The moon tried to shine a pathway to Giuseppe's, but the light was too faint. I used my phone's light to guide the way, and soon I was standing at the restaurant. The building was dark and a sign above it said, in very fancy letters, "closed". 5.0.5 let out a whimper, but I shushed it. I looked around, and, not noticing anyone, I checked the time. My phone had shut off, and the time showed 10:40. 20 minutes early. Suddenly, my phone lit up with a text message from another unknown number. "Turn to your left." Confused, I did, and I almost jumped out of my skin when I saw a man standing there. He also was hiding his identity. He wore all black and the only facial feature I could see was his mouth cruelly smiling at me. 

"Come, doctor," he said sickeningly, and he placed an arm around my shoulders. "We have so much to talk about."

I nervously laughed as he began to bring me into the alley next to Giuseppe's. I began to rethink everything, when suddenly, we stopped.

"So...why did you want to meet me?" I asked, placing one of my hands into my pockets to reach for my ray gun. 

The man just let out a laugh. "It's not me who wanted to meet you. It's my boss."

Suddenly, I heard multiple feet and I watched as five men, all wearing the same outfit, came running from the other side of the alley. They set up a blockade, and I heard more feet come from behind me. Another blockade. 

I should have just not come, I thought as I grasped my ray gun. 

"Ah, Flug. So glad you could make it."

My fingers froze, and anger began to build up inside me. I recognized that voice. Demencia was right. She came.

"Mother," I growled, slowly turning to the entrance to the alley.

She was still in her superhero outfit. I will never like the colors pink or purple ever again. As she walked towards me it looked like she was cautiously approaching a dangerous animal. Her heels clicked slowly against the ground, and she had her hands clasped as if she was pleading I wouldn't attack. I let her approach me and when she did, we just stared at each other until I finally spoke up. 

"I thought that I made it pretty clear that I never wanted to see you again," I said, ready to let 5.0.5 get me out of here. 

"Flug..." My mother searched for the right words to say. "I-I'm trying to give you another chance. Please...pick the right choice."

"I am," I stated coldly, letting 5.0.5 out of my hoodie's pocket. "Black Hat and Demencia don't lie to me and keep secrets from me for many years." I sighed. "Maybe if you told me the truth earlier we wouldn't be standing here like this."

"Fl-"

"Look," I cut her off. "I'm letting you off easy. I'm letting you live." 5.0.5 grew behind me and I climbed onto the bear. "I never want to see your face ever again. Goodbye, mother."

5.0.5 turned to leave, but a gunshot rang through the air. I whirled around on 5.0.5 to see one of the blockades gone, and my mother kneeling on the ground. 

"Mother!" I screamed, jumping off of 5.0.5 and running to her side. "I didn't want this to happen! Who shot you?!?"

"It's okay, Flug," my mother winced as I helped her stand up. "It just grazed my side."

She winced in pain, and I placed her arm around my shoulders to help her stand. I glanced to the opening of the alley, but the person who had shot my mother had vanished. 

"Come on," I said, placing her on 5.0.5's back. "We need to get you to the nearest hospital."

My mother weakly pointed down the alley to where the hospital was brightly lit up. I mentally slapped myself for not noticing the massive, white building, and soon we slowly began to make our way towards the hospital.

***

I wondered what that poor nurse thought of when she saw us. A man who is concealing himself walking besides a giant blue bear which carried one of this city's superheroes. I thought about this as I stayed by my mother's side as the doctors worked on healing her. The night had already passed, the sun shining through the window.

Suddenly, I heard screaming and people running to and fro to get away from something. I stood protectively by my mother's bed, but released my stance when Black Hat and Demencia came running in. They stopped in the doorway when they saw me and let out a sigh of relief.

"Jesus Flug, you almost gave Demencia a heart attack when you didn't come back last night," Black Hat chuckled.

"What about you?" I asked.

"I don't have a heart," Black Hat replied simply.

"Or a soul," Demencia chimed in.

Black Hat narrowed his eyes at her before turning back to me again. 

"Demencia thought that something bad had happened to you and 5.0.5," Black Hat explained. "We decided to wait until morning, and when you still weren't here, we thought that you were at the hospital. The lady at the front was no help. Once she saw us she screamed and ran." He laughed. "Ah, the terrified screams of citizens always has been music to my ears. Anyway, we managed to get here and now we know that you aren't dead."

"I'm not," I replied. "But my mother's wounded. Someone shot her when we were talking last night."

I moved aside to let Black Hat and Demencia see the state my mother was in. She was sleeping peacefully, her arms resting on her stomach. The nurse was able to clean the wound and had bandaged it. She said that my mother was going to live, but she might have to give up fighting villains as it may reopen the wound and she would bleed to death. I know that that sounds harsh, but that's how the nurse put it.

"I thought that you never wanted to see your mother again," Demencia stated when I finished my explanation.

"She's still my mother," I replied, lowering my hood and sighing. "Even after everything she put me through, I still need to make sure that she's safe. I don't want the same thing that happened to my father happen to her."

Demencia nodded, while Black Hat just looked confused. 

"I'll never understand mortal feelings," he muttered before turning back to me. "You can stay with your mother until morning. We have an order for another weapon. Do not tell your mother we were here."

"Of course, sir," I replied, smiling and hiding my face with my hood again. "Thank you, sir."

Black Hat only grunted in reply, and soon, both he and Demencia turned to leave.

"Wait."

They turned around to face me.

"Do you know who shot my mother?" I asked.

"Unfortunately, we do not," Black Hat replied.

I nodded, and before I knew it, Black Hat and Demencia were gone.

A few minutes later, the nurse came running in with a frightened look on her face.

"Are you okay?!?" she asked. "Black Hat came running in here, and I thought that you were done for!"

"We're fine," I replied. "He..." How do I explain this to her without revealing who I am? "He left us alone. I don't think we were the people he was looking for." 

"Oh thank God," the nurse sighed with relief. "More good news."

"More?" I asked.

"We found the person who shot Jill," the nurse explained to me. "The police are chasing him down as we speak."

My heart skipped a beat. Who could have possibly shot my mother if Black Hat was the only villain in this city?

"Who was it?" I asked.

"A visiting villain," the nurse replied, turning around to leave. "Apparently he was on his way to Black Hat's to pick up an invention, but when he saw you guys, I guess he wanted to get rid of the other main superhero. Luckily, she wasn't killed, unlike Jack. That poor man. Being killed by your own son is not the way to go."

I swallowed nervously thinking that she found me out. She just shook her head, smiled at me, then left. I let out a shakey sigh of relief and leaned against 5.0.5.

"Everybody knows what you did."

Startled, I turned to where my mother lay. She was awake, but her voice was just above a whisper. 

"Did what?" I asked, once again moving to her side.

"That you killed your own father," she replied. Then, she gave a shakey sigh. "I get it. You're a villain. I'm a hero. We're too different. I should just...give up. Accept you for who you are."

"I've said this before," I replied sadly. "I never wanted this to happen. But, I'm glad that you are still alive. Even after everything I said at the jail..." I paused, before shaking my head and smiling. "However, I won't be able to see you ever again. Goodbye, mother."

"Goodbye, my son," my mother whispered, reaching her hand towards me. "And I'm sure you father knew that you didn't mean to attack him."

I let out a small sob at the mention of my father, but I soon swallowed it away. I grabbed her hand and squeezed it, trying to reassure her that I would be fine. I nudged 5.0.5, and with a final wave to my mother, we left the hospital and towards Bla-our house. As we walked, one question kept burning in the back of my mind.

Who was the villain that shot my mother?