Father vs Son Pt.2

Floating in the Arctic's freezing air, Mark exhaled slowly, the condensation barely forming before the harsh winds carried it away. His father was still kneeling in the crater below, panting, blood dripping from the corners of his mouth. The snow beneath them had long since been stained red, the battle so far one-sided, but still, Nolan's glare remained defiant.

Mark wasn't thinking about his father in that moment, though.

The Flaxans.

For the longest time, he had ignored the weight pressing down on his chest whenever he thought about what he had done. The genocide. The absolute decimation of an entire species. No—an entire civilization.

At the time, he had justified it. It had been necessary. The Flaxans were a threat to Earth. If he had let them escape, they would have kept coming back, stronger each time, until they eventually overwhelmed the planet. Eliminating them at the source had been the simplest solution.

But simplest didn't mean right.

Now, standing over his beaten father, the weight of that choice bore down on him like never before. If he had been as strong as he was now, maybe he could've handled it differently. Maybe he could have led them to an uninhabited world. Given them an ultimatum. Negotiated a peace treaty.

If he had spent even half the effort he was spending now trying to change the Viltrum Empire, he could've found another way.

'But I didn't'.

He had chosen the easier path. The violent path. And it worked.

That was the worst part.

Destroying their entire civilization had been the most efficient way to solve the problem. The thought of that made his stomach churn, because deep down, he knew that in his weakest moments, when he was cornered with no other options, he might do it again.

The Mark from Invincible—the one he had read about in comics in his past life—had taken the Viltrum Empire and transformed it into something better. He had turned conquerors into allies. He had led them into a new era.

Could he do the same?

Could he lead his empire down a better path? Or was he destined to take the easiest road, even when it was paved in blood?

He shook the thoughts away. He didn't have time to linger on the past. Right now, he had to deal with the present. He had to deal with his father.

XXX

Nolan wiped the blood from his lips, his healing already working overtime. He took slow, measured breaths, gauging Mark carefully now. The arrogance he once had—the belief that he was unrivaled on this planet—was gone. In its place was something he hadn't felt in a while.

Caution. Wariness. Fear.

For the first time in a while, Nolan knew—he had lost.

But there was something deeper than pain in Nolan's expression.

Confusion. Conflict. Doubt.

Mark had to press that doubt.

Before Nolan convinced himself otherwise.

Nolan's nostrils flared. He shot forward, moving in less than a blink, his fist swinging like a meteor toward Mark's face.

Mark caught his father's entire forearm with one hand.

Nolan's eyes widened in shock.

Mark didn't hesitate—he drove his knee straight into his father's ribs.

A sickening CRACK echoed through the air as Nolan's bones snapped. He staggered back, choking on his own blood, his breath coming in short, gasping pants.

Mark didn't let up. Before Nolan could recover, Mark slammed a hammer-fist into his chest, sending him cratering into the frozen ground. But, Nolan flew back to Mark continuing to throw punches.

It was not a contest.

"You think you're better than thousands of years of Viltrumite history?" Nolan growled, his voice filled with frustration.

"No," Mark replied. "But, I think the future of Viltrumites could be better."

As they fought, Mark continued to make his case. "Every planet Viltrum conquers is another potential enemy. Do you really think the Viltrumites as a species can survive if we keep making the universe hate us?"

Nolan's strikes grew more desperate, his anger boiling over. "That's why we need Earth! They're the most compatible species for Viltrumite DNA. We can rebuild our numbers here!"

Mark sidestepped Nolan's punch, delivering a fist to his face and breaking Nolan's nose.

"And we don't have to conquer them to do that," Mark said, his voice steady. "We can cooperate. Share resources. Build relationships. We don't have to repeat the mistakes of the past."

Nolan fell to his knees, gasping for air. Mark floated down, standing over him. "I know you love Mom," Mark said quietly. "And I know you love me. So why are you so willing to throw it all away for a broken empire?"

Nolan looked up at him, his eyes filled with a mix of rage and sorrow. "You don't understand…"

"I do," Mark interrupted.

Then Mark pulled something out of his suit—a wrist device.

"This," Mark said, holding it up, "is a prototype I've been working on. A device that halts aging."

Nolan's eyes widened.

"You're lying," he whispered.

Mark smirked. "You always said humans are insignificant because they die too quickly. What if they didn't? What if Mom could live as long as we do?"

That hit its mark.

Nolan staggered, the weight of the revelation crashing into him like a meteor.

For decades, he had forced himself to see humans as temporary—a fleeting moment in the vast timeline of his life.

But now, for the first time, there was a possibility that he wouldn't have to leave Debbie behind.

That she could be with him forever.

Mark saw the hesitation in his father's eyes.

"This is just the beginning," Mark said. "If we work together, we don't have to conquer Earth. We can evolve Viltrum into something better."

Nolan's hands trembled as he took the device.

For the first time in his life, he felt something dangerous.

Hope.

"And I have a plan. But you're not going to like it." Mark said.

Nolan's eyes narrowed. "What plan?"

Mark's smirk was faint but resolute. "A coup d'état."

.

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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.