#possibly teleports to the top of the tower when no one's looking to flex on these silly mortals lol

[neriyon]

Watching the festivities

Yulan ⏐ Hawu'li ⏐ Chili ⏐ Einn ⏐ Naho ⏐ N'jinh ⏐ TBA

[secretlysheikah]

Tower Trouble part 1:

The Trouble With Teleportation

So, really surprised that people liked my other story, it really makes me happy that I made something people liked so I’ve decided to write another story.

Actually this story was meant to be something else but I realized this one was getting really long so I had to split it. Get ready because the next part might be... intense... also sorry for more Wild centric stories, but I find his character endlessly fascinating.

As always, I do not claim any ownership over the Linked universe! That honor belongs to @jojo56830 . I’m just the happy fool who is very delighted she can contribute to this diverse community.

Summary: after landing in Wild’s Hyrule once again Wild notices something strange and the group is ready to find out what’s up. Too bad they’re miles away but Wild thinks he has an idea on how to fix that.

Start here:

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It had been a few weeks since they had been in Wild’s Hyrule and Wild couldn’t help but sigh and take in the breeze that rushed across the plains. The sky was a lovely shade of orange shot through with brilliant red and tinged with the dark blues of early evening. He took a deep breath, he was home and his spirit flexed and relaxed. The other eight heroes on the other hand seemed suddenly more tense.

Wild couldn’t blame them really, his Hyrule had a tendency towards the unpredictable much like himself. For example they could be happily walking through a field chatting away amongst themselves one moment, only to end up in a life or death battle with Lynel the next. Wild thought it was great balance of calm and excitement but he could see where the others were coming from. Not to mention the last time they had been here they had a bit of a rough time with the blood moon. Wild still felt very guilty when he thought about that.

Either way they were here now, and they had work to do. Although Wild on his part wanted to show them that his Hyrule wasn’t all that bad. Hell, he thought maybe this time he would get the chance to show them. Wild smiled slightly at the idea, hope sparking lightly in his chest at the thought.

“So where are we exactly?” Legend asked grumpily looking around the field with distrust, as if a bokoblin was going to pop out from underneath a rock.

Wild hummed as he looked around, it appeared they had ended up in the field just around Kakariko village. Wild said as much when he turned to face the group.

“A village you say? Any chance we can find some beds to sleep in?” Four asked and Wild could hear the hope in his voice. In fact looking around at the group they all looked tired and worn. Even Wild was feeling a bit worn down now that he was thinking about it.

It had been a long couple weeks filled with black blooded monsters and various injuries to the group. A broken arm here, and slash wound there and everyone had gotten a chance to need healing potions. How long had it been since they all had an uninterrupted night’s rest without the threat of attack or worrying if someone was alright? Wild honestly couldn’t remember.

“And maybe a shop? We’re low on supplies” Sky piped up from the back of the group rubbing his eyes and giving a small yawn. Wild nodded in confirmation resisting the urge to yawn himself and pulled out his slate.

“The village should have everything we need, let me just look up…” Wild stopped suddenly as he looked at his map, a sudden wave of shock splashing over him as he gazed at the slate. Twilight perked up at the sudden tension that stiffened Wild’s posture.

“Something wrong?” Twilight questioned as he trotted forward to look at slate himself. Wild’s brows furrowed as he tapped on the slate but said nothing.

“There’s something wrong with my map.” Wild muttered after a minute of tapping at the screen. Annoyance and poorly masked worry laced his tone. There was a loud groan from Legend.

“Are you telling us we’re fucking lost?” Legend complained throwing his head back in despair. Wild looked towards Legend’s melodrama with a flat look.

“I know where we are, I was just checking the distance, thanks for the vote of confidence. What I’m worried about is the fact that it seems a region of my map is missing.” Wild didn’t mean for his words to come out in such a clipped tone but he couldn’t help it. Something like this has never happened before and it was sending a chorus of alarm bells ringing in his mind.

“What?” Time asked as he and the other Links moved to surround Wild. Their proximity made Wild squirm a little bit but he forced it down the best he could. He was getting a lot better with the others being close, but the issue with the slate was putting him on edge.

Sky seemed to notice this and moved his arms out to the side to stop Warriors and Legend from crowding. Wind had already taken up a position along with Hyrule and Four just in front of the slate. Time and Twilight taking up the spots on either side of Wild.

“Maybe it just didn’t register right” Wind hummed and Hyrule nodded in agreement while Four seemed to be lost in thought, a slight flicker in his eyes as he pondered the map.

“Maybe close the map and bring it back up?” Four suggested and Wild shrugged. Wild never ran into the problem with the map not loading before, but hey it was an idea. Wild made a couple more taps on the slate and the map disappeared. He waited a couple seconds then brought the map back.

“No Luck it seems” Time commented noting the still missing region. Wild’s heart sank. He really hoped the slate wasn’t broken. Had it been damaged during one of the many fights over the past weeks? He didn’t think so but would he have even noticed? Wild’s map was useless outside of his own Hyrule, only displaying static when he opened it. Wild began to rub at the scars on his face in agitation only stopping when Twilight tapped his arm softly.

“It’s okay cub, we can figure this out” Twilight said voice steady and calm. Wild sighed tiredly and put the slate away. He was agitated and tried all at the same time.

“Come on, lets get walking. The village isn’t far and we don’t want to be caught out at night” Wild said his voice was only a low whisper as he pushed through the others standing in front of him. He felt the others fall in step behind him, each seemingly lost in their own thoughts. After a few minutes of walking Sky raised his voice to ask a question.

“You said the map was missing a region right? How exactly does one region disappear? Wouldn’t the whole map just disappear too?” Wild shook his head as they walked underneath the first arch that lead to the village.

“No, the whole map is made up of different regions that I unlocked through my travels around Hyrule. There are these tower things that have all the information in them, I’m sure you’ve seen them around. I would climb to the top and then download the region onto my slate.” Wild explained and there was silence again for a few heart beats before an amazed voice cut through the silence.

“You climbed those things? They’re absolutely massive!” Wind shouted hands flying into the air to illustrate his point. Wild couldn’t help but smile a small bit.

“Well, I did have some tricks to get closer to the top of tower that was way faster than climbing” Wild explained cryptically. Before anyone could ask more questions Sky chimed in again.

“Well why don’t we just go to that tower and download the information again?” Sky asked and Wild weighed his options of which he had few.

On one hand he could do nothing and hope that the problem resolved itself, and on the other hand going to the tower to see what was wrong would answer his questions and give him instant gratification without the need for speculation. Wild had to admit to himself the latter option was the most appealing. As Wild pondered Warriors offered a different perspective on the issue.

“What if it’s a trap? Lure us to this tower thing and attack?” Wild had to admit he made a good point.

“But what if this is why Hylia sent us here? It could be part of our mission” Hyrule interjected and Time seemed to agree.

“Hyrule is right, this could be why we were sent here next. Although War has a point.” Time paused thinking over the conundrum briefly before continuing.

“It would seem the best way for us to find out anything is to ask around. See if anything weird has been noticed around that blank part of the map.” Time said and the whole group nodded. Getting information it would seem would only help them in this situation.

“We can ask around, people here are kind and are usually ready to help” Wild said absently rubbing at his face again.

“That’s the plan then, gather supplies and intel” Twilight said decisively placing his hand on Wild’s shoulder and passing him as the group went through the last archway and into Kakariko village.

The Links split up then setting about reserving beds and venturing out to grab various supplies. Wild made his way over to a cooking pot and set to work making some potions to restock their supply. Wild didn’t have a lot of ingredients but he did his best. He considered briefly on going to the great fairy fountain and catching a couple fairies but dismissed the idea. He had one already in his slate, and he figured Legend or Hyrule would have one. Once he was satisfied that each person had at least one bottle of elixir a piece he set to work making dinner for the group.

His mind kept drifting back to the slate. What was happening and why now? He hated to admit it but the whole situation made his mouth taste like metal and he couldn’t help but agree with Warriors about the possible ambush. Wild didn’t even to attempt to pretend he knew how the towers worked, but as far as he was aware once the towers put the information on his slate that information remained. Wild rubbed his head trying to stave off the beginnings of a headache. The whole situation was turning into a big mess.

It took about an hour for the rest of the group to meet around the cooking pot for dinner. Everyone conveying roughly the same information. No one here had noticed anything out the ordinary besides the increase of monster attacks. This only helped to raise more alarm bells in Wild’s head.

“This whole situation makes no sense, you would think someone would have noticed something” Legend grumbled tucking into the hearty stew Wild had made.

“Well, maybe not. This town is deep in a valley, there’s a good chance that no one has noticed simply thanks to the walls that literally surround this town” Sky said calmly as he patted a cucco that had wandered close to him. The cucco was seemingly intent on stealing some of the vegetables from Sky’s bowl. Sky chuckled and gave the bird some carrot and went back to eating his stew.

Time nodded thoughtfully before speaking.

“Well given we found no new information it seems like we have no choice but to go to this tower and find out what’s wrong.” Time paused seeing that Warriors and Legend were about to chime in.

“We will go to the tower, but we will be going prepared for an ambush” Time finished staring down the two boys with a look that said it was the last they would speak of it.

“The tower is in the Akkala region. its going to be a bit of trek. I could go alone, teleport there and I could…. ” Wild started and slowly stopped talking seeing the look on his companion’s faces. It was Twilight that spoke first.

“There is no way that’s going to happen cub. We go together or not at all” Twilight admonished and Wild sighed heavily.

“How long of a walk are we talking?” Hyrule asked over another mouthful of stew. Wild licked his lips before he answered.

“It’s going to take us a week to get there if we walk” Wild said and he winced at the groans that split the air. They could do it, but it wasn’t going to be easy. It wasn’t a straight path to the tower, and the roads were barely safer during the day than they were at night.

“What about that teleport thing you were talking about?” Four asked trying find a way to mitigate the misery of the group. Wild thought for a moment.

“Never tried teleporting with another person before, let alone eight others. I suppose it’s possible if everyone has direct contact with me.” Wild said and Four nodded clearly thinking.

“You never tried it before? What if something goes wrong and we all merge together or something?” Legend cried and the group went quiet again thinking about the possible ramifications of teleporting multiple people.

“Well I’ve never teleported with other people but that doesn’t mean I’ve never teleported with other living creatures.” Wild pondered out loud.

“This one time I accidently hit a cucco with a tree branch and I teleported after like the whole coop came out after me. Some of them came with me. They were okay, they only seemed a little disoriented” Wild finished this thought sheepishly not looking at the horror on their faces.

“Why did you hit a cucco with a tree branch?” Sky asked, horrified at the wrong thing. Wild rubbed the back of his head with embarrassment.

“It was an accident! I was being attacked by bees and I” Sky held up a hand in an attempt to stop him. He clearly was not prepared to deal with a crazy ass story right then.

“Hold on to that thought, we’ll get back to that later.” Four said interrupting Wild’s rambling off topic story.

“You think it’s possible to teleport with other people?” Four continued drawing the group’s attention back on topic.

Wild shrugged pulled out his slate and tapped on the screen before leaning over to Legend and grabbing his arm. With a twinkling of blue light strands the pair were gone. Everyone froze at the disappearing act. They looked around frantically meal forgotten until they heard shouting from the cliff side behind them. They whipped around and saw a very angry Legend pointing and shouting at Wild. Their voices were too far away to hear properly but the did notice when Legend suddenly stopped yelling and doubled over apparently sick from the teleportation. There was another twinkling of blue light and the boys were back. A very green looking Legend gasping, with hands on his knees trying not to lose anymore of his dinner. Wild was smiling, mischief dancing around in his blue eyes.

“It works, not sure how many people I can take at once though.” Wild said patting Legend’s back. Legend weakly batted away his hand as he slowly stood up still very green in the face.

“I hate you” Legend gasped out at Wild who only smiled.

“But it worked, and now we won’t have to spend a week walking to the tower” Wild said with a toothy grin. Legend gave a scathing look and Wild gave a half assed attempt to make him feel better.

