CHAPTER 25: HEART OF GOLD
Atop the roof of P.S. 118, Arnold Shortman, known among the criminal class of Hillwood as the Green Eye, has just fought long and hard to save his city from a maniac known as the Freak, who had taken the school hostage to lure him out. With a severe beating and an accidental drop from the roof, the Freak hit the ground level of the school below, paralyzed and no longer a threat.
The city is now safe again, but the Green Eye's victory is a Pyrrhic one. What had enraged him to punish the Freak so severely was his act of shooting his fiancee, Helga Pataki, in her heart, just to provoke the Green Eye into fighting him. Indulging himself in punishing the villain for his act, he had lost the chance to bring her to safety, leaving her dead in his arms.
Having lost the most important person in his life, he began to cry heavily, unable to cope with his loss. Making his way to the ground floor of P.S. 118, he carried her body along with him, gaining the looks of those at the bottom of the building to see the deceased Helga Pataki carried out.
Looks of only passing unhappiness came from the first responders and medical workers that took to the hostages, but those closest to the Green Eye gave the most sincere looks of pain. Miles and Stella, knowing how close the two were, comforted their son to the best of their ability. The Hillwood Heroes joined in comforting him, all mourning the loss of their friend and the impact it had on their leader.
Valiance had taken notice of the dead Helga, but found himself too preoccupied to partake in the mourning, walking past the scene and looked at another dead body laying on the floor. This body belonged to another of the Freak's victims; this one formerly the child he executed on TV to make his demands.
Pained at the sight of the dead child, Valiance picked up her body and hung his head in shame, feeling as though he had broken his vow by failing to save her. The many child hostages surrounding the body looked to white knight as he held the dead child in pain, joining him in the mourning of her loss.
"What was her name?" Valiance asked.
"Nancy Moore. She wanted to be a Campfire Lass." A child answered.
The face of the girl he holds is not the face of Nancy Moore, but instead the face of Rhonda Lloyd, his own daughter, taking in an emotion that he knew her parents would also share. With the pain held back in his voice, one could assume that Valiance was most likely crying under his helmet. Had any seen his face uncovered from the helmet, he would be revealed as doing just that.
Out from the tears, that same crying face took a look to the person responsible for her death, watching him gaining treatment by medical personnel to preserve his life. Using tools like respirators and braces to keep his body functional, they try to move his body to a stretcher to move him out efficiently to receive better care.
Knowing well that he would survive and live, the Freak weakly chuckled under his assisted breaths.
The very entertainment of the idea that he could live is not one that Valiance can accept. Gently setting the body of Nancy Moore back on the ground, he began walking towards the Freak, pulling out one of his handguns, pushing aside the protesting paramedics helping him as he aimed the gun to the villain's head.
"NO! Valiance, there's been enough violence!" Green Eye said.
Seeing Valiance prepare to fire on the Freak, the Green Eye rushed in front of him, preventing him from firing his gun.
"Move." Valiance said.
"No." Green Eye said.
"Get out of my way."
"No."
Valiance did not make any attempts to fight the Green Eye physically, instead moving his gun aside to fight his viewpoint with a debate.
"Green Eye. You may say killing is wrong, but you know I believe that... thing known as the Freak should be dead." Valiance said.
"I don't care what you believe. That's not what we're supposed to do." Green Eye said.
"Really? Look at that child. Look at Nancy."
He pointed to the dead body of Nancy Moore, putting a damning image of stolen youth in the sight of the Green Eye.
"If I'd managed to kill the Freak at Russotti Tower, none of this would've happened. Do you really still believe that killing is wrong, regardless of who is killed? That we should let the Freak live after all he's done?" Valiance asked.
"He's beaten now. He's no more threat to anyone." Green Eye said.
"Green Eye. If I'd done it, Nancy would be alive. Helga would still be alive. She would not be dead in your arms right now. Don't you think he should pay for what he's done?"
"He'll never move again for the rest of his life. That's punishment enough even before the law decides what to do with him."
"Not enough for me, it isn't. I started my mission so that he could pay for his crime, and that no one else would suffer like my daughter did. To end lives like his to save others."
"Another wrong never makes a right. It just makes more wrongs."
"How can you still believe that?! After innocent blood is shed?! After a child is dead?! Out there, there's someone who's like me, like I was before I got my daughter back. How do you explain that to them? Now, I'm not going to tell you this again, get out of the way or I'll shoot through you!"
