A hand flicked the multiscreen monitor on. “Thank you for coming. Let us begin with introductions. My name is Abbas Preach of Haven, Empire City.” his face showed the middle right screen with the other Groundhogs behind him.

  The bottom middle screen flicked on. A man with a bit of age on his olive skinned face wearing a vest and black cowboy hat appeared before a brown curtain. He was a stoned faced. “My name’s Ray Coldwater of Reservation, Cinderella City.” He spoke in a strong voice with a very small hint of a southern accent.

  The middle left screen flicked on with an immediate ‘crackle’, and someone’s eye and face pressed against the camera. “ELDRITCH OF SALE—”

  All the Groundhogs immediately yelled out, covering their ears.

  “Turn your mic down!” Spit-take said.

  “WHAT?!” she squawked.

  “Turn that thing DOWN!” he yelled. “And back up while you’re at it, you’re too close to the screen!”

  The camera to the bottom left side flickered on, showcasing a dark room. “Sorry about the feed,” a higher pitched male voice cracked, “Experiencing some techni—”

  “CHRIS? CHRIS IS THAT YOU?” the middle screen left blared, being encompassed by a giant nose.

  “Mom, they said back up!” another female voice yelled.

  “Can someone mute her?” Trix asked.

  “How do you do that?” the man in the cowboy hat known as Ray asked. He slowly moved his hands around, “I think it’s here—”

  Spit-Take reached, “No, NO, Ray don’t—!”

  ‘Fwoop!’

  “Oh, Ray, you’re here too!” the high pitched male known as Chris said, “Yeah, only the moderator can mute…Ray? Ray, you still here, buddy? Heh, heh, looks like he’s got some technical issues too!”

  Just then the top middle screen flickered on. A fuzzy camera showed dark skinned man sat with a black and gray goatee wearing sunglasses and a cloud patterned purple robe. A katana rested in his folded arms before some broken windows. His gray-streaked afro was pulled back into a bun. He was silent.

  Patchwork let out a relieved sigh. “Thank goodness. I was waiting for the adults to finally show up. Isaac, you’re on.”

  “…”

  “Isaac?”

  On the screen, a gray circle could be seen swirling in the center with the purpled robbed man still in the same frozen position.

  “Oh for Christ’s sake—FIX you’re connection!”

  The other screens bust out laughing.

  “Oh, now who was the adult again?” the other female voice taunted.

  “Heh, heh! Looks like you should’ve checked yourself first, bud!” Chris’s voice cracked.

  “AH HA HA HA HA HA! FUNNY!” the older woman boomed.

  The bottom middle screen flicked on again, though this time it showed a peaceful forest with a pond in the center and a bird landing for a swim.

  “Are you outside?!” Spit-Take gawked.

  Xole looked at all the screens, feeling uneasy. He leaned over, “Uh, Abbas? Who are these guys?”

  “These,” he answered, “are the rest of the expanded Underground Network.”

  “Expanded Network?”

  He nodded, “The cause isn’t segregated to just Empire City. In fact, we were the last ones to set up and to this day, remain the only Underground City on the east coast.”

  “Wow,” he said, watching the commotion continue to unfold on the screens. “So are these guys are close then, right? Like friends you can—”

  “No, I wouldn’t say that,” Abbas said, “Associates, acquaintances, co-workers, but beyond our beliefs, we are not friends nor should be regarded as such in the slightest.”

  Salamander tapped his foot, “Why do he always hafta keep us waitin’?!”

  “What?” Xole said and did a double take at the screen, “I thought this was everyone.

  “Na, not everyone,” he replied in a serious tone. “We still missin’ da head honcho.”

  Suddenly the middle screen started flickering and music began to play.

  “Does he really gotta do da intro every time?!”

  Edited clips rolled, showcasing people in costumes patrolling the streets, jogging through parking garages, and chasing people though the streets. The beat then picked up and the clips were then showered with poorly edited cuts and flashing lights, which hurt Xole’s eyes. Eventually, flashed to a man in an emerald green and black bodysuit with his arms folded looking down at the city as the camera zoomed out to show the iconic space needle in the background. The screen changed again, now showing the man himself, mask-less with dark skin and a tall head of hair, sitting there with his gloved hands resting on the desk. Several other undistinguishable silhouettes stood in the background. Xole leaned in closer, ‘Is that the guy Salamander was—’

  His eyes suddenly met his, causing Xole to abruptly stumble back. The rest of the screens all adjusted with cowboy hatted man’s returning, along with the others. The middle left screen, now zoomed out, presented an older woman in a witch hat and dark robes sitting before a candle lit background with two similarly dressed women behind her shoulders. The top middle screen at first showed nothing, before the purple robbed man walked back in and sat down again with a soda can. The emerald suited man smiled. “Now, are there any lingering technical difficulties I should be aware of?”

