Chapter 23

Apollo watched Principal Rice and Chloe have a little stare down before Principal Rice eventually took a seat. Apollo knew Chloe would be alright so he then turned his attention back to the crying. He followed the sound through the freshman locker hall and past the gym, where the women's basketball team was warming up. The sound eventually led him to an empty classroom halfway across the school.

He recognized the girl right away.

Gloria Alvarez.

A senior he'd always admired as a person from afar. She was one of the few people at Smallville High who were able to navigate effortlessly across multiple social groups. One day she'd be eating lunch in the library with the Latinx Book Club. The next day Apollo would see her laughing in the halls with Skye and the other cheerleaders. He also knew she was one of the smartest kids in the school, her and Skye were the only people in the school that were able to do advanced coding. Skye was better than her but Gloria was definitely no slouch.

Gloria sat at a desk in the front row, hunched over, wiping tears with a bundled tissue. At first she didn't notice Apollo in the doorway, so he simply stood there and watched her, feeling awkward. She clearly wasn't in any danger and wanted to be alone so Apollo didn't know exactly how to approach her.

After a moment he took a tentative step forward and cleared his throat.

"Excuse me, but…are you okay?" Apollo asked Gloria.

Gloria looked up at Apollo, startled. Her eyes red, cheeks streaked with tears.

"Sorry," Apollo mumbled, averting his gaze.

"I just—I was passing by or whatever and…" He studied her again. "What's wrong?" Apollo said crouching down so he was eye level with her and giving her a warm and friendly smile

"Everything." Gloria stood up, then froze, staring at him. "People are disappearing," she snapped, "and no one in this town even cares."

Her words caught Apollo completely off guard. "Who?"

She shook her head and tried to push past him, out the door but Apollo enveloped her in a hug. Apollo may have been confused about what was causing her to cry but he knew that she needed someone who would listen. Apollo could tell she felt helpless and he needed her to know she wasn't.

"I don't know what you're talking about but I do know one thing somebody in this town does care" Apollo said.

"Oh yeah, who?" Gloria said her voice angry.

"Me, tell me what you're talking about and I'll do what I can to help. If people are really disappearing me and my friend Chloe can write a story about it, get people informed and make them care" Apollo said warmly to her.

Gloria nodded and the two walked to the front steps to meet Chloe. Apollo walked silently with her not wanting to push her to talk more if she wasn't comfortable and all he could think about while they walked was; people were disappearing from Smallville?

Apollo brought her to the front steps of the school where he found Chloe seated. She looked smug so Apollo knew her conversation with Principal Rice went well. Apollo walked up to Chloe who was about to most likely gloat about however her meeting with Principal Rice went before she noticed Gloria and saw that her eyes were puffy from crying.

"What's going on?" Chloe questioned.

"Gloria's got a story" Apollo told Chloe and Chloe instantly went into investigative reporter mode.

"Let's go to the Torch we can talk privately there" Chloe said and the trio walked to the Torch to hear what Gloria had to say.

"Start from the beginning" Chloe said as they sat down inside the Torch.

Chloe had her notepad out and Apollo was just watching Gloria and warmly smiled at her as a show of assurance.

"It started over a month ago. People in our community, you know Latino's and migrant workers began to go missing. There was such a huge influx of us that I guess nobody really noticed. It wasn't enough to arise suspicion people just figured they found different work elsewhere you know. However, the more time passed the more it began to be difficult to ignore. People who'd been working as farm hands or maids were just gone. Like they disappeared" Gloria said.

"Why didn't the cops get notified? If this disappearance is as big as you're saying why didn't you tell the Sherriff?" Chloe questioned.

"Are you kidding me? There could be a law that allows the cops to just stop and search our community without any warrant or probable cause? Cops aren't really high up on people we can trust. Besides some of the people who went missing were undocumented, even if cops found them we'd never see them again. Obviously the one's that aren't undocumented were reported. Like my…" Gloria choked back tears clearly what she was trying to say was very difficult for her.

"Hey it's okay, I know this is difficult but we're here to help we promise" Apollo said as he handed her some tissues.

Gloria wiped her tears and steeled herself.

"Like my boyfriend Francisco. He went to work on one of the Mankins farms. His parents needed the extra money and they were looking for extra field hands. But then one day he just disappeared" Gloria said.

