Willful Thinking (Invincible/DC | Green Lantern OC-Insert) - Chapter 16 (Patreon)

Vidor

Vidor had grown tired of waiting. His destination was the moon of Gelderia, though for the time being it remained little more than a point of light on the forward display. His journey was almost at an end. After weeks aboard the cruiser, another few hours should have meant nothing, but he was growing impatient.

“How long?”

The navigator immediately looked up from his station. “Three hours and forty-seven minutes until we reach the Kresh installation, Commander.”

Vidor frowned. “And until we are within range of Gelderia?”

“Four hours and twelve minutes.”

…Too long. He rose from his chair. The bridge crew straightened almost as one. There were no Viltrumites among them. All aboard this cruiser had been drawn from the Empire’s subject races, including the soldiers housed throughout the decks beneath them.

“Maintain course.”

The navigator blinked. “Commander?”

“I will proceed ahead of you.”

“...O-Of course!”

The Kresh had been informed of his arrival days ago. Their commander upon Gelderia’s moon was instructed to prepare a full report on the war, though Vidor doubted it contained anything that Viltrum did not already know. Those facts were embarrassing enough. For generations, the Kresh had been supplied with weapons and intelligence with one simple expectation in return: Gelderia was to be conquered. Viltrum had possessed neither the need nor desire to commit its own people to every insignificant conflict across the galaxy. 

The Kresh hated the Gelderians already; thus, arming them had required little effort, and their continued war kept Gelderia occupied with matters close to home. Yet Gelderia endured, and worse, it had been invited into the Coalition of Planets more than once.

Vidor had always found their constant refusal particularly contemptible. Of course, the Coalition was a collection of frightened species huddling together beneath the delusion that sufficient numbers might protect them from Viltrum. That being said, their very existence offended him less than the worlds that lingered around their edges, unwilling to join yet equally unwilling to stand against Viltrum. Such spinelessness… but it was no matter. 

Gelderia would have no need to decide anything for itself soon enough. The Empire would decide for them. Perhaps a generation beneath Viltrumite rule would purge such weakness from their descendants.

The outer hatch opened. Vidor stepped into the airlock with a shallow inhale as the atmosphere evacuated with a diminishing hiss. His cruiser continued onward beneath him through the void. Vidor watched it for only a moment before turning towards the distant point indicated by the coordinates transmitted into his visor. He bent his knees against nothing and accelerated.

The cruiser disappeared behind him. Stars blurred at the edges of his vision as his speed climbed. The distance remaining was trivial by Viltrumite standards. His soldiers could endure another few hours aboard their vessel. Vidor had questions for the Kresh commander to answer. For close to a century, they had left the Kresh to their own devices, but a recent report saw him pulled across galaxies for correction’s sake.

The Kresh had pursued a Gelderian force beyond their world, hounding him and then lying in wait for the recovery force. What should have been an overwhelming victory turned out to be anything but when the Gelderians swiftly captured their vessel and flew it home. Clearly, this proxy war had ceased to be useful. Thus, Gelderia would be incorporated directly into the Empire. Its ruling family would be removed, and the tech jacket production facilities would be seized intact, alongside whatever scientists were required to operate them.

Of course, the population would be given the same choice afforded to every civilisation fortunate enough to receive Viltrum’s attention. Serve and prosper… or resist and suffer. His distaste towards the inferior species aside, the Kresh would remain useful. They had spent generations cultivating a hatred that would make them enthusiastic overseers once Gelderian resistance had been broken.

…Whether they deserved such a reward remained another question entirely, but far be it from him to question Anissa’s wisdom. Vidor would merely ensure they remembered who their masters were beforehand.

Vidor flew in silence.

There was little else to do in the vacuum. His cruiser had already transmitted word of his impending arrival to the Kresh installation, although he imagined they would be surprised to find him arriving several hours before it. The base eventually became visible against the grey surface. Several vessels rested upon landing platforms while others patrolled the space above.

It was far from an insignificant installation, which only made the Kresh’s failures more irritating. Several weapons turned towards him as he approached, remaining trained on him for several seconds before those manning them swivelled the weapons away. One of the larger hangars opened beneath him. A shimmering field stretched across the entrance, keeping the atmosphere inside as Vidor flew through it and touched down where the Kresh leadership awaited his arrival. Warriors lined either side of the hangar with their weapons held against their chests.

At the very front was an older Kresh, as ugly as any member of his race, with a dull-purple exoskeleton, mandibles, and thinning hair to crown his head.

Every disgusting head bowed to him, and Vidor finally exhaled.

“Commander Vidor,” the frontmost Kresh greeted.

“Which of you commands this installation?”

“I do. Commander Kallak, my lord.”

“Good.” Vidor stepped towards him. “Walk.”

Kallak’s mandibles twitched. “I have prepared a full accounting of the war as requested.”