"Valiance. You don't think I want to see Curly dead for what he did? You don't think I'd like to see him go away forever so it won't happen again? For all the powers I have, I still have emotions. I'm still human. Of course I want to see him die. But I can't let that happen. I started my mission so that this city could be brought back to peace again. It was because I left that all this happened. There were times in my life that I wanted to put an end to someone else's for hurting others, or wishing harm on them. I've gotten angry and lashed out at people. But I'm trying. I'm trying not to do that. I'm trying to set a better example. Killing him won't undo anything that he did, it won't fix anything. All it does is give him more of what he wants. He wanted to start violence and make more people turn on each other. That's what he did to people here. They followed his example. You see all these people watching you now? They'll see what example you set, and they'll follow it. You want to make the world safe for children? They're looking at you now. They see what example you provide for them. They'll imitate what they see. Do you want them to go down paths of violence, like Curly did... like you did... or do you want them to find peace? Like I believe you can?"
His question made Valiance start to falter in his hold, feeling hesitation from using his gun.
"It's too late for me now. There's no going back." Valiance said.
"That's not true. I believe no one's too late to change. Not Curly, and not you. I believe in you. I believe you can do the right thing. All you have to do is make the choice yourself. You are who you choose to be. So... choose."
Not ready to answer a question hard and damning to fit against his own desires, Valiance was met with further challenge when the Green Eye stepped away, giving him full access to the Freak. Having the villain in his sight once again, he aimed his pistol to his target once again, moving his finger to the trigger.
Keeping his aim on the Freak, Valiance did not look at his intended target, but instead at the many faces looking at him as he kept his aim. On top of the Hillwood Heroes looking at him with unease, among them his own daughter, the police looked at him with their hands moving to their own guns, teachers and paramedics looked at him with expressions of fear...
...and lastly, the surviving children of P.S. 118 looked at him with uncertainty, as if observing the event to learn. To see the gun in his hand and watch him prepare to shoot in the head the man who would do the same to them, they watch carefully to see how to to respond to him. They have felt the trauma of being held at gunpoint and at risk of dying, and they see now what is done about a man who causes pain.
For the first time in a long time in his life, it makes the man named Buckley Lloyd feel like a father again, and give the chance to give a strong moral teaching to show a better path for the people they would grow to become. The strong urge he once felt to end his life began to dissipate; the strength to hold up his weapon gone.
Lowering his hand, the gun fell out from his hand, dropping to the ground. Turning away from the Freak, he walked away from the villain, leaving him to the authorities.
Standing to the side, he stood in a solitary state of shame, despising himself for the thoughts he had of ending a life; newfound guilt settling into his consciousness, making him feel unworthy to be seen by the others. The feeling began to change, however, when he felt a hand grab at his own.
Looking down to see what had grabbed at his hand, Valiance looked to see a young girl holding it for comfort. Kneeling down to the child, the white knight soon had the child hold him in a hug, leaving him to stand in surprise at the show of compassion given to him by the young person.
Smiling under his helmet with tears accompanying his smile, he hugged the child back, feeling hope return to him at last. While embracing the child, he was joined by Elite setting her hands on his shoulders, giving her father approval over his decision and showing pride at his actions.
Sweet as the moment was, it was still not without its bitterness. Spared the Freak's life is now, the life of Helga Pataki is still lost in time to the others. Successful in saving one life, he still feels shame and sorrow over the woman he loved, and he is joined in his grieving with the rest of the Hillwood Heroes.
One person, however, does not grieve. This person is not among them physically, but exists in the moment with the group mentally, in the mind of the Green Eye. Telepathically contacting his student, the Spirit Master named Luz brought to his student with a new hope for Helga, sharing a way to save her.
It is not too late, child. You can still save her. Luz said.
How, Luz? You just saw her die. Arnold replied.
Her wounds are only of the heart. The brain, the housing of the soul, is still undamaged. There is a hospital not far from here. They can help her. There is still time.
I'll never get her there on time. It's miles away.
On the ground, you may not get there in time. However, there are still many tricks of mine that I have not shown you. One of them will be of use here.
What trick?
Hang on to her, child.
[Soundtrack Cue: Alice in Chains - Would?]
What happened next, no one in the world could have predicted, or even blindly guessed what would happen to the Green Eye.
Suddenly, the Green Eye began to float in the air with Helga in his arms; his ascension increasing and his speed accelerating with every second. Everyone in the room observed in complete shock and dumbfoundedness as they watched the events unfold before their eyes, taking in living proof that a man could fly.
Flying through the open sunroof of P.S. 118, he began to head into the sky, moving above the ground and all its obstacles below to a place of movement not blocked by any physical barrier save for air. Moving through the sky, he began shooting straight to the hospital, left to do nothing but hang on to Helga as instructed as Luz telekinetically lifted him across the city.
Slowly but surely, the Green Eye started to fly faster to the point where he was moving through the sky at incredible speeds, faster than a speeding bullet and more powerful than a locomotive. The Green Eye, not knowing what to make of this unbelievable situation, had no way to mentally process the event he was living through; only able to hold on to Helga as he flew over Hillwood.
