The Universal Scales
Title: The Universal Scales
Author: Cricket
Characters, Pairing: Cain
Rating: PG
Summary: Cain's faith is tested.
Disclaimer: Sadly, not mine. I'm just playing with the toys of the respectful owners.
Word Count: 420
Prompt: #2 Fairness
Cain considered himself to be a good man. He believed in justice and equilibrium. All things, righteous and malevolent, were balanced in the universe. For every crime there was a punishment and a reward for every good deed. His conviction in this basic principle was the driving force behind his choice of profession. To be a Tin Man, to help maintain the balance of justice, was more than a job, it was an outward expression of his soul's yearning to make sense of the complexities of life. And he'd assumed that by taking on this greater purpose, he'd ensure good things for him and his.
Over the years, however, the strength of his belief dwindled. For every murderer he sent to judgment and every theft he prevented, only unhappiness and misfortune was returned. An infection that killed his siblings, a fire that took his family home, a meager paycheck that barely kept his wife and child fed and clothed, none of it seemed to make sense. But through it all, Cain kept the shreds of his faith tightly clenched in his iron fist. Life had to be fair; otherwise, his existence would be meaningless.
Even when he felt the reverberating slam of the tin suit's pressurized seal, he still believed in justice and equilibrium. Anger and resentment fueled his need for vengeance, a need that built steadily with every passing day that he was kept from seeking his retribution. To pass the time, he designed the punishment for Zero, and as the first glimpse of pure light released him from his tomb, a manic burst of excitement pulsed through him.
But Zero eluded Cain still. The vengeance due to him dangled just out of reach, and he was instead beaten, shot, left for dead. Again. He could taste the injustice on his tongue like the acidic aftereffects of violent retching.
Then the scales tilted. Jeb was alive. And with the relief of that revelation, Cain found it in himself to lessen Zero's punishment. Durance, not death, would fit the crime sufficiently.
His own balance restored, it was with a satisfied soul that Cain went into the tower to help the princess of light against the sorceress of darkness. The dichotomy was too perfect and he had faith that all would be set right, even if they themselves were to fail in their task. The eclipse would never be eternal, no matter how powerful Azkadellia's magic. Evil would be thwarted by goodness; it always was, because he believed in justice and equilibrium.
Author: Cricket
Characters, Pairing: Cain
Rating: PG
Summary: Cain's faith is tested.
Disclaimer: Sadly, not mine. I'm just playing with the toys of the respectful owners.
Word Count: 420
Prompt: #2 Fairness
Cain considered himself to be a good man. He believed in justice and equilibrium. All things, righteous and malevolent, were balanced in the universe. For every crime there was a punishment and a reward for every good deed. His conviction in this basic principle was the driving force behind his choice of profession. To be a Tin Man, to help maintain the balance of justice, was more than a job, it was an outward expression of his soul's yearning to make sense of the complexities of life. And he'd assumed that by taking on this greater purpose, he'd ensure good things for him and his.
Over the years, however, the strength of his belief dwindled. For every murderer he sent to judgment and every theft he prevented, only unhappiness and misfortune was returned. An infection that killed his siblings, a fire that took his family home, a meager paycheck that barely kept his wife and child fed and clothed, none of it seemed to make sense. But through it all, Cain kept the shreds of his faith tightly clenched in his iron fist. Life had to be fair; otherwise, his existence would be meaningless.
Even when he felt the reverberating slam of the tin suit's pressurized seal, he still believed in justice and equilibrium. Anger and resentment fueled his need for vengeance, a need that built steadily with every passing day that he was kept from seeking his retribution. To pass the time, he designed the punishment for Zero, and as the first glimpse of pure light released him from his tomb, a manic burst of excitement pulsed through him.
But Zero eluded Cain still. The vengeance due to him dangled just out of reach, and he was instead beaten, shot, left for dead. Again. He could taste the injustice on his tongue like the acidic aftereffects of violent retching.
Then the scales tilted. Jeb was alive. And with the relief of that revelation, Cain found it in himself to lessen Zero's punishment. Durance, not death, would fit the crime sufficiently.
His own balance restored, it was with a satisfied soul that Cain went into the tower to help the princess of light against the sorceress of darkness. The dichotomy was too perfect and he had faith that all would be set right, even if they themselves were to fail in their task. The eclipse would never be eternal, no matter how powerful Azkadellia's magic. Evil would be thwarted by goodness; it always was, because he believed in justice and equilibrium.