Hey there! Blue here. Yeah, yeah I know I'm kinda veering off from the 'Vereor Ipsum' for a bit but what can I say? Writer's block is a pain the ass. But I am keepin' it real. Well… mostly. But I can assure you that this idea is purely original and very new. A bit of breath of fresh air if you will. And I could really use it right now. So, on to business then. I don't own 'Young Avengers' in any shape or form. But I'm hoping to get the books soon. Enjoy!!
"Iii" = speech
Iii = thought
Chapter 1: Break Out
Telling time starts to get pretty hard when it seems like the people holding you are always sticking you with needles filled with God knows what for heaven's above knows why. Especially when no one talks to you, you're in a room by yourself, and everything's white and clean. That and the light above is really bright and always on. Always. Pretty much to where telling day from night is impossible. Most particularly if the room has no windows. Just a door with a small excuse of a glass pane acting as one that only led to darkness. After a while he started to wonder if he should even care about time anymore. It wasn't like the people who were holding him were going to up and state the day and time to him. Hell, they barely said a word to him whenever they showed up to either feed him or stick another needle in his arm. Which, from Billy Kaplan's point of view, was starting to get really, really old.
Sadly he had no other choice, and he couldn't protest due to the odd contraption that they'd attached to his head. The most it did was keep him from talking and hearing. It felt really uncomfortable sometimes but as long as he could breathe like a normal person he didn't actually care what it didn't let him do. From what he could tell it was composed of some kind of fairly strong metal. Although it kept him from moving his neck a bit, all he knew was that it kept him from voicing what he wanted. It was probably best that he was locked up with this odd thing on his head. He'd found out a few months before that his thoughts could be a little dangerous to others, especially when he thought about it a bit too strongly. It wasn't until, quite possibly in accordance to his now lost sense of time, a month or so ago that someone fairly high powered decided he was a bit too dangerous to be in public.
He would've agreed, or even denied this, if they'd given him the choice of making such a decision like the responsible 16 year-old teenager that he was. Instead, they thought it most prudent to simply jump him riding his bike back from school, stick some kind of dart into him and cart him off to he didn't know where. Next thing he knew was he was in the room he was in now and he was 'cell number' something that he hadn't either the attention or good sense to memorize. Not that anyone seemed to care anyway. Though, no thanks to his sporadic lightning ability, that he accidently zapped one of the people who usually came to see him. A doctor from the way she was dressed. He'd tried to apologize but the guards misinterpreted his intent and he was instantly stunned into unconscious by a dart. Big surprise. They'd been keeping him on a slightly heavier dosage of whatever they were giving him since then. Minutes had started to feel like days to him. Hours somehow seeming like years when he actually took the time to count the time passing him by like the wind itself.
Then the lightning just seemed to come on its own more and more, getting anyone who wasn't ready or was about to inject him with more of whatever it was they were giving him. He really wanted to yell, scream, talk, hell he'd even plead for them to stop. To ask what they wanted and why he was crucial to whatever they were doing. Did they even have other subjects to go on? And were they going to keep injecting him until he couldn't take it anymore? Well whatever they were giving him, it was messing with his coordination and his ability to conceive everything around him. Not that it really mattered since everything was white. Well, except for the bed frame and the toilet. Those were oddly a dull silver grey but did little in telling him much else other then where he could sleep and do his business. The latter could wait since the need to hadn't arisen but the former… was becoming very hard to resist. He attempted to rise to his feet, make several steps towards it and just give in to whatever he'd been injected with. If only his legs didn't feel like they were made of they'd been softened and made useless.
Such thoughts somehow led him to think about his family, and the brother he didn't know he had until about eight months prior to this whole ordeal. The teen had busted into his life, in the literal sense, by nearly knocking him off his bike with his high speed running. Super speed it turned out when the white haired boy actually managed to keep his now imprisoned twin from falling to the ground and breaking a bone. Their first few days as new-found brothers was a bit shaky but Billy got used to Tommy zipping into existence and doing some rather annoying things. Though it wasn't until Tommy had made him angry, over something or other, that they found out that Billy had quite a few powers of his own. Although disappointed that it wasn't super speed, Tommy was still supportive of him learning how to use his abilities. And for the reasons that his twin had hoped he would. But what could he say? Billy just wasn't the prankster that Tommy was. He even had to fight a bit to keep his dastardly double from doing anything too drastic or dramatic. Who knew what the white haired teen was doing now.
