A/N: Nolan Time!
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Nolan Grayson stares at the message he's received, not entirely certain how to feel or what to think about it. Thragg was dead. That alone was a greater shock to the system than anything the Viltrumite Warrior had experienced since the Scourge Virus wiped out their people.
Even the numerous missions he'd undertaken hunting down and cataloguing threats to the Viltrumite Empire had nothing on this news. Thragg had been a constant in his and every living Viltrumite's life for so long that it was almost inconceivable that he was dead.
And yet… Nolan knew that Kregg would not lie about this sort of thing. The General was a loyal soldier to the Empire, and a stalwart right hand to the Grand Regent. For him to be sending this message… it meant it was true. Thragg was dead… at the hands of his own son. Argan had succeeded his father as Grand Regent of the Viltrumite Empire.
Like every other remaining Viltrumite, Nolan knew of Argan, obviously. Even as his mother had died in the birthing bed, the Scourge Virus having weakened her to the point that she could not survive the pregnancy, all eyes had been on the firstborn of their Grand Regent. Not only was he the first and only pureblooded Viltrumite born after the Scourge Virus ravaged their people, but he was Thragg's son.
Nolan himself had not played any part in the boy's training… but from what he'd heard, he'd become an incredibly capable warrior from a very young age and only continued to prove himself in the centuries that followed. He was an example of what all of Viltrum had once been, of what they had all strove for. He was everything his father had hoped for when he gave him the Emperor's namesake, at least from what Nolan had been told.
… And now he'd committed patricide and usurped his father's position, all to seemingly take the Empire in an entirely new direction. A direction that Nolan had to admit changed everything for him personally.
He had been literal hours from moving forward with his plan to kill the Guardians of the Globe when the message from General Kregg arrived. Heroes and Heroines that he had fought alongside these past twenty years and saved the lives of many a time… he had deemed them past their expiration date. It was time for them to die so he could begin paving the way for Earth to fully join the Empire, once and for all.
Why now? Simple, really. His daughter, Maya Grayson, had finally come into her own. It had taken a bit longer than he expected, eighteen years, but she had finally developed the abilities expected of her Viltrumite Heritage.
Nolan had immediately begun her training, though he was not nearly as tough on her as he should have been. You wouldn't believe it if you'd asked his wife though. Debbie was worried he was being too hard on Maya, that he was pushing her to do too much too fast. It was… soft.
That was the problem, in the end. Nolan had spent these past twenty years on Earth as part of a long term mission to bring it into the Viltrumite Empire. Instead of simply arriving and conquering it outright, he was tasked with weakening it for an eventual takeover, part of a slower plan of expansion after their usual tactics continually failed them in the wake of their dramatically lowered population numbers.
Put bluntly, while outwardly managing to maintain a projection of strength and invincibility, the Viltrumite Empire had been struggling for a long time. His mission was meant to be a way of changing that.
Only… now it was scuttled. All expansion of the Viltrumite Empire was over and Nolan had been recalled back to Viltrum. He no longer needed to remove the Guardians from the equation. He was no longer tasked with weakening Earth for an eventual conquest of the planet.
For the first time in twenty years, Nolan truly feels… adrift. Technically, he has his orders. He knows what he's expected to do now. The problem is-
"Dad?"
Startled from his own thoughts, Nolan looks up to see his daughter coming down the stairs, her brow furrowed as she studies him with concern. There's so much of her mother in her and so little of him… for a time, he even thought… but no matter. She's a Viltrumite, same as him. And therein lies the rub.
"Is something wrong?"
Nolan chuckles and shakes his head.
"Quite the opposite, sweetie. I… I've received a message from Viltrum."
Maya's eyes widen and an eager smile spreads across her face.
"Truly? What did it say? Do they know about me?"
Of course, Maya wouldn't be fearful of a message from Nolan's home planet… because Nolan had never told his daughter the truth. She'd received the same sanitized version of events that he'd given his wife and even the GDA. That he came from a benevolent utopia, a society built on values and peace. That the Viltrum Empire had sent him to protect Earth and extend a hand of friendship in doing so.
As far as Maya was concerned, hearing from Viltrum was like getting a post card from her grandparents on Debbie's side of the family… except way cooler on account of the space alien aspect of things.
"Heh, no… no, they don't know about you, darling. I haven't had the chance to tell them yet. But I suppose I will when I arrive."
Maya blinks at that, taking a moment to parse his words.
"When you arrive… you're leaving?"
There's a bit of hurt in her voice, though she tries unsuccessfully to hide it. Nolan winces all the same. After all, she'd just come into her own and just developed her powers. They'd had a couple of training sessions at this point, but that was it. And now… he had to go.
"I have to, Maya. I've received orders from my direct superior, who in turn received them from the Grand Regent himself. The ruler of the entire Empire."
His daughter goes wide eyed again before deflating a little bit.
"Oh… yeah, I mean, that makes sense, I suppose. I'll just miss you…"
Nolan chuckles and crosses the distance between them, pulling Maya into a hug.
"I'll miss you too, sweet pea."
-x-X-x-
Of course, his wife isn't too happy either. And unlike his daughter, she's not so easily placated as they hash things out at the dinner table later that evening.
"They're recalling you? Will you even be allowed to come back?"
Not for the first time, Nolan wonders if he maybe should have chosen a more docile and submissive human to build a family with. Unfortunately, for all that she'd always been happy to tend to his home and hearth for him, Debbie Grayson was nevertheless one of the least submissive or docile women Nolan had ever met. From time to time he even thought she would have made for a halfway decent Viltrumite.
Unfortunately, the universe had seen fit to have her born as a human. And while Nolan had enjoyed these past two decades with her very much, in the end his loyalty to the Empire far superseded any human marital customs.
