Hey there and welcome back to 'Aftershock', my latest in my Marvel Universe fun. Hope you guys enjoyed the pilot. If you did, it probably explains why you're here. So I won't try to waste your time with my ramblings. I don't own 'Young Avengers' in any shape or form. But I have been trying to get the books for a while now. Damn procrastination. Enjoy!!

"Iii" = speech

Iii = thought

Chapter 2: Awakening

Despite being unconscious and truly unaware of his surroundings, Billy could still feel the warmth of the arms that held him, the grip of the hands and movement whoever it was happened to be making. Just the feel of the intense warmth this person was giving off made Billy want to stay asleep, to stay in this sense of safety forever. He wasn't sure how long it lasted but just when he was coming to enjoy it, something in his stomach stirred. It was small and easy to ignore at first, but as time went by, Billy's subconscious mind couldn't let his body take much more. Whatever it was, it needed to go. This was soon coupled with an odd sensation on his face, powerful and suffocating.

Wait… I—I can't breathe! Why can't I breathe?!? Somebody! Somebody help!! He thought, the need for air forcing him awake despite the drug still in his system demanding he stay asleep. Panicking and unable to see anything clearly, Billy gasped against the muzzle mask on his face, his arms locking at his sides while his entire body crackled with lightning sparks. Like a new kind of immune system, the electric charge was attempting to rise to his defense, and was failing miserably. Instinct was kicking in as he grabbed at his chest, taking fistfuls of the white scrubs shirt he'd been issued after they'd taken him into 'custody'. Tears of pain and fear were gathering at the edges of his eyes as someone set him down gently on what felt like cool grass, muffled voices sounding off from somewhere in their own state of panic.

After what felt like forever and an age, someone suddenly gripped the mask at its edges and began to pull. Lightning sparked in response, causing the person to wince but they didn't pull away. He couldn't hear a thing but he was sure the person was struggling with the mask as the pressure surrounding his mouth and neck seemed to lessen. With one last tug, the thing that one could call a mask was off, giving Billy the will to breathe, as well as hear.

As he let out a sudden gasp, lungs filling almost to their limit with the precious gas, Billy exhaled coughing. He slowly rolled over, blinking tears out of his eyes as he coughed out unwanted carbon, somehow ignoring the commotion going on around him. Some of it settled down, giving Billy's brain time to discern that the voices were of teens his age. Two girls and at least a few guys from what he could tell. Almost immediately he felt his eyelids drooping again, the malicious drug in his system intent on doing its job.

Noticing this, one of the teens suddenly grabbed him by the shoulders, gently shaking him as he called out. "Billy? Billy c'mon man! Stay with us! Stay awake! Please Billy!"

"Tommy?" he inquired blearily, his brown eyes somehow focusing on the splash of orange now in his vision. The image itself was still blurry but he could easily recognize the eyes hidden beyond them. It really was Tommy. His true blood sibling, calling out to him, his eyes filled with hope.

Almost immediately his eyes lit up with hope and their lost confidence, his hands gripping his shoulders with more strength than ever. "Yes! Yes it's me. Your big bro! Now c'mon! Stay awake!"

"Tommy? Wha--?" he tried to say, his mind already losing stability as he felt his body once again going limp.

Just as soon as it'd appeared, Tommy's confidence was vanishing. "No! No, no, no, no, no! Billy no! C'mon dude stay with me! Stay awake please!"

"W-when did you--? When did--? W-when--?" he couldn't get the question together, the world fading just as it'd come into focus mere seconds before.

"Billy!?!" his twin practically screamed, his voice showing his fear and panic more than anything as he continued to gently shake his twin. So far, it wasn't working. As the world darkened once more, Billy had so many questions to ask, so many things to say. But soon his mind was lost, trapped in the cruel but gentle hands of sleep.

--Normal POV—

When Billy had finally stirred, they'd hoped it meant he was waking up. But instead they were horrified to find that he was gasping for air, his blue lightning subconsciously attempting to come to his rescue. Wasting no time, Teddy set him down on the soft of Central Park where they'd been forced to stop, getting a grip on the thing covering the boy's face. The lightning, apparently not liking someone unknown coming in such close contact with the boy, attempted to get him to let go. As Tommy as predicted, Teddy could take a hit, wincing at the pain biting at his hands but managed to ignore it. With one swift tug, he broke the thing like it were made of cheap plastic. As soon as it was pulled away, brown eyes wide and pale faced, the teen on the ground beneath him gasped before coughing almost violently. He was about to toss the damned thing away when Eli stopped him.

"Hold on. We may need Mr. Stark to take a look at that."

Teddy blinked at this, but nodded, staring at the thing with great distaste. "Fine but I'm not holding onto it. Even now it's creepin' me out."

"I'll hold onto it." Kate said, taking the detestable thing from Teddy's grateful hands before stuffing it into her bag. Her gaze then turned to the teen on the ground, who was still gasping for fresh air. "I wonder why it started to suffocate him like that."

"Probably to keep him from getting too far away, or even being able to give testimony about what they might've done to him." Vision muttered, his metallic face twisted into a thoughtful expression as he spoke, giving Billy a concerned look.

This was enough to make Tommy give them a panicked look, swiftly kneeling down beside his brother to flip him over and gently shake him into wakefulness. "Billy? Billy c'mon man! Stay with us! Stay awake! Please Billy!"

"Tommy?" came the weak and almost slurred response, brown eyes slowly but surely losing focus despite the teen's recognition to his brother's voice.

For the first time in a long time, Tommy's face lit up in the hopes that Billy was actually going to wake up. "Yes! Yes it's me. Your big bro! Now c'mon! Stay awake!"

