The bright sun shone down on Upstate University as students strolled along the pathways. Among them were William, Amber, and Eve, following behind their enthusiastic guide, Rick Sheridan, as he gestured toward the various buildings and facilities the university had to offer.
"And over here is our main student center," Rick said with a grin. "It's got a dining hall, study spaces, and a 24-hour coffee shop. Trust me, you'll need it for those all-nighters."
William leaned toward Amber with an amused smirk. "Twenty bucks says half the students here survive solely on caffeine and stress."
Amber chuckled. "Oh, for sure. I bet their bloodstream is at least thirty percent espresso."
Rick, overhearing them, laughed. "Not gonna lie, you're not wrong. Finals week here is basically a zombie apocalypse."
As they continued their tour, Eve listened but wasn't fully paying attention. Her mind was occupied with other thoughts—specifically, about Mark. She hated that he wasn't able to come with them, but she understood that his responsibilities as a hero sometimes took priority. He had left with his father to fight off aliens in deep space, and she had trust that he would come back in one piece.
But she was still worried.
She sighed, shaking off her thoughts. No point in dwelling on it now. She was here, and she might as well enjoy herself.
They had just entered the plaza when a deep, inhuman roar suddenly tore through the air.
Screams followed almost immediately.
The students around them froze in confusion before panic set in, sending people scrambling for safety.
"What the hell was that?!" William shouted.
Then they saw it.
A hulking, grotesque figure burst into the plaza, its body covered in mechanical enhancements, its skin stretched and distorted around the metal. It moved unnaturally, its steps heavy and erratic as if it were being controlled against its will.
"Everyone, get out of here, now!" Rick shouted, trying to direct students away from the scene.
Eve's eyes widened. She had no idea what the hell this thing was, but she knew one thing—it needed to be stopped.
Taking a quick glance at her friends. Eve dashed of into some bushes to change into her costume.
XXX
The creature let out a mechanical groan, its movements jerky yet impossibly strong.
People screamed, scattering in all directions.
Atom Eve reappeared in the sky, her pink energy signature flashing as she flew into action. She immediately spotted the monster rampaging through the plaza, students running in every direction to avoid its path.
Eve's eyes widened. She had no idea what the hell this thing was, but she knew one thing—it needed to be stopped.
A scream caught her attention.
She turned just in time to see a massive chunk of concrete from a broken building hurling toward her friends and some other students.
"Shit!" Eve darted forward, forming a pink energy construct in the shape of a large bat. She swung it with precision, smashing the debris mid-air and shattering it before it could reach William and the others.
William, having shielded himself instinctively, slowly lowered his arms and gawked. "Eve?!"
Amber, standing beside him, looked equally shocked. "Oh my God… you're Atom Eve?"
Eve realized that her cover was blown. She hadn't exactly planned to reveal her identity to them yet, but there wasn't time to worry about that.
"Less staring, more running!" she called out before turning her focus back to the Reaniman.
The creature, still rampaging, grabbed a nearby food truck and, with horrifying strength, flung it toward a campus building.
The truck crashed through the front wall, sending cracks spider-webbing through the structure. The whole building groaned as it began to collapse.
Eve acted fast.
She extended her hands, her energy surging as she formed a massive construct to reinforce the structure, preventing it from caving in entirely. At the same time, she wrapped protective energy shields around the students still in the way of debris, carefully moving them out of danger.
Holding up a collapsing building while protecting civilians was already stretching her limits, and the monster wasn't stopping its assault.
Amber, realizing how bad the situation was getting, bit her lip before making a decision. She reached into her pocket and pressed the emergency watch Mark had given her.
She didn't know if he was close enough to get here in time.
But she hoped.
As she glanced up, she noticed something chilling.
The monster was staring at her.
It let out a guttural growl before charging.
Amber's heart pounded as she instinctively took a step back.
It was coming for her.
Rick, who had been standing beside her the entire time, grabbed her wrist and began dragging her away. "Amber, move!"
But before the monster could reach them, something stopped it.
A hand.
