#invincible iii

The captain nodded, headed to the cabinet behind their desk to pull some files. Allu paced around the room, careful to maintain a professional appearance. They didn't want to show how truly excited they were to be there. They'd never been able to spend time on a human ship - at least, not without the looming threat of a universe-ending wormhole. Every little item peaked their interest, from the Earth plant on the captain's desk to the shelf lined with books written in a strange language called 'English'.

They stopped at a table across the room to look at the antiquated music device sitting there, a 'record player' according to their human history research. They reached out to play with the needle-arm of the device, but paused when they saw a shadow dart beneath the table. They stooped down to follow it.

Sitting back against the wall was a small animal of some kind. Its little round body was covered in brown fur, with patches of black on its floppy ears and whiskered muzzle. Its nose twitched curiously, looking up at them with two little black eyes.

Allu's eyes went wide, their tail staring to wag behind them. Whatever this creature was, it was very, very cute. "Captain?" They stood up and pointed under the table. "What is this?"

The captain looked up from the cabinet, crossing the room to look where they were pointing. "Oh!" Their face lit up. They crouched down, gently petting the creature's back. "This is a rabbit. They're typical pets on Earth. This one belongs to one of my crewmen, looks like she got out again." They gently picked it up, holding it close to their chest and petting it some more. "You're a little escape artist, aren't you Nutmeg?" the captain cooed. "Jason must be worried sick. Don't worry, I'll call him when he's done with the reactor."

Allu watched intently, mentally taking notes about the captain's behavior. They had observed the same with the head engineer and his dog. Humans seemed to adore their animal companions, turning mushy at the sight of them.

The captain looked back up at Allu, their face turning red. They cleared their throat. "The information you wanted is on my desk. I just need to grab a couple more files."

Allu blinked. "Oh, of course. I'll let you finish."

The captain walked back to their desk, rummaging through one of the drawers with a free hand.

Allu followed, sitting at the chair across from them. They kept glancing at the rabbit, Nutmeg, as the captain called it. It really was quite cute. "May I hold it?"

They looked up with a gentle smile. "Of course, just the gentle." They passed it over the desk and into Allu's arms. "Hold her from the back legs, support the torso. Let her feel secure."

Allu sat down, petting the rabbit and letting it settle in their lap. It looked quite content. "Aw, how sweet," they muttered.

They simply watched the rabbit, observing how its fur moved under their red gloves. They began to wonder what it felt like. They quickly took off one of their gloves and set it on the desk. They ran their hand through its fur, eyes widening when they felt how soft it was.

Mark could feel his cheeks warming up as the rest of the small group recovered from their shock and laughed at what just happened. After taking a moment to compose himself, he scowled at her. "Very funny, CeCe. Where do you even come up with this stuff?"

"It came to me in a vision," she said in a playfully wistful voice, holding her hands to her temples.

He rolled his eyes, glancing over at the captain. They weren't laughing like the rest of the group, instead just staring down at their hands. They seemed distant. He'd noticed it before, a sudden hesitation whenever something struck an unknown nerve. He figured it must be a memory from the wormhole, of some past lifetime they lived while time collapsed in on itself. Whatever it was, it wasn't his place to pry.

After a moment, they stood, giving the group a hesitant smile. "That was fun, but I really need to get going. I have work to do in the morning." They all said their goodbyes, and the captain started down the hill.

"Wait, I'll walk with you!" He got up from his seat and followed after them. He caught up right as they reached the trail that would take them through the woods, and back to the colony. The walk was lovely this time of year, the trees all cloaked in reds and golds. The view alone made the long and cold walk back home worth it. After a moment of walking in silence, he spoke up. "Hey, you okay?"

They kept their eyes on the trail ahead. "I'm perfectly fine, why do you ask?"

"You just seem a bit spooked by Celci's story, that's all," he shrugged.

"I wasn't, it just-" they sputtered. They sighed, looking over at him with half-hearted smile. "Fine, yeah, I was scared. You caught me."

"Hey, it's just a story. Nothing to be worried about."

"Yeah, just a story..." They suddenly stopped. Mark had already taken a few steps ahead by the time he noticed. He turned to look at them. They held a finger to their lips, eyes wide as they listened.

The sound of creaking behind him, like a rotten tree bending in the wind, stole his attention. Slowly, an unnatural buzzing filled the air, making his ears ring. It grew louder, and louder, as if something else was drawing closer.

"Mark, we need to go. Now."