"Tommy? Wha--?" he tried to say, eyelids drooping as his voice lost volume. It was obvious the drug was winning.

But the white blonde wasn't about to give up that easily, even as his revived conviction was dying fast. If they could see his knuckles as he shook the teen in his grip, the teens were sure they'd be white. "No! No, no, no, no, no! Billy no! C'mon dude stay with me! Stay awake please!"

Billy was obviously trying to oblige his brother's request, but it was to no avail as the words refused to form. As well as the fact that even focusing for more than a second was starting to become a bit impossible. "W-when did you--? When did--? W-when--?"

Just as soon as he spoke his half formed question, Billy soon let his eyes close, his skinny body once again going limp. Now once again unconscious, this only left Tommy more panicked than ever before. Like before, he attempted to shake his twin awake, his voice strained in an almost panicking scream at his sibling's limp form. "Billy!?!"

Almost at once, both Kate and Cassie grabbed the teen by the arms, forcing him to release his grip before he caused his twin any kind of physical harm. Kate had to practically yell in his ear in order for him to listen. "Tommy calm down! You're going to hurt him!"

"But--! But he's--!" the white blonde stammered, his blue eyes filled with pain and unshed tears as he stared desperately at her. Just the sight of his expression was already tearing them apart.

"We know, god dammit we know okay? Just… just calm down." Eli snapped almost angrily, but deflated as soon as he let out a tired sigh. "It's just the drug they gave him and you know it."

"Eli's right about that Tommy. We need to get him to Mr. Stark. Vision?" Cassie inquired, turning to the AI as he nodded back at her.

"I just got off the line with him. He'll meet us at his lab. He's ready to see to Billy right away. All we have to do is get there." He said matter-of-factly, almost sounding dubious that such a thing was possible at this point.

Immediately Eli's face became all business. "Right. Kate, you keep a good grip on that thing. It's our secondary priority. Our first is seeing to Billy and his needs."

"But how're we going to get there?" she demanded, looking at the dark skinned teen over her dark purple glasses, her gaze fierce and biting. "The city's pretty busy, even at this time of night. And I kinda doubt that sitting in an elevator's gonna be all that comfortable."

For the first time in a while, Teddy spoke up, once again taking Billy gently into his arms bridal style. "That's true but… there's been something I've been wanting to try."

--Ten Minutes Later—

Anthony 'Tony' Stark, aka the Iron Man, had been true to his word when they'd been told he'd be waiting for them to arrive. What he hadn't expected was for a giant green teenager to nearly come crashing in like bird did when fishing over large bodies of water. But sure enough, Teddy arrived earlier than his friends, their new find in his arms as he flew through the air with large wings. Wings that were almost bat-like in nature. Their green coloring could easily make them look like a dragon's. But now wasn't the time for such a debate.

Quickly averting his gaze from the bare-chested teen, Stark motioned for Teddy to set the boy down on a waiting gurney as he and several medical staff rushed the boy into the nearest clinic room that'd been prepared for him. As they did, Stark couldn't help but express his annoyance at the audacity of it all. "Honestly, nearly breaking the window like that was really unnecessary. And what happened to your shirt?"

The tall blonde flexed his large new appendages before letting them vanish into his back, giving the older man a rather sheepish look. "Wings kinda need room to grow. Sadly it wasn't designed for something like that."

"Ah. Good enough." The billionaire sighed in defeat as they continued to follow the gurney down the hall. "You don't have to explain anything. Vision told me all about your little escapade and the incident in the park. Where is the device anyway?"

"Kate has it. But we thought that you looking at Billy first was more important." The blonde said informatively, turning his gaze back to the boy lying on the gurney, completely unaware of the happenings around him.

Tony followed his gaze, his own expression softening a little in understanding as the bed took a swift turn into a room directly to their left. The medical staff went right in, with Billy in tow, Tony staying behind a moment to continue what he wanted to say. "True. Just wait here. This shouldn't take long."

Blue eyes filled with concern only stared off into the room, sincerely hoping the man was telling the truth. For Tommy's sake. "I certainly hope not."

The billionaire just nodded, patting the large teen on the shoulder before heading into the room to shut the door behind him. "So do I, Teddy so do I."

Teddy seated himself in one of the many chairs that'd been placed there, accepting an extra shirt from a staff member that thankfully was his size. Seeing no reason for it anymore, he also took the liberty of changing back to his human form, leaning back in the chair as he waited for the rest of his friends to arrive. The seat was so oddly comfortable, and he was just so tired that Teddy couldn't help but feel himself drifting to get the much needed sleep he hadn't been getting for the past few weeks. Crossing his legs and arms as he stretched himself a little to where he was truly leaning back, the large blonde let his eyes close, for just a little minute.

When next he opened his eyes, his friends were gathered around him, each having taken their own seats as they'd arrived. Blinking in his surprise, Teddy quickly sat up only to deeply regret it. The position he'd chosen hadn't exactly done wonders for his back, fairly much to where he was stiff and sore. Just the feel of it made him stiffen and groan, closing his eyes again as he sat back, gripping his back with a hand that was willing to bend in such a direction. Almost immediately, Kate was there with a clear plastic cup filled nearly to the rim with what he hoped was ice cold water.

Giving her an appreciative smirk, he straightened himself out and took it, quickly taking a sip to discover he was right. The smirk widened into a kind smile as he spoke. "Thanks."

She didn't hesitate to put a hand on his shoulder, smiling in turn, her eyes filled with sisterly concern for her teammate. "No problem. You feelin' okay?"