A single hand grasped its face.
The next second, the creature was sent flying across the plaza with a single devastating punch.
The dust settled, revealing Invincible floating above them, his hair billowing in the wind.
He had arrived.
Amber let out a breath, her eyes widening in relief. "Mark—"
Mark immediately shushed her, putting a finger to his lips. "Secret identity, remember?" he whispered.
Amber gasped, clamping her hands over her mouth. "Oh—oh, right. Sorry."
Eve, who had just finished stabilizing the building, floated down near him, her expression both relieved and exasperated. "You didn't need to come. I had it handled."
Amber sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck. "Sorry, I called him."
Before Mark could reply, the monster got back up, letting out a distorted snarl.
Mark narrowed his eyes. He recognized that despite its monstrous appearance, the Reaniman was still a human being inside that body.
He needed to be careful.
"Time to chill out," he muttered.
With a deep breath, he released a powerful gust of cold air from his mouth.
The freezing breath swept over the Reaniman, encasing it in solid ice within seconds.
Mark lowered his hands, observing his work. "That should hold it."
But he was wrong.
The Reaniman, despite being frozen, flexed its grotesque muscles and shattered the ice with sheer strength, its rage undeterred.
The Reaniman lunged at Mark once again.
He dodged, parrying its attacks with swift movements, his hands deflecting each blow effortlessly.
Eve took the opportunity to create another energy construct—a massive pink bat—and swung it with all her strength.
The impact struck the Reaniman in the head, knocking loose a device embedded in the back of its skull.
Immediately, the creature stopped moving.
Its body sagged before collapsing entirely.
Eve blinked. "Did I just…?"
Mark looked down at the broken device on the ground.
"You didn't kill it. It was just being controlled, but not anymore."
Eve's stomach turned. She had suspected as much, but seeing the evidence made it even worse.
Mark exhaled sharply, seeing this in real life—. "This is sick."
His eyes flashed with a little anger as he turned his gaze toward the hole the Reaniman had emerged from.
Eve saw where he was looking. "Mark—"
"Come on. Let's go down there." He said before floating down into the hole.
Eve sighed looking at the dirty sewer but followed. "This is not going to be fun."
XXX
Mark and Eve continued traveling through the sewers when the sound of rapid footsteps could be heard.
Then, they attacked.
The first Reaniman lunged from the shadows, its enhanced limbs carrying it forward at terrifying speed. Before it could reach them, three more emerged from side tunnels, their cybernetic bodies moving with a horrifying mix of human-like fluidity and mechanical precision.
Eve barely had time to react before the first one slammed into Mark, its massive metal fist swinging toward his face.
The impact was thunderous.
But Mark didn't move.
The Reaniman's fist remained pressed against his cheek for a second, then slowly dropped as if it realized something was wrong.
Mark tilted his head slightly, his expression completely neutral.
"...That's it?"
The creature roared, bringing both hands down in a hammer fist. Another one wrapped its metal arms around him from behind, locking him in an inhumanly strong grip while the others started pounding on his torso. The sound of metal-on-flesh reverberated through the tunnel.
Eve gasped. "Mark!"
For a split second, she thought maybe they were actually hurting him. Maybe—
Then, she saw his face.
He looked bored.
With a blur of motion too fast to follow, Mark moved.
The one behind him was thrown over his head, slamming hard into the ground below before removing the device from the back of its head. Mark shot forward, weaving between the remaining three, his fingers reaching the base of their skulls with surgical precision.
He pulled the devices from their heads.
One by one, they collapsed, their bodies going limp like puppets with their strings cut.
It took less than five seconds.
Eve hovered a few feet away, her eyes wide, her breath caught in her throat.
Mark exhaled, his hands clenched into fists as he stared at the motionless bodies. "Pathetic."
His voice was cold.
Too cold.
Eve had seen Mark fight plenty of times before. She had seen him serious. But this—this was different.
There was something wrong about it.
The way he moved. The efficiency. The sheer ease with which he dismantled them.
There was no hesitation. No restraint.
