Amirah woke up to her blaring alarm. She reached over to her phone and switched it off before sitting up in her bed. The cobwebs around her eyes felt especially heavy. She blinked hard a few times before opening her side-desk drawer and pulling out her work phone. Every hero, signed to the Hero Association at least, is issued a company phone meant specifically to access emails and to contact heroes in the event of an emergency. As she expected, her inbox was flooded with emails. She ran a hand through her hair and sighed deeply.
The Omnipresence and Technus deal took place about two days prior. Due to the secrecy and general chaos of the matter, the Hero Association didn't know the true nature of what conspired. After all, the only thing left behind were a few dead or unconscious Technus grunts and Omnipresence members. When noteworthy incidents like these happen and no hero comes forward, the Hero Association would do an all-around interrogation and investigation of heroes within the district. Due to the Hero Association's method of giving out bonuses based on performance, sometimes heroes wouldn't report their failures and instead keep them hidden. After several severe incidents that could've been prevented or predicted if people spoke up, this protocol came into place.
Amirah had to be interrogated a few times in the past but when she moved in with Dray after they got married, her interrogations lessened. The district Dray lived in - or the district they both live in now, was a much quieter one than Amirah's previous district. She still traveled to nearby districts from time to time to tackle bigger fish and travel up the ranks but she didn't mind the peace. This was also attributed to the other heroes within the district which Amirah thought to be competent.
As always, Amirah saw them as competition. However, she was in a different position than in the past. Before, she had to be competitive in order to make a name for herself. Now, she commanded respect, her reputation well known amongst her own district and all immediate and nearby districts. Amirah knew this so she started trying to be more social and cooperative with her hero peers.
Amirah scrolled through her emails and noticed a lot more than usual. They were all marked as important. She sighed heavily, briefly skimming through each repeated, generated email about how it was 'of the utmost importance' she came in immediately for interrogation. She tapped off her email but then noticed a text message, which was something she rarely got on her work phone. Talon was not very approachable after all.
...Jana? Why is she texting me on this phone...
She opened the message and slowly read through it, her face very quickly going pale.
"Tal, you better come in for interrogation quick. Someone reported an old warehouse scene with signs of Omnipresence and Technus. They found your smoke canisters. Now, I don't know what you're cooking up or what you're hiding but Omnipresence is fresh on everyone's minds right now so you can't squeeze out of this one. Just come in before they come looking for you."
...Crap. There's no avoiding it now.
Amirah stretched in her bed and hopped off. She cautiously glanced at her door before dropping down and checking underneath her bed. A metal, locked storage box was underneath it. She looked around it and confirmed that it hadn't been moved. She pulled it out, entered the 6-digit pin number needed to open the storage box, and slowly opened it so as to not make much noise. She would usually keep her own costume and equipment in the storage box but for now, it was occupied by Omnipresence's hunting tool. Amirah confirmed the weapon had not been moved either before locking the box and shoving it back under her bed.
She stood back up to the unfamiliar sight of her costume simply being hung on a clothes rack with her armor and equipment dumped on the floor next to it. She had always hoped the day would come that she wouldn't need to break her back every time she wanted to retrieve her uniform but she never quite expected it to come with...a lot more extra baggage. She went to grab her towel from her side table drawer but as she did, the black metal band on top of said side table caught her gaze. She lightly touched the base of her ring finger. Her gaze fell to the ground.
...I can't wear it to work.
She picked it up and stuffed it into her back pocket nonetheless.
As she left her room to take a shower, she took a glance at Dray's door. She couldn't hear anything from beyond it.
Well, Dray is usually asleep at this time anyway so...
A sudden sense of dread washed over her. They both decided to sleep in their separate rooms as usual but knowing her husband's identity and especially knowing his quirks as Technus, she felt like she at least needed to check. She took a deep breath before knocking on Dray's door.
"Yeah?" shouted a voice from inside. Amirah let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.
Okay, Dray's still here...and awake?
"Can I come in?" she asked.
"Uh...sure." was the reply.
Amirah twisted the door handle and was surprised to find it unlocked.
I thought he would've...no, Amirah, stop that. This is still Dray after all...I hope.
She entered the room to find Dray sitting at his desk. He was looking quite cozy in his sweatpants and hoodie. The same sweatpants and hoodie from yesterday.
