5 Chapter 5: This Anger Is Irrational
"The Guardians of the Globe are dead. The identity of the killer is unknown. Whoever it is, they're still at large. May God have mercy on our souls."
The TV blared in the background as Taz cooked himself dinner. Boredom had become a common theme in this new life of his. Back on Viltrum there would always be something to do and downtime was precious. The next mission could be assigned at any moment.
It was completely different here. The young viltrumite went to school and participated in sports. He didn't always go to class or practice, which gave him even more free time.
'Maybe I should become a hero. At least this way I'll have a reason to fight.' He thought.
Taz was itching to punch something. Having so much strength and not being able to use it was pure torture. The soldier went from a life of constant action to one of passiveness. The vacation had already become moot in his eyes. He wanted to go home. The only problem was that his assignment forced him to stay until the planet was conquered. If he left, it would be seen as insubordination.
"Nolan better hurry up. If he doesn't, I will." He muttered.
A delicious aroma wafted through the apartment. The food was ready to be served. The TV continued to cover news about different heroes as he ate. He pondered all the while.
'What should my hero name be? Hmmm. Prime? Vindicator? Plutonian? ' He couldn't decide.
On further thought, Taz realized that it would probably be for the best if he didn't become a hero. He didn't want to be on the world's radar so soon. His abilities were similar to Omni Man as well. That would eventually be talked about. Luckily, he wouldn't be the only one. Invincible had already started his debut with the defeat of Killcannon.
As he pondered a way to alleviate his boredom, his senses locked onto frantic screaming. Red energy beams flew past his window at the same time. Taz went to the balcony to see what the commotion was. He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
Multiple portals had appeared in the middle of downtown. Green alien soldiers poured out in waves, shooting everything in sight. Civilians were slaughtered by the dozen. Their entry point was extremely close to the young viltrumite's home. He'd have to make sure his place didn't take any damage.
Taz quickly donned his suit before taking to the sky. He floated above the clouds and watched. The main reason he didn't fly in was due to the fact that he hadn't decided on going public. Fortunately a hero was already on the way.
Upon seeing the yellow and blue colored figure, he chuckled. It was easy to see through the material.
"Mark is Invincible. Not a surprising outcome." He muttered.
What followed was an absolute shit show. The ametuer hero was unable to do a single thing. As if the aliens could understand his language, Mark ordered them to stop. The flaxans continued their slaughter. One of the energy beams hit him while he embarrassed himself.
Taz couldn't watch any longer. His eyes began to glow red in order to assist his colleague's son. He would help from beyond the clouds. Right before he shot his solar energy, more heroes arrived. It was the Teen Team. The young viltrumite quickly focused on Dupli-Kate, forgetting Mark and the team's existence.
'She is so weak…Why does she keep fighting?' He thought.
The odds had gotten much better. The only problem was the way Kate fought. Taz didn't like it. Slowly hovering next to the clouds, he decided to stop there.
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"Get her to a hospital! We can handle this." Eve screamed to Invincible. A pink energy shield protected them from enemy fire. In his arms was a broken and bleeding elderly woman.
"You're…Atom Eve!" He exclaimed.
"What? Just go!" She responded. Invincible nodded before flying away.
"Admirable intention, Eve, but I'm not sure we can handle this." Robot commented while backing her up. Rex could be seen throwing his exploding coins.
"Um…guys, I'm down to pocket change here!" He yelled.
Dupli-Kate bashed a flaxan in the jaw before jumping out of her body. The leftover clone was instantly shredded in her place. The constant gunfire was deadly on this battlefield. When she turned her head, she saw a futuristic tank aiming at her. No matter how many clones she created, it would be impossible to escape the blast radius.
It charged up with energy. Right before it fired, two thin rays sliced through the tank and any flaxans around her. It happened in the span of a second.
BOOM
The artillery vehicle exploded, taking the surrounding soldiers with it. Only Kate noticed the lasers which saved her in a time of need. She looked up to see a dot high up in the clouds.
"Those rays…" She muttered. The image of Taz popped into her head. When his eyes glowed red…She had seen them before. Kate raised a peace sign to the clouds and stuck out her tongue.
"Thank you!" She exclaimed with a cute smile.
It was at this moment that the aliens began to turn grey. Their skin wrinkled and some flaxans died out immediately. They were aging incredibly fast. Without further ado, they retreated through their portal.
"I don't know what just happened, but I think I speak for everyone here when I say I NEVER want that to happen AGAIN!" Rex exclaimed.
