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Tommy has never had the best memory.
Whether that be from him suppressing trauma or his brain having actually been fucked with, Tommy will never know.
But for as bad as his memory is, there are some things he will never forget.
- His mother; he doesn't remember her name or even what her face looked like, but Tommy remembers her laugh. He also remembers her tears as he was dragged away.
- The cold, unforgiving void that is the end.
- Wilbur.
The last one may seem out of place, but it ties in almost perfectly with the other two when you know the whole story.
‘It starts during feeding time. Unfortunately, they once again have not given out enough food to the few surviving test subjects.
24 sits in a corner by himself. Some of the other “patients” still think it's worth it to talk amongst themselves, still think it's worth it to try and make friends. But 24 knows better; he has been here for longer than any of the others, even if he's the youngest.
24 gave up the thought of escaping a long time ago. So, here he sits. Alone in a corner while his stomach grumbles.
“Hey,” it’s whispered on 24’s left, and the young boy's head snaps towards the voice.
Gazing through his blonde and white streaked fringe, he sees that next to him is a piglin hybrid, brunette teenager. 24 doesn’t recognize him, so he must be relatively new. 24 eyes him up and down and levels him with an unimpressed stare.
“Here,” the man discreetly tries to put something in 24’s hand; acting on pure reflex, 24 accepts.
Looking in his palm, 24 realizes that he's being given food. He holds back a gasp and shoves the food into his mouth as fast as possible.
The teen chuckles and smiles when 24 looks up.
“I'm Wilbur,” he smiles.
“I’m 24,” he responds hesitantly.
Wilbur grimaces at the title. “that doesn’t sound right; you need a proper name.”
“I do?”
“yup! I think I’m going to call you Tommy.”
24- no, Tommy, smiles.’
Looking back on it now, Tommy wishes he had stuck to his rule of never talking to anyone, but it was just so easy to trust Will. he had given the young nine-year-old something he had never experienced before.
Hope.
Hope for an escape. Hope for a future where he wasn’t poked and prodded endlessly.
Tommy should have never let it happen.
‘the alarms hurt Tommy’s ears as Wilbur drags him by his wrist through the halls.
Tommy’s bare feet slap against the floor while all the lights in the facility flash red.
For years, Tommy has been complicit in his suffering, but Wilbur changed that. He was the light in the aching darkness that was Tommy’s world.
So long had Tommy been sure that there was no good in this world, that all he would ever know is the white linoleum floor, the sting of needles and the aching cold of death.
But he was wrong; Wilbur is the good.
Tommy doesn’t remember how long he’s been in the facility, but Wilbur does. Will has only been here for ten months, and he’s known Tommy for only nine of them. But now they’re going to leave together.
Wilbur likes to talk endlessly about his family and what it will be like to see them again. Tommy had never met a patient so sure that he was going to escape.
And now they're actually doing it. Wilbur leads them down the endless identical hallways like it’s nothing.
The boys can hear the guards yelling for them to surrender as they chase behind from a distance. Everything is going according to plan until Wilbur makes a wrong turn.
They reach a dead end, and the older of the two curses and turns, prepared to pick Tommy up and run again. but it’s no use; the guards have already blocked the only way out.
Suddenly, the guards part and one of the scientists steps through. But not just any scientist; no, it’s none other than the head of the facility: Dr. Mal.
Tommy pales.
He smiles something sickening and looks down at the two boys with barely concealed rage.
“Well, that was a huge waste of my time!”
Tommy stays quiet as Wilbur steps in front of him. He clutches onto Wilbur’s white pant leg like it’s life or death; it very well could be.
“Come on, why don’t you give up your silly little game? You're never going to make it out.”
“Never!” Wilbur growls.
“You always were the stubborn type.”
Wilbur keeps his body guarding Tommy as Dr. Mal’s face lights up as if he was just hit with a stroke of genius.
“Tell you what, I’ll give you a deal, and you can make a choice. How’s that sound?”
“Deals with you are never good.” Wilbur grits through clenched teeth.
“Oh, I’m sure you’ll think differently if your freedom is on the line!”
Tommy and Wilbur freeze.
“What?” Will breathes in hopeful shock.
