Black Mentis moved deeper through the underground sector while the automatic door behind him sealed shut with a low mechanical lock. The corridor ahead stretched in sterile white beneath rows of fluorescent ceiling lights that buzzed faintly overhead. Cold air drifted steadily through the ventilation system, carrying the sharp smell of antiseptic and industrial cleaning chemicals through the hallway. Every surface looked polished to the point of obsession. The floors reflected the overhead lighting in pale streaks beneath his boots while the reinforced glass panels lining sections of the corridor revealed fragments of hidden laboratories beyond them.
As Mentis continued forward, muffled voices reached him from a nearby room further ahead. He slowed slightly near the doorway before turning his eyes toward the narrow observation window beside it. His reflection stared faintly back at him through the glass for half a second before the room beyond came into focus.
Machines lined the walls inside the chamber, their internal systems humming softly beneath blinking monitor lights and moving diagnostic displays. Thick cables stretched across the floor between medical equipment and reinforced power units positioned near the back wall. The air inside looked colder somehow, cleaner, stripped of anything human.
At the center of the room, a teenage hero trainee sat restrained inside a reinforced steel chair bolted directly into the floor beneath a cluster of overhead scanning equipment. Metal braces locked both of his arms tightly against mechanical supports attached along the chair while heavy cables connected directly into ports mounted behind the restraints near his wrists and shoulders. Small adhesive sensors ran along the side of his neck beneath his jawline and continued underneath the sleeves of the thin compression shirt they had forced him into.
The boy swallowed hard enough for the movement in his throat to become visible beneath the sensor wires. His fingers twitched faintly against the armrests despite the restraints holding them in place. Sweat gathered near his temples and slowly rolled downward along the side of his face while his breathing remained shallow and uneven.
One technician leaned beside the chair adjusting a harness strap near the trainee's shoulder. The man's expression barely changed while tightening the restraints another notch.
"Relax," he said casually. "It's just a reflex response test."
The trainee tried nodding, but the motion looked stiff beneath the restraints pressing against his upper body.
"Y-yes, sir…"
His voice nearly caught halfway through the sentence.
Another technician stood near a glowing monitor several feet away with one hand resting against the edge of the desk while the other moved rapidly across a keyboard. Streams of data shifted constantly across the screen in overlapping graphs and medical readings.
Chemical percentages.
Heart rate fluctuations.
Neural activity spikes.
The technician studied the numbers for another second before speaking without looking away from the monitor.
"If this compound stabilizes properly, we can push reaction speed another ten percent higher."
His fingers tapped another command into the system before he glanced briefly toward the restrained trainee sitting beneath the scanners.
"That should make the next public fight look cleaner on camera."
The first technician let out a short laugh through his nose while securing another cable behind the chair.
"Good," he muttered. "Last week's footage looked sloppy as hell."
Mentis stepped silently into the room.
Neither of them noticed him.
His attention moved slowly across the chamber while the low machine hum filled the silence around him. Stainless steel counters stretched along both walls beneath organized rows of surgical instruments and sealed medical containers. Several syringes rested neatly arranged beside stacks of printed reports and diagnostic scans spread across a steel workstation nearby.
Then his eyes settled on a thick black folder resting at the top of the pile.
Metal clamps sealed both sides shut.
Mentis walked toward the table without making a sound. The polished floor barely reflected the movement of the black armor as he reached down and opened the folder carefully between both hands.
The title page immediately caught his attention.
PERFORMANCE AUGMENTATION. INTERNAL USE ONLY.
The room remained quiet except for the steady rhythm of machinery operating behind him.
Mentis began turning the pages one at a time.
Dosage charts.
Internal evaluations.
Behavioral reports.
Several names had been completely removed and replaced with numerical identification codes instead. Entire paragraphs were blacked out beneath thick correction marks while handwritten notes crowded the margins beside failed trial summaries.
One report listed permanent neurological damage beneath a section partially covered with white correction fluid.
Another documented escalating aggression spikes following repeated injections.
Mental instability.
Loss of emotional regulation.
Cardiac failure.
One page near the middle carried a dried streak of blood smeared across the lower corner as though someone had handled the report before the stain finished drying.
Mentis stopped turning the pages.
The overhead lights reflected faintly across the dark surface of his mask while his breathing gradually slowed beneath it. His grip against the folder tightened enough for the edges of several pages to bend slightly beneath his gloves.
"These bastards…"
The words came out low and steady.
"They were never trying to improve heroes."
Across the room, the restrained trainee shifted uneasily against the chair after overhearing him. The metal restraints groaned softly beneath the movement while the boy's breathing picked up again.
The technician nearest the monitor frowned faintly and finally looked up.
"What the hell…"
His voice trailed off immediately once he saw Mentis standing near the workstation.
The second technician turned around sharply. The relaxed expression disappeared from his face almost instantly.
For a brief second, nobody moved.
