Chapter 4- Friends forever

Rowan Smallwood looked out the window at the city. His City.
The beautiful town filled with townspeople but also retched and heartless villains with their rays and guns and…Meat coming from their hands…
It didn't matter to him, to him it was two down and many more to go. To die.
He smiled to himself, he was going to make them suffer as each and every one of their freak brethren fell to his hand.
Slowly he ran a hand up his arm beneath the long sleeved shirt that he always wore; he winced as his fingers touched the wound he had contracted long ago. It still burdened him even now.
Slowly he lowered his hand; tears had sprung to his eyes for more than one reason. A few moments passed where he took control of his emotions, then he turned, patted his breast pocket to ensure that the item he needed was in there and then left the room.

He needed to ensure that a few of the monsters were dead as he had requested.

WordGirl watched Smallwood leave from above the door, Huggy resting on her shoulders. She listened to him hum to himself and a small part of her wanted to attack him and make sure that he never hummed again. But she restrained those thoughts, they were so unlike her.
As Smallwood went out of sight the young girl lowered herself to the ground and turned around to go inside his office.
Huggy jumped off her and began looking around the room, jumping agilely from one chair to another. WordGirl began rooting around in his desk, pulling out drawers and then slamming them shut as she came up with nothing.

"He has lots of pictures of himself," she commented as she came up with a black and white photo, this one was different from the others. It was clearly Smallwood but he was in his teens. He was smiling widely, his arm wrapped around some beautiful blonde woman.
She flipped the photo over and found a note written in sloppy text "Rowan, lots of love for now and for the rest of your life! Love, your Honeybear-Clarissa"
"Ick," WordGirl said shoving the picture back into the drawer. Huggy chuckled as he went about searching through the Mayor's strange collection of pens.
WordGirl came across a locked drawer and smirked, "Bingo!" she exclaimed. Huggy stopped messing with the pens and came to his friend's side.
"Can you pick this?" she asked, "I'd use my super strength but I don't want to arouse too much suspicion," she explained as Huggy took off his helmet and set about picking the lock with the strange metal prong on top.
Moments passed before a click alerted the two to the unlocking of the drawer, Huggy stepped back and WordGirl pulled it open.

"It's not in there."

The two gasped and looked up at Rowan Smallwood who was smiling, "First you come into my office and yell at me and now you try to steal my stuff, for shame WordGirl!" he said sauntering over to his desk and slowly closing the drawer.
Becky walked back around the desk, lost for words, "What's not in there?" she finally managed. Rowan looked up, "Hm?"
"You said 'it's not in there, what do you mean?" she demanded.
Smallwood seemed taken aback for a moment but gained control again quickly, he smiled at her, "Whatever gun or ray you're looking for obviously," he said calmly, "Or perhaps I was wrong and you're trying to plant something on me."
WordGirl floundered for a moment on what to say, her mouth moving a few times. He was doing it again, taking control of the conversation and turning it towards her, turning her into the bad guy! "Two people are dead because of you!" she said.
Smallwood smiled, "I know and you're welcome sweetheart," he reached forward and patted her on the head. WordGirl shook away the feeling of pleasure she suddenly felt at his action, it was something she usually would have been annoyed by.

"But oh dear WordGirl, only two dead? I'm afraid you're mistaken."

Fear ran through Becky's whole being, her mouth became dry, "W-what are you talking about?" she asked softly. Who was he talking about?
Mr. Smallwood chuckled coldly, "Oh dear, I do suppose it hasn't been released into the public yet," he stepped forward and took his seat.
"Who have you hurt now?!" Shouted Becky, not caring that she was shouting in the least. She couldn't bear the thought of someone else dying…
Huggy was looking infuriated, no longer under the new Mayor's spell it seemed. His teeth were bared and his hackles raised he glared at the uncaring person sitting before him.
"I haven't hurt anyone," Rowan said casually, letting it go on and on, "I merely allowed other people to hurt them."
"Tell me who it is!" cried WordGirl, reaching forward and grabbing at folds of the chest of Smallwood's suit.
Smallwood remained unfazed, "Don't threaten me WordGirl," he said dangerously, "Or I will add you to the list of villains."
His clothes were dropped and WordGirl stepped back, "Who?" she repeated solemnly.

