B1 — 16. The Myth of Astra
Shifting the weight on her hip, Rachel tilted her head, ears raised to the ceiling as she passively scanned for where this person was nearby. She couldn’t quite place the location, but she’d heard the cadence in this person’s way of speaking recently, despite the filter.
Saint Barbara held a thoughtful note while studying the transforming avatar of the hacker. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t Astra a Hindu word used to describe projectile weapons?”
“Oh, quite perceptive and on-point, Barb! Heh. Yes, among many other things,” she chimed, male avatar pixelating to be replaced by a female nurse, blowing a bubble. “A star, a deity, one of the four weapons that are capable of destroying a whole universe; I’m quite the firecracker! Figured something out, Rachel? Hmm?”
Rachel’s eyes widened as they darted to the left, to the break room where the nurse earlier had gone to retrieve coffee, although the connection swiftly collided with her distrust. If Astra could hack into so many devices and spy on people, she could be using the young woman to play with them. She was currently alone, casually playing with her phone.
“I’ll save my thoughts for now,” she returned, keeping her posture and attitude lax.
“Boring! Know what isn’t, though? Getting my hands on this bit of information. What’s this about, General?”
Astra’s pixel art changed to a grinning little boy with devil’s horns as the screen fritzed to display what appeared to be military body-cam footage of a scene out of a horror movie.
Barbara grimaced, and Tom cursed. That didn’t stop Astra as more angles and recorded conversations about the incident followed. The hacker seemed to have recorded things that had been between the president and the four-star general. As if to add dramatic effect, suspenseful music was glazed over the recording like some kind of movie trailer.
“What are you showing me, Tom?”
“High Rolls, New Mexico’s Crystal event. Population: 1,604, including tourists passing through.”
“Casualties?”
“…1,604.”
“My God. This is the worst attack on American soil since… It looks like…”
“The Scarlet Hand I briefed you on. We aren’t ruling anything out at this time. It is consistent with some of the ritualistic practices we’ve discovered thus far after raiding a few known cult associates’ homes, but it is still too early to say for certain, sir.”
The president’s throat became hoarse as the images showed a shiny, black, stone-like ground in a devastated area. Occult markings were drawn all across the unnatural, rocky surface, symbols still glowing with a hellish flame.
Spiked to charred wooden stakes were the corpses of people—children, women, and men—positioned in some colossal pattern they had yet to see, cuts carved into their skins that shone with the same light as the obsidian flooring.
Somehow, they’d been entirely drained of blood and organs by the victim’s collapsed figures, the liquid being dumped inside of a twenty-by-twenty centimeter ravine that ran around the entire city. Signs of vomit were seen from the soldiers while securing the area, the scent of over a thousand people’s rotting innards permeating the unhallowed area.
The president coughed as the footage from a drone showed the devastated area from above, displaying a demonic decagram written in an alien language. The symbols were congruent with side-by-side comparisons to the ones made in what appeared to be Scarlet’s basement.
“General, are you telling me the Scarlet Hand and these aliens worship the same thing; are they responsible for The Oscillation? How long did it take for these aliens to do this?!”
“Less than twenty-four hours, our time.”
“God help us…”
Tom’s graven tone held a deep rumble. “As of right now, I don’t know if they are connected, but what I do know is we are ill-prepared to handle the kind of powers that made this kind of attack. Color, shape, and size, among many other factors, seem to correlate to the level of firepower these Crystals will produce.”
“What’s your current assessment?”
“Green is the weakest, followed by blue and purple Crystals.”
“The Miami one with the toad assassins you showed me was blue? And the High Rolls’?”
“Purple… the same as the one that was recently discovered in Billings, Montana.”
“Shit. The evacuation?”
“It’s already underway.”
“I see that look on your face, Tom. What is this mission statement—what kind of response are you recommending—a nuke?! And to be set on a signal cut protocol—nuke our own—a US city, Tom?! Do you have any idea about the blowback we’ll get!”
“Sir…” The saliva in Rachel’s throat dried up at the general’s voice. “High Rolls… The scientists’ preliminary reports state the stone and trees aren’t native to Earth. Nothing from the settlement was left standing—the forest, buildings, goods—everything was plastered with this black stone that goes down at least five meters at the edges. We can’t cut it with diamond chisels… We’re ill-prepared for this war as it stands. Hit it with our best, and work down from there if possible.”
Rachel couldn’t breathe as the president streamed out a tired sigh. “Haaa. How much time do we have until they come through?”
“Hard to say. We’re dealing with forces we don’t understand. If we can’t handle this in our own backyard, then the rest of the world doesn’t stand a chance.”
A pause that followed was deafening before the words left the most powerful man in the world’s throat. “Prepare the nuke, and coordinate a full evacuation of the Billings area.”
The devilish avatar of a little girl returned. “Chills!”
Tom’s face appeared in a window on the bottom right, eyes hard, fingers linked, and coldly staring at the screen. “Is your intention to release this to the public, thereby inciting panic and anarchy, or as blackmail?”
“What?! By no means!” The image swapped to a haloed angel boy with wings. “I had to sneak surprisingly close to Captain Saint here to get access to your private channel in order to get this information. It was really quite thrilling! No… I’m far more interested in lending you a helping hand! After all, I live in this world, too, and who doesn’t want to play a part in something this cool?”
Barbara wore a frown at learning the hacker had not only used her to get into the general’s heavily guarded devices but had possibly met her somewhere along the flight to Miami.
Rachel crossed her arms as the nurse got up and started exiting the room with a hum, still on her phone. The lunar hare kept close track of her movements through the halls and the passing comments she made to others.
“You hinted that you have the answer as to why rescuing the fairy is so critical. Care to enlighten us?”
“Before that, Rachel, I found this part of your interview with Doctor Richard quite enthralling… Private military?” A wicked grin lit the angel’s face. “The general was thinking the same thing, considering the threats the world is now facing with these invasions. Isn’t that right, Tommy?”
The man didn’t twitch at her provocation as he bluntly stated, “I assume you already have my conversation with the president.”
“Tee-hee. This one?”
A new recording played in the background. “There’s going to be an arms race between all the nations regarding these people with powers, and we’ve already seen what low-level thugs and criminals can do. We need to act fast in order not to alienate them. We can’t fight a war on multiple unknown fronts.”
“Tell that to Congress and the Senate,” the president snarled. “Senator Benjamin’s mother was murdered in the Seattle Vampire Massacre, and we still haven’t been able to locate him after the slaughter. I’m getting heavy opposition, and all of the negative press on Mythickin and Legendkin isn’t making it easier.”
