Chapter 31: THE GROUNDHAWK FILE
Hughie's dossier filled three screens.
"Gregory Dunn, age forty-two, callsign Groundhawk. Enhanced strength, limited flight capability—more like extended jumping, really—registered at Rank 2 equivalent. Public approval rating at 61% as of last quarter, which puts him solidly in mid-tier." Hughie's voice over the comm was steadier than usual, the nervous energy channeled into research. "He's been with Vought for eleven years. 'The soldier's hero'—that's his brand. Military charity events, veterans' outreach, the whole flag-and-eagle package."
I scrolled through the incident reports. Three of the fourteen cover-ups in the Newark files connected to Groundhawk directly.
"The kid," I said.
"Marcus Chen. Seven years old." Hughie's voice tightened. "Groundhawk was responding to a robbery in Bakersfield. Threw a car at the suspects. Missed. Marcus was walking home from school."
The file included photos. I didn't look at them twice.
MM leaned against the safehouse wall, arms crossed, watching me process the information.
"Groundhawk's physically dangerous," he said. "Enhanced strength means he can throw a truck through a building. The flight gives him mobility advantages in open terrain. But psychologically?" He shook his head. "The man's held together with tape and denial. His entire self-image is built on being a good soldier, a protector. The cover-ups exist because he can't handle what he actually is."
"So we crack the image," I said.
"That's one approach."
The encrypted call with Butcher lasted twelve minutes.
"Two tracks," I explained. "First, we release the evidence through legitimate journalism—Nadia Kazan, the reporter I've been working with. She publishes the cover-up story, establishes credibility, gets the public primed."
"And second?"
"We engineer a public confrontation. Groundhawk sees the story, loses his composure, comes after me on camera. I take whatever he throws and stay standing. The durability demonstration plus the journalism creates a one-two punch."
Butcher was quiet for several seconds.
"Your durability," he said slowly. "Frenchie tells me it's real. You took that rubber bullet like it was a tennis ball."
"It's real."
"Real enough to take a punch from a Rank 2?"
I thought about the tile wall in the bathroom. The way it had cracked while my knuckles stayed intact. That was Rank 0 durability against inanimate objects. Groundhawk was a different equation entirely.
"I won't know until I try."
Butcher laughed—a harsh sound with genuine amusement underneath.
"I like that," he said. "Honest stupidity. If your boy can take a hit from that ponce on camera, it's worth more than a hundred news articles. Do it."
MM's expression hadn't changed, but his jaw tightened.
"This is dangerous," he said after Butcher disconnected. "You're not a fighter. You're a media asset."
"The media value comes from the danger." I met his eyes. "A guy who talks about standing up is interesting. A guy who actually stands up to a Supe on camera? That's a movement."
"Or a corpse."
"Then I'll be a very famous corpse."
[SEED ANALYSIS: "ENHANCED STRENGTH"]
[CURRENT BELIEVERS: 8,247 | THRESHOLD: ~10,000]
[PROJECTED GROWTH: +800-1,400 FROM HIGH-PROFILE CONFRONTATION]
The second seed was approaching crystallization. The rally had pushed it into striking distance, and a public fight with Groundhawk could push it over the threshold.
"Two powers," I thought. "Durability AND strength. That changes everything."
Hughie's voice came through the comm again, quieter now.
"That kid in the file was seven," he said. "Marcus. He had a sister. She's fifteen now. She testified at a closed hearing that Vought sealed. Nobody believed her."
The room went silent.
Different kinds of anger, I realized. Hughie carried his like a wound that wouldn't heal. MM carried his like a ledger that needed balancing. And I carried mine like a tool I could choose when to use.
"Is that growth or corruption?" I wondered. "Is there a difference?"
I texted Nadia from the safehouse parking lot.
@HarleyVaughn: I have something you'll want to see. Same café?
The reply came in four minutes.
Nadia Kazan: Tomorrow. Bring everything.
I stared at the phone. The weight of what I was about to hand her sat heavy in my chest—evidence that would destroy a man's career, maybe his life, maybe more. Evidence he'd earned through negligence and cowardice and seven-year-old Marcus Chen.
"This is what journalism looks like from the wrong side," I thought. "The side that decides who gets exposed."
But Marcus Chen had deserved better than a sealed hearing and a silent grave.
Groundhawk had earned what was coming.
Get Early Access to New Chapters
Thank you for reading. For those who want to skip the wait, my Patreon is currently 21 chapters ahead of the public sites.
Schedule: 7 new chapters released every 10 days.
Benefit: Gain a significant lead of 7 to 21 chapters depending on your tier.
Support the project and start reading the next arc now: Patreon.com/IsekaiStories