"I have so questions about this situation."
Everyone tensed at those words. Most people wouldn’t know what Adam would look like because almost every trace of his face would be deleted from the World Wide Web—most people, however, would know how monstrous the five X-tier Heroes were.
Most people also know the quiet law that states that X-tier Heroes are beyond the law, and most of them do not truly care for it.
Well, not Adam.
"Of course." Adam lightly sighed, but still nodded in the end. "I’m more than happy to comply, Officer."
***
An hour later, Adam was inside an interrogation room. He’d been asked several basic questions, and Adam just answered them in the most basic way possible—the truth.
The person asking him the question, however, trembled in his seat.
"I—that... that will be all, Sir Adam," the officer muttered, his voice almost cracking from the sheer pressure of being in front of Adam. Just breathing the sa air as him was above his pay grade. Why... was he even there in the first place?
No. Why were they even all there?
The interrogator glanced back, and General John was there standing behind him, his back against the wall as he watched the entire questioning without uttering or offering a single word.
"G-General?" The interrogator gulped. "I’ll take my leave now. Sir Adam can also go and—"
Before the interrogator could finish, John approached and placed a hand on his shoulder, lightly pressing him down back to his seat.
"Uh..." The interrogator closed his eyes, having no choice but to accept his fate.
John stared down at Adam, who just glanced at him and casually raised his eyebrows in greeting. And as John slowly sat down, the interrogator winced, imagining the next scenarios.
"Adam Smith," John said, clasping both his hands on the table while looking Adam in the eyes. "Or is it Adam Brookes, Adam Ross, Adam Bieber... or Adam Adams?"
"Just Adam." Adam shrugged. "Although if you have to address by a governnt na, then I would prefer Adam Adams. I think that’s what’s registered for now."
"I know," John leaned back, crossing his arms.
"Adam Adams. Dug by the governnt entity known as the Hospital approximately fifty years ago. Beca a Hero thirty years ago and took down the Hospital, turning it into a private entity. And then discovered to be the Fourth X-tier Hero five years after that, when you faced one of the most dangerous Survivor Mode Leaks alone—I was only ten years old then."
"...Thank you for the reminder."
"You are also the cult leader of the CoA."
"No, I’m not. I have previously stated nurous tis that I have nothing to do with the Church."
"For a man of your status—how is it that one could barely find anything about you, Mr. Adams?" John doesn’t seem to be listening to Adam at all and was just stating whatever he wanted to say. "You are also the only one out of the five X-tier Heroes that repeatedly walk and mingle with the public—most of them are in their own private islands, so even own their own Leaks. You, Mr. Adams, own a two-bedroom apartnt out in New Gordon, a few blocks away from the RLRD building."
"I’m a very private person."
"What you are, Mr. Adams, is soone who has friends in the highest of places."
"Uhm..." The interrogator couldn’t handle it anymore, raising his hand to speak. "...General, do I need to be here?"
"Of course." John quickly nodded. "This is an interrogation room, you are the interrogator. There needs to be an interrogator at all tis—I am not above the law, Brookes."
"It’s... House."
"No, it’s a room."
"That’s—"
John raised a finger, no longer letting House speak as he turned his focus back to Adam.
"No one is above the law," John repeated.
"I agree," and Adam answered without any hesitation. "But we also need to accept that we can’t control the actions of other people..."
"T—"
"We can only stop them."
John suddenly felt a weight violently slam down on him as he heard those words—no. It felt as if the entire room itself, the entire building, was going to crumble upon him and crush him. But as he glanced back at Adam, the pressure just instantly withered away.
"Hm?" Adam blinked. "Is sothing wrong?"
"No." John subtly wiped the single bead of sweat crawling down his cheek. "Is that why you established the first trade we have with the other worlds, producing the first prison capable of handling Heroes?"
"Forr President Ronald Ohana was the one who did that."
John kept quiet for a mont, and any fear he might have had disappeared as his hands soon rolled into fists. He gritted his teeth, sucking in a deep breath—but he cald himself down just as fast.
"So, you’re a fraud?" John said.
"In what way?" Adam blinked. "I’ve never claid to be anything else but . Back then, yes—but now... I don’t think so."
"All that power..." John’s voice started to quake along with the table. "...Why not use it for the greater good?"
"I’d like to think I am...?" Adam seed confused. "I’d like to help more, but since the only thing I have going for is my strength, then I just clear the Leaks that need clearing."
