Cao Cao was splayed out on the couch like a drunken fratboy passed out on a pile of pizza boxes, snoring with Picklefish still in his mouth, soggy and half-chewed, like a pizza box in the mouth of a drunken fratboy.

Anna sat on the recliner, contemplating a cup of water. She breathed slowly as she stared. She was thirsty, and a little stressed, which was why she’d gotten it in the first place, but sitting here, staring at it, she remembered a particular little blonde sitting down with her, watching period dramas with her while practicing her powers…

Hesitantly, she raised a hand. Without so much as a quiver of resistance, the water flowed out of the glass in a long, rippling tendril, until it floated above in a rough donut shape around its vessel.

Anna’s shoulders relaxed, and slowly the water smoothed out until there were no ripples, just a perfect hoop of liquid spinning silently above the table.

It turned to ice, audible hissing, then cracking, then silent, frosted over and glimmering in her living room’s low lighting.

It slowly unfroze along the bottom, liquid water pulling towards the center of the hoop to drain back in the cup, the ice melting slowly enough that it didn’t just burst, until Anna’s glass of water remained.

She took the glass and sipped, and squeezed her eyes shut.

It was child’s play. Easy enough to create a chunk of ice to beat somebody bloody with, stab them with, get everything she needed from them, then freeze their head in an inescapable bubble, leaving a mystery for whomever came across the grisly scene.

‘You killed again.’

Anna lowered the glass from her lips and squeezed her eyes shut, feeling a tremble in her cheeks.

“He deserved it.” She whispered bitterly to herself.

‘That’s not your call to make.’

“I… had as much right as anyone…”

‘You put yourself there. You can’t step on a snake and claim self-defense after it tries to bite you.’

“I shouldn’t have to.” Anna growled to herself. “I’m better than those apes. Those monkeys, what they would have done to Tasha—”

‘You’re better than Zi, too.’

Anna stopped at that thought.

‘Go on, call her a monkey, bitch.’

Anna pursed her lips furiously at the very thought.

‘She can judge. She earned that right from the US government.’

“Fat lot of meaning that holds.” Anna grumbled; she watched the news, she had opinions…

‘There are more people out there like Zi than like Devin.’

Anna’s shoulders lowered, and she sipped her water.

‘You just don’t give them a chance.’

Anna squeezed her eyes shut, and breathed out a shaky groan. She desperately wanted somebody there with her. She wanted a man, she wanted Tasha, she wanted Zi…

‘Phone call.’

Anna’s mind prickled as her phone suddenly activated on the table stand, and then it began to ring.

She scooped it up with a growl, hoping it was somebody she could tell off, but she had to reread the number to make sure she was reading it right before answering.

“Hello?” She answered, looking around the room nervously.

“Good evening, Miss Cooper,” the familiar man’s voice said in her ear, “this is Director Rickard of the FBI.”

Anna flinched at the name; she’d fucked up, she’d fucked up real bad and this was her courtesy call before they stormed in and—

“Good evening, director. This is unusual for you.” Anna said in as calm a tone as she could manage.

“I know.” The director said, then fell silent for a moment.

“Usually Zi handles these calls. Is something—” She paused as she realized what she’d, and a deafening silence filled the household as Anna leaned back in her chair, dread creeping up her spine and plunging into her chest. “Director—”

“Miss Cooper, I’ll keep this short. For the time being, I’ll be handling these calls.” Rickard said, his voice more… tired than Anna was used to. “I don’t foresee us having much communication in the future, but…”

“David,” Anna cut off whatever he was about to say next, “what happened to Zi?” His lack of answer drove Anna to her feet, and she managed all of two steps towards her car keys before she hit her knees and screamed: “WHAT HAPPENED TO ZI?!”

She heard the man sigh between the tightness in her chest and the blur of her vision, and Rickard eventually, though reluctantly answered. “Anna, Zi was injured in the line of duty.”

“Who hurt her?!” Anna shouted, Cao Cao’s worried thoughts touching hers, but she ignored them as she trembled on the floor, barely keeping herself propped up on one hand.

“You know just as well as I do who did.” Rickard said gravely, and Anna stopped trembling to just breathe, and think. “That’s all I wanted to call—”

“Where is she, David?” Anna asked in a strained voice.

