Between Walls of Steel

[Dust]

Dust and Dick barely had time to process what was coming out of the girl’s mouth when they heard a voice behind them. “DA389.”

Dust knew that number especially well, from his past. It was tattooed across his neck so everyone knew exactly who they were addressing as well, in big thick bold text. Dick glanced back to see that there were about for troopers waiting for the werewolf prime outside. This conclusion coming because they only addressed the one man. Perhaps they assumed they needed multiple men to contain the tallest Prime of the group. Dick concurred, he did not believe that a mere four would do though.

Hokori slowly turned around and approached the door, having to look down at them. He said nothing in response.

-

The doctor waited patiently until they guards had fully bound the youthful man to the metallic chair which has already been previously bolted to the ground by the largest screws available at the moment. This was done in one of the corners in the interrogation rooms. While the young man appeared to be already impressively strong, it seemed this was his weakest state. It was best to bound him now with all the precautions they would use for a very dangerous Prime.

The good doctor watched as the contractor merely stared back at him with a focus as strong as the last man. He had broken Cad, and he would break this one just as well. However, this Prime didn’t have a hat to latch on to and throw in his face. Instead all he had to go by was what was available on the various media that surrounds this particular Prime.

“Hokori Owari Hoshi.” He said but did not offer any introduction of himself. “Since you seem so eager to start, let’s.” He took a seat at the table that was roughly on the other side of the room, opposite corner.

There were several recording instruments in the room including a camera in the corner that taped Dust being locked into the seat by various means: Locked chains that netted across his strong young muscles, the cold metal rubbing along his mostly exposed flesh; Padlocks on either side of his wrists to keep his noted relaxed arms down; Finally, his legs lifted by a steel foot stool to keep him firmly planted in the chair as well as comfortable through all of this.

Wolf just stared at him longer, in silence. The doctor imagined he was steeling himself for the conversation. “One moment, I am sure I read it somewhere that you prefer the translation of Dust, The Dying Star.”

“Dust.” He grunted from between his clenched jaw, only his chest moving to exhale the breath that was needed for the noise of his voice. It came out like a short bark.

“Dust.” The man repeated, then went to his papers again. “Your debut in Dante’s Abyss was, from my understanding, impressive. Apparently some of even the Emperor’s followers have taken a liking to you. Fans, as they seem. Infatuated with you they all seem to be…” He trailed off, some of the confiscated fan fiction in his hand. He tossed it to the table and looked Vok back in the eye. “Attention like that can be fleeting, but you’re popularity has seem to only grow.”

He was met with silence.

“As I remember, you were friends with Gildarts by the end of the event.”

Dust nodded.

“Last time I heard Gildarts was escorting you about in Vasty Deeps according to a stray report made by one of our female ‘troopers.” He commented, not really looking away this time. “It’s a bit far from Costa del Sol. What’s brought you all this way?”

“Hoseki.” Three syllables.

This word meant nothing to the doctor. Mostly because he didn’t know Japanese. If it were a name he’s never heard it, if it was a place it wasn’t important. “That is why you are prowling about with our resident ‘heros’ and destroying parts of our city?”

He asked, trying to get some kind of reaction from Dust, but it failed.

“The footage shows that you were thrown by the man I spoke with earlier. Cade, Centurion as he liked to call himself. With the orange glowing outfit.” He said, pulling out screen shot of the man who’d been carrying Angel. “This one.” He said, trying to keep Dust’s memory on the even at hand. “Given that you ranked pretty high in Karl’s game I imagine that being thrown through a building by a man half your size can be embarrassing.” He held up another screen shot. Dust’s transformation was in mid punch. They caught it perfectly at the point where Wolf’s jaw left the grey fist that was young man’s suited hand and on his way to some poor guy’s shop. The wolfman’s face twisted upon impact. “Not to mention painful..” The doctor added.

Dust glanced at the pictures but made no reaction.

