I actually liked the Incredibles special.. the one with Kari babysitting Jack Jack XD, in your IAU which character would be Kari and which of the links Jack Jack ? XD
Kari is Groose, and poor Four is the kid who ends up being left home because he had no powers (his older brothers aren’t going to bring him on their crazy scheme! He has no way to defend himself and he’s little, he’s staying home). I’ve worked on that scene a fair amount and it always makes me giggle because having Groose there is hysterical to me.
It’s a big scene that I want to do proper justice so I’m not finished with it yet, and probably won’t be for a while, but here’s a wip of it :)
“Okay, okay there’s a kid on the ceiling and one in the wall, but it’s fine,” Groose said in something of a panic. “It’s fine! I can handle a couple kids for Pete’s sake, I’m tough! I can do this!”
Red tugged on his sleeve as he was speaking, and Groose looked down at him, then picked him up with a relieved sigh.
“Well, at least you’re still normal, little guy.”
Red smiled, then sneezed and burst into flame.
Groose screamed, and Red screamed too, but more because Groose had dropped him and was now flailing wildly as he tried to get to the fire extinguisher.
Green was shouting advice from where he still clung to the light fixture in the living room, not sure how to get down after being scared into jumping up there, and Vio had broken a hole in the wall when he’d accidentally punched rock straight through it. Nobody knew where Blue had gone, but there was a suspiciously large stream of water gushing down the stairs.
Groose was very much regretting coming here at all.
“He’s tiny,” Legend exclaimed, staring at their newest brother, wrapped tight in a blanket in Malon’s arms. “Why’s he so small?”
“It’s ‘cause he came early, that’s why. When the baby comes early, the baby is small,” Twilight said in a bit of a know-it-all voice, and Wild peered at the newest Link, tilting his head.
“Is that why he looks like raw chicken?”
“Wild! Don’t say that,” Twilight exclaimed, and Warriors muffled a laugh, Sky elbowing him.
“Ow, stop, you know it was funny,” Warriors protested, picking up Wind so he’d have a defense against any more elbows.
“Yes, but at least try and set a good example, hm?” Time said from where he was sitting beside Malon, an eyebrow raised. Warriors waved a hand in defeat.
“Hey that’s a good nickname, we can call him Chicken!” Legend said, and more of the adults in the hospital room had to muffle laughter.
“Absolutely not,” Malon said firmly, even though there was a ghost of a smile on her lips. “We’re not saddling him with a nickname like that.”
Wind leaned closer to the baby while everyone talked and discussed nicknames and other things, and tilted his head, then tugged Warriors’ sleeve.
“Yeah bud? What’s up?” Warriors asked, and Wind pointed to the baby.
“Chicken,” he said.
Malon had to shush everyone when the baby stirred from all the laughter that ensued.
“If you blow a dandelion’s seeds off all in one breath then you get a wish,” Wind said in a know-it-all voice, and Four squinted at him.
“Where did you hear that?”
“Uh... I forget. But it’s probably true! It’s like the thing with buttercups,” Wind said, and plucked one of the little yellow flowers. “If you hold it to your face and your chin turns yellow, it means you like butter.”
“Who’s telling you this stuff, Wind?” Legend asked with a confused look, and Twilight muffled a cough that sounded a lot like Uncle Sky.
Merry Christmas and soon to be happy new year, I’m squeaking in one more update before the year is gone! Consider it a hobbit birthday present from me :) I’ve been waiting to share this chapter for a while, I hope you all enjoy!
Ao3 link
First | previous | next (coming soon)
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Time woke up, and for eight rather enjoyable seconds, forgot he was a rabbit.
On the ninth, he twitched an ear that felt much too long, paused, and then grimaced, remembering his current fuzzy predicament. His hearing was still unusually sharp, and his body felt... wrong, just like it had when he’d been a kid and was still getting used to his powers. Something warm was pressed against his side, and Time groaned, twitching an ear as he pried his eye open.
Something green was stretched across him, and Time followed it up to where it was connected to a shoulder, and then a familiar face, freckles sticking out against too-pale skin.
“Hyrule?” Time asked, his mouth moving more slowly then he wanted it to. His son startled, them looked down at him, his expression turning relieved.
“Dad,” he sighed, and adjusted his hold on him. “I didn’t know if you were going to wake up.”
“Wake up? What... oh no,” Time said with a hiss of pain, remembering the rest of what had happened. “Hyrule, are you okay?”
“Just sore. I woke up first,” he explained, and absently held Time a little tighter. “Wild’s still out. Twilight must have made it away, he’s not in here with us.”
“That’s good,” Time sighed in relief, then nuzzled gently against Hyrule’s arm. “I’m sure he’ll find the others and come back.”
Hyrule nodded, running a shaky hand over Time’s fur, and Time let him while he looked around.
He and Hyrule were in what looked almost like a fish tank, walls made of a clear material, a thick door, barely enough room for Hyrule to stand up inside. Time could see Wild lying motionless in another one beside them, hair splayed across his face, and he swallowed. He couldn’t do anything about it right now though, so he turned his attention to the rest of the room.
It seemed like a much nicer version of the room they’d found the blupee in downstairs— equipment on some counters to the side, tiled floor. This room was much bigger though, and had some soft looking chairs in a corner next to a desk, with a carpet and quite a few bookshelves beside it. There was a huge window with something over it, and the only light came from a harsh white one above their heads. Time craned his neck and saw more glass cells behind them, and swallowed.
It looked like there was enough room for everyone they’d brought to be placed inside one.
“Do you know what that big thing is over there?” Hyrule asked after a moment, and Time looked to where he was pointing, a large, almost cartoonish-looking machine set near the window. It was a vaguely gun shaped sort of thing, with a panel on the side with lots of buttons and switches that seemed unnecessary. Time was reminded of a comic book Wind owned.
“I’d bet that’s what he used against us,” Time breathed, squinting to look closer. “Probably what switched our powers.”
“You think so?” Hyrule asked curiously. Time nodded.
“We’re in his... lab, or something like it. It would make sense if this was the main machine. It certainly looks like it could blow up a hallway,” Time observed.
Hyrule sighed and held him tight. “It does.”
Time lightly brushed his head against Hyrule’s arm, then settled in to think. How were they going to get out of this? He himself was pretty much useless at the moment, and while he was sure the others would come, getting out themselves would make things easier and eliminate some danger. He’d have to rely on the other powers they had right now.
“Hyrule, could you freeze this glass like you did the cage downstairs?” Time asked, and his son shook his head.
“I already tried. It didn’t work. He must have weather-proofed it or something.”
“Or perhaps he made this one specifically for whoever had the ice powers,” Time said thoughtfully. He sighed. “Well, perhaps we could—”
“Grilled cheese!” Wild suddenly yelled, sitting up so fast he banged his head on the glass. Time and Hyrule both jumped. “Don’t let the soup—! Ow. Uh.”
Wild rubbed his forehead and looked around with a squinty look, pushing some hair out of his face.
“Oh. Hey,” he said when he spotted Hyrule, and gave a little wave. “I had this weird dream where we all had the wrong powers and Dad was a bunny and we were shot with these little darts—”
Time raised his head so Wild could see him, and Wild blinked, then groaned.
“Aw man, it was real?”
“Unfortunately, yes,” Time said, and Wild grumbled.
“Why couldn’t the part with the sandwich have been the real part?” he said huffily. “I’m starved.”
“We’ll eat when we get home,” Time reassured, and Wild’s nonchalance faded, his face worried as he looked around at their predicament.
“If we get home,” he said quietly.
Hyrule abruptly stiffened.
“I’m not staying here,” he said in a sharp voice, grip tightening around Time. “I’m not letting him do anything to me, he can’t have any of my powers, he can’t.”
Time could feel his breath speed up, and he looked up at him, noting how stiff Hyrule looked. There was an odd light in his eyes too, and Time breathed out, realizing what the expression meant.
They were being kept somewhere and unable to leave because of their powers. The scientist only wanted to exploit them, and keep them for the sole use of what they could do for him.
A situation similar to what Hyrule had run into several times before in his life.
Oh Hyrule.
“We’ll get out of here,” he said in a reassuring voice, patting Hyrule with a paw. “I promise.”
Hyrule just held him tighter.
A door suddenly clicked, and they went quiet, waiting to see what would happen. It swung open, footsteps tapping, and Time saw nice shoes before he saw anything else. Hyrule adjusted his grip, and Time could suddenly see the rest of the man who walked in.
