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friendlystarbubble · 5 days ago

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The downfall

It’s the moment I’m sure everyone’s been waiting for, downfall iau Time’s (supposed) death!!! Yippee!!! This takes place several years before everything else, somewhere around three or four. The exact number isn’t a big deal. Just know Twilight is a younger teenager here.

Some injury/blood, but nothing described in much detail.

Masterlist

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“Duskfall, on your left!”

At Time’s shout, Twilight lunged to avoid a strike from the crowbar his assailant was wielding, the metal smashing into a wall right where his head had been. Twilight gave his father a quick nod of thanks, and Time returned it before quickly turning his attention back to his own fight.

They were outnumbered, but not badly, only four thieves in dark clothes swinging whatever they could grab at them. Twilight wasn’t too worried. His father could probably have taken them all out by himself.

The thief lunged, and Twilight leapt out of the way of yet another strike, hearing a whoosh as it swept past his ear. This time the crowbar hit a case behind him and sent all sorts of jars and bottles of stuff Twilight couldn’t identify crashing to the floor.

A sharp chemical smell spread through the room, and Twilight reeled backwards. The smell went straight up his nose, making his eyes water, and his foot caught on a stray bottle as he stumbled backwards.

He slipped, falling flat on his back, and a laugh came from the thief.

“New at this, huh kid?” he laughed, and Twilight snarled.

“I’m not a kid!” he snapped, and grabbed a bottle and threw it at the man. It hit his knee and shattered, and he yelped, quickly backpedaling.

“We got what we came for, time to go!” another robber shouted, and all of them turned and bolted out the door, the crowbar guy knocking down another shelf that blocked the door behind them with a crash.

Twilight ran to the door and began shoving the shelving out of the way, his father coming up beside him and helping him.

“Going to be hard to catch up,” Time commented with a grunt. “You think you’ll be able to track them?”

“I think so,” Twilight replied. His nose felt less overwhelmed by the spilled chemicals now. “Shouldn’t be too hard.”

“You okay otherwise?”

“Not a scratch.”

Twilight and Time finally shoved away the heavy metal blocking their path, and they both bolted out of the lab, running down the hall.

A silent alarm in the lab building had been tripped about an hour ago, and Twilight and Time had both been on patrol close enough to be alerted. It didn’t really make sense to Twilight as to why the robbers would pick a lab of all places to rob, but apparently they weren’t looking for money. He could smell the chemicals they’d nabbed, seen the bag full that one of them had been holding, and he was sure they weren’t planning anything good with them.

But on the bright side... the chemical smell made it rather easy to follow them.

“Hey!” Twilight shouted as he turned a corner and saw the robbers sprinting away. “Stop!”

They only ran faster, and Time and Twilight stayed right on their heels, quickly gaining ground. All until one whirled around and threw something at the floor, bright red and blinking.

Time and Twilight both swerved to dodge it, then were both thrown to the floor as it exploded with a deafening noise.

Twilight hit the ground hard, ears ringing from the noise and body aching from the force of the blow. He struggled to his feet even before his ears stopped ringing, and whirled around, spotting a gaping hole where Time had been standing just moments ago.

“Dad!” Twilight shouted, scrambling for the edge of the hole and looking frantically below for his father.

His heart beat rapidly in his throat as he searched thorough the smoke, a sick feeling tightening in his stomach the longer he looked without spotting anything. Then he saw a flicker of movement below.

“I’m fine!” Time called up, and Twilight sighed in relief. “Keep going, they’re getting away. I’ll climb out after you.”

“I’m not going to leave you there!” Twilight said in disbelief. There’s no way he made it out of that unscathed!

“You’re not leaving me, I’ll be right behind you,” Time replied, and Twilight finally saw him, eyes glowing white through the smoke. “I’ll be fine, pup.”

Twilight hesitated, reason warring with the worry inside him, but he also knew they couldn’t let the robbers get away. It was their job.

“Go, I’ll be right behind you,” Time called, and Twilight ran off, using his heightened senses to pick up the bad guy’s trail again. It rubbed him entirely the wrong way leaving his dad behind, something making his heart pound a little faster, but Twilight pushed past it and focused on the job.

