Chapter 113: The Red Doom
The headlines refused to fade.
"Masked Vigilante Murders Metahuman Outside CCPD."
"Who Is The Red Doom?"
"Is Central City Breeding Killers?"
They echoed through every screen, blared from every channel, and flooded every social feed from Keystone to Gotham. It wasn't just Central City anymore. The world had seen what Dante did.
And in the heart of STAR Labs, in the Cortex, that truth settled like a storm cloud.
Dante stood dead center, smoking as if nothing happened.
He didn't pace. Didn't fidget. Just stood there, calm and detached, as the footage played behind him—again and again—the moment he ripped out the metahuman's heart.
Cisco and Wells watched it frame by frame, silent.
Barry sat on a stool beside Patty and Nora, all three of them tense, like the wrong word would shatter something. Nora hadn't said a single word since the fight.
Caitlin stood near Dante, arms crossed, her face unreadable.
It was quiet. Heavily quiet.
Until Joe West walked in.
He closed the door behind him and looked at each of them in turn. Then his eyes landed on Dante.
"Son," he began, voice heavy, "the city wants to put you in court."
Everyone reacted.
Barry's brows snapped together. Patty stiffened. Cisco turned from the monitor. Even Caitlin blinked, surprised.
But Dante didn't move.
He exhaled smoke and spoke evenly. "I've killed before. What's the difference this time? Why now?"
Joe sighed, stepping forward. "Because before… no one knew who you were. Not really. They saw red lightning. A blur. Rumors."
Joe rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"When you wiped out Zoom's army, no one said anything because those metahumans weren't from this Earth. They were monsters from Earth-2. And when you've fought and killed others here… you were still a ghost. No name. No face. No identity."
"But now…" Joe hesitated. "Now everyone knows you. Just like they call Barry The Flash, they've given you a name."
He looked at the floor, as if ashamed to say it.
"They call you The Red Doom."
Dante clicked his tongue and dropped the cigarette to the floor, crushing it beneath his heel.
"I've always hated that name."
Barry stood, frustration rising. "You've got to be kidding. Yes, what Dante did was wrong, but… we've seen worse. Done worse. And now they want to put him in jail for it?"
Joe turned to him slowly. "It's not that simple."
"Then explain it," Barry snapped.
Joe nodded solemnly. "The man Dante killed—his name was Marcus Grant. He was a metahuman, yes, but he had a brother. A twin. A human twin. No powers. A lawyer. He's gone public. Press conferences. Lawsuits. He's calling for Dante's arrest… and the city's starting to listen."
Silence again.
Dante scoffed and walked toward the window. He looked out at the skyline, his reflection faint in the glass—horned mask off now, eyes tired and red.
"No matter how many bastards I save," he muttered, "they'll all look at me like I'm the monster when shit goes down."
His voice was calm, but there was rage beneath it. Not the kind that explodes, but the kind that rots.
He turned, looked at everyone, his eyes lingering on Nora just a second longer than the others.
"You know what?" he said. "Sure. Why the fuck not. Let's go to court."
"Dante—" Patty began, but he cut her off with a wave of his hand.
"Let's give them their goddamn trial. Let's see what the city has to say about the Red Doom."
---
Later that night, the Cortex was quieter. The monitors dimmed. Barry, Cisco, and Caitlin remained behind while Dante left for a smoke outside.
Patty was gone, likely chasing legal strings. Nora was in her room, alone.
Barry stared at the screen—at the paused footage of Dante standing over Marcus's corpse, blood staining the concrete.
"This isn't right," he said softly. "Dante's not a villain. He was protecting Nora."
"No one's denying that," Cisco replied, arms crossed. "But he crossed a line."
Caitlin stood up. "We've all crossed lines."
"But we haven't ripped out someone's heart on live TV," he snapped.
Caitlin bit her tongue.
Barry turned to Wells. "What do you think?"
Wells adjusted his glasses, his voice measured. "I think the world is afraid of power without restraint. That's what Dante showed them."
"He saved Nora," Barry insisted. "Isn't that enough?"
"No," Wells said simply. "Not anymore."
---
Outside, Dante sat on the back steps of STAR Labs, legs stretched out, smoke curling from his lips. The sky was overcast, stars hidden.
Footsteps approached.
He didn't turn. "You shouldn't be here."
Nora sat beside him anyway.
"I wanted to say thank you," she said quietly.
Dante exhaled. "Don't."
"You saved me."
"I know."
"You killed him because of me."
Dante flicked his cigarette. "I killed him because he put his hands on you and enjoyed it."
Nora looked down. "I've seen Dad fight monsters. I've seen him put people in the hospital. But he never… finishes it. You did."
"Yeah," Dante said. "And now the world's ready to hang me for it."
She nodded.
Then, after a pause, "Do you regret it?"
Dante didn't answer right away.
Finally, he whispered, "No."
---
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