The child had large blue eyes and blond curly hair. He looked far too similar to Tommy for the vigilante to ignore him. When the boy had grabbed his sleeve, he couldn't help but stare back.

"You ain't getting worried on me now, are ya, kid?" Tommy tried.

"I'm scared, mister," The boy mumbled back. He certainly wasn't the only one - when Tommy looked over his shoulder he could see the same fear in the eyes of all the other children. The poor things hadn't been free for a long time. It was almost heart wrenching enough for Tommy to want to make a little speech about how safe they'd be. He didn't, though: he'd never give Ranboo the satisfaction.

The vigilante knelt down, trying a beam under the gas-mask. "Well, don't be. I'm not gonna let anything bad happen to you. That wouldn't be very heroic of me."

"Are you a hero?" The boy asked hopefully.

Tommy hesitated then gently lowered the gas-mask to his chin. The child gaped at him and Tommy smiled at the wonder on his face. "I'm a hero to some. That's good enough."

"What's your name?"

"That's a secret."

"My name's Dylan."

"Nice to meet ya." Tommy fixed the mask back over his nose and stood up, waiting. "Are you good at running?"

Dylan smiled at him. "I'm the fastest in my class!"

"That's great," Tommy replied, doubting that the six or seven-year-old would actually be able to run quickly enough to avoid whatever threat could possibly by waiting for them as the lift slowly brought them down.

The earpiece crackled into life and he winced as Ranboo's peppy voice came over comms. "Hey, Theseus, Bee: I've been scouting about and it doesn't look like any reinforcements are coming in. Hero or otherwise."

"That's great, Enderling," Tubbo's voice came over the comms afterwards. "I'm, like, eighty-percent into downloading the evidence from the computer."

"Awesome! How much longer do you think it'll take?"

"Ehh, another five minutes or so. I'm gonna put a virus on it after so maybe about seven in total?"

"You're so good at tech, honestly. It shocks me sometimes."

"Aw, thank you! You're good at being tall!"

"I- Is that a compliment or a passive-aggressive remark?"

"It is what it is, bossman-"

Tommy cleared his throat, tuning in. "Don't mean to interrupt, you two, but I'm also in this call, idiots."

There was a pause. "Well, Theseus just ruined it," Tubbo sighed.

"How did I ruin it?" Tommy frowned. "I was just reminding you!"

"I don't know, you just killed the mood-"

"What mood?!"

Ranboo coughed loudly. "I'm tuning out!" He said, with forced brightness that prompted Tubbo to laugh.

Tommy snickered too and also tuned out of comms. Tubbo muttered something indecipherable, along the lines of killing 'Theseus' in his sleep, before tuning out too. The elevator kept going down, only a few floors away from their destination. Tommy glanced over his shoulder at the children, who were huddled at the back.

"Okay, kiddos," He said, as loud as he dared. "You're gonna stay back here, alright? Wait for me to tell you to go and, when I do, I want you all to bolt it, 'kay?"

"Where are we running to?" Dylan asked from next to him.

Tommy shrugged. "To the exit, I guess. I haven't had time to find it yet. But you kids can work it out, right?" The children all nodded, some risking smiles but most looking petrified. It was obvious that being escorted by a six-foot-three man wearing half a gas mask wasn't the most comforting thing for kids who had been kidnapped for the past month so he tried to lighten his tone by saying, "Don't stop running till you've got the sun shining on you and this place is far behind ya."

"Yes, mister!" Dylan answered for everyone else. Tommy ushered him to the back and turned to face the door. It was gonna be all or nothing for these kids, now. He reached to his hip, where a large can of what looked like spray paint waited ready. It was heavy in his hand, which was always comforting, and he held it prepared before him. The lift slowed down, coming to a jarring stop. Tommy braced himself and watched the doors beginning to open.

Someone fired a skittish bullet that landed far too close to the opening doors for comfort. If these idiots had live ammunition, this was about to be a whole new fight. Tommy didn't let the doors finish opening before rushing out, shaking his can. A gunman trained his sights on him, every shot narrowly missing him. Tommy shook the can one more time, for luck, and sprayed it in the direction of the shooter. The mist carried well towards its' target and then, after less than five seconds of being airborne, it ignited with a furious roar. Flames jumped out of nowhere, the heat billowing like wind. Tommy could feel it even as he ran from it. The miracles of fire, it seemed.

