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"No reason? No Reason to still be here!?" Allen's voice raised quite suddenly, "How would you like it if your brother was straight up killed and then some know it all princess came and told you that you had no business with the deceased!?" Allen's fists balled and the tension was about to break. "I understand this is your home but I think we're going to take as much time as we need considering the events that have transpired in this poor man's life as of late."

He folded his arms a cross his chest and angled himself so he wasn't facing the woman directly. At this position he could drop his shoulder quickly for a charge to incapacitate her should she draw that pretty little gun of hers. He wasn't concerned about either of the guards nor was he worried about her firing the gun. His only real vulnerable spot was his head and most cops shot high or shot low he'd found.

Allen grinned, "Insubordination? Fair enough I'll go quietly. Ain'tcha gonna read me my rights officer Listerine?" He liked how well he had gotten under her skin and now he had to show her how little power she had. "Oh I almost Forgot," He snapped the chain holding the to cuffs together with very little resistance from the metal He didn't finish the sentence he just continued grinning at her. "Where's the car? I'll seat myself officer if you don't mind."

<< Previously

When the coast was clear and all of the police had left the vacinity of Listerine estate Anthony seemed to appear out of thin air. He had maintained invisibility by crouching in the corner of the kitchen enshrouded in darkness. "Hrmm," He jumped at the sound of him clearing his voice. "Keep it together Ghoul," He had decided to try the name Ghoul as a super hero name, though only to himself, he hadn't had the chance to use it aloud with others around yet.

Pulling a flashlight out of the folds of clothing he began ducked under the police tape and crouched next to a small puddle of blood mixed with a silver substance. Standing upright he saw a folder file on the counter with a name on the tab. Squinting in the poor light he reached for the file. His eyes grew large and the sudden increase in adrenaline caused his heart rate to surge. The label on the Folder said Lieutenant James Cross Homicide. He quickly read through its contents before setting the file down. He decided to do some sleuthing of his own.


An hour later he collapsed wearily on the Listerine's couch and sighed through the heavy cloth if his mask. There was next to zero evidence in the house, even the scanner he had "Borrowed" from the police hadn't picked up much in the way of clues. So what now? "Confront Laura, inform Oual, interogate city low-lives..." He muttered out loud before trailing off into his own thoughts. He quickly retreated to the shadows and corners of Listerine estates. He'd wait for Laura, and then after gathering some information from her he'd move on to talk to Oual.

LAURA LISTERINE

Laura sped through the streets of Delmor and she thought she saw a man slink down into a sewer, but it must of been a trick of the light, or Laura's sleep depravation. It had taken her a long time to get into her car and head back to her house because once she did, she knew she'd have to deal with the crime scene. She had told the CSI team that she wanted to clean everything up and they had listened to her obediently because... well... she was the new up and coming chief of police now.

Laura still could not believe that Oual was giving her this position. Just as everything was finally starting to calm down in her mind, her cell went off. What now? It was so late in the night. Who could be calling? It could be Drew... she hadn't returned his calls yet and she knew she'd get it when she finally did talk to him, but when she finally glanced at her phone, the caller ID she saw was worse than just "Drew." It was her father... Larry Listerine.

"Hello?" she answered the phone, finding it funny that she was disobeying the law of using a cell phone while driving and she was the new chief of police now.

"Laura... where the hell have you been?" her father's voice sounded nothing short of irritated.

"Working father. You are obviously calling because you know what went on. I had my phone off for most of the day. Can we talk about this later? I am so tired..."

"No we cannot..." Laura's father cut her off. "Do you know what this news will do to me? We have just past Snottsborn Industries by two points today. Snottsborn is no longer in the top. This news... that this boy... was murdered on my grounds... we will lose numbers Laura... you must understand..."

Now it was Laura's turn to cut her father off. "That boy that died father..... that was my friend. His name was James Cross and he was a hero. He died trying to save lives father. So I'd appreciate it if you didn't disrespect him all because of this stupid idea you have of numbers..."

"Laura!" Larry Listerine said a bit louder, causing Laura to take the phone a couple of inches from her ear. "I understand you are upset. But I would very much appreciate you seeing where I am coming from. I have a lot riding on this incident... and let's not forget your very close friend Drew Dubberberry either. He came by the house today to see you... he could be linked to this case you know and..."

"He will not be linked to it father. I promise you. I understand everything. I have to go though. I am pulling into the estates now." Laura hung up as she pulled in towards the entrance gate.

The fact of the matter was she didn't really care much about her father's work and him trying to one up Snottsborn all of the time. That was all trivial to her. She had bigger things to think about, though she had to continue making it seem like she cared. Having her father on her side could come in handy someday. He was a very powerful man. As she pulled up to the guard's post, the two men who had failed to do their job earlier today stared at her, waiting for her wrath. But she wasn't like her father, she didn't have the heart for that.

"Just make sure this never happens again guys. Please. If not for my sake, at least for my father's..."

LAURA LISTERINE

"You must forgive me for my rudeness." Mr. Wyong said to Laura Listerine. Laura could not believe that someone had once again trepassed on her property. What was she paying her guards for if this kept happening? She still kept her gun ready, not liking this man who called himself Mr. Wyong one bit.

Wyong came fully out of the shadows and bowed his head. "I came here because I feel like you deserve an explanation Miss Listerine." Wyong said with a smile.

"Get out of my house now." Laura said through gritted teeth. All she had to do was shoot this son of a b***h and it would be done. Was this man the Mastermind? He could be. Maybe Laura had finally found the Mastermind.

