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Flying into the night, smoke billowed in clouds from afar as Serpent and I neared the plume of black gas.

"Is that Onyx, or are you destroying more of the city?" I inquired, his gaze unmoving from the chaos creeping towards us.

"We are still building from the last time you did that, you know." I sighed deeply, attempting to pry his fingers from my waist, only to be ignored along with a tighter grasp on my body.

I glanced back up at the sadistic villain beside me, his face unrecognizable. A frown adopted on my lips as I studied him; the clean-shaven face complimented his strong jaw, and his chestnut hair somehow stayed perfectly in place compared to my blonde mess of hair whipping around in the wind. I sneered. Supers.

I have always wondered how the supers and villains stayed anonymous. Two million people live in Troypierce, yet there have been little to no theories as to who is a member of the League of Suns, or even Venom Force. I guess nobody has ever wanted to try, who knows what would happen if they got close to being right, though.

We approached the dark cloud spanning multiple blocks and towering buildings. Projections of Mirage poked through the mist, and warm bits of light peeked from behind the black curtain seconds after.

Clearly, this was Onyx's power. Her black plumes of blinding smokey clouds were always a sign of trouble, and she should pride herself in how much fear her powers alone can induce.

Not like it's very fear inducing for the League. Even though Venom Force has one less member than the League, someway and somehow, they always managed to stay on par with them.

Serpent sneakily ascended us to the rooftop of a condo building, placing me down behind the ledge.

The supervillain sighed, a hand running through his hair. "Wait here, and if I hear you trying to call for help--"

"I know," I interrupted. I have learned enough from my past mistakes. Even though this relationship I had with Serpent seemed like a joke, he wasn't afraid to shut me up.

It never involved hurting me, but sometimes other members had to deal with me, and they definitely aren't scared of hurting someone. Sith was the worst, that douche.

Serpent grabbed a pair of cuffs that were clipped onto the railing, closing one end around my wrist and the other to the railing in front of me. My brows scrunched. Weird, he typically carries them with him.

It was hard to see where his glowing eyes were looking, but I could feel them burning on me before he took a low breath and darted towards the growing black smoke.

I peered over the railing, resting my head against my free hand as I watched the battle going on below.

Sith teleported and phased to his advantage, hitting Sonicka square in the back within the cloud.

Onyx hid atop a taller building next to Razer, out of sight from Olympia and Tripwire, who were both scaling the perimeter for any more trouble. I can't blame them for hiding from such a duo, Olympia on her own could take both Onyx and Razer down with ease.

Pearl tripped up Lightning on the streets with her shimmery iridescent ice as he attempted to run away. So much was happening, it was almost impossible to choose which battle I wanted to watch. Too many damn supers.

A loud crash rang from the middle of the darkness as green sparks of lightning sprayed, mixed with Mockingjay's bright flames. Sith and Mirage backed away from their own intense match, not wanting to be in the line of fire. Smartest choice Sith has ever made, probably.

From above, Onyx intricately swayed her fingers to discreetly rid of the cloud, revealing the two leaders. Each hero and villain had all halted their sparring to watch the heat between Serpent and Mockingjay.

The five members of Venom Force had their faces a blank slate, as if they knew this was going to happen. The League, on the other hand, showed almost too much worry at the new advancement of the fight.

One swift, lightning-charged punch from Serpent sent Mockingjay flying into another skyscraper. My eyes widened, mouth agape. That was surely going to leave a mark.

Below, Sonicka pushed herself up towards Serpent before being met with each villain having their powers aimed at her.

"Do not come any closer!" Serpent spat, venomous, a ball of sparkling green light pointed towards her. His other arm pointed towards the building he knocked Mockingjay into, ready to strike if the heroic leader tried him again.

"This is between you and Mockingjay, huh?" Sonicka clicked her tongue, her deep voice booming with authority, arms crossed, and brows furrowed.

"If you keep it that way, nobody dies!" Razer yelled back, hiding his face as his voice cracked.

"What the fuck?" He cried, shrinking away from the ledge as Onyx ran a hand down her face, ashamed at Razer's sad try of being intimidating.

Venom Force almost stopped being terrifying to me after witnessing a few battles. The League is clean, polished. Venom Force... there wasn't much I could say.