Rickard took a second to answer her. “Anna, please listen to me, this doesn’t concern you—”

“Like hell it doesn’t concern me, David!” Anna all but shouted into the phone. “Look around at everything happening and tell me it’s not my concern! Where is she?!”

“Anna, her husband is here, he can tell you she’s alive, but she’s in critical condition.”

“David, please!” Anna swallowed a sob, which came back up a hiccup. “I-I need to make sure for myself! I-I can’t—if it wasn’t for her—” Anna couldn’t stop herself.

Good god did she hate to cry; she hated the sound she made when she cried, she hated how puffy her face got, and the faces she made. She barely felt Cao Cao pressing against her as she cried as hard and ugly a cry as she’d ever had, but when it quieted down to hiccuping sniffles, she heard Rickard’s gentle voice.

“She’s here in Phoenix, in St. Joseph’s.” Rickard answered. “I’ll text you the address.”

“Th-thank you-hoo…” Anna managed to sputter out, trying to wipe the dog’s saliva off her face as Cao Cao worriedly licked her. “I-I’ll be there soon… soon…”

“You won’t be treated like family, Anna.”

“I-I know…”

The director said his goodbyes, and the call cut.

It took a few weepy minutes for Anna to gather the energy to stand up, and stumble to her car keys.

----------------------------------------

The drive to Phoenix took years, but Anna couldn’t remember a single second of it. She’d sped the entire way, and getting to the hospital was like waking up from a long sick dream.

Heads turned to stare at her, and minds alighted with awe as she entered the clinic, but Anna cared so little that the only thing that existed to her was the woman at the desk.

The woman looked up at Anna, “Good evening and welcome to St. Jossss—” Her words slurred for a moment, her eyes unfocusing. Anna didn’t speak a word. “A-ah, well, miss Cooper, I’m afraid we aren’t permitting any—” Her eyes fluttered a moment again. “I’ll-I’ll see if somebody can speak with Mr. Rickard.”

Anna nodded sharply, and moved to stand out of the way.

Cold and numb was all she felt. As she breathed, she felt her heart beat, and her mind expand. There must have been a hundred minds in this hospital, some faint, some loud, but she ignored them all for a single one she felt tucked away, unconscious and lukewarm with activity.

She could force them all to take her to Zi, she could…

But she didn’t. She stood stock still and smoldered, so visibly distraught with sorrow and rage that if anybody here had contemplated approaching her, the idea was all but erased for them.

She stared at the double doors, waiting. Waiting. Anticipating. Breathing loudly, ragged, heat filling her lungs as she trembled there, but she waited; god did she wait and let the seconds tick by with nothing that she could see happening.

Anna knew she needed to calm herself. If Rickard suspected she was using her powers again, she could kiss her own ass goodbye, but psychic powers were emotionally volatile, and her emotions were a shaking bottle of nitroglycerin.

It had been far too long since she’d felt this emotional, and she was sure it wasn’t a good look for her.

The double doors swung open after what felt far too long, and she lifted her trembling head to meet Director Rickard’s stare. He looked the same as the day Anna had met him: his simply tamed grey hair sat uniform and well-managed, not coiffed, not teased, not greased, but not messy. His mustache hung over a seemingly non-existent mouth, and a pair of beady blue eyes stared at her amidst a field of white-fleshed wrinkles.

He was not a tall man, and that was only more obvious between two agents in suits who regarded Anna with professional curiosity masked behind their shaded eyes, both white, both with similar hair, with slightly different styles and jaw lines; practically indistinguishable overwise.

“Miss Cooper.” Rickard spoke in an aged, gravelly voice, and he walked straight up to her.

“Director Rickard.” She answered, trying to keep her voice from cracking.

“You made good time.” He noted, staring dead into her eyes. “Come with me.”

He turned around and walked back through the doors, Anna following, the two agents flanking her. Based on their idle examinations of her and their otherwise unconcerned emotions, neither was privy to who she was.

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

Good.

The hospital was an exhaustingly sprawling complex of buildings attached to buildings going off in odd angles, of multiple floors of treatment rooms, labs, offices, and more. It was such a maze, and Anna was paying so little attention that when they finally stood in front of a door flanked by more band-wearing agents, she could hardly remember how they got there, much less how long she’d spent stewing in her thoughts.

