Chapter 27

Bernard fuckingCastle had come to our rescue.

Every blow between him and Carmen shook the ground like thunder. They had moved from the platform to flying over the train tracks. He'd knock her from the air, and she'd retaliate with an equally powerful strike. I hated him with every fiber of my being. Even though he saved Won-Ho, I enjoyed watching him suffer.

I dragged myself to my knees. I gathered the shadows, shoving them along the platform until they pooled under Won-Ho's body. He fell into the void. I teleported him to the far side of the train yard. He'd be safe for the time being, as long as we killed Carmen.

Forcing myself to my feet, I tore the shadows from their hiding places. The glow from the gem had turned into a turquoise. Won-Ho's powers had revitalized me, imbuing me with its strength. From every nook and cranny, the shadows heeded my commands.

I had become the darkness.

With a thought, they turned rigid like shards of glass. I flung my arm out, and they zipped through the air, striking Lightyear and Crimson. They exploded in a cascade of blue light, knocking both out of the air. That should give Diesel and Havres the upper hand. The Centurions were pawns. I wanted their queen.

Carmen dropped from the sky, holding Sentinel by the collar. Vanguard's chosen one had seen better days. An eye had swollen shut, and blood streaked across his face. I locked eyes with Carmen, waiting for her to speed forward and do the same to my face. She chucked Bernard in my direction. He rolled along the tracks, stopping just short of my feet.

Bernard barely moved. If not for the groaning, I would have thought him dead. My arch nemesis, the man who tarnished my reputation, locked me behind bars, and threatened my very existence, only needed a gentle tap to stand at death's door. A blade to the heart or a heel to the throat, and I'd have my revenge.

"A gift," Carmen said.

She looked almost as bad as Sentinel. Half her face had been scorched, covered in char. Her chin dripped with blood as her chest heaved up and down. Sentinel had nearly won. My arch nemesis had almost destroyed Carmen. Now, he laid helpless. A victory I had obsessed over for months was within my grasp.

"It has consumed your every waking moment." Carmen goaded me like a schoolyard bully.

"This won't settle the score between us."

Clint had grown wings, swooping between us as Crimson chased behind. The others fared just as badly. On the far end of the building, Hellcat had her staff out, ready to strike Synch. He caught the weapon, whipping her against a caboose. They would not survive. They had done their best to stop this madwoman, but it wouldn't be enough.

At least I'd have my revenge.

I straddled Sentinel before dropping to my knees. He grunted in protest. My hand rested on his throat, his pulse making a vein near his jawline throb. It'd be easy to pierce his jugular and watch him bleed out. Then I'd kill Carmen and get back to?—

Won-Ho.

He had once commented about balance. He accepted my growing list of questionable choices. I didn't care if the world thought me the perpetual villain, but him, he reminded me, it wasn't all takeovers and torture. Being here proved that. Stopping Carmen did nothing to further my own agenda, but it'd save Vanguard. If not for Won-Ho, I'd let her continue her schemes. I worried about the inevitable moment when Won-Ho made another attempt on her life.

"What…" Sentinel coughed. His eyes grew wide as he realized who sat atop him. I stared, wanting to memorialize this moment.

Carmen didn't understand. The rage when somebody spoke Bernard Castle's name didn't outweigh the fear for Won-Ho. He had only started climbing from under a mountain of guilt. There was more for him. More experiences. More firsts. More joy. I wouldn't let Dae become an orphan, not again.

"Your life is in my hands," I whispered.

Holding his neck, Bernard grabbed onto my wrists, trying to push me away. There it was, the strength, the unyielding determination to keep fighting. He might pry my hands from his neck, but I could summon the shadows to finish the job. A single spike through the heart, and it'd be over.

"Kill him," Carmen screamed.

I smiled, easing the tension in my hands. Bernard's eyebrow raised the best it could. I'd do the one thing Carmen never thought possible.

"Truce."

The tracks brightened as Carmen took matters into her own hands. The shadows beneath Bernard opened, and we fell into the void. We didn't have long, but it'd give us a chance to formulate a plan.

"I don't—" He coughed, rubbing his throat. "—believe it."

"I pride myself on being unpredictable."

We separated, and Bernard sat upright. "There's the arrogance." Here, I could drown him with the darkness. He thought me arrogant, but he only lived because I needed him.

"She's too strong," he said.

"For you."

"For you."

I was about to say something that would leave me ready to hurl. If it weren't in a pocket dimension away from the others, I'd have taken my chances with the hell beast with stolen powers. If we waited much longer, Won-Ho would wake up and try again. This time, there wouldn't be a do-gooder powerful enough to stop her.

"Us?"

"What?"

He knew exactly what I meant. That asshole just wanted me to say it out loud. "What about us?" I'd have nightmares about this moment.

"Leave a bad taste, huh?"

"Like orange juice after brushing my teeth.

"Harsh."

Was this reconciliation banter? Did he think our quarrel behind us? He had spent too much time amongst the simple-minded capes of Vanguard. I preferred him when he was stoic and seldom spoke. The shadows wrapped around his wrists and ankles. He tried pulling free, but he didn't have the strength.

"Don't make me regret this."

His jaw tightened before nodding. "Think you can shelf your ego long enough to work in tandem?"

This was for Won-Ho. "I'll follow your lead."

I opened the exit. Hurling Bernard through it, I followed, exiting behind Carmen. Everything about this felt wrong. I'd hear about it non-stop at our next group therapy session. They'd ridicule me until I threw a glass against the?—

Bernard thrust his hands in the air. The air tasted crisp as his upper body crackled with chains of lightning. The skies overhead darkened. Bolts struck the roof, incinerating whatever it touched. Carmen spun about, eyes beaming with energy as a bolt of electricity slammed into her chest. The next came down, striking Bernard's fists.

