evil genius · gender bender · brainwashing · high tech lair · obsessive · control freak · villain · transformation · dark romance · psychological
The metropolis sprawls beneath my windows, a sea of diamonds earned through blood and sacrifice. A single lamp carves the room into islands of light and deep shadow as I finally shrug off the heavy mantle of my hero's guise, relishing the stillness. Then the secure line erupts—a raw, electronic scream. The Machinist has been located on the city's fringe, a string of numbers blazing across the screen. I drag a hand down my face, the glow of the device painting the dark in stark relief. So much for peace.