After a nice breakfast with Eve and Amber, Mark escorted Amber back to her house. Standing on her doorstep, he leaned in, sharing a passionate kiss with his new girlfriend. Amber smiled warmly before stepping inside, leaving Mark with a contented grin as he ascended into the sky.
As he soared above the city, a persistent beeping emanated from his wristwatch. Activating the device, a holographic news report projected before him, displaying chaotic scenes of Atlantean soldiers attacking coastal cities. Buildings lay in ruins, civilians fled in terror, and local heroes valiantly attempted to repel the invaders. Amidst the turmoil, an Atlantean soldier's voice rang out clearly:
"We seek the one who killed our king!"
Mark's eyes narrowed. He knew exactly who they were referring to. Without hesitation, he altered his course, heading straight for his parents' home.
Upon arrival, Mark entered to find his father, Nolan, already clad in his Omni-Man uniform. Debbie, his mother, was engaged in a heated argument with Cecil Stedman, the director of the Global Defense Agency. Sensing the tension, Mark interjected.
"What's going on?"
Cecil turned to him, his expression grave. "If you've seen the news, you know the Atlanteans are waging war against the surface. They're demanding the one responsible for their king's death."
Nolan's face was a mixture of frustration and guilt. Debbie crossed her arms, her tone sharp. "And according to some stupid Atlantean law, the killer must marry the king's widow and assume the throne."
Cecil nodded. "That's correct. That's why I want to send Nolan to them."
Debbie's eyes flashed with anger. "There's no way I'm sharing my husband with a fish queen. That plan can go to hell."
Cecil sighed. "This situation wouldn't have arisen if Nolan hadn't killed the Guardians."
Nolan's jaw tightened, the weight of his past actions pressing heavily upon him. Mark stepped forward, determination in his voice. "Dad and I should meet with the queen and negotiate. There has to be a peaceful resolution."
Cecil considered this. "Fine. But if negotiations fail, Mark, you need to ensure your father takes responsibility." With that, he teleported away.
Debbie placed a hand on Mark's arm, her voice softening. "Please, make sure our family remains intact." Before her tone changed into a threatening tone, "If my unborn baby has a fish step-mom we'll end up having sashimi for dinner."
Mark nodded a little nervous at the homicidal intent leaking from his mom. "We will."
Father and son flew to the GDA headquarters, where Cecil awaited with two Atlantean guards. Nolan addressed them directly. "I am the one who killed your king. Take us to your queen."
The guards exchanged glances before pointing their spears at the duo, gesturing for them to follow. They boarded an Atlantean vessel that flew across the city and then submerged, descending into the ocean's depths toward Atlantis.
As they neared the underwater city, Mark discreetly released nanobots from his suit, interfering with Nolan's in-ear comms to prevent Cecil from eavesdropping. Mark's own communication system was custom-built, allowing him to control when he could be reached. For now, he chose silence.
Back at the GDA, Cecil frowned at the static in his earpiece. "What's going on with the comms?"
An agent responded, "There's interference, likely from Atlantis due to war defenses."
Cecil's suspicion grew. He had previously maintained contact with Aquarus in Atlantis without issue. "Deploy drones. I want eyes down there."
Before disembarking, the Atlantean guards handed Mark and Nolan rebreathers. Mark examined the devices, impressed by their efficiency in extracting oxygen from water. He made a mental note to study them further for potential space travel applications.
They were led into the grand hall of the Atlantean palace. Guards commanded them to bow before the queen, Aquaria. Both refused—Mark, understanding that a future leader mustn't show subservience when commanded, and Nolan, driven by Viltrumite pride and stubbornness.
The guards bristled, ready to enforce their command, but the queen raised her hand, halting them.
Nolan spoke first. "I regret killing your king, but I cannot marry you."
The queen's eyes narrowed. "That barbaric custom is of the past. Your punishment will be trial by combat."
Nolan smiled, confident in his abilities. "Perfect. My wife will be happy about this."
The Atlanteans brought Nolan before the chained Depth-Dweller, a monstrous sea Kaiju held captive in a trench within Atlantis.
As the horns were played signifying the start of combat, the Depth-Dweller lunged at Nolan. As the fight began it was clear how much better Nolan was compared to canon Mark at this time. Drawing upon centuries of combat experience, Nolan maneuvered through the water with ease and finesse. The creature's massive pincers snapped close, but Nolan evaded, delivering powerful punches to its armored face.
Bubbles erupted around them with each impact, the water distorting the shockwaves but not dulling their force. Nolan moved like a spear through the ocean, darting around the beast's limbs with practiced ease.
The Depth-Dweller roared, its bellow reverberating through the currents as it twisted, swinging one of its enormous claws toward Nolan. He ducked beneath it, looping around and landing a kick to the creature's forearm. There was a cracking sound, muffled by the water—its arm broke under the pressure.
But that only enraged the beast.
The Depth-Dweller opened its maw and released a pulsating soundwave. It wasn't a roar—it was a weapon. A sonic attack that vibrated through the ocean, distorting everything in its path.
