"Well well, Technus. That was fast. No worries though, I know that little news story made you feel all excited inside." the voice joked before it continued. "Well, let me just say firstly that 'how' I kill Talon is through something I'm sure you're very familiar with. I've got a new weapon with me."

"A weapon meant specifically to kill heroes. Sure. Like I've never heard that before." Dray scoffed.

" Oh on contrary, I'm sure you know the proof of its genius? I mean seriously, fatal level threat in no time at all! This weapon is definitely worth the money. Satisfaction Guaranteed~"

Dray's generals looked over to him for a response. Due to his mask completely hiding his face, his generals have to rely completely on the words coming out of his mouth.

"Alright. I want to see it."

"See it? Sure."

"...So...you have photos? Videos?"

"I'd rather we do a bit of a...technology exchange if you will. Your time, for my tech."

"Trying to lure me out into the open?"

"Well of course! You're the one who called me."

Emi once again rested a hand on Dray's shoulder, this time giving it a hard squeeze.

"Give me a moment," Dray requested, muting himself in the process. Dray turned around to see Emi staring him down through her mask.

"Don't even consider it."

"Yeah, boss. This whole situation seems crazy to me." FIllain piped up. Dray peeked over to Riley who simply shook her head. Well, at least the guy was honest. What should I do...

It was clear to Dray that Amirah suspected something in regard to his involvement with Omnipresence. Can I even return home today? Was...was that it? The last time I saw Amirah? In spite of knowing the threat, Amirah posed to his organization, that possibility still pained him greatly. He did take the risk to marry her after all, a risk he was very willing to take for his wife. And yet after all that effort and all that careful planning, he was going to lose it all and possibly even more. After a few moments of silence, Fillain decided to speak up again.

"This guy just wants to pull you out into the open. Think about it Boss, a meeting of villain groups where we can't even guarantee if the guy himself would come out. We can't take this risk. I think we-"

"We're going."

"Excuse me?"

"I'm bringing you and Eliza. We're going to pick up this weapon they're promoting."

"You can't be serious? Boss, this...this just doesn't make a lot of sense."

"What do you suggest we do Fillian? This guy has our mark. We could stand to benefit from working with them or we could stand to get another enemy if we ignored him."

"Yes, but don't you think you're rushing this?"

He definitely was. Yet he was on a tight timeframe. If Amirah decided that tonight was the night Talon finally dealt with Technus, Dray feared there was nothing he could do to stop it. As much as he loved Amirah, he didn't want to slip up. He couldn't. As such, Dray turned around and unmuted himself.

"How early can we do this technology exchange?"

"Anytime you want. It's not an issue for me. My people are always ready."

"How about tonight?"

~~~

Amirah slowly rose from Dray's desk. She slowly blinked her eyes and yawned. She had fallen asleep. Amirah checked the clock in Dray's room. It was 5 o'clock, about 2 hours since Dray left. She checked her work phone to see various messages from her coworkers. Just more of the same... More messages about the genius and invisibility of Omnipresence. Amirah sighed before pulling out and checking her personal phone, seeing a message from Dray.

"I'm going to be home late today. It might be an overnight thing." ...what is that supposed to mean? Is Technus making a move tonight?

Amirah's eyes widened and she shot up from her seat. I need to get to him. Who knows what he could be planning next?! Amirah rushed to her room and picked up her costume. She undressed and tossed her clothes onto her bed, switching to her uniform, clipping on her wings and talons. Amirah burst out of her room in a hurry. I still have the tracker on his phone. I can check his location and...

Amirah stopped in her tracks. She looked around the empty apartment, taking in the wind blowing through an open window. She was never really fond of a day like this. Dray would be out for too long, she's exhausted from her work as Talon and can't bring herself to do her own hobbies either. She didn't like feeling so aimless even if it was only for a few hours at a time. It always felt so scarily lonely.

However, she always took solace in the fact that the next day would be better. She would be well rested to go to work again, she could take some time off to exercise and practice her fighting skills and, after a 'difficult client', Dray would be home for a while, always smiling and resting together with her. Thinking about it now in their brand-new apartment, Dray played a big role in Amirah's life no matter how little that seemed like the case on most days. With Dray around, she didn't need to worry about the cooking or chores while she was at work. Dray would always be at home to greet her and love her and Amirah readily indulged every single time. It might not always be so effective but it was something. She cherished Dray all the same.

Today was different. Once she checked Dray's location, everything would change. She would be making the active decision, in all her conviction as Talon to go after Dray. To hunt him down and arrest him. Put an end to his operation and their relationship. To put a halt to his empire and probably save some lives in the process.

This is...it. The days would certainly be...a little lonelier than usual.

Amirah thought about it for a few moments, before taking out her phone and checking the tracker.

