Chapter 28: A dose of reality
Neo slid backwards from the effect of the waves colliding. He jumped back up to his feet and squared off against Hannah yet again. She seemed to stand perfectly fine, totally disregarding the powerful after-effect of their waves. Hannah observed his movements. Something was off about him.
Neo charged into her again, roaring with all his might, only for her to deftly dodge him and catch him by his arm. She twisted it behind his back as she kicked the joint of his knee and took him down.
"Let go of me!", he struggled to break free of Hannah's grip but the more he struggled, the tighter she held him. It seemed as if she was trying to tame a wild animal instead of calming someone down. Eventually she pushed him face down on the ground, still jacking his arm behind his back, but somehow he'd lost his will to fight. She sensed immense pain, guilt, regret, fear. All these emotions were boiling inside of him. Ever since his boss died, it'd almost been as if they were on the run. Avoiding the assassins. Looking over their shoulders.
It had been one battle after the next. The brothers had no time to process what had happened. And even worse, Lee's powers showed in the midst of all this. Hannah slowly released Neo as she sieved through his feelings. He rolled around with a tired look on his face.
"One fight to the next. I... I don't think I was ready for this...".
"You weren't. Neither was Lee. Neither was I. No one was ready for this."
Hannah cautiously got closer to him. She wasn't sure if he'd trust her after her intervention. Neo leaned on her, not like the tough boy he always played. This time, he was broken. The brevity of his situation finally began to sink in. His life was never going to be the same again. Would he always be looking over his shoulder? Would he always have to think twice before talking to someone? Everything he thought he knew. All changed in a split second.
Neo felt an emptiness inside. He hadn't had time to breath ever since the incident. He'd never felt more vulnerable. But in that moment, the feeling of Hannah's arm brought on a whole new set of feelings. This arm felt like it had seen several wars in its lifetime. It felt sturdy but compassionate. He felt that at least this arm could cushion him. He relaxed his body as he lay flush again Hannah. She cradled him as if to protect him from the world. Somehow, from somewhere, she felt a motherly sense of protection.
She never wanted to see this young man or his brother hurt again.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone