Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The wind swept through his hair, roaring in his ears. His heartbeat matched his footsteps as they hit the concrete below. The last hour felt like a blur, the bruises blooming on his arms were painful but could be ignored with the adrenaline coursing through his system. They would likely not show color until hours after but the pain was there, flaring as the arms pumped.

Preparing his legs, the runner pushed off. Not even looking down at the gap between the roofs, he went weightless as he gained height. The jump took him from one building to another. When his legs hit the next roof, the runner dropped his shoulder and rolled to negate the momentum from the fall. Continuing the motion to his feet, there was no hesitation before he was running again. Shadowed figures followed in the distance, struggling to keep up with the boy they were chasing.

If only he hadn't been so stupid, how could he have gotten caught. He had memorized their patrols, no one was supposed to be here right now! They shouldn't have doubled back! What was going on!

The runner's broken coms fritzed when he tapped it, sending static feedback that made him flinch. He slipped as the noise caused a loss in concentration for his foot placement, almost falling into the alleyway below. Catching a railing to steady himself, the runner continued his trek through the city.

The shadowed pursuers began to fade, bleeding with the darkness of the city sky. It was only once they disappeared completely that the boy's legs started to slow. He veered right and jogged a distance away. Double-checking to make sure that no one had followed, he slid down the outside of a fire escape. Landing in the dark alley below, the boy stuffed his hands into his pockets and pulled up his hood.

There were not many people on the streets this late at night, it was not nearly safe enough for a 17-year-old boy to be walking by himself. Despite the risks, this particular 17 year old could take care of himself. Unlike some others, he was not invulnerable, he had not been that lucky. But he had experience, he could hold his own in a fistfight and when it came down to it he would probably win in straight combat. But that was not always enough.

In a perfect world, fists would solve problems. The victor would be determined by the person who worked the hardest or trained the best. Unfortunately, that was not this world. This cruel and unfair world where people were born unequal, where those without abilities, who had worked to be the best they could be, could be bested by a child who was simply born lucky.

Now, this runner was not "normal", the burning sensation within his back made that impossible to forget. The problem was, the gift that this boy had received did not give him an advantage. Or at least that was what he thought. The two extra appendages that he had been born with did not make him powerful. They made him a target. When extended, the fragile wings drew stares. It was impossible to blend into a crowd. He bumped into people, knocked things over. Worst of all, he was easier to hit.

It was a lot harder to dodge when you had a wall of feathers that doubled your surface area. He kept a couple of burnt feathers stashed away in his house to remind him of that fact. One fight with a blaze-gifted was all it took for him to be flightless for months. The wrong feathers catching fire sent him into a state of more pain than he had ever felt.

That fight was the day he made up his mind. The second the wings were healed, he tucked them away. It was not worth the risk. Keeping them extended in public could only cause harm. From then on, he was normal. No one would know about his greatest weakness, his Achilles heel. Some days, it was painful. His back ached and itched, there was no sense of comfort but it never got close to the feeling of watching the fire dance across his wings. The heat growing exponentially and the sound of screaming. At the time it didn't register that the yelling was coming from him. This temporary discomfort was worth it if he never had to go through that pain again. That burning had lasted for weeks, the discomfort lasted until he got back into his own room.

As the boy rounded another corner, he looked back over his shoulder checking for any tails. When he was finally satisfied, he grabbed the rope he had hidden behind the dumpster years ago. With weight on one end, the boy threw said weight through the bottom rung of the hanging fire escape above him. As silently as possible, he pulled the ladder until he could reach it, removing the rope and tossing it back into its hiding space. He quickly climbed the fire escape and pushed open a third-story window. Slipping in, he moved as silently as possible, not wanting to wake the person within.

Before he could even flip the light switch he felt a sudden pressure around his midsection, panicking, he struggled against the grip. His arms protested as the forming bruises were suddenly pushed on and panic set in as his mind raced. As soon as his breathing quickened, the grip was gone. The boy dropped to the floor under the predicted next grab of his perceived attacker and backed up till he felt a wall on his back. Squinting, he tried to make out the shape in the dark room. The shadow held their hands up in surrender and walked slowly to the light switch. As the room turned bright, the boy squinted to avoid the burn from the transition. He dropped his defensive position as he realized that the figure was only his roommate.

"I really should know better by now" the flatmate conceded. "I'm so sorry, I was just worried. Your coms cut out. I didn't know where you were. I didn't know what to do. Who would I call? What if something happened. Who would live with me? What if you got hurt. What if you were dead." He stopped to breathe taking short gasping breaths as if he had just sprinted a mile.

"Tubbo, I'm ok. I need you to breathe." The boy moved to put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I had a close call and my coms got screwed with. One of the officers had a tech ability. He was basically a mobile EMP. I'm just a bit bruised nothing worse."

"How would I have known if anything happened to you? All I heard was you muttering 'officers' under your breath and then you cutting out. It's terrifying." Tubbo protested. "I don't like that you are putting yourself in more danger. I know you want to help, but you can't save everyone. I mean, you are normal! How are you supposed to make a significant impact on crime when the gifted haven't been able to do anything!" It was coming from a place of worry but the statement still hurt.

"The gifted don't try Tubbo." The quick change in tone set the roommate back. He held out a hand placatingly.

"You know I don't mean it like that Tommy, I just don't want you getting hurt. The world is nicer to those born lucky. Those that aren't are just trying to get by. I get that you want to stand up for the less fortunate but it doesn't make logical sense. There are people who are born for those jobs. You know I support you and whatever you decide but I don't know if I can keep wondering if you are going to make it home ok. You scared me."

"I know you are worried but can't you trust me. I'm a big man, I can take care of myself. I want to do my part when there are so many that could make a difference and don't. I can't just sit back and let others get hurt when I have the potential to change the outcome. It isn't me."

"That's what scares me. Would you be able to walk away from a fight that would take your life?"

"Lets hope we never have to find out."

Chapter Text

"That's not good enough Tommy! 'I hope we never have to find out!' How the hell am I supposed to be comfortable with you going through the streets looking for trouble when you won't put your safety as a first priority!" Tubbo grabbed Tommy's shoulder forcing him to look down and meet his eyeline.

"Can you please promise me that you will be selfish for once in your life? Can you promise me that when the time comes, that you can walk away from a situation where you are outmatched? You were outnumbered by three gifted tonight and you ran. If there was someone else there, if you were protecting someone else from criminals when those officers showed up, would even consider saving yourself like you did today?"

"What do you want me to say Tubbo? You know the answers to those questions. Do you want me to lie to you? To tell you that I would walk away and leave someone behind? Because I can do that." Tommy pulled his shoulder out of Tubbo's reach, stepping back so his roommate could not grab him again. "I would leave. I would leave that poor defenseless person to the mercy of a group of muggers who abuse their abilities. I would take away the victim's last line of defense for the sake of my safety. I would be able to look that person in the eyes and say good luck. I would run."

"Tommy..."

"Tubbo, is that what you want from me? Are you satisfied?" Tommy turned his back, not even waiting for an answer. He tried to keep his breathing under control so his friend didn't notice the panic he was feeling. This kind of thing would not typically bother him but with the adrenaline rushing through his veins and his brain on hyperalert, it was affecting him more than he would like to admit. "It has been a long day, I'm going to bed. Don't bother me."

Despite Tubbos protests, the avian walked briskly into his room and shut the door behind him. He tried not to slam it but failed in his rush for privacy. The sound echoed and Tommy flinched, knowing the effect it would have. He wasn't mad, he didn't want Tubbo to think he was. He was just frustrated. The boy had known him for years, they were closer than anyone else in Tommy's life.

Was his point of view really that hard to comprehend? Is it so odd to put others before yourself?

His back throbbed and Tommy got changed, slipping into a shirt with an open back he had ripped for this exact purpose. He walked back to his door and turned the lock. Twisting the handle, he double and triple-checked that the door was shut and would not open. He drew the curtains on the window overlooking the city below. Once he was sure that no one could see, Tommy allowed his wings to fall out.

The aching subsided but some discomfort remained. He rolled his shoulders, the muscles protesting with the added weight now moving with them. The muscles of the wings themselves had atrophied from disuse and the limbs hung limply, barely able to support their own weight. Tommy looked over his shoulder with disgust, he experimentally flexed one, watching it straighten as his primaries extended to be parallel to the floor. Tommy held it up as long as he could before dropping the wing to its original position.

The only thing about the burdens on his back that were a gift was their ability to retract. Wings large enough to carry him could disappear without a trace, tucked into his back fitting impossibly into two large scars, showing an abnormal ability to fill spaces that should not have been possible. If he showed his wings, he would be considered one of the lucky. He was able to do things that those without gifts could not. If his wings were in shape, he was able to soar. But the feathers were far from a blessing, they were a curse.

He missed the feeling of the wind in his hair, jumping off of rooftops and extending the wings. Feeling the lift as he shot through the sky. It was his escape. Whenever things got bad he took to the air. No sound but the rushing wind. He was free.

That freedom couldn't last. Every flight had to come to an end, every time someone takes to the air, gravity brings them back down. It had been on one of those bad days when the love of flying ended. It was just an argument, hurtful words were said and Tommy fled to the roof. He doesn't even remember what the disagreement was about but it was small and menial. Nonetheless, the bird took to the sky. He was gone for an hour, clearing his head. He stayed high above the city, calming his temper. After the period of time, he dove toward his building, spending as little time out of the cloud cover as possible, he spread his wings like a parachute. He touched down lightly and tucked his wings. Not putting them away but bringing the tips together, comfortably in place behind his back. He walked through the door to the stairway. When he got to his apartment, he knew something was wrong. He couldn't hear his parents talking as they often did after arguments, consoling each other. The door was cracked open and he knew he had slammed it behind him.

His parents may have tried to come after him and left it open... but he had been gone long enough that they would have come back to wait. Tommy peaked into the crack of the door. The apartment was dark. He put his heel by the door hinge and slowly straightened his foot, pushing the door open as slowly as possible. When it was fully open, he stepped carefully into the house. There were papers strewn everywhere, books sitting below dents in the walls as if they were thrown. Plants were knocked over and the glass coffee table was shattered. The glass shards were spread around the room looking as though they had been kicked. The house was empty and his parents were gone.

The guilt from that night haunted him. He had left, run from confrontation. Tommy had disappeared when his parents needed him the most. If he was in his house, he could have made a difference, he could have stopped whatever had happened. But he hadn't been, he had been with his stupid wings. Flying in a place where no other person could reach him. His parents had been missing 5 years. There was no sign of where they might have gone. Tommy had no options. After the police were notified, they had looked for the missing couple. Officers were brought in with tracking abilities. No one found anything. The case was declared cold and Tommy was declared an orphan. When he was informed that he would be placed in foster care, Tommy ran. That was all he was good at, running. He ran from all his problems and paid the price time and time again. It wasn't until he had finally begun to process the grief that he realized why his parents were gone.

Him.

He had left them, so they had left him. He vowed to never make that same mistake again.

Chapter Text

Tommy sat down on his bed and preened. The pure white feathers never lost color due to protection from the outside elements but keeping them tucked away left them bent and out of position. Sitting and running his fingers through his wings gave Tommy time to think. He had gone through these motions so many times that his mind drifted off. The actions continued as he thought about his night. He had come so close to getting caught.

It had been a routine check. He regularly patrolled the area looking for anyone who might need his help. A black mask was pressed over his eyes while his hoodie and athletic pants matched the shadowy color. He strode from rooftop to rooftop, keeping a careful eye on the streets below.

The city itself was massive, it was divided into three rings each encircling the next. The buildings were built on a hill so that the inner ring was viewable from every position below. Its glowing buildings and elegant architecture ensured that every person not within its walls was aware of the wealth held within. The inner ring was home to the powerful, those who had been born with abilities that reached a certain standard. Some of these gifts were physical mutations, others mystical powers. No one is sure what the origins of these abilities are or when they occurred. It is just a fact of life. The inner ring was also the home of the officers, the so-called 'heros' hand-picked to maintain order within the city. Tommy didn't know the majority of the officers enlisted, there were very few that policed the outer ring. The vigilante was told again and again by complaining officials, how being assigned to the outside was a punishment, one that was mocked by all. The best of the best controlled the inner ring, where criminals were bigger threats and there was more glory. No officer wanted to arrest normies.

That was what the majority of the outer ring was, normals. Pretty much anyone with an ability more powerful than a slightly stronger sneeze was allowed to move to the middle ring, where the slightly gifted lived their lives. That is a bit of an exaggeration, but it proves a point. The outer ring held no appeal for flashy heroics. That did not mean it was any safer. Petty crimes were at an all-time high, from muggings to knife fights, the streets were not safe to walk on at night. Those who had abilities but could not move up rings took out their frustration on the defenseless.

That was where Tommy stepped in. He had spent time learning, training. He did not want to be defenseless and he had a tendency to get into fights. It was a decision that had paid off time and time again. His typical night was spent beating up a few muggers, saving a damsel in distress, and handing her the extra mace that he kept in his pocket. After demonstrating how to use it, he sent them on their way knowing that no one would be getting near them again.

That was one of the most satisfying parts of the job. Not only saving someone but knowing he could teach them how to save themselves. He rarely had to save the same woman twice but he often found robbers screaming and clutching their eyes. That never failed to bring a smile to his face.

This particular night, it had been eerily quiet. There was almost no one on the streets. That alone should have tipped him off that there was a new patrol in town. Tubbo was in his ear but there was not much to say. He would radio in if there was any trouble but he knew that Tommy was not in a talkative mood. He had tried to crack a few jokes but after 30 minutes of his antics going unresponded, the line went silent. Tubbo had a mute button on his end but Tommy's earpiece did not give him that luxury. Even if it did, he would never turn off the volume on either end of the connection for safety reasons. If something happened, Tubbo was his best bet, and keeping the mic muted would be a potential impediment to his literal lifeline.

Tommy dropped down into an alley, he had spotted a friend and, with a night as quiet as today, he had some time to catch up with her. "Alyssia!" he yelled. She turned around, eyes flashing in panic. She put her finger to her lips as her body language begged him to be quiet. She hadn't been seen in the lower ring in ages. She didn't own a house in the area and disappeared often. No one has a clue where she goes and she appears and leaves as she pleases. Now, after not being seen in months, she was asking for silence. So, Tommy was quiet. There was a good reason, when he got closer she put an armbar across his chest pushing him up against the wall of the alley. A group of four officers that Tommy did not recognize strolled past.

"The noise came from over here!" One of the guards stood and looking directly down the hallway and his eyes passed through where Tommy and Alyssa stood. Both of the hiders held their breath and waited. "I heard a kid," the guard continued. "I know I did." Tommy bit back a retort at the 'kid' comment.

One of the officers elbowed the apparent youngest of the group, gesturing at the guy who was speaking. "I think Manifold has finally lost it." They chuckled. The original guard crossed his arms in a fake pout.

"Why did I have to get assigned with you three? The outer ring isn't that bad when you have solid partners." He grumbled and turned away. The female officer beckoned with her hand and the group went walking on into the night.

Alyssa removed her arm from Tommy's chest and the two of them blinked back into existence. The invisibility wore off and the broken glass pod at their feet was kicked under a dumpster. "Damn it Shadow, that was my last extra invisibility pod. I need the last ones to get through the walls. Why couldn't you have just been stealthy for once in your life!"

"Hey, don't talk to me about stealth. The criminals literally call me Shadow. I'm too fast for them. I am the epitome of stealth. I blame you for the guard thing. I don't know why its on you but it couldn't have been my fault." Alyssa rolled her eyes.

"I should make you get me a new one."

"But you won't. You love me and you know it. Plus I can't get access to potion pots and you know that. I'm just a lowly vigilante in the outer ring." He slung his arm around her shoulder.

Alyssa sighed and admitted defeat, "okay, okay you are right. How have you been?"

"Since when do you ask questions? That was like, our whole thing. I sass you and you admit I'm superior. We don't ask personal questions."

"Since when is small talk personal questions? Whatever, forget it. I would stick around but with a new team on the streets, I'm going underground for a bit. I'll be in the ring for a while though, hopefully we can catch up at some point?"

"Sure. Meet me here when you are available. I pass this alley on patrol every night."

"See you then."

Alyssa was a cool example of a normal who had managed to make life work. She had no ability but she was living the life. With full access to any ring and the outside world, she ran a black market for items that the officers restricted access to. It wasn't anything super illegal and people rarely got hurt so she and Tommy got along. Alyssa made sure that the market was safe for pedestrians and the vigilantes left her alone. It was a codependent system. In exchange for not scaring off her patrons, Tommy got first pick on some of the items she brought into the city. With the limited funds that he had, every piece of tech he could gift Tubbo or every new upgrade he could make to his suit was invaluable. Tommy looked at the watch on his wrist. It flashed the time, showing how late he had been out. Right as he was about to climb a fire escape to the rooftops,

"I knew I heard someone! Down here!"

Chapter Text

The guards ran towards him. Tommy looked up at the fire escape, "Officers." He said under his breath, hoping Tubbo was awake on the other line. His roommate's voice responded almost immediately.

"Officers! Where? I was watching their patrol after they left you. How did they manage to..." A high-pitched ringing cut through Tubbo's response, causing Tommy to flinch.

The officer, the one the other hero called Manifold, winced. "Sorry if there was feedback. My ability is still recovering from the instance that got us assigned down here. It takes me longer than normal to cut off coms."

"What is wrong with you! That hurt." Tommy complained, the mask blocked the officers from noticing him looking around for a way out. He went to take a step toward the fire escape but the young one beat him to it. The kid sat on the ladder and summoned a black dagger to his hand. The weapon appeared to be made out of smoke but when the kid dragged it against the metal ladder, it left a large gash where the blade passed. The larger guard summoned two swords in an identical manner. Tommy backed away from the kid.

"Who are you?" The woman spoke up in the back. Tommy felt immediately compelled to answer. The words almost jumped out of his mouth before he was able to swallow them back down.

Manifold turned to the female and nodded."Niki, go ahead. Give it another shot."

Tommy was confused. "Give what another shot?" The girl walked closer with her hands out in front of her.

"What is your name?" With the direct eye contact that Niki gave, he couldn't stop himself from responding. He was not able to lie but he did change his answer before he exposed his whole identity. Instead of saying his full name, social security number, and address Tommy choked on his words.

"Shadow, they call me Shadow." The group did not look satisfied with that answer. Niki's arms closed around his wrists.
When had she got close enough to do that?
The grip was not painful but it was strong. He was not able to pull away no matter how hard he tried. His head cleared as the panic grew and he kicked out. His left foot caught Niki in the chest. To her credit, she maintained the grip on his hands.

"Punz, come here," Niki stated. The larger male dismissed his swords and swapped out with her, holding Tommy from behind. Tommy struggled. He pushed against the hold gripping around the entirety of his torso, keeping his arms pinned to his sides. The grip tightened uncomfortably in an effort to keep him in place and Tommy began to feel bruises forming on his arms. There was no way that he could overpower a well-trained gifted so he began to attempt to outsmart him. The kid, Purpled, was young, he was probably inexperienced. Manifold was a bit dense, and Niki appeared to be competent but she was engaged in a conversation with the former and her back was turned. Taking his chance, Tommy kicked backward. Punz took the hit with little difficulty but Tommy used the leverage to give himself a bit of distance from the officer's body. When he had gotten enough room, he dropped. Going below the tightening grip, he went to the floor and quickly sprung away from Punz. When he regained his footing, he turned and sprinted toward Purpled.

Surprised, the teenager's blade flickered before disappearing. He cursed and grasped at air, seemingly trying to summon it back. Tommy lowered his shoulder and rammed the kid off his seat. Scrambling up the ladder, he took off running. Niki and Manifold had looked up at Purpled's curse and were the first to give chase.

"Stop running Shadow." Niki's voice was barely a whisper but it was still tempting. Tommy's pace slowed slightly before he shook his head and continued at top speed. The four officers ran after him but with the vigilante's knowledge of the terrain, he slowly gained ground until they were gone.

With his feathers straightened, Tommy laid back on the bed, wrapping his wings around him for warmth. The blankets were lined around him but he never pulled them over. With the insulation of the wings, a blanket would cause the avian to overheat. He kept them in the room solely for appearances. If he threw them off the bed, Tubbo would start to ask questions. So he kept them, used them to hide loose feathers. There was a reason that Tommy had feather pillows, it was the easiest way to hide his molt. Plus, it gave him an excuse. If he missed a feather while straightening up he could always blame the pillows.

Tommy twisted and rolled until he found a comfortable position and began to feel his eyes close. He drifted off to sleep.

Across the city, in the middle of the inner ring. A family of three was cozied up, getting ready for bed.

They may not have been a family by blood, but the three were closer than any bonds genetics could form. The youngest was the Blood God, to the outside world he was ruthless. He was known for his emotionless tone and his efficiency with his job. His increased strength, stamina, and speed that came as a piglin gifted made him a foe to be reckoned with and his battlefield knowledge topped almost every other officer. Anyone he had encountered may describe him as intimidating or cruel. That changed as one got to know him. The Blade was a hero who was close with few but the friendships he did form were made to last. He was competitive but held a lot of respect for his opponents, especially those who had been able to best him before. He always strove to be the best and cared for those who he let get close.

If you managed to befriend Techno, you would learn about his tendency to zone out, his ability to be easily distracted. If you dug deeper, you would learn about his love for mythologies and his love of animals. If you were his family, you would realize that maybe he wasn't as intimidating as everyone believed.

The oldest "child" was Ghost, a hero known for his quick wit and his phasing ability. He was sarcastic and loved by all. Many considered him a friend but very few got close enough to consider him family. Wilbur loved music, he had a gift with a guitar and his voice caused people to gather around. That was not a supernatural ability but a natural talent. If you asked someone around him, they would swear that it was part of his gifts but the ones closest knew the truth. He was sweet with every person he met, gave out compliments when needed, and made friends quickly. Despite the kindness he showed, the tell of his friendship was the insults. A hero knew they had reached his closer circle of friends when Wilbur began to make playful insults. The closer you were, the more personal the jokes and the more Ghost was open to hearing insults in return. The family poked fun at each other so much that an outside viewer may be confused as to whether they were extremely close or hated each other's guts. That was mostly due to Wilbur's way of showing love.

The last member of this impromptu family was the one who many considered to be the father. Raven got his hero name from his most recognizable features. Behind his shoulders hung a pair of large pitch-black wings. Unlike Tommy, these wings were displayed proudly, the muscles were well used and they were well taken care of. These wings were the owner's pride and joy, they were a recognized gift being used to their full ability. Raven was the member with the biggest heart. He took many under his wing both metaphorically and physically. He was one of the top officers along with Ghost and Blade and had perfected combat incorporating his two extra appendages. Despite his fighting skill, combat was not his first option. He was well known for his ability to talk people down, reason with them. He was the go-to hostage negotiator and was loved by the public for his ability to stop large criminals without the need for bloodshed.

These three individuals who could not be more different had formed the most unlikely bond. They were inseparable and the administration had started to assign them together. This was not for the fact of friendship or the leaders being nice. The SBI, as they were known by many, worked well together. Apart they were the best of the best, but together they were unstoppable.

The family could do anything together.

Chapter Text

Phil put the pot into the coffee maker and turned it on. The grinding of the beans was loud enough to echo through the kitchen and it didn't take long for Wilbur and Techno to walk into the room. Techno looked as though he had been awake for hours. He had dark bags under his eyes but he was alert and far from drowsy. Wilbur was the contrast to this state. He rubbed his eyes and yawned, bidding Phil a good morning. The older hero nodded in response and brought out three mugs for when the pot had finished brewing. Techno reached into the cabinet and brought out pancake mix. He portioned the water and the mix and soon the apartment was filled with the smell of the breakfast food cooking. Wilbur opened the fridge and brought out a gallon of orange juice. He poured three cups and left two on the counter, bringing the last to a spot at the table and sitting down.

When the coffee was done, Phil joined him, bringing his and Wilbur's mugs with him. Once Techno was done, the group sat and had breakfast together. No one at the table felt the need to fill the comfortable silence that occurred. There was no need for discussion, that happened at their jobs. Meals were simply an important time to be together and enjoy one another's company. Some days a conversation was struck up but it was not a requirement. Sometimes silence is a comforting thing.

When the meal was done, each took care of their own dishes. Moving as though it was routine, the group tugged on coats and left for work. One of the advantages of working with the officers was a solid commute. Phil walked out to the balcony and he jumped off, feeling the wind rush through his hair. At the last moment, with the grace of a practiced flyer, Phil spread his wings and spiraled down to the building across from his own. Meeting Techno and Will in the courtyard below, they entered the neighboring building together.

"Do you have to do that every day?" Will jokingly complained. "The elevator is just as fast. It's almost like you don't want to spend that quality time with me and Tech." Phil laughed and brushed him off, showing his badge at the front desk. The badge was more of a formality at this point, everyone knew who the trio were. There was no evidence of a shapeshifting gifted existing but Phil kept up protocol just to be safe. Will and Techno walked through without a thought. When Phil sent them a glare they both shrugged in unison. Will's grin made Phil think that they avoided using the badges just to piss him off.

The group rode the elevator to the top floor. Walking out of the doors, they entered the control hub for the Hero's League. The walls were lined with monitors displaying the various news channels of the city as well as the league's own surveillance and footage. Anyone who looked a bit closer would recognize the disproportionate amount of screens focusing on the inner ring. The room itself was set up like a hotel lounge. There was an office in the back but the majority of the floor plan was open with various couches, coffee tables, and planters containing greenery from around the globe. On these couches sat the top heroes, the best of the best. They were chatting with each other and watching the screens, waiting for something to pop up. It seemed to be a quiet day as the majority of the heroes were present in the lounge and not somewhere in the city fighting the evils of the world. Dream sat with NotFound, Sapnap, and Bad in one corner. XXRose and Puffy were chatting on a set of rocking chairs in another. There were other groups of friends scattered around and the only people that seemed to be missing were Nihachu, Manifold, Punz, and Punz's apprentice, Purpled. That was no surprise after the trouble that they had gotten into. If Phil had to guess, they were sleeping off a night shift at the League's headquarters in the outer ring.

Sinking into one of the empty couches, the three friends chilled waiting for a job. They had a fight yesterday so they were likely low on the queue for assignments. Preparing for a day of relaxing, the trio sat back and watched the screens. For an hour or so, they watched other heroes get called off on for their duties. There was nothing really major, just some small robberies and small-scale plots to foil, no city domination plans. SBI was convinced that this was going to be a boring day. Then the elevator doors slid open, the room recognized the horns of the man that entered before they even registered his face. The ram hybrid walked to the couch where Phil, Wilbur, and Techno were seated. "You three, the office, now." The president continued walking into the room and shut the door.

The room was dead silent. It was not often that the President visited the League. He was a man of few words so the brief encounter did not necessarily mean trouble but it still left everyone curious as to why he was in their headquarters asking for the three top heroes. The three in question stood and strolled to the room they had been summoned to. Phil entered first, Techno entered last, closing the door behind them. When the three had sat in the chairs provided, Schlatt began. He was sitting behind the desk looking at a file that had been set on the desktop.

