Archive of Our Own

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Wind lashed against Tommy’s face as he raced towards the edge of the rooftop. Swirling red energy wove around his legs, gaining in intensity. A burst of power pushed his feet as he leapt between rooftops, his power boosting his jump far beyond normal limits.

A loud ‘whoop’ filled the night as Tommy went flying up to a higher rooftop. With careful practice he manipulated his power to break his landing.

“Talk to me Big T.” Tommy kept up his momentum as he ran towards the next roof. He kept a hand to his ear as he spoke into his comm.

Tubbo’s irritated voice answered him. “Tommy, if there was a report I would have told you. Stop asking me.” 

“Tubster there has to be something going on.” No, that wasn't a whine. Heroes didn’t whine. “I’d even take a purse snatcher!”

“This is the fifth time you’ve asked me in the last ten minutes. If something comes up I’ll tell you.” The faint sound of typing stopped, Tubbo was probably leaning back in his chair. “You know, no crime is a good thing right?”

“Yeah, yeah. Sorry big man.” Tommy let out a huff as he stopped on the edge of a roof to survey the area below him. “Sometimes I wonder how you put up with me.”

“One of the world's great mysteries.” 

Tommy smiled into his mask. Bantering with Tubbo always made the lull in crime easier to tolerate. “Then I remember I put up with you. So we're even.”

“Says the guy who-” Tubbo cut himself off and Tommy could hear the quick clacking of keys through his earpiece.

“You got something Big T?” He hoped it was robbery or maybe even a mugging. He was itching to let out all this pent up energy.

“Looks like a civilian just called in a robbery at the docks.”

Wasting no time Tommy switched direction and took off towards the edge of the city. “Must be a shipment of valuables or something.”

“Looking into it now.”

Tommy jumped across a few more rooftops before sliding down a fire escape to ground level. There was too much of a gap between the tall buildings of the inner city and those by the waterline to jump across easily. Better to take the streets.

“There was a shipment from- oh shit.” Tubbo cut himself off with the sound of his frantic typing.

“What’s going on big man?”

“It’s a shipment from the UHA! Hang on Tommy there could be heroes-“

“I can handle a few heroes.”

“Tommy.”

The United Heroes Alliance, or UHA, was the overall governing body of the smaller hero organizations. L'manbergs' hero organization was of course Order.

Tommy sighed and took a sharp turn down an alley. “Look if the heroes are there I’ll just watch! I swear!”

“Tommy.”

“It’s just the dock's big man. It’ll be like, two heroes at most. And this could be my chance to see a real hero fight up close! Like a learning experience!”

A long sigh could be heard on the other end of the line followed by a few moments of tense silence.

“Fine. But you have to promise me you’ll leave if more show up.”

Tommy let out another loud 'whoop' as he broke into a sprint, using his power to boost his speed. “You got it Tubster!”

“Warehouse 13 on the east side of the docks.”

-

The air by the docks was humid and sticky, the scent of salt ever present. A long line of warehouses went from one end of the docks to the other. Glancing at the painted numbers on the buildings, Tommy made his way towards warehouse 13.

Needing the number proved unnecessary though since the warehouse door was wide open. As Tommy crept closer he could see the shadows of four figures standing just inside the door.

“Found it, but I need another way in. Looks like at least four wrong ‘uns are guarding the door.” Tommy kept his voice low as he hid in the shadows of the building.

“There's a catwalk that goes around the top of the warehouse, almost like a second floor. You can get in through the windows at the top.”

“I’m on it.” Tommy turned and scanned the area, eyes landing on a stack of crates.

That would work.

Tommy didn’t waste any time climbing up the boxes until he was close enough to reach the windows on the upper half of the warehouse. Carefully he used his knife to pry one open and slip through.

“What’s the situation?” Tubbo’s voice came through the comm but Tommy didn’t answer. He had frozen in place the second his feet hit the catwalk. From his crouched position his eyes landed on the four heroes standing just inside the warehouse. 

Tommy quickly leaned back against the wall, out of sight.

“The Dream Team is here.” Tommy’s voice was barely a whisper but Tubbo had heard it.

“What!? Tommy, you need to go now!”

