A/N: Cecil still going through it.
-x-X-x-
Sleepless night after sleepless night. The Flaxans hadn't attacked a third time just yet, but that didn't mean they would never attack again. And in the meantime, Cecil had to juggle managing the response to that prospective third attack with filling the Guardians' roster back out along with every other damn crisis facing Earth on the regular.
Still, he almost had it all figured out. The three new Guardians were all but locked in, they just had to be recruited properly and that was happening today. And who was going to say 'no' to a personal recruitment effort from War Woman and The Immortal? Certainly not Atom Eve, Invincible, and-
"Cecil."
Jolted from his inner thoughts by a familiar voice that he hadn't been sure he'd ever hear again, Cecil whips around just as Nolan Grayson steps out of the shadows.
"Jesus Christ, Nolan. You ever heard of knocking?"
He considers the other man's stance for a moment, trying to get a read on whether Nolan is here for something nefarious or not. He doesn't necessarily read aggression in the powerful alien's stance, but at the same time Cecil is well aware that Nolan could cross the room and be upon him in the blink of an eye.
… Which ultimately made going for the panic button utterly pointless, in the end. Letting out a low breath, Cecil forces himself to relax instead, even as Nolan shakes his head.
"You might want this conversation to be off the record. I figured I'd give you that opportunity."
Cecil frowns, not liking the sound of that.
"And why, exactly, does this conversation need to be off the record?"
Before Nolan can respond, Cecil continues on. He can't quite help himself, maybe it's the sleep deprivation talking, maybe it's just the general frustration over losing three of the Guardians to the damned Flaxans. Either way, he growls.
"You know, your absence was pretty damn noticeable. Had a pair of alien invasions we really could have used your help on."
When Nolan just frowns, Cecil goes for the jugular.
"Three of the Guardians are dead, Nolan."
That gets a reaction from the other man, albeit one that's still somewhat muted. He takes a moment to process that before…
"… Which three?"
Wow. Cecil gives Nolan a glare at that, but the other man doesn't even try to pretend he doesn't have favorites.
"Red Rush, Darkwing, and Martian Man."
Nolan's shoulders twitch and Cecil hates that he can't quite tell if the man is relieved or not. Of course, outwardly he lowers his head.
"I see. Those are unfortunate losses."
He certainly sounds somber, but Cecil really isn't buying it. And again, maybe it's the sleep deprivation talking… but he can't help trying to force a real reaction out of the other man.
"Your daughter was nearly a casualty as well."
In an instant, Nolan's face becomes intense and Cecil can tell he has every bit of his attention.
"Excuse me?"
Feigning nonchalance, Cecil shrugs.
"She's been doing her best to fill in for you while you've been gone. She's just not as good as her dad yet. Fortunately she's still alive, but it was certainly closer than it should have been… than it would have been if you'd been here."
For a moment, Nolan looks truly angry. He really, honestly cares about Maya. Cecil wordlessly notes that in the back of his mind, even as Nolan gets himself under control.
"… I'll have to speak with my daughter after this. She was explicitly told to sit out the alien invasions."
Cecil just scoffs.
"Yeah, well if she hadn't been there, we might have lost a lot more than three Guardians of the Globe, so you'll forgive me if I'm not too beat up about her disobeying daddy."
Nolan's eyes flash at that but ultimately he doesn't dignify Cecil's obviously provocative words with a response. Instead, he changes the subject back to his original purpose here. This chapter was taken from novelping.com without permission.
"I was recalled to Viltrum to go over the… results of my time on Earth."
Oh so they were doing this now, were they? Cecil crosses his arms over his chest and leans back against the front of his desk, not entirely sure how much of this bullshit he's going to be able to swallow. Unfortunately for him, it's kind of his job to swallow down bullshit sometimes…
"Yeah? From the 'world betterment committee'?"
He doesn't go so far as to make air quotes but he can tell from the look that Nolan shoots him that the other man hears the incredulous undertone in his voice all the same. Still, rather than call him out on it, Nolan just huffs.
"My superiors have deemed Earth worthy of… additional protection. As we speak, a larger group of Viltrumites are in transit."
Cecil's eyes widen at that and his fingers dig into his arms as he tries to maintain his cool.
"… Exactly how large of a group are we talking here? You know, normally there's a bit more that goes into immigration than a quick heads up, Nolan. Sounds to me like you aren't really asking though. Do we have a choice in the matter?"
Nolan frowns, his eyes narrowing.
"There's always a choice, Cecil. But I would think the Director of the Global Defense Agency would leap at the chance to have forty more of me helping defend the planet. Especially when everything started to go shit the moment I left for even a week."
Oh this bastard… Still, at least he'd gotten a number out of the other man.
"Forty, huh?"
Nolan just shrugs.
"Around that much. No more than forty-two."
The 'answer' to the meaning of life in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy? Surely Nolan wasn't unaware of that meme, the man was literally a writer in his civilian life. Was he just fucking with him or something?
Still… forty-two more Nolans was both not as bad as Cecil feared and also more horrifying than he could have imagined. On the one hand, you'd think they would send a lot more if it was a proper invasion force. Given how strong and fast Nolan was, it might be hundreds or thousands instead of an army of millions, but it would still be more than forty… right?
On the other hand, Cecil didn't buy for even a single second that Nolan's people had decided Earth was just worthy of that much more protection or anything like that. And while he might have been fine letting Nolan have his secretive ulterior motives until now, he couldn't afford to remain purposefully oblivious any longer.
"Let's cut the crap, Nolan. No more bullshit about the 'world betterment committee', alright? Why are you really here on Earth and why are forty-fucking-two more of your kind coming to my planet?"