“I felt sick too the first couple times I teleported, you get used to it” Legend only continued to glare at him and went to go sit back down.

“How did you teleport back here? I thought you could only teleport to certain points on the map?” Twilight asked and Wild’s eyes lit up as he held up a finger signaling them to wait. He looked through slate again and tapped on something. There was a flash of blue and Wild held out what looked like a coin.

“I found this not too long ago! It’s a traveler’s medallion, place it anywhere you want and you make an instant warping point” Wild said proudly as Twilight examined the object in his hand curious at how a such a small coin could hold so much power. There was a chorus of ‘Let me see’ s and ‘hand it here’s so Wild passed the little coin around letting each of them examine the object. Once the coin made it’s way back to Wild and he tucked it back into his slate and Time addressed the group.

“Alright, so we have a plan. We teleport close to the tower and walk in” Everyone nodded in agreement even Legend though his nod was tinged with green around his eyes.

“We should get some rest, it seems we have a big day tomorrow” Time said stretching and making movements like he was about to stand.

“Hold on there old man, there’s something I want to discuss first” Warriors piped up leaning forward eyes, locked onto Wild.

“Tell us about this cucco story first.” The group erupted then, yelling for Wild to continue the story he had unintentionally started earlier. Wild sighed, growing embarrassed as he felt his face turn a deep shade of pink. He rejoined the group with slight reluctance to tell the story.

*************************************************

They woke up early the next morning, knowing it was going to be a long day. After eating a very light breakfast at Wild’s urging and satisfied that everyone had something in their belly Wild went and sat down to look over the map. In the blank region of the map there were still little blue spots marked showing shrines they could still teleport to. The problem was figuring out which one would be close enough to the tower.

Wild scrunched up his face in thought as he tried to remember the exact area where the tower was. He knew the tower was near Tarrey Town and the south Akkala stable but he wasn’t sure which one was closer. He thought about it while the others quietly checked their packs to make sure everything was in order.

Finally after much mental debate Wild picked the shrine they would go to. He believed it was the one next to the stable but they would have to wait to find out if he was right. There was no room for error, he didn’t know how his body was going to react to the near constant teleporting he was about to do. He had teleported in rapid succession before but it was no more than 3 times, and even then he had a little bit of break in between each trip. Wild drummed his fingers against the table top, he really didn’t want to have to make more trips than necessary.

“Figured out our landing spot?” Warriors asked breaking Wild from his thoughts as he put a hot cup of tea and small breakfast cake in front of him.

“I think so, and if we’re lucky we should also be right by a stable” Wild said nodding and took a sip of tea. It was hot and sweet and the cake was still warm and fluffy. He vaguely wondered where they got the cake from because he didn’t make it and he was very sure none of the others knew how to cook an egg let alone breakfast cakes or any cakes for that matter. Wild raised an eyebrow at Warriors gesturing to the tea and cake. Warriors shrugged and gestured to the women at the counter of the inn.

“She said someone named Paya dropped the tea and cakes off for us” Wild nodded a small smile dancing across his lips as he sipped at the hot tea. Noticing his smile Warriors leaned in close.

“Oooo, got a girlfriend huh?” Warriors teased jabbing an elbow into Wild’s side making him flinch.

“She’s Impa’s granddaughter, she’s very nice but very shy” Wild said quietly remembering the first time he met the girl. She had practically turned herself inside out with anxiety and shyness.

“You’re telling me you didn’t even flirt with her?” Warriors asked flabbergasted. Wild rolled his eyes and drank more tea.

“Not everyone has the urge to sleep with every girl they see” Legend snarked as he sat down across from them. There was a cry of mock scorn from Warriors as he placed his hand on his chest as if he were hurt. Legend ignored him and turned his attention to Wild who downed the rest of his tea and finished off the cake.

“Are you sure you want to eat? Just teleporting that one time made me want to hurl” Legend said eyeing Wild’s empty plate.

“It was something light, and anyways I’m used to teleporting” Legend just rolled his eyes.

“But this is going to be different, there’s going to be a lot of back and forth. Aren’t you worried?” Warriors asked curiosity mixing with other emotions Wild couldn’t place. Wild only shrugged again and stood. Whatever was going to happen was going to happen, this was their only plan for now.

“Eh, we’ll just have to burn that bridge when we get to it” Wild said forcing a smile as he walked off to meet up the other heroes outside ignoring how Legend and Warriors looked at each other as he left.

Outside Time and Twilight were talking animatedly out front of the inn, about what Wild wasn’t sure. He continue to scan the area and saw Four, Wind and Hyrule off in the distance chatting with the cucco farmer as he threw food out for the birds. Sky was in the cucco pen, apparently helping the farmer by collecting eggs.

Wild paused then taking in the calm scene before him. He almost wanted runaway, forget what they had to do and just be free. To save this odd group that he started to consider his family from whatever the next couple days held. A knot of guilt started to form in his gut, his leg twitched as if he would start running at any moment. Then the strange bubble of calm and anxiety he was feeling burst as a squabbling Legend and Warriors emerged from the inn. The group’s eyes snapped over to them, the small group around that farmer said their respective goodbyes and jogged over to stand next to Time and Twilight. It was time to go.

Wild, Legend and Warriors met with the group and Time looked to Wild and nodded. Wild nodded back and looked around the group before addressing them.

“Now, I’m going to assume that this way of travel is going to be new to you, so I’m going to give you a couple of tips to help you guys not lose your breakfast” Wild said giving a light cough and looked towards Legend who scowled back irritably. He felt the steady weight of eyes on him and Wild resisted the urge to rub at his scars. He hated being the center of attention. Twilight gave him an encouraging nod and Wild took a breath before continuing.

“First, don’t hold your breath. Focus on breathing normally, that will help with the nausea.” Heads nodded in understanding and he continued.

“Next try your best not to tense up, it makes your muscles weak when you land, and close your eyes if you have to. I’ve found it helps with the disorientation.” Wild gave a curt nod and looked around at the wide eyes staring back at him. The weight of their gazes felt heavier now and he felt his hand reaching up towards his face. Noticing this he forced his hand back down to his side and waited for any questions the group could think of.

“Well, this sounds like a fun experience” Warriors said breaking the silent tension that was steady building around the group.

“Trust me, it isn’t” Legend grumbled unhappily.

“You were the one complaining about walking”

“That doesn't mean I wouldn’t have walked” Legend snapped.

“Will you both give it a rest? I’ve got a question.” Four's voice broke in between the growing argument between the two. Wild nodded and gestured for Four to ask his question.

“Should we bend our knees or anything like that?” Four asked eyes flashing an odd purple and Wild blinked at him.

“I honestly don’t know, I’ve never thought about it” Wild answered suddenly feeling off kilter. Did he bend his knees? Now he wasn’t sure. Sensing his discomfort Twilight stepped in.

“Alright, enough talk, let’s get this show on the road.” Twilight said looking around for volunteers.

“Oh! Me first!” Wind hopped and capered about in his excitement. Wild couldn’t help but smile. He loved the enthusiasm of the youngest hero. Wild nodded and gestured him forward as he tapped on the slate and produced his travel medallion. Wind practically leapt forward nearly barreling right into Wild. Shaking his head Wild dropped the coin and there was a flash of a blue circle marking the new travel spot briefly before it disappeared from sight.

“See you later suckers!” Wind called out to the group flourishing a rupee wallet. Wild grabbed the other boy’s arm as there was a shout from Warriors as he realized the little shit just stole his wallet. Wild pressed a button and they were gone.

The youngest hero took the experience well. Once they rematerialized Wind opened his eyes and only staggered a little bit on the stone entryway of the shrine. Wild kept hold of him until the other seemed to get his bearings. Wind shook his head a couple times and then smiled at Wild.

“Let’s do that again!” He cried and Wild had to stifle a laugh. Nothing ever seemed to squash his spirit.

“Maybe later, until then stay over there and wait for the others” Wild pointed to the side of the shrine. Wind nodded happily and hopped off the platform looking around at the new scenery. Satisfied that Wind was okay Wild tapped on his slate again and was off back to the others.

When he returned Warriors practically collided into Wild in his eagerness to go next.

“Just promise me you won’t kill the kid” Twilight said trying his level best not to laugh at Warriors who had apparently been stomping around angrily prior to Wild’s return.

“No promises” Warriors growled as he grabbed onto Wild’s arm. Wild looked at Twilight who just shrugged. Taking that as permission the two were off.

After Warriors and Wild landed at the shrine he stayed for a minute or two to make sure Warriors didn’t murder the youngest hero. Satisfied that he wouldn’t have to help dig a grave, Wild made quick work gathering the others. It was a long process but each one handled the experience rather well.

Four went next and only looked a little green when Wild left him with the other two. Sky and Time both were a little disoriented but all in all they seemed no worse for wear. Wild on the other hand was starting to feel odd with each new trip.

It started as a little tremble in his hands and had slowly progressed to his breathing becoming a little strained. Time noticed this after he had recovered from the disorientation and gave him a worried look.

“Are you okay? You look a little pale. You can take a break if you need to” Time said seeing that Wild seemed to wobble slightly. Wild took a deep breath and shook his head.

“I’m fine, I’m almost done anyways” Wild said with a slightly wonky smile. Time looked unconvinced but Wild was gone before he had a chance to say anything else. He just wanted to get this done already.

To his surprise Legend was next to go, apparently getting impatient and wanting to get the experience over with. Wild felt sweat breaking out on his forehead but ignored it. He was almost done, just a couple more rounds. Dropping off the clearly nauseated Legend in the care of Time, Wild quickly traveled back to collect the next hero.

The tremors in his hand grew exponentially worse and his heart was beginning to race like he had just got done running away from a guardian stalker. Wild closed his eyes when he landed back in the village trying to relax his heart beat. When he opened his eyes he saw a concerned Twilight and Hyrule staring at him. Saying nothing Wild gestured for Hyrule to come forward. Hyrule for his part hesitated, eyeing him up and down clearly thinking. Wild could tell Hyrule was going to say something but before he could Wild took a couple steps forward, hand trembling and grasped Hyrule's sleeve and pressed the button. Swirling blue lights swallowed the pair and Wild had a quick glimpse of Twilight’s disapproving glare before the lights clouded his vision.

Wild staggered a bit on landing, his head spinning and the makings of a headache pounding behind his eyes. He took a few moments to breathe and rub his eyes willing the feeling to pass. Once he felt a little better he looked over to Hyrule to make sure he was doing okay. He looked okay for the most part, slightly green and wobbly. Hyrule’s eyes were wide as he took deep breaths trying to fight through the nausea. Once Hyrule had a composed himself he turned to face Wild.

“Wild, I think you should stop for a little, I think…” though he was cut off when Wild shook his head slightly giving him a lopsided grin.

“I’m fine, just a little tired.” He lied, he felt like Hell but he didn’t want the other boy to worry about him. Wild could do this, he could do his part to make the others lives a bit easier and if that meant he felt horrible for a few minutes then it was a small price to pay.

“No really, I don’t think that’s a good idea…” Hyrule continued as Warriors came up to help Hyrule off the landing of the shrine. Hearing what Hyrule was saying Warriors threw a worried look at Wild. Warriors too looked him up and down and the caption’s eyes hardened.

“Wild, I agree with ‘Rule, you look like Hell, come over here so you can take a breather” Warriors said in a hard tone, clearly a command. Wild only gave him a tired smile in response already fiddling with the slate to set off for the last member of the group.

“No guys, seriously it’s fine. Besides, it’s just one more trip, I can do that” Goddesses he really hoped he could.

Wild almost had to force himself to press the button, his body was screaming at him to stop. But he fought through his discomfort. ‘Just one more, one more trip and everyone will be here and then I can relax’ he thought to himself. The others we’re clearly about to protest, mouths beginning to open to plead their case or command him to sit, but blue lights twisted around him and carried him away back to the village before a word could be spoken.

This time when he landed Wild couldn’t help but nearly stumble and fall to the ground. His head felt light and his legs wobbled with his weight. Luckily Twilight noticed this and ran forward catching him before he fell.

