A Supervillain's Worst Nightmare

(Originally posted on r/WritingPrompts, inspired by this prompt: https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/1eu3mye/wp_a_supervillain_is_trying_to_get_his_wife_to/ )

I heard it before I saw it. My wife's scream of terror, followed by a crash. Seemed my plan to kidnap the mayor would have to be put on hold. There were few things that could sway me away from my ambitions. But my wife's safety was more important to me than any ambition. The sound of her screams was enough to get me to drop everything and run to her aid.

"Allison!" I ran towards her, lifting her out of the wreckage of her car. "What happened?"

"...Where am I?" Allison's voice was weak. Her upper body was covered in lacerations from the broken glass, especially her head.

"You were in a car crash. Do you remember anything about what happened?"

"No..."

This wasn't good. She was likely suffering from a traumatic brain injury.

"Who are you?"

"It's me, Vince," I said, my heart pounding. "I'm your husband. Remember?"

"I don't...I don't remember..."

"Do you at least remember who you are?"

"Not really..."

My heart caught in my throat. I had to get her to the hospital. But the road was too torn up for an ambulance to have any chance of making it here. I'd have to take her myself.

"Allison, I need you to listen to me," I said as I quickly wrapped my scarf around her head to keep the worst of the bleeding under control. "You're severely injured right now. I'm gonna get you to the hospital, okay?"

"Okay..."

Even though she couldn't remember who I was, or even who she was, I was relieved she could at least understand me.

"Don't try to move at all. Just relax, and I'll take care of the rest, alright?"

"Okay..."

I pressed a button on my suit, activating the rocket propulsion under my feet.

"Release that woman immediately!" Electroman said as he and a few other supers showed up.

"This is not the time for theatrics!" I growled. "Leave us alone."

"What have you done to her?" Shadowblade threw one of her daggers at me.

"Saved her from the wreckage of what looked to be a hit and run, that's what!" I dodged her attack easily.

"I don't believe that for a second!" Lady Glacier snarled. "You let her go right now or I'll--"

"Listen, much as I'd love to engage in a high-stakes combat right now, this civilian woman is bleeding to death. So do the heroic thing and stay out of our way."

"And let you finish her off?" Captain Platinum threw a punch at my jaw. "I'd rather die!"

"Oh, for the love of the gods, I'm taking her to the hospital!" I dodged him. "I'm not gonna kill her! But if you keep slowing me down she's gonna die before I can get her there!"

"You're full of sh--"

I thrust myself high into the air.

"Get back down here!" Lady Glacier shot an icicle at me, grazing my shoulder.

"If you really care about the life of this woman you'll stop attacking me!" I blocked a poorly-aimed dagger with one of my prosthetics before it hit Allison. "I've been holding back for years, but if she dies, I'm murdering you all! You hear me?"

"What's going on?" Allison tried to lift her head up to get a better view, then groaned in pain.

"Relax," I said softly. "I'll protect you. Just keep breathing for me, alright?"

"He's torturing her!" Electroman cried out. "We have to stop him!"

"I haven't hurt a hair on her head! Now please, let me take her to the hospital before she bleeds out!"

Allison and I both screamed as a bolt of lightning collided with us. My rocket propellers shorted out and we started falling. I instinctively curled myself around her to shield her from the fall.

"Get away from them!" Captain Valiant shouted as he flew into the fray. "You don't know what you're doing!"

"You yourself testified against him!" Shadowblade raised her eyebrows. "He tortured you, remember?"

"His lackeys did that behind his back! Only thing he ordered was my kidnapping! He never authorized any of the torture I went through! Now leave them alone!"

"I'm not letting him kill--"

"You shot them out of the freaking sky, Electroman! You could've killed her!"

The group of heroes paused.

"I heard someone's about to blow up the dam a few towns over. You wanna save lives? Go stop that from happening. I'll handle this one."

The group reluctantly retreated.

"Thanks for talking some sense into them, Zeke," I coughed. "I owe you one."

"You okay, Vince?"

"I don't know. These prosthetics are completely fried and I think I may have broken my back in the fall. But I need you to get Allison to the hospital for me. She's suffered a traumatic brain injury, so much so she can't even remember who she is."

"I'll get her there," Zeke said, gently lifting her up off the ground. "You can count on me."

"Thanks," I said, sighing in relief. "And as I'm kinda helpless without my prosthetics if you could come back for me once you know she's safe I'd appreciate it."

"I'll call Bethany. She should be able to get you there."

"That'll do. Now hurry!"

