บท 14: 14: Unleash the beast!
14: Unleash the beast!
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Mark asked, looking at his mother who was packing some things.
It had been less than an hour since he spoke with his father. He and Cecil had agreed to have a more extensive meeting about their next recruitment plan tomorrow morning; the man needed to get some things in order.
Mark didn't need any preparation; he was ready to start whenever necessary. The only problem was his mother, who insisted on staying by his father's side for some reason.
"I already told you, Mark, I have to be there" her response was firm. Mark wondered if this was the same woman who had cried her eyes out just a few hours earlier. Maybe it was better not to tell her that his father planned to leave. He sighed and scratched the top of his head.
"Alright, but if you want to come back, just let me know and I'll bring you back immediately"
With nothing else to do, he left her alone in her room and went out to the backyard. He took out his phone, the one he used for heroic matters, and saw some messages he hadn't been able to answer before. They were from Eve.
"Can we talk? I need to see you"
He read the message with furrowed brows. Had something happened? With all the commotion, he had forgotten about any other events.
"I'm home, do you want me to come and meet you?"
Even so, he could make time for her. Her power would be very useful in the upcoming war. Maybe she couldn't face a Viltrumite head-on, but as support, she would undoubtedly be a great ally.
At least with her on board, they wouldn't run out of supplies. Maybe it sounded a bit cold to put it that way, but Mark needed to think about surviving and winning before he could think about being kind. At least he wouldn't say it to her face; he would just think it inwardly.
Now he sounded like a bastard. He would be kinder to her from now on to make up for it.
"I'm on my way" she replied and then fell silent.
Mark looked at his phone for a few more moments before turning it off and flying up to his roof. While waiting for Eve, he began to contemplate the new information he had acquired.
A war that had previously seemed almost impossible to overcome now seemed possible. Confidence was increasing, but so were the concerns.
"What do I know about Spawn?" Of all things, he didn't expect to see that guy in this place. He wondered if it was a coincidence or if he really shared the same universe as Invincible.
Spawn—he could say he knew him and at the same time didn't. His brother had bought many shirts with Spawn's image when he was a teenager, and he had done the same because they were cool. He even had some posters with Spawn's image in his room.
But beyond that, he hadn't read any comics about Spawn. He had seen a live-action movie, but it wasn't that good. He knew general things, like how Spawn was supposed to have defeated Hell or something like that, and also God.
He didn't know exactly, but if any of that was literal, then he had many more problems than he initially thought.
He wondered if he would have to kill God in the future. He hoped not. He didn't know how he would do something like that.
He heard the sound of the wind shifting and looked up to see Eve approaching from afar. He could see the tears running down her cheeks, causing him to frown at the sight.
He stood up to greet her, but she was quicker, throwing herself into his arms and hugging him in the process.
"Hey, what's wrong?" He held her and tried to calm her by gently patting her back. She sobbed a little more before starting to speak with a broken voice.
"I-it's Rex, Mark. I caught him cheating on me!" she said, looking at him with tearful eyes and a clearly broken heart.
'Oh' Mark now remembered. Well, he couldn't say this was his fault, though he hadn't done anything to prevent it. It was Rex who decided to mess things up. The only thing he could do for her was to be kinder, as he had promised himself earlier. So, he hugged her tighter. He wasn't good at consoling crying women.
"And the worst part is, I found him with Kate! Three of her! In the bathroom of the Teen Team headquarters!" She seemed quite hurt, and Mark supposed that was normal. It wasn't just Rex—Kate, who was supposed to be her friend, had also betrayed her. A double low blow.
""I said he wasn't stupid enough but I was wrong, I'm sorry Eve" He couldn't offer any more words of comfort.
They both sat on his roof with Eve leaning against him, still sobbing.
"I'm sorry, Mark. I shouldn't be doing this. You already have enough problems" she said, wiping her tears one last time.
Mark smiled kindly.
"Hey, don't worry. We all have our own problems, and none of them are less important just because they're different" he said sympathetically
She gave him a weak smile in response, then realized how close they were and blushed a little, moving a few inches away.
"Everything will be fine, Eve. Rex may have been an idiot, but you'll definitely find someone better, much better. You're too amazing not to" he smiled at her and encouraged her as best he could.
She looked at his face from the side for a few seconds before smiling too.
"Maybe you're right"
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The next day.
Mark arrived at GDA headquarters with Eve and her mother.
The previous night, after Eve had vented, he had told her about the situation and the possible plans he and Cecil had. He also asked her to join him, and she had accepted without much thought. Now they were here.
