Riley Ross-Chapter 182: Guilt

[Mega Academy, once again infiltrated. A student, caught killing someone in cold blood inside the Academy. My name’s Lorraine, and it’s time to talk about this. Yesterday, Kitty told all of you that a student’s name was put into the Darkday website—and not even a day later, the individual known as Darkday showed itself inside the Academy. For the sake of their safety, we are hiding the name of the target... but it would seem we are the only ones who actually care for their safety. Twice now, twice in the last month that the Academy had allowed their students to be in danger. Twice now that they had allowed these villains to be in their midst.

If I were Megawoman, I would be completely disappointed that a school carrying my name had allowed this to happen. You are there to nurture and help the future generation, and yet you can’t even protect them.

I am at the campus right now, and have spoken with Bulwark and several of the staff. Although they remain vague, they believe that the Darkday website was used as a sort of scapegoat, and that the people targeting the student had been planning this long before Darkday’s existence even came to light, due to the fact that some of the infiltrators were already seniors of the Academy.

One of the infiltrators was also a janitor who had been working in the Academy for more than ten years now. Russia has denied any connection with the group. But onto a more important piece of news, a video of a student killing one of the infiltrators in cold blood had surfaced all over the internet, and the opinions of the public are split. Half are disappointed that a student had to resort to extreme violence, and they believe the child will forever have trauma about this. The other half believed that the student knew exactly what he was doing and was a danger to society.

The student in question is no other than Riley Ross, the only son of the wealthiest man in the world. It—]

"Albert, turn off the TV."

[Turning off the TV.]

The news on the TV was cut short by Diana. She stared at the dark screen for a few seconds, collecting her breath as she placed her hands on her waist. She then glanced back at Bernard, who was sitting almost at the edge of the couch.

He returned his wife’s gaze, but quickly looked down. Well, for good reason, of course.

"Aren’t you supposed to be the Father of Modern Technology?" Diana said. Her voice wasn’t even loud like usual. In fact, it was even quieter than normal—and that was what scared Bernard.

"Why didn’t you do anything to stop this? I thought you said all the devices in the Academy are encrypted, and it’s impossible for something to leak outside. So, what the fuck is this?"

Diana then threw a phone at him, causing him to cough as it hit him right on the stomach. He scampered to get the phone from the ground and saw the video of the fake Darkday’s head exploding while Riley had his neck locked.

"How could you let it come to this?" Diana asked.

"The leak didn’t come from the Academy, and the video was spread locally. It—"

"I asked how you could let it come to this, not for you to make excuses," Diana cut him off. "Father of Modern technology, what a pathetic fucking embarrassment."

"I—"

"If I knew you were going to be this incompetent, I wouldn’t have put both our children in that stupid fucking school. Did you see the bruise on Hannah’s cheek?"

"She... has no bruise."

"Because she’s a super! It already healed! But what if she wasn’t?" Diana approached Bernard, looking down at him. "You allowed our children to be in danger twice now. And as if that wasn’t enough, the police are coming here later to get Riley? What, they’re going to throw our baby in jail for that stupid school’s incompetence?"

"It’s... just protocol," Bernard meekly said, still refusing to make eye contact with his wife. "They’re not really going to arrest him or anything. Villains have no rights, and—"

"And why isn’t Bulwark answering my calls?" Diana once again cut him off. "I’ve called him several times now, and he refuses to answer."

"Because he’s scared of you."

"What was that?"

"Nothing!" Bernard raised both his hands in surrender. "I’ll... solve this. I promise you, the group who did this won’t be here next week."

"Tonight."

"What?" Bernard finally looked at Diana’s face, only to see her with a cold look in her eyes as she gazed down at him.

"I want them gone tonight," Diana whispered. "Or we’re gone. I’ll pack the children’s stuff, and we’ll go to a place so far away that even Megawoman wouldn’t be able to find us. We’re supposed to be our children’s safe place, and yet we’re putting them in danger."

