Starlight's Lament 1.2

TWO WEEKS EARLIER…

Annie heard the gunfire spill into the streets. Hundreds of people were running away as police and armed men began shooting at each other in a very tense and deadly stalemate. Escorting an elderly lady to cover was her current objective as she watched as the shootout turned a lot fiercer when the armed gunman used higher caliber automatic weapons down on the barricade of police cars.

"Just close your eyes, I'm here… you're not going to get hit," Annie reassured the crying older woman as she felt some bullets ping her back as frustration grew in her head. She was only here after her local Capes for Christ group had toured a coastal city just north of Boston. It was supposed to be a peaceful and harmless side gig where they would feed and give off relief goods for the poverty-stricken parts of the city, but she didn't expect that the city itself had an intense gang problem altogether.

Worse, the fact that the local hero population, perhaps just one man whom she forgot the name of, had been very bad at making sure this city was secure and safe. It was clearly evident given how freely these armed marauders were making the streets feel and act like a goddamn warzone.

"We're almost there! Just hang on." She yelled as she eventually carried the older lady who was hiding in her arms in pure fear. Inwardly, Annie cursed the men and women involved in this whole thing given they were only making it worse as she knew each second and minute accounted for a possible civilian wounded or worse.

She could hear the radios of the cops around her turn into a cacophony of screams and orders and despite the chaos that was ensuing, Annie was asking where in the hell were the local reinforcements for these officers? The heavier equipped units, that whole thing, why was everything so slow, while the entire gunfight was becoming more nightmarish by the second?

Eventually, Annie was able to hand over the old lady to the first responders who were doing tooth and nail to make sure the incoming influx of wounded and such were being cared for. The old lady thanked Annie so much that she had a bit of difficulty getting her off. Despite that, she felt a boost of confidence and determination as people were elated and began cheering her on completely. Some even took their phones out and spoke her name, but Annie knew that more important things needed to be finished first so she ran headfirst back to finally do something to stop the gunfight.

The moment she got to the police barricade; she watched as the entrenched cops began barking at each other again. She sighed as the scene was not getting any better, so she allowed her power to feel the electric signals and currents around her. Passively she let them charge so she would enact a large enough distraction that she could halt the gunfire on both sides. Before she could do it, however, she heard the radios once again tell her another bad development that had just occurred.

"Airburst is down! I repeat, Airburst is down! He got shot in the face, w-we don't know what his condition is, but he's bleeding bad." Annie's frustration deepened as the local hero's handling of this only worsened him in her eyes, despite the obvious worry and pity she had over his condition. Nevertheless, feeling the energy in her palms gather to a sufficient amount, she raised her hands as her eyes glowed in white.

FWASH!

There were shouts of pain that occurred as both the police and the gunman were stunned by a flashing, overpowering light that ate the entirety of their vision. It was Annie's chance to act as she leaped from the police barricade and ran headfirst into the stunned gunman.

"W-What in the fu-

A gunman flew away and crashed into the glass windows of a torn-up shop as Annie blasted him with light. The intensity was enough to sufficiently stun the man out of submission as she fired more blasts upon three others as she made headway into what she could only count as at least thirty or more gunmen in the streets. Some were still recovering, but as the seconds ticked by she knew that her action from earlier would resume the shooting and Annie quickly realized that perhaps she miscalculated how much her entire flashbang would be effective.

She was not as fast as some heroes were and despite blasting two more people out of the count, she noticed the others raising their guns again both at her and the recovering police, and tensions once more escalated.

Fearing another devastating stalemate like earlier, even more so now than before, she heard the gunman calling for their own reinforcements to cover them from the arrival of the heroes. Annie panicked as she painstakingly tried to close the distance with the highest concentration of the gunmen's numbers until she heard another group of screams rattle the field…

"It's Queen Maeve!"

Annie watched in rapt attention and smiles as the heroine of her childhood charged headfirst from the other side of the street she was on as she easily dispatched each gunman with precise, but surprisingly heavy blows. She did not pay attention to that small detail at first as she concentrated on her own part of the fight. She blasted two more gunmen out of the way and ran to another, decking them in the stomach just hard enough that he fell to the ground in pain.

