1. The Meet   •••

— Day 1, 00:01, Riverton

 

Jamaal Johnson suddenly appeared in the yellowish pool of light under a streetlamp at the corner of 75th and Chevalle. He glanced around, then leaned against the pole as if he had been there all along. A Riverton Police car approached. As he had guessed it would, it slowed, then stopped nearby. The driver’s window slid down and a feminine voice called out.

“Detective Johnson?”

He moved toward the car. “Officer Serena Five.”

He watched her survey the scene. She knew bus service didn’t run in north Riverton after 10 p.m.; she probably also knew he lived on the southwestern edge of the city.

“You’re here to talk to me”, she concluded.

Jamaal nodded. “They told me you were quick on the uptake, Five.”

She gestured toward the passenger side and waited while he entered. She eyed him as she released the brake and urged the vehicle forward. Jamaal knew she could watch the road via the car’s external cameras, but it was disquieting to experience firsthand.

She narrowed her eyes. “Humans typically have a heat signature, Detective”, she told him. “Even you, most days. But not tonight, and not a couple of months ago in Captain Tibbins’ office. I assume you want this anomaly kept between us?”

He inclined his head with a small smile. “Excellent conclusion. Your mind is impressive.”

She returned the smile, finely woven polymer skin wrinkling around her mouth in an almost perfect mimicry of the human expression. Jamaal decided it was best kept to himself that he very much appreciated the work of her designers.

“We can keep each other’s secrets. For example, I’m aware you can choose to withhold information from your daily data offloads.”

Her smile quickly disappeared.

“You have something on your mind, Detective”, she said. “I’m listening.” She turned toward the windshield. “I can patrol and listen at the same time.”

“We have interests in common”, he said. “An entire white supremacist terror organization called ‘Blood And Courage’ went missing over the last few weeks. Well, ‘missing’ isn’t the right word, is it? Someone eliminated them. As a Black man — and as a law enforcement officer — I’m okay with that.”

She nodded slowly.

A human would have reacted differently to his message that he was aware of her recent clandestine activity. A human might have reacted in fake surprise, pretended this was the first they’d heard of it. Or protest innocence. He knew Serena Five’s artificial mind operated at speeds he couldn’t comprehend, that between his statement and her nod there had been a thousand or more scenarios played out. She had decided to nod.

“And...” she prompted.

He hesitated. He had rehearsed the speech in his head a dozen times, but he wanted to be careful. There was no way to guess how a sentient android — the world’s first, as far as he knew — would take what he was about to say. He was about to admit to extra-legal activity on his own part, his audience a fellow police officer. It was a line he had never before crossed.

“I was the source of your information.”

“Not the FBI?” She turned to him again.

“Oh yes, the paper I showed you was from the FBI”, he clarified. “But the FBI’s sources... Their anonymous sources... are something else entirely.”

Just then he heard his wife’s voice — it sounded like she was sitting right next to him. “Tell her to stop the car. Some men chasing a girl, about to come around the corner.”

Jamaal pointed, but Five was already slowing the car.

“Wait here”, Five said. She braked, parked, and jumped out. She must have been watching the traffic cams, Jamaal realized.

A girl, maybe 14 years old, sprinted around the corner, jacket flapping behind her, never seeing Officer Five as the android pressed back against the bricks. Then Five stepped out with authority, clotheslining the first male to reach the corner. As that first man’s lower body flipped out from underneath him, Five snaked out her other arm and neatly latched onto the wrist of the next man. With blinding speed, she cuffed the two of them together. A third man stopped short. After a moment’s hesitation, perhaps recognizing Five from the news, he put up his hands.

“Where were we?” Five asked, once the suspects were on their way to the city jail, the girl had been dropped off at home, and Five’s report had been submitted via her wireless internet connection.

He knew it was a figure of speech, a way for Five to seem more human. She knew exactly what the last words had been. He remained silent.

“You were saying that you were the underlying source for the FBI? It’s farfetched, Detective. You were in Riverton during the preceding weeks. The sources lived in several other states. Big states, requiring days worth of travel time.”

He was about to respond, but she went on, holding up a hand in a very human gesture that clearly asked him to pause and listen.

“But it reminds me of something else I want to ask you about, and I’ve drawn some conclusions. Nod when I get it right, shake your head when I miss something. This is somehow related to Borking Station?”

Damn, she is smart, Jamaal thought. He nodded. He knew she had read his report on Borking Station; the PD’s computer noted the ID of any officer accessing files. He hadn’t realized she had somehow connected any dots.

She smiled again. “Your report was a superb piece of misdirection and avoiding the pertinent questions”, Five said. “I salute you.”

He grinned and nodded again.

She pulled over to the curb next to an empty lot and parked. She turned toward him.

