MIRA

I knew something was wrong when I woke up the next morning. It didn't feel right— our sleep cycles had been interrupted.

I was so groggy, Ryder had to help me get the mask off and pull me out of the tube. Several maintenance guys from Atomic Energy were gathered around Verity's tube, whispering in grave tones.

Glass was broken, and liquid pooled all around on the shiny black floor. It was nearly invisible, a tripping hazard.

"What's going on?" I looked around wildly— a headcount didn't take long. "Where's Verity?"

Dr. Banning entered the room. There were dark circles under her eyes, and she was wearing sweatpants and an oversized hole-filled t-shirt underneath her lab coat and security pass.

"We haven't found evidence of what exactly happened," Dr. Banning confessed. "But please, let's go into the leisure room. We need to talk about Verity."

It was several minutes before we were all sitting in her study again, sitting around the big red couch for the four of us, while she took refuge in an armchair.

"It started when security saw evidence of an encrypted communication between our terminal and that of an unknown individual," Dr. Banning began.

Saige pulled her knees to her chest, and Aleister tried to stretch his arms around all of us— never mind that that was not his power.

"We searched the terminal after the five of you were entered into your tubes," Dr. Banning explained. "But everything was fine. In fact, there was no evidence of the communications at all. We believed at that point, at ten, that it was a glitch. I now suspect that we were wrong."

I frowned, thinking of Verity at the computer terminal, going through Heretic's case files.

"At eleven-twenty, there was another alert to security," Dr. Banning continued. "Verity's tube had been breached. It was broken from within, and we suspect she might have used her powers to do it."

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"I thought the serums we took every night kept us from using our powers in our sleep." I couldn't stop myself from voicing the unspoken question.

"We have reason to believe that the software was tricked, and Verity was awake."

Ryder's hand flew to his mouth, concealing his expression.

"Security ten minutes later got an image of Verity using her powers to jump the gates," Dr. Banning finished. "They came in to find the tube, and Director Pemberly thought it best I debrief you now."

"Why?" Saige's voice was so small, so fragile-sounding.

Dr. Banning sighed. "There's no way around this. Verity ran away. She's a fugitive at the moment. A runaway. We'll do everything in our power to bring her back."

"But," I cut in impulsively, thinking of Verity's search history.

"But she was looking into Heretic's history. But Heretic spoke exclusively to her. And she did all these things on purpose to leave us."

I swallowed thickly. "You believe that she ran away to join Heretic."

Dr. Banning nodded hesitantly. "We do."

"She wouldn't,"Saige protested, looking around at us, desperately seeking assurance with our eyes. "Would she?"

"I don't know," Ryder admitted. He looked to me. "You knew her best. She was quieter around the rest of us."

I shook my head. "No—I—I thought I knew her. But she wouldn't just run off to join the villains! Not unless she believed it was the right thing to do. . ."

"Heretic got to her." Aleister was the one who spoke next. He looked out the simulation of a night sky window; there were no real windows in the Sentinel complex. Too much danger.

"What do you mean?" Even Dr. Banning was caught off-guard.

"Everything Heretic was saying— I just thought it was her first battle, she forgot her training— but I think what she said resonated with her," Aleister confessed. Tears started welling in the corner of his eyes. "I thought she'd be fine, she'd get over it. We all heard her."

I felt guilty. I hadn't stopped Heretic in time, I let Warlock do what he had—

"It's alright." Dr. Banning sat down beside us, and put her arm around Aleister. "You did everything you could. And this is my fault. I— I failed you all. Again and again."

"This isn't your fault," Ryder said, his expression stoic. "This is Verity's, and Verity's alone. She made her choices. Now she'll pay for them."

I shivered. My skin is always humming with energy, so no one ever notices.

But the look in Ryder's eyes, the overwhelming conviction— it made me afraid.

"Once the technicians are finished cleaning up, we'll get you back to bed." Dr. Banning stood up and put her glasses on. "Hopefully we're wrong about Verity's intentions, and she'll come back. Or this is some great misunderstanding. But I wanted you to know what you were up against."

We sat there in the silence. I still felt groggy from my sleep cycle being disrupted.

But why would Verity have left?

None of Dr. Banning's theories sounded right.

Maybe it would make more sense in the morning, I thought.