The interrogator remained silence in hopes he’d get more of a reaction but received none. It would seem he has much more conviction than Cade, more resolve. The doctor had no idea that the contractor before him not only was immune to these tactics due to his nature, but that he’d been treated to much worse than this and trained to resist talking. Lycan, however, was being as cooperative as he thought was needed.

“The building is barely salvageable.. We were lucky no one important was hurt.” The man continued, pulling the papers back and putting them in seemingly random stacks. “You seemed completely unphased as well. If you suffered against anything you don’t show it. I noticed that all the scrapes and bruises you did receive are now gone. You must be resilient to all kinds of damage.”

There was still no response.

“Too bad your records only consist of trouble making and making out with your colleagues, or else there might have been a great deal of use for a Prime like yourself to our cause.” He noted verbally, lifting up more papers and glancing at the contents. “I think we’d be able to excuse all of that given the right information. Maybe you would like to work under a power that isn’t scrambled apart or lead by lunatics…”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Dust responded, eyes still staring him down.

The doctor looked up at that. He was surprised mostly by the fact that the boy could talk, but also that he’d say something responsive. “Do you like working with the insane and rash?”

Ookami returned to the silent treatment.

“Are you aware that they make hasty decisions based on emotions and lack of logic?”

Nothing, though the doctor though he saw a flicker in Dust’s dark red eyes.

Then the man at the desk smiled. “That’s right. From my understanding, you attacked first.”

Still nothing.

The doctor decided that maybe he should return to this one after he’s gotten more information from the other’s. The other girl, the one with blue hair. She may be more useful to talk to sense the bounts of fights managed to center around her. “Perhaps you are just in a spoiled mood because you are hungry.” He said, nodding to the guards. “We should have another conversation after lunch.”

“Does that mean we are done,” Dust asked as the guards adjusted his legs to pull out the stool, freeing his feet for leverage to stand.

“For now.” He admitted.

“Thank you, sir.” Dust said, standing up.

The chair strained and groaned, cried out from the strength of its assailant. The chains which were bolted to the ground also cried out as they snapped right off the tall prime. The locks would have followed suit, but the thin steel flaps they held on to broke first. Everything fell off of the kissing prime like water out of a pool and he stood there boldly. He then turned to the guards, wordlessly asking if they would escort him if they would so kindly. This display of raw power left everyone in the room and the observation room speechless. As the two guards began to take Dust to the chow room, the doctor scribbled some notes.

Ideally the chains were not broken and escape was not made out of respect for our authority. Hokori Hoshi should be watched for candidacy and approached with caution. He is indeed a ‘good boy.’.


-

All of the Avengers navigated the crowded floor that was the mess hall and united as a group in the corner but among several other groups of people. Plenty of prisoners tested the patience of one Marcus by winking and cat calling at Blaire. Another portion dared to challenge both Dust and Cade by whistling at Angel.

It was actually the first time Cade and Dust met face to face, eye to… Well Cade had to look up for the eye to eye. He made a mental note that the werewolf had been especially intimidating on his own, but the man under the fur was just as much. He swallowed his fear though and puffed out his chest just the same. The two fighters stared each other down so intensely that even the world around them noticed the fierce rivalry.

It was a rivalry that calmed crowds and called to the ocean for sweet waves that crashed against cliff sides for atmosphere. It made their comrades nervous and enemies - if any - cheer internally for their blood. It demanded silence, and it was given that silence. Only the echoes of radio messages to superior officers out of fear that something may go down between the two could be heard.

Then at the same time, they fist bumped. Dust’s normal teeth flashing in a friendly smile while Cade’s relief lets him do the same.

They sat down together, Cade clapping him on the bare back like they were already good friends. “Hey man, great fight. Except, did you have to be so rough?”

Dust smirked. “What about you? That was one hell of a punch.”

“If you two are done, we need a plan.” Moon Knight interrupted their good time, letting the sounds of multiple people in a small room suffocate their words so that the only people that can hear is his crew.

“Weren’t you the one that said we should wait for Jarvis.” Asked Angel.

