Who's Next?
Whispering Meadows; a neighborhood known for its gentle, whispering winds. The crowd were utterly confused and alarmed by the message. Questions swirled through their minds: Who did this? Why flaunt such a crime publicly? How did they manage this without anyone noticing?
While the crowd got distracted, Dr. Sheppard got to work. Placing his hands on Bernadette and William, he channeled his healing energy into their bodies. Within seconds, all their burn marks vanished.
Talia actively assisted the firefighters. She summoned water from her hands and also manipulated water from nearby fire hydrants, directing all sources toward the raging inferno. The water shot out like powerful waves, crashing against the flames with hissing sounds upon contact.
"Keep it flowing, hero!"
"We need more of that flood!"
"Over here, these houses are still on fire!"
The firefighters trusted her to do the job for them. Without hesitation, Talia redirected her powerful waves of water, extinguishing the flames of one house, then another, until all the fires were gone. She unleashed a torrent that made the blaze splutter, flicker, and finally collapse into smoke and ashes.
With the flames gone, Talia stepped back, relieved to have done her part. The immediate danger had passed, and the firefighters swiftly moved to secure the neighborhood.
"Great job, hero!" a firefighter applauded her.
"I just did what I could to assist you guys," Talia replied with a smile, then walked back to the minivan, attempting to blend in with the crowd.
As the smoke began to clear, the crowd looked back at the site, only to be felt with confusion, "Where did the flames go?" One resident squinted to see if they were hallucinating.
Another person left their mouth hanging, "Wait, how is that possible?"
Now, Bernadette and William appeared unscathed in front of them.
"Are you two okay?" Someone rushed over to check them.
"We're fine."
"Don't worry about us."
One person is still in disbelief, "They were literally burning to death earlier..."
Hiro, Timothy, and Helen remained in the minivan. Meanwhile, Dr. Sheppard struggled to get back as he got drained frok healing two people, Talia however effortlessly blended into the crowd before returning to the minivan. Bernadette and William exchanged glances, thinking of a solution on how they can escape from this.
Firefighters immediately assisted those heroes by directing the crowd to a spot, one of them calling out, "Please gather here for head count updates, we want to make sure everyone is safe!"
William whispered to Bernadette as they looked in the crowd following the firefighter's instruction, "Now's our chance."
They moved discreetly, reaching the minivan without anyone questioning their sudden disappearance. William allowed Bernadette to get in first, confirming, "I think we're clear."
Team B could see the firefighters continuing to manage the crowd, "Please remain calm! We'll get you the information you need shortly!"
"Do you think they'll figure out what happened?" Timothy looked at everyone in the vehicle.
"I hope not," Talia looked back at him.
Team B drove away from the scene, "What do we do now?" Hiro weighing the choice of either helping Team A or going back to the agency.
Unnoticed by the departing heroes, an oddly parked car sat in the neighborhood. Inside, a man smirked, his eyes cunning. It was Elias, who had been lurking nearby all along, observing their every move.
"We need to have a plan, we have our intellect super-humans at our headquarters, right? Let's regroup with them." William knew this would be the best for everyone.
"Have you heard anything from Team A? I can't shake this feeling that they're in danger," Timothy glanced at the others.
"I want them to be okay, but we can't ignore the chaos Elias has caused here. We need a plan, and we need it fast," Bernadette agreed on William's decision.
Helen's grip on the wheel tightened, "Wait, are you saying Elias is behind this? He's the one who set the fire?"
"The sick bastard used our own homes as a testing ground for his toys," William clearly disgusted about Elias' motive of doing this.
"Toys? What do you mean?" Hiro was confused.
"His weapons," William's anger clearly rising from his voice, "He's taken ordinary guns and upgraded them into something far more destructive. It's like he's playing a game with our lives."
Hiro stared out the window, lost in thought, 'If he's just a guy with fancy toys, then we're in deep trouble than I thought.'
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Team A went inside the hospital, "I think we should split up," Dylan suggested to make the search easier.
Before anyone could respond, Ivan bolted ahead, disappearing upstairs in search of Ramona and Kenji.
"Wait for...us." Sasha's plea was useless; Ivan was already gone.
"We'll make this quick," Coach Clyde darted ahead as well, much faster than Ivan's speed.
Despite Clyde's super speed in his search for Ramona and any civilians trapped in the building, he suddenly felt a heavy feeling on his chest.
There, a shadow emerged behind him, a sinister smile playing on her lips, "You think this is a race?" Soul Siphon, another right hand man for the Architect.
"What the fuck, I can't run!" Clyde tried to sprint back to get away from her as much as possible but the shadow around him got thicker and thicker and now it felt that he was being pulled by Soul Siphon.
As soon as she touches him, Clyde is completely engulfed by the shadows, his eyes widening in terror as his soul begins to drain away and ultimately collapses to the ground.
Dylan and Sasha both heard his voice, they reached the second floor and saw his unconscious body, "Clyde!" Sasha's chest beating so fast seeing him on the ground.
The shadow once again appeared behind them, "Right behind you!" A smile spreads across her face as she touches them both.
"Sasha, run!" It was too late despite Dylan's warning, the darkness wrapped around them.
Sasha tried to hold on Dylan's arm, "Fight it, Dylan!" It was futile, Dylan's soul began to drain before he could brainwash the villain. Sasha then grew weaker and also fell unconscious.
Veronika split up between the two students as she looks for the files of the patients on the reception, she found Ramona's room but unable to find Kenji's, "Where is this old martial artist staying-"
She immediately sensed an upcoming danger behind her and tried to leap as far away as possible.
"Stay back! Whoever you are!" The shadow disappeared, but she knew this wasn't over, tried to get up but in an instant, she was met with pure darkness consuming the hospital lobby. Siphon touches her and immediately fell unconscious.
