Mark knelt on the ground. The person in front looked down at him with a strange expression, not having guessed that he would ever do that. It was ridiculous and unfounded, very unlike Mark. Or was it? He clasped his hands together and looked up at his mother, as if begging for his life.
"I'm begging you... Please, Mom, become CEO. It's either you or I who tries to do the paperwork, and trust me, that ends with bankruptcy and probably arson. In fact, it already did."
Debbie crossed her arms, a glass of wine still in her hand. Her eyes were red, though she tried to mask them with a glare.
"Mark, this is ridiculous. I'm not some business tycoon. I'm just... tired. And this wine is the only thing that—"
"—Nope, already dumped the bottles," Mark cut her off, wagging a finger. "Not letting my mom turn into the neighbourhood wino. So the only job left is CEO. Congratulations, you've been promoted."
"Mark, you can't just fix everything with jokes."
"I wasn't joking. This is a matter of national security. If you don't do this, people will lose their homes, and those people will have to go away to earn money, while their children live on the streets. This will then raise crime rates and make the neighbourhood worse, which would mean I am needed more, but I don't have the time, because I'm stuck behind a desk, getting paper cuts. Those criminals then band together and attack the Capitol. They march onwards, while the president doesn't do anything, and then, we will have a new government, or none... Anarchy, can you imagine, the third world war, and it will be a worldwide catastrophe."
Debbie pinched the bridge of her nose. "This isn't funny. I'm still angry, I'm still hurting... and now you want me to run a company?"
"Exactly," Mark said. "Because when you hurt, you don't work. And if you don't, you drink. So I pick the lesser evil, and I can't believe I am saying this: paperwork."
Debbie froze. "...What?"
"Yeah. Think about it. You're smart, organised, and you have something that I never will."
"And what's that?" Debbie narrowed her eyes.
"People actually like you, and you could use something to keep your mind busy that doesn't involve silently crying onto the sheets."
"Mark!"
"I'm serious. Look, I'm not made for paperwork. I'd rather get punched through a building than read contracts. But you? You'd actually enjoy making the city better. And we'd be doing more than just patching holes after Dad's mess—we'd be building something. You'd run the company, and I'll just… punch people and carry heavy stuff and... look good, I guess."
Debbie blinked, then gave a tired laugh. "You make it sound so simple."
"It is simple. We buy up crappy blocks, fix 'em, drive crime down. The whole neighbourhood gets safer, and people get better homes. And when criminals pop up, I'll drag their asses to jail. Titan included. And then in the future... we make money. I mean, it's such a good plan, it may as well be a crime."
At the mention of Titan, Debbie stiffened. "Mark… Titan isn't just some thug. He's dangerous."
"Please. He's a walking gravel pit with a brain who thinks he tricked me. I'll handle him." Mark leaned back, smirking. "Besides, Mom, between the two of us, I'm the one with health insurance that actually works."
Debbie shot him a sharp look. "Don't joke about this, Mark. This Titan is ruthless. If he comes after us--"
"He won't do that; he'll be in prison with broken bones and... stuff," Mark interrupted. "You focus on the spreadsheets, I focus on the broken bones. Division of labour."
Debbie sighed. "You think it's that easy. But these aren't just fights in an alley. They're threats, debts, people disappearing..."
"Exactly why you're running Invincible Inc. matters. We rebuild, we clean up, we set an example. Criminals see that, they lose ground. You're stronger than you think, Mom. And if Titan wants round two, I'll do what Zeus did to those like him."
"You need to work on that."
"Yeah, you're right. So what do you say?"
"Sigh... fine, I'll see what I can do."
.
The week rolled on. Under Debbie's eye, Invincible Inc. became something substantial. Mark's absence was felt, but with Debbie and her ideas, the abandoned lots turned into housing projects, and run-down storefronts got new life. Mark would fly by, drop materials faster than any shipping company, and then vanish before the workers could finish blinking.
Whatever Debbie told him, Mark would do, while handling all the crime he came across and breaking bones left and right. The fact that he was back quickly became known in the area. Crime dipped fast. Muggers, thieves and other crooks didn't exactly thrive when Invincible had the block on lock.
And Titan? He didn't like that one bit.
Mark found him in Machine Head's old headquarters. And as is the law, he crashed through the ceiling, announcing his presence that way.
"Yo, Rocky," Mark called, dropping down. "How's community outreach going? Still burning down homes to improve the neighbourhood?"
Titan turned, his fists already stony, having transformed right away when he heard the loud crash. He was jumpy right now, knowing who this was and remembering what happened last time.
"You don't get it. I'm bringing order to the streets. Machine Head is gone, and I'm the one who replaced him. People respect me now. I get to do something for the community and bring real change."
Mark snorted.
"Change? That's what you call it? I remember the last time I dealt with Machine Head. You were there, remember? I walked into his penthouse, slapped him silly, and then tossed him into the garbage. You think you're any smarter? Do you think you're special because you have a wife and daughter? Do you think you're special because you manage to hide the filth while Machine Head didn't bother?"