  “Just me!” the high pitched man laughed, “Sorry about that.”

  “As long as it’s fixed for next time,” he replied. “Now, let us begin with attendance.”

  “Right! This is Chris of Hollywood, live from Angel City!”

  “Hmhp,” The old woman huffed. “Eldritch of Salem, present from Little Beirut.”

  “Again,” he sighed, “this is Ray Coldwater of Reservation, waiting from Cinderella City.”

  “Isaac Yao of Resort, straight from Motor City,” The robed man grouched.

  “Abbas Preach of Haven,” his voice rumbled, “thriving from Empire City.”

  “Keh!” Salamander chuckled, nudging Xole, “Love it when he says dat!”

  “And this is the Emerald Phoenix of ECAZ, standing by from Rain City,” The man now known as Phoenix said. He took out a stack of papers and adjusted them on his desk, “Good afternoon everyone. Before we start with today’s topic let us quickly go over our monthly donations and STS.”

  “STS?” Xole whispered, “What’s that?”

  “Supply, trade, and security,” Spit-Take whispered back, “This is where they start getting uptight.”

  “Right now,” he continued, “we’re two weeks away from our end of the month food drive but at the moment we’ve only raised four hundred and eighty five thousand pounds.”

  Audible gasps came from the screens

  “Why so little?’ the old woman asked, “We’ve given plenty.”

  “Yes, you have,” Phoenix said and looked directly at the screen, “In fact everyone has…except for you, Haven.”

  The gasps quickly tuned to groans.

  Spit-Take shook his head. “That’s cause—”

  “Meanwhile everyone else is close to their goals. Take your closest peer in Reservation. They’ve already reached their goal of one hundred thousand pounds.”

  “He live in da woods!” Salamander exclaimed.

  “Excuse me, not to mention Motor City is at ninety percent of completion. Hollywood is at eighty-four percent, Salem is eighty-two—”

  “That number should be eighty-six.” Eldritch interjected, “We’d just returned from a successful expedition last night.”

  “Gosh darn it!” Chris said.

  “I’ll add that to the total, putting you…” Phoenix flipped through his papers, “fourth!”

  The Salem screen let put an audible groan.

  “And of course ECAZ has already reached its goal, so Haven the question is, why are you still behind?”

  Abbas nodded, “If I can reply—”

  “Again?”

  Xole could see the Groundhogs glare but Abbas put his hand up.

  “We are ‘behind’ because we’ve been adjusting our priorities as of late.”

  Everyone exchanged confused glances.

  “I’m not sure what could be more important than feeding the homeless.” A voice spoke from the ECAZ screen.

  “Well,” Abbas said, “I’d say freeing them is far more important. Wouldn’t you all agree?”

  Phoenix sighed, “Abbas, we’re not doing this again.”

  “Do what again?” he asked innocently, “I’m merely stating truth.”

  “Here he go,” Isaac said.

  “That assumes I have permission to speak?”

  The other cameras looked to Phoenix, who reluctantly nodded, “The floor’s yours.”

  Abbas nodded, “Firstly, I’d like to register a Code Beta initiated last night—”

  The room was already in uproar.

  “You utter fool!” Eldritch squawked. “This is twice in the same year! You already set the record of Blue Collared encounters this year by over four hundred interactions! Even us here aren’t so reckless!”

  Ray groaned. “And when your numbers are the lowest in the Network,” his expression grew more tired. “Please let there be a punchline to this.”

  Spit-Take shrugged. “April fools?”

  “Guys,” Chris said, “You know we have a strict protocol for this! Code Delta is just law enforcement snooping, you can at least handle that. But upwards and beyond you need to register any government presence as a Code Gamma before it evolves to what it is now.”

  ‘Government presence?’ Xole thought.

  Isaac nodded, “Mm-hmm, that’s right.”