Kresh soldiers flattened themselves against the walls to make way for him.

“You will provide it aboard my cruiser when it arrives.”

“Of course.”

“Your forces will also begin preparations to depart.”

That made Kallak look up. “Depart?”

“Gelderia.” Vidor took another two steps before noticing. He glanced over his shoulder.

“My lord…?”

“You have had nearly a century to conquer this world. You have failed. The Empire has therefore decided to correct that failure personally. My cruiser carries sufficient forces to begin the occupation. Your warriors will supplement them.”

At first, Kallak said nothing before bowing his head as he ought to. “It will be an honour. My forces await your command.”

Vidor resumed walking right as an alarm screamed through the corridor. Red light began flashing overhead as the Kresh around him stiffened, torn between fear of him and their duty.

Kallak slowly touched the side of his head. “Report.”

“...Commander! Intruders have appeared inside the installation!”

“Appeared how?”

“Two lifeforms. They’re currently tearing through Sector Seven on the lowest floor! One is Kelda. The other…”

Silence.

“My lord,” Kallak said. “Please, let us go to the command room on the topmost floor where we may see these intruders for ourselves.”

Vidor frowned. “...Lead the way.”

They changed direction, occupying a shuddering elevator to the top of the moon base. By the time they entered, security feeds already covered the central display. Vidor’s eyes immediately settled upon the two intruders. Kallak stopped dead beside him as they laid eyes upon the second intruder.

“My lord…” Kallak rasped. Vaguely, as he stared at the screens, Vidor was aware of the insect prostrating himself to him. “Please. We will right our wrongs. F-Forgive us. I implore you.”

Many other races across the galaxy bore a superficial resemblance to Viltrumites. Still… Vidor’s eyes narrowed at the feed. There was one species whose resemblance stood head and shoulders above the rest.

They were a species under the purview of Nowl-ahn, designated Terrans, but they referred to themselves as humans. This was certainly a Terran, judging by the Gelderian company he was keeping. Though outwardly, he was indistinguishable from a Viltrumite. Nowl-ahn’s reports had been extensive for good reason. Terrans were genetically compatible with Viltrumites to an extraordinary degree. This one was even flying. Could he be…

Vidor’s gaze dropped to the green ring upon the stranger’s hand.

No. The device was allowing him to fly, among other things. He watched as the Kresh’s weapons fired uselessly against a translucent emerald barrier. Green light blasted free from his hand, charring the Kresh and their armour entirely and driving those unfortunate enough to live through several walls.

Nowl-ahn was stationed on Earth, so what was a Terran doing so far from home?

As if able to hear the question, the Terran looked up. Had the Gelderian tapped into the security feed somehow? Their technology was as advanced as it was mysterious. He raised a glowing green hand, the visible power wreathing him, gathering at a point in front of his outstretched hand. The Terran blasted straight through the base wall, dragging Kresh soldiers and equipment towards the opening before disappearing into the void.

“My lord.”

Vidor turned to see that Kallak and the rest were still kneeling in the false belief that the intruder was a Viltrumite.

“W-Was that—”

“No. He was an intruder with a Gelderian, not a Viltrumite but a Terran. Surely you would be able to tell, mongrel, considering your people failed to eliminate Gelderia’s strongest—who evidently lived after enlisting the help of a powerful Terran.”

The Kresh leader hesitated. “...Should we pursue?”

“The Terran is returning to Gelderia,” Vidor said slowly.

The bigger question was, where had he acquired that device? Some kind of band? Why was he here?

The Kresh commander opened his mouth again.

“My lord, the losses—”

“Tend to your wounded. My cruiser shall soon arrive, at which point the invasion will begin.”

“Y-Yes, at once!”

【—〄—】

Oscar Ward

“Zoe, we need to get out of here!”

“What? Why—”

I blast a hole through the nearest wall. Metal buckles outward, and the vacuum immediately starts sucking away everything that isn’t bolted down towards the opening. Zoe digs her armoured feet into the floor as the dead Kresh go flying past us.

“WHAT THE FUCK?!”

I grab her by the waist and follow the corpses out of the hold.

She squirms in my grip. “H-Hold on! Ozzy, what the fuck is—?!”

Ring, FTL travel back to Gelderia right the fuck now!

Affirmative.

Space bends around us, blurring into a rush of green that snaps back into place. Gelderia fills my vision. I immediately let go of Zoe, her tech jacket keeping her floating beside me.

“Jesus fucking Christ!” She grabs the side of her head. “Warn me before you do that!”

“I did.”

“No, the fuck you didn’t! What the hell was that back there? What about our mission?!”

…As much as I’d like to fill her in, now is not the time. I descend on the planet, punching through the atmosphere as she follows me. Right now, there’s only one person I want to talk to and he’s inside the palace. Thankfully, Zoe doesn’t argue. She follows close behind as I tear across the capital. We hit the palace courtyard less than a minute later, and I’m already moving before my feet touch the ground.

