Author's Note: This chapter breaks through the two hundred thousand word mark, for 'Forsaken'. Thank you to everybody who has stayed the course and read each and every word!
Two days later
Monday evening
West Ridge
Josh would be spending the night with us, due to the anniversary that was arriving tomorrow.
Dave and I sat down with Josh, so that he could take us through the events leading up to that day and the day itself, a year ago. Rather strangely Chloe said she couldn't be here, or spend the night, as she was busy doing something else; she wouldn't say what!
It turned out to be quite a coincidence that Dave and I had been in New York, that very same day, stripping Safehouse C, before we had then driven home the following night!
One year previously
Monday, November 11th, 2013
New York City
I got up at my normal time and went into the kitchen for breakfast.
Dad looked very uneasy that morning, worse than he had been over the past few weeks. It seemed that he had been up most of the night and there was evidence that he had been cleaning his weapons, at the kitchen table. Normally, my Dad only did that when he was trying to get his mind off of something serious. I knew that things had been going bad for Dad, ever since he had decided to get away from that sadistic bastard, Ralph D'Amico.
..._...
That D'Amico actually scared the hell out of me! At least, at the weekends, I was able to forget about all of that shit and concentrate on having fun with my friends. I spent hours down at Atomic Comics with Chloe, Jake and Danny. They were my best friends from school and Chloe was also my girl-friend! I actually had a chance to be a normal kid, when I was around them. When I was at home, though, things were different. It wasn't just getting used to being in a foreign country, it was also the fact that Dad was constantly making me check my surroundings and watch out for trouble. Dad also checked to ensure that my skills were up to scratch, when it came to using a pistol and my knives! Not a very normal childhood, I would admit, but it never had been normal.
Ever since my mum had died of cancer, when I was nine, things had really gone to shit for us both. My Dad had left the SBS, to look after me full time. By the time I was ten, I had worked out that my Dad really missed his colleagues in the Royal Marines and the SBS and desperately wanted to get back into action.
Finally, my Dad had got involved with organised crime, in London and then he got involved with another guy who advised him of some well paid work in New York! My Dad decided we could both do with a fresh start. So, in June, we ended up in New York City, in the United States of America! At the time, we weren't aware of Ralph D'Amico and how particularly vicious he was.
I started to hear stories about Super Heroes; not the comic ones, real ones! My Dad brought back stories and rumours about a pair called Hit Girl and Kick-Ass and I passed these stories onto my new friends, including Chloe. Chloe then fancied herself as a Hit Girl wannabe! During August, I started to hear about some new Super Villain called The Mother Fucker and I understood from Dad that Ralph D'Amico was not amused, to put it mildly!
The next thing I knew, The Mother Fucker was dead! This seemed to encourage Ralph D'Amico to start spreading his 'good will' and Dad was soon starting to make plans to get away from Ralph D'Amico.
..._...
"Morning Joshua!" Dad said.
"Morning Dad!" I replied.
"I need you to stay with me, today. I'm concerned about that fucking bastard D'Amico; I think he's wise to me wanting to leave! I need to meet with Billy tonight and then we can hopefully get the hell out of here. Probably head west."
"Okay!" I replied and helped myself to some cereal. Missing school that day and possibly never going back would be no big deal, but I would miss Chloe!
..._...
That evening, we had left the apartment after dark and caught a cab, east. I had noticed that Dad had brought along his Glock 17 pistol. He only did that when he was on a job, or was concerned for his or my safety; he didn't have a permit for any of our weapons!
We got out of the cab, several blocks from our destination. Dad was constantly looking all around us; he told me he wanted to be absolutely sure that nobody was tailing us and I could tell that he was very nervous. My Dad told me to stay close as we walked the last two blocks and then my Dad pulled me down a dark alley and told me to wait. He also told me that if he wasn't back by ten o'clock that night, then I should run and keep running.
I didn't know it then, but that would be the last time that I would ever talk to my Dad!
..._...
It was fucking freezing.
I was huddled in the alley, down between two dumpsters. It was nine-thirty and I was starting to get very worried. Dad had been gone for over an hour and I was now very concerned for his safety. What would I do without Dad? Where would I run to? How would I survive? I knew where money was stashed, but that wouldn't last long.
I was deep in thought about my potential predicament when suddenly, I heard gunshots, several gunshots followed by shouting. Then Dad appeared at the end of the alley. It would be the last time that I would ever see my Dad alive.