Zeke nodded before flying off, carrying her off towards the hospital.

With my wife safely on her way, my mind started contemplating my own situation. My prosthetics that had cost me thousands of dollars were now nothing but a pile of smoldering metal and wire. All because the so-called superheroes were too pigheaded to listen. I would've gladly allowed them to follow us there to prove I was actually trying to save her. But nooo. They had to shoot me out of the sky, further endangering my wife in the process. I was so close to giving up on the promise I made to never kill again. If she ended up dying due to the unnecessary delay, I very well might. I would kill every last super who had contributed to the delay.

But that would have to wait. I was still quite literally helpless, lying in the middle of the street.

"You need some help?" A passing pedestrian approached me.

"Yeah, if you could just get me out of the way of potential traffic, that would be wonderful."

"Can do," he said, grabbing me by my shoulders and dragging me onto the sidewalk. "That's a pretty sweet costume you got on. You look just like the Great Mastermind."

"Yeah, I was headed to Comic Con," I lied. "Unfortunately Electroman was a bit too convinced by my costume."

"He zapped you?"

"Sure did. Maybe next time I'll have to wear something a bit less convincing."

"Do you have anyone I can call to pick you up?"

"My friend should be on her way right now."

"Alright, I'll stay with you until she gets here."

"Appreciate it."

"I'm Lucas, by the way."

"Pleased to meet you, Lucas. I'm Vince."

"Wait a sec, I think I know that face. You're Dr. Vincent Davenport, aren't you?"

"Right on the money," I said with a weak grin. "How'd you know?"

"My daughter Elise went to you for therapy a few years back."

"Ah, Elise," I said, nodding. "I remember her. How's she doing?"

"Quite well, all things considered. She's about to graduate with her Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education."

"Good for her. I'm sure she'll make a wonderful teacher."

A black car came rolling up into view.

"Heard someone needed a lift?" Bethany said as she rolled down her window.

"Good to see you Bethany," I said, flashing a grin. "I might need a bit of assistance getting in."

"He got you good, didn't he?" Bethany's eyes widened as she got out of the car.

"Well he didn't kill me, so that's a plus."

"Ever the optimist," Bethany said as she and Lucas loaded me into the passenger seat. "Let's get you to the hospital and get those injuries checked out. Your wife's already there waiting for you."

"Good luck," Lucas said with a wave before we drove off.

"How's she doing?" I asked.

"Her wounds are currently being cleaned up and stitched up. Has a really bad concussion, several broken bones, and she's lost a lot of blood."

"Is she gonna be alright?"

"Don't know yet. But the doctors are doing everything they can to help her."

"Is Zeke still there with her?"

"He hasn't left her side. He's been texting me with updates every time he learns something."

"That's good, at least."

"Hey boss, I think I might've spotted the culprit of the hit and run."

"You did?" I glanced out the windshield to see a very intoxicated man driving a bulldozer. "He's ripping up the road everywhere he goes!"

"Want me to see if I can land a shot on the guy?"

"That won't stop his metal death machine from wrecking havoc. Try and shoot out his engine."

"You got it boss." Bethany got her gun from the glove box and took aim. With three solid shots, the engine caught fire, and the bulldozer came screeching to a stop. "I've got one more bullet left. You want me to use it or no?"

"Save it for now. He doesn't seem to even realize what's going on. But I don't think we should just leave him to cause even more trouble somewhere else either."

"Say no more," Bethany said. She pressed a button on her dashboard, and a net sprang out and snared the guy. "That should hold him for a while."

"Send a couple bots to take him back to headquarters. I want to have a word with him once he's sober."

"Roger that."

I surveyed the torn up road in front of us. "Are we gonna be able to make it through all of that?"

"No, but we can make it over it." Bethany pressed a couple of buttons, and the car shifted into a small helicopter. "That's more like it."

"Did I ever mention how much I appreciate you?"

"Only about a couple million times."

I won't bore you with all the details of what happened when we arrived at the hospital. After all, my own injuries weren't life-threatening. Suffice it to say that I had a spinal fracture, a few broken ribs, and some moderate electrical burns. Nothing that wouldn't heal in time. Once they'd stabilized my injuries, they wheeled me into my wife's room.

"How is she?" I asked.

"Still can't remember anything," Zeke said. "But she's stable."

"Do they think her memory will come back?"

"It's too early to tell. Give it a couple weeks or so and they might have a more definitive answer."

"Thanks for staying with her," I said.

"Any word on finding the culprit?"

