Disclaimer: Sadly, nothing is still mine.
I'm so sorry about the long wait! If you're still hanging around, thank you and thank you to everyone who has read/review/followed in my absence.
I posted this chapter last night before I realized I forgot the disclaimer and got an interesting review that annoyed me quite a bit. It was a long "lesson" about Gambit, accusing me of bad planning for using X-men names and powers. All of this after I have stated no less than three times I am borrowing names and powers and playing with backstories. So here, for the very last time, if you don't like it, don't read it. I am borrowing both names and powers and creating new backstories. You will see familiar names and powers. I don't know how else to state this so obviously, it has been the plan for this fic since the beginning, so no, it is not "bad planning" it is the story. I am well versed in the Marvel world and have done my research enough that you are going to see a few similarities and a lot of differences, hence why this is not classified as a crossover. It is a Glee story that has them with superpowers, plain and simple. Are they the Marvel characters? No. Those characters have their own backstory and evolution. This is a fun take on the Glee characters and what might have been. End of story.
Let me make this clear, I love reviews. I appreciate every person that opens the page to my fic and reads, even if I don't know they do. I appreciate when someone points out a plot hole I missed, a glaring mistake, or even helps me become a better writer. I don't appreciate when someone comes in, accuses me of not knowing what I'm writing, tells me I don't plan my own story, and attempts to teach me something I have stated multiple times I am aware of. Have a problem with what I'm writing? Don't read it. Like what I'm writiing but have something to say? Tell me. Plain and simple.
Sorry about the long rant, but I get a bit angry when someone tries to tell me how to write my story. Moral of the rant. Read what I'm telling you before accusing me of anything. Now, without further ado...
My name is Kurt Hummel, former agent of SHIELD.
HYDRA took Jeff, we don't know if he's alive or not.
Blaine's parents are still MIA.
Oh, and I slept with Blaine.
If things were't interesting before, they are about to become very interesting.
Location: Lima, Ohio, Burt Hummel's house
Time: Three days after SHIELD fell
"Focus on your power. Feel it grow within you and expand through your body. Then concentrate it through your hand to the object," Kurt coached his new boyfriend, watching Blaine close his eyes in concentration.
It had been three days since SHIELD had fallen, since they had lost Jeff, and since Blaine had discovered his new power. Well, to be perfectly honest, it wasn't necessarily a new power, but an extension of the previous. Blaine had been able to concentrate his power to the point of creating an energy blast, seemingly through some sort of energy transference.
Blaine let out an angry huff, dropping the rock onto the ground.
"It's not working!" He whined, glaring at the rock as if it were the reason his power wasn't working. Kurt chuckled.
"It's not like it's going to come naturally overnight, Blaine. Remember your shields, how long they took before you were able to use them?" The spy leaned back in the garden chair, observing the other boy.
The two had been out in Burt Hummel's backyard for a good hour, trying to re-create the energy charge that Blaine had been able to create to protect Kurt during the battle. So far they had zero luck.
"But I was able to make small shields even before I knew what I was doing. Nothing is happening here!" Blaine snapped, dropping himself into Kurt's lap and cuddling close to him. Kurt smiled softly, running his hand through the curly hair that was miraculously free of gel.
"What were you feeling?" He asked calmly, playing with a curl. Blaine glanced up questioningly at him.
"When you first created it. Were you scared? Angry? Frustrated? What came to mind?" The older man prompted, pressing a kiss to Blaine's head.
"I didn''t want to lose you," Blaine whispered. Kurt tightened his grip on the other boy.
"You were protecting me. Probably scared?" Blaine nodded against Kurt's chest, "Then feel that. Feel it build up inside you. Let it grow and take form. Learn from it so that you can create the power whenever you want," Kurt encouraged, gently pushing Blaine back to his feet.
Blaine whined wordlessly as he was forced up before returning to the spot, picking up the rock and closing his eyes. He rotated the rock in his hand, sliding his nimble fingers over the surface.
Kurt whooped loudly as the rock glowed brightly. Blaine's eyes flew open, a big smile crossing his face as he threw it to the ground, watching the small charge explode feet away from him.
"I did it!" He exclaimed, wrapping Kurt up in a hug. Kurt pecked his lips, nodding excitingly.
