Page 146 of Victorious

“Not everything,” said Dani. “But at least I know what I’m working with. And against. And that’s a start.” Her hands were flying over the keyboard, her eyes lit up, as if animated by the current that had just tried to kill him. Energized by the challenge, the prospect of a problem that hadn’t yet been solved.

“What now?” asked Victor, buttoning his shirt.

Dani blew out a breath and swiveled on her stool.

“This drug you’ve been taking is by definition a suppressant. It’s suppressing your episodes, but only as a side effect of suppressing your power. The two are connected, of course, but that doesn’t mean they’re inextricable. It’s like a car,” she continued, making notes on scrap paper as she talked, her mind and her hand on different tracks. “Someone wanted to keep you off the road, so they slashed the tires. But there are other, more elegant ways to navigate the problem. By addressing the engine, for example, or the brakes.”

“I’ve been compared to many things,” said Victor. “But a car has never been one of them.”

Dani’s mouth quirked. “I need to find a way to regulate your engine so it doesn’t overheat, while preserving your ability to drive.”

“And you believe you can do that.”

“It’ll take some trial and error,” she said. “But I think I can get you back on the road.”

Something began to creep through Victor then.

A feeling he barely recognized because he hadn’t felt it in so long.

Hope.

VINOW. THEN.

7 HOURS BEFORE THE END

BETHANY ADVENTURE LAND

VICTOR made his way across the shuttered park.

Where are you, Sydney? he wondered.

She’d told him once, while petting Dol, that she felt like she was still connected to everything she brought back, like she caught hold of a thread, and never dropped it. She talked about it like she was the only one, but the truth was, he felt it, too. A compass pointing not to north, but her.

For the last three years, as Victor wove back and forth across the country, he’d done his best to ignore the subtle pull. Now, he followed it, each step carrying him closer.

His own words echoed in his head.

No one is going to hurt you. Do you know why? Because I’ll hurt them first.

And he would.

He’d bring the whole world to its knees.

Victor padded like a wolf through the low dawn light.

His mind still played tricks on him. A voice called out, faint and far away. A shadow twitched its tail. He now knew the phantoms for what they were, audiovisual hallucinations, a product of such long exposure to the compound, the damage likely permanent. But Victor had learned to navigate around them.

His watch chimed, a single warning note.

Victor reached into his pocket and drew the small disc out. As he brought the inhaler to his lips and breathed in, the cartridge flared with light, the contents no longer glowing blue, but violet.

Dani’s warning echoed through his mind. The fear and anger warring on her face.

Is it worth it?

Victor slipped the inhaler back into his coat as the comm buzzed on his belt loop.

“In position.” Mitch’s voice was gravelly with static. “I see you.”