With Phobia’s express permission, he was given Untouchable. It was not lost on Ashton, due to RepliKtion’s constant concern, that Phobia was still a minor and this was against minor protection laws. Then again, so was him being there in the first place. Whatever the case, Ashton trusted that Ms. Gale would be able to handle the aftermath. There was no way she would have made such an offer unprepared.

  What followed was exactly as Amber had predicted. Phobia took Untouchable right outside the power suppression room and stepped inside. There were no signs of drowsiness, much less falling asleep. Just to ensure it wasn't because of coming into the power late, a staff member also entered the chamber only to collapse immediately.

  Now all he had to do was wake Insomnia up. Phobia froze in the center of the room, sending a desperate glance back that Ashton could feel despite the hood. It looked like all the courage he had mustered had been used up on entering the room, and now the idea of waking the sleeping hero was daunting. Luckily, the staff stepped up to give specific instructions which seemed to ease his mind.

  Once Insomnia was awake, Phobia was escorted out to do some testing of his own to ensure Untouchable was stable. All of the other participants woke up with Insomnia, and she just seemed happy her nap got a couple extra hours she wasn’t expecting. Testing continued quickly after, and Ashton was asked to stay and keep an eye on things. That left RepliKtion as the only outsider left.

  Untouchable seemed to react differently to every power, and even began to show differences from person to person. Regardless of what these results meant, each difference was carefully recorded. RepliKtion soon completed his test, with the only time his power was disturbed being when John Doe directly grabbed him to stop him from recreating something.

  The twins were similar. Only direct contact had any effect, and it only reverted them to their normal state as long as that contact was held. Ashton was asked to enter the room one last time and try a stronger, but still safe, shock. This time, rather than being completely nullified, it seemed like it was just greatly reduced. Each one of them reported feeling the slightest tingle.

  Just like that, testing was over. As everyone was filing out to return home or to their respective jobs, Ashton stopped Ms. Gale to speak with her. Normally, a new employee like himself could never dream of bothering the CEO, but Amber had always given him special treatment. Besides, he figured she would be just as interested to hear RepliKtion’s information as he had been, if she didn’t already know it.

  “Was there something you needed?” she asked, waiting patiently for Ashton to answer.

  “Before RepliKtion leaves, there is something we need to talk about,” Ashton told her, “Is there a meeting room open?”

  Ms. Gale glanced between the two of them before beckoning them to follow her. She took them to a different meeting room than the one from earlier. This one was smaller and more secure. “I assume that whatever you have to say must be important since it is coming from you, Ashton,” she stated. It felt a bit like a warning as well.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  “Because of recent events and new information, my team is lacking in technical skill,” Ashton began, “Normally this is something I would bring to Harper’s attention, but the person I would like to scout is in a unique situation. We had a private chat earlier where he described being bound by an unbreakable contract.”

  “So Heroix really was working with Jargon,” Amber noted, her eyes flashing to RepliKtion again, “The reason you are bringing this up with me must mean you want to steal his talent, but you don’t have the power to void his current contract.”

  “It would be best to do things legally,” Ashton confirmed, “Not only that, the media is on the hunt for any information they can get on Shadow Phoenix, Golden Reign, and anyone else whose name was left off the list of SI’s identity leak.”

  “And he knows your identity and is a potential risk,” Ms. Gale noted, “I understand wanting to keep him close, but wouldn’t making him agree be an easier method?”

  “I have already agreed,” RepliKtion inserted, “My name is Derrick McNeil. I know an opportunity when I see one, and I have every intention to take it while I can.”

  “Even knowing you will be working with the very serum that can make your powers vanish in an instant?” Ms. Gale questioned, “You seem like an ambitious man. I am afraid the work Ashton’s team does isn’t fit for such ambition.”

  Derrick smirked. “Anything is better than that nonsense Heroix made me do,” he assured, “Feel free to slam me with contracts galore. Even if my powers are at stake, this place is my ticket out.”

  “Unlike SI, what we face here is real,” Amber warned, “Are you willing to put your life at stake as well?”

  “Why do you think I joined a hero agency in the first place?” Derrick pointed out, “Two of them, even. You can’t scare me off that easily.”

  After a few seconds more of staring each other down, Ms. Gale passed Derrick the confidentiality paperwork. “Once he signs it, fill him in on everything your team has dealt with so far,” she told Ashton, “I trust your judgement, especially after how well you did today.”

  Whether his actions were the correct ones, at least Ms. Gale seemed to approve of them. It was an approval that gave Ashton mixed feelings. He still couldn’t shake the feeling that she was hiding another agenda from him, and he was acting on whatever it was perfectly. Amber left the room as Derrick finished signing the papers.

  “So, what is this big secret enemy that you can’t tell me about outside of a confidential contract?” Derrick demanded as he passed the papers over.

  “MysteriousMaskz, the man behind Jargon as well as the fall of SI,” Ashton replied, unable to miss Derrick’s clear surprise. It made sense that he would never expect he was stepping into something this important, “He is the one who leaked your identity, and the one who purposely left my name off the list. Outside of his online handle, we know he goes by Ned. His powers seem to have something to do with technology but we don’t have too much information on him.”

  “So you are saying I am going to get a chance to help take down the guy who ruined my life?” Derrick checked, “I am in. Whatever you need from me, consider it done.”