Getting a daughter.

I stretched and brought back my forcefield back into the fold, returning to Star.

I knelt down and picked the him up in my arms.

He leaned onto my shoulder, eyes drooping, tired from the healing.

"Papa, .... sleepy." He said, rubbing his eyes.

"Yes. I can see that." I said, pinching his nose lightly.

"Just rest now. Papa will do the rest." I said, kissing his forehead.

"Alright people, sorry about that, but Star is sleepy so I won't make him hunt down the rest of the Nine." I said, smiling.

"I'll hunt them down myself!"

"Computer, locate Jack Slash." I ordered and gave it access to the nanobot network I had spread across the city.

Within seconds the computer pinged him on the holomap.

"There we go." I said, projecting the map from my contacts so everyone could see it.

"Your princess is in another castle my ass. He's hiding in the basement!" I mocked, blowing open a hole in the floor, collapsing a portion of it to reveal a crude lab setup and two people huddled in the corner.

"G-good job finding us. But that doesn't mean you'll survive!" He said, his voice shaking ever so slightly as he raised his knife at me.

"Ha? Is your voice shaking? Oh goodness this gold!

The notorious Jack Slash, whimpering like bitch at the sight of me!" I laughed.

"We'll see who's laughing after this!" He said, slicing his knife in the air, cutting across space, his knife bypassing my forcefield and cutting into my stomach.

Or at least that was what he tried to do.

His knife instead got stuck in my subdermal mesh and with a thought from me, shattered in his hand, lacerating his hand.

He fell to the floor crying in pain, looking at Bonesaw pleadingly.

"Take him out, Riley!" He cried.

But she just watched, shell shocked.

I floated down to him, laughing.

"Oh, I don't think she's going to do anything, Jacob. She won't let her one chance to escape your clutches go, now will she?"

I looked at Riley and she gulped audibly, her eyes flitting between me and Jack.

Her biomech spiders lingered in the background awaiting her command, twitching silently at my gaze.

Yeah, she wasn't going to do anything.

"After all, you are her tormentor.

Isn't he Riley?

You and your little insane clown posse broke into her house when she was what...five? Six?

Then you maimed her parents, slowly torturing them while you forced her to run around patching them up with her six year old's knowledge of first aid until after three days of seeing her parents get tortured she triggered with the power to heal anyone.

And what was the first thing you did to this innocent little girl?

You twisted her into a monster!

You asked her if she loved her family, and under threat of torture she broke. She was tired, half dead from dehydration, and honestly, traumatized.

She admitted she didn't love her parents just so she could end their pain, because she couldn't bear it anymore.

And the moment she admitted it?

You killed her parents right before eyes.

That's some fucked up shit, Jacob.

And trust me when I say that.

Cuz I have done some fucked up shit myself.

The guys that killed my wife?

Let's just say, they met very, very unfortunate ends.

But this..."

I shook my head.

".....you took it too far this time."

"Are you done grandstanding or do I have to hear you....ukh!

Do I have to hear you bleat some more about my evils, oh noble hero?" Jack Slash taunted.

"Riley is my personal project. My art!

Don't you dare call her innocent!

She's done things you wouldn't have the balls to stomach, you dickless bastard!

You won't redeem her with your honeyed words!

I have corrupted her beyond belief, beyond logic!" He shouted.

"So just kill me already, why don't you? I know what you're doing, and I refuse to be part of it! I'll die with my dig-"

Smack!

I hit him across the jaw with the butt of my gun, shattering it.

"Sorry. I just couldn't stand his mouth diarrhea anymore." I said.

And also because of what I was going to do next.

I couldn't have him use his powers to convince Riley otherwise.

I was angry yes, but I wasn't about to let my anger drive away a perfectly good PR opportunity!

I kneeled by his side, and patted his cheeks belittling him.

"And by the way, I'm not the one who'll kill you. I'll leave that decision up to Riley here.

She's your biggest victim. It's only right she gets to decide." I said.

I turned to her, and saw her shaking like a chihuahua, her jaw clenched, lips pursed.

I placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"You don't have to do it if you don't want to, Riley. I may not be a good person, but I won't force you to do this.

I want you to have the choice now, even if it's a bit late for revenge.

If you want, I can kill him for you.

I won't disparage you, even if you don't choose to kill him.

If you ask me to let him go, I will let him go. Hand him to the proper authorities.

Though I think you know as well as I do exactly how good the authorities are at doing their job.

Take your time, Riley. But choose. Choose for yourself. Without fear or threats.

Once this is over, no matter your choice, I will help you go free.

If you want to atone for your misdeeds, I will help you do that as well.

But belive me when I say this. No child should have had to suffer as you did.

I think you've served your sentence already. And I will not let the heroes argue otherwise even if I have to stand against the world." I said, assuring her.

She looked at me, tears brimming in her eyes, and with shaking hands, grabbed mine.

"Please...please don't kill him." She said, her forced, nervous smile falling away.

I patted her head, gently.

"I understand. I will hand him to the heroes then. Is that alright?" I asked.

"No...." She sniffled, gulping for air as she said it.

"I...let me....I want ...to be the one to ...do it."

"Alright. But you're hyperventilating. Let's get that in order first.