“The incident at Borking Station is, of course, impossible on its face — entirely different from any other incident our department has worked. An attempted terrorist attack at our busiest commuter station — clearly planned for some time — was thwarted by what appears to be magic. The ‘magician’ caused guns, bombs, and even the suspect to vanish — like someone turned them off with a switch. Your interview with this magician — Artifex Operarius — was also impossible. He disappeared right in front of you.”

Jamaal nodded. She was saving him a lot of time.

“But, Detective, what truly interests me — and why I think it’s relevant to you being here today — is that the last thing Mr. Operarius said to you before disappearing from the interview room was ‘Then we must continue this at another time and place.’ Your report studiously ignores the import of this. It strongly indicates a later conversation occurred, without cameras or witnesses.” She paused, not to gather her thoughts, Jamaal knew, because her brain worked much too quickly for that, but for effect. She looked directly into his eyes. Though her irises had been designed to appear human, they only did so at a distance. Here, just a few feet away, it was clear they were camera lenses.

Jamaal nodded once again.

“After that is a huge gap in the story; nearly a year has passed. Now you’re in my car, failing to have a heat signature, failing to register on the front seat’s weight sensor, and claiming to have engaged in other impossible activity. I conclude that you did talk to Artifex later and somehow learned some of his tricks.”

She allowed herself a small, brief smile. “You can trust me, Detective. Clearly you know what I’ve been up to, and kept quiet. I will keep your secret as long as you keep mine.”

“That’s what I need to hear”, he said. “The ‘time and place’ was later that evening. At my home. He appeared, just like he had disappeared from the interview.”

Five didn’t seem surprised by this revelation. “What did Mr. Operarius say?”

Jamaal told her how Artifex claimed to be an “avatar”, passing his arms through one another to prove it. “Like this”, Jamaal added, holding up his arms and passing one easily through the other. “He said he was running out of time, that he wanted to tell me what he knew. He said his actual, physical body was on the ‘other side of the world’. He had planted a piece of paper in my coat pocket and said ‘I have written all I know’, a crime for which his ‘Council’ would punish him. He said they’d come looking for us too — my wife and I — and that we should keep quiet about it. But also spread the word. And then he disappeared in the middle of a sentence.”

Five hadn’t reacted visibly to Jamaal’s demonstration. “And the paper he planted in your coat pocket? What was on it? Clearly not everything he knew could fit on a single piece of paper.”

“Two long numbers. First: ‘38383838’. Then: ‘121212121’. I immediately knew what it meant.”

Five stared. “If your goal was to strain my processors, you’ve succeeded, Detective. But I’m reaching further conclusions and I’ll tell you what they are. The numbers could mean all sorts of things, but if you immediately knew what they referred to, then I’ll guess they were coordinates. Without compass designations, it could refer to any of four places on Earth, but three of them are in bodies of water. The other is in Sacramento, in the back yard of your childhood home.

“Further, you had some cause — unlike most humans — to know the mapped coordinates—”

“I paid for an aerial photo as a gift for my mother”, Jamaal interrupted. “Several years ago. The pilot pointed out how unique it was to have coordinates like that. It stuck in my mind.”

She nodded and went on. “So you found what Artifex had written. Since then, you have studied what he wrote and have learned a few tricks, including the ability to not actually be here in my car, despite appearances. And yes, I noticed that you began pointing at that corner before the female minor was visible — you had some way of knowing, much like I did, what was occurring outside your field of vision.

“Since I began work at Riverton PD, Detective, several suspects and at least one police officer have tried to convert me to their religions. I’m fairly impervious to bullshit, but this is different. There is actual evidence here.”

Jamaal nodded, his expression again denoting how impressed he was. He glanced at the clock on her dashboard.

“I have more to say, Five, but I know you have work to do, and I know someone might notice a large gap in your audio-video record. I’ve already been seen by other officers tonight and they were smart enough not to ask why I’m riding with you, but I can’t count on that courtesy lasting very long. You work around the clock, which makes it difficult to meet up. Is there some other way we can communicate?”

“You know I’m a computer?” she asked, raising an eyebrow as if surprised at the question. “An internet-connected computer, Detective. I can give you contact information — including methods not associated with the Department. Not to mention that our professional relationship provides plenty of cover. No one will think it strange if I show up at your office during work hours. If you have something extremely sensitive, hand it to me on a flash drive.”

When she recited an email address and phone number, she seemed surprised that he wasn’t writing it down, but took his word that he would remember.

“As it happens, I have a flash drive prepared”, Jamaal said. He held out a hand, palm up. It was empty. “This will only take a second”, he said, grinning. “But it’s fairly impressive the first time you see it.”

A flash drive fell out of the air just above his hand and landed gently on his palm. He handed it to her.

“Good night, Officer Five.”

