gaze tracked slightly to my left, as if he couldn't quite look me in the eyes. “I was coming to tell you we can begin.”
Uh-huh. Shadow pushed a quick vision of Axton in my old bathroom. I tilted my head and asked him, “Were you trying to sneak up on me? Here?”
He just shrugged and answered, “It could have worked.”
“Ah, but it didn't. I really should have set some sort of punishment for every time I caught you. Such a missed opportunity.” If I had, I could have built up a hefty fine.
He grinned, displaying those dimples. Grace cleared her throat, drawing my attention away from Axton and my odd dimple-licking cravings.
“Okay, right. Let's get this started then.” I clapped my hands together, startling the Grouping nearest to me.
Switching on my ability to manipulate the air around me, I altered the molecular speed and spoke. “We will begin. You've been paired with another Grouping for the purpose of this trip. Each section will be led by one of four Grims. You must stay with your section. We will try to keep the trips short, and with everyone's cooperation, this should pass quickly. Any questions you have will be answered after we return.”
“First section,” Grace said as she pointed at me.
Leaving her to deal with the rest, I floated over to where a small group of seven chatted. When one of them spotted me aiming towards them, the entire bunch straightened up as elbow jabs and pokes went around the circle.
Their clothing identified them as one set of Techs and one set of Grims. Not too bad to start with; at least half of them had a decent amount of experience in the stream.
I didn't pause as I passed by and barked out, “Follow me.”
They hurried into a line and trailed after me. When we entered the halls, we garnered a lot of looks. Even some of the Masters leaned against their door frames, gawking at our small procession.
Finally, we arrived at the portal room, and the whispers behind me grew louder. Sheton sat at the desk, fiddling with something on the board in front of him.
“Go take the first portal. Squeeze together. I'll be there in a moment,” I ordered, sweeping my arm towards the circular portals that lay just beyond.
After they passed by, I pulled a sheet of paper out of my pocket and tossed it onto the control panel. Sheton whirled around with wide eyes.
“We'll be coming through for most of the binal. That is the number that I want all of us sent to. We'll return shortly, and another group will go through.”
I hurried towards the crowded portal that held my responsibilities just as Axton entered the room. The six Reapers following him included one Grouping and a mix of other positions. The Grims appeared rather bored, but the others seemed a bit brighter as they looked around, bouncing as they slowed.
Just behind them, Trace led his Reapers, including Neil, who watched me instead of where he was walking. When he bumped into Trace's back, I chewed my cheek, trying to hold in a laugh. Trace spun so quickly that it knocked Neil back even further. Unfortunately, some Research male helped him steady himself.
Maybe Trace will lose Neil in the stream. Oh, I should have taken Neil. Then I could have given him a tiny push and watched as he scattered into the universe.
While that fantasy played through my mind, Kian and his set passed by and settled on the fourth portal. Only Shadow's quick blast of her freezing aura pulled me from the rather satisfying thoughts.
Pushing everything away, I became the detached, unfeeling epitome of a Master. With my hands clasped in front of me, I strolled to the center of the room, and said, “Welcome to the Office of Investigations, Earth Branch.”
Chapter Thirty
Murmurs filled the chamber, sounding louder than they actually were in the echoing space. With only the machines filling the long, rectangular room, everything carried so easily. Especially when only four of those portals were crammed with more Reapers than they should hold.
I cleared my throat, and silence settled. “You have likely heard the rumors of Earth, the planet that has been cut off from us. That rumor is true.”
The chatter started up again. Hearing about it was one thing, and though I'd projected the King's and my voice when we brought back the initial Earth souls, being confronted with a trip to that fabled lost world was another matter entirely. So, I