Chapter 9 - New/Old Friend

As the timer reaches zero, the diamond explodes with a deafening boom, sending shockwaves through the warehouse. Allen is thrown back by the force of the blast, debris raining down around him as the warehouse erupts in chaos.

Through the smoke and dust, Allen struggles to his feet, his ears ringing from the explosion. He scans the area, but Felicity is nowhere to be seen. The only evidence of her presence is the remnants of the trap she set.

...

"Such a shame," Felicity says as she stands on top of a building, watching the warehouse burn.

"What's a shame?" Allen emerge from the shadow behind Felicity.

Felicity quickly look behind her, "How did y–"

Before she can say anything, Allen lunges at her and pins her down, Shadow tentacles starts to appear behind him. "I'm tired of the games Felicity, hand over the diamond."

Felicity struggles against Allen's grip. "You think you can just take it from me? You have no idea what you're dealing with," She hisses as she tries to break free.

Allen's grip tightens, the shadow tentacles pulsing with energy. "I don't care about your games or your threats. Hand over the diamond now, or things will get much worse for you," He warns, his voice tinged with an edge of danger.

"Get off! I'll hand over the diamond." Felicity reaches into her pocket and pulls out a small pouch. She opens it to reveal the shimmering diamond resting inside. Without hesitation, she tosses it towards Allen, who catches it with a swift motion.

"You've made a wise choice," Allen says, releasing Felicity from his grip. The shadow tentacles slowly dissipate into the darkness around him.

"One thing, Crypt. Be careful with the man you're dealing with," Felicity says as she stands up.

"I can handle myself," Allen replies with a cold expression, tucking the diamond safely away.

Felicity smirks, a glint of mischief in her eyes. "We'll see about that." With a wink, she disappears into the night, leaving Allen standing alone on the rooftop.

As Felicity disappears into the night, Allen stands alone on the rooftop, he removes his mask and sits at the edge of the building.

He watches the city below, the hustle and bustle of the streets, the distant sounds of sirens wailing in the night. The cool breeze brushes against his face, offering a moment of solace amid the chaos that surrounds him.

Allen takes a deep breath, reflecting on the events of the night.

BACK AT THE MANSION...

Allen park his car infront of the mansion, he gets out with the pouch on his hands. The guard notice it and makes a way for Allen.

The maid welcome Allen again infront of the door and lead him to the office.

Allen enters the office and places the pouch containing the diamond on the desk in front of the man.

"I got it," Allen said.

The man nods, his expression unreadable. "Good. I knew I could count on you, Crypt. And where's the thief?"

"Got away." Allen said.

The man leans back in his chair, studying Allen with a keen gaze. "Got away, huh?The paper works said you usually don't let anyone slip through your fingers."

"I underestimated her," Allen responds. "But I have the diamond now, and that's what matters."

"Yeah, alright, the payment has been sent directly to your account." The man says as he grips the diamond on his hand.

"I'm leaving." Allen stands up and walk towards the door.

"It's a pleasure working with you, Crypt." The man said.

THE HERO ASSOCIATION...

"He's not really a vigilante huh?" The man sitting on a chair said.

"Yes, Crypt is a mercenary for hire." Aria says, "And we can hire him if we want too."

"No, let's just leave him be, for now." The man said.

"Yes sir." Aria bow and leaves the room.

"Now what is your next move, Crypt."

POWERED DEPARTMENT HEADQUARTERS (PDHQ)

Velocity throws three shuriken at the targets and all three of them hits the middle, he jumps towards the large target and slice it up using his energy sword.

"That was cool," A girl said, the girl is wearing a sparkling clothes and she is recording Velocity's training using her phone.

"Watch this Sparkles." Velocity throws his energy sword and somersault down following his sword catching it in mid air.

He then throws it towards a target that is far from him and it this the target in the middle.

As Velocity landed gracefully on the ground, he winked at Sparkles and grinned confidently. "Not bad, huh?" He said with a smirk.

Sparkles clapped her hands excitedly. "That was incredible, Velocity! You're the best in the PDHQ for sure."

Velocity chuckled modestly and retrieved his energy sword, sheathing it at his side. "Just another day at the office," He replied nonchalantly.

"Show off." Brock grunts.

"Really Brock? Can you do that?" Velocity mocks. "Oh wait, you only know how to smash things right?"

Brock smirked and stood up from where he was sitting, flexing his muscles. "Smashing things is an art form too."

"Well, maybe you should join the art appreciation club then," Velocity teased, earning a chuckle from Sparkles.