A silence hung in the room. Chloe stared at Gloria her mind spinning at a million miles an hour trying to figure out what this could possibly mean.

"I went straight to Deputy Sheriff McNally's office. I told them Francisco was missing, that I was worried something happened to him." She took a shaky breath. "And they just… dismissed me. Said boys run off all the time, especially ones like them."

Apollo's expression darkened. "Ones like them?"

Gloria nodded bitterly. "Yeah. Immigrant kids. Farmhands. They acted like I was overreacting and whenever we go the station they act like we're an annoyance. It's clear nobody cares about a couple of brown kids going missing" Gloria basically spat out, her disdain for the police very clear in her voice.

Gloria took a breath composing herself a little.

"But this morning when I stopped by, I heard McNally's department put out a notice about him—saying him and his friend attacked a supervisor, stole from the farm, and ran." She shook her head. "That doesn't make sense. Francisco wouldn't do that"

Apollo and Chloe looked at one another and Apollo could already tell Chloe was formulating a plan.

"They went from 'nothing to worry about' to 'they're dangerous criminals' overnight?" Apollo asked, eyes narrowing. "That's not just odd. That's a cover-up."

Chloe flipped to a fresh page in her notepad.

"So, to recap—a farm worker goes missing, they disappear, the sheriff's department refuses to treat it like a missing person case, and suddenly, they're fugitives?" Chloe asked.

"Pretty much, nobody seems to care. Especially the police." Gloria answered.

"Well unlike some of the police we actually do care about brown kids going missing" Apollo reassured her.

"Yeah we'll find him and figure out what's going on. If I could take out Principal Rice and come out unscathed then why would I be afraid of some cops?" Chloe told her confidently.

Gloria chuckled a smile appearing on her face for the first time in a while.

"We'll get to the bottom of this, I've already got a little bit of a plan brewing" Chloe said.

Gloria nodded and looked to the two of them. A part of her thought about how ridiculous it was that her last hopes were a bunch of people in the school two years below her but she was mostly glad to feel support for the first time in weeks.

The trio finished up the interview, shaken by what they heard but determined to get to the bottom of it.

He and Chloe immediately filled in Skye and Pete on everything and to say they were shocked would be an understatement.

"Disappearing? That's crazy!" Skye said louder than she would've liked. Luckily nobody was paying attention to them and they weren't given any weird stares.

"I know right. I thought Chloe's freak wall would be the craziest thing we'd find out about this week" Pete added in agreement.

"It's called the 'Wall of Weird' and honestly agreed. Right now this takes precedence over anything else going on. You guys will help with the investigation?" Chloe asked.

"Of course, whatever you need" Skye said empathetically.

"It's kind of my job to help seeing as I'm a part of Torch and whatnot. Although let it be known that any expenses I incur cause of this will be billed to you" Pete said jokingly a wide smile on his face.

Skye and Apollo just rolled their eyes while Chloe playfully punched him on the shoulder.

Chloe told them the first thing they needed to do was go get records of all the people who've gone missing to see if they can get an accurate number to figure out what's really going on. So that night the quartet headed straight for the Public Records Office.

The Smallville Public Records Office was about as thrilling as a dentist's waiting room. Dim fluorescent lights hummed softly, casting a sterile glow over rows of gray metal filing cabinets and stacks of yellowed documents. The air smelled of dust and old paper, and a half-drunk cup of coffee sat abandoned on the counter near the front desk.

Apollo, Chloe, and Skye stood in front of the entrance, surveying their target.

"This is illegal, you know," Pete muttered, leaning casually against the wall outside. "Breaking and entering. Hacking into government files. Snooping through classified records."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "It's not illegal if we don't get caught."

Pete smirked. "Oh, my bad. That makes it so much better."

Apollo adjusted his glasses, scanning the building with his X-ray vision.

"There's one night guard patrolling the second floor, and security cameras at the main entrance and near the records vault." Apollo said to them.

They all looked at him dumbfounded at how he came to that conclusion.

"How do you know that Apollo?" Chloe asked.

"My Mum, used to help out here sometimes on weekends, I remember what their security used to be like and I doubt they've changed it" Apollo said lying about how he knew what he did.

He turned to Skye. "Think you can get us in?"

Skye grinned. "Please. It's like you don't even know me."