Middle-aged and dressed in a stereotypical lab coat, he had a thin but surprisingly pleasant face— one that Time thought looked familiar. He didn’t have time to think about it though, as the man came forward and looked at them all, a pleased expression crinkling the corners of his eyes.
“You’re the guy who’s behind all this!” Wild yelled before he could say anything, and the man turned him with an amused look.
“Indeed, this is my work. How do you do?” he asked pleasantly.
“Fix our powers you jerk!” Wild snapped, and the scientist tsked, wagging a finger at him.
“Relax boy, this was only a test. And that’s no way to speak to your elders.”
“Then I’ll say it: fix our powers,” Time demanded, and it would have been quite menacing but for the fact that he was still a rather small rabbit.
“Ahh the Fierce Deity,” the scientist chuckled, adjusting the goggles resting atop his head. He peered down at Time, and Hyrule stiffened. “I find it curious you ended up with the lagomorphic ability rather than something equally powerful to your own skills. Perhaps that imbalance was what drew them to you though, hmm...”
He mumbled something to himself, then took out a notepad and scribbled something down.
“Yes, I’ll have to test that,” he hummed, clicking his pen. “But for now, you’re simply under observation. Fear not Champion, I’ll replace your powers when I’m finished with my tests.”
“And how long will that take?” Wild asked in the same sharp voice.
“Only a few months,” the scientist said with a smile. “Maybe a year, but only if the data I gather proves insufficient.”
Time’s eyes widened, and Hyrule’s breath hitched. Wild looked momentarily stunned, then he resumed his glare at the man.
“You can’t keep us here for a year!” he snapped, kicking at the wall of his cage. “I have library books due next week!”
“I can and I will,” the scientist said in a matter-of-fact voice. “And I never said I was going to let you out after that. Think of this as more of a... permanent position.”
“You cannot kidnap and imprison children,” Time spat, and the scientist raised an eyebrow.
“But you can bring them into battle? Pot kettle black, Fierce Deity. I recall there was an incident in the news a few weeks ago where Hurricane was nearly killed, and based on his height, he can’t be older than fifteen. I would say they’re all far safer in here, wouldn’t you agree?”
Time stayed silent.
The scientist smiled. “That’s what I thought. I think you’ll come to understand in your time here that this is truly what’s best for everyone.”
Wild stuck out his tongue at him.
The scientist merely gave him that same warm smile that sent chills through Time’s fur and made Hyrule stiffen, and Time tried to figure out why he seemed so familiar. Had he met him somewhere? Had he crossed paths with him as a civilian?
“Who are you?” Time asked, and the man smiled at him.
“My name is Doctor Mizumi. It’s a pleasure to have you all here,” he said with a small bow, and Time startled at the name.
“Mizumi?”
He’d known a scientist back in the day who’d gone by that name, but he was an old man, and a chemist, one that specialized in marine research. Not... superpowers and cloning.
“Ah. I see you must have known of my dear father,” the scientist said, voice flat. “Knew him, perhaps. Unsurprising he never mentioned you. He was a true genius, but entirely squandered his talent on silly water projects.”
“His advances saved lives!” Time said in disbelief. “His involvement with fixing the Great Bay disaster was invaluable, do you have so little respect for that? For your father?”
“He wasted his time with water droplets and algae. He could have been doing amazing things, world-changing things, but chose to squander his life in a hut by the bay. I am twice the man he ever was,” the scientist said coldly. “And soon everyone will know it.”
He breathed in and then out, his expression smoothing as he seemed to calm himself.
“You three and the rest of your team will be part of things you can’t imagine,” Dr. Mizumi said finally, looking at them. “I’ll solve mysteries nobody has ever solved, discover advances unheard of. It will be glorious, and if you survive, I’m sure you’ll appreciate the results.”
Hyrule and Wild exchanged alarmed looks, and Time stood up as much as he could, catching the scientist’s eye. He’d heard enough.
“I have a deal for you,” he spoke, trying to keep the squeak his voice held away.
“You’re not really in a position to bargain,” Dr. Mizumi observed.
“I am with this. Let them go, and I’ll willingly stay,” Time said simply, gesturing at himself. Hyrule and Wild looked at him incredulously, but Time didn’t falter. “I won’t try to escape. I won’t fight you. I’ll be your... subject as long as you like. Just so long as you let them go free.”
Dr. Mizumi briefly considered. “Tempting. But I’m afraid I’d rather have five unwilling subjects then a single willing one,” he said with a shrug. “If I’m to properly study powers, I need multiple cases in order to get conclusive results.”
Wild frowned. “Wait, don’t you mean three subjects?”
Dr. Mizumi smiled. “No, I meant five.”
The door he’d come through opened again, and some of the guards they’d seen earlier walked in, dragging something behind them. Time’s breath left him when he saw red hair, and Hyrule sucked in a gasp.
It was Malon and Artemis, unmoving.
“What did you do to them?!” Wild shouted with an equally enraged and frightened look, and the scientist waved a calming hand.
“Good heavens, relax, Champion. It’s only sleeping gas. I couldn’t have them leaving once I finished my first test with them, that’s all,” he assured. “They’ll wake up in a few minutes.”
Time wasn’t convinced of that, seeing as there were spots of blood on both Malon and Artemis. But he knew yelling about it wouldn’t help right now while they were trapped. And it would likely just make his kids more worried.
So he remained silent as the guards put the women each in different glass cells, Malon next to Wild, Artemis more near Time and Hyrule. Wild looked at his mother with a frightened look, but since Time couldn’t see her very well, he gave Artemis a quick scan.
She seemed okay, though there was a little blood by her temple, and she seemed pale. It might have been because of the lighting, but Time couldn’t tell. She was also missing a glove for some reason too, but overall looked... okay.
Time hoped Malon was the same.
“It’s a disappointment I only got these two, but that won’t be the case for long,” Dr. Mizumi said in a satisfied voice as he looked at them all, lingering on each of them for a few seconds. “Since the rest of your group should be arriving... now.”
Something beeped on the doctor’s wrist as he spoke, and he looked at the large door, the guards standing ready.
Time tensed, and felt Hyrule do the same, but the door didn’t move. A few silent moments went by, even Wild keeping quiet, and Dr. Mizumi glanced at them, then at the doors to his lab, and let out a tsking noise.
“Your teammates are late,” he said in a disapproving voice. “I gave them a rather generous amount of time to show up, and yet they seem not to have grasped the scope of this situation. I warned them of the consequences... and yet here we are.”
He motioned to the guards, then Time’s heart froze as he pointed at Wild.
“Bring him, please.”
“What?! Hey hey, wait, let’s not be hasty,” Wild blurted out, shrinking back in his cell as the guards approached. “Why don’t we wait a little longer? It’s only been a bit, right? Maybe just give them another minute? There’s a lot of stairs in this place!”
The guards paused and looked at their boss, but the scientist waved them on. “I said not to be late. If they won’t listen to me, I’m sure they’ll listen to one of you,” he said mildly. “Especially if I show them I wasn’t kidding about a penalty.”
“Take me instead!” Time shouted, but the scientist and guards ignored him, Wild getting dragged out of his tiny cell despite his frantic struggling.
Hyrule held Time in an almost bruising hold as Wild was dragged out, Time’s heart in his throat as he watched him get strapped to a table. Wild gave his father a panicked look, and Time tried to look reassuring, even though inwardly he was screaming. If he’d had even a flicker of his normal powers, he could have Wild out of there in seconds.
But all he could do now was watch.
Once Wild was strapped down, the guards moved, and Dr. Mizumi actually removed the straps on his left wrist, though the freedom wasn’t enough for Wild to do anything. He pulled off Wild’s glove, setting it aside, then drew out a long knife.
Hyrule’s fingers tightened in Time’s fur.
Dr. Mizumi stretched out Wild’s bare arm, teasing the knife along his wrist. Wild tried to stay still, but he couldn’t help his flinch, and Time growled.
“Now. I’m a kind man, and I’m willing to be gracious with you all,” he said, like he wasn’t actively threatening a teenager. “If you can convince the rest your group to get up here and willingly give themselves up, I won’t touch a hair on the boy’s head.”
“And if not?” Time asked slowly.
He shrugged. “He doesn’t need both his hands.”
Wild paled, and Dr. Mizumi looked right at Time.
“Up to you, Fierce Deity. I’ll give you thirty seconds.”
“Wouldn’t he make a better subject if he was intact?” Hyrule spoke up in an emotionless voice, and the scientist shrugged.
