Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“We should give ourselves names, when we get out of here.” 4904 offered suddenly, sitting in the center of their shared cell. The wax that coated his wings was stuck as is, courtesy of the band on his wrist.

“What kind of names?” 6470 asked, his voice quiet. Their tail curled around 1460’s leg, their claws tapping against the cold tile floor.

“I dunno, just,, anything man.” The avian responded, stretching and flopping on his belly. “Calling each other numbers is getting boring. And we know others do the same, remember Joel and Lizzie?”

“Joel and Lizzie were adults. They had lives before they were brought here.” 1325 responded, their tone flat. “We’ve been here so long we don’t remember anything from before.”

The moth-like alien muttered something under his breath, his large wings pressed against the wall.

“Then we should make something new.” 4904 retorted, his pointed ears flicking. “Who cares about before? We hardly had that, so we should focus on the now and the future. Like when we escape!”

“I don’t want to wait.” 1460 finally spoke up, his filmy wings buzzing. “To name ourselves, I mean. Why wait anyway? When we escape we need identities to do anything.”

4904 looked thoughtful, and then nodded sharply, his blond hair bouncing. “Yeah! Let's do it now. Come on, 13, get over here.” He beckoned 1325, and they stood up, sitting cross legged next to 1460.

They talked and talked until the buzzer went off for sleep. They talked about names, about who they wanted to be, about what little they knew of the outside world. By the time they all fell asleep on the cold floor, huddled together, they were no longer 4904, 1325, 1460, and 6470.

Instead they were Tommy, Purpled, Tubbo, and Ranboo.

And they promised each other to escape, to use these names to their fullest, in honor of those like Joel and Lizzie, like Skizz and Pungence. 

To honor those who had lived and died with their names, the four would do the same.

“What’s your name? Martyn asked, looking over at 49- Tommy. The blond grinned.

“Well, I’m Tommy! Quite nice to meet you, Martyn.” He did a small bow, stretching out his wax-coated wings. When he looked up, Martyn had a smile on his face.

“And the rest of you? This is BigB, Taurtis, and Netty.” Martyn gestured to the three. Tommy hummed, pointing at the members of his team.

“That there’s Tubbo, then we’ve got Ranboo, and big man Purpled.”

All three of them looked up at the call of their names, smiles crossing their faces. In the case of Purpled however, their eyes only lit up.

Martyn was nice, Tommy decided. He spoke of ancient creatures that watched over the land, some malicious, some benevolent, and some never interfering. He referred to himself as something similar, someone who listened instead. 

Tommy said that was silly, but within his own mind wondered if Martyn was just as ancient and powerful as those who watched, and he could read Tommy’s mind or something.

He wondered if Martyn heard his silent cries to be free.

But that was just silly.

Taurtis said Tommy reminded him of someone, an avian with the ability to replicate noises perfectly. There was a look in Martyn’s eyes, and Tommy wondered if that avian had been connected to the whole team too.

What if that avian was connected to the watching guys, or the listening ones? But once again, he dismissed the thought, it was just stupid. The tales of ancient creatures who watched and listened were dumb.

He ignored Martyn’s soft frown right after he thought that.

“So, big M, big B, big T, and big N. Let’s get cracking, huh? Teach us some of that cool fighting shit.” Tommy called, slapping his signature grin on his face. Behind him, his wings twitched as the air shifted, his friends moving into place.

Martyn’s soft frown kept going, but the older team nodded. 

Tommy was able to get BigB pinned quickly, despite the older being much stronger physically. Purpled had already dispatched Martyn, and Ranboo had Netty in a chokehold. Tubbo was busy wrestling Taurtis to the ground. 

They were known for being fast learners, after all. Had to be.

It was getting worse. So much worse. Purpled hated it all. They’d only just gotten a handle on their newest power, and yet they already had something for them to do.

He was half considering using that new power to disappear from the scientist’s minds. Purpled wasn’t daft though, they knew why the scientists gave them this power.