The guards outside straighten.

“Green Lantern.”

“I need to see the king.”

“His Majesty is currently—”

One of the guards looks towards Zoe, then back at me. He touches two fingers to the side of his helmet. “Inform His Majesty that Green Lantern is requesting an immediate audience.”

Minutes later, he leads us through the palace quickly, taking us into a smaller chamber. It’s not the room we were briefed in yesterday, but it looks identical to it. His Majesty is already waiting inside.

His eyes move over me, then Zoe. “What happened?”

“Can we wait until everyone’s here? I don’t want to explain this twice. Call General Vasel and anyone else who’s important.”

“...Very well.”

General Vasel arrives maybe a minute later, followed by Nurr. Doctor Relsa is next alongside three other Gelderians. They’re all sitting except for me. I just can’t sit down right now. How long has the Viltrumite been up there? Has our assault brought forward whatever invasion plans they have? I keep looking out of the window, half expecting death to fall out of the sky.

The king looks at me. “We are gathered now.”

I take a breath. “The moonbase mission is the least of our worries. We hit it hard. Unfortunately, there’s a Viltrumite on the base, which means an invasion force probably isn’t that far behind.”

“At long last…”

His Majesty slowly lowers himself into his chair.

“Viltrum has never deployed one of its own to Gelderia,” General Vasel mutters. “This bodes ill, Your Majesty.”

“You believe an invasion force is approaching?”

I shrug. “Probably. He didn’t chase us. If he wanted to catch us, he could’ve for a while. I think he was on the base before we were, but he didn’t. The thing is, if he’s here to conquer Gelderia, why sit on the moon while we run away?”

The king’s expression darkens. “...He may be waiting.”

“Mhm. It’s what I’m thinking.”

“For what?” Zoe asks.

I glance at her. She’s been unusually quiet since the meeting started. Then again, as far as she knows, Viltrumites are the good guys.

“Reinforcements,” I say.

“Then we must prepare under the assumption that an invasion is imminent.” General Vasel says. “We must evacuate the civilians. If Viltrum intends to occupy Gelderia, the capital will undoubtedly be among their first targets.”

I can practically feel Zoe staring at the side of my head now. “...Your Majesty?”

The king turns towards me.

“I want a tech jacket.”

“Green Lantern,” Vasel says slowly. “You are aware of the First Decree.”

“Yeah.”

“Then you know what you ask is forbidden.”

“If there’s ever been a time where the First Decree means fuck-all, it’s now.” One of the Gelderians I’ve never met stiffens, but I continue before anyone can interrupt. “You’re fighting for your freedom. Zoe’s plenty strong, but if you put me in one, I’ll be stronger than her. And I still have everything my ring gives me on top of it.”

General Vasel looks towards the king, whose hands are steepled before him in thought. That no one’s interrupted me yet says good things about my chances here. Can Zoe and I beat one Viltrumite without them giving me a tech jacket? Probably, considering they’re not likely to be as strong as Nolan.

…Not unless I’m supremely unlucky.

“I don’t care about keeping it afterwards. Take it back when this is over if you can. But right now, you’ve got one of those things sitting on your moon and maybe an entire fleet coming behind him.”

I finally let go of the chair.

“So give me the best chance I’ve got of putting him down.”

“The First Decree predates my reign,” His Majesty eventually says. “It predates my father’s reign and that of his father before him to prevent Gelderian technology from falling into the hands of those who would use it against our people. We recognised you for your service to Gelderia, and plainly if our laws prevent us from defending our home, then we have misunderstood their purpose. If anyone disagrees, speak now or forever hold your peace.”

A few of the officials rise, but once all the eyes in the room turn to them, they work their jaws and sit back down, leaving only General Vasel, who bows his head with a long sigh.

“...I agree.”

“Then prepare a jacket. Doctor Relsa will oversee its bonding.” The king turns his milky-white eyes away from me. “General Vasel, begin mobilisation. Nurr, assemble your squad. We will reconvene once we know what approaches our world.”

…Alright. Go time!

【—〄—】

Doctor Relsa walks towards a circular platform in the middle of her laboratory some minutes away from the palace. It’s also underground, too.

“Stand here.”

I step onto the platform.

“You will be bonded to a warrior-class jacket.” Relsa moves towards a console. “There are jackets intended for specialised fields, like Veln’s, but the warrior type is designed primarily for combat. Strength enhancement, flight, environmental protection, integrated weaponry, and so on. Your jacket will monitor your physical condition continuously and is capable of treating many injuries without outside assistance.”

That’s fucking useful considering the fact I’m not good enough to heal myself using Crazy Diamond yet. Call it a pitfall of conceptualising my powers. It’s a good way to willpower through complex medical procedures, but its limitations still apply to me.

