"What's so dangerous about me? And give it to me in detail. I want to know how I got here."
The NCS director's eyes sharpened as he withdrew a controller from his pocket and pressed a button. An electrical current surged through the metal floor of the glass cage, sending a jolt through Edward, who was shoeless.
The camera feed became glitchy and shaky, making it clear to the viewers what was happening.
As the shock subsided, the NCS director remarked, "It will be safer for you when you realize who's in charge here."
Edward chuckled, caught off guard by the electric shock. It merely tickled his legs, but he feigned agony, groaning and moaning as if in pain.
"Ughhh… This reminds me of my Tuesday nights. I mean shock therapy—not the kind where my girlfriend hooks up a car battery to my nipple," he joked through gritted teeth.
The director pressed the button again, causing Edward to throw his head back in pain and shout. Seizing the moment, Edward focused his chakra into his feet, enhancing the electric current.
Blue sparks flew around him, shocking the director and causing the entire black site's lights to flicker, its defenses compromised. The director was taken aback by the surge. He saw smoke coming out from Edward's body after it ended.
His heart beats quicker, thinking that he had killed the potential asset.
"Cut the feed," Rosa instructed Abby in a solemn tone. Tears welled in Abby's eyes as she replied, "The feed is his only… chance. We cannot cut it off. Or we'll lose the location tracking." She struggled to triangulate the signal's origin.
Jake seethed nearby, his usual carefree demeanor replaced by fury. "He's a kid… HE'S A FREAKING KID! THEY ARE TORTURING A KID!!"
In different parts of the city, Vanessa, watching the feed, felt the need to defend herself. "I've never hooked up a car battery to his nipple! Believe me!"
Taylor and Selena shot her disgusted looks, while Willa appeared intrigued. Barbara said begrudgingly, "Why aren't you guys more worried?! You just saw him get electrocuted!"
Taylor, Selena, and Vanessa turned to Barbara with blank expressions. Finally, Taylor said, "I've seen him hold a live wire before and survive. I don't think the shock hurts him that much."
Barbara's mouth fell open in shock. Vanessa added, "Yeah, when Edward's faking something, he usually pairs it with exaggerated moaning like in that video."
Selena smirked and teased, "So how do you know so much about the way he fakes things?"
Taken aback, Vanessa replied, "Because he makes completely different sound when he—"
"Stop." Taylor interjected, rubbing her forehead in frustration. "Even if he's faking it, there's no doubt he's still in a precarious situation. We shouldn't be bickering right now. Can't we do anything?"
Meanwhile, across the country, millions felt their blood boil as they witnessed the 'torture' unfold.
"Where is the location of the black site?" The President of the United States slammed his fist on the table, visible anger etched across his face as he stood among the top generals in the conference room.
"We are finding out," the Secretary of State replied.
"I'm surrounded by incompetence. Get the jet ready. We're flying to New York right now." He grabbed his jacket from the chair.
His tone was cold as he stormed out of the room. He spoke to his head of secret service as he walked. "The situation is delicate right now, and if we make the wrong move, it could spark a public fury so severe that the entire government system could be dismantled. Of course, I have no problem if that happens."
The President, the military general, and every law enforcement agency felt the crisis –especially the institution that dealt with the public directly.
Edward breathed heavily, his head drooping. The NCS director was secretly glad, but he didn't show it on his face.
Finally, the NCS director broke the silence, thinking that he was allowing Edward a moment to gather himself.
"In July 2010, you met with Senator Kelly from Louisiana and Senator Kennedy from Washington. In the span of a conversation, you managed to uproot their entire belief system and persuade them to vote for a new foster care system."
Edward looked up at the NCS director, a wary expression crossing his face.
Peter continued, "In November 2010, the healthcare reform bill was passed. The votes were never supposed to swing that way since most members of Congress are in cahoots with the insurance companies, but after you met with some of them, they all changed their minds."
He grabbed a list from his subordinate and said, "You met with thirty-two people—the exact number of votes necessary to pass the bill. Are your persuasion skills that formidable?"
He prattled on, "The President of the United States, Mr. Obama, also changed. He was working closely with us at the beginning… We put him there. But then he turned against us. The common factor in all these shifts is you…"
Edward chuckled tiredly, saying, "So? They all found their humanity when they met with me. Isn't that a good thing? Why am I getting tortured for it?"
Many of the viewers watching the show were also curious. Abby blocked the comments on the livestream so they couldn't discuss it.
"It's not as simple as just 'finding their humanity.' These people, driven by their own selfish interests, suddenly wanting to do good for others? No. We couldn't believe that. After racking our brains together, we concluded that you used a method we hadn't considered."
