Isaac was up all the earliest, using Xorelaz's computer to do a bit of research into Joshua. While he knew the man wasn't going to attack him or stop him from his objective, something about him wasn't settling right with him. Almost as if his appearance that night wasn't just coincidental. While he could find information about Joshua's stay in the hospital, having been cover news in Central City, he couldn't find anything prior.
"Alright, that's not helping. Who would know anything about this guy?" Isaac asked aloud. But after a few moments, Isaac had a great realization!
"Dante! He has to know something about him!" Isaac exclaimed, before walking back to the couch.
He grabbed his phone from the charger, quickly punching in Dante's number. After a few rings, a feminine voice answered.
"Hello?" A tired voice questioned. Isaac raised an eyebrow in response.
"Uh… I'm looking for Dante?" Isaac asked. The voice grew quiet before another voice took over.
"Hey, this is Dante!" Dante exclaimed, his footsteps heard.
"Dante, was… was that Jess?" Isaac asked.
"Who was Jess?" Dante quickly asked, trying to steer away from the question.
"That voice, it… were you with Jess last night?" Isaac asked, Dante stammering.
"H-hey, I don't ask you what you do with Sally at night, so you don't get to ask me that! Now, why did you call?" Dante stammered. Isaac silently chuckled, glad his friend finally followed his heart.
"I'm asking about someone named Joshua. He was in the Order of Honorius." Isaac responded.
"Joshua? That's a pretty common name. Anything else you can give me?" Dante asked.
"Yeah, uh, he betrayed the Order and was set on fire." Isaac answered.
"Set on- Holy shit! Isaac, do you realize who you're talking about?!" Dante exclaimed.
"No." Isaac responded.
"He was a legend in the Order! He was the most dangerous soldier, having been able to take on squadrons of enemies, being both outmanned and outgunned, singlehandedly! When he had been said to have been set on fire, legends were being made about the guy! After the leaders of the Order said it was forbidden to even mention his name, the others gave him a new name." Dante explained.
"What name?" Isaac asked.
"We began calling him, 'The Fire Walker'. Talk of him was so prevalent, the Order sent squadrons of soldiers to find and kill him. The squadrons would march out… and they'd never come back." Dante answered.
"Never come back?" Isaac questioned.
"Yeah. I assumed that these squadrons would just never return to the Order, believing that Joshua was probably dead. But considering he might actually still be alive, that opens the possibility that they might've found him, and that he probably killed them all!" Dante answered.
"Is there anything you know about him? Anything personal?" Isaac asked.
"Not really. In truth, when I was a kid, I was scared shitless of the guy! I was making distance to stay away from him! Not exactly the best way to learn something about someone. But… you might be able to find a few of his friends. Well, maybe not friends, but I don't have a better descriptive." Dante said.
"Friends from the Order? Can they be trusted?" Isaac asked.
"I mean, they all left the Order. And considering they might be as dangerous as Joshua, I doubt any soldier was able to kill them. Only person that would know their exact whereabouts would be Joshua." Dante Explained.
"Who are they?" Isaac asked.
"First name that comes to mind is Captain Mathew Patrick. He was one of the Order's strategists and key researchers. But… well, you know how paranoid Sticks is? She would say this guy is extremely paranoid! Anything he sees or hears, he is immediately skeptical about it and begins to formulate theories about it. It would eventually make him realize what the Order really was and leave it. But I guess that paranoia paid off, considering dozens of Honorius soldiers had been mowed down by his traps when they were seeking him out!" Dante explained.
"Do you know where he is?" Isaac asked.
"Can't say I do. But considering his penchant for research and theories, he might be a frequent visitor of the Central City Library. Definitely would be the most logical place to start looking." Dante answered.
"Thanks, Dante! I'll let you get back to…. Well, whatever you were doing." Isaac said, Dante letting out a sigh of frustration.
"Listen, just… please, don't mention this to anyone. We're trying to keep things quiet, at least until we're more comfortable with other people knowing. You are one too many!" Dante said.
"I'll keep it to myself." Isaac said.
"Alright. Bye." Dante responded, before hanging up.
Isaac closed his phone and put it into his pocket, before walking into the kitchen. Isaac began shredding potatoes and chopping onions, having his heart set on hashbrowns. As he mixed together the onions and potatoes, he heated a cast iron skillet on the stove, pouring a bit of oil into it. As soon as the oil was hot enough, he tossed in the hashbrown mix, the oil screaming as it contacted the potatoes.
