Four Years Old"Eddie, when are mommy and daddy coming come?" the young Nick Donovan asked his older brother late one night, finally getting to the age where he started asking questions.
"They're not. Not tonight anyway." The sixteen-year-old, Edward, told his little brother, flipping the light switch off in his room. "No more questions, just go to sleep already." he said, an annoyed tone in his voice, as his slammed the bedroom door shut, before his little brother could say anything else.
He started heading down the stairs, planning to raid the alcohol cabinet, hoping to actually be a real teenager for all of five minutes, rather than having to be a full-time dad to his little brother, but he had no such luck. He heard the door creak open, and within a matter of seconds, Nick was standing by the top of the stairs, dragging his teddy bear behind him and sucking on this thumb. "What now?" Edward snapped, just wanting to be free for once.
"Are mommy and daddy super heros?" Nick asked, staring at his big brother, wide eyed and innocent.
Edward sighed - he knew he would regret this later, but he also knew that the four-year-old standing above him at the top of the stairs wasn't anywhere near ready for the truth. "Yes, Nicky, mommy and daddy are super heros." he said to the little boy, forcing a smile, "Now go back to sleep."
Ten Years OldNick Donovan, please report to the main office. Nick Donovan, to the main office. There was a loud chorus of "oooohhhhs" from the classroom full of fifth graders as well as many snickers from the back of the room as their classmates name was called over the loudspeaker. Nick sunk down as low as he could possibly get in his seat, using his text book to shield his face. It was no secret that he wasn't exactly the most popular kid in school, and the constant trips to the principals office didn't seem to help much.
"What'd you do now Nick?" The teacher in the front of the classroom said, sighing and shaking her head, "Better gather up your stuff and go." She ordered Nick, and silently, he did as he was told. Clutching his textbooks close to his body, Nick slowly made his way through the rows of his classmates. By the time he had finally made it to the front of the room, he had managed to only get hit with three spit balls this time, which, all things considered wasn't too bad, being as how his record was fifteen - that Johnny Gilstein had ridiculously good aim.
Nick braced himself for the worst as he took the long walk to the principal's office he had become so accustomed to. He was never quite sure how he found himself there, but it was always for one thing or another. Punching a kid who had made fun of him in the nose, sticking gum to the bottom of the desk, running in the halls, you name it and Nick had probably done it. However, when he arrived at the principal's office, he found that he wasn't at all prepared for what he would have to face today.
Inside the office, stood his older brother Edward, who looked like he had been crying for hours. If there was one thing Nick knew for sure, it was that Edward didn't cry, and the minute that he saw his brother, he knew something was up - something big. "I already signed you out, let's go." Edward said, and grabbed Nick gruffly by his arm, tugging him out of the office.
"But I don't even have my jacket, or any of my books!" Nick exclaimed, slightly frightened by the way his brother was acting. But Edward didn't respond, simply just kept dragging him along behind him until the reached his car. He practically shoved Nick into the passenger seat and slammed the doors behind both of them.
The car ride home was silent. Edward refused to speak, and Nick didn't dare to, knowing it would only get him into trouble if he did. It wasn't until they had pulled into the driveway, and the car had been turned off, that Edward finally decided to break the silence. Taking a deep breath, he stared straight ahead, "Mom and dad are dead." He said, his voice devoid of any feeling.
It took Nick a minute for that to sink in. This must be some kind of joke right? But no, Edward wouldn't joke, not about something like this. "W-what? No...but, but they're like Superman or...or the Hulk, they can't die, they just can't!" Nick exclaimed, tears rolling uncontrollably down his cheeks.
Edward laughed at this, a cold, sarcastic laugh, but still a laugh, "Nick, do you really still believe that crap? I just told you that when you were little so that you would shut up and stop asking questions. Mom and dad are dead, that's all there it to it. No kryptonite, no epic battles between good an evil." He was saying this all sarcastically, mocking Nick, but he didn't really care. With his entire world crushing down before his eyes, his brother's unmerciful taunting didn't seem to matter much.
"H-how...?" Nick managed to stutter out quietly amidst all the tears.
"A car crash. They died in a car crash." Edward had said so perfectly, it was as he was an actor who had rehearsed his line over and over again just so he would have no chance of faltering even in the slightest. And he didn't, he just stared at the window in front of him, not even moving a muscle. And that was how Nick knew there was more to the story that Edward just wasn't telling him. As if he could read his thoughts, Edward turned his head to look at Nick, "Don't you ask any questions. Don't you dare."
One Month Before His Fourteenth Birthday...But wait, there's more! Not only do the multi-color wonder crayon marker pens come with an extra set of neon colored wonder crayon marker pens but they also come with two, yes two wonder crayon marker pen erasers! And, if you act now, we'll give you double the wonder crayon marker pens for the same low price of, you won't believe it, $24.95! That's right call now and for just $24.95 you can - The television turned off in the middle of the commercial and Nick looked up, only to see his brother standing behind the couch, remote in hand, with a stern look on his face. "Hey! My show's not over yet!" He complained, but Edward's continued stare shut him up - Nick knew when his brother meant business.
"Nick," he said, walking around the couch so that he could stand directly in front of his brother now, "The agency, and myself as well, think you are old enough now to know the truth." He started, and Nick raised an eyebrow at him. What the hell was he talking about?
"The agency? What the hell are you - " But he didn't get a chance to finish.
"Shut up and listen Nick." His brother commanded, interrupting him. So he did. He shut his mouth and didn't say a word for the next hour while his brother explained to him first how his parents hadn't died in a car crash - they were murdered by the CIA. Why had the United States government wanted them dead? Well, because they were considered threats. Turns out all those long nights his parents wouldn't come home, it was because they were off on missions, missions assigned to them by the Russian equivalent of the CIA or the FBI, designed to infiltrate the US government and learn all of it's secrets.
Why? Well, Nick wasn't allowed to ask why. He was however, expected to finish his training, and become a Junior agent, right along side his brother, who apparently was being made a full agent. Oh, and he also found out how the both of them had somehow been in training practically since they were born? His head was swimming with the information he was finding out. Since he was a kid, he'd been trained, trained to fight, to kill, to problem solve - no wonder he had always been the last one picked for teams in gym class, he was a freak.
"I need some air." Nick said, the walls feeling like they were closing in on him.
"Nick, you're not going anywhere, a few members from the agency are coming to pick you up in a few minutes and - "
"No!" Nick yelled, interrupting his brother this time. "I'm going for a damn walk! I need to get out of here!" He exclaimed, and stormed out of the house. He figured the only reason he had even been allowed to leave, was that he had caught his brother off guard big time - Nick never talked back to Edward, ever, no matter what. So, the minute he got out, he broke out into a run. He ran, and he ran, and he ran, until he finally reached his destination - the local police station.
He wasn't sure whether he was there to turn himself in, or tell them the information he had just found out, or possibly just vent to someone, but he sure as hell knew he wasn't going to become a spy and get himself killed like his parents had. No now, not ever. He also knew he was dangerous, and whether he liked it or not, he had no idea what he could eventually be capable of. So, the young boy, though he was terrified, told the cops everything. They held him overnight, and his brother, along with two other agency members were arrested. They next day they decided it would be best for Nick to be placed into the witness protection program, where the rest of the agency couldn't get to him, and where they could keep him under constant surveillance.
And that's when he knew his life could never be the same again.
GotxDynamitex
