The list of things Ethan didn’t know, which was already long and vast, had just grown by two.

Firstly, the Stillrock History Museum was being ransacked by a woman with powers that he didn’t recognize. This was, at best, an oversight on the studying Alex had asked him to do and, at worse, a horrible harbinger of things to come. He wasn’t sure which yet.

Secondly, he had no idea why a different woman was crouched next to him under the window sill, seemingly demanding action about said breakin at the museum.

Ethan needed answers, and starting with the woman who wasn’t currently trying to kill him seemed like the best option.

“Who are you?” Ethan whispered urgently.

“I’m Quinn,” she said, reaching out her hand for Ethan. She had a surprisingly firm grip, and Ethan was momentarily taken back by her hazel eyes speckled with flecks of emerald. Her voice brought him back in the moment.

“Full disclosure, I was going to break into this museum, but whoever is in there beat me to it.”

“Why on Earth did two separate people want to break in here, of all places?” Ethan demanded to know.

The museum itself was relatively bare and fully unimpressive, and Ethan distinctly remembered being bored there even on his elementary school field trip. Despite being one of the oldest towns in the state, Stillrock just wasn’t known for much outside of mining. Consequently, most of the items on display were mining tools from the 1800s, and a few pieces of silver and gold ore from back when the mine was actually producing. Unlike Ascension’s museum, it shouldn’t have held any objects of great value, but maybe there was more here than he knew, given the sudden interest two people displayed in getting inside before it opened.

“I can’t say for certain, but I’d bet we’re here for the same reason.”

“Which is?”

“Did you hear about the mine that collapsed not too far from here?”

Ethan froze. “Oh,” he stammered “a little bit.”

If Quinn noticed the color drain from his face, she didn’t mention it. “I work for Apex,” she explained, pulling out a yellow, pocket sized device. “Apex has been using this museum as a storage facility for radioactive material they excavated from the collapsed mine site. I found out through a friend in logistics that Apex rents a room in the back where they keep all of the material they haven’t been able to ship back to Ascension. In my free time, I’ve been working to find objects that have been imbued with the same radiation signature that the Surge gave off. It’s not the most exciting hobby, but it could help me prove a theory at work.”

“I think it’s exciting,” Ethan admitted, “I did something similar until recently.”

“Oh,” Quinn smiled, “what were you searching for?”

Ethan suddenly realized his mistake, then stammered, searching for an answer that didn’t give away the secrets he specifically told Apex he wouldn’t share.

A crashing sound inside mercifully drew both of their attention back to the museum. Poking his head over, Ehtan noted that it was empty, save for one person frantically stalking through the museum, searching for something and turning over the glass display cases.

Immediately, having a moment to observe the person inside the museum, Ethan realized something was off about this person. Altered were largely known for two things: their penchant for taking things that weren't theirs, and their commitment to style.

The person currently stalking through the museum frantically searching for something may have had the first part down, but looked less like a professional thief with a brand than someone who had stopped at a thrift store on their way over: wearing a black motorcycle helmet, a plain, tight purple turtleneck and black padded motorcycle pants, they lacked the typical panache of an Altered looking to make a name for themselves and more like a common burglar who took a very wrong turn looking for something valuable.

“Listen,” Quinn said quietly, “I think Apex brought something in there that holds the same radiation signature that is given off when Protectors or Altered use their powers”

“Hm,” Ethan nodded, suddenly wishing Raz was there to ask the right questions. Luckily, Quinn went on.

“So, if you found one and broke it open, you would potentially be able to unleash a bite-sized amount of Surge energy that could be enough to give someone powers.”

Ethan could definitely understand why someone would want this, and had already seen first-hand what it looked like when someone who shouldn’t have powers got them, so he nodded, understanding the urgency.

“What would it look like?” he asked.

“More than likely it’d be a deep, intense blue stone,” Quinn explained. “Unnaturally blue, like raspberry candy. You’d know it when you saw it.”

When he saw it. So, she certainly expected him to go in. He had already let Raz down, but this person was new. If he took this chance, he could form a better opinion of himself than Raz or even Alex had of him.

”Go in, find the weird rock, stop the Altered from taking it.” Smiling, Ethan nodded. “Be right back.”

He hoped that was true. Gulping, Ethan opened a portal and stepped inside the museum, bypassing the broken glass and depositing himself right in the middle of the main hallway.

“Sorry, I’m still new to this,” Ethan called out, smiling innocently. The person whipped their head around, hands balled into fists at their side. In his mind, there was still a small chance this was all a misunderstanding.

“Are you one of the good guys?”

“Depends on who’s asking,” she answered, fingers tapping aggressively against her palms. “Would you steal a few rocks if it meant you could save an entire town?”

Ethan grimaced. So, Quinn was right. Whoever this was, they were looking for the irradiated stones. “Heavy. Maybe we should start with names?”

“Sola,” she answered confidently. “And you are?”

Oh man, I really should’ve practiced this.

“Uh…Ethan?”

She cocked her head, Ethan’s uncertain face reflected in her dark visor.

“Well, Ethan, are you here to help me find what I came here to take, or stop me?”

“Depends,” Ethan answered. “I don’t suppose you’d be willing to just walk out of here?”

He was answered by a grunt and a blast of something superheated that crackled as it flew by his right ear, nearly clipping him. He rolled out of the way, staying low and pressing his back against the front desk for cover.

“I’ll take that as a no,” he whispered, touching his ear gently to make sure it was still there. His thoughts were interrupted by another blast shot just above his head that splattered against the wall in front of him, sending droplets of boiling, jelly-like material everywhere.

Whoever this is, they’re much more powerful than I thought, Ethan realized, his heart racing. He took short, deliberate breaths, just like Alex taught him, trying to calm himself. I need to figure out how to stop her.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” Sola called out.

“Could’ve fooled me,” Ethan muttered to himself. “I’m not much of a fighter,” he shouted back from behind the desk, “and I’m not exactly supposed to be in here, so why don’t we both walk away and pretend you never broke in here and tried to kill me, okay?”

“Or,” Sola called out, difficult to make out through the motorcycle helmet, “you could just let me take what I want, and I’ll leave without putting a hole in your chest.”

Ethan furrowed his brow. She needs this stone bad, that much is obvious, but why?

“Why don’t you tell me what it is, you want,” Ethan shot back, “and if I don’t think it’s all that important, I’ll just let you take it? I’m sure they can get more dinosaur pins, for example!”

“I don’t have time for these games,” Ethan heard an explosion to his right as another window shattered. “The sooner I get this done, the sooner I can go home.”

More explosions of power to his left and right forced Ethan to cower further, grimacing. Man, he thought, I really hope Quinn isn’t watching this.

Carefully, he poked his head out behind the left side of the desk, where he teleported in from. Quinn gave him a shaky thumbs up. He sighed, slinking back to cover.

Ethan needed a way to stop Sola fast, without getting close enough to get hit by her powers. He poked his head gingerly over the desk, noticing a skeleton of a large, flying dinosaur overhead. A lightbulb practically went off above his head. That could work.

Alex had taught Ethan that powers were not limitless sources of energy and needed time to recharge, if overused. Judging by the amount of destroyed displays and shattered glass, Ethan figured Sola would need a break any minute before she could try to put that aforementioned hole in his chest, giving him an opening.

Ethan listened intently, waiting for the Sola to momentarily pause her attacks and catch their breath, then rolled out to his left. Spying the fake dinosaur bones displaying a Pterosaur skeleton almost directly overhead of where she was standing. Acting quickly before she had the chance to go on the attack, he opened a portal in front of him, then another around the wire holding the body of the skeleton up, then shut both quickly, severing the rope keeping the skeleton suspended.

As he hoped, the bones came tumbling down on top of Sola, knocking her to the ground. He pumped a fist, then awkwardly put it down.

Wow, he thought, admiring his work as Sola groaned and tried in vain to push the dense fiberglass and metal structures that comprised the bones off of them. Maybe all that training I did with Alex paid off after all.

“Looks like you’re caught,” he said, smiling wider than he meant to. He cleared his throat, dropping it. “Would you believe I’ve never gotten this far? I’ll have to consult my handbook, but I think I’m supposed to call Apex for Altered Transport.”

Ethan was close enough now to take in a few more details, and realized, on Sola’s exposed forearm, she had a tattoo: an outline of a cow with a bell around its neck. He narrowed his eyes, trying to remember where he had seen that logo before Sola caught him off guard, laughing more maliciously than Ethan would’ve expected for someone he thought was trapped.

“You’re nowhere,” she spat. Lifting a hand, she blasted a stream of purple energy at the ceiling behind Ethan. Suddenly, he was knocked to the ground as a model of a second pterosaur collapsed on top of him, trapping him.

“Why were there so many dinosaurs in Stillrock,” Ethan groaned, unable to muster the energy to push them off.

