“Let me go!” I scream.

“Calm down.”

His voice is deep and full of annoyance as he looks at me. I can’t stand it. I can’t stand the idea that I trusted Vigor and he straight up lied to me. The man was a monster. He was a fucking monster.

We are back at the lair right now. He’s literally dragged me into his throne room. Madame Motions finds it quite amusing with her evil queen laugh as she stands off to the side letting her all black gown sweep the floor of the room.

I punch Vigor, dead in his face once. His nose starts bleeding almost immediately but he still doesn’t release me. The second punch I deliver to Vigor is met with soft skin. It has no effect to him. My hand literally sinks into his skin. He’s using his ability and it sucks.

“Get the fuck off of me!” I’m screaming.

I’m finding myself pulling, dragging across the room. I want to leave this place. I want to leave this hell hole.

Vigor turns to Madame Motions, “Are you going to help me with him or are you just going to stand there…”

“Now Vigor, sweetheart. We both know the Vicious Vigor I know doesn’t need help with that kid,” Madame Motions replies.

She’s right. Vigor is being gentle with me. He’s playing me with kid gloves for whatever reason and I don’t appreciate it. My heart is pounding. The anger is filling me up. My heart is thumping harder and harder in my chest. I don’t know how I get a hold of it but I grab onto Vigor’s watch. The watch melts in my hand and reshapes. In a matter of minutes it becomes a taser.

I don’t hesitate to use my transmuted taser and jam it into Vigor’s neck. He curses, spits and hurls me to the ground in pain. It only takes a minute for me to get loose and I’m running. I’m running as fast as I can.

The alarm goes off.

“EVERYONE! I need you to find Materias and bring him back to the throne room. Unharmed.”

Vigor’s voice on the loud speaker echoes through the hallways. I have to get out of this place. I’m not thinking about anything else at this moment. These people were terrorists. I couldn’t be associated with them. I couldn’t allow myself to be stuck here. Vigor had lied to me straight to my fucking face. He told me I was making a device to bring down the wall but instead I was making a bomb. I trusted him. I trusted him when I transmuted that device.

My feet are running faster than I can go. I take the elevator all the way down to the ground floor. As soon as the doors open a flurry of icicles stream past my head barely missing me.

“Come out, come out wherever you are.”

I recognize the voice. It’s Icebox. So much for Materias telling them to bring me back unharmed. I look at the wall of the elevator door as I duck behind the closing so that he can’t see me. I don’t have anything to transmute in this elevator. Then I think. I can use my clothes.

I rip off a piece of the lining from the elevator while peaking over to see Icebox. His hands have a frosted look over them. There is a smirk on his face. He’s been waiting to get back at me for a while now. He’s probably been looking to kill me. This is his excuse.

“I just want to leave.”

“Can’t let you do that. See. The boss gave an order and I intend to follow them.”

The smile on his face makes me sick. I hate this guy. I really, really hate this fucking guy. The lining is in my hands now and I whip it up in front of me. My mind focuses. I focus on what I want the shirt to become and within a few blinks there is a metal shield in my hand.

I charge out of the elevator! The flurry of sharp ice daggers are thrown at me. Luckily he doesn’t have Fem’s sense of aim. The ice daggers are all around me. Many end up bouncing off the shield. I’m going, faster. My legs are carrying me with as much force as I can manager. I can see him in front of me and immediately I hit him with my shield. I hit him as hard as I can. I can feel his hard, solid body fall to the floor. I’m amazed that I have the strength in me to get him to the floor like that.

“You little fag---“ I hear Icebox spit from the floor below me, squirming in visible pain with a nose that quite possibly may be broken.

His insult makes me volley a swift kick to his kidneys and he curses again in pain. I turn to my right and realize the way that leads out of the lair is blocked by Ghost. The pale man is standing there looking like he’s ready to charge me. The intangible supervillain makes a race for me, running as fast as he can. I do the only thing I can think of at that moment. I grab onto my boots and I turn them into roller skates.

I swerving past the room, dodging Ghost as he approaches me and making a mad dash towards the door. That’s when I see someone running towards me.

Web.

Fuck.

I can only imagine him spinning his silk like he did before. I wouldn’t stand a change of getting past him even on roller blades. However for some reason Web just stands there. He just looks at me and he smiles, almost amused that I’m making a run for it. He doesn’t attempt to stop me. I could almost kiss him right then if I had the chance.