“I’ll grant you freedom of this place. It’s torture, it’s horror; whatever you want to call it, you’ll never have to experience it again.”
“The catch?”
Tommy knows theirs always a catch.
“The catch,” Dr. Mal’s gaze drifts to Tommy, something sinister and sadistic in his eyes. “is that Tommy stays here.”
Tommy’s throat closes.
Memories of the times before Wilbur. The hours spent staring at the wall wishing for something different—the endless tests filled with searing pain and cold dark loneliness. He couldn't stand another second of fighting with his trainers or repeating all of his language lessons.
Tommy can’t be here alone anymore, and Wilbur knows this too.
Tommy is about to speak up, an insult on the tip of his tongue, but Wilbur answers instead.
“Deal.”
Tommy’s hands unlatch from Will’s pant leg, and he begins to tremble.
“No,” Tommy cries from beside him, tears welling in his eyes as his emotions clamber. “you can’t just do that, Wilbur. You said we’d escape together.”
Wilbur doesn’t even look his way as Dr. Mal waves his hand, allowing the guards to disperse in.
“you made the right choice.”
“No- no, no, no, NO! ” Tommy wails. Two guards grab him under the arms and start dragging him away.
“PLEASE!” the young blonde kicks and screams, desperately thrashing at his captors.
“YOU PROMISED! YOU PROMISED ME WILL! PLEASE! ” He screams. His voice is bloodied and raw.
Tears and snot run down his face in ugly lines as he sniffles and screams.
“...you promised, you promised me.” his words die off to a whimper as he goes limp, letting himself be taken away.
Wilbur doesn't look back once.’
Tommy wouldn’t make the same mistake again. He never talked to another patient again, despite many of them trying to get him to open up. It wouldn't matter; they never lasted.
Not long after Wilbur left, the scientists started to change his routine. Instead of there being tests every day, they started happening once a week. Now, Tommy spent his days training. Before, Tommy would train twice a week(he knew he was different from the other patients; it was hard not to when none of the others were taught as many languages as him or taught to fight in almost every form of combat.)
Dr. Mal said they had been looking for someone with the perfect power to use. He said that's why they let Wilbur leave; his power wasn’t good enough. When Tommy asked what his power was, they said Wilbur could control people with his voice.
Tommy thinks that's much cooler than his power.
Tommy didn't make useless attempts at trying to escape. No, Tommy planned .
He waited until it was what he assumed would be a holiday so that the only guards that were there were the skeleton crew.
Tommy was fifteen when he escaped; he never looked back.
~~~
He’s finally done it; he finally has enough money to move to L’manburg.
L’manburg is the capital of Essempi; it's a luxurious city known for its rich diversity. It's also known for its Heros and Villians.
When Tommy first escaped, his life had little purpose. He was able to fake some documents and get a job to start providing for himself. But he had no real drive. All he did was live in paranoia and go through the motions of life. That is until news broke of a new crime organization in L’manburg; The Syndicate.
There were three members in total: Archangel, the leader; a man with large black wings and the ability to kill someone with just a single touch. He wears green robes and a broad hat with a veil around the rim to hide his face.
Next, there was Ares; he had enhanced strength and the power to control someone's blood if exposed to open air. He wore a large red cape and a boar mask.
And finally, Siren, who could control people with his voice.
Tommy scrambled to find images of him the second he discovered the news of his powers. The man wore an elaborate masquerade mask and a blue and black medieval getup. But most importantly, he had brown curly hair.
It wasn't hard to figure out that it was Wilbur behind the mask; it also wasn't difficult to discern that it was his father and brother acting as the other villains. Tommy remembers the stories Will used to tell him of Phil and Technoblade, how they were the best family a person could have and how Wilbur couldn't wait for Tommy to meet them.
Suddenly the fire in Tommy’s chest was lit up.
What better reason to live than revenge?
~~~
Tommy huffed as he set down the final box in his apartment. Bruising his nearly pure white hair out of his eyes.
“That it, boss man?” His new roommate-Tubbo, he reminded himself- asks while he grabs a glass of water.
“Yeah, that's it,” Tommy mumbled a reply. He still isn't used to this whole “human interaction” thing.
