"So, where do we start?" She took a slight step forward, her brow dipping down as her head cocked to the side. "Shall we begin with our mutual attempts to kill each other, or are we just going to go straight to the dominatrix that gets off on using her mind to toss me around like a hacky sack?"

Dom sighed and massaged his head. "I intended to talk about the training sessions, but if you want to talk about the night of the gala or the night I..."

He wasn't able to finish the sentence. Blood he could never wash away, tarnished his hands. He knew that. He'd grown numb to the guilt because he didn't fear death or the threat of retribution in the afterlife. Death was final, as far as he was concerned, and dying seemed like a welcome rest. That was true, at least, until Mir came into his life and the guilt came back with a vengeance.

"Well, lucky for you, I don't want to talk about either of those nights," she said, crossing her arms and turning away. "You didn't kill me, I didn't kill you. Let's move on, shall we? Right now is what matters and I don't have a fucking clue where we go from here."

This he understood with painful clarity. The only aspect of death that ate away at him was the anxiety that he hadn't done enough to provoke a movement that would hold Fortress accountable for their crimes. He worried about the legacy of his mission. However, over the past month, a fresh fear bubbled inside him. It felt so shallow in the grand scheme of things, but it filled his nightmares and had him watching his every step. Dread of the future waned, and the present pulled him to his knees. If he died, he'd never see Mir happy and he couldn't move on from the mortal coil until he knew she could live.

"Okay." His lungs exhaled, his body settling as he felt the weight of her sincerity.

He pulled off his suit jacket and tossed it over the back of a nearby chair as he made his way over to a tablet in the wall. With a swipe of his finger, he raised the lights to a warm glow that lit the space without detracting from the view. He then undid his cuffs and the top button of his shirt. He shook off the dust of another strenuous work day so he could approach this conversation with clear eyes. However, when he returned his gaze to his frustrated prisoner, he found her assessing his stance, dragging her eyes up and down his form before noticing his renewed attention. A blush of color lit her cheeks, and she turned away.

"So," he said, stepping forward to draw closer but still keep his distance, "tell me how you are doing — with the sessions, that is."

"Do you not watch the recordings? I've been able to figure out where all the cameras are in any given room based on where Karina stands and what direction she points her ass whenever she finds a reason to bend over."

"Sorry about that," he groaned. "Yes, I watch all the videos, though I admittedly skim through some of them. I can tell you're struggling, but I'd rather hear your feelings on the matter directly."

She watched him for a moment as she chewed on the inside of her lip and bounced her foot.

"I'll answer your question, if you answer one of mine first."

"Okay, shoot."

"Why her?"

If only she knew how often I ask myself that same question.

He took a breath and shoved his hands in his pockets while he considered how best to answer that loaded question.

"I would have liked a telepath to train you. You'd have a real challenge affecting their minds. In fact, they may be outright immune to your gift. They also are masters at shutting out the noise and focusing their powers within until the moment is right to let it all free. Telepaths, however, are hard to find. Unless they go over the top with their power, like you did, any other human being would think they were experiencing reality and wouldn't know to look for the person hiding behind the curtain."

"So, you don't have a telepath in your little black book."

"No," he sighed, "I do not."

"And she was the next best thing?"

"Unfortunately," he growled.

This caused Mir to look back at him with a raise of her brow and another question on her lips.

"She," he started, hesitating upon the word before licking his lips and continuing, "is an ex. A bad decision, really."

This little factoid earned him a shadow of a smirk. He thought she'd never smile around him again, but though her grin may have been slight, it was still there and he relished in the warmth that spread through him.

"Not long after I established Cramer Industries," he continued, clearing his throat to quell the competing emotions inside him, "I sought Gifted that were still untouched by the Fortress. Karina was one of our biggest finds. We didn't have anyone with mind-based powers before her and we hadn't found another purely mind-based Gifted until, well, you. So, I may have... coveted her, and she clearly coveted me."

"I bet having a lover with telekinetic powers must have been fun," said Mir with a flicker of amusement in her voice.

"Let's just say, shortly after she began training you, I met with her in my office to discuss your progress. I knew it was a bad idea, but I also knew that the elephant in the room wasn't going to go away on its own. During our conversation, she decided to use her powers to undress and pleasure herself. Right there in my office with zero shame. This was right after I shut down her attempts to jerk me off with her mind."

"Kinky, but if she can do it herself, why does she need you?"

"Good question," he replied with his own smile lighting his face. "I asked myself the same thing when I got up and walked out."

"I'm surprised she didn't use her powers to drag you back in."

"She might be horny more often than not, and she may be overly eager with her methods, but she's still a good person. She knows that would have crossed a line."

"Considering the lines she's already crossed, that's saying a lot." Mir rolled her eyes before turning to face the windows overlooking the city.

"I'm ready to send her home the second you tell me to. If the methods aren't working..."

"She's a bitch and I hate her," said Mir with a shrug, though her eyes still failed to meet Dom's. "However, I see value in the lessons she's teaching. It's just... I need an end goal. What's the point if I'm stuck in here for the rest of my life? Will I ever get to go home?"

Hearing the tremble in her voice, he stepped around her so he stood by her side. A halo of light caught the sheen on her eyes, which remained rigid upon something that sat far beyond the bay.

"I...I don't know. Shockwave won't give up on hunting you, not after you appeared at the party. He might not link you to Purr-seus, but now he's witnessed the two of us together twice. He wants to get me. As much as I like to think of him as a dumb asshole, he can connect the dots and he is persistent to a fault."

"So, you're worried he'll find me and then find you." A growl rumbled in her words and a corner of her lip raised in a slight sneer.

"Yes, to an extent, but also I fear what they'll do to you. Just like how he'll eventually reveal that I am Catalyst, he'll also discover that Elaina Hart is Mirage. They'll ask you to join..."

"And if I don't," she interjected, her gaze shifting to Dom's. "What happens to the Gifted that you can't catch in time? That fall prey to the Fortress and will not agree to their terms?"

"Executed." He swallowed, glancing at his shoes before proceeding forward. "In fact, I think one of those executions is why my sister died."

"What?" She turned to face him in full, the glaze that had coated her vision now gone. "I thought you said Stratosphere was hunting a rogue."

"Yes, but she was an unknown. All the information we have on her came from Fortress. We weren't able to dredge up anymore data on her and, though I have nothing concrete, in recent years I have speculated that this Gifted who was a supposed danger to society might have been a danger simply because she refused to conform to their requirements. So they let her loose and chased her down. That way they could at least use her death as further proof of how much humans need them."

He heard her curse under her breath and felt the rage ripple over his skin.

"What am I supposed to do then! Where do I go from here? Do I even get to go anywhere?"

Now the air sizzled with electricity that snapped and popped around him. He took a breath, reminding himself that this manifestation was the outward sign of Mir's own turbulent soul.

"I don't know, but what I do know is that you can't safely leave here until you can keep your gift in check. We've hidden others and we can hide you, but you need to make sure there's no reason for anyone to ever question who you are. So, despite how frustrating Karina can be, you need to take her lessons to heart. She's your best hope of getting out of here."

Mir didn't respond. Instead, she bit back her words, her eyes refocusing on that point beyond the horizon that Dom couldn't see.

After a while, Mir turned for the door and Dom walked her back to the cell in silence.