Chibiyu: It is finally time to introduce something I mentioned a long while back.

Nick: The Heroes aren't the only ones with a council.

I don't own JONAS.

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"And when it does," Paragon asked, voice suddenly hesitant, "What happened to Nick?"

Joe was about to answer, but was cut off by the enraged voice of his older brother. "They'll kill him."

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"So what now?" the smooth voice was poisoned by the anger in the beauty's eyes. "They have the Normal locked away."

Florice tapped her lips at the comment and she leaned forward in order to stare at Valenteen, who was seated on the same side of the table. "Yes, they have the Normal brat, but not the Four. You saw it vanish just like I did. It's still out there."

"But what if the Normal sent it away?"

It was Tac who answered this question, a look of unease on his face. "That Normal is a cunning one, but the look on his face when the Four left gave it away: he had no idea. While he must have known that the Four couldn't fall into the hands of the Heroes," he added as he leaned back in the office chair. "He never sent it away. That had to have been the Four's own doing."

Neuropath nodded once, his eyes only on Talis. "And with Necrophere still alive, that means the Four must have went back to him."

Talis nodded once, her face sunken from the previous strain. "Talis agrees," she whispered brokenly. "Talis thinks the Normal was only a small part of the bigger plan. The snake only used him. Like Paragon said. Talis agrees with Paragon."

"As do I," Cascadea muttered as she nursed her burned hand against her chest. "That Normal wouldn't hurt a fly - he wouldn't have had the guts to have Florice try to kill Necrophere, to have her and me burned; to fight like he did."

"Do not underestimate his hatred," Lilith whispered, her cold tone not matching her young face. "This Normal is capable of more than you all think. I wouldn't even be surprised if this was a part of his master plan - or if the Four only disappeared in order to put Nicholas's plan back on track."

The Villains stared at the seemingly young woman for a moment, a blank look on all of their faces.

"You've all been thwarted by him," she continued in the same slow and cold draw, "Surely you sensed something different about him when he was your prisoner? I know I did. When I locked him away, even when I had him scared senseless, he still fought me. He still beat me."

Some bowed their heads at this, in shame that such events also happened to them.

"It is a terrible blow to ones pride," Cascadea finally broke the silence, "To be beaten by a single boy who doesn't even have powers. But it is unmistakable - the boy is different than the rest. His mind is unmatched by any I have encountered."

Lilith nodded once. "Why do you think the Four chose him? It had to have been intrigued by the boy, just as we all are. But that is not the main concern."

Miraged nodded once, his fingers racing along the edge of the table. "What do we do about him? The Bane is with him, thankfully for us, but he is locked away. He is the only who can destroy the Four, and the only one in the Heroes territory who doesn't want to."

Lilith shook her head again. "That is not the main concern. Nicholas will play a bigger role in this later on, I am sure, but right now we must forget the boy momentarily."

"And remember the Four?" Florice asked uncaringly, her eyes only on the peeling skin that lined the inside of her fingers. "Remember how it turned against us?"

Cascadea sighed once. "We should have seen that coming. It will protect its master and its master will protect the ones he loved. It was only obvious that it would fight against us. We just were too consumed with greed to see it."

"And there," Lilith whispered sinisterly, "Is the real concern. What are we being too blind to see?"

Neuropath knocked on the table to bring the attention to him. "The Normal had a plan - I overheard him telling his brother. But the plan obviously didn't work because the Normal stayed behind to help his family. He was about to start it, but the Elder stopped him."

"And is that all we know?"

The question stirred the group of Villains, all of them locking eyes with the speaker.

"I did tell you that my nightmare would only affect Heroes, didn't I?" Phantom hinted with a dark chuckle. "It affected Nicholas as well."

"What?!"

The outburst was echoed by all of the ones gathered, shock the dominant emotion.

"I know," Phantom said, the laughter still in his oily tone, "I am just as surprised as you are. It seems that Nicholas is more complex than we realized."

Valenteen shook her head, eyes flashing dangerously, "How can he be a Villain and a Hero?"

Lilith laughed once; the answer just came to her. "Because he is a Normal."

"Explain."

Lilith shot the beauty a dark look before she humored her. "He cannot be pinned to one side because he is able to see the mutiny both Heroes and Villains commit. He sometimes acts as a Hero and others times, he is very much a Villain. He can choose what he does - society doesn't force him to stick to one particular outcome."

"Which is why," Florice breathed as she too caught on, "He can carry both pendants."

