Invincible - Ch. 10
Title: Invincible
Character(s) or Pairing(s): FACES featuring FrUK In this chapter: Spain, Romano, Russia
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: AU, Slash, Action/Adventure, Implied Past Mpreg, Character Death
Summary: After a series of lawsuits forces him and the rest of the Supers into retirement, Arthur Kirkland finds himself trapped living a mundane suburban life. When adventure calls he's quick to respond, but how will it affect the rest of his family?
Prologue|Chapter 1|Chapter 2|Chapter 3|Chapter 4|Chapter 5|Chapter 6|Chapter 7|Chapter 8|Chapter 9
Chapter 10 The Invincibles vs the Omnidroid
"Are we there yet?" Alfred groaned and Invincible couldn't help but feel his grip reflectively tighten in annoyance.
Not long ago Alfred had been nearly bouncing off the walls as he gushed over how "awesome" and "cool" this all was, but apparently the thrill of being inside an armored van confiscated from a terrorist group that was currently attacked to a rocket being launched towards a giant robot terrorizing a defenseless city was only exciting for the first minute or so before becoming dull.
"We'll get there when we get there!" Invincible ground out for what felt like the hundredth time, only to be met with the usual response: a long whining groan and the gentle slap of Alfred's forehead colliding with the back of his seat. Invincible clenched his jaw and fought against the urge to slam his fist into the dashboard. He supposed he should expect as much from a child whose already microscopic attention span had been nearly whittled away by years of mindless video game playing and television watching.
Invincible sighed as he tapped his fingers impatiently against the grooves of the steering wheel. He couldn't really fault Alfred for feeling impatient, because even with the world zooming by beneath them time still seemed to be crawling by. Invincible felt certain that those anxious feelings were due in no small amount to the fact that every second they were in the air was another second that innocent lives spent in harm's way. Of course, the fact that this was entirely his fault didn't serve to help matters either.
He glanced into the rear view mirror and saw Alfred lulling his head this way and that as Matthew sat fidgeting in his seat with a mixture of excitement and dread and somewhere just overhead was Élastique acting as a human tether, using his elastic limbs to keep the van attached to the rocket until it was time to dismount. Clearly, none of them were keen on waiting very much longer.
"Almost there," Invincible muttered to the dashboard. "Almost there."
--
Antonio frowned as he felt the ground beneath him shake. Not the ground, the floorboards really, but still there was a tremble that could not be the result of an earthquake, because the pounding was too steady and rhythmic and the tremors were coming far too spaced out.
He had just been about to step out the door in order to check on Francis's baby when the first boom had greeted his ears and he realized now that the booms were growing louder as the tremors grew stronger and clearly he was not going to have time to swing by his friend's house. He peaked out his bedroom window and saw it straight away: a robot, a massive ball of black metal with a glowing red scope for an eye and long tentacle like limbs snaking out from its body.
A sharp thrill ran its way through him as Antonio's body began to practically hum with glee. Suddenly he wasn't feeling so down about being left behind while Francis and Gilbert flew off towards some island, because he was about to have an adventure of his own and they were going to miss out on all the fun.
He had to fight against the urge to laugh as he ran over towards the control panel hidden just behind an old painting mounted to their bedroom wall. Antonio allowed himself a small smile as he quickly punched in the access code, because he had finally found a reason to put the secret compartment that Ludwig had installed to good use. Antonio took a step back and watched as the large bookshelf in front of him slid away as the once smooth cream colored wall split into twin doors that slipped away to reveal...
Nothing.
Well, not nothing. Not completely, because the polished silver grooves marking the space where his old Super suit should have been were now clearly visible, but the suit itself was nowhere to be seen.
Antonio felt his stomach grow cold and drop to his feet as the sound of panicked screams and explosions reached his ear from just beyond the window. This was not good.
"Lovino?" Antonio called out, trying his hardest not to sound too frantic because the last thing he wanted was to upset his partner. He stepped out of the bedroom just as Lovino entered their living room, sorting through a stack of letters with an irritated scowl. "Lovino, I-"
"Did you forget your keys again?" Lovino cut in with an annoyed grumble. "They're on the counter where they always are."
"No. Not that. I-"
"Your wallet? It's probably on the dresser," Lovino told him distantly. His eyes only managed to peel away from the mail he was leafing through when another deep rumble cut through the stillness in the air and Antonio felt his stomach do a painful flip in response. "What the hell is with all that noise?"
"A robot," Antonio found himself answering automatically and was rewarded with the sight of Lovino's eyes widening as he looked from the window to Antonio and back again.
"A robot?"
"A robot!" he cried out just as another explosion pierced the air and Antonio found himself having to shout over the panic of the outside world. "A giant robot is attacking the city! The city is in danger! Have you seen my Super suit?"
The mail was now completely forgotten, long white envelopes fluttering uselessly to the floor as they slipped from between Lovino's numbed fingers. Lovino pushed past him, rushed towards the window, and pulled back the curtains. Antonio followed and saw that the monstrous robot was currently busy stomping on cars and swishing its arms about haphazardly as people fled. He could hear the distinct sound of sirens wailing in the distance and Antonio knew that the police would not be able to deal with this sort of situation.
"I need my suit, Lovi," Antonio told him, hoping to draw Lovino's attention away from the chaos unfolding just outside their window. "I need to go out there and-"
"No."
Antonio blinked, certain that he hadn't heard the sharp word slip from his husband's lips. "No?" he repeated curiously.
"No!" Lovino barked once again as he snapped the curtains shut and pushed Antonio away from the window. "You're not going out there. You're retired dammit!"
"It doesn't matter if I'm retired," Antonio reasoned gently, because it was best to use soothing tones when Lovino was in this sort of mood. "This is the greater good we're talking about."
"The greater good my ass!" Lovino huffed as he once again shoved Antonio away from the window. "'The greater good' is likely to get you locked away. If anyone sees you out there-"
"You think I'm going to be arrested for trying to save the city?" Antonio laughed, because sometimes Lovino picked the strangest things to fret over.
"No, I think you'll be killed trying to save the city!" he shot back and for the first time Antonio realized that there were tears in his eyes. He watched as Lovino fought against the urge to sniff or wipe at the wetness running down his cheek as he once again began shoving Antonio further into their apartment. "You're retired, you haven't been in a fight in years, and now you want to risk your life? For what? For them? For a bunch of thankless people who didn't give a damn about you every time you went out and did something stupid?
"You'll be killed. You'll die protecting them and no one will thank you. No one will cry for you except..."
Antonio didn't let Lovino say anymore. He just held him and Lovino was quick to bury his face into Antonio's still firm chest and hold him so fiercely he could have left bruises on his flesh.
In that moment Antonio felt like what he was: old, weak, and out of practice, but even as his heart told him to just stay and hold his sobbing husband in his arms, something stronger told him to go.
"The sun is out," he whispered soothingly. "My strength is at its peak. Francis and Gilbert are away, Arthur has disappeared, and Ludwig lives an hour away from here. I'm the only one who can help."
Lovino didn't say anything, but deep down he knew that Antonio was right. Still, right and wrong probably didn't matter much when all the old forgotten fears of long ago were suddenly all flooding back. "Fine," Lovino sniffed as he pulled away from him. He brushed the tears off of his cheek and rubbed them out of his eyes so hastily that his whole face began to turn red. "Go. See if I care. But if you die, I'm leaving you."
--
The Omnidroid was functioning just as planned. He was causing just enough destruction and property damage to incite the right amount of panic into the people below and as the frightened lot scattered about on the ground below, Red Sickle allowed himself a moment to smile at how well his plan was playing out.
He had dreamed of this day. For years he had laid awake at night imagining this very moment, the moment when everything fell into place and the world became absolutely perfect. It was exactly how he had pictured it: upturned cars and massive chunks of rubble cluttering the streets as people scrambled to find safety. There were police sirens wailing away, gun shots firing wildly into smooth metal, and screams of panic cutting through the air. He closed his eyes against it all and took a deep breath, filling his lungs with smoke and debris filled air. It felt just like one of his dreams.
A part of him wished that Captain Invincible could be here to witness it all, but Red Sickle was quick to push that thought aside.
I can show him tape later, he thought with a chuckle as he used his gravity controlled boots to float down towards the scene unfolding below him.
The Omnidroid was currently stomping its way past an intersection, cutting through the criss-crossing electrical wires connecting traffic lights with disinterest as its massive scope continued to examine the street. It was scanning the streets for movement and its mechanical lenses must have zeroed in on a young woman scrambling to gather up her small child and escape the robot's path, because it soon picked up a mid-sized car that had been left in the center of the street and seemed intent on hurling it at the woman.
Time I step in, Sickle thought, because swooping in to save a defenseless mother tending to her infant child was just the type of heroics he would need to make his debut all the more memorable.