"Not sure. That wing thing must've taken a lot outta me. Either that or because I haven't been getting that much sleep lately." He said, pondering this with a shake of his head. Finally remembering something, he stared back at her sheepishly. "Sorry about the shirt."

The raven haired girl simply shrugged it off, removing her hand as she took the empty seat next to him. The smile was still gracing her lips. "Nah. It's okay. I'll just tailor the other ones so that you don't have to rip every single one just to do that from now on."

"That's a relief. Any news?" he had to ask, eyeing his snoozing teammates who were scattered about. Patriot was a few seats over to his left, obviously out like a light, Cassie off to his right, very much asleep with Vision right next to her. Across the hall and right next to the door, Tommy had spread himself across two chairs and was possibly drooling.

"Nothing." She said, her beautiful face wrinkling with worry. They both eyed the clinic door with curiosity and anxiety. "Not since we got here. And Tommy was getting really anxious too before he finally fell asleep."

"Well it is his brother in there." Teddy muttered with a shrug, taking another swig of the water in his hand. After a moment, something dawned on him. "When did you guys get here anyway?"

This time Kate shrugged, clearly unsure herself. "Most likely a few minutes after you showed up. We're taking turns watching the door. Why don't you go back to sleep okay?"

"You sure? I can stay awake for a little while longer ya know." He offered, not exactly up to leaving the girl to be up and about by herself while the rest of them got some shut eye.

Only she wouldn't take no for an answer, actually getting her point across with a stern, almost motherly look. "Oh no. You were a gentleman earlier tonight. Now it's my turn to be forcibly polite. You sleep, I'll stay up. Vision's turn is up next anyway."

"Alright, alright I can take a hint." He said, chuckling at her determination to be in charge of things for once. Taking the rest of the water down in one last gulp, the chill of the water sent chills up and down his spine, easing some of the stiffness. "God damn that really hit the spot."

"G'night Teddy." Kate said with an amused chuckle.

Politely handing her the empty cup, he slowly leaned back as he'd done before, feeling sleep hit him like a hammer as he barely mumbled back. "Good night Kate."

Next thing he knew he was being shaken awake, a gentle hand on his shoulder as someone familiar spoke to him in a hushed tone. At first, he ignored them, possibly scowling in his sleep as he shifted, attempting to get more comfortable where he was. Only the gentle shake and insistent words finally made him give in and open his eyes. Only to meet gazes with Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, and their rather 'unofficial' leader in the ways of fighting crime. Giving the sleepy blonde a kind smile, he spoke up again, this time Teddy actually understood what the hell he said.

Light blue eyes practically danced in amusement as Teddy tried to comprehend what was being said to him. "Plan on stayin' there the rest of the day?"

Day? What? What's he mean by day? He thought as his brain only brought up blanks for the reason behind such a question. "What?"

The chuckle once again escaped the older blonde's throat, his smirk becoming an understanding smile. "I said do you plan on sleepin' here all day? Tony said you kids could use some of the extra beds. Can you get up?"

"I think so." Teddy said, attempting to sit up before his back once again protested profusely to the action, making his face twist from the sensation. "Okay. Maybe not."

Patiently, the blonde hero sat down next to the teen as he spoke. "Kate told me what you did. You should've told us that you were going to try something new."

"Sorry. I wasn't sure it'd even work. Apparently I was right." Looking around curiously at his surroundings, Teddy noticed that something was different than when he'd last remembered everything to be. "Where's everybody else?"

This time Steve couldn't help but snicker at Teddy's innocent question. "Exactly where you're headed: to bed. Which is where you'll stay until you're well rested."

"What about Billy?" he asked, blue eyes pleading for answers.

For once, Steve's eyes softened under Teddy's gaze. "He's still unconscious. It seems that they gave him some kind of prototype sedative. It's going to be a while before it's completely flushed from his system. Any other tests have yet to come back from the labs. But so far, it seems like nothing's wrong with him."

Teddy would've relaxed upon hearing this if another question hadn't come to mind, the words leaving his mouth before he could stop himself. "Does Tommy know?"

Steve's face showed true sadness, the man shaking his head. "Not yet. But I think all of this has really tired him out. If that's even possible."

For the first time in a while, Teddy just chuckled at this news, accepting his extended limb as they both rose from their seats and began their journey down the hall. "Yeah well, he's been pretty set on all of this. It's only natural that he'd crash afterwards. I think he'll be glad to know his brother's okay."

"Here we are." The older man stated.

Coming to a stop at a door, Teddy waited until Steve opened the door and helped his tired body inside. Already in some of the beds, the blonde could see his friends peacefully resting as Steve led him to the nearest vacant one. He didn't hesitate to flop down on the white bed, letting out a relaxed sigh at the feel of the fabric as Steve turned to leave. "Now get some sleep alright?"

Teddy just chuckled. "Sir yes sir."

The older blonde chuckled as he headed for the door. "And don't call me sir. It makes me feel old."

Just before the seasoned hero could leave and Teddy could come close to getting comfortable on the bed he'd been assigned, a light on the wall began to blink urgently. This visual signal was accompanied by a disturbingly loud alarm, loud enough to awaken the other teens in the room. Shaking himself awake, Teddy gave Steve a rather grim look. "Looks like sleep's gonna have to wait."

Steve only nodded, quickly slapping a hand over the intercom near the door, wasting no time to make his demand known to the person on the other side. "What happened?"

By some means, Stark was quick to respond, his voice sounding none too pleased with whatever was going on. "Billy's awake. And he's on the defensive."

"What? But we helped him!" Teddy called forth, ignoring his friends' confused stares as they sat up in their beds. Of all things to happen, they'd all hoped that it wouldn't be this.

