She was pissed. Unbelievably so.

'That fucking moronic . . .stupid . . .ridiculous asshole! FOR ME!? Ha! What a joke! I just fucking bet! Well I'll show HIM!'

Mia knew right where to go. If she knew anything on her outing helping Jackie fight crime and protecting him, it was to follow the sirens.

And she followed them right to a bank robbery.

It was quite the scene. Police cars barricading the entrance of the bank ready to shoot the robbers. Problem was, that the burglars had hostages ready to shoot THEM.

'This isn't good' she knew this was the type of situation Jackie wouldn't let fly and if she knew him at all, she knew that he would damn near risk everything to protect others.

Half of her wanted to scoff at that, though, too, 'Where was this Jackie that night when he practically assaulted me?'

Mia shook her head and looked around, trying to find him but it was hard with so many people around. Even though his costume was bright red with black, he seemed camouflaged into the crowd.

That is . . .

Until she spotted him walking right up to the burglars.

Jackie hadn't been in a good place since Mia had started to avoid him. Ever since. . .ever since he fucked up . . got drunk and practically forced himself on her.

His heart burned just thinking back on it. He hated himself and like Henrik had said, he was using his strengths to punish himself.

'But it's not only that. I want to . . I wanna prove that I can do this without her help. I've been relying on her too much and this has been my chance to better myself. For both of our sakes.'

He stared down the men that held the hostages at gunpoint.

'This is my chance'

One of the men shouted at him, "STOP RIGHT THERE, JACKIE, ELSE I'LL BLOW THIS GUY'S BRAINS OUT!"

Jackie stopped and showed his hands, "Hey it's alright! I'm sure we can work something out here without anyone getting hurt. Mind putting that gun down?"

"You're gonna have to stop me by force, hero! But I'd be careful if I were you. There's kids watching!" he pointed at a news crew.

Jackie briefly glanced at the news team but otherwise paid them no mind.

One of the other men spoke softly to his friend, "Dude, haven't you heard? Jackie lost his power over a week ago! Just the other day, he got in a fight with a gang and got hurt. He's not invulnerable anymore"

"Is that right?" the man chuckled, looking back at Jackie, "Well isn't this interesting news"

Jackie snorted at him, "You really trusting backwater gossip like that? Well that's fine by me. Let's just see then what the real truth is"

'I have to lie and then maybe they'll give up on their own volition . . . I can hope so anyway.'

Jackie leaned down in a stance ready to attack and honestly the burglars looked apprehensive but there was also a daring look in their eyes like they wanted to see if he was telling the truth or not.

One of them raised their guns to him instead of the hostages, "Your move, dumbass"

This was it.

Everyone was watching.

He couldn't just back off. People were counting on him!

And it was indeed his move. So he made it.

With one quick action, he bolted towards them a bit slower than usual and they noticed.

It was all in slow motion.

They fired their guns at him and he could just see the bullets coming closer and closer.

But suddenly something felt strange. Familiar.

And in a rush of adrenaline and power, Jackie had the two burglars by the throats with their guns on the ground. The bullets had bounced right off of him and onto the ground next to their guns.

Jackie wasn't dumb. He knew better but he merely chuckled at the the man, "I hope you pass the word along. . . . dumbass"

After turning them into the police and taking autographs from loving strangers, he saw just who he thought he would outside of the crowd.

And she looked livid.

But for once, so was he. With her and he had no reasonable explanation as to why. He just walked up to her but before she could say anything, he stopped her.

"Why the hell are you here?"

Mia's eye twitched, glaring at him, "Are you fucking SERIOUS?! You don't have your powers without me and you just go off trying to KILL yourself?! Are you THAT much of a douche bag!?"

Jackie snarled, "So WHAT if I got shot!? I still would have taken them down! I can handle this stuff on my own, Mia! Mind your own business!"

"If I hadn't stepped in, you would have died! A little fucking gratitude would be nice! Not that you deserve my help!"

"After what I did? I already told you I'm sorry, Mia! I already paid for it, didn't I?! I'm fucking sorry! I am! But I can't keep apologizing forever and ever with no hope of ever getting your trust back!"

"Oh well I'm so sorry but that's not how it works, HERO"

He was about to argue with her more when she crossed her arms over her stomach and tears started to well up in her eyes, she was getting so emotional, "Dammit, Jackie, you should know better . . . ." she couldn't help it and started to cry, wiping her eyes, "I trusted you . . . I trusted you SO MUCH. . . you were my big BROTHER . . . and then you destroyed EVERYTHING. All my trust and self-worth"

Jackie couldn't say anything. What should he say to that? Sorry? He already tried that.