Were he not focused on saving his fiancee, he would have been one of the most amazing experiences in his entire life; to fly through the sky without a care in his heart, as if he were his young, daydreaming self again. Perhaps he will remember this moment fondly as such later, but he has no time to enjoy this luxury now.
Remembering his mission, he held on tightly to Helga, keeping her safe and ensuring not to drop her to the ground below. He has fought through hell to save her, he has faced against a man who called himself the devil, and he refuses to give up and let her go now.
Returning after five years to repair his love with her and make things right between the two yet again, he will not see his efforts go to waste. It is only his own desire to see her live that he will allow to become reality, and it is only anything and everything that he will do make it so.
He will save her, and he will not fail.
[Soundtrack Cue End]
Landing firmly on the ground, much to the surprise of the surrounding hospital staff, the Green Eye wasted no time rushing in, taking Helga to the emergency room and handing her off to the staff. Though given a hefty task of trying to overcome the sight of a flying man outside their door, the doctors nonetheless went to work immediately, doing everything in their power to save Helga, leaving the Green Eye behind.
Leaving as the Green Eye, he returns as Arnold Shortman, preserving his double identity and waiting outside the operating room as doctors still continue their work on Helga Pataki. During the long hours of operating, Arnold chose a seat outside Helga's room, anxiously awaiting any form of news, restless and worrisome the whole time, unsure if his efforts to save her were in vain or not.
As the hours pass, Arnold soon had visitors joining him in waiting for Helga, met by his parents and the Hillwood Heroes, the latter outside of their alter-egos and resuming their identities as their civilian personas. With the situation at P.S. 118 finished and in the hands of the local authorities, they join him in waiting for news on Helga; none so anxious as him, but still offering their support to their friend.
Gerald offered his support in the form of a cup of coffee, returning from the waiting room with a cup for himself and Arnold to sip while waiting.
"Hey Arnold, any news yet?" Gerald asked.
"Nothing yet. The doctors are still working." Arnold replied.
The ones seated next to Arnold are his parents, both trying their best to comfort their son in his most needy hour. Miles comforting him by rubbing him on the back, while Stella leaned in for a hug on his side. Their actions do not ease away the concern he has for Helga, but their love nonetheless allows him enough means to compose himself.
"She'll pull through, honey, I just know it." Stella said.
Several long hours of waiting pass for the group, and finally come to an end as a doctor entered the room to give Arnold and his family an update on Helga. Eagerly, Arnold jumped up and rushed straight at him, frantic to hear the news regardless whether it was bad news or not.
"What's going on? Is she gonna be alright?" Arnold asked.
The doctor took his time to answer with a sigh, not quite ready to break the bad news on such a scared young man impatiently standing before him.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Shortman. There's not much we can do now." The doctor said.
The group gave scared gasps at the doctor's news, none taking his news well, and fearful of the reaction from Arnold. As predicted, the news led its sole intended audience into complete hysteria, looking back at the doctor with wide eyes and a look of sheer terror unfitting for a youthful man.
"What?! What happened?! Tell me!" Arnold shouted.
"She needs a new heart, but there aren't any donors available. The most we can do is give her a few more hours as is." The doctor said.
"Then transplant mine! I don't care, just save Helga!"
As Arnold spoke his quick answer, the whole group, especially his parents, jumped at his quick answer upon hearing it. It should not come as a surprise that Arnold would willingly give away his life so quickly to save hers from how much they know him, but his lack of hesitation in replying was one still surprising to see.
"Mr. Shortman, Ms. Pataki has a rare blood type, AB-Negative. I don't suppose your blood type is AB-Negative?" The doctor asked.
Now, Arnold's hysterics began to turn to a look somewhere between in despair and depression. Not having the particularly needed blood type, a heart transplant from his was deemed nonviable, and, therefore, it had meant that he was unable to save Helga, leaving him to sadly reply a whimpering...
"...No. I don't." Arnold said.
The group continued to stay dead silent; all powerless and unable to save Helga's life, and, consequently, unable to save Arnold from his despair. None of them carried the rare blood type, making none suitable candidates to donate, and, with long lives ahead of them, none of them were so willing and heroic enough to give their lives up so quickly at such a sudden moment.
There was, however, one member of the group suitable and willing:
Rhonda Lloyd.
Knowing that she was the only one present with the same blood type as Helga, she knew that she was the one and only hope for her to live. Internally debating whether or not she should give her life, she began to seriously contemplate the option, looking back on her own life.
Being born to rich parents, she was raised extremely spoiled, and very ungrateful about many things in her life. Never did she consider the feelings of others; never did she care about anyone but herself, save for a select few. On the course she was set to live, she may have very well have stayed the same for the rest of her life; caring only for herself, and having little prospect for the future other than money.
After the vicious sexual assault she endured from the Freak, being stuck in a coma as a consequence, things in her life began to have less and less meaning to her, only focusing on revenge. With the Freak paralyzed and now facing justice, she is now avenged, so, now, what is left?
