Monday, 7th April, 2104


"Okay," I say as I shut the door to the van's driver seat, stuffing a thermos into the cup holder and turning the ignition, "we all know what we've gotta talk about, right?"

Laurie nods. "Mmhmm! Not a normal day out when the first strike is going on!"

She's smiling as she takes the middle shotgun seat of the van, her blue tech bag resurfacing for the first time in months. I think I can spot some notebooks in there, alongside a tiny pencil case she found in the antiques room. I remember Edd mentioning to me it looked a lot like one he used to own, but… Laur and I are pretty sure of the truth.

"Couldn't forget it for a second, Corrie." Emily grins, "Ought to give the guys a chance to get hands-on with chores, give us all a moment to actually think… Even if we may be under a bit of surveillance while we're out, if what Laurie says is true."

"Eh, nothing to worry about, Emily." Laur waves it off, "If my test break-ins to Phoenix have gone well, then I can actually break into them. Plus, I could hack into the cameras at Foyles and keep them off our tracks. Legion can do the same too."

Em rolls her eyes as she takes the seat next to Laur and clicks in her seatbelt. I can't hold back a tiny sigh of relief as she texts someone over her phone, then holding it up to show it's her parents. Still, I can't help but think there's too many text walls from the left, barely broken up from the right.

"Goodness. At least," she shuts the other door closed, "Foyles should give us a different space to re-evaluate everything."

That, I agree with.

Releasing the handbrake and stick-shifting to Z gear, I can't help but crack the biggest grin and chuckle a little as the van lifts up and sets to hovermode. I can't help imagining the guys' faces down below as we leave Dirdum Lane behind. Flying cars were, after all, stuff of stories they said happened about Christmastime nearly a century ago.

"Corrie? What are you laughing about?"

"Oh," I catch my breath as I find my way onto the nearest skyroad, "Nothing, Emmy."


"Laur, just curious, what's in your bag?"

"School notebooks and the journal, Emily," she states matter-of-factly while holding and fiddling with a holo the size of a GameBoy, "Maybe since the strike is on, I figured I'd take some time to catch up on some homework."

"Doesn't seem like a bad idea, Laur," I admit, "But we still have bigger fish to fry and talk about than school."

"If only they stopped acting like the biggest fish in the pond, I wouldn't have brought my homework!"

I can't help but snort, "Did someone learn from the Richwells Academy of Snark recently?"

"Shut up Cora! He won't stop calling me Duckling and I hate that I might be getting used to it! Doesn't help with Tord catching on!"

I snort, trying to hold my laughter back. Glancing at Em, she's covering her mouth with one hand, trying to hold back giggles.

"Still Laurie, it's not the worst thing. And we did come out here to have a break, too," Em places a hand on my sister's shoulder, "We shouldn't stay stressed at every situation on hand. I'm glad a hot drink at Foyles will do us all some good."

I take an uneasy glance at my thermos of Nectar in the cup holder, unopened since I secretly filled it this morning.

Not sure how coffee on top of that stuff would do me any good.

But I guess we'll see.

"Recalculating… In ten kilometers, turn left at the roundabout, third exit. There is little airtraffic today, and you are on the fastest route to your destination."

"Wish I heard that coming here with Jasper," Laur sighs, "I hated how long the ride was."

I shake my head at the memory of it, but still manage a faint grin and an unapologetic secret sip of Nectar.


"Em, Laur, just remember where we parked the van, kay? I don't want to lose that thing."

"Don't be silly, it's in still-hover mode just on the other side of here," Em rolls her eyes with a small smile, "It should be fine."

The smell of old books hits me like a tonne of bricks the moment we enter the store. God, this brings so much instant ease… I've honestly missed coming here for study after school. Though…

"Say, Laurie?" I wonder aloud, "Why would Foyles still be open during the strike?"

"I think they're just playing chaotic neutral, Cora. I remember seeing threads on it being a safe spot on the forums. Plus, I don't think it's started yet. Soooo, when we're up in the cafe, what're we gonna have?"

"My usual tea as always, Laurie." Em points out, "You?"

"...Same old, honestly. What about you, Cora?"

"Erm… An Argentinian Mocha Espresso?"

Oh they're giving me that look. Funny, hadn't seen it since earlier this winter.

"What?"

"Are… Are you asking for death by caffeine and sugar, Corrie?"

"Oh psh, it's not really that bad. I was gonna take it in a small size and a spot of milk next to it."

"Sure you were," my sister scoffs, "And I dibs first sip on helping you out."

