Chapter 30: Paradise Lost: (5)

Billy casually walked over to Buster, leaning in close. "If you don't want to get arrested, you better start talking about who your distributor is," he said coolly.

Buster glanced around, taking in the sight of his tied up men. He swallowed hard, trying to maintain a brave face. "I don't know what you're talking about, man," he replied nervously. "We run a clean operation here."

Billy didn't seem convinced. He sauntered over to a crate, using a box cutter to slice it open. Empty syringes tumbled out, scattering across the floor. Buster's eyes widened in surprise, but he remained silent.

Moving on to another crate, Billy sliced it open, this time revealing vials of Genesis Serum. Buster gasped as Billy dumped the vials out onto the floor. "What the hell!" he yelled. "That's all good product in there! You can't just do that!"

Billy paused, turning to look Buster straight in the eye. "I'll dump your entire shipment right here, right now, unless you spill the beans," he threatened.

Buster hesitated, glancing from Billy to the spilled vials and back. He looked like he was wrestling with his options, uncertainty flashing in his eyes.

Billy reached for another crate, and Buster finally broke. "Alright!" he yelled. "Alright, I'll tell you!"

David's mind was racing with thoughts. He was aware that this gang wasn't the only one receiving these shipments. It was all coming from one place, a place he had hoped he wouldn't have to deal with so soon: The Fondets. A wealthy family in Omega 6, headed by Savio Fondet, his sister Rebecca, and brother Salvador. To the untrained eye, they were clean, but they were pulling a lot of strings behind the scenes.

"I don't have a name, really," Buster finally admitted, "We got our connection through the Paradise Immortals."

"The one with Shedevil and Little Boy?" Billy questioned, visibly bothered by the revelation.

David felt another headache coming on just thinking about it. Shedevil was a half-demon who used her powers of seduction to implant people with mind-controlling demonic spiders. Little Boy, on the other hand, was a gluttonous demon contracted by her who could digest people into a pocket dimension within his stomach and steal their powers.

Billy groaned loudly. "Dammit! I was supposed to mentor you through the full ride, but you have school."

"Yeah, I do need to go to school," David agreed.

Billy looked at him with a serious expression. "Ever thought about dropping out?"

David was taken aback. "If I drop out, wouldn't that stop me from becoming a hero?" he asked, surprised by the question.

"Nonsense!" Billy retorted, "The reason Elite Future was made into an academy was to foster the youth. With your abilities and how your power works, there's no one there that can really teach you. You're even capable of taking out idiot goons like these."

Buster attempted to interject, "Hey, we're not idiots..." but Billy promptly told him to shut up.

Billy continued, "There's a program called the Bobby program. Bobby was a kid who excelled in every aspect and snuck out to do vigilante work all the time when he was in the academy. Omega 6 recognized his talents but allowed him to continue his field work despite his age."

"Now, Bobby is known as Frostbite. He's a speedster who leaves trails of frost wherever he goes. The Bobby program is designed for exceptional talents like him... and potentially you."

David wasn't familiar with this information, but he considered the concept it made sense.

"I'll think about it," he finally responded.

Billy nodded, "Don't take all day and waste your potential kid."

As much as David enjoyed the benefits of his young, superpowered body, there was a mental dissonance. He was a grown man, trapped in the body and life of a 16-year-old. Attending classes, doing homework, navigating teenage social dynamics... all these things felt trivial compared to the challenges and threats he faced as a hero. He had considered dropping out many times, feeling out of place amongst his peers.

But he hadn't known there was a way out, a path that could lead him away from the school life and straight into heroism, until Billy mentioned the Bobby Program. The possibility gave him pause, his mind churning with the implications.

"Are you guys going to let us go again?" Buster grumbled, visibly frustrated.

Billy swiftly kicked him in the face. "You don't have the right to speak," he spat out, his face stern. "People like you are the reason this city has gone to hell."

Buster, clutching his bruised face, winced. "What do you mean 'people like us'?"

"You lie, you cheat, you steal from others and have turned the communities here unrecognizable," Billy said, his voice cold and bitter.

"You're so lucky there are still people living in this city. The only good thing about Paradise City now is that the cost of living is so cheap, people would rather die in their homes than move out to places like Fairhaven or Kings Landing."

"Are you letting us go?" Buster stammered, still trying to comprehend the situation.

Billy gave him a cold, hard stare. "Absolutely not. You're part of the destruction of this beautiful city. I'm going to have Omega 6 come here, and each one of you will be arrested and charged."

"But you said..." Buster started, his voice faltering.

Billy cut him off swiftly, "One thing you need to learn is that you should never trust Omega 6," he stated, making sure to hold David's gaze as he spoke those words.

Leaving the building before the police arrived, David noted the early morning light filtering through the cityscape. He'd been out all night with Billy, and it was already time to start a new day.

In two hours, he would have to be at school. He returned to the academy in his room. iDrained and tired, he set his alarm clock for a brief two-hour nap before letting the exhaustion of the night finally take over.

Two hours later David woke up to the blare of his alarm clock. To his surprise, he felt rested despite only having two hours of sleep, which he chalked up to his superhuman body. He quickly got dressed in his elite class uniform and prepared himself for the day ahead.

However, as he made his way out the door, a more significant problem weighed on his mind. Shadow would be here in just three days.