One by one Skip brought the team to the crime scene. There was no pomp and circumstance with the teleportations. This was just the way The Hunt traveled. Yet even though Liam had seen the process a hundred times and gone through just as many, it was still amazing to behold.

The utility of Skip’s power never ceased to astound. The ability to move people with such little effort over large distances was an advantage The Hunt had over every Cowl in the area. The Heroes could be anywhere one moment. Then, if a call came out, they could show up somewhere else in a few seconds. That unpredictability was something none of the local Cowls knew how to counter.

The process of moving the team sped by. Each transfer took only a few seconds. In no time Liam was the last person remaining. As Skip jumped back for the final transfer, he hesitated a moment before reaching out. In that second their eyes met and Liam saw something in the other man he’d never seen before. It was lurking right under the surface. A dark shape that sent chills running down his spine. Before Liam could put his thoughts to words, they were gone.

The world drained of color, as Liam, unable to talk, started to think about his relationship with Skip. It’d never been great, but Liam assumed that was because he was the new guy. As time passed, the trust between the two of them would grow and the barrier would fade. Or so he thought.

Then there was the fight at the bank. Even remembering it now sent a burning ache racing through his body. Finding himself alone in his first true fight had been terrifying and dangerous. A prospect the team had been good at avoiding ever since. Liam paled like the world around him as he thought of how things could’ve turned out if his trap had failed.

After the fight he’d talked with Skip in the hallway. Skip had been trying to apologize and explain his actions, but Liam wouldn’t have any of it. His anger at the other Hero had driven him to lash out. This was the man who put him in danger, you couldn’t just forgive something like that or so he thought. Liam’s short sightedness had only increased the rift between them.

Since then, on the rare occasions when they talked, it was only professionally. But Liam knew deep down, the bitterness between them was dangerous. If they couldn’t trust each other completely, then they shouldn’t be fighting together. It was far too easy for one of them to get hurt. Thinking about it Liam was surprised Ullr hadn’t called a stop to it already. Unless he assumed it was a minor disagreement and wouldn’t impact their performance.

The look in Skip’s eyes before the jump told Liam everything he needed to know. Ullr’s idea was wishful thinking. This wasn’t just a simple disagreement, but an argument that’d gone on for far too long and was festering. Something needed to be done about it. Skip had offered the first olive branch and Liam had slapped it away. Now it was Liam’s turn to mend the rift. Starting with him accepting full blame for being so thick headed during Skip’s apology. As he was trying to work through how that conversation would go the vibrancy of the world began to return. The jump was ending.

The burst of nausea that accompanied jumps was short lived as Liam focused on what was around him. A deep red room replaced the gray concrete walls of the base. Wood furniture was tastefully placed around the space. The recent return of color accentuated the solid builds and deep colors of the wood.

A bookshelf in one corner held leather-bound volumes. While a blue and white porcelain vase stood on a candle stand table on the other side of the room. All the objects in the space had a subtle dignity to them. Speaking to the years they’d all witnessed. If Liam were a betting man, he would’ve put his money on everything in the room being antiques.

Scanning his elegant new surroundings Liam turned to Skip. The mysterious look from a moment ago was gone. In its place was the cool indifference he wore when dealing with Liam. Unable to meet the man’s eyes for more than a moment, Liam looked down. Trying to put an apology into words. When he spotted something that caused the yet formed apology to disappear from his mouth. Replaced instead by a rising annoyance.

They were in someone’s house. Officers were walking around the room taking pictures of anything that seemed out of place. When it clicked, Liam knew they had made a big mistake, this was the murder scene. And the pair had just jumped into the middle of it. Leaving Skip’s goo contamination all over the ground. The bridge Liam was working to mend collapsed in that moment.

“Please tell me this isn’t the crime scene,” Liam said. Holding onto his anger by the tip.

“Can’t do that my mechanically minded friend,” Gladius said from the side of the room. She didn’t even bother turning around as she continued to look through the bookshelf. Shifting one volume to get a better look at its title.

