The Edge of the World: Chapter 17
A/N: This part was very satisfying for me to write đ. Supporting lyrics are from Within Temptation’s song- Dangerous.
Summary: Everyone has a score to settle…
The reaper is close, see the smoke
A matter of time, canât deny
I wonât try to run, run, run
This destinyâs mine…
The air was thick with tension. Rowan – the Match had switched back to his previous calm almost as quickly as he’d shown anger. Maya stepped aside to give Dexter some room, her heart racing as she looked between them. She’d hoped this sudden personality change was just a software glitch and that the real one was not thisdemented. Though with past history in mind, she couldn’t rule that out.
Dexter, on the other hand, seemed to be taking it all in stride. “So now you know.”
“Yes, I heard about your little rebellion.” ‘Rowan’ sighed, his tone almost genuinely sad. “Imagine my disappointment when someone with so much promise betrays his own.”
“Don’t have to,” Dexter replied, smirking. “Saw it on camera.”
Rowan’s eyes narrowed. “Very funny. But you’re making a mistake.” His lips twisted into a scowl as he walked towards him. “Today you’ve come to blows with me.” He gestured emphatically to himself. “The man who created you, who gave you gifts that most people can only dream to have!”
That audacious claim made Dexter’s jaw drop. “What gifts?!” He snapped. “A face, body and memories that were never mine . . .” His voice shook with every accusation he hurled. “All for a temporary existence! You created me to hurt people.”
The way Rowan had prefaced this was infuriating, and not just because of the obvious. All this time, Cecile had been going on about how Eros would take care of him; how much she and Rowan wanted to see him succeed, how their work would make the world a better place.
Unlike Harley, Dexter had always sensed that the whole thing was bullshit. Perhaps Damien’s investigative traits had been ‘gifts’ in a way – but they’d discouraged that, instead preferring to pick and choose how he should use them – who he should be.
And it wasn’t fair.
“This ‘life’ you gave me is a joke!” He yelled passionately. “And so are you!”
Maya swallowed hard, her chest aching with the outrage she felt for him. “Dexter . . .” She didn’t know what to say.
Rowan’s eyes darkened at those words, but as he glanced between Dexter and Maya, his expression changed from anger to intrigue. “Fascinating.” He muttered to no one in particular. “Miss Park learned of its deception, yet instead of being disgusted, she empathized with it.” There was a ghost of a smile on his face as he absorbed this.
“He’s not an ‘it’!” Maya was incredulous. “And you’re actually happyabout this now?”
“Cecile reported this as a malfunction,” he replied, still scrutinizing Dexter. “But while I’m disappointed that it was so easily manipulated, I think this test was successful after all.”
“Oh thatâs rich coming from you!” Dexter said indignantly. “Tell me, âFatherâ, How soon were you planning on dismantling me once the other copy was in the picture. You really expect me to believe you intended to have three Damiens running around here?”
“Not with the way I believed you were progressing.” Rowan shook his head, chuckling. “No, I would never resort to anything so wasteful. Every bit of data I could collect is valuable. No matter where itâs stored.
Dexter scoffed. “So thatâs all I am to you. A walking flash drive.”
He just smiled, unperturbed by the snarky retort. “No doubt are some serious errors in your software, Dexter. But we’ll fix that soon enough.”
“Fuck that,” Dexter spat. “You’re not getting anywhere near my ‘software’ again.” Then he fired his weapon. Rowan dodged the blast, grabbing several large pallets next to him and hurling it back. Dexter stumbled from the hit, but held his own as Rowan charged at him, blocking his punch and then kicking him square in the side.
Maya was wringing her hands, racking her brain on what to do next. Everyone else was still engaging Cecile and her guards and she didn’t know how well they were holding up. And Damien was still fighting Harley.
“Go help the others, Maya! I got this!”
Not needing to be told twice, she turned in the other direction and saw Damien pinned against the wall while his opponent watched smugly. Cursing under her breath, Maya rushed to the area and caught sight of several crates, some broken and some upturned. The metal contents peeked out from the corner of one of them and she grabbed a few, brandishing them like clubs.
—————
THWACK! Damien felt his back hit the wall again and his vision blurred in and out from the impact. To say every inch of him ached was an understatement. He knew that adrenaline was all that was keeping him going now. But no matter what, he wasn’t about to let this bastard get the better of him again.
“Had enough, Nazario? Maybe I should get Maya to come save you again?”
Damien felt his blood boil, knowing exactly what he’d just implied. Gritting his teeth, he mustered his strength and slammed his head forward, momentarily knocking Harley back – a move he instantly regretted as his head seared with pain. Damn it! I always forget how strong these guys are. Still, that gave him a second to recover and return to a defensive posture, albeit swaying slightly. He blinked rapidly, forcing himself to focus.
“Look at you. You can barely stand.” Harley sneered. “New York’s finest indeed.”
