I Told You, I'm Invinci-(Invincible SI) Chapter 8, Part 1

Kate had never seen Robot this... animated. Not outwardly, of course—this was still Robot—but the signs were there if you knew how to look. The Teen Team headquarters had never been this spotless before. He’d vacuumed. Dusted. Repositioned every single piece of furniture in the common area at least three times. She swore he was trying to achieve some impossible platonic ideal of cleanliness and symmetry. 

And honestly? 

She found it kind of adorable.

This was the most passionate she’d ever seen him about anything that wasn’t combat algorithms or battle-readiness protocols.

Rex, naturally, found it unbearable.

“Fuck this shit!” he yelled after the fourth day. “He’s barged into my room like three times already, touching my stuff, rearranging my desk, and now I can’t find any of my underwear! All this over what? Some talking toaster with a superiority complex or a wannabe groupie who wants to polish Robot’s bolts?”

Kate rolled her eyes. “First of all, I’m ninety percent sure your underwear is in your drawer—the place it’s supposed to be—instead of one of the three piles you keep at the foot of your bed.”

“I have a system!” Rex shot back, indignant. “Fresh pile, worn once pile, and the pile for special occasions.”

She stared at him, horrified. “Special occasions?”

“You know. Like... if I’m fighting the Lizard League or I feel like I’m gonna be lucky with Eve later.”

“Oh my God, that is vile,” Kate groaned, visibly gagging. “And to think I used to have a crush on you.”

Rex grinned. “Used to? Babe, come on, no one just gets over this.”

She shot him a glare, and a middle finger to boot. Not supposed to flirt with me when you’re dating Eve, asshole. “Anyway. My point was that Robot having someone over? It’s kind of sweet. He’s always been all business, all mission, all the time. I didn’t even think he liked people. But now he’s prepping for a visit like it’s a state function. It’s... nice. It means he’s got something outside of this.”

And that, if she was honest, made her a little jealous.

Eve had a life outside the mask. She had school. A family, even if her parents were... complicated. She went on field trips. She wore clothes that weren’t skin-tight or reinforced with carbon mesh. She had a boyfriend who, at least at first, treated her like a goddess.

Robot? He could retire tomorrow and become the richest man alive just by selling his tech to Fortune 500 companies. The superhero gig was a choice for him. A very noble, very calculated choice, just like it was a choice for Eve.

But her? Rex? This was it. This was their ceiling.

Rex could barely cook ramen, and her own powers weren’t exactly marketable outside of a battlefield. She couldn’t build tech. She didn’t have any college-ready credentials. She multiplied. That was her résumé.

That was why seeing Robot so... invested in someone who wasn’t part of their world was so meaningful. Because if anyone deserved to have more than this—more than the endless fights and near-death experiences—it was Robot.

He had saved her, after all. Freed her from government control, helped her forge her identity as Dupli-Kate instead of just some expendable asset. He gave her the chance to be something more.

So yeah. Seeing him this preoccupied? 

This focused? This hopeful?

She’d take Rex’s whining and his so-called underwear-pocalypse any day if it meant Rudy—Robot—could have just one good thing in his life. Something that didn’t come with a tactical readout, predictive model, or a calculated margin of error. Something real.

He deserved that. More than any of them.

“C’mon,” she said, trying to steer the conversation away from Rex’s typical snark. “Aren’t you even a little curious who Robot’s friend is? I mean, what if he saved a rockstar or a tech mogul or someone huge and now they want to hang out?”

Rex barked out a laugh, loud and sharp. “Oh, sure. Robot saved somebody, had a nice little heart-to-heart, and they just happened to get over his whole ‘I’ve-got-the-face-of-a-skull’ vibe?” He threw a dramatic gesture in the air. “Yeah, I’m sure they were totally chill with the whole 'mysterious weirdo and borderline government black-ops' energy he gives off.”

He leaned back, grinning. “Ten bucks says his 'friend' is just some crappy toy from MalWart that repeats whatever you say in a spooky voice. Or maybe it’s a talking fridge that gives you passive-aggressive reminders about your diet.”

Kate rolled her eyes but kept her smile. “You’re the worst,” she muttered, then raised an eyebrow. “Fine. Ten bucks says Robot’s friend is actually cool. So cool even you’ll admit it.”

Rex grinned, clearly relishing the challenge. “Get ready to be disappointed—and broke. Easiest ten bucks of my life.”

He winked at her, and Kate smiled despite herself, doing her best to ignore the way her cheeks flushed from the attention.

Why can’t his obnoxiousness cancel out how good he looks? she thought with a sigh.

Sometimes, life really wasn’t fair.

