《Plac-Hero Efffect》


 Plac-Hero Effect: Chapter 1

    A heavy rain poured down upon the city. The full moon looked shy as it hid behind the dark clouds that filled the sky while occasionally peaking out. The darkened concrete stretched out across the metal jungle. Perhaps it was due to the rain or maybe it was because of the late hour but either way there were few pedestrians and even fewer cars around.


    A man dressed in a long black coat slowly made his way down the sidewalk. With his face covered by the brim of his black hat the man discreetly turned and entered into an alleyway. He held onto his left leg with one hand while the other was used to balance himself against the brick wall of the alley. Step by step the man slowly limped to the back of the alley. The man stopped when he reached the backdoor to what appeared to be a factory. The smell of wet rust entered the man¡¯s nose as he fiddled with the chains and the lock that kept the door closed. The lock and chain only managed to slow the man down slightly. A pair of thin metal picks appeared in the man¡¯s hands as he made quick work of the lock. The chains rattled as they loosened up and fell to the floor, the man entered the building.


    Two policemen got out of their cop car and began surveying the area. One of the policemen asked the other ¡°Hey Joe, you sure this the right place? This a completely different direction than where he was headed to.¡±. The cop called Joe then pulled out a small electronic device with a monitor ¡° Shut it Mark, I¡¯m sure this is the place. The signal is the strongest here, now we just need to look.¡±. After searching for about fifteen minutes under the pouring rain one of the policemen smiled as he approached an alleyway and saw a puddle that had turned red ¡°Hey I think I know where he went.¡±.


    The policemen pulled their pistols out as they cautiously made their way through the alley with their fingers hovering over their triggers. The sound of their steps were drowned out by the pitter patter of the rain, and both officers eventually reached the door that the man had been at previously. After taking notice of the chains and the lock on the floor the officer pulled out his electronic device once again. After looking at the device Joe sent a nod of confirmation to his partner Mark. Joe put his electronic device away and sent some signals to his partner using hand gestures before entering through the door.


    Inside was a dark and unorganized storage area. Both policemen held a flashlight up beside their pistols. Alongside one of the walls were a row of lockers. The eyes of both policemen stopped in front of one of the lockers where a few drops of blood were visible on the floor. Joe raised his pistol as he approached the locker ¡°Detective Alexander Kim please don¡¯t make things difficult for us we¡¯re just trying to do our jobs. You¡¯ve got every station in the city running around looking for you.¡± Joe waited but seeing as there was no response he began moving closer to the lockers ¡° I know that the situations pretty messy right now detective but you can trust us to protect you as long as you cooperate. We¡¯re from the south central precinct under sergeant Douglas. The serg will take care of everything but we need you to follow us back to our station, it¡¯s the only place that¡¯s safe.¡±


    After a few moments of silence officer Joe reached the front of the locker. Seeing that there was still no response he aimed his pistol and began firing Bang! Bang! Bang!Smoke wafted from the hot barrel of the pistol and the smell of gunpowder was now present in the air as three new holes could be seen on the door of the rusted locker. Officer Joe stood in front of the locker with his whole body tensed. The thick stench of iron prevailed over all else as blood began to spill out from the bottom of the locker. Joe¡¯s body finally relaxed ¡°Looks like we got hi-huh?¡± Joe opened the locker but inside was the body of a white middle aged male covered in tattoos.


    Suddenly a figure dropped from the ceiling landing directly on officer Mark who had been waiting a few feet behind Joe. As soon as the figure landed he used one hand to cover Mark¡¯s mouth as he dragged him into the darkness. All of this happened too quickly. By the time Joe turned around with his pistol ready and his flashlight providing some visibility the figure as well as his partner were gone. Beads of sweat formed over his forehead and began collecting over the arches of his thick brows. Even covered in water and the chilly night¡¯s air his body was hot, urging him to leave this place. His body tensed as he tried to slow down his shaky breathing. Breath by breath he managed to calm down and focus on his surroundings.


    With his concentration raised to the highest Joe was able to detect a faint metallic click click ¡®shit¡¯. Joe raised his arms in front of his face. His skin quickly turned gray and changed to a rough stone like texture Bang!Sparks lit up the dark room for a brief second as a bullet bounced off of Joe¡¯s body. His body jolted back from the impact but he was able to quickly fix his stance. With one arm guarding his face Joe used the other to fire his pistol in the direction he was shot from Bang! Bang!Shortly after he had fired off the two shots he was hit again but from a different direction Bang!¡®Damn it!¡¯the veins bulging from the side of his gray, stone forehead. Frustration building as he continued to fruitlessly hunt down the direction of his shooter with his own shots only to end up getting hit from another direction.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    Click click, click clickJoe¡¯s face twisted into a nasty snarl ¡°Fuck!¡± as he shouted he threw his empty pistol into the darkness. ¡®I can¡¯t keep my abilities up for much longer¡¯he thought to himself as he built up his resolve for a last ditch effort. He began to smash all the crates, desks, tables anything that could be used to hide he destroyed. After a few minutes of his indiscriminate destruction a figure jumped down from the top of the metallic shelves Joe had just tackled. As Joe was trying to get up from the rubble he felt something loop around his neck and then an immense pressure. ¡®Heh I finally got you¡¯There was a figure standing over the kneeling Joe. He stood behind as he tightly gripped the metal handles attached to the steel wire wrapped around Joe¡¯s neck.


    Even with the man strangling him Joe was able to slowly rise to his feet, now dwarfing the man behind him by an inch or two. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re out of luck detective. I¡¯ll admit you almost got me, if you could have played hide and seek for a couple more minutes my power would be completely drained¡±. Detective Kim ignored Joe¡¯s words as he continued to pull the wire in his hands while clinging to Joe¡¯s back. ¡°The silent treatment huh? Well lets see how long you can keep it up¡± Joe ran in reverse slamming the detective into the wall behind them. Detective Kim let out a small grunt as a small trickle of blood dripped from the corner of his mouth but he kept the wire pulled taut.


