Chapter 5 – Grand Escape
A/N: Hey everyone. Another big chapter. The moment we all been waiting for. Heads up as things get pretty intense in this one, so be ready for pain and feels.
Enjoy!
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Moving around the attic, Sam snatched up whatever necessities he could find and stuffed them in his bag.
"I'm all set and ready for anything!"
Glancing over, he saw Finn with his own backpack, wearing a yellow raincoat.
He sighed, knowing there was no avoiding it. "Finn, I'm sorry. I can't take you with me."
The boy's face fell. "What? We agreed that we will fly away together back then, didn't we?"
Sam placed a hand on Finn's head. "I do want to bring you with me, but I can't take you from your parents. I can't hurt them like that. You know what they will say if they learned about your plan."
"But we will come back!"
He shook his head. "I don't know when it will be safe to come back. I'm not welcomed here. It might take months for things to calm down."
Finn stared at the floor. "So…this is goodbye?"
It broke his heart to see the downcast look on the child's face and he hugged him tightly. "I'm really sorry," he murmured. "Thank you though, for everything you gave an old guy like me. I couldn't have found a better friend."
"I don't want you to go, grandpa..."
Something inside him crumbled at that and his eyes misted over. He forced a smile for the child's sake and his own. "Hey, none of that. Who said this is gonna be forever? You might see me again sooner than you think."
He didn't know what would happen once he put on that crown, and it hurt to lie like that, but it was worth it just to see the boy wipe away his tears and smile back.
"You better!"
Swallowing the lump in his throat, he stepped back and carefully opened the window. He reached for the crown and gripped it as if it was a wild thing that would lash out if he let it. The red gems glittered alluringly. He looked back at the worried boy once more. "Thank your parents for me, okay?"
Finn nodded weakly.
No turning back now. Taking a deep breath, he put on the crown and the world exploded with blue light.
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Martin pulled at the curtain just enough to see a glimpse of the Seeker still watching their front yard. He reached for the kettle when it beeped and poured the steaming beverage into the mug before heading back to the table where his wife was.
"Here, Min."
"Thanks," she mumbled without raising her head.
"Come on, it's all gonna work out…somehow."
Usually, avoiding arrest came easily for him, but getting someone else out of trouble was new territory.
"I just feel so stuck. What am I going to do when the Seekers take Sam tomorrow? What will I tell Finn if they decided to keep him there?"
"We could, you know, bust him out or something?"
"I'm afraid that will get us into bigger trouble."
He shrugged. "Well, Gross is all talk. I highly doubt she's gonna do anything to him."
"It's Dr. Gross, but I suppose you have a point."
Suddenly, all the lights in the house flickered and the air grew cold. They saw each other's breaths. "What's going on?"
"Finn. Where's Finn?" His wife darted upstairs, and he rushed behind her. He made it to the attic just as frost coated the ladder. He stared in stunned silence. "What the-"
Sam stood in front of the window with the crown on his head and his beard growing longer. The snowy wind spiraled around him and whipped them in the face, biting into their skin.
Finn turned to them. "Mom! Dad!"
His wife pulled the boy back just as the old man rose to the air weightlessly and flew out of their window.
Martin's jaw fell. "What…was that?!"
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Kara watched the Mertens' house as she patrolled the street. Dr. Gross assigned her to make sure the mutant stayed right where they wanted him, but something still didn't sit right with her.
"You okay?" another Seeker asked.
"Oh, yeah. I'm fine. It's just…" she bit her lip. "This mutant has been around here for weeks now. Shouldn't he have tried something by now? I mean, Dr. Campbell and her family have been living with him all this time, and they seem perfectly unharmed."
That didn't fit in with the vicious, mindless creatures the stories told them about.
"Probably just a trick to get us to lower our guard." He shrugged. "You know how mutants are."
She didn't, as she never actually met one until now, but Dr. Gross considered her one of her best students and she wouldn't let her down. She nodded at him and blinked when something white drifted across her vision.
"Wait, it's snowing?" The air went ice-cold in a split second and they hugged themselves. "But it's almost summer!"
"Look!" Her companion pointed at the window. The blue-skinned man glided out of it, flying with his beard. "What the heck is that?"
