Chapter 5: Heroes vs Villains

"Athena!"

The first thing that sprang to mind when I awoke was her name. I looked around to figure out where I was. I'm surrounded by four gray walls, and tubes are implanted into my body. There is no doubt that I am inside the hospital. I am, without a doubt, inside the hospital. I took off my oxygen mask and was about to get out of bed when my cousin Tiny entered the room and ordered me to get back in bed and rest some more.

"Couz, don't get up and get some more rest," he advises me.

"What happened?" I asked inquisitively. "Where is Athena?" and expressed concern about my bodyguard. "Is she okay?"

"She's fine. Athena is in the recovery room. "She's lucky that she didn't suffer severe injuries and that the bullet didn't hit any vital organs," Tiny assured me.

I exhaled a sigh of relief after taking a deep breath. When I learned that Athena would be fine, my heart felt lighter. She saved my life, and if something bad happened to her, I couldn't live with myself.

"What happened to the people who attacked us? Did you know who they are?" I inquired seriously. I was curious as to who did this to us because, now that I've realized that there is more than one organization targeting my family, I need to be extra cautious.

"They belonged to the KHAOS, a group of assassins from the second district led by Katie Van Hoe," he continued.

"Why does her name sound so familiar?" I tried to recall if she was someone I had previously dated or someone I had met at a bar. Her name does ring a bell to me.

Tiny dragged one of the chairs; he placed it beside my bed and sat on it. He knew that it was going to be a long conversation since I am not familiar with the organization.

"Because she is the sister of the woman that you murdered. Remember Kitty? She has an older sister who is hotter and more sadistic. Katie is hunting you the moment she finds out that you murdered her sister; she is up for revenge," he said seriously.

How can I let go of the past if it is still haunting me? They say that to overcome a problem, you must face it head-on, but here I am running away from it.

"I am in big trouble, huh?" I said worriedly to my cousin.

"Don't worry. We are here for you. We are not going to let anything bad happen to you." Tiny was referring to my family.

"And yet, here I am stuck in the hospital bed." I raised an eyebrow as I remarked sarcastically.

"I'm sorry I couldn't make it on time and missed out on all the fun." Tiny made the same mocking gesture. "I promised you that I would make sure to be on time in the future," he added, but in a serious tone.

Tiny Dict was the only child of my uncle Heimrich, the oldest brother of my father. He was born with a big head and a small body. Tiny got his name because his head is out of proportion to his muscular physique. In the organization, he is also known as "The Tank". He is the leader of the Dict security agency, which guards our family. He also manages the Cerberus men and is an expert in various types of machinery and ammunition.

When the League of the Assassins was ordered to wipe out our entire bloodline, Tiny's family was the first on their list. He lost his family to the Routiers assassins. He swore to protect our clan and seek justice for his family. His mission was to protect me as the next ruler of El Latro. 

We were deep in conversation when we heard a woman's voice over the intercom.

"Paging Security, please proceed to Room 702, Code Blue."

"That was Athena's room," Tiny stated as he rose from his seat. "Stay right here, and I'll see what's going on!" He gave me tight instructions.

Terror pierced my heart as I fretted about what had happened to Athena. I intended to obey my cousin's command, but thinking about Athena is causing me to become frustrated. I decided to go looking for her.

"Paging Security, please proceed to Room 702, Code Blue."

After hearing that, I ran to the room mentioned. I was anxious and scared at the same time. I can't explain it. Something was odd and not right, but I tried to ignore it. As of now, all I ever wanted was to get there as fast as I could and find out what happened to her.

There is no one in the room, and there is a blood stain on the sheets and the floor. She had to have forced the needles and tubes out of her body. Tiny was speaking to his guys and giving them orders when I saw him. I approached him and inquired about what had occurred. Athena had gone missing, and all CCTV cameras had been smashed to keep them from tracing her down.

Tiny told me to go back to my room, but I chose to look for her. As I walked down the corridor, I noticed a large number of Cerberus men running down both sides of the corridor, as if they were looking for something or someone. There are a lot of thoughts going through my head right now. I only hope she wasn't kidnapped or decided to go renegade.

I was exhausted and parched after thirty minutes of searching. I decided to walk to the canteen and have something to drink before continuing my search for her. I was on my way when I noticed Athena walking slowly. She appears to be helpless and disoriented like she has no idea where she is or where she is going.