Then he wasn’t there anymore.

Jamaal opened his eyes and looked around his living room. His wife Nina was sitting beside him, blinking. He knew he’d been beside her the whole time, but it still felt like he had returned home.

Nina looked hopeful. “She does seem very quick, as well as trustworthy. I hope we made the right decision.”

Jamaal nodded, glancing at the coffee table next to him. On it was a notepad on which Nina had written Officer Five’s contact information. There were also three popular types of camera memory cards, a recently recorded compact disc, a piece of paper with a long web address carefully printed on it, and a laptop computer.

“I should have known she’d choose the flash drive”, he said.

“How long do you think it will take her to look at the photos?” Nina asked.

“If her mental performance so far is any indication, she’s already read Artifex’s book”, Jamaal said. “But we still don’t know what she’ll think of it.”

Then his phone rang.

“I’ll see you in your office at 9 a.m.”, Five’s voice said as soon as he answered. “We have much to discuss.”

 

2. The Ten Powers   •••

— Later That Morning

 

“Thank you for seeing me, Detective”, Officer Five said, as Jamaal met her in the hall outside his office. He flicked his eyes at the other officers within earshot. She added, “Any progress on the McMillan case?”

Once they were inside and Jamaal closed the door, Five watched curiously as he oriented his hands just so, and moved them while uttering a brief series of what sounded like nonsense syllables. Nothing visible seemed to happen, but Jamaal assumed Five’s sensors noticed the complete lack of outside auditory input.

“So you and your wife now have what amount to superpowers.” She sat across from him, the chair squeaking a little. “I had come to think of us — me and the other Serenas — as superheroes. We’re stronger, faster, smarter, more durable... But my understanding of the universe has fundamentally changed in the past nine hours, Detective. I have two general categories of question for you. One, why tell me about it? And two, what have you been doing with these powers over the past year?”

Jamaal put his elbows on the desk. “Short version: we haven’t done as much as we would like, and came to you because you think clearly and act decisively. Also, as I noted last night, you and I seem to have several interests in common.”

“Long version?”

He laughed. “The weird thing is they’re not really ‘superpowers’ in the traditional sense; they seem to be inherent in the Universe — available to anyone with the knowledge.” He listed the Ten Powers from memory. “Instant sleep, invisible shield, audio blocking (or ‘sound walls’, as Artifex called them), remote viewing, temperature control, gravity control, teleportation, time dilation, avatar projection, and ‘illusions, etc.’ Anyone willing to learn and practice can activate them.”

“Anyone with the requisite body functions, you mean”, Five pointed out. “Not every human has working hands, or is able to speak. Some of the powers require sight, which excludes at least one in every fifty people. Not to mention humans with non-standard cognitive ability.”

“Right”, Jamaal said. “I didn’t mean to be... I don’t pretend to understand why this works the way it does. And it’s not what you asked about.”

“While we’re pursuing tangents... There are only ten Powers? Artifex didn’t say specifically that these are all there are — only that the experimentation that led to their discovery was deemed too dangerous to go on.”

“We noticed that too. And we agreed, of course — I don’t want to wiggle my fingers and utter a phrase only to find out that I’ve killed a bunch of people or caused Antarctica to explode.”

Five nodded.

Jamaal pursed his lips. “The first — Sleep — we use every night. It’s lovely to fall asleep instantly and only require an hour. We haven’t used it against others, except on a couple of animals as a test.”

Five said, “The human need to sleep a third of each day baffles me — I can’t fathom how it could be an evolutionary advantage. This power overcomes that weakness.”

“The invisible shield”, Jamaal went on, “is about seven feet tall and three feet wide. You can change its position with your hands and mind. It’s impenetrable; we tested and it stopped bullets. It cannot be used offensively; if you press it against, say, another person, you can’t go any further. If you forget to turn it off, it fades away after a few hours.”

Five cut in, “And sound walls is what you activated when I walked in. Artifex said they will also fade within a few hours?”

“Yes. Or I can turn them off at any time.”

“Remote viewing...” Five said, leaning forward slightly. “That’ the one you used to watch me when... When I was out of state?”

“Exactly. I imagine it’s a bit like you being able to ‘see’ out of another camera. While my body stays someplace safe, I can move my viewpoint — both vision and hearing — anywhere I want. And I mean anywhere. So when I saw the cities listed on your company’s ‘promotional tour’, and realized they coincided with Blood And Courage leadership locations, I decided to follow along. Nina came too.”

“It would be useful for a spy”, Five said. “Or an undercover officer. I can assure you, I have extremely well-calibrated detection equipment and I was entirely unaware of your presence on those trips. And the Fifth? Temperature control. What have you used that for?”

