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DATE:24th of August, the 70th year after the Coronation
LOCATION: Concord Metropolis
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On the hallway outside, I met John, whose face immediately lit up with expectation of getting some insider news. He looked surprised that I was leaving so early, considering these meetings usually dragged on for hours. His imposing figure towered over me—the guy had to be at least six and a half feet tall and built like a brick shithouse—yet apparently he wasn't important enough to be allowed inside the actual meeting.
"So what happened in there?" His voice carried that eager curiosity of someone who'd been stuck waiting in the hallway while the real decisions were being made.
I thought about how to answer him, but honestly, some other things seemed way more interesting to me than recounting whatever political theater had just unfolded inside that conference room.
How exactly did the ranks work in this whole hero system anyway? I'd thought John represented the hospital where I'd been treated, but now I was thinking he might actually be a member of the Legion organization. I wasn't entirely sure where he stood in the hierarchy, or why someone his size and apparent importance got left out of important meetings.
I started walking away down the corridor, and both Alice and John fell into step behind me.
Alice took the initiative to fill the silence. "It was horrible, John. I knew Will was never much of a people person, but I didn't expect this level of... diplomatic disaster."
"What? What did you do?" John's voice carried genuine anxiety, like I'd just told him I'd declared war on everyone in the room. Why was this big guy so worried? Were those losers in there really that dangerous?
Now that I thought about it more seriously, they probably were genuinely dangerous. Didn't Lafalal or whatever his name was—casually suggest murdering an entire agency full of people? How often did they actually follow through on shit like that? And here I'd thought the Balmundi back home were supposed to be the savage ones.
"He essentially got between Matrix and Surge when they were about to fight and called them both unimportant." Alice's explanation was delivered in that helpful tone she used when she was trying to make me sound worse than I actually was. Secretary my ass—more like a walking liability.
Judging by the fact that I suddenly stopped hearing the heavy sound of combat boots behind me, John had frozen mid-step. I glanced back over my shoulder and saw him standing there like someone had just told him the building was about to collapse.
"What? How could you possibly do something that reckless?" His voice cracked slightly, and now he was starting to seriously annoy me. What did any of it even matter at this point? It had already happened, and there was no taking it back.
"Come on John, don't be such a bitch about it. Let's just go." I didn't bother slowing down or stopping to wait for him to process whatever crisis he thought this was.
After a few seconds of stunned silence, he rushed forward and cut directly into my path, planting himself in front of me like a human wall. His face was flushed with anger, and I could practically see steam coming out of his ears. Was this supposed to appear threatening? Because I wasn't particularly impressed by the display. I found it more so as childish.
"No matter how casually you want to treat these situations, someone of your caliber shouldn't just dismiss people like Matrix and Surge as irrelevant." His voice carried that lecturing tone that reminded me of an overbearing parent. What was he, my mother?
"Perhaps it was the drugs they gave me at the hospital. Or whatever." I tried to step around him, but he blocked my path with one of his massive hands, the palm easily spanning the width of my chest.
"These people could seriously be offended by your actions." His voice carried that whining quality that made my teeth ache. Such a fucking bitch.
"So?" My God... What exactly was this guy expecting from me? An apology? A promise to play nice with the other children?
"Didn't you hear what I just said?" Why was he being so dramatically serious about this whole thing?
Alice tried to wedge herself between us, probably hoping to defuse whatever testosterone-fueled standoff was brewing, but John blocked her path with his other arm. He wanted to have this conversation face to face... well, he had to crane his neck down considerably to make eye contact, but the intimidation attempt was clear enough.
"I think you're the one who didn't hear me clearly. Stop being such a pathetic bitch and let's go. I'm really not in any mental state to listen to more of your concerned lecture."
"Why did you even walk out of the meeting if it wasn't finished? They could still be discussing critical details about the operation. They could be making decisions that—" He stopped talking abruptly when he realized I wasn't paying the slightest bit of attention to his words. Instead, I was looking at the motivational posters mounted on the wall above his head. Much more interesting than his paranoid rambling.
I took advantage of his momentary confusion to sidestep around his bulk and continue walking down the hallway. Alice anxiously hurried to catch up, falling into step behind me. She clearly didn't want to anger John any further, but it also seemed like staying with me was more important to her than appeasing his concerns.
That was good. At least someone had their priorities straight.
I could hear him shouting something in the distance behind us, his voice echoing off the corridor walls, but I didn't bother turning around or slowing my pace. Whatever he was barking about could wait until I was in a better mood to deal with his anxiety.
