The unspoken tensions between Mark and Jack seem to grow and fester over the next few hours, and by the time the villain is heading back to the institute the next day, that tension is mixed with raging guilt. The hero seems so sad to see him go, even if it's just for the day, and the guilt gets worse.

Jack slows from a sprint to a walk as he approaches the institute, dread mixing into the flurry of emotions that swirl in his stomach and seem to burn his insides. Cautiously, he steps inside and moves down the hallway. The silence never stops being eerie, and it seems to be even worse after a day in the heroes base with three other guys, who in general are more cheerful than Matthew and Cry.

The hairs on the back of his neck stand up, and a second later he's pinned in place against the wall by two arms on either side of his head. He jumps, but his accelerated heart rate slows when he realizes that it's Cry, glaring at him from behind the mask. He lowers one hand as soon as he's sure Jack won't move, but the glare remains.

"Where the hell did you go?" he demands through gritted teeth. Jack opens his mouth, but before he can speak the masked villain punches the wall beside his head and causes the Irishman to flinch. "Never mind, you don't need to answer that. You were with the bloody heroes. You left Matthew and I in that hallway to pick ourselves up and nurse ourselves back to health while you ran straight to the enemy. For the love of God, Jack! Maybe you could try thinking of someone other than yourself for once!"

The Irishman stares, his ability to form words going down the drain. He swallows and does his best to remember how to breathe. "Cry, I'm so sorry, I was in such a panic... Mark was the first solution that came to my head."

The masked villain glares at him for a moment longer before slowly lowering his hands, using one to ruffle his hair. The gesture itself is filled with an exhaustion that's so familiar to Jack because he's felt the exact same thing. Cry exhales heavily and shakes his head, his voice soft.

"I... I know you're sorry, Jack. I don't blame you for panicking and looking for comfort. I was just... you know how it is. I was worried and stressed."

Jack nods lightly and reaches out, placing a gentle hand on the masked villain's shoulder. "I know, Cry. What happened while I was gone?"

"Nothing much." He pauses, shrugging a little. "My father's health is declining rapidly. The doctors suggest that he's going through a last little hill of energy before he becomes totally listless. They doubt he'll make it to the end of the year."

Jack's eyes widen and his hand falls to his side. "That's bad."

"Yeah." Cry takes a deep, shuddering breath and clenches his fists at his side. "We should go on patrol. Matthew and I didn't go out yesterday."

Jack nods and before long, the three villains are heading out into the streets of San Francisco. To the Irishman's surprise, the streets are a lot more full than they have been in the past months. People race through the streets and fire off guns, the sound echoing through the empty neighbourhoods. Rebel groups combat pro-NAI groups, although neither of them are terribly successful.

Jack glances at Cry and Matthew, and a second later the masked villain becomes invisible. The two other villains clamber up the nearest fire escape, watching from afar as the multitudes of civilians fight one another in the streets below.

"What happened?" Matthew asks, glancing at the Irishman beside him. "Why are they fighting back today?"

Jack shrugs, nervousness welling in his chest. One group out in the streets is a common occurrence. Five or six? That's strange. Cry appears after about twenty stressful minutes of waiting and plops down beside Jack, his hands clenched into fists at his side.

"What is it?" the Irishman demands.

"Apparently, some people spotted the heroes patrolling the area and spread the news that they're back. Rebels are taking this opportunity to fight back against the pro-NAI groups with extra "oomph"," Cry replies. "At least that's the news I heard in one of the civilian markets."

"Do we get involved?" Matthew asks, glancing at the street again. His jaw goes slack and he slowly stands. "Never mind. We're getting involved."

Jack looks down at the street and exhales heavily. Among the chaotic, gunslinging civilians, the anti-hero suits stick out like sore thumbs. They defend themselves against both rebels and NAI supporters, their eyes scanning the streets for three people in particular. As the villains stand up, Ryan glances up at them and shouts to his teammates, pointing in their direction.

"And here we go," Matthew mutters, pulling the guns that Stephanie always used from his belt. "Let's get this over with quickly."

Jack takes a deep breath and speeds down the side of the wall, his working eye glowing bright green with the exertion. Once he reaches the street, he immediately clashes with Wade.

"Is it true?" the anti-hero demands, blocking one of Jack's punches. "About the heroes being back?"

"Why would I tell you?" Jack retaliates. He dodges a fist and kicks at Wade, sending him stumbling back. He recovers quickly and counters, but Jack blocks him easily.

"I'll just have to find out myself if you're going to be stubborn."

The spar continues, both men keeping their own ground with little actual injury. The bruises on Jack's body scream in protest, but he's found that it's easier and easier to ignore them. He figures he could keep going for hours if it hadn't been for the yells that made him falter.

"I've been waiting to get payback for ages!" someone screams.

Jack glances over for a split second and earns a fist to the side of the head, sending him crumpling to the pavement. As soon as the ringing fades from his ears, he takes an opportunity to look over towards the yelling once again. Thankfully, Wade seems distracted by it as well and doesn't take Jack's moment of weakness to finish him off.

Across the street, billows of smoke fill the air and distinguish an invisible Cry. He struggles away from Ryan, who catches him after a second and starts beating him up again. The anti-hero manages to chase Cry into a corner and attacks again, yelling at him and causing the villain to flinch. All Cry can do is cover his head and try to defend himself against Ryan.

"We were your friends and you killed him without a second thought! Matt's dead because of you!" Ryan screams, his fist managing to connect with the masked villain's face. "I hope you die!"

Jack stares at them for a second longer before sprinting towards Cry, leaving Wade in the dust. In a split second, he knocks Ryan down and stands between him and the masked villain.

"Back. Off," Jack snarls, taking a threatening step towards the anti-hero. Ryan's eyes blaze with fury and his hands clench at his sides, but after a moment he slowly gets to his feet and jogs away.

The Irishman stands for a moment longer before kneeling next to Cry, resting his hands gently on the masked villain's wrists. Cry's breathing is sporadic and shaky as he desperately grasps at Jack's hands, tears wetting the visible parts of his face. Blood trickles down his chin from under the mask, most likely from his nose, and Jack winces.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." he gasps, trembling from head to toe. "I did what I had to do but it wasn't the right thing to do—"

"Cry, shh. We have to get out of here," Jack says, flinching as a bullet ricochets off the wall above their heads. "Come on."

As gently as possible, Jack helps Cry up and hoists him into a piggyback, gritting his teeth when extra pressure is placed against the bruises on his torso. The bruises you didn't tell Mark about, his mind adds, sending a tsunami of guilt crashing through his heart and stomach. He grinds his teeth even more and sprints off, reaching the institute doors in a matter of seconds. Cry trembles, clinging to Jack and burying his face in the back of his neck. His mask is cold against the villain's exposed skin, causing Jack to shiver.

Matthew joins them and helps Jack bring Cry down to his room. Gently, the Irishman lays the masked villain down on his bed and settles beside him while Matthew retrieves an icepack. Cry maintains a tight grip on Jack's wrist, his breathing shallow.

"I d-don't want to hurt m-more people," Cry gasps, his skin starting to glow. "I want t-to tell M-Matt I'm s-sorry."

Jack bites his lip and slowly removes Cry's mask, revealing his blood-coated nose. Gently, he presses the ice to his injury just as the masked villain starts glowing and flashing. Cry attempts to squeeze his grey eyes shut, to hide his emotions, but it doesn't work without the mask. Closing his eyes doesn't hide the tears that prick at their corners. It doesn't hide the agony that shows in every line on Cry's young face.

Jack shuts his own blue eyes, his own emotions like a storm in his heart that refuses to cease.