Rickard turned to look up at her, his expression stoic and steely. “Anna, Zi’s asleep right now.” His tone turned more gentle. “Don’t wake her, don’t do anything drastic. You can see for yourself she’s breathing.”

“Is-is it a normal sleep?” Anna asked in a low voice. “She’ll wake up in the morning, I mean?”

“Maybe.” Rickard said, keeping his emotion out of his face and his voice. “But whatever the case is, these are the facts: she was shot three times five hours ago in the line of duty. It is not in your health nor our interest for you to take this personally.”

Anna stiffly nodded, her jaw tense. “I understand. Her attackers…?”

“Dead. She gave them a fight.”

Anna breathed a sigh. “She would.”

“And she did. We are processing the information we have acquired from the incident, and doing everything in our power to keep her alive. You understand that?”

“I do.”

“Good. I don’t lose agents lightly, but I will not be kind to those who stick their nose in official business.”

Anna hung her head. “I understand.”

“Good.” Rickard turned and unlocked the door for her, and stepped aside. “Knock when you need out.”

She nodded at him, and took a deep breath.

The room was a pretty standard. A handful of chairs around the room, medical equipment, a sink, a closet, a window…

And in the center sat the patient bed, where Zi laid under a blanket. She had her eyes closed, an IV tube snaking under the blanket to her left arm.

Randy sat to her left, the man hunched over, his entire posture sunk. He hadn’t even noticed the door had opened until it shut, and he instinctively backed up and stood, only looking up to see Anna after he was on his feet.

Anna stared at Zi in the bed, and she didn’t dare move forward. She made a small, pained noise seeing her friend so… crumpled and vulnerable there, and her hand covered her mouth to keep her from waking the woman up. Her eyes crushed shut, not wanting to see Zi like this…

And she gently leaned into Randy’s strong, powerful arms, and rocked with his motions. Her arms slid around his midsection, and she leaned against his shoulder and exhaled loudly, holding him back.

“She’ll be okay.” Randy said in a low, tired voice.

“Mhmm…” Was the only sound Anna could make, her fingers linking behind his back. “A-are you?” She asked, barely able to keep herself from openly crying again.

“I’m okay.” Randy said in a strained tone. “Lord, I’ll be okay when I sleep a bit. I hope.”

“It’s okay.” Anna sniffed, and she felt Randy reach up behind her to rub his face. “Is somebody with Teddy and Jebediah?”

“Dad’s nurse is over there. Told her it was an emergency. She understood.” Randy’s shoulders sank, and he slowly pulled himself out of Anna’s arms, resting his hairy hands on her shoulders. “Hermana, I always knew this sort of thing might happen, but god I was not prepared.”

“Me neither.” Anna wiped her eyes on her sleeve and groaned sadly. “But she’ll be okay?”

“She’ll be okay.” Randy nodded, reaching up to tap his temple. “I… talked to her a bit earlier while she was conscious. She can’t say much or do much, too many painkillers, too much pain. She’s alive, and happy I’m here. I’m sure she’d be happy you’re here, too.”

Anna nodded slowly, and slowly moved back in for another hug, letting those familiar arms carry her weight for a moment, flinching, but relaxing at a comforting kiss to her cheek.

He moved a second rolling stool up next to Zi’s side, and the two sat side-by-side to stare over Zi. Anna reached up to rub the woman’s dark forehead, feeling the heat off her body, but also the twitch from being touched. She could see the blanket rise and fall over Zi’s chest.

She stared sadly, but fondly at the woman, squeezing Randy’s hand comfortingly as he stroked his wife’s knee.

“Randy?” Anna spoke up after some time, drawing his glance. “Could you get me some coffee? I’d…” She swallowed thickly, knowing this was a bit rude. “I’d like a moment with her.”

“Of course.” Randy nodded, standing slowly, squeezing Anna’s shoulder. “I need some myself; I just needed you here before I could go get it.”

She smiled fondly at him, and he exited the room with a knock.

Anna stared back at Zi, her hand creeping around her face until she was holding her cheek. She could feel Zi’s thoughts prickle deep beneath the cover of unconsciousness, her mind still alive, still functioning below…

Her heart beat, slow and steady, calmed by a concoction of drugs and treatments, her organs functioning…

Anna closed her eyes, and silently willed her consciousness to leave her body.

