MD takes a step forward, and for a moment I believe she might keep going and throttle one of them—probably Lance. "You mean we didn't really graduate before?"
"Yes and no. The Academy wanted to make sure your team didn't just get lucky with Fusion Finn."
"So the Academy decided to put us in a lab with two Fusions," XW says. "What if we had failed?"
Lance takes in XW's anger with a casual shrug. "Then you would've been sent back to complete the rest of your Basic Training."
XW opens his mouth to say something else, but stops himself when QC puts a hand on his shoulder. "What is our reward for passing?"
"I just told you, kid. It's graduation. Now follow me. You and your team are getting out of here."
QC is the first to follow Lance and Finn to the warp pad and out of the containment pad. I am last. I had mentioned tests before, in the clearing, but I never thought I'd actually be right. I can't decide now if I am angry or excited about the promotion.
"Where are we going, sir?" says QC.
"Mt. Neverest," says Finn suddenly. "Normally, it takes a Hero four years to go through Basic Training—we've never had a team finish in half the time. Everyone thought it was an accident."
Finally, I find my voice again: "What's at Mt. Neverest?"
"Your Guides."
I don't know about this part. They don't really tell you what happens after Heroes graduate from the Academy. I only know about the rumors—the ones that say that when you graduate, you get to go on real missions.
"Higher-level Heroes who direct you in the fight against Fuse," says Lance, clearing up any further questions I had. He stops suddenly and jerks his thumb toward the room behind him. "Alright, this is where we leave you guys. Talk to Computress to warp to Mt. Neverest."
I still have questions, so many questions. My team walks into the room, but I can't seem to move from where I am. At least, I can't until I catch Lance watching me. I realize how far I am from my team and try to hurry past him.
Lance stops me by grabbing hold of my arm. He's just as serious as he's been this entire time, but there's something different, something strained about the look on his face now. "Hey. If you guys ever need either of us, you call, okay? You need me, you call me."
I look toward Finn to see what he makes of Lance's words, but even he seems serious now. I want to ask Lance what he makes of all of this, but I can hear QC speaking to Computress. Instead, I say, "Yes, sir." And I know that I mean it.
When I join my friends in the other room, Computress' chilling blue eyes narrow. She's nothing more than a 6-foot tall, blue robot—created by boy-genius Dexter to relay information and assist Heroes—but by the look she gives my team, I'm sure she has her own opinions about our promotion.
Still, she places her hands behind her back and stands erect as she addresses us. "Congratulations. You have officially been promoted. From here, I will direct you to your Guides. As part of your graduation, you have earned the privilege of replacing your Service Letters with a new name."
I didn't know we got names, too. There's only a handful of Urban Rangers who have Service Letters instead of real names—the ones who didn't know their names before they came to the Academy. We don't really even use our Service Letters much in the Academy, though.
Some people, like XW, have used our first letters to address Urban Rangers like us, but that's generally frowned upon. If you want to address us, you use our entire Urban Ranger certified Service Letter. It's a mouthful, but it's "the proper way," as QC would say.
Computress shifts her shoulders back and says, "Step through the portal after I have assigned you a name. Urban Ranger QC."
QC steps forward, pushes his glasses into his nose, and fixes his red hair into a clean cut. Always first, and always the perfect example. His face doesn't show it, but I can tell by his twitching fingers that he's excited too.
"You will now be known as Quinn Coleman. Please step through the warp pad and await further instructions." Moments afters he steps through the portal, Computress turns toward XW and says, "Urban Ranger XW, you will now be known as Wang Xiao Heng. Please step through the warp pad and await further instructions."
He saunters forward and does as he's told. It's good, though, that she sent QC—Quinn—through the portal first. Quinn will make sure Xiao Heng actually waits for MD and me.
MD gives my arm a quick squeeze before she's called by Computress. "Marisol Diaz," she repeats in a whisper. She opens her arms to give me a quick hug, and then salutes Computress before she goes through the warp pad.
"Urban Ranger KS."
I step up to her with wobbling knees. Somehow, I feel even smaller in front of her than I did before. I do my best, though, to stand up straight under her cool gaze.
"You will now be known as Kyrie Sims. Please step through the warp pad and await further instructions."
I let out a breath and walk up to the warp pad. Someone knocks on the door behind me and I turn around to see Lance leaning on the doorframe. I wonder if he's ever had to see anyone off before us.
