The dim glow of a single lamp cast long shadows across the worn-out wooden table where Kenzo and Hana sat, their faces illuminated by the soft flicker of light. The room, a safe house they had been using for weeks, smelled of old books and the faint trace of coffee, a stark contrast to the tension that hung thick in the air.
Across from them, Audrey leaned forward, her sharp eyes scanning the scattered documents, photographs, and hastily scribbled notes. Beside her, Damian lounged in his chair, his arms crossed, his usual carefree smirk absent.
Hana exhaled, breaking the silence. "We have confirmation. Rudi wasn't just involved—he orchestrated the cover-up. And he's not working alone."
Audrey's fingers traced the edges of a photograph of Raka's crime scene, her expression unreadable. "How deep does this go?"
Kenzo leaned back, his jaw tight. "Deeper than we thought. My ability picked up hidden details in the reports. The autopsy was falsified, evidence was tampered with, and witness statements were altered. Rudi had direct orders from someone higher up."
Damian let out a low whistle. "So, we're dealing with a whole chain of corruption, not just one dirty cop."
Hana nodded. "Exactly. And the worst part? If we push too hard, they'll bury the truth before we even get close to exposing them."
Audrey tapped her fingers against the table in thought. "Then we need to be strategic. If we go straight for Rudi, whoever he's protecting will make sure we never see daylight again."
Damian grinned, cracking his knuckles. "Or we could go in, smash a few heads, and get answers the fun way."
Audrey shot him a pointed look. "We can't afford to be reckless. We need undeniable proof—something even they can't erase."
Hana crossed her arms. "We should focus on tracing Rudi's communications. Find out who's pulling the strings. If we can get to the source, we can dismantle this whole operation."
Audrey nodded. "Agreed. I can start analyzing these documents for inconsistencies. If we can track financial records or any off-the-books transactions, we might find our next target."
Kenzo remained silent, his gaze distant. He barely registered the discussion, his mind looping back to old memories—his past investigations, the threats, the fear that had forced him into hiding. He had been here before, staring at undeniable truth, only for it to be ripped from his hands before the world could see it.
Audrey's voice softened. "Kenzo. You're quiet. What's on your mind?"
He blinked, meeting her gaze. She wasn't just asking out of curiosity—she had noticed the way his hands had clenched, the flicker of something unreadable in his eyes.
He hesitated before answering. "I've seen this happen before. A story that needed to be told but never got the chance. If we're not careful, we'll end up just like them—buried and forgotten."
The room fell silent. The weight of his words settled over them like a heavy fog.
Audrey reached out, placing a hand on the table near his. "That won't happen. Not this time. We're not alone in this."
Hana smirked. "And we're a hell of a lot smarter than they think."
Damian grinned. "Not to mention stronger."
Kenzo exhaled, some of the tension in his shoulders easing. Maybe they were right. Maybe this time, the truth wouldn't die in the dark.
Audrey glanced at the clock. "We should rest. We'll regroup tomorrow and plan our next move. We need to be sharp for whatever comes next."
One by one, they began to gather their things. As they prepared to turn in for the night, Kenzo lingered a moment longer, staring at the pile of evidence before him. The war of truth had only just begun, and this time, he wasn't going to lose.
Tomorrow, they would take the next step. And the shadows hiding the truth would have nowhere left to run.
The dim glow of the early morning seeped through the tattered curtains of the safe house, casting long shadows on the walls. The silence was heavy, broken only by the occasional rustle of papers and the soft hum of the city outside. While the rest of the team slept, Kenzo remained awake, hunched over the table, his eyes scanning the documents for what felt like the hundredth time.
His fingers trembled slightly as he flipped through the files. The images burned into his mind—the falsified autopsy reports, the redacted statements, the bloodied crime scene photographs. His ability allowed him to see the truth beneath the layers of deception, but sometimes, the truth was a curse. Every page he turned was a reminder of the injustice he had seen before, the corruption that had crushed his career and nearly taken his life.
He rubbed his temples, exhaustion creeping into his bones. His thoughts spiraled into dangerous places—memories of the past investigation, the one that had destroyed him. Back then, he had thought he could take on the system alone. He had been naive. The people he had tried to expose were untouchable, protected by wealth and power. They had silenced him once, leaving him battered and broken. But this time… this time would be different.
