Father vs Son

The sun hung low in the sky, casting warm hues across the city as Mark Grayson sat on his bed, scrolling through a web novel on his phone. After weeks of nonstop activity—building his company, fighting crime, and dealing with everything in between—he relished these moments of peace. For a few minutes, at least, he could pretend he wasn't burdened with the weight of superpowers, interdimensional threats, and a father who was hiding a dangerous secret.

As he flipped the page of the story, a faint beep broke through the quiet. Mark's plain wristwatch, seemingly ordinary, began glowing red and vibrating. In an instant, it transformed into a sleek, high-tech device. The watch was linked to a microscopic drone he had discreetly placed on Robot during his visit to the Guardians HQ with Amanda. Cloaked with magic to evade detection, the drone had been lying dormant, waiting for any sign of contact with the Mauler Twins.

And now, the wait was over.

Mark grinned to himself, watching the live feed as Robot showed the twins a vial of blood inside a dimly lit warehouse. 'Finally,' he thought. 'Time to deal with this before it becomes a bigger issue'.

With a simple thought, Mark's casual clothes morphed into his Invincible suit. Activating a cloaking spell, he leapt out of his bedroom window, flying quickly through the evening sky toward the Mauler Twins' location.

Hovering high above the warehouse, Mark used his X-ray vision to observe the scene inside. Robot stood with the Mauler Twins near a large regeneration chamber and memory transfer table, a blueprint for his plans for his new body spread out on a nearby table. The twins bickered, as always, about who was the clone, while Robot attempted to maintain order.

Mark smirked. 'If I'm being honest, I would've taken out the Mauler Twins weeks ago so that Robot wouldn't have even gotten the idea to create a new body', he thought. 'But I need them alive for Angstrom Levy to show up.'

His eyes landed on the chamber—a critical piece of equipment the twins would need to create new bodies to transfer their memories into. 'I can't mess with the transfer device since Angstrom might need it, but I can sabotage the chamber.'

Using his heat vision, Mark targeted a pipe connected to the chamber. With precision, he fired, causing a controlled explosion that shook the warehouse. The blast knocked the Mauler Twins and Robot off their feet, sending the vial of blood crashing to the floor.

"What the hell?!" one twin yelled, scrambling to his feet.

"This is YOUR fault, clone!" the other snapped. "You're too incompetent to follow basic safety protocols!"

"ENOUGH!" Robot's mechanical voice cut through their argument as he stood. His sensors scanned the area, but Mark's cloaking spell rendered him invisible. "I'll return with another sample. Continue working on the device and do not fail me. If you do, I'll build a prison under the sea and lock you both inside."

With that, Robot turned and left the warehouse, completely unaware of Mark's presence.

Mark remained in the sky, watching Robot leave. 'That should buy me some time,' he thought. 'But eventually, I'll still have to deal with Robot hopefully, after Levy comes. And while I'm at it, I should dig up the Immortal's body before the twins get any ideas. I can use his DNA for my own research into immortality and see if I can grant it'.

Returning home, Mark could feel the tension in the air. Debbie sat in the living room, flipping through a magazine with feigned nonchalance. Nolan was in his study, the faint sound of typing echoing down the hallway. Mark had noticed Debbie's growing suspicion of his father. She hid it well, but the subtle changes in her demeanor didn't escape his notice.

Mark made his way to Nolan's study, his expression calm. Knocking lightly, he stepped inside, finding his father seated at his desk, typing on his laptop. The sight was quite domestic.

"What's wrong?" Nolan asked, looking up from his screen.

Mark stared at him for a moment before responding. "I know the truth. We need to talk."

Nolan's eyes narrowed. "What truth?"

Mark's voice was steady, unwavering. "Suit up. Arctic. One minute." Without waiting for a response, he flew out of the window, the cold wind whipping against his face as he ascended.

Behind him, he could hear the familiar rush of Nolan's flight as his father followed.

XXX

The Arctic wasteland was silent, the only sounds were the faint whistle of wind and the crunch of snow beneath their boots. Mark floated in place, arms crossed, as Nolan landed a few feet away.

"You said you know the truth," Nolan began, his tone guarded. "So, let's hear it."

Mark didn't mince words. "I know about the Viltrum Empire. The Coalition of Planets told me everything."

Nolan's expression darkened. "The Coalition? They're nothing but roadblocks—pests that hinder the progress Viltrum brings to the universe. They don't understand what we're doing."

"And what are you doing, exactly?" Mark asked, his voice laced with skepticism.

Nolan straightened, his tone shifting to one of conviction. "We conquer planets, yes. But we bring order. Stability. We help weaker civilizations reach their full potential. That's what Viltrum is about—progress."

Mark nodded slowly. "If that's true, then yeah, the Coalition is a roadblock. I get it."

Nolan's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "You… agree?"

"For the most part," Mark continued, his tone neutral. "But your methods are flawed. Brutality and subjugation don't inspire progress—they create enemies. Enemies who will stop at nothing to destroy us."

The brief glimmer of hope in Nolan's eyes faded, replaced by a simmering anger. "So you're against me," he said, his voice low.

"I'm not against you, Dad," Mark said. "I'm against the way the Empire operates. We don't need to conquer Earth or any other planet. We should be forming alliances, sharing technology, and working together to build a better future. That's how we ensure Viltrum's survival."

Nolan's fists clenched. "You're naive. You don't understand what's at stake."

"Then make me understand," Mark challenged.

Nolan's response was a powerful blow aimed at Mark's jaw. Mark blocked it effortlessly, his expression unchanging. "I was hoping we could just talk this out without the fighting, but if this is how you want to do it…"

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Author's Notes:

Be sure to check out my p*tr-eon where you get early access to my chapter and you'll be able to talk to me as I'm writing the story. You'll be giving me ideas I can incorporate into the story or feedback as I am a new writer so their make be plot points or mistakes that I haven't thought about. My p*tr-eon name is Bahgoat25.