Chapter Text
“Damn, that was a quick two hours.” Tubbo huffed. A duffle bag sitting between him and Tommy. The rest of X LIfe had left to go home and prep, while Scott stayed with the duo.
“Everyone’s got thirty seconds.” Scott looked at the white clock hanging on one of the walls. The second hand was ticking away. They were wasting time, and they didn’t have much of it.
“WE’RE HERE! SORRY!” Jimmy shouted, nearly tripping on his own feet. The rest of the group was close behind, all clad in their suits and weapons.
“Let's get a move on then.” Scott nodded at Gem, who sheepishly walked forward with an arm out. Everyone placed a hand on her arm, waiting for Tubbo and Tommy.
“Teleporting there. It won’t hurt.” Gem blinked, watching the two hesitantly grab a hold to her arm.
“It tingles a bit.” Jimmy shrugged, not getting the look Scott was giving him.
“We know how it feels. Read the fuckin’ room, bitch.” Tommy snapped.
“I’m okay, we can move on with the plan.” Tubbo laughed nervously, clearly still in his head.
“I’m sorry…” Gem mumbled, reading the look in Tubbo’s eyes faster than anyone ever had. “Last one for him?”
“Maybe. I’m not ready for this to be the last one yet.” Tubbo gave the smaller Hero a soft grin.
“Oi. We have someone to save. Sorry for your loss or whatever. I don’t care. But Shubble, anyone? No? Yes?” Joel interrupted, rolling eyes.
“Don’t be rude, Joel.” Lizzie whispered, elbowing her brother.
“GEM GO!” Tubbo shouted over everyone’s apologies and disagreements.
“You got it.” She grinned, closing her eyes as the room lost focus.
~
“Shit… This isn’t good…” Tommy staggered into an alleyway. His blood dripped onto the pavement. His Hero suit was badly torn and bleeding from his forehead was definitely not a good sign. “Hey… Tubbo…?” He whispered, fidgeting with his communicator in his mask. Tommy was pretty sure he had broken it during the fight with Marionette. He was just patrolling the city when the Villain jumped on him.
“T~~~~! To- Tommy! Are ~~~ alright?” A voice cracked from his earpiece, followed by a year's worth of static. Tubbo was going to kill him for breaking his communicator again.
“Yeah… Just casually dying out in a fuckin’ alleyway.” Tommy mumbled, wincing at his leg.
“~~~ TOMMY! ~~~~, I’ll ~~~~ Ran~~o to come ~~~ you.” The voice sighed. Tommy could hear the loud clicking of the keyboard. The louder the clicking, the more pissed he knew Tubbo was.
“I’m not mad.” Tubbo coughed, trying to break the silence between the two.
“What’s Particle’s ETA? Tommy groaned. He could hear the faint snap of bright green strings coming closer.
“Five.” More loud clicking.
“Decibel… Are you hiding again?” Marionette called out.
“Tell em’ to hurry up-” Tommy hissed, closing his mask over his eyes. “Fuck off, Marionette.”
“Such a mouth for a child.” Marionette tsked, strings appearing in the air. All of them winding towards the injured Hero. Tommy winced at the sight of them, there was a very good reason why Techno always dealt with Marionette.
“What if the child had no mouth?” Marionette tilted his head, taking a few steps forward. The green strings were getting dangerously close to Tommy’s throat.
“Fuckin’ bastard-” Tommy snapped, his words dying on his tongue. Snug against his neck, the stings tighten in warning. Not tight enough to cut his head off yet, of course.
“That did it.” Marionette laughed, bending down to meet Tommy’s eyes. The Hero shrunk away from the Villain.
Ranboo… ANYTIME NOW. RIGHT NOW WOULD BE GREAT! Tommy thought, shutting his eyes. The bright green was starting to hurt his brain.
“What? Cat caught your tongue?” Marionette taunted, daring to get closer to the young Hero.
“Release your strings, Marionette.” A familiar voice growled.