But I don’t…because someone else has just stepped out of the elevator. It’s Fem Fatale. My eyes gleam as my friend lifts up a gun. She is so far away that I can’t even hear her but I can read her mouth.

She mouths off the words, “sorry”.

And even from this distance…there is no way Fem Fatale can miss.

I wake up in my bedroom…in the lair. All that I hadn’t made it far at all. This is some fuck shit. I’m not alone in my room. Vicious Vigor is leaning up against a wall. He’s staring out into dark shadows that are in the room. His face is sharp. I never met a man with a jawline like Vicious Vigor. It’s damn near chiseled on his face along with his high cheek bones and full soft lips. I remember how those lips felt. There is a danger in him even now. He’s the sexiest goddam demon I’d ever met.

“Fem says she’s sorry,” his deep monotone dark almost sadistic voice says before sliding a gun on the floor. It’s the same gun that Fem Fatale shot me with. Upon closer look it’s clear she shot me with a tranquilizer gun.

I’m tempted to make a charge for the gun and shoot Vigor with it but as I lift my head up I still feel heavy from the tranquilizer. Vigor must know what I’m thinking because he walks over picks up the gun again and shoves it in his coat pocket. He looks at me from above my bed with a look that I swear may be regret but I’m not 100 percent sure. Either way he doesn’t seem happy about all of this.

“I want to leave,” I tell him.

“You can’t,” he responds.

“I’m a prisoner here? Is that it? I don’t get why. I’ve made your bomb for you. How many people died in the bomb. 30? 40? Do you even know?”

“120,” he responds.

Holy fuck. I want to throw up at that moment. I am not playing either. I’m standing at the edge of my bed and dry heaving. What type shit is this? There was a special place in hell for metahumans who made bombs that killed that many people. My mind shifts to stupid shit like what the fuck I’m going to talk to Hitler and Christopher Columbus about when I meet them down there.

“You made me make a bomb. You told me…you told me it was a device to take down the fuckin’ wall,” I say between heaves.

He looks at me, “It is a device to take down the wall. Just not directly. The Ministry would like to negotiate now. Now they know we aren’t just going to sit around and be murdered off.”

“Now they know we are the murderers. Right?” I ask.

I’m so upset that I can barely look at him but I force myself to. I want to see the face of this animal. It’s the face right now of a tiger. That’s the only way I can describe it. There is a danger and power about him. There is an elegance and beauty in there still. But a tiger is a tiger no matter how beautiful it is.

Vigor shakes his head, “I’m sorry I got you involved in this. It was never my intention to make you feel like you had any responsibility for this. That’s why I told you it was a device.”

“That’s why you brought me to the bridge. That’s why you watched.”

“I wanted you to know why I did it.”

“Fuck you Vigor.”

“Materias please…”

“FUCK YOU!”

I grab my pillow and change it into a glass vase. I throw the glass vase with all my might even with a drugged up body at Vigor. Vigor must see it coming because he manipulates his density. He makes his body hard. The glass vase smashes into him and doesn’t leave a dent. It shatters to pieces on the floor. I expect him to put on a high and mighty grimace like Web Weaver or even Icebox would do after a show of their power. He doesn’t though. Vigor looks like he’s in a pain.

I don’t feel bad for him though. I don’t feel bad one little bit. This was a pain that he could have avoided ten times over.

“I wish I could let you leave. I still need you though. You still owe me for saving your life. When this is over. When you see what I have to do the things I have to do, I hope you can forgive me. If you don’t, if you hate me…I won’t hold you back. I’ll let you leave.”

“Don’t you see Vigor? I hate you already…”

My words shoot venom. I want to hurt him and if I can’t hurt him physically then I want my words to sting. I want him to feel all the anger and betrayal that he gave me.

His face darkens but he doesn’t address my comment, “Madame Motions has made us a dinner tonight in the War Room. We will discuss phase 2 of my plan. Oh. Materias. There is someone waiting for you in the break room. Per our agreement.”

Vigor turns at that moment. He turns and starts to walk away as though it’s nothing. Little does he know I am planning. I’m plotting. The media was right about Vicious Vigor when they called him a terrorist. They were right when they called him a radical.