Peter looked at Edward steadily. "There's only one possible answer: you have… mind control ability."
Edward, along with the viewers—Abby, Jake, Rosa, Holt, the President, Claire, Jay, Gloria, Phil, and Alex—was met with a chorus of incredulous looks.
Jake gasped, clearly believing the outrageous claim.
"Sure, I can use mind control. That's why I'm trapped inside this cage instead of just controlling you to let me go," Edward replied sarcastically.
The NCS director fumed, attempting to electrocute him again, only to find the wires fried from a previous surge.
"Is that it? Is that the only reason I'm here? Because you think I have mind control?" Edward's voice grew heated, disappointment in his words.
The audience sensed his frustration—it felt unreasonable and unfair. That's how it seemed to them at least.
"Oh my god, I actually fell for that for a moment," Jake exclaimed.
Suddenly, Abby interjected, "I got the location!"
Rosa and Jake exchanged glances. "Let's go," Rosa said. Jake turned to Abby as he walked away. "Make sure to cut the feed!"
"I'm working on that right now!" Abby replied urgently.
Edward let out a long sigh. "You know, you built up your own kidnapping in your mind, hoping it would be about something you actually worked hard on, not some made-up nonsense." He said this with a sarcastic edge.
In his moment of disappointment, Edward forgot he had the sharingan and the director had actually hit the mark.
The director cleared his throat, his ears slightly red. "Anyway, we realized that was impossible, so we came to a different conclusion."
"You said you had only one possible answer, and that was the mind control thing," Edward interjected casually.
"No, I never said that," the director replied dismissively.
Edward pressed on, "No… you did. I have an eidetic memory. I'd definitely remember it."
As Rosa and Jake exited Abby's house, they found themselves surrounded. Mickey, sporting a bandage on his head, approached the detectives. "We will go with you."
No further words were needed; everyone understood. They jumped into a helicopter and rushed to the location, just thirty minutes away from the city.
"Even if you don't have mind control, I'm still keeping you here until you tell me how you made the politicians change their minds," Peter said, a cruel smile playing on his lips.
Edward scoffed. "Like I said before, I appealed to their humanity. Turns out, they have that hidden in the deep, forgotten corners of their minds."
Suddenly, a dart flew by and struck the control panel of the glass cage. Agents quickly swarmed the area, protecting the NCS director.
"Ah, with that, kids, today's show is over," Edward said, stretching his arms upward. He removed the camera button, turning it toward him and waving at the audience.
"Thank you for watching. But the next part will be rated 'R,' so I won't continue streaming."
The NCS director's face froze in shock. "You were recording?"
The USB embedded in the dart decrypted the panel, opening the glass cage. Edward grinned manically. "Yup. Now then, I'm already disappointed with the interrogation, so you better make it up to me in the fight scene."
The door opened fully, and the director shouted urgently, "Catch him! We need to know what he has done!"
Edward laughed childishly before dashing toward the agents. He elbowed the first one, a loud crack echoing in the room. The agent spat blood and was flung backward. Edward grabbed the arm of another agent and struck it with his other hand.
The agent screamed in agony as his hands broke. A few agents drew batons and tasers, but none managed to touch Edward. Reaching into an agent's holster, he grabbed a gun and began shooting at those nearby. They wore Kevlar, but the pain was still palpable.
The NCS director cursed under his breath. "Fuck!" He shouted, "Switch to leth—" But before he could finish, Edward's fist was already cocked in front of his face.
CRACK!
The director's nose broke, along with his front teeth. Jin joined the fray, taking down agents with precision. Clad in a black hood and mask, he slashed through the agents with his double daggers, even slicing a shotgun in half.
Within a minute, all the agents in the room were down. Edward approached the quivering NCS director.
"Who the hell are you? That's not something a human can do," the director spat, blood trickling from his mouth.
"Oh, this is part of my ability. I guess I should tell you about it now. I do have something special in me." Edward activated his sharingan, smiling. "You're part of the Cabal, the shadow government, am I right?"
Peter's eyes widened. "How—"
"The fulcrum. I have it. Not Raymond Reddington. And I've already decoded it. Since you messed with me, I have no choice but to show it all to the public."
In Peter's eyes, Edward transformed into a monster. "You won't get away with this," he said through gritted teeth.
Edward rolled his eyes. "Dude, you're the one who messed with me. I'm just retaliating. Are you so entitled that you think you can just screw with people without expecting consequences?"
Jin added, "He must've grown up in a rich family."