Tommy felt a cloud of fuzz surround him. “Particles…” He raised a hand and felt one land on his finger.
Tommy! Tommy! Tommy! Tommy? Hurt? Hurt! Tommy’s hurt? Tommy’s hurt! No? NO!
“And what can you do about it, Particle?” Marionette sneered, crossing his arms.
“What I can do best.” Particle smiled, his usual metal staff replaced with a glimmering purple dagger. “Getting away.” He lashed out at the strings, cutting all of them with a snip. His free hand on Tommy, as they both teleported home. Away from the bright green strings. Away from Marionette.
~
“Tommy? Tommy! Are you alright?” Tubbo slapped his best friend, who was out cold from teleporting.
“I’m sorry.” Gem mumbled, standing behind a worried Scott.
“It’s alright. Not your fault, Gem.” Tubbo sighed, grabbing Tommy’s foot. “Let’s just get it done. He’ll wake up when he wants too.”
“Joel, go with Gem and be careful. Plant them according to plan. If you find the main room, have fun.” Scott nodded. Joel grinned, taking Gem’s open hand and disappearing.
“What about us?” Lizzie asked.
“We go in, as a distraction.” Scott motioned to the very rusted door in the corner.
~
“Who the fuck wakes up at six in the morning?” He muttered, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Everyone was still alseep for all he knew. The main room lights were on, followed by unfamiliar quiet chattering.
“Who’s there?” He called out, stopping right by the doorway. The voices went silent.
“Hello, Ponk. It’s been a few years, hasn’t it?” A blue haired Hero sat in one of the chairs, shoes on the table with a glass in hand. A group of Heroes stood behind him, all different heights, and suits. They gave off intimeditating vibes, which made Ponk uncomfortable.
“Neptune.” He curtly nodded, eyeing the six Heroes behind the chair. He could recognize four from around the area, but the other two were unknown to him.
“He looks like a nerd.” The unknown blonde looked him up and down, a hint of distaste. The other unknown Hero nudged him, muttering something under his breath.
“What do you want?” Ponk looked Neptune in the eye.
The blue haired Hero smiled underneath his mask. Putting down his glass, which was only for show. “Make a deal with me, Ponk. Wake everyone up, and we blow this place from the ground up.”
“What type of deal…?” Ponk spoke slowly, one wrong word, and he could end up dead.
“Give back our friends, and no one dies.” Neptune shrugged.
“You can do this the easy way, or like the way I prefer, the fun way.” The whte-winged Hero grinned, her knee length white and pastel dress a cloak of innocence.
“Blossom, no threats.” Neptne frowned at the Hero. Ponk swore he could see the corner of his mouth twitch.
“Who are your friends? What makes you think I- we have them?” Ponk crossed his arms, eyes narrowing at the Heroes who invaded his home. The place he lived in for most of his life.
“Radioactive?” Neptune motioned for the shorter of the unknown Heroes.
Ponk had never heard of him, but his mask looked slightly familiar. Definitely not around from here, but the amount of confidence he carried said enough.
“Shubble, known as Venus, the newest member of X Life.” Radioactive took a step forward, causing Ponk to take a step back. There was no way he was letting these Heroes get their way. Even if his life was on the line.
“Blackhole, or as many know him, Bad, the owner of the Muffinary.” Two steps forward. Two steps back.
“Captain. Retired Hero known as Puffy.” Three more. One into a wall.
“Where are they, Ponk?” Radioactive murmured, electricity dancing on his fingertips.
“Ponk? Are you up?” A voice from the hallway yawned. Smoke billowed his mask. The quiet hiss of an intake of air. “Ponk.” He scanned the room. Seven heroes, all underaged. He snarled at the sight of Radioactive and the blonde.
“Hey, Toxic… It’s a bit early, huh-” Ponk laughed, sidestepping closer to his friend. Ignoring the look Radioactive gave him.
“What would a group of kid Heroes be doing at our home base so early? Looking for trouble?” Toxic hissed, one arm protectively in front of Ponk.
