005 [VIDEO]

[shorttempered]

[The video clicks on and the image of Mark comes on the screen. He’s visibly nervous, and you can just barely see he’s wringing his hands as he talks. It’s clear he doesn't want to say what he’s saying, but he’s just as determined to get through it.]

Um, hi. I know the network’s not super reliable right now, and that it’s not secure and all of that, but with everything that’s happened the last few weeks, I really don’t want to wait in the hopes this gets fixed to say what I need to say. And as for Never-Speak-His-Name, well… that’s sort of the point of what I want to say, so…

[Takes a deep breath, sits up straight, and stops fiddling with his hands.]

I know some of you aren’t going to understand why what I’m about to say is so difficult, but I’m sure there’s some of you that are. And for those of you that can’t—this… this is really big for me, okay? I’m breaking pretty much the cardinal rule where I come from. But I've thought about this a lot, and with everything that’s happened… I’ve realized that this rule is getting in the way of helping people, which is what the rule is trying to do in the first place.

What am I rambling about? I’m getting to my point, I promise.

[He pauses because he knows after this there’s no turning back.]

For those of you that don’t know me, my name is Mark Grayson. [Mark picks up his mask, which was sitting on his lap, and puts it over his head.] I’m also the superhero who goes by the name Invincible.

This is a big deal for me because where I come from your secret identity is everything. Your secret identity is what keeps the bad guys you fight at work from coming to your home and hurting your family. And that’s not hyperbole. I've had a super villain come to my house and hurt my mom and threaten my brother to get back at me. For something I didn't even do. My family might not be here, but I've made a lot of friends here and while a lot of them can protect themselves, some of them couldn't. Not from the likes of the people I’m used to fighting, anyway.

But now everything’s changed. It’s not just my friends in danger of getting hurt anymore. Everyone’s in danger. And that’s why I decided to come clean. So the long-winded way of getting to my point is this, and this goes out to everyone (well everyone but Never-Speak-His-Name): if you need me for anything, anything, come to me. I’m super strong, super-fast, can fly, and yes, I’m invincible. And I want to help any way I can. If you need me to be a messenger, I can be a messenger. If you need me to carry something heavy like your couch to a different room, I’ll carry it. Heck, if you need me to open a stuck jar, I’ll do it.

Everything got real with the explosions, I’ve realized that I haven’t been really helping people like I should. Stopping muggers isn’t going to cut it anymore. It’s time I took my responsibilities more seriously. My secret identity doesn’t matter anymore. The safety of Keeliai does.

So I mean it. If you need help, for anything, let me know. I’ve been told I make a really good pack mule, and I’m knowledgeable about construction. Unfortunately I don’t have superhearing, so if you want to get a hold of me you’re going to have to do it the old fashioned way.

…I’m sorry this was so long, but thanks for listening.

[Quickly turns it off before he rambles any more.]

Comments

[shorttempered]

Yeah, but I thought at least the "inside knowledge" would prepare me a bit more... Only everything I experience through my dad was completely different than what I experienced. So it became a trial by fire anyway.

[fearlessherosheart]

Are there such differences between heroes?

[shorttempered]

Not really, no.

I was 17, that's not exactly the age of well-thought out ideas. [Shut up, Mark, you're only 3 years older now.]

[fearlessherosheart]

Ah, isn't it?

[Tazendra knows 17 is dreadfully young, but she also knows that everyone else ages faster than her. Tazendra got her first job when she was a young woman in her 80s.]

[shorttempered]

I swear it made sense at the time. I just kind of wish it was true, a better idea of what I was getting myself into would have been nice. Don't get me wrong, I'd still do it in a heartbeat, but what's that phrase? "Forewarned is forearmed?" Or something.

[Thanks to his dad, Mark's actually going to live to be thousands of years. But because his mom's human and he grew up on Earth, that's still very much an abstract concept for him right now. Get back to him in about 500 years.]

[fearlessherosheart]

Ah, perhaps. I have never been one for planning myself, so I cannot say how it would have benefitted me.

[shorttempered]

I'll be honest, I'm not much of a planner either, but there are definitely some things I'd love to have been clued on.

[fearlessherosheart]

What manner of things?

[shorttempered]

Oh, let's just call them family matters.

[Mainly that the peace-loving race he thought his dad came from was actually full of crazy, bloodthirsty world conqurers, his father among them. He... isn't too eager to share that part of his life.]

[fearlessherosheart]

Ah, family. Do you have much of it?

[shorttempered]

It's just me, my mom, and my little brother right now. My dad's.... around, but not exactly in the picture.

[fearlessherosheart]

My condolences. My own parents died when I was... young. A child.

[shorttempered]

Oh, I'm sorry.

[fearlessherosheart]

They died well and how they wished to.

Perhaps we would have preferred to wait until I was grown, though.

[shorttempered]

Are your... are you from a family of warriors or something? [Because that sounds like something a Viltrumite would say.]

[fearlessherosheart]

I am from the House of the Dzur, yes. We are heroes.

[Read: she's from one of the two really martial castes of her home Empire, in particular the one that's generally regarded as near-suicidally reckless. ]

[shorttempered]

Oh, wow. I'm from the house of, uh, Grayson. We're heroes too. [Sort of.]

[fearlessherosheart]

Are you then? Yes, I believe you mentioned that!

[shorttempered]

Sort of, anyway. My dad and I put on the costumes to help people. At least he did before he left...

[fearlessherosheart]

Are costumes necessary?

[shorttempered]

Sort of? I mean you don't have to wear one if you don't want to, but for every superhero in my world there's at least two supervillains. And some of them won't hesitate to go after your family if they know who you are, because they're sick bastards like that. [He grits his teeth. He's mad just thinking about that again.]

[fearlessherosheart]

[considers this] Well, it is true that villains are inherently dishonorable sorts.

[shorttempered]

One of them attacked my mother and my baby brother. He broke her arm.

[fearlessherosheart]

Ah, and then what transpired?

[shorttempered]

I kicked his ass.

[More accurately... he thought he beat the guy to death.]