disguises

Author's Note: If you enjoy this story, come check out my Patreon at banmido. I've got many more like this, early access chapters, giveaways, and other fire content.

Chapters up to 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, and 20. are currently available to patrons.

___

The next morning, the halls buzzed with gossip of the previous day and the stink of overcooked school slop.

Naruto walked beside Mark, hoodie down, hands stuffed in his jacket pockets.

Mark broke the silence. "Hey… thanks. For not leaving me behind yesterday, this is the second time you've had to save my ass so far."

"It's fine," Naruto shrugged. "I would've felt bad if my Tekken punching bag died that early on in his superhero career."

Mark chuckled, then winced. "You think you're so good just because you beat me a couple times."

"Eighteen times," Naruto said flatly. "In a row."

Mark's cheeks flushed. "Okay, rematch tonight. No distractions. No cheap grabs either."

"Sure," Naruto said, eyes forward. "Just make sure you don't cry and break the controller this time."

They rounded a corner and spotted Eve ahead, talking with some blonde classmate. The girl laughed at something Eve said, but the moment she spotted the two boys approaching, she slipped away fast. Like she didn't want to be caught third-wheeling whatever this was about to become.

Mark raised a hand, suddenly sheepish at the thought of this encounter.

 "Uh, Eve? Hi."

Eve turned. "Oh hey, Mark, right?" 

"Grayson. Yeah." He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Uhm… thanks for saving me. Back there."

Eve blinked in confusion. "Back where?"

"Yesterday, I mean."

She tilted her head, then her green eyes lit up. "Ohhh. That was you in the blue and yellow."

Mark looked down, a bit embarrassed. "Yeah.. That was me."

He leaned in a little and lowered his voice with his hand near his mouth. "I'm… uh… Invincible."

He immediately cringed. "God, that sounds so dumb when I say it out loud."

Eve smirked. "Dumb? Maybe a little optimistic, if you ask me."

She mimicked his gesture, hand to the side of her mouth, and secretive tone. "I'm Atom Eve."

Then, dropping the act, she added in her regular voice, "But the rest of the team just calls me Eve."

"Yeah," Mark said, awkward. "'Cause it's a normal name and not something like…"

"Invincible?" she offered, deadpan.

Mark sighed. "Yeah. That."

Her gaze flicked to Naruto. "You must be the Maelstrom in the orange and black. Thanks for saving our asses. Without you, we might've lost more people."

Naruto gave a nonchalant peace sign. "No problem."

His face was unreadable. Like he'd already forgotten the whole invasion.

Eve turned back to Mark, her expression softening. "Did you want to talk about it?"

Mark blinked. "Huh?"

"You look like you really need to talk about it, so come with me." Eve said as she pulled Mark in tow towards the rooftop staircase.

Students crowded the hall like ants near a melting candy bar. Somewhere near the lockers, a girl leaned in close to her friend and whispered just loud enough to be heard.

"I heard he let Todd hit him like twenty times. Didn't even flinch. Todd freaked out so bad he stayed home for three whole days."

"And he always walks around with that cute blonde kid, I heard they were cousins or something."

Amber Bennet walked up with a book under one arm, eyes narrowing. "Are you talking about Mark Grayson?"

The girls blinked. "Yeah. And the blonde guy. What, you know them or something?"

Amber didn't answer. She just watched as Mark, Eve, and Naruto climbed the steps to the rooftop, their figures vanishing through the rusted emergency door. She chewed her lip, said nothing, and turned away.

_____

The wind was sharp up top. Concrete grit scraped under their shoes as they stepped onto the roof, the city stretching outwards like a half-finished painting below.

Eve perched on the edge, knees up, fingers tangled in her hair. Naruto slouched against a vent, hood down, orange strings loose, eyes half-lidded. Mark stood awkwardly between them, hands shoved in his pockets.

"I can't believe I never recognized you before," Mark said, glancing at Eve.

"No one does," she replied, arms crossed. "It's a psychology thing. If you don't expect to see a superhero in your school, you don't see a superhero in your school."

"I even follow Teen Team on Instagram," Mark added.

"That's us," Eve said with a cringe. "Everyone's fourth favorite superhero team," 

Mark laughed. "I like you guys way better than Fight Force."