“The choice is Ponk’s. He makes the final decision.” Neptune stood up, his back to the two Villains. “Well?”
“If you can find them.” Ponk grinned, slamming the bright red button on the wall next to him. The first day they moved into the base, he had installed an alarm system just in case something like this ever happened.
“BREAK UP!” Neptune shouted, throwing himself over the table and towards Toxic, Radioactive close behind. The alarm blared loudly, waking the rest of the Villains.
Decibel, Wither, Aquatic, and Oceanic dashed towards the doorway. Blossom shoved Toxic aside, ducking as the Villain threw a punch. Wings flaring as gray smoke gathered around the three Heroes.
“You’ve messed with the wrong group of kids.” Radioactive snapped, electricity running across the floor.
“Ponk, go!” Toxic pushed him towards the doorway
~
“Up for round two?” Decibel grinned, watching Mercenary flinch at the silent sound waves.
“I was being nice last time. Now I won't be as nice.” Mercenary snarled, charging at Decibel with a dagger in each hand.
“I can make sound, but I can also take away sound.” Decibel stuck out his tongue, fingers flying across the small screen on his forearm.
The sudden change shocked Mercenary. It didn't feel right, not like anything ever felt right to him. But this was unnatural.
A kid at Decibel’s age would have never learned this on his own, not without help from someone experienced. The silence of his movements and everything around him was almost too much. Mercenary was pretty sure the kid was talking smack, but without his sense of hearing, he couldn’t talk back. He could only guess, and was he bad at guessing.
~
“Hello.” Feline smirked, his sharp canines glinting in the light. Aquatic took a slight step back as Oceanic took a brave step forward.
“I hope cats like water.” She smirked back, hands raised. Spikes of water formed, as she chucked one at Feline. Aquatic morphed into a light brown panther, throwing himself towards Feline’s leg,
Feline yowled in surprise, tripping over Aquatic. Grabbing the shifter’s leg, he spun the Hero at Oceanic, knocking her over like a bowling pin.
“One can play this game.” He grinned, standing over the two Heroes, as he morphed into his Leopard form.
“A game of cat and mouse. But, we refuse to be the mouse.” Oceanic stood up, droplets of water floating in the air. Aquatic hissed at the Villain, pacing back and forth.
“And I refuse to let you be the cat.” Feline lashed out, his claws long and sharper than ever. Just waiting to draw the first drop of blood.
~
“Could we talk this out? Yes? No?” Wither rambled, the green antidote hidden in his glove. “OKAY! THAT'S A NO!” He shouted, watching the wall nearest to him crumble to dust. “Come on Bad. Where are the muffins? Those are really good by the way.”
“You don’t get it. None of you will ever get it.” Blackhole snapped.
“Then make me understand.” Wither looked the Villain in the eyes.
“You would never.” He looked back, tears falling from his red eyes.
“To destroy the machine, you have to destroy the gears.” A purple gem flew through the broken wall, inserting itself in Blackhole’s leg. The Villain hissed in pain, pulling the gem out of his leg. Blood dripped from the wound.
“You’ll thank me later.” Wither nodded, smashing the green vival on his head.
“You didn’t have to do it so hard.” Crystal frowned, walking up to her brother. She nudged the unconscious adult.
“Accident?” Wither shrugged.
~
“Ponk. You know this isn’t right.” Puffy banged on the iron bars. She had good reasons why she retired. This happened to be one of them. Getting kidnapped was on her top five.
“I didn’t have a choice, Puffy… I’m sor-” Ponk shook his head before getting thrown across the room.
“Collateral damage, sorry.” Blossom appeared, not looking sorry at the slightest. “Want help?”
“Please.” Puffy nodded, watching the Hero unlock the door and open it.
“Do be kind and crush it over your head.” Blossom pulled out a vival from under her belt.
“Kid’s talented. All of you are.” Puffy nodded, grabbing Ponk by his sweatshirt and throwing him into the cell. Blossom locked the door, motioning towards the hallway.
