Between Walls of Steel

[Centurion]

Pressure weighed down on the groggy boy's shoulders as his eyes scrambled to make sense of the small room Cade was in. A hazy voice spoke to him, apologizing for something, and the young man blinked blindly. His body ached, like he had been tossed through a meat grinder. Sore muscles cried out in rebellion as he struggled to sit up. The weight on his shoulders was gentle, but a primal instinct within the still semi-conscious young man triggered a violent reaction. Thankfully, he was not strong enough to do anything more than wriggle and push at Spector's arms, mumbling for the man to let him go. Marc stepped back, allowing Cade to gather himself.

  The young Hawaiian sat up and put his hands to his head. Running his fingers through the sandy brown mop on his scalp, Cade started to remember. The fight, the city, Angel, those costumed characters... His ass had been royally kicked.

"Y-you guys... you're one of the guys I fought in the city?"

"One of many." Spector took a seat on his own cot, leaning forward with hands clasped and placing his elbows on his knees

"What ha-... Oh God, Angel!" Cade shot to his feet, frantic, but his equilibrium failed him. Spector jumped forward and provided the young man with support. Carefully, Cade lowered himself back to a sitting position. Marc patted Cade's shoulder and returned to his own cot. "Is-Is she okay?"

"Safe, albeit a bit flustered. She has quite a mouth on her."

"Yeah, she does..." Cade smirked, but his mild happiness was squelched by the humming orange barrier blocking off their cell. He looked back to Spector, still confused. "You were talking to someone earlier, when I was still out?"

"Yes."

The Hawaiian glanced around the otherwise empty room. "Who?"

"I was speaking to Khonshu, God of Vengeance and the Moon. I am his arm, extended out into this world to dispense justice upon the unrighteous. I am the watcher, the guardian, the protector of those who trek under the lunar glow. I am the Moon Knight, his faithful servant."

"...Oh."

  Cade, now fully awake, forced his painfully sore body to rise to its feet. He glanced down at his hands and at the shimmering orange wall. He approached it and held out his right arm. Wordlessly, he summoned the Centurion Apparatus. The nano-machines buzzed beneath his skin, rushing through his veins to coalesce in a silver carapace over his limb... but nothing happened. Cade tried again, knitting his brow with focus. Much to the boy's chagrin, the Apparatus failed to respond. Suddenly, a sharp pain spiked on the side of his neck and he shot up his other hand to feel a thin metal disk resting on his skin. Like a systemic shock, the disc released a heart-fluttering pulse and Cade could feel the Centurion Apparatus melt back into whatever cavity in his body it hid in.

"Ow! What the actual Hell?"

"Some sort of inhibitor disc," Spector mused. "It must be designed to prevent you from deploying your suit, whatever it is."

"Sonofa..." Cade clenched his fists with frustration and punched the barrier. A painful shock drove it's way up his limb, using his bones like a highway, and Cade's arm was thrown back by the electric wall. "AGH, mistake!"

  He nursed his stinging knuckles and glared out at the domed cells surrounding them. Storm Troopers peered intimidatingly from rotating gravity lifts and isolated watchtowers. Intermittently, a lift would deposit one or two prisoners into random cells or retrieve a prisoner from a cell they occupied. 

"What's with the plastic spacemen?" Cade asked.

"Stormtroopers, Imperial foot soldiers."

"Imperial?"

"You're new here, aren't you." It was more of an observation than a question.

"Fresh off the boat."

"Welcome to the Omniverse, kid. Imperials own this Verse. Their soldiers walk the streets and run the prisons. After our scuffle earlier, the Stormtroopers tossed us in here as penance." Marc pointed at the watchtowers. "They're dangerous foes, but I wouldn't stress it. The Avengers have clout with the Emperor, and backup is on it's way."

"We're busting out of here??" Cade spun around, excited.

"No. Our butler will handle the red tape."

Visibly thrown off, Cade sat down on his cot again. "You were the guy in white, yeah?"

"Yes."

"You have a hell of a dropkick, you know that?"

Spector smirked and adjusted himself on the cot. "As Avengers, we do our best to be the best."

"Avengers, what's that? Like a... superhero team?"

"Precisely. Like minded individuals, dedicated to defending the innocent. A conglomerate of the mightiest heroes this world has to offer."

