Chapter Two: Another One Bites The Dust

I wake up to find Omni-Man looming in the doorway, arms crossed, his usual intense expression plastered on his face. I blink, then remember—this is my life now. And as terrifying as it is to be training with him, I'm ready.

We're in the air moments later, flying over some open field. Flying feels natural already, like I've been doing it my whole life.

"You've picked this up faster than I thought you would," Dad says, sounding almost impressed. "Been practicing?"

"Just a bit last night," I admit. "It's not that hard once you get the hang of it."

We land, and I brace myself, knowing what's next.

"I want you to hit me," he says.

I just blink, giving him a look. "You're serious?"

"Don't worry about hurting me," he replies, clearly mistaking my hesitation.

Before he can finish, I lunge at him with a quick jab. He dodges it easily, floating just out of range. I follow up with a roundhouse kick, then an uppercut, but he's dodging like he's barely trying. I grit my teeth, frustration building.

After a few more failed attempts, he raises his hand, signaling me to stop.

"You didn't land a hit, but you didn't hesitate. That's good," he says, almost like he's proud. But then, his tone shifts. "But try this."

Before I can react, his fist connects with my chest. I feel like I've been hit by a truck, flying backward and slamming into the ground. The impact knocks the wind out of me.

This sucks. I gasp for breath, pain radiating through my ribs. I've been shot before, and this hurts worse?

I stand, body aching, but something's different. I feel stronger, more grounded. The pain's already fading. I'm adapting.

I glare up at him, refusing to stay down. He watches me carefully, probably expecting me to give up.

Yeah, that's not happening.

I grab a handful of dirt and fling it at his face. He bats it away, like I figured he would, but that was just step one. I tear a huge chunk of earth from the ground and hurl it at him, flying right after it. But before I can reach him, I feel a sharp kick to my back, and I'm sent crashing to the ground again.

I groan as I push myself up. My back is killing me, but I'm still grinning. Each hit hurts less than the last. My body's already adapting to the punishment.

"Mark, you're progressing faster than I expected, but it'll take more than that to land a hit," he says, still floating above me, calm as ever.

"You're going down, old man!" I shout, charging at him again, feeling stronger with every step.

We keep going, and even though he knocks me down repeatedly, I'm getting stronger, faster. By the end of the session, I'm bloody, bruised, and missing a tooth, but I'm still grinning.

Because I did it. I landed a hit.

Sure, it was a cheap shot, but it still counts.

Dad tells me to rest, let my body regenerate. I agree, the exhaustion finally catching up to me as we head back to the house.

When we step inside, Mom takes one look at me and freaks out.

"Mark! What the hell happened to you?!"

Dad tries to step in, but she cuts him off.

"Nolan, why does my son look like he's been through a meat grinder?"

"Mom, it's fine, really. Things just got a little out of hand, but I'll be back to normal by the end of the day," I say, trying to save my dad from Mom's wrath. She softens a little when she hears I'll be fine, though she still looks a bit murderous towards Nolan.

'I'm letting you handle this,' I silently conveyed with my eyes, giving him one last look of apology before sneaking my way upstairs.

Once I'm upstairs, I can hear them talking about me. I start eavesdropping, because why not? I know the conversation will be a little different than how the original Mark's went down, since I didn't exactly storm in upset.

Nolan sounds exasperated but tries to be understanding. "Debbie, I know what you're going to say, but hear me out. Mark's not the same anymore. He has powers now—my powers. And you know how tough I am. Mark isn't quite there yet, but I'm trying to get him ready for what's to come."

Debbie, calmer now, but still worried, replies, "Nolan, I get that, I do. I just don't like seeing him so beat up. Training is one thing, but he came home looking like he got hit by a car."

"Trust me, if Mark wasn't tough, he'd have been worse off long before we got to that point in training. He's handling it better than I expected," Nolan says with a touch of pride in his voice. "I was going to teach him more about flying, but he practically picked it up himself. I'm impressed."

Debbie pauses for a moment before speaking softly. "Things are going to change now that he has powers, aren't they?"

Nolan sighs, then nods. "Yes. But for the better. You don't need to worry about him so much. I'll be there to watch his back if things get out of hand."

Hearing that, I smile to myself. The conversation winds down, so I head to the shower, get cleaned up, and start getting ready for school. Of course, I fly to school and land in an empty spot where no one sees me. Is it risky? Sure, but what's the point of having superpowers if you don't use them?

At school, I'm wondering if I should tell William about me being a super. There's no real downside, and he's always tried to cover for Mark in the past. Screw it, he's gonna find out during the Reanimen fight anyway, I think, shrugging to myself.

I meet up with Will, and we talk about normal teen stuff—movies, games, the usual—until the end of the day. Just when I think I'm clear, I hear someone yell my name. Of course, it's Todd. I kinda forgot this idiot existed.

What do I do? Let him punch me or push him down and tell him to piss off? Before I can make up my mind, Todd's already in my face.

"Grayson! I'm talking to you!" he shouts, his face way too close for comfort.

I turn my head, raising an eyebrow. "Dude, no need to yell. Inside voice, please."

That only pisses him off more. "It's time for round two, loser! You got lucky last time with a cheap shot."

I almost feel bad for what's about to happen to his hand. Almost.

