The shadowy face’s voice was heavily distorted. “We agreed only to make contact once a month. What’s wrong?”
The skinny man approached the monitor and explained the situation.
The patriot spoke. “Your terms are acceptable. But please remember that if we go down, you’re coming with us. Understood?”
Eric smiled. “Then I better make sure you don’t go down.”
The patriot nodded. “I’ll leave the details to Sherlock. Patriot out.”
The face disappeared, and the skinny man introduced himself. “My code name is Sherlock, hers is Apocrypha, and he is Mr. mystery.”
Sherlock continued. “My power increases my mind’s processing speed by a trillion-fold. His power allows him to make clones out of shadows and see through their eyes.”
Eric chuckled. “I call code name deity.”
Sherlock shrugged. “Sure. We have planned to take out the superhuman generals for a while, but until now, we haven’t had anyone to carry it out. Consider this your test run. We need you to use your name to create a private investigation firm.”
Eric nodded. “That won’t be an issue. Why, though?”
Sherlock explained. “When we start killing the generals, there’s going to be an investigation, and we need to be a part of that investigation to hide our tracks.”
Eric smiled and leaned forward. “I think I can manage it. It’ll take a few months to set it up, but I have a friend in the commissioner’s office.”
Sherlock looked surprised. “Who?”
Eric smiled. “The commissioner. But in exchange, I need you to get me in contact with a member of the cartel.”
Sherlock nodded. “Deal. I’ll contact you with the details tomorrow.”
Eric got up and left the room. The man from before tried to put the bag back on Eric’s head.
Eric grabbed his arm and burned it to a crisp. “I believe I already told you what would happen if you tried that again.”
He stepped into the van and went to sleep.
The van stopped at Eric’s apartment, which he nearly forgot existed. Nathan was living there for the time being. Eric decided that as long as he was there, he should meet up with Nathan and set up a team meeting. He walked into his apartment and saw his cat, misty.
He picked up the cat and sat down. “Sorry I couldn’t be here, misty. How have things been?”
The cat booped his forehead. “Good to know.”
Nathan entered. “You’re back. That’s good. How did it go?”
Eric explained what had happened.
Nathan sighed. “I can set up the p.i firm. But I need you to do another interview. Play up how many crimes go unsolved. What’s your plan for the cartel?”
Eric chuckles. “Carrot or stick. They can work under me and finally get access to America as they’ve wanted for nearly 600 years, or I can kill them one by one in the most excruciating way possible and resurrect them. Repeat until loyal.”
Nathan nods. “I doubt they would just go under you right off the bat.”
Eric smiles. “Which is why I plan on giving them a gift. For years the Sinaloa cartel has been fighting tooth and nail against the Jalisco New Generation to keep the top spot. Imagine how happy they will be when I hand them the severed head of their main rival. It will show them how helpful I can be while simultaneously letting them know their place.”
Nathan agrees. “Okay. Give me a few days to set up the interview.”
Eric pets misty for a while before leaving for D’s house. On the way, he calls Z and asks him to meet at D’s.
Eric arrives at D’s place and explains what happened at the revolutionary hideout and his plans to D and Z.
D smiles. “It’s good to know Sherlock is still around the joyless bastard.”
Z is confused. “I’m glad the plan is working, but what do you need me for?”
Eric grins. “I need you to blast me with lightning. I plan on deceiving our friends in the Sinaloa cartel. The fewer people know about the full extent of my powers, the better.”
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Z nods, and Eric removes his shirt.
Z blushes. “I forgot that you can only absorb through your skin.”
Eric gets closer. “It’s better if we’re close. Wouldn’t want to have electricity sparking everywhere.” Eric said, hoping Z wouldn’t notice that the house was already destroyed from all the training.
Z blushed harder, approached Eric, and placed a hand on his chest. “You know I-”
Z is cut off by D loudly munching popcorn. “Don’t mind me. Please continue.”
Z stuttered. “Uhh, maybe it would be better if we did it like this.”
Z grabbed Eric’s hand and began charging him with electricity.
Eric glared at d with a fury capable of killing a god.
After charging Eric with his powers for a while, Z leaves.
Eric turns to D. “D is your entire goal as an eternal, undying demi god just to cock block me specifically?!”
D smiled. “Yes.”
Eric carefully hid his rage. “Hey, d. It’s been a few days since we last had a training session.”
D felt a disturbance in the force moments before his head was torn from his body.
Eric spent the rest of the day training with D until he got a call.
Sherlock spoke. “We’ve kept up our end of the bargain. They want to meet you on their terms. They’re sending a car to pick you up.”
Eric smiles and wipes D’s blood off of his hands. “Sounds good.”
Eric steps out and sees a car pull up.