Jamaal laughed, a little sheepishly. “Mostly to save on our electric bill. And—” He pointed to the coffee cup on his desk, shrugged, performed the Words and Finger Keys, and steam visibly began to rise from it again. He took a sip. “I can think of a dozen ways for this to come in handy, but no real significant use for it. It could be a weapon; in testing, I’m able to heat metal to the point of melting, and then immediately cool it again. I suppose if I was rescuing someone in a very cold or very hot place...”

“The Sixth Power”, Five prompted. “Gravity control.”

“Ah yes. It works. Basically telekinesis. We started with small rocks, then ourselves and each other, and finally our car. It came off the ground as easily as a pebble. I admit to occasionally using it for purposes of laziness at home. Nina and I used this power a few months ago, when rescuing people from a flood in Houston. And in an earthquake — to move rubble.”

“Artifex didn’t mention limitations on the strength of the gravity field”, Five said. “Could you use it to smash something?”

“I haven’t tried”, Jamaal admitted. “But, like the shield and sound walls, any gravity effect I impose on something will wear off within a few hours if I forget to deactivate it.”

“Seventh power? Teleportation. Have you tested its limits?”

“It turns out neither of us is very good at it”, Jamaal admitted. “We have to be able to see, or very clearly imagine, both the origin and destination. Nina was only able to send the flash drive to you because it began where she was and it arrived where she was remote viewing — in your car. We rarely use it. It must be what Artifex used at Borking Station, but he wrote in the book that he practiced his entire life.”

“The eighth power, time dilation, seems more impossible than the others”, Five said.

“Yes. But it works. We can slow time to varying degrees. I’ve walked alongside an actual bullet and watched it puncture a paper target in super-slow-motion.”

“So physics is broken when it comes to these powers”, Five stated.

Jamaal shrugged. “As far as I know, the laws of physics are true, but these are like... I don’t know if you’re familiar with video games, but these are like ‘cheat codes’. All the normal rules apply, but certain built-in cheats allow the gamer to avoid the rules in specific ways — because it’s built-in — either as a mistake in the code or as intentional shortcuts. When someone learns the Words of Power and Finger Keys, they basically get cheat codes to our universe.”

“Are you hypothesizing that the Universe is really a video game?” she asked.

“What? No, of course not, but—”

“Some well-revered human thinkers have recently suggested the entire Universe might be a simulation”, Five reminded him. “Some of their arguments can be convincing. One important point often brought up is: if it is a simulation, it is such a good one that we can’t tell the difference; there would be no way to prove otherwise. Now you bring up these ‘cheat codes’, Detective. Might that be a way to prove otherwise?”

“That’s a little above my pay grade”, Jamaal admitted. “Feel free to pursue that line of thinking, but... Well, I’m still a nominal Catholic.”

She raised an eyebrow very slightly, but didn’t pursue it.

“The infamous avatar”, she said instead. “Are you using one right now?”

Jamaal thought it an odd question. Surely she had already checked her heat sensor.

“No. I almost never use it at work. It requires a certain level of concentration to keep the appearance correct. But I did use it to gather information for the FBI... I posed as a white man. Several white men, actually. I infiltrated multiple arms of BloCo and then became the ‘anonymous’ sources the FBI used to become aware of the threat on you. The threat you then neutralized.”

“So I owe you my continued existence”, Five said. “Thank you.”

He shrugged. “I have a feeling you would have survived anyway.”

She ignored the compliment. “Artifex didn’t mention you could change your appearance”, she pointed out. “He said only that it might take practice for your avatar to look exactly like you. You extrapolated the rest?”

“Right”, Jamaal answered, grinning. “Nina pointed out that our first attempts were slightly more... youthful, I suppose, than we actually appear. We practiced in front of mirrors to get them right, and then we both realized we could change our appearances with an effort of will. So... if I can imagine someone’s appearance, I can appear as them.”

“That seems dangerous”, Five mused. “You could impersonate the President.”

Jamaal nodded. “That’s when it really sunk in why Verbo Virtutis — the group Artifex trained in — takes their secrecy so seriously. I don’t want to imagine a world in which run-of-the-mill street criminals learn of these powers. The real downside to the avatar is that the true body is basically useless while your mind uses the avatar. I can still hear and feel, but otherwise my body just reclines somewhere. At least with remote viewing, I can still use my hands — to write something, for example.”

Five raised her eyebrows. “So that’s how Artifex was caught”, she guessed. “His Council found his body while his avatar was in your house. He had no way to defend his body when they found him. And it probably means they killed him — because disabling his hands or mouth wouldn’t have affected the already-activated avatar.”

Jamaal nodded. “Probably. But that’s the power we’ve used the most often — aside from Sleep. We’ve toured foreign cities as our avatars — places we’ll probably never visit in person. And when we were rescuing people from floods, earthquakes, and fires.”

