Archive of Our Own

Jake was quieter than usual going down the coast. He was on a spiritual high. That transferred to Mark to some extent.

“Jake, I want to ask you something.” Mark was at the wheel for the moment.

“Sure. What’s up?”

“You know I have these tattoos.”

“Anyone who can see knows that.”

“I was wondering what you thought about having the names of your family on my arm.”

There was silence. It was only for a moment or two but for Mark it felt like it was an eternity.

“You’d do that,” he asked. “You’d put them there?”

“I don’t have to—“

“No! I—I think it’s great. One more way for them to be remembered. And by you. On you. I’ll see it all the time. Now we can’t not be best friends.”

Mark laughed. “No chance of that no matter what.”

They drove for a while longer, making their usual pit stops. There wasn’t much in the way of phone service available, at least not anything that made it to the East Coast. But the closer they got to LA, the further it seemed to reach.

“What do you think we’ll find there,” Jake queried. “I can’t say it’s anyplace I was ever hoping to visit again. Remember Hollywood?”

“That pic in Doc’s office? Yeah. I can’t believe how childish I was over it.”

“I can. I mean, not a judgment but there was a lot of pain thinking about that place. It’s why I brought it up as soon as I sat down in his office for the first time.”

“You would. He didn’t mean anything.”

Jake shrugged. “Gotta look out for my brother.”

Jake was driving when they got to Los Angeles. They had no idea where to go. It’s not like they had ever been familiar with the area but finding what they were looking for in a sprawling city seemed hopeless.

“What about the hotel,” Jake suggested. “It was our base.”

“Yeah.”

Mind Mistress attempted a dual attack on Brute with both telekinesis and telepathy. She was holding her own. Then a pained look crossed her face. The veins in her head started to bulge out. Then it exploded, splattering blood and brain matter all over.

“I don’t want to go there.”

Jake put a hand on Mark’s shoulder. “Me, neither. But if Tracy thinks it’s where we need to be then we should listen. Remember your own visions about Raven.”

“Okay, then let’s go. I think I can remember how to get there.”

They didn’t rush. Whatever they were going to find was going to bring harsh memories back to the front.

When they drove toward the hotel they noticed the lawn was well cared for. There was ornate fencing along the driveway and with flowers along the tops. Finally, they came to a gate. Mark got out and found it unlocked. When he pushed it open he nearly fell over in shock.

Jake got out of the car and joined them. There was a bronze statue before them. There were young heroes in flying forth from a central point. They weren’t modeled after anyone but there was no doubting who they were meant to be.

Closer inspection showed a plaque that said ‘Champions’. Names were listed: Magik, Demon, Mirage, Thunderbird, Flex, Golden Archer, Typhon, Shadowstar, Trinity, Snowfall, Tempest, Rapture, Jinx, Starlight, Firestar, Hornet, Jenesis, Nemesis, Ms. Onyx, Thunder, Cypher, Light Lord, Mind Mistress, Arcane, Pulse, Shimmer, Wildcat, Mirthos, Lightfire, Chameleon, Skyhawk, Lightning Boy, the Five, Steelwind, Silverstorm, Nexus.

“Lightning Boy,” Jake whispered into his ear.

“Shut up. And I’m on here twice so that makes me special.”

“But there is a name that has to go.”

Jake ran back to the car. He pulled out an arrow and came back to the statue. He ignited it and put it to Nexus’s, burning it away.

“Hey,” a man yelled, running toward them. “You can’t deface that! Those kids were heroes!”

“Fixed it for you,” Jake said. “There was a traitor listed there and he needed to be removed.”

“A traitor? How would you know?”

Mark answered, “I watched him disintegrate Thunderbird from the legs up to his waste before he died. But he’s dead now, too.”

“Wait. Are you two…them? We didn’t think anyone survived.”

“Golden Archer.” Jake rubbed his hands along the name. “That’s me.”

“Flex,” said Mark, pointing to the name. “And ‘Lightning Boy’. I guess you wouldn’t have known that I’d changed.”

“How did you survive,” the man asked.

“We ran. It was down to me, him and Starlight. She was…Starlight didn’t make it so I grabbed him and ran. We were on the run for a year until the Avengers found us. We’ve been in Manhattan ever since.”

The man composed himself. “My name is Miguel Santos. I was part of the Resistance.”

“Then you saw us fail,” Jake said.

“I saw you save so many lives and sacrifice yourselves in the process. We all remember you as heroes. You inspired us. We could not face those demons but it gave us courage to find our fellows and bring them together. At least we’d have a chance to survive.”

Mark looked at Jinx’s name. He ran a finger over it. He couldn’t help but think of the boy he loved dying to save him. That’s the kind of sacrifice Miguel was talking about. Doing it not because we were ordered to but because we had to do it. There wasn’t anyone else.

