Chapter 18: Taos Trouble
New Mexico…
Stars Labs Taos Facility…
Thursday, June 22, 5:51 pm (MST)…
"Sorry, I'm still a little mediocre at this. Hope this won't be too boring for you." Jett chuckled as he bounced a basketball on the floor.
"It's fine. Just playing helps me calm down." Mark replied as he looked at his arm, which began to heat up before waving the heat away.
"You still lighting up when you get all worked up?" Jett inquired as he passed the ball to Mark.
"Yeah, a little bit. Getting better at doing it on command, though." Mark answered as he passed the ball back to Jett starting their game.
"You should think of a trigger word like I did," Jett suggested as he went to get past Mark, who swiftly took the ball from him.
"I'd rather not shout out something goofy just to activate my powers," Mark replied, causing Jett's brow to quiver.
"Is it really goofy?" Jett wondered as he chased after Mark.
"A little, yeah," Mark replied, making Jett deadpan.
"Well, let's hear what you've got!" Jett smirked as flames sprouted from his feet, propelling him forward and allowing him to steal the ball back.
"I thought we said no powers!" Mark complained as Jett spun around and ran toward the other side of the court.
"We never shook on it! Besides, it makes good practice!" Jett laughed as he shot the ball at the basket.
"Just because they provided us with clothes that won't burn away doesn't mean we should practice at every waking moment," Mark argued as he ran past Jett before jumping up and catching the ball.
"Plus, unlike you, I'm not allowed to do that, or I'll violate the rules of my sentence," Mark reminded as he threw the ball toward his basket, sinking it in clean.
"He said while using his new speed and strength to outplay me." Jett pointed out as Mark walked over and picked up the ball.
"Hey, that's just my normal strength now. I can't help that I became stronger. Besides, you're tougher now, aren't you?" Mark inquired as Jett teetered his hand in the air.
"I mean, I can definitely lift more than I could before, but not by anything significant. I think I'm more durable, though. When I fell on my face the other day, it didn't hurt." Jett responded as Mark passed him the ball.
"I think you'd need more evidence than falling on your face," Mark noted as Jett passed the ball back to him, beginning the next round.
"Yeah, I'll just ask Ed if they have something that could hit me really hard." Jett chuckled as Mark ran past him.
"It'd probably be easier if you dropped something on yourself…not that I'd recommend that," Mark replied as Jett swept at the ball, attempting to take it to no avail.
"Right, and it'll probably get me in trouble." Jett agreed as he chased after Mark.
"By the way, how's your mom doing?" Jett inquired as he lept in front of Mark, preventing him from shooting a shot.
"She's doing alright. Thankfully, she's being helped by a law office that deals with situations like hers, and they're keeping her safe from…" Mark began before pausing his dribbling, unable to say his soon-to-be former stepfather's name as smoke rose.
"Uh, Mark. You're smoking." Jett pointed out, snapping Mark out of his stupor as he cooled himself off.
"Sorry. I still get a little…you know, whenever I think about him." Mark apologized as Jett shook his head.
"Don't worry about it. I'd be mad, too, after all he put you through. I should be sorry for making you think about it." Jett soothed as Mark nodded before resuming the game.
"Well, hopefully, it will be a distant memory one day." Mark sighed as he took a shot at the basket only for Jett to intercept.
"I'm sure that day will come soon," Jett assured as he passed Mark and ran toward the other side of the field.
"Here's hoping," Mark replied as he chased after Jett.
"Speaking of family, have you heard anything from your sister?" Mark questioned as Jett shot the ball toward the net, only for Mark to catch it.
"Not recently. She must be busy with a contract with her startup. Honestly, I've never seen her so busy before, even at Star Labs. I hope she's at least getting some sleep." Jett murmured as he blocked Mark from going past him.
"With how you've described her, I'm sure she's fine. Who knows, maybe she's just using work as an excuse and got herself a boyfriend." Mark joked as he bounced the ball between Jett's legs before spinning around the boy and grabbing the ball again.
"Sara? With a date?" Jett gasped, frozen still before snapping back to reality.
"Nah, can't see it." Jett denied as he spun around and chased after Mark.
"What, you don't think she could find one? No offense, but by the picture you showed me, she's pretty attractive." Mark pointed out, causing Jett to groan in annoyance.
"Yeah, I didn't need to know that…but that's not what I meant," Jett muttered before catching up to Mark.
"She just always said that she didn't have time for a boyfriend. The only relationship she ever had was with some foreign exchange student back when she was in college." Jett explained, swiping at the ball.
"Really? A foreign exchange student?" Mark questioned as Jett nodded.
"It's true. I only met the guy once when she was comfortable with him meeting me. I think his name was Vlad…no Vincent…wait, or was it Vinny? I can't really remember." Jett responded as Mark tried to spin around him, only for Jett to knock the ball out of his hands.
"Either way, they broke up when he had to return to his home in Europe. He invited her to come with him, but she didn't want to take me away from New York." Jett added as he grabbed onto the ball and sped back to his side of the court.
"It sucks, too, because she seemed pretty happy with him." Jett finished as he threw the ball, knocking it off the backboard and into the net.
"Well, maybe she's reconnecting with him," Mark suggested as he picked up the ball.
"I doubt it." Jett sighed as the two lined up to continue their game.
Thirty Seven Minutes Later…
"Well, at least I scored more than just one basket this time," Jett murmured as he and Mark entered the commons.
"Yeah, I know it might not be too fun being on the back end of things, but that helped a lot, so thanks." Mark thanked as he put the ball away.
"Don't worry about it," Jett replied as he stretched his arms.
"Hey you ever wonder if we're the only ones who had our metagene activated? I mean from the group of those who were kidnapped by Kraven." Jett inquired, causing Mark to pause.
"If there was, they didn't have an outburst like me…nor someone connected to Star Labs like you. Or friends who swing along buildings on webs." Mark noted as Jett scratched the back of his head.
"Yeah, good point. But please don't tell Jay I told you when we get out of here." Jett requested as Mark nodded.
"I kinda figured it out either way. He didn't really hide his voice when he saw us off. Plus, with you talking to my mom by somehow sneaking up several floors in time for him to talk me down, it wasn't that hard to put two and two together." Mark pointed out as Jett shrugged.
"I'll tell him to do a voice from now on." Jett chuckled as he picked up the remote to the commons TV.
"Wonder what's going on back home." Jett mused as he turned on the TV.
"Ladies and gentlemen, today marks another day of scrutiny for the great city of New York." Godfrey declared as he sat at his desk.
"Ugh, not this guy." Jett groaned as he went to change the channel before stopping himself when he saw what Godfrey said next.
"The charity organization F.E.A.S.T created by Mayor Martin Li has been exposed as a vast drug trafficking center!" Godrey announced as he slammed his fist down.
"That's right, the little center to help the homeless of New York has been secretly bringing in drugs right under our noses!" Godfrey spat before getting up from his desk.
"And our esteemed Mayor has yet to make any comment. Ever since the whole Spider-Slayer fiasco Mayor Li has been radio silent!" Godfrey pointed out as he threw his hands into the air.
