“Any update with the Pitch Black Five case?” I asked Sutner upon entering the HQ. The hospital just called me earlier. According to them, Jeremy had woken up and was in stable condition.
“We’re still looking into it. What about your end?” Dimanche smiled, appearing out of nowhere.
“Yepp. I’ll send in my report later today”
“We will too when we find something” The officer held some kind of wrap in his hand. “Want some? It’s pig” At least he didn’t just say “meat”.
“No thanks, I’m allergic. Sutner, a word” I asked, pulling him aside.
“That’s DC to you”
“So uh, about Dimanche” There was still no explanation regarding his antics on that day.
“Haven’t found anything yet. He claims it was a misunderstanding and things got lost in translation” HE’S GASLIGHTING US?
“That is, unfortunate”
“I’ll let you know if he does anything more suspicious. Until then, I’ll make sure we keep a close eye on him”
“Alright, thank you sir” I nodded, taking my leave.
“That’s all you came here for? You still have six hours left before your shift ends! Just turn in your report right now!”
“I’m LITERALLY on the job right now, what more do you want? I’m not just gonna sit around here doing nothing. And also you exempted me from having to submit the report”
“That, may be true. Also I said you still need to tell Carver and ME everything that happened”
“You and Sutner have a cute relationship” Roxy remarked through the earpiece.
“I’m disconnecting you next time. Any update from Youri?” It had been a few weeks since Christian and him started talking. The two seemed to be getting along quite well. They’ve been meeting every day after class, allowing Youri to obtain more info. He still hasn’t revealed his true identity, but we’re getting a clearer idea as to who our enemies are and what they’re planning. It’s not much but it’s a step in the right direction. And that allows me to focus on other things, like recruitment. Which I’ll be getting to soon.
“He’s figured out Christian’s ability completely and is telling me ways in which you can counter it. I’ll send the report your way when he’s done”
“Perfect. Also, I have good news and bad news” I announced.
“Oh. Um, what’s the bad news?”
“Well, Jeremy’s awake again”
“WAIT ACTUALLY? How do you know? Are you sure? Wait, why is that bad news?”
“Well, him being awake is both the good and bad news. You’ll see for yourself when we get to the hospital”
“We?”
“We’re short staffed so I need your help. I’ll be coming to pick you up right now” I haven’t told anyone about the mission regarding the creator of Pitch Black Five yet. We have too much on our plate to focus on that. And besides, I need to talk to our Dean regarding the issue in our university. I’ll talk to Sutner and Carver about recruiting Aiden later today.
Within the next couple minutes I got home, picking Roxy up, and driving off to the hospital.
“He’s in room Thirteen-B” The doctor stated as we arrived.
“Is he awake? How’s his condition? What’s going on?” Roxy demanded, practically holding onto the doctor’s arm.
‘Oye you guys are ere! Tas great!’ Huh? ‘I missed a lot huh? Ya don’t needta tell me all about it. Finding it all out right now’ So it’s already fully developed…
“He’s um, well, it’s just that”- Roxy opened the door before the doctor could finish. Jeremy sat upright in bed, smiling as we came in.
‘Ey guys, hwat’s up?’ He asked, his mouth not moving. His entire aura was different. Similar to the ones other power users have. Was that something I just picked up? If so, did he- ‘Yepp, I got powahs now. Hwild isn’ it? I can’t believe it either. I’m telepatic!’
‘Can you not speak normally though?’ I questioned.
“Oh nah I can talk perfectly fine mate. Jus’ testin’ out my powahs a little” He explained, pleased with his newfound ability.
“Was this the bad news?” Roxy enquired.
“The doctor just told me he was acting strange and different. I suspected it might be cause he’s developed some kind of power after consuming the Pitch Black Five” Christine’s report came through earlier today. She told me everything she discovered about the drug, I just haven’t gotten to sharing it with everyone yet. But with Jeremy’s telepathic ability, that problem should take care of itself. “Doc, Imma need you to leave the room for a sec” I informed, getting ready to usher him towards the door.
‘Tat’s not necessary. I’ll jus’ mentally link te tree of us togetha so hwe can communicate amongst ourselves’
‘Can you control your powers that well? You can tune him out and prevent yourself from accidentally entering his head?’ Roxy wondered.
‘Oh basically, I ‘ad one an’ a ‘alf brownies, an’ I also ate one accidentally sometime before that. Te dosage hwas a bit much on my body’ Yeah no shit. ‘As a result, my powahs are pretty much fully developed’
‘Wait so, Pitch Black Five, is a drug that gives powers?’ For once, Roxy was the only one who didn’t understand what was going on. Then again she didn’t really have much time to research on all of this.
‘Basically, Pitch Black Five isn’t some ordinary street drug. It’s a means of activating the superpower gene in human beings, allowing them to either access their full potential and gain their ability, or have their hearts burn up as they die and experience an absolutely horrendous, truly horrible death. We’ve learnt by now that EVERY human has the potential to develop powers but not everyone can access them due to limitations and there are certain factors that are required in order to enable them. Pitch Black Five is a gateway to unlocking that potential. However, it’s still in the early stages so isn’t that effective. Not everyone’s soul is strong enough to deal with it either. Those who actually do get powers, go a step further by getting their abilities and skills enhanced depending on the level of their dosage. Since Jeremy had a lot, he’s received advanced telepathy. His power’s at the highest possible level. If he had less, it would be basic, and if he had just a little more, he would have died. So many potential powers have been wasted due to overconsumption of this drug. Jeremy had more than he should have, which is why he fell into a trance, but ended up making it out alive’ Thankfully.