Stark's voice was disturbingly uneasy as he spoke, freezing all their blood in their veins as he uttered the very words none of them expected. "I don't think he knows that."

--Five Minutes Earlier—

Billy wondered if he'd finally been freed from his miniature version of hell, or if seeing Tommy after so long was just a dream. But all of it had felt and sounded so real it was hard for him to deny it not being reality. Daring to open his eyes, he was confused to find that it was white tiling, the sound of a heart monitor beeping casually off to the side. Blinking, it took him a few minutes to comprehend that this wasn't his thirty by forty foot padded room. This only made him even more puzzled. If I really am still in the prison, I'd still be unable to hear anything because of the …. Wait.

Bringing a hand up to feel his face, he found that not only did his right hand have a small clip with a wire attached, but the mask was gone. Now he only had and oxygen mask that regularly fed him pure air and an IV drip, accompanied by various wires of sorts snaking their way into his shirt. Which was now a light blue rather than the infuriating deathly pale and sanitary white, making him even more confused than before. Sitting up and looking around, Billy could swear that he was in a hospital room, with him as the only occupant. This led him to compose two conclusions: one, he was actually free of the prison and was indeed in a real hospital for once.

Or two… they were fooling him into thinking he was free. Either that or he'd finally gone nuts and was imagining things. And he didn't exactly want to believe he was still dreaming either. But he wasn't about to take his chances with something like that. He was going to get out of here, whether they liked it or not. Testing his legs, he quickly threw off the sheets and pulled at the wires, wincing as he swiftly pulled the IV drip out of his arm. Gasping at the stinging pain that was quite obviously reality, Billy ignored it by swinging his legs over the side of the bed while practically ripping the oxygen mask off his face. In several quick almost unsteady steps, he was at the window and pulling back the curtains. Almost immediately he was blinded by sunlight, something he probably hadn't seen in far too long. As the sun's brightness finally faded from his eyes, Billy could only stare in shock at what he saw. It was New York, the very city he'd hoped one day to return to.

But why now? What the hell is going on here? D-did something seriously happen while I was knocked out?!? He thought, staring at the glorious view like he was a tourist seeing the city for the first time. Albeit against his nature, Billy could only suspect that something was very wrong here, and everything wasn't as peachy as he'd like to hope it was. Even though he knew he was in New York again, he didn't particularly recognize the area, making him instantly suspicious in as to where he really was. Just the mere thought that he might be dreaming or even possibly being tricked into something he didn't want to do was enough to kick start the electric charge that'd been active since he had defended himself practically a year before. He was sure that the shrill noise the heart monitor was making behind him had been enough to alert any staff on hand in the past fifteen seconds he'd been standing there, sorting through his thoughts. As if on cue, the door behind him opened as nurses and a doctor entered to find an empty bed and a rather miffed looking teen with hands engulfed in blue lightning.

Sticking to his more passive nature, Billy raised his arms and let loose, mostly on the walls and floor around the people. All of whom immediately panicked and ran the other way like a herd of distressed sheep. Right behind them were some rather larger men, all of them built well enough to be drill instructor wannabes. The sight of this was enough to make Billy's scowl turn into an angry snarl.

"NOT THIS TIME!!" he yelled suddenly, catching both men off guard just as he blasted them with enough lightning to send them flying only to land on the far sides of the room in crumpled heaps set deeply into unconsciousness. More horrified screams came from the doorway, making him turn his attention towards the outer hall, where a few nurses huddled, watching him as he brought his glowing eyes down on them. They froze before taking off running, the fear and shock in their eyes telling him he was probably taking this too far. But it was too late to stop now, especially since he now knew he had the upper hand.

Walking out into the hall, bare feet flinching at the cool temperature of the tile floor, Billy looked left and right. So far everyone had run off, only to now be replaced with what looked like a security team, hell bent on neutralizing the threat. Neutralizing him. And that was something he just couldn't let happen. Not anymore. The mere thought of it set his mind ablaze with what he could remember from that hellhole of a prison. How much pain he'd been in a time or two when they let him be conscious for more than an hour, and how they'd constantly poked him full of holes just to test their drugs. He wasn't about to let that process be repeated. Not now and certainly not ever. Just thinking about it made him shiver, the power within him making his display of lightning even more dominant and charged.

Reflexively aiming at his new targets, he sent them flying one by one, stunned against the walls and on the floor before their remaining comrades attempted to shoot him with what looked like stun darts. Instinct took over as he suddenly knelt down, covering his head with his arms, hoping to the gods that none of them would hit him. Oh how he prayed to not go through that ever again. Much to even his surprise, a strong wind suddenly whipped around him, sending the darts flying to stick into the walls as a familiar voice sounded off from in front of him.

"NO DON'T!" it said, the figure most likely shielding him, holding out his arms to avoid another volley from being shot at them.

In seconds, Billy's memory kicked in, his response unsure but immediate. "T-Tommy?"

Without missing a beat, Tommy turned and smiled a genuinely relieved smile, once again grasping his twin's shoulders. "Yeah, that's right. It's me, you're big bro. Calm down okay? There's no need for all of this. You're safe now." The smile lost its luster when his twin didn't move, didn't speak. Confused, he ducked his head to try and get a better look into his sibling's eyes. "Billy?"

"H-how do I even know you're real?" the words were barely audible, whispered in a voice that just echoed how hollow he'd suddenly become.

Confused further, but now with a hint of fear, Tommy couldn't help but ask. "What?"

