Invincible: The Lawbreaker

"Are you organizing a funeral for the guardians?" I asked Cecil.

He nodded shortly before replying, "Yes, everyone's going to come, including Nolan. You should also come, Kaito."

I hesitated, arms crossed as I stared at the frozen image of Nolan standing over the Guardians' bodies.

"Yeah. I'll be there," I muttered.

Cecil sighed. "Get some rest, Kaito. You're gonna need it."

The Funeral...

"It feels... wrong," he muttered.

I glanced at him. "Yeah?"

He hesitated. "I don't know. He just seems... off."

I studied Mark for a second. He wasn't fully convinced yet, but the doubt was creeping in. Good. He needs to be ready.

As Omni-Man finished his speech, the crowd broke into murmurs. People whispered, some shedding tears, others looking to Nolan as their last pillar of hope.

But I wasn't fooled.

Cecil caught my gaze from across the field and gave a small nod. I returned it before turning back to Mark.

"Be careful, man. Just… keep your eyes open."

Mark swallowed hard, his hands clenched into fists. "Yeah… I will."

A woman fell down to her knees, sobbing quietly. A family member, I suppose.

"We seriously have to do this again? What about the one that happened this morning?" Mark asked.

Eve was quick to reply, "The big one's for show; the public can't know where the bodies are actually buried."

"Yeah, man, the people are a bunch of assholes, we can't really tell them a lot. Souvenir Hunters..." I added.

"Jesus..." Mark sighed. 

"I was never a Guardian Of The Globe, but... they were the ones who first welcomed me when I came to this planet." Nolan started his speech.

"They were my mentors. My comrades. My friends. They knew the reality of this life, Martian Ma-" The rest of the speech carried out as usual.

Then, I saw him, Darkblood, writing some notes.

As everyone began to leave, I saw Darkblood, taking notes.

Nolan slowly went to Darkblood, to confront him. "This is a private ceremony, Darkblood." He told him.

"Never get invited, show up anyway." He told Nolan.

I listened to them from a distance, pretending to leave.

"What do you want?"

"Same as you, find clues, catch the killer, bring them to justice."

But just then, "Robot! You know, for a bunch of computer code, you run a mean superhero team." I heard Cecil say, he is trying to make a new team?

"I know you've always been independent, but I want you to come work for the GDA and build me a new Guardians Of The Globe."

"Now, you'll pick the team, you'll be in charge, the ONLY person you'll be answering to is me."

Robot waited a moment before responding, "Forgive me, but would Omni-Man not be the natural choice?"

Cecil chuckled, shaking his head. "Yeah, I've tried for a decade to make him an official Guardian, but that never worked out. He helps out, but he's never taken orders... from me, anyway."

"I don't know what to say," Robot responded.

A new GOTG, huh?

"Hey, Unc! I'm leaving and I'm tired of this bullshit, you better take me home."

Cecil barely acknowledged me, too focused on Robot's response. He just gave me a quick nod before turning back to his conversation. 

"I can take you home if you want, Kaito." Mark offered.

"Nah, bro. I need to talk to him about something."

Mark raised an eyebrow. "Cecil?"

"Yes."

"Okay then, bye." He waved me off before walking away.

I turned to Cecil, who had just finished his convo with Robot. 

"Come on, Unc. We both know that everyone on this planet is in danger for every fucking second that maniac is on this planet."

"We still have to find his motive, Kaito."

"I can guess it. His race, the Viltrumites, are a race that conquers the universe, and Nolan is here to conquer Earth?" I told him. 

"That is a pretty detailed guess, don't you think?"

Cecil narrowed his eyes slightly, studying me with that same calculating look he always had when someone knew more than they should.

I shrugged. "What can I say? I'm good at putting pieces together. You already suspect something's up with Nolan. We both know it. And if I figured it out, it's only a matter of time before someone else does too."

Cecil sighed, rubbing his temples. "Even if you're right, we need proof. I can't just act on a hunch, not against him."

"You're waiting for him to screw up," I muttered.

"Yep, kid."

We got into a car.

"You think he suspects anything?" I finally asked.

Cecil exhaled through his nose. "Nolan's smart. He knows we're watching him, but he is not acting anything suspicious right now."

I frowned, tapping my fingers against my knee. "Yeah, well… he's not stupid enough to just slip up that easy. He's been playing the long game this whole time."

Cecil nodded. "Exactly. That's what worries me. If we push too hard, we might force his hand before we're ready."

After a few minutes, I was at my apartment.