~~~

Dray instructed 'Omnipresence' to meet him in an abandoned warehouse that used to be Technus' old storage area. Bringing Fillian and Eliza with him, he entered the building with the two of them and a small number of one-time hire grunts with a few returning members. He himself was outfitted with his usual weaponry of two longer melee tasers with his numerous amount of gadgets and tools. Due to his lack of powers, he had to ensure he was armed at all times, and, more importantly, he also had to ensure that nobody knew whether he had powers or not. Having that fact up in the air kept people weary.

As he walked into the building, he was immediately met with two men waiting for him. These men were wearing jet black masks that covered their faces paired with white gloves. This worried Dray a bit as it was clear that whoever was behind this was still intent on making sure that not even a crumb of identity made it back to Dray. Technus was just that efficient after all. In front of the two men was a table that had nothing but a laptop and a briefcase on it.

Fillian silently walked up to Dray from behind and lightly tapped his shoulder. He made a circular motion with his finger on Dray's back which served as a signal to say that they were surrounded. Fillain's excellent sense of smell and hearing gave him the ability to discern these factors when they were out for physical missions. It was just one of many reasons why Dray brought him everywhere.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Well...it's not like I didn't suspect this.

Dray walked up to the two men who raised their hands as a way of telling him to stop. Dray begrudgingly agrees, making his annoyance clear to everyone involved. One of the Black Masks then picked up the laptop from the table. The two men opened up the laptop and clicked a few keys before turning the screen around and showing it to Dray. The familiar sight of a black profile picture was present on the laptop screen.

"Hello there Technus. Good to see you, sorry I couldn't be there in person. You know how it is."

"Just show me this miracle you have so I can leave. I'm not too fond of your men looking at me for too long."

"Ah well, I agree the masks are a bit of a letdown but they suit my purposes," the person states. "Well, you heard the man. Show him the weapon."

The Black Mask that wasn't holding onto the laptop picked up the briefcase. He slowly removed his gloves before clicking the briefcase open and showing off the weapon, not moving any closer or further away from Dray. The weapon was big, practically the length of an arm of a fully grown adult. The end of the weapon looked barbed and bulbous with a thin and long but undeniably sharp needlepoint. Weirdly, the weapon also had two triggers, with a second smaller trigger behind the first normal one.

"This, Technus, is the weapon. Specifically designed to work best against a single person. As you can see, the tip was made to pierce whatever armor the hero happens to be wearing. When it shoots out that uh...harpoon I guess I would call it, the needle would impale the hero and then...well, just show the demonstration."

The Black Mask stood up and turned around, firing at a training dummy set up. When he did, the harpoon impaled the dummy before the bulbous lower end of the harpoon instantly opened up into a net and expanded, wrapping itself around the dummy. The man then turned around, made it clear that he switched triggers to the smaller one then pressed hard. The net suddenly superheated at an accelerated pace, the metal netting turning a bright red, spreading radiant heat at a large radius around it. After a few moments, the dummy collapsed, splitting into different pieces as the smell of burning wood filled the air. Eliza looked up at Fillian who put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. The Black Mask with the laptop turned it around to face Dray again.

"Well, that's what it does. I don't know exactly the specifications of the weapon and yadda yadda but hey, it works doesn't it?" The smile in his voice was more obvious this time.

"...How many of these do you have?"

"Well, that information comes at a cost."

"I thought you only needed my time?"

"Did you seriously think I meant only this meeting? No, when I said I wanted your time, I meant I want you to work with me. And, don't worry," the man paused with a laugh, "I do mean with."

Dray swallowed nervously. This weapon is...dangerous. Dray could already think about all the implications a weapon like this meant. A weapon like this had an excellent base. The needlepoint and expanding net could effectively incapacitate anyone on the other end of it. From there the weapon could inject poison, electrocute, and even impale the target even further. The possibilities were endless and yet this mysterious donor seemed to pick the worst one possible right off the bat. Dray stared at the inhumanely designed weapon. He began to picture Amirah in that state. What would happen if she got caught in such a thing? He imagined the tortured screams that would come from her as she wriggled around helplessly. Dray felt nauseous.

"What do you think, Technus? Think it's worth your time?"

...There's no point in trying to refuse the offer. This guy probably has a whole stockpile of these weapons if he is so willing to bring this one out here.