Cade nodded in understanding. "That's... pretty badass actually."

"You know," Spector began. "We could use someone like you. We've recently... lost a few members. New blood could go a long way in our crusade against injustice.'

  The young man was taken aback by the offer. He glanced out at the prison cells lining the walls, not able to recognize the world he was in. Cade Faulkner was lost, floating unguided in a new universe with new rules. Home was far away, so far he could probably never get back there. Maybe roots wouldn't be so bad. However, the boy had qualms with settling. It carried with it an air of acceptance, of defeat. It was like he was accepting this reality as his own, like he could never get home. He didn't believe that. There had to be a way back, a way to see his family again... to see Gwen. The thought jogged his memory and he frantically searched his prison jumper for her hat. Nothing. The green beanie was nowhere to be found in any of his neon orange pockets. Panicked, he stood up and rifled through the cot, hoping maybe it had been lost in the sheets. He tossed the flat pillow, the thin blanket, and even turned over the mattress to find nothing.

"Is something wrong?" Marc peered at Cade curiously.

"The hat! Her hat, it's gone!"

"Angel's hat?"

"NO! No, Gwen!" Cade sat back down, gripping his head with a tight grip. His knuckles went white as he squeezed his scalp. "My best friend, I had her hat!"

"Likely the Stormtroopers took it, along with your other clothes," Marc said.

"No! I need to get it back!" He ran up to the shimmering barrier and glanced frantically around the dome. "How do I get it back?"

"Relax, hero. Relax." Spector stood up and walked over to Cade, placing a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder. "We'll make sure you get it on our way out."

  Only mildly calmed by the man's words, Cade nodded and returned to the cot. Marc watched the gravity lifts for a moment, allowing Cade to burn through his thoughts in silence. After some time had passed, he looked back at the boy, shoulder leaned up against the wall next to the barrier.

"I'm Marc. You?"

Cade looked up, his eyes red and strained, but no tears allowed to escape their ocular prison. His face was set hard, resisting the emotion welling up inside. "Centurion."

"No, not your moniker. Your name."

The boy paused, staring at Spector. He thought hard before relenting. "Cade. Cade Faulkner."

"Good to meet you Cade."

Cade just nodded, obviously still lost in his own head. Marc looked back out through the orange window. 

It would seem we have ourselves a child in a man's uniform, Marc, desperate to play the hero he can never be.

"That seems harsh. And uncalled for." Spector whispered, keeping his voice low as not to disturb Cade.

But accurate. Look at him, trying not to cry.

"He's far from home."

So are we. My son, now is not the time for weak links. You have no reason to trust the boy can handle what is coming next. More than likely, he's never experienced anything like this before.

"All due respect, Khonshu, but I can handle this myself."

Very well, the God scoffed. But when he breaks down when he's most needed over some girl back home, don't come crying to me. I warned you.

Marc closed his eyes and focused as Khonshu's biting words faded away. He turned back to Cade and walked to his own cot. Taking a seat once more, the man leaned forward.

"Are you alright."

"Fine." Cade's voice was strong, unshaken by his emotions. Any trace of what he had been feeling before had left his face, now replaced with a cold and distant anger. "Just looking forward to getting out of this dump."

"That may take some time."

"Then let me get this DAMN thing off my neck so I can..." Cade started pulling at the disc on his neck. "GAH, what the HELL!"

"Cade, relax."

The boy stopped tugging, wincing at the shock it had administered. The hissing of a gravity lift sounded outside the barrier and a pair of troopers with a prisoner slid across their cell. A speaker crackled in their cell.

"Prisoner D773F, refrain from touching the Inhibitor."

"GET THE STICK OUTTA YOUR ASS AND MAKE ME, SPACE NAZI!" There was no response and Cade simply sucked his teeth in annoyance and flopped back on the bed.


"Antagonizing them won't help, Cade."

"But it makes me feel better... kinda."

Marc smirked and nodded. "Maybe. Just be patient, Jarvis will be here soon."

"Okay..." Silence followed, and Marc respected Cade's space. After a minute of quiet, the boy spoke again. "The Avengers. Tell me more?"

"Kid, I could tell you some amazing stories, some real tales to astonish..."

Cade was listening.