The world seemed to slow down. Air rushed around him, whistling in his ears, the sky a blur of stars and dark colours above him as his eyes opened and closed. Falling was something unique-a terrifying mixture of graceful peace and sheer terror as the awaiting fate moved closer and closer. 

His stomach churned and he tried to move his body, ready to hit the ground. He'd never fallen so hard, so fast-so really really very fast- so far, and was entirely unsure how much of an impact that the suit could take.

Dark pavement came into view and the whooshing of air mixed with the hum of cars and absently Blaine noted how thankful he was that the street wasn't a busy one and that the glass building was surrounded by many more solid, taller ones. He was obscured from view unless you happened to be looking up while driving. None of the blurred cars seemed to be stopping.

He braced himself for the impact when he realized it was a second away, feeling resentment at how badly this could end. He held his breath and closed his eyes, letting his mind consume with memories of his family and his friends and Kurt-Kurt laughing, and smiling, and the taste of his lips. Kurt with sunlight streaked through his hair and Kurt brushing a hand over Blaine’s without realizing it. Kurt’s voice when he sang, so sweet and beautiful. Kurt when he joked and Kurt when he was sad. Kurt when he was so unbelievably happy that it made Blaine unable to believe there was anything bad in the universe. It gave him peace as he let the world disappear again, pretending that all there was were his thoughts.

Then it hit him all at once.

He hit the ground with a resounding thud, first on right shoulder, and then rolling over the sidewalk, his entire body taking the impact. In his mind he was conscious of the suit, while his body ached each time he rolled. Slowing down, he stumbled to his feet, moving onto his ankle unsteadily so that it twisted at an odd angle and pain rushed through it like fire licking at his skin.

He let out an audible moan, the pain sinking in slowly, but hurried towards the shadowed alley, his vision taking a moment to adjust. Suppressing the pain that rolled through him, he started to run, his mind spinning, thankful that the fall had turned out as he'd hoped.

It only got worse as he rushed away, trying to figure out where to go. His throbbing legs seemed to be moving him home-somewhere comforting and familiar. His thoughts were fuzzy and he was only a block away when somewhere in the back of his groggy head he thought of Coop. His brother was probably at home by now, wondering where he was. His brain was starting to catch up with him and he thought about how easily they could find his house-he pictured them bursting in on a confused Coop, staring around as crowds of men pointed weapons at him. A shiver went up Blaine’s spine at the image. He was leading them right to him.

Blaine rounded the corner, dipping free of the shadows as the suit retracted. As soon as he did this, though, fresh pain burst through his ankle. He stumbled to the side, biting down on his lip to stop himself from gasping. Thinking fast, he willed the suit to move itself just there, hoping that he could cover just the twisted ankle. Cool metal slid over his skin but didn't stay. Instead it moved towards his ankle, skipping over his skin until it could wrap around it. When he felt the metal slip into place Blaine pressed his foot down-the pain still made him wince but it was numbed and at least bearable. 

Scrambling to find his keys, he registered that Coop's car was parked in the driveway. The lights were on inside, shining dimly through the curtains. Blaine shoved his key in, trying to push the pain that was aching through his entire being to the back of his mind.

Blaine threw his keys onto the table, trying to think through what he was doing. He needed to get Coop out of the house; he wouldn't let them hurt his brother-

"Blaine?" Coop moved into the living room through the kitchen doorway. He looked at Blaine with a mixture of concern and anger. Music was playing softly from the other room and Blaine was conscious of how late it was-somewhere in the early hours of the night. "Where've you been?"

It was now or never, he knew it, yet his stomach squirmed. He didn't want to have to tell Coop but what else was he supposed to do? He was sick of lying, and he knew Coop, his stubborn, persistent brother, wouldn't take another lie anyways. He swallowed, standing in front of the door, his hands shaking, staring at Coop. His mouth felt dry and his brain fuzzy, but he had to do this. He had to help. 

"Coop," he started numbly, trying to get himself to speak, "I-there's something I have to tell you."

