Unlucky Turned Family

Wilbur had made a mistake. He knew that going out as Siren while everyone was busy would be a bad idea. He had no backup, no means of communication with any of the other members of the Syndicate, and fighting was not his preferred way of dealing with his enemies. Now, he was really starting to regret it. 

“Come on, Siren. Don’t you want to have a little fun with me?” Ketaphos asked, a creepy tone to his voice. He was facing Wilbur, sword in hand. Everyone was used to Ketaphos fighting with an axe, including Wilbur, but for whatever reason, he had his sword out tonight.

“No, I don’t think that I do, actually,” Wilbur responded, panic almost slipping through. Although the hero couldn’t see his face, the bottom half covered by a mask and the top half shielded by his hair, Wilbur was proper panicking. He was cornered by Ketaphos, and prime knows that his hero rank never stops him from doing unthinkable things to the villains and vigilantes he comes across while patrolling alone.

“That’s so boring, though,” Ketaphos spoke back, slowly walking towards Wilbur. If he thought that he was panicking earlier, then he had no idea what to call what he was feeling now. Wilbur felt like his body was shutting down, like he was a deer in headlights about to get run over by a car. 

Just as Wilbur was about to refute, Ketaphos lunged at him. He barely had enough time to jump out of the way and land on the floor a few feet away. Wilbur quickly scrambled to a standing position, sprinting down the sidewalk before he was actually hit with the sword. 

He heard Ketaphos following behind him, almost catching up to Wilbur. Since this was the twelfth district, Wilbur had no idea where he was going. He’d only ever been here once, and that was when Ranboo was just learning how to use his teleporting powers. 

Wilbur sure as hell wished that he had teleporting powers himself right about now. He couldn’t use his powers because he was already so exhausted, and he lost his weapon a while back. So, without thinking, he turned sharply into the first street he saw. Unfortunately for him, it was an alleyway, not a street. Shit.

“I have had enough of you fucking villains running around,” Ketaphos’ voice sounded from behind Wilbur. He quickly turned around, getting ready to fight, knowing that it would end terribly. Without any means of weapons or powers, and Ketaphos having both, Wilbur had no idea how he was going to survive.

“And I have had enough of you heroes going around thinking that you’re better than everyone just because you were forced by the government to dedicate your life to corrupting the public.” Wilbur quipped back, trying to keep the fear out of his voice.

“We aren’t corrupting the public,” Ketaphos spat, throwing the first hit towards Wilbur. “And the government just wants to help people. The powers the heroes have are too dangerous to be free to the world. They needed control, needed help. If they were let loose, hell would reign. It would be too dangerous for them and for the people.”

“You and the government aren’t worried about the heroes or the people, you are worried about not being in control. Forcing innocent people, innocent kids, into fighting crime and putting their lives on the line everyday is not how you ‘deal’ with their powers. All of the higher ups are scared that someone more powerful than the top hero would be out there, ruining the image of you and the government,” Wilbur yelled back, anger rising in his chest. 

Quickly, Ketaphos ran towards Wilbur, sword raised. Wilbur was barely dodging the hits that were being sent his way, only landing a few lousy punches on the hero, effectively doing nothing. 

“Screw you,” Ketaphos growled, landing a hit on Wilbur that sent him to the floor. Before Wilbur could try to stop him, Ketaphos raised his sword, sending the blade straight into his stomach. 

Pain flooded his mind, and he could feel the blood soaking the concrete under him. Wilbur couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. Slowly, Wilbur could feel his mind falling into unconsciousness.

“I hope that this will finally teach you fucking villains that we aren’t messing around,” Ketaphos spoke over Wilbur’s almost unconscious body pulling the sword out in one swift motion. Barely, he could hear Ketaphos’ steps gradually walking away, leaving him to bleed out in the middle of some rundown alleyway.

--

Wilbur woke up, still laying in the same position as the first time he passed out. He tried to sit up, but pain shot all throughout his body, forcing him to stay down. He was delirious, and didn’t understand anything that was happening.

What was probably a few minutes later, but felt like an eternity, Wilbur could swear that he heard steps approaching him. He wanted to panic, to run away because he was injured and he had no idea who this stranger walking towards him was, but he still couldn’t goddamn move. Wilbur could faintly listen to this stranger’s voice, but all he could do was grunt in pain, it being his weak attempt at escape. 

He heard the person stop by his side, seemingly frozen in place. Shit, Wilbur thought. I am wearing my Siren outfit. He was an injured villain, almost dead, and had no back up. For all Wilbur knew, this was some lower rank hero, or maybe even a vigilante, calling for someone to come help them take Wilbur to Pandora’s Vault.

Suddenly, he felt hands touch his injury. A warm, comforting feeling washed over him, blinding the pain for a few minutes. Out of the corner of his barely open eye, Wilbur could swear he could see a red glow emitting from the stranger’s hands. He was too out of it to actually tell, so he just ruled it as him losing it. 

Seconds later, the throbbing started again, and the feeling of warmth disappeared. The hands left his stomach and he felt a presence fall by his side. 

The stranger just seemingly sat there for a few moments. Finally, he stood up and pulled Wilbur up to a standing position too, forcing him to walk forwards. Whatever part of his mind was in control barely trudged on, ready to collapse and never wake up again. Sadly, the stranger kept on going, stopping every once in a while to adjust his grip on Wilbur. 

After what felt like forever, Wilbur felt himself being hoisted up some stairs, almost falling down multiple times throughout the process. Wilbur could hear muffled sounds of swearing, and the thumping of their feet trying to not crash both of them into the floor behind them. 

Gradually, Wilbur grew more and more tired, feeling himself go completely dark as soon as he was set on what he guessed was a couch. He knew that he should be worried. He was in some strange apartment, bleeding out and completely exposed in his villain suit, but all he could feel was numbness clouding his mind. Everything hurt, and he was ready to fall into a bliss of the world of dreams.