“I have a few groups across the United States—and outside of it—I can pull in to provide a more positive light, but I need more time to vet them. If this leveling system is legitimate, we’re looking at individuals that could be at the level of a nuke or greater in time… We have to get ahead of this now and with the introduction of gods and goddesses…”
“One thing at a time, Tom—ugh. Everything we know about the universe was just pulled out from under our feet. Now the UK Prime Minister is blowing up my phone, demanding answers as to the giant tree growing outside of his window that the CIA director is telling me was created by the US ambassador’s daughter!”
Astra giggled as the recording cut. “I quite enjoyed that last part. Well, General, now that I have your attention, want to know what I think as a master of the web, considering I likely have far more information than you?”
Rachel was starting to like Astra’s way of doing things, and she still wasn’t sure if the nurse was the Mythickin or if she was simply a computer program that was given life.
Tom and Barbara had been surprisingly calm and collected during the whole exchange, studying the hacker’s every-shifting avatar and actions.
The general sat back in his chair. “If you’ve gotten into our network, I suppose that means you’ve tapped most of the other countries’ information feeds. What have your algorithms and spy network found?”
Astra grinned, devil horns returning as the avatar and voice turned more feminine. “The goddesses want you to go to the world tree. To accomplish that, they’ve given you the task of rescuing the little fairy, who happens to have citizenship in Ireland—right next to the UK border. Coincidence?” She held up an x sign. “I think not!”
Avatar changing to a male detective with a magnifying glass, a window popped up showing the haughty security video of Maria and her gang at the back of the hospital.
“However, what does our chola unicorn have to do with her visions? Simply to save our big-eared protagonist from the scary poison she mentioned to her buddies? I think not, my dear Watson! In fact, it is my belief she is about to be kidnapped! Ho-ho, and by the same people that took our fairy. Hmm-hmm-hmm?!”
She got closer to the screen, studying the window as Rachel’s lips parted in disbelief. Two African American men appeared from nowhere in the center of the Mexican group, causing a commotion. Her ears shifted to the left as she followed the conversation that ensued.
“Aye! Who the—Marcus?”
“Tch. Yo, Bro,” the other man groaned. “Why is it they always mention you first, huh?”
“Haha. Chill, Daran. I just got the looks. Hey, woah! Maria, chica, is that you?”
All of Maria’s gang swiftly got to their feet, shifting uncomfortably as the two tall men that had casually teleported into the center of their relaxation time. The unicorn’s guarded voice was the one that answered them as Spanish mumbles circled the gang.
“Shit… The hell are you two doing here? I heard the cartel was causing trouble in South Beach. What’s that gotta do with Little Havana?”
“Damn, girl,” Marcus snickered. “Heh, the change made you white-white—I’d be pissed! Word is you turned into a horse, and bitch, you certainly got the curves now! Haha. Right, bro?”
“No cap. No need to be crude, though. We’re not here to start shit. I know TNS and us haven’t been on the best of terms recently, but Dad wants a word with the Mexican Queen. Ya hear? Hey, wait—if it isn’t the little bro, too!”
Daran moved to throw his muscular arm around the neck of Maria’s brother, making most of the Mexicans twitch with agitation. They looked at Maria’s tight expression for what to do, but, obviously, she did not want to escalate anything with these brothers, showing how dangerous they could be.
The woman popped her tongue a few times, and Rachel saw her defensive posture, arms folded under her bust and keeping her gaze on her nervous little brother. Meanwhile, Astra gave the cliff notes in the short exchange as they watched.
“May I introduce Marcus and Daran Ellis—sons of Terrell Ellis—the middle man between the Miami gangs and the Escarlata Syndicate! Our villains in this tale that kidnapped our princess fairy streamer. Yikes!”
Marcus rolled around his neck, flexing his muscles a bit and grinning with all the attention on them. “Maria’s really brought your block up; acting as the couriers for TNS is making waves, boys. Respect!”
The unicorn straightened, nudging her head in a way to tell her men to relax. “What’s Terrell want; why not come himself? I’m not hiding. I heard something ‘bout some yellow paper from Ballesteros, too. What’s that about?”
“Bah.” Marcus shrugged. “We’ve heard TNS’ problems with Ballesteros. We’ll pay him a visit soon, but right now, Dad wants you. Comprende? Why not bring the bro—I got this Cheetah bitch—you got no idea what she can do with her tongue! Haha. Let’s go.”
Maria huffed, stepping forward and showing a strong exterior, but Rachel could hear the inflections in her voice that said she didn’t want to go. “Naa. You know we’re Catholic, hombre. We cool. Aye, Carmen, take my bro to grab somethin’ to eat. I’ll be back in a bit.”
“That’s a good girl,” Daran laughed, stepping forward to throw an arm around the woman’s shoulders that made Rachel’s fingers twitch. This was a kidnapping, and that the gangsters weren’t acting up said a lot about the influence these men had. “How does being a Catholic work with this change anyway?”
Marcus placed his hand on his brother’s shoulder, a honeycomb-like barrier flashing around them, and they vanished in a flash of color, leaving the Mexicans in an angry buzz. Astra flipped the screen away, now imitating General Dallas in a military outfit with a stick to point at various windows she pulled up.
“Now, soldiers, we have a search and rescue operation to plan!” Rachel’s jaw tightened as three new images popped up of mug shots or grainy pictures taken from a distance. “Our enemy isn’t just amped up with teleporters and shielders like the Ellis Brothers; our opponent has Myths and Legends of their own… I think you’ve already been warned about Relica!”
Tom breathed out a long sigh, rubbing between his eyes. “I’ve been briefed on the troubles in Miami Beach. Are you suggesting I test out Rachel’s powers and aptitude on this operation? A SEAL team was already dispatched to handle them.”
Devilish smile returning, a shaky video coming on the display of a group of heavily-armed men shouting; machine gun fire went off, explosions sounding from the chaos on the coms as a bare-chested man barreled through a cement wall, laughing.
“Grenade!”
The man caught the item seconds before it went off, smoke clearing away to show him utterly unharmed while advancing on the cursing soldiers. Bullets struck his skin before harmlessly falling to the ground, and a still image blew up to show the projectiles undamaged, as if they hadn’t hit anything at all.
“Unfortunately, General, the team met an immovable wall. Two of the SEALs died to allow the rest to escape, but if they can’t get past the first obstacle, how can they handle the other three?”
Barbara put a hand on her hip, lips drawn in while observing the looping videos. “Are you saying you’ll provide all of this intel for free and guide the operation? What’s your endgame, Astra? You don’t seem like the type to get involved unless something is in it for you.”
