Fic -- The Professor's Army 2/2
Title: The Professor's Army
Author: liabrown aka dillonmania
Artist: useless19
Genre: Drama, Action
Characters: Eobard Thawne, Hartley Rathaway, Len Snart, Sam Scudder, Albert Desmond, Roscoe Dillon, Mark Mardon, Lisa Snart, George Harkness, James Jesse, Evan McCulloch, Mick Rory, Roy Bivolo, Owen Mercer, Thad Thawne, OCs.
Rating: R
Word Count: 16,600+
Warnings: Child abuse [physical and verbal, not sexual], violence, character death, profanity.
Author's Notes: You may have seen the prologue before; I was originally going to keep it separate and then decided to incorporate it into the body of the main story. The Cribis are canon and were introduced in Professor Zoom's first appearance, but Wykeham and Gausbert are my own invention.
Summary: Eobard Thawne went into the past to abduct the Rogues during their childhoods, and is training them to be his personal soldiers. This will not end well.
Part One - Part Two
The Alphas had spent an entire afternoon working on arithmetic lessons, and were long past restless. They stopped studying as soon as Wykeham stepped out of the classroom for a brief errand.
“This is so stupid, we should be out training,” Mark grumbled, always eager to use his new powers. He couldn’t use them much indoors and still hide the evidence afterwards, so he amused himself by creating light winds to blow things around the room.
“Hey!” Sam shouted as math papers flew off his desk, and the other boys laughed as he ran after them. The tension had dissipated and they were happy, which was rare these days.
Mark added to the jest by manipulating the winds so carefully that Sam would nearly reach his paper, and then it would fly away from him. Len laughed harder than the others, glad to see his rival embarrassed, and Hartley smiled contentedly at the older boy’s delight. He liked Len, as more than a friend. It was merely the sort of admiration one had for a role model, or so he told himself. He didn’t want to admit there could be anything more to it. But all his appreciative staring had not escaped the notice of one silent onlooker; Roscoe typically said little but observed a lot, and always filed away information he could use.
There were a few more minutes of horseplay and merriment before Hartley’s keen hearing detected Wykeham’s return and they rushed back to work. But even despite their tutor’s irritable scolding -- from the mess it was obvious they’d been up to mischief -- it had all been worth a little bit of fun.
****
As time passed, there was a new addition to the curriculum: both teams were taught to steal. Hartley and Evan were slapped when they insisted stealing was wrong, and the children were reminded that they now lived by Thawne’s rules. Theft was acceptable when the Professor said so, and Wykeham hinted that the Alphas would one day be stealing on his behalf.
The first lessons were about effective criminal habits, such as how to burglarize a building, how to avoid leaving evidence, and other related topics. These were taught by Thawne himself, who had a long history of breaking the law and running from the police, and his classes were fascinating to the children. They then put these lectures into practice, training in specialized exercises just as they did with their weapons and powers.
Gausbert hated what was happening to his charges. Though they got along with each other as well as ever, their aggression levels were spiking and their behaviour in training was becoming increasingly amoral. George and Mickey ‘killed’ their opponents without a second thought, and Lisa was capable of surprising savagery with her blades. Not for the first time, their tutor wondered if someday they’d turn on him.
****
Despite the sensitivity of his hearing, Hartley didn’t detect Roscoe’s approach until he was almost next to him, which was extremely unnerving.
“What do you want?” he asked quietly, attempting to hide his unease.
“Hartley. You like Len, don’t you?” Roscoe said in a flat tone, more statement than question. He veered in closer than Hartley was comfortable with, their faces only inches apart.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I see the way you look at him. You’re in love with him.”
“You’re nuts.”
“No. But I won’t tell anyone if you’ll do a favour for me.”
“What kind of favour?” Hartley asked suspiciously, heart sinking. He didn’t want to be ostracized from the Alphas; they were his brothers. He, like the rest of them, had literally no one else.
“I don’t know yet, it hasn’t come up. But I’ll let you know when it does.”
“…fine. Keep your mouth shut and I’ll help you when you need it. That’s what brothers are for, right?” the worried boy said with false cheer, hoping to appeal to the other’s sense of camaraderie. But Roscoe’s face was emotionless and seemed unmoved. His eyes momentarily flickered with a strange glow, then quickly returned to normal.
“Of course,” was all he replied, turning on his heel and walking out of the room as silently as he’d arrived. Hartley couldn’t even begin to guess what he was thinking.
****
Days passed and the other Alphas didn’t treat Hartley any differently, so he assumed Roscoe was keeping his word. Hartley watched the other boy intently in an attempt to determine his motivation, but saw nothing aside from his typical calm mask and odd stare. There was never any visible malevolence or pleasure, just the same expression he'd often worn since his brain surgery, and somehow that seemed even more unsettling.
But Hartley had to keep up appearances as Just One Of The Guys, so he put on a mask of his own to seem cheerful and normal, and nobody else suspected a thing. I’m living a lie, he thought to himself. I’m just like my brothers, except in the ways I’m not. The only other person who knew wasn’t much of a conversationalist these days, so he couldn't discuss it with anyone. He’d never felt so alone.
****
Lisa had been spending a lot of time with James in recent weeks. At first it was just to co-ordinate their skills and practice with their weapons, but they’d discovered they enjoyed each other’s company and found excuses to be together at other times too. They sat next to each other during lessons and meals, and although Lisa insisted they were just “Best friends forever!”, their closeness hadn’t gone unnoticed by the other Betas.
Evan was not about to give up, however. He had a crush on Lisa, who was closer to his age than James, and determinedly tagged along with her whenever possible. He was certain that once Lisa realized how much they had in common (such as their age and unstable family background), she’d want to be with him instead. She wasn’t the squad leader but always had a couple of boys following her around, and George was actually envious of her influence.
****
The Alphas were finishing lunch in the cafeteria one afternoon when the Betas wandered in; Gausbert had thoughtlessly told his team to go eat without considering who else might be there.
“Oh look, the Beta Bitches are here,” Roscoe said in a bored tone, not bothering to look at them, and Mark began snickering.
Roy was infuriated despite Lisa’s attempt to calm him, which of course amused the Alphas further. “You jerks oughta treat us with more respect!”
“And why’s that?” Roscoe asked calmly. His attention was still focused on his plate.
“Because I’ll…I’ll make you respect us!”
Before anyone could stop him, Roy blasted Roscoe with a yellow fear beam. Roscoe stared at his teammates in horror, once again seeing himself as the group’s failure and the others laughing at him. Ostracizing him.
“Stop it -- stop it!” he howled in humiliated and frightened agony, jumping from his chair and running at full speed from the room. The other children remained momentarily frozen, completely shocked by what had happened, and then Sam shook himself out of it and leaped at Roy. That sparked a free-for-all brawl between the two teams, and this time their minders weren’t about to get involved; it was too dangerous.
“Lisa!” Len shouted as he punched George in the face, worried she’d be injured in the fighting, but across the room he saw her slashing at Al with her wrist blades.
“Shit! Lisa, no!” he ordered, now more concerned about Al than her, though Mark suddenly intervened with his winds to blow her several meters away. To his horror, Len realized that Mark was then preparing for a lightning strike, and yelled a futile order at him to stop. But Hartley understood the situation had gotten completely out of control, so he quickly froze everyone with his music.
“This is nuts!” Hartley shouted at the crowd, breathing heavily while all the combatants stood temporarily paralyzed. “Somebody’s gonna get killed!”
“Better them than us!” Mark seethed, furious that his own teammate had stopped him. “What happened to brothers in arms?”
“The Betas aren’t our enemies,” Hartley declared firmly, although from the grumblings of his comrades it seemed none of them agreed. He was relieved to see Thawne and Wykeham finally enter the room, as no one would dare to resume fighting in their presence.
“This ain’t over,” George spat at the Alphas as the two groups were separated and marched to their respective areas of the compound.
In fact, it wasn’t over: Roy was found dead of a broken neck in the Betas’ washroom that night. It looked as if it might have been an accidental fall, but everyone was fairly certain it wasn’t. And Roscoe seemed inordinately pleased with himself.
****
The surviving Betas were grief-stricken, as was Gausbert. He couldn’t cry with them like he wanted to, but hugged the sobbing children longer than usual and whispered a few kind words of comfort to each one.
“We’ll all miss Roy. It’ll be all right,” he told them as he choked back his own tears, determined not to let them see him cry. It was easier to hurry away and yell at Wykeham instead, since he was well aware that the killer must have been an Alpha.
Lisa was absolutely inconsolable, although the other boys tried. James and Evan sat with her while George ranted angrily about revenge, and Mickey hung on their leader’s every word.
“Don’t cry, Lisa, don’t cry,” James pleaded, trying to play silly tricks to make her laugh. “You know Roy hated it when people cried.”
“But he’s gone and I miss him,” she sobbed. Evan scooted in closer and clasped one of her hands in his, though she scarcely noticed. “It’s not fair, he was so nice.”
“We’ll wipe those smug grins off them Alphas’ faces,” George growled as he paced back and forth, and Mickey nodded enthusiastically at his threats. Mickey was always eager to please and looking for approval.
“If you guys can get me some matches…or a lighter…I can burn `em all out,” he declared with an excited grin. “I can lock the door and burn down the dorm with them inside!”
“Oh, don’t do that -- you’ll burn Lenny too!” Lisa protested, her eyes flashing with fear and anger. “At least make sure Lenny’s out first.”
“The Professor would be very angry if we killed the Alphas,” Evan said solemnly. “He likes them better than us, so he’d punish us. I think he might kill us.”
“Right,” George mused, frowning. He was inclined to think Evan was absolutely correct, and their second-class status had always stung. “But we can hurt `em good and make them look stupid.”
“Just like Roy did,” James said softly, shaking his head slowly. That had gotten Roy killed, so it didn’t seem like a good idea to try it again, but he knew the others wouldn’t listen. They would have their pound of flesh.
****
Thawne was unusually animated at that week’s progress meeting. He listened impatiently to the tutors’ regular reports, but was eager to get to his own announcement.
“The children will be going on their first mission next week,” he declared with a broad smile, completely unbothered by the guardians’ shocked reactions.
“The Betas are too young and still grieving the loss of their teammate,” Gausbert said flatly, at which Wykeham laughed.
“You mean too incompetent to do the job,” Wykeham chuckled. He too had been taken aback by Thawne’s announcement, but was not going to let that slow him down. He was under significant pressure to prove the Alphas’ skills.
“No, I mean they’re not ready,” Gausbert shot back, well aware Thawne wasn’t going to change his mind. “At the very least, go easy on them.”
“They’ll simply be back-up anyway,” Thawne shrugged. “The Alphas will do the bulk of the work, and the Betas only need participate if something goes wrong. But I don’t expect any problems, since the children will be a complete surprise to the authorities. The police would know to counter my powers and those of other metahumans from this time period, but the Rogues will be utterly unknown to them. The Alphas will destroy them.”