"Listen guys, you know I'm a great guy. Great leader and all that. Best of the best. You don't have to tell me, I hear it every day. One of my many talents as president of this nation and leader of this great capital city is running the League." The three heroes were used to the president's ego. Avoiding any conflict, they sat expressionless across from the ram. "Basically what I am trying to get at, is the press is forgetting how good I am at my job. I let the tech guys know where to assign you, keep the city from falling to superpowered villains and all I hear is, 'blah blah blah you are ignoring the outer and middle ring blah blah blah'. I would love some gratitude for the work I have done. Listen, we have 'super' heroes for a reason, they solve 'super' problems. We need to focus on the biggest threats first. Who cares about a couple of normie muggings when the person who could stop them is off saving the city from a gifted who could kill hundreds in the blink of an eye."

His logic made sense. As crudely as it was put, the heroes couldn't help but see where the president was coming from. They held pride in the quantity of lives they were able to save and if the system in place allowed them to do that to the best of their ability, they could not complain.

"This system has brought me under a bit of fire." Schlatt continued. "Two problems. One is vigilantes. There has been a wave of new illegal vigilantes in the outer ring who are trying to push back some of the occasional crime down there."

Phil was confused and questioned before he could remind himself to hold his tongue. "What is wrong with that? They might be able to make a difference while the heroes are busy dealing with the bigger threats."

The president chuckled. "Here is the thing Phil, you may be well versed in heroics but this is a game of politics and psychology. The introduction of vigilantes makes the League look flawed. Making the League look flawed creates a target on its back. We have an intimidation factor that dissuades a lot of gifted from committing crimes that could gain our attention. If that is taken away, crime rates go up and it may be more than we can handle. The vigilantes need to go. It's illegal and we cannot allow people to traipse around breaking the law when it hurts our image. The other issue is the press. I need you three to do me a favor... Actually, it's not a favor, you don't have a choice. I'm assigning you three to the outer ring for a day." The ram held up a hand that quelled the protests of the three. "Only for a day, and I don't care what you stop. If you can grab a vigilante, great. If you don't, I will be assigning teams down there for that in the future depending on the skill of the vigilantes in question. I just want you guys to be seen saving some people in the outer ring, get the camera on you and get some interviews. I just want people to know we care about every ring equally. You guys leave tomorrow. Don't let me down."

The Previous Night

As Tommy started to shut his door, Tubbo sank onto the sofa. The harsh slam that followed caused the ram gifted to wince. He had not meant to be so harsh. If he could turn back time, that conversation would have been completely reworded and would likely have had a better end result. Despite that fact, he was glad to get the thoughts off his chest. There was so much that he was forced to hide from Tommy, he did not want his emotions and worry to add to the list.

The secrets were suffocating and he wished that he could tell them all. He had known Tommy long enough to trust him with the truth. But knowledge has consequences, Tubbo was a refugee, hiding from the inner rings. If Tommy knew who he was, it would lead to constant stress. After the discussion they had tonight, Tubbo was positive that if it came down to it, Tommy would not hesitate to give his life for a stranger, let alone his best friend. If he knew that Tubbo was in the danger he was in, there would be no peace for the vigilante. If he knew what the ram was running from, there would be no hesitation to kill the people responsible despite the consequences. That was something that Tubbo could not have. Tommy would not get the opportunity to avenge his friend because he would never know what happened in the past.

The secrets would stay secret because Tubbo had to protect the loved ones he still had. He had to protect Tommy. He had to protect the one who strove to protect everyone else.

Chapter Text

Schlatt left the office, leaving the three to discuss. None of them had ever been to the outer ring. Even as up-and-coming heroes, they had gained public attention quickly so keeping them in the spotlight within the inner ring had been a higher priority.

They were not blind to the politics fueling assignments but to have it all laid out in front of them was a shock. Schlatt had not even tried to hide the motives behind his actions. He had described what needed to be done and why. It was not what they were expecting. Will was the first to speak up.

"Well, guess that is our day tomorrow... Not much we can do about it. With the slow day around here, it's not like we would be assigned tomorrow anyway. As long as some massive plot doesn't get revealed in the next 24 hours, we would have been a bit bored." The other two shrugged in agreement, not having any argument to that statement.

"Do you guys want to go down tonight?" Will asked. "Niki is down there with that whole group and I don't know about you but I don't think there will be a ton of crime down there in the daylight. It may be a good idea to start patrol tonight, we could give the group stationed the night off. Plus, I'm willing to bet that the vigilantes are more active at night and I want to grab a few while we are stationed down there. It is probably the most exciting job we could get even if that is not saying much."

"Sure mate, sounds like a plan," Phil responded. "Let's chill out for the rest of the afternoon in case headquarters needs us around here. We can head down before it gets dark, we will surprise the group down there and tell them the good news. Should be a fun night."

Later that Night

Tommy walked into the apartment and dropped his coat onto the back of the beat-up couch in his living room, it had been a long day and he was excited to release some of the stress through his very exciting hobby.

Tubbo got home a few minutes after Tommy, he walked past his roommate sitting on the couch and sat down at the desk in the back of the room. Tubbo pulled open a lower drawer and removed the false bottom. He took out the uniform within and tossed it in Tommy's direction.

The avian was zoned out and didn't notice Tubbo's actions. Despite these exact motions being close to routine, Tommy got hit in the face with the mask and outfit.

Snapping out of his thoughts, he pulled the fabric off of where it hung on his head and brought it into his room. He threw it on and walked back to the common area. Tubbo was booting up his PC in preparation. When it powered on, tabs containing surveillance from around the city were displayed.

Tommy gave him a nod on the way out of the window and slipped down the fire escape. Prior to leaving, he had thrown a sweatshirt over his typical vigilante outfit and the mask was tucked into his pocket. When he got far enough from the house, he stowed the hoodie in the shadows and pushed his mask over his eyes.

With his identity successfully hidden, Tommy scaled the building next to him and began his patrol. Before he did anything else, he checked the meeting spot he had given Alyssa and found it empty.

Committing to checking the spot again at the end of his night, Tommy set out into the city.

Tubbo was scouring the ring's cameras. If a robbery occurred or if suspicious activity happened, Tubbo would see it and Tommy would hear about it. There was not a real need to go on patrol, Tubbo could just point him in the way of the activity. Tommy just did it out of habit.

It was a relaxing task, a way to keep his skills sharp and destress. Plus, if something did happen, Tommy would likely be closer to the action if he was already running through the rooftops. The heroes physically patrolled the outer ring because they didn't have an option. Tommy had heard that they had cameras within the inner ring and their patrol functioned in a very similar way as he and Tubbo did when they were in the richer area. In the lower district, they did not put in cameras. Every form of surveillance is privately owned and impossible for a government agency like the League to access. Tubbo, however, does not have a single problem with hacking into the tech to get their video feed. The heroes had a few more legal barriers to get through if they wanted to do that.

Tommy's night was going great. He hadn't run into the officers who had almost caught him and he had been able to successfully stop a few criminals. There was a gash in the loose sleeve of his right arm from a knife that he had to take from a drunken man but other than the torn clothing, he was in perfect condition. That was rare for the vigilante who often returned home with at least one new bruise.

The resurgence of vigilantes had caused a drop in the amount of crime. Anyone breaking the law was a bit warier now that there were actually consequences. This was especially true as it got later. The darker it was, the more the vigilantes had the upper hand.

Criminals in the outer ring could not afford a lot of high-tech equipment. The larger criminal organizations that could were based in the higher rings with only low-level operatives living in the outer. Vigilantes had gained the technical upper hand through deals with Alyssia and other black-market sellers. Night vision and other perks made the dark a lot more dangerous for anyone trying to do something questionable.

There was a reason that people called Tommy 'Shadow'. The vigilante was not a huge fan of the name, called it lame. However, it did demonstrate how effectively the boy had learned to use his surroundings. The dark was his territory and there were not many who dared challenge him in that environment.

Waiting for another mission from Tubbo, Tommy casually leaped from rooftop to rooftop. He traced a practiced path throughout the ring. Not really paying attention, he almost didn't notice the large black shadow crossing rooftops a couple of blocks over.

Startled by the sudden movement, Tommy dove behind a chimney. It was too dark to make out what the shape was, even with the night vision hidden in his mask. It was too big to be a bird but there was the possibility of a drone or other flying technology.

The league had access to that kind of thing but Tommy had never seen one in person. It was fast and could make tight turns in the blink of an eye. It came to a stop over a rooftop in the distance. The shape hovered there for a couple of minutes before turning and flying off in another direction. Curious, Tommy began moving toward the building.

The closer he got, the more Tommy focused on staying quiet. He had no clue what was waiting for him and was nervous about officers. It was well known that the League was aware of the spike in vigilante activity and was not a fan. It could easily be a trap but he could not just ignore it. What if it was not officers but a new group trying to stir up trouble, the vigilante would have to do his job.

If Tommy had been thinking ahead, he probably would have asked Tubbo about that specific rooftop. He would have gotten information and stayed clear for the entire night. He would have had his fears confirmed and left. As it was, he crept ever closer.

There were two figures sitting on the rooftop, and there were murmurs of a conversation that was too far away for the vigilante to pick up. He moved closer, hiding behind the door that led onto the roof.

Tommy turned on the night vision and almost jumped back. He recognized the officer uniforms on the two who were sitting there. Despite the fear that rushed through him, he knew that this was a situation that he could take advantage of. Tommy appeared to have gotten close to the pair unnoticed. He had an opportunity to eavesdrop on a group that would arrest him if they had the chance. He had a shot to attempt to gain the upper hand.

Sliding a bit closer, he leaned in to decipher the words being spoken. When the words finally became clearer, the vigilante was a bit surprised about what he heard.

"But Tech, I understand it's a bit simplified but the story is so well done. The characters all bring something to the team and details are woven beautifully. The incorporation of Chekhov's gun with the Chinese finger trap was amazing."

The other officer paused before responding. "I don't hate the series Will, I just don't like that it is some people's only exposure to Greek Mythology. There are certain changes and simplifications that readers take as mythological facts. It's frustrating as someone who loves Greek Mythology and studied it for a period of time."

Tommy was frustrated, he was risking sticking around and being caught in hope of overhearing some top-secret information. Yet, here these two officers were bickering over a young-adult book series. He should leave but before he could get the chance, a shadow fell over the building.

With the knowledge that the two on the roof were officers, he had written the mysterious shadow off as a drone. It was forgotten in the back of his mind. That changed as he felt a rush of wind from above him.

Tommy's breath caught in his throat as he caught sight of what was causing the breeze. A man was lowering himself to the rooftop, but that was not what set off Tommy's panic. What forced him to breathe manually were the feathered limbs that were keeping him aloft.

With another flap of the wings, the mystery officers touched down. He was wearing sandals and a green and white hat, both unconventional for flying or fighting. Tommy had no idea how they did not fall off in the air.

With his feet safely on the ground, the officer tucked his wings away. With the feathers out of sight, Tommy was able to gain momentum against the confusion and panic that had caused him to freeze.

Wings?

Why wings?

How?

Officers were supposed to be the best of the best, how had a man cursed with wings managed to make his way onto their lineup?

How was he comfortable with displaying the wings proudly as he flew through the air?

Didn't he know the danger that came with that?

Of course he did, he had to. He was an officer. There was no way that the man in front of him had never encountered trouble, it was his literal job. Yet there he stood having just returned from a flight around town. Tommy had a hunch that if the winds on the roof were not as strong as they were, the wings would still be out.

His vision was spinning and his breaths quickened.

"Tommy?"Tubbo's voice came through the earpiece, he had likely seen the quickened heart rate and heard the panicked breathing.

Unfortunately with him being so close to three officers, Tommy was unable to respond. "Tommy, are you ok?" the voice said again, there was an edge of nervousness that was not there before. The vigilante could not hear his friend. He was trying to focus.

There was no way that Tommy would let himself lose his nerve when there were three heroes close by. He needed to sit down.

Grasping around for a place to sit, Tommy found a surface. He couldn't see with the black spots entering his visions. It felt like he had stood up to fast during a period of time where he was dehydrated. As he grasped at the surface, he began to put weight on it, lowering himself down.

Unfortunately for the panicking vigilante, the surface had wheels. As the weight was put onto it, it shot out from under Tommy. He was able to catch himself from falling but the box rolled. As Tommy watched in horror, it hit the side of the roof with a resounding

BANG

Chapter Text

The crash sounded through the roof and the one officer instinctively flared his wings, bracing them as if he was about to fly off. As the noise seemed to echo, the three heroes fell silent. They stared at the cart that had just rolled out from behind the door. Waiting for a few seconds, they stood to see what would happen, hoping that the cause of the situation would reveal itself.

Out of their line of sight, a teenager was doing the same thing, waiting. Forcing himself to breathe, Tommy tried to think. For a moment panic grew as he grasped for a plan and nothing came. His head was drowned out by his beating heart.

The silence following the bang was far too loud. It was overwhelming.

But he needed to think.

They were there.

The officers were right there.

If he didn't have a plan in the next minute, he was screwed.

Quick, what were his options?

He could walk out.

He was a vigilante, they would easily recognize that but it might take them by surprise. He could have a quick chat to lower their guard and bolt when they made a move.

He could take the mask off.

He could pretend he was a normal civilian who just happened to be on a rooftop. It would be suspicious but he could potentially get away without a chase. However, if they recognized his outfit then his cover was blown and there was no hiding anymore, his identity was exposed.

As nice as it would be to get out of this situation without a fight or a chase, Tommy couldn't see a solution that ended with him walking away scot-free.

The last option that he could think of was sneaking off. He could stay out of the line of sight and slip off the roof.

That was the one.

If he played his cards right then they would never see what he looked like. He could slip away without being noticed in the best case and get a headstart in the worst.

Tommy crept to the side of the building, cautious to keep the door between him and where he assumed the three heroes to be. Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, Tommy slipped down the side of the building into the alleyway below.

The three heroes exchanged glances. It had been a long enough period of silence for it to become awkward.

"Wanna check?" Techno asked. "Something has to be over there, it's windy but not enough to push a full luggage cart. There has got to be someone hiding back there. If someone is going over, I volunteer Wilbur."

Phantom looked at him with mock offense. "Why me? Are you scaaarrreedd?" Chuckling at their antics, Phil strolled around the door. Wilbur and Techno stopped their jesting, waiting for an account of what he saw.

Just as Phil's line of sight fell behind the obstruction, he watched a flash of black drop over the side of the building. He rushed to the edge in time to see a figure hit the ground. Techno and Will caught on that something was up and began to move in the direction. As soon as the figure below started to run, Phil put a hand on the building edge, swinging his feet over and dropping. He pushed off of the side of the building and spread his wings, outpacing the running figure below.

He did not want to hurt whoever was running but he also needed answers. Phil tucked into a dive, pulling up a bit right as he was about to hit the runner. He slowed his momentum enough to avoid injury and tucked his wings away, dropping on the person below. Phil pinned the shadow to the ground as the person squirmed and attempted to evade his grip.

He could hear his two partners attempting to get off the roof above them. Looking down, he was met with a mask. The figure was tall, around 6'1, and lanky. He had muscle but was not anywhere near a bodybuilder type.

"Get off!" The figure complained. "Get off of me bitch!"

Phil switched where his knee was positioned to pin down the vigilante's left arm, freeing up Phil's hand which had been keeping it on the ground.

"Why would I? I was sent here to catch you guys and you expect me to just let you waltz off." Phil chuckled, leaning back a bit in amusement. "Who are you again?"

The vigilante curled in a bit, stopping his struggling as he realized it was useless. Not even waiting for a response, Phil moved his free hand toward the mask. Techno and Will were near the ground now, having taken longer than normal due to the number of times they tried to trip each other on the fire escape. As soon as Tommy figured out what Phil was attempting to do, he picked up his struggling, moving his head as far away from the approaching hand as possible.

The effort was pointless. There was no way out. Phil was experienced at nonlethal capture. Not only was he good at it, he was one of the best. That wasn't a fact that was known by the vigilante but Tommy had tried to escape and failed. He was not going to stop trying but there was a small voice in the back of his head.

It whispered something that he feared to be the truth.

He's got you, there is no way out. This is how it ends. A over a year of vigilante work for you to be put in prison for life. Put there by someone who shares your curse, the brutal irony.

This is it.

Tommy felt cold fingers touch his face as they gripped the edge of the item hiding his identity.

He took a deep breath, preparing himself for what was about to happen.

He waited for the mask to be ripped from his face,

and waited,

and waited.

Opening his eyes, he realized that the grip had released. Quickly taking advantage of the unexpected freedom, the vigilante sprung to his feet and bolted.

He expected to be followed by the group but was surprised to find that he was alone. He ran until he could not run anymore. Once he was sure he was not being chased, Tommy went home.

Phil was curious, the figure he was pinning to the ground was shrouded in mystery. He fit the description of the vigilante that Niki said had escaped them the previous night but the hero could not be sure it was the same person. Wilbur and Techno were a couple of feet behind him, standing and watching. They knew the avian had it handled and didn't want to get in the way.

Phil reached down to remove the mask. Once a person was unmasked, they lost all sense of privacy. There was no way that this vigilante could outrun the SBI if they knew what he looked like. He might escape today but there would be no way he could get away for long.

Phil gripped the corner of the mask, ready to pull it off. Suddenly, there was a feeling unlike one he had ever experienced. It was similar to a gallon of ice water being dumped down his back (Wilbur had made sure that Phil was aware of what that felt like). His hand shot back from the vigilante's face and Phil fell backward. He landed with his back on the dirt, not aware of the escaping person who he was supposed to be arresting.

"Phil!" Techno and Will rushed forward and propped him up. Phil waved them off and rolled his shoulders in an attempt to rid himself of the discomfort he was feeling. He pushed back his partners and extended his wings to check that they were not the reason for this sensation.

As he extended his midnight-black feathers, he heard Wilbur gasp. Nervous to see what had caused the reaction, Phil hesitated before looking at the spread wings.

His pitch-black wings were no longer pitch black. The feather color that had earned him his namesake of Raven was no longer the pure color that had caused the owner such pride. Instead, his beautiful ebony plume showed a sea of white splotches.

The three of them stared in shock. Unsure of what to do.

As the night was quiet with the exception of this encounter, the trio returned home for a very short night's rest. They had to be up and ready for press attention in the morning but they were in desperate need of some sleep. Techno and Will settled in and after a period of tossing and turning, they drifted off into restless sleep.

Phil could not even try, he wrapped his wings around himself, trying to avoid looking at the white coloration of some of his feathers. Unable to sleep, he stared at the ceiling replaying the events of the night. He was confused.

What had gone wrong? What had happened?

What the officer did not know was that nearby, a 17-year-old was staring at his ceiling, sleeplessly wondering the same exact thing.

Chapter Text

Tommy arrived home to a roommate scanning through the cities cameras. Tubbo pushed away from his desk, confused and worried as to why Tommy had returned so early.

"What happened? You good?" The concerned friend spun in his chair to face the avian. "I didn't see much on cams tonight. Did you just call it a night out of boredom?"

Tommy's posture was off. There was something about it that the ram could not put his finger on. He could just be tired or worn out but the shrug and the quiet mutter of "Yeah I'm just bored", did not help Tubbo shake the feeling that something was wrong.

Tommy brushed past him and closed his bedroom door. It was not surprising to hear the lock click after the door was fully shut. After another period of time, the doorknob shook a bit as it was tested from within.

Tubbo gazed sadly at the door and went on with the rest of his night.

Tommy finished ensuring that he was alone and let his wings extend. He was tired and confused. Tubbo would probably pick up that something was wrong but Tommy did not have the energy to care. It had been a long night and he shouldn't be in his room. There was no way that he should be home.

Using any logic, Tommy should be in jail. He should have been arrested tonight. There was no way out. He was caught and pinned, panicking about the only possible future. Yet, here he was. Sitting in his room, going through his normal routine and getting ready to sleep.

Those officers were new, he hadn't seen them before. The patrol from the other night was new as well. Tommy had never seen them change shifts so quickly. Typically officers that were assigned to the outer ring stayed for a couple of weeks. It gave the vigilantes time to learn their powers, learn their schedules and patrol routes. It made life a lot easier for anyone who was trying to save lives in a not so legal manner. If the patrols switched up, Tommy would end up in a lot of situations similar to what happened tonight.

All he could do was cross his fingers and hope that this was a one-time thing. That the shifts would continue in extended periods and something had happened to that first patrol where they miraculously got reassigned.

If not, Tommy was going to have to be a lot more careful. He did not want to feel that helplessness and fear again.

Having a figure pinning him to the ground, unable to escape.

His back aching as his wings begged to be released and used to flee.

The inability to affect his situation in any way besides a pointless struggle.

Worst of all... the panic as the officer reached for his mask.

The knowledge that he could do nothing to prevent his secrets from being revealed. Not only would he be screwed, but with his mask gone, Tubbo could get in trouble as well. There was no way that they would not investigate the roommate of a vigilante with a lot of suspicious computer software and knowledge.

Tommy would be going to jail and his inability to evade capture would ruin his best friend's chances at a somewhat normal life. A friend who had asked him the night before to consider stopping his nightly hobby. There was a feeling of fear, but the truly crippling emotion was the guilt.

Then it was over.

For an unexplained reason, the officer had let go and none of them had given chase. Tommy was able to get away and return home after the closest call of his life.

With his second closest call happening only a few days before, Tommy did not like the pattern that was developing.

He had gotten away and his brain was running through possible reasons why. That man had just let go, he had gasped and fallen backward the second he had touched Tommy's face. One second there was a hand outstretched to remove his mask, the next Tommy was on his way home.

What had caused his release?

Unable to come up with a convincing reason, his mind shifted to the other thing that was keeping him awake, the wings.

The looming black wings that the officer bore with such pride.

The rush of wind before being tackled by a wingless form, showing a speed and efficacy with retracting them that Tommy could never hope to achieve.

Even for a low-level officer, which Tommy had assumed the group to be, joining the Hero's League with wings must have been a struggle. There had to be another power that was not displayed during the vigilante's interaction with the bird.

He had to have some other advantage that qualified "Phil" as one of the best of the best.

Officer selection was extremely picky and Tommy could not think of another reason why they would let someone join who had the equivalent of a feathery target on their back. Phil had to have an extremely powerful ability.

With these thoughts racing through his mind, Tommy conceded that he would not be sleeping that night. However, it couldn't hurt to try. He laid back on his bed and stared at the ceiling, wings spread behind him. One arm rested on his chest, rising and falling as his lungs filled and emptied. The other was behind his head, propping it up into a more comfortable position.

When the weight of his head started to cut off the circulation in his arm, Tommy shifted, wrapping his wings around him to get more comfortable.

As he did he caught a shadow of movement.

Tommy flung himself out of bed, his legs landed a bit wider than shoulder width and his left foot was staggered back. Keeping an athletic stance, he spun around, searching for the source of the shadow.

As he spun, his eyes locked on the source of the scare, his wings.

Even in the darkness of his room, his pure white wings would reflect all light possible. They would not glow but by nature of being white, they were typically clearly visible unless the room was pitch black.

Tommy scrambled for the light switch, hoping that the lack of light was causing him to see things. The vigilante closed his eyes to avoid the glare of the sudden light.

After a period of time standing with his eyes closed, Tommy began to force them open. His heart pounded as he forced himself to look. The shadow that had crossed his vision was due to a set of black secondary feathers that were in the place of his normal white ones.

His heart skipped a beat and his head began to run. Tommy's stomach twisted and his vision spun as a dizzy spell overtook him. The thoughts that had been keeping him awake disappeared, chased away by the wave of new worries.

What had happened?

How was this possible?

His wings were away all day, plus it did not look like they were covered in something. His feathers were simply the wrong color. It was possible that it was a dye but Tommy could not remember a time where someone would have been able to dye his feathers.

Even if people knew the wings existed, they were tucked away all day and they had definitely been all-white that morning. How had this shift happened? The only time he had seen feathers as black as that was on the officer. It was the only explanation that sort of made sense. The hero had done something to him while he was pinned.

The only issue with that was that Tommy couldn't confront him. No one knew about the wings and Tommy wanted to keep it that way so he could not just run up to a pro hero and ask what he had done to the vigilante's wings.

If he was wrong about it being the hero's fault it would expose him to the entire world. Everyone would know that "Shadow" was an avian, Tubbo would know.

That couldn't happen.

Chapter Text

When Wilbur came to wake up Phil, the hero was still staring at the ceiling. The silence in the room caused an uncomfortable feeling to spread. After knocking lightly on the frame of the open door and receiving no response, the younger sat down on the end of the bed and waved a hand in front of the glazed-over vision of the person laying down.

"You good?" Will shook Phil's shoulder gently and the older blinked quickly. The avian shook his head, clearing his daze, and his unfocused eyes landed on the musician.

"Wi-Will?" He said, groggy from lack of sleep as well as his recent return from zoning out. "Is it that time already?" At the quick nod, Phil groaned and stretched. He rolled over, facing away from Wilbur, and pulled the bedcovers closer around himself.

"Come on old man," A hand grabbed the covers and pulled them off the bed before throwing them into the corner of the room. Phil had gone to sleep in his hero uniform and was ready to get up and take on the day as long as he was able to muster the motivation to get off his bed.

As the chill of missing blankets spread through his body, Philza relented to the fact that he could not lay in bed any longer. He swung his legs over the bed and used his arms to push himself up.

Will stood up and leaned on the doorframe with his arms crossed. The smirk on his face revealed that they were not crossed due to negative emotion but simply out of comfort and habit. He stepped out of the way as Phil left the room and trailed behind him as they both entered the kitchen.

Techno was sitting at the table with his nose buried in a book. With one hand, he was holding the novel by the bottom of the spine, with the other he was picking at a plate of sausage, turning pages, and occasionally adjusting his reading glasses out of habit. He barely looked up as Wilbur and Philza entered the room.

The two knew not to interrupt him when Techno was encompassed in a good story. Instead, they filled their plates and sat at the table, beginning a hushed conversation about whatever random topics they could think of.

After a short period of time, the conversation was interrupted by Techno snapping his book shut. Now closed and bookmarked, he placed the book onto the tabletop. His two roommates looked up both confused and concerned.

"It was the end of a chapter," Techno responded to their questioning gazes. "Are we not going to talk about the elephant in the room? Phil, what happened last night?"

"You saw it mate, I pinned the person eavesdropping on us, and the second I touched their face to remove the mask I felt super off. I got a chill and jolted back. When I opened my wings, this is what was there." The avian gestured to the bleached feathers, his remaining hand was keeping his head propped up on the table. "We are supposed to make a public appearance today... How am I supposed to explain this?"