I really do wonder what he's doing right now. And my parents… and my brothers…. Is anyone even trying to find me right now? He suddenly thought as everything else just seeming to slip to the back of his mind as his latest dosage started to kick in. Hell, he hadn't even noticed the doctor come in and give him the shot as he sat leaning against the padded wall of his cell. They probably wanted to keep him too sluggish to do much in case someone came in to do… something that he probably didn't want to do. Cleaning most likely since his room always had that sickly sanitary smell, almost like he was in a hospital. But he didn't want to think about that right now. No, he wanted to know if someone, anyone, was actually trying to find him and free him from this hellhole. He just hoped someone came soon.
--Meanwhile, Outside—
Over thirty yards away, hidden in the distant tree line and assisted by bushes, a group of teens sat huddled as they watched the building intently. It was the middle of the night but the guards were still up, large searchlights sweeping the grounds surrounding the huge walls like they were cutting through fog over the ocean. Even in the pitch darkness of the night, they could see each other pretty well.
Tommy 'Speed' Shepherd stared at the large facility with heartfelt hatred before turning his burning gaze to his waiting companions. Mostly at the green and red caped droid who'd led them this far. "And you're sure this is the place?"
"Yes. The files they have here are very up to date." Said the metallic voice of the Vision from behind him, the AI cautiously speaking no higher than a whisper. "Your brother is here."
Tommy Shepherd cursed under his breath, glaring at the building's monster walls through his orange glasses. "Dammit. To think I'd seen the last of this place."
"You've been here before?" asked the large blonde he knew to be Theodore Altman, or Hulkling by the public, wearing a sleeveless shirt with matching pants and gloves, his large green frame somehow hiding behind the brush. His kind blue eyes were turned to the white haired teen kneeling next to him.
"Yeah but I got out. Why the hell didn't I think of this place before!?" Tommy said angrily, giving the side of his head a swift slap as he glared at the ground beneath him. "Dammit I'm such an idiot."
The raven haired girl dressed in purple with matching sunglasses, Kate Bishop aka Hawkeye, placed a gloved hand on Tommy's shoulder, making him turn to see her sincere eyes through her glasses. "Calm down Tommy. We all make mistakes. You just weren't thinkin' straight is all."
The teen merely scoffed, shrugging her hand off as he turned his enraged eyes back towards the building beyond. "But he didn't do anything wrong! He didn't deserve to come here!"
"That's why we're here. Remember?" she said calmly, as Cassie aka Stature, came out from the shadows, blonde hair in a tail while dressed in black and red nodded in agreement.
Still not looking at them, Tommy muttered again. "Yeah."
"Are we ready?" Patriot, their leader Eli Bradley asked with finality, dark skinned, bald and dressed in the country's colors as he held his shield more firmly, looking to his teammates for affirmation.
They all nodded before Tommy finally spoke, his face unusually serious for once. "When you are."
Grim faced but firm, Patriot nodded in turn, turned his gaze towards the building and spoke for the last time. There was no going back now. "Alright. Let's move."
The guard never saw it coming. Tommy was fast enough to come up and knock him out before picking him up and stuffing him in the guard box. Not too far away his friends were catching up as Cassie shrunk herself while Teddy took on the guise of the guard, Vision quickly doing the same. Looking around, nothing moved and there was no sound. Their attack on the guard had been too quick or was just too quiet for anyone to notice. At least for now. Knowing now that they had the advantage, the teens wasted no time in entering the compound, hidden from cameras and the searchlights.
Not missing a beat, Tommy looked down the halls before turning to his teammates for instructions. "What's the room number? I know the layout pretty well."
Patriot nodded in understanding. "Let's just hope memory serves well. Vision?"
"This one." the droid stated, a holographic map appearing before them as he pointed out to a cell only a half hour's walk from their position. Fifteen minutes if they ran hard enough. All stared at the map intensely as Vision spoke. "The records say he's been there ever since they brought him in."
