As Henry and Abraham followed Castle to a secluded spot, Castle broke the news, "Henry, I've just learned something crucial. The dagger that once killed Adam possesses the power to nullify his immortality. If we get hold of that dagger, we could theoretically kill Adam for good! I received this information on my way here."
Of course, this wasn't newly acquired information for Castle; he had known it all along. He had contemplated the best course of action during his drive and decided to share this pivotal detail with Henry, allowing him to make his own decisions.
Naturally, this revelation hit Henry as hard as learning about his own immortality. He was so shaken by the news that he didn't even question the source of Castle's intelligence.
"You're saying that if we find that dagger, we could theoretically kill Adam, making it impossible for him to resurrect? Then, does that mean I could…?"
Henry's voice trailed off, deep in thought about the flintlock pistol from the HMS Queen Anne that had killed him.
"Hey, Henry, now's not the time to dwell on that," Castle interjected, seeing Henry getting lost in his thoughts. "As I said, it's only a possibility, and we still don't even know if Adam has the dagger."
Realizing his fixation, Henry apologized, "Oh, sorry, Rick. What do you suggest then?"
It was then that Abraham, who had been silent till now, spoke up firmly, "We should stick to the original plan and paralyze that bastard first before worrying about whether we can kill him for good! Even if you guys plan to find that dagger, we should take care of the situation at hand first, right? Paralyzing him is the best way to buy time. Why bother debating any further or wasting more words on that scoundrel? I say we just inject air into his carotid artery right now. We don't need to know anything else from him!"
Old and typically hot-tempered, this was the first time Abraham revealed such a fierce resolve. He also harbored a hidden agenda: he didn't want Henry to delve deeper into exactly how Adam had killed his mother, Abigail. He feared neither he nor Henry could withstand the emotional weight, possibly leading to a premature execution of Adam, which would play right into Adam's hands.
Henry and Castle exchanged a knowing smile. Why worry about such details? Whether it was to paralyze Adam or to find the dagger to potentially end his life permanently, wasn't the most pressing issue to render Adam helpless, trapping him within his own body where he could neither live well nor die?
It was time for Adam to face Henry's revenge.
The trio walked back to where Adam was tied, his mind still occupied with where Castle had gotten his information about him. He saw Henry, his eyes red, pick up an empty syringe and draw several milliliters of air into it before approaching him.
"What... Henry, what are you doing?"
With his extensive medical knowledge, Adam instantly realized Henry's intentions. It was always a blind spot in his mind that Henry might inject air into his carotid artery to induce an embolism. He knew Henry didn't intend a swift death for him because that would be futile. Henry wanted to paralyze him, trapping him in his immortal, unaging body—a fate worse than death for someone like Adam, who would remain lucid but incapable of any physical action.
As Henry approached with the syringe, Adam's fear was palpable on his face—an expression he had never shown before. He pleaded, "Henry, don't you want to uncover the secrets of your own condition... please..."
But Henry was resolute. "You bastard, Abigail died right here because of you, and you still hope for my forgiveness?"
Muttering to himself, Henry didn't hesitate as he inserted the syringe needle into Adam's carotid artery and forcefully injected the air.
Adam's eyes bulged as he stared at Henry, who was injecting air into his artery. He tried to speak but couldn't due to the embolism caused by the air reaching his brain.
Abraham, perhaps the person other than Henry who hated Adam the most, watched the scene unfold with a mixture of satisfaction and tears. It seemed as if he could see through time to the blonde woman who had tenderly rescued him as a baby from a concentration camp and had smiled at Henry, saying, "Let's adopt him." She was still looking at him with the same tenderness.
"Mom, we've avenged you..."
Tears streaming down his face, Abraham and a visibly relieved Henry silently gazed at the spot where Abigail had lain for over twenty years.
Meanwhile, Adam, now paralyzed and unable to speak due to the brain embolism, could only watch in clear-headed misery as the three men who had engineered his downfall stood before him. This punishment, being aware yet utterly helpless, was indeed the
greatest torment for someone who possessed immortality.
After allowing some time for Henry and Abraham's emotions to subside, Castle spoke up, "Henry, we still have a lot to do. For instance, you need to arrange Abigail's burial, and I need to check Adam's apartment for that dagger. Then we both need to concoct a plausible excuse to fool Detectives Beckett and Martinez. Let's start by getting Adam to a hospital.
Do you know any hospital in particular? We can't just send him to any random one."
Henry turned to him, "A hospital? Don't worry about that. I'll make arrangements for one that can take him. I won't let him die that easily."
Although Adam had lost his ability to speak and was physically paralyzed, his mind was alert, and he deeply regretted underestimating Henry. He loathed Castle for his sudden, deceitful attack. He now knew that Henry intended to keep him alive in this paralyzed state, unable to die and resurrect, which would have been his only escape from this torture.
As the trio began to clear any traces of the scene, they untied Adam from the tree and carried his limp body up the slope to place him in the back seat of the car.
Henry said his temporary goodbyes to Castle, "I'll go arrange a hospital for him. As for searching his apartment, I'm afraid I must trouble you once more."
Castle felt confident that after this ordeal, drawing Henry into his plans would be straightforward. Just as he had injected the air into Adam's artery, his system had acknowledged the completion of a side mission, granting him another directed reward, which he had yet to check.
Now, with Henry owing him another favor, everything was falling perfectly into place. Once he retrieved the dagger from Adam's apartment and found a way to permanently end Adam's life, the only people left who knew Henry's secrets would be himself and Abraham. When the time came to propose teaming up, Henry would surely not refuse.
With a smile, Castle responded, "Alright, Henry, you handle the hospital. I'll thoroughly search his apartment. Let's meet tonight at Abraham's antique shop to plan our approach for the police station tomorrow!"
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