argan’s arrival. We merely stopped to… help out first.”

Seriously, was there any question that they should take Argan to speak to Cecil? Maya couldn’t see a single reason why! Fortunately, War Woman nods a moment later, seemingly accepting things.

“Very well. Let’s… be off.”

Maya only realizes as they all leave that she’s not invited. Obviously she’s not invited, and yet… part of her can’t help but want to be a fly on the wall in that room.

“Hey. You okay?”

Blinking, Maya looks over to Eve only to see the other woman looking at her in concern. It’s only then that she realizes she’s covered in blood… and only most of it is Flaxan blood. The rest is her own. Of course, she just laughs it off.

“Huh? Oh y-yeah! I’m fine, haha. Nothing I can’t handle.”

Eve doesn’t look convinced… and when Maya looks around at all of the other Viltrumites, those looking her way don’t seem to know what to think of her either.

Fuck… she was really looking forward to meeting more of her people too. And now here she was, stuck with the worst first impression ever.

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A/N: Poor Maya, talk about a shitty first impression!

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Google Doc Link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Pm_gDlEzRqTQP4d-vcwItNIXsdSJIFTxBk0vYpwtKu0/edit?tab=t.0