Summary:

Book1. AU. Freedom is what drives them to live for tomorrow. To soul is a delicate thing but how much can someone take until they break. They use to live in true darkness longing to live amongst the surface. When that wish comes true, how far will they go to keep it? When everything they ever knew is put into question, how can they differ from reality and lies? Chapters now merged.

Author's note:

As promised, this is the first chapter of my fanfic 'How long can you survive' rewritten. Me and my co-writer hope you all enjoy it and if you have any questions about the story then please don't hesitate to ask. Make sure to review, favourite and follow this story as I will try and update as regularly as possible!strong And without further ado, I will let you read it!

New- Chapters have been merged and summary has been change. This one has previous chapter one and two together.

How long can you survive? Real: Chapter 1- Prologue:

A small boy sighed as he shifted nervously on his brother's lap. The taller twin looked down slightly, concerned by the action as he tightened his hold on the younger's middle. Indigo eyes locked with blue pools but no words were exchanged. Any attempt to speak would endanger their survival. Snuggling deeper into the magician's hold, the younger teen let out another, slightly audible, sigh.

Across from them, two other teens watch this with sadness in both of their eyes. The dark-skinned teen then made a quick inventory of their surroundings looking for any loophole or escape from this hellhole of a reality. The group was travelling with one strategically placed and armed guard, huddled together under the metal canopy of a military-grade enclosed truck. There was no way to unlatch the heavy hatch from the inside of the claustrophobic crate. He glared at the guard, burying his fear in his trademark hotheaded, the said man did not notice the hatred stare; still weirded out and slightly disturbed by the twins interaction with each other. What made Blade not act was the way that the man was unconsciously teasing the trigger of his machine gun. Any attempt at getting out of one's seat or talking was possible suicide. Despite his appearance, he wasn't as stupid as he looked. In fact, he was considered a genius; they all were. So it was most likely to stop all convocation of them trying to make an escape plan in code.

The twisted irony of the thought made Blade slightly amused. The people who reigned over them were scared of the weapons whom they have created because of the power they held, yet escaping or rebelling was nearly impossible. Both sides lived at a stalemate; unmoving in fear of the other.

Bouncing his leg a little in frustration, he looked towards the final member of the test subjects, Elextrix. The teen had placed his hand over that of the crimsion eyed boy and gave the other a barely noticeable smile. It was his well-used method of calming the other down that he learned ages ago.

The engine stopped as the crate jerked forward slightly and then backwards. The man in the front heaved himself up until he was standing in an upright position and glared at the four teens menacingly. Even with his loaded itinerary heavy on his shoulders, he refused to slump as he took the weight of his bag and a machine gun which was mostly trained on the dark-skinned teen and his red-eyed accomplice. The back door swung open and three more soldiers came in, guns on their person held at the ready.

"Stand up," one of them ordered, making the teens jump up. Each one grabbed a teenager firmly; escorting them inside the facility. Silver winced as one of the guards grabbed his arm to tightly, but he bit his lip and refused to say anything. He locked eyes with Shield, who's held concern and anger of the rough treatment the large man was giving his brother. Managing to tear his eyes away, he glanced towards the ground beneath him, frowning and fighting the urge to kick at the stone pavement.

Once they had entered the underground facility, the four were taken to their room and it was hurriedly locked tightly with a cling. None of the teens tried to open it- there was no point. There were trapped and once again at the mercy of each other and their sanity.

"We 'ave ta get out of 'ere" Blade scrawled at the door. He hated this place. The way they were treated was inhuman.

"I agree. They have been controlling our lives since we were made," Shield growled before throwing himself down on one of the beds and pulling Silver into his lap. The said teen yelped at the sudden movement but quickly settled down, making himself comfortable.

"But what are we supposed to do? Most of our plans at escaping this eternal hell have been spectacularly failed," Elextrix sighed depressingly, sitting down on the other bed. "Plus, if we did escape, where would we go?"

"Yeah. It's all we've ever known," Blades admitted as a heavy sadness filled the small room. They shared a depressed look of recognition. They had never been out of the base other than for short missions.