    Thud! Thud! Thud!The relieved expression officer Joe had when he first found the detective slowing began to change to one of panic as he saw that despite ramming into the wall at full force multiple times the wire around his neck hadn¡¯t loosened a single bit. With the shadow of death looming over him Joe let out crazed yells as he continued his efforts with a renewed vigor. But his struggles would only last for a few moments as shortly after his breathing become labored and his movements more and more sluggish. Detective Kim smiled grimly while coughing up a mouthful of blood ¡°hahaha¡± his soft laughter chilling and devoid of emotion ¡°Looks like you¡¯re out of luck officer. I¡¯ll admit you almost had me. If only you could have struggled for a bit longer. Although I¡¯m sure that your struggling is what drained your powers even quicker¡±.


    The mockery and condescension behind the detectives voice as he returned the words the officer had spoken to him just moments before were perhaps even more vicious than his cold laughter. Detective Kim kicked the back of Officer Joe¡¯s knees and with no more strength left to resist he was forced to the ground. As he kneeled Joe began grasping at the wire around his neck and tears streamed down his face as he sobbed ¡°P-please d-d-don¡¯t do this. I have a daughter, she¡¯s only ten and I¡¯m all she has¡±. The wire refused to loosen as Detective Kim responded ¡°Everyone has a family officer, someone that would miss them if they were gone¡±.


    ¡°No please! I didn¡¯t even want to do this. I was just a regular construction worker but they found out about my powers. They took my daughter and forced me to work for them. I don¡¯t know what they¡¯ll do to her after I¡¯m gone. Please just let me go. I¡¯ll disappear, I won¡¯t tell them anything. I just want to save my little girl, please I¡¯m begging you.¡±. Detective Kim simply shook his head ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t let you go. I don¡¯t relish in the fact that an innocent life must be involved but for the plans I have painstakingly built it¡¯s a price that must be paid. If I let you go you would simply become another uncontrollable variable I would have to factor into the equation.¡±.


    Starting from the bottom up Joe¡¯s skin began returning to normal. The gray stone texture slowly disappearing. ¡°No! Please! Oh God no!¡± Joe struggled to maintain his power but it only served to slow down the transformation of his skin. Eventually the stone texture covering his neck was also gone and the wire that had been grinding against stone began to dig into his flesh. The pressure so great Joe could not even utter a sound, his face contorted in pain, his lungs burning like a great inferno were present in his body. Surprisingly after a short moment of silence Detective Kim began speaking but with a warmer and humane voice ¡°Although it may be inappropriate for me to say this as the one who is delivering you to the darkness of death but I hope you can find solace in the fact that the plans I have made are for people like you. So that no one else should have to suffer a fate such as yours. So that your daughter may be the last that has to lose her father. I want you to know that you and your daughter¡¯s sacrifice are not vain and empty but add to the weight of a cause much greater than ourselves.¡±


    The hands that once gripped at the wire limply fell to the sides of his body. Even with the body limp and unresponsive Kim kept the wire tout for another minute. After letting the body drop to the floor with a dull thud he then drew out the pistol from his holster. He pulled out the clip and checked the chamber ¡®Just one bullet left. How fitting¡¯He lowered the pistol aiming at the back of Joe¡¯s head Bang!


    ¡®I guess that¡¯s the weight of two more souls I have to shoulder¡¯ Kim took off his black coat and the white long sleeved dress shirt he had underneath. His back was an assortment of black, purple and green. What was of even more concern were the pieces of wood sticking out from the bloody wounds on his lower back. He pulled out the larger fragment before he took out a thin metal cylinder the size of a pencil. He twisted the bottom end of it resulting in a needle appearing on the other end. Without any hesitation he then stabbed the needle into the right side of his lower back.


    The flesh on his back began to wriggle as though his muscles had turned into hundreds of earthworms that were moving underneath his skin. ¡°Aagghhh! Rrrrrraahhhhh!¡± He fell to his knees as he began yelling and grunting in pain. Miraculously shards of wood and metal began being ejected from his wounds and they slowly began to close, leaving only faint scars. ¡°huuuuh huuuuh¡± His slow and laboured breathing a testimony to the painful ordeal he had just gone through. He rises to his feet and closes his eyes ¡®God, I am not afraid of the weight of my actions but of how much longer I can continue to carry it. All I ask is for a chance to say goodbye to her. Please grant me the strength to last just a little bit longer and I can accept my punishment with no regrets¡¯After all his wounds finished mending themselves he put back on his ragged and bloody attire before proceeding into the darkness of the building.

 Plac-Hero Effect: Chapter 2

    Detective Kim approached a rusty pulley that was close to the entrance of the building. He untied a rope that was tied down to a metal handle on the side of the wall. After being untied the rope whizzed into the air as a figure began to free fall towards the ground. Luckily for the figure he landed into a pile of empty cardboard boxes that helped to cushion his fall. The sorry looking figure was officer Mark. His face was covered in bruises, his eyes were covered with a blindfold, his entire body was tied up with rope, and there was a cloth gag in his mouth.


    Kim pulled Officer Mark up and guided him to a support pillar where he then tied him to. He then stared at the tied up officer ¡®hmm I was able to restrain him and knock him out with one clean blow to the back of his head so I wasn¡¯t able to see what his ability is. But seeing as he¡¯s now conscious and yet hasn¡¯t freed himself from the ropes he must not have a transformation type ability such as turning his body into a beast or changing the state of his body to an element such as fire or ice. I can probably cross out enhancement type abilities such as increased strength. Seeing as how he stayed a good distance from his partner it wouldn¡¯t make sense unless his ability was a suppression type or an emission type.¡¯


    After coming to a conclusion he inserted some rubber earplugs into his ears before walking in front of Officer Mark. ¡°I want you to listen and listen closely because I will only say this once. I will ask you some easy questions and all you have to say is yes or no. If you can cooperate with me I guarantee that I will not hurt you. But if you so much as utter a sound besides the yes or no I am looking for I will have to punish you. Now before I take out your gag nod your head if you understand¡± Seeing Mark nod his head Detective Kim began walking towards him ¡°Good, I like quick learners the best¡± When Kim reached Mark instead of pulling out the gag as expected he walked behind Mark to where his hands and arm were tied to the pillar. He then pulled out a six inch knife in a black leather sheath from his coat. He unsheathed the knife and swiped down in one fluid motion.