  “He’s right, Abbas,” Phoenix said, “The fact that you skipped the first two levels and went straight to Beta makes me wonder what else you aren’t telling us.”

  “I haven’t done anything to deceive you.”

  The Groundhogs around Xole started to snicker.

  “You’re taking this too lightly,” Phoenix continued, “If this reaches its boiling point to a Code Alpha, then you can be expecting trained government agents. You hear me? Their job is to kill you on sight.”

  “You think I’m not aware?” Abbas said, “It is only imminent this will fully evolve to that.”

  “Which you seem pretty content with,” Ray said.

  “Because I don’t believe this peaked curiosity is a mere coincidence that occurred out of the blue, rather there’s a reason behind it all, not only on Empire City.” He looked directly at the camera, a shine on his sunglasses.

  “They’re closing in on us. All of us.”

  The faces on the screens exchanged glances, muttering amongst each other. Xole looked to the others. “Guys,” he whispered, “maybe they’re ri—”

  “You must understand,” Abbas continued, “the fall of Amesworth was not the stone, but the straw that broke this country’s back, so I cannot fault you for prioritizing your safety above all else. But then the question becomes, when will it end? When will our labor bore fruit? We all deserve equality, do we not?”

  Xole bit his tongue.

  “Abbas,” Ray said, “if you need to leave Haven we can bring you in. I understand what you’re speaking from, however choosing this path so prematurely is a grave mistake that will not only soil your home, but your very soul as well.” He shook his head, “A mistake that must never be repeated, never again.”

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  “Well we’re tired of running,” Spit-Take spoke up, “It ain’t gonna help no one but the rich if we can’t even hold our ground here!”

  “That’s all more the reason you should be taking this manner seriously,” Phoenix said. “This is something that would take planning, time, careful—”

  “You still fail to grasp my words,” Abbas said. “These are not suggestions, but a call to action. That is our proposal.”

  He leaned forward, his calm demeanor beginning to waver, “Proposal? You do realize Haven is in no position to hold a favorable negotiation here. This year alone you’ve jumped from three hundred and six code Deltas to seven hundred and twenty one. You’ve filed for backup from Hollywood and us nearly a dozen times for a false code Alpha earlier this year—”

  “And yet we still here ya fools!” Salamander crackled said. “Must make ya’ feel real goofy knowin’ da weakest of us got da most rep!”

  “It’s not that,” Chris’s mic screeched, “Sorry, heh, heh,” he chuckled nervously, “This things acting weird today. Anyways, Salamander was it?”

  “Yeah, wat you want, fool?”

  He chuckled again, “Well first off I’d rather be a friend, and second your ‘rep’ isn’t what I’d call a good thing, or a ‘flex’ as the kids say—”

  “Please stick with what you know.” Ray cut in.

  Chris just laughed it off. “Anyways, you need to understand—and this goes for the rest of you Haven fellows—what you’re doing isn’t helping anyone, instead it’s only making you a bigger target, and by extension, us. It’s one close call after another.”

  “Maybe the problem isn’t too many close calls,” Trix’s said, her voice back to a hiss, “But not enough.”

  “Why don’t you get over yourself already?!” a dark red haired woman to Eldritch’s left spoke, “Can’t you see your behavior’s compromising the entirety of the Underground Network?!”

  Trix gave the woman a cold stare, “Is that what we’re damaging, or is it you’re precious ego, sis?”

  Before the woman could respond, Eldritch put her hand up. “It’s fine Morrowyn. Whatever you need say to her, simply refer it to the rest of her ‘family’.”

  The rest of the Groundhogs grinned and the dark red haired woman glared, her tilted hat revealing a web patterned marking under her left eye. Huffing, she looked away and folded her arms.

  “Isaac,” Phoenix said, “Your thoughts?”

  “Yao say this is dumb,” The man answered, “Yao used to y’all being arrogant, but this ignorant?” he shook his head.

  Xole uneasily watched the stare down between the groups. ‘I know Abbas said they weren’t friends but these guys straight up hate each other! Maybe I can do something.’

  “E-excuse me,” Xole’s voice shook to the screens. The talking halted and their eyes all fell on him, nearly crushing him under their weight. He swallowed hard, “H-hi there f-fellow homeless. I o-overheard your t-talk and think I can—”

  “Who in the hell are you supposed to be?!” Isaac demanded.

