Pathwork

Chapter One

Recently Jake started noticing just how tired he was starting to feel. Not sleep tired just... constant exhaustion. The only thing keeping him on his feet was the normie energy shots they sold at gas stations and stuff. The thing he was tired of the most though... he was tired of running. Part of him, some small little tiny corner of his soul, knew that was why he contacted the Z-Force. They'd rehabilitated supervillains before, the reports on Project Recruit were sound.

In hindsight hacking into an encrypted channel from his dad's lair probably wasn't the best idea. It got their attention though. Which is exactly how he found himself sitting on the reflective side of a one way mirror handcuffed to an interrogation room table. The Hero League could've at least put in the effort to use "Hello?" Jake called out. He couldn't help but feel vulnerable without his suit on. The damn thing was a safety blanket. It was stupid for him to think Superheroes would believe he flipped sides. "I want to talk to Starling!" Jake said, staring at one of the four security cameras posted on the ceiling corners.

"And I want a million dollars," Thunder Boy responded over the microphone. Jake turned his head to stare right at the two-way mirror hanging on the wall. "We don't always get what we want, Chaos." Jake took a deep breath and squeezed his eyes closed. He's been interrogated plenty of times before - hell, most of them resulted in him getting broken bones most of the time. This was different though.

He wasn't Chaos.

Not anymore.

Jake counted the seconds as time passed, keeping a level head as he waited. He wasn't a stranger to the Hero League's intimidation techniques Hell, half the time the League of Villains used worse. When the heating kicked up he almost wanted to laugh. "Seriously? This is like, shit they teach villains in kindergarten." Jake looked around the room then settled for staring up at one of the security cameras. "Come on guys! I turned myself in. I - I just need to catch a break."

The door unlocked and opened, revealing Thunder Boy as he stepped into the room. The door swung shut automatically, locking on its own. "Why do you want to talk with Starling?" Thunder Boy asked, getting straight to the point. Jake appreciated it. A lot of other Supers tended to handle interrogations with dramatic flair. Jake closed his eyes and took another deep breath, feeling his powers surge within him. "Are you alright?" Thunder Boy asked, sounding earnest. Jake opened his eyes then couldn't help but let out a scoff.

"Gee I don't know. Next time you've got a villain kid trying to be good don't tie them up." Jake's voice was laced in sarcasm. He swallowed thickly, refusing to look at Thunder Boy. "What do you guys think you're going to get from me? I'm turning a new leaf but I'm not a rat." Thunder Boy let out a heavy sigh as he leaned back against the mirror. Jake flickered his eyes to the Super for a quick second then stared down at his hands.

"Why do you want to talk to Starling Chaos?" Thunder Boy repeated, not moving from his perch on the corner of the interrogation table. "It's not often we get people like you demanding to talk to superheroes." Jake stayed quiet, refusing to give Thunder Boy anything. Thunder Boy let out a heavy sigh then walked over to sit in the chair across from Jake. "Listen kid. The last thing we want is to start a perpetual war between your league and mine -" Jake let out a laugh, cutting Thunder Boy off.

"First of all, it's not my league. Second of all, whoever you've got on the inside has bad information. I haven't been active as a villain for the past six months," Jake said. It was true - since his family fled from the city he's been actively trying to become a better person. To prove he didn't have to be what his parents wanted to become. Thunder Boy tilted his head slightly, listening to a conversation Jake couldn't hear. Jake leaned back in his chair, unable to move around much due to the fact they handcuffed his arms and legs to the respective parts of the chair.