The morning sun rose over National City, casting a soft golden hue across the streets as the city began to stir with life. Adults went to work, and students went to school, all while discussing recent news.
Kayn strolled casually toward National City Technical High School, his hands tucked into the pockets of his jacket as he thought on the events of the night before.
All over the world, from Japan, to South America, dozens of ORION bases were destroyed. Forza production was basically crippled, and many key ORION secret operatives in positions of power were apprehended.
It was a massive success, and put ORION way on the back-foot. Kayn knew they would be surprised. Silas had some decent mental barriers so ORION would never expect Kayn to be able to break into his mind and forcefully collect information.
This left them massively on the back foot, not even expecting last night's attack, which lead to it to be so successful.
Kayn just continued to walk forward, the cool breeze gently flowing through the trees that lined the school's entrance as students slowly filtered in, excitedly chatting to each-other.
Kayn's sharp hearing picked up bits and pieces of their conversations, most of which revolved around the morning news that had been released Internationally.
The story had spread fast, an "FBI-led" drug bust targeting Forza labs in National City, with two recently popular Superheroes helping around as well.
"Did you hear about Harbinger and Spectra?" one student said excitedly to his friend, showing them that morning's newspaper, "They helped the FBI take down a whole bunch of Forza labs last night! That's insane."
Another student chimed in,"Yeah, I saw the footage on the news this morning. They said Harbinger basically blew the place up! Dude's a beast."
Kayn chuckled under his breath as he walked past them. The D.E.O. had done a decent job spinning the story.
The official narrative released to the general public was that the FBI, with special assistance from the enigmatic heroes Harbinger and Spectra, had dismantled a major drug operation.
Of course, the details about ORION, their infiltration of many influential positions, and the Forza-enhanced soldiers had been conveniently left out, as there was no need to rile up the public more.
As Kayn reached the front steps of the school, Violet caught up with him, blending seamlessly into the crowd of students. Like him, she was perfectly comfortable transitioning from the chaos of battle to the quiet normalcy of school life.
"People sure love to talk about us," Violet said with a grin, nodding toward a group of students who were still animatedly discussing the drug bust.
Kayn smirked, "Let them. It keeps the spotlight on Harbinger and Spectra, and off us."
They walked through the hallways together, the buzz of conversation continuing all around them. Violet leaned in slightly, lowering her voice, "Do you think ORION will regroup after last night? Or will they stay quiet for a while?"
Kayn shrugged. "They'll regroup eventually, but we bought ourselves time. ORION isn't going to just roll over, especially with the Grand Marshal pulling the strings. He's smart, ruthless. He'll adapt. But for now, they're licking their wounds. Be careful, once they regroup, I expect a massive attack."
As they approached their lockers, Kayn overheard another conversation that caught his attention, listening in as he did his business at the locker.
"I heard that the drug was driving people crazy," One girl whispered to her friend, "Like, people were losing their minds and becoming violent. The news said the FBI's working on getting the rest of it off the streets."
Her friend nodded, "Yeah, I heard there's a-lot of discussion about how to handle crimes committed under the influence of Forza. My mom's a lawyer and she said the results of this discussion will be big for future law cases around Superhero stuff."
As Kayn walked past the conversation, the mention of Forza and the legal ramifications of its use caught his attention. He slowed his pace just slightly, keeping his ears open to hear more.
Forza was certainly driving people mad, it was a brutal truth he had seen firsthand during the raid on ORION's labs, and taking down civilians induced by Forza previously, such as the father.
Forza didn't just enhance strength; it ripped apart a person's mind, eroding their sanity and leaving them as little more than tools of destruction.
*How do you hold someone accountable for crimes committed while under that kind of influence?* Kayn thought, his mind beginning to turn over the complexities of the situation.
It was easy to think of justice in black-and-white terms, someone commits a crime, they pay for it. But Superhuman influences always threw a wrench in this.
Forza was a Superhuman level drug, capable of easily inducing addiction and madness. Holding them responsible for the chaos they caused while in that state? That was where things got murky. It was like a light version of Mind-Control.
Kayn knew the justice system in worlds like DC was already complicated when it came to superhuman abilities. Superhero battles caused collateral damage, meta-humans committed crimes of immense scale.
This made the legal framework often struggled to keep up with the realities of a world where some people could destroy buildings with a punch.
Now, Forza added a new layer of complexity, an enhancement drug that didn't just make people stronger but also made them less in control of their own actions.
Could they really be held responsible for the chaos they caused while under the influence? Kayn mused. Or is ORION the only party that should bear the weight of this?
Cases involving Forza would set precedents that could ripple through the legal system, shaping how future crimes involving drugs or superpowers would be handled.
But what about justice?
Kayn thought, his mind drifting to the Forza-enhanced soldiers he'd faced the night before. Even if their actions were influenced by the drug, they were still dangerous and capable of immense harm.
Whether they were in control or not, innocent lives were at stake. Could you really afford to be lenient in situations like that? Kayn didn't exactly think so.
In the end, it doesn't matter if they were victims, if they're a threat, they need to be stopped.
That was the harsh truth of the world he lived in. People could debate the morality of it all, but Kayn had seen too much destruction to allow for half-measures.
ORION was to blame for spreading the drug, but those who took it, whether willingly or not, still had to be dealt with.
'Justice isn't always fair,' he reminded himself.
~RINGGGGG!~
The bell rang, signaling the start of the first class, and the hallways began to clear, all heading to their own individual classes.
As Kayn entered his own classroom, the chatter of students filled the air, a mixture of idle gossip and half-hearted complaints about assignments. The teacher stood at the front, beginning to take attendance, marking names with a click of her pen as she looked up at the students occasionally.
Kayn moved toward his seat near the back, spotting Kara already sitting there, her notebook open and her eyes focused on the board.
She was in her usual spot, quiet and withdrawn, but Kayn could tell she noticed his approach by the way her posture shifted ever so slightly.
He slid into the seat next to her, offering a small, calm smile, "Morning, Kara."
She glanced at him, eyebrows slightly raised, "You finally decided to show up?"
Kayn chuckled, "Yeah, I was... busy." His voice was casual as he scratched his face awkwardly, looking at her expression.
Kara looked at him for a moment, her expression curious, "Busy with what? You missed a couple of days."
Kayn leaned back in his chair, his gaze playfully teasing as he met her eyes, "Why? Did you miss me?"
Kara's eyes widened slightly, and a faint blush crept up her cheeks as she quickly looked away, flustered, "What? No, I mean—I was just wondering..."
Kayn smirked, watching her struggle to recover from the sudden shift in the conversation. He didn't press her any further, though, letting the moment hang in the air.
Kara's reaction amused him, especially since she was usually so composed, at least when it came to her quiet, introverted demeanor.
The teacher's voice calling Kara's name snapped her attention back to the present, and she responded with a soft, "Here," still avoiding looking directly at Kayn.
Satisfied with the response he got, Kayn casually turned his attention back to the front of the class, though the smile lingered on his face.