wait…you just said…Where are you taking me?” I ask her.
“Somewhere I can think.” We twist through several corridors, taking a path I’ve yet to explore on my own, until we reach what looks like a storage facility, full of dirty boxes and yellowed old papers. Based on the way my sneakers leave dusty footprints on the floor, no one’s been in this room for a long time. “There has to be a reason why they’re not calling in backup,” she says once we’re alone.
“Agreed. But how do we find out why?”
She paces around the abandoned space, hands on her hips. “We need access to someone or something that can get us behind the scenes.” She stops, face brightening. “Your tablet! You work here; can you get into internal Warrior files? Poke around a bit?”
I sigh, feeling worthless. “No, not really. I have next to zero clearance. All I can really do is schedule appointments and read training manuals.”
“Oh. I thought maybe you’d be one of those brainy types who could hack into security systems or something.”
“Yeah…I’m more of a book-smart nerd, which only counts on placement tests.” Note to self: Sign up for more computer science classes next year! “Ooh! What about…Do you know any heroes from the other chapters?” I ask hopefully. “Maybe they’ll have some intel?”
Bridgette shakes her head. “I’ve met a few of them but only in passing. I don’t have their numbers or anything.” Crap, this is going to be harder than I thought. You’d think pairing up a superhero’s ex-girlfriend who’s been in the game longer than anyone and a WarNat with an encyclopedia’s worth of Warrior history in her head would be enough to get started, but somehow we’re stuck at square one.
But then her eyes light up with an idea. “Although…”
“What?”
“I could call Charles.”
My heart stops. Call…Charles? BLUE STREAK HIMSELF?! I lunge forward in excitement, grabbing on to her shoulders. “You have Blue Streak’s number?!”
She grins. “Yes.”
“Holy— Talk about burying the lede! Yes! Let’s call him! RIGHT NOW!” I shake her, excitement taking over my worry.
“Okay,” she laughs, carefully freeing herself from my claws. “We’ll have to get aboveground, though. I don’t get any cell service down here.”
“Great! Let’s go. Let’s— Wait, let me just check my schedule real quick.” I’ve somehow missed several meetings lately, which is very not me. Meetings keep randomly disappearing and then reappearing seconds before I’m supposed to be somewhere; I’m starting to believe my calendar is cursed. “My afternoon looks clear, so let’s gooooooo!” I take Bridgette’s non-broken hand, running back through the HQ halls. Maybe all hope isn’t lost after all. If we can talk to Blue Streak (god, just the thought of it!), maybe he can give us a clue as to what Warrior Nation is doing, and how they’ll put an end to all this siege madness. Dang, meeting my idol, saving Warrior Nation: If Joy’s life weren’t at stake, I’d be the happiest girl alive right now.
But I’m definitely not, because before we can make our exit, Teddy stops us in our tracks, staring down at us from his upturned nose.
“Where are you going?” he asks, specifically to me. “Where have you been? Haven’t you noticed we’re in a bit of an emergency?”
Why does he always talk to me like I’m a complete idiot? “Obviously! I’m trying to help,” I spit back, not wanting to waste time dealing with him.
“By doing what? Making yourself completely unavailable and avoiding responsibility?”
I roll my eyes. “Right, because getting people coffee is such a priority right now.”
He doubles down in his anger. “It is to the team doing vital recon work! Millie has been working around the clock, and she needs our help. In fact, she’s issuing a series of staff meetings to—”
“But I’m not invited to any of them; I just checked,” I say matter-of-factly. “Besides, I won’t have anything interesting to add until I get back from what I’m about to do.”
Teddy pinches the bridge of his nose in frustration. “When will you get it in your stubborn little head that you are here for support, not organizational intelligence! You’re not a hero, Claire; you’re not even out of high school. You young upstarts think you know everything, when you should be showing respect for those who came before you!”
Bridgette wisely inserts herself between us before we throw down. “Teddy, it’s my fault. I asked Claire to help me with something.”
Teddy looks at her, incredulous. “You’re not serious.”