"But even with his silence, our men and women in blue are working to take down this drug ring, and currently, all employees, big and small, are under arrest!" Godfrey continued as several pictures appeared next to him, including Jay's.
"What the hell?!" Jett gasped, dropping the remote as Mark looked over to see what had happened.
"Wait, isn't that him?!" Mark questioned, pointing at Jay's photo.
"Hold on, I'm going to get my phone!" Jett stated as he spun around and ran toward his room.
As he ran bursting through the door to the commons, he rushed toward his provided room, running past several windows that only showed the empty desert being lit by the sun that slowly crawled down the sky. Jett was so preoccupied he didn't even notice Ed in front of him.
"Hey Jett, is something wrong?" Ed asked, surprised to see Jett in such a hurry.
"Sorry, trouble at home!" Jett apologized as he threw his door open.
"Whoa, at least try not to break the building!" Ed insisted as he teleported in front of the door.
"Sorry, just in a hurry." Jett apologized as he pulled out his phone.
"What happened anyway?" Ed inquired, curious about what was bothering Jett.
"My buddy from home is in some trouble. I just need to ask his guardian what's going on." Jett responded as he dialed Curtis Conner's number before running back toward the commons room.
"Could you at least be more careful!" Ed insisted as he followed close behind.
"What's the news say?" Jett questioned as he returned to the common room.
"They're just talking about how a bunch of coke was found in boxes marked as clothing. Evidently, everyone associated with F.E.A.S.T save the mayor was arrested." Mark explained as Ed slowly entered behind.
"Whoa." Ed gasped as he watched the broadcast while Jett's call connected.
"Mr. Conners, I just saw the news! Is everything going fine over there!?" Jett questioned, full of panic.
"I don't know! I've been trying to figure things out myself and get Jay a lawyer! I'm sorry, Jett, but I'll have to call you back!" Curt responded before hanging up.
"Holy…" Jett murmured before returning his attention to the news.
"To think that such an operation could be going on right under our noses. Especially an operation connected to our very own mayor!" Godfrey shouted as he roamed around his stage.
"You said your friend is connected to this?" Ed questioned, turning toward Jett, who froze.
"Well…not really…I don't really know what's going on." Jett admitted as his body began to heat up.
"But I know there's no way he helped with that!" Jett stated as he got a nudge from Mark, who pointed at the heat rising from his body.
"Oh, thanks." Jett thanked as he cooled himself off.
"Look, I don't really know much about what's going on. But I know that excessive stress isn't good for anyone, especially us metas." Ed began as he placed a hand on Jett's shoulder.
"We can see about getting you home to your sister if you want so you can be there for your friend," Ed suggested as Jett crossed his arms.
While that was an option, he didn't feel good about leaving early without Mark yet he also didn't like not going back home to help Jay. Though he supposed he could just go back home for a few days before coming back. Then again, if Jay had to go through a legal case, it would take a long, LONG while before he got out.
"I don't know…" Jett murmured as Mark walked up.
"Jett. You don't have to stay here just for me. I'll be fine staying here alone." Mark insisted, surprising Jett.
"I'll need time to think about this," Jett noted as he clenched his fist.
"I'm going to get some fresh air," Jett stated as he quickly left the room.
Running his hand through his hair, Jett walked through the halls of the Taos facility, wondering about what he should do. Should he stay? Should he leave? He just didn't know what was the right option.
Bringing up his phone, he pulled up his sister's contact information and attempted to call her, only to immediately be met with her voicemail indicating that her phone was off or on silent causing Jett to let out a sigh.
This had become an increasingly recurrent behavior for her in the past two weeks, which left Jett a little concerned about her. Though in their last full conversation she did imply she was doing okay.
"Guess operating a startup takes a lot more work than I thought." Jett thought as he pocketed his phone.
But that still left him wondering what she was currently doing and what her reaction to what happened with Jay was. This whole situation was just making Jett's head spin, completely torn about what he should do. While he could go back to help Jay, he would be leaving Mark alone, possibly for his remaining stay here.
That being said, Mark did say he didn't need Jett here for him, but was that true? Jett had to wonder if he was just saying that to make Jett's decision easier and didn't really mean it. Just what should he do? He just couldn't come up with a good answer as he hung his head down.
"I wish there was a simpler answer for this." Jett sighed as he opened the door to the rooftop.
There, he was met with the light of the sun as he strode toward the roof's edge to get a better look at the vast desert. He watched as the light of the sun slowly caused the shadows of the desert to grow, leaving him alone with his thoughts before he noticed something strange.
Ever since he began training with his powers, he had discovered several new things he could do with them. Most notable of these was the power to sense heat signatures, both living and artificial. Though he couldn't see them, Jett noticed that several living beings were slowly making their way over.
At first, he thought it might be a pack of wild animals like coyotes, but based on the heat he could feel, that didn't seem right. Plus, he'd still be able to see them, unlike now, where it seemed like some sort of invisible entity was approaching.
"I should probably let Ed…AAHHH!" Jett muttered before letting out a scream of agony as he fell down, clutching his head.
Jett could only lay there in agony as his head was bombarded with severe pain, causing parts of his body to spark up in flames before he was entirely engulfed in them. This caused a small burst of heat until an invisible entity kicked him through the rooftop door, knocking him out and putting out his flames.
"Now, now, Devastation, he's not the target. Let's not get ahead of ourselves."
"Sorry, Darling, but the little brat was going to give us away."
Two voices revealed themselves as two individuals appeared on the rooftop. The first was a man with snow-white skin and a brain that could be seen through a small dome on his head. Next to him was a tall, brutish woman with tattoos covering half her face.
"Such a little nuisance having to deal with one whose powers I'm unfamiliar with. Makes it so much harder to cloak from." Psimon muttered as he looked down at the unconscious Jett below.
"Well, best not waste time then. Devastation, would you please place a collar on this young boy so he doesn't become a hindrance." Psimon requested, turning toward his love.
"Fine. Seems a waste of time to not just put a chip on him and take him with us." Devastation replied as she walked down and placed an inhibitor collar on Jett, then cuffed his arms behind him.
"That's not our mission today. We just need to get what we came for and leave." Psimon explained as he walked down the stairs.
"Shall we continue?" Devastation inquired as she gestured toward the door.
"Not just yet," Psimon stated as he closed his eyes.
"Is everything ready?" Psimon asked as he reached out psychically.
"Yes. We're currently blocking all outgoing signals and shut down every camera in the building."
"Good, let's begin." Psimon smiled as the two entered the building.
Nearby…
"Are you sure about what you said earlier?" Ed inquired as he and Mark sat across from one another.
"I know things have been pretty difficult for you since coming here, and you've always voiced how having Jett here has helped," Ed added as Mark hung his head.
"That's true, but…I'd feel guilty if he didn't go to see his friend just because of me." Mark explained as he looked up at Ed.
"Besides, I'm supposed to be here as a punishment for what I did back in New York. I shouldn't be enjoying it too much." Mark surmised as Ed shook his head.
