1.6) His Freezing Heart

Victor Truman stared into the night sky, tapping his foot on the sidewalk outside the busy cafe. He took turns looking left and right, and even across the street, wondering where she could be.

She’s late. Wasting precious time. What a hassle.

It had been over thirty minutes. Perhaps most sane people would have entered the cafe and kept themselves warm as they waited for a late companion, but Victor Truman did not; he didn’t even bother ringing her phone. He was too stubborn to admit to her that she was the one in control of the situation, and that he wanted her to get here faster.

She used to always be on time. What changed?

He sighed, then looked up to the night sky. As his eyes landed on the moon, the strength of his gaze weakened and his mind drifted back to the past. 

Both of them were just teenagers, once. He missed those days, when they would spend their free days and nights staring and making wishes upon the sky. When they could dream, making fleeting promises without fear of having to carry them out; when he didn’t feel the need to fight for anything, and their hopes were enough; when the simple utterance of their dreams seemed enough to make them real.

Can I really… bring myself to forget those shining days?

Though he would not consciously admit it, he was scared to think that he would have to betray her by the end of their journey.

“Hey.”

Victor jumped, turning around with his arms flailing awkwardly to protect his face and body. Then, he peeked out from between his arms to see that Abigail was looking at him with a surprised expression, which soon turned into a look of chagrin.

“Hey,” she said, sighing and starting over. “Sorry I’m late, I guess, but it looks like you were feeling all comfortable in a different world of your own. So maybe I should apologize for interrupting, instead.”

“What? No, no, you weren’t interrupting anything,” he said defensively.

“I get it. I’ve been having those moments too,” Abigail said, looking up into the sky. “Maybe there’s just a lot more to think about, nowadays.”

Victor felt a wave of comfort wash over him, as she spoke in the familiar voice he had become accustomed to in his youth. He almost spoke out his own thoughts, habitually wanting to add to her thoughts like he always would, when Abigail opened her mouth again.

“So? What are we doing back here, of all places? Are we heading in?” Abigail flicked her head toward the quiet cafe.

Victor blinked. Wait, what were we supposed to be doing? Then he remembered. They weren’t there to screw around. This was serious.

“Every second counts, Abigail,” Victor said sternly. “I thought you’d be more punctual.”

She frowned. “I was able to save a few more lives in exchange for keeping you waiting. I think that’s a fair reason to be late, don’t you think?”

“Finding the thief as soon as possible is the most important thing, Abigail. If we don’t find this person soon, it means the end of the whole world. Can’t you understand that it won’t matter how many people you save now if they’re all going to die in a few weeks?”

“I get it, I get it,” she said, raising her arms in surrender. “You want me to look at the big picture. But you have no idea how much willpower it takes for someone like me to try and think that far, you know.”

Victor sighed. “You’re risking the safety of the entire world to save a few more people who have fallen in your path. The math doesn’t add up.”

“Of course it doesn’t. ‘Human lives aren’t a matter of numbers. Each life is precious and unique, brimming with infinite possibilities.’ Isn’t that right?”

Victor scoffed. “Infinite possibilities? What do you know of infinity? Don’t make me laugh. Neither one of us can grasp infinity, when our own comprehension is finite. Don’t try to make us appear more significant by overestimating the price of a single human soul.”

Abigail furrowed her eyebrows, took a moment to think, then looked at him with a confused expression. “I was paraphrasing what you told me in the past. You’re just being annoyed by your own words.”

Victor froze, then he looked away, genuinely baffled by her response and perhaps by his past self, who now seemed to be from a different lifetime.

Abigail sighed. “I’m not here to argue, Victor. Let’s not do this.”

An uncomfortable silence followed as Victor avoided eye contact. Then, Abigail looked into the cafe once more.

“Are we really not going inside?” Abigail asked, as if hoping that he would play along.

“No time for aimless chatter. Let’s get to the point,” Victor said sharply. “Our current objective is to locate the thief who stole the power of infinity.”

Abigail rested her free hand on her hip. “You know, thief is a very strong word,” Abigail commented. “You told me that this person is the one who held up the sky for thirty-two years. We should hail this person as a martyr.”

