A Needed Distraction

Carter's POV)

The moment the bag was pulled off my head, I was greeted by the sterile, cold walls of a windowless room. The fluorescent lights above buzzed softly, casting a harsh glow over the metallic table, separating me from the agent standing at attention. Mark and Mom were nowhere to be seen. 

I allowed a flicker of concern to show on my face as I looked around, hoping to sell the part of a confused teenager who his own government had just kidnapped.

The agent in front of me had a stony expression, his face giving nothing away. He was built like a tank, with a crisp black suit that screamed "professional," but the slight twitch in his jawline gave away his unease. They weren't used to handling people like us—people who could rip through steel doors if we wanted to.

I leaned back in the uncomfortable metal chair, letting the silence hang for a moment before speaking. "What the hell is going on? Where's my brother? Where's my mom?"

The agent's eyes flickered, just for a second, before he replied. "They're safe. You'll see them soon. We just need to ask you a few questions first."

I crossed my arms, trying to seem more annoyed than worried. "Questions? You guys kidnapped us in the middle of the night, and now you want to play twenty questions? This better be good."

He didn't flinch. "This isn't a game, Carter. We're dealing with a serious situation. Omni-Man was found unconscious in the aftermath of what can only be described as a massacre. We need to know what you know."

My heart skipped a beat, but I kept my expression neutral. So, they knew about the Guardians of the Globe, but they hadn't linked it to Dad yet. That was good. That gave me some breathing room to figure out my next move.

"I don't know anything," I said, forcing some frustration into my voice. "Mark and I were at home. We didn't even know Dad was in trouble until you guys ambushed us."

The agent's gaze was unyielding. "You and your brother have powers, Carter. Powers that make you both critical assets—or threats, depending on how you choose to use them. We need to know where your loyalties lie."

I raised an eyebrow, playing along. "Loyalties? What is this, some kind of interrogation? We're on the same side, aren't we?"

He leaned forward, lowering his voice. "That depends. Omni-Man is the most powerful being on Earth, but someone managed to bring him down. That doesn't just happen. We need to know if you or your brother were involved."

I kept my eyes locked on his, refusing to break the stare. "You think Mark and I had something to do with this? That's insane. Sure, Dad's been training us, but we're nowhere near his level. You know that."

The agent remained silent, his eyes searching mine for any hint of deception. I could feel the tension in the room ratchet up a notch, but I didn't flinch. Let him think whatever he wanted. The truth was far more complicated than he could imagine.

Before he could press further, the door behind him swung open, and Cecil Stedman walked in. The head of the Global Defense Agency had an air of authority that filled the room the moment he entered. 

His steely gaze settled on me, assessing and calculating. I knew better than to underestimate him. Cecil was dangerous, not because of his physical strength but because of his mind. He was always ten steps ahead of everyone else.

"Carter," Cecil said, his voice calm but carrying an edge. "Sorry about the rough treatment. We needed to be sure you were safe."

"Safe?" I echoed, not bothering to hide my sarcasm. "You call this safe?"

He didn't smile, didn't even blink. "Given the circumstances, yes. You're aware of the Guardians' deaths?"

I nodded slowly. "I saw the news. What happened?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out," Cecil replied, his tone measured. "Your father was found at the scene, unconscious. He's currently under observation, but we haven't been able to get any answers from him yet. We're hoping you might be able to shed some light on the situation."

I frowned, pretending to process the information. "I wish I could help, but I don't know anything like I told your guy here. Mark and I were at home all night."

Cecil studied me for a moment longer, then nodded. "Fair enough. We're just trying to get all the pieces in place for now. We'll let you reunite with your family soon, but I need you to understand something, Carter. Things are about to get very complicated. Your father's status as Earth's protector has been compromised, which means many people will be asking questions, questions we may not have answers to."

I met his gaze, my expression serious. "I get it. But like I said, I don't know anything."

Cecil sighed as if accepting my answer, but I knew he wasn't convinced. "Alright. You're free to go for now. But stay close. We may need to talk again soon."

I nodded, relieved that this was over—for now, at least. As I stood to leave, Cecil's voice stopped me.

"Oh, and Carter?"

I turned back, meeting his gaze.

"If you do remember anything, anything at all, I suggest you come to me first. Trust is a rare commodity these days, and you'll need as much of it as you can get."

I didn't respond; I just gave a curt nod before heading out of the room. My mind was racing as I walked down the cold, sterile halls of the GDA facility. They were suspicious, but they had no proof. Not yet, anyway. 

But it was only a matter of time before they started putting the pieces together. And when that happened, everything would come crashing down.

I needed to get to Dad before anyone else did. Whatever his plan was, it was clear he'd taken things to the next level. The Guardians were gone, and that left a power vacuum—a vacuum that someone had to fill. The question was: would it be us or someone else?

As I reached the exit of my interrogation room, I found Mark and Mom waiting for me. Mom looked relieved to see me, while Mark seemed anxious, his mind clearly elsewhere. I didn't blame him. Everything was falling apart, and we were stuck in the middle of it.

"Carter," Mom said, pulling me into a tight hug. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I replied, hugging her back. "Just a little shaken up."

Mark glanced at me, his eyes filled with questions, but I shook my head slightly. Not here, not now. We couldn't talk about this in front of Mom. Not until we knew more.

Before we could say anything else, the man, I assume is Donald, arrived.

" You must be the Grayson family. I would welcome you all to our headquarters, but I assume you're here to see Nolan?" Debbie nods along with Mark. I almost scarfed at him, asking that question as I'd already investigated the area around our house and found a couple of spies.

As we began walking through the facility's hallways, Donald explained, " Currently, we don't know who was able to defeat the guardians, but we are making some headway. Thankfully, the bodies were still intact enough that we were able to gain some physical evidence." 

The walk mainly consisted of Donald spouting off some of his theories, mostly pertaining to some science experiment created by a supervillain who somehow had access to technological powers. This almost brought a chuckle to my lips, as he couldn't have been any more wrong, but I kept that to myself.

We found ourselves in front of Omni Man's hospital bedroom. Thankfully, his vitals didn't seem to be in any danger, and his innate healing factor was helping him to keep any of the damage he sustained from being fatal.

Debbie sat down next to him, Mark stood at the end of the bed, and I leaned against the wall near the door.

" I'm going to need to cut moved in here as well as some ice packs and other medical supplies." Donald attempted to interrupt, but Debbie glared at Adam, causing him to back off with Cecil, who had joined us mid. He said nothing and simply nodded.

Thankfully, Mark was able to control his strength enough not to break the end of the bed, but I could see small tears begin to form on the edges of his eyes, which he wiped away.

But before anyone could say anything, I received an alert on my phone about a certain group of green men attacking downtown Chicago. 

I looked to Debbie, who nodded to Mark and me, but before we went anywhere, Cecil actually asked me a question.

" I know Invincible here has a costume, but where's yours?" I said with a small smirk as I pressed a button on my watch, activating my super suit.

As my standard fabric suit formed around me, I saw that behind Cecil, a couple of his invisible assassins were aiming guns. After the suit formed on my skin, I looked at Mark, who ripped off his shirt and showed that he still had his suit on.

I looked at Mark, and we were already flying out of the base using the hanger bay doors we had seen during the pseudo-tour.

Honestly, I was excited not for the prospect of battle, my dear, but for the fact that I would finally gain access to a new dimension, especially one with a different time flow than this one.

This was also from Mark and away as he needed something to distract him.

But for now, it's hero time.