“I thought we talked about this. Jumping to a crime scene contaminates it,” Liam said as H-Bar walked out of the room, shaking his head as he left. This wasn’t the first time Liam and Skip had had this conversation and he didn’t want any part of it. The problem was every time this came up Skip would say he was sorry and he wouldn’t do it again. Then he disregarded the regulation all over again a few days later. Ullr had even talked to both of them after the third or fourth argument. He’d agreed with Liam and told Skip to stop, but when it happened again, there was no punishment. So Skip didn’t listen and continued to break the rules. Liam would never understand why the team would let him ignore well established Hero protocol. It was there to protect crime scenes, which in turn helped them hunt down the bad guys.

“It’ll be gone in a couple hours. Don’t make a big deal out of it,” Skip said as he shrugged his shoulders. “Plus it’s not like we’re in the same room as the murder. That’s upstairs. I kept us away from it so we wouldn’t disturb the scene.”

“It doesn’t matter that the murder happened upstairs, this is still part of the crime scene. Do you want me to quote regulations again?” Liam threatened.

“Oh please do. You haven’t told me enough times for it to be ingrained in my brain.”

As Liam was about to respond Ullr said, “Enough, both of you. We’ll talk about this again in private.”

In private Liam thought. Looking around the room he spotted a couple officers huddled in the corner, cameras in hand. They’d both watched the entire exchange and were now trying to make themselves invisible. It wasn’t often beat officers had the chance to see Heroes let alone talk to them. And then here comes the entire team arguing for the world to see. From their shaking bodies it was clear neither of the officers had expected to meet Heroes. And now that they had they were wishing to be anywhere else. Ullr would definitely lecture him on this one tomorrow. Liam sighed before he spoke up.

“Sorry boss, an honest mistake.”

“What the kid said,” Skip said.

“Good then we can review the scene. Source start by filming the entire house. Work downstairs first then make your way to the actual murder on the second floor. Pay special attention to anything that looks like it’s missing or out of place.”

“Can do,” Liam said, determined to do everything else today by the book. No need to make Ullr madder than he already was.

A small metal cylinder popped out of Liam’s shoulder as he activated the suits recorder. The top of the cylinder housed a series of cameras facing every direction. This was the compromise camera he’d made from the team’s suggestion. It was great for recording interviews and crime scenes but fights were a different matter. Liam was still working on a way to make it durable enough to last through one.

After a quick check of the systems, Liam confirmed all the cameras were working, and he was recording. A little red light at the top of the cylinder indicated the same to anyone looking at him. Liam liked to joke that these cameras could wipe people memories. It was an obvious lie, but his device had a similar design to one from an iconic movie, that did just that. It was just enough to trick a few people into believing him.

As Liam started to record, Ullr lead the rest of the team out of the room. Giving them orders as they went. From what Liam caught it sounded like they would start with the body before spreading out. Which was fine by Liam, at least that would keep Skip away from him for a little bit.

Finishing his circuit of the room Liam turned to the two officers. Both of them were keeping busy. Well, pretending to be busy while trying to draw as little attention as possible. Noticing Liam’s gaze they both stopped their work and turned to him. They didn’t appear afraid of the Hero in front of them, but there was a clear uneasiness about how they held themselves. Like school children about to be told to play nice.

Liam started, “The name’s Source. Nice to meet both of you.”

“I, It’s a pleasure. My name is Ryan, and this is Zach,” the man on the right said through a momentary stutter.

“Pleasure,” Liam said as he reached out and shook both of their hands. “If you two would be so kind as to not repeat what you heard earlier that would be appreciated. With a second murder from a loose Cowl, tempers are a little strained at the moment. We want to make sure the public doesn’t panic and hearing about an argument between two members of The Hunt won’t help. I’m sure you understand and will keep this between us.”

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

“Of course,” Zach said.

“Our lips are sealed,” Ryan said.

Both hurrying to let Liam know they wouldn’t say a word. That he had nothing to fear from them.

“That’s great to hear. Thank you both for your understanding.”

Having gotten the officers to agree Liam turned to leave. Only for Zach speak up, “Before you go could you sign this,” he said as he pulled out a picture of a child from his wallet, “My son is a huge fan.”

“It would be my pleasure,” Liam said, taking a pen from the officer and signing the picture. Ryan asked for a card to be signed right after, which Liam also obliged. Signing autographs was a new thing for him and something he hadn’t prepared for. At least his name was legible now, which was a larger victory than Liam wanted to admit. Through the first few weeks on the job Liam couldn’t even tell what he was writing half the time. In his defense he’d never held a pen in the suit’s glove before starting here, it was like trying to write in mittens. You could do it, but it wasn’t the same as without.