Brown eyes suddenly glowing neon blue met his, making the speedster jump away as lightning crackled all over the place, Billy's voice booming with power. "I said… how… the fuck do I KNOW THAT YOU'RE REAL?!?"

"Billy wait! Please just listen--." Tommy tried to say. To explain that he was real and that everything was okay. Sadly, Billy wasn't listening.

"NO! I'M NOT LISTENING TO ANYTHING. YOU'RE NOT HERE AND NONE OF THIS IS REAL!! Y-you… you just let them come and take me. Hell you probably didn't even try to come find me! What the hell makes you think I'd listen to you now? What kind of brother leaves his sibling to rot in a padded room, being pumped full of God knows what for even I don't know how long… and you expect me to believe that I'm actually free of that?!?" the teen demanded in a voice that went from angry to sad in sets, his eyes brimming with tears that he'd been needing to shed for who knew how long.

Tommy could only stare, stock-still in shock at what was being thrown at him. "Billy… oh God Billy…."

"I don't even know what day it is! I don't even know how the hell I got here! And now all this? Well guess what? I'm not falling for it." He growled, raising a glowing hand right at his brother, no hesitation anywhere. "And you're going to get the fuck outta my way."

"Aw crap." Just as Billy let the lightning loose, Tommy made himself scarce. Only to reappear next to his teammates with a disturbingly sad look on his face. "I don't think he's really up to listening to me right now."

Wincing at the sudden crash of another lightning surge, Tony only gave the teen a sad look. "It was expected. He's disoriented and probably didn't mean all of that. I'm sorry that it's come to this. Had I known he would wake up this soon…."

Tommy shook his head, his eyes showing how mad he was with himself. "It's not your fault. He's half right anyway. I… I didn't look for him hard enough. And if he needs to hate me for a couple of minutes, then let him."

"Yeah but we still need to keep him from tearing this place apart." Eli growled, pulling Kate down further as a particularly large bolt passed them by, striking a random medical cart and causing it to catch fire. Its weak metal didn't stand a chance as it melted like butter.

"He won't, trust me on that." Tommy said, oddly cool with his statement.

Like many times before, Eli was the first to scowl and ask. "And how do you know this?"

"Billy's smart and he's pretty passive. And when he gets angry… well… as you see before you ladies and gentlemen." He said just as coolly, thumbing at yet another random bolt of electricity, the lightning striking dangerously close to some men from the security team across the hall.

"It comes out packing a punch. So what do we do?" Steve asked as they all winced at another rather nasty bolt flashed past them by, making the air crackle with power.

"We could try to talk him down again but I doubt he'll pay much attention. Once he's set on something it's a little hard to get him to focus on much else." Tommy muttered with a rather bitter smirk on his face. "Probably why he gets better grades than I do."

"Okay. How does that help us?" Steve nearly demanded as the teen rolled his eyes. With a swift look around, he quickly pointed out a fallen security officer lying not far from them.

"Check that guy out. He's out cold. Billy could've easily killed him if he'd wanted to but he didn't. That says he's still depending on his own discrimination rather than just blasting people at random. He's actually thinking about this. Only problem," he said, flinching as more lightning crashed across the hall. "Is that he's having some trouble telling truth from lies."

"So one of us needs to talk to him. But who?" Cassie said, chiming in for once, making them look at each other with uncertainty.

"Someone who can withstand an electric burst strong enough to KO you like you're a character from 'Street Fighter'. Hence, Teddy should go." Tommy said simply.

Instinctively indignant to being volunteered, Teddy was quick to protest. "What? Me again? What the hell?!?"

Rubbing his forehead in exasperation, Tommy gave the blonde a rather desperate look, hoping that he would listen. "Look, you can shield me while I try to talk him down again."

Teddy instantly frowned. "I thought you said he wouldn't listen to you."

"Just because I said that doesn't mean I'm giving up." the teen growled, his face deathly serious for once. "If we can convince him to calm down, we might be able to get him to get caught up on things."

"I hope you're right Tommy." Tony said suddenly, somehow producing a radio that looked more like a wireless cell phone headset. In seconds in was at his ear and he was speaking into it with a bit too much authority. "All security teams on floor 59 be on standby. Don't fire unless you get my express order. Stark out."

Both teens got up, giving the taller boy a questioning look. "Ready?"

Though his eyes said otherwise, Teddy kept his face set. "I guess so. I really hope you're right Tommy."

For the first time in a long time, Tommy's face really did look sad. "So do I."

As if on cue, the remaining security members quickly backed away, picking up their fallen members as they went. This left the group of teens and two seasoned heroes to face Billy alone. Putting on a tough face, Teddy got up first, allowing himself to go from human pink to Hulk green as he stepped out into the open. Not far behind, Tommy followed the large blonde, hoping that his idea would turn out to be a good one.

--With Billy—

The security guys had stopped trying to fire at him and had withdrawn, making the young mage instantly suspicious. No way they'd back down from the kind of threat he capable of dishing out. At least not without a good reason would they just up and vanish like that. It didn't make any sense. Thousands of possibilities ran through his head as his eyes darted to vacant doors and empty corners, searching for anyone. Turning back around, what he found was a little confusing: a large male teenager, green and larger than life with short blonde hair was walking down the hall, dressed in baggy black pants and a dark blue shirt. Following not far behind was Tommy. Almost instantly Billy was back in defense mode. Just what the hell were these people trying to pull anyway?

He fought down the urge to wipe away the thin layer of sweat gathering on his brow, fingers twitching as the pair grew ever closer. The tall green teen seemed to notice the look on Billy's face, because he suddenly stopped and made Tommy stop too. His face was a bit stony, even though his blue eyes were watching with a kindness Billy had never seen before.