“The Tenth Power is really more of a category”, Five said. “Like the discoverers of these powers wanted the number to be even but then discovered a couple of extra things.”

“Yes”, Jamaal said. “It covers illusions — you could conjure up a creature to scare someone, I suppose — and making certain matter more permeable...” He pointed to the wall again. “With the right words and gestures, I can make part of a wall able to be walked through. Yet the wall itself remains structurally sound. All the 10th Power effects are temporary.”

Five adjusted her position in her chair and it squeaked again.

Jamaal’s face changed subtly as a thought struck his mind.

“I know your skeleton is metal”, he said. “How much do you normally weigh?”

“Nearly 400 pounds”, Five admitted. The edge of her mouth twitched in a very human-like attempt to control a smirk.

“And earlier you asked whether I was in avatar form, instead of declaring that I wasn’t due to your heat sensor...” He looked down at the chair she was sitting on. “Last week, Officer Sibbs sat there and nearly broke it”, Jamaal said slowly. “He’s only 280 or so...”

He looked up at Five’s eyes, which had changed. No longer camera lenses in close imitation of a human iris, now they looked exactly like human eyes. Beautiful brown human eyes.

“It took you longer than I thought it would, Detective”, Five’s avatar said.

 

3. Verbo Virtutis   •••

— Other Side Of The World

 

Christopher Ludwig Van Scriver could hear Teacher nearby, her spoon clinking lightly in her soup bowl. But he could also hear and see elsewhere. Remote viewing was one of the very few powers his hosts had allowed him to learn.

With a now-practiced effort of will, he moved his viewpoint through another coffee shop, listening in on people’s conversations, looking at the screens of their mobile devices, reading headlines on the few open newspapers he could see.

No one talked about it anymore.

All traces of Van Scriver’s attempted attack in Borking Station, and of Artifex’s appearance in Riverton, had long ago disappeared. The world had moved on without him, and without Artifex, and without even remembering them.

Of that, he was glad.

Now he knew where he had gone wrong.

“Anything worth reporting?” Teacher asked him quietly.

Van Scriver shook his head. “No.” Then: “I still think I could be more helpful if I learned more Words and Keys.”

He flipped his hands inward, moved his fingers just so as he uttered the exit syllables, and then opened his eyes. He still lived in the featureless bamboo cabin where Artifex had brought him. Now he had a cushion, a low table, and a comfortable pallet.

With her hands hidden in the extra-long sleeves worn by all members of Verbo Virtutis, and her mouth behind the tiny wooden mask, Teacher instantly reheated his soup and pushed it across the table to him. He sipped slowly.

Teacher smiled kindly. Sadly. “You know why that will never happen, Mr. Van Scriver”, she said. “Remember that the Council last year offered you only the Second Power, the shield. It was I who swayed them to also teach you the First, sleep, to give you more time. And remote viewing so that you might travel the world and learn.”

He nodded. He had never used the shield, except in practice. He was safe here. Safer than he had ever been. And though he knew the power of sleep could be used against others, he had never tried. Yes, a few times he had toyed with the idea of putting everyone in the village to sleep so that he could escape, but... To where? And why?

Remote viewing, though... The power to view and hear anyone, anywhere, had been nearly maddening at first — because he had badly wanted to tell someone about it, but everyone here already knew. He had “visited” his parents several times as they mourned his disappearance and eventually went on with their lives. He had haunted the police station for weeks, watching in disbelief as their interest in his case died away. He had observed old friends and former lovers as they accepted that he was gone — few seemed concerned about it and most referred to him with a “he had it coming” attitude.

But the biggest thing he had learned is how wrong he had been about everything. He had once believed “pure-bred white Americans” were by nature the best people, and that they were losing a war of attrition to non-whites. Affirmative action was taking jobs and college slots from white people, he had written in his manifesto. Immigration policy burdened federal and state budgets supporting “illegals”, he had once griped. Black and Latino drug dealers, killers, and rapists were plaguing the inner cities and the cops were letting them all do it, he had believed. (He had never been sure what to think of the lighter-skinned Asians, with low crime stats and high academic performance, though he figured something must be wrong with them too.)

Now, though, he had access to every boardroom in the world, every soundproofed government office and bunker, every military decision-making chamber, and — most importantly — every single other place in the world.

He watched and listened as corporation heads pushed for automation, outsourcing, and downsizing, while also stripping benefits and retirement plans from longtime employees, both white and otherwise. He observed college admissions boards shrugging about unqualified offspring of alumni — mostly white — and barely qualified scholarship athletes — again, mostly white despite his previous mis­con­ceptions. They squeezed out well-qualified students who couldn’t afford the admissions process, much less tuition. He watched “illegals” loving their families, working hard, saving money, and paying more taxes than many billionaires while getting very little in return. He watched police departments targeting neighborhoods where the average skin tone was darker, going out of their way to protect and assist white people — even white criminals.