--

As peaceful as falling asleep was, waking up was not, if you could even say that Wilbur was awake. He felt someone shaking him, trying to talk him into standing up. The voice sounded like Techno, so either he was dead or his family found him. He was really hoping that it was the latter, because being dead is most definitely not ideal.

Carefully, the person who Wilbur guessed was his brother, lifted him up and put Wilbur on his own two feet, slinging Wilbur’s arm around his shoulders, and sliding his arm around Wilbur’s side. Wilbur thought that it felt very similar to whoever took him home, too, except this time the stranger was very obviously stronger and more stable. 

They started walking forward, pulling Wilbur along with him. He could hear faint conversation grow louder and louder the further they went forward. He tried looking up to see who was around him, but everything in his body screamed in protest, so he gave up and left his head hanging in the most comfortable position Wilbur could find. 

Instead, he tried to focus on not passing out. He started to lean more weight on whoever was holding him up, and that clearly worried that stranger, because the next thing he knew, he was being hurried down a set of stairs and pushed into a car. 

He felt someone lay him down across some seats, his head in a lap. One of the people who were talking before they left emerged from the building Wilbur just exited, opening the car door with too much force, and slightly yelling at whoever the designated driver was to drive.

Wilbur heard voices around him, all sounding more worried than the last. He could feel his mask being removed, and a hand start to comb its way through his hair. He could feel prodding fingers around his side, and someone trying to talk to him. But Wilbur was so tired, and the pain only increased since being awake, so he answered to the call of sleep, letting his eyes completely slip shut. 

The next time Wilbur awoke, it was to Techno (he could see his brother’s pink hair now that his head was facing up) carrying his body bridal style. The pain was still as prominent as it was when he last woke up. As he just laid there, he got more and more tired of not being able to move without wanting to scream out.

As he was being carried, Wilbur heard more on-edge voices come into ear shot. It was probably Phil yelling at someone to get Kristin, Wilbur guessed. He tried to look, to see what was happening around him, but a hand on his head stopped him. Wilbur hadn’t realised, but Tehcno had set him down on a bed, staring down at him with worry. 

Before Wilbur could try to speak, he heard Kristin walk into the bedroom, her face visible out of the corner of his eye. He tried to make out what she was saying, but as the seconds ticked on he grew more and more dizzy. 

All of a sudden, Wilbur felt Kristin start to heal him, her powers coursing through his body. There was a dark green glow, and everything felt lighter. As the healing continued, his body’s last remaining energy was used, and he could feel himself entering the same slumber for the fourth time this night. In his mind, he wished it to be the last.

--

Once again, Wilbur returned to the land of the wake. This time though, he was only sore. There was no sharp pain shooting through his whole body. There was no headache that blinded him. He was stiff, yes, but he could finally move.

After Wilbur came to that realisation, he shot up, properly recalling the events of last night. His memory was fuzzy, but he could remember his fight with Ketaphos, and the stranger that saved him. He remembered waking up, and who he thought was Techno bringing him to a car. After that, everything goes blank.

At least he wasn’t kidnapped. Of that, Wilbur was sure because he recognised his room. The posters of bands hanging on all of the walls, the piles of clothes scattered about the floor, his guitar in the corner, and his desk with unfinished songs in piles of notebooks were all ingrained in his mind. 

His body was itching to move, to get out of the bed. So, Wilbur stood up and walked over to his door, gripping the doorknob for support as his vision clouded with colours and he grew lightheaded. He definitely stood up too fast, and he had no idea if he was even supposed to be up and walking right now.

His uncertainty didn’t stop him, though. After Wilbur stabilised himself enough to continue, he opened the door and walked down the familiar hallway. It was lined with pictures of everyone. Young Techno holding a medal after winning his first fencing competition; Wilbur smiling wide with a guitar double his size sitting in his lap; Phil and Kristin next to both of their children, smiles on both of their faces while the adoption papers were in their hands.

Wilbur continued forwards, hearing the voices of his family and friends in the kitchen. As quietly as he could, Wilbur walked down the stairs, hoping to not startle anyone. Since he had been living in this house for years, and had snuck out too many times to count, he knew what steps to avoid and where to not put his foot in order to never make a noise. 

Slowly, Wilbur approached the kitchen. As he rounded the corner, Phil and Techno came into view. They were both leaning against the counter, Techno’s hair neatly done in a braid that went behind his back, and Phil’s wings tucked behind his back, both of them having a cup of coffee in hand.

“Wilbur!” Tubbo yelled, far too loud for Wilbur. “Glad you see that you’re alive, man.”

At Tubbo’s greeting, everyone turned to look at him. Phil’s wings visibly relaxed at the sight of him, and Kristin came to hug him. Techno just stood in the same spot, a slightly pissed look to his face. Ranboo, being himself, awkwardly waved, offering a small smile.

“How are you feeling, honey?” Kristin spoke up, releasing him from the hug and leading him to a plate of food set at the bar. 

“I’m good. A little sore, and still tired, but good,” Wilbur responded, ignoring the look Techno was sending him. Wilbur sat down, finally getting a good look at Kristin. She looked as bad as he did. There were bags under her eyes, and she had this exhausted look written across her.

“I’m glad. The injury wasn’t terrible, but it would have been if the boy didn’t find you.”

At the mention of the boy, Wilbur’s attention perked up. He knew someone helped him, but he knew nothing of the stranger. He was confused as to why he was helped, especially because he was out as Siren. 

“If you were wondering, none of us actually know who he was. He never gave out his name. But you were lucky he was there. If he wasn’t, you could be dead,” Phil spoke up, walking around the counter and pulling Wilbur into a hug, Phil wrapping his wings around him. “As much as I love you, you aren’t allowed to leave this house without someone else for the next few days. Also, why were you in the twelfth district? You’ve never been there before. Going somewhere new and alone is never a good idea, Wil.”

“I know, I know. It was stupid to go out without anyone knowing. I was bored and everybody was busy. I thought that I would just walk around first and cause some petty trouble,” Wilbur explained. “And the reason I was in twelfth was because Ketaphos chased me there. I most definitely was not expecting him to fucking stab me with his sword after the chase, though.”

