Right after the attack, it was almost impossible to get any details on anything. We were all wondering about the people that were apparently sent to fight McLeod. No matter who we asked, we couldn’t get any clear answers. Mrs. Carmichael seemed to keep those details close to her chest. Lori was worried about Alex and how he’d react, Lizzy was trying to find as much video footage of the attack as possible, and Shelly was trying not to let her concern show all over her face. As for myself, I’d begun to feel sick from the death and destruction. I was resting my eyes on Lizzy’s couch, doing my very best to process everything I could.

“I’m lost,” Lizzy said, finally breaking the silence. “I know he can manipulate the blue flames. I guess he has a second Anomaly that lets him fire off those energy blasts too.”

“You don’t sound very sure at all,” Lori bitterly spat. If Lizzy was offended by her tone, she made no mention of it. “We need to know what he can do for sure. No one can be in the same city as McLeod if we don’t know how his powers work.”

“I really don’t know.” Lizzy got up and began to search around in her kitchen for something. “I sent Mrs. Carmichael a text asking her to come by. She wanted to know when Ethan woke up and I’m hoping we can get some details from her.”

After that, we sat in near silence once again. The only sounds that I could hear were from everyone using their phones. It felt like everyone was terrified to speak of and acknowledge what happened anymore. I refused to keep the TV playing. I didn’t want to deal with it. I was sure the president was having a press conference condemning the evil acts. The only thing I’d seen after the attack was the mostly flat city from someone’s drone shot. Nearly every building had been reduced to dust. The ones that hadn’t been destroyed looked to be beyond any repair. If he attacked Pittsburgh just to flex his muscles, McLeod did a great job.

Before I could get too lost in my thoughts, there were three gentle taps on the door. I sat up and winced at the light. Lizzy opened the door and welcomed Mrs. Carmichael in with a sad smile. Just her calm confidence and stability made me feel better. It radiated out of her and blanketed the room.

“Ethan,” Mrs. Carmichael greeted me with a rare, warm smile. “How’re you feeling?”

“I could use an ibuprofen or two,” I replied honestly. I rubbed my temples to emphasize the headache pains I was having. “I’m up and alive, so it could be worse.”

“I’m glad to hear that.” She sat down on the area of the couch that I’d just vacated. A solemn look fell over her face. “I expect that you all have questions. Unfortunately, I don’t think that I’ll have all the answers you seek.”

“What can he do?” Lizzy was the first to speak up. “Exactly, I mean. Fire is obvious, but that...”

Mrs. Carmichael hesitated. She looked like she was gathering her thoughts, and she pushed up a pair of glasses that I didn’t remember seeing her wear before. “We’re still not completely sure. As you said, the fire is obvious, though I’ve never seen an Anomaly that manipulates blue fire. Right now, we’re under the assumption that he has a second Anomaly that allows him to produce those white energy blasts that destroyed Pittsburgh. However, we can’t rule out that his fire Anomaly is so strong that those energy blasts were caused by it.”

“Back at square one...” Lizzy muttered. She plopped her butt down in a chair by her table, clearly dejected.

“There’s...something you all deserve to know.” Mrs. Carmichael took a deep breath before continuing. “We sent six people to Pittsburgh and none of them have returned or made contact with us.”

All of us were stunned into silence, except for Lori. Enraged she stood up and glared at Mrs. Carmichael. “What!? Six people are gone!?”

“Without any contact, we have no way to confirm their fates. With that in mind, we’re currently assuming they’ve all perished in the destruction, or they were all found before the attack began.” Mrs. Carmichael uncharacteristically ignored Lori’s outburst, likely not wanting to make the mood in the room any worse. “There’s a possibility that they’re hiding, or worse, defected to join that man.”

“Who did you lose?” Shelly asked.

“Out of everyone, Fink is likely the only one you know who hasn’t responded.” A knot of fear and worry tied in my stomach at the mention of the teleporter who brought us to Luna. Even though it hadn’t been long, it felt like ages had crawled by since we last saw him. While Mrs. Carmichael ran down the other five names, I tried to recall any other information on the guy.

“If Fink was there, why weren’t they there to stop McLeod or at least teleport out?” Lori asked, still seething with anger. Tears were rolling down her face, but no one dared mention it. She didn’t stop to wipe them away. “What was the plan going in?”

“The plan was to wait for him to attack and respond accordingly,” Mrs. Carmichael verified. “Unfortunately, there had been more than one area setup for news coverage. We suspect that McLeod chose one of those locations at random, as it didn’t matter to him which area he attacked.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

“By the time we figured out exactly where he was, the military had already responded. I gave them the direct order to not engage. Having us cause accidental harm to the military or any civilians would likely have doomed us in the future, so I ordered them to stay put. We had no information on McLeod’s energy blasts, so it may have been too late to counter. As I said, they may have been neutralized before McLeod’s attack on the city.”