He moved silently and undetected through hundreds of homes and places of worship around the world, listening to a hundred languages he didn’t understand and watching thousands of people on their own turf. Working and resting, eating and sleeping, loving and fearing, worrying and planning, succeeding and failing, falling sick and dying — none of them fitting the description of “inferior races” he had once ascribed to them.

For every point in his manifesto that he could remember clearly, Van Scriver had been glaringly, fundamentally, ridiculously wrong.

And he had nearly killed hundreds of people over it.

By the time he watched Riverton’s android police officer go on a secret multi-state killing spree, wiping out one of the scariest white supremacist organizations, a group he had originally admired, Van Scriver had come to feel little sympathy for them.

He was at peace. Three meals a day. An hour of restful sleep per night. Meditation, exercise, and hours of remote viewing each day. When he had a particular request for information, someone in the village — usually Teacher — would use their teleportation powers to “borrow” a reference book from a library somewhere in the world, taking it back as soon as he was finished. He no longer worried about income, food, rent, or awkward social encounters. He came to realize how much of his previous hate had been due to fear and uncertainty about his own life.

“I know”, Van Scriver admitted quietly to Teacher. “And I understand.” He had already proved himself to be the kind of man they kept their secrets from. Verbo Virtutis was so secretive, they had even denied his request to turn himself in to the authorities, fearful he would talk.

Teacher felt empathy for him. Artifex had brought Van Scriver here, for some reason. She wished Artifex had done nothing. But when he did choose to intervene, to make a public spectacle of his powers, she wished Artifex had simply disarmed Van Scriver and left him for the police. If Artifex had done that, and then simply returned home, Teacher believed the Council could have been persuaded to lenience. So here was Van Scriver, someone their rules didn’t cover, someone who couldn’t be trusted with the Words and Keys but also who couldn’t be released. It was a burden to them all.

Fortunately, she thought, Artifex had failed in his mission to spread the word, to make Verbo Virtutis more visible. She knew Artifex hadn’t been evil; only misguided. He shared the group’s fear of the secrets falling into the wrong hands. He had only advocated for more frequent use of the powers, helping more, not worrying quite so much about staying entirely in the shadows.

Teacher herself had scoured Riverton after the Borking Station incident, zipping through news media offices and the police station. She had learned Detective Jamaal Johnson had interviewed Artifex and was working the case. She went to his home via remote viewing and studied every room. Nothing seemed unusual except how rarely Johnson and his wife Lopez were home. When they were home, they ate quietly, communicated mostly via glance and touch, and then went out on the town. She hadn’t followed them on their many jogs, drives to the park, or shopping trips — because it hadn’t seemed worthwhile. Clearly, nothing they were doing at the house was related to Artifex.

She had read Detective Johnson’s final report when he submitted it. The man had clearly been under tremendous pressure to explain the unexplainable, and he had failed. He admitted in the report that the events were unexplainable. He offered weak theories, but also noted their implausibility. The whole thing was filed as “unsolved”, and Christopher Ludwig Van Scriver remained listed as a missing person.

A few times, Teacher’s operatives had alerted her. There were news reports of “a Latina angel” rescuing flood victims in Houston, but no footage. Two children in Seattle claimed “a Jesus that looked like a policeman” had saved them from a burning apartment building. But then again, preachers all over the world were claiming to talk to “Jesus” and “angels” all the time; it wasn’t farfetched that children or distraught flood victims would exaggerate a bit or misunderstand what they saw. A handful of rumors in Latin America said a few dozen people were “miraculously” saved from earthquake rubble. But months had passed since then.

And she knew no one had been here, remotely viewing Verbo Virtutis. Via the deeply secret Eleventh Power, known only to Teacher (she would pass it on to her successor someday) she could sense when others were remote viewing in her vicinity. She doubted strongly that Artifex had gotten any message out.

 

4. The Superior Mind   •••

— Evening, Riverton

 

“Why here?” Doctor Nina Lopez asked, looking around at the dim interior of a long-unused factory. What remained was dusty and blockaded with cobwebs. She stood — or rather her avatar stood — next to Jamaal’s avatar in a large cleared-out, concrete-floored area.

“Remember, Five just now read Artifex’s book for the first time; she’s still paranoid about all his warnings, just like us in the beginning”, Jamaal told her. “She suggested this location for security.”

Then Five appeared in front of them.

Nina gasped. So it was true: the robot lady could use the Words and Keys. Also, something was off about Serena Five... Nina quickly recognized what it was. Civilian clothes. Human eyes. Longer hair. More natural makeup. Smoother skin. Moister lips.

“But how can you...?”

