I don't own any of these characters.
Part 7
"Dad. Mom," Will called out to his parents faintly.
Steve Stronghold spared Warren a passing glance as he hurried to Will's side. The Commander quickly used his super strength to pull everything off of his son. Josie and Layla gently pulled Will out from underneath the wreckage.
"Will! Are you okay?" Josie Stronghold worriedly asked her only child as she felt for any broken bones or injuries.
"I'm fine," Will said as he tried to stand up, "It was just a little hard to breathe once I was pinned."
"Will sit back down," his father ordered him, "I'm sure that this little bit of wreckage didn't do anything truly damaging to you, but I want a doctor to look at you anyway."
"I'm fine. Get out of my way," Will ordered his startled father as he limped quickly over to Warren who had huddled up against the wall.
The young teen's eyes were haunted and he rocked gently against the wall. The abuse that stood out on his skin made him look even younger than his nearly sixteen years of age. When Will approached, Warren gasped in fright and scuttled to a nearby corner where he tried to fold himself into as small a ball as possible.
"Warren?" Will said gently to the violently trembling form, "You did it. Boomer was going to kill me and you saved me. You're a hero."
"You were very brave," Layla said coming up to kneel beside her boyfriend, "Its okay now. You have nothing to fear."
"No," Warren whispered as his tear streaked face lifted to look at his friends, "I was going to kill Master Boomer. I'm a monster. Stay away from me."
"You are NOT a monster," Will said as he moved closer to his friend, "You are a pyrokinetic Warren. Fire-powers are hard to control because they react to emotions. You were protecting me and you had years of bottled rage within you that exploded when your powers surfaced. You weren't in your right mind and with the proper training you will have complete control over your emotions and your powers. You will make a great Super Hero."
"But I was going to kill my master," Warren gasped out as tears ran down his face, "I reacted just like my father. I'm evil."
"No you're not," Steve Stronghold said to everybody's surprise, "Baron Battle would have killed Boomer without any regard to what anybody said to him. You heard Will and Layla ask you to stop. You were able to pull back your rage and keep your emotions from getting away from you. That is something your father was never able to do even after being trained his whole life."
"My husband is correct," Josie Stronghold said to the frightened young man, "You showed that not only are you a highly skilled pyrokinetic but you will have the capability with training to use your powers to help others. You jumped in to save my son without knowing that you had your abilities. You are a hero and my husband and I thank you for saving our son."
"I…I'm not evil?" Warren asked timidly as his fear lightened and he began to relax.
"No. You are not evil," Will said as he pulled his friend into a hug.
Warren buried his face against Will's neck and burst into tears. Vaguely he felt Layla's smaller arms wrap around him. The emotional stress from the beating after the placement of his Memory doll, the trip to an early death, and the battle was overwhelming. Warren's whole world had changed in the last 24 hours and he had reached a breaking point. The teen finally let all of his sorrow, pain, and anguish of the last twelve years out.
"Oh, Honey," he heard Mrs. Stronghold say before he was pulled into the first motherly embrace he had felt in twelve years, "Its okay now. Everything is going to be okay now."
Warren cuddled against the kind woman that made him remember the safety of his mother's arms. Josie rocked the young boy while stroking Warren's hair until his tears subsided and he fell into an exhausted sleep. She felt touched by this child's innocent acceptance of her comfort.
"I will not allow anyone else to hurt this boy," she vowed to herself as she locked eyes with her husband in silent communication.
"Is Warren okay?" Will asked worriedly when he noticed that his friend was out like a light.
"I think he's as fine as to be expected judging by his appearance," his father said as he reached down and lifted the limp teen into his arms, "I just think that Warren is overly tired and has reached an emotional breaking point. I want both you and he examined by a doctor immediately."
"What about him?" Will asked sneering in Sonic Boom's direction, "I want him to pay for what he did to the Children of the Vills."
"And he will," Ms. Powers said as she stepped into the room with some of the other UN Super Hero, "We will take him into custody now. There are videocassettes in the other room that date back to the beginning of the Vills system. I have a feeling that Sonic Boom kept the very evidence that will lock him up for a long time."
"Good," Layla said as she helped her limping boyfriend follow his parents from the hanger, "I hope the courts throw the book at him."