    ¡°Mmmhffff!¡± the gag muffled the noises coming out of Mark¡¯s mouth but the puddle of blood on the floor surrounding his detached pinky were enough to convey the pain he must be in. Kim then wrapped the wound tightly with a cloth ¡°Lets get that wrapped up. Wouldn¡¯t want you bleeding out now would we?¡±. He then patted Mark on the shoulder ¡°I want you to know that you didn¡¯t do anything wrong. You followed the rules just as you were supposed to. What I did just now was a quick demonstration of the kind of punishment you can expect if you do break the rules. But starting from now you can be assured that you won¡¯t experience any pain as long as you cooperate. Nod again if you understand¡±. This time being visibly shaken by the cruelty of Kim¡¯s actions Mark¡¯s entire body trembled as he nodded.


    Kim pulled out the gag before then walking to a spot ten feet in front of Mark. He shined the flashlight he confiscated from Officer Joe onto Mark¡¯s face ¡°First question are you and you¡¯re partner really Moval City police officers?¡± Although the earplugs blocked any sound from entering his ears with the flashlight providing enough illumination he was able to read Mark¡¯s lips ¡°No¡±.


    After a couple of questions Kim was able to confirm a few things. First was that both Mark and Joe were not Moval City police officers. Second of all was that they belong to an external organization that had been called to the city to get rid of him. But most importantly for right now Kim was able to make some headway into identifying Mark¡¯s ability.


    ¡®He keeps claiming that he¡¯s not an N-Type and that he doesn¡¯t have an awakened ability but I highly doubt that whatever organization he belongs to would send one N-Type out on an assignment without another one to cover his back. The only scenario that would make sense would be if the normie was highly proficient in a skill set that was extremely useful to a field operation such as this. But his hand to hand combat ability was rather poor and he doesn¡¯t seem to posses any special capabilities. So for sure he must be a N-Type. Seeing as how he has obediently followed the rules answering with only a yes or no his ability can¡¯t be a vocal hypnosis type or an emission type dependent on his mouth such as fire breath or sonic screech. I guess it¡¯s time to move onto stage two.¡¯


    Mark panicked after his finger was cut. The pain drove the fear of death deep into his bones. But even scarier than the prospect of death was that man¡¯s cruel promise of even more maddening pain if he didn¡¯t cooperate. His mind was in disarray and his spirit was about to crumble. But right before he was about to go over the edge his elevated heart rate began to return to normal levels and his mind began to calm down. This was the results of three years of training. Although this was the most dangerous situation he had faced since he began working for the organization the training and experience he had accumulated over time gave him the mental fortitude to stop himself from falling to despair.


    ¡®Just look for your chance. Keep cool and focus man you got this¡¯ Mark pretended to be panicked as he obediently answered Kim¡¯s questions. He answered everything honestly except for when he was asked about his ability. He insisted that he was just an ordinary human a ¡®normie¡¯. He hoped to take Kim off guard with his ability but for that to work he needed Kim to believe that he didn¡¯t have one.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    inally his chance came. ¡°Your cooperation is greatly appreciated. Now were moving onto round two of this interrogation, I¡¯m going to ask you questions that will need complete answers not just a yes or no response. If you give me what I want this could be your chance to get set free. Now as a show of good faith I¡¯m going to take the blindfold off you, next up could be your arms or legs.¡±


    Mark felt something touch his head for a brief moment. Then he estimated the location of his target to be somewhere ahead of him by the sound of his footsteps. After a force whipped his head to the side the blindfold flew off as blinding light assaulted his eyes. Momentarily dazed by the large influx of light and the burning pain in his eyes his vision gradually returned. He saw the blindfold at his feet with a rope tied to it going in the direction of the figure ahead of him. The figure ahead had the other side of the rope by his feet and a bright flashlight in his hand aimed in his direction. The light pointing directly at him hindered Mark¡¯s sight but it was enough that he could make out the general outline of the figure ahead of him. ¡®Now!¡¯


    ¡° I would like to ask you a few que-¡± The voice was interrupted midway as 2 silver lights shot out of Mark¡¯s eyes towards the figure in front of him. The lights wrapped around the figure completely encasing him in a silver cocoon ¡°ha-haha¡­.Hahahahaha!¡±first a nervous chuckle followed by a maniacal laughter Mark laughed uncontrollably as tears streamed down his face ¡°I did it. I did it¡±. His body trembled in joy until his vision went dark as he felt something cover his eyes from behind ¡°Check-Mate¡±. The blood chilling voice instantly shattered Mark¡¯s spirit. If the new blindfold were to be removed you would be able to see a pair of glossed over eyes that had lost all hope. ¡°It¡¯s amazing what you can do with a mannequin, a cellphone and a bit of duck tape isn¡¯t it?¡± Mark¡¯s body limply fell to the floor as Kim cut the ropes binding him with his knife ¡°Now I¡¯ll be having you answer my questions if you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    A few minutes later Detective Kim stood over Mark¡¯s lifeless body. Besides a stab wound directly over his heart and the missing pinky finger Mark¡¯s body didn¡¯t have any noticeable wounds indicating that no further torture was needed for Kim to obtain the information that he needed. A grim expression could be seen of Kim¡¯s face as he contemplated ¡®Shit. According to that guy the governments been gathering N-Types for at least five years, maybe even longer. And their supposed to have a grand cause that they were kicking into full gear this year. Does that mean the N-Type suppression rumors are more than just that? Fuck! I need to warn them¡­I need to warn her.¡¯


    As Kim began to walk away his left leg shook violently before breaking into an awkward L shape. ¡°Ahh!¡± He fell to the ground ¡®Is this from three days ago when I jumped out of the fourth floor of the hotel?¡¯ Kim then recalled the words that the Professor had left him.