Whether he wanted it to be or not, the robbers were his priority.

It didn’t take him long to catch up to the group again, their dark clothes standing out in the light-colored hallways. They kept throwing things things at Twilight and slowing him down whenever he got close though, and one even pulled out a gun and began shooting at him.

Twilight nearly slipped on the floor tiles as he dodged, and he gritted his teeth as the outside door came into view. No!

Twilight willed his legs to go faster, but the robbers made it out of the door. He rushed after them, exploding out into the parking lot and dodging around small trees and trashcans, sprinting as fast as he could without getting hit by anything.

He was gaining ground on the open asphalt, and Twilight’s heart pounded as he drew closer and closer—

“That’s enough!” one of the robbers finally shouted, whirling around and pointing his gun. Twilight screeched to a halt, but didn’t put his hands up. “Quit chasing us kid, or else I’ll use this.”

You’ve already been using it, Twilight thought huffily, but didn’t voice it. “Give back the chemicals you stole,” he said in a firm voice. “You might get off with a warning or something if you comply.”

Titters of laughter went through their group, and the leader smirked at Twilight. “Sure, kid. Man, you heroes are all the same. Look, I know it’s your job to catch us and all, and you’ll probably get hell for letting us get away, but don’t you have something more important you should be doing?”

Twilight hesitated, not sure where this was going. “...Like what?”

The robber grinned, and held up a small remote. “Like saving your buddy in the building there we rigged to blow.“

Twilight froze, staring at the remote, and the robber pushed the button without any fanfare.

“You have about twenty seconds,” he said with a smile and sarcastic salute. “Death to the heroes.”

Twilight turned and ran.

He snatched at his wristband, fingers almost missing the buttons in his haste, and signaled Time’s radio.

“Duskfall? What’s going—”

“Dad there’s a bomb, it’s going to go off in a few seconds, I don’t know how long you have,” Twilight panted, leaping over a short wall. “Are you near the exit?!”

The radio crackled with feedback for a few precious seconds.

“...I only just got out of the collapsed area, my leg was struck on the way down,” Time replied, voice oddly quiet. “It slowed me down more than I thought it would. Twilight... I’m not going to make it before it blows.”

“No, no you’ll be fine,” Twilight choked out, nearing the door he’d exploded out of mere minutes ago. “I’ll come get you, I can help you out and we—”

“No,” Time replied, voice firm. “Twilight, don’t put yourself in danger. I’ll try and find a place to take cover, but in case I can’t, I... take care of your mother and Legend.”

“Don’t say that!” Twilight shouted, his vision strangely blurry as he charged for the door, “Dad you’ll be fine, you’ll be fine—”

“No matter what happens, I’m proud of you, pup,” Time said, voice crackling through the radio, a scraping noise coming through. “Stay strong, don’t let them—”

A horribly loud noise cut him off, and Twilight watched in horror as an explosion took out the opposite corner of the building, stone flying and flames bursting outward.

“NO!” Twilight screamed, and ran the last few feet to the door, his hand closing around the handle even as a tremor shook the ground, the smell of smoke and chemicals sharp in his nose. “Dad—”

Light burst into his vision, and Twilight was thrown backwards with an explosive roar, a rush of heat and energy accompanying it.

His head hit something and he knew no more.

(...)

Beeping woke him.

It was at an odd frequency, high enough to be annoying, but Twilight listened to it for a moment as he slowly woke up anyway. The beeping was in time with a sharp throbbing on his cheek, and Twilight held back a wince.

He felt like he’d been hit by a truck.

He took a minute or two to gather his energy, and dragged his eyes open, darkness meeting him. There was an acrid taste in his mouth, and Twilight blinked as someone leaned over him and murmured something about burns and head injuries.

And then he remembered the explosion.

Twilight lurched upward, every pain in his body forgotten, and he didn’t even hear the surprised shout over the blood roaring in his ears. He whipped his head around, ignoring how it made his whole world spin, and stared.

