Blowing off a layer of dust

[gabriel_gray]

Tick tock. Remember me?

I remember a time when this would come easily to you. Shh. Do you hear it now? That ticking sound? It's the sound of me getting back under your skin.

Oh, you've missed this. Don't say you haven't. The freedom of "villainy". Would you call it villainy? I suppose in a perfect world it'd be that black and white--in a world full of sunshine and daisies and perpetual summer where nothing ever rots or dies. Wake up. The world isn't your playpen. There's sharp corners, and loose floorboards. There's rusted nails piercing through the safety foam. Death is at the very core of nature, and yet there's nothing villainous about it. We evolve. We kill. We thrive. I kill. I evolve.

Can't you hear it? The clock is ticking four seconds off the hour. It's slow, and so are you. Now hold still. Let me see how you tick.

Comments

[askedtobe]

Why, so you can take it apart yourself?

[gabriel_gray]

I'd prefer that, yes.

[askedtobe]

I'm not letting that happen. I'm not controlling myself just so you can do whatever you want.

[gabriel_gray]

What will you do, Peter? Warn everyone about what a nefarious villain I am? Aren't you afraid it might backfire?

[askedtobe]

And what, have everyone come after me instead?

[gabriel_gray]

That I may somehow attract sponsors. Your mother being a prime example of the type.

[askedtobe]

Nobody's going to feel bad enough for you that they're going to take your side in all this. Don't even try and kid yourself that you deserve that kind of sympathy.

[gabriel_gray]

Oh, sympathy, no. But I won't be the only one there drowning in ambition, Peter. Will you be able to stop us all?

[askedtobe]

Why are you so sure you'll have so much company?

[gabriel_gray]

Shades of gray, Peter. Just because a city is recruiting heroes doesn't mean that's all it'll get. Your brother thinks himself a hero--but you know better, don't you?

[askedtobe]

Nathan doesn't have to do with any of this- you don't have any reason to talk about him. Hero or not, he's nothing like you. You're nothing.

[gabriel_gray]

Touchy. And what about you? Terrorist, isn't it? Heroism is a matter of perspective.

[askedtobe]

Didn't take you for someone to actually listen to anything the news had to say.

[gabriel_gray]

It never really interested me before. But then, would you believe it, all these interesting people started making appearances.

[askedtobe]

And what, you suddenly decided you were going to care? That you were going to give some kind of a shit about what's going on? Or is this all some kind of entertainment for you?