    A week ago Detective Kim dropped by the university to visit the Professor in his office. Behind a desk filled with scattered papers and books sat a wrinkled old man with a head of unkempt white hair. He fiddled around with some doodles and sketches until he noticed the man that had just walked in, Detective Kim. The detective was dressed in a semi casual attire consisting of black slacks, a white collared shirt with the long sleeves folded at the elbows and some black leather shoes. He smiled at the Professor ¡°Looking good as always Professor. I especially love what you did with your hair today, very stylish¡± After hearing the man¡¯s words the Professor went back to his doodles ¡°You know that I am not one for small talk Detective. If your purpose for today was to merely exchange pointless pleasantries I would kindly appreciate it if you would show yourself to the exit¡± The smile on Detective Kim¡¯s face slowly retracted as he said in a serious tone ¡°I need those boosters Professor, a lot of them.¡±


    The Professor turned to the Detective with a sigh ¡°Sigh, I think I¡¯d rather return to the pleasantries Detective¡± The Professor asked ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± Kim nodded ¡°I¡¯m sure Professor¡± The Professor looked worriedly at the young man ¡°Can I ask for what purposes you will be needing them?¡± Kim shook his head apologetically ¡°I¡¯m sorry Professor, I can¡¯t tell you right now. But I can promise you that what I am about to do is for the benefit of N-Types¡±


    The Professor stared at the young man in front of him for a few seconds before deciding to relent. He reached underneath his desk and typed in a code into a hidden key pad. A secret compartment popped out from the side of the wall. After a red laser scanned the Professor¡¯s left eye the door of the compartment opened up. The Professor pulled out ten thin silver cylindrical items which he then held out in front of him ¡°With how much you¡¯ve done for us I would never harbor any doubts of you bringing harm to innocent N-Types. I know that you¡¯ll always be there to protect N-Types but Alex¡­Who will be there to protect you?¡±


    Detective Kim let out a small chuckle ¡°Hehe you¡¯re so easy to read Professor, you only use my first name whenever there¡¯s something troubling you. Don¡¯t worry I¡¯m only taking these for insurance, in case anything goes wrong. I don¡¯t even know if I¡¯ll really need them. It¡¯s more of a better safe than sorry kinda thing okay?¡± Kim reached out to grab the cylinders from the Professor¡¯s hand only to realize that the Professor was gripping on to them tightly.


    As both of them held onto the silver cylinders the Professor grabbed Kim¡¯s outstretched hand with his other hand ¡°Just remember that there is always a limit to what one man can accomplish by himself. Stubbornly trying to tackle an insurmountable goal isn¡¯t courageous, heroic or any other lofty noble ideal. Instead it is a mere exercise in futility. These are the first batch that I have finished cultivating. Once injected they will cause rapid correction and healing. But these are not some miracle medicine, they don¡¯t just magically heal wounds. They exponentially increase the speed of cell growth while reading the target¡¯s DNA to ensure accurate reproduction. Every time it is used you burn off the lifespan of your cells. So before I can hand them to you I need you to promise me your safety¡± Kim looked at the Professor straight in the eyes ¡°I promise Professor¡±


    Now back to the current situation. Kim laid on the ground as old wounds re-emerged all around his body. His blood leaked through his clothes pooling into a small crimson puddle. He pulled out another silver cylinder from his coat as he then stabbed it into his chest. The wounds then began closing up one by one as he laid on the floor gasping for air. ¡®Looks like I don¡¯t have time left¡­ I need to get this information to them. I need to warn her¡¯

 Plac-Hero Effect: Chapter 3

    Inside of the warehouse in a dark room. Kim was sitting in front of his laptop as he copied all of his files to an external hard drive. Beads of sweat rolled down his face as he could feel the chaotic state that his body was in. When his screen flashed indicating that the files were all successfully copied he hid his laptop and the hard drive in a hollowed out portion of the wall that was covered by a poster. He pulled out a pen but strangely when he pressed down on the end with his thumb it flashed a red light three times before returning to normal.


    Kim was only able to relax for a second before he swung his head in the direction of the door. Everything appeared normal, the door was closed just like it had been a few seconds ago. But Kim couldn¡¯t shake the feeling off. Something was wrong, his body and his senses were both trying to warn him. He quietly walked towards the door. Controlling every muscle in his body to move precisely to avoid creating any sounds. Eventually even his heart rate began slowing and quieting down. He leaned towards the door and closed his eyes. It was then that he could tell,even without a visual confirmation, someone was there.


    Bam! A fist came smashing through the wooden door. Somehow Kim was able to take a step back just in time to exit the range of the fist. He quickly pulled out a police baton from his coat as he used it to deflect a second fist flying towards his head. The arms stuck in the door pulled apart the door sending wooden fragments flying through the air. Kim tried to ward of the wooden shards by raising both his arms in front of his face when he felt something wrap around his waist. A split second later he was sent flying out of the room as he crashed into the wall of the large open section of the warehouse.


    Clack clack clack The sound of leather boots tapping against the concrete made their way in Kim¡¯s direction. His vision came back into focus after the disorientation from the impact wore off and his vision adjusted to the dimness. The first thing he saw was a beautiful brunette dressed in black form fitting pants and a white tank top that exposed her stomach. With her long hair tied behind her soft angled face combined with her dynamite figure, it was enough to light a fire in any man¡¯s heart. But for Kim what he was feeling right now was the exact opposite. He felt all the blood in his body turn ice cold as he gazed at the monster in front of him.