"We could try to dye it," Techno offered. "I have a bit of experience with hair dye as you already are aware and white is a super good start color. You could also just not use your wings but that runs the risk of you needing them due to an emergency and having to explain the situation anyway."

Phil thought for a moment before making a decision. "Let's dye them, there are feather-safe dyes out there and it's the best way to stay out of a situation that I do not want to have to deal with.

Techno took a drive and returned with the dye they would need. Bringing the group to the bathroom, Technoblade pulled on gloves and set up the dye he would be using. Inviting the older friend into the room, he motioned toward a stool and got ready.

"Do we have time to do a test feather? I would prefer to see if the color matches before I go and dye all the white parts of your wings. In addition, it ensures that the dye won't damage the feather. I can grab one from your room if that works."

"Sorry mate, we don't have time. We have an interview in a couple of hours, I guess we are going to have to risk it with the coloring."

Techno began to apply the black coloring, focusing solely on the whitened feathers. Philza didn't pay much attention. He trusted the piglin gifted to do a good job and instead relaxed. As he was on a stool, he could not lay back or close his eyes but his breathing deepened and his mind wandered. Phil's back was beginning to hurt. However, he was tired and it felt good to just sit down and do nothing for a period of time.

Time flew, they were sitting in that bathroom for a long period but it felt like that time could have been contained in a single blink. Before the two of them knew it, the job was done. The dye had yet to be washed but the color looked close enough to the original where any discrepancies could be dismissed as a trick of the light. It would hopefully be good enough to fool the cameras but Phil would be keeping his wings tucked away just in case.

He hated keeping his wings in his back, it was uncomfortable and horrible for the limb's health. Just thinking about it sent phantom pains shooting through his back. The news did not know that though.

Not many people knew what it was like to be an avian because those who were gifted with wings were rare. Their population number was not low but they rarely came in contact with people. The majority of the avian population lived off in the middle of nowhere. They hate to be kept in one place.

Even Phil would likely have left the city if it were not for his attachments within. Those who have wings are less likely to stick around. They have the means to travel further than almost any other gifted and they use that ability to the fullest.

They need physical reasons to stick around. Sometimes that something is an object, a memory, but most often that reason is a person or group. Finding a psudo-flock is the main reason that a winged gifted will decide to flee their natural lifestyle.

For most avians, their home is wherever the winds take them. For those who we know, home is with a very specific group. Home is with their family.

Chapter Text

Tommy grabbed the cash on the kitchen counter and headed out. They didn't have a ton of funds but they scraped by using part-time jobs as well as some outside help. He did all of this while avoiding paying full rent by doing small tasks for their landlord. Leftover cash was almost nonexistent and this particular amount was for groceries. 

He grabbed a hoodie and threw it over his head, relishing in the warmth it provided. There was a chill in the air and he wore sweatpants to fight it off. It was not enough though and the sweatshirt was much needed. 

Tommy walked to the store. It took around 15 minutes from his house but when there were crowds, it could take up to 30. It was early, Tubbo and the wealthy of the city were sleeping soundly in their beds. For the young avian, however, after the night he had, sleep was impossible. The local store opened at sunrise so Tommy had decided to make a food run. 

The streets were busy, everything was a flurry of motion. Keeping his hands in his pocket gripping the cash within, Tommy wove through the crowd. Everyone had places to be and jobs that needed to get done. The bustle of the main roads was common for this time of day. That made the squares a prime place for pickpocketing and other petty crimes. 

The only group not moving was a large crowd of reporters on the side of the square. None of the citizens of the ring paid them any attention. Whatever they were surrounding was apparently not of interest to any of the working people hustling through the square. 

Reporters were not common in the ring, there were small local papers and similar companies but the upper class of the outer ring who could afford the paper was in their position of wealth commonly due to business with the upper rings. They often did not care about the outer ring itself and its workings. They just lived and thrived within its borders. 

Nevertheless, Tommy's curiosity got the better of him. He was not on a time limit as Tubbo would likely not be up for another hour at least. There was nothing preventing him from checking out what had brought the press to one of the busiest streets in the ring. As far as he knew there was not anything big happening today and when something became spontaneously newsworthy, it was typically a vigilante's business. Whether someone got caught, a new crime group had emerged, or there was a new decree; it paid off to be informed. 

As he drew closer to the crowd, he could catch parts of the conversation that was occurring. When he got close enough to see, he caught sight of the three officers from the rooftop last night. 

New officers came down to the ring extremely often. Shifts changed by month and the media never cared. Why were these three any different?

"Philza, Philza!" One of the reporters pushed their way to the front, shoving others out of the way and shouting over his fellow reporters who were attempting the same thing. "Why has the SBI been assigned to the lower ring?"

Tommy had no idea who the SBI was but based on context, he was able to assume that it was in reference to the new group of officers. He had never encountered a group of officers that worked together closely enough to have a group name. He had heard stories of the Dream Team from Alyssa because she had worked closely together with them before but names meant popularity and popularity meant that the League kept you in the spotlight in the upper rings. 

 Tommy's zoned back into the conversation in front of him only to have a theory confirmed. 

"... it's all about helping out. That's what the career is. We heard that our services were needed here and the League sent us down. There has been an influx of illegal vigilante activity as well as other issues that need the League's interference. Safety is important and Schlatt is doing everything he can to maintain that safety for everyone within the city..." The speech droned on and on. The winged officer kept talking.

Tommy couldn't help but roll his eyes. None of the things that were being said held any portion of truth. As someone who had been living in the ring, it was clear that the League did not care unless their own image was involved. He hoped that they would leave the ring to those who cared, the vigilantes who risked life and limb without a sizable paycheck at the end of the night. 

The piglin seemed to believe the words as much as Tommy did. He held a slight sneer that was only noticeable due to the contrast to the relaxed expression that Tommy had seen the night before. The phantom held a carefully guarded straight face. When a reporter asked a question directed at him or pointed a camera in his face, the hero flashed a bright smile that did not quite reach his eyes. Even Philza, the officer who was the center of attention had a barely noticeable lack of enthusiasm in his words. 

That didn't matter though. The fact that they were here meant that they were after him. He would have to warn the other active vigilantes. They rarely worked together as a whole but there was a silent pact for them to keep each other safe. No one person could maintain the entire ring, they all had their patrols and together they could make somewhat of a difference. 

Pulling his attention away from the garbage excuses that were being spewed for the hero's assignment to the ring, Tommy moved on. He would leave a message for Quackity when he got a chance. From there it would spread to the others. During patrol, he would slip into Awesam's territory and check up on him. Ponk and the others interacted with Sam and Quackity enough to hear the news. 

Unlike "Shadow" who mostly patrolled and worked alone, Quackity and Sam interacted with the majority of the other vigilantes. Sam provided upgrades and gear when he could and Quackity was one of the richest men in the lower ring. Those who were close enough knew Alex as his public persona, a casino owner in the upper ring. No one knew why he chooses to settle in the outer but the vigilantes knew it was so that he could help. 

Quackity was the reason that Tommy and Tubbo were not living on the streets. He provided enough funding to cover what they could not. Wheither it was rent or food, when funds came up short, Quackity always seemed to know. He sent gifts that could not be returned, paid their landlord behind their backs. No one knew how much he helped and no matter how much Tommy insisted, he wouldn't stop. 

"Anyone who spent time cleaning up the streets would not end up living on them." That was Alex's motto. Anyone who attempted to reject his gifts was met with the repetition of that one line over and over. 

Tommy grinned slightly at the thought. He grabbed the food that he wanted and grabbed some of Tubbo's favorites. With a full basket, he checked out and walked back home.

As he was returning, he passed the heroes arresting a pickpocketer. It was a young child around 8 or 9. He had likely never stolen before with the sloppy technique he had attempted. The boy looked terrified of the three standing in front of him and Philza was crouched down to meet the kid’s eye line with a hand on the child's shoulder. 

Tommy couldn't hear the words but the kid visibly calmed down. Phil ushered the child in the direction of the officer's station in town. 

As the hero walked away, Tommy noticed his wings were not on display. He had been distracted by the press before and hadn't thought about the large black wings that set the avian apart. 

What changed from the night before where the wings were stretched out proudly, why had something caused a shift in the officer?

As he ushered the pickpocket to the station, Phil felt the same chill as before. The small boy was going to get in trouble but the hero would make sure it was a small slap on the wrist. He could steer the kid away from future trouble. As they were walking out, that familiar feeling sent shivers down his spine. Suddenly his wings hurt a lot more being tucked away. 

The slight discomfort he had been feeling from keeping them in all morning amplified to an almost unbearable amount. The hero barely suppressed yelping at the pain and could not control the flinch that resulted. 

The pickpocket looked over in concern but Phil waved him off. Processing emotions took time but Phil felt a sense of curiosity and confusion that was not his own. 

What was  happening to him?

Chapter Text

Tommy suited up for the night with a mental to-do list. He had to learn more about this group that the reporters called SBI if he wanted to stay safe. The officers had said that they were sticking around for a bit and he needed to be prepared.

At the same time, he did not want to take unnecessary risks. He could study the officers from afar, watch them work. That was his typical plan. But with this group, there were too many unknowns. Tommy didn’t know their abilities, didn’t know why they warranted so much press attention. With so many things that could potentially go wrong… spying would be a last resort. There were other ways to get information.

Tubbo started flipping through the cameras but Tommy had other goals in mind. He immediately deviated from his traditional patrol path and headed east.

“Where are you going Tommy?” Tubbo’s voice came through the coms.

“Don’t worry about it Bee Boy, I’ve got some errands to run. Just keep scanning and let me know if anything goes down.”

“What errands? You’ve been hiding things and it may be helpful to let your partner in literal crime know what's going on." Tubbo's concern was evident but Tommy rolled his eyes and kept moving towards his destination.

"I said don't worry about it. I want to visit Sam and Quackity about the new officers in town."

"When did you see new officers?"

Oh...

Tommy didn't tell him about the encounter last night. He had brushed his roommate off. He couldn't even share his concerns about the discolored wings due to the fact that Tubbo was unaware of the existence of the normal colored wings.

"I ran into some reporters in town today Tubs. They introed this group they called SBI. The officers said that they were vigilante hunting so I figured I would sound the alarm."

The story made enough sense. Not a lie but not entirely the truth.

Tommy stuck a foot down and skidded to a stop. He had reached his goal, a high rooftop on one of the tallest buildings in the outer ring.

Walking to the roof door, Tommy looked right up at the security camera. Positioning himself so there was a full image in the camera, Tommy said the code phrase in a practiced tone.

"I'm cracked at the craft"

After a small portion of time, a whir of machinery caused a panel to slide away from where a light switch might be if the door was inside of a building. From within the new gap, a fingerprint reader extended toward the vigilante.

Tommy pulled the fingertips of his glove, loosening it before removing it off of his hand. He pressed his finger and watched the red line scan his thumb. The light flashed green and the doorknob clicked.

"Ok Tub-bee, I'm going dark." Tommy opened the door and walked inside, unaware that the door swung closed before the figure tailing the vigilante could enter. Shadow had no idea that he had left a stalker behind.

The motion-sensitive lights flicked on in the elevator. Tommy waited, knowing it would be a long ride.
Quackity had designed this building to house Sam's needs. The roof access was only open to specific people and it was the only way to access this elevator. The shaft led to below the building, surrounded by normal offices and elevators that had no idea of the hidden transport system.

As the doors slid open, Tommy walked out with his hands held in a surrender position.

Sam lowered the large, shoulder-mounted, weapon and gave a friendly wave. The laser targeting system dropped off of Tommy's forehead and followed the barrel of the gun to the floor.

After placing the invention on the table next to him, Sam walked over to Tommy and held out his palm. Tommy gave him a high-five and walked over to the weapon that was now powered down.

"This is a bit different than your typical welcoming committee Sam. What's this one?" Tommy put a hand on the gun only for Sam to lightly grab his wrist and remove it.

"No touching the dangerous weaponry. It's experimental."

"So if I was an intruder who managed to get past every measure of security, you would defend this place with a weapon that you don't know if it works?"

"Yep pretty much," Sam smirked and ruffled a hand in Tommy's hair before Tommy slapped his arm away. "I don't know exactly what it does but I do know it would not end well for said intruder. What brings you to my super-secret lab during your typical patrol time?"

"Nothing much, just a new patrol in town that has raised some red flags. They pinned me yesterday and I have no clue how I got away. It was luck over anything else. They are hunting vigilantes so I wanted to give you guys a warning."

Sam's eyes scanned over Tommy checking for injury. "You got caught? What can I fix?"

Tommy's eyes opened a bit and he quickly shook his head, "It wasn't a you thing, I just got caught eavesdropping. It was a stupid mistake on my part."

"Doesn't matter. How did he hold you down? I have a couple of ideas that could prevent it from happening again. What about electric shock? Maybe something in the suit that can give off an electric charge..."

"SAM!" Tommy snapped his fingers in front of the older vigilante's face.

"I was about to start rambling, sorry."

"You're good, I caught it before you got too deep. The rants are great and I love your passion for the work. I would be super interested to talk about it another time but I'm on a time crunch. I don't need any tune-ups. Focus all the tech on new vigilantes who need the crutch more. I have learned how to get out of those situations, give it to someone who hasn't."

Sam looked like he was about to protest and thought better of it. Tommy's stubbornness was nothing new for the genius and this was not a fight he wanted to pick.

Tommy glanced around the lab, looking for a way to end the awkward silence that had settled over the pair. "Keep a lookout for the SBI, the new group. Three guys, one with wings, one looks like a piglin hybrid but I'm not sure. I don't know about the last one. He looked human but that is never the case with officers. They may cause some trouble in the days to come. I am going to Quackity next and I am hoping that the two of you are able to spread the word."

Sam nodded and gestured towards the door. "I'll make sure to let everyone know. I hope you find Quackity, I hear he is out tonight." Tommy groaned at the prospect of having to track down the vigilante on his patrol. As the doors to the elevator were shutting Sam smirked. "By the way, your upgraded suit will be dropped off soon." The doors shut before Tommy could protest.

Above the two, on the roof, an officer stood examining the door. He had watched the vigilante disappear into it. With the high level of security, it was likely important to whoever owned the place.

The officer's pointed ears twitched as he heard the elevator mechanism working again. Technoblade fled the rooftop's field of vision, keeping an eye on the Shadow who exited and following him to wherever they were headed next.

Chapter Text

Techno watched the vigilante get a distance away before he slid out of his hiding spot and went to follow. As he took a step in the direction, his ears picked up a faint noise. The sound of a shoe scraping on concrete.

Before he could react, there was a blade pressed against his throat.

Acting instinctively, Technoblade's hand shot between the dagger and his neck, preventing any instant damage. The blade dug into his palm as he pushed it away from his jugular vein.

Now able to move without the fear of getting cut, he whirled around to face his attacker and stumbled back a bit in surprise. The person in question was emitting a radioactive green glow. The light pulsed like a heartbeat, going from blindingly bright to barely noticeable.

The person was tall but not in a stick-like fashion. If Techno had to guess, he would say that this new opponent was around the same height as the vigilante that he was tracking, about 6'1. Unlike his counterpart, he was stocky with wide shoulders and noticeable muscle mass.

Aside from a more imposing figure, the most intimidating aspects of the person Techno was facing were the weapon itself and the smoking gas mask that hid his face. The person's eyes glowed a poisonous green that matched the light he was emitting.

It was clear from his posture and the dagger crackling with electricity that he was massively pissed off.

"Can I help you with something?" Techno's sarcasm did not get a reaction from his opponent but the banter calmed the hero.

"What do you want with Shadow?"

Techno had enough context clues to piece together who the man was talking about but decided to play dumb. "Who's Shadow?"

"The guy you followed here, I would have thought you were smart enough to put two and two together. Although, you weren't smart enough to avoid a high-tech entrance that most definitely has motion detectors installed. Well, those and cameras. You avoided the obvious one but do you really think that I would rely on one, highly visible camera."

"So this is your place? I'm guessing that makes you a vigilante too."

"I'm offended you've never heard of me. I know I've been retired and off the streets but I haven't been gone that long... Have the people forgotten about me already?"

The light tone and quick jokes allowed both individuals to relax. They were both ready and prepped for a move from the other but their shoulders dropped a bit.

"Shadow mentioned that officers were coming after us. I'm guessing that's you?"

Techno tilted his head and shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe. Do I get a name or do I just have to keep mentally calling you 'new person'?"

"Guess 'New Person' will have to do because I am not giving you any free information. I might give you a name if you introduce yourself first."

"I have a few names. The Blade, the Blood God, take your pick. That's not very hard information to find. Wanna return the favor now?"

Predictably, the vigilante just shrugged and ignored the request. "Leave Shadow alone, he's got a lot of people looking out for him and they are a group that you do not want to piss off. Before you ask, yes this is a threat. No, I don't give a shit that I am threatening an officer. He can take care of himself but I don't want a group of trained gifted going after a normal who is just trying to make a difference."

That got a visible reaction from the officer. His ears dropped along with his jaw. Sam gauged the response and realized the cause.

"You didn't realize he was normal? Dude, aren't you supposed to be tracking him down? Half the vigilantes in the outer ring are normal. Most of them don't last as long as Shadow. They quit or meet a more unfortunate end but we have a lot of people who are trying to change the situation we are all stuck in no matter if they have powers or not."

Techno was genuinely shocked. He had spent his entire life in the inner rings where every person had some sort of gift. The officers and the ones risking their lives were the most powerful out of everyone. Here in the lower ring, that was not the case.

When there was no government regulation, people could put themselves in dangerous situations without any consideration for their ability to get out of it. This other vigilante had just acknowledged that it did not end well for a percentage of those who attempted heroics.

But at the same time, how many people had these normals helped? How many people had Shadow himself saved? It was a choice but was it one that people should be responsible for making?

"You know, I technically am responsible for arresting you?" Techno watched as the vigilante leveled the dagger at his opponent. The Blood God put his hand on his hilt in response.

"You can try to catch me but you forget we are a roof away from my home territory and I promise that there is a lot more tech than just sensors." The green light increased as tensions grew.

Techno removed his hand from his side and held them in front of him in a surrender motion.

"Are you sure Shadow is normal?"

That surprised the creeper gifted who lowered the dagger a bit and looked at the officer questioningly.

"I mean, there is no way to prove it but I don't see why he would lie to me. He has never used an ability while on the job and he has gained a name for himself as a normal vigilante. So I can say with almost absolute confidence that he is... Why do you ask? Is it that hard to accept that you don't need gifts to make a difference?"

"No, no. That shocks me but I unfortunately believe it. I don't doubt that there are people who risk life and limb with no powers to fall back on. It's just, my partner had some unexplainable events occur when we ran into Shadow last night. I'm not giving details, I'm just trying to piece together what happened."

Sam shrugged, "I don't know what to tell you. I am not super interested in helping the people who are trying to arrest me as well as those who I consider family. Even if I was, you are not giving me enough information to tell you anything. Anyway... Shadow is far enough away now that I know you can't track him. I scanned him inside and there was no tracker so I know you were doing this the old fashioned way. Guess it's time to say goodbye."

Techno realized that this conversation was an attempt to stall and couldn't stop the growl that sprung from his frustration.

"I know where you stay now, I wouldn't call this a complete loss."

"You can come after my base if you want. There is no way you make it in. I'm confident in my defenses, I got a raccoon child to test them with as much gear as he wanted." The vigilante chuckled a bit as if he had made an inside joke. "So, I bid you adieu."

Techno lunged as the creeper took a running jump, landing on his own building and slipping through the door. There were no security measures that occurred, he just entered the elevator with no hesitation.

After moving away from the earshot of the building, Techno pulled out his phone and rung the contact labeled Phantom.

"Tech?" A sleepy Wilbur picked up the phone. "What's up?"

"I need your phasing. You have a mission that I need you to do solo. Can you handle it?"

"What is that supposed to mean you prick? I can handle anything."

"Good, we can go tomorrow night. I don't think coms will work but I can attempt to be back up."

Sitting in his bunker, Sam listened to the call, hearing the audio through the bug he had placed when the hero was worried about the dagger at his throat.

The officer seemed to be the paranoid type and would likely discover the device soon enough but it was worth losing the advantage of unknown bugs just to hear this conversation.

He reached behind his head and undid the straps, taking off the gas mask and placing it on the table next to him. Head in his hands, he began to brainstorm.

How to set a trap for a phantom

Chapter Text

Wilbur walked into the living room where Phil was sitting on an armchair. The gas fireplace was lit providing both light and heat to anything in its radius.

"Hey Phil, what are you up to?" He walked over to the couch and took a seat across from the older hero.

"I'm just thinking about stuff. Nothing too important. How about you?" It was clear that the winged hero was not thinking about something insignificant. Despite that knowledge in addition to a hunch about what he was thinking of, Wilbur decided to not push the issue. He choose instead to offer a distraction to his friend.

"Tech needs me for a job tomorrow. I don't know all of the details but apparently, I won't have backup going in. Techno can't enter himself and needs the phase ability to get in."

"How did he manage to find a place that he cannot break into? That's never happened before."

"As I said, I'm not brushed up on what the job actually was. Tech was being super cryptic. He has always had a flair for the dramatic. He will be home soon and I was planning on asking then." Philza smiled at the notion.

"Why am I not surprised that you agreed before knowing what you are getting yourself into."

"Worst comes to worst, I can just bail. Techno can't force me to do anything."

The piglin in question walked into the room. "I think I would disagree with that statement."

Joining Wilbur on the couch, he lounged back kicking his legs into Wilbur's lap.

"Get off me prick." Wilbur chuckled and pushed them back to the floor. "Are you going to tell me what I got myself into or do I just go in blind?"

"So I found a vigilante base..." The other two perked up, leaning in with interest.

Phil immediately questioned. "How? We had no information a couple of hours ago, we were planning on learning stuff on patrol tonight."

"I got bored of sitting around and I wanted to blow off some steam from those godawful reporters. This ring is super easy to run through, especially with an enhanced jump. I was having some fun just taking in the new routes and I saw the vigilante we almost caught last night. It is the same guy that Manifold and Nikki were talking about, by the way, people do actually call him Shadow."

"You tracked down where he lives?" Will questioned.

"Don't interrupt me if you want to know what happened. I followed him to a building where he disappeared inside. When he left, I went to follow him and I was stopped by a creeper gifted. He told me some information and basically challenged me to break into his house which is the building where Shadow was visiting." A smirk grew on the piglins face. "You know I am not one to turn down a challenge."

"What am I walking into?" Wilbur's grin grew and his eyes lit up, excited at the prospect of proving someone wrong.

"Well, the creeper is an ex-vigilante that is likely your only obstacle. Fortunately, with me as your backup, that makes it a 2 on 1. Unfortunately, from what I learned about this guy, he's a force to be reckoned with. He seems very confident in his base defense and had weapons that I didn't know were technologically possible. I wouldn't underestimate him. I already tried to get into the base and couldn't so unless you find a way to control the entrance and the elevator, you are alone inside. Also... He may have bugged me so he knows you are coming."

The last sentence was tagged on quickly, almost as an afterthought but it was clear that this was a fact that Technoblade had been thinking about the entirety of the conversation.
Wilbur had been listening intently with a concentrated gaze and took a bit to register the final point. When he did, his jaw dropped a bit and his eyes widened.

"He bugged you and you didn't notice. Man, that's embarrassing." Wilbur flinched as Techno playfully punched his arm.

"I was busy with something else. I found it when I changed out of the hero gear, I always do a check. The creeper revealed some information and it shook me a bit. After the whole confrontation, I was trying to figure out the best strategy for tomorrow night. I wasn't as careful as I normally am and I will be honest, I underestimated the outer ring's vigilante's capabilities. That is a mistake I won't make twice and I will make sure that you won't either.

This guy likely has access to other experimental technology than what I saw. If Shadow is going there then it is likely that this creeper gifted is some sort of supplier. You breaking in is not just to rub it in their face that we can. That technology needs to be removed from unsupervised hands."

"Sounds like a plan. I'm going in, stealing technology and phasing out with it. Do I leave a little note wishing him well?" The smiles grew as the three of them considered the proposition.

Techno got up and left the room. When he returned, he was holding a piece of paper and a pen. When he placed them in front of Will, the glee only grew for the trio in the room. Phil stood up and walked over, sitting on the armrest of the couch next to Wilbur.

The three of them set to work.

Dear "New Person",

How is that whole secret base thing going?...

Tommy hopped off the edge of one building. He caught the side of the slightly higher adjacent roof and pulled himself up using the brick wall as footholes. It had been nice to see Sam again. After the creeper gifted had stopped patroling in order to focus on his work, visiting him took a designated trip. There was no more just bumping into the vigilante and time was hard to come by at night.

The city was built close together. The majority of buildings did not have much space between them and those that did were typically separated by a gap of no more than 6 feet. With enough practice, anyone could get around through the rooftops. Dropping to those that were lower and jumping to fire escapes of the ones with edges just out of reach allowed the runner to make up for the height differences of the buildings. Plus, the city did not have many drastic differences in building size.

"How did the meeting go?" Tubbo asked.

"It went great, our favorite creeper seems to be doing well. I tried to talk him out of upgrading my suit but he seemed insistent. I think we will be getting a delivery soon."

"That's nice of him. Are you surprised though? The man stopped fighting crime to live in his bunker with nothing but his tech. He's got nothing better to do." That got a chuckle out of Tommy who was moving around, keeping an eye out for Quackity.

They continued their chatter until Tommy spotted a familiar person on the patrol route.

"Big Q!" He yelled, hoping to get the vigilante's attention. The other stopped in his tracks, searching for the source of the shout. When his eyes landed on Tommy, a smile grew and he gave a quick wave before they both started moving toward each other, meeting in the middle.

"What's up Shadow? How have you been?"

"Been good Q, how's life?"

"Same old, same old. You know my life is never exciting. It's not like I spend my nights running through the city illegally fighting crime."

"What a world that would be, if all of the vigilantes out here had to put up with you. I thought I would stop by and give you a heads up. There are new officers in town and they are here for the vigilantes. We have been able to stay relatively under the radar but these three are on a warpath. I already visited Sam and I figured that between the two of you, the word would get out."

The two conversed, catching up on time that had been missed. Quackity jokingly offered "las drogas" to the younger vigilante only to retract the statement when Tommy was excited to accept them.

Tommy rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding the awkward silence that followed. "Well, I should go. Tubbo found a crime in progress."

"No, I didn't?" Tubbo's voice played into Tommy's ear. "Are you using me as an excuse again?"

"Bye Big Q!" Tommy turned and ran in the other direction.

As he ran away, he realized that Quackity probably knew something about the SBI. It was a question he would have to ask in the future.

Across town, the trio in question was getting ready for a heist.

Chapter Text

Wilbur double-checked his earpiece and gave a thumbs up to Techno who was watching from a rooftop over. They assumed that there would be anti-communication technology but it couldn't hurt to have it in case the vigilante had forgotten to block them. It was unlikely but the pair were looking to exploit any hole in security that they could find.

