July 1st

0852 EST

How much longer could Tristan fight off the insanity?

The dark haired boy pondered, sitting on his bed with his back pressed up against the wall and his legs bent against his body, as his elbows rested on his knees. He dug his palms into his eyes until white glares spread across his eyelids. Aaron practically welcomed the crazy, and it had officially caught up to Olive. He had to be next. Tristan questioned his brother's stability at an early age. And without invitation, the memories surfaced.

The Dahl family sat around a Candyland game board, with spirits high and Olive in the lead. "Mommy! Mommy! It's your turn!" Six year old Tristan excitedly tugged on his mother's sweater sleeve. "Ooh Mommy! If you pick a yellow you get to go on Gumdrop Pass!"

As their mother reached for the pile of cards to move her player, she was interrupted by the front door slamming shut and Aaron storming upstairs. To the young boy, it felt as if the entire house was shaking with every step his brother took.

"Joan, it's your turn," Tristan's dad signaled to his mom. The twins exchanged a nervous glance. Were they really going to pretend nothing happened? As the game continued, the young blue eyed boy couldn't focus. His big brother was tall and strong and could probably hurt anyone he wanted to, including himself. Tristan's level of fear rose with every boom and bang he heard from above him.

"Do you want me to check on him?" The young boy hesitantly asked the rest of his family.

"Just...just be careful," his father replied, looking him in the eyes. Be careful? His own brother wouldn't hurt him, right?

Tristan slowly rose and tentatively made his way up the stairs, down the dark hallway, and toward Aaron's room. The temperature dropped with his anxiety and the cold surged through him, boosting his confidence.

"Aaron?" Tristan asked as he quickly pulled open the door. His older brother stood at the opposite end of the black painted room with his back to Tristan. At the sound of his adolescent brother's voice his head shot around with golden eyes blazing.

Tristan gasped and took a step back as Aaron threw his hand back and the door slammed in his younger brother's face with a deafening boom.

When Tristan's conscious returned to the present, his thoughts grew dark. He hadn't thought of that memory in years. As a child, he truly believed his brother would never put him in harm's way, but the look in his normally caramel eyes resembled one of pure madness.

If Tristan's own family would hurt him, what's to say how far he would go if he lost his mind? Would he hurt himself? Or more importantly, the people he loved?

"Tristan?" Avi's voice cut through his dangerous thoughts from the hallway.

Tristan's head snapped up as his heart pounded. He couldn't go into training with distractions racing around his head and Avi would surely detect the fear and anxiety filling his body.

"Be there in a minute," he yelled through the closed door. Tristan ran to the sink and splashed ice cold water in his face to help clear his mind. He pulled his training clothes over his icy body and met Avi at the door.

"Hey Av," he said, gently pushing past her into the hallway.

"Hello Tristan," Avi's smiling face fell when she saw his forced cheerful expression. "What is wrong? Did something occur?" Tristan raised an eyebrow. Avi's proper language never failed to amuse him. "I know you Tristan, what is wrong?"

Tristan opened his mouth to speak, but a lightbulb seemed to go on in the girl's head. She smiled softly, blinking her green eyes automatically.

"Hello, I am Avi," she said waving her hand in a circle, "your personal healthcare companion." Tristan rolled his eyes, but a boyish grin spread across his face. "On a scale from one to ten, how would you rate your pain?" She continued.

Tristan's tense bravado crumbled away as he laughed out loud. It was nice to genuinely laugh with all the chaos that had been happening in the past few weeks. Avi, or anyone for the matter, probably wasn't used to seeing the normally cold boy laugh warmly.

"This stays between us, but Big Hero 6 is one of my favorite movies." Tristan said meekly and Avi grinned, glad she stuck a chord with the normally closed off boy.

"Superheroes, huh?" He continued with a sarcastic laugh. "It'd be nice if the only thing we had to worry about was a man in a kabuki mask."