CLANG!
Something hit the back of his head, causing him to stumble forward. Startled, he felt at the area and looked down at the semi-thin metal rod that had landed on the ground.
Maya was standing nearby holding another rod. “Get away from him, asshole.” She seethed. That smirk of his was back and knowing that he was getting ready to taunt her again, she lashed out. Harley caught her wrist, ready to counter her, but was thrown off with a kick to the back from Damien.
Maya took advantage of the distraction and swung the rod over Harley’s head, then moved over to Damien to hand him her other weapon. His hand found hers and grasped it firmly as they advanced on their opponent, eyes blazing with determination.
“Damn, Maya. That was fast.” Harley was rubbing his head where heâd been hit, chuckling. “Missed me that much?”
“You have no idea.”
Then they charged at him together, Damien going first. He aimed his rod at Harley’s head while Maya struck from the side. Despite their fatigue, they were rushing him with much more force than before, invigorated by each other’s presence. They alternated with their attacks in a fluid display of teamwork, making it harder for Harley to dodge them – each time he’d avoid a hit from Damien, he’d barely miss one from Maya.
Then at one point, Damien’s rod was knocked out of his hand. Before he could react, a roundhouse kick came his way and he promptly crossed his arms above his head, blocking it. Maya began to run forward and Damien, realizing what she was likely planning, grabbed her wrists – almost swinging her forward – and she kicked Harley savagely in the chest.
The increased momentum from that move launched him far back into a pile of crates, breaking several of them. Harley’s eyes turned glassy for a brief second and he blinked several times, trying to shake himself out of it. Then he reached for his taser.
Maya didn’t know what it was, but the fact that they’d done some damage wasnât satisfying enough. Seeing Harley lying there strangely reminded her of every scenario where she’d been the one on the ground and at his mercy; the sick pleasure heâd derived from toying with her and Damien. That combined with the absolute train wreck that had been the last 36 hours was now catching up to her and just like that, the righteous anger that she’d put into the fight was boiling over into a cold fury.
When the taser fired, Maya dodged the blast. Then she lunged forward with a wild yell, tackling Harley back into the boxes. She found another rod nearby and struck him across the face. “That was for Hayden. And everyone youâve messed with!” She yelled. Before he recovered, she began swinging indiscriminately. Whether she was hitting his face, his chest, nothing mattered. “And this is for Damien, you miserable son of a-” she was cut off with a vicious backhand, knocking her down. Next thing she knew Harley was leaning over her, fingers wrapped around her throat.
“Hey!” Damien immediately grabbed the limp taser coils and launched himself onto the pair, winding the wires tightly around the Match’s neck and yanking him back. “You don’t touch her ever again!”
Maya scurried out from underneath and crawled over to where Damienâs taser lay nearby.
Harley was clawing at the wires desperately, but to no avail as they were squeezed even tighter. “What’s the matter, Harley? Isnât this your favorite part? When you make someone suffer?” Damien snarled, grunting with effort to keep him in place. “Do you know how much she’s cried because of you?!”
Maintaining his grip, he slammed Harley’s head against the ground, then pulled him back. “Oh who am I kidding, of course you do.” He bent the Matchâs head forward, pivoted, then rammed his knee into Harleyâs gut, punctuating each word with every kick. “It’s all uploaded into your fucking motherboard, isn’t it?!” Each grunt of pain from Harley further fueled his rage and Damien shoved him roughly into a stack of pallets, watching them topple onto him.
Then he turned to find Maya aiming the taser. Seeing his cue, he dragged Harley back to his feet, forcing him to face her.
“Lights out, Harley.â She said coldly, then pulled the trigger. The wires hit his chest with a blinding explosion and he jerked violently, spasming for a few moments until he finally went still.
Several moments passed in stunned silence as they held their breaths, waiting for the other shoe to drop. But Harley didnât move. Residual electricity crackled around him – enough proof for them.
Maya’s breathing grew shaky, various emotions threatening to break through. Damien went to her and pried the taser from her trembling hands. “Hey. Hey, itâs okay.” He placed his hand on her cheek, turning her face away from Harley and towards him. “You did it.”
She smiled, her lips quivering. “We did it.” And then she pulled him to her, kissing him deeply as he held her tightly. There weren’t enough words to describe how good it felt to have this moment; savor this win that they’d earned together and its poetic justice.
But it would have to wait, as the real fight wasnât over yet. Their friends still needed them. Damien broke off the kiss first, almost as quickly as it’d started. “We’ll pick this up later, okay?” He said, still grinning. “We gotta keep moving.”
“You’re right. One down, two to-”
BOOM! An explosion nearby. And then another one that could be heard further away.
“What the-” Damien looked around rapidly, searching the source, but Maya pointed him in the direction, her expression shocked.
“Come on!”
The countdown has begun,
The walls are falling down,
My life is on the line,
But freedom is mine…