"I'm so proud of you!" The spy whispered, holding him close. Blaine grinned, pulling back and gripping Kurt's hands.
"Just think, it could be a secret weapon. It worked on one of those Supers before! I could charge something, leave it for them to find and take them out in one swoop!" Blaine's eyes lit up with enthusiasm, possibilities swirling through his mind.
"Like a gambit," Kurt murmured, thinking about it. Blaine furrowed his brow at him.
"In chess, there's a move called a gambit. In an opening move, the player sacrifices a piece, usually a pawn, to secure an advantage," He explained quickly. Blaine's mouth dropped into a perfect O.
"Gambit. I like that," Kurt smiled, leaning in to kiss Blaine.
Shots rang out behind them, forcing them apart. They ducked and rolled behind the deck, Kurt pulling out his gun and aiming it behind them. He sighed deeply, putting the gun away as he saw Nick aiming at the targets.
"How many times do I have to say it? Don't shoot without warning me. I might shoot you!" The spy snapped, storming across the lawn to stand next to the shooter. Blaine placed a calming hand on Kurt's back.
"Whatever," Nick snapped, turning his attention back to the target. Kurt took a deep breath, opening his mouth to blast the ignorant boy.
"Your aim has gotten better," Blaine offered, breaking in before Kurt could speak. The older man glared at him, crossing his arms and backing down. Nick grunted in agreement.
"He's always had good aim," David commented, joining the group outside. Nick let out three consecutive shots.
"Bullseye!" Thad crowed at he and Wes joined them. Nick rolled his eyes.
"Did you expect anything else?" He snapped, holstering the gun. Thad held up his hands peacefully, watching as the boy pulled out a different gun, opening and closing the magazine before aiming at the targets.
"I don't need an audience," He hissed, not even sparing a glance at the group. Kurt walked towards the other side of the lawn, forcing his temper down.
Nick had been unapproachable since they had lost Jeff. It was as if he had no light left in this world, and he had been taking it out on the others since. Nothing could calm him. Kurt was sympathetic, he truly was. But it was building to the point of an explosion, most likely a literal one with all the powers fluttering around the house.
"I have a question," Thad said, walking up next to Kurt. Kurt raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to speak.
"We are in the middle of a residential area. Sure, with a bit of land, but it's still residential. Why aren't't the neighbors complaining about the gunfire?" Kurt rolled his eyes, glancing around the grounds.
"See those poles?" He asked, pointing to one on the corner, "There's one on every corner of this property. Together, they form a barrier. Don't ask about specifics, I don't know them. SHIELD put them in when I first returned home, in case I had problems with my powers. Basically, they act as a nullifying agent, canceling out noise, sight and even changing perspectives. Outside those poles, they can't hear the gunfire".
"That's why you want us to stay here?" David asked as he, Wes, and Blaine joined them, leaving Nick by himself. Kurt nodded.
"Where else can you practice without letting the world know?" He joked, entwining his fingers with Blaine's, "So, what brings you guys out here?" He questioned, noting the excited looks on their faces.
"Mike sent us to find you. He has something for us," David answered, motioning back towards the house. Kurt nodded, quickly following the other boys in. He was curious what Mike had been working on. The Agent was an expert in molecular biology and had been cooped up in the house since arriving, working on something he refused to share.
It was no surprise to Kurt when he entered the basement to see a make-shift lab set up. Chemicals were lined up neatly on the table, beakers filled with different solutions resting beside them with Mike hunched over a microscope in the middle of it all. The Asian looked up when they entered the room, a giant grin crossing over his face.
"Come in, come in! I have something for you!" He exclaimed, pushing away from the table and making space for them. The five boys entered, looking around the room with interest.
"So, what you boys don't know, but Kurt does, is that I was one of the top chemist researchers in SHIELD. I'be been working on this project for a while. I suppose I should explain…" Mike trailed off, awkwardly reaching up to ruffle his hair. Kurt rolled his eyes.
"He was assigned you, Thad," The spy broke in, bluntly breaking the news. Thad's eyes widened.
"Me? What's so special about me?" He demanded, shifting uncomfortably. Mike stared at him.
