Project ROWDY 31B
Late afternoon sun caught the glass towers of Incheon in the distance, the cityscape all clean lines and reflected ocean light. It was a beautiful sight, and it would’ve been peaceful if it wasn’t for the massive dark-green form sprawled across the beach like some kind of prehistoric roadkill. The kaiju of the day’s body stretched nearly three hundred feet tall, sharp white spikes — some of them broken — jutting from its back and shoulders still smoking from a healthy barrage of fire breath. Yellow tentacles hung limp around the thing’s face and mouth, hundreds of gallons of purple blood staining the Eulwangni waterfront in ways that Brick doubted was all that environmentally friendly.
Give it three months and we’ll be back here for a mutated fish or a kaiju-transforming supervillain, no doubt, Brick Mojo snorted, the twelve-year old superwhatever not at all happy with yet another kaiju mission.
Two thirds of Team Trinity perched casually atop the creature’s immobile head, their uniforms barely scuffed apart from splashes of purple blood that’d probably wash out. The crowd below kept cheering, phones out, social media already exploding with shaky footage, and Boomer, as usual, was eating it up like candy.
“Oi, Brimstone,” a raspy voice shouted his way.
Agent Brimstone of the GDA bit back a sigh without raising his head. “Yes, Breakneck?”
“That was way more fun when we stopped trying not to kill it.” Butch Mojo lounged against a spike, picking his teeth with a bone fragment that used to be part of the kaiju’s carapace.
Brick’s red eyes tracked vital signs as he stared down at his handheld GDA-provided multi-scanner, tiny little numbers scrolling past in neat little readouts that meant the thing wasn’t actually dead. “True. We did our best on that.” The scanner beeped twice, showing cellular regeneration already kicking in. “This thing’s already healing though.”
Kaiju attacks had been acting up all of a sudden, the boys having had to deal with one every three days or so for the past week and a half. The actual reason was probably something Cecil knew and wasn’t sharing, because that’s how these things worked.
“Already?” Boomer burst back over to Butch’s side in a burst of blue, swinging his legs over the creature’s closed eye like it was playground equipment. “Cecil said they’re sending a containment team to study it! Do you think they’ll let me name it?”
“You wanted to call the last one ‘Bitey McToothface.'” Butch snorted, not even looking up from his impromptu dental work. “You lost naming privileges.”
“It had teeth! And a f-face!” He shot back, voice cracking right in the very middle of ‘face’. “It bit me!”
Brick rolled his eyes as the scan fully finished, the leader of Trinity folding the device up and dropping it into one of his suit’s many hidden pockets. “This thing’ll be awake in a couple hours, three tops. GDA containment’s already on their way, twelve minutes out.” The math was simple enough; cellular regeneration rates versus neural pathway restoration, factoring in whatever weird biology made giant monsters tick.
Butch’s mouth opened up wide with a yawn as he stretched up on his spiky perch, joints popping with sounds that probably shouldn’t come from a twelve-year-old. “So, we’re babysitting this thing for the next ten minutes? Boring.”
Brick raised an eyebrow as he jerked a thumb over his shoulder toward the decimated fishing district. He didn’t have to look to know that emergency crews were still pulling debris from collapsed buildings. “Twelve, actually. And if you’re bored, we could help with cleanup.”
“Even more boring.” Butch’s groan was as theatrical as Boomer’s acting. “I already saved people from those buildings. I’m not picking up their trash.”
Boomer suddenly perked up, head tilting the way it did when his enhanced hearing caught something the rest of them missed. “Guys, our comms…”
Cecil’s voice cut through clear as if they were standing right in front of him, their new comms showing their worth. “Trinity, head back immediately. I need you in American airspace. Priority Alpha.”
Brick stood straighter, the team leader instantly flipping into what Butch called “secret agent” mode without a thought. “Situation report, sir?”