‘Onestly I jus’ got lucky. Sorry I hwasn’t of much use’
‘Don’t be. You actually helped in a very unexpected way. Feel free to read both our minds to catch up on all that’s happened. Also your powers make things much more convenient’ He’s definitely one of the strongest when it comes to powers now. ‘The main problem here is that a large scale sale of fully developed Pitch Black Five would be absolutely catastrophic. People will probably end up in worse conditions than Jeremy, and if they survive, they’ll be a thousand times stronger. That breeds a lot of potential villains for us to face’ I explained.
‘I mean, they could be heroes too’ Roxy suggested.
‘Doubtful. Pitch Black Five is very easily accessible. Meaning, unfortunately, the lowlifes of society are the most susceptible and capable of getting their hands on it. And they’ll be mistreated in the military institutes. Getting powers will only satiate their lust for vengeance. They’d want to get back at the ones who wronged and harmed them. So, to summarize, we know exactly what Pitch Black Five is and what it does. We also know the Banes are the biggest suppliers, meaning we’ll have a lot more obstacles in the way. But on the bright side, Youri and Christian Bane have started becoming better friends, so we’ll be able to obtain much more info from them. Also, I’ve been given another mission’
‘Hwat is it? Even though I’ve jus hwoken up, I feel I’m in good condition’
‘We’ll need all the help we can get for this, which is why I’m going to finish off our recruitment first. Senator Velec tasked me with taking down the creator of Pitch Black Five. From what he’s told me, that man isn’t a power user or an associate of the Banes. Just some mad scientist that created the drug. I’m pretty sure he’s done countless human experimentations too. But we’re not equipped to go after him right away, even if the mission is one of high priority. I need to spend more time practicing my powers since I’m not skilled enough for something this big. Especially after the last incident’ I admitted, lowering my head.
‘I see’
‘It’s your decision in the end. Whatever you choose to do, we’ll stick by it’ Roxy assured.
‘Wouldn’t want it any other way. For now let’s head back home and see what new info Youri gathered’ The two of them nodded, getting up as we checked Jeremy out of the hospital. It’s good to have him back.
‘Aww ya really did miss me’ He chuckled.
Reggie, as usual, waited for us outside the door. How does he just tell when we’re about to arrive? “Welcome back Monsieur Hughes!” He exclaimed, tightly embracing him. “It’s so good to see you again” I informed him about all that happened before we left.
“Good ta see ya too Reggie! Glad ta be back!” The Rauxian declared as we went inside.
All of a sudden, a message popped up on my phone: ‘Call me back, ASAP’ Sutner…
“Good afternoon James, how fareth thee?”
“Can you act professional for once?”
“Someone didn’t get the D this morning” I remarked.
“What did you just say?”
“You know, Vitamin D. You haven’t gotten enough Sunlight lately, which is why you’ve been in such a bad mood. Go outside for a breather and I GUARANTEE you you’ll feel better”
“I need you to head to university right now” The DC ordered.
“But, I just got back home” I yawned. “Can’t it wait?”
“No, it absolutely cannot. Head over here, I’ll explain everything on call” Oh right, I need to talk to the Dean too, that’s what Velec told me. Could this be regarding that?
“Alright, explain. I’m heading out right now” I informed, grabbing the keys.
“Lately there have been more cases of students going into trances, just like what happened to Jeremy. People are selling brownies infused with Pitch Black Five” Oh I haven’t updated Sutner on all this yet either. Sounds like a repeat of two years ago as well… “Dimanche ran the tests. Apparently the drug activates the power gene in humans, either killing them or giving them powers. The intensity of their enhancement depends upon the dosage” Yep. “And if someone who already has powers consumes it, they get even more powerful” Figures. “Someone’s been selling them throughout Monarch, and now the situation’s getting out of hand. I need you to get to the bottom of it ASAP. Find out whoever’s responsible and detain them” He explained.
“Got it. Anything else?” At least this’ll bring us one step closer to taking down the manufacturer. Taking care of the suppliers here would deal him a huge blow. Besides, it’s already confirmed that Christian Bane is one of the main suppliers. But is he the only one?
“That’s all for now. I’m trusting you completely. Keep me updated and let me know if you need any assistance”
“Thank you Sutner. I won’t let you down” I assured, hanging up.
‘Oye where’d ya go?’ Jeremy texted seconds later.
‘Sutner called, heading to uni. You and Roxy should come too. Youri’s probably out with his best friend so I’ll have him join us’
‘Don’t waste petrol just like that! We coulda just come with you!’ Hmm, also true.
‘I’m sorry. Let me know when you both reach’ I quickly texted Youri as well, telling him to meet up with us.
Sutner awaited me in the parking lot as I arrived. “Good, you’re here. Follow me” He ordered. I remained silent, walking behind him as he went on. “We don’t really have much else to go on right now, besides what I told you. There’s more than one supplier in this university, but we have no idea who the masterminds behind it are. Squad Thirteen’s resources are at your disposal, just don’t go too overboard and keep things on the low until you find concrete evidence. We don’t want an incident that will shame us further” Have the military police fallen out of favor lately? A screw up will only make things worse then.
“Understood sir” Youri and Christine are the most important pieces of this puzzle. Success or failure on their parts will determine how everything will play out. Roxy and Jeremy’s powers will only make things easier as well. That mystery figure who saved me would also be a huge help, but I have no way of contacting him.
“Dimanche’s been given a lead and is currently working on tracking one of the sellers” You’re still trusting him this much? Bold move. “Where are you going to start?”
“Don’t worry too much about that, I’m just waiting for my team to show up” I stated as Jeremy pulled up to the parking lot.