Victor sighed. “Well, this is also the same person who is currently allowing the universe to collapse, so let’s just say I’m a bit frustrated by this coward.”

Abigail frowned, as if wanted to object.

Victor continued, ignoring her silent disapproval. “The thief seems to be somewhere in the United States, specifically in California. With the resources you have at hand as a Leviathan, we should have no problem getting there and finding him.”

“Yes, you already told me this over the phone. And then?”

“And then we steal the power from him,” Victor said.

Abigail sighed. “You don’t expect me to overpower this person, right? We’re talking about going up against infinite power.”

Victor closed his eyes. “I’d say you can, at least to an extent. The reason why no one else is aware of his presence in this world is because he’s not currently using that power. If he was always using the power to its fullest, he’d be a walking black hole. He would destroy the planet by simply existing in that infinite state of energy.”

He shuddered. "I digress. Essentially, what this means is that the thief is probably able to manually increase and decrease his energy. So...”

Abigail tapped her lips. “So, we overpower him before he gets the chance to overpower us.”

“Yes. Then I’ll steal his power.”

“You?” she asked, surprising Victor with her tone. It sounded as if she hadn’t even considered this as a possibility.

“What, is there a problem with that? You don’t trust me?”

“Hmm. I don’t know. After you got yourself fired from CERN a few months ago for ‘accidentally’ tampering with the Hadron Collider without permission?” she sarcastically pondered, putting her finger on her lips and looking up to the sky. “Yeah, I think I trust you a little less. You know, just a little.”

She sighed. “I’m honestly baffled on how you could lose your precious research position with such a colossal mistake. Then again, it’s obvious to me that you had some ulterior motives, though no one has the evidence to prove it.” Her serious look returned as she stared into his eyes.

Victor felt his heartbeats quicken. It was almost as if she was warning him, as if she was prepared to cut him down if she found solid evidence to prove that he was planning something horrible.

Abigail took a deep breath and scratched the back of her neck. “Well, it doesn’t matter. I’ll trust you. We’re keeping each other in the loop.”

Victor involuntarily smiled, secretly happy that she still trusted him, then nervously laughed. “Of course we’re keeping each other in the loop. We’re best friends, after... all…"

He froze.

“Hm?” Abigail said, noticing how he trailed off. “You okay?”

We’re... best friends?

Victor closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. This was the issue, wasn’t it? He still viewed her as a friend, no matter how much he told himself otherwise when he was alone. As long as they were together like nothing had changed, he would always waver. He needed to get it all out of the way as soon as possible. Maybe it was time to fully commit to his beliefs.

He swallowed hard, about to mutter what he needed her to know before his heart could betray her. But as he opened his mouth, she beat him to the punch.

“Still, you’re right–you are my closest friend. That hasn’t changed,” she said.

Victor Truman bit his lip and prolonged the inevitable, closing his mouth once more. In the end, he could not yet fully commit to his beliefs; he didn’t want his heart to lose it all so soon. The warmth that her presence provided to his freezing heart was too precious. But alas, the time would soon arrive when his heart would completely freeze, hurting him no longer.

He whispered. “Thank you. For still trusting me.”

She cleared her throat. “To be clear, though, I don’t fully trust you,” Abigail said, crossing her arms and looking into the cafe where a couple was enjoying a quiet conversation. “But I trust the person you used to be. I put my faith in the boy who promised me a better world,” Abigail said.

“Oh.”

A hint of guilt was visible on her face, but she didn't relent. “Don’t look so disappointed. Anyone else would have let their suspicions ruin the bond we have. You should thank me.”

Victor sighed, then decided to indulge her. “Thank you. For trusting me.”

She gave him a look of amusement. “I was kidding, you know.”

“Just take my gratitude, damn you…”

Then, she turned and began walking back in the direction she came. “Now, come along. Like you said, there’s no time to waste. Let’s not be late for our flight.”

Victor stood there in silence with an uncomfortable feeling in his heart, then looked at the couple inside the cafe. Maybe in a different world, he and Abigail would have met today for a different reason... with nothing to hide, with a reason much less sinister and much more innocent.