by Emrys Apollo
HERO X VILLAIN
CHAPTER I
Nic shivered and opened his eyes. He curled up in the hospital bed and pulled the thin blanket further up so it covered his shoulders. That was a little better, and soon he was warm enough to maybe fall back asleep. It felt like maybe 2, 3 in the morning, but he had no idea. The time wasn’t available for him. He exhaled and accidentally tugged against the restraint. Nic’s breath hitched and he forced his eyes shut again as he adjusted his position on the bed.
About a year ago he’d been a hero, one of the League. They’d never really treated him like one. Nic thought he’d do the right thing and help people. Sebastian Crane saw Nic’s powers and thought the hero would make a perfect super weapon. Head of the Order of Darkness, extremely rich from a million different enterprises both legal and illegal, and the villain known as Emperor. Yes, really, the man was that flavor of evil. It was sexy, to be honest, and the man cleaned up well when he wasn’t wearing his stupid fucking costume. Unfortunately, Nic really had no reason to appreciate him, especially when Crane stood at the foot of his bed, which Nic just realized he was doing at three in the fucking morning .
Nic jumped as he felt the man’s presence, and within a second the light flicked on. He squinted and blinked, shielding his eyes with one hand. Crane laughed, a low chuckle in his throat as he slowly walked over to the side of the bed. “Good morning, sunshine,” Crane said. Nic blinked again and he caught a glimpse of Crane’s watch. Ah. It wasn’t three after all, it was five in the morning instead. He didn’t feel any better about that.
“Good morning,” Nic said quietly. His first month in captivity was mostly spent on him being beaten, shocked, and confined in a pitch black cell. He’d caused nothing but trouble as Crane figured out how to keep his abilities under wraps so he couldn’t escape. His notes on the computer had plenty to say by now.
Shape-shifting. Reality manipulation. Immortality and cell regeneration. Self sustenance; energy creation? Powers are innate.
That was only a small bit of one very large document spanning the last twelve months. It was all Nic had managed to catch a glimpse of. By now Crane probably knew more about him than he did, which likely wasn’t difficult. Nic didn’t know as much as he might have liked to. It didn’t matter now. His life wasn’t in his own hands anymore.
“You’ve lost weight over the last few months,” Crane said as he gently tugged on the sleeve of Nic’s shirt. He was dressed in emerald green paper scrubs, given to him fresh from the bag after his shower only six hours before. Nic blinked again and nodded. He didn’t have to respond to that.
“I know you want to go back to sleep, but you can’t today,” Crane said. “I have a lot of tests for you, Nicholas.” Nic had no idea why he had to say it like that. It kind of weirded him out.
“Okay,” Nic said. He wasn’t going to fight it. There was no use in fighting anymore. He sat back and watched as Crane beckoned in the doctor and the nurse. They were nice enough, and they both had an excellent bedside manner. Nic didn’t know their names. He supposed that was intentional.
“Get me a liter of blood,” Crane said. “One of our men has been shot.” Nic bowed his head and said nothing. He reached up and rolled up his sleeves as well as he could with his limited mobility. Crane’s eyes seemed to bore into him as his fingers pulled at the paper clothing.
“We’ve got him, sir. I know you have other business to attend to.” Nic felt relieved as Crane walked away with only a nod. He could pretend he was just in a hospital now, and not imprisoned within a special medical bay within a hidden fortress. It wasn’t a convincing lie, but he told it to himself all the same.
They took his blood, he passed out, and when Nic opened his eyes again he had no idea how much time had elapsed. He blinked and sat up slowly, dizzy. There was a drip in his arm, big bag of saline pumping hard. That was always fun. Nic curled up to calm the dizziness and sleepiness joined in. He dozed off and slept for what felt like an hour, and then he felt a hand gently tug on his foot.
