Martin stood over the scorch mark, rubbing his neck. He’d never seen anything like it before, the crete had been bed in a way that looked like water had been spshed across it from above. He gnced over at the forensics specialist who was kneelio him, tweezers in his hands. The man plucked what looked like a fragment of a rope out of the debris that y in the ter of the bst zone, slipping it into a small bag and sealing it. He wrote something on the bag a aside before leaning back down again.

  The ittee agent sighed and turned away, walking to where Ironsides was standing. The bigger man had his arms crossed and was looking around the room in silence. He gowards Martin and shrugged wearily, “Anything?”

  Martin shook his head, “Nothing definitive, the bs are already ba the body’s teeth, right?” He asked.

  Ironsides nodded, “Yeah, the press got hold of the information too, it’s definitely Park Beyol.”

  Martin clicked his tongue and gnced over his shoulder at the scorch mark, “Looks like aion.”

  “Someoh firepower equivalent to what Firestorm is capable of, fortuhe guy was at the Hero Day event around the estimated time of death,” Ironsides grunted, gng at the bck mark as well. His nose wrinkled, “I agree though, definitely aion of some sort. Kingshark’s men caught him, tortured him by the looks of the bones, and then burned him alive.”

  Martin turo Ironsides, “Do you seriously still think it’s just Kingshark?” He demanded, “Do you think a guy like that is capable of pnning that kind of coorditack?”

  Ironsides looked to the left hesitantly and then sighed, “I’m vinced, but what we do? Homend security won’t take us seriously until roof and Kingshark cimed responsibility for the attack. They have their target,” He said.

  Martin straightened a little, his eyes widening. He’d wondered if he’d ever be able to vince Irohat there was more to this than just some meatheaded fish-guy and it seemed the attack had been enough. It was taoo well pnned, but more problematiartin was that it felt too easy. People died, yes, but it felt like they all cut and run as soon as things got hard. Not only that, they left behind a lot of their own. There were only three deaths among the attag party. All survivors, all being brought up on domestic terrorism charges.

  He frowned, rubbing his temples, “Something still isn’t sitting right with me.”

  Ironsides looked his way, “You’ve got good instincts, clearly, let’s talk it through,” He said aured for Martin to walk with him. The two of them stepped out of the room and into the much rger on area outside of it. There was evidehat tons of crates and materials had been stacked here at one point but they were all gone. Quickly ed out and moved to a new location. As soon as that woman, Handmaiden, attacked their headquarters they moved everything. Handmaiden was uninjured obviously, I’m not sure what could hurt her. Miss ovna had some bruises but that was about it.

  “How’s Miss ovna doing?” Martin asked hesitantly.

  “She’s apparently going to Orndo for a brief vacation, I don’t bme her,” Ironsides said, “We did a full debrief before she left.”

  “Anything iing?” Martin asked.

  “Not really, she was very forthing about how they treated her and her injuries, but didn’t give us much more than we already know now that we’ve looked the pce over,” Ironsides said with a shake of his head. “So what’s yut telling you?”

  Martin turo his partner. Yes, his partner. He had to accept that now. Lu-Ironsides was a good guy, there was no doubt his heart was in the right pd he was a good iigator. His powers would e in handy if they had trouble, too. It had been hard to accept the existence of the light-touched, but he was front aer to see the heroes defend the civilians at the New York attack. That guy, Firestorm, he kept going even after being injured all those times. I couldn’t do that. Am I jealous? Damn it.

  He sighed, “It was too easy, the defense.”

  “Over two hundred people died, Martin,” Ironsides said with a frown.

  “If they’d taken it seriously, I think the vilins could have done five times that. He may have gotten a wound in the end but Kingshark wasn’t even taking the fight against Firestorm seriously, I know you were more focused on fighting the vilins but…” He trailed off, “...I watched a good bit of it. It was like watg an adrenaline jurying to get his fix. He wasn’t giving it his all.”

  Ironsides swallowed, “I see…” He looked ptive for a moment, “So whats their angle?”

  Martin shook his head, “There were almost five hundred arrests that day, they ditched their guys easily. All of them were light-touched. they really afford to lose that many people?”

