Leaving the rainy main streets behind, Aditya followed the address to a secluded house near the New York coastline. The ocean waves crashed heavily in the distance, and the entire property was blanketed in a suffocating, pitch-black darkness. It felt less like a home and more like a graveyard.
Aditya stepped onto the porch and knocked firmly.
The heavy wooden door creaked open, revealing an older man with tired, hollow eyes. This was James.
James:
Who are you?
Aditya:
I am local police. A complaint has been filed regarding a dangerous group operating in this area, and your name came up. Word on the street is you have a lot of information.
As Aditya spoke, his eyes darted down to James's hands. The older man was wearing thick gloves, completely covering his skin.
He's hiding something,
Aditya thought, his elite instincts kicking in.
He knows about the red square. He might even have a power of his own.
But James didn't say a word about it. He just stared at the young officer.
James:
What is your name, young man?
Aditya:
My name is Aditya.
James:
Come inside my house. We will talk.
James stepped aside, gesturing toward the living room. The house was dimly lit and quiet. Both men walked in and sat down across from each other on a worn-out sofa in the main hall. Aditya didn't waste any time.
Aditya:
What do you know about this group?
James:
(Sighs heavily) One year ago, my son started acting very strange. He was using tobacco all day, totally out of control. I knew something was wrong, so I started secretly following him. That's how I found out about the group. They sell illegal, modified tobacco to make massive amounts of money.
Aditya:
And where is your son now?
James:
He's dead. It happened almost six months ago.
Aditya:
I am sorry for your loss... How many people are in this group?
James:
There are sixteen core members. And every single one of them has superpowers.
Aditya:
(Eyes narrowing) What?
James:
They are ranked by threat levels. Five C-tiers, four B-tiers, two A-tiers... and four S-tiers.
Aditya:
That's impossible. Not in New York. S-tier power is god-level. Only one in ten million people are born with that kind of strength. There is no way four of them are just sitting in this city.
James:
Who said this group was made of people from New York? They have recruited members from all over the world to gather here.
Aditya:
Then what is their ultimate goal? What is the NVA aiming for?
James:
To create man-made superpowered children.
Aditya:
(Shocked) How? That's impossible. Only nature can give someone the Red Mark.
James:
They found a way. They extract the DNA of superpowered adults and inject it into normal children. But so far, the experiments have been a disaster. Almost ten thousand children have died in their labs
Aditya:
Ten thousand? How has the government not noticed this? How is the global organization blind to this?
James:
Because the NVA has double agents high up in the government protecting them. And they kidnap the children from many different cities across the USA, spreading it out so the newspapers never connect the dots.
Aditya:
So that's why they do the murders and kidnappings the informant talked about.
James:
Exactly. They need millions of dollars to fund these underground experiments.
Aditya:
Do you know who is running this organization? Who is the leader?
James:
I don't know his real name. But on the streets, the mercenaries call him Robert.
Aditya’s heart stopped. The cold, selfish exterior he usually wore completely cracked for a split second.
Aditya:
Robert...
James:
You know that name?
Aditya:
(Quickly masking his expression, eyes turning cold) No. It’s just... the name of an old friend of mine. A friend who supposedly died back during our Academy days.
Aditya stood up, his mind racing with a million questions. Was his childhood rival actually alive? And was he the one building a mutant army in New York?
Aditya:
I have to go. Goodbye, James.
James:
If you find anything else, or if you need more information... call me.
James reached into his pocket and handed Aditya a slip of paper with his phone number. Aditya took it, stepped back out into the freezing New York rain, and watched the door close behind him.
The mission wasn't just a job anymore. It was personal.