June 14, 2000
"LOOK OUT" Kenji yelled, lunging forward to pull Ramona out of the way, just as a gunshot rang out.
"I specifically told you to leave!" Kenji snapped, his anger flaring at her disobedience. But seeing the wounds on her head, he took a deep breath. "Go to the nearest hospital, kid. Your injury is serious; you need medical attention."
"Thank you for saving me...twice," she said gratefully.
"Thank me later; the sniper is still after you," Kenji grumbled, clearly disliking the compliment. He then took off running, presumably to find the shooter.
Despite her injuries and lingering illness, Ramona pushed herself up and began to run.
She spotted a phone booth, realizing it would be a quicker way to get help. Rushing inside, she dialed 911.
"911, what's your emergency?" the operator asked.
Ramona cried into the phone, "Someone sniped an innocent taxi driver! We need the police and an ambulance immediately!"
"First responders will be dispatched to your location. Stay safe, ma'am," the operator reassured her.
"Thank you so much." Ramona hung up then heard a tingling sound hitting the phone booth's glass.
Looking up, she exclaimed, "You've got to be kidding me!"
Ramona flung the door open and scrambled out just as the grenade exploded. The blast propelled her into the air, knocking her to the ground, though she remained conscious.
Reaching her breaking point, Ramona ignored her pain and injuries, "SHOW YOURSELF," she screamed, intentionally drawing the sniper's attention.
"Idiot!" Kenji heard her shout and was furious at her foolishness.
Ramona knew the culprit was hiding far away. Despite her impulsiveness, her screams successfully lured the sniper out. She looked up at the top of the building across from her and saw the sniper aiming at her head.
Quickly, she leaped behind a nearby car, using it as a shield to block the sniper's view. Kenji heard a gunshot and realized the sharpshooter was close by.
"The sniper is on top of the building!" Ramona pointed out.
Kenji was already at the building's entrance, "Stop screaming! Let me do my job!"
"I'm just trying to help!" Ramona retorted, loud enough for Kenji to hear.
Kenji stormed into the building Ramona had indicated. Ramona then released poisonous gas from her body towards the rooftop, creating a cloud.
"Oh sh*t, Elias never mentioned anything about her abilities," the sniper retreated but as he opened the rooftop entrance...
Kenji delivered a spinning kick to the sniper's head, knocking him unconscious. Kenji then carried the body inside, shielding them both from the approaching poisonous rain.
Observing Ramona's toxic cloud, "So that's her superpower," He immediately recognized the potentially danger her ability posed to civilians.
The police and ambulance soon arrived. Officers searched the area for casualties but found none besides Ramona's taxi driver.
They found Ramona passed out behind a car. The ambulance crew placed her on a stretcher, loaded her into the ambulance, and took her to the hospital.
Meanwhile, Kenji brought the unconscious sniper down from the rooftop. "Take him to the police station," he instructed the officers, "He's unconscious from my kick, but he's alive." The police nodded and followed Kenji as he carried the sniper to the police car.
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Team A and Team B assembled in the grand hall at the agency, while their recruiters stood at the front, communication devices in hand.
"Where's Bernadette Swanson?"
"Where's William Arthurson?"
It was clear Ramona and Kenji were in danger, but William and Bernadette's status remained unknown. They had no choice but to continue even without the two.
"This will allow us to stay in contact while we're out there," they gave the communication device to their recruits, "Make sure to use it wisely."
Hiro took the device, "I guess we should go now..."
The recruiters giving them a yes signal. They prepared to leave, Kristine and Cathy remained behind, "We'll monitor everything from here." Kristine assured them, "Keep us updated," Cathy added.
The ten-person team from A and B quickly exited the building. Helen sprinted to a minivan parked outside, urging, "Let's go!"
The other nine superhumans piled into the minivan, and Helen promptly sped off toward their destination.
As they were about to approach the location, Kristine alerted them through the communication device, "Everyone, this is Kristine, can you hear me?" her voice came through clearly, "Yes."
"We've just received word from the headmaster that Ramona and Kenji managed to defeat the sniper on their own, he has been arrested."
'Thank god they're okay' Hiro hold on to his chest as if to release his holding breath. He glanced at Talia, who had the same reaction. Timothy who was clasping his hands together, "My prayers have been answered. I knew they could handle it!"
"Yeah those two are tougher than they look," Sasha admired them both, Ivan and Dylan nods as they agree on her statement.
The moment of relief was short lived though as Cathy chimed in with another news, "Don't celebrate just yet. Detective Ariane came to our agency right now and told us that she has a lead on Elias' hideout and wants all of you to check if it's true."