They were making progress, but as more time passed, Annie realized that despite Maeve's appearance, they were only barely making a dent in the fighting force until one of the gunmen threw a device at Maeve's feet.

THWOOM!

The explosion went off like a grenade but had enough punch that Annie felt the shockwave despite being about five meters away. It threw Maeve off her current position and slammed her into a nearby building. The two-story shop which was barely holding its floor above stable was starting to crumble underneath itself…

Annie ran to Maeve's position as the deadly firefight resumed. Some fired in her direction as she tried to unearth her hero from the rubble. She felt bullets ping off of her back as her cape and costume started to get tattered as she began burrowing to get Maeve out. Only to find the heroine rise out of it, without much of an issue much to Annie's elation.

She wanted to help Maeve to get back up only for her arm to be slapped away, forcibly and painfully as Annie saw Maeve's face and expression.

"Get the fuck out of my way." She angrily snarled as Annie saw that up close, Maeve had heavy bags under her eyes, her entire complexion much more pale than normal, and her hair, plus her entire demeanor felt… very familiar or at least close to a memory she always had of her dad.

A memory so hard-wired within her that she could recall waving to a clearly drunk and guilt-ridden father as he walked out the door and was never to be seen again.

That… that same energy was what she felt around Queen Maeve as she dismissed her outright and ran towards the battle again like a maddened woman. Annie was simply stunned after that entire affair as she watched the heroine, she always admired appear this way…

That was until she heard a cry for help. Annie turned around and saw that the crumbling building still had one civilian hiding within it. She ran to his position until she saw that the man's legs were trapped under a heavy beam that had crushed them as he cried out to Annie in pain and panic.

The poor man clung to her arms as Annie tried to get him out but the situation of the building Maeve had crashed into only served to break the already crumbling foundations further into nothing. She may survive the collapse, but this man would not. Desperately, she tried her best to get her out but the pace of her actions and the pace of the building audibly breaking apart around her made her realize that she might not make it.

She prayed that it was not the case as she did her best to get the man out until she heard the last of the building's foundations break and she closed her eyes knowing that it was too late…

… or was it?

Annie opened her eyes and saw something she would never forget, admittedly.

The crumbling building around her that entrenched her and the man she was trying to save where nowhere to be seen as she looked up and saw one of Olympia's heroes, the famous Lancer standing before her, pushing away one of the larger slabs with a neutral expression upon her face.

"You two, good?" The powerful woman asked as she offered an arm towards Annie.

Shakingly, the younger heroine from humble beginnings took the stronger woman's hand as she stood up and smiled. Lancer gave a small smile back as she pulled the thankful man out of the rubble and into Annie's arms to carry. The man looked stunned and shocked senselessly in a good way as he stared at Lancer's face despite being in Annie's arms.

The sentiment was destroyed quickly however as Annie shouted as one of the gunmen threw one of those devices again in their direction. Only to watch as Lancer, without her infamous spear and shield, turned and caught the device in her hands before covering it completely with both palms. There was a small puff of smoke that emanated from in between her fingers as the woman dusted her hands off afterward.

She then grinned at the both of them before she stomped her foot on the ground…

THROOOUMMM!

And from the minor, earth-shattering action, released a shockwave strong enough that it basically toppled each and every gunman present into the ground without much of a fuss. The action also caused Queen Maeve to fall on her feet in the background as Annie and the man stood there stunned and amazed at how casual and easy it was for Lancer to end the conflict in the space of two moves.

Of course, some of the gunman's allies would still pose a threat, but as Annie watched, it was mostly not a problem as the prime heroine of Olympia who was already becoming famous around the world had cleaned the entire fight in just a few minutes.

"Wow." Annie intoned, not noticing that she and the man said the same word as they watched Lancer walk away to help with the rest.

Half an hour later, as clean-up was issued the local authorities and some of Olympia's personnel and heroes joined as they began helping the wounded, the casualties, and the damages posed by the gunfight. The local gangs, as it appears, were now on Olympia's priority as two more heroes, people she didn't know at all, began making headway to quell what remained of the city's criminals.