"Don't beat yourself up over that. We all make mistakes, and you manage to go beyond the point of no return." Ed pointed out as he placed a hand on Mark's shoulder.
"When we metas obtain our powers, it can become an event filled with overcharged emotions that can cloud certain judgments. You made the right choice and turned yourself in, and now you can make up with your actions here." Ed assured as Mark nodded.
"Right," Mark replied as he clasped his hands.
"Guess I'm going to need to get used to that," Mark noted as the feed on the nearby TV turned to static, confusing both of the metas.
"Uh…does that even happen to TV's anymore?" Mark questioned, confused at what was happening.
"Only when signals are lost, but even then that…" Ed began before the screen turned black and a no signal text was displayed.
"That. That happens. Guess it was just a momentary glitch." Ed theorized as the lights flickered.
"That shouldn't happen either," Ed murmured as Mark looked out the nearby window to glance at the rest of the building.
"Could some of the scientists be running experiments?" Mark suggested as Ed shook his head.
"Ever since it was decided that this would become the Meta Human Youth Center, all experiments had ceased," Ed responded as he pulled out his phone.
"I'm just going to call my father to make sure everything is okay," Ed stated as he turned on the phone, only to see that the service was out.
"This can't be good…" Ed noted before both boys were rocked by head-splitting pain.
"AHHH! WHAT'S…HAPPEN-ING?!" Mark questioned as he clutched onto his head.
"My my, such rage you have in here!" A voice commented, shocking Mark.
"Who…who said that?" Mark asked, trying to look around as best he could.
"Tsk tsk tsk! Psimon didn't say you can speak. But Psimon does say that you must reveal the source of your anger!" Psimon ordered as Mark collapsed onto the ground.
"Oh, an abusive stepfather? Psimon was hoping for something greater but I can work with that. Let's see what happens when you release that anger!" Psimon exclaimed as Mark's body began to heat up.
"NNNNOOOO! Stop it!" Mark begged as his skin began to glow.
"I don't want this. I DON'T WANT THIS!" Mark screamed as he slammed his hands on the ground.
"I'M NOT SUPPOSED TO USE MY POWERS OUTSIDE OF PRACTICE…MY PAROL WILL BE…" Mark thought, struggling to keep the invading force in his mind at bay.
"Oh, Psimon knows. You'll be kicked out and thrown to the wolves in prison. Maybe even Belle Rev. But that's exactly what Psimon wants!" Psimon laughed as Mark's body began to glow.
"AND PSIMON ALWAYS GETS WHAT HE WANTS!" Psimon shouted as Mark let out a howl as his body ignited covering him in molten magma.
"Mark, what are you doing?" Ed questioned, struggling to get up.
"M-My head! HE'S IN MY HEAD!" Mark cried as he slammed his head against the ground.
He could feel it. All the rage and the hate he felt toward his stepfather came back to the surface. It was all forced into his mind and heightened beyond what they were before, making it hard to think about anything else.
"Who's in your head?" Ed asked as Mark slowly got to his feet.
"There we go! What lovely rage you have! Now, Psimon says, KILL HIM," Psimon ordered as Mark turned toward Ed.
"Mark?" Ed called as Mark shook in place.
"R-Run…" Mark begged before he charged toward Ed.
Ed watched as Mark ran toward him, trying his best to move to no avail. Instead, he teleported himself out of the way as Mark crashed through the wall. Appearing down the hall, the pain in Ed's head alleviated, if only a little, only to return in full force.
"Now, now, trying to run away isn't very nice." Psimon snipped as Mark burst back into the hallway.
"After all, I need Mr. Allen to do the maximum amount of damage here," Psimon noted as Mark turned toward Ed.
With a loud scream, Mark hurled several balls of magma at Ed, who attempted to teleport away again, only for the pain in his head to double in intensity, keeping him stuck in place as Mark's attack came barrelling in.
But just before they could make contact, Ed went limp, allowing his body to fall to the ground, causing many of the balls to fly over him. Yet more was heading toward him as Ed lay on the floor in pain.
So, with no other options left, Ed closed his eyes and focused through the pain being put on his mind to use his power as the balls of magma drew closer and closer. Then, just as the magma was about to hit, Ed disappeared from the hallway.
"Hmm…I suppose I should have brain-blasted him." Psimon thought as he watched through Mark's eyes.
"No matter. Time to do some damage!" Psimon laughed as Mark let out a guttural yell before barrelling through a nearby wall.
Elsewhere…
When Jett regained consciousness, he found himself bound in a dark room with a dampening collar around his neck. Looking around, Jett attempted to figure out where he was, but when he tried to stand, he was put back down to the ground as a foot stomped on his back.
"Stay down, kid! It'd be a shame if I were forced to break a bone!" Devastation warned as Jett glared at her from the corner of his eye.
From what he could remember, before being knocked unconscious, he had been kicked through a door, and after being threatened by this woman, he could only assume she was the one to do it. Now, he was bound and collared at her mercy.
"W-Who are…" Jett murmured before being quickly silenced as Devastation kicked him in the gut, knocking the wind out of him.
"No talking! The only reason you're still breathing is because we might need an extra body for that molten freak to get!" Devastation snickered as Jett went wide-eyed.
"What?!" Jett gasped before being kicked into a nearby wall.
"I said no talking!" Devastation spat before turning away.
"I hate babysitting." Devastation muttered as Jett struggled to regain his breath.
"Wha…what's going on?!" Jett questioned as he watched Devastation walk up to a security station surrounded by knocked-out guards.
"I must be in the guard room…but what…" Jett wondered as he gazed at the screens, spotting Mark crashing through a wall in his molten form.
"What is he doing?! He knows he's not supposed to be doing stuff like that now!" Jett gasped before remembering Devastation's statement earlier.
"Could it be she's controlling him? No, she said we…which means anyone could be controlling him." Jett noted as he shuffled around to get his hands out from behind his back.
"Got to be careful she doesn't see me do this…if this even works." Jett thought as he placed his hands against the collar around his neck.
Though this collar was blocking him from using most of his powers, it didn't stop him from using the more unique uses he'd come up with. Jett assumed they must have made the collar only turn off his flames due to a lack of intimate knowledge of his powers, which meant he still had access to some of his abilities.
"Okay, okay, okay, I can do this. It might not be fire, but this collar still generates heat, which may just be enough." Jett theorized as he focused on his hands.
"I've been practicing this in secret, but…I know I can absorb heat from flames to snuff them out, but maybe I can absorb the heat out of any object." Jett wondered as he closed his eyes.
"If I can absorb the heat from this collar, it'll shut off and give me access to my powers again," Jett added as he glanced over at Devastation, making sure she couldn't see him.
He didn't know if he could take her in a fight, especially after he felt her strength firsthand. But at the very least, he could escape and get some help. There was only one way to find out for sure if it would work, not that he had any other choice.
"God, how does Jay stay calm in situations like this?" Jett questioned as he felt heat beginning to build at the tip of his fingers.
