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PROLOGUE
"Why can't people learn how to drive?" I asked myself as I glared at the back of the slow-moving vehicle in front of me.
Shifting into the opposite lane, I floored the gas pedal, pulling ahead. As I swerved back into the right lane, I heard a new sound. The screech of metal on metal.
My car tapped the slow-moving vehicle at over sixty miles per hour.
It was all a blur to me. All of it—from the moment my car collided with the slow-moving vehicle and skidded into a signpost spinning out of control to the second it sliced through a guardrail and plunged off the mountain road sailing over a cliff—was a blur.
The car fell at least twenty-five feet before it hit the ground below and started rolling. As it tumbled, I was rag-dolled in the driver's seat, my senses reeling. The car had built up so much momentum that it continued to roll, smashing along the ground and crashing through a metal security fence.
I saw it all unfold before my eyes, but it was like watching something that had already happened. Each moment of time was like a snapshot, a frozen image embedded in my panicking mind.
In the darkness, a metal post destroyed the windshield, shattering the safety glass. The front of the car was mangled as it finally came to rest in the dark river far below the road. Water rushed in through the broken window.
Another frozen moment in time, watching the water pour over my lower body—
I sat bolt upright on my bed. Running a shaky hand through my hair, I steadied my breath.
A terrible memory. It had been a while since I had been tortured by memories like that. The last few seconds played over and over again in my mind, and I saw the broken window and heard the rushing water.
It echoed in my mind almost too clearly. Suddenly, without being aware of a conscious decision to move, I found myself at the window, pushing it open. The morning air was cool on my face as I looked up at the rising sun.
Why was I remembering that night now? It had been over a year since I last had a dream like that. Which was a good thing because I absolutely hated when it happened.
The dream wasn't just a nightmare, it was a memory. My last memory before I died and woke up in a hospital in a completely different universe. The space between those two moments was fuzzy.
I could remember a bit, but nothing that was helpful—nothing that could explain why I had ended up where I did.
First there was darkness and silence—like existence had just disappeared. A void. Like everything had ceased to be. Then there was the light. Was it even light? It had been hard to tell. Slowly, the light had begun to expand, and grow brighter and brighter. Then there was sound. White noise. Voices? Definitely voices, but distant.
I shook my head, pushing the memories back into the little box I kept them in. Thinking about it wouldn't help. "There are more things in heaven and earth, than are dreamt of in our philosophy," I muttered, repeating the quote that helped keep me sane.
Humans just weren't meant to know what was really out there. That meant there was no point in driving myself mad trying to figure it out.
Just focus on living life. I reminded myself and turned away from the window. The alarm clock on the nightstand next to my bed told me I'd slept through my alarm. If I was a normal human I would have been worried about being late for school.
Instead of panicking and rushing to get ready, I walked over to my computer across the room. I didn't even glance at the mirror above my dresser as I passed; I knew what I'd see. Clark Grayson, big and tall and alien, the secret superhero, the high school student. My life now was a lot more complicated than my old life.
Sitting down in front of my computer I pulled up the online news feeds. My eyes darted back and forth at an incomprehensible pace, as I absorbed article after article about the Guardians of the Globe and other well-known heroes.
The top three trending heroes were Red Rush, the Russian speedster who was one of the original members of the Guardian's of the Globe. The Immortal, another member of the Guardians of the Globe, and Atom Eve who was a member of the Teen Team.
Always searching for others whose powers would be needed to fight Omni-Man, I had many such stories bookmarked, and still, my search went on. Although I knew I had to leave for school soon, I didn't move from my seat at the computer dressed in a T-shirt and sweatpants. The clothes I intended to wear to school that day were hanging in my closet.
I looked around my room. It was a mess, with magazines, comic books, and school books scattered around the floor and desk. I knew I couldn't let Debbie see it this way, but that would not be a problem.
"Clarke Grayson!" Debbie called from downstairs. "You are going to be late!"
"Okay, I'm coming!" I yelled back, but I didn't move. I was intent on finishing three or four more articles before I got dressed, cleaned my room, and grabbed some breakfast.
Debbie Grayson was already up the steps to once again pry me from my room. When I heard her reach the top of the steps I figured it was time to get moving. Flipping off my computer, I removed my T-shirt and sweats, pulled on my school clothes, including shoes, and combed my black hair.
When the handle of the door began to turn, I sped around his room stacking comic books and magazines on my desk, loading my backpack with papers, and grabbing an armful of school books—accomplishing all of that before the handle completed its full rotation and the door to my room popped open.
"Your brother is already downstairs," Debbie said, sticking her head into the room. "If you're all dressed and your room is straightened, then what are you doing up here? Come down for breakfast."
"Good morning," I replied, following Debbie out of the room. This had become a familiar ritual.
In the kitchen, I opened the refrigerator door, grabbed a bottle of milk, and took a long swig. Debbie was not amused. She snatched the bottle from my hand and placed it on the table.
"What?" I asked, with just a hint of a whine. "It tastes better out of the bottle."
From the couch in front of the television, Mark Grayson agreed with me. "That is true, mom." he said, looking away from the news report about the attack on the white house.
"As you can see, the scene is absolute chaos as the Mauler twins face off against the Guardians of the Globe..." the news reporter's voice pulled Mark's attention back to the television.
"Dad's saving the White House," Mark said, around a mouthful of cereal.
"Alone?" Debbie asked.
While she and Mark talked, I grabbed the milk and started drinking from the bottle again. I kept an eye on Debbie from behind. It was strange—this situation I found myself in.
Up until two years ago, Debbie Grayson was a fictional character. To me at least, anyway. Now she was my mother even though I didn't remember growing up with her.
