Logan awoke two minutes before his alarm. Every time he was able to wake before his alarm, it filled him with a sense of pride. Routine was an important ingredient to any habit, and Logan's habit of going to bed and waking up at the same time every day, despite what might be going on in his life, left him with the early morning hours all to himself. Even on days, he had class, he would have time for his morning routine.

Stretching, he turned his neck from side to side, trying to shake the sleep out of his body before standing and walking to his wardrobe. As always he put on a black polo and pulled out one of his many ties. Looking professional put him in a professional mindset. It would help him finish the rest of his final projects, and if his parents had a long day, he might be able to work on Project Creativity. As he adjusted his tie, his bedroom door slammed open. That was a break in his routine. It flustered Logan a bit as no one had broken his routine in many years.

"You sneaky conniving piece of shit." His father burst through the door and Logan immediately knew that his routine was shot. It didn't matter. All that mattered was survival. Don't admit to anything. Force them to bring up evidence.

"I don't know what you mean Zero Sum." His father stalked closer to him and Logan could feel his powers drain out of him, like a jug of water with a hole in the bottom he was left empty. He had to plan ahead. What was the likely outcome of this situation? There was no avoiding this part, the beating would come, but what about after?

"You sure as hell know exactly what I mean." His father's hand wrapped around his neck and Logan was lifted off of his feet. Logan was lythe and thin, like his mother, but his father was built like a beast. He had the broad shoulders of a man of power and the hand strength that could crush a walnut. That hand was currently being used to crush his windpipe.

Logan was tossed into the wall like a ragdoll, his already bruised back connecting first as Logan bowed his head. A concussion would do him no good, but then again, neither did the pain that shot through his lungs and up his spine. "You have been siphoning money from our family accounts. And I could live with that, but giving it to the heroes. What kind of bleeding heart sissy did I raise?"

Logan fought the urge to remind his father that he hadn't been involved in raising Logan since he was 10, but that would not make the situation better. "What gave you the idea that I have been using my money on heroes." He didn't deny any of it, he wasn't a good liar, but he wanted to know how his father had found out.

"We put cameras on your suit, you didn't think your mother or I trusted you, did you?" He was walking closer to Logan again, a menacing growl on his lips. "We should have gotten rid of you 17 years ago."

No, that didn't make sense. Logan was very careful about his suit, checking it as he put it on, never letting anyone touch it for fear they might tamper with some of the construction and weave of the material. No, there had to be a different explanation. As the first kick landed on Logan's chest and he heard a slight crack, a theory came to mind. He could hide from the pain if he just hid inside his head. Facts and theories were his happy place.

There was a theory he had been playing with for six weeks. That made more sense than the camera idea. He should have known the twins leaving was part of something bigger.

"Now, you are going to tell me everything you know about those heroes, and I might tell your mother that I have already dealt with you." He grabbed Logan by the hair, it was just barely long enough to be held onto, and pulled him up, looking Logan in the eyes. Those black eyes reminded Logan of a demon from a kids' movie.

"I don't know what you mean." He wasn't coughing up blood, at least there was no internal bleeding that he knew of. "I have already given you all the information I know on the heroes." A lie. Logan had no intention of giving away their secrets, those secrets were for his use only.

That statement made Logan's father smile, and it worried the nerd how someone could enjoy the acts of villainy so wholeheartedly. "Very well, you want to do this the hard way, we can do it the hard way." He dropped Logan to his feet, keeping his eyes on him. "Walk."

He had no choice, there was nothing he could do at this juncture, but he had a plan. He had figured out where he was being led, and he knew he would only have one shot at this. He couldn't escape as long as his father was looking at him, without his powers, fighting against this mountain was an insurmountable task, but there would be a brief moment.

"I genuinely do not know what you are talking about, there is no need to get mother involved." Trying to play up his innocence, though really it had another purpose. Stroke his ego, make him think he won. His father smirked, unlocking a door that was hidden behind a painting of a chess game. The place where his parents put their useless pawns.

"She'll deal with you when she gets home," And Logan was kicked down the flight of stairs that led into the small underground room. He did his best to protect his head, knowing he would have a plethora of bruises added to his collection, but as he looked up from the bottom of the stairs he saw his father turn, eyes no longer on Logan. Logan could feel his powers snap back into his body, and though it was exhausting, this was his chance.

He put up a mental block, his father would forget about his plans to tell Mother Necessity about Logan's insubordination. It wouldn't last long, but it would at least buy Logan a few hours. The door closed with a sickening click and Logan allowed his defenses to crumble, breath heavy as he lay at the bottom of the stairs in pain.

He hurt everywhere. Tears pricked the corner of his eyes. He would indulge in this self-pity for thirty seconds, no more. He didn't have the time.

When his thirty seconds of pity were over, Logan began taking stock of his body, multiple bruised ribs, he had aggravated the bruise on his back, but his head seemed to be alright. His left leg was broken, though it was probably just a fracture as it didn't sit in an odd way. Logan felt his face, no glasses, that was probably the sharp pain in his back. He was most likely laying on the broken spectacles if he could make it back up to his room he could grab a spare pair.

All in all, he would live.

Trying to push himself up, he stumbled a bit, focusing his powers to hold his injured leg together. His first move was to escape this room, but there was something sitting off in the corner, a small mass covered in a canvas tarp.

Normally, Logan would not take the time to investigate the mass, but he had to be certain that it wasn't something that would attack him later, also that there was no hidden camera that would reveal what he was doing. So he walked over, quickly realizing it was a person, covered with the tarp and Logan wasn't sure if he was thankful to hear the soft but shallow breathing. Hesitantly he lifted the tarp to see who it was, and his jaw almost dropped in horror. This was someone Logan knew, and all the pieces fell into place.

How was he going to get them both out? With an injured leg, he wasn't going to be able to carry them, especially since the only escape route would be through his bedroom window. Logan bit his lip, not having the energy to pace but needing to get this energy out of him. There were no possibilities where one pawn could rescue another. He didn't have enough pieces on the board.

He needed more pieces. Logan frowned, closing his eyes before taking his shirt off, gently resting it on the sleeping figure. "Stay strong a little longer. I promise I will be back." They would need the extra warmth down here.

Limping up the steps, he went over the plan in his mind. He just had to unlock the door, make it to his room, grab his emergency go bag and erase his hard drive. Closing his eyes as he held it over the doorknob he sighed. That was only 4 things. He could do this. He had to do this.

"I'm sorry." He whispered to the unconscious form at the bottom of the stairs. "I'll try not to be too long," and with that, the door unlocked and Logan his journey across enemy lines.

AN: So... Another extra chapter. Do you all know why? Because I logged on this morning and was just looking at my profile when I noticed this!

#28 in Analogical and almost 200 views! You all can't keep spoiling me like this. My heart felt like it was going to burst with how happy I felt looking at this. You all are absolutely amazing and I can't thank you enough for making me feel so special to be that high in a ranking. That's the top 3%! What did I do to deserve all of you amazing people? Anyway, this is my way of saying thank you so much for your comments, your votes, and your support. You are all amazing. I kind of want to shout out people I know who comment a lot, but I'm also terrified of accidentally missing someone and hurting someone's feelings so until I can get over that, just know, I know who you are and I am so blessed to have you all.

If you have any questions about the book but don't want to post, please know you can also use my Direct Message, I try to check it often. Once again, you are all amazing. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!