Juliana stole quietly across the dewey lawn, slowly making her way toward the small but homely house in front of her. All the lights had been turned off, forcing her to get closer to the door to read the house number. Thankful for her potent night vision that illuminated objects in the shadows with greenish light, she confirmed that they were in the right place and that they weren't being observed. 

"All clear. Meet in the living room," she whispered into her earpiece as she approached the door. The lock above the spherical knob was standard enough- nothing that her glove's built-in lock pick couldn't handle. She smiled as she pulled it out and inserted it into the keyhole- this was the first time she'd used this new addition to her suit in the field. She'd added it a few weeks ago after realizing that she'd laser-ed through far too many perfectly good doors in the past few years. Being a superhero gave you some leeway when it came to property damage, but it wasn't infinite. 

The PROBJet's doors opened and Hayley jumped out, landing on the roof with the elegance of a cat before slipping down the chimney. Adrian, lacking her grace, opted to use the folding metal ladder. Sure enough, by the time Juliana made it into the house, they were both waiting for her in the spacious carpeted living room. 

"Where's-" 

Before she could finish her sentence, Chase peeked his head through the doorway. "Had to put the Jet in autopilot. It's waiting for us above the house," he explained. For a few moments, the members of Project PROB held their breath, waiting in total darkness and silence. Juliana was about to give the order to search the house, when she heard slow footsteps coming down the long hallway that led to the back of the house. Hayley's hand went to her belt and Adrian tightened his fists, but Juliana shook her head, pressing a finger to her lips. 

"Hey! Who's there?" A squat, balding old man soon came into view, peering at the four Project PROB members gathered in front of him. Thumping the wall with the heel of his hand as he fumbled for the light switch, he finally illuminated the room with a sudden fluorescent glow that made all of its inhabitants squint. His eyes flew wide open as he took note of the scene in front of him. Juliana stood not more than three feet away from him in her brilliant Crimson Angel suit with her arms crossed over her chest in a menacing gesture. Adrian tapped his foot imposingly, Hayley scowled, and Chase... well, Chase held up a dart shooter-armed palm and did his best to look intimidating. 

Glenn's reaction was delayed, but vehement. "Get off my property! Nothin' valuable in this house. Now shoo! I have a gun and I'm not afraid to use it!" he blurted. 

"We'll leave alright," Juliana nodded slowly as Chase and Hayley stepped forward to restrain Glenn's arms. "But not before you give us some answers. Where's Maddie Thornton?" 

Glenn's reaction to the mention of this name was surprisingly small, like he'd been anticipating the purpose of Project PROB's visit. He sighed and stopped struggling, his arms hanging limply in Chase's grasp. "Of course Max Thornton sends friggin' superheroes after me. Shoulda known. You guys, Big Tech, the government. It's all one big global conspiracy, and they hate it when a guy tries to stake it out on his own..." 

"No, we hate it when a guy kidnaps an innocent woman," Juliana barked. As the leader of an organization derogatorily referred to as 'the Illuminati', she had no tolerance for conspiracy theories. 

"Look, I know what it must look like," Glenn sighed. "Thorntons and I aren't on the best terms. I sell home goods, they're about to enter my market, and I pull this stunt to make them and their product look bad. That's what I'll bet Max told ya. Probably more believable than the truth, anyway, so I'll just be quiet and let ya keep thinking what you're thinking." His eyes held the defeated expression of a man already condemned, and this only added to Juliana's curiosity. Recognizing that he wasn't inclined to run away, she motioned for Chase and Hayley to let go of his arms as she approached him, looking him in the eye. 

"I don't want what's 'more believable'. I want the truth. Please, Mr. Richards, we can only help you if you're honest with us," she said softly but firmly. Something seemed to shift in Glenn's expression as his eyes rose to meet hers. 

"I'm a simple man," he said slowly and regretfully. "I run my little business, look after my grandkids... nothing too fancy at all. That's why I was so surprised to receive an invitation to the President's dinner party- I mean, I'm hardly important enough to be invited to the White House. Shoulda realized something was off right then," Glenn shook his head. "Anyway, there was a note taped to the back of the invitation, and several hundred dollar bills. The note... it gave me explicit instructions for when and how to kidnap Madeline Thornton along with how to claim the rest of my generous reward."

"Do you have this note with you?" Juliana questioned. 

"Nah- it said to burn it when I was done with it." 

"Idiot," Hayley muttered too softly for Glenn to hear. 

"Did you follow these instructions? And did the author of the note deliver the money as promised?" Juliana continued, unfazed by Glenn's unsatisfactory response. 

"Well... yeah," Glenn looked down at his feet, shame creeping across his face. "I know, I know, I shoulda gone to the police or something, but there was all that money plus the opportunity to get back at the Thorntons. Greed took over. It wasn't my proudest moment." 

"Perhaps you can repent by giving us Maddie's current location," Juliana suggested. "And any information you have about the person who drove you to kidnap her." 

"After the party, I had Maddie drugged in the backseat of my car. I was waiting at this gas station just outside of DC, like the note said. Just when I thought no one was going to show up, I got a call from an unknown number telling me to unlock the doors and get out of the car. Just as soon as I was a few feet away, this figure in black swooped in out of nowhere, grabbed Maddie, and left a suitcase of cash in her place. I tried to get a glimpse of who it was- I really did- but it was... I don't know how to explain it... there was something off about the person. I was instantly afraid, I... I didn't want anything to do with them." 

"Describe 'off'," Juliana questioned warily. A mysterious figure in black. Could it be... no, it couldn't. For the sake of her sanity, she didn't even want to finish the thought. 

"Well, there was the way the person moved. They were fast... too fast, and strong, too. The way they picked Maddie up, scooping a grown woman up in their arms like she was a sack of potatoes. I had Maddie's hands tied behind her back, and they cut off the knot with their bare hands and then just disappeared like they never existed. It was unnatural and sinister... like something out of a horror movie. Not to mention the kind of power they must have had to get me a phony invitation to a White House dinner party. Certainly not someone I ever want to see again." 

"I see," Juliana gulped. Maddie had been kidnapped by someone who was too fast and too strong to be completely human... someone with knives for hands. Her worst fears were becoming a reality. She felt the world spinning before her before turning her gaze to Chase's concerned expression, using her view of his face to ground herself. She could not afford to show Glenn how terrified she was. 

"Did this... entity happen to leave any clues as to what their plans for Maddie were?" 

"Nope, not at all. Just left the cash and got out of there," Glenn shook his head. "I messed up. I know I did. Tell Max I'm sorry, I... I don't know what I was thinking." 

Juliana's head was spinning. Three years, there had been no sign of her. She was just starting to feel safe, and now this... 

"Let's go," she motioned for the others to follow her out of the living room as she looked down at Glenn with contempt. "This idiot has no idea what he's done."