The Things We Do (Under Editing)

The Dawn Brings no Light

No matter how hard I wished, I couldn't stop the sun from rising. They say that the night is always darkest just before the dawn, but that day, it was the dawn that brought the darkness.

I'd chosen a taller building than usual so that I could see more of the mess I was going to create. This also gave me a great vantage point from which to watch the rising sun. Wraith had ordered that I make it clear that I was the one behind this, and I'd decided to do that by wrapping handfuls of red smoke bombs around my explosives. I'd planned to bathe the city in red, and it seemed like the sky was playing along, painting the clouds a similar color.

Beneath me, the city stirred, the night's light traffic slowly growing heavier, the sounds of cars and people building. Perched high above, curled up against the morning chill, I felt like a gargoyle surveying the city, not quite able to see its edges.

The trigger sat beside me on the ledge, waiting for its moment. I refused to look at it, but I was all too aware of its presence. A single push of a button would carry so much disaster. All I had to do was push the button and this would be over. It was so simple. I knew it wouldn't be the end, though. As long as Wraith held my family over me, he could keep making me do this. There was no escape.

For all I knew, I could almost singlehandedly be the end of this city.

I could say that I judged my timing by the sun and the city, but really I was just putting it off as long as I could, trying to work up the willpower to do what I had to. Once the damage had been done, I would stand above the city like a conqueror, but for now I couldn't even bring myself to climb to my feet.

It took all of my strength just to reach over and pick up the remote. My arm shook as I moved it and I pulled my coat tighter around me, pretending I was just shivering from the cold. The trigger felt like lead in my hand. I leaned my head back and closed my eyes, filling my lungs with air. It wasn't until my chest began to burn that I released the breath.

"You don't have to do it."

I didn't turn around at the voice. I didn't even open my eyes. I just sighed. Honestly, I wasn't even entirely surprised to hear it.

"What do you want, Storm?"

"I want to keep you from making a terrible mistake."

I stared down at the trigger in my hand, running my thumb along the edge of the small box. "I may hate what I'm doing, but it's no mistake." My voice was barely loud enough to carry across the roof to him.

"What is he using against you?" I didn't reply. "Amelia?"

The sound of my name finally prompted me to turn around.

It was my name that finally prompted me to turn around. Storm stood before me, decked out in his usual costume, but he seemed less put together. His hair wasn't its normal strategically ruffled; it was just a mess, like he'd been running his fingers through it repeatedly. His shoulders sagged and he looked like he was trying to keep most of his weight off of his right leg.

There was no reason to answer his question. It wouldn't accomplish anything. Instead, I simply told him, "You can't stop me."

He closed his eyes for a moment and his voice dropped, "I know." Then he squared his shoulders and looked me in the eye. Perhaps it wasn't confidence that filled his voice then, but certainty. "That's why I brought someone who could."

At that moment, the roof access door opened, and Kacie walked through.