Nic opened his eyes and looked up to see the nurse. She smiled at him. He felt something inside him yearn for something he couldn’t place. The nurse quickly changed out his empty bag of saline for a new one. Nic waited to see if she would come back after that, but the light in his room dimmed and he finally lie back down. He slept several more hours after that and dreamt all the while.
Nic could feel sand between his fingers. He pressed his hand in and felt the grains rush up to meet his skin. The heat of the sun coated the glittering brown and gold. With a child’s laugh he rolled over and the brown and gold gave way to pure black.
The black sand beach stretched on forever, the lapping sea clear and the far away grey and steaming. It was beautiful and it glittered in the sun like onyx and diamonds. Nic was an adult, a man of olive skin and brown hair, his eyes green as jade. He could see himself in the water. He recognized himself for the first time in a year, if this was still who he was under all the misery.
Nic lifted his head and looked out over the grey waters. A quiet realization came over him then. He sighed and pushed it into a slow exhale. Nic stood on the shore and he let himself enjoy it anyways, even if it was all the same. The prison was here in his mind too; he was infected to the core.
One foot into the cold water woke him from the dream, and Sebastian Crane was standing at the foot of his bed again. Nic blinked as he came to and he rubbed his eyes. He slowly looked up and registered Crane’s presence, and then he jumped a little. Crane chuckled, a grin crossing his face and a flash of genuine joy filled his eyes. He looked beautiful when he was gentle.
“I apologize,” Nic said as he tried to blink himself awake. He rubbed his chest with one hand. Anxiety kept it tight, and he supposed that losing blood didn’t help. “What can I help you with?” That was a good lead. He’d been taught to do that by Alyson, his main torturer. She had ice powers and she knew how to use them, and Nic knew that Alyson wanted nothing more than to see him broken when Crane dropped him in her lap.
She’d succeeded. Crane’s smirk was a good thing. Nic had a long way to go to earn their trust, to earn Crane’s trust. He was desperate for even a little freedom, for something. He didn’t know what he wanted. Everything, really, but right now he would take something small. That was all he wanted, and he needed Crane to be happy with him to get it.
“You can stay right there in bed,” Crane said. His gaze was like that of a hawk, his grey eyes firmly on Nic. “Your blood saved Alyson and two of her men. I’m grateful that you didn’t waste time by struggling.”
Nic nodded. He didn’t really enjoy talking anymore. There wasn’t anything to talk about, really. Nic rubbed his eyes again. He still felt tired no matter how much he slept. Crane noticed this and pointed at him as the nurse entered. “Feed him.”
Nic thought she was the sweetest lady ever when she brought him that tray. It was the greatest tray of food he’d ever seen, and it was beautiful. There was a little styrofoam bowl of chili and a sandwich and another styrofoam bowl of potato salad and a juice cup, and he’d also been given a pudding cup and a large piece of key lime pie. Nic was left alone to eat, much to his pleasure. He knew there were cameras on him, but they at least were hidden enough that he didn’t feel super violated.
He devoured everything as politely as possible, as he was still being watched. Nic kept up a good streak of being a Good Boy ™ by Crane’s standards, which wasn’t too difficult. He neatly reassembled the styrofoam and plastic dishes on the tray and set it on the bed tray attachment. That was the least rubbery meal he’d had in a long time. It was still hospital food, but it was better hospital food. Nic thought the pie was perfect, actually. He made a little goal in his head, to eat more key lime pie again. It’s good to ha
ve one goal, right? Is that pathetic of me?
He sat alone in the dim room. It was very quiet here, and Nic looked down and pondered his restraints. He wondered how long he’d been in these particular ones. Something in them kept his powers at bay, but in reality it was his fear that controlled him. Crane could bomb entire cities if Nic went out of line, and that kept him from acting up far more than any threat to his person. Still, Nic craved freedom. He hadn’t been much more of a puppet for the League either. He regretted joining, as then Crane wouldn’t have ever found him.
