Cyborgs and Spies Volume 1: Teamup

Chapter 12: Guilt and Reassurance

Andrew stood in front of Benjamin's new training dummy. He didn't bother to attack it. He just stood there and stared at the ground. Any desire to train had left him at the moment. The only thing in his mind right now was the feeling of guilt.

It had been three days since the incident with Natalie Valentine. But even though she had been taken away, Andrew still couldn't stop thinking about how he had been enslaved by Cyber Seductress. He had no idea what had happened while he was under her spell. From what he was told, he had ended up fighting his own friends against his own will.

While Richard and Benjamin told him that he didn't hurt them too badly, he was still filled with guilt. Guilt that he ended up getting hypnotized by a seductive villain in the first place. He had been able to avoid her hypnosis for so long that being hypnotized by her for the first time made him feel broken.

From within the shack, Richard and Benjamin stared at their friend sadly. They hated seeing him so sad and hard on himself. They kept telling him that it wasn't his fault, but he didn't seem to listen.

Richard let out a sigh. "Okay, that's it," he said. "It's been three days and he still hasn't gotten over it!"

"Take it easy, dude," said Benjamin. "You know how it is for him. Think about it. He's been so good at being resistant to Cyber Seductress's hypnosis that he thought he would never be enslaved by her. But now that it's happened, he's begun the whole self-doubt routine. He's usually like this for about a week until he gets over it."

"I know that," Richard argued. "But this is ridiculous." He frowned and pulled out his phone. "I'm calling for some help. Andrew really needs it!"

"Who are you gonna call?" Benjamin asked.

"Take a guess." said Richard. He dialed a number and put the phone to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Hey, we need your help. Andrew needs your help."

*****

Andrew took lazy swings at the dummy. The need for practice barely returned to him. He was so deep in his thoughts of guilt that he didn't hear footsteps approaching him.

"Andrew?"

The young cyborg turned around and saw Sam staring at him with a look of worry. "S-sam?" He exclaimed. "Wh-what are you doing here?"

"Richard called me," the red-head answered. "He told me that you need help. I can see what he meant. So, what's wrong?"

"N-nothing," Andrew stuttered. This was another flaw that he had: The feeling of being a burden to his loved ones whenever something went wrong and he ended up hurting them. Sure, he loved his friends. But the idea of asking them for help after hurting them made him feel like he didn't deserve it. He closed his eyes and hung his head.

Sam noticed that he was suffering and felt her heart break. She got closer to him and placed her hands on his shoulders. "Andrew, please don't lie to me," she said. "I can tell that something is wrong. I want to help you."

Andrew shook his head and kept his eyes closed. "Wh-why would you want to help me?" He asked sadly. "I ended up fighting you guys while I was under Cyber Seductress's control. After nearly hurting you, what right do I have to ask for help? I don't want to be a burden."

Sam sighed and gently grabbed his face, tilting it upward. His eyes were still closed. "Andrew," she said in a gentle but firm tone. "I want you to look at me, okay?"