The robot pitched the car like a ball of wadded paper and hurled it towards the two bystanders and Sickle was already approaching in anticipation. His boots sent him down lower, faster, the wind whipping the air about his face and causing his cape to billow majestically as he pressed a button on his wrist remote and aimed at the car. In an instant the vehicle was encased in his energy fields and he allowed his smile to twitch wider as a collective gasp of shocked relief rippled through the crowds. The car had only been a foot away from the woman, no doubt close enough for her to feel the heat of the energy field and smell the engine's exhaust. He heard her startle before sprinting away.
"The Supers are back!" someone shouted, not in pleasure, but merely surprise.
Sickle waited, continuing to hold the car in midair and it must have looked absurd, but he wanted to take in the full force of their reaction before continuing with his little act.
"It's Norse Star!" a different voice called out and Sickle felt his stomach sink in disappointment.
"No, Norse Star didn't have a cape."
"Oh... Wonder Shot then?"
The crowd continued to dissolve into soft whispers and speculative talk as each person took a moment to stop fleeing and proceeded to name all the old and retired Supers that he resembled. Suddenly Red Sickle was overcome with the desire to fling the car into the crowd, but decided to take a different approach to silencing their debate.
"I am not old Super!" Sickle cut in as he tossed the car over his head and in the Omnidroid's direction. "I am new hero! Red Sickle!"
The car connected to the Omnidroid with a satisfying thunk and Sickle's heart swelled as the crowd that had gathered actually took a moment to clap in approval as it burst into flames against the robot's smooth casing. It was soft, half hearted really, but it was applause none the less. At long last he was getting the recognition he deserved.
"Time to teach you lesson," he chided playfully at the Omnidroid and Sickle silently hoped that his Superhero banter sounded natural. Even after years of studying Supers, witty combat exchanges had always been a weak spot for him.
He swooped in closer to the giant robot and watched as it swung one of its arms at him, and proceeded to miss by a wide margin. Sickle grinned and continued to mime a punch at the juncture between the metal body and its limb while using sleight of hand in order to press another button at his wrist control. With a mechanical pop and a slight hiss the arm detached and the Omnidroid wobbled, just as it had been programmed to. Again the crowd cheered, but it was louder now, more sincere, and the sound was downright intoxicating.
For a moment everything felt warm, grand, wonderful. He was living his dream, living in the world that he had always wanted, and for just a second Sickle felt certain that his life had finally fallen into place.
He was so caught up in these thoughts of pure, unadulterated glee that he almost didn't notice when the Omnidroid began to attack him.
Almost.
The movement was quick, but it was impossible to ignore the sight of a giant black, mechanical limb being raised high in the air in your general direction, so Sickle dodged, barely. Another limb came swinging and this one managed to connect with his legs as if to sweep him off of his feet and knock him off balance. It worked. His feet soon knocked together, triggering his boots to life. Sickle was caught off guard, his mind was too busy reeling over how erratically the Omnidroid was behaving, and he was unable to stop himself from slamming head first into a stone wall.
This is all wrong, he thought, just as his world faded into darkness.
--
"The fastest way there is Evergreen!" Élastique insisted, seething the words more than speaking them as one hand pressed firmly against the dashboard as the other gripped the side of the van.
"Evergreen?" Invincible scoffed dismissively as he swerved past another car and continued to clutch the wheel tightly in his hands as he pushed the reinforced vehicle's speed into the triple digits. "No way! They're downtown, in the business center! If I take Evergreen, I'll go right past them. I'd be better off taking Berkley!"
"Berkley? During this time of day! You will be gridlocked! Take Evergreen!"
Invincible groaned as his fingers curled around the leather wrapped wheel until it felt as if it would snap like a dry twig in his hand. Things had been going smoothly so far. Landing had been surprisingly simple with the aid of one of Matthew's force fields and they had been fortunate enough not to crash into a single car on their way down. Locating the Omnidroid was also simple, as Laurinaitis had given them the exact location prior to the launch. What was not simple was driving, because he and Élastique had never been able to sit in a car together for more than a minute without getting at each other's nerves. At least now was not nearly as bad as their Supering days, when Élastique had had the bad habit of grabbing the wheel of the Invinc-obile while he was still driving. Still, their current bickering wasn't exactly productive and very likely to get them all killed.
"Truck!" Matthew cried out from the backseat, just as Invincible swerved out of the eighteen wheeler's way.
"I saw it!" Invincible seethed as he continued to glance at all the road signs zooming by. "Which exit is coming up?" he asked as he eased the car towards the off ramp. "Is that Berkley?"
"Do not take that one!" Élastique screamed, shrieked really, his voice so shrill that it actually caused Invincible to jerk the wheel and straighten the car.
"Dammit Francis! That was my exit!"
"I told you to get off at Evergreen, so get off now!"
Invincible, reluctantly, did as he was told; jerking the car so suddenly towards the fast approaching exit that the van wobbled and nearly tipped over. Invincible pushed aside the worried groan bubbling in his throat and kept telling himself that it didn't matter how he got there, just that he got there, because every second spent in this van arguing was a second that innocent people were put in grave danger.
Once they were off the highway, it didn't take long for them to find their destination, because the signs of mindless destruction and panic were easy to pick up on. The van barreled towards the city and even with the windows rolled up Invincible could faintly smell the rubber burning as he came to a screeching halt in front of a nearby building, knocking into a light post and scraping the sidewalk while he was at it. The frame of the van rocked and creaked in protest when Invincible finally shut off the engine.
He took a moment to twist around in his seat and glance back at the children strapped to their chairs in the back. They looked pale, shaken, but whole.
"Are you lads alright?" Invincible asked as he looked from Matthew's trembling figure to Alfred's dizzied expression.
"Ugh... maple," Matthew said weakly as he slumped over in his seat.
"Still a lot better than that plane ride," Alfred groaned as he clutched at his head.
Invincible smiled proudly at his two brave boys, because any other children would likely have been frantically weeping after such an experience. Not his two. They were a different breed through and through.
Élastique touched his arm and Invincible felt his smile fade when a deep rumbling greeted him just a moment later. He slipped from his seat and out the car, marching into the middle of the deserted street just in time to listen to a panicked scream slice through the air as the Omnidroid marched by. Invincible swore it had gotten taller and for a moment he could do nothing but stare at its smooth black body peeking out from between the gray slabs of buildings.
"Stay here with the boys," Invincible said, because he already knew that Élastique was standing beside. "I have to go."
"Not without me," Élastique said as he quickly stepped in front of him, blocking Invincible's path. There was a stubborn gleam in his masked eyes and Invincible could tell from the firm set of his jaw that he was deadly serious.
"No Francis, this is my mess and I have to clean it up."
"You seem to be forgetting who I am, Captain Invincible," Élastique snapped with a very pointed huff. "I am a seasoned Super, one who had been single handedly defeating megalomaniacs while you were still an awkward teenager locked in your room listening to your punk albums."
"You don't understand. I fought it before!" Invincible countered, even as a small voice in the back of his mind reminded him that this Omnidriod had wiped the floor with him in less than a minute during their last encounter.
"And you will fight it again, with me." Élastique made to grab his wrist, but Invincible just stepped aside, avoiding his touch completely.
"No," he said, because this was wrong, everything was wrong. There was smoke in the air, wreckage all around, and screams and sirens wailing in their ears. This was the world he had left behind, the world that they had been forced away from, and the world he had never wanted his boys to see. Months ago, Invincible might have felt right at home in this familiar scene, but now he just felt... "I need you and the boys to be safe."
"You are as stubborn now as you were back then," Élastique huffed as he threw his arms up dramatically to emphasize his point. "Why must you continue to be so reluctant to work as a team?"
"This isn't about 'teamwork.'"
"Then what is it? Your ego? Your own self worth?"
"No! That isn't it either." Invincible frowned, twisting around momentarily to search the skylines. His head felt dizzy, his world uneven, and Élastique's insistence on having this argument was not making things any better. "Look, you don't understand-"
"Then help me to understand!"
"I… I can't-"
"Cannot, what? Cannot tell me?"
"I can't lose you again!" Invincible hadn't meant to shout the words or grab Élastique's shoulder so roughly, but his questions had sent Invincible hurdling back to the moment when he'd heard Francis's plane being shot out of the sky and suddenly his heart felt just as withered and cold as it had then. "I can't lose you. Not again."
He wasn't looking at Élastique, he simply couldn't as his eyes suddenly seemed only able to focus on the ground between them, but he could practically feel Élastique's eyes widen as they studied him a bit too intensely. Invincible flinched when he felt Élastique's gloved hand brush against his cheek, his touch warm and comforting even as feelings of complete worthlessness churned in the pit of his stomach. Yet it didn't stop his heart from jumping in his chest when Élastique's lips pressed against his in a firm, yet reassuring kiss.
