Different [A Superhero AU] - Book One

Chapter Eleven - Inner Voices

It's been a long time since Jack felt conflicted like this. Sure, he's fought with the two broken sides of his personality on countless occasions, but fighting with the one good side he has left? That doesn't happen often.

He's pretty good at building walls and hardening his heart to keep people out. Over the years, he's learned that the more people you let in, the easier it is for you to get hurt. The only people that have managed to make their way through those walls are his teammates, his fellow villains, who all have the same struggles as him.

But Mark... he got under his skin. He was obviously wary around Jack, but he still maintained a boyish charm, a certain innocence, that the Irishman hasn't had since he was ten years old. Maybe that was why he had insisted that the hero walk with him, even though the logical part of his brain told him that that was a horrible idea. After what Cry had ordered them to do, he needed a little bit of innocence to distract him from the guilt that rampages through his mind and heart.

You did the right thing, beating him up... those stupid heroes deserve to die...

Jack grits his teeth as Anti's voice echoes in his head. "Shut up. He's healed now."

Ooh, somebody's feeling a little rebellious.

"Go away!"

Jack, please take off the eyepatch. I want to play... Together, we can make sure Mark dies.... wouldn't that be nice?

"Leave!"

Jack sinks to the floor, clutching either side of his head in a vain attempt to shut out Anti's voice. Anti's giggle echoes through his brain before disappearing entirely, leaving the Irishman curled up on the ground and shaking. He hates it when Anti talks to him. It's like a mosquito that buzzes by his ear and doesn't leave, slowly driving him nuts. The worst part about it? Only he can hear Anti's voice. To everyone around him, he sounds like he's yelling at himself.

"Jack, Jack, are you okay?"

He opens his eyes, looking up to see Dan crouched over him. The Brit helps him stand, leading him to his bed. The Irishman settles into the mattress, breathing solely through his nose.

"It was Anti again," Jack tells him.

Dan sighs. He's spent enough time with Jack to know that if he's feeling stressed, anxious, or just generally overemotional, Anti will speak to him in his head and drive Jack to the brink of insanity.

"You were screaming," he says, his brown eyes boring into the Irishman's blue eye. "What triggered it this time?"

Jack grits his teeth, burying his face in his hands. "Nothing, nothing... How many people think I'm crazy now?"

Dan shakes his head. "We're all a little crazy, don't you think?"

The Irishman nearly laughs. "Yeah."

A beat of silence passes. Dan bites his lip before glancing over at Jack.

"Are you prepared to go out tomorrow?"

The green haired man shrugs. "Ready as I'll ever be."