They wanted him to perform missions for them. To train squadrons, and make them forget all about who trained them. He was sure they had measures against him disappearing completely.

They knew what those measures were, too. Those damn scientists knew they wouldn’t dare leave without their friends.

Purpled didn’t know how to explain to his friends why he’d be gone for a week. Why they couldn’t be there. Nor why a collar sat uncomfortably around their neck. They couldn’t say shit, and it was aggravating.

Instead, he had to go take out someone. Purpled crossed one leg over the other, scanning the page. They wanted an assassin? He’d give them a fucking assassin. And once he was done, he’d disappear into the night and take all traces of himself with him.

Ren Dog, a werewolf, and the hero Red Winter. Often guarded by his closest companions, fellow members of the Hermits agency. Mostly those that had participated in the Life series, a popular reality TV production. 

While that series was acting, Purpled was tasked with watching Ren’s perspective in the reality show to analyze how he fought. They hated to admit how they had grown just a bit attached to some of the members. Nor how they recognized Martyn.

He’d noticed the mild changes, when they had to have an actor who looked close enough to finish Martyn’s part. Same with BigB, and Skizzle. Lizzie and Joel too.

Back on task, Purpled reminded themself. They had Ren’s attack pattern memorized by now. Now they just had to do the deed.

The collar sat heavily around their neck, a reminder, should they attempt to escape. The camera attached that would alert the scientists should they fail.

It was Purpled’s second glimpse of this planet outside the lab, and he couldn’t help but feel like any wonder he'd previously held was stained in the shade of blood.

In the end, they left Ren with fatal injuries, making sure to let blood cover the collar’s camera. Then, they passed a note.

I apologize for what I’ve done. Get him to urgent care, anything, don’t let him die. But make him disappear off the face of the earth. 

From now on, Red Winter is retired, and it must stay that way. 

           ~ Hades

He left without a word, hoping they heeded his warning. And upped their security, it was ridiculously easy to slip past, even with his power.

Tubbo always felt like something was deeply wrong. Like he was something other than just a bee hybrid with the ability to make guns shoot honey. He just couldn’t explain it.

It made his head hurt to think about. Why did he feel so wrong being able to fly, to poison things with his nails, to have his antenna twitch and swivel towards sound? It felt more right whenever they’d do rock climbing exercises. The scientists of course expected Tubbo to just hover up, but he found himself preferring to leap from platform to platform.

Maybe he was just weird. Tubbo shook his head, sitting in the team’s shared cell alone. Purpled was gone again, though the alien would never say where. Tommy was dueling with someone from another team. Ranboo was testing the capabilities of his pocket universe.

And Tubbo was just sitting here, all alone. He let the back of his head bump against the wall, letting out a groan. He picked at his black nails, wondering if his poison could affect him or if he was immune. 

He needed something to do.

Tubbo stood up, going over to the small shelf where the nicer scientists would leave them things to tinker with. He grabbed a small unusable camera and a screwdriver, and found his way back to his original spot against the wall.

Eventually, he had every single piece laid out in front of him. Then, he put it back together. If along the way he realized why it was unusable and messed with that part until it worked, that was for himself to know.

At the end of the day, he had a camera to take photos of his friends with. Something to capture his memories in. He wondered if that would help him figure out what was wrong with him.

There had to be more. There just had to be. Ranboo felt the power thrumming under his veins, something deep and powerful, but he just couldn’t unlock it. 

They heard the scientists mutter about how it was unprecedented. How the enderian blood was only meant to increase his teleportation ability, not limit it and their other powers.

He stared at his hands blankly, trying to piece together what those other powers were. It clearly meant he could teleport before, a stronger version even. He could transport items to a pocket dimension, and he could move objects to his will without ever touching them.

But what else was there? What were those powers trapped under their skin? They thought about it a lot. Maybe it was connected to that transformation, how they could make themself look more human. What if they were able to completely shapeshift before?

Ranboo thinks he’d like the ability to shapeshift. It could make his jokes funnier too. Maybe if he shapeshifted into a scientist, they wouldn’t notice and he’d be able to let his friends escape. 