Registering the shaking of his brother's voice, Coop moved forwards. "B, what's wrong?"

"Coop," he said again, forming the words in his mind. He nodded at the couch and Coop took a seat, looking with confused concern at Blaine. He felt strange, standing over his older brother, who he'd always felt smaller than, not just literally, but because he could come to Coop and feel young and scared and let himself be wrapped in those safe arms and told everything would be okay. "I-well..." He swallowed, clasping his hands together. "There's something I haven't been telling you and I-I need you to listen and to believe me, Coop, okay?"

Coop looked blankly at him, obviously confused but willing to listen.

He thought about being back at Kurt's, telling him the truth breathlessly. He could do that then; he could do it again now. "I-I'm him," he said, forcing himself to say it. He shook his head, gathering himself. "I'm Silver Spark."

All the lies he'd said to protect Coop from the truth, all of the times he'd snuck out or taken abuse for being home too late and not on time to school, came crashing down around him, and with those three simple words another layer of himself was peeled away. He felt like he was standing before the crowd again, unmasked and exposed. He lifted his head, expecting the worse.

Coop stared at him, disbelief tinged in his eyes. "Blaine-"

"Coop, you've got to believe me," Blaine pleaded, glancing at the door behind him. They could appear at any minute, and he needed them both to be gone. "I'm telling you the truth." A thought struck him and he turned to Coop again, willing the suit to slide over his skin. The cool metal covered him, the familiar second skin shiny silver in the light.

For a moment, all Coop could do was gape at him. Then, slowly, a sideways grin spread over his lips, shaking his head. "Damn Blaine," he laughed, "that's impressive."

A little of the tension in the room melted away and Blaine exhaled the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Hands still shaking slightly, he continued, "We need to leave, though."

The joking manner dropped and Coop stared at him. "What's wrong?"

Wringing his hands, Blaine debated how much to tell him. "Well..." He glanced back at the door again. "Things happened and people are looking for me," he said carefully.

"Looking for Silver?" Cooper asked, trying to follow.

Blaine looked back, shaking his head. "Looking for Blaine Anderson."

"What did you do?" Coop demanded in his utmost older-brother voice, staring at him.

"I didn't do anything!" Blaine said, feeling defensive. He shook his head at his brother again. They didn't have time to argue. "People are looking for me because they know that I'm Silver," he explained quickly. "The first place that they'd probably look for me is here and I don't want them to find you-"

"What people, B?"

Blaine swallowed, "Certain people okay, I was with them and they figured out-"

"And how did you end up here then?" Coop interrupted.

Again, Blaine hesitated, unsure exactly of how much he wanted to tell Coop. "I-I fell out of a window, okay," he said, rushing through the words, "and then I ran here, but we need to leave."

"You did what?" Coop asked, but Blaine was hurrying to let the suit fall away, grabbing the car keys and then setting them back down. 

"Walk somewhere," Blaine told Coop, grabbing for the door handle. On a second thought, he looked out the window, searching the dimly lit street, his anxieties starting to get worse. "If you take the car then they'll just follow you-Coop?" Blaine looked round. Coop scooped up the keys, grabbing his coat and throwing it on. "You aren't," Blaine said firmly.

Coop grinned at him, "Which one of us is the adult here?"

"They'll just follow you-" he tried but Coop cut him off.

"Blaine, obviously you have somewhere to be," he said, gripping the keys. "And if I can help you then I will help you."

For a minute the two just stared at each other, both refusing to look away. Blaine could see the stubborn determination glinting in his brother's eyes, worry and protective concern flecking his expression. He remembered all those times his brother had stood in front of him, held him close, been his rock or his wall or his best friend. His brother, whom he had hidden his other life from, lied to time and time again, to keep him from finding out the truth. He stood tall in front of Blaine, keeping his gaze, gripping the keys. 

"You know that you can't stop me from doing this, B," he said steadily. "I-I just want you to be safe, okay?"