"Then help more!" John stood up, slamming his fist on the table and shattering it into pieces. "Stop being selfish, you youthful looking monstro—"
"General. Stand down!"
Before John’s outburst could worsen, several armored n barged into the room, trailed by the current president, whose face looked like it was about to explode from stress.
John glared at the president, gritting his teeth ever harder. But after a few seconds, his rage died down. His shoulders relaxed, and he fixed his suit and his composure at the sa ti.
"I apologize for my outburst," he whispered, first apologizing to Adam, then to the president. "What I did was very unbefitting of soone in my position."
"Why don’t you take a break, General?" the president ordered, pinching the bridge of his nose in fear that blood might co oozing out of it from frustration. "Or better yet—do your job, identifying actual threats and dealing with them expertly."
"Of course, Mr. President." John saluted, then calmly walked out of the room as if nothing had happened.
The interrogator sighed in relief. He was about to get up and leave, but then—
"You, stay." The president pointed to him, gesturing for him to sit back down. The president sat beside him, letting out a loud sigh while shaking his head.
"On behalf of the people of the United—"
"It’s okay." Adam also sighed, not letting the president finish his apology. "There’s no harm done here, Mr. President."
"Please, just call Mike," the president sighed, then ordered the Secret Service to leave. And as soon as they were gone, he loosened his tie and just leaned on the chair. "John might be a little troubleso, but the boy’s got a good head on his shoulders. Maybe a little too honest for his own good."
"Honesty’s good." Adam shrugged.
"Well, the boy can use so dishonesty." President Michael shook his head. "Anyway, I don’t want to keep you."
"There’s... apparently nothing to keep from." Adam sighed, also leaning back on his chair. "Beatrice said the RLRD doesn’t really need on-site anymore."
"Really? Why’d she say that?"
"Because there’s a lot of Heroes now. And ever since she took Gordon’s position—"
"RLRD’s performance increased by almost 1200%. I’m aware. The planet... has never been safer."
"Exactly." Adam pointed at Mike.
"But it won’t be." And Mike once again shook his head. "The Emperors, the Nax, and the Saptonites exist. They might not have made any appearance the past decade—but Murphy’s Law, Adam."
"Hm..."
"Beatrice is rarely wrong, but she is now. The planet will need you. You and the other X-tier Heroes, John, the S-tier Heroes, and every Hero in the world exist because humanity needs us. You heard the Administrators. Hell, you were the one they talked to...
...we are being prepared for a higher form of war. And Heroes... we’re the soldiers."
"That was included in your inauguration speech."
"Shit. You watched it?" Mike groaned. "A lot of the anti-Hero activists didn’t like it."
"Well—"
Before the conversation could continue, the watch Adam was wearing started to ring. He quickly looked at it, and it flashed a Purple color, and there was an arrow pointing in a certain direction, as well as indicating a distance.
Adam didn’t say anything, quickly rushing out of the room and running past the hallway in a blur. The only ti the people of the station saw him was when he stopped in front of a window and opened it—but after that, he once again disappeared from their sight as he leaped out.
Adam glanced at the watch again, almost flying in the air as he followed the arrow. And soon, he heard the screaming and saw the people running away.
He rushed, brushing past the buildings until he saw a Purple Leak resting right in the middle of a street. Adam quickened his pace... but then the Leak fluctuated.
A ripple burst outward, and then the Leak withered out of existence.
"Hm?" Adam gently landed on the ground, then noticed all the monsters sprawled on the street—all blown into several pieces. He then turned his focus back to where the Leak previously was, and saw General John there.
And despite all the blood oozing and trickling from his hands, his suit was completely clean.
John stared down at him and then scoffed before just leaping away into the distance, leaving Adam alone.
Adam really only stared at John’s silhouette as he disappeared from sight, blinking several tis.
"...What was that about?" he whispered. Adam stayed at the scene for a while to see if anyone needed assistance, but as soon as the IBAA started arriving, he also quickly left without a word.
Adam leaped aimlessly from building to building, glancing at his watch from ti to ti to see if there were any Leaks he needed to clear—but even after an hour of almost traveling several cities...
...there was nothing. And so, Adam just stopped.
"Hm..." he stood in a desert, right next to a freeway, and watched the cars fly by. "There’s... really nothing else for to do, huh? I guess I’ll just... train?"
Adam looked around for a mont, and then just once again disappeared from sight—leaving only a trail of booms in his wake.
anwhile, sowhere far—no. Sowhere even farther, past the skies, the moon... past even the last asteroid of the Solar System.
A ship was flying.
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