“And once the authorities are aware of all the children and their powers..?” Gausbert inquired pointedly, though Thawne simply waved a dismissive hand.
“Irrelevant. The Rogues work as teams and use cutting-edge modern technology, which should be more than enough to defeat the police. And I have another ace up my sleeve if we encounter problems; you’ll meet them shortly.”
Gausbert raised an eyebrow at this, but Thawne didn’t seem interested in elaborating, so he let the matter drop.
“Inform your teams of the upcoming mission, prepare them for it, and I will debrief you all as the day approaches,” Thawne told them. “Failure to ensure your teams are ready will result in severe punishment for you and them, so I suggest you take this seriously. In particular, the Alphas will be expected to perform at a level befitting their elite status, so you had better pray they do a good job, Wykeham.”
Wykeham couldn’t hide his fear and dismay, and Gausbert didn’t bother containing a gleeful smirk. Perhaps karma existed after all.
****
“You disgusting brats aren’t worth the food you eat!” Wykeham screamed at the Alphas the next day. He’d been pushing them particularly ruthlessly since getting word of the imminent mission, and anxiety was making them sloppy.
“Sorry, sir,” Sam cringed after one failed maneuver, receiving a stinging slap in response.
“Don’t be sorry, just do better! Try it again!”
The holographic simulation began anew, and the boys positioned themselves to battle their imaginary foes.
“Hartley, ignore that one and help Albert!” Wykeham ordered from a distance as they started fighting. “Leonard, you’re pathetically slow and will get yourself killed! Mark, be careful with that lightning, for Sirius’ sake!”
Roscoe, who’d been spinning around in the fight but hadn’t incurred his teacher’s wrath over the past five minutes, suddenly stopped cold and fixed Wykeham with his dead-eyed stare.
“You should be kinder to us,” he said calmly as the man gaped at him, and then spun back into battle. Wykeham was too startled to respond before the boy withdrew, but resolved to punish his insubordination later. Still, he was disturbed that Roscoe no longer seemed afraid of him.
The training session ended with better results than the ones before, although Wykeham still wasn’t satisfied with their performance. His own future depended on the boys’ achievements, so he continued shouting at his team and pushed them to the point of collapse. They tried not to show weakness in front of him, but Al cried in bed that night and the others were too exhausted to offer comfort.
****
Thawne approached the Alphas after several days of intensive training. Though tired and stressed, they immediately stood at attention once they saw the man who ruled their lives. He liked that, and didn’t tell them to relax.
“Has Mr. Wykeham told you why you’ve been training so much lately?” he inquired, and they shook their heads. “It’s because you’re going on your first job for me. Some years ago, I successfully managed to steal a Cribi sculpture, but the authorities confiscated it when I was defeated by the Flash. I want you to obtain it and all the others for me.”
The Alphas murmured softly, each well aware of the security assigned to Cribis. Of alien origin and completely indestructible, these sculptures were the most valuable objects of the 25th century. Only the wealthiest people could afford them, and a potential owner had to guarantee sufficient protection for it before buying one.
“Yes, sir,” Len answered after a few moments, already pondering the possible logistics of such a scheme. It certainly wasn’t going to be easy.
“Have you boys worked out who’s in charge of the squad?” Thawne asked, and Sam instantly brightened.
“I am, Professor,” he said confidently before anyone else could respond. Thawne smiled a bit and shook his head.
“For your arrogance, Samuel, I’m appointing Leonard as team leader. He’ll give the orders and I expect you to follow them.”
“What..?” Sam demanded, shock and outrage colouring his expression until he remembered who he was talking to. In an instant he forced himself to calm down, but the irritation on Thawne’s face was obvious.
“Thank you, sir,” Len said politely, just as surprised as Sam but better at managing his composure. “I’ll make you proud.”
“Anything less will be punished,” the Professor replied curtly. He handed a holo-screen to Len. “This contains all the known details about your first target. I expect the entire squad to study this and work up a plan of action; Wykeham and I will assist you if needed. The job begins two days from now, at 0400 hours. Any questions?”
The boys shook their heads again, remaining respectfully silent, and he nodded as he left the room.
“Get to it.”
****
The Alphas spent the next two days scrutinizing the layout of the Cribi’s location, as well as all available information about the security system. They were inexperienced thieves, but Thawne continued to give them tips and advice about stealing, and they slowly grew more confident about the mission. After all, the Professor had faith in them, and they were his chosen team. It seemed like it would be an exciting adventure, and a sure way to prove themselves.
The Betas watched from afar, stewing in jealousy. As the intended back-up if things were to go wrong, they’d also been briefed on the details of the job, and didn’t understand why they weren’t part of it from the beginning.
“We’re just as good as they are, Professor!” George said indignantly, far more bold about standing up to Thawne than any other child. “They’ll need our help!”
“You Betas are the weaker team, and down a man since Prism died,” Thawne replied in a patient tone. He could afford to be more lenient with the Betas because he expected far less from them. “Besides, someone will have to assist if the mission fails, and it certainly won’t be me.”
“The mission won’t go wrong, `cause the Alphas are perfect,” Evan muttered resentfully under his breath, and Thawne simply ruffled his hair. The children were startled by this; they’d never seen a hint of affection from the man.
“We’ll see,” the Professor said with good humour. He was feeling surprisingly optimistic about the entire operation. “We will certainly see.”
****
The Alphas were awake and prepared by 0200 hours on the big day. They now had the expertise to don and configure their own equipment, so the adults watched approvingly as the boys readied themselves to leave.
“They’ll do well,” Thawne noted with a slight smile, and Wykeham nodded proudly. He didn’t particularly care about his charges (though he disliked them less than before), but took pride in his own efforts at whipping them into shape.
“We’re ready to go,” Len announced after they’d spent an hour ensuring everything was working correctly. Their regular yellow uniforms were set to stealth mode, darkened to black and armed with some cloaking technology of Thawne’s own design. They weren’t completely invisible to sensors and electronic equipment, but were more difficult to detect.
“Excellent,” Thawne replied as the boys lined up for inspection. “You will be in continuous contact with us here, and keep us informed of your progress. The Betas will be standing by if needed.” He snickered at the idea, and the boys felt free to do so as well. “Now bring me that Cribi.”
The boys moved to face each other in a circle before heading out. “Brothers forever, united we stand. Alphas together!” they shouted, an abbreviated version of the team chant Wykeham had them recite every morning. With that, Sam activated his mirror technology and the boys disappeared into their reflections.
****
The Alphas materialized in the home of a wealthy industrialist. They knew the layout of the house and where the Cribi was located, so they immediately focused on getting there. The house was dark due to the early hour and they were difficult to see, enabling them to avoid detection even as they entered the room it was kept in. Before them sat the Cribi, protected behind robot guards which would shoot anything within a four meter threshold of it.
“Fantastic,” Al murmured when he saw it, having read so much about the sculptures’ amazing physical properties. He hoped the Professor would allow him to examine it after they returned.
“Shut up,” Len ordered tersely. Anyone shot by the guards would be killed instantly, so focus was essential. “Remember the plan: Sam gets rid of those robots, Mark fries any other security systems, and Roscoe grabs the Cribi. The rest of us watch your backs and go after any unexpected surprise that pops up.”
Sam was tempted to retort that they were all aware of the plan and didn’t need him bossing them, but realized the Professor would punish him for it and remained silent. He was still rankled by his official demotion, though if Len made a mistake maybe there was a chance he could reclaim the position.
There was no time to think about that now. Sam flicked on his light, activated his mirror gun, and sent the robots elsewhere. Other security measures instantly flared to life -- including a loud klaxon which was hell on Hartley’s sensitive ears -- and Mark conjured up lightning to hit them as fast as he could. Roscoe was off in a second, moving faster than any other boy could, and soon passed the threshold to snatch the Cribi. It required a leap of faith that he wouldn’t be immediately vapourized by the security system, but the others had sufficiently neutralized the defences to keep him from being killed. In moments he was back with the others outside the threshold, the Cribi in his hands.
“Get us out!” Len ordered Sam, and as much as the other boy hated taking orders from him, he quickly obeyed. In mere seconds, the Alphas were out of the house with their prize.
****
“Excellent! Excellent!” Thawne crowed jubilantly when the boys returned with the Cribi. He rushed over and snatched it from Roscoe’s hands, first cradling it like a baby and then holding it aloft as a trophy. “You have all done well, and will be rewarded.”
The Alphas felt almost surprised that the operation was over so quickly, but basked in the praise and their own success. They hugged and slapped each other on the back, and even Roscoe seemed happily animated.
“We did it, brothers, and proved the Alphas really are the best,” Sam declared with a proud grin. Len disliked the comment, feeling it was an attempt to encroach on his leadership position, but couldn’t stay angry for long. And Hartley was so relieved to be one of the guys that he couldn’t stop smiling.
The Betas couldn’t hide their sour and disappointed expressions. They’d been ready and wanting to go, but ultimately hadn’t been needed, and as usual the Alphas were receiving all the accolades. They turned and left without bothering to offer congratulations to the victorious team.
****
Thawne wasn’t satisfied with just one Cribi; he was determined to own them all. He sent the Alphas on another mission a week after the first theft, which also went smoothly, and then successfully after a third. These jobs were starting to feel routine to the boys, though they never grew tired of the praise and rewards. They were given better food and more privileges because of their good work, and even greater freedom. Thawne reasoned that they could be trusted because they’d had the opportunity to escape but hadn’t.
Unfortunately, some of the Alphas chose to use their increased freedom by taunting the Betas, to which Wykeham and Thawne turned a blind eye. Gausbert protested and was ignored. There was little he or the Betas could do, particularly when Sam could transport the Alphas directly into their dorm to bully them. The Alphas never caused any physical harm, just teased and occasionally pushed the other children around, but George and the Betas were furious. It only strengthened George’s resolve to get revenge someday.
****
The mission to steal the fourth Cribi went sour from the beginning. As always, the Alphas transported in via the mirror dimension, but the entire building was brightly lit and they were shot at almost immediately. All dived for cover to assess the situation: there were several robots firing at them, as well as a human guard coordinating the attack.
“They guessed someone would come after it eventually,” Len noted with a chagrined expression. “Sam and Mark, you take them out so we can--”
He hadn’t even finished his sentence before the human guard shot at them with an odd-looking gun. A bright light pulsed, momentarily blinding them, and all their equipment went dead. Their weapons had gone offline, the stealth tech in their suits fizzled out, and the communications link with home base was severed. Frantic attempts to contact Thawne were futile, and Sam couldn’t activate his equipment to get them out of there. The guards continued shooting at them with conventional weaponry, keeping them pinned down behind bits of furniture as cover.
“What do we do?!” Al panicked, desperately looking for a means of escape, and Len slapped him to maintain some sense of calm.
“We’re not done yet. Mark can fry them with his powers, and Roscoe can take them on once Mark’s cleared the room a bit. Sam, keep trying to make your tech work so we can get out.”