"See you tomorrow, kid." 

The next night, I was back on patrol. It was not official hero work, not like what Mark or the others did. But I kept an eye out, made sure things did not get too out of hand. Sometimes, I stepped in. Sometimes, I did not.

Tonight was one of those nights where I should have minded my own business.

A couple of guys were breaking into a convenience store. It was a pretty low-tier crime compared to the stuff I usually dealt with, but hey, I was in the neighborhood.

"Hey, dumbasses," I called out, leaning against a nearby wall.

They turned, one of them already pulling a knife. "Mind your own—"

He did not finish before a red energy construct wrapped around his wrist, yanking the weapon away.

"Really? A knife? Against a super?"

I turned to see Atom Eve floating a few feet above us, arms crossed.

"Oh," I muttered. "Did not expect you to show up."

She smirked. "Did not expect to see you playing neighborhood watch."

"I thought you wouldn't be interested to talk to someone that is 'violent. '"

She raised an eyebrow at me. "Is that what you think?"

I shrugged. "That is what I heard."

Eve sighed, landing next to me. "Look, just because I do not go around beating people senseless does not mean I do not get my hands dirty. I am not naive, Kaito."

I glanced at the two criminals, still caught in her constructs. "So, what, you think I go too far?"

She hesitated. "Sometimes. But I get it. This world is messy. And not everything can be solved with words."

I smirked. "That almost sounded like a compliment."

She rolled her eyes. "Don't let it get to your head."

The sirens were getting closer. Eve turned her attention back to the criminals, reinforcing the energy constructs so they could not escape.

"You seem different tonight," she said after a moment.

"Do I?"

She nodded. "You are usually cocky, cracking jokes. But tonight… You seem distracted."

I hesitated, then sighed. "Just thinking about some things."

"What?"

"You wouldn't get it."

Eve frowned. "Try me."

I studied her for a moment. There was no judgment in her eyes, just curiosity. Maybe even concern.

"Nah..."

Eve crossed her arms. "You sure?"

I nodded, stuffing my hands into my pockets. "Yeah. It's just... complicated."

She sighed, looking like she wanted to push, but then she let it go. "Alright. But if you ever want to talk, I'm around."

I smirked. "Didn't know you cared that much."

She rolled her eyes. "Don't be an ass, Kaito."

"Kaito. We got an attack at Mount Rushmore by Doc Seismic." I heard in my comms.

"What? Right now?" I asked.

"What happened, Kaito?" Eve asked me.

"An attack at Mount Rushmore, public in danger, rouge supervillain called Doc Seismic," I told her.

"You probably don't need help, but if it makes you happy, take someone along with you." He told as I looked at Eve.

Eve met my gaze and raised an eyebrow. "Guess that means me, huh?"

I shrugged. "You're here, you're strong, and you care about people. Might as well put that to use."

She smirked. "You make it sound like I don't already."

I tapped my comms. "Cecil, we're on it."

"Good. Keep me updated," he replied before cutting out.

Eve and I shot into the air, heading toward Mount Rushmore at top speed. 

Then, Eve finally asked, "You ever get tired of all this?"

I glanced at her. "What? The constant fighting, people dying, and no real end in sight?"

"Yeah."

"All the time, I... leave it, let's talk about it some other time," I told her.

As we neared Mount Rushmore, I saw him wreaking havoc, causing Earthquakes, creating cracks in the ground.

Eve and I hovered above the chaos for a split second, taking in the destruction. Doc Seismic stood atop a crumbling rock formation, his gauntlets glowing a deep, unstable red as he cackled. Chunks of stone broke away from the monument, falling toward the panicked civilians below.

"We need to get the people out of here first," Eve said, already extending her hands. Pink energy constructs formed, catching the falling debris before it could crush anyone.

I nodded. "I'll handle Seismic. Keep the civilians safe."

Before she could argue, I shot forward, landing hard on the rocky ledge where Seismic stood.

"Really, Doc? Again?" I called out. "You got a thing for destroying historical landmarks or something?"

He turned to me, grinning. "Ah, Kaito! I was wondering when one of you would show up. Tell me, does this place not disgust you? A shrine to hypocrisy! A monument to the powerful who built their legacies on the backs of the weak!"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," I interrupted. "Rich people suck, the system's broken, blah blah. But maybe try protesting without the whole mass destruction thing?"

He slammed his gauntlets together, sending a shockwave rippling toward me. I didn't need to dodge it as I disabled the law of motion. The shockwave lost its force before it could reach me, dispersing harmlessly into the air.

