Before Ashton could reach to answer his phone, he was pulled aside by one of the armed personnel who had entered the room. Right, this was hardly the situation for taking phone calls. It was only natural that in a situation like this, they would have questions for him, and they most certainly did. They guided Ashton to a private room that had clearly been used for questioning before, and asked him to remove any devices he may have on his person for the time being.
Alone, and with nothing else to distract him, the reality of everything that had just happened began to sink in. Queen Heart, the history she remembered far differently than he did, and MysteriousMaskz, or Ned’s involvement in all of this. Had she not been in love with him, causing him to be immune, he would have been at the mercy of any darker motives she might have. Even if he had still been immune, Ashton had this nagging fear that if he hadn’t played along she would have used her powers to have others force his hand.
Ashton’s plan had been successful, but it left Ashton feeling hollow. As always, he had gone with the flow like a leaf floating on a stream. He neither fought the current nor tried to direct himself along it. A coward in the truest sense. After all, unlike the leaf in the river, he had the power to fight back. Ashton attempted to summon a spark between his fingers, but it seemed his powers were still nullified by the gas. Hopefully his questioning session would give him some answers about that as well.
The interrogators joined him shortly. A short but sharp looking woman came in first, frowning at her tablet and barely sparing Ashton a glance. Following behind her was a surprisingly familiar face. Jared.
“I will need to confirm a few things, before we begin,” the woman announced, finally meeting his eyes, “First, were you operating under the alias ‘Shadow Phoenix’ during your time at Superhuman Industries?”
There was no point in holding onto secrets that had already spilled. Especially not in a situation like this. “I did,” Ashton confirmed.
“Were you aware you might be targeted by this morning’s intruder?”
“I knew she would target me eventually, but I was only informed last night,” he answered. Even as it left his lips it sounded like a lame excuse.
“Then why did you not inform your superior of this along with the other details of this case?” she demanded.
Ashton took a deep breath. “I made some assumptions,” he admitted, “I assumed she would not strike so quickly, and even if she did I thought she would wait until I left the facility.”
“So you intended to put yourself at risk out in the open?”
That was certainly an idea, but not one Ashton had. Self sacrifice had never crossed his mind. “I intended to plan and discuss more details in the morning, after I had some time to think.”
“Had the informant, Summer Aster, not followed Jared’s instructions you could have been in grave danger,” the woman scolded, “If you intend to continue work at the Emergency Division of Gale Research you must communicate concerns immediately to prevent similar situations.”
“Summer saved me?” Ashton asked, caught on the surprising detail.
“She did,” Jared confirmed, “I will be picking her up shortly. When I do, I may have to tell her why you were targeted.”
This was it. The moment Ashton had been dreading. Promises and contracts meant nothing in the face of such an incident, and he no longer had the heart to hide it. “Go ahead,” Ashton said, “It is time she finds out the truth. I am ready to face whatever the consequences may be.” He already had a fair idea of what to expect. He would say goodbye to Summer forever.
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Jared smiled. “That’s what I was hoping to hear. It’s nice to see you have some determination for once.”
The woman cleared her throat. “If you are done, I have many questions I need to ask about the incident.”
At her words, Jared left the room, leaving Ashton alone with her. Perhaps it was the influence of the most recent incident, but he felt oddly tense being alone in a room with a woman he had never met. All he had to do was answer her questions and it would all be over.
The woman asked him to describe what had happened in detail. She would occasionally stop him to clarify some things, especially any details about Queen Heart. She recorded her name, as well as everything that Ashton could recall her saying. The story Heart had told was particularly enlightening as it revealed a secret past and potential records in the government of her new transformation.
Once he was done with his description of the incident the woman sighed. “She spoke so freely with you, but she won’t say a word to us,” she muttered, “I may need to request your trial period to end early. If you become an official team lead of Gale Research you would have the credentials to interrogate her.”
“You want to promote me so I can interrogate Queen Heart?” Ashton repeated in shock. He had been certain his employment was about to be terminated due to the scale of the incident.
“You do not have to, but if she continues to remain silent, you may be the only person who can loosen her tongue,” the woman pointed out, “However, I understand if you would feel uncomfortable being alone in a room with your assailant.”
“If she provides information on the one who put her up to this, would I be able to act on that information?” Ashton asked. He couldn’t tell if he had finally found the sliver of him that longed to play hero, or if a more villainous side of him had awakened and urged him to eliminate potential threats. Either way, he was certain that his time living like a leaf carried by the stream was over.
“If the information she provides relates to an actual person, yes. However, we will need more proof than just her word.”
“Summer met him too,” Ashton told her, “MysteriousMaskz, Ned, and whatever other alias he lives by has been threatening her for some time. He seems to be obsessed with Shadow Phoenix as well.”
“That is good to know. We will look into it, and I will recommend that you graduate your trial period early,” she told him, “Think carefully who you will choose to be on your team.”
That’s right. He got a team with his new position. Ashton got a crazy idea in that moment. A way he could protect Summer by keeping her close. Of course, if she hated him now, he would step aside and focus all of his attention on taking out Maskz instead.
==========
Ned closed the computer he had used to hack into Gale Research’s security cameras. Ashton was awakening, just as he had hoped. He could see it in his eyes, hear it in his tone. Ned had been worried when he had put his past as Shadow Phoenix behind him. He couldn’t let the world miss out on the creation of a true villain.
Queen Heart had been an unfortunate yet necessary sacrifice for his cause. Ned liked to imagine her destiny would show itself in the future when Ashton rose to power as the true Shadow Phoenix and rescued her from prison. He did have one major regret, however. Perhaps he should not have been so secretive with her.
There was only one place Queen Heart knew where to find him. It was a different yet similar place to the one where he had met that foolish Golden Reign. Had he known that Shadow Phoenix would be so eager to meet him he would have chosen a much better stage. No matter. He would have to leave a trail of breadcrumbs for them to follow instead.
Now he had to find the perfect bodyguard to make sure the only person who could reach him was Ashton himself. Ned had been watching some potential candidates for quite some time. Some he had intended to raise to stand by Shadow Phoenix’s side, while others would be the perfect trial to make him shine.
He flipped through the folders hoping to find a couple good candidates. One to ensure he and Shadow Phoenix met, and the other to make sure nothing unfortunate happened to Ashton because of any background interference. Yes, those two would be perfect. Both were under surveillance due to the nature of their power giving them some common ground with Ashton himself.
Ned liked to call the first Checkmate, and the second Grimoire. It was obvious which position each should fill. Now all he had to do was ensure the other was recommended to join Ashton’s team.