Leon's head swerved toward the sky, only to pause as a large, dark blue hoverbike descended. Recognizing the figures and suits of its passengers and driver, his eyes widened.
The Teen Team.
The vehicle descended, hovering just above the shattered concrete. Four figures leapt from the craft, fanning out in a practiced formation around him.
Leon took the time to use Danger Rating on the newcomers.
Rudy's robot drone. It was a tall, orange colored machine with segmented limbs and a robust chest cavity and a slender pelvic region. The robot's limbs were connected by and fastened together with the rest of its body by a series of round interlocks. The robot's most noticeable feature was its human skull-shaped head with green eyes and a cylinder on the upper-back of its head.
Dangerous.
Atom Eve, the redhead. She donned a form-fitting tight pink suit adorned with an atomic symbol at the center of her chest, accompanied by concentric rings and a matching pink cape.
Lethal.
Rex Splode, the obnoxious redhead. He wore a tight-fitting red and yellow jacket with matching trousers, brown gloves and boots secured with hook-and-loop fasteners, and a brown belt holding several white cylinders. A red mask covering his head and neck, leaving only his chin and mouth exposed, was paired with yellow goggles.
Moderate.
Dupli-Kate, the diversity hire. She wore a gray and black suit with a number emblem of "1".
Moderate.
For a second there, I thought Cecil came. But why is the Teen Team here?
It made the most sense for Robot to have some way of monitoring the city for supervillain activity. Was that the reason? Or did someone tip them off? If it was the latter, the GDA would be his first guess.
Thought I was gonna have to barge into their hideout to meet them. This saves me the trouble.
Leon raised his hands high, palms open and visible to show he wasn't a threat. He wanted needed allies, and the Teen Team were exactly the kind of people who could help him dismantle Machine Head's operation.
"You guys are late to the party," Leon said, keeping his tone light-hearted. He turned to Rudy's robot drone. "I've already taken care of the supervillains. Not much else you can help me with aside from cleaning up."
Robot stepped forward, his mechanical, green eyes whirring as they surveyed the two downed supervillains.
"Identify yourself," the machine stated.
Leon settled on a temporary nickname directly inspired by Kursk.
"You can call me White Mask for now. I'm kinda new at this superhero thing," he answered, tilting his head towards the truck. "And don't worry. I'm on your side. A crime boss called Machine Head was using this place as a processing hub for trafficked children. He's been taking them from across the city for I don't know how long. It's for something he calls 'Project Genesis'."
"Did you save them? The kids?" Eve asked, her expression hardening.
Leon nodded. "A lot of them are injured and traumatized from their time in captivity, but they're all at a safe location, a motel called The Sleepy Traveler. Someone I trust is taking care of them. Before this place, I snuck into four other processing hubs all around the city."
Her expression softened, though he could tell from how tense her shoulders were that she remained cautious. "We've heard rumors about missing kids, but we couldn't find a lead. You're saying this… Machine Head is behind all this?"
"Yeah," Leon confirmed. "You know what he called them? Lab rats. The sick bastard didn't even see them as people. I put him underground before he could escape. He's currently about ten feet under us right now. Probably alive, just not comfortable. The other two are knocked out, though I'm not sure if Magnattack is alive or dead. I hit him with a pretty strong explosion."
Dupli-Kate walked a circle around Magnattack, her eyes sharp as she knelt and checked his pulse. "He's alive. Barely."
A part of Leon wished Magnattack had died. They were all complicit in Machine Head's operations. He wouldn't have lost sleep or feel guilt over killing any of those he struck tonight.
Not like I can finish them off with the Teen Team here. I can only think of a few ways to make a worse first impression than killing someone right in front of them.
"Pretty impressive. This psychopath's tougher than he looks. Same with Kursk," she noted, looking back at Leon with curiosity. "You did all this alone? Taking these two on would need a team effort for us."
"Pssh. These two are chumps. We could've taken them down in two minutes tops." Rex Splode, who had been standing near the hoverbike with a handful of uncharged marbles, finally stepped closer, his face full of skepticism. "Wait. You seriously beat them dressed in that?"
He gestured to Leon's clothes. "Check out the fancy-pants. You coming from a prom, or do you always fight like you're waiting for a tip?"
"Big words coming from a guy who looks like he belongs in a shitty ski commercial."
"Um, excuse me. My costume is awesome and practical, unlike yours."
"Mhm. Sure, buddy. Keep telling yourself that and it might just become true. Anyway, look, these guys are small fry compared to the power Machine Head wields," Leon said. "His right-hand man—someone called Isotope—escaped at the start of the fight and I don't know where he teleported to. He's the next one I plan on looking for."
