Chapter 2: New Mission

VILTRUM

"Again!"

BAM BOOM CRACK

In a courtyard overlooking the capital, two figures could be seen sparring. Both of them wore the common white viltrumite outfit. They exchanged several moves.

"You have strength and technique. Just find the balance!" Anissa lectured.

"Understood." Taz responded.

He dashed in with a quick but powerful right hook. The stern woman entered his personal bubble, the swing hitting nothing but air. They were now point blank and their faces were almost touching. Anissa's knee slammed into his stomach.

"Ugh." Taz grunted.

His body hunched over in pain. Another knee hurtled toward his face. Quickly rolling away, he exhaled toward the elite fighter. Ice quickly formed around her legs, freezing them in place.

"Hehe. Your tricks are always fun to see. But alas…" She commented.

With little to no effort, the ice shattered and she leisurely approached. A sigh escaped his lips. Even though Taz's strength was beginning to eclipse hers, she always got the drop on him. Her fighting experience was extremely profound.

Finding his bearings, he blitzed her once again. A heavy downward punch rocketed towards her. A smirk appeared on Anissa's face as she tilted her head, dodging the strike. The ground below opened up from the air pressure. She quickly straightened her left hand before chopping his neck.

WHAM

The blow left Taz in a dazed state. It wasn't over. Anissa's other hand struck his liver, causing blood to spurt out his mouth. After the two piece combo, she twirled around him. Smoothly grasping the back of his collar, she flipped him onto the ground. Cracks appeared on the pavement like spiderwebs.

"Mnnnnnnnnn…" Taz groaned in a mix of pain and annoyance. His mouth was now full of dirt and rocks.

The viltrumite way of training was truly hell. On the bright side, Taz could feel himself growing even stronger. Whenever the sun shined on his form, he would feel extreme comfort. To this day he couldn't understand why but he knew that he would win soon.

"Get up, Taz. We still have a few hours left." She ordered.

"Mnnnnn…" The young viltrumite groaned once again. It was as if he was one with the ground.

Anissa smiled before walking over to him and sitting on his back. Her hand ruffled his hair.

"You know, I've never seen fighters act the way you do. Sometimes I wonder if you should've been a worker instead."

"Anissa…I'm tired. We just returned to Viltrum. Why can't we just relax?" Taz complained.

"Because no matter how strong you are, death can always be right around the corner." She explained righteously.

The sadistic light in her eyes said otherwise. She just liked to beat him up and show her dominance.

"Alright alright…" He muttered.

The two got up and continued their spar.

…

…

…

Currently, the two could be seen lazing in a futuristic home. Anissa sat on the living room couch while Taz sat on the floor between her legs. One of her hands played with his hair, occasionally grasping it tightly and moving his head around. Her eyes were focused on a holographic screen beside her.

Taz focused on the TV in front of him, some food sitting in his lap. Both of them wore home clothing. Anissa was wearing a white shirt with small comfortable pajama shorts while he wore nothing but shorts and a thin silver necklace.

"I grow tired of these missions." He commented. Anissa turned towards him with a raised eyebrow.

"You are always tired of something. What will it be tomorrow?" She retorted.

"Not true." He said.

The two continued to relax for a while. It was a homely atmosphere due to their closeness. Ever since Taz could remember, Anissa had been his guardian. She was like a sister and mother put into one. Her words were law by this point. Sometimes her sadistic tendencies would lash out, her demands becoming a bit weird. It was never a problem for him due to his durability and non caring personality. Every viltrumite he had met in his life seemed to have some type of quirk about them. Conquest was known for his lust for battle.

"You've really made me proud, Taz. I have good news for you." She exclaimed.

Taz turned to her, resting his head on her soft thighs.

"What's up?" He asked.

Anissa waved her finger which caused the holographic screen to face him. The contents made him frown.

"A mission? How is that good news?" He spoke while quickly losing interest. The woman grasped his cheeks with one hand, forcing him to look at her.

"Here's the good part. An operative is already residing on this planet. You don't have to subjugate it, as that is his mission. All you have to do is observe. It's up to you if you wish to assist." She declared.

"And the planet?"

"The world is known as Earth. It's another primitive race. Their technology is definitely better than Astra. Think of it as a vacation." She finished. Taz smiled and his eyes flashed red with energy.

"A vacation huh?" He repeated happily. Looking at the glow in his eyes, Anissa felt her sadistic side returning.

"You have exquisite genes." She commented quietly. Still having his face in her hand, he raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Huh?"

"Are you still hungry?"

"What? No."

"But I want you to eat." She demanded.

Her hands tightly grasped his hair, bringing his face between her thighs.

'Ohhh…' He thought, finally understanding. He proceeded to follow her order.

______

A few days later, Taz could be seen floating in space. His arms were open as he stared directly at the sun. He had always wondered what would happen if he went closer, and decided to act on it.

'This is great!' He thought.

It was as if he was taking a nice hot shower. His cells drunk in the warm rays, energizing him while simultaneously making him sleepy. He resided here for a few hours. His mind wandered all the while.

