The Chicago dawn was a bruise of purple and orange, the city still damp from last night's rain. Mark Grayson stood on the roof of Teen Team HQ, his Invincible suit scuffed but intact, his goggles pushed up on his forehead. The weight of Viltrum's looming invasion pressed on his chest, heavier than any punch. Beside him, Saitama leaned against a vent, eating a breakfast burrito and humming a tune that sounded suspiciously like a jingle for discount tires.
"You ever get tired of this?" Mark asked, staring at the skyline. "The fights, the threats, the… everything?"
Saitama swallowed, wiping salsa off his chin. "Nah. Keeps things interesting. Plus, free burritos from that food truck guy I saved."
Mark managed a half-smile. Saitama's unshakable calm was both infuriating and grounding. After the warehouse fight, the Teen Team had doubled down on analyzing Viltrumite data, but every lead felt like a trap. Robot's drones had traced faint signals to a remote site in the Arctic, possibly a Viltrumite outpost. It was their best shot at striking first, but Mark couldn't shake the feeling that Viltrum was always one step ahead.
A sharp buzz from Mark's communicator broke his thoughts. Eve's voice crackled through. "Mark, Saitama, get down here. Robot's got something."
They descended into the HQ's war room, where the team was gathered around a holographic map. Robot's monitor projected a 3D model of an icy wasteland, a faint red pulse blinking in its center.
"This signal," Robot said, "originates from a Viltrumite relay station in the Arctic Circle. It's broadcasting encrypted commands to their fleet. Disabling it could delay their invasion."
Eve crossed her arms. "Or it's another test. They've been playing us like chess pieces."
Rexplode snorted, tossing a stress ball. "So what? We sit here and wait for them to nuke us? I say we blow it up!"
Dupli-Kate, her clones sorting data pads, frowned. "It's too clean. Viltrum doesn't leave breadcrumbs unless they want us to follow."
Monster Girl, in human form, leaned forward. "Clean or not, we can't ignore it. If that relay's real, it's our chance to hit them where it hurts."
Mark nodded, resolve hardening. "We go. But we go smart. Saitama, you're our heavy hitter, but we need you to hold back until we know what we're dealing with."
Saitama raised an eyebrow, burrito paused mid-bite. "Hold back? That's boring."
Mark sighed. "Just… don't punch the Arctic into the ocean, okay?"
Saitama grinned. "No promises."
Hours later, the team's jet—a sleek, Cecil-funded prototype—sliced through the Arctic sky, its hull glinting against the endless white below. Mark sat in the cockpit with Eve, his hands gripping the armrests as turbulence rattled the craft. Saitama, sprawled in the back, was asleep, snoring loud enough to rival the engines. Rexplode fiddled with a detonator, muttering about "maximum boom." Dupli-Kate's clones ran diagnostics, while Monster Girl, in beast form, curled up like a massive green cat. Robot's drone hovered, relaying real-time data.
"Approaching target," Robot said. "Sensors detect high-energy signatures. Viltrumite technology, likely guarded."
Eve glanced at Mark. "You okay? You've been quiet."
Mark stared at the ice below. "Just… thinking about Mom. If this goes wrong, she's alone. And Dad… he's still out there, plotting with them."
Eve squeezed his hand. "You're not him. You're fighting for Earth. That's enough."
Mark managed a nod, her words a small anchor against the storm in his mind.
The jet landed on a snow-covered plateau, the relay station visible in the distance—a sleek, black spire jutting from the ice, pulsing with blue light. The team disembarked, their breath clouding in the frigid air. Saitama stretched, still holding his burrito wrapper.
"Cold," he muttered. "Should've brought a scarf."
Before Mark could reply, the ice exploded. Four Viltrumites burst from below, their armor gleaming, their eyes burning with malice. The leader, a towering figure with a braided beard, pointed at Mark. "Invincible. Your defiance ends here."
Mark braced himself. "Guess talking's off the table."
Saitama cracked his knuckles. "Good. Talking's overrated."
The fight was instant chaos. The bearded Viltrumite charged Mark, his fists a blur. Mark dodged, landing a punch that cracked the Viltrumite's armor but barely slowed him. Eve raised a pink energy shield, deflecting a second Viltrumite's sonic scream. Rexplode hurled a grenade, which a third Viltrumite swatted away, the explosion carving a crater in the ice. Dupli-Kate's clones swarmed the fourth, distracting her, while Monster Girl tackled her with a roar.
Saitama, true to his word, held back—sort of. He stood by the jet, watching, occasionally flicking snowballs at the Viltrumites. One hit the bearded leader in the eye, making him stumble mid-punch.