“Woah there cub, Hylia, just sit down for a second” Twilight said slowly sitting Wild on the ground. Wild’s head was a pounding agony, and his whole body shuddered against his will. Wild noticed passively that his muscles felt weak and his breathing was coming out in sharp gasps. He practically slumped over on the grass and Twilight sat next to him quickly to help prop him up.

“You’re pushing yourself too hard” Twilight said handing Wild some water which he took gratefully. The glass felt cool against his hand and he downed the whole bottle in less than minute.

“I’ll be okay, just… just need to sit down for a minute” Wild gasped brushing away Twilight’s worry. Carefully he leaned back on shaky arms and looked at the fluttering paper talismans above them. It sounded like Twilight wanted to argue but he just hummed instead, supporting the other as they sat. After a few minutes of sitting Wild felt the tremors in his limbs lessen and the pounding in his head faded to a dull thrum. Wild shifted and cracked his neck hoping the tension would disappear. It did not.

“Are you okay? Can you travel one last time? If not we can always…” Twilight trailed off when Wild shook his head.

“And what would we do otherwise? Walk there? Besides the others would think something went wrong.” Wild sighed tiredly. He was starting to regret sitting down. The longer they sat there he could feel the weight of exhaustion settling into his bones. Wild came to the decision that if they didn’t leave soon he would be too tired to be of any help.

“Anyways, I think I’m good.” Wild sighed as he stretched “Just had to take a break” he was lying but it wasn’t like they had a choice, the others were waiting for them to show up.

“Okay, but only if you’re sure” Twilight said standing and pulling Wild to his feet. Wild wobbled slightly and gave Twilight a small smile.

Twilight gave him a once over and frowned not liking what he saw. Wild for his part was already fiddling with his slate setting up the last trip. Twilight apparently came to a decision then but it was already too late, Wild not willing to hear what the other had to say was already grabbing on to his arm.

“Wait!” Twilight cried “I’ve changed my mind, let’s wait a few…” Twilight started but was cut off by Wild who had already pressed on the screen of the slate. There was a second where they both made eye contact and Wild had the distinct feeling he was going to hear about this later. The deed was done however, and blue light swirled up and warped the pair away.

**********************************************

Wild was fully aware he had made a poor decision when they got to their destination. No sooner had their feet hit the stone of the shrine’s entrance when Wild’s legs gave out from underneath him, slamming him knees first on the ground. His body radiated exhaustion, he was shaking all over and felt weak. His head felt like he taken several clubs to it. He was dimly aware of someone talking to him but he was too busy trying to get his breath back.

Wild felt hands grab onto his shoulders and they leaned him back so he was slumped against the pedestal of the shrine. He felt something drip from his nose and he glanced down to see a trickle of blood coming from his nose. Wild blinked dumbly for a few moments feeling the blood drip off his chin and land on his shirt. He grimaced, blood was a pain in the ass to get out of clothes. There was something being pressed into his hand and mumbling voices urging him to do something. He looked down at his hand and saw he was now holding some jerky and a bottle of some brightly colored liquid.

“Stop staring at it and eat” it was Hyrule’s voice he realized though it sounded miles away. As he sat there the fog that had settled around his brain lifted slightly. Wild blinked again and finally started to process the faces the were staring at him. Hyrule was looking at him expectantly still urging him to eat. Time was also there looking concerned and slightly frustrated. Mechanically Wild brought the food to his mouth and began to chew. There was a sigh of relief from Hyrule who turned to Time with a smile.

“He’ll be okay… he ju-… in a minute or….” Hyrule was clearly explaining something to Time who was nodding, but he was having a hard time hearing exactly what was being said. which was probably bad considering they were practically right next to him.

‘I should be worried about this’ Wild thought to himself but he couldn’t bring himself to really care at that moment. He just sniffled back a little before he continued to eat his pieces of jerky.

To Wild’s surprise Hyrule was right, as he ate he felt some life coming back to him. He started to drink heavily from the bottle not even tasting the sweet tang of juice. He would have downed the bottle in three seconds if he wasn’t forced to slow down by Hyrule who made him lower the bottle.

“Easy…. ‘mall sips f.. ‘ow, you’ll….yourself sick” Hyrule’s voice was cutting in and out but Wild got the gist and nodded carefully trying not to make his head hurt even more.

Distantly he heard what he assumed were other voices and looked over to see Time talking to Twilight, Hyrule appearing to jump in occasionally. Even though they were close Wild still couldn’t really hear what they were saying. Now that the fog that had settled over his brain was finally lifting he was steadily growing more alarmed over the fact that he couldn’t hear. Apparently His facial expression was enough because Hyrule gave him a questioning look when he glanced Wild’s way again.

“I don’t think my ears are working, I can’t really hear anything” Wild explained and hoped he wasn’t yelling. Wild took took another bite of food and Hyrule gave him a knowing nod and leaned closer to answer him.

“That’s probably a side effect of using up most of your energy, it should come back soon.” Wild was confused but too tired to put anymore thought into the issue right then. So he simply shrugged, nodded and went back to eating his food. When he finished off the last of the jerky he could feel that the tremors in his limbs had subsided. His head still ached and he felt weak but it was a marked improvement from a few minutes earlier. He wiped the blood from his nose and finished off that last bit of juice setting the bottle gently down on the ground. He didn’t feel great but he definitely felt better than before.

“How are you feeling cub?” Twilight asked noticing Wild putting down the empty bottle. Wild was happy to note that Hyrule was right, he could hear a lot better now. Wild gave him a lopsided smile and shrugged.

“I’ve felt better but nothing to really complain about either.” Wild said, in truth he felt like he’d just got done being trampled by multiple Lynels and he desperately wanted to go to sleep but he didn’t want the others to worry so he kept that bit of information to himself. Besides that he wanted to know something first.

“Hyrule, you were saying something earlier about what happened, but I couldn’t really hear what you’re talking about” Wild asked Hyrule while fighting back a yawn. Hyrule nodded moving closer to make sure Wild could hear him.

“Basically what seemed to have happened is that your teleporting so frequently in one sitting used up all your energy” Hyrule was about to continue but Wild cut him off.

“But how? I thought it was just the slate doing all the hard work, I don’t even have magic to use I don’t think” Wild asked as he carefully shifted his weight to a more comfortable position. Hyrule was shaking his head when he answered.

“I didn’t say it was magic, I said energy.” Wild didn’t really see the difference. Hyrule must have noticed that he wasn’t getting the concept and sighed, rubbing at his eyes.

“Think of it like this, That slate of yours does a lot of stuff right?” Hyrule asked and Wild nodded.

“And in order to do that stuff the slate needs energy. So The slate takes small amounts of your energy every time you use it.” Wild gave another nod and gestured for Hyrule to continue.

“Usually the power it pulls from you is minimal, the things you’re doing are fairly simple. However it would seem that the constant teleporting you were doing caused the slate to draw a lot of energy from you each time you teleported. So by the time you were done, the slate had drained you to the point where you collapsed.” Hyrule finished and Wild turned the idea over in his head. He never had to think about the slate like that before. but thinking on it now it did make sense.

“I wonder if the amount of people being teleported at once made this ‘energy draw’ worse” Time pondered and Wild jumped a little, he had forgotten Time was there. Hyrule gave a non-committal shrug.

“Tough to say if it was amount of people teleporting at once or if it was the amount of times he teleported in one sitting. It is possible that both factors contributed to the issue though. We would have to test it, see what happens” Hyrule said and Wild could see Twilight shaking his head.

“No, we’re not trying that. What if it kills him or something?” Twilight argued and Hyrule was going to say something but Wild interrupted.

“While this is probably something I’m going to play around with later, I was wondering if we could start off to camp?” Wild asked, he could feel himself mentally drifting and was fairly certain he would fall asleep right there if they continued to talk.

“Sure cub, are you sure you can walk?” Time asked and Wild answered by hauling himself up using the plinth behind him for leverage. He bit down a groan of pain and forced himself to stand upright. Though when he went to step forward he wobbled dangerously. Luckily he was immediately supported on either side by Twilight and Hyrule. Draping his arms over their shoulders he nodded his thanks and they began to walk down the steep slope.

“Turns out you were right about the stable, we landed right above it. We already have beds reserved so you can go get some sleep.” Hyrule said and Wild nodded thankful he had a bed to sleep in.

“Okay, I’ll get a little rest then I’ll make some dinner for everyone” Wild yawned his head bobbing, he could feel his eye lids trying to droop. He was doing his best not to let them. Twilight only hummed in response and the group continued walking.

Once they walked in the stable it wasn’t long until they were suddenly surrounded by the rest of their party. Each asking with various levels of concern how Wild was doing. Wild heard Twilight and Hyrule saying something but he was just focusing on not falling asleep on his feet. Apparently Time said something to the rest of group because just as suddenly everyone was gone and he was landing face first on a bed. He groaned with relief and rolled to his back. His vision was fuzzy and there were moats of black spots floating around his vision. He felt a hand gently pat his forehead and Twilight’s voice drifted down to his ears.

“Get some rest cub, you earned it” Wild’s eyes were already sliding closed. He couldn’t keep them open even if he wanted to. With a sigh Wild let himself slip into a warm and soft dreamless sleep.

*************************************************

Wild felt himself floating on the cusp of wakefulness. He was still floating in a peaceful nothingness, his mind not latching on to anything except the feeling of weightlessness.

Dimly he noticed that there was a subtle pressure on the bed right behind his back. Then the sound of heavy breathing right in his ear before it turned into a low dark chuckle. Then suddenly Wild was wide awake, sitting up quickly. For a few moments he didn’t know where he was or how he got there and he twisted around searching for who had laughed in his ear.

The noise was familiar, a light almost breathy laugh but he couldn’t place where he heard it before. The room he was in was dimly lit, other beds lined the walls and then he remembered where he was. The stable, the one in south Akkala that he teleported all his companions to.

His arms and chest had an odd buzz in them from the sudden rush of adrenaline after getting startled. He took a shaky breath and got out of bed. He felt worlds better but still a bit tired and the faint traces of a headache still lined the edges of his skull.

Then with a start he remembered that he had to make dinner. He took a shaky breath and trotted outside to the cooking pot. As he emerged from the tent he heard laughing voices and the clinking of forks against plates. Looking over he saw his friends eating happily around the pot, Wind looked in his direction and noticed him standing there awkwardly and called him over, holding his plate in the air while gesturing with his other hand for him to come sit.

“Hey there sleeping beauty, how are you feeling?” Warriors asked and Wild could feel himself blush.

“You didn’t wake me, I would have made dinner” Wild said ignoring the other’s comment.

“That’s quite alright, we were able to mange just fine, here have some” Time said filling a plate with what looked like rice and beef with a brown sauce. Wild looked at it distrustfully.

“Who made it?” Wild asked not reaching for the plate.

“Well it wasn’t Hyrule so you’re safe from being poisoned” Legend quipped and there was a quite snort of outrage from Hyrule. Everyone laughed, and Wild managed a small breathy laugh after a few moments.

“Is everything okay?” Twilight asked watching as Wild twisted the hem of his cloak in between his fingers.

“Huh? Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. I uh, I’m just still waking up. Hey did any of you check on me a couple minutes ago?” Wild asked before he could talk himself out of it. The group looked at each other confused.

“No, everyone has been hanging out here waiting for dinner to be done” Four answered, the group slowly looked to each other, quietly confirming the answer. Wild nodded his heart was still fluttering like a bird caught in a cage, his hands trembled slightly.

“Are you going to have some dinner, Wild?” Time asked breaking him from his thoughts.

“Yeah, I just need to splash some water on my face, I still feel kind of not all here.” Wild answered and Time nodded, placing the plate next to the fire to keep the food warm.

“Do you want me to come with you?” Twilight asked and Wild shook his head quickly.

“No, you eat, I’ll be back in a second” Wild said in a rush, quickly turning and making his way around the back of the stable where barrels of rain water stood. The orange sunset sky was quickly darkening, shadows stretching long in the failing light of day. Wild hovered over the barrels looking in at the darkened waters before reaching his hands in to splash some water on his burning cheeks. He wondered distantly if he was getting sick he hoped not. Or maybe he was just starting to lose his mind a small voice whispered in the back of mind.