Her mother went to her new "room," leaving Mark and Eve to wander around the place until they reached her father's cell. There were several guards, but not too many; Cecil knew that no amount of guards would be useful, so he did not deploy an unnecessary amount of men
"So here he is. It's a bit less impressive than I expected" Eve said, looking at Omniman through the glass.
"No cell in the world can contain him, so there's no need to make anything too flashy. Come on, Cecil is waiting for us in the meeting room"
He led the way, and she followed him to the place where Cecil and Robot were waiting for them. Upon seeing them arrive, the droid nodded at them in greeting.
Eve greeted him back. He was the only "friend" besides Mark who hadn't let her down, so she was still on good terms with him.
Cecil turned to look at them and raised an eyebrow upon seeing Eve. Mark quickly stepped forward to explain.
"You said we need to form the strongest team. I think you know well that Eve's potential is more than up to the task"
Cecil frowned slightly before grunting and nodding.
"Alright, you'll be on board from now on" he told Eve, and she nodded at him with resolve in her eyes.
"How much have you told her?" he asked Mark.
"Just the basics, enough for her to understand the general aspects" In reality, he had told her more than that, but it wasn't necessary to say so.
"Very well, then we'll go over all the important details"
The discussion that followed delved deeper into what was coming. Eve could feel the tense atmosphere and how important this "war" was. That was fine with her; she needed something to focus on, and saving the world was much more important than thinking about her personal problems.
"So, who should I go to first?" Mark pointed to the profiles of the four people they were looking to recruit for the yet unnamed team.
"Let's start with the difficult one" Cecil indicated one, and Eve raised an eyebrow at the images.
"The Pitt? I heard he disappeared years ago after the Creed invasion was stopped" Earth faced many constant threats, but very few were remembered for posterity.
The Creed invasion was one of them because they almost succeeded. It was thanks to Omniman, the Guardians, and The Pitt that the Creeds were annihilated. The last thing known was that their home planet had exploded for some reason.
"He didn't disappear; he's on vacation. But it's time to bring him back" More images were displayed, showing a lush forest in Alaska.
They seemed to be taken from a distance. A cozy cabin in the middle of the woods could be seen, and in its yard, a young man in his twenties was chopping wood. His tousled blonde hair almost shone in the sunlight. He wore simple denim pants along with a white T-shirt. Perhaps the most striking thing about him was the somewhat worn and torn sleeveless red leather jacket, which was a bit too large for him.
"I thought we were looking for Pitt, not a lumberjack" Eve said with a raised eyebrow.
Cecil smiled, but it was Robot who responded.
"That's Timmy Bracken, Pitt's twin brother. He'll guide us to where Pitt is hiding" Eve and Mark looked back at the blonde-haired boy and then at the images of Pitt.
Mark couldn't help but ask the question that was also on Eve's mind.
"Twin? Are you sure? Because they don't look too much alike"
"The story is somewhat complicated, but to summarize, their mother was kidnapped by the Creeds, who stole one of her eggs, which they used to create Pitt. So, in a somewhat strange way, they both share genetic similarities and a special connection" Robot explained.
"It's best if you go personally. We don't know what mental state Pitt is in right now, but he's a warrior who never shies away from a battle. If we want him on our side, you have to show him what you're capable of" Cecil said.
Pitt was somewhat enigmatic but also straightforward to understand. He was a genetically engineered weapon to destroy the Creed's enemies. He was a monster, but he had consciousness thanks to his human half. In a way, he had a moral code similar to that of old-school warriors.
He was violent but only against those he deemed evil.
So, Cecil knew they could get him on their side; they just needed to convince him properly.
Mark nodded, understanding more or less what was needed. He looked at the images on the screen, studying the terrain. Being deep in the forests helped a lot in not worrying about harming civilians.
"Alright, I'm ready. I'll go find him" he said, standing up. Eve got up at the same time he did.
"Let me go with you, just to be safe" she said, taking his arm. Mark looked at her and almost refused, but Cecil spoke first.
"Let her go. This could also be a good test for her. Pitt has faced your father before, so he's comparable to a Viltrumite. This way, she'll know what she's up against firsthand and can back off before it's too late" At those words, Eve frowned deeply. She had already decided to help; she wasn't going to back down now.
Mark fell silent for a second before nodding.
"Alright, but if things get out of control, you have to let him out" he said, referring to his father. Mark was confident in himself, but someone who had faced Omniman before wasn't something to take lightly.
Cecil frowned deeply before nodding.
"Alright"
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.
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Mark and Eve flew through the skies of Alaska. Mark held Eve's hand firmly; she could fly, but undoubtedly, he could do it faster, so it was more useful for him to carry her.
