Work Text:
Little Lost Lambs Come Back Home
It was a long time coming. The end of the corruption. Puffy knew it. The moment when The Lady and Crow Father found the testing facilities. No, that wasn’t right. It was when the Lady was killed, trying to rescue the poor souls she found in those testing facilities. The mother and father of the heroic age for the city. And the city they had sworn to protect had been infected with corruption behind their backs. The government officials, had killed the Lady in hopes of controlling Crow Father. What short sighted solution that had been. Crow Father died with the Lady. He stayed only long enough to gather all the intel he needed. Had played the obedient Hero on a leash. Had fooled her.
Puffy was sure that the only reason she had been spared was only for sentimental reasons. As thin of a theory that was. It was the only thing sh could come up with why she was even here now and waiting for her boys to be handed back to her. Their defeat had been public. Broadcast for all to see. If it wasn’t for Phil’s word, she would have fully believed her boys were dead.
Firestarter. Her Sapnap had been taken to the sky by The Angel of Death. The villain wearing fire resistant armor to dive bomb Sapnap into the ocean. The blaze hybrid’s one weakness being water. Unable to call on a blaze and unable to protect himself from the villain that held him under. The Angel had risen from the ocean waves without a body but holding the mask of the fallen hero on the tv. Flying high in the air with a victorious laughter. Puffy was sure that someone who’s weakness was water, the only reason Sapnap survived was due to all the serum and testing done to make him one of the three ultimate super soldiers. It was the only reason any of them survived really, and for the fact that Phil and his boys were not attacking to kill.
4O4 was the next to fall. Her sweet George. Having been born with mental powers over the mind originally to just being able to read minds until he got into the hero program. Now able to push those abilities outward to moving objects and full on mind control. Siren seemed to be the immune. Canceling out Georges powers with his own and sadly a little more cunning. The camera that had caught their fight had been shook from it position when a powerful explosion rocketed the city, after Siren had, dragged the beaten hero in the middle of the road on top of a man hole cover, tossing explosives on him and watched with a smile as they were detonated. Only staying long enough to rip the hero mask off a very unrecognizable body.
But it was Dream’s capture that had worried her. Dream was in the program a lot longer than the other two. Had been given to the program for a large sum of money as a baby. Dream was his given name by the government and not the greedy parents that left him. But Puffy had given him another; Clay. Born normal. No powers. Corrected by scientist, wanting to make the ultimate hero. The ultimate soldier. Besides Siren and the Blood God, Dream, 4O4, and Firestarter were to be the greatest heroes of the world. A five man team had things went according to the plan of the Hero Commission.
Crow Father could only save two before he left. And Puffy tried to save her boys. Tried to teach them right when she became their mentor. But it was when the three had willing and without forethought killed a young vigilante that refused to surrender themselves. A vigilante that had been trying to protect their neighborhood. Puffy remember that night. Remembered showing up to see the three of them standing over a child. The kid hadn’t even been fifteen. Hadn’t done anything wrong and it was through the commissions orders that she showed up to see Dream, George, and Sapnap deliver a killing blow.
“If they refuse to join the right side of the law, then they are on the wrong side. Vigilante’s are just villains in disguised and must be taken out.” Dream had said, when she had asked why. Covered in blood. And she knew the vigilante had not fought back.
Dream’s fight had been with the Blood God. The two almost evenly matched. It had been a fight with weapons. A fight with fists. A fight to the death. And Blood God had made the defeat even more humiliating, not even using his shadows. Not using them to raise Dream’s fear. Had defeated Dream with skill and skill alone. A show that no matter what upgrades or enhancement serums her boys were given. The Syndicate were stronger in every way. Techno had stabbed Dream through the gut. A killing blow if not treated immediately. Dream’s full face mask left on except for a corner eye piece that had been broken. To the public if the sign of a the death of the Dream Team.
The death of Dream, 4O4, and Firestarter. The death of the age of heroes. That had been a month ago. A whole month and Puffy almost hated to admit it, but Phil had been right. Things were getting better.