Because his face was still buried in Phil’s hug, he didn’t see the shock that washed across the room.

“Wait, what?” Techno questioned, finally speaking up. Phil released Wilbur in surprise as well. “Ketaphos was the one that hurt you?”

“Yeah, he did. I was getting ready to head back when I ran into him. I wasn’t doing anything, but he stopped me anyway. He was alone, so he used that to his advantage. I think I pissed him off even more when I managed to escape him the first time. After he found me again, he cornered me in some alley and injured me. After that, everything goes kind of fuzzy.”

Studying everyone around him, Wilbur could see Techno and Tubbo looking pissed, Phil like he was about to start World War III, Ranboo like his worst fears just came true, and Kristin like she was worried out of her mind. 

“Wilbur, forget about that for now,” Phil interrupted the silence, “You need to rest. Kristin healed you last night, but you were exhausted and most of your energy was already gone. The Syndicate will deal with the hero situation properly.” Phil paused for a breath before pointing a finger towards Wilbur’s brother. “Techno, you are on babysitting duty. Do not let Wil out of your sight.”

“No. Absolutely not, dad. Make Ranboo or Tubbo do it,” Techno immediately protested, not wanting to be stuck by Wilbur’s side for a whole day.

“We need both Ranboo and Tubbo to be at the meeting more. They are both vital parts to our next appearance. Besides, I’m sure it will be easy enough for us to catch you and Wil up, mate.”

Knowing that Phil was right, Techno accepted defeat, letting out a long sigh as he headed up the stairs and to his room. Wilbur continued to poke his food, only eating a few bites every now and again. He still felt slightly nauseous, and Wilbur did not want to be sick on top of recovering. 

He tuned out the rest of what Phil was saying as it was directed towards Ranboo and Tubbo, not him. After a few minutes, his dad bid his farewells to Wilbur before heading out the door, Ranboo and Tubbo following closely behind. Kristin went up to her room, getting ready to go to work, leaving Wilbur sitting at the bar by himself. 

As much as Wilbur enjoyed the silence, he felt disgusting. He desperately needed to take a shower and brush his teeth. So, he trudged his way up the stairs, grabbed clean clothes, and booked it straight to the bathroom. Wilbur stripped his current attire, turned the hot water on, and hopped in the shower, letting the water wash off the past 24 hours. 

--

It had only been an hour since everyone left and Wilbur was bored. Techno had been in his room all morning, Kristin was at work, and nobody else was home. Normally, if his family was gone, he would go visit Niki at her bakery, but she’s still at the Syndicate meeting, so that idea went out the window.

There was a knock at his door, breaking Wilbur out of his thoughts. Without waiting for an answer, Techno burst in. His hair was still braided, but he changed out of his pyjamas and into sweats and a t-shirt. 

“I’m hungry and we haven't gone shopping yet, so there’s no food here. I know that you’re probably bored out of your mind, too. Bad’s café is open. I’m going if you want to come.”

“Yes, please. Being stuck inside the house is shit,” Wilbur replied, standing up and following Techno out of his room. 

They both got their shoes on, grabbing the keys heading out the front entrance of their house to the car. Sadly, Wilbur had lost his driving privileges after he almost ran a family over, so he had to sit shotgun. Techno wasn’t a bad driver, he was actually very good, but his music taste was shit, so Wilbur was not excited for the drive ahead of him. Wilbur always told Techno that, but he never gave a fuck, so Wilbur was stuck listening to classical music. 

After a few minutes of silence, Wilbur grew annoyed with the choice of background noise. “Tech, this is killing me. Please let me enlighten your world and turn on some of my amazing music,” Wilbur pleaded. “You cannot be happy listening to this monstrosity.”

“Not all of us are emos, Wil. And it isn’t a monstrosity, you just don’t appreciate the art of classical music,” His brother responded. 

 “I am not an emo!” Wilbur argued back, his tone whiny. One time, years ago when he first started out as Siren, he put red eyeliner under his eyes and smudged it downwards, making himself look a little like a vampire. He was nervous to have his identity revealed, and for some god forsaken reason, he thought that the eyeliner would help. After everyone made fun of him for it, he never wore it again. 

"Whatever helps you sleep at night,” Techno said, rolling his eyes at his brother’s complaining. 

As they arrived at their destination, Techno pulled the car into a parking spot, opening the car door and walking inside the café. He was hungry, and Wilbur’s dramatics were not helping. 

“At least my style is better than sweats and a t-shirt everyday, asshole,” Wilbur continued, clearly not satisfied with the way Techno tried to end their conversation. 

Upon looking at his surroundings, Wilbur quickly became exasperated, his eyes landing on the worker a few feet in front of him. “When the fuck did Bad start hiring infants? This has to be violating some sort of labour laws.”

The child, whose name tag was missing, was quick to quip back. “Fuck you, you lanky mother fucker. I am 18 and a big man, thank you very much. And at least I’m not an old man like you, bitch.”

From beside him, Techno was just standing, staring at the kid like he was seeing a ghost. Techno was weird, yes, but this was not like him. Wilbur made a mental note to ask about it later. For now, Wilbur was annoyed at being called old by a literal child.

The bickering went on, both the employee and Wilbur having a go at each other. The two of them were too stubborn to accept defeat, but the customers were starting to stare, so the child threatened to kick them out if they didn’t order. 

Quickly, because Niki’s bakery was closed and Techno did not want to drive to another place just because his idiot brother pestered a worker, Techno ordered, still looking like the employee grew 3 heads. “One blueberry muffin, one chocolate muffin, one lemon scone, 3 of the salad sandwiches, a large tea, and a large coffee with sugar, cream, and 4 shots of espresso.”

Wilbur sent Phil a text asking if he wanted anything minutes ago, so he told Techno to order for them all. Obviously, Wilbur had to get his coffee, considering he was still exhausted and there was no way he was falling asleep anytime soon.

