39. Blur (2)

"Antonia, I created fire from my hand, does that not shock you? I just-"

"-Varon. I did hear that Blur lost her powers. I'm aware. And she really is fine," Antonia says, and I just take a breath. "And as for the fire part, I did tell you something similar, right?"

"You said I'm smoking hot."

"No… I said you are smoking and hot."

"What's the difference?"

"I saw smoke come out of your hand, and when I touched your hand… it was hot."

"Ah… why didn't you just say so? Oh right, that's no question. Anyways, now I get it. But such powers with fire…"

"Maybe you can't just take out everyone's powers. Maybe just Blur. We'll look into that. Can we get back to the story now? Concentrate."

Right, what exactly happened when…

"Interesting," I hear a familiar voice which I hadn't for a while.

Even Rem seems to recognise and pushes herself up, wearing her clothes... she goes towards this person and gets caught.

"You know, wouldn't it be interesting if we could get evidence by having an easily accessible device to take photos? A camera but… more convenient?"

Even my clothes had been done.

"What the fuck do you want?"

"Came in search of something else in the alleys. But here we are. The great hero and the latest hot news of a top-level one turning vigilante. Both of them… in a… trance."

"Season… let her go," I say.

"Fine. But she's the one who's running around and trying to stab me," Season throws down a knife.

"How did you even catch her?" I ask, confused.

"I stabbed her twice," Rem says, being a little breathless.

"Going for a third… quite greedy," Season says.

"You killed Rog."

"Don't even know who that is."

"It's her assistant. Adleon killed her, when Rem came here… an year ago."

"And somebody killed-if you know that Adleon killed her, why blame me?"

"You lot are his… his slaves. His petty-petty crime handlers. What makes you any different?"

Season looks at me, and something strikes in me looking at her look at me that way. "Guess I'm no different, yeah."

"Season!" I say, as my hand lights on fire.

Season just looks at me with a blank expression, and throws Rem to the wall: breaking the wall.

"Stopping for chit-chat or…?"

I go forward and she just vanishes. Where-no… not this again…

I look at Rem in a bloody state.

What the fuck just happened?

+

Before Varon reaches to Season… Toni, Rem grabs her and I move with them… Varon seems lost, he couldn't possibly catch up to them.

I see Rem moving her fists towards Toni and tapping the air around her body, not making contact. It was as any Speedster… if we threw out fists around so quick: we'd break them. So we could transfer the force into air and let it do our job in the best way possible.

Toni doesn't stay quite… while Rem was fast, Toni was still alive and breathing. She wraps around Rem's body, like a snake… with an actual snake's tail. And finally Rem stops and they roll to the ground.

"You annoy me," Toni says.

"I will put you out of your misery then."

Rem pushes around, as fast as she can… and Toni tightens with each movement. I feel the pain in my own bones, looking at Rem move. Toni just lets her go.

"Tell me where she is, Rem," Toni demands.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Rem races around and accelerates… then she pushes her fist to Toni's knee. And both of them fall to the ground, one holding their hand, and one holding their knee.

"She's in no condition of surviving! You cannot help her!"

"Says who? You and your boss? And I'm just to obey, like Trans did?"

Toni's hand elongates and she holds Rem by her hairs and bashes her head to the floor.

"You can't even help yourself, you think you could help her?"

"I'll take my chances."

Rem gets up and speeds towards Toni, but crashes into the floor, tripping all over Toni and them rolling onto each other. In the end: Toni holds Rem by her suit.

"I'm trying to help her-"

"-by putting her out of her misery? Yeah, I hear those once in a while."

"You lot are blinded by your pride," Toni says with disgust.

Toni waits and throws Rem in a certain direction from where Varon arrives from, and punches Rem instead of Toni. Seeing Rem on the floor, Toni simply leaves… but I stay there.

Varon blankly stares at Rem, until he realises who she is, and that she is in a bloody state.

+

"Care to explain what the hell happened?" Antonia asks Varon, making sure there is no one eavesdropping them.

"Did you get Black-one?" I ask, half-tired.

"Yes. Toni was sleeping a-"

I just feel myself fall, feeling drowsy. "I'm so tired."

"Yeah… fine… I'll handle it. No problem," Antonia sighs.