"Dray? it's 5 in the morning. I thought you usually slept in."
"Ah, well I didn't sleep since we came back last night."
"You...you can do that? I thought you were a heavy sleeper?"
"That's...because I stay up most nights to...do my own things."
Amirah's eyes shifted to the laptop on Dray's desk. She had never seen it before.
"Oh."
Silence filled the room before Dray cleared his throat. "So, you're...going on patrol?"
"Huh? Oh uh...no it's a bit more difficult than that." Amirah slowly walked deeper into the room and plopped down onto Dray's bed. "I...am going to get interrogated."
Dray raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Interrogated? What for? What happened?"
"Calm down, this isn't about you. Well, not completely. They found my smoke canisters at your 'deal' spot with Omnipresence. I haven't reported it since we...you know. So now they're bringing me in for questioning."
"...What happens if you don't go?"
Amirah took a deep breath. "They'll get impatient and come to me personally. So I would like to avoid that." Dray readily nodded.
"While you're doing that, try to find anything you can about the 'Yuri' guy. I'm sure you guys have some sort of archive room or database. Maybe you can ask around your hero buddies too."
"Dray, you do realize what this means right?"
Dray stared blankly at Amirah. "...Not exactly?"
"This would be the first time I'm lying to the Hero Association. If I get caught, I could be demoted. Possibly lose my job altogether. Not to mention I would have to keep this dangerous experimental weapon under wraps. What if it gets used again and my information could have saved some people?"
"You...how about you just tell them you saw the demo but...you lost the weapon. I assume it's uhh still with you."
Amirah raised an eyebrow.
"l-I''m not going to take it. I don't know where it is and before you say it, I'm not going to snoop around. Honest," Dray clarified, raising his hands in surrender.
"Mhm. So what do I do if they ask about you?"
"Just tell them what you usually do."
Amirah's brows furrowed. She knew what Dray meant of course. The fact that Technus is one of the only villains to constantly evade her grasp was widely known. It irritated her slightly that Dray knew how little Talon knew about Technus but she held back her words. She didn't want to get herself riled up again.
"...what are your plans then? Are you just going to stay at home all day?"
"No. I'm going to head to base. See if I can put some of my employees to work in finding more on Skelter or this new Omnipresence."
"I see. Just...keep me updated then."
"I will." Dray turned back to face his laptop.
...That's it?
" Oh and uh...good luck. I won't be back late," he said, giving Amirah a small smile before returning to his own little world.
...I guess that's good enough.
Amirah stood up and took one last look at Dray, spotting his own black wedding band on his desk, next to his wireless mouse. She shook her head to derail the depressing train of thought that appeared before finally leaving and taking a shower.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
-------
Amirah stepped into the Hero Association building in full costume. As per the rules and general safety protocol, all heroes entering the Hero Association building had to change into their costumes at their own discretion before entering the building. They are also required to change out of their costume after fully leaving the building so as to avoid any leaks of identity from occurring. Amirah waved at the receptionist before flashing her identification card. It looked like a normal credit card but the barcode on the back could not be read at any atm machine. Instead, it contained identifying details for the hero 'Talon' which she had to scan to prove her identity. The receptionist looked up at Amirah one last time before returning the card and allowing her through. Amirah stepped past the receptionist counter and through three big overarching metal rings that served as 'identifiers' They scanned Amirah's entire body from head to toe before giving her the green light to move further into the building.
Even though the sun had barely risen, the insides of the building were bustling with activity. Costumed heroes were all over the place, occupying the various facilities that were available to them within the huge building. Big, strength-focused heroes like Amirah liked to frequent the very big and very well-equipped gym that was available while other heroes might visit the library or archive room to brush up on their knowledge and possibly find some information pertaining to any case they happened to be involved in.
Amirah quickly rushed through the building, however, merely waving at or barely acknowledging any hero or staff that tried to make contact with her. She wouldn't consider herself to be antisocial but she built a reputation of being serious and ruthless so she wanted to keep it up lest other heroes start thinking they can push her around. She took an elevator down to the basement level and hurried to her assigned interrogation room to see a familiar face sitting inside, waiting for her arrival. She slowly walked in as the woman sitting at the head of a grey table looked up at her and smiled. Amirah looked at the 2-way mirror at her right and raised a hand in greeting before sitting on the uncomfortable plastic chair across from the woman.