Wilbur saw the judgemental look both Techno and the stranger sent him, but he ignored it. Later, once the coffee was in his system, he would bug Techno about it.

The kid asked for a name, which Wilbur gave him his, and walked to the back. Techno and Wilbur headed over to the pick up counter, wanting to get out of the way of others. Considering the café was fairly empty, their order came out rather quickly.

Quite loudly, the chile shouted, “Order for Wilbitch!”

Wilbur scowled as Techno quietly laughed, walking to grab the order. “That is not my name,” Wilbur complained, feeling quite targeted by a child and his own dear brother. “And I am not a lanky mother fucker either, gremlin.”

Clearly not interested in starting another fight, the kid walked back to the register to help the customer that just walked in. Techno grabbed the bag and drink and started for the door, dragging Wilbur behind him.

“‘That child is so annoying, Techno, I can’t believe you’d take his side over mine,” Wilbur jabbed as they were leaving.

“If you didn’t start your normal dramatics, I wouldn’t have to side with a teenager, Wil.”

Unhappy with being called dramatic, Wilbur clambered in the car and stared out the window, sipping on his drink quietly. Wilbur was exhausted, and he wasn’t sure if coffee could make it any better. 

“You need to sleep, Wil. You look like you’ll collapse any second now. Caffeine won’t fix it, I know you know that.”

“No shit, Tech. I was just stabbed, of course I’m tired,” Wilbur scowled, not in the mood to argue with his twin. “And why the fuck were you acting all weird back there? You looked at the child like he killed your family or some shit.”

“That’s my point exactly. You were just stabbed. And the reason I was lookin’ at him like that was because he was the one who helped you last night. He brought you back to his apartment. The injury was too bad for you to survive without extra help, and Kristin felt the remains of someone else’s powers, so we suspected that he had some sort of healin.’”

Wilbur’s face flashed from anger to surprise in an instant. “Wait, seriously? I didn’t know that the government let healers roam free anymore. Also, you never told me that a kid saved me. How did he even know how to do that?”

“I don’t know, but he snapped when we brought his age up. And they don’t, Wil. They’re too important. We presume that he hasn’t reported his powers yet, if he even has healin.’”

“What do you mean by that? If the injury was as bad as you say, then he has to have healing, right?”

“Not necessarily, I guess. Kristin that she’d never felt anythin’ like it. It wasn’t healin’, but it wasn’t not healing. I don’t know, it was confusin’ and you were quite literally dyin’ in front of us. We weren’t exactly thinkin’ about what power he had, Wil.”

Wilbur winced at the mention of almost dying. One time, years ago, he thought that Techno was going to die, and that had been the worst day in his entire life. As much as he complained about him, Techno was his brother, and they had been to hell and back both before and after finding each other. Wilbur had no idea what he would do if he lost Techno.

After that, they sat in silence, Wilbur taking in everything he just learned. As annoying as the child he just met was, Wilbur was curious about him. He wanted to know why the boy looked like he was carrying the world on his shoulders, why he saved Siren, why he knew how to give someone stitches. So many questions were running through his head, bringing on a migraine. 

“We’re home, Wil. Dad just texted that he’s already inside. Krisitn will be back soon,” Techno informed Wilbur, breaking the tranquillity, stepping out of the car and inside the house. 

Wilbur was hungry, and having caffeine on an empty stomach never goes well, so he headed inside, too. He kicked his shoes off, following the voices of Phil and Techno to the kitchen. 

“No, they’re busy as well, but we have to do it tonight. I don’t know the next time we will have an opening, Tech,” Phil rattled on, nervousness present in his tone.

“What’s going on, dad?” Wilbur asked, stepping into the kitchen, curious as to what could make Phil of all people anxious.

“We have to move the heist up to tonight. During the meeting, Nemesis came back with the information of the guard patrol schedule for the storage unit. She also happened to overhear that the heroes are getting more and more on edge with the recent vigilante activity, and they are having a meeting at the tower in a few hours. Both the low and high ranks have been asked to come, so there shouldn’t be much of a hero presence,” Phil responded, still stressing out. 

“Then move it up to tonight. What is the big deal with that?”

“The big deal,” Techno grunted out, “is that we don’t have enough members free tonight. Obviously, Hannah is out because she has to attend the meeting. Quackity has his own meeting with one of his clients, and Karl is joining it. That leaves Phil, Niki, Jack, Tubbo, Ranboo, Fundy, me, and Sam. Sam is staying at the base to deal with the technology from behind the scenes because he still hasn't completely recovered from his last encounter with Hypnos. That leaves me to be the distraction by myself, and Phil thinks that that is too dangerous.”

Wilbur stood in thought for a moment, trying to come up with a solution. Breaking into a government building is risky, and they will need all of the power they can get, so Phil can’t send someone else to help Techno. Normally Kristin is their back up in these scenarios, but Wilbur guesses that she’s too tired to, and they might need a healer if this goes wrong. With everything laid out, Wilbur could think of one option no one mentioned.

“Let me go.”

Both his dad and brother immediately protested, saying that he’s still too weak and needs rest. Wilbur cut them off, shushing them to let him explain. “You said it yourself that most of the heroes will not be out tonight. I might still be recovering, but I can handle a few low-level ones. Plus, if anything goes wrong, Techno will be by my side. And before you say no, think about it. My plan makes sense.”

Wilbur could see both Techno and Phil considering the possibility. He knew that they would agree. Not because they wanted to, but because they needed to. If this was the only open night for prime knows how long, the Syndicate needed to take the opportunity. Finally, Phil vocalised his decision.

“Fine. But Wil, if you do anything stupid, or if you purposely lose Techno, you will be grounded for the rest of your life, mate. If worse comes to worst, everyone knows how to fight well. You can come to us and we will stay as a group. We do not need any casualties tonight.” 

“Okay, dad, I will stick with Techno. And I’ll stay on my best behaviour, I promise.”

Wilbur knew that both his dad and his brother were more worried than they let on. To all of them, family meant everything, and it was risky for Wilbur to be out after such a big injury. 

