The Logical Exception

{ Chapter 12 - Borrowed Powers }

Virgil was sitting at the kitchen table, leg bouncing as he scrolled through his phone. He wasn't absorbing anything. His mind was far too focused on the man lying in his bedroom. Logic, a villain he both feared and respected, was not your standard powerhouse. If he had been all muscles and no brains, Virgil and the others would have captured him a long time ago, but Logic was smart. That was what made Virgil so anxious. This could all be a trick, it could be a way for Logic to get close to them to tear them apart from the inside out. Tapping his fingers on the table, Virgil contemplated calling the police. He could teleport through the shadows. He hated using it because the idea of teleporting inside of someone and tearing them apart terrified him, but he could. He could move Logic away from their house and inform the authorities, but who would go through the trouble of putting themself in that much pain for a con? Honestly, Logic might, he didn't know, but there was a part of him that wanted to believe in Logic, just like Patton had believed in him all those years ago.

The door to their apartment was thrown open, and Virgil jumped, looking over at an out of breath Patton. "What happened? Are you okay? I'm sorry I couldn't get off earlier."

"I'm fine Pat, it's not me I'm worried about," Virgil said, standing up and putting his phone down. "Logic somehow found out about my secret identity and I found him passed out on my bed."

"What? And you didn't call the authorities?" Patton reached for his phone but Virgil stood up and stopped him.

"I think we need to hear him out first." Though it was obvious just by looking at him that Virgil was nervous about all of this.

"Okay, if you think we should hear him out, we can, but if he tries to hurt you, I'm calling the cops! Let me go see how bad he is."

Virgil nodded. "I'll start serving up dinner and he can tell us what is going on. Then you and I can decide what to do with him."

Patton gave Virgil a smile. "Alright, Kiddo." With that he walked off and headed back to Virgil's bedroom.

"Hey Friendo, are you awake?"

"I am," Logan whispered, trying to lift himself up.

"Well, I'm gonna take a quick look at you and see if I can help."

"It's going to."

"Hu?"

"The proper grammar is that you are going to take a quick look. Though a better phrasing would be that you are going to have a quick look as you cannot take looks, but, one problem at a time."

Patton didn't respond, instead just walking over to Logan and looking over at him.

"And though I could probably stand to hear the improper grammar from Morality, your not him, are you?"

"I don't know what you mean." He continued to keep his voice happy and peppy but Logan could see the shift in his eyes.

"I am aware that it is you Deceit, the moment I saw the real Patton I knew it couldn't be anyone else. You have gotten quite proficient in mimicry, and I have neither the energy or wherewithal to put up with incorrect grammar coming from someone who is completely capable of speaking in the correct vernacular."

"Well, it's all in the observational skills," Deceit, still disguised as Patton, smirked. It was strange to see that smug look on such a normally sweet face. Rather than focusing on it, Logan screwed his eyes shut, attempting to manage his pain. His medication was beginning to wear off, but he didn't want to be drugged while talking to Deceit. He needed to be lucid. "Though, you should know that you were my teacher."

"And that was always a skill at which you excelled." Logan had failed to push himself up and he hated how he was in such a defenseless position. Deceit was the type to look out for himself first, and if he determined Logan would be better off dead, Logan did not doubt that he would kill him right here. "I assumed once fully trained you would slip out of sight, depriving Mother Necessity of another pawn. Why do you stay?"

The Patton look-alike stood, rolling his eyes as he went to grab Virgil's desk chair, dragging it over. "I only answer to them because they have something I want. Now stop trying to move so much. I'm going to try to heal you. You look absolutely pathetic."

"It's hard using a copied power isn't it?" He tried to relax and tried not to move. "But why help me?"

There was silence between them as Deceit began to use Morality's powers. He didn't fully understand how Patton's powers worked so anything he could do was about as useful as a poorly made copy of the Mona Lisa. "I have been on the receiving end of Zero Sum's tantrums. I assumed, as their son, you didn't get the same treatment. Not that I feel guilty or anything, like I said, you just look pathetic and I can't stand to watch."

"I have not been their son for some time, I am... was a pawn that lived with them, but now I have my own plans." Logan finally opened his eyes and Deceit could see the determination in the way his jaw clenched. "What is it that you want? I want to remove as many of their pieces from the board as possible, this means giving you a chance to walk away."

"Determined words for someone who currently can't stand." Logic's leg was healing but it was slow and Deceit knew he would run out of Stamina long before Logic's leg was fully healed. "The only thing I want is my brother back, and if you can't get yourself out of their clutches properly, how do you expect to save someone else?"

The two made eye contact and Deceit immediately knew who Logan was planning on seeking help from. He began to laugh, a deep fake laugh. "Good luck, I chased them away for good. It would take a miracle for them to come back."

"Well, I've already been granted one miracle, here's hoping I can be granted another."

Deceit wanted to ask, but he could see that Logic was beginning to succumb to sleep now that his leg was healed a bit. It would be easy enough for him to claim he was just being Logan's ally to learn of his plans. He had to look at for himself after all, but, maybe the youngest in the Chessmaster crime family, could finally topple an old regime. At the very least it would be fun to watch, and at the most, he might finally be able to rescue his brother.

AN: I told you I would get you a second chapter. I just didn't think it would be so quick. I had half of it done and I was surprised how much the rest of it flowed when I finally started working on it. I hope you enjoyed it!