Eve groaned. "Ugh, those guys? Please. They got bodied by the Lizard League last year. Total wipe. It was embarrassing."

Mark's face lit up. "Oh man, I remember that! Saw it on the news. One of them got slapped through a window."

Eve smirked. "That was their leader."

She looked back at him, curious now. "You're new to this, right?"

"Yeah. I just got my powers recently. That alien invasion thing... that was my first real fight."

"Explains a lot," she said, voice softening. She gave his shoulder a quick pat. "But still, not bad for a rookie."

Mark's smile faltered. "Are you kidding? I froze and people got hurt because of me."

"People also got out because of you," Eve said. "And Naruto. Mostly Naruto."

Naruto didn't respond. 

"Everyone freezes their first time," Eve said. "I used to throw up before every fight. Like, actual dry heaving in alleyways."

Mark winced. "Yikes, that's kinda gross"

"What about you?" Eve asked, glancing at Naruto.

He blinked slowly. "I've never froze in battle or thrown up ever."

Mark squinted. "Seriously?"

Naruto nodded. "Centauria might've been a peaceful planet, but we believed it's better to be a warrior in a garden than a gardener in a war."

"Sounds hardcore, unlike me." Mark muttered clearly bummed out.

Eve chuckled. "Don't stress it Mark, you'll get used to it. The fights, I mean. Not the barfing."

Mark looked up at the sky, brows drawn together. "It just... wasn't what I expected. I figured I'd punch some aliens, they'd go home, and I'd be home in time for dinner."

"Not exactly how it looks on TV, huh?" Eve said.

"No shit," Naruto muttered.

Mark chuckled under his breath. "Thanks."

Eve stood, brushing off her jeans. She held out a hand, mock-serious. "Well that'll be $250 an hour for my therapy services."

Mark blinked. "Wait, what?"

She grinned. "I'm kidding. Relax. You really are new at this."

Slinging her backpack over one shoulder, she stepped up onto the ledge. Wind and pink energy began to stir around her feet.

"Why don't you come by after school? Meet the team. You and Naruto."

"No," Naruto said flatly, not even looking up.

"Teen Team? I'm there!" Mark said quickly, trying to cover the awkward silence.

Eve gave a mock salute. "Meet me out front after class. Invincible." She turned to Naruto. "Maelstrom."

With that, she leapt from the ledge and vanished in a streak of pink light across the sky.

Mark stared after her, dopey smile creeping onto his face.

Naruto sighed. "You like her, don't you?"

"W-what? N-no!" Mark stammered.

Naruto smiled slightly. 

"You're so obvious," he muttered.

_______

Cecil walked through the still-smoldering wreckage of downtown, the soles of his boots crunching over broken glass and warped steel. 

Around him, GDA hazmat agents moved in coordinated lines, tagging rubble, hauling alien bodies, sweeping tech debris into reinforced bins.

Robot followed behind him, silent, and scanning the destruction with passive precision.

Cecil scrolled through his phone as they walked. News alerts lit up the screen like a lightshow:

TEEN TEAM VICTORIOUS! City Rejoices as Young Heroes Save the Day. With a Little Help?

ALIENS DEFEATED: Extraterrestrial Threat Taken Down by Heroic Teens

TEEN TEAM THE NEXT GUARDIANS OF THE GLOBE? THE WORLD THINKS SO!

He scoffed. "You kids did good, Robot."

"Thank you, Cecil. It is an honor to assist the Global Defense Agency," Robot replied. "Though your use of the word 'kids' may be considered condescending."

Cecil stopped short. Turned to face him, arms crossed.

"I said you did good.. But a pyrrhic victory nonetheless." His tone was flat. "Do you know how many people died yesterday?"

Robot paused. "Three hundred thirty-eight. According to my calculations, civilian casualties would have exceeded one thousand if not for Naruto's intervention."

Cecil exhaled sharply through his nose. "Yeah. The blonde kid."

He looked over as two GDA techs rolled a stretch of tarp over a massive alien corpse, except the body was collapsing. Its skin was cracking apart like dried clay.

"Christ," Cecil muttered. "That one's falling apart."

"Yes," Robot said, tilting his head slightly. "Several of the enemy corpses began rapid deterioration shortly after death. Their biology appears unstable in our dimensional plane."

