Page 22 of Remnants: Disruption
“Eventually?”
“I went to the coffee shop. I wanted to see if they had anything with the symbol. After discovering they didn’t, the barista told me someone was outside waiting for me.”
“And?” Percy’s eyes glow with the type of anger I’ve only really seen in the worst of cases.
“And I went out to see what he wanted. The guy put a gun to my gut and told me to—” I try to remember if I told Alice anything different. “Told me to give him all I had.”
“Who was he?” Percy’s voice is almost a growl.
“Called himself Triggerman.” I shrug.
“When did the Dark One show up?” She asks, her voice thick with obvious disapproval.
“Sometime after that,” I say slowly.
Percy’s jaw ticks as she runs her hands through her hair, ruining her bun.
“Look,” she sighs out, “I’m glad you’re safe. But the Dark One is dangerous. They’re a killer and a monster.”
I frown at her, confused by the sudden pivot in the conversation.
“I wouldn’t know,” I say softly.
“They don’t help people with their powers like you do.”
In other words, I’m one of the good ones—a token Remnant. Different enough to matter, but not threatening enough to put down.
My heart thuds painfully at the realization. The thing I’d known but hoped she’d surprise me. That no matter how “good” I am for this department, her career, or for humanity’s sake in general, I’ll never be good enough to exist openly.
It just sucks that she’d never expressed it until now.
Rage and fear coalesce in my chest, and I only just manage to stem the flow of angry tears.
I meet her eyes again. Eyes I’ve so desperately wanted to see me as anything but a colleague or friend. To seeme.
“I’m just glad you’re okay,” she says finally, her tone dropping the harshness it had held a moment ago.
I nod, hoping the conversation will get dropped here–because there’s no way she’ll ever see me like that.
“I’ll go ahead and start looking into the Remnants that might have been a threat to Mara,” I say, changing the subject entirely.
“You met one of them last night,” she mutters, returning to her desk. I shoot her a weak smile before leaving the office to find a free desk in the bullpen.
A threat, yes. But a killer? Very rarely has it ever come to that. Though clearly her mind is already set on my guilt. And maybe she’s right.
What authority do I have to play judge, jury, and executioner?
The computer blinks on to the home screen for the NCPD. I rub a hand down my face as I feel a headache begin behind my eyes. The database loads quickly, displaying the barebones search bar and RISE logo.
I shoot a quick glance up at Percy who looks engrossed in whatever’s on her screen. She looks tired. And, selfishly, part of me hopes her fears over my wellbeing kept her up. She doesn’t meet my eye, though, so I look back down at the display.
RISE Top Ten
The page title is melodramatic, the entire thing reeking of showmanship. But the information is valuable all the same. And, as always, the list itself is a slap in the face.
The rankings are relatively subjective. Tier one are those whose powers are solely for utilitarian purposes. Tiers two and three are Remnants that, if provoked, can bring down buildings in their fights. Tier threes are sometimes enough of an issue they're upgraded to the fourth tier.
Tier fives though, are the ones that bring down governments. They’re the ones who bend the world to them. The ones so inhuman that their very existence is a threat. Monsters. Unholy abominations.