  “Abbas,” Phoenix said, his face serious, “You know civilians are strictly forbidden from these meetings.”

  “Relax guys,” Chris said, “There’s probably a reason. Maybe he didn’t know.”

  “It would surprise me if he did,” Eldritch said, causing the women behind her to giggle.

  Xole was petrified. He didn’t need to look back to feel the secondhand embarrassment of the Groundhogs, or hear jests and jokes from the others. His fist tightened, and his teeth grit. He shot his head to the screen again.

  “I’m the guy with the Spiritual Talent!” he shouted, “And I’m gonna help Haven where you won’t!”

  The room was completely silent again though now Xole could see everyone’s curiosity had been replaced by judgmental glares, crushing down on him more than before. It took a moment for him to process what he’d just said, even pinching his own leg.

  ‘Yup,’ he thought, ‘That was me alright.’

  Abbas however, grinned and stood up, placing his massive hand on the older boy’s back. “I’d like to introduce our newest recruit. As you see, he’s quite special—”

  “Enough of this game,” Phoenix said.

  “But we’re telling the truth!” Trix said.

  “How convenient, given the timing.” the dark red haired woman spoke again snarkily, “Again, why should we believe you?”

  “Because I’m a doctor,” Patchwork said, “and if any of you knew any better, you’d know my word alone is enough.”

  “We have our own medical practitioners.” The other witch replied.

  The doctor’s eyebrow rose, “My apologies then. I’m the only good doctor here.”

  The two scowled at him.

  Ray leaned closer to his camera, trying to get a better look at Xole.

  “Maybe he can prove it,” Chris said. “Hey kid, can you hear me?”

  Xole continued to sweat, quickly nodding his head.

  “Ok, good. Now place your palm out. Can someone get a piece of paper?”

  Puzzled, Xole did as he was told. Abbas took out a document from the monitor, flashing the front and back of the clean sheet to the screen. He carefully placed it against Xole’s palm. The older boy was puzzled, “Uh, what’s this supposed to do?”

  “It’s the paper test,” Phoenix said, “an old way of gauging if one’s Spiritually Talented or not. Doctor?”

  With a sigh, Patchwork walked over and took the top of Xole’s wrist, squeezing it hard. The older boy grunted, “What’re you—?!”

  “He’s cutting off the blood circulation to your hand,” Phoenix explained, “Once this occurs, you spirit will push your excess Gi to the surface, causing the paper to float above your palm. It’s the most basic of techniques for Talent users.”

  ‘Ok,’ Xole thought, ‘that sounds eas—OH NO! This Talent barley works as is! Dang, dang, dang it! Abbas and the rest are gonna look even dumber because of me! Maybe I can lie. If I can just carefully blow—’

  The sound of gasps and murmurs shook Xole from his thoughts. He slowly looked to his hand.

  The paper floated effortlessly.

  Xole looked up to see everyone was staring at him in awe. He gulped and quickly eyed the Groundhogs, who looked on in confidence. He took a breath and looked back to the screen, straightening his back and putting his hands to his hips.

  “L-l-like I said, course I have Spiritual Talent!”

  Now more gasps and confused murmurs could be heard from the monitors, voices whispering in wonder. Xole could see everyone’s gaze was fixed on him in awe.

  “So it is true,” Eldritch said. “Abbas who did you have to kill to come about such a phenomenon?”

  “Never mind that,” Ray said. He looked at Xole, “Gray one, how long have you had this Talent for?”

  “I still don’t buy it.” Isaac said.

  Salamander nudged Xole, “Hear dat? Dey real jealous now, haha!”

  Xole could only nod. However he couldn’t help but feel uneasy. ‘These people’s faces, it’s starting to remind me of Brandon…’

  “Do you see now?” Abbas said. “If we launch a full-scale assault with our secret weapon, we could overwhelm them before they even know what happened.”

  “Do you even know what you’re saying?” Phoenix said. “You’ve just registered your second code Beta of all things!” he pointed to the screen. “And if the government catches wind of him in anyway shape or form, it’s Red Wednesday all over again!”

  “Phoenix!” Trix exclaimed.

  “That’s low man,” Spit-Take said, “Even for you.”

  “Red Wednesday?” Xole looked around, “What’s that?”

  Everyone’s gaze went to Haven

  “You want him to join you but you didn’t tell him about that?” Phoenix said.

