Chapter 74

After the shower Lia was forcefully sent home by Antonio. Will was really angry after Alpha disappeared and he regained his body back. But Lia couldn't get the chance to comfort him because he had to leave. He didn't like leaving Will behind, especially after the events of today. He wanted to stay and look after him.

He remembered Alpha's plea. There's definitely something that he was trying to warn Lia about Antonio. So, how could he just leave Will alone there for Antonio to do whatever he wants.

So, he waited on the streets. As soon as the lights would go off, he will sneak back in.

However, things didn't go as planned when a black van stopped in front of him. Lia alerted when three men got out of the van, and he was dragged and shoved inside the vehicle.

"Let go of me! Do you have a fucking death wish or something?!"

 ◾◾◾

Lia was forcefully awoken by the splash of icy water on his face. The chilliness instantly cleared his foggy head. With a slightly throbbing head, he blinked and tried to orient himself. The last thing he remembered was captured by a van.

"It's good to see you alive and kicking. You are worth a lot more than death," a familiar male voice came from somewhere but Lia was unable to pinpoint where the voice was coming from because his eyes were still adjusting to the bright light that was intentionally directed into his face. 

His migraine worsened and so his mood. "Fucking asshole! I will break your neck and shove it up your ass if I get my hands on you!" Lia shouted with all the might he could muster. "Stop this light right now! Who are you and where have you bought me?!"

"Tch! Such rude anger. How about I let you sit in darkness for a few days and then come back when you are more willing to have a chat with me?" the voice was full of malice.

"Try me! you sucker!"

The voice clicked his tongue again, "You are so uncooperative. But that's fine, I have all the time in the world. You on the other hand..."

"I'll show you how much time you have left when I get my hands on you! You dicknose fucker!" And the insults keep getting weirder and nastier while he tugged at his hands that were cuffed to the chair. 

The man sighed. "I'm sorry but your threats don't scare anyone here." 

Anyone? Who else is there? Fuck! Where exactly am I? I need—- "Ughhhhhhh!!!!! Stop!!!!! Ahh!!!" His thoughts were interrupted when a strong electrical current ran through his body when he was electroshocked. 

Lia felt like he was burning from inside, his muscles tensed and his jaw locked, unable to make a single sound, but not enough to knock him unconscious. When the electric shock ended, Lia's whole body slumped forward, hanging down.

"Well, I have to say, it's amazing what you can do with modern technology. With only a push of a button, I can shock you to death. It's such a pleasant feeling, don't you agree?"

Lia was completely out of it, he barely had any strength left to breath, let alone to reply to the voice.

"Oh my, did you already die? That's not fun at all," The man in the darkness was getting impatient and a little bit mad. He pressed the button again, and the current went through the chains and electrocuted Lia once more.

"Arrrgggghhh!!" a muffled shout came out as he was unable to close his mouth.

"So you are still alive. Good to know." 

Lia was trembling from head to toe, eyes blurred and struggling to breath. "W-w-what d-do you w-want?"

"Looks like we are talking now, great," the voice said and the light was turned off, switching to the normal ones. And when Lia finally saw his surroundings, his face turned pale.

"W-what the f-fuck?" he stuttered in pain and shock to the man in front of him. "Scout?!"

Looking around, he realised that he was in a police station, and was chained to a chair in a small cell. "What is going on?"

"I want you to cooperate with me, that's what's going on," Scout let out, sitting at the other side of the table in a police uniform. There were other officers as well. 

Lia gulped and looked at the weapon, his body was weak from the electric shocks and the only thing he could do was stare at him.

"W-what kind of cooperation? What the hell is going on?" He couldn't comprehend anything, his eyes roamed over Scout's uniform. "And why are you in a cop's uniform? Aren't you Wagnar's--"

Scout rested his hands on the table, and a wide grin spread across his face. "No, I'm not one of his men as you can see."

"W-what?" Lia frowned in confusion. "Weren't you at his mansion-" 

"I don't have much time to explain everything to you right now. Just know that I'm on a mission and disguised as one of them in that place." 

He glared at Scout. "Why kidnapped me then? What you're doing there has anything to do with me?" 

Scout's grinned viciously. "Ah, that's the million-dollar question, isn't it? You are a key piece in this puzzle. You possess certain...talents that make you valuable to certain parties." 

Lia's heart pounded in his chest. "Talents? What are you talking about? Let go of me first!" 