'Nolan. He's the operative of this planet. I wonder what I'll do upon arriving. Maybe partake in their sports? I believe my features still resemble a young human. School would be a good cover.' He thought. The idea of homework made him not so keen on pursuing that path.

As he remained floating in space, a few viltrumite soldiers flew over from the planet. It seemed like they were curious why Taz was here. When they reached him, they saw him lazing on his back deep in thought. Taz nodded to them with a stoic face upon noticing their arrival. The elites shook their heads before returning back to the planet.

'When I was in Astra, I felt so strong. I should've fought Anissa there. Maybe then I would win.' He thought.

Eventually, the feeling of the sun grew uncomfortable. It was as if the hot shower had gotten too steamy making one light headed. Taz stretched his limbs before flying back to Viltrum. For some reason, he felt much lighter and faster. His instincts made him believe that he could move mountains.

A few more weeks passed before it was finally time for his departure. Every day he would float in front of the sun, getting closer each time. Whenever he woke up from slumber, his newfound strength would be consolidated, but the feeling of oversaturation would have vanished. This discovery had allowed him to get stronger extremely fast.

Donning his black suit and white cape, he walked outside of his room. Anissa could be seen in the courtyard sparring against three other people. Taz grabbed a glass of water and sat on the side to watch. His mind moved at rapid speeds, downloading her technique and form. Each of her attacks targeted pressure points and weak spots. The elite woman could be seen standing over the unconscious fighters moments later.

Eventually, she noticed her favorite viltrumite. Walking over to him, she spoke.

"Did you pack everything you needed?" She asked. He nodded while pointing to his wrist.

A small square laid in the ridge of his wrist guard. It was a high tech storage device that shrunk common sized items in order to fit inside.

"When are you coming to Earth?" Taz asked. Anissa sighed while sitting next to him.

"Unless I receive a mission for it, I won't ever end up going." She responded.

The young viltrumite paused for a second. His face fell as he turned to her.

"What?! How long am I supposed to stay there?" He questioned.

"Until it's subjugated. This is nothing new to you though. Why the long face?" She spoke with a knowing smile. Her arm wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer.

"That could be hundreds of years." He spoke with annoyance.

"It shouldn't take that long. Nolan is a well respected fighter. He's committed to our cause and won't take forever. You could always speed it up yourself." She suggested.

"Whatever. I'll take my vacation. See you later, I guess." Taz grumbled.

"Take care, you rascal. Kill anything that gets in your way." She ordered. He nodded.

The two embraced each other. Halfway through the hug, Anissa buried her face in his neck. She took a deep breath, inhaling his scent. Taz ignored her antics.

After standing up, he slowly flew into the sky. The two waved to each other before going their separate ways. Once he turned away from his only family, his face became apathetic. The coldness returned to his eyes.

Taz stopped at the space station near the atmosphere. A working viltrumite could be seen tapping on a holographic keyboard. He quickly glanced up before looking back down.

"Name and destination." He spoke without care.

"Taz. Earth."

After a few seconds of typing, the man nodded.

"Alright. You're good to go. Safe travels."

Taz nodded before floating out of the atmosphere. His speed slowly increased as he headed in the target direction. Once he was far from the planet, he accelerated.

PHOOOOM

A silent shockwave was released. His speed continued to increase, showing no signs of stopping. He had long since passed the speed of sound. He pushed harder and harder, testing the limits of his newfound strength. Space began to warp around him as he eventually reached a speed similar to light. By this point, he realized that he had long surpassed his guardian.

…

…

…

A year had passed since Taz left on his trip. He quickly came to realize that he didn't need to hold his breath in space. Many breaks were taken in which he took the opportunity to sunbathe. It was only now that he was nearing Earth.

The yellow sun lit up the solar system with its rays, blessing them with warmth. The beautiful planet of Earth shone with a green and blue sheen. As Taz neared the planet, he noticed a plethora of satellites revolving around it.

He didn't want to be found out so soon, and decided to stay clear of them. It only took a few moments for him to enter the atmosphere. His cape flapped in the wind as he slowly descended onto a snowy mountain range.

"The air is rich here. And the gravity is weak. It seems like I'll have to hold back a bit." He muttered. Just his body weight made him almost fall through the ground.

As he acclimated himself to the world, a sonic boom resounded some distance away. Taz looked up to see a man in a white and red suit. A red cape fluttered behind him. The letter 'O' rested on his chest. The man instantly noticed the viltrumite symbol on the young soldier's chest.

"You must be the new arrival. Taz, right?" Nolan said. Taz nodded.

"My only mission is to observe. Do as you wish. I will not interfere." He responded.

Nolan smiled before pulling out a paper. Taz's youthful appearance made him less alert.

"This is your identity. Follow these directions to find your home." He explained.

Attached to the paper was an ID card. The name said 'Taz Carter.'

"How did you forge all of this?" Taz wondered.

"I have my ways." Nolan responded calmly.

"Nice. Call me if you need assistance."

"Will do. Seeya." Nolan spoke before taking flight.

Taz continued to look at his papers before frowning.

"Tch. Damn." He clicked his tongue. Further down the page, more identification status info was revealed.

It read 'Junior at Reginald Vel Johnson High School.'