    ¡®Rosanna Altino¡¯ That seemingly innocent name only brought gruesome images to his mind. As the legitimate first born child of Vincent Altino she was expected to continue their family¡¯s line of crime related business going and inherit the position of power from her father. Since a young age she had already been exposed to the dark side of society. Cruelty and bloodshed were nothing new to her. But after that fateful day when people began awakening strange abilities it was like a monster was given wings. She used her new abilities to become her family¡¯s most effective weapon. Hundreds of mutilated corpses could be traced back to her but because of her family¡¯s political power and the lack of substantial evidence the police could only watch on as she continue her slaughter.


    ¡°Detective Alexander Kim, looks like I finally managed to find you.¡± Her alluring voice playfully carried her words. ¡°You know what? I¡¯m actually impressed. Before you the longest any target was able to hide from me was two days. But you¡¯ve been scurrying past my tracking for five days now. Not only that you¡¯ve been hiding from both the police and the crime families as well some mysterious third party. I really have to give you credit for that.¡±


    As she made her way closer and closer to Kim, Rosanna then sighed ¡°Sigh Unfortunately we have to finish up this fun little game. My father is terribly upset right now. He was heartbroken to hear about your betrayal Detective.¡± Kim was slowly getting up. His body shaky as though just moving was a struggle. With some hidden and discrete movements his left hand touched his belt buckle as two thumbtack sized darts flew out and embedded theme selves into Rosanna¡¯s exposed stomach. Being only a few feet away Rosanna was unable to dodge. Then a sick crackling sound was heard as a terrifying current of electricity began flowing into her body.


    Seizing the chance Kim rushed towards her, instantly closing the distance between them. With a massive overhand swing the baton in his right hand swung down diagonally smashing into her temple. After the follow through he swung the baton again bringing the baton back up diagonally smashing it into the opposite temple. Crack! Fragments of metal flew as the end of the baton whizzed into the darkness. Kim threw the handle away as he began launching haymakers. A right hook utilizing the force from his lower body, the twist of his hip, and the power of his shoulder and wrist, sent a force generated by his entire body drilling into Rosanna¡¯s temple.


    Left right, left right, hook hook, uppercut uppercut. Kim¡¯s body blurred nonstop as each blow decisively landed either on her temples or Jaw, all lethal targets. Power, speed, body coordination, Kim¡¯s display touched the realm of the highest top tier athletes. Just as his hand was about to come down with another fearsome blow it was stopped mid swing by a furry orange tail that had wrapped around his wrist.


    Clap clap clap ¡°So these are the legendary boxing skills of Detective Alexander Kim. I have to say that you must really take care of yourself. I felt like I was up against a world champion for a seco-¡± A knife slid down from inside the sleeve of his coat as Kim then plunged it towards her heart with his free hand. The knife was stopped just inches away by a hand that looked halfway between belonging to a human and a beast. It was covered in short orange fur but the lean strong muscles were still visible and the fingers had sharp black claws an inch long.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°But more impressive than your physical abilities I have to admire your decisiveness, your ruthlessness and focus. I can see why you were the highest paid on the family¡¯s payroll Detective.¡± Kim looked at Rosanna as her eyes now glowed yellow and appeared the same as the eyes of a large wild cat. ¡°Now if you don¡¯t mind I believe my father would like a word with you¡± All Kim could catch was an orange blur from the edges of his vision.


    ¡°Jesus Rosey I thought I told you to bring him back so I could talk to him. How the fuck am I supposed to talk to the prick when you put him in a god damn coma?¡± Kim could hear a familiar deep and raspy voice. ¡°Ain¡¯t my fault Pops. The guy wouldn¡¯t go to sleep with just a few wacks.¡± The second voice he identified as Rosanna and after a quick thought he was pretty sure of where he was, the situation he was in and the owner of the other voice.


    He was about to keep pretending in order to buy more time to come up with a plan but unfortunately Rosanna¡¯s beast like instincts were too sharp to fool ¡°Hey Pops he¡¯s awake now¡± Seeing as how his cover was blown Kim began opening his eyes. His entire face was sore and swollen. Seventy percent of his vision was obstructed and he could feel inside his mouth that a few teeth were missing.


    Even with his vision limited he could tell that he was chained to a metal chair and that all of his clothes had been taken as he sat in only his boxer shorts. ¡°Detective Kim glad to see you awake. I hope you don¡¯t mind Rosey¡¯s heavy handed methods but you really didn¡¯t leave us with any other options.¡±


    Vincent Altino, a man in his mid 40s with a bit of graying starting to appear in his short brown hair. His squarish face and sun beaten complexion gave him a masculine disposition despite his moderate body frame. Vincent pulled a chair from the side as he sat face to face with Kim. ¡°You were one of our best Detective, one of our most trusted. So to hear that you were in cahoots with the N-Types selling em info on the family. Now that broke my heart¡±Vincent put on a pained expression as he jokingly grasped at his chest.


    ¡°So I think there¡¯s only one solution. You sold em info on us now I want the info on them¡± Vincent¡¯s expression became serious ¡°Who is the Queen?¡± Kim painfully smiled with his swollen face ¡°That¡¯s easy Vince. The Queen is the ruler of the Alliance, I thought you knew that¡± Vince let out an annoyed chuckle ¡°Hehe, wise guy huh? You know what I mean! I want her name, her real identity!¡± Towards the end Vincent¡¯s voice turned into a half growl as he yelled.


    Kim just silently looked on at Vincent. Seeing Kim¡¯s silent refusal Vincent then shrugged his shoulders ¡°Alright Detective you¡¯ve forced my hand.¡± He then walked over to the table nearby and grabbed a hammer ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard this story a thousand time by now Detective. When my great grandfather first came to this city he worked day and night as a handyman/ construction worker. Everything my family has now was built up with his rough calloused hands. In order to show appreciation for all of his work and to constantly remind us of where we came from its become a tradition for all the men born in the family to spend a few years learning to work with their hands¡±


    He then picked up a two inch long nail from the box on the table ¡°And there¡¯s one trick that my great grandfather loved showing off¡± Vincent held the nail over the top of Kim¡¯s thigh as the hammer then came crashing down. A sick crunch was heard as the nail pierced bone. The nail was hammered all the way down in only one swing. As the nail pierced his thigh Kim fought against the chains restraining him making them dig into his skin but he didn¡¯t let out a sound.


