Chapter
3 – Punished Good Deeds
Today, I chose to help the people
at one of the many rehabilitation centers for ex-criminals and repentant
villains. It’s not something I want to do to flaunt the Dominion and
Coronamento Corporation’s accomplishments. Instead, I want to show the public that
those who turned to lives of sin can change and become better people. Those who
want to share their story with the public do so outside the center, while I
talk to the many patients, using my psychological powers to see their issues
and give them sympathetic advice and a hug if they need one. I also see Lily,
who is the reason the previous mayor was killed, to see how she’s doing. She
seems to be making real progress in her recovery.
Her prayers and penances have
reduced the size of the horns on her body to stubs, and she seems to be at
peace in her cell. Both Penelope and Zahra also check on her, and despite being
manipulated by her, they are concerned about her and want her to get better.
Since she seems to be at peace and we hear from the psychiatrists, doctors, and
priests that she’s recovering well, we leave her alone. Just like the rest of
the people here, they let their weakness overwhelm them and need a helping hand
so they can be who God made them to be. It’s then that the inevitable problems
start rearing their ugly heads, as I hear that the civilians outside the center
are getting angry and throwing things at the ex-criminals.
When the Compassionate and I go
outside, we hear people say things like, “That woman murdered my family!”
“That man stole my children from
me!”
“Those criminals destroyed my
neighborhood!”
“This is all fake and for show!”
Guess I should’ve seen this coming.
In the crowds, I see on the souls of people those who are here to start trouble
again. I tell Penelope, Zahara, and Raziel to watch the crowds and the area
around us for suspicious activity and characters. They do so, and I stand in
front of the ex-criminals and try to talk down the crowd.
“This is not for show, primarily to
get more votes for myself, or gain more support for the Dominion or Coronamento
Corporation,” I tell them. “This is to show everyone can change for the better
and to give these people the opportunity to show that, so that they won’t be
shunned for their actions in the past.”
“See?” a voice in the crowd says.
“She is doing this for her benefit.”
“That doesn’t make what I’m trying
to do here purely selfish or for my own gain. Even if I don’t become mayor,
I’ll continue to conduct events like these to reintegrate repentant convicts
back into society.”
“These people don’t deserve a
second chance!” another voice in the crowd says.
“Who are you to decide that?”
“We decide who makes the laws in
this country!”
“Do you? Many of you are here
starting trouble because someone else told you to do it or paid you. Don’t
think that I can’t see you, and you’ll escape without facing consequences for
your actions.”
“I told you I was right! If Polina
becomes mayor, she’ll turn Meridian into a police state, run by the Dominion,
the Coronamento Corporation, and her so-called Compassionate,” yet another
voice says.
More accusations get thrown at me
one after the other, and no matter how I try to answer them, they don’t stop or
calm down. Instead, the crowd becomes more agitated and wilder, and the next
worst possible thing to happen ends up saving me from this situation, as a shot
rings out, making some in the crowd scatter, and others take their guns out or
begin to use their powers. There’s an explosion in the sky, and fire starts
raining down on certain people, while also forming a ring of fire around the
crowds.
“I told you they’d turn against us!”
a woman in the crowd says, whom I immediately go after, restrain, and
interrogate.
“Why are you turning people against
us? Don’t lie to me! You can’t! I see in your mind that you came here to start
trouble and force a violent confrontation between both sides,” I say.
“I did it because you helped the
people who hurt my friends and family. Someone gave me a paycheck and a chance
to get back at you, and that villain, and that’s all I really needed. If you
want to know their reason for doing this, let’s just say we share similar
motives, but any more information is above my pay grade.”
“You’re doing this for revenge?
Look at what you’ve caused! Others are getting hurt and killed because of you!”
“I’m not native. I knew what would
happen.”
“Did you? You think you could bear
the weight of the responsibility, but look at the reality of what you’ve
caused.”
Around us, people are dying because
agitators and criminals are fighting against the ex-convicts. Amid the chaos,
one scene stands out: an ex-villain throwing herself into danger to save the
life of a family watching from the sidelines. This ex-villain is the same one
this woman I was talking to was after, and that same villain dies to save
strangers. Seeing this changes the woman I’ve restrained, and I can see her
struggling to justify her actions as similar scenes play out around us.
“Oh…I might’ve…made a mistake,” she
admits.
“You made a major mistake, but not
one that you can’t recover from,” I say.
“How?”
“Look at the person you hated. She
changed from a murderer and thief to a selfless hero. If she could change, so
can you, but you need to prove you can by helping me.”
“Okay…alright. I’ll tell you what I
know.”
The agitators in the crowd are
rounded up to be taken into the rehabilitation center for questioning and to
keep them locked up for now. Meanwhile, the injured and dead are taken away by
paramedics to be cared for.
When the Compassionate regroups
with me, Zahara explains that, “Penelope, Raziel, and I were looking for
trouble and found it, watching from a distance. Some of them were organizing it,
and others were going to start it, so we had no choice but to catch them while
they were in our sights, and start the chaos, before they could.”
“I’m sorry we couldn’t think of
anything else. It all just happened so fast,” Penelope adds.
“What happened was avoidable, I
admit. It could’ve gone better. May God have mercy on us,” Raziel says.
I look at each of them and embrace
them all.
“You don’t need to be so humble. I
trusted you to handle this in the best possible way, and you did. I probably
would’ve done the same thing in your place,” I say.
They thank me, and we go to
question the agitators. They all explain that they were there to start trouble
in a way that made us look bad. At first, they were trying to prey on the ex-convicts'
bad habits and get on their nerves so that they’d attack the crowd. Tech
recovered from the scene also reveals that they were using sound devices to subtly
make people angrier. Secondly, the people who hired them all also employed
criminals and villains to incite the crowds to attack us, and us fighting back
against seemingly civilians would guarantee that their plan would work. In
actuality, they’ve made us look better due to the sacrifice of ex-criminals and
repentant villains who gave their lives to protect innocent people and to bring
peace to the situation.
The organizers of this all were
also responsible for hiring the criminals and villains from yesterday, and are
said to have ways to get these agitators out of jail with the money and
connections they have, which I seriously doubt, because it would break their
cover. What we learn isn’t much, but we are getting closer to the truth that we
know that the people after us are also involved in business, and not just
politics. Therefore, we need to investigate the people who are politically
opposed not only to me, but also to the Dominion and Coronamento Corporation.
We are told by the agitators that there’s nothing we can do to stop the plans
of the people who hired them unless we want to get our hands dirty in public,
and there it is. Our foes want us to spring their trap, and as they hide in
plain sight.
Together with the Compassionate, I
tell them, “Election day is coming up, and the supporters of each candidate will
be out and about, pushing people to vote for either side. What makes this
particularly special is that powerful donors will also be out there giving
support to their candidate, and since they dare us to confront them in public,
I say we take the bait and make them regret it.”
“What about your mayoral run?
Wouldn’t vigilante justice get you disqualified?” Penelope asks.
“All that matters to me is getting
justice for those who’ve been hurt and killed because of the actions of people
who don’t want me to become mayor. If that means I get disqualified, so be it.”
“I like your attitude and thinking.
I’m with you, all the way,” Zahara says.
“I am, as well,” Penelope says.
“You don’t need to ask for my
support. You always have it,” Raziel adds.
With the plan agreed upon, we
decide to wait and gather our strength in secret, just as our foes are. I may
be throwing away everything that I’ve been working towards, but all that’s ever
mattered to me is enacting God’s mercy and justice, so I’ll gladly throw away
my months of hard work to the wind if that’s what needs to be done.
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