"Boomer had plans to kill the Supers as well as the Vills," Will told the UN leader, "He told both Warren and I his plans to take over the world. I'll testify in court."
"You may not have to," a Super said as he walked into the room, "It looks like Sonic Boom was going to tape the killing of your friend and he caught himself on camera. Talk about Candid Camera!"
"Ms. Powers, I will leave this in your capable hands," Steve said with Warren's limp form in his arms, "I have two young men here who need to see a doctor now."
"Dr. Medulla just arrived to check up on the young Vills," Ms. Powers informed the family, "He will be able to examine the two, but first I have to ask you why I am seeing the evidence of pyrokinetic fire in here?"
"It was Warren that stopped Sonic Boom from killing my son," Josie said with pride in her voice, "He was able to somehow get his collar off and used his powers to subdue that horrible man that nearly killed my child. Warren is a true hero."
"I will include that on my report," Ms. Powers said with a smile, "Dr. Medulla is in the courtyard."
O.O
The UN League of Supers took all Vills throughout the world into custody. The UN gave the Vills medical treatment and shelter until the government re-voted on the system. No doubts were left in anyone's mind that the Vills would not be freed from their "enslavement."
Warren and Will were examined and sent to the hospital. Will had broken a couple of ribs and one was a little too close to his lung for anyone's comfort. Warren on the other hand was rushed into surgery for internal bleeding thanks to the beating that Mr. Boomoski had inflicted on the young man. He had survived only because the bleeding had been a trickle instead of full out hemorrhaging. Warren was also receiving treatment for malnutrition and exhaustion. Once both Will and Warren were stabilized, they were placed in the same hospital room to keep one another company. Will was bouncing back fine, but Warren had yet to regain consciousness and it had already been over three days since the whole ordeal.
"Are you sure the doctors said that Warren is okay?" Will asked his mother for the thousands time.
"Yes Will," Josie said patiently as she shifted Warren into a more comfortable position, "Your friend is just tired. Years of mistreatment do not go away overnight."
"Alright, but why can't I get out of bed?" Will whined like a two-year-old.
"Because the doctor has not given you permission," his mother sighed in exasperation.
"But I'm bored," Will declared petulantly.
"Will listen to your mother," Layla chirped happily as she entered the room beside her boyfriend's father.
"I am so glad that you are here," Will beamed out as Layla bounced up beside him on the bed and kissed him lightly on the cheek, "The doctors are being ridiculous. I'm all taped up now and can hardly breathe. I doubt the rib can move that was so close to my lung."
"Doesn't matter," his father informed him, "You will follow the doctor's advice."
"What have you found out Steve?" Josie asked her husband as her son started pouting, "Did you find Warren's mother?"
All eyes turned to a somber Steve Stronghold.
"Yes, and its not good news," Steve said, "Everyone I spoke with said that Warren's mother loved her family more than anything else in the world. She grew ill after she lost her husband and baby son. Six months after Warren was taken from her, she died of pneumonia. The hospital that tried to save her said that they really felt that she died of a broken heart."
"Oh no," Will whispered as he put his arms around a sniffling Layla, "Poor Warren."
"Its okay Master Will," a familiar voice croaked from the other bed.
"Warren!" Josie gasped as she turned to see his sad eyes looking up at her, "Let me get you some water before you try to speak again."
"I think I always knew that my mother was gone," Warren said with a hurt crack in his voice after he was able to wet his dry throat, "She would have looked for me. She loved me so much nothing would have kept her from finding me except death. I…I'm going to miss her."
"Warren, Josie and I have already petitioned the courts and have been granted as your new guardians," Steve Stronghold said to the fragile looking teen, "You don't have to worry about winding up in the hands of someone like Mr. Boomoski ever again."
"Thank you Master and Mistress," Warren said to his friend's parents, "As soon as I am able, I will attend to whatever duties you see fit to give me."
"First of all, Steve and I are not your 'master' or 'mistress.' You may call us Josie or Steve, but if you prefer you may call us Mr. and Mrs. Stronghold," Josie informed the young man, "Second, you will have no duties except to heal and get better. You will be a part of the Stronghold family now with every right and privilege that each of us enjoy."
