Chapter 18: Red Handed
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I kept an eye on the frozen pile of debris that buried Eddie while flying toward the rear of the building. Another followed Henry with an ear joining it.

A glance into any open doors was all Henry gave the rooms he passed. He walked with a sense of purpose, directing him to a particular location.

"We should just run! This job ain't worth dying over!" A familiar pair of men came into view. The armed guards were still at the foot of those stairs, but now they were facing each other, arguing.

"We're not gonna die. You wanted this shit, so take it." The older one shoved a vial of green liquid into the other's hands.

"What about you? He only gave us one." Nervously, the man popped the cork while asking.

This was the moment Henry decided to reveal himself. A flick of his fingers sent the vial shattering onto the floor. Another slammed them into the ground hard enough to hurt. The guns pressed flat from the extreme gravity, and their bodies couldn't even twitch with the added weight.

Henry stepped over them and made his way up the stairs. He picked up his pace after seeing the door made of random junk. When he tried it, the lock popped open.

"Nothing." Henry sighed.

The room didn't even deserve to be called that. It was a broom closet. There was still a mop and bucket sitting inside.

I was now pretty sure that was a gateway of some sort. Under special circumstances, it likely opened up to a different location. It explained how that doctor escaped from me the first time I attacked one of their drug houses.

Henry disregarded the door and turned around. He crumpled it into a ball with his powers while walking away.

The guards were already unconscious when Henry passed through the second time. I didn't think they'd have stood a chance even with the strength boost from the green drug. Thoughts like that made me question why this gang used those portal doors when I knew they could take the yellow drug for teleportation.

While Henry wandered off to his next destination, I reached my given task. The back of the building had a row of bay doors, with only two being currently occupied by trucks. The average-looking vehicles appeared out of place, backed up to the loading ramps meant for far bigger trucks.

I summoned an arm to tear off the tarp covering the cargo on one of the vehicles. More of the processed power potions were underneath. The other truck had the same thing. I couldn't understand why these were getting moved by vehicle. Two forms of spatial travel, and they still use such an old method to move the drugs.

"I've got two trucks filled with their product in the back. A couple of extra bay doors are open, so I think there were more." I reported my findings while searching the vehicle.

I checked the two glove compartments for registration or any paperwork, but all I found was a handful of napkins and some ketchup packets.

I refocused on Henry, who had just entered an area filled with bags of these power drugs still in powdered form. He picked a few up to inspect, then tossed them aside. The glass shattered on the ground as he looked over each color available.

"Sue spotted the vehicles escaping on her way back. She's handling them now." Rex responded over the comms. I almost offered help, but my attention was stolen by our leader before I could.

Henry stopped what he was doing and looked to his side. One of the machines dispensing these drugs had started to ripple. A wave passed over its reflective surface, distorting Henry's image.

I brought my eye closer to get a better look when a key suddenly broke through the surface. Henry showed no reaction as it pushed farther out, followed by a hand gripping it. A string bound it to the wrist of this mystery person.

The hand released the key, which fell and dangled from their wrist. Another hand reached out from this distortion in space, joining the first in a palm-up position.

Henry turned away, picked up a rack of drug potions, then handed them to this person. He was stealing the processed drugs.

I clenched my fists in anger. It was a disappointment to have our suspicions confirmed. All I could think about were the symptoms of overusing this drug. I understood them better than most, thanks to having access to the power that creates them.

"A SID agent is arriving on site now," Rex called out over the comms.

"Got it. There was barely any resistance inside. I've got two unconscious gang members and a lot of product. This was a major center for their operations. They're not going to let this go." Henry answered.

The arms pulled back, and the ripples in the metal surface smoothed out. Henry only glanced at it and then the remaining racks before turning away. He walked towards the entrance, so I decided it was time to check on the first man I rescued.

A new eye formed beside me and flew to the rooftop with the mystery victim. He was unconscious but still breathing. I picked him up with a new set of arms and began transporting him to my location.

My own eyes were closed since it was becoming difficult to focus on four different visions at once. I had to watch over the Eddie icicle while monitoring Henry and simultaneously moving this injured man.

When Henry stepped out of the warehouse, a man was talking to Summer. I recognized his armor from the last time I met a SID agent.

"Anytime. I see they're still overworking you." Henry called out to him.

Anytime's helmet turned to look at Henry, who approached him with his hand out. Quickly, the two men exchanged a hardy handshake.

"With a power like mine, it's too easy to use me for everything." He answered with a chuckle.

Henry nodded and gestured at the building behind him.

"Go ahead and give it a once over. We can go over the details after I've had a chance to talk to my team." He crossed his arms with a tired expression on his face.

"I'm interested in hearing how this happened. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad the Snow Gang finally got its first real black eye, but this is going to become a real shitstorm." Anytime commented before vanishing from his position.

Henry nodded to himself, silently agreeing before looking at his daughter.

"You might as well take off. We can handle the rest here." He told her.

Summer glared at the building before turning around. She was frustrated, but I wasn't sure if it was due to his dismissal or her minor involvement in this whole thing.

"Morgan, can you meet me at the front," Henry called out to me over the comms.

"On the way. I'm bringing an injured civilian with me. He still hasn't woken up, so he might need medical attention." I responded to him while pushing my feelings down. This wasn't the time or place to confront him.

When Henry came into view, I dismissed the eye that had been observing him. A moment later, the arms carrying the man caught up to me, allowing that eye to be banished. The frustration on my face vanished as I landed in front of the traitor.

"Morgan." Henry scowled at me. He looked upset, which should have been my expression.

"Henry, did you find Eddie?" I asked, knowing that he hadn't even stepped into the room.

Some of the anger faded, but he quickly replaced it with stoicism. He didn't appreciate me poking at his failure to secure the biggest target of this attack.

"SID will handle the arrests. We just round them up. Anytime can deal with him." He dodged the question, but the tension was building between us.

"Why did you decide to confront the Snow Gang on your own without backup or a plan? This should have been a basic patrol. Susan was supposed to be showing you the ropes." He played the role of a leader by trying to reprimand me, but it was hard to take his words seriously.

"There was a badly injured man in the middle of being tortured. How could I turn away when someone needed help?" My response stopped him cold.

I floated the man's body down to my left. When Henry noticed him, he gave the guy a long look. I took the chance to continue speaking.

"Did you come across Mike Snow?" That pulled Henry's interest back to me.

"Did you see him here?" He asked.

"No, but he was spotted entering the building by one of Rex's drones," I told him.

Henry nodded and glanced back at the building. I could tell his eyes drifted toward the junk door on the second floor.

"What about the man in the suit with the gauntlets?" I already knew that guy had likely teleported away, but I wasn't supposed to.

"He seems to have escaped." Henry turned away from me after answering. A few SID vehicles had arrived, and it looked like he wanted to meet them. He gestured for me to follow.

 

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