"You okay? I saw you wince when he grabbed your arm," Shield addressed the younger in a soft, gentle voice as he carefully peeled the long sleeve top to reveal smooth, creamy white skin. Upon it was a slowly purpling bruise on his forearm.

"Yeah, it's nothing," the reply became barely a whisper.

He never really spoke much, mostly using his telepathic powers to communicate. He actually preferred it that way. That way he couldn't cause trouble speaking when he wasn't supposed to. One of the scientists down in the labs thought that taking away his ability to speak would increase his telepathic powers. That experiment was halted before his voice broke when another researcher proved them wrong. After they had come back, Shield had managed to repair the damage with his healing powers but the mental scars still taunted him. Despite his protest, Shield laid his fingers over the bruise and little by little, it started to fade. The small pain slowly ebbed away and then vanished. As if it hadn't been there at all. The only evidence was a tiny spot that was slightly more pink than the rest of the surrounding skin.

"T-thank you," Silver turned around and hugged him, burying his head in his chest. Silver knew his brother would do it despite his protests- it was just the kind of person Shield was. No matter how small the deed, if he could help someone, Shield would always try to. That's why Silver never tries to expect so much from his overprotective twin- he already does enough and sadly, the younger did not know how to repay him for such actions. It depressed him to think that he couldn't even begin to help Shield as much as he had been helped.

Elextrix's eye twitched as he felt a disturbance in the corner of his eye. It made away across his vision, temporarily obscuring it to the one eye as the other had an image of a video chat. Reaching up a hand, he carefully pressed this side of his orb through the flesh. He aimed for the middle of the room as Elextrix eye shined, three beams of changing coloured lights flowed from his eyes and it swirled to create a 3D holographic projection in the middle of the room. Upon seeing his, the twins broke apart, not wanting to be caught by the higher ups in case they were calling them. Sitting up slightly, the four teens gazed intently at the young woman who had appeared on the other side. Once she noticed that they were all there, she began to speak:

"Silver and Blade must report to the lab. That last mission you attended may have had negative effects on your powers." With that, she ended the message and the door clicked open.

"It's like they were giving us a choice," Elextrix snorted out. "They have us trapped here for all our lives and they're still acting like they are running a business." He clenched his hands disgustedly.

"No joke," Blade scoffed, folding his arms in front of his body. He walked over and pulled Silver to his feet. Shield let him go reluctantly, eyeing the pair. Blade saw this and flashed him a small smile, eyes holding understanding and reassurance of a promise made years ago to protect Silver in Shield's absence.

"Let's go," he voiced, breaking his eye contact with Shield before dragging the oblivious boy out of the room. As they walked down the hall, Blade kept glancing back at Silver, who looked a little nervous, worriedly. Grabbing his hand, he led him down towards the labs where Shiho and another scientist was waiting. The pair bowled into the room. Blade wanted to say something to Silver to comfort the suddenly tense younger teen, but decided against it under the watchful eye of the numerous guards; armed with sub-machine guns and certainly not afraid to use them. He settled with hesitantly letting go of the other's hand, but not before rubbing it silently in comfort before retreating it back to his side.

Blade was taken by another scientist to get checked out while Shiho dragged Silver towards the other side of the lab as he eyed the guards warily. The young woman saw this and sighed. "For God's sake, I'm not going to hurt you Silver," the boy- as usual- stayed quiet as he averted his gaze to the floor. Shiho bit back angrily. Why did he always have the atmosphere of a walking cemetery? At least he is safe if he behaves and man that kid follows orders, his twin- not so much. The worst person to reason with was Blade. He could start an argument about anything. He was fine if you leave him alone with one of the test subjects for the superhuman project. She was unsure of why Shield and Blade had this rebellious behavior. It was unusual since they should know nothing except the arts of an assassin.

They were born in test tubes inside the facility for a bunch of scientists to experiment on and create the perfect superhuman assassins to fight and kill each other, those who betrayed the black organization, and other targets. She felt sorry for them. No one deserved that; even if they weren't exactly human. What happened to equal rights? Clearly, the boss didn't have any conscience. They were living, thinking beings and they deserved better.