“Okay, enough of this talk. Let’s eat. After that, we will go and meet up with the others at the base and talk about what is going to happen,” Phil said, reaching for his sandwich.

--

“Wil, hurry up!” Techno yelled from the bottom of the stairs. “We need to go. We’ll leave you here if you aren’t here in the next 30 seconds, I swear.”

“Calm down, asshole. I’m ready,” Wilbur snapped out, running down the stairs. 

Together, the twins left the house, Techno locking the door before hopping in the driver’s seat. Noticing that their dad wasn’t there, Wilbur got out his phone to text him.

“Dad wanted to fly there. He was restless and needed to let some of it out before tonight,” Techno notified Wilbur, getting Wilbur to pocket his phone. While driving, Techno continued on.  “Tubbo and Ranboo should be there soon. They were at their apartment adding some last second technology to their suits with Sam. Everyone else is already there.”

Not wanting to talk, Wilbur just mindlessly nodded, thinking about how tonight will go. With Phil being nervous, Wilbur, too, grew apprehensive. Anything could happen, and he didn’t know how much he could do with his already hurt state. 

“We’ll be fine, Wil. Phil is just anxious because he’s our dad. He has the hardest job with the most people to coordinate.” Techno tried comforting Wilbur, but emotions were his dad’s forté, not his. 

A few minutes later, they arrived at an old factory that had been abandoned years before. Since nobody ever went by here, Phil decided that it would be a perfect place to have a secret base, so now, a lot of important meetings were held here.

Techno walked into the building, heading over the far wall, uncovering the disguised keypad to the elevator. Wilbur stood behind him, only moving when the doors to the lift opened. The box descended, taking them down to the bottom floor.

“Hi, Wil. Hi, Tech,” Niki greeted, walking over to Wilbur and giving him a hug as they entered the meeting room. “How are you holding up since last night? Are you sure that you can help tonight?”

Wilbur chuckled at his friend’s worry before answering. “I am a little tired, but I’m doing all right, Niki. And I can help tonight. The big heroes are out of commission, so all will be fine.”

“Okay, okay. I believe you. Just don’t push yourself to do something you’re not ready for,” Niki feigned innocence, putting her hands up in mock surrender. 

All three of them walked over to the table, sitting down in their respective seats. Ranboo and Techno were wrapped up in a conversation, and Niki was talking to Tubbo. 

Not before long, Phil entered the meeting room, all of the others already there. Quickly, the conversation stopped, everyone turning to pay attention to Phil.

“All right, everyone. This meeting is going to be fast. It is just going over all of the details to make sure no one is lost,” Phil explained, his wings tucked up behind him. “Lethe and Apophis, you will be knocking out as many guards as you can get to, starting with the ones blocking our entrance. After that, Lethe can wait in hiding just in case someone needs help. Apophis will go and find Floris when his partner leaves. 

Nemesis and Taranis, you guys will be breaking the force fields surrounding the room the book is kept in. It is important you do it fast, because the whole plan is dependent on whether or not you two succeed. No pressure, of course.

Floris, you are going to stick with Nemesis and Taranis for the first few minutes. After the shields are down, we don’t have much time until the heroes show up, so you have to take the book quickly. Apophis will meet you there and gas the room to make sure no traces of us are left behind. When exiting, you guys will not leave each other. 

I will be attacking the other government building a few blocks down from our actual location. I am going to distract both the minor heroes and the public. All of the attention will be on me, and that will, hopefully, give you all more time. 

Siren and Ares, you guys have the same job as me, just not in the same place. If people fall for it, we are hoping that it will just seem like one of us three are up to something, using each other as a distraction and forgetting about the others. Throughout all of this, Koios will be making sure all of the security cameras are down and there are no traps set.” Phil paused for a second, taking in a big breath before finishing with asking, “Any questions?”

No one spoke up, so Phil took that as a sign that everybody knew where they were supposed to go. “Okay, then. Everyone, it’s time to go. Good luck, and whatever you, always stick with someone.”

--

About half an hour later, all of the members of the Syndicate were in place. Techno and Wilbur were currently sitting in their car, waiting for the signal to go. As it was deemed the best option, Wilbur and Techno will start the plan, and everyone else will wait for the cue they give.

“Okay, dad just texted saying that we should head out now,” Techno informed Wilbur, getting his sword out and pulling on his mask. Wilbur, too, put his mask on and got out his weapon, opening the car door. 

Because they are supposed to be a distraction, Wilbur decided it would be best to pull off a fake burglary. On the way to his current location, Wilbur found the layout and an old guard schedule. Since the Syndicate is so well known for having everything planned out, Wilbur knew that they couldn’t just go in their blind, but he also didn’t see a point in doing extensive research since it is just a ploy. 

Silently, Wilbur and Techno snuck into the bank. They talked to Sam less than an hour ago and got all of the entry alarms disabled. To make sure the twins actually get the attention planned, Wilbur asked Sam to leave the silent trigger on for the vault. 

“Okay, as of right now, no one should be coming. Someone will notice that the traps are down sooner than later though, so we need to decide what we are going to do,” Techno whispered to Wilbur, further advancing into the main lobby of the bank.

“Sam said that he would alert us when anyone is on their way here. Presumably, it will just be a check in, so a loner hero will come here. Before they arrive, we will break into the vault. More backup will arrive, and we’ll get ready to fight. Finding an exit shouldn’t be hard, considering there are so many.”

Nodding along, Techno gave a slight grunt, letting Wilbur know of his agreement. 

Abruptly, static rang in both Wilbur’s and Techno’s earpieces, startling both of them out of the calm that covered the room. Clearly, Sam was trying to warn them of something, going off of the panic detected in the little part Wilbur could hear of his voice.

Wilbur thought that he heard Sam telling them to run, and that they couldn’t fight it, whatever it was, so he sent a confused look towards his brother. Techno looked just as lost, neither one understanding the warning in time.

