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Chapter Text

Nicholas Armstrong

 The thrill of a tightrope had become a feeling I could associate with home. Instead of a constant looming of death, it was an exciting playful thing. It was safe, yet exhilarating. As my feet moved, my ability faint in the back of my throat, my eyes opened to reveal the crowd around me. What was once a calm moment of silence turned into a loud and enthused uproar of what must have been over a thousand strangers. It took nearly a year, but eventually, the arena that held such a vital battle for those with abilities was open again for performances. 

 It had taken on a new name, Jinhwa Mudae. In that year before its reopening, I trained with Stray Kids. I was honored to be involved in the arena's reopening festival. Those three days were nearly as physically taxing as my time fighting for my life. Mentally it was the greatest thing to ever happen to me. 

 I was by no means a member of this already well-established act, I didn’t want to be. It’s not that I didn’t adore these dorks I’ve been training with, I was just done being associated with a group all the time. I was just me, I was simply the act that introduced Stray Kids. And I loved that. I got the crowd riled up, I had people screaming my name as I treated the stage like a playground. Sometimes I joined the group for their circus acts, but it usually took heavy convincing from Bangchan to get me on the trapeze. It took even more to get me to dance. 

 Somehow today had been the day Bangchan and his crew convinced me to do both, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t scared. It was one thing being up on a flaming tightrope, another thing to be on the ground talking in a still somewhat unfamiliar language to give myself downtime between exhausting tricks. Dancing was as unnatural to me as being a person was during my first sixteen years of life. Hell even now at twenty this whole being a person thing was a little strange. 

 A smile made its way onto my lips as I let out a small puff of fire, clearing my head. This was no time to be having a crisis, based on the timing of the music it’s time to land a backflip on this stupid modified line. Even if I fell it didn’t really matter, I’ve discovered enough fun ways to recover that even my mistakes looked cool. At least that’s what the fans say, they could be lying for my sake. Either way falling isn’t the end of the world. The real end of the world is going to be when I’m off this tightrope and performing with the main act for most of the show. At least I'm not involved in any of the ‘idol sections’. Any acts that were purely dancing were going to be my downtime. 

 My smile slowly morphed into a cocky grin as I flipped on the line, shakily landing on the thin wire. The gasps that rang through the arena only fueled the rest of my routine. As the music picked up, the tricks got more complicated. I was moving faster, the wire shaking harder as I moved. On my harder tricks, I couldn’t help but think of Karl and Luke. The thought of them being proud of my performances was a major factor keeping me on top of my game. The two often texted me about my performances, sending me random clips from my shows and talking about me as if I were a star. 

 I was their star even an ocean away. 

 On my final trick I found myself slipping off the line twords the platform where I would dismount. There were gasps of fear as I started to fall, but of course, it was a planned fall to get the crowd anxious. I reached my hands up, fingers gripping with muscle memory as Changbin suddenly filled my vision. Woojin and that damn invisibility, they just couldn’t pass up using him for tricks like this even if he didn’t participate in circus acts anymore. Stray Kids had four circus performers, the rest simply joined in for music aspects, or sometimes came out for small things or ability usage if needed. Felix, Bangchan, Hyunjin, and Changbin all loved circus performances, you couldn't take this type of performance out of the four men if you tried, and their company tried. 

 Lucky for them Karl is a very persuasive man. And by that I mean he damn near bought the company out and led a massive reform of it while also writing out plans to kill the American president. His multitasking skills were the hottest thing I've ever seen, and I get to play with Luke in his spider form. It’s hard to top that, literally and metaphorically. Yet Karl manages to do it with sheer intelligence and skill. Fuck, I may need to take a vacation back home if I keep thinking of those two like this. 

 My hands nearly slipped as I ended up on my own bar, body now upside down. I caught Felix, the man giving me an annoyed look as I held tightly onto his arms. I could feel his ability in the back of my head, a subtle command to focus. The man's ability had become a common feeling, a welcomed feeling most times. It was nice to have someone that could just tell you to focus and it actually made you zone back into the task at hand. I passed Felix to Bangchan, all four trapeze now in use. My arms burned as I made passes. 

 Even a short act in the air like this was enough to have me praying for the music to suddenly end faster. Changbin was lucky to have a strength-enhancing ability. Felix and Bangchan didn’t need abilities given their years of hard training. I was a little behind, but can you blame me? Fighting doesn’t translate perfectly to circus work. It gave me a headstart, but some of these skills are just rough. The first time I ever did tumbling with Felix on the ground the man managed to knock me straight on my ass. No one let me live that down. 

 I grit my teeth as I caught Bangchan, his frame slightly denser than Felix's. I could feel a hum of electricity on his skin, a reminder of the finishing move of the act. My own ability ran under my skin, pure flame wrapping my bones as I fought to throw Bangchan back to Changbin. Soon it was just me and Bangchan hanging once we got everyone sorted out. My arms swung as I tried to get more momentum. A light fire danced around my arms as I breathed out. I could hear the faint crackle of Bangchans ability as we got closer. I closed my eyes as I straightened my legs, falling from the trapeze bar. My legs tucked as I flipped in the air, Bangchan’s electricity catching on me as we passed each other in the air. 

 If that man has taught me anything, it’s that there's more to me than the hellfire bloodline. Even if I never had a blood family, I could find a family amongst the dragons. I held back a growl as my back burned for a moment, large dragon wings forming from a flash of fire around me. Cheers rang in my ears as I hovered in the air, Bangchan nearly back to back with me as we took in the roaring crowd. I could hear the stage crew talking over the comms, the rest of Stray Kids being ushered on stage under Woojin's ability. I could hear Bangchan in my ears telling me to hold the ending pose for another moment, giving the crowd a pause to settle back down. Give ourselves time to drink in the feeling of accomplishment, the feeling of being adored by so many people. 

 As we landed, we went twords opposite sides of the stage, wings still outstretched. Slowly the rest of the members appeared, cheers ringing out as everyone was revealed. My eyes wandered over the crowd, shock hitting me for a split second when my eyes locked with a familiar heterochronic set. I guess I would be making a trip back to America. I love Karl, but his presence usually came with an unfortunate circumstance. It hadn’t even been five years, but of course, the team would need to get back together before the grace period was over. There was proper battle training that needed to be done. 

 I tried to send a genuine smile Karl’s way before taking my spot on the stage sideline. Before my eyes left my boyfriend I noticed Noah stood behind him, arms loosely wrapped around him. It was always going to be cute seeing how Noah basically hung off the shorter man. I swear that freak of nature managed to get taller and buffer over the last three years. despite his nearly six foot-three stature he still hung off Karl like he wasn’t an entire head taller than him. Karl often compared his three boyfriends using dog breeds, a comparison that should likely be causing a stronger feeling of offense. 

 Noah was of course a Golden Retriever, I was apparently a Doberman and Luke was a Rottweiler. What a fun combination of personalities. “ And of course, everyone’s favorite opening act now joining all of tonight's circus acts. The blazing dragon!” I quickly took a bow when I heard my stage name being called. I tried to ignore the two sets of eyes focused on me during the entire show. Unfortunately, that was easier said than done after noticing the dark look in Noah's eyes when I walked across the front of the stage. Half-hooded eyes trailed over my body as I walked, and it took all my self-control to look away. XD almighty that man looked so sweet but he was almost worse than Luke. 

 It was a shame Luke didn’t have much interest in Noah, those two would be an unstoppable force in be- I’m going to not think about that while balancing Felix over my head. We were finishing up a quick floor routine. My arms stayed stagnant as Felix easily jumped up, hands interlocking with mine as his body moved above mine, legs falling into a split as I kept him up. His arms shook a little as he held himself up on my arms, legs much more stable. I let my eyes glace over to Karl in the front row,  wondering if he would be able to pull off the simple trick. Karl did gymnastics, he could likely do this with him if he tried. 

 “ Well it’s been a good night Stay’s, but unfortunately this will be our final act. But we are all excited to announce we have been given permission to use a very well-fitting song for our closing act. Are you all ready to witness the Greatest Show!” 

 Bangchan owes me a bottle of soju for involving me in this show. I was nervous, but hearing Hyunjin and Felix excitedly shout together was easing my nerves. The lights dimmed in the arena, casting the stage in complete darkness while the stage crew quickly flipped the stage for the final show. Subtle sounds of teleportation and movement flew around me. I stayed still where I stood, knowing soon I’d be moved in a similar fashion to the equipment. I could feel Jisung’s hand on my back, the man teleporting me up to a platform that stood just below the trapeze area. He was gone in an instant, helping move Felix and Bangchan up to the two different platforms on each side of the trapeze setup. 

 They really had us filling the entire stage. Hyunjin was stationed a little further back on the stage, ice forming below him. The rest of the members stood closer to the front of the stage, all with their heads down, waiting for the music to start. My breath hitched as the arena fell into perfect silence, everyone anticipating the massive finale that had been teased in the weeks leading up to the show. 

 Personally, I thought the music choice was a little corny, but to be fair when Hugh Jackman himself gives your company the right to use the Greatest Showman soundtrack what are you meant to do? Not use The Greatest Show for a massive finale showing off everyone's personal talents? That would be such a waste. Once the song started all the lights were on Bangchan, the man looked exhilarated as he lightly danced on the trapeze platform all eyes on him  

 “Ladies and gents this is the moment you waited for~” 

 It was safe to say we all felt a rush of adrenaline as a more rock-style version of The Greatest Show filled our comms system. Soon all the lights were on, revealing the complex stage. My body moved on its own, fire dancing around me as I let my anxiety go. We spent months practicing, I was ready for this. Slowly attention was taken off of Bangchan and Felix as the intro to the song progressed, the two passing around the lines with as much skill as the two had passing on the trapeze. 

 Soon focus was down on Hyunjin. Even though my platform blocked my view of him, I could tell he had landed his quad jump before singing his line based on the sheer amount of screaming in the arena. That man’s control while ice skating was beyond me. I could not imagine doing all of this and singing at the same time. I was lucky just to be dancing on my platform. Any more than this and I would have said no. 

 “ So tell me, do you wanna go!” 

 As the lights flashed and the crowd screamed, I felt at ease as I danced. There was a constant hum of power beneath my skin, and it may have been the greatest feeling in the world. I was exhausted from the show, my limbs on the verge of giving out just moments before the finale. Yet somehow in this moment, I felt like I could fight an army without breaking a sweat. Call it a performance high, call it pure adrenaline, hell call it whatever the fuck you want. To me? This was home. It was a natural perfect corner in the world for me to exist in even if only for a blink in time. 

 My love for performing wasn’t going to end here, not ever. Even if I have to go back to fighting today, this moment will exist in time forever. And no one can take that away from me. Even if it was only three years, I made one hell of an impact in that time. I was the Blazing Dragon on this stage, and that name will stick with me even if I have to leave the stage behind for something bigger. 

“Oh, this is the greatest show!” 

 I felt my wings form out of my back, more fire building around me as the song picked up, Felix and Bangchan flipping mere feet above where I was dancing. There was so much happening around the stage, from the vocals from the normal performance group to me borderline break dancing on a small platform in the air, it would take people a good ten watches to catch everything. 

 Hyunjins jumps on the ice, Felix and Bangchan basically flying above me. It was all perfect. It was incredible to hear Bangchan recover so quickly from his trapeze work, crouching on his platform as he poured his heart into the song, voice resonating throughout the arena, and likely out to the nearby streets. I could hear electricity crack, a muted yet harsh sound confirming that he had summoned his wings. Even if I couldn’t see him I knew what his part looked like, at least in theory based on our practices. 

 It was safe to say we were all proud as the leader changed the original lines, something we had all been begging him to do. 

 "Where the lost get found, I’m the crown, I’m the CIRCUS KING!” 

 It was a quick transition, Jisung quickly and silently slipping out of formation to grab Me and Felix before the final chorus. Everyone's voices coming together for the final part of the song was mesmerizing. As the music slowed I found myself in formation with the group, my body taking over as the music basically carried me. I smirked as The entire group spun, arms outreached to point up at Bangchan who now stood on my platform. The Leader of Stray Kids, an inspiration to thousands, and the Thunder Dragon of Korea. That man had every right to look like he had just won the lottery three times over. He had, given the group he led, the family he held together. He really did win the lottery. 

 “ This is the Greatest Show!” 

 We all moved back into formation, Bangchan still on that platform as we finished out the song and performance. He was highlighted as the song ended, all of us breathing heavily as the lights dimmed. The minute I was off the stage I basically collapsed, Changbin having to drag me into the changing room. I coughed up a little fire as I collapsed back onto a couch. Everyone started changing out of their stage outfits almost immediately. I peeled off my shirt, the black long-sleeve was basically a second skin with all the sweat. 

 Even with the shoulders cut out and the material being borderline mesh, I was sweating my ass off. The dark red fake leather pants were going to be a bitch to remove when I got to that part. “ You better not pass out Nick, you look like death.” I flipped off Hyunjin as he walked by, the man not looking much better than me. His once tied-back long hair was down and sticking to his face and neck, white frilly button-up up discarded and replaced with a black tank top. “Shut up man, Shouldn’t you be pestering Felix?” My mind drifted as my head fell back, korean honorifics nearly escaping me as I addressed Hyunjin as properly as I could. I was only older than Jeongin, so I had to make sure to keep the habit of addressing everyone properly. 

 It wasn’t the end of the world, but I really wanted to get a good grasp on korean culture and language while here. I was grateful to be able to learn so much in three years. “ Oi, come on Nick. Your boyfriends are waiting outside for you. Either get out of that stage outfit or go out there and have them help you out.” I groaned as Changbins hand clapped me on the shoulder, his teasing effective in getting me up and back to change. 

 The minute I was decent and not sweaty I was out in the hallway, Noah and Karl crowding me. It took me a minute to mentally switch back to English. I had spent the last three years rarely speaking English since a lot of Stray Kids and the company was just more comfortable speaking Korean. Of course, I had Felix and Bangchan, but even they encouraged me to speak Korean around them for practice. 

 “Nick that was incredible! I’m so fucking proud of you firefly.” My limbs practically melted when Karl hugged me, his head resting on top of mine. I loosely hugged him back, enjoying his presence before getting to business. I could feel Noah move beside me, an arm resting around my shoulders. It was nice to just be with Karl and Noah, not Kairos and Zeus. Unfortunately, I knew I’d need to switch back to Sapnap, maybe Hades depending on who I’d be working under. I could at least give myself the grace of a few more minutes like this. 

 “Hey, so Luke couldn’t be here because of the tour. But guess who will be playing in Orlando Florida this Friday at 6:30?” Karl gently pulled back from our hug, Noah now leaning closer against me as he spoke. I wasn’t as used to the physical affection from Noah compared to my other boyfriends. Given the timing, I haven’t really had many long interactions with Noah. Really it’s mostly been sex after Karl and I go out for a day together. We always tell him he can join us, but he’s always adamant about us getting alone time. He seems content just having me for the nights while Karl gets me in the day. 

 I can’t say I hate the dynamic, we all have different connections in our little bubble. Noah and Luke are a bit removed from each other but extremely physical with me, Sam and Luke are close physically but not too outwardly romantic. Sam is affectionate with everyone but nothing major, Noah is usually focused on Karl but makes time for me- it’s a whole system that would take forever to actually explain. “Is this a situation where I need to take a vacation, or do I need to tell the company I’m going to be out for the foreseeable future?” Was I leaving here today as Nick or Sapnap was the question? 

 Karl softly sighed, eyes holding a bit of remorse as he looked at me. I could feel Noah's arm around me tense. The tone shift told me everything I needed to know. “Am I reporting as Sapnap or Hades?” Noah sighed, leaning the both of us against the cold concrete wall next to the dressing room door. He spoke, which surprised me. Usually, it’s Karl who does all the debriefings and planning. I need to give Noah more credit, he really has been moving up in the ranks. 

 “We had to cut the Roadtrip tour short because of some concerning revelations. That show marks the end of their tour and the start of training. You will report as Hades under Ares but Sapnap under everyone else. You know how Techno loves his Greek mythology. You’ll be working under Techno just to get you ready to lead a unit with Clay. Even with the grace period with Totem that hasn’t slowed down the government and their own goals of slaughtering innocent people. There’s been more raids recently- a byproduct of people being more vocal.” 

 I had seen recent news, more younger people freely showing off their abilities in something that was being nicknamed ‘The Mutant movement’. It was a new terminology in media. People with abilities are being called mutants due to the new genetic research surrounding us. Some use it like a slur, others like casual terminology. I can’t say I’m a fan of being called a mutant, but it’s not the end of the world. 

 “We need to curb these raids, while also trying to take a more political approach to the situation. We’ve got a few plants in the government now, and we’ve been slowly picking off our enemies to make things easier. Now you won’t be needed for the political nonsense, we need you and Clay to help protect these kids who are being attacked. We need you on the field as soon as possible because the rates at which kids are being killed and arrested are skyrocketing. I swear we wanted to keep you all out of this- but we desperately need our top performers back. We can’t do this without Jimmy’s inner circle. I’m sorry-” 

 I quickly cut off the tallers apology, turning to give him a quick kiss. It was a little embarrassing having to get up on my toes to do it. “Easy thunder, don’t get all apologetic on me. I get it. Jimmy’s little outer circle just doesn’t compare to us.” A smirk fell on my lips, a small amount of power surging in my limbs. I could feel a small amount of energy rest behind my eyes so they would flash orange, a cocky display. Karl rolled his own eyes, the sudden two-toned appearance finally causing me some confusion. 

 “Hey, why are your eyes in permanent power mode? Something wrong with my timeline?” They weren't glowing, they had just shifted from their usual blue color to purple and a strangely muted green. “Oh sorry, I’ve been a little on edge so I keep accidentally grabbing people's timelines. I swear it’s not intentional half the time. I just subconsciously keep gripping you and Noah's timelines.” Karl shook his head, eyes slowly fading back to blue. I didn’t mind him keeping tabs, I just didn’t want him exhausting himself. 

 “Hey, can we maybe head back to your place? I hate to keep talking business but I was hoping to get a few tips and pointers on leading units. Jimmy mentioned front-lining me if I kept up my progress.” Based on how Noah's hand was slowly traveling down my back, I had a feeling we weren’t going to be talking business the entire night. 

Karl

 I held back a laugh when Noah walked out of the bedroom, an obscene amount of steam coming from the room. Those two were lucky Bangchan wasn’t around to hear half the shit they had gotten up to in the bathroom on that side of the apartment. Even sitting out in the living room I could clearly hear Noah and Nick… having some downtime together. “I hope Nick has a dehumidifier in his room, It might have started raining in there if you guys went for another round.” 

