A Villain's Hero

Chapter 15 - Matteo

The Cover Legion building no longer felt safe to him. He worked in it, lived in it, and for years, Matteo had thought of it as his home. Realistically, nothing had changed, but Matteo kept replaying what he'd seen and the word "illegal" that had come out of Max's mouth.

Speaking of Max, although on the surface he seemed the same, Matteo noticed that he was more alert and serious than usual. He hadn't said much, so Matteo didn't know what his plan was, but it seemed that while Matteo had been busy in San Dence, Max hadn't slacked off in Goldby City.

There was also another significant change in the case. Max decided to explain the situation to Ciara. She was part of their team, and while she wasn't as young as Matteo, she was still young enough not to have worked with Tigress and Mimic all those years ago, and that was enough for Max to be sure they could trust her.

If Sawyer hadn't decided to quit, he would probably have been part of the team, too.

Still, it was too small a team to investigate the corruption of an entire organisation of heroes, and they were all well aware of it.

"I'm telling you, we'll set a trap, catch Revenger, and find out what he knows and, more importantly, how he knows it," Ciara suggested again, tapping her finger on the table.

"Because catching Revenger is so easy," Matteo muttered in annoyance. Ciara was well aware of Matteo's failed attempts to catch the masked villain, but suddenly, she was talking about catching him as if he were a common thief on the street.

"There's three of us, and he's alone," Ciara pointed out, looking at the blonde as if he was the one who was an idiot for doubting her plan.

"It wouldn't be the first time multiple superheroes have gone after him. Revenger is clever and always prepared. Surprising him is impossible," Matteo countered. Though it sounded like praise for his nemesis, it was simply the truth that soured the hero's mouth.

"Matteo's right," Max finally interjected. "Besides, it wouldn't be a good idea to catch Revenger. He's one step ahead of us, and it's obvious that he knows what he's doing. We don't need to fight him to find out what he's up to. Just follow him."

"Most of the time we don't even know where he is until it's in the paper the next day," Ciara reminded, and Matteo immediately remembered the Vista Avenue article.

"First things first, let's go through all the news of the last year and make a map of all the places where the Revenger has been seen or where Matteo has fought him. Maybe we'll find something we missed before," Max suggested, resting his hands on the back of the chair in front of him.

"And then?" Ciara asked.

"In the meantime, we'll wait for him to show up again," Max corrected her, turning to Matteo. "He already gave you the information once, I don't see why he shouldn't do it again. He obviously wants us to know."

"What if it's a trap?" Ciara asked before Matteo could speak.

"It could be," Max admitted. "I'm certainly not saying we should let our guard down. Matteo will be the main handler with the Revenger, but one of us will be around whenever possible. And don't forget our comms."

"I don't think it'll be hard for you to make sure Matteo's OK from up close, Vague," Max added with an amused smile. Although Revenger had been able to use Matteo's ability against him, he doubted he could do the same with Ciara. It was literally impossible to see her coming, not to mention the fact that she would also be able to make Matteo invisible if necessary.

"What about San Dence?" Matteo asked this time, changing the subject. Max told him that he would take care of it and that Matteo didn't need to go back, but the bad feeling he had about what he had seen there still hadn't left him, and he knew it wouldn't until he had some answers.