To continue to live as a wealthy young woman, living off her family's inheritance, never having any meaningful contribution on the world is all that comes to her mind, and is not an answer she accepts so willingly. Moreover, she feels as well an inner sense of disgust and trauma left behind from the touch of the Freak, leaving her with a mental scar that will not leave her.
Living with such a stain on her mind is not a future she looks forward to, regardless of the abundance of money that she would have to try and wash away what would eat at her every day. Even now, having fulfilled her quest for revenge, the feeling that she has sought to remove herself from starts to return to her consciousness, reminding her once again of the trauma that she had endured...
...and it causes her the worst pain she has ever known. She knows that the feeling will endure again for the rest of her life, and it does not make living a prospectful idea. As the thought returns to her, the chance to give it up in return for saving one's life becomes all the more appealing an option to take.
Stepping forward from the group, she makes her decision.
"My blood type is AB-Negative. Take my heart." Rhonda said.
Buckley Lloyd, not expecting his daughter to give her life at such short a notice, snapped a look towards her of immediate shock and fright. Not wanting to lose his daughter again, with no chance of seeing her again, grabbed her hand and held it tight, pulling it back to himself.
"What?! No, Rhonda! I am not losing you again!" Buckley said.
Pulling Rhonda into a hug, Buckley held her tightly in his hold, refusing to let his daughter die.
"Dad, please. I have to." Rhonda said.
"No, you don't! We can find someone else to do this! It doesn't have to be you!" Buckley pleaded.
"There's no one else. It's either her or me."
"Then don't let it be you! I can't lose you again, damn it! I just got you back!"
"Dad, I love you, and I want to be here with you. But I can't sit by and let Helga die. She's my friend, and so is Arnold. Her and Arnold are meant for each other. They don't have a reason to go on without each other. I don't want to live knowing they're apart and I could've prevented that." Rhonda said.
Rhonda set her hand on her father's shoulder, quieting his frantic pleas and ensuring him of her confidence in her decision.
"But what about me? I'll be alone without you." Buckley said.
"No, you won't. You've got them now. You started the team, after all." Rhonda said.
"They're not my family. You are. You're my only family left."
"They can be your family, too."
Rhonda then took her father's hands in her own, looking at Buckley in the eyes as she gave her next plea.
"Please, Dad. I have to do this. Let me do this. Let me save a life for once." Rhonda said.
To need to give his blessing for his only child to die is something Buckley Lloyd could never had contemplated would happen in his life, nor would he know how to react had he the prior knowledge. The strength to do so is a strength that he cannot find when he most needs it, but he still finds the smallest reserves to do so and give Rhonda what she required of him to do.
After giving a somber nod, he held his daughter tightly for the last time, giving a somber goodbye to Rhonda while he still could. She returned the hug in full, giving herself to share her last connection to her family that she could make; both holding onto the moment last as long as they could.
"I love you, Rhonda." Buckley said.
"I love you, Daddy." Rhonda said.
The sharing of love, sweet as it was between the two, faced interruption by more pressing matters. Restating the urgency of the situation, the doctor stepped in to speak.
"Ma'am, sir, I apologize for interrupting, but time is short. If you're going to do it, it's now or never." The doctor said.
Concluding her last hug with her father, Rhonda let Buckley go, turning to face the doctor, showing herself ready to follow through with the procedure.
"I'll do it. Prep me for the transplant." Rhonda said.
"Very well. Please follow me. Sir, if you'd like to join us, the room is this way." The doctor replied.
Buckley turned a sour face away in a shake, holding back anger and tears in his voice.
"I can't watch that. You'll have to do it without me. I'm sorry." Buckley said.
"Then can Arnold come? I'd like him to be with me before I go." Rhonda asked.
"Of course. Mr. Shortman, this way, if you please." The doctor said.
Arnold followed Rhonda at her request, leaving the group to follow her and the doctor to prepare the heart transplant. Those in the waiting room watched with uncertain eyes as the young woman stepped out of the hall to her final moments, offering her life to another to prevent their from being taken away.
They watch the show with a sad sense of wonder as Rhonda departed, but Buckley could not stomach the sight, leaving him to turn and cry.
Following Rhonda down the steps of the hospital, Arnold looked to his fiancee's savior with a look of confusion on his face. Though he was thankful for her sacrifice, still was he confused by her random act of charity, and so he sought to have her elaborate her motivations.
"Rhonda, why are you doing this?" Arnold asked.
"I saw how dedicated you were to saving Helga. How you fought for her at P.S. 118, how you were willing to give your own heart to her without even thinking. I saw how much she means to you. If I did live to grow old, I don't think I'd live to even hope to have what you two have." Rhonda said.
"But you're giving up your whole life for us."