She prepared the needle and pulled it back, letting blood enter the small space before pulling away. The teen didn't wince or move, looking forwards into the lab with dull, blue eyes. She covered it up with the bandage after dabbing the blood with cotton wool. She would help if she could, but she was just a pawn in whole sceam of it all. Her contribution alone would only get her killed or severely punished by the higher ups. Besides, her sister's safety was in her hands. She couldn't but her own flesh and blood in danger.

"Where did you get this?" The sudden voice made Silver jump slightly. She looked at what was left of the bruise from earlier, on his arm, as she waited for the test results to come looked embarrassed as he bit his lip.

"I-I was grabbed roughly b-by one of the guards." Seriously, it was nothing. Nothing is compared to what could happen on missions. He couldn't see why people were making a big deal out of it. Rolling her eyes, Shiho moved over to the monitor and found no anomalies in his blood. At least that's done. Turning back, she took his temperature. It was a little colder than a normal human's thanks to his ice powers, but it was fine for him.

"What would you like to create this time?" She asked. His reply came in action as he stared at his hands, blinking, before he let the water swell into the shape of a dolphin and freeze over slightly at the image, Silver let her take his creation from him, placing it on the side of the table. He wanted to keep it but didn't think he'll be allowed to. "Now let's try something else. How about you use that telekinesis of yours to move that chair," she mentioned to it, making the young man nod hesitantly.

Meanwhile, Shield and Elextrix went into the small living room, connected to the bedroom, and sat down. With a snap of Shield's fingers, the fire came to life, filling up the room with warmth.

Backflipping, Shield landed on the sofa, grinning at the eye roll that Elextrix gave him. "Show off," Elextrix mumbled before walking into the kitchen, coming back shortly after with a drink for each of them.

"Thanks, slave." Shield teased with a smirk, taking the drink and sitting up a bit to bend his legs so the other teen could sit down.

"Whatever. Just don't choke this time. I for one do not fancy rushing you down to the medic just because you drank too fast." He brought the cup up to his lips and sipped some. He kept it there, trying to hide his smile.

"Hey! That was one time and we were going to be late on staking out the target's apartment." He turned his head slightly and continued, not too quietly, "seriously. You do one thing and you are haunted by it the rest of your life! Let it go already." He swore this happened every single time. Ugh.

There was some comfortable silence between the two until Elextrix decided to ask a second opinion on something that had been bothering him for a while.

"Blade is right, you know," he voiced, coming to the conclusion. They have been in the facility for too long and it was doing them no good slowly turning into psychotic bloody killers. He shivered at the thought, feeling sick.

"'Bout what?" Shield asked, wondering in the back of his mind if there was some chocolate ice-cream left in the freezer. He didn't remember eating it but he would have to check. Oh, How he loved ice-cream. It was his favourite!

"Whether or not we can trust her," he started hesitantly. "I mean, she wants to help but doesn't know how." He elaborated when Shield gave him a confused look.

"Oh, I don't know. Shiho could become an ally in our escape attempt but her rank is pretty low so I am not sure. She's just too unpredictable," he mused out loud.

Elextrix shook his head. "Not what I meant. I'm talking about Vermouth. We still have to consider her proposal, remember? She want's Silver out of here and he couldn't simply leave without the rest of us in trouble, but she is unpredictable and mysterious. What if she relays our plans of escape to the boss? We would all be in trouble then," he fretted.

Shield took another sip out of his drink before sighing, "to be honest? I have no idea. I'm more worried about Vermouth's interest in my brother. Yeah, he's acts different from the rest of us but I'm pretty sure she had a hand in whatever made him that way. Though we'll probably never know why. Women work in mysterious ways; a bit like magic but more sentimental and complicated.

