When Mr. Vincent arrives, Cry hides his backpack under his father's desk and sits on the wooden surface. He flips his mask down as the advisor storms in, already mad for reasons unexplained until he opens his mouth.
"Why is Jack's eye normal!? I need that stupid demon to kill the heroes because you and Matthew are too useless to do it for me! Your father would be so disappointed in you, Cole. So disappointed. How could you let the institute fall apart like this!?" Mr. Vincent exclaims, but Cry cuts him off.
"Damien, shut your goddamn mouth."
"Why, you little..." the advisor seethes, taking a few threatening steps towards Cry. He stops in his tracks, however, when the villain pulls out his gun and cocks it. He can feel his hands shaking from both terror and rage, but he doesn't falter. He can't falter, or he'll continue to get abused and walked on his entire life.
"You have abused us and beaten us. You've given us scars and emotional wounds that will never heal. You and my father were exactly the same," Cry states, struggling to keep his voice steady.
"You can't do this, Cole. You're a scared little boy who's a slave to his father and to me."
"I'm not a slave anymore, Damien." He hops down off his desk and Mr. Vincent backs up.
"You need me. You're nothing without me," the advisor insists.
"I have one last thing to say to you, Damien..."
The advisor's eyes widen and Cry's lip twitches upwards.
"Bye, bitch."
The gunshot echoes through the office and Mr. Vincent slumps to the floor, blood oozing from the hole in his head. The villain lets the gun fall from his hand and backs away, trembling and nauseous. He expected to feel a rush of adrenaline and a sense of victory, but he just feels sick. He's no better than the faceless man who shot Dan through the skull. He may even be worse than Mr. Vincent because at least the advisor never killed anyone.
He moves to the window and peers out, only to see the heroes running down the street towards the institute. Cry takes a deep breath and shuts the blinds before pulling his mask up, letting his gentle glow fill the room. He settles into his chair and watches the door.
Let them come.
——
Adrenaline pumps through Mark's veins as he and the other heroes charge towards the institute, rebels at their sides. As the doors grow closer the rebels break off from the group and raise their weapons, guarding the doors against anyone who may try to combat them. Felix shoves the door open, expecting it to be locked, and sends it flying backwards. It slams into the wall behind it and the bang echoes down the hallway, causing all the heroes to jump.
"Nice one, Felix," Matthias comments into their earpieces.
"Sorry, but why wasn't it locked?!" Felix replies.
Mark hushes them and steps inside, stopping when he sees Jack standing casually against the wall. A bag hangs off his shoulder and he steps towards them, holding his hands out.
"Do what you will," he says.
Phil steps forward and takes one of three pairs of handcuffs from his bag, clipping a pair around Jack's wrists. The villain doesn't even fight it.
"This is merely for appearances," the Brit says and Jack nods.
The group continues down the hall and the Irishman takes his spot beside Mark. The American glances down at him and resists the urge to kiss his cheek.
"You're adorable in glasses," he whispers.
"Thanks," Jack replies, his face turning a gentle shade of pink.
Matthew's office looks the same as it always does, but all of his electronics are unplugged and Matthew himself is nowhere to be found. Matthias' huff of annoyance can be heard in every earpiece, followed by a long sigh.
"Just find Cry, okay?" he says.
"He's most likely in the boss' office," Mark says, urging the others on.
Felix, Mark, Phil, and Jack hurry towards the office with the villain leading them. The heroes brace themselves for a fight and Felix kicks open the door, revealing a blood-splattered wall, Mr. Vincent's body, and a glowing villain. Cry stands beside his father's desk, observing a framed picture. His mask is flipped upwards, filling the darkened space with gentle light, as he looks at the image in his hand. Jack stares at Mr. Vincent's body before taking a few steps back, accidentally bumping into Mark. The American stabilizes him, his eyes trained on the body, while Felix and Phil take a step inside, bracing themselves. Cry watches them for another moment, drops the picture frame, and disappears into thin air.
"What was that?!" Matthias demands into their earpieces.