Leon gave a short description of Isotope and Robot noted it down.
"The circumstantial evidence and the presence of these known criminals support your claim," Robot concluded. "I've contacted the authorities. We will assist in securing the area while law enforcement is on its way. These criminals will be transported to Payton Penitentiary, where they will face charges for their involvement in Machine Head's criminal activities."
"Is there any chance Machine Head can use his power or influence to get a lighter sentence than he should?" Leon asked. "I have a tablet that could be used as damning evidence. It has records of their project's logistics network. Don't have it on me right now, though. It's back at the Sleepy Traveller."
"A comprehensive logistics log would be an invaluable asset for the prosecution. Machine Head's primary defense usually relies on the layers of separation between his direct orders and his underlings' actions. If you have data that connects him directly to the acquisition and transfer of minors, the probability of a successful defense drops to near zero."
"He's got money, sure," Eve added. "But even the most corrupt judges in Chicago would have a hard time ignoring evidence that involves trafficking of kids. If what you have is as thorough as you say, there's no way he's getting out of this one."
Rex Splode let out a short, unimpressed snort, tossing a white cylinder into the air and catching it. "Evidence and tablets, whatever. I say we just let the big guy here handle him. Seems like he's got a talent for making people disappear into the dirt. Save everyone the paperwork."
Wow. Rex and I actually agree on something.
"We follow protocol, Rex," Dupli-Kate countered, crossing her arms as she watched the flickering lights of the approaching police convoy. She looked back at Leon. "But he has a point. Men like Machine Head have a way of making evidence vanish before it ever reaches a courtroom. We'll make sure that tablet gets into the right hands."
Leon nodded, relieved that he had someone he could depend on for this matter.
"I'll hold off on getting the tablet for now until the authorities get here."
"Reasonable," Robot stated. "However, to proceed with the arrest, we require the physical presence of the primary suspect."
"Right. Let's get him up," Leon said. "I'm going to ask him a question, though. I still don't know where all the kids were being transported to."
He lowered into a stance. One move opened a square hole in the ground and the next raised Machine Head from the depths. The cyborg villain was thoroughly covered in dirt, his previously spotless white suit and faceplate smeared with soil.
"Look who finally remembered I existed. Gotta admit—you're one slick fucker. Never been caught off guard like that before. I assume that since you're still alive, my men have been taken down?" Machine Head looked around, pausing at the Teen Team. "I see... And it seems you brought new friends with you while I was eating dirt next to the worms. Fantastic."
Leon loomed over him. The cyborg's mechanical neck whirred as he looked up, his rectangular eyes flickering.
"Alright, let's try this again," Leon said, his voice dropping into a lower register. "Where's the lab you take all the children to? I know the truck was heading there."
Machine Head let out a grating, metallic sound that was probably meant to be a sigh of annoyance. "Oh, look at you. The white knight in the fucked-up suit. You really think I'm gonna tell you? Here's a lesson about interrogations: they're just another transaction. You're asking for one of my most valuable assets and you're offering me absolutely nothing in return."
The cyborg shifted his weight, the dirt on his suit falling away in dry clumps. "In fact, your credit is shit. You've cost me two of my superpowered henchmen, my teleporting taxi, and my project's monthly inventory. Why would I give you what you want? I'm going to prison anyway. If I keep my mouth shut, maybe my partners let me live to see a parole hearing. If I talk to a guy in a tacky mask and jeopardize the project? I'm a dead man before I even finish my first meal in the cafeteria."
Leon's jaw tightened. He reached down, grabbing the lapel of Machine Head's ruined suit and hoisting him up until they were eye-to-eye.
"Really? You think I'll spill the beans just because you're trespassing in my personal space?" Machine Head's autotuned voice crackled with mocking amusement. "Cute. Besides, even if I felt like being charitable, you've got nothing to threaten me with that isn't already waiting for me at the prison. Just take your win and go buy a new tie, dumbass."
If only I had an ability that could make him tell me everything…
The frustration that had been simmering under Leon's skin boiled over. He didn't have the skill for a proper interrogation, and he certainly didn't have the temperament to deal with a corporate sociopath who treated human lives like merchandise.
Leon's fingers tightened on the cyborg's neck. Blue sparks began to dance across his hands, crackling with the sudden surge of his Taser ability.
"Wrong answer," Leon growled.
-x-
A/N: Unfortunately, no Cecil Stedman just yet. He's an incredibly busy man with more important things to deal with at the moment. If it was Cecil that appeared, Leon would've detected the disturbance in space caused by the teleportation.
The only thing I can confirm is that Leon's tussle with Machine Head's elites has definitely put him on the GDA's radar.