Blaine gave a shaky laugh, "That's a bit of a tall order."

"Please," he said, and Blaine was taken aback slightly at how serious his brother sounded. Coop's voice shook a bit as he spoke, "Just be careful, B, okay? I'm...I'm proud of you," he said, swallowing. "Okay?"

"Yeah," said Blaine, moving forwards. Coop wrapped his arms around his little brother, and Blaine felt smaller-safer. "I promise."

They stood together another minute and then Coop pulled back and gave a small smile. "See you around, B," he said before turning and moving out of the garage door. Blaine waited in the house, listening to the sound of the car door slamming. He heard the engine start and the garage door rise, the car pulled out, and then slowly, the sound hummed away, disappearing into the distance until he could no longer hear anything at all.

His legs felt heavier than before as he moved to leave. Checking the window again, he shut off the front lights and snuck out the door, hurrying to the shadows. His heart started to race again, unsure where he needed to be. He knew where he wanted to go, but trying to get to Kurt would be the worst of his options-sneaking back into the building would be impossible. 

He walked down the street, keeping his head down, trying to gather his senses. Walking alone, he felt exposed, like he was wearing a sign over his head, advertising his other identity. Blaine found himself glancing around nervously, wringing his hands. He'd never felt so alone in his life as he did then, and knowing that he'd brought danger to both Coop and Kurt was torture. 

Blaine jumped when his phone started to buzz in his pocket. Looking around fearfully, he slid it out and put it to his ear just to stop the sound.

"Blainers." Sebastian's voice crackled down the line, smug and confident. "How are you?"

His skin crawled at the sound of Sebastian's voice. Staring around, wondering how far away he could be, Blaine replied, his voice dangerously low, "What are you playing at, Sebastian?" 

Sebastian laughed, "Somebody's a bit upset."

Blaine clenched his fist under the sleeve of his sweater, biting down on his lip to stop himself from screaming. Shaking with anger, he closed his eyes, trying to regain himself. "What's do you want then?" he asked quietly through gritted teeth. "What the hell do you want?" He passed under a streetlight and quickly ducked again into the shadows.

"We both know that you're going to do exactly what I say," Sebastian continued smoothly, "because we both know that you aren't going to risk Hummel getting hurt."

"What exactly do you want me to do then?" Blaine asked bitterly.

"Well, remember when you overheard my conversation with the Industry-and yes, I know that was you. You're going to go to that building, front door, and walk right in. Feel free to show Silver off, look flashy, but if you don't want him hurt, you're going to surrender yourself. The game is up, Anderson. There's no battle left for you to fight, so just give in easily and make it easier on everyone."

Blaine exhaled, anger bubbling inside of him. "Fine.”

"Aren't you tired, anyways?" Sebastian continued smugly.

His entire body screamed yes, but he held his breath. "I was doing what was right," he said, a burst of pride taking over. "And I could keep going, even if I was exhausted I would, because that's what's right-but you wouldn't know what right even is."

There was a pause on the line and Sebastian shot back angrily, "Just do what you're told, Blaine. They don't need you anymore."

The line went dead and Blaine slipped away his phone. His hands were shaking, but he surged forwards, despite the screaming of his muscles and the looming danger ahead. He couldn't let anyone else get hurt because of himself. It was his job to face up to whatever Sebastian had in store, and he'd do it with his head held high. He wouldn't give him the satisfaction of defeat.

As he walked he tried not to picture Kurt sitting in a cell alone in the basement of the building. He could picture him in a dark, dreary cell, the shadows of bars slanted against his fair skin. In his mind, Kurt looked tired, drooping as he slumped against a wall, staring up at the ceiling. And yet, even in this picture, Kurt had that glint in his eye-that utter determination that he seemed to always have. Kurt was a fighter, he always kept going. Blaine swallowed-Kurt would be fine. Without him, wouldn't he get off easier? Couldn't he lie to get himself free? 

