Rebellion

Connor

Connor

​They didn't want him and Draven out here, that was the first problem. He winced as he saw the huge crowd surrounding the square. He didn't want to see this. It had been a couple hours since the whole thing had started and they had decided to come out. Draven looked up at him and Isaiah took his hand.

​"Dad's going to be alright. I promise," he said softly. Draven nodded and they moved forward a little. They heard something snap and then a scream and Isaiah grabbed Draven and covered his ears. He closed his eyes shut as he heard it over and over again. He felt tears in his eyes and they ran down his cheeks easily. He swallowed and hugged Draven close to him as the screaming continued and the shouting and taunting got louder. And then he heard the familiar voice of the man who hated his dad.

​"You know what? I want to have a little fun. Come on puppy, we're going to have some fun!"

​The laughter got louder and Isaiah caught a glimpse of the square through some people. He saw his dad chained to a pole, his back torn up and bleeding. The other man was pacing around him with a grin on his face. He made sure Draven was still hidden in his chest and then he knelt down.

​"Go to the back of the crowd. I'll be there in a minute okay? Wait for me."

​"Okay," Draven whispered. Isaiah nodded and his little brother disappeared. He turned back to the square and stared in horror at what was going on. He couldn't turn away and he didn't know why. He couldn't quite comprehend what was happening. All he knew was that his father was not supposed to have that in his mouth. He watched as the man grabbed his dad's hair and held him still. He wished he could cry but he was already a mess. Whatever this was, wasn't okay. He turned and ran to the edge of the crowd. He couldn't look anymore. He and Draven sat against a building for the whole day. They listened to their dad's punishment, the way that people could be so cruel. And as the sun was setting, the worst screams they had ever heard echoed across the courtyard. Laughter erupted from the crowd and then he couldn't take it anymore. How could they laugh at torture like this?"

​"Murderer!"

​"Killer!"

​He pushed his way through the crowd and when he got there, his dad was laying motionless on a table, his arms strapped down while the man who Isaiah hated with every fiber of his ten-year-old self stood over him, waving the crowd away. It was over. It was finally over.

​"You should get out of here. Head home," the man said with a smirk before unlocking the cuffs and carelessly throwing their father over his shoulder.

​"Fuck you," Isaiah snapped. The man gave him a look before shrugging and heading up to the Capitol. Isaiah took Draven's hand and led him up after. He sighed as he sat down with his younger brother, he'd become the man of the family and he was only ten years old. His dad was always unconscious or being locked up. His younger brother couldn't be on his own. He was in charge. He hugged Draven tightly.

​"Dad's gonna be okay, right Saiah?"

​"Of course. Remember, he's alive. He'll be okay as soon as he heals."

​"I miss him. I miss our old family."

​"I do too," Isaiah said quietly.

<><><><><><><><><>

​But when they were let out of the armory once the battle was over with Jeremey and Keith and their dad wasn't there, Isaiah felt himself fall apart again. They'd just gotten back together, his father was okay again and actually doing things like he normally did and now he was gone. He watched as Mike staggered towards them and knelt down. Tears filled his eyes.

​"He's gone isn't he?"

​Mike nodded, "I tried...I had him in my grip...I couldn't hold on."

​And Draven started crying and hugged the man who he had come to view as a fatherly figure. Isaiah bit his lip as tears ran down his face again. He seemed to spend almost every day crying. He felt himself move forward and seek comfort with the man that he had promised himself to hate forever. Mike held them both.

​"I'm so sorry."

<><><><><><><><><><>

​And then when he was back. When he was what the therapist guy had described as being 'Fear Conditioned' and he lashed out at anyone who got near him. Isaiah was angry at the world. Why put him through all of this? He saw how much his father had scared Draven and he himself had been afraid. He wanted to figure out why they were being put through so much. Why was it so much fun for the world to twist his family and destroy it slowly? He sat in his bed while Draven slept and Mike paced the floor.

​"I can't keep seeing him like this!" Mike growled and Isaiah looked at him. He had been noticing very recently that his dad was giving Mike strange looks and Mike was giving them right back.

​"Well if it's not a memory trigger, maybe it's a sight. Or a touch?"

​"He won't let anyone get close to him," Mike said as he walked up and back impatiently. Isaiah swallowed.

​"I know you can help him. You helped him before. You can do it again. I believe in you."

​He watched as Mike stopped and then glanced back at him. It was silent before something flashed across Mike's face.

​"Did you get an idea?"

​"Yea. It might not work though."

​"Well, try it!"

​Mike nodded and headed out the door. Isaiah waited a few minutes before sneaking out after him. He headed down to where his dad was being kept and saw him still restrained. Mike was in there talking to him. He watched in shock as Mike took a breath and leaned down and kissed his father. He was shocked when all the tension slid out of his dad's body and he relaxed. Had Mike done it? Wasn't that like some kind of fairytale stuff? He heard footsteps coming and hurried back towards his room. He hopped into bed next to Draven and smiled. His father would be okay. He hugged Draven tightly. About ten minutes later, the door opened quietly and someone was set down in between him and Draven. He felt an arm wrapped around him and he smiled. Mike had brought his dad back. He wouldn't mind having Mike as another dad. That was what happened to people who kissed. His dad had kissed his mom whenever she came home from the military.

<><><><><><><><>

​"So Mike's gonna be our daddy?"

​"I don't know, Dravey, but that's what it looks like," Isaiah said as he ruffled his brother's hair. They were walking through the light drizzle of rain. Draven kicked some water in a puddle and smiled slightly.

​"I like Mike. He's nice and he likes dad."

