Cecil
Convergent evolution was what the eggheads had settled on to explain the humanoid body plan being so common in completely divergent evolutionary lineages. Something about it was just so evolutionarily useful, practical, or baked into the natural way mutations progressed that inevitably organisms would drift toward it. Despite how little sense it makes for Atlanteans, Martians, Viltrumites, or their own sparse amount of other alien visitors to all have relatively similar body plans.
What made them different, in truth, were their threat levels.
The Viltrumite organism, despite looking so much like humanity on the exterior, was not a human. After almost twenty years of one being on the planet, they knew remarkably little about how their bodies interacted. Nolan wasn't fastidious about cleaning up his genetic traces, but neither was he remarkably polite enough to leave samples.
At most, over all those years of service, all they had were a scant few blood samples and skin samples uncorrupted enough to serve as a baseline. Most of which were the result of no small amount of research, intensive investigation, and then head-scratching, as only a few truths were discerned about Viltrumite biology.
Much of which was based on no small number of presumptions, theoretical guesses, and just downright wishful thinking.
Smart Atoms and the surrounding field were a fascinating and terrifying brand of science that raised all sorts of uncomfortable questions about the nature of reality. However, they were also used in all sorts of super-science, whether that be powering or creating specific creations that otherwise wouldn't have operated off of normal power sources. Things got incredibly fuzzy, though, when they were applied to biological subjects.
Their best guess was that Viltrumite cells had a natural capability to interact with them or were suffused by them. It explained their unwillingness to break under physical and esoteric trauma that would sunder and destroy other organisms. The whole process was rather fascinating, or so he was told. Cecil only really heard the part about how hard it'd be to actually put a scratch on the man when the time came.
Ironically, it was his injuries sustained in the all-but-proven murder of the Guardians of the Globe that had given them the greatest insight on the level of power you'd need to damage a Viltrumite. All it cost them were the defenders who'd theoretically be able to buy them even a slight amount of time against the man. None of the results disputed what they'd thought about the matter, either.
The problem was that, frankly, it only made Viltrumites as a whole seem all the more indomitable.
It'd felt like he was running around, preparing for an inevitable confrontation where his opponent would be holding all of the cards. For a man who'd prided himself on facing most encounters the other way around, it was a hell of a humbling thing. Right up until a new alien entered their air, unseen and unnoticed, right until he was in the middle of fighting off an invasion by another force of extraterrestrials.
And the difference between Genji Ōtsutsuki and Nolan of Viltrum could not have been more stark. Despite one looking more human than the other, their personalities were entirely at odds in every way. To the point where at first, he observed Genji closely, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Arrogance, rage, brutality, violence, or some other real thing that made him ultimately fallible.
Instead, he found someone that was far more human than he could have ever expected. Certainly flawed in his own ways, a little childish and prone to hobbies that were bizarre, like all of the lessons for niche instruments they kept seeing billed to the agency. But it came with the kind of earnest fascination and frankness that was, honestly, quite refreshing.
Provided any of it could be trusted, mind you. Yet if someone was trying to paint themselves as trustworthy, Cecil imagined they would have told a less straightforward and unflattering depiction of their species as the Ōtsutsuki received.
Genji was exceedingly open about how his species operated and worked internally. That it just so happened to be the stuff of nightmares and the worst-case scenarios that the Pentagon dreamed up to justify their budgets was also a coincidence. It also spoke of the heights that the supernatural and occult could reach when treated as disciplines, rather than mysticism and shrouded in confusion. Something their scant few practitioners and scholars had long since theorized.
What people called magic, or other supernatural phenomena, was really just a level of understanding of the underpinnings of reality that most didn't possess. These Ōtsutsuki, it seemed, had taken this understanding to a new extreme, in a direction that had only ever been dreamed of. Perhaps as a living example of the worst ways that you could take an entirely different technological and evolutionary journey.
Worse yet was how sure most of their analysts were that they'd modified their own species. There was nothing natural about the evolutionary life cycle that ended in a functionally apocalyptic, parasitic race that consumed the 'lifeforce' of the planets they visited with gigantic trees.
