Short Stories Volume 1

The Hero's Villain pt. 3

I forgot just how strong this damn machine of hers was. It felt like I was a poor rag doll being shaken by a rabid Rottweiler. The wires on its torso were a lot more protected now that it couldn't reattach its arm otherwise it wouldn't have taken all of my ammo to expose it. Nor would it have punched through the gun, breaking it in the process.

One hard and quick backhand had me flying across the room. If I were a regular human being, there's no doubt that the impact would've broken my neck. Pushing myself up, readying for its next attack that doesn't come. Instead, it gets tackled by the villain. Her strength was the only one who could match my own. So it came as no surprise that she was able to push it all the way to the window.

Sadly both of them go out.

Rushing outside, I see the two. The machine had been severed in multiple places from landing on the security fence. Ensuring that it doesn't repair itself, I rip out its main power core. Smashing it on the ground. Only then do I head over to see how bad she's wounded. Not having been fully recovered, fighting that thing and then falling from the fifth floor window is enough to start her back to square one. Despite our many enhancements.

I'm sure she had once more pulled some of the muscles that were just starting to heal. Her adrenaline made her legs push forward and fight. That extra strain would without question cause some throbbing pains or aches. I just pray that she didn't cause any more injury to her head.

Settling her down on the bed, I call for one of the doctors to examine her and check on my housekeeper. Most likely she's still shaken from our uninvited guest. Thankfully she was fine and it came as a pleasant surprise that she didn't hand in her two week notice. The one previous to her barely last a week until she had been chased by another one of her creations. Some sort of animal hybridization that put the downtown area on lockdown for three months until I eventually hunted them all down.

Still though. She has to be truly clever to use saving a life and fighting alongside me to lower my guard or she doesn't remember that she was the one who created the thing in the first place. Either way, I made up my mind when she awoke the next morning and asked me if not only was my keeper safe but if she didn't hurt her when she had shoved her under the table to shield her.

Three years later

"Sir, is it really necessary for me to continue on with finding an actual job? Don't we technically already have one with saving people? Why do I have to..."

"Saving people is good but you also have to remember why you're doing it in the first place. See how they live, what they do in their lives. Plus it doesn't help to have a life of your own where you can drink on a Saturday night instead of being shot at by your enemies." I say patiently to her. All I get in response over the earpiece is an exasperated sigh.

This wasn't the first time we've had this conversation. After much consideration, another assistance from her when some other abomination, not hers, attacked us. With her missing memory she had turned a new leaf. Started a new life where she wasn't trying to kill everyone including me.

It wasn't hard to introduce her to the public since when she was the villain she always had some sort of mask on so no one knew her face. Also she never made any public speeches or boring monologues either so it was one more thing I didn't have to worry about people recognizing from her.

There were some hiccups in the beginning. Such as her not understanding not to execute on sight only restrain. Then with the whole finding a job so that she can have a life of her own and not only have this work as her life.

Today was like deja vu.

This was something that we had done countless times. Our luck had been that we got all the civilians evacuated. Instead of her having her blade against my neck she had it pressed firmly against the man who had unleashed havoc.

Cue the deja vu.

There was this big light in the sky before we heard the loud boom. It wasn't just a wave blast that came but a man. He was easily seven feet tall. His white skin a bit unsettling but none more than the smile that he gave her.

"I thought I killed you a while back. Since when did you switch sides. Guess I'm gonna have to work harder next time. For now, you handsome have my attention." he points his overly large sword at me just after cut down the man we were apprehending.

As we fought, I was worried by his strength. He certainly had enhancements but they seemed to be stronger than the ones her or I had. Not just strength but his healing was also accelerated. The moment we made him bleed, the wound would seal up almost instantly. While we started to sweat breathe heavily, he didn't even have his a damn hair on his head out of place.

I didn't hesitate. She was no longer my enemy. She stopped being the villain long ago in my eyes when she took her own machine out the window. So when I saw him bringing his sword down to impale her on the ground, I jumped in front of it. It went straight through me but only a few inches in her.

Ungraciously, he pulled it out and walked away. Laughing as he disappeared what looked like thin air.

Too far to make it to our shelter and too long to wait for anyone to come help. I was bleeding too quickly and the wound too big to heal on its own. My enhancements wouldn't be enough. This wasn't how I thought I would die. Sure perhaps at her hands but not in her arms. Not her cradling me and whispering in my ear as my thoughts faded away.

Villain's pov

I couldn't let him know. I didn't want to see the look in his eyes or have him turn against me. At first I thought they were just dreams. Nightmares to be exact but not real in any way. Until they became more vivid and he was in them. I remembered holding my blade to his throat. I remembered it all.

After a year of being with him, it all came back. It was as if someone was playing a movie in my head holding the forwarding button all the way. The images were coming in so fast but I could see each horrifying act clear as day.

I know it was selfish of me and perhaps cruel but I kept up the façade two more years that I still hadn't gotten my memory back. It wasn't much of an adjustment since I had already been doing it for a year now. My only problem was making sure I didn't say or do anything that would give me away. Especially when we had to deal with some of my creations that had gotten loose. There was a tinge bit of regret when I was on the receiving end.

I enjoyed fighting alongside him. He was kind and gentle. Everything that I wasn't but wanted to be so badly because of.

I didn't think it would end this way. To be honest I always saw myself getting old, if I could even get old, spending the rest of my life in prison. Certainly it wasn't out living him. Not having him bleed out in my arms.

It could have been minutes or hours, I'm not sure. I stayed holding him long after he stopped breathing. It wasn't until I heard an explosion coming from the city that I looked away from his face and felt the rage that I thought disappeared three years ago resurface.

I called for one of his friends to come and collect his body.

Being the good girl was fun and all but someone just came for heavy weight title. I think it's time I get it back and avenge my friend at the same time.