"Laurie!"

"I'm just saying Corrie, you don't look desperate to take a drink that strong."

"It'll be fiiine, Em, don't you worry."

"Well… Okay then, Corrie. We should start searching for books which may help us out, both with the home situation, Laurie's homework and just simple pleasures for ourselves. Though… We'll still have a lot to talk about "

"I can take care of myself for study and take a proper crack into the firebird - actually, let's split and go looking for what we want and need, and we'll meet up at the cafe when we're ready."

"Good thinking, Goldilocks." I nod, "See you all in a bit!"

"…Honestly, I think I prefer Duckling better to that."


"Alright, let's see what I have so far…" I stand aside and take a look at what I have in my basket of books, "A couple Manuals to Holograms of All Types, An Updated History of Technology, History of Artificial Intelligence, Eye of Minds by James Dashner… and A Complete History of Beverages."

"Huh! Didn't know you were into James Dashner."

"Ahh! Emmy, don't frighten me like that!"

"Sorry Cor, I was just curious why you picked it out."

"'Seems interesting," I shrug, "I read the first two chapters for context on the world it's set in and it just caught my attention. It's got something like VR, but boosted to include all senses and even support your body for maybe even a few days."

"Well," Em's impressed, "Some things people in the Twenty-First Century just reach out beyond us. I mean, I suppose if what you mentioned had some sort of cryogenic factor for it, I bet sessions could last for… Decades, a century, even."

I nod at the thought - a game session nearly lasting a century would be fun, especially if you could drag your friends into it-

Wait.

That's kinda like the scenario with-

"We are hashtag Ready to Party! Say it loud! Red Party Unfair!"

What the hell-

"Freeze the Phoenix!"

Oh, right. The strike. Laurie's suggested strike… I didn't even notice people making their way out of the bookstore to join.

"Lawson is a liar!"

We share a disturbed look, slowly making our way upstairs to the cafe with our book baskets in hand.

"Goodness gracious, I thought they didn't have anything against Thor!"

"Neither did I..."

"I'll… I'll try to find Laurie or a spot for us to sit down. You wouldn't mind waiting in queue, would you?"

"It's fine, Emmy. It's actually quite short, so you go ahead."

The moment Em isn't looking, I pull my thermos out the basket and take another sip of Nectar.

A sip turns to a gulp, and a gulp turns into three. Good god, I'm not even halfway done with this.

"Cora?"

Wait, where's-

"Cora, I'm over here! Bring Emily too!"

I spot Laurie sitting down, waving and pointing to where she and her holos are. I can't hide my smile.

Bless her soul, she's even got our drinks-

Wait.

"Laurie, did you drink my mocha?"

"I'd prefer to say that I delayed you from drinking it until your arrival."

"...You're paying for the next one out of your own pocket."


"So." I check again at Laur's holos, sitting opposite to her and Em, "English is done, Math assignment's close to finished, IT code's complete… Is there anything else from school, Laurie?"

"That's all the homework there was from Thursday. And I got what I could from today's subjects and did that too. I started it all after I had breakfast, so we could finish more stuff from home."

"A smart move, Laurie," Emily smiles and my sister beams. "So," she pulls out the journal from her book basket, "Where should we pick up from?"

Wait. Em pulled it from her book basket.

Which means…

"I didn't really explain much on what's going on at school and politics from our slumber party," Laur admits, "I meant to, but I think we were all too tired."

Em and I share a glance.

Anything to keep her mind off the journal.

"Go on," I nod, "What did we miss?"

"It's pretty much war between most of the student body and a chunk on our older teachers on who supports… Well, the Legend or not." Laur shrugs, glancing down at the empty cup where my first mocha was, "I'm glad there's such support, but not every classmate would cheer for me if they knew if I were part of the legend.

"I know there's enough students who don't like the legend," Laur goes on, "only to see the absolute chaos they left behind in chat rooms, forums and plain social media. It's not fun all the time - even when Tom and Tord took a glance at those, they told me to lay low. I just… I just have to keep my head down and hope nobody cares enough to watch what I'm doing."

"Goodness," Emily breathes, "It's strange to believe that it's all happening now. As we speak, even! Not hard, but… Strange. Is there really nobody you can trust?"

"Not even the Lawson cousins there. As much as I like Toby more than Don and Blitz for obvious reasons, I don't know if he'd be the type to keep a secret to the point of taking it to the grave. And I have more than enough suspicion to guess that the L-twins are stirring up anti-Legend stuff."