They really wished they could unlock that shapeshifting, if it was even one of their previous abilities. 

He liked listening to the scientist’s mutterings. It gave him information about the outside world. So whenever he was tasked with showing them the extent of his powers, he listened.

Ranboo heard many things. Mentions of a hero known as KJ. Creatures called Magickborns. Incorrect eye colors, Ranboo’s red eye was meant to be gold, but it wasn’t. Manipulation of time and space. Theories. One fearful mutter, ‘did we kidnap the number six hero’s relative?’

That night, Ranboo had a dream of the hero KJ bursting through the cell wall and rescuing them and their friends. Of belonging, of being told what they truly were.

He was disappointed when he woke up to the same boring white walls. With a long sigh, Ranboo got up and stretched. Time for another long day.

“You’re getting rather fiery, aren't cha Sparkler?” Phantom quipped, glancing over at the blaze hybrid. Sparkler shot a look right back, placing the paper he was holding down. KJ hugged Sparkler from behind, the brunet looking up at the ravenet with a frown.

“Sappy, I know how annoying this is. But we can’t destroy the evidence. If they find any traces we were here, not only will the lab be on our butt but the government too. Scott was all for this but he doesn’t have control over what we can and can’t do.”

“I know, I know. Just pisses me off. Scott even made the meeting as private as possible. Told us to make sure our tracks were completely unrecoverable. Something’s going on and I want to figure it out.”

Phantom watched the conversation pass with silence, taking a photo of the page he’d found. He didn’t bother to read it yet, there wasn’t time for that. He glanced at the other hero who’d remained silent throughout the exchange.

Eret glanced back, their bright white eyes acting as a light source. 

KJ suddenly froze, their gold eyes narrowing. They snapped a photo of the paper they held and their white tail raised high, twitching from side to side. Eret nodded, pressing a hand against the floor. The earth caved in under them, and the four heroes took the tunnel out.

Just as the entrance to the tunnel closed, the alarms blared. An echoing voice, strangely reminiscent of Dream’s, spoke over the intercom.

“Squadron 4-L has escaped containment.”

Phantom grit his teeth and kept walking. This was a stealth mission, trying to save whoever was trying to escape was a death sentence. 

He knew his fellow heroes felt the same.

Chapter Text

Purpled was the first with a plan, as seemed typical. The moth alien would get the basics down, Tubbo would add to it, Ranboo would add a bajillion backup plans, and Tommy tended to set things in motion.

This time, Purpled wanted to put the plan in motion themself. They only told Tommy what their plan was, afraid that Tubbo and Ranboo would reject it altogether.

Tommy agreed, but only because it would get them good money. Money that was needed for existing in society, really. He still didn’t like it, though.

“You’re surprisingly good at interior design.” Purpled commented, wandering around the large space tucked inside a winding cave system. The space was decorated with various forest supplies, even large boulders that Chatter had likely helped carry. It was comforting, quiet, and hard to find. Purpled ran a hand along the moss carpet and patches that formed patterns along the walls, finding himself plopping down on a particularly fancy chair-like rock behind a tree trunk table.

How the hell Tommy managed to get a whole tree stump in here was a conundrum he’d spare his brain from figuring out. He looked up to spot Tommy fixing one of the swords hanging on the wall, the lanterns illuminating his concentrated face.

Purpled sighed contently. Even if this would be a dirty business, they were glad to at least have a nice space to stay in.

“Oh yeah, I already put the advertisements up with that laptop Tubbo stole. We’re all set, big man!” Tommy chirped, his wax wings flexing behind him. Purpled shot him a small smile, mirrored by an even larger grin, one that the teen would compare to sunbeams through the forest canopy, warm and bright.

And now to wait for their first customer. The people of Esempi City would know them already, as Hades. A vigilante-mercenary, both a savior and a killer. 