…For someone who grew up in an environment like that, the chipper man was rather well-adjusted. Again, something Cecil was waiting for the other shoe to drop on, but compared to Nolan's standoffishness when he first came to earth? This was downright refreshing to deal with.
Being under his pupil-less gaze always felt a little odd, though Cecil wasn't sure why he felt that way. It wasn't any worse, really, than some of the monsters and madmen he'd had the displeasure to meet in his years as director. It was more as if he always got the feeling that Genji was seeing a lot more than he let on.
A fact made all the more likely, since they were fairly sure that his sensory capabilities were much greater than he'd disclosed. That was fine. Expecting a man to spit out his every power was an unreasonable thing. It didn't mean Cecil wasn't already making countermeasures to research the matter, though.
"You can understand why I'm having a hard time believing this, right?"
"It's no joke," Cecil responded with a frown. "As much as I wish it might have been. We're almost one-hundred percent positive Omni-Man is responsible."
"I mean…" Genji swallowed thickly, seemingly nervous. "He was friends with these people for years, wasn't he? It just seems so out of character for him to do this from everything I've heard about him."
Another problem with Genji was, despite his relative similarity to humanity, his physiological reactions were a lot harder to parse than Nolan's. Respiration rate, heartbeat, minor movements, and tics—all of those little things were absent from the man. He could go from perfect stillness to speech, and they still weren't entirely sure if breathing and eating were things he did optionally or were required. Just at much lower rates than other organisms.
"You're aware he's an alien, like yourself, correct?"
"It's something I've recently been told, yes."
"When Nolan first arrived on our planet, he gave us the explanation for his presence. That, in their infinite wisdom and generosity, the powers that be from his homeworld send out protectors for planets like ours at sensitive stages of development. Free of charge, out of the goodness of their hearts."
Something flickered across Genji's face, confusion probably, as the man's face scrunched up and his eyebrows furrowed together. "What? That's the lamest explanation I've ever heard. Who'd ever believe it? Maybe generosity exists on an individual level, but for states on a galactic level to indulge in it…"
"Apparently he thought it'd be enough for us. And at the time, we had no choice but to accept it despite the fact that he was so close to human physiological markers, we knew he was lying from the moment the words left his mouth. It was something that we were willing to accept because until his arrival, there wasn't a single entity with his power and potential on our world," the director explained, with no small amount of regret lacing his tone. "We didn't have the resources and power to police that kind of individual."
Genji's face settled into a grimace. "So you settled on observing and preparing."
"Yeah. As the years went on, we watched, but Nolan didn't do anything. He inserted himself into our networks of superheroes, made himself invaluable, befriended everyone that could have posed even remotely a threat to him…"
"... And then he killed them."
A deep sigh escaped Cecil at this rate. He wouldn't have admitted this much to Genji if it weren't for the fact that Damien had already put him on this trail. Having one rogue investigator into a situation was a volatile element they didn't need to account for at a time like this. And springing this on them if things did get hot was just poor operational planning.
Better to smoothly prepare Genji for this eventuality instead of having it forced on him. "The question is why. Because I've known Nolan for years at this point, and I know he didn't do it for the hell of it.
"That's the way it looks. Again, still not sure as to why, and we're working on countermeasures of various types against threats on that scale. But the biggest one we've seen so far is you."
Genji's lips curved into a frown. "I refuse to believe that after all of this time, I'm the only superhero who was as strong as Omni-Man. That's just…" Something in his eyes seemed to be struggling with the concept, though maybe that was just because of the nature of the situation. Or how Genji saw himself, in comparison to others.
By his own accounts he was a member of the sacrificial branch of his family, specifically meant to be slain to feed the growth and power of someone presumably stronger. However, if Cecil had learned anything over the course of his career, it was that strength was relative. Sometimes, unfortunately so, when you least expected it.
"There have been others. And judging by the walloping the Guardians gave him, he was right to think they'd at least pose something of a threat against him, especially when combined with other threats," the older man conceded. "What I want to know is whether or not we can rely on you when the time comes."