"Stop him!" Kara snapped out of her shock and sprang into action, alerting the Seekers in the area through her watch. All of them came rushing over, taking on a fighting stance.
The old man snarled. With a single wave of his hand, he commanded a gust of chilling wind to blast them off the sidewalk.
"He's heading to the city!"
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Sam fought the mist in his mind as he flew over the houses. Go to the sea, go to the sea! The mantra became the only thing keeping him from getting distracted by the whispering snow around him. His fingers ached. The magic begged to be released and consume the world.
A Seeker jumped onto a car and lept for him, causing him to spiral out of the way and knock him back with another gust. He almost hit a tree and chose to fly higher where he was out of reach.
The city and its shimmering lights beckoned him. He levitated past its buildings and flashing signs, watching his snow fall and cover the streets. The more he used his magic, the louder the call of ice got. He needed to get away. Now.
The ocean came into view. Despite his frenzied giddiness, his chest tightened with crushing grief, and blurry faces he couldn't name came to the front of his thoughts.
It was in that moment of distraction that something burst out of the sea. A pair of glowing eyes stared back at him. The metal giant emerged from the waves. It swung its arm, and he barely managed to evade it, but the force behind the strike was enough to cause him to roll through the air.
The iron goliath reached out again, and rage coursed through him. "Still want me? Let's see how you like this!" He froze its hand into a chunk of ice, watching it fall into the water, but he wasn't done yet. Summoning a massive ice spike, he launched it with all his strength, spearing the giant's head, and shutting the lights in its eyes. He watched it sink into the ocean while cries came from the shores.
The victory left him cackling madly. This felt great, felt familiar. Why did he hesitate so much in reclaiming this power?
Just before he could plan his next course of action, something slammed into him, and bolts of heat coursed through his body. All he saw through his darkening vision was a glimpse of the waves before he crashed into them.
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"So, you're saying it's the crown that makes him fly?" Minerva said, her eyes locked on the road while trying to make sense of this.
"Yeah!" Finn said in the backseat.
Her husband chuckled. "See? I told you something was up with that crown!"
"Now is not the time, Marty!" she said, sneaking a glance at the sky every now and then to make sure not to lose sight of Sam. She cried out when she almost hit another car. "All the Seekers on the island are after him. We need to be there to make sure he doesn't get himself hurt!"
"You mean you don't think he can get away?" Finn said, frowning.
"I mean, the guardian was designed to prevent anyone from invading or leaving the island. He will surely stop him. Then we can all sit down and talk through this rationally."
Yet the world didn't hesitate in proving her wrong as she stood on that shore with her family, and everyone else drawn to the commotion, to witness the island's guardian sink into the depths of the sea.
Her legs became numb, and her head felt light. Her husband went pale, falling on his backside. She watched the Seekers fire at the flying man and he plummeted into the sea. They carried him away to the Seeker headquarters. She only had enough sense to keep her son at her side who cried about freeing him.
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"I don't believe it. How could this happen?" Dr. Gross had been pacing since Minerva came into her office.
It had been an hour or two since the incident. Maybe. Minerva lost track of time. Too much happened in one night and there were only so many earth-shattering incidents she could handle. She found herself asking. "What's going to happen to, uh, Sam?"
"What I should have done since he was found in that bunker. Lock him up and strap him to one of my lab tables!" Dr. Gross said with lines of stress and outrage she had never seen before on her face.
She bit her lip. "Isn't that a bit too extreme?"
"Our guardian, the one the Founders have built to protect us, is at the bottom of the ocean, Dr. Campbell! We are completely defenceless right now! Meanwhile, several Hiders took advantage of this and have been caught fleeing the island. It's chaos, and it's all because of that wretched mutant!" She tried calming her breathing. "Who could've thought having just one appear here would ruin everything? Imagine an army of them."
"But if it's the crown that made him that way, shouldn't we just dispose of it? Maybe he didn't have control over his actions."
Dr. Gross stopped and raised a brow at her. "I'm sensing much reluctance from you, Dr. Campbell. Don't you want the culprit to be punished for his deed?"
