Bring The Heat

72. The Catch (CB ARC 21)

"Wren! You have no idea how good it is to hear your voice..."

Dominic held his ear to the shutter. It was hard to hear through two layers, but he could still faintly make out most of what Wren was saying, in small bits.

"You too... BM and Cece... shape, we need... on the roof, Rebound thinks."

"The roof? What's up there?"

"Our powers... open."

Though most of it was garbled from the echo between the shutters, Dominic understood what he had to do.

"Got it!" he exclaimed for confirmation, backing up to sling a chain up to the roof. Twist cries of anger seemed to all but confirm that something was, indeed, up there.

Climbing up to the roof of the compound, Dominic scanned the area. And there it was - the subject of interest. An old man meditating, unmoving, ignoring the fact that he was soaked by rain from earlier on. Dominic approached wordlessly.

"I suppose we've lost." the old man said, not looking over.

"If you're on the invader's side, yes. Can I ask what you're doing up here?"

"Just meditating. That's all."

"Right..." Dominic muttered, "so how long have you been meditating?"

"In this spot?" the old man replied, finally opening his eyes and turning to face him, "Two days. But overall, a month."

"Why?"

"I needed time, specifics, and focus to drain the power of Mr Rose and the young Miss Harley. They were truly formidable ones... not just in power, but resilience, especially the girl. No wonder boss couldn't break into her."

"Ah," Dominic replied, "you've been leeching them. BM did seem to be getting weaker, especially in terms of guns, but I'd only heard of that. I did see firsthand that his thought process seemed a little more clogged up as time went on."

"A leech? Is that all you think of me, young Master Di Sciglio?"

"Well," Dominic snapped back, "it is all I've seen of you so far. But please, tell me how you're more than that."

The old man chuckled dryly.

"I am all that stands between the present and total chaos. You see, I keep power I take for good. How many do you think I've taken from before? Especially in the past 10 or so years, I've removed many a threat to the boss. But if you kill me? They all go back, and hundreds get power that so few know how to handle. What do you think happens then?"

Dominic sighed.

"Is that meant to scare me? I have friends underneath our very feet, dying without their abilities, and all you've done is told me how to save them."

"But how many more will die in the fallout of so many getting power they don't know how to use? That blood will be on your hands."

"I'm sorry, but you're misunderstanding. My hands are clean, because life isn't a currency I deal in. But if, without your intervention, that fallout would've happened, and my friends would've been fine, then that's the natural course of life, and I'll do what I must to respect it."

The old man chuckled again.

"If that is your choice... I'll finish it myself. But keep in mind that you chose this, young Master Di Sciglio. How will you manage?"

Dominic just smiled as the old man stood up and walked to the edge of the roof behind him.

"Because I trust people. Those who get their powers back, I trust them. And for the cases where that trust is misplaced, I trust the world to reform them, and I trust us to save them. Let's not put the cart before the horse, hmm? Tomorrow is another day, and fate is not my choice, even if I choose it."