𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄'𝐒 𝐒𝐀𝐊𝐄 // 𝐒𝐎𝐋𝐃𝐈𝐄𝐑 𝐁𝐎𝐘

CHAPTER 24, brainstorm, mindstorm

The trunk of Butcher's car flies open, Ben immediately reaching inside for his shield. Vi still despised the idea of Butcher and Hughie getting close to Mindstorm. Not even she could save them from that, and if Mindstorm gets to Hughie, then Vi will not wait for Ben to do the dirty work, she will tear Mindstorm's heart out with her bare hands. But there was no stopping them now, with Mindstorm's supposed shack two miles away.

"Okay, satellite view has Mindstorm's place about two miles in, due west," Hughie begins, reading the information off his phone while Ben reloads his handgun.

"Two miles?" Butcher retorts. "Fuck me. We could've parked closer."

Ben was already heading off, with Vi next to him.

"Mind giving me some?" He asks, referring to the drugs confiscated from him, presumably in VI's pocket. She took everything from him in terms of drugs, from the blunts to benzedrine.

"No, Ben. Lay off this, please. Especially when going up against Mindstorm," she sternly replies, her hand wandering into her pocket, her finger brushing over the benzedrine from days ago.

"Give me that," Ben breathes out as he reaches for the pills hidden deep in Vi's pocket, sealed away from him as much as possible. Vi jerks herself back, pulling away from Ben immediately.

"No!"

"Why won't you let me have it, huh? What happened while I was asleep that made you such a puss?! And I'm not just talking about this, I've tried getting other drugs but you keep standing in my way!"

"Nicaragua, Ben. That's why. This," she furiously says, grabbing the container and smashing it on the ground, "this is why you ended up in Russia. They knew that you could block out Mindstorm for the most part, so they fed you such an insane amount of drug mixture, that you ended up acting so impulsively and aggressively, that by the time we ended up in Nicaragua, everybody hated you! They felt no remorse in getting rid of you!"

Butcher and Hughie stood on the sidelines, the scene unfolding right in front of their eyes. Ben's brows furrow, not a word escaping him.

1984

Returning to the tower felt different without Ben by her side. There was no small talk in the elevator, she stood there alone, in silence. Her mind was set, she was leaving. She was aware that Vought wouldn't just let her waltz out the door. But she will leave nonetheless, that was the one thing she was sure about. She only came back to the tower with the others to, unbeknownst to them, gather her personal belongings, and to avoid some suspicion.

For the first time, Vi's door creaks open by her own hands. She always phased through it, never really bothering to get the handle. Now, she didn't bother phasing through it. To her surprise, somebody was already inside, sitting on her bed.

"How the fuck did you get in here," Vi tiredly asks, suspicion in her tone.

"You never lock your door, do you? Trust me, you'll be glad that I'm here," the woman who sat on the edge of Vi's bed spoke, a smile on her face. Vi stands near the door for a few seconds, unsure about everything at that moment.

"Why?" That was all she could manage. This better be good. Madelyn pats the spot next to her, inviting Vi closer.

"C'mon. It'll be worth it," she weakly smiles, noticing Vi's melancholic attitude. "I heard about Soldier Boy. I know."

"What you got?" Vi sighs, sitting down on the side of the bed next to Madelyn. The woman pulls out a few papers from beside her, running it over once more with her eyes before handing them over to Vi. Vi stares down at the paper confusedly. "What the fuck does this mean?"