End Of The Line // Ralph Dibny

Chapter 10 - Drinking to Country Music

Weeks Later

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Marlize DeVoe

Clifford sat in his chair staring at the screen. He must have been so deep in thought that he hadn't heard me enter the space.

"Clifford?" I called and the chair I had built him levitated towards me.

"This shouldn't have happened." He emotionlessly stated. "She wasn't supposed to be on that bus!"

"Who my love?" I wondered.

"My own student. Willow Blake." He mused. "One of my first miscalculations was her emotions. She was supposed to be more hung up on the fact that she was held, hostage. The first and last time I will try and calculate for emotion!"

"Emotions can be complexed things," I informed.

"They are a human error!" He yelled looking into my eyes, "I will ensure it will disappear after the enlightenment."

I gulped and looked down, "Surely our affection is not an error?"

He stared at me with conflicted eyes and sighed, "No. it is not."

I smiled and walked up to him, "I am sure your plan will work out even though the girl has powers. We'll keep an eye on her."

"She could mess up the whole plan," Clifford stated.

"You could take her powers if she intervenes," I reassured.

"Or I could do away with her now." The screen focused on Willow walking through the streets of Central City.

"We do not kill unless necessary." I reminded, "this is not necessary yet." I said pointing to the screen. "She probably doesn't even know of her abilities."

"We don't even know of her powers!" He stated. "She is a variable! An unknown!"

"You shall see her Clifford, she is your student, you will see her in mere hours!" I informed loudly. I hated the idea of killing a seemingly innocent person whose fate hasn't been set yet.

"I will have to recalculate everything to account for her!"

"I have faith in your abilities, Clifford. I am sure you will think of something."

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Willow

I pranced throughout the streets of downtown making my way to my friend Izzy's gig. We had met at the hospital and had a seemingly instant connection... for we both had discovered that we were in fact meta-humans. I had helped her escape unnoticed and in return, she offered me a 'thanks you' coffee, and after that, I realized we could be good friends.

I kinda felt bad about me and Iris's relationship, I had blocked her but it wasn't because she had lied to me, it was because I felt that she still was and the so-called truth she had told me was only a piece of what she was hiding. When she said it I could tell it was only the surface of her secret life. I wanted to find out more about her, what was Iris hiding?

Sadly the only solution that popped up was to go back to Ralph Dibny, and I wasn't going to do that. It seemed that time after time he would never change, heck, the last time I saw him he was still the same as how I left him, maybe even worse.

I hated how everyone I cared for let me down in one way or another.

I sighed and opened the door to The Busted Saddle. The last couple nights Izzy's music career took off and she started playing here, one of the best country joints in the city.