Cecil frowned. "So they weren't built to survive here?"

"Not for long," Robot confirmed. "Prolonged exposure accelerates entropy in their cellular structures."

Cecil raised an eyebrow. "You get a name off them?"

"They refer to themselves as Flaxans," Robot answered. "I reverse engineered segments of their language from battle audio."

Cecil looked toward a charred sentry turret half-buried in rubble. "And what the hell were they doing here in the first place?"

"I have multiple theories," Robot replied. "Dimensional instability may have opened a breach, or this may have been a calculated probe. A test to measure Earth's response capacity."

Cecil watched a recovery team carefully lift what remained of a commander unit, its armor melted, and skull exposed

"And how'd the new kid do?" he asked without looking away.

"Invincible is promising," Robot said. "But unprepared. He hesitated multiple times under pressure. And shows signs of emotional vulnerability."

Cecil's jaw tightened. "And Naruto?"

"Decisive. Lethal. Efficient. He terminated several high-value targets before they could regroup. He forced their retreat before the proposed theory of onset dimensional decay could trigger mass aging."

Robot paused. "He did not hesitate at all."

Cecil shook his head slowly, voice dropping. "Good. We're going to need him for what's coming in the future."

He looked around at the carnage. Concrete torn open like paper. Streets split from orbital impact. Civilians dead by the dozen.

"You know, Robot," Cecil said, eyes scanning the wreckage. "The funny thing about peace... it never lasts."

Then tapped his wrist.

A pulse of light wrapped around his body, and in an instant, Cecil vanished leaving Robot in the middle of the ruin.

______

Cecil stepped through the Guardians HQ, the heavy doors groaning on bent hinges behind him. The once-pristine chamber was now a tomb. 

Blood splatter analysts in yellow GDA hazmat suits crouched over dried viscera and cracked tile. The air was filled with quiet muttering, camera clicks, and the soft whine of forensic scanners.

"From one shit show to another," Cecil muttered, lighting a cigarette he didn't really want. He exhaled and glanced around. "Give me some good news, Donald."

Donald flipped through readings on his tablet, frowning.

"Whoever did this cut the power and the backup. Killed the cameras, fried the security systems. Forensics is.."

"stumped," Cecil finished, annoyed.

Donald nodded. "I told them to start over and try harder."

The temperature dropped.

Fast.

Breaths turned visible in the air. The lights flickered and grew dim. 

Cecil sighed, cigarette smoke curling from his nose.

"That's not good news, Donald," he muttered. "That's not good news at all. And I asked you for some good news."

He took one last drag, then flicked the cigarette to the floor and crushed it under his heel with a slow twist.

"Get the hell out. Everyone. That means everyone not named Donald."

The analysts paused.

"Let's go, people!" Donald barked. "You heard Director Cecil, move it!"

There was a shuffle of boots and gear. One by one, the agents filtered out until the room was silent again.

Then, a low, throaty growl permeated the room.

It rolled out of the dark like smoke through gravel.

Cecil turned his head, already unfazed.

"Come on out," he said. "I know you're there."

Donald's hand darted to his holster, drawing a standard-issue Glock 19. The muzzle rose.

Cecil casually placed his hand on the barrel and pushed it down.

"Stand down."

From the far end of the hall, something moved.

Damien Darkblood stepped into view.

Red-skinned and hulking, seven feet tall with a massive tail dragging behind him like a rope of muscle and shadow. He wore a grey skintight suit under a ragged brown trench coat, the collar high. His wide-brimmed hat cast glowing eyes in an eerie half-shadow.

He walked barefoot, his three-toed demon feet tapping quietly across bloodstained stone.

"Wasn't hiding," Damien growled, his voice thick and ancient.

Donald flinched. "Sir, who the hell is that?!"

Cecil exhaled like this was just another Tuesday.

"Damien Darkblood," he said. "Premier demon detective."

Damien ignored them. His eyes locked on the dried blood across the ground.

A dark vision flashed in his head. It was Aquarius. Screaming as water turned to fine red mist.

A blur of brutality. Death had come fast and clean. His assailant was shrouded in darkness. 

The vision hit hard and vanished, and they didn't allow him to see everything in perfect clarity.

Damien growled again.

"Seven superheroes murdered. No suspects. No leads."