Turning to Tommy again, Patriot had to ask. "Can you lead us there?"
His face was grim, his jaw set as he nodded, using a finger to show the right means of reaching their destination. "Definitely. Just take this route. I'll be dealing with anything that might throw a wrench in all this."
"Right but don't go too far. We still need to get him and get out." The dark skinned teen ordered. All turned to the hall leading to their far left, the stone walls seeming to stretch on forever. "C'mon, the clock's ticking."
Without another word, Tommy was gone and the rest were traveling the halls as fast as their legs would allow. It wasn't long that they discovered Tommy's victims, each tossed aside in a fashion that suggested the teen was angry for what'd possibly been done to his missing twin brother. All the men were thankfully unconscious, which proved that Tommy was remembering to use restraint on his targets. Mere minutes later the group was at a cell door, with Tommy standing before it with a sour look on his face.
Coming to stand beside him, Patriot put a hand on the teen's shoulder, bringing him out of his thoughts as he asked the one question on their minds. "Tommy? Is it him?"
"I can't tell. His back is turned to the door." Tommy growled, turning his enraged expression back to the tiny orifice of a window. After a moment, Tommy shrugged Patriot's hand off his shoulder as he turned his attention to Vision. "Can you get this open?"
The AI simply nodded. "The lock is electronic, and its components are simplistic compared to mine. Hacking it should be a simple task."
Patriot's expression hardened at this. "Alright then. Vision? Get this door open. Tommy and I will grab him and we'll work on getting out of here."
"Wait. I've seen what he can do." Tommy stated, a thin line of sweat making its way down the side of his face. "Just up and approaching him like that is stupid. I'll see if I can't get him to walk out."
"What makes you say that?"
"I told you, I've been here before but I got out. And for good reason. Do you really think the public cares about what happens to people in this place?"
Cassie and Kate paled, as if suddenly ill, Teddy joining them as his face wrinkled in pure disgust and horror. Patriot kept his face stone still as he spoke. "And if this doesn't work?"
"Teddy can grab him."
This surprised even Teddy, his face becoming that of astonishment. "What? Me? Why?"
"His power is mostly lightning. You can withstand something like that if you tried. We can't exactly chicken out right now." He said, his voice deadpan as he stared up at the green skinned teen.
Off to the side, Vision nodded as the thin screen appeared in his hand, lines of words scrolling as he spoke. "He's right. The file on him says so."
"Will you put that away!? My brother isn't just a bunch of words on screen."
"It's okay Tommy." Teddy said, holding the teen back with a large hand, making him turn to face him. "I understand."
Tommy nodded, all of them standing back as Vision messed with the keypad before the door let out a low hiss. Almost gracefully, the door swung open about two inches before falling still. On cue, Teddy used his large hand to grab the handle and cautiously swung it open even further until it was almost against the wall. So far, nothing happened. The form of the room's occupant had yet to respond to anything.
Cautiously taking a few steps inside, Tommy spoke in the calmest tone of voice that he possessed. "Billy? Billy can you hear me?"
The huddled form didn't move, his ruffled hair style almost mirroring Tommy's apart from its coloring as he sat on the floor. All except their breathing could be heard in the deathly silent white room. A bed stood to the right side of the room, but it didn't look like it'd ever been used, the toilet a shock of silver grey compared to everything else. Stepping cautiously to the right, Tommy seemed intent on keeping things on the quiet side, which was very unlike him. But instead of commenting, the group of teens stood at the door. This was Tommy's mission after all, from start to finish. As Tommy moved, the form before them didn't. Coming to stand directly across the room from the teen that was his brother, Tommy spoke up once more.
"Billy. It's me, Tommy. C'mon man, say something. Anything!"
Something about Tommy's presence made the form flinch, suddenly aware that others were in the room with him. Without a word, the teen before them rose to his feet, his movements uncertain and sluggish. Immediate signs that something was wrong. Turning to his near perfect double across the room, the teen they knew as Billy Kaplan stood, using the wall behind him as a means to balance himself. Even from afar, they saw his brown eyes were clouded, unfocused and half lidded, like he was having trouble staying awake. Hell, Teddy was surprised the teen was awake at all.