“Great! I'm making spaghetti for dinner,” Ranboo-his other roommate- responds with a clap of excitement and an easy smile.
“Oh, you don't have to! I can get my own food.” the blonde anxiously speaks.
“Nonsense,” Tubbo waves him off, “you're our new roommate, meaning; you're our new friend!”
Tommy hesitantly smiles.
~~~
Tommy’s roommates are vigilantes.
He found out pretty early when they kept sneaking into the apartment late at night and showing up with unexplained bruises. However, he only “officially” learnt four months after moving in with them when he woke up late at night to shouting from the living room. When he walked in, he was greeted with the sight of his roommates screaming at each other while Ranboo clutched a wound in his side.
He sighed and just walked back to his room to grab his personal first aid kit (it was much more fleshed out and advanced than a standard one.) He didn't speak as he made Tubbo help him get the vigilante suit off Ranboo.
He stitched up the wound in almost complete silence, aside from the duel-toned boy’s hisses of pain. He knew he looked calm, but under the surface, he was a panicked mess; these were his first friends since Wilbur, and he didn't know if he could keep going if he lost them.
The next day when Tommy woke up, he had a long conversation with his roommates about their statice as Atomic and Ender: the city's beloved vigilantes. The conversation went surprisingly smooth, considering he also revealed his status as the up-and-coming anti-hero Icarus.
Not much had changed, in all honesty. Other than Tommy now becoming the unofficial medic for his two friends and their superpowered counterparts being seen together more frequently, all was the same.
And Tommy was happy.
~~~
The second step of Tommy’s plan was complete. He was officially on the Syndicate's radar.
He had heard from some of his connections that he was recently brought up at one of the villain group’s meetings. He was labelled a nuisance, and the members were told to “deal with him” if he was ever seen in the field.
Now came step three: annoy the hell out of some villains.
He was slipping through the streets in his signature outfit: a pair of heavy-duty tech-wear black cargo pants, a long-sleeved black top made out of light-weight body armour, fingerless gloves, a cropped red jacket with a hood, and finally, his signature mask designed by Tubbo. The thing had the look of a red and black hannya mask but had all of Tubbo’s tech built in so he could see in the dark, talk to his teammates without lifting a finger, call for help with the push of a button and obscure his voice.
But back to the present, he had taken refuge in a dark alleyway when he heard footsteps behind him. On pure reflex, he grabs the pistol attached to his hip and spins around before the person’s foot has even landed on the ground.
Behind him was none other than Ares, also known as Technoblade, the twin brother of the man who betrayed him.
Tommy could barely hold back his smile.
“Icarus,” his voice was monotone and bored, as if he barely registered Tommy as a threat.
What an idiot.
“Nice to finally meet you, Ares!” Tommy holsters his pistol and accentuates his word with his hands.
The Piglin hybrid seems slightly confused by Tommy not immediately reacting with fear, though he quickly shakes it off.
“You know most people normally cower or run when they see me,” Ares prompts.
“I'm not most people,” Tommy can't keep the grin out of his voice. “and I've been dying to finally meet you.”
“Really? What's so interesting about me?” Tommy can tell that Techno is raising an eyebrow under his mask.
“just so many things!” The blonde has a manic lit to his voice as he walks closer to the villain. “your such an intriguing character; you’ve got the clear superiority complex, along with a love for classic Greek tales if your name is anything to go by!”
“Is that so?” Ares tries to remain calm, but his annoyance is clearly growing.
“Oh, yes! and that’s not even mentioning the obvious mommy issues and social anxiety.” Tommy steps closer to Ares, his hand already reaching toward his waist.
“you’ve also got the protective urge going for you, as if your afraid you won’t be able to protect someone” Tommy taps his chin, faking curiosity.
“or…” Tommy tilts his head, “perhaps you’ve already failed at protecting someone, and you're trying to atone.”
Techno charges. Tommy extends his staff just in time to stop Ares’ sword from splitting him in two. The seventeen-year-old laughs maniacally and pushes back with just as much strength as the villain.
“I thought vigilantes were supposed to be kind and fight for the good.” Ares grits through clenched teeth.
Tommy giggles more. “oh, they are,” the blonde rears his head back and slams his forehead into the piglin’s, disorienting him for just enough time to jab his knee into Ares’ stomach.