The mercenary part was the more public side to his costumed endeavors, of course. Purpled pulled his phone from his pocket, the dingy old thing buzzing with a notification from the private network Tubbo had bartered someone into coding. Really, the bee hybrid did wonders with persuasion.

“Lethe’s patrolling the west side of the L’manberg district, a bit closer to the Badlands than normal.” Purpled noted out loud, looking over at the fellow blond. “You gonna go out and join, Theseus?”

“‘Course, Hades. Can’t have Lethe teleporting off the side of a building. Hercules might join me. Have fun, will ya?” The blond donned his red mask, voice muffling as static overtook and changed the pitch. Purpled grabbed their own purple-themed one, nodding an affirmative.

It didn’t take all that long for someone to stalk in, having followed the obscure instructions through the cave system. Hades leveled them with a stare, watching the mer glance around.

“Lovely place you have here.” She commented, voice soft. If Hades were anyone else, they might’ve been fooled.

“Thanks.” Still, he accepted the compliment on Theseus’s work in stride. “An acquaintance of mine set it up.”

Hades gestured to the chair-rock on the other side of the ‘table’, and the mer sat herself down, finned tail flicking to the side. She swirled a cup of water in her hand, meeting Hades’ eyes.

“You look young.” She hummed, tilting her head. Hades didn’t break eye contact, merely shrugging.

“We’re all fighting to survive in this world.” Was his only reply. There was a lapse of silence, not awkward nor comfortable nor tense. Merely quiet.

“I’m placing my hit on the villain Rocker.” She finally said, looking down at the tree stump table. Hades nodded, writing the name down. That villain was a powerful one, known for targeting the number five hero Phantom. No one was quite sure of the villain’s identity, except for Hades.

Hades was good at knowing who people were, and people were good at not knowing who Hades was. They liked to keep it that way.

They were also acutely aware of who this mer in front of them was. Nihachu, a mid-rank villain with a power canceller ability, allied with fellow villain Manifold, who could siphon other’s powers and use them for himself.

The two were also known as Niki and Jack. Niki owning the rather popular bakery in northern L’manberg themed after the ocean. Jack was known for the hotel he managed, though he was rather pathetic with how he handled it.

It was rated two stars, after all. Hades chuckled at the thought that someone so incompetent had such a powerful ability. Nihachu tilted her head and Hades shrugged.

“It’s a dog-eat-dog world, huh? Can’t say I blame you, I wouldn’t want someone trying to kill my favorite customer either.” He commented, smile hidden under his mask as he watched Nihachu’s brows crinkle.

“You’re well informed.” Nihachu’s voice was just as soft as ever, but there was a slight edge. 

“Comes with the job, Niki. I’d only ever use it against those I’m targeting, so unless someone’s got a particularly strong grudge on you, you’ll be fine.” Hades replied, pressing the tips of their fingers together. Classic villain pose and all that, but they really just found it a nice position for their hands. 

Nihachu blinked at the use of her civilian name, but didn’t seem rather phased. “I suppose it does. I don’t have a set time for when I want Rocker gone, just preferably before his next attack on Phantom.”

“Good to know. As for price, the guy’s pretty high up there. A decent amount at least, I don’t have anything set yet.” Hades frowned, they really needed to get that done. Nihachu just nodded, pulling something from her utility belt.

Now that was cash. Hades felt a grin creep onto his face as he took it, running his fingers along the edge of the paper, checking what the bills were. Two hundred dollars, holy shit. He felt giddy, and he was sure his eyes portrayed as much by the way Nihachu smiled.

He watched as Nihachu got up from her seat, placing a card onto the table. Hades picked it up, noting it was a hundred-dollar gift card for Oceanside Bakery. Jesus, this woman was spoiling him.

“If you won’t tell anyone who I am, I won’t tell anyone who you are. Feel free to take your friends along.” Nihachu’s smile was pure and good, and Purpled felt their walls lower just a bit. 

Maybe it wasn’t so smart to let even a little bit of trust go towards his clients, but really, Nihachu was almost too kind to be a villain. They supposed that anyone could be a villain, though. 