The pair strolled into the cortex and instantly were bombarded with CJ and Bristol's giggles filling the room. At the sound of the camaraderie, Tristan's guard raised again, losing all easiness he previously had with just Avi. Larger group settings made him uneasy, even if the other heroes were his closest friends. Tristan sat down on the other side of the area and tried to shut the infuriating lovebirds out, but found it rather challenging considering Bristol's laugh echoed around the space.

The sapphire eyed boy jumped out of his seat as Avi placed a hand on his shoulder, sitting down beside him. "Sorry. I did not mean to startle you," she said lightly. Tristan made an incomprehensible mumble in response. "Do not get mad at me for saying this, but is the great Deep Freeze jealous?" She asked in amusement, her green eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"Jealous of them?" He scoffed, "hardly. They're just irritating." His eyes wandered to CJ and Bristol huddled together, laughing over a joke secret to him and Avi.

"Whatever you say, Tristan," Avi replied, but still maintaining her amused smirk. Why didn't he just tell her the truth? She could read his emotions, she obviously knew he was slightly jealous.

Why was Tristan so bitter? He didn't like Bristol that way, right? She was just his teammate, his friend, nothing more and nothing less. But the more he glanced at her, the more he seemed to notice the beauty and power that the brunette girl radiated like the happiness that seemed to be exuding her at that very moment.

CJ is making her that happy, Tristan's conscience irritably reminded him. Not you.

Tristan told himself to shut up.

Thankfully, Bristol and CJ stopped their conversation as Priscilla walked into the cortex, her high heels echoing with every step she took. Her flaming hair was up in its usual bun and her pristine white outfit was a tad blinding in the light of the cortex.

Despite the laughter and the light, Tristan could detect the underlying tone of apprehension throughout headquarters. It had been a week since Rune's breakout, and everyone was on edge. Even Priscilla, which confused the Union even more.

"Alright guys," Priscilla said, clapping her hands together to get the full attention of the young heroes. "As you are all aware, you will be performing a training operation today. Tristan, you will be the leader--"

"No fair!" CJ interrupted, his hazel eyes filled with fury. "He led the last time!"

Priscilla shot her electric eyes in his direction. She didn't need to say anything for the speedster to know it would benefit him to stay quiet. Bristol turned towards CJ and offered a small comforting smile as consolation. Tristan rolled his eyes as a result.

"As I was saying," Priscilla continued slowly, her voice calm and calculating. "Tristan will lead this op. Your mission is to invade a fortress and get the object in the center of the castle." She paused and looked at the faces of the Union. The mission seemed easy enough; retrieve an object from a castle. That, Tristan could do with ease, as long as there wasn't a catch, though he was sure one was coming.

"There will be simulations of opponents you have already faced so you will know how to beat them. Be careful. Yes, it is a sim, but you can still be injured." Priscilla sighed, "I will pull you out of it if anything too drastic happens, but try not to get to that point," she said with a tight and forced smile. "Any questions?"

"What object specifically are we looking for?" Bristol hesitantly spoke up. Ever since they started doubting Priscilla's intentions, it seemed as if the entire team was legitimately scared of her.

"A magic item," their instructor replied without actually answering Bristol's question. "You'll know it when you see it," she added, her back straightening. Does she even know what it is? Tristan wondered.

