* * *

  Sarah ran down the hall, flips flops clacking along the way. There was surely a log somewhere of how many times she’d been seen running around the compound in her flip flops. Everyone would be able to recognize the sound by now.

  She slowed down, trying not to let her pace match the pounding of her heart. Shoving a bit of patience down her throat, she went for the elevator instead of running all the way up the stairs.

  A brief glance at the monitors once she reached Comm showed her nothing of interest. There was also no sign of Pegasus or the rest of Griffon’s team anywhere on the main floor.

  Notebook firmly clasped in her hands, she started towards November’s station. If they had already left, she could have a message delivered to Pegasus.

  She still hadn’t figured out what to say when she came to a stop in front of November, trying not to look like the disheveled mess she was. He stared at her for a moment, then nodded towards one of the meeting rooms. “I assume that’s what you’re looking for.”

  “Thanks.” She was walking over when the door opened.

  Griffon and Mermaid were the first ones out of the room, followed by Pegasus and Unicorn. Pegasus spotted her instantly. After a brief exchange with Griffon, he headed her way.

  Mermaid sauntered past, grinning. “Are we gonna have to start re-adjusting our schedule to accommodate for long teary goodbyes as lovers part?”

  Pegasus shooed her away, leading Sarah to a more secluded corner.

  Sarah handed him her notebook before saying anything, pointing to the bottom of the page in question.

  The change in his expression was instantaneous. “When did you write this?”

  “Is that where you’re going?”

  He nodded. “Did you see something else?”

  “Not much.” Not much she understood anyway. “The problem is I don’t remember writing that.”

  Pegasus was reading the rest of the notes on that page. He pointed at the first lines. “Do you think there’s a connection between the shipping company and these other events with the smoke and fire?”

  “I don’t know. It could all be related and it could belong to some other time. Some of it may not even exist anymore.”

  “But there’s a chance.” His eyes narrowed in the distance as if his mind were calculating all the different scenarios. “As it stands, most of the team is expecting little resistance. Everyone thinks this’ll be another dead end.”

  Sarah clenched her fists. “Is there enough time for a new plan?”

  As if hearing her, Scorpion called towards them: “We’re leaving in five with or without you.”

  “It’s too much of a coincidence for a fire to spontaneously start simply because we’re there, so maybe that’s why I’ve been thinking on an explosion.” That also matched with her feeling that everyone died. “So what do we do? Anyone on the team good with explosives?”

  His lips twitched. “Scorpion has some training, but she always blows us up in simulations.” Pegasus grabbed her hand and started leading her towards Zeus’ office. He touched his com, activating it. “Cypher?”

  Sarah looked around, searching for Cypher. He would probably be surprised to have a com turned on inside the compound.

  “Yes, I know,” Pegasus said hurriedly. “Do me a favor. Check if anyone available has advanced explosives training—disarming, not setting them off.”

  Knocking on Zeus’ door, he opened it without waiting for a reply.

  Pegasus turned off his com, probably ignoring all the questions Cypher would be asking. “Scorpion might be an option in a pinch. I think she always blows us up on purpose during simulations.”

  Zeus lifted his gaze towards them as they entered. “Mind telling me who’s going to be blowing up who?”

  Sarah stopped right inside the door as Pegasus approached Zeus’ desk and handed him her notebook. He tapped the bottom of the page. “She’s not sure if the note about New Nation and Tallulah are related to the other visions. She doesn’t even remember putting it there.”

  Zeus looked up from the page to fix his gaze on her. “But this is your handwriting?”

  Sarah stepped forward, drawn in. “There’s a recurring dream about a hallway. I’m always sure we’re gonna die.”

  Zeus leaned back in his chair, pulling her notebook towards him. “Nothing if not ominous.”

  Pegasus shrugged. “We weren’t expecting to find anything at this location either, but this suggests we’ll encounter resistance.”

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  “I don’t know if the smoke and fire elements are from that same dream, but it would make sense if there was an explosion.”

  “That’s why I was asking Cypher if anyone has more than basic explosives training. Either way, we should change our plan.”

  “Yes, it would be nice to get another team involved.” Zeus went onto his computer. “Mockingbird is out with Falcon’s team right now. They’re heading back now, so I’ll divert them to meet you on site. Both her and Falcon have extensive experience with explosives. We’ll also add Eagle and Hawk as support. They’re available. If anyone asks, we redid the risk analysis.”

  “Is there a way to secure the building without going inside?” Sarah asked.

  Pegasus shook his head. “There’s no way to lock it down without a small army—which we do not have available. The blueprint we have might not be accurate. A lot of the buildings in that area had separate exits that weren’t on file. It wasn’t uncommon back in the day.”

  “Most have been closed up, but not all.”

  Pegasus turned to her. “One more thing, did you figure out why you had Wolf’s name up on your wall? He’s taking your place again.”

  “I can’t remember ever seeing him anywhere in this dream.”

  “I’ve checked for any abnormalities around him. There’s nothing.” Zeus closed her notebook, offering it back to Pegasus. “Keep an eye out.”

  Pegasus handed Sarah back the notebook.

  She squeezed it tightly, swallowing back the anxiety that was threatening to rise. “Sir, I don’t know if my going with the team will help anything, but I’d like to go. If I’m at least nearby, I might be able to recognize something more.”

