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Chapter Text

“Let go of her, Mad Mask!” Kyle yelled, in what he hoped came across as intimidating, instead of desperate. The sewer seemed confining, and the MaDroids holding him back, even more so.

The Mad Mask turned away from an unconscious Mairi, who was tied to the wall. “And why should I?” he said in a gravelly voice. “I already hold all the cards.” Above him, the monitors displaying Mighty Mike’s futile fight against Ultitron illustrated his statement.

Kyle swallowed. “She was never a part of this. Don’t drag her into it to punish me.”

“ Au contraire, mon coeur ,” the Mad Mask said, with a glitter in his eye. “ You made her a part of this. The Mad Mask is merely manipulating the situation to his advantage.”

Kyle clenched his fists. “Shut up. You don’t know how much I’ve sacrificed for her sake.”

“Oh, wah, wah, wah. Nice little pity party. It’s all about you, Kyle, isn’t it?”

Kyle gritted his teeth. “Stop pretending like you know what’s best for her. You don’t even know her.”

The Mad Mask shrugged. “Maybe the Mad Mask doesn’t know her,” he said, “but he will. With your device, the Mad Mask can easily manipulate her. And she will be the Mad Mask’s queen.” He gestured to the brain wave manipulator on the table.

“I’ll fight you if you try,” promised Kyle, despite the fact that he was restrained. “You don’t know the lengths I’m willing to go to for her.”

“And the Mad Mask will beat you,” retorted the Mad Mask. “The Mad Mask is stronger and smarter than you, Kyle, and you know that.”

“I don’t think you’re smart at all, Jack ,” hissed Kyle. The Mad Mask flinched at the use of his real name, but only for a second. The masked villain stood up straighter.

“Then you would be wrong, Kyle,” he said dangerously. “You think the Mad Mask is overblown and pompous? He’s not. The Mad Mask is the most honest person you’ll ever meet. Every word that comes out of the Mad Mask’s mouth, he means. So tread lightly, Azure Avenger. You don’t know how much trouble you’ll be in if you get in the Mad Mask’s way.”

With an elbow thrust and a kick behind him, Kyle was free from the MaDroids’ clutches. “I guess I’m about to find out, though.”

The Mad Mask lowered himself into a fighting stance. “If that is your choice.”

Kyle leaped at the Mad Mask. The Mad Mask sidestepped easily. Kyle landed in a crouch. He burst forward at super speed, fists outstretched. The Mad Mask’s forcefield came to life, and Kyle was thrown back.

“You can’t beat the Mad Mask, Kyle,” the Mad Mask sneered. “You know that.”

“Maybe I can't,” said Kyle. “But I won't stop trying. I’ll fight you forever if that means you don't win.”

The Mad Mask laughed. “My dear, the Mad Mask has already won. Just look at that pathetic Mighty Mike. He's useless against our magnificent Ultitron.” He gestured to the monitors, where Mighty Mike was indeed losing. Kyle felt a stab of despair.

“Ultitron was always your robot. You just needed me as bait,” said Kyle through gritted teeth.

“Maybe so,” said the Mad Mask. “But you loved that robot as much as the Mad Mask did. And you loved the Mad Mask.”

“I did not love you!” Kyle exclaimed.

The Mad Mask snorted. “Yeah. Sure. You’re telling the Mad Mask that all those nights, down in your basement...you didn’t feel anything ?”

“Well…” Kyle hesitated, then shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. You betrayed me. You kidnapped my best friend. I could never feel anything for you now.”

The Mad Mask’s eyes glittered dangerously. “You say that, but you’d be surprised how quickly one’s mind can change.” He gestured to the brainwave manipulator on the table. “The Mad Mask still needs your powers for his takeover, and he will have them, Kyle.”

Kyle's heart beat furiously. The Mad Mask was going to brainwash him with his own device. To use him as a weapon, to inflict him upon the innocent people of the world. That was unbearable.

But Mairi…

Kyle stole a glance at her, slumbering in the corner. She looked peaceful in sleep, as if the world wasn't falling apart. Kyle felt like someone was choking him. If it was for her...

Kyle breathed out. “Fine. If Mairi stays safe and out of it, I'll go along with you.”

The Mad Mask cocked his head. “She means that much to you?”

“More than anything in the world,” Kyle said surely. And it was true.

“Wrong answer,” the Mad Mask growled. He raised his wrist and aimed it at Mairi. A bolt of energy soared towards her and hit her square in the chest.

Kyle screamed and bolted at superspeed towards his best friend, but it was too late. A blossom of red bloomed from the entry wound. Except for the blood, she still looked like she was sleeping. Kyle clasped her hand.

“Why did you do that?” he screamed, looking back at the Mad Mask. He felt tears well up.

Without answering, the Mad Mask pointed his gauntlet at Kyle’s head. A fine mist escaped it, and as Kyle breathed in, he felt his head getting lighter.

“No–” he choked. He felt himself slip, and his fingers loosened on Mairi’s hand.

As he fell, the last thing he heard was the Mad Mask's soft laughter.

Chapter Text

A blur. Fading in and out of consciousness. Being moved from the sewer to a bed to a lab. Hands wrapping covers around him, hands locking manacles on his wrists.