A section of the wall slides open behind her. Inside, a silver metal suit folds over itself in a vaguely humanoid shape.

...I’m about to put that thing on my body.

Permanently.

“You appear nervous,” Relsa says.

“I’m about to let an alien machine fuse itself to me for the rest of my life.”

“Do you not wear an alien machine upon your finger?”

…Touché.

I smile tightly. “You’re funnier than you look, Doc.”

She taps the console and the glass retracts.

“Remove your armour.”

Green light washes down my body and leaves me standing there in the clothes I was wearing underneath. Which in this case are the river-washed clothes I wore to meet Mark’s friends, being the only clothes I own. And thank fuck my ring can clean them, too.

Relsa’s eyes drop to my hand. “Your ring remains? Will it interfere?”

“Shouldn’t, I think.”

She touches the console again. The silver mass inside the container pours over me, liquid-like as the first bit of it touches my shoe and shoots up my legs. I spread my arms as it climbs past my waist and pours over my torso. There’s no pain. Barely even pressure, but it’s still cold.

Unknown technology detected.

The metal reaches my shoulders and encases my head.

Artificial intelligence detected.

…Oh. Can you communicate with it?

Affirmative.

“What happened?” I hear Doctor Relsa say. “Your jacket’s processing activity has increased.”

My vision clears up as the armour forms completely, and I stare at the lab through new eyes, or rather, a HUD. Streams of text start flying across my vision.

External system requests access to biological data.

The jacket tightens around my body.

I suck in a breath. “...Holy shit.”

“What?”

“I can…”

I turn my head to the wall behind me. I can see through it. Not see through it, exactly. Some kind of scan paints the corridor beyond it across my vision. Two Gelderians are walking past. I blink hard, and then it disappears.

“...Okay. That’s gonna take some getting used to.”

Bonding process complete.

…That’s a new voice. Hello, jacket!

Relsa studies the readings. “The bond is stable.”

I flex my hand. It doesn’t even feel like I’m wearing armour.

“...Say, Doctor. Can I change how it looks?”

“Yes. Your jacket should respond to—”

Cosmetic configuration interface detected.

I grin. “Ring beat you to it.”

…Well, you know what I like. Go crazy.

My entire body flares bright green. I feel the armour contract around my torso as the ring’s AI subsumes the tech jacket’s and reshapes it according to my will. Bulky silver plates flatten and reshape while black spreads underneath them. Green follows across my chest and shoulders. The jacket keeps my suit’s colour scheme, but converts it all into armour, with some metal padding on my shoulders, forearms, and knees. I lift green gauntleted hands to my face in appreciation.

A helmet starts crawling over my jaw.

“...Eh, save that for the fights,” I say, feeling the metal retract. “Cool!”

Doctor Relsa is staring at me. “What?”

“Your ring has assumed administrative control over the jacket.”

…Huh. You can do that?

Affirmative.

“...Don’t worry. I promised I’d give this back, didn’t I? I’ll have my ring undo whatever fuckery it did when the time comes. I’m guessing it’s unusual?” I look down at my ring and ruffle my hair. “...Well, he’s a talented one.”

“He?”

“Joking, Doctor. It’s an AI. A damn smart one, too.”

Statement supported by available evidence.

I snort.

Relsa’s eyes narrow. She’s definitely not staring at me, that’s for sure. But before she can start poking at my ring, I hop off the platform.

The floor cracks. I look down at a small web of fractures beneath my boot.

“I barely fucking moved.”

“You will need to recalibrate your movements. We do not have the time to put you through the same training program as Zoe Thompson—”

“It’s okay,” I say.

…Ring can you tone things down to my baseline?

Affirmative.

I slowly lift my foot and bring it down again without falling through the floor. Relsa makes a weird noise from behind the console.

“...Prior to dipping sharply, your physical output was substantially higher than Thompson’s latest readings.”

A smile starts creeping across my face. “Well, that’s natural. Out of the suit, I’m stronger than her. How substantially? Actually, Doc, scratch that. There’s something else you need to know. It’s about the Viltrumite. I know how to hurt them. They’ve got a weakness to a specific sound frequency. Messes with their equilibrium, fucks with their ability to fly and whatnot.”

“...How do you know this?” Relsa asks. She crosses the room surprisingly quickly for an old woman. “You know the precise frequency?”

“My ring does.”

“Then give it to me.”

I basically beam the information onto the nearest display.

Relsa stares at it with a deep frown. “Why did you not reveal this earlier?”

I wince and look away. “I mean—”

“His Majesty was present. General Vasel was present. Nurr was present. We have just begun preparing for an invasion by a species you knew possessed an exploitable biological weakness.”

