Nathan hesitated before knocking on Lucas's dorm door. He knew this conversation wouldn't be easy. After what he had uncovered, he couldn't keep it to himself, but he also wasn't sure how they would react.

  The door swung open, revealing Lucas in a hoodie, looking half-asleep.

  "You look like hell," Lucas said, stepping aside to let him in. "Please tell me you actually slept."

  Nathan exhaled sharply. "I found something."

  Lucas raised an eyebrow but didn't press further. Nathan pulled out his phone and quickly sent a text to Astra:

  Need to talk. Come to Lucas's dorm. Important.

  A few minutes later, a knock sounded at the door. Lucas opened it, and Astra stepped inside, glancing between them. "Alright, what's going on?"

  Nathan sat down, pulling out his tablet. "The bank job wasn't just a robbery. It was part of something bigger. High-tech heists, disappearing witnesses, cases buried before anyone could dig deeper.

  And then there's this." He swiped to the grainy image of the symbol, etched into the side of the vault. "This keeps showing up everywhere."

  Lucas leaned in, squinting. "Okay, so it's a weird marking. That doesn't have to mean..."

  "It was at five different crime scenes," Nathan interrupted. "All covered up afterward. And then there's this." He brought up the file Cade had given him. "Ever heard of the Sovereign Protocol?"

  Astra frowned, shaking her head. "Never heard of it. Should I have?"

  Lucas sighed, rubbing his temples. "Look, Nate, I'm not saying you're wrong, but this sounds like conspiracy-level paranoia. People cover things up all the time, that doesn't mean it's some massive operation."

  Nathan clenched his jaw. "Then help me prove it. Help me find the missing pieces."

  Astra studied him for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. But if we do this, we do it together."

  Lucas groaned. "I knew you'd say that. Fine, I'm in. But if this turns out to be nothing, you owe me a week of food."

  Nathan allowed himself a small smile. "Deal."

  Nathan's room became their headquarters for the investigation. Papers, digital maps, and case files covered the walls. The symbol had been found at multiple crime scenes, but the real challenge was connecting the how and why.

  Astra typed away on her laptop, cross-referencing cases. "Most of these locations were high-security, right? Cutting-edge research, classified government data, even a few high-powered energy sources."

  "Exactly," Nathan said, flipping through an old police report. "And yet, the thieves never stole money. It was always specific tech or information."

  Lucas leaned back, tossing a stress ball in the air. "So, what, this is some underground tech smuggling ring?"

  Nathan looked at what was stolen "Maybe," He said, "Or maybe it's being used for something else.

  "Whatever it is, it's worth looking into," Astra added.

  Astra's fingers froze over the keyboard. "Wait... Look at this." She turned the screen toward them, showing a string of unrelated reports, financial transactions, obscure warehouse break-ins, and a few missing persons cases.

  Lucas squinted. "What am I looking at?"

  Nathan leaned closer, his eyes scanning the data. "Individually, they don't mean much. But look—these transactions all connect to shell companies, ones that were shut down right after major heists. And these warehouses? They were all leased under fake names and abandoned within weeks."

  Astra nodded. "And every missing person on this list either worked security at a targeted facility or handled classified tech. It's not real proof, but it's something we can follow."

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  Lucas let out a low whistle. "So what's the next step?"

  Nathan exhaled. "We don't have a direct connection yet, but if we can find out who's behind these shell companies or what was in those warehouses, we might get somewhere. We need to start digging, discreetly."

  The next day's session was supposed to be routine training, a disaster response drill simulating a large-scale emergency. They had to coordinate an efficient rescue while minimizing collateral damage.

  The simulated scenario took place in a collapsed metro tunnel, with obstacles, smoke effects, and hidden "injured civilians" for teams to locate and extract. Powers were heavily limited, forcing the trainees to use more strategic thinking and teamwork.

  At first, the exercise played out as expected. Teams split up, scanning for survivors while keeping the unstable environment in mind. Nathan moved cautiously, his eyes scanning the cracked walls and sagging ceiling supports. Something felt off.

  Then he saw it.

  A barely visible fracture running along one of the main tunnel supports. The simulation was meant to be controlled, but that crack? It was too deep. Too real.

  "Stop!" Nathan called out, his voice sharp.

  Lucas skidded to a halt mid-step, Astra pausing just behind him. "What is it?" she asked.

