Rachel lay unconscious in the infirmary bed, machines monitoring her vital signs. The regular beep of the heart monitor provided some comfort to Olivia as she looked at her new teammate. The new recruit watched from her chair as Candace reviewed Rachel’s scan results on a tablet.

“Is she gonna be okay?” asked Olivia.

“Well, that’s—”

The door opened, interrupting Candace before she could get into her statement. Tom stood at the entrance, his forehead creased. His feet shuffled in with awkward, uncertain movements. Olivia couldn’t help but think what a far cry he looked now from his behavior in the field. Then he had the utmost confidence, perhaps an overt amount. But now, he looked like a scared kid.

“I just heard about what happened,” he said. “How is she?”

“I was just about to tell Olivia here that the strange thing is she’s completely fine,” said Candace. “As far as the machines are concerned, she’s just sleeping.”

“But I thought something happened to her? Marcus said she was overwhelmed by her Titan.”

“That’s the only reason we know there’s something not right about this,” said Candace. “Orion said the chamber burst open and she flew out, screaming. Took several people to restrain her long enough for me to administer a sedative. She’s been out ever since.”

“What do you think’s wrong with her then?” asked Tom.

“I’m really not sure. One thing we know for certain about the Titans and the Omega Force is that there’s an incredible amount we don’t know.” Candace sighed. “Interfacing with the Titan in the way Rachel did is—”

“Pretty rare, so I’m told,” said Tom. “Anything we know from those times it’s been tried?”

“Not really. The Tribunal said those records are highly classified.”

“They wouldn’t give any info?” he asked.

Candace shook her head.

Tom scoffed. “Well, isn’t that typical…” He walked over to Rachel’s bedside, then reached his hand for her limp one and gave it a gentle caress.

“Are you guys close?” asked Olivia.

Tom glanced up at the new recruit and gave a soft smile. “Not as much as I’d like. Rachel keeps her own counsel. But we get along.” He then added in a softer voice, bordering on a whisper, “Most of the time.”

“This must be tough on you, being the new leader and all,” said Olivia.

“For now, anyway,” said Tom.

That caught Candace’s attention and her head jerked in Tom’s direction. “What do you mean?”

Tom drew in a sharp breath. “I had kind of an…altercation with Marcus just now.”

Candace folded her arms, holding the tablet she used to monitor Rachel close to her chest. “What kind of altercation?”

Tom sighed. “I sort of…” He hesitated and looked down as his cheeks flushed. “Punched him in the face.”

A disgruntled sigh escaped Candace’s lips. She rubbed her forehead. “He’s really making the rounds, isn’t he?”

Tom looked up at her, the red fading from his face. “You mean yelling at the newb—the new guys?”

Candace nodded. “He apologized to Ethan but when he tried with Alexa, he made it worse.”

“What’s his problem, anyway?” asked Olivia.

“Survivor’s guilt, I think,” said Candace. “He feels responsible for what happened to Scott, Emily, and Mike. And because he’s emotionally immature, he bottles up his feelings until they explode.”

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Olivia shook her head. “My father was like that. Used to drive me nuts.”

“I think most of our fathers were.” Candace turned her attention back to Tom. “What did he do to set you off?”

“We were arguing about this, actually.” Tom gestured to Rachel. “I said I should’ve been looped in before she did it. He argued back and then he basically said I wasn’t as good a leader as Scott.”

Candace tsked, then sighed. She whispered something under her breath that Olivia couldn’t quite make out, but it didn’t sound flattering toward Marcus.

“Here I thought you’d be chewing me out,” said Tom.

“Don’t get me wrong.” Candace pointed a stern finger. “You absolutely should have handled that better. But I’m also not going to say he didn’t deserve it.”

“So what happens now?” asked Olivia. “I haven’t been here long, but I can’t imagine that hitting Marcus is gonna be considered a good thing.”

“If you believe Marcus, I’m about to get kicked out,” said Tom.

Olivia’s eyes bulged. “Can he do that?”

“No,” said Candace. “Doesn’t mean there won’t be any repercussions. The Tribunal will no doubt want a meeting about this.”

“And Rachel?” asked Olivia.

“That’s the big mystery,” said Candace. “We just have to wait until she wakes up.”

