CHAPTER 34

The ambient throb of steady pain drew Alex out of unconsciousness. As he struggled to his senses, he tried to take stock of his body. Nothing felt broken, but all sensation was distant and dulled. The fact that he was waking up at all meant he wasn't dead, so there was that.

He stirred, and felt the slow drag of an IV drip in his arm. "Hey, easy," someone said to his left, the voice vaguely familiar through the haze of painkillers. "Don't try to move, you'll bust your stitches." Reyes moved into Alex's field of view and rested a hand on his shoulder. "You had us worried for a bit there, Hawlucha Man."

"Hierro?" Alex croaked, searching Reyes's face for some kind of sign.

"He's alive," the detective said. "And he's stable. But he's in bad shape, worse than you were."

Alex cringed and sank back against the thin pillow. "Where am I?" he rasped.

"We've got you in a private ward at Metro General. We've had you guarded ever since you went into the ICU. The Ronin wanted to be the one to do it, but we sent him off after he got patched up. He was scaring the doctors."

"How long was I out?"

"They kept you under for five days while you recovered. Dominion's a lousy shot, but they were clean hits. Once the surgeons got the bullets out of you, they sewed you right up." Reyes pulled a chair closer to Alex's bed. "While you were in surgery, the docs ran some tests. They told the captain that your body is showing signs of tremendous long-term physical strain. Arceus, kid, how hard have you been pushing yourself?"

"As hard as I need to, to keep the city safe."

Reyes put a hand on his arm. "You've been out of commission for most of a week. Clarus is still standing." He gave Alex's shoulder a squeeze, though Alex barely felt it. "You've got to take better care of yourself."

Alex reached up and felt his face. "My mask… how many people saw me? My secret identity…"

"The captain had to run your face through the system, so he knows. As far as the doctors are concerned, you're just John Doe."

"What about you?"

"The captain didn't tell me, and I didn't ask. I know what you look like under that hood now, but that's about it." Reyes pursed his lips into a thin line. "With that psychic bitch running around, the less I know, the better." He sighed and looked down. "Listen, kid. I'm sorry for what happened back there."

Alex tried to brush off the detective's concern. "We all take a few hits in the line of duty, Reyes. I know what I signed up for."

The detective cut Alex off with a curt wave of his hand. "You and Hierro got hurt because I couldn't do my job. I had Dominion dead to rights, but she twisted me around her finger without breaking a sweat."

"You're hardly the only one."

"If you hadn't stopped me, I would have killed the Ronin, and then she probably would have had me kill you too. It was just so damn easy for her to—"

"Reyes," Alex broke in. "You're not the first person Dominion has hijacked. It takes years of training to resist an esper with even half of her power. I don't blame you for what happened, and I doubt Hierro or the Ronin do either."

"You're a more generous man than I would be in your position."

Alex struggled to push himself up into a sitting position again. "Comes with the territory, I guess. Heroes have to moral paragons and whatnot." Alex smiled through the fresh wave of pain his movements brought on.

Reyes rolled his eyes and patted Alex's knee. "Whatever you say. But I owe you one for this. You need anything, all you have to do is ask."

"I'll put it on your tab. But actually, there is one thing." Alex gestured to a folded wheelchair in the corner of the room. "Can you bring me to Hierro? I need to see him."

Reyes shook his head. "I wish I could, kid. But the doctors say they don't want you being moved around for another little while. I'll come back again tomorrow and see what they have to say. I promise."

Alex continued to lapse in and out of consciousness, marking time by the passage of the sunlight and shadows on the walls of his room. The time he spent while conscious was split between gritting his teeth at the various aches and pains of his body and worrying about Hierro. Despite his doctors' continued insistence that he was in no shape to be moved, Alex tried to convince each of them that his condition would be markedly improved if he could just see his partner. At some point, a basket of fruit had arrived from Isabelle, accompanied by a small card wishing him a speedy recovery, in a somewhat roundabout fashion. Alex figured she meant well behind all the berating him for rushing in like an idiot, and after all, she had told him that she would personally settle all of his medical expenses, since he was probably too much of a moron to have good insurance.