Mia sniffled and shook her head, "I wish we all never went to California last week . . . then maybe none of that would have ever happened. . . I miss my big brother"

"Mia . . . . ." he carefully stepped a little closer, shaking a bit, "I .. . . I care about you so much . . . you KNOW that, right?"

She couldn't look at him and just hung her head wiping her eyes and she shook her head, "Not the way I want you to"

"Mia-"

"HEY, WHAT'S GOING ON OVER HERE, HUH?!"

Suddenly Anti appeared between them and took a moment to assess the situation before glaring bleeding daggers at Jackie, "Did you fucking make her cry again?! After she came to save your ass!?"

"Anti, it's not-" Jackie tried to protect himself but Mia didn't even give him the chance.

"I'm going back home . . . . Clearly you only care about yourself otherwise you wouldn't be so reckless and just . . not yourself . . . . you're . . . you're like a stranger now and even I don't know how to feel about that" she told him before walking away.

Anti kept glaring at Jackie before following behind her, leaving the hero by himself . . . yet again powerless.

Anti caught up to her but she didn't feel like being around anyone at the moment.

"Anti, can you please just leave me alone?"

He huffed and strut by her side, "Tsk . . . Maybe I'm just walking back home in the same route as you. Did you ever think about that?"

"Anti, I'm really not in the mood for your games right now. Why did you even follow me when I went to confront Jackie anyway?"

He snuffed again, "It's not important. What's important is that you need to fucking stop helping them. They're not worth it and you know it. Especially the hero. They all just end up hurting you in the end"

Mia stopped walking and in turn Anti did as well, looking back at her with a raised eyebrow, "What? It's true"

She glared at him and honestly Anti didn't like it but not in an angry way but more of a . . . . concerned way? He wasn't sure. But she did send strange vibes through him with that look.

"Why do you care, Anti?"

"I don't"

"You say that and yet I know otherwise. You wouldn't have risked your life leaving the house where those creatures can't get to you for nothing. So just be fucking honest with me, Anti. You usually are. Why the fuck do you give a shit about whether or not I give them power or not?"

Anti never felt this level of confrontation before, 'I can't just . . .. I don't care, do I? Why am I here, though, then? I couldn't just . . let her go to him on her own. She . . .doesn't-'

"You . . .don't deserve their stupidity and-"

"oH GOD!" she snapped at him, "Enough with that bullshit already! I'm tired of you constantly belittling them like that! I'm sorry, I know you have a vendetta with most of them and Sean but it's not like you give them a chance, either! Things are different now and if you'd just tell them WHY you went berserk, then maybe they'll-"

"THEY WOULD NEVER UNDERSTAND!" Anti shouted at her, sparking in his sudden anger and she stepped back as to not get burned by a shock, "They wouldn't understand and you KNOW IT! YOU are the only one that does! The only one that understand what it's like!"

"Like for what, Anti!? Why the FUCK are you so obsessed over me!?" in her growing stress, her eyes started to glow and it seemed to calm Anti down a little.

But not in the way she'd expect.

Anti took a few breathes and sighed just staring at her, eyes . . . sad?

Mia didn't wasn't sure what she saw but it was no longer anger.

"I . . . I don't normally talk about my feelings, Mia .. . . but I-"

A low growl interrupted his words and they both looked over into an alley . . . a dark alley.

"Wh . . . what is that? A dog?" Mia asked, a little perturbed and a shudder ran down her spine.

Anti swallowed, "Marvin didn't kill it . . . . just . . . come here, Mia"

"What? No"

"Do you wanna die today? Get over here right . . . .NOW"

Mia was still flustered over their argument and really didn't want to come anywhere near him but as the creature got closer, she was beginning to change her mind.

The dark creature stepped into the light and she felt herself go pale. Helpless.

"It's after me, Mia. But I can glitch us home, remember? So just get over here and-"

But suddenly the dog-like shadow creature turned its demon-like black eyes to Mia.

'It's like . . . a fucking void . . . dark and endless . . what is this thing? Why's it looking at me all of a sudden?'

Neither of them expected the creature to rush towards HER and in that instant she thought she saw hell.

