Sanders Supers [Sanders Sides AU]

Four

Virgil

Washington DC, Present Day

It was always the same on Saturdays for Virgil. Wake up, probably go to a cafe, and decline every social event his friends invited him to. Today, he was at his local Starbucks, enjoying a caramel macchiato. He didn't like going out in public, but the cafe was his own little safe spot. Something about the smell of coffee and the quiet chatting make him wish that the moment would last forever. He looked at his phone and saw the time. Virgil remembered that he had an appointment with Dr. Picani, and quickly gathered his stuff.

If he had his way, Virgil wouldn't be going. It wasn't that he didn't like Dr, Picani, it was just that he felt it was a waste of time. He was supposed to be getting over his anxiety, but he had anxiety about having anxiety! Every time he was alone with his thoughts, it was a downward spiral of what if's. What if his apartment was it suddenly explode? What if it was his fault? What if he was responsible for the death of his friends? What if, what if, what if.

He slipped his headphones over his ears and started to play My Chemical Romance, his absolute favorite band. Well, they used to be a band.

Hopping on his old, beat-up bike, since he couldn't afford a car if he wanted a place to live, he rode to his apartment complex.

After about two songs had played, he hauled his bike up the stairs to the second floor. Unlocking the door, he shouted, "Adri, I'm back!"

No reply came, so she was probably out at her boyfriend's house or something. Virgil wasn't worried about where she was, because it was a pretty normal occurrence for one of them to be out when the other came back. In fact, that was one of the few things he didn't worry about.

He sat down on the extremely cheap chair he bought from a yard sale and waited for Dominic to come pick him up, because he couldn't bike that far to Dr. Picani. He started going to Dr. Picani's for his anxiety and the "incident". He didn't like to think about it, but the horror still haunts him in his dreams. The doorbell rang, indicating that Dominic was here. He grabbed his hoodie and house keys. Dominic and Virgil were best friends in high school but they parted ways after what happened.

They do still keep in touch. Virgil, being a hermit in the city, needs a friend to drag him to social events. They both got into the car and Dominic started driving. For the first few minutes, they were silent. Then, they asked each other how their life has been, their relationship status, the new sandwich shop around the corner. It almost seemed like they were back in high school, when Virgil didn't have so many worries and nightmares.

They finally arrived at Dr. Picani's office. Needless to say, Virgil was very nervous. Just the thought of talking to another person (never mind a therapist) about his feelings and problems made him sweat bullets. "I know what I'm about to say is cliche, but you're going to be fine. It's not like you're going to be slaughtered," Dominic told him.

"Okay, first of all, that's horrifying. Second, thanks for putting that image in my head." Virgil replied in a sarcastic voice he was very fond of.

They walked inside the office and sat in the waiting room. Dr. Picani's had a very interesting method of therapy. He uses cartoons to convey the message he is trying to show his clients. It may seem like a waste of time for Virgil, but he did secretly enjoy it.

After the alloted hour had passed with Picani, Dominic drove Virgil back home. Dominic never pried with asking about the sessions, and never asked Virgil to pay him back for gas money, only asking Vigil if he was alright then turning on the radio and occasionally singing along.

"Bye, Virge!" Dominic waved through the car window as he drove away, dropping Virgil off at the apartment where he would most likely sit and watch Netflix for the rest of the day. He knew it wasn't healthy, but maybe he would do push-ups for every episode he watched t make him seem healthier, he mused as he unlocked the door. He saw Adri still wasn't back, so he had the Netflix account all to himself.

He was about to settle down for another re-watch of The Office, when someone knocked at the door. It's probably Adri, he thought. When he opened the door, he saw two men. Virgil may be a hermit, but he knew enough about normal people to know that something about these men was off. Maybe it was the mirrored sunglasses they wore, or maybe it was the stern look they gave him. But it was most likely the official-looking badges they held.

"Mr. Sollicitus?" One of them asked.

"Er, yeah, that's me." Virgil replied, heart pounding. He didn't do anything wrong, so why were these guys here? "Sir, you need to come with us," they said.

"Wait, what?" Virgil said, struggling against their grip. "What did I do?" He shouted.

"Sir, all will be explained shortly." One of the men said, clearly tired from Virgil's shouting and attempts at escaping.

"Virgil Sollicitus?" Virgil saw a woman in front of him. She looked very intimidating for someone shorter than him. "I'm Valerie Torres-Rosario. You may be a bit confused right now, but all will be explained shortly."

"Why can't you tell me now? I'm being escorted out of my home, most likely being arrested for something I didn't do!"

"Calm down, Mr. Sollicitus. Look, I can't tell you anything until we get to a secure location, and we might be there a while. So pack a bag of stuff you might need, and come with us, please."

Virgil tried to calm his breathing, to stop shaking, to calm down. But there were federal agents trying to make him come with them, and that was a reasonable situation to be anxious.

But which outcome would be worse? Going with them willingly, or trying to escape and becoming a fugitive? Ever since his accident, he always kept a duffel bag ready to go if he ever needed to make an escape, but what good would spare clothes and a small amount of cash do against a nationwide manhunt for him? On the other hand, if he came peacefully, they might not shoot him.

Figuring that not being shot was a better alternative to becoming a fugitive, he muttered, "Fine. But what do I tell my friends? I can't just up and leave."

"We'll figure it out," Valerie nodded, clearly pleased with him for making the decision to go with her. He went back inside the apartment to grab his 'escape bag,' scanning the apartment for anything else he might need. Grabbing his laptop and phone, he was all set to be essentially kidnapped by the government, something he'd worried about ever since the day of the accident.

"Great! Thank you for your cooperation, I'll tell you what you need to know as soon as we get to the base." Valerie said.

"What- the base!? Where even is this?" Virgil exclaimed.

"It's a secret." she smiled. "That's why we have a plane."

At this point, Virgil realized it wouldn't do any good to ask questions. He would only get answers when the agents felt like giving them to him.

"Fine, let's go. Tell me why you need me, first."

"Mr. Sollicitus, it's simple. We know you have powers, and we need help."