Okay, sorry this took so long! I wasn't sure if I was going to change Buddies fight scene, maybe add a little more darkness but in the end, I decided against it. Thanks to Lunawolfmoon for the point out about the super-suits. Hope you enjoy this slightly altered chapter. (Chapter 5 should be up soon.)
(Buddy's POV)
I knew they had followed me out the door without even looking back. Spending nine years in a maximum security prison taught a person to watch their backs. Things tend to go bump in the night and one would end up hanging from the ceiling if they weren't careful.
I turn, assessing the situation. Not an ounce of shock in my eyes as I watched the four of them step out into the alley.
"Gentlemen, I've had a long evening and while the thought of kicking your asses sounds appealing I did just get my life back, so I'd rather not go to jail for killing you." I smile, watching the one on the end falter just the slightest. He'd be the first one I'd take down.
"You think you can come in here, destroy our city, kill a bunch of good people and not pay for it?" The largest one sneers. I snort.
"Um, yeah. I think that's exactly what I did. Only I wouldn't call nine years in prison 'not paying for it' " I snap back.
I sighed, watching the four of them step forwards. I really meant what I said. Getting into a fight didn't bother me but after putting on that little show inside the club I wasn't to keen on pushing Mr. Smith's patience any further. On the same hand if these asshole's thought they could come out here starting trouble and not get their asses handed to them then these jerks were in for a very rude awakening...
(Violet's POV)
Violet stopped, sliding to the edge of the building with such momentum it almost sent her off the edge. She feels the shield toss up in front of her, stopping her would be embarrassing tumble to the ground and holds her there.
Looking down at the fight Violet was surprised to see it's outcome. Even outnumbered, four to one buddy was easily holding his own in this fight. She watches him throw another left hook. Taking down the male in front of him and stands there, ready to intervene if Buddies sudden luck ran out. But as the seconds turn to minutes Violet finds herself Violet leaning against her shield, hipped popped out as she chuckles, watching yet another guy go down again. It was like that game at a carnival, the animals jumped out of their holes and the player, in this case, Buddy happily whacking them down with a large padded hammer.
Another thing that seemed to pull Violet's interests was the way that buddy fought. His moves and hits were precise, practical and clearly learned with extreme care and dedication. Something you wouldn't expect from a man how spent the last nine years locked in a 6 by 8-foot cell. The other man had no such luck, seeming to blindly throw punches and charge at buddy, battle cries on their lips before they went down again. LEft punch, duck, right punch, uppercut. Violet, just like Buddy could see every move before it happened, the latter acting out each of violet's thoughts and sooner than she thought, only one remained.
The male ducks, clearly having more experience under his belt, swinging at buddy. Buddy backs up, countering with his fist as the other steps back. They exchange a few blows, each one countering the other but like any fight, the odds must tip in one direction and Buddy found himself with the upper hand as his opponent stumbles back, throwing his punch a little too forwards and buddy is just as quick to counter.
Since he has no arm his leg goes out instead, swiping his feet out of under the man and she had to cringe slightly when his head hits the large metal garbage bin. Shutting both eyes as buddies hand follows after, slamming his head down again on the rebound before standing there, panting like a madman.
The way he fought was feral, lethal and it spoke to her on a deeper level. His movements where precise, his strength animalistic, he fought just like jack-jack did. Completely devoid of any human emotions, it sent a shiver down her spine. It showed her the monster still lurking under the pain... a monster my father had created.
Violet was going to leave the fight, it was over anyway. Four men were on the ground and Buddy, after seeming to get his blood fill tonight looked content in leaving them to nurse their wounds. That should have been it, she should have walked away but as her eyes flickered to the fourth male she stopped. Her mind to be exact and while every fiber in her body said to leave him to his fate her hand moved.
It happened in slow motion, the gun came into view. The safety already off and his finger on the trigger. It was like she could hear each click, each mechanism of the gun move as the bar slides back. A slow bang as the gunpowder ignites and pushes the bullet down the chamber. Violet wasn't really sure what she was doing, she's deflected bullets and missals before but they were always around herself and not as such close range. Where could the bullet go? Anyway, it went the possibility of it hitting someone grew. Back it would hit the man that fired, forwards it would hit buddy and a club full of people or the apartment building wasn't an option. So when she felt the bullet hit her shield she did the only thing she could think of, throwing another wall up behind it.