"Good Heavens, Laurie. At least you have us. Hold on, why would there be people against... You-know-who?"

"I think there's still a kind of sore spot from Anonymous," Laur admits, "But it's been half a century ago, it doesn't make sense!"

"It would," I suggest, "if it's got anything to do with their effects on the current state of the internet. I don't think they'd like big secret vigilante groups suddenly revealing themselves to be so… Omnipotent? Look, I'm not even into this and it sounds terrifying, Laur. You remember the posters against anon at the museum trips, right?"

"Alright, you got me. Maybe. It's… What's the word, disconnecting? Disorienting, I dunno, dis-something to know only my suggestions of strikes in the forums came to real life. It's weird, but kinda cool?"

I can't help but think of the hashtag used to start the whole thing. Both online and IRL.

"God Laurie," I nod, "you really are chaotic. Wait, there's no pro-Reds? What if people like the Red Party?"

"As cool as Uncle Thor is, why would anybody even think of voting for them? Sidney's given them enough bad press and rep as it is! It doesn't matter if you like the legend or not, the Red Party's still awful! It's one thing both sides agree on!"

True.

Em's phone buzzes in the usual 'text' signal, but she doesn't immediately respond.

"Your parents, Emily?"

"No, Laur. Yours."

Zzz zzz!

" …Aaand mine. They're both asking how we're doing. You and Cora did tell them we'd be taking the day off on the strike, right Laurie?"

"U-um… Cora?"

"Course I did, Emmy. No biggie. Tell them we're safe and chilling together."

"Aaand… Sent. So! Anything else?"

Please don't open the journal please don't open the journal please don't open-

"Hold on," Laur holds her hand up, "did I talk about the Red Party rumours last time?"

Phew.

"Go ahead, Laurie." I say, "Stage is yours."

"Do… You want all of them or just the top three?"

"Goodness gracious, how many rumours are out there?"

"Many?"

"Oh, dear dear… I suppose we could stick to the top three… Goodness, I wish this sort of mess weren't happening right now."

Me too Emily, me too.


"Sooo… If we're going from three to one, the third biggest non-Legend rumour going around school is that the digital poll booths are gonna be provided by a secret flame fowl, therefore rigged by McCoy and the Red Party."

"Flame fowl?" I wonder.

"You get it, Cor."

Oh. Right.

"It's at least half-true," Em points out as she materialises a pen from nowhere, "and I understand as to how, but why the focus on Sidney and his old company? Despite, well… You understand, the links to the guys."

She cracks the journal open to a new page and starts writing. I hope I'm not sweating.

"We're getting there. The second rumour is that the Firebird vs Pepper case was entirely unfair and unjustful on the Pepper side."

As Em writes the next part down, I'm unable to ignore the earlier notes I made with Edd.

If this is the same Pepper company…

"Bringing up a closed case from a few months ago? Goodness, what does everyone have against Sidney to pull that on him? Nevermind, in hindsight, it's understandable. Don't get me started on how deep his corruption of the law allowed this to happen and how he got away with it!"

"I won't, Emily. And I'm getting there! Look, the biggest rumour going around is a conspiracy theory. It's one that's spread far and wide even out of the UK. It's a huge talk on the forums too."

She pauses, graciously letting Emmy write down the information and thoughts which keep stewing.

"Goodness, we're seriously going to use that journal for everything strange right now, aren't we?"

"Then we'll have to get a second to make us mysterious Authors of the Journals," I grin at Em's immediate eyeroll and my sister's approving fingerguns, "Seriously though, as you were saying Laurie?"

"Yeah, okay. The theory going around is that the Red Party, once it wins the polls and takes place in Parliament… It'll turn the government into a dictatorship, create a Red Army to take over all of England, then the rest of the UK before it takes the world."

I stare at what Em's transcribed in shock. A stifling cold air fills the room.

"Laurel Dai," I breathe, "You can't be serious."

She shakes her head.

"I really wish I wasn't. But that's what's going around. God, it's weird. I feel kinda sick thinking about it."

"Me too," I admit. "I don't know why, but I feel like my gut's going into knots at the thought of it."

"Indeed." Em nods, "I think there's some spiritual warfare behind it which is somehow affecting all of us."

Funny. Just hearing those words makes the knots just a little looser.

I'm glad she's praying again-

"Gracious… This journal is fuller than I recall."

Oh, no.

"E-erm…"

"Cora, is everything alright?"

"Y-yeah, it's fine Emmy."

I take a long sip from the new mocha, drinking it until there's enough to mix in with the whole small pot of milk.

