Closer to the secret now.

"The Brethren kept tabs on me for the next ten years. While Lucas was an ally, not every member agreed with me breaking exile." I nodded at Caedes.

He stood and said, "I was among them. We believed he'd bring the wrath of the Tribunal down on our operations. The Brethren walked a fine line as a council of leadership. Some—Frullop, for example—wanted Nox and Cinder to invade. Pro-Icari only. And Pro-Humans wanted to end the Progeny lines to prevent Nox from obtaining Rayne's blood and entering Earth. Obviously, the dissenters haven't survived the actual Invasion, but it was a political time for us. And the Traitor Prince posed a threat to that balance."

Kyle, who was reading ahead, said, "Well, you certainly gave them the middle finger. I gotta say, Wingmaster, I never thought of you as cool, but wow. Molotov cocktails? Nice."

Tumu humphed. "We knew. Of course, we knew. Do you have any idea how much work it was to keep the Tribunal off of you? Although, it's likely Imminent enjoyed the Probabilities you fostered into existence." He glanced over at Lucas, Silence, and Smith. "Am I right?"

Smith simply grinned.

Silence peered at Lucas, who offered, "We enjoyed our time with the Shadow, even early on. We wanted you to thrive as the Mother would want, yes?"

That ambiguous 'we' from Lucas again.

Silence nodded, beaming.

I couldn't help but smile, looking back at my first crew in Iona-01. Colton, Cypher, Six, and Smith. I confessed, "I loved that time, too. We made one helluva team."

Andrew gasped. "'Helluva?!'" He followed it up with a burst of laughter.

Sagan and Tameka snickered along.

I sobered with a thought. A thought of you, Rayne.

"What's that, Superman?"

To reclaim everyone's attention, I said, "The day came to tell the Progeny, and I wasn't sure what to do. I'd been in and out of Rayne's life after CoN became more interested in her, so I knew where you went to school—"

"Not at all creepy, dude." There was humor and teasing in Kyle's voice, but I still winced.

"I would never have otherwise, but..."

Tameka drew from the Verses. "The cultists were after us. One attacked Rayne when she was twelve. Nox swore in his Verse he forbade any contact with the Progeny."

"I would've killed the CoN member myself when we arrived in 2002," Korac confessed. "Anyone who went against our orders was a danger, but anyone so outside of their mind to approach a Progeny... Automatic execution. And a public one at that." As the room winced at his ruthlessness, he turned those flat, white eyes on Kyle. "Give our imperial majesty a break. We—the Icarean armies and CoN—were breathing down your necks from the moment you were born. Hell, even we became paranoid about your safety and kept tabs."

Sagan added, "That's right. Imminent was around, too." She smiled warmly at me. "I'd convinced myself when I was a little girl that I had a guardian angel. I guess I just had good instincts."

I blushed. It was too sweet. The Shadow warmed with the kindness of it.

You grin. "Sagan can do that to a room."

That she can.

"Kyle, would you care to read volume three-thousand, four-hundred and fifty-five? Page one?"

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

"Yeah. Like I have a choice." Kyle continued the story.

{August 2002}

More rumors.

This time of the worst kind.

Standing at the top of the Arkansas State Capitol, I stared out over downtown Little Rock at night. Such a little city, so unaware of the space-scrapers only a conduit away. Cargo pants and a black tank top had become my standard issue gear since moving full time into Iona-01 with my team. We worked day and night to maintain the airline operations while negotiating The Brethren's careful political landscape.

"Your highness."

Speaking of. "Hey, Lucas. It's good to see you."

We hugged once he fully alighted in the cupola, our designated meeting space. Often, we scouted the area for potential centers in case... in case...

"Is it true? Has Nox found a way to Earth?"

Lucas shook his head and patted my shoulder reassuringly. His voice was full of confidence as he said, "It's not possible. How could they gain access to Rayne's blood this soon?"

"Did you know we did, in fact, make it to Earth?" Korac asked while painting his fingernails black. Blowing them dry, he glared with more than a little suspicion at the golden-eyed man.

Lucas dipped his head. "Yes. Smith and I knew. The Brethren did not. Well, I'm uncertain about Frullop. Andrew took his nacre before we could interrogate him."

Andrew waved sheepishly as the Shadow glanced his way.

I considered Korac's question. Did it really matter now if Lucas knew or not? It happened and now we're here. "Kyle, please continue. Skip ahead to September."

Again, he grumbled, but obeyed.

{September 2002}

Celindria's visits to my dreams had increased in frequency over the last month. I couldn't wait any longer. It was time to tell Rayne. I followed her family, to keep them safe, across the southern United States. Now here I was at this beach after the sunset, and there she was, alone on the boardwalk to watch the fireworks.

Racing thoughts filled my head and accelerated my anxiety.

Just go talk to her.

She'll understand; she's Progeny.

But look at her. She's so young. And happy.

No.

Don't interrupt this moment.

The smell of the beach. Waves and sand, ice cream and sunscreen, the breeze... The last day of summer...

I blink as you take both my hands.

"Xelan."

Rayne.

You're sitting across from me, and you're not a preteen anymore, nor a little girl. You're all grown up. Although, you'll always be my little girl. It's in that smile, in the brightness of your eyes, and the kindness in your voice. "Hey, Superman. It's been a while."

I'm so happy to see you, but... Rayne, I don't have you programmed at this age in this Divine Booth—

"Shh. Finish your Verse, old Icarus of mine, and then we can talk." Your skin is glowing, and your hair is so long, like a thick black curtain. "Every time I think about cutting it, I remember how disappointed you were when Tameka cut it for me. Do you remember?"

The night we met with Nox. Yes. How could I forget? Come here.

We hug, and it's warm, and sort of confusing.

How are you here?

"Verse, first. Talk after. Oh, Xelan, I'm so happy to see you, too. These really are the best hugs."

Where was I...? Oh, right. The night we met.

"Rayne was still sunburnt from the day before at the beach, and Michelle..." I spared Jack a glance filled with sympathy. "Your mother was still exhausted after driving home from Florida so your dad, Ray, could work his shift. And you... well... You were a troublemaker back then."

Jack smirked. "Yeah. Chris straightened me out."

Chris held up his fist. "That's right. I'm the best. Send all your kids to me and Karter for babysitting duties."

Lynn said, "We'll take you up on that," while Pablo placed a hand on her belly. They beamed.

Tameka brought us back to the story. "So Rayne told us all about how she first met you and asked her to meet at the skating rink that Friday. We started training after school. Then the memories regressed into our dreams, for some... for others..."

"Some of us had visitors." Your smile is so sad as you say it.

I still want my answers, Callahan.

That brightened your expression a little. "Keep telling the Verse, Superman."