Donald gawked. "Sir, how does he.."

"I don't know," Cecil cut in. "Demon magic or some bullshit."

Damien's head tilted. Not at them but at the air, like he was listening to something they couldn't hear.

"If you're asking if we need your help.." Cecil started, arms crossed.

"Wasn't asking," Damien rumbled.

Cecil shrugged nonchalantly. "Fine. Knock yourself out then. Help us solve the case, Demon Sherlock Holmes."

Donald leaned in, whispering, "Sir… are you sure about this?"

Cecil turned at the exit, giving Donald a long look.

"You got a problem with the big red demon, Donald? I thought you were an atheist."

Donald rubbed his arm nervously. "T-theoretically. Of course."

Damien let out a low, guttural growl, with eyes that seemed to burn through Donald's skin.

Donald flinched again.

"N-nevermind sorry.."

______

Lockers slammed. Students laughed and shouted across the halls. Naruto stood in front of his open locker, sliding a thick science textbook inside. His orange and black hoodie hung half-zipped over his clothes, casual and unbothered as ever.

Mark stood beside him, adjusting his backpack.

"Hey."

Both turned.

A dark-skinned girl walked up, shoulder-length curly hair, triangle earrings, sharp eyes. She smiled.

"You must be the new kid. Naruto, right?"

Naruto gave a small nod. "Nice to meet you...?"

"Amber," she said. "An old friend of Mark."

She turned to him with a knowing look. "Speaking of... I heard you took a few on the chin for me. Again."

Mark flushed. "Yeah, well... I've got this amazing new strategy for dealing with Todd."

Naruto snorted. "Amazing as in you let him punch you until he gets bored and walks away? Yeah. Genius."

Amber grinned. "Wow. What a revolutionary plan from Mark Grayson himself. Todd won't know what hit him. Sadly... neither will your face."

Mark shrugged. "People have always said I was too pretty anyway."

Naruto gave him a flat look. "No one has ever said that. Ever."

Mark frowned. "Dude. People totally have... like my mom."

Amber burst out laughing.

 "Don't we have somewhere to be?" Naruto reminded.

Mark's eyes widened. "Crap, you're right! We're meeting Eve. Gotta run! Catch you later?"

Amber blinked at the sudden shift but nodded. "Sure. Later."

Eve stood waiting outside the school, arms crossed, foot tapping. 

"Took you long enough," she said.

"We had a detour," Naruto replied, glancing back at the school doors.

"Ready?" Eve asked.

Mark grinned. "Always."

Amber watched from the steps as the trio vanished into the crowd of students.

___________

The wind howled past them as they flew high over the city. Eve darted ahead, looping between skyscraper buildings and zipping under elevated trains.

"Try to keep up if you can!" she shouted back, already a blur.

Mark whooped and chased after her, flying low and reckless.

Naruto sighed, flying above them like he was babysitting. 

A few moments later of flying tag and Mark suddenly slowed midair as he lost sight of Eve who had sped ahead of him in a blur of pink.

"Eve? Eve??" He spun in place, confused.

Then he shot upward fast.

Right into a billboard as tunnel vision blinded him.

Or he would've if Naruto hadn't appeared in front of him, catching him with a thud.

"Ow dude," Mark winced. "Your chest feels like a mountain."

"You seemed adamant about crashing into a billboard," Naruto replied. "I think we're even."

Eve floated down from above, her body wrapped in a soft pink glow that shimmered in the late afternoon light. She hovered in the air, arms crossed, grinning as she looked between the two boys. 

Mark still recovering from nearly faceplanting into a billboard, Naruto standing there like nothing ever surprised him.

"You guys are hopeless," she said, laughing. "Okay. Let's try this again."

She turned midair, her aura pulsing brighter as she picked up speed.

"Follow me!"

With that, she shot forward like a comet, trailing pink light behind her as she weaved between traffic lights, ducked beneath suspension cables, and zipped past a row of mirrored skyscrapers that caught her glow and scattered it across the skyline like glass confetti.

Mark's eyes lit up. "Oh, come on, she's just showing off!"

He launched after her, a streak of blue and yellow struggling to keep pace.

Naruto waited half a second, then sighed and took off after them. No aura. No flair. Just raw momentum and wind rushing through his blonde hair as he accelerated.