There was a pile of smoking rubble in the distance.

Twilight cried out and tried to scramble to his feet, but several pairs of arms grabbed him and held him back. Some of the arms were more gentle, some harsh, and someone was telling him to settle down, he’d been injured, he needed to not get up, but Twilight wasn’t listening.

He fought against the arms holding him, and someone shouted for assistance, more hands closing around his arms. Their grip was unrelenting, and Twilight was nearly in tears he was so desperate.

“LET ME GO!” he screamed, thrashing against the arms holding him, “he’s still in there!”

Nobody let go, and Twilight was about to shift in order to escape, when someone new suddenly stepped forward, nice shoes and pressed suit appearing in Twilight’s vision.

Time’s agent. Twilight couldn’t remember his name.

“Duskfall, at ease,” he said sharply. “You’ve been out for a while, we’ve already swept and scanned the ruins.”

“The... so where..?” Twilight gasped, still faintly struggling.

The man in the suit looked at him with no discernible emotion on his face. “No survivors were detected.”

Twilight froze, his heart stopping.

No.

That was impossible.

Apparently he’d spoken out loud, since the suited man hummed and shook his head. “Yes, I’m afraid so. The great Fierce Deity finally met his match, it seems.”

Twilight would have fallen over if it weren’t for the arms holding him, and his vision blurred, the people around him suddenly indistinct.

“He... he can’t,” Twilight rasped, suddenly realizing he was shaking. “He’s not... he can’t. He’s nearly invincible, he...”

“Apparently not,” the suited man sighed, and turned away. “A shame. He was a fine asset. Now get yourself under control, Duskfall, you’re due for a full report and evaluation back at base. This whole mission was a disaster.”

Twilight stared at the ground, blood roaring in his ears. Something wet hit the pavement below him, and Twilight shook even harder as tears slipped down his nose.

He can’t be gone.

He can’t.

“Excuse me sir, but he’s in no state to debrief,” one of the people holding him said, voice soft. “You won’t be able to get much out of him, his head needs further attention. Best we wait until he’s rested.”

The suited man huffed. “Fine. I’ll have enough paperwork to deal with today as it is. I’ll schedule one in a day or two. Heal him up.”

Twilight heard him stalk away, but he remained where he was on the ground, shaking violently as tears kept slipping down his nose. Most of the arms holding him down withdrew, and he heard footsteps retreat.

“I’m so sorry,” the quiet voice said again, and Twilight felt a light squeeze on his arm. “Please come with me, I’ll get you fixed up. Can you stand?”

Twilight didn’t know.

He didn’t reply, and arms gently prodded him, slowly getting him to his feet. Twilight’s legs shook under him, but the arms kept him up, small as they were. Twilight’s head throbbed in time with his heartbeat, and he barely took it in when they started to walk, letting himself be blindly led in the right direction.

He was unaware of the passage of time— one moment he was walking, and the next he was sitting in the back of one of the medical transports they used sometimes, a hand lightly running over his arm.

Twilight slowly blinked, glancing mindlessly around the small ambulance, and a short girl appeared in front of him, red hair swaying as she gently shifted his arm around. She seemed to notice him come back to himself, and raised her head, smiling at him with slightly-sharp teeth and light amber-colored eyes.

“Hello there. How are you feeling?” she asked gently. “I think I got the worst of all your injuries, but concussions are difficult. That scratch on your cheek is bad too, you should make sure to rest once you get home.”

Twilight blinked again, and the woman’s smile faded.

“Does your arm feel better than it did?” she asked as she withdrew her hand, and Twilight gave an absent nod. “Oh good. I was only supposed to use my healing to a certain extent for this, I’m glad that cleared it up.”

“What’s your name?” Twilight whispered, and the girl startled, then smiled.

“Sorry, I don’t get asked that much. I’m Mipha. Pleasure to meet you, Duskfall. I only wish it were under better circumstance,” she said more softly, and Twilight closed his eyes. “I’m so sorry about Deity. I only met him a few times, but he was always such a kind man.”

“He was my father,” Twilight croaked, not sure why he felt the need to say it.