"Amazing Rope Guy," Smallwood said calmly, "Taken into custody and put to death."
WordGirl staggered, her heart felt as though something was squeezing it or it had stopped beating in her chest.
"Oh yes and Chuck the Evil Sandwich making guy," he added, "His poor mother and brother came to me furious but I put them right."
Chuck? He was so sweet and caring!
"I'm still waiting on the last one though."

"The last one?" WordGirl asked, feeling as though she was choking. She couldn't stand, she couldn't think. All she knew was that she was never going to see these people again.
She remembered the many times she had thought that Chuck was reformed, always to come up disappointed.
Rope Guy she hadn't been over fond of, but then again she hadn't know him that well. She wished that she had, wished that she had known his real name and if he had a life beyond rope… A family, friends?
The nagging pain of who Rowan could be "waiting on" was terrible, and for a moment she considered leaving. Never learning of the name. But she couldn't…
"Who?" she demanded further.
Rowan looked at his fingernails, pulling his hand away as hate filled Captain Huggyface made a snap at his fingers, baring his teeth still when he returned to his former position.
"Naughty one that one, poor old boy was beyond himself when my police found him…" Smallwood said sadly, "The shot him, but I happened to be with them and I told them to leave him where he was. I wanted him to suffer," he added.

"Doctor Two Brains is stuck behind the grocery store hoping for death."

"YOU MONSTER!" WordGirl screamed, this time letting all of her emotions come free. Tears rolled down her cheeks and blinding her, "His name was Steven Boxlietner!"
Huggy turned to his friend and hugged her, squeaking sad words and sending glares at Smallwood. "His name was…"
She had to go see him, if he was still alive she had to save him! And she wouldn't fail!
As she flew away she heard Rowan Smallwood shout after her, "Good luck WordGirl, kick him in the side just for me!"

He was where Smallwood said he would be, just behind the grocery store. WordGirl landed right next to him, staring at his pale face. Huggy climbed off her shoulders and pulled off his helmet, pressing his head against the villain's chest in search of a heartbeat.
"You-you've come to see me," remarked the still body.
WordGirl fell to her knees, "You're alive!" she cried.
"Not for long, I'm *huff* shot in the side. Bullet grazed a…grazed a lung," he winced.
"It'll be ok," WordGirl insisted, "I'm going to take you to the hospital and they'll make you better!" she grabbed his arm and began to heave him into a sitting position, but Two Brains let out a long cry of pain and she was forced to lower him again.
Huggy pulled at WordGirl's cape until it came loose and he pressed the fabric to Two Brains's side, acting as an impromptu doctor rather than the pilot he was.
"W-WordGirl there's no point," panted the Doc, "I've been here for an hour already, the Police left after growing bored of-of waiting for me," he gave a small chuckle then winced again.
WordGirl moved her gloved hand from his arm to his hand and squeezed it, "You can't die," she said, tears once again rolled down her cheeks.

"On the contrary," joked Two Brains, "I'm do-doing it now."
Silence filled the empty area, broken only by WordGirl's old friend as he struggled to breathe. How could he do this? She was losing him again!
"I never…" WordGirl said, sobbing quietly, "I never got to say goodbye really before you turned into Doctor Two Brains…I should have known that I didn't need to. You're still Steven even with that retched second brain. You're still my friend!"
"You never stopped being my friend," replied Doctor Two Brains, "I admit I did try to kill you once or twice," he said softly, crying almost as hard as WordGirl was. And it wasn't from the pain.
"Oh Word *huff* girl, I-I don't want to go," he said, fear gripping his heart, "I can't hear the voice in my head, I'm free! But I'm going to die…"
"Hang in there Doc please!"
"I can't do it…I'll miss you even more on the other side!"
"Doc!"

Silence.

Huggy pulled the cape from the Doc, he was gone, there was no point.
He slowly pressed the cape into WordGirl's gloved hand, the hand that wasn't still gripping Steven's hand.
She continued to sob as she accepted the article of clothing, holding it to her heart and allowing the blood to stain her clothing.
Minutes passed before she released Steven's hand, and with her now free hand she closed his eyes.

"Rest in peace Doc, rest in peace…"

Rowan Smallwood…Why are you so evil? I actually gave him a reason and you'll find out soon, not that it's a good enough reason for killing all of the villains.
Per request I killed Amazing Rope Guy, not per request I killed Doctor Two Brains. I'm sorry, but he was the one that I knew I had to have killed.
In reality he probably wouldn't have lasted as long as he did, but I wanted a goodbye from him.

Also as promised this chapter is much longer than the others, you're welcome for that…And only that.

Please review!