Different [A Superhero AU] - Book One

Chapter Eighteen - Locked Away

Jack paces the small room, lost in thought. These heroes were obviously not malicious, but what were they planning to do with him? What use do they have for a broken villain? Trying to figure it out was enough to make his brain hurt. One thing was certain in his mind though, and that was the fact that as soon as they're through with him, he's going to die.

He sits down on the provided office chair, spinning in lazy circles as he stares at the roof. Now that he thinks about it, dying might not be half bad. He wouldn't have to deal with Anti anymore, or the villain institute, or the boss, or the abuse. He would be free. People couldn't look at him like he's a freak anymore. He wouldn't constantly wonder how his mother and father and siblings were back in Ireland, he wouldn't worry about whether they had forgotten him or not, he wouldn't break out into cold sweats every time he couldn't recall what their faces look like. Yeah, maybe death would be a good thing. Maybe these heroes were doing him a favour.

Jack stands once again, pacing back and forth across the floor. When the door creaks open, he looks over to see Mark with a plate of food. He stops in place and gratefully accepts the offering, sitting down at the little two person table. The food is good, better than anything Jack ever got at the villain headquarters.

Mark stands awkwardly beside the table for a moment before heading towards the door, key in hand. He probably has the answers to Jack's questions, but the Irishman can't find it in himself to ask them.

With a loaded mind and heavy heart, he watches the hero leave.

—

Jack lies on his bed, staring at the ceiling and tossing a ball to himself. The orb soars into the air, seemingly hovers for a moment, then falls back towards his waiting hand. Over and over he watches this same action, trying to think of anything other than the nagging questions in his head. Einstein once said that the definition of insanity was doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results, and Jack only now understands how true that is. If he stays in this room much longer, or tosses this ball much longer, he's going to go nuts. How many days has he been here?

The door of his cell opens, making the Irishman look up. He expects to see Mark walking in, just like he frequently has, but his expectations are wrong. A much taller man with a full beard and brown eyes stands there, making Jack sit up and back towards the wall.  His heartbeat grows louder in his ears, so much so that he swears the heroes can hear it.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you," the man insists. "I'm Ken."

Jack eyes him, his hands clenched at his sides. "You heroes keep saying you're not going to hurt me, but I doubt that's true."

Ken clenches his jaw. "Please, just come with me. Felix is waiting outside."

Reluctantly, the Irishman takes a step towards him. Ken maneuvers him out of the room and into the hallway where a blond hero, whom Jack assumes to be Felix, leans against the wall. When he sees the villain, Felix straightens up and pulls a set of handcuffs from thin air, bonding Jack's hands behind his back. Beside him, Ken turns into a wolf and walks alongside them with his tail wagging slowly.

Jack keeps his uncovered eye trained on the floor, his nerves making his hands shake. Felix's hand is like a lead weight on his shoulder, threatening to crush him like a bug. Ken remains in his peripheral vision, his wolf form majestic and terrifying.

Felix pulls a door open, revealing a room filled with machines, vials of assorted fluids, and blinding lights. Several other heroes stand inside, looking either bored or fascinated by the arrival of the villain. Jack tenses up and pulls away from the entrance, his visible eye wide. Ken growls.

"Come on, you were doing so well!" Felix moans, his accent distinctly Scandinavian.

The Irishman tries to speak, but the memories flashing through his head hinder him from forming a coherent thought. One moment he's in Curatrix, and the next he's a ten year old kid, thrashing under the tools that took his eye. His breathing grows panicked and his attempts at escape grow more intense, his eyes darting from machine to machine.

"Put him under, please," a voice demands, their tone cool. "I can't get a sample from his eye if he's panicking."

One of the heroes nods in response and approaches him, a syringe in hand. Ken transforms into a human once more and helps Felix hold Jack still, the villain still trying desperately to escape.

The needle tip pierces his skin, and within seconds the anesthesia kicks in and everything goes dark.