"Indeed." Robot chimed.
Up in the clouds, Taz shook his head. He didn't know why he saved Kate once again. She barely had any strength. The stoic man just couldn't understand why she allowed 'herself' to die so many times. After making sure that everything was settled, he returned home.
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It only took three days for the flaxans to return. This time there were countermeasures in place to combat the heroes. The young viltrumite once again made sure that Kate remained alive. For some reason, his anger was growing.
The leading flaxan smiled as his soldiers took out new gadgets. A constant beam of energy attempted to shred Kate's clones which was halted by Taz. Ironically, they were a good duo. She attacked her targets with newfound confidence, knowing that her mystery man had her back. Nothing was said to the team, but Kate had the feeling that even if her friends died here, she would remain.
An electrical device stuck to Robot's flying vehicle, causing him to short circuit. Rex's explodo coins were sent right back to him. Invincible was blasted with a cement like substance, pinning him to the side of a tank. A round gadget attached itself to Eve's head, suffocating her. The scar faced alien smiled darkly before raising his blaster to Eve. His eyes remained on Invincible.
"No! That's…I SAID NO!" Mark roared with anger. The flexing of his muscles caused a shockwave to blast out, knocking everyone to the ground. The ground cracked beneath him as he launched toward the man, tackling him through a wall. Punches reigned down on the flaxan's face.
After a moment, he remembered Eve. Mark quickly flew back and ripped the gadget from her face.
"Ugaaaah…" She inhaled as the air returned to her lungs.
It was at this moment that the alien's wristband exploded. He began to age once again. Robot saw the entire thing.
"The wristbands protect them from our time stream. Destroy them!"
The momentum changed just like that. Everyone did their part. The only problem was the flaxan's numbers. There were too many. The heroes were getting overwhelmed again. Suddenly, Robot emitted a sound wave. Every wristband exploded. His timing was impeccable. Seeing themselves age once again, the flaxan army retreated through their portals.
"Way to go psycho back there, Invincible. I take back everything I said about you before, and I said a lot. Just don't ever aim that towards me." Rex said. Eve sighed.
"Don't listen to him. You did great." She commented.
Atom Eve then turned to Dupli-Kate. A frown appeared on her face. The heroine was gazing up at the sky for the upteenth time.
"Kate, why do you keep looking up at the sky?" She asked.
"Hu-What? Oh! Um. Sorry, it's just a beautiful day." The nonchalant heroine stuttered. Eve had caught her off guard.
"Mhhmm…Sure." She responded while looking up at the clouds. She wanted to see what the big deal was.
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The next day, Taz sat on the balcony while reading a newspaper. The town had been ordered to evacuate in case of another appearance from the flaxans. Traffic could be seen all around as civilians left the city. It would become a ghost town in a few hours.
As he relaxed, his senses picked up an alien moving extremely fast toward Earth. Donning his suit and cape, he launched toward the sky. He stopped right at the edge of the atmosphere. To his surprise, Invincible could be seen making his way over. It was at this moment that the alien arrived.
The muscular humanoid had orange skin with no hair. Similar to a cyclops, it only had one eye. It wore a purple overcoat and a white undersuit. The alien slammed into Mark's back.
The young viltrumite sighed. He decided to just observe once again. There was a gut feeling that the viltrumite symbol on his chest would cause problems. Taz clicked his tongue. The growing urge to bum rush the alien was held at bay.
"I'm tired of doing nothing. My hands are itching." He complained to the air.
The stoic viltrumite grew stronger everyday due to the sun's existence. His viltrumite smart atoms absorbed the overwhelming solar energy, giving him room to absorb even more. He felt as if he was pent up and needed release. An incredible power surged within him.
Mark and the alien were locked in combat. Eventually, they made it all the way over to the moon. Taz flew back to his balcony in defeat. The TV was back on in moments. His feet tapped against the ground continuously.
'That's it. I'm going to be a hero.'
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The flaxans had returned the next day. This was the third time. Massive weapons came from the portal along with tanks. The general of the army could be seen in a massive exosuit.
"Alla yah not meh!" He roared to the troops.
The Teen Team had already arrived. Rex and Kate sat behind Robot on his airmobile while Invincible and Eve flew above.
"I have bad news." Robot said.
"Ohhhhhh! Robot's got bad news, everybody! Did you hear that?! Hey Robot, what's the bad news?!" He yelled sarcastically.
