United [A Superhero AU] - Book Two

Chapter Nineteen - The Will

Cry sits in the meeting room, his heart pounding out of his chest and his hands shaking so badly that he has to sit on them to hide it. His father sits across from him at the long table, scribbling across the paper in front of him. Mr. Vincent, a tall, scrawny man with salt and pepper hair, sits beside him.

"The Institute, all of my possessions, and San Francisco will go to my son," the boss says, writing it into his will.

"Are the supers included under possessions, sir?" Mr. Vincent asks.

"Of course they are," the boss snaps. Raising his voice causes him to start coughing, and it takes a full minute for him to settle again. "You will help him maintain my legacy, Damien. The plans for the retrieval of more children is in order, correct?"

"Yes sir," Mr. Vincent replies, his smile dripping with a malicious excitement.

Cry glares up at his father, although nobody can see it through the mask.  Owning Matthew and Jack?  Is he serious?  "I refuse."

The boss looks over at him with a cold stare. "What on Earth are you talking about?"

"I refuse to take Matthew and Jack as possessions! They're people, as much as you don't want to think they are."

"Be quiet, Cole."

"Stop using that name."

The boss scowls and motions with his finger, and a second later Cry is reeling from a slap to the face from one of the cronies. He shuts his mouth and attempts to ignore the sting in his cheek as his father signs the will and hands it off to Mr. Vincent. Cry watches the paper, his heart pounding faster and faster.

That will holds the key to the masked villain's future. This institute, the city, the lives of his brothers; they'll all be in his hands. How is he supposed to break out of this vicious cycle his father threw him in? What's the point in getting his father's love if his father won't even be around anymore? At least if his father is gone, he can protect Jack and Matthew from ever getting beaten again. He can stop his cronies (the very thought makes him want to vomit) from hurting them when they don't deserve it.

And although it feels like a pipe dream, maybe he can find someone. Jack has Mark, Matthew had Stephanie, even Dan had a partner he kept hidden, but Cry? He's never had anyone. Without his father breathing down his neck about responsibility and maintaining the legacy, maybe he could go out and find someone who loves him despite all of his obvious flaws. Cry sighs. Definitely a pipe dream. The moment he takes over the institute, everyone will see him as the evil dictator and automatically hate him. Well, the pro-NAI groups won't hate him, but they'll praise him for all the wrong reasons.

His father shakes hands with Mr. Vincent and slides away from the table, a wheelchair supporting his incredibly frail body. His face is gaunt and his suit hangs off his emaciated body, his hair completely gone. His eyes seem to always be half-lidded, except when he's glaring at Cry. The masked villain feels a stab of contempt as he watches him. This man believes he's on top of the world. He believes he has a right to power and the right to kidnap children and mutate them. He believes he has the right to own people. He believes he has the right to do all the awful things he does because the world was awful to him first.

Cry trails after his father's wheelchair and Mr. Vincent, wiping the hot, angry tears from his cheeks. It's not fair. None of this is fair. Every other person his age gets a choice and he doesn't. There's nothing he can do. His fight is gone. There have been too many bruises and too many scars, and Cry can't take it anymore. It's easier to hang his head and accept his fate than try to keep fighting and burn out.

Cry leaves his father and Mr. Vincent, moving down the hall towards his room. In his mind, he's drowning. The water churns and froths around him, but he can't fight his way to the surface. So, he lets himself sink because it's calmer down here than up there. Far below the surface of the water he can find peace, and at this point he doesn't care if he drowns.