"You tried to help me be a better person when we were young, but the lesson never stuck with me back then. It was me that sent Curly to go crazy like he did. The way I see it, this is all my fault. I want to make up for that, and the least I can do to do that is save you two."
Rhonda concluded her response by holding Arnold's hand, taking comfort in his hold as she moved to the operating room. The sacrifice that she gives for him and the woman he loves are a bittersweet emotion to experience, and the touch of Rhonda's hand against his adds to both polarizing sides to the feeling.
Regardless of how he balances and justifies the emotion, he still responds to it all with a smile to Rhonda.
"Thank you, Rhonda." Arnold said.
In a small operating room of the hospital, Rhonda waited for her end of the needs to the procedure to be ready, standing in a hospital gown as she waited ready for the transplant. The waiting process gives her feelings of anxiety and hesitation from the affair, leading her to find a distraction to her thoughts.
Moving to take a look out the window, she sought to take a moment to herself to savor the last few moments of her life, reflecting on her own past one final time. The images that play back in her mind are mostly superseded by the sights of the city and all its views and motions, leading her to memorize every detail of her home city.
"To think I'll never live to be sixty. That I'll never get a job. That I'll never go to college, never even graduate high school. All these things I'll miss." Rhonda said.
Arnold began to cry from Rhonda's, beginning to feel guilty about allowing herself to die so easily.
"Rhonda, please don't say that-" Arnold began to say.
"But if experiencing all that meant my friends couldn't be happy, I wouldn't even think about it. I guess that's what it means to have a heart of gold, huh?" Rhonda asked.
Rhonda's question made Arnold start to warm in his expression once again, giving a somber smile in response to her inquiry.
"Rhonda, you have one of the purest hearts I've ever seen." Arnold said.
Arnold gave Rhonda a final hug, showing his thankfulness for her selfless actions. The embrace was soon interrupted by a doctor, coming to gain Rhonda's attention.
"Ms. Lloyd? We're ready now." The doctor said.
With the doctors ready, Rhonda left the hug to lay down on a hospital bed, taking in one final breath to ease her mind. The doctors inserted an IV tube in her arm, preparing a lethal injection on the other end to prepare her for the transplant. With one arm taking the IV, she held Arnold's hand with her free arm, calming herself for her own impending death in the care of a friend.
"You won't feel a thing. You'll just fall right asleep. Are we ready?" The doctor asked.
Rhonda responded with a nod, signalling the doctors to begin.
The head doctor pressed the syringe of poison into the IV, feeding it into Rhonda's body and working its way to her brain and heart, slowly enacting a calm and painless death for her to peacefully fade. Feeling the sedative of the mixture take effect, her vision began to fade; her eyes beginning to slowly close.
Keeping her eye on Arnold all the while, she gave her last words to the football head before departing the mortal world.
"Hey Arnold... have a good life." Rhonda said.
As the injection began its work on putting her mind to sleep, putting her into a state of unconsciousness, her respiratory and circulatory functions began to cease, no longer feeding the vital component of oxygen to her brain to continue her life. Peacefully passing away, her hand's grip on Arnold's began to loosen its grip, soon coming loose to fall down, not moving.
Rhonda Lloyd is dead.
A calm fade to black is the last sight that Rhonda sees in her mortal life, and a calm fade to white is what Helga sees at the apparent end of hers. Waking to find herself in a hospital bed, surrounded by her friends, all eager to see her awake and alive, she soon understood that her life had not come to an end yet.
Of course, the sight of Arnold made her think that her previous conviction had been true, and she had found her way to paradise.
Nonetheless, the sight of being greeted by a group of people that is a sight that brought a slimmer of a smile to her face, alongside a few tears starting to come from her face. For many years, she had known herself as someone unloved and detested by her peers, making herself an island uninhabitable to many to shield herself to the woes and pains that were in her life.
To see people that loved and cared for her present to see her alive and well again proves those thoughts wrong, as well as the triumphant shout they give of...
"Hey Helga!" The group said.
Pleased as she was to see the group show her support, she was still left surprised to be alive after her fatal wound, found stuck in disbelief at her current state.
"I... I'm alive?" Helga asked.
Helga's answer came from Arnold, grabbing her hand and holding it to his chest to gain her attention.
"You are alive. And you're here with me." Arnold said.
Reunited once again after the violent affair at P.S. 118, the two shared a kiss, embracing each other to savor their company once again. Before their connection could carry on any longer, their hold found itself stopping on account of the sound of snickering and giggles coming from the room.
Turning to the rest of the group holding back their laughter, they gained a sharp and firm reminder that they were not alone in the room together.
"Yeah, yeah. Laugh all you want. I just survived a gunshot to the heart, I don't care." Helga said.
Looking back to the group again, Helga's headcount of those present fell short of one person, noticing that someone was missing.
