way back to the site, and they were conducting routine checks of the subway tunnels throughout the city, but so far there had been no trace of the missing villains.
“Is it possible they left town?” said Oscar. “Like, after Ace was captured, maybe they decided enough is enough?”
“It’s too early to determine that,” said Adrian. “And if they didn’t up and leave after being down in those tunnels all these years, I doubt they’d run away now.”
“Unless they finally ran out of options?” said Ruby. “I mean, Queen Bee, Cyanide, and Phobia. None of them are exactly masters of disguise. You would think if they were wandering around the city, someone, somewhere, would have noticed them.”
“There are a lot of abandoned buildings in this city,” said Adrian. “There are a lot of places to hide.”
Danna grunted and gestured at the report on Adrian’s screen. “Which means they could be anywhere, and none of this is going to give us any leads.”
“Yeah, but right now, it’s the best we’ve got.” Adrian’s voice lowered. “Unless Ace Anarchy or Nightmare give us something to work with.”
“All right, patrols,” yelled Blacklight, strolling through the scattered groups in his signature black leather jacket and skintight pants. He was carrying a large plastic crate. “Gather ’round, gather ’round. I know it’s been an eventful twenty-four hours, but we do have important business to tend to before I release you all to further your gossip. As you know, our public reveal of Agent N is in less than four weeks. It’s to take place at the arena, and media from all over the world will be in attendance. We need to be fully prepared for all patrols to be equipped with the serum before then. As the recent attack on headquarters has understandably left a few of us on edge, we are going to be implementing some new precautions to ensure that Agent N cannot be used against our own.”
“Precautions?” said the Wrecking Ball, fisting her hands on her hips. “Like maybe destroying all of the remaining Agent N and never bringing it up again?”
Blacklight cast her a withering look. “Har-har. Nothing so drastic as that. Now, I understand your concerns—we all do, and we were all devastated to lose Frostbite and her team. But this weapon has been an important investment for us, and it remains our best hope at eliminating villains and dangerous prodigies from our city. We were unprepared for an enemy to have access to Agent N, it’s true, but we will not be making the same mistake again.”
“Investment,” scoffed another Renegade, Coyote. “I’m beginning to think Genissa is right—that’s all the Council cares about. Their investments.”
Adrian frowned at the back of Coyote’s head. Though the words had been muffled under his breath, it was clear he’d intended them to be heard. Adrian disagreed, though. The Council cared about them, each of them, and all of the citizens of their city. But at the same time, he wondered if the Council’s eagerness was blinding them to the risks of pushing forward with Agent N. With all the attacks from the media and the public’s mounting doubts about the Renegades’ ability to keep them safe, they were desperate to make it appear that they were still in control.
But at what cost? Did they really believe they could keep their own Renegades safe from Agent N after what had happened to Frostbite’s team?
Blacklight set the crate on a table and pulled out a bulky gas mask. “Our friends in tech have made modifications to these masks, and after a series of tests, we can confirm that they will protect a prodigy from Agent N in gas form, which, as you know, was one of the methods Nightmare used to neutralize Frostbite and the others. Effective immediately, all patrol units will be equipped with a gas mask during active duty.”
He started tossing the masks into the crowd. The patrols caught them, almost unwillingly. There was distaste written on their faces as they inspected the cumbersome masks.
Blacklight tossed one to Adrian and he quickly understood his peers’ irritation. The band meant to wrap around his head was stretchy rubber and the bulbous filter over the mouth was heavy and hideous.
“We’re expected to wear these during patrols?” said Shot Blast.
“Only if you feel you’re in danger from an enemy who could have access to Agent N.”
Ruby raised her hand. “How are we supposed to know who may or may not have access to Agent N? Who knows who