He could still see those last few moments before he'd jumped in his mind-picture Kurt's face. That same determination had been in his eyes as he tried to free himself from Sebastian's grip. However, it was the pleading look that he'd given Blaine that was imprinted in his mind and making him feel guilty. That moment before he'd jumped, when Kurt shook his head, desperately trying to tell him not to, was something he couldn't push from his thoughts. 'He'll be fine without me,' Blaine told himself again, wringing his hands out. 

His thoughts turned to Coop. He was probably gripping the steering wheel at that moment, driving who knows where, staring out at the road blankly. He hated the idea that anyone was following his brother, the thought of flashing lights crossing over his face as he drove made his stomach drop even more.

The streets were empty as they had been a week ago. Keeping to the shadows still, Blaine moved towards the alleyway that Sebastian had ducked down before. He was careful not to trip over cracked sidewalk as he moved faster, his heart racing slightly. A branch brushed against his leg and snapped, the noise causing him to jump, but he pushed on. He made it to the doors that lined the back of the building and turned the corner towards the front. The brick walls felt too close on either side, skimming his shoulders. Blaine felt weak still, so he let the suit slide over as he walked. Cool metal touched his skin with a strange sense of familiarity. 

The front of the building was just as beaten up as the back and over a white painted door a single bulb dimly lit the front. Blaine moved towards it and reached for the handle, taking a deep breath. Pulling the door back, he slipped inside.

It felt like he was walking into a warehouse. The room stretched wide and far, deep grey walls and cement floor. It was practically empty, everything cluttered in the middle of the room. There were a few desks, computers, and stacked boxes-nothing too exciting. The florescent lights overhead buzzed quietly, tinging the floor with white light. It all felt too ominous, though. Blaine felt as though he was walking into a trap. As he moved forwards, spotting a single chair in the centre of the room, empty as everything else, his suspicions rose. 

Moving across the floor, he didn't fully try to stay hidden. Sebastian knew that he would come, just as much as he himself had known he'd rather come then let Kurt get hurt. 

"Sebastian!" he yelled, staring around. His voice echoed around the room.

He moved out from behind a stack of boxes, looking amused. The same confident grin was spread over his lips-the same one that made Blaine want to scream at him. His skin crawled, anger surging through him. "Well aren't we just perfectly on time?" Sebastian said, folding his arms over his chest. "Why don't you take a seat then, Blaine?" He waved a hand towards the single chair.

Blaine looked at it for a moment and then took a seat.

"Smart choice of you to come," Sebastian continued casually, pacing around Blaine. "We wouldn't want Kurt to get hurt, now would we?"

"If you touch him-" Blaine growled.

Sebastian grinned, shaking his head. "Now now, no need to be harsh, Blainers."

"So what's the plan?" he snapped. "What's your genius idea?"

Sebastian’s smile faltered for a moment, his lips turning up in a sneer. It took a moment for him to compost himself, his eyes keeping a steady glare on Blaine. "Just give it up, Anderson, you're done, Silver's done. There's nothing more to it. You're going to give up, stop fighting, and just let things be." He paused, smiling at the bitter look that crossed Blaine's face. "For now, you're going to stay right here and keep your mouth shut."

Blaine heard someone moving a little way off-light footsteps moving across the cement. Sebastian lifted his head, looking in the direction of the sound, somewhere behind Blaine, and his lips twisted into a grin.

"You've caught him?" a familiar, female voice said behind him, sounding surprised. "You actually caught him."

His hand clenched, his shoulders tensed, because he recognized that voice. He'd heard it too many times before-at a distance, whispering too close to his ear, murmuring in his nightmares. Swallowing, he stared at the floor, trying to figure out a way out, trying to think through what he'd done. It was really then that he started to realize just what he'd gotten himself into.

"Wow," she continued, walking into view. Acid looked down at him, her arms crossed tightly over her chest, and then turned over to Sebastian. "I'm slightly impressed."

He rolled his eyes, "Wonderful."