"Where is it?" Helen spoke while driving the minivan.
Detective Ariane informed the superhumans through the device, "It's an abandoned factory in the industrial area. You'll recognize it by its unique beige rooftop."
The batch exchanged glances, "An abandoned factory? That sounds...ominous." Hiro reacted.
"We have no choice, we have to go there." Dr. Sheppard spoke, looking at the window of the vehicle.
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The industrial area was filled with a lot of factories and docks but they managed to find a factory with broken windows, rusted metal, and a beige-colored rooftop.
"This has to be it," Hiro scans the area to see if there's more beige-colored rooftop factories.
"Stay alert, they could be watching us," Dylan told them.
They crept closer to the factory noticing that it was eerily quiet although they speculated that the equipment and scraps that were littered on the ground belonged to Elias.
"It looks like we're too late, I think Elias already knew that we will end up here," Talia observed.
They entered the abandoned factory and moments later, a group of henchmen appeared behind them, weapons drawn, "You should have not come here!" One of them shouted.
"I believe we should have, you stand no chance against us!" Coach Clyde boastfully claimed.
"Let's just take them down," Veronika replied as she and Clyde immediately split themselves from their comrades.
"Stay sharp, Veronika."
"I know how to handle myself, Clyde."
Suddenly, a group of henchmen armed and ready to fight.
"Let's do this!" As Clyde dashed around the factory, the rapid thump of his feet barely touching the ground. Each time he knocked a henchman out, he returned to Veronika's side,"One down!" "Two down!", "Three down!"
Meanwhile, the henchmen targeting Veronika unleashed a spree of bullets, the sharp crack of gunfire ringing in her ears. But Veronika moved with grace. She sidestepped each shot the bullets whizzing past her.
"Over here!" A playful smirk on her lips as she led the henchmen into a narrow gap between two massive machines.
Clyde propelled himself into the air, the sound of his powerful jump reverberating through the factory. He soared above the henchmen, he landed with a heavy thud on the faces of the two closest henchmen. "Gotcha!" he laughed.
One henchman, realizing his mistake, aimed at Clyde, but it was too late. Veronika was already there, her hand quickly grabbing the henchman's arm and twisting it behind his back. The sharp intake of breath from him was followed by a satisfying crunch as she secured him. "Not so fast, big boy."
"Let's finish this!" Clyde dashed around the remaining henchmen, knocking them off.
Veronika on the other hand just let herself stay out of danger, she struck when they least expected it.
In a matter of moments, the last henchman fell, a soft thud echoing in the now-quiet space. Clyde and Veronika exchanged a glance, their teamwork leaves no doubt that they were a force to be reckoned with.
"Not bad," Clyde complimented.
Veronika smirked, brushing off any dust on her clothes, "Let's go back with the others."
They headed back with Hiro and the others.
"You guys are a pro!" Hiro exclaimed proudly after their skirmishes with the henchmen.
"Yeah, but we still need to find out where Elias went," Timothy knew this was not a time for celebration as they still had a lot more problems to conquer.
"Stay cautious; he could still be nearby," Kristine told them on the device.
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The sharpshooter regained consciousness and was questioned by the police, who found no identification on him.
"I go by the name Blood," the sniper introduced himself.
"We're not here for jokes. Who are you really?" The officer pressed.
"I already told you, my name is Blood."
"You're in serious trouble, Blood." Officer Ramirez leaned forward, "We know you're connected to Elias and his plans. If you don't cooperate, we'll have no choice but to force you to do so."
"You think your fear tactics will make me talk?"
"We always have ways of getting what we want. Let's say, oh yeah, what about this...what if we let the media know who you really are? That you're their brother?" Officer Ramirez revealed a picture of a hero from the agency.
His eyes went wide open, "You wouldn't dare," Blood hissed.
"Try us, you know how the press operates. The last thing your sibling needs is their name being tarnished because they're related to a criminal."
Blood clenched his fists. Feeling cornered by the threat to his sibling's reputation; a sibling he'd always protect, "Fine, I'll talk."
"Elias wasn't always this arrogant, prideful maniac," Blood began. "He used to be a hero in that agency. I don't know much about his reasons for becoming evil. Maybe it was always in him, hidden from his close friends; I don't know their identities, but they were called the Lunatic and the Chief, and he was the Architect of their trio. All I know is that an incident happened that broke them up."
"What incident?" Officer Ramirez questioned further.
"Betrayal, that alone altered their paths forever-"
All of a sudden the ground shook violently, and smoke billowed through the air as an explosion rocked the building. Shattered glass, debris raining down, and lights flickering happening in an instant.
"Get Down!"
