Kyle had noticed hawks following him silently not long after he got into the hero commission.
But since it seemed he was not planning to ambush him, at least at the time… he decided to let him follow him up till this point.
'According to the original plot line, Hawks becomes the leader of the Commission in the future.'
Kyle's goal was to expose him to all the happenings in the commission, and find out just how much he knew.
That way, he would know if Hawks would be a fitting head, or if he was just another variable that had to be removed from the equation.
Hawks smiled as he walked out of the shadows.
"For a second, I thought I was actually doing great."
He scratched his hair and then he stared at Kyle, his face instantly switching from friendly to cautious.
"I have to say, I never expected something this… grand from you. You always seemed like the type to work from the shadows."
Even as he spoke, Kyle could tell that he had his guard up.
"You're right, this isn't my usual style. I got a little impatient."
Kyle's voice was a little deeper than usual, and had a trace of amusement laced within it.
Hawks folded his hands across his chest, daring to come a little closer, until there were now barely a few feet apart.
He glanced at Kyle's wings, and tried to maintain his composure, but the slight clenching of his jaw, and the way he tapped his fingers on his arms gave him away.
"I have to admit, midnight vigilante, you are quite the puzzle."
"No matter how many times we have met, we have been unable to find out your goals or who you even are."
He paused an sighed.
"We already know that you cannot possibly be an ally." Hawks said with a smirk.
"But does that make you an enemy?"
He raised his hands by his sides and made a show of an elaborate sigh. "That is what I want to know."
Kyle shrugged like they were having a lighthearted conversation between friends.
"It depends… you know, the shadow bends according to how much light is shone on it."
Hawks expression stiffned. "What are you trying to say?"
The midnight vigilante smiled smugly, his arrogance radiating out of him in waves.
"Its pretty simple hawks, if you stay out of my way, then you have nothing to worry about, well mostly…"
Hawks raised a brow ast his choice of words.
"But if you choose to put all your attention on me instead of facing the real threats this city has, then I might just have to turn my attention to you as well."
There was a short momet of silence as Hawks simply stared at him, contemplating on his words.
"You said we should be focusing on the real threats… who do you consider the real threats?"
Kyle knew that Hawks already knew villain organisations in the city.
He was probably probing him to see if there was any other information he did not have, so that he could be up to date on things.
Kyle sighed. "I'm sure you already know the important ones." Then he smiled. "But I can bet there's one you do not know…"
Hawks looked skeptical as he crossed his arms across his chest. "Which is?"
Kyle's smile deepened. "The comission of course."
He narrowed his eyes, staring right into Kyle's eyes as though he wanted to unravel the truth hidden within them.
'He must have heard my discussion with the director…' Kyle thought.
Although the director had not admitted to any wrong doing, he had been evasive in his response which was more than enough reason to cause suspicion.
Hawks was a smart man, after hearing all this, there was no way he was not making the connection in his head already.
After all, he had personally worked for the Commission since he was a child… he already knew what lengths they could go to accomplish their goals.
The question though, was whose side would he stand on when the truth was out?
Would he side with his masters? The manipulative Commission that had built their image upon a well of lies?
Or would he stand on the part of justice like all self proclaimed heros claimed to stand on.
Kyle could see the conflicted look on Hawks's face as he pondered on what he had said.
"If you are that curious, then you should check out this room with me, it might just be the final piece of evidence you need.
Hawks gave him a long look, no doubt contemplating if he was doing the sane thing.
The man in front of him had done things that were borderline criminal, even crossing the line today by attacking the commission.
Was going with him really the right choice?
He pulled out a feather sword from his wings. "If you pull any stunt… you'll be getting more than a mere cut."
"Yeah, yeah. Skip the cheesy lines and get over here."
Hawk breathed out tiredly and walked up to him, then Kyle pushed what was left of the door aside, and stepped inside—
Ting!
BOOOOM!
The moment their feet touched the floor, the room exploded, a fiery blast bursting out at them and shattering the room to bits and pieces.
But seconds before it could crash into them, and char them to their bones… Kyle's wings extended, then hardened, creating a protective shell around him and hawks.
There was a sound of shattering glass, as the room was engulfed by the hungry fire, licking everything in sight.
And then the heat, smoke and rush of air washed past them, rattling Kyle's wings.
Whoosh!
Kyle unleashed a gust of wind, blowing the fire back from him, then frowned at the mess.
The lights left in the hall were flickering off and on, bathing the space in continuous variations of light and darkness.
The room was dusty and debris had piled out of the room, covering the floor and walls in sooth.
Kyle gave the room a blank stare. "I'll give them an A+ for their ingenuity… it looks like they really don't want anyone finding out that they are in that room."
Hawks stared at the roaring flames, his gaze faltering.
Not because he was nearly killed by the fire, and not because the man destined to be designated as a high priority target had just saved him.
But because the fire had burned away the doubts he once had.
The hero commission was indeed hiding something, and it was far greater than he could have imagined.
Kyle wiped the sooth off his clothing and clicked his tongue.
"To think they will go so far to keep their secrets burried…"
He would have gone to investigate the director, but Kyle had met him once.
He was not a member of the top brass so he most likely only knew the surface details, plus far in the distance, Kyle could hear the blaring of sirens, as well as the bubbling of fire.
In less than two minutes, Endeavour would be here…
'A fight with him will definitely last past nine…' Kyle thought with a bit of annoyance.
He turned to leave, pocketing his hands in his cloak. "I guess my time here is over."
He began walking down the hall, but before he could go far, Hawks shouted out to him.
"You are clearly not a hero and you do not claim to be a villain either!"
"Tell me then… those wings… it's my quirk isn't it?"
Kyle glanced at him from over his shoulders, his crimson eyes gleaming in the flickering lights.
"Yes, it is."
Hawks' hands tightened by his sides. "Are you in any way related to that man? Are you working for All for One?"
He shook his head and answered plainly. "No."
"You say that, but how then do you have my quirk?"
Kyle watched him for a few seconds, yet to hawk the time seemed to stretch on.
Kyle could understand where Hawks was coming from. It was very rare to see two people with very similar quirks.
The only exception was when they were both from the same family. Or if you were given the quirk… something All for one was very much capable of.
To them, Kyle just have looked like some sort of successor to the notorious villain, so he could understand his concern.
"This is my power, it has nothing to do with him. Is that all you wanted to ask?"
Kyle noticed Hawks relax a little after hearing his answer.
It seemed the question about if he was his agent had been bothering the heroes for some time now.
Although Kyle had little time left, there was still something he had on his mind to say.
"Since I've answered all your questions, let me ask you one of mine."
"If you were given the opportunity to change the current state of things, to fix a corrupted system…"
"To remove the bad apple before it spoils the whole…"
He paused to allow his words to sink in.
"What would you do?"
Hawks ran his hand through his hair and sighed. "Well—"
"Too late," Kyle cut in, interrupting him.
"Hundreds are already dead at your feet."
"Be careful of what side you choose to stand in the coming days Hawks, your indecisiveness may very well cost you."
"But hey…" he smiled. "Maybe we might end up fighting on the same side one day, who knows?"
'A vampire hawk would be quite the sight.' Kyle mused.
He smirked, and then he jumped right out of the window, his gargantuan wings unfurling as he took flight.