by Bryan Cohen
Natalie wiped away the tears from Travis' face. "I'm not going to disagree with you."
Travis took Natalie's hand and leaned into her. He bent his head to plot a collision course with her mouth. Natalie felt her stomach flutter as she closed her eyes and waited for contact. It never had the chance to come.
"Hey!" The voice of Nick, the classmate from the other day, rang out. "You're wanted in the command center."
Natalie had given some dirty looks in her day, but none as angry and intense as the one Travis gave to Nick. Natalie touched his shoulder to try to lessen the ire.
"It's alright." Natalie looked at Travis' lips. "I'll still be here when you get back."
"No, they want both of you to come."
Natalie had been as relaxed as she'd felt in weeks before Nick told her what was coming. She held her breath.
"That's great." Travis gave Natalie's shoulder a squeeze. "You're in the inner circle."
Natalie scrunched up her face. "Just when I was getting used to the outer circle."
"Come with me." Nick waved them inside.
Natalie suppressed her nervousness and followed.
Going from the color and noise of the outdoor activities to the cold, lifeless interior of the command center felt like going from day to night. Something about it made her feel unwelcome, as if she should turn around and try to escape.
This is a bad idea. A really bad idea.
She continued forward anyway. When they reached the door, a pencil of a man held out a tray and collected Travis and Nick's cell phones.
"And who are you exactly?" The man's eyes zipped from left to right with alarming speed.
Natalie gulped before sharing her name.
The man's countenance brightened. "Ah, Ms. Dormer. We've been expecting you. Phone, please."
When she hesitated, Travis put his hand on her back. "Don't worry, it's just while you're in the room."
Like most teens, she felt strange parting from her phone for any time period other than sleep. The reassuring look in Travis' eyes gave her the strength to pass it over. When she let the device go from her hands, she had a strange feeling that she might never see it again. The stick of a man placed the phone in the container beside the others. Travis smiled as he led Natalie forward.
The room was filled with giant TV screens, most of which were turned off. The one that wasn't looked like it was displaying the first slide in a presentation. It read "Operation Home Front." She watched a few other people file into the room, most of them older than Travis and herself. She recognized Thomas Cobblestone right away. It took her a moment to place the man he was speaking with, but then she realized it was none other than David Torello, the father of Jason and Phil.
Cobblestone took out a long, rolled-up sheet of paper and placed it down on the room-length table. As the paper unfurled, Natalie could see that it was a blueprint for a house. She spied the downstairs area, the bedrooms and the backyard all very clearly. Alarm bells started to go off throughout her brain.
I've been in that house.
A few other people filed into the room and gathered around the blueprint. Travis followed and Natalie stayed by his side. She could feel herself beginning to sweat.
You've made it this far. Keep it together.
Travis glanced over at her, and Natalie did her best to relax her face and smile. She felt confident she'd kept up appearances well enough when he grinned back.
"As you all know, we're only a few hours away from Operation Home Front." Cobblestone cleared his throat. "The equipment is in place nearby, as are our operatives."
Nick's long-fingered hand rose into the air. Cobblestone nodded in his direction.
"If we're gonna wait till Ted's asleep and everything, why don't we hit him with something harder? We could just kill him."
Natalie couldn't help the sharp inhale. She looked back over at the tray of phones. There were at least three people between her and contact with the outside world. When she glanced back to the table, Cobblestone caught her eye for a split second before he answered the question.
"I appreciate your dedication, Nick, but we're trying not to bring too much suspicion back on us." Cobblestone smiled with easy confidence. "It should be a simple act of vandalism gone wrong. Not a full-out hit."
Mr. Torello coughed. "Plus, we're not going to stoop to his level."
Natalie felt for Mr. Torello, a person who was an innocent bystander in all of this. Even though his son had tried to kill her friend, she knew his sense of loss was genuine. Cobblestone wrapped up the meeting and told the attendees to get to their positions. Natalie waited until everybody's attention was elsewhere before she tried to walk over to the box of phones. Travis caught her hand before she could get halfway.
"Don't you want to meet him?" Travis interlocked his fingers with hers.
"Of course," Natalie said. "I just got nervous that somebody texted me."
"You're just so damn popular." Travis led Natalie toward Cobblestone.
Natalie could tell how the man would be trusted with leading an entire movement. Even his body commanded attention. Layers of bulky muscle lined his frame. Natalie figured it'd be difficult to guard him in the low post. She hoped this encounter wouldn't come to anything physical.
"Tom." Travis sounded proud when he dropped the leader's first name. "I'd like you to meet Natalie Dormer."
There were layers to Cobblestone's reaction. She could see the surface smile all right, but there were a few things underneath that were impossible to assess.
"Ms. Dormer, how good of you to come." Cobblestone put his arm around Natalie. "It's so important that we have you as an ally. I'd actually appreciate if we could talk in private for a moment."
Natalie wasn't sure if she could pull off the same number of emotional layers as the GHA boss, but she tried her best to hide the fear.
"I'd like that. I'm free almost all weekend–"
"Now, actually." Cobblestone shooed everybody out of the room. "Let's talk right now."