What none expected was for his clouded eyes to suddenly begin to glow neon blue, his hands sparking to life as lightning hid his appendages in their blinding majesty. Tommy only had a few seconds in which to move, to run, and he did. In milliseconds Tommy was gone where bright blue lightning struck. The charge of the blast most likely wasn't enough to kill a person, but it was enough to scorch the padded wall. As Tommy appeared next to them, the Young Avengers watched as Billy slumped against the wall, as if drained as the glow in his eyes faded away. All the remained was the black scorch on the opposite wall, and the random crackle of blue electricity coating his hands. Slowly but surely, Billy's eyes followed his brother's invisible path back to the door, making him turn his face towards them. Giving them a better look at the teen that they didn't expect to see.
On his face and a part of his neck was a muzzle like contraption, covering his ears, nose and mouth from view. His expression was hard to read because of it, but they could tell he was confused by the narrowing of his eyes, like he was trying to focus on them but was failing. But instead of raising his arms again, Billy seemed to deflate against the wall. In seconds of this loss of vital energy deposited to his defense, Billy's eyes began to droop as he slowly fell face forward towards unconsciousness, completely unaware that Teddy jumped forward to grab him into his strong embrace.
--Billy's POV—
Thoughts and reality blurred together in a twisted fashion that made him even drowsier than before, Billy tried to fight the need to sleep. When he did, they would come and take him wherever they took him and do dozens and dozens of tests, even going as far as waking him up to make him participate. And he hated them for it. Granted, Billy was a gentle person. A normal human being with normal human emotions by anyone's standards. But these people were crossing lines, and he would never forgive them for it. He had the somewhat childish thought of making them suffer as he had without killing them. If only his true self greatly protested to this idea. No, he wasn't like Tommy. He wasn't going to give in to such a thing. But he was going to make sure someone felt his wrath at some point.
It'd likely been close to an hour since the doctor had come in and injected him with whatever it was they needed results for, and Billy was really starting to lose his grip on things along with his track of thought. Just by glancing around, the room seemed to spin, everything seeming to blur and multiply as he looked. Suddenly, it appeared as though he suddenly had five beds and at least eight toilets. This concept was enough to make him want to just pass out from the drug's effects but that was the last thing he wanted right now. He wanted out of this strange place, even if he was going to be leaving in a body bag. His mind was set now, what was still functioning right, that the next person to come through the door was going to get shocked. And the next after him? Well, he'd let things escalate if he had to. Just as long as he got the point across that nobody, and he meant nobody, was going to poke him full of holes ever again. As long as he was in this place, their thoughts to his health obviously weren't in his interests. All he knew right now, he was determined to get home.
Hours seemed to pass for Billy, when he was pretty sure it was just minutes. Whenever they injected him with something, time was always a little screwy. It's what he hated most about the injections, but he knew better than to resist considering how they reacting the last time he tried to say no. Something about this time was really different. It was becoming harder and harder to focus, to stay awake. Even more so, it was taking longer to resist to its effects. Either they'd taken the time to increase the dosage or they were using something a little stronger this time. But he didn't care. He wanted to leave so bad. But all his attempts at getting out before had failed, mostly because his ability to chant was sealed away and lightning just wasn't enough to cut it. That and he'd be shot just as soon as he got further than fifteen feet from his cell. It hurt him deep knowing he couldn't get out on his own. The only hope he had now was that someone would come soon.
As if on cue, the vibration in the wall next to him that the door was opening told him that the medical team was likely there to collect him. Only instead of coming up close and fast to grab him with their cold hands, instead nothing happened. Even if his mind was muggy and lost to the drug in his system, Billy knew that something about this picture was off. Why weren't they rushing in to put him on a gurney to whatever they had planned? Something was way too different to be normal. But why? From the pause that followed the door opening, Billy figured that whoever they were happened to be talking. Why he didn't care, only that he was able to get them before they got him. Even though he couldn't hear because of the contraption on his head, Billy knew how to start up his electric charge without the crackle of its power giving him away as he waited for someone to even try to touch him. Now all he had to do was wait. Wait until one of them was dumb enough to come up and so much as even try to make him move from where he sat.
