Dumas had to agree that the other Mari displayed a strong streak of self-destructive behavior.  Why else would she aggressively torment someone capable of snapping her in half?  But she’d lasted this long, so she couldn’t be insanely reckless.  Could she?  “She’s definitely a danger,” Dumas conceded.  “Even if she doesn’t have a death wish, I wouldn’t put it past her to betray us all, just to regain favor with The Cards.”<br/><br/>Mari’s suggestion seemed to solve all their problems.  Get rid of the bitch.  Then she couldn’t cause any more trouble, and Dumas would never again have to look into the eyes of the woman he’d accidentally fucked.  It was an extremely tempting solution.  But Dumas started thinking about DEE -- his own other self.  Although they weren’t tied to a single body, they were still two sides of the same coin, forever bound together.  Did DEE have the right to destroy its creator, just because Dumas was deeply flawed?  Did Dumas have the right to destroy his creation, just because he existed first?<br/><br/>“I just wonder,” Dumas began hesitantly.  “Is it really okay to erase her?  Especially when she insists that she’s…”  Dumas trailed off.  He didn’t want to say it.  He didn’t want to believe it.  Unfortunately, the other Mari’s claim possessed the terrible ring of truth.  If his Mari was the original self, why couldn’t she remember anything about her past?  Placing his hands on Mari’s shoulders, Dumas gazed down into her eyes and tried to deliver the bad news as gently as possible.  “She insists that she’s the real you.  That you’re just a shadow.”<br/><br/>It hurt him just to speak the words.  So god only knew how devastating it must be for Mari to hear them.  Wrapping an arm around Mari, Dumas pulled her close, stroking the top of her head.  “I don’t know.  I’ve killed people before -- I’ve killed<span style="font-style: italic"> a lot</span>of people before.  I wouldn’t think twice about killing anyone who tried to hurt you.  So maybe it’s really a matter of self defense.”  Dumas shook his head.  “I just want you to be sure.  Before we take away a piece of yourself that you might never get back.”