Travis was the only one left until Cobblestone gave another wave of his hand. Natalie watched as Travis attempted to give one last crooked smile before exiting.
"You've had an interesting few months, Ms. Dormer." Cobblestone paced around the room as Natalie stood still. "You broke Ted Finley's heart, took a knife in the back, won a state championship and then joined our humble movement."
"You do your homework." Natalie fought the urge to fidget.
"We do a little more than homework, Ms. Dormer."
Cobblestone took to a step to his left and pushed a touchscreen button. A sound clip featuring her voice played from the speaker.
"Hey, this is Natalie Dormer. I know you might not be expecting this, but I want to know how I can help."
The other voice on the recording was Erica LaPlante's.
"Natalie," Erica said. "This is surprising. But you couldn't have called at a better time."
Cobblestone fast-forwarded the recording.
"Once you're inside," Erica continued, "You need to figure out what they're planning to do. Do not let Ted know about this. You need to act like a true convert. Alright?"
Natalie's mouth hung open in dread.
"You want me to spy?" Natalie heard her voice ring throughout the room. "Sounds like fun."
Natalie grabbed the closest chair and tossed it in Cobblestone's direction. She sped toward the box of phones and tried to find hers in record time.
"Guards!" Cobblestone lumbered toward Natalie.
The door opened to reveal three or four men who'd been standing right by the door. It was as if they expected this to happen.
When she couldn't find her own device, Natalie picked up another phone and attempted to dial 9-1-1, but the guards had her by the arms before she could do any such thing.
"Looking for this?" Cobblestone pulled a cell phone out of his pocket.
Natalie recognized the solid black case around her phone.
"We've got plans for this, sw
eet girl," Cobblestone said. "We've got plans for you, too."
Chapter 21
When the librarians and guards charged forward, Ted didn't hesitate. He used his powers to lift all their opponents up into the air, over their heads and into the elevator they'd just exited. This time, it did feel like they were at the lair, doing their normal training routine together. Ted felt comfortable using his powers around Erica. It was almost like he was a student trying to impress his teacher.
He swore he saw Erica smirk as he shut the doors manually and used his powers to keep them that way.
"What?" Ted couldn't help but smile, himself. "I just needed to get warmed up, OK?"
Erica stuck out her tongue. "Eyes on the prize. The books should be right this way."
Erica used the librarian's keycard to get into a room that was only a few feet behind the desk where they'd first inquired about the books. When Ted crossed into the room, he could feel something different inside. It was the same kind of energy he felt when he got his abilities and when he wielded the dark soul-smiting sword. The old power in there began to give him a buzz.
"Do you feel this, too?"
Erica nodded as she shut the door behind them. There were five pedestals in the center of the room. While four of them sported books from Page's, one of the spaces was empty. Ted heard a low humming sound coming from the book closest to him and reached out.
"Ted, wait!"
Before Ted could process Erica's warning, he touched the front cover of a first-edition The Sound and the Fury. All of a sudden, he wasn't in the library in Treasure anymore. He was everywhere at once. Ted could see his bedroom, the school and Erica's house from multiple angles at the exact same time. He also saw different worlds that he didn't recognize. There was a kingdom and an army before him as well. The last image he could make out was his face on the body of a man who was leading a force of thousands of men, when his consciousness came back to him.
He came to on the ground approximately 10 feet away from the book. His fingers burned.
"That's OK." Erica helped him back to his feet. "Don't listen to me or anything. I'm just trying to keep you from short-circuiting."
"What happened?" Ted sucked on his burned fingers. "I felt like Google Earth for a second there."
"You were almost Google Death. We need to get these somewhere safe." Erica wheeled over a cart and slid one of the books off of its pedestal without touching it.
"What are these?" Ted moved his hand around to get the oxygen flowing. "Why is one of them missing?"
When Erica got the last book onto the cart, she had a disappointed look on her face. Ted couldn't tell if that was meant for him or for herself.
"There are certain things you're not supposed to know, Ted. For your own protection."
Ted glared at Erica. "I don't understand why you wouldn't tell me everything."
Erica pushed the cart out of the room and they walked toward checkout. Two librarians who'd been brainwashed came running toward them. Ted floated the librarians into a private room with his powers and wedged a chair under the doorknob to keep it locked.
"Have you heard the story about Pandora's Box?" When a security guard came running at Erica, she took his weight and rolled backward to flip the man behind her. She got up like nothing had happened and continued pushing the cart.
"Does it have something to do with online radio stations?" Ted saw another librarian approach and used his powers to set her up on the top shelf of the stacks.
"It has to do with no turning back." Erica reached the checkout area, grabbed a tote bag and tilted the cart until the books fell inside. "I'm trying to keep you from hurting yourself. And others."
When two security guards tried to stop them at the exit, Ted spun them around with his powers until they dizzily collapsed.
"I don't know what you're talking about. But you need to trust me."
Erica sighed. "You're right." Erica glared at the stolen book detector when it beeped at them. "It's just complicated."