-----------------
We made it to the parking lot without further interruption. I half-heartedly looked around for the Miata before remembering that we'd arrived in John's vehicle. Looking at the endless rows of cars stretching across the asphalt, I realized what a stupid mistake that had been on my part.
Oh well. We'd figure something out.
I bothered to glance over at Alice, who was practically vibrating with nervous energy. She kept fidgeting with her hands and was obviously stressed about something. Her eyes kept darting back and forth between me and John's car, like she was calculating the distance or planning an escape route. Was she still worried about my little attitude display from earlier?
I could tell she was trying to work up the courage to ask me something, probably some variation of "what the hell were you thinking," but I wasn't particularly eager to hear whatever concerned question she wanted to voice.
My sudden attention seemed to startle her a little. At least, I think it did. She looked genuinely surprised by my indifference to the whole situation, like she'd expected me to be more worked up about the political mess we'd just walked away from. I didn't need to be an expert in body language to see that much.
What could I say? I did tend to be quite polarizing in my effect on people.
She opened her mouth several times, but no words came out. Her lips would part like she was about to speak, then close again as if she'd lost her nerve. Was she really that scared I would just dismiss whatever she wanted to say? Eventually, she managed to mumble something barely audible: "A-Are you really going to infiltrate that lab?"
So this was what had her so worked up.
"Yeah, I did say I would." I kept my voice neutral, matter-of-fact.
"I... I don't think you're a bad man." The statement came out of nowhere, catching me completely off guard. What the hell was this about? Was she referencing something John had been shouting while I was walking away? I should have paid more attention to his ranting instead of tuning him out. God, I missed Emily. She would have given me a proper briefing on all the interpersonal dynamics I was clearly missing.
"Well, that's a strange thing to say out of nowhere." I moved closer to where she was standing, leaned against John's car, and let out a long sigh.
"Look Alice, this is exactly why I never wanted to become a leader in the first place. I don't give a shit about running things or making the big decisions. My entire adult life, I've lived by taking orders from other people." This wasn't about some grand sense of duty or liberty or whatever noble cause they thought motivated me.
"No, I don't mean it that way, Kassius. I'm just worried about you." She reached out and grabbed my scarred hand, pressing it gently against her warm cheek. I could sense the heat of her blush radiating through my skin, even through the numbness that still lingered in my damaged nerve endings.
"You force yourself to go so far beyond what's reasonable, and you always try to bear everything completely alone." I found myself unconsciously caressing her cheek, feeling the strange sensation of her makeup coming off on my fingertips. It was the first time I'd been burned this severely, and the lack of full sensation felt deeply wrong, like wearing gloves when you needed to feel texture.
"I know I'm not that strong compared to people like you, but I really wish you would lean on me more for support. You've helped me so much these past months..." Her voice started to crack, and I could see tears forming in the corners of her eyes. Was this about what I'd told her last time—that she wasn't useless?
I couldn't really be bothered to come up with some profound response to her emotional speech.
I figured a simple hug would suffice, so I pulled her closer and pressed her head against my chest. But contrary to what I'd expected, I could hear her nose making small sniffling sounds. With a quick glance down... she was actively fighting back tears, trying to keep them from falling.
Why was she being so damn emotional about all this?
Was I really that numb from whatever drugs they'd pumped into me at the hospital, or had I just completely lost touch with what was actually happening around me? I supposed I had gone from one fight directly into the next without much time to process anything in between...
I tried to help the situation by telling her that I loved her, but this somehow backfired spectacularly and made her start trembling in my arms like a leaf in a windstorm.
Whatever. I really couldn't be bothered to care about her emotional breakdown right now.
I needed to figure out what the hell had actually happened with Emily. John had been right about one thing—those people in that conference room were genuinely dangerous, and if they were aware of how physically vulnerable my body currently was, then I was as good as dead. Or let's say even more dead than I already felt.
We stayed locked in that awkward embrace for several minutes until I spotted John's imposing figure approaching from across the parking lot. I let go of Alice and started brushing her makeup off my shirt, leaving streaks of foundation on the white fabric.
John was visibly pissed off when he got close enough to see our faces clearly.
"I cannot believe you actually volunteered to infiltrate a laboratory owned by Matthew D.A. of all people." His voice carried that exasperated tone of someone dealing with a particularly stubborn child.
"Yeah, I kind of did exactly that." Now that I was looking back on it with some distance, it had been a pretty spur-of-the-moment decision. Not exactly my most carefully thought-out plan.