  “Tell me about what? What the heck are you guys on about?!”

  The room was silent.

  “Hey,” Xole said, shooting his eyes around the room, “What’re you guys—?!”

  “They were here before,” Patchwork said, “A government worker, with a Red Collar.”

  ‘Red…Collar?’ Gus’s words suddenly hit Xole like a truck, ‘These are actual government workers who are known to be absurdly strong with their Talents.’

  “Let’s just say,” Phoenix said, “if they’d want a lead on where to find us, then there’s absolutely no doubt in my mind they’d start with Empire City first.”

  ‘No,’ he thought, his body froze. He felt a wince of pain in his stomach, the image of the shaved headed woman flashed in his mind, nearly making him vomit. ‘Did they mean…THAT kind of government presence?’

  “I think he’s heard enough.” Abbas said putting a hand on the older boy’s shoulder. “Yesterday can only be yesterday. It won’t waver our tomorrow.”

  “Yeah,” Salamander said, “We’ve beaten dem befo’ and we’ll do it again!”

  Trix placed her hand on Xole’s other shoulder. “If you wish to scare us then leave him out of it. Let him make up his own mind.”

  “Facts are facts, Trix.” Phoenix said, “If the truth scares him then—”

  “No,” Xole said. “I…I’m still gonna do this. I have to do this!”

  “Kid, do you know what you’re saying?” Chris said, “Are you contempt with fighting one of those guys?”

  “We already are,” Xole said. “Law enforcement, rich businessmen, it’s all out of control. And—and it’s getting people, people I care about, killed or…or worse. The point is I’ll never see them again but all I have left is this power.” His fist clenched. “So why the heck would I hesitate, knowing I could save someone—at least ONE person from ending up like me!”

  Again, the room was silent. Everyone looked at Xole, as if they were testing him. Finally, Isaac leaned back in his chair, lighting a cigarette.

  “Boy,” He said, taking a smoke, “Yao say that was the dumbest thing he ever heard.”

  Xole wanted to shrink.

  “You really expecta grow up overnight just ‘cause you had some bad luck? Look at you all selfish, actin’ like you gotta ‘save the world’ to prove yourself!” He spat, “Well, how about you start by being honest and admitting you full of shit? Go on, Yao’ll wait.”

  “Hey!” Salamander yelled.

  “Abbas!” he continued, slamming his weapon on the ground, “Is this some kinda joke?”

  “Isaac, that’s enough,” Phoenix said placing his hand up. He clasped them again, “We we’re all fresh at one point and I understand this one’s conviction. However, words alone aren’t enough to join the cause. Abbas, how much you’ve been working on him?”

  Haven’s line was quiet. The camera seemed to freeze with everyone in ether mid speech or movement.

  “More technical difficulties, huh?” Chris chuckled. “Wonder what’s going on today?”

  There was no response.

  Ray eyed at Phoenix, who looked on, a concerned look creeping up his face. The witches to Eldritch’s’ sides exchanged glances as the woman in the middle became puzzled.

  “Haven, what happened to you?”

  “…”

  Now Phoenix’s eyes swiftly swept the screen, “We need to declare an immediate Code—”

  The frozen image was suddenly broken by Salamander coughing.

  “No!” Trix cried.

  “A minute longer and we could’ve ended the meeting!” Spit-Take said.

  Salamander gagged, “Sorry I—*Gack!* *GACK!*” he broke into a fit of coughing, “I could feel it ‘bout ta implode my chest!”

  “I warned you about all those cigars,” Patchwork sighed, “Alright, who’s gonna tell them?”

  Jeering and cursing erupted from the monitors. Everyone yelling and shouting the usual insults the Groundhogs were used to.

  “Hey, not funny!” Chris snapped.

  Salamander snorted, “I mean yo’ faces…”

  Ray glared, “Bear in mind, a coyote laughs the loudest before it is attacked.”

  “This wasn’t a joke either,” Abbas said. “I’d truly believed we had lost touch.”

  Phoenix just started at him. Water spilled from his toppled bottle.

  “I told you I would never tell a lie,” he added.

  “Abbas…” he said after a pause, “I’m getting the impression that you genuinely want to die.”

  “Once my purpose is fulfilled, then I do not mind joining the unshackled in the afterlife. It is a thought I relish constantly.”