After a few minutes of cooking, Vylania stepped into the kitchen, yawning. She was still in her pajamas. Her eyes were practically closed, herself traipsing to the coffee maker, opening the top and putting a scoop of coffee grounds into the filter.
"Morning." Isaac greeted, flipping the hashbrowns. Vylania grunted, hitting the button to start the coffee maker.
"Today, while you guys are at work, I'm going to be seeking a few leads. Give us an advantage in our mission. The only problem is Lily is going to be unsupervised at the apartment." Isaac explained. After a few moments, Vylania cleared her throat.
"When you went hunting, did you leave Lily at the camp?" Vylania asked.
"All the time. But we never had a militant cartel after us." Isaac answered.
"Did they see you after last night's mission?" Vylania asked, before hearing the coffee drip into the pitcher.
"The only ones that saw me are currently in police custody. And even if the drug charges won't hold, considering I incinerated them, they can still be held onto with possession of an illegal military-grade firearm." Isaac explained.
"Have you been researching the law in your off time?" Vylania asked, before going to pour herself a cup of coffee.
"Considering we're doing an illegal surveillance operation to get a drug off the streets, it's good to know our options." Isaac answered, before pouring himself a cup.
"Well, as long as Lily stays inside the apartment when we're not around, and keeps the door locked, I think she'll be fine." Vylania said, before taking a sip from her cup.
"Hmm… Actually, I have a better idea." Isaac said, remembering another option.
3 Hours Later:
Isaac was at the front of a door, belonging to a large apartment. Lily was standing next to him, wondering why they were there. All she was told that a friend was going to watch her as he was searching for the next lead. Isaac rang the doorbell, waiting for someone to answer.
"Isaac, who's exactly going to be watching me?" Lily asked.
"Someone that I know who's going to protect you as fiercely as I do. I called him before we walked down, and he agreed as soon as I asked him." Isaac answered.
After a few more moments, the door opened, revealing a human woman. She was wearing scrubs, eating a bagel.
"Good morning! I'm here to speak with Joshua." Isaac greeted. She swallowed the bite of bagel she had, before clearing her throat.
"Joshua told me you were coming. Well, come in. We were just having breakfast." She said, permitting them to enter.
"Thank you, but we already ate. But I wouldn't object to a cup of coffee if it was offered." Isaac responded.
"Lucky for you, we just brewed a fresh pot." She happily said, before they entered the kitchen.
Joshua was seated at the table, a newspaper opened, covering his face. The bandages that would've covered his mouth were on the table, allowing him to eat. Isaac could hear him drinking from a cup, before a bandaged hand set it aside from his paper.
"Joshua, honey, your friend and his daughter is here." She said, before walking over to him, giving him a kiss.
"Not his daughter, dearest Bonnie, but his sister. But I thank you all the same." Joshua said, before his hand grabbed his bandages, his wife swiftly reapplying them. Joshua set the paper down, seeing the two fully.
"Now, the kids are going to get back a little later, being a field trip, so I was thinking after work…" She began to say, before whispering something into his ear. Joshua chuckled a bit, before standing up.
"You surely know how to make me blush, my treasured bride. But let us hold our tongues, while we are in the presence of guests. I shall welcome it, all the more, once you have returned." Joshua eloquently said, before embracing his wife.
"Listen to yourself! Speaking so formal and beautifully to me! You- you're a tease, mister! A tease!" Bonnie playfully exclaimed, laughing as she grabbed her purse. Joshua laughed himself, before his wife left the apartment, the door closing able to be heard.
"By God, I love that woman." Joshua said, before sitting back down at the table.
"I'm happy for you. Also, thank you so much for agreeing to watch Lily while I investigate further into this matter." Isaac said. Joshua nodded, before grabbing the paper.
"Of course. It's the least I can do, knowing what I have done in my past. But before you leave, I am going to need assistance right quick, if it's not too much trouble." Joshua said.
"Sure. What do you need?" Isaac asked.
"Since tomorrow is my day off, I will be making myself comfortable while I watch Lily. But first, I need to shower so that I can change my bandages. While I am doing this, I request that if the phone rings while I am changing my bandages, you will answer it." Joshua said.
"Wait, that's it?" Isaac asked.
"That's it. Every time I need to get a shower and change the bandages, the phone rings. And the moment my skin is exposed to the air, it feels as if I am still on fire! That's why I need to get it done as fast as possible." Joshua explained.