Lowering her head, Minerva sighed. Part of her wanted to be angry, to resent Sam for endangering her family and costing the island its greatest line of defense against the mutagenic apocalypse. Everything in her told her to fear him for the terrible power he demonstrated. Yet, every time she thought of the shy old man who offered to help with the chores, grew excited whenever he had something to share about a book he just finished, and apologized frequently over the smallest of mistakes, her contempt would fade away. "I'm merely suggesting that we reconsider how we deal with the crisis. Any methods that aren't so…harmful."
The educator stared at her for a moment and shook her head. "Well, this is a shame."
"Huh?"
"You and your family have been around that mutant for too long. He clearly messed with your heads."
"What are you talking about?"
The educator leaned forward with a glare. "Out of everyone, you used to value people's safety and respect the wishes of the Founders the most. Now you worry about the wellbeing of the same creature that destroyed their greatest creation and put us all in jeopardy?" she said gravely, and Minerva felt the truth in that. "So disappointing. I'm afraid you three should be re-educated as soon as possible and then be left under constant surveillance."
"Y-you can't be serious. I was just-"
"This meeting's done." Dr. Gross smiled chipperly and pressed a button on her watch. Two Seekers showed up at the door. "Please escort Dr. Campbell to the Re-Education center. Bring along Martin and Finn Mertens, as well."
"Hold on, can't we talk this over?"
"Sorry, Dr. Campbell," the two Seekers said dejectedly and led her away. "Don't worry. Just let us help you."
She felt anything but reassured. This couldn't be happening. She wanted to get away and find her family before they did but knew resisting would make things worse. Letting them take her through the corridor, a Seeker suddenly cried out.
"My eyes!"
Another bright flash and the second one covered his eyes, too. "I can't see!"
"Come on, Min!" Martin darted from around a corner and grabbed her by the hand, some gadget adorned with a white orb in his hand.
"Wait, stop!" The blinded Seeker tried punching him only to hit his partner instead.
"Marty, what are you doing?" she said as they ran down the staircase.
"Just returning an old favour." He grinned and winked at her. Eyes wide in understanding, her face softened.
"Thank you but running away isn't going to fix anything."
"Usually works for me." He shrugged. "Forget that. Never thought I would see you get arrested by the Seekers. What did you do to tick them off?"
She flinched. "I got us all into trouble."
"What?"
She told him as they raced out of the building about the educator's plans for Sam and them.
Martin blew a breath. "Jeez, that lady's a psycho."
"I don't know what to do. I thought I could reason with them, but that just turned them against me."
"Well, of course. Gramps is probably, like, the island's enemy number one right now. I mean, he literally destroyed the guardian in front of a whole crowd. I can't imagine a bigger crime than that."
They made it to the parking lot and slipped into the car.
While she put on her seatbelt, he glanced to the backseat. "Sorry to keep you waiting, champ. Just had to fight our way through…oh boy."
"What's wrong?"
"He's gone."
Whirling around, she found the backseat empty with only the child's backpack there. Her body went slack.
"Where could he have gone? I told him I will be gone for a second to check on ya!"
A chill that wasn't her own invaded her body. "Wait, it's getting cold again…"
They glanced at the building they just escaped where the lights flickered.
"Oh no…"
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The labyrinth of mirrors stretched on forever. Sam couldn't tell if time was passing from the deep red sky and moon. All he was sure of was that had been here, once before. Rubbing his temples, he sat against a wall and contemplated his situation. His mind was fuzzy, and he couldn't fight the fog that possessed it.
How do I get out of here? I want to go home. A bittersweet feeling crept up on him at the thought of home. He wasn't sure if he ever had one but thinking so felt right.
He pressed his hand against the smooth surface of a mirror and traced it, blinking when he caught movement in it. Standing up, he wiped the sheen of frost off to see another him pacing a dark, messy room. There were books and empty food cans scattered everywhere. A haunted and frazzled look marred the face of his other-self.
It came to his attention that the frost was creeping back, claiming the scene once more. The bunker. That must have been it. His body shuddered at the uncanniness that came from seeing that place.
Was that a memory, then? He went over several mirrors, watching his past self pull himself wearily around the empty room, occasionally eating and writing stuff down. Before he could dwell on the scenes for too long though, the frost would conceal them again.
Something changed in the next memory. When he wiped the white sheen off, he gasped as his past self went around wrecking the room and scattering notes everywhere, muttering things he couldn't hear. He reached for the crown, eyed it with guilty and pained eyes before putting it on, and icy mist shrouded his body.