“One hand won’t do much. Besides, I’ve been wanting to test how fast a super heals compared to an average human. There are easier ways certainly, but this wouldn’t be a bad test of it.”
He pressed the knife against Wild’s skin, and Time heard his son quickly muffle a whimper.
“Clock is ticking.”
“Don’t do it,” Wild said in a small voice, and Time looked at his son.
Wild was pale, and his expression frightened, but he gave Time a pleading look, shaky determination in his eyes. He was willing to suffer, just to keep the others safe and increase their chances of escaping from here, even though there was already a thin line of blood marring his skin.
Time... Time couldn’t let him do that.
This was an immediate danger, and though Time certainly didn’t want the others to give themselves up, he couldn’t see a way out of the current issue that didn’t involve Wild losing a limb. And he couldn’t let that happen. Wouldn’t. He’d rather lose his own hand then watch his son have his removed.
Something flickered beside Wild.
Time blinked, not certain what it was he’d seen at first, but then it flickered again, and he saw a colorful suit and a finger held to lips, silently begging him to keep quiet.
Four.
Hope swelled in Time’s chest, and Four gave him a tiny, stressed smile before disappearing again. There had been blood on his face, but he otherwise looked okay, and Time tried to stay calm. He must have gotten Artemis’s powers of intangibility, and so long as he could control it, that meant he could easily hide himself from view.
Hyrule must have seen Four as well, since Time felt him start a bit in surprise, but he stayed still, his face remaining a blank sort of worried. Wild was focused on the knife on his wrist, but it was probably better he hadn’t seen Four— with the scientist right there, it would be safer if Four waited to show himself to Wild.
“Time’s up,” Dr. Mizumi said, startling Time from his thoughts. “Tell them to surrender, or I start cutting.”
“Okay, okay,” Time assured, thoughts and terrible half-formed plans rapidly running through his head. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Artemis and Malon begin to stir, and felt his worry mix sickeningly with hope. “You know they might not listen, though.”
“Oh I think they will,” Dr. Mizumi smiled. “Hearing it from you, they’ll know what’s at stake.”
“Fierce Deity,” Wild said quietly, but Time didn’t look at him, knowing the less attention on him and Four the better.
“Give me the microphone,” Time said, and Wild sighed with a mix of relief worry frustration in his voice. But he had to buy time, and this was the best way to do it, and also keep Wild from getting hurt.
Dr. Mizumi smiled. “Wonderful.”
He drew the knife back, though Wild remained strapped to the table. Time could see Four hiding underneath, fiddling with something, and the scientist picked up a device like what you’d used to speak over an intercom. He stepped over to where Time and Hyrule were trapped, and opened a small hole in the wall, passing it through.
“Speak through that, and tell them to surrender,” he said as he stepped back, and Time scowled, Hyrule picking up the device for him since he couldn’t himself. “And no funny business.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Time said flatly. “Do I give them time to get up here in case they’re across the building?”
“It’s your job to convince them that this is time sensitive,” Dr. Mizumi said with a smirk, still holding the knife. He gestured for Time to speak. “Go on. You know what will happen if you aren’t convincing enough.”
Hyrule pushed the button, and Time sighed.
“Boys,” Time began, not entirely sure what to say. He needed to stall for time, but not let the scientist in on what he was doing. “We’re in... a bit of a predicament, at the moment.”
Four had begun to remove the straps on Wild’s right side, and Wild jumped when he felt the movement. His eyes widened, and Time quickly resumed his message.
“It has to do with the previous announcement I’m sure you heard. We’re okay, we just don’t really... have a choice here. You... you all had better come to the top floor.”
“Unarmed and ready to surrender,” the scientist reminded, and Time scowled at him.
“Unarmed and ready to surrender,” he bit out, not hiding the displeasure in his voice. Four had finished with Wild’s right side, and was now attempting to work on the left without being seen. “And... you’d better hurry. He wasn’t kidding about the threats.”
“That should do for now,” the scientist said in a pleased voice. “Thank you very much, Fierce Deity.”
Four only had one strap left.
Time smirked at the scientist, and lightly tapped Hyrule with his back paw to warn him.
“Actually, I was kidding about the surrendering part, but you’ll probably want to get up here anyway,” he said into the microphone, and as Dr. Mizumi’s face turned angered, Four removed the last of Wild’s bonds.
Wild immediately lunged for the scientist with a shout, and the guards ran for him as Dr. Mizumi yelped and quickly backpedaled. Four reappeared and ran for where Time and Hyrule were trapped, and hurriedly began to unlock the door while Wild wreaked havoc.
“Good job Prism,” Time said in a proud voice, and Four gave him and Hyrule a shaky grin, opening the door and squeezing Hyrule’s arm.
“It wasn’t easy. Let’s go!”
The scientist had scrambled back from Wild with no noticeable injury, standing in front of the machine Time had noticed earlier, and Wild was now trying to fight past several guards in order to get to him again. Malon and Artemis weren’t fully awake yet, and Time quickly decided Dr. Mizumi was their current priority.
Especially since he was messing with something on his wrist, probably calling more guards.
Time told Four and Hyrule as much, and they went to help Wild get past the doctor. But first, Time tugged on Hyrule’s arm, and asked him to put him down.
“You sure?” Hyrule said worriedly, and Time nodded.
“I’m sure.”
Hyrule nodded and ducked down, letting Time hop from his arms. Time landed on the ground with a small thump, and then as Hyrule ran off, focused on the tingly feeling of invisibility.
It took longer than he liked, but it finally spread over him like a full-body shiver, and once Time was certain he couldn’t be seen, he charged for the scientist. He was able to slip right through the fight because of his size, though it was hard to dodge all the legs in his way.
Hyrule’s ice began to join the mix and running became even harder, but Time managed to make it through without being stepped on. He caught his breath for just a moment, then climbed up onto a series of small shelves by the wall, close to the scientist.
Then he leapt at Dr. Mizumi with a squeaky screech.
Dr. Mizumi nearly fell over as the invisible rabbit hit his face, yelling from the unexpected strike. Time battered him with his back legs, using his short claws and legs and anything else he could to try and knock him down. If they could subdue him, then they could get him to tell them how the machine worked and finally get their powers back.
Hands snatched at Time, and he yelped as Dr. Mizumi dragged him off his face, several bleeding scratches trailing across his nose.
His expression was furious, and the sudden grab had startled Time into visibility again. He attempted to bite his hand, but Dr. Mizumi saw it coming, and managed to avoid it.
“That’s enough!” Dr. Mizumi shouted over the din of the fighting and held Time up by the ears.
His boys all froze, eyes going wide, and the scientist breathed in a harsh breath.
“Get in the holding cells,” he said harshly, grabbing his knife again and holding it to Time’s neck.
“You said you wanted us alive,” Wild said in a voice that shook with anger and fear.
“If killing one of you is what it takes to make the rest behave, then I will do it,” Dr. Mizumi said coldly. “This has gone far enough and I am out of patience. Get moving.”
Time swallowed, and saw Malon sitting up in her cell, looking at him with a shocked expression. He tried to give her a reassuring look, but it was hard to do that when you were a little rabbit being held by the ears with a knife at your throat.
Wild and Hyrule began inching backwards when Dr. Mizumi pressed the knife more tightly against Time, but Four stood his ground, glaring.
“Why are you such a jerk?” he said, voice holding a quiet anger. “No wonder Shadow ran away from you.”
“Cloning is an imperfect process at the moment,” Dr. Mizumi said with an eye roll. “Obviously his volatile emotions stemmed from that. Next time I’ll be sure to stabilize that particular quirk.”
“Next—?! No more clones!” Four snapped with an enraged look. “You made Shadow suffer enough.”
“Wait wait, this guy made Shadow?” Wild said in disbelief, and Dr. Mizumi glared at him.
“Why did you even make him? And why does he look like me?” Four demanded.
Dr. Mizumi huffed, and adjusted his grip on Time’s ears. Time’s head was starting to hurt. “I’ll explain everything if you get in your cell.”
“I’m not going until I get an explanation,” Four snapped back, and Dr. Mizumi hissed out a displeased breath.
“...I suppose I may as well explain my genius now,” he said finally. “About... hm, it’s probably been twenty years now... a sample of DNA came into my possession, at a hefty price. The ah, donor wasn’t specified, but after some tests and investigation, I figured out a pool of possibilities. You, my good sir,” Dr. Mizumi said as he gave Time a shake, “were at the top.”