Scout's expression turned serious, his eyes boring into Lia's. "You have abilities that most people that had worked for us didn't have," Lia's head spun with disbelief when Scout's voice lowered to a whisper, the words dripping with a sinister bitterness. "Ability to survive your way out of Wagnar's web. But that's not enough. There's a dark world that exists without ordinary people knowing about it. A world ruled by secrets, where domination is everything and morality is but a fleeting delusion."

Of course, Lia understands those words clearly because he's anything but a part of those ordinary people. Still, he tried to fake his reaction. "What do you mean, a dark world?"

Scout smirked, absolutely seeing through that silly reply. He's the head detective of this mission for a reason. "I'm talking about the world of Wagnar. Who is the master of the crimes happening in the society." 

It wasn't a great surprise for Lia, he knew Wagnar wouldn't be so kind as to just let him work for him and allow him to be Alpha's trainer just like that. He definitely has a reason behind that. "But why me? What does Wagnar have to do with someone like me?" Lia avoided the gaze when he said the next words. "Aren't I just a regular guy?" 

Scout's lips curled into a grim smile. "We have studied your background for a while and the absolutely unique things we found about you were astonishing. It's wonderful how after committing so many crimes you never got caught." 

Lia looked back at him and there wasn't a bit of shame or fear in his eyes. "Thank you." 

Groans come from every officer standing in the corner of the room but Scout just laughs it off. "You're welcome. Now, would you like to hear from me about the mission we are working on?" 

Lia shook his head lazily. "Not interested. I don't want to be a part of your mission." 

Scout's grin faded, replaced by a steely expression. "You don't understand, do you? You don't have a choice. You're already in too deep. Wagnar's reach extends far beyond what you can imagine. If you try to run, he'll hunt you down like a dog and make your life a living hell. So, if you're thinking about escaping with Alpha, you should halt at that thought because that's impossible." 

How does he know I want to get Alpha out of there? Lia's heart pounding in his chest, a surge of adrenaline coursing through his veins. It was shocking how the cop knows so much about him and his thoughts. "I don't care, I'll find a way-" 

"So eager to make a grave mistake, aren't you?" Scout's eyes narrowed, a hint of anger crossing his features. "Young blood sure makes you overconfident and stupidly brave. You're gonna get both of you killed before you can even think about escaping." 

Those words make Lia furious and his eyes hardened. Scout regarded Lia with a pitiful face. "I hope you know what you're getting yourself into. Because once you step into Wagnar's world, there's no going back. And the consequences of your actions may be more than you can bear. So, choose wisely." 

Lia stared at him for a while, the eyes of cops looking back at him. "There's just one thing left in my life," Eyes turning dark, Lia leaned forward on the table. "And that is to get that guy out of there, no matter what it takes. Even if it risks my own life." 

"You look brave," An officer came and stood beside Scout with a cold glare. Lia looked at him as the officer spoke. "But bravery alone won't be enough to do what you're planning. Wagnar's power is unmatched right now, and he controls forces beyond your grasp. You're like an ant trying to take down a giant."

"Still, I'm not the one begging for help here, am I? Please enlighten me again who kidnapped me because they wanted me to help in their mission?" Lia chuckled bitterly, rolling his eyes mockingly. 

The officer didn't like the way Lia was talking. It was Agent Kane, a tall and charging man known for his ruthless efficiency and utter disdain for anything that stood in the way of his mission. And right now Lia was in his way. 

His lip curled into a sneer as he cast a scornful glance at Lia. "I don't know why we're wasting our time with this pathetic excuse for a human being. If it were up to me, I would've put a bullet in his head the moment he opened his mouth. After all, he's also just a criminal. So, who cares if he dies here." 

Lia bristled at the insult, his fists clenching at his sides. "Who the hell are you to talk to me like that? You-" 

"Watch your mouth, punk. Or else-" Agent Kane's face hardened, his hand inching towards the holster at his side. 

"Enough both of you," Scout stepped between. "We have more important matters to attend to than squabbling like children."

Lia shot Agent Kane a defiant glare, but reluctantly held his tongue. Agent Kane grunted in annoyance, but begrudgingly backed down as well. 

Scout sighed heavily, he knew involving a 21-year-old stubborn kid would be dangerous but if the kid himself wanted to die then who was he to oppose? Involving him in his team may not be so bad. Now he just has to convince Lia. 

