This World

by Lee, TD

  This guy sounds interesting. Wonder who he is. I’ll have to ask Adele about him if I can remember.

  Wow, Adele even has one on Ainia already? Ainia just joined, reluctantly, but it’s weird that Adele has files on her. Maybe Adele knew Ainia was going to join?

  Ainia Freeman AKA Cutlass. Age: 18. Powers: Expert swordsmanship. Wind manipulation with correct weapon. Peak human reflexes and durability. Soul Harvester and former sidekick of the superhero Blind Justice. Has a long track record for working with several superheroes and has been a part of many teams such as Adolescent Acolytes, Spirit Sanctum, and Heirs of Honor to name a few. Once owned a sword called Aurai that she had lost when had an attempted exit of the superhero scene 2 years ago. Talented with her abilities, but does not like to take action unless necessary. Incredibly short-tempered, she runs risk of losing her residual money from HERO due to her behavior. Attempted to make her exit on the superhero scene to escape being a sidekick. There are many rumors that during her time as a sidekick to Blind Justice, she would have to engage in tasks that Blind Justice could not do. These tasks may involve espionage, murder, torture, and blackmail. Despite pessimistic attitude and demeanor, she is loyal to a fault.

  It’s kind of scary how much information Adele has on everyone. Reading through all of these answered some of my questions that I had for everyone, but I have some more questions. Like, who is this Vesper guy? Why did Ainia get rid of this sword that she apparently had an affinity for? What happened to Kirika for her to lose her affiliation with the Magical Melange Musical Maids? There’s definitely this air of mystery that surrounds Meteor, but he’s not one to talk about it apparently. Dom is pretty mysterious too, I want to know what happened on that island. There’s a lot here and everyone has their mysteries. We’re all such a weird band of people to be working together, even if it’s temporary for them.

  At least now I know why Ainia doesn’t like being around Blind Justice or just being a superhero altogether, there’s a lot of history there.

  I wonder if everyone else knows that Adele has all of this information on them. Maybe it’s public knowledge and I just haven’t paid attention to it. Sounds about right though since I never paid attention to this superhero stuff until recently.

  When I finish reading and studying all of the dossiers the sun is already up. Wow, that was a lot of reading. I shuffle back to my bed and attempt to sleep again.

  It doesn’t work. I tried sleeping for a couple of hours and I’m wide awake. Today is going to suck with how tired I’m going to be.

  To pass the time before I head over to the agency, I look over the dossiers again just to retain some more of the information. I’m still surprised with how much information Adele has. I definitely need to ask her about this Vesper guy too. Maybe he’ll be at the agency too since it seems like everyone, but Kirika will be there. My body shakes in anticipation, and probably tiredness too. I have no idea what this case is going to be about.

  It becomes time to go the agency, so I put on a jacket and head out the door.

  It’s another crisp cold day. The cold helps wake me up a bit better from the lack of sleep. As I wander the streets to get to the agency, I notice that it’s not as crowded with people as usual. Oh right, it’s Sunday. The time traveling thing is still tripping me up a bit. Since it’s Sunday it means that there’s school tomorrow. As for as they know, I’ve been gone for a month. Not that anyone would really notice considering the only person I talked to at school was Hiro. I wonder if Sadie will be at school though. Oh and there’s Ainia too. Weird how I suddenly got more acquainted with a couple of people in class outside of school.

  The usual large TV is on my way and I look at it. On it is an interview with some person named Carmen who is a surgeon. It’s about how there was a supposed attack on her, but the assailant ran away after Carmen was helped by superheroes. Sounds like Carmen is a really random target to be attacked, but whatever.

  The agency is starting to become a usual spot for me. It’s weird. When I make it to the agency and immediately go inside and into Adele’s office. When I enter, I see that pretty much everyone has already arrived. Do these people just have some sort way of knowing when to show up?

  “About time,” Ainia says, crossing her arms. She’s holding an umbrella again even though the weather doesn’t really require it. Then again, she’s skilled with a sword so maybe this umbrella is her replacement of a sword.