Look at me Riley. Look at me. Take a deep breath. Deep breath in. Deep breath out. Once more. Good."

I guided her, as she got her breathing in control, before she turned to look at Jack again, vitriol seeping into her eyes.

Jack trembled, and skittered back, bumping into the operating table behind him, his eyes pleading for mercy.

"Hu hon hahu oo wi!" He exclaimed through his broken jaw.

"You're right. I don't have to do this.

But I want to!" Riley growled.

She picked up a pipe from the side.

"You took everything from me." She said, her voice shaking with rage.

She raised the pipe and brought it down on his head, cracking it.

"You killed my mother." She said, and brought down the pipe again, and another crack appeared.

"Uhuuuin!" He screamed, but Riley wasn't paying attention.

Again she brought the pipe down on his head.

"You killed my father." She said.

"You destroyed my life. Everyone that I loved!"

Tears were now flowing from her eyes, but she was too angry to notice.

"And all I could do was watch, helplessly!" She cried, stabbing the rusty pipe down, right through his broken eye socket.

"Now... I'm done being helpless!" She said, and twisted the pipe right in, ending him.

As she watched Jack's body stop twitching and thrashing, she fell to her knees, letting out a broken sigh of relief, as silent tears rolled down her cheeks.

I kneeled down beside her, giving her a shoulder hug.

She turned to look at me, her teeth clenched still, her eyes begging for something.

A release. I realised.

It was only now that I finally got a good look at her.

Barely above 4 feet and so.....fragile.

It dawned on me that even behind the villainous persona, Riley was still just a child. A tiny, twelve year old girl.

I pulled her into a one handed hug, and patted her back.

"It's okay to cry, Riley." I said, in a kindly tone, "What's done is done, but you're still a kid. You don't have to bottle it all up till you burst. You're safe now."

She craned her neck, almost instictively to look at Jack again, as if afraid that he would come back from the dead.

The trauma ran deep, I suppose.

"He's gone. He won't be coming back, Riley. You're free." I assured her, and finally like a dam bursting, she broke into sobs, burying herself into my chest.

It took minutes before she calmed down, and even then I fear only out of awkwardness and unfamiliarity.

She wiped her eyes and looked around, hollow and aimless.

I knew that look.

"What...what now? What do I do?" She asked, looking at me.

She was used to getting instructions by now, and with Jack dead, she was left directionless.

That's where I came in, just as planned. But I wasn't about to force her. Not on live tv, anyways.

No. Here, I needed a show!

I looked up and pretended tot hink for a moment as I went over the dialogue I had planned.

Then, letting out a sigh, I shrugged.

"I .. honestly don't know. I think that is for you to decide. You are free now, Riley. You don't have to follow Jack's orders anymore. Your life is your own." I said, smiling gently.

"But...where do I go from here? What is there for me to do?" She asked, her eyes hollow and so unbelievably sad.

Alone.

"I have no one. Even with the Nine, I at least had family, no matter how twisted. Now....I am all alone." She sniffled.

"You can go to the authorities. Or I can help get you fosterage in another country, under a new identity. A new home, new people, new places.

A fresh new start at life." I offered.

She looked up at me and shook her head.

"No. They won't accept me. I'm .... I'm a monster. I have done bad things. Very bad things. I ... don't think...I can be ever forgiven..." She said.

Of course the part tha went unsaid was that she didn't know if she could ever forgive herself.

I knew that feeling very well.

The feeling of being weak and compliant in the face of evil. The frustration and nihilism that breeds in that deep pit of despair.

For once, I felt for her. I really did, even with all my manipulations and schemes.

I sighed.

I can't manipulate her.

No, that's wrong. I can very well manipulate her.

I just .... don't want to.

She deserves a better life. And if I can give it to her, why not?

I just need her to revive Offee first and then, I can take her shard and set her up somewhere safe with a generous trust fund.

I looked back at her and found her staring at me hopefully.

I sighed again.

It's this after all, isn't it?

Well, if it works, why not use it.

Not like I didn't plan on this anyways.

I took a deep breath.

Let's do this!

"I.....if you don't want to go somewhere else.....you can come with me. With us.

I won't say that I'll save you.

I can't. You'll likely need years of therapy and help.

And in the end, you're the only one who can save yourself.

But.... if you want, I can lend you a helping hand. I can make it so you wont have to do it alone.

I don't extend this offer to just anyone and honestly, I can't even say that I will be able to do it.

But fuck it.

Riley....if you want a family, I can adopt you.

Like I adopted Star.

Let me remind you, it won't be easy. People don't just become a family with a few words and a good cry. Relationships....they take years to build. Love, even more so.

But I'll extend you a hand, a chance at a family, if you'll do the same for me, Riley." I said, scratching my head.

"Man this is embarassing to say!" I muttered.

"No." Riley said, hesitant.

"I see. That's ...okay. I get it." I said, stepping back.

"No, I ..I mean it's not embarassing! It's brave!" Riley said, pumping her fists.

"So...?" I asked, looking back at her.

"I-i'm agreeing to it. P-please give me a chance!" She said, bowing.

"Ohmygod thisissoembarassing. Youwereright!" She giggled awkwardly.

I snorted, laughing.

"It is, isn't it?"