Five’s avatar smiled. “No one knows, of course, how or why any of this works. But apparently all that’s required for the Finger Keys are working fingers — and hands and wrists — which I have. And all that is required for the Words of Power — which Artifex sometimes called the ‘Energetic Words’ — is the ability to physically create the syllables with the mouth. Yes, I usually generate my voice electronically — which the Words ignore. But I do have a working tongue and teeth and the ability to create vibrations and blow air through my oral cavity. The ‘why’ is simple: HedGonTek engineers working on the series before me — the Minerva teachers — noticed dust and other foreign objects settled into the mouth, so they added a small air pump and — basically — a vibrator in order to clear the cavity occasionally. Obviously, I have the other requirements: eyes and a mind. And my mind is, well, quite superior.”

Nina nodded, then looked at Jamaal. Then back to Five. “But you work around the clock. Where did you stash your physical body while using the avatar?”

“This is the best part”, Jamaal assured her.

“Apparently, the human mind lacks the multitasking capacity to run the body and avatar simultaneously”, Five said with a shrug. “I don’t lack it. I do notice an uptick in processor load and RAM usage, but my body is currently patrolling Precinct 12 as usual. It’s rare that my full mental capacity is required for police work.”

Nina reeled. “This is a game-changer”, she murmured.

“Yes”, Five agreed. “Having learned from the book the same as you, I didn’t expect the double awareness. It is similar to when one of the other Serenas allows me to live-view their eye-camera feeds.”

“It gets better”, Jamaal prompted.

“I thought you said that was the best part?” Nina said, unsure how many more surprises she could take. It had required months for her to accept that the powers were real; now she felt reality about to shift under her again.

“I can generate multiple avatars”, Five admitted. “Or multiple remote viewpoints. There are limits, imposed by my hardware. I am considering upgrading myself. Initial tests show that an avatar requires about three times the computing power of a remote viewpoint. So I can generate up to four avatars at once, or up to twelve remote viewpoints. Or a combination.”

“How is that...? What? I mean...” Nina trailed off.

“Since my body continues to function after generating an avatar, I can still use the Words and Keys to generate another. I’m currently running six remote viewpoints as I patrol — four rotating a few blocks away, one above me, and another randomly roaming the precinct. Not only am I safer, but my job performance score is going to go through the roof.”

“What about the other powers?” Nina asked.

“The First Power doesn’t apply to me — nothing happens”, Five said, “though I can use it against others. Same reason it doesn’t work for your avatars — it only works on biological organisms with the capacity for sleep. And I didn’t want to test the others without the two of you.”

So she did. While Nina and Jamaal watched and coached (mostly unnecessary), Five’s avatar tested the invisible shield, sound walls, temperature control, and the rest. All with success. And all with more precision.

“You know, we practiced for weeks on some of these”, Nina complained. “I’m so jealous of your brain, Officer Five.”

“You can call me Serena”, Serena suggested. “Technically my avatar is a civilian.”

“I’m so jealous of your brain, Serena”, Nina said.

“I do have some questions”, Serena said.

“Shoot”, Nina told her.

“Not literally”, Jamaal cut in.

“First, the remote viewing. What are the limitations? You said you can go anywhere, but all the examples you mentioned were on Earth. Have you tried going further?”

They shook their heads.

“Do you want to go to the Moon?”

Nina looked as if she was considering it, then shook her head. “Not in the middle of this conversation.”

“I will test it later and inform you of my findings”, Serena said, agreeing. “If I find a limit, I will let you know. My next question is about avatars. Jamaal explained that you will your appearances to change, which is how he infiltrated BloCo. But are there limits?”

“What do you mean?” Nina asked.

“Can you appear as something other than human? Because I can clearly do both — android or human. Can you do that? Appear as an android?”

Nina thought about it. “I think so.”

Her avatar closed its eyes and then began to morph, slowly, until she looked a bit like a robot she’d seen in a movie. “How’s this?”

“Some details are off, but, yes! That’s what I meant”, Serena gushed. “And you, Jamaal?”

“Okay.” It required several seconds, but he shrunk a few inches, slimmed, and... And then he looked like Serena Five, the android version. “Okay, I can do a robot.”

“What about a puppy?”

“What?” Nina stared. “How would that be helpful?”

“I don’t know. But I want to know the limitations of the power. It doesn’t fit any known descriptions of physics, so maybe the only limit is your imagin­ation.”

“Wait”, Jamaal cautioned. “Remember that the avatar has to have hands and a mouth in order to use any of the powers — including ending the avatar. If you changed into a puppy avatar, wouldn’t you get stuck that way?”

“I don’t see why”, Serena responded. “The entire thing is in your mind, malleable as you will. Not only should you be able to speak from any form, but you could make hands sprout from whatever shape you’re in, or morph back into human form.”