Looking back at Em, I swear she's glancing at my Nectar notes. Her eyebrows knit in a small frown.

Why didn't I take a different notebook that day? Why why why?

"Cora. What's in there that's worrying you?"

Even Laurie looks up from the complex and code-lengthy holos she's been tapping at.

"I-it's a secret-"

"Cora, please," Em's voice is clear and firm, yet gentle, as she takes my hand in hers, "If there's something you're not telling us and you're not ready for it, that's understandable, and we respect your privacy. But I don't want your secrets to even have a possibility of potentially hurting us all.

"We all agreed at the slumber party," she continues, "to have some sort of accountability to each other. If it's hurting you, we'll need to hear about it at some stage, if not now. I promise, it'll be a safe space, and it won't go out to anyone else if you don't want it to. But we three need to stay accountable to each other. We're here for you; me and Laurie. We mean it."

My little sister's nodding, a sympathetic smile on her face. I take in a deep breath and force jitters out as much as possible. I barely hear Laurie hit enter on something as I take a breath.

"I drank Nectar. I still do."

"Whoa, whaaaa?"

"Pardon?"

"Edd saw me do it, and then…" I stop from rambling on, taking in a breath and a sip from my thermos. "It all started the night I first came home early from work…"


"So. Yeah. That's my life right now. I'm sorry I didn't get to you two sooner about this."

It's like a brick's lodged in my throat, my eyes are stuck downwards - unable to look at Em or Laur.

"I wrote some notes trying to link a bunch of stuff while you were talking," Laurie pipes in as I take the journal and begin to read from it, "It makes a bunch of sense, honestly. That beverages book you found helped."

"Well, you're certainly… Oh my god," I skim over her notes a couple times, but my eyes widen as I reread them over and over. I hand the journal over for Emmy to have a look while my gears turn.


-Weird electrical messes have been happening ever since we came to 27 Dirdum Lane, maybe even longer. -
-This is revealed to be from Edd, Tom, Matt and Tord, who were presumed dead for a long time, but aren't. They're ghostly, but not supernaturally. It's technological.
-Based on what Edd mentioned to Cora recently, he believes he's still human. This most likely goes for the others too. They could be right.
-Over time, the code Tord and I have been putting out has made them less 'ghostly' and more 'human' in interacting with the world around them and us. (funny, how does that code all seem to fit them so well?)
-Side note: The source of their 'ghost-appearances' are from Phoenix. They're literally a backdoor into their servers. (Legion thinks it's too risky to keep using, but if I can redirect my way into a different back door to open up, then it should be fine. Just a few more times wouldn't hurt.)

BIGGEST QUESTION: How did they get like this?

Answer: The Disappearances.

How? We don't know. Yet. But we do have some evidence:

-Edd mentioned he and his friends began 'dreaming' in an RPG-game-like state in about late March 2030. -
-The Disappearances, according to what we know from Jaxx and the twins, occurred on 25th March, 2030.
-Edd mentioned he and his friends were married to their own spouses and had kids already - leaving chance to future grandkids very open, even if the granddads wouldn't be around.

This seems all fine, but a bit weak. However, the Nectar notes have some seemingly unrelated events unless we take a closer look..

-Edd's favourite drink, 'cola', was banned globally on 25th March 2030 by the wish of an American General's last will, which had gone public in parliament before then. (Source: A Complete History of Beverages. Thanks Cora.). Which is the exact same date as the Disappearances.
-Side note, the General had the last name of McCoy. Might be nothing, but do they relate to Sidney McCoy of today?
-Nectar-shipping and its associates of PPSY, Fantasy and Pepper (as in from the Firebird case?)were formed in late 2030. Which wouldn't mean much, EXCEPT:
-The first branch and business of Nectar was formed by a 14-year-old Edward Gold II, AKA Eddie Jr, AKA Edd's eldest son.


...

...Holy crap.

This is a bigger mystery than I thought.

"But it feels right to make the guess that all of these things are linked! Some more directly than others! You can see that, right?"

"I think you're beyond correct, Laurie," Emily shakily sighs, nodding, "I pray about it and I know it's true."

"I feel it too. I… I'm glad we took the time to talk about all this. Sorry about holding back the Nectar stuff for so long."

"It's alright, Corrie. It'll be better next time and it's nothing to be guilty about. But please talk to us about this stuff if it's bothering you - we just want to help."

I take a deep breath in, then shove a heavy exhale out of my chest.