“My recent experience leaves me with the strong impression that we can’t wait that long.” Moon Kight offered but no more.

Cade nodded in agreement. “Same.”

Dust wasn't sure what that meant, but from his own experience he gathered he wasn't the first to go into that room. Especially when he was expected to know Cade by name. He looked around at everyone, wondering who else was subjected to that kind of questioning. It was even only then that he realized he had no idea what they wanted other than wanting to know who they were. But the doctor in that room knew who he was.

He very quickly understood.

“We shouldn’t stir the pot.” Dick mumbled, stirring what he’d been told was soup.

“I don’t like it here,” Marcus growled his body tense.

While staring at his food Dust spoke up this time. “This prison isn’t so bad, but it’s not supposed to be fun.” The mood hadn’t been any more gloomy than when this started, but the ever-smiling Prime now wore a serious look. The people around him shared confused glances at his words, except Angel. And Marcus.

“You don’t think I don’t know!?” Marcus raised his voice. Target acquired.

Blair was quick to try to stop him, grabbing one of his impossibly strong arms. “Marcus do-”

“D324.” The passing guard warned.

Marcus was on the verge of exploding, and everyone but the newest members knew it. That gave Moon Knight his idea. He waited for the room’s noises to reach the appropriate roar. “Okay Team, I have a plan.” He said, tossing his mashed potatoes to the table and beginning to use the spuds as playdough to explain his quickly thought out plan. They would start a riot, then escape in the chaos. It was hastily thought up, hastily explained, and in no doubt would be hastily shut down…


-


“That’s it!” Marcus’s hands slam down on the potatoes which splatter across the faces of his allies before he stands up and just punches Dust flat on the face, knocking him back onto the floor. Blair cries out again in an attempt to stop the angry war machine. Marcus was already climbing over the table, guards were beginning to converge, The Avengers already attempting to pull him off their new friend.

Dust’s feet lifted up as Marcus came down on him, the shoes he’d summoned somewhere on an island as far as he remembered. He didn’t even hesitate as he launched him up in the air. To everyone’s genuine surprise, the terminator was launched high into the air by the contractor; Guards on the catwalks were even stunned as they watched the battered machine lift into the air and then fall into another table and breaking the 30 manned table in rough halves.

Meanwhile Hokori got to his feet and began the stance of his transformation. Angel cried out: “Stop him! He’ll kill ‘em!” Despite knowing Dust couldn’t transform without a kiss. And just like that Centurion and Moon Knight double team to drag the werewolf back to the ground. Their weight combined was enough to throw him forward, right into the tables of more prisoners. The wrong kind of prisoners.

“HEY FUCK HEAD!” One bald and tattooed mean looking man screamed at Cade before trying to take a swing at him. For the sake of the plan, the auburn-haired hero took it. He then returned it, as lightly as he could and blaming his lack of strength on holding down Dust who bucked and struggled all the same.

Very quickly the gangs of men both good, evil, and neutral dog piled on top of Wolf. The entanglement of prisoners and guards left Marcus alone to fight a few stray people before rushing for one of the doors. Blaire was at his side and attempting to help him as they stumbled through hacking the keypad.

Angel and Dick were left both in their seat, stunned. Or at least pretending to be. Something between slamming herself into the forcefield cage and the fight caused her to be paralyzed from the hips down. It wasn’t really a concern at the time, but now she had to watch helplessly as all her favorite men beat the snot out of prisoners and guards alike. Dick had to stand by to pick her up when their escape was evident. While it looked like the three were on the losing side, Angel was feeling confident that this might actually work

In the background as an impressive feat Dust lifted himself from the piles of men and grabbed two at random before snapping their skull together like a high school marching band member clanging symbols together. The sound was less of a high pitched brass chime and a more of a hollow thunk of two skulls cracking together. They fell unconsciously to the side while he began to wade through the other’s. Moon Knight and The Centurion hand branched off themselves and were taking out groups in their own way.