I'm just lucky they bought my amnesia story, I thought as I stuck the milk container back in the fridge. To the Grayson family, I was the son and brother who'd forgotten about them. It wasn't fair to them, but it wasn't fair that I had died either, so I got over the guilt that came with my deception pretty quickly.
"Guardians of the Globe are there, too," Mark answered.
"Who are they fighting?" Debbie asked, then groaned. "Ugh, Mauler Twins. Looks like we won't be getting breakfast together this morning. Bummer."
Mark turned around on the couch. "It's the White House, mom," he said. "Kind of important."
The Mauler Twins, a useful pair to have around. I watched as War Woman clocked one of the blue-skinned villains with her mace. Their physical attributes didn't interest me. I was more interested in their genius intellect and what their expertise in biology and engineering could do for me.
"Oh, they rebuild that thing twice a year at this point," Debbie said, waving a dismissive hand. "If it's not Doc Seismic, it's the Lizard League, or someone else. I doubt the president still lives there."
I frowned as the familiar "wooshing" noise of Omni-Man's cape passed over the house. Omni-Man landed in the backyard and walked inside the house, his iconic red and white suit spotless despite his fight at the white house.
"I'm not too late!" Omni-Man said, walking past his wife. "I'm gonna shower, then we can—"
Debbie stepped in front of her husband. "Not so fast," she said, grabbing his hands. "Come here first."
I looked away as Mark groaned in disgust at the sloppy kissing happening just feet away from us. "Don't make me get the spray bottle," he sighed.
Debbie rolled her eyes and pulled Omni-Man towards the stairs. "Let's get you out of that costume."
"Boundaries, people!" Mark said, jumping up from the couch. "Bathroom doors are closed for a reason, and parents should never, ever talk about sex in front of their kids!"
"You should be overjoyed to see your parents passionately expressing their love for each other," Debbie smiled at her husband. "Now stop griping, and get to school."
I stared at Omni-Man's back as Debbie pulled the hero up the stairs. It was horrible living in the same house as him. And while I had gotten over my guilt about lying to Debbie and Mark, not telling them about Omni-Man made me feel like an asshole.
Telling them was just too big of a risk. My plan only worked if Omni-Man kept playing at being a "Superhero".
Mark groaned, flopping back down onto the couch. "Couldn't they at least wait until we left the house...for college!"
I ignored my brother and kept staring up the stairs. Omni-Man was a wolf in sheep clothing, and I was the only one who could see through the disguise. Not that it matters, I thought sourly. What good did knowing do if I couldn't stop what was coming?
"...Guardians of the Globe!"
The news was wrapping up its report on the Mauler Twins attack at the White House. A picture of the Guardians of the Globe stretched across the television screen.
I closed my eyes. I didn't want to look at them. Today was the day Mark got his powers, and that was a death sentence for the Guardians of the Globe. It sucked that I couldn't save them, but I wasn't strong enough to fight Omni-Man yet. No one on Earth was.
"Clark!"
I blinked as Mark snapped his fingers in front of my face. "Stop that," I said, pushing his hand away.
"William's giving me a ride to school, are you coming?" Mark asked, frowning. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, and no, I'm meeting Eve early so I'll see you there," I replied and pushed through the front door, hurrying outside before Mark could ask again.
Outside, I dashed down the street, moving through the city at an astonishing speed. I approached the school from the south end of town. Since I wasn't in costume, I didn't want anyone to see me arrive, so I pushed my speed to the max. To the naked human eye, I would be totally invisible. There might be a sudden strong wind along my route, but people in this world had gotten used to winds blowing out of nowhere.
Samantha Eve Wilkins was waiting near the front of the school. I kept my speed maxed, stayed invisible, and speed around to the back of the school. At this speed, my world was full of what looked like department store mannequins, silent yet frighteningly perfect.
It was strange, to be able to examine the world as though I were above it and not part of it.
"You know, you should be more careful. One day someone's gonna see you," a familiar voice said from above me.
I looked up at Samantha Eve Wilkins. She was floating down from the roof of the school. "Says the girl flying in the air?" I retorted, smiling.
Eve had been the first friend I made in this world. Well, second if I was counting Mark as a friend, but he was my brother.
"If people don't expect to see a superhero at their school, then they won't see a superhero at their school," Eve said, waving a dismissive hand as she landed in front of me. "It's a psychological thing."
"Speaking of psychological things, you still dating the asshole?" I asked, referring to her boyfriend Rexplode.
Eve sighed and stared at me disappointedly. "Really, Clark?"
I shrugged, unapologetic about my description of Rex. "He's an asshole, Eve."
"Let's talk about something else," she suggested. "Have you told your parents about your powers yet?"
"No, and I'm not going to until Mark gets his powers," I answered. "I don't want him to feel bad about not having powers when I do."
And I also didn't want Omni-Man to kill the Guardians of the Globe and start acting like an asshole too early. I was walking a needle-thin line and needed to tread carefully. If Omni-Man went full Viltrumite before I could collect the powers I needed to fight him without being completely outclassed then I was a dead man.
"Is he going to join the Teen Team when he does?"
"Probably not. Mark's not gonna be happy when he finds out I've had my powers for a year and never told him." I said, running a hand through my hair.
It was times like these that I was glad I didn't remember Clark's early life. If I had memories of growing up with Mark and Debbie...I'd feel like a much bigger piece of shit than I already do.
Eve nodded. "Yeah, I'd be pissed too," she agreed.
Inside the school, I heard the first bell ring and sighed. I had died, crossed dimensions, and was now one of the strongest beings on the planet, but I was still stuck going to high school.
"I can't wait until I graduate."
Prologue to my Self-Insert into the Invincible Universe!
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