Different [A Superhero AU] - Book One

Chapter Thirteen - Fight or Flight

Jack races away from Mark, stopping only when he's out of immediate danger. He glances back, glad to know that the heroes aren't directly behind him. He watches as the anti-heroes fire off their strange weapons, hitting none of their targets but getting incredibly close.

"They're hunting for you."

Jack jumps. "Damn it, Cry! Don't do that to me!"

The boy becomes visible, his mask staring directly at Jack. "Sorry, but their mission is to catch you. Be careful, okay?"

"How do you know?"

"Don't worry about how I know, just be careful," Cry replies. With that, he becomes invisible again.

Jack looks towards the heroes and anti-heroes again, realizing that several of them are heading his way. His eyes widen and he takes a few steps back, evaluating his situation. He can definitely outrun them, but can his stamina outlast theirs?

He takes off, the world blurry in his peripheral vision and focused straight ahead. Another hero is waiting for him when he stops, so he sprints again. Over and over he attempts to run, but soon runs out of options on where he can go. How are these anti-heroes and regular heroes appearing everywhere? Anxiety rises in his gut, but he forces it down. Where are his teammates? Shouldn't they be helping him?

He pauses for a moment to gain a sense of his surroundings, and an instant later a dart nicks the side of his leg. Jack gasps in pain, crimson blood oozing from the fairly deep cut. His head spins slightly and he stumbles, the effects of the tranquilizer dart taking a small toll on his body. He clenches his teeth and runs off again, refusing to let a tiny injury stop him from getting away.

The anti-heroes and heroes around him grow closer, some of them fighting off each other or the villains. When Jack stops for a moment to catch his breath, he can see that a lot of his teammates are being held off by bars made by two of the heroes.  He locks eyes with the men that advance towards him, all of them taller and physically stronger than him.  They've finally managed to fend the anti-heroes off, sending them scurrying back towards their hidden headquarters. The sounds of crashing and yelling still echo through the streets, but they're from far off. The three heroes walking at him don't even acknowledge it. 

Jack runs again, but soon stops. His lungs burn and his legs feel like jelly from running as much as he did, and with the added effects of the tranquilizer, he knows he can't keep it up. In the scenario of fight or flight, his only option is to fight. He raises his fists, attempting to ignore the pounding in his head. The heroes surround him like a flock, the villain throwing punches every which way. None of them meet their mark, and before he knows it he's sprawling to the ground with an even worse pain in his head.

Jack picks himself up from the pavement, but stumbles and collapses again. In a daze, he feels himself being lifted from the ground by strong arms. His eyes lock with Mark's, whose jaw is clenched as he tries to hide the guilt behind his deep brown irises.

"Quick, get a bag over his head and let's get him out of here before Marzia and Felix drop the cage," someone orders.

The others do as he says and within seconds, Jack can't see anything. He struggles against the hands that hold him, the confined space only serving to heighten the anxiety he already feels. Mark's grip tightens around his arm as the American maneuvers him to an unknown location with the help of another hero. He can hear the others running to catch up, yelling that the cage is down and how the mission is a success.

"Let me go!" Jack demands, yanking against his captors even harder than before.

"Someone shut him up! He'll give away our location!" one of the heroes demands. When nothing happens, the owner of the voice sighs exasperatedly. "Come on guys!"

Mark's voice drifts softly into his ear, sending a shiver down the Irishman's spine.

"I'm sorry."

Before Jack can react, he takes a blow to the side of the head for the second time that day and everything goes black.