"...Can I see it a little closer?"

"Oh? Sure. Hand him the weapon." the man instructed. Dray turned around and signaled Eliza to go up and take the weapon. Eliza silently nodded gently taking the weapon from the Black Mask's hands. After Eliza passed it to Dray, he held on to the weapon for a few seconds, inspecting it closely and trying to make himself look like he was genuinely interested in the build of it. He put the weapon back into its case and handed it to Fillian.

"Alright. Do you mind if I keep this one?"

"Uh uh uh, only if you agree to a long and prosperous relationship between our organizations"

Dray took a deep breath.

"Alright. You have a deal."

"Great, now please, make it official." the voice requested as the Black Mask nodded and started approaching Dray.

As Dray walked up to the Black Mask, the Black Mask suddenly stopped. He adjusted his earpiece multiple times, seeming confused. Fillian tapped Dray on the shoulder again, the weapon now in the hands of one of his grunts. Dray looked up at Fillian and despite his mask not showing any sort of emotion, Fillian knew what he trying to ask.

"The bodies Technus. They're gone." Fillian whispered.

"What? What do you mean?" Dray asked.

"The people surrounding the building. They're not moving or communicating anymore."

"Are they still there?"

"Yes."

Oh no.

As if right on cue, two smoke grenades dropped from the ceiling, hindering the vision of both parties present. As Dray hurriedly swiveled around to check on his team as they are engulfed in smoke. One by one he heard his grunts getting manhandled and tossed around. Fillian backed up and shielded Eliza and Dray to the best of his ability but a figure kicked him in his side, knocking him away. Eliza pulled out a knife and swung at the figure but she ultimately flew back after a hard push by the figure. At that moment, Dray was face to face with Talon.

They looked at each other for a moment as Talon stared Technus down. Dray looked into her brown eyes and saw nothing but seething anger. And yet, she didn't move. Neither did Dray. The one second of hesitance ultimately cost her as a Black Mask came up from behind Dray and snapped his fingers, causing a bolt of electricity to zap Talon, staggering her.

The second Black Mask then hurriedly ran up to the briefcase and picked up the weapon. Talon recovered just barely too late as she is shot with the weapon, the needlepoint piercing into her side. The tip opened as the net wrapped around Talon, holding her arms in place. Before the Black Mask could switch triggers, Talon used her strength to swivel her body hard in a clockwise motion. The Black Mask, unable to maintain his footing is swung around, slamming into the wall and letting go of the weapon. Just as Talon was about to pounce on the first Black Mask, she is suddenly tackled by a grunt from behind. Dray cursed as the grunt was not one of his but instead another black masked individual. As Talon struggled on the ground the smoke cleared to show multiple other black masked men emerging from a secret compartment underneath the building.

Shit! When was that there?

The Black Mask who got swung around slowly stood up and dusted off his uniform. He picked up the weapon and trudged along towards the messy scene. Fillian and Eliza also got their bearings as the laptop from behind them made a sound.

"Well, well. That was...unexpected. You should really do some background checks on your mercs Technus."

Why is she here?! Dammit!

Dray clenched his fist, taking a look around him as they are once again surrounded, this time in much closer proximity. Talon didn't say anything as she struggled on the ground, multiple grunts holding her down and preventing her from getting any sort of solid footing. The black masks looked over at Dray perhaps for some confirmation or command.

"Well, Technus? I'll give you the honors."

~~~

Dammit! I can't move.

Amirah cursed her impatience. She did it again, acting all confident and rushing in thinking her prowess could carry her. She stayed and watched the entire deal go down, up until even the presentation of the weapon. She knew how dangerous it was and yet she still went in. In her anger, she jeopardized herself. Not to mention when she actually came face to face with Dray, she froze up like an amateur.

"Well, Technus? I'll give you the honors."

Amirah looked up at Dray as Dray looked back at her. She could feel venomous words bubbling up in her throat yet held her breath. What would he care anyway? Lying to me the entire time and now...now he's going to kill me.

Even as furious as she is now, Amirah couldn't help but feel intense anguish. The net was digging further into her armor and it felt more and more uncomfortable. Try as she might, she had no steady footing to bounce herself off of, especially with multiple grunts holding her down and pulling at her limbs. Why did it have to end like this? she thought to herself.

Amirah took another look at the unchanging fox mask staring back at her. What could you possibly be thinking of now, Dray?

Amirah only watched as Dray pulled out a taser from his cloak and stabbed it into the neck of the Black Mask next to him.