Different [A Superhero AU] - Book One

Chapter Twenty-Seven - Freedom at a Cost

The boss watches with a smile as Mark is dragged from the room. He picks up Jack's eyepatch from the ground, feeling the fabric between his hands for a moment before glancing at Anti.

"You're gonna put me away, aren't you?" the monster asks.  "That makes me sad."

"You've gotten more free time than ever before today. There's no need to complain," the boss replies.

Anti's voice grows soft. "I wanna be free FOREVER."

The boss doesn't reply as he approaches the monster, tying the eyepatch on with minor difficulty from Anti. As soon as the strings are tied Jack returns, gasping for breath as tears well in his eyes and run down his face. 

"You fed him lies. Those were all lies. I HATE YOU!" he exclaims, his breathing rapid due to the sobs that threaten to escape him. His knees grow weak as he hangs from his wrists, tears pouring down his face. The boss takes the villain by the chin and tilts his head upwards, glancing at him with a cool demeanour.

"Is the fight gone, Seán? Will you be loyal?"

Jack breathes heavily, a sense of defeat settling over his soul. "Yes."

"Mark is your enemy."

"Yes."

"Everyone hates you, even him."

"Yes."

The boss smiles. "Good. Please return to your room as soon as you're able."

He reaches up, unlocking the chains that bind Jack's wrist. As soon as they're off, the villain crumples to the floor. With sobs wracking his body, he curls up on the floor and lies there. The boss strides past him, his feet slapping on the stone beside his face.

"What is worse, Seán, destroying someone's hope, or their mind?"

With that, he exits the room.

—

Mark opens his eyes, his face pressed against the sidewalk. The dirty scent of wet asphalt surrounds him, the cold of the stone sinking through his clothing and skin and sending a shiver down his spine. He lifts his head, a wave of dizziness washing over him.

Voices surround him, multiple hands touching him and trying to help him up. He drags himself into a sitting position, tears in his eyes. Multiple people ask if he's okay, what happened, where he was, who did this to him, why is he here, how long he's been gone. He can't formulate an answer. His mind is frazzled and he feels like at any moment, he'll crumble away to dust.

"Everyone, please step away!"

A police officer pushes apart the crowd of bystanders, kneeling down beside the distraught hero. Mark tries not to start sobbing as the man touches his shoulder gently. In a split second, a look of realization passes over his face.

"God, you're one of the heroes! Come on, let's get you inside."

Mark leans heavily on the officer as he helps him stand. Stumbling like a drunk, he fumbles his way up the stairs and through the doors of Curatrix. He glances back, noticing that every eye is on him. He wants to scream at them to go away and leave him alone.

The other heroes race up to him, speaking nervously amongst themselves. Phil checks his body for injuries, using water to heal the massive bruises on his head and relieve him of his headache. Mark brushes them away, feeling his stress levels rising substantially.

"What happened?" Felix asks.

"Who kidnapped you?" Ken demands. "You aren't even terribly injured."

Shaking his head, Mark strides past them, barely giving them another glance. He'll explain everything later, but for now, he just needs to be alone.