A-City

10:28 AM UTC

Zombieman brought a lighter to his lips. He sparked a flame and lit the cigarette between them. He put the lighter back in his pocket then motionlessly inhaled for a fleeting moment. Lightly parting his teeth, a gray cloud seeped from his mouth, spreading across his chest before losing form. He pivoted and looked down.

He did not look happy.

"I'll be square with you," he said. "It's looking real crappy."

Sitting at a table across from him, a young man with a top hat and mask had his left hand handcuffed to one of the table legs. A white bird in a cage sat next to him.

Zombieman pulled out a filing folder from under his armpit.

"Magic Trick Man. A-Class, rank 7. Upstanding, no nonsense, and viciously efficient. Your commitment to heroics is greatly admired, even compared to some S-class heroes." He slightly tilted his head to the left and exhaled. "You have a bright future ahead of you…

He threw the folder onto the table. It slid right underneath the birdcage.

"Is what I'd like to say."

Magic Trick Man opened the folder. The first thing he saw was a black and white photo of a group of men, and one woman, wearing black suits. Leading them was a voluptuous young woman with short black hair and a skin tight black dress

"During the recent Hero Exchange program, several heroes voluntarily switched cities with each other to better understand the country as a form of fraternizing and intelligence gathering. Publicity also played a role, but that wasn't openly advertised."

Magic Trick Man had taken out all the photos in the folder and spread them in front of him. He hunched over as his head dropped into his palms.

"Regardless, some were more eager than others. Over the last 3 months, you were reported visiting cities A, G, V, and B."

In the photo on his right , Magic Trick Man was seen walking alongside the voluptuous young lady.

"During your trip to V-City, you collaborated with Blizzard of Hell and The Blizzard Group. Miss Blizzard arranged for you to stay with them at a 5-Star Hotel for a month. However, you ended the partnership a day early to commute to G-City due to a call out from the villain Plan B, which was a trap to constitute a series of interconnected bank robberies and hostage situations that happened in cities B, C, H, and F. After the incident was resolved, Miss Blizzard filed a complaint to the hotel manager.

Magic Trick Man continued to look down. There were several pictures of him alongside other heroes or just standing in the background. One picture was focused on a man in a hoodie blending into a crowd.

"She said all of her spare panties were missing."

Magic Trick Man slammed his free hand on the table, the bird jumped and cooed in response. Sweat poured down his temple, right over a throbbing vein. His face was red as a cherry.

"ABSURD!" he shouted. "I would never, ever… commit such an atrocity! The mere thought is an insult to everything I stand for!!" As his fist twitched in rage, his feathered friend sadly cooed.

Frustrated, the young magician stared at the table. Zombieman stared at the young magician.

"Fellow female member Lily reported the same thing. The police investigated the premises, conducted interviews, and observed security footage for 3 days. You were first seen entering Lily's suite then quickly leaving as you rubbed your cheek. Then you knocked on the door to the right. Fubuki answered. After briefly talking, she tapped you on the shoulder and closed the door.

"The only other people seen entering their rooms were the cleaning ladies. Normally, that's not enough evidence to argue probable cause. However…

There was a photo of Magic Trick Man holding up a coin in front of a group of children. One of them had a birthday hat.

"Performance magicians are known for making objects disappear through the use of misdirection. However, as an actual magician… it's entirely plausible that you've developed a technique for making objects disappear for real. I.e, teleportation."

Magic Trick Man gritted his teeth. He put his head down and covered it with his arms.

"I didn't…do anything…" he said.

Zombieman stared at him for a moment.

"Alright," he said softly. "Take five."

A young man in a black suit, Busho, sat across a glass table from Zombieman. The former rummaged through a folder. The latter coldly stared at him with clasped hands. Photos of Magic Trick Man were scattered on the table. Busho gently placed the folder onto the table.

"I don't wanna admit it," he said. "But the cards are stacked against him."

"I'm not entirely convinced," said Zombieman.

"Zombieman… We can't let our personal feelings interfere with of the investigation. Friend or foe, evidence is eviden--"

"Whoever did it must've done their homework."

Zombieman slouched in his seat. Busho raised an eyebrow.

"What are you getting at?"

"All of the thefts took place at around two to three weeks into his visit. More than enough time to study his habits."

"Are you suggesting he's been framed? But there aren't many magician themed monsters running around. It's actually quite a dated concept…"

Zombieman squinted. He placed his hands on the arms rests of his chair and leaned forward. Busho leaned back.

"So," said Zombieman. "You just assume there's never gonna be one?"

Busho sighed and slouched.

"That's not what I'm saying…"

"Monsters pop up by the dozen, everyday, with any number of abilities. There's bound to be some overlap with the heroes, even if it's never happened before."

"But what are the chances of them sharing the same exact powers?"

"If we kept going by chance, we'd never make progress."

The men stared at each other for some time without speaking.

Busho sat up.

"A personal testimony from a peer isn't enough to clear one's name. In fact, the opposite. You're going to need something tangible to convince the authorities. And last time I checked, you've been dry."

"You don't need to worry about that. I've got it covered." Zombieman pulled out a box of cigarettes from the inside of his trenchcoat. Busho dejectedly chuckled.

"I don't doubt you do, but I'd like to hear this. And no smoking indoors."

Zombieman smirked and raised his brow. Busho smiled but it slowly slipped off.

"Don't tell me… You're going to try to enter the rift in time?"

"I'm sensing some doubt."

"But where would you even begin to pull that off?"

"You keep talking like we don't have some of the smartest people in the world as coworkers. It looks bad on the agency when the top brass doesn't have faith in their own employees."

Busho's jaw hung for a while but then he laughed it off. He stood up and headed for the elevator. He pressed a button on the panel and the doors immediately opened.

"Well, until you have solid evidence, Magic Trick Man is being detained. It's no secret that he's a suspect, especially in the hero community. If you want to save him from the justice system, and painful peer pressure, I suggest you work fast."

Zombieman simply smiled. Busho, feeling relieved, sighed. He walked into the elevator and nodded at Zombieman, who waved in response. The pale man lit a cigarette and exhaled. He stared at the fluorescent lights directly above him. He couldn't help but chuckle.

"'Fast,' he says."