"Joshua, run!" And that was the last time that I ever heard his voice. The last words that he ever said to me. He started to run towards me, but that was when the whole bloody world came apart.
There was a huge explosion and the building started to come down. Brickwork hit the dumpsters and I saw Dad get buried, then nothing...
The present day
West Ridge
"...Next thing I knew, I was waking up in hospital, months later!" Josh finished.
The boy had tears running down his cheeks and he was gripping my arm, tightly. I really felt for the kid; it was the first time that Josh had told anybody about that day, a year ago and apparently I wasn't the only one to have seen their Dad killed right in front of them!
I just did the only thing that I could do, I hugged Josh tightly, as he cried.
The following day
Tuesday
West Ridge
Josh got up later than usual.
His eyes were very red and swollen; it was obvious that he had been crying. Dave had cooked him some breakfast. I had considered cooking, but Dave suggested that the day would be bad enough for Josh, without him having to try to eat my cooking!
Later that morning
Safehouse A
Dave and I took Josh down to Safehouse A.
We had something special in store for him. I took the, rather confused, Josh into the briefing room. On the far wall hung the, admittedly rather dorky, photo of my Daddy. Next to it was a photo of Dave's Dad. Dave and I had decided that it was time to update these two photos and add some more, as a reminder of what we were fighting for.
I removed both photos and Dave stood ready with a hammer and some picture hooks.
First up went a copy of the photo that I had seen at The Farm; it had both my Daddy and my Mom in it and had obviously been taken before little me had actually been born and also in much happier times!
Below this photo went the one of Big Daddy and Hit Girl that Dave thought was really cute! I used to be able to scare the shit out of Dave in that costume, but somehow I seem to have gone from being able to scare the shit out of Dave to cute; how the mighty have fallen! Josh actually thought I looked quite menacing, but also kinda hot and he actually blushed and so did I! Josh had never seen me in my original Hit Girl costume and now I thought about it, nobody else had, in this sort of detail, except for Dave! The online videos were not all that detailed back then. That was also the first time that Josh had actually seen a picture of Big Daddy and one of me when I was younger and as Josh commented, a lot shorter!
To the right of the first photo, went a picture of Dave's Mom and Dad, on their wedding day. Dave added another hook below the other pictures and we hung a photo that showed the original Justice Forever team that Marty had provided. We all took a moment and Dave named each person and explained them to Josh, including how the Colonel and Night Bitch had died. I saw that this was hard on Dave, but I was glad that we had taken the time to put the picture up. Josh actually laughed when he saw Battle Guy!
Dave hammered in one final nail, then I turned to Josh.
"That last hook is yours, Josh," I said and passed him a package.
Josh looked at me curiously and then carefully opened the package before I saw tears start to run down his face. Marty had done some digging and had found a photo of Josh's Dad, in his full Royal Marines Commando dress uniform, with Josh's Mom, on their wedding day. Josh looked at me dumbfounded and I helped him hang the picture. Even I was crying, as I looked at the pictures of my Daddy.
"See Josh. I may be the cold hearted bitch, Hit Girl, but I still cry and feel emotions," I said as I hugged Josh and Dave.
"Thank you, both of you. You don't know what that picture means to me."
"Yes, we do Josh," Dave replied.
We actually spent quote a few minutes just standing and looking at the pictures.
I was over the moon to see the picture of my Dad and my Mum; especially today. I was also glad that they could both be a part of my new life, here, in Chicago as Jackal. I really had no words to describe my feelings, to Dave and Mindy, but they had managed to help me in a way that nobody else could have done.
I finally let go of Mindy.
"Sorry for all the cuddling Mindy; I know you don't like me invading your personal space," I said with a smile.
"I'm getting used to it! It kinda feels good and makes me feel more human," Mindy replied, drying her tears.
It had been a bit of a shock to see Mindy crying; I had never seen her do anything like that before.
"You are only the second person to ever see me cry, Josh; Dave was the first, last year!" Mindy said.
"Not so much," Dave said. "I first saw you cry, back when you were twelve. You didn't know that I could see you and I never let on."
"Marty was right, you can be soft and cuddly!" I replied.
"Just don't go spreading it around; I have a reputation to uphold!"
I had to laugh and it was infectious, as Dave and Mindy laughed, too.
"Come on, let's go get something to eat!" Dave suggested.