Tears began to run down Mark’s cheeks. “I still miss him.”

Jake walked over to Mark and gave him a hug. “We’ve got a lot of that in common, missing who we loved. But now we’ve got something like parents to care for us and some girls who might become something special to us.”

“Do you have a phone,” Mark asked. “One that could reach New York?”

“It would be an expensive call,” Miguel answered.

“It’ll be collect. My foster father will be worried about us.”

Miguel showed them to a telephone inside of the hotel. It wasn’t a hotel anymore so much as a shrine to heroism.

“Hey, Tony,” Mark said when he got through.

“Mark, I’ve been worried,” Tony said. “Is Jake with you?”

He chuckled, knowing he’d nailed it with what he thought Tony would say. “Jake is here. We’re in Los Angeles.”

“I thought you were going to Jake’s home.”

“We did. Then…it’s complicated but we had to come here. There’s this…y’know, the Champions were holed up in this hotel. It’s where, uh…”

Jake grabbed the phone from Mark. “Hi, Tony. So this hotel is where most of the stuff went down. Only now there are trees, flowers and a giant statue in front that’s dedicated to the Champions. They had Nexus on it but we got rid of it.”

“That’s amazing. You don’t sound as bad off as Mark.”

“Well, after making peace with my family I think it left me a little more ready to deal with the rest.”

“I’m glad. Anything I need to know?”

“We’re both still clean and sober. Shit, if we could go through the last few months and stay clean then I don’t know what could break that.”

“Perhaps the cleaned up hotel helped.”

“Probably.”

“Can I talk to Mark?”

“Hey, Mark, get back on the phone.”

Mark took the phone, then a deep breath, and put the phone to his ear. “I’m okay. Just a flashback.”

“Then some good news is going to help.”

“Good news?”

“Kyle found some information about your sister.”

“Lara or Tranquilla?”

“Lara. She was being held in a psychiatric hospital in Nee Jersey. He and Angel went there, found her and took her to Manhattan.”

“Is she with you?”

“We thought it might be unusual for an adult man to have a teen girl he doesn’t know staying in his home. She was welcome, of course, but decided to stay with Angel.”

“It’s going to take us forever to get home,” Mark said in frustration.

“I can pick you up in a Quinjet.”

Mark turned to Jake. “You okay if Tony comes to pick us up in a Quinjet? They found Lara.”

“Oh, for sure,” Jake responded. “Wish we could get there even sooner.”

“Okay,” he said into the phone. “But what about the car?”

“Leave it,” Tony answered. “I’ll get you another if you need it. If the two of you managed to learn to drive across the country then I suppose we can have some vehicles available for use outside of Manhattan.”

“Awesome! Where should we meet?”

“How about Los Angeles Airport?”

“Um, okay. We just need to find a map.”

They made it to the airport and waited. The airport was open for business but it was mostly private and there wasn’t a lot of traffic. They’d tried to convince Miguel to come with them and take the car but he said he couldn’t leave the museum.

They were probably there for about an hour when the Quinjet showed up. Tony and Clint both emerged, in costume. At first Mark wondered why Lara hadn’t come. Then he realized she didn’t know about secret identities. It probably wouldn’t be much of an issue going forward because that hadn’t been rigid about it after Mark and Jake were far enough into their therapy that they could reason out that the secrets Tony and Clint had were preventing them from moving forward. They couldn’t be honest with Doc Samson if a secret held them back.

“Let’s get inside where we can have more privacy and get comfortable,” Tony said.

Mark and Jake grabbed their things and got on board. Once the hatch shut closed, Tony took off his armor. Clint divested himself of his cowl and set aside his bow and arrows.

“How did it go,” Clint asked.

“It was really good,” Jake responded. “I got some stuff. Pictures, an old baseball glove, bat and a ball I used to use in the backyard with my Dad. It feels like I’ve got my family with me again. And Mark is going to tattoo their names on his forearm along with the others we lost.”

 Clint looked at Mark. “Is that okay with you?”

“It was my idea,” Mark replied. “I felt like since he’s my brother then his family belongs on my arm.”

Clint and Tony looked at one another. The boys had always said things like ‘best friend’. This was a new evolution of their relationship though they suspected they’d long felt that way about one another. Even so, the men had long thought there was some deeper bond between them that nothing could shatter.

“And that statue for the Champions,” Mark added. “I was on it twice. They didn’t know I used to be Flex.”

“And they called him Lightning Boy.”

“I’ll show you some lightning.”

“But the names were all there. Except for the Five.”

“The Five,” Tony queried.

“They were fighting the Ravagers when we showed up. Didn’t get to see much of them before, um, they died. It was like a minute after we got there. No one knows who they were so we called the the Five. But they put them down anyway. It was pretty awesome. They all deserve to be remembered. I forgot to put them on my arm but I’ll fix it.”