On her side, she was helping some of the men and women who were wounded as they were being cared for by the first responders with Olympia's personnel giving aid to smoothen out their transport to the nearest hospitals. One of the heroes, a small purple-haired girl with a rather long wand was with a very loud, blonde man as she began helping reverse the damages of the firefight back to their prior state, as if no damage had occurred at all. The act was incredible to Annie as even with the loud man speaking out and proclaiming credit for this good deed, she found that the little girl was genuine in helping the people around her. She even curbed the worst of the injuries as she gave an aura of healing that made the odds of those people's chances of survival higher than earlier.

She was in awe actually, with how quickly Olympia responded and how well they were helping the reconstruction despite some few casualties overall. She smiled as she turned her head back to Lancer who was talking with one of the Olympia personnel.

Annie placed two hands on her chest as she took a deep breath. Standing up, she started walking towards the woman, only to be beaten and shoved aside when Queen Maeve began stomping like she was on a warpath towards Lancer.

Annie watched in horror, unsure of what would happen as the clearly antagonistic Maeve began shouting off and pointing at Lancer who looked surprised at the whole affair.

"You don't think I know what you're doing here? You? And your goddamn image, your goddamn heroic front and charitable acts… I know who you are underneath all of that shit… and I know goddamn well that you're not what everybody thinks you are!"

Lancer looked unimpressed as Maeve began snarling.

"You think you're better than us… better than me… better than him? You're all the same! Even with how strong you are, even with how weak everybody seems to be! You're no hero! None of you are… you're just like me… just like me pretending to be one… because the world is too unfair… the world is too mean… the world is too fucked up… and being a hero is just a justification to do whatever the fuck you want." She screamed as people around her went silent. Even the blonde man and the little girl behind her. Annie wondered if the media was recording this… because this entire affair was just simply too unexpected.

"None of us are heroes… I TRIED… I TRIED AND I FAILED… and I KEPT ON FAILING… b-because its pointless… you can't do anything when there's more people out there stronger than you. More people out there that's stopping you from doing what's right because of some goddamn image… because of some goddamn stupid ideal. You can't do anything when you're scared all the time… you can't do anything because… b-because we're all too weak to even make a difference…"

Annie looked as the tense scene proliferated around her. That's when she started noticing that both the Olympia and First Responders around them were pushing people away and trying to stop them from filming the entire thing. For what reason, she did not know, but given how painfully and emotionally vulnerable Queen Maeve was, she was sure that Olympia was giving her the courtesy enough to vent without people making more of an issue with it.

"Then do something about it." Annie blinked when she heard Lancer's words as she turned back to the two. Queen Maeve only proceeded to frown as she aimed her hand to slap Lancer's face… only for the woman to catch her arm.

"How dare you?! You know nothing of what I feel! You know nothing about what it feels like to be powerless… to be-

"I do know what it feels." The low tone of Lancer said as her expression became serious. "… I know what being powerless feels like… I've kept that my entire life. But… I wasn't cowardly enough to just stand around… mope, and cry about it like what you're doing."

Queen Maeve stopped entirely when Lancer said those words. The Olympia hero continued as she let go of Queen Maeve's arm and stared at her deeply into her eyes. "If you want shit to get done, do something about it then… don't go complaining about it… don't go and blame others for a blunder that you know yourself is just you lashing out for no reason. Don't cry into the heavens or to some schmuck that's just going to laugh at your face once you're done seeing them…"

Lancer then sighed as she looked at Annie as well. "… if you want for things to change… for your fortunes to be better or your pain to go away… then stand up and do everything in your power to make that change a reality. Nothing's going to happen if you just cry and make the world feel sad and pity you… no one's going to help you in the end, except yourself… and if you don't take the reins of your life to move on, you're not going to feel any better at the end."

Annie felt like Lancer's words were a lot more personal, given its tone. She wondered… deeply why it seemed like the woman was very much engrossed in this as Maeve was. The heroine who started the spat however seemed to go quiet, before walking away in silent tears. She did not even care about the outburst she started as Annie watched her in clear disappointment as she disappeared.

