Chapter 4: Blending In

Today was the day. The young viltrumite stood on the sidewalk in front of the establishment. Behind him, students could be seen exiting yellow buses. Others were getting out of cars or walking.

"Siiiiiigh." A hopeless expression sat on Taz's face.

Currently, he wore a light blue jersey with cool shorts and sneakers. Straps of a backpack hung from his shoulders. It was time to go to school. The weekend was over, and the first semester was already halfway through.

Taz finally stepped into the building while looking at a paper in his hand.

'So I'm in class…' He thought. It didn't take long for him to find it.

When he opened the classroom door, he scanned the room. It wasn't full yet. Only a few people sat behind their desks. Taz walked over to the teacher's desk where a middle aged man was going over some papers. Upon noticing the athletic student, he spoke.

"Yes?"

"I'm Taz Carter, a transfer student. Are there any open seats?" He asked.

The teacher nodded with realization.

"Ah yes, I was told you would be coming in today. There's a seat over there." He pointed.

The open desk was located in the back corner by the window. There was one desk behind it, which made it not truly the corner seat.Taz nodded before walking over. Time passed as the classroom filled up. The young viltrumite was not in the mood to converse, just wanting to get to the extra curriculum.

Once the passing period bell rang, the teacher stood up.

"Alright class, we have a transfer student. You don't have to get up but please give us your name." He said. Taz waved a hand in the air.

"My name is Taz Carter. I'm a junior and just transferred in." He spoke briefly.

The students in the room scanned his features for a bit, easily noticing his athletic build. They went back to their own devices a moment later. The teacher proceeded to give his lesson.

As time went on, Taz began to zone out. He knew that if he wanted to, he could learn the entire subject at home. At least he would never struggle on assignments. He could thank his brain for that. Formulas and memorization came easily. Suddenly, a foot kicked his chair from behind.

Turning behind him, he saw a cute girl with blonde hair tied up in a bun. She waved at him with a smile. Taz gave her the up nod and turned back around. After a while, she kicked his chair again. The young viltrumite turned to her again to see what she wanted.

"Hey, new kid. Can I call you Carter? Anyways, I'm Lexi." She whispered. Her fingers played with her pen, twirling it around.

"Nice to meet you, Lexi." He responded in an uncaring manner.

"Hey! No talking!" The teacher exclaimed from the front.

Lexi leaned back in her seat and focused on her text book. Taz once again turned back to the front. He eventually looked out the window, zoning out once again. As the class resumed its lesson, a small crumpled piece of paper landed on his desk.

Opening it up it read 'You should play football!' Taz ignored it and gazed out the window. More and more papers landed on his desk.

'Carter.'

'Carterrr.'

'Helloooo?! I'm talking to you!'

The stoic viltrumite grew tired of the messages. After grabbing a pencil, he wrote back.

'We'll see.'

His answer seemed to calm her down for the time being. Lexi was beginning to understand that he wasn't the talkative type. His personality lit the flame of competition inside her.

Eventually the bell rang. Students quickly left the class in order to meet their friends in the hallways. Taz remained in his seat, scanning the world with his senses. It was becoming a hobby.

"Hey, let's go!" Lexi spoke while standing beside him. Returning to the present, he looked at her.

'She's still here?' He thought. He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. The unyielding girl crossed her arms.

"You know, it's going to be hard to make any friends with that attitude." She said.

Taz shook his head and stood up. After grabbing his bag, the two headed out to the hallway.

"Do they have boxing here?" He asked. Lexi cupped her chin.

"They might have a club, but it won't be funded like our football team. If you want to have a future in it, I'd say do football." She said.

Taz thought for a while. Boxing would be the easier of the two, but football had a better path to success in this school. If he was looking for scouts in order to go pro, football was the answer. In the end it didn't really matter, but boxing would make it a lot harder to blend in.

"I'll think about it later." He spoke.

As the two walked down the hallway, they came across a crowd of people that seemed to be watching something. Taz made his way to the front while moving students out the way. Lexi followed him closely. Everyone wanted to see the commotion.

Further ahead, a tall guy with blonde hair could be seen harassing a girl with dark skin. Another student approached from behind.

"Todd, I think Amber's been pretty clear about how she feels." The scrawny looking kid declared. Todd smirked while turning to the voice. He towered over him.

"Are you serious, Grayson?" He mocked.

Before the kid could respond, a punch connected with his face. Taz raised an eyebrow.

'Grayson? Then that must be Nolan's kid.' He thought. It was his first time seeing a viltrumite get beat up by a weakling. Maybe his DNA hadn't kicked in yet.

Todd hit Mark with a gut punch, prompting him to fall to the floor in pain. While the bully stood over him, Amber snuck from behind and kicked him in the nuts.

BAM

"Leave him alone!" She yelled.

"Eeeeek!" Todd squealed. His voice was extremely high pitched. While holding his groin, the bully ran in my direction. It was obvious he was retreating but I had an idea.

My leg extended across the ground forcing him to trip and fall. The quickness of his fall made it hard for him to raise his hands in time. Todd's face planted onto the floor. His eyes rolled up and he saw stars. Amber looked at Taz and nodded.

That was the most Taz would do for his colleague's son. A viltrumite should never allow themselves to be trampled on. They are natural born rulers.

"Oh? So you CAN be a good guy!" Lexi commented. The stoic man only glanced at her before walking away. Sighing with helplessness, she followed after him.

Mark's friend helped him to his feet. Amber stood in front of them all the while.