  “Welcome Ridley!” Adele welcomes me with a grin on her face. “Now that we are all here, let us begin today’s debriefing.”

  All? I look around and see almost everyone I read about. Kirika is gone, that I know, but still no sign of this Vesper. Maybe he’s doing something today instead? Guy must be hard to schedule with.

  “So, I am sure most of you are wondering what this case is about. I apologize for being so secretive about it, I just do not want our case to be in the public knowledge until I acquired all of your wonderful talents and skills,” Adele begins explaining. But wonderful talents and skills? I have none of those. I’m just a normal person, not anything special like everyone else. “Have you all been hearing about or know about the series of murders of superheroes that plague our dear city as of late?”

  “That’s what this is all about?” Ainia questions, “People have been caught, tried and testified that they are the culprits. Those are closed and shut cases at this point.”

  “Ah, that is where you are quite wrong Ainia,” Adele replies. “There is one very common factor other than the victims being super people, the weapons used should be one of a kind. A weapon only designed for their respective hero. Yet, how is it that they are used in these murders? Well, let me go over the facts.”

  The room darkens. Shining down from the ceiling are lights that project before us several images of weapons and profiles of superheroes. Adele continues, “There have been several victims of the superhero murders that include innocent civilians that the media is covering up. The superheroes of noteworthy appeal that have been targeted are Mimie Flonne, Darkness 109, Ric-16, Aran, and Sunny Girl. All of these superheroes were targets for many potential reasons. Mimie was an endorser of universal love and union, even garnering the unfortunate nickname of Love Freak, but was a figurehead of union between superpowered and normal alike; she was killed in the hospital during volunteering work. Darkness 109 was targeted for being a popular superhero which gave an outcry; he was killed at school as he was a student. Ric-16 was cyborg hero who had both the human heart and computer memory destroyed as he was often an archiver; he was killed at the Mobile Knights of the Round Table facility after assisting with reconstructing several of the Mobile Knights. Aran was a strategist and a high-standing member of HERO and is among the few that are in charge of initiating safety mode, he was found dead after the Sefirot attack; he was killed in one of the HERO watchtowers. Sunny Girl works closely with citizens and has even initiated several charity campaigns to help those all around the world; she was killed during the most recent Hero con. All of them are rather important figures in our society, but were kept quiet.”

  “So how come these heroes were kept under wraps and not talked about more? If these were such important people, you would think there would be more of a public outcry,” Dom asks.

  “It would create a public outcry of mass hysteria and panic. Ponder about it for a moment. If the public knew that there are attacks and successful murders on some of the most important figureheads of HERO, they would no longer feel a sense of security or safety, effectively dwindling the public’s view and faith of HERO. The assailant is smart, they know what they are doing,” Adele answers. “Now, let me go over the common trait between these hero murders. They were all killed with seemingly heroic weapons,” Adele says.

  The images change to just weapons. These images are actually comparisons of what the murder weapon is and visually similar weapons without all the blood.

  Adele begins explaining, “Example number one,, the divine trident of Hydroma
n. Hydroman’s trident is a one-of-a-kind weapon that hails from the deepest part of the seas. Yet, when Hydroman was taken into HERO custody and, uncharacteristically, confessed to the crime, another trident was found in his home. How is it that he has two tridents? He does not actually. The murder weapon is merely a fake.”

  “How do you even know that?” Drake asks.

  “Look very closely to both tridents.” The images zoom into both weapons. Adele continues, “Hydroman’s real trident is adorned with precious gems from his kingdom and has the quality of never rusting or being able to be chipped or broken. Notice any notable flaws with that information in mind when examining the fake used in the murder?”

  I look closely at the images. The fake used in the murder shows damage to the trident, scratch marks all over the prongs. There’s even a really subtle indent on the long pole part that you would hold. Then I look at the real one and there’s not a single blemish or damage on it at all. It looks practically new.

  “Share what you see Ridley,” Adele calls me out. What is this? School?

  “Um, well. If you look really closely at the fake you see that there’s a bunch of scratches and damage on the trident, especially at the prongs. There’s a lot of indents too,” I answer, nervously like I would in school.