"There are too many of them, their technology has advanced too far, and they've rendered themselves immune to our time stream. We should consider this city lost and reconvene with Cecil." He explained.
"What?! No!" Invincible said.
"We're not giving up!" Eve declared.
While they conversed, Taz appeared out of nowhere and whisked Kate away, unseen by anyone. In an instant, they were on a rooftop blocks away from the battlefield. Due to the sudden change in surroundings, Dupli-Kate panicked. A kick flew toward Taz's face.
BONK
"Owww Owww Owww Owww!" She yelped in pain while clutching her foot. The young viltrumite watched her silently.
"That fucking hurt! Is your body made of steel or something?!" She continued.
After a moment of silence, Taz spoke.
"This fight is too much for you. Stay here." He ordered. Kate raised an eyebrow.
"That's not happening. I have comrades to fight with. If we're going to die, we'll do it together." She responded.
"Why?! Why do you always throw yourself towards death? How can you watch yourself die over and over? With your pitiful weakness, nothing will change." He ranted. Kate frowned.
"Are you…worried about me?" She asked. A smile rose on her face. She slowly wrapped around his right arm while looking up at his cracking poker face.
"I don't worry for weaklings. I just find it hard to understand." He spoke while ignoring her antics.
"But…you've been helping me all this time…haven't you?" She asked. By this point, she was smiling from ear to ear. It was extremely beautiful. Taz sighed.
"You haven't answered my question." He said.
"Nor you mine." She quipped.
There was another moment of silence as they locked eyes. Knowing that the stoic man may never talk again, she relented.
"Someone needs to protect those who can't protect themselves. From people who wish to do harm. I know I'm not the strongest, but so what? I'll do my best to make a difference, even if it's only a little bit." She explained.
"......" The young viltrumite said nothing. He didn't know what to say. A frown had appeared on his face as he pondered over her words. Seeing his expression, Kate shook his arm.
"Taz, I feel like I've been thanking you over and over. I'm racking up so much debt! How about…I make a down payment?" She suggested. Her tone of voice was tantalizing.
A clone separated from Kate and wrapped around Taz's other arm. Both women stood on their tip toes before kissing him on the cheek. His eyes widened. Both Kates giggled upon seeing his expression.
"You must be my own guardian angel. If you care so much, why don't you just watch over me all the time?" She trailed off.
After speaking, she jumped off the rooftop onto another one, heading to the battlefield. Taz watched her leave with reluctance. Knowing where she was headed, he clenched his fist.
"Fuck!" He grunted before launching into the sky.
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"Guys, where's Dupli-Kate?" Rex finally asked. The battle had already begun. They were quickly getting overwhelmed.
"She'll be here!" Eve yelled before slamming her hands to the ground. A large pink energy wave knocked hundreds of flaxans unconscious. Unfortunately, it did nothing to their numbers.
Robot fought beside her, doing his best to even the odds. It was at this moment when Dupli-Kate arrived. She wasted no time, incapacitating the aliens in her path. Multiple clones joined her.
Meanwhile, Invincible flew around while destroying what he could. Mid flight, the flaxan general grasped his foot and threw him far away.
"Ahhhhhhh!" He screamed as his body traveled a long distance. Utilizing his exosuit, the flaxan jumped after him, leaving a crack in the ground.
Mark landed hard on the ground before opening his eyes. The first thing he saw was a massive foot hurtling down toward him.
BOOM
The impact left a small crater. He had landed right on top of the hero.
"Hehe." The flaxan leader chuckled before reigning blows onto him. It was revenge tenfold. More and more blood splattered the floor as the beating left Invincible reeling. Before the leader could punch him again, a hand lifted him into the air.
"You okay, Mark?"
The beaten hero looked up to see his father. It was Omni Man.
"Uh huh." He nodded dazedly.
Nolan smiled before throwing the leader to the ground. The large figure skipped across the ground before stopping at the portal. The viltrumite soldier burst into action, obliterating the flaxan army with little to no effort. The leader realized that they had lost once again.
Wanting to get a single win somewhere, he turned to the small figure in front of him. Dupli-Kate had somehow found her position close to his. The general smirked. With a single bound, he was beside her. His arm reared back for a massive punch, his exosuit screaming from the power added.
Sonic booms could be heard from the clouds. Kate smiled as the fist neared her small frame. She seemed fearless. She also had a guardian angel. Right before the fist connected, Taz arrived at an incredible speed. His fist was also reared back. It met the general's machine fist.
