"Of course not."
"...Why don't I believe you?"
"I'm doing this for your own good."
"..."
Chester fell silent.
That phrase... why did it feel so incredibly suspicious coming from Locke?
Locke continued, "Carrie is a witch. In the future, she'll grow into a practitioner no less formidable than soone like Agatha Harkness. With her around, I'll feel much better about you. I won't have to worry that the mont I look away, you'll finally kick the bucket and get dragged straight to Hell."
Chester spat on the ground. "Could you at least pretend to wish well?"
Locke just smiled, saying nothing.
The truth was, Locke couldn't find anyone better suited than Chester to provide Carrie with a fake identity. As for letting Carrie live at his own place? Locke had considered it, but ultimately decided against it.
He valued his privacy. Furthermore, he was a man with a girlfriend now. If he suddenly showed up with a "sister" nad Carrie, George might be suspicious, but Gwen—the straight-A student—would be the first to start connecting dots.
Between a police captain and a genius student, Locke would much rather avoid the latter's scrutiny.
As for protecting Chester? That part was true. Carrie was a witch who shared his Infinite Energy. Given enough ti, she was destined to beco a powerhouse. Her power ca at no cost to her, because Locke required no paynt.
As he had told her before: if there is a price, it is simply to hold your head up and never bow down again.
Locke had given Chester his reason. Now, he gave Carrie hers.
...
"I'm this Clinton Chester's illegitimate daughter?"
"Yes."
Inside the makeshift dical warehouse built specifically for her, Locke—in his Peerless persona with sunglasses—sat cross-legged on a chair and nodded.
Leaning against the hospital bed, Carrie looked like a living mummy, her face wrapped in layers of gauze. The stitches were scheduled to be removed today, marking the start of her new life. Looking at Locke with only her eyes visible, she whispered, "I don't understand."
Locke smiled. "You need a fresh start."
Carrie shook her head slightly. "No, I an... don't I need a new na?"
"No."
"I don't?"
"No." Locke looked at her intently. "You deserve a new life, Carrie. But that doesn't an you have to forget the past. That would be wrong. To forget your past is to forget yourself. No matter how bad it was, your past proves where you ca from. It is our starting point."
Locke constantly reminded himself of where he ca from, too. The difference was that while he knew his origin, he didn't know his destination—which was why, after seeing the Sun God bloodline, he had set a definitive future for himself.
"Besides," Locke added, "the na 'Carrie' signifies uniqueness, sincerity, and change. It's a good na."
"Is that... ant to be ?"
"Yes." Locke nodded. "You are more unique than most, more sincere than anyone, and far more mature than people realize."
A happy childhood brings back warm mories, but not everyone is granted one. An unhappy childhood often brings disaster, and while so people break under the weight of that trauma, others view it as a forge. They grow stronger within the fire.
Carrie was undoubtedly the latter. This was why Locke kept her na; besides, there were countless girls nad Carrie. In a way, keeping it served as the perfect "hidden in plain sight" cover.
Carrie lowered her head slightly at his words.
"Carrie, rember what I told you about power?"
"...With your power, I can kill."
"Correct." Locke smiled approvingly and stood up. "Since your kindness only invited the world's indifference—since people mistook your heart for weakness—pack that kindness away in the attic with your past. Take your remaining qualities—your strength and your refusal to yield—and open the door. Greet your new life."
Carrie looked up at him. Images of Maine flashed through her mind like a rapid slideshow: the sound of her mother's abuse, the loneliness of being locked in the prayer closet, the cold isolation at school, the cruel pranks... and that night at the prom.
These mories swirled in her consciousness, forming a storm. In the center of her mind, the sea of Infinite Energy provided by Locke began to roar, turning into a violent vortex.
'I treated the world with compromise and kindness, and the world repaid with impotence and fragility.'
'Therefore... I discard my compromise. I discard my kindness.'
