Even Heroes Fall

29. Ghoul

'You have interfered in my plans long enough. Now I am going to teach you a lesson. You will choose one to die.'

That had been Castlemain's plan all along. I realised it too late. Even after I went to Barking power station, knowing that it was probably a trap. It took me too long to understand why he would go to such lengths to kidnap Reed and Celia. Reed was a diversion, Celia was the real prize.

Castlemain knew me well enough to know I only dated her out of convenience. Which did not mean I didn't like her, because I did, well enough. But the moment he had his thugs drag her into the centre of the room and the middle of that mess I knew the real reason why she was there.

Because I cared about Violet, and she cared about Celia. And Castlemain had discovered both our weaknesses and would exploit them until he got what he wanted. Which coincidentally was my life, destroyed. He knew he couldn't kill me. We had tried enough times over the years. But he knew that my initial respect for Justice had turned into a friendship which for me had turned into something more. I'd never had someone to share the hero life with before. And Violet got it. And maybe sometimes her sense of justice drove me insane, but maybe that was a good thing. She would make me a better person. She was what I needed.

Until he made me choose. Choosing Celia would mean Violet's death, and I wasn't prepared to lose her yet. And choosing Violet would mean Celia's death, and I would lose Violet anyway. She would never forgive me. I knew her well enough to know she would have sacrificed herself for Celia if she had had a choice.

In the end I made my decision and I knew it was a selfish one. 

The minute Violet was free and Castlemain got what he wanted we started to fight. It didn't matter that I couldn't kill him I started to punch and kick him and beat him bloody to take my anger out on someone. For months I'd been running around after him and his stupid operation and the whole thing had been a bloody diversion. Set up in South London and organise the criminals there, to divert from the fact he was actually in North London and looking for some valuable information about our past!

After my discussion with Barker and finally seeing some of the contents of the drive I had my suspicions about what Meridian was. And if Castlemain was after it then more than the city of London was in danger. Maybe I couldn't kill him but I could injure him enough to remember exactly who he was dealing with.

I barely noticed that our fight took us outside. We must have broken through a wall of the station. We went through the same motions we always had from the beginning, fighting each other, bruising, battering, breaking bones, drawing blood, but never winning. We were an equal pair, he and I, two sides of one very fucked up coin.

As our fight staggered closer to the water's edge I managed to get the upper hand and flip him over. I used the last of my strength to throw him down hard into the Thames. He hit the water with a smack and well, super strong we might be, but we can't fly. He was stuck down there until he climbed out.

He disappeared under the water but I was sure he was faking it. I stood at the edge waiting for him to resurface as I tried to hold myself together. Adrenaline was still coursing through me but I was bleeding quite a bit. My left elbow felt out of place, possibly broken, I couldn't tell. I waited but still no sign of him.

Behind me I could hear the sounds of sirens and Cutter's special forces team as they arrested Castlemain's thugs. At least something good had come out of it. I could hear the paramedics too, talking to Marshall and to Violet. Violet was being uncharacteristically quiet.

I knew I should turn around and go back. Go back and beg for forgiveness for letting Celia die but when I turned around to look at the half ruined power station main building, the SWAT vans, the ambulances, and the special forces officers herding beaten up thugs into their vans I knew it was not the right moment. Maybe with Marshall on our side I might be able to get my name cleared in Theodore's murder but right now I needed to disappear.

I took one last look at the inky black river water, undisturbed except for the ripple of the tide. Castlemain was gone. He had succeeded in beating me once more. He would not return.