While those guardians were still fighting Kira, Annie retreated back, but had no plans to leave. Like Jack thought, she put too much time and effort into making this gallery. It felt like a home. She wouldn't abandon it.
At first, she was dashing away, but slowly it turned into a limp. Her throat was coarse and rough. Her coughs continued to get worse. But she held together. She just needed to call in the shopkeeper to help her.
Eventually she reached her Jack, who gave her her shoulder. Annie drew a line in the ground with her lasers. She was almost there until she reached her art studio. The one place where she felt like she could rest.
She said to her assistant, "Don't let anybody past that line. Kill anybody who tries to get through."
The fake Jack replied, "Yes, Annie."
"Nobody can come through except for Jack."
The fake Jack was confused by the wording, but she would soon understand what it meant. She didn't question her orders.
Annie limped into her art studio where Tendra stood waiting inside. The creatures in their cages made of light began to rattle more violently. The Night Demons. The pieces of art that Annie didn't finish with. They were all getting louder. It felt like a zoo. Annie knelt down leaning on her rod and work table.
Annie coughed and whispered, "Shopkeeper. Shopkeeper. Shopkeeper. Come here."
The shopkeeper appeared and asked, "Another fit?"
"Use a reserve to cure me."
"I can't do that."
"Why not?"
"You have nothing left in your reserves."
Then, Annie immediately shot out a beam at one of the Night Demons inside their cages. It cried a shriek of pain before being eviscerated and turned into a coin.
"Take that black coin and heal me," Annie said.
The coin floated in the air towards the shopkeeper. He grabbed it and waved his hands around. Annie's coughs vanished along with her damaged throat.
She was able to stand up properly, but she still felt weak. Her body was still failing, but she was given time. She hated her weak body, but there was nothing she could do. No matter how many times she called the shopkeeper to heal her, each time the healing did less and less while the cost would increase.
The shopkeeper vanished leaving Annie alone.
A spider came up to Annie shoulder.
"Well, spider, I never knew that you could talk until a few moments ago. What news do you bring?" Annie asked. She was surprised a lot today. First, she found another Jack and then she discovered that her spiders could speak.
It spoke, "Two more... guardians...and one Dark Star. Attacking the matriarch."
Annie still had no idea what a Dark Star was, but she assumed that was whatever the Jack she saw was. She thought that it must have been something similar to her pieces of art. Something that wasn't Light Guardian or Night Demon.
But Annie had no time to think about it. She complained, "Damn it. This is getting out of hand. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Why couldn't things just follow the itinerary? Continue sending whatever spiders you have in capturing Jack. I may lose my printer, but that's a small price to pay."
The spider stood silent and shuddered, "No."
"What!?" Annie exclaimed, "What do you mean 'no'!?"
"We are no longer required to follow your orders," it said before Annie squashed it with her hands.
"What the hell? These spiders couldn't talk or disobey before. Why now?"
Then, Annie looked at Tendra and spoke to it.
"Tendra, those girls will probably beat my rose. The spiders don't look like they'll help. I'd rather have that other Jack than the other pieces of art that I have. If they proceed further in, send in the other artworks. Kill them, but make sure Jack is alive."
Tendra nodded it's head. And Annie was at least a little happy that not everything was disobeying her at this crucial point.
Annie continued, "Also, I will need you for one more thing."