"Do you think this is some kind of video game? That we get unlimited lives and respawn points? Not even someone with your abilities is truly immortal." His voice was getting louder with each word. Can't a man just not give a shit if he dies tomorrow? Don't people always say you should live every day like it's your last?
"Since when was I acting like I thought I was immortal? I'm just trying to enjoy what's left of my life." That was a complete lie, of course. If I was actually trying to enjoy life, I would have run away with Sophie when I had the chance.
"Why couldn't you just sit in your damn seat and listen to them until the meeting was finished? You didn't even bother getting any operational details or concrete plans for entering that building. Why can't you just listen to instructions for once?" He planted himself directly in front of me again, like his physical presence was supposed to intimidate me into compliance.
John was seriously getting on my fucking nerves now. This whole lecture was starting to make me genuinely angry rather than just annoyed. I looked up at him with what must have been a pretty intense expression, because he immediately took a step backward. I wasn't entirely sure what he saw in my face, but it was effective.
"I don't think you understand something fundamental here. You can't teach an old dog new tricks, and you sure as hell can't change someone like me. Who exactly do you think you are to stand there preaching to me like some kind of moral authority?"
Had he perhaps forgotten who he was actually talking to? It seemed like he'd understood perfectly well during our earlier conversation in the car about what I was capable of.
Maybe that's why he was backing away from me now.
He scoffed and started walking toward the black SUV with purposeful strides.
"I don't want to see you right now. Maybe walking back to your home on foot will give you some time to think about 'who I am' and adjust that attitude." He paused at the driver's door and shot Alice a meaningful look. "Alice can come with me since she hasn't fully recovered from her surgery yet, but I'm certainly not driving you anywhere."
The look he gave her seemed loaded with some kind of secret message between them, like they'd discussed this possibility beforehand.
Yeah right. This girl was completely obsessed with me—there was no way she'd abandon me here.
As if she would actually go with him instead of me. Right, Alice?
Then I watched in disbelief as her hand reached for the passenger door handle. Traitorous bitch. I felt my knees buckle slightly as the humiliation hit me like a physical blow.
"I really can't walk that distance in my current condition. I'll use the time to prepare the apartment for when you get back." Her voice was apologetic but firm. What the actual fuck was happening here?
I stood there completely dumbfounded as she climbed into the passenger seat, and then watched helplessly as they drove out of the parking lot together, leaving me stranded.
Man, I should have just stuck with Sophie back when I had the chance, her disgusting personality flaws be damned.
Girls these days weren't loyal at all. I was half-joking about that, but there obviously had to be some compelling reason for her to reject me in such a dramatically public way.
What exactly had they been discussing that I'd missed?
I searched through my pockets frantically, only to discover that I didn't have a single cent on me. Was I actually supposed to walk ten kilometers back home in my current physical state?
Damn, they were stone cold.
-----------------
I trudged back toward the entrance of the Hero Headquarters, looking for somewhere to sit down. My feet were already getting tired, and I'd barely walked a few hundred meters.
While I was heading back inside, I heard an annoyingly familiar voice talking loudly on a phone nearby. It was that Matrix asshole—Morgan—surrounded by what looked like twenty or so men in expensive suits. Kind of an excessive security detail if you asked me, but I guess that's what happened when you made enemies of entire hero agencies.
I looked around the entrance hall for somewhere to rest, but couldn't spot any benches in the main area. Maybe there would be some seating closer to the edges of the lobby?
A figure moved through the crowd toward me—that old man Surge, I think. We almost collided because of all the people milling around the entrance hall.
"Carter, was it?" His voice carried that same serious tone from the meeting.
"Yup, yeah, that's me." His gaze was pretty intense. I guess my little performance back there had left quite an impression on him.
"I thought you'd already left the Headquarters." There was something almost suspicious in the way he said it.
"Yeah, me too. I kind of had an argument with my ride and got stranded here. Anyway, you wouldn't happen to have any physical cash on you?" I tried to keep the desperation out of my voice, but probably failed.
"Kids these days still carry physical money?" His tone was condescending as hell. Who exactly did this pretentious asshole think he was talking to?
"You know what, just forget it." I tried to walk away from him, but he grabbed my shoulder with a grip that was surprisingly strong for someone his age.
"I think Miss Frank was looking for you earlier." Of course that grey-haired bitch was hunting me down.
"Yeah, but I'm not really looking for her right now. So I'd appreciate it if you kept our little meeting here completely private. Look, I'll go ask the secretaries for some cash or figure something else out. I'm really exhausted."