The world would be better off without Vicious Vigor.

And I was going to make sure that happened…

I sleep for another hour before dragging myself out of bed. I take off my suit, shower and let the cold water hit me. In the drawers there are the same gray sweat suits, freshly restocked. I guess even with Gadget Girl gone her taste in bland grays still continued.

By the time I’m done with my shower I hope that I can calm down from it all. It barely works. I am still heated and pissed off at Vigor’s betrayal as I make my way into the common area on the 4th floor. I’m disgusted to see a lot of these people.

“You feeling better?” Fem Fatale asks me.

I ignore her. Bitch.

As I walk into the room I can hear what the Thinkers staring at me then staring at each other. It’s annoying to have to shut off my brain when I’m around them and fight them. I’m too tired for that. Plus there is nothing I really want to had so I let them stare at me and pry. They both share the same long face that Fem soon puts on. I don’t expect Ghost to be there, because he’s usually walking the halls. I’m also surprised that Madame Motions is in the room. She usually keeps to herself as though she puts herself above everyone else.

“Nice nose job,” I tell Icebox.

I can feel cold steam radiating off of him as I walk past. His nose is bandaged up and he’s giving me the shittiest stare. As usual he’s sitting next to Web Weaver who just gives me a smile. The two are inseparable but they can’t be any more different. I am planning on going to take a seat next to Web Weaver when I see him.

“You weren’t expecting me were you?”

Scanman.

My heart races as I run over to him. I want to break out in tears like a little bitch and I probably would but I can see the likes of Madame Motions and Icebox staring me down hoping that they can give me some attention.

“Did they hurt you?” I ask him.

I am looking all over Scanman’s body. I’m checking him for scars. I don’t know how long he’d been locked up in that goddam place and the idea of having my friend back with me helps. I can at least say that regardless of how evil Vicious Vigor is he actually did end up keeping his word about releasing my friend.

“No, no, Cameron,” he tells me, “They’ve been actually really welcoming. Mr. Vicious got me a nice little room not too far from you. Fem Fatale here has been showing me the ropes.”

“You have a sexy friend…” Fem states winking causing Icebox to give off a slightly jealous grimace.

I grab Scanman and pull him away from the others. They are watching television anyway. In the next couple of minutes Web Weaver and Icebox are playing cards. I can see the Thinkers looking over at me and I make it known to pull Scanman completely out of the room and into the hallway at that moment. Scanman seems a little surprised by this.

“You ok?” he asks me.

“You can’t trust these people,” I warn him.

“They don’t seem so bad,” Scanman states, “There is the one guy. Iceman. I saw him sneaking around.”

I raise an eyebrow, “Sneaking around? When?”

“Earlier. But that doesn’t matter. Besides him the rest of them seem kind of. I don’t know. Normal.”

“HELL NO! What?”

“I’m a little confused. I’m the one who told you that you can’t trust them,” Scanman explained, “You’re the one who told me that I had to. I had a long talk with Vicious Vigor and swear to god man…I don’t think he’s that bad…”

“He is the devil,” I respond, “You don’t know what kind of stuff he did Scanman. He told me I was supposed to make a device for him…it ended up being a bomb.”

Scanman’s eyes get wide at that moment.

Now all of a sudden he sees how serious I am. We look at each other. I can tell his face. He reminds me so much of Sunbeam. I’d always been able to read both brothers. Scanman clearly looks like he is uncomfortable at that moment.

“What’s the plan?” Scanman asks.

It’s just as simple as that. He doesn’t need to hear anymore.

“I’m…going to try to kill him. At the dinner tonight. End this shit before it gets out of hand,” I explain to Scanman.

“How?”

“It’s better if you don’t know,” I respond.

Scanman looks at me and puts a hand on my arm, “Listen. I promised Sunbeam something before we lost him. I think he had a feeling something bad was going to happen. I don’t know how. I think he knew we were risking a lot by going to that place. Because he told me that if anything happened to you…I should take care of you. No matter what man. And I promise that’s what I’m going to do.”

My heart races just thinking about Sunbeam. I focus my attention at Scanman and try to fake a sense of happiness, “I cared about your brother. A lot.”

“You were in love with him.”

“You knew?”

“C`mon. Everyone knew. Even Jolie,” Scanman laughs.