It was evident to Sonicka and the rest of the League, too. With raised eyebrows and hidden snickers; they thought Venom Force was a joke.

Sonicka sighed, descending back to the ground. "Fine, this is only between you and our leader. If anyone else intervenes, you will meet your demise."

Olympia and Mirage nodded next to her in agreement.

"I don't think that'll be necessary." Serpent smirked, glowing eyes quickly glancing in my direction as he flew into the building. Minutes felt like hours, until he returned with Mockingjay, hand harshly gripping his throat.

I sucked in a breath, fear creating a pit in my empty stomach. He wouldn't kill Mockingjay like this, right? It seemed too easy!

The heroic leader came out of his half-unconsious trance to the sight of Serpent, instantaneously spawning flames from his palm. Serpent's free hand caught him by the wrist as soon as they sparked.

"I would slow your roll there, Mockingjay. Send one flame on me, and I can snap your neck with just one hand." Serpent cooed, tightening his grip as Mockingjay's face turned a deeper red, trying to pry away the hand from his throat.

Mockingjay gasped for air, a breath, face getting purple. "Alright, alright! Let me go!" He squeaked, being freed from Serpent's grasp. He swiftly backed away, holding his throat, hacking and coughing. I will give it to Serpent, he sure knows how to keep the people on their toes.

Mockingjay regained his composure after a minute. He looked quite beat up with the new red welts on his face and dark bruises on his knuckles, his blond hair a mess. It was clear he had definitely gone through it. Well, gone through a building, I mean.

Even one of his glowing white eyes were partially closed under his red flame-like mask. Anita's going to have one hell of a time fixing him up.

Regardless, he tilted his head with a smile playing on his lips. His eyes flashing with mischief as he asked, "So, where were you at the start of our battle? Going to retrieve Lilibeth as some kind of bait, I assume?"

Serpent stayed deadpan, focused on the hero in front of him. This taunting wasn't anything new to him. In all fairness, it's not like he tries to hide the fact that he captures me like some lure for the League.

Mockingjay circled around Serpent, a poor attempt to gain back power in the situation. "So, where is she? You know we don't do casualties, so you also know we are willing to do whatever it is you would like for Miss James, Serpent."

Serpent's face said it all. With green eyes dead set on Mockingjay, nostrils flared, he was already getting fed up. "You have one chance, Mockingjay." A wager? This was new, the League usually wins at this point. I moved my arm back onto the railing, ears perked.

"Alright, what is your price?"

The deep emerald scales of Serpent's muscled suit seemed to move faster with him. More rigorous, angry, green cape slithering with his movements. "With all of this money and fundraising that goes towards rebuilding the city every time we come to destroy it, where does the rest go?"

Each member of the League gained a puzzled look on their faces, including Mockingjay. "Well, that's easy! To the schools, the hospitals, to whoever needs it!" Mockingjay turned away from the villain. Cocky... unusually like him. "You know, for a supervillain I would've thought you'd ask for something else--"

"You're wrong," Serpent said, his voice booming. Sparks of green lightning surrounded the two supers in a gleaming emerald sphere, giving them a much more dramatic effect than it should've. I rolled my eyes, what drama queens.

Mockingjay turned back around, looking Serpent up and down. "I'm sorry?"

"I said... you're wrong."

Another plume of black smoke erupted with a boom, surrounding the supers, as well as me. I tried to block my face from the sudden wind, fear raging in full force as bile crept up my throat.

Flashes seeped through the cloud, yet no cries were heard. None of the flames, beams of light, or even ice from the League members hit anything.

The cloud dissipated, only revealing the League of Suns, the six heroes confused as to how they were all alone.

I opened my mouth, taking a deep breath of thin, icy air. "Mock--"

A hand clasped over my lips, stopping me from screaming for help. I gagged at the sudden loss of breath as Razer was now in front of me, a gun in his hand.

Razer's white illuminated eyes glimpsed at the super clenching me from behind. "Do you mind being a little more gentle with her, Sith? Serpent doesn't--"

Sith's grim voice snarled from behind me. "Just fucking do it! To hell with Serpent right now! We cannot get caught, Razer!"