Something in the air shifted around him. Everything was suddenly still, the rustle of leaves and howl of wind giving way to silence. The only sound now was the buzzing. The trees around him were different, the leaves on the ground all but drained of color. The distant lights of the colony were gone, and in his gut he knew he was now in a deeper, darker part of the forest. He turned around to reply to the captain, but they were gone.

"Hello, Mark. It's so good to finally see you again."

He whipped around, locking eyes with a man who wasn't there a moment ago. He was a ghostly shade of grey, with sunken eyes and disheveled black hair. He wore a crisp black suit, adding to his cold, calculated aura. The buzzing seemed to grow louder in his presence, the pitch moving in time with the shuddering glow of red and blue that traced his features.

Mark swallowed, building the courage to speak. "What- who are you?"

"You're stilling going to play pretend, even while it's just the two of us?" He chuckled, dark and empty. "You always did commit to your roles. Then I suppose I must commit to mine, if only to indulge you one last time." He began to pace around him, like a predator circling its prey. "For so long I've played your villain, watching from the shadows as you twist this world for your games. But no more."

"I- I don't know who you think I am," he blurted out, despite the pounding in his chest. "But I really don't know what you're talking about."

He stopped pacing, a screaming afterimage appearing in place behind him. He cracked his neck, turning to him with a scowl. "No more choices, no more games. Tonight, the story ends."

In the blink of an eye, he was right in front of Mark, an axe in his hand. With a reverberating yell, he swung the blade down. Mark cried out, ducking away and tumbling to the ground as it swept down where he had been standing. He scrambled to his feet, boots kicking up dead leaves as he ran deeper into the forest. He didn't dare look back.

As he pushed his legs to carry him farther away from his attacker, he pushed his mind to figure out what was happening. He'd traveled countless universes, lived countless lifetimes, but in all that chaos he never once encountered anyone like this.

"This feels familiar, doesn't it?" The man's voice echoed all around him, calm but with an edge of anticipation. "A chase through the woods, on a cold night just like this..."

Eventually, Mark began to slow. He knew he wouldn't be able to run forever, he needed a way to escape. He strained past the sound of his own breathing to listen for the foot falls of his pursuer. When he didn't hear anything, he stumbled to a stop and braced himself against a tree, taking a moment to catch his breath.

He quickly held up his wrist, shaking fingers tapping at the screen of his tablet. He had to call somebody, anybody for help. But as soon as he touched the screen, it abruptly glitched red and blue before shutting off completely. He let out an exasperated sigh, dropping his arms to his side.

"... the only thing missing is the snow."

Just then, he heard a grunt of exertion. A moment later the axe buried itself in the tree next to him, inches away from his head. Wood chips shot out in all directions.

Mark yelped, backing away from the tree. Just as he turned to run again, he spotted the man out of the corner of his eye, directly next to him. He gasped as two cold hands wrapped around his neck. He was slammed into another tree, rotting bark giving way under the force of the impact.

"It's time to finally end this," his assailant spat as he shoved him further against the tree. Screaming afterimages appeared behind him, the ringing in the air reaching a glass-shattering pitch.

Mark's hands shot up to the man's wrists, but no amount of force would move them. Spots filled his vision as he struggled to breath.

"Damien!"

A voice cut through the silent woods. Mark felt the grip around his neck just barely loosen. He forced in a breath of air, turning his burning eyes towards the newcomer.

The captain stood just a few feet away. Their chest heaved, he supposed they must've ran here. They took a tentative step closer, arms outstretched.

"Damien, please. Let him go." They spoke to him with a sense of familiarity. Mark couldn't fathom how they knew this man, this monster, but he hoped that whatever connection they had would be enough to get him out of this. "He isn't the man you're looking for."

"It's another trick," the man, Damien, spat back. He didn't even look at them, saving the burning hatred in his eyes for the man before him.

They came up next to him, reaching a hand to his arm. They made no move to pull it away from Mark's neck, only to place a gentle touch. "I know it's hard to believe. I had my doubts, too. But I trust him. It's not him."

"And where has your trust ever gotten you?" His words were drawn out, carefully chosen to cut deep. "How can you still believe his lies? After everything he's done to me, to us!"

They stayed silent, his last words reverberating around them. They gently grabbed his chin, turning his face away from Mark to look at them. "It's not him," they whispered, shaking their head. "It's not him."

He stared for a moment, before his head whipped back to Mark. His eyes narrowed, darting about like they were searching for something.

Mark shifted under his cold gaze, his own eyes darting between him and the captain. He still half-heartedly pulled at his wrists, chest heaving as he took in strangled breaths. Confusion and fear wracked his brain.