“Even Sunbeam.”

“Especially Sunbeam,” Scanman replies, “And you know what. I just think he couldn’t give you what you wanted but if he could he would. I think you know that. And I think he cared enough at some points to try but I told him it wasn’t fair. I told him that you’ll find someone that’ll love you one day with all the sacrifice in the world. Someone that won’t compromise that love.”

“That kind of love doesn’t exist,” I reply to him, “Not to villains. Hence the reason I’m going to kill Vigor.”

“Funny. First time I heard you talk about him I could have sworn you had that spark in your eye,” Scanman stated, “The same spark you had for Sunbeam.”

Fuck. Scanman could read people in more than one way. I try to shake the thought of it.

“What you trying to do Scan? There is no spark between me and Vigor.”

“Ok. Ok. I know he’s bad. If you kill him. I’m with you. So how you going to do it.”

“I’m going to change his drink to poison.”

Scanman raises an eyebrow, “Wait…you’re going to change liquid. Have you ever done that before?”

I shake my head. I was good at solid inanimate objects. That was the only thing I had changed. I had never tried to use transmutation on a liquid before. I had no choice but to do that though. If I could change his liquid to a poison then I could kill him. I could kill off Vicious Vigor and rid the world of the worst villain to ever walk the face of the Earth.

“I’ll figure it out,” I tell Scanman.

“Maybe we should just try to run again.”

“We can’t. That man is a madman. He killed over 100 people. 120. He knew the exact numbers.”

“I should be there.”

“Just scan all the other villains when we get back. I’ll need to know their limits in case they try to stop us from leaving once Vigor’s dead.”

Scanman nods, “I got your back. I don’t agree with this…I must say. But I got your back. I always will.”

We join the others shortly after discussing a plan of how we were going to escape this place once I kill Vicious Vigor at the dinner tonight. My heart is racing about it. A part of me is scared and hesitating but a part of me just keeps remembering that bridge. I keep replaying in my head what happened when that bomb went off and all those innocent people died. I can’t stand the thought of it. I can’t stand the thought of being tricked into the murder of all those people.

When we get back into the breakroom the television is replaying the scene. A news reporter gets on the screen showing a video of Madame Motions on the screen. Cheers break out in the breakroom when Madame Motion comes on the screen.

Madame Motion like an Old Hollywood deputante who never realized her time is up stands and takes a bow, “Thank you. Thank you.”

The new reporter is very clear. It’s national news that is going on all over the country, “News from the barriered city of Metroplis where a metahuman terrorist group known only as the Division of Disaster attacked a congregation at a local park. This attack marks an all time high in a string of terrorist metahuman crimes lead by the Division’s leader known only as Vicious Vigor. Even now the name rings fear into the nation after the terrorist killed the US President. The bomb killed 120 people and injured over 200. It was detonated by Super Villain Madame Motions who has the metahuman curse to teleport.”

“Curse?” Fem Fatale states, “Do you believe that bitch?”

“Is that really what sickens you the most out of what she’s saying?” Web Weaver asks at that moment giving Fem Fatale an annoyed look.

“What sickens me is that photo of me. You would think they’d have a more flattering angle with all the cameras in the park that day,” Madame Motion argues.

“You people are bitches…” I manage to spit out.

There is laughter from Icebox at that moment, “Bitches, but you’re the one acting like a pussy.”

Ghost is the one that looks at me and lets out a sigh, “C`mon breathren…why so serious. Lighten up.”

“I’m not your fuckin breathren. You sick fucking individuals!” I respond, “Just as fucking sick as fucking Vicious. I hope all of you burn in hell.”

The room is shocked. I can’t control my emotions. They all look at me without knowing what to really say. The Thinkers are trying to get into my head but I don’t let them. The others are judging me. I’m sure they are. They think I’m weak. They think I don’t belong here. A part of me wonders if they are right. I was never meant to be a part of this in the first place. I was never meant to be some Super Villain. I don’t know what I was thinking. I don’t know why the fuck I’m here in the first place.

It’s Fem Fatale who walks up to me at that moment and pokes me hard in the chest, “Listen. I know you’re new here. I know you don’t know our ways. But you’ll learn one day. It’s them…or it’s us. This is war. You get it. People die in war.”