"That, we both can agree on," Elextrix said wryly. "But from what I information I have managed to gather, it is natural for Vermouth to worry and try to protect your twin. There is a type bond between the two as creator and subject and that makes her more obliged to keep him out of harm's way. Human emotions were a powerful, yet dangerous, thing and for some strange reason, Silver was made full of them; despite the boss's protests of having such, as he says, 'weakness' in one of this so-called 'weapons,'" he spat out the last part. He didn't like the thought of it. It made him want to throw up. He hated it.

Elextrix was right. There were mysteries behind Silver than they knew. Than Shield, himself, even knew. The only person with the clue was probably his patron and she refused to reveal them to anybody; even if they continuously pried for the answer. Shield knew that he was also made especially but for purposes unknown. They all worried about Silver as he was the weakest of the four and youngest. The last to be made. But his intellect was the most valuable to the team.

It just didn't fit. They had tried to beat and toutoure them into supmission yet they had always had hope and pried for a brighter furture. There was so much more answers out there about them and their oragins and the four wanted to know- needed to know.

"I guess we'll just have to find out when the time comes," Shield nodded in agreement.

"I wish that a day will come when we can finally be free." They both smiled at that thought.

"All done. Just try not to get yourself hurt as much next time." Shiho sighed, letting him be dismissed so that he can go back over to Blade, who was waiting impatiently for him. She only found minor scratches and bruises but she knew that Shield, no matter how small the injury, always tries and heals them. That boy could never see his team in pain or danger.

She stoically stared after the younger teenagers until they rounded the bend and she heard the metallic clang of the lab door swinging open and shut. Only then did she begin gathering her equipment from where it was left out on the table.

"Ya ok?" Blades asked in concern, getting a nod out of the teen. Slipping a hand in his, they hurried back to their apartment. Once they reached it, they entered and made their way to the living room.

"You're back! Shield, sit up," Elextrix nudged the other teen's knee before he moved so that he was sitting properly, placing both of the cups on the coffee table. Blade sat down in between them and Silver was pulled into his twins lap. The boy sighed and snuggled into the older teen. "How did it go?" Elextrix asked, curious as to why they had been called to the lab.

"All clear. Waste 'a time if ya asked me," Blade snorted, crossing his arms.

"I'm going to cook some dinner. I'm afraid that we would have to have pasta, again, unless any of you would consider eating protein bars?" Elextrix said, getting up to go into the kitchen.

"Yack. Pasta's fine with me." Those dreadful protein bars. Whatever was in them made him gag so much he was surprised that he didn't throw up.

The teen standing nodded before he turned and stalked into the kitchen, hoping to make the dinner.

Tonight was the night that her silver bullet was going to be safe. She felt a tingle of excitement. As a double agent and independent woman, she acted on her own goals over anyone else's. That's what made Vermouth so dangerous and unpredictable. If the others had to come along for this to work, then so be it. She really didn't care about the other test subjects, but being a creator made her in-charge and responsible for her own. Her creation was intriguing indeed. She certainly wasn't regretting gifting her creation with keeping emotions he was born with, for emotions worked in many ways; they could help his growth or stunt it. It could save his sanity or risk his life. It was a matter of how well her creation learned to control them. It is the same with people. With only the right words and motivation, it was astoundingly easy to get what you want. Manipulation was simple if you know how to do it. And her looks can certainly be deceiving.

Trust for her and the feeling of dependence would help her get her way in the near future. Fear and betrayal got him to obey her every demand. Sympathy and guidance would make him loyal to her and tell her things he may have been scared to inform others about.

Unlike the others, she knew how to play this so the situation could be in her favour and she was going to use the boys. If anything else, the others would be more grateful to her, allowing them unofficially under her command. The woman already had Shield in the palm of her hand in fear of anything happening to his precious brother.

A smirk appeared as she watched the security footage of the room. In only a few minutes, the plan would commence. Time to contact the lead roles.

"Thanks for the dinner, I'm full!" Shield fell back into the kitchen chair, stuffed.

"Yeah, now it's your turn to do the dishes," Elextrix glanced around at the three.