"So, when do we get to really meet the famous hero-without the mask?" she purred, spinning around to watch Silver, her eyes hungrily taking him in. Moving forwards, slowly and lazily, she ran her finger under his chin, tilting it upwards. "Is it strange...being held captive?" she grinned, her hand resting against his cheek. Blaine resisted the urge to slap it away. "After everything, being done in this way just seems a bit anti-climactic, doesn't it?"

"No need to tease him," Sebastian drawled. Acid scowled, moving her hand away. "Take off the mask," he ordered Blaine loudly. 

He closed his eyes and nodded, letting the metal slide away from his face. Every time he slipped it off it felt like a new layer of him being peeled back, another person knowing too much, another life he was putting in danger. Blaine swallowed, blinking open his eyes but keeping them on the ground. He heard Acid breathe out, momentarily surprised. 

"A kid," she said, and then, catching herself, "He's nothing but a kid!"

Blaine raised his head, bitter anger and determination burning in his eyes, and leveled his gaze with Acid. Then, keeping his glare steady, he turned slowly to Sebastian, scowling. "Humiliation is a bit immature for you, isn't it, Sebby?"

Sebastian's face dropped again, hatred flashing over his well masked face. "How do you do it?" he barked, dropping his calm.

"Do wha-"

"Silver Spark, how did you become him?" he interrupted impatiently, folding his arms tightly over his chest. He moved to stand in front of Blaine, glowering down at him. "What's the source of it all, how do you do it?"

Blaine stared at him a moment. "It just happened."

"Don't bullshit me," Sebastian spat. "Tell me or I swear Kurt-"

"Some sort of chip," Blaine said, cutting him off before he got the satisfaction of waving the threat over him once again. "Data chip or something, back of my neck. It was like a bite but I guess something stored in there." He shifted in his chair, worried at the look that crossed Sebastian's face now. Something in his grin and stance seemed to perk up and he nodded at Acid, who ducked out of view. 

Suddenly, he felt cold hands grasping the back of his neck, and then pushing on his shoulders when he moved to resist. 

"Stay still, Blainers," Sebastian smiled.

Blaine clenched his hand, feeling something sharp lightly poke him in the back of the neck. A moment later, he felt it again, digging into his flesh. It slid across his skin, stinging so badly Blaine nearly cried out in pain. He could feel blood running down his back from the cut, slipping between metal and shirt. The cold hand held his left shoulder, forcefully pushing down on it to keep him in place. He bit down on his lip, suddenly very aware of all the little aches in his body and the fact that his ankle still hurt like mad. The other hand pushed his head forwards slightly, brushing away loose curls. He felt something tearing at the open cut, splitting it wider and nausea went through him like a shiver.

He caught his breath as something dug inside of it, cold and metallic. It only took a moment before the cool, metal tool found what it wanted-and tugged. 

Blaine made a soft squeak, jumping, as pain rippled throughout his body. From the back of his neck, it seemed to reach down him, like fire spreading. A horrible pain, electric and burning, somewhere between flames and a shock, that took over his entire self. His hand clutched at his bloody neck but the cool hand slapped it away. Whatever she was tearing out, it was trying to desperately cling on. 

"Stop!" he yelped, the words forcing their way through his throat. "Please stop!"

Black dots danced in front of his eyes and his head felt like it was splitting open. His ankle burst with renewed white hot pain, as if he'd hit the ground again. His world spun before him.

He could feel it-whatever it was-being torn away. He grabbed at the arms of the chair, desperate to hold on. He could imagine thin wires reaching for his neck, trying to keep them connected-when it all snapped. The chip was pulled out of him and the mass of pain that had swept through him disappeared in an instant. 

Feeling dizzy and dazed, he raised his head in confusion, breathing heavily. It took him a few seconds to be aware of the suit retreating from his body, shooting towards his neck and slipping away with the last threads of the chip.

"Seems fair now," Sebastian's voice drawled. Everything sounded quieter, muffled even. "You're just like anyone else now. You can't play superhero anymore."