“Ask Rapidfire. The guy who died for you,” Icebox agrees with Fem Fatale, “Or Gadget Girl. Or what’s those guys that got killed rolling with you? Yeah. Ask them. What are their names?”

They agree with Icebox. I see a nod of heads at that moment. Even Scanman sinks into silence not standing up for me. I think I know why. The mention of my friends is getting to him. I can see the Thinkers looking at Scanman. They are reading his mind.

The Thinkers list them out.

“Jolie.”

“Baby Boom.”

“Sunbeam.”

And I’m crying. That’s all it takes. All it takes is them bringing up my old friends and I’m back in tears. Icebox looks at me with his broken nose. He’s laughing at me. He’s laughing in my face.

“There it is. The weakling has resurfaced again. Why don’t you take off running?” Iceman asks me, “That’s what you’re good at.”

And he’s right. Laughter trails me as I run off. Running from the laughter at my back. I’m stopped halfway down the hallway by none other than Web Weaver. He grabs me by my hand and he pulls me into him. He pulls me close. I can see that he looks sympathetic to my tears. It hurts to look weak in front of people. I’m shocked when Web Weaver doesn’t seem to mind staring at me.

It’s almost like he’s staring in my soul. He grabs me in that hallway and he pulls me close, “It’s ok.”

I stand there crying being weak. I keep thinking about all the death around me. When this war was over would there be any of us left?

“It’s not ok,” I tell him.”

“Not all of us are like Icebox. He’s a dick.”

“He’s your bestfriend isn’t he?”

“He follows me around all the time. The guy probably thinks I’m strong so he lurches onto me following me around,” Web Weaver explains at that moment, “That doesn’t make him my best friend. We have our differences.”

“They’re evil.”

“They are mislead,” Web Weaver explains, “Vigor has all of them thinking that terrorist attacks are the way to go. They aren’t. He’s losing it. First the traitor thing and now he’s blowing up entire crowds of people to kill two heroes.”

“I thought it was just Holy Wing that was there.”

“There was another. Tonic. She’s the Hall of Heroes healer. I think that’s what he was really after. Vigor did all of that just to take out a goddam healer.”

I get sick to my stomach.

“He’s a monster.”

Web Weaver grabs my hand and holds it tight for a moment, “But we aren’t all like that. You trust me right. I mean it. Listen I’ve been through a lot in my life and one thing I know. You have to live for something or you’ll fall for anything. You hear me. Fuck what Icebox says. Fuck what Vigor does. You don’t live for them. You know who you live for handsome?”

“Who?”

Web Weaver stubs his finger in my chest, “You live for you. And honestly from my eyes…that is something beautiful. That is something worth living for. Don’t let these assholes bring you down. Ok?”

Web Weaver leans in and gives me a tight hug. I hug him back. A part of me wants to kiss him and be comforted by him even longer but I can’t allow myself to feel comfort. Not right now. Now I had a plan.

“Weaver. Be careful of Icebox…” I tell him.

“Why?”

“I think he might be the spy. And if anything happens to Vigor…I think he’ll make his move on everyone else. I don’t want you involved.”

Web Weaver raises an eyebrow, “I Huh? Wait. What? What would happen to Vigor? Why are you telling me this? Materias---MATERIAS!”

I don’t answer him. I walk away at that moment, ready to face Vigor one last time.

A dinner table is laid out on the War Room but when I get there I’m surprised that no one else is there. I walk into the room wearing my super suit that Web made me. Touching the fabric makes me think of Web. A part of me wishes he doesn’t attend this dinner. He has a way of calming me. He has a way of making me feel at ease once I look at his model like face and his strong features. I want to like him.

I can’t allow myself to be comforted. I have to be hard. I have to feel that pain.

“I’m glad you can join me,” Vigor states.

He appears from behind a door that I think leads into a staircase that probably goes up to the much discussed 6th floor where no one can go to. Vigor doesn’t have his trenchcoat on. He’s wearing somewhat normal clothes today. It’s something that I’m not really used to but I have to admit even though I hate this man he looks amazing as soon as he walks down. There is something so maniacal even about his movements. When he walks to the table he nods for me to sit. When I do he takes a seat close to me so that we are only one chair apart.

“Am I early?” I ask him.

“No…you’re just on time.”

