Chapter Nineteen

Haruki and his team returned to Japan to report in on the mission to the States. Kensuke went over the details. The elder statesman had Matomaru and several other subordinates going over document scans and intel retrieved.

“I have to say,” Kensuke said, “that you getting Miss Bordman on your side may have been the biggest stroke of luck yet.” He scrolled through document scans and pointed to a specific result. “The fact that Sugawara Pharmaceuticals is involved gives us a clear avenue to investigate. We might never have known if not for this.”

Haruki breathed a sigh of relief. “Honestly, sir, I'm just shocked she actually believed me and didn't think I just made it up.” It'd been a concern of his, once she caught him, that she'd look at it as an excuse to try and wiggle out of being captured. Maybe Rachel's example should've taught him Americans weren't all blindly loyal.

Kensuke brought up other documents on separate screens. “You also managed to get some intel on Freedom’s Ring.” The images of his helmet played silently. “You got her talking and that taught us quite a bit.”

Matomaru looked up from his tablet. “We'd never considered the angle of a teenage hero such as yourself being better at gaining trust due to your age, but, good job.”

“I wasn't trying to be a spy,” Haruki protested, “I was honest because I figured that'd be better.”

“It probably was,” Matomaru replied. “In your case, I suspect you'd make a terrible liar.”

“So,” Operative said, leaning against a computer terminal, “Laser Hammer is friends with the son of the founder of a major supplier of superpower drugs, and a potential ally of Aeriesai.”

Haruki rolled his eyes. “I didn't know it ahead of time. He was just a classmate.”

“It could be a useful connection,” Combat Queen speculated. “Laser Hammer could potentially get more intel through his boyfriend.”

Haruki turned beet red. “He's not…!” He coughed. “Oh, never mind!”

“It's alright,” Kensuke said. “I know what you mean.

Matomaru set his tablet down. “Your team's basically on standby until we sift through this data for more information.”

“Operative,” Kensuke said, “get the crew together and do some more training while we work.”

“Except for Fast Mover,” Operative corrected. “He's off doing something.”

“What's he doing?” Matomaru asked.

“Oh!” Haruki chimed in. “Before we took off to America, I asked him to look into Kenshi since I hadn't hung out with him in awhile. He finally had a chance to do it.”

“Ah,” Kensuke said. “In that case, nothing to worry about. I trust him.”

Operative led the team down into the largest of the training rooms. Brute Beauty, Push & Pull, Gunman, and Combat Queen all took up positions and gathered equipment. Gunman used a BB gun instead of a live pistol. Falling Star appeared and gathered light around her hands. Thick Skin grabbed a pair of short fighting poles. Blade Extender summoned samurai armor out of force fields.

The team leader laid out the battlefield. “Laser Hammer versus the team.” They all turned to Operative. “Rules are, you can be fast, but no super speed, no fatal blows,” he rolled his eyes. “obviously.”

“What’s a losing condition for me?” Haruki asked.

“There isn't one,” Operative admitted. “Let's face it, you're the heavy hitter of Japan. We're not taking you out. Our goal isn't to defeat you, it's to stay in the game with you as long as possible.”

“Although,” Combat Queen cut in, “if we knock you down, that counts as points for us.”

“Deal,” Haruki said.

Operative dropped a hand, and the team launched forward. Falling Star immediately flashed bright light in a directed cone at Haruki’s head. He slammed his eyes shut and only then realized it hadn't hurt. An invisible wall slammed him backward, with Gunman firing BBs at him. Each one connected with the force of an anti-tank rifle. He sprinted and ducked below a solid light projectile. He swung and Brute Beauty dodged backward. Thick Skin nailed him in a flurry of staff blows.

He absorbed a cluster of heavy strikes from Combat Queen and Brute Beauty. Push & Pull held him in place and Operative slammed both gauntleted fists into him. The team leader's wrist-mounted devices sent shockwaves traveling up and down Haruki. He stumbled and a pair of kicks tossed him backward.

He hit the ground back-first and launched back onto his feet. Blade Extender swung a battle axe construct at him. He flipped, delivering a descending kick to the back. As one teammate fell, the rest converged. Push & Pull gave away her next move with her eyes, and he flipped out of the way and sent her flying with a flat palm strike to the sternum.

Operative struck with surgical precision, aiming at weak points. Haruki absorbed a blow to grab his team leader's arm and drive him to the ground with a rising knee. Combat Queen tried to pick up the slack but got in only two strikes before an elbow to the side tossed her out of the way. Thick Skin got in two good staff blows before Haruki grabbed both his arms and flipped him onto his back.

Falling Star attempted a blinding flash, but he closed his eyes just in time. Brute Beauty's fist sailed overhead, and a rising uppercut dropped her.

“I think it's over,” Haruki said.

His team climbed to their feet. “Four minutes,” Operative said. “Not bad considering how powerful you are.”

“I agree,” Combat Queen said.