Buddy looks up, staring the bullet levitating in front of his face and slowly lowers his hand. The other four men stop, looking at the bullet in shock. Violet's heart was pounding in her chest. The bullet was way too close for comfort. Just thinking about the whole situation made her blood boil, her eyes narrowing on the now tilting weapon, its user clearly confused about the whole thing.
"If you know what's good for you-you'll leave," I state, drawing their attention up to me. My other hand flicks up, a small sphere grabbing the gun from his hand and for a show of power, I squeeze my fist tightly, watching in satisfaction as the firm metal squishes like playdough before dropping to the ground. The smile only grows as clear fear slides across the males faces "Now."
I look at the men running and force a shield under my feet, floating to the ground. The floating bullet hits the ground at the same time as my feet do, causing Buddy to look at it, then me, now donning my super-suit.
"Buddy Pine." I state, forcing myself to straighten out and look mature as possible under the piercing gaze of the older male "A man in your position shouldn't go around making threats. You just got your life back, I wouldn't go throwing it away just now." His face darkens, that darkness coming back once more as he takes me in.
"Violet Parr." Buddy smiles
"It's Miss Disappear." I snap back, the force behind my words as a warning to him.
Buddy knew about our identities. That wasn't surprising. He knew about my dad and then mom as she went to help him on the island and then us after we got caught. Looking up our names weren't that hard. The government wasn't happy about that, having such a powerful villain, even an Ex one, who knew that much and wanted to erase his memories but the thoughts were so intertwined with the bad that you couldn't erase a part without losing it all and you couldn't hang a man that didn't remember his crimes. Buddy lifts up his hand in a sign of surrender and I sigh, forcing my anger to leave and pull out my compact.
Clicking the center twice I'm once again bathed in light and find myself in my first costume. A small smile on my face as he watches the machine with obvious envy. While Syndrome was massively intelligent he could never catch up to Edna no matter how hard he tried. A fact the small woman would never let him live down and took every opportunity to rub his nose in it, in and out of the courtroom.
Most would wonder why the hell I was revealing myself to a world-renowned villain, even an ex one but looking at him, bleeding and injured on the ground, I knew he wasn't a threat. He'd seen me enough times in the courtroom as Miss Invisible and to be honest the little mask dad insisted we wore didn't help against someone who knew as much as he has. Plus one of the conditions for his freedom was a vow of silence, even a whisper meant instant death, but what difference did one little vow make. Buddy already knew my face, but this time it was different. This time it was personal and for the first time in forever, I was wishing the mask was back the moment it was gone.
To stand before him, bare, showing him Violet Parr. The woman with as many insecurities as everyone else, the girl with flaws was proving to him that we were equals. But we weren't equal. He was him and I was me, and standing before him now was the same as exposing myself to a monster. I almost found myself frightened at his smile.
Almost.
"You grew up," he grins, eyeing me up like every man before him and suddenly I didn't like wearing this costume. Yet his look wasn't entirely lust, it was also curious like he too was wondering who the heroes where under the mask and like a fan was taking in every inch of my face that was exposed to him in this rare moment.
"You got old." I shoot back, trying and failing to stand my ground. I guess Violet really wasn't as confident as Miss Disappear and bite my lip as he stands up, the cocky smile only broken with a wince as his stomach stretches.
"Well nine years of prison tends to do that to a person," he groans and watches as I open my clutch
"Here," I whisper, pulling out a small cloth from my clutch. My original reason for changing back in front of him and hold the cloth against his nose.
The male flinches, out of pain or surprise I wasn't sure but sat still as I moved it again, holding it with a slight pinch. Unlike my father, I didn't hate Buddy with blind rage. My father had grown up and worked with many people Buddy had murdered, many good heroes. I was born after the 'dark ages' and hadn't had the opportunity to bond with my fellow heroes as I had now. while I still hated Buddy for sacrificing so many lives, as like my mother I was a firm believer in pro-life and that everyone no matter how old was someone's child, brother, sister, family or friend but seeing the man in the courtroom. The broken man in the courtroom, face broken and eyes lowered as he heard the numbers, the true destruction of his 'revenge' showed me that Buddy wasn't as bad as my father tried to paint him as. Buddy pine was a murderer yes, but not a monster... just a broken child in the body of a lost man. I for one also knew how hard it was to get my father's attention and I was his daughter, no wonder Buddy went to such lengths to snare him in.