"Wait, where's Rhonda?" Helga asked.
The room went cold and dead silent at the mention of the name; no one yet ready to give her the news regarding Rhonda Lloyd. Unaware of the news and less expecting of the reaction from her question, Helga turned to Arnold to find a response, innocently looking for an answer to her question.
"Hey Arnold? What happened?" Helga asked.
"Rhonda... She..." Arnold said.
Helga leaned in to listen more carefully, awaiting his answer. The look on his face growing upset made her further listen out of concern, not knowing what words would come from his mouth. Before answering, Arnold gave a bittersweet smile and put his hand on Helga's chest, holding it above her heart.
"Rhonda saved you." Arnold said.
Helga looked down at her chest to see the surgical scar of her transplant, soon understanding what became of Rhonda and sitting surprised at her actions.
"She... She gave her life for me?" Helga asked.
"She did it for both of you. She said she didn't want to see you away from each other." Buckley said.
Buckley stepped into the conversation, appearing before Arnold and Helga with a sad expression on his face after the news was spread. Arnold and Helga knew that the source of his unhappiness was one that neither could efficiently satiate with simple words, but that does not prevent them from sharing their sympathies.
Helga showed her own gratitude to Buckley by reaching out and grabbing his hand, gaining his attention out of his somber mood.
"What Rhonda did was very brave. You should be proud of her." Helga said.
Buckley nodded with a smile accompanied by a tear, agreeing with her in a state of bittersweetness.
"I am." Buckley said.
Stepping to Helga's bedside and kneeling down before her, Buckley placed his head over her chest, listening to the beating heart inside it. Though knowing his daughter was dead and gone, to hear a part of her still alive is a sound that brings him a gasp and quiver in his voice, as if hearing her heartbeat for the first time again.
Staying with his head against Helga's chest, he cried over the sound, left to grieve over his daughter. All in the room stayed silent and lowered their heads, showing their own respects for the sacrificial act their friend had committed. Just as Buckley cried over his deceased daughter, all eyes in the room began to wet as his did.
At last, Buckley put his grieving to an end for the moment with one final sigh, taking in the sound of her heartbeat one last time.
"Goodbye, Rhonda." Buckley said.
As time passes, days turn to weeks, weeks turn to months, and the months bring with them change and tidings that no other era in Hillwood has ever seen. Since the debut of the Green Eye, the city has found peace restored to it once again, ushering in a time of prosperity and community unlike it has seen in years.
For now, however, the task of bringing peace back to his city is not the present task on which he sets himself. At the Hillwood Home for the Emotionally Troubled, a mental hospital with perhaps a too lax an approach on therapy and care, several patients carry out their antics, as usual in this place of suffering.
In one room laid Brooke Lloyd, still believing her daughter in a coma, rocked back and forth, unable to cope with losing her daughter. After taking a pillowcase and several pieces of stuffing from the mattress, she had created a makeshift doll of an infantile Rhonda, deluding herself into believing the doll truly was her daughter as a coping mechanism.
In another room stood Monkeyman, the once-famed superhero of Hillwood brought down by his infamous monkey cage incident at the Hillwood Zoo. Tying the sheet to his bed around himself as a makeshift cape, he shouted his famous catchphrase "Monkeyman!" as he ran around the room, fantasizing about defeating wrongdoers in his city as he once did before.
In another room, a tall, slender figure, barely visible through the window to his room, sat quietly on his bed. The window was covered with a "Z?" written in blood, with the name over his cell, 'JOHNNY C.', and the name partially scratched off to read a simple 'NNY' instead.
In a room with various medical equipment, mocked by the staff as the hospital's 'presidential suite', rested the Freak. Even though he remained in a full body cast and showed no signs of movement or recovery, his room was strictly watched by two police guards on a constant basis, leaving no room for incident.
Unable to move any part of his body, there left no way of interaction with his body for the Freak to stimulate his mind with, save for a view of his toes protruding from a cast around his foot. Staring intensely at them, he concentrated hard on the phalanges, trying to consciously feel the part of his body.
"Wiggle your big toe." The Freak whispered.
Despite his verbal and mental command, the toe did not move.
"Wiggle your big toe." The Freak whispered.
Once again, the toe did not move.
"Wiggle your big toe." The Freak whispered.
Once again, the toe did not move.
"Gammelthorpe! You have a visitor!" A guard said.
Interrupted from his attempt to come out of his paralysis, the Freak looked to see his unexpected guest enter the room as the guard let him inside. Seeing his sole and frequent visitor of Arnold enter the room to greet him, the Freak gave a sinister smile and chuckle in response.
"Hey Arnold." The Freak said.
"Hi, Curly." Arnold said.
The Freak gave a disapproving scowl at the mention of his former name, unamused by the title which he was referred to.
"How many times do I have to tell you that that's not my name?" The Freak asked.