"Athena!" I called out to her. "Why did you leave your room? Where are you going?"

"Junior, I was looking for you," she said in a low tone. "Are you okay?" She ignored my question and continued to ask me questions about my well-being. "Are you hurt?" She was checking me from head to toe.

I can't believe that she was able to avoid the Cerberus men and all of the security despite her vulnerable condition. She looks so pale from all the blood loss, and even though she cannot feel pain, her body appears so weak.

"Don't be concerned about me. "I'm fine." I gave her a kind of cheesy smile. "You need to go back to your room and rest," I say gently.

"Don't worry about me. I don't feel any pain." She gave me a reassuring smile. "I have to make sure that you're okay, Junior. I can't leave your side," she insisted.

I'm done arguing with her. Even if I told her to rest, all she ever cared about was my safety. Nobody cared for me as much as she did. Even if she was merely programmed to be that way, I appreciated it and was grateful to have someone like her to rely on.

"Let's go back," I said to her.

We are about to go back to my room when, all of a sudden, Athena collapses to the floor. She is breaking out in cold sweats and has a burning fever. Her face has lost all of its colors, and her mouth has dried up. She exhausts herself too much from wandering around and looking for me.

"I'm not in pain, and I'm not tired." Why am I unable to move? "I try to move my body, but it just doesn't move," she murmured hoarsely.

I flashed her a sweet smile to console her, but my eyes were filled with so much sympathy. My heart aches for her. She is too young, innocent, and naive to understand what is wrong with her body. She is simply human, yet she was expected to behave like a robot. After a few minutes, she passed out.

I brought her back to my room and placed her on the bed before summoning the hospital nurse to treat her. I requested another bed so that I could stay in the same room as well. I wanted her to see me when she awoke so she wouldn't go searching for me. I called my cousin and informed him that I had found Athena and that she was staying in my room. He sends his men to guard my room.

The nurse told me to stay in bed and rest. It's been a long day, and I've spent all of my energy searching for her. I went to bed and kept an eye on her while she slept beside my bed. I didn't realize I'd fallen asleep after a while, and when I awoke, Athena was already awake and watching a movie.

"How are you feeling, Junior?" She smiled as she greeted me. "Did you sleep well?"

"I'm okay. How about you?" I asked worriedly.

"Sorry, Junior, but I can't answer that question because I don't feel anything." She had the same blank expression while looking at me.

A few minutes later, hospital employees knocked on the door, bearing a tray of hospital food. She set our food on the overbed tables, and I watched her devour it so quickly.

"Is it good?" I queried, my eyes drawn to the mushy vegetables and boiled mashed potatoes on her platter.

"Sorry, Junior, I don't have a sense of taste. I just eat whatever is served to me," she said, smiling at me.

"What the fuck? Whoever did this to her is insane! Removing all of her senses and emotions is an act of inhumanity." I thought to myself. I watched her slaughter all of our enemies without feeling any remorse. She did not even flinch every time she pulled the trigger.

"Who did this to you?" My voice is heavy with emotion.

"Sorry, Junior, I don't have that memory in my head," she quickly replied.

"What did you remember?" I asked curiously.

"The only memory I have is when I woke up from the capsule, and I was instructed by Red Dict to protect you at any cost," she said in all honesty.

I had so many questions for her, but the more I discovered about her, the more sympathetic I became toward her. This is not the time to be depressed or devastated. We must conserve energy to recuperate quickly.

I realized she was hooked on the Avengers movie she was watching, so I decided to shift the subject to deflect our attention to something else.

"Who is your favorite superhero?" I asked her while watching the Avengers fight Thanos in the combat sequence.

"I don't like superheroes; I like the villains more," she answered me while looking straight into my eyes.

"Huh, that's interesting." My eyebrows furrowed, and my eyes squinted. "Why is that?" I asked curiously.

Athena turned her gaze toward me, staring me in the eyes. She may have had no sensations, emotions, or feelings, but she said the sweetest words I had ever heard in my entire life.

"I don't need to protect the world; I only need to protect you. Heroes would always choose to save the world over you, but villains would save you over the world. I can't lose you, master. Without you, I no longer have a sense of purpose in my life. You are my world."