Chapter 3 The Bad Guys - The Finder's Legacy

The street was chaos.

Ren pushed through the crowd of panicking civilians, his heart pounding in his chest. Smoke billowed from the direction of City Hall, thick and black, making it hard to see. Sirens blared everywhere. People were screaming, running in every direction, trying to escape the carnage.

But Ren wasn't running away. He was running toward it.

He had to see. He had to understand what was happening. The Vendetta. The most feared terrorist group in the world. This was his chance to see them with his own eyes.

He ducked behind a parked car and peered over the hood. The scene before him was like something out of a movie.

Heroes were everywhere. Dozens of them, in their colorful suits, using their powers to fight... something. Ren squinted through the smoke. He could make out figures moving in the chaos—fast, agile, dodging the Heroes' attacks.

The Vendetta.

Leading the Heroes was General Vex. Ren recognized him immediately. Everyone recognized him. The Dragon. The strongest Finder in the world. He was wearing his signature red and gold suit, flames dancing around his fists. He looked like a god of war.

"Surround them!" Vex shouted. "Don't let them escape!"

The Heroes moved to obey. They formed a perimeter around the City Hall steps, cutting off any escape routes. Ren could see the Vendetta members now—there were five of them, maybe six, all wearing dark clothes and masks.

One of them was huge. Built like a tank. He was standing in the middle of the street, taking punch after punch from a Hero and not even flinching. Ren watched as the Hero landed a solid blow to the giant's chest. The giant just stood there, like he hadn't even felt it.

"Come on, is that all you've got?" the giant shouted. His voice was loud and cheerful, like he was having fun. "I've been hit harder by my grandmother!"

The Hero swung again. The giant caught his fist and threw him into a parked car. The car crumpled like paper.

Another Vendetta member was moving through the chaos like a ghost. She was small and fast, darting between Heroes, striking and disappearing before anyone could react. Ren saw her land on a Hero's shoulders and bite his neck. The Hero dropped instantly, paralyzed.

"She's venomous," someone shouted. "Watch out for her bites!"

A third Vendetta member was fighting two Heroes at once. He was laughing like a maniac, and his attacks were... weird. Ren watched as the man grabbed his own arm and twisted it until the bone snapped. He screamed—but it was a happy scream, like he was enjoying it. Then he pulled the broken bone free and used it like a weapon, stabbing and slashing at the Heroes.

"What the hell?" Ren whispered. "Is he crazy?"

Yes. Yes, he was clearly crazy.

But the most dangerous member of the Vendetta was the man leading them. He was tall, with white hair and eyes that seemed to glow with cold fire. He wasn't wearing a mask. He wanted people to see his face.

Damian Vance. Cipher. The leader of the Vendetta.

He was fighting General Vex.

Ren had never seen anything like it. Fire and ice clashing in the middle of the street. Vex would launch a blast of flame, and Cipher would meet it with a wall of ice. The fire would sizzle and die. Then Cipher would counterattack, sending a wave of frost toward Vex, and Vex would incinerate it with a burst of heat.

"You're getting slow, old man," Cipher called out. His voice was calm, almost bored. "Age catching up with you?"

"I'm going to enjoy killing you," Vex replied. Flames roared around his body. "This time, you're not getting away."

"We'll see about that."

They clashed again. Ice and fire exploded between them, sending shockwaves through the street. Ren ducked behind the car as debris rained down around him. He could feel the heat from Vex's flames and the cold from Cipher's ice. It was like standing between two seasons.

"Everyone, fall back!" Cipher shouted. "We're done here!"

The Vendetta members started retreating. The giant threw one last punch and turned to run. The venomous woman leaped onto a rooftop and disappeared. The crazy one with the broken bones waved cheerfully at the Heroes before sprinting away.

"They're escaping!" a Hero shouted. "After them!"

But Cipher wasn't done. He raised his hands and created a massive wall of ice between the Heroes and his fleeing team. The ice was thick and solid, stretching across the entire street.

"That should hold them for a minute," Cipher said. He looked at Vex and smiled. "Same time next week, Victor?"

Vex roared and launched a torrent of flame at the ice wall. It melted slowly, but it was too thick to break through quickly.