She pulled out her laptop, dropped her bag onto the sidewalk, and knelt down beside the building's exterior power box. With a flick of her wrist, she produced a small device—a customized signal disruptor she and Apollo had built together. She pried open the box, clipped a few wires, and then tapped a command into her laptop.

The security cameras glitched out.

Chloe arched an eyebrow.

"You just carry a hacking device in your bag?" Chloe questioned.

Skye smirked. "What, like you don't carry pepper spray, a voice recorder, and an emergency notepad?"

Chloe opened her mouth, then closed it. "Fair point."

Apollo sighed.

"Can we focus?" he said not wanting them to get sidetracked.

Skye finished typing, and with a final keystroke, the electronic lock on the back door clicked open.

Pete whistled. "Damn, that's hot."

Skye turned to him. "I know."

Apollo held the door open for the group as they slipped inside.

The room was silent, except for the faint hum of a ceiling fan. Rows of filing cabinets stretched from wall to wall, towering over them like silent sentinels. The air was thick with the scent of aged paper and ink.

Apollo led the way, scanning the labels on the cabinets. "We're looking for land ownership records, worker permits, anything connected to the farmlands and the people who work on them."

Skye took a seat at one of the public computers and plugged in a USB drive loaded with her own software. "You guys check the paper files. I'll see what I can pull from the digital archives."

Chloe and Pete began rifling through the cabinets, their fingers skimming over tabs. Apollo quickly scanned documents with his enhanced vision, flipping through them faster than any normal person could.

Chloe groaned. "God, this is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. A really, really corrupt haystack."

Then Apollo froze. He pulled out a yellowed document from a folder labeled 'Mankins Agricultural Holdings.' His eyes skimmed over the contents, his expression tightening.

"Chloe," he said.

She turned to him, and he handed her the document. Her eyes widened as she read.

"They've owned the land for generations—but look at the last few months." She traced a finger down the page. "They've been buying up neighboring farms and even plots of land that you can't even farm on, expanding way beyond what a simple farming business would need."

Pete peered over her shoulder. "Why do that if all you do is grow corn?"

Apollo glanced at Skye. "What do you have?"

Skye's fingers flew across the keyboard.

"Give me a sec… I just cracked into the county's employment records—" She suddenly stopped, her eyes widening.

"What?" Apollo asked.

Skye beckoned them to the desktop so they could see the screen.

"The workers McNally claimed ran away? They never officially existed. No paperwork. No visas. No permits. No tax records. Nothing. It's like they were ghosts." Skye said.

Chloe's face paled. "Which means if anything happened to them…"

"No one would ever know," Apollo finished grimly.

A sudden noise echoed through the building.

Footsteps.

They all froze.

Apollo listened. One person. Slow. Heavy boots against the linoleum floor. The night guard was making his rounds.

"We gotta go," Pete whispered.

Skye yanked out her USB drive. Apollo shoved the documents into his jacket. Chloe quickly shut the filing cabinet.

The footsteps grew louder.

They darted toward the back door. But before they could reach it, a flashlight beamed through the hallway.

"Hey! Who's there?"

Apollo reacted instantly.

With incredible speed, he grabbed Pete and Chloe by the arms and blurred behind a set of bookshelves. Skye barely had time to react before he looped an arm around her waist and pulled her with him.

The trio barely noticed how quickly Apollo grabbed and moved them.

The guard stepped into the room, shining his light over the empty desks. He frowned, walking further inside.

Apollo leaned close to Skye, whispering, "Stay quiet."

Skye, pressed against his chest, swallowed. "Wasn't planning on screaming, but thanks."

Chloe, a little too close to them for her liking, scowled and muttered, "Of course she gets to be carried."

Pete had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing.

The guard stood still for a moment, scanning the room. Then, after what felt like an eternity, he grunted and turned back toward the exit.

The moment the door shut behind him, Apollo released his hold.

Pete exhaled.

"Man, I hate sneaking around" Pete said.

Chloe smirked.

"Yet, somehow, you're really good at it" Chloe quipped.

Skye grinned at Apollo.

"Nice reflexes, Kent" Skye said as she gave him a quick peck.

"Thanks, now let's get out of here before he comes back."

As they slipped out the back door and disappeared into the night, Chloe glanced at the documents Apollo had taken.

