Chapter 19

After leaving Sarah's and Mathew's house Marie had driven us to some random motel to pass the night at. The ride had been pretty silent and nothing of note had happened.

We checked in and Marie hurried off to her room to 'get some sleep'. I was pretty sure she was just going to write her report on Mathew and I, but whatever. I had gone outside to look at the night sky. I needed to do some reflecting.

I wasn't able to see most stars but a few were able to be seen. The motel's surroundings weren't really that pretty, but I guess it was to be expected. I wanted to find a bench or something I could sit on, but I couldn't see any.

With a sigh I teleported myself to the motel's roof and lied down on the floor. At least up here nobody would look at me weird for doing so.

Was it really necessary to stop Marie from killing Mathew? I know the idea of killing a child would have nauseated me before, but now I just felt like I had just fought Marie over nothing. What would one more human life really do? They died in the thousands each day. Would one more death really be that bad?

Why was I even that invested in conserving my morals? They were constructs made so people could fit in society and not become outcasts. Did I really need them?

"Should I really care about human life?"

"I ask myself that everyday."

I glanced to my left and saw a man wearing a coat and fedora. He was almost impossible to look at because of how dark his outfit was, but because he occupied a place in space I could easily detect him. What worried me a bit is that I didn't feel him standing there before I got here, and didn't feel him get closer to me.

I had kept scanning the space around me at all times after I had been ambushed by the Foundation agents in Yellowstone. The fact I had not sensed him meant that he either could teleport, or he was just that much faster than what I was able to perceive.

"And who are you supposed to be? This universe's version of Contessa?"

He turned to look at me and flourished his coat. "I am THE SPECTER!"

There was a moment of brief silence before he coughed, and turned around to look at the stars too.

"You did good saving that kid. I'm proud of you."

I stared at him bewildered before I burst out laughing. He sounded so serious and dramatic. "So, Mr. SPECTER." I paused, did I just say his name in a dramatic way too?

"Yes Mr. Red?" I concentrated on my mind and saw nothing was wrong with it. Why did I say his 'name' like that?

"Do you also have issues with your morality?" I'd try to see how he affected my mind later. Meeting THE SPECTER was one of the few things that would suck in this universe.

He hummed for a moment and tilted his head left and right a couple of times before shaking his head.

"Not really, I just sometimes feel like I'm forced to care for human life."

"You are forced?"

"Yeah, we concepts are weird right?"

"I guess so."

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Pov - Skips 82648657/7255: Marie Kendrick

"So then I was all like 'Pow!' and 'Wham!', and the drug dealers went 'Splash!' and 'Crash!".

The fact that those onomatopoeia made me picture the scenes THE SPECTER was talking about didn't surprise me. As a Strike Team agent you tend to run into various different things. If you were lucky, you only had to run into them once. THE SPECTER, unfortunately, was one of the things you may run into more times than you wanted to.

"So you just go around beating bad people?"

"Of course not!" THE SPECTER wagged his finger left and right. "I also enjoy what the media has to offer. Every year, new hero video games come out, new movies are made, more stories are created! It is my duty to see and play them all."

I was still somewhat annoyed THE SPECTER had apparently made time in his busy schedule to meet and greet Red.

"That's pretty cool I guess."

I was watching them interact through a lens that allowed the user to see through objects and was using some headphones that were enchanted to be able to listen in on conversations that were occurring around it.

"It indeed is." THE SPECTER stood up from where he was sitting next to Red. "Now, Gabriel, it is time I depart. Crime waits for no one, and justice has to be served!" THE SPECTER flourished his coat with an impossible amount of grace, and around it… He somehow disappeared with that gesture.

I sighed and laid down the lens and took off the headphones. I now need to write an addendum in my report.

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Pov - Gabriel Garcia

Having the embodiment of Justice visit you to congratulate you on still doing the right thing even though you had no reason to do so was an experience. I didn't know how to feel about it. On one hand, it felt a bit patronizing, on the other hand, I was happy that my efforts to not be an asshole despite having a deficit of empathy were recognized. And by the embodiment of Justice at that.

I had considered making Marie forcefully ignore us by making our conversation so uninteresting to her she would stop listening in, but decided I would rather not completely kill her trust in me.

Making a connection with Marie like the one I had with Connor would be useful to ground me down to earth a bit more. Still, I needed to talk to her about her… 'cleansing' habits. Not every anomaly had to be killed or destroyed to make sure humanity could survive.

It would literally be easier for them to protect their race if they accepted that some anomalies were not a danger to everything and their mother. I understood that type greens were a risk that was just not worth taking, but there were a lot more anomalies that could be used for good.

I had noticed her soul was in what I could only describe as a bitter and pessimistic state. Maybe that had to do with how keen she was on killing Mathew? Was she too jaded by her years working for the GOC?

I shook my head a bit. Her reason behind her borderline xenophobia was not important. I'll try to make it clear that we are not going to go around killing living beings left and right.

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AN

Okay, so short chapter. I want to sleep in tonight and don't really have that much energy to write more than what I've written so far.

I've noticed everyone seems to think Gabe is a pushover… I don't really get how he is one but alright. I'll see what I can do so people are not so… frustrated about it.

I get he's been pretty passive about most stuff, but y'all have to remember he was a normal dude before everything happened.

He didn't know and still doesn't know how to fight. He is not some expert in human psychology. He doesn't know the complete extent of his powers, he has no one to teach him about them. He is, in the end, not all knowing.

If any of y'all find a spelling mistake, has questions, has some criticism, or whatever, please leave a comment. I enjoy reading them.

Thanks for reading.