"You won't escape forever," Vex shouted. "I'll find you. I'll burn you to ashes!"

"I'm counting on it," Cipher said. Then he turned and ran into the smoke.

Ren watched him disappear. His heart was racing. This was insane. This was terrifying. This was—

A hand grabbed his shoulder.

Ren spun around, ready to fight. But it was just a civilian—a woman with tears streaming down her face.

"You have to get out of here," she said. "It's not safe. Please, come with me."

Ren opened his mouth to respond. But before he could speak, something hit him from behind.

The world went white. Then black.

When Ren opened his eyes, everything was blurry.

He was lying on something hard. Cold. Concrete, maybe. His head was pounding. His ribs ached. His right leg throbbed with a dull, persistent pain.

He blinked. Slowly, the world came back into focus.

He was in a room. A basement, maybe. The ceiling was low, with exposed pipes running along it. The walls were concrete, stained with water marks. Fluorescent lights flickered overhead, casting everything in a pale, sickly glow.

There was noise. Voices. Arguing.

Ren sat up. His head spun, but he forced himself to stay upright. He looked around. There were cots. A table. Papers scattered everywhere.

And there were people. Five of them. Standing around the table, arguing.

"I'm telling you, bringing him here was a mistake," a woman's voice said. It was sharp and cold. "He's a liability. We don't know who he is. We don't know if he's one of them."

"He was passed out in the middle of the street," a man's voice replied. Deeper. Calmer. "If he was one of them, they wouldn't have left him there."

"Or maybe it's a trap," another man said. Lighter. Almost playful. "Maybe they planted him here so we'd take him in, and then—boom! He's got a tracker on him or something."

"Don't be stupid," the woman said. "If they wanted to track us, they'd use something less obvious than an unconscious teenager."

"Hey, I'm just saying—"

Ren's blood ran cold. He recognized those voices. He'd heard them just minutes ago, in the middle of the chaos. The crazy one. The venomous one. The giant.

He pushed himself to his feet. His legs wobbled, but he managed to stay standing. He stumbled toward the door and pushed it open.

The room went silent.

Five faces turned to look at him. Ren's heart was pounding so hard he could hear it in his ears.

The first person he noticed was the woman who had been speaking. She was young, maybe in her early twenties, with sharp eyes and dark hair pulled back in a tight ponytail. She was wearing dark clothes, and there was something snake-like about her movements. She was staring at Ren like she was trying to decide whether to kill him or not.

Next to her was a huge man. Built like a wall. Ren recognized him instantly—he was the one who had been fighting the Heroes in the street. The one who had thrown a car like it was nothing. He was wearing a sleeveless shirt that showed off muscles that probably had their own muscles.

Then there was the crazy one. The bone breaker. He was lean, with a mischievous grin and eyes that sparkled with barely contained chaos. He looked like he was having the time of his life.

Next to him was another man, almost as big as the first one, but quieter. He wasn't looking at Ren. He was just standing there, like a statue, his eyes fixed on the wall.

And finally, there was the man in the center. The one who hadn't spoken yet.

Ren's blood turned to ice.

He recognized him instantly. The white hair. The cold eyes. The face that had been on every news broadcast for the last decade.

Damian Vance. Cipher. The leader of the Vendetta.

"You're Cipher," Ren whispered. "You're the leader of the Vendetta."

The man smiled. It wasn't a warm smile. It was the kind of smile that said he knew something you didn't.

"You're awake," he said. His voice was calm. Controlled. It was the kind of voice that didn't need to raise itself to be heard. "And yes. I am."

Ren stumbled backward, his back hitting the wall. His eyes darted around the room, looking for an exit. There was one, behind Cipher. But he'd have to get past all of them to reach it.

"Relax," Cipher said. "If we wanted to hurt you, you'd already be dead."

"That's not very reassuring," Ren said.

The bone breaker laughed. "I like this kid. He's got fight in him."

"Shut up, Kaito," the woman said. She was still staring at Ren with those cold eyes. "We don't even know if he's a threat or not."

"I'm not a threat," Ren said quickly. "I don't even know what happened. The last thing I remember, I was watching the fight at City Hall, and then—"

"You were hit by a stray piece of debris," Cipher said. "You're lucky to be alive. We brought you here because we couldn't leave you there."