Right now, he has bigger worries. The orphans trapped in Wagnar's clutches. If he didn't act soon, they would also become nothing more than fodder for Wagnar's experiments, their lives would be snuffed out before they even had a chance to truly begin.

Taking a deep breath, Scout began. "Lia, right now we don't have any option but to ask help from whoever we could. You have seen Alpha's situation right. Well, that's just one case you have seen. They're running many labs where they're using innocent children of every age from infant to adults for their experiments. And our mission also includes rescuing Alpha. Every innocent that is suffering there, we will save them." 

Lia couldn't shake the image of the horrors of what those children might be withstanding. He had seen firsthand the extent of Wagnar's cruelty, and if he didn't do something soon, Alpha would suffer the same fate all over again once he sold off to a mafia. 

And as much as he wanted to rescue Alpha alone, he doubted if he could fight Wagnar's army that were ready to defend their master at any cost alone. How could he hope to stand a chance against such overwhelming odds? It's impossible. He may be strong, but when it comes down to it, he is just a regular guy with no special abilities or training to speak of. He was no match for the ruthless forces aligned against him, and he feared that his attempts to rescue Alpha would only end in disaster.

But then, as he glanced at the determined faces of Scout and Agent Kane. He could see a chance of succeeding where he would fail on his own.

"Alright, count me in," He sighed, nodding his head. "Start with explaining to me who exactly is Wagnar, and what is he really doing in his so-called dark world?" 

Scout's face cheered up a bit. He waved to an officer to start the LED on a wall while he explained. "Wagnar may present himself as a respectable businessman, but behind closed doors, he's the mastermind of a vast criminal empire, with tendrils reaching into every corner of the world." 

Lia simply nodded, he had guessed that much. "What kind of crimes is he involved in?"

"Drug smuggling, human trafficking, arms dealing, money laundering—you name it and Wagnar is involved in it. He's profiting off the suffering of countless innocent lives for a very long time." 

"And what about the experiments? What exactly does he want from Alpha and the other orphans?"

"Wagnar sees these children as nothing more than commodities, tools to be used and discarded when he doesn't see any need in them. He's been experimenting and trying to unlock their latent abilities and turn them into weapons, and then sold them." 

He showed a picture of some drugs and tests on the screen. "The drug they're experimenting with is called Alpha 101. It's a chemical designed to enhance human abilities beyond imagination. But the process is long and gruelling which involves brutal experiments and psychological manipulation."

"And the orphans you talk about? How could they get away with something so monstrous?"

Scout's jaw tightened with frustration. "They're meticulous in their work. They carefully select children from orphanages at a young age, the ones who have no family or guardians to speak of. After their people adopt those kids they transfer them into the system." 

As shocking as it was, Lia listened carefully. "So they're not only experimenting on these kids, but they're also raising them as their own." 

Scout nodded gravely. "Exactly. And if anyone ever questions their motives or actions, they have a perfectly crafted cover story ready to deflect on any suspicion. Society turns a blind eye to these children, as they're none of their business." 

Lia's brows furrowed in confusion. "So, everyone in their so-called lab are those kids?"

"Yes, but with different memories. The lab erases all their past memories and then gives them new ones. 

Lia's eyes widened with disbelief. "Is it even possible? How can they transfer someone else's memory into their brain?"

Scout looked at him and slowed down his voice as if he was afraid that his enemies might hear him. "Well, you can't replace someone's memory with another person's. The psychological experts take care of that. They brainwash and manipulate their brains into thinking that they're someone else. It's a very long procedure and takes years to do that. So, in reality now they're just robots with fabricated memories." 

"But why are they even doing it in the first place?"

"To create their own human weapons. The roots of these crimes are very deep. Deeper than you can ever think. The demand for these human weapons in the underworld market is very high and increasing day by day. The more fatal you are, the more demanding you are. Mafia's, dons, terrorists. They sold them to work for them after they're ready."

Lia's heart sank as he asked the next question he was kind of scared to ask. "Then who's fabricated memories does Alpha have?"

"He...doesn't have any," Scout exhaled deeply. 

Lia's eyes widened in shock. "What?"

Scout continued with a solemn face. "Yes, they didn't give him any. They wanted him to grow his own sinful memories that would be haunting enough to make him lose his mind. That's why he's suffering the most among them all. Every new drug they developed, every new technology they invented, everything has been tested on him. So, you can only assume how much pain he had gone through." 