"Tell you what, Todd," I say, patting my chest. "You get one free shot. Just don't hit the moneymaker." I gesture to my face, grinning. He's gonna regret this.

Todd, way too cocky for his own good, winds up and throws a punch straight into my chest. I don't hear any bones snap, but I do hear a sound that's hard to describe—a mix between a man's soul leaving his body and instant regret.

Todd's standing there, holding his hand, which is now practically useless, eyes wide and tearing up. He definitely didn't expect that. His whole hand is probably jammed up like it's been smashed in a car door.

After a second of awkward silence, I turn to Will. "We should probably bounce before a crowd forms," I say as Todd stumbles away, muttering something about this not being over while clutching his very red looking hand.

"Dude, did you plan for Todd to punch you there?" Will asks, clearly expecting me to show some hidden armor or trick.

"Nah, man," I say, grinning. I pause, letting the moment build. "You ever hear about curses?" I start floating off the ground, lowering my voice to a sinister whisper. "I didn't just get powers, Will. Something... ancient, something dark latched onto me."

Will's eyes go wide, his body stiffening as I hover closer, my voice eerie. "Now, anyone who crosses me... well, bad things happen."

His face goes pale, and just when I see the fear really setting in, I crack up, laughing so hard I nearly fall from the air. "Man, you should've seen your face!"

"Wow, that was funny as hell," I say, wiping away a fake tear, still chuckling. Will finally relaxes, realizing I'm not going to haunt him or steal his soul.

"Mark... how are you floating?" Will asks, still amazed. I explain the basics—how I'm planning on becoming a superhero, what I can do—but leave out the Doomsday adaptation. It's not that I don't trust him, just that keeping a few secrets could come in handy later.

After I give him the rundown, Will's first thought is exactly what I expected. "Dude, you have to take me flying. That's, like, a superhero rule now."

I smirk. It's hard to say no when that was the first thing I wanted to do too. Flying is literally the coolest thing ever. "Sure, but you'll need a mask and some goggles. It gets wild up there."

After a few more details and jokes, we part ways. I throw on a ski mask, hoodie, and joggers, ready to do my first patrol. My goal? Find Titan. If I follow the timeline, things should play out like canon. Sure, it'll probably land me in the hospital—especially after dealing with Battle Beast—but fighting early will only make me stronger.

While flying over the city, I keep my ears tuned for trouble and soon spot Titan and two goons exchanging fire with the cops. They duck into an alley, and I decide to make my move.

I fly in fast, targeting Titan specifically. With my fist outstretched, I dive straight for his chin, slamming into him with full force. The impact sends him flying backward, his head snapping up as he crashes into the ground. His two henchmen barely have time to react before they're knocked down by the force as well.

I hover for a moment, watching Titan breathe but stay down. Anytime now... I think, waiting for him to get back up.

"Huh. I thought you were tougher than that," I mutter, feeling a bit let down.

Just then, I hear clapping from above. My body tenses for a second, but then I recognize the voice.

"Great job, my boy," my dad says, floating down with a proud smile. "I thought I'd need to lecture you about collateral damage, but it seems you've already figured that out."

"Follow me, I want to take you somewhere," He says, floating back up again.

He motions for me to follow him, and I can guess where we're headed. Time for the suit.

Nolan and I touch down in front of Art Rosenbaum's workshop, the familiar clutter of the city streets fading as we step inside. Art greets us with his usual grin.

"Mark! I heard you've been making some moves," he says, stepping back to let us in. His workshop is as chaotic as ever—tools, half-finished suits, and bits of tech scattered everywhere.

"Yeah, just getting my bearings," I reply, feeling the weight of the next step settling in.

"So, what are you thinking for the suit? Any ideas?" Art asks, sketchpad in hand.

I nod. "I've got a pretty good idea of what I want."

Art raises an eyebrow, intrigued. "Lay it on me."

I begin to break it down, the vision coming together in my head. "I want a dark maroon mask, with black goggles. The neck area's the same dark red, and I definitely want a cape—same maroon, no flashy designs."

"Cape, check," Art mutters, starting to picture the look.

"The chest has a simple 'I' logo, also in dark red. The boots and gloves? Maroon, too. Everything else is black."

Art steps back from the sketch, taking it all in. "Alright, maroon and black. Clean, powerful. Suits the look you're going for. You've got a name picked out yet?"

Nolan glances at me, curious. He's been quiet, letting me lead the conversation, but I can tell he's wondering the same thing.

I pause for a moment, then say it. "Yeah, I do. Invincible."

Art raises an eyebrow, clearly surprised. "Invincible, huh? Why that?"

I think about it for a moment, feeling the weight of the name. "It's what I need to be. No matter what comes at me, I won't break. I'm going to keep getting back up."

Nolan stares at me, his expression unreadable. Art lets out a low whistle. "Well, that's a hell of a statement."

"Invincible it is, then," Art says with a nod. "Tomorrow, I'll have your suit ready. You'll be more than ready to live up to that name."

AN: Thanks y'all for your feedback didn't expect people to read it this soon and to like it on top of that? Wild, anyways this is more for the update schedule and as far as there being one? There isn't, I do this on my off time which is inconsistent as work and life is random but I plan at least once a week. But I'm hype right now so I'll see how much I write.