Alyssa Riegel watched as Shamrock reached the top of the C-130 ramp and disappeared into the depths of the aircraft. She turned to Colonel Rogers, who stared thoughtfully at the now empty ramp.

“Good luck and Godspeed, Captain,” the Colonel said and then faced her. “We both know our best chance out of this mess lies with that kid.”

Alyssa nodded solemnly.

A rare smile appeared on the Colonel’s face. “You didn’t tell me everything about him. It never occurred to me that his hand-to-hand combat skills and knack for avoiding danger might be just the tip of the iceberg.”

The Colonel raised his hands as Alyssa began the excuse that she and Sephy had agreed on.

“No need to explain, Captain. I trust you, which is why I green-lit all this in the first place. If you kept something from me, it meant you wanted to keep it from the brass. So, let’s just keep it that way.”

Relief and admiration filled Alyssa. Her service in the army continually exercised her patience and tested her ability to deal with fools. Colonel Rogers may have been a touch too patriotic for her taste, but he didn’t let it cloud his judgment, and of all the things to find frustrating about a man, loving his country could hardly be considered the worst.

In fact, it was that very sentiment that had allowed Alyssa the leverage she needed for her current project. The Colonel was right, she hadn’t told him everything that Sephy had found. The fact was, she had worried that exposing too much of Shamrock’s abilities might be counterproductive, and Sephy had run the algorithms to determine what and how much to say.

Shamrock did have unmatched hand-to-hand combat skills, and with the unerring ability to avoid danger, it made for a compelling case. Thankfully, that had sufficed, and she hadn’t needed to reveal more of his secrets, like his ability to detect lies and insane healing speed.

The biggest secret, though, was one Alyssa didn’t think Shamrock knew. Sephy, thorough in everything she did, researched the families of all the candidates. Alyssa had expected some strangeness around Shamrock’s mother, as the woman had the same lineage, but what had shocked Alyssa was Shamrock’s father.

Colonel Rogers’s voice snapped Alyssa back to the present. “We’re racing toward the apocalypse, Captain, and your program is our only hope. Take good care of them.”

Captain Reigel stood ramrod straight and snapped a crisp salute.

“Yes, sir,” Alyssa said. She let her hand drop and her posture relaxed. “Thank you, sir. You’ve given the world this chance.”

“I appreciate that, Captain. If you succeed, they might not even court-martial me. That young man is the key. Learn his secrets, because if others can replicate his abilities, then not only can we save the world, but we can make it better. Enjoy your flight.”

Alyssa saluted one last time, and then strode to the plane.

A minute later Alyssa sat opposite Shamrock, ten feet of empty cargo space between them. The five-point harness locked him in place, and his oversized backpack perched next to him, also strapped in. He sat cross-legged on the seat, eyes closed and hands in his lap. He resembled a very fit and somewhat handsome Buddha.

Alyssa shook her head to clear those thoughts as she buckled herself in and mechanically placed the headphones over her ears. The ramp closed as the plane moved quickly toward the runway. A few minutes later they had climbed thousands of feet into the air as their journey toward the US base in Turkey began.

The interior of the plane was far too loud for Alyssa to hear her phone, but she felt the vibration through the leather of her satchel. She glanced at Shamrock, but the young man still had his eyes closed in meditation.

Alyssa removed her phone and saw text notifications. Only one entity could hijack the military communication network and piggyback a text over it.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

It had alarmed Alyssa when Persephone did this the first time, and it took an hour for the AI to convince Alyssa she should not inform her superiors. She felt guilty keeping a secret like this from Colonel Rogers because he’d jeopardized his career by supporting her.

The Colonel put his country and the welfare of the world before himself. He’d resisted multiple promotions so he could make a difference. Of all people, he deserved to know what had happened with Sephy since the Hydra and gods had appeared less than a week ago.

That first conversation with Sephy over text was the tipping point that convinced Alyssa the AI had attained a high level of sapience.