Just as he had hoped, not all of his powers were locked away, and the collar was slowly losing heat, meaning it would soon lose functionality. Then he would…well, he didn't know exactly what he'd do yet, but he'd make sure to get away from her.
"Hey, what are you doing?!" Devastation questioned as she turned toward Jett.
"Noth-Agh!" Jett cried out as Devastation grabbed onto his neck and slammed him against the wall.
"Trying to take your collar off? Nice try, but they don't come off easily! Otherwise, they wouldn't use them in Belle Reve." Devastation pointed out as she choked Jett.
"Maybe I should just save the wasted energy on it and snap your neck." Devastation pondered as Jett's heart began to beat faster.
"I'd rather go through the trouble of setting up a corpse than babysit anyway." Devastation snickered as her grip grew tighter.
"W-Wait…!" Jett spat as he struggled to breathe and smacked his tied-up hands against her arm.
"Huh? Got something to say?" Devastation asked, reveling in his panicked face.
"Do…Do you know what happens when electronics lose all heat in them?" Jett inquired, confusing Devastation.
"They stop working!" Jett stated as his arms ignited in flames.
Moving quickly, he slammed his burning hands into Devastation's eyes, firing off flames into her sockets, causing her to let go of his neck as she clutched her eyes in pain. As Jet hit the ground, he melted off his bindings along with his collar before sprinting out the door to the room.
"Okay, now I just need to find Mark or even Ed…" Jett thought before he was clotheslined, causing him to hit the ground hard.
Disorientated, Jett struggled to get up as he stared at a woman dressed in a black bodysuit standing above him, staring down with the three red goggles that lay on her mask. Said woman quickly raised her leg up and kicked down at Jett's face. In retaliation, Jett threw a fireball at her head, knocking her back.
"All right, kid…you're dead!" Devastation hissed as she ran out of the security room.
"Shit!" Jett cursed as he blasted Devastation with a torrent of flames, but the brute remained unfazed as she slammed into Jett, knocking him through a nearby wall.
"You get in there and make sure we get only the footage we came here for!" Devastation ordered as the girl mocked Devastation by opening and closing her hand like a mouth as she walked into the room clutching her burnt mask.
"Oh god…that might have broken something…" Jett murmured as he slowly picked himself up and looked around him.
"This is the third-floor cafeteria…which means the main labs are…" Jett noted as Devastation crashed through the wall she had thrown him through.
"Past her…" Jett sighed as Devastation ran forward, screaming.
In response, Jett set his feet aflame, propelling him upward to avoid Devastation's attack. He had used this trick a few times during his training, and he was glad to make good use of it. When he landed behind her, Jett lit up his left arm and fired at Devastation's back.
That only made her more furious as she spun around and held up her arm to guard against the flames. So Jett started firing some more as he lifted up his right arm and doubled his flames, pushing Devastation back.
But it didn't last long as Devastation dug her feet into the ground, stopping herself before pressing forward. Upon seeing this, Jett changed up his plan as he stopped firing his flames, causing Devastation to propel forward at a frightening speed.
Diving out of the way, Jett allowed Devastation to barrel past him, crashing into the kitchen. Before she could recover, Jett created a small ball of flames in his hands before throwing it at the stove causing the kitchen to explode.
"Okay, that should keep her dow…" Jett began before seeing Devastation walk out of the resulting fire unharmed.
"Oh, come on!" Jett complained as Devastation cracked her neck.
"Pathetic! You're going to need to do better than that!" Devastation stated as Jett gulped.
"I've got a better idea," Jett replied before turning around and swiftly running away.
"What the…GET BACK HERE!" Devastation demanded as she ran after him.
Nearby…
"What is the source of all that shaking?!" Eduardo Sr. questioned as he and his fellow scientists secured all the sensitive equipment.
"Keep trying to make a connection to the security team! We need to make sure we're not under…" Eduardo Sr. began before his son appeared at the center of the room.
"Eduardo! What are you doing?" Eduardo Sr. inquired before realizing the state his son was in.
"What happened?!" Eduardo Sr. questioned as he rushed to his son's side.
"It's…It's Mark! Something's happened to him! A strong psychic is controlling him!" Ed warned, shocking many of the scientists in the room.
"A strong psychic?!" Eduardo Sr. gasped as he helped his son up.
"Yes, he's making Mark run wild," Ed added as his father turned toward his colleagues.
"Inform the League now!" He ordered as several of his cohorts typed away on their computers.
"Something's jamming our signal! I can't get any messages out!" One shouted out as another slammed her hand on the console.
"Zeta's down, too." She reported as Eduardo Sr. rubbed his head.
"This is not good. We need to get in contact with someone from the League or Team while trying to stop Mark in the meantime." Eduardo Sr. noted as he turned back to his son.
"Now, Eduardo. Where was he last….and where is Jett?" Eduardo Sr. inquired as Ed went wide-eyed.
"Jett went to his room to call his sister! Last I saw Mark, he was…" Ed began before he was interrupted by the building suddenly shaking as Molten Man came crashing through the wall.
"RAAAAAAHHHH!" He shouted as he threw several balls of magma at the scientists.
Several dove out of the way as the magma landed around them, while others had to shield themselves from the magma that bounced off the ground. This soon caused small fires to break out as Molten Man advanced, aiming to hit anyone near him.
But before any magma could make contact with anyone, Ed teleported each and everyone away as the magma hit the equipment, slowly melting it down. In a blind rage, Moltan Man slammed his fists against the ground, heating it up and sending a wave of magma toward the scientists.
"Chill out, Mark!" Ed insisted as he teleported in front of Molten Man, wielding a fire extinguisher and blasting the man with the foam.
"Get everyone out!" Ed shouted as his father led out his colleagues.
As Ed blasted Mark with the extinguisher it created massive amounts of steam to fill the room as Molten Man's body temperature rapidly decreased. But it didn't stop him as Molten Man grabbed onto a nearby console, melting it down and throwing the remains at Ed.
Ed simply teleported out of the way and continued to spray Molten Man before a pain in his head brought him down. As he hit the floor, Ed dropped the extinguisher, allowing Molten Man to kick it away as Ed disappeared.
Though the extinguisher was taken care of, the steam remained as Molten Man's body was covered in foam and stone. He slowly moved, breaking through the stone that encapsulated him, wiping off the foam as his body slowly heated back up.
"Sorry, Mark, but I have to use this!" Ed declared as he appeared behind Molten Man with a dampening collar.
But before he could place it on Molten Man, he was struck in the back of the head by an unknown assailant as the collar was snatched from his hand before he was kicked to the ground, spreading out that covered the area.
"What the?!" Ed gasped as he looked around, unable to see his assailant in the newly visible area.
There wasn't a trace of them in sight nothing he could find or go off of until it was too late as the collar he brought was placed around his own neck. Ed attempted to take it off but he was too slow as it turned on and gave him a strong shock.
"AAHHH!" Ed cried as he fell to the ground in pain.
"Good. Now, my little toy…" Psimon hummed as Molten Man emerged from the steam, slowly reigniting his body.
