So...this is a fic I did a few months ago, but I'm reposting it here because it gives some necessary background for Chasing Shadows (my current story which I will be posting on this club).
The night was dark, lit only by the tiniest sliver of a moon, and cold. Aisling didn’t feel the cold though; her lungs were burning, sweat pouring down her face, as she ran. There. She glimpsed the shock of blonde hair, the glint of the metal mask, before it disappeared behind the edge of the building. Quickly she leapt over the edge of the roof she was running across, landing softly on her feet on the other roof. Hands grabbed her ankles, and she dropped to her belly, panting, Далее to her boyfriend, as the gunshots rang out behind her.
“Great way to end a first date,” she muttered, and Jackson gave a dry laugh.
“What could be better?” he replied softly, putting his arm around her back and pulling her closer to him. Aisling couldn’t help smiling as she batted him away.
“Not now,” she said, and she was right, because the gunshots were getting closer, their pursuers already leaping towards their roof. The two jumped to their feet, Jackson drawing his sword, Aisling tensing to fight. The enemy stopped, edging closer to them. Aisling saw there were three of them, but she couldn’t see who they were. They looked pretty young, though, probably in their late teens. She noticed that their chests were coated in armor, but it was bulky and heavy-looking, nothing like Jackson’s, which was molded exactly to his body.
“What do Ты want?” Jackson hissed. He knew he could melt their armor in an instant, или tighten it so it would constrict their breathing, или control it anyway he pleased, but he would wait. Humor them.
The lead boy, who looked about eighteen, smirked as he stepped forward. “Try it, then,” he purred, his voice dangerously soft. “You might just be in for a little surprise...”
Jackson was taken aback. It was like the teen had read his mind. He probably did, Jackson thought bitterly. He would try, though; he figured the boy was probably bluffing. He channeled the energy from his own metal armor, bringing it into his fingertips and transferring it to the enemy, clenching his fists to constrict the metal. Nothing happened. The damn kid was right.
The boy laughed, the ominous sound ringing in the night. Jackson repressed a shudder. “You really think,” he purred again. “That Kaos would cover their soldiers in metal, knowing that you could melt it?”
Both Герои were stunned at that. Why was Kaos still after them? Aisling thought. True, Jackson had only recently left the organization to Присоединиться the team, but...It was coming back to her now. The conversation, months ago, in the hospital room. After Aisling had woken up after being hacked, and discovered that all memories of her past were missing, what had Бэтмен said? “This mission is not over. Kaos will be back for more. We don’t know when, или what they have in store, but we do know that they didn’t take Aisling’s past for no reason. We just have to be on guard.” Aisling cursed herself. She had forgotten about the whole incident, was nowhere near to being on guard. And now she was paying for it. They were getting her back. But why now? Why with Jackson? Then it hit her. Whatever had happened in her past, Jackson had been a part of it. And they wanted them back. Together.
Jackson was infuriated. Desperately, he tried to melt the armor again, but to no avail.
The other boy laughed again. “Tsk, tsk. Has the metal gotten to your head, lover boy? Well, you’re probably wondering why I’m here.”
Jackson growled. He was, in fact, wondering this exact thing, and he knew it would be no use pretending that he wasn’t. “Oh, do enlighten me,” he snarled, voice dripping with sarcasm.
The boy smirked. “Let me put this plain and simple, so that your little brain can understand. My master--your father--wants your little princess here, and I do too, but for different, *ahem*, purposes. But don’t try to be her knight in shining armor--” he chuckled at his little pun. “Because anything Ты do, besides obey us, will put her life on the line. Is that clear?”
The tone of the boy’s voice made it obvious that he only wanted one answer. Jackson wanted to be defiant, to stand up for himself, but when he looked over to Aisling, he could see the fear radiating off her. He knew she had put two and two together, and she was positively cowering under the prospect of what he was going to do to her. Jackson couldn’t let it happen though, but he knew any act of defiance would make it even worse for his girlfriend.
“Yes.” He сказал(-а) firmly. The boy seemed slightly surprised at Jackson’s confidence, but the expression quickly faded.
“Good. Now, if you’ll hand over the girl without any trouble, neither Ты nor her will be hurt.” He gestured for Aisling to come closer, but before she could move, Jackson jumped in front.
“If you’re gonna do what I think you’re gonna do, forget it, bastard. Ты do not touch my girl.”
“Oh, how sweet,” the boy cooed. “Protecting your damsel in distress...Come to Tesla, little princess.”
Aisling narrowed her eyes. She knew Jackson meant well, but she hated being thought of as the weak one, the girl who needed to be protected at all times. Hated it. To make matters worse, her eyes were starting to water. No, she thought. I won’t cry. No matter what he does to me, I won’t cry. She quickly blinked back the tears that threatened to spill over. “I can handle it,” she hissed to Jackson, as quietly as she could. Unfortunately, the boy, Tesla, heard.
“Well here’s a little twist,” Tesla purred again. Aisling wondered why he couldn’t just yell, like a normal villain. It would be much less scary. “The princess wants to fight. Well, let’s see if she still feels that way in bed, shall we?”