I pushed past him while feeling his eyes boring into my back. Part of the legendary old trio alongside Ultraman and Blazer... now that I thought about it, what the hell had happened to Blazer? He was way too powerful an individual to just sit around doing nothing... whatever. I needed to deal with my own immediate problems first.
I made my way to the front desk to ask for some change, but those women behind the counter started treating me like I was some kind of vagrant who'd wandered in off the street. Didn't they notice my expensive shirt and tie? They looked pretty high-end from what I could tell. I supposed it was the scar tissue covering half my face that made them nervous.
The great Aionis, reduced to begging for ten Zols... John was such a vindictive asshole.
The large central clock mounted on the wall read 1 PM. I really didn't want to walk through that brutal afternoon heat for ten kilometers.
Lost in my frustrated thoughts, I suddenly got grabbed in a bear hug from behind. The hands were incredibly strong, but small and distinctly feminine. Pure instinct kicked in, and I tried to spin around and grab my attacker by the throat, but my target let go and deflected my hand away with a precise movement.
Standing in front of me was a woman who looked to be in her early thirties. She had dark grey eyes and curly shoulder-length hair that was colored in random strands of red and green—like some kind of punk rock rainbow. She was exactly my height, maybe even a little taller in her boots. A mischievous smile was carved into her lips like she'd just pulled off the perfect prank.
"
"You were really impressive earlier." She radiated this manic, cheerful energy, like she'd mainlined pure caffeine about twenty minutes ago. "Surge was all like 'You won't hurt them!'" She dropped her voice into an exaggeratedly serious bass tone that was nothing like how the old man actually sounded. "And Morgan was like 'What are you going to do about it?' and then you went and said 'Nah, I'd win!' It was so badass!"
What the hell was she even talking about? That wasn't remotely close to what had actually happened in that conference room.
"Sorry, who are you exactly?"
"Ahh! You didn't even notice me in there! How perfectly nonchalant of you!" She seemed genuinely thrilled that I'd completely ignored her existence. "I am Falia, but you can call me Anisa!"
Still gripping my hand from the failed throat grab, she started shaking it vigorously up and down like she was trying to imitate some kind of business deal being sealed. So fucking eccentric.
"Alright then, Anisa..."
"I run The Nightcrawlers! Get it?! Because we operate exclusively at night?! God, I am so incredibly happy to be part of your legendary experience!" Her voice kept getting louder with each exclamation point. She was absolutely exhausting to talk to, like conversing with a human energy drink.
I desperately needed to get out of here and find a way home. But since I was broke... maybe I could solve both problems at once.
"Hey Anissa, do you happen to have any cash on you? I kind of had a fight with my ride and got stranded here."
Her expression immediately shifted to something unnaturally formal and serious. "It's spelled A-n-i-s-a, not with the double 'S' at the end." Why the hell was the spelling of her name so critically important? Then her manic energy came flooding back, and her eyes lit up like sparklers were going off behind her pupils.
"I'm not allowed to manage my own finances, unfortunately. But my brother Joseph definitely should have money! He should be somewhere around here in the building. I was actually looking for him when I spotted you."
"Did you two talk about where to meet up?"
"Yeah! But then I totally forgot!" Why was she practically screaming every single sentence like we were having this conversation across a football stadium?
"Well, how does he look? Maybe I can help you find him since I don't have anything else to do." And possibly get some money as payment for my services, of course.
"Hmmm, let me think... he's blond, really tall, has these bright blue eyes... and what else..." She was staring intently at something behind me over my shoulder. "Oh! He has this large U emblazoned on his chest!"
I turned around to see what she was looking at and barely managed to stop myself from sighing out loud in exasperation. She was staring directly at a recruitment poster mounted on the wall.
"You're describing Ultraman from that poster."
"Oh yeah! I guess I totally am!"
"So how does your brother actually look?"
"I don't know..." Her voice faltered and lost some of that manic energy for the first time since she'd grabbed me.
"What do you mean? You don't know what your own brother looks like?"
She struck a dramatic pose like she was about to deliver the climactic speech in some epic fantasy movie.
"I actually lost him when I was very young. After that tragic separation, I was chosen by the Grandmaster to fight evil and was trained in complete secrecy for years. It was only recently that I finally slayed a great ancient evil and was freed from my bonds, so now I'm currently searching for my long-lost sibling..."
"Now you're just describing the plot of Spear of Destiny. Did you watch that movie recently or something?"
"Yeah, I totally did!" Was this girl actually mentally impaired, or what? What the hell was even her supposed superpower? Dyeing her hair in random colors? I seriously doubted that was it.