"You want to fight?" Brock towers above Velocity.

"Did you say something Brocky?" Velocity stood in front.

Suddenly a loud blast interrupts them, they look to the other side of the training room and sees Amplify destroying a large boulder in one punch.

"Now that's the kind of woman I don't want to mess with." Jayson appears behind Velocity, Kriselle follows.

"Where did you come from Rays?" Velocity asks. "Oh, that's the new hero behind you."

"Hello there, I'm Kriselle, nice to meet you all," Kriselle greeted with a warm smile.

Jayson nodded in agreement. "Kriselle here just joined the team. She's got some impressive skills herself."

"Kriselle? That's her real name right, she needs to think of a hero name." Velocity said.

Kriselle chuckled softly at Velocity's remark. "I'll come up with a hero name soon, don't worry about that."

Amplify walks over to join the group, her expression serious as she wipes some sweat from her brow. "I heard some commotion going on over here. Everything alright?"

"Yeah, everything's fine," Velocity responds quickly, trying to diffuse any tension that may have been building between him and Brock.

Brock grins at Amplify. "Just Velocity showing off as usual. You know how he is."

Amplify smirks. "Well, he does have a knack for grabbing everyone's attention."

Jayson steps forward. "Alright team, let's have a break, I brought some donuts on my way here."

As the team gathered around Jayson to grab a donut, they chatted and laughed, enjoying a moment of camaraderie and relaxation. Kriselle observed the interactions, feeling grateful to be welcomed into such a lively and dynamic group.

"So, Kriselle, where did you learn to fight?" Amplify asked, breaking the silence.

Kriselle smiled, taking a bite of her donut before replying. "I've been training for years with my brother. My abilities come from a mix of martial arts and my speed."

"That's impressive," Velocity remarked, genuinely intrigued. "We can always use more speedster in the team."

"Maybe we should organize a race between you and Velocity," Sparkles suggested jokingly.

"I'm up for the challenge," Velocity replied with a grin. "But don't be surprised when you eat my dust, Kriselle."

The heroes continue to chat while eating.

CITY CENTER PARK, MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT...

Allen sits on the bench, contemplating on what happens to him earlier, sore bones, sore body, everything sores.

"Catching a bomb is a bad idea." Allen says to himself.

Just then, a shadowy figure emerges from behind a nearby tree, slowly making its way towards Allen. Allen's heart races as he tries to make out who or what it is. The figure steps into the faint light, revealing a girl with a long orange hair dripping down her back.

"Who are you?" Allen asks.

"So you don't remember?" The girl says, moving towards Allen and sits beside him.

"You're another client right?" Allen said.

"No, I'm here because I want to see my ex– my old friend." The girl says, pulling a phone in her pocket.

"Old friend? What do you mean?" Allen asks, looking confused.

"I'm Sarah, Allen, your childhood friend." Sarah said.

"You're joking right? I have a friend name Sarah but I'm sure she will not wear an expensive clothing like the one you're wearing right now." Allen said.

Sarah's eyes soften as she reaches into her bag and pulls out an old, worn-out photograph. She hands it to Allen, who takes it and studies it closely. In the photo, young Allen and a girl with long orange hair are smiling brightly at the camera, arms wrapped around each other.

Allen's eyes widen as memories flood back into his mind. He remembers the countless adventures they shared, the games they played, and the secrets they kept.

"I can't believe it..." Allen murmurs, looking up at Sarah with a mix of disbelief and joy. "It's really you, Sarah."

Tears well up in Sarah's eyes as she nods. "I've been looking for you for so long, Allen. I never thought I would find you like this."

"But you look good— no you look expensive now." Allen says in disbelief.

"Because I'm a celebrity now Allen," Sarah said.

Sarah continued, "After we lost touch, I pursued acting and ended up making a name for myself in the industry. How about you? Anything new?"

"I've become a mercenary when I was 15 after my mother died." Allen says his expression change, "And I've become infamous in the underworld after killing their 2 heads."

"Underworld? Isn't that where the criminals make their bases?" Sarah asked.

"Yes, criminals have me on their list as the number one guy to kill." Allen continue, "Actually no, I think they fear me but with the new head of the underworld maybe they will have the guts to fight me."

"You've made a dangerous enemies Al." Sarah says, "You're not afraid of them?"

"Afraid? No they're just another stepping stone for my plan." Allen stands up.

"What's your plan?" Sarah asked.

"They will know, soon."