Aisling couldn’t stop herself anymore, couldn’t hold the tears back any longer. She sank to the ground, sobbing, whimpering. “No...” she moaned. “Y-you can’t!”
Tesla smirked. “Oh, but I can.”
No, Aisling thought desperately. I won’t go like this. I’ll fight it. Slowly, her tears stopped. Wiping her eyes, she stood up.
“You won’t do it. We won’t let you.” She tried to sound as resolute as she could, although she wasn’t sure if she had succeeded. Tesla chuckled.
“What’s stopping me?” He stared at Aisling, who tried desperately not to flinch. His gray eyes were empty, like two metallic voids, and cold. Something dark was dancing inside of them, and the way they pierced into her...Suddenly the earth began to wobble. Vibrate really. Was she imagining this? She didn’t think so. Even Tesla’s two cronies, who had yet to say a single word, swayed slightly on their feet. Aisling saw Jackson drop to his knees as the world spun out of control, and she herself had to struggle to stay standing. Only Tesla was able to stay on his feet as a huge chasm opened in the ground, splitting the building they were standing on in half. Tesla smirked.
“Having секунда thoughts?” Aisling couldn’t tell who he was addressing, and she didn’t have much time to think about it, because, by some magnetic force, she had begun to slide towards him. He grasped her arm--upon contact, the shaking stopped, although the others were clearly still affected--and rather unceremoniously threw her in the chasm.
“So long, lover boy!” Tesla called over his shoulder, and everything went black.
Aisling awoke to darkness, so dark that she wasn’t even sure she was awake yet. But no, there was something under her. She was laying flat...on something soft...No! Everything came back to her now...it was actually happening...it couldn’t be! The world still seemed to be swaying, but this time, she had a feeling it might just be her. She wasn’t sure though. Wasn’t sure of anything, at this point. All she knew was that she was lying on her back on a постель, кровати in a strange, dark room and---she realized that she was shivering violently. It was freezing in here, или was she just...she tried to look down, to see if she really was wearing clothes, but something sharp dug into her neck, preventing it from bending. Damn. She was shackled to the bed. Her head throbbed, she must have hit it before she blacked out...the world was swimming around her...it was becoming hard to see...hard to breathe...was she dying? Death would be nice, she thought, better than the...no. She would stay strong. She had to. The team needed her...or did they? She didn’t know...Jackson needs you, she remembered. He’d rather Ты alive and broken, than dead...no, she wouldn’t be broken, even. She wouldn’t let it happen...Was the world always this liquid?...had her head always hurt, the way it did now?...And that incessant ringing...someone turn it off, she moaned...the room looked like liquid...no, jelly...pudding, she finally decided, as she blacked out.
The night was dark, lit only by the tiniest sliver of a moon, and cold. Aisling didn’t feel the cold though; her lungs were burning, sweat pouring down her face, as she ran. There. She glimpsed the shock of blonde hair, the glint of the metal mask, before it disappeared behind the edge of the building. Quickly she leapt over the edge of the roof she was running across, landing softly on her feet on the other roof. Hands grabbed her ankles, and she dropped to her belly, panting, Далее to her boyfriend, as the gunshots rang out behind her.
“Great way to end a first date,” she muttered, and Jackson gave a dry laugh.
“What could be better?” he replied softly, putting his arm around her back and pulling her closer to him. Aisling couldn’t help smiling as she batted him away.
“Not now,” she said, and she was right, because the gunshots were getting closer, their pursuers already leaping towards their roof. The two jumped to their feet, Jackson drawing his sword, Aisling tensing to fight. The enemy stopped, edging closer to them. Aisling saw there were three of them, but she couldn’t see who they were. They looked pretty young, though, probably in their late teens. She noticed that their chests were coated in armor, but it was bulky and heavy-looking, nothing like Jackson’s, which was molded exactly to his body.
“What do Ты want?” Jackson hissed. He knew he could melt their armor in an instant, или tighten it so it would constrict their breathing, или control it anyway he pleased, but he would wait. Humor them.
The lead boy, who looked about eighteen, smirked as he stepped forward. “Try it, then,” he purred, his voice dangerously soft. “You might just be in for a little surprise...”
Jackson was taken aback. It was like the teen had read his mind. He probably did, Jackson thought bitterly. He would try, though; he figured the boy was probably bluffing. He channeled the energy from his own metal armor, bringing it into his fingertips and transferring it to the enemy, clenching his fists to constrict the metal. Nothing happened. The damn kid was right.
The boy laughed, the ominous sound ringing in the night. Jackson repressed a shudder. “You really think,” he purred again. “That Kaos would cover their soldiers in metal, knowing that you could melt it?”
Both Герои were stunned at that. Why was Kaos still after them? Aisling thought. True, Jackson had only recently left the organization to Присоединиться the team, but...It was coming back to her now. The conversation, months ago, in the hospital room. After Aisling had woken up after being hacked, and discovered that all memories of her past were missing, what had Бэтмен said? “This mission is not over. Kaos will be back for more. We don’t know when, или what they have in store, but we do know that they didn’t take Aisling’s past for no reason. We just have to be on guard.” Aisling cursed herself. She had forgotten about the whole incident, was nowhere near to being on guard. And now she was paying for it. They were getting her back. But why now? Why with Jackson? Then it hit her. Whatever had happened in her past, Jackson had been a part of it. And they wanted them back. Together.