"Remember what I told you, Kari," he says.
I frown at him and can't help myself from saying, "I think she said it was Kyrie."
He smiles. "I know."
I find myself smiling too, in spite of myself.
"Please step through the warp pad and await further instructions," says Computress a second time.
I smile again, because I really can't help myself with all of my excitement. "See you around, Glance." I hear the faint beginnings of a chuckle as I step into the warp pad. Then, it's blinding sunlight and loud voices. I am more than surprised to see that Mt. Neverest is a giant air base—and there's no telling what we're hovering over.
There are Heroes and kiosks set up all over the place. The most notable things, however, are the statues in the center of everything. I take a moment to appreciate the different people who have been erected. I don't immediately recognize any of them, but I make a note to ask about them later.
I remember suddenly that I should probably be trying to find the others. I thought it would be difficult, but I actually manage to find my teammates quite easily—they're standing in a tight huddle a few feet away from one of statues in front of a different Computress, who's already started giving them new instructions.
I hurry over to them and am able to catch the last bit of information Computress is saying: "Now that your Advanced Training is complete, you must choose a Guide to assist. The Guide you select will determine the primary quest you will pursue. Speak with each Guide before making a decision." When she's done, she turns her back to us and begins addressing some of the other Heroes toward the airships that line the base.
The Null Void makes everything seem so orderly—everyone walks in a straight line and there's no "unnecessary chatter" as you go from one place to the other. Mt. Neverest is nothing like that—another lie from the Academy—but we somehow manage to find Ben Tennyson at the first kiosk.
I'm so happy when Ben smiles at us. He's the only other familiar face for us besides Computress, and I'm almost certain she doesn't really count. Out of all the Heroes who come to help out with Basic Training in the Null Void, Ben visits the most. I was always impressed with him, but even more so now that I know he also juggles being a Guide.
It's been two weeks since I last saw him, but he's mostly the same—same brown hair, same green eyes, same watch. The only thing different is the fact that he's not in the armor I usually see him in. Still, he's Ben, and I couldn't be happier to see him.
"I'm not surprised to see you guys here," he says with his wide smile. "If they'd listened to me earlier, you'd have been here two weeks ago. We don't have as many recruits as we used to."
I don't know why I'm surprised—I should've guessed that Ben knew the truth, too. I sneak a glance at the others. If they're shocked, they do a much better job hiding it than I do. I can't fix my face now, so I just look away and try to distract myself.
Ben runs a hand through his hair. "Sorry. I forgot I have to stick to the script." He shows us his watch—his Omnitrix. "We have to keep Fuse from getting his hands on Earth's alien technology. There's something he wants from this, and if we're going to beat the Fusions, we need to understand more about them. If you'd like to help my friends and I uncover this mystery, then follow me."
He looks at us for some type of reaction, but this time I'm not sure what my face would say. It's certainly a lot of information, and I do wonder what Fuse would want alien technology for. In the Academy, they only tell us that we need to fight Lord Fuse—we don't know what his motivations are.
I don't even know what mine are.
"You guys should probably go and see if you want a different Guide, but I'd be honored to Guide great recruits like you four." He turns and points us toward the second kiosk, where we see a chimp in a cape jumping around.
As we get closer, I'm able to see who it is: Mojo Jojo. I'd heard that the Heroes of the world had needed to band together with a couple of villains, but I hadn't expected one to actually become a possible Guide.
"If you pick Mojo to be your Guide, I will shower you with precious gifts and things," he cries.
Marisol laughs and elbows me in my side. "Well, he's got my attention now." She starts to get closer, but Quinn holds her back by her shoulder.
It doesn't matter that we aren't in front of him, because Mojo isn't really talking to anyone in particular. "Fuse thinks he is the greatest of all super villains, and that is where he is wrong, very wrong! Join me and together we will discover a way to beat Fuse himself! Then the world will know who the greatest super villain really is!" He suddenly ditches his words and begins to make chattering noises.
Xiao Heng and Marisol are laughing, but Quinn herds us all away toward the third kiosk. I wonder how he feels about working with villains—there'll be others beside Mojo.
There's fewer people at this kiosk, and I can easily pick out who's supposed to be the Guide, despite the fact that his head is buried in a book. He barely glances up at us as we stop to listen to him. I can't see much, but I think the book is about the properties of cardboard. Marisol must not have seen this yet, because I know she would've brought it up if she had.
He puts a finger in his book and closes it as he stands up. "Greetings," he says with a giant grin. "I can see you are Heroes of discerning tastes. Perhaps you would allow me to be your Guide, then?"
"Perhaps," says Quinn. I'm not surprised that this is the Guide he's engaged with.
"Brave recruits, I've discovered a treasure map I think is quite valuable! Fuse's minions even attempted to steal it right under my nose! Join me so we can uncover the treasure Fuse so obviously desires!"
Marisol raises a finger and says, "Is it a different treasure than the one that Ben says Fuse is after?"
"Fuse is after many things," says the Guide as he fixes the black cap on his head, "but he's only after one treasure."
Someone puts their hand on the Guide's shoulder, and I have to take a second look because this person looks so much like Quinn. Their faces are both creamy and narrow—Quinn's cheekbones are more prominent—and they both decided at one point to shape their brilliant red hair into an undercut. When I peek under the rims of this boy's glasses, I see blue and not Quinn's familiar green.
"Excuse me, Edd, for the intrusion, but we cannot take any chances!" To us, he says, "You must allow me, Dexter, to Guide you against Fuse."
Xiao Heng crosses his arms. I can tell even before he speaks that Dexter won't be the Guide he chooses. Dexter probably reminds him too much of Quinn, too, which definitely wouldn't be what Xiao Heng wants from a Guide. "Why?"
Dexter narrows his eyes at Xiao Heng and extends a hand over our heads. "Fuse has begun kidnapping heroes!"
I turn to look at what Dexter's pointing to—the statues. From where we are now, I can see the name of the one closest to me: Buttercup. A daughter, a sister, a Hero. I want to know what happened to her. There were only five statues, but I'm sure that didn't cover all of the Heroes who had disappeared.
"I've begun work on creating a device that will allow us to track them down. You must join me so we can save them from Fuse's evil grasp!"
That's what I wanted to do.
Xiao Heng's chestnut eyes lock onto mine, and I wonder if my feelings are on my face again—I wish I was better at hiding that, especially from Xiao Heng. He's always been particularly good at reading me, although I suppose it's not that hard for people to tell what I'm feeling.
"Well, we need time to consider our options," says Quinn. I have half a mind to not follow him back to Computress, but I do anyway. It's not any less quiet where we are now, but it's less crowded, so we don't have to shout as much to hear each other.
"When you are ready to select your Guide," says Computress, "state your name and Guide choice."
"I think it's pretty obvious who we should choose to be our Guide."
I'm not as shocked that Quinn said "we" as I am that Xiao Heng actually nods along with him. They're never in agreement with each other, and I know that this means that the two of them won't agree with my wanting to choose Dexter.
"With our skills and abilities," says Xiao Heng, "we should be allowed to take Fuse down directly. I know he's a villain, but I think Mojo Jojo is our best chance at doing this."
"What," I say, but I'm not nearly as loud as Quinn. I've never seen him so animated. But I guess Xiao Heng's never said something this ridiculous.
Quinn peers down at Xiao Heng over the rim of his thick glasses, but Xiao Heng doesn't seem the least bit intimidated, not that he has reason to be. Quinn has a little more than an inch on Xiao Heng, but Xiao Heng is much more built, with his broad shoulders and thin waist. As usual, Xiao Heng's face gives no hints as to what he's really feeling.
"Don't tell me you're actually considering that animal," Quinn sneers.
"I'm not considering anything," Xiao Heng snaps back. "I've already decided that Mojo is our best option."
"What about Ben?"
"What about him? I'm not duty-bound to serve the man just because he paid us a couple of visits in the Academy."
"It's not about that. It's about serving a man who actually has a plan. Do you realize the damage Fuse could do if he had his hands on alien technology?"
"And what about if Fuse gets his hand on that treasure," Marisol says suddenly.
Xiao Heng groans and throws his hands into the air. "Oh, come on!"
This, Quinn agrees with: "Yes, be serious, Marisol." I wonder when they exchanged their new names. And I wonder why none of them have asked me for mine.
"I am serious! We have the alien technology in our control, under our defenses. We need to focus on getting to this treasure before Fuse does so we can protect it from him."
I scoff, and they all turn to look at me. This might be the first time they remembered I was here. For once, I could see exactly what everyone else was feeling: shock.
"You don't think so, then," Marisol asks as she crosses her arms over her chest. There was a time when her arms would do that and I would pity the person on the other end of those arms—they were always wrong.
I'm beginning to think that those people weren't always wrong, just as I know now that the cause I want to fight for isn't wrong either. "No, I don't. You all heard Ben—we don't have as many recruits as we used to, and I don't think that's unrelated to these missing Heroes. Fuse will get to the alien technology and the treasure anyway if we don't have any Heroes left."
Quinn lifts up his glasses and pinches the bridge of his nose. As his glasses slide back into place, he looks at each of us and says calmly, "We need to go with Ben. If we really want to defeat Fuse, we need to understand his tactics. By knowing our enemy, we can defeat our enemy."
Marisol frowns. "Well, I think that the best way to defeat Fuse is to take control of this treasure of his." Her voice is significantly louder than Quinn's was. "We could end the war faster if we just got our hands on it. I say that we choose Edd as our Guide."
"Why are both of you ignoring the missing Heroes," I ask. "Doesn't that bother you?"
"Let it go, K," says Marisol. "If Fuse really has them, there's nothing you'll be able to do to get them back. If you really want to make a difference—if you really want to take action, you'll come join Edd's mission."
"It's Kyrie," I say, but my whisper of a voice doesn't carry to them.
"Yes," Quinn adds. "They've probably been missing since the beginning of the war, KS—K. Be logical and come with me to help Ben."
"It's Kyrie," I yell, and it's so loud that some of the Heroes who'd formerly been ignoring us stop to look at me as well. But I don't care about that right now. There's only one thing I care about: "My name is Kyrie Sims, and I'm choosing Dexter as my Guide."
Computress had been silent this entire time, but she starts back up at my words. "Kyrie Sims, you have chosen Dexter as your Guide. Is this correct?"
"K—Kyrie," says Quinn, like I'm hysterical and I need to be calmed down. But I don't. My mind has never been clearer. "Don't be rash. Think about this."
I have. I face Computress, and for once, I don't feel small in front of her. "Yes," I tell her. "I choose Dexter."
Something inside of Computress beeps, and then she says, "You have chosen Dexter as your Guide. Congratulations. Go speak with your Guide to receive your first mission."
I turn my back to Computress and face the others. "Maybe it's best we split up."
Something dark passes over Quinn's face, but it's gone in the same second it takes me to notice it. "Kyrie is right. Our separation might even lead to a speedier solution for this war." He lifts his chin and speaks directly to Computress. "Quinn Coleman has chosen Ben Tennyson as his Guide."
He doesn't wait for Computress to speak after he confirms, and when he turns around, he doesn't look at any of us. "Well, it would seem that we have chosen our Guides. I wish you all the best of luck." His already narrow mouth stretches into a thin line and he begins to walk in the direction of Ben's kiosk.
"Quinn," I say, but he doesn't turn around, doesn't stop to hear what I want to say to him. I can still say it to the others. I turn to Marisol as she tells Computress her Guide choice. "Marisol, I—"
She holds up a hand and I feel my voice lose its power again. Before it can return, she closes the distance between us and crushes me in a hug. I wish I could've hugged Quinn. I've spent the past two years with these people, and the weight of the realization that we're each going our separate ways is just now settling onto my shoulders.
It's been an eternity since Marisol first wrapped her arms around me, but when she pulls away, I realize I could've held on longer. Her hands linger around my shoulders. I so desperately want to hug her again, but I restrain because I'm afraid I might cry. She's smiling, but it doesn't reach her eyes—I want to remember the smile that she really means.
"I'll let you know if I find any treasure you might like," she promises. Her brown eyes flicker over my shoulder to Xiao Heng. "I'll give you whatever she hasn't taken."
"She's not shallow like you, Marisol—I'll still have plenty of treasure to pick from even after Kyrie's been through it."
I'm so grateful to Xiao Heng for bringing a real smile to Marisol's face. "Take care of yourself, please," I beg.
"Don't I always? You're the one who needs to make sure she takes care of herself." She gives me a quick squeeze before she skips over to Edd's kiosk.
By the time I turn around, Xiao Heng has finished telling Computress his Guide choice. I'm still shocked he chose Mojo, but I'm sure I've surprised him today as well. He shoves his hands in his pockets and walks over to me. "You're really going to do this on your own," he mumbles. It's not a question.
"It's what's right for me," I tell him.