Mipha’s face turned to shock, but Twilight wasn’t focused on her anymore, his mind suddenly replaying the events of the night so fast and in such intensity that he felt horribly sick.

Was.

He was his father.

For some reason, the mere act of referring to his father in the past-tense cracked through the numb fog that had been entrapping Twilight, and grief flooded in. His shaking started up again, and he barely noticed Mipha take his hands, giving them a squeeze.

“I’m so sorry,” she said when he finally met her eyes, looking at him with a gentle, sympathetic grief.

Twilight looked at her, and then he buried his head in his hands, and cried.

...

Beeping woke him.

A steady, up and down beep, one that pulsed in time with his heart.

Time listened to it as he slowly woke up, the exhaustion weighing on him in a way that told him he was coming out of unconsciousness and not sleep.

Time’s good eye weakly fluttered, closing immediately at the bright light that met him. He momentarily abandoned that pursuit, not wanting more of that horrible light burning into his skull, and tried focusing on the rest of himself instead. A deep ache radiated from his side, a prickling, burning feeling running through his skin. Time’s breath stuttered as he registered just how intense the feeling was, and the beeping changed slightly.

What... happened?

Footsteps stepped somewhere around him, and Time cracked his eye open again, more slowly this time. The same splitting pain went through his skull at the bright light, but Time didn’t close his eye this time, intent on discovering where he was, cracking it slowly more and more open.

What seemed to be a hospital room met him, dull and featureless, and Time slowly looked around, trying to focus on what the rest of his body was telling him.

He was shirtless, and a little cold, even with the hot ache that was killing his side. He could feel bandages scattered across his skin, wrapped tight around an awful lot of himself. An IV was stuck in his arm, a soft pain coming from where it entered his skin barely noticeable compared to the rest. He couldn’t hear anything except that same beeping sound that had roused him in the first place, and a sharp antiseptic smell was in his nose, along with lingering notes of ash and fire. Time risked opening his eyes further, and saw someone in doctor’s clothes bustling around nearby.

So. It looked like he’d gotten himself hurt badly enough to end up in the hospital.

...Something about this place felt wrong, though. Not like other times he’d been hurt. The walls were too grey, the room minimalistic in a way that spoke more of solitary confinement rather than useful hospital space.

Time frowned. He had a terrible feeling about this.

He tried to think back, sorting through his fuzzy thoughts, but before he could get very far, a door opened, and more footsteps cane through the room. They stopped beside him, and Time froze, then dizzily narrowed his eyes, surprise and a sharp dislike hitting him at the figure above.

“Dark,” he rasped, not bothering to mask his disgusted tone of voice.

“Hello Link,” Dark said with a smile. “I wondered how long it would take for you to wake up. We had to pump all sorts of things into you just to get you to this point.”

“Wonderful,” Time said with a pained eye roll. “Why are you here?”

“To explain,” Dark said simply, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall with a grin.

Time didn’t like the sound of that. Especially since he couldn’t seem to remember what had landed him here. He rarely saw Dark, and whenever he did, nothing good came of it. Dark ran the entire department that governed supers, gradually making their lives more and more terrible, and he’d had a personal grudge against Time for nearly his whole life.

“You look confused,” Dark observed, idly adjusting the cuff of his sleeve. “Let’s try this— do you remembering responding to an alert at Staminoka Labs?”

Time certainly didn’t trust Dark, but at the name, memories brushed past his head, fighting, running... throwing himself behind a sheet of metal in hopes it would keep him alive.

Twilight’s frantic voice on the radio.

Time’s leg twinged, and he breathed in slowly, determined not to show any emotion. “I remember.”

Dark’s smile never left. “Good. Then I don’t have to explain that part.”

He abruptly leaned forward, and Time stared at his face, so oddly similar to his own. Dark’s reddish eyes bored into his own, and then he suddenly drew back again.

“Let me be the first to congratulate you on being declared legally dead,” he said with a small bow, and Time stared.

“...What?” he rasped finally, and Dark grinned.

