( Sorry for the Long Waits. Been sick for a while and University Classes restarted )
That night changed the City for a long time.
Even when the fires were extinguished and the debris cleared, National City carried the memory of it like a bruise beneath the skin. News cycles replayed the footage endlessly, blue-veined figures screaming in the streets, explosions captured from a dozen angles, Cloak and Dagger saving civilians.
The official narrative shifted by the hour.
"Unidentified chemical event."
"Domestic terror cell."
"Meta-human trafficking ring."
The news stations constantly spun the story, desperately trying to calm the civilians down, but as Tyrone watched all of this news filter out, none of them said the name Tyrone was focused on.
Roxxon.
It became frustrating for him over the next few days. While there wasn't any large scale attack, there were still smaller incidents that needed him and Tandy's attention.
An enhanced dockworker losing control at Pier 14.
A college student collapsing mid-lecture and lashing out in confusion.
A delivery driver detonating in an alley before first responders could even reach him.
The same energy signature every time and he same unstable blue flare beneath the skin.
It seemed even every day citizens had somehow been infected and left as sleeper agents, and these agents were now activating their powers and wrecking havoc.
Tyrone and Tandy handled them efficiently now. With every battle, the duo grew better at using their powers, and could more comfortably handle these incidents.
Tandy would constantly use her LightForce to create shields and minimize collateral damage, while Tyrone would pull attackers into the DarkForce Dimension if they were going to blast and cause mass damage.
They had learned the rhythm. How long before overload. How to angle Tandy's shields to minimize collateral damage. When Tyrone needed to pull someone fully into the Darkforce dimension to isolate the blast.
Still, they remained focused on their goal, and now three nights later, Tyrone was standing in the Command Centre alone again, the monitors illuminating him in pale light.
He had mapped every attack, the profile of every victim, and even the emergency response time. Every piece of data he had to his use was used by him to create any sort of pattern.
As he was doing all of this, Tandy stepped down the stairs quietly, already in partial suit mode, the luminous seams faint but active.
"You've been staring at that same map for twenty minutes," she said softly.
He didn't turn around, just responding, "Well maybe I missed something,"
"You know that's not true," Tandy said, looking on the monitors, all the data, and then spotting Three Names highlighted in red.
"Who are they?"
Tyrone finally looked at her.
"Former Jaded Energy executives."
Her eyes sharpened instantly, "I thought you couldn't find any of them that important?"
"They went down when Jaded collapsed." Tyrone said, "On paper at least,"
He flicked his fingers, and the screens shifted.
Marcus Vale - formerly Chief Operations Officer, Jaded Energy.
Declared bankrupt during Jaded's dissolution. Now listed as a mid-level logistics consultant for Virex Dynamics under the name Michael Vance.
Dr. Elena Rourke - Head of experimental energy applications.
Public record: left science, "retired."
Current identity: Elaine Rowe, Board advisor for a Roxxon biotech subsidiary.
Thomas Kincaid - financial director.
Disappeared during federal inquiry.
Reemerged two years later as Trent Kellan, executive compliance officer.
"They changed everything," Tandy whispered.
"Their Names, Backgrounds, Digital footprints, everything. It took me a long time to find the slight connections and find out these three,"
Tyrone zoomed in further.
Old employee rosters. Facial recognition overlays. Subtle bone structure matches. Private security contracts linking them to facilities that had now gone dark.
"They didn't disappear," he said. "They were absorbed."
"And now they're building this," Tandy finished.
Silence settled between them before Tyrone turned fully toward her now.
"We can't wait for a smoking gun," he said. "They'll escalate before we get courtroom-proof documentation."
"You want to go hands-on," she said.
"Yes."
Her jaw tightened slightly.
"Interrogation."
"Yes, we need to go interrogate them and find out what the deal is ourselves. Waiting any longer is just gonna cause people to die,"
"These aren't street-level dealers. They'll have security. Contingencies. Dead-man triggers."
"I know."
"And if we grab one, Roxxon will know someone's onto them."
Tyrone's shadows thickened subtly.
"They already know."
That was the truth neither of them had said out loud.
The flood attack hadn't just been chaos. It had been a message.
'We can escalate whenever we want.' Was the message they were sending.
Tandy walked to the main console and stared at the three profiles.
"If we do this," she said slowly, "we don't just scare them."
"No."
"We break them."
He nodded once.
"I can pull them into the Darkforce. Isolate them. No cameras. No trackers."
"And if they have implants?" she asked.
"I'll drain anything transmitting."
She looked at him carefully.
"And if they don't talk?"
His gaze didn't waver.
"They will."
There was something in his voice that made the lights in the room dim slightly.
"If we let this stretch another week, they'll double output," he said. "Another mass event like that night, but bigger."
She looked away for a moment, remembering the girl in her arms.
"They're using desperate people," she said quietly. "Offering miracles and turning them into weapons, so It's time to bring them down,"
Immediately, the duo gathered around the holographic projection.
Marcus Vale, now Michael Vance, had a penthouse three districts over. Private security rotation every six hours.
Elena Rourke maintained a laboratory office but lived in a gated estate outside city limits. Kincaid operated mostly from corporate towers, rarely appearing in public.
"We take the weakest link first," Tyrone said.
"Vale," Tandy replied immediately.
"Logistics background. He knows shipment routes. Facility locations."
"And he's the least likely to have personal conviction," she added. "He'll fold faster."
Tyrone allowed himself a thin smile.
"Exactly."
Tandy's Light brightened faintly.
"When?"
"Tomorrow night."
Her eyes flickered.
"That soon?"
"If we wait, we lose momentum."
She thought for a moment.
Then nodded.
"Alright."
She stepped closer to him, resting her forehead briefly against his chest.
"Time to end this," she murmured.