“Bullshit!” Lori shouted, slamming her hands on Lizzy’s table. Lizzy and I flinched, but Shelly and Mrs. Carmichael didn’t react. “We had no idea on what this monster could really do, and you still sent six of our best in? Did you think he was bluffing when he said he’d attack Pittsburgh? I don’t even want to think about the families here that won’t ever be the same.”

“Hold your tongue, girl,” Mrs. Carmichael said. Her solemn expression was replaced by one of uncharacteristic rage. Lori didn’t back down in the slightest. “If they perished today, they did so knowing that they were ultimately trying to do the right thing. It was voluntary to go, and all of them were prepared to make that ultimate sacrifice for any kind of advantage. I will not tolerate another outburst that disrespects the choices they all made.”

Lori clenched her jaw and slowly sat back down. The rage hadn’t gone anywhere when our gazes met. My own face started to feel warm, and I found myself wanting to pick a fight with someone. Even though I only knew one of those people, and I barely knew that one, I shared my friend’s rage at their deaths. It took everything I had to stay calm and rational. Fortunately, Mrs. Carmichael changed the subject before I could start boiling.

“There is another matter I wish to discuss. For the past week, I’ve been reviewing many old documents that had have largely been purged from history to protect our secrecy. I’ll be honest with all of you, these are largely considered myth and legend by this point, if anyone knows about them at all. Before McLeod exposed us on a scale that we simply can’t hide, I’d never given them much thought.

“After the attack on Pittsburgh, we need every advantage that we can get. That’s why, starting today, I’m going to create teams based on my belief of who would mesh well together in a unit. Ms. Quick, you’ll lead your friend Rosie, Julio Fuentes, and Braden Decker. I’m sure that you at least know who they are, and I want you to work with them to help them foster their powers. Of course, this is an offer to volunteer. You’re free to refuse, though I’d advise you and Rosie to expand your social circle to include them. In the event we were attacked here, there are power in numbers.”

“I...I don’t know anything about leading,” Lizzy said, shocked at the prospect of being a leader. “Shouldn’t it be someone else? Maybe someone older with more experience?”

“Look, right now, it’s nothing that serious. I want everyone here to have at least two or three people they can count on in case it gets bad here. The idea is to work together, help each other grow, and keep each other safe. If this complex blew up tomorrow, which it won’t, you probably wouldn’t be getting orders from me on what to do. I will ask some of the teams to investigate some of our...history, however.”

“What about me?” I asked, curious about what Mrs. Carmichael had in mind.

She smiled at me, probably happy to not have an outburst and a simple question to answer. “I want you with Ms. Davis and Mr. Snow. You three are already familiar with each other. Plus, I’m running out of people I could reasonably put together. It’s been a nightmare trying to match everyone up as best I can.”

I winced, not exactly thrilled to be on a team with Alex. After our training, I was feeling better about the guy, but suddenly being thrust onto a team with him didn’t exactly fill me with joy. Knowing that Lori liked him, I wanted to help, despite my own feelings toward him. If I could wingman, and maybe get a gruff friend out of it, that would be a win. I expected a lot of growing pains.

“So, we have to take orders from him?” I asked.

“No, why would you think that boy is capable of being a leader right now?” Mrs. Carmichael asked. She genuinely looked dumbfounded that I’d even consider him. That’s why no one gave me a job where I had to delegate. “Ms. Davis will lead you two, and the third person to join you, should everything line up that way.”

“Whoa, thank you for the offer, but if Lizzy is concerned with being a leader, then I know I’m definitely not cut out for it,” Lori said, throwing her hands up. She looked a bit less angry than she had before. It was a work in progress. “I can barely get myself to take care of my own business some days, let alone having to worry about others.”

Mrs. Carmichael sighed and shook her head. “You kids now really disappoint me. Not everyone is a natural leader from the moment they’re born. Leading is a skill that can be learned and honed, not unlike our Anomalies.”

“Okay, but why not Alex or even Ethan?” Lori asked, still confused.

“Because Alex’s personality isn’t suited for that. He’s strong physically, but his pride and sense of nobility would make him a poor fit to have others directly under his care. He has a certain...headstrong nature that, while heroic, could lead to people under his care getting hurt. He’d benefit from having someone guide him and tell him how to help.” Mrs. Carmichael turned to me and shook her head. “Perhaps Ethan can one day, but I want it to be you for your Anomaly, Ms. Davis. Your ability to read emotions would allow you to sense dysfunction and other issues to tackle them head on. There’s more to it than just who’s the strongest or has the kindest heart.”

Both girls still looked uncomfortable with the idea, though neither piped up in protest. After hearing her reasoning for it, I found myself agreeing with Mrs. Carmichael. Lizzy was an enjoyable presence to be around, wasn’t lazy, and could help someone figure out their powers if they struggled. Lori would certainly need some practice, but her Anomaly would just about be unparalleled as a tool to help cohesion. I couldn’t help but think that Alex would refuse to listen to me if I was suddenly put in a position of power over him.

“I’ll take your silence as agreement, or at least acceptance.” She stood up and looked to both Lori and I to address us. “I do want your group to check into something for me. Ms. Davis, have you heard of the Tomb Removed from Time?”