Light XOR Shadow - Chapter 19
Choices
"Mr. Marcus? I can't say we get along. Why don't we talk about something else?"
-- Valentina Terris
The neon lights poured through the half-closed blinds, mixing with the cigarette smoke lingering in the air. Alexander grimaced, exhaling through his nose, tilting his chin towards the woman wrapped against him, her lower half hidden by the covers. Valentina made a soft hm sound in inquiry, but remained still.
Alexander: "I wish you wouldn't smoke."
Valentina: "It won't kill you. It's merely for the flavor, darling."
Alexander: "You didn't used to smoke."
Valentina: "You didn't used to lie." Alexander grunted, and let his head fall back to the covers. Valentina: "Don't hold it in, darling. You'll burst a vessel." He was quiet for a moment longer, content to live in the simplicity of the moment -- as neon blue shifted to a light pink, and the far-off sound of police sirens drifted by. Valentina finished her cigarette, and the butt was flung across the bed, landing neatly in an ashtray with several others. Alexander: "Is this working?"
Valentina: "You know I hate it when you're vague."
Alexander: "This. Us. The project." Valentina didn't say anything, and the silence made Alexander uncomfortable, but he didn't fully know why. Eventually, Valentina sighed against his chest, and then crawled upward to meet his eyes. The usual pangs of electricity traced down his spine, spoiled by the pit of worry building in his stomach. Valentina: "Is this about Nicholas?"
Alexander: "What? No? We've been over this, he's--"
Valentina: "--'a required diversion'. Yes, but don't quote me, darling. Tell me how you feel." Alexander felt himself start to go empty, and held back the instinct. Val hated it when he became a Silhouette. Alexander: "I understand his necessity. But..."
Valentina: "But?"
Alexander: "That doesn't mean I like it. But that wasn't really my ques--"
Valentina: "It's working." The electricity faded, and the pit in Alexander's stomach evolved into a ravine. He stared into Valentina's eyes for a heartbeat, and couldn't stop himself from going a little empty. The numbers played light a drum on the back of his mind, and he felt himself become calm. Alexander: "We're going to do it, Val. No matter the cost. I promised." She smiled, but a set of tears welled up in the corner of her eyes, and she cupped the side of his face with a soft hand. Valentina: "I wish you hadn't."
Alexander: "If it works, there'll be time after..."
Valentina: "Perhaps." She didn't believe it. The numbers pounded against his skull, and he slid away, hiding from the pain welling up in his chest. Without thinking, he found himself sitting up from the bed, and slowly putting on his clothes. Valentina sat up too, pulling the covers to her, but stayed quiet until he had on his shoes. When she finally did speak, her voice was hoarse and dry, as if she had been silently crying. Valentina: "You're going to die, if you stay on this path, Alex."
Alexander: "Maybe... But if I--"
Valentina: "Thousands have died trying. Even Grandmother couldn't kill him."
Alexander: "She didn't have our power! Neither did Raemus, or Pulura, or any of your other countless counterexamples!"
Valentina: "He has everything Rufus does, but forged in darkness! Even Vic--" Alexander turned on his heels, the gentle blanket of the numbers shattered, his voice rising to a shout. Alexander: "Vic allowed his fear to blind him, as you do! Afraid of a world without our precious creators -- forcing headlong into deranged efforts to save these monsters! And where does that leave us?"
Valentina: "Alex--"
Alexander: "Do we accept Kesil's 'guidance'? The Devil's dominion?"
Valentina: "Darling, please--"
Alexander: "This is the only way--"
Valentina: "We can find another way--" The shadows in the room swallowed up the neon light. Silence reigned for a time, and then toppled, as Valentina choked out a muted sob. Alexander: "All will be as we dreamed. 'The world, in the palm of our hand.'" Alexander waited for her to say something. Anything. Then he left, and the shadow followed.
The light filtered back in, and Valentina's face fell slack. With a tsk, she wiped the tears from her eyes, and tidied up the covers. Then she clapped her hands in ritual, and whispered a name. When her palms uncovered her face, Nicholas was sitting on the edge of the bed, dressed in his usual trench coat and slacks, staring respectfully out the window. Nicholas: "If Jestyr ends up knifing him, I'm gonna be real pissed, Val."