The Mad Mask. The Mad Mask's voice. The edge of the Mad Mask's cloak, where clumsy half-assed stitches meet green fabric. The Mad Mask holding up the brainwave manipulator.

"Who are you?"

"Kyle Camden."

"Wrong. Who are you?"

"The Azure Avenger."

"Wrong. Who are you?"

"The...Blue Freak?"

"Correct. What is your real name?"

"Kyle Camden."

"Wrong. What is your real name?"

"Kyle Camden."

"Wrong!" The sound of a leather glove hitting skin. "What is your real name?"

"What is my real name?"

A leather glove carding through hair. "You're Kyle Stanley."

"I'm Kyle Stanley?"

"Yeah, you're Kyle Stanley."

"Who are you?"

"It's me, Jack. Don't you remember me?"

It hurt to remember. "No."

"It's okay, baby. You're safe."

His cape being torn off by leather gloves and thrown on the floor. Guards marching outside the lab. Two arms holding him close. A loud speech, and cheers, outside his window.

The Mad Mask. The Mad Mask softening his sharp edges and becoming Jack for him, and reverting into the Mad Mask at the smallest sign of trouble. The Mad Mask inserting a needle into his neck, and telling him not to worry about the sting. The Mad Mask brandishing a knife next to his cheek.

Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain.

A kiss on the cheek. A lighter flicking on.

Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain.

“Who is Mairi Mactaggert?”

“Some girl from school.”

“Good. How well did you know her?”

“We shared a few classes, but she was a big Mighty Mike fan.”

“And were you friends with Mighty Mike?”

“I didn't care about him. He isn't a threat.”

“Good boy.”

Red hair and red blood. The Mad Mask carefully placing a crown on Kyle's head. Something about Snow White. Red blood on white snow on ebony. Red blood on Kyle's skin, on his hair.

The next time Kyle was lucid, he opened his eyes to look into Mike's.

Chapter Text

“Kyle! Blue Freak! Wake up!”

These words pulled Kyle from a deep sleep, chained to a wall. Kyle fought to open his eyes, although his body clearly had other plans. Finally, he won over his baser instincts, and his eyes fluttered open.

He was met with shockingly blue eyes. A tanned face stared at him worriedly. Something clicked in his mind. Not a threat. “Mike?” he croaked.

Mighty Mike sighed in relief. “You’re okay. You remember me.” His shoulders sagged in relief.

“I…” Kyle cleared his throat. “How long have I been out? A week?”

Mike stared at him with wide eyes. “It’s been six months, Kyle. You’ve been held here six months.”

Somehow, the first thing that came to Kyle’s mind was, “I missed my birthday.”

“Happy birthday. Welcome to the dictatorship,” Mike said gruffly. He pulled apart the manacles like they were paper. Kyle dropped to the floor. He groggily took note of his surroundings, his super-brain only partly working. He was in a lab (the Mad Mask’s lab, he knew) with a cot in the corner and a workbench in the center. There were two windows on the left, and a door on the right. He was wearing his Azure Avenger t-shirt and underpants, and nothing else. His t-shirt was faded, like he really had been wearing it for six months.

“You’re breaking me out, I presume?” Kyle asked.

“Duh,” said Mike. “I’m not just going to leave you in the hands of that monster.” Mike looked him up and down. “Hey, you look different. What did the Mad Mask do to you?”

“I could say the same thing about you,” said Kyle.

It was true. Mike had definitely changed. HIs gold cape was torn, and the sleeves were ripped off of his trademark green t-shirt. He had swapped out the showy pajama-like gold boots for a yellow pair with laces and treads on the bottom, and he had bandages wrapped around his hands and forearms. His tanned skin had definitely deepened a few shades, and his freckles had migrated from his nose to the rest of his body. His hair was a mess and his brow was furrowed.

“You look stressed. Did you wise up to the horrors of the world, Mike?” Kyle asked teasingly.

“Something like that,” said Mike seriously. “Running a revolutionary front is hard. I’m not just a figurehead anymore.”

“You’re running a revolutionary front?” asked Kyle. “Against who?”

“The Mad Mask. Duh,” said Mike. At Kyle’s confused look, he said, “The dictator of the world? The one with Ultitron? The one that killed your best friend?”

“Best friend? What best friend?” Kyle didn’t have a best friend. Well, maybe Jack.

“Mairi Mactaggert!” Mike practically yelled. He shook his head. “Enough about that. We need to get out of here.”

“Why?” Kyle asked. This was safe. This was home.

Mike looked at him like he was crazy. “The Mad Mask and his guards will find us any minute. We don’t want to be captured. That is sort of the whole point of me breaking you out.”

Kyle shook his head. Right. Right. He wasn’t thinking clearly. “Okay. Yes. Let’s go.”

Mike grinned. “I had to be careful coming in, but we can make a grand exit.” He punched one of the windows of the lab, making a spectacular shattering noise.

“Our escapes are always spectacular,” Kyle smiled. Mike returned the smile and picked a couple of shards of glass out of his bandages. And then, one after the other, they jumped out the window and soared away, leaving behind the Mad Mask’s fortress.