"We're getting close," she said. "The people behind this aren't just exploiting immigrants. They're erasing them."

Apollo's jaw clenched.

He wasn't going to let that continue.

Not in his town. Not on his watch.

The next day they left the Torch and went to their regular classes and the rest of their morning went normal for them. A few of Apollo's teachers mentioned the game happening later in the week. Apollo welcomed the good luck but was understandably a bit distracted.

Afterwards at lunch he saw that Pete and Skye were already eating and talking. Apollo and Chloe sat down with them eager to make a plan for their next step.

"My mum was talking to my Dad about the stop and search and they're really worried about how far it's gotten, they know this won't just affect immigrants but people like me and people like you" Pete was saying to Skye.

"The stop-and-search thing?" Apollo asked as he sat down. "It really is brutal and I can't believe it's even being discussed"

"Neither can I man" Pete said.

"There's no way they'll pass it though. In New York proposals like this would never go somewhere" Skye said.

"We'll vote it down; the meteor shower may have made some people more fearful of their neighbors but the people of Smallville also banded together after it too. And I believe Smallville will do the right thing" Apollo said.

"Always the optimist, aren't you Apollo?" Chloe said.

"Yes he is, and I wouldn't have it any other way" Skye answered for him, kissing him on the cheek.

Apollo blushed before gearing the conversation towards something the four of them could actually help with. The disappearing people.

"So what's the play after lunch?" Pete

"I've got some free periods. I think I'll head off to the Sherriff station and ask around about the missing people" Apollo told him

"I'll come with" Chloe said and Apollo nodded.

"You two hang back. Skye since you know Gloria you should keep her company maybe there's more she can tell you. Pete your friends with pretty much everyone, try asking around and seeing what more you can find out" Chloe ordered them, taking charge like she usually did during investigations.

"Are you going to use Hammer's truck to drive to the station" Pete questioned clearly trying to see what Apollo planned to do with the truck.

"Maybe but I think when I've got time I'll go by Hammer's house and drop off the keys. I don't think I can keep it" Apollo told him.

"You're a better man than me, I may not trust the money the Hammers have or the Hammers themselves but a truck is a truck" Pete said to him.

"Well that's cause your spine is made of taffy and Apollo's is made of steel" Skye joked to him causing Chloe and Apollo to laugh.

"Hey now, I wouldn't say taffy. I'd say like biscuit. It seems strong but any type of force and it crumbles immediately" Chloe added and they all continued to laugh at Pete.

"You guys can laugh at me all you want but when I'm rich in future don't come asking me for money" Pete told them as they finished eating.

Pete left the cafeteria to go ask around and Skye had her French test so she kissed Apollo for good luck and then left promising to hang out with Gloria afterwards. Chloe and Apollo then chatted for a bit as they finished their food before they went off to the Sheriffs station.

The two drove to the Sheriffs office and when they arrived Apollo was unsure of what his actual game plan would be. He initially planned to use his super senses to figure out exactly what was going on and then his super speed to take anything that could help the case but with Chloe here that wasn't as viable an option.

"So what's the plan exactly?" Apollo asked Chloe

"The plan's simple we just go in and ask them" she said.

Apollo frowned. "Who?"

"Whoever's in charge of the missing person's cases" Chloe replied as if what she was saying was basic knowledge.

"You're kidding, right?" Apollo said but he knew she wasn't.

Chloe had that look in her eyes that he knew all too well. It was the same look she'd gotten when she decided to investigate what percentage of the school budget was spent on the football program. Apollo tried to reason with her.

"Look, Chloe, I'm pretty sure we can't just waltz into the Sheriff's station and interview the police officers" Apollo said trying to be logical.

"Why not?" Chloe said.

"Because…well, they're probably busy, for one thing and they're not gonna grant two random high school kids an interview right there on the spot" Apollo told her and she scoffed at him.

Chloe started packing up her backpack with a sly grin on her face an investigative plan already clear in her mind.

"Apollo, I'm insulted," Chloe said. "It's as if you've never seen your best friend in action."

"I'm just being realistic we need to find an in so that they will listen to us or I bet they don't even let us in the front door" Apollo said and Chloe smirked at him.

"Watch and learn, Mr. Kent" Chloe said as she exited the truck.

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Also read Superman(Marvel+DC) and Marvel: Hyperion.