The gunfire stopped quickly, with the shooter yelling in shock. Tommy didn't stop the onslaught, instantly turning to the next fighter he could see. The spray enveloped him but the guy ran before it ignited, for his very life. The vigilante sidestepped the fire-cloud hurriedly, chasing after the guy. Knocking his can back in his belt and reaching on his back, his grappling hook came to hand instantly: he aimed, firing it for the wall the enemy was running for. In a matter of seconds, Tommy went flying across the room, knocking out the idiot on the way.

At the click of a button, Tommy's grappling hook disconnected from the wall, letting him hit the ground running at the next villain. He seemed to be the gunman from before, judging by the melted metal heap on the floor that steamed as it sat in its' own puddle. The man tried to raise his hands in surrender but the vigilante wasn't about to let the guy think he could get away with it. Tommy knocked him on the head too but, without the momentum, it was ineffective.

When the gunner swung at him, Tommy ducked under, muttering several curses as he did so, and kicked at the mans' shin. An angry howl came from above and Tommy rolled to the side to avoid a hit that would've caught his neck. Once up, there was no time to catch his breath. He fumbled for his can that hung from his hip, ducking panickily to the side when the man tried to make a grab for him. Tubbo's voice came over comms briefly but Tommy couldn't pay attention just yet.

The cans' clip had gotten jammed and it wasn't unlocking - an issue that had been occurring far too much, recently.

"Where's your little fire trick now, kid?" The gunman yelled as Tommy evaded punch after punch. "Doesn't seem to be working too well!"

"Where's your brain, prick?" Tommy quipped back, headbutting the mans' chest. "Doesn't seem to be working at all!"

Surprisingly, this thoroughly enraged the guy, who let out an angry roar, lunging blindly. Tommy hissed, sidestepping swiftly and getting behind the idiot. He got the mans' neck in the crook of his elbow and squeezed, muttering curses to himself as he did so. Choking people out was the hardest thing possible about being a vigilante - he didn't have access to shockpads and there was no way he was going to risk one of Tubbos' homemade versions

The man grabbed at his arms and swung wild punches at his head that hit all too well. Tommy grunted and pushed forwards, sending both him and the gunman toppling into the wall before them. "Just- pass out- already!" Tommy panted.

"Just- die- already!" The other answered, face purple with either hatred or lack of air. Hopefully it was the latter but Tommy wouldn't be adverse to both.

"I'm- Theseus, you- dickhead," Tommy breathed back heavily. "I don't- die!"

The man gave up on trying to tear Tommy's arm from his neck, instead attempting to drive an elbow into his ribs. "You're gonna- be in so- much trouble- when I'm- through- with you..."

"Keep wasting- your- breath!" Panted Tommy, triumphantly. "I- will win!"

"Prick!"

"Bitch!"

"Stupid!"

"Criminal!"

"Wannabe!"

Tommy heaved back and then slammed the mans' head into the wall. The struggles stopped instantly and the man slumped in his arms, no longer fighting. The vigilante shouted, "Run," and didn't wait to watch the horde of children bolt it through a room that now stank of acrid smoke. Instead, he ducked down to check the mans' pulse. His heart was still beating steadily and the trickle of blood the streamed from his forehead looked like it would run for quite a while.

He ducked back to check on the other person, whose heart was also still beating. Good. Tommy stood up, rubbing at his head. It felt like his lip had been busted but that wasn't particularly an issue. The blood on his thumb was a red stain which he rubbed onto his shirt. With his spare hand, he tuned into the comms only to be met with uncharacteristic radio-silence.

"Bee?" He asked, trying to wipe more blood from his bleeding lip. "How's that virus coming along? I got the kids out safely - the kidnappers are down too."

Tubbo didn't respond. Tommy frowned. "Bee? Enderling? C'mon, one of you. Enderling, can I get picked up please?"

A brief burst of crackle feed came in to his ear at an unacceptably loud volume, making Tommy hiss. "You don't need to shout! It's in my ear!"

"Theseus-! Y-!" Ranboo's voice was a haze of static and Tommy's eyes widened. "Theseus, I can't- you- sor- run!"

"Enderling? Ender?! What's happening?!"

Tubbo's voice finally came in over comms, just as shouty and panicked. "Heroes, Theseus! We've got heroes on us!"

"The fuck?" Tommy quickly began to struggle with the spraycan on his belt, tugging at it furiously. "No, no, no! Who? Who is here-?"

A sound like a speeding train from the earpiece made him fall quiet. Tommy's stomach suddenly felt hollow and his throat tightened. The elevator doors opened behind him. Tommy didn't even know that someone had called it again.

A brown trenchcoat; a yellow sweater; round glasses; a black beanie. Jubilee Line, Hero#6, stood before him with his arms crossed and a victorious smirk on his ghostly, blue-stained face. "Theseus," He drawled, in a voice that echoed like an empty tube platform.