“But I'm no vigilante.”
Tommy kicks Techno square in the chest and sends him tumbling back. The villain quickly recovers and stands tall and menacing; he swings his sword, but Tommy moves just in time. The boy retracts his staff with a simple button and puts it back in his belt, replacing it with a dagger.
“Wow! that thing sure is sharp! I would hate it if it cut me,” Tommy dives to the left to avoid another deadly slash.
“I think you should talk less,” Ares charges again, but his movements are flawed; Tommy clearly got under his skin.
Seeing an opening, Tommy ducks under the sword and plunges his dagger right into the villain’s shoulder.
Techno cries out and stops his movements, he stops the bleeding with his powers and stands hastily, but Tommy is already gone.
~~~
“Hey, mate”
Tommy perks up at the voice from where he’s intentionally hidden poorly in an abandoned warehouse.
“Archangel!” Tommy jumps up and claps his hands together as giddy laughter builds in his throat.
“I've heard a lot about you from Ares.”
“It's so nice to know that he talks about me,” Tommy sighs blissfully. “But enough about that! Let's talk about you, Archangel. Or should I call you the “Angel Of Death”? The media sure loves that name!”
“What are you? A super fan?” Archangel taunts.
“I sure am!”
“Well, it's a shame you won't be around for much longer; I would have liked to meet you in another life.”
“There we are again with the death symbolism; so interesting!” Tommy narrowed his eyes at the villain. “It's rumoured that you're immortal, which fits quite well with your powers and all.”
Phil is silent, but it's clear he has a face that says, “where are you going with this.”
“But you know what I think? I think your nothing more than a mortal man.” Tommy’s voice is just as cheerful as when he began speaking. “In fact, I think you're terrified of death.”
“Oh? And what evidence do you have for this?” His voice is laced with poorly hidden rage.
“I'm so glad you asked!” Tommy claps his hands together. “Well, your villain get-up includes you wearing gloves. Which, of course, could just be aesthetic, but, really, it seems like an inconvenience. Every time you use your powers, you have to take off the gloves. Truly just unhelpful.”
Tommy pretends to think. “Unless… you don't do it for looks .” the teen stares down the villain. “Maybe, just maybe, you can’t control your powers.”
Phil freezes.
“Can you imagine if the world discovered that L’manburg’s top villain couldn't even stop his powers from going out of control and hurting someone?” Tommy tilts his head mockingly. “I wonder if you've ever killed anyone, perhaps even someone you loved. ”
Archangel grabs his scythe, and Tommy, in turn, extends his staff. “I think you've done enough talking.”
“But I'm just getting started!” Tommy sidesteps a slash and hits away the backswing of the weapon. “Maybe it was your parents? Or perhaps a sibling?” Archangel's pace doesn't falter as he makes a swipe for Tommy’s legs which the boy avoids with a jump and back handspring.
“No, no, that doesn't sound right.” Tommy pulls out a set of willow-leaf-throwing knives and sends them flying at the villain. Two miss and one hit the villain in the bicep, causing him to drop his weapon.
“I'm starting to think that maybe you killed your own wife, ” Phil’s breath stutters. He rips the knife from his arm, throwing it to the ground and staring down the anti-hero with a look of pure wrath and hatred.
Slowly, the villain begins to remove his gloves. Tommy grins so wide his face hurts.
“You know id love to stay but id rather not talk to someone so heartless ” Tommy presses a button on the side of his mask.
In a flurry of purple particles, Ranboo appears, and the two boys disappear just as Archangel’s hand flies where they once were.
~~~
“Icarus! We finally meet!”
Tommy freezes.
He had been preparing for this moment for years and siking himself up since the fight with Archangel a few days ago. And now he was finally here, seeing Wilbur.
Tommy is quiet and calculated as he stands and faces the man across from him on the rooftop.
“I've heard so much about you from my teammates!” Siren prowls around Tommy while the boy is stock-still. “They talked about how you’re always talking, and you seem to be just absolutely obsessed with us!” Wilbur giggles mockingly.
“I wonder what you'll say about me-” Tommy interrupts the villain with a swift punch to the nose.