“Entertainment,” Rachel responded, gauging it from what she’d been able to gather from their interaction thus far. “From what I’ve heard, they get a thrill out of spying and getting into places they’re not supposed to be—a challenge—and they want to build a somewhat positive angle for something in the future.”
Astra’s mischievous angel boy avatar flickered across the screen. “I will be entirely transparent. I’ve dabbled with the Scarlet Hand’s agenda in the past; of course, I didn’t know it was them at the time, but everything connects now. I’ve built quite the file on them in the past forty-eight hours…”
A smiling, unassuming woman’s face popped up on the screen with a man, likely her husband, by how they held each other’s hands. In between them was a grinning, black-haired girl—Scarlet.
“I can tell you this… Adele Johnson is no longer in FBI custody. She’s been replaced by a doppelganger courtesy of this woman—Relica, or, at least, that’s all I know about her since it’s her only known name and alias. She placed 7th on the FBI’s most wanted list of terrorists out of the Middle East, and she’s in your backyard! I do enjoy a good puzzle!
“Why is she here? Is it a coincidence that she saved our cultist housewife? Why bring her to the Escarlata Syndicate? Why would the goddesses be so frightened of this terrorist, and what divine being is backing her? What is her connection to the cartel and her purpose here? Does it have to do with the sudden internet blackout across all of Cuba? So many questions!”
Tom’s silent, dark expression deepened at Astra’s chiming tone. “I’ll have to confirm a lot of what you’ve shown us. I want you to meet in person with Captain Barbara. I won’t deal with someone that doesn’t have a face or who won’t put skin into the game.”
Astra’s digital avatar’s mouth drew in while swapping to a fancy suit and staring off to the side. “Hmm. That’s a poor choice of words for someone like me. Hehe. I don’t really have a solidified face, I suppose you could say… I always change my appearance. But… I guess I have come this far. I don’t know what good it will do, heh, but I’m confident you won’t try to snatch and grab me. I’ll be in touch! Oh, this is so cool—I’m an actual spy! Tootles!”
He waved at them, and Tom’s feed returned, showing a scowl. “I expected some hiccups… not that. What were your thoughts on our hacker, Rachel?”
A smile spread across Rachel’s lips as the nurse popped another bubble and stopped at a military vehicle in the parking lot with a cheerful hum, yet it was the male’s voice now, and one of the National Guard members greeted them in passing.
“Hey, Cole, I thought you were on vacation? When did you get back to Miami?”
“Bro! You have no idea. I was chillin’ on the beach in the Bahamas when my sister called and pulled me back—family trouble.”
“No shit. Everything good with Katie?”
“Meh. It’s kind of private; I gotta make a run for some military big shot, though. Catch you tomorrow night for some drinks, maybe? I could use it!”
“Haha! For real. After all this? I’ll text you if I ever get some time off—this shit is crazy!”
“Sounds good, and for real! Later.”
Rachel rubbed her chin as she turned her head to listen to the conversation; the female nurse had become a male at some point. “I think our hacker doesn’t only use avatars in the digital space… I’d categorize them as on their own side, but if things are really as bad as you say they are, then we can use all the help we can get. Right?”
Tom worked around his jaw, studying something on a tablet beside him. “We’ll see… I’ll review the doctor’s notes and get back to you. Stay sharp, and keep an ear out for what is happening with that South Beach cartel.”
“Got it.”
The screen cut and Barbara scratched the back of her neck, shimmering golden eyes shifting to appraise her. “You’ve already located Astra, haven’t you?”
Rachel shifted positions to look at the taller woman, far more cool-headed than she thought the captain would be after the intrusion.
“I’m fifty-fifty on if it really is them; they could be using another person with body-altering abilities to mislead me. Either way, the person I’m following is either affiliated with or is Astra. They crashed my meeting with Richard, and I suspect their jewelry was used to hide whatever technology they were using to pull data off his laptop, and he needed to be close.”
“A male?”
She shrugged. “He is at this moment, at least. My guess is he’s leaving my listening range to take on a new identity before setting up his next game to contact us. He didn’t give us all the information for a reason and probably wants to be in charge of overseeing the operation and directing us.”
Barbara sighed. “So… all of this is a game to them. Still, if they do have all of this information, it’s hard to ignore.”
Reflecting on everything Astra showed them, Rachel knew all of it was for a very specific purpose; it showed how good they were at getting difficult to obtain data, and how dire the situation was. One thing did resonate with her, though.
“The general expects there to be an arms race on recruiting the people that changed, and we’re included in that as a pilot program?”
“Haha! Not even a pilot program yet.” The saint held her arm behind her back with a shining grin. “It’s more like the general sees the possibility and dangers of allowing others to form groups on their own without the guidance of government departments.”
Ears tilting to the opposite side, Rachel hummed. “Doesn’t the US have a long history with PMCs? If we are entering a world war against these Crystal attacks, changed people, and the potential outbreak of other armies coming through Legendkin Quests, then isn’t the evolution of warfare only natural? At least, that’s what I’ve concluded, and PMCs grant deniability and a shift of responsibility away from the government if things go wrong.”
Barbara smoothed out her skirt and fixed her front before showing a perfect poker face. “All of that will come in time. For now, enjoy what time you have with your family. I have some inquiries to make with the local officers. Don’t get into too much trouble.”
The Legendkin left Rachel stewing on everything they’d heard to attend to other duties. It was challenging not to run after Astra and corner them, but she tempered expectations. The hacker had worked for the Scarlet Hand.
Had that affected them to be a part of something like that? Were they bitter about being used? As a gut feeling, Astra seemed like the type that would hold a grudge. They did come off as the lazy type from their comments, but, in practice, they were quite active—a natural spy. She couldn’t truly trust someone like that.
Laughing to herself, Rachel exited the room to meet up with Scarlet and her mother; Selvaria was still being interviewed by Richard. She listened in on the leviathan’s session, but it was hard to take the girl seriously when she talked about making underwater bases and gathering an army of seal warriors.
Astra had to be a part of the goddess’ plan; it was too convenient that the one person who could prompt them along the path the heavenly figures set had interrupted her discussion with the man that could make it happen. She’d also confirmed what Rachel had suspected from the start, given her Misfortune Sense; she had to get much stronger, or everyone she loved would die.
At least things were spicing up, and the Mexican gangsters were in a frenzy, making calls and trying to figure out what had happened to their queen. Rachel didn’t let anything slide to anyone else in the two hours it took for Richard to finally finish Scarlet’s interview.