Edward laughed at Jin's joke. "I guess we should make him fork out everything—every bit of knowledge and wealth he has. Once his brain is emptied, we'll dump the body."
Jin nodded and grabbed Peter from Edward's grip. "I'm the NCS director! You won't get away if you lay your hands on me—"
Edward delivered another punch to Peter's face. "Now I've done it twice." He activated his sharingan and ensnared him in a genjutsu.
[Genjutsu: Hell Viewing.]
Peter found himself in a vast room filled with the faces of those he had killed. Their eyes were empty sockets, yet they turned toward him with eerie smiles.
"He's finally here," one whispered.
"He can finally face us all," another said as they advanced. Peter tried to fight them off, but they reached for him, biting as they pulled him into a passageway to hell.
In reality, the genjutsu passed in a flash, though hours seemed to stretch in the illusion. Peter clutched his head, his face pale with horror.
He turned to Edward, shaky-eyed. "You… What did you just do?"
"You want to know how I humanized those people, right? Be thankful. I'm letting you experience it yourself. I'm sure you can answer your own question then." Edward activated his eyes and unleashed the genjutsu again… and again… and again.
As Peter teetered on the brink of losing his sanity, a tiny fist suddenly appeared out of nowhere, striking Edward squarely in the face. The force of the punch sent him sliding several meters away. Jin shared the same fate, while Peter flopped to the floor, curling up into a fetal position.
Edward wiped the blood from his nose, staring incredulously at the figure before him. "Sage? What the hell are you doing?" he asked.
Dressed in a bright yellow sundress, Sage yawned lazily. "I'm here to even out the odds. I thought you'd be bored."
Edward nodded fervently. "So you came here to fight me? Thank you, but I don't think that'll work."
"Oh no, I'm going back to sleep." With a snap of her fingers, a crisp sound echoed through the room. Suddenly, the agents sprawled on the ground stood back up, moving like zombies.
Edward was taken aback. Sage yawned again. "I've buffed them up so you can experience a real challenge. If you lose, they'll capture you again, and you'll lose your strength to break free. If you win, you can escape alive. Good luck! Oh, Jin and Peter can leave. I won't cause that much trouble."
With another snap of her fingers, Jin, Peter, and Sage vanished from the black site.
"Wait—" Edward called out to his guardian, but he was too late. Suddenly, he heard a loud bird-like sound behind him.
"Huh?" He turned to see an agent focusing lightning in his hand, dashing toward him with inhuman speed.
Edward fell backward, narrowly avoiding the lightning blade that brushed against his suit, destroying all the buttons.
Quickly, he ripped off the singed jacket and shirt, sweat dripping from his forehead. Then, he heard sounds coming from multiple directions. "Oh fuck," he cursed softly.
Outside, the police and Edward's security team approached the black site, which appeared to be a warehouse. Suddenly, a loud explosion rocked the building, blowing out parts of the structure.
"Hurry up and land! We need to help him!" Mickey ordered urgently, clad in half steel armor with an AI-assisted rifle slung over his shoulder. Rosa and Jake were equipped with advanced weaponry and armor as well.
Jake couldn't help but smile for a moment when he received his gear, but he quickly forced himself to focus on the precarious situation Edward was in.
The fight escalated to the top of the black site, where chaos reigned in the ordinary warehouse.
"They just won't fall down," Edward muttered, punching Agent Finn away with a fist coated in black energy.
Topless and bloodied, Edward bore multiple wounds and bruises. He coughed up blood as he assumed a defensive stance, two agents lunging at him with knives.
He blocked their blades with his left hand, coating it with defensive haki and earth armor jutsu, but the knives still cut into his skin.
"Fucker." He cocked his right hand and swung it from the side, landing a punch on one agent's face, knocking his head into the other agent's.
In the midst of his attack, another agent seized the opportunity, stabbing him in the stomach. Before he could react, a kick to the same spot sent him crashing into the wall, a spider web of cracks spreading from the impact. Dizziness washed over him.
He quickly raised his guard, knowing the agents wouldn't give him a moment to breathe. Jumping onto a stack of storage boxes, he grabbed a steel bar, wielding it like a sword to deflect the agents' knife attacks.
They're not on my level, but they aren't giving me a chance to breathe.
The synchronicity of their attacks disrupted his observation haki. Edward had already activated his sharingan, using his three tomoe eyes to their fullest.
As one agent slashed at him, a bullet flew through the air, and Edward deflected it with his knife.