His curious fascination didn't last long as Tommy sidestepped the green behemoth, giving his twin an imploring look. "Billy? I know this is really, really confusing and that you're probably really mad at me but… please just hear me out okay?"

It wasn't long before Billy was glaring at him viciously, hands crackling with raw power and emotion. "Oh hell no. I'm not listening to a damn thing you say. So you can just--!"

Tommy had to keep himself from going absolutely nuts, but was able only yell loud enough to get his attention as he dared take a few steps forward. Their only real hope was that they could close the gap between them, and soon. "DAMMIT BILLY! Will you just listen to me?!? You're not in that hellhole anymore. I know because we broke you out last night. They can't hurt you anymore. We can make sure of that but right now you need to trust--!"

"Trust? TRUST?!? How the hell can I trust you when I've no idea that you're who you say you are! How can I know you're not some sick little illusion or something? Can you tell me that?!?" Billy demanded, the confused and hurt look returning to his eyes. The theories were already starting to come back into the foregrounds of his mind.

"Because I'm your brother!" Tommy snapped again, daring to move forward again, Teddy anxiously a little ways behind him as he spoke. "I was in that place long before they found out about you! How could they replicate me when they haven't seen me in over a year?"

This caught Billy off guard, eyes wide in shock. "What? No, no that can't be right--!"

"It is Billy, it really is. Though I'm sure I got the shorter end of the stick when I was there before I got myself out." Tommy said, his face twisted in sadness and anger from the memories coming to the surface. "And the only reason I didn't come sooner is because I honestly didn't know they'd gotten to you."

For what felt like only a few seconds, it looked like Billy actually believed Tommy, that the truth was coming together in his head. Only for the hopes of it to die when his mind created a lie amongst the truths. Eyes wide, threatening to shed more tears, Billy couldn't help but thread his fingers into his hair, his expression disbelieving all over again. "N-no. No you're lying! YOU'RE LYING!!"

"Billy wait!" Tommy managed to shout before being hit by a burst of lightning, making him trip and fall. Teddy however, was able to avoid the strike and barely heard Tommy shout at him over the loud crackle of the blue electricity. "S-stop him! He can fly!"

"Shit!" running as fast as his legs would let him, Teddy was off in a dead sprint after the brunette far ahead of him. Even as he ran he could tell that Billy wasn't even trying to run. He was just levitating above the floor as he sped towards the window. Either he was really desperate to escape or he wasn't thinking clearly enough to notice where he was headed. He only had a few seconds to catch up and keep the teen from vanishing from their grasp all over again, or end up doing something stupid that would get him injured.

Glass shards were suddenly everywhere was Billy broke through, the wind from the surrounding sky howling to enter the suddenly open space, nearly knocking Teddy backwards and off his feet. Biting back pain as he was nicked by a few wayward shards, the blonde didn't say a thing as he fought against the wind to follow the teen before he got too far. Rather than take the time to take off the scrubs shirt he'd been given, he simply allowed the new limbs to rip through the fabric before he willingly jumped into the invisible current running through the skies above the city. Quickly looking around, Teddy was able to spot the brunette not too far away except now he was just floating, as if in a daze. Cautiously approaching from the side, and glad the winds evened out as he did, Teddy hovered next to the teen with watchful eyes.

"Billy? You okay?" he asked softly, his voice somehow carrying over the low howl of the wind speeding past them, making their clothes flutter from the force of it.

Eyes of hazel brown turned on him, making his heart beat a little faster at the innocent look they had. His need for the truth was mirrored in his voice when he finally spoke, his voice low and hesitant despite his earlier behavior. "Is… is this real?"

"Yeah. Yeah it's real. Just like the window you busted through and all the stuff you torched back there. Need a minute?" Teddy inquired, tilting his head a little at the teen, watching him carefully in case he tried to fly away again.

Billy shivered against the cold breezes that passed them by, crossing his arms to defend against the chill. With Teddy's kind blue eyes still on him, Billy looked away, eyeing the view with a disbelieving wonder. "Kinda…. Do I know you?"

The blonde's amused but kind chuckle made the teen's eyes come back to meet his, his brow furrowing at the other teen's mirth. Ignoring this reaction, Teddy just smiled as he answered the question. "No, but you will. C'mon. Your brother's been waiting to see you."

Glancing back at the large tower a good distance away, Billy looked like a skinny deer caught in the headlights of a speeding car. "I don't think I should go back there."

"It's okay. We're not going to hurt you. We won't let anyone hurt you. Not again. Okay?" Teddy said kindly, his words and expression hopefully showing he was sincere in his understanding of the teen's state of mind. "C'mon."

After a few silent moments of floating in the winds above the great city, Billy finally nodded and moved to fly back to where he'd broken out with Teddy not very far behind. Upon reaching the window, he hesitated again, looking back at the blonde for reassurance. Teddy only gave him another kind smile as he nodded, staying a good foot or so away to ensure the teen didn't suddenly get uncomfortable. Clearly unsure but seeing no other options, Billy smoothly landed on the tile flooring of the hallway he'd literally sprinted down mere minutes earlier, soon followed by Teddy. As Billy eyed his destructive deeds with saddened eyes, Teddy changed back to his human form, accepting another shirt from Kate as the rest of their team converged on them, all of them staring at Billy in awe and caution.

Eyeing them nervously, giving Teddy an astonished double take before looking at his twin, his voice sounding rather small and pitiful as he finally spoke. "Tommy?"