"Jubilee," Tommy answered, adding a mocking bow. "Bit late to the party, train-boy, but I brought enough life to it."

"You're under arrest."

"Not particularly sure I'm up for that just yet. I need to see if any of those kids want my autograph."

Jubilee narrowed his brown eyes with muted anger. "Those kids are getting escorted safely home as we speak. You will not be seeing them or the outside world ever again."

"Juby, Juby; oh, my dearest friend, Juby..." Tommy hooked his thumbs into his belt-loop, hand still carefully clutching the spraycan. "We do this all the time. Just let it go, already, you're never gonna catch me."

"Not on my own, Theseus," Jubilee answered, as professional as always. "But when I heard you were operating here I took a few precautions."

Tommy made a face, even if it was half-hidden. "You just never joke back, d'you?"

"Blood!" Jubilee shouted loudly and Tommy paled.

The wall next to him caved in and the vigilante ducked under the flying chunks of brick, coughing and hacking in the dust. When he looked up, he watched the tall silhouette of a cape-wearing Hero#2 walking in. His tusks caught the shine of the sun behind him and the sound of his trotters hitting the stone floor echoed ominously. His eyes were glowing red in the dust and a large, black axe materialised in his waiting hand.

Tommy was so fucked.

He turned on his heel and started running through the door, turning the filter on his mask as high as possible to block out the dust and dirt from the newly demolished wall. Tommy coughed, rubbing at his watering eyes as much as he could while running. He could hear the train-like screech of Jubilee from behind him and the now-running clicks of the Blood Gods' trotters behind him.

In the nick of time, Tommy rolled out of the way of an axe swing that nearly took off his whole arm. There was the sound of screaming children from his far right and the classic 'Ehh' from an impassive Blood God next to him.

"You're a prick," Tommy hissed and then sprayed his can in the Blood Gods' face. The mist began to condense and the pair ran apart as quickly as they could, having to separate before a giant explosion of fire happened between them. Tommy could smell singed hair and, glancing over his shoulder, could see the long braid of the Blood God smouldering slightly.

Annoyingly, even having his hair burning did not take away from the utter terror Tommy felt when the hero's axe transitioned into a loaded crossbow. The bolt fired at him and exploded when it neared, making Tommy let out an involuntary scream. Since when did transmutation create explosions like that? He started running properly now, dashing for the cover of a nearby alleyway.

It was midday at the docks and Tommy could hear the seagulls above, cawing in alarm at all the ruckus. One decided to shit above him and he promised himself an annoyed groan later when the faeces landed on his shoulder. Not like his day had been going bad enough... Tommy dived behind a large bin that had been in the alleyway. It stank badly, somewhat of rotting fish and salt, and he covered his mouth in spite of the mask, staying as still as possible. He could hear the trotters of the Blood God come sprinting down the alley. The impassive hero was terrifying and the vigilante was only fourty-percent sure he wouldn't kill him on sight - not a good percentage to be at, by all means.

A large, red cape billowed past him, dirtied fur lining the hems, and Tommy stared fearfully at the back of the Blood God. His weapons had been transmuted back into the large armbrace that clamped tightly around his forearm and the vigilante tried not to notice the way the thin sunlight caught the purplish hues in its' dark, dark blackness. Netherite always was a beautiful material. Tommy gently lessened the filtering system on the gas-mask, letting more air file in. The Blood God didn't seem to see him, since he continued darting down the alley, with an impassive grunt.

Tommy hesitated, waiting until he nearly reached the end, then dived for his opportunity. He rushed from his hiding spot, scampering slightly along the ground as he tried to build up momentum, running back the way he came. The Blood God was still looking at the other end of the alley when Tommy glanced back over his shoulder, which meant he had a clear run. Well, he would if Jubilee Line hadn't jumped out at him at the other end.

Tommy yelled in shock, alerting the Blood God behind him, and he braced for impact, smacking straight into Jubilee's chest and hearing the other grunt.

"Stop running, you stupid child!" Jubilee growled, trying to grab a fistful of his hair to hold him hostage.

The vigilante ignored him, grabbing Jubilee's glasses from his face and hurling them as far as he could, having time to quip, "I don't see how that would help!"

Jubilee glared, swinging a punch, but Tommy rolled off him and staggered to his feet. His shoulder hurt like a bitch but luckily he could still run just the same. A brief glance over his shoulder let him see the Blood God helping Jubilee to his feet, the netherite brace now transmuted into a large sword. Jubilee was squinting in Tommy's direction, pointing wildly. The Blood God only nodded, turning Jubilee around in the direction of his glasses and then ran after Tommy himself.

