A Hero and a Villain

Scene 11: Trouble with a capital T

[Andeddo]

It was early in the evening, and Andeddo was busy working away the hours at his computer desk in his office. Out of nowhere, a loud-ringing notification popped up in the bottom right corner of his screen. It was marked urgent, and the sound was beginning to annoy him, so he clicked on it immediately.

Just so you know beforehand, Andeddo had created a computer algorithm database that constantly searched the international internet—and the entire dark web as well—for any mention of Hitoshi's name or information.

Well, that's exactly what the notification was about. But what really scared and shocked Andeddo even more was that it was indeed from the dark web. VERY deep into it, in fact. Some anonymous person had put out a very valuable hit on Hitoshi from a professional assassination site. (Thank god Andeddo wouldn't get caught by the authorities being on this site or the dark web, considering the nature of his career.)

Andeddo was both very concerned and fuming at the same time. He abruptly stood up, nearly shoving his office chair into the wall behind him. Without thinking, he whipped out his phone and dialed Hitoshi's number.

We're sorry. The number you have dialed is not available right now. Please hang up and call again later.

Lo sentimos. El número que ha marcado no está disponible en este momento. Cuelgue y vuelva a llamar más tarde.

After the tone, please record your message. When you are finished recording, you may hang up or press one for more options. *beep*

"Shinso, I need you to listen to me. Your life is in danger. No matter where you are right now, I need you to get to someplace safe, preferably somewhere with a lot of people. I'm coming to get you." *beep*

He tapped the GPS on Hitoshi's phone, and traced it to the downtown city area. Shoving his phone in his pocket, he busted out the front doors of his office and into the busy city streets.

[Shinso]

Hitoshi strolled out of the agency into the back streets of Musutafu, letting the bright sunlight warm his face in the chilly air. He had just gotten finished with a Hero briefing, and the streets were quiet and empty. He felt his phone buzz in his back pocket. He had forgotten he set it to vibrate.

He took it out, and on the screen it read: You have one voicemail. He clicked it, realizing that it was from Andeddo.

"Shinso, I need you to listen to me. Your life is in danger." Hitoshi was immediately on edge. Andeddo sounded dead serious. "No matter where you are right now, I need you to get to someplace safe, preferably somewhere with a lot of people. I'm coming to get you."

Hitoshi shuddered, realizing what Andeddo had just said. He glanced around, now on his guard. He muttered to himself, thinking about his options, "A place with a lot of people.....how about the subway!" He quickly remembered the route in his head, and started making his way to the nearest subway tunnel.

It only took a few minutes to get there, of course, and it was indeed bustling with throngs of people.

He looked around, inspecting every civilian for any sort of weapon or sign of hostility. Everyone was as clean as a whistle, not a single suspicious person in sight.

That was about the time that the subway train pulled into the station. Everyone stopped as the doors opened, and suddenly a gun was being pointed straight at his heart. Hitoshi froze dead in his tracks, staring at the guy who stood between the train doors, the gun tightly gripped in his hand.

Hitoshi made a quick glance behind him. There was no way to escape fast enough without getting shot, and nobody made any move to help. There weren't any Pro Heroes around, and no one looked to have a quirk that would be of any use.

As he started thinking of ways to get out of the situation, the guy cocked the gun with one finger, and every plan shattered to pieces in Hitoshi's mind.

Everything happened in slow motion. The guy pulled the trigger, and the bullet streamed from the barrel with smoke trailing behind it. Hitoshi blinked for a split second.

That was when someone appeared beside him, tackling him from the side.

They weren't fast enough, however, because the bullet hit them in the back, tearing through their clothing. They hit the ground as the gunman made a break for it, and Hitoshi quickly got up, but the guy was gone. Then he looked down at the person who had saved him.

Fear gripped him like a vice. It was Andeddo, wearing a formal black pin-stripe suit, and blood was pouring from the bullet hole in his back as he coughed. Hitoshi broke, "SOMEONE, CALL AN AMBULANCE, PLEASE!" One of the bystanders called the police, and a few others came to his side to help. Most of the others were frozen on the spot, terrified.

Andeddo smiled up at him weakly, "I told you I would come for you, idiot." Hitoshi was at the point of tears, holding his hand, "Hold on, Heishi! Don't talk, or you'll lose blood faster!" Andeddo's head fell to the ground, his breathing growing shallow, "Ah, I'll.....be...fine." He closed his eyes, and his arm went slack.

The medics arrived on the scene soon after, taking him away on a stretcher. They asked him if he was family, but he just showed them his Hero License and they seemed to understand. He rode with them all the way to the hospital, where they wheeled Andeddo into a room. Several doctors hurried in, and everything after that was a blur. Hitoshi was gently pulled out to the lobby, his mind fuzzy. He still couldn't process everything that was going on, but the next thing he knew, one of the nurses was telling him that he could go see Andeddo now.

He rushed into the room, dropping to his knees at Andeddo's side. He didn't look like he was in pain, but the all the tubes and blood bags said otherwise. He gripped Andeddo's cold hand, whispering softly, "Don't you dare die on me, you hear....."

Exhausted, he passed out on Andeddo's lap, the sounds of the hospital fading into the background.