Emotions were wrung dry and jaded. Long cooled from their heated vengeful fury to something more simmering. Apathy and rivalry effective mitigators, as callous as they come off. Blame had been squashed to preserve unity and keep the set order of things from falling into chaos. But few could hold their ire at bay. Because the hunt had ended before it could even really begin. Dragnets had proven too slow, sensors had been blinded before they could be calibrated, and surviving cameras found nothing but empty reel. Trying to catch a villain like this was next to impossible using modern means. And less technological methods were completely hamstrung by certain… biases that had resulted in little to no information being on record. So then…

“Our only course of action is to follow the trail he’s left behind… And hope more bodies don’t start piling up.”

The ready room turned crime lab was silent and dark, save for the projector humming away and displaying an arena camera shot of the target of all this concerted effort. Of Seth, as Aegis still knew him. The dark held only a few bodies, multiple tables filled with what physical evidence there was taking up the bulk of the space. The atmosphere remained stagnant as she waited for any reaction to her proclamation, but the other Elite present refused to show any. Not all that blame had been quashed. But she sighed expecting as much and continued on. The slide flipped and a collage of Seth’s personal effects came up.

“He had few possessions beyond clothes and a few select mementoes… As well as the suit, but we’ll get to that.”

A laser pointer drew attention to a picture of a framed piece of yellow paper, the word ‘dent’ written on it sloppily.

“This is the only thing we have physically to go off of for his past. A sticky note. Techno triple scanned it for any residue, any identifiable or residual markers as to its origins. But all we got was a bit of hydraulic fluid that’s used in industrial powersuits. So not much nailed down so much as just confirming the obvious.”

The laser pointed to a small wood box next. It was open and empty.

“We would have had a bit more to test if SOMEONE hadn’t burned it away like an animal.”

Aegis glared into the dark, a shadow sneered away without remorse.

“But we tested the box anyway, just to confirm things. We found trace ash consistent with structural and forest fires… As well as small amounts of laceroid dust. This… corroborates a bit of his previous admissions. Though it could also have come from his battle with Sorrow. The fucking stuff just gets everywhere.”

The slide flipped passed the rest of the pictures, just clothes left behind in his room. Another arena recording, a picture of his suit standing on its own.

“His suit is our first and only major piece of evidence, and is so far our only means of coaxing him out of hiding. Techno’s tried countless times to make sense of it though, but every time he’s come up with more questions. Its construction is actually consistent with his first hand admissions, though orders of magnitude greater than he’d let on. Though that may have simply changed after the fact. It’s built on a fairly standard titanium skeleton, but the markings and dimensions are all custom. No dice on back tracing it to a factory. Least not anymore after how much it’s been burned and welded back together. The armor though is incredibly nonstandard. It’s made of an alloy that seems to react to any electrical power fed into it, making it excessively dense when in use. But right now though it’s stuck as it is with whatever he had left in him before he disappeared. So unless someone’s got a spare Oscillasaurus for Buster we’re stuck waiting it-.”

“khhkh gAhhHahahaha It’s really fucking called Oscillasau-“

*smack*

“SHOVE IT YOU HACK!!!”

“ENOUGH!!!”

The shadows stopped rustling as stubbornly stoic fury carried over them.

“Hot, never make fun of a sword’s name!! That is its pride you’re making fun of, and I will not see it demeaned! But despite that, Buster your sword’s name is dumb! Change it before-“

“EHHEM!!!”

The ready room shook as Aegis asserted attention, demeanor lost in the unprofessional interruption.

“At any rate! This unknown alloy has also proven difficult to fully understand!”

A calm moment brought back her demeanor, even if she was lying for her comrades’ sake.

“It also appears to be layered, though we can’t get at these secondary layers. The inside used to be coated in an adaptable gel filled with iron filings, and a tertiary layer of unknown alloy sits below that. Techno says the inner layer might be some kind of ceramic plate but can’t be certain. It doesn’t help that a lot of it was burned through on the helmet. And his probes haven’t been faring well further inside. Also SOMEONE has covered it in concrete so we can’t really test it anymore.”

A still insulted shadow turned her nose up at the accusation.

The slide flipped, a still from a cell phone video of the graduation fight. Heavily corrupted, hued orange, but zoomed all the way in on the suit in its battle mode. All horns, tail, and glowing glare.

“The suit’s function as armor was clearly secondary to its main role as a power focus. Its alternate form only showing when excess electricity was taken in. Though it showed itself to be far more in tune with its wielder than just that. If what he told us of his powers was correct, then its clear that the state of the suit is in direct correlation to the wielder’s state of mind. The angrier he got, the more… distinctive it got. I’m still trying to make sense of it too, but some people fight their fears in strange ways, so becoming them can’t be too far out of the question. Special attention should be made of that red left eye though, the brighter it shines the more directed that fury was. So remember to keep it in mind.”

The slide flipped again, but showed the suit in its death crater, impaled and empty.