Tommy knew he was right, but he couldn’t help his curiosity. Surely it wouldn’t hurt to hang around for a few minutes. Besides, he still didn’t know what was going on. “Hang on, I need to know why they’re here.”

Tubbo wasn’t having it, the exasperation clear in his voice. “Tommy, no! The bigger they are the harder they hit, and they are the biggest heroes in the city!”

“Just give me a minute, I think I can make this worse.”

“Tommy don’t you fucking dare-” Tommy slipped out his earpiece and flipped it off.

Tubbo wouldn’t be too mad. He hoped.

Alright he definitely would, but that’s a problem for future Tommy.

Besides present Tommy had a much bigger problem at the moment.

The Dream Team was here. With the Warden.

Order had sent some of their best heroes to handle a warehouse break-in. 

The Dream Team was made up of three of Orders top ranked heroes, led by their rising star Dream. No one knew for sure what Dreams' power was, some people say he doesn’t have one. Though with or without a power, Dream was a force to be reckoned with. He also had a reputation for hating vigilantes, which was pretty much the only red mark on the guy's public image.

The public had become very accepting of vigilantes since the current number one hero, Time Warp, had previously been one. He was accepted into Order after he stopped a Syndicate raid on a government building single handed. Since then he quickly rose through the ranks with an impressive number of achievements.

The guy was pretty much Tommy’s idol.

Next to Dream was 404 and Sapnap. 404 wasn’t a very eccentric hero, his power was invisibility which led to him handling mostly infiltration missions. Tommy always thought his status as a Dream Team member is what kept him relevant. 

Sapnap was another story. His fire power was top-tier and he used it to rise quickly through Order ranks. Tommy recalled hearing a ton of rumors about the guy's love life. Some of the even more ridiculous ones included Time Warp.

Focusing back on the figures down below, Tommy tilted his head. Seeing the Dream Team together wasn’t a huge surprise, what really threw Tommy off was the presence of Warden. Warden was another top hero, he favored a trident as a weapon and had some sort of explosion power he didn’t use very often. 

Suddenly this didn’t seem like a normal robbery. Whatever was in these crates must be valuable. Maybe new tech for the heroes? Before Tommy could ponder that any further someone spoke out.

“Well, look who’s here. ” An eerily smug voice cut through the tense silence of the warehouse, echoing off the walls.

That hadn’t come from one of the heroes.

Oh shit.

Tommy carefully scooted closer to the rail and peered down below. Two figures were walking up from the back of the warehouse.

Even though Tommy had never seen them in person, he knew exactly who he was looking at. 

There, standing across from the heroes, were two leaders of the notorious Syndicate.

Fuck.

Well he was already in this deep, might as well get information while he could.

Tommy studied the two dark-clothed figures. Their outfits were elegant with an almost aristocratic style, despite being designed for battle. The Blood God stood tall with his long crimson cape and a gold crown on his head. His mask was some pig or boar skull, Tommy wouldn’t be surprised if man had killed the animal it came from. The guy just seemed like the type. Even his long pink hair, that was pulled back into some sophisticated braid, looked badass.

Next to The Blood God was Siren, supposedly the two were brothers. Tommy heard rumors that they were even twins, but it had never been confirmed. Not that anything about the Syndicate was really confirmed, with them being villains and all.

Siren carried himself with an air that just screamed pretentious prick. His long trench coat was clearly made out of some hella expensive material. It was a rich hazel color with fancy patterns, some of which looked like they were done in real gold. His mask was white with intricate swirling patterns across it. It reminded Tommy of something from those masquerade balls you see in movies.  

Personally, Tommy thought they looked like a couple of wankers.

“Surrender and come quietly, this is your only warning. Failure to comply will result in force.” Warden's commanding voice startled Tommy as he looked towards the scene below again, having leaned away while he was lost in thought.

He should really stop zoning out in life threatening situations.

Siren tilted his head. “No. I don’t think we will.”

The Blood God stepped forward and silently drew his sword from its sheath on his hip. The sword itself was made out of the black metal called netherite. It was the strongest material in the world and extremely rare. Dream’s axe was also made from the stuff.

Siren slid his foot back as he glanced towards the rear of the warehouse. He waved his hand in a vague ‘get going’ gesture at the Syndicate agents behind them. 

Tommy leaned forward to get a better look. 