"Oops," Saitama said, not sounding sorry.
Mark fought with everything he had, Saitama's training guiding his moves. He ducked a haymaker, grabbed the bearded Viltrumite's arm, and flipped him into the ice, cracking the surface. But the Viltrumite recovered, grabbing Mark's throat and slamming him into the ground. Pain flared, and Mark gasped, vision blurring.
"Pathetic," the Viltrumite snarled. "You're no son of Viltrum."
Mark gritted his teeth, rage surging. He broke free, landing an uppercut that sent the Viltrumite staggering. "I'm Earth's son, jerk."
Eve's energy constructs pinned another Viltrumite, but the third broke free, charging her. Rexplode tackled him, detonator in hand, and both vanished in a fiery blast. Dupli-Kate's clones were thinning, and Monster Girl was bleeding, her roars weakening.
"We can't keep this up!" Eve shouted, her shield flickering.
Saitama sighed, tossing his wrapper. "Alright, fun's over."
He moved—a yellow blur—and the battlefield shifted. He tapped the bearded Viltrumite, who crashed through the spire, toppling it. The second Viltrumite lunged; Saitama flicked her into the sky, gone in a blink. The third, dazed from Rexplode's blast, got a lazy backhand, sinking into the ice. The fourth tried to flee, but Saitama appeared in front of her, yawning. "Nap time." A tap, and she crumpled.
Silence fell, broken only by the wind and the team's heavy breathing.
Mark staggered to his feet, blood dripping from his nose. "You… could've done that sooner."
Saitama shrugged. "You needed the practice."
Eve helped Monster Girl up, her face pale. "The spire's down, but we need to check the relay."
Robot's drone scanned the wreckage. "The device is disabled, but it transmitted a final signal before destruction. Viltrum's fleet may have been alerted."
Rexplode, singed but alive, limped over. "Great. We just rang their doorbell."
Mark's heart sank. "Then we need to move. Find their fleet, stop them before they reach Earth."
Saitama picked up a piece of Viltrumite armor, inspecting it like a souvenir. "Sounds like a plan. But first, anyone got a heater? My toes are freezing."
Back at the Pentagon, Cecil watched the Arctic footage, his coffee untouched. Donald stood beside him, frowning.
"They took out a Viltrumite squad," Donald said. "But that signal… we're out of time."
Cecil nodded, his voice grim. "Viltrum's coming. And they're not sending scouts anymore."
In his cell, Nolan laughed, the sound cold and sharp. "You've poked the hornet's nest, Cecil. The boy's brave, but he's no match for what's coming."
Cecil's eyes narrowed. "He's got Saitama. That's more than you ever gave him."
Nolan's smile faded. "The anomaly's a weapon, not a hero. When he breaks, you'll beg for Viltrum's mercy."
Cecil walked away, Nolan's words a knife in his gut. Saitama was unstoppable, but his detachment was a double-edged sword. If he lost interest, Earth was done.
At the Grayson house, Mark sat on the couch, ice pack on his jaw. Debbie hovered, her worry palpable. "You're pushing too hard, Mark. You can't fight a whole empire."
"I have to, Mom," Mark said, voice steady. "If I don't, who will?"
Saitama, raiding the fridge, pulled out a yogurt. "He's right. Plus, he's getting pretty good at punching. Almost didn't scream this time."
Debbie glared. "You're not helping."
Saitama grinned, spoon in mouth. "Sure I am. Kid's alive, right?"
Mark chuckled despite the pain. "He's got a point."
Debbie sighed, sitting beside him. "Just… come home. Every time."
Mark hugged her. "I will."
Saitama closed the fridge. "Alright, enough sappy stuff. Tomorrow, we hunt spaceships. Robot's got a lead on their fleet's coordinates."
Mark's eyes widened. "You're serious? We're going after their fleet?"
"Yup," Saitama said, tossing him a yogurt. "Gotta punch the problem at the source. Also, space has cool snacks, right?"
Mark caught the yogurt, resolve burning. "Then we end this. No more tests, no more traps. We take the fight to Viltrum."
Outside, the storm had cleared, but a cloaked Viltrumite ship watched from orbit. Inside, Thragg stood before a hologram of Earth, Anissa at his side.
"The boy's rallying," Anissa said. "He's stronger than we anticipated."
Thragg's scars glinted. "Good. Let him come. We'll shatter his spirit in the stars, and the anomaly will follow."
The hologram zoomed in on Mark, his face set with determination. The Viltrumites smiled, and the ship's engines roared to life, a harbinger of the war to come.
End of Chapter 11