Little Boy Lost
Chapter 1
It was a mild spring Saturday morning as Will was in the attic, trying to clean it up like his mom had asked. Though she had promised to help, she had had to leave first thing that morning when she received a "hot line" call about Dr. Owl, one of her old enemies, who had taken control over huge flocks of returning migrating birds. He was using them to fill the skies over the airport, cutting off all air traffic and threatening to have them start attacking the planes unless he was paid a monstrous ransom.
Will had started moving a few things around when he realized that he didn't really know where to put them. All he was doing was moving things without really getting anything done. He was holding a particularly heavy trunk easily over his head with one hand while he was wondering where to put it when he heard a faint creaking. He looked up to see that the bottom of the trunk was starting to give way, and quickly put it down just as it started to spill out, making a mess.
"Well, I wanted something to clean up," Will said to himself as he looked at all that had fallen out of the trunk. He knelt down and began going through everything. It mostly seemed to be old documents and pictures he had never seen before, and then he found a large manila folder that seemed to be sealed shut. It didn't take anything for his strength to break the seal, and he opened it.
PETITION FOR ADOPTION
In the manner of
STEVEN and JOSEPHINE STRONGHOLD
To become full and recognized guardians and legal parents of
WARREN PEACE
To be henceforth known as
WARREN STRONGHOLD
Jetstream arrived home feeling very dirty. It was bad enough Dr. Owl had used his army of birds to attack her, but to have them dive bomb her like that was absolutely disgusting. Once she had gotten through the storm of droppings, she had easily been able to overpower the villain and, once he was knocked out, his mental control of the birds vanished and they returned to normal. She left Dr. Owl for the police, and flew home as fast as she could. She doubted the uniform was salvageable, but she still wanted a nice hot shower with plenty of shampoo. She took the hidden entrance to the Secret Sanctum and used the bathroom facilities there after dumping the ruined costume in the disintegrator disposal. She came up into the study dressed in a bathrobe and drying her hair when she saw Will sitting at the kitchen table, reading something.
"Hey tiger," she smiled as she approached, "finished with the attic so soon?"
Will showed no sign that he had even noticed her.
"Honey?" asked Josie, suddenly noticing Will seemed to be trembling, "honey, what is…"
That was when she saw what he had been reading. For one of the few times in her life, Josie Stronghold felt like her heart had skipped a beat.
There on the table were the entire contents of the folder Will had found. News articles about the Mount Rushmore Incident, transcripts from Baron Battle's medical and psychological profiles and trials, the government's attempt to take custody of Warren from his mother, who herself had had a nervous breakdown from the ordeal, and finally the adoption petition.
Will looked up at his mother with tears in his eyes.
"Is it true?" he whispered softly.
"Yes honey," Josie smiled sadly, "it's true. We tried to become Warren's foster parents after…what happened. The authorities back then were trying to take Warren away from his mother, and we just couldn't let them do that. When they said foster parenting wasn't enough, we tried to adopt him outright."
"But…you never…"
"We never told you about it because…" Josie let it trail off and realized she had no real answer for her son. But she knew who would.
"Hello, Stronghold Real Estate."
"Steve, it's me."
"Hi honey, I saw you on the news this morning. I'm sorry I wasn't there to help. That pop-eyed creep would learn not to do that to my wife once I…"
"Steve, Will found out about Warren."
"What about Warren?"
"Steve…he found the adoption papers."
The air seemed to go out of Steven Stronghold as one of the darkest times of his past came surging up to engulf him once again. This time though it concerned his son.
"I'll be home in a few minutes," he said, "I think maybe it's time we all faced this demon down together once and for all."
Steven Stronghold sat across the table from his son, the pile of history spread out between the two of them. He neither needed nor wanted to look at any of it, because it was all burned into his mind and his heart forever.
"What do you want to know?" he asked Will.
"Everything, Dad," said Will.
Steven took a deep breath, removed the glasses that were part of his disguise and rubbed his eyes.
"I guess you could say it started back in school. Baron Battle and I were in the same class, even though I was declared a hero because of my strength and Baron…because of his as well. But Baron had more than muscle. He was intelligent, really gifted. He was like the perfect combination of a jock and a geek, if you'll let me put it that way."
"That's when you became enemies?"
"No Will," said Steven, sadness beginning in his voice, "that was when we became best friends. Of course as the most powerful ones in school, we constantly competed against each other…see who could run faster, lift more, all the stupid stuff guys our age did. We were like that through all of school until…"
"Until what?"
"That day. That damned day when everything started going down hill."
Steven was quiet for a while as he gathered his thoughts. How to explain the one domino that had started the cascade of pain and grief engulfing two friends and their families?