The vespertine reaper broke down into bloody tears a few times, but the man was far gentler than he’d been in their discussion.
He primarily focused on how she was fairing after her life had fallen to pieces and how she felt toward her parents. There was a lot of anger and even more questions. Eventually, she voiced that she was terrified to see her mother. Scarlet said she’d rather not talk about her father, which he accepted and moved on. Astra didn’t make contact throughout that time and had since left the range of her hearing.
Unable to dodge her mother’s jabbing questions any longer, Rachel finally broke down and told her parents what she wanted to do. Her father wasn’t thrilled since it was basically her saying she was joining the military, but her mother was a total wreck and shut herself in a room and sobbed into her dad’s shoulder.
Rachel sat outside, waiting for Scarlet’s meeting to end with the green berets giving her forced, understanding smiles; a few of them offered words of encouragement that they had similar reactions with their folks when enlisting. It wasn’t like she was enlisting, though; it would be a private endeavor that could net them a lot of money and fame—not that her mother was interested in that.
She sighed when Scarlet finally left the room, giving Richard a thankful smile at listening to her fears and complaints—some of which included Rachel never resting. It wasn’t true, she argued to herself; she was sitting here waiting outside the room, doing nothing right now. Although, that was not entirely true since her mind and ears were always on the roam for more information.
It took another half-hour before Saint Barbara got a few fateful texts that would change their destiny. Rachel figured the general had done it in response to her sensitive ears and had things to say he didn’t want her to know. Upon knocking on the door and telling her mother she needed to meet the Legend, she was pulled into the room by the arm.
Her mother’s cheeks were puffy, but her eyes were alight with fire while holding her hands. “I know I can’t talk you out of this—you’re too damn stubborn! So… So if you are going to do this whole private military thing—if you do make it work—I want to be a part of it.”
“Mom… what?” Rachel mumbled in disbelief, not expecting this at all. “How—what, do you want to be like… a receptionist? What are you asking me?”
“I’m not asking,” she stated, shaking fingers white as she held her in a death grip. “I want to be a part of your life, and if I let you go… If you walk away from me, then I’ll never see you again. I don’t care if I am the receptionist or whatever. I just can’t be shut out—please don’t shut me out… I can be strong, too!”
Rachel wasn’t so sure about that with how her mother was acting, but she couldn’t see any other way at the moment, and by the look on her father’s face, she knew he didn’t either.
“I’m… sure we can work something out. I still don’t know what to expect, Mom. I’ve never run something like this, so… Dad’s input into running things and financing would be amazing. I don’t know—Dad?” she asked, hoping for a lifeline.
“I… can understand where your mother is coming from. As you said, we can’t be sure of the structure of what will come from this. All we can do is try to support you. I’m sure your brother will want some words about this… direction, but in the end, you are an adult; young, as you may be—but an adult, nonetheless.”
Rachel wanted to cry now as her father’s face softened. “If you’ll allow us to remain in your life, it would mean the world to us.”
“Dad… Of course. Mom, I love you both. I don’t want to hurt you—I’m just trying to figure out how to move forward after, heh, after growing ears and a tail! It’s not like I’m planning to die.”
“But it is always a possibility in this line of… work,” her father hesitantly replied. “Your mother would have acted the same if you decided to become a police officer or—”
“No!” she heatedly shot back. “Military and the police are two very different things, Sam, and we’re not even talking about alien invaders! I would be worried but not petrified! Yes, we support you, Sweetie, but I can’t pretend like I’m not terrified. I love you, and I can’t lose you!”
“Mom…” Holding her head for a few minutes, she puffed out a hot breath and gently pulled away. “I need to go, but we’ll talk later. Okay?”
“Okay…”
Her face said otherwise.
Leaving her in the care of her father, Rachel joined Selvaria and Scarlet outside; the leviathan’s dull expression somehow took the pressure off her chest. If there was one thing she could count on, it was this girl’s ridiculous antics to lighten her mood.
They walked to the back room to wait for the captain to join them; she was speaking to several officers regarding new troop positions and preventive strategies for some of the troubles they were encountering.
Rachel scratched her forehead and forced a chuckle, drawing the two girl’s attention. “You’re really going to build an underwater base and fill it with ninja seals?”
“Huh? When did I say anything about ninja seals?” Selvaria hummed, dangerous tail weaving behind them. “If we have magic, then I should be able to find something to get a magical seal army. Plus, if we do a bunch of quests, then we’ll have loads of treasure—there’s always treasure. Sometimes, maybe you can get tames or beast companions, too. That’d be awesome… Mmh. Seal pets.”
Scarlet snickered. “Oh, yeah, like the barrel of ale that Anthony brought back. I’m sure that will fetch a high price.”
Rachel tilted her head with amusement. “Actually, it probably would. Otherworldly beer? I’m sure that’ll sell high on the market. How’s your mom with the whole dangerous thing?”
Selvaria scratched her collarbone. “Uh… I haven’t told her yet. She knows I want to be a superhero, so… she’s probably good with it. I just have to be super strong and invincible, which I already am, so yeah.”
“Just super strong and invincible,” Rachel repeated with a laugh. “Wow. Honestly, I didn’t actually think I’d get this far. I mean, shoot for the stars, but damn. Let’s see what the verdict is.”
Anthony was still totally distant and catering to his woman, which was heartwarming to see, but she did need to somehow brighten his mood to get approval for his potential addition.
Sitting in chairs—Selvaria taking the wall to avoid breaking anything—they chatted a few minutes before Barbara came in. Rachel held her breath as she addressed them.
“I’ll be brief; I don’t like drawing things out,” she said with a serious tone. “There are a few dire circumstances happening in South Beach, and the threat level has increased. If you want to show us how useful you can be in a combat scenario, then you’ll be running backseat in the operation, providing support where asked.
“I will be taking over command and leading Lt. Mateo’s unit in conjunction with the remaining SEAL team that was sent in—”
She cut off as a knock came at the door, and a bright-eyed, handsome blond boy poked his head in, making Rachel smirk. She’d followed his entrance into their area and BS excuses to the green berets; the bubble gum in his mouth gave him away.
“Welcome, Astra. You’re late.”
The man laughed it off, pixelated blocks shifting parts of his frame to now show a young girl’s cheery face; his scrubs turned to a pink summer dress as her voice lightened. “Fashionably late, yes! I got held up on a bit of code. Now, allow me to tell you all what you’ve missed. Our villains are quite the pieces of work, but never fear, for Astra is here! Let the operation, commence!”
