After leaving the ruins of their Detroit ho, Aether carried them to a place overlooking the city's devastated skyline. The elevated position provided distance from the imdiate destruction while still allowing them to see the scope of what the apocalypse had wrought on their hotown.
Arthur dismounted and helped Charlotte down, both of them standing silently for a mont, taking in the view of broken buildings and abandoned streets.
But Arthur's attention wasn't on the city. He was watching Charlotte—the way her shoulders remained tense, how her eyes kept drifting back toward where their house had been, the careful way she held herself as if afraid of breaking down again.
He'd seen that body language before, during the darkest days of their holessness. When Charlotte was holding things inside, processing pain she didn't know how to express.
"Charlotte," Arthur said quietly, breaking the silence. "There's sothing I need to tell you. About what happened while you were sick."
Charlotte turned to face him, concern crossing her features. "What do you an?"
Arthur took a breath, his jaw tightening as mories he'd been suppressing for months surfaced. "The military. The United States governnt. They knew about you—about your illness. They knew I'd do anything to save you."
Charlotte's eyes widened slightly. "Arthur, what—"
"They took advantage of us," Arthur continued, his voice hardening with barely contained fury. "They separated us. Kept you in their facilities, controlled access so I could barely see you. And they used that control as leverage against ."
His hands clenched into fists. "They wanted to exploit my power. Wanted as a weapon they could control, point at whatever target they deed appropriate. And they knew I couldn't refuse because refusing ant losing access to you completely."
Charlotte's expression shifted from confusion to horror as understanding dawned. "They used as a hostage? To manipulate you?"
"Not explicitly," Arthur clarified, though his tone carried no less anger. "They were careful about it. Frad it as 'protection' and 'dical care.' Made sure I understood that your treatnt depended on my 'cooperation' with their initiatives. Never direct threats, but the implications were crystal clear."
He t Charlotte's eyes directly. "Every mission they assigned, every demand they made—I tried because saying no might an you died while I was dealing with bureaucratic retaliation. They weaponised your illness against , Charlotte. Used your life as a leash to control a strong player on Earth."
Charlotte's hands flew to her mouth, tears springing to her eyes. "Arthur... I had no idea. I was unconscious, I didn't know they were..."
"How could you have known?" Arthur's voice softened slightly despite the rage still simring beneath. "You were fighting for survival. But I knew. Every ti they made demands, every ti they implied consequences for non-compliance, I knew exactly what they were doing."
He turned to look out over the city, his expression hardening. "I've been planning what to do about it for so ti now. Ever since I gained enough power that their leverage ant nothing anymore. Since I proved I could operate independently, form my own alliances, build my own organisation."
Arthur's voice dropped to sothing cold and dangerous. "I've had the chance for revenge fully. Multiple opportunities to make them understand what a catastrophic mistake they made. But I've been waiting."
Charlotte wiped tears from her face, her voice shaking. "Waiting for what?"
"For you," Arthur said simply, turning back to face his sister. "I wanted you awake. Healed. Able to understand what happened and make your own choice about what cos next."
His eyes searched hers, looking for understanding. "Charlotte, I need to know—do you want to see them destroyed for their actions? The military leaders who used you as a hostage, the bureaucrats who weaponized your illness? Do you want to be there when I make them pay for what they did to us?"
He paused, his expression softening with concern. "Or should I handle it alone? I understand if you don't want to be involved in that. If seeing that kind of... retribution isn't sothing you can stomach."
Arthur's mind knew the truth about himself—he'd ventured too deep into inhumanity during his rise to power. He would kill those responsible without rcy, without hesitation, without losing a single ounce of sleep over their deaths. The long period of manipulation had burned away any compassion he might have felt for the people who'd exploited Charlotte's suffering.
But his sister wasn't like him. Charlotte still had the capacity for rcy, for hesitation, for questioning whether extre violence was truly justified. She'd been sheltered from the worst of what Arthur had beco during her illness.
He wouldn't force her to witness or participate in sothing that might damage that remaining humanity.
"I know what I've beco," Arthur continued quietly. "I know I've crossed lines that most people can't uncross. I'll kill them without remorse because they threatened you, used you, tried to control through your suffering. But you don't have to be part of that, Charlotte. You don't have to compromise who you are just because I've already compromised who I was."
Charlotte stared at her brother for a long mont, processing everything he'd revealed. Tears continued streaming down her face—not from fear or uncertainty, but from understanding the weight Arthur had carried alone while she'd been unconscious and helpless.
Then she stepped forward and cupped Arthur's face with both hands, forcing him to et her eyes directly.
"I will be with you, Arthur," Charlotte said with quiet certainty, her voice steady despite the tears. "Whatever you decide to do, however you choose to handle this—I trust you. I trust your judgnt, your decisions, your understanding of what needs to be done."
Her grip on his face tightened slightly, emphasis behind her words. "They used to hurt you. Used my illness as a weapon against my only brother. That's unforgivable. So do what you think is best. I'll support you completely."
She pulled him into an embrace, her voice muffling slightly against his shoulder. "You've protected my entire life. Let stand beside you now, even if what you're protecting from are the consequences of your own necessary actions. I'm not afraid of what you've beco, Arthur. I'm grateful for it. Because what you beca is what kept alive."
Arthur's arms wrapped around his sister, emotion threatening to overwhelm his carefully maintained control. He'd expected judgnt, maybe fear, possibly revulsion at what he'd beco and what he planned to do.
Instead, Charlotte offered absolute trust and unwavering support.
"They'll die," Arthur said quietly, making the promise explicit. "Everyone involved in manipulating us, in using your illness as leverage—I'm going to kill them all. As a ssage that nobody threatens the Fate family and survives."
"I know," Charlotte replied simply. "And I'll be there. Not because I want to see violence, but because you shouldn't have to carry that burden alone anymore. We're in this together now."
She pulled back to et his eyes again, her expression carrying steel beneath the lingering tears. "Besides, soone needs to make sure you don't go overboard and accidentally start an international incident. I'll be your... Cute sister who keeps you from completely losing your humanity?
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