[A/N: I have gone ahead and revised the first chapter. I suggest rereading that before reading this as I have changed some things in the story.]
Ever since that day all those years ago, James has always hated Sundays.
To make a long story short, after they had miraculously made their way out of the city without getting caught, Phil had driven them down the east coast, avoiding all major cities until they reached Miami. They barely stopped, only once or twice for gas and to ditch their clothes in case they had been spotted.
The entire eighteen-hour long drive was silent.
On the outskirts of Miami they had met up with Betty and the Starks at an abandoned gas station. Phil and Betty talked logistics while the kids were huddled together on the ground next to Betty's Honda. Axel and Viv were as white as a sheet, both of them clinging to their sister. Nora looked queasy and disheveled, her hair was frizzy and her eyes red-rimmed. It was clear that she was trying to be strong for the twins. James tried to catch her eye and give her as much of a reassuring smile as he could muster. She attempted to smile back, but ended up just looking nauseous in return. From where he sat on the ground next to James. Francis was glassy-eyed and spacing out, mumbling to himself and rubbing his index and thumb together almost frantically. James stilled Francis's hand with his own, catching his eye.
"Hey man," James stated. "It'll be alright."
Francis just shook his head in response, tears welling in his eyes. James just pulled his best friend into his arms, making eye contact with Nora. They were going to be okay. They had to be.
They started moving again after that. Phil sold Betty's Honda to a sleazy used-car salesman for cash and no questions asked. Betty had Lola placed in storage near the marina where they met up at. With the cash from Betty's Honda, Phil bought a two cabin Catalina Sailboat. It needed some work, but it was seaworthy and sturdy.
They left port in the middle of the night making their way along the Florida Keys to Havana Cuba. In Havana, the group split up as Betty took the Stark kids to lay low with some contacts she had in the jungle. It was a quick goodbye with no time for tears. They parted ways with promises to meet up in a year when the world had quieted a bit.
From Havana they made their way to St. Thomas, the entire trek taking six months as they laid low in the Caribbean waters. Once they made it to St. Thomas, Project Indigo was winding down as almost all the superheroes had been locked away across the world. No one paid attention when Philip Williams and his two sons, Jay and Cisco landed on the white sandy beaches of St. Thomas and integrated into island life as Phil Kent became the local high school history teacher. No one batted an eye when six months later when single-mother Isabela Vargas and her three kids, Pandora, Alesander, and Viviana relocated from Cuba and started up a small out-patient clinic below their apartment. Quickly they all became the locals in a place swamped by tourists.
Three years later, James found himself living a somewhat normal life. Things were good. Puberty was kind, and he's got a pretty sweet job at the local Dive Shop as an Eco-Tour guide and Dive Instructor with Francis. He, Nora and Francis all graduated from the local high school that past spring and things were well, good. Axel and Viv were still troublemakers, but they'd found a job at a local boat repair shop, which allowed the two sixteen year olds to run wild while not creating too much collateral damage. Nora was working at a local diner while also attending summer session at the local college for her Marine Biology degree. And on they days when every one was free, they'd all go out and surf at Hull Bay. Sure the first few years sucked, but now they were all settle. Sure they missed their parents awfully, but there were more good days than bad now. In fact, they all were really, really happy.
Then he had to go and screw it all up.
See on their days off from the Dive Shop both James and Francis would either surf if the waves were good, or they'd scout out new dive spots to explore around the mostly uninhabited side of the island. Since the waters were pretty calm, the boys headed out mid-morning on Francis's beat up fishing boat loaded with their dive gear to the far side of the island. By noon, they found a promising location, and suited up.
The first plunge is always James's favorite. The world becomes blue and peaceful as light filters through the clear blue Caribbean waters. A whole new world opens to his eyes. It's as if nothing can touch him here. Once Francis finally submerges the two make their way to the under water caves that they came to explore. They see a few interesting types of fish, sting rays, and a sea turtle on their excursion. James takes out his waterproof phone to take a few pictures for Nora. Francis just gives him a funny look as he does so before shrugging and investigating what looks to be part of a sunken ship. James swims a little closer to the rocky shore, when a sliver of metal catches his attention. Normally metal is common down there, but the metal isn't part of an old ship. Its stainless steel and is almost brand new. It looks like a beacon of some sort. Curious, James waves Francis over. The object peaks him as well and together the two go to investigate, finding more of these beacons as they head closer to shore. The beacons lead up into a sea cave, which then leads to a staircase and a metal door.
James turned to Francis to suggest that they turn back, but then discovered that his best friend was already one the sandy shore of the dark cave, stripping out of his gear, leaving only his wetsuit on.
"Francis!" James whisper-yells, making his way towards his idiotic best friend. "What are you doing?"
"What do you think I'm doing. Investigating."
"Dude no. This doesn't feel right," James protested.
"Oh come on. Aren't you just a bit curious?" Francis countered, making his way towards the staircase.
"It's probably locked," James added, nodding to the door at the top of the staircase.
"Only one way to find out!" Francis replied, jogging up the stairs.
"Francis! Wait! Gah!" James exclaimed, wrangling off his tank, mask, and flippers.
"We're so going to get arrested! This is trespassing," James muttered as he joined Francis at the top of the staircase.
"Open it!" Francis whispered, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet.
"It's probably locked," James reiterated.
"Then no harm done."
James huffed at looked at Francis.
"Why don't you open it?"
"Nope. You need to live a little."
"I live fine."
"You live boring."
"Scuba Diving is boring. And so is surfing?"
"You know what I mean! Open the door!"
"Ugh fine, James responds, pushing lightly only the handle which of course, didn't move.
"See. Locked. Let's go."
