Chapter Thrity-Three: Memories

'Zen.....Zen....Zen.....Zen!'

Anne was in her her costume. Beside her, Stephen was in black Jean's, black turtle neck, wore shades with a red tint, and kept his hands in his pockets.

'This the place,' Anne pointed at the facility in the middle of the woods.

'Yeah. This is where their holding Zen.'

'How are you so sure?'

'I can feel his presence.'

'Then let's get going,' Anne slid down the side of the slop with Stephen by her side.

My head felt fuzzy. Looking around, my arms were strapped down against the chair I was in, same for my legs. Looking around, I was in a pure white room. 'Tired,' I moaned as my body ached all over. Looking over, I could see a camera watching me. Under it, a door. The doors wheel turned before opening.

Walking in, a man in a white lab coat and clipboard walked before me as the door closed behind him. 'Hello Zander, how are you feeling right now?'

'Zander, who?'

'You are Zander. Zander Hope.'

'I don't know what your ta-' my head was pounding, 'ARGH!'

'Subjects vitals are spiking tremendously,' the scientist put away some device as he jot down some notes.

After the pain went away, I felt drained and exhausted and really really tired. 'Blood? What happened,' I thought to myself.

'They found us,' he said in disbelief.

'What do you mean "they?"'

Blood stayed quiet.

'What aren't you telling me?'

'Please, don't hate me, but I'll tell you everything...' Blood seemed scared. I haven't sensed this emotion from him since he told me about Anabelle.

I weakly turned to look at the man in the lab coat exit the room. With him absent, I closed my eyes and let Blood and I see what the other was thinking.

After some time, he told me everything.

'My birth names Zander Hope,' I shared with Blood to highlight my confusion and disbelief. To think I had siblings and Sandra was one of them. To think I had lost my parents not twice but three times pained to know. What was worse is that the cause if it was because of Blood and my stupidity as a child to say his name and not "mama" or "papa." I can see why Blood was afriad to tell me. I want to hate him. I want to kill him. I want him to pay for the knowledge he kept from me, yet I want him to never leave me. He and I are practically one of the same. Different races but similar personalities, wishes, desires. 'Blood.'

'Yes,' he sounded scared. He must've feared for the worst. To think that he wanted to be a childs friend.

'Help me get out of this hell hole so we can continue being badasses?'

Although he was silent, I could tell he was smiling at that, 'Yeah.'

Sneaking in past the entrance, Anne and Stephen had gained access to the elevator that headed underground: thanks to the help of some unconscious guards. Opening, Anne and Stephen walked down the empty hall were none were to be seen. No rooms or anything, just a long corridor. Reaching the end, they saw a large room with many computers and other instruments. With scientist filling the room, they saw a singular door at the bottom other side of them.

'His presence feels like it's coming from that room.'

Walking in the room, Anne held her arm up, 'Get in my way and I'll have to knock you out! Stay out of my way and prove to be no problem and there will be no problem!'

One by one, each person in the room looked ar eachother before they looked at Anne crazed.

'Somethings wrong. If they were powerless they'd be more afraid. Actually, how'd they catch Zen when he went berserk?'

One man tore off his mask and revealed his true self, a demon.

'Demons! It makes much sense now, but why are they after Zen and Blood? Wouldn't they be allies?'

'About that,' Anne stepped back towards Stephen, 'The demons seem to hate Blood a lot.'

Stephen snapped his finger, summoning "Demonic Blade," '1st Technique,' Stephen saw a couple demons running at him from their side, 'Demon Style Army of Blades,' his sword began duplicating itself to make dozens, 'Strike,' each sword impaled an unsuspecting victim.

Materializing her staff, Anne had gone on the offensive on those who rushed them. Knocking people down stairs and others into the instruments in the room, although she said she needed Zen, she was as strong as him.

Breaking out my bonds, I could hear some sort of commotion occurring outside the room. Approaching the door, I placed my palm flat against the door. Materializing my metal gauntlets, I began to pry at the wheel of the door before ripping it off its hinges and tossing it aside.

Kicking a demon in the face, Anne saw the door disappear and now a individual stood there. 'Zen?' Grabbing another demon and tossing hin into Stephen's attack, she came running down to me.

Walking out, I didn't realize when I did, but I had swapped into a strange outfit with black boots, cargo pants and other weird parts about this getup. Looking up, I saw what seemed to be a demon ger kicked off to the side. Behind it was a face unfamiliar to me. Assuming they were an enemy, I readied myself.

'Zen!' Anne approached me before she got right infront of me. 'I missed you so much.'

'Who are you?'

'Theres no way you'd forget me: right?' Anne had big tears forming on the lids of her eyes.

A demon leapt down at us and I swiped it with my fist. 'You truly, are someone I don't know.'

'You mean, that time when we were kids and you stood up against those bullies for me, you don't recall?'

'I never had to do that, I was always with Jack and Lily.'

'Or how about how my family took you on when yours died.'

'I was put in an orphanage.'

'Our trip, on the yacht the summer after we finished highschool, when we had gotten our powers, and you saved me?'

'I remember that, but you weren't anywhere their you liar.'

'But I'm not lying,' Anne dropped her staff, switched out her hero outfit, and was now in her white dress, 'Its not that cold down here in Florida, so I wore my white dress for when I rescued you.'

'Is this suppose to me-'

'Zen! How could you forget me?! You said I was your everything! Even if someone messed with you brain, YOU have to remember me! I won-'

'I seriously don't know who you are or if we've ever meet.'

Anne had done all she could to hold in her tears, but she feel on her knees, head on the ground, and she cried out into her arms.

'I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry, but I genuinely don't rem-'

Anne pushed herself up, showing her pretty face now a mess, '"I'll protect you," you'd say! "You saved me,' you'd preach! Now I have to do the same,' walking towards me, I backed away.

'Hey, I don't wanna have to hurt you you kn-'

Anne wrapped her arms around me and started to cry again on my shoulder, 'Just shut up already!'

The pain I felt in my head went away. I could remember all that I had forgotten. This weird outfit, my superhero outfit. This weird girl, was my weird girl, and so I had hugged her back. 'I'm sorry, Anne.'