Chapter Seventeen: Growth

Anne watched me rest. My chest rose and fell with the ticks and tocks of the clocks. What had conspired prior to me being hospitalized I couldn't recall.

'Why,' Anne was tearing up, 'You sacrifice so much just for me and all for what?'

Yui placed her hand on Anne's back, 'I assure he'll pull through.'

'How can you be so sure of it,' Anne snifled up her tears, 'If it weren't for you or your stupid freaking friends, we'd still have a home to go to, those kind people as well, he'd be with me and I too him.'

'So you do lo-'

'Having sex with someone doesn't mean you love them! Being there with them, through all of it, being their for them, that's love..'

'How'd ya know we had sex?'

'Intuition,' Anne stood up, 'While he rest, I have work to do.'

'With one arm!?'

'I've gone through worse,' Anne approached the door and took one more look back, 'You should find your sister and save your mother.'

'Well, where is she?'

'She said she was going "home",' Anne looked at her empty sleeve to her left, where her arm once was, 'Just hurry up, I don't want you two to be involved with us anymore,' Anne exited the room and slammed the door behind her.

Checking her phone, it read "10:15 P.M.". Sitting behind a group of crates and containers, she peered through a crack. Atleast 20 armed men. High-grade rifles, off the black market most likely. From what Anne learned, she could tell they all had laser sights attached to the side, vertical grip to compensate for the weapons kick, a body looking sight on top of the rifle, with two magazines taped together. The muzzles we large, black, cylinders-suppressors-and the stocks looked heavy. Whoever these men were, they're no super-powered-freak, but dangerous if not approached properly.

'Did you secure the perimeter,' A man in a full black suit came in; his hair cut short to the point of being bald, eyebrows thicker than a pencil, a nose that's pointer than a sharpened knife, and skin more wounded than a dead man.

'Sir if I may?'

'What is it slave.'

Anne was caught by that comment. The mixture of men were both black and white. The man in the suit was an African American, whereas the man who promoted the question, was more pale than a gallon of milk.

'We hadn't seen any much hero activity since of recent, and we practically have the police under our thumbs-'

'And you're suggesting being careful is pointless? Huh! Are you calling me stupid,' put of anger, the man, in the suit, grabbed the armed man by the collar of his shirt, 'Yes, some of our tactics may seem,' he licked his lips, 'Unnecessary,' he then launched his lackey into a group of crates, 'But I can assure you, they're important,' he straightened his tie.

Anne looked around. She was formulating a plan to take out these thugs.

Carrying cargo from inside the facility towards trucks, they begun to load them up.

Anne was hanging from the ceiling, watching them as they thought to be safe.

They all gathered around.

'Mr.Stone.'

Their boss turned in response, 'Yes slave?'

'Trucks are loaded.'

'Let's roll boys.'

At that, she dropped.

Anne stood between them all. Practically surrounded, she materialized her staff.

'You heard him boys,' Running fast, she striked low, knocking three off their feet.

Getting out of shock, Mr.Stone slipped on brass knuckles, 'Don't just stand there! Shoot the lily!''

Bullets were sent flying.

Gracefully, Anne ducked and weaved and twisted and turned her body to maneuver through the hail of bullets. Using her staff to deflect what she couldn't dodge.

After that, their mags were empty.

'Shit,' one man said desperately switching mags.

Apparently the tapped mags were for show, and they all begun digging in their pockets for more.

Using this opportunity, Anne dispatched of them quickly, landing decisive blows to the head, rendering them unconscious.

All that was left was-

'Wanna rumble? Then we'll rumble,' Mr.Stone pulled out an large handgun. With one shoot, Anne went to deflect the bullet and it went right through her staff.

Anne was ready to dodge.

Mr.Stone made a full charge at Anne. Occasionally taking shots, Anne dodge best she could.

Anne could tell his ammo pool was low, but she didn't want to risk it.

Seeing him drop the gun, Anne bolted towards him.

As he swung high, Anne slammed herself into him, knocking him down. Holding her staff up to his neck, she placed her foot on his chest, 'What's your connection to The Black Muradors,' she pressed her foot harder into his chest.

'The who,' he struggled to say.

'You heard me,' she pressed harder.

In response, the man grunted in pain, 'Ok, ok. We deliever weapons, drugs, people and whatever they ask for!'

'Disgusting,' swing her staff far off to the side, she used her full force and slammed it into his head, knocking him unconscious.

From the shadows, Anne watched as law enforcement came in and took them away. Searching the place and conjuring theories on who could've taken out men like them.

Looking at her phone, Anne read the time "9:35 A.M.". Looking at the counter, Anne waited for her coffee. Sitting at the booth alone, Anne couldn't sit calmly. She kept tapping her fingers impatiently on the table top. It's been almost a month since I last woke up. Last Anne checked up on me, the doctor said I had entered a coma from immense pain and trauma.

In normal circumstances, the doctor wouldn't have known what could have caused it directly, but since Anne and I exposed our identities on the news as Mrs.Mystic's bodyguards, most knew our names and profession.

Coming to her table, a man dressed as a cat-girl maid approached, 'Heres your meow-meow coffee, extra sugar, ma'am,' he said plainly as he moved his hands like a cat's paws.

'What's with the uniform?'

'It's what the job requires. The pays amazing, but between you and me,' he leant in to Anne's ear, 'This is humiliating.'

Anne nodded as the young man left.

During my absence, Anne had also told me an interesting piece of info.

'I heard my previous users voice.'

I recall so well. Waking from my coma, I was panicked. What I had sense then, was an intrusion to my body and mind. Looking all over the room, I calmed myself remembering that I was in the hospital. My heart was racing. Ripping out the IV strips protruding my skin, I ran across the cold tile floor to the window. Opening it, I felt a cool breeze hit my face. Winter was coming. What I last remembered prior to that moment, was a large demon attacked me and the others, and it was August. Looking at a calendar off to my side, it read "December 2025."

'I was asleep for that long!?'

Then she came in.

Anne came walking through the door in civilian clothes, both arms, and a teary face.

She felt then as I did when I saw her reawaken.

I thought to myself about how funny that moment was. It was right after she woke up I took her place. In the moment, we ran and hugged one another. Afterwards, I remember her blushing a bright red. I don't blame her, I was in a hospital gown.

After that, she told me what she was up to. Taking out crime during the cover of night. Finding the people who wish to end heros, who started with us. She also informed me about her strengthened bond with her previous champion, and how she learned to regrow limbs and to better utilize her powers.

Now a year has gone by after that, we've grown. In present day New York, Anne and I learned more about our powers and more. Checking my phone, the date read as "December 5th, 2026."

'Ready, partner?'

Anne pushed her hands through her hair, putting it up into a ponytail. Pulling at her suit, then letting it go, hitting her skin, she smiled, 'We need new suits.'

Then we jumped off the rooftop into the darkness below.