"If."
A low snort escaped Cecil at the unbridled optimism in his voice. "We're not that lucky. Take it from me, life doesn't get easier the older you get. It just gets weirder and throws you more curveballs."
Those words were enough to make the alien grimace. "Fair point. I guess if there's no one else who can do it, then I at least have an obligation. Your world took me in, housed me, fed me, and gave me the kind of luxurious life that I would have never had before. Here, I've got friends, people that genuinely rely on me, and the growing respect of the public."
He gave Cecil a picturesque, crooked smile that felt like it should have been taken off the cover of a magazine.
"Compared to letting Omni-Man take over, destroy the world, or whatever his reasons are, the answer is relatively simple."
It was a weight off of Cecil's shoulders, if only a truly fractional amount. Yet when you were carrying a mountain already, any little bit lightened off the load felt like an immense relief. "Good. Is there anything we can do to make you more prepared for this confrontation?"
Having his approval and acceptance wasn't enough. Cecil had never met a fair fight he'd liked, and he didn't intend on walking into this without stacking the deck as much as he possibly could. And as a pensive look glinted on Genji's eyes, he suspected the alien was of a similar mindset.
"There are a few projects I've been working with Robot on, honestly, that could do with more resources. Drones that might be able to slow him down, if we pool together both of our expertise," the horned man explained. "But the cost of even one begins to create something that reaches my or Omni-Man's performance… it might be ruinous."
"Our budget is very large, in the face of extinction and enslavement, Genji," Cecil stated, eyes flintily staring at the man. "We'll find it, and if not, there are ways to make the money back."
After all, Genji was significantly more willing to work alongside the GDA than Nolan had ever been. There were projects like the recent Mars mission that were always tough to set up, because Nolan had always kept them at a distance, something his son had never truly done. In comparison, Genji was eager and willing to work at their directive. To what limit and extent Cecil didn't know.
He suspected they wouldn't find what lines he wouldn't cross until the time came. Until then, plenty of stabilizing measures that Nolan was unwilling, or straight-up unable, to do came to mind. There were also enough near-Earth mineral bodies that could be quite viciously extracted and brought back for resources that Nolan would have considered busywork or beneath him.
For Genji and his portals, it was a literal short trip there and back.
"I had a few ideas to increase the efficacy of the rest of the Guardians with technology that takes advantage of chakra, yet that's a whole process that can't be sped along at all."
"I'll take your word for it," Cecil stated, given that he knew his own researchers had been proving slow when it came to their own research into the subject. "Just keep us abreast of any real milestones you make."
He gave Cecil a slow nod. "Will do. If there's nothing else…?"
"There's not. Obviously beyond that, for the aforementioned reasons, do not bring up these suspicions to Nolan."
A wan smile was his response. "I'm in no particular rush to enter that fight anytime soon. As long as he's willing to play pretend, I am too."
"Good."
There was nothing more to be said between them. With a wave of his hand, a slick black void in the world appeared, and Genji walked through it, vanishing from his office to parts unknown. Not for the first time, Cecil leaned against his chair and let out a long sigh, closing his eyes for the brief moment of respite he had.
Right before a knock came against his office door, he straightened up once again. "Sir?" Donald's voice came through. "The preparations for your other meeting are ready."
"I'll be out shortly."
"Of course, sir."
He'd already sorted out one free radical in the volatile situation that was the investigation around Nolan. Now it was time to tie up another loose end.
They escorted Damien Darkblood with a squad of their finest agents, armored and armed in weapons that could theoretically slow down the demon if things went awry. It was more of a hypothetical situation, though, seeing as if things did go that bad, they were planning on relying on other methods of handling him.
Entering into the spacious office that'd been cleared out, with runes that would hopefully stay unused, Cecil stood and met the entity with a frown.
"... I asked you to drop the case."
Rumbling out from his chest, Damien glowered right back at Cecil. "It wasn't your call to make. The truth deserved to be exposed."