"You need not worry about that," Élastique whispered to him, his breath hot against Invincible's lips. He watched as Élastique smiled at him, a strange confidence filling his gaze that actually helped to make Invincible feel a bit steadier. "You will not lose us so easily."
For one fleeting moment Invincible believed him, but those feelings of warmth and stability were difficult to maintain when Matthew's shrill scream reached their ears.
--
"I don't think we should leave the car," Mattie noted as Alfred unbuckled himself from his seat and stepped out of the van.
"I know," he said dismissively, because it didn't take a genius to know that a city currently being terrorized by a giant robot wasn't the safest place to be, but Alfred just needed to put his feet on some stable ground after being tossed around like a pin ball inside of the van. "I just need some fresh air."
Mattie didn't say anything, but Alfred could tell he was feeling the same way as he, shakily, stepped out the van behind him. The dads were talking just a few feet away, arguing really from the way they were frowning at each other, and really the ground didn't feel so solid with the way it was shaking from the robot's heavy pounding. The air was thick and gritty, there was noise churning in his ears, and every where he looked things were either smashed or being destroyed. Suddenly Alfred knew exactly what it felt like to be in a monster movie.
"I wonder if they shut down the school," Alfred mused as he searched the horizon for any signs of the robot. Something that huge shouldn't be hard to spot, but Alfred was feeling so dizzy that it was hard to sort up from down.
"Is there even school today? I feel like we were stuck on that island for months."
Alfred gave a weak laugh. He felt a bit like sitting, but at the same time wanted to stay on his feet. He glanced back at the dads and saw that they weren't shouting anymore -- just talking quietly and, oh, now they were kissing, gross -- and he wondered if that meant that Pops would be taking them home.
At the moment, going home didn't sound like such a bad idea, because at least then he'd be able to get something to eat. Even as that little voice in the back of his mind tried to convince Alfred how amazing a shower would feel right about now a bigger voice was screaming about how this adventure was not over yet. There was still a robot to destroy and Alfred wanted to at least stick around to see it happen if not do something to help.
"Alfred! Run!"
Alfred didn't run, he was too shocked by Mattie's sudden scream to move, but even as he turned to look at his brother -- his face had gone several shades paler and his eyes were wide enough to pop out of his head -- he saw the massive shadow stretch out to cover everything in sight. He raised his eyes and saw only smooth black metal above him as the robot loomed over them. His already wobbling knees gave out at the sheer size of it, like a floating stadium ready to crush him, and Alfred soon found that he could only duck and cover in anticipation for the blow.
It never came.
He blinked, not realizing that his eyes had been closed, and looked around to see that Mattie had managed to create one of his energy fields around them and was now the only thing standing between them being crushed like ants.
"Maple... leaf..." Mattie half squeaked, half groaned, his arms stretched high above his head and his eyes screwed shut in concentration. Alfred could tell that it was taking everything in his brother not to panic and keep the protective bubble from popping around them.
The robot must have known that too, because it didn't ease up. It raised its giant bowling ball shaped body into the sky, before lowering it down on them again and again. Alfred cringed with each blow even as the shield overhead maintained itself. By the fifth blow the robot grew frustrated, it must have, because it raised itself higher and brought its body down faster than ever before. It was too much for Mattie to handle and Alfred felt his heart still in his chest when he saw his brother's eyes roll into the back of his head and he collapsed in a heap next to him.
"Mattie?" Alfred gasped as he crawled over to his brother's limp body.
The sound of metal limbs creaking reached his ears and Alfred could only think to wrap himself around Mattie as the robot's massive shadow engulfed them once more.
Again the blow didn't come and this time when Alfred opened his eyes, he was greeted by the sight of Dad crouched on the ground next to him, using his arms and upper back to hold the robot in place and from the way his face was turning red, Alfred could see that it was no easy feat.
"Élastique! Grab them!" Dad managed to grunt as his whole body continued to tremble from the effort he was exerting.
Someone grabbed him by his collar and Alfred soon found himself, and Mattie, being pulled out of the crater and held in Pops' arms. Alfred had to marvel at Pops' ability to run at a dead sprint while carrying the two of them in his arms, especially since he didn't even seem winded, but he supposed that had everything to do with the adrenaline that was no doubt pumping its way through his veins.
"I'm okay Papa," Mattie groaned as he slowly slipped back into consciousness. "Really."
Pops didn't listen and Alfred could tell by the determined look on his face that his only concern at the moment was to get them as far away from the robot as possible. Alfred twisted around in Pops' arms and watched as Dad managed to push the robot off of him, only to have to duck and roll away from the metal arms that were desperately trying to skewer him. Pops ducted behind a corner nearly a block away from where Dad was busy fighting with the robot. He dropped Alfred and Mattie on the ground -- most likely a bit harder than he had intended, but there were too many things going on for Pops to focus on being gentle -- before quickly sprinting back towards Dad.
"Stay put!" Pops shouted back at the, as he disappeared down the street.
"Mattie?" Alfred began as he watched Pops dash away.
"Yeah Alfie?"
"We have the coolest parents ever."
--
This Omnidroid was just as strong as the last time he had faced it. That thought should have been troubling, but it wasn't, because unlike the last time Invincible was ready for it and he was fighting to do more than save his own sorry hide.
I have to lead it away from the kids, he thought as he sprinted down the street, narrowly escaping the Omnidroid's beams as it continued to blast away at the concrete with the canon mounted near its scope. A car came whizzing in front of him, colliding into the street with a heavy thud and completely cutting off Invincible's path.
"Damn you!" Invincible seethed as he narrowly dodged another blast. "Fighting dirty?"
It was then that his eyes caught sight of something, a flash of gold streaking through the sky. The Omnidroid must have spotted it as well, because it soon turned its camera to face the blazing gleam in the air. The golden streak began spinning about the robot's head, looping around in circles before sending a full blast of fire straight to its camera. Invincible watched as the giant machine staggered backwards before swatting at the flames as if it were a fly buzzing around its head. Invincible cringed as he watched the fire disburse and revealed a man shaped figure in red and gold tights appear in its place. The man was soon sent crashing towards the ground and hit the street with cringe inducing thud.
Wonderful, Invincible mentally groaned as he sprinted towards El Infierno. Just what I need. Someone else to get in the way.
"Antonio!" he heard Élastique cry as he ran towards his fallen friend's side. "Anto... er, El Infierno," Élastique stammered as he crouched down beside the other Super. "Are you alright?"
"Ouch," Infierno groaned as he rubbed the side of his head. A wry smile crept onto his features as he blinked up at Élastique's concerned face. "What the heck is that thing made of?"
"Something stronger than your thick skull," Invincible chided.
Infierno looked ready to respond, but the Omnidroid interrupted them by aiming its canon between the three and blasted at the ground, kicking up chunks of concrete and forcing the group to scatter. Invincible rolled away as Élastique wrapped his arms around Infierno's dazed form and carried him away.
Invincible must have been only midstride when the Omnidroid reached out and plucked him off of the ground. Invincible groaned, struggling in the machine's grasp for only an instant before being tossed aside like a rag doll into an office building. He heard more than felt the glass shattering as he crashed through several desks and chairs before being slammed against a filing cabinet. With a heavy grunt, Invincible got to his feet, briefly brushing bits of rubble and glass off of him before running back towards the now demolished window. Down below he could see that the Omnidroid was currently chasing after Élastique, who was twisting and looping his body about in order to quicken his pace, as Infierno continued shooting fire at the machine's limbs in hopes of doing some damage.
Somehow even amidst all that chaos and destruction, Invincible was able to spot it: a small white object that, upon first glance, appeared to be nothing more than rubble, but it wasn't. He recognized the object right away as one of Red Sickle's arm bands and for a fleeting moment Invincible wondered where Sickle had gotten to, before his mind switched to more important matters. He jumped down from the destroyed office building to the wreckage cluttered streets below in order to retrieve the wrist band. It was hard and sturdy and despite its smooth surface, Invincible was able to easily identify the buttons on its face.
"Red Sickle's remote!" he cried out and instantly found that he had made a terrible mistake. The Omnidroid, which had moments ago been focused on attempting to blast Infierno out of the sky, swirled around to face him. The ground exploded beneath his feet as the robot opened fire.
--
Alfred and Mattie saw the whole thing. They had watched as Dad leapt out of the building and picked up the weird piece of metal before shouting something towards Pops and Uncle Toni. Whatever he had said the robot hadn't approved of, because it instantly started to fire on him, blasting at the ground below him before reaching out and picking Dad up in its claws. It looked ready to squeeze him like a pimple waiting to be popped, but Dad pressed a button or something on the thing he picked up and suddenly he was dropped to the ground.
"It's a remote," Mattie concluded as he turned to face Alfred. "It's a remote that controls the robot."
"We have to get it!" Alfred said instantly, his feet eager to carry him towards the action. He may have been caught off guard before, but he was ready now.