For the first time, she felt a hint of fear—not of him, but for him.
"Mark…" she started, but stopped when she saw his eyes.
They were burning with anger.
Mark took a slow breath, rolling his shoulders as if shaking off a lingering thought. He turned to Eve. "Let's move."
Eve hesitated, but nodded, using her powers to gently lift the unconscious Reanimen.
They continued forward, deeper into the nightmare ahead.
XXX
The underground lair was a nightmare.
Eve covered her mouth, trying not to gag at the sight.
Bodies—some still twitching—lay scattered across the lab. Limbs, half-mechanized, hung from operating tables. The stench of burnt flesh and chemicals filled the air.
Then, they saw him.
D.A. Sinclair.
The man himself was in a frenzy, scrambling to gather his notes as he attempted to flee.
Mark landed in front of him in a blink.
Before Sinclair could react, Mark grabbed him by the throat and lifted him off the ground.
Mark's eyes glowed red with barely contained rage.
"How could you?" Mark's voice was low, venomous.
Sinclair wheezed, clawing at Mark's grip. "You… don't understand… I was making them better."
Mark's grip tightened. "Better?! You turned dismembered people and turned them into mindless slaves!"
Sinclair grinned, even as he struggled to breathe. "You're blind. My work will make humanity superior—even stronger than you."
Mark's fists trembled.
For a moment, Eve genuinely thought he was about to kill him.
She quickly placed a hand on Mark's arm.
"Mark. Stop."
Mark didn't move.
"Mark," Eve said softly. "You're better than this."
Mark's breath was heavy. He glared at Sinclair, who continued to smirk.
Then, finally, Mark exhaled. He realized he got a little too worked up. While his crimes were severe he didn't deserve death since he didn't kill them. Mark thought he didn't deserve any of the comforts outside of a jail cell. He knew the GDA would want to use him, but it didn't factor into his decision whether or not to let Sinclair live, but his relationship with Eve would change irreparably if he did so.
And with that, he tossed Sinclair to the ground, his eyes still burning with anger.
"If I ever find out you're still doing this to living people," Mark said darkly, "I'll throw you into space."
Sinclair coughed but didn't speak.
Mark activated his comms. "Cecil. Come pick this piece of trash up."
XXX
As the battle settled, the chaos on campus slowly dissipated. Students who had taken cover behind benches and buildings were cautiously stepping out, whispering among themselves.
In the aftermath, the GDA had arrived in full force, teleporting in with their black-ops agents, securing the area. They moved efficiently, restraining the downed Reanimen and setting up containment fields around the wreckage.
At the center of it all was D.A. Sinclair, who was thrashing in the grip of two GDA agents, his face twisted in rage.
"Let me go! You imbeciles don't understand! I was elevating the human race!" Sinclair shouted, struggling against his restraints.
One of the agents shoved him forward roughly. "Yeah? Tell that to the people you mutilated."
Sinclair sneered. "Those people are now evolutionarily superior to the rest of you weaklings! Do you know what I've created? A future where we can challenge the likes of Invincible! Where we are not at the mercy of gods!"
"Yeah, yeah, keep talking," another agent muttered as they pushed him toward a swirling blue portal. "We'll see how much your theories hold up in a cell."
Before disappearing through the portal, Sinclair turned his wild eyes toward Mark and Eve. His lip curled into a snarl.
"You think you've won? You're fools! You of all people should understand, Invincible! You fight with such power, such brutality! And yet, you let weakness hold you back! You—"
His words were cut off as the portal snapped shut behind him, leaving only an eerie silence in its wake.
Eve let out a breath. "God, what a lunatic."
Mark's expression remained tight as he watched the last traces of the portal fade. He knew Cecil wasn't going to just let Sinclair rot in a cell. He'd make use of his work, just like he did in the comics. Mark wasn't sure how to feel about that.
Cecil walked over, hands still tucked in his coat pockets. "Hell of a job, you two. We're going to make sure that D.A. Sinclair is locked up nice and tight. And we'll help his so-called Reanimen go back to normal."