"Wait, your skin is healed, but you still feel everything?" Isaac asked. Joshua nodded, before sighing.
"I truly believe that I am still being punished for what I have done. While I may be blessed with my new family, I will still suffer for my actions." Joshua said, before walking to the bathroom.
As Joshua showered and changed his bandages, Isaac was drinking a cup of coffee, Lily looking around the apartment.
"Isaac, how do you know Joshua?" Lily asked.
"You're the more experienced telepath. You can probably figure it out from me." Isaac joked. Lily shook her head, not finding that funny.
"You know I don't like purposely invading someone's mind. I've been working on not doing that on purpose." Lily responded. Isaac nodded, setting his cup down.
"After I got shot from that recon mission, Joshua relocated me to the church and helped me with my wounds. You can trust him. But remember, if he tells you to do something, make sure you do it. I don't want to hear any complaints from him about your behavior, not from him or his wife. After I'm done today, I'll pick you up." Isaac explained, getting up from his seat.
"I'll behave myself, I promise. But how many times will you drop me off here before everything's taken care of?" Lily asked.
"It'll only be when neither me, Xorelaz, or Vylania can keep an eye out for you. Remember, I originally wanted you to stay back because of how dangerous this was going to be. But now, I'm going to be dropping you off while he's home during the morning and afternoon and pick you up before he goes into work." Isaac explained.
Suddenly, the phone rang, Isaac grabbing it from the receiver.
"Hello?" Isaac questioned.
"Hey, uh, is Mr. Hagram there, by any chance?" A voice asked.
"He's preoccupied at the moment, but I can take a message." Isaac responded.
"Uh, well, it's a bit of a private matter. I'll just call back in an hour." The voice said, before hanging up. Isaac, shrugging his shoulders, placed the phone back onto its receiver.
About ten minutes had passed before Joshua made himself present, a fresh change of bandages replacing his old skin. He was only wearing a pair of pajama bottoms, his entire upper body wrapped in gauze. The only part of his body that wasn't wrapped in gauze were his feet, which were left unscarred from his bath in fire.
"Phew, much better. Alright, Isaac, I can take things over from here." Joshua said, before sitting down on the couch, putting his feet up.
"Why aren't your feet wrapped?" Isaac questioned.
"I was wearing heavy-duty boots when I was burned. It was the only part of my body that wasn't torched. Now, I believe you have your responsibilities, as I have mine. Good luck, and God bless." Joshua answered.
Isaac nodded, before giving Lily a hug.
"Remember, listen to him." Isaac said, Lily nodding. Isaac walked to the door, before letting himself out of the apartment.
Isaac made his way to the nearest subway entrance, walking down the stairs. He scanned his metro card, walking through the turnstile. Isaac soon stopped on the platform, waiting for the next train, along with the crowd of people. Isaac, feeling impatient, looked over to the monitor, seeing the train was delayed.
"So much for the modern world." Isaac said to himself.
As he waited, Isaac saw a person he recognized. A Mobian bat he had crippled in the past. He was wearing a t-shirt and a pair of jeans, one of his wings slightly lower than the other. He appeared slightly nervous, taking glances around him, before refocusing on the platform.
"Peter." Isaac said to himself, finally recognizing him. Isaac had no idea how he could be among the people, having been imprisoned, along with William and Edward. The train soon came to a halt at the platform, Isaac silently boarding as well, keeping an eye on Peter.
The train soon lurched forward, speeding towards the next station. Peter was still unaware of Isaac, looking up at the map of the subway route. Isaac reached into his pocket, gripping the handle of a small throwing knife.
"Show me where you're going, Peter. Show me what you're up to." Isaac said to himself.
After a few stops, Peter finally left the train, Isaac quietly following. He followed him a distance away, making sur he had enough bodies between them to make it seem that he wasn't directly following him. After a few blocks, Peter made the motion to turn around, Isaac quickly dashing to his right. He hid in the alley, before quickly scaling the wall. He hoisted himself up onto the building, getting a better advantage point to see where Peter was going. He looked over the ledge, seeing Peter was walking towards a warehouse near the water.
"What are you hiding, Peter?" Isaac asked himself, before letting Peter get closer to the warehouse.
Isaac flung himself across the street, landing on the adjacent building. Isaac ran to the edge of the roof, seeing Peter near a door. He focused his sight, seeing Peter producing a key. He opened the door, looking around before quickly shutting it behind himself. Isaac gulped, seeing that it could be another production facility. Isaac straightened himself, before making his way down to the warehouse.