The day after school, Hamza and Ali returned to his house. As they stepped onto the front porch, they both froze.
A sleek, metallic box sat neatly in front of the door.
Hamza raised an eyebrow. "Did you order something?"
Ali shook his head. "Nah… did you?"
Hamza stepped closer, crouching slightly. That's when Ali spotted the logo printed on the side.
"Yo, look at that Mashriq Tech."
Hamza blinked. "That's my dad's company."
They exchanged a glance, then Hamza slowly reached down and picked up the box.
Inside the house, they set it down on the table. Hamza flipped the latches open and lifted the lid.
Ali's eyes lit up. "Finally! The earpiece I asked your father for!" He snatched it up, holding it like a trophy.
But beneath it, something else caught their attention a small, black device, barely larger than a coin, resting beside a folded note.
Hamza furrowed his brow. "Huh… what's this?"
He picked up the note and read aloud:
"Disguise Suit Prototype Advanced Tactical Camouflage. Built per special request. Activate with palm pressure. Use responsibly."
He flipped the page and scanned a small, hand-drawn tutorial that showed how the device unfolded and wrapped around the body like liquid fabric.
Hamza's eyes widened. "Wow… I really didn't expect a small thing like that to be actual disguise tech."
Ali leaned in, grinning. "So you're telling me… we just got a shapeshifting suit in the mail?"
Hamza smirked. "Looks like Dad's pulling out all top tier tech's."
He paused for a second, then slapped his forehead. "Man, I should probably talk to the team totally forgot to update them."
Ali raised an eyebrow. "For real? How do you forget your own team?"
Hamza shrugged as he headed to his room. "That's what happens when you start off doing hero stuff alone… then suddenly join a team."
As Hamza walked in, he called out, "Yo, Principal! What's good, man? It's been like four days since I saw you at the team. Why didn't anyone hit me up? Also, how's that alien spaceship coming along?"
But Vanquez didn't answer. Suddenly, he just poof teleported right into Hamza's room.
"AHHH!" Hamza shouted, startled.
Vanquez quickly hung up the call.
Just then, Ali opened the door and shut it behind him. "What the hell is going on here? Oh—hello, Principal…" Ali trailed off, staring at Vanquez.
Hamza raised an eyebrow. "where's the students privacy"
Vanquez gave a small smile. "I like to say things face to face that's why I came here. As for the ship, we still can't figure it out, but R is working on it."
He paused, then continued, "And the reason we didn't hit you up? No major super criminal activity lately. But we are investigating someone who kills criminals. Usually, the crime scenes have two bodies: one is shot or stabbed to death, and the other… well, their head just turns to ashes."
Hamza's eyes lit up "Well, guess what? I know who he is! It's Mr. X!"
Vanquez blinked. "Who's Mr. X?"
Ali jumped in. "He's this streamer who beats up criminals live on his channel. Like, full on vigilante with a fanbase."
Hamza nodded quickly, pacing with energy. "Yeah and now he's trying to lure my cousin into some kind of event. I don't trust it. And I found out there's someone named Striker hanging around near the event too. That name ring any bells?"
As he heard the name, a strange look crossed Vanquez's face. His heartbeat quickened subtle… but unnoticeable.
He blinked once, then composed himself. His tone stayed casual, almost too casual.
"I see," he said slowly. "And where did y'all get all of this information from?"
Hamza leaned back, exhaled, and began, "Well... I was leaving school with Ali when we heard gunshots like, loud ones. People were freaking out, running everywhere."
Ali nodded. "Straight chaos."
Hamza continued, "So we followed the noise yeah, I know, not smart, but we had to see what was happening. We find this alley, and boom—there's Mr. X. Gun in hand. Dead body on the ground. Blood everywhere. And a camera was literally still recording."
Vanquez's eyes narrowed slightly. "Go on."
Hamza nodded. "Thing is… Mr. X looked confused. Like, really confused. He was yelling asking where he was, how he got there, even asking if we shot the guy. Dude had no idea what was going on."
Ali jumped in, "He even asked who Mr. X was. Like he didn't even know who he was supposed to be."
Hamza raised a finger. "Exactly. Then outta nowhere his mask explodes. Just—BOOM. Sparks, smoke, pieces flying. It wasn't some store bought cosplay. That thing was high tech. Wires, glowing parts… like it was doing something to his head."
He paused, then added, "So yeah, either someone's controlling people to act as Mr. X, or Mr. X isn't one person at all. Could be a whole operation."
Vanquez narrowed his eyes. "I remember this case now… right after I left the school, I teleported to the HQ with Soraya Voss. We were there for a few hours. But—" he paused, his voice dropping slightly, "—you didn't tell me about Striker."
As he said the name, a strange look crossed his face. His heartbeat quickened. Subtle… but noticeable.
Hamza caught it. "Yo… you good?"
Hamza hesitated for a beat, then shrugged with a playful smirk. "Well… uhhh, that's a secret for now."
Then his tone shifted, more sincere.
"But trust us we're telling the truth." Hamza paused, then added "By the way.. what's with you and striker?"
Vanquez's eyes flickered for a split second, a shadow crossing his face. He cleared his throat and leaned back against the wall. "Striker's… complicated. Let's just say he was a close friend a long time ago. But he's dead now."
Vanquez snapped, "What's your proof? Or is that part of your little secret too?"
Hamza answered, "Well, he's working for the Shadow Syndicate now."
Vanquez shouted, "THEN WHAT'S YOUR EVIDENCE!?"
Hamza grinned, "You'll find out tomorrow. Bring the whole team y'all gonna crash a party."
Vanquez hummed in disappointment. "Hmm. Alright, send me your plan."
With that, he teleported away.