A soft creak pulled him out of his thoughts. Kenzo turned his head slightly, spotting Audrey standing in the doorway. Her dark hair was tousled from sleep, and she had draped an oversized sweater over her shoulders. Despite the exhaustion in her eyes, she still had that quiet intensity about her—the kind that made people confess their deepest truths without even realizing it.
"You didn't sleep," she murmured, stepping into the room.
Kenzo exhaled, leaning back in his chair. "Couldn't."
She crossed her arms and studied him. "You've been staring at those files all night. You think if you go through them enough times, you'll find something new?"
"Maybe," he admitted. "Or maybe I just don't know how to stop."
Audrey hesitated before walking over to him, pulling out the chair across from him. "You look exhausted, Kenzo. This isn't just about Raka's case, is it?" Her voice was gentle, but it carried weight—like she already knew the answer but wanted him to say it aloud.
He clenched his jaw, his fingers tightening around the edge of the table. "You're perceptive, aren't you?"
She tilted her head slightly. "It's what I do. But this isn't just perception. I know that look in your eyes. It's the same one I saw when we first met. You're not just angry—you're haunted."
For a long moment, Kenzo said nothing. He stared down at the pile of papers, his heartbeat echoing in his ears. Then, finally, he spoke, his voice quieter than before.
"I used to be a journalist. Investigative. I spent years chasing down corruption, exposing the powerful for what they really were. Then I found something… something I wasn't supposed to."
Audrey remained silent, letting him continue at his own pace.
"It was a human trafficking network," he said, his voice rough. "One that stretched farther than I could have ever imagined. Young girls. Children. They were being taken, sold, forced into horrors I—" He stopped, swallowing hard. "It was grotesque. They were treated like merchandise. Disposable."
Audrey's fingers curled into a fist on the table, her expression unreadable, but he could see the storm brewing behind her eyes.
"I gathered everything. Names, locations, transaction records. I had enough evidence to bring it all crashing down. I thought… I thought I was doing the right thing. But I underestimated them."
He looked away, his breathing shallow. "They found me before I could publish it. Dragged me out of my apartment in the middle of the night. They wanted to make an example out of me."
Audrey's breath hitched, but she didn't interrupt.
"They beat me until I couldn't see straight. Until I couldn't even remember my own name. And the last thing I remember before everything went black…" Kenzo hesitated, his hands balling into fists. "They told me if I ever spoke about it again, I wouldn't be the only one to suffer."
Silence stretched between them, thick with unspoken things.
Audrey's voice was barely above a whisper. "And you blame yourself."
Kenzo let out a bitter laugh. "Wouldn't you? I had a chance to save them. I failed. And now, every time I see something like this… every time I see people like Rudi covering up their crimes, I see their faces. The ones I couldn't save."
Audrey reached across the table, her fingers hesitating before resting lightly on his hand. The warmth of her touch startled him, but he didn't pull away.
"You didn't fail them," she said softly. "You were fighting alone against something bigger than any one person could take on. And you tried. That means something."
Kenzo stared at their hands, something in his chest tightening painfully. "Trying doesn't feel like enough."
"Then make it enough," Audrey said. "We're not alone this time, Kenzo. We're going to expose them. We're going to make sure the truth comes to light. And we'll do it together."
He looked up at her then, meeting her gaze. For the first time in a long time, he saw something other than regret in someone's eyes when they looked at him. He saw belief.
The weight on his shoulders didn't disappear, but it felt a little lighter.
Audrey gave his hand a small squeeze before pulling away. "You should get some rest. Even you can't run on revenge and caffeine forever. Even if technically we're not human anymore"
Kenzo let out a breathy chuckle. "Watch me."
She smiled, shaking her head. "Seriously, Kenzo. Sleep. We need you at your best."
He hesitated but eventually nodded. "Fine. But if Rudi mysteriously disappears in the middle of the night, it wasn't me."
Audrey rolled her eyes, standing up. "Noted."
As she turned to leave, Kenzo found himself speaking before he could think twice. "Audrey."
She paused in the doorway, looking back at him.
"Thank you."
She gave him a small, knowing smile. "Always."
And with that, she was gone, leaving Kenzo alone in the dimly lit room. But this time, the silence didn't feel so suffocating. He glanced back at the files, at the evidence of corruption and buried truths.
They had stolen his voice once. But not this time.
This time, he would make sure the world heard the truth.
And he wouldn't stop until justice was served.