Ash met the remaining five members of Nomad’s team on the way to the circle of trust event. All of them tended toward the reserved and quiet end of the spectrum, and Ash guessed they were among the brightest in their fields.

Blueprint was a combat engineer from the Army Corps of Engineers. She had a lean but athletic build, with her brown hair pulled back into a practical, no-nonsense ponytail. Her hazel eyes were sharp and set in a tanned face. She carried a determined expression and moved with a purposeful stride.

Babble spoke with a calm and measured cadence as she chose each word precisely, reflecting the depth of her training at the Army’s Defense Language Institute. She lacked the obvious strength of many of her squad mates but had graceful movements that suggested speed and agility. Her dark hair was pulled back into a sleek ponytail, and deep brown eyes took in everything as Ash briefly spoke with her. No trace of a Korean accent remained as she spoke in perfect Mexican Spanish to him.

Stitch, their combat medic, had the build of a marathon runner, but he carried a large pack without effort. His dark skin gleamed in the sunlight, and his close-cropped black hair was meticulously neat, framing a serious face. Brown eyes were observant and warm. He showed concern for Ash’s bruises but didn’t push the topic when Ash assured him all was fine. Stitch had a calm and reassuring tone, and Ash’s Heart chakra resonated with the past stress the medic bore silently. Even Ash’s Root chakra activated, triggered by the countless lives Stitch had saved.

Ash didn’t get a chance to speak with the remaining two as they were in a heated debate about their theories concerning patterns in the circle of trust. Which made him even more curious about their destination.

Oracle insisted planetary alignment could predict the outcome. She wore her dark wavy hair mostly hidden beneath a worn, wide-brimmed hat that gave Ash treasure-hunter vibes. Her lightly tanned skin displayed a few visible tattoos, intricate designs of ancient symbols and mystical runes that peeked out from under her rolled-up sleeves, hinting at her deep connection to the occult and ancient cultures. Nomad told him Oracle came from the National Security Agency and had the most limited amount of combat training on his team.

The last of Nomad’s team, Cipher, shook his head as Oracle waved her arms to punctuate her words. Cipher came from the Marines cryptologic support battalion, which Nomad seemed to find funny. Seeing Ash’s confusion, he explained Marines were usually the “Oorah” type and not certified geniuses.

Ash studied Cipher as the marine interacted with the gesticulating Oracle. Cipher tilted his head in consideration for a few seconds before responding to the intelligence officer, and then watched stoically as Oracle pulled a journal from her back pocket. She alternated between showing him very well drawn pictures and using it to point at the sky.

Cipher was the shortest on Nomad’s team but carried an intensity that caused Ash’s Crown chakra to twitch. Cipher had the rich skin color and accent of a Chilango. Ash had spent enough time in Mexico City to recognize both. The marine’s uniform was impeccable, and he walked next to Oracle with a methodical stride that he could likely keep for days if ordered to. The young genius had a powerful charisma which was only reinforced by his complete obliviousness to it. Ash guessed the young marine had no idea Oracle had a crush on him. Then again, Oracle didn’t seem to know that yet either, but Ash’s Throat chakra recognized the emotional undertones in her words.

They approached a small hangar that looked like all the rest. Oracle quieted, and the entire group turned serious.

Nomad leaned over and spoke softly to Ash. "Something just occurred to me. How much danger do you need to be in for your abilities to trigger?"

"I’ve never tested it like that."

Nomad rubbed his chin. "Well, we'll just give it a try. I can always fetch a generator if it doesn't work the normal way. Stay put until I call you."

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The hangar’s double doors were open but just enough to slip through sideways. Ash mirrored Stitch by taking off his pack.

Ash had become quite curious about this circle of trust. From Nomad's comments, he pieced together that the event had something to do with team-building.

The hangar smelled faintly of jet fuel but was mostly empty. A five-foot circle made of plywood stood in the center of the space, and a single chair and table sat next to it, along with some type of small box. The plywood had hundreds of small holes drilled in it.

