Crouching to on the roof of an apartment complex stay hidden from passersby, Conner was watching a building across the street. The object of his focus was nothing too impressive. An abandoned box factory with a dilapidated exterior that reflected its years of neglect.

Despite not being used for anything, John informed Conner the building was still privately owned. One Dillard Richards had purchased the whole place for two thousand dollars, as the prior owner was eager to be rid of it.

The purchase was made over two years prior, and it was evident Richards was more than likely a false identity of the buyer. The reason for this conclusion on the crime-fighting duo’s part was because the only Dillard Richards in Hive Town, or the whole of Miracle City, was as dirt poor as most of the other residents.

Whoever the buyer really was, one man had been seen coming and going from this place, the primary suspect. John learned he worked at one of the buildings that towered over the park, with his office being in one of the perfect areas for stalking that Conner had scouted out. Thanks to Hardwire’s newly developed identifying software, the boys’d been able to track him across the city’s cameras from his work to this place on a regular basis.

|X|

Putting a finger to his earpiece, Shining Darkness spoke, “Hardwire. Are you sure he’s not here?”

“All recordings show that he only comes here on Fridays. So you should have another six days to search the place. I hope you can manage with such little time,” Hardwire answered sarcastically.

“Just making sure there was no sign of him changing his patterns. I don’t want him showing up here before I can find evidence against him,” Shining Darkness replied as he stood up.

“Er… Remember, Darkness. We don’t even know for sure that this is our guy. He’s just our most likely lead.”

Clenching his fist, Conner said, “Right… I just…” Remembering the pictures and videos he saw of Janet, and how there were eight other lost kids like her, Shining Darkness' mind was in a very dark place. “I… just want to see this case closed as soon as possible.”

Taking a moment to scan the factory for entrances, Shine saw a few broken windows on the upper floors.

Cracking his neck, Shining Darkness said, “I’m heading in, alright?”

“Yeah. You’re good to go. Good luck, and may God bless our efforts.”

Jumping at the nearest window, Shine slipped through it with the precision of a shot fired from a master sniper. Landing gently, Shine took in his surroundings.

|X|

The top floor seemed as if it hadn’t seen use in years. It seemed as if he was in one of the workers’ lines. Worn-out boxes were scattered everywhere, and the assembly lines had started crumbling.

|X|

John said he’s owned this building for years, but it doesn’t look like Dillard is renovating the place. At least not this floor… If not, what’s he using this place for? Shine pondered as he started moving.

Making use of his super speed, Conner searched the third floor in minutes.

Aside from the assembly area, there was an overseer’s office. However, the office was as empty and abandoned as the rest of the floor. Despite Shine searching every piece of furniture as thoroughly as possible, he couldn’t find any hidden latches or buttons.

Shining Darkness was hoping to find a path to a hidden room or compartment. But, not wanting to leave any evidence of his presence, he couldn’t just tear his surroundings apart in search of clues.

After a half hour and going through the floor over a dozen times, Shine was satisfied he wouldn’t come across anything incriminating.

“Seems this floor is abandoned, Hardwire. I’m moving down to the next one.”

“Roger that, Darkness.”

Finding his way to the nearest set of stairs, Shine considered how to go down them. He noticed how rickety they appeared, so he knelt down and started feeling at the steps one at a time. If he didn’t want to leave signs of his presence, he needed to double-check that this staircase wasn’t about to collapse under his weight.

As he ran his hands on each step, Conner told himself, I’m glad the gloves Fate designed still allow me to feel through them. Leaving fingerprints would be a pain in the ass for my detective work… I wonder how the progress on my updated suit is going. It’ll save me some changing time.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs without incident, Shine stood up and took stock of his surroundings.

|X|

This floor was a bit more put together, although still poorly cobbled enough to get a good look at most of it at once. There were signs of constructing a front desk at the entrance, perhaps some shoddily built furniture, and thrown-together areas with desks covered in office supplies.

But even with this minimal effort, most of the machinery for when this place was a factory was still intact. The half-hearted, or maybe half-begun, attempt at turning an old factory floor into a modern office space was curious, but it wasn't evidence.

|X|

Cracking his neck again and giving his legs a quick stretch, Conner thought, Alright. Let’s get searching already.

At once, Shining Darkness sped his way across the first floor of the building several times. He did his best not to damage anything, but his super speed was kicking up papers and small office supplies he’d have to put back if he didn’t want to leave evidence.

After dedicating another half hour for this floor, Shine came to a stop to lean against a large assembly device and catch his breath. Truthfully, his incredible stamina could have allowed him to keep going for days, but this fatigue was more of the mental variety.

