It didn’t take long before Detective Harris led them into the final room. But nothing could have prepared the dark-haired superhero for what he was about to see. Or rather, who.

"What..." slipped from his lips before he stopped in his tracks and stared in confusion at the body of the dead woman. She was lying on her back, and thanks to the police lights, her face was clearly visible. It took Solid exactly five seconds to recognize her.

"Are you alright?"

Only when Ironclad addressed him did the hero realize that he was the only one who seemed shocked. Which made no sense. All four of them had once investigated the case of a missing woman whom they unfortunately failed to save. Amelia Ross’s body had been found discarded at the side of the road. The extent of her injuries showed that she had been murdered elsewhere and that her killer had cruelly decided to dispose of her body in this manner. The murder was never solved and the killer was never caught, so Solid had memorized Amelia's face and name as one of his greatest failures. Until now, he had been certain that his teammates felt the same.

Solid let his gaze move from his commander to the dead woman’s body and back again. He was still certain that it was Amelia, but he seemed to be the only one who thought so. Maybe he was mistaken…

“Fine,” he assured the team leader. "She just reminded me of someone."

Ironclad watched him for a few more seconds to make sure he was telling the truth before nodding and giving him a brief squeeze on the shoulder. Then he stepped closer to the body, where Echo and Solace were already standing. The hero in the anthracite suit forced himself to stay composed and joined them.

"I didn't find any signs of a struggle," the coroner began. "The bluish lips suggest neurotoxin poisoning or suffocation. I’ll know for sure after the autopsy.” He then moved his gloved hands to the woman’s head and tilted it slightly to the side. "There aren't many injuries on the body. It's more like signs that someone manipulated it. What can’t be overlooked...”

The coroner shifted his thumb so the heroes could see what he wanted to show them. "It looks like someone tried to hold her head in place, or like she had some sort of suction device attached to it. I’ve never seen anything like this on a corpse before.” Behind the woman’s right ear was a perfectly round bruise. "There are more, but smaller ones, along the hairline."

He gave the heroes a few seconds to examine the injuries he had pointed out, then turned her head to the other side. "If you could."

The team automatically moved around to see the woman from that angle. This time, however, the coroner wasn’t showing them another bruise. He illuminated a small area behind her left earlobe, revealing a tiny cut that could easily be mistaken for a scratch at first glance.

Solid didn’t realize he had lifted his hand and placed his fingers on the same spot on his own body. For a moment, he felt as if his fingertips had brushed against the unmistakable texture of a scab. Then he realized that he couldn’t feel his skin through the fabric of his suit.

"I know what you’re thinking. It looks like a scratch, but it’s far too straight and precise for that. And…” The man in sterile gloves turned her head again but left it in a neutral position this time. “Look here.” He moved the flashlight beam above the woman’s right eyebrow, close to the bridge of her nose. There, he found a matching cut, like the one behind her ear. "If these had time to heal, we might not have noticed them at all. As it is, it seems there wasn’t enough time for them to heal, or they were left on purpose.”

“What does it mean?” Echo asked. “What’s the connection between those injuries?”

“It could be anything from abduction to some sort of medical procedure. But without the autopsy, I can’t tell you what was done on the inside,” the coroner replied, and that same unpleasant feeling resurfaced in Solid once more.

“Is there anything else we should know?” Ironclad asked.

The man in the thin blue protective gown shook his head. "That's all for now. I’ll know more when I have the body on my table.”

Their work at the scene was finished. After a final conversation with Detective Harris, who promised to keep them updated, they headed back to the office.

“What happened there?” Echo's voice asked the dark-haired hero before they could move to the locker room and change out of their suits. His gaze was fixed on Solid, leaving no doubt about what he meant.

“I just…” Solid wasn’t sure if he should say it out loud. He was still struggling to understand why no one else had noticed, and he didn’t want to sound crazy. “The victim reminded me of someone.” In the end, he decided to trust his team. Without trust, they couldn't be a team.

The hero in the gray suit frowned. He had already removed his mask, and his face showed the gravity of the admission. “Who?”

“Amelia Ross,” Solid answered honestly.

“Who?” Echo asked, and this time, it was the dark-haired hero who frowned. He was certain that Echo had investigated her case as well, and it hadn't been so long that he wouldn't remember her.

"We investigated her case," Solid said, trying to remind his teammate, who still looked confused.

“I have no idea,” the gray-clad hero admitted. "Let's change and go through the database."