After what felt like an hour, and when no cold touch came, Billy spotted something out of the corner of his right eye. Thoroughly confused by this, he saw no other option than to look and see: his vision was still blurry as hell but he could see a person standing there. A person he didn't actually recognize. Why most of the person's body was white and green was hard to comprehend but the orange thing on their face was enough to convince him that the rest of their attire was at least somewhat science related. And right now, he was really hating science. It wasn't his best subject but he cared enough about it to know the ups and downs, as well as the rights and wrongs. Especially when the wrongs were being used on him for a reason that no one had even tried to explain to him just yet. Using his half remembered determination as a source, Billy forced his practically half dead body to its feet, using the wall for balance since it seemed he had none. The lightning in his hands was easy enough to summon. Even with his faulty vision he could see his own power sparking to life as he sent the paralyzing shock towards his target… which magically disappeared.
Greatly confused by this sour twist of fate, Billy felt common sense push his gaze towards the door, the outdoors, and his freedom. He suddenly felt more tired than before, the extra power in his hands crackling across the skin of his hands as he brought his gaze to land on the mixture of blurred colors standing quietly at his door. Through his muzzle like mask, he could smell the burning of cotton and polyester, undoubtedly his work on the other side of the room. Now for certain he knew these people, whoever they were, weren't doctors. Fatigue, strong and sudden, coupled with the drug in his system, was no making it impossible for Billy to put two and two together anymore. He could only stare in his confusion at the collection of blurred shape and color standing where the door should've been. Gravity seemed to be doing its job as Billy felt himself slowly falling forward, the world quickly going dark. Unable to remain awake any longer, Billy finally gave in to the drug's effects as someone wrapped him in their warm and gentle embrace.
--Normal POV—
Though his hands were large and oddly colored, Teddy knew how to handle someone who was out cold. Mostly due to his mom when she came home unusually late on the rare but few days of overtime and could barely stand up from her long day at work. Even now the know-how came to him like instinct as he carefully lifted the limp form of Billy Kaplan off the floor until he was in his arms bridal style. Looking down on his half hidden face, Teddy could tell that the brothers were similar in appearance.
It was so shocking that he just had to voice his astonishment. "Damn Tommy. He really does look like you."
Tommy didn't even respond to the statement, more concerned with his brother's well being than his looks. "Any chance you can get that thing off of him?"
"That's going to have to wait." Patriot stated firmly, eyeing the halls warily as if they'd start flowing with life. "We need to get out of here before the alarm goes off and this place is swarming with guards."
"Yeah but can we get out of here at all?" Kate asked, frowning at the dark skinned teen mostly because he'd ruined the mood of the room a little.
"We can. The way we came." Tommy said suddenly, his face unusually lacking emotion when he spoke.
Everyone stared at the white blonde, incredulous that he even suggested such a thing. None more than Patriot, who immediately voiced his opinion on the matter in a voice that mirrored his absolute horror and amazement at the thought. "What? That's just stupid! Why the hell--?"
"Cassie and I can go to a different section of the compound and cause some ruckus. That way, the guards'll gather there and not here. When they do, we bail and catch up to you guys over in the forest." He stated simply, quickly cutting Eli off, leaving his teammates stunned.
An awkward silence filled the room, Cassie finally speaking up. "You really thought about this. You actually thought about this. Who knew you could--?"
Tommy simply glared at her. "Less talk. More get my brother the fuck out of here."
"R-right. Sorry." She whispered, mentally cowering away from his harsh expression.
Eli's face may as well have become like steel as he spoke. "Alright people. You heard the man so move it."
Facing each other, both Eli and Tommy nodded in acceptance of their plan, the speedster looking the dark skinned teen right in the eye. "See you guys outside."
Without another word, the two groups went their separate ways. Tommy, with Cassie having shrunk down to the size of an action figure, went left while the rest of the team headed to the right. And straight back where they'd come in. once again passing the fallen bodies of the guards Tommy had attacked mere minutes before, Patriot and the Vision took point as Teddy gently carried their relinquished hostage while Kate brought up the rear. Bow and arrow cocked and ready to fire, the raven haired girl looked back again and again in search of the pursuit teams meant to stop them, only for her gaze to meet quiet and eerie halls.