 Noah rolled his eyes at me, walking up to the couch I had occupied. He was shirtless, hair still wet from the shower. He was simply wearing some basketball shorts, black boxers slightly visible above the waistband. I leaned my head back when Noah stood behind the couch, hands gently grabbing my jaw to pull me into a deep kiss. 

 A small groan slipped out of my mouth into his as I tasted Nick still somewhat fresh on his tongue. I sighed when the man pulled back, licking my lips as I looked up at the man looming over me. “What? No comment about how the other guy looks worse?” I earned another eye roll. Noah joined me on the couch, a small look of discomfort flashing in his eyes as he sat. I decided against any more quips about his current state. I mindlessly looked over the man's timeline, blushing as I picked out a few moments from their shower together. Noah looked smug as my face heated up, ability quickly releasing the scene. 

 When Nick walked out of the bedroom I had a hard time taking my eyes off him. “Hey baby can you rewind me a little? My neck is still bleeding a bit.” Noah had looked a little uncomfortable sitting down, Nick was full-on limping and looked like he had been hit by a train, then said train reversed over him and hit him again. I hadn’t looked at this section of the timeline, I thought they stopped after Nick had his fun with Noah. Prime almighty Noah really went in for revenge. 

 I motioned for Nick to sit next to me. I moved over, making space between me and Noah. He was careful as he sat down, Noah’s hand quickly resting on the man’s somewhat unharmed lower back. Nick hissed a little as Noah lightly pushed on the area, a faint blush settling on his face. “Alright you damn dog, hands of Nick your gonna kill the poor man at this rate.” Noah reluctantly took his hand off Nick, raising both his hands in defense. 

 “Shit Noah, did you forget Lukes the spider and not you?” Nick was littered with harsh bite marks, a few scratches down his back as well. Noah also had a fair amount of scratches and hickeys, but only half as much as Nick. It was a little impressive how much Noah managed to put on our boyfriend. Luke would be jealous if he could see how his past records just got smashed. “Nick likes biting. I took a page out of Luke’s book and I’d say Nick was happy with my little attempt to mimic him.” I’d hardly call anything about Noah little. 

 I quickly pulled at the bite's timelines, removing anything that was bleeding and leaving everything else. Nick still looked pretty beat up, but at least he wasn’t going to be bleeding all over the couch. “Karl just saying, I respect the fact your asexual of course. But if you ever decide you want to try anything, for the love of God’s do not have your first time with Noah. Love you baby but you’d kill Karl if you did half the shit you did to me to him.” 

 Noah swatted at Nick’s shoulder as he spoke. “Hey! I would be so gentle with Karl. I’m just an animal with you cause I know you can handle it. I pride myself in the fact I’m a people pleaser and please good. I can already picture how I would make his first time perfect.” I didn’t have much intention of going further than oral, but I’d thrown these idiots a bone and let them talk about their little fantasies. Maybe in the future, I’d be willing to try sex at least once, but for now, I just didn’t have much interest or desire. 

 “Oh? And how would you fuck me, Noah?” 

 The tall brunette looked at me like I had grown a second head. He stuttered for a moment before composing himself. “Well… first off It wouldn’t just be fucking. I’d make sure to make the whole thing cheesy and romantic and make love to you like it’s our wedding night you know? Take you out to your favorite restaurant, or maybe have a hilltop picnic. Bring you home and unwrap you slowly like the gift you a-are” As Noah spoke I got up, straddling the man's legs so I could sit on his lap. His hands went to my hips, grip loose and gentle. “I would… I uhhh.” 

 “What are you gonna do after unwrapping me da-” 

 “I’m taking you straight to church, holy shit Karl down boy! I think if I get hard again my dicks going to break do not tempt me!” we all laughed as I was gently thrown off of Noah’s lap, landing awkwardly against Nick. “Rookie mistake Noah. Never try to outdo Karl when it comes to anything sex-talk-related. Those asexuals are dangerous.” I will never fail at flustering my boyfriends. I will always win, it’s just a trait that comes with being asexual. Being all talk and no bite is great for verbal battles. 

 “Okay, enough sex stuff! Everyone calm down.” 

 Nick and I stared at Noah, the room falling silent for a brief moment before we all started laughing again. It would be a while before we all actually settled down. But that was okay. It was nice laughing at nothing but our own stupidity. We were just a little corner of idiots, and that didn’t need to be a bad thing. 

 “Can we just breathe for one minute without losing it? Come on we’ve got a flight tomorrow we have to get ready for.” 

 Even with the laughing dying down, none of us could look at each other for more than a few seconds without giggling like teenagers. 

 “All right at ease boys, that’s an order. Come on listen to your leader.” 

 “Karl would totally be bossy in bed-” 

 “Noah I can and will throw you out of the plane tomorrow.” 

Chapter Text

Luke 

 There was a loud hum in my ears as the feedback of our in-ear system worked overtime to filter the volume of the stage. Unfortunately, Sam had to tinker with a new sound system after the last one got fried during our last show, which was partially rained out. To be fair that’s what we get for performing at an outside venue in Florida during the rainy season. Personally, I thought it was worth it. Fans still had fun and most of our equipment was borrowed for that show anyway due to the location. 

 Due to water damage, Sam had to do a bunch of fancy technology shit to what we had left so we wouldn’t go deaf performing in this indoor venue. Gotta give the guy credit, he really is a genius with tech. Even built his own electric guitar halfway through the tour cause he got bored and wanted something better looking. Personally, I think it was a little unnecessary but he was happy. Sam’s always happy to build even if it’s something small. He probably would have built our tour bus if we had given him enough time. I think he’s still a little disappointed he didn’t get to. 

 There was a burn in my arms as my final solo of the night hit, hands aching as I flipped my drumsticks. A final burst of adrenaline to get me through the last song. I could feel an ache in my teeth as my body screamed for a break. My concealed fangs begged for a drink. This tour had me drinking a lot more frequently, I’m concerned that even when this all ends, that hunger won’t go away. I know Karl’s waiting for me after this show. An unfortunate early end to the Roadtrip tour followed him. We all knew this was coming, we just hadn’t expected it to be this soon. With a bigger heads up I may have had some time to sort myself out before the team joins back up. 

 I’m scared. 

 I’ve spent the last three years in a performance bliss with Clay and Sam. I guess I’m scared that I won’t be good enough for this team after the lack of practice. I’ll be a hindrance with the lack of control over my bloodlust. I won’t always have Sam to feed off of and I don’t want to force Nick or Karl into having to deal with my spider side. Part of me is also scared about how much I missed the violence. 

 The smell of iron thick in a building after a successful mission. The taste of fear in the blood of those I kill. I’m not a good person. I’m frankly a psycho and I’m not sure if I’m what the team needs anymore. Sam does the technology, Clay is still a mastermind on the battlefield even without practice, that’s just what years of torture and brainwashing do to you. Nick has been doing the most crazy things in the circus I’d hardly call him out of practice. And that new Dragon hybrid side? He’s perfect. I’m just a spider with a set of fangs I can’t always control. So I’m scared of what waits for me off of this stage.

 My lungs burned as I yelled out goodnight to the crowd, the final song of our set ending. For a moment, I stayed seated at my drumset, eyes unfocused as I looked over the crowd. Everything was a blur. I hardly noticed when a hand gently grabbed my shoulder, helping me stand from my seat. I was led offstage, my fangs only aching more as I was pulled into a room. I nearly missed the now somewhat unfamiliar scents of Nick and Karl. 

 “Karl, stand back a minute- yeah he’s just hungry it’s fine.” 

 My mouth nearly opened on command as my nose brushed against Sam’s familiar throat. It had become routine. Have an exhilarating and exhausting set, basically limp offstage, and then grab a drink from Sam. The only thing that disrupted this routine was Karl and Nick’s presence. My mouth stayed shut as I buried my nose into Sam’s neck. A sharp inhale nearly had me break on the spot, the faint smell of iron making my eyes dilate. 

 I wanted some kind of control, I wanted to break myself out of this routine so I didn’t look like an untrained dog in front of my partners. “You like the show guys? Fun- Fun fact, Sam had to um… fix our in-ear system hours before the performance. Fucking brilliant.” I pulled back from Sam’s neck, eyes focusing as I glanced over to Nick and Karl. The two were sat on the couch in Sam and I’s dressing room. We always got paired together while Clay got his own space. “ Baby come on your skins going grey. Don’t get distracted.” I felt like an animal as Sam’s hand tangled its way into my hair, pulling my head back into that space where shoulder met neck. I swear my fangs were positioned perfectly over a vein. One nibble couldn’t hurt. 

 It’s understandable right? It was a long show. I’m just so tired… It’s only natural that I’m hungry. Shit, we all need dinner. Sam should at least have a chance to eat before I bite down on him like a late-night snack. “You should eat-” 

 “Luke please, You're clearly starving. You can drink before we talk none of us mind. Sam’s literally offering up his neck you’ve got every green light right now.” Instinct betrayed me as I hissed, fangs roughly piercing Sam’s skin. He barely flinched anymore. Even if everyone was fine with it I wasn’t. At first, this hybrid awakening felt like a gift, now it just feels like a curse. A burden that makes me weak. I feel like a fucking animal. I can’t even appreciate Sam calling me a good boy anymore, I lashed out halfway through the tour. 

 I still feel terrible. Sam was just trying to start some stuff with me, had me bound to a wall and everything. I barely got a mouthful of blood before those two words had me completely transform and kick him away. I sent the poor guy flying. Something about it all just triggered something. I loved performing, and I loved Sam but the constant routine was just never-ending. It was oddly suffocating. And I finally snapped. For a bit there I went back to drinking my usual medicine before Sam had me crawling back… Like a good fucking pet. 

 Shit, I was starting to feel like I was conditioned to love Sam. It’s fucked up, and it isn’t true but that’s how it feels. It was like he was suddenly the only person that could calm me down. Keep me tame. I hated that. We both bring out the best and worst in each other. That’s why we didn’t work the first time, and frankly, I think that’s why we won’t last now. Maybe routine just isn’t for me. 

 Maybe that’s why I do so well with Karl and Nick. Our relationship is a trainwreck of a story and we are constantly battling new enemies and facing outlandish scenarios together. The unpredictability and constant change is oddly comforting. I need random, I need variety. I need Karl and Nick. Not Sam. “ Easy Baby, not too fast.” I let out an involuntary hiss as Sam’s hand gently scratched at my scalp, a soothing yet infuriating motion. My brain was torn between nuzzling into the hand and biting down harder to make him stop being so fucking sweet and loving with me. Sam was too sweet for his own good. He was too sweet for me. 

 Shit even his blood tasted of an addictive sugar. I can’t help but wonder what Karl and Nick taste like. See if they taste even half as good as they smell. 

 “ Ease up.” 

 I hissed a little as I released Sam, licking my fangs as I gasped for air. I was finally fully zoned back in. My eyes glanced up at Sam, the man smiling as he slowly moved his hand out of my messy hair. I could almost feel him holding back that phrase he was so accustomed to muttering. His eyes glanced between my eyes and lips, a small smile forming on his own. Sam was a sweetheart, but he also loved control. Makes sense that the guy with the ability to lock people into place would like to lead in a relationship. I think that’s what got us during our last go-around together. 

 I hate being controlled. 

 And Sam had full control over me. 

 My feet moved on their own, stepping away from Sam as I licked the blood off my lips. “Luke that show was amazing! That last solo was so cool. I can’t believe how far you’ve come since Roadtrip started. I’m so proud of you.” My muscles relaxed as a familiar warm body filled my arms, head tucked comfortably under mine. I will never not obsess over how small Nick is compared to Karl and me. These days I only had an inch on Karl, but Nick? He’s barely 5’7 and last time I checked I hit 6’1. He was a solid little ball of fire though, so he did nearly knock me on my ass when he collided with me. 

 “How far I’ve come? Firefly look who’s talking. Mister blazing dragon~” 

 I could hear Karl hold back a laugh as I pulled back from Nick’s hug, grabbing his face as I gushed about his accomplishments. “Don’t think I didn’t see your last performance with Stray Kids. You talented nerds seriously did The Greatest Showman? You killed it but seriously? Little on the nose don’t you think?” Nick rolled his eyes, shaking his head so I’d drop my hands. 

 “Hey- would you ignore Hugh Jackman? Look me in the eyes and tell me you would ignore one of the best actors ever if he asked you to perform something from one of his projects.” 

 Nick had a fair point. I still can’t wrap my head around the fact Nick had ended up in such a big show. I thought Roadtrip was doing good, but compared to Nick we we were nothing. Proud is not a big enough word to describe how I feel. “We can argue about Hugh Jackman in the car guys. I hate to be a buzz kill but I have Vans waiting outside. We need to head home.” We all knew what Karl meant by home. He sounded a bit remorseful as he spoke. 

 It was clear this sudden gathering wasn’t exactly planned. Karl pulled us out of retirement early for a reason. It’s more than just concerning. He wouldn’t have gathered us early without a good reason. It was no secret that the political air of America was thick with tension and rage. My best guess would be this return was caused by some new bill passed. Maybe Niki messed up an assassination? Unlikely but it’s possible a mission went wrong. Shit, I hope everyone is okay. I hadn’t even considered the inner circle being injured. I knew mutant deaths were rising… but our team was practically invincible. 

 I hate to put any pressure on Karl, but I’d find it hard to believe he’d allow anything to get too out of hand under his command. He’s practically running everything now. Karl’s the brain while Jimmy is almost like a benefactor now. I’m not trying to disrespect the guy, it’s just clear who’s really running the place nowadays. If Karl is going back into field work that dynamic will probably see another shift. Those two will probably always be passing power back and forth when it comes to the Beast squad. 

 “Sam and Clay, I’ve got a separate van for you two with Grain and Tommy so you all can talk tech. Nick and Luke are with me.” 

  Looks like we're getting right to work. I respect Karl’s efficiency. 

 Tommy’s presence is a little surprising. I knew he went off to the UK with his Dad’s brother to learn engineering, so it’s raising some red flags that both of them are already here. It's starting to look like Nick and I were the last people to be grabbed. Karl waited to bring us back in. “When did those two get back to America?” I couldn’t help but ask the question as Karl motioned for us to start heading out. I didn’t move from the center of the room. 

 “Three days ago. Now come on. It’s a long drive and I know you're tired. You should get some sleep in the car I’m holding a meeting the minute we get back.” Karl’s tone had me worried. Stress was practically dripping off every word. Three days? That means whatever triggered this happened at least four days ago giving travel time from Florida to Britain. Could have been longer. 

 Whatever happened it’s clearly eating at Karl. “Oh Sam the workshop was finally finished. Yeah, the bikes got-” My ears tuned out the conversations around me as we walked out the back of the venue, staff ushering us out. There were a few camera flashes as we got in the van together, fans screaming in the distance as we headed out. I was having a hard time focusing. Once we were farther from the venue my sense started to even out, eyes and ears tuning back into what was happening around me. Karl was on my right, Nick on my left. Both engaged in a soft conversion as my eyes slowly blinked away fatigue. 

 “ Oh shit, maybe he did fall asleep with his eyes open.” My eyes rolled at Nick’s suggestion. I didn’t fall asleep I just zoned out a little. My ears slowly started to pick up more as I focused more. I could hear the car's engine hum, Corpse was our driver, and clearly on the phone with Techno. For a moment I could hear Nick’s calm heartbeat. In another moment my ears picked up Karl’s concerningly erratic heartbeat. 

 “Karl you okay? Your heart is going crazy babe.” 

 The brunette looked surprised when I called out the erratic beat in his chest. My hearing was always better after a good meal. Blood didn’t just keep me calm, it also heightened my senses. “Yeah, I’m good. Just a little on edge.” A little seemed to be an understatement. I dropped the topic, not liking how Karl’s heartbeat sped up when I asked him. “Did you like the show?” Karl seemed to relax as he started going on about my band's performance. Slowly that beat in his chest mellowed out. 

 Once we got within a few miles of the base my work was quickly undone. We had spent the better part of two hours just catching up on things. A lot can happen in three years. Our conversations came to a halt once we entered the large neighborhood that held our base. Karl was dead silent as he got out of the car, eyes suddenly distant and cold. Something was wrong. 

 Something must have gone seriously wrong. 

Karl

 I tried my best to keep my mood up for Luke. I truly did. I was just burning out. It wasn’t easy getting my family back from Britain, getting Nick from Korea, and pulling Luke from the tour all within the same week. I’ve spent the last week running myself into the ground after the situation. I don’t think anyone I sent away has heard the news yet. Half of my team doesn't even know why they're here. They have no idea what happened. I didn't know how to tell them. Telling everyone individually didn’t seem smart, I needed to have everyone in the same room for this. I could do this once, but then I needed a break. I need Jimmy to take back over. I can’t be a leader like this. 

 When Corpse parked I stayed back with him. I told my partners to head to the living room, and not wait up for us. The man looked at me with a pity I came to dread. I hated pity. I grew up with constant pitiful stares and people trying to help me. People looking down on me for needing help, being a failure. Maybe I was just projecting. I doubt people were seriously judging a homeless kid even half as much as I was. Maybe the same can be said now. I’m judging myself more than anyone ever would. 

 “Stringer and Ender couldn’t make the meeting. They got themselves tied up in the youth situation. Ender refused to leave and you know how Stinger is with him.” Their presence wasn’t essential for this meeting anyway. They can be filled in later, they’re still fresh to the inner circle. It would have been strange for them to attend the funeral anyway. 

 “They're going against a direct order- but I’ll let this one slide. Can’t say I blame Ranboo and Toby, they are much closer to that situation given the fact their Tommy’s age.” That little trio was our ‘youngsters’ as Techno nicknamed them. Tommy was the youngest at 17 while Ran and Toby were 19. I hate how much older I feel compared to them. Calling them youngsters like I’m in my forties. I’m only twenty-one. 

 Corpse gave a little hum of acknowledgment, accepting the lack of punishment being directed at the two. Usually ignoring orders like this would be a cause for some backlash, but this was fine. “Before we go inside I also wanted to debrief you on Jimmy's next mission plan.” 

 “Dude I’m about to lead a meeting can I have five fucking minutes? Jimmy’s shit can wait.” 