B1 — 16. The Myth of Astra
Shifting the weight on her hip, Rachel tilted her head, ears raised to the ceiling as she passively scanned for where this person was nearby. She couldn’t quite place the location, but she’d heard the cadence in this person’s way of speaking recently, despite the filter.
Saint Barbara held a thoughtful note while studying the transforming avatar of the hacker. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t Astra a Hindu word used to describe projectile weapons?”
“Oh, quite perceptive and on-point, Barb! Heh. Yes, among many other things,” she chimed, male avatar pixelating to be replaced by a female nurse, blowing a bubble. “A star, a deity, one of the four weapons that are capable of destroying a whole universe; I’m quite the firecracker! Figured something out, Rachel? Hmm?”
Rachel’s eyes widened as they darted to the left, to the break room where the nurse earlier had gone to retrieve coffee, although the connection swiftly collided with her distrust. If Astra could hack into so many devices and spy on people, she could be using the young woman to play with them. She was currently alone, casually playing with her phone.
“I’ll save my thoughts for now,” she returned, keeping her posture and attitude lax.
“Boring! Know what isn’t, though? Getting my hands on this bit of information. What’s this about, General?”
Astra’s pixel art changed to a grinning little boy with devil’s horns as the screen fritzed to display what appeared to be military body-cam footage of a scene out of a horror movie.
Barbara grimaced, and Tom cursed. That didn’t stop Astra as more angles and recorded conversations about the incident followed. The hacker seemed to have recorded things that had been between the president and the four-star general. As if to add dramatic effect, suspenseful music was glazed over the recording like some kind of movie trailer.
“What are you showing me, Tom?”
“High Rolls, New Mexico’s Crystal event. Population: 1,604, including tourists passing through.”
“Casualties?”
“…1,604.”
“My God. This is the worst attack on American soil since… It looks like…”
“The Scarlet Hand I briefed you on. We aren’t ruling anything out at this time. It is consistent with some of the ritualistic practices we’ve discovered thus far after raiding a few known cult associates’ homes, but it is still too early to say for certain, sir.”
The president’s throat became hoarse as the images showed a shiny, black, stone-like ground in a devastated area. Occult markings were drawn all across the unnatural, rocky surface, symbols still glowing with a hellish flame.
Spiked to charred wooden stakes were the corpses of people—children, women, and men—positioned in some colossal pattern they had yet to see, cuts carved into their skins that shone with the same light as the obsidian flooring.
Somehow, they’d been entirely drained of blood and organs by the victim’s collapsed figures, the liquid being dumped inside of a twenty-by-twenty centimeter ravine that ran around the entire city. Signs of vomit were seen from the soldiers while securing the area, the scent of over a thousand people’s rotting innards permeating the unhallowed area.
The president coughed as the footage from a drone showed the devastated area from above, displaying a demonic decagram written in an alien language. The symbols were congruent with side-by-side comparisons to the ones made in what appeared to be Scarlet’s basement.
“General, are you telling me the Scarlet Hand and these aliens worship the same thing; are they responsible for The Oscillation? How long did it take for these aliens to do this?!”
“Less than twenty-four hours, our time.”
“God help us…”
Tom’s graven tone held a deep rumble. “As of right now, I don’t know if they are connected, but what I do know is we are ill-prepared to handle the kind of powers that made this kind of attack. Color, shape, and size, among many other factors, seem to correlate to the level of firepower these Crystals will produce.”
“What’s your current assessment?”
“Green is the weakest, followed by blue and purple Crystals.”
“The Miami one with the toad assassins you showed me was blue? And the High Rolls’?”
“Purple… the same as the one that was recently discovered in Billings, Montana.”
“Shit. The evacuation?”
“It’s already underway.”
“I see that look on your face, Tom. What is this mission statement—what kind of response are you recommending—a nuke?! And to be set on a signal cut protocol—nuke our own—a US city, Tom?! Do you have any idea about the blowback we’ll get!”
“Sir…” The saliva in Rachel’s throat dried up at the general’s voice. “High Rolls… The scientists’ preliminary reports state the stone and trees aren’t native to Earth. Nothing from the settlement was left standing—the forest, buildings, goods—everything was plastered with this black stone that goes down at least five meters at the edges. We can’t cut it with diamond chisels… We’re ill-prepared for this war as it stands. Hit it with our best, and work down from there if possible.”
Rachel couldn’t breathe as the president streamed out a tired sigh. “Haaa. How much time do we have until they come through?”
“Hard to say. We’re dealing with forces we don’t understand. If we can’t handle this in our own backyard, then the rest of the world doesn’t stand a chance.”
A pause that followed was deafening before the words left the most powerful man in the world’s throat. “Prepare the nuke, and coordinate a full evacuation of the Billings area.”
The devilish avatar of a little girl returned. “Chills!”
Tom’s face appeared in a window on the bottom right, eyes hard, fingers linked, and coldly staring at the screen. “Is your intention to release this to the public, thereby inciting panic and anarchy, or as blackmail?”
“What?! By no means!” The image swapped to a haloed angel boy with wings. “I had to sneak surprisingly close to Captain Saint here to get access to your private channel in order to get this information. It was really quite thrilling! No… I’m far more interested in lending you a helping hand! After all, I live in this world, too, and who doesn’t want to play a part in something this cool?”
Barbara wore a frown at learning the hacker had not only used her to get into the general’s heavily guarded devices but had possibly met her somewhere along the flight to Miami.
Rachel crossed her arms as the nurse got up and started exiting the room with a hum, still on her phone. The lunar hare kept close track of her movements through the halls and the passing comments she made to others.
“You hinted that you have the answer as to why rescuing the fairy is so critical. Care to enlighten us?”
“Before that, Rachel, I found this part of your interview with Doctor Richard quite enthralling… Private military?” A wicked grin lit the angel’s face. “The general was thinking the same thing, considering the threats the world is now facing with these invasions. Isn’t that right, Tommy?”
The man didn’t twitch at her provocation as he bluntly stated, “I assume you already have my conversation with the president.”
“Tee-hee. This one?”
A new recording played in the background. “There’s going to be an arms race between all the nations regarding these people with powers, and we’ve already seen what low-level thugs and criminals can do. We need to act fast in order not to alienate them. We can’t fight a war on multiple unknown fronts.”
“Tell that to Congress and the Senate,” the president snarled. “Senator Benjamin’s mother was murdered in the Seattle Vampire Massacre, and we still haven’t been able to locate him after the slaughter. I’m getting heavy opposition, and all of the negative press on Mythickin and Legendkin isn’t making it easier.”