Ice shot through Time’s veins, but he fought to keep his feelings off his face.
How could he have..?
—Wait. Twenty years ago...
That would’ve been right around Majora.
Malon paled, obviously recognizing the significance of the number as well.
“This still doesn’t explain why you made him,” Time managed to get out, and the scientist shrugged.
“Scientific pursuits, my friend. Superpowers are horribly understudied in the scientific world thanks to the ban, and I needed a subject I could test at my own leisure. I wanted to see if I could replicate your powers, but I got something else entirely, and decided to go with it. Trying to figure out if genetics could be tweaked to affect powers, and possibilities of granting powers to those that weren’t born with them has been thrilling, the field is fascinating—”
Wild, leapt at him, his face furious.
He must have forgotten he didn’t have his speed though, because the moment he moved, one of the guards that had been standing at the ready grabbed him, and threw him to the ground.
The rest took that as their cue to move, and in short order Four and Hyrule had been grabbed as well.
“Let them go!” Malon shouted from in her cell, hair blowing around her face, and Dr. Mizumi smiled.
“Ah, good of you two to join us,” he said as Artemis also sat up. He seemed a bit calmer now, and his grip on the knife had loosened. “As I was saying. It took me years to perfect my technique for the clone, and several failures... but I finally made a breakthrough several years ago. And the project was a result of that.”
“His name is Shadow!” Four shouted furiously, and Dr. Mizumi snorted as Wild and Hyrule were wrestled back into their cells, Four struggling viciously against having the same happen to him.
“Titles of that sort are meaningless. He was never meant to last very long. He’d survived longer than anything else certainly, but it’s obvious his powers were unstable, I expected to have to create another one. Why are you so attached to him? It’s just DNA.”
The others looked furious, but Time mostly felt dizzy himself, trying to come to terms with everything he’d just heard.
He got my DNA from Majora, he cloned me enough that he looks like Four, Four who everyone says looks like me, Shadow...
“I assume you’re related to Deity,” Dr. Mizumi said to Four, looking between them. “Which would be why the clone looks like you. You both have the Fierce Deity’s DNA. Obviously the traits showed themselves in a similar way, which is a truly fascinating result. You two are going to be first up on my list of experiments,” he said with a smile at Four and Time.
Four’s face screwed up, but then the door opened.
“Ah, finally,” Dr. Mizumi grinned, and Time’s stomach sank as Warriors, Twilight, Wind and Legend were all muscled into the room by several more guards.
Time quickly looked over them all, noting the state of everyone, and zeroing in on Legend especially. He looked like he was only standing because a guard was holding him up, his eyes red and cheeks damp, and worry pounded in Time’s heart.
He made eye contact with Warriors, who slowly blinked at him in a meaningful way. A bit of relief settled over him.
Ah, a plan. Good.
“Did anyone lose limbs?” Wind said frantically as he was dragged in, and Wild growled from his cell.
“No. Deity’s in trouble though.”
Wind’s mouth clicked shut as he saw Time being held by the ears with a knife at his throat, though Time didn’t miss the brief flicker of amusement in his eyes.
Yes, ha ha, I’m a rabbit. Thank you, Wind.
He was sure there’d be plenty of teasing later.
...If they made it out of here.
“Yes, a touching reunion, wonderful. Cells please,” Dr. Mizumi said with a wave of his hand. “I have more permanent rooming for you all of course, but I need to get some baseline vitals, and see how your new powers are effecting your bodies—”
Four disappeared.
The guard that had been holding him yelped, and before anyone else could do anything, Four suddenly reappeared in front of Time, elbowing the scientist away from him.
Dr. Mizumi dropped Time with a shout, guards swarming forward, and Time hit the ground running, not even sure what he needed to do. He just knew he needed to run.
Instinct took over and he bolted, scrambling out of the way of a guard, feeling bits of himself go invisible as he zigzagged across the floor. Four shouted, and Time glanced back to see Dr. Mizumi pull a gun out from underneath his coat.
Someone else yelled, movement rippled throughout the room, and the scientist aimed the weapon right at Time.
His hand was surprisingly steady, and Time knew with a dreadful certainty that the shot would hit him even as he tried to jump out of the way, twisting himself in the air—
A wolf lunged forward and snatched him out of the way right as the gun went off.
incredibles au asks!!! absolutely yes can I get anything Four-centric? Preferably angst but I will take anything containing my silly boy
*rolls up to this ask 8 months late* hi. sorry. I’m very easily distracted and it turns out this year has been a little hectic lol. And then I just forgot I asked for requests at all 😔 I’m slowly working on them!
I mixed together my hatred for pollen allergies with some nice angst (with a happy ending!), so hopefully you enjoy it :)
(Warning for a pretty severe allergic reaction/trouble breathing)
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Four was never fighting a mutant plant monster ever again.
Pollen whirled through the air, and Four sneezed for the dozenth time in the past minute or so, his nose feeling stuffed and itchy. Legend coughed beside him where they were sheltering behind an overturned car, and they heard the monster screech again, vines whipping through the air.
“This is awful,” Legend complained in a stuffed voice, wiping his nose on his sleeve. “Can you see if Cryonis is getting anywhere?”
“I can barely see,” Four croaked, his eyes puffy and itching. “But I bet he’s doing great—”
A yelp came from nearby, and Warriors went flying past them, slamming into the side of a dumpster with a resounding thud.
“...Or not. Ouch,” Legend winced, and Four scrambled to his feet, joining his uncle’s side despite the tightness in his chest.
“Cryonis?” he asked in alarm, but Warriors was already stumbling to his feet, a wobbly thumbs-up shot his direction.
“All good. It just... caught me off guard. I hate vines,” he said dizzily, giving his head a shake. His eyes refocused, and he flinched as the monster roared. “You guys doing okay?”
“Great, great, amazing,” Four rasped, his breath rattling. “Just great. Let’s take this thing out, please.”
“Right. Could you split, Prism? I think if we distract the monster and let Red get up close, you could use your fire to get it,” Warriors said, flicking his arm around in a circle to make a quick shield of ice.
Four nodded, and reached for the spark in his middle, letting it spread through him. He was getting pretty good at splitting quickly, and a flash of light went out after only a few seconds. When it faded, Four was now four, all of him still a little out of breath and wheezy from the pollen.
Darn. He’d been hoping the effects would’ve also been split.
“All right. Blue, you’re with me, Vio and Green, with Infrared. Red, you wait for an opening and then go for the head,” Warriors directed, and they all nodded.
“Let’s prune this plant!” Blue said viciously, and Legend rolled his eyes.
“You need better banter, Blue,” he snorted, and Blue blew a raspberry at him.
“Argue later, let’s go,” Warriors said pointedly.
The group split, Warriors and Blue running out first. Blue whipped some water out towards the monstrous plant, and Warriors froze it midair, the shards falling onto what served as its head. It roared angrily, and as it went after the two, Legend, Vio, and Green ran out.
The plant tried to snap at Blue and Warriors, but then Green leapt up into the air and kicked its head, making it snarl. Legend turned invisible and slashed a few vines with his weapon, and Vio chucked sharp rocks, all five heroes making an excellent distraction.
Red waited a few moments to be sure he had a good opportunity, then ran out as well, approaching the plant from the side. He lit himself on fire, and charged at it with a yell, burning through vines and stalks.
The monster screeched in rage, and slammed an especially thick vine towards Red, one coated in oddly pretty flowers. Vio ran to stop it, turning himself to stone, but as he caught the vine, it twisted around to hold him instead.
And then pollen shot out through every one of the flowers, most of it going right towards Vio’s face.
Vio immediately began to hack, having taken in a breath in at exactly the wrong time. The vine dropped him when some of Warriors’ ice hit it, but Vio had inhaled an entire cloud of the stuff, and on top of what he’d already been breathing in, it was...
Vio stumbled to his knees, wheezing, and Red gasped as he saw him.
“Oh no! Vio!” he cried, and Legend flickered into visibility as he changed direction.
“I’ve got him! Keep going!” he yelled back, and Red gave Vio a worried look, before going back to burning up the plant.
Legend jumped over a few errant vines, and finally reached Vio, who was on all fours now, a hand pressed to his chest as he wheezed. He could barely focus on Legend as he knelt beside him, his world narrowing down to trying to get air into his lungs.
Some kind of concentrated pollen attack, possible poison? Or just too much on top of the reaction I’m already having?
“Vio, we need to get to shelter,” Legend said, letting out a harsh sneeze of his own. “Can you walk?”
