Reflections And Advancements

(Mark's POV)

The hospital was quiet except for the soft beeping of machines and the faint murmur of nurses in the hallway. I stood by Dad's bed, watching his chest rise and fall with the rhythm of the ventilator. 

His face was pale, almost ghostly, and the sight of him like this twisted my stomach into knots. This man, who I'd always seen as invincible, now lay broken and vulnerable. The irony of it all wasn't lost on me after choosing my code name.

Carter had left not long ago. I wasn't sure where he'd gone, and part of me didn't want to know. He always had this way of disappearing when things got too heavy, as if he couldn't stand to be in one place or just idle for too long. It reminded me of when we were kids, and my parents almost had Carter tested for ADHD.

I felt like I should say something, but the words just wouldn't come. What do you say to someone who's supposed to be the strongest man on Earth when they're lying in a hospital bed, fighting for their life?

I took a deep breath, trying to keep it together. But the thoughts kept creeping in. Carter and I had fought side by side today, just like Dad would've wanted. 

We stopped the invasion, saved the city… but I couldn't shake the feeling that I was just along for the ride. Carter was always so damn sure of himself, always a step ahead, even when the odds were against us. And me? I was struggling just to keep up. I feel stupid for keeping myself down because Carter wouldn't want me to do that. But woe is Invincible.

I couldn't help but replay the battle in my head. Carter had jumped through those portals without hesitation, taking the fight to the Flaxans on their turf. I wanted to follow and back him up, but I hesitated. It was only for a second, but it felt like an eternity. When I finally did catch up, it was already over. Carter had sent them packing, closed the portals, and saved the day. 

I clenched my fists, the feeling of inadequacy gnawing at me. I should have been right there with him, but I was barely holding my own against the stragglers. 

It wasn't that I didn't want to be better; I did. I trained and pushed myself, but no matter how hard I tried, Carter was always ahead, always stronger, faster, and more decisive. He didn't even have any experience like Dad's. He just… was better, faster, stronger.

The sound of footsteps pulled me out of my thoughts. Mom walked in, her face a mask of exhaustion and worry. She looked at Dad, then at me, and I could see the pain in her eyes. This was tearing her apart. 

"How's he doing?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

I shrugged, not trusting myself to speak. I didn't have an answer that would make this any easier.

She nodded as if she understood and came to stand beside me. We just stood there momentarily, and neither of us said anything. There was nothing to say that hadn't already been said.

"Mark," she finally spoke, her tone gentle but firm, "you should go home and get some rest. There's nothing more you can do here tonight. Carter already left, saying he has some schoolwork to finish up."

I wanted to argue, stay, and do anything, but I knew she was right. I was exhausted, physically and mentally. But the idea of going home, of leaving Dad like this, felt wrong.

"What about you?" I asked, not wanting to leave her here alone.

She gave me a small, sad smile. "I'll be fine. I'll stay with him. Go on, Mark. You need to take care of yourself too. Besides, this isn't my first rodeo, nor is it my first time patching him back together. I'll be fine."

Reluctantly, I nodded. "Okay. … call me if anything changes?"

"I will," she promised.

As I left the hospital room, I couldn't shake the feeling of inadequacy. I was supposed to be a hero, but right now, I felt like anything but.

(Carter's POV)

The walk home from the hospital was a blur. My mind was elsewhere, sifting through a dozen thoughts at once. The battle with the Flaxans, the aftermath, and the uneasy conversation with Robot all churned in my head like a storm.

Mark was probably beating himself up over Dad's condition, but I knew better. None of this was his fault. If anything, it was just bad timing.

Mom's voice rang in my ears, telling Mark to go home and rest, but I had no intention of doing that. Not when there was still work to be done. 

I needed to be ready for the next threat and to do that; I needed to establish a foothold somewhere no one would think to look. The Flaxan dimension was as good a place as any. It would also serve as an excellent place to train or a place. Or, as a place, I could relocate fights I don't want to damage the planet.

I changed direction, heading not toward home but to a secluded area just outside the city limits. Once I was sure no one was watching, I activated my dimensional travel ability, and soon, a large green portal appeared in front of me.

The portal flickered to life, a swirling mass of green energy humming with a low, resonant frequency. I took a deep breath and stepped through, bracing myself for the familiar, disorienting sensation of dimensional travel. 

