Hello everyone, here is the second-to-last chapter of this story! The climax was Horace being shot and the evil heroes being taken to Mighty Max. After this chapter, there'll only be an epilogue to wrap up the story... yep, this one's almost over... but until then, I'll pretend it won't make me sad and I'll just reply to your reviews:

LabRatsWhore: Yes she does, and yes he is! More information will follow... Thanks for your review!

daphrose: Thanks for reviewing! Yes, Charles Pyne is the Healer - more information will follow and all your questions will be answered. And if not, I'll be glad to answer them next time or through PM.

Enjoy!

-Writer207

Oliver didn't move. His dad, his father, Charles Eric Pyne, was the legendary Healer who sometimes appeared in the SSHH comic books!? His father was a freaking comic book character!? What the heck!? Inside, he screamed out loud. His dad, the one who didn't like him hanging out with Kaz and who didn't like him spending in the Domain between the comic books because they were a bad influence, and he was the one who had a contract with them to appear anonymously in the comics? That was just unfair.

"Dad, you're… you're…" Oliver stuttered. He had no idea what to say to his dad. But Charles, kneeling next to Horace Diaz, did not even look up when he heard his son talking.

"Not now, Oliver, I'm doing something very important now." He said with the same tone he always used when Oliver called him during his work hours. Oliver still stared at him.

"But…"

"Oliver, just don't." interrupted Charles Pyne. These words were the ones he always used when he wanted Oliver to shut up and leave him alone. Eventually, Oliver just stayed silent and joined Kaz and Titanio. In the meantime, Alan was taken away from Horace and he was now talking with Optimo. Oliver shrugged.

"I can't believe he hasn't told me anything…"

"Well, he would've told you eventually." Titanio said, "You know, he would've when he was sure you were working at the Mighty Med." Oliver and Kaz stared at Titanio, not believing the words the hero just said.

"You knew!?" Oliver yelled, "You knew and you didn't tell me?" Titanio nodded.

"Yes, I knew. But only because Optimo told me. And I promised not to tell anyone, but today can be seen as an exception since you already found out before I told you." Oliver sighed. That's his dad – never talking about his job and tell others (some of them complete strangers) about it, but not his wife and son.

"Hey, it doesn't matter," said Kaz, "I didn't know either. And he probably didn't know about us working at Mighty Med."

"Probably," Oliver said. He was convinced his dad knew – why else would he want his son to stay away from Kaz, the comic books and indirectly his job?

"Come on, boys." Titanio eventually said. "Let's go back to the Mighty Med. The Dark Warrior and the SSHH is waiting for us there, to take in the evil workers. You never know who's evil and who's not." Kaz accepted immediately, Oliver reluctantly. He wanted to stay here, with his dad, so he could wait patiently for him to finish his work, only to hear how the heck he became the anonymous Healer of the SSHH.

He followed Titanio and Kaz and when he looked back one last time, he saw his father bent over Horace Diaz, while Alan was guided away from his uncle, so the Healer could do his job properly.

Then, they disappeared out of sight.

It was half past three when Charles Pyne finally came.

Oliver had been waiting in the Mighty Med all those time. Kaz was visiting Gus in the Normo part of the hospital. After hitting the wall, Gus immediately had to be taken to the hospital – they had no idea how critical his situation was. So while Kaz was comforting Jordan and looking over Gus, Oliver was waiting for his dad to finally appear. Horace wasn't a Normo, so he would be treated in his own hospital. Which meant his dad had to go there as well.

Eventually, his father hurried through the lobby, hoping not to meet his son here. But Oliver noticed, and he walked to his dad. It was time to confront him with the secrets. And if he would be honest with his son, Oliver would also tell the truth about his adventures at the hero hospital.

"Hey!" he said to get his attention. Furthermore, he stood in front of the entrance, so Charles had to talk to his son. Oliver crossed his arms, and his dad was surprised to see Oliver here, although he didn't know his son would actually wait for him here.

"How long have you been here?" Charles wanted to know, and Oliver shrugged.