Still, as always Debbie has a way of hitting the nail right on the head.
"I'm sure I will be. Earth is a hot bed of activity… they won't want this place to be overrun by the monsters and aliens that constantly plague it."
Nolan is careful not to wince or grimace at her question even as he answers it, and yet he suspects it doesn't matter… she sees through his nonchalance all the same. Debbie's eyes narrow and her lips purse in thought.
"… And how long do you think you'll be gone?"
Sighing, Nolan shakes his head.
"I don't know that, Debbie. It could be a week; it could be a month. It depends on what they need me for. It might be a mission that takes me to the other side of the galaxy for all I know."
Of course, that was a lie. Nolan had the message. He understood why he was being recalled. Perhaps he shouldn't have feigned ignorance, because Debbie definitely wasn't buying it.
"They didn't even tell you why they want you to go back? Do they even know you have a life here, Nolan?"
Much like with Maya, the hurt in Debbie's voice is audible. She feels like he's abandoning them… and to be fair, that's exactly what he's doing. Nolan's jaw clenches and his fingers almost curl too hard around the weak metal fork in his hand. Luckily he manages to relax just in time to avoid making his emotional state obvious.
Before he can muster up a response, however, Maya cuts in from her place at the table.
"Maybe I could go with you!"
"No, Maya."
"Absolutely not!"
His and his wife's reactions are immediate and near-simultaneous, both of them sharing a glance even as Maya scowls between them.
"Why not? I'm eighteen now! I'm an adult! I can make my own choices!"
Debbie frowns while Nolan grimaces. He knows why he doesn't want his daughter coming with him, obviously. For one, it would involve revealing the true nature of their people and where he came from… and he wasn't sure Maya would understand. For two, it would involve presenting his daughter to the other Viltrumites mere weeks after she'd finally started showing signs of Viltrumite Capabilities.
Put bluntly, Maya was too weak for Nolan to want her anywhere near any of the other Viltrumites… certainly not the likes of Conquest or the other more brutal warriors. Judging by the message, they'd all been recalled too. There was no way in hell that Nolan was going to bring his daughter in front of every living Viltrumite left in the Empire. Not while she was still so fragile.
Of course, he can't exactly say any of that in front of her and Debbie… so instead he stays quiet and lets Debbie explain her reasoning instead.
"You're exactly right, Maya. You're only eighteen. You're supposed to be starting university and continuing your education. You've just developed powers and started training to fight crime too. You do not need to be gallivanting halfway across the galaxy with your father!"
Nolan nods and points his fork at his daughter.
"Listen to your mother, she's right."
Maya pouts mightily, giving him a big soulful gaze that Nolan will admit has led to his daughter getting her way more than once over the past eighteen years. But not this time. And when she sees that he's not budging, she eventually slumps back in her chair, looking defeated.
"This isn't the trip to bring you on all willy nilly anyways, Maya. This is my first time returning home since I arrived on Earth. I need to report in, find out what they need from me, and then see when I'll be able to return to you and your mother. In the meantime, I expect you to help out here on Earth in my absence. The Guardians will handle the big stuff, but they'll still need all of the assistance they can get while I'm gone."
That gets a bit more life in his daughter. Maya straightens up, puffing out her chest a bit as she nods.
"I understand, dad. I won't let you down."
Of course, even when Nolan is winning, he's losing. Debbie shoots him a scowl, reminding him that she's not too pleased about their only child risking her life and limb going out and fighting everything from bank robbers to sea monsters.
"You shouldn't forget your studies either, Maya. Fighting crime isn't everything."
Maya rolls her eyes at that, though she tries to hide it. Obviously to her, fighting crime is everything. It's everything she's always wanted, to be just like her dad…
Nolan wonders if that would remain true if she knew who he really was and the things he'd done. By the morals of this planet, his hands had been relatively 'clean' since he arrived… but that was twenty years against ten centuries of bloodshed and brutality. Of doing whatever it took to support the Empire.
He's quiet for the rest of dinner, allowing his wife and daughter's voices to wash over him as Debbie draws Maya into yet another conversation about prospective universities. Finally though, dinner is over… and its time for him to leave.
Debbie and Maya follow him out onto the lawn and there are tears from both women as hugs and kisses goodbye are exchanged. Just before he can take off however…
"Did you tell Cecil you're leaving?"
Blinking at Debbie's sudden question, Nolan snorts derisively.
"No. He'll just ask too many damn questions. Feel free to let him know I'm off-planet if he comes calling… and don't let him rope Maya into anything he'd have me doing."
Debbie nods sharply at that, a determined look in her eye that lets Nolan know they're very much on the same page on this. Maya is less enthused.
"But dad, you just told me to hold down the fort while you're gone!"
Turning to face Maya fully, Nolan gives his daughter his most serious gaze.
"Your first priority is keeping your mother safe, Maya. And that means always returning to her at the end of every day. Everything else is secondary, even if that means saying no to Cecil. You aren't ready to stop an apocalypse yet. Let him and the Guardians handle the big threats, understood?"
When she stays mulishly quiet for a moment, Nolan lets his voice sharpen.
"Do I make myself clear, Maya?"
Her shoulders slump and she nods.
"… Yes dad."
Letting out an explosive breath, Nolan gives his daughter one more hug. And then he hugs Debbie one final time too for good measure. His wife clings to him a bit more tightly, letting him know he'd done right by her at least. Even if he knew she loved him more than he loved her… he didn't want anything to happen to her or her daughter.
Nolan would return if he could. But for now… the Empire called. And as its loyal soldier, he would answer.
Turning his eyes skyward… Nolan flies up and leaves Earth behind in moments.
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A/N: Butterflies~
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