“What the-” He grips his nose, but Tommy doesn't let him rest as he kicks him right below the ribs, winding him.
Wilbur groans from where he’s crumpled on the ground. “They said you never attacked first; guess that isn't true,” he grumbles.
Instead of responding, Tommy grabs one of his many knives and charges at Siren. The villain rolls out of the way and tries to make another quip but is stopped by Tommy mounting his chest and punching him repeatedly in the face.
His knife is discarded while blow after blow is dealt to the man who betrayed Tommy. The blonde boy only stops when he sees blood beginning to form from a cut on Siren’s eyebrow. Tommy stands and Pulls Wilbur’s half-limp body up by the collar, grabbing his knife on the way.
“I. Don't. Like. YOU .” Tommy spits the first words he's spoken since the villain landed on the rooftop.
He holds his knife up to Will’s neck, his brain begging him just to slit the man's throat.
“ Not yet, ” the rational part of his brain whispers, and he knows it’s right; he has a plan.
Tommy holsters the knife and drops Siren down on the cold concrete. He leaves with one last look back.
~~~
“Toms, we need to talk.” the three friends are gathered in the kitchen, having a previously silent dinner.
Tubbo and Ranboo are both looking at Tommy with a “we’re not angry, just disappointed” look. Tommy looks between them nervously.
“Uh, what's up, big man?”
“Tommy, we’re worried about you,” Ranboo explains.
“We’ve seen the news, and Ranboo had to save you; we know that you’ve been provoking the syndicate.”
Tommy knew this time would come, the moment when his two best friends would find out about his half-crazed revenge plot and decide he wasn't worth the trouble.
“Why?” Ranboo blurts.
Tommy glances up from where he had been staring at his lap. “What?”
“All we want to know is why, Tommy?” Tubbo asks. “Your not the type of person to just do something for the hell of it, and I'm almost certain you don't have a death wish that bad! So, why?”
Tommy sighs; he knows there’s no getting out of this. He hesitantly begins speaking, “A long time ago, Siren, he- he, uh.” Tommy takes a deep breath and tries to steady his shaking hands. “He hurt me. He left me alone in a horrible place and showed no remorse.”
Tommy wipes his eyes, “When I saw the news a year ago, I knew that Siren was the same person who hurt me, and I just couldn't sit there and let him live his life while I was still suffering.”
“I understand if you want me out; having someone with an insane revenge plan against the city's greatest villains living under your roof isn't exactly a safe idea.”
Tubbo and Ranboo turn to each other and share a silent conversation. Tommy gets progressively more anxious as the silence stretches on.
“Ok,” Tubbo eventually speaks.
“Ok?” Tommy parrots.
“He means, ok, we’ll help you.” Ranboo clarifies.
“What? No! I don't want you guys to get caught up in my mess!”
“Tommy, you're not just our friend; you're our family, yeah?” Ranboo smiles.
“And don't think we’re gonna let you go on some suicide mission alone,” Tubbo adds on.
Tommy looks into their eyes and sees nothing but determination. “I- alright, il let you help.”
The rest of the night is spent going over Tommy’s plan(minus a few details that come in the later stages.)
~~~
“Your gonna have to be faster than that!” Tommy cackles as he runs from rooftop to rooftop.
Ares and Siren chase him through the city, with Archangel not so subtly flying overhead.
Step four: get the entire Syndicate together.
“Get back here, you little rat!” Wilbur yells, and Tommy just grins broader as he approaches the building he has marked out.
Tommy finally skids to a stop on the concrete rooftop. The buildings around are too far for Tommy to jump to without some form of assistance, and the two villains block the way he came.
Phil lands, and the family of three stare him down as they slowly approach. Tommy knows he can't take all three of them, so he does the next best thing and lies his ass off.
“Shit, well, uh, really a shame, but I should head out-” Tommy fakes a waver to his voice as he purposefully slowly reaches for the button on his mask.
“Oh no you don't,” Ares reaches over and grabs the mask pulling it off Icarus’ face as Tommy quickly curls in on himself and hides his face with his hands.
He hears the sound of the mask shattering and the smug chuckles of his enemies while he pretends to get desperate for a facial cover.
