Chapter 7: Back Then

Seven Years Ago: Angel Wings Orphanage

“Laaaance! Wake up!” Shouts a young Allen in a seemingly futile attempt to wake his friend.

“Wooow Lance is really out cold.” Says a little girl with short maroon hair, tan skin, green eyes and nothing but a dirty oversized t-shirt that goes down past her knees

“C’mon Alice you gotta help me wake Lance up! Otherwise Mother Jacquelyn will be furious!” Allen replies to the girl with a sense of urgency.

“LANCE BLADERUNNER! ALLEN KIRKWOOD! ALICE FLORSHEIM! YOU KNOW I DON’T LIKE TO BE KEPT WAITING! I’M COMING UP THIS INSTANT!” A woman shrieks out as she walks up the staircase

*THUMP THUMP THUMP*

“Crap, what do we do Alice?! She’s on her way up right now!” Allen whispers out to her in a panicked frenzy

Both of them then start to shake Lance in a desperate attempt to wake him up until he eventually rises up from his slumber.

“Oh hey Allen, Alice. Good mornin’!” Lance says rubbing his eyes and letting out a deep yawn.

“Look alive Lance! Mother Jacquelyn is on her way up as we sp-,“

“Ohh? What have we here? You aren’t talking behind my back are you?!” Says a grotesquely large woman dressed up in a nun's outfit who then proceeds to pick a young Allen up by his hair.

 “Stop! Mother Jacquelyn you’re hurting him!” Alice says concerned for her friend’s safety

*POW*

“Shut up you wretched brat! How dare you talk to your mother like that!” The woman yells as she kicks Alice to the floor.

“YOU SHUT UP! YOU’RE NO MOTHER TO US! YOU’RE JUST AN UGLY OLD HAG!” Lance lashes out after witnessing the poor treatment of his friends!

The Lady chunks Allen at Lance, knocking the latter to the floor.

“Listen here you little rats.  I have a client that wants to take a good look at you three! If I’m lucky one of you eyesores will be outta my hair for good. Now be on your BEST behavior!” She shouts

The Woman then sticks her head out the room and calls out to her client

“Come in Mr. Washburn, the kids are over here!”

*THUMP* *THUMP* *THUMP*

A pale balding man of even greater size than Mother Jacquelyn enters the room. He is presumably a wealthy man wearing a lavish purple  robe revealing an unsightly hairy chest and large gut. The man walks a round with a cane with a large “W” fixated on the tip and wears a golden monocle over his right eye.

The man quickly looks over at the two boys and sneers at Mother Jacquelyn.

“Is this a joke?! I have no need for scrawny boys such as these! You said there was a girl among these children! WHERE IS SHE?!” He yells

‘Where the hell did that little brat go?’ Mother Jacquelyn wonders to herself

She then hears whimpering from under one of the beds.

“THERE YOU ARE YOU BRAT!” Mother Jacquelyn yells as she yanks Alice out from under the bed

“Nooo!” Alice yells with tears in her eyes

She is then approached by Mr. Washburn who puts his hand on her chin and lifts it upwards causing her to tremble in fear.

“Ahhh I like the way this one squirms. I'm sure she’ll make me a lot of money when she gets older. Yes I’ll take her home and let her grow a few more years, then after that I’ll have ‘other’ uses for her.” He says with a sinister grin.

“Very well sir, she’s all yours! We’ll discuss the paperwork downstairs!” Mother Jacquelyn says with a similar grin

Alice terrified at the thought of being separated from her friends breaks down into tears

“NOOO. PLEASE DON’T TAKE ME AWAY! I WANNA STAY WITH MY FRIENDS!”

Mother Jacquelyn slaps Alice across the face

“I’m about to make a fortune from this you understand?! Don’t you DARE ruin this opportunity for me!”

Mr. Washburn grabs Alice’s arm and begins walking out the room.

“Don’t worry dollface, I’ll take good care of you”

Allen deeply distraught at the thought of Alice being taken away begins to think hard to himself.

‘No..no.. They can’t take Alice away from me. I won’t let them’ 

*woosh*

As the two begin to walk out the room with Alice, Mr. Washburn is struck in the back of the head with a small gust of wind causing him to stumble forward.

“What in blazes was that?!” Mr. Washburn yells his face red with fury.