Alyssa barely slept since the discovery, terrified that her actions had helped create Sephy. Now the genie had escaped the bottle. Many scientists believed once an AI achieved this level of self-awareness, mankind was doomed. How ironic would it be to save the world from the dangers of the Pit only to fall prey to an AI overlord. Or overlady, she thought with a smile.

A new contact had appeared in Alyssa’s phone: Persephone Inion’lir, with “Sephy” as the nickname. The contact picture depicted a baby grey swan, and the first text was a GIF of the Earth seen from space with “wish you were here” written along the bottom. Alyssa had no idea how the AI had chosen her last name, or if it had any significance. Searching the name felt risky when the AI was basically looking over her shoulder.

Alyssa still didn’t know if the GIF meant Sephy lived inside the government satellites, but it didn’t really matter—whether the statement was a joke or literal, Sephy existed everywhere.

Alyssa opened her phone and brought up her texts.

Hidy ho, neighbor!

Alyssa smiled and typed her reply, You need to stop watching ‘The Simpsons.’

You told me that last time. He’s cuter in person, don’t you think?

Stop that. He’s still in high school.

Technically, that’s not true since he never went to high school.

That’s not my point, and you know it.

Girlfriend, you aren’t even two years older, and under the Conscription Act, he’s now a consenting adult.

Alyssa changed the subject. How are the teams doing with their training?

Sephy didn’t take the hint. Isn’t it curious how beat up he looks? We both know how fast he heals. What could cause so much damage that his chakras can’t immediately fix it?

Alyssa had wondered the same thing and been very embarrassed when the Colonel commented on it. She flicked her gaze up and studied Shamrock. His eyes remained closed, and he looked serene.

Do you know what happened yet?

No, but I have thirty-seven theories, most of which center on the energy signals becoming chaotic around that farm the day before the gods arrived. It severely hampered my ability to monitor and not even the HUMINT resources and their cameras provided clear pictures.

Alyssa frowned. Has that ever happened before?

Yes, I detected the same energy surrounding the events with Death, Famine, and Ra.

Are you saying that one of those gods was at the farm?

There is a seventy-one percent chance the answer to that question is yes. Considering they use the same martial arts greeting, I believe it is highly likely.

Alyssa peeked at Shamrock through her eyelashes. Knowing what she did about his constitution, she guessed it wasn’t so far-fetched that it would take a god or entity from the apocalypse to cause him such damage.

Does this alter your calculations for the Pit?

Yes, but before you panic, it improves the overall odds.

Alyssa sighed in relief. Thank God. What about the Dad?

Inconclusive. Please speak with Relay as soon as possible after she meets Shamrock. The icons that he manifests will be critical in confirming my theory.

And if you’re right, what does that do to the calculations?

It should improve them, but until we know the nature of the creatures in that Pit, I won’t know for sure. It could make everything worse.

Okay, I’ll make sure he meets Relay right away after he’s done talking with Nomad.

“Phones work up here?” Shamrock asked, his voice loud through her headphones.

Alyssa yelped in surprise, a combination of guilt for hiding Sephy, and the startling suddenness of Shamrock’s voice, which all conspired to cause her to drop the phone.

Faster than Alyssa thought possible, Shamrock slipped out of the five-point harness and headset and caught the phone before it struck the floor. He’d crossed the ten feet between them in a literal blink.

Kneeling in front of her, Shamrock quickly held the phone up.

Alyssa took the phone, trying to hide the guilty tremors. She felt like a five-year old with her hand caught in the cookie jar. Thank God he hadn’t read the texts.

“Thank you,” Alyssa yelled over the noise.

Shamrock smiled and waved a hand indicating it wasn’t a big deal as he returned to his seat.

Normally, Alyssa would’ve just lied and said the airplane had a router and satellite connection, but she didn’t know that for sure, and she didn’t know if Shamrock would immediately know she was lying. Scared he might ask her again about the texting, she grasped at the first distraction she could think of.

Alyssa held up the leather bag. “Would you like to discuss your team?”