"Hey… you." Lancer's voice said as Annie perked up.

"Y-yes?"

"You did well today."

"T-Thank you…" Annie said, as her heart steadily beat into a rhythm. A smile appeared on her face as Lancer's neutral expression looked at her as if judging her, even with the compliment.

"Don't mind that bitch… if you wanna do some good, best I can recommend is to do your job as a hero and nothing else," Lancer said with finality as Annie smiled with a nod.

"Why are you still staring at me for?" Lancer asked as Annie blushed in embarrassment.

"I uh… I wanted to… well… it's embarrassing." Annie said as Lancer's eyes widened slightly.

PRESENT…

"You asked for her autograph? I'm surprised she even gave one to begin with." Atalanta said as she looked at the embarrassed Annie with an earnest smile. "She's not one that likes people and crowds that much, but given how much that backfires on her, I'm surprised she didn't just walk away in annoyance."

"I uh… well, I think she was impressed by me… at least I think that was the case." Annie blurted out, her words jumbling over each other as Atalanta chuckled.

"Is that so? Well, old Caenis is more of a softie once you get to know her more… that robust, brutish front while volatile and impersonable, can be sometimes penetrated once you do in fact show the gut, merit, and determination to impress her enough to make her show it. Though that's fairly rare to begin with despite how I describe it."

"Oh… that's great," Annie said, surprised at Atalanta's words as her heart bloomed in heat knowing the famous Lancer found her interesting enough to show that caring side to her. She was also surprised to hear Lancer's name in the process as she looked at Atalanta behind the desk.

"What do you wish to achieve with this conversation, Annie?" Atalanta asked, her features becoming serious but soft as Annie sighed deeply.

"I'm just… at a crossroads with how I want to be Starlight. With how I want to be a hero." Annie then began rubbing her hand reflexively as her emotions started to spring out. "Growing up, the idea has always been this cool, and unimaginably amazing prospect to make a reality. Making people smile, saving them from harm… making them cheer your name in support knowing that you've done a lot to change those people's lives… that you've changed them all for the greater good."

Atalanta continued to listen as Annie's smile vanished. "But… being a hero isn't about that, unfortunately… there's no glory in it. There's no smiles for the most part. There's only violence, terror, and negativity and even if you do save someone, sometimes what good you do only amounts to stopping the blood from spilling further out the already painful wounds." Annie sighed once more before continuing.

"That's always been the reality of this life, Annie. No amount of sugar-coating changes it." Atalanta provided with a supportive but contemplative frown on her face.

"I know… it's so different when you're just going on press tours, live participation, and meet and greets. You'd think all the smiles and happiness you give to people through fame and parties make up for all the stress… but it can't. Even if I'm making a difference through smaller acts of kindness… it just all rings hollow because you're not out there where real people are in danger… you're not out there when innocent people need real help. You can't make a change when you just sit there and look pretty to the TV."

"And how does this relate to your frustrations… and dare I say it… fear about me?" Atalanta frankly asked as Annie felt that small little jab right to her chest.

"You see… all the people I admire… all the heroes out there are embarrassingly the same popular individuals that everybody looks up to. My whole dream, my whole career is hoping to step up on their league, their level to be the best hero I can feasibly achieve to be that can make a difference like all of them. Only to understand… and know, that they're literally just celebrities… with extra steps."

"So, it's disappointment, meeting your idols… the people you've essentially praised and worshipped throughout your whole life…" Atalanta said as Annie nodded.

"Yeah… I just want to be better you know. I just want to be more than just Starlight… a name that people remember by through the media. I just want to be an actual hero… l-like you. L-Like L-Lancer, I mean, C-Caenis."

"What makes us… better, Annie? I admit, that I am not what most people call nowadays a saint. Despite what the world thinks about me, I am merely doing my part to preserve the lives of children… as it always should be."

"…that's exactly why…. Ma'am. I just want to do what you guys do, without the need to make myself famous to justify it. You're better, because you're actually heroes, not just as a fancy name, but as the real deal." Annie hears Atalanta hum. "Which is why I was… s-scared to see you kill that man y-yesterday."

