picture Ryan actively trying to hurt Matt? Or Joy? No. No! They’re a team!”
“Yeah, you’re right,” she agrees. “And Ashleigh only seems interested in herself.” We sit in silence, watching neighborhoods fly by as our train heads southward. “Well, what about a disgruntled employee?” she suggests after a minute. “Someone fed up with their job?”
The second she says it, a face flashes before me. Dark, beady eyes and a sharp, upturned nose, with hair so slicked back and shiny, it may as well be a helmet.
“Teddy!” we shout in unison, turning to each other in alarm.
“He knows everything about the Warriors and their schedules!” Bridgette shouts.
“And he’s always complaining about how no one appreciates him, how someday he’ll make his mark!” I add, his last words—“You’ll be sorry you messed with me”—ringing in my ear. “Remember when we had our debriefing after our kidnapping? Teddy straight-up left the room when I mentioned how there seemed to be a leader. I thought at the time he was just jealous of me pointing out details of the crime, but maybe he couldn’t be in there any longer because he was guilty and didn’t want to give himself away.”
“Yeah, he’s never been great at hiding his true feelings. And he’s vindictive as hell: He once sent Matt on some wild-goose chase to rescue a shelter dog that was allegedly running back and forth across Lake Shore Drive, but as it turned out, there was no dog—Teddy was just mad at Matt for not inviting him to his birthday party.”
I shake my head, embarrassed for Teddy. “Also, he’s been messing with my schedule for weeks! Never in my life have I ever missed a meeting, but thanks to him, I’ve been pulled out of important talks so that I wouldn’t be able to press the idea further!”
We stare at each other, frozen by this realization. Could Teddy really do this? Plan a citywide panic and hurt the very people he’s been sworn to protect? He’s never been my favorite, yet it doesn’t feel out of the realm of possibility. Even though the villain who organized our kidnapping seemed to have a bigger build than Teddy, it wouldn’t be the first time a baddie padded their suit to seem more intimidating. And honestly? Crafting fake muscles totally seems like something he would do. I was sitting the whole time, so it’s hard to tell if Teddy and Siege would be the same height, but lord knows he loves hovering over me, staring down with gross self-righteousness. Blind ambition is something I understand all too well, but maybe Teddy was finally pushed over the edge.
“We have to do something,” I say as Bridgette nods. “We have to warn HQ!” But before I can pull out my phone, a set of screams from our adjoining train car demands our attention. All the Purple Line passengers flock to the windows as we speed by a neighborhood on fire, flames licking the buildings and trees, black smoke filling the sky. Bridgette gasps, holding on to a handrail for support, and I nearly fall out of my seat from the startling sight. The train only lets us see a sliver of the mayhem before safely carrying us by, but it’s enough to shake me, riling up my worries for Joy, the Warriors, and Chicago at large.
Without the heroes, villains are free to do whatever they please, Siege clearing the way for total chaos.
Without the heroes, no one is safe.
I zone out, all the scariest scenes from Warrior comics and movies colliding into one epically chilling montage in my head, until Bridgette gently squeezes my arm. “Claire? Your phone is ringing.”
I look down, fire still dancing in my eyes, and answer my phone. On the other end, Mom screams, “GET HOME NOW!”
To: All Staff
From: Millicent Montouse
Subject: All Staff Interrogation
All employees must report to headquarters immediately for mandatory interrogation and polygraph tests. No one is to leave the premises until granted permission, and all staff must be prepared to answer questions regarding exact whereabouts during the heroes’ kidnapping.
Any employee who fails to comply will be turned over to the authorities immediately.
Millie Montouse
Chief spokesperson, Chicago Chapter
IT’S WEIRD TO BE IN SOMEONE’S HOUSE for the first time when the inhabitants are screaming at each other. Sitting alone in Claire’s room, I try not to eavesdrop, but keep overhearing scraps of their argument.
I don’t know what to do with you….
Mom, I am making a difference! I am helping to stop this!
I don’t want