Allen nervously mutters “It. It was-“ 

Before Allen can get the words out of his mouth is pushed to the side by Lance.

“I did it you dirty pig! What are ya gonna do about it?”

“Lance. What are you doing?!” Allen whispers to his friend

 “Shh. Just leave the rest to me!” Lance says to Allen assuring him everything will be fine

The infuriated Mr. Washburn rushes towards Lance and raises his cane in the air in attempt to get him back.

“Do you know who I am?! I’ll have your head for laying your hand on m-!”

*BAM*

Lance gives Mr. Washburn a ferocious knee to the chin that sends him flying into the wall knocking out his false teeth in the process.

“I don’t know and I don’t care! What I do know is that anybody who makes my friends cry gets a major beating!” Lance yells out at the now unconcious Mr. Washburn.

“He- He’s out cold! Th-This kid’s a demon!” Mother Jacquelyn says before fainting from shock.

Lance walks across the room and opens up one of the windows but Allen runs after him.

“Lance! Wh-where are you going?!” 

“There’s no future for me if I stay here. I have to go.”

“Wait! Take us with you!”; “We want to stay with you Lance” Allen and Alice cry out not wanting to be seperated from their close friend.

“I’m sorry guys but i'm afraid i can't stay here. You heard what the guy said, he’ll have my head. When he wakes up he’ll send people after me for sure. I refuse to put my friends in that type of danger!”

“B-But we’re family!” Allen whimpers as tears gradually start forming in his eyes.

“Allen you need to grow up! You can’t keep crying when things don’t go your way!”

“Laaance please don’t go!” Alice says beginning to cry as well

“Shhh. You guys'll wake up Mother Jacquelyn! I’ll come back for y’all when I’m a lot stronger, that’s a promise..” Lance whispers to his friends

Allen then wipes the tears from his eyes.

“O-okay Lance, promise you’ll come back alright?” 

Alice proceeds to hold both of her pinkies out to her friends

“You need to pinky promise. Both of you, that no matter what happens, we’ll be reunited again as a family”

“Very well, that’s a promise” Lance says gripping Alice and Allen’s pinkies with his own; “Yeah a promise” Allen says as they all shake

“This is goodbye for now guys. Stay strong! And Allen protect Alice Always. I'll see you soon.” Lance says quietly as he jumps out of the window.

Lyssandria Forest outskirts: Present time

“Allen is that really you? It’s been so long! Glad to see you’re doing we-“

*Pow* 

Allen gives Lance a sharp kick to the stomach..

“AHHH” Lance yells in pain from Allen’s kick

“Shut the hell up! You’re the LAST person I wanna hear that from!” Allen yells out in anger

“Wh-what gives man?! Where’s Alice?!” 

Allen becoming even more angry gets on top of Lance and grabs him by the collar..

“WHAT DOES IT MATTER TO YOU?! YOU BROKE YOUR PROMISE AND ABANDONED US!!” Allen screams punching his old friend in the face.

“Abandoned..? What are you talking about..? And mind telling me why I’m tied up like this?” A fatigued Lance responds back to Allen.

“I hear you’re looking for Hellhound. Well you’re in luck, coz you’ll be seeing him real soon.” 

“Allen don’t tell me you got mixed in with the likes of him! Do you know how dangerous that guy is?!”

“HA! I’m not the weak crybaby you knew back then, I’m A LOT stronger now. Once I get my reward for bringing you in, I’m taking him out as well.”

‘What happened to him? The Allen I know wouldn’t hurt a fly. I need to get out of these bindings..’ Lance thinks to himself

“It’s no use Lance. I know very well about your "Push" as well as your magnetic manipulation. There’s no way you’re breaking out of these bindings.”

“C’mon Allen snap out of it! What happened after I left?! Why are you working with Hellhound?! Let me help you!"

“You can help me by giving up this useless struggle.” Allen says as he pulls out his tranquilizer

‘It’s no use, there’s no reaching out to him while he’s like this. He said he’s taking me to Hellhound’s base, I should just play along for now’ Lance thinks to himself.

*SCHLICK*

Allen pierces Lance with his tranquilizer which knocks him out within seconds.

“Nighty night.” Allen says as he hauls Lance off en route to Hellhound’s hideout

 

HE'S DOWN FOR THE COUNT. WHAT DOES LANCE PLAN TO DO WHEN HE GETS TO HELLHOUND’S LAIR?