Nic curled back up in bed. He lay still and his breathing slowed. He hated how easily tired he got now. He hated how sleepy he felt all the time. He hated the drugs that he knew were in the saline, but he could never say anything. I don’t want to be here, Nic thought. He missed his apartment with the red door. He missed the little kitchen window and the cute little electric fireplace and the hot tub style bath. Nic missed it more than anything, and he wished once more that he could go to a movie and get dinner and live . He wanted to be happy. He wanted to wander and drive and walk everywhere and see everything.
Nic wanted tequila. He really, really did. And he wanted more pie. He wanted something that felt like normal again. I should have just gone for a peaceful life.
What was I thinking, playing the hero?
Where did it get me?
The door opened right as he settled in and he sat up, legs uncurling under the blanket as the nurse came in. She assessed him and changed out the saline bag again, and she set it to a lower drip so it would last longer. With the tray in her hands she vanished and Crane took her place. Nic sat bound in his bed as Crane loomed over him.
“Is Alyson doing alright?” Nic wanted to be polite. He was honestly terrified of her, and he wasn’t sure how to feel about the fact she’d been shot, but he knew it was better to at least show concern.
“She’s alright. Her ego is more bruised than her body,” Crane said. His eyes softened and his fingers tugged on the restraints. “You are a sweet thing, aren’t you?”
“That’s kind of you to say,” Nic said somewhat quickly after a pause. He lowered his head, his face flushing a little. Crane stroked the strap over his wrist. Nic’s throat tightened and he looked away.
“I can give you some of what you miss,” Crane said. “I’ll even let you go for an entire day.”
“An entire day?” Yeah, Nic was not stupid. Obviously he was going to be watched wherever he went. Still, the thought of getting to go out appealed to him. He watched Crane nod and he slowly inhaled.
“What do you need from me?”
“More blood.” Ah. Nic had a feeling this was coming. He’d always known it would end up coming to his blood eventually, just like with the League. He’d give it freely for a day off at this point. Nic didn’t care if that made him brainwashed; he was ready for pretend freedom at this point.
“Okay,” Nic said. And that was the end of it.
CHAPTER II
Nic was given a whole twenty four hours of ‘freedom’. He was dressed in real clothes, a linen shirt and pants, with a grey jacket and grey shoes. They were the first real clothes he’d worn in a year, his hair freshly cut while he was blindfolded. This was the start of his new life serving as Crane’s personal… whatever he was. His trophy , there it was. Nic remembered then as he walked down the sidewalk. Yes, he was the trophy , the captured hero that Sebastian Crane had prettied up. Nic would do his bidding or else his home town would go boom .
Nic didn’t care. He was happy to have this and he wasn’t going to waste his time. His first stop was a Denny’s that was open 24 hours. He ate a breakfast platter and drank two Cokes, and then he was off to his next destination. Nic wandered to his old apartment in the city and took a nap in his bed. He savored it, as it would be his last one. Crane was taking total control of his life, and soon Nic would be in a new hideout and he’d be sitting pretty in his gilded cage there. It was going to be super awesome .
Nic dreamt of food and grassy hills, and when he woke up he felt a bit better about allowing himself to basically just be a pawn in the schemes of others. He sat up and debated making a stand for two seconds, and then he concluded that would be a bad idea. Nic shrugged to himself and resumed his nap for another two hours. When he woke he stretched and left the apartment for the last time. He didn’t even bother making the bed. He left everything behind.
Lunch was his next priority. Today was an aimless day, his one day to truly be free of all expectations. Nic savored it as he bit down on the second half of the best cheese steak he’d ever had. No mushrooms, extra cheese, extra mayo, the onions grilled to the point of almost jammy and the meat perfectly tender with the bun toasted just right. It was the best damn sandwich he’d ever had.