“I have a few groups across the United States—and outside of it—I can pull in to provide a more positive light, but I need more time to vet them. If this leveling system is legitimate, we’re looking at individuals that could be at the level of a nuke or greater in time… We have to get ahead of this now and with the introduction of gods and goddesses…”
“One thing at a time, Tom—ugh. Everything we know about the universe was just pulled out from under our feet. Now the UK Prime Minister is blowing up my phone, demanding answers as to the giant tree growing outside of his window that the CIA director is telling me was created by the US ambassador’s daughter!”
Astra giggled as the recording cut. “I quite enjoyed that last part. Well, General, now that I have your attention, want to know what I think as a master of the web, considering I likely have far more information than you?”
Rachel was starting to like Astra’s way of doing things, and she still wasn’t sure if the nurse was the Mythickin or if she was simply a computer program that was given life.
Tom and Barbara had been surprisingly calm and collected during the whole exchange, studying the hacker’s every-shifting avatar and actions.
The general sat back in his chair. “If you’ve gotten into our network, I suppose that means you’ve tapped most of the other countries’ information feeds. What have your algorithms and spy network found?”
Astra grinned, devil horns returning as the avatar and voice turned more feminine. “The goddesses want you to go to the world tree. To accomplish that, they’ve given you the task of rescuing the little fairy, who happens to have citizenship in Ireland—right next to the UK border. Coincidence?” She held up an x sign. “I think not!”
Avatar changing to a male detective with a magnifying glass, a window popped up showing the haughty security video of Maria and her gang at the back of the hospital.
“However, what does our chola unicorn have to do with her visions? Simply to save our big-eared protagonist from the scary poison she mentioned to her buddies? I think not, my dear Watson! In fact, it is my belief she is about to be kidnapped! Ho-ho, and by the same people that took our fairy. Hmm-hmm-hmm?!”
She got closer to the screen, studying the window as Rachel’s lips parted in disbelief. Two African American men appeared from nowhere in the center of the Mexican group, causing a commotion. Her ears shifted to the left as she followed the conversation that ensued.
“Aye! Who the—Marcus?”
“Tch. Yo, Bro,” the other man groaned. “Why is it they always mention you first, huh?”
“Haha. Chill, Daran. I just got the looks. Hey, woah! Maria, chica, is that you?”
All of Maria’s gang swiftly got to their feet, shifting uncomfortably as the two tall men that had casually teleported into the center of their relaxation time. The unicorn’s guarded voice was the one that answered them as Spanish mumbles circled the gang.
“Shit… The hell are you two doing here? I heard the cartel was causing trouble in South Beach. What’s that gotta do with Little Havana?”
“Damn, girl,” Marcus snickered. “Heh, the change made you white-white—I’d be pissed! Word is you turned into a horse, and bitch, you certainly got the curves now! Haha. Right, bro?”
“No cap. No need to be crude, though. We’re not here to start shit. I know TNS and us haven’t been on the best of terms recently, but Dad wants a word with the Mexican Queen. Ya hear? Hey, wait—if it isn’t the little bro, too!”
Daran moved to throw his muscular arm around the neck of Maria’s brother, making most of the Mexicans twitch with agitation. They looked at Maria’s tight expression for what to do, but, obviously, she did not want to escalate anything with these brothers, showing how dangerous they could be.
The woman popped her tongue a few times, and Rachel saw her defensive posture, arms folded under her bust and keeping her gaze on her nervous little brother. Meanwhile, Astra gave the cliff notes in the short exchange as they watched.
“May I introduce Marcus and Daran Ellis—sons of Terrell Ellis—the middle man between the Miami gangs and the Escarlata Syndicate! Our villains in this tale that kidnapped our princess fairy streamer. Yikes!”
Marcus rolled around his neck, flexing his muscles a bit and grinning with all the attention on them. “Maria’s really brought your block up; acting as the couriers for TNS is making waves, boys. Respect!”
The unicorn straightened, nudging her head in a way to tell her men to relax. “What’s Terrell want; why not come himself? I’m not hiding. I heard something ‘bout some yellow paper from Ballesteros, too. What’s that about?”
“Bah.” Marcus shrugged. “We’ve heard TNS’ problems with Ballesteros. We’ll pay him a visit soon, but right now, Dad wants you. Comprende? Why not bring the bro—I got this Cheetah bitch—you got no idea what she can do with her tongue! Haha. Let’s go.”
Maria huffed, stepping forward and showing a strong exterior, but Rachel could hear the inflections in her voice that said she didn’t want to go. “Naa. You know we’re Catholic, hombre. We cool. Aye, Carmen, take my bro to grab somethin’ to eat. I’ll be back in a bit.”
“That’s a good girl,” Daran laughed, stepping forward to throw an arm around the woman’s shoulders that made Rachel’s fingers twitch. This was a kidnapping, and that the gangsters weren’t acting up said a lot about the influence these men had. “How does being a Catholic work with this change anyway?”
Marcus placed his hand on his brother’s shoulder, a honeycomb-like barrier flashing around them, and they vanished in a flash of color, leaving the Mexicans in an angry buzz. Astra flipped the screen away, now imitating General Dallas in a military outfit with a stick to point at various windows she pulled up.
“Now, soldiers, we have a search and rescue operation to plan!” Rachel’s jaw tightened as three new images popped up of mug shots or grainy pictures taken from a distance. “Our enemy isn’t just amped up with teleporters and shielders like the Ellis Brothers; our opponent has Myths and Legends of their own… I think you’ve already been warned about Relica!”
Tom breathed out a long sigh, rubbing between his eyes. “I’ve been briefed on the troubles in Miami Beach. Are you suggesting I test out Rachel’s powers and aptitude on this operation? A SEAL team was already dispatched to handle them.”
Devilish smile returning, a shaky video coming on the display of a group of heavily-armed men shouting; machine gun fire went off, explosions sounding from the chaos on the coms as a bare-chested man barreled through a cement wall, laughing.
“Grenade!”
The man caught the item seconds before it went off, smoke clearing away to show him utterly unharmed while advancing on the cursing soldiers. Bullets struck his skin before harmlessly falling to the ground, and a still image blew up to show the projectiles undamaged, as if they hadn’t hit anything at all.
“Unfortunately, General, the team met an immovable wall. Two of the SEALs died to allow the rest to escape, but if they can’t get past the first obstacle, how can they handle the other three?”
Barbara put a hand on her hip, lips drawn in while observing the looping videos. “Are you saying you’ll provide all of this intel for free and guide the operation? What’s your endgame, Astra? You don’t seem like the type to get involved unless something is in it for you.”