"… Yeah." I finally manage after a long, long sip of my mocha, "I'll try to talk about it more."

"That's the spirit, Corrie."

Her eyes could always smile brighter than the rest of her face…

"Aaaaand… There."

"What did you send, Laur?" Em asks.

Laurie's expression turns strangely serious, scrolling through her holos for a moment, refreshing them, then turning off everything.

"Laurie?" I wonder, taking one of two final sips of my mocha, "What's going on?"

"We need to go," her voice trying to hide panic, "The city's gonna be safer."

Glancing outside, I'd say to skip the city entirely. The protest is now massive, with even a tiny stage set up. Those who are on it look to be Red Party official people.

"Yikes," I shake my head, "Wait a sec, is that…?!"

"Goodness gracious, Sidney McCoy!"

"Not surprised he's here," Laur mutters shakily, "I've let the legend raid the flame fowl servers just now. The post with my passcodes and everything is going wild in the forums. I hope I've covered all my tracks… I know they said not to get involved, but…"

Standing up, I take a large swig of my Nectar thermos.

"You should listen to them, Laur. And don't you guys worry about taking the books," I wave it off as I grab the journal, "Let's just get outta here."


"Sidney's a snake!"

Yeesh.

"Phoenix farce!"

Anything better to say?

"McCoy is a muck-up!"

Okay, that's too British of a saying not to laugh at.

We've barely made it halfway through the street and we're swarmed by protestors chanting, holding signs and propping up… Ahem, impolite imagery. I find myself looking through the crowd to see if there's any sign, any symbol of Legion anywhere.

So much to get back home.

"Emily, can you not cover my eyes as we walk?"

"You're too pure to see all the things up there, I'll stop once we're in the van!

Honestly I'm with Em on this. I don't want Laurie to see Sidney's head on… Ahem.

"I believe it's close to where the stage is, but taking off might be a bit tricky since it's hover-parked. That, and, well… An entire protest is going on. If we can get it past the stage, we'll have a better chance of getting out of here."

"What if the security tries to stop us?"

"Laurie, if that happens, you stand in front of the number plate and I'll explain that we just wanted to leave after a meeting."

Well, Em's not lying.

"Can someone please give a better explanation of what's going on?"

Honestly Laur, same.

"The Red Party's started their tour over London and our strike just intercepted it," a disgruntled protester answers for us, "We're obviously protesting against it, but I heard they might do a Q&A session for us. If we're lucky. I swear if Sidney's the one answering everything with bull-"

"Good people, can I have your attention, please?"

Everything stops, quiet falling hard.

That's not Sidney.

"I… Understand your anger. Which is why I'm hosting this event to try and answer some of your questions as truthfully as possible. No party filters, no media filters, just simple honesty."

"Cora? What's Uncle Thor doing here?"


"...Emily. Get Laurie to the van and get it out behind that stage, on the rest of the street.

"What?"

"Laur, if you can find your people, get them to help us."

I start pushing my way to a set of stairs leading to the stage.

"Cora-!"

"Corrie-"

"Go, I need to do something, I'll join you soon."

"Who wants to come up first?"

I shoot my hand up in the air within a second and head up the stairs. As I make my way up, I spot Sidney standing farther away in the back, but I try to avoid eye contact. I can't help but try and see if I can find that mysterious man in black who's been in his posse ever since I've spotted him in press photos, but… No sign. No other similar hairdos like Sidney's.

As I stand on the stage, I accept a microphone offered by a Red Party staff member. I've held mics before, but this one feels peculiarly weird in a way I can't figure out. I try to ignore it: I've got no intention to use it.

I stare at my uncle, dressed in a suit, holding a trenchcoat and his eyes full of shock and…

Fear?

I get in closer - far off from the protesters at the front, but not hopefully not too close for Thor's handless mic, Red Party people or any potential nearby drones to pick up anything I'm saying.

"Thor," I try and pick my words carefully, my voice soft as I can make it while keeping the mic I'm holding far away from me, "You've never been political. You aren't. What's going on?"

His Adam's apple is bobbing, eyes are wide and his fists clenched tight. He folds his thumb into his hand and squeezes his fingers over the top of it.

Cora, help. Please. Get me out of here.

I'm sorry. I can't.

His eyebrows set themselves firm as he glances quickly around his party and the sea of protestors before staring right into my eyes, saying one word.

"Run."


I'm almost back at the stairs when Sidney claws my arm tightly.

"What did you say to him?! What did he mean by run?! We need to know!"

He looks like Sidney, but I don't think he is.