"Thanks, Will." He said.

"Of course, buddy! You should've seen what happened after he ran. Hahaha!"

"Eh? What happened?" He asked. Amber spoke up.

"That guy tripped him. He made Todd slide across the ground. Literally." She giggled. Her finger pointed at Taz's back. Mark glanced at him before focusing back on Amber.

"You okay?" He asked. Amber smiled.

"I am. Thank you for helping me." She spoke before walking away.

…

…

…

After a while, Taz and Lexi reached the cafeteria. He wasn't hungry but his new companion begged him to stay in line with her.

"I want you to meet my friend. Then we can all hang out!" She exclaimed. The young viltrumite rubbed his temple.

"That's great." He responded.

While looking for a table, Lexi's eyes lit up. She quickly grabbed Taz's wrist and pulled him along with her. The table they reached was occupied. One of the people caused the stoic man to raise an eyebrow.

'Isn't she one of Dupli-Kate's friends?' He thought.

Lexi sat down at the table. Picking up the fork, she took a piece of the girl's food.

"Hey!" She yelled in anger. The blonde girl ignored her.

"We have a new addition to the group. Eve, meet Taz." Lexi said. Taz nodded his head. He didn't say a word.

"Nice to meet you, Taz. Not one for small talk?" Eve spoke. He shrugged while resting his head in his hand. His eyes closed. The blonde student nudged the young viltrumite's arm.

"He's going to join the football team! I bet he's going to become one of the best players. Can't you see the greatness oozing from him?" Lexi joked. Eve glanced at Taz again before responding.

"Umm. Yeah? I think I see it." She giggled.

Time passed as they enjoyed their temporary freedom. The bell eventually rang and everyone headed back to class. The day went by slowly, each and every class involving textbooks and homework. At the end of the day, Taz stopped by the football field.

The team was mid practice when he arrived. It was funny seeing Todd there with a huge bump on his forehead. Who would've known that he was on the team? Taz convinced the coach to let him try a couple plays as wide receiver. Needless to say, he blew it out of the park. The coach wanted him to get his pads as soon as possible.

Even though he made the team, the young viltrumite was not going to frequent every practice. This would be a hobby for him and he would not let it tie him down. As he walked home, he received a call. He took out his new phone and raised it to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Hey, kid. It's Nolan. I need you for something. Meet me in an hour. Oh, and suit up."

"Understood."

BEEP

Taz sped up his walk and made it home in 30 minutes. After taking a nice shower, he donned his black suit and white cape. He then took to the sky and accelerated to the meeting point.

The young viltrumite found himself in the snowy mountain range once again. After a few moments, Nolan arrived with a sonic boom.

"Good to see you. How's the normal life?" He spoke.

"I don't know yet. Still trying to find the fun in it all." Taz responded with a shrug.

Nolan smiled while patting his shoulder.

"Don't sweat it. You'll get used to it. It took me a while as well." He explained. The young viltrumite raised an eyebrow while looking at Omni Man.

"You have something on your back."

"Huh?"

Nolan spun in circles trying to get what was on his back. It was a severed tentacle from who knows where. Once he got it off, he turned back to Taz.

"I just fought a giant sea monster. It will help with my alibi."

"Alibi?"

"I'm going to get rid of the competition. It's time to thin out the herd. You get me?" Nolan said. Taz nodded in understanding.

"So you want me to help you kill some heroes?" He clarified. Omni Man shook his head.

"Not quite. I want you to watch from afar. Make sure that any evidence is gone and that there are no loose ends."

"Understood."

The two soldiers took flight and reached their destination in seconds. There was an unusual hole in the back of one of the snowy mountains. Taz immediately rose above the clouds while Nolan flew down.

Focusing on the mountain below, the young viltrumite saw through it. There were several heroes gathered together. They were the Guardians Of The Globe. There wasn't a day where they weren't on TV.

"So the conquest begins today huh?" He muttered. It seemed like he would be able to return home much sooner than expected.

Without saying a word, Omni Man blitzed The Immortal. Red Rush quickly pushed the hero out of the way, saving his life.

"Omni Man!" The Guardians exclaimed.

Taz watched the scene with interest. The fight began in earnest. Nolan caught Red Rush and squeezed his head until it popped like a melon. Once the speedster was killed, the slaughter began. Red Rush was the only person who could keep the others alive. It was too late now.

One by one, the guardians were ripped apart and dismembered. Nolan took quite the beating, which seemed to be on purpose. He could move faster than anyone in the room. Especially since Red Rush was down.

'Maybe it would help with his alibi?' Taz pondered.

The blood bath finally ended. The entire fight only lasted a few minutes. Nolan passed out on the ground right after. It was time for the young viltrumite to do his part.

Taz slowly descended into the room. The entire area was covered in blood and gore. His head slowly turned as he took everything in, trying to find anything that could be tied to Omni Man.

There was brain matter from Aquarus on his suit, specifically his hands. The young viltrumite's eyes shined red with energy before releasing a gentle light. The gore on Nolan's hands vanished. The Immortal's DNA also disappeared.

The stoic viltrumite floated over to the fallen War Woman. Bits and pieces of the unconscious viltrumite's DNA remained on the battle mace. It was easily removed. Time passed while Taz focused on destroying any potential evidence. He floated the entire time. After a good while, he stretched his limbs.

"That should be enough." He muttered.

Taz eyed the area one more time before flying away. Once he reached the clouds, he sped home. A sonic boom was left in his wake.