Metal folding chairs were arranged in a rough semi-circle in front of the contraption, and Ash saw the nine members of his civvies team for the first time.

All of them had their backs to Ash, and none turned around as Nomad’s team entered. Everyone kept silent, as if they dreaded this place so much, they had no energy or will left to speak.

Ash took a seat in the back, placing his pack on the chair to the right. Nomad strode to the plywood circle while his team sat next to the civilians. Ash didn't detect any animosity between the two groups, but they didn't appear overly friendly either.

Ash tried to understand what was happening here and received his first clue when Nomad flipped the switch on the mysterious box. The unmistakable hum of electricity filled the hangar.

Nomad fiddled with some dials and then faced both squads.

"We’ll start today at number three. The second round will be at six, and in the final round, we’ll try out the max setting."

There were cries of complaint from the civilians, but the military team didn't respond, although their body language betrayed their nervousness.

Nomad continued, ignoring the complaints. "The rules are the same. Approach individually and place a finger in any hole. You may consult with one person before making your decision. Once done, move to the back of the wheel and reconnect the unplugged electrical lead and then pick one of the thousand others to unplug. You may not consult the person who unplugged the lead for your turn and any collaboration or cheating will result in the offenders taking everyone’s turn that day. This is a simple task. If you wish to avoid an unpleasant shock, stick your finger in the hole that’s been disconnected from power. Easy. Now line up in alphabetical order."

Captain Riegel sat in the chair to Ash’s left. "I worried you’d never leave that plane."

Ash turned to the captain. "Sorry. I didn't expect that to happen."

"Is everything okay?"

Ash had no reason to distrust the captain, especially since his Throat chakra didn't detect anything but concern. Old habits die hard, though, so he kept his Third Eye breakthrough to himself.

A yelp caused Ash to turn and focus on the circle.

Babble stood in front of the wooden circle, shaking her right hand and rubbing her forearm as she glared daggers at Nomad. "You are a sadistic—"

Babble cut off the rest of her statement as Nomad smiled and pointed to the back of the contraption. She disappeared behind the plywood circle, and Ash assumed she would reattach the lead Nomad had removed and pick a different hole to deactivate.

"Has anyone ever got this right?" Ash asked.

"Negative."

"And Nomad doesn't participate?"

"Not that I've seen or heard. Which honestly isn't like him, but I assume he has a master plan."

"He does. And it's extremely clever—and likely effective."

The captain turned her body to face Ash better. "Please do tell."

Ash studied Nomad’s work as he responded. "Nomad knew the problems someone like me ordering others around would cause. He just spent a week torturing everyone to make my revelation personal and powerful."

"By shocking them three times a day for a week?"

Ash smiled and focused on Nomad. Nomad seemed to sense the gaze and glanced up. Seeing Ash's smile, and recognizing he deduced the purpose of all this, caused the green beret to grin.

"The biggest clue is in the directions. He told them they could ask for advice."

"But that doesn't matter. Nobody knows where the safe—"

Understanding blossomed on the captain’s face. "I'll be damned. That clever SOB."

"If I had to guess, I’d say you'll see Nomad participate for the first time today."

"Ugh!" Blast grunted as he clenched his hand.

Ash continued in a rhetorical voice. "How do you get a group of skilled and experienced people to listen to a teenager? Not only listen but ask for help, all while nurturing the most critical factor, trust. Nomad is a genius."

Captain Riegel looked at Nomad with obvious appreciation. "He's doing all that with a piece of plywood and an electric fence generator."

"Brilliant for sure. Now I just need to decide whether to tell him the truth or let him get shocked."

The captain looked horrified. "You wouldn't."

Ash grinned mischievously. "Admit it: it would be kind of funny."

"I don't think I like your sense of humor, Shamrock."

"It takes some getting used to." Ash felt the worry and anxiousness radiating from the captain. "Don't worry, I won't ruin Nomad's plan."

At least not at first, Ash thought to himself with a grin.