Philza was off dealing with the press tonight and Tech and Will could not be happier to be doing something actually interesting. They were not jealous of their older friend.

Wilbur concentrated for a second and felt a chill as he went invisible. The disappearance started at his head, feet, and fingers before spreading inward. His entire body felt light as Wilbur maintained concentration despite retaining the same weight.

With a small amount of focus, the hero could keep his clothes and equipment intangible. He could also keep himself from sinking into the floor. The power had taken a lot of time to gain this amount of control but it was worth it.

He jumped to the roof of the building that he was breaking into and walked to the door, unable to be noticed by cameras and motion detectors. Will poked his head into the elevator shaft, gauging the distance, and began to lower himself using the wall of the elevator as a control.

Wilbur couldn't fly. If he stepped off over a large height, it would lead to death. When in his intangible state, he still felt G-force the same way and could take damage from falls and similar circumstances. It was not easy to understand what his powers allowed him to do and believing he could just drop and phase through the floor below had led to a broken ankle in his youth.

Despite the fact that he was technically not forced to hit the ground, he had to catch himself eventually. Unless he wanted to keep falling forever through the Earth, there had to be a time where he concentrated and stopped his altitude. He would feel the forces eventually. His molecules still interacted with the outside world as shown by his ability to phase with clothing and objects, they could just move through outside solids with a degree of control.

The ability was extremely helpful for dodging punches or weapons, stealth missions, and infiltration but he was still as weak as anyone to temperatures brought by fire or ice powers as well as other nonphysical damage types.

There had been a lot of trial and error when it came to figuring out exactly what he could and could not do. Techno had volunteered to aid with the experimental uses and seemed to take pleasure anytime one of their tests had failed.

Reaching the bottom of the elevator, Will poked his head into the larger room. He was shocked by the sheer scale of the base. The ceiling arched high enough that the hero had to focus to see the peaks. The room he was looking into was rectangular and appeared to be around the size of an American football field. The walls, ceiling, and floor glistened silver with a metal sheen only interrupted by colorful wires running through the cracks.

The entire space hummed with electricity and echoed a constant melody of whirring fans and clicking machinery. On the left side of the room stood a series of monitors showing the rooftop above as well as the elevator and what Wilbur could assume were the other rooms. These televisions were connected to a control hub and a comfortable seat was placed in front of them.

A few feet behind the chair started the rows of tables. There was no pattern or apparent reason that they were places as they were but the furniture was spread throughout the majority of the space. The tables were littered with machinery and unused parts. Some of the projects showed exposed wires and unfinished panels allowing an inference that they were yet to be completed.

Other tables appeared to be storage for finished designs. To the right of the tables stood whiteboards and blueprints. There were sketches littering the floor and bulletin boards hung on the back wall. On the very right stood a collection of large machinery.

Some glowed with the orange-yellow light of lit forges while the others held saws or soldering tools.

The entire space was an engineer's dream.

Speaking of engineers, the creeper hybrid in question was sitting in front of the monitors with his back to the room. He appeared exactly as Techno had described him.

At the thought of Techno, Wilbur tapped his earpiece only to hear the unfortunate silence that he had expected.

Oh well, it was worth a shot.

With the completed sarcastic, taunting note in his suit pocket, Wilbur slipped quietly into the room. He immediately focused his attention on his mission, the technology. The most important things to remove were the completed projects but every piece that he confiscated from the vigilante's hands would prevent them from getting into active use.

The finished weapons were on the furthest table from the elevator. That made sense from a safety perspective. If someone managed to get into the base, the inventor was ensuring that he was closer to the active weapons than the entering intruder.

Unfortunately for the officer, that meant more walking. He would bring as many weapons as he could safely carry without risking dropping them. The fewer amount of trips, the less amount of time for the vigilante to notice the slowly disappearing pile of weaponry.

Will walked to the back of the room, allowing his feet to sink slightly into the floor to prevent audible footsteps. He closed the distance between him and his targets reaching out to secure the dagger sitting on the end of the table. As his hand passed the plane of the table, it instinctively retracted back to his side.

Wilbur had to slap a hand over his mouth to prevent a shriek as electricity flowed through his hand. Panic swelled as a blue neon light outlined the square section of the floor where he was standing.

Attempting to maintain his composure, Will turned back the way he came in an effort to get out of the glowing perimeter that marked his exact location. As he went to leave the square, he was met with another shock.

This time, he was unable to keep his concentration and blinked back into existence, the weight settling back onto his bones as he quickly tested each of the edges finding the same shocking result. Just as he was about to attempt to simply run through the electric grid and accept the shock in an attempt to escape, glass walls extended from the edges of the shape.

The vigilante in the chair stood up and turned around, facing the trapped hero.

"I'm guessing you probably won't be able to phase for around a minute with the voltage and adrenaline so I am going to talk fast. The electric grid surrounding you is unbreakable, it never turns off, there are no weaknesses or safe spots and it exists both below and above you. The glass is there for your safety. Starting now, the electricity is at a fatal level."

The vigilante turned to the control panel and tapped the electronic screen a few times before dragging a finger to the top of the device.

"If you attempt to phase through the glass or floor, it will stop your heart. Now, that is not a situation that I want to happen and I don't think that's your preference either. The problem is that there are not many ways to contain a phantom gifted and with your ability to access this place, it's too dangerous to let you run free hunting down those I work with. I promise I'm not a bad guy, although I guess by your standards, I'm breaking the law by doing my job. I am just willing to do anything to protect my family."

The officer slid to the floor, his back pressed against the glass. His mind raced as thoughts flew, accelerated by the panic created by the situation. His breathing picked up, drowning out outside stimuli with the heartbeat pounding in his ears. The vigilante spoke up again.

"That was a lot of information at once and I apologize. I could have just used an energy field around the base, supersizing the tech that you are stuck in right now. However, the invisibility would allow you to get information on my fellow vigilantes without their knowledge. I can't let you do anything that may hurt them. If you have a message you want to deliver to your friend waiting a couple of rooftops over, I can do that within reason. I'll make sure that you are more comfortable than sitting on metal and glass."

Walking over to his control panel, Sam rubbed the bridge of his nose. Worry lines were visible on his forehead the second his back was to the hero. He pulled up the communicator, typing an S and clicking the auto-filled contact.

Tommy was out on patrol when his communicator chirped, Sam's name was viewable in large font while the smaller text portrayed a worrying message.

Shadow, could you come to visit ASAP? There is a situation that you may want to be updated on.

Chapter Text

Sam left the main room, reality crashing down.

This was his plan, it went perfectly. So why on earth did he feel so off?

Of course, he knew the answer.

There was a difference between defending his house as well as the people he loved and the act of keeping a hero hostage. It was much harder to cope with the knowledge that there was a man trapped in the other room.

Unfortunately, there was no other choice. the officer was simply too powerful to be hunting down his friends.
Sam raised his hand to the top shelf of the closet in front of him. He grabbed the pillows and blankets that were stored there.

With the knowledge that he would at least make the situation more comfortable, the knot in his stomach lessened slightly.

Sam's chest expanded as he took a deep breath. With the fabric in hand, he walked back into the main room. The hero was still sitting with his back to the glass. His head was in his hands but when the vigilante walked into the room, the hero's eyes rose to meet the other.

"I assume you're Phantom." Sam began, breaking the awkward tension that grew from the second that they were both back in the same room. At a slow and hesitant nod from the other, Sam moved toward the trap, fully aware that the hero's eyes were tracking his every movement.

"I brought you these, I'm going to pass them through."

Phantom quickly stood up and backed away from the glass. His eyes scanned the room, lingering a bit too long on the elevator shaft. Recognizing a look of determination, Sam was quick to keep the hero safe.

"Unless you think you can fit through a blanket size hole, I'm sorry, but I don't recommend making a daring escape. I'm not stupid enough to drop the whole grid." The officer's shoulders dropped and his head hung a bit before both responses were quickly covered up by a confident aura.

If Sam did not have experience with hidden emotions, he would not have been able to detect the underlying nervousness and fear. Even seeing through the facade, Sam was impressed with the acting ability. It was definitely better than Shadow who had a multitude of tells for his deceit. Even Quackity stuttered and repeated himself more when he was covering up a detail.

With some actions on a wrist-mounted control pad, Sam lowered the glass, passing the blankets through. When the officer made no move to receive them, the vigilante dropped them on the ground unceremoniously before closing the energy field and raising the glass again.

"How long are you going to try to keep me here?" Phantom questioned, breaking the silence he had maintained throughout the entire experience. Sam recognized the challenge in the statement but based on the disguised body language of the other, it was not coming from a place of confidence.

"So he speaks," Sam mocked before deciding that making fun was not the best course of action. "Until I can find a way to keep everyone safe. I would ask about your weaknesses but I can't trust you to tell the truth. I hope it doesn't take long as I don't enjoy this any more than you do." The hero snorted.

"Oh... I'm sure this is soooo horrible for you."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to be insensitive. There are a lot of better ways that I could have phrased that. I just, this is not something that I would usually consider but I feel like I am out of options."

It felt weird admitting the concerns to the person literally stuck in his main living room and the hero had no visible reaction to the words. Instead, Phantom sat down again. Reaching with one hand, he grabbed a pillow from the stack and placed it between his back and the glass.

"You said you could deliver a message for me?" Phantom was sitting with his left leg bent with the right extended out. His left arm was resting on top of the knee with his hand hanging. Sam met his eyes again and nodded.

"Within reason, I will. No secret information, though I doubt you have learned anything. Anything that seems like code will not work. Just the basics, I'm sure you understand."

The hero nodded, thinking. "I need you to tell the Blade one sentence. I promise it's not coded and it will have no ramifications for you."

"As if I could believe you, but go ahead. I'll make my own judgments."

"Just one sentence. Just tell him that this is his fault." The phrase was given with a hint of sarcasm and was followed by a small smirk from the officer. Surprised, Sam's eyebrows rose and he nodded, he turned to the desk beside them. Using both hands, he pushed the table to the back wall away from the cell.

When there was enough distance between the devices and the trapped hero, Sam grabbed a glowing green trident with light blue detailing and brought a hand to his mask, making sure it was secure. After ensuring that all of his gear was in the right place, the vigilante moved toward the elevator. As the doors closed he gave a two-fingered salute to Phantom as the hero watched him go.

On a rooftop above, Techno was stressing. Wilbur had been gone for over 20 minutes. He was expecting a lack of communication but he had no idea what his brother was walking into.

Brother? Where had that come from? It was a running joke to refer to each other as a family but he had never caught himself mentally referencing the familial bond. He had to make sure to censor that in the future, Wilbur would tease him or threaten to cry if he ever said it out loud.

As Techno watched, the door opened revealing a sight he was dreading. The creeper stepped out onto his rooftop and made direct eye contact with the spot hiding the hero. With a hand extending, he beckoned the hero over.

Knowing that his cover was blown, Techno stood up and stepped into the direct sight of the other. Jumping to the rooftop, the Blood God felt his nerves grow.

If the vigilante was here and knew where the officer was, there was no way that Wilbur's mission had gone well.

As he watched, the creeper's weight shifted as he leaned on his weapon. This new device was a three-pronged trident that glowed with an ominous light. Warily eyeing the sharp ends, Techno approached the beckoning figure.

He put his hands in his pockets, appearing nervous or unsure. In reality, he was grasping a set of small metal beads lying in his uniform. Rolling them over each other, Techno made eye contact with the vigilante, slightly put off by the green snake-like pupils that stared back.

He watched and waited for an opening, finally receiving one when the creeper shifted weight again.

Throwing the beads from his pockets and onto the rooftop, he felt a pulse as they activated.

The results were instant and visible, the light from the trident died and the glowing lines detailing the opponent's armor disappeared. The vigilante's eyes widened and he took a couple of quick steps back, almost tripping on his own cape.

His gas mask had stopped smoking and the lack of confidence in his posture gave Techno his second opening. Drawing his sword from his sheath, he lunged forward.

Sam reacted in time, bringing up the trident catching the blade between the prongs, and twisting to the side. Technoblade released as his arm was moved into an uncomfortable angle, jumping back to avoid the trident now jabbing toward his midsection.

With his next strike, the Blood God feined a downwards blow before dropping his right elbow and gaining a more diagonal motion.

The movement was again caught by the vigilante who pushed the blade upward, sliding his weapon to the hilt of the blade and attempting to get to Techno's hand.

Despite putting up a good defense, Sam was not used to close combat. With his technology disabled, he was a slightly above-average fighter. He was able to hold his own but against someone skilled with the blade, he would not last long.

This fact dawned on the creeper as Techno disengaged again. The piglin's steps were light; graceful as they circled each other waiting for another opening. With the next attack, Sam misread where the blade was going.

He overcompensated into a block, leaning forward when his trident met empty air instead of a sword applying pressure back. In the time it took him to recover, the Blood God had ducked under his block spinning around to get behind the vigilante.

Sam gulped as the blade was pressed against his neck.

"I wouldn't move if I were you." The deep emotionless voice sounded next to his ear. It seemed to be a whisper but the words overpowered Sam's thoughts. He held his breath waiting for the hero to make the next movement. "Not so powerful without your tech."

Techno had one hand on the hilt and the other on the blade. Avoiding cutting himself, he was putting pressure on the throat without doing any damage. Knowing that the sword would be too hard to manage, he dropped his hand off the blade to his leg sheath. He pulled out the sleek black dagger strapped to his thigh and swapped out the weapons, making sure to not leave a window that could be used for escape.

Once the weapon could be handled with one hand, he sheathed his sword and focused all his attention on the vigilante. "Where is Phantom?"

"I can show you, I just need my tech back." That actually got a laugh out of the piglin.

"How stupid do you think I am? I brought EMP beads for a reason. I'm not turning them off just so I can see my partner's face, confirming what I already know. What happened?"

"He's staying with me for a while." Sam flinched as the Blade let out an instinctual growl. The dagger pressed a bit closer and Sam moved back into his captor to avoid getting cut. "I don't have another option." He protested, not expecting the other to understand his motives but at least hoping that he could express them. "Until I can make sure my fellow vigilantes are safe, a guy with any form of invisibility cannot be hunting them down."

"And what is stopping me from cutting your throat right now? I could be a lot less subtle breaking in if the owner of the house is fatally bleeding out a roof over."

"You have seen my tech, there is a deadman's switch. I die, the second my vitals are less than ideal, the entire place goes on lockdown. The walls are self-regenerating. There is no way in. Your partner will not make it out.

This is not something that you can take out with an EMP. My personal tech on me right now runs off a generator that is built in. Your stupid devices are an oversight I had, one that I will be fixing. The bunker itself runs off power that is hidden well within any accessable point."

Most of that was true. If Sam dies, a lockdown occurs. That much was accurate. However, there were some people who could turn it off. Quackity and Shadow were both parts of a select group of trusted people who could come and claim all the tech they needed as well as gain access to the bunker for their own use after Sam had passed.

Revealing that information right now would be the stupidest decision of his life. It would put his own safety at risk as well as some of his closest friends. As far as the hero needed to know, the lockdown was final.

If the officer detected any lie, he didn't say anything. He simply sighed in defeat. "That sucks for me. Going to have to get him back the hard way. While we are here though. I'm not walking out of this empty-handed."

With his free hand, Techno reached for the gas mask. The second Sam realized his target, he struggled as much as the knife at his throat would allow. The piglin undid the clasps and the mask fell away.

The officer took out an old digital camera that was still operational through the emp blast.

"Good to see you came prepared," Sam grumbled, sullen in acceptance for his loss of anonymity.

Techno smirked out of the line of vision of the vigilante and gave no response simply holding the camera out and taking the picture. He placed it back into the pocket that he had removed it from and released the dagger, pushing Sam away from him.

"I'll be back for him. You will regret ever messing with the Blood God, let alone our other friend."

"Hey, Mr. Blood God." Sam hesitated, considering if his next words were the proper choice. He was bitter and angered at his defeat and his mind was biased by this factor but he still decided to finish his thoughts. "Phantom had something he wanted to tell you...

He said that this was all your fault"

Chapter Text

"It's all your fault"

The Blood God appeared unphased which frustrated the vigilante further. He glanced at the trident, his newest and most promising prototype, which had yet to reactivate. Looking down at the weapon in his hands, he accepted defeat at this time and place, striding back to his own roof and disappearing within.

Left on the roof behind the vigilante, a hero was deep in thought. Techno had no way of knowing that what the creeper had said was the truth.

"It's all your fault"

That doesn't sound like Wilbur... If he had a message to deliver he would have found a way to portray information. He would have used an insult or joke to attempt to get Tech to crack a smile. Will would never know if it had worked but he would at least try and lighten the mood. Right?

"It's all your fault"

But at the same time, that was a very specific lie. The vigilante knew that Techno was the one who introduced the bunker to Phantom so placing the blame was not exactly far-fetched. But there were other statements that could have been more effective. For all the creeper gifted knew, Will was just a fellow officer who got caught doing his job.

"It's all your fault"

There was no reason to assume that that one phrase could have such an impact. What if it really was a message from Will?

"It's all your fault"

It was, wasn't it... He was the only reason that one of his two closest friends was currently trapped with a man who they knew nothing about.

Well, almost nothing. They had his face after tonight. That was a small light of victory that was quickly extinguished by the reminder of the cost of this win. If Techno had a choice between Wilbur and the face of a vigilante. There was no hesitation in the selection of Phantom.

Was it my fault?

Wilbur would not be in the situation he was in if Techno could handle his own problems. He had hit one road bump and gone running home to ask for help. If he could have figured it out solo, this all would have turned out fine.

He turned and headed home with nothing else to do.

This was not a feeling that Techno was used to, helplessness. He could deal with hopeless odds, staring down the enemy and knowing that he might not walk away.

He could live with high stress and high stakes in a job. He was a hero, danger came with the occupation. He could easily put himself at risk for the sake of others, throwing himself into work for the sake of the protection of others. This was especially true when it came to his family.

But now... there was nothing he could do.

He had next to no information about Wilbur's captor, next to no information about Shadow. No way of knowing what his next steps should be.

He pulled his key out of his pocket and inserted it into the lock of the door. Techno jiggled it around before feeling it slide in. Turning his wrist, he used his other hand to open the doorknob, using his shoulder to push his way into the house.

He walked into the open concept area and continued straight to the living room in the back of the first floor. Phil was sitting on the couch reading a book as he often did to relax after a long day. When the avian heard Techno walk in, he pulled a bookmark off of the accent table next to his seat and placed it in the novel. With his page marked, Phil closed the book and looked up. When he registered the lack of a certain hero, the sides of his mouth fell and he gaped a bit.

Techno collapsed on the couch across from his friend. Leaning forward, he propped his arms on his knees and lowered his head into his hands.

"Phil, it's all my fault."

Wilbur watched the man leave, shifting his weight and searching his thoughts for ways to pass the time. Since entering the bunker, he had been unable to leave the single room. That being said, it was a large room with a lot of things to look at.

The blueprints were laid out but with a lack of engineering knowledge, there was only so much that the hero could learn from the drawings of different blades, guns, and other weaponry.

Aside from the lethal technology, there appeared to be a number of kinder designs. Wilbur understood a few ideas for energy production, defense technology, and other tech that would greatly impact the quality of life in the Outer Ring.

That gave an insight into the character of the man who had trapped him but inferences were never 100% reliable.

The creeper had seemed regretful, saying that he felt as though the whole turn of events was out of necessity. As nice as that sentiment seemed to be, it didn't change the fact that Wilbur was stuck.

Would the vigilante actually design a trap that could end fatally?

It could be a bluff but it was not a risk that Wilbur was willing to take. He still had a chance of Techno and Phil getting him out, so it was not worth it to gamble his life just yet. If things got desperate then it would be an option but the officer could only hope that it would not reach that stage.

Without tempting the electrical grid, he was genuinely stuck. That did not mean that he was useless. He could still look and listen. The vigilante used this as a base of operations and based on what Techno said, other vigilantes visited on occasion.

Will hoped that the creeper didn't have another location where he could switch meeting sites too. He hoped a lot of things at the moment.

He hoped that the vigilante was a genuine person, he hoped that he could find a way out. Most of all, he hoped that Techno and Phil wouldn't worry too much.

He had jokingly blamed Techno when the vigilante asked him if he wanted to pass a message. It was meant to be poking fun, a way to bring a bit of light to the situation. Will had realized after that sarcasm was not often portrayed in a game of telephone.

That was especially true when the message was delivered by someone who would not know Will well enough to know it was a joke.
Techno knew him well enough to take it as a friendly jab... Right?

Will could only hope that the tone would translate correctly. If not, then it was just one more reason to escape as soon as possible.

The screens on the left of the room showed the security footage and Wilbur could see Techno and his captor. After a quick fight, Techno had the vigilante pinned and Wilbur was silently wishing for Tech to end it right there.

The vigilante was demasked and returned inside.

When the elevator doors opened, Wilbur was expecting anger. He was expecting the man to storm out and yell.

His biggest secret had just been revealed and there was no way that he would take that well.

Instead, all the phantom saw was acceptance and disappointment.

The creeper walked across the room, discarding his armor and weapon onto a clear table. Taking off his gas mask, the man revealed a jagged spiked mouth similar to some Ender-gifted that Wilbur had interacted with. His face was covered in what appeared to be scales, the same color green as the glow he emitted.

The vigilante let out a sigh before pulling out some tools and beginning to dissect the machinery in front of him. He pulled the chest plate apart and picked out a glowing orb that was wired through the rest of the armor set. Frowning, the creeper carefully removed its connection to the other tech and looked at it separately.

Wilbur stood up to attempt to get a better view and the movement caused the vigilante to jump, grasping for the gas mask and putting it to his face as if by instinct.

"I forgot you were there," the engineer admitted, pulling the mask from his face. "I tend to get a bit lost in thought. Guess it's too late to prevent my face from being seen." The disappointment was so contagious that Wilbur could almost feel bad for the person standing in front of him. "At least I don't have to worry about this thing anymore."

He brandished the mask and set it back on the table.

"I typically only use it for fumes since I stopped patrol. It's a pain in the ass to remember it."

Wilbur was still trying to figure this man out. The inventor was a puzzle that the hero was itching to solve. So many of his statements and reactions were unexpected and surprise was a huge tactical advantage. If Will didn't figure the guy out soon then there was no way that he would have a chance of outsmarting him.

They stood there in silence for a bit before the creeper turned back to his inventions. Will sat back down to avoid fatiguing his legs and to regain some level of comfort with the blankets.

"What's your name?" The question seemed to surprise the vigilante who put down the orb to look at his prisoner. "I mean, you know my name is Phantom from my partner being stupid enough to forget to look for a listening device. It's only fair I have something to call you."

"Since when do you officers care about fair?" The response was blunt and Wilbur was caught off guard. Yet another piece of the ever-expanding puzzle. "I don't have a name I want to give. Even when I was working on the streets, I stayed under the radar. I kept the younger vigilantes and the newcomers safe, that kind of job doesn't drum up much media attention. No one ever "named" me with a codename and I always gave the kids my real name. That is not a courtesy that I will be sharing with you."

"So how am I supposed to get your attention?"

"Why would it matter? You haven't seemed very willing to talk to me. For good reason by the way but I can't see a proper benefit that would come from revealing my name. Your partner already got my face tonight and I don't want to give away more."

As he said that the elevator doors slid open.

"Sam! What happened? I got your message on patrol."

The creeper rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed.

"You have always had the best timing, haven't you Shadow."

Wilbur stifled a giggle from his seated position on the floor. The quiet laugh drew Shadow's attention to the glass box in the center of the room. When his eyes met Will's masked pupils his mouth dropped before closing as the vigilante turned to glare at Sam who had the decency to look sheepish.

"Hey big man," Shadow started slowly. "There is a situation that I need to be updated on? Really? That is your response! I would say that this is a bit more than an update."

Chapter Text

Wilbur gave the new vigilante a small wave and relished in the way his emotions visibly morphed. The look of surprise rolled into shock and then panic.

There was a mask covering the other's eyes but Shadow was so expressive that it did not matter. His posture changed with his emotes and his mouth shape was as fluid as the emotions that were being felt.

All of these changes happened within a second as Shadow rounded on his fellow vigilante.

"Are we going to have this conversation in here or do we have to take it into another room?"

The creeper, who Will could now begin to refer to as Sam, glanced over at the officer and appeared to take a second to think about the choice. "It depends on what you want to ask me."

"I tell you that there are three new officers in town who are hunting vigilantes. I spend the night yesterday with another certain vigilante and head home thinking I had done what I could. Tonight, I get a message saying that there was a situation that I need updating on. It sounded urgent and there was only one situation that was occurring right now... the new patrol."

"Sorry if I scared you Shadow." The younger vigilante waved his hands and gave an exasperated sigh.

"That's just the thing Sam!" The creeper flinched slightly at the use of his name, eyes flickering back to the trapped hero as if hoping that the name had been forgotten. "I was expecting that you got some important information. I was hoping you had found some newspaper articles or details of their powers and weaknesses. I wanted a way to get them off our turf so we could go back to doing our jobs. Instead, you have one of them locked in the most secure bunker in the city."

Wilbur's eyes widened slightly at the inflection. It was clear that the younger vigilante did not want him here. Unfortunately, the creeper had made it clear that the officer would not be turned free. Those two desires led to one option that was not ideal for Will. The situation had just gone from a major inconvenience to potentially life-threatening.

Sam had expressed guilt and displeasure over the kidnapping. He had stated that Wilbur was safe from harm as long as he played along. That was not the case with Shadow. This was a whole new person. One who clearly held some sway over the creeper if there had been a message exchanged.

A rising heartbeat faced the hero with a challenge. His brain wandered from one possibility to the next and all of his scenarios ended with there being no one for Techno and Phil to come and save.

He forced himself to focus. This conversation could hold important information. It had already betrayed the engineer's true name and who knows what other important details they would forget to cover up.

Wilbur eyed both of their stances, analyzing body language and committing their words to memory, waiting for a slip-up.

"What is your plan?" Shadow exclaimed. "He's here now... I assume you are a he."

It took Wilbur a second while analyzing to recognize that the vigilante had switched the person he was talking to. When it clicked, the hero gave a quick nod and let the conversation continue.

"How did he even get in here? This place is supposed to be inpenetrable."

"About that... His partner kind of followed you here."

That information shocked Shadow who's forehead wrinkled slightly leading to the assumption that his eyes were widened.

"So I didn't notice a tail. I'll be more careful from now on.

That doesn't explain how he," he gestured to the trapped hero.

"ended up here." He waved to the bunker.

Sam turned to the officer and gave him an amused grin. "Do you want to explain your abilities or should I?"

Wilbur was not desperate to reveal any information that they did not already know. Unfortunately, he was not aware of how many details they had learned. With those thoughts in mind, he shook his head rejecting Sam's offer to explain.

The older vigilante shrugged and continued. "From what I have gathered, he can phase through most objects and maintain invisibility while in that intangible state. He might have other abilities but those are the ones that he used to gain access to me."

