Caliban chewed at his lip as the bound Dandy whimpered in front of him. He removed the gag from her mouth.

Dandy wretched and then whispered quietly as she shook with fear, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

Laying on her lap was a small device, simple and cylindrical. Caliban picked it up hesitantly. A single red button was at the top of the cylinder and it was flashing. It looked like a damn kid’s toy.

Cicero’s digitized voice spoke through the displays, “Two trains have bombs on them, one is this one and the other is a train headed south. In 15 minutes the south line will reach the airport, and when it does. Well. You know. BOOM!”

Caliban flinched as the voice giggled.

The lunatic continued, “Now you can stop it obviously. This wouldn’t be much fun without a choice. Activate the trigger in your hand and the southbound train will be safe, along with the airport. However, not without a cost. You are a smart guy Mr. Detective, you can probably figure out what will happen next.”

Caliban looked down at the explosives strapped to Dandy’s chest. Sweat dripped down the detective’s neck, spotting his white shirt.

It was a choice between the two trains. Press the button and their train blew up. However, wait 15 minutes and the other train would be the one to explode.

Caliban ran his fingers through his black hair, “What the fuck was happening. HOW was this happening? How did Cicero corner them like this! It shouldn’t have been damn possible! FUCK!”

“There is only one rule,” said the voice giggling again, “try to disable the bomb and its game over for both trains. No funny business Mr. Detective.”

Caliban tried to calm his breathing, “only one rule?” he whispered to himself. The detective walked to the end of the train car and pulled on the emergency stop.

Nothing happened.

Caliban yanked it again and again but to no avail. He smacked the wall in frustration. Caliban looked down and saw a button on the wall. It was a call button. Caliban pushed it. Maybe just maybe the damn driver could get them out of this shit.

“Cicero isn’t that dumb,” said Sinclair from his seat, “did you really expect someone like this to overlook something like that?”

Caliban’s jaw tightened as he snapped his head towards Sinclair’s direction. “That asshole must be loving this,” he thought. Although Sinclair was as stone-faced as he always was. Caliban walked back to the middle of the train and looked down at the trigger in his hands.

This had to be a joke. There was no way this could be real. It couldn’t be real. You can’t set up something like this on the fly, it required pre-planning. Cicero somehow knew they would be on this specific train. Not only that, they would need to have a fucking God-level of prediction. It was impossible. To set up the train and cut the emergency stop line. To get rid of the conductor. To get rid of all the passengers. No, the passengers must’ve been in on it. All of them got off right before Cicero revealed himself. Not only that, they had to capture Dandy, plant both explosives. The planning alone would take days. But that wasn’t possible! If it took days, then Cicero needed to know that Grey and him were after Sinclair and that they would find him at this specific time, at this specific place. Not only that but Cicero needed to know about Havok and how he would flush them out. Then on top of that, the freak would need to predict exactly how the two detectives would react. No, not only them. Cicero predicted exactly how everyone would react, and exactly what they would do. From Havok cutting off their mode of escape, to them escaping through the subway, to them even choosing the damn northbound train. Cicero predicted everything. The thought filled Caliban with hopelessness. How do you fucking fight a lunatic like that!?

As if to further mock him, Cicero spoke up again, patronizing Caliban through the train displays, “I love these types of scenarios. A difficult decision to tear your heart in two. A substantial time limit so you can really mull over your decision. Just enough time to marinate in your guilt as you realize the darkest corners of your soul. These are the types of decisions that truly define a human!” Cicero giggled yet again, “However even these scenarios grow boring Mr. Detective. Do you want to know why? Because I already know what you are going to choose.”

The words terrified Caliban, shaking him to his core as a line of blood streamed from his lip. “It wasn’t possible!” he thought.

“People like you are too easy to read,” said Cicero, “You can’t hope to enthrall me as much as Sinclair has, however, try your best to entertain at least a little bit Detective Caliban. Oh, and by the way, you have 11 minutes left.”

At hearing his remaining time, Caliban grasped any remaining sense. He needed to focus. None of that prediction crap mattered, he just needed to make a decision. Cicero was forcing him to make a damn difficult choice, yet the scenario was simple conceptually. This train or that train, one was going to blow up so which was it? No one else was on their train, so in truth, it was the lives of Sinclair, Dandy and him against the lives of everyone on the southbound train. The rational answer was obvious. If you completely disconnected yourself the answer seemed simple. Their train only had three people, and one of them could hardly be defined as human. Two humans and a monster versus a train full of innocents. It was more complicated than that though.

Caliban looked to Dandy. She was a mess, barely able to keep it together. The poor girl was shaking furiously. He couldn’t blame her. He was not taking it much better and this was the second time she had been a victim of Cicero’s ploys. What was with this, why was Dandy such a focus. The police hadn’t even put a patrol at her apartment because it went against Cicero’s MO. The lunatic had never used a victim twice, not once in all his damn games. So why now?

