In the interrogation room, Richard and Reginald sat across from Carlos on the other side of the table. While Greg and James distanced themselves, but still listened in on the conversation.

Reginald moved the lamp closer to him as he directed the light towards Carlos, nearly blinding him with the glow.

“Alright, you better start talking.”

“What do you even want to know?” Carlos thundered. He tried to move but couldn’t budge much as cuffs tightened around his wrists.

“What’s your motivation for doing all of this?” Reginald inquired.

Carlos turned away and scoffed. “Like I’d tell you.

Blood boiling, Richard got up from his seat and stormed over to him. He delivered a swift punch at Carlos, knocking him off his stool. Richard grabbed the man by the shirt collar, glaring at him, face to face.

“Listen here, so many people’s lives have been ruined all because of you and your stupid group!” He shook the scientist violently. “Mine, Reginald’s, Fawn’s, even Mindy and Lily!”

“Calm down!” Reginald exclaimed, getting up from his seat and pulling at his brother’s arms. “We can’t hurt him too much, remember? We need the information.”

“Wait, did you say Mindy?” Carlos spoke up, his face softening.

“Yeah,” Richard tossed the man on the floor and crossed his arms. “I can’t imagine who else’s lives you’ve ruined.”

“Is she alright?”

“In the hospital, thanks to you,” Richard muttered in disgust.

Reginald crossed his arms and sighed. “Well, if he won’t be of any help...”

“Wait,” Carlos interjected, getting up from the floor and trying to set himself straight on the chair. “Let me out of here! I gotta see her!”

“We’re not letting a murderer like you—”

“I was only doing what I was told, scaring those people away with—”

“Hold up. How can we believe you?” Richard questioned. “We watched the video. You clearly hurt people at the science convention with your bat!”

“They provoked me!” Carlos insisted. “Those guys had it coming, it wasn’t even my idea.”

Reginald scratched his chin; a memory about the video resurfaced. “In the same clip, weren’t there two people who committed the crime?”

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

“That’s true,” Greg replied. “The one we couldn’t see started it with their lightning powers, if this man is telling the truth.”

Richard raised his arms in disbelief. “How will we know he’s telling us the truth this time?”

Reginald ignored his brother’s remark and continued on with the interrogation. “Were they your partner in crime, by chance?”

“No, that was my boss.” Carlos corrected him. “They did most of the dirty work.”

Everyone else stayed silent, not sure how to react to the new piece of information.

“I can’t tell if this guy’s lying or not,” James muttered under his breath. “It’s hard to read his face.”

Reginald shook his head. “Whether or not that’s the case, you're still an accomplice, and you committed a crime. For that, you aren’t going anywhere.”

James nodded in agreement. “You’ll be staying here until further notice.”

“Are you serious?” Richard asked, his mouth agape. “Why? What about—?”

“Look,” Reginald raised his hand to stop his sibling from speaking any further. “Killing this guy won’t bring anyone back.”

“But we can prevent him from causing more harm to other people.” Richard pointed out.

“Exactly. Which is why he’s staying here for the time being.”

“Something still bugs me,” Greg said. “Who do you work for? And what’s their weakness?”

“That’s for me to know, and for you to find out.” Carlos retorted.

“You better tell us, or else,” James warned him.

“Do whatever you want,” Carlos told them. “I’m not saying a thing. You wouldn’t beat h— them, anyway.”

“Don’t you want to see Mindy?” Reginald reminded him.

Carlos turned away and lowered his head. “It doesn’t matter. Knowing her, she’d never forgive me, much less talk to me.”

Richard and Reginald left the interrogation room, their rested backs against the wall of the hallway. Neither of them knew what to do at that point. Carlos wouldn’t cooperate, no matter what method they tried. Was there a way to change his mind? Richard suggested bringing Mindy here, but she was too injured to go anywhere. Even if she could, it’s highly unlikely she’d want to show up to talk with her ex-friend. Still, they were running out of options.

“Hey, what are you doing?” A voice from the door shouted. “No, don’t do that! Put the gun down!”

Bang! A loud sound made Richard and Reginald jump. The duo turned to the entrance and sprinted as fast as possible. When they got there, the men noticed blood splatter on the windows. The duo took a step back, hesitating. They weren’t gone long. What happened in there that caused blood to appear and screaming to occur

Richard’s and Reginald’s hearts hammered against their chests. Thinking about what happened from the other side made their bodies numb. It hurt, but someone had to step up and investigate. Hands trembling, they opened the door and entered the room with caution. In the corner, the cops quivered, their faces drained of color. In the middle of the room, Carlos hit the floor. Blood pouring out of his head as a motionless gun rested next to his hands

James and Greg took off their hats and placed them on their chests while Reginald and Richard took steps back and winced at the horror. Richard’s heart got caught in his throat. He opened his mouth, but not even a scream could escape his lips.

“It can’t be...” Reginald shook his head in denial. “How’d this happen?”

“We don’t know how he got a hold of that,” Greg replied, his voice still shaken. “We tried to stop him, but...”

“It’s fine, I’m sure we can find our own answers somehow,” Reginald replied, his stern tone masking the fear bubbling up inside him. “Thanks for your support.”