"You really think you can stop me?" he taunted. "You should be fighting with me, Kaito! You know the truth about the world, don't you? The strong oppress the weak! It's time to tear it all down!"

I clenched my fists. "Yeah, I know the world's messed up. But causing earthquakes and crushing people under rubble isn't fixing anything."

Doc Seismic laughed, raising his gauntlets again. "Then you're just another cog in the machine!"

He slammed his fists into the ground, and the whole mountainside shook. Cracks spread like wildfire, and a huge chunk of the monument started to collapse.

Eve's voice crackled through my earpiece. "Kaito! That rock's gonna fall straight into a crowd!"

I turned my head, eyes widening as I saw a massive slab of rock breaking away.

"I got it!" I called back.

Before Eve could react, I focused, reaching out with my powers. The rock slowly began floating up. "Get out of the way!" I shouted at the people. Then, I reinstated gravity once they were all evacuated.

As the massive chunk of stone crashed harmlessly onto an empty stretch of land, I turned back to Doc Seismic.

Eve landed beside me, pink constructs still shimmering in the air as she reinforced the weakened ground beneath us. "We need to end this before he brings the whole damn mountain down."

Doc Seismic grinned. "Oh, I don't plan on stopping until I—"

"Eve, get away, you're in my range, you'll also get affected."

As Doc Seismic prepared to send another devastating tremor through the ground, I activated the Law of Coordination on him.

Immediately, his arms flailed awkwardly as he tried to move, but his movements were uncoordinated and clumsy. His gauntlets sparked as he tried to steady himself, his balance completely shot.

"What—what the hell?" he stammered, his legs wobbling as he took a step forward, only to trip over his own feet.

Before he could react, I followed up with the Law of Structural Integrity on the rocky platform beneath him. The stone beneath his feet crumbled like sand, and he tumbled down with a surprised yelp.

Eve, still focused on keeping the civilians safe, shot me a glance. "You're taking him down fast."

"Yeah, well, I'm not in the mood for a long fight," I muttered.

Doc Seismic struggled to get up, shaking his head in frustration. His hands reached for his gauntlets, trying to activate another earthquake, but I wasn't done yet.

I activated the Law of Kinetic Energy, and the energy building up in his gauntlets suddenly vanished.

Doc Seismic stared at them in shock, pressing buttons frantically. "No, no, no! Why aren't they working?!"

"Yeah, about that," I said, stepping toward him. "You're done."

He lunged at me, swinging wildly, but I disabled the Law of Reflexes. His body refused to react properly, and his punch was sluggish, easy to dodge.

I grabbed him by the collar and yanked him up. "This was over the second I got here."

Just then, a rock formation collapsed behind me. Eve flew in, catching the debris with her energy constructs before it could crush anyone. "You good over there?" she called.

"Yeah," I replied. "He's finished."

Doc Seismic groaned, still unable to control his body properly. "You think you're better than me? The world is corrupt! You're just a pawn in their system!" 

"Seismic~ You're making me feel bad, man."

I tightened my grip on his collar, pulling him in slightly. "You really think wrecking landmarks and crushing people under rubble is gonna change anything?" I scoffed. "Come on, man. You're not some revolutionary. You're just another guy with a grudge and too much power."

He growled, still struggling against my hold, but with his coordination shot and his gauntlets useless, he wasn't going anywhere.

Eve hovered nearby, watching. "We should turn him in before he causes more damage."

"Yeah, yeah," I muttered, tapping my earpiece. "Cecil, we got him. Doc Seismic's done."

"Good work, kid," Cecil's voice crackled through. "GDA cleanup team's en route."

I glanced at the destruction around us. Civilians were finally safe, but the area was a mess. "They better bring a big broom," I muttered.

Eve let out a breath, lowering herself to the ground. "You good?"

I rolled my shoulders, finally dropping Seismic as he groaned in defeat. "Yeah. Just another day in paradise, huh?"

She smirked. "Something like that." 

As the cleanup teams arrived, Eve glanced at me, her expression softer than usual. "You sure you're okay? You seemed... off earlier."

I smirked, rubbing the back of my neck. "What, worried about me now?"

She rolled her eyes but didn't deny it. "Just saying, you don't always have to act like nothing gets to you."

I studied her for a moment. She wasn't pushing, but there was something in her eyes—genuine concern. It was nice. Not many people cared to ask.

"Maybe I'll take you up on that talk sometime," I admitted.

She smiled. "I'll hold you to that."