Anastasia

Annie is a woman in her early forties who keeps a corner store on Mars, most often found behind the counter or minding the shop. The series leans on that setting rather than any elaborate description, framing her as a fixture of the neighborhood she watches over.

Sharp-eyed and quick-witted, Annie makes a natural informant, always tuned in to what is happening around her. She guards her nickname closely, letting only two people use it, and shows a fierce, protective loyalty toward Spike even as she scolds him for never listening to reason. She also has a well-known fondness for drink, enough that Spike frets over her habits.

Annie counts Spike, Julia, and Mao Yenrai among her friends and was married at one point, though the story keeps her past deliberately hazy. In 2071 she is watching television and chasing off two boys trying to swipe some magazines when they crash into Spike; grabbing the kids, she freezes at the sight of him alive. Back at her store she tells him what became of Mao, then arms him with weapons and ammunition, warning him off anything reckless while admitting he never heeds such advice.

Syndicate men later storm the shop hunting Spike and Julia. Annie insists Spike is dead, so they shoot her and leave her for dead. When Spike and Julia arrive for supplies, they find her slumped and bleeding heavily. Spike tries to stem the wound, but she slips away soon after, murmuring about the cold winds turning the day chilly, and dies on the couch beneath Julia's coat.