Razer's face softened, slightly frowning as he leveled the gun towards my head. My eyes widened, anxiety swirling, my heart lurching to my stomach.

"I am sorry, Lilibeth. I promise this won't hurt."

My shrill scream was muffled by Sith's hand as the shot rang, world gone black.

~

I slowly awoke to the sound of voices, but my eyes refused to open. I could listen, I could feel, but I couldn't see.

Oh my God, am I... dead?! Blind?!

"I'm sorry, but she will have to stay in here until her comatose from Razer's REM gun wears off," an unfamiliar woman's voice said, the sound of a keyboard clicking following not long after.

Wait, I'm not dead!

The sound of shuffling feet moved back and forth before coming to a full stop. "Okay, and how long do you think that may be?" Serpent's familiar voice wavered.

My heart skipped a beat. I wasn't at the hospital? Where the hell am I?

He sounded groggy, sleep deprived. Serpent did not sound good, either way. The events of last night raced through my mind, helping me remember who I was now a captive of. Now, being dead would've been better.

The keyboard clacking halted, and the woman took a deep sigh. "I talked to Razer about it, and he says it could be between an hour from now to a week from now. He said he's really sorry--"

"I've already forgiven him," Serpent interrupted with a stern voice. "He's just a kid, of course something would've gone south eventually with his inventions, but Lilibeth is quite important for the club." Important? For what?! What club is he talking about?

Serpent exhaled. "And you're certain there's nothing you can do to speed it up?"

The woman didn't reply. I assumed she shook her head. "May I offer something to help you, though? A melatonin pill? I have some gummies, too, Razer can't take pills to save his life." She chuckled, stopping shortly after Serpent did not join in.

"Listen, I have to run some errands. Let me know immediately if she wakes up."

"Of course."

~

The sun greeted my face in quiet agony this morning.

I groaned, taking a large stretch as my muscles quivered in relaxation. I sat up in my bed, wiping my eyes, basking in the morning light.

I glanced around my home sweet home after last night's catastrophe and--this wasn't my home. The comforter of my bed wasn't the usual gray, my alarm clock was now across the room on a dresser I do not recognize.

My heart jumped to my throat. This room isn't mine. Striving to scramble out from my bed--or whoever's bed this was--someone knocked at my door.

I stopped in my tracks. Getting up quietly, I cautiously grabbed the pillow, readying to attack. It wasn't going to help, but I sure as hell wasn't going down without a fight.

Peeking through the peephole, Serpent was dressed in a white t-shirt and baggy grey sweats, mask still on, illuminated green eyes pointed to the floor.

I sucked in a breath, holding myself against the door. Holy shit, have I been kidnapped? Captured? What appropriate word could be added to this situation? My legs went numb, shaking.

My breaths paced faster and faster, heartbeat rumbling in my ears as each beat quickened.

"Lilibeth?"

The villain behind the door shook me out of my partial meltdown. I don't know what to do, but this... this wasn't right.

Anger boiled my blood, adrenaline now pumping through my veins. "You have no right to call me by my name!" I spat.

He wasn't taken aback, nor did he look like he wasn't expecting this. "Listen, I understand what you're thinking, and it's very valid--"

"You look dumb in that mask with your casual clothes."

Serpent ran a hand down his face. "I know you're lashing out, but believe me, this is for the best right now."

"Oh-ho! So, shooting me, capturing me, locking me in a room..." I twisted the knob. Locked. "...Good to know I was right on that."

I shook my head vigorously, a depressing attempt to escape this nightmare. "Anyways, and trying to tell me this is what is best for me? You sound clinically insane!" I seethed, trying to pull on the knob instead.

"That's not going to work. The door, and calling me clinically insane, I mean."

I sighed. Every new breath I took was heavy, my chest rising and falling rapidly. "What do you want from me? What about me makes me so significant for you?!"

Through the peephole, Serpent laid against the wall behind him, arms crossed. "You are an aspiring writer, no? How about an article?"

"Article?" I asked, brows furrowed. "About what?"

"Us, of course."

"Us?"

Serpent rubbed a temple. "Venom Force."

Now that, I was taken aback by. "And why on God's green Earth would I write an article about a supervillain group full of sadists and amateurs?"