Solid agreed, and together, they went to the locker room where the other two team members were already changing. Jamie tried to calmly swap his hero suit for his usual T-shirt and pants, hiding his unease about the case. His hands weren’t shaking, and his movements weren’t jerky. He hoped it would pass unnoticed.

Once everyone returned to the office, he felt he had succeeded. A few minutes later, the last team member arrived, providing a distraction and ensuring that not all eyes were on Jamie.

"What did I miss?" the tall brunette with the stylish haircut and leather jacket asked as he entered the room.

"Murder," Eli replied succinctly, turning in his chair and playing with the red stress ball. It was only a matter of time before he got bored and needed another object to occupy his hands. For now, though, the stress ball seemed sufficient.

"Shit." Nate raised an eyebrow in surprise and moved to his desk. “Do we know anything yet?”

“Nothing that would help us,” the team leader answered this time. "The victim is a woman. She was either experimented on or kidnapped. She likely died from suffocation. We’ll know more after the autopsy.” He brought Nate up to speed.

“What about her identity?” the 23-year-old, the second youngest hero on their team, asked, continuing to ask for details.

"We don't know," Xavier replied, giving him another negative answer, which seemed to satisfy the brunette. But then, Jamie’s gaze met Eli’s, and he knew it didn’t bode well.

"Jamie recognized her," the freckled hero said. 

Immediately, all eyes turned to the dark-haired hero, who hesitated, wondering if he should say something, especially since Adrian also looked surprised. That meant he hadn't recognized Amelia either.

"I'm not sure," Jamie said, though it wasn't true. "Maybe it's a serial killer, or maybe she's just a relative of someone." He shrugged to lighten his words and not sound like a complete lunatic.

“I’ll help you go through the database,” Eli offered.

"Thanks." The hero in glasses said no more, hoping the conversation was over so he could get to work. Thankfully, it was. 

Nate continued talking with Xavier and Adrian, but no questions came his way. This allowed him to open his old notebook, which he no longer used, and check the information stored there first. He was certain that he had noted Amelia’s case before he started focusing mainly on Sunshine Boy.

If there were one word to describe Jamie, it would be meticulous. He always marked dates and pages so he knew where a new case began. This allowed him to quickly orient himself and determine where to look. Since he roughly remembered when he had handled Amelia’s case, he knew where to start. Page by page, case by case, he searched until he suddenly stopped, staring in confusion at a blank page.

“Jamie?” Eli’s voice snapped him out of his unease, and he automatically lifted his head.

The freckled hero moved closer and rested against Jamie’s desk, looking down at him with the red ball in his hand.

“What?” Jamie asked belatedly when his teammate didn’t continue.

“I went through the case and missing persons databases, but I didn’t find anyone named Amelia Ross,” Eli informed him. Jamie did his best to maintain a neutral expression, though he was growing more and more confused and really starting to feel like he was losing his mind.

Still, it seemed Eli noticed his inner turmoil because he quickly added, “We’ll wait for the autopsy. Maybe you were right, and it’s a serial killer. We can start searching based on injuries or cause of death.”

"Sure," the hero in glasses replied, clearing his throat as he realized his voice didn't sound confident at all. "Thanks for the help."

The autopsy seemed like the last thing that could save Jamie’s sanity, so he decided not to panic until he heard the coroner’s verdict. But when it came, it was nothing like the dark-haired hero expected.

Shortly before the end of their shift, the coroner provided some initial information. They would have to wait until next week for the toxicology report and the results of the detailed tests, but at least they now knew the probable cause of death.

"Respiratory paralysis," Xavier read aloud. "It seems she suffocated from within."

“Nothing more?” Jamie was the first to ask.

“No,” the team leader replied, disappointing him. "We'll know more on Monday. So far, they haven’t been able to identify her either.”

The hero in glasses was definitely not satisfied, but there was nothing more he could do. The database and his notebook had failed him, and his uneasy feeling only stressed him out more, even though he tried not to show it.

As the day wore on, Xavier and the other team members noticed his restlessness more and more until finally, the leader approached him and put his hand on his shoulder.

"Go home and get some rest," he said shortly before Jamie’s shift ended, as the dark-haired hero slowly packed his things. "Try not to think about the case.”

Jamie knew that was practically impossible, but he nodded and said his goodbyes. A long weekend awaited him, and he hoped Monday would bring peace to his mind. He just had to get through two days.