Sola burned through the pile of bones on top of her, reducing them to sizzling puddles on the marble floor. With Ethan subdued, she took her time, searching the museum until a door in the back caught her eye. She tilted her head, then melted the maglock, the door swinging wide open, revealing a glass case with an almost blindingly blue stone inside.

Ethan’s heart jumped at the sight of it. That must be what Quinn was talking about, he thought, and Sola’s going to take it right in front of me. This is not going to make the impression I hoped for.

“I know you’re new, but you’re not very good at this,” she laughed. “I hope you don’t plan on making this a career.”

“It’s kind of my only plan,” he muttered, trying to push against the bones, only to find that they had interlocked on the way down, creating a heavy cage that he couldn’t slip a portal through. Sola was moments away from taking the jewel for herself, initiating a plan Ethan knew nothing about. He felt powerless, cursing silently that he hadn’t gotten strength like he wanted.

But just because he couldn’t find a way to get himself out didn’t mean he was totally defenseless.

When Sola was just a step away from reaching the case, Ethan summoned a portal in the doorway, a shimmering void suddenly appearing in front of Sola, who froze.

She jumped back, waiting for something to happen, then slowly turned to put an eye on Ethan. Noticing he was the one controlling her newest obstacle, she cursed.

“I don’t know,” Ethan laughed, “I think I’ve got a few tricks.”

“What is that?” she yelled, pointing.

“Best not to think about it,” he answered honestly, “but it’s unbreakable. If Titan can’t break through it, I doubt you could, either.”

She roared, blasting a stream of plasma at the void, only to watch as her blast dropped harmlessly to the floor and had no effect on his void.

“Drop it, now,” she growled, turning her powers to Ethan.

Ethan sighed. “No can do.”

“I bet if I hurt you enough you’d drop it.” Sola took a few steps toward Ethan. “Am I right?”

“Well,” Ethan gulped, “nobody’s really tried….”

“Hey,” a voice called out from behind them. Ethan used what little movement he could to spy Quinn, who had rushed inside at seeing Ethan trapped.

“Out,” Sola held up a hand with glowing purple energy, “or you both will leave in a tub.”

“Quinn,” Ethan called out, “did you call Titan like I asked?”

“The second you burst in,” she lied, nodding.

Smart girl, Ethan thought, I may need to keep her around, especially if Raz isn’t talking to me.

Sola flinched at the mention of Apex’s top Protector. Ethan silently wished he’d have that effect on people one day.

“Per Apex protocol for any new Protector, I have a direct line to her, and I had Quinn call her before I came in here to tell her I was engaging with an Altered driving a motorcycle. The way I see it, you have two options: keep trying, fruitlessly, to break through my…whatever this is until Titan shows up, or get out of here and try your luck at a different children’s museum.”

“You don’t know what you’re doing,” she said, her tone suddenly urgent, her eyes locked on Ethan. “A whole town is at stake!”

“Tell me where,” Ethan said, directly, his void silently floating in the doorway, “and I can help you.”

Sola growled, lifting a hand towards Ethan. For a moment he wondered if he chose wrong, only for Sola to blast the wall with both hands, creating an exit and leaving Ethan alone, trapped, and exhausted.

He exhaled, laying under the pile of bones and feeling oddly safe.

Who the hell was that? Ethan wondered. He couldn’t remember seeing anyone with powers like hers on Apex’s list.

Ethan felt a deep sense of dread at the thought that he might not be the only new person with powers running around Ascension. If they really were new, could they have heard how he got his powers, and tried something similar? Was he somehow responsible for this new person and their destructive abilities?

It had to be related, he thought. There hadn’t been a person with new powers cataloged since the Surge six months ago. Now, there might be two people, and who knows how many others?

Three, counting Rainey, of course.

Assuming she survived. She had to have.

Quinn rushed over to him, noting the smoking hole in his shirt and the hair missing above his ear. She grimaced.

“How are you feeling?”

“Not awesome,” he groaned, feeling like a spider that had been smashed by a shoe. Quinn moved a few of the bones out of the way, enough for Ethan to shimmy through a portal and stand next to her.

“Thanks for the assist,” he said. “Apex would be scraping me off the floor if not for you.”

“You’re welcome,” Quinn smiled, “I’m happy she bought our lie.”

“We make a good team,” Ethan laughed. “Maybe we’ll have to team up again.”

“We just might,” Quinn smiled, “I’ll call Apex for a retrieval team.“

Ethan nodded, happy to have this off his hands. Then, a pressing question burst into his mind.

“Could you give me a ride home?”