System Nullification

Chapter 25

 "I took them to my own base, my marvelous ginormous base, the base that you will fortunately never, ever track down, the base that I built on my own, the base that I've been hiding out in for the many years after I burned down the Leviathan Organization that gave me power! And I took them there for the sake of my cause," Cameron said strangely convincingly and dramatically. "That's why I didn't get caught. It was all hidden. But it was all for the sake of the cause."

 "What the actual fuck, Cameron," I thought. "You're dehumanizing yourself in the faces of the people that already believed you were dehumanized since the moment you ended up in that stupid organization. Why would you do all of this?!"

 "All of you! Scan all cameras of the U.P! Look for this fiend's base!" the man ordered to the people at the computers. "Ugh, Cameron, you're disgusting. Willing to harm these youths and take their lives for your own personal cause. You're powerful and selfish. I can't believe you exist."

 Cameron had no answer, just more glowering. Because the man was already completely convinced, and the man was simply hating Cameron all over again. "All men outside this room that know how to fight," the man announced in an intercom. "Go after Cameron. And rescue the teenagers."

 "Not if I can help it, losers," Cameron taunted, teleporting away.

 So Cameron was now gone, and I was at a complete loss for words once again. Cameron's antics never failed to fascinate me. He just sacrificed a possibility of his new reputation for me, Zephyr, Jack, and Will. He did that after going through so much. The thing about the system is the fact that traitors would be killed or kicked out into the streets regardless of anyone else who was staying in a house with the traitors. Basically, Cameron was completely honest with everyone at the corporation at first, but then he lied to them with just small hints of honesty and mentioning his cause just to save our lives. It was generous of him. Understanding his logic in that moment was baffling me too much, but at the same time, I actually understood it. He tried to make the corporation believe he was a good person, and they didn't even believe him. Then the time came to save our lives, and he somehow managed to do it. He went and ruined his reputation all over again, and somehow, I was doubting he'd ever get it back. He's a selfless person, and there are less people that know that than what is needed. Humanity was turning out to be some fucked up disappointment. Why would they believe all the bad stuff Cameron said and not the good stuff? It made no sense to me.

 "Coward!" the man screamed. "The coward! Not taking the punishment he deserves! Selfish bastard! And what even was that strange substance? I swear, I will find out what that damn stuff is!"

 Zephyr, Jack, Will, and I stayed silent, because we were aware that Cameron deserved less odds against him since the beginning of his life. We were also aware of what the substance was. It was antimatter, and, ironically, antimatter mattered. I read the man's mind. All I was able to see was this hatred that used his own logic, and yet it was irrational because he had completely fallen for Cameron's lies. For some reason, I felt this hugely intense feeling of possibly sympathetic dread. It was beyond unbearable, and it made me realize what the magic of misunderstandings in this world could do to people.

 And it was hilarious, because what the man just said about Cameron was completely the opposite of what Cameron truly was. The issue would always and forever be the odds against Cameron. I felt extremely bad for Cameron, and I wished that more people would understand him.The man walked over to us, and I tried not to flinch when he put his hand on my shoulder. "It's okay, you're all safe," the man said. "The Behemoth Corporation will assure the safety of all of you. After all, we are your allies, and we can definitely be trusted."

 "Ironically," I thought. "You go around claiming you're all trustworthy, and then you take a look at Cameron when Cameron's trying to go on about how he has become a better person now, and you decide, 'Oh, we can't trust you! Even though you're clearly stating that you're not as bad as you were back then, we can't trust you! Go away!' Like, what the fuck? Double standards much? Go fuck yourself."