"Papa told us to stay here," Mattie reminded him.
"Yeah, but they're getting their butts kicked," Alfred pointed out. "Look, we gotta help. Do you want them to end up like Uncle Gil?"
It was a low blow -- one that Alfred instantly regretted -- but it was enough to get his point across. Mattie gave a reluctant sigh as he nodded in consent. "Go for it Alfie."
Alfred didn't need to be told twice. He was zipping away towards the fight before the words could even fully leave Mattie's lips. He ran past the giant robot, its enormous camera somehow missing him completely as he came to a halt a few feet away. "Dad!" Alfred cried out, waving his arms and jumping up and down in order to catch his attention. "I'm open! Throw it here!"
For a fleeting moment, Alfred saw a look of genuine surprise on Dad's face, but it faded away quickly as he wound up to pitch the remote in his direction. He tossed the white controller clear over the robot's head and kept on soaring clear into the air. Alfred took off like a shot in order to catch it. His legs pounding and his eyes trained on the controller whizzing through the sky as Alfred mentally ordered himself not to pay attention to the steady pounding in the ground that told him the robot was right on his heels.
He was able to catch the remote just as it fell out of the sky, a good few blocks away from where Dad had originally tossed it, and for a moment he felt safe. That was, until the ground exploded in front of him and he remembered that the robot had a gun mounted to its head. Alfred took off in a flash, serpentining in the hopes that an erratically moving target would make it harder for the robot to aim, but the machine only responded by hurling cars in his path.
Alfred's heart was slamming against his chest as he came to a sudden halt between a brick wall and two cars that had been slammed into the ground, caging him in. He thought for certain that it was all over, especially when a bright light engulfed his vision and his side was overcome by an incredible heat, but when he blinked his eyes a few times he soon found that he was flying clear above the robot's head.
"Don't worry niño," he heard Uncle Toni say. He turned around to see that he was currently being held in Uncle Toni's arms, his lower half completely engulfed in flames while his upper body remained normal. "I've got you."
Alfred smiled and held on tight, both to Uncle Toni and the remote, as they went whirling through the air. The robot seemed determined not to let them escape as it angrily fired blast after blast from its laser beams at them, swatting with its mechanical arms when it could. Luckily for Alfred, Uncle Toni was good at this flying stuff and was able to dodge every blow. Luckier still was how Pops was able to take out the robot's gun when he lifted a manhole cover off of the street and used his arm to sling-shot the disk at the robot's head.
Their luck ran out there, because the robot had managed to fire off one last shot which connected with Uncle Toni's back. Uncle Toni hissed in pain, jerking backwards as his arms reflectively released Alfred from his protective grasp, allowing the boy to fall several feet below.
--
Élastique had seen the whole thing. He had watched as Alfred was chased down by the Omnidroid, ducking and dodging and narrowly escaping the machine's frightfully precise attacks, and as much as his heart was churning with fear, he had to admit that there was a great deal of pride welling up inside of him as well. He had never seen Alfred run so quickly or move so nimbly and, all things considered, the boy had handled himself quite well in his first real battle.
First and last, Élastique thought resolutely and no sooner had the thought entered his mind did his masked eyes catch the sight of Alfred and Infierno being shot out of the sky by the Omnidroid's blasters. Again his heart started hammering in his chest as he watched Alfred fall. Of course, Élastique was able to keep a level head as he stretched his body into a long flat blanket in order to catch the two of them before they could hit the ground.
"Did I not tell you and your brother to stay put?" Élastique chided once Alfred and Infierno were safely on the ground (and his own body was returned to its normal shape).
"Yeah, but..." Alfred began, a sheepish look already settling on to his features. The boy interrupted himself, however, when he seemed to notice something amiss. "Wait, where's the remote?"
"Remote?" Élastique echoed as he vaguely recalled the odd white cuff that Alfred had been clutching just before he had fallen from the sky. Invincible had been shouting about it as well, just before he had hurled it to Alfred, and clearly the strange device held some sort of importance. His eyes quickly swept the rubble and debris filled road, and only saw that the Omnidroid was less than a block away and approaching.
A massive groan longed to escape him, but Élastique swallowed the sound when his tired eyes caught the sight of the white cuff, which was now floating in mid air. The Omnidroid must have spotted it as well as it used its arms to swat at the controller, but its coordination had already taken a great deal of damage and the robot only ended up sinking its claws into the street. It was then that a battered sedan went soaring through the air and straight towards the robot's body. (Courtesy of Captain Invincible, Élastique thought with a smile.) The machine wobbled and stumbled backwards just as Mathieu reappeared.
"Papa, I got the remote!" Mathieu shouted as he sprinted towards Élastique's side.
"A remote?" Infierno echoed as he blinked down at the device that Alfred proceeded to snatch out of Mathieu's grasp. "A remote for what?"
Alfred pressed a few buttons, a determined frown decorating his masked features, and in an instant the Omnidroid was propelled off of the ground and jettisoned backwards.
"The robot?" Infierno gasped, but the group was by now solely focused on the controller in Alfred's hands.
"You're pressing the wrong buttons!" Mathieu cried as he yanked the remote from his brother and began pressing a few buttons himself.
"No, those are the same buttons. Try this one."
"No, that one's no good. Try that one."
"No, no, this one!"
"Not that one! You already tried it!"
"Oh for the love of... there are three buttons!" Invincible all but shouted as he rejoined the group before snatching the remote for himself. "Look, the Omnidroid's body is too strong. The only thing that can penetrate it is itself. We have to find some way to get it to puncture its own shell."
"Wonderful," Élastique said as he claimed the controller as his own. "You and Infierno go buy some time while I try to figure this out."
Invincible huffed and sputtered indignantly, but the steady pounding of heavy metal claws against the street was more than enough to pull him out of his little temper tantrum. "Fine. Fine!" he groaned as he turned to glare wearily at Infierno. "You go high, I'll go low."
Infierno gave a short nod as he launched himself into the air and Invincible went sprinting towards the Omnidroid and suddenly Élastique was left alone to figure out just how to work the controls. The boys chattered and argued around him, but Élastique was sure to ignore their petulant cries as he focused solely on his task.
He punched a button and found that it didn't do much aside from cause the claw to spin like a propeller, another button recreated the rocket boost that launched the Omnidroid earlier, and the third button caused a lower video scope to appear from the base of the robot's body. After a minute of playing with the remote Élastique discovered two things: first that while there were only three buttons, as Invincible had so gruffly pointed out, when pressed in a certain order they preformed separate tasks, such as causing claws to be detached from the Omnidroid's limb. The second was that, when being tossed in the air while clutched in a dismembered claw, Invincible made a very strange noise similar to a cat whose whiskers had been burned.
"Dammit Élastique, stop fooling around!" Invincible howled from somewhere behind him. "We have to hurry up and destroy this damn thing!"
"Amigo! Hurry," Infierno whined as he continued to shoot fire at the increasingly irritated Omnidroid. "I don't think I can keep this up forever!"
It was then that Élastique realized exactly what he needed to do. It was just as Invincible had said, they had to get the Omnidroid to puncture itself, and the best way to do so would be to launch its own dismembered claw at itself. Of course, the problem was that Élastique could not recall how to perform that precise task.
"Invincible!" Élastique cried as he glanced over his shoulder in order to get a better look at the other Super. "Grab the claw!" Invincible nodded as he ran over to the fallen limb and lifted it as best as he could. "Okay boys," Élastique began as he turned back to face the Omnidroid. It was still focused on swatting Infierno out of the sky, but Élastique could tell from is friend's quickly diminishing flames that it wouldn't be long before it moved on to another target. "Tell me what happens when I press this button."
The children craned their necks around as Élastique pressed the top two buttons. "It's spinning!" Alfred told him and Élastique groaned.
"That is not right," he grumbled, then pressed the bottom key twice. "This one?"
"Nothing," Mathieu said.
"Alright, it is this one." He took a deep breath and steadied himself. "Boys, when I say run, you run."
"No way Pops!" Alfred cried stubbornly just as the Omnidroid's arm made contact with Infierno's torso.
"We're not leaving," Mathieu put in.
It was too late to argue.
"Francis! Hurry!" Invincible cried.
"Fine!" he groaned, before pressing the middle switch. "Duck!"
This time the children did just as he said, crouching down low and covering themselves with their arms just as the Omnidroid's detached claw went flying over their heads. The limb ran clean through the robot's body with ease, leaving only a massive whole in its wake. They watched in stunned awe as for one full second the robot was perfectly still, before it tipped over, collapsed on its side and burst into brilliant flames.
He must have been staring at the ruined body for some time, because he did not realize that Invincible was next to him until his hand pressed down on his shoulder. Élastique looked to the other Super and smiled just as the few citizens that had not fled the city gathered around the group and began to applaud in earnest.
Élastique let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, relieved that, at long last, it was finally all over.