"The entire time," he made it sound like it was easy, "How's Horace doing?"

"He's okay," was his dad's answer, "Well, he should be. He's been shot in the stomach, it won't heal quickly, but he's in the most advanced hospital in the world, so he's going to be fine eventually." After Charles had said that, he wanted to pass Oliver to go home, but as he took a step to the right, Oliver still blocked his way – he had to know more, he didn't want to be left without answers.

"What are you?" Oliver asked, and Charles smiled.

"I'm not a hero, if that is what you mean. I don't have powers, I'm a Normo just like you and almost everyone else on this planet." Oliver nodded. His dad wanted to go – they would discuss it at home – but Oliver still wasn't satisfied.

"Okay, but how did you…" he was searching for the right words, "you are the Healer. How is that possible? You always told me I shouldn't hang out with Kaz, I shouldn't go to the Domain, I shouldn't read comic books, I shouldn't… you're the Healer! You're a comic book character!" None of the staff paid attention to them. They had no idea why Oliver was yelling, and they didn't want to know either.

"Alright," Oliver's dad sighed, "I think it's backstory time. Take a seat." Oliver sat down on a gurney. Charles took a chair from behind the desk and placed it next to the gurney. He looked at his son. "I want to know how you got into this mess."

Oliver remembered it as if it happened yesterday – it was one of the best days of his lives. "Kaz did something stupid at the Domain, and we had to go to the hospital and he thought he saw Blue Tornado and followed him into the janitor's closet." Charles stared at him.

"Off course it's because of Kaz…" he muttered, and then continued a little louder, "And when did that happen?"

"A year ago." And a few weeks, but it approximately was a year ago he and Kaz had discovered the secret. Charles nodded.

"I got there because of my mother," Charles said, "She was overly protective and too worried. She meant well, but she also took me to the hospital two times a month. She drove me to the hospital to see if I hadn't caught anything that might make me seriously sick. I got bored and walked into the janitor's closet when she wasn't looking, hoping she wouldn't find me. I touched some stuff, move some and then I found the puzzle. I solved it and went into Mighty Med."

"What did Horace say? What did he do?" Oliver asked. This was an interesting story.

"When he noticed me, he said whatever he says to every new face. 'I'm doctor Horace Diaz. Who are you and what can you do?' I told him my name and then I said I could look into the future. Not like Timeline, I added. No, Oliver, I can't really do that. It's just that some heroes in combination with certain villains and circumstances were just very predictable."

"How long did you stay?"

"It took them five years to unmask me," Oliver's mouth fell open, "It wasn't Horace who did, though. One of the heroes found out I was a Normo because I wasn't very careful around him. I knew that if Horace found out, he'd cube me. He told me a few weeks back that if he found out I as untrustworthy, he'd do that. I walked out and ran home."

"What did you do then?" Oliver wanted to know. How was it possible his dad's story sounded more interesting than his own? How was it possible it sounded more exciting while he didn't give details about it, while Oliver himself had gone through some adventures himself?

"I wanted to continue my studies. I got accepted by a university in Texas." Oliver's mouth fell open. Texas? Why Texas? He thought these words, but he didn't say them out loud. Yet, he did ask his father why he went to Texas. Charles shrugged.

"I knew Horace liked Texas, but he's never been there because of his job. He doesn't have vacation and doesn't want it. Besides, as far as I know, there are no Texan heroes. I could be wrong. And if there are, I have yet to meet them.

You can already guess what I studied there. I admit I was influenced by my previous job, and I wanted to continue saving the people. It's also in Texas where I met your mom. We eventually married and we moved back to Philadelphia. I had grown since then, and Horace probably would remember the young me. I applied for a job in the same hospital, and I got one."

"Were you never afraid you'd meet some old colleagues, or heroes?" his son asked.

"I still fear meeting Horace Diaz. I only came today because he needed help. This hospital… it was Horace's idea to start this place. there is no Mighty Med without Horace Diaz. I also asked them not to tell them it was me – they tell him it was the Healer. Horace doesn't know who the healer is. I think he'll still cube me, even after all those years." Their conversation fell silent. They had no idea what to say next. Eventually, there still was one more question Oliver needed to ask, one more answer he needed to hear.

