Anyone else wants to play hero?

The room was silent except for the sound of shuffling feet and nervous breathing. Hiro stood on the metal railing above them, his imposing figure towering over the facility workers like a dark cloud on a sunny day.

"Now let's start over," he bellowed, his voice echoing off the walls of the room, commanding attention. The hostages cowered, some closing their eyes, hoping it was all a nightmare they would wake up from.

"I'm H, as in English Alphabet Capital H, and you're all my small h, which means my hostage," Hiro announced with a wicked grin spreading across his face. His eyes scanned the room, taking in the fear and confusion etched on the faces of the hostages.

Suddenly, one of the guards attempted to shoot, but Hiro's cybernetic implants made him see the shot coming. In a split second, he dodged out of the way and the laser beam whizzed past him, slicing through the air.

"Tisha?" Hiro called out in a calm voice, his eyes scanning the room. "Take care of that pesky guard, would you?"

Without further instructions, Tisha raised her gun and aimed at the guard who had just fired. Her finger pressed against the trigger and a shot rang out, the sound reverberating throughout the room. The guard fell to the ground, dead before he hit the floor.

Most of the hostages gasped, as the guard dropped down. The reality of the situation was beginning to sink in. They were in a hostage situation, and their captors wouldn't hesitate to lay waste to them if they didn't cooperate.

Hiro turned to face the hostages, his gaze penetrating each one of them, like a predator sizing up its prey. "Anyone else want to play hero?" he asked, his voice dripping with malice.

His eyes flicked over their faces, looking for any sign of rebellion. But all he saw was fear and dread etched on their faces.

No one spoke. The silence was deafening, and the hostages could hear their own heartbeats pounding in their ears.

"Now my associate here has a gift for you all," he announced, his voice ringing out with authority. "But first, you all have to form 2 queues. Male and female."

There was a beat of stunned silence. No one moved, no one spoke. It was as if they were frozen in place, like statues in a museum.

Hiro sighed, his impatience clear. He lifted his arm and fired a laser beam at the concrete floor. The sudden noise and bright light sent adrenaline down their veins as they snapped out of their shock, sending them scrambling to form the queues.

The room was chaotic, bodies jostling and shoving as everyone tried to find their place. Hiro and Tisha watched from their perch on a metal railing, like eagles surveying their prey.

In a matter of minutes, the queues had formed. The room was silent, save for the heavy breathing of the hostages and the soft hum of the machines.

Hiro and Tisha descended from their perch, their footsteps ringing out on the metallic floor. They walked over to the lines of workers, standing in front of them like generals before their troops.

"Well, well, well," said Hiro, his voice dripping with mockery. "Look at all of you, so obedient. It's almost cute."

The workers didn't reply, too afraid to speak. They were hostages now, pawns in a game they didn't even know they were playing.

Hiro smiled, his teeth glinting in the dim light. "Now, let's get down to business."

Tisha's nimble fingers expertly untied the straps of the black bag that was secured tightly on her back. She peeled the bag off with a deft movement and gestured towards the hostages assembled in front of her.

"All comm devices and weapons go in here," Tisha declared in a calm and collected voice, her eyes scanning the room as she moved around the group.

The silence was broken only by the clattering of weapons and the rustling of clothing as one by one, they all began to comply with Tisha's orders.

It was as if the air in the room had suddenly become heavy with tension, with each person acutely aware of the danger that they were in. Soon enough, the bag was brimming with gadgets and guns.

Tisha returned to the front of the group, her expression unreadable.

"Now who's in charge here?" Hiro asked, his eyes darting from person to person. But no one answered, prompting him to ask again, "No one?"

Hiro's gaze suddenly fell on a figure lying on the ground, and he gasped, covering his mouth. "Wait, I hope that's not the guy we shot?" he exclaimed.

"That's just a normal guard. There's no way he would be the one in charge" Tisha reassured him, her voice steady.

Hiro let out a sigh of relief. "Phew. If that's a guard, then who's in charge should come out now before I pick who's gonna join our guard over there," he warned, his tone becoming serious.

A soft voice broke through the tense silence from behind the group, "I'm in charge," it said.

Hiro turned around to face a young woman who appeared to be in her twenties or thirties.

Hiro turned to face the speaker, his eyes narrowed as he scrutinized her. She appeared to be in her late twenties or early thirties. "Well well, aren't you young to be in charge? And what's your name?" he asked.

"Amy. What do you want from us?" Amy replied with a hint of defiance.

"Simple. You, Amy, will come with me to explore the facility, while my trigger-happy friend will stay with the rest of them here," Hiro explained, gesturing towards Tisha.

"And to the rest of you," he said, addressing the other personnel, "just sit and be comfortable. Your lives all rest on Amy's shoulders. And yours too if you cooperate," he added, his voice brimming with authority.

Tisha interjected, "Now just so you know, we've fixed some motion sensors around, and if you make any sudden movement after I activate them, those sentries," she said, pointing to several machine guns mounted around the room, "they won't hesitate, even if I do."

Hiro nodded his approval. "Okay, that should be all for now. Amy and I got work to do," he declared, guiding Amy towards the door.

"Doors," he said to Suki over the comms.

The doors hissed open and closed behind them, and Suki's voice crackled over the comm. "Now that was very authoritative and dominating," she purred. "I hope you'll be able to replicate such behind doors."

Hiro let out a low chuckle. "Don't tempt me, Su. We both know the answer to that," he replied. "For now, let's focus on the next phase."

"Sure," Suki replied.