  His partner crossed his arms, “...that doesn’t make sense. You’re right. Trained light-touched are rare right now. After more and more heroes get trai’ll be different but-” He trailed off and then looked up at Martin. “The prison system?”

  Martin froze, “I-” He was cut off by his phing, the ringtone unmistakeable. He held up his hand to forestall the versation and pulled out his phone quickly. It was the Chairman. He gnced up at Ironsides and swallowed hard before pulling his phone up to his ear, “Hello, Chairman, sir,” He said, drawing a surprised frown from Ironsides.

  “Mister Fuller, I’m gd I got a hold of you, how is the iigation at Kingshark’s headquarters going?” He asked.

  “Kingshark got out quick, sir,” Martin said sourly, “He was ready to leave at a moment’s notice.”

  “I see, good work anyway,” There ause and then he cleared his throat, “I read your special report.”

  Marti a thrill go up his spine, he calmed himself a out a breath, “Your thoughts, sir?”

  “I agree with your assessment and some of our people overseas have heard rumblings about this person as well, but we haven’t got nearly as muformation as you have. You said you went undercover, unauthorized, to a rally and saw this person?” The Chairman asked, his to giving anything away about how he felt about the behavior.

  Martin chewed his lip a out a sigh, “Yes sir, that’s what happened.”

  There was another long pause, Martin ched his fist a a bead of sweat drip down his brow, finally the older man spoke; “Excellent work, Mister Fuller. I’m putting you in charge of the Ishtar Case, effective immediately you are the Chief Iigating Officer for the North Ameri branch. gratutions. Find this vilin and brio justice.”

  The ex-detective’s shoulders straightened and his spine jolted, he looked at the phone in fusion for a moment and then held it up to his ear again, running his fihrough his hair. “I… thank you sir! I won’t let you down.”

  “Go to the branch offi New York and receive your new packet,” The Chairman said gruffly, “Good luck, Chief,” He added and ehe call.

  Martin looked at the phone again and then up at Ironsides who gave him an expet look, he broke into a wide smile. “Let’s head back to the office, we have a lot to talk about.”

  –

  Orndo was hot, even in the middle of the night. The humidity was enough to drive a vacationer crazy. It didn’t bother , much, though it did make all of his outfits feel a little tighter. He ran his fihrough his brown hair as he walked down the sidewalk towards his office, a carton of freshly made coffee in a bag clutched tightly in his right hand. He rubbed his eyes, Ae night. Just wish these cases actually paid out a little more. Feel like I’ve been doing newbie work for a decade.

  He sighed and leisurely rouhe er only to stop as he spotted a figure standing just down the way, right in front of the door to his office. What kind of dress is that? Is she wearing a veil? He thought to himself as he patted his coat with his free hand, cheg for his revolver. Still there, still loaded. His lips thinned as he stepped to within shouting distance of the figure. “Excuse me! We’re closed!” he shouted, “You e baorrow for a sultation!”

  The veil wearing woman didn’t say a word, but iook three steps back from her spot standing in front of the door a her hands over her p. He narrowed his eyes, Is that a maid uniform? He wondered, Where have I seen it before? He wondered a walking towards the door. She didn’t move, didn’t speak, didn’t eve as he got within a few steps of her. Creepy. He thought and turowards the door to his office. He held up his badge and the door unlocked, the lights ing on as he stepped inside and the door shut.

  He gnced bad she’d moved back to her position in front of the door, his brows knit, Almost like she’s standing guard… His heart ched in his chest and he quickly reached into his suit for his gun. He pulled it out and looked around, nothing. He slid up to the er leading to his offid peered around. The hall was lit but no one was there. He slipped slowly to the door to his offid pressed his ear against it.

  “e in, Mister Matthews,” A raspy voice called through the door, “And put that toy away, it won’t do you any good.”

  He flinched, Do I run? I with that scary person at the front door? He swallowed, “Threatening a legal professional is a crime!” He shouted.

  “Wasting my time will get you killed,” The cruel rasp responded, “e in, .”