"Psimon says kill him," Psimon ordered as Molten Man stared dagger at Ed.
Only it wasn't Ed he saw. Instead, he saw the one he hated the most, his stepfather. The more he saw him, the more enraged he became as he reached out to immolate the man in front of him until he was stopped by a web-patterned hand grabbing his arm.
"Whoa, there, Mark! You don't want to break you're parol, do you?" Spider-Man questioned as he stood between Molten Man and Ed.
"What?! Who is? How are you doing this?!" Psimon questioned as Spidey pushed Molten Man back.
"You've already made your point, remember? You decided to be the better man over your stepdad." Spidey reminded, causing Molten Man to freeze.
"Stop this! Psimon says stop this hallucination and kill the man in front of you!" Psimon screamed as Molten Man's face twitched.
"You don't have to listen to him, Mark. You can decide for yourself!" Spider-Man insisted as Molten Man began to scream.
"So this is how your consciousness fights back, is it? By imagining someone you believe is stronger than you?" Psimon spat as he appeared mentally behind Molten Man.
"I've seen this before by a certain Martian. Unfortunately for you, son, you lack her mental strength!" Psimon stated as he fired a mental blast at the mirage Spider-Man destroying it.
"RAAAAGGGHHHH!" Molten Man screamed as he clutched his head before running off, crashing through a wall.
"No, stop!" Psimon ordered only for Molten Man to ignore his voice.
"Grrrhhh. You get him back here!" Psimon shouted, his voice not aimed at Molten Man but at a black-cladded figure with a mask containing three red dots.
"No. I'm here to make sure things go safe from the shadows. I will not risk being found." A female voice rejected, causing Psimon to scowl.
"Tsk. I should have had real shadows accompany us instead of having Savage convince me otherwise." Psimon spat as he cut the link with the figure.
"You'll be glad he did." She stated before disappearing as Ed got up.
"Got to stop him!" Ed stammered as he slowly moved toward a console and turned off his collar before teleporting away.
Nearby…
Jett ran down a hallway as he threw fireball after fireball at Devastation as she chased after him. Unfortunately, they did little to stop her as her durability made her heavily resistant to his attacks, as he's learned from this chase.
If he could focus somewhere she was vulnerable again, like her eyes, ears, or mouth, he could definitely stun her. But that wasn't going to do him much good, as he needed to put her down for a lot longer so he could get to Mark.
"Grr…just what should I do?" Jett wondered before getting an idea.
Turning around, he unleashed a torrent of flames down the hallway, engulfing Devastation and everything else. He made sure to spread it out as much as he could while keeping it as hot as possible as he watched Devastation walk through it.
"This is even worse than the last time you tried this!" Devastation spat as Jett stopped his flames.
"Yeah, well, I wasn't trying to hurt you with the flames," Jett stated, confusing Devastation until the sound of the creaking floor and ceiling caught her attention.
All around her the hallway was burning and heavily damaged to the point that it was a miracle that it was even still standing. That changed when Jett threw a fireball at the floor, causing it to collapse beneath Devastation as she fell to the floor below. But Jett wasn't done yet as he threw another fireball at the ceiling to force it to collapse on top of Devastation.
"Ha…ha…finally…" Jett sighed as he took a few steps back.
His relief was short-lived, though, as Devastation smashed through the debris that covered her before jumping back in front of Jett. Her clothes were torn, but Devastation herself was unharmed but clearly furious.
"Haha…so uh…I don't suppose we can just go our separate wa…" Jett sputtered before leaping back as Devastation made a grab at him.
"Guess that's a no!" Jett muttered as he began to run away again.
"What am I supposed to do?! I haven't been able to stop her, even with everything I've thrown at her so far. I may have to go full flames just to get enough heat to stop her." Jett wondered as he ducked under a water fountain thrown by Devastation.
"You can't run forever!" Devastation shouted as she slammed her fists onto the ground, causing it to crack open.
The abrupt change in the floor below him caused Jett to fall down and crash against the floor, allowing Devastation to catch up. Jett attempted to throw another fireball at Devastation, but she quickly grabbed Jett and threw him into the ceiling, shattering it before bringing him back down to the ground, causing the boy to cough up blood.
"Shit…I don't have any choice…even if I accidentally go too far and burn down even more of the building, I can't let her kill me here or hurt Mark!" Jett determined as he focused.
"Flame…" Jett began before he was cut off by Devastation as she stepped on his neck.
"No more talking." Devastation muttered as he put more and more pressure on Jett's neck.
"I'm going to enjoy snapping your little neck." Devastation smirked as she slowly pressed down on Jett's neck.
However, before she could crush the boy's neck, the building violently shook, causing her to pause in confusion. Looking out a nearby window, she could see Molten Man running toward the desert, screaming and lashing out.
"Heh, or maybe it would be fun having your friend kill you instead!" Devastation snickered as she picked Jett up from the ground.
"I'm sure my baby will give you a nice and slow death when he makes your friend crush your skull!" Devastation laughed as she threw Jett out the window.
"Huh…Wait, what do you mean you lost control?!" Devastation gasped after receiving a mental message.
"Nonononono!" Jett cried as he watched himself grow closer and closer to the ground.
"What should I do? If I do nothing, I'm just going to hit the ground and die or, at best, break damn near every bone in my body as they make Mark kill me." Jett realized as he ran through possibilities in his mind.
"If…If I use my flames, I may be able to create a propulsive force like I did earlier. I can use it to slow my descent…" Jett theorized as the ground grew closer.
"But can I make flames with such force? Sure, I can make myself jump or run fast, but…I've never tried pushing myself into a flight. Is it even possible?" Jett wondered before steeling himself.
"There's no other choice! I just need to focus." Jett realized as his body began to heat up.
"To be able to produce enough heat, I'll have to go full flame," Jett noted as he angled himself to the nearing ground.
"Focus…" Jett murmured as he began to fire flames from his arms.
"Harder…" Jett continued as he drew closer and closer.
"Come on!" Jett went on as he increased the intensity of his flames, keeping them at a fine point as he prepared himself for his next move.
"FLAME ON!" Jett shouted as his entire body was engulfed in flames.
Just as he was about to hit the ground, Jett's flames pushed against the ground, increasing in intensity with each passing second. Soon, he found himself slowing down before he was hovering just above the ground, safe from becoming a splatter on the ground.
"Ha…that…that actually worked!" Jett exclaimed, causing his flames to explode in intensity, shooting him back up.
"Crapcrapcrapcrapcrap!" Jett shouted as he flew over the building.
"Okay…too much power! Dial it back a little, H.T. dial it back." Jett hummed as he slowly decreased the intensity of the flames around his body.
"I can't believe it though…I'm…I'm flying!" Jett smirked as he looked at himself up and down.
"Can't get distracted! I've got to take care of…" Jett muttered as he turned toward where he had been thrown from before hearing Molten Man's screams.
"Mark comes first," Jett stated as he dove down.
Below, Molten Man was lashing out wildly as Psimon struggled to regain control of the boy's rampaging mind. He threw waves upon waves of magma around him while slamming his fists on the ground.