"If we were amateurs, we wouldn't have beaten your precious little League of Suns last week."

My eyes widened. "Did you just say last week?!"

"Yes."

My breathing accelerated again. My mind raced, but despite every thought struggling to emerge victorious, all I said was, "What about my job? Jasmine? My mom--"

He straightened, arms still crossed. "Already dealt with. They think you came down with influenza."

Oddly, stupidly formal. Serpent continued, asking, "So, will you write the article?"

I scoffed. "No."

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Alright, well, I'll be back with some breakfast soon, I also have to take you to our physician sometime this afternoon." He finished, starting to walk away from the door.

"No, no, no! Where are you going?! You can't just leave me here!" I screamed. My only reply was silence.

"You're a dick!" I wailed, pounding the door, hot tears streaming down my face. Dragging my body down the length of the door, head between knees, I punched desperately at the pillow lying next to me.

I screamed for hours until my throat was raw and all I could do was sob. It wouldn't be long until I was free, even if it felt like it was forever.

~

Hiding under the covers of the bed, a knock rapped at the door, followed by the sound of my compartment opening and closing. Peeking out, the glass box contained a steaming plate of breakfast. I didn't want to take it, but the smell of perfectly hot and cooked bacon, eggs, hashbrowns, and toast were too much for my starved stomach.

I approached the chest, opening my side of the glass box and retrieving my plate. I hated it, hated succumbing to their tactics of pretending to care for me, when all they want is a stupid article for them to look good.

"Serpent says to put the plate back into the box when you're finished," Onyx said from behind the door, her voice small. I couldn't see her near the box, but it was as if I could feel her. Chances are she was hiding herself with her powers.

"Hey, Onyx?" I gulped.

"Yes?"

"Were you forced to join Venom Force?"

Silence followed. It felt like many minutes passed before she replied, "No, I was not forced to. I don't think I'm supposed to tell you anything more. Serpent's orders."

I let out a breath, resting my head against the wall. Dead end. If she was this reluctant to tell me anything in the first place, there was no way I can convince her to let me go. If I couldn't get the other members to free me, then who would? I was going insane.

"You should eat. As nice as our doctor is, she is not afraid to put you in your place if you're not taking care of yourself. Take it from a member of a supervillain group," Onyx chimed, voice still a little shy.

A slight chuckle escaped my lips, wrinkling my tear-stained face. I whispered a small "thank you" as she shuffled away.

I took one long blink, as much as I despised my new prison, at least the view was nice. Large windows spanned a whole wall of the cement room, facing the city, complimented with the breezy sound of crashing waves from Lover's Bay. A prison disguised as a sanctuary.

Time passed on. The digital alarm clock slowly ticked closer to four; when Serpent would pick me up. I almost dreaded seeing him, sick to my stomach, even.

Sure, he was a supervillain, but to stoop as low as imprisoning me? That was the deepest low entirely. I had to cave in and watch TV, otherwise a Lili-sized tumor was going to merge with the bed. No Troypierce News for me, though. Everyone is probably flipping their lids out there because the League lost... if it wasn't covered up by now.

Was 'lost' the right word? Surely Venom Force isn't that powerful, it's all just illusions! It didn't matter, as I don't have anything else to do. They took my phone for obvious reasons.

At four on the dot, another knock came at my door. Peeping lazily through the bed-level glass compartment, Serpent was dressed less casually, with a black t-shirt and jeans, mask still on.

"You still look ridiculous with that mask on," I snarked.

A small smile played on his lips as he showed a pair of cuffs in his hand. "Listen, I don't want to use these, but it ensures you won't try to escape."

"And who's to say I won't just stay in my room, Serpent?"

He stayed quiet for a moment, brows furrowed, a hand running through his hair again, what a dumb habit. "I think it's quite obvious as to what would happen if you stayed in your room."

"You'd hurt me?"

Serpent rolled his eyes, taking a breath in. "God, no, Lilibeth! I meant I'd come in and cuff you myself, no hurting--"

"I thought I told you to not call me by my name."

He exhaled deeply. "My apologies. Now, will you come out or am I going to have to come in?"

