The Permutation

Breakthrough (Part 14) Vergil

"A stupid promise huh? Well it meant something to me, it meant everything to me."

"Is that what you tell yourself? Do you want to know why you really stayed?"

"Enlighten me."

"You stayed because you're so afraid of failure, of letting anyone down, so you let everyone down. The weight of everyone's expectations kept you from trying, because if you didn't try, how could you possibly fail? You can hide behind this pact bullshit, but just know that's what it is, it's high octane bullshit. You could do anything that you set your mind to, but you're so paralyzed with fear and self-loathing you can barely tie your shoes. It's pathetic."

"If that's how you feel, why are you even here?"

"Because I love you, you idiot. Not in the same way, but I'll never stop loving you."

"Why now?"

I had a feeling you needed me, but I've never felt anything so strong in my entire life. I had a dream of you falling, falling into an endless chasm, never reaching the bottom. I shot out of bed, bought a plane ticket, and now I'm here."

Vergil thought about arguing with her some more, try to deny everything she'd accused him of. He wanted to rise up in righteous indignation and stand behind the nobility of honoring his pact, but it wouldn't have been any use. Lisa was right, and he intended to do something about it. The second after he figured out what was going on in Lancet Falls, he was going to go do some real good in the world, use his gift to help as many people as he could.

"I'm glad you're here," Vergil replied, reaching across the table to take her hand in his.

She almost pulled away, but she didn't. Her fingers completed the empty spaces between his, and Vergil felt tears starting to well up. Lisa gave him a reassuring squeeze, and the tears retreated. Vergil smiled, now wasn't a time for sadness.

As if on cue, Jin King strode out of the kitchen with two steaming bowls of pho shattering the moment of intimacy between them. Lisa's hand retreated to her lap as the bowls were slid onto the table.

A new type of tension hung in the air mingling with the weight of their past. They ate their pho silently with the occasional slurp of a noodle to break the silence and Albert complaining about the stench of the place. He said claimed the stench of dead cats was going to make him sick.

When both of their bowls were picked clean, Vergil felt the gears switch, everything was back to business. The emotional catharsis had jogged something loose inside Vergil. He saw the situation in a different light. Despite his half-hearted attempts to find the killer, Vergil had been in a state of inaction. It was time to turn the tables.

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The three of them spent the next half hour shopping for an assortment of seemingly random supplies. Purple crepe paper, four high powered flashlights, a tripwire, duct tape, two makeshift net launchers, and a pair of walkie talkies. They needed to get to the men in suits before they could bring anymore of their buddies into Lancet Falls. The Invader's master plan got interrupted the night before, but Vergil couldn't count on lucking out two nights in a row.

Within another hour, they were able to set up a rudimentary trap that with the proper execution could incapacitate The Invaders.

The suited beings seemed like a prudent and mysterious lot, so getting them to come would be the hardest part. Vergil's answer to that was four high powered flashlights duct taped to the four corners of Hampton's roof. The purple crepe paper was fitted over the light that allowed the flashlights to give off an eerie violet glow. Ideally, The Invaders would be drawn to it like a moth to flame, more likely, just to come and investigate. Regardless, Vergil felt like the last thing they wanted was a lot of attention drawn to them. Their actions up to this point had been all cloak and dagger.