Their uniforms were mostly black with gold accents. The Syndicate crest sat proudly on their backs, a smaller version on the left sleeve. They wore hoods with masks so it was impossible to see their faces. They definitely looked like wrong ‘uns.

Said goons shut the solid metal cases they had been filling with whatever was in those crates and headed for the back exit.

“Drop the items!” Warden made a dash for the escaping lackeys, his trident in hand.

Dream also launched into action, following Warden's lead. He drew his axe and charged forward to intercept The Blood God who had moved to strike down Warden. The two clashed as Warden moved past them. 

He didn’t make it far, his pursuit was cut short when he had to jump back to dodge the dagger Siren had thrown at his chest.

“Going somewhere?” Siren's taunt hung in the air, another dagger dancing between his fingers.

Tommy chanced at glance at the other heroes, only to see 404 running out of the building. Probably to try and cut off the Syndicate lackeys that had gone out back. 

Sapnap seemed to have other plans though as he sent a fireball hurtling towards Siren.

Siren gracefully dodged to the side, the fire smashing harmlessly against a wall. His knife flew from his fingers and Sapnap dropped to the ground just in time to avoid the dagger. A second slower and it would have been his head. 

Sapnap let out a frustrated growl and threw another fireball from his position on the ground. Siren easily sidestepped the sloppy attack. It was only a diversion though and Warden had cleared the distance between himself and the villain. Thrusting his trident forward, Siren barely managed to parry it with another dagger.

The parry left Siren slightly off balance and Warden took the opportunity to land a solid punch on Siren’s abdomen with his free hand.

The villain staggered back, throwing the dagger in his hand. The short distance left no time to dodge and the dagger cut deep across the Warden’s arm.

Before Siren could pull another dagger, a fireball from Sapnap forced him back. Putting more distance between him and the other hero. 

Siren straightened up, a dark laugh tumbling from his lips.

“Always bold when there’s more of you.” The Syndicate leader looked down and shook his head. “I wonder what you’ll do when the tables turn.”

That must have been some sort of single because The Blood God suddenly swiped Dreams feet out from under him and leapt backwards. The hand not holding his sword reached up to place something in both of his ears. Tommy’s eyes widened as he realized what was about to happen. With shaking hands he quickly covered his ears, humming softly to drown out any sound.

Dream must have realized what was about to happen since he called out for the other heroes to cover their ears, dropping his axe to do so himself. His warning came too late for Warden, who was still cradling his injured arm.

Tommy watched Sirens lips as he gave the command.

“Turn and kill each other.”

The result was instant, Warden turned and charged towards the other two heroes. Dream was already on his feet again. Next to him Sapnap hesitated to throw a fireball at his turned ally.

Warden wasn’t so hesitant and managed to cut Sapnap’s chest as the pyromaniac barely dodged his trident. Dream moved towards the two, axe in hand. He got to them just in time to deflect another attack from Warden’s trident.

The Blood God stood back and surveyed the area, eyes landing on Dream who had his back to him. A wicked smirk crossed his face and Tommy watched in horror as he took a vial from his belt and drank it.

Tommy wasn’t stupid he had heard the rumors. No one knew the full extent of his power but most of the news outlets theorized he gained energy from the blood of his enemies. There was a video online of him dripping in blood as he slashed his sword through the air, sending out a wave of energy that had sliced a building clean in half.

The Blood God pulled the vial away and to Tommy’s horror a drop what he really fucking hoped wasn’t blood ran from his mouth down his chin. 

Suddenly the air around the villain seemed to shift, Tommy could practically feel the blood lust. The Blood God tightened his grip on his sword, a dark crimson energy twisted around the blade of his sword.

Fuck, they hadn’t noticed. 

None of the heroes had noticed. 

They were going to die .

They were going to die if he didn’t do something.

Tommy jumped to his feet. 

Summoning his power into his hands, Tommy quickly made his way across the catwalk, positioning himself behind the villains. He took a moment to focus. 

Tommy was an enhancer. His power could enhance his physical strength and abilities, as well as other people's powers. He could also enhance other things, like the manifestation of his own energy. Tubbo called it augmentation but that didn’t sound as cool to Tommy..

He let his energy manifest in his hands, instead of coursing through his body. Two vibrate orbs of red spiraling energy formed in his palms as he leapt up onto the railing.

