The night fell quiet—too quiet for a city that never truly slept.
The Hero Squad moved through Ultra City like silent guardians. Jakson and Rudy were stationed near the Central Bank, their presence a warning to any who dared approach with ill intent. Timothy, Raymond, and Derick held their ground along Tora–Link–Way, a major junction known for past ambushes. The rest of the squad spread across key sectors, eyes sharp, senses heightened.
From high above the police station, Larry hovered quietly, his scanner interface glowing across his visor.
Something blinked.
Static.
An anomaly.
His brows furrowed. "That's... not normal."
He zoomed in, fingers flying across his wrist console. The police server's data streams were glitching—deliberately rerouted.
"Someone's hacking the city's surveillance grid," Larry muttered. "And doing it too cleanly."
A red warning pulsed across his interface.
Unauthorized access detected.
He tapped his comm. "Captain, we've got an issue. The police network's being tampered with. Someone's ghosting the city's eyes."
---
"Relay it to me," Timothy said, his voice sharp through the comms.
Larry responded almost instantly. "From what I'm seeing… the internal cameras at the police station have been tampered with. And this isn't some outside interference—I would've detected a breach. This came from the inside."
There was a pause.
Raymond's voice cut in, low and grim. "So you're saying… someone inside the police is working against the city?"
Larry didn't answer. He didn't need to.
Timothy's eyes narrowed. "Everyone, you heard him. We're storming the police station—now."
The air tensed across the comms.
Timothy continued, voice controlled but burning with fury, "Let me alert the Commander. We've finally got a clue—and it's a damn big one."
---
"Commander," Timothy's voice buzzed through Layla's earpiece. "We just got confirmation—someone inside the police is working with the perpetrators behind the Tora Link Way incident."
He didn't wait for a response.
"We're storming the place."
Layla's voice came back cold and sharp. "Do as you please."
Beside her, Johnathan cracked a small smile. "They've got something. Told you they would, Commander."
Layla didn't return the smile. Her eyes were hard, but her lips curled slightly with menace.
"The police, huh? If anyone from their ranks caused this shit…" She paused, voice dropping to a growl. "I don't care what excuse they plan to give. That person's as good as dead."
Johnathan adjusted his coat. "So… Belmont, right?"
Layla nodded. "Yes. We're heading to Belmont now."
---
The Hero Squad stormed into the station, their presence loud and unapologetic. Officers froze mid-motion—papers fluttered, coffee spilled, and silence fell like a thunderclap.
Timothy stepped forward, voice cold and commanding. "Everyone, get up. You're all in trouble."
The silence thickened. Eyes darted around the room.
One officer finally found his voice. "You can't just barge in here, acting like you run the place. If anyone should be questioned, it's you. You couldn't even do your job right."
A few officers straightened at his words, emboldened by his defiance.
Jakson didn't say a word. The 6-foot-tall hero strode toward the officer, his steps like echoes of judgment. He stopped directly in front of the man, towering over him. His red eyes locked onto the officer's with a stare so cold and intense it drained the color from the man's face.
The officer began to tremble.
Jakson tilted his head slightly. "Should we start with this one?"
Timothy didn't hesitate. "Take him."
---
Just as the officer was about to be taken in for questioning, the doors swung open and the Police Captain emerged, his voice firm but measured.
"Good day, Heroes. I can't allow you to take my officer in for questioning without due cause," he said, stepping forward. "You storm into my station, say nothing of courtesy, and act without permission? This is still a place of law and order."
Raymond stepped forward, his usual calm now replaced with heat. "You call yourself an officer of the law? You pledged to protect this city—have you even started an investigation into the Tora Link incident?"
The Captain's lips tightened.
Larry floated down beside them, his visor glowing. "The internal surveillance feeds were breached—from within. That's why you couldn't see what happened during the attack. Someone on the inside tampered with the system."
The captain frowned. "What do you mean tampered?"
Rudy folded his arms, his blue flames flickering faintly behind him. "He means someone here is a traitor."
The words struck the station like a thunderbolt. The officers looked around in disbelief—some suspicious, others afraid. Even the Police Captain's eyes widened.
The air turned heavy. No one spoke. For the first time, the protectors of the law were the ones under suspicion.
---
The officer was escorted into the dimly lit interrogation room. He sat nervously in the cold metal chair, while Timothy and Raymond stood across from him, arms folded.
"Why did you tamper with the surveillance cameras?" Timothy asked, his voice flat, no hint of a smile.
"I… I didn't do anything," the officer stammered.
Bang!
Timothy slammed his palm on the table, causing the officer to flinch in fear.
"We don't want to hear lies," Raymond said sharply. "We know someone did it, and all signs point to you."