"Like I said, Baron was brilliant. Came up with all sorts of theorems and equations I couldn't begin to comprehend. As you know your mother is the brains of the team, I just punch things. Anyway Baron had come up with a theory about quantum energies or something like that, and had convinced our teachers to let him perform an experiment that would produce a form of energy that would revolutionize the entire world.
"I don't know if Baron miscalculated because he had been working too hard and not getting enough sleep or what, but the day of the experiment something went wrong. The energy wave it released basically leveled the science lab. Luckily no one was hurt, but Baron…Baron had been at the center of the blast. He was hospitalized for about a week. Now to a normal human that might not seem like much, but given the fact Baron and I used to let the military use us for target practice with their heaviest armament and not even get scratched should tell you how messed up he was.
"At the end of the week he seemed to be better. Not only was he as strong as ever, he found he could fly and generate energy blasts like the ones that had hit him. Everyone was really impressed, and we all thought the worst was behind us.
"God, were we wrong."
Steven paused for a moment, remembering all the good times he had had with his friend. Then it was as if a cloud passed over his features as he continued.
"Baron…was different in more ways than the increased powers. He'd always been a rather happy guy, but he suddenly became very moody…go for days without contacting me or anyone else. When we did do our workouts, he'd get really intense, almost maniacal at trying to out-lift me or outdo me in any way. Everything became a competition, and me being a stupid, stubborn muscle-head I went along with it. Testosterone will do that. And that was when…she came along."
"Mom?" asked Will.
"Warren's mom," corrected Steven, "Angelica Peace. She was a senior transfer from one of the other affiliated schools and she was…the most beautiful woman I had ever seen."
"Dad?" those words surprised Will.
"It's alright," Josie spoke up as she entered the kitchen. She had changed into a simple light blue blouse and jeans and sat down between her husband and her son.
"I know what he means. Angelica was beautiful…is still beautiful. She has that…I don't know…glow about her."
"And remember son," Steven smiled as he took his wife's hand, "this was BEFORE I even knew your mother existed.
"Anyway Angelica became the darling of the school, and not just because of her beauty either. She had super strength on a par with Baron and I and, like your mother said, there's always been something about her that almost enchanted a person, then you realized you were looking at her soul. She was completely good and kind, wanting only to befriend everyone, even the lowliest of the sidekicks. Once she came onto the scene all bullying stopped.
"So of course she became the latest prize between Baron and I. We did all sorts of stupid things to get her attention and win her approval…making origami sculptures out of steel I-beams, writing poetry…are you smiling, young man?"
Will couldn't hide it. The thought of his dad acting like a love struck puppy doing such things for attention was too much.
Steven was glad he had gotten a smile out of his son. With what was coming, it was doubtful he would ever do it again for a long time.
"Finally I figured out something. I noticed that Baron seemed to be calmer around Angelica…act more like his old self. That led me to realizing that he DID love her, and she loved him as well. Once I got that through my thick head I got out of the way and was glad my friend had found someone.
"For a while everything seemed okay. We all graduated, became full-fledged heroes, and started our careers. Baron and Angelica married almost right out of high school and set up shop down by the docks where it was more private. About a year after that, Angelica was pregnant. This was when I had my last fight with Royal Pain…when I met your mother while she was tracking her old enemy Stitches who was now Pain's sidekick.
"Once again things seemed right and well in our little world. I'd see Baron once in a while when some menace crossed from one to another's territory, but that was about it. That was until I got hurt when all of our graduating class reunited to battle Galaxytor the Space Reaver when he tried to destroy the world. Baron volunteered to take my place on the Champions of Justice until I healed and…did a few other things, the most important of which was marrying your mother. After I recovered we broke off from the Champions, forming the Heroic Six; myself, Josie, Baron, Angelica after Warren was born, Dr. Shadow and Starglow.
"We didn't know it at the time, but Baron's strange behavior started to return. He'd have small bouts of anger then come out of it like he had no idea what was happening. As time went on you were born, Warren was about two, and I went months without hearing from my old friend. I didn't think anything of it…because I'm stupid. I always have been."
"No Steve," said Josie, squeezing her husband's hand, "you had no way of knowing what was happening. None of us did."
"He was my friend. I should have done more…checked in on him and his family…done
anything besides run around in tights and sell houses in my spare time."
"I tried to stay in contact with Angelica," said Josie, "because since Warren and you were so close in age I thought it would be good if you kids played together. Layla's parents hadn't move into the neighborhood yet, and I was always trying to arrange play dates between you two, but Angelica wouldn't come around."
"She was scared, wasn't she?" asked Will.