  “And you didn’t even think to consider if this kid wants the same? Could you be any more selfish?”

  Abbas didn’t say anything. Seeing that, Eldritch looked directly at Haven.

  “You, spirit child, what’s your name?” she asked.

  “X-Xole,” he said.

  “Thank you,” she said, “Phoenix, I have a proposal.”

  He gave her a single nod, to which she continued, “How about we all make an agreement right here. If Xole can prove to us he’s a valuable fighter, we’ll consider rallying our arms against the government.”

  “That’s just stupid!” Isaac Yao said, “One kid ain’t gonna sway nothin’!”

  “It’s not the child, it’s his Talent,” the woman replied. “And you were always hard headed anyways, Isaac. I vote in favor.”

  “Well how ‘bout this, if we all vote no, kid’s gotta go. ECAZ, Salem, I don’t care. Anywhere but y’all at Haven,” Isaac said, “And Yao say no way in hell!”

  Abbas lowered his head ‘So were doing this now. There’s a chance this may not go my way.’

  Xole shot a glance at Abbas, then the rest of the Groundhogs, who all shared a concerned expression. He gulped, ‘What did I get myself into?’

  “Chris!” Eldritch said, “What do you say?”

  The black screen fizzed with the sound of static, “Look, Xole, I really wanna help but…really it’s a lack of personal experience. Maybe if we ever meet in real life things could change, like we got out to a coffee place—”

  “So it’s no?” Phoenix said.

  “…Yeah, sorry.”

  He nodded, “Well, I’ll vote yes.”

  Spit-Take looked up, “Really?”

  “Yes, this should’ve been the boy’s choice in the first place. However, it’s also important to step in from time to time to ensure he’s putting his whole self into this.” His eyes focused on Haven’s screen, “That and when his peers’ judgment needs to be questioned.

  Trix scoffed.

  Abbas looked at Reservation, “Well Ray, it’s all on you.”

  The man pointed to himself, Abbas nodded. He then leaned back in his chair, folding his arms and leaning his head back, eyes closed.

  “Uh,” Xole nudged Abbas, “Did he fall asleep?”

  “He’s speaking with his ancestors.” The large man replied. “This could take a while.”

  Xole looked ahead to see everyone was standing there waiting, as if this were routine for them. He looked back at Abbas, “How long is ‘a while’?”

  “As long as he needs.”

  “…”

  So the waited…and waited. Time slowly passed by the quiet room; the noises from the monitor being the only audible things there, creating an almost memorizing ambience. Xole could feel himself getting drowsy.

  ‘There’s no way he isn’t sleeping,’ he thought, fighting the urge to yawn, ‘No, don’t do it, they might think even worse of me…’ he glanced over to the other faces, the same faces that looked on at him…like an anomaly. ‘Actually, on second thought who cares? They only see me as Talent anyways, what’s the harm in sleeping. Heck what’s the harm in walking off—’

  “No,” he said.

  Everyone looked to the Reservation monitor where Ray sat. His arms were folded, looking dead on at the camera, thought Xole felt as if he were looking directly at him.

  Phoenix leaned forward, “Could you repeat that, Ray?”

  Abbas gave no reaction. Spit-Take on the other hand was sweating through his ski cap, Trix stared ahead, her eyes shaking. Salamander began jamming cigars into his mouth. Even Patchwork’s grouchy face filled with surprise. Xole blinked.

  ‘I…I shouldn’t be upset,’ he thought, ‘I should’ve known better…people always trying to hinder me—’

  “Yes.”

  Now the entire room was confused. Even Abbas’s head snapped up, “Ray, was your answer ’yes’?”

  “It sure was.”

  Eldritch let out a sigh of relief while Isaac shook his head. Chris’s voice came on again, “Well is that it then?”

  “It seems so,” Phoenix answered. “Abbas, give us an update in the next couple of days. Remember, some of us want this just as much as you do. So please don’t be irresponsi—”

  ‘Click’

  Abbas put the remote away, “Well, now that that’s settled things are only going to get tougher from here, Xole.”

  Spit-Take looked over, “Wait a minute, so you’ve made your decision?”

  “Yes,” Abbas said. He looked at the rest of the Groundhogs, “Yes I have.”

  Patchwork shook his head, while Salamander and Trix could only shrug. Abbas tapped the keyboard, “Spit-Take, the cords.”