Unconsciousness was not emptiness, unconsciousness was simply stillness. A sleeping mind safely unpacked and dejunked its daily experiences, leaving the consciousness buried below passively dreaming.

A conscious mind could direct those dreams. They could shape the spasms of creativity into something solid and grounded, and invite the dreamer in…

Anna felt her consciousness touch down on the barren, stone floor of a high-rising flat in some decrepit, condemned building in the bad end of Detroit. A chilly wind whipped her face from the broken window, overlooking an early evening in the smoggy city.

A dirty, stained mattress laid on the floor with a blanket over it, two pillows resting at the head, the bathroom nearby open with a yellow light pouring into the otherwise featureless room.

Anna stared around the room with a sick feeling of familiarity. She remembered the desperation she was in when she first stumbled across this room, the pain she was in…

And then she felt something brush against the back of her head.

“God damnit…”

Anna whirled around to find Zi standing there, fifteen years younger with less body fat, more youth to her facial features, in a burgundy coat over her black uniform, and her hand in prime slapping position.

“Why can’t you hit hard in your dreams? I outta whup your ass, Annie.” Zi grumbled, staring up at the blonde with a frown.

“Zi…” Anna sighed, staring at her friend’s dreamself with a relieved sigh, leaning in to hug her, providing the woman with enough solid form to hold.

“Anna…” Zi sighed, hugging the woman back, their forms less defined, less textured than their real selves, more like velvet-wrapped plastic. “Anna, you shouldn’t be in my head.” Zi whispered in concern.

“I know I shouldn’t. I had to make sure.” Anna squeezed Zi harder. “I need you to be okay, Zi.”

“I’m okay, baby, I swear I am…” She murmured, rubbing Anna’s back. “But this has got me just conscious enough to feel my body and ho shit am I feelin’ outta sorts.” Zi groaned, her dreamself rubbing along her ride side with a wince.

Anna flushed with shame, and backed up a step. “Sorry.” She said, crossing her hands in front of herself with a frown. “When David said you were hospitalized, the only thing I could think about was getting here and hearing your voice. I couldn’t go on if I didn’t.”

“Girl…” Zi rubbed her face. “You never could just take somebody’s word, or take somebody’s advice, or follow a goddamned order.” She raised a finger to shake in Anna’s face. “Everyone says your daughter’s a free spirit, but nobody realizes she got it from you. Can’t be happy unless your hands are in it.”

Anna blushed, but shuffled in place, embarrassed to be dressed down so suddenly.

“Y’know, I really did recommend your name for joining the task force, but David said: ‘if you can convince me she’ll listen to a single thing you say, I’ll consider it.’ That was a doomed prospect so I dropped it.” Zina snorted, arms crossed over her chest as Anna squirmed in place and simply wallowed in shame. Then, a hand took hers, and Anna glanced up with big blue eyes. “... Thanks for coming to see me, Annie. It’s lonely when I’m asleep.”

“Of course.” Anna’s lips tightened, and she once again draped herself around Zi, rocking back and forth with the woman in her arms as she stiffled a sniffle. “I was so scared when I’d gotten the call, I’d assumed the worst.”

“Well it ain’t that Annie.” Zi stroked her hair gently. “It ain’t that. I’m alive. I’m gonna make it. I don’t know in how many pieces, but the world ain’t seen the last of Zina Cole.” She leaned back, and reached up to touch Anna’s chin. “But it has seen enough of Anastasia, Annie. Are you okay?”

Anna was quiet for a very long time, just enjoying the simulated touch to her face, hearing Zi’s voice again, but after a minute or so, she shook her head. “I hate it.” Anna said softly. “It’s like I can hear somebody breathing at all times. It’s just there, telling me about everything around me at once, keeping me on edge at all hours, pulling things out of the shelves, trying to help me like it’s not—like I haven’t used it for—”

“Shh-shh-shh-shh-shh…” Zi rubbed Annie’s cheek, giving her a worried frown. “Baby, you’re okay. It was one little slip-up, that’s it. I know your mind’s awake right now, we knew this sort of thing would happen. You were so good for so long, but we’re only human.”

“If I was only human, Zi, I wouldn’t be able to do this.” Anna mumbled sadly. “I’m a ‘god amongst man and beast, bow to her will or be forced to.’”