"We're getting along way better than I initially thought we would. You heroes are all usually so deadly serious about everything..."
"Look, I'll just leave you here and go ask the receptionists for some cash." Even though I'd already tried that approach and failed miserably.
"But you already tried that approach." Wait, what did she just say?
"What? Were you actually following me around?"
"Yeah, kind of. I mean, who else around here looks like a war survivor wandering through the building? So fascinating! You mentioned it was from a Ventium explosion? Isn't that stuff used primarily for energy production? Or was that uranium? Actually, what even is the difference between..." I couldn't be bothered listening to her rambling scientific questions.
"Can you please let go of my hand now?"
"Not, really. My brother genuinely does want to meet you." So that's what this was actually about?
"So where exactly is he then?"
"Didn't I already mention? I completely forgot where we were supposed to meet up." I felt like I was slowly losing my sanity here. I won't forget this betrayal, John. I'd leave that ungrateful bastard to die next time we were in a dangerous situation. I couldn't believe I'd actually saved such an asshole during that raid on the Donn compound.
I tried to break free from her grip, but her hold was way too strong, and I felt my damaged skin starting to tear and flake off under her fingers.
"Wow! You're like a walking mummy! You don't feel like a human at all. You said your power was hyper regeneration, right?"
"Look, I'll just go meet your brother on my own. My hand is kind of hurting from your grip."
"No, it's not." Her response was matter-of-fact, like she was correcting me on basic arithmetic.
"What? Can't you see I'm clearly in pain here? You're literally tearing my skin apart with your fingers."
Her tone shifted to that unnaturally serious register again.
"What pain? You don't feel pain anymore.... Anyway!" And here people said I was the one jumping from one emotion to another without warning.
Who the hell was this woman? I should have paid way more attention to what was happening in that conference room instead of zoning out.
I needed some kind of excuse to get away from her... Ah! She'd mentioned she liked serious people, right?
I lowered my voice to what I hoped was an impressive dramatic register and covered part of my face theatrically.
"Actually, I heard that Maia wants to see me urgently. You know how it is—I can't leave a lady waiting, can I?" This was calculated on the assumption that she was too oblivious to consider herself a lady. Mrs. Gorilla Hands here couldn't possibly be that self-aware about feminine social dynamics.
"I know she's looking for you, but..."
She didn't release her grip at all.
Instead, she flashed me an even brighter smile and started physically dragging me toward some destination deeper in the lobby.
Eventually we reached what she was aiming for: an ornate golden statue of someone I didn't recognize at all.
"Hehe, you're acting just like this guy!" She pointed enthusiastically at the bronze figure.
"And who exactly is this supposed to be?"
"What? You don't..." Her face suddenly turned dark, and my body instinctively tensed up in response to the shift in her energy. "Man, you're completely ruining the joke..." The way she said it dripped with genuine venom. This woman was seriously unhinged.
But it wasn't like I was going to be intimidated by such an obvious psychological manipulation.
"So what if I am? It was a pretty poor joke to begin with." This seemed to lighten her mood back to its default manic setting.
"Hehe, I guess you're right about that. Anyway, we really should find my brother now." She started dragging me again, this time toward the center of the entrance hall.
Then she began shouting "Brother! Brother!" at the top of her lungs like she was a lost kindergartner calling for her parent in a crowded mall.
I was grateful that I couldn't feel pain anymore, because I would have been in absolute agony from all this forced movement and dragging around. Nevertheless, my legs were really starting to give out on me. I was stumbling badly, barely able to keep myself upright. Then they just completely gave up, and I collapsed to the marble floor of the lobby.
Of course, the woman still maintained her death grip on my arm, so instead of face-planting into the ground, my bones and shoulder took the brunt of the awkward fall as she held me suspended.
"Oh! I didn't realize you were getting so tired. I guess the great Aionis needs more stamina training in his workout routine."
"Or perhaps I'm just severely injured from a goddamn dirty bomb explosion?"
"Now, now, you don't need to get so angry with me about this. It's not my fault that I forgot where I was supposed to meet my brother."
"It kind of is your fault, though."
"Shut it~!" Anisa hoisted me back up with one hand like I weighed nothing and slipped her arm under my other shoulder for support.
"You know, you're one incredibly lucky guy! Alice is such an absolute cutie! Too bad she totally gave me the ick when I met her."
"So do you actually like her or not? I don't really understand what you're trying to say."
Her face went cold again, that manic energy draining away like someone had flipped a switch.