The others nodded and obeyed, deriving a measure of confidence from Len’s calm demeanor. Mark destroyed one robot with lightning while Sam tinkered with his equipment, struggling to restart it or even get a response. The circuitry seemed to have been overloaded by the pulse, and as he worked to bypass the damaged areas he suddenly felt very pessimistic that they’d be able to return home.
****
Back at the compound, Thawne had immediately become alarmed when the comm-link went down. There could have been a relatively benign reason for it, but this was why he kept the Betas around.
“Betas! Go into the field and assist the Alphas!” he barked, and the bored-looking children were startled into action. They’d been dressed in uniform and ready to go in case of emergency, and it took only moments for Evan to activate the mirror technology and send them to the Alphas’ last known location.
****
The Betas leaped into a chaotic situation. Mark was bleeding badly, having been shot in the shoulder by a robot, and Hartley was frantically playing a flute to ward off their attackers. With Mark down, the simple pipe was the only weapon available to the Alphas, as all of Hartley’s electronics-based instruments had been neutralized along with the other equipment.
Len muttered a prayer of thanks when the Betas arrived, though he soon became terrified when Lisa instantly charged into battle on her boots. He had visions of her being shot down just as Mark had been, only she would be too far into the line of fire to rescue. But she was moving too swiftly to hit, and using her bladed weapons against the guards with great success; James joined her in moments, and George and Mickey attacked from a distance.
“Let’s get out of here,” Evan urged, though Sam shook his head forcefully as he continued tinkering with his equipment.
“No! I’ve almost got this fixed. And we don’t have the Cribi.”
“Who cares? We’re gonnae get killed out here -- and Mark’s bleedin’ to death!” Evan retorted angrily. His accent was returning under stress.
“The Professor will be hopping mad if we don’t get the Cribi,” Sam replied with an almost Zen-like calm as he concentrated on what he was doing. He almost had it…
“We can come back fur it!” Evan shouted, fearful that Lisa would be injured during the fight. Only moments later, James was shot in the leg and cried out in pain, and Len had seen enough.
“Let’s go. Activate your mirror and get us all out,” he told Evan sharply, and the younger boy was utterly grateful to comply. Both teams vanished in seconds.
****
“What did you do?!” Sam screamed at Len and Evan as soon as they returned to the compound. Thawne rushed over and carried Mark to the infirmary, while James was left to limp there with the worried assistance of Lisa.
“We’re alive,” Evan replied defensively, fighting back a few tears.
“You ruined everything! I almost had it!” Sam shouted at him, so angry he was shaking. He’d lost his bid for leadership, they’d failed to get the Cribi, and he’d been shown up by this B-level Mirror Master. Evan had saved the day, not Sam, and Len had even taken Evan’s input over his. It was too much to endure.
Sam grabbed Evan by the collar and activated the younger boy’s mirror technology before Evan could react. In an instant both disappeared into a reflection, completely inaccessible to others without the equipment.
****
“You understand that you will be punished,” Thawne told the Alphas (minus Sam) coldly. “You failed in your mission, my greatest soldier has been injured, and you could not even control your errant brother.”
“I’m sorry, sir,” Len said quietly, and Thawne backhanded him. Len didn't make a sound, having endured many beatings from adults during his lifetime. He knew Wykeham would be dealing out more violence soon enough.
“Go to your dorm,” Thawne ordered, and the boys silently began to leave the room. Sam suddenly jumped out of a nearby mirror as they departed, his face desperate and uniform soaked with blood. He turned and fled as soon as he saw the Professor.
“Deal with your charge, Wykeham,” Thawne said in a low voice, his expression absolutely furious, so the Alphas’ guardian rushed after Sam.
****
Wykeham was viciously beating Sam when the other Alphas returned to their dorm. Brother or not, they believed Sam deserved some punishment because he’d made the consequences so much worse for all of them, but Wykeham didn’t stop after just a few blows. He hit Sam repeatedly with a metal cane while the boy screamed in pain and terror, and the Alphas quickly became disturbed by the scene.
“Mr. Wykeham…stop,” Len said timidly. Even this mild defiance further angered their tutor, and he began hitting harder as Sam begged for mercy. Al fled from the room, unable to continue watching, and Roscoe crept over to Len.
“We can stop him,” Roscoe said in a low voice, and Len nodded. They ran to Wykeham and pulled him off Sam, roughly shoving the man against the wall.
“You filthy brats are all in for it now,” Wykeham spat as they pinned him, and then Roscoe lashed out and snapped his neck.
“Holy shit,” Len breathed, utterly in shock as their guardian slumped over. “What did you do..?”
“He won’t be terrorizing us anymore,” Roscoe said darkly, and dropped the body. “See to Sam.”
Hartley had already run to Sam’s side and was looking him over for serious injuries. Sam was sobbing, covered in blood, and huddled himself closely against Hartley for comfort.
“You killed that kid, didn’t you?” Len asked him numbly, still in shock. Sam nodded as he cried, his face pressed against Hartley's shoulder.
“I don’t know why…he just made me so mad…the Professor’s gonna kill us all!”
“He will now,” Len replied with a worried expression, gesturing at Wykeham’s body. “We need to get out of here, go to the cops or something.”
“They will prosecute us for theft and murder, and the Professor would hunt us down anyway. We have to kill him,” Roscoe said calmly, rocking back and forth on his heels.
“Are you crazy?!” Len shouted in disbelief. “He has super-speed, we wouldn’t be able to kill him!”
“And he’s the Professor, he’s our leader,” Al piped up, having returned once the screaming had stopped.
“I’m going to kill him, whether you join me or not. Hartley will help,” Roscoe announced, and the other boy simply looked startled by the declaration. “He owes me a favour.”
“Oh damn…” Hartley murmured quietly, suddenly understanding what he meant. “I guess so.” He began chuckling nervously because everything about the last hour had been so incredibly disturbing, and he had to laugh or cry.
“Okay,” Len said, swallowing hard. “If you two are really gonna do it, then I’ll join in. To stand with my brothers, and because we’re gonna die either way. You with us, Al?”
Al actually didn’t want to participate; he thought it was a futile endeavour and he’d begun to genuinely admire Thawne. Perhaps the Professor would even spare him for his loyalty if he snitched. But peer pressure and the bonds of family were strong, and he hated being the odd man out. “I’ll…I’ll help too.”
They put Sam to bed, still crying brokenly about the beating and what he’d done to Evan, and went to find the Betas.
****
The Betas were waiting anxiously in their dorm. Any joy they'd felt about saving the day was marred by concern for Evan, who'd disappeared with Sam and hadn’t been seen since.
“What if the Professor’s punishing him?” Lisa cried as she clutched James’ hand.
“Don’t be silly, there’d be no reason to. He’s probably just having a hard time getting back from wherever Sammy took him,” James told her gently, which wasn’t much comfort.
There was a knock at the door and George answered it. “What the hell do you want?” he demanded, eyes narrowing when he saw four Alphas standing there. His hand reached for a boomerang.
“Mr. Wykeham is dead. We’re going to kill the Professor next, and we want your help,” Len said quietly, casting a worried glance at Lisa’s teary face.
George’s jaw dropped. “What?! And where’s Evan?”
“The Professor killed him,” Roscoe answered before Len could say anything. The Betas’ faces went pale and Lisa began crying anew. James held her and cried too, while Hartley shifted awkwardly, uncomfortable about such a blatant lie.
“We’ll help,” George said with furious determination as he held back tears of his own. He couldn’t believe how much it hurt to lose two friends in such a short span of time.
****
The Betas took ten minutes to compose themselves and gather their weapons. Mickey didn’t have his flamethrower because the adults kept it under lock and key, but he was eager to help, and took two of George’s trick boomerangs. Most of the Alphas’ weaponry was still offline, but Hartley had his flute and Roscoe didn’t need any technology. Al had been tinkering with the disabled gear since they’d arrived at the Betas’ dorm, attempting to get it working again and having only minimal success. Some of the equipment would power up but was unable to do anything, while other pieces would briefly operate and then go dead again. “I’d really need to sit down for an afternoon to fix all the damaged circuitry -- and get Sam to help me, he’s a whiz with this stuff,” Al said to Len, who told him to keep at it. They’d be heading out shortly.
Without the use of their weapons, the Alphas armed themselves with anything they could find, including the metal cane Wykeham had used to beat Sam. And then both teams hurried out to find Thawne before he could learn of Wykeham’s death and be warned of the insurrection.
“I’m scared, Lisa. The Professor’s gonna kill us,” James said softly as they walked hand-in-hand, though she was full of iron resolve now that she’d stopped crying.
“Doesn’t matter. He killed Evan, so we need to make him pay.”
The two groups suddenly halted when they heard Gausbert’s voice behind them.
“George, where are you all going?”
Len gripped Roscoe’s wrist before he could attack, figuring George would peacefully handle the situation. If not, they’d have to kill Gausbert too, for whom the Alphas had no particular feelings one way or the other.
“Evan’s dead, and Mr. Wykeham’s dead too. We’re going after the Professor now, Mr. Gausbert. He killed Evan,” George explained defiantly, though the sorrow was obvious on his face.
“Oh. Oh dear,” Gausbert gasped. He supposed he should have seen it coming, and yet wondered if he’d be killed next. And he cared about Evan, just as he’d cared for Roy, so the news was very difficult. How many of these children were going to die?
“Can I have my flamethrower, Mr. Gausbert?” Mickey asked plaintively, and his guardian sighed. If they were rebelling against the man who’d ruined their lives, he supposed they ought to be well-armed. He owed them all the help he could give, as some small penance for his own role in their ruination.
“Yes, Mickey. Come with me.”
****
The flamethrower was kept in the armory, which Gausbert unlocked and allowed the children to enter.
“Take what you can. Hurry.”
Delighted, the children rushed in and grabbed anything that looked useful. Len found a back-up version of his cold gun, which didn’t work as well as the regular model but was better than nothing. Hartley filled his pockets with sophisticated electronic instruments, while Al picked up some of his old Mr. Element training technology. And George gathered more explosive boomerangs for his arsenal as Mickey excitedly strapped on the flamethrower.
“Thank you, Mr. Gausbert,” Len said appreciatively, and the man smiled sadly at him.
“Don’t thank me. I should be stopping you, because you’re all in grave danger. But I suppose you have been since the first day you got here, and I’m sorry about that.”
“I love you, Mr. Gausbert,” Lisa said softly, using her anti-grav boots to reach up and kiss his cheek.
“I love you too. Please just go,” he replied, his voice wavering as he struggled to maintain composure; if they’d stayed any longer he would have felt compelled to stop them. So the children marched out silently, and he broke down in tears after they were gone.
****
“We’re going to burst into his office and surprise him,” Len told the others as they walked down the hall towards Thawne’s administrative area.
“What if he’s not there?” George frowned, although Roscoe shook his head.
“He’s there.”
“How do you know?”
“I can sense it.”
“All of you shut up or he’ll hear us,” Hartley said irritably. The unbearable tension of the situation was giving him a headache, though he supposed it would be over soon enough.
