Brendan switched off the TV and threw the remote control to the far end of the couch. He slowly ran his fingers through his hair in frustration, trying to think. Why didn't the Finch reveal to the whole city the true identity of the Anonymous? Did she even know that the plan to kill him through the Bradwield Terror had failed?
If he killed the Finch then he could at least breathe again but that was if he could. She was greatly talented in magic, which gave her an advantage over him. The other advantage she had over him was that she knew the identity of the Anonymous. As he meditated over this, he heard a swooshing sound from behind him. He looked over the couch. It was Jack.
He quickly got up and walked towards him.
Jack was clapping his hands. The expression on his face was admiration and envy. 'I've got to give it to you, Brendan. I never thought that you could do it but….,' he shrugged, 'you showed him who's boss. I'm afraid though that the B.T might have created a curse upon Phantoms that can never be reversed.'
'What makes you say that?'
'That's how it happened with the first Phantom, Dread Shadow. He got too cocky and taunted the first Canine, Rabid Fang. That's what happens in a fight, you know; the first one to make a move is usually the last one to receive it.'
'You shouldn't take your defeat too personal. You're the Finch's creation, or have you forgotten that already?'
'Yes, but that doesn't make me human either. How did you manage to defeat a creature so despicable and brawny anyway?' Jack asked him.
'Well, I couldn't at first I mean…each blow I gave him just made him laugh. He smacked me in a way I have never been smacked before. I was at the point of defeat when my mind went completely blank, when I came to; I was standing above the B.T, his face smashed..,' he stood with his eyes unconscious for a while. 'It saved me again,' he whispered.
'What saved you?' Jack asked him.
'I never thought it would again but it did.'
Jack shook him, trying to remove him from the void his mind had drifted him to, 'What saved you?'
His eyes returned to reality, 'My Versatile gene. Marauder. That's what it did with Anvil. When Anvil had me beat, my mind went blank and when I came to, I was standing above him. That's the incident that made you realize that I hadn't accepted the gene, right?'
'No…I only guessed.'
'What!'
'I scared the truth out of you. I just merely guessed that you had not yet accepted your gene and it turned out that I was right.'
'There's something else confusing me. Why is it that I didn't leave an irreversible curse on you when I frightened you?'
Jack smacked his forehead and shook his head in disbelief, 'I thought I told you; you're not a Versatile yet or let alone strong enough to do that to me.'
'But I am strong…I beat the Flicker, didn't I?'
He smiled, 'But I'm not the Flicker, am I?'
Both of them stood silent for a while, each with questions to ponder in his head.
'Your vision,' Jack said almost shouting.
'What about it?'
'Well…maybe it said something to you that might be a clue?'
'It said, "Peace is the best weapon for war." '
'Well, that can't help us. How does peace defeat the Finch?'
'I don't even know what it was trying to tell me either.'
'Any idea when you'll have your next vision?'
'It said that it was going to appear to me after four years but then…It saved me today.'
'That means there's still hope. Besides, if you get in the way of the plans of the Finch then it will have to reveal itself because it needs to live too.'
'You've got a point but…you want me to attack her head-on?' he asked him nervously.
'No, of course not…leave that to me.'
'Are you crazy, Jack? There's a possibility that she has had her vision and accepted her gene.'
'And also a possibility that she hasn't,' he said.
'But if she's acting like this? Slaughtering people in public, isn't that proof?' Brendan was dumbfounded by his suggestion. He would have been open to the idea before, because he had been more than eager to send the wicked Jack Price to his death. But a lot had happened since then. Jack had, to some extent, proven that he could be counted as an ally. And the Bradwield Terror and the Finch had proven to be two forces to be reckoned with, and one of those forces had been almost impossible to stop. Jack had failed to stop the Bradwield Terror, which meant that going against the Finch was a suicide mission, and his death would leave Brendan alone with no one to back him up.
'I can only buy you and the people of this city time. At least if she's occupied with me then more people will be spared. If you have your vision, Brendan, try your best to reason with it. If that doesn't work then you'll have to give in to its offer.'
'What! Jack, you know that I can't just give in to this gene, and besides, I still need someone in my corner. We need to keep the odds in our favor.'
Jack grinned. 'There are no odds, boy. Just you. All the other competition has been eliminated, except for the witch. And prophecy has left that part of history for you. Even if both of us were to go against her, I would only get in the way. The least I can do to make this easier for you is to delay the witch, to give you time to give in to your Versatile gene. You have to surrender to its demands, Brendan, no matter how ridiculous. The people of Bradwield have to come first. If you can't see that then you're no protector. You're no hero.'
Brendan did not have to think about it any longer. The people of the city were more important. He nodded in approval of Jack's words. 'This is a brave and noble thing you're doing, Jack. Let's just hope this city will remember and praise your honorable deed.'
Jack shook his head, 'This city honors many things, but not us.'
'But by doing this you're saving countless lives.'
'They still won't acknowledge that. They will always view us as outcasts. Me for murdering Ernest and you for being in suspicion of the use of witchcraft.'
Brendan tried to digest this, 'Then why are you trying to save them if you know they will never be grateful for it?'
'I just want them to live to drink tea and biscuits for as long as they can and…,' he stood still, examining his almost transparent hands. He turned his eyes back to Brendan, 'I also need to get my soul back.' And just like that, he disappeared.