 My eyes rolled as I started walking faster, the cogs in my brain coming to a halt when I felt a hand gently grip my shoulder, pulling me to turn back around. I was one more inconvenience away from an ability malfunction and I would only feel a little bad for the damages. When my eyes met Corpse’s red ones, I tried to relax under his grip. As our right hand, I know he’s also stressed. I can’t be taking my anger out on him, he doesn’t deserve that. Jimmy on the other hand can fist-fight me in a training room if he’s trying to send me out this soon. 

 “It’s time sensitive and we need Kairos. I’m sorry but we're playing with ability blockers and need you and your partners. The police started carrying illegal ability-blocking darts and they’ve been using them on protesters. Peaceful ones. Those fuckers have been burying their existence but Fundy got shot during the youth situation. If you see him tonight he’s still sick and it’s nearly been a week. We need you, Karl." 

 No one thought to mention to their boss that there were illegal ability blockers at the protests. Son of a bitch this situation keeps getting worse. A groan fell from my lips as my hands dragged over my face, my exhaustion only getting worse as I stood outside with Corpse. A gentle breeze made my eyes tear for a moment, the nighttime wind chill keeping me awake despite my body screaming for rest. I motioned for Corpse to keep talking after I gathered my thoughts and cleared my eyes. 

 “Jimmy found the facility where they're producing them. At least the darts being sent to Florida that is. It’s a lab in Georgia. Forest Genomics Laboratory. We destroy the lab and send a message. Hopefully, we can get our more local units to clear out whatever the police have stocked up and get these things off the streets.” Like we could actually get rid of ability blockers for long. As long as the government is pushing funding for new suppression methods we will always be dealing with these chemical nightmares. A shudder ripped through me as my brain thought back to what had been used against Nick and Clay years ago at the warehouse. 

 Suppression methods are a form of cruelty I will never be quiet about. I can’t be too mad about being sent on a mission so soon when it’s surrounding this. “You want me and my boyfriends to go in and torch the place. Let me guess blood, guts, and fire? Maybe write my name on a wall to sell it? I mean I can only assume the reason you want our trio instead of literally anyone else is because of the name recognition.” I got my answer from the man's silence. 

 Jimmy had been desperate to get my ass back on the field since I had sworn myself to background work. Everyone was dying to get me out, leading on the ground rather than from my office. It had annoyed me beyond reason, and now there was no excuse not to go back. Burying myself in the business side of things was meant to be my vacation. Look where that got us. We need my name’s infamy. Truely any of us could take down a lab of this size, but my trio? We’d take it down and strike fear into anyone who heard about it. Maybe even leave a survivor to tell the story of our brutality. The government couldn’t bury stories involving us. Our names spread like wildfire. 

 “I don’t know what you want me to tell you, Karl. Fine, Yes it’s the fucking name recognition. You got your time in the chair but your biggest asset- our biggest asset is that name of yours. They don’t take us seriously. But you? Your presence even in the background of a photo has the government with all hands on deck. So fine, it is with full transparency I tell you Jimmy wants your name all over this mission so they stop treating us like flys they can just swat away. 

 Finally, someone actually says it. Really I appreciate the honesty even if I had to force it. It wasn’t about me being a good leader, it was my name. I did good work in the background, but my name will always be more useful than anything I can do from a control center. 

 “I want to Leave Noah here. Nothing against him but I refuse to let him see just how bad the three of us get when let loose. I will not do this without all my demands being met is that clear?” 

 Corpse nodded, phone already out, likely texting Jimmy. Even if I was being sent out I still held as much authority as Jimmy. “You got it, boss.” I closed my eyes as I tried to think about everything I needed for this. 

 “I need two days to prepare. I need Sam to finish Luke’s bike if possible, if not he will need yours. Of course, I need our mission outfits cleaned, guns loaded all the usual protocols. I think Luke and I will still fit our original outfits but Nick’s gotten buffer so he needs a visit to the tailor-” 

 “Can we make it three? Jimmy had plans to get Scar and Grian to make you new suits while here. We already have the materials we just need measurements. All they could make was basic gear and shoes without you here.” I guess we weren’t rushing as much as I thought. Three days is a really short frame for all new mission gear to be fair, Hopefully, I can drop in the labs in my spare time to help out. Luke can help Sam out, I’ve gotten better with tech recently but I’m nowhere near Sam’s expertise. 

 “Yeah, whatever that’s okay. Anyway, I also want more than just us three. Depending on the size of the place-” 

 “We had been-” 

 “Cut me off again and I’m not fucking doing this and you and Niki can go handle this shit.” I hate to be bitchy but I’m tired and still have that meeting to hold once we're done out here. 

 “Sorry.” 

I tried to calm down before continuing. “Like I was saying, depending on the size I’d like to have Clay. Maybe Hannah depending on the location. I’ll decide when I get the blueprints. Which, I need by tomorrow afternoon. I need three bikes, normal mission gear, and a driver. I need Nick on a stealth bike. In a chase, we can only fit two bikes in the back of a van and I trust him to shake people off.” Nick was always good at losing people. 

 “Can Hannah drive the vans in a high-speed situation?” Corpse stood silently for a moment, eyes narrowing as he thought about the question. He raised a hand, shaking it a little with uncertainty. Definitely needed Clay in that case. 

 “In that case I need Clay. And I want Tommy sitting chair for this mission. He needs real experience with the tech so Techno may need to watch over him. Other than that I can get this handled in the loudest way possible and be home in time for breakfast the next day.” I better be coming home to a good breakfast. Jimmy’s cooks are amazing and I will be demanding some bacon once this is over. 

 “You got it, boss.” 

 That’s what I like to hear. 

 Now I need to figure out how to tell the group about the recent squad deaths... 

Chapter Text

Karl Jacobs 

 A deep breath of air filled my lungs as my eyes scanned over the faces in the living room. Half the eyes that met mine held a sorrow of knowledge, the other half waited for an explanation as to why I had called them in so suddenly. Standing around would do me no good, but once my eyes stopped on Fundy, I froze. The man looked like he was half recovered from a bad virus. The exhaustion in his eyes had me rethinking my position as a leader. Under my control, we lost two people and Fundy got severely injured, and I hadn’t even known that until today. 

 Some leader I am. I don’t even know when my own men are injured in combat. 

 “As of today, we are resuming business as normal. I’ve pulled everyone back in because things have gotten out of hand with our goals. I had previously stated I would be taking a background approach to our work, but I can no longer lead from the background due to recent events. I will be rejoining missions, and I will be the main superior to all of you. Even if it is not my mission, you answer to the mission lead second to Me and Jimmy. If you aren’t answering to me you better be answering to XD or Prime or your ass will be benched until you can be trusted again. We have to get serious- Yes Tommy?” 

 I was starting to trail off as I spoke, my mind refocusing when I saw Tommy raise a hand. He was sitting on a couch with Grian and our Dad. His eyes were wide, his hand shaking a little as everyone’s eyes suddenly pointed to him. 

 “What if you and Jimmy give contradicting orders? Who ranks higher?” 

 That was a great question. 

 My eyes glanced over to Jimmy, head nodding twords Tommy. I didn’t have a good answer, the least Jimmy could do was throw me a bone here. He shrugged when our eyes locked, hands raising defensively. I sighed, running a hand through my hair. Unfortunately, I had to pull a response out of thin air on a question that was actually important. This is what Jimmy gets for not saying anything. 

 “I outrank Jimmy when it comes to field missions specifically. Anything else he outranks me. If you are actively on a mission I am the highest rank. Anything business-related will be Jimmy’s specialty. Any other questions so far?” 

 I pointed at Nick when his hand slowly raised. 

 “I’m sorry- A few of us have been out of action for a few years. What exactly got out of hand? What kind of threat are we dealing with now?” 

 I knew it wouldn’t take long for someone to ask that. Even with a heads up and time to prepare, I fumbled my words, stuttering as I tried to explain what happened to our comrades. For a moment I had to shit my mouth, a deep breath rattling my ribs as I shakily exhaled. 

 “I take full responsibility-” 

 “Bullshit Karl- Don’t pull that shit knowing damn well when we fail it’s as a team. That day was on everyone assigned to that mission.” 

 I flinched a little as Corpse spoke, his tone harsh. It was hard to blame anyone but myself when I was pulling all the strings. There were no shortcomings with my crew, only shortcomings with how I had handled the situation. If I had just gone with and stuck Jimmy on chair duty… Things would have been better. Fewer children's blood spilled. Less of our own blood spilled. 

 “We failed a major mission involving the youth home that we had been funding under the table through our recent political moves for more rights for our people. I had stationed a majority of the Beast crew around the building, there was a planned protest following a speech given by Charles F. Xavier, an upcoming name in genetic research the man’s recent work is-” 

 I couldn’t hold it back anymore, I fully broke in the middle of my statement, eyes starting to water. 

 “Son of a bitch… Chandler and Kris died during a raid I didn’t plan for. It was a peaceful protest held by children and the military was using ability-blocking tranquilizers and tear gas. Fuck I didn’t even know about the ability blockers till today.” 

 My breathing was labored as I stood in the center of the living room, all eyes on me as I tried to recall what happened just a few days ago. The world seemed to spin around me as the images from security cameras flashed in front of my eyes like I was back in the chair. Seeing Chandler go down so suddenly and not get back up. Nikki was mere seconds from protecting him from gunfire. The force field protecting children from the gas suddenly went down- we got overwhelmed. And I wasn’t there to prevent it. For a man who can change time I sure as hell let a lot happen that could easily be prevented. Some basic rewinding and future sight on timelines would have prevented this all. But I was a coward and limited myself to the screens.

 “So many children died… I let so many kids die …” 

 I could barely process the hand resting on my back, Jimmy’s voice oddly distant despite him now standing right next to me. 

 “The funeral will be held tomorrow night. I know it’s not what you guys want to hear but I know my family, and I know those two wouldn’t want us to lose speed. We have to keep pushing forward, We have to learn from this, recruit more people, and switch tactics. This is a clear sign from the government that they won’t accept our political approach- so we need to resort to whatever method works fastest, cause in three years we will have Totem on our ass again. We have to figure this out before Totem gets back in the game. We can’t handle both of these issues at the same time. So I’m sorry but missions of a more brutal nature will be resuming in three days. I hope you all understand.” 

 My hands trembled as Jimmy's hand left my back, my last hope at a tether to reality leaving me. The past three years flashed violently through my vision. The constant screaming matches with Jimmy and Corpse, my hiding away in the control room while Nikki took down government officials with the presence of a ghost. The last three years were wasted on my inability to just return to the field. Lower ranks taking hits in raids, my team working overtime in an attempt to finally take a nonviolent approach to this bullshit. In my desperation to show mercy I harmed my own family. 

 Mercy is an illusion. Even within mercy, someone gets hurt, the outreached hand offering peace is bitten until no fingers are left to send out that gesture. 

 I’ve been bitten beyond repair. 

 Beyond my hand at this point. The loss of Chandler and Kris felt like the government had taken my entire arm in that last bite. For that, I’ll make sure to tear them limb from limb just as they did to my men who wanted to be merciful. 

 I’m done being nice. 

 My body moved on its own, vision blurred as I stumbled. Jimmy could handle the rest of this. I needed to blow off some steam before I either broke down into another depression or a fit of rage. As my ability activated I found myself shifting to XDs pocket dimension, my surroundings changing over the years as my ability manifested further. My once-covered feet became bare, a flinch running through me as I made contact with cold marble. My outfit shifted, my pants and shirt much looser, and my limbs less heavy as I walked. Everything was a medical white, but it was home. The cold marble below my feet slowly shifted to grass as I walked into a large courtyard, a familiar swingset calming my mind. 

 The castle has grown since the last time I had taken a breather in this dimension. A physical representation of my power strengthening. My paranoia was exhausting, but it was increasing my endurance. It was like a torturous form of training. All that mattered was the fact it was working. 

 I slowly sat on my wooden swing, legs softly kicking as my eyes glanced over to XDs swing. It had been a while since I got to sit and speak with him. Most of my business was with Prime since the truce was settled with the Gods. I haven’t lost all contact of course, but a clear divide was caused. Some fine print in the truce that made XD back off from me. 

 Come on XD, I can only pretend to be happy in front of your sister so much. I know you are angry as well- just fucking talk to me. 

 My hands tightly gripped the ropes of the swing. I knew XD could hear me. I had gotten good at sensing the God and projecting thoughts to him. An active invitation to get in my head. He knew when he was allowed in my head and when he wasn’t. 

 Eventually, I shut my eyes for a moment, silently begging for some kind of company. Despite the recent divide, at least XD was still good about listening to my prayers. 

 “Your anger is justified my creation-“ 

 “Come on man you know to just call me Karl we’ve been doing this for years now.” 

 My eyes slowly opened, a half smile forming on my lips as my eyes met XDs scratched porcelain mask. His appearance had changed over the years within this dimension. He became more human as the years progressed. It’s strange seeing XDs more human form. When I first met Prime she had already taken a human form that was perceivable by human eyes. A lovely average-height woman with round friendly features, a permanent smile seeming to rest on her face. A stark contrast to her brother. 

 XD let out an audible sigh as his arms rested on the ropes of the swing, head dipping forward, a mop of blond curls falling over the top of his mask. “You finally gonna lose the mask blondie?” I had taken up making fun of XD for his mop of blond curls, his blond curls and bright blue eyes just had that aura of inhuman perfection. It was funny to poke fun at him. It was funny to be sitting and laughing with a God as if he were an old friend. At this point maybe we were just that. Even if I could hardly stand the guy half the time given past issues. Past issues primarily referring to my existence as some kind of last hope for humanity. 

 “And give you any more reason to poke fun at me? Not a chance Karl.” The God must have been smiling behind that mask, head tilting to reveal a bright blue eye exposed by the deep carvings on the porcelain mask. My feet mindlessly kicked as we spoke, the tension in us slowly dissipating as we simply existed. Not many people could say they had the opportunity to speak with a God about human nature. I took the opportunity whenever he was free. 

 “I’m sorry about the deaths of your close friends. Truly if I could step in-” 

 “I know your hands are tied. It’s fine- really. The blames on me for locking myself in the control room like I wasn’t necessary on missions to prevent shit like this. It’s a harsh lesson learned, trust me.” An empty forced laugh left my lips in a half-assed attempt to ease any tension still in the air. “Needing a break is not a crime Karl. Please, you needed to take time off from being so personally involved in the violence.” A small hum left my throat as XD spoke, his tone was even and sincere. 

 Even with a God telling me I wasn’t at fault, it was still a reality I couldn’t accept. I was essentially a champion for a God, there had to be some standards to uphold with this importance. There were expectations that I was not meeting. “Even with the truce… will you still gain power from the chaos I cause?” It was a little off-topic, but the question was important given my upcoming mission. I could see the way XD’s eyes opened more as I asked, his eyebrows likely raising in some semblance of surprise or shock. 

 “Any chaos or death caused by my creations inherently supplies me power. But yes, I still gain power from you. Addmitly more than the average person.” Yeah, I gathered that much already. It was a fair assumption that I generated a lot more power for XD given my existence as a person built by two Gods. I was just a walking chaos generator. “Karl you should feel no need to act beyond your own wants for my sake. I cannot share any power with you, it’s unnecessary.” Well, even if the God couldn’t directly help me anymore, the potential for indirect help could be possible. Even then, a stockpile of power wouldn’t be a bad idea in the long run. 

 “I want to take out my frustration, it’s as simple as that XD. I was just curious if my actions would still be beneficial. Either way, I had full intention to use my next mission as an excuse to send a message to the world. If the people don’t want peace, fine by me. I’ll show them what happens when they don’t take the fucking olive branch.” My words held a sick venom but were delivered with an even tone. I was trying to get better at controlling my temper when speaking. The constant screaming matches with my team were starting to negatively affect my interactions outside of work. My fuse was comparable to the length of an ant. 

 “I wish I could tell you to do otherwise. My sister’s likely going to be upset with your decisions, but I see your reasoning and understand your anger. You humans… are so interestingly flawed.  My family created free will as a gift, a freedom because we trusted our creations to be just and lawful without constant supervision. Watching as our creations fight over the gifts we give- trivial differences we make in populations- it’s morbidly fascinating. Your ruthlessness is simply a consequence, I find it hard to blame you when so many people have been fighting against your simple request for peace. Just… don’t lose focus on your goals. It’s easy to lose yourself in the violence of it all. Trust me.”  

 Human nature could never handle the burden of free will. A few rotten fruits will always ruin the whole bunch. The God’s never stood a chance against their creation's own selfish nature that was revealed in the light of free will. Even so, who’s to say this selfish nature is fully our own fault? Totem’s existence proves even the Gods are flawed, maybe we inherit these traits. Totem’s creations are power hungry and lust for control, XD’s are cursed with a violent and unpredictable nature, and Prime’s are burdened to be in the middle of it all, shifting with the wind grasping at a middle ground. 

 “At the end of the day, I am always Karl aren’t I?” 

 A distant look glazed over the God’s eyes. 

 “I fear with each fall of the sun, it’s harder to tell the line between Karl and Kairos.” 

 Ouch  

 I let my gaze fall to my hands, now rested in my lap. I could almost see the blood that constantly stained them. Even in stepping back, there was no hiding how much I had changed over the years. I could scrub for hours, but these hands will always be drenched in red. The line between me and my mission persona was always nonexistent, but now I have to think about this. Where did I end, where did Kairos begin? Where did my partners stop and end? How had I caused this blur for them as well? Maybe this is where Luke and Nick would have ended up without me, but Noah? For fuck sake he was just some loveable idiot I pulled into this. 

 When will I inevitably take that line separating Noah and Zeus and destroy it like so many others? Who truly knows? The irony that is my inability to predict the future despite my ability to manipulate time is getting on my nerves. Everything gets on my nerves these days. 

 “I fear I have not been much help with alleviating your frustration, but I can leave you with some good news as a small parting gift.” 

 Finally, I could use some good news. 

 “I cannot reveal much, but know this- your forthcoming endeavor shall yield more than you may anticipate. In the trials ahead, find solace in the knowledge that the tides of fate are shifting. From the chaos, unlikely allies will emerge, and what you uncover may hold vital significance for the battles yet to come.” 

 My eyes rolled as XD straightened his back, his voice falling into that wise tone he gets when lecturing me. 

 “Why can’t you talk like a normal person? Could you just plain English tell me if I’m going to die or something?” 

 There was a long silence, my eyes narrowing as XD slowly shrugged. 

 “Now where is the fun in that? You need to let me have some fun Karl”. 

 If I could punch the God I would. I’m heavily contemplating trying. 

