CHAPTER 64

CHAPTER 64

DAVID HERINGER

— Calm down, honey... — Ivy said, trying to calm her husband without success.

Brian stared at his father blankly.

— Son, I know there must be some explanation for this.

— I told you, I just don't know if they're retarded enough not to understand.

— Apparently there's only one retard here, and it's not us, after all, working with the enemy is not a clear sign of intelligence.

— Are you forgetting that you're joining the OWL? — It works for them as much as I do, at least I don't pretend I'm not manipulated by them, on the contrary, I have a much greater purpose.

— Do you think your grandfather would support what you're doing?

— I don't care about his opinion anymore, he rejected me, so I'm going to do the same thing he did to me.

— What is this stupid rejection talk, son? — Your grandfather loved you, you know that very well.

— He loved me to the point of excluding me from his main project.

— What you mean?

— Operation New Dawn — interrupted Norman Brady.

— Is it just me or is there no more privacy?

— He's my guarantee that you won't do anything to me.

— What?

David's voice was filled with pure indignation.

— Son — Ivy interjected — who do you think we are? — We would never do anything to hurt you, it's not because we live in a world where no one trusts anyone that they can't trust us.

Brian looked at Norman who nodded.

— Sorry, Dad, but the decision is already made, there's nothing you can do, I know you don't understand what I'm doing, but it's just meant to be.

— I want you to know that I wish you the best.

— Then I want what I want.

— Only if that was for the best.

— That 's for the best, and one day you'll know why.

— Why can't I know now?

— Because otherwise I would ruin everything, I have to do it myself, I don't want to depend on you for everything, I already said, I have my own life and I will build my story independent of you, independent of my grandfather.

David took a deep breath trying to control himself.

— David — Norman said calmly — my father had a project to go back to the past and restructure the order of things, that project was called New Dawn.

David didn't say anything and Norman continued:

— Both Brian and I were rejected by him from taking over where he left off.

— I understand you, but Brian...

— Brian and I have a lot in common, especially about what we think of this world and the way it was created.

— I could tell.

— My father wanted someone completely outraged by all the things this world has created, but because of that, we were denied the privilege of working on his biggest project.

David sank down on his couch and thought for a moment:

— I would probably be rejected too.

The two looked at each other.

— Don't think it's strange, because Burke didn't have some basic principles, like right and wrong, so, for him, if he had to kill someone for something bigger, he would just do it without rancor or remorse.

— What wouldn't happen in your case? — Brady said.

— Probably not, I don't have the balls to pull the trigger on someone.

— So what shall we do?

— We won't do anything, but someone I know will.

They all looked at Brian in disbelief.

— Grandpa said my brother would, twenty years from now.

— How can he be sure? — Said David.

— It can't — Brady interjected — science also works with probabilities, it's a long shot my father is giving.

Ivy stroked her belly and the child kicked.

— I think he knows what we're talking about.

— Perhaps his fate is greater than ours.

David knelt before Ivy and kissed her and said,

— I don't know what God expects you to do, but know that we will all be here always to make it happen.

The baby kicked again.