Tommy couldn't help but break out into a smile, wasting no time in bringing his brother into a much awaited hug. "Yeah, it's me. It's me. I'm right here, I'm real. Okay?" he said softly into Billy's ear, the other boy finally wrapping his arms around his sibling in turn. He seemed to finally break down into tears, Tommy calmly whispering into his ear. "It's okay, you're okay."

This endearing moment was broken by one of the doctors suddenly appearing out of the corner of their vision, clearly anxious about doing his job. Almost immediately Billy was back to being in panic mode as he tried to pull away from Tommy in order to hide behind him. "NO! No more, please not again. Not again please. Keep him away. AWAY!!"

"You're gonna have to hold off on all that for now Tony. Give the kid some space." Steve muttered under his breath at the billionaire as he shooed the doctor away, who was clearly surprised by Billy's reaction. His handsome face steeled against letting his staff do their duties, Tony reluctantly nodded in agreement. Seeing any kind of medical personnel this soon had clearly been a bad idea. Waving away the doctors and nurses for now, Tony turned his attention back to the teen and white blonde double.

"Let's get you back to bed."

"Am I in trouble?" Billy asked timidly, glancing at the destruction he'd caused as Tommy led him back down the hall towards the room where they'd been in before he went on his confused rampage.

After Steve gave him a look, Tony forced himself to smile reassuringly at the teen as he spoke in the gentlest tone he could muster. "Trouble? No, heavens no. You just freaked, that's all. It's perfectly understandable. All of this can be easily fixed and replaced. That and you didn't hurt anyone so you're in the clear."

"But still I--." Billy was cut off by Tommy patting his head, guiding the other teen into the extra room where they'd all been before he'd woken up.

"C'mon you, before you start blaming yourself for global warming." He growled only for Billy to pull away and give him a good swack over the head, surprising everyone. Tommy wasted no time in hollering. "Ow! What the hell?"

The raven haired teen just rolled his eyes. "Jerk."

Before Tommy could say a word, Steve quickly cut in, a kind smile on his face. "Why don't you kids get back to bed? It's been a long day and you could use the rest."

"What about all this?" Kate asked, eyeing the broken glass and twisted metal with mild interest. The fact one boy had done it all in just a few minutes was a little hard to believe.

Fighting down a frown of disapproval, Tony just shrugged off the sight of his property in such disarray for once. "The crews can deal with it. Go on then. Get some sleep and we'll talk about what to do about everything later when Billy's ready."

The door shut behind the teens, leaving the two older men in the hallway, amidst Billy's rather undeniable displays of power and strength. Ignoring the carnage around them, Steve casually looked Tony right in the eyes. "Looks like our jobs just got a little harder. Are you up to this?"

"If it gets them to stop wrecking my medical ward, I'm willing to help with anything at this point." The billionaire admitted grudgingly. He couldn't lie to his friend even if he wanted to on the matter. All he could hope now was that Billy wouldn't be having more panic attacks like this anytime soon.

The blonde man could only chuckle at his long time friend's frustration, giving the man a casual wave as he turned towards the elevator. "I'll be seein' ya Tony."

"Goodbye Steve." Tony grumbled, turning on his heel to start barking orders into his radio for someone, anyone, to restore his damaged hallway and window. He'd get back the lost money from the business deals he'd be dealing with later. He was a business man after all. And he knew better than to fine a confused teenager a few pretty pennies for busted glass and warped metal. Though he would be taking note that Billy's powers were admittedly a great and unknowable force to be reckoned with, it was something to watch out for in the future.

Getting Billy back to bed took over half an hour, while getting him to go back to sleep took less than five. Though wary of the door and other things, the teen seemed relatively calm in his new surroundings. After entering the room as a group, they'd introduced each other to him, giving him kind smiles while he mirrored it back albeit it was done with slight anxiety. Mere minutes had to pass before he was truly comfortable with their presence. Despite this new sense of security, it took them quite a while to convince him that everything was real, and the people who took him wouldn't be trying to get him back. It was a long process but they got through it with no real issues. Within an hour of him waking up and nearly wrecking the place, Billy was asleep again, only this time of his own accord. It wasn't long before the rest of the teen heroes joined him, each taking their own beds in the room, Tommy having to pry his fingers free of his brother's grip to do the same.

Ironically they were awakened close to two hours later as some of the staff came to do rounds, somehow accidently waking Billy upon attempting to reattach some of the equipment he'd been connected to prior to waking up the first time. Tony had to return to avoid another fire fight being set off while Tommy had to coerce his sibling into letting the medical staff do their jobs. Billy obviously disliked it but was quickly reassured that sedatives wouldn't be remotely involved in any of it. He finally complied, eyes darting as he tried to steel his face against his fear of being forced into sleep against his will. The process only took a few minutes and the strangers were quickly rushed out by Eli and Cassie.

Just as the doctors were swept from the room, Tommy caught Billy lightly scratching at the bandage the covered the IV needle that'd been put back into his arm. The white blonde wasted no time in pulling his hand away glaring in annoyance. "Hey! Don't scratch that. It needs to stay in this time."

"Yeah but…. I don't like this." The teen muttered nervously, glancing at the needle and the bag hovering next to the bed. He didn't want to be forced to sleep anymore. Even with his brother and his new friends there, the thought of it wouldn't leave his mind.

"Well it's necessary to make sure they didn't give you anything that might've made you sick." Tony stated coolly, calmly staring at the charts in his hand. "We'll wait until later to get blood samples."

Billy paled at the thought of more needles. The doctors back at the prison had taken pretty much anything they wanted without asking or telling him first, from blood to hair. It wouldn't surprise him if they had his nail clippings. He couldn't help but curl up a little, as if to shield himself from the thought as he stared at the billionaire standing in front of him. "Blood samples? Do you have to?"

