The three Summit capes walked down the stairs to the front of the lecture hall. The room turned quiet as whispers cut off all at once. Supers shifted in their seats and sat up straight.

Mod half-watched. He kept his eye on the door, but no one else came in.

No Hunter Nine.

Mod wasn’t sure if that made him feel better. He’d almost rather have seen the cape up and walking around. Rather seen him healed and maybe even holding a grudge. If Hunter Nine was still laid up in the hospital, how would his partner react?

Mod stiffened in his seat as the Summit capes cast scrutinizing glances across the room.

As far as Mod knew, neither Serenity nor Hunter Nine had seen his new combat suit. Hopefully, no reports had made it back to the Summit yet. Serenity had, however, seen Arsenal’s exosuit, which stood behind them.

Serenity didn’t miss it. Her eyes lingered on the exosuit and her eyes narrowed. She continued looking around the room, but then stared directly at Mod.

The first super, the woman dressed in golden armor, stepped forward. “My name is Luminara. This is Rohdan of the Runebound, and this is Serenity. We’re not here to talk about the war. As far as you’re concerned, nothing in Europe matters. Nothing in Africa, nothing in South America matters. Nothing in New York or Florida. Your only concern right now is our city and the safety of refugees on the outskirts. I understand that some of you might have family elsewhere in the States or abroad, but if you’re working with us, you will be here until the situation is stable. Don’t ask me when that will be because I don’t know.

“You’re sitting in this room because you’ve been fast-tracked for Summit evaluation. The Summit keeps tabs on promising masks—don’t ask how. It doesn’t matter. What matters is you’re here now.

“Before you wade back into the city for patrol, you’ll undergo basic competency tests with your abilities. Some of your abilities will be better suited to specific roles within a squad, but we pride ourselves on working with a variety of powersets.

“That being said, combat experience is good, but it isn’t everything. Most of you are loners. No one in the Summit works alone. So if you want to work with us, you’ll need to work on a team. This isn’t an organization for hotshots or assholes. If you can’t shelve that ego or fold it into something manageable, if you can’t put the needs of Belport or your squad above your own, then you have no place in the Summit of Heroes.

“Serenity and Rohdan will lead your evaluations. We’ll be taking you outside in small groups. Please wait here until a member of the Summit—”

Luminara’s watch started beeping, followed by the other two capes’ watches. A moment later, a siren sounded outside. The veteran capes didn’t pause.

Luminara turned back to the room of waiting supers. “Wait here.”

Serenity’s glare fell on Mod, and his throat tightened.

“Mod, Arsenal… And your friends. You’re coming with me.”

Mod’s group shared uneasy glances. Mod’s face felt hot as the rest of the room turned and stared at them. Mutters rose like a wave coming in.

The other two capes paused at the unexpected turn, but neither of the other capes said anything.

Serenity waited for Arsenal to suit up and for both of them to get to the door. Then she escorted them out while the rest of the masks stayed behind.

Mod, Arsenal, McGuire, Cherry, Larian, and Krystal followed Serenity outside to the parking lot, where three military-style helicopters waited for them. Each bore the Summit S on the hull and each was modified so that they were smaller—narrower blade diameter and shorter tail—so that they could get in and out of urban environments easier.

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Summit capes were shouting to guards and boarding helicopters. A handful of capes were already levitating under their own power and positioned to fly beside the helicopters.

Serenity waved Mod and Arsenal over to the nearest helicopter and hopped aboard. Mod leaned close and looked inside. There were two other capes sitting inside on the bench—two mages by the looks of their robes—but he didn’t recognize either of them. One wore dark blue and the other wore black. Deep hoods obscured both of their faces.

Arsenal shouted over the siren. “We can fly.”

Serenity glanced at both of them and said sternly, “You can fly, but stay with me. Mod and the rest of you, find an open spot in the transports. Tune your comms to the Summit’s third frequency. Consider this your evaluation.”

McGuire muttered to Arsenal, “Just don’t go and leave us with the man.” Then Mod and the rest of their teammates loaded into the helicopters, leaving Arsenal to fly.

Mod’s team sat on one side. Serenity and the mages sat on the other.

The intermittent chopping of helicopter blades sped up until it was a steady whirr, and the helicopter lurched upward. Mod’s group glanced out the windows nervously. Serenity’s glare stayed focused on Mod.

“Check, check,” Arsenal said through the comms.

“We read you,” Serenity replied. “Now, listen up. We’ve divided up into three teams and we’re going to clear a path through downtown and hold position on the edge of South Side. If these attacks are anything like what the rest of the world is experiencing, then they should be easy to repel. Push back hard enough, and the Deep Ones will retreat—that’s our goal. Fight hard, but don’t put yourself in unnecessary danger.

“We’re still not sure exactly what type of powers the Deep Ones have, but they’re a hive-mind, so they communicate with each other telepathically. Some also have hydrokinesis and cryokinesis.”

The helicopters were flying fast over the flooded city. Waves churned outside the windows.

Serenity continued, “The plan is to stick to the roofs. If you have ranged abilities, congrats—you’ll be leading the assault. Concentrate your fire and shoot to kill. Once the Deep Ones experience significant enough losses, they’ll retreat.

“Everyone else, you’re on defense. Protect your ranged teammates. Any questions?”

Someone spoke through the comms. “Ma’am, do we need to worry about being mind-controlled?”

Serenity’s lips cracked into the faintest of smiles. “No. There are no reports of the Deep Ones taking over their enemies. It could be that they’re not biologically similar enough. Anything else?”

Mod stared back. He’d seen footage in the lab of other creatures with the Deep Ones—not just the standard human-size ones. There had been monsters with them.

Mod just wasn’t sure how to ask Serenity that question… since he was pretty sure that particular footage had been classified.

In the end, he decided to just ask. They were at war, and if the Summit was going to get hung up on how Mod got his info, then they could go fuck themselves.

“What other creatures do they have with them?”

To her credit, Serenity didn’t flinch. “The species called the Deep Ones actually has three main types of combatant. The first are regular soldiers—roughly equivalent to Class One. They’re melee fighters without any ranged attacks.

“The second are the mages. They’re not much different, except for their larger heads and their hydrokinesis and cryokinesis. They’re anywhere from Class Two to Three, and seem to be the commanding officers.

“The third are their shock troopers. Larger bodies, longer limbs. They’re at least Class Two and are fast and tough.

“The last are the larger monstrosities. Everything from mutated whales to titanic squid. They’re anywhere from Class Two to Three, or even more, and present their own unique challenges.”

McGuire cleared his throat. “I don’t mean to sound like a nerd, but colossal squids aren’t that big…”

Serenity stared at him impatiently. “What’s your name, recruit?”

“McGuire, uh, ma’am.”

Skyscrapers of downtown passed by and rain was beading against the window.

“I meant what I said, McGuire. Unless you’re confident in your abilities against a Class Two combatant, stay away from the shock troopers. And if we encounter one of their monstrosities, call for backup. We’ll get Golden Boy or one of the other ringers to handle it.”

A voice came over the radio. “Serenity, we have contact.”

Arsenal added, “Your two o’clock. A cluster of soldiers and a mage on a parking garage. Permission to engage.”

“Wait until we set down, Arsenal. Then you’re clear. Stay low when you disembark. And remember, stay together.”

The helicopter lurched again as it descended, and out the window, Mod saw the other helicopters following. They set down and then the Summit’s newest recruits stepped out into the rain.

Into war.

~ ~ ~