Olivia felt Tom’s eyes on her and she met his gaze. “What is it?”

“Nothing, just that I’m surprised you’re so worried about someone you just met.”

“She’s really nice. That first night, she helped me with some one-on-one training,” said Olivia. “Why, are we not supposed to care about other people? Just be cold, emotionless killers?”

Tom held up his hands in defense. “Whoa, easy. I’m not saying that at all.” He lowered his arms and his shoulder sunk. “I’m just saying it’s not something you see a lot. But I actually think it’s great that you care so much.”

Olivia turned her gaze away, feeling embarrassed about her mistake. The violent part of this job still made her uneasy. That no doubt made her more sensitive to any talk about her own concerns for others.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “And thanks.”

“Not a problem. Now let’s just hope that Rachel wakes up soon,” said Tom.

“And you’ve got that breacher in a cell. Has she said anything yet?” asked Candace.

“No, not yet.”

A beep from his Gauntlet interrupted Tom. He looked down at the display and frowned.

“Something wrong?” asked Olivia.

“The Tribunal is requesting a meeting,” said Tom. “Right now.”

Olivia looked at her own Gauntlet, but saw only a blank display. “I don’t see anything on my thingy.”

“That means it’s probably about Marcus. They’re not always big on wasting time,” said Tom.

“Go on, we’ll call if there’s any change in Rachel’s condition,” said Candace.

“Thanks, Doc.” Tom turned to Olivia. “You gonna stay here?”

The young woman nodded. Tom returned her nod and then left the pair alone in the room with the comatose patient. Olivia moved closer to Rachel’s bedside and brushed some strands of her hair, tucking them behind her ear.

“Hey Dr. Wu, mind if I ask you a question?”

“Go ahead,” said Candace.

“How long have you been here?” asked Olivia.

Candace took a breath and thought. “About…twelve years, I think?”

“Have any of the Knights died since you came? Y’know, other than the three we—our three predecessors?”

Olivia had almost said “replaced” but stopped herself. What a terrible thought, suggesting that anyone could be replaced. Though in this organization, that seemed almost normal.

Candace removed her glasses and looked down. She didn’t have to say anything else, Olivia knew exactly what that meant.

“That’s what I thought.”

After taking a breath, Candace composed herself and put her glasses back on. “I don’t want you to think this job is easy. It’s definitely not. The Omega Force, the armor, the Titans—sure, they all increase your odds of survival. But something on this scale…the risk will always be there. It’s inescapable.”

“I know…” Olivia looked down at Rachel. “She wasn’t even in battle and look what happened to her.”

“But having said all that, I also don’t want you to believe that being a Knight is a death sentence,” said Candace. “Did I know Knights that have died? Yes. Does that mean you will die? Not necessarily. I’ve known many more Knights who retired peacefully.”

“And what happens to them after they retire?” asked Olivia.

Candace shrugged. “It depends. Believe it or not, many of them have gone on to work for the Quantum Group in other areas based on whatever their skills are.”

The doctor studied Olivia’s features. The young woman’s lips tightened and her brow furrowed. She had something on her mind, of that Candace had no doubt.

“Penny for them? Your thoughts, I mean.”

Olivia’s head jerked in Candace’s direction. “I…I dunno. I’m just wondering if this is the right thing for me.”

Candace patted Olivia on the shoulder and the younger woman gave a smile at the gesture.

“There’s no shame in admitting it’s not,” said Candace. “You wouldn’t be the first to decide this job isn’t a good fit.”

“No,” said Olivia. “I committed to this, I’m gonna see it through. At least for a little longer.”

An incessant and sudden beeping noise sparked from the machines connected to Rachel. Candace’s attention focused on her tablet. She tapped different commands on the screen, trying to make sense of the readouts.

“What’s happening to her?” asked Olivia.

Candace shook her head. “I have no idea, her brain activity just shot up like a rocket! And I can’t see why.”

Rachel’s eyes popped open and her torso popped up at a straight angle. She sucked in a dramatic breath and looked around the room, her eyes moving at a frantic pace.

“Rachel, what is it?” asked Olivia. “It’s okay, you’re safe.”

Rachel turned her head toward Olivia, eyes nearly bulging. She then shook her head and said simply, “No, I’m not. None of us are. And I think I know why.”