On the other side, the Flaxan world stretched before me, a harsh, arid landscape bathed in the dim light of a dying sun. The ground was littered with the remains of the forces I'd decimated earlier. I scanned the area to ensure that the immediate vicinity was clear before moving further in.

This place was a wasteland, but it had potential. The Flaxans were resourceful if nothing else, and their technology was worth salvaging. If I could repurpose it, I could build something here: a base, a command center, a lab of my own. The very thought of my own lab was exciting.

As I moved through the ruins, I came across what seemed to be the remnants of a command center. The structure was still mostly intact, a testament to the durability of Flaxan engineering. It was a start.

I spent the following few hours clearing out debris and scavenging what I could. The Flaxans had been a militaristic society, with tech that focused heavily on conquest and warfare. Their weapons, defenses, and data systems were still functional, needing serious upgrades. But I will say that they were more advanced than the average earth society by a longshot.

Fortunately, I was more than capable of handling that. 

Once I'd secured the area and set up a basic perimeter, I began working on a more permanent base of operations. I needed somewhere stable that met my needs, and thankfully, my tech jacket had just the thing.

As I will, my tech jack to activate it soon began to spread out across the ground. Its machinery created a base from all the materials I had gathered from all the destroyed cities around me.

While doing this, I also checked the planet for any more life signs, and sure enough, there was nothing left unless the flaxen existed on other planets; they weren't coming back.

As I worked, I couldn't help but think about Mark. He had so much potential but was too focused on what he thought he should be, on living up to Dad's legacy. 

A more prideful part of me blames myself for being superior to him, which definitely doesn't seem to be helping his self-image. But I knew he'd grow out of it eventually; he just needed to find his footing.

But for now, I need to think of a design for my homebase, and I need to work on integrating the immortal's powers, as well as maybe even the duplicate woman who I managed to grab a couple of hairs off during our impromptu city cleaning.

(Mark's POV)

Back home, the house felt empty without Dad's presence. Mom tried to keep things normal, but I could see the strain in her eyes, the way her hands trembled when she thought I wasn't looking. 

I sat in my room, staring at the ceiling, replaying the day over and over again. Carter's words echoed in my head, the way he always seemed so sure of himself, so damn confident. 

I wanted that. I wanted to be the hero people could rely on, like Dad. But the more I tried, the more it felt like I was falling short.

I could hear Mom downstairs, moving around, probably trying to distract herself with chores before heading back to check on Dad. I knew she was worried about me, too, but I didn't want to talk about it. 

What was I supposed to say? I felt like I was constantly living in Carter's shadow, and no matter what I did, I couldn't catch up. I was afraid I'd never be the hero Dad was.

I sighed, closing my eyes and willing the thoughts away. I had to be stronger for her, for Dad… for myself.

(Carter's POV)

As I finished setting up the first layer of defenses around the base, I took a moment to look out over the desolate landscape. I will probably need to create some terraforming technology, as I don't want to look out onto a desert world every time I go outside.

I could create some type of life seed or something to change the atmosphere to produce more carbon-based life forms rapidly. Honestly, I just have so many ideas coursing through my brain so quickly it's almost hard to keep track of them.

I activated the surveillance systems, tapping into the remaining Flaxan networks. There was still much to do: automated defenses, enhanced sensors, weapon systems, but I had time. For now, this place was secure. 

More importantly, it was mine. I also made sure to change all the passwords and encrypt nearly every aspect of my base. By the end of it, you would need a password just to use the restroom if you weren't me, that is.

I opened the portal back to Earth, stepping through and into the night. The familiar sights and sounds of home greeted me, starkly contrasting with the alien world I had just left behind.

After exiting the portal, I immediately teleported back home, and the house was quiet. Mark was probably asleep, and Mom was still at the hospital with Dad. I made my way to my room, the day's events still fresh in my mind. 

As I lay down, my mental exhaustion finally caught up with me. I couldn't help but think about what Eve had said about how I reminded her of Robot.

Maybe she was right. Perhaps I was more like him than I realized. But that didn't bother me. Because, unlike Mark, unlike Dad, I wasn't just focused on being a hero. I was focused on winning and making sure that nothing, and no one, could threaten what I cared about ever again.

With that thought, I closed my eyes, already planning my next move. That being said, I am going to need to stop Robot from freeing the Mauler twins, but for now, it's nap time. I will also need to see if the monopoly man is willing to sell some inventions of mine. I have to start somewhere after all, so why not start in the civilian sector.