Last Chapter
Character(s) or Pairing(s): FACES featuring FrUK In this chapter: Spain, Romano, Russia
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: AU, Slash, Action/Adventure, Implied Past Mpreg, Character Death
Summary: After a series of lawsuits forces him and the rest of the Supers into retirement, Arthur Kirkland finds himself trapped living a mundane suburban life. When adventure calls he's quick to respond, but how will it affect the rest of his family?
Prologue|Chapter 1|Chapter 2|Chapter 3|Chapter 4|Chapter 5|Chapter 6|Chapter 7|Chapter 8|Chapter 9
Chapter 10 The Invincibles vs the Omnidroid
"Are we there yet?" Alfred groaned and Invincible couldn't help but feel his grip reflectively tighten in annoyance.
Not long ago Alfred had been nearly bouncing off the walls as he gushed over how "awesome" and "cool" this all was, but apparently the thrill of being inside an armored van confiscated from a terrorist group that was currently attacked to a rocket being launched towards a giant robot terrorizing a defenseless city was only exciting for the first minute or so before becoming dull.
"We'll get there when we get there!" Invincible ground out for what felt like the hundredth time, only to be met with the usual response: a long whining groan and the gentle slap of Alfred's forehead colliding with the back of his seat. Invincible clenched his jaw and fought against the urge to slam his fist into the dashboard. He supposed he should expect as much from a child whose already microscopic attention span had been nearly whittled away by years of mindless video game playing and television watching.
Invincible sighed as he tapped his fingers impatiently against the grooves of the steering wheel. He couldn't really fault Alfred for feeling impatient, because even with the world zooming by beneath them time still seemed to be crawling by. Invincible felt certain that those anxious feelings were due in no small amount to the fact that every second they were in the air was another second that innocent lives spent in harm's way. Of course, the fact that this was entirely his fault didn't serve to help matters either.
He glanced into the rear view mirror and saw Alfred lulling his head this way and that as Matthew sat fidgeting in his seat with a mixture of excitement and dread and somewhere just overhead was Élastique acting as a human tether, using his elastic limbs to keep the van attached to the rocket until it was time to dismount. Clearly, none of them were keen on waiting very much longer.
"Almost there," Invincible muttered to the dashboard. "Almost there."
--
Antonio frowned as he felt the ground beneath him shake. Not the ground, the floorboards really, but still there was a tremble that could not be the result of an earthquake, because the pounding was too steady and rhythmic and the tremors were coming far too spaced out.
He had just been about to step out the door in order to check on Francis's baby when the first boom had greeted his ears and he realized now that the booms were growing louder as the tremors grew stronger and clearly he was not going to have time to swing by his friend's house. He peaked out his bedroom window and saw it straight away: a robot, a massive ball of black metal with a glowing red scope for an eye and long tentacle like limbs snaking out from its body.
A sharp thrill ran its way through him as Antonio's body began to practically hum with glee. Suddenly he wasn't feeling so down about being left behind while Francis and Gilbert flew off towards some island, because he was about to have an adventure of his own and they were going to miss out on all the fun.
He had to fight against the urge to laugh as he ran over towards the control panel hidden just behind an old painting mounted to their bedroom wall. Antonio allowed himself a small smile as he quickly punched in the access code, because he had finally found a reason to put the secret compartment that Ludwig had installed to good use. Antonio took a step back and watched as the large bookshelf in front of him slid away as the once smooth cream colored wall split into twin doors that slipped away to reveal...
Nothing.
Well, not nothing. Not completely, because the polished silver grooves marking the space where his old Super suit should have been were now clearly visible, but the suit itself was nowhere to be seen.
Antonio felt his stomach grow cold and drop to his feet as the sound of panicked screams and explosions reached his ear from just beyond the window. This was not good.
"Lovino?" Antonio called out, trying his hardest not to sound too frantic because the last thing he wanted was to upset his partner. He stepped out of the bedroom just as Lovino entered their living room, sorting through a stack of letters with an irritated scowl. "Lovino, I-"
"Did you forget your keys again?" Lovino cut in with an annoyed grumble. "They're on the counter where they always are."
"No. Not that. I-"
"Your wallet? It's probably on the dresser," Lovino told him distantly. His eyes only managed to peel away from the mail he was leafing through when another deep rumble cut through the stillness in the air and Antonio felt his stomach do a painful flip in response. "What the hell is with all that noise?"
"A robot," Antonio found himself answering automatically and was rewarded with the sight of Lovino's eyes widening as he looked from the window to Antonio and back again.
"A robot?"
"A robot!" he cried out just as another explosion pierced the air and Antonio found himself having to shout over the panic of the outside world. "A giant robot is attacking the city! The city is in danger! Have you seen my Super suit?"
The mail was now completely forgotten, long white envelopes fluttering uselessly to the floor as they slipped from between Lovino's numbed fingers. Lovino pushed past him, rushed towards the window, and pulled back the curtains. Antonio followed and saw that the monstrous robot was currently busy stomping on cars and swishing its arms about haphazardly as people fled. He could hear the distinct sound of sirens wailing in the distance and Antonio knew that the police would not be able to deal with this sort of situation.
"I need my suit, Lovi," Antonio told him, hoping to draw Lovino's attention away from the chaos unfolding just outside their window. "I need to go out there and-"
"No."
Antonio blinked, certain that he hadn't heard the sharp word slip from his husband's lips. "No?" he repeated curiously.
"No!" Lovino barked once again as he snapped the curtains shut and pushed Antonio away from the window. "You're not going out there. You're retired dammit!"
"It doesn't matter if I'm retired," Antonio reasoned gently, because it was best to use soothing tones when Lovino was in this sort of mood. "This is the greater good we're talking about."
"The greater good my ass!" Lovino huffed as he once again shoved Antonio away from the window. "'The greater good' is likely to get you locked away. If anyone sees you out there-"
"You think I'm going to be arrested for trying to save the city?" Antonio laughed, because sometimes Lovino picked the strangest things to fret over.
"No, I think you'll be killed trying to save the city!" he shot back and for the first time Antonio realized that there were tears in his eyes. He watched as Lovino fought against the urge to sniff or wipe at the wetness running down his cheek as he once again began shoving Antonio further into their apartment. "You're retired, you haven't been in a fight in years, and now you want to risk your life? For what? For them? For a bunch of thankless people who didn't give a damn about you every time you went out and did something stupid?
"You'll be killed. You'll die protecting them and no one will thank you. No one will cry for you except..."
Antonio didn't let Lovino say anymore. He just held him and Lovino was quick to bury his face into Antonio's still firm chest and hold him so fiercely he could have left bruises on his flesh.
In that moment Antonio felt like what he was: old, weak, and out of practice, but even as his heart told him to just stay and hold his sobbing husband in his arms, something stronger told him to go.
"The sun is out," he whispered soothingly. "My strength is at its peak. Francis and Gilbert are away, Arthur has disappeared, and Ludwig lives an hour away from here. I'm the only one who can help."
Lovino didn't say anything, but deep down he knew that Antonio was right. Still, right and wrong probably didn't matter much when all the old forgotten fears of long ago were suddenly all flooding back. "Fine," Lovino sniffed as he pulled away from him. He brushed the tears off of his cheek and rubbed them out of his eyes so hastily that his whole face began to turn red. "Go. See if I care. But if you die, I'm leaving you."
--
The Omnidroid was functioning just as planned. He was causing just enough destruction and property damage to incite the right amount of panic into the people below and as the frightened lot scattered about on the ground below, Red Sickle allowed himself a moment to smile at how well his plan was playing out.
He had dreamed of this day. For years he had laid awake at night imagining this very moment, the moment when everything fell into place and the world became absolutely perfect. It was exactly how he had pictured it: upturned cars and massive chunks of rubble cluttering the streets as people scrambled to find safety. There were police sirens wailing away, gun shots firing wildly into smooth metal, and screams of panic cutting through the air. He closed his eyes against it all and took a deep breath, filling his lungs with smoke and debris filled air. It felt just like one of his dreams.
A part of him wished that Captain Invincible could be here to witness it all, but Red Sickle was quick to push that thought aside.
I can show him tape later, he thought with a chuckle as he used his gravity controlled boots to float down towards the scene unfolding below him.
The Omnidroid was currently stomping its way past an intersection, cutting through the criss-crossing electrical wires connecting traffic lights with disinterest as its massive scope continued to examine the street. It was scanning the streets for movement and its mechanical lenses must have zeroed in on a young woman scrambling to gather up her small child and escape the robot's path, because it soon picked up a mid-sized car that had been left in the center of the street and seemed intent on hurling it at the woman.
Time I step in, Sickle thought, because swooping in to save a defenseless mother tending to her infant child was just the type of heroics he would need to make his debut all the more memorable.
