Rex and I stepped into what seemed to be a high-end conference room. Dominating most of the space was a large wooden table surrounded by twelve chairs arranged meticulously around it. Five seats adorned each side, with the final two positioned at either end.

The room was illuminated by natural light pouring through expansive windows, revealing a stunning view of the city skyline. Enormous monitors, currently displaying a detailed city map, were seamlessly integrated into the walls at both ends of the table.

"You're the last ones to arrive. Please, take a seat," Henry, standing beside one of the monitors, gestured towards the remaining chairs.

Rex settled at the end next to Crystal and Summer, and I took my place opposite him, alongside Susan. On my side of the room, Lia, Diana, Susan, and I occupied our seats from left to right, leaving one spot vacant. The only two Pawn members I hadn't met were seated in the last two chairs on the opposite side.

"Let's begin with some introductions," Henry commanded everyone's attention. His gaze fell on the two men I was scrutinizing.

I already had information on them from Jeanie, but relying on the public knowledge she had gathered had its limitations. People could be quite different in private.

"Most of you have already met Morgan." Henry pointed me out with a casual wave. "He's the newest member of Pawn and the primary reason for today's meeting."

A glance at their faces revealed a lack of interest from the group. It seemed only Henry had his focus on me, a potential sign of their innocence. I very much hoped they weren't involved in his crimes.

"Firstly, I'll brief everyone on last night's events. During Morgan's initial patrol with Susan, he attacked a Snow Gang base." Henry paused, observing our reactions.

"Great, so he's doing his job. What I want to know is why we aren't releasing a statement. The public would eat this up," Tyler, the red-haired man, reclined in his chair, questioning Henry.

Frowning, Henry responded, "Because this is a problem. SID was in the middle of an operation, and tensions were already high with the gang. Retaliation is inevitable. We don't want to stir them up any more than we already have."

"What kind of operation?" I interjected.

I focused on the part that actually mattered to me. We would have to fight this gang at some point. The city, even its heroes, had grown too complacent with the gangs, which caused the volatile situation we found ourselves in.

Henry was worrying about making them angry. How could any hero do his job without upsetting a few villains?

"SID sent in one of their supers to infiltrate the gang. He was posing as Mike Snow," Henry explained.

I glanced at Rex. He had directed us to that warehouse after following Mike with a drone, a detail Henry hadn't mentioned. Rex must not have told him. I had been curious about never running into Mike while we were there.

"Was it the man they were torturing?" I pressed Henry for more information, momentarily disrupting his explanation. He hesitated but relented after a brief resistance.

"Yes. The man you ran in to save was a trained super working for SID. If you could have been a little more patient, they might have had the time to set off their trap and capture all the supers on location instead of just one." He was still trying to make it sound like I made a mistake.

"He was dying, Henry. He wouldn't have made it much longer. Either SID doesn't care about its people, or they're incompetent." I expressed my opinion.

Summer and Tyler looked at me with approval. Rex appeared worried. Susan seemed frustrated, and I couldn't read the others. The last new guy, Tom, just shrugged when I looked at him.

Henry stepped away from the monitor he was standing by, placed his hands on the table, and leaned against it, sighing.

I was surprised when he didn't sound angry.

"I agree that what SID did was a mistake. They should have looped us in," he shook his head. "We are in charge of protecting this area, and they've been running operations without our knowledge."

As I listened to him talk, I couldn't help feeling like he was more worried about his territory. Maybe I was just seeing him differently after

"We're getting off topic." Henry straightened up.

"The man SID sent in goes by the moniker Dark. He can create and shape a type of artificial flesh. He uses it to make disguises."

"So, something like a shapeshifter?" Tom spoke out. He was around Henry and Susan's age and the only other parent in the room. Rex was his kid. There was no known wife or girlfriend in his life.

"A limited shapeshifter. He's a thin man, but he can't use the skin to become any smaller than his actual size." Henry answered.