"B…But I am a Vills," Warren stuttered out with a look of shock on his face.
"You are not a Vills," Will said to his friend, "You are a Super just like everybody else in this room. You and I will share my room. It's going to be great!"
"Only if you can survive 'Hurricane Will,'" Layla joked as she beamed at Warren.
"Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Stronghold," Warren said gratefully as he offered the Strongholds a timid smile.
Will was allowed out of the hospital after a couple of days, but Warren was not allowed out for several weeks. The doctors insisted that the young man should reach the minimum weight for his age group before he would be allowed to go to his new home. In those weeks, the governments throughout the world fully investigated the Vills system. The horrors that Mr. Boomoski had inflicted on the Vills were immeasurable. The Vills system was temporarily disbanded and Mr. Boomoski was sentenced to several lifetime imprisonments without parole on many different charges. The idiot had stored away all the evidence that was able to prove his crimes.
On April 12th the governments throughout the world re-voted on the Vills system. The system was officially disbanded and all Vills were freed. Many former Vills were placed back with their families and the governments set up funds to help support the children. Various UN Supers adopted the other former Vills that had no family to speak of. Counseling services were set up to help the children adapt back into a society that did not treat them as garbage anymore. It would take time, but the former Vills would all fully heal.
O.O
"Your house is beautiful Mrs. Stronghold," a much-improved looking Warren said as his new "family" led him up to the front door.
"Thank you Sweetheart," Josie said as she shared a smile with her husband.
"Just wait until you see our room," Will chattered happily, "Dad got us bunk beds. I'll sleep on the top bunk since I'll just float if I roll off and you can take the bottom. I got you a comforter with flames all over it! I thought you like that. Oh, and…"
"Will! Let him get in the door," Steve said as he laughed at his son's exuberant display.
"I'm sure that I'll love it Master Will," Warren said smiling at his friend.
"Nope! Nope! Wrong name," Will said smiling gently at his friend.
Warren was also seeing a counselor to help him adjust to his new life. The family had been instructed to treat Warren as normally as possible and get him used to being a functioning member of society. Warren still had trouble not calling fellow Supers "Master" or "Mistress."
"Yes. Thank you Will," Warren said sheepishly.
Warren was allowed to explore the house while Mrs. Stronghold put away all of the new clothes that the family had got Warren after they picked him up from the hospital that morning. The poor boy didn't even have any personal possessions let alone proper clothing.
"Come on Warren," Will said eagerly as he yanked on his amused friend, "Let me show you our room before Layla gets here."
"Okay Mast…I mean, okay Will," Warren said as he allowed himself to be pulled upstairs.
Will led Warren to a door that had a sign that read "Warren and Will's Domain."
"Pretty cool, isn't it?" Will chirped as Warren giggled at his friends childishness.
The room was perfectly sized for the two teens and covered in a thick carpet. True to Will's word, there was a large bunk bed covered with soft looking comforter and pillow sets. Warren sat on his bunk as he looked around the room with wide eyes. He had always had something no bigger than his shed to sleep in before.
"This is your dresser over here," Will said as he started pointing things out, "You can have the right side of the closet and as you can see Mom has already put your clothes away for you. Got to love walk in closets, huh? That's the doorway to the bathroom and we will take turns cleaning it. This is your desk over here and we will share the computer once you start going to school. We can also change the posters once you get into anything you like. Oh, and…Warren are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Warren said to his anxious friend, "This is just a little overwhelming. You are all being so kind."
"You are a part of the family now," Will said smiling at his friend before rolling his eyes when a voice hollered from below.
"Will! Warren! Layla is here! Come down and greet your guest!"
"My mom bellows," Will laughed as he led Warren back downstairs, "Hi Layla."
Warren watched as Will bounced up to his girlfriend and tackled her down onto the couch to tickle her. He smiled at their shrieks of laughter. He jumped in surprise when Mrs. Stronghold hugged him from behind.
"So what do you think?" Mrs. Stronghold said as Mr. Stronghold smiled down at Warren from behind her shoulder.
"I think that I'm home," Warren said as his eyes filled with tears of joy, "Thank you."
To be continued…
Review.