Almost in an instant, Ketaphos, Pyro, and Hypnos came running in, three different doors swinging open all in different directions. Pyro had flames crawling up his arms, ready for use. Ketaphos had his axe grasped in his hands, while Hypnos was in the middle of his two friends, protected by them due to his lack of weapon. 

 Wilbur and Techno spun around to face the heroes, shock hidden under their masks. Ketaphos visibly froze when his eyes landed on Siren's form, alive and walking. 

"Surprised to see me, Ketaphos?” Siren taunted, hoping that it would disguise his fear. Instead of a verbal response like Wilbur was hoping for, Ketaphos lunged for Wilbur, the feeling of déjà vu engulfing Wilbur’s mind. 

Techno was quick to jump in, swinging for Ketaphos before he could land a hit on his brother. Both Hypnos and Pyro went for Ares, trying to protect their friend. 

Ketaphos raised his axe just in time, successfully blocking Techno’s hit. Wilbur heard Ketaphos call to his partners to fight Siren and leave Ares to him. As much as Wilbur was confident that Techno could handle Ketaphos, he was less sure of his own abilities to take on Hypnos and Pyro at the same time. He was quickly growing tired, and his stomach was starting to ache.

“Siren, the door!” Wilbur heard Techno call, seeing his brother point to a back exit. Knowing what Techno meant, Wilbur started for the door, running away from the heroes. He could see his brother coming up behind him, pushing Ketaphos down one last time, attempting to get him off of his tail. 

“Tech, I don’t know this district. There’s no way we can escape the heroes,” Wilbur rushed out, following his brother as he turned down a random street.

“I know that,” Techno yelled loud enough for Wilbur to hear from behind, suddenly stopping near a bunch of small businesses. “All we had to do was get out of the building. We were cornered there, and that was not in our favour. We just have to wait for Phil to come.”

As Techno finished talking, the three heroes caught up to them, their body language radiating anger. 

“What are you planning on doing?” Pyro asked, flames still covering the length of his arms.

Instead of engaging in conversation, like Wilbur would have done, Techno hit him in the arm, indicating for Wilbur to not say anything. 

“Since you obviously won’t come in on your own accord, we’ll have to do it the hard way,” Ketaphos interrupted the staring contest Pyro and Techno had going, adjusting his grip on his axe.

Instantaneously, Ketaphos went for Ares while Pyro and Hypnos swung at Wilbur. Both of the brothers blocked the attacks, Techno landing a hit on the number one hero while Wilbur chose not to engage in combat. 

From above, a helicopter could be heard, a spotlight coming down on the altercation between the heroes and villains. Wilbur assumed that there were cameras, a stupid news reporter finding yet another way to wrongly inform the public of the Syndicate’s intentions. 

Wilbur was quickly growing tired, accidentally letting his mental shield drop, effectively letting Hypnos in his mind. Wilbur collapsed to his knees, grabbing his head in his hands and barely holding back a scream as Hypnos tried to worm his way into Wilbur’s conscience. 

Seeing his brother go down, Techno abandoned his duel with Ketaphos, slamming his body into Hypnos. In the split second he had, Wilbur forced his mind to block out Hypnos and stop Ketaphos from playing his normal tricks on himself and Techno. 

As Wilbur was pushing himself back up, Hypnos snuck up on Techno who was preoccupied with Ketaphos, knocking him off balance. Hypnos hit Ares in the side, drawing the villain's attention away from his teammate. Ketaphos took advantage of the slip up, swinging his axe down, slashing Ares across the stomach. 

At that moment, everything seemed to freeze for Wilbur. He rushed to Techno’s side, watching as Techno’s sword went towards Ketaphos, landing a just as deadly hit on the hero 

Using his last bit of energy, Wilbur slung his arm around his brother, running away from the heroes. He could hear footsteps following behind him, disappearing a few seconds later. Curious, he looked backwards, seeing Ketaphos fall down, blood spilling over the concrete. 

Because he wasn't sure how long he had before other heroes showed up, Wilbur fled, turning into some random street.

Now that he had a second to think, Wilbur started panicking. Techno didn’t have much life left in him, but the Syndicate was busy and he had no idea where he was. 

“Left,” Techno ordered, his voice quiet and pain leaking through. 

“What?” Wilbur questioned, confused where his twin was leading him. Wilbur knew that Techno had a weirdly good sense of direction, but he wasn’t sure if it could be trusted right now.

“Left. The kid’s apartment. He can help.”

“Techno, you’re bleeding out in the middle of a district neither of us know with no one but me, and you’re telling me to go to some kids house to see if he is willing to help another villain?” Wilbur asked, annoyance flooding his emotions. 

“Yes. Turn left, Wil.” 

Without any other option, Wilbur complied, walking as fast as he could. Because Wilbur was unconscious last time he went to the strangers apartment, he didn’t know the way there, meaning that Techno had to stay awake long enough to lead him to help.

Minutes passed as Wilbur adhered to every one of Techno’s commands. Both Wilbur and Techno were growing tired, neither of them having much energy left to continue on. 

“Tech, I can’t do this much longer. I know you can’t either,” Wilbur forced out, trying his best to stay upright.  

“It’s okay, we’re here. It’s apartment 17,” Techno muttered, leaning his weight further onto Wilbur as he lost more blood. 

Slowly, Wilbur went up the stairs, barely managing to drag himself and his brother to the top. Wilbur scanned the doors, looking for whatever room had the number 17.

As the door came into sight, Wilbur grabbed his gun from his side holster with one of his hands, switching Techno to just one of his arms. Even though the child saved Siren last night, there were no promises he was willing to save Ares. 

Cautiously, Wilbur stepped up to the door and knocked. From the other side, he heard some footsteps get up and freeze, clearly waiting to see if the unexpected visitor would leave. 

Techno was losing more and more blood as the seconds passed, and Wilbur didn’t have the patience for this, so he knocked once again. This time, though, the steps neared the door, a nervous looking teenager wearing some sort of suit appeared in front of Wilbur as the block of wood opened. 