"Did you know I was working at the Mighty Med?" Charles smiled.

"I was waiting for that question. Only a few days back, I knew for sure that you worked there. before, I had my suspicions, starting from the day you told me about that school play. Frankenstein in the white house? Not the smartest you've come up with. I noticed you were acting strange, as if you were keeping a secret. I never asked about it, because I knew there had to be a reason. Optimo – he got my number and sometimes called me to heal his teammates – told me there were Normos working, so I didn't bother you. But I did keep an eye on you. I thought you were one of them.

My theory was confirmed when you told me about an intense role play. Doctors at a superhero hospital couldn't be anything else but the Mighty Med. I played along and gave you the info I needed, told Optimo he could expect a phone call soon. It never came, until the Dark Warrior called.

Oliver, I hope you understand why I wanted you to stay away from that world. It is a magnificent world, but dangerous. The hospital gets attacked once in a week. You constantly risk your life to save the people who save the people. You can get yourself killed by treating some very dangerous heroes or those who need very special treatment. And Kaz is a bad influence – he could have pulled you into even more danger than before."

Oliver nodded. He understood, and he forgave. He'd do exactly the same if he found out his kid was doing something incredibly dangerous, something life-threatening. He then looked at his dad. His dad, Charles Pyne, the Healer. He may not have many fans, but these fans are dying to know who the mysterious Healer is. People on the internet speculate Caducio finally is coming back, while others say it's a new hero with the powers to heal, and some say he's an old friend of Optimo. It felt nice to know his dad was that one discussed comic book character, to know his dad would always be there to 'heal' him when he got hurt by the villains or evil heroes, and Oliver would never tell anyone.

"I need to go. Your mom's getting worried." Charles said, and he stood up walking away. They'd meet back at home. At the same time, Kaz walked back in with Roger, one of the guards. Oliver wondered why Roger had come with Kaz. He knew he was a guard, one of the few also who were authorized to use that device which erased all specific memories of the Mighty med/superheroes and villains in general.

"So, what did your dad tell you?" Kaz asked; Oliver told him everything he remembered. Kaz nodded after the story.

"Why did Roger come with you?" Oliver then asked. Kaz shrugged and told him what he knew.

"I went to Gus. He's still in a critical condition. I know that he won't die anytime soon, but he still needs a lot of intensive care. You know, Jordan is there too. she told me it was her fault. She told me it was her who pressured Gus to follow Skylar – they followed her to the manor after seeing her come and leave before she even went inside. She's very sorry. She'll tell Gus how sorry she is when he wakes up. If he wakes up…" Kaz gulped, " They're not sure if he wakes up or not."

"But why was Roger there?" Oliver asked after a long silence. It didn't feel good knowing Gus would never wake up, knowing his last deed could make sure they took down evil Skylar Storm. He was as much a hero as Tecton and the others – he's just one the world will never know about. Ambrose would draw the hostages as simple citizens (with the same names, but different appearances) and it would look like the message was for the Dark Warrior. Kaz and Oliver wouldn't be named. The quest for the Dagger of truth wasn't included at all.

"He was there to erase her memory." Kaz didn't look at his best friend, "we both didn't want her to lose her memory. At least, not until Gus was recovered. Eventually, he erased her memory. We had to tell her Gus was hit by a car on their way to the school, and that she wasn't to blame because she saw the car coming and he didn't. It doesn't feel good to lie in her face." Kaz paused.

"He also told me someone of the superhero network would come over to interview us," he then continued, "We're going to have to answer some questions about Gus and Jordan. The SSHH, the Dark Warrior and Titanio will talk about their involvement."

They both didn't talk about it anymore. They needed to say no more. They knew everything they needed to know. Hopefully, they could leave this day behind them. They saved many heroes, but they might have lost a good yet weird friend.

They still needed to do one more thing before going home. They still needed to pay a visit to a very important person in their lives.