"I'm so sorry, Marcy…"
Sam took a step back from the memory, feeling his heart drop. Marcy. For the first time, he had a name from his past, and he held onto it with every shred of his being, for the fear of it fading away.
It hurt to think he condemned himself to a thousand years of isolation underground, but he still wished to know more. What made him hide there in the first place. He wanted to believe the old war was the cause, but something nagged at him at the thought.
It became clear though. This labyrinth was in his mind, and these were his memories. The invasive frost was what clouded them. Maybe if he found a way to get rid of it, he would remember everything. He made his way farther in, tracing his hand over the cold glass and traversing through the endless corridors.
"Grandpa…"
He blinked.
"Grandpa!"
The voice was familiar, coming from the opposite direction. He glanced back and forth, torn. He wasn't given much of a choice when the labyrinth faded, and he found himself staring at a bright light.
"Urgh!" He couldn't shield his eyes so he screwed them shut. In fact, he couldn't move his arms or legs. Glancing around at the advanced equipment, he came to the distressing conclusion that he was in a lab of sorts, strapped to a table with only his pants on.
"Are you okay?"
He looked over at the concerned face of the blonde child. He forced himself to remember the name. "Finn?"
"We gotta get you out of here!" The boy pulled at the straps, huffing.
"How did you get in here?"
"I thought of something dad would do, and sneaked in. I was so scared they were going to hurt you."
Sam gulped. He wasn't sure who this 'they' was yet, but he didn't wish to find out.
"How do I get these off?!" Finn groaned, shaking his sore hands. Sam took note of the table on his left where several shiny scalpels were meticulously placed. "Use one of these tools. Hurry!" He said, hoping beyond reason that the child wouldn't make the connection and realize what those were for.
"Okay!" The boy went over, carefully grabbed a scalpel with a grimace, and cut the straps.
Once free, Sam rubbed his wrists, sighing. "Let's get out of here. We need to find your parents."
"They're probably outside-"
The door creaked open. Dr. Gross stared at them in disbelief. "Well, this is quite the surprise."
"Let us go!" Finn jumped between them again. "I won't let you hurt my grandpa!"
"Grandpa?" she raised a brow and rubbed her temples. "Yup, something needs to be done about this. Come on, now." She grabbed the boy by the hand.
"Leave him alone. He's just a kid!" Sam said and saw the crown inside a glass container with several wires attached to it. While the boy struggled against her, he retrieved it and looked at them. "Finn, knock it off my head once we're safe!" He put it on, and the temperature dropped. Lights flickered. Wind and snow whipped around the lab, knocking beakers and chairs.
"No, stop!" She cried out. Finn freed himself from her grip just in time as Sam's hands sparked with magic and he froze her in place. Feeling his thoughts blurring together, he took him into his arms and went for the nearest window. He lept and heard the boy scream, but he held onto him and floated down to safety.
The child pulled the crown off his head and the fuzzy shapes vanished from his vision.
"Finn!" He glanced over to see the couple coming over to hug their son. "What happened?"
"Sam froze Dr. Gross!" the boy chirped.
"He what?!"
"She grabbed Finn. I had to do something!" He quickly said.
"Well, we were already in deep waters, anyway," Martin said, and Minerva sighed.
"Why do you still have that? Throw it away!" The doctor made a grab for the crown, but Sam pulled away.
"No, I need it to protect us."
"You don't-"
"Guys!" Martin raised his arms. "We really gotta go. Those Seekers won't stay blinded for long!"
They rushed to the car just as angry shouts sounded their way.
"You might wanna speed up, Min!" her husband called out, panicking.
Sam glanced back to see Seekers coming after them. He stammered. "How are they running so fast?"
"Dr. Gross enhanced the Seekers' bodies with mods. They're stronger and faster than any regular humans!" Minerva said tensely.
"Great. Just great!" Martin said, gripping his seat. "Where are we going exactly?"
"I don't know. We certainly can't hide in our home! That's the first place they will expect."
Sam bit his lip. "I'll hold them off. They're after me, so-"
"Too late, gramps," Martin said. "We're on their list now, too!"
"What? Why?"