“I just need a good nights sleep, that’s all I need and I’ll be right as rain in the morning.” He muttered to himself quietly, now using the water to wash away the remnants of blood from his face.

“You’ll definitely need it young one” a voice quietly said behind him. Wild whirled around heart pounding in panic but saw no one.

Eyes wide he rested himself against the barrel and struggled to get his breathing back to its normal calm. He was imagining things, he just needed to relax that was all. His eyes still scanned the darkened trees around him, searching for anyone hiding. Judging that there was no one there he pushed off the barrels and made his way swiftly back to the safety of the group.

Wild was so preoccupied he didn’t even notice that his shadow seemed to stay behind melting into the darkness. It watched Wild scurry away and let out a laugh that was quickly swallowed by the nighttime breeze that came rolling off the cliffs above.

Yes, it thought to itself maliciously tomorrow would be a very fun day indeed.

[cyberneticfire]

Fandom: Transformers Prime

Characters: Soundwave, OC - Quickshot, Ravage

Warnings: Torture, drugging

This is partially an AU based off of a roleplay I was part of and so Soundwave may seem pretty ooc. This takes place on cybertron before the war and before the revolution. In my au/headcanon Soundwave is a teenager (around the human equivalent of 17 almost 18) and ran away from his house as a result of his jerk of a Sire. He shows his emotions much more considering most of the life-changing things in his life happen in the Pits of Kaon and the war. His Carrier passed years before this story takes place. He only has Ravage at this point and hasn’t found or lost any of his other cassettes. Soundwave is a telepath, he uses his cables to refuel, and his voice box is messed up so his voice glitches often. Quickshot is insane, sadistic, and obssessed with collecting ‘oddities’ such as Soundwave. (His frame and build are fairly unusual for cybertronians in my au) His seeker ability is enhanced speed (like how Skywarp can teleport).

~~~~~

Soundwave really didn’t ever think he’d be finding himself sitting alone in the corner of a shady bar at 17 but, well, his function was just full of surprises wasn’t it? He hadn’t ordered any high-grade - not that he could’ve afforded the stuff - and he certainly didn’t want any. He barely had enough credits for the regular cube of energon he was currently nursing.

Ravage wasn’t allowed in and so had to find a way to occupy himself outside, but that was fine. Soundwave had barely made it in, his visor being the only reason they didn’t immediately throw him out for being a minor. They couldn’t tell. Either way, Ravage could take care of himself. Soundwave was only planning to stay long enough to not draw suspicion anyways.

He ducked his helm slightly snaking up a cable to sip at the fuel. He supposed he would be an unusual sight either way, but one never could be too careful….and there was no way he was expanding his range in a place like this. The stench of high-grade was bad enough; if he had to deal with the overcharged thoughts that came with it…

He shuddered at the thought, pitiful as it was.

The regular energon was enough to keep those negative thoughts at bay. It was heavenly compared to some other types he’d refueled with; a bit sweeter than he remembered, but he drank it slowly, ensuring he left some for Ravage. The cybercat deserved it for sticking it through this rough time.

Leaving about half of the cube full, Soundwave deemed it a good time to make a hasty exit. He subspaced the rest of the energon and made to stand.

He was not ready for the dizziness that assaulted him, forcing him to plant his servos against the table or else crash heavily to the floor.

He hissed out a slow vent. Normally he’d write this off as him standing up too fast or…possibly an insufficient amount of fuel making him nauseous, but the more he thought about it, the more something seemed…off.

Soundwave quickly decided he didn’t want to be here any longer. He was ready to leave and find Ravage and he wasn’t dealing with this right now.

Turning slowly, to keep his pedes under him he started walking towards the exit. A heavy feeling was starting to overtake his limbs and his sparkrate spiked as he staggered to the door. Nope. This wasn’t happening. This was NOT happening. Not right now, not when he wasn’t anywhere near Ravage, not when he was so close to-

Soundwave lurched out the door, desperate to put as much distance between himself and the bar as he could manage - he must’ve been drugged; how stupid was he not to check his fraggin’ drink?! - and to top it all off his legs just weren’t working right, his processor was getting foggier by the cycle, and he needed to get to Ravage! Where was Ravage-

His digits gripped uselessly at the wall and when he stumbled this time, there was no resistance as he collapsed.

Black pixels swarmed the edge of his vision as he struggled to push himself back up. He let out a weak gasp at the utter numbness tingling throughout his limbs; the churning in his tanks as his systems rejected whatever drug had been forced into him. Soundwave was suddenly grateful that he hadn’t drunken the whole thing.

Oh Primus, if Ravage were here he would’ve drunk some too. Or…maybe he wouldn’t have. Maybe he would’ve been smart enough to check it…and warn Soundwave while he was at it. He groaned into the ground. Stupid.

His tanks felt utterly ravaged - ha - and he couldn’t do a thing about it. After a moment of trying to focus, he was finally able to lift his helm and his intakes nearly stopped as pedes started into his line of vision. His helm was pounding and he almost didn’t hear them coming, which was terrifying enough in itself, but no matter how hard he tried his frame wouldn’t obey his commands to move.

The vague blurs of black shifted repeatedly in and out of his vision and he thought he heard them speaking but his processor was too addled to grasp any meanings. His digits dug mercilessly into the ground and he almost flinched back as one of them crouched down, exposing a silver faceplate.

The strange mech smirked and his mouth was moving but Soundwave couldn’t make any of it out past the energon rushing through his audials. They reached forward, servo roughly grasping the side of his helm and tilting it up, optics peering curiously at his visor. Soundwave forced out a snarl, making his displeasure known even though his spark was beating erratically in its casing.

The hold on his helm released abruptly and he saw the figure frown in confusion and look at someone he couldn’t see. He said something unintelligible and Soundwave barely had time to drag in another intake before there was a sickening crunch and pain exploded in the back of his helm.

The darkness closed in and his consciousness fled soon after.

~~~

Soundwave groaned as his systems booted sluggishly back online and he was rapidly beginning to wish he were still unconscious. His helm felt like it was going to split open. A hot, sticky liquid trickled down the back of his neck and fell to the floor in a steady drip drip drip that he was sure he wouldn’t forget anytime soon…

…Scrap. He wasn’t on the ground anymore. Awareness promptly crammed it’s way back into his aching processor and he realized he could feel his limbs and move them again.

Well…move was a bit of an exaggeration. He flexed his servos experimentally and failed to hide the hitch in his intakes at the fact that his arms were tied with chains to the chair he’d been forced into. There were no stasis-cuffs so police obviously weren’t involved, but he didn’t know if that was better or worse. Either way, someone had still taken him and he had no clue as to who or why.

His legs were tied to the chair as well, leaving him in a slightly hunched over position that was beginning to make his spinal struts ache. Looking around slowly through the dimness of the room he stuffed his panic down and forced himself to intake normally. Whoever his captors were, they didn’t seem to be showing themselves just yet. They were sneaky enough to slip something in his energon, implying that they’ve probably done this before…

He definitely didn’t want to be here when they came back. Soundwave strained against the bindings as hard as he could, twisting about and trying to loosen them in any way but by the time he was panting and slumping back into the chair he hadn’t done more than make his arms sore. Perfect.

Soundwave was keying himself up to try again when a door behind him creaked open. His frame went rigid as the even clicks of a mech’s heels began to approach from behind. Light, clawed servos found themselves upon Soundwave’s shoulders and he jerked forward, a snarl ripping away on instinct. It was cut off almost immediately with a sharp intake as one of the servos grabbed at the back of his helm, undeterred by the stickiness, and pressed hard enough to make his thoughts cloud with pain. This effectively silenced him as the matching voice spoke up.

“Nice to see you awake,” he started, voice light as if Soundwave hadn’t just snarled at him and as if this weren’t a hostage situation, “we were beginning to think we’d overdone it…that was a pretty nasty hit you took.” He curled his digits into said wounded area drawing another pained hiss for emphasis.

The offending servos moved away and Soundwave slumped back as the throbbing abated but he twisted his helm around, struggling to get a glimpse of the new mech. This wasn’t good.

The clicking echoed throughout the room and Soundwave strained to see the mech, jolting in surprise as he popped up a mere inches away from his visor from the darkness. Neither moved for a long cycle and Soundwave hardly vented as he took in this…unusual mech.

He had wide blue optics - one of which had an old looking scar tearing through it to Soundwave’s horror - that hardly blinked and a lithe black and yellow frame that seemed to be more suited for speed rather than strength. What he lacked in physical power he certainly seemed to make up for in height as he would be towering over Soundwave even if he weren’t stuck sitting down. The mech’s servos were pressed against the arms of the chair and his digits were sharpened to points that looked like they could disembowel a mech. He gave a little shudder and tried not to think too hard about that. He was the most shocked to find movement behind the mech’s back and he tilted his helm in the slightest to find a pair of wings.

What was a seeker doing all the way down here?

Soundwave leaned back slightly, not liking this close proximity, and flinched in surprise as a servo grabbed his visor and pulled him forward again. The servo encompassed almost his entire screen and the claws dug eagerly into the sides of his helm as he tried to jerk backwards, intakes stalling as he wasn’t allowed to. The servo must’ve been the one used to grab him earlier because he felt the energon slick against his screen and his tanks turned over violently.

“Now now, there’s no need for that,” he chided, baring a mouth full of sharp denta and seeming to enjoy watching Soundwave make himself sick. “I noticed you admiring my wings…” he flared them out behind his back, never once taking his optics away from Soundwave’s visor, “and I do suppose you’re wondering what a seeker like myself is doing so far away from home?” He paused as if actually considering answering the spot on question before he shook his helm and dismissed it. “Never mind that, it isn’t important…What I will tell you is that I am Quickshot. You would do well to remember that.”

Quickshot’s other servo tapped methodically against the chair and Soundwave couldn’t help but tremble slightly in fear because, frag this mech was insane. He radiated a wrongness that Soundwave had never felt before and it was just hitting him now how badly this could end. He desperately didn’t want this to be happening to him. He would not let himself be killed by the whim of some psychopathic mech…

“Wha-at d-do-o y-you wa-ant fro-om me..?” Frag it all. Soundwave had meant for the question to come out serious and stoic but his vocalizer apparently had other plans, shaking throughout the whole thing. He sounded pathetic.

Quickshot appeared utterly delighted for a moment and Soundwave recoiled as soon as his visor was released, chassis expanding faster now because he didn’t know why he was being looked at like that so intently.

“So you can talk!” Quickshot purred, bringing his servos together before his own chassis in his excitement. He bared his pointed denta in a mockery of a smile that couldn’t hide the predatory look in his optics.

Soundwave stiffened at the derogatory remark, offense and shame burning within him.

“O-of c-course I-I c-can ta-alk!” Soundwave snapped before he could think too hard about it, “wha-at do y-you thi-ink I-I-!” He cut off with a noise of pain as Quickshot promptly backhanded him. He shut up immediately, vision blurred by the energon smeared across his screen and helm throbbing again as he glared in disbelief, shrinking away from the mech as best as he could.

Quickshot continued to peer at him with a fascination that made Soundwave feel like he was under a microscope, even as he rubbed at the servo he used to strike him, idly flexing his claws. “So you can talk and you’re mouthy. Duly noted,” he hummed uninterested in the bound mech’s feelings whatsoever and then smirked at his first question, “Do I need to want something from you? I’d say you’re giving me what I want just fine.” Quickshot started pacing a circle around him and Soundwave’s sparkrate skyrocketed as he tried in vain to keep him in sight. He kept talking all the while, entirely aware of Soundwave’s internal panic.

“I was just looking for some poor hapless grounder to take my frustrations out on, what with all grounders being much the same. Brutish and utterly incompetent.” This was the first unsatisfied tone he’d heard from Quickshot yet and it was making his plating crawl. The mech continued heedlessly, “Of course you seem much too scrappy to be a grounder. Your arms are better suited to flying but you seemed to be the easiest to grab.” He chuckled under his breath, “I mean seriously, it was almost too easy….only half of the cube had you on the ground in cycles. I’ll admit I didn’t expect you to be conscious when we’d finally caught up with you, however, I can’t say I am disappointed. That just means you have a higher constitution and trust me you’re going to need that here.”

