Aware of how much his teeth were beginning to ache, he unclenched his jaw and took a deep breath. Relax. Focus. This’ll be finished soon. It all felt so surreal. He had made it this far, mostly thanks to Candle. Now there was nothing left between him and Juliette, and he was going to get revenge — for Tan, for himself, for everything.
He wrapped his hand around the handle and pushed the door open. Pistol raised, he stepped inside.
42
The only light in the room was the shining glow of an Adrenalite, thrashing against the chains that held him to a table. He had white hair and a beard. A thick gag had been shoved into his mouth, muffling his screaming. Whatever sound he was still able to make was drowned out by the rumbling of the machine that stood, floor to ceiling, at the foot of the table.
It was nothing like Roman had imagined. Just a solid tower of metal and thick black wires. He let his gaze quickly pass over it — he could study it later, first he had to find Juliette. He moved to the side, keeping his back to the wall as he searched the shadows for her. She could have been anywhere; the light from the Adrenalite didn’t reach any of the walls, so Roman had no way of knowing just how big this place was.
His eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness. On the other side of the machine, a figure knelt on the floor, just on the very edge of the light. Someone small, with their hands bound together on their lap. At some unseen signal, the kneeling man shuffled forward into the light.
Not a man, but a boy. With scruffy black fair and unnaturally long arms.
Sparks.
He was bound and gagged. Blood dripped from his nose. Half his face was dark with bruises. He wore nothing but his trousers, which were in tatters. A dark line ran down his chest — a cut, held closed by steel staples. A strangely precise cut. Why would…
Roman’s gaze moved to the Adrenalite on the table, whose chest was cut open and had two black wires coming out of it.
…Oh, that’s why.
Sparks looked around the room, not seeing Roman. He looked confused.
A sharp click came from the machine. Roman flinched. The Adrenalite tied to the table stopped his thrashing as the machine’s rumble went quiet, leaving an eerie silence in the room.
Another figure stepped out from behind the machine. Juliette.
“Hello, Roman.”
She looked as though she had aged years since Roman had seen her at the power station. Her hair was even more of a mess than usual, and her eyes were sunken and hollow looking. Still, she held her frail, thin frame with an air of arrogant confidence. She had a pistol pointed at the back of Sparks’ head.
At the sight of her, a fierce rage burst into flame within Roman. The same fury he had felt when he first decided he had to kill her — only stronger now that she was right in front of him. He strode forward into the light, his pistol aimed between her eyes. His finger itched to pull the trigger.
“I don’t know what your game is, Roman,” Juliette said, “but this insane.”
“I warned you, didn’t I?” Roman spat. “I told you that if you lied to me, I would come for you. Well, you did more than lie to me. You killed Tan!”
“And how many of my men have you killed to get here? Why did they deserve to die? Don’t pretend you care about anyone’s life, Roman. I know the only thing you care about.”
“Right now I care very deeply about your life and how good it’s going to feel to end it.”
Juliette pressed the barrel of her gun against Sparks’ neck. “And what about his life?”
Sparks was trying to say something, but the words came out muffled through his gag.
Roman looked away. “You really think I care about saving him, more than I care about killing you?”
“If you didn’t, you would have shot me already.”
Roman scowled.
“Tell me one thing, Roman. A week ago, you told me that I should kill every Adrenalite we captured, that they were all monsters. And now look at what you’ve done: you’ve kept Candle from me, and you’ve attacked the Ministry. I thought you at least pretended to care about this city, so why the hell are you trying to bring down the one thing that is protecting it? What the hell turned you into this lunatic?”
“You don’t protect shit. You’re a cowardly—”
“I am not a coward.”
“Yes, you are. You knew I was coming for you, so you hid here, behind all your guards, and let them die. Their deaths are on your hands.”
“You’re the one who killed them! Why?”
“Because you killed Tan!”
A flash of terror passed over Juliette’s face, quickly vanishing back into her usual scowl. It made Roman feel good to know that, no matter how much she tried to hide it, she was scared of him. She deserved to be.
“It always comes back to revenge with you,” she said.
“It’s my one flaw.”
“And what if I could offer you real revenge, as well as a way to help this city.”
“You are offering me revenge. All you have to do is die.”
She stepped to the side, putting Sparks directly between her and Roman. A reminder of why he hadn’t shot her yet. Why he couldn’t. The boy hadn’t taken his eyes off Roman. He was still trying to say something, but the gag kept him mute.
“Listen to me, Roman,” Juliette said. “I could’ve shot you as you came through the door, but I didn’t. Because there’s still a way we can put this madness behind us. I’ve got a deal to offer.”
Roman almost laughed. Did she really expect to be able to just pay him off, after all this? “I’m done with your deals. You lied to me once, and I’m not giving you another chance.” He took a step forward. Now they were only a couple paces from each other. “You don’t get it, do you? Candle’s here, right now, freeing half a dozen Adrenalites.”
“He might manage it. I’ve still got a surprise waiting below — I’ve always got one last card to play.”
Roman frowned. After he had seen Candle in action, he doubted that anyone could stop him. But Candle was pretty beat up after the fight outside the elevator. Maybe he wouldn’t make it, and in that case…
Either way, Roman had to get Juliette to move her gun away from Sparks. Just for a second. “So, humour me, what’s your deal?”
Juliette’s lip curled into the thinnest of smiles. “The way I see it, the fact that you’re here means you’ve left a trail of dead militia behind you. That leaves me needing… replacements. Yourself, Ruby, and that giant who works for you. I’ll even release the boy—” she tilted her head towards Sparks “—if you promise to simply go back to doing what you do best: hunting rogues.”
“You would let us roam free, after what we’ve done today?”
Juliette sighed. “You haven’t given me much of a choice. Think about it logically, Roman. If I kill you here, then I’ve lost most of my men and my best bounty hunter. If I let you live, at least I get to keep something.”
Sparks’ attempts to be heard were growing more frantic. He began to raise his hands, motioning towards Roman. Juliette shoved her pistol forward, forcing his head down. The boy went still.
“You said it yourself: with me, it always comes back to revenge,” Roman said. “So I shit on your offer. I came here to—”
“—Kill me. I know. But it’s not me that you’ve been angry at for the past three years, is it? It’s not me that inspired you to risk your life catching rogues. It’s not me who you truly hate.”