The credit card and phone were given to him by Crane. Gifts to start his new life as Crane’s property, the illusion of freedom with a bank account and phone number both in his name, but with every aspect under Crane’s control. Nic wasn’t going anywhere. He blinked as he pushed his empty plate away. A tiny camera drone buzzed by outside the window. Nic thought about waving to it but he decided not to get weird in public. There was a thin line he was allowed to walk if he wanted to have something resembling a life.
Crane was probably expecting Nic to run to the police, to the League, to anyone who might listen. He could even use his powers to prove his identity, and surely someone would hear his pleas, right? Nic snorted to himself and downed the rest of his coffee. It was good and black and bitter, which was just what he needed as he got up. A hefty tip scrawled in black ink sat pretty on the line, and Nic felt more like a hero for that one mindless act than he had for all the people he’d pushed out of harm’s way.
What do I do now? What’s my purpose? Nic shoved his hands into his pockets as he walked out. He thought about how utterly filled with spyware his phone must be.
To the next key lime pie, if I remember correctly. There was no way he’d try to contact the League. They probably wanted him gone, and letting the Order take him seemed to work out just fine. Fuck the heroes and the villains, Nic thought as he strode down the sidewalk. The sun felt good on his skin and he felt actually awake now. There was still plenty of time. I’m just me. I’m a prisoner but I’m still me.
He went for a walk in the park downtown. The sun’s warmth filled him up, and Nic thought that he might survive another year in that damn hospital bed after all. He could hear the tiny drone behind him, his every move being watched. Surely Crane and his lackies were waiting for Nic to make the wrong move so they could snatch him up. Maybe they were hoping he’d use his powers and freak out, or that he’d run to the media.
No one cared when Nicholas Wren went missing a year ago, Nic thought to himself as he paused on the little wooden bridge and looked out at the pond. The drone was still behind him, Tony and unseen by the average person. He’d had cameras on him for so long that he knew immediately where the damn thing was. I’m sure the League is glad to be rid of me. His powers were considered… unsettling, by some. Nic really wasn’t ever accepted as a hero despite his penchant for helping people. I should have become a doctor.
There were koi fish in the pond. In the distance there was a jazz band on the street corner, a woman taking her baby out to socialize for the very first time. Nic heard it all. He watched the orange and white and black fish as they swam around and around. They were content in their little world. Nic hoped he could be as content as them when he was inevitably taken to his new home. He huffed. ‘Home’ was not a concept he’d be experiencing anytime soon. There was nothing that Crane could offer him that would ever actually be a home.
Nic walked off the tiny bridge and continued his walk around the park. He was tempted to swat at the drone and smack it into the water. It was ruining the atmosphere of a peaceful, free day. Nic reminded himself that any freedom was only an illusion. Today was nothing more than a cheap way to satiate his soul so he didn’t completely crumble in Crane’s hands. He got th
is one day after a year of medical abuse, and after today he’d be facing a lifetime more of it, at the very least.
Nic decided he was hungry again. He wanted to eat. He wanted control. He wanted to consume , so he walked up to a hot dog stand and got one with mustard, mayonnaise, and grilled onions. Nic ate the entire thing in like, three bites. It was entirely worth it. He savored it until there were only a few slivers of onions left for him to pick out of the white and yellow mustard-stained napkin. Nic wiped his hands and tossed the trash away in a can, and he felt a little better. Only a little, but he supposed there was nothing in this world that could truly get rid of his pain.
The drone followed him still. It followed him into the candy shop where he bought the pack of vintage style bubblegum, and it followed him when he went to sushi and ordered the biggest platter they had. Nic ate the entire thing and he felt amazing after. He wondered if Crane found this entertaining. Nic was almost half inclined to address the drone directly and pretend to be on some food show with Guy Fieri.
He lost sight of it as it slowly began to get dark. Nic wound down for the night in a few bars, enjoying the little bits of human connection he got. Part of him held back, knowing he’d probably never see these people again, women in short dress and sweatpants, the men in joggers and work trousers. They were people he’d used to save from crooks in the alleyway, and Crane saw them as ants beneath his feet.