​"He does. He cares about dad a lot," Isaiah said quietly.

​"Like mom did?"

​"Yea," Isaiah nodded and grinned at his brother.

​"I bet Mike would make a good dad. I mean, he already loves you doesn't he?"

​"Does he really?!" Draven asked with excitement. Isaiah laughed.

​"I know he does."

​"Why do we have to go to Noah's house?"

​"Because there's going to be a fight and we have to get out of the way so we don't get hurt. Dad will be fine and Mike will too. They're smart."

​"Okay."

​"Besides, you like Noah."

​"I know. I just don't want to go. I want to be with dad and Mike."

​"Me too," Isaiah admitted as they walked up to the house, "But we'll see them tomorrow. I promise."

<><><><><><><><>

​"He's the reason! It's all his fault!"

​"He didn't do anything!"

​"He's the reason my dad's gone!"

​Isaiah swallowed as Noah drew a gun on him. He had his own hidden in the back pocket of his pants in case something went wrong but he'd never expected this. He pushed Draven behind him, he'd take a bullet for his little brother.

​"My dad told me about him," Isaiah managed, "He told me that he was a hero. He died a hero, Noah. Please, it's not my dad's fault that he's gone."

​"It's not fair that after all this time, you two get your father back and I have to be on my own!"

​"No! My dad, he wants to adopt you. Please, he wants to make you part of our family. You can be part of this. You don't have to be alone."

​Noah shot. He screamed as he saw his little brother collapse the floor. The only person in this world who had kept him sane, who had been with him when his dad was being tortured. He drew his gun and fired, not even caring as he watched Noah fall as well. He cradled his brother to his chest and cried. He heard yelling and laid Draven down again.

​"Saiah!? Dravey!?"

​The door started to open and he ran out, tackling his dad, tears running out of his eyes.

​"No! No, don't....dad, don't. Please don't. Don't."

​He couldn't let his dad see what had happened.

​"Saiah? What happened?"

​He couldn't speak. He just continued to beg his dad not to go into that room. And as his dad moved past him to go in, he cried harder. He didn't want to see it again. He couldn't believe that it had actually happen. He managed to tell his dad what had happened. He watched in shock as his dad lost his temper, as the pain took over and then he had transformed into a tiger. And then Mike was standing in front of him. The tiger lunged at him. Not Mike. Him. He cried as Mike grabbed him and shielded him.

​"Daddy," he whimpered as he hugged Mike. Mike groaned as his dad had clawed across his back.

​"Run. Go downstairs. Larry's down there. Tell him to take you out of the house!"

​Isaiah managed to nod and then ran towards the stairs as he watched Mike turn to the tiger pacing in the room and transform into a wolf. He ran out and saw the Irish man waiting outside. He grabbed onto his wrist and managed to explain to him what was going on. Larry was really nice to him, he always had been. He felt the man lift him up and he sighed as he hugged him back. He cried until he saw Mike and his dad coming out of the house. His dad had Draven's body in his arms and Isaiah looked away. Mike took his brother from his dad and he and Larry headed back towards the Capitol. His dad knelt by him and hugged him tightly.

​"Y-You attacked Mike. You never attack M-Mike," Isaiah whispered as he hugged him, "I'm sorry I couldn't protect h-him d-dad."

​"It's okay. I know you tried your best. I know you would do anything for him. I'm sorry we didn't get there fast enough. I could've stopped it."

​"He would've shot you," Isaiah said quietly, "I would've lost someone I love either way."

<><><><><><><>

​He sat on the couch. It was a week or so after Draven's funeral. He had not only lost Draven but he had been told that the soldier had been killed in the fight against his apparent grandfather. He had liked him a lot too. He'd been one of the guys to defend his father at the trial and he had taken Isaiah and Draven out one day and Isaiah had been allowed to shoot one of his guns. His dad had almost hit the soldier but he hadn't when he Bono had made a point of saying they were in a war. He headed out of the Capitol out into the backyard and sighed when he saw the many graves that were there. All of Ben's group was there except for Shaun, Keith, and Jeremey. Draven. Noah. Bono, whose actual name was apparently Paul Hewson. And one that he'd seen his dad at a few times. Scott. He had taken time to talk to Scott a few times even though the man was long dead. He'd thanked him for protecting his father, for saving his life. He'd talked to Draven almost every day. He knelt next to the soldier's grave.

​"Mr. Hewson," he began, "I'd like to thank you for that lesson with your gun. I think it may have saved my life and my dad's life. If I'd been a little quicker, it might have been able to save my brother's too. Please, if you see him, please take care of him. Mr. Farrell wanted you to be the President of our new country so you must be really good at taking care of people. So watch over Draven while you're up there please. And Noah too. He really needs a father in his life, but then again, I guess he is with his dad."

​He smiled sadly and took the small cloth out of his pocket. Mike had drawn him a picture of the flag on the cloth. He folded it up slowly and then moved some of the dirt so he could bury it with the soldier. He was heading back inside when he heard shouting.

​"Someone's here!"

​He ran inside and saw his dad and Mike running out. Dave was following them. He ran out as well with Larry behind him. A man was walking forward. He had dirty blonde hair and was wearing a black coat with jeans. He looked like he was armed.

​"Hands up!" Dave called, "Don't come any further."

​"I'm not here to fight. I'm looking for someone!"

​"Who are you looking for?!" Mike called and he watched as Mike wrapped an arm around his dad's waist. He smiled slightly. If Draven were here, they'd be giggling and making jokes about it.

​"I saw ye all take over the government. Ye have my brother with ye. My name's Connor Hewson, I'm looking for my brother."