Instantaneously, Wilbur recognized the costume as Theseus’. Wilbur had only met the vigilante a few times, and every time he surprised Wilbur. Most vigilante’s were terrified of heroes and villains alike, especially on their first day out, but Theseus wasn’t. 

Scanning the teenager’s face, Wilbur also realised that it was the kid from Bad’s café. Although the kid was young, he still looked like he had survived a war. All of the questions Wilbur had earlier arose yet again, but he had to push them away and focus on what mattered in the moment.

“Scream and I’ll shoot you, child,” Wilbur threatened, adding as much malice to his tone as he could, though it didn’t translate though the voice modulator. “Let us in. You helped me, and I am really hoping that you can help him. I can’t get Ares to our healer in time and he won’t make it much longer.”  

Wilbur could see the kid process his words, moving from his previously frozen position to set something metal down on the table next to him and help Siren carry Ares to the couch. Together, they went into the living room and set Ares down on the couch. After the villain was lying, Theseus disappeared behind the doors of what Wilbur guessed was the bathroom.

Confirming his suspicions, the child came back and kneeled next to Wilbur, medkit in hand. “We have to move his shirt up, I can’t see how bad the injury is with it on.” 

Without waiting for an answer, Theseus moved his hands towards Ares, grabbing the bottom of his shirt and pushing it towards his neck. Instead of responding, Wilbur went to help, hoping that the kid would understand it as a sign of affirmation. 

As the kid prepared himself, Wilbur could feel himself zoning out, paling slightly. Next to him, Wilbur sensed someone staring at him. He knew it was the vigilante, he just didn’t have the energy in himself to care. His brother was dying in front of him and he just escaped Ketaphos, Hypnos, and Pyro.

Seeing the gash worsened Wilbur’s feeling of nausea. Even if the kid saved him last night, his injury was nowhere as bad as Techno’s is right now. He could feel himself panicking slightly, but apparently Theseus knew what he was doing since he didn’t hesitate to put his hands onto Ares’ wound. 

From the corner of his eye, Wilbur saw a red glow wash over his brother’s torso, the bleeding slowing and the abrasion closing. After a few seconds passed, the red glow disappeared and Theseus collapsed beside Wilbur, slotting his head between his knees. 

“You villains need to stop needing me for this shit. Healing you even this much hurts like a bitch,” Theseus complained, sinking further into his own body. 

Glancing over, Wilbur sent a look of worry towards the teenager. Although it was a last resort, and he had no other choice, Wilbur felt bad for having to put Theseus through the pain for what seemed like the second time. 

“Do your healing powers always have this much of a drawback?” Wilbur asked. “I have almost never seen any powers with this bad after effects.”

“Yes and no. Only if I heal people does it hurt this much, considering that my powers aren’t meant to heal,” Theseus answered, turning his head towards the medkit, grabbing the needle and string. 

Both confusion and surprise fled Wilbur’s mind, not understanding what Theseus meant by that. From the looks of it, he was in no mood to answer Siren’s question, so he bit back his tongue and focused on his brother. 

“Can you go get the bottle of alcohol from the kitchen cupboard and the rag from off of the counter?” Theseus asked, pointing Wilbur in the right direction. Wilbur complied with the request, walking off and starting to look around. After opening all of the cupboards, he finally found the bottle and rag, bringing it back to Theseus. 

Taking the items, Theseus cleaned out Ares’ wound as best as he could with the given circumstances. It wasn’t much, but Wilbur couldn’t complain since it was his only option to keep Techno alive. 

After Theseus picked the needle and thread up, Wilbur zoned out yet again. He had so much on his mind it hurt. Wilbur had this ache to know what happened to the teenager next to him to lead him to a life of vigilantism. For prime’s sake, the Syndicate has been fighting a kid.

Breaking the silence, Wilbur questioned Theseus. “Earlier, you said that you don’t have healing powers. What do you have, then? Clearly you can heal, and I can’t think of any similar powers that could even come close to healing. Also, you’re a kid. You barely look over 15, how the hell do you know how to do this stuff?” 

Catching him off guard, Theseus seemed to panic, his eyes going wide and hands freezing before responding to Wilbur. 

“It’s not necessarily healing, it just seems like it. But that is all I’m telling you. We aren’t acquaintances, you have no reason to know anything more than the bare minimum,” Theseus snapped, irritation flooding his voice. “And I’m not a fucking kid. I haven’t been one for a long time.”

Taken by surprise at his answer, Wilbur put his hands up, showing Theseus that he meant no harm by his curiosity. 

“Alright, alright. No questions about powers. Got it,” Wilbur noted, “but you’re still a kid. Just because you lost your childhood doesn't mean you’re not one.”

Now that seemed to hit an unexpected nerve Wilbur did not mean to go near. He only wanted to communicate to Theseus that he’s still a kid, no matter how much he denies it, but it seemed as though Wilbur sent Theseus into a spiral of his entire life. 

A blanket of awkward tension filled the silence as Theseus finished stitching Ares. Wilbur grew too tired to hold his head up, so he leaned forward, setting his head on the couch, avoiding hitting Techno. 

The kid murmured something out to Wilbur, getting up and walking to the kitchen. Startling both Theseus and Wilbur alike, Thanatos kicked the front door down, knocking Theseus to the ground and holding his sword to his throat. 

“Where are they? What did you do with them?” Wilbur heard Thanatos demand, voice deadly cold. 

Interrupting Theseus from denying the accusation, Wilbur spoke up from his position in the apartment. “Thanatos, we’re both fine. Back away from him and put your sword away,” he got up and rushed over to his teammate mid sentence, “I didn’t know where else to go. Lethe was busy and no one else could help. It was too risky to ask for back up, anyways. Ketaphos, Hypnos, and Pyro were there, and more heroes were coming.”

Wilbur saw his dad’s head snap towards the couch, his eyes landing on Techno’s unconscious form. Phil drew back his sword, putting it back in its sheath. 

