After cutting off the bug in Harper’s office, Ashton and Derrick spent quite a while sifting through the recordings on all of the other hidden mics. It was only natural that there was nothing of importance there, unless it somehow became relevant that Ned preferred chicken to beef and would rather have strawberry shortcake than chocolate creme pie. All of these decisions were made in the bored tone of a young master who could have whatever he wanted whenever he wanted it.

  It was impossible to tell if he was putting on a show because he knew Ashton was listening or if he was normally like that in his downtime. The main thing Ashton noticed was the amount of time Ned seemed to spend on the computer, with nothing but silence between mouse clicks and keyboard taps. It was clear he would gain nothing on his own. He had neither the time nor the energy to go through all of these recordings on his own.

  With that in mind, Ashton introduced the twins to their new base of operations and had Derrick teach all of them how to access and sift through the many many recordings. Naturally they had unanimously decided to permanently delete the other recording before it could reach the ears of anyone else.

  It felt like no time at all before Ashton received word that both Summer and Kayla had cleared their tests and were ready to return to work. Harper must have received the same news since she called Ashton to her office almost immediately for a new mission briefing. If things were to follow what they had been so far, their next target might be someone like Checkmate. As someone with a mental ability, he did fall into the unseen category that their team was meant to be specialized for.

  “Good, you are here,” Harper noted the moment Ashton entered, “Before I give your mission, I believe we have something else to speak about. Ashton Gray, what is this?”

  What she held in her hand was a chillingly familiar mini microphone that Ashton had been hoping to dispose of before she found it. It seemed like he was not going to be so lucky. Should he admit everything, or should he play dumb? If she was asking him she might already know, so deflecting could be detrimental. On the other hand, if she was simply asking for his opinion, admitting it could lose him his job.

  “It is a microphone,” Ashton replied simply, trying to both buy some time and gauge her reaction.

  “So you do know it is a microphone,” Harper sighed, “Then why don’t you explain what it is doing in my office. Before you say anything you might regret, this office is equipped with a security camera.”

  Ashton glanced around despite himself. He still didn’t see a security camera, but he knew from experience that didn’t mean there wasn’t one. It was humiliating to be caught so easily, and by something so simple. He should have been more careful. He had been caught right away by Ned as well.

  “It was a test, to see if it would work,” Ashton told her, “but I forgot to turn it on.”

  Harper frowned as she stared him down. “You are quite lucky our investigation matches up with your story,” she warned, “Had this been actively recording, it might not have been just your job at stake. Things discussed in this office have security clearances far above your own. I am sure you of all people will understand what that means.”

  “Of course,” Ashton assured, “I don’t know what came over me to use your office as a test location. I failed the actual task anyway.”

  “What was the actual task?” Harper demanded.

  “I was invited to a meeting with MysteriousMaskz,” Ashton explained, “I didn’t want to let the opportunity go to waste, so I tried to plant some bugs. He caught on immediately.”

  “Of course he did. As far as we know, part of his power allows him to detect technology,” Harper pointed out, “Still, I applaud you for trying. Next time consult me or Jared before you make such a risky move.”

  “I will,” Ashton promised. Luckily, this seemed to be the end of it as Harper pulled out a folder that likely held the details of their next mission.

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  “Now onto business,” she said, “First of all, I will warn you that this is not solely your case. All of the operatives connected to Gale Research have been ordered to focus on trying to track this individual down.”

  She passed Ashton the file, and he looked at the title. As he suspected, it was Checkmate. “Why now?” Ashton asked, “I heard he escaped from the facility a while back. Since I hadn’t heard anything else, I assumed they were keeping things quiet.”

  “Simply put, it has gotten to a point where it cannot be kept quiet anymore,” Harper explained, “Checkmate is believed to be directly involved in the disappearance of a reporter named Claudia Jones. Right before her disappearance she wrote an article about the suspicious connection between Checkmate and the Golden Club.”

  “The Golden Club is where we met MysteriousMaskz,” Ashton muttered.

  “Exactly. This is why your team has been specifically requested to be involved above all others,” Harper told him, “In the past MysteriousMaskz has shown your team blatant favoritism. Favoritism that allowed you to singlehandedly capture Jargon. They hope to take advantage of this to take down Checkmate this time.”

  “Checkmate isn’t the same as Jargon,” Ashton denied immediately, “Even if Maskz does assist me, he won’t just let me capture him like Jargon did. There is no reason for him to desire to be freed from Maskz, or for him to buy some strange tale about me being the one destined to change the world.”

  “Perhaps not, but if he has been told such stories it would certainly catch his attention,” Harper pointed out.

  “In other words, Maskz has once again made me into a target,” Ashton realized, “What is the plan? How does my team fit into it?”

  “Your team has two major roles,” Harper informed him, “Firstly, bait. Every super powered criminal even slightly related to MysteriousMaskz has shown an odd obsession with you. Secondly, your team is a bit of a wildcard. Only two teams in all of Gale Research have the authority to use Untouchable. Jared’s team, and your own.”

  “So I need to be prepared to relieve Checkmate of his power if we happen to meet?” Ashton checked.

  “Precisely,” Harper confirmed, “All of the information we currently have on the target is in this folder. How you proceed is entirely up to you and your team.”

  Ashton took the folder and prepared to leave when Harper stopped him. She didn’t say a word, but instead held out the mic for him to take. He quickly picked it up and rushed out of the room. Was this a warning that she was still suspicious or a command to take his trash with him when he left?

  On his way back to the apartments, Ashton called the twins and asked them to report to their base of operations once they finished up with what they were doing. Summer and Kayla were due to return at any time now, and a team meeting was in order. As he drew closer he spotted both Summer and Kayla there, chatting with Derrick.

  “I see you have already met,” Ashton noted, “I already asked the twins to meet us in the base of operations as soon as they come to a stopping point.”

  Without even pausing, Ashton walked right past them towards the second floor of the apartments. What had once been an empty room with a haphazard gathering of cords and a laptop now had a proper computer setup on a desk and walls lined with shelves. The shelves were full to the brim with supplies Derrick had believed they would need in the future. Nearly everything had been done by him, though Ashton had provided the small collection of serum as well as the safe it was locked in.

  “It’s pretty nice, right?” Derrick bragged, “It took me a bit to set up, but now the team shouldn’t be lacking in any of the basics, and the location is convenient.”

  “Alright, now that we are all here, I will go over the mission details,” Ashton announced, “As I suspected, our next target is Checkmate. His mental ability is one of the most dangerous ones that are known. It is more or less mind control. A reporter recently leaked information on his potential location and has recently been reported missing. That means this is going to be far more dangerous than our first two missions.”

  “How long has she been missing?” Summer dared to ask.

  She seemed to know something more about what was going on. Did she know the reporter? Now that Ashton thought of it he realized the name Claudia Jones had sounded familiar. Was she the one who had been stalking Summer? He would have to clarify this later.

  “About five days,” Ashton answered.

  “So right after she published the article,” Summer realized. “But I read that article just a few days ago. If they knew about it, why didn’t they take it down? Or is Checkmate acting independently?”

  “I don’t know,” Ashton admitted, “Checkmate won’t just bow down and let himself get captured like Jargon did. If MysteriousMaskz is involved there must be a different kind of plan in play.”

  There was definitely a different plan in play. While Ashton knew something else was up, he didn’t have any ideas what it might be. During the few days they had to listen in, Ned hadn’t said or done anything that seemed the least bit suspicious. Was their only option to obediently act as bait to gain more information?