That gets a pause from the other man. He doesn't look too surprised that Cecil saw through him. Rather, he looks more surprised that Cecil was finally willing to call him on his bullshit. Slowly, Nolan's hands curl into fists at his side.
In that moment, Cecil is wondering if this is where he dies. If Nolan decides that it will be easier to make shit work without him, if he thinks he can browbeat Donald into submission instead… well, he'll have another thing coming but he doesn't know that.
"… Alright then. No more bullshit."
Cecil blinks, even as Nolan uncurls his hands and looks down at his palms for a moment before looking up at Cecil.
"The truth is rather simple, Cecil… it's because of Maya."
What. Cecil's confusion and incredulity must show on his face, because Nolan just shrugs and continues to explain.
"For as powerful as we are, Viltrumites suffer from one major biological flaw… it is extremely hard for us to reproduce. We are biologically immortal by your comprehension of time, Cecil. We live for thousands upon thousands of years, our bodies only growing stronger rather than older."
What little they'd been able to gather from scanning Nolan from afar had actually led to the eggheads in the lab theorizing that. In twenty years, Nolan Grayson hadn't visibly aged a day. Meanwhile, under the hood, GDA analysts theorized that he was actually growing tougher and stronger over time rather than weaker like your average human being.
"But even with thousands of years, it might take hundreds of years for a pair of Viltrumites to produce a single child. And you know full well that our two races are not alone in the universe. My people have their enemies… enemies who harbor hatred towards us simply because we are better than them."
Cecil isn't sure he buys that. Well, he buys the part where they have enemies, but he's not so sure that the only reason these enemies hate Nolan and his people is because they're built different. He doubts its as simple as that…
"Humans though… Humans are genetically compatible with Viltrumites. In less than twenty short years, I was able to produce a viable offspring in the form of Maya and with far less work than it would have taken if I had been trying to reproduce with a Viltrumite female. That is why my people are sending a larger group of Viltrumites. We do intend to protect this planet with our lives… while also building upon what I have already managed to create here."
There's no fucking way. It takes Cecil several moments to process what Nolan is saying and even once he's done so he still takes several moments more to really internalize it. When he's finally done that, he finds that he can't quite help himself, his tone incredulous as he blurts out the first fully coherent thought that comes to mind.
"Your people are coming to Earth because you think humans are submissive and breedable?"
Nolan blinks, his brow furrowing in confusion.
"What? Cecil, what about my wife says 'submissive' to you?"
Cecil very nearly throws his hands up into the air and walks away from this whole interaction. As it is, only his sense of duty and responsibility keeps him rooted in place, even as he chews on everything Nolan just told him. Here's the problem… on the face of it, it's a really good fucking deal.
"… So that's what you truly want, huh? To knock up some human women? And in return, you'll all protect Earth with the same ferocity you've shown these past twenty years?"
When Nolan nods, Cecil growls.
Something flashes across Nolan's eyes at that, something that worries Cecil more than he can put into words.
"… It will be fine. The expedition has orders to keep a low profile, Cecil. As afraid as you might be of the prospect, we aren't here as invaders nor to conquer the planet. Remember, we have our enemies… and you don't want them to become yours."
Yeah, Nolan is right, Cecil doesn't. That said, something about Nolan's reaction to all of this and the way he's talking…
"Are you the leader of this 'expedition' then, Nolan?"
And there it is. The hesitation. After a moment, Nolan nods.
"No, I am not. They will arrive with the others."
Cecil can't help but bristle a little bit at that.
"Then I'll have to talk to them when they finally show up, won't I?"
Jaw clenching, Nolan growls.
"Cecil-!"
But Cecil cuts him off with a raised hand.
"I don't want to hear it, Nolan. You want to discuss a long-term integration of your people into human society? Sure, we can discuss that. I could easily see us trading some proper identities to your people in exchange for their help in keeping the world from imploding every other week. But I'm not going to make any deals until your leader gets here and I can talk to them directly. Simple as that."
For a long moment, Nolan looks like he wants to push the issue. In fact, he almost looks like he's afraid of something… but maybe Cecil is reading too much into things. Nolan has always been almost impossible to read. Finally though, he relaxes and slowly nods.
"That is… fair. They should be here soon enough. We travel fast."
Yeah, Cecil had already realized that. The fact that Nolan had left, gone home, and come back again all in the span of a week… fuck, he must be even faster in the vacuum of space than he was in Earth's atmosphere and he was already pretty damn fast on Earth as it was.
Before Nolan can leave, however, Cecil calls out to him. Might as well make a bit of a Hail Mary play here…
"Actually… there is one deal you and I can make right now, Nolan."
Curious, Nolan turns back to face him.
"War Woman and The Immortal are out offering your daughter a spot on the Guardians right now. I'd be willing to offer your people better terms if you-!"
"Excuse me?"
In an instant, Nolan has crossed the room and is looming over Cecil. Frankly, he's not even sure where he finds the backbone to look him in the eye without stumbling back.
"Three Guardians are dead, Nolan. And you've never officially joined up. We need replacements so-"
"Not my daughter."
Cecil grits his teeth.
"Be reasonable, Nolan. She's eighteen years old. She can make her own-!"
But just as suddenly as he'd moved to loom over Cecil, Nolan is gone. And Cecil doesn't have to play twenty questions to know where the man is going. Letting out a sigh, he shakes his head and turns back to his work.
Getting Invincible on the team was always a long shot, he supposed. But… back to the drawing board.
-x-X-x-
A/N: Nolan is not happy!
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