Puffy shared a smile, running into the hallway. Blossom watched from where she stood, making no move to help her friends in the hallway.
“Shubble…?” She whispered, turning the corner.
“Come any closer, she dies.” Rose hissed, standing in front of Shubble.
“I wouldn’t dare.” Blossom nodded at her friend. It was only a matter of time…
“You killed Skeppy, did you tell her that?” Blossom sighed.
A mix of horror and rage rose from Shubble’s face as she stood up. “You did what…?”
“I’ll turn around, and keep watch.” Blossom turned around, hiding her small grin.
“Now I’m mad. You don’t mess with my family.” Shubble snapped, vines bursting from the cracks of the cell. “But I’m feeling nice, right now.” She waved her hand in the air. The vines snapping around Rose’s legs, winding up to her neck. The rose vines around Shubble shuddered, wilting from the lack of air coming from their host.
“You’ve got five minutes til boom.” Blossom looked over her shoulder, opening the door for Shubble.
~
“RADIOACTIVE! NEPTUNE! IT’S TIME TO GO!” Dynamite shouted. Everyone who they came for was already outside. They had less than a minute to run.
“GO!” Neptune shouted, catching Radioactive as he fell. Toxic growled, the smoke coming out of his mask colored white.
“You ready, Neptune?” Radioactive looked over, the button in his hand.
“Go for it.” He nodded, forming an ice dome over them.
“Have fun, Toxic!” They both shouted, the button in Radioactive’s hand clicked.
~
It stopped beeping. The red timer blinked one last time, shutting off completely .
~
“GEM!” fWhip made a grab for her arm, missing by just centimeters.
“I CAN’T JUST LEAVE THEM IN THERE!” She shouted, running back into the base.
“fWhip!-” Joel and Jimmy pulled him back, dragging him back to the rest of the Heroes.
“Let me go! Joel! I’ll have your head-” fWhip hissed, kicking him in the shins. “GEM! NO!”
The base erupted in flames. The shattering of glass loud and clear. A cloud of smoke billowed from the vents, turning the sky gray.
“fWhip… I’m sorry…” Lizzie muttered, a hand on her shoulder as Katherine shook her head.
“Tommy! Where’s Tubbo and Scott?” Phil landed, his wings folding behind him as he looked over the group. Tommy stared at the ground, his hands shaking as they formed into fists.
“Tommy?” Techno appeared next to him, his bike parked close by. The blonde only shook his head, tears staining his shirt.
“DAD!” Shubble jumped into Bad, knocking him over. The former Villain fell with an oof, a sad smile on his face.
“Hey, little muffin…” He whispered, hugging her tightly. “It’s been a long day…” Shubble nodded, going quiet as she watched the flames grow higher.
“Wait, do you hear that…?” Puffy shushed, walking closer.
“GOD DAMMIT SCOTT! I’M ON FIRE!” A voice yelped.
“Scott… Put it out.” A girl's voice sighed.
“Yeah, Scott. What’s ice powers good for anyway?” The voice sounded very familiar.
Three figures walked out of the smoke. All of them with a grin on their faces.
“Mission accomplished, I think.” Tubbo walked over to Tommy, a hand up for a high five.
“YOU BITCH- I THOUGHT YOU DIED.” Tommy hugged his best friend, shoving Techo aside.
“Rude…” He muttered. Looking at Tubbo, “He cried like a baby.”
“You cried for me, bossman?” Tubbo teased.
Tommy looked at Techno with rage. “Maybe…” He mumbled. Techno winked at Tubbo and walked over to Phil, who was talking to Puffy.
“fWhip’s not being mature.” Gem sighed, crossing her arms at her brother. “You look like you're pouting.”
“I'm not pouting.” fWhip pouted, watching Gem raise an eyebrow. “Fine. Let me have my moment though.”
“Anyone want to go home?” Scott asked, wiping the soot away from his face. “I’m done with this Hero bit for a while.”
“Then let's go home.”