"You brought me here?" Ren said. "Why? Why would the Vendetta care about some random kid?"

Cipher studied him for a moment. Then he turned and walked back to the table. He gestured for Ren to come closer.

Reluctantly, Ren approached. The other members of the Vendetta stepped aside to let him through. They were watching him like he was a bomb that might go off at any moment.

The table was covered in papers, photographs, and maps. There were pictures of Heroes, pictures of churches, pictures of government buildings. There were documents covered in notes and markings.

Cipher pointed to a photograph in the center of the table.

It was a picture of a man Ren had never seen before. A middle-aged man with kind eyes and a gentle smile.

"We found something on you," Cipher said. "A name. Your name, on a piece of paper in your pocket. It was the only identification you had. We've been trying to figure out who you are and why you were there."

Ren's hand went to his pocket. His wallet was gone. His ID was gone.

"Where are my things?" he asked.

"Safe," Cipher said. "We needed to know who you were. Your name is Ren, right? Ren Sato?"

Ren nodded cautiously.

"Sato," Cipher repeated. He looked at the photograph on the table. "Interesting."

"What's interesting?" Ren asked.

Cipher didn't answer. Instead, he gestured to the documents on the table.

"Do you know what the Vendetta is?" he asked.

Ren stared at him. "You're terrorists. Everyone knows that. You attack the Society. You destroy buildings. You—"

"We're not terrorists," Cipher interrupted. "That's what the Society wants you to believe. The truth is much different."

He picked up one of the papers. It was covered in notes—handwritten, careful, methodical.

"The Vendetta was created for one purpose," Cipher said. "To uncover the truth. The truth about the Hero Society. The truth about the Church. The truth about the Toxins."

Ren shook his head. "What are you talking about?"

Cipher looked at him. His eyes were cold, but there was something else there too. Something almost like compassion.

"Everything you've been told is a lie," he said. "The Heroes aren't protecting you. The Church isn't saving you. The Toxins aren't what they say they are. And the people who run this world—they'll kill anyone who tries to expose them."

He paused. The room was silent.

"We're not the villains, Ren," Cipher said. "We're the only ones fighting for the truth. And we think you might be able to help us."

Ren stared at him. His mind was spinning. This couldn't be real. The Vendetta was the enemy. Everyone knew that. Everyone—

"I need to leave," Ren said.

"You can't," Cipher said.

Ren's eyes narrowed. "Why not? I'm nobody. I'm just some random kid you picked up off the street. Why do you even care if I stay or go?"

Cipher studied him for a long moment. The room was silent. Even the crazy one—Kaito—had stopped grinning.

"Because we need you," Cipher said finally.

Ren blinked. "What?"

"We need an inside man," Cipher explained. "Someone who can work inside the Hero Society. Someone who can get us information. Someone who can see what's really going on behind closed doors."

Ren shook his head. "I don't understand. Why me? I just started working there. I'm nobody. I file paperwork. I answer phones. I don't know anything important."

"You don't," Cipher agreed. "Not yet. But you're in the building. You have access. You can learn. You can observe. That's more than we have right now."

"But why can't your inside man do it?" Ren asked. "Don't you already have someone?"

Cipher's expression didn't change. But something flickered in his eyes. Something cold. Something sad.

"We did," he said. "But he was killed. Almost a month ago. The Society found out he was working with us."

Ren felt his blood run cold.

A month ago. His father had been killed a month ago.

He thought about Kenji. About the late nights at the office. About the way his father had seemed so distracted lately. About the secrets he'd been keeping.

"I need to leave," Ren said again. But this time, his voice was weaker. Uncertain.

"You can leave whenever you want," Cipher said. "We're not holding you prisoner. But I'm asking you to stay. I'm asking you to help us."

Ren looked at the table. At the papers. At the photographs. At the white puzzle pieces in the metal case.

"What happened to your inside man?" he asked quietly.

Cipher didn't answer immediately. He just looked at Ren with those cold, knowing eyes.

"His name was Kenji," he said. "We founded the Vendetta together."

Ren's heart stopped.