Lia's chest tightened with anguish as he imagined the torment Alpha must endure. Will or Alpha they both are the same to him. Maybe that's the reason why he developed another self when he couldn't take it anymore. Lia clenched his fist. 

"He's the first experiment that they conduct without erasing his memory or giving him someone else's." 

I want to kill them all! Erase their fucking existence! "Can you tell me the scale of how harmful these experiments are or...any cure to overcome this?"

"Get this straight, they're not hospital tests, they're experiments conducted by doctors who are banned and suspended from medicine all around the world for conducting crazy and inhuman tests. They're not allowed to work in normal hospitals. The experiments come with uncountable side-effects that can cause many fatal diseases exist in this world. But if a subject turns out to be lucky and beats the diseases, he is still going to lose to the traumas that it leaves behind. The only cure to overcome this is to die. There is no other solution." 

A heavy silence settled over the room as Lia wrestled with his own thoughts. Never in millions years could he have thought that he's going to get himself into this mess. But now there's no way out of it without Alpha. It's either that guy or nothing at all. 

He jumped when a video began to play on the screen. The footage showed a young man, his eyes feral with terror as he screamed and was seen running around in a room with no windows and a single closed door. 

"They are monsters! Worse than monsters! Ugh!!!! Ah..Please get me out!!!! They have infants stuffed in jars, using them in grotesque beauty products. Please! I'm not lying! I'm not crazy, someone please listen to me!!! THEY SELL HUMANS!! I HAVE SEEN THEM EATING HUMAN MEAT WITH MY OWN EYES!!! And the kid…oh god the kids. Those kids would be sold to paedophiles!!!! PLEASE SOMEONE HEAR ME! I'M NOT CRAZY!!!!!!!!!" 

The video stopped there leaving Lia and everyone else staring at the blank screen in silence. With goosebumps all over his body, Lia could barely breathe, he was frozen like a statue, mind fully gone blank. 

Scout was the first one to break the silence. 

"It was one of our most clever and fearless agent sent there in disguise. This was the last we heard from him from inside the lab. He disappeared without a trace shortly after sending us this footage. We don't know what happened to him, but I fear the worst. After this we were afraid to send someone else so I decided to take matters in my own hands and sneaked there in disguise of one of their men." 

It's uproarious how all these crimes are being committed in front of the world but no one bats an eye. Those poor souls trapped and tortured will be forgotten by the world. The things humans are capable of doing to other humans are scary. 

The reality of Wagnar's depravity is just one example of it. Lia had known that Wagnar was a dangerous bastard, but he could have never imagined the horrors he was committing in his lab. 

"There will be a rave party in his private resort soon," Scout informed. 

Lia turned to face him. "Rave party?" 

"Yes, and we need to sneak in there because the rave party is just a facade. Behind the scenes, Wagnar will be orchestrating a human trafficking operation on a massive scale. Young girls and children will be forced into prostitution to the rich elites attending the party."

"But how do we get in? It's not like we can just walk through the front door," Lia asked looking around the room at the other officers. It's been a whole night since he was taken here. He missed his boy. 

Scout smiled a little, glad that Lia agreed to join their team. "That's where I come in. I have a plan. You just need to be ready for our signal. This time we will collect enough proofs against him to catch him red-handed." 

"Fine," Lia nodded and stood up, his legs were still trembling from all the electric shock. He eyed the officers, ready to fight if they tried to stop him. "I will be..leaving now." 

Before Scout could respond, Agent Kane interrupted with a comment. "Just make sure you don't do anything stupid in the meantime. We don't need any unnecessary complications."

Lia's temper flared at his condescending tone, his fists clenched at his sides. "I'll appreciate you if you could keep your opinions to yourself." 

"You–" 

"Kane," Scout shot Kane a warning glance before turning back to Lia, his expression apologetic. "I'm sorry about Kane. He can be a bit...abrasive at times." 

"Whatever," Rolling his eyes, Lia confidently walked out with shaking legs. "I'm off to meet my babe." 

Watching him leave, Kane turned to Scout. "Can we trust him?" 

Scout gave Kane a sympathetic look, patting his shoulder. "I believe we can, Kane. Especially when we have a similar goal of bringing Wagnar down." 

Kane frowned, still kind of unconvinced. "But what if he's just in it for himself and betrayed us?" 

"He won't," Scout replied with a serious expression. "I'll make him pay if he survives from Wagnar if he tries to betray us. But for now he seems genuine."