“Okay, when you put it like that…” I rub the back of my neck. The new armour moves so naturally I almost forget it’s there. “Look… I just didn’t want it to look like I was holding it hostage. I’d just asked you guys to break the First Decree and give me one of your most valuable pieces of technology. If I immediately followed that with, ‘Oh, by the way, I know how to cripple the guy we’re all scared of,’ that sounds really fucking bad.”

“You believed we might interpret the information as conditional.”

“Exactly. Give me a jacket and I’ll give you the Viltrumite weakness, which wasn’t at all what I was doing.”

Her face softens. “I understand.”

“...Thank you.”

“It was still foolish.”

I bow my head in acceptance. I probably could’ve just told them and explained all of that afterwards.

“I goofed, but it came from a good place?”

“That will be of tremendous comfort should the invasion arrive before we prepare countermeasures.”

“...Okay. You don’t have to rub it in. What are you going to do with it? I don’t know if you’ve got enough time to do something big, even if I’d told you guys earlier.”

“It shall be given to Nurr and her elite squad, most likely.”

I frown. “They’re fighting with us?”

…Wait, that’s a pretty solid idea! As far as I knew, it was only going to be Zoe and I fighting the Viltrumite. Between my constructs, back-up just isn’t necessary. I don’t want any of their deaths on my conscience, which they will be if they fight.

“You don’t need to make an emitter or anything, or turn any of your warriors into emitters,” I say. Just for show, I make a boombox and play the frequency through it. “It’s fine. Zoe and I will be enough. In fact, they’d be deadweight… respectfully, of course.”

Relsa turns away from the console. “...Understood. I will help coordinate evacuation efforts, then.”

The door slides shut behind her. Honestly, this whole thing was pretty abrupt, but we don’t have time. I look down at myself again. The green sections of the jacket gleam beneath the laboratory lights. I wonder, though. How strong even am I now? Compared to Omni-Man, or Mark and The Immortal.

Based on available data, Lantern’s tech jacket enhanced output exceeds Mark Grayson. Roughly more powerful than The Immortal, though inferior to Omni-Man.

My eyebrows shoot up. I guess that puts Zoe somewhere between Mark and The Immortal, then? That’s certainly a jump. What if I amp myself with my Mjölnir construct? Granted, with the amount of meditation I’ve been doing, I doubt I need either it or Crazy Diamond anymore, but the nerd in me enjoys pulling out pop culture stuff.

Insufficient data for precise comparison. Estimated maximum physical output is within the lower range demonstrated by Nolan Grayson during your previous engagement.

I straighten. Lower range? As in I’m actually in the same fucking ballpark now? Granted, he was probably rusty as shit and not going entirely all-out on Earth, but still. That’s pretty high up the Viltrumite ladder, right?

Data not found.

“...Goddamn.” I hear the doors hiss open again. “Hey, so, Doc—”

“Relsa’s gone.”

I swallow my words as Zoe walks in. She runs her eyes over my new suit.

I grin and spread my arms. “Well?”

“...Not half-bad,” she says, cracking a smirk. “So, how much stronger are you?”

“You mean how much stronger than you I am, right?”

Her eyes narrow.

“A lot,” I laugh. “My ring says you’re somewhere between Invincible and The Immortal.”

…Though Mark is holding himself back to a degree, so it’s not really an accurate read anyway. Though considering she beats like two Invincible variants in a year’s time, it might not be that far off an estimate either.

“I’m stronger than both of them, and with my ring I can amp myself enough to tussle with Omni-Man a little bit.”

“...Omni-Man, huh.” The irritation falls off her face as she blinks. “Yeah, actually, I’ve got a fuck-ton of questions for you about him.”

I smile grimly. “I figured.”

“For one, I’m starting to think Omni-Man wasn’t under mind control like the news says.”

“You would be correct… unfortunately.”

Cecil’ll forgive me for this, right? Even if he doesn’t, I need Zoe’s head in the game, which means telling her the truth about the Viltrumites. At least as much as I can, anyway. I think I’ll keep the number of people in-the-know about those other weaknesses on a need-to-know basis.

“...Seriously?” Zoe says, baulking a little. “Just like that?”

“Did you think I was going to lie?”

“No, I—” Zoe gestures vaguely. “I don’t fucking know! I wasn’t expecting to be right!”

She starts pacing.

“I thought you’d tell me I was being stupid or that this guy’s some rogue Viltrumite or whatever. Because that’s what I thought back on the ship! You see a Viltrumite, and suddenly you’re shitting bricks, and I’m thinking, why? Aren’t they the fucking good guys?”

“Yeah, about that…”

“What about the World Betterment Committee and their perfect society? They send their people out to help less developed planets. Omni-Man comes to Earth because Viltrum wants to help us advance and all that shit. That’s the story! And then somebody mind-controls him into murdering the Guardians and levelling half of Chicago, he breaks free and starts helping the government find whoever did it.” She throws both hands up. “Except now I’m on an alien planet where everybody hears the word ‘Viltrumite’ and immediately starts preparing for an invasion!”

