"By using the stasis cube and our teleporters, I could rip a hole for us to escape. We have one chance at this. If she finds out, she'll just redo this moment, and we'll fail."
"What if she's already done it?"
"Well… only one way to find out."
Countdown communicated with the rest of the team using a mixture of foot taps, blinks, and hand signals.
"Can I go to the bathroom?"
"What?" Mara shifted her focus.
"I mean, since the doors are all temporal portals, can we still access the bathroom? I really need to go."
"Why don't you see for yourself?"
Countdown disappeared through the bathroom door.
"This can't be—"
"Is the bathroom gone too?" Seraph flew in to check.
"No… someone forgot to replace the toilet paper."
A hand holding an empty roll poked out of the door.
"So… he's always like that?" Mara wore the expression of a disappointed mother.
"You have no idea," the other two women said in unison.
"How long are you going to keep us in here?"
"For as long as I must."
"I don't think your boost has enough juice to keep something like this up for long."
"Yes, you're right. That's why I have this."
She turned around, revealing a backpack.
"I was gifted this little gadget—a firmament particle container. So we're going to be here for a while."
"I see. So that means you're not working alone. That tornado—was it your doing?"
"No. But we took the opportunity."
"What do you mean by that?"
She giggled. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
He clenched his fists even tighter. Valiant was finding it harder and harder to stay calm.
INFINIVERSE LABS
"Doctor, this is peculiar. An incident is taking place in the north sector."
"And?"
"Well, it's been five minutes, and none of the HDF are on site."
Dr. Mathers began pacing toward the surveillance department.
"Pull up the HDF location data."
"Here you go, Doctor."
"Why are they still at HQ? Something isn't right."
"Should I contact HQ?"
"Yes."
"On it… Doctor, there's no response."
"You." Dr. Mathers pointed at a staff member mid-stride. "Go tell containment to deploy the task force."
"Yes, Doctor."
"NOW!"
The scientist bolted through the doors.
The roof—and parts of the walls—were already gone. The tornado continued to chew through what remained of the venue.
"Where am I?"
"Shouldn't you know that?"
"Who said that?"
"You need to get a grip, 1."
"1?"
"They were right. You're an idiot."
Ulim looked around. "Where's the hall? Where is everything?"
"Don't worry. Just relax and let me take control."
"Control?"
Then he saw them.
"I have wings? Wait—are we flying?"
"Finally caught up. Now sit back and relax."
They began to drop. The wings flapped out of sync, and the chaotic winds of the tornado made everything worse.
"WHAT DID I SAY?"
"I have no idea what I'm doing!"
"Only one of us has experience with this. Relax and let me drive."
"I'm trying!"
"Stop trying, or we're going to die."
The ground rushed toward them.
"Clear your mind. You want to save her, don't you?"
Silence.
"Yes."
"Good. Let's do this."
With a single powerful flap, Ulim regained control. He began to soar higher.
"Here we go."
He dove into the maelstrom. Debris battered his wings, forcing his eyes shut as he flew blind.
"Do you see her?"
"Why would you ask me that? We share the same eyes."
"Oh."
'Whoosh'
She shot past him. He dove after her, arms outstretched.
"Just a little more…"
Just a little—
A jagged piece of roof sliced across his right forearm.
"Mmm."
He flinched but kept reaching.
"Yes!" He caught her. "Let's get out of here!"
He burst free of the tornado with Amani in his arms. A wide smile spread across his dust-covered face.
For a moment, none of the chaos mattered.
"Not so fast, lover boy. Let's make sure she's still alive."
He landed in a narrow alley and gently set her down. His fingers trembled as he searched for a pulse.
"She has one."
"Good. Now we need to go back."
"What?"
"I saw something in there."
"Wait—did you just say we share—"
He was already airborne again, climbing higher before diving straight into the tornado's eye.
"I knew it."
Someone stood at the center of the storm.
"What do we do?"
"Didn't you always want to be a hero, 1? This is your chance."
They dove.
"Seraph—no, who are you?"
The figure pulled out a pistol.
"I don't care who you are. Let's see if you bleed."
A shot rang out. A wing was hit.
"My wing!" they shouted in unison.
Ulim lost altitude. Another shot followed—it missed.
He dove back into the raging winds.
"We're going to fall!"
"Looks like I have no choice."
"What are you saying, 3?"
"Just watch and learn."
The thug fired wildly into the walls of the tornado. A clump of feathers drifted downward.
"HA! HA! HA! Looks like I shot myself a bird. Shouldn't have tried to be a hero, kid."
He grabbed a falling feather. "This'll make a nice souvenir."
"And boom goes the dynamite."
The feathers exploded.
"You little—"
'BOOM!.'
Ulim burst through the fireball.
"Did we just kill that gu—"
"Who cares? My wing's damaged, and we lost a lot of feathers."
"But we're alive."
"We're about to fall."
"Wha—"
'BAM!.'
He slammed into a wall and went unconscios