Hermes's POV
Lydia has begun training with us. We're working together to try and develop moves including two or more of us and combine our powers.
But I can't focus. I'm too paranoid about where the next attack is inevitably going to happen. Even Anke can't help me focus. She tries, she really does, but it doesn't help. I can't focus on anything except where the next attack will happen.
Commander Carl has taken my advice and told everyone that they must travel in at the very least a group of three, though it is advised that it is a group of six or so, for protection. And people do it, because they're scared. They don't want to be caught defenceless. They know that one Bionic can take down five agents at once, and unfortunately that has re-increased the amount of prejudice we get.
Lydia has it worst, though. Because she actually did attack us, people are showing twice the amount of hatred towards her than they do to me, Anke, Adrian, Lateysha, and Noah combined. This hatred manifests itself mostly in a lot of fear, people avoiding her, and a few cocky idiots who try to throw stuff at her, before she makes the stuff literally blow up in their faces. They stop pretty soon after that but there are still one or two morons who never learn.
Perry's POV
I'm sitting in my office, doing paperwork that I need to do to become Lydia's patron.
Basically, if a non-OWCA animal wants to join OWCA, they need a patron: someone to vouch for them. It can't be a family member, so Terry asked me to be Lydia's patron. All I need to do is fill in a few forms and sign an agreement that until Lydia is of age (eight years old), I will be responsible for anything that goes wrong to do with her. It is a little unfair, since the parent (in this case, her father) should be responsible for their child's behaviour, but since Lydia has powers and my son has powers too, Terry and I both believe that I am the one with the most experience to deal with this. I would have volunteered Hermes to do this, as he has even more experience, but apparently a patron has to be at least eight years old. Hermes is five.
Just after I sign my name at the bottom of the last form, I shake my numb hand to get the feeling back into my fingers. I've been writing for the last hour. I would have filled in an electronic copy of the forms on my computer but since Commander Carl took over, the whole computer system has had to be updated with new firewalls and everything. And since we only have one IT technician, she's working overtime (thanks, Kelly) and she still has several days' worth of work left to go. This means that no computers work in OWCA at the moment.
I stand up, stretch, and gather up the forms. I leave my cubicle, waving to Pinky, who's passing by on the other side. As I turn right at a T-junction, I almost literally bump into a tall, dark skinned woman who is heading in the same direction from the opposite way. Her black hair is in ringlets, and she wears a tight silver office dress.
It takes me a minute to recognise her. After all, I haven't seen her since she was fifteen or so.
"Rai, good to see you! I heard you were starting work here."
"I am indeed," smiles Rai. "Though I signed up to be Major Monogram's assistant, I now find myself as Commander Carl's assistant. Not that that's a bad thing, I just wasn't expecting it. It's nice to join the staff here."
"We literally only have six staff members here," I grin. "Apollo, Artemis, Kelly, you, Jayne, and Lincoln."
"Lincoln?"
"Lincoln Grey," I explain. "It makes sense you haven't met him yet: he hasn't actually started yet. Commander Carl hired him a yesterday but he only starts next week. Kelly is our only IT person and we're in the middle of a large changeover and we need an extra technician so we got Lincoln. I've met him. He's really nerdy and antisocial. Kind of like Kelly."
"I've heard of Kelly but I haven't met her yet," says Rai. "I have met Apollo and Artemis, though, and I love them to bits already."
"They're very sweet, aren't they?" I smile and tip my hat to Rai. "Anyway, I need to get these forms to Carl."
"I'm going there now, I can take them," offers Rai. "I am his new secretary, after all."
"That would be helpful, Rai, thank you."
I hand them gratefully to Rai and say, "if he asks, tell him it's about the patronage."
"Okay. See you, Perry. Or should I call you Agent P?" Rai asks.
"I'm fine with you calling me Perry but I think you should call the others by their titles," I advise. "Some like that better."
"Got it. Thanks, Perry."
She leaves, the heels of her shoes making a muted noise on the carpet. I decide to head back to my office, but, before I can, I hear a loud bang from outside. Immediately after that, the whole building briefly rocks, then everything settles. I steady myself, wondering what on earth that was, before I see a familiar blue turtle running up to me.
"Perry!"
I reach out an arm and catch her as she nearly runs into me. "Lydia, are you okay?"
The blue turtle looks distraught. "It-it's not my f-fault! I-I didn't know wh-what to d-do, I couldn't find D-Dad, I just-I just-."
"Lydia, calm down." I put my hands reassuringly on her shoulders. "What happened?"
Lydia backs out of my grasp, takes my wrist, and pulls me in the direction she was coming in. We leave the OWCA building and go through the field behind OWCA. At the back of the field is the beginning of a forest, and this apparently is where Lydia is taking me. As we get closer, I see a pink residue in the air, and a tree has been toppled over. Lying a little away from the tree is the small, light brown body of what looks to be a lynx or some such animal. From my view, it looks to be male and unconscious.
"Is...is he alive?" I ask hesitantly.
"I-I don't know! I was out here practising my powers away from OWCA with little stones but I saw him and got a fright while holding a small ignited stone which I accidentally threw at the tree, making it topple over, and-oh no, I killed him!" babbles Lydia.
While Lydia is panicking, I bend down and examine the lynx. He has various injuries, but...there's something odd about them.
"No you didn't," I tell Lydia. "He isn't dead. And besides, none of these injuries he has have been inflicted by either you or the falling tree."
"Then...where did he get the injuries from?"
All of a sudden, the lynx jerks, making Lydia yelp and me leap backwards with fright. He reaches towards me like a zombie and croaks, "they're coming, all of them."
Then he sinks to the floor and passes out again.
...
ALL OF WHO? FIND OUT NEXT TIME!