But Anti was quicker and lunged at her, glitching them away from it. She didn't even realize she clung onto him immediately, too afraid to let go. She felt some sort of an electrical current run through her but expected that to be Anti's electricity. She kept her eyes closed but could still see the monster's eyes boring into her soul. It was like it was constantly following them.

"Hey"

Mia tensed but didn't let go of him.

Anti still had his arms around her, too, though not really thinking about it, "We got away from it. You can let go of me now"

She blinked open her eyes slowly and looked around curiously. But to her surprise, she didn't recognize her surroundings, "Wh-where are we?"

Just then it popped into her brain that she was basically hugging him and she jolted away blushing just a little but of course she'd deny it.

Anti didn't mention it and answered her question casually, "Marvin's computer. He searches the best things and doesn't keep up on his virus protection. Perfect for me to peek around in . . . besides your computer, too"

"Wait, what?"

"Nothing. We're in Marvin's computer which means we're within the house's wards. We're safe now."

"Why'd that thing come after ME this time?" she brought up an interesting question, "I don't understand. I thought it was solely after you?"

He shrugged, "I don't know . . . you're asking the wrong person. I still think it has something to do with Dark, though. We all know he was really controlling that thing last week. Pretty damn convenient for it to show up when it did, don't you think?"

"I don't know . . .." she didn't want to think about it anymore and instead looked around at her surroundings, "It's pretty blank in here besides the white noise and crazy little colors now and then. Weird"

Anti shrugged, "What'd you expect? A file city and flying folders and words everywhere? No, this is the internet basically where everything is moving so fast, you can't even see it. That's what the white noise and static is. This is it"

"Seems . . . . lonely"

"I. . . It can be . . . sometimes."

"You were saying something before" she remembered, "Before that thing showed up"

"Was I? I don't fucking remember. Let's get out of the computer now, shall we?"

"No wait. Hold up. . . ." she stopped him, "No one else is here. You can talk to me. Now answer my question before. . . please? I know you didn't forget"

'So stubborn. Always after the answers . . . maybe she does deserve one from me . . . even though I don't fully know the answer myself'

He blinked and sighed, stuffing his hands in his pockets, "I . . .I'm not good with emotions . . . talking about them . . . I don't understand them"

"Nobody really does" she shrugged, "Just . .talk to me? I feel like no one really does. They just . . say what they think I want to hear. And I know you're not like that. Right?"

He nodded, "I understand . .. you, I mean . . . I know what it's like to be . . . expected of something. Expected to be someone and yet they make you feel like you'll never match up to their expectations"

That hit way too close to home. Did she really feel that way, too? . . maybe sometimes . . . a lot more lately perhaps.

"I . .. I guess I get that. But why do YOU feel that way?"

"Everyone expected me to be the villain and yet also expected me to NOT be the villain." he shook his head, "I couldn't . .understand that. From what I had gathered in the incubation tube and what I know now . . . Sean made me to be just that. He expected so much out of me but never really gave me the decision. And Henrik validated to me that if I hadn't escaped Sean most likely would have pulled the plug on me . .. his most elaborate experimentation."

"Yeah . . . I overheard that. Sorry. I can't stick up for any of their decisions before I was made. I didn't know them then but I do now." Mia exhaled and bit her lip in thought, "I think maybe you should really talk to them. Well . . at least Henrik first. He at least would understand the most since he . . .. helped create you"

Anti itched his neck from the back to the front on his scar, "I don't know . . we'll see. Like I said. Not good with talking about my emotions and shit"

"Now for the other question"

"What question?"

"Why?" Mia didn't want to bring this up really but she felt that if she didn't then there might be miscommunication like there was with her and Jackie and she didn't want that with anyone else, "Why are you so obsessed over me?"

Anti shrugged, "Honestly? I mean I know you know better than to ask that"

She was almost scared to ask what he meant by that but then he continued.

"Like I said before. . . . we're very similar, you and I. You know how I feel or . . . closer than anyone else to what I feel. You were made for a purpose and yet you feel you're not . .. living for that purpose."

"Oh really?" she crossed her arms, "And what exactly is my purpose? Sean says it's to be his light in the dark whatever that means. I mean I glow I guess, now but-"

"I know what it means"

She blinked and suddenly they were out of Marvin's computer and in his room. She took it as if they were done talking but he rolled his eyes and continued.

But the answer wasn't exactly what she was expecting.

"You were created for me"

Henrik could have barged in on crack dressed in drag in that moment and Mia probably wouldn't have even blinked, she was so stunned.

"What did you just say?"