“Where’s everyone else?”

“I didn’t invite them,” he responds.

I sigh at that moment shaking my head, “You just can’t help lying can you?”

Vigor stares at me at that moment. There is food already on the table. I watch as he stands up grabs a bottle of wine and starts pouring it into our cups. When he’s done pouring the wine he pushes one cup towards me and takes the other one. He doesn’t drink right away. He smells the wine in an old school way as though savoring it for a second.

“I figured that I had a lot of explaining to do,” Vigor explains to me.

“What makes you think I want to hear anything you have to say?”

“I don’t think you do. That’s the reason I didn’t invite anyone else. I figured if you knew it was just us here alone you probably wouldn’t show up. So, I lied. And maybe you’re right. Maybe I just forgot the art of telling the truth. Maybe I’m just a liar…”

My eyes look at Vigor. He looks upset with that regretful look again. For a moment I almost feel sorry about him but then in the back of my mind I think about that blast. I think about that blast in that moment. This man really wants to sit here and explain something like that. What explanation could possibly warrant something like that.

“I’m glad you’re finally being sincere about who you are,” I explain, “A liar.”

“I don’t want you to hate me,” Vigor explains, “You’re the first person in a very long time that made me think of something else besides my mission. My mission is the most important thing to me. This war is the most important thing to me.”

“Let me move closer. I can’t hear you.”

I get up at that moment. Vigor seems nervous as I do but I don’t think its because he suspects anything. I think just the fact that I’m not sitting in the chair that is between us is making him nervous. He breathes heavily at that moment.

“You make me so…nervous,” he tells me.

I walk my fingers up towards the cloth. He’s not paying attention to my hands. He’s looking right at me. It’s almost like he’s letting his guard down and I’ve never seen Vigor like that. He’s acting like a common fool. He doesn’t see my hand touching it his goblet.

Within seconds I’m focusing. This is the hardest thing I have to do. In a matter of seconds I have to change liquid of all things. I have to change just enough to make the liquid poison but not too much or else he’d be able to smell it. I have to be gentle and make sure that I don’t change the shape of the goblet but only the liquid inside.

The focus only lasts for a second because Vigor is touching me, taking my attention away.

I quickly glare at the glass goblet. The color of the wine has changed slightly but there is no way to be sure. Does it work? Was I able to change wine to poison?

“You’re a distraction,” he tells me.

“Then send me away,” I tell him, “Let me leave if I’m distracting you from your mission so much.’

Vigor shakes his head at that moment as though feeling some sort of pain. His right hand is on my thigh. For a moment I see a person in his eyes. For a moment I swear to god that he’s this crazy monster. I can’t allow myself to feel guilty for him.

“I can’t…” Vigor tells me, “Because you’re a distraction that I want. You probably think I’m evil. Maybe I am. Maybe deep inside I’m the worst person you’ll ever meet. I’ve settled on that a long time ago that I am that person. I came to terms with that. I fell down that hole. For some reason when I met you though I can see myself being someone else.”

I’m confused. What was Vigor saying?

“Someone like who?”

Vigor shrugs his shoulders, “I’m not sure. Anyone you want me to be. When you look at me. It’s almost like…like you want me to be your hero. And I wish I could do that for you. I wish I could take off my trenchcoat and I don’t know…put on a cape. I wish I can be your hero just so you can keep looking at me the way you used to before you found out the kind of person I really was.”

My heart drops.

Fuck.

“Vigor…” I say shaking my head, “Why did you kill all of those people? Why the fuck did you do that? You went…too far…”

“I had to,” Vigor explains, “You’ll understand. It’s more than what you think. I promise you. Let me explain. Maybe…just maybe once you hear what I have to say I’ll still be your hero. I know I don’t wear tights. I know I don’t have an S on my chest. But can you listen to my story anyway? Can you just please hear me out. Please let me explain why I did what I did?”

“Yes…please…Vigor…please tell me…”

At that moment I want to hear so bad. At that moment I am yearning to hear Vigor explain to me why he did what he did. I want that understanding.

“Ok…” he says, “Give me a second. This is a little hard. Let me take a sip really quick.”

Fuck. No.

Vigor grabs the goblet and he’s raising it to his mouth pushing it up before I can stop him…

To read the next chapter go to www.crushedcrown.com