Eventually, Damien's eyes widdened. He drew in a short breath before releasing Mark, who collapsed to the forest floor. He gasped and rubbed at his neck. Damien slowly backed away, shaking hands still held in front of him.

The captain reached out for him.

He locked eyes with them only for a moment before the air shifted around them again, and he vanished. The area visibly brightened, sound slowly returned to the forest.

He wasn't gone a moment before the captain dropped to their knees beside Mark. "Just breathe," they spoke quickly, their steadiness finally falling apart. Tears welled in their eyes. "You're okay. You're okay." He wasn't sure they were only saying it to him.

"What," he gasped after a moment. "The fuck was that?"

"That was..." they hesitated, trying to find their words. "An old friend, from another lifetime. We were both betrayed by someone a lot like you. I moved on. He never did." They pulled him to his feet, starting to walk towards the colony lights that reappeared on the horizon.

Mark stood, leaning on the captain. He let them pull him along, too exhausted to walk on his own. A million questions ran through his mind. He wondered about all the lives the captain had lived in the time they were seperated, of all the other Marks they must've known. "What did he do, this other me?"

"Sharp." A gruff man in a suit stood over him, one hand shoved in the deep pocket of his suit jacket.

He glanced up. "Do I know you?"

"No, but I know you," he barked back.

"Clearly."

The man sneered at his dismissive tone. "Your little hero act cost my boss a lot of money. I'm here to make sure you pay up, one way or another."

The hair on the back of his neck stood up as he felt all eyes in the bar turn towards him. There was clambering as men stood from their seats, same grim look on their face as the man standing over him. There was the cracking of knuckles, the clicking of hidden weapons. Tony placed his glass down, the bartender long since dissapeared into the back room.

"Looks like I'm not getting out of here without a fight." He abruptly stood from his stool, teeth beared as he stared down the man in front of him. "Alright then," he growled.

He rolled his neck, feeling the familiar pain as his body twisted and contorted into a truly monstrous form. His teeth grew sharp as his face elongated into a snout. Pointed ears poked out of holes he cut into his hat long ago, his newly grown tail stirred up his trench coat. He watched thick, black fur overtake his exposed skin, long claws curling over the grip of his gun.

"Please, commander, you don't have to call me sir. You're not a cadet anymore," Silvir smiled, turning to a pair of officers. "Basswood here was one of my brightest students. That reminds me of a funny story, back when I taught astrometrics-," he kicked off into a long-winded story about his time at the academy.

Lennon looked away from the rambling captain, and locked eyes with Mark across the party. He gave them a sheepish smile, lifting his glass as a greeting. They smiled back, glancing over to the captain and giving an exaggerated eye roll. Mark laughed, earning some odd looks from the partygoers around him.

Eventually Lennon nodded towards one of the buildings around the shipyard. Mark understood immediately. He could hear them say "Thank you, captain, but I really must get going." before they dissapeared into the crowd. Mark downed his drink, placing it on a passing waiter's tray before heading off to the building.

He slipped inside, closing the door behind him. Lennon was already inside, their arms held wide. "Hey there, stranger!" They pulled him into a hug.

Mark hugged back, his heart thumping in his chest. "I didn't think you'd be back for another month!"

"We managed to complete the mission ahead of schedule, so command let us come back early. We just got in this morning," they pulled back, hands still on Mark's shoulders.

Looking into Lennon's eyes for the first time in months, he realized just how much his heart had ached for them. He always knew it was a possibility they would be seperated, it was a simple fact of their career paths, but it still hurt. He had been able to distract himself with his work. But in his quiet moments, his mind would wonder back to them, across the dark expanse of space, so far from his reach, and that dull ache would creep back into his chest.

"Do you want to get out of here?" He blurted out.

                                          ---

They found themselves in a coffee shop a few blocks away from the shipyard. Still in their dress blues, the pair drew quite a few glances from the other patrons. Lennon shrugged off their jacket, and Mark couldn't help but stare as he sat down with two cups of coffee.

Lennon eagerly took one. "So, tell me everything I missed while I was gone."

"Well," Mark thought for a moment. "Admiral Henry announced his retirement. The Titan finally finished its repairs after the solar flare incident.  Oh, and they opened a new exhibit at the Sol Museum. They're displaying samples from the first manned Mars mission, I haven't gone yet but I heard it's very cool."

"No," they said gently. "Tell me about you. What have you been doing for the last few months?"

"Oh." His face grew warm. "I've been really busy with the Looking Glass, we still have a lot to do before launch next week. And... I've started working on designs for a new ship."

"A new ship?" They repeated, a glimmer in their eyes. "Mark, that's incredible!"