“Thank you.” Purpled felt like his voice was too small for his job. Then, with more confidence, he continued. “I’ll get the job done by the end of this week.”

He caught Nihachu’s voice as she left the den of a skilled mercenary. “Don’t ruin your innocence completely, Hades. You’re a good kid.”

Purpled choked out a small laugh, his eyes downcast. His voice was quiet, distant, and he hoped Nihachu didn’t hear it, but she wasn’t far enough away. He knew logically he was revealing far too much, but he felt… Known. At least a little bit. Seen underneath his skills, beneath the guise of a trained killer.

“My innocence was washed away long ago, but I can try.”

Tommy shifted in place, one hand gripping tightly around his weapon of choice, a knife with a built-in electrification button. One Tubbo had made once the bee had figured out how to add charge to their weapons. It was comfortable, the button easily reachable yet only activating if pressed twice. Clever, really.

They all had different weapons. Tubbo held his typical honey gun, Ranboo a baton, and Purpled a mix between knives and a sword. All had the electric charge as well, an easy way to stun opponents.

Tommy wondered what Purpled was doing. Maybe the moth alien had already gotten a customer? Or maybe they were just chilling and waiting. Tommy shook his head, he was getting distracted.

The avian checked his watch, eyes sparkling as a hologram popped up. Bless that fox guy who Tubbo threatened into making this. That dude was a fucking god among men, really.

Three streets from his perch, a scream echoed. Tommy, or rather Theseus, was sprinting within a hair’s breadth of the noise’s beginning. He jumped straight into the fight without thinking, the knife held away from the people around him.

One guy, ez. Tommy stepped in front of the victim of an attempted mugging, brandishing his knife. With a subtle double click, he could hear the buzz of electricity coat the iron blade. 

Theseus scoffed. “Your stance is wrong, dude. At least try.”

The mugger’s mouth gaped, and Theseus let a smug grin overtake his hidden face. He let himself visibly relax, his muscles tense under thick fabric. He waved the knife to his side, wary of keeping the victim away from his blood circle.

“Like, seriously? If you’re gonna mug this poor,” He turned his head, analyzing the victim. Pronoun pin on their jacket. “Person, at least do it right.”

Then, he took a step forward and tapped the guy on the back of their hand. They went down in a second, spasming with the electric charge. He leaned down, turning the knife’s charge off.

“Don’t worry, prick. Not enough to kill you, just stopping you badduns from causing any more damage to this here city.” Theseus pulled a zip tie from his pouch, wrapping it around the perp’s shaking hands. The victim looked up at him with wonder in their eyes.

Theseus turned to them, keeping the knife to his side and pointed away. “Stay here for a bit, eh? I messaged the nearest agency, they’ll be here soon to deal with this dumbass. Just give em your statement and then you can leave. Leave a good word for me, maybe?”

“What’s your name?” They asked, straightening their hair, eyes still wide. Theseus grinned.

“That’d be Theseus. Always happy to help around here.” And then he was gone. Theseus’s natural speed boost let him shoot down the street, his smile wide as he leapt against the wall, vaulting himself onto the roof.

A job well done if he’d say so himself.

Tubbo spun in his chair, wings flicking to his sides as he did so. His antenna perked up as his laptop pinged and Tubbo quickly halted his motion, pulling himself closer to the wooden desk. The laptop sat there innocently, half charged and the network hosting an alert.

Huh, apparently someone had spotted Hades out and about. Tubbo wondered what that was about, the moth hadn’t alerted anyone that they’d be patrolling.

Eh, the guy liked his privacy. Purpled was competent and skilled, Tubbo held no worry for his friend’s ability in combat. Another ping, this time an alert from the connected hero network. Well known dancer almost mugged, saved by vigilante Theseus.

Tubbo felt a longing to go out and patrol with his friends. To have all four of them jumping across the rooftops, a team to be feared and respected but also loved. But he was their tech guy, and he did like staying behind the scenes and observing.