His eyes narrowed on me for a moment, clearly not understanding what was happening. Truthfully I didn't either, but looking in his baby blue eyes was oddly calming.
"Why would you help me?" he asks, showing bloody teeth for a brief second before the cloth and his lips cover them again.
"I may be my father's daughter but I'm not my father." I state "I am also a hero, and what use is a hero if I can't believe that one day I might be able to help my enemies." I place my hand on his head and gently pull it forwards to let the blood go in the cloth not down his throat "Plus I have two younger brothers, one you should know well as you did try to steal him..." I have to physically force myself to drop the annoyed tone after a brief pause "So dealing with blood after fights is pretty normal for me. And, you helped my friend, so I guess this makes us even."
I wasn't sure if it was the story, or the fact that he was standing before me, a bleeding mess but as his hand lifts, taking the cloth for me our hand's touch for a moment before we're standing. The warmth of his fingers buried into my skin. Much to my surprise as normally, I would have to force my shield's down to feel someone. I paused, looking at my hand oddly then to Buddy.
"Um," Buddy whispers, casting an air of awkwardness that you could only imagine seeing in a movie, yet standing here I was forced to acknowledge it was real. Like me, Buddies confidence vanishes, faster than I thought possible and my stomach sinks as I realize, given the present situation and my last words what he might do next.
While his next actions were long overdue I had to fight the urge not to slam my hands over his mouth. Forcing my body to stand still as Buddy tries to... find, his... humanity?
The thought sent a shiver through her spine.
"I'm not sure if it means much to you now but... I'm sorry, for everything I put your family through. Including trying to kidnap your little brother..." Like he was annoyed of his sudden shyness he stands up, forcing his shoulders out and looks me in the eyes "I had a lot of, anger issues and problems that I executed in the worst way humanly possible. And I'm man enough to admit that was wrong. I'm sorry."
Violet pauses, looking at the side of the building for a brief moment. What did you say to that? This was weird. This was awkward. This was more awkward than her three years pining over Tony and a part of her wanted nothing more than to vanish from his sight.
"Violet?" Chrissy's amused voice yells as the side door burst open. Her head slowly looking side to side "Violet!" she cries out a second time, this time in relief as her hand's waves to her "What the hell are you doing in an alleyway all alone?" she chuckles
"I'm not alone-" Violet starts to say, pointing at the male in front of her. Only, he wasn't in front of her. Violet had turned as Chrissy stumbles up beside her, watching Buddy's frame leave the alleyway, a slight limp in his step. Clearly, the male thought it was best not to cause more issues for her and had left before things become awkward "Buddy," Violet calls out, causing the male to look at her, trying to stay in place as the blonde pulled her towards the club once more. His face was void of emotion, stopping only when Violet smiles "I forgive you..."
Buddy turns around, leaving the alley without another word but not before Violet caught his reflection in the club window and the tears clearly streaming down his face.
"AAAAHHHH!" I scream, tossing another force-field and watched as the flying sphere explodes its target in a thousand pieces.
"Woah!" a female voice chuckles, looking at me with a smile "What's gotten you in such a mood?"
I turn and see Zarah standing behind me, a small hand on her hip as she looks around the room. The floor was littered with broken pieces of bots.
"Glimmer."
"Oh please, call me Zarah." she sighs, waving off the titles "We're all heroes in here."
I nod once, curtly and turn back to the board, looking at the large screen at the end of the room. Out of one hundred bots over half of them were red, showing everyone how many I had destroyed and how many were yet to come.
"Can I join you?" Zarah asks again, slowly walking up to stand beside me.
"Zarah, I'm really just working through some things right now." I pant gently, trying to shake off this sudden anger that had glued itself to my body.
After my meeting with Buddy, I had gotten Christina home, safely tucked into bed and slipped out the window. Keying myself into the Command tower and B-lined it for the training room. I wanted to bash something and I didn't trust myself with another human. I had always painted a perfect picture of the world. Stupidly, like some ignorant child. Heroes were good and Villains were bad. That was the foundation I'd built myself on. That's the motto I'd put so many behind bars from but standing there in that alleyway and sitting in that courtroom had shaken me to the core. A part of my actually sympathized with Buddy! The monster that had killed so many good people!