“Let’s see who you really are, Icarus.” Archangel taunts as he advances on the seventeen-year-old.
Suddenly, Tommy freezes not only his movements but also his fabricated panicked breathing. In place of the silence, he begins to laugh. No longer is his voice obscured by the mask, as he cackles and giggles in nothing short of mania.
“Wh-” Siren tries to speak, but more crazed howls drown him out.
Tommy snaps his head upwards, revealing his scared face to the group. His hood also falls, showing his pure white hair with a single blonde streak.
He locks eyes with Wilbur and stares him down with a deranged smile. He watches as Will’s face goes from anger to confusion to realization and eventually lands on pure terror.
“T-Tommy?” He asks breathlessly.
Step five: reveal yourself.
Tommy’s grin widens.
“You know this kid, Siren?” Ares looks between the two, confused.
Tommy makes an over-exagerated pout. “Aw, Wilby, did you not tell your family about me?”
Wilbur flinches at the old nickname.
Archangel seems even more confused. “What did you just call him?”
“Didn't you ever wonder how I knew so much about you, Phil?”
“How did you…?” Phil whispers in pure shock.
“Bruh, don't tell me Wilbur’s been telling some random kid all our secrets.” Ares seems nonchalant, but he's clearly angry at the thought that his brother has been confiding in a teenager.
“Oh, no, no, no, no, no, you've got it all wrong, Technoblade!” Tommy jeers. “I knew Will loooooooooong before he even became a villain!”
“How are you here?” Wilbur speaks up, a war of emotions behind his eyes.
Tommy tilts his head. “Do you want the full story, Wilby?”
“Do you want me to tell your family about how you abandoned me?”
“What’s he talking about, Will?” Philza asks.
Wilbur stutters and trips over a sentence as he gets closer to the edge where Tommy stands.
“Would you like if I talked about all the torture I went through?”
“N-no- i-”
“No? So you don't want me to explain every scar I got before I was even sixteen?”
“ stop-” He gets even closer.
“Stop? Stop talking about how you didn't look back, no matter how much I screamed. How I spent days and nights thinking I could never love anyone again because the only person I had ever trusted left me?”
“Just- SHUT UP! ” Wilbur screams, and a knife is lodged right where Tommy’s heart sits.
All falls silent as the teen looks between his injury and the man who caused it. Instead of looking betrayed, Tommy smiles and takes a step back. He lets out a wet laugh as his throat fills with blood, and he stumbles off the edge of the roof, falling to the dark alley below.
His body cracks and twists in ways it's not meant to as the light finally leaves his eyes.
Wilbur lets out a sob and rushes to the edge of the building.
“Da- dad- take me down there. I- please!” Wilbur begs.
Still full of confusion, Phil quickly carries his two sons down to the alley. The three men stare at the body, bloody and bent in every which way, with a smile on his face despite it all.
Wilbur turns away, and his brother and father follow to comfort him.
“Wilbur, who was that?” Techno asks in the softest voice he can manage.
Wilbur takes several deep breaths. “Do you remember when I was seventeen and was taken away by that facility?”
“Yeah, you escaped, right?” Phil rubs circles into his son's back.
“I- not exactly.” Will wipes his eyes. “While I was there, I befriended a young kid, and we tried to escape together.”
Techno clenches his teeth as everything starts to piece together.
“We got so close, but we were caught at the very end. The head doctor offered me freedom; if I left Tommy behind.”
“But- you didn't, right Will? You found another way to escape and-” Phil desperately tries to grasp at straws.
A crack sounds out through the alley, and the family all turn their heads toward the body on the ground.
Slowly, they watch in horror as limp after limp snap and pop back into place, and the bloody corpse stands back on two feet with a still, backwards head. His arms move to the knife in his chest and remove it with little fan-fair before he grabs the sides of his skull and snaps it back in place.
“Hello, Will!” Tommy’s grin is unmatched.
Step six: Die!
Wilbur holds back vomit.
“Wh- what the hell?” Techno takes a step back.
“Oh, wait! I never did tell you my power, did I?” Tommy stalks towards the villain.
“Are- are you going to kill me?” Wilbur has tears streaming down his face.
“Oh, Will, I'm not going to kill you, but ill make sure you wish you were dead.”