"That..."

And while the two were discussing things in the living room, Hannah was in Riley’s room. Their backs rested on the door as they tried to listen to their parents.

"It’s... awfully quiet up there," Hannah whispered, gulping as she held Riley’s hand tight. "You think... you think you can go up there and listen to what they’re talking about?"

"I do not wish to die by the hands of Mother, Sister." Riley shook his head. "How about you go up there?"

"Are you stupid? Why would I do that?" Hannah scoffed, leaving Riley at the door. "If Dad’s wise, he would buy Mom’s ice cream after this. But... she does have a point, you know?"

Hannah sighed, spinning in place before letting herself fall onto Riley’s bed. She stared at the ceiling and then lay on her side to look at Riley at the door.

"The Academy’s not doing shit to keep us safe. Or... are we just really fucking unlucky that these sophisticated villain groups started appearing right when we’re there? I mean, did you hear Dad? That Anastasia woman is one of Russia’s strongest super, who’s now apparently working as some sort of mercenary or some type shit. Not to mention Dark Millennium—do you remember how large that fucking airship was?"

"Yes, Sister. I was inside the airship," Riley said without any change in his usual stoic tone. "And perhaps Ms. Anastasia is being paid good money for her work."

"Hmm..." Hannah sighed, closing one of her eyes as she scoped Riley with her fingers. "...So, we’re really just fucking unlucky, then?"

"I suppose so," Riley said, shrugging as he stood up and approached Hannah beside the bed. "You are crumpling my sheets, Sister."

"Yeah?" Hannah then started wildly wriggling on the bed, pulling the sheet off of it before throwing a pillow at Riley’s face. Riley, however, did not dodge at all and just let the pillow slide off of him as he looked at his sister.

"Look at that stupid face of yours." Hannah chuckled. "You—Guagh!"

Before she could finish her words, however, Riley threw the pillow back. The corner of the pillow went right through her open mouth and caused her to gag.

"You..." Her eyes twitched, and she sat up while pointing at Riley. "...You aimed that on purpose."

"No." Riley shook his head. "As you said, you are just unlucky, Sis—"

"You come here!"

Hannah suddenly zoomed across the bed, grabbing Riley by the wrist and spinning him before wrapping her arms around his waist and lifting him up from the floor. And then, without any mercy, she suplexed him on the bed.

Riley, however, was able to free himself at the last minute, rotating away to the edge of the bed like a hedgehog. He looked ahead, only to find that Hannah was already behind him.

He tried to move away, but Hannah managed to slip her hands around his torso and also lock his legs at the same time with her feet, and the two fell to their sides on the bed.

Riley was about to struggle free from Hannah’s grip, but then she heard a whimper escape her lips. And soon, he felt a damp warmth covering his back.

"I’m..." Hannah’s voice trembled, tightening her embrace on Riley as tears gushed out from her eyes. "...I’m so fucking sorry, Riley."

"For what, Sister?" Riley blinked, letting himself relax as he felt his sister’s warmth behind her.

"For... for not being able to protect you," she whispered, burying herself deeper onto Riley’s back while shaking her head. "You... you shouldn’t have gone through that. For... for you to be forced to... to take someone’s life."

"It was always going to happen, Sister," Riley said, gently placing his hand on his shoulder to try and hold his sister’s face, but it was out of reach.. "You will be forced to do it too, someday."

"I know. It’s just..." Hannah sniffled, placing her head closer to Riley’s hand; her lips touching his fingers.

"...I should’ve been there. Maybe I—maybe things could’ve turned out differently. Maybe I could’ve... at least taken some of the guilt."

"That is impossible, Sister." Riley sighed. "Because I do not feel guilt."

"Shut the fuck up!" She raised her voice, then lightly bit Riley’s finger. "Do not ever say that when—"

And before Hannah could finish her words, the chime of their doorbell rang.

"Fuck..." Hannah tightened her embrace around Riley.

"...That’s probably the police."