Titan clenched his fists. He was angry at this, knowing that his family had been there a moment ago, but was now taken to safety thanks to Isotope.
"Machine Head was a cancer to society. He didn't care about others or anyone. He took without giving back and spread fear. I'm different. People respect me. I keep the city in line and allow them to prosper and have actual lives."
"Cute speech. But fear's overused. Stability's the new hot thing, and someone new is running the business now. That means when you mess or try to control crime in the neighbourhood, you mess with Invincible Inc.—and that means you mess with me. Which means, I'll be here and break your bones."
Titan roared and charged, realising that words wouldn't help, his stone fists swinging with all his might. He slammed into Invincible and smashed him on the floor with his maximum force, causing the ground to splinter into cracks that spread across the room. The vibration caused chunks of the ceiling to fall as Titan delivered a series of punches at Invincible. Invincible took them without bothering for a moment, but then, when he had had enough, pushed Titan off.
Titan rolled and ripped up pieces of the fallen concrete, hurling them at Invincible like missiles. Each throw could have flattened a large car, and each swing of his strong stone fists made the walls crack and break. Dust and plaster filled the air as Titan gave his all to do any form of damage. But Mark stood there, arms crossed and unmoving, his eyes following Titan as if he were watching a child throw a tantrum. Every blow rattled the apartment, but Mark only looked disappointed.
Finally, Titan threw another desperate punch straight at Mark's head. Mark caught the fist effortlessly, and with a twist of his wrist, he snapped Titan's arm.
*CRRACK*
"AAAAHHHHHH"
The sickening breaking of Titan's bones and his shout sounded through the building. Suddenly, the door opened, and from the hallway, a small voice cried out, "Daddy!"
Titan's daughter ran into the destroyed apartment, with her mother running after her and pulling her back, horrified. Mark glanced at the girl, but his face didn't change.
"Please, man. They have nothing to do with all of this. Don't hurt them..."
"Who do you think you're talking to?!"
"Urgh... l-listen, I-Invincible. How abou--"
"Please, leave my daddy alone."
"..."
Invincible looked at the girl, the mother and Titan.
"No."
"..."
"This is what happens when you play gangster. People get hurt. And you? You're no exception. Just a cautionary tale. The fact that you have a family is nothing out of the ordinary. What about those who aren't fortunate enough to have powers and can do what you do? What about those who starve all the time? Call me a hypocrite all you want, I don't care."
Without another word, Mark hauled Titan up by his collar and shot out of the building and into the sky. He flew across the sky, and within minutes, Titan was dumped in front of the prison gates, with a broken arm dangling at his side, and a shattered reputation.
"Game over," Mark muttered before taking off again. "If it's any relief for you, I'll make sure your family is taken care of. Like all the other families who can't afford a home for themselves."
By the start of the following week, that is, nine days after he was released from the GDA hospital, Invincible Inc. had already made significant progress.
"Not bad," Mark muttered. "Crime's down, Mom's the boss, and I still get to hit things, while money comes in... eventually. That's what I call working smarter, not harder."
He smirked, hands behind his head.
*Ring ring*
"Urgh, what now?"
*Ring ring*
Mark picked up the phone.
"Me here, who's there?"
"I need you. Now. Hurry."
*beep*
Mark cancelled the call, having felt a shudder run down his back. However, the phone rang again, a second later.
"WHAT?!"
"It's Cecil, you idiot. I know you said you don't want to do this and that you're no hero, but someone's flying towards Earth from deep space. We're still trying to figure out who it is, but..."
"But what?" Mark asked.
"It would be better if we had someone up there to make sure, in case it's Omni-Man."
"..."
"..."
"Can't, I have stuff to do."
*beep*
*Ring ring*
"You're fucking relentless. Alright, I'll go."
Mark put on his costume. He walked down the stairs and saw his mother on the laptop, typing something that seemed important, having to do with Invincible Inc.
"Mom, gotta go to space, something just popped up on Cecil's radar, they're shitting their pants. Be right back."
"Alright, be safe," Debbie said absentmindedly.
"Huh, that was easy."
Mark took off into the sky and zoomed through it until reaching the moon. There he awaited the individual who was supposed to approach them. Who he saw, though, was not Omni-Man; it was someone else.
'Invincible!'
'Oh, Allen the Alien. What're you doing here?'
'Oh, thank heavens! I-I thought I was too late! I have to warn you!'
'Warn me? About what?'
'When I returned to the Coalition of Planets to tell them I'd been going to Earth instead of Urath, they lost their minds! Earth is off limits - there's a Viltrumite living on your planet!'
'...'
'...'
'You came rushing back here, just to tell me that?'
'Well... yeah, wait... You already knew?'
'Boy, have I got a story to tell you.'
'Story?'
'It all started 20 years ago...'