“You saved him,” Phil said, pupils wide.

“Don’t get too excited,” Theseus responded. “He’s barely alive. He lost a lot of blood and the stitches aren’t great, but they are the best I could do in this situation. I wasn’t exactly expecting a visit today.”

“You’re just a kid, though. How the hell do you know how to give someone stitches?” Phil asked, a hurt astonishment present in his voice Wilbur only heard a small number of times. 

“That’s exactly what I asked!” Wilbur exclaimed, ignoring the glint of protection Phil had for THeseus. “I knew you didn’t look old enough to be over 18,” he said as he pointed a finger in the kid’s direction.

“Believe it or not, experience does one hell of a lot to someone,” Theseus angrily responded, obviously tired of everyone calling him a kid. 

Before Phil or Wilbur could ask what exactly that meant, Techno grunted from the couch. Together, Wilbur and Phil rushed to his side, making sure he was as okay as he could be. 

“As much as I enjoyed seeing you all again, I think you need to leave and get Ares to your healer. I didn’t do a great job, and if you want him to live, which I’m assuming that you do, he needs actual help,” Theseus sputtered out from behind them. 

“He’s right, Thanatos. Eleos needs to help him, like, now,” Wilbur agreed, his response quick and a little jumbled.

“I know, I know. Take him outside,” Phil ordered. “Apophis is waiting outside in the car. Lethe is busy so he won’t be able to help. I need to talk to the kid quickly.”

Doing as told, Wilbur lifted Techno up to a sitting position, careful of his stitches. Wilbur swung Techno’s arm around his shoulders and set his hand on Techno’s side. Both careful and slow, Wilbur pulled Techno out of the apartment and down the stairs.

As he was leaving, Wilbur heard Phil talking to Theseus, and as much as he wanted to know what the conversation was about, he had to get Techno in the car. 

“Apophis, come help me,” Wilbur called out to his teammate. With the request, Wilbur saw Apophis hurry out of the waiting vehicle, rushing to grab Techno’s other arm. Jointly, they laid Techno across the back seats, Wilbur walking around the other side to where Techno’s head laid.

“How bad is he? And why didn’t you signal for help when the heroes arrived?” Apophis asked, heading back to the driver’s seat.

“He’s not great, Tubbo. He will live, but it’s going to take a lot out of both Kristin and him. And I tried, but the heroes must have jammed the connection. After the first attempt, neither of us had time to while we were running. Then Techno got hit and I did the only thing I could think of,” Wilbur told Tubbo, defeat patent in his tone. 

Seconds later, Thanatos came rushing down the stairs and into the van, tucking his wings in so they could fit. Apophis wasted no time and took off, heading to their house. 

Tomorrow, when he has more energy, Wilbur will ask Phil what he talked to Theseus about. Tomorrow, he will ask about the heist. For now, though, Wilbur needs to sleep.

--

Wilbur awoke to the pleasant smell of bacon and eggs engulfing the atmosphere of his room. Slowly, he opened his eyes, the sun shining on his face through the opened curtains. Wilbur rolled over and checked the time, the clock reading 11:17. From under the covers, Wilbur’s stomach growled, forcing him to comply with its request and go to get some food.

He got up, his Siren outfit still hanging on his frame. Feeling gross and smelling even worse, Wilbur grabbed a change of clothes and headed to the bathroom. 

Quickly, Wilbur took his villain gear off and hopped in the shower, rinsing all of the sweat and dirt that coated his skin from last night. Thinking back, he remembered falling asleep in the car, Techno’s head in his lap. Someone must have carried both of them in, he figured.

After just standing under the hot water for a few more moments, Wilbur got out and dried off, pulling on sweatpants and an old band tee. He stepped out of the bathroom and threw Siren’s dress-up on the floor, leaving it to be picked up later. 

Briskly, Wilbur walked down the stairs, heading towards the kitchen and the smell of food. 

“Hey, dad,” Wilbur greeted, seeing his dad sitting at the table, a cup of coffee in hand while reading the newspaper set in front of him. 

“Hey, mate. How are you feeling?” Phil asked, looking up and setting the mug down. 

“I’m still tired, but I feel fine. How are Techno and Kristin?”

“Techno is okay. His fever dropped and he looks a lot better. He has woken up a few times, each time only for a little. The gash will take a few days to heal, but that’s it. Kristin is still sleeping. It took a lot out of her to heal such big injuries two days in a row,” Phil said, ending his sentence with a disapproving shake of his head.

Wilbur felt bad, and both of them knew it. Wilbur did not take the fact that the heroes could be there into account, and he forgot to tell his family where he was all night. Presumably, they saw the fight on television, and they didn’t know whether or not Techno and Wilbur were alive. 

“How was the rest of the heist?” Wilbur questioned, realising that he wasn’t sure if the whole reason the mission existed worked or not. 

“We got the book. It is currently sitting in the showcase in our secret bunker. No hero will find it, I’m sure of that,” Phil explained, and Wilbur let out a sigh of relief, unknown tension leaving his body. 

With that, Wilbur stood up and got himself a plate of food, sitting back down at the dining table. He dug in quickly, scarfing down the food. He knew that he was hungry, but Wilbur didn’t perceive how much so. 

“The next Syndicate meeting is in a few days. Yesterday was a lot, and thankfully no one got hurt, but everyone is exhausted,” Phil spoke, filling the silence as Wilbur finished his food in record time. “Within that time period, I asked everyone to see if they could find anything out about the language the book is written in. None of us know what it says, and we would like to try to find out.”

Wilbur nodded, taking in all of the information. Now that he had eaten, he was growing tired. Apparently Phil saw that too, and told him to head back to bed. Obeying, Wilbur stood up and trudged back up the stairs, entering his room and collapsing onto his bed.

When he next wakes up, Wilbur will talk to Techno and Krisitn. He will check in with the rest of the Syndicate, and he will spend some much needed time with his family as everyone recovers from the night they just had. Now, though, sleep calls his name, and he finally answers to it.