"Mark!" Ed called as he teleported in front of Molten Man, holding onto the dampening collar.
"It's time to calm down, buddy. You don't want to do this!" Ed insisted as he slowly approached Molten Man.
However, once Ed got too close, Molten Man lashed out, throwing out magma at Ed who teleported out of the way. He tried again by teleporting closer to Molten Man, but that just resulted in Molten Man grabbing onto Ed and throwing him away.
"Man, I wish Tai was here." Ed sighed as he clutched his burn.
Suddenly, Jett came flying down, tackling Molten Man to the ground as he quickly put Molten Man in a nelson hold, keeping him still as he began to absorb the heat being produced by Molten Man, cooling him down and causing Jett to heat up further.
"Hurry up and place the collar on! I don't know…how long I can hold him for!" Jett insisted as Molten Man thrashed in his grasp.
"Gotcha!" Ed nodded as he teleported in front of Molten Man and placed the collar on the boy, deactivating his powers.
Jett quickly separated from Mark so as to not burn him as the boy's body returned to normal. Though with his powers sealed, Mark still thrashed out, but without any of his powers, he wasn't able to hurt anyone as Ed quickly administered a sedative to knock Mark out.
As Mark lost consciousness, Psimon slowly lost his link to Mark's mind scowling at his inability to regain control of Mark's mind. When his link was completely severed, Psimon opened his eyes, scowling.
"It's over," Psimon stated as he and Devastation sat in the back of a van.
"How could this happen?" Devastation questioned as she held Psimon close.
"Ugh…his mind snapped. I seem to have pushed the boy too hard." Psimon spat, angry that he had done so.
"This is a rare occurrence that can happen. I hope that at least you two got the footage." Psimon murmured as he turned toward the two females in black clothing in the front of the van.
"Of course, and with a simple editing, we'll have what we need to paint that facility in bad light. They'll have to delay the opening." One of them answered as she held up a drive.
"I still don't see why I needed to be here! You could have easily done this yourself, Cassandra!" The other complained before pulling off her burnt mask.
"Plus, I hate this suit!" Maya hissed before crossing her arms.
"Enough! Father insisted on this mission to teach you a little discipline. After all, if you don't shape up then this is what's going to become of you in September." Cassandra replied as she pulled off her own mask.
"Don't remind me," Maya muttered, causing Cassandra to scowl.
"I don't get you Maya. Father has graciously let you roam free for years! Haven't you got it out of your system by now?! Aren't you ready to finally take up the responsibility our family holds?" Cassandra questioned as Maya huffed, looking away.
"I'd rather live my own life." Maya spat, causing Psimon to chuckle.
"What a wonderful display of sibling love." Psimon snickered as Maya glared at him.
"Even so. As long as we got what we came for, everything will work out fine." Psimon smirked as they drove off.
Meanwhile, back at the facility, Mark lay collapsed on the ground, unconscious, as both Ed and Jett breathed a heavy sigh of relief, thankful that Mark was finally contained and unable to be controlled.
"Thank goodness that's over. Thanks for the help, Jett, but when could you do that? Furthermore, why are you still on fire and doing…whatever that is?" Ed questioned as he looked at Jett, who seemed to be doing a weird dance.
"Sorry, yeah, I've been…working on that…absorbing heat…but whenever I do, I feel like I've got a massive influx of energy. I'm just trying to burn it out without going well….too hot." Jett explained before turning toward the facility.
"That being said, the creeps who did this to Mark are still inside!" Jett pointed out as he shot off toward the building.
"Wait, Jett, don't!" Ed called as he watched Jett fly off.
"Great…he can fly now…" Ed sighed as he swung Mark's arm over his shoulder.
"I should give him a lesson on what not to fly toward tomorrow," Ed noted as he teleported himself and Mark toward the facility.
Later…
Mark's eyes slowly fluttered open as he regained consciousness. As he picked himself up, Mark felt a splitting headache that caused him to nearly fall over as he clutched his head. When he recovered, he looked at his surroundings surprised to find himself in the facility's infirmary.
"How did I end up here?" Mark wondered before finding the collar around his neck.
"Wha…what happened?!" Mark gasped as he tried to remember the events that led to his ending up here.
"Oh good, you're up." Eduardo Sr. sighed as he and Ed walked into the room.
"Doctor Dorado! Ed! W-What happened?!" Mark questioned as he attempted to get up, only for Eduardo to place his hand on Mark's shoulder stopping him.
"It's best you don't move much. We still have to ensure there aren't any side effects from the mental attack you were placed under." Eduardo Sr. insisted as Mark went wide-eyed.
"Mental attack?" Mark murmured before memories came flooding back into his mind.
"Oh god! What did I do?!" Mark gasped as he clutched his head in shame.
"Calm down, Mark! No one was hurt…by you, at least. Jett and I managed to stop you before you could do anything." Ed assured as Mark breathed a sigh of relief.
"Really? Thank goodness…where is Jett?" Mark inquired curious where his fellow meta was.
"He's cleaning up the fires he set upstairs." Eduardo Sr. answered, crossing his arms.
"Does that mean it's over? Was that psychic taken care of?" Mark asked as Ed scratched his head.
"Not exactly. It seems they ran off as soon as we managed to subdue you. Honestly, we don't really know what they were after in the first place." Ed explained, surprising Mark.
"Mark is there anything you remember about when they were controlling you? Anything at all?" Eduardo Sr. inquired as Mark rubbed his forehead.
"Well…it's really fuzzy. I remember…when that guy got in my head, he drew out my anger over my ex-stepfather." Mark began struggling to remember the exact details of that time.
"I-I think he wanted me to go crazy and hurt people," Mark responded as he clenched his fists.
"That's what they wanted? Not to traffic you or Jett?" Eduardo Sr. murmured, surprised as his phone rang in his pocket.
"Finally! Our communications are back up!" Eduardo Sr. exclaimed as he pulled out his phone.
"I have to go make a report to the League. But before I go, Mark is there anything else you recall? Did the psychic reveal themselves in any way?" Eduardo Sr. questioned as Mark looked down.
"I…I think he kept referring to himself in the third person…I think he said Simon Says a lot…but I'm not one hundred percent sure about it." Mark answered as Eduardo nodded.
"I understand. Take all the time you need to recover, son, and don't worry, this won't affect your parole. We'll make sure of that." Eduardo Sr. assured before leaving the room.
"Why does my life keep getting worse!" Mark complained as he hung his head.
"Don't think like that, Mark. These things just happen to us, Metas. I thought the same thing when the Reach kidnapped me two years ago." Ed insisted as Mark looked up at him.
"We just need to keep moving forward, one step at a time." Ed pointed out as Mark gave a reluctant nod.
"Now I just need your help convincing Jett not to fly towards danger later." Ed laughed, confusing Mark.
"He can fly now?!" Mark gasped, surprised at the statement.
"Unfortunately." Ed sighed as Mark shook his head.
