Different [A Superhero AU] - Book One

Chapter Fourteen - Conversations with the Dark Side

Mark winces as Jack crumples, almost totally unconscious. Without a moment of hesitation, the hero catches him and scoops him into his arms.

"You're gonna carry him?" Ken asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Um, yeah. He can't walk until he's gained at least some of his consciousness," Mark replies. "By the time we get there, he'll be fine."

The rest of the team nods and continues towards headquarters, accepting the red-haired hero's logic. Jack's head bumps lightly against Mark's shoulder as he walks, making the hero feel even more guilty for hitting him. He's so small compared to the rest of them that he feels bad for nailing him so hard.

When they reach the hidden back entry, Matthias is already waiting there for them.

"Get him in here!" he whispers, his hand stopping the door from falling closed. Mark leads the other heroes inside, making sure that none of Jack's limbs smack against the doorway as he goes. Reaching an interrogation room, Mark sits him down in one of the chairs and straps his arms down. The Irishman stirs as he regains consciousness, his fingers clenching and unclenching slightly. The heroes step back as Matthias removes the bag from his head.

Jack opens his eyes, squinting in the sudden light. His green hair is damp with sweat, small tendrils sticking upwards from where the bag ruffled them. Matthias tosses the sack aside and crosses his arms, prepared to get to the point as soon as possible.

"We need information, specifically..." He leans forward, touching the straps of his eyepatch gently with his fingertips. "About this septic eye."

It takes a moment, but as soon as he processes the information, Jack's visible eye widens. He attempts to pull away from Matthias' hand or even clasp his own hand over his eyepatch, but he can't due to his restraints. His breathing increases in pace as he glances around at the heroes, who all lean against the wall and watch him with curiosity. His hands shake and he attempts to still them by clenching them into fists.

"Don't take it off," he begs, his voice quavering slightly.

"We need to," Matthias replies. "We have to know why it does what it does."

Jack shakes his head, his panic increasing. "A monster is released that's dangerous, and it will control you, and you'll get hurt." His eyes prick with tears as he continues to ramble. "I didn't want to hurt anyone, it's not my fault."

Mark lowers his head, hoping that his red hair can hide his face from Jack's gaze. Matthias pulls a small container out of his pocket, filled with a clear liquid that glistens in the lights. The Irishman watches it like a startled deer.

"In this liquid, there's a contact lens," he explains, opening the lid. "From what I've gathered, you only change into this "Anti" persona when your eye sees light, and you can only control people if your eye is completely uncovered. So, if I put in this contact, we can bring out Anti but hinder his ability to control us."

Jack bites his lip, a tear running down his face. Matthias carefully inserts the contact lens from under the eyepatch, all while the Irishman tries desperately to back away from him. As soon as it's in, Matthias steps back.

"Please, please, don't take the eyepatch off," Jack begs. "I hate him, he's not me..." He yanks at the restraints that hold his arms, a sob escaping his lips. "No, no, please, don't..."

Mark lifts his head, watching the Irishman as his heart squeezes uncomfortably. How can something like that make a villain break down like this? What happened to him? He turns and opens the door, stepping out of the room.

"Where are you going, Mark?" Marzia asks, glancing over at him.

He grits his teeth. "I can't watch anymore. I'll be in the hallway."

Mark closes the door behind him and slides down to the floor, listening to the sounds coming from inside. He holds his head in his hands, the sobbing infiltrating his head and making his chest hurt. He knows that they don't want to hurt him, but this feels, to him, like torture.

Then, the crying stops. Mark lifts his head, straining to hear anything. That's when he hears it.

Anti's voice floats through the hallways, as quiet as a whisper and chilling to the bone. "Ring around the rosy, a pocket full of posy, ashes, ashes..." The voice stops for a minute, followed by a small giggle. "We all. Fall. Down."

A shiver runs up and down Mark's spine, causing him to clench his fists. The Jack he had seen at the park was nothing like this... thing.

"That's a fun little nursery rhyme," Anti says, giggling again. "I wish we could play a game, but this pesky thing in my eye stops me. How rude." He pauses, and Mark can almost see him glancing around the room. "Now, where is that little hero from before? My personal little plaything? I so loved smashing him into the ground."

Mark breathes through his nose, trying to calm his trembling hands. Obviously, Anti has a memory. But how connected is Jack to those memories? He slides further down the wall, almost feeling Anti's gaze on the back of his head. Never before has Mark wanted a villain back to normal as badly as he wants Jack to return right now.

"He's not here," Matthias replies. He pauses, scribbling something down on a clipboard before glancing back towards Anti.

"That's silly. He's hiding on the other side of the wall," the creature says. He pauses, and Mark can almost see him holding up a hand. "You can't hear it, but Jack is making a real commotion in there. He doesn't want me to hurt Mark, but I want to so badly."

The red-haired hero runs his fingers through his hair, doing anything to try and calm the trembling in his hands. He can hear several of the heroes shifting in place uncomfortably.

"What are your motives?" Matthias asks, seemingly unfazed by the creature's comments.

"Motives?" Anti laughs. "We don't know our motives. Only the boss and his son do. Oops, did I say too much?" He grins. "Oh well, you get a little bit of a secret. You'll never find the boss though. Nobody can find the boss."

Matthias scribbles stuff down on his clipboard. "How connected are you and Jack?"

Anti's eyes widen and he pokes his chest. "Jack is screaming at me right now, probably because I gave too much away. Whatever! He hates me, but I love him. More specifically, I love playing with him." He pauses, and Mark once again feels his eyes on the back of his head. "Sometimes, I take over his mind just enough to get the eyepatch off. It's fun to hear him sob when I attack people."

Mark purses his lips and stands, storming back into the room and right up to Anti. The creature smiles up at him, his face Jack's but his eyes belonging to Anti.

"I will find a way to get rid of you even if it's the last thing I do," Mark growls, clutching the front of his shirt in his fist.

Anti giggles. "But killing me would kill Jackaboy! Or do you have another plan?"

"I will find a way, you son of a bitch."

"You do that." His grin falls as his eyes flash. "In the meantime, I will use my power to make Jack kill you."