“Ye... yea...” Vio gasped, still wheezing horribly.
Legend raised an eyebrow, but didn’t argue as the plant monster swung another vine their direction. Green quickly distracted it, but it wouldn’t work for long. Vio felt Legend pull him to his feet, barely managing to stay upright, and then Legend dragged him away, looking for suitable shelter.
He found it in a nearby bus stop, and Vio sank down on the bench, still wheezing for breath.
“I’ll be right back,” Legend reassured as the plant roared behind them. “Just take some deep breaths, and try not to pass out?”
Vio nodded breathlessly, and Legend ran off again, hopefully to finally finish off the monster. Green joined him, and the two ran at the plant from the opposite side from Warriors and Blue who were still harrying it with their combined efforts.
Red was working his way to the plant’s mouth, though he kept giving Vio worried glances. The purple hero was still sitting down, and Red could see him coughing even from here.
He’d breathed in so much of that pollen, what if it was poisoned or something like that?!
“Red! Get ready!” Green yelled, and Red hurriedly refocused himself. Warriors and Blue struck at the same time as Green and Legend did, making the plant roar. It turned its head, exposing its stem that had previously been covered, and Red bolted.
His lit himself up with a yell, and leapt right at the stem, shearing through it with his flames.
The plant made a choked sound, vines thrashing, and began to shrivel up. All of them ran backwards, and the plant let out one last dying wail, then fell limp, looking like a giant houseplant that nobody had remembered to water in several weeks.
It was finished.
“Woo! Take that, plant!” Blue cheered with a grin, and Green jumped down from a stalk he’d been hanging off of, smiling almost as widely.
“Nice job you all,” Warriors said, kicking a limp brown leaf. Then his face turned serious “Legend, where did you help—”
A cough cut him off, and everyone startled, Red already hurrying towards Vio.
“Vio! Vio are you okay?!” Red said as he and then Legend scrambled towards him, and everyone else quickly followed them.
Vio had moved to the ground, leaning weakly against the wall, wheezing with one of his hands clenched into the broken sidewalk. Warriors quickly knelt beside him, and put a hand on his arm.
“Vio, can you try to take some slow breaths for me?” he asked, and Vio sucked in another weak breath that turned into a bout of coughing.
“Jeez, that vine got him bad,” Legend muttered. His voice sounded congested, but most of them did, so it wasn’t saying much.
“What happened? I didn’t see him get hit,” Green said in alarm as he knelt by Vio.
“He didn’t get hit exactly, one of the vines grabbed him and shot pollen in his face,” Red said in a fearful voice. “A lot of pollen!”
Vio wheezed again, Warriors’ efforts not seeming to help, and the three other colors exchanged worried looks.
“Should we reform?” Red asked nervously, and Green rubbed at his itchy eyes, then made an uncertain noise.
“I don’t know if that’ll make it worse or better,” he admitted nervously, and Vio let out another wheezing sound. “What if it was poison or something?”
“It doesn’t look like it, but I’m no expert,” Warriors said worriedly, Vio’s face starting to look more red. “Do you think merging would nullify the effects at all? He’s not getting better.”
“I don’t know, but my head hurts,” Blue grumbled, then let out a huge sneeze. “...Ugh. I vote we merge.”
“Me too,” Red said anxiously, and Green sighed.
“Okay. I doubt it would make it worse at least. Vio? You think we should merge?”
Vio let out a few more wheezing coughs, then gave him a shaky thumbs up, before dissolving into a full-on coughing fit.
Green nodded, and they all stepped forward, placing hands on each other. The same light from earlier glowed despite Vio’s hacking, and then Four was one again, standing in the middle of the area.
And then fell to his knees, coughing harshly onto the ground.
Four could hear his breath wheezing, a nasty rattling sound coming from his chest, and he barely registered Legend kneeling beside him and saying something. His eyes itched, his stomach hurt, and breathing was much harder than it should have been.
There was talking above him in sharp worried tones, but Four didn’t have the focus to figure out what any of the words were. Footsteps took off, and a hand rested on his back.
“Four, it’s okay, Warriors is going to get something to help,” Legend’s voice swam into his ear, and Four wheezed, sucking in some air but not nearly as much as he wanted. “I-I’m going to help you sit up, okay?”
Four couldn’t reply.
He felt Legend pull him upwards, and he shakily tried to help him, pushing up with his hands. They managed to get him to a sitting position, and Four slumped against Legend’s shoulder, still wheezing, eyes pricking with tears.
“Okay, there you go. Just try to breathe, Four,” Legend said, and Four did his best, starting to feeling lightheaded. “Breathe.”
Four’s breath hitched, but he tried to do what Legend said. His chest felt tight though, too tight along with his throat, and the deep breath he’d tried to take was just another wheeze. Legend’s hand tightened on his arm, and Four curled into his hold, another miserable cough coming from his lungs.
I shouldn’t have reformed...
Four choked on his next cough, and Legend tried to sit him up more, Four uselessly scrabbling at his arm. His world was starting to get worryingly blurry, and he sucked in another weak gasp, clutching at Legend.
“You’re okay, you’re okay,” Legend said as Four’s world started to fade around him, and his throat grew almost too tight to breathe through. “Hold on, Four, he’ll be back real soon, just try to breathe, please.”
Four made a thick wheezing sound, and Legend clutched back at him, muttering something under his breath that Four couldn’t make out. His senses started to desert him, world narrowing down only to his weak breaths and occasional desperate cough, so much so that he didn’t even hear the footsteps that came back.
He felt Legend startle beside him, then a shout, and then a different, cooler set of hands were on him, shifting him around, one hand settling on his knee. Worried talking floated around him, but Four couldn’t puzzle out a single word, not even when a hand tapped his cheek, the voice growing insistent.
Then Legend’s grip tightened, and there was a sharp sting on his upper leg, one that made Four jerk in place. A hand brushed through his hair, Legend keeping him still, and slowly the sting gave way to a deeper ache, one that made Four want to curl up and hide.
Then he realized he could breathe.
He startled and took in a breath, the sound not wheezing nearly as much as it had before, and relief swept over him as he took in another with only some difficulty. Legend’s hand on his arm gave him a squeeze, and Four opened his eyes, not sure when he’d closed them.
Warriors was kneeling beside him, relief in his eyes, and Four saw one of those medicine pen ejector things in his hand, obviously used up. Huh. He wondered where he’d gotten it.
“Four?” Warriors asked, and Four breathed out, the sound only wheezing a little.
“‘M okay,” Four whispered, carefully breathing in again. “Thanks.”
“Yeah, of course buddy,” Warriors smiled, and gently patted him on the knee. “Truth be told I wasn’t sure if that was going to work. They don’t really make medicine for giant plant monster pollen, but since you looked like you were reacting to it, I hoped... well, I’m glad it worked out.”
“No kidding,” Legend murmured above him, and Four glanced up, noticing how pale his brother looked.
“I’m okay,” he reassured in a soft rasp, letting out a cough. “That... helped a lot.”
“Good,” Legend muttered, and squeezed his arm.
“We should still get you to the hospital though,” Warriors said seriously. “I want to be sure that nothing poisoned you, and they’ll want to look you over and make sure your throat doesn’t close up again.”
Four wearily closed his eyes. He felt exhausted, and he really didn’t want to deal with the headache that came with the hospital. But he knew Warriors would insist, and so he nodded.
“Okay,” Four sighed, and started to push himself up, his arms shaking.
“Yeah, no, I don’t think so,” Legend said as he stopped him. “You were barely breathing like five minutes ago, you’re not walking.”
Four was too tired to argue.
Legend shifted around to help him sit up better, and he and Warriors both helped Four stand, Warriors giving him a quick look-over before they did anything else. He seemed satisfied, and then turned around so Legend could help Four up onto his back.
Four slumped against his uncle, exhausted from the ordeal and earlier fight, and he felt Legend pat him on the leg, his brother hovering by his side. Four smiled at the sight, and let out a stuttering breath, still feeling dizzy.
“Let us know if you’re having any trouble breathing or anything,” Legend said seriously, and Four nodded, then winced as Legend let out a series of thick coughs.
Warriors paused and looked at him, but Legend waved him off, his expression grim.
“I hate pollen. I hate it,” Legend said in a flat voice once he caught his breath, and they set off, Four closing his eyes.