"That makes sense as to how he got down here." Shadow was clearly thinking aloud. "But why hasn't he left. If his ability is that powerful, what's keeping him here?"

"Yeah, Sam." Will interjecting into the conversation. He was getting sick of silently listening and let the resentment flow into his words, revealing the brewing anger that had been brewing through the night. "What is keeping me here? Have I decided to just stick around and take a vacation? I just really like the view from a glass box in the middle of a vigilante base. That must be the reason."

Sam looked uncomfortable with the shift in the conversation. "Electrical grid," he confessed.

Shadow nodded, "Makes sense as a containment but there is one thing that still bothers me... What now? I asked it before and I asked it again, what is your plan for all of this. You can't keep him here in the middle of the bunker. You can't just let him go with all of the information and access he can gain. The second you try to do anything, he's going to run."

The creeper pondered his response before giving an answer. "I don't really know. Until I have a surefire way to protect all of us, he can't go anywhere. His partners are not going to be happy with that." Suddenly, his natural glow increased becoming blindingly bright.

Wilbur pushed himself to the furthest edge of the glass walls nervous of the outcome of this development but Shadow appeared unphased. "You got an idea Big Man? Because I would love to hear it. I am coming up blank at the moment."

Sam nodded with a smile that, coupled with his jagged mouth and flaming eyes, was more unnerving than confidence-inspiring.

"Big Q."

Wilbur perked up at the mention of a new person. He had never heard the name before which meant that anything that followed was likely new information.

"The power neutralizer."

The hero's hopes immediately dropped.

Power neutralizers were not a new development but they were a closely guarded secret. It was temperamental technology that was destroyed the second it was found. Even the hero's league did not condone its usage on villains. No one was allowed to test with it so no one knew how it worked. Usage was extremely dangerous due to the lack of information on the subject.

If these two had access to that kind of technology then the situation just got infinitely worse.

Shadow contemplated a thought which Wilbur could not follow due to lack of context. "That could work Sam. It still isn't a great situation but it's a bit more humane. He could use my sector if you want."

The conversation sounded foreign to the hero. He couldn't follow their meaning but they seemed to understand each other just fine.

"I'll send a message to Big Q and ask if we can use his tech for a bit. He only has the two so it may be a big ask but I am sure he will understand if I explain. Thanks for offering your rooms Shadow. I do believe that sectioning him off is the best option." They both focused on the officer.

"Well, we have a plan..." Shadow began.

Chapter Text

The next few days flew by for the vigilantes. They contacted Quackity about the two power suppressors that were in the vigilante's possession. It was simple to convince the casino owner to hand the tech over to them as the devices technically belonged to Sam in the first place.

Big Q took some time to get them from whatever hiding place he had stashed them away in but it wasn't long before Sam received a message telling him to meet on a rooftop between their old patrol territories.

He approached the spot to find Quackity already there, sitting on the slightly raised roof edge. He was fiddling with something that appeared to be a marble or another small ball, rolling it through his fingers and palm to pass the time.

"Q, you got what I asked for?"

The other vigilante looked up, not surprised to find the creeper in front of him. He slipped the ball into his pocket and dug his unoccupied arm into the shoulder bag that he brought with him. Pulling out two watch-shaped devices, he held them out to Sam. Just as the creeper was about to take them, Quackity retracted his arm a bit.

"What do you need with these?" The man's face swam with concern. "You aren't struggling again? You would tell me if you were, right?"

"It's unrelated Q, I haven't had problems with my gifts since the last time we talked about it. Giving you the cuffs worked. It allowed me to lean away from the crutch of suppression and learn to control them on my own. You were my biggest help through that process. Of course, I would tell you if I was losing control."

A tension lessoned and Quackity's shoulders dropped, his expression livened and his eyes glistened with a noticeable mischief.

"Should I be asking what other event would cause you to need power suppression? It wouldn't happen to have anything to do with the new officer patrol T was talking about, would it?"

Sam grinned and shook his head. "Best if you stay out of it buddy. Let me deal with my own problems."

They exchanged friendly goodbyes and went their separate ways. When Sam returned home he did not fail to notice the way that Phantom eyed the cuffs as he placed them on one of his work tables. The fear was palpable but that would have to be dealt with later. For now, he had modifications of the bunker to make.

He put on his mask and set to work bringing his ideas to life.

For Shadow, these speedy days were spent in the same old routine. He would work whatever job he could find so it often ended in an odd array of visits along his schedule. Currently, Tommy was dogsitting for two separate neighbors who were out of town, babysitting for one, and had a consistent job at the Outer Ring Market.

He helped a local shopkeeper run her stand. The older woman was one of the sweetest people in the ring and her flower shop was constantly bustling. Tommy loved working for her. Emily was about 5'3 with forest green eyes that would warm your mood from the moment she saw you.

Not many knew her as well as Tommy did, she was a vigilante who was active just as he was making the decision to join. She had retired from the more dangerous life to settle down outside the city with a significant other that she gave never gave details about. All she would say if someone asked is that the flower petal necklace that was constantly around her neck was a gift from the girlfriend who helped her tend the flower fields.

This was the one job that Tommy was able to hold throughout his time attempting to work in the ring. With the desperation for jobs, there was always a kid willing to work for cheaper and what boss could say no to that. Emily didn't know about Tommy's extracurricular hobbies but she was loyal to a fault and was oddly protective over the young boy. There would be no one replacing him anytime soon.

With his workday completed, Tommy would return home and get ready for his night out. He would banter with Tubbo a bit and take down some bad guys. He would come back with a few bruises but nothing that he couldn't handle. Then he would start the whole thing over again.

That is, until he got a message from Sam

"Come over tonight... We are ready"

Contrary to the vigilante's experience, for the SBI, these had been the longest days of their lives. Wilbur had nothing to do but sit around. He ate when food was provided due to the fact that there was no point in drugging him at this point. He needed to be at full strength and it wasn't worth starving to avoid the potential of a contaminant in his meals.

He watched Sam as he moved around, wiring certain panels and welding others. Sparks flew and Wilbur had no idea what the inventor was doing. Time passed by...

For the other two members of the group, it had been an exhausting weekend. In the time since they had lost Will, both Techno and Phil had spiraled. They had been patrolling extensively but had not run into a single vigilante. They had no way of knowing that every illegal crimefighter in the area had been warned of their arrival. Those who could not avoid the pair simply took a bit of a break from patrol or helped out in a different area.

With the heroes patrolling the spaces they left behind, there was a decrease in crime but that fact went unnoticed by the officers who had no way of observing the level before their arrival.

Instead, they could do nothing but feel unaccomplished. There was no way to gain information due to the secretive nature of the people they were trying to learn about.
Newspapers rarely got involved and the media only knew them by name.

Anyone who had been helped by a vigilante was extremely unlikely to offer information about their rescuers. This led to an unfortunate standstill in their progress on the case.

On top of all of that, each day they stayed in the outer ring was a day more than they were supposed to. Schlatt had already requested their return and it was not like they could turn to the president and admit their failure.

Excuses could only last so long.

As a last-ditch resort, Phil had reached out to the higher ups, requesting that the Sleepy Boys were the team sent after the vigilantes officially. That request is what led to the current video call that they were sitting on right now.

Schlatt was sitting behind the presidential desk with his legs up and a bottle in his hand. It was impossible to tell what the drink was but he claimed it was water.

"Where's the third musketeer?"

Phil stifled a flinch at the question that he had expected but did not have any desire to answer.

"He's out working. We have been making some breakthroughs and he is following through on a lead."

A complete lie but a necessary one... If Sclatt believed they were making progress, it was much easier to convince him to let them stay.

Sclatt narrowed his eyes but accepted the reasoning with a shrug. "I heard you wanted the assignment? Mind convincing me why I would ever assign the most popular heroes in the city to the Outer Ring for more than our little publicity stunt?"

"Well you see Sir, we have the best chance of finishing the job quickly. Plus it is a great look, sending some of the most successful heroes to deal with the issue. It classifies vigilantes as a top priority for the Hero League." Phil finished his thoughts and looked at the ram, waiting for a response.

Schlatt rubbed his chin and pondered for a minute before smiling and looking back at the two heroes. "I like the way you think Phil! Let's do it. However, if you fail it will be disastrous. If our top heroes can't do anything about the vigilante problem then the Hero League is ruined. It's all your responsibility," the president's eyes flashed venomously and his smirk twisted cruelly. "You better not mess it up."

The screen went black and Phil slumped back into the armchair he was sitting on. Techno glanced at him before pushing himself to his feet.

"Well, that's settled." The piglin looked determined as he pushed on his mask and began to get ready for a patrol. "We have to get results. No more coming up empty, we need to change something. What we are doing is clearly not working. We have to get Will back, he is our best chance at getting rid of these threats. He has the most information out of all of us.

We have to get our partner back, whatever the cost."

Chapter Text

Sam snapped a panel closed and set down the torch he had been using. With the modifications complete, life could get a bit easier around the bunker.

The base was built like an apocalyptic set-up. It was entirely self-sufficient with functional gardens and a renewable supply of protein in the form of fish. Those assets were maintained but rarely used and saved for emergencies. The main room led to the circular center room that led to sectioned off areas like pie slices from the whole.

Each section had its own purpose and four of them were designed for living in. The bunker had been created to keep Sam safe. When he removed himself from the active vigilante scene, he needed a place to secure his designs where they could not be accessed. He messed around with some dangerous concepts that had no business being available to whoever may come across them.

Quackity had funded the project and Sam had designed it. In discussion, they had agreed that the task could serve another purpose. With the dangerous and illegal life that the group lived, it was a natural progression of thought to assume that there would be trouble in the future.

They created living quarters for hiding out if they would ever need it. Sam lived full time in his, Shadow had laid claim to another. He rarely stayed in the space unless he needed extreme medical care that his partner could not provide. The last two were left available for whoever in their group found trouble.

Trusted people cycled in and out based on the attention they had attracted from the officer patrol. That had stopped with the addition of Phantom to the main room. With the officer moved in to one of the living quarters, the bunker could be opened again.

Each area was sectioned off with doors that could only be opened by the occupant of the room. It was a safety precaution against betrayal because Sam was kind, not stupid. He was self-aware enough to realize that his actions bordered on paranoia but it was always better to be prepared.

It was not difficult to make the modifications he wanted but it was time-consuming. He had extended the electrical technology to the exterior of the base. The original idea was to keep the phantom-gifted out but it would function similarly to keep him in. That fact was vocalized to the officer who looked unsurprised at the statement.

A knot had grown slowly in the pit of Sam's stomach for every day that the glass prison remained. The hero watched their every move and spent a lot of time fiddling. It seemed as though the man struggled to sit still for periods of time.

He had been eating the food that Sam provided and hadn't tried anything funny but that almost made it worse. It was easy to justify the capture of a threat. There was no doubt that this officer was dangerous but it was hard to remember that as Phantom seemed to reach a state of acceptance. The hero rarely talked and the silence consumed the pair.

It would ease his conscience a portion to know that the hero would be more comfortable in the time he was inside the bunker. Today was finally the day where that could happen.

Shadow had sent a message stating that he would help after patrol but Sam couldn't wait. He had been eyeing the drawer containing the two power suppression cuffs for days.

He had viewed the hero's apprehension toward them and avoided the task that was yet to be completed but the excitement of having one less thing to worry about was building.

Sam wouldn't have to stress about the Phantom testing the electric field. He wouldn't lose sleep at night out of fear that if the hero got loose, there was nothing protecting a sleeping vigilante from harm.

Pulling the suppressers from their resting place, he attempted to ignore the eyes of Phantom following his every movement. As Sam approached the other, the hero pressed himself to the back of the glass, eyes wide and flickering back and forth looking for an escape.

Sam crouched down, shrinking his figure and attempting to look as nonthreatening as possible.

"Listen, I need you to put this on. You obviously don't want to but I promise it will make it easier for everyone."

"Not a chance in hell. I'm perfectly comfortable where I am. Sticking to the status quo."

"You and I both know that is not true. This is not a good situation and I am attempting to fix that a bit." Sam extended his hand out, offering the watch-like device despite the glass still separating them. He would remove the barrier but with the officer pressing himself against the opposite wall, it would be too dangerous. The hero shook his head feverously, rejecting any attempt to convince him.

Sam grew tired of the continuous denial and, despite a desire to take this slow, was not able to comprehend why this was a hill that the hero refused to budge from. "Why does the tech affect you? Your gifts haven't been used in the entirety of your stay here. The suppresser is just insurance for us."

"How is something as dangerous as a power suppresser just insurance for you. I've heard horror stories about the results of that tech. I've seen the remains of some test subjects. I would rather sit here with..." The hero was cut off as a sharp CLICK was made audible. Sam moved his right hand away from his opposing wrist, displaying the suppresser now attached around his arm.

The vigilante's glow died instantly and the ever-constant pressure in Sam's gut left with it. He took a sigh of relief as that pressure disappeared, attempting to avoid getting used to the freedom that came with his power suppression.

The hero was looking at him in shock. "What. I'm sorry, what! What degree of messed up are you to just causally strap that on?"

Sam winced slightly. "I'm messed up, but not for the reasons that you are thinking. The suppressers are safe. I can guarantee that. I have been using them for years."

"You have functional suppressors? It is common knowledge that no one has been able to figure out how to avoid side effects. You have to understand that I can't trust you saying that they are safe."

"If you want an explanation then I can give it. I am sure you are aware of creepers."

Phantom nodded, his body language had shifted from fear to interest and it was a welcome change for Sam.

"Ok, so I'm a creeper gifted. Side effects vary for each person and I got the short end of the stick. My abilities have explosive results and I had little to no control. After a bit of putting up with property damage, I hurt someone who I cared about. That was a step too far.

I reached out to a friend with connections in the Inner Ring and he found someone with a promising prototype idea. The whole project was done in secret and these two suppressors were completed. One to use, and one backup. The engineer disappeared without a trace leaving these as the only two in existence. I learned how to control my abilities and now they can be used for this. Again, I can ensure that they are safe. If you put it on, there will be no negative side effects except for the inability to access your phasing. There are no lasting effects either."

To prove this point, Sam stood and migrated to his main control pad. Pressing a few buttons, he held a thumbprint to a spot on the suppressor and it immediately detached. Bracing himself, Sam felt the pressure return and swallowed down the instincts that began to overwhelm him.

He wanted to put the cuff back on. It was so much easier, safer. There were two in their possession and the hero only needed one. There was no harm in using one to remove the pressure from himself.

Taking a deep breath, Sam ignored his influences and returned to the area in front of the hero. Now that the hero had leaned away from the glass, he removed it and offered the cuff through a hole in the grid.

"I know you have no reason to trust me but you really don't have a choice. I would rather you did this of your own volition but I need full access to the bunker again and having you in the main room has slowed down a lot of my lifestyle. I need you out of the way and it just so happens that I can give you a better living situation in the process. It's a good deal even if you have no way to verify that what I am saying is valid. I've demonstrated the power suppresser, I've done everything I can think of to make you more comfortable with the transition... Now I have nothing left to do but just tell you to put it on."

Hesitantly, Phantom reached out and took the device. He inspected it slowly, holding it up to the light and checking the inscriptions on the side, a detail that the engineer had apparently added to all of their work. It was a signature of sorts. After a period of viewing the cuff, he held it to his wrist and the click caused the hero to jump. He shook his wrist and watched the tech rotate.

"Told you nothing bad would happen," Sam said with a smirk on his face.

"Alright, you don't need to be such a prick about it."

Chapter Text

Tommy had decided to take a bit of a break from patrol. This choice was not at all influenced by pressure from Tubbo and was instead a call he made on his own because he was a big; independent man.

Though he had to admit, it felt nice to step back from the constant grind. His life was jam-packed with stuff to do. Between jobs, fighting crime, and aiding Sam there had been no time to simply sit down and relax. That busy lifestyle is nice for someone with a lot of energy to expend and a tendency to be unable to sit still. However, it can get overwhelming after a period of time.

Even his sleep schedule had begun to suffer more, something that Tommy would have previously thought impossible.

Now that he was convinced,

Not convinced, made a decision

to take a step back, the dark circles under his eyes had started to lighten.

As he was spending more time alone, his wings were allowed a period to recover. It was something that they desperately needed. The feathers were in poor shape and the atrophy was painful to see but it was something that he had to live with.

The white sheen of healthy angelic-like limbs had faded leaving a pair of damaged wings that appeared clear when the light hit them. They were clean but there were patches of missing feathers leaving pink and red sections patterning the natural light coloring.

They would drop mostly from a combination of stress and lack of use. It was as if his body had finally gotten the memo that the gift wasn't needed. It was trying to expunge itself of the extra weight but couldn't commit.

Instead of detaching the horrible additions and letting Tommy live his life, it simply dropped feathers like a dog shedding its winter coat. With the lack of sleep and the increase of stressful events, the loss had gotten worse.

The only section untouched by this balding was the black row of feathers glistening out of the corner of his eye. Tommy found himself staring at the darkened secondaries thoughtfully. Despite having the same limitations as the surrounding feathers, they maintained the healthy sheen as if they had just been grown.

It was not as if Tommy was attempting to let his wings fall into disarray, he just did not care enough to maintain them. No one saw them and no one ever would so who cares what they looked like.

Sighing, Tommy looked at the clock realizing the time.

He pulled his wings back in and migrated to the stained couch in the living room. When Tubbo walked in, Tommy was attempting to look as if he was reading a magazine.

The ram walked over to his computer, pulling up the information he needed and scanning the cameras. It had been part of the deal that he and Tommy had decided on.

Tommy would avoid patrol both for his mental and physical well-being as well as to avoid the other members of the officer group. In return, Tubbo would keep track of any incidents and report them to vigilantes in the area.

It turned out that Shadow had enough of a reputation that no one decided to challenge him. Despite being off the streets, the thought of the vigilante was enough to keep crime levels down. There were some exceptions but they were swiftly dealt with.

No one knew how long the effect would last but it allowed Tommy some downtime. Sam had not been informed of this development. In fact, Tommy had informed him that he was on patrol and would come aid in the transfer after.

That was not the truth but Tommy was nervous. In the time that the officer had been there, he had barely spoken. It was as if the man was not in the room at all. The decision that they had to ask him to make was a step in trust and Tommy had earned none of the man's faith. It was not due to bad blood aside from the whole kidnapping thing. It was mostly occurring because of a lack of time and effort.

It was no secret the stigma behind power suppression. The man who had created the cuffs for Sam had birthed the most impactful technological design of the era. It could have been mass-produced, used for wars, used for law enforcement. Instead, the man disappeared. Gone without a trace.

That inventor was the only one on the project to know the true reason the cuffs were being commissioned aside from Quackity and Sam themselves. According to everyone else, the suppresses were given to the casino owner and later stolen by an unknown party. Sam's experiences were his own to tell and he had decided to confide in the inventor.

They never met face to face but contact on the phone was enough for Sam to gain confidence in the man's ability as well as the future of his problem.

The fact that there were only two and no way to make more made the cuffs an extremely valuable item. Fortunately for the general public, they were in good hands. That led to the experimentation and danger that comes with typical power suppression.

Phantom seemed to have a basic level of understanding that Sam was not attempting to hurt him. Shadow did not give the same assurance. Tommy felt as though his presence there would escalate the scenario, he would do more harm than good.

That is why he entered the bunker later than he had told the creeper. That is why he delayed.

Tommy was pleasantly surprised to see the glass gone as the elevator doors slid open. Scanning the room, he realized that it was empty of the presence that had been constant for almost a week now.

He walked to the back of the room, strolling down the hallway to the center of the layout. When he hit the inner circle, he held his thumb to a scanner on the left. The door lit green and Tommy pulled it open. Walking through another set of doors and repeating the scan, he walked into a dark room.

Instantly his instincts kicked in, his head tilted to listen and his body dropped lower. He crept slowly into the room, attempting to see his surroundings.

Curse Sam for making the outlets on the other side of the room.

As he took another step into the main space, he realized his mistake. The floor creaked slightly behind him and before he could react, an arm snaked around his neck.

Tommy's hands instinctually scratched at the hold, attempting to break free but the grip only tightened. The pressure built on his airways making it difficult to breathe.

"Sorry Shadow, this would have been easier with a blunt object but the creeper is just paranoid enough to not give me anything to use."

Black spots danced in Tommy's vision, barely visible against the darkened room. He summoned the last of his oxygen and attempted to call out. Phantom's hand went over his mouth before he could even produce the noise. With one last kick in an attempt to break away, Tommy felt his mind drift and slipped into unconsciousness.

He had done it. After a week of waiting and finally he had a chance to be out of here. He held an unconscious vigilante in his grasp, the ticket to his escape. Flicking the lights back on, Will got a look at his captor. The guy was skinny for the athleticism that his job required. He wore a padded sweatshirt and a pair of athletic pants that appeared higher quality but were riddled with small holes sewn together with poorly concealed stitches.

There was only one thing left to do before he finished his great escape. He reached for the mask.

Throughout this whole experience, he had been able to maintain his identity. Despite the fact that Techno had exposed Sam, the vigilante had never demanded for Will to remove his own mask. Never done more than asked for the officer's true name.

Maybe that was why there was a portion of guilt as Wilbur reached for Shadow. Nevertheless, he persisted. Cautiously he peeled at the corner, aware that the same action had caused an effect on Phil. He waited for the spark of pain, of the weird tingling sensation that Phil had described, and felt nothing.

Despite a few seconds of flipping up the corner of the mask, there was no physical effect. Wilbur took a deep breath and pulled it off completely.

Looking down on the man, the boy, below him, Will's breath caught in his throat.

Shadow

the vigilante who was the highest on the government radar.

The slippery criminal that had avoided two separate officer patrols and who knows how many before that

The adversary that SBI had been raring to take down

This formidable force

This vigilante

One of Wilbur's captors

Was a child

Chapter Text

After the shock had passed, Wilbur carefully replaced the mask and hauled the boy up. With his arms under the vigilante's armpits, he pulled the kid into a more manageable position.

Geez this guy was heavy.

Despite how skinny Shadow was, he was still tall and height has a massive effect on weight. He probably weighed about 150 lbs which was becoming fully apparent to the hero now that it was all dead weight.

Grabbing the wrist of the unconscious body, Wilbur pressed the thumb to the panel on the side of the door at the same spot where Sam had held his to exit. When a small chirp sounded, Will couldn't help but smile as the door opened.

Repeating the process, Wilbur dragged the vigilante to the main room. He traced the same path that he and Sam had taken to get to the rooms he had been locked in.

When it came down to it, the living areas were nice. There was a full kitchen that was stripped of its appliances and anything else that could be used as a weapon. The rooms that were still left functional after the "prisoner proofing" contained a comfortable bed as well as a separate living area with a full sofa and television set.

No matter how nice the rooms, they were still the equivalence of a jail cell. Will had no way out of the area without the biosignature of the vigilantes and he had no desire to stay a prisoner.

He had a job to do and friends to return to. The decision to escape was not difficult, the formulation of a plan was. So many things were beyond his knowledge and control so it was near to impossible to create a foolproof idea.

His best shot was to create good conditions and hope things worked out, which they had.

Entering the main room, he could almost taste freedom. The elevator was right there and it seemed so accessible but Will knew better.

Sam had proven himself to have some technological prowess. If Will got in that elevator, there was no guarantee that he wouldn't be handing control back to the vigilantes. While he was in the main room, he had more leverage.

That was the key...

leverage.

Eying the tables full of weaponry, Wilbur's eyes fell on a dagger not too far away from him. The knife was forged of black metal with gold and green detailing. The center of the blade held a rut that looked as though it could contain a liquid or other substance. As for right now, the gap was empty leaving the weapon usable as a normal dagger.

He reached out to grab it only to be met by the same shock that he had experienced upon first entering the base. After debating options for a moment, Will took Shadow's arm near the shoulder and clumsily swung it at the dagger hilt. Looking back would likely cause the officer to laugh at how stupid it must have appeared but throwing the arm knocked the weapon to the floor where the hero was able to easily grab it.

Judging by the lack of convulsion in the arm muscles, Wilbur's hunch had been correct. Everything in the area was under strict control so that it was only accessible to certain people. Shadow happened to have access to the weaponry.

Wilbur tucked the dagger into his waistband to free up both hands and continued the work of pulling the body to the elevator shaft.

Unfortunately, the continued jostling, as well as the time that had passed, had an effect on the state of unconsciousness.

The vigilante began to stir.

Adrenaline allowed Wilbur to get the final distance covered and he shoved the boy into the elevator shaft. As Shadow's eyes slowly opened, they did not seem to be fully back. A film covered his gaze and the vigilante wasn't focusing on anything.

Before the kid could fully wake up, Will positioned himself behind the vigilante and pulled the dagger from his belt.

Fear flooded his thoughts as he remembered that Sam was still likely somewhere in the bunker.
When Will was stuck in the main room, the vigilante spent about a third of the day in his workshop. Wilbur had memorized his schedule and wouldn't have staged an escape if Sam was working at the current hours but with Shadow waking up, any noise might bring the creeper running to the rescue.

He put his free hand over Shadow's mouth stifling any potential yells that may come with the return to consciousness. That movement startled the boy who immediately reacted as the fog cleared from his vision.

The first thing Tommy felt as he woke up was confused. He knew that he had been struggling to sleep but he would have thought that he would have the decency to wait for a bed before he decided to get some rest.

Oh well, sleep is sleep.

There was a chill but Tommy could feel his eyelids droop again.

Sleep couldn't hurt... Right?

The second thing that he registered was something cold pressing itself over his mouth. That was not normal.

This wasn't normal.

He was vertical.

There was heat pressing into his back, body heat.

That was a hand on his face.

There was a person behind him.

Tommy immediately tried to push away from the figure, unsure of what was going on but definitely not comfortable. When that movement was met with resistance, he continued to struggle.

That struggle was effectively ceased by a quiet whisper paired with the feeling of metal on his neck. "Knock it off, I'm leaving and you are helping me. If you don't keep it down, there are going to be problems."

That was when the pieces began to fall together.

How much of an idiot could he be. He should have gone to Sam before doing anything, he was out of practice after stopping patrol, sleep-deprived, as well as alone. Tubbo and Sam were going to kill him for his stupidity.

If he makes it out of this alive.

Tommy's breathing increased slightly in a way that may have gone unnoticed to someone not trained in reading body language and responses.

Wilbur was torn between maintaining the threat that would get him out of here and quelling the panic. He needed an out and would do what he had to but that didn't stop the feeling of guilt that built up.

"Alright, let's get out of here. Bring us up."

There was a slight hesitance before Shadow gave a slight nod, conscious of the blade on his neck.

"I've got to reach the panel." It was an expected request but it didn't quell any of Wilbur's nerves about letting the vigilante near anything technological in the bunker.

"Try anything funny and you won't like the results. I've got nothing to lose if I am going to be trapped here, don't test me."