Zoe stops pacing and points towards the door Relsa left through.

“And then you start talking about them occupying the planet! The king doesn’t go, ‘What the fuck are you talking about, Green Lantern? The World Betterment Committee is lovely!’”

Despite myself, I snort at the mental image.

“This isn’t funny!”

“The king saying that was.”

She shakes her head and keeps going. “And then you pull a fucking anti-Viltrumite frequency out of your ass!”

“...My ring isn’t in my ass, but okay.”

“Whatever! So, what actually happened?”

I lean back against the platform. “What do you want to know?”

“All of it! Omni-Man! Viltrum! Pick a fucking starting point!”

“...Okay, well, for one, the World Betterment Committee doesn’t exist. Viltrum isn’t sending people around the galaxy out of the goodness of their hearts. It’s a conquering empire. Omni-Man was sent to Earth to prepare it for Viltrumite takeover.”

Zoe stares at me. “...He was sent to conquer us?”

“Eventually, yeah.”

“Twenty fucking years ago?”

“They live a long time. Twenty years is nothing to them.”

“...B-But what the fuck was he doing for twenty years?!”

“Being Omni-Man. Viltrumites are pretty violent, but violence isn’t actually their first option. He spent time understanding the world and seeing if this could be done peacefully. Which is when he had Invincible and spent twenty years basically being a hero.”

“While secretly planning to conquer everybody.”

“Yep.”

“...Holy fuck.” She collapses into a chair. “That is insane. So the Guardians…”

My smile disappears. “...Yeah. He killed them.”

“No mind control?”

I shake my head.

“...Chicago?”

“Also no mind control,” I whisper.

“Jesus.”

I let her think in peace. Better she gets this out of her now before the battle.

“So he was evil the whole time,” she finally mutters.

“...I wouldn’t put it like that. Sort of, but no?“

“...Dude, you just told me he murdered the Guardians of the Globe so aliens could conquer Earth. Am I missing something?”

“The part where he didn’t do it.”

Her eyebrows pull together. “What?”

“He tried to, don’t get me wrong. That’s what Chicago was, but he did stop.”

…Mostly because we stopped him, but she doesn’t need to know that. Plus, it’d make this a lot longer than I’d like.

“Why?”

“Invincible fought back and refused to join him. He couldn’t kill his son and realised he couldn’t go through with any of it. Now he’s cooperating with us.”

She looks at me incredulously.

“Look, he chose Earth in the end.”

“After all that?”

“And everyone just... forgave him?”

I laugh. “Fuck no.”

“Then why is he free?”

“That’s complicated.”

“Everything about this is complicated! The government covered up the truth!”

“No matter how you slice it, Earth has a Viltrumite problem now. A really fucking big one. We’ve got our own personal Viltrumite, sort of. And most importantly, he’s willing to fight them.”

Zoe’s eyes narrow. “The government told the entire planet Omni-Man was mind-controlled.”

I sigh. “I’m not saying I agree with it, but it’s better than announcing that Earth’s most powerful superhero was actually an alien infiltrator sent here twenty years ago to conquer us.”

“...When you say it like that.”

“Imagine the panic,” I say grimly.

“Okay, yeah—but this is still fucked. Still, imagine they told everyone that the guy who murdered the Guardians is walking around again because he pinky-promised not to do it anymore,” Zoe says, snorting. “That’s basically what you’re telling me.”

“...I mean, you’re not wrong, but there’s a lot of nuance that you’re missing!”

“Not much from where I’m standing.” A smile twitches at the corner of her mouth before disappearing again. She exhales through her nose. “Fucking hell. My dad loves Omni-Man. He has one of those moustache mugs.”

I stare at her. “...Okay, that’s fucking awesome.”

“I think I’m going to smash it when I get home.”

“Hey, hey! Don’t punish the innocent mug for Omni-Man’s crimes!” I chuckle a little. “...You know what I just told you doesn’t leave this room, right? Whether you agree with the government or not, telling everyone doesn’t bring the Guardians back. This has to stay a secret.”

She sighs. “...Fine. My lips are sealed.”

“...Fuck. I still can’t believe we’re about to fight a Viltrumite,” I mutter as I massage my temples.

Zoe grins. “Unfortunately, the fake ones were out of stock.”

“Horrible joke from you. Go die.”

“...I just might today. Do you know if he’s stronger than Omni-Man?”

…I doubt the Viltrumite up there was Conquest or Thragg, right? Surely the universe wouldn’t be that goddamn cruel to me.

“I doubt it,” I say slowly. “Omni-Man’s pretty strong as far as Viltrumites go. The odds that the Viltrumite’s weaker than him are much better, I think.”