~

"Listen, I'm sor--"

"Just shut up!" I spat at Serpent, one hand and both of my feet cuffed to a chair in the infirmary. My free hand was holding a bag of frozen veggies to my forehead. It took every sliver of my being to not chuck the bag at him.

He scoffed, turning his head away, arms crossed in his own chair. "Fine, consider that a lesson learned."

I hate to admit it, but Serpent was right. It was a lesson learned. Trying to escape from an intelligent supervillain group, let alone the leader? I should have known Sith was at the end of the hall, waiting to stop me from running away.

Instead of catching me, though, he instead chose to push me right into the wall, headfirst. Now, I'm stuck with a nasty bruised bump.

It's a bit foggy after that, all I can remember is Serpent yelling, "Are you fucking serious?! That was the dumbest shit I have ever seen you do! Do you not know what 'be gentle with her' means?!"

Followed by a, "You said 'guard the hall', not my fault!"

I am almost certain Sith got a beating from Serpent, as I can see him sitting outside of the infirmary through the floor to ceiling window, arm in a sling. Served the douche right, to be honest.

The door opened, revealing a tall red-haired woman in a lab coat, her fair skin lightly wrinkled with age. She pushed her glasses up, inspecting the clipboard in her hand a little closer. She looked up, glimpsing at the veggie bag on my forehead, turning towards Serpent sitting in the chair behind her, brows pinched together.

"She tried escaping." He shrugged, a hint of smugness on his face.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "No--well, yes--but this wasn't my fault!" I croaked, gesturing to the bruise.

The doctor sighed, sending a glare Serpent's way. It was my turn to smile smugly. "Alright, well, I am Dr. Rivers, the official physician of this facility." Facility? This place seemed pretty far from a facility. Prick manor is more like it.

"I just have a few questions for you, Miss James, and then you can be back on your merry way to your room," Dr. Rivers finished, examining the documents on her clipboard.

"Is there a chance you can get me out of here?"

She glanced back up from the documents, face blank. Was a nice try. "Do you know your blood type, or will we have to run a test?"

I pushed out a breath in defeat. "It's A-negative."

"How many meals do you eat per day?"

I chuckled under my breath. "Two if I'm lucky, but I eat some snacks during the day."

"That is not enough, and it seems you are at risk of becoming anemic. Serpent," Dr. Rivers turned to him, placing down the clipboard, switching it with a notepad and handing it to him. "Her diet needs to consist of more iron-rich foods. I'm certain you know what to look for."

Serpent nodded, grabbing a pen and scribbling down swiftly. This was stupid, I feel like a child!

"She is also going to need three meals a day. Oh, and make sure there is something from every food group and that she drinks lots of water."

He finished writing, glancing up at the doctor. "Okay, anything else?"

Dr. Rivers tapped a finger on her chin. "Possibly some supplements to be safe, I can provide some, unless Miss James has any allergies I don't know about?"

"Oh, I actually don't--"

"She doesn't have any allergies, Dr. Rivers," Serpent interrupted, sucking in a breath, eyes wide. Out of all the times Serpent has "captured" me as a bait for the League, I do not remember once telling him I didn't have any allergies.

"Is there something wrong, Serpent?" Dr. Rivers asked, head tilted, curious look on her face.

Serpent coughed, trying to clear his throat. "Yep, just need a cup of water." He excused himself, sliding out the glass door.

Not even a minute after Serpent left, a younger boy ran in, needle stabbed into his wrist. My stomach twisted at the sight as I tried to focus more on his appearance than his wrist.

With his tanned skin and blond hair, he certainly wasn't Sith, that dick was sitting behind the window chatting with Serpent. I have yet to meet Lightning, so this must've been Razer. He looked like one of those surfer beach boys in the movies. It suited him, as much as I hated to compliment a villain.

Dr. Rivers eyes widened at the sight of the small sewing needle in Razer's wrist, taken aback. She grabbed him by the arm. "What the hell happened?"

"Carla was trying to fix up my suit because I ripped it last week, but she says apparently I moved--" he started, stopping his quick words and glancing at me. He wore a mask similar to Serpent's, but Razer's was a shiny chrome and looked almost melted to his face.

I shrugged. "I have no clue who Carla is."