Soon, they ventured into the deep forests until they found a well-hidden cabin. If it weren't for Cecil and Robot's directions, it would have been difficult to find.
They both descended until they were a few meters from the yard where they found Timmy, Pitt's brother, sitting on a rocking chair, with a cap over his head that also covered his eyes. He seemed to be enjoying a pleasant nap in the sun.
Mark stepped forward first, but before he could take more than two steps, Timmy raised his hand and pointed to his foot.
"Don't step on my lawn" Mark looked down only to see a clear dividing line between the forest grass and the lawn in Timmy's cabin. He raised an eyebrow, sure he hadn't made much noise when walking or landing.
"Oh, sorry" he took a step back. "But since you're awake, it saves me from having to interrupt your sleep" he said, looking at him.
Timmy straightened up and lifted his cap, giving them a clear view of his face: a budding beard along with dark blue eyes being the most obvious features.
"Huh? Superheroes? Why are you here?" he rubbed his eyes, clearly shaking off the remaining sleep from his face.
"Do you have news in this place?" Eve asked, to which Timmy smiled and pointed to an antenna on the roof of his cabin.
"Satellite internet, girl. I can see whatever I want, and I don't pay anything for it. Isn't it great?" he asked, clearly cheerful.
"So, you know what happened at the Guardians' funeral" Mark said, and Timmy's smile slowly died.
"That was disappointing. I liked the guy" Timmy said, scratching his head and sighing, his eyes now serious.
"Let me guess, you're here because of that "invasion" Omniman talked about, right? It's always an invasion... I don't understand what the heck those damn aliens see in this planet. I mean, sure, we have some incredible Mexican tacos, but they can just get those by sneaking into Mexico or something, Why invade the world?" He took off his cap, tousling his blonde hair.
"If you know that, then you know we need to see him. We need to talk to Pitt" Eve pointed out bluntly.
Timmy stayed still, his eyes staring at them intently.
"You want his help? Seriously?" Eve nodded.
"We're forming a team, one to fight against the Viltrumites. Pitt has fought against Omniman; he's a warrior. He can be of great help in this war"
Timmy chuckled.
"I don't know if you know this, but he's a lone killer. He doesn't work in teams"
"There's always a first time for everything. We just need to talk to him. I'm sure he'll help us. They say he never backs down from a battle, and this is probably the biggest battle this world will ever see. I'm sure he'll be interested" Mark said.
Upon hearing Mark's words, Timmy smiled and sighed a bit.
"Well, it's been a while since he fought against something. He's certainly eager. I think he wants to hear what you have to say, but you have to promise me something" the smile faded from his face and he looked at him somberly.
"What do you need?" Mark asked, equally serious.
"When I unleash the beast... don't die"
The words were ominous, and Mark almost frowned, but instead, he smiled with unwavering confidence.
"Oh, I think I didn't tell you before, people call me invincible, and I'm not easy to kill" Timmy smiled, a genuine smile.
"Optimistic name. Let's see how true it is" as he said that, his voice changed to a more hoarse one, his blonde hair grew down to his back, and deep black replaced the golden hue.
His clothes began to tear, his skin turning to a gray tone, muscle after muscle bulging, making his figure grow to almost three meters in moments, and it didn't stop there.
Mark's eyes widened as the blue pupils were replaced by completely blood-red eyes, including the sclera; the nose disappeared, and a huge mouth full of sharp teeth gave him a wide grin. Enormously long claws grew on his hands.
The massive figure blocked out the sun behind his back, casting a huge shadow. His long black hair billowed in the wind, A pounding heartbeat resonated in a violent rhythm, causing all the wildlife in the area to start fleeing.
"Shall we begin?" the deep voice was like hearing a tiger speak. Mark smiled even wider, while Eve opened her eyes in amazement.
Although it was said they would talk, it was more than clear that a fight was imminent.
After all, there is no better conversation than the one exchanged through the Fists.
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Note:
How is it?? Pitt from Image Comics was the publisher's response to Hulk. His story is somewhat strange (I read all the comics before doing this, haha), so I've modified some things, but I've kept most of it. Why do Pitt and Timmy share the same body? Well, you'll have to find out later. I'm thinking of an explanation for the story, but if you want an explanation outside of the story, then I'll just say that I wanted to inject a bit of "Hulk" into it.
In other news, I've got a new fan with a remote control! It's amazing. I turned it on and accidentally fell asleep, making me late for work and getting scolded... but it was worth it, guys.
The next update of Almost Invincible is now available on Patreon (patreon.com/EmmaCruzader) If you don't want to wait for a public update, you can take a look at it n.n
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