Nothing… Nothing, nothing, nothing! How can there be nothing here?! This is bullshit! I have to find those kids, and this is our only lead! I know what Janet looks like… I know what she sounds like! If I could just get one solid clue, I could track her down in an instant! But no! You aren’t even half the detective Death Head is, are you, you loser!?

As Conner yelled at himself, he heard his earpiece crackle to life, with Hardwire saying, “Hey, I figured I’d keep myself busy while you worked. I have some good news. But any luck on your end?”

Conner forced down the urge to snap at him. "No. Nothing," he growled, with more than a little acid in his voice.

“Whoa, okay. Easy there, killer,” John replied jokingly. “I finally managed to crack into the real data on Mister Dillard. Turns out his real name is Geffry Lincoln. He apparently bought this place to turn it into an office supply store.”

“What? But I thought he’d been working on this place for years. What’s he been doing?!” Conner asked, his tone a mix of frustration and confusion.

With a discomforted voice, John answered, “Erm… Aside from Penspot screwing just about everyone in Hive Town over… It seems like Geff’s taken so long because he genuinely doesn’t know what he’s doing… Business-wise, that is. I mean, the floor plans don’t even show a basement for this place. Where is he planning on storing anything?”

Beating his fist against his forehead, Conner exclaimed, “Perfect… This is just perfect! So we’re bashing ourselves against a dead-end?!”

“I… Sorry,” John said. “This job is really getting under your skin.”

Gritting his teeth so ferociously, his mouth matched the fangs on his mask, Shining Darkness replied, “Of course it is! Kids’ lives could be in danger! I’m ready to explode!”

Defensively, John retorted, “Hey! I’m angry about this, too! I… I’m sorry I got you involved in this, man.”

Taken so off guard, Shine couldn’t help but let his anger go as he asked in a worried tone, “What…? Why are you sorry about that?”

“Well, it's just how you’re reacting,” John said. “You don’t usually get so upset about things. I mean, you sound like a feral animal right now... I’m sorry I got you into this headspace… So much for being a genius.”

I… Am I like that…? I guess I try to control myself in front of my friends more than I do at home… I just don’t want them to have to deal with my problems.

As Conner finished thinking, he replied, “Don’t get like that, Hardwire. I’d have been even angrier if I learned about this later and we hadn’t done anything… Besides, you’re a tech guy, not a psychologist. So you’re still firmly in the genius camp.”

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Laughing halfheartedly, John said, “Thanks, Shine... How about you clean the place up and get out of there before you leave any real proof you were there? We can look into finding more leads when you get back.”

Sighing softly, Shining Darkness straightened his posture and replied, “Sure. That’s… Sure.”

With his speed used carefully in tandem with his photographic memory, Conner put everything back where it was supposed to be and headed for the stairs disheartened. As he trudged up the steps, Conner thought about the videos Janet’s parents showed him. He remembered her voice. How he expected her to cry when she fell over but just laughed instead.

In an instant, Conner’s imagination tried to piece together what she’d sound like if she had been crying, his faultless mind managing to forge the sound in seconds. Disgusted with himself, Conner tried to force the noise out of his thoughts, but it wouldn’t leave, no matter how hard he tried. Eventually, as he reached the top step, the crying turned to weak sobbing.

He froze.

It was then Conner realized he wasn’t imagining this sound. He was actually hearing it. It was real.

Turning around to stare down the stairs, Conner spoke with an alarmed whisper, “Hardwire, do you hear that?!”

John’s voice took a moment to answer Conner before eventually replying, “Um… I don’t think so. What do you hear, Shine?”

“Janet! Janet’s crying! And…” Conner then recognized two other voices crying alongside Janet. “And two more kids, at least! I’m going to start looking again!”

“Uh… Shine. I’m literally picking up nothing new on my end. Are you sure you’re not just-?” John started to ask tentatively.

“Quiet, Hardwire!” Shining Darkness snapped while trying his best not to. “I need to figure out where they’re coming from.”

Following his ears, Shine went back down and quickly found himself standing in front of a boxing machine bolted to the floor. Circling the machine, Darkness could have sworn he heard the voices coming from somewhere in the heavy, outdated hardware. In his desperate state, he was trying and failing to find some intended means of moving the large machinery.

“C- Shine! Seriously, what are you doing? Are you okay? My earpiece should hear whatever you can hear, and I’m not hearing any crying kids,” John told Conner, his voice evidently worried.