 “Damn God’s and your weird cryptic bullshit. Fucking riddles and puzzles, wordplay-” 

 XD didn’t stop me and I hopped off my swing, kicking a bit of dirt as I left the castle, closing my eyes and shifting my way out of XD’s pocket dimension. 

Chapter Text

Karl Craft

 “Okay still following me? Perfect- So if you look over at this board-” 

 The smile on my face felt permanent as my hands waved over the main control board of the new mission van, slowly explaining the controls to my younger brother. Tommy’s eyes were practically glowing with curiosity, his eyes rapidly flicking between the buttons on the board as I spoke. “So the drive in the system already has the code for the camera system right? Grian has taught me a lot about system infiltration but I am by no means on a government camera system level yet.” 

 The both of us lightly laughed. Tommy’s tone was laced with humor as he spoke, hands raising in a mock defense as he kept looking over the control board. Since this was an out-of-state mission, we would need to take the van out in order to have access to any cameras. Our base systems could only handle so much, so we had been working on this van for a while in case something like this came up. Tommy would be able to station himself a few miles from the site and have clear communication with us and whatever systems Grians code could get him into. 

 “So once I get online you guys will be going in?” There was a clear undertone of fear in Tommy’s question, his eyes nervously glancing between the screens on the wall and me. I did my best to give a reassuring smile. “Yep, and you’ll be able to get a multiview of cameras over here- oh and you’ve got the blueprints of the building layout. You’ll be giving us warnings about people approaching us, or just telling us anything you see that may be important. But fair warning you’ll likely use access to the cameras in rooms we clear due to Nick’s fire- so by the end, you’ll probably be in a blackout. We’ll tell you if anything goes extremely wrong once all the cameras are out. Trust me we won’t lose direct contact so don’t worry about that.” 

 Tommy’s eyes stopped shifting around, finally focusing on one spot in the van. In the corner was his mission outfit, a backup in case he was needed inside. It was just a precaution, there's no way we would need Tommy to fly in. My two partners and I could easily talk down the facility. “I can’t believe I have a proper mission outfit.” Tommy seemed genuinely surprised as he walked over to the pile in the corner, hands running over the rough fabric of his new outfit. 

 Nearly every time Tommy had to enter combat, it was unplanned. His usual attire in fights has either been street clothes or generic mission gear we found lying around in emergency situations. This was his first fully customized outfit, which I know has been in the works for a few weeks. He’s been requesting one; it’s just taken extra time to make due to issues halting our usual routines. 

 “The top may be a little tight to account for the position of your wings. The jacket has magnets to like sure the slits stay aligned, It’s similar to Luke’s top. Well, except you're not an idiot and have your arms fully covered instead of that stupid cold shoulder look he requested.” 

 I loved Luke’s concept ideas for his mission gear, but I’d prefer if he actually fully covered himself given how often we're thrown around. All of our gear is complete, so we will be driving out after lunch. Tommy's gear consisted mostly of black, grey, and red, the fabric light and sleek to account for his flying. His jacket was a bit cropped and mostly served as a protective layer in case he crashed. It was a similar tough material to his pants. 

 I decided to stick with my roots for my newest gear. The team needed name recognition so I decided to keep up with my odd color block look. I also leaned more into a purple and green theme. My jacket was a color block mixture of primarily green with blocks of blue, pink, and yellow. My undershirt was green with a purple swirl pattern. My pants were black with purple and green highlights in the threads and visible reinforcements around the knees. My boots were heavy combat boots, both a deep purple. The team tried to push for purple and green shoes, but I immediately pushed that idea down. Having two-tone shoes would be excessive. 

 Nick kept his new gear toned down, which I was grateful for. Some of his past outfits were surprisingly- attractive. I fully blame Luke for some of Nick's past outfits. Him not bringing back that skin-tight body suit with the cut-out hip area was a blessing. I am not proud of how distracting the simple mental image was. It’s a miracle I could focus when I saw him wearing that in person. His entire outfit was a simple black and red theme, his shirt nothing special beyond its odd flame-resistant material. Unlike Luke, his top had its long sleeves fully intact and wasn’t choking him with how tight it was. His pants were essentially the same as mine, just with red highlights. His boots were also red and modified to have a metal exterior on the toes. Even with the tone down, he looked great. 

 Then there was Luke- that absolute harlot of a man. He took on a full black-and-white theme. His top was practically painted on, the shoulders cut out and highlighted with white lines of fabric. He wore cargo pants decorated with white pockets and straps. The cutouts on his back for his spider legs were marked with gold rings that looked amazing against his grey skin.  Those massive black and green spider legs looked amazing with the color theme, and the pops of gold in the metal on his outfit was- distracting. He was distracting. 

 Or maybe I was just acting like a Victorian man who had just witnessed a woman's ankle for the first time. In any other situation, I’d blame myself for being distracted, but this was Luke. The minute he first tried that outfit on he was crowding me in a corner half shifted into spider form asking me if I liked how he looked. He knew what he was doing. I hope he ends up scratching up those broad sculpted shoulders in combat. I’ll heal anything immediately but I would get a well-deserved ‘I told you so’ moment. 

 “The ride will be about six hours taking initial traffic into account before we start hitting backroads. Please don’t tell me I have to drive for six hours wearing this thing.” Tommy was grateful for his mission outfit, that was clear. But we all understood the dread of having to have these death traps on for more than a few hours. It’s one thing having to move around in them and use them for their intended purposes. But just sitting? That stagnant reinforced fabric was a major pain. These clothes are built to withstand being thrown around at high speeds on rough surfaces, not long car rides. 

 “Kid my outfit is by far the most comfortable and I still won’t be wearing it for the car ride. We’ll get changed when we're a few minutes out from the site.” I caught Tommy's muffled sigh of relief as he turned, his attention back on the control board. With all that sorted, it felt like we were ready to head out. Really if we wanted to get this show on the road we could probably leave now and get food on the way there. Dad would probably kill me though for not having a ‘proper meal’ before a major mission. I’d bet half my bank account that once we go into the kitchen Dad or Techno is going to be in the kitchen with some fancy protein and carb-loaded lunch. 

 “Kids! Hurry up and get lunch so you actually make it there by sunset!” I pulled Tommy out of the van, the younger hardly protesting because of the promise of food. I swear he’s gotten too big for his own good. It was bound to happen given how big his other brothers are, but Tommy standing at a ridiculous six foot two at seventeen was not something a lot of us anticipated. If I’m being honest him being seventeen was still something a lot of us were still getting accustomed to. He’s still that reckless little kid freshly presented with a new ability, but somehow he’s also mature beyond his years. He’s an absolute menace in a fight- but at the end of the day, he’s still a kid. 

 I can still see that younger version of him behind his eyes, but it’s well hidden by the tough exterior he’s developed. I see how he shifts between my brother and Apollo.

 “Oh come on- why are none of you dressed? I was excited to see the new mission suites.” A few of us filtered into the kitchen, all rolling our eyes at Tommy and I’s father. He’s definitely been stepping back from his Zephyrus persona. Honestly, the partial retirement has done wonders for his health. His hair is still greying, but not as much as it was when he had to teach Tommy how to fly. “Dad come on, you saw them on the mannequins. Plus none of us want to sit in that fabric for six hours.” Tommy was the first to sit, thanking our Dad when a plate full of roasted chicken and rice was slid in front of him. 

 “I will go on a rant about how I’m old if I don’t get to see you two in that new gear at some point. I’ll be a bigger menace than I was during your graduation, Tommy.” I tried not to laugh when I saw Tommy’s face redden. Tommy graduated on an accelerated course while in the UK. The way our Dad openly cried during the ceremony will probably embarrass that poor kid for the rest of his life. “Dad please don’t tell me you want pictures.” 

 “Tommy I’m halfway to my grave, your old man wants pictures.” 

 Well at least halfway to his grave meant he’d nearly live to be a hundred. That man turned forty-eight and suddenly he’s fully committed to this sentimental retired concept. I won’t lie, it does make sense for him. We’re all just a little embarrassed whenever he goes all ‘Dad mode’ on us before missions. “Dad you’re not even fifty yet, your literally-” 

 “You lot constantly getting into trouble has damn near rapid ages me to nineties- let me have this son.” 

 I quickly shut my mouth, accepting defeat. He had a point, our constant antics were not helping. Literally, the least we could do is give him his ridiculous little sentimental retirement. Even if it embarrassed all of us endlessly. I refused to look anywhere near my partners as they filtered into the kitchen, getting their own plates of food. “I’ll make sure I get a picture of me and Tommy before I head out.” I sighed when I saw an expecting look in my father's eyes. 

 “Fine- I’ll get a group picture.” 

 “You better get a group picture.” 

 At least he doesn’t disapprove of Nick and Luke anymore. He could not stand those two dating me for a while there. Yeah, he got used to them, but he didn't stop silently hating them till Noah came around and joined the relationship. Dad already knew Noah a little because we were high school friends, so they got off on the right foot immediately. Nick and Luke were so jealous of Noah immediately getting along with my Dad after spending years fighting for his approval. 

 “Oh and what about Noah? I asked him about the mission and he said he wasn't told anything. I’m a little shocked you didn’t involve him. Given the fact you're infiltrating a literal ability-blocking production plant, I don’t know I just assumed you’d have a bigger team.” My eyes nervously glanced between Nick and Luke. None of us had told Noah about the mission. A fair bit of the team was told about it, but we had been keeping Noah out of the loop since we didn’t want him trying to come with. 

 “We can handle-” 

 “He was pretty upset Karl. You guys didn’t even tell him about the mission. Really it’s a little disrespectful that you wouldn’t even warn your partner you were going to be gone for two to three days on a high-risk mission.” My shoulders slumped as my Dad scolded me and my other partners. “We didn’t want him worrying. Really this is going to be a quick in-and-out mission. We just- don't want him to see us when we go all out for a mission. It won't be pretty.” I knew what I said was wrong when my Dad scoffed. 

 “You guys can’t just hide from Noah. You all have your mission personas, you can’t hide that forever now that he’s involved in this business. You can’t just be Karl, Nick, and Luke and leave it there. You have to be comfortable being Kairos, Sapnap, and Punz as well. You’ve seen him take on his Zeus persona on missions, so why not give him the same trust?” I hate it when my Dad is right. 

 “He’s not coming on this mission- but I swear I won’t exclude him in future missions involving the three of us. You're right, it is disrespectful.” 

 “Hey if you're done scolding the poly squad- is there enough for another plate? I’m still hungry.” We all turned to Tommy, the kid’s plate already clean. 

 “God’s almighty son you eat like we starve you-” 

 The conversation was fully derailed as we all held back from laughing, it was funny seeing Phil’s bewildered expression as he looked at Tommy’s clean plate. We hadn’t even been sat for long. I was hardly halfway done with my much smaller plate of food. Nick had also grabbed a large plate, but he was also only half done eating. “Dude, is your brother going to be bigger than Tech? Cause he eats like he’s going to be seven feet tall.” 

 I lightly elbowed Luke. I did not need him manifesting that idea. Tommy needs to stop growing before we all lose it. 

… 

Kairos

 “Luke, could you stop bumping into me? Prime almighty the space is small but come on!” My eyes rolled as Tommy and Luke bickered as we changed in the back of the van. “You're the one who insisted on standing so close to me.” I heard the sound of fabric roughly hitting someone. “You're the one who wouldn't stop watching my brother. You can’t keep it in your pants, so now you get to deal with the annoying little brother. You're lucky it’s not Techno- He’d make you change outside.” 

 Tommy wasn’t wrong there, Techno definitely would have kicked Luke out of the van after the first glace. “Nick also looked at Karl! I’m being unlawfully profiled here.” 

 “Nick isn’t even half the dog you are. He wasn’t giving disgusting bedroom eyes.” Nick and I snickered at Luke. Listening to him be scolded by my younger brother was a little entertaining. “Oh wait till you have to deal with Noah and Nick in the same room- you think I’m bad?” 

 “Alight relationship talks over! Come on focus up we’ve got a serious mission to handle in there.” I clapped my hands to get everyone's attention. Everyone was dressed and ready to go, there was no reason to be stalling like this. “Has anyone heard from Cl- Dream? Are we using code names now?” I rolled my eyes as Tommy stumbled over his words. The kid acts like he’s never been on a mission. Well, he’s never been on a mission this important but the procedures are all the same, just more risk. 

 “Dream got here twenty minutes before us. Don’t think about him unless he sends a distress signal. He’s just extra transportation of mission equipment. Don’t get distracted with him got it?” Tommy had no reason to even think about him unless Dream has to send a distress signal. The chances of that are slim, he’s simply here to transport our gear. We can’t exactly fit four people and an entire supercomputer in a van alongside guns and bikes. 

 “We will be meeting up with him a few minutes out from here and head in. You’ll have a direct line with us the whole time if you have any questions or concerns. By the time we get to the facility, you better have control of the camera and security system. Got it, Apollo?” My brother's head quickly nodded as I gently smacked his chest, walking past him to open the van's back doors. “I’ll ping you once we meet up with Dream, that notification will basically be a six-minute warning. Once on the bikes, it will take us roughly six minutes to ride to the facility. If you don’t hear anything in six minutes feel free to ask me why the forest suddenly has traffic. Any questions?” 

 Tommy was already hard-focused on the now-lit computer screens on one-half of the van. I could already see lines of code flying across the screen as Tommy uploaded Grians code. “Perfect, come on you two we’ve got a little walk to take.” The two vans weren’t ridiculously far apart, but we didn’t make sure to put distance between them in case we had to run. It would be a few minutes walk over to Dream since he was parked amongst some trees off of a separate path Tommy had driven down. In a situation where everything goes wrong, both men were given completely different escape paths. 

 I shut the van doors behind us, straightening out my jacket as we started walking. The forest had a calming ambiance to it, a few birds flying overhead and random rodents scurrying about. It was nice. It’s unfortunate that such a nice forest would be hiding such a disgusting lab. I hope in destroying the lab we don’t have to kill too much of the forest. I know Sapnap is always careful with damage to the environment, but in a tense situation, half of this forest could be gone in an instant. Especially with his insane stamina with his ability. I thought he was a force to be reckoned with before but after intense circus training? The man’s stamina and control were downright terrifying now. 

 Luke’s in a similar boat. Even on tour, he was committed to the gym, and his background training to control his bloodlust made him less sporadic. Luke wasn’t too much of a loose cannon anymore, which was an overall good thing. He had bloodlust strength without the concern of mindless fighting. I feel like my changes are a lot less noticeable, but I’m confident I will be able to use my ability more without feeling exhausted. My stamina has increased significantly. 

 “Hey, when we get in there- just making sure we’re truly going all out right? Like- Sorry, I just know how destructive I can get.” Punz was quick to rest a hand on Sapnaps back when the man spoke. Even with this new stamina and all these new tricks, these two are extremely out of practice. Sapnaps fear is justified. He’s spent the past few years removed from violence, I’d be scared to return with such a loud entrance as well. 

 “We can’t burn down the place immediately, but I need you burning any important-looking documents or equipment as we go without accidentally trapping us in there. At the end is when I need you to burn the whole place to the ground. We need to scare them on our entrance so they're easier to kill, targets are easier to take down when they're scared. I’d hold back just a little so we can get out without complications.” Sapnap simply hummed when I finished speaking. It was a small confirmation that he understood what I was trying to articulate. 

 “Can I get in there before Sap starts burning people? I could honestly use a drink to get myself going. I just can’t stand boiling blood- if it’s too hot it’s disgusting.” My initial plan was to send Sapnap in first, his flashy ability would likely strike the most fear the quickest- but I can see the benefits of having Luke go in first so that he’s stronger from the start. I kicked at the leaves on the ground as I mentally remapped out the facility. We would be entering from the back at a loading dock, there were bound to be some low-level workers out and about. Luke could make a quiet entrance if Tommy can scramble their internal surveillance. 

 If I had a more experienced hacker, I’d force a remote blackout and have Luke pulling his little ceiling stunt. That man was terrifying hanging from ceilings covered in blood. There are some breakers in the back of the facility, but I’d need the backup power system to also be shut down, which would need to be done remotely since the backup system won’t be external like the main rig. 

 “The plan is reliant on Sapnap leading. Sap could you maybe try and leave a guy not charred for Luke? If you let one run Luke can just intercept him you just need to call out which direction he’s running if you can get an idiot to go for the forest.” It wasn’t the most solid plan, but there would be some potential for Luke to get in a quick meal to have him working at maximum strength. I’d offer him a drink from me, but I know anything I give is a simple snack compared to how much stronger he is after fully draining a person. 

 It’s morbidly impressive how quickly he can drain a person of all their blood and not get sick. I can’t image chugging over a gallon of any liquid in a minute or two. It sounds painful, but it seems to excite Luke. To each their own I guess. I don’t even want to know what the original vampire spiders were like, whatever they were it’s probably for the best that they don’t exist anymore. Mosquitoes are bad enough, the world doesn’t need any blood-sucking spiders beyond Luke. 

 “I can try, but I don’t want to accidentally tone back too much and not scare them enough.” Luke may need to just suck it up and drink the hot blood. As long as it has the same effect and doesn’t make him sick I see no point in being picky. I do see a point in being picky if it’s going to make him throw up or something. Then the selectiveness is understandable. “Yeah, honestly it’s not a huge deal I guess. I may just try and slip past you after the initial breach so I can snag a person real quick.” I gave an absent nod, my attention shifting to my watch when I felt it buzz. My jaw nearly dropped when I read the message from Tommy. 

 Apollo: I’m in. I’ve got total system access. 

 Grians code was only made for surveillance systems, Tommy would have had to fight their systems from scratch. It’s also only been eight minutes. There’s no way this kid hacked into a government facility system that fast. 

 Kairos: How? 

 His response better not be something stupid. This situation is genuinely baffling and I need this kid to be professional with me. 

 Apollo: Got bored and modified Grians code. 

 My walking nearly faltered as I tried to wrap my head around Tommy's ability to completely take over a government system in eight minutes. What was Grian teaching this kid in the UK? All I could do was shake my confusion as we approached Dreams van, my mind slowly returning to the mission at hand. 

 Kairos: We reached the supply van, standby 

 Apollo: You got it boss man

 I fear my brother's odd combination of pure intellect and pure stupidity. This kid can hack like a pro, yet he still says some of the oddest things I've ever heard. There is no middle ground with that kid. At least I can count on Dream to keep things professional. 

 “Guns are on the wall, all bikes are charged and have been customized to your specific requests. If needed Sapnap’s bike has a switch to trigger the trim of his bike to light up to grab attention. Flipping it will automatically alert Tommy and I so we can head to the meeting point early in the case of a chase. If all goes to plan we’ll be out of here in two hours and can take a nice rest at the fancy hotel Beast booked us.” 