“I wish Evan was here,” Lisa whispered sadly, and Len had to agree that having him or Sam around would have been extremely useful. And Mark's assistance would have also been welcome, though he was presumably still in the infirmary.
The rebels paused several meters from Thawne's office door. Len had to decide how to enter as quickly and safely as possible while still affording them the element of surprise.
“Roscoe, you think you can spin through it?” he asked after a few moments, and the other boy nodded. The children stood off to the side while he retraced his steps to gather momentum; in seconds, he’d spun down the hall and through the door with a tremendous noise of splintered wood and shattered glass.
Thawne was reading at his desk, and looked up in shock when Roscoe smashed through the door and came to an abrupt halt.
“What’s the meaning of this..?” Thawne demanded, and suddenly the other children swarmed through the doorway and attacked him. Only his super-speed saved his life, but there wasn’t a lot of room to maneuver in such a confined area. “You ungrateful little brats--!” he sputtered as he dodged Mickey’s flames, Len’s cold gun, and George’s explosive boomerang. The children were too skilled and powerful for him to handle on his own, especially in an enclosed space, and he needed assistance. He tapped the comm-link on his ear. “Omegas, help me!”
Only seconds passed before a blur streaked into the room and knocked Mickey off his feet. A second blur joined him moments later, walloping Len to the ground as well. And George scarcely dodged a sharp projectile thrown at his head, which embedded itself in the wall behind him. “A…boomerang?” he remarked incredulously as he looked at the familiar craftsmanship. It was identical to his own.
“Are you all right, Granddad?” one of the blurs asked, which coalesced into a young boy when it finally paused.
“I am. Thad, Owen -- kill them.”
Len got to his feet as quickly as he could, as did Mickey, and the mutineers soon regrouped to attack again.
This time everyone joined the fight, as there were now multiple targets to strike.
“Mickey and I will stay on the Professor. The rest of you take out those kids!” Len ordered, and everyone immediately complied. Hartley felt sick at the idea of hurting or killing other children, but it was clear they would do the same to the rebels, and his first loyalty was always to his brothers.
The problem with Mickey was that he was indiscriminately careless, and Len was afraid he might burn one of the Alphas or Betas by mistake. But Mickey represented the best chance of killing or injuring someone, especially a speedster, so that made him invaluable to their cause. Len stood back-to-back with him to protect him from a sneak attack, and together they sought the Professor amidst the chaos of the crowded battlefield. Thawne had started running again to escape them, and they were having difficulty locking onto him because of all the additional combatants in the room. Nevertheless, they continued to follow their target as the other mutineers chased after the younger speedsters.
****
Lisa and James sped after Thad, who had knocked out Al and was about to go for a killing blow. She managed to wound the boy speedster and chase him away from Al, but simply couldn’t catch him. He laughed delightedly and even made silly faces, clearly garnering enjoyment from taunting her and threatening her friends. Finally he caught James by the leg and pulled him roughly to the ground as Lisa screamed in fear, terrified she wouldn't be able to reach them in time. But suddenly Thad was held immobile, unable to run, and she was determined to take advantage of the unexpected good fortune. She plowed into him at full speed with all her blades out, and the young speedster died in a gush of blood.
“How..?” she wondered aloud as she picked herself up and looked at the bloody mess on her uniform. She’d never killed anyone before and it felt kind of horrifying, not at all as expected. Roscoe was nearby, spinning in place. He didn’t seem to be paying any attention to her, but his eyes glowed in a strange way she’d never seen before. Now wasn't the time to ask him about it, however, so she stood protectively over James and watched the boys fight the other speedsters, ready to jump in again if needed.
****
Owen had managed to strike George’s head with a traditional wooden boomerang, so the older boy was nursing a large bump and significant grudge.
“Can’t bloody believe the Prof has another kid with `rangs,” George muttered angrily. This was an affront to his status and professionalism, so the fight meant a great deal to him. He threw an explosive boomerang at the other boy, who easily dodged it with surprising speed, and Owen tossed a razor-sharp one at him. This managed to gouge a painful gash in his leg, but thankfully his counterpart’s aim didn’t seem to be as keen as his own. Which was yet another reason to scorn him.
“Give it up, mate: yer way outclassed,” George grinned as he prepared to throw another weapon.
“I don’t think so -- you attacked my grandfather!” Owen retorted furiously, and charged at him with that frightening speed. Almost reflexively George hurled an explosive boomerang at him with all his strength, and the device detonated in Owen’s face. The boy collapsed to the floor with a scream and horrific burns, and soon stopped moving.
****
Mark had stumbled through the doorway moments before Owen was struck down, and he stared in shock at the bloody scene. “What the hell..?”
“Mark!” Len shouted, relieved to see him there and glad that he was even up and walking at all. “Help us!”
Thawne took advantage of the distraction to elude his pursuers, and sped over to the young weather manipulator. Len stopped Mickey from shooting at the Professor while he stood next to Mark, but everyone was tense and prepared to attack.
“I need your help, Mark. Who gave you your powers?” Thawne asked pointedly, his gaze boring down on the boy. Mark squirmed uncomfortably and wasn’t able to look at him.
“You did, Professor…” he said in a faltering voice. He couldn’t go against his brothers, yet it was true he owed everything to Thawne. And the man had treated him more kindly than he did the other children; they had a special bond, one of near equals in power and status. Or so Mark liked to believe.
“You’re an Alpha first!” Len shouted worriedly, suddenly fearing the tide would turn against them. They could not afford to lose their trump card. “Brothers forever!”
“….yeah,” Mark said after a few moments of tortured hesitation. He closed his eyes, already hating himself, and electrocuted the Professor with a bolt of lightning.
The surviving children stumbled over to look at the body sizzling on the floor. Thawne was still alive, but barely, and Mickey mercifully dispatched him with a cleansing gout of flame.
“We did it,” Len remarked with startled wonder, a smile beginning to form. “I can’t believe we did it.”
Mark turned and stalked out of the room in obvious distress, and the others let him leave without protest.
“So what now?” Lisa asked quietly, tightly clutching James’ hand while supporting his injured leg.
“I dunno,” Len shrugged. He was still in a bit of shock from their victory, which almost seemed too good to be true. “Maybe we can go home now. Back to the past.”
“No!” Roscoe exclaimed loudly. He’d begun to spin in place again, full of pent-up manic energy. “Now we can ascend to the Professor’s position! We can run this joint and do whatever we want!”
“That’s nuts. You’re nuts,” Len said incredulously, shaking his head in disbelief. Roscoe was still his brother, but he’d never heard anything so ridiculous and it was best to just drop the matter. “Let’s go, guys.”
He was suddenly slammed against the wall by a spinning whirlwind.
“But you can’t go, I need you! I can’t do it by myself!”
Roscoe sounded more desperate than angry, but he was hurting Len. The older boy cried out in pain as his arms were twisted behind his back and he was shoved more forcefully into the wall.
George had finally had enough. Quick and silent, he walked up behind Roscoe and stabbed him hard in the neck with a razor-rang. The taller boy collapsed, clutching at his throat in agony and gasping for air, and George soon finished him off with a swift kick to the trachea.
“That was for Roy,” George spat, looking around at all the horrified faces. “Come on, you blokes know it was him.”
“I want to get out of here,” Lisa said tearfully, thoroughly sickened by all the deaths and bloodshed, and Len hugged her comfortingly for the first time in months. She allowed herself to have a good cry in his arms, glad to finally be allied with her brother again.
After taking some moments to say goodbye to Roscoe and the Professor, the children left the office in shell-shocked silence, carrying Owen's limp body between them. They'd discovered he was still breathing, a slight bit of solace amidst all the carnage, and hoped his life could be saved.
****
Gausbert was sitting despondently in the Betas’ dorm when they returned, though he lit up with surprise and delight to see them. The Betas ran to him, and he enveloped all four of them in a tight embrace.
“Thank God, thank God,” he murmured, tears streaming down his face, and they cried with him. “I can’t believe it.”
“We killed him, Mr. Gausbert,” George said quietly as he hugged the man in return. “An’ I killed Roscoe too.” It was something he felt the need to confess, for it seemed to him that he’d crossed a line he shouldn’t have, even despite Roy’s death. He’d killed someone outside the heat of battle, and the Alphas had been allies.
“Well…he was never quite right after that surgery,” Gausbert replied sadly, unsure of what to say. Once again he realized how badly Thawne and his helpers had damaged these children, and that so much of it was his own fault. He had been all too complicit in the scheme, even despite his doubts.
He looked at the Alphas, who were standing a short distance away and mourning the death of their brother, as well as worrying about Sam. “Come here, boys. We’re going to leave this place, find somewhere else to live, and figure out where to go from there. All of us.”
“What about Sam and Mark? What about this kid?” Len asked plaintively, gesturing at Owen lying nearby. He worried that some of the boys might be abandoned because of their presumed failures.
“We’ll drop off the lad at a hospital, and they’ll take care of him. Sam and Mark will come with us. So gather your things and let’s go,” Gausbert told them in a gentle tone. The children were relieved to have an adult take charge again, especially one who seemed kind and sympathetic, and they hurried away to pack their few possessions.
****
The surviving children and Gausbert congregated outside the compound’s front door several hours later. The children had never been through the door before, and stared in wonder at the open landscape surrounding the buildings; the sight was entirely new to them because they hadn't seen the wider world during their missions.
“Is everyone here? Do you have everything you wanted to bring?” Gausbert asked the group, and there were silent nods of assent. They’d packed their clothes and weapons, but had never owned much since arriving in this time period.
Gausbert had commandeered one of Thawne’s spacious transport vehicles, which he now packed full of food and medical supplies from the compound. In a way it was unfortunate to leave the place, as it had been excellent lodgings for such a large group, but there was too much trauma and death associated with it. He hoped the children could begin to heal once they’d left.
Owen was carried to the van and laid on a seat, and Sam was carefully helped to sit next to him. Sam had scarcely uttered a word since he’d been reunited with his brothers, always looking pale and withdrawn, and Gausbert was concerned about him. His physical injuries from Wykeham’s beating weren’t particularly severe, but his muted distress suggested he’d been traumatized by something, and he clearly didn't want to talk about it. Mark was also uncommunicative, frequently hiding his unhappy face behind a favourite shirt and pretending not to hear when people spoke to him. The other children seemed relatively normal, albeit still behaving as if part of a military organization, and they sat down in the vehicle with a minimum of noise or fuss. But Gausbert asked Mickey to remain outside with him.
“Mickey, I want you to burn the place,” Gausbert told him quietly, and the boy lit up with excitement. He took the proffered flamethrower and torched the buildings with absolute delight, relishing the opportunity for sanctioned destruction. The fire would destroy evidence of Thawne’s operations, give the children some closure, and cremate the dead who’d been left inside.
Gausbert drove away once he was satisfied the compound was sufficiently aflame, and the children silently watched it burn as the buildings disappeared behind them. The indestructible Cribis would be all that remained.