"If that is all," Priscilla said. She pressed her hands together and drew them apart slowly. In between her palms, an orb of asterokinetic energy burst into existence. As she spread her hands apart, the cosmic ball expanded until it was large enough to walk through. "Good luck, I'll be watching," their trainer said as the four heroes stepped into the portal.

~~~

The setting changed drastically from their familiar wide open training room to a musty and closed off castle. The hallways were dimly lit and the ceiling hung low. Tristan almost had to bend over to avoid scraping the top of his head across the top. The Union stood before a path that diverged into opposite directions.

Avi's eyes lightened as she started scanning both hallways. "I am detecting an equal amount of dark energy coming from both corridors," Avi said finishing her scan.

"Do you think its Rune's powers?" Bristol asked the group. She looked uneasily down both hallways.

"I do not think so," Avi responded, her face contorted with confusion. "It seems familiar, but unlike the last simulation of Rune's powers." She closed her eyes and the green 0's and 1's glimmered in the dim light. "Perhaps one of his minions. Aetna? Or Psyche maybe?"

Bristol groaned, running a hand through her long hair. "If we have to fight lava chick again I think I might explode." Tristan caught her eye and exchanged a little smile.

"So what's the game plan, boss?" CJ asked Tristan, sarcastically pronouncing the last word. CJ had to look up to Tristan when speaking. Even though the two boys were roughly the same age, Tristan had a definite couple of inches over CJ.

Tristan ran his hand through his slightly shaggy hair. "Well, we could split up. Two of us go right," he gestured slightly to himself and Bristol, "and the other two could go left," he finished. He gazed toward Bristol, gauging her reaction. She met his gaze and they silently agreed to go together.

"Good plan, Popsicle Boy," CJ replied in a patronizing tone. The use of his nickname by the one person who bothered him more than anyone rose Tristan's already heightened emotions. And just when Tristan thought the speedster couldn't get on his nerves anymore, CJ scooped Bristol into his arms and before she could react, sprinted away toward the left hallway.

"I. Wasn't. Finished." Tristan spat, annunciating every word. The passageway dropped to freezing temperatures and his fists were unintentionally icing over. Tristan took a step down the left hallway, ready to confront the racer.

"Deep Freeze, it is okay," Avi reached to touch his shoulder, but gasped and recoiled, shocked at his body temperature of zero degrees Celsius. "Bristol will be safe with CJ, we have to continue down the opposite hallway," she said taking his hand, ignoring the cold, and gently pulled him from his frozen stance.

"He doesn't listen to me! This is how people die, Avi!" Tristan threw his hands down in exasperation. "When we don't work together someone always gets hurt," his voice weakened. "It'll be my fault, I'm the leader," Tristan finished, his voice shaky and uneasy. "Sometimes I think Priscilla makes me leader because she wants to see me fail."

Avi had seen many sides of Tristan; reserved, annoyed, jealous, angry, but panicked was new. She could see his anxiety levels rise with every breath he took. "You are the oldest, maybe that's why." She opened her mouth to continue, but she was interrupted by a blood-curdling scream echoing from the opposite hall. Bristol.

Every nerve in Tristan's body intensified. Within seconds he had already involuntarily caused a blizzard in the middle of the antechamber. All of his pent up emotion was released with a single deafening cry. His vision blurred and he fell to his knees, as the snow erupted away from them.

When Tristan opened his eyes, Avi was still beside him, but the setting had changed. They were no longer in the constricting castle, but an icy tundra. He stood up quickly, taking in his surroundings. He couldn't see anything through the fast falling snow, but caught a glimpse of a familiar Caribbean blue color lying several feet away.

Tristan hurried and fell to the Elemental Empress's side, gently gathering her out of the snow and cradling her in his lap. "Bristol?"

She slowly opened her chocolate eyes and locked them with Tristan's deep blue. She dropped her hand and touched the snow, shooting up once she realized where she was.

"Where are we?" Bristol asked, squinting at her two friends through the thick snow. She whipped her head around. "Where's CJ?" She squeaked, her voice filled with alarm.

A blur of black and red sped towards them, forming the figure of CJ. "Don't worry Avatar, I'm right here," He replied, skidding to a stop in front of them, but almost falling on the ice.