"Good morning Talon. So, how are you feeling today?"
The test starts here.
"Feeling better. I've been nursing an injury the past few days so I'm sorry if I'm a bit slower than usual. But, thank you for asking Kim."
Kim's smile widened as she started writing on her some sheets of paper on a clipboard.
"Okay...so Talon, I know you've done this a few times but let's get the usual questions out of the way. Your hero alias is Talon, correct?"
"Yes."
"You are assigned to District 9, correct?"
"Yes."
"Okay...over the past week, have you seen, heard, or been involved in any suspicious or noteworthy event or crime?"
"...Yes."
"Okay...could you tell me what that event or crime is?"
"I...interrupted a deal between Omnipresence and Technus that took place in an abandoned warehouse. I managed to interrupt the deal but was quickly overrun and lost them."
Kim nodded thoughtfully, taking down more notes. "What did this deal entail?"
"Uh...some sort of weapon I think. It looked like this...uhh...harpoon gun." Amirah described the weapon in explicit detail to the interrogator, including the damage it could do.
"I see...quite the terrifying weapon." Kim scribbled more notes. "Any other important details we should know about? Perhaps who was present at the deal?"
"...Technus and two of their generals, I assume."
"What of Omnipresence?"
"They were all wearing masks. I did not recognize any of them, whether by appearance or power."
"I see. Do you have anything of note to say about Technus?"
"...No. It seemed like they were unfamiliar with the weapon." Amirah rubbed the back of her neck. "Knowing Technus, I doubt they will continue to make deals with Omnipresence or accept anything from them after this failure. They're too skittish and Omnipresence seems to also be very cautious."
Kim simply nodded sagely. "Understood. I know you've had your fair share of run-ins with Technus so if that is your thinking, don't forget to share it at the next district meeting."
This time, it was Amirah's turn to nod in confirmation.
"Well, final question and...sorry to sound so accusatory here but...could you please explain why you withheld this information from us?" Kim asked, leaning back in her chair and giving Amirah a blank look.
"I...was hit in the back of the head when I intervened and did not feel well enough to come in."
"Did you go to any nearby hospital or mobile Hero Association medical posts? "
"No. I did not deem the injury to be that bad as I was only feeling headaches and nausea."
Kim looked up at Amirah visibly confused. "...so you got hit in the back of the head hard enough to make you, Talon, dizzy and you didn't seek any medical attention?"
"...I never needed to seek medical attention for something like this before so I made the decision to get some rest of my own. I deeply apologize for my tardiness in appearing for interrogation. It won't happen again."
Kim nodded slowly, making sure to note down everything Talon has said to her.
"I...see. Well..." Kim flipped through the papers she had with her. "You have a clear track record and came clean about your involvement. However, you did withhold important information from us, and with no visible way of knowing if your excuse is accurate I would require you to head to the Medical Centre to confirm your injury before sending me a report and-"
"Could you just give me the punishment?" interrupted Amirah. "I'm feeling better now so I can't show any proof of the injury. I would rather go back in the field than spend time wasted in the Medical Centre."
Kim stared at Amirah for a moment. "...How does a small pay cut from this month's salary sound?"
Amirah heaved a sigh of relief. "That will be fine."
"Excellent. You are free to go now but I strongly encourage you to head to the Medical Centre for some treatment for your injury. Remember to write your report and send it in before the next district meeting. You are free to provide the information you have given me to your colleagues by word of mouth but we will notify them of this 'weapon' at the next district meeting that will take place 2 days from now. If you want to avoid any more trouble, I suggest you attend it. And please, next time, don't go in on your own. Omnipresence is causing enough of a headache as it is."
Amirah nodded and stood up from her chair, leaving the interrogation room before she could be prodded any further. She turned her phone on and sent a text back to Jana.
"Done with interrogation. Gonna write report. Meet at usual spot."
-------
Amirah pulls at her wig as she struggles to stay awake writing her report. Several pages of nothing but recounting details and writing it down in boring, lengthy ways to ensure she doesn't get hounded to write it again. She took a look around the library, hoping for her savior to arrive which she thankfully did, right when she needed her. Viper, or Jana as Amirah knew her, popped her head in from around a bookshelf and spotted Amirah in the quiet corner of the library.