Author: liabrown aka dillonmania
Artist: useless19
Genre: Drama, Action
Characters: Eobard Thawne, Hartley Rathaway, Len Snart, Sam Scudder, Albert Desmond, Roscoe Dillon, Mark Mardon, Lisa Snart, George Harkness, James Jesse, Evan McCulloch, Mick Rory, Roy Bivolo, Owen Mercer, Thad Thawne, OCs.
Rating: R
Word Count: 16,600+
Warnings: Child abuse [physical and verbal, not sexual], violence, character death, profanity.
Author's Notes: You may have seen the prologue before; I was originally going to keep it separate and then decided to incorporate it into the body of the main story. The Cribis are canon and were introduced in Professor Zoom's first appearance, but Wykeham and Gausbert are my own invention.
Summary: Eobard Thawne went into the past to abduct the Rogues during their childhoods, and is training them to be his personal soldiers. This will not end well.
Part One - Part Two
The Alphas had spent an entire afternoon working on arithmetic lessons, and were long past restless. They stopped studying as soon as Wykeham stepped out of the classroom for a brief errand.
“This is so stupid, we should be out training,” Mark grumbled, always eager to use his new powers. He couldn’t use them much indoors and still hide the evidence afterwards, so he amused himself by creating light winds to blow things around the room.
“Hey!” Sam shouted as math papers flew off his desk, and the other boys laughed as he ran after them. The tension had dissipated and they were happy, which was rare these days.
Mark added to the jest by manipulating the winds so carefully that Sam would nearly reach his paper, and then it would fly away from him. Len laughed harder than the others, glad to see his rival embarrassed, and Hartley smiled contentedly at the older boy’s delight. He liked Len, as more than a friend. It was merely the sort of admiration one had for a role model, or so he told himself. He didn’t want to admit there could be anything more to it. But all his appreciative staring had not escaped the notice of one silent onlooker; Roscoe typically said little but observed a lot, and always filed away information he could use.
There were a few more minutes of horseplay and merriment before Hartley’s keen hearing detected Wykeham’s return and they rushed back to work. But even despite their tutor’s irritable scolding -- from the mess it was obvious they’d been up to mischief -- it had all been worth a little bit of fun.
****
As time passed, there was a new addition to the curriculum: both teams were taught to steal. Hartley and Evan were slapped when they insisted stealing was wrong, and the children were reminded that they now lived by Thawne’s rules. Theft was acceptable when the Professor said so, and Wykeham hinted that the Alphas would one day be stealing on his behalf.
The first lessons were about effective criminal habits, such as how to burglarize a building, how to avoid leaving evidence, and other related topics. These were taught by Thawne himself, who had a long history of breaking the law and running from the police, and his classes were fascinating to the children. They then put these lectures into practice, training in specialized exercises just as they did with their weapons and powers.
Gausbert hated what was happening to his charges. Though they got along with each other as well as ever, their aggression levels were spiking and their behaviour in training was becoming increasingly amoral. George and Mickey ‘killed’ their opponents without a second thought, and Lisa was capable of surprising savagery with her blades. Not for the first time, their tutor wondered if someday they’d turn on him.
****
Despite the sensitivity of his hearing, Hartley didn’t detect Roscoe’s approach until he was almost next to him, which was extremely unnerving.
“What do you want?” he asked quietly, attempting to hide his unease.
“Hartley. You like Len, don’t you?” Roscoe said in a flat tone, more statement than question. He veered in closer than Hartley was comfortable with, their faces only inches apart.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I see the way you look at him. You’re in love with him.”
“You’re nuts.”
“No. But I won’t tell anyone if you’ll do a favour for me.”
“What kind of favour?” Hartley asked suspiciously, heart sinking. He didn’t want to be ostracized from the Alphas; they were his brothers. He, like the rest of them, had literally no one else.
“I don’t know yet, it hasn’t come up. But I’ll let you know when it does.”
“…fine. Keep your mouth shut and I’ll help you when you need it. That’s what brothers are for, right?” the worried boy said with false cheer, hoping to appeal to the other’s sense of camaraderie. But Roscoe’s face was emotionless and seemed unmoved. His eyes momentarily flickered with a strange glow, then quickly returned to normal.
“Of course,” was all he replied, turning on his heel and walking out of the room as silently as he’d arrived. Hartley couldn’t even begin to guess what he was thinking.
****
Days passed and the other Alphas didn’t treat Hartley any differently, so he assumed Roscoe was keeping his word. Hartley watched the other boy intently in an attempt to determine his motivation, but saw nothing aside from his typical calm mask and odd stare. There was never any visible malevolence or pleasure, just the same expression he'd often worn since his brain surgery, and somehow that seemed even more unsettling.
But Hartley had to keep up appearances as Just One Of The Guys, so he put on a mask of his own to seem cheerful and normal, and nobody else suspected a thing. I’m living a lie, he thought to himself. I’m just like my brothers, except in the ways I’m not. The only other person who knew wasn’t much of a conversationalist these days, so he couldn't discuss it with anyone. He’d never felt so alone.
****
Lisa had been spending a lot of time with James in recent weeks. At first it was just to co-ordinate their skills and practice with their weapons, but they’d discovered they enjoyed each other’s company and found excuses to be together at other times too. They sat next to each other during lessons and meals, and although Lisa insisted they were just “Best friends forever!”, their closeness hadn’t gone unnoticed by the other Betas.
Evan was not about to give up, however. He had a crush on Lisa, who was closer to his age than James, and determinedly tagged along with her whenever possible. He was certain that once Lisa realized how much they had in common (such as their age and unstable family background), she’d want to be with him instead. She wasn’t the squad leader but always had a couple of boys following her around, and George was actually envious of her influence.
****
The Alphas were finishing lunch in the cafeteria one afternoon when the Betas wandered in; Gausbert had thoughtlessly told his team to go eat without considering who else might be there.
“Oh look, the Beta Bitches are here,” Roscoe said in a bored tone, not bothering to look at them, and Mark began snickering.
Roy was infuriated despite Lisa’s attempt to calm him, which of course amused the Alphas further. “You jerks oughta treat us with more respect!”
“And why’s that?” Roscoe asked calmly. His attention was still focused on his plate.
“Because I’ll…I’ll make you respect us!”
Before anyone could stop him, Roy blasted Roscoe with a yellow fear beam. Roscoe stared at his teammates in horror, once again seeing himself as the group’s failure and the others laughing at him. Ostracizing him.
“Stop it -- stop it!” he howled in humiliated and frightened agony, jumping from his chair and running at full speed from the room. The other children remained momentarily frozen, completely shocked by what had happened, and then Sam shook himself out of it and leaped at Roy. That sparked a free-for-all brawl between the two teams, and this time their minders weren’t about to get involved; it was too dangerous.
“Lisa!” Len shouted as he punched George in the face, worried she’d be injured in the fighting, but across the room he saw her slashing at Al with her wrist blades.
“Shit! Lisa, no!” he ordered, now more concerned about Al than her, though Mark suddenly intervened with his winds to blow her several meters away. To his horror, Len realized that Mark was then preparing for a lightning strike, and yelled a futile order at him to stop. But Hartley understood the situation had gotten completely out of control, so he quickly froze everyone with his music.
“This is nuts!” Hartley shouted at the crowd, breathing heavily while all the combatants stood temporarily paralyzed. “Somebody’s gonna get killed!”
“Better them than us!” Mark seethed, furious that his own teammate had stopped him. “What happened to brothers in arms?”
“The Betas aren’t our enemies,” Hartley declared firmly, although from the grumblings of his comrades it seemed none of them agreed. He was relieved to see Thawne and Wykeham finally enter the room, as no one would dare to resume fighting in their presence.
“This ain’t over,” George spat at the Alphas as the two groups were separated and marched to their respective areas of the compound.
In fact, it wasn’t over: Roy was found dead of a broken neck in the Betas’ washroom that night. It looked as if it might have been an accidental fall, but everyone was fairly certain it wasn’t. And Roscoe seemed inordinately pleased with himself.
****
The surviving Betas were grief-stricken, as was Gausbert. He couldn’t cry with them like he wanted to, but hugged the sobbing children longer than usual and whispered a few kind words of comfort to each one.
“We’ll all miss Roy. It’ll be all right,” he told them as he choked back his own tears, determined not to let them see him cry. It was easier to hurry away and yell at Wykeham instead, since he was well aware that the killer must have been an Alpha.
Lisa was absolutely inconsolable, although the other boys tried. James and Evan sat with her while George ranted angrily about revenge, and Mickey hung on their leader’s every word.
“Don’t cry, Lisa, don’t cry,” James pleaded, trying to play silly tricks to make her laugh. “You know Roy hated it when people cried.”
“But he’s gone and I miss him,” she sobbed. Evan scooted in closer and clasped one of her hands in his, though she scarcely noticed. “It’s not fair, he was so nice.”
“We’ll wipe those smug grins off them Alphas’ faces,” George growled as he paced back and forth, and Mickey nodded enthusiastically at his threats. Mickey was always eager to please and looking for approval.
“If you guys can get me some matches…or a lighter…I can burn `em all out,” he declared with an excited grin. “I can lock the door and burn down the dorm with them inside!”
“Oh, don’t do that -- you’ll burn Lenny too!” Lisa protested, her eyes flashing with fear and anger. “At least make sure Lenny’s out first.”
“The Professor would be very angry if we killed the Alphas,” Evan said solemnly. “He likes them better than us, so he’d punish us. I think he might kill us.”
“Right,” George mused, frowning. He was inclined to think Evan was absolutely correct, and their second-class status had always stung. “But we can hurt `em good and make them look stupid.”
“Just like Roy did,” James said softly, shaking his head slowly. That had gotten Roy killed, so it didn’t seem like a good idea to try it again, but he knew the others wouldn’t listen. They would have their pound of flesh.
****
Thawne was unusually animated at that week’s progress meeting. He listened impatiently to the tutors’ regular reports, but was eager to get to his own announcement.
“The children will be going on their first mission next week,” he declared with a broad smile, completely unbothered by the guardians’ shocked reactions.
“The Betas are too young and still grieving the loss of their teammate,” Gausbert said flatly, at which Wykeham laughed.
“You mean too incompetent to do the job,” Wykeham chuckled. He too had been taken aback by Thawne’s announcement, but was not going to let that slow him down. He was under significant pressure to prove the Alphas’ skills.
“No, I mean they’re not ready,” Gausbert shot back, well aware Thawne wasn’t going to change his mind. “At the very least, go easy on them.”
“They’ll simply be back-up anyway,” Thawne shrugged. “The Alphas will do the bulk of the work, and the Betas only need participate if something goes wrong. But I don’t expect any problems, since the children will be a complete surprise to the authorities. The police would know to counter my powers and those of other metahumans from this time period, but the Rogues will be utterly unknown to them. The Alphas will destroy them.”
“And once the authorities are aware of all the children and their powers..?” Gausbert inquired pointedly, though Thawne simply waved a dismissive hand.