The next time he was conscious, a card had arrived from Edgar, expressing his regret that he couldn't come in person, since he was presently occupied consolidating his power within Harcourt Ltd., and to visit a John Doe in Metro General might allow certain underworld elements to compromise both of their secret identities. It did, however, extort him to call Edgar on his private line if he needed anything to speed along his recovery, and mentioned that he had tried to cover Alex's hospital bill only to find that Isabelle had beaten him to the punch.

When he woke around midmorning, he saw that the chair Reyes had sat in several hours previously was now occupied by the Ronin. The scarred silver-haired man was glowering at a trio of nurses. "Good, you're awake," the Ronin said. "Tell them to buzz off."

"He's a friend," Alex managed to say. "Really, it's fine." When the nurses left, the Ronin shook his head and reached into the pocket of his jacket for a cigarette. "I don't think you're supposed to do that in here," Alex said.

"Yeah, and?" the Ronin replied, raising his lighter. Alex gave him a hard look, and the swordsman relented. "Fine, I'll do it outside." He rolled his eyes. "Damn heroes, I swear."

After a moment of sitting in silence, Alex cleared his throat. "Thanks for coming. And for saving me."

"Yeah, well, taking care of a whole borough on my own is too much work."

"Reyes mentioned that you wanted to stay behind and keep watch while I was out."

The Ronin leaned back in his chair and folded his arms. "Just wanted to be thorough. Who knows who Dominion's sunk her claws into? I've been coming back every day to make sure no one gets you while you're out."

"Apparently you kind of freak out the doctors."

"More like I freak out the cops. They know I saved their asses, but as far as they're concerned, I'm just as bad as the Sins. Worse, probably. They just don't like that they can't figure out what side I'm on."

"Whose side are you on?"

The Ronin was quiet for a minute, and Alex could tell he was mulling over his words. Finally, he shrugged. "You know I don't give a damn about all this heroes and villains, cops and robbers crap. As far as I'm concerned, there's just people who can get hurt and people who are doing the hurting. And then lately, there's been people who are getting between the bad guys and the victims. That's the kind of person I want to be, someone who's going to get in the way of the next mean bastard and make him think twice about hurting someone who can't protect themselves.

"I used to think I was on my own side, but you have a point with all your do-gooder self-help motivational crap. We are stronger when we stand together, and we need to be pretty damn strong to knock this Dominion bitch down a few pegs. So if anyone asks, I'm on your side, kid." The Ronin held up a finger. "But let me make something clear. Your side, not Blaziken Man's side, or Volcarona Mask's, or the police, or whoever's. You've stuck your neck out for me a couple times, so I'm going to return the favor."

"Avenbrooke's gotta stick together."

"You're damn right." The Ronin pushed a few strands of limp silver hair back from his forehead. "Once you get back on your feet and you go to pay Dominion back with interest, make sure to count me in." The swordsman grinned, stretching his lips back to expose his canines. "It'll be a damn fine way to die."

"Who said anything about dying?"

"Everyone's number comes up sometime. If you're going to go, you might as well go out doing something worthwhile." Before Alex could respond, the Ronin pushed himself to his feet and crossed to the door. "I've had Muramasa keeping an eye on your buddy downstairs. Seems like he has a bit of a soft spot for the little guy." The Ronin touched two fingers to his brow in salute before walking out. "When he wakes up, give him our best."

The next day, Alex had managed to level himself up to a sitting position and move his limbs without debilitating pain. As he took stock of his various aches and tested his extremities, he heard someone knock on the doorframe. "Some mentor you turned out to be," Kaito Kuromori said as he slouched through the door. "But whatever man, it's cool, I'm used to fending for myself."

"Sorry." Alex grimaced. "Have you been… is everything, uh…?"

"Hanzo and I are keeping an eye on Avenbrooke while you're laid up," Kaito said. "So just focus on getting better. If you're going to teach me how to be a great hero, I need you in top form." He sat down next to Alex's bed and took in the assortment of IVs and monitors that Alex was hooked up to. "Are you feeling… um, okay?"

"Under the circumstances," Alex gestured down at his bandaged torso. "I'm doing as well as can be expected. I won't be vaulting off tall buildings for a little while though."

"I wouldn't worry about it too much," a new voice said from the hall. "The new kid does your job better than you, birdbrain." The Shadow slunk around the corner and picked up an apple from Isabelle's fruit basket. "You look like shit."