"Does it even matter what I think?"
Now that I was actually thinking about it clearly, this was turning into a pretty dangerous situation. I mean, regardless of my current injuries and limitations, this woman was as emotionally inconsistent as they came. One wrong word and I could end up dead without even seeing it coming.
What was even stranger was that she didn't immediately snap back to her usual obnoxious tone.
"You know, Aionis, I'm genuinely a huge fan of your work. I've watched all your public appearances and interviews. Such a perfect hero... so morally pure it makes the rest of us look terrible by comparison, am I right? Of course, I don't blame you for that standard. I'm not really in the right mental state to save anyone these days." I thought she might actually be sincere for once, but it was impossible to tell for certain. At least it wasn't that ear-splitting manic voice anymore.
"I'm honestly surprised you're even still alive after absorbing all that radiation exposure."
Maybe I could finally get some real answers about what had happened to me.
"So you do actually know what Ventium is and what it does." Her face went completely pale for a moment, then a slow smile spread across her lips. Shit.
"What? Hehe!" Fuck. I broke her. "Yeah, I'm pretty smart, right?"
"Hey, can you bring me to a bench or something? My feet are really killing me."
"No! How could I possibly do that? We absolutely have to meet my brother first!"
"Look, I'm not physically able to keep walking anyway, so I'll just wait on a bench for you to find him."
She glared at me with genuine fury in her eyes.
"You are exactly the kind of person who would try to get away even in a situation like this." What the hell was that accusatory stare about? What did she mean by 'kind of person'?
"Anisa?" I heard a voice calling out from across the lobby. "There you are."
A man who didn't look much older than her approached us with measured steps. In this corporate setting, you'd easily mistake him for just another businessman—slicked-back hair, pristine glasses, and an immaculately tailored suit. He looked distinctly annoyed as he got closer.
"Joseph! Look! Look! I actually got Aionis!" Anisa's voice pitched higher with excitement.
His eyes widened with genuine surprise, and then a satisfied smile crept across his face like he'd just won some kind of bet.
As he got closer to us, he deliberately shifted his expression to convey what looked like sincere remorse.
"I'm really sorry about my sister's behavior, Mr. Carter. I honestly didn't want this whole situation to happen." I had every reason to believe he was lying through his teeth. But seriously, was my 'real' name just public knowledge now? No more anonymity whatsoever? The hero leaders knowing was one thing, but... now that I thought about it, even those receptionists had recognized who I was. Whatever.
"Such a meanie! I was keeping him safe for you and... and..." Anisa's face started crumpling into genuine sorrow, so Joseph quickly moved closer and started patting her back in a comforting gesture.
"No, no, you did great, Ani. You did everything perfectly."
"Look, I don't want to interrupt this weird family bonding moment you two have going on, but I'm genuinely exhausted and I physically cannot walk anymore. Can you call me a taxi or something? I don't even have my phone on me." At this point, I was even willing to go back upstairs and beg the receptionists for spare change if it meant getting home.
A flash of what looked like inspiration appeared in Joseph's eyes.
"Yes! That's absolutely no problem at all. I'll personally drive you there myself. Let's head to my car together."
"Yes!" Anisa shouted, immediately letting go of my arm and bouncing away toward the exit.
Without her support, I immediately collapsed to the ground. Two falls in one day... and this time I actually did plant my face directly into the polished marble floor.
"Anisa! Don't just leave him there on the ground!" Was I genuinely cursed or something? I really regretted not just running away with Sophie when I had the chance. Couldn't Joseph lift me up himself, or wasn't he supposed to be a hero too?
-----------------
Despite all the shocked onlookers staring at us in the lobby, Anisa hoisted me onto her back and started carrying me like a sack of potatoes toward the parking lot. The humiliation was almost worse than the physical discomfort.
Joseph clicked his remote, making his car chirp and unlock before Anisa unceremoniously shoved me inside. It was a pristine white sedan—some kind of luxury model with golden detailing along the trim. From an outside perspective, you'd definitely think they were kidnapping me. Maybe they actually were.
They left me propped up like a wooden plank in the backseat while they settled into the front two seats.
"How are you feeling, Carter?" Joseph asked in that fake-concerned tone as he started the engine.
"You know what? I'm not going to lie to you about this. I don't think the other agency leaders actually trust you at all." No fucking shit, genius.
"They don't trust him? Brother, why not? Don't they see how incredibly cool he is!?" Anisa's voice carried genuine confusion, like the concept of not trusting me was incomprehensible.
