Mercy/Chronaturge - Bargaining

Life, Trauma/ Loss

Following the events of their last visit  to the Century Holding Facility, Mercy and the rest of the B-team are in disarray, each heading in their own direction with different ideas of what should be done to deal with Discord. Mercy quickly finds himself back in the facility to meet with someone he thinks might be able to help him.

It's Monday morning, around 8am. Cornelius has spent the most part of the weekend helping in the defense, coordination and repair of Bathala city following the blackout. Since Harmony's departure, neither he or the other members of the B-team have reached out to each other. The wound is still too fresh and no-one is prepared to talk about it.   That isn't to say they're doing nothing though, and the vampire hero soon finds himself landing at the Century HQ Holding Facility once again. The cleanup and repair of the building is well underway and, in lieu of a better alternative, the cells have been put back into use.   Mercy enters through the same door as the team did when they stormed the building. The corpses and blood that greeted the team before have been cleaned away and the reception desk put back into use.   Behind a bulletproof screen and typing away at a personal computer is a somewhat overweight middle-eastern woman in an unarmoured version of the usual Century group fatigues. She sees the door open and Mercy step in, raising a brow momentarily before speaking, "Welcome to the Century Holding Facility. How may I help you?"   “Good morning miss, I am here to speak to one of the inmates, the Chronaturge”   "Ah, very well." She says, typing a few commands into her computer, "Do you have an appointment?"   “No appointment, I just need a chat with the man, he has some skills that will be helpful for an upcoming mission I will be going on”   "I'll have a look at his schedule, see if we can fit you in," more clicking as she looks through the database, "Looks like he's having some exercise time at the moment. I'll have the guard bring him in." She hits a button and a nearby reinforced gate pops open, allowing Mercy to enter, "He's in cell number 29."   “Why thank you, Miss”   "Pleasure," she says, returning to her work.   As Mercy makes his way through the corridors of the facility, marvelling at the speed with which it seems to have been put in almost full working order, he passes by several cells containing supervillains, some he recognises, some he doesn't. Eventually, he arrives at room number 29. A large Century agent in the usual fatigues stands guard and nods to him as he enters, "You Mercy?"   “Yes me, am I able to go ok and see him?”   "Yeah, sure." He says, stepping aside and letting Mercy step into the room.   It's not a cell he steps into, but a visitation room. A seat is placed opposite a thick, glass window where, as the vampire hero steps forward, Mercy is brought face-to-face with the Chronaturge. The wizard was sat on a stool on the opposite side of the room, his elbows on the table and chin on his fists as he looks up at him.   "I'll be honest," he says, sighing as he sits up straight, "I wasn't sure which one of you would come and see me first."   Mercy returns to the guard, purposfuly ignoring the Chronoturge for now, "Sir, do you mind leaving me and him alone for a minute? I mean there is not much either of us can do while separated by thick glass like that"   "Him, maybe not. But, you?" he says, raising a brow, "I don't know what you're capable of."   "i am a representative for the B-Team, I would never do anything to tarnish the good name we currently have"   He sighs heavily and rolls his eyes, "Fine. Just don't make me regret it," he continues as he returns behind the door, "Wouldn't want to have to throw you into one of these cells too."   "I would not want to be in the cells myself" He says as the guard leaves and he returns to the captured wizard, "Well, I did not think i would be coming here so soon but here we are. With the infinite knowledge of time you seem to have do you know why i am here?" Mercy takes a seat opposite the incarcerated wizard.   "Soon is a relative term, really," he grins slightly, seeming to find a certain familiarity with the vampire, "But you know that already, don't you?"   "I do know that, with a life as long as mine days seem like minutes now"   The Chronaturge chuckles at Mercy's melodrama, "Yeah, they'll do that. Just wait until you hit the millenium mark."   "I will have to see that one for myself in a few hundred years," He replies, "Look, I am going to get to my point with you, I am regrettably here to ask you for help with a task of mine."   "Well, it doesn't take a genius or a time-traveller to work that one out," he says, sitting forward once again, "But you've managed to find both so, what is this, Mercy? Silence of the Lambs?"   "I want you to send me back in time," He states, resolutely.   "Not a good plan, Kiddo." The Chronaturge replies, suddenly becoming serious.   "Do I look like I am man who has made good choices in life?"   "Good too, is subjective. You've managed to turn your life around. Isn't that something worth being proud of?"   "I have alot to make up for" The vampire mutters, looking away as he admits it.   "To make up for things, one must move on. If you languish in the past, you'll only make things worse. That's what I keep trying to tell that silly girl."   "What girl?"   "Cryogen," he says, sighing deeply, "Girl thinks she can fix her future by coming back here and meddling. She should know that she can't avert disaster just because she wants it badly enough."   "But surely there is a way, if someone would know a way it must be you?"   "Listen, Kid," he says, coldly, "Time-travel isn't some magical undo button. You go back and you won't change anything here. You may find yourself on a different timeline, but this one doesn't go away. And you have no idea what long-term ramifications you'll face for your meddling," his expression becomes dark as he speaks, "You have no idea how bad it can be."   "You have no idea how bad it is for us right now!" Mercy cries, standing up and slamming his hand into the glass, not hard enough to break it, hoping to at least make the wizard jump a bit.   His gaze remains fixed on the Vampire's, he seems to almost soften at his violent display, "You've lost someone, Cornelius," he says, his voice soft and placating, "We all have. But the answers you seek, the redemption, it lies in the future, not the past. You can't control fate. You can only control your own actions. If you try, you'll only end up hurting yourself and all those you've ever cared about."   "I controlled fate once I can do it again! NOW SEND ME BACK SO MY FRIEND'S FAMILY CAN HAVE HER BACK!" Mercy screams, his voice echoing down the halls of the facility.   "No."   The vampire falls to one knee, defeated. A single tear rolls down his face as he chokes on his next words, "She... She was innocent, so is her family... So is her little brother that will never get to hug his big sister again... All of them were... They should not have had to be subjected to this fate, none of them deserve it, and the bitch that did this needs to pay with her life."   "I have had loss in my life but never to this extent, i do not even want to imagine how they all feel, I may have had to watch every sinlge person i loved in this world grow old and die but she did not deserve this ending," Mercy continues, his impassioned plea seemingly having little impact on the wizard, "My world was ruined by a power I could not face and so was her family's. i know some of the pain they feel but I can fix it, I can end this suffering. I need to end it."   "I know, Cornelius," he continues, "But you can't fix things by hitting the undo button. I've tried it, it doesn't work. All you'll be doing is abandoning this timeline for another one. That won't make them happier, just you. They'll still be here, and the team will have to contend with the loss of another member. Now you have to decide, are you willing to abandon them or will you do the right thing and help them move forward?"   With more tears dripping down his face, Mercy looks into the wizards eyes, "I do not want to live forever in a world that allows this to happen, that allows a girl as sweet as her just go in an instant!"   "We don't get to decide the world we enter," he says, sitting back again, "But some of us are lucky enough to decide the type of world we leave behind."   He picks himself up off the floor and stands over the table between them, "How strong are your powers from where you are? How much could you affect me right now?"   "Right now? Not very. These little bangles they've put on me," he motions to the chunky bracelets on his wrists, engraved with some sort of runes, "They interfere with how I channel my magic. It's not gone. Just difficult to muster."   "How far back could you age me?"   "Without my things, it'd take me long time to do practically anything. The staff, the cloak, the pendant. They aren't the source of my power, but I put a lot of myself in there."   "From one eternal man to another, i need to ask you a favour." Mercy says, his expression becoming grim.   "Be careful what you wish for, Cornelius."   "Is that a yes or a no?"   "It was mostly just an ominous warning..." The wizard says, deflating somewhat,"It all depends on what you decide to ask me."   "Five-hundred-and-eighty-seven years is what I'm asking for. Five-hundred-and-eighty-seven years back in my life. To when I was not this abomination I've become."   "I thought you'd finally started to embrace who you were?"   "Yes, but i also still loathe the part of me that I know is deep down."   "We all have our dark sides, Cornelius," he continues, "I know yours is darker than most, but it doesn't have to define you. You're doing good out there, aren't you?"   "i may be doing good but it will take a miracle from god to repent me of the sin i carry on my shoudlers."   "I can rejuvenate your body, Mercy, but it won't undo what's in your past," he says again, "Like I've been telling you. The past is the past. Your body won't remember being a vampire, but that doesn't erase history."   "You may be right, but it does not stop the pain. I have killed hundreds, if not thousands, of innocent people in my life. No matter what, my soul must be as black as Zaebos'" Mercy stands back up and sits back on the chair, "if you cannot help me, fine. But know this, I will not stop trying to correct this great injustice that has struck the family of this poor girl, and if that means my life is sacrifice then so be it." He stands up and knocks on the door to get the guards attention, "I am done here," he says while wiping away the tears on his face.   "Noble as your intent may be, Cornelius," the Chronaturge says, not caring that the vampire is walking away from him, "Dying for a good cause may not redeem you, but living for one might. And for what it's worth, I believe you can do it."   His voice becomes faint as the guard allows Mercy to exit, sealing the door behind him.