Her thoughts were interrupted when the headlight of a van pulled up. Stopping on a few yards from her. Phil, Techno and Wilbur exiting the vehicle.
“Puffy. Nice to see you.” Phil greeted. There was no more need for costumes. Especially now. This was a private meeting after all.
“Delivery time is here.” Wilbur sing songed as he and Techno went straight for the back of the van.
“Sorry it took a bit. But We thought it was better to patched them up a bit before giving them to you.” Phil said, walking with her to the back of the van that was now open.
Puffy said nothing. She wanted to see her boys. Her little lambs. Her lambs that had been turned into wolves behind her back. There in the back of the van they sat. Not the heroes they use to be, but Clay, George, and Sapnap.
They were dress in the clothes she had given to Phil for them. Civilian clothes. They were sedated. Not completely out but enough that she could tell they were struggling to stay awake. “Hi.” She whispered to them. They were fine. Bandages that she was expecting to see, not there.
“Cap….tain….” George mumbled out tiredly.
There was a loud clinking sound what Clay tried to move, but failed, falling back against the side of the van. Right, they were to live the rest of their lives chained. That was fine as long it was to her. Her motherly sheep instincts knew how dangerous the world could be to lambs; even the grown ones.
“Traitor…..” Clay breathed out, in very slow blinks.
“Help……?” Sapnap asked reaching for her with a shackled hand.
She took it. Recognizing the moment he tried to call on his flames. Something taken from him. Gambler had found tech made of obsidian and netherite infused metal to create a power suppressing chip. She was sure Phil them implanted somewhere on their person while they had been out. His hand only became mildly warmer than normal his inhuman strength gone when he tried to squeeze her hand. “Yeah, I’m going to help. I’m going to take you home.” She smiled.
“The rules are simple. They can’t leave the property. If they become trustworthy enough we can talk about them helping at the grocery, but as of right now the stay in the bunker. I have a therapist schedule to come and speak with them three time a week. A doctor twice a month for check up. And either myself or Techno and Wil will be by to check on their restraints.” Phil chatted, listing off everything they had discussed.
“No…..” Clay grunted, fighting the hardest against the drugs in his system.
Phil stopped and gave the fallen hero a pitying look. “Don’t think about trying anything. Your still healing from a stab wound. Your going to be quite sore for a while.” He warned.
“Fu...ck you….” Sapnap tried to snarl, trying to take his hand back from her.
Puffy shushed, not releasing her grip. “I got it. They’ll be okay.” She said, the last part mainly to herself.
“I’m a man of my word Puffy. We’ve checked the camera and have set up and alarm for you just in case. With thermal view and a tablet for you to not only carry on the go, but have a constant look at their vital.” Phil assure.
Techno coming over immediately with a tablet in hand and giving it to her.
“We’ll be keeping an eye on them too.” Wilbur said. “Its the least we can do for family.” He said, with a smile watching the former heroes sluggish reaction to his words.
His words gave her pause. “Family?” She asked.
“Of course we consider you as family.” Phil smiled. “Why else would we honor your request? Sure you gave us information, but you offered it before anything. I would have spared the for without any strings attached.”
Puffy let those words soak in before responding, finding a small bubble of laughter leave her. “You really are a bastard you know that.” She said. Finally letting go of Sapnaps hand.
“Yeah. And I am not offended if you continue to want distance. But if you ever need anything. As long as its within reason we will always help you.” Phil assured, not offended at all. “So, shall we get them to their room?” He asked.
Puffy nodded. Yeah. She was ready to tuck her kids in and finally have them safe with her again. They had a lot of healing to do. The world had done so much damage to them. But Puffy could heal them. She would give them a safe place. She would give them a chance to heal. To become someone besides a hero, besides a soldier. She was going to give her boys a second chance at life.
“Thank you, Phil.” She said, with a small smile.
Her boys were finally home and free.