"Not again," The vigilante groaned and quickly picked up the pace.

He reached onto his back for the grappling hook, hand closing firmly around its' handle. He whipped it out and aimed for the nearest structure he could: a large, glass-walled skyscraper of twenty floors or so. Tommy pulled the trigger with no hesitation and watched the hook fly through the air at immense speed. The Blood God was nearly upon him, raising the sword high above his head in hope to deal a devastating blow. Tommy ducked under the sword, grabbing the handle of the grappling hook with both hands. The Blood God swung again and Tommy yelled out when the blade nicked his bicep, cutting the skin, but he didn't retaliate, only slipping the hooks' support around his wrist.

It was just in the nick of time, too, as from high above the hook smashed through the glass window of the eleventh floor and connected into the ceiling. Tommy was pulled from the ground in a split second, now airborne and leaving the Blood God and Jubilee Line on the docks below.

He used this brief moment to tune in over comms once more. "Bee?!" He shouted over the winds. "Enderling?! I need extraction, asap!"

"Theseus?" Ranboo's voice came over. "Are you okay? Bee and I were compromised; the Crow Father turned up and we had to hightail it outta there. What's going on?"

"What's going on?! What's going on is that I'm zipping through the fucking air with the Blood God and Jubilee right below me!"

Tubbo tuned it, panickily exclaiming, "Blood God is here?!"

"Yeah, and it's not fun! Enderling, I need a ride back now!"

"Where are you?!" Ranboo shouted back.

"Give me a sec, will ya?" Tommy yelled in response. Before him lay a gaping hole of broken, jagged glass that had been made by result of the grappling hook. Tommy angled himself, boots first and braced for impact once more. The soles of his shoes hit the shards first and the rest of his body catapulted inside too, almost unharmed thanks to the hole he widened with his feet.

He disattached the grappling hook, yanking it from the ceiling and pulling out a panel with it. Panting heavily, Tommy brushed off the small glass shards and turned to a terrified office worker, who was trying to hide herself in her wheely-chair.

"Sorry for the window," Tommy began breathlessly. "Where am I?"

"I- You're in L'Manburg's Seaside Banking," She whimpered. "Please, don't hurt us. W-We're just data organisers-"

Tommy started walking away, sliding the grappling hook onto his back as he tuned back into comms. "I'm in the Seaside Banking data centre. I'll be on the roof for ya, alright?"

"Yeah, okay!" Ranboo answered. "All I need is three minutes, okay? Don't do anything dumb."

Tommy snorted, walking into the elevator and pressing the button for the top floor. "I never do anything dumb."

He dropped his connection and waited as the lift went up - hopefully, Jubilee and the Blood God wouldn't get to him in time. The elevator music was calming - it played soft sounds of the sea and gentle, distant caws of a lone seagull. Tommy even felt the urge to take off the gas-mask but he wasn't stupid - he could see the camera. In fact, he even gave it a wave as he waited. Thirty seconds later, there was a ping and the doors opened. Tommy walked out onto the roof, feeling the sea winds run through his curly hair. The roof was empty, pray for a few large fans on the floor and the lift box he had just left from.

The vigilante peered over the edge only to see a dizzying drop. "Ugh," He muttered to himself. "That doesn't look fu-"

Something kicked into his back and he fell forwards, with a shriek. Before gravity properly got a hold of him, a hand grabbed his and threw him high into the air.

Tommy looked down at Hero#4 - the Crow Father. He had large, large black wings that protruded from his back, and feathers growing slightly from his straight, blond hair, cascading around his shoulders. He had emerald-green eyes and wore long robes. Tommy had never been in a fight with him before. It didn't look like it was going to be easy.

The Crow Fathers' hands were like talons and he went to claw at Tommy's face as the vigilante fell but Tommy wasn't going to let that happen. He angled himself feet first again and kicked at the clawed hand when it approached. A talon snapped loudly and the Crow Father hissed while Tommy fell to the side, landing on the rooftop. He hissed as his injured shoulder collided with the ground and he rubbed it with a whine. The hero landed above him, reaching down and grabbing the sleeve of his red-and-white shirt. Tommy yelled out in fright and punched the Crow Fathers' stomach. The Crow Father buckled with a grunt of pain and Tommy wriggled free, scrambling over the roof.

From behind, he could hear the Crow Father take off again and fly into the sky. Tommy breathed in and out deeply, wiping sweat from his brow then clutching at his shoulder. It ached and the searing pain made him wince. The sound of a running train came from below and the vigilante stumbled back just in time as Jubilee was raised from the ground. His glasses had been returned and his ghostly form settled back into corporality as his feet landed on the rooftop.