"Until you realize that it's your name. Not 'The Freak'. That's something you've been telling yourself to get away from the pain you feel." Arnold said.
"Save the mindgames. I've gone through at least 3 therapists already that quit after theirs didn't work. You're just wasting your time."
"I don't believe I am. And I don't think you are, either. I know that there's still good in you, and I'm going to try to help you find it."
"Oh, so it's back to pretending that I'm still salvageable again? I blew out a little girl's brains on live TV, I raped Rhonda and didn't care about what happened to her after, almost killed your wife-to-be, and threw this whole city into complete chaos, and you think you can still save me? You think there's actually room for me to be a good person?"
"Yes."
Arnold's blunt answer led the Freak to stop his taunting, instead making him look to his guest with a look of confusion.
"You are some piece of work, man. I don't know what kind bullshit you're trying to pull on me, but I'm going to tell you it's not working. My mind's made up. I don't want to be good. I like being bad. So why don't you just kill me now?" The Freak asked.
"I'm not going to kill you, Curly. I'm going to come by to make sure you're doing alright and you get the help you need." Arnold said.
"But why? Why do you still want to help me?! Why are you still trying to help me after all I've done to you?! To this entire city?! How much more do I have to do?! Why won't you just quit?!" The Freak yelled.
"Because it's the right thing to do, regardless of what someone did in the past. Because I believe in the same philosophy that was shown to me when I was at a bad time in my life, and I was stopped from making a big mistake. Because I believe that one man can make a difference."
The Freak was once again left to sit in silence and confusion, looking back to Arnold with nothing left to respond with.
"I have to go now, but I'll check back in soon." Arnold said.
"Yeah, yeah. Same time next week. Of course, you do know... When I get better, and I am gonna get better... I'm not gonna play footsies with you. The kid gloves are coming off. I'm going maximum." The Freak said.
Arnold seemed to dismiss the threat with an unamused smile, as if hearing a fantastical threat from a child, brushing the words off.
"Get well soon, Curly." Arnold said.
As Arnold left the room, the Freak was left extremely disappointed again as his guest left, hoping at last he would make him abandon his values and morals. Dismissing the encounter altogether, he focused back on his toes, using all his mental strength to get them to move.
"Wiggle your big toe." The Freak whispered.
Once again, the toe did not move.
"Wiggle your big toe." The Freak whispered.
Once again, the toe did not move.
"Wiggle your big toe." The Freak whispered.
Once again, the toe did not move.
Later, as the day turned to night, the Hillwood Heroes gathered in their underground base belonging to Valiance, waiting for the white knight to pick them up for a patrol. Their patience soon came to an end as he arrived in the base, approaching his team as he placed his helmet on his head.
"Hey, can we get on patrol now? I wanna patrol a pizza place and get some food." Star of David asked.
"We're going now. Simple operation as usual; nightly patrol around each corner and the center of the city, meet back at the rendezvous point at 0430 hours, then we go home and call it a day." Valiance said.
The Hillwood Heroes boarded their transport as planned after anxiously waiting for the moment to do so, quickly strapping in for takeoff. Seating himself at the controls, Valiance made all preparations for flight, checking all necessary pre-operations for use and securing himself in with his seatbelt.
Wishing to enlighten the mood for the team, the Mauve Avenger approached the front with a CD, sticking it in the console of the transport.
"How about a little music to get in the mood?" Mauve Avenger asked.
[Soundtrack Cue: John Williams - Theme from Superman (Main Title)]
As the instrumentals of the song began to play vibrantly, the tempo building to the chorus of the piece, the Mauve Avenger began humming along happily in anticipation. Seeing images of a man of steel invoked in his mind from the musical piece, he began shouting out his enthusiasm over the song.
"Look, up in the sky! It's a bird, it's a plane, it's-!" Mauve Avenger began to say.
[Soundtrack Cue End]
Before the music could continue, its buildup was abruptly cut short by G-Funk, who ejected the CD and handed it back to the Mauve Avenger.
"Mauvey, music is my department. How about somethin' a little better?" G-Funk said.
Taking out a CD of his own, G-Funk placed it in the transport's console, selecting his preferred track.
[Soundtrack Cue: Warren G feat. Nate Dogg - Regulate]
"Now that's more like it!" G-Funk said.
As the exciting heavy hip-hop beat began playing, the heroes all began nodding along to the beat of the song, excited to begin their mission. Though the Mauve Avenger found the rejection and replacement of his music disappointing, he still found himself nodding along with the rest of his team, excited to start the mission.
Even with his choice of music, however, he noticed that the team was not complete; absent from the group was the Green Eye himself.
"Hey, where's Arnold? He didn't wanna come?" G-Funk asked.
"He's probably... busy, Gerald. I'm sure he'll catch up soon." Lady Tetsu replied.
