I had a very silly idea and immediately had to write it xD
What if: human, up until then no-plot-involvement Robin is close by when Conquest makes his arrival. She decides to interfere. No one is prepared for the cards she decides to play.
âStand ready for my arrival, worm.â
Holy shit.
Thatâs Conquest.
âŚWhat a fucking day to be helping out with the cleanup efforts. And at ground zero to whatâs about to happen. Goddamn, what sort of insanely bad luck is this?
Yeah, you had a clue that maybe you should be concerned when you spotted Invincible shifting rubble. But itâs been a few weeks since the Invincible War, and heâs been to plenty of cities, not just this one. Tends to flit between the worst effected.
So it was no major warning sign, just a catch at your attention as you worked with the small crew youâd been assigned to. With the world how it is, any work you can get was gratefully taken. And not many have the stomach for uncovering and clearing bodies, despite how good the pay is. Means you also get a roof over your head, instead of the refugee shelter, and-
Shouldâve stayed in the damn shelter, huh.
Okay. Chances of dying? Sky high. Could run, but theyâll be levelling the city soon. Big ka-boom.
You donât have powers, because fuck you thatâs why, and thereâs no handy dandy helicopter to hop a ride on. You also canât pilot a helicopter, but thatâs besides the point.
Invincible is straightening up, and you vaguely hear Conquestâs dissatisfaction with the lack of, yâknow, his namesake. A few of the workers are backing off as they realise somethingâs up, and one lady tugs at your arm. They donât know thereâs no point in moving. They donât know youâre all about to die.
Shit.
Alright, then. Hail Mary, full of fucking grace.
âI am Conquest, and I am your last chance of-â
âDid you say your name is Conquest?â you call out, jogging over. âThe Conquest?â
Wow, dude is huge. Not helped by the hover heâs rocking, but that is one big beefy guy.
The gauntlet is a duller kind of metal than you thought itâd be, looks solid enough to casually shatter a building just by being dropped on it. The eye that turns to you is - and you hate to be cliche, but câmon - screaming hardened killer, your sole hope in the faintest hint of bemusement in his expression.
âYouâve heard of me?â
âOf course I have.â You slow and hold a hand over heart to express utmost sincerity. Which youâre capable of. On a good day, probably. âBig fan. Biggest fan, in fact. I wish I could say Iâve followed your career since day one, but I wasnât so lucky to be born at the start of your meteoric rise-â
âAre you-â Invincible cuts himself off, shifting so heâs partially in front of you and keeping a wary eye on Conquest. âYou need to get out of here. Youâre in danger.â
You glare at him. âI know, dude.â Yanking a smile back on, you look up at Conquest again. âItâs an honour to have our planet visited by such a legend. I assume youâre here for the takeover? This guy, uh-â
You step forward and pat Invincibleâs back. Hard. For a human; this fucker can probably barely feel it. âAs you can see, heâs been hard at work. Look how destroyed this city is! So many dead bodies. Ask anyone, and theyâll confirm Invincible is responsible. But itâs a work in progress. Itâs his first time - he isnât experienced like you, yâknow? So, could we get an extension?â
Conquest is looking at you like youâre a very odd insect heâs never encountered before. Not great for gauging success, but you have absolutely nothing to lose at this stage.
âIâd also love to pick your brains, if you have a minute,â you add with- okay, maybe a bit more genuine curiosity, come the fuck on. âI know you must be a busy guy, high demand and all, but I have so many questions.â
âSuch as?â
Wait, heâs humouring you? Oh. Cool. You drop your hand from Invincibleâs tense back and step past him, wishing you had a notepad.
âOkay, whatâs the coolest thing youâve ever fought? And I donât just mean the toughest battle. What actually shocked you, across all those planets? And who made your gauntlet? Whatâs it made of? Do you ever get that phantom limb sense, or are you used to it by now? What was it like growing up on Viltrum? Did you have siblings-â
âEnough,â he says, but he doesnât look pissed as he lowers down until his feet are on the ground. Gooood sign? Like, heâs totally looming over you, but you yet live. Huzzah. âYouâre human?â
âAs far as I know.â
He hums, then looks over the top of your head at Invincible. You idly hope youâre not about to have something in common with another Robin in a superhero universe. The temptation to go directly for a good fight is pretty fucking obvious.
Ah, fuck it. Go big or go home.
âIâve heard a lot about you, but no one ever mentioned how lovely your voice is,â you say, and his attention snaps back to you so fast itâs kind of hilarious. âOr how handsome you are. That scar really distinguishes you, Iâve gotta say, and that eye colourâŚIâve never seen anything like it.â
Seriously, though. Itâs a cool colour. Legit looks gold, and especially noticeably with the wide, startled look.
âWhatâŚWhat are you attempting to-â
You wince. âWas that too forward? Sorry, sorry. Iâm a little overwhelmed, is all. Getting to meet the Conquest is very exciting. You must get this constantly, after all the amazing work youâve done for the Empire. Iâll stop.â
âNo.â He pauses, as if he didnât fully mean to say that. But then he continues, âIf thereâsâŚno need for a correction here, I have the time to speak with you.â
âŚThat worked?
Holy shit, that worked.
Wait. Heâll actually answer your questions? Awesome.
âThen Iâll make the most of it. How long do you have? Because I have a lot of questions, and Iâm pretty sure Iâll come up with more- Hey, do you mind if we go somewhere we can sit down? Iâm not a badass warrior like you; being on my feet all day is killer-â
-
ââŚWhat the fuck just happened?â
âYou tell me, kid.â


