 The thought of that fancy hotel with the claimed ‘best food service in America’ is keeping me going. Relaxing with a bottle of aged wine sounds like the perfect way to celebrate a mission well done, and if the mission isn’t well done… I guess I'll order vodka or something. No matter the outcome of this, as long as I'm alive I'm drinking. “Oh Kairos I know we packed you the handguns, but I decided to pack the throwing knives as well in case you wanted a backup.” Dream had already had our bikes out of the van, our gear all resting on the seats so we could depart as fast as possible. I watched as the man ducked back into the back of the mission van, coming back out with a leather harness filled with sleek reflective knives. Thin and precise.

 We had found throwing knives to be an effective weapon with my ability. The issue with guns was ammunition. An instant reload required near-perfect precision and recall so I don’t jam the gun. It took too much effort if I’m being honest. With throwing knives, the recall was hardly an issue. I just had to be able to catch the knife from its starting position, which was much easier than trying to keep a gun perfectly lined up to completely reset it after unloading most of the clip. Too many factors. I was thankful for the knives. 

 Luke helped me get the harness around my thighs, the help was completely unnecessary, but I hardly had it in me to stop him. Once our gear was all secured and accounted for, we headed out, keeping low as we road down a small secluded footpath. Dream has scouted out some proper paths created by vehicles, but those would have been too risky to take. We don’t know this facility's schedule, shipments or workers could be using that path at any time and we’d be caught before even reaching site. 

 The forest was practically deserted, hardly any sounds of wildlife had filled the air as we got closer to the facility. Honestly, I could see why the area around a facility like this would be empty, I wouldn’t want to settle near an area constantly surrounded by giant trucks and pathetic excuses of people. Things stayed quiet even as the facility came into view. It was a modest building, a cover. 

 There was one visible floor, nothing but a loading dock and entrance based on the blueprints. The building was unimpressive, small, and concrete grey. If I had to give a comparison it probably wasn’t even bigger than your average thrift store. The outside was built to look unimposing, the real issues were below ground. The entire facility had three floors, the upper show floor, the lab section below, and the final floor, an unmapped dead zone. We know it’s there, but there's no cameras. Unfortunately, the lack of cameras likely means that’s where the actual production is happening. Extreme causation needs to be practiced even as we stand far from the facility. This place produces the substance that kept Nick under people's control for years, and the same substance that nearly killed me a few years back. 

 Given what we were working against, we were disadvantaged here. No matter what happens, we can’t let that fact become clear to the workers here. We go in full confidence and scare them into thinking they have no chance against us. They’ll be too busy running away to even realize they're sitting on top of a gold mine of toxic sludge that could kill us all. 

 As we parked and hid our bikes, I made sure to ping Apollo again. Once my watch buzzed, I grabbed my comms device from my bike, clicking it on before wrapping the exterior of it around my left ear. I could see my partners doing the same. “Kairos checking in, is everything set on your end Apollo?” 

 “All clear Kairos. The first floor has minimal workers. But I picked up word of a shipment coming in within the hour. So you either need to work fast or hold back till the shipment arrives.” 

 A string of curses rang under my breath as Apollo spoke, my original plan immediately slipping from my fingers. “You do have EMPs on the bikes. If the three of you set those off upon entrance you could potentially block any communication getting through to the incoming shipment.” I almost rolled my eyes at Tommy’s suggestion. Yes, we could block any communication, but that would also cut our connection to Tommy. It was a risky play, and frankly, this mission is ridiculous enough. Our best bets may unfortunately be waiting on that stupid shipment. 

 “What if I sent off an EMP topside? If high enough up can’t I just hit the first floor and you two can get below ground and intercept any communication down there?” Sapnap almost had a good solution, but that would require us to sneak down to the second floor, which I know is heavily guarded. Getting down there was going to be a bloody mess. 

“Guy’s wait- I’m picking up more on the shipment. They're mentioning something called… HS24?”  Tommy needs to find out more information quickly because it sounds like we do need to go in full force and pull out as soon as possible. If this shipment is some specialized substance built to incapacitate us or kill us we may as well be walking in and capturing ourselves. To stick around would be like willingly giving ourselves up given the circumstances. 

 “ Shit these files are behind some serious encryption. Whatever this is- they don’t want anyone finding it. half of their systems in there don’t even have clearance for these files. Guy’s you may need to pull out, I can get these files to Grian-” 

 I cocked my gun when a worker suddenly walked out from the back, hands working into his jacket to produce a small pack of cigarettes. “Start working on that encryption Apollo, you’ll be back online within the hour.” There was no protest from Apollo, a small confirmation going through our network as I gathered our three EMPs. Each one would buy us five minutes of radio silence. 

 None of them could take down the entire base. But staggering the use could prove useful. I tossed one to both of my partners. “Sapnap you take the second floor, Punz take the first. I’ll go for the third. Set your manual watches cause Digital won’t be doing shit once Punz sets his off as we get in. Sap, once on your floor wait three minutes to set your EMP off so we can try to maximize the time offline. Punz you’ll trigger the minute we're inside. One system comes back on and another goes down. We cause confusion, and use that against them.” My partners nodded as I spoke, both carefully handling the devices now in their hands. 

 “I’m going to take down the guy out back, then we're going to make a reckless and frankly probably stupidly loud entrance to cause panic.” There were no questions or issues with my half-baked plan, so we set ourselves in motion. Sapnap and Punz stayed a few paces behind me as I slinked forward, keeping low as I moved. Once in a decent enough range, I dashed forward, my body humming with adrenaline as the familiarity of my ability flashed through my veins. 

 “ What the - FU-” 

 Time warped around me as I got a hold of the guy. It was easy to throw the man to the ground. The hard part was keeping his mouth shut while I forced a knife into his skull. Even with good technique bone is still bone, it’s not exactly easy to break. Once the man was dead, I had expected Punz to drain the guy, but I guess a diet of clean blood made him a little more selective than he was previously. 

 “Smokers taste fucking terrible, there's gotta be some health nut scientist on the first floor I can get a bite from.” 

 Sapnap and I both rolled our eyes. 

 “You’re seriously going to risk going in at partial strength? Come on be logical.” 

 This wasn’t going to be an easy mission, we needed every advantage we could get. 

 “Logically speaking, I can smell how bad this guy would taste- so I’m going to hold out and let the blood lust do the talking. It’s worked in the past, it’s going to work just fine now. Now let’s g- Hey easy!” 

 Sometimes taking every advantage meant doing things that were a little unorthodox. Punz fights dirty when hungry, this is simply a fact. He’s more brutal, like a starved animal chasing prey rather than a calm one taking its time to set up for the kill. Punz needs to keep a somewhat clear head for this mission. So I made up my mind and wrestled my idiot partner to the ground with a swift movement. 

 “Just hurry up and bite me before more people get out here! We don’t have all day.” 

 I could feel Punz struggle as I grabbed him, but the lack of actual strength in his movements betrayed his tone of concern. He knew I’d never hurt him, but me forcing his mouth open in such a bold… and oddly provocative way… the confusion is understandable. 

 I think we both settled down once his fangs were gently piercing my neck, his hands settling on my hips as he pushed me back onto the concrete floor of the loading dock. “ You could have just asked for a snack in the van, you idiot. Just saying.” The mumbling was just some off-handed teasing. Really I should be scolding him more, but I can hardly blame the guy for still being shy about the blood thing. I can’t control what he’s comfortable with, but I can at least try to show him that I don’t mind. Even if he’s scared about asking, I’ll always be willing. 

 “Really? Teasing the guy who has his fangs in your neck? Smart, fantastic leadership truly-” 

 “Zip it fangs. The next time you open your mouth, you better tear a throat out, or you're walking to the hotel from here. I will personally destroy that multimillion-dollar bike of yours." 

The threat of his favorite bike was enough to keep the man completely silent and unmoving. Punz has spent years upgrading that damn thing, he'd actually lose it if anything happened to that bike. 

 With a new tone and mission created, we were ready to enter the building. 

Chapter Text

Kairos 

 Our entrance could have been better, but all things considered, I’d say we did pretty well if your definition of well involves an excessive amount of blood and screaming. Punz quite literally kicked down the back door using the extra strength from my blood, the veins on his neck a deep glowing red from the power. 

“Going dark” 

 The minute I spoke, the lights in the building went out, the only light coming from Sapnaps fire. Apollo really did manage to take over their system. It’s too bad we're about to shut down the facility, It would have been interesting to see what Apollo was capable of on the technical side of things. 

 As my goggles slipped over my eyes, the scene around me came to life in hues of black and green. People were scrambling around, moving frantically in the dark twords the light coming from the broken back door. The lack of windows really was a design flaw. There would have at least been a little visibility with a simple window or two. 

 Screams for mercy and help echoed through the first floor as Punz got to work, his spider legs likely shifting to a venomous green. Over time we’ve found that his use of venom takes a significantly higher amount of energy, but it can be offset with blood consumption. It was like his body could nearly instantly change blood into venom. I took my eyes off of Punz once Sapnap and I got further into the building, leaving our partner to his massacre. There was a security door leading down into the lab area, there was an elevator and a stairwell. Of course with the power off and us being in a bit of a rush, we took the stairs. Usually, there would be multiple requests from the door for clearance to the lower floors, but with the lack of power,  it was just fancy metal scrap. 

 Things calmed down a bit in the stairwell, but it was short-lived as we rushed down the stairs. When Sapnap shoulder slammed his way through the door to the second floor, I couldn’t help but stop running for a moment, eyes glued to the dark lab he had entered. It was primarily scrawny-looking weak scientists, but my eyes caught a few armed guards. Gunfire rang loud through the darkness. The main light came from Sapnap and the shots fired in his direction. The fire gave me the opportunity to glance over the lab equipment. 

 I could see test tubes and strange vials of liquid stored around, likely ability blockers. I hated to send Sapnap to this floor, but he could burn ability blockers out of his system. He’s proven he can handle being hit with those inhuman creations. Of course, I still pray to my Gods that he won’t have to deal with the pain of that toxic sludge back in his system. Even if he can burn it out, that doesn't mean it's a pleasant experience on his end. I tried to take my mind off Sapnap, he would be fine on his own. My head shook as I turned away from the doorway, my focus back on the spiraling stairs ahead of me. Usually, I would dash to my destination faster, but in this situation, we needed to be spread out. 

 The dark stairway got colder as I got lower, the walls around me slowly losing their sleek concrete look in exchange for rougher walls. The air seemed to shift. Something felt wrong as I kept running for what felt like an eternity. Once at the bottom, I was met with a door that was already open. I could practically hear the effects of Sapnaps EMP as the door in front of me sparked to life for a brief moment before fizzling out again. I kept my hands steady as I grabbed my gun, both hands still as my finger rested over the light trigger. Upon entering the third floor, the lights seemed to come alive despite the blackout. 

 The floor must have been on its own grid. The floor appeared to be one empty room. It was purely concrete, training equipment randomly tossed around the place with little regard for spacing. The left side of the room wall was clearly a crude rock climbing wall, with a few grips even extending to the ceiling. The right wall had a few various rope walls and hanging ropes for what I can only assume is climbing training. Why would a lab building need a crude training facility in the basement? Something like a firing range or hell some kind of fucked up prison for test subjects would make sense, but this is way beyond me. 

 This was a state-of-the-art testing and production facility, there was no reason for there to be a rusted training room in the basement. I stalked through the well-lit room, the fluorescent lights straining my eyes as I fully removed my goggles. It was hard to spot at first, but as I got further into the room I noticed a small thin mattress in the corner of the room. 

 I could feel my heart sink as I stood in front of the thin mattress, a few small blood stains apparent on the off-white material. They had been keeping someone down here. My mind couldn’t help but think back to the conditions Sapnap talked about in the places he had been kept in over his years as Hellhound. Mold-infested basements with no natural lights, training equipment filling what little space he was given to keep him constantly moving and in shape. The entire scene left an acidic taste in my mouth. I was mad at myself for sending Sapnap into the most dangerous floor of the facility, but after seeing this I’m glad I didn’t force him down here. 

 I don’t want Sapnap dealing with any bad memories that could be brought up by this disgusting prison of a floor. There was no point in making a fuss over an empty training room. There was no one in here, not even a guard let alone training staff. Whoever was being kept in here was likely moved or was unfortunately killed in these inhumane training grounds. The situation is unfortunate, but nothing to get stuck on. I should go help Sapnap on his floor. 

 As I walked back towards the exit door, I took my EMP from my jacket pocket, pulling out its pin before throwing it over my shoulder. I wasn’t even sure if it could reach outside this room given the solid concrete walls. There was a small metallic clang as it hit the ground, an electronic sonic sound filling the room for a brief moment as it did its work. 

 My work here was done, I needed to go help my partner so we could get out of here and rest. We just need to destroy the facility and go home. No need to overcomplicate things. A quick in and out. 

 *Ding* 

Sapnap 

 “Your real fucking funny if you think this shit actually affects me, I had the black market form of this shit in my veins for years.” I couldn’t help but snarl as a toxic dart was buried in my neck, the needle honestly stinging more than the poison trying to hijack my ability. I had some random white coat pinned to a desk. He was the last man alive, a few random burns littering his face and hands. He had grabbed a spare dart at some point and now had it stabbed into the side of my neck. I could hardly care for the thin metal. 

 My hand wrapped around the man’s hand, keeping it around the dart. I didn’t immediately pull the dart out of my neck, I rather kept us both still as the man cried below me. Seeing someone so fearful, so scared, it was oddly refreshing. I’ve had so many scientists and men in coats poke and stab me with shit for years. To have an entire floor screaming in fear because of me was therapeutic in a way. The smell of burning chemicals and blood was divine. The smell of a job complete. I had taken down these sick bastards with the hybrid side of me I may have never found if I hadn’t broken free from the chains keeping me down like a dog. I wasn’t a fucking dog. 

 I was a Dragon. 

 I wasn’t some hell beast, I was one of the few elemental dragons in the world. One of a kind based on what Chris told me. Only one of each element could exist at a time. “Taking away people's abilities… and for what? Control? You sick son of a bitch. You all deserve this cruelty. You see us as monsters, but guess who fucking made us into that? I wan’t you to fucking look at me while I kill you. Look at the monster you helped create with your stupid fucking ideas of control.” 

 I growled as I ripped the dart from my neck, a fire slowly engulfing my wings as I spread them to their maximum size. I knocked over some equipment as my wings spread, the fire around me a rich orange. 

 “Please I have a family. I did this for them.” 

 A small smile spread across my lips as I leaned down, my lips ghosting over the ear of the weak man trapped under my wings. “ And I’m doing this for my family.” I sighed as a fire roared around me, my wings casting a blaze around us. It was honestly nice being able to use fire without needing my throat. Something about my hybrid side awoken something with my ability, I could conjure fire using any part of my body. I’m not sure if my hybrid side is really the cause of this, Chris is limited to the electricity he can find in the world around him and what he can breathe out. 

 I doubt it matters much, my ability was evolving and that’s all I truly cared about. The more my ability manifested the more powerful I would become, and the more I could protect my partners. Speaking of partners, with the second floor being fully cleared out and on fire, I really should grab Karl so we could get out of here before there's a collapse. I burned every bit of paper and every vial I saw, so I’d say this place is pretty safe to leave. Even if the building didn’t fall, all the notes and equipment were beyond repair, probably even beyond being salvaged for scrap. 

 I threw the body of the man below me, my eyes suddenly locking onto a notebook that was slightly burned. It had fallen from his coat pocket when I threw his body down. I hadn’t bothered reading much of the scientific jargon on the papers scattered through the lab, but this was likely a more personal set of notes, I could maybe find some future lab plans, or this dude's deepest darkest stupid secrets for fun. I kneeled down and grabbed the notebook, flicking away some of the heat on it so the pages would stop disintegrating. 

 The front cover was titled on a line in scratchy pen. 

 ‘ Project KJ24HS’ 

 The format was unfortunately familiar, the project name initials, the trial number, and its status. I think back to my first facility I was HF11S. HellFire the 11th, success. It is unfortunate to think there was a total of 10 people before I broke the cycle of human breeding. I thought being the 11th, whoever this was was the 24th trial. I’m hoping I’m mistaken and this is in reference to a substance rather than a person. Calling someone a half-success would be strange. Usually to these people, you’re either a failure or you're not. It’s not often there's a middle-ground option. 

 I opened the notebook and flipped through a few pages. 

 My eyes darted quickly to the most recent entry. 

 ‘Subject KJ24HS shows high genetic potential, but abilities only catch in his system for a few minutes based on gene availability. With our limited genetic samples provided by the Spark Project, recreating the ability of time travel may prove impossible without our target. Due to this setback, more extreme testing will take place. The chance of death is high, but new breakthroughs are needed in the KJ project to keep funding. Hopefully, subject KJ24HS will survive the genetic therapy and can be transferred to a new project, be given a new name and we can keep working on him in a new light. He’s a masterpiece of science and it would be a shame to throw him out. He’s been more agreeable since my entrance to the project, and more willing to train in my presence. I could make him into something even better than this project chasing Karl Jacobs. 

 I felt disgusted as I flipped the page, a few more words written on the other side. 

“This man-made creation is the first successful human to be grown purely from genetic material within a laboratory setting. He is a minestrone many could not understand. He is not God-made or God-fearing, he is the product of human design and ingenuity. It’s amazing. If I could, I could name him one of the names I never got to use, the world gave me all daughters, so under a new project he could carry one of these unused names.” 

 I felt my blood boil as I looked over the true final page of the book, a list of project names. 

 ‘The Max Project , The Miles Project, Mason, Martin, Morgan, Mark…’ 

 The list went on. A lot of M names written in scratchy handwriting. I felt sick as I recognized the toxic family-like relationship shown in the man's written words. Sometimes in these settings, these people think of their projects like their children, and frankly, it’s disgusting. You would never subject their actual family to these conditions. Call them a project then claim them to be like family, it makes me want to throw up. I pocketed the small notebook, Karl may be able to find some use in it. Maybe track down this poor person. I hate to call them an it or a project, so All I can really refer to them as for now is Max. The name was underlined, so it may have had some significance. Maybe the person liked the name, I can’t really know till we find them, hopefully alive. The actual genetic testing is not talked about in detail, but it sounds like this guy may not be coming back. 

 I should get this to Karl. This situation may have just gotten more complicated. 