It took everything ounce of willpower not to grab my head. It was like to sides of my brain were at war with each other. The angry girl and the forgiving adult. I thought smashing some metal to pieces would do something to dull this rage but here we stood, me panting like some cat in heat and half an army on the floor. I should have said no. I should have turned around, blowing her off like some asshole and continued alone but something inside me burned at her words, something darker.
"Well, then how about a stronger opponent?" She smiles, stepping away from me, her hips swaying back and forth like she was dancing. I can't help but watch as the gold dust seems to come out of nowhere, swirling around her in a slow circle. Moving up and down like it was dancing with her "Rumor has it that your force-fields are the strongest thing around here. Care to test it?"
I felt my eyebrow raise slowly and couldn't deny the small twinge of curiosity that hit me.
We were both panting hard, the sounds of explosions echoed around the air. The destroyed bots were long forgotten about. I clenched my fist, my powers circling around a piece of leg as I hurl it in the direction of my attacker- err, opponent and watch in satisfaction as the gold dust circles around her, protecting her on instinct, her hands staying by her sides. Clara had yet to move, the dust staying by her side as it does most of the fighting for her. It was thick but as I hurled multiple objects at her I didn't miss the small side back step she took as the dust almost missed the last object. It was strong and good with multiple opponents but not with speed. Clara couldn't move all the dust as once, causing a leg of sorts and being pulled in all directions I had a feeling the dust wouldn't be able to keep up.
I shift, turning invisible, watching my super suit phase with me. Clara stops, taking in the empty room and pulls the sand back to her, shielding her in a loose sphere, gaps were still visible but I knew any attack would cause them to close. I waited, quietly walking around the room as I waited for her to make the next move. While I couldn't use my powers I wanted to see if the gold dust could sense me or if it really was her. I dashed forwards, putting a force field around my foot as I kicked it through some of the gold dust. The shield dropped as I rolled, bringing it back again as I threw a punch, slicing through more of the gold dust and smile as I duck. Her head snapped back, watching the dust spray to the left from my punch, spinning again as I kick out her legs, knocking her to the ground. Clara clearly annoyed by this slams her hand onto the ground and I gasp, forcing myself up off the ground as the gold dust spreads to every corner of the room. The room looked like a prettier version of the beach.
I looked at Clara, a small smile on her face. While my force fields were indestructible I could use both it and my invisibility and could only smile as Clara's eyes held mine.
"Smart move," I state "But what are you going to do when I do this?"
I evaporate the field underneath my feet and fall to the gold dust. It was a test of speed, of her reaction time, which seemed to be slightly slower than mine as my hands touched the dust, power pooling from my hands like sound waves, covering all the dust in the room. Now it was my turn to smile as Clara lifts her hands, trying to force her dust off the ground. While her powers were strong we both knew that she wouldn't be able to break my force fields once I set them.
I dive forwards, throwing my hand up and snap it around her neck, digging my fingers into her skin. Not enough to cause lasting damage but enough to scare her. Instantly the push against my force field drops as her fears come through. Her eyes widen, her mouth snapping open as both her hand's wrap around mine, trying to pry it off. I could hear her chocking now, slapping my arm and body as my grip tightened. I could kill her so easily. She was so open. I could force her neck back and up, severing the spinal cord. I could create an orb inside her head and cause her brain to explode out through her nose, ears, and mouth… she would die in seconds. I wonder if this darkness was what he was feeling?
"VIOLET!" a voice screams and I feel a coldness hit my arm, a hard hand gripping mine and I gasp as I'm forced to let go and back.
The first thing I felt was the sting of pain as my shoulders hit the wall behind me. The second thing was cold, a freezing feeling that sunk in through my clothes and my arm. It burned like fire, like liquid acid melting through my flesh. In reality, it was ice. A thick layer of ice that wrapped around my arm. My bare arm.
While Enda was on the side of heroes in reality, she was her side. Making indestructible suits was great but what happened if we turned on each other? Well we got that answer a few months after the ban on heroes was lifted, over half the heroes were hypnotized and almost set loose on the city. If each of them had been wearing 'Edna Mode' super suits we would have been screwed, we almost were. Barely saving the city before all hell broke loose.
After that each suit was fitted with an emergency shut down sequence, forcing us back into our original clothes. It wasn't an easy thing, two shut down keys were simultaneously turned at the watchtower, an activation code that changes every hour and a physical keycard that needed to touch the super-suit. Thankfully we haven't had to use it often, once or twice in fourteen years. Three if you count today.