  Nathan pointed to the fracture. "If anyone moves too close, that whole section could collapse. It isn't part of the test, this is real"

  Lucas blinked, stepping back cautiously. "How do you?"

  "Look at the way the dust is settling," Nathan said quickly. "It's fresh. The damage wasn't simulated, it happened recently."

  Astra's gaze darkened. "We need to alert the instructors. Now."

  Before anyone could react, a loud groan of shifting metal echoed through the tunnel. The weakened section buckled.

  Without thinking, Nathan grabbed a support beam from the debris and shoved it beneath the failing structure. Lucas rushed forward, reinforcing it with sheer strength. Astra, despite her limited power use, directed a gust of air to clear the settling dust, allowing visibility.

  Seconds later, alarms went off, and the simulation forcefully shut down.

  The drill instructors ran in, taking in the scene. One of them, an older veteran hero, turned to Nathan with a measured look. "Good call, kid. That could've ended badly."

  Nathan's pulse was still pounding, but he couldn't help the flicker of pride that settled in his chest.

  His instincts and observations had saved lives.

  Nathan sat stiffly in the debriefing room, his fingers tapping against the armrest of his chair. The Hero Association conducted a full review of the incident. A frame on the main screen showed the fractured tunnel support, the one Nathan had spotted just in time.

  Some of the trainees murmured among themselves, shooting glances his way. Others looked bored, as if the near-collapse had already faded into just another training exercise.

  Instructor Valera cleared her throat, looking across the room. "First off, credit where it's due. Kain, you prevented what could've been a serious accident."

  Nathan nodded but stayed quiet.

  Across the table, another instructor, Eldon Reeves, one of the Association's senior evaluators, leaned forward with an unimpressed look. "Prevented? Let's not exaggerate. The structure was never meant to fail." He turned his gaze to the simulation engineers. "Was it?"

  One of the tech specialists shifted uncomfortably. "No, sir. The system's integrity was tested before deployment. There must have been an unforeseen variable."

  Nathan clenched his jaw. Unforeseen variable? That wasn't a mistake. That was negligence.

  Lucas sighed beside him, arms crossed. "Look, it happened, and Nate caught it. Maybe instead of arguing, we figure out how to stop it from happening again."

  Reeves barely spared him a glance. "Oh, I agree. We'll tighten up the system. But let's be real, a real hero doesn't freeze to analyze every situation. Sometimes, split-second action is better than hesitation." His gaze flickered toward Nathan. "You got lucky this time. If you'd hesitated even a second longer, would you still have made the right call?"

  Nathan felt a prickle of frustration. "I didn't hesitate. I observed. That's what saved everyone."

  Reeves shrugged. "That's your perspective." He turned back to the instructors. "At the end of the day, these simulations exist to test a hero's ability to act under pressure. If we reward over-analysis, we risk creating heroes who hesitate when it matters most."

  Nathan opened his mouth to argue, but Astra placed a hand on his arm. He glanced at her, reading the silent message in her eyes: It's not worth it.

  Valera sighed. "Regardless, we'll investigate the cause of the failure." She gave Nathan a small nod. "Good work, Kain. Dismissed."

  Nathan rose to his feet, his jaw tight as he followed Astra and Lucas out of the debriefing room.

  They walked in silence through the hallways of the Hero Association facility.

  Finally, Lucas broke the silence. "Man, what a waste of time. You saved everyone, but all they care about is making excuses."

  Astra frowned. "It's not about excuses. It's about control. If they acknowledge that the system failed, they have to take responsibility."

  Nathan exhaled sharply, rubbing his temples. "They don't care about what almost happened. Only about what didn't."

  Lucas shot him a glance. "You're not actually surprised, are you?"

  Nathan hesitated. Maybe he wasn't. Maybe part of him had already known this was how the Association worked. But some small part of him had still wanted to believe that truth mattered.

  As they reached the main doors, Nathan paused. Through the glass, he watched heroes-in-training chatting, laughing, moving on like nothing had happened.

  No one else was thinking about the crack in the tunnel. No one was questioning how close they had come to something worse.

  Nathan's fists clenched. Maybe he was overreacting. Maybe it wasn't such a big deal.

  Astra stood beside him, watching the same scene unfold. She didn't say anything, but when she met his gaze, he saw it. The same silent frustration. The same understanding.