Angsty dramawhoring YA fic -- "Surrender"
I just realized I never posted this here. Possibly because it's indulgent and yeah. Be aware, it contains offensive language.
They didn't know half of the people fighting on their side. You figured out who was on your team by who they hit.
"We had a truce!" shouted some bad guy.
"Hey, two of these guys are mutants, that makes them ours!"
"Uh, who're you?" said Tommy, the only one rude enough to ask.
"We're the X-men!" shouted the teen.
"...no, really, who're you?"
Fortunately, they got attacked again before Tommy could turn their allies completely against them. The fray resumed, each of them finding a target and hoping like hell a target had not found them. Adversaries were taken down, leaving them momentarily confused as they searched out an opportunity in the carnage. Then a rush in, a quick battle, victory or defeat. It happened a hundred times a minute and seemed to go on forever.
The sound was simultaneous. Thousands of weapons all cocked and ready and aimed, all at once.
The supers were good at fighting supervillains. SHIELD was good at fighting wars. They were surrounded and outnumbered, and they were not all bulletproof. Certain supers, they realized, had been taken down just before the army revealed itself.
An elegant woman retrieved the errant X-men, strutting on and off the battlefield without apparently noticing any danger. She said they had gone without her approval; that this meant nothing for their truce. They would be punished--they all blanched at that, never mind the SHIELD operatives. Then they were gone. Group after group was approached and dealt with.
The Young Avengers huddled, together but not too close, aside from Teddy supporting an unconscious Billy.
"We're willing to take your age into account," they were told, "Assuming you cooperate."
Were they afraid of them, even now? Vision could become intangible; Tommy could run. Cassie might be able to shrink quickly enough, and Eli might be able to bulldoze his way out.
Leaving Kate and Teddy and Billy behind.
No, their chances weren't even that good. Those looked like laser rifles, which Tommy could not outrun, nor Eli shrug off. Would they really ... ?
Stupid question.
"We're listening," said Eli.
"You six will start training right away," The operative said, then nodded toward Tommy, "He has a sentence to serve first."
"No way," said Eli.
"He's a convict," was the reply.
"You mean he's a hostage," said Kate, "You're splitting up everyone, aren't you?"
They had been watching in the long, tense wait until they were approached; not a single group had been left intact. It was just a matter of who, and it seemed Tommy gave them the best excuse.
"How do we know you won't just experiment on him again?" asked Teddy, his eyes hard.
The man shrugged. "Your choice is simple. He can go to prison, or you all can."
"It's fine."
"Tommy!" said Cassie.
Tommy shrugged. "We never had a choice. They're not going to give us a choice. If they want to fuck you up later, they will. I'm just going first."
They fell silent. The man checked his watch.
"Hey, if you've got a better idea, I'd like to hear it." said Tommy.
Kate gave him a hug. Cassie did too, except her feet left the ground. Teddy looked away, down at Billy. Vision was impossible to read.
Eli came up and hugged him tightly. Tommy balked for a second before patting him on the shoulder a few times, his expression bemused.
Tommy walked off, presented his arms, had them wrenched behind his back and cuffed. The Young Avengers walked the opposite way, were briefed, and finally found themselves alone.
"What did he say?" said Teddy.
"What?" said Eli.
"He said something, didn't he? When you hugged him."
Eli brooded over his clasped hands. Damn shape-shifters with their sharp eyes. The message had been a simple, single word:
"Run."
Eli shook his head. "He didn't say anything."
And he turned away.
Elsewhere, Tommy walked down the long corridors of the prison past familiar faces, now wan and drawn and hopeless. His feet met the metal walkways with a hollow sound, and for some time he heard only it, despite the guard's unending gloating.
"This is what you get for thinking you're better than the law," the guard went on, "We're going to have some fun with you."
He didn't recognize that many of them, really. They all seemed alike, heroes and villains, once behind bars.
"Patriot just hugged me." said Tommy, "I think we all know I'm fucked."
They didn't know half of the people fighting on their side. You figured out who was on your team by who they hit.
"We had a truce!" shouted some bad guy.
"Hey, two of these guys are mutants, that makes them ours!"
"Uh, who're you?" said Tommy, the only one rude enough to ask.
"We're the X-men!" shouted the teen.
"...no, really, who're you?"
Fortunately, they got attacked again before Tommy could turn their allies completely against them. The fray resumed, each of them finding a target and hoping like hell a target had not found them. Adversaries were taken down, leaving them momentarily confused as they searched out an opportunity in the carnage. Then a rush in, a quick battle, victory or defeat. It happened a hundred times a minute and seemed to go on forever.
The sound was simultaneous. Thousands of weapons all cocked and ready and aimed, all at once.
The supers were good at fighting supervillains. SHIELD was good at fighting wars. They were surrounded and outnumbered, and they were not all bulletproof. Certain supers, they realized, had been taken down just before the army revealed itself.
An elegant woman retrieved the errant X-men, strutting on and off the battlefield without apparently noticing any danger. She said they had gone without her approval; that this meant nothing for their truce. They would be punished--they all blanched at that, never mind the SHIELD operatives. Then they were gone. Group after group was approached and dealt with.
The Young Avengers huddled, together but not too close, aside from Teddy supporting an unconscious Billy.
"We're willing to take your age into account," they were told, "Assuming you cooperate."
Were they afraid of them, even now? Vision could become intangible; Tommy could run. Cassie might be able to shrink quickly enough, and Eli might be able to bulldoze his way out.
Leaving Kate and Teddy and Billy behind.
No, their chances weren't even that good. Those looked like laser rifles, which Tommy could not outrun, nor Eli shrug off. Would they really ... ?
Stupid question.
"We're listening," said Eli.
"You six will start training right away," The operative said, then nodded toward Tommy, "He has a sentence to serve first."
"No way," said Eli.
"He's a convict," was the reply.
"You mean he's a hostage," said Kate, "You're splitting up everyone, aren't you?"
They had been watching in the long, tense wait until they were approached; not a single group had been left intact. It was just a matter of who, and it seemed Tommy gave them the best excuse.
"How do we know you won't just experiment on him again?" asked Teddy, his eyes hard.
The man shrugged. "Your choice is simple. He can go to prison, or you all can."
"It's fine."
"Tommy!" said Cassie.
Tommy shrugged. "We never had a choice. They're not going to give us a choice. If they want to fuck you up later, they will. I'm just going first."
They fell silent. The man checked his watch.
"Hey, if you've got a better idea, I'd like to hear it." said Tommy.
Kate gave him a hug. Cassie did too, except her feet left the ground. Teddy looked away, down at Billy. Vision was impossible to read.
Eli came up and hugged him tightly. Tommy balked for a second before patting him on the shoulder a few times, his expression bemused.
Tommy walked off, presented his arms, had them wrenched behind his back and cuffed. The Young Avengers walked the opposite way, were briefed, and finally found themselves alone.
"What did he say?" said Teddy.
"What?" said Eli.
"He said something, didn't he? When you hugged him."
Eli brooded over his clasped hands. Damn shape-shifters with their sharp eyes. The message had been a simple, single word:
"Run."
Eli shook his head. "He didn't say anything."
And he turned away.
Elsewhere, Tommy walked down the long corridors of the prison past familiar faces, now wan and drawn and hopeless. His feet met the metal walkways with a hollow sound, and for some time he heard only it, despite the guard's unending gloating.
"This is what you get for thinking you're better than the law," the guard went on, "We're going to have some fun with you."
He didn't recognize that many of them, really. They all seemed alike, heroes and villains, once behind bars.
"Patriot just hugged me." said Tommy, "I think we all know I'm fucked."