“Ugh... What happened?”

Holt slowly opened his eyes. His head felt fuzzy as if his mind wasn’t fully focused on processing the world around him.

“Come, granny is here!”

Out of nowhere, a bunch of kids passed around him, rushing through a narrow corridor. The dimly lit concrete ceiling slowly fazed out of his vision, shifting into a pink-colored ceiling. The walls were filled with doodles and pictures. In front of him, was a large whiteboard. However hard he tried, he couldn’t read anything of what was scribbled on it.

Everyone was seated in a chair. On his right was a small blonde girl with green eyes. She looked intently at the whiteboard as if its contents were more important than anything.

“Holt, darling, aren’t you going to answer?”

His eyes immediately shoot forwards, looking for the source of the question.

“Come on, Holt! Answer!” Said the blond girl.

All around him, the kids started chanting, “Answer, answer.” His eyes felt heavy. The constant chatter caused a low rumble to echo inside his head. He wanted to shut everyone up. His hands went up, covering both his ears, but the sound refused to stop. He grabbed his ears and tried his best to shut off the noise. He closed his eyes and imagined everything around him disappearing. The kids, the whiteboard, and finally, the girl. He was finally alone, free to open his eyes.

Before him, standing millimeters away from his face was a pair of dead white eyes. The most potent sense of dread he had ever felt rushed over his entire body, freezing his mind in place.

“What are you thinking, Holt?” Asked the voice.

His eyes opened instantly. A monitor near his bed indicated an elevated heart rate. His entire body ached under several layers of bandages.

“Hah... Is this the hospital?” Asked Holt. He didn’t expect a response.

“Yeah, it is.” Answered a man’s voice. Holt immediately rose, dragging several cables and tubes along with him.

Seeing his panicked reaction, the man sighed and got up from his chair. Without saying anything else, he left the room. A few moments later, Anya entered, along with more burly men, most likely guards hired by her father.

“Holt! You’re up!”

“Anya! What happened?”

“You’re fine now. You fought off the terrorists and protected everyone!”

Holt looked confused for a moment, but then his memories came flooding back. The blue and the red masked terrorists, his teammates, have attacked the Hanging Gardens. Anya ran across the room and hugged him tightly, tearing a bunch of cords off the medical equipment.

“I’m glad you’re ok...” She said while tearing up.

“That was nothing. Wilders hit harder than those guys. By the way, how long was I out of it?” Chuckled Holt, despite dying inside from the pain.

“Um... A few hours. The Iron Star guys brought us here, then dad’s people came as well.” Responded Anya.

“Sir, this is for you.” Said one of the guards. He handed Holt a communication device which he promptly accepted.

“Holt.” Said a deep voice.

“Y-yes. This is Holt.”

“Thank you for protecting my daughter, I’m in your debt.”

Holt’s eyes widened as much as they could.

“Mister Murdock, sir! Of course, anybody would’ve done the same!”

“I like you, Holt. I’ll be hearing more of you.”

The call ended abruptly. Holt stood frozen for a moment, then handed the device back to the guard. Anya sat on the bed and waved the guard away. They were alone now, and Holt barely held back his grin. His plan was a complete success. For the first time, he felt that his goal was actually achievable.

“We’re almost there, hold on for a little longer!”

Two pairs of steps echoed through a narrow corridor. Nuk led the way, followed closely by Warden. He was carrying Ellie’s limp body. Her groans grew softer and softer as the glow of her green eyes gradually dimmed down. Her clothes were torn and painted red with blood.

“Guys... I think I’m dying...” She said in a barely audible voice.

“Nuk! She’s almost out!” Shouted Warden.

“We’re here! This is the place.” Responded Nuk. She pointed at a large metal door. The frame was bolted onto the wall, making it impossible for anyone to break in.

Nuk took a stance in front of the door. A single kick was enough to bend the lock mechanism out of place. The second kick blasted open the previously impervious door.

“There, put her in the bathtub.”

Warden gently placed Ellie down. Cold water immediately started pouring in. A few moments later, Ellie’s chest started glowing brightly. Heatwaves emanated outwards, forcing both Nuk and Warden to back away. The water immediately turned hot, then boiling. Cold water kept pouring, but the heat was too great. A thick mist filled the small bathroom.

The two left Ellie in the bath. As they waited, Warden went back and tried to fix the door. The walls of the apartment were filled with drawings and pictures. A large whiteboard dominated the largest room, and a few chairs were lined in front of it. Nuk sat on one of them, silently analyzing the pictures.

Her expression was somewhat grim, but Warden could never tell. He’d heard that both Ellie and Holt went through a “special kid” program, but he never asked them about it. In one of the pictures, a group of kids posed in front of a small, blindfolded lady. She must’ve been the famous Sinze Fortuna. He would occasionally see her on TV, making appearances on various popular shows. At least 15 years must’ve passed since the pictures were taken, but not a single thing had changed about her appearance.

“Uwah... I got a cold chill.” Said, Warden.

After finishing the repairs, he went back to check on Ellie. Before entering the bathroom, he abruptly stopped and knocked.

“I’m changing clothes!” Shouted Ellie.

A few moments later, she came out of the bath with her usual grinning expression. All of her wounds were gone.

“Wah! That was a great bath! I wanna drink something...”

Nuk leaned back in her chair, looking at Ellie upside down. Her eyes squinted the moment she made contact.

“What are you wearing?” She asked. Her tone seemed disappointed, but Warden couldn’t really tell.

Ellie’s pants were ripped from under her knee. The various rags she’d made by ripping apart her clothes were tied together into a long, bloody rag. Using this, Ellie wrapped her chest, wearing the remaining length as a scarf.

“You like it?”

“No.”

“Ahem...” Warden interrupted their exchange.

“We should go now. I’m going to visit Holt at the hospital. What about you two?” He said.

“I’m going back home. I’m tired...” Responded Nuk. She turned back to Ellie, waiting for her to answer.

“Me? I also have some business on The Magnificent, and maybe I’ll visit Holt later.”

“Maybe you don’t try and kill him this time.” Said Nuk with a, most likely, angry expression. Ellie shot an icy glare at Warden who quickly avoided the eye contact. He was the only one that could’ve told Nuk about what happened earlier.

“I got carried away during the fight...”

Seeing that the conversation led nowhere, Nuk got up and walked away. Warden followed her as well.

“See you at home.” Said Nuk, while Warden nodded in Ellie’s direction.

“See you, guys...” She responded. The door was slammed shut. Ellie was alone now, surrounded by kid’s chairs and drawings.

“Are you here, granny?”

A sudden pressure formed inside her head.

“I failed...”

The light flickered for a moment, then everything went back to normal.