Soundwave was shaking visibly now and it took quite a bit of willpower to stutter out his terrified question.

“Whe-ere a-are th-the o-othe-ers…?”

“They decided to leave you to me,” the drawl came from right beside Soundwave’s helm making him flinch away violently at the volume and earning a laugh from Quickshot as he struggled to catch his breath. “I find you quite fascinating…I thought you a drone at first but you’re obviously shaking and that means you’re scared and, in fact, capable of emotions.” He chirped, ticking off the notes on his digits. He took a moment to stroll around Soundwave again, flicking his wings higher. He stopped in front of the bound mech and hardly blinked before curling his servo and ramming the fist into his unprotected abdomen, seeming pleased when he earned a staticky cry. “And entirely capable of pain,” he finished his demeaning description with a honeyed tone.

Soundwave tried and failed to curl around his stomach, groaning quietly at the pain blossoming there and mentally revising his previous assessment of the mech. He threw a mean punch…

Soundwave shivered violently, leaning away from the deranged mech and gasping out once he’d caught his breath, “y-y-you’re i-insa-ane..!” There was no reason for him to be here! He was here because some twisted mech seemed to enjoy making other bots suffer. Soundwave really would’ve loved any kind of help right about now but a sinking feeling in his spark helpfully let him know that he was alone in this.

“Now, that is a horrible accusation and I can assure you that I am entirely sane.” He punctuated his questionable statement by grabbing the side of Soundwave’s helm and digging his claws in, eliciting a pained intake followed by rapid venting. There was energon trickling down the side of his helm now too and he suppressed a whine as his helm was forcefully tilted back, putting more pressure on his neck.

Quickshot hummed lowly, bringing up his other servo and just letting it hover near his screen for a moment. Soundwave was trying in vain to pull away as the other servo crept closer and he thought he should say something but his processor went terrifyingly blank.

“Insulting me won’t do you any good…Trust me,” he grinned, “my feelings are far from hurt.” Quickshot pressed the tip of his clawed digit into Soundwave’s visor, pleased when the action made him freeze. He probably could press hard enough to crack the screen if he really wanted to…He settled for dragging the tip across the visor instead, light enough not to leave a mark, but hard enough to make the threat clear.

That does it. Soundwave’s intakes shook and he stared nervously as Quickshot continued to look him over critically, wings twitching in thought. He didn’t wait any longer, lashing out violently with both of his cables now that he was close enough. One slammed into Quickshot’s faceplate, knocking him back and the other latched onto his chassis. Soundwave sent as much energy as he could spare into the electrical charge and was able to send the mech dropping to the floor with a shriek.

He immediately got to work reeling his cables in and tearing at the chains around his arms. He probably didn’t have much time before….

He glanced up. Quickshot was gone.

How the frag-

He twisted and managed to wrench an arm free. He barely threw it up in time to catch the claws that were arching down towards his chassis. He stared in mute horror at this mech that was moving impossibly fast. There was no way he’d recovered that quickly and- Soundwave lost track of him again. He panicked as he tore at the remaining restraints with his free servo, energon dribbling from the new scratches in his forearm.

“Going somewhere?” Quickshot’s voice droned from somewhere behind him and then claws were digging into his back, tearing down before he could react and Soundwave screeched. Rivulets of energon were rolling down the back of his chassis and he slashed his arms in Quickshot’s general direction but he was already gone again.

He fumbled with the other set of restraints pinning his legs and with another tug, was finally able to undo them. Soundwave lurched to his feet, ready to make an escape but Quickshot was suddenly there, expression surprisingly devoid of anger while energon dripped from his servos, bright and luminous as it coated the floor.

He cocked his helm to one side, optics gleaming with a new curiosity, “Well you are an unusual one aren’t you?” Soundwave shuffled back a step shaking his helm, almost tripping over the chair again in his haste to get away. Primus he was getting tired already…his entire frame burned with a vengeance from the various cuts and he was having trouble keeping his legs from buckling under his weight.

He focused again and, as expected at this point, Quickshot was no longer in front of him. Soundwave decided to take his chances, staggering into a run towards the nearest door he could see. He made it about halfway there, spark pounding in his chassis, before something was jammed into his neck.

“Tsk. I thought you were smarter than this.”

Soundwave couldn’t even compose a response before white-hot fire was tearing through every circuit and wire, sending him to his knees and cutting out any attempts to speak or intake and it hurt but his throat wouldn’t let him force out anything more than a low keen and his frame arched against his will before everything just stopped. He crumpled to the floor, gulping in intakes desperately and shaking harder than before.

“Really, I never said you could leave. Unfortunately you’re not quite as smart as I would’ve hoped but no matter…” Quickshot’s airy voice addressed him from somewhere to his left through the painful haze that was slowly beginning to fade. “I’m more interested in what you are because you are unlike any cybertronian I’ve ever seen.” He was acting as though this were a casual conversation and as though Soundwave wasn’t twitching and struggling just to vent regularly a few feet away.

Soundwave’s vocalizer spit out static before he could choke out a spiteful curse as he tried to get his servos under himself. Quickshot just grabbed the back of his helm again, forcing his visor back into the ground relentlessly, and continued without acknowledging the pointed curse or struggles, “Some might call you unique. Rare. One-of-a-kind.”

He paused and Soundwave couldn’t see what he was doing, so he took the time to shift his arms slowly under himself, leaving some room between his chestplate and the floor. Intakes rattled painfully out of his chassis and the floor was becoming a rather nauseating blue with his own energon but he wasn’t out yet…

Quickshot, seemingly uninterested in his shifting, kept going, “I, on the other hand would be blunt, and call you what you are. An anomaly. Freakish.”

Something twisted painfully in Soundwave’s tanks at the lack of malice in the mech’s voice. Quickshot wasn’t insulting him; he was just stating what he thought to be facts. And he said it in such a way that made him shudder at what seemed to be undertones of admiration in his voice.

He had one more shot. He was going to get out of here if it offlined him - and hopefully it wouldn’t. One of his cables crept out into the space he’d left and the tips clamped together, spinning with a low whir. Soundwave didn’t give the mech time to say anything else before the tendril shot out, drill-tip hitting where he assumed one of the mech’s wings to be. From the shrill wail and the servo jerking away from his helm, he assumed he’d hit the mark.

There was a crackling sound and another howl of pain from Quickshot as Soundwave rolled onto his back, wincing when the newly identified energon prod dug into the ground where he used to be. His cable was still in the seeker’s wing and Soundwave took a klik to jerk it out, drawing out another cry, and forcing himself up and to his knees. He lunged at the other mech, knocking the prod out of his hold and him roughly to the floor.

Quickshot stared at him with wide optics as energon gushed from his wing, looking almost genuinely surprised before he let out a high, crazed laugh tinged with pain that made Soundwave cringe.

“Y-You think this is it?! You won’t get away for l-long! My friends will be coming back shortly a-and when they do w-we’ll find you! You’ll pay for trying to leave!“ He cackled towards the end. His wings twitched erratically, pinned under his frame as he devolved into a quieter fit of wounded giggles and Soundwave found he couldn’t feel anything but contempt for the mech.

The only response he gave was a grim, “No-o y-you w-wo-on’t!” before he pulled his servo back, knocking Quickshot out cold with one hit.

He scrambled away from him a klik later, panting as the adrenaline started to wear off. He didn’t think he’d be able to offline a mech no matter how insane and so he didn’t try. He didn’t need to give the police another reason to come after him and he would be long gone before Quickshot came to. It was high time he and Ravage left this area anyways.

Ravage.

Soundwave forced himself to his pedes, steps unsteady as he staggered to the nearest wall. He was starting to feel light-helmed but he didn’t think he’d go unconscious just yet. Energon still leaked sluggishly from his back and the multiple scratches that cut deeper than his armor. His frame felt battered to the Pits and back and his helm felt like it might still explode but…he was online. He could be thankful for that.

He shakily made his way to the door, pleased to find it unlockable, and he was stepping outside when he paused. He rooted around in his subspace for a moment, pulling out the half-filled energon cube. He tossed it over his shoulder without hesitation. He certainly wouldn’t be needing that later.

Now ready to go, Soundwave stumbled forward at a faster pace, frantic to find his cybercat and leave with him. His gaze darted to every corner and he flinched at each shadow that seemed to move. It took several cycles of him walking pressed against walls before he heard a familiar voice from behind, calling out to him in a mixture of pure ecstasy and worry that finally loosened the knot in his chassis and let him vent in relief.

“Soundwave! I’ve been looking for you everywhere!”

Soundwave slowly turned to face Ravage as the cybercat ran forward to meet him. He took a step towards him before his legs buckled, sending him to his knees. He took in a sharp intake but immediately pulled Ravage into his arms when he was close enough, cutting off any concerned questions or comments and just clutching onto him with a renewed desperation. He did not want to get separated again.

Soundwave would explain everything in a moment, but for now, he was content to let Ravage nuzzle worriedly into his chassis and just hold him close.

They could stay like this for a klik, then they would leave. Soundwave was ready to put as much space between himself and this place as possible.

[therainroguefanfiction]

🔥 ℝise Ⱥbove I̾t ◈ Chapter 043 [Karma’s A Bitch]

📑 Table of Contents | ◂Backward

Word Count: 2,939

⊱ ────── {⋅. 🔥 .⋅} ────── ⊰

〈“Expired chances, but we gotta make it through again. ‘Cause there’s nowhere else to run. There’s still so much here, a life worth living.” AmaLee, “Again (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood Cover)”〉

⊱ ────── {⋅. 🔥 .⋅} ────── ⊰

The door creaked out and both Kurogiri and Tomura stepped inside. I glared at them, a bead of sweat rolling down my cheek. Since the day I had arrived at this hideout, I had only seen Tomura once and that was when I landed in front of the fucker. So why is he here now? This ain’t gonna end well, is it.

“Release her,” Tomura’s scratchy voice rung out. Wait, what? His red eyes narrowed between the fingers of the hand covering his face. “Don’t get any funny ideas, Winchester. You remember what my quirk is and what it can do, don’t you?” He held his right hand up, flexing his fingers.

Images of Aizawa’s skin decaying and cracking flashed through my mind. I remember the excruciating pain I felt when my own skin was decayed. I remember seeing the muscle, my heart skipping as panic flooded my senses. My lips pursed as Kurogiri unlocked the chains, letting them fall to the ground with a loud thump, kicking up dust into the air. I stood up on shaking legs – it feels like millions of tiny needles piercing my skin. I stomped my foot, making Tomura’s head tilt.

“Are you throwing a tantrum?”

“No, you fuck. I’m trying to wake up my legs.” I scowled. “You try sitting for a fucking week with your legs chained to a damn chair. Shit ain’t pleasant!”

He humphed, fingers curling around my wrist, his thumb held out and away from my skin. “We’re taking a trip. Be on your best behavior, Winchester, or else.”

“Yeah, yeah. Whateva.”

A warp gate appeared in the doorway and he started toward it, tugging me sharply forward. Kurogiri came up behind me, his arm wrapped around my right. The warp opened up to a water tower on top of a roof, the sky shining a rich, neon red as the sun sunk across the horizon. A man was sitting on the edge of the roof with his back to us.

“Huh, Hosu city looks nicer than I expected,” Tomura commented. “So, what are you gonna do?”

Wait, this is Hosu? My brow furrowed. Why the fuck did he bring me here? I know this is where Iida is interning… could I get his attention and get help from the hero he’s interning with? That could get messy and there’s no way for me to find them. One thing’s for sure though, Tomura just gave me a huge chance to escape by bringing me here.

“I will reform it,” the man answered in a deep voice. “In order to do so, blood must be spilled.”

“You have a clear goal,” Kurogiri commented. “Your dedication is admirable.”