"Now's not the time!" Minerva took a sharp turn. Sam gasped when the car suddenly swerved and held onto Finn and his seatbelt. The moment the car stopped moving, they stumbled out, dazed and breathless.
"What happened?" Finn murmured, clinging onto Sam's arm.
Minerva grunted as she checked the tires. "A dart."
"They wanna get us that badly?" Martin groaned and looked around. "This way. Hurry up!"
"Where are you taking us?" the doctor said as they ran to the beach. Amongst some trees and thicket, they found him untying a raft. She stared. "Martin, why do you have a boat?"
"For emergencies like this!" he said and pushed it into the water. "Hop on!"
Sam scrambled with the family onto the boat. As they drifted farther from the shoreline, the Seekers arrived, with one of them riding a floating drone of some kind.
Martin stuttered, leaning back. "I didn't count for that!"
Realizing they had no choice, Sam put on the crown one more time and sent a blast of magic. It exploded in front of the Seeker into an iceberg and knocked the water back.
They scream as their boat was carried by the current and the boy pulled the crown off him again. They then sat in silence, catching their breath. The salty air filled their lungs while the sea reflected the starry sky.
That final demonstration of his magic should keep the Seekers from coming after them for a while. We finally did it. We escaped!
They watched the Founder's Island drift farther from sight.
"There's no way we can go back after that. We're runaways now. Our house, our stuff, it's all lost," Martin said, his voice sounding small for the first time since Sam met him.
The relief of their escape faded, and it vanished entirely when he found himself the target of the father's glare.
"You couldn't just fly away from here. You simply had to destroy the guardian, didn't you?"
He flinched. "I had no control over myself at the time-"
"And now we're banned from the safest place on the planet, drifting in the middle of the ocean, and with nowhere to go!"
With the reality settling in, he turned and hugged his knees. He was right. Sam was the one who got them here, and guilt consumed him. "I...I guess it would've been better if you guys never found the bunker."
Minerva gasped. "Hey, now. There's no need for that…"
"You guys took me in and cared for me, and I messed it up all for you," he murmured, chest aching and tears welling up in his eyes. "I know you're probably tired of me saying this, and I don't blame you, but…I'm really, really sorry. For everything."
Silence stretched on the boat. Finn then spoke quietly.
"If those guys weren't mean jerks to you, you wouldn't have had to fly away or fight the guardian at all. We all would've been fine."
There was truth in that, but it hardly changed what happened.
"I just want to sleep," Martin groaned, dragging his hands over his face. "Longest night of my life." He turned the other way to lay down. Minerva tiredly patted his shoulder.
"I-I'll keep an eye out. I've gotten some rest at the center," Sam said awkwardly. Sensing no protests, he turned his sights to the endless sea and blinked when he felt something being draped over him. He picked at the doctor's coat before turning to her in surprise.
"You need something on you. It's cold out here."
"The cold's no trouble for me."
She shook her head. "You still need to wear something. I don't really need it right now." She went over to rest with her husband and son.
He tugged on the coat and focused on the sound of the waves in the distance. They really were in the middle of nowhere. He couldn't imagine how much the world must have changed over these hundreds of years. What would they find out there? Was it as bad as what the people on the island said?
A sudden movement behind him snapped him out of his reverie. The small form leaned against his side.
"You should be asleep. It's way past your bedtime," he said, keeping his voice low for the sleeping couple.
"Can't." Finn yawned despite that. "I've always wanted to leave the island before, but that was…"
"A mess? I know." He chuckled humorlessly. "It was a lot spectacular when I imagined it in my hand."
The boy hummed. "I'm not mad, you know. You didn't mean for any of that to happen."
He sighed and smiled. "I appreciate it. And have no worry. I may not know what might be out there, but I'll make sure you guys will be okay. I can protect you now."
Smiling weakly, Finn hugged him. "Night, Grandpa."
"Night, kiddo."
The boy crawled back to sleep with his parents and Sam returned to keeping an eye out for any trouble. The moon lit the ocean waves with a sliver glow, and he tugged further on the coat. I'll find you a new home. I promise.
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A/N: Thanks for reading. I know there are other stories of Finn leaving the island and finding Ooo, but I wanted to explore the idea of him escaping with his family. There might be two or three more chapters before the conclusion. I'm excited about it!