[The ring is loud. At least, it is in Gene's head. There's nothing he wants more than to put it on, and it's practically whispering that he should. It's almost like it wants to be reunited with its fellows.
When Gene speaks again, his voice still has some of that trancelike quality.] I am doing the right thing. If I have all of them, I can...I can take down M-- the enemy, [he says, catching himself. He's not that far gone, though it sounds like he's trying to convince himself of this, not just Tony.] We can go home. And I can fix everything. [That's all he'd ever wanted, at the heart of things. To fix the world, drive the chaos from it. Ruling would have just been a neat perk.
All the while, he can hear the ring - or maybe it's not the ring, maybe it's just his own half-crazed mind trying to rationalize things away - whispering poison in his ear. Kill him. Put the ring on and rid yourself of this pest. He will not be able to stop you. Nobody will.
Or is that his mother's voice, carried over from the dream?
He swallows again, his mouth dry. This is all he's been seeking for years, and the ring is practically humming in his hands, so close is it to its fellows. He wants it. He wants it. And why shouldn't he have it? He could do so much good with it, but aside from that, it belongs to him. He'd found it, he'd activated it, it's his by right of birth and combat!
There's one thing Tony will never understand about this: There's nothing so sweet as power to someone who's never really had any.
He reaches for it, and realizes what he's doing, and curls his fingers into a fist around the ring, the spikes on the band and the points of the gem digging into his skin, half-waking him up. Struggling to do it all the while - what are you doing, put it on, claim your birthright, embrace your destiny! - he finally manages to hold the ring out to Tony. When he opens his hand, Tony can see that he'd gripped the ring tightly enough for some of the spikes to draw blood.]
Take it, [he says, half-begging, sounding more like himself than he has this entire time, more like the teenager he is instead of the man he's trying to be.] Take it, please. Take it away from me before I...before I do something I'll regret. [His eyes are closed and he's half-turned his face away from Tony, tears threatening to spill forth from his eyes and his mother's voice from his dream echoing around his head.
Take it or be unworthy as my son!
Giving it up hurts. It hurts more than anything he's ever had to do, but he knows for a fact that he can't be trusted with it, not yet. Skul and Amelia had given him another chance when by rights he deserved none. He doesn't want to disappoint them. He doesn't want them to know how tempted he is to just put it on and blast Tony and all who oppose him into atoms before getting the real work done.] Take it, take it, take it, I can't have it, it's too much. I'm not ready, I'm not ready for it yet. [He's barely aware that he's speaking. He just wants Tony to take it away from him...before he succumbs to his weakness.]
I passed the test. I will diminish, and go into the West, and remain Gene-ladriel.
When Gene speaks again, his voice still has some of that trancelike quality.] I am doing the right thing. If I have all of them, I can...I can take down M-- the enemy, [he says, catching himself. He's not that far gone, though it sounds like he's trying to convince himself of this, not just Tony.] We can go home. And I can fix everything. [That's all he'd ever wanted, at the heart of things. To fix the world, drive the chaos from it. Ruling would have just been a neat perk.
All the while, he can hear the ring - or maybe it's not the ring, maybe it's just his own half-crazed mind trying to rationalize things away - whispering poison in his ear. Kill him. Put the ring on and rid yourself of this pest. He will not be able to stop you. Nobody will.
Or is that his mother's voice, carried over from the dream?
He swallows again, his mouth dry. This is all he's been seeking for years, and the ring is practically humming in his hands, so close is it to its fellows. He wants it. He wants it. And why shouldn't he have it? He could do so much good with it, but aside from that, it belongs to him. He'd found it, he'd activated it, it's his by right of birth and combat!
There's one thing Tony will never understand about this: There's nothing so sweet as power to someone who's never really had any.
He reaches for it, and realizes what he's doing, and curls his fingers into a fist around the ring, the spikes on the band and the points of the gem digging into his skin, half-waking him up. Struggling to do it all the while - what are you doing, put it on, claim your birthright, embrace your destiny! - he finally manages to hold the ring out to Tony. When he opens his hand, Tony can see that he'd gripped the ring tightly enough for some of the spikes to draw blood.]
Take it, [he says, half-begging, sounding more like himself than he has this entire time, more like the teenager he is instead of the man he's trying to be.] Take it, please. Take it away from me before I...before I do something I'll regret. [His eyes are closed and he's half-turned his face away from Tony, tears threatening to spill forth from his eyes and his mother's voice from his dream echoing around his head.
Take it or be unworthy as my son!
Giving it up hurts. It hurts more than anything he's ever had to do, but he knows for a fact that he can't be trusted with it, not yet. Skul and Amelia had given him another chance when by rights he deserved none. He doesn't want to disappoint them. He doesn't want them to know how tempted he is to just put it on and blast Tony and all who oppose him into atoms before getting the real work done.] Take it, take it, take it, I can't have it, it's too much. I'm not ready, I'm not ready for it yet. [He's barely aware that he's speaking. He just wants Tony to take it away from him...before he succumbs to his weakness.]