“Ah, finally someone who understands.” The man stood up, his back slightly hunched over.

Tomura raised his free hand to rest over his right shoulder. “I get the feeling you enjoy picking on me.”

I noticed bandages peeking out from the sleeve of his sweater. Is that leftover from the USJ? “What’s wrong, Handiboi? Did the big bad villain hurt your feelings~?” I mocked, making his hand tighten around my wrist, angry eyes boring into my own. That’s gonna leave a bruise.

The man turned his head, red eyes settling on me. “Who is she?”

I scoffed. “You’re supposed to introduce yourself before asking who someone else is you Voldemort’s reject cousin lookin’ ass.” Not to mention he looks like he drowned his sorrows in a Ninja Turtles marathon. And why the fuck is his tongue hanging out his mouth like that? Bitch, are you a dog?

“Winchester,” Kurogiri scolded, his grip on my arm increasing.

“What? It’s the fucking truth.”

“I am Stain.”

My body tensed. Stain… this bitch is Stain? The mother fucking hero killer?? I swallowed hard, glancing at Tomura. They’re trying to recruit him? Wait, does that mean that neither of these dipshits knows that Stain killed my mom? I’ve personally never been in love with anyone that ain’t an anime character, but I’m pretty goddamn sure if the person I loved was killed by someone, my ass wouldn’t turn around and try to fucking recruit that someone. They must not know… should I say something?

Stain smirked, holding his arms out to the side. “Hero is a title for those that have accomplished great deeds. This city is full of false champions. All they care about is money and fame! Until this world realizes its mistakes,” he reached around, his fingers curling around the hilt of the sword strapped to his back. “I will continue my work!” And then he jumped from the roof.

“Fuck,” I muttered. “He almost makes Handiboi look sane.”

“I can hear you,” Tomura scoffed, his fingers squeezing my skin. “He talks all high and mighty and stuff, but he’s wasting his time focusing on a small stage. He’s so noble, I could cry.” He dropped my wrist to scratch at his neck.

“You shouldn’t spurn his methods,” Kurogiri scolded. “The reality is – in all the cities where Stain has appeared, crime rates have fallen. Perhaps because heroes are more conscientious or perhaps out of fear. Regardless, he does bring change.”

Tomura started to monologue about Stain’s actions, stepping away from me. Kurogiri still has his arm around mine, but his grip is looser than it was a few minutes ago. This might be my only chance.

“Kurogiri, bring out the Nomus.”

My eyes widened. ‘Nomus’? As in, plural?? It took everything Toshi had in him to beat that bird brain fuck, now there’s more of them? Fuck.

Several warp gates opened up on the roof below us, three different Nomus stepping through them. One hovered above the ground with discolored bat-like wings. One was huge like the Nomu from the USJ. One was thin and spindly.

Fuck, this is really bad, bro. They’re not attacking heroes in training, they’re attacking fucking civilians! Some of which may not even have a damn quirk. Fuck fuck fuck, what do I do? I have to do something. I took a deep breath, my body shaking as my blood started to boil within me.

Limit release!!

My school shirt shattered as power shot through my body. Before Kurogiri could react, I ripped my arm from him and rushed at Tomura, cocking a flaming fist backward but before I could make contact, I saw a stream of black from the corner of my eye. Something large slammed into my body, throwing me across the alley and to the next roof, my feet sliding across the ground to stop my momentum.

“Don’t kill her!” Tomura snapped. “Kurogiri, why did you bring her here?!”

“I didn’t. She must have come with one of the other Nomus.”

This Nomu is different. My eyes narrowed as it landed on the roof across from me, feet cracking the rooftop. While it had the same black, muscled body as the Nomu from the USJ, it was a bit smaller and its face was covered by what appears to be a paper bag with holes for its eyes. Brown hair fell to its shoulders from behind the mask.

“I order you to return,” Tomura growled angrily, but the Nomu just smirked, teleporting in front of me. I couldn’t react fast enough, its large fist connecting with my cheek and sending me flying back off the roof. It teleported behind me, its knee slamming into my back as it laughed. I cried out in pain, snapping my eyes to the ground below me. I teleported, but it was unstable, my body stumbling as I tried to catch my breath.

The Nomu landed in front of me, the force cracking the cement beneath its feet. “What’s wrong, Tegu? Where is that fire of yours?!”

My eyes narrowed. “How do you know that name?” As far as I can remember, I only used that name once when I first got here, and that was with Gran and Toshi. Had I told someone else?

It smirked. “You don’t remember me? How hurtful!” The Nomu reached up, untying the mask from its face. It slid down, fluttering on the breeze.

My eyes widened and it felt like my heart stopped. “S-Skye? How…” What the fuck is happening right now? Am I dreaming? Is this some sick joke?

She licked her cracked lips, running a hand over the scarred flesh of her face. “I was in the hospital for months because of what you did. When I finally recovered and returned to school, my friends abandoned me. They said my face was too gruesome to look at! Said it made them sick to their stomach! Even Heather betrayed me, fucking my boyfriend!”

I stood up straight, flames engulfing my hands. “Is this the part where I’m supposed to feel sorry for your ass? Don’t fucking count on it, bitch. Everything that fucking happened to you was good ol’ Karma. You got what you deserved.”

She tilted her head and giggled like a maniac. “Karma, you say? Yes, yes, it was karma that stabbed Heather and my ex-boyfriend. They betrayed me and Karma got them~”

“You fucking stabbed them for cheating? What, are you fucking Jane the Ripper?”

“Weren’t you fucking listening?!” She snapped angrily. “It was karma.”

“I always knew you were a fucking psychopath but damn…”

Her anger dropped and she giggled again. “When that shadow man walked in on me while karma was at work, I tried to stab him, but he’s immune to that. He offered me power, offered to make me stronger. How could I possibly deny such a wonderful offer? He brought me to this world, to this man that gave me power. Now, I’m unstoppable!”

My brow furrowed. Gave her power? As in, a quirk? I thought only One for All could be passed down like that. I guess… if there’s one that can do it, there’s gotta be another.

“You look confused, Tegu~ You never were very smart, were you? I’ll just have to show you instead!”

Within the blink of an eye, she appeared behind me, both of her fists coming down hard onto my shoulders. I bit back a yelp of pain as my body hit the concrete, my left shoulder going numb. She’s always been ridiculously strong, but this is just fucking ridiculous.

“Don’t tell me you’re done yet!” She brought her foot down and I rolled out of the way, jumping to my feet.

She’s super fast and strong, plus she can teleport. What is her quirk? I need to keep my distance, I can’t win in a hand-to-hand battle with her.

A scream ripped through the air behind me and I turned my head to see the large Nomu chasing after a woman – and she was carrying a small boy in her arms. I narrowed my eyes, focusing as I teleported between them, holding up my arms as the Nomu slammed into my body. I was able to slow it down, but it didn’t stop, my boots digging into the ground as it pushed me backward.

The woman had stopped in surprise and I groaned. “What are you fucking doing?! Run!”

She snapped out of her shock and began to run again, but Skye appeared in front of her with a maniacal grin. “Look at you, Tegu! Trying to act like a hero, huh? How disgusting.” She held out her hand, lightning crackling across her palm. “Too bad it’s in vain!”

My eyes widened as the lightning shot toward the woman. Damn it! I propelled myself forward with flames under my boots, my shoulder slamming into the woman’s back and shoving her to the side. The lightning hit me square in the chest and a scream ripped from my throat, my heart beating so quick I wondered if it would burst within my breast. My hair stood on end, goosebumps covering my skin. The lightning faded and I fell to the ground, my body screaming at me, begging me to stop fighting back.

I lifted my head, my fingers digging into the concrete. I coughed a few times before managing to bring myself to my knees, glancing at the side. There was a small opening between the two buildings, just barely big enough for a person to slip through. The woman and the child were gone. Good.

There’s a Nomu behind me and I don’t know what its quirks are. Skye is in front of me – super strength and speed, teleportation, and lightning. I can’t beat them, but… if they focus their attention on me, they won’t attack civilians.

“Are you really in any position to be smiling, Tegu?” Skye growled before rushing forward.

“How can I not smile when I’m looking at that gruesome face?!” Fire shot out from my body, wrapping around my torso and jerking my body upward as the flames took on the shape of a phoenix. It dropped me onto the roof before circling above me.

The building shook as Skye landed in front of me. “You won’t escape me, I’m going to rip your body apart and feast on your heart!!” She threw her head back, voice taking on a more demonic tone as she laughed.

Sweat rolled down my cheek as I stood up on shaky legs, forcing a grin. “I don’t think your boss will be happy if you kill me.”

“My boss?” She responded incredulously with a bark of laughter. “That’s hilarious, Tegu! That hand fool thinks he can control me? With these powers? Not a chance!” She lifted her hand and the ground started to shake violently, pieces of concrete broke apart and lifted up into the air, shooting toward me. I swept my arm in front of me, raising a wall of fire to destroy the debris before they could hit me.

How many fucking quirks does this bitch have??

“Skye Atol, calm yourself.” Kurogiri’s deep voice reached my ears and I could see the pulsing purple on the other side of the fire. “We need her alive. By using more than three of your quirks, you risk -”

“Shut up!!” She screamed, the rooftop lighting up as she used her lightning attack. A huge gust of wind put out my flames, pushing me backward. My heels hit the small lip surrounding the roof and I fell backward, my body falling through the air toward the earth below.

What am I supposed to do here? I’m not strong enough to beat her, but if I run away, she’ll attack other people instead! I tilted my head to look at the sidewalk at the end of the alley, focusing on that spot. I teleported, falling to my knees and breathing heavily as a sharp pain shot through my head. Shit, I’m at my limit for porting.

“Winchester?”

My fingers dug into the cement beneath me and I forced my head up. Endeavor? What the fuck is he doin’ in Hosu – A sharp pain rang through my body as something slammed into me from behind, sending me flying across the road. I shielded my face as my body slammed through the glass of the building across the street.

“Winchester!”

I coughed, rolling over onto my side. My stomach throbbed painfully and I glanced down, seeing a piece of glass lodged into my right side, blood dripping down the glass. I groaned. This is so not how I wanted to spend my fucking week.

The crackling of flames made me glance over my shoulder, remembering Endeavor. I clutched the piece of glass, the sharp edges cutting into my palm as I tugged it from the wound with a grunt. Blood splattered to the ground and I placed my hand over the wound. Fuck, this is gonna hurt so bad…

I closed my eyes, focusing my power into my hand as it started to heat up. I pinched the skin together, my teeth burrowing in my bottom lip at the searing pain that shot through my body. It hurts so goddamn bad, but it’s better than bleeding out. Breathing heavily, I forced myself to my feet, limping toward the broken window.

Endeavor is going toe-to-toe with Skye and he seems to be holding up a shit-ton better than I was. As I watched her, my brow furrowed. Her muscles are starting to rip apart, cuts appearing across her body. Is that part of a quirk? She’s not talking, either, instead just making deep, guttural noises like… the bird brain Nomu…

Skye roared loudly, her muscles twitching as they expanded. Sweat rolled down my cheek as I held the building for support. Her power shot through the roof, her aura fluctuating like crazy. Oh, shit sticks.

“Get away from her, Endeavor!!”

His narrowed turquoise eyes glanced over at me and he huffed, holding his ground. Goddamn prideful ass fuckers.

Skye’s muscles continued to expand, her voice deepening as she roared, the sound shaking the world around us. There was a good half a second of dead silence before her body exploded from the inside out with a huge gust of wind, knocking me back against the brick wall of the building. I yeeted myself through the broken window just as a chunk of metal hit the wall where I had been standing.

I waited a few seconds until the howling wind died down before peaking around the broken window. Endeavor had blood sliding down his face from Skye’s exploded form, his eye twitching in anger. I still hate the flame fuck honestly, but at this moment, I couldn’t be fucking happier to see him.

“I told you to get away from her, flame fuck.” I released a shaky breath, sinking to my knees.

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▸ Forward

📜 Read more by checking out my masterlist 📜

[sibillascribbles08]

One More Time

Uhhh here’s the clone verse nonsense anyway. I apologize for the massive lack of context feel free to drop me asks?

