Chapter 228
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Note: Except for Magneto, every character mentioned here is from the 1987 version of "Beauty and the beast."
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Magneto was still trying to establish his mutant homeland in Antarctica. Vincent would have qualified, as would his son. But his beloved Catherine would not, nor would Father. Thus Vincent and Catherine stayed with these refugees, protecting many of the same people they had protected in their own world. They had some new additions, among them Jason Walker. Jason had been a vigilantie, fighting to protect the people that the law failed. His plan did not go as expected, and Jason ended up getting himself killed. He became something of a legend, particularly since his body was never found. And now, he was doing what he'd always wated to do, protect the helpless. Even here in Antarctica, there were those who sought to harm them. One day, the camp was attacked by two young sociopaths. In life these two had murdered sex workers for pure sadistic fun. It wasn't too suprising that they'd been given a furlough from Hell to attack these refugees. Jason and Vincent fought these two together, both resisted the urge to kill these sociopaths right away. They understood the downside, killing them would just send them back to Hell, where they'd likely be rewarded for their service to Evil. Still, in the heat of battle, it became difficult to hold on to this ideal. In the end they spared these two murderers, got them sent to prison. As unlikely as it seemed that these two could be reformed, it was their best chance. And Jason and Vincent knew they had to resist their own darksides. After this fight, Jason and Vincent bonded.
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Jason: I'm glad you and I got to fight on the same side.
Vincent: Me too. I was always sorry that you lost your way, glad you found it in the end.
Jason: Yeah, I wanted to be a legend. Legends never strike out in fear or anger, never make a mistake, never hurt someone who doesn't deserve it. But real people do all of those things.
Vincent: Indeed they do. There was a man who lived with us in the world below. He had made a mistake, killed a child in a car accident. While facing charges he fled to the sewars. Years later, when he saw the mother of the child, he was torn about what to do. As hard as it was, we convinced him to turn himself in.
Jason: What happenned to him?
Vincent: He served five years in prison. Ironically he probably would have served less if he'd not run. He lost much of his life, his son's early years, because he couldn't face the consequences of his actions. But eventually, he was able to move on.
Jason: Good. I do regret hurting that police officer. I haven't seen him since the worlds broke down, for all I know he's in Heaven now. If I ever do see him again, I will try to make amends.
Vincent: Good. Making amends is as much abou our own salvation as much as helping them to find some form of closure.