Lilith nodded. "Exactly, my dear. We were blind to this. Blind to just how powerful and influential Nicholas could be. He fooled all of us, more than once, without batting an eye."

Tac grumbled at this, arms crossed. "That Normal is a genius."

"But he isn't as smart as he thought he was," a new but familiar voice spoke as the door slowly closed. "He fell right into my trap. The Bane is no longer in the equation. My fellow Villains, we finally have nothing to fear."

"Necrophere," Lilith greeted with a smile. "Just in time."

The masked man chuckled as all eyes were on the ruby around his neck. "Now," he whispered, determination excitedly riding on every syllable, "Nothing can stop us."

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The Hero Council was in absolute chaos as they scrambled around to gather their forces and send warnings. One name was on all of their lips: Necrophere. And their eyes all shifted to one person who has oblivious to the cameras around him: Nicholas.

"If you kill the boy, then so dies our last hope to stop Necrophere!"

That was the sentence that forced the Elder to withdraw his command to gas the chamber in where he had locked away the Normal. But with every glance he threw towards the monitor, the surrounding Heroes would receive a jolt of anxiety from the look of utter hatred in the Elder's eyes. In fact, the glare escalated to such a point at Tom Lucas now stood guard over the panel of buttons that could either release or kill his son.

Another blast was heard from above, one that even shook Nick's cage. The Normal look up in alarm, the Bane's wings fluffed up in what looked like fear as well. Tom Lucas put his hand to the screen, as he wanted nothing more than to free his son, to keep him safe, but he knew that he was in the safest spot he could possibly be in. The Villains never found the power-vacuum, not even when they blew this building up years and years ago.

"Now where is the fun when you all won't come up and play?" Florice called, her vines stronger than they should have been after the strain from just hours ago.

Tom put a shield around the door that blocked son as well as the buttons that could kill him before he turned to the hole which grew in the wall. He watched, in what he hoped to be a fearless stance, as the petite girl stepped through with a vine resting on her shoulder. She smiled at him and flicked her tomato hair from her eyes before she pointed towards the screen.

"I have a message for you all," she laughed out as soon as all the Heroes stopped and stared at her in absolute fright. "Necrophere is very much alive, as I am sure you've figured out."

She paused once to gauge the reactions with faux surprise.

"Oh, you didn't believe Talis before? Silly fools." Florice only sighed as she pushed Tom out of the way and leaned over the computer to stare at the Normal who bested her once. "Not so tough now, are you?" she asked his deaf ear as her fingers lightly danced over her burns. "Beaten by your own people and tricked by the Four. Poor poor Normal brat."

"Where is Necrophere, Florice?" Tom Lucas gathered the courage to ask though his heart still thundered in his chest when the girl turned her mischievous eye towards him.

The girl pointed to the hole she had made, and gasps followed her finger.

"I apologize for the damage," the cloaked Villain stated with false sincerity, "But I thought the old decorations were a bit drab."

"You are foolish to come here! You know my power and yet you walk right in here? Have you no brain?" the Elder insulted as he shoved Florice away from the computer screens and towards the other Villain.

Necrophere only chuckled once, his smirk lost behind the mask. "I have the brains, but you are in luck, dear Elder. My mission here is not one of destruction. The Four wished for me to tell you something."

"Then let the cursed thing speak for itself before I lock it away with the Bane!"

Necrophere shook his head once before he lifted his clawed glove towards the Normal who stared at the unseen ceiling in fright. "If that is how you treat your own, then how am I the Villain?"

"Enough! Say your message and leave us!"

Necrophere sighed dramatically. "Fine. But I would learn respect before you address those better than yourself."

'Especially me,' the Four hissed, the ruby flashing, though no snake appeared. 'And my master has a point, old man. I am not here to destroy, but to free what is one of my own kin. That boy you have locked away does not deserve this punishment.'

"And why do you care?" Tom spoke up as he dared a step closer to the pendant. He watched it flash and a snake appear on his outstretched hand.

'Because I am merciful to those who deserve it.'

Tom stared at the snake before it dissipated, but no one in the room spoke against this statement. The Elder's face was blank with hatred, Necrophere only watched, and the Heroes which lined the walls only cowered. They had not heard the snake: its words were only meant for him.

'The boy,' the Four continued as if it had never stopped, 'Was never in his own mind. Release him.'

The Elder scoffed in obvious disbelief. "You heard the boy before: 'I won't be a puppet!' We can't trust a word you say!"

The Four seemed to sigh once before Necrophere lifted it from his chest. "The Four is manipulative, surely you know this. It can control anyone who it has been in contact with. Though the pendant may not be Nicholas's anymore, the connection is still there. Allow us to demonstrate."