Nolan screamed, his hands flying to his ears. Blood trickled from them almost immediately as the high-frequency sound pierced his inner equilibrium. He was thrown off balance, tumbling through the water in a disoriented spin.
Mark, watching from the sidelines, winced in pain as the wave reached him too. His hands instinctively rose to cover his ears as his frequency damaged him as well. But unlike Nolan, Mark had more control over his senses—his Kryptonian-enhanced body quickly adapted, filtering the frequency out and dampening the effect.
Still, the initial blow had done damage.
Nolan, dazed, tried to reorient himself. The Depth-Dweller, sensing weakness, struck with its remaining claw, swatting Nolan toward the seafloor. Sand and stone erupted as his body crashed into the ocean bed.
But the second the sonic attack stopped, Nolan's eyes flared with determination. He burst forward, trailing bubbles, no longer holding back.
He swerved behind the beast's back, his arm straightened and crossed over his chest, and with one sharp motion, he delivered the infamous Viltrumite chop—a chopping strike that cleaved straight through the creature's uninjured arm.
The Depth-Dweller screamed again, but this time in pain.
Nolan didn't pause. He caught the severed limb mid-float and swung it like a club, smashing it across the beast's head with incredible force. The creature reeled back, disoriented, one limb bleeding out into the deep blue.
And then came the finishing blow.
With a surge of speed, Nolan shot forward like a torpedo, fists pointed together in front of him. He pierced the creature's chest, straight through, exiting the other side in a burst of crimson and shredded flesh.
The Depth-Dweller let out one last guttural moan before collapsing into the depths, its body slowly descending to the ocean floor like a sinking mountain.
Silence returned to the arena.
Mark floated forward as the surrounding Atlanteans began murmuring. Most looked shocked. Some booed. Others bowed their heads in solemn respect.
The queen stood slowly, nodding once. "You are free to go."
Nolan only nodded, blood still in his ears. Mark drifted beside him, gently grabbing his father's arm.
"Come on, let's not stick around," he said.
They didn't wait for the escort ship. Together, father and son launched themselves upward, rising steadily toward the surface.
As they ascended, Mark was intrigued by their compact design and planned to take both rebreathers they'd been given. He planned to reverse-engineer them later to see if their technology could be adapted for zero-atmosphere environments in space.
Just before they broke the surface, Nolan held up a hand to stop Mark.
He pulled the communicator from his ear, clenching it in his hand to prevent it from picking up their conversation. Unaware, that Mark already disabled his comms.
Nolan looked at him seriously. "You were affected by the sound?"
Mark nodded. "Yeah. At first. It caught me off guard, but my extra powers let me control my senses pretty well. So I tuned it out pretty quickly."
Nolan's brows furrowed. "Still. That kind of weapon… hurt a lot and messed with my ability to fly. It seems Viltrumite biology wasn't built for that kind of frequency."
Mark tapped on his wristwatch, bringing up a recording. "I saved a sample."
A low vibration buzzed from the device—just enough to make Nolan disoriented and wince in pain.
"Turn it off!" he hissed, and Mark did.
"It seems we've found another weakness for Viltrumites," Nolan said. "Just like the Rognarrs, space racer's gun, and that plant I encountered when I was still young."
Mark's expression turned serious. "We can't tell anyone about this."
Nolan agreed. "If the Viltrumites ever come here after we take control… this will cause problems with Cecil and other Earthlings. Good thing the creature is dead."
Nolan reinserted his comm. Mark activated the nanobots, restoring its connection.
The second they breached the ocean's surface, a voice buzzed into Nolan's ear.
"Nolan. What's your status?" Cecil.
"It's done," Nolan replied. "Trial by combat. I won. It's over."
There was a pause. "Understood. The Atlantean troops are pulling back from the coastlines. Good work."
The line went dead.
But at GDA headquarters, Cecil sat back in his chair, thoughtful. He was still a little suspicious at the comms sudden disconnection.
"Bring up drone footage," he ordered.
Several agents worked quickly. The battle played back. Cecil watched as Nolan and Mark both clutched their heads in pain as it seemed like the beast roared before the drones were destroyed during Nolan's fight.
"No audio?" he asked.
"No sir," said a technician. "The drones weren't built for underwater auditory processing."
Cecil narrowed his eyes. "Whatever that thing did—it hurt them both. I want that corpse."
He slammed his palm on the desk.
"I want it yesterday!"
Agents scrambled as Cecil leaned forward, mind already working.
He didn't fully trust Mark. He didn't trust Nolan at all.
But one thing was clear…
The war with Atlantis had ended.
But something more prosperous had been uncovered.
And Cecil never wasted an opportunity.
.
.
.
Author's Notes:
Be sure to check out my p*tr-eon where you get early access to my chapter and you'll be able to talk to me as I'm writing the story. You'll be giving me ideas I can incorporate into the story or feedback as I am a new writer so there may be plot points or mistakes that I haven't thought about. My p*tr-eon name is Bah_Goat.