"Yes," breathed Steven, "but not OF Baron. Even when he was in his worst stages he never raised a hand to her or Warren. She was scared FOR him; afraid the government or we would take him away and lock him up like a wild animal. But I would NEVER have done that…until…"
"Mount Rushmore," whispered Will.
"Yes," said the Commander, looking at a picture of the aftermath when he finally battled Baron Battle to the end. Large chunks were missing from the heads of the presidents, and Lincoln's entire forehead and nose were gone, having been smashed to powder when the Commander landed that one final punch that slammed Baron's head into the monolith with such force his left cheek was opened up from the corner of his eye down to the chin line.
"That's when the media got hold of it. I know it couldn't be helped, a national park had been leveled at the height of tourist season and a well known hero was not only consorting with villains, but had formed and led a new Brotherhood of Darkness…at least that's what all that vermin testified to at their trials. I don't know…maybe he did. I don't know or care anymore. All I know is they plastered Baron's wounded face all over the papers and television, all sorts of "experts" came crawling out of the woodwork to give their "professional" opinions about what had happened, but only a few actually seemed to want to help. Studies were done…psychological evaluations…even medical tests. That's when they found it."
"This?" said Will, holding up an x-ray photo of a skull.
Steven nodded his head, trying not to look at it.
"What is it?" asked Will.
"A tumor," replied Josie, picking up the conversation, "it's in a very dangerous spot…I don't think it would be operable even if Baron wasn't nearly invulnerable."
"Didn't they try?" asked Will, the questions began pouring out of his mouth as fast as his brain could produce them. "What about adamantium tipped surgical instruments…focused microscopic teleportation beam…even magic?"
"Honey, we thought of all those things…every possible means of curing Baron." Now Josie was beginning to show signs of sadness.
"What about Warren and his mother Angelica?"
"Angelica had to go into hiding. Every time she appeared in public the press hounded her. They wanted to know EVERYTHING about what happened. They asked the most lurid, inappropriate questions about their private life…things totally repugnant to a gentle soul like her.
"We only saw he at the trial…offered for her and Warren to stay with us, but she refused. I think she was ashamed that she hadn't asked for help, at least for Baron's health, because there was no way she had known about his reforming the Brotherhood."
"Baron was tried and convicted," said Steve, taking the conversation back up, "even with the tumor and all the reports he was declared fit to stand trial. He was sentenced to Cold Storage for the rest of his natural life…plus."
"Angelica…" said Steve, who choked at the thought, "had a nervous breakdown. The love of her life had become public enemy number one, the press was printing all sorts of scandalous rumors that were totally unfounded or blowing things out of proportion with Baron's medical condition, plus trying to take care of a scared little boy who just wanted his dad back.
"That was when the government stepped in. Some high-ranking military jerk got the idea to get a group of supers to work as special operatives for the government. Now I didn't have anything against that, but it was the way they were going about doing it that I didn't like. And they targeted Warren.
"They came up with all sorts of garbage about Angelica being an unfit parent…as mentally unstable as her husband, so the boy would be too. They wanted to take him because they thought they could better care for him and nurture his development into a fine American soldier. Brainwash him to do their dirty work was more like it.
"We didn't know what to do. That little boy had been through hell already, and I wasn't about to hand the child of my best friend over to a bunch of faceless beurecrats and military spooks to turn into a living weapon.
"That's when your mother got the idea for us to become Warren's foster parents until Angelica got better. At first the state wasn't sure until…
"Until we showed we already had a little boy we loved very much, and we were able and willing to take in another."
"But the government stepped in again and said it wasn't good enough. We thought we'd never see Warren again," said Steven.
"That," smiled Josie, "was when your grandpas stepped in. Steve's dad and mine were both outraged that the very country they had fought so hard for during World War 2 was now targeting a little boy. They used every bit of clout they had to get a full-blown adoption hearing called in record time. It was totally closed door and unknown to the public."
"That," said Steve, "was the scariest day of my life. We had to reveal our secret identities…not that big a deal considering all the officials present already knew who we were, but laying out our entire lives for them all to scrutinize and try to tear apart. We only asked that you be left out of it, and they agreed. I think my dad did a little literal arm twisting to ensure that."
"All of our friends were there," beamed Josie, "every super hero we had gone to school with or worked with at one time or another. All of them were in their civilian identities too. They were willing to put everything on the line to help us."
"And they weren't the only ones either," said Steve.
"Who showed up?"
"It happened after a long and extremely tense line of testimonials and cross-examinations by the government's flunky attorneys. Things could have gone either way when the judge asked if there was anyone else who wished to speak…"