Chapter 364: And That’s Why I Want To Kill The Bastard.
"A... car crash...?"
Finn muttered the words, unsure if he had heard them right. For some reason, Dante chose this moment to reveal something about himself. From the looks of it, he ended up on the streets after losing his family. It was a common story. Tragic, but not unheard of. Finn knew someone who went through almost the exact same thing.
Finn began to wonder why he decided to bring it up now, of all times. It didn’t sound like it had anything to do with the conversation they were having, or so he thought at first. The red-haired youth seemed to have more to say, and soon after, another piece of the puzzle fell into place.
"Yup. That’s what they told me. Of course, it wasn’t really a car crash. I was there, you know. I saw it all." He scoffed. "Of course, nobody would believe that the world’s most powerful superhero just came down from the sky and killed a bunch of innocent people."
"... oh..."
The theory Finn had before was almost confirmed. The hatred the youth had displayed for Paragon said it all, and he now knew the reason behind it. Any other time, and he would have asked him if his family was rich, but doing so right now was just poor taste.
"I kinda messed up before all of that. Ended up pissing off some really powerful people." Dante said. "Because of that, my father is dead, my mother is dead, and my sister... is also dead."
A heavy silence fell over the room. Finn was lost for words. Not because of how heavy the topic was, but because it was having the opposite effect on him. A sickening sense of dread had wrapped him ever since he heard that gruff voice call his name, but after hearing that story, it was starting to weaken bit by bit.
"And that’s why I want to kill the bastard." Raising his cup, Dante smiled bitterly. "Of course, he’s just the first on a long list. But if I manage to kill him, the rest would practically be done for."
Finn searched his mind for something to say. His previous confusion was cleared, and he was starting to understand the purpose behind the story. As he went through it in his mind, he seemed to recall something Viktor had told him a while back.
"He probably would snap at me if he heard this, but" The fixer had said. "The two of you are more alike than it seems."
At the time, Finn didn’t understand what that meant, and because he still had some hostility toward the red-haired youth, he didn’t give the statement much thought. Now, however, it was all starting to make sense.
"... Jaguar is my father."
The words left such a bitter taste on his tongue that he regretted saying them out loud. Any other time and he would have puked, but since he had already emptied his stomach earlier, he was barely able to hold it back.
"Your father?" Dante frowned.
"The biological one," Finn said, balling his hands. "That’s the only connection we have." He clenched his jaws. "I never considered us family."
Faces flashed through his mind, and with each one came a jolt of pain. It took him a while before he regained the will to speak. Dante didn’t say anything, giving him ample time to gather his thoughts, and more importantly, his courage.
"Jaguar... Kent Dean... he liked to fool around with women. A lot." Finn said. "That would be putting it lightly, actually. Back in the day, he had a woman for each day of the month, or so I heard."
"So that guy was a playboy," Dante said. "Who could have guessed?"
"If only it were just that." Even as he scoffed, Finn smiled weakly, a hint of nostalgia in his eyes. "My mom was one of those women. Apparently, she was his favorite toy. When his other women got pregnant, he would usually force them to abort the babies. But he liked Mom enough to let her have me. He even took care of us for a while. Not that he was around most of the time, but he valued us enough to assign a bodyguard."
Just then, his expression darkened, and the light in his eyes dimmed. His silence lasted longer this time, and it didn’t seem like he planned on saying anything else. Dante noticed that his mug was almost empty and decided to refill it. Just as he was about to stand, the boy straightened himself, the smile returning to his face.
"You can probably guess the rest. My mom had an affair with the bodyguard, and Jaguar wasn’t too happy about it. He killed them both, and I was left alone. And that’s why I want to kill the bastard."
"... I see..."
Dante’s gaze wandered down, and he seemed to dive back into his own thought. Somewhat anxious, Finn closed his mouth and waited for the youth’s judgment. He had omitted a lot of details, still feeling uncomfortable about sharing his story, but he had told the gist of it, and he believed that was enough to explain his motivations.
As he tried to convince himself of that, the red-haired youth studied him in silence. His first question came a couple of minutes later.
"That MLP, how did you get it?"
"Well..." The answer was one of the details he had omitted, so he felt reluctant to disclose it. "I was forced to work as a Diver for the Daggers. Apparently, my brain was wired for those things, so Jaguar forced it on me..." He paused.
"... I’m guessing that didn’t happen last year..."
"Oh, I was about ten when they first opened my skull," Finn said. "No one thought I would make it this far."
Though he tried to laugh it off, it didn’t change the fact that what was done to him was horrendous. Bionics are known to cause a lot of harm if implanted too early, which is why it’s generally advised to avoid them before reaching adulthood. Many ignore those warning, but rarely do you find anyone under fifteen with any tech under their skin. Implants and surgeries were expensive, too. Most people didn’t have the funds to get some for themselves, so the very idea of wasting one on a child seemed ridiculous.