Shadow gulped slightly before the two of them took two slow steps forward to the right of the elevator car. He pressed a few buttons and Wilbur had to hold back a sigh of relief when no alarm bells sounded.

Instead, the doors closed and the car began to rise. When they reached the top, Will carefully pulled the vigilante to the rooftop.

Whatever Techno had been expecting to see while he staked out the building, this was not it.

Phil had been pushing him to take better care of himself but he was not the number one priority. Wilbur had to come first. It was engrained in Techno not to leave a man behind and it kept him up at night knowing that one of his closest friends was stuck behind enemy lines. The second the old man's back was turned, Technoblade was back on the rooftop across from the target hoping to learn something, anything useful.

After days of the same thing, Techno was losing hope. Shadow entered the building every once and a while but noticed every time the officer tried to follow him. It would not be easy to tail the vigilante while he was hyperaware.

Plus, stealth was more Wilbur's category. He was the one who could track a person invisible. He could find out things that even the target's closest friends didn't know. No secret was safe from someone as experienced as the phantom gifted who was super unoriginal with his hero name.

Even Techno's current actions weren't his specialty, Phil was better at prevalence. The man literally had a bird's eye view.
Techno wasn't just the muscle of the group, he had plenty of other positives and was very well rounded in the skills needed for the officer job but his specialty was combat. He could take on almost anyone.

That is why he was struggling. He was stuck in a situation that made him feel useless. There had been two instances in this whole ordeal where he could put his expert skills to use, he had gotten beaten and then forced to a draw with the threat over Phantom.

How could he possibly feel like he was helping unless he was here? Here on this roof, looking for anything that could help him save his partner.

Turns out, he wasn't necessary as Wilbur walked out of the elevator doors.
Techno immediately lept up and joined Will on the building roof.

"Hey Blade, the sensors definitely got set off the second we walked out of here unless this guy signing in disabled them. I, for one, am not willing to take that bet. You got cuffs?"

How was Will so calm?

Techno grabbed the handcuffs stored in a pocket and held them out, registering the vigilante currently being held at knifepoint.

Shadow was silent and his shoulders slumped as Will handcuffed his hands behind his back. When Wilbur removed the knife, Shadow's chin lowered to match the rest of his posture.

Just to ensure, Techno turned to Will, "We are taking him with us?"

"We came here for vigilantes didn't we?"

"Guess so... Raven is going to be relieved but prepare to be fussed over."

Will sighed and put an arm on Shadow's shoulder, steering the vigilante around.

"Let's go home."

Chapter Text

Tommy was screwed.

The handcuffs rubbed at his wrists as they moved through the rooftops. Phantom kept a hand on his shoulder, pulling him along with the two heroes. There was no way out, and Tommy definitely tried.

His eyes scanned the familiar scenery looking for a way to slip away. Freerunning the rooftops was a full-body workout. There was no safe way to do it without the use of his hands.

His hands slipped slowly into a pocket and removed the lockpick hidden within only to have it taken by the new hero.

Well, not exactly new. Tommy had seen him with the reporters but this was the first time interacting.

It would be easier to walk through the streets as opposed to above them but the heroes were likely aware that it would make escape a lot easier for the vigilante if he was on the ground level.

They slowly made their way to the officer station and Tommy was hoping that he would get an opening but for the entirety of the trip, both officers were watching him like hawks.

Phantom turned to his partner as they neared their destination, pulling Tommy to a stop along with him. The Blade was perceptive enough to stop on a dime without any verbal warning or notice.

"Before we get back, how have you been Blade?" The concern was evident in the inflection but the Blade looked uninterested.

"Really." The hero huffed. "You want to have this conversation right here, with the present company."

"Well, if I ask the question in front of Raven you are going to lie so I figured no better time than the present."

The way they interacted was peculiar. Officers tended to be close, the League paired the same groups up for multiple assignments so the heroes learn how to work together. The way that these two talked was a step beyond that connection.

There was a clear and honest concern and sense of care visible in Phantom's masked gaze, tone, and body language. The Blade was harder to decipher but he showed similar signs.

The piglin gifted scoffed and rolled his eyes. "I'm fine, I should definitely be asking you the same question but let's get this guy in a holding cell."

"Where is he going to go?" Phantom's eyes scanned over Tommy making the boy shiver slightly at the scrutinizing gaze. "We have no clue what he can do."

"Don't worry about it, he's normal." The sentence was presented in such a nonchalant way. The deep voice paired with the hero's even tone could have passed the statement through the web of thoughts unnoticed.

However, it was information that was caught by both listeners. The reactions were deeply contrasting.

Tommy flinched back, hunching in on himself. The ambiguity of his powers, or apparent lack thereof, was one of his last cards to play. He was hoping to gain an advantage, make a bluff, do something with their lack of information on him. This casual comment shattered that possibility.

Phantom's expression morphed into a predictable shock. There was a visible double-take as he reconsidered the vigilante in front of them.

"How do you know?"

"The creeper gave me a warning about messing with him, he figured I already knew."

Tommy felt blood rush to his cheeks and mumbled a quick "of course" before returning to his silence.

The piglin's ears twitched and a slight lighthearted smile started to form. "What?"

After a moment of consideration over whether to stay quiet, Tommy responded. "It figures he would even things out. I gave up his name so it only makes sense that the universe would make him slip something of mine."

Phantom was still watching the vigilante's every movement which was only increasing nerves and stress. He turned to his partner.

"Blade, we will compare notes later. If he isn't gifted then we can just use the normal spots and it won't be that big a deal." He grabbed Tommy's arm and pulled him forward again. There was an uncertainty in his pace that suggested he had not fully processed the new information.

Tommy was dragged into the roof access of the station, descending the stairs in front of the two heroes behind him. Phantom's grip never budged but the Blade dropped back a bit before leaving them to enter one of the top floors.

The two of them continued the spiral downward for a couple of more flights. Tommy struggled to keep his footing when he was suddenly jerked to a stop. Phantom reached around him, pushing the door open and ushering the vigilante through.

Tommy was expecting overwhelming grey. His prediction of the hallway ahead consisted of concrete floors, iron bars lining the walls allowing viewing into individual cells.

He was presently surprised to be met with mint green. The hall was lined with solid steel doors but there was more privacy than he would have imagined.

Phantom picked the nearest one on the left before opening the door and pushing Tommy through. As the vigilante turned around to ask about the handcuffs, the door clicked shut in his face and he heard the hero's footsteps retreat to the stairwell.

It was a good sign that the noises were audible through the door blocking his exit, it would pay off to be able to tell when someone was coming.

Stepping away from the door, Tommy took in the room he had been shoved into. It was far more comfortable than that mental image of the concrete cell. The walls bore the same light mint color but were made of a reinforced material that looked like someone had taken a mattress and leaned it against the wall.

The floor was made of the same spongy material that held his weight like a compact foam. It was not playable enough for him to sink in but there was a slight release of pressure with each step that felt like an extremely minimal bounce.

The back of the room had a bed in the right corner and a doorway on the left. Upon further inspection, the door led to a bathroom complete with a shower.

The most worrying thing about the situation was the blinking security camera sitting in the corner next to the steel door within the main room. Upon an extremely close inspection, there was no survalence in the bathroom so there was a spot of privacy with the door closed.

The entirety of the main room was being watched and there was not much to do. Tommy laid back on the bed and stared at the ceiling, debating his options as the ache in his back continued to grow more and more noticeable.

Wilbur walked into their living quarters. As he was anticipating, Phil and Techno were sitting expectantly on the couch. They both looked antsy, Techno was bouncing his leg absentmindedly as he looked at Will. Phil was continuously opening his mouth before reconsidering his thoughts and closing it again.

"Listen, guys. I'm tired," Will confessed. "I know you have been worried but I have had a long couple of days." Phil's mouth opened again but before he could interject, the phantom gifted continued. "I'll give you three questions and I want to save the rest for the morning. I'm going to sleep, who cares about the time."

The two sitting heroes met eyes, a silent conversation dictating the response to that statement.

Techno's eyebrows furrowed as he glanced over his partner's body language. Will's shoulders were hunched and when he sat down, he all but collapsed onto the couch. His elbow was propped on the couch arm holding his head up.

He seemed lost in thought as his eyes stared blankly into the shadows across the room waiting for a vocal response from his partners.

Techno's first thought was to ask in-depth details, about Will's escape, the name of the vigilante. There was so much that he wanted to know. After a bit of thought and a look shared with Phil, he knew the questions. One look at Will told them everything that they needed to know for now.

"Did you eat?" Techno asked.

Wilbur's eyebrows raised and he pulled his head off his palm to look at the piglin. After a second, he responded with a slow nod. "Three meals a day. Two more questions, use them wisely."

"What about water?"

"No less than normal."

"So nothing?" Techno watched a playful smirk flash across Wilbur's face as the phantom shrugged.

"Ok, you guys get one more."

The smiles only grew as Techno stroked his chin in mock thought.

"On a scale of 1-10, how much did you miss us?"

Will stood up with overexaggerated frustration. "You know what! -10... Good night you miserable bastards." He strode down the hallway and disappeared into his bedroom. It did not take long for the lights in the room to switch off and there was no further noise from the hall.

The winged hero turned to the remaining friend. "I have a feeling that you have a trip to make?"

Techno pushed himself off of the couch and nodded. "I want information and there are two sources in the building. One of them gets unbearably cranky when tired and one I couldn't care less about keeping up. Take a guess over which one I am going to choose."

Phil nodded and sunk deeper into his own seat. "I would join you mate but I am going to crash soon. You can have all the fun conversations and fill me in in the morning."

The Blade pulled the door open and made his way to the stairwell.

He had a visit to make.

Chapter Text

Tommy was sitting on the bed, mind racing as he tried to find distractions from the discomfort.

He latched onto random trains of thought and stretched them like rubber bands, extending their longevity to their full extent. Despite his efforts, he could only recite the alphabet so many times. Tommy was running out of options to keep his mind away from the pain shooting up his spine.

Lucky for him, there was a distraction on its way down.

Tommy pushed himself into a sitting position as the electronic lock made an audible click. The door was pushed open slowly allowing the hero who unlocked it to slide in. The Blade was careful not to leave an opening for escape and the door shut behind him, the lock sliding back in place.

The officer bore a gentle smile only betrayed by an unnatural stiffness in his posture. His body language screamed relaxed and friendly but Tommy knew better. He could pick up on small tells, the way the Blade's cheek muscles dropped slightly when the hero turned away to grab a chair, the way he slowly clenched and relaxed his fist at his side.

Pushing himself backward, Tommy put distance between the two of them under the guise of a casual lean on the wall. His legs were on the bed in front of him with one knee propped up and his arms lay crossed at his chest. He attempted to analyze the hero without the appearance of staring.

"Talk." The command was so direct that it took Tommy a second to process it. He blinked and furrowed his eyebrows, confused about the intentions of the person sitting across from him. The vigilante gave a quick shake of his head which clearly displeased the hero.

The Blade stiffened slightly and the corners of the fake smile dropped a bit. "It will be easier for both of us if you aren't stubborn about this. Look around for a second. You are caught and you aren't going to be leaving anytime soon. Vigilante practices are a big deal and there are a lot of legal charges coming your way. You are likely going to prison."

Tommy snorted a bit at that. He was underage, the Blade didn't know that he legally couldn't. Juvie was the only spot where he could end up. However, due to a lack of knowledge about the age of the vigilante in front of him, the hero took the response as a sign of disregard.

"This is serious Shadow." He snapped. "You are the first vigilante we have arrested within the new orders, Schlatt is going to want to make an example out of you. We can't have people going out and getting themselves hurt trying to do the Hero Leagues job."

Tommy rolled his eyes, unable to take the man seriously but the officer's rant continued on.

"Something tells me that prisoners don't take well to vigilantes."

That got a pause. Tommy's eyes refocused on the Blade, attempting to understand the point of this lecture.

"It may be a bit dangerous for you in prison but I can make sure you get set up in a better area."

There it was, the offer.

"If you help us catch the other vigilante's I can make sure that you get a reduced sentence in addition to safer accommodations. If not, well... no promises that you will end up serving your time in a pleasant atmosphere... I hope you like the hospital wing."

This threat was ineffective toward the 16-year-old vigilante. There was no way that he would be able to maintain his secret identity. They would eventually unmask him and he would be sent somewhere age-appropriate.

That being said, this was a future that could possibly face Sam.

Could possibly face Quackity.

So many of his friends could end up in a place that they would likely not walk out of and it would all be due to the hero currently sitting in a chair across from Tommy.

"How does that sound to you?"

Tommy again refused to verbally respond and simply shook his head.

The hero's irritation grew. Pushing himself out of the chair, the Blade strolled to the door poorly attempting to hide his frustration.

As the door lock's noise echoed through the room, Tommy realized that this was an opening. The Blade had let emotion get to him, he wasn't expecting an escape attempt. There was no way that the hero would be as cautious on the way out as when he had entered.

Tommy slid into a standing position and rushed to slip through the door.

The second he got close enough, the Blade whirled around, kicking the exit shut. Before Tommy could react, the hero had grabbed him by the shoulders and slammed him into the now-closed steel door behind him.

The vigilante bit back a whimper as his already aching back crashed into the hard surface. His head hit and his vision swam for a few seconds.

His arms instinctively scratched and grabbed at the force keeping him pinned but there was no reaction. If anything, the pressure increased.

Tommy attempted to kick out but was immediately stopped as the Blade moved close enough that he couldn't build up enough momentum to do damage.

The hero absorbed the weak attempts of fighting back and pushed an armbar onto Tommy's chest keeping the vigilante in place. His back screamed at him, the wings begging to be used to escape.

"You are quick but you are not quick enough. You are smart but you are not smart enough. You are strong but not... wait, not that one" The hero's smirk made him so punchable. Tommy could feel a larger desire to sock the guy in the nose, something that he wouldn't have thought could get any more appealing.

"You screwed with my partner." The voice dropped to a deep whisper that sent chills through the vigilante. It was filled with the most genuine emotion that he had heard from the hero. Now after experiencing the real thing, Tommy felt stupid for believing the frustration previously. Every instinct screamed DANGER .

"No one does that and gets away with it. I couldn't care less what happens to you but getting just you isn't enough. I'm offering you a deal to reach my own goals. You might want to take advantage of that... kindness."

The word kindness was spat out like the very thought disgusted the hero. A sneer grew on the Blade's face as the officer assessed the vigilante in front of him.

Without hesitation, Tommy shook his head again. He grabbed the Blade's wrist and arm near the hero's elbow pushing back as the pressure increased.

"Listen to me you little..."

Tommy cut him off before he could finish the thought. "Do what you want with me. I messed up, I deserve whatever happens but I will never turn my back on them." He paused to take a breath, muscles straining against the force pushing against his chest.

He hadn't meant to say anything, content to piss off the officer in silence but the arm pinning him to the door was getting uncomfortably tight. Now that Tommy had broken his silence, he may as well finish his thoughts.

"You would do anything for your family... I will do anything for mine."

Tubbo woke up to an incessant ringing, pulling his pillow around his head to block the noise was ineffective. The noise persisted. He hit the top of his alarm clock only for the action to change nothing.

Rolling out of bed, he rubbed his eyes and stumbled into the living room.

His computer was lit up with a notification, sending out a tone for every couple of seconds that the message was unanswered.

Dropping into the chair, Tubbo moved the mouse and clicked.

The ringing stopped and the ram breathed a sigh of relief. He braced his arm against the desk to stand up and return to his bed before his eyes glanced over the name of the sender. Or more accurately, the lack thereof.

The lack of contact name meant that the message was from someone whose name shouldn't be recorded, someone who helped Tommy with his nightly hobbies.

Sinking back into his chair, Tubbo's focus landed on the message itself, a video attachment.

Double-clicking on the file, the ram was met with a familiar setting. Sam's bunker was not exactly a foreign spot to the roommate. He had never been there in person but between video calls with Tommy inside and Shadow's description of the place, it was easy to recognize.

Two people were standing in the middle of the main room. Well, one was standing and one was limp. Tubbo's first thought was that Tommy had fallen asleep at the bunker. Sam was probably screwing with the vigilante and Tubbo was getting the resulting footage.

The anticipation for the prank to come died as he recognized the taller figure. He watched as his roommate was hauled up and used to obtain one of Sam's weapons. The footage switched to the elevator car and Tubbo clicked out, uninterested in watching the remaining footage.

He understood what had happened and finishing the video would only cause more distress. A message bubble appeared underneath before disappearing, replaced by text.

"I made a mistake."

Tubbo let himself hope. He hurried to Tommy's door, testing the handle but his heart dropped when it twisted. Tommy never left his door unlocked while he was in the room but nevertheless, the ram checked the interior for his roommate.

Rushing back to the computer, his hands flew across the keyboard in a practiced manner. Pulling up the security footage he watched the events outside of the bunker unfold.

He watched the Blade handcuff his best friend and he watched Phantom pull him away. Tracking their movements at this point was inefficient, there could only be one place they were going.

Just to confirm, Tubbo estimated the time it would take to get to the officer's patrol station and scrubbed through the footage. It was unsurprising to see Tommy dragged through the camera's field of vision but that did not make it any less painful.

Shadow really couldn't stay out of trouble, could he? The kid had always attracted trouble like a magnet and Tubbo was always left covering his ass. This would be no exception.

Pulling open the lower left drawer of his desk, Tubbo used a pen he had grabbed off the desktop to carefully lift the false bottom. Riffling through the assorted materials hidden below, Tubbo's fingers grasped the object that he was looking for.

Retracting his hand from the space, he studied the flash drive carefully. After ensuring that the computer would not upload the data, Tubbo carefully slipped the device into the USB port.

Sorting through the information within, the ram located the file he was looking for. Opening it, Tubbo's screen turned blue with the schematics that he had created all of those years ago.

Detailed blueprints of his passion project as a kid.

Detailed blueprints of the identical officer stations lying in each of the separate rings.

On the bottom right of the pdf stood the symbol that was unique to all of Tubbo's old work, white contrasting the blue background. Back before he didn't want his work to be identified. A symbol from a time where he didn't have to worry about the warrant out for his arrest, the hero's league on his tail.

The same symbol he had proudly etched into the first and only functional pair of power suppression cuffs.

A symbol of before everything went wrong.

Chapter Text

The pressure on Tommy's chest disappeared and he was released. The Blade took a couple steps back, a careful neutral expression on the officer's face.

"Move."

Tommy shuffled back to the bed, sitting down again as the officer opened the door. The Blade kept a careful eye on the prisoner as the piglin quickly exited the room.

The door clicked shut and Tommy pulled his knees to his chest, trying to quell his shaking. The adrenaline and the rush of fear caused the young boy to tremble despite his attempts to stop.

Not wanting to show any weakness, the vigilante rushed to the bathroom slamming the door in his wake. He quickly double checked that there was no surveillance within and leaned against the door.

In

Out

In

Out

Tommy held a hand to his chest, focusing on his breathing and forcing it to slow. Sitting up a bit, the boy let his wings out.

It was too cramped in the small room for him to get comfortable with the large appendages but his back cried in relief. It had been a while since he had kept them hidden for that long.

Leaning back, the cushion of feathers was uncomfortably thin. Avians were not designed to lay on their backs, the secondary scapula in the middle of the back as well as the typical muscle build up left an uneven surface that pushed the specialized wing joints into the spine.

Even with the lack of muscle build up, Tommy was not able to find a comfortable position. He could feel the door driving the avian bones into his back. There was no other option though, he couldn't risk someone pushing the door open.

So he lay, head against the door and feet braced against the sink, applying pressure on the already shut entrance.

His left wing was almost vertical, laying against the wall to his side while the right was spread on the floor.

That was how the boy finally drifted to sleep, feeling slightly more secure that he could keep his secrets.

It wasn't a long nap or a restful one but it was good enough.

Phil was going insane. He knew that Wilbur and Techno liked to poke fun at his age but back problems were supposed to come at a much later point in life.

He hadn't noticed it until Will was home, with the previous worry and stress likely covering the pain. Now, it was impossible to ignore.

He had fought through it as Techno and Will had their brief exchange and stifled the effects as Techno announced that he was going to visit Shadow. As soon as Techno was gone, he rushed to the kitchen for the pain killers stored there.

He pulled his wings in to avoid knocking things over in his wake but the discomfort multiplied and he released them again with a gasp.

Taking three Advil and shoving them down his throat, Phil quickly filled a glass of water and drank it. The action of taking pain killers typically gave the avian an immediate psychosomatic relief but in this instance it did not. He likely had an hour to look forward to before there would be any sort of change.

Sitting back on the couch, Phil tried to find something else to think about. He couldn't concentrate on a book, he tried the tv. Rolling around, he couldn't find a way to get comfortable.

Typically, he would hide his wings to sit down on the couch, it made things easier, but as it was that was not an option.

After a few more minute of tossing and turning and Phil had made up his mind. He knew this was related to his wings, so many weird things had been happening. From the pain to the white feathering there were some questions he needed answered and there was one surefire way to get them answered.

Fighting the feeling in his back, he stumbled up the stairs to the top floor of the station. It was starting to get dark as he flexed the secondary deltoids, raising the wings and preparing to take off.

He flinched at the spike of pain that occurred from the movement but ignored it as he experimentally beat them. Not feeling a greater struggle, he pushed off, feeling the wind rush through his hair and feathers.

Gaining height, he spiraled up before spreading the wings and settling into a glide. The further he got from the station and the longer he spent in the air, the less the pain occurred.

It could have been the exercise or even the painkillers kicking in but whatever the reason, Phil wasn't going to complain.

He turned to the wall separating the city from the rest of the world and ensured that he was high enough to be out of the line of sight of the patrols stationed on it. He flew toward the forests that lay beyond the city, toward a place where he had been unable to visit for over a year.

The tall trees had stood for hundreds of years and the avians had lived in them for almost that long. He flew past the wooden houses built hundreds of feet off the ground, the rope bridge walkways, and the feather curtains collected from molts. He passed the guards on duty who kept a watchful eye at the ground. Then he found his destination.

A smaller building near the back of the community, made to house two people but currently only home to one.

Landing on the platform in front of the entrance, Phil folded his wings. He walked in, brushing aside the curtain over the entrance. Inside was a single room. A bed lay underneath the window in the back. There was a rocking chair in one corner and a small table in the other. The rest of the space was occupied by a stove and cabinets. It was humble compared to the city but to the avian, it was perfect.

Sitting at the table with her back to Phil sat a woman. Her black wings blocked her body from sight but her wavy black hair ran down her back, blending with the matching color of the feathers. On her right finger sat a silver band. The metal was braded into an design as beautiful as the woman who wore it, a matching set to the one on Phil's own.

Phil walked up and tapped her shoulder. She whipped around, unintentionally hitting him with a wall of feathers.

"Phil!" She dove into his waiting arms.

They sat there simply enjoying each other's presence. It had been so long since they had been able to be in the same room.

She wasn't a citizen of Manburg, something that her husband had been trying to fix in the last year since he visited, since their marriage.

He had tried to pull weight with the Hero League, with Schlatt, but nothing seemed to speed up the long process.

Phil had been to busy with work to make the trip. It had been way to long since he was able to see his wife. They delivered letters through the guards at the border, annoying quite a few patrols in the process but nothing compared to holding each other again.

Releasing from the hug, Phil held his wife at arms length, admiring the woman he had been lucky enough to marry.

They caught up on lost time, sharing a meal despite Phil's insistence that he had already ate.

He hadn't

He allowed himself to relax and simply relished in her company.

"Phil," Her voice shook him out of his daze. "Phil, honey, you wouldn't have flown all the way out here without a reason. As much as I love you being here I need to know what's up. I was hoping it was good news but you have been avoiding it all night."

"I haven't been avoiding the topic, I just have more important things to focus on." He raised an eyebrow at her and smirked.

"Smooth." She responded sarcastically. "You already got the hand in marriage, I would have thought the bad pickup lines would have ended by now." They both broke down into laughter. When the giggles started to calm, she put her hand on his. "Seriously though, what brings you to Timberside."

Phil grabbed his right wing with the hand not under Kristen's bringing the feathers to her attention, the white secondaries splayed out on full display.

"I need some answers from someone who knows about avian gifted. You were my best bet."

Kristen showed no reaction to the color change and simply chuckled a bit. "Having trouble with the youngling?"

"The wings have been discolored for about a week and a half. There are other things as well, phantom pains and mood changes." Phil's mouth gaped a bit. He stopped his ramble and his eyes widened. "Youngling?"

Kristen who squeezed his hand and sighed. "You haven't found them then."

"What are you talking about? What youngling? What do you mean?"

"Phil those are guardian wings." She paused a bit, waiting for recognition to set in for him before accepting that it was not going to happen. She shook her head gently. "It's a chick's kind of a mythic distress call. I don't even know if the bond was intentional and based on the fact that you didn't know about it I would say it probably wasn't. The kid could know about it but I think they would have approached you by now if they did."

Phil was still reeling. Trying to take in the information. "How?... Why?" He stammered.

"When Avian gifted first appeared and even now, a lot of the winged are born without a flock. Same as you honey, their parents are part of the wingless community. That works out for some but for a lot of chicks, the parents cannot provide what they need. In time young avian developed a way to gain a winged parental figure. They are gifted with the ability to create a bond, something forged by physical contact that gives an older avian a reason to protect them. The colors are just a symbol of that bond."

Phil's mind raced, running back the night where he had first noticed the change. Kristin continued her explanation in the background.

"An empathy link is created between the two. With proximity, you will feel the youngling's emotions, feel their joy, feel their pain. The bond disappears when the chick reaches maturity. For avians that can last till around 18."

His mind was flipping through the people that night. The issue was that the only significant new individual was Shadow. He had security footage of Shadow, had chased the vigilante for hours while looking for ways to get to Will. He had never seen wings.

But the pain was only noticeable when Will, no, when Shadow got to the station...

There was no reason that an avian wouldn't use their wings to escape on those multiple long chases. It was impossible.

The weird feeling in his back when he had attempted to remove Shadow's mask

There was no way that he would not have heard stories of the flying vigilante from the outer ring.

There was an increase of the pain when he tried to tuck his wings away.

His subconscious had put the pieces together but he refused to accept it. He refused to admit that the vigilante in his basement had been hurting himself to hide. He would never say aloud that there was a gifted that was so scared to be seen that they lived in constant pain.

"Phil?" His wife was questioning his silence with a concerned squeeze of his hand. "Are things coming together?"

He felt a tear run down his cheek and didn't bother to wipe it away. Instead, he collapsed into Kristen and began to tell her everything.

Chapter Text

Talking to Shadow hadn't provided as many results as Technoblade had hoped. The vigilante was apparently frustratingly loyal to the others who shared his illegal activities, and that would be a roadblock to progress but having Shadow was a massive advancement in Schlatt's crusade against vigilantes.

It was annoying that there seemed to be no path to do this the easy way. A deal would have been the simplest way to finish the mission as soon as possible but Shadow had made it clear that it was likely not happening in the near future. That being said, there was always room to change his mind.

