It hadn’t even been a day since Summer’s suspension had been put into effect, but the team already felt oddly empty. Harper had informed him that she would be leaving with Kayla later that day, but he couldn’t bring himself to contact her. How would she react if she knew he had been the one to request her removal, even if it was temporary?

  "Are we going to be able to take any missions while they are on suspension?" Levi asked, "With both of them gone, it is just the three of us."

  "I am sure Harper will take that into account," Ashton replied, "but there shouldn't be any missions like this last one."

  "Shouldn't be," Kai repeated with a scoff, "Let's be real. We might get a little break while he prepares his next game for us, but this isn't the end. Not until we catch him."

  "Then we should use our break to be as productive as possible," Ashton pointed out, "Hopefully keeping some distance from Summer will make him contact me instead of her. If he does, I will use the opportunity to find out whatever I can from him."

  “Is that the reason why you suspended her?” Levi questioned. He seemed to believe there was another underlying motive.

  “It is the main reason,” Ashton confirmed, “Just think about what happened. If things stay the way they are it will be dangerous for all of us, not just her. I don’t want to put anyone into that kind of situation.”

  “What about you? You had to follow his orders to the letter. If Jared wasn’t driving and paying attention to his feelings we could have died from that first lamppost,” Levi argued, “How is the position you were in any different?”

  “Because I was his target from the start, and that won’t change even if I take a step back,” Ashton explained, “Isn’t it better to take advantage of his attention since I have it whether I like it or not?”

  “Only if you don’t let him take advantage of you at the same time,” Kai broke in, “I got permission from Harper to confiscate your phone if you start acting suspicious. If you don’t want to lose your method to contact Summer, then you had better be careful.”

  As if right on cue, Ashton’s phone buzzed. He reluctantly looked at the message, surprised to find a message from a number he had actually saved into his contacts. Amber Gale, the genius behind the power suppressant serum and the CEO of Gale Research. It had been a while since they had last spoken. What did Ms. Gale want this time?

  “Due to the recent crisis, new research on Untouchable has been approved. I would like your team to assist in the research, but I have also hired some mercenaries from SuperView and Heroix. I will arrange a meeting if you would like more details.”

  Untouchable. Ashton recalled the small case that he had hidden away in his room, untouched. A chance to dispose of his powers, and a chance to change his mind. He had always considered using it after the issue with Maskz was dealt with, but the longer he stayed with the team the more responsibility weighed on him. Would he really be able to handle the guilt of escaping his abilities alone while all of his team members were suffering from them?

  Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

  On the other hand, if they participated in the research, there was a higher chance of all of them being granted some. Not only that, it would be a good idea to see exactly how this version of the serum and its antidote worked. He couldn’t just jump on the decision either, though. Being directly involved meant learning secrets that made up the core of Gale Research. Once he knew too much, it didn’t matter if he lost his powers. Living a normal life would be impossible for him.

  “What are you staring at so intently?” Kai asked with suspicion, moving to snatch his phone.

  “It’s not from Maskz,” Ashton assured, letting him take it, “It’s an invitation to participate in a different kind of mission.”

  “It would give us a nice break,” Levi considered, not really able to hide his interest in what else the research might entail, “I want in, but the final choice is yours, leader.”

  Now they pulled the leader card. Expectations, responsibility, and his own desires all pushed him in the same direction. His pessimism warned him that something was wrong for everything to line up so perfectly, but he had wasted too many chances by playing things too safe. Should they just go for it? But the line about both Heroix and SuperView being involved made it seem like something deeper was going on.

  “I will find out more,” Ashton gave in, ignoring the way they broke into a grin at the exact same time, “No promises, though. I would like to avoid getting involved with the new hero agencies, and this offer involves two of the major ones.”

  “The major scams,” Kai added, “I bet she is poaching talents.”

  “How? Those contracts are super strict. They don’t allow heroes to switch agencies without jumping through tons of hoops,” Levi pointed out.

  “Gale Research isn’t a hero agency,” Kai stated as if it explained everything.

  “I will look into it,” Ashton repeated with a sigh, “but no promises.”

  By the time Ashton finished arranging a meeting with Ms. Gale to learn more about the opportunity, he heard that Summer and Kayla had already left. Neither of them had even dropped by on their way out, but that might have been for the best. Apparently Summer had been to Kayla’s apartment to pack some things but Ashton had missed her. He would have to check up on her later to make sure everything went alright.

  Before the meeting was even arranged, more details about the research were sent to Ashton’s work computer. He had expected further testing on the effectiveness of Untouchable and its counterpart. What he had not been expecting was research on the side effects. Previous testers had reported that after using Untouchable, it was not only their own powers that vanished. They had become immune to all other abilities as well. It was like Untouchable rejected powers altogether.

  For the most part, that sounded convenient. At least until there was an emergency and the healer at the hospital couldn’t heal you, or someone trying to catch you with levitation when you fell from a high place being unable to reach you. Just like the absence of the person’s own power, this side effect seemed to be permanent until the antidote was applied. That was why the testing would focus on whether or not there would be lasting aftereffects even after the antidote was administered.

  “Does she mean to test it on us directly?” Ashton wondered after reading the materials. He would have to ask about it during their meeting.