Page 17 of Sin

London seemed to think about it. “It’s possible, but it wouldn’t explain why they kept him locked up instead of sending him out on missions.” He looked around at us expectantly. “Any other guesses?”

“They were doing something down there they didn’t want anyone to know about. If they wiped him from all records, then it was less likely for someone to realize he was missing. No one comes looking for a ghost. They could basically do whatever they wanted with no consequences,” Mare said, pretending to look bored as she picked at her nails, but fury lit her eyes.

I understood her anger. What they’d done to Lucas was inexcusable.

London pointed at her and nodded. “Yes, that’s exactly what I was thinking.”

“So how do we know anything about him?” I asked.

“Because while they deleted all his life from online, they didn’t destroy the physical evidence. When preparing to repair the structural damage caused to the Citadel after your dad’s attack, they found what little info we have of Lucas in the demolished labs. Most of the files on Lucas they kept locked up down there were destroyed or too damaged to read, but we were able to figure out some of what happened. Hence, this information.”

“So what’s the plan, boss man?” Blade asked, tossing a tiny dagger at a bullseye target on the wall. It hit the center with deadly accuracy.

“Lucas’s power appears to be unstable. The previous teams assigned to Lucas’s case tracked him by following large power outages or unnatural phenomena occurring to large groups of people, like a building full of office workers who all report that one moment, they were clocking in for the day, and then the next thing they know, it’s ten PM and they’ve missed dinner.”

Mierda. I’d known he was powerful, but to control so many people at once?

“Since there hasn’t been any mass power outages or any reported strange happenings, no one’s been able to track Lucas down for a couple of weeks. So I’m going to try to locate Lucas. If he’s not traveling, it will be easier to pinpoint his location. But depending on his distance, it might take me a while. So while I’m indisposed, Blade, Lewis, I want you to fit Sin with a suit. He’s going to need a new one.”

Blade was already eyeing me up, calculations clear in her eyes. “Can do, boss man.”

London turned to Lewis. “Did that shipment you were waiting for get here yet?”

“Yep, came in last night,” Lewis said. “I left the box in the weapons room.”

“Good. I want everyone’s suits to be refreshed with the new nanotech.”

“Got it.”

This was just so weird. London had always been a take action sort of guy, a natural leader, but I’d never seen him in a setting like this. In fact, the more I observed him command a room full of powerful and deadly Supers, the more he reminded me so much of his dad.

I kept that to myself though, knowing his dad was a sore topic between us.

“Remember, we’re a team, so we need to act like a team.” He looked at each one of us. “So be nice.”

Taking a calming breath, London sat on the couch beside Mare. Surprisingly, she didn’t seem bothered by his intrusion into her space, almost like this was a normal thing for the two of them. In fact, she even retrieved a coiled pair of earbuds from her pocket and handed them over to London. He thanked her as he plugged them into his phone and inserted the buds into his ears.

London closed his eyes, tuning us all out as he let his power swell. His eyes flickered behind his lids, his mouth parted slightly, and his fingers twitched in his lap. I watched, enraptured. He’d only allowed me to witness his use of his power a few times in the past, stating he felt too awkward having people watch him. It didn’t seem he felt that way any longer.

The others remained in the room, barely paying London any mind, though. Jinx and Lewis left and returned with several large boxes full of equipment. Lewis dug through the boxes, setting up a mini laboratory in the back corner of the room. He fiddled with some wires, slapping on a pair of overly large protective goggles which only served to make him look ridiculous.

Mare, now finished with her popcorn, set the bowl on the floor and pulled an orange out from the pocket of her jacket. She peeled it with those bladed fingernails.

Jinx swiped through the file reports over and over as if worried he’d missed or forgotten something. I bet he had the entire thing memorized, so I didn’t get why he bothered.

Blade pulled up a design app on one of the tablets, and I noted she had different folders marked for each team member. I didn’t understand a lot of what she was doing when she opened a folder and messed around with the suit drawing inside, making small notes. She used a stylus for her designs, mumbling to herself as she worked. It was fascinating to watch as she occasionally scrapped a design and started fresh.

There were some weapons lined up to her side, and I shifted over to inspect them. There was everything from a hatchet to throwing stars. One weapon in particular caught my attention, and I carefully picked up the tiny dagger. There didn’t look to be anything special about it, no ornamentation or markings, but the blade was coated in some sickly smelling green liquid.

“Unless you want to knock yourself out for the next couple days, I’d highly suggest not playing with that.”

I jerked at the sound of Blade’s voice and found her watching me with those kohl-lined eyes.

I nearly dropped the dagger in my haste to put it back, and Blade smirked. “What do you think, little snake?” She pressed something on the tablet, and then a large holographic image of a suit in such a deep shade of green that it almost appeared black filled the space in front of the tablet. A breastplate the color of gunmetal wrapped around the suit’s torso and chest with etchings of storm clouds. Two gunmetal shoulder pads extended from the top of the breast plate. The holographic suit slowly turned, revealing more of the design. Certain parts were labeled, like the V-shaped weapon’s belt curving down around the hip area. There was a label called “taser” and another called “paralytic.” “This is Mare’s suit. She wanted black, but we compromised. See this?” She pointed to the gloved portion of the suit. The gloves were tipped in something shiny. “This suit is full coverage up to the neck area. Which meant I had to figure out a way for Mare to use her power through touch but protect her from others who might need to do the same.”

“You mean, we had to figure it out,” Lewis called without even looking up from… Was that a welding mask? I shielded my eyes when, in fact, he began welding without warning. Fucker.

Blade waved her hand. “Yeah, that’s what I meant. Anyway, look at this.” She zoomed in on the tablet, making the projection follow suit. “See these nails?” As if I could miss them. “Since she refused my request to shorten them—”

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