    Vincent looked at Kim ¡°Very impressive Detective. Most people scream their lungs out on the first nail. So have you changed your mind? Who¡¯s the Queen?¡± Kim glared back at Vincent but his mouth remained shut. ¡°Suit yourself Detective. There¡¯s a bunch of nails on the table and I¡¯ve got all night.¡± One by one nails were hammered into Kim¡¯s leg as Vincent interrogated Kim. But after each nail Kim would just stare at Vincent without letting out a single sound. After an hour both of Kim¡¯s legs had nails going from the top of his thighs down to his knees.


    Vincent stretched his arm and rolled his shoulder as he looked down at the pathetic figure in front of him. Kim¡¯s medium length black hair clung to his face from being soaked in sweat. Blood trickled down both his legs pooling around both his feet. He seemed to lack any strength as his head hung down and yet his mouth never let out a sound and his eyes looked straight into Vincent¡¯s the entire time.


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it Detective. You had everything going for you. A good job, you made good money, a nice house, a real looker for a wife, and you were so close to being promoted. If you had just kept your mouth closed your life would have been smooth sailing. I especially feel bad for Mr.s Kim. She probably got snatched by the group that just came to town to take care of you. But it¡¯s not too late¡±


    Vincent¡¯s tone became a lot calmer as he tried to convince Kim ¡°You might feel like a hero after helping out the N-Types but right now your name has been dragged through some serious mud my friend. All the clean cops know that you¡¯ve been working for us and the public don¡¯t know squat about your little heroics. To them your just another dirty cop¡±


    Vincent continued ¡°But that can all be fixed if you just hand over Queen. Without her the Altino¡¯s ain¡¯t gonna have ??anymore obstructions, we¡¯ll own the city! After that we can clear up your name, get you reinstated. Heck we could get you a promotion just like before. What do you want? Sergeant? Lieutenant? Captain? You tell me what rank you want and what station, it can all be yours again all you gotta do is wisen up¡±


    ¡°haha¡± Kim let out a small laugh that eventually escalated to a maniacal laughter ¡°Hahahaha! Hahaha!¡± Kim mustered up all of his strength to lift his head up to properly stare down Vincent ¡°I¡¯m the one that needs to wisen up!? That¡¯s the best joke I¡¯ve heard all year Vince. On account of our long tenure as business acquaintances let me tell you this. You¡¯re so focused on become the King of spades in a small deck that you haven¡¯t even noticed that the casino is burning down. And just so you know I didn¡¯t just recently betray you. The entire reason I started working for you all those years ago was so that I could feed the Queen and her alliance constant info on your family.¡±


    ¡°This sonova!¡± Vincent¡¯s face turned red from anger and humiliation. He grabbed the hammer and was just about to smash it into Kim¡¯s kneecaps when all of a sudden he felt the temperature in the room start to drop. It was just a slight change at first but then it quickly became so cold that Kim could see his breath in the cold air. Once again Kim began laughing but this time in a calm and amused manor ¡°You said you wanted the Queen Vince. Looks like you¡¯re gonna get your wish.¡±

 Plac-Hero Effect: Chapter 4

    The sound of a fierce struggle could be heard from outside the room. Gunshots rang out and panicked shouts and screams accompanied a few floor shaking explosions. Before long a large muscle headed goon in a tattered suit covered in frost came rushing into the room. ¡°B-b-boss the Queen sh-shes here¡± The goon shivered as he reported the news to Vincent. Vincent was about to relay some orders but before he could his goon was frozen solid. Even with his underling becoming a ice statue just a few feet away from him Vincent didn¡¯t show a worried expression.


    A women whose body seemed to be entirely made of ice walked through the door. She stood at around five feet eight inches tall. Her tight and athletic body gave off a different attraction compared to Rosanna but was still very alluring. Her light blue hair was tied into a bun and her face was devoid of any features instead looking like a flawless mirror made of ice. Her entire body gave off a faint blue light.


    She turned her head and after seeing Kim in his current state her body faintly trembled. Vincent clapped his hands clap clap clap ¡°Very impressive Queen, but you really should have just counted your blessings and stayed hiding. I left you alone because taking care of you would have been a hassle, not because I didn¡¯t have the means. Rosey! Show our guest here what happens when you don¡¯t behave¡± Rosanna replied ¡°Sure thing Pops¡±


    Rosanna¡¯s body underwent a transformation. Her height grew to a towering six feet six inches tall and all of her muscles swelled in size. Short orange fur grew all over her body as her legs changed to the shape of a cat¡¯s. At the end she was a large muscular bipedal beast with black razor sharp claws and orange fur. Her glowing yellow eyes focused onto Queen ¡°Lets have some fun Snowflake¡±


    Rosanna¡¯s image seemingly disappeared before reappearing right next to Queen. Her large claw shot towards Queen¡¯s face but before it could get close it was intercepted by a small wall of ice that condensed out of midair. The claw left deep scars in the ice but it lost all of its momentum in the process. A spear made of ice materialized and plunged towards Rosanna¡¯s heart but shattered after colliding with her arm as she blocked the attack.


    Although the ice attacks couldn¡¯t pierce through her defence they would imbed a cold chill in wherever they connected so Rosanna shifted to a more active defense. Weaving and dodging, shifting from side to side or just moving to different spots in the room Rosanna was able to dodge all of Queen¡¯s attacks but left unable to retaliate herself.