“You really like those tattoos,” asked Clint.

“Sure. Living memory. They deserve to be remembered.”

“I’m glad. It means you plan to stick around.”

“Like he wouldn’t for Raven anyway,” Jake commented.

“Or Stephanie?”

“You boys think you’re ready to date,” Tony asked. “I know you’re almost seventeen but I think you might need the sex talk.”

“No need.” “Doesn’t matter.” They had both spoken at the same time.

“What’s that mean?”

“I’m not in any rush,” Mark said.

“It’s the last thing on my mind.” Jake shook his head. “It has to really mean something. We’ve both got to be in love or else it’s just…”

“What it used to be,”Mark finished. “It was survival and then it was forced.”

“You’ve talked about this,” Clint asked.

“No, but…it wasn’t necessary.”

“After everything we went through sex is just this thing that people do without it meaning anything,” Jake said. “I want a girl to love, and marry, and have kids I get to treat like my Dad did for me and my brothers. I want to teach them how to use a bow, and fire a rifle and be there behind them when the kickback pushes them into me. That’s what I want.” Jake looked down for a moment. “But I have to take care of something first before that can happen.”

“We’ll get it done,” Mark said.

“Which is what,” Clint asked.

Jake looked at Mark and his friend nodded. It was just for assurance. They hadn’t talked about it but it was rare when they weren’t on the same page.

“I’m a werewolf.”

“I thought so.”

“You did? I mean, me and Mark thought maybe you were getting close to figuring it out.”

“Clint, Bobbi and myself discussed the possibility,” said Tony.

“Well, I didn’t have a choice but it saved us once. Helped us escape from…”

“From what,” Clint asked.

“Stuff…”

“We don’t want to talk about it,” Mark mumbled.

The mood took a definite downturn.

“You know what,” Tony said. “It doesn’t matter. If it saved you then it made a difference. Sometimes the universe is a strange place and certain things change everything.”

“I guess,” said Jake. “I mean, it helps us. It listens to Mark so it’s never hurt anyone it wasn’t supposed to hurt. He makes sure it feeds every full moon. They usually go to the Alley. There’s always animals there to use as prey.”

“Last time I took it out,” Mark said. “Wanted to see what was going on in Central Park. Wouldn’t let it out of my sight and it only attacked when I saw Nexus and told it to. Then we just went back to the Alley.”

“That’s incredible but why would it listen to you? I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

“I told it early on that if anything happened to me…well, Jake probably wouldn’t be alive for the next full moon. Sometimes it likes to growl or raise a claw but that’s it.”

“Jake, we should probably just lock you up during the full moons so Mark doesn’t have to spend the night watching your werewolf. Besides, that threat is kind of hollow now.”

“I don’t want to be locked up,” Jake said. “You’d probably just piss it off anyway. Besides, Mark doesn’t mind. And it still listened last full moon.”

A few hours later and they landed in JFK. Like LAX, this one was up and running but most open to private planes. In the interest of rebuilding the economy, the Avengers rented some of the runways for Quinjet use.

“You said Lara is at Angel’s place,” Mark queried.

“She’s staying with her,” Tony responded.

“You guys mind if I take off? Just knowing she’s safe and alive.”

“Why are you even asking,” Jake asked. “Go find your sister!”

Mark grinned and he was gone. When he got to Angel’s, he buzzed. He waited about ten seconds and buzzed again. The five seconds.

“Who is this,” Angel said through the intercom.

“It’s Mark.”

The door buzzed open. Angel hasn’t even fully opened the door before he was there.

“Is Lara here?”

“Hello to you, too,” Angel responded.

“Oh, sorry. Hi. I’m just…”

“I’m kidding. Yes, she’s right—“

“Here,” Lara finished as she entered the room.

Mark was holding her tightly, tears streaming down his cheeks. “I thought you were dead. I couldn’t feel you and I didn’t even know where to look.”

Lara pulled away. She was also crying. “They had me in a psych hospital.”

“I’m sorry. It must have been bad.”

“It wasn’t fun being locked up, and they were trying to change me into something else, but otherwise it wasn’t terrible. Just lonely.”

“I bet. I hope our family didn’t come to visit.”

“Let’s sit down.”

Mark gave her a curious look but did as she asked. Then she joined him, taking his hands in hers.

“I’ll be in the other room,” Angel said, walking off.

Lara looked at Mark. “Chernobog is not our father and Erebus is not our brother.”

“What? How can that be? Were we adopted?“

Lara looked pained. “When we were in Los Angeles…what they did to us…there was something they were trying to do, but it failed.”

“Failed? What were they trying to do?”

“They were trying to replace our souls with something. Some kind of evil gods. I don’t know exactly.”

