Page 9 of Sin

My gaze drifted back to the static filled square, and I knew it wasn’t some fluke with the camera.

I met Osborne’s stare. “He used his power to make Dr. Kelley let him into the house. That’s why this one looks like this. Because of his power.”

“Yes.”

I thought back to Dr. Kelley’s body, completely brutalized. “Lucas used his powers to make Dr. Kelley kill himself.”

Again, “Yes. At least, that’s what it looks like. And in the past few months, he has been targeting those who worked in the labs, who we believed to have…tested on him. He’s been killing them off, one by one, in other brutal manners. Though, not quite as horrendously as Dr. Kelley. The rest, it seems, Lucas simply made them stab themselves to death.”

With a shuddering intake of breath, I placed the tablet aside. “Why are you telling me all of this?”

“Because, Mr. Gonzalez, I think you might be the only one who can help us. From what we’ve gathered from his file, his only known weakness is other psychic powers. Though, the power wielder would need to be on the same level to combat his abilities. Which is why our previous attempts have failed. No one’s been strong enough to get close to him and cuff him.

“We were starting to think there was no one out there who could rival him. But then I heard about what happened to you. How you managed to destroy your cuffs.”

She inhaled through her nose. “As far as we’re aware, your gifts might be the only ones strong enough to rival his.” She gripped the railing at the foot of the cot. “So I’d like to strike a deal with you. Work with us to capture Lucas Delacruz, help us stop any more deaths at his hand, and in return…” She paused, lifting her chin. “I’ll lift your sentence. You won’t ever have to step foot back in this prison. You will be a free man once more.”

I gaped for a moment before I blurted, “Are you serious?”

“Very.”

“I’m confused. Why don’t you send more people after him? Even if you can get in range of his mental powers, you could just bomb him or something, couldn’t you?”

“It’s much more complicated than just bombing him,” she said, sounding patronizing. “Besides, we don’t want to kill Lucas if we can avoid it. He should stand trial and let the government determine his judgment.”

“But why can’t you send more people after him? Surely he’s not so strong that he’d be able to control dozens of people at once?” At her hesitation, my back straightened. “Are you kidding me?”

“Like I said, we’ve sent multiple teams after him already, and he’s able to escape every time. No one’s psychic shields are strong enough to withstand his mind evasion. But yours just might.”

I snorted. Maybe a couple of years ago, I could have. But the other night was the first time I’d used my powers in years… I wasn’t as strong as I used to be. “I’m sure the fact that you’re a freshly elected president of a reformed nation and not wanting anyone to know you’re unable to capture a dangerous Villain has nothing to do with all this secrecy, right?”

She scowled at me. “This isn’t just about me, Mr. Gonzalez. What do you think would happen if the nation knew a man created to be a dangerous weapon was out on a murdering spree?” The corners of her eyes and lips tightened. “The peace in our world is fragile. People are still healing, and there are a lot of trust issues. We can’t afford for news of this to be leaked or else everything we’ve worked so hard to rebuild could fall apart.”

I glared at her. She glared right back.

Finally, I gave in and looked away. “Would it just be me chasing him down?”

My mind was reeling with her offer, with the images from the file, with the possibilities of what this could mean for me. Freedom. She was offering me freedom. Sure, she wanted me to hunt down a crazy strong serial killer Super, but, you know, that was a minor detail.

She laughed, hard and sharp. “No. No, no, you’d be working with a team.”

“I thought you said you’d sent multiple teams already and it hadn’t worked.”

“Yes, but we haven’t sent this team yet.”

“Who?”

Her smile said she was a cat who’d caught the mouse. “The Legion.”

Everything stopped. Because that meant… She nodded, watching me digest this news. “Yes, London Whitmore’s team. From what I’m told, you two have quite the history. I’m even told you have artwork in your cell resembling Mr. Whitmore.”

She had me and she knew it. One of the officers must have told her about the mural. That, or she’d been down to my cell to view the damage of my freakout.

I couldn’t swallow. I couldn’t blink. It was like my body had forgotten basic functions.

I knew London had started a government OPs team called the Legion about a year ago, putting his tracking powers to good use. It also helped satiate his need to make something of himself. The Legion was made up of misfit Supers, the outcasts no one wanted to hire due to their questionable pasts.

But London accepted them with open arms. After all, he understood how hard it was to make a name for yourself. It was hard to get people to trust him when they learned his dad used to be the leader of the Scourge.

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