In a world torn between heroes and villains, it can be a dangerous and hostile place. Some take comfort in the Gifted that stand up against those who would use their powers for greed and chaos. While others choose to hide away, fearful of the day...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Dominic Cramer was very good with computers. Even before he resolved to avenge his sister's death, he had found comfort in typing up code and seeing his creations come to life with only a few strokes of a keyboard. He built websites that never actually made it online, designed computer games with graphics drawn in Microsoft Paint, and hard-wired electronics to buzz and blink at his command. His sister joked that he had a god complex.
Sometimes Dominic wondered if she was right.
He spent a lot of time teaching himself computer programming and electronics, and then he spent an even longer time studying for his PhDs in both subjects. Strings of binary cluttered his mind, and he found beauty in a computer's efficient decision making. As far as he was concerned, the world of electronics was simply 0s and 1s with no grey space in between. However, despite the perfection of mathematics, as with everything else, technology had its weakness. No matter how strong a security system may be, anything could be hacked.
Whatever the encryption, fail-safes, or digital walls around their information may be, someone, somewhere, would find a way to break the code and weasel their way inside. He had an entire team at Cramer Industries dedicated to the constant reconfiguring of their security systems to prevent the almost daily attempts to break into their network and delve into their confidential projects. It was a hassle and sometimes things slipped, which made maintaining a dangerous secret, like a list of rogue Gifted, absolutely impossible. He could not risk Fortress discovering his inventory of Gifted. They would take that information and then press all of them into the service of their inhumane cause. So, instead of locking a digital database behind as many trapdoors as he could, he used the timeless method of securing his files on paper, storing them in a fire-safe lock box, and then hiding it in a panel behind his study bookshelf.
"Who are you thinking, sir?" asked Walt as he dropped off a tray of scones, fresh fruit, and tea for Dominic's breakfast.
"We don't have a telepath in our lists," muttered Dom, before snagging a hunk of melon to pop into his mouth. After spending a minute to chew and savor the fresh fruit, he placed the file he had been reviewing about a shape-shifter in Minnesota, on his desk, and then leaned back in his chair. "A telepath would be the ideal candidate, but you need a telepath to catch a telepath and unless one walks up to our door, we're shit out of luck with that one."
"I understand, sir. What other options are at your disposal?"
"I...I don't know," he replied, planting his elbows on the edge of the desk before burying his hands in his hair. "She's the closest thing to a telepath we've had contact with. Before Mir, all we had was Karina."
"Is Karina not a viable option?"
Dom looked up at his aide, who stood before him with a straight back, neutral expression, and hands clasped behind him. Walt knew better than to ask such a pointless question, but the vigilante's sidekick had never shied away from his duty as devil's advocate.
