Nemesis

XXXI - A New Puppet

Nemesis

Chapter XXXI — A New Puppet

[Charli Adams — Heroes/Dying]

[31 November 2023]

[New York City Police Station]

[23:12]

Edward found himself in the parking lot of the station, silently sitting in his car and lost in the vivid dream that was thought. He had made his way back to his vehicle to take a rather important call, but once Edward made it there, he could not bring himself to receive it. It was a call from the devil incarnate — the man he had done business with to save, or rather, preserve his life. It was clear that the man on the other side of the line expected the information he had sent Edward out to collect and he was well aware that the more he ignored Dragunov's calls, the higher his chances of death were.

It would only be a matter of time until the killer was beside Edward in the passenger seat, gun to his head to accomplish his mission. And soon, he would be gone like the cold winds that blew outside. With a groan, Edward grabbed his phone that had rang quite a few times. He answered the call and placed the device to his ear. "I called you three times." Dragunov's voice on the other end said and Edward seemed to be frozen in fear for a moment.

"Would you prefer this conversation be face-to-face?" Dragunov asked in a tone that made the threat much scarier. "I'm s-sorry, I had some stuff to deal with before this I'll be on time next time." Edward apologized, hoping

that his tardiness would not get him on Dragunov's bad side. "Now, the information I asked for." Dragunov ordered and Edward inhaled a sharp breath, as if wondering if it was wise to give such information to the man they were hunting down.

"The nigga that's replacing Dain g-goes by the name of Eben Pérez, and he's supposed to be arriving tomorrow." Edward said, now awaiting Dragunov's response. "That'll be useful. Now, keep an ear out, you might hear something else that I wanna know. Until then, Mister Phillips." Dragunov said before the line went dead. Edward sat and stared at the station's main building, wondering if giving people's lives away to save his own was truly a fair act.

Edward shook his head in disappointment. 'It is a dog eat dog world after all...'

[01 December 2023]

[Ares Tech Headquarters]

[10:30]

A crowd of people swarmed Ares Tech Headquarters, awaiting a rather important announcement that was set to be announced just a day following Dain's death. None in the crowd were sure what this announcement was, but perhaps it was some method of honoring the man who had fallen fighting. A podium stood in front of the entrance to the building, right in front of the sea of people and it was elevated by a significant amount. None had a clue as to who was about to speak to the crowd and as the minutes went by, the anticipation only grew stronger amongst many.

Within the crowd, Miranda watched the podium with eyes that struggled to hide her agony. To her, this felt more like a celebration of something rather than the mourning of the hero that was Dain. Hell, they had not even had Dain's funeral yet. Orla stood beside her and observed her pained appearance, and every time she did, she could not help but

become even more worried for Miranda. Still, it was not something that she was willing to admit to anytime soon, especially after she had been forced out of the investigation.

Ever since that conversation, they were not on speaking terms and Orla had spent her time trying to unravel just how much her hunger for revenge had changed her. The more she watched this new, darker side of Miranda develop, the more she realized that she was no different — that Amari was right. Despite his correct assessments, she still wanted vengeance, no matter how different she became. Orla ran the risk of losing Amari in the process, but it would all be worth it. He did not want revenge because fear ruled him, fear of watching himself change, but that seemed to be the cost of it all.