CHAPTER 91: CH 90: SUSPECTS.

NEXT GEN PROGRAM SUCCESS: Adept student successfully stops infamous hitman Omniblade.

"What?" He muttered as he read the headline. Pushing himself up to sit straight, he turned to Alex. "How long have I been out?"

Alex, beaming from ear to ear, shifted in his seat. "About a day. After the sprinklers went off the hospital actually called the real police."

Aegon rubbed his eyes, a throbbing headache still lingering. "What else happened?"

"Well... they found what they thought to be a homeless man but after facial recognition— found out it was the hitman." Alex took a breath. "He was dead and technically so were you—"

"I died again?!" He thought aloud.

Alex narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean by again? When did you die before?"

"That’s not important..." He quickly changed the topic. "I’m guessing Mira told you what happened with Nightwalker."

"Uhmm..." Alex hummed. "You mean how you shot at the Paragon and almost got your spine ripped out."

He laid back down. "Yup. It probably isn’t over, is it?"

"Nope." Alex said simply. "He’s not exactly the forgive and forget type, so congratulations. You’re been watched."

"...you have any idea who sent Omniblade after me?"

"Nope. He’d been retired for a while anyway so that’s probably the only reason you could actually even kill him."

"Ouch." He turned to Alex. "You sure it wasn’t Nightwalker who sent him?"

"Nahh." He dragged. "If Nightwalker wanted you dead he’d do it himself... did Omniblade tell you anything?"

"Yeah. Something about superheroes and it being more than just Nightwalker. Don’t really remember much—" that was a lie, he remembered everything. "—but I think it has something to do with the mercenary issue."

"Did he show or tell you anything that could help us?"

Alex asked.

"Nope." He lied smoothly. Then realisation hit him that the keys were still in his suit. "Hey, you know where my suit is?"

"Yeah." He gestured towards a bag on a table in the corner. "Practically had to cut you out of that thing. So, when you’re good enough to walk I want you to go get it fixed."

"Fixed?" He shot up his brows. "I’m going out there again? It was a complete disaster—"

"Disaster?" Alex interjected before he could finish. "Read the name of that headline—" he gestured to the television. "It says successful...

You and Mira did it. The people at the scene of the bank said that you both looked better than most awakened heroes, the hostages said that Mira was the one who saved them...

And then you managed to rid the world of a top class awakened hitman that killed several politicians, heroes and so on.

I’m getting calls left and right from rich bastards, who are practically begging me to take their money and invest in the school."

"Why?" Aegon asked. "No offence but rich people don’t exactly love to part ways with their money."

"Haha." Alex laughed. "True. But they’ve finally seen the future I’ve been pitching for so long. That the next generation of awakened heroes are here. And I’m having a party to emphasize that."

"... That’s the funding raising gala you keep going on about."

"Ding. Ding. Ding." Alex said. "So get ready, in a few weeks we’re gonna have a party."

"Let me give you a minute to yourself, I’m still the principal of this place anyway." He pushed off the seat and headed to the door. "PS I think it’s about time you and Ren had a heart to heart."

"I’ll get right on that." Aegon said sarcastically. Then muttered. "Right after the world opens up."

"I heard that." He said as he grabbed the door handle. "And to help you two get along," he eased the door open, and there Ren stood, hands in his pockets, hair parted and an emotionless face. "I figured you two can finally get somewhere in this case."

Alex exited the room as Ren stepped in.

He said nothing. Just stared at Aegon and stood at the foot of the bed.

"..."

"What is it Ren?" Aegon asked finally.

He shrugged his shoulders with his hands still in his pockets. "You figure it out yet?"

Aegon drew a long sigh, realising that Ren wasn’t going way without this conversation. "...no. but I know it’s someone in the top ten tho."

"Why?"

"Why?" Aegon repeated. "Because the group needed someone they were sure was gonna survive the Adept Trial—"

"And you think that only the top ten were the shoo-in to survive the trial?"

"Yeah?" He squirmed in the bed. "Who else?"

"Basically fucking everyone. About 50 - 60% were bound to pass that trial and everyone knew it." Ren continued. "...and, if I was a criminal, I wouldn’t pick someone in the top ten—"

"Why?"

"Simple. Too much attention... you’d pick someone who’d definitely survive but not so much that it’d be obvious."

"So, what now? We broaden our search back up to every Adept in the academy."

"No." Ren moved to the chair beside the bed. "The attack on you just helped us narrow the search. How many people did you tell that you were going on missions?"

"I don’t remember. Why?"

"Because that’s our list of suspects. An assassin tried to kill you, they knew Nightwalker wasn’t with you anymore and they knew neither was Mira so either they were watching you, or—"

"They were tipped off." Aegon’s eyes widened. "That means they were watching me close enough to know when I was alone and what agency to call."

Ren leaned back against the chair. "So it’s someone whom you told about the mission and then they told someone else who made it a mission to deal with you before you got too close."

"But that doesn’t add up." Aegon refuted. "We were on the news for a while and anyone could’ve seen us."

"Wow... you’re smarter than I thought." Ren mocked. "They saw you together but they didn’t know your location or when Nightwalker would leave or where you’d be... which is why at the top of the list is Mira Stark."

"It couldn’t be Mira."

"Why not?"

Ren asked.

Truthfully, because Mira had made it evidently clear that she wanted absolutely nothing to do with him and more so, because she wanted no significance in the plot.

"Because that’d be too obvious." Aegon lied. "Think about it... she leaves then I get attacked, it’s too easy."

"Alright," Ren folded his arms. "Then it’s one of your friends who you told about the mission... so who did you tell?"

"There’s Quinn, Micheal, Zara, Eli, Claire and Cara."

"There you have it. Those are our six suspects."