“Omni-Man’s lost it.” Cecil’s voice was clipped, professional, the kind of tone that meant someone was about to die. “He’s killed a revived Immortal and we believe him to have killed the Guardians..”
The boys looked at each other, three sets of eyes going wide for different reasons. Butch’s mouth spread wide into a shark-toothed grin while Boomer’s mouth was hanging open, expression no different than the one time Bubbles had let him kiss her.
Brick, on the other hand…
He just felt a cold certainty in his stomach, Omni-Man’s speech from so many months ago falling into perfect position like a key in a lock. The bastard was bragging.
“Finally, some real action!” Butch’s expression shifted to anticipation, and Brick knew for a fact he barely listened and barely cared about anything Cecil just said.
“But Omni-Man’s a hero!” Boomer’s voice pitched higher, a sharpness to it that made both Brick and Butch flinch. “Why would he–“
“Mark engaged after Immortal went down, but… it’s not looking good.” Cecil cut in, and Brick caught the weight behind those words. “Not at all.“
“Containment protocol?” The words slipped out of Brick’s mouth before he even realized it, thoughts going to all of the GDA’s tech and tools, hoping something could manage this without a fight. Anything…
He remembered the way his hand throbbed eight months ago, Omni-Man’s broad chest a brick wall as tough as Superman’s.
“H-he invited us to dinner…” Boomer’s voice was small, confused.
“Actually, that was Debbie,” Butch shot back
Cecil ignored them both, voice grimmer than Brick had ever heard it. “None viable. You’re our only assets capable of intervention.”
“We had dessert!” Boomer wailed, almost crying. “Dessert!”
Brick nodded, even as all the calculations in his head went red. “ETA thirty seconds.”
“Push it. Every second costs lives.” The comm line went dead as Cecil clicked off.
Brick’s expression hardened, the tight heat of cold focus replacing shock. “Understood. Trinity en route.”
They launched skyward simultaneously, three streaks of colored light merging as they accelerated westward, the kaiju shrinking below them like a discarded toy.
– o – o – o – o – o – o – o –
The Indian Ocean was a blue flash beneath them, the roar of normal sound chasing them as they punched a hole through the sky, a concussion of shattered air in their wake. Wind shear tore at their uniforms, but the new fabric held, flexible enough to move with them while maintaining structural integrity.
“I don’t understand! Why would Omni-Man attack Mark?” Boomer’s voice was still half-tearful, but Brick knew his brother would get over it soon enough.
“And isn’t the Immortal dead?” Butch was as confused as he usually was as he tore through the air at metal-shearing speeds with his arms out in front of him; the Green Rowdyruff’s preferred way of punching through the air. “Brit told me the guy was just a head or something.”
“He’s literally immortal, dum-dum.” Boomer shook his head, blonde hair whipping as he forgot how sad he was just to insult his brother. Figured. “So, it didn’t stick, I guess?”
Brick kept his eyes forward, focused on pushing their speed limits without accidentally losing control again. “Could we…” He sighed, the sound lost in rushing air. “Honestly, guys, focus. Cecil wouldn’t deploy us against him without reason.”
“Who cares why?” Butch’s grin widened as he growled out the words. “We finally get to see if we can take him!”
“That’s not the mission.” Brick’s voice carried that edge it got when he was choosing not to hit something. In this case, Butch. “Priority is civilian evacuation and supporting Mark.”
“You really think Mark stands a chance?” Butch’s challenge was casual, but Brick had to admit the question was fair, even if they were talking about their kinda-sorta-friend/rival being beaten to death. “Sure, he’s like tougher or whatever, but one of us could pretty much dogwalk him when we started out and we’re like six times stronger or whatever.”
Brick’s expression twisted, somewhere between a frown and a scowl if both fused with a grimace. The Pacific was a churning blue variable on a mental map, one that he could focus on as he used it to run strategy a hundred—
No, a thousand times on repeat. “…I doubt it.”