Tristan rolled his eyes and walked back towards Avi. "What now? Did Priscilla bring us here?" He yelled over the sound of the roaring wind.

"No, Tristan," Avi started uneasily, fidgeting from foot to foot, "you did." Considering the stunned expression on his face, Avi continued. "We were in the fortress and when you heard Bristol scream, something...happened," she trailed off, slightly turning away from the group.

CJ gestured for her to continue, glancing at Avi curiously from under his black eyemask.

"It wasn't like anything I've seen before," Avi turned back to Tristan. "Your entire body froze over and then it was as if you exploded. The castle started shaking and right before it collapsed, we moved here," she concluded.

"That was probably Priscilla making sure we weren't killed by Queen Elsa," CJ said, gesticulating to Tristan.

"No," Avi stated firmly. "The energy levels were coming solely from Deep Freeze."

The team was silent for what felt like minutes. "Bristol," Tristan said, breaking the silence and turning his body toward her. "What made you scream back in the castle?"

"It was Phobos, or a sim of his powers at least," the brunette girl corrected. "It was like he was right there," she trailed off, obviously reliving a painful memory. "Everything was so vivid," she finished quietly.

CJ shoved her playfully, "At least there's no storms or water here, right Avatar?" he said teasingly. Bristol smiled and laughed nervously, tucking a strand of hair behind her ears.

Tristan's ears perked up. Did he really just carelessly joke about her biggest fear? The snow falling everywhere started swirling slightly around him.

"You can't really drown in snow, right?" The speedster said, winking at Bristol.

"What the hell, man?" Tristan hissed as he stood up, the snow swirling faster now. His eyes were as icy as the glacier they stood on.

CJ slowly turned his head to face Tristan, a challenging look in his eyes. "We're friends. Friends joke around, not like you would know," he retorted. His motions sped up, the world slightly blurring around him.

"Friends don't make light of each other's deepest fears," Tristan spat, his words laced with venom. "She trusted you."

"God, Tristan stop getting involved! You don't know what she wants!" CJ shouted over the wind, his body faintly sparking. "It was a harmless joke and she's fine with it, right Bris?"

Bristol glanced fearfully between the two boys, as if she were watching a high-paced tennis match. She opened her mouth to say something, but shut it just as quickly.

"You wouldn't get it unless you were in my place," CJ snapped.

Without fully thinking, Tristan stuck out his hand and hurled a storm of snow and ice at CJ. The combination of surprise and the freezing temperature slowed his powers enough for him not to be able to dodge the strike. The impact knocked him back fifteen feet in the air and he landed in a snow pile.

CJ stood up, glaring at Tristan from afar. Even from their distance, Tristan could tell he was about to get charged when over the howling arctic wind, a chilling cackle echoed around them. Everyone froze, glancing up at the sky as if the source of the cackle was floating above them.

However, before anyone had any time to react, the snow began to melt away until the four heroes stood in their familiar cortex. Standing before them with angry blue eyes, was Priscilla.

"What was that!?" she screamed, her shrill voice resounding throughout the area. "Tristan. Follow me now." She turned sharply on her heel and walked down the hallway.

Tristan rolled his eyes and started to follow as Bristol grabbed his wrist and spun him around to face her. "Why did you do that?" She asked, her voice half inquisitive and half fuming.

"A thank you would suffice," he said without emotion.

"I can stick up for myself thank you very much," she said, standing on the tips of her toes to get in his face.

"Sure you can," he said grinning slightly to himself. She was a little cute when her lip quivers when she was angry.

Bristol sighed, "You're insufferable!" She threw her arms down in exasperation and returned to her normal height.

Tristan scoffed and pushed past her, following Priscilla down the hallway. She stood in the center of the long corridor that led back to their rooms. Her fiery red hair looked an auburn color in the hallway light.

"Well that mission didn't go as planned," she said calmly. His trainer pursed her lips and continued, "First order of business, how did you manage to change the landscape?"

Tristan knit his eyebrows at her in confusion. With her four inch heels, they were about the same height, Tristan noticed. "You aren't mad?" He asked skeptically.