When they reached the parking lot, the sound of a revving motor approached. Ted's car screeched to a halt right in front of them. The driver's seat was empty and the trunk popped up seemingly on its own.
"Pretty cool, huh?"
Erica tossed the books in the trunk and shut it. "Mildly impressive." She put her hand on Ted's shoulder. "I'm going to need you to fly home again."
Ted squinted at Erica. "You're gonna hide these books, aren't you?"
A noise from the library's front door grabbed their attention. Several librarians weren't ready to part with their dear books quite yet. Ted used his powers to push the pursuers back into the building before breaking the lock off inside the door. The brainwashed librarians pounded on the glass.
"I bet I'll have to pay a fine for that."
He looked back at Erica. "I think I deserve an explanation here."
"And you'll get one." Erica hopped into the front seat and rolled down the windows with the flick of a switch. "Tonight. Dinner. My treat. I'll pick you up at seven."
The crash of glass falling to the ground made Ted turn away from the car. When he turned back, Erica had already sped away.
Ted could have caught up to the car if he'd wanted to. When they started doing some speed training together, Dhiraj purchased a radar gun to see how fast he could go. Ted topped out at around 90 miles per hour. But instead of flying after the car, he simply took to the skies to be alone with his thoughts.
Erica is treating me like I'm dangerous. Am I?
Ted found himself remembering his encounter with Nigel several months earlier. The dark soul had told him that Erica had no interest in saving Earth. He said it was a lie and that Ted shouldn't trust anyone. While Ted had his doubts about Erica at first, she'd saved his life and had dedicated the last few months to training him. Why would Erica hide other powers from him if she wanted to train him to be stronger? Something didn't add up.
Later that evening, Ted opened his front door to see Erica wearing a pastel blue dress that made her features look light and airy. He'd wanted to launch in with questions about the books and his powers, but all he could think about was how beautiful she looked.
"You clean up nice." Ted's attempt at standoffish was stilted at best.
"What, this old thing?" Erica twirled.
Ted internally cursed her attractiveness. During the drive over, Ted couldn't get out anything other than a series of compliments.
They arrived at a restaurant Ted's parents had recommended. It was dimly lit and elegant, making Ted worry whether or not his date would be able to afford the place. He then found himself wondering if Erica got a stipend for her mission. Ted pulled the chair out for Erica. She sat and crossed her legs. They them had been out on several dates, but this was the most formal of all of them. Ted wished he didn't have to bring up business.
"I need to ask you about my pow–"
"This place is really something." Erica took a quick sip of her water. "I'm really impressed."
Ted could see right through her, and as much as he wanted it to be a normal date, there was no way that was possible.
"Thanks, but I need to know more about what I can–"
"Good evening, Mr. Finley." The waiter had a mild French accent and wore attire that matched the upscale establishment. "The owner is a big fan. She'd like to offer you anything you'd like tonight, on the house."
Ted couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. Erica gave him a glare.
"That's very generous of your owner." Ted looked over at his date's beautiful, judging face. "Please tell her thank you. We'll be ready in just a couple more minutes."
The waiter bowed and left them.
"Erica, I need to–"
"Alright." Erica straightened her posture and looked deeply into Ted's eyes. "I realize that I lied to you about who I was before and now I'm lying about what it is you can do. In both cases, I was trying to protect you."
"If I know more about what I'm up against and how my pow
ers work, won't I be safer?"
The answer was delayed a moment while the waiter came back to take their orders. When he left, Ted stared at Erica until she answered.
"It's complicated." Erica looked away before glancing back at Ted. "Becoming what you are is no picnic. Trying to learn it all at once is like tearing off a Band-Aid that's covering your entire body."
Ted took a gulp of water as he played that image in his head. "One of your best friends tried to kill a bunch of people in a fire. A dozen librarians tried to murder us for a book that wasn't even there. I appreciate you trying to take it easy on me, but maybe we need the Band-Aid approach this time."
When the salads arrived, Erica put her silverware onto her plate and placed the napkin on her lap.
"You have immense power, Ted. Few living souls have ever been able to tap into all of it."
"Why?" Ted munched on a leaf of lettuce before he put his fork down as well.
"Because most don't live long enough to try."
Ted wasn't sure if a piece of crouton went down the wrong pipe or if his throat closed up on its own. "And the ones who have?"
He could see the pain in Erica's eyes.
"They've gone crazy in the process."
Ted was starting to understand why Erica might want to hold some things back.
"But if I trained with you, I'd be fine, right?"
As Erica's eyes started to water, Ted wished mind reading were one of his powers.
She dabbed a bit of makeup onto the corner of her napkin. "Hasn't gone so well in the past."
Ted could see deep pain in Erica's eyes. It reminded him that despite her teenage appearance, Erica had seen war and death and countless other things Ted didn't even have a concept of. After the waiter brought them their main course, the conversation wandered off the topic of powers until Erica asked if they could head back home.
She didn't say much in the car except for a request to go back to Ted's house, and he complied.
When they reached the front door of the pitch-black house, Erica took him by the hand. "I want to show you something."