Until then, Techno had to make sure that Wilbur was alright. Those damn vigilantes held someone he counted as a brother for a week. He was irate. The criminals had taken someone he cared about.

That's a bit unfair. Will had invaded their base and that very fact threatened their lives as they knew it. They were just defending themselves.

Did they not know who they were messing with? SBI has enough notoriety to reach a couple of criminals in the outer ring, right? They were aware they were pissing off the Blood God.

Techno, stop that thought process. It was self defense and nothing personal. You are ignoring information so what happened fits the series of events you want. It wasn't all their fault... It was yours.

They had no right to kidnap an officer. It is blatantly illegal as well as immoral and the criminals were going to get what was coming to them.

Will you listen to me Tech! I know you can hear me. You are denying reality. You are the one who had put Will in that position in the first place.

He stood there, carefully holding back the thoughts racing through his head. Changing his train of thought as abruptly as pulling a switch on the track. They had to be guarded because the second he let something slip, there was no going back. When Will hadn’t returned, there has been a rush of emotion. Of pain. Of guilt. Of loss. In order to stay functioning, he had built a mental dam, absorbing the force of the tidal wave that had swept his brain.

Now that it was over, that water hadn’t gone away. The pent up wave hadn’t disappeared. Instead it had begun to wear away at his protection. He patched leaks as fast as he could but the second he let his guard down is the second that the dam would crumble. It would all rush him at once with no chance to prepare. So he held on, terrified of changing out of fear of disaster. He unconsciously forced that numb feeling because that was the patches. If he pretended the wave wasn’t there, maybe it would disappear. Instead it continued to grow, lapping over the top of his barricade. Spilling in large quantities until he built the dam higher. The longer he waited the worse it would get but he couldn’t bring himself to destroy the one sense of security he had. The one thing he could still hold on to.

That couldn't be the case, he couldn't accept that, so the blame was on the criminals. The ones who had held his brother prisoner for a week.

The ones who they had been hunting. The ones who had technically been defending themselves.

Shaking himself from his spiral of thoughts and blocking out the voice in his head, Techno focused on the living quarters. He noticed a note scrawled hastily in Phil's handwriting that lay out on the kitchen counter. It sat next to small white pills scattered across the surface and a bottle labeled as pain killers.

"Need answers, back in day or two"

It was vague and provided no information which was unlike the avian. The cabinets in the kitchen were all open and there were other pieces of evidence that would leave anyone worrying.

Techno wouldn't say that this was a common occurrence. It was actually the first time Phil had done something like this and the evidence of panic spurred a bit of concern but the piglin trusted the avian to get home safe.

Phil hadn't been sleeping well. With Will gone, he hadn't been taking care of himself. Would he be able to get to wherever he was going?

Phil could take care of himself and he would be fine.

Stop the denial. It's ok to feel worry. It's ok to feel guilty. It's ok to have emotions. Logically, he should be sad that Phil had left. He could be stressed about Wilbur. He should be worried about his friend but all he felt was numb.

There was nothing to worry about. Phil would be back in a day or two and Techno had work to do in that time.

There are painkillers on the counter, what do you think those were for! Phil must really like the taste I guess... WAKE UP! Stop with this emptiness and GODDAMN FEEL!

He sat down at the computer and pulled up the blank template for mission reports. He slipped headphones in his ears, throwing on a random playlist.

Relaxing into the familiar routine, he completed the paperwork incorporated with the arrest of Shadow. He and Phil would typically split the bureaucratic side of their jobs. Will refused to do paperwork and there was no way to force him so the two remaining members of SBI alternated missions.

This arrest was technically Phil's turn to fill out all the paperwork but he was on his emergency search for 'answers' and Techno needed the distraction. Halfway through the long assignment, he resigned to not sleeping that night.

Grabbing a cup of coffee from the kitchen he continued the work and waited for Will to wake up.

As the sun started to shine through the window, Techno submitted the completed document that was designed to be finished over days. They took about 8 hours to fill out and were due a week after the arrest. The majority of heroes spread it out throughout the time given. Techno had taken the one night.

Soon after finishing, he turned on the tv. Throwing on whatever he could, he drowned out the voices in his head with the storyline.

He wasn't conscious that he was avoiding his thoughts, he just had an urge to avoid silence. He couldn't stay still for long.

With his focus on the tv, he almost didn't notice the message flashing on the computer. The applications disappeared as a large white screen overtook it. On the blank monitor, a blinking curser appeared in the top left corner.

It sat there flickering until the hero noticed its appearance. Techno locked his eyes on the computer, standing up to get a better look.

The cursor disappeared for a second before letters started to show.

I know you have Shadow...

The blinking mark moved down a line.

I need him back, what is that going to take?

Techno stared at the words as they started to fade, disappearing letter by letter in the order that they had appeared. The screen was empty by the time that the officer realized that he was supposed to answer.

Reaching out to the computer, he placed his hands on the keyboard.

Is this the creeper?

Someone else... You can call me En.

Techno waited, unsure of what to say to the person who had identified himself as En. He watched and waited as another line of text started to appear.

What can I get you to give Shadow back? Anything at all, my resources are infinite.

The hero snorted and quickly replied.

I'm not one for bribes.

Everyone has a price Blade.

How He paused and looked around. How did you know who this was?

It wasn't long before the answer was typed out. A link was pasted into the chat and the hero clicked on it. A small panel appeared in the bottom of the screen and Techno was looking at himself, well his back.

Turning around, he noticed a small camera in the top corner of the room. Letters continued underneath the link.

The holding cells aren't the only things in the station under surveillance.

Closing out the camera feed, Techno returned his fingers to the keyboard.

Doesn't explain how you have access to the feed.

Why wouldn't I? A brief pause. I helped design the security.

The hero sat back, considering this information and the text continued.

Now, I'll ask again... What is your price.

If you have all of this information... Why not come get him yourself?

Another pause. I'm not one for public appearances. New line.

Plus I checked the feed for the whole station and Shadow isn't on them. Either he's in a spot where I can't see him or he's being held somewhere else. New line.

I'm not risking getting brought in if Shadow may not even be in the building anymore. With the amount of secret exits built into the place, it would have been easy to smuggle him out without entering camera view.

Techno's eyebrow raised. He didn't know about any secret exits.

Thank you so much Blade. With that reaction, I can now be certain Shadow is in the building with you.

"How!" The hero was getting frustrated with the smartass on the other end of the line. The cursor continued to blink before continuing across the screen.

The computer has a camera too... ;) Useful for facial expressions. Audio connection is super clear as well. You have been wasting your time typing.

"You son of a..."

I'm going to ask it a third time. What will it take to get Shadow back?

"There is nothing you can do. It's my job on the line as well as my family's. Our success is dependent on clearing up the vigilante problem and Shadow is a part of that."

It's not your job. There is no shot you lose it! You guys are all within the top five heroes, the League couldn't do anything to you if they tried.

Techno was growing tired with the conversation. He didn't have the energy to deal with this, he hadn't slept and caffeine could only do so much. Pushing himself up, he went to the kitchen and got himself another cup of coffee.

He returned to a list of profanities and tried to hide his smile while sipping on the drink.

"What are you going to do En? I hold all the cards here. What you are typing at the moment sounds an awful lot like begging. Plus I'm not looking to be known for losing the vigilante that I am in custody of."

No one would ever know

"Yes they would, I submitted the report at least an hour ago."

The cursor disappeared. Techno sat there waiting for a response and about five minutes later the letters appeared again.

Fuck... It was opened. Schlatt knows.

"I assumed you knew that."

HWO WOUDL I... The text froze for a second before dropping down another line.

I need to get in contact with the president. What is the best way to do that?

"Why on earth would he ever want to negotiate with you?"

Just tell him the Engineer is willing to make a deal... He will know what it means.

The tab closed out and the computer was back to normal with one last line of text flickering the desktop applications, slowly fading out letter by letter.

I hoped it wouldn't come to this...

Chapter Text

Techno found Schlatt's contact and clicked the option for a video call. The computer trilled as he waited for the president to pick up.

On the last possible ring, Schlatt answered. The bags under the ram's eyes were as dark as ever and his office had very little light. A coffee mug sat on the wooden surface of his desk and he was in his usual position, legs up and lounging back.

"If this is about the vigilante, don't bother. The report was flagged as important and I read it this morning. You don't need to call me about every little step of progress you make, that is what the report system is for." The tone was intended to be annoyed or threatening but the small shake in the president's voice betrayed exhaustion and lack of enough interest to get genuinely irritated.

"Mr. President, it is about Shadow's arrest but new information has presented itself." Techno kept his voice even, attempting to avoid portraying the curiosity that was flowing through.

The ram waved a hand in dismissal. "Then fill out a new report. What on earth happened that made you think that it needed to be brought directly to me."

"Well, someone asked for a direct contact to you, I needed to get your opinion on it because the person seemed pretty confident you would be interested in the offer they have."

"Tell them to go screw themselves, I don't negotiate with anyone involved with vigilantes. Why on earth would they think I would?" Tension grew as the president's temper grew shorter.

"They said to tell you the Engineer wanted to make a deal." The president's head snapped around and the tension severed with it.

The rams feet were suddenly on the floor and his hands slammed on the desk, vaulting him into a standing position. His eyes shone with an excitement that Techno had never seen from him.

"He's back?" The light had flickered into a dangerous glint.

"He? You know its a him? You do know this guy." Techno couldn't help the questions. It wasn't every day that he was hacked by a mysterious person going by a name like "The Engineer". With a pseudonym as vague as that, this man needed to have some significance to be recognizable to the most powerful man in Manburg.

"I do... Set up the meeting."

"I don't really know how to do that sir. En just said that he wanted..." The call shut off. Techno stared at the blank screen, not sure about what to do.

Schlatt sat back down as the video connection cut off. There wasn't much left to say anyway. He trusted the Blade to figure things out.

He was looking forward to another day of nothing when his screen turned white. A familiar cursor appeared in the top corner.

The ram felt a smile lift his face as a rush of indecipherable emotions flooded through him.

"Hey Tubs... long time no see."

Fuck off old man. This isn't a social call. You have someone important to me and I want him back.

"How did you even get back into this network, I changed the system that everything runs on in the White House."

If you must know, I followed the Blade's call. I could have gotten in without but this was the easiest way.

"Can you turn a camera on? Or a mic? I want to see my kid."

If you wanted to see your kid, you wouldn't have labeled him a terrorist.

"No one knows it's you! No one knows that I was trying to find you. I didn't even tell them any names. You can't blame me for that, I just wanted you back."

That's not what you said the day I left

The president winced at the memory or more accurately the lack thereof. It was a fuzzy recollection of why his son had originally run but what he could recall was not good.

"I'm so sorry Tubbo, if you would just come back we could fix all of this. We could be a family again."

I won't make the cuffs for you. Schlatt froze, fighting and failing to keep disappointment from becoming visible.

That's what I thought. You never wanted me for me, you wanted me for what I could do.

"Tubs that's not fair. I loved you more than anything and I would do anything to see you succeed in life. Everything I have done was out of a desire to push you to be your best."

Bullshit. I don't have time to do this right now. There was a hesitation before the text started on a new line.

I need Shadow free. What will it take for that to happen?

"You know my answer Tubbo. Please don't make me say it."

You want me, I know. Trade Shadow for myself. Where do you want to do this.

"Just like that, no tricks, no anything. You hand yourself over, you live with me, you give me the info I want."

No tricks. I won't give up the donor but I can ask him for more material. No mass production but I can get you a solid number if you give me time. A small amount is better then nothing right? All I ask is that certain vigilantes aren't hunted any more. Tell the media they are an undercover unit of the league or something. Figure it out. I'll give you a list of the ones that are trustworthy and you let them get off scot free. Shadow walks with no one knowing their identity and everyone lives happily ever after.

"That's a lot of demands for a limited amount of power suppression cuffs."

I thought you wanted to see your son.

"Fair enough, I guess I agree to the conditions. Where do you want to make the switch?"

Top of hero league headquarters. Its the tallest building so there is no chance we are seen from any surrounding nosy citizens.

"How on earth are you planning to get up there. Should I have security buzz you in?" Schlatt couldn't help chuckling at his own joke.

That's my problem not yours. Don't worry about it. I'll be there at 7pm tomorrow.

"See you there son."

See you there President Schlatt.

Tubbo closed out the window he was communicating with. Leaning back on his chair, he took a second to compose himself.

Talking to his father, watching the emotion, the familiar mannerisms, it was all to much for the teenager on a short notice. He had hoped to intercept the news of Shadows arrest either by convincing SBI or blocking the report from going through. He hadn't anticipated the completion of the paperwork so fast.

He had busied himself with the preparations of other plans when he should have been monitoring the station. The position he was in was his own fault and this trade was only karma. He had the chance to get Tommy out and he had failed. Returning to his father was a fair penance.

He was older, he could defend himself better. If things ever got as far as they had that night, he would be prepared. Plus, his friends could stop running. They could stop fearing for their lives at every single turn. Tommy, Sam, Quackity, Ranboo, all of his loved ones who were looking to make a change, he could help them better their lives.

Hopefully Tommy would find a new roommate, one that wouldn't keep secrets from him. His best friend didn't deserve that. This was his way to give his brother the life he deserved.

He pulled up a messaging board, opening a secure line. Clicking on the text input, his fingers found the keyboard. He typed in four simple letters.

H E L P

He didn't have to wait long before he felt a presence over his shoulder preceded by a familiar Whump

"Good to see you Enderwalk." The ram said, spinning around in his chair.

"Long time no see En, decided to call in that favor?"

Tubbo chuckled. "Bull, you know you love working with me."

The new person was tall but in a human sort of way. He was around 6'6" or possibly even taller with long thick brown hair that covered his eyes, leaving him constantly brushing it to the side. When he moved it away, it revealed dark purple eyes, the color getting lighter as it approached the circular pupil within. The iris was duller now but Tubbo knew that the eyes would glow if exposed to the dark.

Despite the eye color, his face was remarkably human with the exception of black and white scale-like growths that the ram knew were traveling up his neck. These features were hidden under his suit which was skintight up to his chin in a turtleneck style. He wore a mask which was split-color matching the features he was hiding and his suit was a solid black with white accents around the collar and waist where his belt laid.

"The apartment is safe by the way. No one is coming but me." Tubbo pushed himself up from the chair after safely closing out his computer.

Enderwalk pulled his mask off revealing the smile behind it. "Thank God. That thing can get stuffy sometimes."

"That's why you should do the work behind the scenes like me. I never have to worry about that kind of stuff. Hell, half the time I show up in my pjs."

"Very funny Tubbo, too bad my gift is a bit more helpful in the field."

"Speaking of the gift, how many long distance teleports with a passenger can you pull off in a short time frame."

The ender gifted paused and considered. "Not very many. Probably two. Three and I pass out for a couple of days. I made that mistake once and I don't want to make it again. Why? What's up?"

"Two is all I need. I need you to get me in and get someone else out. Could you do that for me?"

"I mean... I know I owe you a favor and everything but I would rather not leave a friend without knowing where I am dropping them off."

"Top of the Hero League building." Tubbo has the sense to look sheepish when his friend whirled around on him. "Trust me Ranboo. I've got a plan and I just need you to do your part."

"I don't like it but I'll do it. Only because I believe you are smart enough to somehow get out of the most dangerous situation I have heard of." He had begun pacing unconsciously as worry grew. "This isn't about what you were running from is it?"

"That my business Ran. All I'm asking is that you do this one thing for me and I can't have you asking questions. It will just get people hurt."

The ender huffed, clearly displeased but nodded and sank down on the living room couch. "You cool if I crash here until the time? Btw what time is this whole thing going down?"

"Tomorrow night is the night. You won't have to wait long but of course you can stay until then. Want any food?"

Ranboo shrugged. "Not super hungry. I could use something to drink."

The ram took a couple steps toward the kitchen before turning back to his friend who had now laid out across the furniture. "Anything specific?"

"Anything but water..."

Chapter Text

"I've made a deal Blade. Shadow is going to walk free." The hero in question leaned backwards, sinking deeper into the chair he was sitting on.

When the call had ended, he had suspected the mysterious hacker was somehow involved. With nothing else to do until Wilbur woke up, he decided to wait until whatever was happening finished. Based on Schlatt's reaction to the name, this guy had a lot of influence with the president. Therefore, it was not much of a surprise to hear that Shadow was not going to be in custody for much longer.

That did not quell the curiosity that grew. What had this unknown figure offered for the release of the only vigilante that the Hero League had been able to arrest? He figured it couldn't hurt to press his luck and question the terms of this deal.

"How does that happen?"

The ram shrugged quickly. "That's my business. You just need to do what you are told..." He paused for a bit before continuing. "As you may have assumed, this deal is off the books. The people who read reports have already been reported about the change. Shadow was a hero league member in an undercover position. He is doing hero work for us with new methods."

"Huh? Damn, this guy has some serious things to offer doesn't he."

The president nodded, "I need the trade to go off perfectly. SBI will bring Shadow to the top of the Hero League Building by 7 tomorrow. It gives us time to make sure that there is no foul play as well as time to make a few plans of our own."

"I can do that. Raven is after a vigilante and is deep in the middle of a job at the moment. I do not know if he will be able to come but Phantom and I will be there."

"Good enough. Get him here early and see as little people as possible. I do not want people to know this deal is going down. You know the excuse if you happen to bump into someone but try to avoid it."

"See you then Mr. President."

The morning passed by. Coffee cup in hand, Technoblade waited anxiously. He stared down the hallway to the bedrooms, longing to see his partner enter it. He couldn't decide if it was a good sign that the phantom was sleeping in so late.

When someone was held captive, they tended to deprive themselves of sleep. It was a natural defense mechanism. Sleep is a point of vulnerability so in an uncomfortable situation the mind avoids it. Sleeping in could either mean that Will had been so stressed he was avoiding sleep only to crash now or it could mean that his sleep schedule had been unaffected by the whole ordeal because the man typically slept in late.

All of the speculating caused nothing but anxiety and thoughts of the worst case scenario. It was the first time since Will's return that he hadn't had been jumping from one activity to the next. That had been intentional, he was grabbing every activity he could, but there were only so many things to do.

He had zoned into his thoughts by the time that one of the bedroom doors creaked open. The sharp noise caused a shock back into reality. It took everything he had to not run up the Wilbur and just pull him into a hug. He wasn't typically a very physical person when it came to affection but right now he needed assurance that the man he cared about was actually home, that he was ok.

Will stumbled out into the hallway. His hair was disheveled and there was no rush for the hero to fix it. There were bags under his eyes but they were lighter than his normal state, causing Techno to have to hold back a sigh of relief. The only worrying thing was the fact that he had opened his bedroom door. Typically Wilbur would simply phase through, not bothering with functioning the knob.

The officer looked like he typically did when he woke up. It signified good things for the state of the phantom. Techno stood from the armchair to offer a cup of coffee. He was met with a smile and the two of them sat at the kitchen table.

There was a moment of silence, the boar was unsure if he was ok to begin the conversation. His assessment of Wilbur showed promising conclusions but he didn't want to rush anything in case he was wrong.

The hero in question was casually sipping the drink, he portrayed a slightly amused expression.

"You know you can talk to me right?" The smile only widened as Techno scrambled for a proper response.

"I...I don't know! How was I supposed to know..."

"Relax Techie... I'm messing with you. You can ask questions if you want. I'm fine, they were oddly nice."

"Do you just want to give me report? I don't know if I can offer the right questions."

"Not much to talk about, Sam is the name of the creeper, he never had a media presence so he doesn't have any other names that he goes by. He and Shadow were the only ones I saw and they were both quite apologetic... The only thing I haven't been able to process is this piece of trash." He lifted his arm, shaking down the sleeve of the sweater.

The boar gifted tried not to stare at the high-tech metal cuff attached to the revealed wrist.

"What is it?" He managed to ask, fighting back the feeling that he was approaching a sensitive topic.

"Power suppression cuff." The reaction was instinctual and instantaneous. Techno grabbed out at the cuff, pinning it to the table and quickly inspecting it for a release. Wilbur pulled his arm out of the hero's grip.

"How are you so calm! That thing is highly dangerous!"

Phantom sighed and kept his wrist away from his partner. "It's not dangerous, its just annoying. Sam wore it before me. Apparently they were designed for him but the engineer who designed them disappeared. No one can replicate them but they are not going to hurt me. The only people who can get them off is Sam or the Engineer themselves. I was going to use Shadow as leverage to get the suppressor removed. Speaking of which, don't file the report. We can go after a different vigilante, I don't want Shadow arrested for long."

Don't you think it's odd that two engineer's have come up in such a short timespan? Techno, you are going to wish in a bit that you were not so concentrated on blocking us voices. We put together a lot of pieces that you are too distracted to acknowledge.

"About that... I may have filed everything last night." He couldn't meet Will's eyes as the other hero responded.

"What! Why on earth would you file it day one!"

"I didn't have anything else to do and I needed a distraction. Don't worry about it though. Shadow's release has already been negotiated, we are bringing him to the trade tomorrow night."

"Wait, wait, wait... Back up a second. You are telling me you filed a report on the vigilante arrested in the station and somehow his release was negotiated in less than a day."

"Some hacker named En broke through the stations defenses and asked for Schlatt specifically. When their call was finished, there were plans to let Shadow walk."

"We have no idea what the trade is or why Schlatt was so willing to take it?"

Techno shook his head and shrugged. "No clue."

"How the f*** am I getting this cuff off then? If I can't leverage Shadow then I have nothing that I could attempt to reason with, they will have nothing to gain from removing it." His shoulders slumped and his eyes dimmed as a feeling of hopelessness settled on the phantom.

The Blade shifted over, placing a hand on Phantom's shoulder. The other looked up, surprised at the contact but leaned into the touch. "I don't know what we are going to do but we will figure it out Will."

He pulled the Phantom into him as Wilbur attempted to contradict that statement.

"Don't worry Will, we will figure this all out. Just like we always do."

Chapter Text

The two members of SBI left in the city had a bit of time to kill. Their job was pretty simple, deliver someone they had arrested to the Hero League building. It was a task they had completed successfully countless times in their careers. Not from the Outer Ring exactly... but what difference could it make?

"Why were you so adamant about Shadow going free?" Techno turned to Wilbur who was sitting on the couch at his side. They had been watching a random true-crime television show that had been on after they had concluded trading stories from their time apart. Disinterested, Will had grabbed the remote and flicked the tv off.

"I know you wanted to do some sort of trade to remove the cuff but you seem to actually care about the vigilante's imprisonment. With the information that you provided, I can understand that they may not be horrible people but they are still breaking the law. I cannot see any event that could have garnered your sympathy in the way that he has."

Will, who had been tapping his fingers on the arm of the furniture absentmindedly, stilled and appeared to sink into deep thought despite the quick answer that followed.

"Well, you know how I got out?" He received a casual nod from the pig. "I may have left a small detail out. I took his mask off because I was attempting to do my job... and...." Will took a deep breath as if needing to force himself to admit it. "He's a kid."

The sentence was met with direct contrast in emotion. "How on earth could you know that?"

"I don't know." Will sputtered, flustered. "He just looked so young."

"You mean you softened up on a criminal because he has a babyface! Thats what all this concern is from?"

"Tech. Stop, I get the joking, but I think this guy is actually young. There is a difference between having a baby face and being younger. He hasn't really filled out to his height, almost like it's new... I don't know. He reminded me of myself."

Technoblade's face softened and he put his hand on the other hero's. "Wilbur... You can't let every guy who looks young get through your defenses. We have had this talk before... It's unhealthy and unsafe. I know I keep saying this but it's important to remember that we have a job to do. They might not be as bad as we originally thought but these people still broke the law and they are going to face consequences. You can't compromise yourself because they are a bit lanky and are from the outer ring."

Phantom refused to meet his eyes and slowly slid his hand backwards out of Techno's grip.

"This isn't like that Techno. It burned me once. I'm not going to let that happen again. This isn't some reality that my brain has conjured, he looks like he's 16. I don't want to give him special treatment. I just want to make sure that he receives age appropriate treatment. He's a well meaning kid who got mixed up into something he shouldn't have... He doesn't deserve a jail cell."

"Promise me this isn't like Him. Promise me that you aren't going to get too attached to the kid too quickly. You don't even know his name. That's a very easy fall of a steep cliff. I watched you get hurt once. I refuse to do it again if I can prevent it."

"I just hope that I learned my lesson but I doubt it more and more. I keep trying to remind myself that I am not Phil and not every kid is me. It isn't as easy as we made it out to be. I don't know how to process my luck without attempting to pay it forward. I just wish it could be simple."

He leaned into his brother, not expecting anything in return but out of desperation for physical contact in a moment of weakness. Will's shoulder hit Techno's and he dropped his head to meet it instead. Leaning into the other hero, Wilbur was surprised when Technoblade wrapped an arm around his back.

"You don't have to worry about it... Shadow will be out by tomorrow. En negotiated his release, he doesn't need your help. He has a group that is supporting him and friends powerful enough to get Schlatt's attention. If you are that desperate to help someone then we can find other people, better candidates, better methods."

Wilbur gave a short nod. "Do you know where Phil is?" he murmured. "It would be nice to have the full family together."

Techno snorted a bit at 'family' but shrugged, pushing Will's head up along with the shoulder it was laid on. The Phantoms head sunk back as soon as the shoulder was in one place. "He left a note saying he wants answers. I assume its the wing thing because we haven't had anything on our plate but getting you back. Now that you are at the station, it opened a door for him to visit Timberside."

"You think he went to meet with Kristin?"

Another shrug. "I don't know where else it could be. He left in a rush, I just hope that he gets back soon. I can only cover with Schlatt for so long and the president could pull us out of the outer ring at a moments notice."

"Like you said... We will figure it out. Want to go let Shadow know whats going on?"

Techno winced causing Wilbur to look up at him with concern. "He may not be super happy to see me, you may want to go alone."

"Technoblade..." The phantom slowly questioned. "What did you do?"

"Don't worry about it... I may have just pinned him to the door and threatened him. Nothing big."

Will pushed himself up and to his feet. "Yeah... It may be best that I go alone. You are such an asshole man."

"You know I'm inpatient. Have fun with the helpless little baby child."

"Jerk..." He muttered as he pulled open the living quarters door. He walked down the stairs, zoning out as his mind ran through the ways that this encounter could go. Shadow probably wouldn't be too happy to see a hero especially after whatever Techno had said or done. He would have to take this slow.

Opening the cell door, the first thing that struck him was the empty room. If the security wasn't so well made, he might have. worried. As it was, he concluded that the Shadow was simply in the bathroom.

The second thing he notices was the neatly made bed, only crinkled by signs that someone had sat on top of the blankets. It was possible that the vigilante had just made it after he had woken up but the blankets were tucked-in in a way that Will had only ever seen Phil do. It didn't look slept on...

He walked to the bathroom door and knocked softly. "Shadow?"