A man with a teardrop tattoo speaks. “Get in.”
Eric scoffed. “Just one?”
Eric got in the back of the car and took a nap. He had long since mastered the ability to sleep on command. He learned this skill due to the many boring school classes.
When he awoke, the car had stopped. His door opened, and he was met by the man with the teardrop tattoo.
“Get out and follow me.” the man spoke with authority.
Eric got out of the car and yawned. Normally he wouldn’t be so disrespectful to a cartel member; however, since Eric had uncovered his powers, he felt that the number of people who truly threatened him could be counted on one hand.
As he walked through the cartel base, he couldn’t help but feel that something was off.
His suspicion proved accurate when he caught a glimpse of a child being ordered to bring drugs across the border.
Eric was a person who sought to be calm, cool, and collected at all times. Even when disrespected or looked down upon, this person, who rarely acted out of anything but cold calculation, was shaking with fury.
Eric had always hated people who used children. Adults already had a chance to make their own choices and mistakes, and they already had an opportunity to learn about the world. That was why he felt nothing killing them. A child, however, had none of those chances or opportunities, and they didn’t know what they were getting into. To Eric, only a single thought came to mind.
“its not fair.”
Eric suppressed his anger and continued to follow the man. The man brought him to a room where three men sat.
The man in the middle spoke. “why is it that you wanted to meet with the Jalisco New Generation.”
Eric smiled. “to kill you, of course. You’ve made that pretty easy by agreeing to meet.”
The three men laughed. “you have quite the set of stones on you, boy. I would expect nothing less from the man who won the rookie tournament with no powers. If it’s a job you are looking for, I could see you placed very highly in my organization.”
Eric laughed and continued. “as it happens, that’s exactly what I am looking for. You know I have quite the pull in America. If I were to start advocating for the demilitarization of the border, it would be quite beneficial to you. And that’s just the beginning. Imagine if I start to push for the decriminalization of drugs. You could go from a dirty villainous cartel to an honest, upright pharmaceutical company. All I ask is 25% of your profits in America. Think about it as it is, you can only sell bits and pieces of your product through drug mules. Imagine if you could sell to the American public en mass. Even with my 25% cut, you would still be making billions more than you used to, and if it doesn’t work, then you don’t need to give me a dime.”
The men were impressed with Eric’s offer. “we have a deal.”
Eric smiles. “shake on it?”
the man in the middle laughed. “smart man. I never agree to a deal I don’t shake on.”
Eric grabbed his hand. “I couldn’t agree more.” Eric blasted the man with an immense amount of electricity, killing the man instantly. “did you think I would make a deal with a person who uses children like cattle?”
Eric waves his hand and sends out a burst of lighting that completely vaporizes all the guards in the room. He grabs one of the remaining men. “how are you-” Eric snapped his neck.
Eric turned to the last man with a sadistic smile. “open or closed casket?”
the man turned to run. “closed it is.”
Eric runs after the man who dives into a room.
Eric walks in to see that it is a dead end. “I’ve been meaning to get some cardio in.”
The man looks at Eric with defiant fury. “I won’t go down alone.”
suddenly the room began shifting, and Eric became wobbly. He saw his mother standing in front of him. “ah. It’s an illusion-based ability. Good to see you, mother, but I’ve got to go.”
Eric sent out a blast of lightning in all directions.
The wobbling stopped, and the man fell over dead.
Eric collected the heads of the leaders before heading to where they kept the children.
Eric looked inside and saw dozens of children whose entire lives had been stolen by the cartel and felt his blood boil. Eric had done his level best to purge himself of any morality. He saw it as something that would only hold him back. And yet the rage that flowed through him was immense.
He walks up to one of the children. “I need you to follow me, okay?” it was the first time he had spoken kindly to someone genuinely.
The children followed him out of the compound, and Eric called the police to pick them up.
Before leaving, Eric turns to the compound and raises his hand. “let’s be done with this.”
Eric sends out a blast of lightning that completely vaporizes the compound leaving no man alive.
Eric takes the car he was brought in and drives away. Eric arrives at the Sinaloa cartel’s main base.
Eric sneaks into the cartel boss’s office by absorbing the light that touches him, making him invisible.
A tall man with a handlebar mustache walks in and sits down.
Eric undoes his invisibility and speaks. “say a word, and I’ll kill you where you stand.”
the man nods.
Eric smiles. “ill say this once and only once. You work for me.”
Eric places the severed heads of the rival cartel on his desk and makes the offer he previously made to the other cartel.
Eric grins. “pretty good deal isn’t it? One more thing before I go. If I find out that you are using kids to peddle drugs again, ill cut your dick off and feed it to you. understood?”
The man nods.
Eric disappears.