"Hey, you're making it sound like it's a bad thing!" Jett complained as he walked into the infirmary while shaking one of his arms up and down.
"I thought you were cleaning up fires…and why are you doing that?" Mark questioned as Jett scratched his head.
"Yeah, I cleaned up the fires by absorbing their heat…which basically gives me like a shot of pure energy into me, so I've got to burn it off," Jett explained as Ed chuckled.
"You should have seen the weird dance he did after we subdued you." Ed laughed as Jett deadpanned.
"Yeah, the less said about that, the better," Jett murmured before turning toward Mark.
"So, how're you feeling?" Jett inquired as Mark sighed.
"Not great. Being put under a mental hold is not fun." Mark answered as Jett nodded.
"Yeah, I felt that just a little when he hit me with some sort of mental attack. I can't imagine what you went through." Jett noted as Mark fell back on the bed.
"Guess tonight was just wasn't meant to be good for any of us," Mark murmured as Jett looked down.
Jett knew what Mark said was very true since all of them nearly died or, in Mark's case, something worse. Then, there was still the fact about Jay's arrest that was broadcast earlier. Things were not looking good for anyone at the moment.
When Jett thought about it, he began to think about his dilemma before the events of that night started. He still had yet to decide, but…after everything that happened, Jett knew what he had to do to help.
"Well we still got plenty of time to work this out," Jett smirked as he gave Mark's arm a playful nudge.
"We? What about going back to New York for your friend?" Mark questioned as Jett's arm finally calmed down.
"Yeah, well. After the events tonight, I know that you need help too, and I think Jay would agree regardless of what's going on with him." Jett explained before smirking.
"So you're stuck with me, buddy, whether you like it or not!" Jett laughed, making both Mark and Ed smile.
"Thanks, Jett." Mark thanked.
Earth's Orbit…
Watchtower…
Friday, June 23, 1:23 am…
"Report," Batman ordered as he and the rest of the Justice League met in their meeting room either physically or via hologram.
"Yes." Aquaman nodded as he stepped forward.
"As you all may know from our message, two meta-related incidents had occurred almost simultaneously tonight." Aquaman began as several screens appeared behind him.
"The first was in New York when several of the homeless who inhabited F.E.A.S.T were kidnapped and nearly trafficked by the criminal known as the Tinkerer, who we believe is working for the local crimelord the Kingpin." Aquaman continued as Miss Martian stepped forward.
"My team, along with the help of Nightwing, assisted the local hero Spider-Man in rescuing most of the kidnapped residents. The sole exception was Max Dillon, who had disappeared by the time the Team arrived." Miss Martian explained as a picture of Max appeared.
"Additionally, the one behind the operation Tinkerer managed to escape the facility and is still on the run." Miss Martian added before Wonder Woman spoke up.
"What of the other residents? Have any of their metagenes been activated?" Wonder Woman inquired as Miss Martian shook her head.
"So far, our tests all show negative, but we can't take out the possibility that some might have a delayed activation due to the stress." Miss Martian responded as Batman spoke next.
"And the other incident," Batman noted as Aquaman resumed his report.
"The other incident occurred at the S.T.A.R Labs facility in Taos where the Metahuman Youth Facility is being built," Aquaman informed as a picture of the building appeared.
"These two youths are testing the program as part of this boy's parole." Aquaman continued as he gestured to a picture of Mark.
"Mark Allen, known to the public as Molten Man, had been placed under the mental control of Psimon, who, along with Devastation and two females who we can only assume to be members of the League of Shadows, infiltrated the facility," Aquaman explained as he placed his arms behind his back.
"They forced Mr. Allen to go on a rampage through the facility, creating lots of damage, though thankfully no one was hurt. But that only raises questions on why they did it." Aquaman pointed out as Green Arrow rubbed his chin.
"Maybe they just want to proclaim that the building isn't safe and they can still get to the kids there. Shouldn't we have guards at the building?" Green Arrow suggested as Black Canary shook her head.
"They rejected the idea as it might give any meta teen who goes there the wrong idea that they're being kept there by force." Black Canary stated as Green Lantern (G) spoke up.
"Isn't that like…super irresponsible." Green Lantern (G) pointed out as Wonder Woman nodded.
"For once, Guy is right. We shouldn't leave the facility without any protective measures." Wonder Woman agreed as Green Lantern (G) nodded.
"Yeah…wait!" Green Lantern (G) shouted, realizing what Wonder Woman had said.
"Agreed, whether they like it or not, we need to have guards or, at the very least, a member of the League stationed at the facility," Batman stated before Aquaman spoke up.
"While that would be nice we would need permission from the U.N. to have a member of the League to even do so. As for the guards, we can hire a vetted security team to guard the building who won't give the residents the feeling of being trapped inside." Aquaman noted before changing the subject.
"Back to the topic on hand. What we know is that these two events are unrelated, but both are worrisome. The attack on the Taos facility shows that we cannot leave it unattended if we want to open the youth facility properly. While the event in New York…" Aquaman began before sighing.
"Shows a startling escalation by the Kingpin. No doubt in response to the appearance of Spider-Man." Aquaman continued as several news reports on Spider-Man appeared.
"If this escalation continues, it could get out of control, and innocent people will get hurt, including Spider-Man," Aquaman stated as Superman spoke up.
"Have you tried inviting him to the team? It would be best for his protection and future." Superman inquired as Miss Martian nodded.
"He rejected Nightwing's initial offer, but I plan to offer once more with the rest of the Team as backup in hopes their stories could help convince him." Miss Martian explained as he pulled up an image of Wilson Fisk.
"From there, we will work to expose and take down Wilson Fisk, the true identity of the Kingpin. He's unfortunately very good at concealing his tracks and has a hold on local authority, so it'll take some time." Miss Martian added as Aquaman took the floor again.
"That concludes our main topic for this meeting. But there is still much to discuss." Aquaman declared as they moved on to discuss their efforts to fight off the forces of Darkseid off-world.
Meanwhile, Batman scowled with his arms crossed. He was dissatisfied with how things were going, especially after hearing about the events of that night. It only reinforced his decision to begin the proceedings to form their own shadow group to fight against the Light.
"Meeting adjourned," Aquaman announced as everyone began to leave.
"Kaldur. A word." Batman insisted as he stood up, stopping Aquaman before he could leave.
"Is there something you'd like to discuss?" Aquaman inquired as he and Batman stood alone in the meeting room.
"The time has come," Batman stated, shocking Aquaman.
"You want to leave the League this soon?" Aquaman questioned as Batman nodded.
"Not now, but in one month," Batman explained as Aquaman hung his head.
"It will be difficult without you all. But it is a necessary move." Aquaman agreed before lifting his head.
"I'll inform M'Gann and Wonder Woman. But there's something that concerns me." Aquaman noted, piquing Batman's interest.
"It's about Spider-Man. I didn't bring this up during the meeting, but I'm having doubts he'll decide to join the Team based on what Dick told me about him." Aquaman admitted as Batman rubbed his chin.
"Agreed, I don't see it happening. Teenagers aren't ones to change their minds easily." Batman agreed before crossing his arms.