The doctor peered towards me, bringing her focus back to Razer and the needle. "Well, luckily this can be removed easily as long as it's not broken into more than two pieces," she said, hustling to the counter and grabbing tweezers and bandages.

"Oh, yes, Miss James, this is for you." She paused, placing large bottles of different supplements into a paper bag.

Slithering back in, Serpent grabbed the brown bag from Dr. Rivers. He took a quick peek at the contents before uncuffing my legs and cuffing my hands back together.

"Thanks, Dr. Rivers," he called, pushing us forwards and out the door, receiving a nod in return as she worked on Razer. Serpent took the now half-frozen veggies from my hand, face softened. "Would you like me to replace this?"

A scowl formed on my face. "Why do you care? You're keeping me in whatever this hellish concrete lair is, and you suddenly care about my well-being? That's rich."

He stopped us in our tracks, turning towards me, his own fair face twisted in disgust, illuminated masked eyes boring into mine. "I'm not as villainous as you think I am, alright? Maybe if you weren't so brainwashed by media, you would listen. I am sorry for doing this to you, I really am, and I wish I could set you free, but it's not that easy!"

His outburst shut me up, eyebrows raised. He had never really shown much emotion whenever we've interacted, especially during battles. He was usually a cocky bastard who was incredibly difficult to read. But this, this was a true apology, one I won't accept.

Serpent took a deep breath, running a hand through his tousled hair again. "Is there anything specific you want for dinner?"

I pouted, accepting defeat. "No, whoever cooks can choose what they want to make."

He nodded, ushering me back to my cell. "I'll have it ready for you in a couple hours."

As dinner came and went, I've learned to at least get comfortable in my cell after Serpents burst. The food was good. Spaghetti with a side of steamed seasoned vegetables and a yoghurt. Odd combination, but I guess this group of villains don't grocery shop for proper meals. Or, at least, meals that go together.

The sunset view of Troypierce was amazing, much better than the view at my place in Evergreen Housing. This place would almost feel like a home... if I weren't residing with Troypierce's most wanted.

A rogue tear slipped down my face in homesickness. I miss my mom, I miss Jasmine, work... well, Jas and Erwin at least made work bearable. The inky night sky was also quite beautiful as it took over the orange and pink hues. You can't see that from the city.

The lights of skyscrapers functioned as our glittering stars. Still, this was a prison designed as a sanctuary. I couldn't stay here waiting for someone to save me, I had to save myself.

Before Serpent left, he handed me a little remote with one button. "Press this if you need me, you can press it at any time of day," he had said.

I've been fidgeting with it all night, there's no way he would've been serious about any time of day, right? I mean, it's almost midnight... couldn't hurt to try.

I pressed the button, expecting some kind of noise, but nothing sounded. That's weird, would've thought it worked like a doorbell.

Shrugging, I shut off the lamp on the bedside table, curling up under the warm covers before being startled by small knocks at the door.

There's no way that worked, in the middle of the night? "Hello? You pressed the button?" Serpent quietly asked, tapping the door once more.

The sound of his footsteps started to recede as I raced to the door. "No! Sorry, come back." I pleaded.

He shuffled back, coming into view of the peephole, eyebrows slightly raised.

"I've decided I'll do it," I pushed out, breathy from sprinting across the room.

Serpent leaned back onto the wall, arms crossed like he did this morning. It looked as if he was just sleeping, his teal plaid pajama pants paired with a white tank and his hair messed up.

"Do what?" he asked, the corner of his mouth lifting. Of course he wanted me to say it out loud.

"I'll do the article about Venom Force. That is what guarantees my freedom, right?"

"Yes."

I paused, "Wait, I'm going to need a laptop. How can I have one if I can't contact anybody?"

Serpent shrugged in return. "I can have Razer whip something up for you for now, is that all?"

"Pens and journals too."

He chuckled, his muscled figure more apparent in the soft glow from the light in the hallway. "No 'please'?"

I sneered. "Villains don't deserve manners."

Serpent shrugged again, his lips pressed together. "You got me beat. I'll have everything delivered to your compartment tomorrow morning, okay? Goodnight, Lilibe--" he stopped, clearing his throat. "Goodnight," he corrected, walking away from the door.

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