"Be ready to teleport," he said over his shoulder.

This wasn't a sidekick situation. I would not stand back and let him serve me leftovers. Carmen's shadow detached from her feet, pulling itself from the tracks. The phantom wrapped its arms around her neck, kicking her leg and driving her to a knee.

The lightning poured from every part of Bernard's body, hammering against Carmen. She tried leaning into it, holding up her hands as if she might deflect his powers. When another bolt came in from the roof and struck the ground under her, she lost the battle. As she flew backward, I realized what Bernard wanted.

The shadows along the ground shot upward, wrapping around her until she vanished. The shadows pooled around my feet, and I sank downward.

"Need me to?—"

"No," I said. "You did your part. Now it's my turn." He grunted. "You know what needs to happen. This requires somebody with questionable morals."

"We have the right man for the?—"

I didn't stay to hear the end of his quip. If I never heard Bernard Castle's wit again, it'd be too soon. I owed him a debt of gratitude, but he insisted on reminding me why I hated him. I'd sort my inner conflict while I washed Carmen's blood from my hands.

"Let me out," she screamed.

I closed the portal, leaving us consumed by the void.

"You made a grave mistake, Carmen." Unable to be seen in the shadows, she unleashed volley after volley of energy. Her hands lit up and Carmen fired, hopelessly unable to find me. Here, I was everywhere and nowhere all at once.

I laughed. Extra condescension.

She launched herself upward as if she could fly beyond my reach. The void had no end, no sense of space. Carmen looked ridiculous in her attempts. Her movements turned frantic, fueled by anger. If I let her continue, would the trapped rat tire herself out?

"There's no escape, Carmen."

"I should have killed you when?—"

"Yes. You should have."

Her greatest mistake had been letting her ego believe herself superior. The irony didn't go unnoticed. How many times had one of the guys said the same about me? Perhaps I needed to see this distorted reflection of myself to understand. If Doc used words like "growth" or "progress," I'd kill him. I put a pin in my personal development for later.

Seeing the puff of snow, Carmen attempted to teleport away. I could sense her even as her powers tried to make sense of the void. She reappeared, unable to navigate a place without geography. Did it say something bad about me if I kept her as a pet? This could be hours of entertainment.

"You can't leave."

"Fight me like a man."

"Carmen. Sexism? Really?"

I wrapped the shadows around her wrists and ankles, tying her in place. She struggled, and perhaps in a world with light, she'd have been able to tear herself free. Her body flashed white as she ruptured like a bomb. The shadows receded for a second before wrapping around her again.

"It's over, Carmen."

"You'll regret this."

I stepped out of the darkness. I wanted her to see my face as I spoke. She let her ambition get ahead of her. It laid the foundation for her defeat. If she hadn't tried to hide her operation by burning it to the ground, Won-Ho wouldn't have tried to kill her. If she hadn't kidnapped him, I wouldn't be standing here. No, this would not be a moment I regretted.

"This is for Jin-Ae."

"You can't kill me."

She had that right. Nothing about our encounter had to do with me. My involvement hadn't been noble nor altruistic. I didn't care if she lay waste to the heroes. The moment she hurt Won-Ho, it became my problem. I wanted him free to live his life without a soul crushed by guilt. I wouldn't lose a minute of sleep from her death, but then again, I wouldn't be the one to kill her.

"No," I admitted. "I can't kill you."

The shadows tightened about her wrists like steel cables biting into flesh. I opened a portal to the outside world. I had to turn away as a blinding blue light entered.

"But he can." Who could resist a perfectly timed entrance?

If I hadn't studied his walk, I might have missed the limp. Won-Ho moved toward Carmen, the blue light focusing in his hand until the scythe appeared. I waited to hear him cry out, to blame her for the death of Jin-Ae. He approached in silence, and that made the scene more terrifying. Without ceremony, a single swipe of the blade cleaved through Carmen LaToya. With the tension from the shadows, her body split down the middle, two halves hovering in the void.

His shoulders dipped as the tension fled his body. The scythe evaporated as he stayed fixated on his handiwork. He offered a death far too quick and painless. It had been his decision, and if it gave him a sense of peace, I'd stand by it.

Minutes passed. I needed to transition from ruthless killer to my newly acquired role. I moved forward, wrapping my arms around his torso. He didn't move as I lay my chin on his shoulder. A single death wouldn't fix a lifetime of guilt, but I hoped it provided another stepping stone.

"She can find peace," I whispered.

Won-Ho reached up, covering my hand with his. He squeezed it tight, and then tighter.

"So can I." The words were barely audible, even in the endless nothing. I'd hold him as long as he needed. I wanted to be the foundation for Won-Ho to rebuild himself. It was the least I could do.

"Thank you."

I kissed the back of his neck. "Better than flowers."

He let out a sigh. "We should get?—"

"Not yet," I said. With Carmen dead, the Centurions would be free from her mind control. Bernard and Hellcat would be able to defuse the situation. If they were smart, Vanguard's mightiest heroes would run away to lick their wounds.

I didn't want to let him go. I had feared my feelings made me weak. Considering recent events, I could testify that was anything but the truth. Maybe, just maybe, I had discovered an untapped strength. This entire time, I believed I was the one helping him let go of his past, but had he subtly done the same for me? I was going to need numerous therapy sessions to work through this tangled web.

"The world can burn as long as I have you."

It started as a chuckle and grew into a laugh that made his entire belly shake. He turned around, eyes wide. He gripped the side of my face, planting a kiss on my lips. I knew exactly where this was going. I had to let out an uneasy laugh.

"Damien Vex. That was the cheesiest damned line I've ever heard."

It was, and I didn't care.