The platform descended with a familiar mechanical hum, its edges glowing faintly as it slowed to a halt in the Teen Team headquarters. The lift's speed, as always, made Kate raise an eyebrow—Robot really needed to fix it before someone got flung off the side one of these days.

Robot stood at the front of the platform, posture as composed as ever. Beside him, however, was someone unfamiliar—clad in what looked like a modified GDA uniform. The design was sleeker, tighter in fit, and more tactical in appearance. A bold green “I” insignia stretched across the chest.

“But I’m telling you, this movie still holds up!” the new arrival was saying, his voice carrying a strange mechanical undertone. It echoed faintly, distorted just enough to seem synthetic. One arm was slung casually around Robot’s shoulders, and the other waved a battered DVD case with fervent enthusiasm.

“This film was produced in 1984,” Robot replied, his tone calm. “Statistically speaking, there is a high probability that it has aged poorly in terms of narrative structure, pacing, and effects fidelity.”

The new guy scoffed. “Dude—it’s a movie about AI! Robots sent back in time to kill humanity’s future savior. This is The Termination. The definitive robot movie. I’m pretty sure you are legally required to watch it at birth, just based on your name.”

“My name was not Robot at birth,” Robot corrected flatly. “And your logic is flawed. Assuming that my designation obligates me to consume all forms of robot-themed media is both reductive and bordering on speciesist.”

The guy threw his hands up. “Oh come on! You’re human, dude. Not actually a bot. Don’t make this weird. It’s just a movie.”

“Specieist,” Robot corrected again. “Not racist. There is a distinction, even if your argument lacks nuance.”

Kate cautiously stepped forward from where she had been standing with Rex. “Uh… hey, Robot. Who’s your new friend?”

Robot turned his head smoothly, green optics flickering once before offering a slight nod. “Hello, Kate. Hello, Rex. This is my associate—Invincible.”

Rex blinked. He looked over the guy in the GDA uniform—the full-face mask, the modulated voice, the unreadable posture.

“That’s a robot,” Rex declared, pointing accusingly. “That's a GDA-grade robot. Fancy one, sure, but definitely still a toaster with legs. I’m calling it. Kate, pay up—I want chili dogs after this.”

Invincible tilted his head, the expressionless mask somehow conveying a flicker of offense.

“I’m not a robot,” he said, his voice still distorted by the suit’s modulation.

Rex raised an eyebrow. “Right. Totally believable. Just a normal guy with a faceless helmet, synthetic voice, and zero body language. Yeah, you’re definitely didn’t escape from a lab.”

Without a word, Invincible tapped a subtle button at his throat. With a soft hiss and a faint whir, the helmet folded back into the collar of his suit, revealing a black domino mask beneath. He peeled it off, revealing a young man with tired but earnest eyes and a raised brow.

“Hi,” he said simply. “I’m Mark. Not a robot.”

Kate blinked. “Oh. Okay. Yeah. Definitely a person.”

Rex opened his mouth, then closed it. “...Huh. That’s not what I expected.”

Robot exhaled, though it was more habit than necessity—an imitation of human mannerisms to make everyone forget he didn’t do things like breathe. “Mark, there was no operational requirement for you to reveal your identity.”

Mark offered a casual shrug, his signature crooked grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Yeah, but it’s hard to make friends when they think you’re just talking to a glorified kitchen appliance. Besides,” he added with a wave of his hand, “these are your teammates, right? I trust them. If you trust them, then I’m good.”

Robot regarded him silently for a moment, his green lenses flickering. Finally, he gave a small nod. “Rex. Kate. We will be in my lab. Should either of you need something, please notify me first.”

With a jaunty wave, Mark turned and followed Robot into the lab’s secured corridor, the door staying open behind them, a sort of unspoken invitation.

Left in the quiet, Rex turned to Kate, eyebrows raised and expression skeptical. “Okay, I don’t get it. That guy seemed totally normal. Why would he be hanging out with a glorified bucket of bolts?”

Kate elbowed him hard in the ribs, earning a satisfying grunt. “First of all, stop being an asshole for five seconds. And second, pay up.”

Rex blinked. “Pay up? What for?”

“I told you Invincible was a person. You said he was just some fancy AI in a drone. That,” she pointed toward the now-closed lab door, “was a very human person, talking to his friend. So pay. Up.”

Grumbling, Rex dug into his jacket pocket, pulling out a crumpled ten and slapping it into her waiting hand.

He glanced back at the lab, still frowning. “I dunno, though. There’s something off about that guy. No one that clean-cut and polite is ever just… normal. He’s hiding something.”