KRASH
The arm of the exosuit shattered like glass. The force of the blow sent the general flying. The stoic viltrumite's face was cold with calm and collected rage. Omni Man raised an eyebrow seeing the unexpected arrival. When he saw the happy expression on the girl Taz was protecting, he smiled.
"It's always women." He muttered while thinking of his wife.
The flaxan soldiers looked at the two floating viltrumites in fear. They immediately decided to retreat, portals opening and closing. The general slowly got up while screaming.
"Mati bo!" He roared. His hand grasped a soldier's head and threw him back to the enemy. He didn't order a retreat.
Eventually, it was just him. Everyone else had left in a panic. The flaxan glared at Omni Man and Taz while standing in front of his portal. The two viltrumite soldiers made quick eye contact before turning back to the alien. In an instant, they were upon him. The two fighters tackled him through the portal.
"Dad!" Invincible yelled.
"Taz!" Kate screamed.
Everyone looked at the two.
"Whoa whoa whoa…Omni Man is your dad?!" Rex exclaimed.
Eve turned to Dupli-Kate in shock.
"Wait…Taz? From school? That was him? Wait…You KNOW him?!"
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*Cue the badass music*
The sky was bathed in red. The long shadows left a dark and dreary presence upon the dimension. Taz and Nolan appeared inside this forsaken realm. Both of them exuded a coldness, different from on Earth. There was no reason to pretend any longer.
The solar energy inside of Taz's body bucked like a wild bull. It knew that a release was coming. His muscles tightened and slackened, preparing to let loose after an extremely long time. It had been two years since he conquered Astra. Now he could gain mastery over his newfound strength. He could push it to the limit. An evil red light shone in the stoic viltrumite's eyes.
"You don't seem to understand. Earth isn't yours to conquer." Omni Man spoke.
The two viltrumites looked at each other. It was time to return to their roots. Domination.
Nolan moved first, taking the general and smashing him through a plethora of buildings. Seeing his actions, Taz smiled. It was an extremely cold smile. It was full of malice. The flaxan soldiers shivered in fear at the viltrumite's expression.
"Let's play." He announced quietly. Somehow, his voice reverberated throughout the area.
BOOOOOOOM
Just the shockwave of his movement was enough to obliterate all of his surroundings. The flaxans burst into blood and gore as Taz accelerated. His form was quickly covered in bright flames. The friction of his speed had caused him to turn into a laser beam while bulldozing through buildings.
Wherever he went, massive explosions followed. They resembled nukes as they merged together to form an even larger shockwave. The entire civilization slowly began to disappear, their race on the verge of being extinct.
Taz suddenly stopped. His movement instantly went from almost lightspeed to zero.
KABOOOOOM
Just that alone blew a massive chunk out of the planet. His white cape fluttered from the winds he caused. The actions of the two viltrumites had caused the weather to act up. Gargantuan tornadoes were forming all across the red tinged world.
The young viltrumite's anger hadn't subsided. He still needed to vent. Taz clenched his fist. The air detonated as snaps and crackles resounded. Steam exited his mouth as he inhaled and exhaled. All that was left was a fist. It tore through the air, hurtling toward the east. The surroundings vibrated before detonating like an atom bomb. Lights could be seen all across the planet. It became pure darkness in the east.
The pressure of his fist razed the planet in a straight line, annihilating anything in its path. Taz threw another punch to the north. It became nothing, accompanied by the sound of a gunshot.
Time passed as the two powerhouses wreaked havoc. Sometimes they would pass by each other during their fun and team up. Only a few were left alive in order to have a path home. Omni Man looked at Taz with concern. The young viltrumite was much stronger than he had initially thought. Too strong even.
Eventually, it was time to leave. A year had passed already in this dimension. Nolan held a massive chunk of land over some flaxans typing on a keypad. A portal opened up to the side. As soon as it was open, he let go of the chunk and sped through the portal. Taz, on the other hand, wanted to try something. There were only a few seconds before the portal closed, so he had to be quick. He instantly vanished from his position and appeared in the space behind the planet.
'Hail Mary!' He thought.
Taz took a heavy step off of space, turning into a laser almost instantly. The planet grew closer and closer until he smashed right into it.
KRAKOOOOM
But that wasn't the end. The elite soldier drilled through the planet before coming out of the other side. Not wasting any time, he sped toward the portal. It was halfway closed. Bright lines began to glow across the planet. It was primed to explode.
Before it could detonate like fireworks, Taz vanished through the portal.