“Alright,” Haruki said, “let's take a break. I'm hungry.”

“Agreed,” Operative said.

“Wait,” Gunman said.

Everyone turned. Haruki looked around, and saw nothing out of the ordinary. “What’s wrong?”

Gunman looked at them as if it was obvious. After a momentary pause, he said, “Where the hell is Fast Mover?”

The thought hung in the air like a cartoon character running off a cliff. Operative’s eyes got big. “Oh!”

“Crap!” Haruki exclaimed. “You’re right!”

Not two minutes later, they had Kensuke’s undivided attention. The government man set the computer to search. “The good news is he’s still wearing the costume under his clothes.”

Haruki slapped fist into palm. “The costume has trackers!”

“It does,” Matomaru added. “At least he’s smart enough to hide it under clothing.”

“In just a second,” Kensuke said, “we’ll have a lock on…”

Haruki watched the elderly man trail off, and lean back in his chair. “What?”

The government official turned and stared at him with the distinct unease of someone in possession of painful knowledge. “Um,” He closed his eyes, cleared his throat, then steadied his expression. “Kawakatsu-san, you might want to sit down.”

Haruki got a chill, but pulled up a chair and gently lowered himself into it. “Tell me.”

“Fast Mover is at the Fumakota Neurological Recovery Center,” Kensuke explained. “They’re a mental health facility that specializes in behavior modification.”

Haruki’s eyebrows lowered. What did that have to do with anything? Nothing Kenshi did required such heavy-handed psychology.

His hand dropped from his mouth. A twitch traveled up his arm. Suddenly, it made sickening sense. The first time they hung out, the boy seemed uneasy around his parents. His parents asked nonsense questions about Haruki’s ‘intentions’ with their son. The way he turned beet red when Haruki had been defeated by Aeriesai and brought to Kenshi’s house naked.

The younger brother’s words echoed in his mind. “Mom! His boyfriend is here!”

“Oh my god…” Haruki uttered.

“Conversion therapy,” Operative said. His words were a neutron star’s gravity, weighing them down with implication. To say it out loud put a cold nail of truth in Haruki’s emotions.

It was Combat Queen who twisted the nail in harder. “He’s in love with you.”

Tears began to stream down Haruki’s cheeks. “I…I never even considered…!”

“Heads up!” Matomaru yelled. “He’s on…!”

Before he could finish the sentence, Fast Mover zoomed into the room with them. They stared at him, his body soaked with sweat, remnants of spittle dripping from his mouth. He opened his mouth to speak, then wavered and fell.

Haruki reacted instantly, catching him lightning fast and lowering him to the floor. “I got you!”

Kensuke retrieved a bottle of water and tablet. “This’ll help!” He inserted the tablet into the hero’s mouth, who swallowed it and tilted his head forward to receive water. Several huge gulps drained the bottle.

“Oh…thank you…” Fast Mover uttered, panting. “I’m…I’m not feeling great after…”

“Hold on,” Kensuke said. “Don’t speak just yet.”

“I’ll take him to medical!” Haruki said, carrying him off.

An hour passed as the speedster lay in a bed with the air conditioning turned high and a fan blowing directly on him. A nurse delivered an IV of fluids and nutrients. Once the sun began to lower in the sky, his eyes opened.

“I, I’m back?” Fast Mover sat up in bed and propped against the bedframe.

“Fast Mover,” Kensuke asked, “what happened?”

He took in and let out several big breaths. "Haruki asked me a while back to check on his friend, Kenshi Sugawara.” He swallowed to wet his throat. “I finally got around to it. I get to the family’s house, and his mother gives me a lecture on how he corrupted their son.”

Haruki clutched the edge of a desk to avoid falling. Operative brought Fast Mover a towel to wipe his brow. “Go on,” Matomaru said.

“You see,” Fast Mover said, “I found out he was in conversion therapy.”

“How’d you get in this condition?” Operative asked.

“He has a power-copying drug,” Fast Mover explained.

Kensuke put his hand over his mouth and sighed. “Of course.”

“He said,” Fast Mover uttered, before going into a coughing fit. “He said he had to save Haruki.”

Everyone stared. Combat Queen put the details together. “From his point of view, Haruki went to school then had to be taken out for ‘family troubles.’”

“So,” Matomaru speculated, “what can we deduce from his intentions?”

“Not much,” Kensuke replied. “We don’t know what he means by ‘save’ Haruki, and we don’t know the circumstances of his getting the pills. For all we know he’s part of it.”

Haruki stood up sharply. His chair clattered on the floor. “We have to get to him.”

“What are you going to do?” Kensuke asked. “Fight him?”

“He’s our best bet at Aeriesai!”

“Think,” Matomaru argued. “For all we know, it’s a trap.”

“Who else is going to be able to make contact?” Haruki said.

The two government men looked at each other. “Alright then,” Kensuke said. “Go ahead and try. But if he betrays you, I’m sending everyone in.”