Mission 75 (
Summary[]
The kids get their Stellas
At Eden Academy, a Stella Star awards ceremony is held for Anya, Becky, Damian, and Bill. Because of these students' courageous actions during the hijacking crisis, each of them has been rewarded with a Stella Star. Everyone but Damian appears to be overjoyed, as he feels he did not do anything to deserve his Stella. Becky tells Anya that a newspaper wants to interview them, which could make them famous, but Henry Henderson clarifies that the interview has been declined for the safety of the students, and the school has been instructed by authorities not to speak of the incident publicly. Regardless, Henry is amazed that they survived the hijacking with not a single child harmed.
The rescued students are released from the bus
Going back to the arrest of Billy Squire and the Red Circus members, the relieved children are released from the bus. Damian gets his collar bomb removed, which he denies being scared of as he also exits the bus. After all the hostages have been accounted for, the SSS Captain allows the information blackout to be lifted. The Police Chief tells a teacher to contact the students' guardians and have them collect the children, who the police will need to see later for future interviews. While Henry gives the dorm students homestay passes, Mr. Blackbell rushes over to his daughter, and the two have a tearful reunion. Together with Martha Marriott, the Blackbell family returns home to their mother. One by one, all of the students reunite with their parents until only Anya and Damian are left.
Damian compliments Anya and apologizes to her
With the two alone, Damian thinks back to when Anya held his hand and calmed him down, which he gets conscious of, then compliments Anya for her bravery and apologizes for how he has been treating her. Anya also praises Damian, calling the time he asked for her bomb to be put on him a "hero move." Damian quickly gets flustered and says anyone would have done that, as that is how friends look out for each other. Anya is stunned by this statement and believes she has fulfilled the Friendship Scheme. Anya tries to propose going to Damian's house, claiming that is what friends do, along with introducing their parents to each other and talking about world peace, making Damian double back on calling her a friend. Damian then looks wistfully at the children with their parents and says there is no point in trying to cozy up to him since he barely has a relationship with his. Anya pitifully pats him on the back, and he retorts that her parents are also not there. Just as the Police Chief offers to give Anya a ride home, Yor speeds over to her. Yor asks Anya if she is alright, which the girl initially affirms, then begins bawling in her mother's arms.
Melinda runs to hug Damian
Yor assures Anya that she is safe and apologizes for not coming to save her sooner. On the sidelines, two strike team officers discuss the outcome of the hijacking. Underneath their uniforms are the WISE Agent and Twilight, who came racing back to Berlint once he heard about the situation. An exhausted Loid is relieved everything ended safely and decides to leave. The WISE Agent asks if he will go to Anya, but Loid says that he needs to maintain his cover and will cook Anya her favorite dinner when he gets home.
Anya is shocked by Melinda's thoughts
As Anya reads Loid's thoughts and gets excited to get some hamburger steak later, Yor notices Damian and informs him that Melinda will arrive soon. Melinda appears, and Damian reunites with his mother, who apologizes for her lateness. Anya hears Melinda's thoughts, which affectionately dote on Damian and remind her of a certain uncle. Damian tries to hide his feelings and behave, so Melinda tells her son not to act so toughly for her. When Damian asks her not to tell his father that he cried, Melinda's face darkens as she thinks about how she should not have come. As she agrees to Damian's request if he agrees not to let Donovan know she was there, Anya is taken aback by Melinda's back-and-forth thoughts of motherly affection and absolute disdain towards Damian.
Characters[]
Trivia[]
- Anya, Bill, Becky, and Damian get a Stella Star for their great help and bravery in the recent bus hijacking incident with the Red Circus. This is the first star for Bill and Becky, and the second for Anya and Damian.
- Anya meets Melinda and reads her thoughts for the first time.
- The bottom left panel of page 1 shows Damian walking to Anya's left while stepping forward to receive the Stellas. However, on pages 2 and 3, it's shown that Damian is actually to Anya's right, and Becky is to Anya's left instead of Damian.
References[]