  He nodded, “Yes sir!” the ski capped man yanked the cords form the TV monitor and stuck it into the keyboard monitor table. A holographic map of the highway above appeared atop. Abbas pointed.

  “This is your next exercise,” he said.

  Xole squinted, “I’m not following. Am I testing my skills as a hitchhiker?”

  The Groundhogs—besides Patchwork—all laughed. Abbas shook his head, chuckling. “No, that’s for next time. What we’re going to do is re-establish our power generators.”

  Trix looked at Xole, “After each lockdown, code beta and above, we permanently sever our ties with the city above and have to set it up again.”

  “You get your power from the city?” Xole said, “How’s that even possible without them knowing?”

  “It’s really easy!” a familiar cheerful voice said. Spinning to his back, Xole saw Snap standing at the doorway, a large smile on his face and his hands on his hips. He stepped in and gestured at the diagram, “Most buildings in the city, despite claiming to be environmental friendly, have large quantities of electricity wired underground powering them. We take power from them and highways and re-wire it back down here.”

  Trix smiled, “Glad to see you’re feeling better, Snap.”

  “Yeah!” Salamander said, “fo a second dere I thought ya was gonna hit yer ‘emo stage or somethin’”

  “If he was depressed I also would’ve known.” Patchwork said, folding his arms.

  The younger man walked up to Xole. “So uh, you doing alright?”

  “Yeah,” he replied.

  “Good, good…” he turned away when he heard Xole’s voice again.

  “Hey, you wanna train later?”

  The young man was stunned. He turned around, “Again?”

  “Yeah. If it wasn’t for you, my Talent would still be like molasses, right?”

  Spit-Take grinned and smacked the young man’s shoulder. “Well, Snap, anything you’ve gotta say?”

  “I…” He beamed. “I can’t wait to blow you up again!”

  “HUH?”

  He laughed, “I’m just kidding. Thanks, Xole, I really mean it.”

  Abbas smiled. He motioned to the diagram again, “We’ll leave at the cover of dusk, which would give us a few hours. We’ll need to bear in mind the risk as well as being quick with this.”

  “Ah shoot, dat reminds me,” Salamander said. He eyed Spit-Take, “how’s our boys at da top doin’? Dey find anything on dem shelters yet?”

  “No,” he answered taking out his Green Pass, “In fact I haven’t been able to check during the meeting but—shit.”

  “Hmm?” Abbas looked over, “Is there a problem?”

  “A big one!” the ski capped man said. He tossed his card to Snap, who fumbled it in his hands. “Snap! Get a location on the pass linked to this one, quick!”

  “Right!” Snap said placing the Green Pass inside the monitor. A road on the map was highlighted from the shelter to one of the precincts, all the way to the end of the map’s southwest side. On that road, a little red dot was blinking along, traveling near the end of the road. He leaned close, “Why’s this road leading off the map…?”

  Everyone looked at each other. Then, Spit-Take slammed his hand on the monitor.

  “It’s a full on abduction! They’re gonna be taken out of state!”

  Trix’s face filled with concern, “But why so far? Has this even happened before?”

  “Forget dat!” Salamander said, “What we gonna do when dey get caught?”

  Xole looked at the map, his hands trembled. ‘Mr. Holdover—and even Shakar—are getting…arrested?!’

  “If they get caught,” Abbas said. The whole room looked at him, who was already putting his own Green Pass away. Patchwork’s face twisted in confusion.

  “It’s not a matter of if’, but when,” He said. “We need to call the Network again! There’s no telling what those two could tell—”

  “Mr. Holdover and his associate will be just fine,” Abbas said. He sat down and relaxed in the couch.

  “Great!” Snap said, “So we’re gonna go grab ‘em?”

  “No.”

  Now a wave of confusion fell over the room. Spit-take looked at him, “Then what’re we gonna do?”

  “You all forget. Haven has eyes everywhere, even without our cameras.” He took a sip of a cup of Groundwater beside him and took out his Green Pass. “I’m going to make a few calls. Spit-Take, have a pickup point coordinated.”

  He nodded, “Yes sir!”

  Xole turned, “Wait pickup point?”

  “Yes,” Abbas said getting up, “We’re going to meet your friends and take care of business.” He looked at the rest of the room, “Everyone to the station!”