“Should we, like, make a combat plan or something?” Boomer was half-twitching now, more from uncontrolled speed than Butch’s whole deal. Always anxious. “Omni-Man’s like, super strong.”
Brick didn’t answer yet as he ran calculations, a hundred different scenarios playing out in his head with variables that kept shifting toward catastrophic failure. “We let him distract himself fighting Mark and do blitzes, staying out of his range as much as possible, relying on our energy powers for seventy-five percent of combat, at minimum.” He didn’t like the plan, mostly because it was still a massive risk to them and their strongest ally, but it was literally the best one available. “Mark’s his son, so he’ll go easier on him than he would us, which lets us abuse that.”
“Boring.” Butch rolled his eyes mid-flight, an eager-half growl under his words. “I got a plan; combat. We hit him really really hard.”
“Butch…” Brick narrowed his eyes as he met Butch where he was and lowered a promise of violence into each and every syllable. “For once in your life, do us both a favor and don’t be a complete fucking idiot.” He knew very well that while Omni-Man likely wouldn’t kill Mark, they were shit out of luck.
Butch cackled, green eyes glowing brighter as the North American coastline appeared out in front of them, breathing heavy and eager. “No promises!”
“Remember…” Brick’s expression grew more serious as the Southern landscape rushed beneath them, Georgia and the Carolinas blurring into green and brown patterns. “Coordination is essential. Omni-Man is not a standard opponent.”
“Yeah, yeah. Big strong alien. Whatever.” Butch rolled his eyes, but Brick could tell he wasn’t any less eager. For one, he was still grinning.
“Guys…” Boomer’s voice went slightly softer, Brick snapping his attention the other way. “I can hear the fighting already.”
The sound reached Brick too as he focused his attention forward; impacts that hit like thunder, the type of hits that meant the landscape could get reshaped, the type of hits that could hurt.
“Trinity, formation. Now.”
– o – o – o – o – o – o – o –
The Atlanta skyline was a mess as they shot towards it, glass towers near the edge of the city fractured and reflecting light the way the chandeliers did in the hotels they stayed at when they landed on this earth. Just like those, the towers were shattered to shards, a chunk of the city smoking and on fire, Brick’s red eyes taking in the chaos at super-speed while his brain tried to process the scale of destruction.
This wasn’t just regular villain damage. He grit his teeth. Feels like one of our old tantrums when we were little.
One plaza was scarred down its spine, deep gouges carved through concrete and steel that looked too precise to be accidental. A building’s upper floors were burning, black smoke billowing out in patterns that meant the fire was spreading faster than it should. The ferris wheel by a park was toppled over, twisted metal torn apart and broken lights scattered across the grass. Downtown streets were gridlocked with fleeing civilians, sirens blaring uselessly beneath collapsing overpasses that he knew took years to build and seconds to destroy.
Above all the chaos, two streaking figures ripped through the sky; red and white hammering against smaller yellow and blue. That’s the target.
Three sets of light streaked to a sudden stop maybe two hundred yards from the fight, sonic boom blasting out behind them and shattering windows in a perfect circle. The sound hit Brick’s eardrums wrong, too sharp, too close to the noise his hand had made eight months ago when it connected with Omni-Man’s chest and reminded him what punching a wall should feel like.
Omni-Man didn’t even glance their way as his fist landed a devastating punch to Invincible’s midsection, the impact creating a visible shockwave that Brick felt in his teeth. Mark’s body folded around the blow, blood spraying from his mouth in a red arc as he shot backward, unable to stop himself as he went crashing through an office building. Glass exploded outward, steel beams screaming as they bent, and Mark disappeared into the dust cloud completely.
Jesus. Brick’s throat went dry. He’d hit Mark before, plenty of times, during training and that one real fight they’d had when Mark first showed up. Mark was tough, sure, but this… This is different.
Omni-Man hovered in place, cape billowing dramatically, as he turned to face them. His eyebrow raised slightly, recognition flickering across his features without any surprise. Of course he’d been tracking them. Of course he knew they were coming.