"Your concern is touching."

Kaito nodded to Bri. "Hey, Shadow."

"Hey, new kid."

Alex glanced between them. "You know each other?"

"Shepherd Matt told me he had a new ward who was slipping out at night," Bri replied. "I've been keeping an eye on him as a favor."

"Gave me a hand once or twice," Kaito added.

Alex shook his head. "Of all the people in Clarus City, you had to fall in with her?"

"And what's that supposed to mean, birdbrain?"

"I mean that you're a bad influence."

"Oh. Well, yeah, you're probably right." Bri reached out and touched Alex's shoulder, and her expression softened. "When I heard what happened, I was really worried. I'm sorry I couldn't make it sooner, but I needed to be sure it was safe to see you. If Dominion had her cutters prowling around, it wouldn't do anyone any good if we both ended up dead."

Alex inclined his head. "I get it. How are things out in the city right now? Everyone else has been cagey with me."

Kaito and Bri shared a look. "It's been quiet," Kaito finally said. "But it's too quiet. Everyone's circling around and planning their next move. Dominion hasn't made any aggressive plays, but she's cracking down on the territory she does have. I've heard that the Cavalier has stepped up their game and are keeping the Kuromori in check on their side of the river."

Bri nodded. "The Eleventh and the Baron's men took pretty bad beatings, so they're licking their wounds. Captain Ito from the Sixth has diverted some of her manpower from Greenpoint to help cover the Eleventh's beat just in case, but the Baron is keeping a low profile anyway. The Sins haven't made any more trouble in Avenbrooke as far as I know." She leaned in. "Just between us three, I heard that Dominion got shot. The rumor mill says you were squaring up with her, so did you see what went down?"

"I know Detective Reyes from the Eleventh clipped her shoulder," Alex replied. "Then Hierro and I got beat up pretty bad, so I'm a little hazy on the next bit, but I think Giordano got her too."

"Oh man," Bri said. "I hope Pirozzi stuck Bruce somewhere safe, because Dominion's going to be on the warpath when she gets back on her feet."

"What about the other heroes?" Alex asked. "Are they holding the line?"

"Far as we can tell. The Phantom and Echo are coordinating more with Ito in Greenpoint to keep the streets clean," Kaito reported. "Volcarona Mask has uptown and midtown secure, and Captain Unova's stepped up his patrols downtown. Haven't heard much from the Gunslinger, but I'd guess he's backing up Cavalier same as usual. Still, one guy taking potshots doesn't make the headlines when there's a knight storming around fighting ninjas every night."

"I've heard that the Dryad has been raiding Sin safe houses all over the west side," Bri said. "Freelancers like me are packing up shop across the river and going to ground. As far as the underworld is concerned, once her grass types move in, there goes the neighborhood."

"I heard she leveled a couple warehouses the Sins were using to run guns, and then used some Sasaki money to buy up the land and start a new arboretum right in the heart of the industrial district." Kaito said, his voice carrying an undercurrent of awe. "The Sins cleared out of the nearby complexes pretty quick once a couple of her Torterra put down roots."

"Speaking of Sasaki," Alex said, "is he still…?"

"Yeah," Bri sighed. "Blaziken Man seems content to sit up in his tower while the rest of the city goes up in smoke." She didn't try to hide the bitterness in her tone. "I know we're not technically on the same side or whatever, but it seems like life was a hell of a lot better for everyone when Dominion was still worried about Blaziken Man kicking her ass."

Alex chewed his lip. A part of him wanted to defend his mentor, because of course no one else could understand what had happened in Dominion's bunker during the heroes' raid, and how Jiro had convinced himself that his failure to resist the esper there was what had caused Johannes's death. But he couldn't help but agree with the thief. Jiro Sasaki had set up Blaziken Man as a symbol of hope for Clarus City, but when the city needed him more than ever, he disappeared into his tower above the clouds, leaving everyone else to deal with the mess he had left behind. Alex wasn't sure if the selfishness or the cowardice bothered him more.

Because he had been in the bunker too. He had felt the suffocating pressure of Dominion taking control of his mind just like Jiro had, and if he got right down to it, Johannes's death was just as much his fault as it was Jiro's. But Alex didn't have a skyscraper to hide in, and when Dominion showed up on his home turf, he hasn't hesitated to square up with her again, even if he knew damn well he couldn't win.