"That scum?" Atalanta voiced out, her ears visibly standing up as her frown worsened. Annie deflated until Atalanta pulled back some of the anger.

"I was… just scared, ma'am. With respect, I've been thrown disappointment after disappointment of people I admired and thought I knew, only to know that they're basically doing nothing to justify their names in the first place. It's only you, Lancer, Homelander, and a few others that still make me believe in the idea of heroes… and seeing you kill that man, just made me scared… scared that maybe you're not who you seem you are."

Atalanta's expression became difficult as she looked at Annie. "And what's your opinion now? After seeing everything here, at one of my orphanages?" Her voice was soft but genuinely curious at what Annie was to say.

"I… I don't know ma'am. B-but I'm happy Abbie and the kids are safe… and I'm thankful, Europa and you all were able to give joy to these children." Annie admitted, despite her conflicted feelings.

"I see. Can I ask you, honestly, why you're so bothered with how I dealt with that man?"

"Because… even if it was justified, h-heroes don't kill people. We're supposed to be better than them, right?" Annie asked, unsure as Atalanta stared at her.

"Who decided that?"

Annie paused at Atalanta's words. Shocked even.

Annie looked confused. "Because heroes are supposed to be people that do good. People who go above and beyond to show that a better path can be made, criminal or otherwise. We can't just kill people… especially people that are already beaten and defenseless."

"And if that man were to be judged fairly by a court and ruled in favor of being released, somehow, what guarantees would there be that he won't do the same thing again?" Atalanta asked, confused as well.

"How guaranteed are you that they won't change? That they won't do better? Isn't that what we're supposed to do? To make people understand what it means to be good? What it means to be a better person? To learn from even the worst mistakes?" Annie argued, her words heated as Atalanta remained in her seat, a bit of understanding and at the same time pity making up her expression.

"I don't guarantee it at all, Annie. I chose to do it on my own will. Not because I viewed it as right or wrong… but because I wanted to make sure that those children were given justice. That they will no longer live in a world where those captors will find them again, in due time." Atalanta said with finality and pure honesty as Annie stared. She slowly sat back in her seat as she looked at Atalanta.

"Please understand… idealism can only get you so far and I know I'm quite a hypocrite in saying that, but at the end of the day, that was my decision. I chose to do it, on my honor as a hero, and protector of children, because I believed it was the right decision to make sure Abbie and her friends get to sleep soundly in peace and that they will never be in danger again."

Atalanta stood up and walked beside Annie as she placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Children are important to me, Annie. More so than anything in this world and making sure that they live a life that's far from terrible circumstances such as that is one that I will uphold."

Annie stared back with uncertainty as Atalanta continued, "… you don't need to like me, with my methods… but I swear to you on my name and honor, that I will always be a champion for children. You can never doubt my will and determination to make sure such a dream to prosper, and that every child, even with my own flaws and limitations, are cared for within the best of my ability."

"I know… I… I saw it." Annie admitted as she thought about the hours before. Enjoying with the Archer as she truly cared for the children alongside her comrades. She was still unsure about the whole debacle of how violent the woman was in making her own dream a reality…

B-but, she would be a liar to not understand why she did it.

Still, was there… was there a limit to where that line of good and evil stood for Atalanta? Or for any hero, she thought she knew?

She hoped… she just hoped that the people she actually admired were worth investing that admiration with. With Atalanta, despite some of the image, being tainted, she could never doubt her drive for children, it was all true… it was all genuine. None of it was fake, which was something she could never say for the other heroes she knew.

"I do have to question you of your admiration for Caenis…"

"W-Why?" Annie asked, fearful of the answer.

"Nothing too bad, I promise you. It's just that, I never thought I would see a world where she's what most people look up to. I can confidently say that I'm a lot more tolerable than her, personality-wise."

"R-Really? Is she really that bad?"

Atalanta laughed. "It's complicated, Annie. Everything is… this business with heroes. We're all just people after all. People with flaws, no matter how high praise some might give us. Pedestals and names after all are just temporary things, and Caenis is correct, in saying that what you do with that name is what matters in the end."

"Right… t-thank you," Annie said as a smile finally appeared on her face.