Tony let out a tired sigh but managed to stick a kind smile on his face. "I know this is all really overwhelming but we need to know that you're healthy. We just want to be sure that anything they forced on you could've caused you damage."

"When can he leave?" Tommy asked rather sternly, though it was obvious he was actually demanding rather than asking. The billionaire simply sighed as he put the chart back down on an empty bed to the side.

"A few days, once all the tests are complete and we know what we're dealing with. Until then, Billy needs to stay here." The kind smile on the older man's face became slightly strained as his face hardened slightly as the words came in a rather firm tone. "But right now, all of you need to get some rest."

"But they can stay right?" the raven haired teen asked timidly, eyeing the IV drip and a few other things before his hazel brown eyes focused back on Tony.

If Tony was surprised to see the genuine fear in Billy's eyes, he didn't show it. The last thing he wanted to do was to scare the clearly frightened boy into going into another paranoia-fueled rampage of practically galactic proportions. "Yes Billy, they can. They'll be in here, with you, like before. Now get some rest. It's been a long day for all of us."

"I don't think I can." The teen said, the fear now coming forth in his voice, powerful enough to almost make it crack.

"You can. You just have to try."

"No one's gonna--?"

"No, that won't be happening anymore. We told you, they can't get to you anymore." Tony stated with pure certainty. This time the smile he showed them was very real. "I'll be upstairs if you kids need anything."

The teens watched the older man turn and leave, Cassie being the only one to remember to call out as the door shut behind him. "Thanks Mr. Stark."

After a few seconds of silence, Kate let out a rather audible sigh. "I don't know about any of you but I'm definitely hitting the hay. All this excitement's been hell on my hair."

"Even after all of this, you actually take the time to complain about that?!?" Eli demanded, clearly surprised at this prospect. The raven haired girl simply turned to him with a sly smile on her slender lips.

"That's because you have none honey."

Cassie was back to her girlish giggles, Teddy staring on with worry in his eyes while Tommy just let his roll in their sockets. "There they go again. Kate vs. Eli round 255, be sure to place your bets at the counter."

"You've been keeping count?" Teddy inquired. Cassie only chuckled at the blonde teen's surprise over Tommy's words.

The teen in question simply shrugged, clearly nonchalant about the whole situation at hand. "For the most part. I'd video tape them and put them on the net but… what kind of super hero would I be? Compromising their secret identities like that. It'd be so cruel of me."

"Huh."

All in the room wasted no time looking at Billy, who was staring at his silver haired double in surprise. Upon seeing his twin's expression, Tommy's face soured to a look of annoyance and defiance. "What?"

"You're actually thinking about others now?" a sarcastic tone had overtaken Billy's voice, his eyes looking at each of them as he asked. "What the hell did you guys do to him?"

Confused, Teddy was the first to speak, blue eyes glancing between one of the twins to the other. "Nothing. Why?"

"Are you sure he hasn't been cloned or something?" Billy asked, clearly suspicious again of his double's true identity.

"Pretty sure." Eli finally snarled, scowling at Billy as he demanded. "Did we miss something?"

"I don't know… maybe you guys gave him a soul!"

If Tommy could blush, he was definitely blushing with anger now, the words coming forward in an enraged burst. "Shut the hell up you! What the hell makes you think I never had one?"

Without missing a beat Billy didn't waste time countering with a comment of his own, sarcasm clearly coating his tone. "Uh gee I don't know, the fact you hit on every living thing that peaks your interest?"

"I-I do not!" Tommy stammered angrily, the blush growing in intensity, glaring Cassie out of another amused snicker.

But Billy wasn't letting up, a confident smirk having taken its place on his lips, a laugh of triumph just begging to be let free from his throat as he went on. "Don't lie. Even when I'm not around you flirt with just about anybody you deem worth your time."

"He's got you there Tommy." Teddy stated with a deep chuckle. "How did you handle him growing up?"

Billy's smirk and Tommy's blush instantly vanished. The speedster's voice was almost lost to the sudden silence. "I didn't."

This sent a wave of shock through the gathered teens, Kate breaking the silence for her teammates. "What?"

Tommy's face soured while Billy's clouded a little, his eyes showing he was looking back on memories he didn't want to see. "We grew up with different families. We didn't even know about each other until we met by accident a good? Eight months before I met you guys."

Billy blinked out of thought, giving his twin a look of pure surprise at this new information about everything. "Has it really been that long?"

"Yeah it has. No biggie. We can catch up when we get you outta here." Tommy said with certainty, a confident smile back on his lips. "But until then, it's doctor's orders."

"Alright." Billy muttered in defeat, bringing the sheets to cover him up to his chin as he turned to lie on his side. He heard footsteps as the other teens in the room moved away, each obviously to their own beds, someone taking the time to switch off the lights. For the first time in a long time, Billy couldn't help but feel truly safe.

It's finally done! Yeah I know I took forever but that's how things are lately. Really, really hectic if you ask me. I nearly lit a match under my own sorry ass before I finally got down to finishing this thing for you guys. So yeah, I'm really sorry for the long wait. So it's best I don't waste anymore time right? Right. Here's what's to come:

Next chapter:

Chapter 3: Adjusting

Billy's back where he belongs and Stark's place is a mess thanks to our beloved magician's unstable sense of reality. And no doubt that facility's gonna be feelin' some heat from the system when they learn just who they had until only a few hours ago. Sweet irony if I do say so myself. But what about the aftermath? Can Billy get used to being free like everybody else again? Find out when 'Aftershock' returns with the much awaited:

Chapter 3: Adjusting!!!