They conversed in a casual, effortless manner. Tom, in particular, seemed the most at ease in Henry's company. It was evident they were friends.

Rex hadn't shared his suspicions about Henry with his father. I wondered if he thought Tom might be involved.

"Dark disguised himself as Mike Snow and returned to one of their facilities. Obviously, the deception didn't work, but he did find out they have backers." Henry explained.

Looking at me, he continued. "The man you told me about, the one with the gauntlets, he's new. Someone is secretly helping the Snow Gang."

A wave of unrest washed over the room. They were all exchanging glances with each other without including me. Being the new guy could sometimes feel a little isolating.

"I knew we should have attacked them when they first showed up." Summer spoke up. She glared at Henry and then turned it to Susan.

"You two were too busy fighting over Dad cheating on you. Now, because you ignored them, this city has to suffer." She crossed her arms in frustration.

"Summer!" Susan stood up while yelling.

"She's right," Henry said. He received two glares for his comment.

"Don't you dare say this is my fault for being upset!" Susan got angrier with each passing second.

"I'm sorry. That's not what I meant." He shook his head. "I fucked up. All of this happened because of me."

His words didn't settle Susan, but she was willing to sit back down.

"Tyler had the right idea. We should release a statement about last night." Crystal decided to join the conversation.

"I've already seen posts about it online. No hard facts are known, but people have realized something happened. We have to show them we have things under control." She looked at me. "Plus, this would be a good time to introduce our newest member."

It was easy to forget that Crystal spent more time in front of cameras than she did fighting crime. Her daily life consisted of interviews, photo shoots, and public appearances.

Henry shook his head in disagreement. "Crystal, we've catered to the public too much. You're right that it's always good to have control of the narrative. However, Morgan is not supposed to be in the public eye. His focus will be on crime-fighting, not PR."

I agreed with his decision, but I was a little confused. Going after the villains was exactly why he was currently angry with me.

"We have to speak up," Crystal emphasized, "otherwise the situation could spiral out of our control."

Henry interjected, "I'm not ready to release a statement yet. I think the public is better off not knowing the details of last night. It could create unnecessary panic. We'll address it but in a controlled manner."

Crystal clearly disagreed with him but chose not to argue further. Tyler remained neutral even though he was the first person to mention making a statement.

Henry cleared his throat in preparation for his next announcement. "I've been considering ways to strengthen our team's relationship with SID. We need to work together more closely, share information, and avoid situations like last night. That's why we will be putting together a charity party to serve as a fundraiser and an opportunity for our teams to bond."

"We're going to need SID's help in the coming gang war. There's been a lot of drift between our two organizations that needs to be fixed. We don't know much about Snow Gang's secret backers, and having them in our pocket could make a significant difference." Henry finished.

Tyler leaned forward, his expression serious. "Isn't it a bit dangerous to gather all the major heroes in one place shortly after making powerful enemies?"

"Henry's right. We need to be a united front against the growing threat." Tom gave Henry a nod, showing whose side he was on.

"We can't afford to go into this war blind," Henry said. "Diana, I want you to try focusing your visions around the team for the next few weeks. We'll likely be the first targets when the gang makes a move. Start with Morgan. He's probably priority one for their revenge."

I listened intently. There wasn't much information available about Diana's secondary power. She could see visions of the future but only the worst possibilities. At least, that was the official word on her abilities. Being targeted wasn't a problem for me. No super could ever compare to fighting a mistling.

Summer let out a frustrated sigh and leaned back in her chair. "This is a complete waste of time. Instead of talking about alliances and charity events, we should be out there taking the fight to them before they have the chance to even think about hitting us."

I couldn't help but agree with her sentiment. They were villains running around free and preparing to kill us while we planned a party.

The room fell into a momentary silence, everyone processing the information and decisions laid out on the table.

Despite the differing opinions, it was evident that the team needed to find a balance between public relations, internal cooperation, and gearing up for the looming gang war.

 

 

Authors Note:

 

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