The Blood God raised his sword into the air. He was about to attack.

Tommy had to act now .

“Hey!” Tommy’s voice rang out. All heads in the warehouse snapped towards him. Villains and heroes alike looked at him with varying degrees of shock.

“Dark Blood Death Blade or whatever your World of Warcraft name is!” The Blood God lowered his sword as he narrowed his eyes at Tommy.

“Take this!” Tommy let his power burst from his hands and hurtled towards The Blood God. 

The surreality of the situation had left the villain distracted, and by the time he started moving it was too late. Tommy’s energy blast slammed into him, sending him flying backwards into a stack of crates.

Dream used the distraction to land a punch across Warden's creeper mask, sending him tumbling to the ground.

Sapnap pulled his gaze away from Tommy to whisper at Dream. “Is that a vigilante?”

Dream’s posture was tense as his mask turned towards Tommy. “I don’t know. But he shouldn’t be here.”

Sapnap examined the destruction the kid had caused with a low whistle. “I’m glad he was.”

Tommy looked away from where The Blood God had smashed into the crates to Siren. He started when he realized the villain was looking at him with a morbid fascination. When their eyes locked Siren tilted his head. Tommy could feel his heart hammering in his ears. Fucking hell this guy looked at him like he was jeweler trying to figure out if the gem he was appraising was real or fake.

Tommy was so caught up in his racing thoughts that he nearly fell off the railing when Siren finally spoke.

“And who might you be, little hero?”

Tommy didn’t answer.

Instead he gathered energy in his hands and sent another blast hurtling towards Siren.

Siren darted to the side, moving out of the way with startling speed. A dagger came flying at Tommy and he moved to dodge. Luck wasn’t on his side though as his foot slid off the slim bar. Tommy pitched forwards heading towards the ground. He managed to twist in the air and manipulate his energy to land safely down below. 

Once on solid ground he built up and sent another blast of energy towards Siren. 

Said villain was ready for it, dodging the blast and closing the distance between him and Tommy.

Tommy stumbled back and tried to gather another energy blast in his hands, but he was too slow. Siren slashed at him with a dagger and Tommy, acting on pure instinct, twisted away. The dagger grazed his side and Tommy let out a pained gasp, hand covering the wound as he stumbled back from the villain.

Siren didn’t continue his pursuit, instead stopping a few feet away to study Tommy again. Tommy did not like the way this fucker was looking at him.

Behind Siren Tommy saw The Blood God making his way towards them. Tommy really did not like the way he was looking at him.

“Are the heroes sending child soldiers to fight us now?” Siren’s amused tone was a stark contradiction to his piercing gaze.

Oh this bastard.

“Oi, I’m not a fucking child you dick!”

Siren’s eyes widened slightly before taking on an amused tint. Before he could respond, with what would undoubtedly be a bitchass comeback, The Blood God cut in.

“What’s your name?” His monotone voice threw Tommy for a second. Though it had been phrased like a question it sounded far more like an order. Tommy was not about to piss this guy off even more. He took an energy blast full force and was standing like it never happened.

“Don’t have one.” Tommy managed to choke out. He really hoped that came across more confident than he felt.

The Blood God tilted his head. What was with these villains and their head tilting? Made them look like birds or some shit.

“Theseus.”

Tommy blinked. “Excuse me?”

But before the surreal conversation could continue a ball of fire came hurtling towards them.

Siren jumped back the flames grazing the bottom of his coat. Tommy looked at the direction the fireball came from. Sapnap was running at Siren followed by Dream. The Blood God stepped back to square up with Dream. 

Before the fight could resume Siren turned his head to the side. Tommy watched as he muttered words into what was likely an earpiece before frowning. Tommy looked over to The Blood God who seemed to be hearing the same thing as he suddenly stood up straight and sheathed his sword.

It wasn’t hard to figure out why when the sound of police vehicles came into range, getting louder by the second.

Siren smirked at the heroes and threw his arms out in a wide gesture. “Sorry to cut this short gentlemen but our work here is done. We’ll be taking our prizes and leaving.” 

He spared Tommy one last glance before looking at the heroes. A single word spilling from his lips.

“Sleep.”

That was the last thing Tommy heard before his world went black.