The A-Train vanished in a blur, leaving behind a jagged trail of blood that led into the bedroom.
Russell, of course, already knew where he went.
"Don't come any closer! You want money? I've got money!"
The A-Train's voice was trembling, desperate. Seeing Russell approach with a crowbar in hand, his fear boiled over. This wasn't some random thug, this guy was dangerous.
"Was it Shockwave? He's always wanted to take my spot as the fastest! No matter who sent you, I'll pay you double!"
Russell stepped into the doorway of the bedroom, calmly cutting off any chance of escape.
He ignored the bribe.
"Running without legs... You remind me of gorillas at the zoo. They walk pretty well with just their hands."
"Y-You're dead meat! How dare you talk to me, the great Locomotive, like that!"
Humiliated, enraged, and cornered, the A-Train snapped. He launched himself forward, both hands striking like a whip, and leapt into the air, his fist slamming into Russell's chest.
BOOM!
The punch landed with supersonic force.
Russell's body flew backward like a missile, smashing through the bedroom wall, obliterating a solid wood dining table, and embedding deep into the far wall of the living room. Cracks spiderwebbed through the concrete. The entire building shuddered.
Dust choked the air. The A-Train stood panting, adrenaline fading, and then came the pain.
His legs.
His shattered legs.
He gasped as he looked down at the twisted mess below his waist. His career… his pride... slipping away.
"You bastard… I'll kill you!" the A-Train hissed through gritted teeth, tears of agony welling in his eyes.
"I don't think you will."
The voice came from the dust.
The A-Train's head snapped up, and there he was.
Russell stepped out of the broken wall, brushing off debris like he'd just tripped on a sidewalk.
"W-What?! Why… why aren't you dead?!"
The A-Train's mind spiraled. That punch could flatten reinforced steel. The only ones he knew who could take that hit were Homelander, Queen Maeve, and the useless walking tank, Translucent.
There wasn't supposed to be a fourth.
Bang!
Fear overtook him. With his legs useless, he hurled himself forward, crashing through the bedroom window, glass shattering behind him. Blood sprayed from the stumps of his legs, forming a trail in the moonlight.
The A-Train, once the fastest man alive, was now dragging himself away with his hands, sprinting like a Komodo dragon with its hind legs chopped off. The sight was both pathetic and absurdly comical.
In the world of The Boys, superheroes were celebrities, not warriors. They'd never fought real battles. Even Homelander's opponents were usually unarmed civilians. The moment a hero met real resistance, their courage cracked.
Russell shook his head as he watched the Locomotive flee.
"Ran off already? Guess that means I win."
[Ability Template Copied: A-Train — Applied Successfully]
In that instant, Russell felt the transformation.
His muscles tightened, filled with explosive potential. Strength surged through every fiber of his body. His bones felt like coiled springs, ready to snap forward at any moment.
Compared to his former self, it was like the difference between an ant and an elephant.
The A-Train could pull train cars and strike like a cannonball. His baseline strength was in the dozens of tons, and now, all of it belonged to Russell.
And thanks to the system's gift, it wasn't just the power. It came with full mastery. No practice. No training.
Just pure ability, downloaded instantly.
That night, Russell returned to the world of Invincible.
His room was dim. He slipped into his pajamas and lay back on his bed, one arm behind his head, staring at the ceiling with a satisfied smile.
In less than an hour, he'd traveled to a different universe and harvested the abilities of Translucent and the A-Train.
He hadn't triggered any alarms.
Not even Omni-Man noticed.
Despite their immense power, the Viltrumites weren't Kryptonians. They didn't have x-ray vision or god-like hearing. Their senses were sharper than humans, but not omniscient.
That helped.
"It's a shame," Russell thought. "The system can only copy abilities, not the actual bodies. Otherwise..."
He remembered trying to test it earlier.
Back when Mark didn't have powers yet, Russell challenged him to a boxing match and won easily. But the system only gave him the "template" of a weak, nerdy high schooler.
Now that Mark had powers, Russell couldn't beat him directly anymore.
But that was fine.
Tomorrow would change everything.
Meanwhile, Mark was having the best day of his life.
After years of waiting, he had finally awakened his Viltrumite bloodline. He trained with his dad, learning to fly. At school, he let Todd, the bully who punched him yesterday, hit him back.
Todd's punch did nothing.
Mark didn't even blink.
Todd ran off in terror. Mark grinned.
Later that day, Mark donned his makeshift costume, stopped a bank robbery, and even fought a powered criminal who could turn his skin to stone. People stared in awe. The cheers, the admiration, it was intoxicating.
He hadn't picked a name yet, though. When someone asked, he fumbled the answer. Still, the feeling of becoming a hero overwhelmed all else.
That evening, his father brought him to a secret tailor shop, where superheroes got their real battle suits made.
Mark picked a sleek design and finally settled on a name.
Invincible.
Tomorrow, he'd introduce himself to the world.
Back in the other bedroom, Russell stared at the ceiling.
For him, the day had moved painfully slow.
Not because he was bored, but because he was waiting.
Waiting for the moment when everything would change.
He knew exactly what Mark had done today. All the smiles. All the triumphs.
But Russell kept his strength hidden. He didn't show off. Not yet.
Tomorrow was the day Omni-Man would slaughter the Guardians of the Globe.
And when their corpses dropped, Russell would be waiting.
Waiting to collect them all.
His dark eyes glinted in the moonlight, quiet, steady, burning with ambition.
(End of Chapter 4)