"Yeah," he said. "We gotta kill that bastard for what he did to you."
"He didn't actually get to do anything to me--"
"He had you kidnapped by mercenaries who shocked you with specialized cattle prods. They drove you out into a forest and--don't think I've forgotten this part--felt you up. Then Seer made you think that he'd shot you in the stomach. Then another guy beat the shit out of you."
"I don't know that it's right to kill someone--"
Derek shut her up. "You are covered in bruises from head to toe for fuck's sake, you idiot! You have two black eyes and you move like an old lady who has just fallen down the stairs. This is an appropriate time to kill someone, Nell."
She hung her head. "I guess." The injuries made her feel particularly self-conscious.
"The problem is finding him," Derek said. "And, once we find him, we have to have a way to keep him from putting us under an illusion. His powers, unlike mine, work on everybody. We need to figure out his weakness."
"Are we sure he has one?"
The Afterdark sighed an exasperated sigh. "Every single person with powers has a weakness. That's how it works. You get powers, you also get weaknesses. You and electricity. Me and I'm-never-telling. I'm sure that Sneak Peek has a weakness too."
"What about Platform? She made her powers."
"Platform," Derek informed, "Is a traitorous bitch who deserves no respect from anyone. Her weakness is not having powers in the first place, as well as being a horrible person.
"You know what I'm going to do to her? You'll like this: I read her mind and I learned all about her patients. Yeah. I've got their names and shit memorized now. I'm going to find them all and, you know, write letters to the state psych board about how horrible she is."
Derek was clearly very pleased with himself. Nell appreciated his pledge, but wasn't sure he'd actually do all that when he could just as easily kill her.
"He didn't actually get to do anything to me--"
"He had you kidnapped by mercenaries who shocked you with specialized cattle prods. They drove you out into a forest and--don't think I've forgotten this part--felt you up. Then Seer made you think that he'd shot you in the stomach. Then another guy beat the shit out of you."
"I don't know that it's right to kill someone--"
Derek shut her up. "You are covered in bruises from head to toe for fuck's sake, you idiot! You have two black eyes and you move like an old lady who has just fallen down the stairs. This is an appropriate time to kill someone, Nell."
She hung her head. "I guess." The injuries made her feel particularly self-conscious.
"The problem is finding him," Derek said. "And, once we find him, we have to have a way to keep him from putting us under an illusion. His powers, unlike mine, work on everybody. We need to figure out his weakness."
"Are we sure he has one?"
The Afterdark sighed an exasperated sigh. "Every single person with powers has a weakness. That's how it works. You get powers, you also get weaknesses. You and electricity. Me and I'm-never-telling. I'm sure that Sneak Peek has a weakness too."
"What about Platform? She made her powers."
"Platform," Derek informed, "Is a traitorous bitch who deserves no respect from anyone. Her weakness is not having powers in the first place, as well as being a horrible person.
"You know what I'm going to do to her? You'll like this: I read her mind and I learned all about her patients. Yeah. I've got their names and shit memorized now. I'm going to find them all and, you know, write letters to the state psych board about how horrible she is."
Derek was clearly very pleased with himself. Nell appreciated his pledge, but wasn't sure he'd actually do all that when he could just as easily kill her.