The only things to know is this AU is set in a far future where The Overlord won during season 3. Toby’s the one who defeated him years later when he was sixteen. He’s nineteen during this ficlet.

Everyone has emotional baggage.

    Toby felt the rush of air hit him as he reached the other end of the rift he’d just opened. He had a box of donuts in hand, ready to share them after meeting up with the nindroids to check on the city. He was never good at making his landing location specific, but generally aiming for Borg tower was usually a good idea.

    Not in this case.

    Toby froze as his vision finally stopped blurring. He wound up in one of the big meeting rooms. By now the chairs were scattered everywhere, one of the tables broken in half. As he took in the scenery he saw Borg sitting in the corner of the room. Pixal stood, arms at the ready with ice crystals dancing around them. Echo had out his twin pistols. Acronix was close to the wall, one of his hands glowing red as the other held Cryptor against the wall.

    The android was in rough shape. The part that normally covered his right eye was broken. There were bullet holes in his chest. Ice was still clinging to his shoulders and around his left arm.

    No one in the room moved. Toby didn’t either. He kept studying the scene, trying desperately to wrap his mind around what was going on.

    When no one made a move, he decided to ask.

    “What’s going on?” He tried to keep voice level, but it teetered between fear and anger. His first thought was that Cryptor had gone rogue, forcing the others to fight him, but that wasn’t possible, right? Cryptor wouldn’t betray him. Not this Cryptor.

    But why else would everyone in the room be doing this to him?

    “T-Toby.” Borg finally spoke up. “I swear there’s an explanation for this.”

    “Then explain.” His anger was starting to win out. “What’s going on?”

    Borg looked at Acronix, who looked back at Borg. Pixal finally lowered her hands, although the ice around them remained. Echo was shaking as he put his pistols away, eyes somehow looking bigger than usual.

    With no one else speaking up, Borg continued. “Acronix and I were ah, working on developing a machine. Cryptor didn’t approve. An argument broke out.”

    That was far too simple. Suspicion began to creep its way up as Toby studied everyone else. If it was a simple disagreement they should be happy to see him, right? He could talk to Cryptor, get this all sorted.

    His gaze darted over to Acronix. “Put him down.”

    Acronix shook his head. “We should have Borg check his–”

    “Put him down.” Toby flexed the fingers in his left hand. The gold rings on his knuckles clinked together. “I won’t ask again.”

    “Toby,” Borg’s voice shook. “Let me fix him up. He’s suffered a bit of damage.”

    He felt a familiar tug on his nerves as he opened his hand. The air shifted around him before it dropped, along with everyone else in the room. Pixal hit the floor, as did Echo. Borg cringed in his wheelchair before clutching the sides of his head. Acronix tried to hold out, but after a few moments dropped to his knees, losing his grip.

    Toby stepped over, slow, putting the box of donuts on one of the tables as he kept walking. Everyone in the room struggled to move or stand, groaning through gritted teeth. Toby didn’t pay it any mind as he reached Cryptor, carefully pulling the nindroid’s arm over his shoulder.

    “Toby,” Acronix hissed. “Listen, we didn’t–”

    Toby cut him off. “Cryptor wouldn’t start a fight lightly. I’m going to fix him up, and talk to him, and figure out what’s going on. And if I need more answers I’ll come back and ask.” He turned, glad that his powers made the nindroid feel so light to him.

    Red light appeared. He could feel the effects of Acronix’s powers slowing and then freezing his steps. The small lights on his arm glowed as he let go of Cryptor’s hand for a moment and snapped his arm out. Acronix’s power shattered. Toby turned to see the master of time attempting to approach him, now frozen in shock.

    Toby lowered his hand as the gravity in the room shot back up.

    With Acronix on the floor again, Toby stepped over, kneeling down so he was at eye level.

    “Do not. Make me. Hurt you.” He couldn’t keep the edge out of his voice. He wanted to do so much worse than this right now. At first glance all of this was nothing short of betrayal, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to know what they’d been planning.

    But as it was, he didn’t have all the facts. So he stood back up and headed out of the room, not releasing his grip on the gravity until he teleported himself across town.

-------------------------

    [Reboot initiated. Diagnostics running…

    . . .

    Damage report: Right lens damaged. Unable to function. Foreign objects located in the chest, shoulder, and hip. Wire damage next to power source. Right arm function at 70%. Water damage to both plasma guns.

    Restarting in–]

    Cryptor forced his vision to kick back in. He couldn’t sit there waiting for a restart when the others were–

    Where was he? He looked around the dark room, light coming in through a broken window. An abandoned building? He must be on the far outskirts of town but how–

    “You okay?”

    His gaze snapped to his right, finally able to see the person who’d been sitting in his blind spot.

    Toby looked back at him, gaze gentle but wary. Was Cryptor dreaming? Toby was here. Actually here.

    Right when Acronix and Borg were threatening to trick him into powering their damned machine.

    “Toby.” He reached over with his good arm to grip his shoulder. “Listen to me, you can’t be here right now. Not until I shut down Borg and Acronix’s machine. If they get hold of your power–”

    “Cryptor.” His calm tone was always enough to shut the panic in his mind off. “Slow down before you short circuit your voice too. What happened?”

    “Time machine.” He sputtered out. “Borg and Acronix are trying to build a time machine.”

    Toby stared for the longest time, eyes wide. Cryptor never had an easy time reading that expression. What was he thinking? Was he angry? Surprised?

    “They want to reset everything, before the overlord took over. They want to stop it from happening.” The panic was coming back as his vision kept clouding with error messages. His power source wasn’t working properly.

    “And you tried to stop them.” Toby said.

    Cryptor blinked. “I… should I not have? I figured that you–”

    Toby’s expression made him pause, a mixture of pain and anger. He shook his head. “You tried to fight a master of time and a master of ice.”

    “Of course I did.” Cryptor glared. “What else could I have done? This plan… it threatens not only the lives we have now but the lives of all those kids. This future we’ve worked so hard to build would cease to exist. I couldn’t do nothing.”

    Another shake of the head. “That’s not what I was trying to say. I just… your logical self tried to take on all that.”

    “You asked me to protect this country and these people.”

    “I know.” Toby raised his voice and seemed to laugh for a moment. “I don’t know. Sometimes it never sinks in for me how dedicated you are.” He ran a hand through his hair, the strands falling in a rythmic wave across his face. “Nevermind it right now. Do you think you can show me what happened? Let me get some details?”

    “Right,” Cryptor blamed his voice glitch on his broken systems. He tried to pull up his projector only to be harshly reminded that his right eye was broken. He cringed at the sparks it produced, his hand flying over it.

    “Fuck, sorry.” Toby reached out, fingers brushing against the side of his head. “Forgot about that. I’m not super good at fixing this kind of stuff.”

    Cryptor gently pushed his hand away. “No, I forgot as well. We need to find some kind of screen if I’m going to show you, however.”

    “Before I take you anywhere, I need to know who else is in on this.” Toby was touching him again, thumb running under his broken eye. “Because Pixal and Echo were also in that room.”

    Cryptor moved his gaze away. “Acronix convinced them both to aid him during our meeting. Gizmo wasn’t there, I don’t know where he’d stand on the matter. Otherwise they’re the only ones that know.”

    “Not sure I trust the ninja with this if Pixal was that easily swayed.” Toby sighed. “Mindroid?”

    He actually glared at that. “Mindroid would never agree to something like that. You know how much he loves those kids.”

    Toby laughed. “Yeah, yeah, I know. Just figured I’d check. But the orphanage is an obvious spot for them to go looking for us.”

    Cryptor glanced over at where Toby was still touching his face. “It may not be ideal, but the top floors of Borg tower have monitors we could still use. I could probably figure one of those out.”

    “With your power source in that shape?”

    “It’ll be enough.” He once again pushed Toby’s hand away. “Come on, we can’t waste any time. No doubt Borg and Acronix are going to take measures to make sure you don’t find the machine.”

    Toby frowned for a moment before he reached out again. He tugged Cryptor’s arm over his shoulder before taking a single step forward.

    Cryptor had teleported with Toby more than once. It never got less jarring and strange. His system always tried to process all of it, sometimes allowing his vision to be clear enough to see the space around them warp and shift.

    This one was quick enough, however, he didn’t get the chance to see any of it. Suddenly they were on the top floors, all the lights off in the dusty room. The monitors sat unused around the room, big screens that Borg once used for his main office.

    Cryptor tried to walk over to the computers, but his systems protested. He would have hit the ground if Toby didn’t catch him.

    “At least let me get a chair.”

    Cryptor mumbled but didn’t protest as Toby let him lean against the computer counter. There weren’t any actual chairs in the room, so Toby resorted to an unused computer tower. He gripped the sides and easily pulled it out from the desk it was hiding under. The wires behind it snapped as he lifted it up and carried it over.

    Cryptor sat on it, praying it would actually hold his weight as he opened up the computer counter. There should be something for him to plug into, both his power and his visual memory.

    When he found the ports he didn’t hesitate to pop up the badge covering his power core. He reached around for the wires and tugged them out, not missing the cringe on Toby’s face.

    He didn’t pay it any mind as he plugged himself in. The computers chugged before whirring to life, the monitors going blue. More error messages, more warnings. The strain on his power source was enough to make his chest ache, but he ignored it.

    He dug into his memory files, looking for the best place to start.

. . . . . .

    “What is this about?” Cryptor crossed his arms. It was odd for there to be such a sudden meeting. They were typically scheduled twice a week.

    It was more unusual for Borg and Acronix to actually be involved with them. And where was Gizmo? Still at the sewage facility. Probably busy.

    “Ah, yes, I need your help for something.” Borg said, his prosthetic hand tapping against the arm of his wheelchair.

    “What is it?” Pixal said. Odd for her to be in the dark.

    “Acronix and I together have been working on developing something. The unfortunate part is we need something more potent to power it.”

    Cryptor frowned. “Working on developing what?”

    “A time machine.” Acronix didn’t hesitate to answer.

    Cryptor blinked. A what? Just what were they planning to do with something like that? “I fail to see the purpose of that.”

    Acronix snorted. “What else? So we can go back and stop this from happening.”

    His whole body went stiff.

    “Stop what from happening?” Echo chimed in.

    “This, all of this.” Acronix gestured with his hands. “We can go back and stop it. We can make sure Zane survives, that the overlord falls, that you never rotted away on that island.” He pointed at Echo. “If we can make this work we can fix all of it.”

    Cryptor glared. “Hold it. What makes you think it needs fixing?”

    “You can’t be serious.”

    “I’m completely serious. The Overlord is gone now. All of you are here.”

    “Zane isn’t.” Pixal spat.

    “And how much longer do you plan on clinging to his ghost.”

    “He’ll no longer be one if we manage to do this.”

    Cryptor glared and opened his mouth to keep arguing, but Acronix cut in.

    “Face it Cryptor.” The master of time stood up. “The only reason you’re so against this idea is because of your own selfish desire to keep yourself and Toby around.”

    His fangs appeared when he grit his teeth. “Should I remind you that Toby's the only reason that giant mess was fixed in the first place? The only reason any of us are free?”

Acronix opened his arms. “We can make it so that mess never happened.”

    “You want to make that decision then you best be prepared to tell Toby his life doesn't matter.” He stomped towards the man, pointing an accusing finger. “You best be prepared to tell all the kids that too. What the hell would exist in that future that's worth destroying the one we already have?”

    Acronix didn’t back down, despite their difference in height. “You call this a future? The city is still in shambles”.

“That are being repaired.”

    “And how long will that take? Why waste time doing that when we can fix all of it at once?”

    Cryptor leaned back, his control on his temper was failing. He got a warning in the corner of his vision about the rise of his internal temperature. “I didn't take this job for the authority.” He kept his voice level but sharp. “I didn't pledge my life to this continent and the people in it because there was nothing left for me. I made that promise to Toby because I wanted to fix my own mistakes. How dare you.” He began to shout. “How dare you just try and erase it all and sweep it under a rug. Where's the lesson in that? What do you learn by just resetting every mistake? If you wish to call me selfish, fine, but Toby and all those kids have a right to their future and I won't allow you to take it from them.”