“Irrelevant. The Rogues work as teams and use cutting-edge modern technology, which should be more than enough to defeat the police. And I have another ace up my sleeve if we encounter problems; you’ll meet them shortly.”
Gausbert raised an eyebrow at this, but Thawne didn’t seem interested in elaborating, so he let the matter drop.
“Inform your teams of the upcoming mission, prepare them for it, and I will debrief you all as the day approaches,” Thawne told them. “Failure to ensure your teams are ready will result in severe punishment for you and them, so I suggest you take this seriously. In particular, the Alphas will be expected to perform at a level befitting their elite status, so you had better pray they do a good job, Wykeham.”
Wykeham couldn’t hide his fear and dismay, and Gausbert didn’t bother containing a gleeful smirk. Perhaps karma existed after all.
****
“You disgusting brats aren’t worth the food you eat!” Wykeham screamed at the Alphas the next day. He’d been pushing them particularly ruthlessly since getting word of the imminent mission, and anxiety was making them sloppy.
“Sorry, sir,” Sam cringed after one failed maneuver, receiving a stinging slap in response.
“Don’t be sorry, just do better! Try it again!”
The holographic simulation began anew, and the boys positioned themselves to battle their imaginary foes.
“Hartley, ignore that one and help Albert!” Wykeham ordered from a distance as they started fighting. “Leonard, you’re pathetically slow and will get yourself killed! Mark, be careful with that lightning, for Sirius’ sake!”
Roscoe, who’d been spinning around in the fight but hadn’t incurred his teacher’s wrath over the past five minutes, suddenly stopped cold and fixed Wykeham with his dead-eyed stare.
“You should be kinder to us,” he said calmly as the man gaped at him, and then spun back into battle. Wykeham was too startled to respond before the boy withdrew, but resolved to punish his insubordination later. Still, he was disturbed that Roscoe no longer seemed afraid of him.
The training session ended with better results than the ones before, although Wykeham still wasn’t satisfied with their performance. His own future depended on the boys’ achievements, so he continued shouting at his team and pushed them to the point of collapse. They tried not to show weakness in front of him, but Al cried in bed that night and the others were too exhausted to offer comfort.
****
Thawne approached the Alphas after several days of intensive training. Though tired and stressed, they immediately stood at attention once they saw the man who ruled their lives. He liked that, and didn’t tell them to relax.
“Has Mr. Wykeham told you why you’ve been training so much lately?” he inquired, and they shook their heads. “It’s because you’re going on your first job for me. Some years ago, I successfully managed to steal a Cribi sculpture, but the authorities confiscated it when I was defeated by the Flash. I want you to obtain it and all the others for me.”
The Alphas murmured softly, each well aware of the security assigned to Cribis. Of alien origin and completely indestructible, these sculptures were the most valuable objects of the 25th century. Only the wealthiest people could afford them, and a potential owner had to guarantee sufficient protection for it before buying one.
“Yes, sir,” Len answered after a few moments, already pondering the possible logistics of such a scheme. It certainly wasn’t going to be easy.
“Have you boys worked out who’s in charge of the squad?” Thawne asked, and Sam instantly brightened.
“I am, Professor,” he said confidently before anyone else could respond. Thawne smiled a bit and shook his head.
“For your arrogance, Samuel, I’m appointing Leonard as team leader. He’ll give the orders and I expect you to follow them.”
“What..?” Sam demanded, shock and outrage colouring his expression until he remembered who he was talking to. In an instant he forced himself to calm down, but the irritation on Thawne’s face was obvious.
“Thank you, sir,” Len said politely, just as surprised as Sam but better at managing his composure. “I’ll make you proud.”
“Anything less will be punished,” the Professor replied curtly. He handed a holo-screen to Len. “This contains all the known details about your first target. I expect the entire squad to study this and work up a plan of action; Wykeham and I will assist you if needed. The job begins two days from now, at 0400 hours. Any questions?”
The boys shook their heads again, remaining respectfully silent, and he nodded as he left the room.
“Get to it.”
****
The Alphas spent the next two days scrutinizing the layout of the Cribi’s location, as well as all available information about the security system. They were inexperienced thieves, but Thawne continued to give them tips and advice about stealing, and they slowly grew more confident about the mission. After all, the Professor had faith in them, and they were his chosen team. It seemed like it would be an exciting adventure, and a sure way to prove themselves.
The Betas watched from afar, stewing in jealousy. As the intended back-up if things were to go wrong, they’d also been briefed on the details of the job, and didn’t understand why they weren’t part of it from the beginning.
“We’re just as good as they are, Professor!” George said indignantly, far more bold about standing up to Thawne than any other child. “They’ll need our help!”
“You Betas are the weaker team, and down a man since Prism died,” Thawne replied in a patient tone. He could afford to be more lenient with the Betas because he expected far less from them. “Besides, someone will have to assist if the mission fails, and it certainly won’t be me.”
“The mission won’t go wrong, `cause the Alphas are perfect,” Evan muttered resentfully under his breath, and Thawne simply ruffled his hair. The children were startled by this; they’d never seen a hint of affection from the man.
“We’ll see,” the Professor said with good humour. He was feeling surprisingly optimistic about the entire operation. “We will certainly see.”
****
The Alphas were awake and prepared by 0200 hours on the big day. They now had the expertise to don and configure their own equipment, so the adults watched approvingly as the boys readied themselves to leave.
“They’ll do well,” Thawne noted with a slight smile, and Wykeham nodded proudly. He didn’t particularly care about his charges (though he disliked them less than before), but took pride in his own efforts at whipping them into shape.
“We’re ready to go,” Len announced after they’d spent an hour ensuring everything was working correctly. Their regular yellow uniforms were set to stealth mode, darkened to black and armed with some cloaking technology of Thawne’s own design. They weren’t completely invisible to sensors and electronic equipment, but were more difficult to detect.
“Excellent,” Thawne replied as the boys lined up for inspection. “You will be in continuous contact with us here, and keep us informed of your progress. The Betas will be standing by if needed.” He snickered at the idea, and the boys felt free to do so as well. “Now bring me that Cribi.”
The boys moved to face each other in a circle before heading out. “Brothers forever, united we stand. Alphas together!” they shouted, an abbreviated version of the team chant Wykeham had them recite every morning. With that, Sam activated his mirror technology and the boys disappeared into their reflections.
****
The Alphas materialized in the home of a wealthy industrialist. They knew the layout of the house and where the Cribi was located, so they immediately focused on getting there. The house was dark due to the early hour and they were difficult to see, enabling them to avoid detection even as they entered the room it was kept in. Before them sat the Cribi, protected behind robot guards which would shoot anything within a four meter threshold of it.
“Fantastic,” Al murmured when he saw it, having read so much about the sculptures’ amazing physical properties. He hoped the Professor would allow him to examine it after they returned.
“Shut up,” Len ordered tersely. Anyone shot by the guards would be killed instantly, so focus was essential. “Remember the plan: Sam gets rid of those robots, Mark fries any other security systems, and Roscoe grabs the Cribi. The rest of us watch your backs and go after any unexpected surprise that pops up.”
Sam was tempted to retort that they were all aware of the plan and didn’t need him bossing them, but realized the Professor would punish him for it and remained silent. He was still rankled by his official demotion, though if Len made a mistake maybe there was a chance he could reclaim the position.
There was no time to think about that now. Sam flicked on his light, activated his mirror gun, and sent the robots elsewhere. Other security measures instantly flared to life -- including a loud klaxon which was hell on Hartley’s sensitive ears -- and Mark conjured up lightning to hit them as fast as he could. Roscoe was off in a second, moving faster than any other boy could, and soon passed the threshold to snatch the Cribi. It required a leap of faith that he wouldn’t be immediately vapourized by the security system, but the others had sufficiently neutralized the defences to keep him from being killed. In moments he was back with the others outside the threshold, the Cribi in his hands.
“Get us out!” Len ordered Sam, and as much as the other boy hated taking orders from him, he quickly obeyed. In mere seconds, the Alphas were out of the house with their prize.
****
“Excellent! Excellent!” Thawne crowed jubilantly when the boys returned with the Cribi. He rushed over and snatched it from Roscoe’s hands, first cradling it like a baby and then holding it aloft as a trophy. “You have all done well, and will be rewarded.”
The Alphas felt almost surprised that the operation was over so quickly, but basked in the praise and their own success. They hugged and slapped each other on the back, and even Roscoe seemed happily animated.
“We did it, brothers, and proved the Alphas really are the best,” Sam declared with a proud grin. Len disliked the comment, feeling it was an attempt to encroach on his leadership position, but couldn’t stay angry for long. And Hartley was so relieved to be one of the guys that he couldn’t stop smiling.
The Betas couldn’t hide their sour and disappointed expressions. They’d been ready and wanting to go, but ultimately hadn’t been needed, and as usual the Alphas were receiving all the accolades. They turned and left without bothering to offer congratulations to the victorious team.
****
Thawne wasn’t satisfied with just one Cribi; he was determined to own them all. He sent the Alphas on another mission a week after the first theft, which also went smoothly, and then successfully after a third. These jobs were starting to feel routine to the boys, though they never grew tired of the praise and rewards. They were given better food and more privileges because of their good work, and even greater freedom. Thawne reasoned that they could be trusted because they’d had the opportunity to escape but hadn’t.
Unfortunately, some of the Alphas chose to use their increased freedom by taunting the Betas, to which Wykeham and Thawne turned a blind eye. Gausbert protested and was ignored. There was little he or the Betas could do, particularly when Sam could transport the Alphas directly into their dorm to bully them. The Alphas never caused any physical harm, just teased and occasionally pushed the other children around, but George and the Betas were furious. It only strengthened George’s resolve to get revenge someday.
****
The mission to steal the fourth Cribi went sour from the beginning. As always, the Alphas transported in via the mirror dimension, but the entire building was brightly lit and they were shot at almost immediately. All dived for cover to assess the situation: there were several robots firing at them, as well as a human guard coordinating the attack.
“They guessed someone would come after it eventually,” Len noted with a chagrined expression. “Sam and Mark, you take them out so we can--”
He hadn’t even finished his sentence before the human guard shot at them with an odd-looking gun. A bright light pulsed, momentarily blinding them, and all their equipment went dead. Their weapons had gone offline, the stealth tech in their suits fizzled out, and the communications link with home base was severed. Frantic attempts to contact Thawne were futile, and Sam couldn’t activate his equipment to get them out of there. The guards continued shooting at them with conventional weaponry, keeping them pinned down behind bits of furniture as cover.
“What do we do?!” Al panicked, desperately looking for a means of escape, and Len slapped him to maintain some sense of calm.
“We’re not done yet. Mark can fry them with his powers, and Roscoe can take them on once Mark’s cleared the room a bit. Sam, keep trying to make your tech work so we can get out.”