Mentis lowered his eyes toward the open reports one last time before closing the folder carefully with both hands. He placed it back exactly where it had been and adjusted the stack beneath it slightly so nothing looked disturbed.
His hand remained resting against the top of the folder for another moment.
Then he stepped away from the table.
Neither technician spoke.
Neither one attempted to stop him.
The trainee stared at Mentis silently from the restraint chair while fear and confusion fought across his face at the same time.
Mentis turned and walked toward the exit without another word.
The reinforced security door slid open automatically once he approached it. Cold air spilled into the chamber from the hallway outside while the fluorescent lighting stretched across the polished floor beneath his feet.
Then the door sealed shut behind him again with a heavy mechanical hiss.
The corridor outside remained empty.
Bright fluorescent lights buzzed overhead while security cameras rotated slowly near the ceiling corners tracking his movement through the restricted sector. Richard's files remained tucked beneath one arm as Mentis continued deeper into the underground level without slowing his pace.
His boots struck the concrete flooring in steady rhythm while the sound echoed softly through the empty corridor around him. The deeper he moved into the facility, the quieter everything became until only the ventilation system and distant machinery remained somewhere behind the walls.
As he approached the far end of the hallway, voices drifted faintly from around the corner ahead.
Mentis stopped immediately.
His posture shifted almost imperceptibly before he stepped sideways beside a large reinforced support column positioned against the wall. Part of his body disappeared into the shadow cast beneath the overhead lighting while he angled his files slightly toward the corridor ahead, listening carefully as the voices continued somewhere beyond the corner.
"What's this…?" he murmured quietly.
Two executives turned the corner ahead and began walking down the corridor toward Mentis without noticing him standing partially concealed beside the support column. Both wore expensive tailored suits fitted sharply against their frames, the polished leather of their shoes clicking rhythmically against the concrete floor as they moved beneath the fluorescent lighting. One carried a tablet tucked beneath his arm while casually scrolling through footage across the screen with his thumb.
"We need the media division pushing this next fight harder," the first executive said while glancing down at the tablet again. His tone remained casual, almost bored, like he was discussing advertising schedules instead of people risking their lives. "These A and B Rank idiots are moving too slow lately. The audience notices when fights start looking fake."
The tablet screen briefly reflected against the side of his glasses as another video clip played. A costumed villain stumbled backward across a destroyed intersection while two heroes threw dramatic punches toward his face for the cameras. One explosion in the background repeated from a different angle almost identically.
The second executive let out a short laugh through his nose before adjusting the cuff of his sleeve.
"The audience notices?" he repeated. "Come on. They eat this garbage up every single time."
He smoothed the front of his suit jacket with one hand while continuing beside his partner.
"You worry too much. Fear sells. Destruction sells. Heroes sell even harder."
The first executive smirked faintly while swiping toward another set of numbers displayed across the tablet.
"The merchandise revenue from last month was insane," he said. "Especially after the Osaka incident."
The second man rubbed slowly at his chin as if seriously considering the numbers.
"We could release a plushie of one of these idiots farting lasers and people would still throw money at it."
Both men laughed quietly to themselves while continuing down the corridor.
From the shadows near the support column, Mentis remained completely still.
The files tucked beneath his arm shifted slightly beneath the pressure of his grip.
Several paper edges folded inward between his fingers while the muscles along his forearm tightened beneath the black gloves.
"So are the scripts finished yet?" the first executive asked while locking the tablet screen.
"Yeah," the second replied immediately. "The writers wrapped everything up last night."
He gave a small shrug.
"We just need another major event before ratings start dipping again."
The first executive's mouth curved into a grin.
"Something dramatic?"
He tapped the side of the tablet lightly against his palm.
"Maybe another S Rank villain attack."
The second executive nodded while stepping toward the elevator doors ahead.
"Yeah," he said. "That should give people something to panic about for another week."
The elevator beside them opened with a soft mechanical chime. Bright interior lighting spilled across the hallway floor while both men stepped inside still smiling to themselves.
The first executive looked down at his tablet again.
"We should schedule interviews immediately after the fight this time. It pushes the emotional angle harder."
"Dead civilians test well too," the second replied casually. "As long as the body count stays reasonable."
The elevator doors began sliding shut.
Their laughter disappeared behind the steel panels as the lift ascended deeper into the tower above.
Silence settled across the corridor again.
Mentis did not move immediately.
The fluorescent lights overhead reflected faintly across the upper half of his mask while his breathing remained slow and controlled. Beneath the dark lenses covering his eyes, a dim red glow gradually surfaced before fading again seconds later.
For several long seconds, he simply stood there staring at the empty elevator doors.
Then he stepped away from the support column.
His boots carried slowly across the corridor while the underground facility hummed quietly around him.
"Everything…" he said under his breath.
The words came out flatter than anger.
"…was a damn lie."
He continued down the hallway without looking back.
[Then the memory started to fade]