Jack was sitting along an empty street as she bled out. Her eyes were heavy, and right before she closed them she saw a shadow. But when Jack's eyes closed shut, the shadow vanished.
And Annie, still in her Light Guardian form, was there watching atop a building with binoculars alongside her trusty servant, Tendra. And as long as Annie's needles were stuck on Tendra's forehead, it didn't give off the sense of a Night Demon. They dropped down to see Jack.
"I wasn't expecting you to drop dead, yet, assistant," Annie said, but there was no reply. Jack was already dead.
Tendra picked up Jack like baggage and shrieked. Then, they dashed away to find a place where Annie could work.
And Annie found the perfect spot. An abandoned toy factory on the outskirts of the city. She entered and instantly began to redecorate. She started destroying everything that looked filthy and unpleasant to the eyes. And with her lasers, she added a random assortment of colors in the place of burn marks.
They entered into an old office and cleared a desk. Jack was placed atop the desk, and Annie went to work.
"Don't worry, assistant. You have been most helpful to me. All those Light Guardians you killed along the way will be quite fun to play with. But first, I shall operate on you," Annie said with a sincere smile.
Tendra began to cough and spit out tools and equipment. Mostly sewing needles, hot glue, and duct tape. Annie started to extract all the daggers and tree bark inside of her with her bare hands. It was a grueling process, but she enjoyed every second of it. It felt like doing a restoration piece. She wiped away her sweat with her blood-filled hands and continued.
As Annie worked, she began to ramble and talk to her dead patient or piece of art.
"Assistant. Assistant. You've done so much damage to your body even before you died. So many scars and scratches. But then again, art is imperfect. Don't worry. When I'm done, you'll thank me. I've collected so many bodies over the years. However, you will be the first that I've tried to make use of. I've tried to on dead rabbits and cats, and for the most part it seemed to work with varying success. But I'm sure you won't let me down. You never have."
She filled the rips and tears with leftover fluff that she found at the factory. They were usually used for teddy bears, but she didn't find any problem with it. They felt soft and usable. She sewn shut Jack's wounds and once she was done, Jack looked almost like Annie wanted her to look.
And with that done, Annie took her finger and placed it on Jack's chest. She created a spark of rainbows and inside of Jack's body, her organs began to repair themselves. Annie laid her head down on Jack's chest to listen and feel a heartbeat.
One. Two. Three. Thump thump. Thump Thump. And Annie smiled with success.
Her heartbeat was steady. She breathed in her first breath. Her brain sparked to life.
But there was a problem. Jack's eyes wouldn't open. She was alive, but her body was still.
Annie called over her creature, "Tendra, restrain her while you implant some memories. Make it to the exact specifications that I want."
And so Tendra did. It nodded it's head and began to work. It grew out metallic tendrils to hold Jack in place. And then, some entered Jack through her ears.
And then the monster gave Jack false memories and what seemed like a soul. But it was merely a fake.
Jack opened her eyes. Her breathing was erratic. She growled like an animal. Then, she transformed on the table. A blaze of fire emerged as she roared loudly. But the tendrils inside Jack's brain calmed her.
Annie went up to Jack and asked, "Do you remember me?"
But Jack couldn't reply. Her mind was incomplete. It was like a soulless animal. However, Tendra continued to work to Annie's specifications. Jack was given memories that Annie wanted her to have. The memories that Annie and Jack had when they were at school. The memories of Jack's animalistic rage.
And when Tendra was done, it took out it's tentacles.
Annie asked once more, "Do you remember?"
Jack looked at her with dead and unknowing eyes, and replied, "Annie."
Jack transformed back into her normal form as Annie seemingly hugged her.
"It's been too long, assistant. I missed you," Annie said as she placed her finger on the back of Jack's neck. Jack recalled the past that Annie wanted, but Jack felt nothing from them. Not happiness nor sadness.
Annie continued as she began to burn her signature on Jack's neck, "What do you remember?"
Jack replied, "We were friends. Best friends. I helped you with many things. Mostly, art. Then, we became Light Guardians. And you were missing. I searched for you. There were others that tried to stop me. I killed them."
"It's okay now, assistant. I'm here," Annie said as she finished the heart. Then, her signature glowed like gold paint.
Jack remembered Annie, but didn't feel anything towards her. Nor did Jack feel anything towards the Light Guardians she killed. But the memories didn't feel like they belonged to her. It felt more like it was from an outside observer, but that was all she recalled.
Annie let go of Jack and walked away. Jack followed her unafraid of Tendra. It was as if she didn't feel any fear. As a matter of fact, she didn't feel anything. Not just physical sensations, but emotional.