"Yes, I can see that," he says, huffily. "It's been two years, Kyrie—let it go."
He pretends to be a brute, but he's very observant, especially when it comes to me.
The four of us were considered special before we defeated Fusion Finn—we didn't choose to join the Academy like everyone else. We woke up in the infirmary. No one knows where any of us came from before.
Quinn has always suspected that our story isn't too different than the other ones we've heard: Fuse's minions attacked a city and the Urban Rangers transported any eligible survivors to either the Safe Zones or the Null Void. "No one comes here without asking to be here," said Quinn.
Some Rangers came with siblings, others came as the sole survivors of their families. Some swore they saw Fuse himself when he attacked. "He's green, so green! And those terrible red eyes," Urban Ranger Melissa used to say before she had one of her bunker fits. I learned quickly that asking her any questions wouldn't get me anywhere.
Maybe one of these missing Heroes could help me answer some of my questions. When they weren't classified as "missing" anymore, that was.
I look up and peer into Xiao Heng's eyes. There's nothing there to give me hope that he'll ever understand my reasoning. And I don't try to fight it. I simply say, "I can't."
He lets out a heavy sigh and runs a hand through his already ragged hair. I've always loved it when he did that. He'd be even more handsome with his hair slicked back. "I hope you know what you're doing, Kyrie."
I shrug, though I don't feel nearly as casual about this as the action suggests. "I'll figure things out."
He's still staring at me, and his lips are twitching as if there's something trapped behind them, trying to burst out. I figure he doesn't know how to say goodbye to me. He's not one to hug, like Marisol—and if Quinn hadn't been angry with me, he would've let me hug him. But I know Xiao Heng, and I don't expect a hug from him.
"Hey," I say, gently. "I know you're not one for mushy goodbyes, and you're not obligated to give me one. Alright?"
He presses his lips together and the twitching goes away. "Alright," he says.
I grab his hand and squeeze it before I turn and start to walk toward the fourth kiosk. We never got to it, but I know which one Dexter will be at.
"Kyrie," Xiao Heng says suddenly, and I turn back to look at him.
"Hmm?"
His lips are twitching again. "Just...don't go looking for trouble, okay? These Heroes are missing for their own reasons."
I try to smile as reassuring as I can. "I'll be okay. Please be careful, Xiao Heng," I say, testing out his name for the first time, and his expressions softens entirely. If any of us shouldn't go looking for trouble, it should be Xiao Heng. He always seem to find it—like the way he found Fusion Finn.
Xiao Heng shakes off his softness with a nod and a grim smile. "See you around, Tread Head."
That's the goodbye I expect from him. I take a deep breath as he disappears into the crowd. This wasn't how I wanted to split up with my team—I had never wanted to split up. But it happened, just as this chance I was getting to go succeed at real missions was also happening. I take another breath and make my way over to Dexter's kiosk.
There aren't any other Heroes by his station, and I figure this is why he had to come to another Guide's kiosk. He's in a deep discussion with another Computress when I call his name. He startles slightly and pushes his glasses up his face by the corners—not the middle, like Quinn. "You," he says, clearly flustered. He's looking at me and past me at the same time. "You—you—"
If his kiosk is any indication, he must not get a lot of Heroes. "I've chosen you as my Guide," I confirm.
Dexter coughs and his mind seems to come back from wherever it had been a moment ago. "Yes, I can see that." He smiles and rubs his hands together. "Excellent."
"Do you have something for me to do?"
He nods and motions to his right, directing my attention to another warp pad. I'm not a huge fan of warp pads—the first time I used one, I almost lost my breakfast. "Your first task is to travel to Sector V and locate the Hero Blossom at the KND Treehouse base there. Do anything you can to help out in that area and I will contact you as needed."
I nod and make my way over to the warp pad.
"What is your name," Dexter asks me suddenly.
"Kyrie Sims."
"Kyrie," he repeats. His not-Quinn blue eyes flick up to meet mine. "You have made an excellent choice, Kyrie."
There's a swelling somewhere in my chest that I don't fully know how to describe, but I know that part of it is excitement. In the Null Void, the Heroes recognize your face, but I'm pretty sure none of them actually know our names—or Service Letters, in my case.
But this isn't the Null Void.
My Guide knows my name. He's sending me on real missions. This is it. From here on, no more simulations. No more practice. No more now on, it's all real.
And I'm ready for it.