The others nodded and obeyed, deriving a measure of confidence from Len’s calm demeanor. Mark destroyed one robot with lightning while Sam tinkered with his equipment, struggling to restart it or even get a response. The circuitry seemed to have been overloaded by the pulse, and as he worked to bypass the damaged areas he suddenly felt very pessimistic that they’d be able to return home.
****
Back at the compound, Thawne had immediately become alarmed when the comm-link went down. There could have been a relatively benign reason for it, but this was why he kept the Betas around.
“Betas! Go into the field and assist the Alphas!” he barked, and the bored-looking children were startled into action. They’d been dressed in uniform and ready to go in case of emergency, and it took only moments for Evan to activate the mirror technology and send them to the Alphas’ last known location.
****
The Betas leaped into a chaotic situation. Mark was bleeding badly, having been shot in the shoulder by a robot, and Hartley was frantically playing a flute to ward off their attackers. With Mark down, the simple pipe was the only weapon available to the Alphas, as all of Hartley’s electronics-based instruments had been neutralized along with the other equipment.
Len muttered a prayer of thanks when the Betas arrived, though he soon became terrified when Lisa instantly charged into battle on her boots. He had visions of her being shot down just as Mark had been, only she would be too far into the line of fire to rescue. But she was moving too swiftly to hit, and using her bladed weapons against the guards with great success; James joined her in moments, and George and Mickey attacked from a distance.
“Let’s get out of here,” Evan urged, though Sam shook his head forcefully as he continued tinkering with his equipment.
“No! I’ve almost got this fixed. And we don’t have the Cribi.”
“Who cares? We’re gonnae get killed out here -- and Mark’s bleedin’ to death!” Evan retorted angrily. His accent was returning under stress.
“The Professor will be hopping mad if we don’t get the Cribi,” Sam replied with an almost Zen-like calm as he concentrated on what he was doing. He almost had it…
“We can come back fur it!” Evan shouted, fearful that Lisa would be injured during the fight. Only moments later, James was shot in the leg and cried out in pain, and Len had seen enough.
“Let’s go. Activate your mirror and get us all out,” he told Evan sharply, and the younger boy was utterly grateful to comply. Both teams vanished in seconds.
****
“What did you do?!” Sam screamed at Len and Evan as soon as they returned to the compound. Thawne rushed over and carried Mark to the infirmary, while James was left to limp there with the worried assistance of Lisa.
“We’re alive,” Evan replied defensively, fighting back a few tears.
“You ruined everything! I almost had it!” Sam shouted at him, so angry he was shaking. He’d lost his bid for leadership, they’d failed to get the Cribi, and he’d been shown up by this B-level Mirror Master. Evan had saved the day, not Sam, and Len had even taken Evan’s input over his. It was too much to endure.
Sam grabbed Evan by the collar and activated the younger boy’s mirror technology before Evan could react. In an instant both disappeared into a reflection, completely inaccessible to others without the equipment.
****
“You understand that you will be punished,” Thawne told the Alphas (minus Sam) coldly. “You failed in your mission, my greatest soldier has been injured, and you could not even control your errant brother.”
“I’m sorry, sir,” Len said quietly, and Thawne backhanded him. Len didn't make a sound, having endured many beatings from adults during his lifetime. He knew Wykeham would be dealing out more violence soon enough.
“Go to your dorm,” Thawne ordered, and the boys silently began to leave the room. Sam suddenly jumped out of a nearby mirror as they departed, his face desperate and uniform soaked with blood. He turned and fled as soon as he saw the Professor.
“Deal with your charge, Wykeham,” Thawne said in a low voice, his expression absolutely furious, so the Alphas’ guardian rushed after Sam.
****
Wykeham was viciously beating Sam when the other Alphas returned to their dorm. Brother or not, they believed Sam deserved some punishment because he’d made the consequences so much worse for all of them, but Wykeham didn’t stop after just a few blows. He hit Sam repeatedly with a metal cane while the boy screamed in pain and terror, and the Alphas quickly became disturbed by the scene.
“Mr. Wykeham…stop,” Len said timidly. Even this mild defiance further angered their tutor, and he began hitting harder as Sam begged for mercy. Al fled from the room, unable to continue watching, and Roscoe crept over to Len.
“We can stop him,” Roscoe said in a low voice, and Len nodded. They ran to Wykeham and pulled him off Sam, roughly shoving the man against the wall.
“You filthy brats are all in for it now,” Wykeham spat as they pinned him, and then Roscoe lashed out and snapped his neck.
“Holy shit,” Len breathed, utterly in shock as their guardian slumped over. “What did you do..?”
“He won’t be terrorizing us anymore,” Roscoe said darkly, and dropped the body. “See to Sam.”
Hartley had already run to Sam’s side and was looking him over for serious injuries. Sam was sobbing, covered in blood, and huddled himself closely against Hartley for comfort.
“You killed that kid, didn’t you?” Len asked him numbly, still in shock. Sam nodded as he cried, his face pressed against Hartley's shoulder.
“I don’t know why…he just made me so mad…the Professor’s gonna kill us all!”
“He will now,” Len replied with a worried expression, gesturing at Wykeham’s body. “We need to get out of here, go to the cops or something.”
“They will prosecute us for theft and murder, and the Professor would hunt us down anyway. We have to kill him,” Roscoe said calmly, rocking back and forth on his heels.
“Are you crazy?!” Len shouted in disbelief. “He has super-speed, we wouldn’t be able to kill him!”
“And he’s the Professor, he’s our leader,” Al piped up, having returned once the screaming had stopped.
“I’m going to kill him, whether you join me or not. Hartley will help,” Roscoe announced, and the other boy simply looked startled by the declaration. “He owes me a favour.”
“Oh damn…” Hartley murmured quietly, suddenly understanding what he meant. “I guess so.” He began chuckling nervously because everything about the last hour had been so incredibly disturbing, and he had to laugh or cry.
“Okay,” Len said, swallowing hard. “If you two are really gonna do it, then I’ll join in. To stand with my brothers, and because we’re gonna die either way. You with us, Al?”
Al actually didn’t want to participate; he thought it was a futile endeavour and he’d begun to genuinely admire Thawne. Perhaps the Professor would even spare him for his loyalty if he snitched. But peer pressure and the bonds of family were strong, and he hated being the odd man out. “I’ll…I’ll help too.”
They put Sam to bed, still crying brokenly about the beating and what he’d done to Evan, and went to find the Betas.
****
The Betas were waiting anxiously in their dorm. Any joy they'd felt about saving the day was marred by concern for Evan, who'd disappeared with Sam and hadn’t been seen since.
“What if the Professor’s punishing him?” Lisa cried as she clutched James’ hand.
“Don’t be silly, there’d be no reason to. He’s probably just having a hard time getting back from wherever Sammy took him,” James told her gently, which wasn’t much comfort.
There was a knock at the door and George answered it. “What the hell do you want?” he demanded, eyes narrowing when he saw four Alphas standing there. His hand reached for a boomerang.
“Mr. Wykeham is dead. We’re going to kill the Professor next, and we want your help,” Len said quietly, casting a worried glance at Lisa’s teary face.
George’s jaw dropped. “What?! And where’s Evan?”
“The Professor killed him,” Roscoe answered before Len could say anything. The Betas’ faces went pale and Lisa began crying anew. James held her and cried too, while Hartley shifted awkwardly, uncomfortable about such a blatant lie.
“We’ll help,” George said with furious determination as he held back tears of his own. He couldn’t believe how much it hurt to lose two friends in such a short span of time.
****
The Betas took ten minutes to compose themselves and gather their weapons. Mickey didn’t have his flamethrower because the adults kept it under lock and key, but he was eager to help, and took two of George’s trick boomerangs. Most of the Alphas’ weaponry was still offline, but Hartley had his flute and Roscoe didn’t need any technology. Al had been tinkering with the disabled gear since they’d arrived at the Betas’ dorm, attempting to get it working again and having only minimal success. Some of the equipment would power up but was unable to do anything, while other pieces would briefly operate and then go dead again. “I’d really need to sit down for an afternoon to fix all the damaged circuitry -- and get Sam to help me, he’s a whiz with this stuff,” Al said to Len, who told him to keep at it. They’d be heading out shortly.
Without the use of their weapons, the Alphas armed themselves with anything they could find, including the metal cane Wykeham had used to beat Sam. And then both teams hurried out to find Thawne before he could learn of Wykeham’s death and be warned of the insurrection.
“I’m scared, Lisa. The Professor’s gonna kill us,” James said softly as they walked hand-in-hand, though she was full of iron resolve now that she’d stopped crying.
“Doesn’t matter. He killed Evan, so we need to make him pay.”
The two groups suddenly halted when they heard Gausbert’s voice behind them.
“George, where are you all going?”
Len gripped Roscoe’s wrist before he could attack, figuring George would peacefully handle the situation. If not, they’d have to kill Gausbert too, for whom the Alphas had no particular feelings one way or the other.
“Evan’s dead, and Mr. Wykeham’s dead too. We’re going after the Professor now, Mr. Gausbert. He killed Evan,” George explained defiantly, though the sorrow was obvious on his face.
“Oh. Oh dear,” Gausbert gasped. He supposed he should have seen it coming, and yet wondered if he’d be killed next. And he cared about Evan, just as he’d cared for Roy, so the news was very difficult. How many of these children were going to die?
“Can I have my flamethrower, Mr. Gausbert?” Mickey asked plaintively, and his guardian sighed. If they were rebelling against the man who’d ruined their lives, he supposed they ought to be well-armed. He owed them all the help he could give, as some small penance for his own role in their ruination.
“Yes, Mickey. Come with me.”
****
The flamethrower was kept in the armory, which Gausbert unlocked and allowed the children to enter.
“Take what you can. Hurry.”
Delighted, the children rushed in and grabbed anything that looked useful. Len found a back-up version of his cold gun, which didn’t work as well as the regular model but was better than nothing. Hartley filled his pockets with sophisticated electronic instruments, while Al picked up some of his old Mr. Element training technology. And George gathered more explosive boomerangs for his arsenal as Mickey excitedly strapped on the flamethrower.
“Thank you, Mr. Gausbert,” Len said appreciatively, and the man smiled sadly at him.
“Don’t thank me. I should be stopping you, because you’re all in grave danger. But I suppose you have been since the first day you got here, and I’m sorry about that.”
“I love you, Mr. Gausbert,” Lisa said softly, using her anti-grav boots to reach up and kiss his cheek.
“I love you too. Please just go,” he replied, his voice wavering as he struggled to maintain composure; if they’d stayed any longer he would have felt compelled to stop them. So the children marched out silently, and he broke down in tears after they were gone.
****
“We’re going to burst into his office and surprise him,” Len told the others as they walked down the hall towards Thawne’s administrative area.
“What if he’s not there?” George frowned, although Roscoe shook his head.
“He’s there.”
“How do you know?”
“I can sense it.”
“All of you shut up or he’ll hear us,” Hartley said irritably. The unbearable tension of the situation was giving him a headache, though he supposed it would be over soon enough.
“I wish Evan was here,” Lisa whispered sadly, and Len had to agree that having him or Sam around would have been extremely useful. And Mark's assistance would have also been welcome, though he was presumably still in the infirmary.
The rebels paused several meters from Thawne's office door. Len had to decide how to enter as quickly and safely as possible while still affording them the element of surprise.
“Roscoe, you think you can spin through it?” he asked after a few moments, and the other boy nodded. The children stood off to the side while he retraced his steps to gather momentum; in seconds, he’d spun down the hall and through the door with a tremendous noise of splintered wood and shattered glass.
Thawne was reading at his desk, and looked up in shock when Roscoe smashed through the door and came to an abrupt halt.
“What’s the meaning of this..?” Thawne demanded, and suddenly the other children swarmed through the doorway and attacked him. Only his super-speed saved his life, but there wasn’t a lot of room to maneuver in such a confined area. “You ungrateful little brats--!” he sputtered as he dodged Mickey’s flames, Len’s cold gun, and George’s explosive boomerang. The children were too skilled and powerful for him to handle on his own, especially in an enclosed space, and he needed assistance. He tapped the comm-link on his ear. “Omegas, help me!”
Only seconds passed before a blur streaked into the room and knocked Mickey off his feet. A second blur joined him moments later, walloping Len to the ground as well. And George scarcely dodged a sharp projectile thrown at his head, which embedded itself in the wall behind him. “A…boomerang?” he remarked incredulously as he looked at the familiar craftsmanship. It was identical to his own.
“Are you all right, Granddad?” one of the blurs asked, which coalesced into a young boy when it finally paused.
“I am. Thad, Owen -- kill them.”
Len got to his feet as quickly as he could, as did Mickey, and the mutineers soon regrouped to attack again.
This time everyone joined the fight, as there were now multiple targets to strike.
“Mickey and I will stay on the Professor. The rest of you take out those kids!” Len ordered, and everyone immediately complied. Hartley felt sick at the idea of hurting or killing other children, but it was clear they would do the same to the rebels, and his first loyalty was always to his brothers.
The problem with Mickey was that he was indiscriminately careless, and Len was afraid he might burn one of the Alphas or Betas by mistake. But Mickey represented the best chance of killing or injuring someone, especially a speedster, so that made him invaluable to their cause. Len stood back-to-back with him to protect him from a sneak attack, and together they sought the Professor amidst the chaos of the crowded battlefield. Thawne had started running again to escape them, and they were having difficulty locking onto him because of all the additional combatants in the room. Nevertheless, they continued to follow their target as the other mutineers chased after the younger speedsters.
****
Lisa and James sped after Thad, who had knocked out Al and was about to go for a killing blow. She managed to wound the boy speedster and chase him away from Al, but simply couldn’t catch him. He laughed delightedly and even made silly faces, clearly garnering enjoyment from taunting her and threatening her friends. Finally he caught James by the leg and pulled him roughly to the ground as Lisa screamed in fear, terrified she wouldn't be able to reach them in time. But suddenly Thad was held immobile, unable to run, and she was determined to take advantage of the unexpected good fortune. She plowed into him at full speed with all her blades out, and the young speedster died in a gush of blood.
“How..?” she wondered aloud as she picked herself up and looked at the bloody mess on her uniform. She’d never killed anyone before and it felt kind of horrifying, not at all as expected. Roscoe was nearby, spinning in place. He didn’t seem to be paying any attention to her, but his eyes glowed in a strange way she’d never seen before. Now wasn't the time to ask him about it, however, so she stood protectively over James and watched the boys fight the other speedsters, ready to jump in again if needed.
****
Owen had managed to strike George’s head with a traditional wooden boomerang, so the older boy was nursing a large bump and significant grudge.
“Can’t bloody believe the Prof has another kid with `rangs,” George muttered angrily. This was an affront to his status and professionalism, so the fight meant a great deal to him. He threw an explosive boomerang at the other boy, who easily dodged it with surprising speed, and Owen tossed a razor-sharp one at him. This managed to gouge a painful gash in his leg, but thankfully his counterpart’s aim didn’t seem to be as keen as his own. Which was yet another reason to scorn him.
“Give it up, mate: yer way outclassed,” George grinned as he prepared to throw another weapon.
“I don’t think so -- you attacked my grandfather!” Owen retorted furiously, and charged at him with that frightening speed. Almost reflexively George hurled an explosive boomerang at him with all his strength, and the device detonated in Owen’s face. The boy collapsed to the floor with a scream and horrific burns, and soon stopped moving.
****
Mark had stumbled through the doorway moments before Owen was struck down, and he stared in shock at the bloody scene. “What the hell..?”
“Mark!” Len shouted, relieved to see him there and glad that he was even up and walking at all. “Help us!”
Thawne took advantage of the distraction to elude his pursuers, and sped over to the young weather manipulator. Len stopped Mickey from shooting at the Professor while he stood next to Mark, but everyone was tense and prepared to attack.
“I need your help, Mark. Who gave you your powers?” Thawne asked pointedly, his gaze boring down on the boy. Mark squirmed uncomfortably and wasn’t able to look at him.
“You did, Professor…” he said in a faltering voice. He couldn’t go against his brothers, yet it was true he owed everything to Thawne. And the man had treated him more kindly than he did the other children; they had a special bond, one of near equals in power and status. Or so Mark liked to believe.
“You’re an Alpha first!” Len shouted worriedly, suddenly fearing the tide would turn against them. They could not afford to lose their trump card. “Brothers forever!”
“….yeah,” Mark said after a few moments of tortured hesitation. He closed his eyes, already hating himself, and electrocuted the Professor with a bolt of lightning.
The surviving children stumbled over to look at the body sizzling on the floor. Thawne was still alive, but barely, and Mickey mercifully dispatched him with a cleansing gout of flame.
“We did it,” Len remarked with startled wonder, a smile beginning to form. “I can’t believe we did it.”
Mark turned and stalked out of the room in obvious distress, and the others let him leave without protest.
“So what now?” Lisa asked quietly, tightly clutching James’ hand while supporting his injured leg.
“I dunno,” Len shrugged. He was still in a bit of shock from their victory, which almost seemed too good to be true. “Maybe we can go home now. Back to the past.”
“No!” Roscoe exclaimed loudly. He’d begun to spin in place again, full of pent-up manic energy. “Now we can ascend to the Professor’s position! We can run this joint and do whatever we want!”
“That’s nuts. You’re nuts,” Len said incredulously, shaking his head in disbelief. Roscoe was still his brother, but he’d never heard anything so ridiculous and it was best to just drop the matter. “Let’s go, guys.”
He was suddenly slammed against the wall by a spinning whirlwind.
“But you can’t go, I need you! I can’t do it by myself!”
Roscoe sounded more desperate than angry, but he was hurting Len. The older boy cried out in pain as his arms were twisted behind his back and he was shoved more forcefully into the wall.
George had finally had enough. Quick and silent, he walked up behind Roscoe and stabbed him hard in the neck with a razor-rang. The taller boy collapsed, clutching at his throat in agony and gasping for air, and George soon finished him off with a swift kick to the trachea.
“That was for Roy,” George spat, looking around at all the horrified faces. “Come on, you blokes know it was him.”
“I want to get out of here,” Lisa said tearfully, thoroughly sickened by all the deaths and bloodshed, and Len hugged her comfortingly for the first time in months. She allowed herself to have a good cry in his arms, glad to finally be allied with her brother again.
After taking some moments to say goodbye to Roscoe and the Professor, the children left the office in shell-shocked silence, carrying Owen's limp body between them. They'd discovered he was still breathing, a slight bit of solace amidst all the carnage, and hoped his life could be saved.
****
Gausbert was sitting despondently in the Betas’ dorm when they returned, though he lit up with surprise and delight to see them. The Betas ran to him, and he enveloped all four of them in a tight embrace.
“Thank God, thank God,” he murmured, tears streaming down his face, and they cried with him. “I can’t believe it.”
“We killed him, Mr. Gausbert,” George said quietly as he hugged the man in return. “An’ I killed Roscoe too.” It was something he felt the need to confess, for it seemed to him that he’d crossed a line he shouldn’t have, even despite Roy’s death. He’d killed someone outside the heat of battle, and the Alphas had been allies.
“Well…he was never quite right after that surgery,” Gausbert replied sadly, unsure of what to say. Once again he realized how badly Thawne and his helpers had damaged these children, and that so much of it was his own fault. He had been all too complicit in the scheme, even despite his doubts.
He looked at the Alphas, who were standing a short distance away and mourning the death of their brother, as well as worrying about Sam. “Come here, boys. We’re going to leave this place, find somewhere else to live, and figure out where to go from there. All of us.”
“What about Sam and Mark? What about this kid?” Len asked plaintively, gesturing at Owen lying nearby. He worried that some of the boys might be abandoned because of their presumed failures.
“We’ll drop off the lad at a hospital, and they’ll take care of him. Sam and Mark will come with us. So gather your things and let’s go,” Gausbert told them in a gentle tone. The children were relieved to have an adult take charge again, especially one who seemed kind and sympathetic, and they hurried away to pack their few possessions.
****
The surviving children and Gausbert congregated outside the compound’s front door several hours later. The children had never been through the door before, and stared in wonder at the open landscape surrounding the buildings; the sight was entirely new to them because they hadn't seen the wider world during their missions.
“Is everyone here? Do you have everything you wanted to bring?” Gausbert asked the group, and there were silent nods of assent. They’d packed their clothes and weapons, but had never owned much since arriving in this time period.
Gausbert had commandeered one of Thawne’s spacious transport vehicles, which he now packed full of food and medical supplies from the compound. In a way it was unfortunate to leave the place, as it had been excellent lodgings for such a large group, but there was too much trauma and death associated with it. He hoped the children could begin to heal once they’d left.
Owen was carried to the van and laid on a seat, and Sam was carefully helped to sit next to him. Sam had scarcely uttered a word since he’d been reunited with his brothers, always looking pale and withdrawn, and Gausbert was concerned about him. His physical injuries from Wykeham’s beating weren’t particularly severe, but his muted distress suggested he’d been traumatized by something, and he clearly didn't want to talk about it. Mark was also uncommunicative, frequently hiding his unhappy face behind a favourite shirt and pretending not to hear when people spoke to him. The other children seemed relatively normal, albeit still behaving as if part of a military organization, and they sat down in the vehicle with a minimum of noise or fuss. But Gausbert asked Mickey to remain outside with him.
“Mickey, I want you to burn the place,” Gausbert told him quietly, and the boy lit up with excitement. He took the proffered flamethrower and torched the buildings with absolute delight, relishing the opportunity for sanctioned destruction. The fire would destroy evidence of Thawne’s operations, give the children some closure, and cremate the dead who’d been left inside.
Gausbert drove away once he was satisfied the compound was sufficiently aflame, and the children silently watched it burn as the buildings disappeared behind them. The indestructible Cribis would be all that remained.