Jackson was infuriated. Desperately, he tried to melt the armor again, but to no avail.
The other boy laughed again. “Tsk, tsk. Has the metal gotten to your head, lover boy? Well, you’re probably wondering why I’m here.”
Jackson growled. He was, in fact, wondering this exact thing, and he knew it would be no use pretending that he wasn’t. “Oh, do enlighten me,” he snarled, voice dripping with sarcasm.
The boy smirked. “Let me put this plain and simple, so that your little brain can understand. My master--your father--wants your little princess here, and I do too, but for different, *ahem*, purposes. But don’t try to be her knight in shining armor--” he chuckled at his little pun. “Because anything Ты do, besides obey us, will put her life on the line. Is that clear?”
The tone of the boy’s voice made it obvious that he only wanted one answer. Jackson wanted to be defiant, to stand up for himself, but when he looked over to Aisling, he could see the fear radiating off her. He knew she had put two and two together, and she was positively cowering under the prospect of what he was going to do to her. Jackson couldn’t let it happen though, but he knew any act of defiance would make it even worse for his girlfriend.
“Yes.” He сказал(-а) firmly. The boy seemed slightly surprised at Jackson’s confidence, but the expression quickly faded.
“Good. Now, if you’ll hand over the girl without any trouble, neither Ты nor her will be hurt.” He gestured for Aisling to come closer, but before she could move, Jackson jumped in front.
“If you’re gonna do what I think you’re gonna do, forget it, bastard. Ты do not touch my girl.”
“Oh, how sweet,” the boy cooed. “Protecting your damsel in distress...Come to Tesla, little princess.”
Aisling narrowed her eyes. She knew Jackson meant well, but she hated being thought of as the weak one, the girl who needed to be protected at all times. Hated it. To make matters worse, her eyes were starting to water. No, she thought. I won’t cry. No matter what he does to me, I won’t cry. She quickly blinked back the tears that threatened to spill over. “I can handle it,” she hissed to Jackson, as quietly as she could. Unfortunately, the boy, Tesla, heard.
“Well here’s a little twist,” Tesla purred again. Aisling wondered why he couldn’t just yell, like a normal villain. It would be much less scary. “The princess wants to fight. Well, let’s see if she still feels that way in bed, shall we?”
Aisling couldn’t stop herself anymore, couldn’t hold the tears back any longer. She sank to the ground, sobbing, whimpering. “No...” she moaned. “Y-you can’t!”
Tesla smirked. “Oh, but I can.”
No, Aisling thought desperately. I won’t go like this. I’ll fight it. Slowly, her tears stopped. Wiping her eyes, she stood up.
“You won’t do it. We won’t let you.” She tried to sound as resolute as she could, although she wasn’t sure if she had succeeded. Tesla chuckled.
“What’s stopping me?” He stared at Aisling, who tried desperately not to flinch. His gray eyes were empty, like two metallic voids, and cold. Something dark was dancing inside of them, and the way they pierced into her...Suddenly the earth began to wobble. Vibrate really. Was she imagining this? She didn’t think so. Even Tesla’s two cronies, who had yet to say a single word, swayed slightly on their feet. Aisling saw Jackson drop to his knees as the world spun out of control, and she herself had to struggle to stay standing. Only Tesla was able to stay on his feet as a huge chasm opened in the ground, splitting the building they were standing on in half. Tesla smirked.
“Having секунда thoughts?” Aisling couldn’t tell who he was addressing, and she didn’t have much time to think about it, because, by some magnetic force, she had begun to slide towards him. He grasped her arm--upon contact, the shaking stopped, although the others were clearly still affected--and rather unceremoniously threw her in the chasm.
“So long, lover boy!” Tesla called over his shoulder, and everything went black.
Aisling awoke to darkness, so dark that she wasn’t even sure she was awake yet. But no, there was something under her. She was laying flat...on something soft...No! Everything came back to her now...it was actually happening...it couldn’t be! The world still seemed to be swaying, but this time, she had a feeling it might just be her. She wasn’t sure though. Wasn’t sure of anything, at this point. All she knew was that she was lying on her back on a постель, кровати in a strange, dark room and---she realized that she was shivering violently. It was freezing in here, или was she just...she tried to look down, to see if she really was wearing clothes, but something sharp dug into her neck, preventing it from bending. Damn. She was shackled to the bed. Her head throbbed, she must have hit it before she blacked out...the world was swimming around her...it was becoming hard to see...hard to breathe...was she dying? Death would be nice, she thought, better than the...no. She would stay strong. She had to. The team needed her...or did they? She didn’t know...Jackson needs you, she remembered. He’d rather Ты alive and broken, than dead...no, she wouldn’t be broken, even. She wouldn’t let it happen...Was the world always this liquid?...had her head always hurt, the way it did now?...And that incessant ringing...someone turn it off, she moaned...the room looked like liquid...no, jelly...pudding, she finally decided, as she blacked out.
