Page 202 of Villainous Rise

Cipher nodded, his jaw tight. “The exact design that failed the Keeper at the Nexus.”

My stomach twisted into a cold, hard knot. The image of that Keeper’s death flashed through my mind, the way the shield had failed at precisely the wrong moment, letting those metal shards tear through her.

“And it was sitting on Helios’ computer.” Cipher’s fingers danced across the interface, swiping through file after file. “And it’s not just that one.”

More schematics appeared. Each one familiar. Each one connected to a suspicious death.

“These are all the modified pieces used in the murders.” My voice sounded distant.

Cipher nodded grimly. “Look at the metadata.”

He pulled up a panel of information beside each schematic. My eyes caught on a name that appeared again and again: Alexander Mercer. “They all have Mercer’s name on them.”

“What does that have to do with Helios?” I asked, though I was beginning to feel sick with the implications.

Cipher moved through several more screens at lightening speed, bringing up a series of receipts and communications. “Look at these. Payment transactions, communications—all pointing to Helios acting as Mercer.”

The room felt like it was spinning and I leaned against Cipher harder. “No,” I shook my head firmly. “That can’t be. Not Helios. He’s one of the good ones. There has to be another explanation.”

“Are you really sure he’s one of the good ones, Annie?” Cipher asked, his voice low as his fingers continued to fly across the keyboard.

“Yes! I know Helios. He’s kind, he’s genuine. He radiates goodness like it’s part of his power set.”

Cipher glanced at me, his expression unreadable. “The evidence⁠—”

“Has to be wrong,” I insisted. “Or there’s something we’re missing. Helios wouldn’t kill people. He wouldn’t be involved in this.” I shook my head.

Cipher didn’t argue, but I could feel his skepticism as he dove deeper into whatever trail he’d found.

“Interesting,” he muttered after a few minutes of silence.

I moved closer. “What is?”

“There are files connected to Helios’s profile that have been locked down.” He straightened up, a familiar gleam in his eyes, the look he got when facing a worthy challenge.

My stomach twisted with both hope and dread. “What does that mean?”

“It means we’re going to find out who Helios really is. But it’s going to take some time to break through these encryptions.”

“Helios is good,” I said again, my voice softer but no less certain. “Whatever we find, remember that.”

Cipher didn’t respond, his focus entirely on the challenge before him.

I couldn’t stop my hands from shaking as I read through the files for what must have been the twentieth time. The words blurred together, but the truth they revealed remained crystal clear and sickening.

“The subject exhibited catastrophic power destabilization during controlled exercise #47...”

“...casualties deemed acceptable given the research value...”

“...neural suppression protocols implemented to ensure compliance...”

“...Council informed of equipment malfunction as cause of incident...”

Helios, the golden retriever of a man who brought coffee to everyone during late shifts, who volunteered at children’s hospitals on his days off, had been systematically broken by the very organization he now served with unwavering loyalty.

Behind me, Cipher and Havoc were deep in conversation, their voices a distant hum as I remained locked in my own horror.

Cipher had brought the aircraft around to dock briefly off the roof of the Tower so we could share what he’d found with Havoc in person. Havoc was officially on call tonight even while he searched for Helios, tying him to his own base of operations.