The dossier had only a rough sketch that seemed to be close enough to the boy he saw. Anger immediately boiled through his veins wanting to lu the man for withholding something so important. It was a fruitless effort, which is why he kept himself in chebsp; “What?! I haven’t heard anything about this! You had a susped you said nothing to me?!” Masayuki ched his hands.

  “Mr. Hayashi has beeermio be directly involved with the Shattered Japan I. His capture has been hest priority, but he disappeared pletely. We didn’t know where he went after the I until now. We kept it in the higher ups because he is sidered to be the most powerful Powered created from this. So we have no way of successfully capturing him.”

  He had a little trouble believing the report, but he had experiehe power that the boy wielded first hand. It might have been a simple to uand power, but it was the most threatening for the UN Powered Division. Someone like him couldn’t be captured through normal means. His frustration at the allowed situation didn’t ge his anger. “You ’t be serious, sir! If someone so powerful is out there we have to stop him! We might be able to get answers on why this happened and finally bring peace to Japan!”

  “I uand how you feel, Captain.” Takeshi pulled the file bad fixed the order. He slid it down to his desk. “However, I must order you not to eh him. We’ve kept this private because we have no way to bat him as you saw in yagement. Until we have a way to successfully capture him without it being a certainty we’ll lose we choose to keep the matter cssified. Since he had disappeared, we had hoped that would have given us enough time to find a way to address him. I only told you because I admire your resolve. We need more people like you to help bring peace to Japan. I don’t want you recklessly endangering yourself.”

  “That’s nht, sir!” Masayuki turned away, uo hold in his anger. He was given an order to do nothing when they had a potential lead to the cause. He uood, but it didn’t stop him from his emotions. It was frustrating being so close. Yet, the dispy he saw from Yuki made him uand how powerful he was. It was definitely a threat to the peace of Japan.

  Takeshi rushed over and grabbed his shoulder. “I gave you an order, Captain. This is the same as the UN. Don’t engage.”

  Breaking free from his grip with ease, Masayuki pushed aside the tent fp. He looked back at the man. “Yes, sir. I uand.”

  Chapter 313 – Most Wanted

  With the room cleared of lower ranked members, the high ranked UN officers looked up from their work. General Evans, the British dispatched ahat headed all operations, kept a stoic yet stern expression for the Japanese man. The man might have been a normal human like the rest, but he was still Japanese like the rest of the Powered. It still pced him in suspi. “We still haven’t identified this Yuki Hayashi as the source or even involved iter. This is purely something your pany seems to believe.”

  Takeshi tio hold a pleasant business smile on his face dealing with the threatening General. “General, someone or something has caused this situation. Someone bearing powers described by the young man Masayuki is very curious. Able to pletely e someone else’s power.”

  “Even so, logically it doesn’t make any sense for someohat is Powered to have created this situation. The Powered appeared after the I. If he is involved as you seem to believe, then he would have to be something different.”

  The mousy-looking businessman’s smile cracked a little, but held together for the most part. “Yes, that would make sense. Wouldn’t it?”

  General Evans’ faarrowed a little, staring down the man. “Given that you believe this, do you have a way to capture him? If his powers are as reported.”

  “My pany has been developing a means for capturing him. The normal cells we’ve been providing you e a Powered’s abilities, but we’ve been capturing greater numbers of stronger Powered tely and discovered that more advas are needed. Someone as potentially powerful as Yuki Hayashi would need a special fi made for him.”

  “If he is active again now. Will you be ready for the ime he surfaces?” Even if he doubted the man, he believed the reports of what he did. Ign him being the cause, he was a threat with such power. He would pletely shut down their peacekeeping efforts. The Powered teams would be useless.

  Nodding to the worried General, Takeshi assured him, “Arihyoshi will be ready for Yuki Hayashi.”

  Outside the tent, Masayuki rejoined his team. They all had the demanding look of wanting to know their orders. Babysitting iigators wasn’t their idea of worthwhile time spent. They merely hoped that one of the terrorists would walk into the base and give them something iing to do. Hayashi’s appearance was exactly what they wanted.

  “Our leader looks angry,” Umari teased, easily seeing the emotions painted over his face.

  “Did they spank you for failing to capture two Powered?” Hanari taunted.

  He looked out at the four members of his team. They weren’t what he wanted. They had no i in peace or stability. They weren’t like him. Yet it was what he had to work with. They were the only thing he had. “We have anding orders. In addition to capturing rogue Powered, we will be actively searg for the Powered named Yuki Hayashi. He is sidered the highest priority target in Japan.”

  “So we’ll get to fight them again,” Nawabe remarked with a grin ing across his face.

  “Umari, were you able to copy his power?”

  “No. Normally, I’m able to remember anyone’s power, but there is something different about the way his power works. I got the feeling that it wasn’t like the rest of us.”

  Hanari looked over at Umari as did the others with curiosity. “Someo like us? Sure it’s not just because you didn’t have your power when it happened?”