His blush only deepened. "It's not much, I haven't even pitched the idea to command yet."

"Still! It's really exciting, you'll have to show me them sometimes." They took a sip of their coffee. "I missed this," they said with a wistful sigh.

Mark chuckled. "What? They didn't have coffee on the Dauntless?"

"No, not the coffee," they joined in his laughter. "I mean, this, spending time with you. I can't think of a single moment in the last few months where I wasn't working. And that whole time, I really didn't get to know anyone on the crew. Everyone was too dazzled by my title to treat me like anything but their superior. It was lonely, really." They trailed off, but immediately perked back up. "But now, I can finally sit back, relax, and talk with my best friend."

"I missed this, too." He leaned back in his seat. "So, what's next for the great Commander Basswood?"

"As of today, I'm officially on shore leave," Lennon declared triumphantly. "I have three months of downtime before I'm called away on my next mission."

"Do you have anything planned?" he asked eagerly, hoping there was a place for him in their plans. He was already considering taking a vacation once the Looking Glass was complete, but before he was hesitant. Lennon's early return almost felt like a sign from the universe to do it.

"Not yet," they shrugged, looking down into their coffee. They fidgeting with the side of the cup. "Maybe you could take me to that new exhibit at the Sol Museum."

Ok, he was definitely taking that vacation. He'd take as much time off as command allowed him if it meant more to spend with them. "I think that can be arranged."

"Perfect, it's a date."

They had just been walking home from work, but right as they passed by the local fairgrounds, they were roughly grabbed from behind. They didn't feel the prick of syringe, or a rag pressed over their nose, but even still they were hit with a sudden, overwhelming high. Everything went black.

Alex didn't know how they got here.

They woke up on a cold, cement floor. Their body felt stiff and heavy, head pounding worse than any hangover they've ever experienced. They hesitantly opened their eyes, making contact with the vaulted roof of a warehouse. Colorful spotlights hung from the exposed rafters, stinging their tired eyes. They forced their body to sit up, following the beams of light to a raised platform across the giant room, where an odd figure stood in spotlight.

He wore a ringmaster's costume, but he wasn't wearing shoes. They were leaning against a glass-topped cane like they were posing for a photo. Even from here, they can see him staring with white eyes. "Oh, good, you're up! I was worried I'd killed you already, where would be the fun in that?" Their voice boomed around the massive room, with the practiced lilt of a showman.

"Who- who are you? Where is this? Why did you take me here?" Alex struggled to keep their words coherent.

"Easy questions. I'm ShowTime, this is my funhouse, and you're here to play a game with me!" He swayed back and forth. They couldn't help but feel like he was mocking how unsteady they were.

"A g- game?"

"Yes, a g-g-game of tag. And I'm it!" they snickered. They hopped off the platform, staring closer to them with a wolfish glint in his eye. He tapped his cane on the ground as he moved. "10, 9, 8..."

Alex turned and ran. They found themself in a hallway, the walls covered in mismatched mirrors, a clearly hasty attempt to create a funhouse.  Running seemed to clear the fog from their head, but they still felt sluggish and disoriented. They blindly turned corners, hoping to put at least a little distance between them and their captor.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are!" Even if they weren't actively taunting them, Alex could feel him getting closer. They felt dizzy, stumbling to the side and bracing against one of the mirrors on the wall. They looked up at their reflection. Their eyes were blown out from whatever was in their system.

They shook their head and pushed themself off the mirror. They felt a sting, and sluggishly held up their hand. It was bleeding. They glanced up at the mirror. Their blood smeared across the surface, apparently caught on a small crack in the glass. They blinked slowly as the mirror swayed precariously on the nail it was hung on. From the depths of their foggy mind came an idea.

"Found you!" ShowTime appeared at the end of the hall. He picked up his pursuit, running at them with his cane poised high for a killing blow.

They should've run, but instead they just glanced down. ShowTime may have drugged them, trapped them in a funhouse of his design, but he overlooked one thing.

He wasn't wearing shoes.

They grabbed the side of the mirror, heaving with every ounce of their remaining strength. It fell to the floor, shattering into a million tiny pieces. They stumbled back to avoid the glass.

ShowTime wasn't as lucky. Their momentum carried them directly into the glittering trap. They let out a shreik, stumbling backwards and falling to the floor. His cane flew out of his hand, its top adding to the pile of broken glass. He grabbed at his foot, shards of glass painfully sticking out of it. Blood flowed between their fingers. "How dare you!" He shrieked. "That's cheating!"

Alex stared at them. They wanted to scream, wanted to yell and curse and make them afraid. But they just stared, then turned and left.

