Ray tracks down Toby in the woods, and Bloodsquirt and Kay encourage him to kill Ray. Ray has a deep well of sympathy for Toby, given that the nanites are really just fueling Toby's rage over the fact that his parents abandoned him. Ray manages to save him, paradoxically, by breaking his neck: he allows the nanites to heal Toby to the point where he's still weak but can survive and then takes back the nanites at that moment. Once she's turned over her injured partner to the paramedics, Festival follows Ray into the woods, with Magic on her heels. Ray convinces Festival to blame the people that Toby killed on him, giving Toby a chance at a real life. But, he also asks Festival to let him flee, since he has a similar chance in Magic, particularly after she helps him chase away Bloodsquirt and Kay. Festival grants both requests. In the epilogue, they drive to the location of the house where Ray's file says that he used to live, though it's unclear what connection it has to him, other than being the Garrison residence. Is it his parents' house? Is it his wife's house? Is it a kid's house? Ray decides to burn his file without reading it, realizing that he knows who he is: he's Bloodshot, because some has to be.
Ray's acceptance of his role as Bloodshot isn't necessarily a surprise; the fact that he does so from a place of relative peace is. The problem for Ray, of course, is that said peace comes pretty much exclusively from Magic's love. She's the difference, and it means that he has something valuable to lose; in his line of work, I can't imagine that's a good thing. But, for now, he has a reason to see the silver lining in his situation, and I hope that he can enjoy it for a while.
*** (three of five stars)
No comments:
Post a Comment