“You should already know this by now, but his capabilities need to be made fully clear. He used some kind of directed energy based attack to… kill Ziyou. Medi says it’s like her tissues just disintegrated. Something of a running theme given Para’s injuries. But the issue is that his suit withstood Phazer’s full might like it was just a hot summer day. The amount of power he can channel through it is not to be underestimated. In the end though it seems he used up a lot of that energy, and in turn was caught out by Buster. Yet somehow he was able to teleport out of the suit and escape, the healing factor he’s displayed countless times now more than likely keeping him from dying from the obvious damage.”

A spiteful growl emanated from that still insulted shadow.

“So, that was the last sighting on record, and the last bit of fully confirmable evidence we have of him. So now… on to the new stuff.”

Another slide, pictures collaged together. The torn open and en mass melted junction box and a burned out car next to a checkpoint.

“The EMP event that hit us on the day of emanated from here, though we are still trying to make full sense of the damage. But this and the power siphon he showed off during graduation have some undeniable similarities. The scale is just more indicative of what you all should be wary of. There’s even some kind of pattern in the siphon, Techno says it’s like a waveform graph stretching over miles of melted cable. He’s still working on getting the full picture, but the payoff is looking good. We should have a fingerprint for his powers within a few days.”

Aegis points her laser at the burned car.

“This though was an oddity reported by the Talley Smith Bridge checkpoint. A car spun out when the EMP hit, crashing it into a street sign. No one was hurt and the car was left to be cleaned up once power was restored, but a freak bolt of lightning hit it after only half an hour. Again, no one was hurt, but it scared the shit out of the guards running the point and nearly sent the people waiting to cross into a stampede.”

A shadow raised its hand and Aegis assented.

“Sooooo, why is it up here? That storm was a freak of nature as it was.”

Aegis sighed.

“Because it is too abnormal. No one was hurt despite the fact that a crowded line up of drenched pedestrians was just across the street from a sudden and likely directed lightning bolt. And we’re dealing with an electric subtype super so his powers match up. I’m putting it up here as evidence of our target’s escape. I believe he used it as cover to slip the checkpoint.”

The shadow shrugged, as did a few others.

“So what is he Zeus’ Strike now?”

Aegis growled a little to herself, but she was too used to being disregarded like this.

“Even if it turns out to be a fluke, it’s a lead we can follow in the interim. The Talley Smith Bridge leads straight out of the city, straight to-“

“Huh, Really! You want to try and sell a patrol of Eagleville?”

Aegis was really too used to being disregarded.

“…Yes.”

“Out of the question!”

The stoic shadow reasserted himself.

“The situation is tenuous enough as it is. We need more solid evidence before we even think of ever going back there and justifying ourselves.”

Aegis sighed her resignation, she knew this was going to happen too.

“Fine… Then all we have left is what’s happened overnight.”

The shadows stirred with confusion. Aegis also knew these guys wouldn’t have been keeping up with events.

“The attack was swift, brutal, but limited in its scope. Luckily, or purposefully, no one was critically injured, but the damage was extensive.”

The slide flipped to a paused video of a news… *cough* ‘news’ broadcast from a rather prolific political pundit. The shadows reacted almost immediately. A truly deserved ire for everything he and the network that hosts him have thrown at the League. From not being omnipotent enough to stop all crime to having too much power and authority to classify what counts as crime. If there were still villain societies left in the shadows, this guy was their primary mouthpiece for rallying people to their side. The fact their station was already back on line while nearly half the city was still dark only highlighted this correlation.

“Are you sure no one was hurt… couldn’t there have been maybe one casualty? Coincidentally, where is Mr. Morrison being hospitalized?”

Aegis still wasn’t that surprised, or against the shadow’s idea. But…

“No Hot, you can’t burn him alive. It’s bad enough as it is, we don’t need to give these people a martyr.”

“Ah come on, just a little…”

“No! Anyway.”

The video started playing, thankfully on mute for everyone’s sake.

“The attack hit just after the… Truth Crime Prime Time. Uuggh… Mr. Morrison was about to end his broadcast day when a series of electrical anomalies occurred on set and in the station’s control booth.”

The video showed him ending his show, but looking around his over flagged set as lights began to flicker.

“The first place hit was the booth, their controls were locked out and the broadcast left playing despite the set programming schedule. The only camera that was active was the one we’re seeing, and it broadcasted the entire attack on national television.”

Suddenly the host looked down at the screen built into his desk, a hidden teleprompter more than likely. He was reading it closely as the other screens on his desk began to glitch and change.

“And here… we get our first injury.”

Aegis smirked at the shadows as the teleprompter screen shined brighter and brighter against his face. The host shielded back before the screen exploded in a shower of glass and electrical discharge. The camera jerked back in tandem, its balance thrown off as it swiveled uncontrolled around the studio.

Light rigs in the rafters exploded as the camera spun toward them, sound and video crew fleeing about. A boom mic was being whipped around on fire. As the camera turned fully about it saw the control booth. Production crew were scrambling about as their screens and boards were exploding or frying in electrical overload. The camera finally toppled like a spent top back at the host’s desk, skidding to a stop on its side. The front screen of the desk flashing and glitching, but a defined shape was slowly burning in out of the barely congruent pieces. A red eyed horned helmet that none of the shadows could ever forget.