  “Very good,” Adele praises me. “What Ridley observed is indeed true. The fake harbors many flaws. The tips of the prongs are also dull and not as sharp as the real weapon. Next example is the mighty, incorrectly classified, hammer of the hero Perun.”

  The image in front of us change to a hammer-like axe with intricate details. The images zoom in to show off the finer details. I notice the same thing as Hydroman’s trident and the fake. The one covered in blood shows more wear and damage, even some chipping hidden by the blood. The real one, I’m assuming, looks completely clean and shows nothing, but perfection.

  “Same issues lie with Perun’s axe. Damage and chipping can be seen. The designs are an exact replication, however the fake is damaged,” Adele explains.

  “So what are you suggesting with all of these pictures?” Drake asks.

  “We have an expert weapons creator that can mimic the design of famous weaponry, but cannot instill their divine or powerful properties,” Adele answers. The images flash away and the lights turn back on. “The goal here is to find the true culprit, bring them to justice so the murders can end.”

  “Why does it even matter. There’s so many heroes and aspiring heroes as it is. Couldn’t hurt to lose some,” Ainia says, “Plus, there are confessions from all of these superheroes that they committed these murders. Closed cases already.”

  “It matters as the less superheroes we have, the less safe and secure society will become. I also suspect that the World Ending event with the Sefirots is also the murderers doing. If you all recall, safety mode had failed to engage that day. The first in many years. They claim it is a fault in the system to put the public at ease. However, with careful research it is shown that some of the officers in charge of engaging safety mode were murdered or put in a daze. Public safety is a concern that many do not think about. Many take it for granted as we have superheroes,” Adele explains.

  “Isn’t that grasping for straws Adele?” Dom chimes in. “I understand the whole murderers thing, but how do you tie the murders with the failed safety mode?”

  “There were weapons of heroes they found,” Ainia surprisingly answers. I see her grit her teeth and the grip on her umbrella tightens. “

  “How do you know that?” Dom asks.

  “I just do, I was unfortunately called to duty that day because of the failed safety mode,” Ainia answers.

  “Ainia is correct, they found famous weapons were used to kill. When calling the associated superheroes in for question, they said they were dispatched to help with protecting the citizens because of the failed safety mode. There was an assailant that was able to replicate weaponry. There is a connection,” Adele supports Ainia’s words. “These murders even affect us. Ridley loss someone to the murderer.”

  “What?” I question. No way. “Are you saying Hiro was murdered?”

  “Oh yes, quite, actually. That is what I claim,” Adele responds.

  “But I saw Hiro that day. He was in bad shape, yeah, but he was fighting until the end. There couldn’t have been a way for him to be murdered,” I say.

  “I was also there that day. No way that pilot could have been murdered, after you had to prove me wrong after thinking Ridley was the murderer. Although, I do recall there being a lot of weapons nearby,” Ainia agrees with me, which catches me surprise.

  Adele takes a deep breath. “Ridley, look back. Do you recall anything odd about Hiro’s injuries?”

  As much as I hate to remember that day or even seeing Hiro so injured, I have to try to remember. The words slowly come out, "He was stabbed. Twice. Once in the knee and the other in his chest. Not exactly where his heart was, but close."

  Adele chimes in, "Therefore, his stab wounds were not fatal. Because of that, he was still able to pilot and fight off the rest of the Sefirots. However, that chest wound did eventually take its toll on him. Now the question is, how did he get stabbed while piloting as well as who stabbed him?"

  “You think they’re the same person?” I ask.

  “It is highly likely that is the case. The blades that were sticking out of Lancelot’s body are replicas of the superhero Butterfly. They suffer the same issues with the other weapons we reviewed, therefore my conclusion has come to that notion,” Adele explains. “This assailant is not working alone as well. Aside from the dazed workers of HERO, there is an actual cause of death stated in his autopsy. Asphyxiation.”

  “Asphyxiation? How? He was inside the cockpit of his mech, there’s no way anyone could have gotten in there,” I argue.