Valentina: "I'll be sure to get the complaint from your corpse." Nicholas chuckled, lifting a lit cigarette to his lips. It matched the style that Valentina was smoking, but smelled awful. Pixie dust. Valentina: "What have you got for me?" He reached into his coat, throwing a manilla folder onto the bed. It was thick, comprised of twelve smaller stacks of paper, held together with paper clips. Even in this age, Nick was a fan of the classics. Nicholas: "Some new candidates, and some updates on the old ones."
Valentina: "How many of these are even born yet?"
Nicholas: "Isra is still kicking, and Lockette is being rebooted." Valentina sorted through the papers, stopping at an image of a yellow-skinned Lashunta. Her file was further split into smaller pieces. She scanned the updates as Nicholas sighed, taking another hit from his cigarette. Nicholas: "What's your obsession with that one?"
Valentina: "Tesin's a fighter. I like fighters."
Nicholas: "She was your mother's favorite too." Valentina's eyes stayed locked on the files, but Nicholas watched out of the corner of his eye as she stiffened. After the requisite pause had passed, Valentina parsed through until the end of the stack, and then stopped. It was Alexander's file. Valentina: "You think he suspects?"
Nicholas: "Through that little act? Even I would be convinced, if I didn't know better. Of course, it helps that it's not all fake--"
Valentina: "Nicholas." The detective threw up his hands, causing the ashen end of his cigarette to fall to the carpet. He growled, snuffing out the ember with his shoe, and Valentina tossed the stack of papers to his side. Valentina: "Move forward. Look deeper into Vaughn's interest in Mist, and the relationship between Chess and Chad. If you don't find anything worth telling me about, accept their proposals."
Nicholas: "What about the cousin? Or Wind? They've got potential, Val."
Valentina: "Keep them as a backup in case Mist doesn't make it. Same goes for Abelina."
Nicholas: "You got it. Anything else?" Valentina chewed at the bottom of her lip, fingering the ornate key hanging from her ear. Valentina: "Still nothing on the Summit?" Nicholas shook his head. Nicholas: "Not a fucking thing. Ol' Father's got that one fucked twelve ways to midnight. Mortals and their choices." Valentina sighed, and lifted another cigarette to her lips, which lit itself without a match. She took a deep, trembling breath as her nerves got the better of her, but with the exhale, all that was gone -- replaced by calm assurance. Valentina: "Choices..."
Valentina: "It won't kill you. It's merely for the flavor, darling."
Alexander: "You didn't used to smoke."
Valentina: "You didn't used to lie." Alexander grunted, and let his head fall back to the covers. Valentina: "Don't hold it in, darling. You'll burst a vessel." He was quiet for a moment longer, content to live in the simplicity of the moment -- as neon blue shifted to a light pink, and the far-off sound of police sirens drifted by. Valentina finished her cigarette, and the butt was flung across the bed, landing neatly in an ashtray with several others. Alexander: "Is this working?"
Valentina: "You know I hate it when you're vague."
Alexander: "This. Us. The project." Valentina didn't say anything, and the silence made Alexander uncomfortable, but he didn't fully know why. Eventually, Valentina sighed against his chest, and then crawled upward to meet his eyes. The usual pangs of electricity traced down his spine, spoiled by the pit of worry building in his stomach. Valentina: "Is this about Nicholas?"
Alexander: "What? No? We've been over this, he's--"
Valentina: "--'a required diversion'. Yes, but don't quote me, darling. Tell me how you feel." Alexander felt himself start to go empty, and held back the instinct. Val hated it when he became a Silhouette. Alexander: "I understand his necessity. But..."
Valentina: "But?"
Alexander: "That doesn't mean I like it. But that wasn't really my ques--"
Valentina: "It's working." The electricity faded, and the pit in Alexander's stomach evolved into a ravine. He stared into Valentina's eyes for a heartbeat, and couldn't stop himself from going a little empty. The numbers played light a drum on the back of his mind, and he felt himself become calm. Alexander: "We're going to do it, Val. No matter the cost. I promised." She smiled, but a set of tears welled up in the corner of her eyes, and she cupped the side of his face with a soft hand. Valentina: "I wish you hadn't."
Alexander: "If it works, there'll be time after..."
