Kyle was navigating through the busy roads of japan, both him and Sakura on their way to a branch of the Commission, the place Akiko usually had contact with.
Before they left, Akiko managed to arrange a meeting between them and the man who had broken her deal.
"Can they really do that? If they made a deal with Akiko, aren't they obligated to keep their end of the bargain?" Sakura fumed.
As though going through the five stages of greif, Sakura seemed to have left sadness behind and embraced rage.
"No, they probably did everything in secrecy. From what Akiko said, their experiments are far from legal."
"You won't find a single document to back your claim…"
Sakura sighed. "It doesn't make sense, the commission are supposed to uphold justice, instead they are trying to force Akiko into joining them by playing on her weaknesses."
She was angrier than Kyle had ever seen her.
"Worse of all, they think they are doing it for a righteous cause." Her brows furrowed as she angrily huffed, occasionally glancing at Kyle as she complained.
Kyle laughed which made Sakura even more annoyed.
"What is so funny?"
He glanced at her briefly before looking back at the road.
"Watching you realise just how bad the current system is just seems refreshing."
'Although, it could be argued that there were merits to their actions.' Kyle thought.
He could not deny that their actions had kept the hero society stable for so long.
Still, it was hypocritical.
She folded her hands across her chest and pouted. "When we get there, I'm going to give that man a piece of my mind."
Kyle laughed. "Sure, say whatever you want, the longer the lecture, the better, don't forget."
Sakura glanced at him. "Hmm? I thought you would advise me against it?"
"Well, if it was a regular situation then I would. But I need you to prolong your rant just long enough for me to have a proper layout of the hpsc."
"Why do I feel like you are planning something else?"
Kyle smirked. "Because I am."
Although he was going to the Commission with the excuse of talking about Akiko's situation, in reality, he already knew it would be a waste of time.
If he had the heart to watch her suffer for this long, then a speech wasn't going to change him.
This wasn't Naruto after all…
His true motive was to map out their base, confirm if they had a cure, and then decide if he would rob them blind.
The visit was a prelude to a much larger scheme.
•••
The hpsc was a large building in a busy district in the city. Normally, one would expect the Commission to be a lively place filled with heroes.
But when they got in, Kyle could only see a handful of them around. Instead, men in black suits dominated the space.
When they arrived at the reception, they were greeted by a young woman with animated features.
"Good afternoon, welcome to the hero public safety commission. How may I help you today?"
While Sakura explained the cause of their visit, Kyle was using geo location to scan the building, the entire structure unfolding before his eyes.
The first thing he noticed was that although it looked basic at first glance, it actually had several levels of protection, including bomb proofing.
He continued scanning the building, and soon he arrived at a strange room.
Beyond that space, geolocation could not look past, almost as though it was blocked by an invisible force.
'What are they hiding there?' Kyle mused as he continued to scan the space, then he felt a tug on his shoulder.
"Let's go."
He glanced at Sakura only to see that the receptionist had left her desk, and was about to lead them to the man.
"Oh, sorry for the delay," he muttered.
The woman led them to the door of an office on the top floor, then knocked before walking away.
"Come in."
Kyle pushed the door open and they both got inside. At the other end of the large office was a middle aged man with messy hair and tired eyes.
When he noticed them, he waved them over to his desk and they sat in front of him.
'So this is the man…' Kyle thought.
He looked like he hadn't slept in ages. It was hard to know if managing heroes was that stressful, or if there was anything else on his mind.
He glanced at the edge of the room discreetly. There were several well hidden cameras all around.
'Typical…'
He couldn't use compulsion in a place like this.
"Good morning," Sakura greeted, although her face showed she clearly wasn't happy to see him.
The man nodded. "What brings you two here today?"
This time, it was Kyle that spoke. "As you should already know, we are here on behalf of Akiko."
"Oh, Akiko!" The man's face brightened, his excitement on full display. He adjusted his tie and leaned on his desk. "So, tell me, has she considered our offer?"
If looks could kill, then the one Sakura was giving him would have murdered him several times over.
Kyle shrugged. "Are you certain that this treatment of yours will work?" He asked, shifting the flow of the conversation.
The man sat back. "It's an experimental procedure, our doctors say there is a 60 percent chance it works." He said proudly.
Kyle raised a brow, then spoke bluntly. "Is 60 percent anything to be proud of? Your practically saying you still don't have a cure."
"Are you asking her to work here when you can't even guarantee that much?"
Kyle could not mention that he knew about their secret organisation, because even Akiko had not been given details about it.
The man's gaze darkened, then a sly smile appeared on his lips. "You speak like she has any other choice. The way I see it, she either takes our treatment, or dies."
He adjusted his tie. "Why bother trying to act tough when her choice is already clear? Isn't that why you came today? To accept my deal?"
'This man…'
"We shouldn't even have to discuss this, you made a promise to her and broke it!" Sakura cut in, unable to restrain herself any longer.
"Why will an organisation as reputable as this, go to such lengths, is this how vile you actually are?"
The man barely spared Sakura a glance. "There was a time I was concerned about the fine print." He said, his voice colder than before.
"Oh, be the hero, be steadfast and unwavering… bullshit."
"The villains aren't going to fight fair just because you chose to. We at the HPSC are the only reason this world still functions."
He paused and then let out a tired breath as he stared into space.
"Leave my office, I have work to do."
Without waiting to be told twice, Kyle got up, giving the man one last look before turning to leave.
He had confirmed what he needed to after all.
First of all, the HPSC didn't have a guaranteed cure for Akiko. It was probably something they had never tested before.
In this line of work, after death the HPSC would remain with your body…
So it was Fifty Fifty for them. If she lived, then they would have a powerful weapon on their side.
And if she died? Kyle clenched his jaw. If she died, they would be free to run experiments on her body.
And as for the second thing he had discovered, the Hpsc were hiding something.
And Kyle intended to find out what.
•••
From the hpsc, they visited Akiko to tell her everything that had happened, and Kyle assured her everything woudl be fine.
They ended up spending the rest of the day at the orphanage, where a lot of adventurous children played with him.
By the time he returned home, it was already night.
Kyle pulled into the parking lot and got out, giving the space a strange stare.
Something was wrong…
He could not exactly place it at first, but after a few seconds, he realised what was bothering him.
'This place is too quiet.'
Normally, he would be able to hear people in their homes, some stray gossip and the sound of several footsteps beating like drums.
But now, he could hear nothing.
'What is going on?'
He hurried over to his house and quickly pushed the door open.
"Tsumi??"
Silence…
Kyle went from the living room, to the kitchen to her room and toilet. There was no one in the house.
Then he used geolocation, his eyes widening when he realised…
That there was no one in the entire building.
..
..
A/N
By the way, my original novel just hit 69 chapters, this is a great time to start ;]