All Cecil could do was scrutinize the man in front of him, with convictions no less fierce than his own. If decidedly inconvenient at times. "Even at the cost of countless more lives in the process?"
Damien stared back, something flashing in his inhuman eyes. "Even so."
For all that Damien resembled a man, it was moments like this that reminded Cecil that he wasn't one. His social mores, habits, and beliefs were structured not just by a fundamentally different culture than anything humanity had ever created, but by biological imperatives that could override good sense. Atlanteans, at least, were for the most part socially close enough to humanity to serve as good neighbors.
Demons were just as alien to human sensibilities as any extraterrestrial threat, at times. Something that could make them singularly intractable.
"That's the problem with demons," Cecil sighed, feeling a familiar headache coming on. "You can only see good and evil, black and white."
"And you find this moral absolutism intolerable?" A low snort escaped the demon.
"Sometimes," the man admitted, not seeing any reason to lie about it. When he was young, that sort of admission would have lit a fire under his ass. Now, this many years on in the GDA, the moral flexibility he'd once scorned was a boon. "Sometimes a man needs to keep things gray. Nolan killing the Guardians isn't in question, Damien. It's not something you or I need to solve; it's all but a fact written in blood."
Cecil continued, shoving his hands in his pockets as he stared at the demon, as if to dare him to debate the statement. "The question is why, why now, how do we stop him, and all the little details that we won't get to further explore if we pull the trigger on exposing him."
It was part of the reason why he'd been so prepared to banish Damien. Demonology was a discipline that had startlingly few practitioners, making it difficult to find someone who was willing to piece together centuries-old occult lore from piecemeal parcels. However, the GDA was a vast organization, and there were few problems that couldn't be solved by throwing a truly eye-watering amount of money at them.
Of course, the calculus changed things. When Genji had entered the picture. A creature who, despite being suspect in many different ways, like the ease with which he'd entered and integrated into human society…was their silver bullet for Nolan. The one man who, judging by his feats and observed capabilities, could put up a reasonable fight against the Viltrumite.
Not that it was the intention to genuinely throw someone into the fire if he didn't have to. Cecil wasn't so foolish as to pin all their hopes on one more superhero, either, considering that Omni-Man was currently serving as their last real line of defense against certain threats now that the Guardians of the Globe were gone. He was just another in a long line of hopeful countermeasures that the man was making part of a contingency plan.
A pause came over Damien as a low, thoughtful rumble escaped his chest. "Then what are we doing here? What are you suggesting precisely, Stedman?"
"That instead of working at odds, like we've been doing, that we work together," Cecil answered, trying to explain his point of view on the matter. "GDA resources to put toward the ins and outs of this situation, rather than just finding ourselves at loggerheads."
Gesturing to Damien, Cecil's eyebrows furrowed together. "We're looking at a situation that affects everyone, demons and humanity alike. Finding out the truth of the matter, of why Nolan was here in the first place."
"We've known that his self-admitted story was a crock of shit from the moment he made splashdown on the planet." It was something that they couldn't prove or question, and Cecil had made his peace with it…at the time. "It's time to figure out why he's here and what we can bring to the table as countermeasures."
"Mm." A low rumble came from Damien's chest as he stared down Cecil's unflinching gaze. Then it softened, as whatever he found in Cecil's own eyes was satisfactory enough. "... There is wisdom in this tactic. But the truth will come out?"
And strangely enough, Cecil felt like he even agreed with Damien on this point. "Yes. Absolutely. This is Earth, and as long as I run the GDA, there will be justice done for these murders. Nolan has gotten to run free unaccountable because there has never been anyone capable of holding him to task on this planet."
"That ends soon." Whenever Cecil could figure out where his son might blow, when it comes to dealing with his father. If Genji could create significant enough countermeasures to deal with his fellow alien. After as many silver bullets could be crafted to get this sonuvabitch and to earn some measure of peace for the good men and women he slew.
Cecil reached out to offer a hand. "Do we have a deal?"
"Dangerous to make a deal with my kind, Cecil," Damien rumbled out before reaching to take Cecil's hand in turn. "But we do. I'll be holding you to this."