Mark just crossed his arms. "Right... And you're sure you're going to lock him away and never use his tech, right?"
Cecil frowned slightly. " Of course. We'll do what needs to be done."
Mark's eyes narrowed. He took a step forward. "I can hear your heart rate spiking when you lie, Cecil."
For a brief moment, the older man's expression faltered. It was only for a second, but Mark caught it.
Cecil sighed, rubbing his temple. "Look, kid. I'm not going to bullshit you. His work is horrific, but that doesn't mean it isn't useful. If we can repurpose his tech for good, we'd be idiots not to."
Mark just took a slow breath and stepped back.
Cecil watched him carefully. "Smart choice. You're good at thinking long-term."
Mark gave him a sharp look. "Don't patronize me."
Cecil smirked, nodding. "Duly noted."
With that, the GDA finished securing the area, and Cecil teleported away.
Mark let out a sigh and turned to Eve, who was watching him with a soft expression. "Thanks for stopping me from doing something stupid."
Eve smiled. "You weren't going to kill him, Mark."
Mark raised an eyebrow. "You sure about that?"
She tilted her head, considering. "Maybe. But you hesitated. That means something."
Mark, then nodded. "Yeah, I wasn't going to kill him. But, what he did was inhumane and something I'll always be able to see vividly with my powers."
They shared a brief, understanding look before Mark turned his attention back to the scene. "Alright. We should get back to Amber and Will."
Eve agreed, and together, they flew back up to the surface to change into their civilian identities.
XXX
By the time Mark and Eve rejoined the others, things on campus had mostly calmed. The students were still in shock, but the GDA's containment efforts had kept the major damage controlled.
Mark and Eve were walking up to the others when Amber suddenly threw her arms around him.
"You're okay!" she said, holding onto him tightly.
Mark chuckled, returning the hug. "I always am."
Eve, standing nearby, crossed her arms. "I did have it handled, you know. You didn't need to call him."
Amber pulled back slightly, looking a little sheepish. "Yeah, yeah, but I'd rather be safe than sorry."
XXX
They resumed the tour with Mark officially joining them, though whispers of Sinclair's arrest and the Reaniman attack lingered around them.
As the sun began to set, the group ended up in the dorms, chatting and unwinding before heading to a party.
Eventually, as the two sat in Rick's dorm, William turned to Mark with a knowing grin. "Alright, dude. Spill."
Mark raised an eyebrow. "Spill what?"
William scoffed. "Come on. You, Amber, and Eve. What's going on there?"
Mark blinked. "What?"
"Oh come on. You know what," replied William.
Mark groaned. "Jesus Christ."
William smirked. "It's obvious. Both of them like you, and you haven't made a decision."
Mark hesitated. "It's… complicated."
William leaned forward. "How complicated?"
Mark sighed. "I like them both. I turned Amber down at first because of… well, lifespan stuff so we ended up being friends with benefits. But I might have a way to fix that so I can't use that as an excuse no more. And Eve… she's different. She just got out of a relationship. She's figuring herself out. I don't want to mess that up, but I noticed the signs she was putting out. Aside from both of them I also have Amanda to think about."
William's jaw dropped. "Another one?!"
Mark groaned, rubbing his face. "Dude, stop making it sound so bad."
William stared at him like he was witnessing the greatest drama in the universe. "You're in so deep, man."
Mark sighed. "I know. And I need to figure out what to do."
William grinned. "Well, whoever you pick, you should be upfront with the others. Don't be an asshole about it."
Mark groaned. "Yeah, yeah, I know."
William smirked. "At least I don't have to worry about this mess."
Mark's eyes narrowed mischievously. "Oh yeah? You and Rick have been spending a lot of time together."
William's face turned bright red. "Shut the hell up."
Mark grinned. "Hey, my superpowers include Gaydar."
William looked at him, suspicious. "…You're joking, right?"
Mark burst into laughter.
William groaned. "I hate you."
The conversation devolved into laughter, the day's stress momentarily forgotten.