“Seconded,” he whispered, and Warriors nodded, then loudly sneezed.
maybe part of the reason four stays home is also because he has a really bad headache that day
aka he's close to splitting
Hmm, that’s a thought. The way I have it now is that Four is staying home because he’s 1) working on a project of some kind and kind of not really listening to whatever is going on upstairs (he’s in the basement), and 2) his siblings purposely left him because they have a feeling things are going to be dangerous and Four doesn’t have powers.
This is part of a mild trend with his brothers though, they often leave Four out of things (not in a mean way! He just... is so little, and doesn’t have powers, he can’t do as much). And when Four reads the note they leave him, he gets mad. And worst of all they get Groose to come over so Four won’t be alone, and Four gets even more upset because he’s eight for crying out loud, that’s old enough to be left alone for one night! He’s at least as smart as Groose, if not smarter! They obviously don’t trust him, and the pain of that and annoyance at Groose and the stress of his siblings and parents being gone and possibly in danger finally makes something in him just snap.
And then he splits! Which certainly makes the evening less dull!
But yeah I could add a headache in as well, that would make sense. Give poor Four an even worse time 😅
Took me a while to wrangle the plot with this one, sorry it’s been... months. Oops. We’re nearing the end, so it’s getting harder to just whip these out, I have to think about things more XD But I’m still working away on it. Please enjoy!
Mild injury warning, and brief allusions to... I guess medical whump is the best way to put it.
First | Previous | Next
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“Mom? Are we lost?”
Four watched Malon glance at him, then around at the area they’d ended up in. It was a dim and admittedly creepy hallway, one that seemed like it didn’t get much use. It looked nothing like the areas they’d been in with everyone else, and Four watched his mother glance at Artemis as well, who looked equally unsure.
“...I don’t know that we’re lost. We just... don’t quite know where to go,” Artemis answered for her, and Four gave her a look.
“So we’re lost.”
“Well... yes I suppose so,” Artemis admitted with a small heh, and Malon sighed, pulling to a stop.
“We’re not getting anywhere trying to circle back around to the others. Our goal was the top floor, maybe we should be looking for the elevator instead of wandering around aimlessly down here,” she suggested, and Four nodded.
“It’s weird we haven’t seen anyone though, it’s like this area is abandoned,” he said, glancing at a dusty wall. It’s kind of creepy...
“I guess the scientist just doesn’t do much here anymore,” his mother replied, and Four moved to walk a little closer to her, Malon gently ruffling his hair. “Is that the elevator there?”
Four looked, and saw some big double doors up ahead, ones that might’ve been elevator doors. It was hard to tell though, so they all walked closer, Four smiling at the definite sight of a button.
“It is! Now we can go get our powers back,” Four said in relief, and his mother gave him a look that had a fair amount of concern in it. Four ignored it. He knew Mom was worried about him, but she did that all the time. And he was fine. Totally fine.
Not panicking at all.
Four went to push the button, but the elevator made a noise before he touched it, like it was moving down towards them. They all froze, and Four felt a lurch of panic.
“Someone’s coming,” he realized, and Artemis looked around, zeroing in on a door.
“There, quick!”
All three of them ran for it, and Artemis shut it tight behind them, careful to do it as quietly as possible. Footsteps pounded nearby, but they ran right past the closet they’d wedged themselves into.
They all sighed in relief.
“Well, they probably won’t look for us in here,” Malon said once the footsteps had faded, and Four pushed a couple of really heavy-duty mops out of the way of his head.
“Do you think they’re gone?” Artemis asked, and Four looked around as Malon hummed. It was just a utility closet, full of old cleaning supplies and gear. Four poked some of the brooms, then leaned against the wall while his mother and Artemis discussed if it was safe to leave, idly moving his arm that had been injured earlier. It didn’t hurt anymore, and Four felt fine.
Well... except for the pit in his stomach.
Four swallowed. He really wanted to get a move on. Whoever got his powers was probably having all kinds of trouble, and he just felt... empty, in his middle. It was probably Artemis’s powers that were making him feel all weird, but he didn’t like it. He wanted his own back.
And though he’d never admit it out loud... there was a small part of him that wished he’d been left home with Sky, his powers safe and sound.
Four sighed and leaned back, then yelped, his body falling straight through the wall. He fell back to his neck before he stopped himself, and huffed in annoyance as he struggled. He’d gone intangible without even trying, great.
“Goodness, are you okay hon?” Malon asked as she hurried to his side, and Four kicked his legs as he tried to unstick himself. It was just his legs and head on this side of the wall.
“Yeah, I’m just— agh, I’m stuck,” he huffed, trying to figure out how to get himself out. “...Aunt Artemis?”
“Here,” she said as she crouched next to him, taking his legs and firmly tugging him. Four’s body wasn’t intangible anymore though, just the parts of him in the wall, and she couldn’t pull him out.
“Is the wall thinner here? Why did he fall through?” Malon asked, and Artemis made a helpless gesture.
“I think he just lost control for a moment. Easy to do. Happened to me all the time as a kid. But... Four, do you feel anything behind you? There shouldn’t be anything there except solid wall,” Artemis asked, and Four wiggled his arms around a little.
“No... there’s nothing,” he said in surprise. “Maybe it’s another room or something like—”
That weird ripply feeling went through Four again, and he couldn’t even yelp as the rest of him disappeared and he plunged backwards into the wall.
“Four!”
He fell into darkness, startled enough that his body entirely flickered back into tangibility, and abruptly hit ground of some kind with a small oof.
Four laid there a moment, stunned, then shook his head and cautiously sat up, squinting through the dark for any sign of... well, anything. It was pitch black where he’d fallen, so Four hesitated, then felt around in the dark until he found a wall, fumbling along it for any light switches or a door of some kind.
Four wasn’t afraid of the dark, not really. But alone in an unknown area so dark he couldn’t see his hand in front of his face... anyone would be a little scared, right?
Could use Shadow right about now, he thought sadly, muffling a yelp when his hip bumped what felt like a table. Shadow’s powers had been unstable ever since he’d almost died during the whole Screenslaver disaster though, and he’d been left in a sort of... semi-conscious state that Four didn’t totally understand. Fi and Ghirahim were trying to help him, but... so far they hadn’t made much progress.
Four sighed and kept feeling his way around. If Shadow couldn’t be here, couldn’t Four at least have gotten Twilight’s powers and been able to kind of see in the dark? Intangibility really wasn’t helping him here.
So far it hasn’t been terribly useful at all.
Four ran his hand along the edge of what he hoped was a table, slowly shuffling his way forward. Something suddenly caught on his leg, and he jumped, heart thudding as something else crunched under his foot when he set it down. Was that... bone?
Four’s mouth went dry. Were there skeletons in here? What if the room was totally sealed-off? Did he have enough air in here?
What if he couldn’t figure out Artemis’s powers and got stuck here in the dark forever?
Something creaked loudly in the dark, and Four squeaked in alarm, scrambling backwards until his back hit the wall. In a panic he instinctively reached for the part of him he always did when he split, but all that happened was that new ripply feeling that shook through him, and his leg went through the wall.
He scrambled to pull it free, and light burst into the room, blinding him. Footsteps rang out, and right as Four really started to panic, Malon and Artemis came into view, silhouetted by the light.
Four slumped in relief.
“Oh Four, you okay?” his mom asked as she joined his side and put a hand on his arm, and Four exhaled, his heart still hammering in his chest.
See? It’s fine. Quit freaking out!
“Yeah, I’m okay. I just keep getting stuck,” Four mumbled, looking at the floor. “How’d you guys get in here?”
“We found a trapdoor in the closet,” Artemis answered, squinting in the barely-lit room. “If you hadn’t fallen in I doubt we would have noticed it. I think this must be a— oh, here are the lights.”
The fixture on the ceiling flickered, and then wavering light flooded the room as Artemis flipped a switch. Four blinked as he looked around, and let out a quiet huh. There were no bones in sight to his great relief, just some broken glass on the floor. It looked like he’d fallen into the messy remains of a lab, tables and equipment scattered all over the place. It could maybe have just been a storage room, but... why hide it behind a trapdoor in a cleaning closet?
Four felt a flutter of excitement.
It looked like he’d found a secret lab.
“Whoa,” he couldn’t help saying, leg finally slipping free of the wall, and his mom nodded as she caught him.
“I guess this proves our theory that this area isn’t used for much anymore,” Malon said. “Goodness, what a mess.”
“I wonder what happened,” Four said, looking at a table that was splintered into two pieces. It didn’t look like it had just fallen apart, based on the marks gouged into it.
Four leaned a little more tightly against his mother.