“You’re also a melodramatic bitch.” Zina smacked her cheek with all the force of a drifting feather. “If God was infallible, he wouldn’t have had to drown the world and sacrifice his son to get the world right; don’t hold yourself up to His standards or else I’ma worry for Taz.”

Anna gave an ugly, scornful laugh, and leaned against Zina’s hand. The decrepit little room around them faded away, and when Anna opened her eyes, they sat in a dark interrogation room, only the light above illuminating them and the two, uncomfortable plastic chairs they lounged in, Zina still holding her face.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be there for you tonight.” Zi said with defeat hanging on her words. “Rickard’ll get you your Cozitomine, but I’m sure you’d rather have an ear to talk to.”

“Zi…” Anna groaned in agony. “Are you doing this on purpose? Why in god’s name are you apologizing to me? You’re the one who got shot! I defended myself without anything happening.”

“Because I know using your powers brings up memories, Annie.” Zi said softly, squeezing her hand. “I get shot, I go to the hospital, I talk to my therapist, I live my life. You use your powers? There’s a whole twenty-one years of repression and repentance torn open wide and raw. I’ll get scars, your wounds’ll stay open ‘til the day you die.”

“Lord, Zi, I’m supposed to be here for you…” Anna mumbled, squeezing her friend’s hand tightly.

“Well too damn bad.” Zi put on a sneaky smile. “I love you, and I’ma take care of you no matter how busted up I am.”

Anna nodded slowly, just basking in Zi’s presence and putting her fears to rest. “I’m looking forward to when we can put this Brain Scythe business behind us again.” Anna groaned, earning a little snort.

“Yeah, how do you think I feel? Preachin’ to the choir, baby, preachin’ to the choir…”

“The sooner the better.”

“Mm.” Zi stared at Anna with a small frown, tightening her grip on Anna’s hand. “Annie, don’t get involved.”

Anna hardly stirred from where she sat in that uncomfortable chair, opening her eyes a little bit and finding themselves now sitting at Zi’s desk in the FBI office, Anna in front of the desk, Zi behind. “I-I wasn’t—”

“I know you don’t listen to nobody or nothin’.” Zi sighed, wearing her agency suit, back to looking like her modern self. “But I need you to listen to me right now. If they’d gotten ahold of me and I spilled the beans, all hell would break loose, but they didn’t, I’m protected, they ain’t gettin’ to me anytime soon. You need to stay as far away from this as possible, you need to live a calm and quiet life while your daughter is safe and I’m being treated, and for the love of God, you need to put your powers back under wraps.”

Anna swallowed thickly. Zi was a hard woman to lie to, her ears always tuned to hear little shifts in speech patterns and her eyes always watching microexpressions, but to the woman’s detriment, Anna was an equally practiced liar.

“I don’t want to, Zi.” Anna sighed, sinking her face into her hands. “I left that life behind years ago with your help.”

“And now you have a lot at stake.” Zi said, leaning over her desk to stare Anna in the eye like a principal scolding a school girl. “I wish I could say I trusted you, Annie, but these are unusual circumstances, unusual times, and you’re an unusual woman. I barely convinced David that you didn’t need extra supervision and I am sticking by that decision. Don’t make me regret it, Anna.”

Anna swallowed thickly and nodded, stretching her hands out to take Zi’s hands and squeeze them, lowering her head. “I won’t, Zi.”

“Promise me.” Zina ordered. “Look me in the eye and promise me.”

Anna slowly looked up to meet her friend's eyes, and nodded. “I promise.”

Zi stared silently and unblinkingly for over a minute, assisted by the whole, well, dream aspect of the encounter, but at some point, Anna began to squirm in discomfort, and Zi pulled her hands back and smiled.

“Good.” Zi smiled gently and laid back, taking a deep breath. “Live easy, Annie. For both of us.”

Anna nodded rapidly as the dream around them began to slowly decay, Zi’s exhaustion beginning to retake her.

“Oh, and Annie?” Zi’s tired voice echoed through the darkening space, her body gone and her voice fading.

“Yes, Zi?” Anna asked, feeling herself getting tugged back to her body.

“Next time Taz calls, tell her her aunt said she needs to be honest with you.”

Anna blinked at that, but was shunted out before she could ask any more.