    Kim watched on as Queen and Rosanna exchanged countless blows within the span of a few breaths. ¡®This doesn¡¯t make sense. Queen was nowhere near this powerful before. Even if she made another breakthrough this is too big of a leap. Could she have?¡­¡¯ Kim¡¯s thoughts were interrupted when a massive shock wave knocked over the chair he was chained to.


    Rosanna charged at Queen and slammed both of her claws with all of her strength. Queen raised both of her hand conjuring a thick wall of ice. The collision resulted in a large impact that sent a shock wave flying through the room. Realizing the stalemate between them Queen raised one of her hands towards Rosanna. Using a large portion of her remaining energy Queen entrapped Rosanna in a large globe of thick ice that had a strong glow of blue light.


    Trapped in the ice Rosanna attempts to break out but all of her attacks only result in small marks and scratches. Before Queen could walk over to Detective Kim Vincent appeared from the cover of the knocked over table. He raised a pistol in his hand and aimed at the defenceless detective Bang! Bang! ¡°Nooo!¡± Queen screamed with a mechanical sounding voice as she then shot a spike of ice into the heart of Vincent. After being impaled with the cold spike Vincent dropped his pistol and collapsed to the floor.


    Queen ran over to Detective Kim. She cut his chains with a blade of ice and re-positioned his body to inspect his wounds. There was a gunshot in the bottom and center of his abdomen. Queen used her powers to cover the wounds in a layer of ice in order to stop the bleeding. ¡°Queen we need to get out of here¡± Kim¡¯s weak voice brought Queen¡¯s attention back to their situation. She nodded as she lifted him into her arms and carried him away.


    Seeing her father killed in front of her and seeing the one responsible for it walking away Rosanna went berserk. ¡°Queen you fucking bitch! I swear to God I¡¯ll rip you apart! You and your alliance are dead! Dead you hear me!!??¡± She clawed and smashed at the ice globe imprisoning her but was still unable to escape.


    Queen carried Kim out of the room and out of the house. As they made their way out Kim saw the aftermath of Queen¡¯s battles. Multiple members of the Altino crime family were frozen into ice sculptures and parts of the house were covered in a layer of frost. With Kim in her arms Queen stood outside in the yard of the Altino house. Queen let out a high pitched whistle and shortly after a large crow the size of a bear landed in front of them. ¡°DarkBird, back to the base. Don¡¯t let anyone follow us.¡± After hearing her mechanical voice the crow nodded and flew into the sky with Queen and Kim on it¡¯s back.


    Inside of a dimly light location. It appeared to be a large cavern carved out of dirt. Queen stood outside of a door. A man dressed in a simple shirt and jeans walked out of the room. He approached Queen ¡°I tried my best Queen but his vitality is draining too quickly. I don¡¯t think even Gold Owl would be able to do anything for him. All I could do was give him a life plant but that¡¯s just giving him some more time.¡±


    Queen seemed to stare into the distance before she waved the man off ¡°I understand. Thank you Spring¡± The man nodded and left. Queen opened the door and walked into the room. There she saw Kim¡¯s sickly pale face. He laid on a bed dressed in a medical gown with a portion cut out from the abdominal area where a small plant whose leafs gave off a faint green glow seemed to be growing out of his stomach.


    ¡°I¡­.You¡­. Detective¡­¡± Queen¡¯s trembling mechanical voice stammered. Seeing Queen struggling Kim¡¯s pale face that had healed from the swelling broke into a wide smile ¡°Haha come on babe, how much longer do you want to use that fake voice? And how about you put away the disguise? I would really like to spend my last moments gazing into your beautiful green eyes¡±


    Queen¡¯s body began trembling uncontrollably ¡°You¡­..You knew?¡± Kim nodded ¡°I connected the dots about a year after we started dating. Hehe you¡¯re the only reason I started working for the Altinos. I wouldn¡¯t have risked it for anyone else¡± Queen¡¯s body suddenly exuded a blinding blue light dissolving her disguise.


    Creme white skin wrapped around a soft round face. Her delicate button nose had a splash of freckles across it. But most captivating about her were her deep green eyes that felt like the center of a forest, full of life and vitality. But beneath these mesmerizing eyes were now a stream of tears racing down her beautiful face ¡°Baby¡± She stuttered and sobbed as she buried her face into his chest.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Her previous blue hair became undone from a bun as lush vibrant red hair fell past her shoulders. Queen, on of the most powerful N-Types in the country and the leader of the largest organized group of N-Types in the world with members spanning across the globe was now crying her heart out in the embrace of a simple detective from a small station in the city. Not as a fighter, a ruler, a civil movements leader but as Sarah Kim, a wife, a lover, a women in heartache.


    Kim rubbed her head as he embraced her on his deathbed trying his best to sooth and comfort her. ¡°Did you find my laptop and the hard-drive?¡± Kim asked. Sarah raised her head from his embrace, her red eyes puffy from crying. She fought to hold in her tears and to control her trembling voice ¡°Sniffle, I did. But why did you leave your tracker with them? If you kept it with you I would have been able to find y-you so much sooner.¡±


    Kim looked up sighed ¡°Sigh, It¡¯s because I didn¡¯t want to take the risk. I¡¯m already dying and seeing as how your crying right now I assume you know that to. It was more important to make sure you found those than to prolong what little time I have left.¡± Kim caressed her face as he wiped away her tears ¡°Now I need you to listen to me Babe. All the info you need is on my laptop and the hard-drive but no matter what, you need to unify all the N-Types. I¡¯m not just talking about the Equalists or the Reformists. You need to unify all of them. It¡¯s your guys¡¯ only chance¡±


    Kim began to tell the story of what had transpired recently and the events leading up to it. Everything started when he obtained some information from a peculiar N-Type named ¡®The Dealer¡¯. After Kim saved The Dealer¡¯s life and completed a task for him The Dealer rewarded him with some information as well as three favors. The information was vague and only said that Kim should go to a unused meat processing factory at 1 am at a specific date.