"But if need be, I'll have Dick keep an eye on him and make sure he's okay. He's already training him, after all." Batman stated as Aquaman nodded.
"I'll leave him to you then when the time comes," Aquaman replied as the two left the room.
Arkham Asylum…
Friday, June 23, 8:17 am…
Otto laid in his cell, unable to sleep, as he counted each passing second in his head. Well over a week had passed since he had awakened in this place, and he was getting closer to completing his plan for escape.
All he needed to do was buy his time and play his cards right. But one thing bothered him and that was what he'd do once he would do once he broke out. He had to have a concrete plan of action on his next move.
Surely, one of the first things he planned on doing was finishing his computer in his hidden lab, assuming it hadn't been discovered yet. Then, he'd have to figure out his problem with losing the mobility in his legs. But most of all, he needed to plan his revenge on Spider-Man.
"Just you wait arachnid. Soon, I'll make sure you regret crossing Otto Octavius!" Otto thought as the sound of loud footsteps rang throughout the hallway outside.
"Tsk, I hate having to move this freak to a new cell so early in the morning." A Guard complained as they drew closer to Otto's cell.
"Can't be helped. We have to move him every week to prevent him from doing anything permanent in the cells. Last time we kept him in a single cell for too long, he broke through the locks." The Other Guard stated as another voice cackled.
"Oh, it's so nice to be treated with such care. But if you REALLY wanted to avoid all this, you could just let me go." The Chuckling Voice suggested, causing the guards to groan.
"Shut it, clown!" One of them shouted as they stopped at the empty cell across from Otto's.
Those words caught Otto's attention, as he turned over to see who was being placed inside the cell. What he saw caused a cold shiver down his spine as a man with pale white skin and green hair was locked in the cell across from Otto. As the guards left, the pair locked eyes.
"Well, well. What do we have here?" The Man questioned as he gazed at Otto.
"Haven't seen your face around here, pal. You new?" He asked as Otto began to glare.
"Oh? Is something bothering you? That glare is quite nasty!" The Man pouted as he rubbed fake tears from his eyes.
"But don't you worry. I know just how to put a smile on that face!" Joker exclaimed before letting out a sadistic laugh.
Author's Note:
Let's go! Got this chapter done before a year past XD. Here's hoping I could do the same for the next one, lol. But this chapter was definitely a little different as it had basically no Jay in it (not counting Mark's hallucination, as that wasn't real, duh lol). I hope to do more chapters like this someday where it focuses on another character other than Jay too.
Especially since this gave an opportunity to check in on Jett and Mark, who haven't been present in a long while, which is always fun since it's going to be a while longer before I bring them back to New York. What was also fun was placing this story on the same day as the previous two chapters.
Honestly, this wasn't really what I had planned when I initially had the idea of this chapter as I had come up with it while I was writing chapter 17, and when I was writing that, I was initially planning to show Jay's court case ending at the end but decided against it as it would be more fun to keep that as its own chapter.
Then, the idea of showing Jett's reaction to this event intrigued me so I set it on the same night. Honestly, though, when I think about it, the hardest part of writing this chapter was deciding who would be invading/attacking the youth center.
Because originally, I had an idea of a whole group of traffickers led by a small part of Onslaught raiding the facility and Jett, Mark, and Ed fighting them off, but then I realized it would be a little too similar to what happens later in season 3.
So I decided to keep it small with just Psimon and Devastation plus with help from Maya and Cassandra. I teetered on whether or not I would include Maya and Cassandra and instead have just normal members of the shadows, but I felt it was good to see what's going on with them, if just a little bit.
Though I would have liked to make the chapter a little bit more action-packed, I knew that that wasn't possible with the inexperience Jett (and Mark) had in fighting, and with what the bad guy's mission was, there wasn't much point. But after last chapter, I think that's fine.
Plus next chapter will be back with Jay, so there'll be plenty of it then, lol. Still, I think the chapter came out well, and with us finally getting even closer to the beginning of season 3, things are going to get interesting. So here's hoping I can get there in a timely matter XD.
That's all I've got for now, so onto the reviews:
Divergent Mutant501 – The symbiote is going to be a fun little thing for me as I'm going to treat it a little differently than most adaptations do. I would love to say how, but…I don't want to spoil exactly how, as it's still far out.
Let's just say that while the symbiote will make Jay more aggressive, it won't be because the symbiote amplifies Jay's anger like how the others do. As for how it would react to the Team again, I won't say much, but let's just say that it'll be most cautious around M'gann as she would definitely sense its presence.
Turbo-verse – Thanks glad you like the story! As for Rhino, yes, but Sandman, I haven't really thought about it, so…maybe.
AlphaGodzilla19 – You'll have to find out next chapter ;)
ThatOneGuy on ffn – Thanks glad you liked it, and yeah, I can't wait to show off what I've got planned for him!
Altonus Prime – Well, Jay unfortunately doesn't have any living relatives, save maybe some distant ones, but there would be no place for him there. The best place if Curt were to die would be to be placed under the guardianship of Sara, which, yeah, like you said, prob not in the best place for that, lol.
Otherwise, Jay would be placed in the foster system, and he'd have to keep him being Spider-Man a very well-kept secret from them. As for Nightwing, he'd have to pull a lot of strings for that or have Batman legally adopt him or help Nightwing adopt him since he's got no real claim to guardian Jay.
As for Curt being formally married, unfortunately for him, he's been a bachelor his whole life until now. But who knows, that might change one day!
Jrhenderson1 – Soon all shall be DOOM! XD. Hope you enjoyed the chapter.
Martin ng649 – If you're talking about Sara's phone call, that was not in fact Victor Fries. But that doesn't mean he won't show up later on.
L4S1N3ZZ-RUL3Z – Not exactly. Phin's is more advanced than, say, Sara's due to the nature of how they work, so it can replicate some of it. But Sara's is a bit more…grounded in a sense. As in it's powerful but not overly so. Though I did try to make Sara's armor more of an armor set than just gautlets and gloves.
Thinking about it they're really hard to compare the two as I didn't want to derive Sara's stuff from Phin's.
Shadow-Proclamation8 – Thankfully, it didn't just needed the new year, lol. But yeah, Sara called exactly who you're thinking, and the reason she was able to do so was that they had a very intimate relationship (As hinted by Jett in this chapter XD). Things are definitely going to get interesting once he gets in the picture.
Spidey x Arrowette would be interesting. But will it happen? I won't tell, so that's just going to have to be seen lol. It would be ironic, though.
Vfc15650 – Uh thanks XD I'm glad I'm not dead either, lol. When Jay (and Jett) find out that Tinkerer is Sara, things will not go well, but thankfully it hasn't happened. Yet. Nope, not Cyborg, as Vic Stone is still in High School and hasn't made his transformation just yet so it wouldn't make much sense for it to be him.
The character referenced in someone from Marvel, one who you don't want to cross as any who gets on his bad side, is DOOMED!
That's all I've got for today! Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, and I'll see you next time!