"Anyway," Joseph continued, completely ignoring his sister's question, "it's not even because you seemingly appeared out of nowhere in the hero rankings. That's not the first time someone has suddenly risen through the system. And for what it's worth, I do hear reliable reports that you're Ultraman's cousin... But the real issue is actually because you're still breathing." His casual tone made it sound like he was discussing the weather.
"Ugh, is this still about that Ventium explosion? Didn't you just acknowledge that I'm supposedly Ultraman's cousin?"
"Look, we all know that Kevin is a very special exception to normal rules because..." I caught him glancing back at me through the rearview mirror. "Actually, from what I understand, you don't know about any of that yet. Sorry for bringing it up."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"No, no, it doesn't matter right now." Why were they all keeping so much critical information from me? Everyone was doing it. And then they had the audacity to wonder why I didn't show them any respect... Such complete assholes.
"Look. Stop fucking around and just tell me what we actually met for. What was supposedly so important?"
"Hey! Don't talk to him like that!" Anisa snarled from the front seat, her voice taking on an almost animalistic quality. "Only I'm allowed to do that!"
"Calm down, Anisa." Joseph commented casually as he swerved through heavy traffic, apparently used to his sister's protective outbursts.
"So what I was trying to explain is that the other leaders don't trust you at all. But I do trust you. You see, they don't trust me either, which is why I wasn't actually at that meeting today. It was my sister who attended in my place."
"Brother, he didn't even know who I was when we met! I was so emotionally hurt by that." Anisa's voice carried genuine wounded pride.
"Oh... well, anyway. What I was trying to get at is that I'm the actual leader of our agency, but because I'm not nearly as powerful as my sister here, I'm not even allowed to set foot in any of the confidential areas. Can you believe that kind of institutional arrogance?" It wasn't like I was going to start crying over his supposed workplace discrimination. Besides, my gut tells me there was some other reason for his absence.
"So 'I think we should team up against them' is what you're trying to imply here?" This whole conversation was getting predictably tedious.
"Yeah, that's exactly it. What do you say, Carter?"
"Brother, you didn't even tell him about our actual goal! That we want to—" Joseph lunged forward to cover her mouth with his hand, completely letting go of the steering wheel in the process. It was fortunate that this was apparently a high-quality vehicle, because otherwise we definitely would have lost control and crashed.
"Sorry, I know this probably looks incredibly suspicious, but these days my sister talks about a lot of complete nonsense, and I don't want to give you the wrong impression about our intentions." Then I heard a distinct metallic clank, followed immediately by his agonized scream.
Blood started dripping down onto the pristine cabin upholstery. She had actually bitten clean through his hand, taking off what looked like a substantial chunk of skin and flesh. He jerked back toward the wheel and nearly sent us spinning into oncoming traffic, but managed to correct the steering just before we slammed into another car. Yeah, she'd definitely torn off quite a lot of skin. The white steering wheel was now completely red with his blood.
A really poor design choice to have white leather interior in a car driven by these two psychopaths.
He started cursing at her in what sounded like multiple languages while she just laughed like it was the funniest thing she'd ever seen. Was this supposed to be normal sibling bonding? I honestly wouldn't know.
I was so utterly exhausted that I was having serious trouble keeping my attention focused on their bizarre family dynamics.
I felt myself getting drowsy.
Eventually he stopped the car, and I realized we were parked directly in front of the Balßh Tower—"my" building.
"I never told you where I was living, did I?"
"Oops." He slipped up with that casual admission. Oh well. If he already knew my real name, then knowing my address wasn't much of a surprise either.
I tried to sit up straighter, but he gestured for me to stop with his blood-soaked hand.
"Look, I really need your help with something crucial."
"What is it?"
"What Secundo Manus is actually trying to accomplish is resurrecting Ultraman—your cousin." No shit. I thought this guy claimed to have more inside information than me.
"Okay? I'll stop him then."
"No, you didn't let me finish explaining. Obviously you already know that basic fact. What I'm trying to tell you is that not all the heroes actually want to stop that resurrection from happening."
Now that was genuinely surprising information. "Why the hell wouldn't they want to stop it?"
"Obviously it's because Ultraman single-handedly protected this entire city for more than a decade. The current leadership isn't worried about suddenly having more responsibility—they're terrified by the fact that none of them can possibly fill his shoes. If another massive alien invasion like the one from years ago starts up again, none of us will be able to face that kind of threat. Not individually, and definitely not working together. The different agencies simply can't coordinate effectively."
"And?"