"Not again! This is so unfair," the first whined but he begrudgingly collected the plates and used his magic to manipulate them so they would follow, levitating closely behind them as he and Silver made their way over to the sink. Dumping them into the soapy water, he turned on the tap. Silver jumped up onto the side, picking up the washing liquid and squirting some into the bowl before returning it to its original position in a mechanical motion. Shield scrubbed, a disgruntled look on his face as he did. Using his molecular kinesis, Silver lifted his hand and made his water bottle from the table come over to him before grabbing it and taking a swig.

"Guys, we have a message," Elextrix came running back into the common area before projecting it in the middle of the room. Blade moved towards him to get a better look while placing a hand on his shoulder.

The two in the kitchen also made the way over; Shield picking up Silver from the counter and walking over before putting him down beside him on the couch.

"Vermouth," Silver gasped as she came in a holographic projection.

"We don't have time. You all want to get out of here and today is the chance, so don't screw up." The boys looked at each other with a smile before refocusing on the holographic image. They just couldn't believe it. They were finally leaving this hell hole. That is if this goes to plan. "You're just going to have to trust me. I've informed the FBI about the base and they are on their way over to try and distract the others so you four could slip undetected into the crowd and sneak out. Find Jodie, an acquaintance of mine. She will be wearing large glasses and has short, blond hair. She will help smuggle you out and take you to the FBI so that they could take over it from there. She can be trusted; she hates the Organization more than most, after all. Though it would be best to keep in mind that most should not know about the superhuman side of you. Tell those you don't trust that the Organization was trying to train you, four kids, to become cold-blooded killers and work for them." She examined their expression but found no shock. It was half true so she wasn't hoping for much. Good. They cannot be in shock for this to work. "Though," she added, "situations may arrive where it would be beneficial to inform the others about your powers. I'll leave it to your judgement to decide who's trustworthy." Here, she found a slight awe in their gazes. This is probably the most control they had ever had over their lives, She thought amusedly.

"Before I forget. Silver Bullet, when the commotion starts, default yourself to Cool Kid, it would help you slip through the agents. You are the most recognizable and I would appreciate it if there were less confrontation between you and the higher-ups. Shield, live up to your name and keep him safe. Keep them all safe. Good luck." She faded, leaving them turning to Silver, who shrank under their gazes.

"What's 'Cool Kid'?" Blade finally asked, breaking the puzzled silence as the three turned to him.

He closed his eyes and sighed, "my new secret ability. Age manipulation," he announced. He hated using it because of all the energy it took between transformations, but hopefully, it wouldn't hurt that much this time. Cool Kid was another default in his trick, so it should be easier to use.

"Wait, you can change your size and age?!" Elextrix was struggling with comprehending how it was even possible. But, he supposed that if the rest of their abilities were, then it wasn't all that surprising. He turned to Shield who looked equally shocked, so he guessed it was news to the other twin as well.

The commotion started to rage above. Bombs, followed by more explosions, ripped into the silence, followed by alarmed shouting. With a yelp, Silver clung to his brother as he looked up nervously at the precariously trembling ceiling.

"We have to go!" Elextrix voiced urgently. "Sliver, turn into Cool Kid," he ordered sharply.

Nodding, slightly scared, he ran into his and Shield's bedroom and pressed a button. The wall opened up slightly and clothes came into view. "Grab them and pass them to me when you're done." The others nodded curiously as he focused on his ability and closed his eyes. Here goes nothing. He tapped into the APTX drug that was embedded into his DNA and an agonising scream ripped from his throat as he simultaneously collapsed, weak knees buckling and plunging into unconsciousness.

/Wake up! Come on Silver!/ Silver's eyes swam open to the sound of his brother's frantic shouting. Blinking, three figures came into view and he frowned at the confused but scared looks they were giving him.

"You're so...midgey," Blade commented, motioning to his body.

"I know," he coughed as he pushed himself up into sitting position. The room spun dizzyingly around him, but he tried to push it away with a rough shake of his head. "No time. We must leave." Blade put his hands under his armpits and lifted him to his feet.

"Would you like one of us to carry you? You look tired," Elextrix asked with a frown. He really didn't want him to be slowing them down.