“Entertainment,” Rachel responded, gauging it from what she’d been able to gather from their interaction thus far. “From what I’ve heard, they get a thrill out of spying and getting into places they’re not supposed to be—a challenge—and they want to build a somewhat positive angle for something in the future.”
Astra’s mischievous angel boy avatar flickered across the screen. “I will be entirely transparent. I’ve dabbled with the Scarlet Hand’s agenda in the past; of course, I didn’t know it was them at the time, but everything connects now. I’ve built quite the file on them in the past forty-eight hours…”
A smiling, unassuming woman’s face popped up on the screen with a man, likely her husband, by how they held each other’s hands. In between them was a grinning, black-haired girl—Scarlet.
“I can tell you this… Adele Johnson is no longer in FBI custody. She’s been replaced by a doppelganger courtesy of this woman—Relica, or, at least, that’s all I know about her since it’s her only known name and alias. She placed 7th on the FBI’s most wanted list of terrorists out of the Middle East, and she’s in your backyard! I do enjoy a good puzzle!
“Why is she here? Is it a coincidence that she saved our cultist housewife? Why bring her to the Escarlata Syndicate? Why would the goddesses be so frightened of this terrorist, and what divine being is backing her? What is her connection to the cartel and her purpose here? Does it have to do with the sudden internet blackout across all of Cuba? So many questions!”
Tom’s silent, dark expression deepened at Astra’s chiming tone. “I’ll have to confirm a lot of what you’ve shown us. I want you to meet in person with Captain Barbara. I won’t deal with someone that doesn’t have a face or who won’t put skin into the game.”
Astra’s digital avatar’s mouth drew in while swapping to a fancy suit and staring off to the side. “Hmm. That’s a poor choice of words for someone like me. Hehe. I don’t really have a solidified face, I suppose you could say… I always change my appearance. But… I guess I have come this far. I don’t know what good it will do, heh, but I’m confident you won’t try to snatch and grab me. I’ll be in touch! Oh, this is so cool—I’m an actual spy! Tootles!”
He waved at them, and Tom’s feed returned, showing a scowl. “I expected some hiccups… not that. What were your thoughts on our hacker, Rachel?”
A smile spread across Rachel’s lips as the nurse popped another bubble and stopped at a military vehicle in the parking lot with a cheerful hum, yet it was the male’s voice now, and one of the National Guard members greeted them in passing.
“Hey, Cole, I thought you were on vacation? When did you get back to Miami?”
“Bro! You have no idea. I was chillin’ on the beach in the Bahamas when my sister called and pulled me back—family trouble.”
“No shit. Everything good with Katie?”
“Meh. It’s kind of private; I gotta make a run for some military big shot, though. Catch you tomorrow night for some drinks, maybe? I could use it!”
“Haha! For real. After all this? I’ll text you if I ever get some time off—this shit is crazy!”
“Sounds good, and for real! Later.”
Rachel rubbed her chin as she turned her head to listen to the conversation; the female nurse had become a male at some point. “I think our hacker doesn’t only use avatars in the digital space… I’d categorize them as on their own side, but if things are really as bad as you say they are, then we can use all the help we can get. Right?”
Tom worked around his jaw, studying something on a tablet beside him. “We’ll see… I’ll review the doctor’s notes and get back to you. Stay sharp, and keep an ear out for what is happening with that South Beach cartel.”
“Got it.”
The screen cut and Barbara scratched the back of her neck, shimmering golden eyes shifting to appraise her. “You’ve already located Astra, haven’t you?”
Rachel shifted positions to look at the taller woman, far more cool-headed than she thought the captain would be after the intrusion.
“I’m fifty-fifty on if it really is them; they could be using another person with body-altering abilities to mislead me. Either way, the person I’m following is either affiliated with or is Astra. They crashed my meeting with Richard, and I suspect their jewelry was used to hide whatever technology they were using to pull data off his laptop, and he needed to be close.”
“A male?”
She shrugged. “He is at this moment, at least. My guess is he’s leaving my listening range to take on a new identity before setting up his next game to contact us. He didn’t give us all the information for a reason and probably wants to be in charge of overseeing the operation and directing us.”
Barbara sighed. “So… all of this is a game to them. Still, if they do have all of this information, it’s hard to ignore.”
Reflecting on everything Astra showed them, Rachel knew all of it was for a very specific purpose; it showed how good they were at getting difficult to obtain data, and how dire the situation was. One thing did resonate with her, though.
“The general expects there to be an arms race on recruiting the people that changed, and we’re included in that as a pilot program?”
“Haha! Not even a pilot program yet.” The saint held her arm behind her back with a shining grin. “It’s more like the general sees the possibility and dangers of allowing others to form groups on their own without the guidance of government departments.”
Ears tilting to the opposite side, Rachel hummed. “Doesn’t the US have a long history with PMCs? If we are entering a world war against these Crystal attacks, changed people, and the potential outbreak of other armies coming through Legendkin Quests, then isn’t the evolution of warfare only natural? At least, that’s what I’ve concluded, and PMCs grant deniability and a shift of responsibility away from the government if things go wrong.”
Barbara smoothed out her skirt and fixed her front before showing a perfect poker face. “All of that will come in time. For now, enjoy what time you have with your family. I have some inquiries to make with the local officers. Don’t get into too much trouble.”
The Legendkin left Rachel stewing on everything they’d heard to attend to other duties. It was challenging not to run after Astra and corner them, but she tempered expectations. The hacker had worked for the Scarlet Hand.
Had that affected them to be a part of something like that? Were they bitter about being used? As a gut feeling, Astra seemed like the type that would hold a grudge. They did come off as the lazy type from their comments, but, in practice, they were quite active—a natural spy. She couldn’t truly trust someone like that.
Laughing to herself, Rachel exited the room to meet up with Scarlet and her mother; Selvaria was still being interviewed by Richard. She listened in on the leviathan’s session, but it was hard to take the girl seriously when she talked about making underwater bases and gathering an army of seal warriors.
Astra had to be a part of the goddess’ plan; it was too convenient that the one person who could prompt them along the path the heavenly figures set had interrupted her discussion with the man that could make it happen. She’d also confirmed what Rachel had suspected from the start, given her Misfortune Sense; she had to get much stronger, or everyone she loved would die.
At least things were spicing up, and the Mexican gangsters were in a frenzy, making calls and trying to figure out what had happened to their queen. Rachel didn’t let anything slide to anyone else in the two hours it took for Richard to finally finish Scarlet’s interview.