"Tal. Hi, it's been a while." Jana greeted Amirah with a small smirk which Amirah could barely see through Jana's mask but knew the look all the same. Jana opened her arms wide for a hug which Amirah gratefully accepted albeit only staying in it briefly.
"Viper. Good to see you." Amirah waited a few moments, before peeking over Jana's shoulder and noticing Banshee and Gecko walk up to the pair.
"Talon and Viper! Hello! It has been a-"
Gecko forcefully put a hand over Banshee's mouth. Jana and Amirah both turn and look at Banshee in slight annoyance. Banshee awkwardly laughs from behind his makeshift mask, rubbing the back of his head. This was a common occurrence for the group which was formed by Banshee in the first place. It came after a lot of persistence and borderline begging but Talon joined this unofficial 'friend' group as a way to increase both the district's and her own efficiency. Having more eyes and ears was always a good thing after all.
It also came as a pure coincidence that three-quarters of the group happened to be animal-themed superheroes. Amirah suspected that Banshee maybe had a type.
"So, Tal. Quite the mess you got yourself into huh?" questioned Jana, sitting down next to her. Gecko and Banshee sat across the both of them as Amirah began recounting her recent experiences. Of course, she paid careful attention to leave out her...marital dispute.
"Huh...so...damn. This weapon sounds...real bad. Sure sounds like the one that offed Lotus." Jana pinched her brows in frustration.
"Talon, what happened to the weapon you saw? Did Technus get their hands on it?" Banshee asked with a rare look of seriousness. Amirah shook her head.
"No. At least, I...don't think so. Besides, Technus wouldn't risk going fatal. If they wanted to he could've done so a long time ago."
Gecko lightly tapped on the table. "Uh...I thought they can look at the weapon and...uhm...what is the phrase...make....copy? Copy it?"
"Yes. I think the word you're looking for is 'reverse engineer'," clarified Viper. Gecko snapped his fingers and smiled through his mask, content with the answer. Amirah laughed softly which shifted the table's attention to her very quickly.
"No...I think they need to actually own the weapon to reverse engineer it."
"I mean, with how they are sometimes, that could be their power you know?" Banshee suggested.
"No, they don't have powers," replied Amirah.
Jana raised an eyebrow. "I thought we didn't know that yet? It's pretty dangerous to make that assumption you know?"
Dammit.
"I mean, they never seem to use their power if they have any...but you're right. My bad." Amirah slumped her shoulders, lightly scratching the table with a finger.
Jana laughed softly before reaching over and hugging Amirah tightly. "Ah! It's okay Tal. Small mistake."
...That was close.
"So, why did you call me here then?" Jana asked as she separated.
"I...need your help. All of you. I interrupted that Technus and Omnipresence deal but other than a look at the weapon...I couldn't get anything. It's highly likely that Omnipresence has a ton of these weapons if the 5 heroes all died the same night. We're going to need to know more about Omnipresence since at this point...nobody knows anything."
All people present listened intently.
"I suggest we take a look around. We know that 'Skelter' might be involved and they're a long-running group so maybe some old HA contacts could be useful."
"We can check the archive room? See if anyone there would be useful?" Banshee suggested.
Bingo.
"Yeap. That's what I'm suggesting. Let's go."
Of course, Amirah could've gone to find Yuri completely on her own. The archive room was open to any hero so long as they have their card. However, Amirah didn't want to risk people getting suspicious. She got the idea to find Yuri from an illegal source after all. If she was going to play the long game, she had to cover all her bases. Organically introducing the idea allowed her to look into Yuri without anyone asking her why. Amirah quickly packed up her unfinished report and left the library, her little group hurriedly in tow. They step past all the other staff and headed straight to their district's archive room.
It was massive with shelf after shelf containing important documents and various bits of evidence. However, more importantly, the archive room also had constantly updating folders with recent information. Jana used the computer available in the room with impressive proficiency, successfully locating the folder they were all looking for. Amirah flipped through it until she found her prize.
"Okay...we have a few leads here. Let's try and split it between us to cover as much ground as we can. I'll go for this Yuri guy."