He got a really dumb idea, and wondered if maybe one of his friends had the same thought. Maybe Ranboo.

Was still dumb, though.

Purpled had finally returned from whatever he’d been busy with, large wings fluttering behind him as he entered the cave. Ranboo gestured for the other to come and sit.

“So,” He began, ears twitching as the moth alien sat down, glancing at Tubbo and Tommy. Tubbo looked rather invested, whereas Tommy was simply curious.

“I have a really dumb idea.” They finished, tail curling around their ankle. Tubbo leaned forward, only more invested. Tommy’s brows raised comically high, and Ranboo couldn’t help but snort at the expression. Tommy wiggled his brows and Ranboo had to stop themself from laughing more. Purpled retained their blank look, but Ranboo could see the way their eyes held interest.

“It would both give us more attention and keep us safe, ‘cause like.. They couldn’t mess with us easily.” He continued, and if possible Tubbo leaned forward more . 

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” The bee questioned, eyes sparkling.

“Maybe?” Ranboo’s voice pitched up as they responded, now curious as to what Tubbo was thinking.

“Get on with it, Boob.” Tommy yawned, leaning back, and Ranboo huffed a laugh at the mock annoyance.

“What if we became licensed heroes?”

Tubbo’s scream of joy was heard throughout the cave system.

Niki’s frown deepened as she turned over what had happened last night. That kid…

Hades. A skilled mercenary of an unknown species, heard of long before her hit had been set. But it felt wrong to her.

What sort of mercenary had been doing jobs for five years yet claimed they were new to the whole price thing?

“You alright?” Wilbur questioned, leaning against the counter, and Niki looked up, smiling at the brunet man.

“Yes, yes. I was just thinking. Had an interesting encounter today.” Wilbur’s brow raised in silent questioning as he corrected his glasses, which were threatening to fall off his nose.

Niki suppressed a giggle at the way the light blocked her view of his eyes, making him look like some comic villain.

“Do you know of Hades, perhaps?” She asked, and Wilbur’s brow raised higher.

Wilbur knew of Niki’s side job. A way to slowly clear the bad heroes out of the fields. 

“Everyone does. They’re all the rage after a hit’s been completed, especially that first time. Ren’s still holed up and I don’t think he’ll go public again.”

Niki hummed, tapping her fingers against the marble of the counter. She looked up at the ceiling, debating her exact words, then looked Wilbur in the eyes.

“They’re a kid, I think.”

The hero’s eyes widened.

“Maybe around seventeen, now? It was hard to tell, they used a voice changer.” Wilbur’s eyes widened further. If his posture could get worse, it would have just then. Niki heard the way his voice tightened.

“Their first kill was five years ago.” Wilbur practically growled, long tail swaying. His eyes narrowed as he looked up at the ceiling, taking a deep breath. “Eleven, Niki.”

“They were eleven.” She responded, voice solemn.

Chapter Text

Hey. This isn't a chapter. Apologies for that, but there won't be future chapters.

There won't be for many reasons. Let's start with the easy one.

I've moved on. DreamSMP will always hold a place in my heart to some degree, being such a large part of my process growing up, but I'm long out of this fandom. I still write- but you'll find I do so for fandoms such as Hermitcraft or Traffic Life Series now. I'm not moving back. As impactful as it was, DSMP was not the best period in my life.

And as for the hard one-
I can't write this knowing all that's happened. Techno's death, the entire Dream situation, and the whole reason I'm finally saying this: Wilbur.
As with the first version of this fic, Wilbur would have held an important role in the plot and in character relations. And knowing what I do now, I can't let that happen.
Fuck you Wilbur. Fuck everything you've done. May everything you created be tainted with the knowledge that you've ruined millions of lives for no fucking purpose.

And to the readers of this: I'm sorry I've abandoned it, I'm sorry it won't pan out how I wanted. But what happened did, and all we can do is live.
So all I have to say:

Support victims. Find a different band. And if you have attachment to any of his and Lovejoy's songs, pirate that shit.

Thanks for reading while you could.