"A really lame battle with no fighting," Felix replies, lowering his raised fists and letting his shoulders relax. He moves deeper into the office and kneels down, picking up the picture frame. "Does this mean anything to anyone?"
Jack moves to his side and takes the frame. Two smaller pictures fill the frame, one obviously an image of Cry before his mutation and the other an image of a young man with an attractive brunette woman. They smile at the camera, the street lights blobs of yellow in the background that fill the shot with a gentle glow. The two people in the photo look to be in their early twenties, young and in love.
Jack glances at the heroes, who wait for a response, and places the frame on the desk gently. "It's nothing."
"Head out into the street. They could be planning something," Gunner says into their earpieces, taking the attention from Jack in an instant. "The rebels are still out there and I refuse to let anything else happen to them."
The heroes glance at each other and run outside, although none of them know why they're running. Jack trails after them, smiling to himself. He couldn't be more proud of Cry if he tried.
He steps outside, the afternoon sun beating down on his face, and looks around. The rebels are dishevelled, probably from defending against NAI supporters, but otherwise unharmed. The heroes slow to a stop beside them, scanning the streets for any sign of two renegade villains.
A series of explosions rocks the ground like an earthquake, causing the rebels, heroes, and Jack to stumble and, for some of them, fall. Jack, unable to brace himself with his hands, loses his balance and ends up kneeling on the ground with his eyes trained on the horizon. It's not the NAI building itself that's crumbling to the ground, like he had expected. He nearly bursts into tears as he watches the wall that had surrounded this area of San Francisco for so long collapse, dust rising into the air and rushing through the streets. The heroes watch, speechless, until the wall is a pile of rubble, and it doesn't take long for civilians to emerge from their homes or hiding places to watch as well.
Then, cheering. It can be heard all around them, echoing off the walls and filling the sky. Jack buries his face in his knees, shaking and relieved and shocked all at the same time. He's free. For the first time since he was ten years old, he's free. The fight is over and nobody else had to die (except Mr. Vincent, but he couldn't care less). Tears flow down his cheeks and soak into his suit, but he doesn't care. He's free!
Someone taps his shoulder and he lifts his head, the fact that he can't see anyone giving it away instantly.
"You're a hero, Cry," Jack whispers. "I'm so, so proud of you."
He gets a choked laugh-sob in response, and then his hand is being unfolded. A small piece of paper is pressed into his palm, and with that he's gone. Cry disappears into the street, and Jack realizes that nobody will ever know that in the end, a villain saved everyone.
He unfolds the piece of paper and reads, the handwriting distinctly Cry's.
Jack,
Matthew and I are going to be living in this little cottage just outside San Francisco. It's not far from where you are, so be sure to visit frequently (also, holidays. You'd better be there for holidays). Take care of yourself and Mark.
I never thought I could do something like this, but I guess I found courage somewhere in me. We live in a crazy time.
Your brother,
Cry
Below the note, the address is listed. Jack covers his face with his hands and chokes out a laugh that quickly becomes a sob. He can't wrap his head around any of this. It's surreal.
Mark walks over and unlocks his handcuffs before settling at his side, looping his arm around his waist. Jack rests his head against his shoulder, tears dripping down his nose and cheeks.
"People are congratulating the heroes right now, but that was Cry or Matthew's doing, wasn't it?" the hero asks softly.
"Cry," Jack replies. "It was Cry."
Mark nods and kisses the villain's temple. "He's a hero. Plain and simple."
"I already told him that."
The hero smiles lightly and rests his head against Jack's. Military vehicles and helicopters start flooding in, but Jack pays them little attention. The other heroes join Mark and Jack, sitting on the ground while military personnel rush around all over the place. Matthias shows up with Gunner, and when several officers come to speak with the heroes and a medic rushes over with supplies, those two usher them away. Hudson sits a bit away from the group, cupping a phone to his ear as he sobs. Jack lets his eyes flutter shut, relief and adrenaline and shock making him very, very tired.
As he sits on the pavement, Mark alive and well beside him and his brothers free from the institute, he finally feels like this time for sure, everything will turn out okay.