"Nice!" he grinned, finally seizing the opportunity to counterattack. He stabbed the metal bar into the agent's heart, penetrating his body and pulling the bar out smoothly within seconds. Using swift, wind-like movements, he slashed at the remaining agents, taking down three in an instant.
Five agents remained. One of them threw a grenade, and Edward batted it away like a baseball with his steel bar.
Matt and Kingpin, two of Edward's androids, assessed the situation but found they couldn't move. Sage had ensured that no one with extraordinary strength could interfere with Edward's trial.
"Rosa, on the left!" Jake shouted, lunging at her just as a large steel drum flew toward them.
"Who are these people?!" Rosa shouted urgently, realizing the agents were hurling barrels with their bare hands from fifty meters away.
Jake gasped, whispering in realization, "Supersoldiers."
"March!" Mickey ordered as the security team laid siege to the warehouse. A news helicopter illuminated the battle with a spotlight, recording the entire event.
"What kind of armor is that? Oh shit—the bad guys are tearing through them like beasts!" The cameraman lost his professionalism, transforming into a commentator for the fight.
Edward kicked an agent out of the building, leaping after him as three more agents followed closely.
Rosa and Jake widened their eyes. Edward spotted five more agents outside, battling against a thirty-man army.
Seeing Mickey ambushed from behind, Edward threw the metal bar in his hand, stabbing the assailant in the back.
Mickey turned as he heard the agent's painful groan. Noticing Edward, he rained fire on the agents besieging him, screaming as he charged forward.
"AHHH! DIE, YOU MOTHERFUCKERS!"
Two agents nimbly dodged, but one was riddled with bullets. Edward seized the knife from the fallen agent, ambushing one of the remaining agents and slitting their throat from behind.
Rosa and Jake teamed up to take down another agent.
The security team was fighting a brutal fight, even with advanced weaponry. These buffed agents jumped nimbly around like monkeys when the AI aimed at them, which made most of the shots miss the target.
With the weapon in hand, Edward moved swiftly, taking advantage of the distracted agents to ambush them and saved his security team staff at the same time.
The battle finally subsided as Edward shot the last agent in the head. Panting heavily, he turned to his subordinates.
"Oh, you guys. I'm really glad you're here," he said with a sincere smile. Matt and Kingpin could move again and chose not to interfere, silently scanning for potential threats.
Edward felt weak in the knees, and Rosa helped him stand by putting his arm around her shoulder.
"Why didn't you wait for us? You could've died," she scolded.
Edward laughed, relieved to have survived the ordeal.
"Huh… I guess this is what Sage intended for me," he muttered, striding toward the helicopter while clutching his ribs.
He knew he had crossed a line with the interrogation being viewed live. He was acting as if he was in pain, but it had caused intense emotional distress to his family. His grandmother even cried because of it.
"Ow—ow—ow." He winced in pain as the adrenaline wore off. "Get him to the hospital, right now," Rosa ordered.
In the hospital, Sage visited Edward after the doctor finished treating him.
"Are you here to heal me?" Edward asked with a childish smile as he sat up in bed.
Sage raised an eyebrow. "Even after all that, you still don't doubt me?"
"I'd be crazy to ever doubt you," Edward joked. "You're one of the people I trust most in this world."
Sage was silent for a moment before replying, "Just so you know, this wasn't my idea. It's part of your rank-up tribulation—to experience the desperation of wanting to survive."
"I know. I get that," Edward replied casually. "My mind is clear right now, so I understand what you're saying even without you telling me."
He continued, "I have skills—I have everything. Maybe I can survive on my own, but when the others come… it becomes a whole lot easier."
"Then you realized you shouldn't shoulder everything alone, right?" Sage said, placing her palm on his cheek.
Edward accepted her warmth in silence. Sage disappeared soon after.
"Wait! You could've healed me before you left! I still have work to do tomorrow!" he pleaded to the empty room.
He felt the weight of his injuries: a broken rib, three fractured ribs, multiple contusions, a fractured thumb, thirteen knife slashes, one stab wound, critical blood loss, and second-degree burns on his feet.
Four of his security team were also hospitalized after getting a direct hit.
The warehouse had caught fire after everyone left. Matt and Kingpin decided to burn the entire place down, knowing Edward's blood was everywhere.
In just one day, the NCS director became the most wanted man in the world. Footage of his 'supersoldier' spread across the internet like wildfire. Even the Cabal members who worked with him sought to find him and acquire their own supersoldiers.
The White House, FBI, and CIA all wanted to pay Edward a 'visit' for a statement, but his security team blocked them, insisting he was still receiving treatment.
Finally, morning arrived in New York City.