Different [A Superhero AU] - Book One

Chapter Thirty-Four - Weaknesses

Moonlight streams through the barred window of Jack and Cry's cell, the beams illuminating the floor and shining on the Irishman's face. He watches the window, the light making his blue eye shimmer. He hasn't gotten a wink of sleep since he got here, and he knows that probably won't change. He's perfected the art of pulling all-nighters. He rests his hand on his chest, the wounds hurting less and less as time passes thanks to a combination of medicine and Jack's accelerated immune system.

Beside him, the Irishman can't tell whether Cry is asleep or not. His unblinking mask, eerie in the pale light of the night, faces towards the ceiling and his arm drapes lazily over his stomach. His chest rising and falling steadily is the only indication that he could be asleep.

After what feels like ages of lying awake in the stillness of the dark room, Cry's breathing grows more rapid and panicky. His hand clenches and unclenches, the transparency of his skin changing from normal to nearly invisible and back again in a matter of seconds. Tossing some more, the masked villain lets out a scream. His entire body goes far brighter than normal before returning to its regular pigment.

Cry bolts upright, gasping and clutching his chest. The Irishman watches as he calms himself down, staring off in an unknown direction.

"You okay?" Jack asks, breaking the silence.

The masked villain glances over, letting out a long sigh and ruffling his bedhead. "I'll be fine."

"What was with the sudden light?"

Cry grows still, stammering a bit as he tries to explain. "I-it's nothing, I swear."

Jack frowns a little. He's never heard Cry sound nervous about anything. He usually does a really good job at maintaining a cool, collected exterior.

"Seriously, Cry, what was that?"

The masked villain, sighing heavily, sits up in bed. "True emotion."

Jack raises an eyebrow. "What does that mean?"

"You saw true emotion." At the Irishman's blank stare, Cry groans. "It's my weakness."

"That makes no sense. We can hear your emotion in your voice all the time."

The masked villain shakes his head. "No, that's you assuming my emotions through my tone. I'm better than you think at hiding how I feel.  The problem is that if I'm asleep, I can't sensor my feelings."

"So what happens when you show true emotion?" Jack asks.  "What does that light mean?"

"The opposite of invisibility; I become more detectable and easier to kill."

"Oh." The Irishman purses his lips, thinking for a moment. "So that's why you wear the mask.  To hide the emotions you can't mask in your voice."

"Yeah."

"What's my weakness?"

Cry tilts his head to the side, as if recalling a distant memory. "You know, ironically, I believe your Achilles heel is powers that alter time."

An image of Mark instantly appears in Jack's head.  He has the ability to slow time, and he was the first one to successfully knock the villain down, the first one to throw him for a loop. The first one to make him feel completely and utterly heart-sick. His stomach flips and he forces his mind away from the topic of the hero.

"Why do you know this stuff?" Jack asks.

"My dad. He made me study our files when we were little," Cry replies.

Jack nods as silence falls over the pair. The Irishman lies back down, his eyes trained on the ceiling. The sheets on Cry's bed rustle, signifying that he too has settled down.

"Have you slept yet?" the American asks softly.

Jack shakes his head, fully aware that Cry can't see him. "Not a wink."

"Just try."

"Yup."