“So what…are you saying that Dad and Damiano were…were changed into demons or gods or something?”

“Dami—Erebus came to me in the hospital to tell me what they were doing. Moros is head doctor there.”

“Moros…” Mark looked concerned. “Did he—!”

“No, nothing like that. They were trying to force one of those creatures into me. It was supposed to happen when…but it didn’t work. Moros said if they killed either of us again that we’d just be dead so they were trying other things. But I wouldn’t break. I just kept reciting to myself over and over that I was going to kill Damiano when I got out.”

“That was also on my list. You didn’t even see him rape and murder Firestar. He…never mind. She’s dead by his hand. Or I guess the hand of Erebus.”

“We‘ll kill him and Chernobog.”

“What about Mom and Tranquilla. Mom was behind it all. She’s the daughter of some ancient mutant goddess or something.”

“Selene.”

“You know her?”

“She killed Typhon.”

“How many of the Champions are dead?”

“All of them. Except me and Jake.”

“God. I guess you saw a couple of them die.”

“All of them. Or the aftermath in some cases. I don’t know if it was Moros or Brute who killed our cousin Rick but it was bad.” Mark shivered. “I don’t want to talk about it. It’s been a lot of work to be sane…well, after what they did to us but a lot that followed. But you didn’t finish your story.”

“Mom was always evil. She had always intended to turn us into those things. From what I understand it was Dad who was turned first. Then Damiano. We were supposed to be next.”

“And Tranquilla?”

Lara looked into Mark’s eyes. Tears were welling up. “They tried but…her body couldn’t handle it…she’s dead.”

Mark broke down. She was a lot younger than Mark and Lara. Tranquilla had always been a happy, joyful girl. She loved to laugh and play, looked up to her siblings and liked to give great big hugs. And now she was dead. Worse, if it was anything like what was done to them, it was torturous. The last moments of her life were betrayal and pain.

“I’m gonna fucking kill her!”

“Mark, you can’t—“

“You think so? I can generate a lot of electricity.”

“Can you? So can I.”

“Even better. I always thought Damiano would be the first to go not now. She’s got to pay.”

“Do you really think you can kill?”

“I have killed. And I will continue to kill until everyone on my list is dead.” Mark lifted his left arm. “See all of these names here? They’re all the dead. They all need vengeance. Some of them got it, either by my hand or someone else’s. I don’t actually care who kills them but I’m not done until they’re dead. Fuck. Chernobog is going to be tough but Mom…she’s still human.”

 “How do we do this,” Lara asked.

Mark walked over to the phone and dialed. “Hey, Clint. Can I talk to Jake?”

“What’s up,” Jake said on the other end.

“I need you to gather the team at Angel’s. I’ve got a new mission for us.”

“What kind of mission?”

“The kind that kills my mother, Erebus if we’re lucky and Chernobog if the stars align.”

“That’s a weird way to put things but okay. Want me to pick up your costume? Or will that just make things awkward with Tony?”

“No, I’ll run home and get it. Just get everyone together.”

“Okay. See you soon.”

“Angel,” Mark yelled out. “We’ve got a mission!”

Angel walked into the room. “A team mission? Must be big if we’re all getting together.”

“It is. Lara can explain. I’ve gotta go get my costume. Expect everyone here soon.”

Mark zoomed away.

“Is he always like that,” Lara asked Angel.

“Maybe? The first time we got together we took down this demon monster called the Devastator. None of us were supposed to be out with that thing around. Mark and Jake had snuck out first and the rest of us followed.”

“What’s Devastator?”

“It’s a thing that never should have been but it’s dead now. I don’t really want to talk about it. It’s…gross. To put it lightly. Very lightly.”

“Kyle is interesting. He said something about being an assassin.”

“First I’d heard. I only just met them when we fought Devastator but here’s what I know. Kyle and Raven already knew each other. Mark and Jake are super tight. Like you’ve never seen before. Tight lipped, too, when it comes to talking about the other. They also knew Stephanie and Amanda. And Amanda was dating this guy named Kerry. Oh, and I keep forgetting about Amara. She knew Mark from school or something.”

“What about you?”

“Teenage prostitute to get by. Kidnapped by the Dark Man, given powers and now I want him dead.”

“Hey, Tony,” Mark said after walking into their home.

Tony was dressed up, which was odd outside of work hours.

“Mark, I’m glad you’re here. I was going to give you a call at Angel’s.”

“Are you going on a date with Janet?”

“I am. It’s a little later than expected because I had to make a sudden trip to the West Coast.”

“I’m sorry.”

Tony put a hand on Mark’s shoulder. “It was for a good cause. Honestly, Mark, the improvements you’ve made have made me feel comfortable going out and leaving you alone.”