  He licked his lips and g his gun again. He sighed, Probably a light-touched, this won’t do me any good. He thought sullenly and slipped it bato the holster. He pushed the door open and froze, there was an indescribable feeling in the air. It was like an om weight that seemed to push down ohing that he was. It wasn’t heavy, but enough to be noticeable. More startling was the eerie figure sitting in his chair. White leather armor and a faceless helmet that only showed two sinister hot-pink eyes. Reminded him of the kind of helmets they wear at raves around here.

  “Have a seat, Mister Matthews,” The person said, gesturing to the chair his ts usually sat in.

  He frow her, “You’re sitting in my chair.”

  The woman behind the helmet tilted her head at him, then actually ughed, “Yes, I suppose I am, humor me though.”

  “Not until you tell me what you want,” He said from the doorway.

  “I io have a pleasant versation with you, , whivolves you sitting down, now,” Her voice carried a hint of warning. She wasn’t going to ask again. He’d pushed his luck as far as it would go and pushing her buttons clearly hadn’t resulted in any hostility. She wasn’t here to kill him, then.

  He worked his thoughts through as he moved to sit down before fixing her with a stare, “What do you want?”

  She tilted her head again, “You’re a lot different from how I imagine you, more spine,” She said thoughtfully and leaned ba his chair, “I like that,” When he didn’t respond to the baded pliment she chuckled again and sighed, “You must hate it here, in a shabby low level office with only the dregs as tele. How do you stand it? You’re one of the fi wyers iy yet you let your brother’s shadow cripple you.”

  He stiffened, “You did your research.”

  “Of course I did,” The woman said, “I came here to hire you after all, sweep you off your feet and take you away to a much better career.”

  Hire me? He squeezed his hands together, “You’re a vilin, aren’t you?”

  She fixed him with a stare for a moment before nodding, “I am. The first.”

  “The first?” He murmured.

  “I ordered the atta the Hero Day events,” The woman said ftly, “I trol Kingshark.”

  His jaw fell, his eyes widening, this person just admitted to being the most powerful living domestic terrorist in the Uates without eveating. A vilin, no, a supervilin. He swallowed as she tio talk.

  “My ability allows me to make binding tracts with other people and I’m looking to make improvements on it. I tried to do it, but my instincts tell me that I am not qualified to create physical dots to assign my ability to, I need someoh a talent in the legal field and my public persona could use a legal representative as well…” She said as if describing the weather, “...You.”

  His blood ran cold even as his mind worked. An ability that creates ‘binding’ tracts? tracts that ’t be broken? Clearly she’d do before, but… Why was he even thinking about it? Was it boredom? Was it rese? Was it greed?

  He licked his lips and looked at the helmet, “How does it work?” He asked hesitantly.

  “I’ll show you first hand once you hear out my offer,” She said.

  “Offer?” He asked and she pushed one of his own business cards towards him. He took it and flipped it over, his stomach roiling at the number on the card. He stared at it, aghast, then looked up at her in wonder.

  He opened his mouth to speak but she held up her hand, “This includes funding a new offi New York and assisting in hiring staff.”

  He looked down at the card again, “Annually?” He asked.

  “Yes.”

  He gnced around his tiny offid down at the carton of coffee in the bag o the chair. He rolled his jaw and looked up at her, “What do you wao do?” He asked, a small smile creeping across his face.

  She held out a hand, “Let’s make a deal, Mister Matthews.”

  –

  It was m when the figure stopped in front of the door to the office. Humming to himself, the man ran his finger over the handle and the security disengaged. He pulled the door open and slipped inside, walking down the unlit entry hall and into the waiting room. He gnced around curiously and reached up to py with his coiffed hair. He tugged at a strand and licked his lips, rounding the er that led down to the owner’s office.

  He stopped at the door and gnced down, it was ajar. He pushed the door open and bliilting his head curiously to the left. The office was empty. The books were gone, legal dots, everything. All that was left was the shoddy wooden desk and the chairs set around it.

  Sapphire eyes gleamed as his lips twisted into an awkward smile, “Curious, where’d he go?”