Cryptor aimed to shock Acronix, put him on the ground. If he could lock him up Toby could deal with this when he got back.

Instead something sharp hit his shoulder. A warning appeared. He looked back to see Echo standing there, shaking pistol pointed at him.

“Echo, what are you doing?” Cryptor said.

“I could have been found.” He said. “I could have been found so much sooner, before I fell apart.”

“You know there’s not guarantee–”

“Shut-up!” Echo shouted. “You have no idea what that feels like. Trapped on an island, alone, just watching yourself rot!”

“This isn’t the solution!”

“Then what is?” Pixal argued. “Those kids have a right to their future? So did Zane. So did Lloyd. So did all those other citizens who died under The Overlord’s rule.”

“We can’t just go back.” Cryptor said. “We can’t just remove it. That just makes all our efforts to build a better world a waste.”

“A better world for who?” Acronix spoke up this time. “For nindroids? For Toby? For a bunch of clones.”

Cryptor whirled around to face him again. “Watch your tongue.”

“I’m not wrong.” Acronix’s hands glowed. “This future shouldn’t exist. It shouldn’t have happened. We can keep it from happening.”

No. This future shouldn’t exist? Cryptor didn’t even want to toy with the thought. Even with all the memories that haunted him in the late hours of the night he wouldn’t give up this future for anything. He wouldn’t toss aside the future of those kids. He wouldn’t cease trying to build a better world than the one they were born in. They managed to do this. They managed to rebuild a city from nothing. They managed to create a thriving society from the ashes The Overlord left behind. And now all of these people wanted to throw that away?

His hand moved to touch the badge on his chest that Eli made him. It was nothing but cardboard, aluminum and ribbon glued together. The word “hero” was messily painted on.

Yet he still remembered the day he got it, the young child staring at him with wide green eyes, waiting to see his response.

Eli thought of him as a hero. All of those kids did. They trusted him to protect them.

He refused to sit and do nothing while someone else tried to tear their lives apart.

His hand snapped out. His taser fired. Acronix saw through him, however, using his element to fast forward out of the way. Cryptor refused to let up. Catching Acronix was tricky but not impossible.

But Acronix wasn’t the only threat. His foot stuck to the floor. He looked down at the ice and then at Pixal, her eyes turning red.

He twisted out of the ice, hearing it shatter. Echo drew his other pistol and fired. Cryptor managed to duck out of the way as he richoched against the wall. Borg shouted in alarm.

He didn’t stop moving. He had to take out Acronix. He ran at the master of time. The man tried to freeze him. Predictable. Cryptor weaved away from the red lights, aiming his taser once more.

Ice wrapped around his arm. Cold. Another error message. He glanced back too slow. Pixal snatched his arm, using her strength to throw him across the room. He hit the metal table, the structure collapsing under his weight. More errors. His arm wasn’t working right. He tried to get up and turned only quick enough for Acronix’s fist to slam into his right eye. His vision went black for a moment. Another gunshot. There was a bullet lodged in his chest now. Move. He needed to move. He needed to–

. . . . . .

    “Stop.” Toby said. “I’ve got it.”

    Cryptor shut down the playback. The screens went back to their pale blue color. His power core was screaming at this point but he kept ignoring it. Instead he focused on Toby who was leaning against the counter. His gaze was turned away, arms crossed, eyebrows pressed together. He was angry.

    “I’m sorry.” Cryptor said. “I wasn’t quick enough.”

    Toby looked at him. “Cryptor–”

    “I wasn’t strong enough. I couldn’t stop them. If you hadn’t shown up when you did I would have completely failed. They might have finished their work before you got here. They might have–” His system sputtered for a moment at the realization. “They wanted to use your abilities to power it. Acronix mentioned it when he was trying to shut me down. They said they needed to hide me before you asked questions because then their plan–”

    “Cryptor.”

    He was shaking. When did that start happening? His vision kept flickering in and out. “I–I was scared. That if they defeated me they’d trick you, trap you, use you like some kind of weapon or tool just–just–just like The Overlord wanted to. I didn’t want–I couldn’t stop–I couldn’t stop–”

    “Cryptor!”

    Toby’s hand was pressed firmly against his chest, against the opening to his power core. There were so many warnings about his systems overheating. His power levels were dangerously low. He finally looked up at Toby who stared at him, eye level.

    “Stop,” Toby whispered as his hands moved up tho his face. “Stop. It’s okay. You didn’t fail. I never would have expected you to take out two elemental masters. I don’t expect you to always have the ability to stop anything this universe throws at us. I don’t expect you to suddenly summon the power to take out any threat.”

    Cryptor glanced at Toby’s left arm. “You did.”

    “A streak of luck, trust me.” Toby tightened his grip. “You won’t win every fight. I’m sorry for making you feel like you needed to be unstoppable. You don’t. Sometimes things are too big for you to take on yourself.”

    “But if you hadn’t shown up… they could have–”

    “They won’t.” Toby’s voice took on an edge before softening again. “You’ve done more than enough, trust me. I’ll take it from here. I’ll find that machine and tear it apart.”

    “They were planning to use you to power it, you can’t–”

    “You really think they can stop me?” Toby offered him a smile. “I’m taking you to the orphanage, get Min to help fix you up. Then I’ll go take care of this.”

    “Don’t go alone.” Cryptor reached up, fingers curling around Toby’s hand. “Please don’t.”

    “I’ll take care of it.” Toby kept smiling at him. “Trust me.”

    I do. The words were lost. His mouth hung open for a moment before the warnings in his head became too much. His chest ached. It burned.

    [Warning: Overextension of power core. System will shut down.]

    No, no. He had to make sure Toby didn’t go alone. He had to keep fighting. What if something went wrong? What if he was lying there useless and Toby got overwhelmed?

    “Trust me.” Toby whispered again, hands still holding onto him.

    The tone of his voice put him at ease, just long enough for his system to take advantage of it and shut everything down.

-------------------

    After leaving Cryptor with a now very distressed Mindroid, Toby wasted no time teleporting out of there. He didn’t want to be caught up with the kids.

    Not when his anger was this dangerous.

    He could hear the walls creaking as he walked around the lower floors of the old factory. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind Borg kept it here. His new lab had no hidden rooms, nowhere he could have kept it a secret from the city. Hell, Pixal didn’t even know about it, and she was the new head of his company.

    Toby felt along the walls with his left hand, keeping his focus on the sensations as the metal hummed under his star patterned skin. He kept his vision focused on it, seeing the different rooms and floors throughout the building. The amalgamations were still fine on the floor below him, that was good. The idea of Borg building something like that so close to him would have been enough for him to blast a hole in the wall.

    He kept walking, kept feeling, moving up floor by floor.

    There.

    He could sense the amount of objects in the spare room, five floors above him.

    He teleported in an instant. The door to the room was locked, but he was already inside, so what did that matter? The lights in the room were off but the glow from the computer lights were enough for him to see. The machine was in the back, reaching all the way up to the ceiling. It looked almost like a mech suit, the mechanism in the center likely to stabilize Acronix’s time power so he could warp all of it to the past.

    Whatever. Toby didn’t care how it worked.

    The metal in the room was already creaking and shifting as his anger got worse and worse. The lights on his arm glowed brighter. He kept his eyes focused on the machine before he lifted his arm.

    The wormhole formed in the center of it. The metal creaked and then screamed as it crunched together, bending and warping. Toby didn’t take his eyes of it. He didn’t move his hand. The room shook around him. Lights flickered. The wormhole tried to tug him forward until he planted his feet more firmly in the ground.

    When most of the machine faded from his vision he finally lowered his hand. Something thudded against the floor, shaking it once more. Open wires in the wall sparked. Steam hissed out of a pipe.

    Toby stepped forward, looking at the now cracked floor until he saw what was left of the machine. A chunk of metal, the size of a coin, stuck into the ground.

    He knelt down for a moment, grabbing it with his left hand. The lights flashed as he picked it up, glad he couldn’t feel the weight of it.

    His anger was still fizzling under his skin as he stared at the object.

    “Toby and all those kids have a right to their future and I won’t let you take it from them.”

    His chest hurt. He didn’t know why. He trusted Cryptor from day one practically. The nindroid clearly regretted his past. He was working to do better.

    Yet somehow it still never occurred to Toby that Cryptor would be willing to risk so much in order to not only protect this universe but him as well.

    He’d never seen Cryptor so scared before. He decided to pretend it’s because his power was so low, that his guards weren’t up. Cryptor was scared because he thought Toby was in danger.

    Well, Toby would just have to prove that there was nothing to worry about.

    He flicked the object into the air before catching it again and teleporting. He felt everything around him shift before it reoriented itself. He was back in the busted up meeting room. No one was there, not much of a surprise. He went over to the table where he left his donuts, glad they were still intact.

    With them in tow he warped outside. A few citizens jumped at his sudden presence, others didn’t seem to notice. Toby didn’t hesitate to walk over to the closest security droid.

    “Hey Hailey, how’s it going?” He offered a smile.

    “Oh! Toby! I’m glad to see you. Have you seen Cryptor? He hasn’t been responding.”

    He frowned. “He’s uh, a little under the weather is all I’ll say, but don’t worry. Can you find Borg and Acronix for me?”

    She seemed to think about it, purple eyes darting from side to side. “Hmmm the pair of them are in his office right now, top floor of the new Borg headquarters.”

    “Anyone with him?”

    “Pixal seems to be.”

    “Perfect.” Toby gave her a grin before he teleported once more.

    This time he made sure to make his arrival more sharp, the space around him snapping, making the room shake. The others turned to look at him, eyes wide once more at his presence.

    “Jeez, so tense.” Toby smiled. “Like you’re up to no good.”

    “Toby,” Borg said. “Listen, I know a lot of this seems bad but–”

    “Sorry but I already heard everything, or at least what you told Cryptor.” His smile only faltered for a moment. “Found your machine, by the way.”

    He tossed the metal object on the floor. It dropped in an instant, hitting the ground hard enough to create an indent in the floor. Everyone’s expressions jumped from shock to fear.

    “Look, I’m not here to just play intimidation cards.” Toby put his hand on his hip. “But I didn’t claw my way out of that factory, watch my friends die, kill one of them myself, grapple with my own nightmares, and then plant this cursed stone in my arm just so you could erase all of it. I didn’t fight tooth and nail for a better future so you could eliminate it.”

    “But you’ve been to other universes.” Acronix said. “You know there’s futures even better than this.”

    He shrugged. “Better in what sense? In those futures Cryptor’s a fucking asshole. In those futures I don’t see cities of people so open to trusting each other because all of us know we’re striving for the same thing. In those futures you’re lost in a time stream.” He pointed at Acronix. “You get stuck in Zane’s head for almost two years.” He pointed at Pixal. “And you still never recover from the guilt for letting The Overlord get loose in the first place.” He pointed at Borg who looked at the floor.

    “And fine, maybe it’s a little selfish of me to want to keep this future so I can stay alive, but like I said, I like my life. I like the life that I fought to have. I guess I’m just sorry none of you feel the same way. You think I didn’t lose something or someone along the way?”

    No one looked him in the eye at this point. Toby figured there wasn’t much point in arguing about it anymore.

    “That was a warning.” Toby pointed at the crater in the floor. “I’m not going to arrest you, or put you away, I’m just going to warn you. If I ever catch you or anyone else threatening the lives of the people here–and yes changing the past classifies as such–I’ll consider you as much of a threat as The Overlord was.”

    Everyone in the room flinched.

    “I get it, the past hurts. I know you want to find a solution, but that’s not it. I hope all of you find a way to sort through this.” With that he turned around and warped out of the building. He took a deep breath.

    Anger time was over. Now it was time to drop these donuts off to the kids, and check on Cryptor, and maybe find Gizmo and Echo so he could talk to them too.

    Seemed more than the buildings in the city needed repairs, but that was fine. They’d find a way to fix all of that too.