  Sarah held her breath as Zeus’ dark eyes examined her. She wanted to give him more of a reason why she should be there, but what argument could she use other than the possibility that something else might come to her?

  The heavy silence was interrupted by a knock on the door.

  Griffon came inside, glancing at both her and Pegasus before stopping in front of Zeus’ desk. “Sir, we’re ready to leave. Should I find a replacement for Pegasus?”

  “No, there were simply a few last minutes adjustments I decided to make. Eagle and Hawk have been added to help with securing the perimeter, and Falcon’s team is to join you on site as well. They should be there in about forty minutes.” Zeus’s gaze flitted briefly to her. “Phoenix will be going with you as well.”

  Griffon whirled to face her, looking like he’d been tossed into the final ten minutes of a psychological thriller and was struggling to understand the twist.

  Sarah was sure she looked just as surprised. She hadn’t expected Zeus to agree.

  “As you know, she’s requested to be removed from active duty for the time being. But it’s a waste to let go of trained personnel, so I’ve reassigned her to support. She’ll be tagging along with you in the mission to observe. Foxtrot can go with her to show her the ropes.”

  Griffon looked no less confused, but whatever questions he had vanished the next second along with the furrowing of his brows.

  Zeus gestured to Sarah. “She’s to observe for the time being. Who knows, having field experience, maybe she’ll have some sudden flash of insight that could be helpful.”

  So he was hoping for something to come to her as well. Sarah forced a smile as Griffon looked at her.

  “Go get ready then, Phoenix. You have five minutes.”

  Sarah ran out, clutching her notebook. Better not give any of them enough time to change their minds.

  * * *

  Pegasus watched as Sarah rushed out like a startled cat. “Should I inform Foxtrot of this change in plans?”

  Zeus likely wanted him there as extra security around Sarah.

  Zeus waved him off. “I already sent him the orders.”

  Griffon straightened. “Sir, these added precautions. Can you tell me why we’re changing our plans this close to departure?”

  “I’ve reevaluated the risk level for this specific mission based on some chatter that was picked up.”

  Pegasus held in a smile. It wasn’t the truth, but it wasn’t exactly a lie. All in all, it was an acceptable twisting of the truth.

  “May I ask where this chatter came from?” Griffon asked.

  “That’s unimportant. All I can add is that there is a high likelihood that there will be explosives in the building.”

  Which explained why Falcon’s team was being redirected to help them.

  Griffon nodded, accepting the vague response. He, at least, wouldn’t question it any further after being basically told to drop it. Pegasus was sure the same couldn’t be said for the rest of the team, but that was a later problem.

  Griffon stood there in silence, the furrow returning to the space between his brows. “Sir, why is Phoenix going with us on this specific mission despite being on medical leave? Even if you want to use her as support, shouldn’t we wait until Athena and Doctor Blue clear her?”

  Pegasus glanced at Zeus, wondering how much Zeus was willing to divulge.

  “She’s been cleared,” Zeus said.

  Pegasus covered his mouth, swallowing a reflexive scoff at the obvious lie. Was Zeus going to talk to Athena and Doc Blue to get Sarah retrospectively cleared for duty?

  “You may leave now,” Zeus said to Griffon. “I need a moment with Pegasus.”

  Griffon left, taking his remaining questions with him.

  Pegasus sighed. “Are you sure about this?”

  “Did you not want her to go?”

  “I didn’t say that.” It was true that any information she might obtain on site could be useful to them. “I was surprised you agreed, what with the oversight committee and the fact that you still have your suspicions about her.”

  “We’re always gambling. And if all goes well, this may prove an interesting exercise.”

  Pegasus scoffed. “If we don’t all die.”

  “Don’t let your guard down. Evaluate any information Phoenix gives you before taking action.”

  Pegasus nodded, recognizing his own limitations.

  “Alright, get out of here. Good luck.”

  Pegasus gave him a mock salute before leaving.

  As he expected, he found the team confused by the disruption. Griffon was talking to Cypher, likely reviewing the changes to the mission plan. Sarah was nowhere to be seen, but she still had a couple of minutes.

  “Oh, so you are coming with us?” Scorpion mocked.

  “We were wondering if we should go rescue you guys,” Mermaid added. “We saw Phoenix running out of there earlier. What’s going on?”

  “She’s coming with us.” Pegasus said.

  Unicorn frowned at him, probably the one most confused since she was Sarah’s supervisor. “I thought she was grounded.”

  Mermaid pointed at Wolf. “Isn’t that why we got him with us?”

  Pegasus shrugged. “Zeus wants her to start training as support.”

  Scorpion was suddenly in his face. “How is this a good idea? Isn’t she on medical leave?”

  “She’s already been cleared.”

  “When did that happen?” Unicorn asked.

  “Everything’s set. I’ll fill you in on the changes on the way,” Griffon said, stepping into the fray. “It was Zeus’ decision.”

  The group quieted instantly with the same energy as a balloon slowly filling with water. He expected the result would be the same.

  Sarah came running over, wiping at her temple.

  “Phoenix, you all set?” Griffon asked.

  She nodded. Her eyes were a bit too wide.

  “Let’s head out.”

  Mermaid rushed ahead, smiling as she turned back to face them.

  “Don’t say it,” Scorpion growled.

  Mermaid laughed, pumping a fist in the air. “Rock and roll!”