Cautiously stopping short of their original point of entry, Patriot nodded to Vision, who immediately phased through the wall to get a better look at the grounds beyond. After a moment of tense waiting, the AI returned, his face oddly calm and collected.
"Well? Anything?" Patriot almost demanded, anxious to get this over with. It'd been a long night after all.
Vision simply shook his head, almost smiling in triumph. "Nothing. The grounds are clear as they'll ever be. Tommy was right. The guards are focusing on them right now."
"Then this is our chance. Let's not waste it. I don't care how fast you go to get there. Just run until you hit the trees, and we'll wait on Cassie and Tommy."
"He really did think this through. He honestly thought about getting his brother back." Kate said softly, genuinely amazed at the teen's intuition.
Eli just scowled. "We can ponder improbabilities later. On the count of three."
They all nodded to each other, their faces set in grim expressions. Quickly they set themselves on either side of the open door, staring out at the open green expanse that was the prison grounds. And all they had to do was run for the trees.
"Wait." Teddy said suddenly, his voice no higher than a fairly audible whisper.
Eli demanded, the stress of the night making him impatient. "What is it?"
Ignoring him, Teddy turned to the purple clad girl next to him, his face clearly showing his concern for his teammate. "Kate, you should go first."
"What? Teddy, dammit, now's not the time to be a gentleman." She said, her own impatience making her sound unusually bitter.
Unaffected, Teddy merely shrugged it off. "I know but… I can shield you if we get shot at. And you'll be able to shoot back. Vision and Eli? Well one's a walking computer and the other's bulletproof. I'm just doin' some simple math."
"Meaning?" she asked, a delicate eyebrow rising.
The large blonde suddenly looked sheepish. "I'm not trying to insult you. It's just… we can take a beating. But you probably can't. I'm not taking that kind of risk."
After a few seconds, Kate quickly realized that what he said made sense to her. For the first time in possibly a long time, the raven haired girl smiled kindly at him. "Thanks Teddy. That's really sweet of you."
"I try." He said, somehow holding back a grin. "Ready?"
"Yeah." She said, turning to nod at Eli across the door's threshold.
Taking this as his cue, Eli nodded back before turning his eyes to the grounds beyond, and their freedom. "Alright. One…. Two…. THREE!"
Like the goddess Athena, Kate was out the door and running like she was chasing something she could probably kill with her bare hands. Teddy, wasting no time, was right behind her while Patriot and Vision quickly came up behind him. Both eyed the top of the prison walls as they ran, only hearing their own breathing, their running footsteps and Kate's scarf and cloak tails flapping in the wind. As graceful as the element whistling in their ears, she was at the trees and wasted no time in jumping clear over some rather large bushes, where she landed beyond without so much as an effort. Using his own athletic skills, Teddy soon followed, careful not to jostle his cargo too much while Patriot did the same as Vision simply phased through them.
"Oh my god." Kate said from where she knelt on the soft green grass, her face blank except for shock and awe.
"What?" Eli demanded, hoping that nothing was wrong.
Kate just shook her head, her face still trapped in incredulity over the whole thing. "I can't believe that worked. I—I just can't fuckin' believe that actually worked! Since when did Tommy get a brain?"
"Since his brother got kidnapped I guess." Teddy muttered, holding down chuckles of amusement at his teammate's state of shock.
Eli just rolled his eyes, clearly not in the mood for whatever the conversation. He was too busy watching the prison as the siren finally went off, lights and search parties making their way to the furthest side of the prison. "Just calm down guys. Sit down and take a breather. Once Tommy gets back with Cassie, we're getting out of here."
"Yeah. I don't want to be here anymore." Kate said under her breathe as she eyed the large grey building with a mixed expression of disgust and loathing. "Just thinking about that place is making me sick."
"You're not the only one." Teddy said, shifted his legs positioning before glancing down at his charge. So far the teen in his arms had yet to do much other than sleep.
"If you're gonna hurl, do it over where we won't smell it." Eli growled, annoyed as he watched the giant complex for his remaining teammates. They needed to leave, and soon.