“...Great,” she says, slumping over in relief.

“But the chance that he’s stronger isn’t exactly zero.”

Zoe sits up ramrod and glares at me. “...Why would you even speak that into existence?!”

“What happened to needing the truth?” I say mockingly.

“Selective truth!”

I laugh in her face.

“...At least there’s two of us,” she mutters. “And now you’ve got a tech jacket.”

“Substantially stronger than you at my peak, too.”

She gives me a scathing look. “...You keep rubbing that in and I’ll let the Viltrumite kill you.”

“Nah, you’d miss me too much.”

“Pfft. I’d take your rings.”

“Who says they’d even work for you?”

“I’ve got plenty of willpower!”

…She isn’t wrong. Maybe I should make her a lantern at some point. I doubt she needs it now, but food for thought once we get back to Earth.

“Seriously. Don’t die,” Zoe says as she walks to the door. “I’d miss you if you did.”

I jog after her. “Aww! That makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Gonna declare your undying love for me as your saviour? Make that space romance of yours come true?”

“...S-Shut up!”

I cackle as we leave the room, feeling none of the trepidation I ought to feel. I guess what they say about power going to the head is every bit as true as expected.

【—〄—】

The Viltrumite floats above the capital, below his warship. It hangs high enough that I could probably cover the whole thing with my thumb if I held it out, but that doesn’t make the sight any less ominous. Smaller ships surround it by the dozens, drifting away from the cruiser and spreading across Gelderia’s sky.

…So much for hoping he came alone. Hundreds of Gelderian warriors line the ground below us. Zoe and I are in the front, level with the palace, with Nurr and her squad of warriors from my boot camp.

Zoe floats beside me. “That’s one big fucking ship.”

“How many people do you reckon are on it?”

“Don’t know.”

“Thousands?”

“Zoe.”

“...Right. Sorry.”

The Viltrumite’s voice booms across the city. I can’t see any kind of megaphone, but the cruiser is probably broadcasting him somehow because the sound feels like it’s coming down from the sky itself.

“People of Gelderia. Your war with the Kresh is over.”

…Well. That’s one way of putting it.

“The Viltrum Empire has tolerated this conflict for long enough. Your continued resistance has demonstrated the inability of the Kresh to bring your world to order. Viltrum will therefore assume direct authority over Gelderia.”

I glance towards the palace behind us. His Majesty stands at the top of the steps in his armour with General Vasel and a bunch of other important-looking people around him. I don’t think he’s going to fight, but a king sort of needs to be seen on the frontline in some capacity for morale, right?

“Your military will disarm. Your ruling family will surrender itself to Imperial custody. All facilities involved in the manufacture and study of your armour will be transferred to Viltrumite control.”

Zoe slowly turns her head towards me. “...You weren’t fucking kidding.”

“Wish I was,” I mutter.

“The Kresh will assist in the transition of authority. Any Gelderian who complies will be permitted to continue their life under the protection of the Empire.”

A few angry voices rise around us at that. Protection, yeah, right.

“Any who resist will be treated as enemies of the Viltrum Empire.”

I flex my fingers into fists. The gauntlets move like they’re not even there. The jacket’s strength is dialled all the way up. I can feel my heart hammer faster, not out of fear. At least, not entirely out of fear, anyway. The Viltrumite isn’t Conquest, Thragg, or anyone terrifying that I can recognise, and all of that’s leading me to believe that we can fucking do this!

“The people of Gelderia have endured generations of war rather than surrender their world to the Kresh.” The king’s voice carries across the capital. “We will not surrender it to you.”

“Then you have made your choice.” The Viltrumite in the sky unfolds his arms. “...Terran.”

So he was looking at me. At this distance, I couldn’t tell.

“We will speak once this is over.”

…Yeah, alright, buddy. I flip him the bird and feel my helmet snap around my head in time to catch the sneer on his face in ultra HD.

The ships around the cruiser move.

Hundreds of them descend at once.

“Here they come!” General Vasel roars from behind us. “Attack!”

The Gelderians launch into the sky. Multi-coloured streaks cut through the afternoon sky. Nurr and her squad shoot past first, and then everyone else. The smaller ships open fire before they even meet. Bright streaks of light tear down towards the city, destroying occupantless homes. All the civilians have been safely hidden away in bunkers thanks to teleportation pads.

Zoe rises beside me. “...H-Here he comes!”

The Viltrumite dives straight at us. I raise my glowing right fist, creating three boomboxes.

Zoe looks at the nearest one. “...Seriously?”

“It’s a tried and tested method. Watch this!”

The Viltrumite gets maybe halfway down, trying to strike out against the boomboxes. Unluckily for him, my ring’s AI has got a power boost of its own. The boomboxes don’t need manual control anymore, nor does leaving the manoeuvring to my ring take from my charge.