Placing one of his large hands on the side of the boxing machine, the Shining Darkness told his partner, “John… If I’m wrong about this, I’ll find some way to make it up to you and Geffry. If I’m right… I’ll have his head.”

In a brief flash of his superhuman strength, Shining Darkness pushed the machine, indenting his palm into it as it crashed across the floor. In its path, a trail of wreckage in the factory was left that would take hundreds to thousands of dollars to repair.

“Christ almighty, Shining Darkness! What are you doing?! What was that noise?!” John yelled, panicked, and angered.

On the Super Mask’s end, however, John’s voice was ignored. His focus was squarely on the louder sounds of crying children coming from the flight of stairs that the boxing machine had hidden. If he had been paying attention, Conner also would have noticed the mechanizims within the torn-up floor that would have allowed the machine to seamlessly slide out of the way.

His heart racing with anger and anticipation, Conner told John, “I found them. I need to focus going forward. Make yourself busy.”

“What?! You…? Shit. Okay. I’ll call Jericho,” John replied, his tone compliant with Conner’s request.

Leaping down the stairs, Shining Darkness went down two flights instantly, landing on a concrete floor in a small room. The only things before him were an unlit wall light and a locked, rusty, solid steel door. Behind that door, the crying noises were originating.

Scowling like never before, Darkness shoved his fingers into the concrete walls around the doorframe. His hands moved through the stone like styrofoam before he reached the metal door. The door itself was weaker than any other reinforced door he’d gone through, but this didn’t stop the Super Mask from squeezing and pulling on it with maddened hysteric strength. In under half a minute, Shine had compressed the middle of the rusty door to half its size and pulled it violently from the concrete wall.

Immediately, Shine was hit with another wall. This time, one of gut-wrenching stench. Ignoring the vile odor and walking into the room the door concealed, Conner suddenly found himself begging fate to erase what he encountered that night from his unfaltering memory.

It was a concrete room the size of a small apartment with a single flickering lightbulb hanging from the ceiling. The area was furnished with two stained beds, two filthy-looking toilets, and a rusty drinking fountain on one wall. Even with his superhuman durability, Conner could still feel how cold this place was. Clearly, no heating was being pumped down here.

In one corner, Conner saw three terrified, sobbing children who were clinging to each other. One boy and two girls. None of them could have been any older than eight. They were shivering from the cold, filthy, covered in scabs, bruises, and signs of broken bones. The reason Conner could tell all this was that their clothes were as stained as the beds and so shredded they barely held together. Additionally, they all seemed severely emaciated. However, one little girl amongst the three appeared the least injured and thin of them.

Meanwhile, in the corner diagonal from the crying children, there were five more children who- *@#*&%&@%(#*$&%!(#&@- And they had been- (*@^!^$@&#(**)!@*@*^@&%!&%&@*&#@!- Needless to say, there was no way they were still alive.

Conner’s mind couldn’t even string together proper thoughts, as if trying to reject the visceral reality before him.

It took all of Conner’s fortitude not to vomit in his mask. But once he had his stomach under control, next was the far more difficult task of getting his mind to cooperate.

What?! No! They… He… How could anyone…?! Dead! I’ll kill him! He- He has to die for this! I’ll make him…!

In a moment, as Conner’s frantic mind made his eyes dart about the room, his focus went back to the three living kids cowering from him.

Oh, fuck me! What am I doing?! They need help now… But they’re pissing their pants at the sight of me… How should I…?

It was then Conner remembered. He remembered what he told those punks he chased off on his first night of work. He’d always meant to make it a catchphrase for his Super Mask persona but had neglected the saying these past few months.

I am the angel with the face of a demon. I am the Shining Darkness.

With his course of action decided, Conner forced himself to calm down. These kids needed him to be strong for them, after all.

Taking steps toward the children, Janet was the only one who had the strength to address the masked giant with glowing eyes.

“Wh- who… What are you? Are… Are you another monster?”

Stopping a few feet from the children, hoping to himself he was giving them enough space, the Shining Darkness crouched down to their eye level. He then pulled down his hood and gracefully removed his mask. With his face revealed, snow-white hair, and glowing-white eyes, the Shining Darkness gave these poor kids the warmest smile he possibly could.

His voice, as gentle as he could manage, the Super Mask said what he hoped were the right words, “People call me Shining Darkness, or Shine for short. And I’m an angel that was sent here to save you. I’m… sorry I took so long.”

