In front of the police station, Magnus and Alannah stood. Alannah's eyes were sharp as she pulled out her phone and called Lucas. "We're here."
"Find out who the leak was." His voice was icy cold, a deep, murderous intent in it. Alannah nodded and hung up, thinking back ot the conversation a few hours ago. It was a rare moment where Lucas' demeanour slipped. Although it was subtle, Alannah could tell how pissed he was, from the scratching on his plate when he cut his food, to his every word said slowly, lacking any of his usual charm.
"Do it," Alannah ordered Magnus, and the boy lifted the large wooden staff with a white stone embedded at the top, which had a hint of a yellow glow. Staring at the police station with an excited grin, he couldn't help but shake in anticipation. It was the first time he was allowed to use the Artefact, a reward for his previous task. Although to a normal person it would have been useless, Magnus knew he was different.
All it was good for was enhancing the radius an illusion could be cast. For a normal illusionist, it was meaningless, being wasted in their hands, but as a genius, he knew how to make the best of it. From his body, a yellow glow spread. Colliding with an invincible barrier around the police station. He could tell it was fighting against his power.
"Raw power won't be enough, no, no, that's it." Magnus enthusiastically said. He could tell the station was protected by an artefact, indicating an ability at work. Magnus changed his initial spell; instead of wishing to make them invisible to people and cameras inside, he first made the Artefact believe his own power was part of its own.
It was a gamble, not knowing whether an ability could have a will or thoughts of its own, but remembering his lessons about different powers, he felt it should be the case, even if it were as simple as a barrier. Slowly, his yellow light merged with what was pushing against it, combining as one until it pierced through and flooded the station. Magnus let out a delighted sound as he exaggeratedly spread his arms and closed his eyes, focusing intensely on the second part of his spell.
He could tell that some people, more sensitive to foreign powers, noticed his intrusion and targeted them first. His yellow aura pierced through the bodies and targeted their brains, blinding the parts that controlled their senses. Not wishing for them to be suspicious when he broke his spell, he made their initial suspicion about his power a byproduct of anxious thoughts about a leak.
Sweat dripped from his head as the veins on his temples popped. His hands shook, but knowing his performance wasn't over, he targeted the cameras next, letting his power linger before them to change what they saw when they entered the station. Magnus let out a tired breath and stumbled, being caught by Alannah.
"Thank you." Telling her he used his staff to hold himself up, "It's done." Alannah nodded and carefully crept forward, seeing that no one suspected her entrance, she grew bolder and held her head high, strolling through as if she owned the place. Magnus slowly followed behind, looking around, taking pride in his work, and stopping when she did outside the captain's office.
"He's inside. Can you make him leave?" Magnus waited a moment, getting his energy back before focusing his power. Five minutes passed, and the Captain stormed out of his office, holding his stomach in pain.
"It will last only a few minutes." That was enough, and Alannah walked in, took a seat, and accessed the police database, typing in Charles' name. Quickly finding the computer used to access his files, she checked what had been downloaded, which matched what had been leaked, and then made her way to the CCTV room.
Although another man was inside, she ignored him and opened a computer next to him, then accessed footage from the previous night. She paused, seeing James take a seat before it. Her eyes narrowed, remembering the face from the warehouse.
"We know who this is." Alannah coldly said, "Let's go." Magnus happily followed behind and followed her out. Outside the station, he turned around, tipped his hat to the station to thank it for its role and clicked his finger to dispel his magic. Getting in the car after her, he made himself comfortable and fell asleep, not realising how tired he was until he sat down.
Alannah took out her phone and called Lucas. "The pest from the warehouse was the one. Tell Cain to deal with it now."
There was a deep exhale on the other end of the phone, "Are you sure?"
"Without a doubt." The tapping of his cane echoed from the phone.
"Thank you. I will be in touch." Lucas hung up, leaving her in silence. Looking at Magnus' sleeping face, she couldn't help but sweetly smile and take her mask off, letting herself breathe properly.
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Lying in his bath, Cain stared at the ceiling, letting his body relax. Hearing his phone vibrate, he groaned in annoyance and dried his hand before answering. "I'm busy," Cain said with a flat voice.
Lucas laughed, hearing the water as he moved, "This is work." Cain's attitude changed as his gaze hardened.
"What?" Cain asked.
"Charles is dead, that Chicken did it." Cain sat up and sighed, realising the seriousness of the issue.
"That's... annoying. Do we have anyone to replace him?" Cain slowly got out of his bath and wrapped a towel around his hip. Letting the water drop from his body, he walked to the front room and looked out at the skyline view of the Financial District.
"I can get someone, but it will take a while to get his connections back." Cain narrowed his eyes, hearing the subtle anger in his voice.
"You're letting your emotions slip."
"I know, but this is warranted." Taking a seat, Cain reached over and grabbed the cigar box by his side. Cutting the end of one off, he lit it, spread the fire and blew out a cloud of smoke.
"Need me to deal with the Chicken? I won't lie, I can, but it will be a tough ask."
"No, although he was the one who did it, someone else planned it."
"Xavier?" Lucas didn't reply instantly. There was a brief silence as Cain took another puff of the cigar, letting the smoke sit in his mouth before blowing it out.
"You might be onto something. We know Xavier had issues with him, but not yet. It was the leak, that guy you saw in the park." Cain took a deep breath.
"He, won't like it. This isn't a civilian but a cop. It will bring attention." Cain seriously said, making Lucas chuckle.
"The fact that he sought you out means he's already acting outside the police jurisdiction. No, I think our little issue has decided to pursue their own cases. Being a vigilante comes with risks."
Cain nodded, not bothering to linger on the more intricate parts of the issue. At the end of the day, it wasn't his job; he was a weapon to be used when needed. The rest could handle the fallout. "What about the woman he was with?"
"Did she see you?" Cain made a noise that meant yes. Lucas's cane tapped as he slowly walked, "Do it. Even if she isn't involved, she knows who you are."
"Okay." Cain hung up and smoked his cigar, staring out into the city.