Soldiers stream into the garage, moving fluidly into the space.
Ender’s voice cuts through the chaos.
“Flank left! Push them back!”
A Kinetic launches a boulder to the left, knocking the rebels off their feet. An Elementalist rebel causes seismic rubble, cracking the ground beneath us and knocking the soldiers off their feet. Deadly powers wage war around us.
I want to run. I want to hide. But I can’t afford to be afraid, not when my allies are losing. I have to help them.
Prue faces the Commandant. His powers won’t work on her, but Ender is an accomplished fighter and a wicked shot. Muscles coat his body like paint, and his hulking size doesn’t slow him down. Somehow, it makes him faster.
“Are you the leader of this pathetic group?” Ender asks.
His dark hair is matted to his forehead. His mouth is twisted in a smirk.
“You must be Ender,” she says.
“I don’t care to make small talk with someone who is going to be dead soon.”
His gun rises quickly, and the bullet is out before she can move. Prue said she was a Shield, but I assumed it was against people’s powers, not tangible objects. That doesn’t mean she can evade death.
I make a split-second decision. I stop time to protect her. I do what I always wished I had done for my mother. I save her.
I cross the space between us and pluck the bullet from the air, letting it fall harmlessly to the ground. Prue’s eyes are wide. I don’t need to touch her and pull her into the time freeze, because my powers don’t work on her.
She stares wide-eyed at the tableau around us.
“I can only hold it up for a few minutes,” I say. “You have to leave.”
“What about you?” she asks.
“Warrick will never bargain for my release,” I say. “It is against the law, and more importantly, he is not that kind of father.”
“Come with us,” Prue says, reaching for my hand and squeezing tight. “Learn your power, fight by us. We’ll find another way to get Victor out.”
“I can’t,” I whisper. “Not yet. My sister needs me. They’ll use her against me to bring me back. I’ll gather intel for you. I’ll climb the ranks, but I can’t live life on the run, not without my twin.”
Prue nods in understanding.
“Do you have a Transporter?” I ask.
“Yes.”
“Find them, take as many as you can, and tell everyone else to run.”
Prue races across the room and stands by a tall woman with dark skin and long, intricate braids. She places her palm on the woman’s shoulder.
“Until next time, Haven,” she says. “It was a pleasure meeting you.”
“You as well.”
I return to my position and lie on the ground, just like I was before, so it doesn’t look suspicious when everything returns to normal.
Prue squeezes the Transporter’s hand. The woman blinks in shock, and then they’re gone in the blink of an eye.
Ender frowns at where Prue was just standing. His mouth tightens, and he glances down at his gun, then at the bullet.
“Where the fuck did she go?” Ender barks at Orion.
