28. M O T H E R S : Love

AFTERWORD

This was an interesting story because it was so different from those I've written before. There's no big fights, no introspective conflicts, no high stakes—instead, it's just a short-but-sweet tale of a son addressing three women who played major roles in his life. That's not to say it was easy to write; each part of this story had its own difficulties in terms of crafting it in a believable way.

1. Annie is a sadistic, knowledge-hungry psychopath trying to recreate her identity as a hero. However, despite all her efforts, this does NOT erase what she did at Xirxine International, and none of those things are easily forgivable. So I wanted to write Addison address to her not in a shows his forgiveness doesn't come from, say, a place of feeling sorry for her or "pardoning her sins"; rather, he empathizes with her and sees that she's making a genuine effort to do the right thing. He's proud of Annie for trying to be a hero, and that is conveyed in his message to her.

2. Renee is a levelheaded and relatively relaxed head of Xirxine working overtime to—you guessed it—"keep Safe Haven safe". However, the task of protecting her home is taking its toll in her, and if you haven't read "I C A R U S" yet, spoiler alert: she's also pregnant now. It's just a whole lot of everything for her. I didn't have Addison address any of that, though (except the pregnancy, of course); rather, in his mural, he summarizes their respective lives. Most prominently, he shows her how she regained what she'd lost (Addison himself), which not only comes with a promise of his eventual return, but might also be foreshadowing to what is coming in the future.

3. Latika was, unsurprisingly, the easiest one to write for. After all, she was the only real mother Addison ever had. She raised him from infancy to adulthood, and she knows him better than any of the other women described above. I did, however, want to start her part with a little backstory, since we never really see how Latika found Addison. So I tied up a few loose ends there. And then the clincher: Addison doesn't leave Latika a letter like those he left for Renee and Annie—instead, he shows up physically. Mother and son reunite at last, heartfelt words are shared, and once again, a promise of return is given.

And of course, there's the card.

Now Addison's location is known, and the stage is truly set for his return. But will he really abandon the Xishuangbanna Safe Haven to protect his home turf? And if so, how will he be received? And what new horrors might be waiting for him when he comes home?

Unfortunately, those answers will have to wait, because before Addison can make a choice, the A-Team must make one of their own. Do they allow Fisi to operate out of his completed Tower unhampered, or do they step into the belly of the beast to confront their greatest foe thus far?

Next up: "P O W E R : L O S T"! (Coming 4/10/22)

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("M O T H E R S : L O V E" was written from January 13, 2022 to January 15, 2022.)