“Well, I’m just glad you get to do this. You’ve spent enough time playing Dad for me.”

“Is that what you think? Dads  can go on dates. So can sons.”

Mark blushed. “Have fun. Say hi for me.”

“I will.”

As soon as Tony was gone, Mark got into costume and headed back to Angel’s. Only Jake, Raven and Stephanie were there.

“Hey guys. Jake, did you have any trouble getting in touch with Amara?“

“Nah,” Jake replied. “Glad she’s coming though. She’s as much a part of this as any of the rest of us. I mean, she killed Deathwing and Talon. That had to put her on someone’s shit list. Probably your father’s.”

“He’s not exactly my father but let’s wait for the others.”

Once everyone was present, Lara was introduced all around and they went into what details about what they knew.

“So not Damiano as the priority target,” Jake questioned.

“Not Damiano at all. Damiano was killed and replaced by Erebus. He’s a fair target but secondary.”

“Erebus and Chernobog. Like Pulse.”

Mark nodded. “If only they were as easy to take down as Pulse.”

“Pulse wasn’t that easy. He was pretty powerful.”

“Gods,” said Raven. “Didn’t we suspect the Dark Man had a connection? Sabre, Devastator, Brute and Thundrax were all working for the Dark Man on the West Coast and they all followed him here.”

“True. And three of them are dead now. Just Brute.”

“Brute,” Lara said with a shiver. “He was one of the ones—“

“Yes. Brute is powerful.”

“Causes fear,” Tekko said. “That can be powerful. We know he was hard just being around. If he turned that fear on us.”

“I have no fear,” Kizeme commented. “He will not have that impact on me.”

“More or less true of me as well,” said Nighthawk.

“I wonder,” Blackbird mused. “If maybe I could use my powers to eliminate, or at least mitigate, his fear on all of us. It might make it harder to personally fight but if the rest of you are game I’d try.”

“We also didn’t have Tellus with us back then,” Jake said. “Or Lara. That could make a huge difference.”

“Right,” Mark exclaimed. “Those stone spikes from a distance could be a game changer!”

“Are we doing this tonight,” Tellus asked.

“What do you guys think,” Mark asked.

“I would would be fine with it,” Lara answered.

“Probably better to do this before we see Doc tomorrow,” Jake added. “He’ll give us grief for doing this but better that than have him try to talk us out of it.”

There was a general murmur of assent.

“I should probably canvas the area,” Mark said. “I can be in and out quickly.”

“I’ll go with you,” Blackbird offered. “If things go wrong I can get us out of there.”

“Yeah, okay.”

After they left, the others had little to do but talk and get to know more about one another.

“What happened to your wings,” Kizeme asked Nighthawk.

“You know how I talked about not liking the wings,” he answered. “I realized that in close quarters that they were a liability. During any fight that might be true. It’s less that I don’t have wings and more that they can be retracted.”

Nighthawk triggered something on his belt and the wings shot upward. They seemed too large to have been on his back the whole time so something else was at work, though Nighthawk offered no information about what that might be.

“That’s great,” Flare said. “You pulled them off when you fought Moros.”

“You fought Moros,” Kizeme said in awe. “From my understanding he houses or is a creature of darkness. One of the spiders. Or he seems as if he might be.”

“More like the Eighth City,” Tekko said. “Hell.”

“Eighth City,” Hunter questioned.

“Just another term for Hell. Demons were sent there.”

Nighthawk gave her a curious look. Based on his limited knowledge of her, she came from a wealthy family and trained in the martial arts. This didn’t seem like the sort of knowledge she might ordinarily have.

Blazer and Blackbird looked on at the house. It had been years since Blazer had stepped foot inside. Even living in the same city, he had no desire to go there and his parents – or that thing that pretended to be his father – had also not reached out to him. Yet they still blocked Tony Stark from adopting him.

“I can’t see anything,” Blazer said. “I’m gonna have to get closer.”

“That seems like a bad idea,” Blackbird commented. “Just because we can’t see anything it doesn’t mean they aren’t aware of our presence. Or they might become aware if we get closer.”

“I’m fast and you can teleport. We’ll be fine.”

“Will you,” came a voice from behind.

“Erebus,” Blazer said without even turning around.

“You have learned the truth from Lara.”

Blazer glanced at Blackbird and gave her a subtle nod that he hoped she understood to mean that she should leave to get the others.

As Erebus was turning, Blackbird disappeared. “Does she flee or seek help I wonder.”

“I guess we’ll see.”

“Your friends were quite capable against Moros. They could not defeat him but that Nighthawk could stand up to him even briefly, with no hint of fear, was remarkable. The Academy does turn out excellent assassins. Had he not fled perhaps he could have done more.”