"Some of the agency presidents genuinely believe that Ultraman's moral compass is so strong that he can't be controlled or corrupted, and that he'll naturally break free from Secundo Manus to return as some kind of guardian deity. But this whole theory assumes that the cloning process will be absolutely perfect and that Ultraman really is so morally incorruptible that—"
"Look, just get to the actual point. What exactly do you want me to do about any of this?"
"Yes, sorry for rambling. Now this is purely my personal speculation, but the hero who's most likely to secretly avoid fighting Secundo Manus is Matrix." That corporate businessman? Didn't he just propose committing genocide against an entire agency of heroes who were merely suspected of having exactly that kind of relationship?
"And why exactly would that be?"
"Matrix genuinely admired Ultraman more than anyone else. I mean, we all respected the guy, but Morgan was especially devoted to him. He thought Ultraman was some kind of literal Messiah figure. We're old friends, you see, and we were together when we first heard the official confirmation of his death. The look in his eyes... I just can't forget it."
"So we're basing this entire theory purely on assumptions about his emotional state?"
"No, I'm not just guessing here. Look, I wasn't physically present at that meeting today, but I'm absolutely certain he suggested attacking the Wondrous Agency or something along those lines, right?"
"Yeah, he did exactly that."
"See? I know that guy better than anyone."
"He claimed that someone called Myth was secretly working with Secundo Manus."
"No way in hell—she would never do something like that. Scarlet Myth is a well-known moralist in the hero community. She would never approve of human cloning under any circumstances, let alone such an incredibly risky plan as attempting to clone a literal demigod." He chuckled darkly and gripped his bloody hand tighter, causing more blood to seep between his fingers. Was he just as mentally unstable as his psychotic sister?
"In fact, I can even tell you exactly why he specifically targeted Dr. Meyer's Agency for elimination."
He paused dramatically, as if he was expecting me to ask some follow-up question.
"Why, brother?!" Anisa's voice cut through the silence. Jesus Christ, how did she not already know this information?
He scratched the back of his neck in apparent embarrassment.
"This is highly confidential information that isn't exactly verified through official channels, but I'm pretty certain that Matthew D.A. is actively working on developing something specifically designed to put down the Ultraman clone in case we completely fail to stop its creation in the first place. He, much like the Donn organization, is a longtime enemy of Ultraman and would most certainly want to keep him permanently dead."
"And what exactly does this Meyer guy have to do with any of that?"
"Dr. Meyer doesn't maintain any kind of secret superhero persona. His actual ability is pretty much unknown to the general public, but it's something related to manipulating pressure differentials. Since Ultraman was originally killed with an Astatine bullet, so..."
"So what? What's the connection?"
"You really can't connect those dots yourself?" Those wire-rimmed glasses couldn't hide his obvious disappointment in my intelligence.
"Look, I'm exhausted. I feel like I'm about to collapse completely."
"But he can't feel pain!" Anisa chimed in helpfully.
"Shut up, Anisa!" Joseph snapped at her. Well, the cat was definitely out of the bag now. He hurriedly tried to recover from his sister's slip-up. "What I'm trying to explain is that Dr. Meyer is attempting to create artificial Astatine. So Matrix is trying to distract him from that research by framing his protégé for treason."
"Ugh... look, I'm really tired here. What exactly do you want me to do? Just get straight to the point."
"Morgan needs to die." The words came out completely flat and cold, with no emotional energy behind them whatsoever.
"Didn't you just see how our last confrontation went?"
"So what? You're a killer, aren't you? Can't you just eliminate him? I would have handled it myself, but I simply don't have that kind of power." Exactly how much did this guy actually know about my past?
"Calling Aionis a killer in public really would be quite something. Maybe you should consider talking to the press about that theory."
"You want me to do that?" Damn, that threat came out ice cold. He seemed to realize what he'd just implied. I suspected he had a chronic habit of saying way more than he should in conversations.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to threaten you like that. I won't say anything to anyone even if you refuse to help, but please just listen to me. All of them—every single agency leader—they're all trying to use you for their own agendas."
"As if you aren't doing exactly the same thing." He completely froze at my response. I gathered what little strength I had left and managed to straighten my back.
"Look, I'll think about your proposal. I don't have your phone number or anything, but it seems like you can manage to get in contact with me whenever you want. Let's say... give me a week to consider it?" I didn't bother waiting for his response before opening the car door and heading toward the entrance of my tower.
I straightened my rumpled shirt and pressed the call button for the elevator.
Such a ridiculously long day.
Now I had to go upstairs and deal with the traitor waiting for me...*******