Recognizing that the kids were looking at him with disbelief and hope at once, Shine extended his hand to them and went on, “Would you three like to get out of here? I’ll take you to a warm hospital with nice food where they can make all your boo-boos better. A place where the monster can never touch you again.” His tone and choice of words weren’t perfect, but this was his first case dealing with child hostages. Fortunately, it seemed his efforts were enough for these desperate kids.

With tears of misery and joy, the three children started trying to get up to go to their savior. However, Shine recognized with his super speed how all three of them were either too weak or injured to properly stand up and were immediately falling over themselves.

Rushing to their side, the Shining Darkness caught all three children in his arms. As he held them with the gentle care of a loving older brother, the three kids began sobbing and wailing uncontrollably as they clung to the Super Mask for dear life. As if they thought if they ever lost their grip on him, they wouldn’t be rescued.

His arms being more than large enough for all three kids, Shine stuffed his mask in his belt, wrapped his cape around them, held them tight but gently, and stood up.

“Alright. Let’s get going,” Shining Darkness said as he walked toward the stairs.

|X|

Minutes later, Shine exited through the front door to the streets outside, having managed to slip his mask back on in the process.

A few people must have assumed an explosion went off when Darkness threw that machine, so they stopped by to watch and see what was happening. Understandably, the onlookers were more than shocked when they saw the Shining Darkness carrying three maimed children.

Fortunately, it didn’t even take another thirty seconds before police cars and ambulances arrived on the scene. Amongst them, Shine recognized Detective Jericho’s personal ride.

Getting out of her car in a hurry as some cops formed a perimeter, Jericho rushed toward her Super Mask partner. When she saw the children in his arms, her stride faltered somewhat, but she quickly recomposed herself and addressed him.

“Shining Darkness. Where are the rest of the children?”

Shine struggled to think of an answer at first but was eventually able to reply, “They’re still in the basement… And they don’t need ambulances.”

It only took a few seconds for the gears in Jericho’s head to fall into place, a horrified and furious emotion flashing across her eyes. Just as fast, though, her years of first-hand experience with such horrors brought her to an outward calm.

But when she remembered the three living children as they stared at her, Jericho relaxed her thoughts too and asked, “Hello, sweethearts. Are you all ready to go see your moms and dads again?”

Of the kids, the only one to respond was, again, Janet, “Mommy…? Daddy…? Please, old lady!”

As for the other two, when their parents were brought up, the kids simply clung tighter to Shining Darkness. Remembering the kinds of children John told him Geffry targeted, Shine wasn’t surprised by this reaction.

Noticing the EMTs getting out cots for the kids, Shine gestured toward them with his head.

Catching her young partner’s gist, Jericho walked past Darkness and addressed her men, “Come on, boys and girls! Move your asses! We have work to do! Let’s tear this place apart!”

As Jericho and her officers got to work, Shine took the kids to the EMTs and started trying to hand them over. However, the children began letting out grunts of disapproval as they dug themselves closer to the Super Mask.

“Hey. It’s alright. You’re gonna be okay now, kids,” One of the EMTs said while trying to take one of them.

In truth, if the EMT just pulled a little harder, he could easily pry the children from their grasp on the Super Mask. However, with how hurt they were already, he didn’t want to use any more force on them than was absolutely required.

Trying to help, Shine told the kids, “Hey, don’t worry, you guys. These are the people who’ll make all your pain go away. And don’t worry, I’ll come to visit you all once you’re all feeling good enough.”

Looking up at him as she dragged bloody snot on his costume, Janet asked, “You… You promise, Mr. Shiny Angel?”

Softly rubbing her hair, Shine told her, “Nothing could ever stop me, darling. And I swear on my life that these nice people will give you all the help you need.”

With a final sniffle, Janet spoke for the group, “Okay… Bye-bye, Mr. Shine.”

As all three kids were laid down with blankets, loaded into the ambulances, and driven away, Conner’s composure immediately dropped. It was as if a massive damn was cracking apart inside him.

He brought two shaking fingers to his earpiece, but for a long moment, he choked on his words, “H-H-Hardwire. Te-...Tell Jericho that I need to go. I-I’ll be back later.”

"Oh? Uh, okay, man. Are you coming back?"

"I-In a bit.”

Turning off the earpiece before John could ask anything else, Conner jumped away without another word.

|X|

Landing miles away on the roof of a condemned parking structure, Conner let himself fall to his knees. Pulling his mask off again, Conner shrunk back to his normal state and began hyperventilating.

As tears began pouring from his eyes, Conner gurgled out, “Oh God… Oh God…! Aaaaaaaagh!”

For the next hour, a forgotten corner of the city was host only to the sobs and anguished cries of a teenage boy trying to hold onto his sanity.