“Omni-Man. Stand down.” The words came out steadier than Brick felt, but his hands were already balling into fists.
Omni-Man sighed, the sound carrying actual disappointment. “Children. He sent children to stop me.”
“Don’t know what your problem is, old man,” Butch cracked his knuckles, the sound loud enough to echo off the surrounding buildings, “but playtime’s over.”
“Mr. Grayson?” Boomer’s voice was smaller than usual, confused and hurt as he stared at the man that gave him an extra slice of pie. “Why are you doing this? You’re a hero!”
Omni-Man’s expression hardened, and Brick caught the shift from disappointment to something colder. “I am a Viltrumite. This planet is my assignment, not my home.”
An evil Superman. Brick’s brain clicked into place, pattern recognition finally catching up. I’m an idiot. Of course. He should have seen it coming. There were plenty of those all over the multiverse, stories where the guy in the cape decided humanity wasn’t worth saving. No good Superman would be so calm about losing their team.
Mark rejoined them in the sky, floating unsteadily about a hundred feet away, breathing heavy and wiping blood from his split lip. “Dad, please. Stop this.”
Omni-Man turned to Mark, teeth almost grinding together as he bit the words out. “Twenty years, Mark. I’ve spent twenty years living among these humans, waiting for you to develop your birthright. Everything I’ve done has been to prepare this planet for Viltrumite rule.”
“And you had to kill the Guardians why?” Boomer’s question was direct, cutting through the alien conquest speech the way only Boomer could.
“It was…” Omni-Man sliced his arm out in front of him as he spoke the words. “A necessary step. They would have interfered.”
Mark’s expression crumpled, the truth hitting him as hard as Omni-Man’s fist. “Dad… how could you?”
“You’ll understand eventually, Mark.” Omni-Man’s voice took on that lecturing tone adults used when they thought they were being patient. “Earth is only one of untold thousands of planets the Viltrumite Empire controls. Once you embrace your heritage-“
“Blah, blah, blah.” Butch cut in, actually yelling as he twitched in place, eyes flaring green. “Evil alien monologue. Can we fight now?”
Omni-Man’s attention shifted to them, expression cooling to something that looked almost bored. “I have no quarrel with you all. You are quite literally children. You will learn in time. Now, leave.”
“Not happening.” Brick kept his voice flat, but his mind was already running scenarios, trying desperately for one that didn’t end with them as brightly colored stains on the pavement. Alien invaders. That was a scenario he knew well and one he didn’t like.
Aliens didn’t really tolerate super-powered people of the original race hanging around. Every kid on Earth knew about the Dominator war back in the 90s, where the Justice League first showed up. Slaves or dead, and I don’t like either of those.
“I’ve observed your development.” Omni-Man studied them with a nod at each one of the Rowdyruffs. “Impressive for non-Viltrumites. Unparalleled among humans. But you’re outmatched. By thousands of times.”
“We’re still gonna try!” Boomer gathered courage, electricity already starting to dance between his fingers.
Omni-Man sighed with what sounded like genuine regret. “Then you’ll die. Like the rest.”
The boys spread into attack formation, muscle memory kicking in from months of training and years of fighting together. Mark took position alongside Trinity, all four of them forming the same pattern they’d used against the Walking Dread two months ago. Except the Walking Dread couldn’t fly and hit this hard.
“Stick to formation,” he said quietly, knowing Omni-Man could probably hear him anyway. “No independent attacks.”
“Ehehehehehehehehe,” Butch let out a sound that Brick wished he could have called a giggle, but at the speed his brother was shaking, body eager for violence, it sounded more like a seizure. “I’m gonna rip that mustache off and use it as toilet paper.”
Red eyes flicked to his left. …what?
Omni-Man hovered in place, arms crossed, waiting with the patience of someone who’d already seen this a thousand times. “Well? I don’t have all day.”