Well, Blaziken Man had claimed the whole of Clarus City as his home turf, and the Sins had been running roughshod over it while he hid away. And maybe it was unfair of him, but Alex was sure that if Blaziken Man hadn't been moping around his tower, Dominion would have thought twice about trying to invade Avenbrooke, and maybe Hierro wouldn't have ended up half dead.

Alex sank back against his pillows with a sigh and closed his eyes. Bri sat up and Kaito turned to the monitors. "Are you okay?" the young man asked. "Should we call someone?"

"I'm fine," Alex said. "At least, I'm not in pain." He slowly opened his eyes. "Can I ask a favor of you two?"

Kaito and Bri both nodded. "Sure, just name it," Kaito said.

"Bring me that wheelchair. I need to go see Hierro." As the young ninja stood and unfolded the wheelchair, Alex slowly tried to stand up. When he winced in pain as his legs touched the ground, Bri took hold of his arm and helped bear his weight. "The doctors haven't let me see him the whole time I've been here," Alex said as he struggled to his feet. "They say I'm not strong enough to move around. And I haven't been able to convince anyone to take me to him."

Bri helped him into the wheelchair and maneuvered his wheeled IV drip over to his left side. "And you figured that if there was anyone who would aid and abet you in ignoring your doctors' orders—"

"It would be you two, yeah."

As Bri pushed Alex out into the hallway, the police officer stationed outside to guard his room stood to attention and moved to interpose himself in front of the wheelchair. "It's okay, Simmons," Alex said. "They're not abducting me. I just want to go see my Hawlucha. I'll be back in a few minutes. Or you can come along, if you want." Simmons nodded and fell into step behind them.

As they approached the elevator, a nurse rounded the corner and narrowed his eyes at their procession. "You shouldn't be out of bed," he said.

"I need to see my partner," Alex replied.

Kaito stepped out in front of the nurse and squared his shoulders. Despite being a full head shorter and significantly more wiry than the nurse, he didn't back down and fixed the nurse with an icy glare. "Are you going to try and stop us?"

The nurse just sighed and waved them on. The four of them boarded the elevator, and Alex pushed the button that would take them down to the pokemon treatment floors. When they arrived, Simmons directed them down a maze of corridors to a wing dedicated to the treatment of flying type pokemon.

Another police officer stopped them at the door, but waved them through when she saw Simmons accompanying them. They finally found Hierro in a small ward that he shared with an injured Togetic. The Hawlucha lay unmoving on a narrow hospital bed, an oxygen mask fitted over his beak. Simmons hung back a respectful distance, and after a moment, Bri and Kaito stepped back too.

Alex wheeled his chair as close to the window as he could and rested his forehead against the glass. From this distance, he could see Hierro's shallow breathing fogging the mask with each of his partner's exhalations. The starched white sheet covering Hierro was pulled all the way up to his shoulders, hiding the wounds he had taken defending Alex.

Alex felt his throat constrict as he watched his catatonic partner. Even though Hierro had been stabilized, there was no telling when he would wake up. Even without the extensive injuries he had suffered, the Seviper venom had done significant damage to Hierro's nervous system, and even the natural healing abilities that all pokemon had were hard-pressed to deal with the cocktail of toxins he had been infected with.

Alex clumsily maneuvered his chair to the door of the ward, startling the Togetic inside as he tried to fit the bulky wheelchair through. When he finally managed it, he jerked his IV in behind him, forcing down the fresh jolt of pain in his shoulder. When Bri made to follow him, Alex held up his hand. "Please, just give me a moment alone with him." Alex saw the thief nod and stand back. He closed the door behind him and rolled carefully over to Hierro's bedside. The Togetic nervously flapped its wings and chittered at him, but it seemed to sense Alex's single-minded focus on its roommate and soon settled back down.

Alex slid his hand under Hierro's bed sheets and found the Hawlucha's talons. He carefully interlaced his fingers around Hierro's and bowed his head over his partner, tears welling in his eyes.

"Come back to me, Hierro. Please, I need you to come back."

Hierro slept on, unresponsive, his chest rising and falling slowly. Alex tightened his grip on his partner's hand as teardrops began to dot the sheet.