The Undoing Of Villains | ✓

thirty seven

(a/n: dedicated to TheRussianPrincess for the lovely comments and support <3 much love!)

thirty seven

"SHE'S just behind that door." said Sawyer, glancing at me after listening through his earpiece, "Let me know if you're ready, and I'll let you in."

I could see his eyes, searching my face for any last minute doubts. The ones I'd had were shoved deep down, where my curious brother wouldn't be able to see them. 

"I'm sure." I glanced to my right, where Declan stood, quickly squeezing my hand in reassurance. I was as ready as I'd ever be. I'd walk in without a mask, without a suit – it would just be me, Charlie. Regular old Charlotte O'Hare, facing off against notorious crime boss Ingrid Giek. We'd walked the opposite spectrums of life, yet found ourselves becoming each other's enemies. 

Sawyer look at me, one final time. He cocked his head, wordlessly making sure I was ready. I nodded to him, and he reached for the door handle. The electric padlock on the door was unlocked by another guard, covering the number pad before the door clicked open. 

Declan and I stepped through, finding ourselves in a bare room. The walls were concrete, the smooth gray surface only broken by visible bolts screwed into the wall. I shifted my eyes to the two bare, plastic chairs pulled up by a large screen – it resembled a glass wall, and behind it lay an equally bare cell. In that cell was another, identical plastic chair – atop that chair sat a slumped, cuffed Tetra. 

No part of the ferocious villainess seemed to be left. Her slumped posture, the ragged hair, the barren clothing — Tetra looked well and truly defeated. I almost felt sad for the fallen woman, despite all that we'd been through, despite what she'd thrown my way. 

"Hi, Ingrid." I said, softly. Her head shot up, bloodshot eyes meeting mine. That defeated, 'I've-given-up' look vanished, and in its place was now a vehement hatred.

"Synapse." Ingrid drawled, looking me up and down. She rolled her eyes, a scoff escaping her. Even if she was shackled, bound to a chair and behind bars, I still felt like the underdog. 

Carefully, I perched on the edge of my own chair, keeping watchful eyes on the captured supervillain. She'd escaped once, I thought, who's to say she can't do it again? Despite all of Sawyer's — and Python's — guarantees, one could never know. She was as slippery as the snake Sawyer's company was named after. 

"Have you come to gloat?" Ingrid broke the silence, hands fiddling before she clenched them, gritting her teeth, "Because congratulations, you won."  Never before had the word 'congratulations' sounded so acidic. 

"I did." I said, looking at her. I'd thought I'd go in here armed with witty remarks about her captivity, but instead I found that I'd been left at a loss for words. There was something too inhuman about the way I'd envisioned this meeting going that I regretted the way I'd prepared to go about it. 

"You even brought your boyfriend. Cute." Ingrid practically spat the last word, curling up on her uncomfortable chair. Her veins were dark against the pale skin of her arm, and her face looked drawn, as if there were weights hanging along her jawline. 

Declan remained silent, choosing to glance my way instead. He was going to let me play this, as I'd been the one to demand a meeting. To do what, Charlie? Did you really come to gloat, as Ingrid thought? Or did you have something else in mind?