Karl Jacobs 

 I kept my head straight as a small chime sounded behind me, unmoving as a single timeline came into my head. Just a singular man, a guard of some type based on his tactical wear and gun. A hidden elevator behind some climbing nets is where the man emerged from, a second person close by? Something was wrong. Brief previous moments flickered through the film of his timeline, a dark smudge blocking the full story of him approaching this place. Clearly, he had been escorting someone, but I couldn’t find them. It’s like they were a ghost to my ability, with no clear timeline to get ahold of. What kind of ability could be causing interference like this? Cause them to be invisible even within other people's timelines? 

 The room was fully silent, with no one moving as the situation settled on all of us. There was a clear tension in the room. Slowly I turned around, eyes glowing as I griped the timeline of the guard. I could practically feel Prime's arms resting on my shoulders, her fingers twitching with an uncharacteristic anxiety. She was tense, my ability going into overdrive as the God shamelessly forced my ability through my veins. I still could not detect the smaller figure standing in front of the guard. 

 “ KJ24HS, Incapacite target Karl Jacobs.” 

 Don’t let that boy near you Karl

 Looks like we were both under strict orders. My body dashed back as the small figure rushed at me, eyes glazed over and unfocused. They were small, likely only five foot five, maybe 120 pounds wet. There was a fierce hunger in their eyes as they locked onto me, their entire focus on me. They already looked exhausted, their limbs thin and bony. They moved with a precision that I know takes years of extensive training to get. Their moves were eerily similar to Sapnaps. 

 Their outfit seemed to be a fairly standard military uniform, black camouflage covering their torso and legs, heavy brown combat boots noisily hitting the ground as they ran. Their top was sleeveless, exposing their sickly thin arms. A proportional set of brown cat years rapidly twitched on top of their head within a bit of cropped brown hair, tail whipping behind them as they moved. They couldn’t have just been a hybrid, there must have been more. As our eyes met, a shiver ran down my spine as a two-tone set of eyes glared through my soul, a mix of emotions flashing through their wild eyes. One green and one blue eye glared at me with a nearly indescribable anger. Like a man who was just handed his worst enemy on a silver platter. This kid hated my guts and I had maybe been in the building for thirty minutes. 

 I  nearly gasped as the kid nearly got a hold of me, their movements fast and precise. Even with my dashing, they were able to keep up, legs powerfully launching their small body around. Cat-like reflexes, a small build perfectly built for speed, the perfect glass cannon, letting this kid lay a hand on me would end in some nightmare. If he got on me there's no way I’m shaking him off easily. Even by dashing I have no idea how my ability will interact with him. 

 There was a slip in my evasive strategy as I flipped a throwing knife in my hand, ready to quickly turn my attention to the guard and take him down before he became a problem as well. As my arm jerked back and forward, the knife sailing through the air at a near-instant speed as I manipulated its timeline, my focus left the small hybrid trying to kill me. With one issue solved, another bigger problem took its place. Even though I had easily killed the guard, a knife now stuck deep into his skull, I now had a hybrid practically climbing me like I was a piece of equipment. 

 A loud growl ripped through the kid's throat as he used his full body to force us tumbling to the ground. His fighting style wasn’t completely unfamiliar to me. I’ve seen a lot of women use this full-body style, using their entire body weight to get on an even playing ground with larger opponents. I’ve seen Nikki use some of these strategies, but never with this much skill. This kid was scarily trained, even more than Sapnap and Dream when we had found them. Even if this kid was more trained than my people, we had the numbers advantage, plus with this kid being half-starved and borderline feral, incapacitating him should be easy. That is if I can get his scrawny ass off of me. 

 I could barely keep my vision straight as we rolled around the dirty floor, grunts and hissing echoing through the bare room. I tried to dash away, small hands somehow dragging me back down when I got back on my feet. The kid moved fast, some credit is deserved. I’m shocked he’s not a cheetah hybrid, based on the brown color of his ears and tail my only guess is leopard or maybe a jaguar. I don’t exactly study cats so I’m really just gripping at straws here. 

 There was a silver glint suddenly passing dangerously close to one of my eyes while I was trying to knock the kid off me. I thought I had finally gotten an opportunity to knock the kid away, but it was just a moment of instability while he grabbed a fucking knife from one of his boots. I flinched as the sharp blade split the skin under my eye, pain quickly hitting the wound. 

 I managed to dash away, rewinding my body to get rid of the uncomfortable cut. The two of us fully stopped, breathing heavy as our eyes locked. Though I was fine to keep fighting, I wouldn’t turn down the opportunity for a break. This little speed demon was exhausting. My fighting style is pretty quick because of the time travel, but I looked like a slug compared to this guy. I’m getting my ass handed to me by what looks like a thirteen-year-old. Part of me hopes neither of my partners come down here, I’d never live this down. 

 “Kairos? Yo, the other floors are clear now- who the fuck is that?” 

 My frustration was likely clear as I looked over at the doorway Sapnap was now standing in, his eyes showing a clear confusion. “I’m you but better mother fucker.” For a moment, I was thrown off by the kid's voice. It was a little rougher than I would have guessed it would be. This confusion was quickly pushed aside when I watched the kid bring his knife up to his mouth, a bit of blood painting the blade. One moment he was licking the blade, the next he was flashing twords me, body surrounded by a familiar blue glow. 

 I was stunned as my own ability brought me down. A quick hand nearly stabbed me in the face. My body felt like it was on autopilot as both of my hands grabbed the hands holding the knife that was inches from my face. There was an extreme pressure as the body above me flashed blue, signs of a forced dash forward without a clear strategy, a desperate attempt at generating momentum. I’ve done it in the past in tight situations. Forced momentum. This was my own fighting style. My ability. 

 They finally did it. 

 They managed to copy my ability. 

Chapter Text

Karl Jacobs 

 There was an uncomfortable silence as I finally dashed away from the kid above me, both of us being thrown off balance. All I could do was stare at the child stood a few feet away from me, my limbs like stone as our similar mixed eyes met. Even without the glowing eyes, I could tell he had my ability shooting through his veins, similar to how my ability acted when I was younger. It was like instinct back then, I’d hardly think, just do what the blood in my veins said was right. This kid was running on borrowed instinct, his eyes still glazed over as he started to circle around me, hands twitching to strike. 

 I could see his hands flash blue as my own ability clearly urged him to dash. He didn’t have the control I did, but this was still a copy of my ability. The only soothing thing about this situation was the fact the kid didn’t harbor any resemblance to me beyond the mixed eyes. I may have freaked out more if this kid looked like me. He was short and thin, his skin dusted with bruises and a faint tan that was likely being reduced because of his underground prison. His eyes were cat-like and narrow, his teeth sharp from his hybrid genetics. When he opened his mouth to hiss, I could see his upper canines, two sharp protrusions coated in metal. 

 His hair was similar to his fur pattern, a mixture of dark and light brown. I would have never thought of how different abilities would pair with my own, but seeing a hybrid with my ability is making me understand why I was just given one ability. I was dangerous enough on my own, the addition of any other advantages would have been overkill. Even undertrained, this kid was using my own ability against me with ease, and winning. His movements are too sharp and quick to follow, and since I can’t see his timeline I can’t predict his moves. 

 My body tensed as the kid dashed at me, but suddenly rewound himself. My heart picked up its pace as my familiar move became apparent, multiple faint blue electric outlines of the kid surrounding me. The constant back and forth easily confused enemies and with the extra speed and agility? I had no idea where this kid would attack from. 

 “Strike left!”  

 I was thankful as Sapnap shouted, my arms moving quickly to counter the knife coming for my unguarded left side. I grabbed the kid, throwing him away from me as he jumped at me. He simply dashed back up, legs buckling for a moment as the exhaustion of my ability hit him. He didn’t falter for long, but it was clear he didn’t have the ability stamina that I did. 

 I could practically see the gears turning in the kid's head as he growled, eyes briefly glancing over at Sapnap, who was stalking further into the room, a notebook held tightly in his right hand. 

 “Easy, you’ve just been through a hellish medical procedure kid, think this though.” 

 I had no idea what Sapnap was talking about, but the kid seemed surprised by his statement. “We’ve got the building cleared out, you don’t have to fight for these people anymore. We can help you.” There was a sinking feeling in my chest as I thought about taking this kid in. I felt awful for suddenly being so apprehensive. This was just a kid, it wasn’t his fault he was raised to be this. I can't hold any grudges against a literal child experiment. That’s not fair to him. None of this is fair to him. 

 “Did you kill Doctor Saito?” 

 I held my breath as the kid motioned to the notebook held in Sapnaps hand, his expression cold, his words laced with a hint of sadness. We killed a lot of people, I didn’t think any of them would be important to the kid given the conditions he was kept in. “I’m sorry kid, but whatever you thought of him- he wasn’t a good man. No one in this facility was-” 

 “I asked a question, fucking answer it, Nick.” 

 So much for code names. 

 “Yes, I killed him. He was on the lab floor I was assigned to. Went down swinging, nearly got me with a dart.” My eyes stayed trained on the kid now standing fully still, both hands tight in fists. I could see the rage building behind his suddenly blank expression, an ocean ready to flood break him. “I understand what it’s like to be someone’s project, please understand that whatever kindness you thought he was showing you- it was just a cruel obsession. He saw you as an experiment, if he truly cared about you, you wouldn’t have been locked away like this.” The kid didn’t move. Even his chest seemed to be completely still, with no signs of breathing. It was a long moment before the kid spoke, his voice surprisingly soft. His words were soft-spoken, and laced with a dangerous venom. His tone raised in volume as he spoke, ability distorting the air around him as he started to move. 

 “Saito was the closest thing I had to a Dad even if he was a creepy prick. I don’t need your fucking pity. I need to fucking kill you. You are the only reason I fucking exist! I wouldn't be here if you fuckers didn’t exist. As long as you are alive, I have to suffer. So either I’m going to finally fucking kill you and be free from your bullshit, or I’m going to die and be free OF YOUR BULLSHIT.” 

 I stepped back when the small figure was suddenly in front of me. I tried to rewind Nick when he slipped around me, his wings starting to form behind him as he stood protectively in front of me. I couldn’t move him fast enough, the kid getting a decent slash on the hand he had raised to try and block the attack. 

 The both of us stumbled back when a blue fire erupted around the kid, forcing me to dash away. Nick stayed unmoving, taking the fire as his own without hesitation. “Pity, I was hoping I’d get the fancy wings as well. Maybe I just need a little more blood to get those hybrid features.” The kid looked deranged as fire flew around him, the knife in his hand heating up as he produced blue flames. 

 I was even more confused. I have met people with the ability to copy others' abilities, but they always see me as a blank. I hate not understanding this kid's ability. His ability to copy me is concerning, but being able to copy any ability? A little easier to digest. “You're not going to win kid! Please just stand down, we want to help you!” 

 “Oh, you’ve helped enough just fucking existing. Do you even understand how many lives you’ve ruined just existing?!” I rewound Nick before the kid could land another hit. Nick easily worked around my ability, quickly moving as I manipulated his timeline to assist him. His wings easily blocked any more unwanted bloodshed. This kid could not be trusted around blood given his ability to copy people with it. 

 Of course, speaking of blood, Luke just had to come down right as the kid lunged back twords me, nearly getting me. Luke narrowly intercepted the kid, unaware of the dangerous position he was putting us all in. “Shit don’t let him-” 

 “XD be dammed you little shit! You’re fast!” 

 Luke easily threw the kid off him, eyes glaring at the small figure that was crouched close in front of him. The kid seemed to be in a trance as he looked up at Luke, a sudden clear color back in his previously clouded eyes. “ Lukas Damien Katz, The Spider.” The kid spoke with a clear tone of wonder. It was like he couldn’t believe Luke was real. Maybe this kid had some kind of obsession with Luke, maybe that would get him to back the hell down. 

 “I’ve been waiting to get a hold of that ability.” 

 I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t hoping for this kid to be a fanboy of Luke. Unfortunately, his little obsession seems a little more violent than I was wishing for. I quickly got a grip on Luke’s timeline, ready to keep him away from this little psycho. I couldn’t see the kid on his timeline, but I could get glimpses of Luke bleeding, I just needed to avoid that. Sapnap ran at the kid while I stayed back, ability tightly gripping Luke for when the kid attacked. “Enough playing”. 

 I watched as the kid crouched down, his tail rapidly flicking behind him as a bright fire pooled in his hands, a mixture of blue and orange. He easily dodged out of Nick’s way, but I was able to give Nick a boost, sending his timeline forward so he could keep up. This kid was fast, but with me pulling the strings, Nick and Luke could move faster. As long as that kid doesn’t have my ability, we can keep him more contained, corner him so we can knock him out, and go from there. 

 I have no idea where to even start with this kid. We are all trained well in combat, but it’s not often we have to think about how we would go about countering our own abilities. Nick knows how to deal with fire abilities, but Luke and I are a little more complicated. It was meant to be impossible to ever find an ability like mine, and you don’t exactly see vampire-spider hybrids every day. We’ve never had to fight anything similar to us, let alone a carbon copy. 

 A sudden flood of multiple timelines had me grinding my teeth with annoyance. The kid was bad enough, a military squad was the last thing we needed on top of this guy. They were coming through the main floor, quickly rushing down the stairs with guns at the ready. I had to think of something to do before they got down here, which would be soon. Based on the time, they were just starting to fill into the first floor, so we maybe had three minutes. 

 “Shit- kid if you just asked nicely I doubt I’d say no to your little copy ability. We really don’t need to do this little trying to kill each other shit.” I was thrown off a bit by Luke’s words, his catching on to the kid's copy ability so quickly was a bit surprising. “You're the 24 kid, right? You copy abilities? Or have telekinesis? The woman I killed was a little hard to understand after I stabbed her.” Seeing that kid suddenly freeze in place was a little jarring. All the built-up momentum he had been using to practically throw himself around suddenly dying with Luke’s words. Please don’t tell me Luke managed to kill a woman this kid saw as a mother figure. 

 “Is that what they were trying to get to stick? Telekinesis? Son of a bitch they pump millions of dollars into my project just to decide on telekinesis, that’s a little offensive. When they were talking about me dying I thought they were trying to get your fucking ability to stick permanently to my genes, not some random shit you can find on the street.” We all stayed still as the kid pointed at me, a sudden annoyance clear in his eyes. I wouldn't call this progress, but we may be getting somewhere. Unfortunately with only two minutes, our best bet may be me blindsiding this kid and getting the fuck out. The elevator behind us will likely be shut off, but if we could… 

 I hate being the lead here, I’m out of actual ideas. Another murder fest just can’t be avoided. I can’t even contact Tommy since we're so low underground. Who knows what he and Dream are up to, we won’t know till we get out of here. 

 “They were going to kill you?” 

 That may have not been the best question to ask with the minute we had left. 

 “I’m a half success at best, I should have been terminated in my test tube years ago, but they were desperate. Clearly their desperate now, you fucks keep giving them more reasons to fuck more with my genes and change training to try and counter you three. Every fucking procedure, every beating, everything is because of you. My existence is your fault. Especially you.” 

 I couldn't help but flinch a little at that. Any sane person would feel horrible for being so directly tied to a kid's suffering. I had no say in any of this, but I can’t help but feel bad. This kid was a lab rat because of me just existing. They literally built this kid in a lab for the sole purpose of fighting me, being me to some extent I guess. 

 “I’m sorry, I’m sorry that you had to be brought into this world in such a shitty way. But killing us won’t stop the pain. You know our names, I bet you know our stories to some extent. I was bred to be a killer, some high-end cattle for a cartel. No matter how many people I killed, how well I did, the beatings don’t fucking stop kid. You can stay down here, kill us, get your revenge, but when the sun comes up tomorrow you'll be in here training, you’ll be strapped into a chair and be experimented on, abused till your vocal cords break, just for them to mend them and do it all again at the next sunrise.” 

 There was a fire behind Nick’s eyes as he took a step forward, hands trembling as he spoke. There were tears threatening to fall from his eyes. He hated crying, often using his fire to burn away any tears, but right now, he was letting them fall. 

 “They will continue to break and mend you until they get bored and get a new experiment to play with. It may have started with us, but it will not end with us, because it never truly ends. This is an endless cycle, and I am begging you to leave kid because I know what it’s like to be trapped in this cycle. We can’t be fixed, but dammit we can heal from this. We can be more than this, more than what they made us to be. You don’t have to be some government weapon, you can be someone if you just come with us, Please.” 

 The kid took a step back, clearly scared as Nick spoke. With every step he took forward, the kid stepped back until he was sitting down on a bench, his shoulders sagging with defeat. “ Even if I could be something more, I don’t- I don’t deserve a second chance. Just- leave me be, please. I’m a man-made monster. I should just die down here.” 

 My eyes shifted away from the kid as multiple timelines approached. I dashed across the room, grabbing the semi-automatic gun from the guard I had killed earlier. I stood in front of the kid, my eyes locked onto the doorway that guards were starting to filter in through. They were being led by an older man dressed in a suit, the cocky bastard didn’t have an inch of protection on him beyond that stupid grey suit. I could have him dead in a second, but I could already feel the stupid villain monologue coming. 

 “At ease boys, no need to get our hands dirty while we’ve got KJ24 down here. Come on son, stop playing with your food and get up. Wouldn’t want to disappoint Saito.” I’m going to enjoy putting a bullet into every major organ of this guy. I could hear Luke growl as he walked over to me, taking my place in front of the boy. I kept my gun raised, never taking my aim from the man’s forehead. 

 Eight guards, all with semi-automatic weapons and riot gear. Nine people total. Three against eight was good odds for us. I could anticipate at least one ability in this crowd, there was a smaller figure that seemed more anxious than the rest. Likely an ability, they have a smaller less powerful gun, something easy to discard in a fight to use something stronger. Likely elemental if they need their hands free. 

 “ Saito is dead .” 

 “Well, who’s fault is that? If you didn’t take so long recovering from that little experiment earlier you would have been here to save him. You can’t help but disappoint us all, can you? Well, you can start making up for your half-baked shit genetics by actually helping us get the real deal, so get the fuck up and get your target kid.” 

 My finger twitched over the trigger as this guy spoke. I wanted him dead, but I had a feeling this was something the boy behind me needed to hear. A final push to get him to his senses. 

 “Come on you fucking half-breed. If you don’t die I may even stop the next group of scientists from ripping those stupid cat ears off your head during testings.” 

 What the fuck did he just call him? 