    After arriving at the factory and foiling what appeared to be a simple case of human trafficking alarm bells started going off like crazy in Kim¡¯s mind when he discovered that all the victims were N-Types. After Kim left the victims in the care of the Professor he began running the identities of the assailants through every database accessible. But each of them were ghosts, no records of them ever existed. But what was most horrifying was that despite all of his firewalls, IP bouncers, and other safety precautions Kim was being traced by an unknown entity.


    Even with using a burner computer with no information about him Kim knew that he was in real danger this time around. After making all the preparations he could in a short amount of time Kim went off the grid as he started hunting for information. After numerous disguises and break ins to different high security facilities/locations and brushing past death in high stake escapes Kim was able to gather the information to narrow down the identity of the danger looming over him and N-Types all over the country, maybe even the world.


    Within his laptop and the external hard-drive are complete backgrounds on what appeared to be all the N-Types in the country. From the start of what was dubbed ¡®The Storm¡¯ to when they first awakened and what their abilities are. All the information on N-Types living and dead could be found as well as a vague plan that outlines the possibility of implanting artificial loyalty and wiping out the freewill of N-Types in order to possibly use them as a military resource.


    As Kim finished informing Sarah of what had transpired over the past few days he spat up a mouthful of blood. The green glow of the plant growing out of his stomach dimmed as it slightly trembled, leaves falling off one by one. ¡°No no no! Baby listen to me you¡¯re gonna be okay. You just have to hold on. Gold Owl is on his way back from a mission. Please just hold on!¡±


    Tears race down her face again as she broke down into a sob. She gently embraced his head as she snuggled her face against Kim¡¯s. She continued to affectionately hold him seemingly unaware of the blood smearing on the side of her face.


    With a smile still on his face Kim affectionately gazed into Sarah¡¯s dark green eyes ¡°Babe, I don¡¯t have a lot of time left. So I need you to listen to me. Can you do that for me?¡± Sarah nodded as tears streamed down her face, her mouth closed as she whimpered. Kim continued ¡°I¡¯m guessing that your huge power boost didn¡¯t happen naturally right?¡± Sarah nodded ¡°Two days ago The Dealer came to our base. He hypnotized me without me knowing. After I woke up my powers were at a totally different level.¡±


    ¡®So Sarah¡¯s power boost was his doing after all. The Dealer is a lot of things but he¡¯s always made fair deals.¡¯ He was dragged out of his thoughts when another fit of coughing caused his chest to be dyed red.


    He used both hands to hold Sarah¡¯s ¡°I know you and I know how you get. That¡¯s why I¡¯m going to tell you now not to blame yourself. I might be dying but you made my life worth living in the first place.¡±


    Tears started streaming from the corners of his face but his smile remained ¡°I know I¡¯ve told you this a hundred times before but I want to you to know that I really mean it. Ever since my parents died my world was always a dull gray. I kept dragging my feet through the days thinking that things would get better, but they never did. It got to the point where opening my eyes in the morning was a battle with myself because it seemed so pointless. Truth be told the only reason I didn¡¯t jump in front of a bus was probably because I didn¡¯t want to hurt my older brother.¡±


    As he was talking Kim¡¯s eyes began losing focus but they still locked onto Sarah¡¯s blurry outline ¡°By the time I graduated everything had become a pointless struggle, at least until I met you. I always wondered why a beautiful business women who seemed to have the world on the tip of her fingers would approach a cop in training like me. But I knew one thing. That it was a real shame that a girl as pretty as this always seemed to have on a fake smile, like she was hiding her real self behind a mask. Before I knew it my curiosity turned into a goal of me wanting to make her genuinely smile, to let her free herself from having to hide. After that the goal turned into spark of emotion. And that tiny spark is what brought back my humanity.¡±


    By now Kim¡¯s ever so steady voice began to tremble as he broke down into sobs ¡°So thank you Sarah. Thank you for being my best friend, and my closest companion. Thank you for spoiling me as a husband, and for bringing color back into my life.¡± The strength in his hands began waning even further causing Sarah to cry even more hysterically. But opposite to Sarah, Kim appeared rather comfortable. Even as his end approached his mind was at ease knowing that he had done all he could to protect his loved ones.


    With his final ounce of strength he opened his mouth ¡°At the University look for professor Wikmen and tell him I sent you and tell him about the dangers that lay ahead. Also, you can trust The Dealer. If there is ever something that you can¡¯t take care of just leave a bent quarter outside a door and he¡¯ll show up. But be careful,these favors should be treated as a precious extra lives and only be used in the most dire of circumstances.¡±


    Sarah nodded her head vigorously as she burned Kim¡¯s words and his voice into her mind, afraid of losing both forever. Kim became quiet as his breathing began to slow. Sarah hugging him gently in her arms. Just as the last leaf fell and as the plant lost the last bit of it¡¯s glow the faintest whisper could be heard ¡°I¡­love you¡­¡±


    Everything was dark but surprisingly warm. ¡®That¡¯s funny. I always thought Hell would be more uncomfortable?¡¯ But then the sound of a digital alarm clock brought some peace to Kim¡¯s mind. ¡®I guess Gold Owl was able to heal me. And I was so dramatic last night. Sarah is never gonna let me live that down hehe¡¯ A smile spread across his face as he thought of how ridiculous that moment would be looking back at it in the future.


    As the alarm clock kept beeping Kim stayed in bed content to remain in the warmth of the blanket. Soon the digital clock switched from an alarm to radio as a female radio hosts began introducing a song before it began playing ¡°Good morning Moval City. I hope you all have enough energy to get on through with the first day of the week. But don¡¯t worry if you don¡¯t because up next is a real banger. Presenting Lil Bazooka zontal¡¯s newest hit single:OX Tour¡±


    A monotone jumble of words began mingling with a melodic beat. ¡®Is today a retro day? I haven¡¯t heard this song since high school.¡¯ Kim was suddenly alerted as he laid in bed ¡®Wait, Did she just say ¡®Newest hit single¡¯?¡¯