The vespertine reaper broke down into bloody tears a few times, but the man was far gentler than he’d been in their discussion.
He primarily focused on how she was fairing after her life had fallen to pieces and how she felt toward her parents. There was a lot of anger and even more questions. Eventually, she voiced that she was terrified to see her mother. Scarlet said she’d rather not talk about her father, which he accepted and moved on. Astra didn’t make contact throughout that time and had since left the range of her hearing.
Unable to dodge her mother’s jabbing questions any longer, Rachel finally broke down and told her parents what she wanted to do. Her father wasn’t thrilled since it was basically her saying she was joining the military, but her mother was a total wreck and shut herself in a room and sobbed into her dad’s shoulder.
Rachel sat outside, waiting for Scarlet’s meeting to end with the green berets giving her forced, understanding smiles; a few of them offered words of encouragement that they had similar reactions with their folks when enlisting. It wasn’t like she was enlisting, though; it would be a private endeavor that could net them a lot of money and fame—not that her mother was interested in that.
She sighed when Scarlet finally left the room, giving Richard a thankful smile at listening to her fears and complaints—some of which included Rachel never resting. It wasn’t true, she argued to herself; she was sitting here waiting outside the room, doing nothing right now. Although, that was not entirely true since her mind and ears were always on the roam for more information.
It took another half-hour before Saint Barbara got a few fateful texts that would change their destiny. Rachel figured the general had done it in response to her sensitive ears and had things to say he didn’t want her to know. Upon knocking on the door and telling her mother she needed to meet the Legend, she was pulled into the room by the arm.
Her mother’s cheeks were puffy, but her eyes were alight with fire while holding her hands. “I know I can’t talk you out of this—you’re too damn stubborn! So… So if you are going to do this whole private military thing—if you do make it work—I want to be a part of it.”
“Mom… what?” Rachel mumbled in disbelief, not expecting this at all. “How—what, do you want to be like… a receptionist? What are you asking me?”
“I’m not asking,” she stated, shaking fingers white as she held her in a death grip. “I want to be a part of your life, and if I let you go… If you walk away from me, then I’ll never see you again. I don’t care if I am the receptionist or whatever. I just can’t be shut out—please don’t shut me out… I can be strong, too!”
Rachel wasn’t so sure about that with how her mother was acting, but she couldn’t see any other way at the moment, and by the look on her father’s face, she knew he didn’t either.
“I’m… sure we can work something out. I still don’t know what to expect, Mom. I’ve never run something like this, so… Dad’s input into running things and financing would be amazing. I don’t know—Dad?” she asked, hoping for a lifeline.
“I… can understand where your mother is coming from. As you said, we can’t be sure of the structure of what will come from this. All we can do is try to support you. I’m sure your brother will want some words about this… direction, but in the end, you are an adult; young, as you may be—but an adult, nonetheless.”
Rachel wanted to cry now as her father’s face softened. “If you’ll allow us to remain in your life, it would mean the world to us.”
“Dad… Of course. Mom, I love you both. I don’t want to hurt you—I’m just trying to figure out how to move forward after, heh, after growing ears and a tail! It’s not like I’m planning to die.”
“But it is always a possibility in this line of… work,” her father hesitantly replied. “Your mother would have acted the same if you decided to become a police officer or—”
“No!” she heatedly shot back. “Military and the police are two very different things, Sam, and we’re not even talking about alien invaders! I would be worried but not petrified! Yes, we support you, Sweetie, but I can’t pretend like I’m not terrified. I love you, and I can’t lose you!”
“Mom…” Holding her head for a few minutes, she puffed out a hot breath and gently pulled away. “I need to go, but we’ll talk later. Okay?”
“Okay…”
Her face said otherwise.
Leaving her in the care of her father, Rachel joined Selvaria and Scarlet outside; the leviathan’s dull expression somehow took the pressure off her chest. If there was one thing she could count on, it was this girl’s ridiculous antics to lighten her mood.
They walked to the back room to wait for the captain to join them; she was speaking to several officers regarding new troop positions and preventive strategies for some of the troubles they were encountering.
Rachel scratched her forehead and forced a chuckle, drawing the two girl’s attention. “You’re really going to build an underwater base and fill it with ninja seals?”
“Huh? When did I say anything about ninja seals?” Selvaria hummed, dangerous tail weaving behind them. “If we have magic, then I should be able to find something to get a magical seal army. Plus, if we do a bunch of quests, then we’ll have loads of treasure—there’s always treasure. Sometimes, maybe you can get tames or beast companions, too. That’d be awesome… Mmh. Seal pets.”
Scarlet snickered. “Oh, yeah, like the barrel of ale that Anthony brought back. I’m sure that will fetch a high price.”
Rachel tilted her head with amusement. “Actually, it probably would. Otherworldly beer? I’m sure that’ll sell high on the market. How’s your mom with the whole dangerous thing?”
Selvaria scratched her collarbone. “Uh… I haven’t told her yet. She knows I want to be a superhero, so… she’s probably good with it. I just have to be super strong and invincible, which I already am, so yeah.”
“Just super strong and invincible,” Rachel repeated with a laugh. “Wow. Honestly, I didn’t actually think I’d get this far. I mean, shoot for the stars, but damn. Let’s see what the verdict is.”
Anthony was still totally distant and catering to his woman, which was heartwarming to see, but she did need to somehow brighten his mood to get approval for his potential addition.
Sitting in chairs—Selvaria taking the wall to avoid breaking anything—they chatted a few minutes before Barbara came in. Rachel held her breath as she addressed them.
“I’ll be brief; I don’t like drawing things out,” she said with a serious tone. “There are a few dire circumstances happening in South Beach, and the threat level has increased. If you want to show us how useful you can be in a combat scenario, then you’ll be running backseat in the operation, providing support where asked.
“I will be taking over command and leading Lt. Mateo’s unit in conjunction with the remaining SEAL team that was sent in—”
She cut off as a knock came at the door, and a bright-eyed, handsome blond boy poked his head in, making Rachel smirk. She’d followed his entrance into their area and BS excuses to the green berets; the bubble gum in his mouth gave him away.
“Welcome, Astra. You’re late.”
The man laughed it off, pixelated blocks shifting parts of his frame to now show a young girl’s cheery face; his scrubs turned to a pink summer dress as her voice lightened. “Fashionably late, yes! I got held up on a bit of code. Now, allow me to tell you all what you’ve missed. Our villains are quite the pieces of work, but never fear, for Astra is here! Let the operation, commence!”