Artemis looked around with the rest of them, poking at some things, then crouched down beside a fallen-over filing cabinet, picking up a dusty folder of papers.
“These look like notes on a project,” she said curiously, flipping through them. “Strange...”
Four looked around at the rest of the room while Artemis studied the papers, taking in the mass of various types of equipment all piled around. This room really didn’t seem like it’d been used in a while, and Four wondered what had happened. Why abandon a secret lab like this?
As Four further studied the equipment thrown haphazardly around, broken beakers and dusty surfaces, he saw what looked like shattered pieces of something tucked away in the corner. He picked his way over to them, glass crunching under his boots, and frowned as he saw the remains of what looked like some kind of large tube thing. At least, he thought so. It was kind of hard to tell since most of it was shattered on the floor. But it was definitely big, big enough Four probably could have fit inside of it.
Four placed a hand on it, and ran a slow hand over the glass, his heart picking up for some reason.
“Malon... I think you should see this,” Artemis said in an oddly serious voice, and Malon came over and looked at the paper she’d pulled out. Her eyes went wide, and Four walked back over, standing on his tiptoes trying to read it over his mom’s shoulder. He could only see a few lines of it though, and they didn’t make any sense.
Test 23: exposure to temperature extremes. Subject appears more vulnerable to heat than cold. Frostbite an.......e both possible only when abilities not in use. Further testing required.
Four frowned and tilted his head, reading a bit from a paper Malon’s finger was partially blocking.
...showing signs of power instability when emotional, fine-tuning will likely prove...
The rest of the paper was ripped, and Four wiggled under his mom’s arm, getting a better look at a different paper Artemis held out to her.
.....unable to manage direct sunlight while powers are active. Biggest weakness so far. Further.....ts suspended while subject recovers.
Something cold dropped into Four’s middle, and Malon and Artemis were strangely quiet. His mother slowly flipped to the next paper, this one showing signs of being partially burnt, but you could still see part of the photo it contained.
And the shadowy boy with red eyes was plenty easy to make out.
Four’s stomach lurched.
“Mom?” he asked quietly, and Malon swallowed, several emotions churning in her eyes as she looked at it.
“Project Dark Mirror,” Artemis read softly.
“This... it looks like me. Like Shadow,” Four said in shock. “Is this him?”
Artemis hesitated, looking at the notes with worry bright in her eyes. “It must be. I’ve never known anyone else with powers quite like his, and this... it outlines what he’s shown of his abilities almost perfectly,” she murmured. “This picture is mostly ruined, but... Did he ever tell you where he came from, Four?”
“No. He... he said once he wasn’t natural,” Four began, stomach churning. “But I thought he just meant his powers. He didn’t elaborate or anything. You know he just showed up in our backyard that one night, he never explained much. Do you... do you really think he came from here?”
“It seems likely. He was certainly here at one point,” Artemis said, and Malon leaned against a table, a hand to her forehead as she read more of the papers.
“Oh that poor boy...” she whispered, still skimming. A breeze began to swell in the small space, catching their hair and a few loose papers, and Four looked at her worriedly.
“There are papers here missing,” Artemis noted, grabbing the few that Malon had sent blowing. “This one starts like it’s going to go into detail about origins, but the next just has more notes on tests. I was hoping there’d be something about why you two look so similar, Four.”
“Dad thinks that’s just a coincidence,” Four replied, and Artemis frowned.
“Maybe. But regardless, there’s not enough papers here to know.”
“They must have gotten destroyed,” Malon said as she shut her eyes, face creased behind her mask. The wind picked up. “We’ll have to find backups, or ask the scientist himself.”
“Well then let’s go,” Four said, shaking with anger for Shadow. He hadn’t read everything, but the picture that was forming in his mind of his friend being stuck here and put through experiments that hurt him and probably being alone except for that awful scientist made him mad. “We have powers to get back and now information we need too! This guy might know how to help Shadow!”
“You’re right, we should get going,” Malon agreed, and began gathering papers and folding them up even though the wind was still blowing. “Let’s take these, maybe Fi and G will be able to use them.”
The three of them quickly gathered the papers that could still be read (not as many as Four would have hoped), and Malon put them in a small pouch on her belt, closing it securely. They all headed for the door Malon and Artemis had come through, but then Four paused, looking at a corner he hadn’t studied as intently before.
“Wait... look, another elevator!” he said excitedly, and Malon and Artemis turned to look where he pointed, Malon’s eyebrows raising.
“Well look at that. I think you’re right,” she said, and they moved to study it. It was small, tucked in an unassuming corner, but it looked big enough that Four was pretty sure they’d all fit inside.
“Where do you think it goes?” he asked, craning his neck as if he could see its path upward.
“Hmm... probably up to whatever personal offices the scientist has, since I doubt this room is widely known. I bet we came in the back way,” Artemis said thoughtfully.
Four felt a flutter of excitement. “So this’ll lead us right to him? That’s perfect!”
“Hold your horses there,” Malon said, putting a hand on his arm when he went to push the button. Four stopped and looked at her. “Is this a good idea? Surely he has some sort of defenses around his personal elevator.”
“Possibly... but there were quite a few guards outside, I don’t think we have any better of a chance out there than in here,” Artemis replied. “And I doubt the scientist will be expecting anyone from this lift, not with how abandoned this place looks.”
“He might hear us coming though,” Malon said with a frown.
“Then you can just blow him off his feet when the doors open. Or Artemis can shield us or something,” Four said with a smile, and Malon sighed.
“I just don’t want us to underestimate him again,” she said, but she let go of Four’s arm and nodded at him.
“Well... here we go,” Four said, and pressed the button on the wall.
A rumbling noise signaled the elevator moving, and Malon motioned them all a few steps back, her fists raised cautiously. Four stayed close to her, Artemis a few steps back, and the cheerful ding the elevator let out seemed out of place.
The door opened, and nobody was inside.
All of them sighed in relief, and moved into the elevator, comfortable despite its small size. Four pushed the button that had an up arrow on it, and the doors slid closed, the floor lightly jerking under their feet as the elevator began to move. An jarringly cheerful tune came from a little speaker in the corner, and for a few moments, it was the only sound in the space.
“I’m wondering if this was wise,” Artemis suddenly said as they got close to the top. Four looked at her, and noticed her expression seemed nervous, and still a little pale from her earlier healing spree. “None of us can reliably use these powers yet. What if something goes wrong?”
“Well we have to do something,” Four pointed out. “And maybe the others are already here and are in the middle of stopping him. Or already stopped him!”
“Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst, hon,” Malon said softly, and the elevator chimed, coming to a stop.
All of them stiffened, and the doors slid open, revealing a darkened room on the other side.
Silence met them, and they exchanged looks, then one by one stepped out of the elevator. The doors slid closed, cutting off the cheerful music, and they were left in total darkness.
Four couldn’t tell what kind of room they were in, just that there was tile under his feet, and a chill in the air. His eyes took a minute to adjust, but even once they did, he still couldn’t make out anything.
Four’s heart began to pound the longer the silence stretched, not being able to see anything making him nervous. Artemis attempted to make a shield, but she only managed a flicker of one, which didn’t light anything up enough to get a good look.
“What do we do?” Four whispered finally, but before anyone could answer, they heard a loud click.
And a bright light flooded half the room.
Four winced, covering his eyes at the sudden glare, but when he heard footsteps he quickly lowered his hand in order to see. And saw a middle-aged man in a white coat standing a few feet away, hands behind his back and a weirdly pleasant smile on his face.
It was the scientist.
“I was wondering when you three would show up,” he said brightly, and they all stiffened, slipping into defensive positions. “My cameras got a bit damaged, and you were the only group I didn’t have tabs on.”
“And who are you?” Four asked, and the man raised an eyebrow as he looked at him.
“Ah the short one. Bit young for a superhero, aren’t we?” he hummed to himself, ignoring the question. Then he looked at Malon and Artemis. “I must admit I wasn’t expecting anyone to find their way in here by this route. But I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised, you’re the famous Malanya and Ethereal, after all! And the short one is a relation, I assume? Striking similarity to Fierce Deity in his early years. Very impressive overall.”
The man turned back to Four, still smiling, and Four didn’t like the look of it one bit.
“I can’t wait to study you, little one.”
“You’re not going to!” Four snapped back. “You’re going to jail! You can’t just... hurt people and capture them and mess up their powers! And you hurt Shadow, we saw his picture!”
The scientist raised an eyebrow. “‘Shadow’?”