  “Yet, that is the cause of death rather than his stab wounds. I am unsure as to how or what caused the asphyxiation, but that is what I plan on investigating alongside the true culprit of the murders,” Adele concludes with a triumphant smile on her face.

  “How do you explain the fact that there have been confessions to these murders by other heroes?” Ainia asks, “All of them are closed cases now.”

  “It is highly possible that these heroes are either being blackmailed or, which is horribly the likeliest case, they were mind controlled to confess,” Adele answers.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Drake tense a bit.

  Ainia laughs a bit, “Mind control? Really? What a copout reason.”

  “Yet, it is highly possible and most probably. One of the heroes that confessed has been causing an outcry in containment saying that they were controlled to confess. So, it is nothing we can rule out,” Adele responds.

  Drake remarks, “So where do we begin?”

  “Due to my efforts, a good friend of mine was able to keep herself alive from being a victim last night,” Adele says.

  Victim last night? She can’t mean the surgeon lady that was on the news.

  “Are you talking about the super surgeon Carmen?” Ainia asks.

  “Yes, the very one. She is a very good friend of mine and I had a hunch that the murderer would attempt to attack her, with that she was able to employ superhero bodyguards to protect her,” Adele boasts. She must have either really good intuition or she has the superpower to look into the future or something to be able to foresee the surgeon lady being attacked.

  “So our destination today is the hospital?” Ainia questions.

  “Exactly, so let us be on our way! Carmen is expecting us,” Adele answers. She moves to her desk to start grabbing some papers to put into her briefcase.

  “Time for a checkup,” Meteor yawns as he steps out of the room with Ainia, Dom, and Shiko following him.

  I’m about to follow, but Adele calls for my attention, “Ridley.”

  I turn and ask, “Yeah?”

  “May I ask, where are the dossiers?” Adele asks.

  Oh shit, I forgot them at hom
e. I’m so tired that that I forgot to bring them with me. “I’m so sorry, I-I forgot them at home. I’m lacking sleep and just not really with it today and-”

  Adele smiles, saying, “It is fine Ridley. We all make mistakes, just be sure to bring them back to me as soon as you can. Tomorrow is preferable after today.” She grabs everything she needs to and walks towards the exiting door. “Let us be on our way.”

  Adele’s car pulls up to the front of the agency. “Hop in,” Dom says, entering driver side door.

  Adele takes the passenger seat with Shiko while Drake, Ainia, and I are to take the back.

  “I’ll see you guys there, too cramped for me,” Drake says, taking flight before anyone says anything.

  “Get in Ridley,” Ainia orders, waiting for me to get into the car first.

  I sit in the back seat of this familiar car and Shiko hops onto my lap. He licks me face and settles his head on my lap.

  The car ride is pretty quiet. The only person that makes any sort of sound is Adele who seems to be reading something on her phone. Everyone else, including me just remain quiet. It’s kind of awkward, but what can you do? I almost fall asleep. I’m so tired.

  We arrive at a large building that doesn’t look like a hospital at all. Upon first glance, it closely resembles a university or some sort school building. There’s a lot of other cars and people around.

  We exit the car and Drake descends down from the sky. Looking around, I’m seeing a couple of police officers as well as people dressed up in superhero outfits. This Carmen lady was attacked last night so maybe they’re here to talk to her about it?

  Adele takes the lead and makes us wander through the pretty busy hallways. There’s a lot of people just running about. This is one really busy and crowded hospital. It’s weird.

  We make it to a room that’s filled with charts and papers that line up the walls. Medical beakers and instruments sit on many messy tables. There’s several chairs surrounding a table covered with papers. There’s a woman in here, focusing on the computer screen in front of her. This woman is definitely Carmen, I recognize her from the TV. She’s tan-skinned with a brunette bob. Under her medical coat are light teal scrubs. Around her neck is some sort of hefty looking device fashioned with some gadgets and what looks like earphones. She turns and notices us. She greets with a smile, “Adele! It’s been a while.” She walks towards Adele and gives her a hug.