"Oh come on, that was a weak try."
"Dude, let's go!"
"No! Not until you actually try," Francis protested.
"What is the point exactly!?" James cried.
To that Francis just shrugged and grinned.
"Ugh you are such a pain in the ass!" James groaned, turning to the door a applying pressure with his shoulder while he tried the handle.
The handle caved under his grip.
"See told you! It's open! Let's go in!"
James was to busy starting at his own hand to fight Francis pulling him inside.
It was such a bad idea and James blames Francis for most of it. The corridor past the entrance has rooms all along it. There were a lot of labs and a small security room. It was seemingly deserted, the lights from the CTV lighting up the hall in a dim blue light. About halfway down the hall if when James finds that infamous insignia painted on the wall.
It used to stand for hope and integrity. It used to stand for protecting others from threats.
Now it was a reminder of why he was on this god damned island in the first place.
Next thing he knew, James's first went into that cinderblock wall, leaving a dent right in the middle of that stupid logo.
James didn't feel the pain radiating from his hand, or the blood dripping down his knuckles. He was filled with such over-whelming rage that he almost didn't hear Francis calling for him down the hall. Taking a calming breath, James headed towards Francis who was paying apt attention to the screens in the security booth.
"Doesn't this look familiar?" Francis questioned, pointing to a center screen.
"Yeah that's the high school."
"Okay and this," Francis continues, gesturing to the screen below it.
"That's Betty's clinic."
"And here."
"The Boat Yard, where Axel and Viv work."
"And here."
"That's Tia's, where Nora works…."
"Yeah. But the worst part, look here," Francis replied, pointing to the two main screens.
"That's our house… and Betty's."
Francis nodded.
"So we've been watched for who knows how long."
"Yeah but by who?" Francis questioned, pulling at a hangnail as he thought.
James tightened his aching fist.
"Shield."
"What?"
"Shield. God Francis. I saw the insignia."
"Where?"
"Down the hall, but that doesn't matter. What matters is that all of us are being watched and we have to go before something happens. We need to tell Phil."
"Okay okay, let go then," Francis responds and started to head out. They're almost down the stairs when they hear it.
A cry.
It's small, almost nothing. They almost ignore it. Then it happens again.
"It's a kid." James comments, starting towards the sound.
"What if it's a trap?" Francis questions.
"Still, if its not… Francis this place has been deserted for at least a few days."
"So?"
"So?! Look we need to go check it out."
"Okay okay. Just here," Francis says handing him his dive knife. "For just in case."
James nods and gestures towards the cave entrance.
"Go get the boat ready."
"What!? Are you crazy?"
"Francis, just do it. That way if anything happens, you can still warn Phil, ok."
"Ok."
James nods and heads back inside, glimpsing back at Francis before the darkness of the bunker envelops him.
After a couple minutes, James finds the source of the sound. In a back laboratory, in what looks like a glass holding cell is a child. A toddler to be precise. She looks two or three, extremely young and malnourished. Her blonde locks hanging limply from her head as she whimpers. She's dressed in a threadbare hospital gown and there are bruises all over her small arms and legs. James looks around for a way to open the door when he stumbles upon a clipboard. Picking it up, James catches six words.
Project Indigo.
Experiment - Fail.
Subject- Terminate.
James sees a couple more lines before he grabbed the papers on the clipboard and folded them before shoving them in his wetsuit. He then leaned down and tried to get the little girl's attention.
"Hey shhh. Sweetie. Hey Sweetie Look at me!" he pleaded, ;getting the girl's attention.
The girl looked up at him in fear and started crying again.
"Hey shhh shhh. It's okay. I'm going to get you out of here, do you understand."
The girl quieted and looked at him, curiously.
"I'm not going to hurt you, I promise. Now scoot back to the very back. I'm going to break this window."
The girl didn't seem to understand, but scooted back when he motioned for her to do so.
James frantically looked for something to break the glass with but there was nothing in the room. He then remembered the dive knife Francis had given him. James tried it against the glass, breaking off the tip of the flimsy blade. The knife was done. Focusing himself and taking a deep breath, James looked at his hand. He'd left a sizable dent in a cement wall and broken a door handle with his bare hands. He sure as hell could break a window.
James took a few steps back from the window and angled his body accordingly. This was so going to hurt.
Before he could talk himself out of it, James charged, jumping at the last seconding and putting all his weight into his shoulder as it made contact with the glass. It shattered, and James switched him momentum into a roll, landing in a glorified heap. He had small shards of glass embedded in his cheek and forearms, but James shook it off.
The girl looked up at him from were she sat against the wall, thankfully unscathed.
"You okay sweetie?" James asked.
The girl nodded.
"Let's get out of here then," James suggested opening his arms to the girl.
Tentatively, the girl stepped into his embrace and let James pick her up. She was so thin.
James pushed the thought to the back of his head and made his way out of the bunker. He finds a small pathway to the side of the cave that leads to a sandy alcove. There Francis is waiting with the boat.
"I thought you were going to just investigate, not kidnap it," Francis whisper-yelled at James when he and the girl made it aboard.
"I couldn't just leave her!" James protested, placing the now sleeping little girl on a pile of life jackets.
"Yes, you could've!" Francis protested.
"No!" James snapped, yanking the papers out of his wet suit. He shoved the slightly damp papers at his best friends face.
James sank down on the boat next to the girl as Francis straightened out the paper so that he could read them.
"Don't you see? I couldn't leave her there, Francis," James whispered, his posture slouching in defeat.
Francis was suddenly very interested in the papers as he scanned down the stats page. His eyes catching on her parentage. No. It's couldn't be.
"She's… God Francis," James muttered, almost sobbing. "She's my sister."