Tears flowed down Dandy’s face as she continued to repeat her apology.

Caliban gulped down a lump in his throat. The girl had gone through enough, she didn’t deserve to die like this. She deserved a life surrounded by people that would love and support her and make her happy. But was it worth so many lives just so she could live? Damn it he wasn’t sure. Could he live with so many deaths staining his skin?

“It isn’t so easy being a monster, is it?” said Sinclair.

“SHUT UP!” shouted Caliban making Dandy jump in fear.

“9 minutes,” said Cicero’s distorted voice, “just make the decision we all know you are going to make. There is only one option for you.” The voice taunted Caliban like a digital devil.

Caliban’s grip on the trigger tightened. The cheap plastic cylinder strained slightly at the extra stress. He was an officer first and foremost. Cicero probably expected him to sacrifice their lives to save the other train. All he had to do was press the button and the explosives around Dandy would go off. They would die and the other train of people would survive. It was the obvious choice but he didn’t know those people, they weren’t important. Caliban’s shirt stuck to him, damp with cold sweat. They might be innocent, yeah, but if they died what would change? Who cared if a few died for the greater good? If he died who would deal out justice? Who would do what needed to be done? The others in the force didn’t have the balls to take down these criminals. Criminals like Sinclair and Cicero were too much for anyone else to handle. This city needed him. Also, who was to say the other train had anyone on it. For all he knew it could just be an empty train. That would be just like the lunatic. One last laugh at Caliban’s death as he sacrificed himself for an empty train. NO. He was not going to be Cicero's puppet. He would show the freak that he was not so easy to figure out. The southbound train was empty, he knew it was.

“8 minutes.”

Caliban looked down at the trigger in his hand. Was he willing to risk it all on that hunch though? Also, would he get in trouble for killing the people on the southbound train? How would he cover it up? Maybe if he lied and said he knew nothing about it. No one would believe Sinclair but Dandy might confess. Caliban eyed the trigger again and tightly gripped the weak plastic cylinder. What if he made a scene that would cover him and make the decision not up to him? What if he tried to break the trigger in half? He wasn’t even sure what would happen if he did. Maybe it would go off and blow up their train or maybe it would just break. He didn’t know the outcome so that meant it was a 50/50 shot. He wouldn’t be controlled. Yeah, and they didn’t negotiate with terrorists! If it went off then oh well and if it didn’t then there was nothing he could have done to save the other train. If there even were people on the southbound train it wouldn’t be him killing them they just had bad luck. They lost the coin flip was all. It wouldn’t be on him. Caliban took the plastic cylinder in both hands, careful not to press the button. All he had to do was snap it in half. What would happen? It was a true toss-up to decide his fate. Was this the right thing to do? Yes, it was the only thing to do. This was all Cicero’s fault, not his!

Caliban put pressure on the cylinder cautiously. Slowly he bent it more and more. Just a bit more and it would snap right in half. Caliban breathed heavy as his heart beat like crazy. Just a bit more.

A thud to the back of his head shook his vision and clattered his teeth. Then everything went black.

Caliban slumped to the ground, out cold.

“What a pathetic man,” said Sinclair standing over Caliban, his hands still cuffed. The man had been so consumed with his own cowardice that he didn’t even hear Sinclair’s advance.

Sinclair picked the plastic trigger up off the ground. Dandy stopped her whispering to look up at the new scene. She was no longer crying nor shivering.

“Sinclair…” she said with a hushed tone.

Sinclair walked towards the girl. Dandy’s face burned bright red as he got but a foot from her face. He reached out for her and Dandy closed her eyes in anticipation. Her heartbeat quickened at the thought of him so close to her. Sinclair pulled a bobby pin from Dandy’s hair and bent it to an L shape. Dandy opened her eyes, slightly embarrassed but also slightly disappointed.

The cuffs fell to the floor with a thud.

As Dandy dried her eyes she finally saw Sinclair in his full glory. Her breath almost caught in her throat. His presence was terrifyingly imposing. The last time they had met, he was holding a gun to her head but despite that, he was her hero. If not for him she would be dead. That was twice now she owed him her life.

Sinclair met her eyes with his cold stare and at that Dandy’s muscles tensed. As they locked eyes, it felt like ice was covering Dandy’s skin. Why was he so enthralling? She did not even understand her own feelings.

The train went over a heavy bump as it sped along, and with that Sinclair lowered his eyes to the trigger in hand.

“Seems like once again you are the victim,” said Sinclair, “and I am once again the player.”

Dandy’s mind flooded with emotions. She didn’t care where they were or what was happening. None of that mattered. It was all trumped by a single thing that burned in her mind. Everything else was meaningless in comparison. She needed to know no matter the answer, despite how much the answer scared her.

The train shuddered again.

“Sinclair…” said Dandy, her voice low.

The man once again looked her way.

“Wh-” Dandy swallowed, “Why did you choose me?”

Sinclair said nothing in response.

“Why did you choose me over your own daughter?”