“Is this done lame attempt to put me off balance? I think an assassin on my side is perfect. Especially one who didn’t fit with this assassin academy you mentioned.”

Erebus appraised Blazer. He’s not what was expected. Blazer, Hunter and their friends brought down Devastator and Sabre, but it was his understanding that Blazer had been a wreck. That he’d been a wreck for years. This kind of confidence, whether real or just a front, was unexpected.

“You’re here for a reason,” Erebus finally said. “Let’s go say hi to Mommy and Daddy.”

“Not my Daddy.”

“No? He looks like your Daddy.”

“A Dire Wraith looked like my friend Pulse. It was still a Dire Wraith.”

The two walked toward the house. Erebus opened the door and ushered Mark inside. He showed no fear. He had every intention of killing his mother no matter what the cost.

They entered the living room area. It wasn’t like Mark remembered. The room’s walls were a dark purple and the seating a deep red. It didn’t look like a place where humans would want to live. Or not any humans he wanted to know.

When he laid his eyes on his mother, Mark merely said, “Why?”

“Power,” Cesarina Sellers replied. “Bring gods to Earth, as my husband and children, would have granted me much. Your father was supposed to mesh seamlessly with Chernobog but he resisted. He could not bear to bring pain to his children and certainly didn’t want to be tortured, even knowing how it wouldn’t last, that the pain would be forgotten once he was a god. So I forced it. His soul was cast to Hell while Chernobog took complete control.”

“When did this happen?”

“He wanted all of you sent away to private schools. His intent, though I didn’t know it, was to keep you beyond my reach.”

“So you’re saying he loved us?”

“Of course. He was always very emotional when it came to his children. And now he’s dead.”

Mark nodded his head. This changed things. Now he knew that his father hadn’t just been killed but that he did what he could to protect his children. It did make a certain kind of sense. Dad had always looked happy when with his children. Mom less so, though not in a cold way.

“Did you always plan to do this?”

“I had always intended to marry and have children to bring the gods to Earth. One of my children was able though he, too, resisted and is in Hell alongside of your father.”

“What about Tranquilla?”

“She went along and did as she was asked. The torture was too much for her body and she died. Her soul is in the hands of Thanatos. When a suitable body is found, her soul and that of a god will merge and take possession of it. Then I will finally have god in the flesh as one of my children. Can you imagine how a god who sees me as mother will behave? What power she’ll offer?”

“Then you don’t have power like that yet. Good to know.”

Seconds later, the door to the house bust open and Mark’s friends arrived.

“Which one,” Hunter asked.

“Erebus.”

Hunter let fly an arrow that went straight into Erebus’s throat. It didn’t kill him but it wasn’t meant to.

Mark let fly bolts of electricity at his mother. She was fending it off but he grew closer. When he reached her she began to feel its force. To counter him, she drew from his life force.

Blackbird came close to Chernobog. She knew she had no chance of hurting him like she had Devastator but she could prove a distraction against Mark’s attack on his mother.

The human god turned his gaze to her. His eyes were blackened. He raised his hand to attack when a sword bit into his arm. It posed no danger to Chernobog but kept him momentarily off-balance.

“Gotta,” Kizeme said with a grin.

Chernobog looked at him. “One of those from Heaven, though perhaps not such a nice place.”

“Better than Hell. Which is where you belong.”

Chernobog. “You mortals have no idea of what you are doing.”

“That’s what the Dark Man said before he ran off with his tail between his legs.”

“My grandson prefers things easy but don’t make the mistake of thinking him weak.”

An arrow came whizzing toward Chernobog but he raised a hand and plucked it out of the air. A quick glance offered an eye roll.

“Your werewolf claws are insignificant.”

“What about Dragonfang,” Tekko said as she struck Chernobog in the neck.

Chernobog grunted and a slight cut showed on his neck though it quickly vanished. “Better than most, given your strength. This is one reason why Tyrus would see your kind destroyed.”

Nighthawk and Flare were keeping Erebus busy. He was able to shield against the flames but the throwing ankhs got through. This only served to enrage Erebus. He had never before been touched.

“Courtesy of Rick Sterling, may he Rest In Peace,” Nighthawk commented. “But don’t you worry. Moros and Brute will die for it.”

“You are cocky.”

A mini volcano fountained up from the floor.  Tellus made sure it didn’t get out of control so as not to harm her friends, but the Sellers Family, or whatever they were that lurked inside of their bodies, needed to know the teen heroes weren’t to be trifled with.

“The blood of Thanatos flows through you, much as Cesarina. You are cousin to the twins. That makes you useful as a host.”

“Screw you,” Fury said, smashing Erebus through a window.

“A little help, Lara,” Blazer said through gritted teeth.

Mark’s sister approached. She transformed into pure electrical energy and gripped their mother. Cesarina Sellers began to wither, blackening in their grasp. At the end she was nothing but ash, so powerful was their combined power.