“You know who we mean, we saw your lab,” Artemis said darkly.
Recognition lit up in the scientist’s eyes, and he made a pensive noise, writing something down on a notepad he pulled from his pocket. “Well, I suppose that explains where my little project ended up. Shadow. Of course he’d pick such a simple name.”
“That’s enough,” Malon said, nocking a blunted arrow. “You’re under arrest, Doctor, for illegal experimentation and child abuse.”
The scientist chuckled. “That’s all? I thought it would be a longer list. You didn’t even mention the cloning.”
“Cloning?” Artemis questioned suspiciously, and the scientist grinned.
“Of course, it’s a fascinating field. Add superpowers into the mix, and it’s even better. Very unpredictable! And so understudied. Though I’ll admit animals are better for initial cloning experiments, less costs involved. Which!” he said with a clap. “Brings me to my next subject.”
Malon shot her arrow, but it reflected harmlessly off of a clear wall Four hadn’t noticed was separating them until now.
“Oh come Malanya, none of that,” the scientist sniffed. “I’m about to show you unfathomable scientific progress!”
“We really don’t care,” Malon said dryly, and Four, though he was a little curious, nodded in agreement along with Artemis.
The scientist smiled. “Oh believe me. You’ll care.”
He pressed something on the wall, and the lights on the other side of the room flicked on, revealing another glass wall, this one more obvious. Four was more alarmed at the sight of what was behind the glass though, and he stepped back as his mother gasped.
A huge, slavering wolf, fangs bared and mouth twisted in an unnatural snarl paced around in the tank, red eyes boring into the three of them.
Four was used to what a wolf should look like— with Twilight around it was impossible not to— and the one in front of him was not natural. It had an odd gait, and was proportioned strangely, its front legs larger than a normal wolf’s, a strange hunch to its back. It had thick white-grey fur, long claws colored the same deep red as its eyes, and its teeth were unnaturally sharp and yellow.
“Have you three ever heard of a wolfos?” The scientist asked, placing a hand on the glass. The beast snarled. “Referred to in myth and old debated historical accounts, it’s been described as an especially beastly wolf, with huge forelegs and a hulking figure. Some soft-tissue fossils were... brought into my possession, and though I had to start with the DNA of a cold-footed wolf, I believe I did quite well. I’m sure there’s plenty of people who will pay for a genetically enhanced attack dog.
He sighed dramatically. “Scientific progress isn’t cheap, unfortunately.”
He turned and smiled at the three of them.
“But now we come to one of my first tests, for both subjects. We’ll see how well the Wolfos can fight against supers... and how well a super can adapt to a threat with misplaced powers.”
The door to the wolfos cage slid open.
“Have fun.”
The wolfos leapt out of the cage the moment it could, and Malon grabbed Four out of the way as it charged for them. Its claws swiped through the air right next to their heads, and Artemis aimed a sharp kick at the beast.
It let out a strange whimpering howl as her heel got its snout, and jumped backwards, pacing madly in front of them. Malon nocked another blunted arrow as Artemis drew a dagger from her belt, and Four hovered nervously beside them, unsure of how to help.
How were they going to beat this thing with messed up powers?
The wolfos jumped at them again, slashing its claws, and they all scattered, Malon trying to fire her arrow but missing, Artemis attempting to jump on its back, but the beast immediately throwing her off. Four ran around its back, trying to help, but the beast was so fast it was able to snap at him, then whirl around and attack the others before anyone could hit it.
Four heard a sudden beeping noise, and he glanced at the scientist behind the glass. The man looked down at his wrist, and his satisfied smile widened.
“Seems I’m needed elsewhere. I’ll record this experiment for later review, carry on,” he said to the three of them, then bowed and strode out through a door.
“You— get back here!” Four yelled angrily, but the scientist was already gone.
The wolfos charged at him while he was distracted, and Four only barely managed to slide out of the way, some drool falling on his shoulder. He ended up next to his mother, and the wolfos growled darkly, pacing around again.
“Four, you need to get out of here,” Malon said seriously, both of them ducking as the wolfos lunged and teeth snapped. “We can handle things here, and you can go through walls. Go stop the scientist!”
“But Mom, I— what if I get stuck? Or what if you and Artemis need my help?” he said nervously, and his mother smiled at him.
“Don’t worry, we can handle this big lug. It’s more important that we stop this scientist, we need to get our powers back.”
The wolfos interrupted them then, snapping at their faces, and Four and Malon both jumped to opposite sides. The wolfos was fast though, and it turned just as quickly as Four did, teeth catching his arm.
Four yelled, and in a fit of pain-induced panic, managed to make his arm go intangible. The wolfos’s jaw snapped shut, and Four fell to the ground, the beast jumping onto his chest and knocking the breath out of him.
Four heard someone cry his name, but he was too busy trying not to get his face ripped off to see who it was, teeth snapping and saliva hitting his face.
Claws came up and tried to slash at him, but Four twisted out of the way. One caught the very edge of his face, and Four kicked uselessly at the wolfos as pain seared his cheek, trying as hard as he could to go intangible again.
Please please please work just work please—!
Suddenly a rope slipped around the wolfos’s neck, and its head was tugged back, Malon lassoing the beast despite one of her arms hanging weakly at her side. Four took the opportunity to scramble out from beneath the monster while it was distracted, but the rope didn’t hold it long.
Malon’s lasso was made of incredibly strong rope, but she couldn’t hold on very well with one arm, and Artemis was still getting to her feet from being knocked into a wall. Malon lost her grip, the wolfos knocking her to the ground, and turned to Four again.
It had signaled him out as the weakest, and wasn’t going to give up.
“Prism! Get out of here, now!” Malon shouted, and Four backed up, his back hitting the wall.
“I’m trying, I-I can’t!” he stammered, reaching for the spark he always reached for when he split, but unable to grab hold of it in his panic. “Mom—!”
The wolfos jumped at him, and Four knew he wouldn’t be able to avoid it this time. He cried out, but then Artemis dove forward and snatched him up, a wavering shield appearing around them.
But it was enough to stop the wolfos, who hit it hard, and stumbled back with a yelp, pawing at its now-bruised snout.
Malon immediately went to get its attention, somehow snapping off a sharp gust of wind that pushed the wolfos’s head back. It snarled, and briefly turned its attention to her, snapping its teeth.
“You’re okay?” Artemis asked quickly, and Four nodded, shaking a little. “You’ve got to follow him, Four, you’re our only chance.”
Four felt like crying. “I can’t, not with these powers, I just—”
“Yes you can,” Artemis reassured, taking his shoulders in her hands. “I know you can. You used them earlier just fine. Find the others, and fix this. We’ll catch up.”
Four bit his lip, and when he heard his mother shout, he felt determination flicker through his fear. Someone had to go, and right now, Four had the only powers to do it.
He was used to dealing with foreign-feeling powers after all, he’d only gotten his own a year ago. This should be a walk in the park in comparison.
He could do this. Messed up powers or not. For his family and all their powers.
And for Shadow.
Four swallowed, then nodded, then focused intently on the weird feeling in his middle, trying to embrace it instead of shying away. It took a minute, during which Artemis had to fight back the wolfos more than once, but then it welcomed him, weirdly enough, sending a warm honey-feeling through his limbs.
Four still didn’t feel great, nauseous and tired and still just a little wrong, but this felt a lot better. Four stepped back from Artemis and turned to the wall, taking a deep breath.
Then he slipped through it with no issues.
Artemis and his mother both cheered, and Four reappeared on the other side, a determined grin forming on his face. His mom and aunt had to go back to fighting the wolfos almost immediately, but Four knew they could handle it.
And he ran off after the scientist, knowing he had to save the day.
how about sacred for iau? (when i saw you answered mine i somehow misread scared as sacred (even though I'M THE ONE WHO SENT THE PROMPT) and thought that sounded like a fun prompt)
“Four! Four you gotta hide me!” Wind hissed as he scrambled into the bedroom, and Four looked up from his book, raising an eyebrow.
“Why? What happened?”
“WIND! GET YOUR BUTT IN HERE!” someone yelled from somewhere else in the house, and Wind jumped.
“Wow, Legend sounds mad,” Four observed, and Wind shifted nervously on his feet. “What did you do?”
“Uh, just— you know... took some of his Halloween candy,” he muttered, and Four tsked and shook his head.
“Is nothing sacred, Wind? He’s gonna kill you.”
“I know! Help me hide!” Wind begged, and Four wordlessly jerked a thumb towards the closet.