“You’re dead, Link. As far as anyone who cares knows, that explosion at the labs killed you. You’re now the property of the confidential scientific division of the DSSI, and you’re going to be here a long time,” Dark said casually, giving his shoulder a condescending pat. “We’ve got tests to run, and a super who’s dead in all but truth is perfect to run them on. Besides, it’s nothing more than a traitorous collaborator deserves. I know you’ve been up to things, Link. Hiding secrets. Working against your government. Well, no longer.”

“You can’t keep me here,” Time rasped in a low voice, a little incredulous. Had he really been declared dead? They couldn’t do that, could they? And what about Twilight? Was he okay? “What about a trial?”

“Dead men don’t get trials. And I own you, Link. I own all supers,” Dark said casually. “I can do whatever I want with you. It’s only a pity I only managed to get one test subject, two would have been better.”

Something cold trickled into Time’s stomach. He didn’t dare ask, but Dark must have seen the question in his eyes.

“Oh yes, I suppose you wouldn’t know. Your son was killed in his attempts to save you,” Dark said, no emotion in his voice.

Time’s heart stopped.

“No,” he rasped, and Dark smirked.

“I’m afraid so. He ran into the labs to save you, and was crushed by the building as it exploded. All that was left was his mangled—”

“You’re lying,” Time hissed, refusing to believe it, and Dark gave him an intent look.

“Why would I only bring you back here when I could have two heroes to work on? He’s dead. Your wife got what was left of his body. Do you want proof?” he asked idly, and Time’s hands shook with rage. He made to move, then realized suddenly he was secured to the bed, straps restraining him in multiple locations.

“Let me go.”

“No,” Dark replied calmly.

“You can’t keep me from my family,” Time hissed, a sudden sharp grief threatening to overtake him. “You can’t tell my son is dead then keep them from me, they need me, they need—”

“They don’t, because they think you’re dead too,” Dark said with a smile. “Everyone does. This was a fortunate little accident, all things considered. A pity about your son, but I’m sure Malanya and Infrared will manage somehow.”

“You can’t keep me from them,” Time growled, and Dark patted his cheek.

“I absolutely can.“

“You can’t make them grieve alone!” Time shouted, eyes blazing. “Not even you would be so cruel, let me go—”

Dark pressed a button, and the familiar jolt of electricity rent through Time, making him cry out. It didn’t last as long as usual, possibly because he was already hurt, but it hurt plenty, Time shivering with leftover energy when it finished.

“This is your life now,” Dark said, grabbing Time’s chin. “You’re a lab rat that is only alive because of me. Don’t forget that, Link. And be grateful you didn’t meet the same fate as your son.”

Time jerked his head away, and Dark released him without fuss.

“You have some healing to do before we can begin, so rest up,” he said in a soft-but-menacing voice. “I would get used to the quiet if I were you. If you behave, I might even let you see your boy’s funeral.”

And he left without another word.

Time glared after him, shaking with pain and grief he still wasn’t willing to fully believe. Twilight couldn’t be dead. It was impossible. Time had been in the building that had exploded and had survived, surely Twilight...

A foggy memory of Twilight screaming over the radio brushed through his mind, and Time felt suddenly ill, his trembling increasing. He couldn’t believe it. He refused to believe it.

“Your son was killed in his attempts to save you.”

Dark had sounded so matter-of-fact. Like the news of Twilight dying while failing to save Time was just an interesting tidbit, a piece of gossip, a headline in the paper to scan past. Not earth-shattering heartbreaking news that threatened to tear Time apart.

Time, alive. Twilight, dead.

His son, barely fourteen, killed while trying to save him.

The doctor who’d been piddling around in the room finally turned and left as well, leaving Time alone with his thoughts and guilt and grief. The more time went by, the more a dreadful certainty that Dark’s words had been true crept over him, swallowing his hope and plunging it into darkness.

Twilight, dead.

His son, already so strong in the face of their harsh reality, still able to tease his brother and laugh even as he blossomed into an amazing fighter, willing to go as far as it took to save people, gentle, fierce, kind—

Twilight.

Time covered his face as much as he was able to, and cried.

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