Rise of The Runaways (Crown The Empire story)

The Phoenix Reborn

I felt a cold splash of water hit my face as I woke up on a cold concrete floor,where the fuck was I? The last thing I remember was collapsing on to Andy in the hospital "good,you're still alive. Glad to see the surgery wasn't a waste" I heard a deep voice say from behind the steel bars of my cell,I looked down to where I was shot in the hospital and saw bandages and medical tape. "where the hell am I?" I asked sitting up in the cement floor "a holding cell in my secret bunker. Nick isn't it?" A shadowy voice said again "who are you?" I asked again still confused as to were I was "I'm the man you've spent your hole life fighting against,it's sad you don't recognize your own enemy nick" the voice spoke again "y-you're" "the Raven yes,a pleasure to meet the man who's killed off so many of my scarecrows,quite impressive really. Just like your father" Raven mocked as he paced back and forth in front of my cell "don't talk about my dad!" I shouted in anger at the thought of what the Raven did to my family "oh nick,the things I could tell you about your family" he provoke again "but I came to ask you something Nick,you say that those band of misfits of yours,'The Runaways' is it?. You call them your brothers,yes?" He questions "they are my brothers,what did you do to them?!" I demanded an answer. "Oh nothing, the rest of them escaped the hospital without a scratch, even saved all the captives" the Raven said. "Victoria's okay?" I asked again,remembering the girl I saved from the scarecrow doctors. "Yes yes she's perfectly safe. But if I may ask,why do you think that your 6 'brothers' and 3 perfect strangers were able to escape without a scratch while you, their leader are stuck on the 3rd floor with a bullet in you chest dying on smoke inhalation?" He asked again. "There wasn't any smoke" I corrected the dictator "oh but there was, you see while they knew you were still in the hospital they began to set the building on fire. Now why would they do that? Andy had the chance to save you on the 3rd floor but instead he ran away,why do you think that is? Maybe he went to get back up? Or maybe he's just finishing what his dad started. Surely Hayden could have gotten you he was only a floor below you he must have heard you talking with Victoria,or maybe he did hear you but he left you there to die as punishment for your father getting his killed. But even then shouldn't Dave,dear old Dave have stopped the fire bombs when he saw you hadn't left the hospital. But maybe he was hoping you wouldn't make it out so he could be the leader of the Runaways. Think about it Nick, he's been jealous of you since the day you came into the Escamillia's lives. His mother and Father spent so much time with you, neglecting their son. I see Mark even gave you his pendant" he said pointing at the necklace I had taken from my father years ago "why do you keep saying his parents? We're twins" I asked getting angry with his word plays "twins you say? So you were born December 29th 2015 with Dave?" He continued to ask shuffling through a folder he was carrying in his hand "yes do you not know what the word twins means?" I asked growing mor agitated. "I'm perfectly aware of what it means but I'm having trouble with something, here I have a birth certificate for a David Escamillia born December 29th 2015 but I'm having trouble finding one for a Nicholas Escamillia born on the same day" he said continuing to shuffle through the stacks of paper after throwing Dave's file at me. "Here's the files on both your parents,now tell me what color are your eyes?" The Raven asked looking through a smaller folder now "green why?" I answered wondering what point this little game had "funny,both tour parents have Brown,so does Dave" the Raven replied "here's your medical report from the surgery if you'd like to look it over" he said throwing a second folder through the bars of my cell as I looked through it and saw a DNA test form "what's this DNA test for?" I questioned,I wanted to know what game this guy was playing "check Dave's file will you?" He replied not looking sup from his stack of papers he continued to shuffle through,I studied the test over and over,it wasn't a match,according to the rest Dave wasn't my brother. "Let me know when you notice it" the Raven said after minutes of silence "Dave isn't my brother..." I paused "so my mom and dad?" I asked "during the riots your father and Mark Escamillia got I to a fight,Mark best him to death with a brick for cheating with his wife. Grief stricken your mother committed suicide. Sarah took you in after she found you left in the delivery room of the hospital she worked at. They lied to you your entire life,Jeffrey" the Raven said "Jeffrey?" I asked confused,still trying to take in all the information I was just given "Jeffrey Wellfare. That's your real name. Your father was a loyal partner of mine.i have been meaning to find you since his death,I am your uncle after all" we said with a sinister smile "y-you're my what?" I asked shocked to find out I was related to the man who I had been fighting to destroy "yes,you're father was m younger brother,we dreamed of bringing peace to this city,after he was killed in the riots I knew this city was too diseased to find peace on it's own so I did was was needed to be done to not let Adams death be in vain. I know what I've done may be considered to be extreme but it was for the safety of everyone,I just needed to crush the few bands of rioters still out there bent on turning aeon into a war zone. Like the Escamillia's. Andrews father was a friend on mine sent to stop them from destroying everything I've worked to for this city" I was still reeling from what I just learned from my uncle. I had been fighting against the real good guys this whole time. We were the evil ones. "I know this is a hard thing to take in Jeff but there are some people I want you to meet" Raven Sao opening the gate to my cell. I stood to my feet and walked down the long hallway with him until we reached a bright white room with all sorts of equipment and I saw 4 other men in the room waiting for us. "Jeff, this is Jye,Kris,Maurice and Tyler. They'll be your new team members" my uncle told me "team for what?" I asked studying the men before me "we're going to bring peace to Aeon Jeff" the man who identified himself as Jye said "Jeff,I know you've been tricked into believing we're the evil ones for your whole life but please,fight with us. Save Aeon from the Runaways. Don't let your Fathers death be for nothing" my uncle said putting a hand on me shoulder. I wasn't sure how I felt. I was angry,upset,confused,sad all at once. But I wasn't going to be apart of the problem for any longer "okay I'll fight,on 2 conditions" I said "name them" my uncle added,overjoyed by my agreeing to fight "first:we can't hurt any civilians,especially Victoria" I said pausing for a moment "and second:I get Dave all to myself" I added while my uncle and team began to smile. It was time to crush the resistance