He shook his head before reaching up and taking his clothes. He quickly and increasingly steadily changed into them and put on some super-powered sneakers, just in case. Getting carried would draw too much attention to him. It would defeat the purpose of the disguise. Most members didn't know about Cool Kid and that could be the thing that saved them. Silver had trained with Vermouth, controlling his movements and abilities with this tiny body. It was one of the best weapons at his disposal.

He reached up and tugged on Shield's arm, leading him towards the door. "So that was what the extra training was for?" Shield started slowly.

"I'm still not a child, so stop talking to me like one," he muttered up, watching Blade cut through the doors hinges with an orange glowing blade that grew from his hand. The door clanked to the floor with a thud and he reabsorbed it.

"Let's go," Elextrix voiced the command as they hurried up the stairs. Most of the Organisation was busy so they failed to notice the three teenagers and child sneaking around them and edging around the conflict until they finally reached the lobby.

"C'mon we 'av' ta go," Blade spoke to the other three but as he turned around he saw them watching the FBI struggle to apprehend the members with shocked eyes. "Save it for later," he desperately pleaded before pushing them out of the door and into the fresh air.

"Where do you think you're going?" A broad man dressed in black stepped in front, towering over the teens. Elextrix gulped and moved closer to the other two, trying not to scan the floor and alert to the smaller's presence. They all hoped that he wouldn't try and find him.

"Hey, where's the wimpy one?" he mused, scanning the faces as they cringed. He thought a while before he continued with a manic grin, "No matter. I'm sure he can't get far. Oh well, kiddos. Games over and it's about time you got back into your cage," he pulled out a gun and cocked it. "Or maybe I should finish you? One. By. One." His smirk morphed into something even eviler as he looked between his gun and his prey.

Panic welled up in Silver's chest as he eyed the gun, stopping his advances towards getting behind the man. He saw Blade growl and start to make his sword out of his hands but was stopped as the gun came upon him. He had to do something! But what? He scanned the floor but found nothing he could use. Wait. He almost wanted to smack his forehead despite the severity of the situation. Of course! He had his own abilities! He spread his hand apart and focused his ice powers to his palms. It swirled and moulded into a pitchfork, solidifying instantly. Struggling a bit with the weight, he lifted his tiny hands and stabbed the man in the leg.

The man startled when he felt something piercing his flesh and screamed when coldness and pain spread through his leg. In seconds, he found himself collapsed on the floor, finding the pain too much to stand properly.

"Don't ever threaten my family again," Silver growled at the man before kicking him in the face. It wasn't much but it left a satisfying red mark. The three looked in awe and amusement. It was one of those rare moments Silver was angry. It was remarkably hard to do.

"What?" he blinked at them before becoming serious. "Let's go and find this Jodie person." The others nodded and followed him.

They warily skirted through the crowd of FBI agents and captured Organization members, trying to spot the person Vermouth had described. At last, they spotted her looking around anxiously.

"You must be Jodie," she jumped and whipped her head towards them, surprised by their silent approach. She was about to open her mouth but was beaten to it by Elextrix; "look, there is no time to converse. Vermouth said that you could help us, and to be honest, we don't really want to stick around here and risked being captured so..." he trailed off nervously, voice getting higher and higher with every syllable.

Jodie nodded in understanding. "Get in." She mentioned with her head towards the car she was leaning on and they wordlessly obeyed. She climbed in and started the car and soon enough, they were speeding away.

"I thought I was ordered to collect 4 teens?" She spoke, trying to take as many turns as possible to lose anyone who might be tailing them.

"...I have the ability to change my age and size. I'm normally a lot taller than this," Silver informed her reluctantly, timidly and reminded himself to trust in Vermouth's judgement in entrusting the FBI agent with the information.

Elextrix tensed when he caught sight of something in the rear-view mirror. Eyes narrowing, he rapidly searched the rooftops for any sign of- he paled as he saw another glint and a flash. Eyes wide, he yelled, "Everybody, get down!" While making himself as small as he could. The others only had a few seconds to react before the back window exploded into millions of tiny shards, flying everywhere.

TBC