No response.

He knocked again, a bit harder and was met with the sound of shuffling from the other side of the door. When he hit the door again, the response was much louder.

"Shadow, are you ok?"

"T-Tubbo?" The tired voice cracked a bit.

"Nope, try again kid." Another groan then suddenly a frantic scramble occurred. Something hit the door, hard, and the vigilante muttered a curse.

"You good?"

"Yep, yep, I'm fine. Totally good."

Wilbur jiggled the lock on the door. "What are you doing in there?"

"I'm not doing anything. Just stay out."

"Shadow I'm going to come in there if you don't let me know what is going on."

"No no no no no. I'm good... I'll be right out."

Will waited a few seconds before trying the lock again.

"Almost done, just taking a massive shit."

A bit later, the vigilante slid out of the bathroom, leaving as small a crack as possible as he exited.

"Are you trying to tunnel out with a spoon?" the hero jested. "What's going on?"

"None of your business." The scowl displayed on the vigilante's face confirmed Wilburs thoughts about the boy's opinion on heroes. "What do you want?" The bravery was commendable but Wilbur had been listening to the boy's bravado with Sam for a week, he could recognize the small shake that wove it's way into the vigilante's inflection.

"I wanted to let you know that you are getting out, tomorrow night."

"How the f... How did Sam pull that one off?"

"It wasn't Sam. You must have friends in high places because someone managed to pull an audience with Schlatt. Their name was En or something."

Shadow's eyebrow furrowed. "I don't know an En but what is the deal. You want the cuff off or something."

"I definitely would appreciate this off but this one is over my head. Like I said, they went to Schlatt who isn't necessarily known to share details."

"So you are dragging me into a space with a group of people I don't know so that a person I have never heard of can trade me for something that neither of us know what it is." Shadow collapsed on the bed, throwing his head back on the pillow. "That sounds like a plan that I want to go through with."

"One, I don't have a choice. Two, you don't have a choice."

"What are you going to do? Drag a powerless man to a secondary location while he does everything he can to prevent that."

"If I have too"

"Bitch." The vigilante shut down, crossing his arms and rolling with his back to Wilbur.

Seeing him lying on the bed, Will was reminded of what he had noticed. "Did you not sleep in the bed?"

"So what if I didn't. Why would you care? Isn't your job just getting me to that freaking meeting spot?" The sound was muffled by the volume and the direction that the speaker was facing but the hero caught every word.

"I just don't want Raven to have made the bed for no reason. Can I ask why?"

"Of course you can ask but you won't get an answer. Can you leave?"

Wilbur looked over at the closed door and took a step in its direction. "Will you just promise me you will use the bed tonight?"

"Go fuck yourself"

The hero pulled open the door, casting one last glance in the vigilante's direction, and left.

Chapter Text

The door clicked as the lock secured itself, leaving a young vigilante peeking over his shoulder after the hero who had left. His thoughts were flooded with a single word.

En

He was sure he had never heard that name before.

Who on earth could it be?

Quackity had the pull to get a meeting with Schlatt but only with his civilian identity. If he was the culprit behind the whole ordeal then they he wouldn't be able to pull any weight with a codename that no one had ever heard of.

Sam would never be able to call a meeting with the president himself. The name En would have to be well known to the president himself meaning that it had to be someone new.

Why would someone who doesn't know him be willing to trade an unknown valuable for the freedom of a stranger?

Best case scenario, it was some well connected do-gooder or fellow vigilante. They had come across a bargaining piece that interested the government and decided to use it to free the only less than legal crimefighter who had been stupid enough to get himself caught.

Worst case scenario, the trade that was occurring was not to obtain the vigilantes freedom. There were a lot of uses for a skilled fighter for someone who wanted to challenge the Hero League. With the power that the organization held, cannon fodder was a necessity for any villian attempting to make a move and there were a lot of ways to force allegiance.

Running through possibilities wouldn't do him any good with the amount of variables that remained uncontrolled but he couldn't help but scan through them all.

He had nothing but time, a situation that was unhealthy for any human thrust into it so the most dangerous alterations of the future played before his view. The thoughts jumped from disaster to disaster, hitching his breathing and drowning any rationality.

Tommy stumbled over to the bathroom, pushing open the door, and spinning the faucet. Splashing cold water on his face, the temperature change shocked him back to his senses. It was a change that was welcome as the thoughts retreated from roars to whispers.

Returning to his position with his back to door, he released his wings and sighed. He couldn't decide whether time stood still or flew but eventually exhaustion overtook him...

When his eyes opened, it was thankfully not due to a banging on the door. Glancing around, he gathered the feathers that had fallen from the unkept wings. Tommy stuffed them in the trash, next to the ones he had frantically stashed when Phantom had woken him the day previous. Carefully laying genuine trash on top of his waste, the vigilante cracked his back and pulled himself up on the door handle.

Pushing the door open, he walked over to the bed deciding he could at least act like he had slept in the area that Phantom had requested. He couldn't let himself fall asleep out of the lack of control it gave him but laying in the bed should be enough to sell the illusion. When the hero entered the room, Phantom gave him a suspicious glare.

"Why didn't you use the bed?" It was not a demand but more of a gentle question. He sounded more hurt than angry.

"No idea what you are talking about..."

"There are cameras." The hero cut him off, folding their arms into a more defensive stance.

"You are watching me! A bit cringe if you ask me..."

"Yep, try and brush it off, change the subject. I asked you to promise and I wanted to see if you would break it. What is going on?"

"I just don't like the cameras..." Tommy mumbled, hoping the half-truth would be enough to satiate their curiosity.

"So you decide to sleep on the bathroom floor."

"My body, my choice. Let's go where we are going to go."

"That is much later tonight. I am just delivering the meal and asking a question. Slow down. We have time."

"I'm fucking bored! I don't want time. I want to leave." His finger tapped against his leg, portraying the nervous energy spawning in the kid.

"What do you want to do?"

"I want to get out of here! I've been stuck in this room for days!"

"Sounds familiar..."

An awkward silence fell over the room. The tapping had stilled and it seemed as though any movement or word would break the tension that had appeared.

"Sorry."

"It wasn't meant to be an attack. I get what you guys were trying to protect but it sucked. Just be careful what you complain about. It could very likely make you a hypocrite."

There was no way to continue the conversation. Phantom's breath changed as though he was about to make an attempt but he never followed through. Eventually he turned to leave.

Later in the day, the Blade returned with a lego set. There was no conversation that was had, just the piglin thrusting the box into the younger's hands but the intention was clear.

When the time came to leave, the two heroes returned to the cell to find a completed and functioning lego drawbridge. Tommy smiled as the pride in his accomplishment flowed through him. It had taken him a lot of time and focus but he had done something right.

They took out a pair of cuffs and the smile fell. The Blade tossed them in his lap and Tommy stared at them for a second, reality sinking in. Gone were the feelings of relaxed contentment, all that was left was fear and nerves.

He was not lost in his own mind, connecting little toy bricks and enjoying some down time. Instead he was a vigilante in legal trouble heading into a situation where he was completely in the dark. Tommy reluctantly clasped the cuffs around his wrists and stood up holding out his arms as the judgmental hero inspected them to make sure they were secure. Phantom seemed to be hesitant but he stood back as his colleague went through the motions.

Grabbing his arm, they led him out to a car waiting in the front of the building. The Blade slid into the drivers seat as Phantom sat beside him, keeping a secure grip on his shoulder until they had settled into the vehicle. The hero nodded to his partner in the front seat and they were off.

The car had tinted windows but not to the point that the occupants could not see out. As they traveled closer and closer to the heart of the city, Tommy couldn't help but gawk. He had never left the outer ring throughout his years of life. He tried to remain aloof and expressionless but he found himself staring at the clean streets, building lights, and marvelous displays of powers that would never be kept in the Outer Ring.

Passer byes held extraordinary physical mutations, one lifting a large crate above his head while another glided around as if on skates.

His eyes finally landed on the tallest building, the centerpiece of the city.

The Hero League

Even as a kid who had devoted a significant amount of time picking up the group's slack, he had to admit that it looked both intimidating and wildly impressive.

The glass walled skyscraper was both beautiful and powerful, stretching higher than a child raised in the outer ring could ever dream. That impressive building appeared to be their destination.

Pulling into the parking lot at its base, Phantom turned, unlocking the cuffs. Tommy looked up in surprise as they fell away from his wrists.

"No one can know who you are." The hero began to explain. "This deal is off the books. Schlatt doesn't want everyone to know he's bartering with vigilantes."

"En's a vigilante?"

"No idea, but he is associating with you so that is close enough." Any hope of information died and Tommy tried to focus on the present. "We are going to walk through and no one will pay us any attention. No one typically questions us. If you try to get away or make a scene, the deal falls through and we hunt you down. There is no way out of the Inner Ring and you will be found."

Tommy struggled to swallow as a lump formed in his throat, unable to find a response, he simply nodded and allowed himself to be steered out of the car. They passed by crowds of people bustling in and out of the building as the kid was guided to the roof. No one spared a glance at the three of them.

Once they passed a certain number of flights of stairs, they stopped running into people on the stairwell. Past a certain number of floors, any self respecting hero took the elevator. That unfortunately allowed Blade to return the handcuffs to their original position.

Tommy was heaving, unfit to be doing this much stair climbing in a sleep-deprived state. Phantom was doing better but he was still breathing noticeably hard. Blade was irritatingly unbothered by the cardio they were forced to undertake.

The vigilante kept his eyes down, forcing himself to take it one step at a time, focusing on getting himself up the building. When they finally reached the roof door, the two non-piglins collapsed against the walls infront of it.

The Blade looked on with a smirk as Phantom put his hands on his knees.

"Shut up Blade." The translucent hero snapped.

"I didn't say anything."

"But you thought it. It's not my fault that you have stupid superhuman endurance. I would have phased up if it wasn't for this stupid cuff."

Tommy was glad that they were bickering among themselves, if their attention had been focused on him, the vigilante didn't know what he would have done.

Phantom took a minute to recover and sat up, wrapping an arm around Tommy's shoulder, he used his free hand to grip the doorknob.

"Not one word about this. It never happened."

Shadow gave a short nod before allowing himself to be pushed through the door. One the other side sat a tall ram hybrid. He instantly recognized the features as similar to his roommates.

When the roof door opened, the man stood, turning towards the noise. The president walked over, gripping Tommy's chin and forcing him to look up.

"So you are the guy who has gotten my boy's affection... Pathetic."

Tommy pulled his head back and out of the presidents grip, shooting him a glare and putting in an effort to restrain himself from spitting in the mans face. Phantom's arm had stiffened on the vigilante's shoulder.

"Mr. President." The Blade started and Schlatt jolted as he seemed to snap out of a trance.

"They should be here at any minute, I raised him well enough to not be late." The sentences couldn't sink in Tommy's scrambled brain. All he latched on two was that he had a couple minuted before his questions would hopefully be answered.

True to Schlatt's word, a few minutes later a large Whomp echoed across the rooftop and two figures appeared, obscured by purple particles.

One of them was taller, the molecules cleared to reveal a dark jumpsuit and a split color mask the other figure was shorter.

With long hair that almost covered their eyes...

A black sweatshirt with red detailing...

Small horns that slightly protruded from his hair...

The other figure was Tubbo.

Chapter Text

"Tu-Bee?" Tommy caught himself, confusion overriding any sense of thought. "How? What?"

His roommate held a posture that Tommy had never seen from the boy. He seemed proper, serious, and so unlike his Tubbo, the goofy kid who made stupid jokes and snorted when he laughed, the hacker who had broken into the hero league network just so that he and Tommy could make fun of the heros' stupid uniforms.

"Shadow, are you hurt?" There was a hint of concern but the tone was even, professional, and a bit scary coming from the 17-year-old. Tommy was speechless but managed to shake his head, reassuring him that he was ok. The ram turned to the figure next to him. "Ender, you good for another?"

Ender? En? It would make sense... a shortening of the name Tubbo had called him. If that was the case though, how had no one ever seen or heard of this man before?

The taller nodded, hands on his knees and shoulders hunched, and removed one arm to give a thumbs up. "Give me a second to catch my breath and I will be ready."

With that reassurance, Tubbo turned to the President. The second he focused on the man, his face twisted into a look of disgust with no effort to mask the disdain felt.

Tommy had his own problems with Schlatt but his home being neglected was not enough to spawn the hatred he was witnessing, there had to be something else he was missing.

"Welcome back to the Inner Ring Tubbo." The president spread his arms in what would commonly be a welcoming gesture. There was a faraway look in the older ram's cloudy eyes as he drooped his hands back to his sides.

Tommy's head whipped toward the president. welcome back... back... He had been here before. Tubbo had been in the Inner ring.

It took a second before another thing registered, the name... Schlatt knew Tubbo's name. Not his alias that Tommy had been careful to primarily use, not any other codeword that they had created... his real name.

"You know I'm not here by choice. I'm here just for him," Tubbo gestured to Tommy without removing his eye-line from the president. "So forgive me for not feeling very welcomed. We have a deal and I am following through on my half."

Across the city, an avian arrived at the station where his team had been staying at. His first stop was not the living quarters but instead the holding cells, opening the first one on the left.

Finding it empty, he moved on to the bathroom door, twisting the handle and not finding the resistance of a lock that he was expecting. The door swung open to an empty bathroom.

After a slight hesitation, Phil began to root through the cabinets. It wasn't until his sights fell on the garbage can that he found what he was looking for. Pulling up the cover that the vigilante had placed, Philza was left staring at a pile of pure white feathers.

It wasn't anything he didn't know but it did confirm the thoughts he had been forcing himself to deny. The kid was an avian not only that, but he was hiding that fact, desperately shoving away any piece that may reveal his gifts to the world.

Rushing upstairs, he threw open the living quarter's door.

"Will, Techno!" He shouted and paused waiting for a response. Jogging through the main hallway, he opened both of the rooms they had been sleeping in only to find them as empty as the vigilant's cell.

"Shadows gone!" He yelled again, hoping that they were not just ignoring him. When he made his way out to the kitchen, a small notepad caught his eye. It had been left on the kitchen counter with Techno's handwriting scrawled giving no regard to the lines on the paper.

W+T took Shadow, deal=top of Hero League HQ

Just below the writing, there was a time...

7:00

Phil glanced at the clock on the stove.

It was 7:15.

This 'deal' had already started but he may be able to make it there before it ends, the hero grabbed a dagger from the weapon supply, tucking it in his waistband. He pushed the door open, flinching slightly as it slammed into the wall on the opposite end of the hinge. Phil sprinted to the roof, extending his wings as soon as he had room and jumping off with no regard for flight preparation.

He found an updraft, beating his wings, pushing himself forwards while the wind maintained his altitude.

He didn't know what he was rushing into, didn't know what he was going to do when he got there. There was just one phrase that his mind was set on.

Protect the child.

"Tubbo?" Tommy croaked. He was unsure of what exactly was going on, mind attempting to take the pieces of information he had and fit them together into the larger puzzle. Tommy tried to push forward to be at his roommate's side but he got about a foot before he was stopped in his tracks by the Blade wrapping an arm around his chest and lifting him off his feet.

That was an impressive skill given how big Tommy was but the Blade towered over him despite the height of the boy, Piglins tended to be on the bigger side of biology.

The vigilante's call was ignored by Tubbo who refused to break his gaze on the Manburg president. Schlatt scowled a bit and took a couple of steps in the younger rams direction. The movement was stumbling and Tubbo's expression dropped further.

"Didn't kick that habit after I left?" The sentence was a question but the phrase was anything but. The judgment and disappointment bled through every syllable and stopped the president in his tracks, drawing a growl from his throat.

"You have no right to comment on that. You lost the ability to do that when you left me that night."

Tubbo scoffed, "Really, you are going to act like I just up and left. You are going to act as if you gave me any choice."

"There is always a choice." Came the snarling reply.

Phantom stepped forward with his arms spread in a placating gesture. "Woah, woah, guys relax." He managed not to jump backward at the twin death glares that were flashed in his direction. "I am very confused, I'm sure the Blade is very confused."

"I am definitely very confused." Tommy butted in, raising his cuffed hands sheepishly despite the Blade's arm tightening around his chest in warning

Tubbo took a deep breath, finally meeting Tommy's eyes. "Shadow, Phantom, Blade, Enderwalk; you know him, you should probably dislike him, but I would like to formally introduce to you President Schlatt my alcoholic asshole of a father."

Tommy's jaw dropped.

A growl came from the president. "Those are some dangerous accusations son."

A cloud of silence settled over the group and the president and Tubbo both shifted uncomfortably as the remaining crowd tried to process what they had just been told.

The first to recover was Enderwalk who started at the president only for Tubbo to put an arm up, blocking his path. The ender stopped, forcing the younger ram to meet his eyes.

"Was that the day that..." Tubbo flinched and nodded, positioning himself to stop the vigilante from going after his father. "You..." Ender held his pointer finger in the air in the 'wait' position, hesitated, and then dropped the hand back to his side. "The bruise on his face the day we met. He never told me what he ran from but I guess now I know the answer."

The older ram didn't even have the decency to look ashamed at the reality of the statements thrown his way.

"Tubbo?" Tommy questioned. "What bruise? What is he talking about?"

"Don't worry about it Shadow... Let it go" Tubbo trailed off. "We have a deal to make."

"Nope. No, you do not get to do that right now. I thought I knew you better than anyone and suddenly all of this... You have a friend who I never knew about, a father who is the most influential man in Manburg, do I even know you?"

"Like you don't have your own secrets."

Tommy moved to respond and found he couldn't, his roommate had a point. There were certain things, one specific thing that he had been hiding. Secrets hurt but he couldn't get genuinely mad when he had been lying to Tubbo about something as foundational as being normal.

"It doesn't matter anyway. We are here to get Shadow out and Schlatt, you know what the deal is. Will you let them leave before we complete my half of the terms or are you going to make me do this now?"

"If you think I trust you for a second then you are sorely mistaken. There is no way I'm letting my only leverage go before I have my half secure."

"If I dip out on you, the vigilantes continue to be prosecuted. Is that not insurance enough?"

"Come on Tubs." The ram in question scowled at the use of the nickname. "I raised you better than that. Has it really been long enough for you to forget? Never give up leverage because leverage is key to success."

"Fine, where is the cuff."

Schlatt reached into his pocket pulling out an eerily familiar metal cuff. Phantom pulled up his sleeve discretely matching the design to the one on his wrist.

After confirming the similarities he couldn't help but mutter his suspicions aloud. "A power dampener?"

"How did you..." Schlatt cut himself off as his gaze landed on the hero's wrist. Phantom quickly shook the sleeve down but it was too late to prevent the goat from recognizing the cuff. "How did that? What did you not tell me? There were two of those made and they disappeared years ago after they were stolen from Alex. Suddenly one of my top 5 hero's has one around his wrist?"

While Phantom and Blade scrambled for a response, Tubbo was the next one to speak up.

"Schlatt doesn't have a power suppressant with him. Both of the ones in existence are accounted for. One is on Wilbur's wrist and the other is in the possession of the one who put it there."

"How did you know my name?" Phantom questioned.

"For all intents and purposes, let's just assume that I know everything about everyone here."

Tommy's breath caught in his throat.

Did that mean that his secrets were not as hidden as he thought?

"Hand it over Schlatt." He grabbed the cuff but hesitated to put it on.

"You are going to fix that one as well, aren't you En." The name was spat out with distaste as the president gestured at Phantom.

Another secret.

Another thing revealed.

Another piece of proof that Tommy didn't know his roommate as well as he thought he did.

At this point could it even be a surprise?

Tubbo shrugged. "We'll see... If you have something to exchange for it. What was it you said? Never give up leverage?"

There was a sound of wings beating in the distance and a large dark shape began to form. The avian slowed as he reached the roof and touched down gently, locking eyes with Tommy before tucking away his wings with the lighter feathers on proud display.

"What is with the white Raven!" Schlatt appeared to be getting steadily more irritable. "First the cuff reappears and now you have new feathering. I'm supposed to be the one with all the information in the city. Why are my heroes suddenly not telling me things?"

All eyes except for Ravens' turned to Tubbo who just shrugged. "This one I don't have the answers to, sorry guys."

"They are guardian wings," Phil responded, directly addressing his boss. "I didn't think it was important enough to mention. All it means is that I have a younger avian who is under my protection." Tommy froze, his breath hitching for a second before he forced himself to cover the reaction. "Anyway, what is this deal that I was told about."

"Shadow goes free, Tubbo comes home. Those are the only terms of the deal that you need to know about." Schlatt put his hand on his son's shoulder, ignoring the boy's attempt to move out from under the weight.

"Wait what! Tubbo, no!" Tommy began to struggle, giving Techno some difficulty but not enough to overcome the piglin's grip. At the same time, Ender protested, walking towards the father and son only to be stopped by the look Tubbo gave him.

"Please, Ender, please Shadow. I wouldn't make the deal if it wasn't worth making. You both can get out of here, you never have to worry about legal things again. According to the rest of the city, our friends are all a division of the Hero League. Nothing changes but the title, you don't write reports, don't answer to anyone but each other. I'm begging you to let me make this sacrifice."

"At what cost?" Shadow slowly responded. "You lose your freedom, you probably are losing something else with the value of that condition. Please Tubbo, we have been doing just fine with the Hero League up our asses... That title isn't as valuable as you think it is and your freedom isn't worth mine. Leave while you still can..."

"I'm not just going to leave you here!" He pulled himself out from under Schlatt's arm, snapping the cuff around his wrist. "There are trackers and a bunch of other security measures in this... It's done, just get out of here."

"Schlatt can deactivate it Tubbo! Mr. President, I won't fight it. You need a vigilante to scapegoat, you need someone to set an example, let it be me!"

The goat chuckled darkly. "Kid, if you were really that valuable to me I wouldn't have made the trade in the first place. Nothing matters more than my boy and the technology he can create. That's why he offered it, he knew I couldn't turn it down. There is nothing your pitiful vigilante self could offer that would trump that. I am getting everything I could ever want from this and you are getting to walk away. Take advantage of that before I run out of patience."

Blade lowered him to the ground, taking the handcuff key out of his pocket. Tommy held up his wrists, feeling the metal release and fall off.

He took a couple of steps toward Enderwalk before pivoting toward the avian hero. He sprinted, closing the gap and grabbed the dagger that lay in Raven's waistband. Wrapping a newly freed arm around the hero's chest, he held the dagger to his throat.

"Go ahead kid, do what you need to do." The whisper surprised him but he was gracious for the support, despite the untrustworthy place it came from. Raven wrapped his hands around the vigilante's feigning a struggle but there was no real power behind the pulls.

"Take the cuff off or you lose one of your top heroes." When Schlatt scowled, Tommy pressed the knife further. Wilbur and Blade protested attempting to rush forward before Raven called them off.

"Not a good idea boys." He scolded, freezing the rest of SBI in their tracks.

The president was frantically glancing around in search of a solution. When he found nothing, he settled on grabbing Tubbo's shirt and walking over to the edge of the building. The younger flailed and tried to break free as Schlatt began to lean him back. When it got past the point of no return, Tubbo simply grabbed at his father's arms and held on for dear life.

"Dad! What are you doing?" His panicked breathing was picking up.

"What I have to. I refuse to lose this." He turned to Shadow, a smirk plastered on his face. "Let the hero go or I do the same to your friend here."

"I thought Tubbo was the most important thing to you! I thought it was everything you wanted!" Tommy protested, desperate for a way out.

"I hate losing more than I like getting what I want. You are not walking out of here with my son. I am not letting him leave ever again."

"Shadow just go! Ender take him!" Tubbo shouted, his hands were slowly slipping. The metal cuff on his wrist made it impossible for him to get a grip.

"I can't do anything while he is touching Raven, Bee. I can only take one."

"Damn it Shadow just leave!"

Tommy took a deep breath, his plan decided. "Schlatt I am calling your bluff." He stated, making direct eye contact with the man he was challenging. "You aren't going to drop him, he is more valuable to you than anything. You admitted that yourself. At the same time, I am not leaving without him. I have your hero, let's just do an old-fashioned trade and be off. If you don't then I'm going to slit his throat and you will be down a hero and still unable to do anything. You don't have any leverage that you are willing to act on."

"NO!" Phantom and Blade both yelled out in equal protest.

"He is the only thing keeping you here? Really... I warned you not to challenge me, boy." The president sneered. "Because if there is one thing I hate more than anything, it's losing."

The smell of alcohol wafted through the air as the father turned to his son, looking down on the panic and fear in his kid's eyes. That very father didn't even think to apologize as his fingers went slack, sending his only child hurtling toward the street below.

In that very same instance, there was an audible clatter. The dagger fell to the rooftop and bounced a bit before settling, its previous holder already on the edge. Without a moment of hesitation, Shadow threw himself off the roof after his best friend.

The entire group rushed to look over the side. Wilbur and Techno both moved to nudge Phil to go after them but the older hero shook his head. "Shadow has this covered."

"Dad he's normal!" Phantom protested.

"Just watch."

Tommy hit Tubbo in midair, wrapping his arms around the other.

"Tommy are you trying to get yourself killed! Ender might have been able to grab me but there is no chance he can do both of us."

"If there wasn't a drawback to that, he wouldn't have hesitated as he did. You and I both know it is not that simple. If he passes out we are all as good as dead, there is no way out of the Inner Ring."

"Well, now we are both dead anyway's. You should have just let me go Toms, you could have lived on without me."

"Bee, you had your secrets, I have mine. Just do me a favor and hold on, I can only keep them up for a couple of seconds so this is going to hurt."

"What is going to hurt! What is going on Tommy?"

"We have to get low enough that the glide is effective, give me a bit I need to concentrate."

As they neared the ground, Tubbo braced, gripping onto Tommy as tightly as he could. As they got closer to the collision, it happened.

Bright white wings sprouted, tearing through the back of the sweatshirt-like uniform that Shadow was wearing, spreading and slowing their momentum. When they hit, the two of them went rolling. Enderwalk appeared beside them, hauling them both to their feet.

"I'm glad you both are ok because we have to go."

The heroes watched them run off, focusing on a line of black feathers highlighting the vigilante's primaries. Schlatt had stormed downstairs to send the full might of the hero league after the trio.

"Phil, I don't get it. Why does everyone say he is normal?"

"Either they are lying or they didn't know Will." Philza's mood grew somber. "He hid it, based on Tubbo's reaction. No one knew."

"Why would he! He has the ability to take to the skies and grounds himself? How is that not torture?"

"It probably was. I don't know what his reasoning was but all we know is that he needed that push, I wish it wasn't a literal push of a building but now we know he has what it takes."

"What it takes to do what?"

Phil smiled, a hand caressing the white feathers on his own wings. "He's got the instincts, he has the feathers and now after what I am guessing is years, he has reasoning. That boy is incredibly selfless, he just needed a reason other than himself to get back in the air. All in all, it can be summed up in one thing... We know he has what it takes to fly.