 My aim lowered, trigger pulling as I aimed for the guy’s right knee, making him fall instantly. He’s dying last, I’m personally going to skin him alive. Everyone was ready to jump into action, but a sudden surge in the room left everyone still. I looked at Luke and Nick as we all lowered our weapons, confused by the sudden green haze surrounding the guards and suited man. They were clearly struggling, but every one of them ended up dropping their weapons, pained sounds muffled behind their masks. 

 The one small figure I had noted for a brief moment seemed to have a sudden spark of fire in their hands, but it quickly fizzled out. 

 “Huh, looks like the experiment worked. Guess those millions of dollars actually did something for once." 

 I took a step back, letting the kid behind me walk forward. His eyes didn’t glow like most people, never changing color as a green haze of power coated his right hand. His fingers slowly moved, the guards clearly in pain as the haze around them seemed to tighten. 

 “What are you doing you mutt!? How dare you turn on the people who made you. You wouldn't even have this power if I didn’t green light that stupid procedure.” The smile on my face may have been a little sadistic given the scenario, but it was always nice seeing people rise above the people holding them down. I’m glad the boy came though. “What? Do you want me to thank you? Thank you for the years of killing innocent people? Or maybe the years of torturing me because I wasn’t like your precious little poster boy Jacobs. Or should I thank you for ordering those scientists to brutally tear me apart to see what I could regenerate during the early genetic testing using Jacobs genes? Huh? Pick a fucking situation and oh I’ll show you how. Fucking. Grateful. I. am.” 

 The boy’s hand twisted, the guard's heads snapping around in unnatural positions. The man kneeling stayed alive, his body, shaking as more haze surrounded him. The boy slowly walked forward, stopping once he was in front of the man. The fear in the suited man's eyes was satisfying. He came in here so confident, seeing him crying in pain was enjoyable. 

 “ You are a monster-” 

 His hand tilted, a green haze sounding the man's jaw. I could almost hear his jawbone cracking under the pressure. 

 “Well, now who’s fault is that, hm? You're the dumbass that thought growing a kid in a tube and forcing them into inhuman conditions every day of their life was a good idea. What? Did you think I was going to come out the other side a well-adjusted member of society? You hand-crafted my DNA using the most fucked up genes from world-renowned serial killers, the broken-minded military elites, and poor interns that came here from foreign countries thinking they were here for a fucking study abroad experience. Of course, I’m a fucking monster- YOU MADE ME LIKE THIS.” There was an audible crack as the man’s jaw shattered, not a single sound coming from the man. I took a seat and watched the contained violence.  

 The green haze started to focus on parts of the man’s body, more cracks being heard as his bones were slowly shattered under pressure. We all simply watched, giving the boy his much-needed victory. There really was no reason to intervene, the guy deserved every minute of this. Every crack and snap was brutal, but it was like a dumpster fire, you couldn’t help but watch. I watched as limbs moved in unnatural ways, bones shattering loudly with every passing second. 

 “ You made me a monster.” 

 One final snap, and he was done. Both of them were gone in their own respective ways. Both crumbled to the ground. I could see the kid's shoulders rapidly rise and fall as he looked at the corpse of his tormentor. Then finally, a loud strained scream. Luke and I stood back as Nick approached the disheveled kid, letting him take over the situation. He knows this situation better than any of us, he can relate in a way we will never be able to. “I’m a fucking monster. I'm exactly what they wanted.” I tried not to stare as the kid openly broke down, his entire demeanor changing as he cried. 

 “ Shh, it’s over now, come here. No kid could ever be a monster for doing what was necessary to survive.” 

 We watched as the kid collapsed into Nick’s arms, his small frame shaking violently with each sob. “The sun will rise for you again, and you will be free under it. These memories will never go away, but with each rise of the sun, it will get easier as you discover who you can be outside of the monsters who once controlled you. You will heal from this, it may not be today, it may not even be this year, but you will heal.” 

 I held a hand up when I saw Tommy rushing down the stairs, eyes wide as he caught himself in the doorway. The scene within the room wasn’t exactly pretty. Mangled corpses and a crying child. The confusion on his face was understandable. Unfortunately, he’d have to wait till later to get answers. Our new priority was getting this kid away from this hellscape. Having him stay with us was inherently dangerous given his background, but at this point, the risk felt worth it. 

 “ Do you have anything you want us to call you? We can just keep calling you kid if you don’t want to pick your name yet. It’s an important decision.” 

 I felt a bit bad constantly referring to the boy as kid, but we didn’t have anything beyond a project code, calling him anything related to that would just be cruel. “ Can- Can I wait?” There was nothing wrong with that. “ But, you can call me Max for now. A nickname.” So he’s Max, at least for now. And it was fine if he ever wanted to change that name. I could hear the hesitation in Max’s voice as he settled on the nickname, but that was a discussion for later. We all were entitled to a nice night at a fancy hotel after that entire situation. 

 “Could someone please tell me what the hell is happening?” 

 Oh right, Tommy. 

 “I’ll tell you later, could you actually take my bike so I can take Max in the van? I don’t want to make him ride with me on a motorcycle, It’s probably cold out. We can swap keys if you can drive the van back over here.” I have never seen my brother's eyes light up so fast. I don’t think he’s ever gotten to ride one of the custom electric bikes before. I think the idea was enough to have him disregard the insane scene in front of him. He can hear more about the Max situation later, for now, we all just needed to sit and regroup. Rest and figure out a plan tomorrow morning. “I’d do anything for a chance to finally use a stealth bike, I’ll go on ahead and tell Dream about the… new addition. I’ll be back as soon as possible!” 

 Tommy rushed ahead of us, leaving us three down here to find the best way to get Max out of there. The boy was clearly exhausted, a bit zoned out as well based on the look in his eyes. It was understandable, but we needed to get out of here. The most we could do was try to ease him out of this the best we could. This kid desperately needed a gentle hand to guide him. Nick was better equipped than I was, he could be that hand. 

 “Can you stand? If you can’t that’s okay, I can carry you up the stairs. You’ve more than earned a break.” Nick was nothing but gentle as he slowly loosened his arms, but the movement caused a sudden reaction out of Max, his small frame jerking forward to stay close to Nick. Even though Nick wasn’t exactly the tallest, his larger frame easily covered the lean kid that was desperately holding onto him. Max was likely five foot five at most, maybe a hundred and thirty pounds because of muscle. Without the muscle tone, the kid would practically be skin and bone. 

 “Why are you being so nice to me? I tried- I’m- why?” 

 Max grip only tightened, hands pulling at the material of Nick's mission top. Even with his confusion, he was clearly refusing to move from his position. It was understandable, at least from what I can infer. Max, even if he was created within a lab, was still human. We are social creatures, and it’s clear Max was starved of any real interactions. It's a sad thought but this could be the first time this boy had even gotten a hug. Anyone in his position wouldn’t want to let go, especially when hugging someone as warm as Nick. Literally and figuratively. 

 “You’ve suffered enough Max, that’s why. What’s done is done, and all we can do is move forward. So would you like to walk? Or would you prefer I carry you? The choice is completely up to you, but if you're not ready to start making choices like that I can pick. No big deal.” Nick and Dream dreaded the decision-making that came with freedom during their first few weeks. It’s something most need to be eased into in situations like this. 

 “I can… walk? Just- mission’s not done- but need nutrition… body isn’t… s-shit.” 

 I think we all watched in shock as Max slowly moved away from Nick, his body quickly collapsing when he was no longer being supported. I didn’t realize the only thing keeping him upright was Nick. “Just need… cracker. M’okay.” Shit, the more the kid sunk down the younger he really looked. I stayed back as he fell to his knees, shoulders slightly shaking as his body heaved forward a little. The ability use comply exhausted him, he looked like he was about to puke. “Two?” 

 Unfortunately, I think we have those nasty meal crackers and some protein bars in the van. Those things are disgusting, but practical when working with a high-demand ability. More unfortunately, Max looks like he’s going to pass out within the next minute if he doesn’t get some food in his system. Based on the experiments mentioned, he was likely starving and dehydrated from surgery. I shuddered a little as the thought passed through my head. The kid was probably in the worst state of his life and he could fight like that? Even if only sustained for a few minutes that is terrifying. 

 “Max I’m not sure if you can wait till Tommy gets here with the van. You might pass out- oh hey! calm down that wasn’t said to scare you it’s just an observation that I’m trying to give you a solution to.” Luke slowly made his way up to Max, slowly kneeling beside the shivering boy. “Passing out is scary, especially around strangers so tell you what. You can copy my ability for a bit to give you a little energy boost. I’ve got an excess amount of blood in me anyway from draining a woman earlier so you can go nuts. It should last you well past the van getting here. How’s that sound?” 

 I could see a faint spark of curiosity in the kid's eyes. His earlier mention of wanting to use Luke’s ability floated in the back of my mind as he stared down my partner. “ Really ?” Max’s voice was getting concerningly weak. “Go nuts, just a fair warning you may think my ability is cool but- FU- god’s shit kid a warning before you bite!” Nick and I both strained to hold back a laugh as Luke cursed, the kid grabbing Luke’s wrist quickly. The permission to use Luke’s ability probably gave him a final little burst of energy. 

 Small metallic fangs sunk into Luke’s wrist, causing him to flinch just a little. Usually, he wasn’t on the receiving end of stuff like this. “Easy. Keep your head straight-” I never thought I’d see Luke walk a person through the proper way to drink another person's blood, especially in the context of him being on the receiving end of the biting. He’s a surprisingly calm teacher. Well in this context, in training rooms I hear he’s an absolute nightmare. Once we’re back in the swing of things he’ll probably be crushing the soul of every new recruit going through physical training. 

 Slowly, Max eased away from Luke, his skin turning a sickly blue color as the new ability in his system started to show. He looked refreshed as he licked at the corners of his mouth, eyes slowly blinking. His skin was much more blue compared to Luke’s usual demonic grey. Max more resembled a dead pale blue, the bags under his eyes looking more severe with the lighter skin color.  His bruises also showed more with Luke’s ability. Somehow he looked stronger and weaker at the same time. There was a new energy behind his eyes, but his body looked battered with the sickly skin tone. A small detail caught my eye as Max shifted, slowly standing up with his new energy. His ears and tail were just gone. They vanished as Luke’s ability manifested. Must be something with Luke being a hybrid, maybe that cancels out Max’s hybrid traits. 

 “Now you probably feel a hum below your skin, it’s easy to ignore that. It’s simply the venom production on standby, if you focus you can probably use it but it took me nearly dying to figure out I was venomous so trust me it’s fine if you can’t” I’d rather not give this kid any incentive to try dying in the name of unlocking this abilties full potential. 

 “Come on, we should get moving. It’s likely getting dark out by now so waiting outside should feel nice.” Nothing felt quite as good as a nice lukewarm night. Hot days and cool nights, are a simple constant, and a simple treat at the end of a mission. Even with the awkward silence that settled on us as we climbed the stairs, It felt nice just being done with the mission. We now had some extra business to attend to, but that could at least wait until the hotel. For now, we can take a breather in the crisp night air. 

 Well, there’s now an insane amount of smoke filling the air that reeks of death and chemicals but you can’t win every time. As we stood outside a few feet from the building, the smoke slowly seeping through any exposed vents was clearly making itself a rapidly growing problem. My brain tried to formulate some kind of statement to tell my partners and Max, but the kid clearly reached some kind of conclusion first. 

 “The wind is blowing twords the main town, we have a safe twenty minutes before local authorities come out here to investigate. Depending on law force competence, we may have twenty-five minutes, but were in no position to risk it. Once your brother is back with the transportation we need to take the main military trail. It sounds risky, but trust me we won’t need to worry about reinforcements, we just have to worry about local authorities.” 

 His voice was slowly starting to lighten, the rasp from earlier slowly subsiding as he kept talking. His vocal cords must have been warning up still. 

 “How can you be so sure?” 

 Luke’s tone didn’t hold any malice as he spoke up, his question simple and quick. Despite our actions twords Max, there was no hiding our hesitancy in fully trusting him. Even if we trusted him at this moment, the high of a mission completed would soon fade into a tense distrust. A simple question, an even tone, an easy-to-read intention. Max hadn’t looked at us as he first spoke, eyes shifting around the environment, it wasn’t until Luke spoke that his eyes zoned on to him. This focus was short-lived, the kid's eyes shifting away as his rough voice continued.

 “My deviation is going to cause fear within the higher ranks. We had plans set in place for most catastrophic events, but these plans all relied on me being able to fix the situation. My deviation to the enemy is going to shake the ranks because I was their best shot at finally killing you. Without me, they have no reason to keep trying to kill you for now. It’s an uphill battle, their hands are tied. They won’t give up of course, they always know where to find you. But for now, we have time.” 

 Hearing such threatening words with a dead flat tone was… chilling, to say the least. We aren’t stupid, of course the government has eyes on us constantly, but we don’t try to think about that fact. It was a simple case of mutually assured destruction. They don’t storm our base for the same reason we don’t just attack the white house and go for the highest ranks. We would cause the next fucking civil war, likely leading to an all-out world war. A shiver ran through me. It’s not a fun concept to be reminded of. 

 “May I ask a question?” 

 Finally, his eyes settled on me. No shifting, no quick glances. Full attention. 

 “Go ahead, Max.” 

 Part of me craved to say no. The eyes looking at me held no emotion, their resemblance to my own only adding to the tension in my body. His actions and speech pattern resembled Dream’s when he first joined the team, his upbringing mimicked Nick’s. Everything about him mirrored the people around me, and it was freaking me out. 

 “Does any of this actually matter?” 

 Does any of this actually matter? 

Chapter Text

“Lukas Damien Katz”

 It's an interesting experience, seeing a person wielding the same ability as you. A bit unsettling, uncanny. People see it all the time. Elemental abilities are common, hybrids are common, and they likely don’t bat an eye when they find someone who mimics their powers. I shouldn’t be so hung up on this. This situation isn’t conventional by any means of the word, but I cannot ignore how oddly unsettling it is seeing this kid casually pick at his nails while his skin tries to mimic my own. I feel a sense of guilt for even thinking about this when there are much more important details to be focusing on. I’m wasting my time, but I can’t help it. My own skin slowly grayed as I stared at the kid sitting on the floor across from me. 

 I was comparing myself to him. I was comparing him to myself. His eyes held no new color, never changing despite shifting. His veins were black like mine but seemed to hold a more purple undertone. His skin was an oxygen-deprived blue rather than a demonic grey tone. His teeth were sharp, but his fangs remained more animalistic than vampiric. It’s strange how my own DNA is coursing through him, but it manifests so differently in him. Genetics is a strange thing. This is a strange kid. 

 He holds a strange obsession with my ability, yet he’s so quiet when left alone in a room with me. We all assumed leaving him with me would be the best idea. We assumed he would be more willing to talk with me. Yet here we are, silently sitting on a fancy hotel room floor, waiting for the group to get back with takeout. Our original plans were with reservations at a steakhouse that would shamelessly shove a well over thousand dollar bill in our faces after half a meal. We couldn’t exactly bring this kid to a high-end steak house, and we couldn’t leave him alone. So, tonight would be filled with cheap Chinese takeout and Taco Bell. Honestly, not a bad combo. 

 “You sure you don’t want to sit on the bed? Or at least the desk chair?” 

 It was an awkward attempt at starting some semblance of a conversation. Max was offered a conventional seat multiple times, but the boy seemed content with just sitting on the floor. So I joined him to get on his level. As it turns out, his level is pretty comfortable. 

 “Too soft.” 

 I needed to stop comparing him to Nick. Unfortunately, there are just too many comparisons to make between the two. “Could you at least accept a pillow? Your back will get sore sitting like that.” I doubt sitting on the floor would have any effect on Max, but I didn’t need to articulate that. I was grasping at straws, trying to get him to accept some form of comfort. “My body is built to withstand the most strenuous conditions, I am perfectly fine on the floor.” Stubborn. 

 There was an uncomfortable silence as we sat across from each other. The boy seemed fully content with just the hum of the air conditioner in the background, but I needed some kind of conversation. We should have left Nick with this boy, Nick could handle the silence better. Nick could have gotten the boy to talk. What would Nick say? What did Nick need when he was first rescued? My mind drifted back to when Nick had first arrived at the base, eyes dead but curious. He was eager to please, Desperate to have orders. Nick, unfortunately, needed some authoritative structure to calm him down cause that’s all he knew. Did Max need orders? Surely, I’m not expected to order a child around. I don’t think I can do that. And I doubt that’s what he needs. 

 Max is… oddly self-aware. He knows what happened to him was fucked up. He’s aware that he’s not ordinary. I’m not sure if his silence is because of the fucked up training or if it’s because he’s lost. My eyes lingered on his frantically shifting ones. He didn’t care about my staring. Max was focused on, well, the entire room. His eyes swept the room in what was becoming a practiced pattern. 

 “Looking for anything in particular, Max?” 

 Two-tone eyes settled on me. 

 Don’t compare him to Karl. 

 “The door is of high quality but could easily be broken down with a little force. There’s a weak point in the ceiling above the leftmost bed from a past repair, and there’s a slight discoloration if you look closely. While in the bathroom I noticed the window was a little weak, but that would work to our advantage since any attempt to crawl through it would lead to the damn thing falling out of the wall. The vents are too small for any human to crawl through them, but of course, you always need to account for shapeshifters or any abilities that could manipulate a person's size, and the wall behind me is the thinnest of all the walls in this hotel room.” 

 I hate how much we paid for this hotel now. I mean, visually, the place looks great, the two beds are really nice, soft carpet. My eyes glanced up at the ceiling, now noticing the very slight color difference above the bed. The kid was mapping out any weak points that could be breached. I taught lessons on stuff like this, but it’s strange seeing someone do it so much better than me. I noticed the door and window, of course, but the slightest shade difference and the wall? I need to up my training. “Well, you can take the right side bed if you want.” Max quickly shook his head at the suggestion. 

 “I’d rather sleep near a weak point as a precaution. You mentioned that you and Nick would be in this room with us while Karl, Thomas, and Clay would be in another room. If Nick is closer to the door, I should be closer to the other weak points so that the people with the best training can cover more bases in the case of an emergency. I cannot account for the other room, of course, since they are two down from us, but them having Clay is good.” I felt a bit insulted. Kid claims to love my ability but completely disregards my training. Maybe he just holds Sap and Dream to a higher regard because he can relate to their upbringing. Also, did he call Tommy Thomas? I can’t tell what I hate more: him calling Dream, Clay, or that. Yeah, that’s their legal names, but no one calls them that. 