"I'm not that grossed out." Kate snapped, clearly angered by the dark skinned teen's lacking sensitivity and manners.
Eli just shrugged it off. Something he'd regret later. "Still. If you need to."
"Try to learn from Teddy will you?" she snarled, slowly letting her anger get the better of her as she spoke to his turned back. "At least he's polite about such things."
"Kate, I think that's something we should save until later. Okay?" Teddy said, glancing between the two with an uneasy look in his eyes.
"Sorry." The girl muttered, realizing that now definitely wasn't the time to be acting like they weren't over fifty yards away from a high security prison complex. Nodding to the prone form in his arms, Kate decided to change the subject a bit. "How's he doing?"
For the first time in a while, Teddy let out a full blown smile, looking down at the sleeping teen. He even maneuvered the boy's head into lying against his chest rather than haphazardly leaning over his arm as he spoke. "Out like a light. Whatever they gave him must've been pretty strong enough to take the fight out of him. I'm surprised he was conscious when we got to him."
Vision leaned over, giving the teen a long, calculating stare before leaning back, his metallic face twisting into deep thought. "Whatever they gave him, he was probably trying to fight it. And I'd say from his response to our presence that he wasn't exactly being given a choice in the matter."
"Will he be okay?"
The AI just shook his head, looking doubtful. "We won't know until we get him back to Stark Tower. Maybe Mr. Stark can take a look at him for us."
As if on cue, Tommy zipped into existence across the miniature clearing, setting down a doll sized Cassie so that she could grow to her normal size. "Hey guys. You guys okay?"
"Yeah, we're fine. You?"
"A little annoyed but I'll get over it... eventually. Cassie was able to put in some pretty sweet shots back there." He said, turned to the blonde girl next to him with his smug trademark playboy grin. "Right Cassie?"
"How would you know? You were all over the place, takin' 'em down like they were nothing! I'm surprised you're not bragging about that!"
Ignoring her protest, Eli knelt down with them, hoping he could get them to get their acts together. "Alright calm down. We need to get back to Stark Tower."
This caught Tommy's attention, instantly killing the smile as he frowned in concern, his gaze switching from his brother to Eli. "What? Why?"
Vision took the lead, hoping to reassure the teen that nothing was wrong. At least nothing immediate that was particularly dangerous or harmful. Not just yet. "Billy needs to be examined by a professional. Who doesn't have malicious intentions. And he's the only one who can help him. If we hurry we can make it before early morning rush kicks in."
"He's right Tommy. Mr. Stark has the equipment and the know-how. Taking him there and not some hospital is our best choice in getting your brother the best of care." Teddy said in the kindest voice he could manage. The last thing they needed was for the speedster to go into a panic attack.
After a moment Tommy finally nodded, glaring back at the prison as lights and sirens continued to go off, guards running every which way to secure the rest of their prisoners. "I just want to get away from this place before I decide to blow it up. Whatever keeps him from going back in there, I'm down with."
Eli nodded his understanding. He wasn't the only one that wanted to wipe the place off the map. "Right then, let's get going. Vision, get started on calling ahead. Everybody else? Move out."
As silently as they'd arrived, the group of teens quickly vanished into the dark of the night and the forest, heading back to the city they'd sworn to protect. Their only hope now was that the person they'd rescued would be okay, and that they'd arrived in time to prevent a fate most cruel and unbefitting him. Knowing better than to fly, Teddy kept to the ground with Eli, Kate and Tommy while Cassie and Vision watched from overhead as they made their slow but necessary back home. And possibly to new hope.
Thanks for reading guys! It's a little longer than I'd planned but I guess once I start I have trouble stopping. Just as long as you guys had a good time reading this, I could care less about much else. Except reviews, which I'm hoping you'll send. I'd love to hear from you guys. But now I'm just ranting. On to business then. Here's what's to come:
Next chapter:
Chapter 2: Awakening
The Young Avengers have come and rescued a possible new member to their team. But how will he really affect things? Will the team survive having possibly two Tommys on their hands? Just how well will Billy fit into his new role as a Young Avenger? Find out when 'Aftershock' returns with:
Chapter 2: Awakening!!