Mr. Wyong smiled and shook his head. "No I am not Laura. I am not the Mastermind." Laura was struck with awe when she heard Wyong say this. How did he know what she was thinking? What was all of this? Mr. Wyong continued. "I know you have many questions. I cannot answer many sadly though for it would waste precious time. You need not say anything to me Laura for I can read minds. Yes... I am a super Miss Listerine. More than that... I am here to tell you what happened to James Cross's body. I took it. I had to. You must understand that I have many enemies and this Mastermind case you are working on is more of a tangled web than you will ever know. I am the reason James Cross had powers... yes... that silver stuff you and your team found on him was a shield that had been under his skin the entire time. He was a super. I created him. If our adversary... yes... the one you call the Mastermind got hold of James Cross's body, who knows what would have happened. You see besides reading minds, I can also see who has the super gene and who doesn't. James Cross has the super gene, but it was never triggered, so I helped him with triggering it. Once the brain triggers this gene, abilities shall come to them instantly."

Laura had had enough of Mr. Wyong's monolouge though, as quickly as she could she got out of bed and pinned Wyong against the wall. She held her gun to his head and said, "You have three seconds to tell me why the hell you came here to tell me all of this before I kill you."

Wyong laughed and gently pushed Laura off of him. "You fool. You think I haven't come protected. My assistant is somewhere in this room. The moment I give him the word you will be struck dead... but I do not want to kill you Miss Listerine. I am here to help you."

"Why would I ever need your help?" Laura asked bitterly, now looking around to see if she could spot Wyong's assistant. He had to be bluffing. She could see nobody else in the room.

Wyong stepped closer to Laura and said, "There is a boy that is of great importance to me. He is another... trial that I conducted. He goes by the name of Austin Aires. You may know him as the nephew of your late boss Oual? Mr. Aires is an extraordinary boy Miss Listerine. All I can tell you is that if you need help... he is a great adversary to have. Remember Laura... we are gunning for the same man." Wyong then snapped his fingers and out of nowhere an extremely tall, black skinned man appeared out of nowhere. The man put his hand on Wyong's shoulder. "Laura..." Wyong continued. "You are an interesting human. I have seen through your entire brain, but there seems to be a huge mental block that I cannot get through. Interesting. I hope that when you die you will allow me to examine your brain. You are a very interesting specimen. Have a good night."

And with the snap of his fingers, Mr. Wyong and his tall, black assistant vanished into thin air.

<<

Somehow Austin’s thoughts led him subconsciously outside of his home. He knew that, though it was the middle of the night, he did not want to stay home. He had originally been thinking about costumes – and how all superheroes had them in Delmor. Now, he was thinking of actually being a superhero. Would he get anything out of it? He couldn’t put it on his résumé, and the public didn’t respond kindly to the caped crusaders. Focusing on the negatives, it grew too difficult to consider the draw of crime fighting without receiving payment or credit like the police officers did – like his uncle did, though he had just traded out that life as well. Because of Austin’s abilities.

He knew that abilities were a curse, but – the way he felt when he had rescued Alma (despite the way it turned out)… it was one of the best feelings of his life. Flying. He longed to do it, but it only created problems. Even now, it was well past midnight and he was restless, thinking about them. He didn’t have the slightest clue about how to be a superhero.

Up ahead, Austin recognized some of the largest homes in Delmor. He was in the wealthiest part of town (one he didn’t live too far out of. Between Oual and his father, they could afford a very decent living). Looking at the mansions, though, considering finance, it dawned on him that he didn’t have a job, and being a hero would prevent him from ever making money before college. Success in the working world bought luxuries, like the Listerine Estates he had stopped outside of by chance. Success in being a Super only bought luxuries if one chose to be a criminal. Austin knew that was not a path he could ever take. He saw the criminals earlier that night – the crazed redhead and her monotone partner. They struck so much fear into him that he even he knew they had to be dangers to themselves.

In the end, Austin just stood at the gates of the Listerine Estates, gaping at the enormity – the wealth. Is using these powers worth it? He wondered.

<<

Austin flinched when he heard the voice. A woman had managed to creep up unnoticed right through the gate Austin peered through. “I-” he stammered. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude. I’m just having kind of a tough night… I don’t even know why I stopped here,” he explained, looking to the ground.

A couple of seconds later, he looked back up and opened his mouth to announce his departure, but he got a closer look at the woman through the gate. These were the Listerine Estates, home of Larry Listerine. Oual had often mentioned an officer he worked very closely with by that name. He said she was Mr. Listerine’s daughter. The name escaped Austin, but a feeling of awkwardness crept up his spine.

Lindsay?

He had stared at this woman too long. She looked like he had frightened her out of bed. Whenever Austin recognized someone, but he didn’t think they knew him, he felt like he should say something familiar to them. He never wanted to, and usually he didn’t.

Laurie?

Closer. Maybe that was it. Austin was almost positive this was the associate of Oual’s.

Laura!

Yes. “Are you Laura Listerine? I think you work with my uncle, Oual. He’s the – Chief Detective.”

Wow, if this isn’t who I think it is, I must look like a fool…

<<

"I'm - I'm fine," Austin replied, ignoring the fact that anybody walking around the wealthy side of Delmor in the middle of the night was not fine. "I'm really sorry to have bothered you," the teenager continued awkwardly, as one does when he does not feel the conversation is over, but has little more to say on his own turn to speak. "My uncle really enjoys working with you," he concluded, turning to leave. He hesitated, sensing that Laura had more for him to hear.