From behind, he watched them dip beneath train tracks and climb again in synchronized arcs.

Eve looped low, skimming just above the surface of the river before pulling up hard toward a steel structure ahead.

The Clark Street Bridge.

Eve landed gracefully on a steel platform built onto the top of the bridge. Naruto and Mark touched down behind her.

"Now what?" Mark asked as he looked around.

CLUNK.

The platform lowered with a metallic hiss, revealing the heart of the Teen Team's base—an industrial hideout buried beneath the city, equal parts workshop, war room, and crash pad.

Harsh overhead lights blinked to life, casting sterile glow across polished steel floors. A worn helipad marking sat dead center, framed by caution lines and metal grating. Near the far wall, disassembled jet turbine parts lay abandoned like mechanical fossils, wires coiled around their base like ivy.

A pair of black spiral staircases cut upward toward a catwalk system and upper loft, where cluttered desks, corkboards full of pinned documents, and a sagging couch turned the space into a secondhand strategy lounge. 

Post-it notes, half-drunk energy drinks, and an old dartboard completed the vibe of the amateur teen base.

Down below, in the center of the base, Rex Splode and Dupli-Kate were locked in a ping pong match, paddles clacking back and forth in rhythmic chaos. 

Three copies of Kate surrounded the table, tagging in without warning, making Rex curse every time he missed a return.

"Oh come on! You're totally cheating," Rex yelled, narrowly dodging a serve aimed at his chest.

"Not my fault you suck at this," all three Kates said in unison.

Robot sat at a high-tech station with three monitors, as his metallic fingers glided across the extended and curved keyboard.

"Babeee," Rex said, grinning, arms out as Eve landed.

They kissed loud and sloppily. 

Mark looked away, visibly uncomfortable.

Naruto didn't blink.

"Awkward," Mark muttered.

"Very," Naruto agreed.

Rex finally turned toward them.

"Oh hey! It's the son of Omni-Man! And his cousin, Maelstrom." He pointed. "Honestly, couldn't have won that Flaxan fight without you."

"Yeah, we were getting overwhelmed," Dupli-Kate added as two more copies of her walked in behind her.

Robot stood. "Welcome, Invincible. Maelstrom. I am Robot. Apologies for Rexsplode, he's..."

"Unbelievably awesome," Rex interrupted.

"Incorrigible," Robot corrected.

"And rude," Eve added, arms crossed.

"Aaand bored of this," Rex said, heading to the fridge.

Three versions of Dupli-Kate stepped forward. "I'm Dupli-Kate," they said in unison.

Mark gave a little wave. "I'm Invincible. This is Maelstrom."

Naruto tilted his head. "Which one of you do I look at when I talk to you?"

Kate smiled. "Whichever one's closest."

Eve turned to Robot. "Any update from the site?"

Robot nodded. "The invaders came from a dimension where time moves faster. The tachyon spin in their bodies is much quicker than ours. So I've built a detector to sense the signature if they return."

"Ah yes," Rex said, cracking a soda. "So we don't almost miss all the explosions, death, screaming, and interdimensional exclamation of war. Great job!"

Robot glanced at him. "The detector will give us several minutes of warning. More time to evacuate civilians and prepare."

He turned back to Mark and Naruto. "Cecil and the GDA have also asked to consult us for future emergencies. Omni-Man has been covering ground but cannot be everywhere at once."

Naruto's jaw tightened slightly at the mention of Omni-Man. But he stayed quiet.

Robot continued. "Invincible. Maelstrom. May we count on your assistance?"

"Absolutely," Mark said, puffing up a little. "We'll help however we can."

He nudged Naruto lightly. "Right?"

Naruto side-eyed him. "Mhm. Sure."

Robot nodded. "Excellent."

Mark smiled awkwardly. "So I guess just... text us? Oh wait, do you need our numbers or?"

Rexsplode deadpanned. "This guy thinks the hyper-intelligent murder robot doesn't already have their numbers."

Robot blinked. "I do."

Mark flushed. "Cool. Awesome. I figured."

Naruto smirked, just a little.

___

Author's Note: If you enjoy this story, come check out my Patreon at banmido. I've got many more like this, early access chapters, giveaways, and other fire content.

Chapters up to 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, and 20. are currently available to patrons.