“Guess she’ll never get that power after all.”

“No,” Chernobog screamed. “You’ve ruined years of planning and I no longer have use for her children.” Chernobog looked at Erebus. “Dispose of them.”

“Time to fly, guys,” Blazer shouted out.

Mark grabbed Hunter and zoomed away, though he didn’t immediately leave the premises. Hunter didn’t ask why, assuming his friend had a reason. Mark looked through the rooms and, like Jake had done when visiting his own family’s home, collected various pictures and mementos. He stuffed what he could into a couple of duffel bags. He handed them to Jake since he couldn’t hold them and his friend at the same time.

Blackbird had grabbed Tekko and teleported away. Fury came out with Kizeme in her arms. Nighthawk dove through the window and extended his wings, Flare hot on his heels. Lara shot out in her lightning form.

Mark was running out when there was the sound of earth grinding and molten flowing. Then the entire house was replaced with a volcano, with Tellus on top. She looked like a demon goddess, though Mark knew this was the form she took when her original mutant powers were activated. Lava shout out from the volcano but hardened into solid rock, allowing her to safely reach the ground.

“Wow,” Hunter said. “That’s some crazy level of power. Glad she’s on our side.”

“If what he said is true,” Tellus began. “This will not have killed him. Probably not Erebus, either, given that Chernobog believed he could kill all his of us.”

“That would make Erebus stronger than Moros,” Nighthawk added.

“I guess I’m no longer protected my Chernobog,” Mark commented.

“God, Mark,” said Lara. “That was our home. We had things in there.”

“That was not our home but” Mark gestured to Jake “we got some stuff. But let’s check it all out when we’re far away from here.” Mark looked to the others. “Let’s go the other apartment, the one where we first met.”

The teens all made their way to the apartment where Mark and Jake used to live.

“Whose apartment is this,” Lara queried.

“Me and Mark used to live here,” Jake answered. “Until Tony decided it was too dangerous to be on our own.”

“Tony? Is he that man who went to Los Angeles to get you? He wanted me to stay at his apartment.”

“That’s where I live,” said Mark. “Tony…he’s my foster father. Sort of. Our not-father and mother blocked him from adopting me. I’m guessing he won’t care anymore.”

“How do you know him?”

Mark turned pale. Rehashing everything was difficult.

Jake interjected. “We were in rough shape when the Avengers found us. Homeless drug addicts. And outright insane. They decided against locking us up anywhere and Tony and Clint – the other guy who picked us up in LA – took care of us.”

“Yeah, that,” Mark said

Jake put the duffel bags on the living room table. Then he pulled down his hood and removed his bow and quiver. He toyed with taking off the knives but left them.

“This was an interesting night,” Kyle said. “Cesarina Sellers dead and both Chernobog and Erebus set in their place, even if just temporarily.”

“We should be the ones called the Avengers,” Jake said. “They’re like ‘lock the bad guys up for the ninetieth time’ and we’re like ‘revenge’. We have things to avenge. I’m guessing, from the bits I heard at the mansion, that there’s more to all of our stories.”

“Is it something you want to go over tonight,” Amanda offered.

“No way,” said Mark. “Not unless it’s majorly important in this moment. I think most of us here have earned enough trust to be more open. I mean, other than the stuff that can send me spiral.”

“I vote for Punishers as a team name,” said Stephanie. “We punish the wicked and all that.”

“Not bad,” Kerry said. “They did tell us to come up with a team name if we wanted.”

“What about Renegades,” Angel suggested. “We live outside of the law.”

“Great ideas,” Amara interjected. “Let us set them aside for a moment when we have not just been in battle.”

“I’m so confused about everything,” Lara said. “Is this some kind of new version of the Champions?”

“The Champions are dead.” There was anger in Mark’s voice. “We’re killing every damn one of them who was involved with it. We’re not here to play superheroes. We’re here for vengeance.”

“Indeed,” Kerry said. “We have much to discuss concerning Chernobog, Erebus, Cain and Moros. As you said, however, it can wait for another time.”

“Can we skip all of the weird secret stuff and talk about tonight,” Angel said. “Let’s talk about tonight and our next move.”

“Well, we succeeded in killing my mother,” Mark said. “That makes me and Lara orphans.”

“Except for Tony,” Jake commented.

“Right. He’s the Dad I’ve been lucky to have since… anyway, she’s dead. She killed my Dad, my brother and my little sister.” Mark began to crack over that last one.

Raven approached Mark and hugged him. “We’ll do what we must but don’t let them steal our humanity. That’s what they want. They don’t get to win.”

“I know.” Mark disengaged and looked at Jake, who was staring at the floor. “We’ll be with them again.”

Jake nodded but didn’t look up.