"You really just don't let up, huh, Juby?" Tommy panted, hoping he didn't look as exhausted as he felt.

"You're under arrest," Jubilee sneered.

"Not yet, I'm not," Answered Tommy, trying to settle his feet in a fighting stance.

Jubilee glared and became incorporal with the sound of a whistling train. Tommy took a few steps back, glancing around him. He could see the Crow Father sweeping in from the side and he ducked under the clawed hands that tried to grab at him. Jubilee used this moment to solidify again and lunged, swinging a strong punch that caught Tommy by the jaw.

Tommy yelped as the force threw him to the ground but he wouldn't stop, getting back to his feet and running fast. Jubilee didn't relent, sending down punch after punch. Tommy evaded as many as he could, often trying to catch the hero in his spray - annoyingly, the hero would turn incorporal just before it ignited, allowing him to continue his attacks afterwards easily.

The vigilante ran until he reached the edge of the skyscraper again. The winds were blowing fast and hard, stinging his eyes as it managed to even carry some seaspray to him.

"Theseus. Stop running. There's nowhere to go."

Tommy looked over the edge of the building thoughtfully. His red and white trainers toed at the edge, looking over the near-cavernous drop. When he turned to glance back over his shoulder, Jubilee was approaching him slowly and the black shape on the horizon was definitely the Crow Father soaring in for another areal attack.

"Nowhere?" Tommy echoed.

"There's no way you're getting out of this one, Theseus. Get away from the drop and come in quietly."

Tommy saluted Jubilee, beaming. "No chance, bitch boy." And he let himself plummet off the side.

Jubilee dashed forwards and he saw the Crow Father change directory, beginning to gain altitude so he could drop down faster. However, neither of them got over the edge as quickly as the new arrival did. Half black and half white; a whip-like, long tail; long ears; curved horns; impossible height: Tommy whooped as he watched Ranboo sleekly dive after him, the wind making his long hair bloom around his head.

"Hey, buddy!" Tommy yelled as he freefalled to his death.

Ranboo grimaced, shooting his friend a glare. If there was anything he hated, it was teleporting in midair. The hybrid grabbed him by the shirt, hoisting Tommy up towards him in the air and settling his clawed feet on his chest. "Breath in!" He barked shortly.

Tommy did so, taking a deep breath in. The wind stopped, his back landed on a hard, cold surface and the thin sunlight was replaced with a blinding, artificial bulb. The weight of his tall hybrid friend came crashing down onto his chest, winding him and taking the breath he had sucked in right out of his lungs. Ranboo crawled off with a whine, shrinking and reshaping his bones back to that of a normal human. Tommy rubbed at his now sore chest, with a fading smile under his mask.

"That hurts," He groaned.

Ranboo lay down on the floor next to him, with a similar groan. "That's what you get for jumping."

As he began to take off his mask, Tommy saw dark, fluffy brown hair and a round face appear over him. "Hey, Tubbo," He greeted.

"Hey, bossman," Tubbo replied. "You look sick."

"I think my guts have been moved around. Ranboo sucks at teleporting."

Ranboo pushed himself up enough to glare weakly at the blond. "I don't. Teleporting at velocity just has side effects. I've told you this before."

"Shut up, Ran-boob."

The hybrid groaned again and forced himself to kneel upright. "I'm going to get myself coffee. I've got a night shift later and I'm not falling asleep."

Tubbo turned after him. "Just go to bed, king. It's fine."

"I can't sleep after that. I'll just have the coffee."

"If you say so." Tubbo looked back down at Tommy again, then offered a hand. "Need help?"

Tommy took the hand with a grunt. "Thanks, king."

"You look awful," the brunet commented, looking his battered-and-bruised friend up and down. He pointed at Tommy's arm curiously. "What got you there?"

The vigilante looked down at the cut and shrugged. "I think that was the Blood God - he was coming at me with a sword. It doesn't hurt, though. My shoulder, on the other hand..." Tommy trailed off and gave a one-sided shrug. "It took a lot of hits."

Tubbo grunted, prodding the injured shoulder roughly. "Maybe get some painkillers for it and rest. Going to the doctors' right now is way too suspicious."

Tommy nodded and rolled the shoulder cautiously. It sent a twang of pain down his body and made him wince. Ranboo came walking back in, hands on his hips. "Okay, the kettle's on." He stopped and stared for a second at Tommy. "Is that bird poop on your shoulder?"

The vigilante flushed and looked down. "I forgot about that. Ew."