The robot pitched the car like a ball of wadded paper and hurled it towards the two bystanders and Sickle was already approaching in anticipation. His boots sent him down lower, faster, the wind whipping the air about his face and causing his cape to billow majestically as he pressed a button on his wrist remote and aimed at the car. In an instant the vehicle was encased in his energy fields and he allowed his smile to twitch wider as a collective gasp of shocked relief rippled through the crowds. The car had only been a foot away from the woman, no doubt close enough for her to feel the heat of the energy field and smell the engine's exhaust. He heard her startle before sprinting away.
"The Supers are back!" someone shouted, not in pleasure, but merely surprise.
Sickle waited, continuing to hold the car in midair and it must have looked absurd, but he wanted to take in the full force of their reaction before continuing with his little act.
"It's Norse Star!" a different voice called out and Sickle felt his stomach sink in disappointment.
"No, Norse Star didn't have a cape."
"Oh... Wonder Shot then?"
The crowd continued to dissolve into soft whispers and speculative talk as each person took a moment to stop fleeing and proceeded to name all the old and retired Supers that he resembled. Suddenly Red Sickle was overcome with the desire to fling the car into the crowd, but decided to take a different approach to silencing their debate.
"I am not old Super!" Sickle cut in as he tossed the car over his head and in the Omnidroid's direction. "I am new hero! Red Sickle!"
The car connected to the Omnidroid with a satisfying thunk and Sickle's heart swelled as the crowd that had gathered actually took a moment to clap in approval as it burst into flames against the robot's smooth casing. It was soft, half hearted really, but it was applause none the less. At long last he was getting the recognition he deserved.
"Time to teach you lesson," he chided playfully at the Omnidroid and Sickle silently hoped that his Superhero banter sounded natural. Even after years of studying Supers, witty combat exchanges had always been a weak spot for him.
He swooped in closer to the giant robot and watched as it swung one of its arms at him, and proceeded to miss by a wide margin. Sickle grinned and continued to mime a punch at the juncture between the metal body and its limb while using sleight of hand in order to press another button at his wrist control. With a mechanical pop and a slight hiss the arm detached and the Omnidroid wobbled, just as it had been programmed to. Again the crowd cheered, but it was louder now, more sincere, and the sound was downright intoxicating.
For a moment everything felt warm, grand, wonderful. He was living his dream, living in the world that he had always wanted, and for just a second Sickle felt certain that his life had finally fallen into place.
He was so caught up in these thoughts of pure, unadulterated glee that he almost didn't notice when the Omnidroid began to attack him.
Almost.
The movement was quick, but it was impossible to ignore the sight of a giant black, mechanical limb being raised high in the air in your general direction, so Sickle dodged, barely. Another limb came swinging and this one managed to connect with his legs as if to sweep him off of his feet and knock him off balance. It worked. His feet soon knocked together, triggering his boots to life. Sickle was caught off guard, his mind was too busy reeling over how erratically the Omnidroid was behaving, and he was unable to stop himself from slamming head first into a stone wall.
This is all wrong, he thought, just as his world faded into darkness.
--
"The fastest way there is Evergreen!" Élastique insisted, seething the words more than speaking them as one hand pressed firmly against the dashboard as the other gripped the side of the van.
"Evergreen?" Invincible scoffed dismissively as he swerved past another car and continued to clutch the wheel tightly in his hands as he pushed the reinforced vehicle's speed into the triple digits. "No way! They're downtown, in the business center! If I take Evergreen, I'll go right past them. I'd be better off taking Berkley!"
"Berkley? During this time of day! You will be gridlocked! Take Evergreen!"
Invincible groaned as his fingers curled around the leather wrapped wheel until it felt as if it would snap like a dry twig in his hand. Things had been going smoothly so far. Landing had been surprisingly simple with the aid of one of Matthew's force fields and they had been fortunate enough not to crash into a single car on their way down. Locating the Omnidroid was also simple, as Laurinaitis had given them the exact location prior to the launch. What was not simple was driving, because he and Élastique had never been able to sit in a car together for more than a minute without getting at each other's nerves. At least now was not nearly as bad as their Supering days, when Élastique had had the bad habit of grabbing the wheel of the Invinc-obile while he was still driving. Still, their current bickering wasn't exactly productive and very likely to get them all killed.
"Truck!" Matthew cried out from the backseat, just as Invincible swerved out of the eighteen wheeler's way.
"I saw it!" Invincible seethed as he continued to glance at all the road signs zooming by. "Which exit is coming up?" he asked as he eased the car towards the off ramp. "Is that Berkley?"
"Do not take that one!" Élastique screamed, shrieked really, his voice so shrill that it actually caused Invincible to jerk the wheel and straighten the car.
"Dammit Francis! That was my exit!"
"I told you to get off at Evergreen, so get off now!"
Invincible, reluctantly, did as he was told; jerking the car so suddenly towards the fast approaching exit that the van wobbled and nearly tipped over. Invincible pushed aside the worried groan bubbling in his throat and kept telling himself that it didn't matter how he got there, just that he got there, because every second spent in this van arguing was a second that innocent people were put in grave danger.
Once they were off the highway, it didn't take long for them to find their destination, because the signs of mindless destruction and panic were easy to pick up on. The van barreled towards the city and even with the windows rolled up Invincible could faintly smell the rubber burning as he came to a screeching halt in front of a nearby building, knocking into a light post and scraping the sidewalk while he was at it. The frame of the van rocked and creaked in protest when Invincible finally shut off the engine.
He took a moment to twist around in his seat and glance back at the children strapped to their chairs in the back. They looked pale, shaken, but whole.
"Are you lads alright?" Invincible asked as he looked from Matthew's trembling figure to Alfred's dizzied expression.
"Ugh... maple," Matthew said weakly as he slumped over in his seat.
"Still a lot better than that plane ride," Alfred groaned as he clutched at his head.
Invincible smiled proudly at his two brave boys, because any other children would likely have been frantically weeping after such an experience. Not his two. They were a different breed through and through.
Élastique touched his arm and Invincible felt his smile fade when a deep rumbling greeted him just a moment later. He slipped from his seat and out the car, marching into the middle of the deserted street just in time to listen to a panicked scream slice through the air as the Omnidroid marched by. Invincible swore it had gotten taller and for a moment he could do nothing but stare at its smooth black body peeking out from between the gray slabs of buildings.
"Stay here with the boys," Invincible said, because he already knew that Élastique was standing beside. "I have to go."
"Not without me," Élastique said as he quickly stepped in front of him, blocking Invincible's path. There was a stubborn gleam in his masked eyes and Invincible could tell from the firm set of his jaw that he was deadly serious.
"No Francis, this is my mess and I have to clean it up."
"You seem to be forgetting who I am, Captain Invincible," Élastique snapped with a very pointed huff. "I am a seasoned Super, one who had been single handedly defeating megalomaniacs while you were still an awkward teenager locked in your room listening to your punk albums."
"You don't understand. I fought it before!" Invincible countered, even as a small voice in the back of his mind reminded him that this Omnidriod had wiped the floor with him in less than a minute during their last encounter.
"And you will fight it again, with me." Élastique made to grab his wrist, but Invincible just stepped aside, avoiding his touch completely.
"No," he said, because this was wrong, everything was wrong. There was smoke in the air, wreckage all around, and screams and sirens wailing in their ears. This was the world he had left behind, the world that they had been forced away from, and the world he had never wanted his boys to see. Months ago, Invincible might have felt right at home in this familiar scene, but now he just felt... "I need you and the boys to be safe."
"You are as stubborn now as you were back then," Élastique huffed as he threw his arms up dramatically to emphasize his point. "Why must you continue to be so reluctant to work as a team?"
"This isn't about 'teamwork.'"
"Then what is it? Your ego? Your own self worth?"
"No! That isn't it either." Invincible frowned, twisting around momentarily to search the skylines. His head felt dizzy, his world uneven, and Élastique's insistence on having this argument was not making things any better. "Look, you don't understand-"
"Then help me to understand!"
"I… I can't-"
"Cannot, what? Cannot tell me?"
"I can't lose you again!" Invincible hadn't meant to shout the words or grab Élastique's shoulder so roughly, but his questions had sent Invincible hurdling back to the moment when he'd heard Francis's plane being shot out of the sky and suddenly his heart felt just as withered and cold as it had then. "I can't lose you. Not again."
He wasn't looking at Élastique, he simply couldn't as his eyes suddenly seemed only able to focus on the ground between them, but he could practically feel Élastique's eyes widen as they studied him a bit too intensely. Invincible flinched when he felt Élastique's gloved hand brush against his cheek, his touch warm and comforting even as feelings of complete worthlessness churned in the pit of his stomach. Yet it didn't stop his heart from jumping in his chest when Élastique's lips pressed against his in a firm, yet reassuring kiss.