"Ah… I love you," I feel myself smiling.

I wake up, still with a smile, and realise what I said… last night. It was bright out.

"When did I get here?" I ask Toni, who is busy prepping for breakfast.

"Oh… well, I was asleep and had only put the lock and not the latch last night, so you get in," Toni says, before she questions what just happened. "You don't remember when you got in?"

"No… I… don't."

"Piquing. Sit down, will you?" Toni asks, directing me to a nearby chair: as she continues what she's doing. I follow her instruction. "Run down on what you remember."

"Well, one is being with Antonia. She must've been the one who brought me in."

"Okay. But it'd be too simple to find it out that way. Let's continue."

I really wish I didn't have to. "Well, can't be sure… the whole night was… where is Black-one?"

"Oh, Dale took him for morning walk. He still seemed excited."

"Could we please go back to calling him Skott?"

"It is better than agreeing to call him a new thing every time when he says one or the other new name."

"Right. But… well, so Black-one was here in the morning?"

"Yeah. And was barking quite a bit; so I called Dale and… then breakfast, and now you."

"Right. Okay. Black-one… I barely remember. I was taking him for a walk. Then suddenly with Antonia. Told her… told her that I love her, as a last thing."

"Romantic. And then you passed out?"

"Yeah. That's how I remember it."

"And you don't remember any other context there? Of what was happening just before?"

"No. I… wait, you don't seriously think-"

"-maybe. Just maybe."

"Well, I don't think so."

"Yeah fine…" Toni says, and then looks back at me. "Do you remember taking any substances?"

"Aren't you getting affected too much by what you watch?"

"Just guesses. Jeez. I'm trying to help you."

"Well… I'll need to clear my head with a walk. That might help me."

"Breakfast?"

"Maybe after I get back."

She isn't that good at cooking… I shouldn't be starting with that, with all due respect to her attempts.

I just start walking out of the apartment, gathering all my strength. I could still feel the dizziness in me.

Blur. What had she done to me?

I fall face first and kneel down. Once I look forward… it takes me a few moments but I recognise this face.

"Leave… or you might be in danger," Love-bite tells me.

She wasn't armed or anything. Moreover… she was dirty, and bleeding through her forehead, the tip of her fingers which she hides… I feel blood-clots all around her body.

"What happened to you?" I ask.

I see in her eyes… a confusion strikes, as she carefully looks at me.

"Did Fro send you?" Love-bite asks, with a little shiver in her voice.

I seem to understand the situation a bit. Under her supervision I had taken all those heroes away… could that be it?

"I don't know who that is but," I say, holding out my hand. "You don't seem like you're safe."

As she calculates whether to trust me… I realise again of who she is. She could read my head if she touches me, right?

I back my hand away instantly, and she shudders with my movement.

"Sorry, your shoulder's bleeding-" she was wearing full-sleeves. "Blood stain on your shirt, let me just…" I hold out my handkerchief and move towards her. She lets me tie a knot without having to touch her.

She had powers… if she had to judge people on good or bad… wouldn't she somehow get herself to touch me this moment? Then why wasn't she doing that?

"If you're up to it… I could take you to my apartment. My roommate and me get hurt a lot… we have a first aid kit… we don't have to go to a hospital. We'll try to help you by ourselves."

"I don't want to endanger you," she finally decides to say.

"And I can't just leave you here. So-"

"-the second things go sideways," Love-bite says. "I won't be able to help you. I'll escape by myself, do you understand?"

"We can help you… even if you can't provide us your help," I form a smile. "So come with me if you want to."

Love-bite just silently gets up.

---

(Speed) Pack fact 6:-

With a little digging on the past… Love-bite was a nurse who nursed a villain's wounds and he fell for her… he gave her a getaway from a profession which didn't value her. But he just wanted to traffic her because of her beauty, so she ended up giving him a Love-bite on the neck, which ended him… that's how she got her name. She turned out to have powers which got the entire attention of Fro, who personally trained her to concentrate on the powers which he found necessary in her. And she eventually forgot the other powers she had, like the one she used to tear-up that one villain. Fro built her in a way… he could gain everything from her, and also she couldn't fight him back. Before Love-bite could realise: she had become a play thing of Fro and every other villain under him. She had lost her entire self.

See you next chapter!