Even after two months it still felt weird every time Liam signed an autograph. Knowing the people who asked for them were looking up to him only made it a bigger burden. But if it would guarantee these officers kept the argument to themselves, then it was worth any discomfort.

Having satisfied the officer’s request Liam recorded the rest of the house. Making his way from room to room. As he filmed, he tried to ensure every corner of the space was documented by moving at a slow and measured pace. Often walking through the room multiple times to ensure nothing was missed.

The house was large, spanning the corner of two suburban streets. But that size didn’t bring with it a gaudy atmosphere like Liam expected. Instead there was a quiet elegance to the house that spoke of its age.

The rich wood floors creaked their welcome as Liam made his rounds. Like the furniture of the house, the wooden floors were just as old. Wear visible in the more high traffic regions. But it wasn’t to the level of requiring repair. Instead the light damage was a sign of the house’s character. Hinting at the lives lived inside.

In each room Liam walked through he found the same type of furniture. Every piece a gem from a time gone by. And while they were old, they helped tell the story of this space. Bringing a personality that modern furniture couldn’t match.

As Liam made his way through the house, he imagined the family that lived here. Now missing one member. The open doors and hallways of the house gave off a feeling of welcomeness. With pictures of three children decorating the walls. Each child so obviously loved. Before today this had been a happy and loving home. Liam only hoped the children could return to that bliss someday.

Around the house officers scurried about like ants. The scene would’ve looked chaotic to Liam only a few months earlier. Now he saw it for what it was. Organized mayhem, each person with a clear task to carry out. The bustle of it all was oddly calming to Liam. Knowing everyone was working towards the same common goal. Finding who committed this horrible act and bringing them to justice.

Finishing the last room on the first floor Liam turned to where most of the commotion lay. Upstairs with the victim. Looking up the long dark stairwell Liam knew the dead awaited him at the top. Shaking his head at the senselessness of what happened here, Liam started up the stairs.

Arriving on the second floor a ripe odor filled his suit. Looking down, a gym bag was laying next to the stairs. The bag’s smell showing how recent it’d been returned from the gym. Switching on his suit's air filters the smell faded and Liam continued on. Whoever that bag belonged to needed to wash their clothes.

Happy to get away from the smell, Liam stepped through a doorway and into a hurricane of commotion. People moved around in the intricate dance of a crime scene. Liam took a moment to view the master bedroom he’d found himself in. It was large, spanning almost as much space as the living room downstairs. Moving to the middle of the room, to get a better look at the space, Liam froze. His happiness from escaping the smell vanishing. There was no room for happiness with what was in front of him. A father and family man was dead. The hole in the wall in front of him marked where it’d happened.

Getting ahold of himself he looked into the next room. The body lay there, in a crumpled heap. Only a towel wrapped around his waist. The jagged edges of the hole above him hadn’t been cut by any saw. It was from the man being thrown through the wall.

A light flashed in Liam’s mind. Looking down he realized where he was standing. This was where the victim would’ve been when he was thrown. A cold chill ran down his arms as he registered he was standing on the exact spot of a murder. Rushing to the side of the room Liam took in a shaky breath. As if being on the spot of the crime was contagious and only now was he safe.

Trying to take his mind off of where he’d just been Liam looked over the rest of the room. Almost everything was in its place. They had knocked a few pictures over, but that was likely because of the body’s impact on the wall. Not someone rummaging through them. Even so, he’d have the pictures dusted for prints. Best to cross all t’s in this case.

The king size bed didn’t have a wrinkle and none of the furniture looked moved. There was no sign of a struggle in the room.

Which meant the victim was ambushed, or he knew his attacker and let them in. If this was the same assailant as the other murder, which it was looking like, then the murderer must have snuck in. At the first crime scene they had a video showing no one entered the building using conventional means. Leaving the only option, that the assailant used a power to get into the house. When Liam had time, he’d have to go back through the file Matt gave him on local Cowls. Maybe he would get lucky and find someone whose powers fit the crime.