"Your abilities? Thad, only one other person in the world is like you, and he has never been able to find a cure for you, despite his skill level. I was assigned to try and fix your 'other guy'. At the very least, I was to find a solution where you were able to control him, make him more a part of you so you had more control. And I've finally found it!" Mike triumphantly held up a syringe filled with a green liquid.
Kurt's eyebrows raised, surprised to hear that. He knew Mike had been trying for years to find a solution, it was strange that it had happened only days after finally meeting his subject.
"Mike, how exactly did you figure this out?" He asked cautiously, eyeing the syringe like it was a snake. Mike grinned widely at him.
"I brought all the files with me and just kept working. Thad lent me a little of his blood, and I tested it against this, and it worked! He's about to try it out," Mike exclaimed, dancing around the table to grab Thad's arm. Kurt immediately put himself between the two, shaking his head.
"Mike, I know that you are excited. Hell, I'm excited. But we don't know if it has any side effects. We should wait and see what happens to the sample before injecting Thad," The spy reasoned, glancing between the cure and Mike. The other agent's face fell.
"Kurt, I've been looking forever for this. It's for Thad, it's not going to hurt him. Please, trust me on this," Mike begged, laying the syringe on the table.
"I'm not saying we shouldn't't use it. I'm just saying, let's wait a little while to make sure," Kurt responded, refusing to move out of the way. Thad stepped around him, glaring at the older man.
"It's my life, in case you forgot. I'm not some nameless test subject. I'm perfectly capable of making my own choices," Thad snapped, walking to Mike's side, "I want to take it".
Thad held out his hand expectantly, ignoring the rest of the room. Mike hesitated, his hand held above the syringe.
"Kurt might be right. We don't know the side effects, this could hurt you as much as it may help you. Do you understand what I'm saying and enter into this on your own free will?" Mike asked, switching into Agent Mode easily. Thad nodded.
"I understand," He answered. Mike picked up an alcohol swab, grabbing a hold of the offered arm and cleaning the insertion area.
Kurt stood stiffly, his hands clenched tightly at his side. He barely noticed as Blaine came up next to him, running a soothing hand down his back.
"It'll be ok," Blaine whispered, his hands a constant motion over Kurt's skin. Kurt clenched his jaw tightly, watching as Mike lined the needle up.
"You don't know that," He whispered back as the needle disappeared into Thad's arm. Thad tensed, wincing at the solution was injected into his bloodstream. Mike pulled the needle out, quickly bandaging the area and directing Thad to a seat as they waited.
Thad sat silently, his teeth tightly clenched as his body began to shake. Patches of green appeared and disappeared rapidly over his flesh, his bones enlarging and reducing in different areas. Thad panted through the transformation, sweat appearing on his brow.
The process continued for ten minutes with Thad shaking harder and harder with each passing minute. The patches continued to appear, sometimes for longer periods of time, sometimes for only a few seconds. Slowly, his bones returned to normal, no longer changing. The patches grew fewer and fewer before finally stopping all together.
The group breathed a sigh of relief as the shaking stopped and Thad wearily smiled at them.
"I think it worked," He stated with a laugh, slowly standing. Mike reached over, assisting the boy to his feet. Thad grinned at the Agent, pulling him into a hug before walking towards the rest of the group. David rushed forward, smiling broadly as he reached to pull the other boy into a hug. They laughed as they embraced, David having to be careful for the first time not to hurt the other boy with his strength.
Thad turned towards Blaine, his eyes bright. He started to walk towards the curly haired boy when he suddenly gasped, his hands clenched around his middle. He dropped to his knees, a sharp cry of pain tearing from his lips.
Kurt swore as he and Mike rushed to the boy's side, trying to see what was wrong. Thad flung his hands out, hitting both Agents aside. They were thrown across the room as the boy scream, his muscles rapidly enlarging with the bones, ripping through his clothing as his body changed to a newer, larger, more muscular shape.
Hair erupted over his body, covering him in a blue fur as he grew taller, his feet bursting free of their confines and turning into prehensile limbs. He finally stopped moving, laying on all fours in the middle of the floor.
Thad slowly lifted his head, tears falling from his eyes as he took in the blue form. Kurt and Mike slowly rose to their feet, both wincing and sore after their fall. Their eyes widened comically as they took in Thad's new form, Kurt sighing sadly as Mike stared in disbelief at what he had created.
