Back in Katy's office, Carl paced restlessly back and forth, a deep furrow of thought etched on his face.
"What we need to figure out," he muttered, "is why."
Katy looked up from her seat. "You mean why he did all this?"
"Yeah," Carl said with a frustrated sigh. "Why he didn't explain anything to me. Why he used me for his plans. Why he even came to Earth in the first place…"
As he continued to vent, Katy mumbled under her breath, "Why don't you ask him yourself?" Her voice was laced with sarcasm, but Carl didn't notice.
"…and why is he building a weapon of mass destruction?" he finished.
Katy sat upright, alarmed. "What did you just say?! Weapon of mass destruction?! How do you even know that?!"
Carl lowered his voice slightly, sheepish. "Oh… I forgot to tell you. When you were kidnapped, he sent me a note. Said that if I didn't want you to get hurt, I had to keep working for him—helping him gather materials for the weapon."
Katy stared at him, completely shocked. "And you just forgot to mention something that important?"
Carl, trying to deflect, waved his hand. "Anyway, it's not like I can just go and ask him about it. Silver has this habit of lying whenever you ask him anything important."
"Of course he'd lie!" Katy snapped. "Who just openly admits they're building something that could level a city in seconds?"
Carl blinked, thinking it over. "Now that I think about it… yeah, I guess no one would do that."
Katy gave him a look of pure disbelief. "And you just realized that?"
Just then, Beatrix chimed in, "I think it should be possible to find something useful at his place. Ceresians are intelligent, but not particularly clever—if you know what I mean."
Carl blinked, even more confused. "Nope. I don't know what you mean."
Katy took a deep breath and explained, "She means he probably doesn't cover his tracks very well. If we go through his place, we might find a lead."
Carl's eyes lit up. "Ahh… that could work. But how do we even know where he lives?"
Katy turned to him, stunned. Slowly, her expression morphed from disbelief to irritation. "You mean to tell me you've been best friends with this guy since middle school and you don't know where he lives?!"
"It's not my fault!" Carl defended. "You really think I haven't tried? Every time I ask, he either changes the topic or makes some excuse. Besides, can't Beatrix just find out from the global system?"
Katy shook her head. "No, she can't. I need clearance and a specific reason to access any system files. Do you have any idea how hard it was just to get access to the medical records?"
Carl rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm… maybe I can find out after school on Monday."
Katy leaned back in her chair and sighed. "That seems like our best shot."
"Since that's settled, I should get going," Carl said, heading out the door.
The Next Day
Carl was heading to a grocery store when chaos erupted across the street. A bank was being robbed.
Gunshots rang through the air as one of the robbers shouted, "Let's move!" He sprinted toward a getaway car waiting in front of the bank.
"Like taking candy from a baby," the second robber said with a laugh, following close behind.
The getaway driver urged them on. "Get in quick! We'll be gone before the cops even get here."
The two robbers jumped in, and just as the driver was about to hit the accelerator, something landed in front of the car with a thud.
It was Carl—in full suit.
He stood tall and confident. "Hey guys, need a lift?"
One of the robbers, confused and irritated, stuck his head out of the window. "Who's this kid in a costume? Hey! Get outta the way or we'll run you over!"
Carl smirked. "Oh yeah? I'd like to see you try."
The robber turned to the driver. "Step on it!"
The driver did—only the car didn't move.
"What the hell?!" he yelled. "Why isn't it working?!"
The second robber scowled. "Hey, I thought you checked the car before we left!"
"I did! I don't know what's going on!"
From outside, Carl chuckled. "You don't know why the car won't move, huh? Maybe take a look at your wheels."
They all peered outside and went pale. The car was floating—suspended in midair.
The driver's jaw dropped. "How is this even possible?!"
Carl crossed his arms. "Has no one ever told you stealing is against the law? Just step out and surrender, and I might go easy on you."
"You're awfully cocky for a hero," Robber 1 growled. "Drop the car and let us show you what we've got."
Carl smirked behind the mask. Perfect time to test this out, he thought. He released the car gently, then leapt back to create some distance.
"Okay then. Show me what you've got."
The robbers shouted at the driver to go full speed, opening fire on Carl from both sides of the car.
Carl sighed. "Don't you guys get tired of bullets?"
The bullets halted midair before dropping harmlessly to the ground.
Robber 1 cursed loudly. "Damn it… bullets don't work. Then we ram him!"
Robber 2 agreed, just as fired up.
Meanwhile, the driver was having second thoughts. This is a bad idea, he thought. He lifted the car without touching it. Bullets don't work. No way we're ramming through him… But if I stop now, those two might kill me. What did I get myself into?
Carl, watching the car speed toward him, laughed. "Here we go."
In one fluid motion, he manipulated gravity to lighten the car just before impact. Then, with a surge of magnetic force, he punched forward. The car was sent flying into the air, spinning uncontrollably.
At the same time, he used magnetism to lift the bullets from the ground and shot them back at the vehicle. Just as the car was about to crash, he reduced its gravity and dropped it gently onto the road.
A devious smile crept across his face under the mask. Success! he thought. Out loud, he said, "I didn't want to resort to violence, but you asked for it."
The robbers groaned as they crawled out of the wrecked car.
Carl folded his arms, still smiling. "Now, what are we going to do with you?"