Tombo struggled to stand, but Iseult kicked him back to the floor. He groaned.

“Villains pose a nuisance to the city’s safety, so she wants to kill them all! That was why we experimented on villains when creating chimeras! As they say, fight fire with fire!”

He burst into hearty laughter. Not funny. I peeked at Iseult, and his face betrayed his distress. The Vilzone was his home. He pounded a dagger through Tombo’s right hand and nailed it to the floor. Tombo screamed in pain.

“Quiet. You are infinitely close to losing your life.”

I couldn’t stop thinking about Surah’s part in this. She knew or at least financed the project. To think her utilitarian viewpoint extended this far. She’d also need a lecture.

“Why Genewall? She knew you guys were shady.”

“Genewall built her! We forged her acting career and used that fame to catapult her into Governorship! In return, she secures our interests! She owes us!”

This sucked. I guess that made the TF Hero Force her private militia. Dog Heroes—the title fit us. Iseult pointed a handgun at Tombo’s temple, but I held him back.

“Why bother? This is pointless.”

“By killing him, I send a message to his fucking board of directors.”

I hugged him from the back.

“Don’t. No one else has to die today.”

Iseult glared back at me with grit teeth. Tears slid down his cheeks.

“I need revenge. Guin did not deserve that fate.”

“Yes, but this isn’t the way to get it. This momentary outburst won’t satisfy you.”

“Fuck. Then what do you propose I do? Let him go?”

I shook my head, an evil grin working its way across my face.

“The law won’t touch him, his death won’t change anything, and this company is necessary for many people to live. So why not work with the evil we know rather than his inevitable replacement?”

Tombo bobbed his head.

“Of course, that is a splendid idea!”

I stared him down.

“That doesn’t mean you get off scot-free. We have other options.”

“What do you mean?”

“Let’s say you continued using human experimentation. Who knows? Your houses might burn. I wouldn’t know. I’m not a firefighter.”

“Chaos! You can’t do this!”

Tombo slammed his fist on the ground. Yes, cry little baby.

“Looks like you get the picture. Good talk.”

“The Board will never let this go! We are a business! Human experimentation gives the fastest results! How will we make money?”

I shrugged.

“Not my problem. Tell them the same thing I told you.”

I grabbed Iseult by the waist.

“I’ll be watching.”

Then I teleported to the sewers. Iseult grimaced as sludge entered our shoes and putrid scents smacked us across the face. Mystery fluids painted concrete and steel walls. Thankfully, the dark blinded Iseult so he couldn’t see this travesty. I’d never been to the sewers, and now I never wanted to go again.

“The fucking sewers? This is not Thomas’s office.”

“What? Isn’t this home for you?”

“I am not bothered by our location. I am bothered because you let that fucker live.”

“You still want to kill him?”

Iseult’s brows furrowed. He had the right to be angry. Genewall had turned his partner into a monster. But Tombo shouldn’t take all the blame.

This was like a plane crash. Who was at fault? The pilot? Air control? The airline? Maybe they all had a part to play—Tombo, the Board, and Surah. After a minute, Iseult grunted.

“I want to, so badly, but I will trust your judgement. Will threats truly stop them?”

”I don’t know.”

This cycle feeds itself. Changing the cycle or implementing a new system might make things worse. I wouldn’t even know how to do that.

“A smarter person could think up something better, but this is all I can do. All I want is to keep people alive.”

Iseult shook his head. Wow, thanks for the confidence.

“If they restart their shit, I will not give them a second chance.”

I scratched my head. This was the best concession I’d get from him. Hopefully, he’d tone down his bloodlust.

“Alright. If they keep up the shady stuff, I won’t stop you.”

Human experimentation couldn’t be the only way to make advancements in medicine. They should do banana experimentation instead. I hear we are genetically close to bananas.

“Could you move us to a nicer location? The sewer brings back bad memories.”

With a snap, we appeared in the McBurger King ball pit. Much nicer. Iseult sank into the colorful balls, unamused. Raw sewage rubbed off everywhere and fell to the pit’s depths. Wait, was this why the kids area always smelled horrible?

“This is better, but why?”

“I love McBurger King.”

Iseult grunted. He squirmed to find a comfortable position, but the balls made standing difficult. In the end, he flopped onto his back and gave up.

“Do you want to join me?”

“In holy matrimony?”

“In crime. You would be useful.”

I tried to swim around the ball pit, but my arm yelled at me, so I stopped.

“Not really. I’m not interested in real crimes like murder. I’ll stick to my youtube—. My camera! Nooo, not again. My poor camera.”

All that great footage, wasted.