His entire body jerks as the frequency hits him.

“GRAAGH!”

He drops out of the sky, one knee slamming into the ground while both his hands fly to his head. Slowly, the Viltrumite forces himself onto his feet, growling through chattering teeth.

“Y-You—”

Green light erupts from my hand, and Mjölnir drops into my ready and waiting palm, power flooding through my body.

Current Charge: 79%

I loose my grip and take the hammer by the leather strap as I spin it.

Zoe gives me a second look underneath her helmet. “W-Wait… is that—!”

The ground crunches under my feet. I hurtle forwards, her words snatched by the wind. I swing the hammer straight up into his jaw. I don’t even feel the impact. He’s just gone. I stop dead in the air, watching a vague shape smash through building after building. My mouth falls open at the straight line of destruction tearing through the empty district.

My boomboxes hurtle after his body. He finally disappears into the side of a building far down the street. The entire front caves in around him. I stare at the hard-light hammer in my hand.

“…Holy shit,” I mutter.

I did that.

I did that!

“Haha..”

I can’t help but fucking laugh.

Zoe shoots past me. “Stop jerking yourself off and move!”

“I’m appreciating the upgrade!”

“Appreciate it later!”

She rockets towards the ruined building. I follow her a second later, tearing past my boomboxes well before we reach him. The Viltrumite bursts free once we’re halfway there, snarling and covered in dust, too. A thin line of red runs from his nose. He wipes it with the back of his hand and looks down at the blood before pinning his eyes on me.

He rockets forward.

“Zoe!”

“I see him!”

The Viltrumite swings on her, and she ducks. Once his fist passes over her head, she catches his wrist with both hands. Before he can react, she twists beneath his arm, plants one foot against his stomach, and uses his own momentum to throw him straight over herself. He bounces across the street, demolishing another perfectly fine building.

Zoe aims her right arm as the metal beneath splits and a large cylinder unfolds beneath the limb. A blue-white blast screeches into existence in front of it, surging out in the form of a beam that brings the rest of the building down on him.

The Viltrumite erupts out of the smoke. Zoe fires again without a moment’s hesitation, but he dodges the beam, twisting around it. I throw Mjölnir into his blindside, sending him skipping over rooftops. I chase after him, pumping just enough charge into my boomboxes so that they’re not lagging too far behind. I smash my hammer into his forearm, and the shockwave rattles me through my armour. His eyes snap towards me.

“...Hi.” I switch Mjölnir over to my left hand and drive my knee into his stomach. He folds, sagging to the perfect angle for another hammer to face.

The Viltrumite grunts as he falls between two buildings and hits the ground.

My boomboxes plunge down the gap, keeping him on his knees long enough for Zoe to dive down and kick his legs out from under him. Mjölnir carries him off before he can hit the ground. From up here, I watch him burst through the opposite side of a building, smashing my hammer to pieces between his hands. While he does find me, he flies strangely, listing slightly to one side before correcting himself with a concussive boom.

I create my Mjölnir construct again and surge into the air. He changes direction way too fast, taking me completely by surprise. I throw Mjölnir, but the hammer misses, caving in someone’s roof. I summon it back knowing it won’t make it back to me in time.

“Shit—!”

His fist slams into my stomach. My entire field of vision flashes completely white. My back hits something that breaks, then it hits something again. My vision returns to me as I punch through building after building, spinning entirely against my free will. Finally some kind of structure stops me, though the impact shudders it to the foundations.

I double over on my knees, clutching my stomach. Fucking ow…

Impact absorbed. No significant injury detected.

I cough up what feels like a lung and straighten slowly, feeling myself out. My armour isn’t even dented… oddly, I’m not even bleeding. At least, I can’t taste any blood in my mouth despite how hard he hit me. I look through the hole my body made in the wall. All the way down the street, the Viltrumite floats exactly where he punched me. Zoe stops between us in the distance.

My HUD zooms in, showing me every inch of the imperious smile of his. Underneath my helmet, I grin back, my ego having been punched through a building or two.

…Or seven.

Clearly this isn’t going to be as easy as I thought.

Thought it’d be a bit evil if I blue-balled you guys without getting some action. So, behold! The first bit of the fight and the Viltrumite/Kresh invasion of Gelderia. I don’t see this arc going on for too long. Naturally, Gelderia has sent off a messenger to Earth to deliver the good news. This is still firmly in that peaceful gap between Season 1 and Season 2. For plot reasons, I need Ozzy back on Earth after Angstrom’s plan goes horrifyingly wrong.

That said, no filler. I’ve got an interesting way to bring back the wider space stuff at the beginning of the arc + get into some of the ripples resulting from Ozzy’s choices so far.

I hope you enjoy this, but it’s back to DxD till Friday! ^^

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