"You need not worry about that," Élastique whispered to him, his breath hot against Invincible's lips. He watched as Élastique smiled at him, a strange confidence filling his gaze that actually helped to make Invincible feel a bit steadier. "You will not lose us so easily."
For one fleeting moment Invincible believed him, but those feelings of warmth and stability were difficult to maintain when Matthew's shrill scream reached their ears.
--
"I don't think we should leave the car," Mattie noted as Alfred unbuckled himself from his seat and stepped out of the van.
"I know," he said dismissively, because it didn't take a genius to know that a city currently being terrorized by a giant robot wasn't the safest place to be, but Alfred just needed to put his feet on some stable ground after being tossed around like a pin ball inside of the van. "I just need some fresh air."
Mattie didn't say anything, but Alfred could tell he was feeling the same way as he, shakily, stepped out the van behind him. The dads were talking just a few feet away, arguing really from the way they were frowning at each other, and really the ground didn't feel so solid with the way it was shaking from the robot's heavy pounding. The air was thick and gritty, there was noise churning in his ears, and every where he looked things were either smashed or being destroyed. Suddenly Alfred knew exactly what it felt like to be in a monster movie.
"I wonder if they shut down the school," Alfred mused as he searched the horizon for any signs of the robot. Something that huge shouldn't be hard to spot, but Alfred was feeling so dizzy that it was hard to sort up from down.
"Is there even school today? I feel like we were stuck on that island for months."
Alfred gave a weak laugh. He felt a bit like sitting, but at the same time wanted to stay on his feet. He glanced back at the dads and saw that they weren't shouting anymore -- just talking quietly and, oh, now they were kissing, gross -- and he wondered if that meant that Pops would be taking them home.
At the moment, going home didn't sound like such a bad idea, because at least then he'd be able to get something to eat. Even as that little voice in the back of his mind tried to convince Alfred how amazing a shower would feel right about now a bigger voice was screaming about how this adventure was not over yet. There was still a robot to destroy and Alfred wanted to at least stick around to see it happen if not do something to help.
"Alfred! Run!"
Alfred didn't run, he was too shocked by Mattie's sudden scream to move, but even as he turned to look at his brother -- his face had gone several shades paler and his eyes were wide enough to pop out of his head -- he saw the massive shadow stretch out to cover everything in sight. He raised his eyes and saw only smooth black metal above him as the robot loomed over them. His already wobbling knees gave out at the sheer size of it, like a floating stadium ready to crush him, and Alfred soon found that he could only duck and cover in anticipation for the blow.
It never came.
He blinked, not realizing that his eyes had been closed, and looked around to see that Mattie had managed to create one of his energy fields around them and was now the only thing standing between them being crushed like ants.
"Maple... leaf..." Mattie half squeaked, half groaned, his arms stretched high above his head and his eyes screwed shut in concentration. Alfred could tell that it was taking everything in his brother not to panic and keep the protective bubble from popping around them.
The robot must have known that too, because it didn't ease up. It raised its giant bowling ball shaped body into the sky, before lowering it down on them again and again. Alfred cringed with each blow even as the shield overhead maintained itself. By the fifth blow the robot grew frustrated, it must have, because it raised itself higher and brought its body down faster than ever before. It was too much for Mattie to handle and Alfred felt his heart still in his chest when he saw his brother's eyes roll into the back of his head and he collapsed in a heap next to him.
"Mattie?" Alfred gasped as he crawled over to his brother's limp body.
The sound of metal limbs creaking reached his ears and Alfred could only think to wrap himself around Mattie as the robot's massive shadow engulfed them once more.
Again the blow didn't come and this time when Alfred opened his eyes, he was greeted by the sight of Dad crouched on the ground next to him, using his arms and upper back to hold the robot in place and from the way his face was turning red, Alfred could see that it was no easy feat.
"Élastique! Grab them!" Dad managed to grunt as his whole body continued to tremble from the effort he was exerting.
Someone grabbed him by his collar and Alfred soon found himself, and Mattie, being pulled out of the crater and held in Pops' arms. Alfred had to marvel at Pops' ability to run at a dead sprint while carrying the two of them in his arms, especially since he didn't even seem winded, but he supposed that had everything to do with the adrenaline that was no doubt pumping its way through his veins.
"I'm okay Papa," Mattie groaned as he slowly slipped back into consciousness. "Really."
Pops didn't listen and Alfred could tell by the determined look on his face that his only concern at the moment was to get them as far away from the robot as possible. Alfred twisted around in Pops' arms and watched as Dad managed to push the robot off of him, only to have to duck and roll away from the metal arms that were desperately trying to skewer him. Pops ducted behind a corner nearly a block away from where Dad was busy fighting with the robot. He dropped Alfred and Mattie on the ground -- most likely a bit harder than he had intended, but there were too many things going on for Pops to focus on being gentle -- before quickly sprinting back towards Dad.
"Stay put!" Pops shouted back at the, as he disappeared down the street.
"Mattie?" Alfred began as he watched Pops dash away.
"Yeah Alfie?"
"We have the coolest parents ever."
--
This Omnidroid was just as strong as the last time he had faced it. That thought should have been troubling, but it wasn't, because unlike the last time Invincible was ready for it and he was fighting to do more than save his own sorry hide.
I have to lead it away from the kids, he thought as he sprinted down the street, narrowly escaping the Omnidroid's beams as it continued to blast away at the concrete with the canon mounted near its scope. A car came whizzing in front of him, colliding into the street with a heavy thud and completely cutting off Invincible's path.
"Damn you!" Invincible seethed as he narrowly dodged another blast. "Fighting dirty?"
It was then that his eyes caught sight of something, a flash of gold streaking through the sky. The Omnidroid must have spotted it as well, because it soon turned its camera to face the blazing gleam in the air. The golden streak began spinning about the robot's head, looping around in circles before sending a full blast of fire straight to its camera. Invincible watched as the giant machine staggered backwards before swatting at the flames as if it were a fly buzzing around its head. Invincible cringed as he watched the fire disburse and revealed a man shaped figure in red and gold tights appear in its place. The man was soon sent crashing towards the ground and hit the street with cringe inducing thud.
Wonderful, Invincible mentally groaned as he sprinted towards El Infierno. Just what I need. Someone else to get in the way.
"Antonio!" he heard Élastique cry as he ran towards his fallen friend's side. "Anto... er, El Infierno," Élastique stammered as he crouched down beside the other Super. "Are you alright?"
"Ouch," Infierno groaned as he rubbed the side of his head. A wry smile crept onto his features as he blinked up at Élastique's concerned face. "What the heck is that thing made of?"
"Something stronger than your thick skull," Invincible chided.
Infierno looked ready to respond, but the Omnidroid interrupted them by aiming its canon between the three and blasted at the ground, kicking up chunks of concrete and forcing the group to scatter. Invincible rolled away as Élastique wrapped his arms around Infierno's dazed form and carried him away.
Invincible must have been only midstride when the Omnidroid reached out and plucked him off of the ground. Invincible groaned, struggling in the machine's grasp for only an instant before being tossed aside like a rag doll into an office building. He heard more than felt the glass shattering as he crashed through several desks and chairs before being slammed against a filing cabinet. With a heavy grunt, Invincible got to his feet, briefly brushing bits of rubble and glass off of him before running back towards the now demolished window. Down below he could see that the Omnidroid was currently chasing after Élastique, who was twisting and looping his body about in order to quicken his pace, as Infierno continued shooting fire at the machine's limbs in hopes of doing some damage.
Somehow even amidst all that chaos and destruction, Invincible was able to spot it: a small white object that, upon first glance, appeared to be nothing more than rubble, but it wasn't. He recognized the object right away as one of Red Sickle's arm bands and for a fleeting moment Invincible wondered where Sickle had gotten to, before his mind switched to more important matters. He jumped down from the destroyed office building to the wreckage cluttered streets below in order to retrieve the wrist band. It was hard and sturdy and despite its smooth surface, Invincible was able to easily identify the buttons on its face.
"Red Sickle's remote!" he cried out and instantly found that he had made a terrible mistake. The Omnidroid, which had moments ago been focused on attempting to blast Infierno out of the sky, swirled around to face him. The ground exploded beneath his feet as the robot opened fire.
--
Alfred and Mattie saw the whole thing. They had watched as Dad leapt out of the building and picked up the weird piece of metal before shouting something towards Pops and Uncle Toni. Whatever he had said the robot hadn't approved of, because it instantly started to fire on him, blasting at the ground below him before reaching out and picking Dad up in its claws. It looked ready to squeeze him like a pimple waiting to be popped, but Dad pressed a button or something on the thing he picked up and suddenly he was dropped to the ground.
"It's a remote," Mattie concluded as he turned to face Alfred. "It's a remote that controls the robot."
"We have to get it!" Alfred said instantly, his feet eager to carry him towards the action. He may have been caught off guard before, but he was ready now.
"Papa told us to stay here," Mattie reminded him.