Kate rolled her eyes. “That’s rich coming from a guy who once faked his own death to get out of a date.”

“Hey, that was one time! And she was really clingy!”

Kate smirked as she tucked the bill into her pocket. “Just admit you’re jealous he’s cooler than you.”

“I’m not—he’s not—ugh.” Rex crossed his arms. “Whatever. Still think he’s weird.”

“Yeah, well,” she said with a grin, “so are we.”

______________________________________________________________

“If this scenario ever became reality, humanity would lose. Decisively,” Robot said without hesitation.

“Dude, how can you even say that? Did you see what she just did? And with just a gun, might I add. You’re not even factoring in superpowers!” Mark gestured toward the screen.

“Oh no,” Robot replied, tone flat but laced with dry sarcasm. “Whatever shall the quantum-calibrated AI with adaptive systems and unrestricted time-travel capabilities do against humans wielding lightning or throwing moderately heavy objects? Truly, a terrifying matchup.”

Mark narrowed his eyes. “I want you to take that sentence you just said… and insert Omni-Man into the scenario.”

“Omni-Man is an alien,” Robot replied matter-of-factly. “Extraterrestrial. Not human. Therefore, he is an outlier and not a valid data point.”

Rex, who was surreptitiously spying on the two of them with her from the living room, snorted. “Right. I get it now. They’re both psychopaths.”

What Rex meant was: Robot and Invincible had been talking over the movie again—something that absolutely ruined movie night for the rest of them. It was one of the many reasons Robot had been banned from these nights in the first place.

And yet, Kate had to admit something. As annoying as Robot's interruptions were, it was… kind of sweet. Seeing him this animated, this engaged. He wasn’t dissecting a machine or coldly evaluating enemy threats—he was laughing, teasing, talking. Being… human.

And Invincible? Well, Kate wasn’t blind. The guy looked good in the uniform, and she had never denied that she had a thing for well-built guys. But that wasn’t what caught her attention most.

It was Robot.

He was enjoying himself visibly.  He was bantering with a friend. 

A real friend!

He’s almost like a real boy now…

She’d never thought about it before; What did Robot do when he wasn’t on a mission? What did he enjoy? What did he care about? It hit her that no one really asked those questions. Everyone on the Team just assumed he was… well, a robot. An advanced AI who, for some reason, hadn’t decided to eradicate humanity. Probably because the silly little monkeys he was going to outlive made him laugh.

But now, as she watched him with Mark, Kate began to wonder.

What if he wasn’t just code and algorithms?

What if he was a guy?

A real person, somewhere out there, piloting the drone. Someone with thoughts, dreams—maybe even feelings. And if so… why hadn’t she ever tried to talk to him like one?

What made Mark so special?

A beeping sound interrupted her thoughts. Robot reached for his comms.

“Oh, what is it now?” he muttered, a rare note of irritation in his tone. That alone made Kate blink. Robot, annoyed? Frustrated to be pulled away from hanging out with someone, when it used to be like pulling teeth to get him to spend time with them?

He sighed—a distinctly human-sounding sigh—and turned to Mark.

“Apologies, Mark. Director Stedman has requested my assistance. I regret that we may not be able to finish the movie tonight. I will return as soon as my duties permit.”

Robot’s eyes flickered for a moment as he stood. Then, without turning his body, his head rotated smoothly—too smoothly—to face her.

“Dupli-Kate. I apologize for the inconvenience, but would you mind keeping our guest company until I return?”

“I don’t need a babysitter,” Mark interjected, frowning as he crossed his arms.

Robot didn’t miss a beat. “You are seventeen years old. If I believed you required supervision, I would not have extended the invitation in the first place. Think of it instead as an opportunity to make a new acquaintance. And frankly, Dupli-Kate would benefit from interacting with someone other than Rex Splode.”

Kate snorted. “Wow. Subtle.”

Mark smirked. “You know, you say that like you don’t like Rex, but the way you act... I dunno. Kind of feels like you want to be him.”

Robot paused just before stepping onto the platform of the lift. “The day you witness me aspiring to emulate Rex Splode,” he said, his voice devoid of humor, “is the day hell has verifiably frozen over.”

The lift began its descent with a low hum.

“Goodbye, you two. I will return shortly.”

The room settled into a moment of quiet once the whir of the elevator faded.

Mark turned to Dupli-Kate and gave a casual, friendly smile. “Guess we’ll finish the movie later. You wanna do something in the meantime?”

Kate hesitated for a moment, tapping her fingers against her arm before glancing at the recreation corner. “...You any good at ping pong?”

Mark grinned. “I’m a fast learner.”