Chapter 39: Victoria

"Now you're hesitant about breaking the law?" Ko commented as I stared at the Shadow suit.

I had been staring at it for at least ten minutes. I was supposed to meet Victoria in less than an hour, but I just couldn't shake this horrible feeling. That should've been my first clue.

"This feels wrong."

"Well to be fair, we've been lying to Mama since we got here, your dad and grandfather have no idea what you're up to, and that friend who was your backup is on the other of the country. So no wonder you're feeling a little off. It's different than sneaking around Gotham."

"You're shit at pep talks, Ko," I said, finally pulling the suit on.

"That's why I stick to biology, not psychology."

"Okay. I think I'm ready," I took a deep breath, pulling on my gloves.

"Here's the files. Are you sure you should bring those?" she handed me a folder with everything we had found.

"I need her to know I'm not bluffing. You have the backup copies right?"

"Of course. No mask?" She asked, eyeing it still sitting on the bed.

"Is there a point? She knows who I am. The suit is only because I want protection while jumping rooftops." And my shoulder wasn't fully healed, but Ko didn't need to know that.

"Take it," She handed the mask to me.

"Why?"

"Because, You're Shadow, but Shadow is also you. Mask and all."

"That doesn't really make-"

"Don't ruin the moment, Grayson. Now, you need to leave if you plan on getting back before Mama's tel-conference ends," Ko was practically pushing me out the window.

I landed on MedCorp's roof fifteen minutes early and contemplated putting on the mask. I swear I saw a silhouette on the next roof over, but dismissed it as nerves. Clue number two that this was a bad idea. I decided on the mask just as Victoria came out. She was right on time.

"I'm glad you finally want to have a civil conversation Mija. Maybe you can try and avoid breaking a window this time." I think the word Mija has been ruined forever for me.

"I'm here to give you an ultimatum Victoria," I held up the folder.

"And what's that?" She crossed her arms, nodding to it.

"This is evidence of your illegal activities."

"Oh really? Like what?" She didn't believe me. That frustrated me more than anything. Here she was, playing a game and she was treating me like a child. A child she had chosen to play against.

I flipped open the folder and read one of her journal entries, "December 7th 2039. Data from Inmate 2's chip came back. It appears the Inmate tried to fight against orders to terminate his daughter, but the chip overrode Inmate's desires. This is very promising." I glared at her. She at least had the decency to look a little uncomfortable.

"I'm surprised you broke my encryption. I'm impressed Mija," She didn't seem impressed.

"I have some smart friends. Should I continue, or do you get the idea?"

"I get it, you have my notes. What do you want from me?" She had the audacity to sound annoyed. Bitch.

"You either turn yourself in and admit to everything I have evidence for, or you can be hunted down. Your choice, but either way, I will stop you from hurting anyone else."

"You've missed the point of what I'm trying to do Jamie," She scolded me. God, she annoyed me!

"And what exactly is that?" I poured venom into my voice, "Because from where I'm standing four people are dead because of your 'experiment'. That seems to be the opposite of Project Whisper's goal," I struggled not to scream.

"Sacrifices have to be made for progress to continue," She didn't even have the decency to act guilty over what she had done. None. That made me angrier than I had ever been in my life.

"SACRIFICES? Anni Michelson was more than a lab rat! She was a person with dreams, with friends and family who loved her! But I guess someone heartless enough to experiment illegally on their own daughter wouldn't understand that," I spat. I was seeing red, shaking in anger.

"Your chip has helped in tremendous ways. As for your friend and her father, I needed to find the microchip's limits before setting it's boundaries. Your friend's death was for the greater good of mankind. Why can you see that?"

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME! You murder a sixteen year old, two prisoners, and an innocent man, and you expect me to believe it was for the greater good? What about the people left behind?" I screamed, "What about Xavier Nelson's family, who finally got hope to see him again before you ripped it away? Or Shelley Michelson, who had made a name for herself beyond her ex-husband's poor choices only for that to be ruined because you wanted to play god with her daughter? How do you live with yourself?" I was seething, my fists were clenched so tight, I was sure I was drawing blood through my gloves.

She truly thought what she was doing was good. She was terrifying in a way villains like the Joker had never been. She couldn't see what was wrong with what she was doing and when it was pointed out to her, she wasn't even sorry. She was worse than her mother. And I shared blood with this monster.

This had been her game all along. To convince me she was right.

"I did what I had to for the advancement of science. Project Whisper is going to change the world. These people's sacrifice won't be forgotten. I won't apologize for being right, Mija. Not everyone understands what has to be done for the betterment of the human race. I'm doing my part and I don't regret any of it. My hope is for you to see it too."

This woman was so ignorant for someone who had been watching me my whole life. How could she think there was even a possibility of me agreeing with her? How could anyone look at a human life and justify ending it for a science experiment? How did she sleep at night? How could she look at herself and not see a murderer? How? HOW?

I couldn't hear anything over the roaring in my ears, I was so unbelievably outraged at her. I charged forward at Victoria, not realizing just how close to the edge of the roof she was. I tackled her, every fiber of my being burning with fury, sending us both over the edge of the building.

Victoria screamed and clung to me for dear life as we plummeted towards the pavement. I desperately tried to peel her off so I could get myself to safety. I couldn't have cared less in that moment if she hit the pavement. I honestly didn't care if I did, either. There was a sudden pressure around my ankle and then we were swinging directly for a window. We shattered the glass and slammed into a office of cubicles. The last thing I remember thinking before slamming sideways into a wall was "Shit. Dad is going to kill me if this doesn't."

Well. That happened. Tell me what you think!

Fun Fact: Jamie's favorite swear word is Shit, if you hadn't noticed.