*Thump! Thump! Thump!*
The walls of the temporary dical room began to vibrate in resonance. Locke raised an eyebrow, watching the hospital bed where Carrie had once again entered a near-berserk state.
Instead of alarm, Locke's expression was one of satisfaction. He smiled with genuine praise.
This world was never ant for the "kind." The old world was bad enough, but in this Marvel Universe? Being a "good person" was often a one-way ticket to tragedy.
Humanity wasn't divided strictly into "good" and "bad." Choosing not to be a "good person" didn't an becoming a villain. It simply ant that from this day forward, you would never allow anyone to raise their voice at you again.
'I don't have to be a bad person, but if soone dares to bully , I have the absolute power to strike back.'
Locke had given her that power.
The magical surge ca as quickly as it left. On the bed, Carrie's eyes returned to a state of calm, but they were different now. There was a faint, chilling edge to them. She had hidden her kindness deep within the infinite sea of energy, projecting the coldness of that sea outward to face the world.
"Excellent," Locke nodded. "Carrie the Victim has left the stage. Now, let's welco Carrie the Witch."
At that mont, the door pushed open. Dr. Hans Keller, the premier plastic surgeon of the underworld, hurried in looking panicked. He looked at the settled room and froze. "Mr. Peerless, just now..."
Then, reality hit him. He had watched the live broadcast from NY Channel 1 a few days ago. Although the NYPD had "debunked" it and the Assassin hadn't appeared since, Keller wasn't an idiot.
The NYPD's lies were for the masses. For soone like Keller, the broadcast only made him more terrified of the man standing before him. The Peerless Assassin could turn people into rats.
*Gulp.* Keller swallowed hard, suddenly regretting his decision to enter the room.
Sensing the doctor's tension, Locke smiled. "Dr. Keller, as long as you keep our agreent, I will keep my promise. You will leave here alive."
Keller's heart throbbed. "I don't want to turn into a rat."
On the bed, Carrie looked at the doctor with curiosity. A rat? What rat?
Locke blinked, then burst into laughter. "Dr. Keller, that treatnt is reserved for my enemies. You are not my enemy; you are my business partner."
Keller gave a dry, nervous laugh and wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief.
In truth, Carrie's reconstructive surgery hadn't actually needed this much ti. Keller had intentionally slowed the process, using "ticulous craftsmanship" as an excuse to test Locke's patience, fearing he would be killed as soon as the job was done.
Locke knew this but didn't rush him. He understood the weight his na carried in the criminal world. Everyone was looking for the Assassin's identity, and everyone had failed. That failure was the most terrifying part—no one knew what, if anything, could stop him.
An hour later, after receiving yet another assurance from Locke, Dr. Keller brought in the tools to remove the bandages.
Locke glanced outside at the nurses who were busy destroying electronic equipnt. He turned back to Keller. "Those nurses... they don't know, do they?"
Keller froze.
Locke raised a hand in apology. "Just a casual thought, Doctor. Don't take it to heart. If you can guarantee they haven't seen Carrie's new face, they can leave first. Whether they are doctors or nurses, as long as they save lives for a living, they have my respect."
Keller recovered. "When I operated on Ms. Carrie, they assisted in shifts. As you requested, I have kept no paper or digital records. My only concern is that I cannot destroy the records inside my own head."
Locke nodded. "For a brilliant doctor, his hands and his mind are equally valuable. I trust your professional ethics."
Locke walked to the foot of the bed and crossed his arms, watching intently as the bandages began to fall away, revealing the new face Carrie would use to greet the world.
***
Crazy we were at 420 stones sothing. We didn't hit 500 stones before.
But I'll just drop this bonus. Love y'all for support 💕
Let's keep the sa goals as last week.
Every 100 stones until 300 = bonus chapter. And sa 3 chapter offer if we hit 500 stones before next Monday.
Thanks for reading 🙏
***
Read 30 Chapters early on P-atreon/Redestro666
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