Grinning like the Cheshire cat, he turned towards Acid. "Go get the others," he said, his voice ringing loudly throughout the room. He didn't try to hide the pleasure in his tone. "Tell them that Silver Spark isn't going to be a problem anymore. They can freely bring hell down through the city, however they like." He glanced towards Blaine, his eyes shining. "And if you could send message that the infamous Silver has given up, then that would be wonderful."

Acid nodded, smiling slyly. "Right away," she smirked, winking at Blaine.

They listened as her footsteps faded away. The door swung open and a gush of wind brushed through, before it slammed shut and silence fell upon the room. Blaine stared at the ground, feeling numb.

"Imagine that," Sebastian said. He was practically bouncing as he walked. "You're stuck being just another worthless person, aren't you, Anderson?"

"What now then?" Blaine snapped, glaring at Sebastian. 

Sebastian waved something in front of his face-a little computer chip, no bigger than a fingernail. It gleamed silver in the light, little wires hanging limply from the edges. Blaine squinted at it. It took him a second to realize that that was what Acid had pulled from his neck-the little computer chip that had stuck itself in his neck years ago. Whatever it was that had bitten him had dug the chip into his flesh-but it was out. After years of being so used to the suit-being able to move it over his skin with a single thought, urging it to protect him or be stronger-and it was gone.

"This," he said quietly, motioning to the chip, "is going to belong to me. You, on the other hand, are going to be brought to higher authorities."

Blaine swallowed, keeping calm. "You're not going to-"

Sebastian smiled. "Scared?"

Blaine didn't have the chance or the words to reply. Sebastian spun around, gripping the chip tightly in his palm. Moving towards a white table, littered with metallic instruments, he grabbed for something sharp and reached behind himself. Blaine jumped to his feet, making to move towards him, but his head swayed as he stood. He grabbed the edge of the chair to try and steady himself as the world spun around him.

He could see Sebastian through the blur-it was almost like he was watching in slow motion. Sebastian reached behind his neck and cut his flesh, physically wincing. Taking the chip, he placed it in the cut, making a soft, muffled sound of pain. 

His eyes focussed in a minute too late. Sebastian's head snapped up. Silver bright metal shot out from the cut on his neck, spreading rapidly over him like a second skin. Light jumped and glinted off of it as he moved, examining himself. He looked over at Blaine, the mask hiding most of his face, but he could see the twisted smile he shot in his direction.

"Isn't this fun?" 

He shot forwards-too fast for Blaine's groggy head to recognize-and shoved Blaine backwards with such force he stumbled a few feet before crashing to the floor.

"This is great!" he shouted, hovering over Blaine. "You're nothing now."

Blaine tried to stand, but Sebastian put his foot on top of his chest. The pressure was too much-he felt as though he couldn't breathe. His aching body screamed, his muscles trying feebly to fight against the pain. He tried to push Sebastian off, but he was stronger now. The suit was too much.

"New plan, then," Sebastian smiled, practically glowing. "You're going to stay right here, and when I'm done, the whole city will hate Silver Spark, and I'll be able to drag you in myself." He gave a sharp kick, right into his stomach and Blaine winced. "Who needs the stupid technology when I can just use your own suit to do you in?" He gave a harsh laugh before turning away, towards the doors. 

He was barely aware of Sebastian leaving. He heard the door closing faintly, felt the silence pressing against him, but everything ached so badly. His head was pounding again, and he could see black dots dancing in front of his eyes. His hands were shaking and he felt so tired-like he could sleep forever. He tried to fight the feeling; he knew that falling asleep would just mean defeat. 'Think about Kurt,' he told himself. His eyelids felt so heavy. 'Think about Coop.' He blinked. The ground seemed to feel so comfortable. When he let go, the pain numbed itself. The more he let the tired feeling take over, the less everything hurt. 

'You can't give up! You can't-'

His eyes fluttered shut and the world stopped spinning. The pain that racked his entire body slipped away. Everything just stopped.