"Perhaps the best advice I can give is to be the hero that you want to be. Make the name Starlight, be something worthy that people can look up to. Make it be an ideal that you can foster and preserve to the best of your ability… and who knows, you might earn your dream in the future. You just have to start somewhere to enact it."

"Thank you… Atalanta." Annie genuinely said again as they shared a smile.

The ice might not have been broken between them fully, but there was progress.

Atalanta then headed over to her desk and pulled something out of it. It was a small card that she lent to Annie slowly as the younger woman looked at it.

"If you wish to talk more… or perhaps if you need guidance on which path of being a hero you wish to traverse, I have a good friend who's a tutor on matters such as that."

"A tutor?"

"More like a teacher, one that I trust with absolute confidence, given the people he's trained," Atalanta said, and before she could elaborate, the door behind them burst open much to Annie's shock as an energetic voice and personality came through.

"Hey, sis! I'm here to pick you up for the gala!"

"Loud as always, Achilles," Atalanta grumbled as Annie realized that it was Rider, the… ah shit, the one she had a crush on… and goddamn he was… he was just as handsome, even more up close.

Also, wait, did he say that Atalanta was his siste-

"Annie, the friend we discussed, trained this dolt," Atalanta explained as Annie blinked in surprise.

"R-Really?"

"Yes, and despite his exuberance, I can assure you Achilles is sound, in character."

"What the hell is happening? Who's this pretty lady?" Achilles asked nonchalantly as Annie blushed.

"… for the most part." Atalanta finished as she and Achilles began speaking with each other.

Annie on the other hand, had a lot of thinking to do.

Arriving home, Annie continued to stare at the card that Atalanta gave.

Her mind was still reeling on what choice to take and if the offer Atalanta gave was something that she would accept in full. Though seeing Olympia's heroes, at least on Atalanta's part made her already complicated evaluation of them much more, colorful in a way. She understood their flaws and their perspectives, and despite seeing the legitimate good they did, there were still things she was very unsure of.

Regardless, she found them as genuine people. The kind that was not hiding behind a lens, or a second face and identity. What they were, were people that were honest to a fault, and she respected it.

She decided that she needed to sleep on that offer as she walked to her doorstep and opened it with her own key. Doing so, she went inside and tucked the card into her jacket pocket. As she walked inside, she began calling out to her mom…

Until she stopped short at the doorway to their dining table and saw two people sitting there with her mother. One was an agent that had Vought's symbol on their briefcase, and another was no other than, Homelander.

"Evening, young lady. Where have you been?"

ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD...

3 HOURS LATER

Walking through the halls of the temporary outpost, a woman kept her composure and disciplined training into full account, even with the way she walked. Moving past multiple personnel, with Olympia's brand tucked on their chest, each man or woman she passed gave her a nod or a greeting.

Part of her did not wish to have such attention, but given how she attained the rank, she knew that forcing that issue down would not help. She was too afraid and ashamed to do it.

Reaching her destination, she found two guards flanking the door as they greeted her in kind.

Entering the room, she quickly sat with utmost respect as she bowed her head. Fear wracked her mind as she heard footsteps come closer. Her heart began beating faster as those footsteps stopped entirely just in front of her.

"Good evening, Raikou-sama." She spoke. Her words measured. Her voice was still new to her as adjusting was still a hurdle to overcome. Yet she would do it all in a heartbeat.

"Mou, didn't I tell you to stop calling me that…" Raikou said as she felt a motherly hand touch her head. "Kimiko-chan, please raise your head… mama will hug you."

Kimiko blushed as she did just that and found herself being placed in a motherly embrace with her savior, or better yet, the woman who adopted her and her brother. "Y-Yes… okaasan."

"That's better…" there was a loving giggle afterward as Raikou patted her head. "Have you succeeded?"

Kimiko's face turned serious as she nodded with full determination. "Yes, okaasan. The heads of the snake are here."

"Excellent."

AN: New POV next time…

P.S. As a joke and a reference, the setting of the flashback is in Brockton Bay… hahahhahaahahhahahahahhaahhahahahaha

My roots as a Wormfic guy still remain.