Blood's heart pounded as he instinctively dove under the table. He knew this was a calculated attack, but what truly stunned him was how the Architect seemingly cared about no one but himself, not even sparing a thought for his own right-hand man's safety.
Another explosion echoed in the distance, the ground trembling beneath them. Officer Ramirez grabbed Blood's arm, pulling him toward the emergency exit, "We need to go!"
After going down the stairs, they burst through the exit door. They were met with bright daylight and emergency vehicles on the street.
Blood quickly scanned his surroundings. Elias was, as always, one step ahead. He had to find his sibling and warn them immediately knowing they were a superhuman.
Officer Ramirez didn't let go of his arm, "You're not going anywhere."
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Detective Ariane, Max, the recruiters, and the police officers hurried to the factory.
They apprehended the unconscious henchmen that the heroes had defeated, "Let's move in," Ariane commanded, the officers followed behind, weapons drawn and alert for any remaining trouble.
Inside the factory, Max gave a command to the heroes, "Team A, I need you to check on Ramona and Kenji at the hospital. Team B, go to Bernadette's and William's households to see if they're there; luckily, they live in the same neighborhood. We'll handle this factory from here on out." He then provided both teams with the necessary addresses.
The heroes nodded and quickly got into their minivan. Helena decided, "I'll drop off Team A first, then Team B and I will immediately go to their neighborhood. Understand?"
"Yes."
Helena immediately started the vehicle and drove off.
Max moved deeper into the factory, the remaining items of Elias' operations still onsite. With each step, he has to know what Elias had been planning.
He soon reached a dimly lit room in the back, he froze as to what he discovered. The walls were plastered with blueprints and diagrams, all detailing intricate plans and strategies. He then saw folders containing the profiles of this year's superheroes, two interesting profiles from the past: The Lunatic and The Chief. There was also another folder, filled with his designs of his weapons.
"He's literally planning to control the superhumans and destroy our society..." he flipped through the papers.
Out of the blue, Detective Ariane entered the room and picked up the folder containing the profiles of The Lunatic and The Chief, "You know, Elias never really forgot about these two, did he? It's a shame he ended up going down such a dark path. The Lunatic just vanished, and as for The Chief, he's the only one still keeping an eye on the city."
Max reacted to her statement, "Yeah, We know the story. Elias sold them out for his own gain betraying the other two."
Ariane raised an eyebrow, "You think it was that simple? He might have had his reasons."
"Reasons?" Max scoffed, shaking his head. "What could possibly justify stabbing your friends in the back?"
"I don't know, maybe he thought he was saving them from something worse?" Detective Ariane suggested.
Max rubbing the back of his neck, "I get it, but that doesn't excuse what he did."
Detective Ariane patted him on the shoulder, "You're right, it must have hurt for them to be betrayed like that, especially coming from someone they trusted."
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Arriving at the hospital, never in a million years would they expect to see such turmoil inside the building.
Helen quickly rolled down the window as she spotted a fleeing civilian. "What's happening? Why are you running?" she called out.
The civilian caught up to their breath, "There's a psycho, she's very powerful! She is draining the lives of everyone inside the hospital, People are getting weak and dying; I have to run!"
The civilians kept running in a panic. Adrenaline surged through Ivan, "I think our team can handle this. You guys better check on your teammates' neighborhood."
Sasha was uncertain of Ivan's decision, "Are you sure? What if we need their backup?"
Ivan shook his head, "We don't have time for that, they were also ordered by the recruiters to go to their teammates. They need to go there."
Dylan tried to protest but Ivan made a pretty great point.
"Promise that you'll be careful," Cathy's voice interjected through the device.
"Always, babe."
Finally, Team A opened the minivan doors and exited the vehicle.
Helen sped off towards the neighborhood. About ten minutes later, they saw a cluster of flashing lights.
A large crowd had gathered. Every house in the neighborhood was engulfed in flames, with heavy smoke billowing into the sky. Firefighters were already on the scene, battling the blaze with their hoses.
"Granny..." Timothy devastated by the sight of so many burning homes.
"Mr. William can't be dead, right?" Talia looked at the neighborhood.
"Don't say that..." Hiro doesn't like hearing those kinds of things.
Firefighters bravely entered some of the burning houses, desperate to rescue anyone inside. The anxious crowd watched, hoping for positive news as the firefighters spent more time inside.
Finally, firefighters emerged from one house, carrying an unconscious Bernadette, who was covered in burn marks.
From other houses, firefighters managed to drag out William, who had suffered the same fate.
A civilian noticed a message scraped in the center of the street's pavement, "Who did this!?" they exclaimed, as everyone present was terrified by the message.
Who's Next?