“Not for a long while. There’s so much more to life. Those you lost would want you to thrive.”

“I don’t get all of this,” said Lara. “Not just the superhero or whatever stuff. It’s the way Mark and Jake treat each other. This isn’t shared survival. It’s something else.”

Amanda looked back and forth between them. “You aren’t wrong but it’s something that has served them. I would say the bond was formed from their experiences together but has become something more.”

“I wouldn’t call it a psychic bond,” said Kyle. “Perhaps a shared empathy. It’s why neither has to wonder what is or isn’t acceptable to say to others. They just know.”

Stephanie stroked Jake’s back, making circular motions with her hand. “It’s okay. Don’t ever let anyone tell you it’s wrong. I remember a little of what you were like before you were allowed to leave Avengers Academy. I don’t think either of you would have made it without the other.”

“Yeah,” Jake said. “So who’s next? Erebus or Brute?”

“I don’t know, Mark said. “I’m starting to think Erebus might be more powerful than we knew. I’m wondering if Erebus, Brute and Moros are all on the same level.” 

“And there’s Omega Man,” Angel said. “He implied he was very possible. Not so much supernatural as Superman. He’s one to watch out for.”

“Then we be cautious,” Amara said. “We’ve made little use of the communicators the Avengers allowed us to use. Perhaps we should carry them at all times. It sounds as though Chernobog may come after us in earnest rather than sit back and let us play our games. He cared little for our actions, or for those we killed, until Cesarina was kill and we ruined whatever plans he had.”

“Sounds like a good idea to me,” Angel agreed. “There’s also the Dark Man and we don’t really know what he wants other than dead mutants.”

“There are three in this room,” Mark mentioned. “And I don’t know if ex-mutants like me and Lara count.”

Jake sighed in slight annoyance. “Fine. I’m the other mutant Stephanie wondered about a few months ago. I don’t like talking about it because the Wraiths changed me and I hate what they did.”

“It’s not so bad, Jake. I don’t mind it.”

“You don’t mind anything I do or am. It’s what I…never mind. It doesn’t matter.”

“Of course it matters. Chernobog and the Wraiths went out of their way to change us into something other than we had been. The three of us, Angel, Amara and even Kitty Pryde. We just don’t know why. Well, except me and Lara. I know what that was about.”

“I remember. Shadow made me, Lana and Aaron watch.”

“I think we’ve had enough revelations for tonight,” Amanda said. “Let’s go home and relax.”

“But with these in hand.” Kerry held up a communicator.

There was general agreement and most of them filtered out.

“Here or home,” Mark asked.

“Home. Clint will be worried. Tony, too.”

“Where am I supposed to go,” Lara asked. “I don’t have a have a home and, sorry Mark, but you’ve been freaking me out. I don’t want to go with you to Stark’s house.”

Mark frowned. He knew he’d changed drastically since they’d last seen one another and he didn’t have it in him to pretend for her. The changes has been so incremental for so long that each time it happened felt like a major victory. Going back wasn’t an option. He could never be the carefree boy he’d been in the past. Those days had been brutally torn from him.

“I’m sorry I can’t be what you want.”

“Stay with me again,” Angel suggested. “I like the company.”

Lara gave a hint of a smile. “Okay. I don’t have clothes of my own yet and we’re pretty similar in size.”

“Wait, before you go, take a look at the stuff me and Jake pulled from the mansion before Amara blew it up.

Mark opened the duffle bag. He pulled out pictures, jewelry, a locket, Tranquilla’s favorite teddy bear, their father’s favorite shirt and the poorly matched tie they’d given him but that he wore anyway, Damiano’s signed jersey and other things that were worth remembering. This was the stuff of love their family had before their mother destroyed it.

Lara picked up a locket. Their father had given it to her. It had once belonged to his grandmother. It contained a family photo. Notably absent was their mother, which they were beginning to see was a pattern. She most often took the pictures rather than appear in them. It was like she was trying to set herself apart from the rest.

“Take whatever you want,” Mark said. “I got stuff I thought might matter.”

Lara undid the clasp and put the locket around her neck. “Do you mind if I take the teddy bear? I want to hold it in bed at night.”

“I think Tranquilla would have loved for you to have it.”

Lara nodded but her eyes were welling up with tears. Mark immediately went over and hugged her. Their relationship could never be what it was but that didn’t mean it couldn’t be something else. Something new that was just as meaningful.

“Okay. I’d better get going. We can talk tomorrow?”

“Yeah, of course. I’m, after therapy. That’s at 10:00 so I’ll have the rest of the day.”

“Damn,” Jake said. “He’s gonna lose his shit when he hears about everything that’s gone down.”

“Not everything. He’ll like California.”

“After he chews us out for running off.”

“We’ll be fine.”

END