"He's been apprehended. He's beyond intoxicated so we're not entirely sure if he knew what he was doing. But he's torn up a bunch of roads and knocked down a couple of apartment buildings, so far as I know."

"Sounds like I've got my work cut out for me then," Zeke said. "Are you okay if I leave now?"

"Go ahead. I'll send in a few of my guys to help you out as well."

"Thanks," Zeke said, nodding.

"Don't thank me," I said, shaking my head. "I do owe you for saving us."

"You kidding? I still owe you for saving my butt from your sadistic employee."

"Bethany's the one who saved you from him both times. Besides, if I'd been more careful in my hiring process he wouldn't have been an issue in the first place. So I still owe you big time for that too."

"You paid my medical expenses and you've been giving me free therapy. That's more than payment for that."

"Then let's not argue about who owes who. We'll just admit that we're friends and keep helping each other out for the rest of our lives."

"I'd like that," Zeke said with a smile. "Keep me posted on Allison, alright?"

"I will. You let me know if you need anything."

"Thanks, Vince," Zeke said before taking off.

Allison started waking up.

"How're you feeling, Allison?"

"...hmm?"

"Allison, it's me, Vincent. Your husband."

"Who?"

"Allison," I said, tears running down my face. "I know your memory isn't great right now, and that's okay. But I want you to know that I'm here for you. And I'm so glad you're still alive. Even though you don't remember me, I still love you. I love you more than anything else in the world. More than my job. More than my goals. Nothing even comes close."

Allison looked at me blankly.

"You don't have to say anything," I said. "I know you've been through a lot. And I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you. But no matter what happens, no matter if you get your memory back or not, I will never stop loving you."

"...Where am I?"

"You're at the hospital, sweetheart."

"Why?"

"You were in that crash, remember?"

"No..."

I stayed by her side for about a week, with no sign of improvement. Her wounds were healing nicely, but her memories were still gone. I talked to her. I shared memories I had with her. Our first date. Our wedding. Our honeymoon. Nothing seemed to spark anything.

Then I remembered hearing something about how music could help restore memory in patients with Alzheimer's. I wondered if it was the same for patients with traumatic brain injuries. I remembered writing a cheesy love song for her when we got engaged. Perhaps if I sang it for her it might spark something. Couldn't hurt to try.

I love you.

You are so beautiful.

When I see you,

I see the beautiful.

It doesn't matter what others say,

You are the sunshine of each new day.

Your radiance shines brightly around me,

When I'm with you, your light surrounds me.

I adore you.

You are so wonderful.

I can't ignore you,

Because you're wonderful.

It doesn't matter what others do,

I know that you can always be you.

You are the star that helps me along.

You're so special. This is where you belong.

Let go of sorrow.

You are still beautiful.

There's still tomorrow.

You are still wonderful.

I know that others still may not see,

But you are always special to me.

When everything seems so far above you,

Don't you worry, I'll always love you.

I can't remember at what point she started singing along. But as she did, I knew that everything would be okay. Pure joy eclipsed my soul as we sang those final lines together. My smile was wider than it had ever been.

"You sound just as good as you did when you sang that for me the very first time," Allison said, smiling softly at me.

"You remember me?" I could scarcely believe it.

"You're my husband," she laughed. "How could I forget?"

"You did forget," I said.

"I find that hard to believe."

"You were in a really bad crash. When I found you, you couldn't remember anything. Not me, not the crash, not even your own name."

"Come to think of it I do remember crashing. But I thought it was a dream. It wasn't a car that crashed into me. It was a bulldozer. You're saying that actually happened?"

"Yes. The person driving it was intoxicated. He was ripping up the road, crashing into cars, knocking down buildings, it was a huge mess. They're still searching for survivors."

"How long ago was this?"

"About a week."

"And you're saying I lost my memories for an entire week?"

"Yes. I wasn't sure if you'd ever get them back."

"My memory of the crash is still a little hazy, but other than that, I think it's all back now."

"You have no idea how badly I want to kiss you."

"Then get over here and kiss me, you dummy!"

"It's kinda hard to do that without arms or legs."

"Oh. What happened to your prosthetics?"

"They lost a battle with a lightning bolt. They're completely fried. It'll take a while before the replacements come in."

"I see," she said, nodding. "Then I suppose we'll just have to imagine it until one of us gets a set of functioning legs again."

"Are you feeling alright?" I asked.

"Well, I'm not dead, so that's a plus."

"I love you so much, Allison."

"I love you too, Vince."