"Oh, I'm livid," Priscilla confirmed. "You failed the mission, but I'm more curious about the scenery change." Her tough exterior faded and she looked like a normal girl in her early twenties. "I was working the controls and I can't come up with a logical reason as to how you did it, but Avi was right. It was all you, Tristan."

"I didn't do anything," he said hesitantly, defense laced in his voice. He still didn't trust her, even with her guard down.

"Then maybe you're stronger than you realize," she said with a hint of an intimidating mystery in her tone.

When Tristan didn't respond, Priscilla continued. "Well then, second order of business," her voice crosser than before. "Why did you attack CJ? You are supposed to be a team!" She criticized. "If you don't start acting like a union, you will fail every mission. I won't always be there to pull you out."

Tristan felt his body temperature dropping with his anger. "Then maybe you should have CJ in here and not me."

"You were the leader, Tristan. That's why you're here and CJ isn't." As she spoke a stray hair fell from her bun into her face, distracting Tristan from her words.

"I've been your instructor for a long time now," she gazed into his eyes and her scrutiny reminded him of Avi's mind scans. "Even when you're angry, it isn't like you to lash out physically. What was different this time?"

Bristol, he thought. Bristol was different. Even now, as Tristan was being interrogated, the visage of the Elemental Empress formed in his mind. He shrugged, not answering her question and forcing away a smile.

"I know what's bothering you," she voiced, realization in her eyes.

Tristan's heart stopped. Was he really that obvious?

"It's Liv isn't it?" Priscilla's voice softened again.

Tristan had to admit, he felt guilty for not thinking about his sister the entire mission. It would be easier to lie about his twin rather than try to explain his protective feelings toward Bristol. "Yeah, her showing up here has been really hard on me." Not exactly a lie, but not the whole truth either.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Priscilla asked, her arms folded across her chest.

Tristan didn't understand. What did he do to have Priscilla be uncharacteristically nice to him? Even if he didn't trust her, he could still talk about the basics of his situation.

The blue eyed boy sighed and leant against the wall. "It's just, she's all I have left and to see her like this kills me," he admitted softly.

Priscilla nodded and her eyes looked sincere, so he resumed. "Our parents died when we were ten. They were retired superheroes, Sonic Glow and Arctic Wave. To me they were always just mom and dad. Even without their powers, they were still my heroes."

Tristan shook his head in disbelief. Why was he telling her this? Against his better judgement, he continued. "After that, Olive and I lived with our older brother Aaron. He was the only one in the family who didn't have a power and I think it affected him. He wasn't around much, either with his friends or girlfriend," he trailed off when he saw Priscilla visibly tense.

"Sorry," she said with a tight smile. "Continue."

"...but he died in a freak explosion a few years later. Liv is convinced he survived because they never found his body, but I just have a weird feeling he's gone, you know?" Tristan looked up, expecting to see the warm and understanding look on Priscilla's face.

However, it had disappeared. Priscilla's normally pale skin seemed even whiter, as if she had seen a ghost. Her eyes had their familiar electricity in them and her gaze was hostile, her lips pressed into a thin line.

"Yes I know. Thank you, Tristan. You may leave now." Every trace of the caring Priscilla was immediately gone and his uptight and somewhat hostile caretaker took her place.

Tristan watched his caretaker carefully for a moment, trying to gauge whatever she had realize in the past minute. However, he left shortly after, leaving his temperamental trainer behind.

In a daze, Tristan walked down the halls. He could hear the chatter of his friends in the cortex down the series of hallways, and on his way to them he passed the infirmary. Tristan stopped in his tracks, glancing through the window on the locked door.

The infirmary was a pristine white room, impeccable to the smallest detail. Rows of cots lined the walls, with cabinets filled with medicine and other necessities along the opposite walls. It felt very surreal, the infirmary, due to how medicinal and pure and blinding the room itself was.

In the center cot on the wall opposite the door lied Liv, conscious but asleep. Her short platinum hair was fanned out across her pillow, blankets tucked over her. However, Tristan's heart stopped when he saw the figure shrouded in shadows sitting at the foot of her bed.

Its misty head turned and faced the door with a hiss, and before Tristan could react, it was gone, dissolving into darkness in the center of the ethereal room.