"We just need more time, Damien," Cecil assured him, shaking the hand as firmly as he could manage. "Just a little more time, while Nolan doesn't believe anything on this world can hurt him."
All the time they needed to properly find their aces and prepare them for whatever was about to come. If nothing else, Genji wasn't the sort to needlessly show his full hand either. They had a bit of time before things came to a head, ideally.
Now if only the other person doing their own investigation could be dealt with as simply as Damien had been. Debbie, in her own way, was far more stubborn than any demon Cecil knew. In an ideal world, though, she'd keep her suspicions just that. Suspicions, without any real weight or truth behind them that might force Omni-Man's hand.
At this point, every day of preparation mattered. He could only hope that things would remain calm for a little while longer.
Someone fired one of his bullets early.
"—We're here from downtown Chicago, at the grisly scene of carnage and destruction from a Guardians of the Globe operation seemingly gone awry—"
"—toreologists are struggling to make sense of these weather patterns, Mike. They're saying they've never seen blizzard fluctuations in the Arctic Circle like these before. Let's go to Vannessa, sitting with climate scientist Charles Van—"
"—tectonic activity is off the charts. Highly abnormal, Rachel, truly, for something that isn't an earthquake but is being picked up by the seismographs. We're trying to reach out to authorities for comment—"
Cecil stood in the command room, lips creased into a firm line as he watched the carnage before him. They had managed to get a drone finally in range of the Arctic Ocean, and the scene laid out before them was…striking, to say the least. A massive storm of ice that seemed to be erupting from the sea and two pale shapes that were striking out at each other with colossal amounts of force.
One, baring a feral and fanged rictus of joy and delight, swung their mace. The other, grinning broadly, with a feverish expression on their snow-white features, marred with brilliant crimson blood. It was a blur of motion that was actively being slowed down so they could even tell what was even going on, at speeds that they'd only ever recorded Omni-Man moving at.
"Analysts have, if nothing else, a firmer handle on Taijitu's capabilities by this point," Donald said from beside him, trying not to look ruffled by the scene that was laid before them. "It's… quite firmly in the territory of readings we've received from Omni-Man's higher friction engagements."
"And the enemy he's fighting?"
"... The same."
Well then. He might never get to fire this bullet toward Nolan after all. It'd gone rogue, fired of its own accord, and wrapped up in a brutal conflict that was blessedly happening far away from any major population centers. Though, a few maps might have to be redrawn if this continued as it were.
He almost grit his teeth so hard they cracked, hands balling into fists in his pockets.
Man plans; God laughs.
The words that were about to come out of his mouth felt like a brutal admission of his failure to cultivate the right assets. "Get Omni-Man on the line. We need him to get ready to intervene." There weren't any other heroes who'd actually be able to practically assist if it came down to it.
Brit and Britney might be able to survive the experience, being functionally invulnerable. But that didn't mean they could actually put out any appreciable amount of force like these two titans. At the cost of revealing to Omni-Man that there was a force that was on his level on this world. It wasn't a choice he was making lightly, either.
But if Taijitu couldn't fight that monster to a standstill, they'd need one of their own to handle things. And hope that it wouldn't escalate even further.
So much for hiding all of his aces.
Author's Notes
As always, there have been some relatively small edits and fixes that I noticed didn't quite fit all that well. But it's reading well enough for me to be satisfied, though I'm sure something slipped through the cracks. It always does, even with spellcheck and my lovely beta readers.
Anyway, the Battle Beast fight is coming soon. The new DxD story will be going up with one chapter a day until I hit the end of the backlog, which will probably be 7 or 8 chapters. When it hits 12 or 13, it'll start getting posted for everyone. There will also be a new Comeback Kid chapter coming out tomorrow.
Additionally, if you would like to read ahead, you can find up to ten chapters ahead via the linktree in my profile. For the time being, all adult content like future smut in anything I write, will be on , though in due time I'll likely try to get the processing and authentication through on to be able to post it there as well. So be mindful of where you're supporting me.