 “What, think I can’t handle a Little trouble in the middle of the night?” My tone was playful, but the kids' tone had no change despite my attempts at lightening the strange atmosphere. “Of course not. Your training is subpar when compared to Nick, Clay, and me, but your ability makes up for the lack of rigor. Your hand-to-hand skills from underground fighting make you a challenge in close quarters, and given the precision of those legs and your knowledge of human anatomy, you're likely the deadliest of us all. That’s why you should be in the middle. Though your training is… basic, your history proves good analytical skills under pressure. You would have a split second to decide which of us needs you more and go from there.” 

 Well, that helps my bruised ego a little. The kid doesn’t think I’m useless. “Unfortunately, depending on the situation, I may need to bite you again for your ability. Hopefully, you won’t cause any problems over a little shoulder wound. I know my fangs aren’t that big, so it really shouldn’t be a problem, especially for you.” Was that a hint of sass? I can’t even be mad. I'm just happy the kid didn’t sound dead inside, even if it was for a split second to taunt me. “Yeah, just ask first. Wouldn’t want to accidentally stab you.” 

 “I’ve experienced worse. As long as I dodge to avoid a major organ being hit, I’ll manage.” I’d rather not stab this kid anywhere, actually. Despite the traumatic background, he is… vaguely chill? He seems pretty down to fight alongside us in an emergency situation, so that’s good. He shows no signs of wanting to run, he’s been really willing since we grabbed him. He seems trustworthy enough for now. Well, just maybe need a way to monitor him at night, just in case. Unfortunately, I don’t think anything is slipping past Max. Even if I pretended to sleep, he could probably pick up on my breathing pattern and call my bluff. This kid's crazy.

 “Hey, not to derail the conversation, but can I ask you something about earlier?” It was a sudden thought, back to when the building was burning down behind us. A question that’s been bugging me for the past hour or so. 

 “You can ask whatever you want, and I will answer as truthfully and as accurately as I am able.” 

 How polite. 

 “Why did you ask if any of this actually mattered?” 

 “…”

 Finally, I managed to get some kind of real lasting emotion from Max. Unfortunately, that emotion looked like a sad combination of fear and confusion. A fear of what’s to come? Maybe the kid just felt lost. No matter the situation, I was willing to wait so he could properly articulate himself. 

 “Well, in the grand scheme of all of this… will anything matter? I’m sorry if I’m not articulating well, but… It’s just confusing to watch from an outsider's perspective.” An outsider? I’d hardly call Max an outsider with how central he is within this conflict. He was made solely for the purpose of, well, everything happening. 

 “Why do you think you're an outsider? I’d argue you're pretty far into this whole ordeal.” 

 There was a small twitch of the boy's eyebrows, a small sign that he was actually thinking of what I was telling him. It took a minute before he started talking again, his tone more apprehensive. 

 “I have no real emotional attachment to this all like everyone else. I was built for a single purpose, nothing more, really. I can hardly be considered human, given my creation. There’s no God for someone like me, and the ‘ordeal’ happening is completely centered around the Gods. Therefore, I’m really just an outsider. I was built to serve a purpose, I failed and deviated, now my existence is well… it doesn't exactly matter.” 

 Everyone’s existence matters in some capacity. I find it hard to believe this is it for Max. He’s traumatized, he’s a literal lab-grown human, but he’s still human. If Prime or XD abandoned him just for that, I’d have to reevaluate my opinions of them. He’s man-made, but that doesn’t have to make him just some reflection of the horrors of some desperate psychos' mind. 

 “Life isn’t just about serving one purpose, you know. The intention of your creation doesn’t have to be a reflection of who you are and all you can ever be. It may not seem like it now, but you are free from that past. It may haunt you till the day you die, but it doesn’t have to define you. We can help you find who the real Max is, not KJ42S whatever the fuck- 

 “ KJ24HS” 

 “Yeah, that, that doesn’t matter anymore because that isn’t you. And trust me, kid, you can’t convince me that it is. You came with us willingly, and you clearly want to fight beside us and help us. KJ24HS wouldn’t do that, but Max would.” 

 Finally, a hint of a small smile. It was brief, but it moved us miles along in terms of progress. This kid wants to do more than what he was created for; that’s clear as day. He had the frustration, he had the drive, and he just needed a hand getting out of that prison. Unfortunately, no matter how much he wants this, there will be a mental barrier. 

 “I just don’t see how there's much out there for me. I’m just… a lab project. I’ve been sentient for five years, I have the carbon-dated body of a sixteen-year-old and the brain of someone in their twenties. The day I was taken out of that test tube, I just had the preloaded knowledge of the basics, fighting techniques, mission work, a high school education, and roughly two years of an undergraduate in Biology and computer science-” 

 Wait, why and how did they give him half a college education? How the hell do you casually put all of this into a… You know what I don’t want to know. 

 “Biology and computer science?” 

 I didn’t miss the small glare I was given for interrupting. 

 “I’m asian. Given my genetic background, coming from China and Germany, I can pass as a really smart college sophomore based on common stereotypes, which never proved that useful, but the option was there. I’m also well equipped for more technology-based missions, data extraction, and basic system hacking.” 

 Yeah, I guess sometimes you do hear of really young college students. If we hadn’t found Max when we did, he likely would have infiltrated our youth groups now that I think about it. I doubt he would have raised any major red flags. Just a kid with a copy ability. It’s hard to tell if he’s anything out of the norm as long as he's not copying Karl. 

 Both our eyes snapped to the hotel door when we heard the sound of a soft keycard beep. Tommy came in first, hands full with two drink carriers. Nick and Dream were carrying the actual food. Well, if you can call it that. I don’t want to know half of what goes into this stuff. Well, the Chinese takeout out I trust, the strange Taco Bell beef? Who knows. 

 “Okay! We had no idea what Max would like, so we ordered extra! I also got you a Baja blast since I doubt you’ve ever experienced whatever this battery acid is.” I held back a laugh as Max was handed the toxicly colored drink. The first time Nick had soda was a hilarious little moment. You can have the knowledge of this stuff, of course, but actually having it is different. 

 “ The fuck is a Baja blast?” 

 Oh even better, he has no idea what it is. Karl shut the hotel door, his eyes joining the rest of ours as Max took a small sip of the drink. The reaction was instant and not what I had anticipated. “It’s good? I’ve tasted battery acid before, and it’s nothing like this.” Oh, his poor literal soul- heart? He’s got something in him, I’m not sure of the technicalities. Wait, he’s tasted literal battery acid before- 

Karl Craft 

 “I still feel bad that he threw up. We really should have eased him into the concept of cheap fast food.” We clearly weren’t thinking enough when we let Max go to town on $3 tacos and a drink with enough sugar to kill a toddler. Poor kid spent a solid few minutes heaving over the toilet and was sent to bed on a stomach of wanton soup and an energy bar. In the morning, I need to make sure to order some overpriced room service for him. Maybe something light like fruit and a bit of protein. Well, maybe not fruit, I don’t think he’s used to sugar. I’d ask him what he wants, but he’d probably just ask for those nasty meal replacement bars. 

 “Mate, it was an easy mistake. I mean, come on, he smiled! How was I meant to stop handing him tacos when he was showing emotion? I thought we were having a major breakthrough. I still think that was a breakthrough! He’s miles ahead of-“ 

 “Stop fucking comparing him to Nick and Dream!” 

 Wait no- I didn’t mean to snap like that-

 Dream and Tommy both looked uncomfortable at my outburst, more confusion on Dream's face than anything else. “Karl, it’s a fair comparison, I think you may need to take a walk, man, you’ve been tense all night.” Dream was right, I am tense. I don’t see how a walk will help, but it will at least get me out of this situation. Everyone is quick to accept Max, but I just can’t help but feel uneasy because of his presence. I’m trying to convince myself I don’t care, but I can’t shake this stupid feeling. Shit the comparison is so fair. He was desperately trying to kill us, then he joined without much question. An Authority shift. Same shit different person. Seeing him mimic me, copy our fighting styles, it’s unsettling after so many years of trying to avoid that. 

 This entire thing started as a means to prevent the government from copying my ability and using it for their own selfish wants. It’s grown so far beyond that, but I can’t just forget how this started. I feel like I failed. By all accounts, I did fail. The government is getting more clever as their ranks are invaded by Totems cult. I doubt we can ever distinguish the military from Totems' followers at this point. 

 I left the hotel room quietly. 

 Simply grabbed a bottle of water and left. I passed a few random night owls and staff as I approached the floor’s elevator. The damn thing took forever to reach our floor, a drunk man stumbling out once the doors opened. It was a silent ride, no sound beyond the hum of the overhead lights. 

 I don’t think I really registered where I was going till I ended up at a small nearby park. I must have walked for nearly fifteen minutes while zoned out. The place was empty, of course, the only people around simply passing by to likely get home. It was a bare place, just some sparse trees and a few benches. There wasn’t even a playground, just a walking path, the kind runners probably take daily at the same time every morning. A run sounds good. Not running from anything for once, just running for the hell of it. Existing for the hell of it sounded nice. 

 Unfortunately, thats a concept I may never get the luxury of experiencing. I really am just a work dog, bred to serve a purpose. I’m simply a means to an end. No offense to Prime and XD, but it’s hard not to be constantly in some mental crisis when literal Gods won’t leave you alone. My movements slowed as my ears took in the subtle sounds of the night around me. It was dark, miscellaneous bugs occasionally filling the silence. I hadn’t encountered a single person on the paved path, only seeing small insects and a few frogs. 

 I came to a full stop when I heard a small stick break behind me. I had my ability active at nearly all times, but for once, I wasn’t using it. The idea of being snuck up on was actually nice. I had no idea who was behind me; I was simply just a man walking in a park at night, and someone managed to sneak up on me. 

 Please, just be some random night owl. I would hate to get blood on such a peaceful path. 

 “Was the branch break too obvious? I thought stepping on it would startle you less than randomly hearing the voice of the kid you hate.” 

 There was a sigh caught in my throat as Max spoke, voice surprisingly smooth despite how much he had thrown up earlier. My teeth felt like they were stuck together as I turned on my heel, trying my hardest not to look at this kid with any kind of hate or disdain. I didn’t hate Max, I hated the experiment he was. 

 “I don’t-” 

 “Don’t lie, your body language tells me everything I need to know. You hate me, and frankly, I don’t particularly like you either.” 

 I was a little taken aback as the kid casually walked past me, his tone even as he spoke. Of course, I followed as he walked. His tail casually swayed as he walked, ears occasionally twitching as the sounds of the night continued around us. He was dressed differently. He looked so much smaller, normal. He was wearing a pair of Nick's sweatpants, which, of course, were a bit baggy on him. Those were paired with what looked like one of Luke's tank tops, given it wasn’t too big. Luke just loved his tank tops being excessively tight. 

 “You see me as the personification of your own failures, and I see you as the cause of all my problems. It’s a justified sentiment, but we probably should talk this out so we can… work together.” Hesitation laced Max’s voice at the end of his statement, his brief pause making me wonder if he actually wanted to work with us or if he just felt he had to. We could easily end things here, set him up with an adoptive family, and get him in a high school for at least a year so he can get his diploma, maybe send him through college if he wants. 

 Though it’s nice to imagine shipping this kid off away from the bloodshed, his hesitation likely isn’t about fighting; it’s who he’s fighting alongside. “What made you go rogue so fast? Why work with me? I mean, your entire existence is because of me, shouldn’t you be trying to kill me again even if you are not working with the government?” It was a fair question. How was anyone meant to trust a kid who switched sides so fast? There’s something missing here. Something struck a nerve with this kid before we did in that basement. We didn’t break whatever control the government had; we simply knocked down a door that was already unlocked for us. 

 “Killing you does nothing, Jacobs. It’s not like you asked the government to make a murderous copycat version of you. Unfortunately, my blaming you for anything is completely irrational. Same goes for you. I never asked to be made this way, and frankly, I didn’t have a single choice in anything I did. Be mad at what I’ve done, but you have to understand it was obey or torture. I wasn’t even given the luxury of death as an option. We can’t- we shouldn’t blame each other, which is easier said than done, but it’s what needs to be done. So yeah, maybe we should be trying to kill each other, but that does no one any good because it’s frankly stupid.” 

 Kids got a point. Hate to admit it, but he’s right. Our eyes momentarily met as we walked alongside each other, bodies tense with unease because of the proximity. It would take some time for us to settle down around each other. We can address the issue as many times as we want, but self-awareness unfortunately doesn’t cure the uncomfortable tension. That will have to happen with time. 

 “As for my deviation, you were just the final straw. I started showing signs of deviation about a month ago after an undercover college rally. I had some sense knocked into me by this wonderful girl, her name was Jasmine.” 

 I could hear how Max’s voice wavered on the word ‘was’. Past tense, something happened to this girl. 

 “The president was making some stupid speech on the dangers of mutant rights over at Yale. I was placed in the crowd in case any mutants got any dumb ideas. Unfortunately, I was stood by a girl who had a lot of good ideas. She annoyed me to my wits' end the entire time, whispering to me, disproving every one of the president's statements. I fucking hated it at the time, her so casully breaking down everything I was taught. Talking to me… like she knew I was the one who needed to hear her, it’s like she knew I was with them. By the end of the event, nothing went wrong, and Jasmine had pulled me aside with a group of her friends.” 

 Max stopped walking, a few leaves falling past us as his breathing slowly became uneven. 

 “I was being reckless. My orders were clear: return to my extraction point the minute the president was off campus. But I endagerd those poor students by following them like they could do anything to save me from the shit I was being forced to do. A youth's brain is so easily programmed, which just makes it so much easier to break. My programming broke the minute Jasmine smiled at me like I was… a person. I was a boy, I was finally just a boy. She made me feel real, and all she did was fucking smile at me.” 

 Tears slowly fell down the kid's face, yet his posture never faltered. His shoulders were stiff, breathing slightly uneven, but fairly quiet. It was never a good thing when someone could cry so silently, so calmly. He was likely reliving the most earth-shattering moment of his life as he spoke, yet he kept speaking calmly, voice only slightly shaking on certain retellings. 

 “I made up some stupid name to introduce myself. They kept calling me ‘kid’ cause I looked a lot younger than them, but I didn’t mind. We all hung out in Jasmine's dorm for a few hours. At the time, I was confused why the government let me go rogue for so long. Now I understand why they did it.” 

 “Max you don’t have to-” 

 “I wasn’t sent in with an ability, not one in my system at least. I got to keep my ears and tail despite this being an undercover mission. Usually, they would rip all that off for undercover missions. Inject one of my eyes with some weird mixture so they were both the same color, but I avoided all that torture. Jasmine absolutely loved my eyes… said my ears were adorable. She said I was the cutest kid she’d ever seen. Imagine me being called cute, fucking crazy. She had no idea. None of them had the slightest clue of what was going to happen to them. They didn’t… fuck, they had been so happy.” 

 Finally, the kid's shoulders shook, a small sob forcing its way from his throat. 

 “One minute we were talking about mutant rights, playing show and tell with our abilities. Next, I had the government in my head, whispers of what was going to happen to them if I didn’t kill them. Those fuckers had some kind of backup transmitter in my head. I never even knew about it until that day. They threatened to subject these people to the same torture I had undergone. They made me kill them. I’m… I pretended to need to use the bathroom. I- syringe, fire ability. Thirty dead. Killed… she still fucking smiled at me Karl. for fuck sake I had been burning that dorm down around her and she smiled as she died, like she fucking knew that wasn’t me. She saw me… she saw ME.” 

 A small burst of green energy came off Max as he shouted, his small body shaking as he finally broke down. I pulled him behind a large tree as he sobbed, pulling him into a hug. “ I don’t even know me… she did.” Small hands gripped my shirt, each sob accompanied by a violent tremor. I was stunned as I held Max, my heart breaking as his story sank in. He got one taste of freedom and had to kill it himself. The first friends he ever made, he had to kill them. 

 I’m an asshole. 

 This isn’t a weapon; this wasn’t some military asset. I’m holding Max. Max is just a kid. Max isn’t some enemy I have to worry about. He’s just a kid. My arms tightened around Max as his crying only got worse, his legs nearly buckling while we leaned against the tree. “ It’s okay… You were just following orders. Shhh, that wasn’t you.” 

 He just wanted friends, people who understood him. It’s what every kid wants.

 To be seen. 

 “ Sh-she was a dancer, her major was chemistry, but she talked about dance like it was the love of her life.” 

 I slowly lowered the two of us to the ground, my back resting against the large tree behind me. I let Max rest on top of me as he recalled the college students who managed to break him from his programming. He still cried, but I could see a small smile on his face when he brought up small facts he had learned about his friends. I let him remember; it was good that he remembered. These people weren’t just targets; they were human, and Max knew them, even if it was only for a few hours. 

 “James definitely liked Jas, idiot was so obvious.” 

 “Well, how was he being obvious?” 

 I quietly kept the conversation running at points, keeping the boy talking as he slowly relaxed against me. I let him relive the good parts. 

 “ Hm, face was red. Eyes lingered; you didn’t need training to pick up on his body language. Dude also sat really close to her, like we weren’t in a practically empty double. It was a big room, got to sprawl out on the empty bed, apparently her roommate dropped out for a medical emergency, poor girl got diagnosed with cancer her freshman year at Yale, talk about cruel.” 

 I let Max ramble about every detail. I didn’t bother trying to keep him on any sort of track as he spoke; I let his mind wander. He got distracted easily, switching stories rapidly as details collided and led to other trains of thought. 

 “ Jack was actully a transfer from harvard, apparently he fucking hated law, switched to economics.” 

 “Why economics?” 

 “Something about liking math, prolly would have changed majors to mathmatics if I hadn’t slit his throat-” 

 Okay, maybe that’s enough reminiscing about the past. 

 “We should head back to the hotel, it’s getting late.” 

 Max simply hummed, slowly rising off my chest. The kid hardly weighed anything; him lying on me hardly felt like anything more than a small weighted blanket. A heated blanket. Despite him being small, he was like a space heater. Maybe it was a hybrid thing. Luke’s always feels like an icebox because of his whole vampire spider thing. 

 “Sorry I kinda just… yeah.” 

 “Don’t apologize for having a heart, Max. Just come on, we both need to sleep.” 

 Max was quiet as we walked, but I could tell he was a lot more comfortable around me compared to before. His posture was more relaxed, and despite the irritation from crying being evident in his eyes, below that, it was obvious his brain was finally slowing down. His eyes didn’t dart around like they usually did, and his ears only twitched when the wind picked up around us. He was relaxed. 

 He seemed happy. 

 I was oddly happy.