All four of them were plunged into the abyss of Soul Siphon. Ivan, on the third floor, remained oblivious to his team's fate.
It was his turn to be consumed, he noticed a shadow behind him. He tried to punch it, but his fist passed through it like smoke, "Heroes trying to save the day, how intriguing," Soul Siphon mocked Ivan.
Soul Siphon's shadowy silhouette solidified, revealing a physical form. She notices he's quite different from his teammates with all those veins bursting out of his arms and legs, "A strength based superhuman, huh? This will be fun."
"Come, try and get me," Soul Siphon taunts him again.
Ivan lunges forward, he doesn't know yet how to beat this shadow, he throws his hand at her face, but she easily dodged it as it pierced through rather than hitting her.
"You're all about strength, can you really beat me?" Soul Siphon reaches out her hand to grasp Ivan's arm, "One touch from me and it's over for you."
"I'll make this fight more difficult for you," Ivan rushed to her again.
Instead of just a single powerful blow, Ivan unleashed a series of punches, each clearly stronger than any civilian or even other superhuman could deliver.
Soul Siphon tried to dodge, but the barrage filled the entire hallway. She couldn't foresee the punches due to the speed and its impact, she couldn't touch Ivan to activate her ability. She was forced to remain defensive, taking numerous steps back to avoid his powerful offense. Her shadows began to strip away under the force of Ivan's blows.
Soul Siphon then opened a realm, releasing a group of souls that attacked Ivan. Unlike their host, these souls could be physically harmed.
Ivan shattered one of the room doors with his brute strength to prevent the souls from storming at him.
Soul Siphon paused briefly as Ivan unleashed a volley of punches on the souls she summoned. Her next move was to charge Ivan while he was preoccupied with her minions.
She timed her attack carefully, waiting for a minute until she believed the moment was perfect before rushing towards him, intending to touch him and absorb his life and soul.
The bad news was that predicting the perfect timing was pointless. She approached Ivan, but failed to notice his fist directly in front of her head. It connected with a powerful blow, sending a shockwave through her entire body and sending her crashing to the ground.
Ivan observing how he was able to punch her, "So your own head is the weakness..."
Soul Siphon still had one trick up her sleeve. She burst out laughing, "You thought that was my full power? I was testing how strong you are."
She followed up by saying, "Unlucky for you I already made contact with all of the people here, yes, Even those who escaped this building, I can still take their lives away if I want to."
Still on the ground, Soul Siphon raised her hand, releasing a swirling cloud of dark smoke. Ivan instantly felt weak, his strength rapidly diminishing.
"Like I said, it's over for you, hero," Soul Siphon beginning to drain his raw strength and energy.
"This isn't the end for me; I'm just getting started!" Ivan gritted his teeth, although this wasn't a sign of struggle but rather his rage getting stronger.
Soul Siphon's eyes grew uneasy, her absorption ability seemed not to falter him.
Ivan locked eyes with her, who looked at him with raging eyes, "you can't take me down that easily!"
He surged forward pushing against her power, the rage within him breaking free. As Ivan advanced, the fear in her eyes revealed the truth: her grip was slipping, and she had underestimated the depths of his fury. As soon as she noticed he was attacking, his hand was already in front of her head. She couldn't avoid this strike, no matter how hard she tried.
Ivan's strike landed on her head then to her face. He didn't hesitate and continued to hit her with a flurry of fists. Her shadowy barriers shattered under Ivan's unrelenting assault; the dread in her eyes as she looked at Ivan, he was too powerful.
She began to escape, but it was futile; Ivan delivered the final punch of this brawl, delivering a full-power uppercut to the villain, sending her into the air before plummeting back to the ground with a loud thud.
Soul Siphon falls defeated on the floor, while Ivan was breathing rapidly and sweating profusely.
"Ivan!" He heard a shout from a distance.
"Sasha?" He looked back to confirm and it was her, "How are you feeling?"
"I'm good, I... I don't know about the others..." She then noticed the lifeless people around them beginning to regain consciousness.
"What happened?
"I was sure I was consumed by darkness. What was that?"
The crowds were still recovering from Soul Siphon's abilities.
"Did she get you?" Ivan checking to see if Sasha was truly alright.
"Yes, along with Dylan, but my self-regeneration helped me regain consciousness almost immediately."
"Right, you have that superpower."
A few minutes later, police officers arrived to apprehend Soul Siphon, "Take her away," Ivan ordered.
The police escorted Soul Siphon out of the hospital, placed her in a patrol car, and drove off to the nearest police station. An ambulance arrived shortly after to assist the police with the scene.
Meanwhile, Clyde, Dylan, and Veronika reunited with Ivan and Sasha in the lobby.
"We still need to find Ramona and Kenji," Clyde attempted to dart away, but Veronika stopped him by grabbing his arm. "Hold on, Kenji is somewhere else. He's not in this hospital."
"What? But Hiro's recruiter told us—" Clyde began to argue.
"I know, but I can't find his profile on the patient list," Veronika replied, a hint of panic in her voice. Where was Kenji then?
Dylan approached the still-recovering receptionist. "Is there a patient named Kenji Shun who was admitted today?"
The receptionist, trying her best to assist, checked the patient profiles on her computer. "I'm sorry, sir, but there's no patient named Kenji Shun."
"So where did he go?" Sasha confused by his disappearance.
"How about Ramona Thorburn?" Ivan asked the receptionist, immediately concerned for Ramona's health given her prior illness.
"She's in room 204, sir."
Ivan wasted no time and ran to the second floor.
"There he goes again," Sasha frustrated by his habit of rushing ahead and leaving his team.
He reached Ramona's room, but what he saw scraped on the door was shocking...
She's Next!