  “I remember powers when I’m unscious. My body remembers it. With him, it was like he wasn’t even there. Like he wasn’t even using a power.”

  Masayuki stared at her for a moment while he let that absorb. ‘He really is dangerous. Something will have to be done about him. I will find you, Yuki Hayashi. You ’t escape me.’

  * * *

  There were definitely more important matters as Phoibe stated. Directed into a deeper wing of her business, something physically impossible for her space, she showed them all to where what remained of the Hiroshi Fa. Rin immediately found her ander and ran off to report in.

  Yuki hovered he threshold with Phoibe. He could see everything and the signs it painted. “So you’re the one behind it then?”

  Smiling at him like she knew nothing, she asked, “Which are you meaning?”

  Narrowing his features as he stared at her, he shifted his stao a power position. “I’m tired of everyohinking I’m an idiot. I’m not blind. Their base, you made that for them.”

  “Is that what you think? I’m just a businesswoman giving aid tees.”

  “Right. You drop the absp; Knowing that you’re involved I’ve got most of it already figured out.”

  “Well aren’t you a smarty.”

  “Hey!” interrupted Seiji. He waved his haweewo of them to grab their attention. “I don’t see everyone.”

  “A lot of people died during the attack,” Phoibe reported.

  “No, Saki, Yumi and Fumiko aren’t here. They ’t have died!”

  The names of his friends immediately choked up Yuki. It was something that he feared. They were all strong and survived a lot in Atntis. So he didn’t want to think that they could be killed. “Seiji…are you sure?”

  “Yes! I see everyone in the damn room. Unless you’re hiding more elsewhere, they aren’t here!”

  “This is everyohat came back.”

  “What the hell?! Where the hell is this Hiroshi?!” Seiji started marg into the room blindly calling out for Hiroshi. He grabbed random people shaking them down for information.

  “Damn! Seiji!” Yuki rushed into the rge ro to stop him before he made any more of a se. But he didn’t have a ce to stop him. Hiroshi surfaced to the calling, though not looking like he wao deal with aional Seiji. “Seiji!”

  Quickly throwing his arm out, Seiji grabbed Hiroshi by the colr. “Where are they?! Tell me you bastard!”

  Hiroshi held an initially distant look in his eyes as if he was somewhere else. However, the sound of Yuki’s voice both alerted him and took him away from Seiji. “…Yuki…you’ve e back…”

  “I’m talking to you dammitall!”

  “Shut up.” Hiroshi casually broke free from Seiji and marched over to Yuki. He hardened his expression in his approabsp; “Have you made your decision?”

  “I’m more ied in the answers you have right now, Hiroshi,” Yuki shot babsp; He was still stu wanting him to pick a side. There was something more important to him at the moment.

  “What answers do you want? The fact that Takako wiped out our base. Or that the group leading them was Saki, Yumi and Fumiko and they were killing i people.”

  Seiji lost it long before Yuki even had time to reabsp; He rammed his fist into Hiroshi’s face, sending him to the floor among a few of the spared survivors. “How dare YOU say that! Take that back right now!”

  Largely unfazed by it, Hiroshi lifted himself up ign the blood off his lip. “There’s nothing to take babsp; Not when it’s the truth.”

  Lunging at him, Seiji tried to punch Hiroshi again, but Yuki stopped him. The mist had adapted enough from the st time that he figured out what he o keep him at bay. “Seiji! Pung him won’t get any answers!”

  “You ’t be serious, Yuki! You believe him?” Struggling against Yuki’s power, he hadn’t stopped trying to hit Hiroshi. The look of his detached and cold delivery only made him more angry. It reminded him of how Ayumi could be.

  “Expin yourself, Hiroshi before I ’t hold him baymore.”

  “Threatening me now?” Hiroshi gnced over at Yuki. He didn’t seem anymore ed about his situation with the looming Seiji.

  Grinding his teeth together, Yuki hated the situation that they were in. This wasn’t the sort of se with someohat he thought of as a friend was supposed to py out. They weren’t supposed to be at odds with each other. They should be w together, not at each other's throats. “What happened? Tell me, Hiroshi. What’s ged? I saw your base. I o know!”

  “Are you going to join us?”

  “Dammit, Hiroshi! Stop with the sides! I still help you without pig a side!”

  “No you ’t. You o uand that they’re lost. They’re all lost to us. Reality is not what you want or wish, but how it is. Accept it!”

  “I won’t kill friends!”

  “Then leave. I don’t want your help. Not someohat ’t fully it.” Hiroshi stood up brushing past Seiji, still held in pce by Yuki. He started to walk away looking back at the survivors. “Na?ve ideals won’t ge the facts. Your friends have been taken from you. And since you don’t have the resolve, I shall kill them all with my hand. It is the only thing that be do this point.” Tilting his head back towards the two of them. “This is the new world.”