I was angry, pissed actually, as shutting down a super suit was a last resort and not to be used for something like this but my anger stopped as my eyes fell on the girl on the ground; Clara was coughing badly, struggling to get a single breath in. my eyes went from her to the room. Large chunks of the robots were frozen to the walls, massive indents and claw markers filled in other spots and as my eyes fell on both Sophia and Jack-jack I only realized how beat up both of them were.
While they were confused, enraged and worried Sophia's hair was frozen in a messy ice bun, pieces of it in her face, blood rolled down her split lip. Jack-jacks face was bruised, splatters of oil covering his suit and his other hand on his ribs, if he wasn't in his super-suit, I had no doubt they'd be shattered, Edna's suits couldn't quite stop the full extent of my powers. Both of them were panting hard, bodies on high alert like something would happen again. Something Sophia clearly showed as a deep painful scream ripped from my lips, the flesh under the ice turning blue as I tried to move closer to Clara. The fight, her trusting nature and my hand all coming back to me.
I watched Jack-jack scoop Clara up and I felt myself being shoved back when I tried to move "Stay there Violet." She states darkly, her expression promising to much worse if I fought back. I cringed, feeling my legs give out when the pain in my arm came back, the coldness intensifying enough that it brought me to my knees, clutching her arm. I knew that she wouldn't really hurt me. The ice was reversible, it could fade in seconds and a hot press would fix everything up, the only bad thing was the pain and clearly, Sophia was feeling like a bitch right now.
"Okay! Okay! Just stop!" I cry out, feeling tears running down my face. The pain kept there for three seconds like she was afraid to let me go. Taking in the state of the room I couldn't blame her but despite her fears, it didn't make the pain any worse and when I started to think we wouldn't let me go it decreased, the ice was gone and all I felt was a tingling numbness like the pain was trying to break through the cold. I hissed in pain, clutching onto my forearm fighting the urge to rip my fingers away as the simple touch made it hurt more "Fuck Sophia!"
Sophia just stands there, her face stone cold "Come."
I looked at her, expecting more of an answer but when I looked up she had already turned, walking towards the doors at the end of the room. I clenched my fist, forcing myself to stand on shaking legs and followed after her. I thought we were going to the doctors but she turned left, heading to the elevators instead of heading down the hall. I stood silently as we ascended, wishing the elevator would go faster and followed once again as we walked down the hall. I knew this was sort of silly, after all, Sophia was almost nine years my junior but after what happened I could do little more than this. We walked down the long hallway, passing door after door after door.
Each one labeled with numbers, a small name patch and whatever the owner wanted to put on it. Sophia's room had three small blue flowers on it, two on each side of the name-tag and one beside the number. She slid her wrist over the scanner, her watching blinking once before the door opens with a quiet hiss. Every active superhero had a small room in the building, barely big enough for a small bed, a desk and a chair but I guess for a convenient resting stop after an all-nighter one didn't need much. Much like I'd expect Sophia had a few posters on the walls, current male rock-stars and actors, a few books and about seven hundred pillows. Okay more like seven pillows but for a bed this small it seemed ridiculous, there was hardly enough room to sleep and I knew if she came here more times than not my baby brother would be right behind her.
Sophia points to the bed, not saying a word as she moves to the desk, pulling open the bottom drawer to take out a large medical kit. She places it on top of the desk and opens it, clearly used to patching my brother up. Jack-jack had advanced healing abilities and more often than not came home with injures. While they would heal he needed something to keep the blood from getting everywhere. I noticed with mild amusement that the kit was stalked with more gauze and patches than it should have been. Sophia pulled out two things, ripping open one of the packs with her teeth before cracking the other. She wraps the gauze around the heat pack before placing it on my arm.
I wondered why she had wrapped the pack, as they weren't that hot but I couldn't help but hiss in pain as the mild warmth hits me "When the stinging goes down you can gradually unwrap it layer by layer. The feeling should be gone in about half an hour." I expected her to be angry with me, to yell at me or snap about how careless I was; instead, she simply sits on the bed, placing a pillow in her lap before looking at me "What happened back there? What was going through your head?" she asks in a much gentler tone than I deserved.
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xxxxOneShotGoddessxxxx