Everyone turned to watch the camera, but Nick remained immobile and the Bane remained calm.

When he moved, everyone jumped. They watched him turn his head to stare directly at the cameras, anger written on his face and a gleam to his eyes that was certainly not there before.

'He is my puppet,' the Four hissed out as they watched Nick's pale fingers wrap around the bars of his cage and heard a snarl emerge from his lips. 'I can make him do whatever I want.'

Everyone started when an awful scream and a string of insults directed towards them met their ears. Tom Lucas stepped back to the screen, only to have the Elder block his hand that was about to turn on the speaker that would let Nick be able to hear them. He was forced to stand and watch his son thrash about the cage. His heart ached at the very sight of such malice on his son's pained face.

"LET ME OUT OF HERE, YOU BASTARDS!" Nick roared as he swatted the Bane away from him and continued to rock the cage. "I'LL KILL YOU! YOU UNDESERVING IGNORANT ASSHOLES! I'LL GUT YOU AND FEED YOUR CORPSES TO FLORICE!"

At her name, the girl clapped in joy at the promise.

'The boy speaks my anger. But I can make him do more.'

Nick slumped against the bars as pathetic tears began to cascade down his heated face.

'The child has hidden feelings as well.'

"Let me out of here," Nick whispered as he rested his forehead against his fingers. "I don't like it here...Dad please help me. Please. I know you're watching me. You promised you'd keep me safe. Promised you would protect me. But you never did. No one ever did! I'm just bait!" The sorrow escalated to broken anger, but the Elder disconnected the speakers before more could be heard.

"We cannot trust you. For all we know, the Normal could be in on it."

The Four and Necrophere both chuckled, but the Four was the one to answer. 'You really think,' it sneered as the ruby flashed once more, 'That I would let a Normal be my master?'

"Paragon was right," Tom breathed out as he understood the pendant's hints. "You did use my son!"

"And look how it worked out. He is locked away and will never forgive you," Necrophere laughed out as the Four became silent. "The Bane and it's Master are corrupted; neither want to kill us. I do believe that is what they call 'Checkmate.'"

"Now listen here," the Elder started, but the end of his sentence would never be known. For the man had failed to see a young looking woman approach him from behind. Everyone had been too focused on the camera and the two Villains to even think about the small girl with spikes in her hand. That is, everyone failed to see her until her spike was impaled through the Elder's heart.

"Funny," Lilith spat as the man fall at her feet, "I didn't think you had a heart ." She stepped over the body and wiped the blood from her hands on Tom's shirt sleeve. "And look, no one is even mourning your death."

This was the truth; everyone was either too riddled by shock from the suddenness of it all, or too relieved that the Elder's tyranny was over, to speak.

"We never said we wouldn't kill," Florice spoke to the silence, "We only said we wouldn't destroy anything further. Now our mission is nearly complete."

Necrophere laughed once, but it was cut short as he stumbled back from an invisible force. A gasp escaped his lips and his hand jumped to the Four.

You shall not hurt the boy any longer!

At the female's voice, everyone turned towards the screens. They saw Nick with his head buried in his knees and shoulders heaving in pure fright of what had just occurred. The Bane was brighter than it had ever been, and its eyes simmered with pure rage as it stared into the camera closest to it.

Now leave this place before I end you!

'The power wielder may be dead, my counterpart, but the jail still works,' the Four taunted lightly, though the Villains did take a step back towards the hole.

Yes, but you and I are connected just as you and Nicholas are. If destroying myself saves this child, then I will gladly do so.

The Four did not respond, but its silence and the way Necrophere and the two others walked away from the Council was enough of an answer.

The Heroes alternated staring at the hole or the body that slowly leaked blood onto the tiled floor, the same look of shock on each other their faces. Tom was first to break the spell as he bolted over the camera and turned the speakers on once more. His finger hovered over the button that activated the microphone so his son could hear him.

But he never pressed it.

He watched the Bane flutter down and land on Nick's unsteady shoulder. He watched it carefully nuzzle the side of his face, obviously speaking to him. And he watched as his son slowly lifted his head and nodded before he scrubbed away the remains of his terror. He saw Nick turn and look towards the camera the Bane had previously used. And his son smiled weakly and nodded once.

"Do what you have to do, Dad. I'll be okay. I'm not alone."

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Chibiyu: Wrote this when I was brain-dead so I know it sucks. Until Next Update (where the real fun begins).

Written 9/1/12