As their victim walked away, unsteady but uninjured, ShowTime screamed again. "You think you're so clever, huh?! You're not the only one with tricks!" He shot a hand towards the broken remains of their cane. The red liquid pooling beneath it moved up like a puppet on a string, coalescing into a sharp point. They made a move like they were throwing it, and the blade flew threw the air and into Alex's leg.

Alex cried out in pain, stumbling forward. They fell to their knees. Without a moment's hesitation, they ripped the blade out of their leg and dropped it. It fell to the ground with a splat, leaving nothing but a red stain on the floor and their hand. They got to their feet.

Watching them limp away, ShowTime laughed. "There, now we're even." He laid back on the floor, ignoring the pain in their feet and laughing even more. "Oh, that was fun."

"What?" They squinted at him. "Yancy, I'm tired, I've had a long day, I just want to sit down and eat something."

"I know, I know." He gave them a sympathetic look, holding up a hand. "Just give me one minute."

They huffed, kicking off their shoes and giving Vinnie a scratch behind the ears as they waited in the hall. They heard the clinking of ceramic and metal, the fridge opening and closing, and the flick of a lighter. Before they could question it, Yancy called back into the hall

"Youse can come in now!" They walked into the kitchen and gasped. The table was neatly set and ladden with food - fruit, syrup, butter, a pitcher of orange juice, all with a massive platter of pancakes at its center. A few candles were placed on the kitchen counter, filling the room with the sweet, albeit synthetic, scent of apples.  Yancy stood over the table with his arms wide. "Ta-da!"

Louis was speechless. They simply rushed forward, wrapping their arms around Yancy's torso. "Thanks."

"Hey, you're welcome," he hugged them back. "I also took care of your chores - did the laundry, vacuumed the floors, got the groceries, even had time to take Vinnie to the park. You don't have to worry 'bout nothin' tomorrow."

"Aw, Yance, you didn't have to do all that."

"Please, it's the least I can do," he gestured around at the room, at the home they shared with him. "Now, hurry up and eat before it gets cold."

The meal was perfect. As soon as they finished, Yancy was already up and cleaning the dishes. When Louis offered to help, he gently shooed them off. "I got this. I have that show youse like loaded up on the TV, go sit down and enjoy your night in."

They crossed their arm and gave him a stern look, although they were barely suppressing their smile. "Let me help."

He paused for a moment. "Oh alright, no need to use that lawyer voice of yours," he chuckled, handing them a wet plate. "I wash, youse dry."

They fell into a comfortable rhythm. "It's times like this I'm really glad you're here."

"Oh? Was my cookin' that good?"

"It was acceptable," they said with a smirk. "I guess I'm just used to going about it all alone, so, it's nice to have someone here to split the burden."

He stopped cleaning for a moment, face settling in to a gentle smile. "I'm glad I can be here, too. I didn't think I'd ever be livin' this kinda life, figured I'd be spendin' the rest of my life in Happy Trails. But hey, now I'm here, all because I got the best lawyer in the world."

Louis mulled over how to respond, all things they've repeated before, all the things they left unsaid. Eventually they simply replied with "And I got the best roommate in the world." They took the dish from his hands, drying it off and placing it to the side.

With the kitchen clean, the two went off to the living room. Louis settled on the couch, curling up beneath a quilt. Vinnie jumped up soon after, laying with his snout on their stomach. They pet him with one hand, using the other to unpause the TV. Yancy sat on the other end of the couch, patting Vinnie on his back. "So what's this show about again?"

"It's a period drama, so, scandal and romance. Mostly scandalous romance," Louis shrugged. "It's utterly ridiculous, but entertaining."

"I'll take your word for it." He leaned back into the cushions.

It didn't take long for both to get sucked in to the drama. After a couple hours the two were completely invested in the show, until Yancy suddenly sat up in his seat and broke the comfortable silence. "Oh, I almost forgot. Pause this for me, will ya?"

"What is it?" they asked, only to be met with a whirl of movement and sudden cluttering from the kitchen.

He returned shortly with two bowls of ice cream. He held them in front of Louis, one a golden brown and the other a pink and white swirl. "I couldn't remember which was your favorite, so I just got both."

Their face brightened immediately, reaching for the bowl of salted caramel. "Yancy, thank you for tonight. It means a lot." They leaned forward, giving him a small peck on the cheek.

His eyes went wide and his jaw went slack. He rubbed the back of his neck, looking sheepishly to the floor. "It's nothin', really. After everything you've done for me, well..." The spoon his bowl was audibly rattling. "Uh ... you're welcome."