They rushed forward simultaneously from different angles, one blur and three streaks converging on a single point. Butch charged head-on as expected, fist cocked back for a punch that could level a city block. Brick and Mark angled in from opposite sides, while Boomer shot down from above, electrical energy crackling between his hands bright enough to light up the smoke-filled air.
Brick almost froze up as he watched their enemy’s face, blood chilling as he realized Omni-Man was tracking all four of them.
This is going to suck.
An instant later, Butch roared right toward the alien with a punch, and Omni-Man just… tilted his head. The blow missed by millimeters, air displacement from the near-hit strong enough to shatter the windows of the building right in front of him.
The counter came fast, Brick almost missing it as a single palm to Butch’s forehead hit dead center.
Suddenly Butch was rocketing backward fast enough to break the sound barrier. The green Rowdyruff crashed through an office building, momentum carrying him through multiple walls in a straight line that carved through steel and concrete without slowing down.
Mark and Brick rushed forward, air screaming behind them, but their synchronized strike met nothing but air. Omni-Man simply wasn’t there anymore, the Viltrumite gone in the literal blink of super-fast eyes.
Said eyes went wide and before Brick could even turn fully, something hit.
A blow to the back of his head sent him reeling through the air, a lazy missile with all the speed of thrust and force. His vision swam as he saw Mark on the same trajectory with no control, Brick suddenly realizi-oh no.
Omni-Man reappeared above him, a single arm pulled back. He didn’t have time to move, blink, anything.
TH-KOOM!
The hit was fifty different Butch tantrums in one single fist, impact radiating through his entire chest as buildings spun past his vision in a blur of broken glass and twisted metal.
A half-instant later, Boomer’s electrical discharge missed its target completely, lightning crackling harmlessly through empty sky. Omni-Man materialized directly in front of him, grabbing his still-crackling hand with a gentle precision that was more terrifying than violence.
“Interesting level of magnitude for an Earth child.” Omni-Man’s voice was bored, but curious, the man looking Boomer up and down as he spoke. “You’ve only gotten stronger.”
“Technically, we’re also from H-hell?” Boomer stammered, the blond Rowdyruff desperately trying to pull his hand back.
Omni-Man’s eyebrow rose slightly. “Did that offend you? My apologies.”
“Apologize this!” Butch returned, a comet of green energy and attitude burning the air at speed.
Without a word, Omni-Man swung Boomer like he was a baseball bat, and let him fly. Boomer’s yelp broke the sound barrier before the rest of him did, his body a missile of screaming flesh that slammed into his green brother and sent them both hurtling through the air in a tangle of supersonic limbs.
“He’s holding back.” Mark burst into the air next to him, wiping blood from his split lip with the back of his hand.
“By how much?” The question slipped out, even though he already knew he’d hate the answer, no matter what it was..
“A… A lot.” Mark’s hesitation said everything, staring at Brick through one cracked lens of his goggles.
I was right. I did hate that answer. Brick shot him a look, one red eye twitching. “Real fucking helpful, Mark.”
“My bad for not taking measurements!” Mark growled back, voice tight with both frustration and pain.
Brick pulled back on his anger, forcing himself to think instead of feel, numbers already running through his head.”Whatever, I already knew. Speed and reaction time are past official parameters by…” He paused, anger flaring at how fucked they all were. “A significant margin. Just like his strength.”
Omni-Man floated casually toward them, movement smooth and unhurried, the world’s strongest hero with no reason to fear. “This doesn’t have to continue. Mark, join me.” He turned to Brick, expression shifting slightly. “And you boys… can either go back to whatever dimension spawned you, or better yet, join the Viltrum Empire as worthy members.”
Brick narrowed blood red eyes, heat running through his veins. Yeahhhh… A heartbeat later, that same heat exploded out of his hands, flames that could sear through titanium in seconds wrapping around both his fists.
“Not a fucking option.”