"Oh, yeah. 'Busy'. Right."
[Soundtrack Cue End]
At the Sunset Arms Boarding Home, two couples work to complete physical tasks required of them, with urge to finish see that their goals are fulfilled as soon as possible. One of the two couples hard on their work are Miles and Stella Shortman, completing the last of their paperwork for reopening the Sunset Arms.
"Well, that's the last of the paperwork. Any applications to go over?" Stella asked.
"Got a few people with good credit, others just looking for a place to stay. Got a college student, Chris Jeong-sam, Palestinian refugee, Aaliyah Samiya, retired man, Barry Ronaldson... Oh, here's something I wanted to ask you, Willie and Goldie Grossman." Miles said.
"What about them? Something look fishy about them?"
"No, they, uh, have two kids. A boy and a girl. The boarding home's always had a 'no kids' policy."
Stella stopped to ponder over her husband's comment, soon standing up and walking to the door. Opening it and stepping through, she removed a sign that said 'NO KIDS' from the door, taking the one message placed outside the boarding house that posted its highest regulation.
Stepping over to the fireplace, she tossed it in the open fire, letting the sign burn.
"We've been breaking that rule for way too long with our own son. I think it's time we had some changes around here." Stella said.
Miles smiled in approval of her suggestion, nodding in agreement.
"I think you're right. It'll be nice to see some kids around here. I just wish we could've seen more of Arnold as a kid." Miles said.
"Me, too. But even though he's grown, he'll still be our baby boy." Stella said.
Her thoughts lingered on the young man she brought into the world, allowing her to think pleasant thoughts over her son and the joy he has brought to them and Hillwood. It is him and his own fiancee that are the second of the two couples hard at work in the Sunset Arms, with their own urges to finish.
Apart from the adult Shortmans, and the Hillwood Heroes in their aerial state, Arnold and Helga were sharing a private moment in bed, kissing each other passionately. With the sky a dark night and lit only by the moon, the mood was set more than enough for them to fulfill their intimate needs, with Helga more than eager to take advantage of the time.
As always, Arnold still held the highest concern for Helga, trying to slow the moment to a more comfortable pace.
"Helga, don't you think we should take things easy after your heart surgery?" Arnold asked.
"Just giving this thing a test drive. Gotta make sure it'll keep up to what my needs are." Helga said.
On the counter beside Arnold's bed, a communicator began to vibrate and ring, with G-Funk on the other end of the line.
"Hey Arnold, we've got a patrol, and we're starting at Antonio's Pizzeria for a group meet. You coming?" G-Funk asked.
Arnold looked to Helga after hearing the call, as if seeking permission to leave her.
"Go get 'em, football head." Helga said.
With his fiance's blessing, Arnold gave her one final kiss and left to change into his suit. Placing on his costume, armor, and mask, he had once again assumed his identity as the Green Eye, ready to bring forth justice and peace to Hillwood once again. Disappointed she might be with not being able to share their intimacy further, Helga nonetheless felt a sense of pride seeing her fiancee in his suit.
Climbing to the sunroof, he began to climb out, ready to join the team, but not before sharing one last word to Helga before doing so.
"I love you, Helga." Green Eye said.
"I love you, Arnold." Helga said.
With a leap off the roof and a parkour run across the rooftops of the city, the Green Eye headed out into the city of Hillwood, once again continuing his crusade for justice and end the pain of his city. Taking to the concrete jungle just as he did the jungles of San Lorenzo years before, he is in his most natural element once again, and at a sense of inner peace he feels connected to again.
The movements he makes down the city are like a white blood vessel moving down intricate and complex veins and arteries moving and weaving throughout a body, and he moves with purpose of curing any diseases that plague the body. Dedicated to his mission, he will not fail in his goal and gives his all, just as a cell in his place would.
Looking back years from the place he lives now, never would he have believed that his life would ever be where it is now. Once, a time like this was brought by the efforts of a young boy named Arnold Shortman; a child who did what he could to make things right.
Now, that same child has grown into a man, and found a calling to bring forward right and justice to the people who need it, and more than he could have possibly ever imagined as a youth. Through his purpose, he also finds fulfillment unlike any he knew before, giving him a joy and pride that strengthens his heart and soul.
Moreover, he finds that his goals are not any missions that he must face alone, but he now has the aide of his many childhood friends to help him to accomplish those dreams with him. Back into the loving arms of his family, having a woman he will soon call wife at his side, and a team of heroes and friends standing behind him, he knows that his life is as good as it can be, save until his goals are met.
Watching his student on from the astral plane, Luz takes a prideful smile watching his student, and he smiles more with the knowledge that comes next to him:
This is only the beginning, and the best is yet to come.
[Soundtrack Cue: Sevendust - Waffle (Tom Lord-Alge Mix); Plays Out]