As the interrogation pressed on, the doors to the station opened. Commander Layla entered with Johnathan and a few high-ranking officials from the Hero Association. Her presence was chilling, her expression unreadable.
Whispers rippled through the station.
"That's her… the woman even the top heroes obey."
"Commander Layla… she's real."
Without a word to anyone, Layla walked straight into the interrogation room. Her gaze swept over the officer, then shifted to Timothy.
"Is it him?" she asked, her voice low and cold.
"No, ma'am," Timothy replied with certainty.
"We move on to the next suspect," Raymond said grimly.
---
One by one, officers were brought in for questioning. Each time, the answers were the same—denials, confusion, claims of ignorance.
Layla's patience wore thin.
"You mean to tell me none of them are guilty?" she said, her voice cold with suppressed fury. "Enough of this. Timothy, you're free to break them."
The next officer, already trembling from what he'd heard outside, was pushed into the room.
Before he could take a breath, Raymond grabbed him by the collar and slammed him to the floor. The man coughed violently, blood spattering from his lips.
Timothy stepped forward slowly, his eyes empty of emotion.
"I know what kills… I know what hurts… and I know what paralyzes," he said in a low, chilling tone. "Now tell me—did you tamper with the cameras?"
The officer barely raised his head, whimpering.
Outside the room, the others could hear every crash, every groan.
Tyler leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "Cap is really intense."
"If that's what it takes to make them talk," Derick muttered, "then let him go all out."
---
The investigation continued, each round of questioning more intense than the last. No one dared challenge the methods being used—everyone knew the stakes were too high.
Outside the interrogation room, the rest of the Hero Squad remained on alert, gathered around the station.
"Why weren't there any police officers stationed around Tora Link Way?" Jakson suddenly asked, his brows furrowed.
Sage glanced at him. "Whatever do you mean, Mister Jakson?"
"I mean… there should've been patrols," Jakson replied. "I've seen police out during my night strolls, patrolling all kinds of areas. But not that one—not when the attack happened."
"You're right," Max said, voice low.
Rudy raised a brow, the realization hitting him. "Wait… wait. I've only been here for a month and a half, but I've studied most of the city. Isn't Tora Link Way just… two streets from here?"
Silence dropped like a bomb across the room.
Everyone froze—even Commander Layla, standing in the corner, had heard it.
No one had considered that before. And now, the weight of that fact shifted the entire atmosphere.
The officers stiffened. Fear crept into their eyes.
Layla turned sharply, eyes locked on the nearest senior officer. Her voice rang out, sharp and icy:
"Who. Was. Assigned to patrol that sector?!"
No one answered.
"I want names—now!" she barked. "I don't care where they are, what shift they're hiding under, or who's protecting them—bring them to me!"
---
The two officers were dragged in, their uniforms soaked in sweat, fear written all over their faces.
"Sit," Layla commanded coldly, pointing to the floor at the center of the station. "Now."
They obeyed without hesitation.
"Why weren't you patrolling the area like you were assigned to?!" she shouted, her voice echoing like a war drum.
"We… we were told…" one of them stammered, barely audible.
"Told what?! Speak up! You have a mouth, don't you?" Layla snapped.
One of the officers broke into tears. Her voice trembled as she dropped to her knees.
"I—I don't want to die… I'm a single mother just trying to feed my kids! I swear, I don't know anything! I only did what I was told!"
"Told to do what?" Layla asked, eyes narrowing.
She pointed to the man beside her. "He told me… patrol was called off that day."
All eyes turned to him.
Layla's tone sharpened. "Why did you tell Officer Brenda there would be no patrol?"
He swallowed hard. "The captain… he told me to go home, and… and to tell her patrol was canceled."
A cold silence fell over the room.
Captain Dickens stood frozen. Sweat beaded his brow. The atmosphere turned hostile.
Max, with a flash of lightning, vanished and reappeared—gripping the captain by the collar and dragging him forward.
Layla didn't hesitate. She landed a hard punch to the captain's face. He hit the ground, groaning.
"Why did you tell them to stand down, Captain Dickens?" she growled.
The captain suddenly grinned. A devious, twisted grin.
"So… you heroes really are sharp. He said you might figure it out," he said, chuckling darkly.
Layla's eyes narrowed. "Who said that?"
Timothy didn't wait. He yanked the captain up and slammed a punch into his ribs.
But the captain just laughed, blood dribbling from his mouth.
"You can hit me. Kill me. But I won't tell you who he is. Never."
Everyone in the room now knew—the captain was the traitor.
And then he said something that froze time:
"You already know what I did. So I might as well finish the job."
His hand tapped something beneath his uniform.
A red light blinked on his chest.
"Get back—!" someone shouted.
BOOM.
An explosion rocked the station.