Valentina: "Perhaps." She didn't believe it. The numbers pounded against his skull, and he slid away, hiding from the pain welling up in his chest. Without thinking, he found himself sitting up from the bed, and slowly putting on his clothes. Valentina sat up too, pulling the covers to her, but stayed quiet until he had on his shoes. When she finally did speak, her voice was hoarse and dry, as if she had been silently crying. Valentina: "You're going to die, if you stay on this path, Alex."
Alexander: "Maybe... But if I--"
Valentina: "Thousands have died trying. Even Grandmother couldn't kill him."
Alexander: "She didn't have our power! Neither did Raemus, or Pulura, or any of your other countless counterexamples!"
Valentina: "He has everything Rufus does, but forged in darkness! Even Vic--" Alexander turned on his heels, the gentle blanket of the numbers shattered, his voice rising to a shout. Alexander: "Vic allowed his fear to blind him, as you do! Afraid of a world without our precious creators -- forcing headlong into deranged efforts to save these monsters! And where does that leave us?"
Valentina: "Alex--"
Alexander: "Do we accept Kesil's 'guidance'? The Devil's dominion?"
Valentina: "Darling, please--"
Alexander: "This is the only way--"
Valentina: "We can find another way--" The shadows in the room swallowed up the neon light. Silence reigned for a time, and then toppled, as Valentina choked out a muted sob. Alexander: "All will be as we dreamed. 'The world, in the palm of our hand.'" Alexander waited for her to say something. Anything. Then he left, and the shadow followed.
The light filtered back in, and Valentina's face fell slack. With a tsk, she wiped the tears from her eyes, and tidied up the covers. Then she clapped her hands in ritual, and whispered a name. When her palms uncovered her face, Nicholas was sitting on the edge of the bed, dressed in his usual trench coat and slacks, staring respectfully out the window. Nicholas: "If Jestyr ends up knifing him, I'm gonna be real pissed, Val."
Valentina: "I'll be sure to get the complaint from your corpse." Nicholas chuckled, lifting a lit cigarette to his lips. It matched the style that Valentina was smoking, but smelled awful. Pixie dust. Valentina: "What have you got for me?" He reached into his coat, throwing a manilla folder onto the bed. It was thick, comprised of twelve smaller stacks of paper, held together with paper clips. Even in this age, Nick was a fan of the classics. Nicholas: "Some new candidates, and some updates on the old ones."
Valentina: "How many of these are even born yet?"
Nicholas: "Isra is still kicking, and Lockette is being rebooted." Valentina sorted through the papers, stopping at an image of a yellow-skinned Lashunta. Her file was further split into smaller pieces. She scanned the updates as Nicholas sighed, taking another hit from his cigarette. Nicholas: "What's your obsession with that one?"
Valentina: "Tesin's a fighter. I like fighters."
Nicholas: "She was your mother's favorite too." Valentina's eyes stayed locked on the files, but Nicholas watched out of the corner of his eye as she stiffened. After the requisite pause had passed, Valentina parsed through until the end of the stack, and then stopped. It was Alexander's file. Valentina: "You think he suspects?"
Nicholas: "Through that little act? Even I would be convinced, if I didn't know better. Of course, it helps that it's not all fake--"
Valentina: "Nicholas." The detective threw up his hands, causing the ashen end of his cigarette to fall to the carpet. He growled, snuffing out the ember with his shoe, and Valentina tossed the stack of papers to his side. Valentina: "Move forward. Look deeper into Vaughn's interest in Mist, and the relationship between Chess and Chad. If you don't find anything worth telling me about, accept their proposals."
Nicholas: "What about the cousin? Or Wind? They've got potential, Val."
Valentina: "Keep them as a backup in case Mist doesn't make it. Same goes for Abelina."
Nicholas: "You got it. Anything else?" Valentina chewed at the bottom of her lip, fingering the ornate key hanging from her ear. Valentina: "Still nothing on the Summit?" Nicholas shook his head. Nicholas: "Not a fucking thing. Ol' Father's got that one fucked twelve ways to midnight. Mortals and their choices." Valentina sighed, and lifted another cigarette to her lips, which lit itself without a match. She took a deep, trembling breath as her nerves got the better of her, but with the exhale, all that was gone -- replaced by calm assurance. Valentina: "Choices..."
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