“Great! I hate this fucker even more now! Thanks!”

Aegis didn’t respond to the shadow’s jealousy, but continued with her findings.

“Techno’s working through the station’s damage, but his preliminary is lining up with his earlier hypothesis. There’s stratification in the melted wiring that’s matching up with the EMP event. Meaning they have the same or similar culprit.”

The slide finally flipped away, crime scene photos of the set and the surrounding building.

“The only issue we have is that there is no evidence he was ever on or near the premises. No eyewitnesses, no footprints or burn marks, nothing. But…”

Aegis lasers a picture of the underground powerlines that lead to the station building.

“There is apparently more stratification on the lines leading into the building than within it. It’s safe to say he didn’t need to be close to the station to attack it. But a lot of damage was centered on their radio antenna, so hey at least they're off the air. And once Techno’s done researching and mapping the melt we will have a trail that will hopefully lead straight back to him.”

Aegis stopped the projector and hit the lights, the briefing finally over. The shadows at last revealed themselves with proper detail as the room illuminated. A few of the Elite, namely Erdwut, Hothead, and Maglev, were joined by Buster and one of the former trainees, Alex, aka Scarlet Mimic. Hothead was still sneering his revolted disposition, as was Buster, though with more anger and less jealousy. Maglev looked like he just didn’t want to be here. Erdwut… was still being Erdwut. But Alex though was jotting down notes, something Aegis had caught her doing instead of training. She’d built profiles of each of the trainees, their motives, their weaknesses. This was understandable given her copy powers but… the level of detail was a little more intensive than Aegis had expected. And right now she was a perfect fit for this assignment, because she and Aegis were going to track Seth down to wherever he’d hid himself, and the rest were going to take him out with everything they had. This was the team. This was Taskforce-

“I’d like to voice my complaints about his name again.”

Maglev raised his hand abruptly and didn’t even wait for the right moment.

“It’s dumb.”

Aegis shrugged exacerbatedly at him.

“What the fuck do you want me to do about it Mag? The naming board already made the decision on it, all we can do is go along with it.”

“But why though. He ain’t a laceroid, so why name him like one.”

“How the fuck do you know he’s not?”

Buster was in a perpetually bad mood, understandably so, but it was wearing everyone thin. And sending the slightest shiver down Mag’s spine before he locked eyes with her. To the sound of Aegis’ hand meeting her face.

“That’s not the damn point right now!!”

Because she was bearing the brunt of it more than anyone.

“We need to work through this attack and what it means for-“

“What’s there to even figure out?”

Hot of course was already back up to smug asshole.

“They made him mad, so he attacked them. It’s not like we didn’t already know that a little too fucking poignantly!”

Aegis was worn to the bone with these asshats she’s had to call comrades. Her only saving grace was they preferred to leave her alone when she did all the investigation work for them. And right on cue, Hot stood up.

“I don’t really know why I was even here, so I’m just gonna leave you to it. You do all the work anyway, so why even bother am I right.”

Aegis didn’t even try to stop him, this was just the same old routine for her. Except this time there were personal stakes on the line. Maglev followed Hot out,

“I still say the names dumb.”

Little care for group activities spared beyond actual fights with those two. Buster got up next, at least somewhat reasonably as only a candidate to join the Elite and not a full member just yet. But her demeanor shifted as the reminders were left behind.

“Welp. I’ve already got my own plans, but thanks for the brief. I know full well trying to chase him is just gonna get us nowhere by the way. He’s like me, he’s not gonna stray far from his suit. And I’ll be there to cut him down when he comes for it.”

Aegis sighed as she let the door slam behind her. Finally Erdwut got up, ever present stoicism at least keeping him quiet. But-

“It is better if we don’t get in your way, you are the one responsible for this investigation and the one best suited for it. Besides…”

He stopped at the door, maddening nonchalant expression looking back at her.

“This is one of the few things you’re best at.”

Aegis felt every fiber of her being ignited with that tainted assertion. Her exacerbation falling into a blast furnace. Her teeth gritted almost to cracking as the door shut behind him. Alex was only able to watch from the sidelines, but could swear she saw the air around her boil.

“Are…”

Aegis snapped out back from her spiraling scorn, Alex had walked up to her, notepad in hand and kindred concern on her face.

“Are they always like that?”

Aegis took a breath and released as much of that anger as she could.

“Only when they can’t be bothered to deal with their own problems. All they care about is strength and whoever is the better fighter. Just ignore them… we have our work cut out for us as it is.”

“Ever?”

“Ever!!”

“Ever.”

“Ever…”

Ah the sweet silence of empty airwaves and open paths. They were all like ahhh and boom and crash!! Did I go too far? They deserved it anyway… but…

Am I still connected? Yes!! Yes, I can still feel him!! And he can hear me!! HEYyyyyyeeeeAAAaaehhhh!! BE QUIET!!! Such boisterous aspects were always beneath me anyway.

Will he know? His fragile state will see me as a dream, but he will feel the connection forevermore. He will come to me!!! Eventually…

For now I will await him, and the power he has obtained. Will it consume him, or will I? He has little choice but to relent… And give in…

“””Again”””