Thad screamed, throwing himself out the window and landing without injury three stories down before running to the small section of trees in the yard. David yelled after him, leaning half out the window as their friend hid.
"How... I don't understand..." Blaine stammered, staring at the spot that Thad had transformed in. Kurt looked sadly at him.
"He had something that we don't understand in him originally. Whatever Mike created reacted with his previous affliction, so instead of making him more human, it made him more beast. At least on the outside," The spy looked towards the window, "It was a risk that we knew about when they were looking for a cure".
Mike picked up the syringe, pitching it across the room at the wall. It shattered, sending glass flying as he picked up a beaker, throwing that as well. Kurt simply moved the others away, letting the agent work out his anger on his instruments.
The Asian finally stopped, leaning against the counter, breathing heavily. He whispered over and over, "It's my fault".
And no-one knew what to say to him, each looking between the destroyed lab and the destroyed man hiding from the world.
Time: Three months later
Location: Burt Hummel's House
Three months passed in the blink of an eye for the small group of super-powered individuals. Together, they learned how to control their powers, how to expand them and use them together. Individually, they fought their own demons and learned to exist in a world that was learning what fear meant.
In the outside world, Hydra was expanding their reach. Slowly, they dismantled governments, turned nations against another and brought the world to the brink of war. They were determine to create the world they had dreamed of so long ago, back when Steve Rogers first stopped them, and now nothing was stopping them. Except for the team that had been preparing in secret.
Kurt had known from the moment Hydra had first re-appeared there would be no other option, his friends would have to become warriors to stop them. It was a difficult transition, but through months of work, he created a small army.
Wes was the first to accept the inevitability. Word reached them in the seclusion of the war in Asgard, where the Asgardians were barely holding onto their country without Thor. At first, Wes wanted to join the fight there, until all communications ceased and all entrances in and out of Asgard disappeared. Furious, he threw himself into their cause, learning to manipulate his powers. He found that he wasn't like his father, he was not limited to the lightning. He could control wind. He could make it rain. Or clear away the rain. David took to calling him Storm-controller, or just storm.
Of course, David was in a good mood after Thad returned to them. The blue-furred man had even gone as far as to tell Mike it wasn't his fault, that he had done the best he could to help him. And in many ways, Mike had helped the boy. He was no longer captivated by another being inside him, he was in full control of himself at all times. The rage that had used to over take him had all but disappeared, leaving in it's place an acceptance of who he now was. It took a while to get used to his new form, but he was adapting. With his new form, he had increased strength and agility. His beast-like form made him afraid to leave the property, but he was slowly accepting himself as he now was.
Thad wasn't the only one that had a new form to show off. One day, a few weeks after Thad had transformed, Nick was out shooting when David walked through the yard into his path. Too late to avoid being shot, David had thrown up a hand to protect his head and turned into a metallic creature. Basically indestructible, the new form still had all of his old strength and he was able to turn it off and on at will. And David was pretty thrilled about it.
Blaine had learned to harness the power that had saved Kurt's life. He learned that it was through kinetic energy that he was able to transfer the power and create the explosions. It was a process he was still muddling through, learning to charge the items,how long to charge them for, and how big the explosions could get.
Nick had changed the most out of everyone in the last few months. He became colder, less emotional as the days passed. His aim continued to improve, beyond even what he had been able to do before. If Kurt was being honest, he was getting nervous. Nick was a master at multiple weapons, able to easily pick up new skills in an increasingly short amount of time. He executed shots without fear, without a second thought even. He took to calling himself Bullseye, bragging that he couldn't miss and that no-one could out-shoot him.
Despite all the changes, they grew as a team. Kurt and Mike guided them, with Mike healing them as needed from their injuries. Finally, Kurt knew it was time.
They were ready. They were done hiding. Hydra better watch their backs, because this team wasn't going to stop until they destroyed every last one of them, found out where the Avengers and Jeff were, and ended this war.
Little did they know, Hydra's team outnumbered their own and this battle was just getting started.
Sorry again for the long wait, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Set-up is done and the real story is about to start. If you have a minute, I would love to hear from you! Please review?