"No you don't!"

I push him off me and onto the stage floor before I jump down all the stairs - but for a split moment, I see his cold and vacant eyes fill with shock as he goes down.

Whoa. Maybe it's the first time he's felt something since the Firebird case.

Tossing the microphone back to the Red Party handlers, I make a break for it.

Okay, van's on the rest of the street behind the stage and there's no security to stop me, thank God for Legion. Still, I pull the hood up and over my head, yanking down the strings. Can't be too sure.

"Come on Cora," I hear Laurie chanting me on, "You're almost here!"

Don't look back don't look back don't look back don't stop don't stop don't stop-

BOOM!

I scrape myself on the road as I trip and fall - gratefully close to the van- but I look up to see the dreaded glow of an orange blast. Flames licking the stage, screams piercing-

Right there.

Holding a trigger in his hand, staring into the fires.

It's him.

The Man In Black.

I can hear my own heartbeat as he slowly turns around-

"Cora!"

I clamber into the driver's seat of the van, slam the door shut and rev out of a burning Charing Cross Road.

I hope he didn't see me.


I don't know how much Nectar I've downed since we left behind that protest, but the thermos is nearly empty. My arm still hurts more where Sidney clawed me than the scrapes from my fall. My head and heart are still pounding like a million alarm bells from the sight of the Man In Black.

Maybe the radio might calm me down-

"We interrupt this broadcast for the latest breaking news, live from Charing Cross Road with Will Creenan. Will, how is the situation over there?"

"Well, I am standing here in the aftermath of an insanity path, from a peaceful protest against the Red Party's political tour of London turned unexpectedly violent in a matter of moments. Protesters are just now getting medical treatment after getting each other to safety, and some are feared to be fatal casualties. From what we have heard of eyewitness accounts and the footage from multiple livestreams including the official Red Party's, election candidate Thorfrid Lawson the IV was hosting an open Q&A with the protestors; when the first one came up, took a microphone that later turned out to be a thermal grenade, and asked Lawson an unheard question.

Thermal grenade?!

"Now, nobody knows what the protester asked the candidate except for him, but the answer given was to 'run'. Official sources say that when Sidney McCoy asked the protester what was said, they pushed him back and tossed the microphone back to the stage. However, multiple eyewitness accounts testify that McCoy was assaulting the protester by gripping their arm and harshly demanding an answer before they pushed him back. The protester was last seen running behind the stage to escape, and authorities are now looking for them. They have, however, learned that security was held back by other protesters to let this individual escape, and it is unclear if they would have any personal ties to any party members.

"While various Red Party personnel have spoken, claiming this to be a planned terrorist attack from the mysterious cybergroup named Legend of Legion we've reported on before, witnesses' testimonies and the livestreams show otherwise. They revealed the protester was given the thermal grenade microphone by a Red Party staff member which McCoy himself, and his relative, had held earlier. In a similar vein to the party's claims, there has recently been a cybersecurity breach on their business servers, which is estimated to have begun around about the same time the mystery protestor asked Lawson their question. McCoy and Lawson, clearly shaken by the events, have declined to comment. Police are still investigating, and we will keep you up to date as the story furthers on. Will Creenan, BBC news."

I grit my teeth while slowly making a landing into the hidden forest not far from home, before stopping and turning off the van completely.

The silence… It's so thick. I can feel Em and Laurie's eyes on me. I can even hear my own rapid heartbeat.

"He clawed my arm," I slowly manage, gingerly holding the spot, "And yelled at me for an answer. I didn't know that mic-" My throat clams up and my eyes clench shut.

Everything repeats itself: the fear in Thor's eyes, the orange glow, the screams, the man in black, over and over and over and over and over-

"-It wasn't a thermal grenade," my voice breaks, "I saw him, S-Sid's relative, holding-!"

"Cora? Can I drive us home?"

It's a harsh effort to look up at Laurie's face and fight back tears.

"I-I think it'd be good for me to learn."

I glance at Em, who's nodding at me while slowly finishing a text at the same time. Maybe she's explaining the strike to her parents…

Come over. You're not doing well and you need to sit out for a bit.

"...Okay."


Laurie's driving is easy, gentle and radio-free. But my mind strays away from it.

As I lean my head on Em's shoulder and hold my shivering hand in hers, I can only think on one thing.

There's a storm on the horizon. I know there is. And it's coming for us. Not just me, Laur and Em, but the guys too. Even Uncle Thor.

If things are looking bleak from today, I've got a bad feeling they're bound to get worse.