Working up his courage, Liam made his way into the adjacent room. He had a job to do and that meant filming the entire crime scene, victim included. Walking into the room, bright white lights took Liam by surprise. This was the bathroom he realized, as the suit dimmed his visor to compensate for the harsh lighting. This room was in a much worse state than the one he’d just left. Almost a dozen bottles of beauty products and a hair straightener were strewn over the ground. Many broken, with their contents littering the space. The man’s flight through the wall had sent the room into chaos.

The victim himself was on the floor. Surrounded by a sea of forensic investigators, each one collecting evidence from the body. There were more people in the room than Liam would’ve thought could fit in such a small space. It was getting dangerously close to clown car territory. Dodging his way through the crowd, Liam tried to film the entire space, determined not to miss anything. As he made his way through the room, he was careful not to disrupt any of the experts as they did their work.

As Liam was making a second pass through the room, H-Bar came up and said, “Briefing in the dining room, let’s go.” The older Hero took a peek at the body before he left. In that moment H-Bar’s eyes lost focus. Almost like he was looking at something larger than just the victim. Then his focus sharpened, and he turned around. Determination written across his face. The man was battling with his emotions as well.

“Right behind you,” Liam said as he followed the other Hero out of the room. Making it downstairs they gathered with the rest of the team at the dining room table. Liam’s focus directed at the man standing on the far side of the room, the only person not from the team.

The man was wearing a worn out brown suit covering a wrinkled blue button-down shirt. Liam didn’t know how the suit had survived this long. In his estimate it should have been thrown out years ago. But there it was still being worn by this man. Either as a refusal to accept reality, or by pure stubbornness.

Sitting on the table next to the man was a simple brown hat. An item Liam assumed was used more as camouflage for his balding head than as a style statement.

Looking over the man, Liam noted the way he carried himself. It was with a confidence that spoke of years of practice. Whoever this person was he was someone you wanted to be on good terms with lest he direct his anger at you. As Liam was taking stock of the man, he noted the same was being done to him. The man’s eyes scanned over Liam’s armor with a critical air that left Liam startled. It was as if the man was looking through the armor and judging the person beneath. To most people, facing a Hero was a nerve wracking experience, but not this man. He had a force to him that didn’t back down in the slightest in the face of Heroes. If anything it was almost like he reveled in the ability to show his toughness to them.

Ullr spoke first, “Detective Leacock here has been kind enough to bring us all up to speed. Now before we begin, I believe you haven’t met our newest member, Source.”

“I’ve yet to have that...honor,” the detective said. Taking a moment to search for the word he wanted to use.

“Nice to meet you,” Liam answered.

“It’s never nice to meet someone when there’s a dead body nearby. What are you teaching the new ones these days?” Detective Leacock asked as he turned his focus from Liam back to Ullr.

“He’s still green. Give him a little time and I’m confident he’ll learn.”

“You’d better hope so,” Detective Leacock said as he looked back at Liam. A small frown on his lips before he shook his head.

“Now, before we get too far off track, you were going to give us an update of the crime scene,” Ullr said. Pushing the conversation in a direction he wanted. Liam noted the careful hand Ullr used with this man. It wasn’t a treatment most people received.

Glancing at Ullr, the man sighed before he began, “Neighbors heard a scream and then a loud bang around four hours ago. Officers arrived a few minutes later and found Mr. Pullun dead. No one was seen entering or leaving the house at the time of the attack. Wife got here five minutes ago and is waiting outside. I figured you and I could have a little chat with her,” the detective said with a smug smile, nodding to Ullr.

“Would be nice to have backup for that,” Ullr said.

“I figured you’d say that,” the detective responded, “Kids are with their grandparents until everything settles down.”

“Do they know what happened?” H-Bar asked.

“Not yet.”

There was a visible release of tension in H-Bar’s shoulders. Liam couldn’t blame him. The only bright spot of this entire mess was that the kids would hear everything from their mother, not some random stranger. If that could be considered a bright spot.

“Let’s head out and meet her,” Ullr said as he started to move, “Gladius and Skip you two are on patrol. Focus on visibility and calming the public. H-Bar see if you can help out upstairs. Let me know if there are any updates. Source canvas the neighbors. See if they saw anything strange going on in the last few days.”

With orders given the team dispersed. They had a murderer to hunt.