"Yeah, but they're getting their butts kicked," Alfred pointed out. "Look, we gotta help. Do you want them to end up like Uncle Gil?"
It was a low blow -- one that Alfred instantly regretted -- but it was enough to get his point across. Mattie gave a reluctant sigh as he nodded in consent. "Go for it Alfie."
Alfred didn't need to be told twice. He was zipping away towards the fight before the words could even fully leave Mattie's lips. He ran past the giant robot, its enormous camera somehow missing him completely as he came to a halt a few feet away. "Dad!" Alfred cried out, waving his arms and jumping up and down in order to catch his attention. "I'm open! Throw it here!"
For a fleeting moment, Alfred saw a look of genuine surprise on Dad's face, but it faded away quickly as he wound up to pitch the remote in his direction. He tossed the white controller clear over the robot's head and kept on soaring clear into the air. Alfred took off like a shot in order to catch it. His legs pounding and his eyes trained on the controller whizzing through the sky as Alfred mentally ordered himself not to pay attention to the steady pounding in the ground that told him the robot was right on his heels.
He was able to catch the remote just as it fell out of the sky, a good few blocks away from where Dad had originally tossed it, and for a moment he felt safe. That was, until the ground exploded in front of him and he remembered that the robot had a gun mounted to its head. Alfred took off in a flash, serpentining in the hopes that an erratically moving target would make it harder for the robot to aim, but the machine only responded by hurling cars in his path.
Alfred's heart was slamming against his chest as he came to a sudden halt between a brick wall and two cars that had been slammed into the ground, caging him in. He thought for certain that it was all over, especially when a bright light engulfed his vision and his side was overcome by an incredible heat, but when he blinked his eyes a few times he soon found that he was flying clear above the robot's head.
"Don't worry niño," he heard Uncle Toni say. He turned around to see that he was currently being held in Uncle Toni's arms, his lower half completely engulfed in flames while his upper body remained normal. "I've got you."
Alfred smiled and held on tight, both to Uncle Toni and the remote, as they went whirling through the air. The robot seemed determined not to let them escape as it angrily fired blast after blast from its laser beams at them, swatting with its mechanical arms when it could. Luckily for Alfred, Uncle Toni was good at this flying stuff and was able to dodge every blow. Luckier still was how Pops was able to take out the robot's gun when he lifted a manhole cover off of the street and used his arm to sling-shot the disk at the robot's head.
Their luck ran out there, because the robot had managed to fire off one last shot which connected with Uncle Toni's back. Uncle Toni hissed in pain, jerking backwards as his arms reflectively released Alfred from his protective grasp, allowing the boy to fall several feet below.
--
Élastique had seen the whole thing. He had watched as Alfred was chased down by the Omnidroid, ducking and dodging and narrowly escaping the machine's frightfully precise attacks, and as much as his heart was churning with fear, he had to admit that there was a great deal of pride welling up inside of him as well. He had never seen Alfred run so quickly or move so nimbly and, all things considered, the boy had handled himself quite well in his first real battle.
First and last, Élastique thought resolutely and no sooner had the thought entered his mind did his masked eyes catch the sight of Alfred and Infierno being shot out of the sky by the Omnidroid's blasters. Again his heart started hammering in his chest as he watched Alfred fall. Of course, Élastique was able to keep a level head as he stretched his body into a long flat blanket in order to catch the two of them before they could hit the ground.
"Did I not tell you and your brother to stay put?" Élastique chided once Alfred and Infierno were safely on the ground (and his own body was returned to its normal shape).
"Yeah, but..." Alfred began, a sheepish look already settling on to his features. The boy interrupted himself, however, when he seemed to notice something amiss. "Wait, where's the remote?"
"Remote?" Élastique echoed as he vaguely recalled the odd white cuff that Alfred had been clutching just before he had fallen from the sky. Invincible had been shouting about it as well, just before he had hurled it to Alfred, and clearly the strange device held some sort of importance. His eyes quickly swept the rubble and debris filled road, and only saw that the Omnidroid was less than a block away and approaching.
A massive groan longed to escape him, but Élastique swallowed the sound when his tired eyes caught the sight of the white cuff, which was now floating in mid air. The Omnidroid must have spotted it as well as it used its arms to swat at the controller, but its coordination had already taken a great deal of damage and the robot only ended up sinking its claws into the street. It was then that a battered sedan went soaring through the air and straight towards the robot's body. (Courtesy of Captain Invincible, Élastique thought with a smile.) The machine wobbled and stumbled backwards just as Mathieu reappeared.
"Papa, I got the remote!" Mathieu shouted as he sprinted towards Élastique's side.
"A remote?" Infierno echoed as he blinked down at the device that Alfred proceeded to snatch out of Mathieu's grasp. "A remote for what?"
Alfred pressed a few buttons, a determined frown decorating his masked features, and in an instant the Omnidroid was propelled off of the ground and jettisoned backwards.
"The robot?" Infierno gasped, but the group was by now solely focused on the controller in Alfred's hands.
"You're pressing the wrong buttons!" Mathieu cried as he yanked the remote from his brother and began pressing a few buttons himself.
"No, those are the same buttons. Try this one."
"No, that one's no good. Try that one."
"No, no, this one!"
"Not that one! You already tried it!"
"Oh for the love of... there are three buttons!" Invincible all but shouted as he rejoined the group before snatching the remote for himself. "Look, the Omnidroid's body is too strong. The only thing that can penetrate it is itself. We have to find some way to get it to puncture its own shell."
"Wonderful," Élastique said as he claimed the controller as his own. "You and Infierno go buy some time while I try to figure this out."
Invincible huffed and sputtered indignantly, but the steady pounding of heavy metal claws against the street was more than enough to pull him out of his little temper tantrum. "Fine. Fine!" he groaned as he turned to glare wearily at Infierno. "You go high, I'll go low."
Infierno gave a short nod as he launched himself into the air and Invincible went sprinting towards the Omnidroid and suddenly Élastique was left alone to figure out just how to work the controls. The boys chattered and argued around him, but Élastique was sure to ignore their petulant cries as he focused solely on his task.
He punched a button and found that it didn't do much aside from cause the claw to spin like a propeller, another button recreated the rocket boost that launched the Omnidroid earlier, and the third button caused a lower video scope to appear from the base of the robot's body. After a minute of playing with the remote Élastique discovered two things: first that while there were only three buttons, as Invincible had so gruffly pointed out, when pressed in a certain order they preformed separate tasks, such as causing claws to be detached from the Omnidroid's limb. The second was that, when being tossed in the air while clutched in a dismembered claw, Invincible made a very strange noise similar to a cat whose whiskers had been burned.
"Dammit Élastique, stop fooling around!" Invincible howled from somewhere behind him. "We have to hurry up and destroy this damn thing!"
"Amigo! Hurry," Infierno whined as he continued to shoot fire at the increasingly irritated Omnidroid. "I don't think I can keep this up forever!"
It was then that Élastique realized exactly what he needed to do. It was just as Invincible had said, they had to get the Omnidroid to puncture itself, and the best way to do so would be to launch its own dismembered claw at itself. Of course, the problem was that Élastique could not recall how to perform that precise task.
"Invincible!" Élastique cried as he glanced over his shoulder in order to get a better look at the other Super. "Grab the claw!" Invincible nodded as he ran over to the fallen limb and lifted it as best as he could. "Okay boys," Élastique began as he turned back to face the Omnidroid. It was still focused on swatting Infierno out of the sky, but Élastique could tell from is friend's quickly diminishing flames that it wouldn't be long before it moved on to another target. "Tell me what happens when I press this button."
The children craned their necks around as Élastique pressed the top two buttons. "It's spinning!" Alfred told him and Élastique groaned.
"That is not right," he grumbled, then pressed the bottom key twice. "This one?"
"Nothing," Mathieu said.
"Alright, it is this one." He took a deep breath and steadied himself. "Boys, when I say run, you run."
"No way Pops!" Alfred cried stubbornly just as the Omnidroid's arm made contact with Infierno's torso.
"We're not leaving," Mathieu put in.
It was too late to argue.
"Francis! Hurry!" Invincible cried.
"Fine!" he groaned, before pressing the middle switch. "Duck!"
This time the children did just as he said, crouching down low and covering themselves with their arms just as the Omnidroid's detached claw went flying over their heads. The limb ran clean through the robot's body with ease, leaving only a massive whole in its wake. They watched in stunned awe as for one full second the robot was perfectly still, before it tipped over, collapsed on its side and burst into brilliant flames.
He must have been staring at the ruined body for some time, because he did not realize that Invincible was next to him until his hand pressed down on his shoulder. Élastique looked to the other Super and smiled just as the few citizens that had not fled the city gathered around the group and began to applaud in earnest.
Élastique let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, relieved that, at long last, it was finally all over.
Last Chapter