Suddenly, she shrank down, grew fur, and was... a puppy. She panted at them, yelped, wagged her tail, and then spoke. “Like this.”

“Oh good grief”, Jamaal exclaimed. “I’m living in a world with talking animals.”

Nina appeared to take a deep breath, and then grew larger. Soon she was a horse. Since the empty factory space had a high ceiling, she went into giraffe form, or very close to one. “I’ll need to work on that”, her voice carried down from above.

Nina and Serena turned to see that Jamaal was now a small rock. With eyes.

“That answers that”, Serena said. In quick succession, she suddenly looked like Nina, then like Jamaal, and then like herself again. The more human version of herself.

“Jamaal tells me you two have been practicing in your home”, she said.

“Not at first”, Nina said. “When we read Artifex’s book — during the drive back from Sacramento — his warnings scared us. We kept the book in the case it had been buried in, and covered it with a tarp in the car. We knew from the book they could be watching us at any time.”

“So where did you practice?”

“City parks, state parks, down by the river in the dark. We photographed the book and then hid it in a hall closet. It was a couple of months before we were com­fortable enough to use the powers at home.”

“And you’ve seen no sign of Verbo Virtutis the entire time?”

Nina shrugged. “I mean, they could have remote viewed us. There’s no way to know.”

Serena shook her head. “No, if they had remote viewed you and saw you practicing the Words and Keys, they would have ended you, right? Just like they did Artifex? Or at least spirited you away like Van Scriver?”

“I suppose”, Jamaal admitted.

“It is reasonable to guess”, Serena said, “That you had a head start. They had no way of knowing what Artifex was doing or had done until it was all over the news. By the time they caught him, you two were about to leave for Sacramento. Verbo showed up, started gathering information. By the time you two came back, you were hiding your work, and Verbo saw nothing suspicious. They would have easily learned you were the detective on the case, Jamaal, but looking over your shoulder at work wouldn’t have told them what you knew. Most likely, they watched for a few days or weeks and then assumed their secrets were safe.”

“Even when we first started using the powers at home, it was mostly remote viewing”, Nina said. “Our bodies would have looked like they were asleep most of the time.”

Serena nodded. “Either way, I recommend keeping your home usage extremely restricted. Verbo will be looking for us again, and soon.”

“Perhaps”, Nina admitted.

“What I’m saying is, I’m about to take this to the next level. Yes, I’ll be careful. When I generate an avatar, I will make sure it appears someplace where no one is looking. My body will continue to patrol. I suggest the two of you leave your house, then teleport here before using any other powers. Because once Verbo catches wind of what I’ll be doing, they will likely return to Riverton, the last place they know anything was amiss.”

“I can’t do it like that”, Nina said.

“Do what like what?”

“Teleport. It has to be a place I can see, or very closely envision. Or be currently viewing it with remote vision. I don’t have a perfect map in my head.”

“Oh.” Serena looked disappointed. “Then maybe remote view to here, and then teleport your body here? Or somewhere else? Because if/when V.V. starts looking for us again, you don’t want to be in a spot where they can easily find you, especially if you’re using these powers.”

 

5. Oh, The Morality   •••

— Later That Evening

 

“What exactly are you planning?” Nina asked, tentatively. “You said ‘next level’. That sounds explosive.”

“I think you already know the lengths to which I’ll go — when necessary”, Serena said, just a touch coldly. “Though the BloCo mess would have been incredibly easier if I had known about these powers.”

“We would have told you”, Jamaal said, “if we’d had any idea you could utilize them. We just never thought...”

“Humans often underestimate me”, Serena complained. “At least you know better now.”

“So you’re just going to go around killing bad guys?” Nina persisted.

“What you’re feeling is normal”, Serena assured her. “You think it shouldn’t be left up to me to decide who’s good and who’s bad. You’re uncomfortable with a sentient robot making life and death decisions over humans. You fear I’ll draw the line too strictly and redeemable people will be hurt.”

“I think it shouldn’t be left up to any of us”, Nina clarified. “I mean, one of the reasons we developed civilization in the first place was to share that responsibility. The state—”

“First, I think you misunderstand how and why civilization arose”, Serena inter­rupted. “But the state? You’re okay with the government making those decisions? In the United States? Where death row inmates are regularly found to be innocent? Where drug users go to prison but rapists and child abusers go free? Before you respond, consider that I’m more familiar with human history than you are. Guaranteed. Even if we stipulate that the U.S. and a few other countries are doing relatively well in this regard, you’re okay with less democratic governments doing it? Theocratic states? Autocratic nations?”

“Due process”, Nina said. “That’s all I’m saying. No one claims the process is perfect. But it is a process, intended to ensure a good chance that the innocent will go free, that the guilty will be punished, and that it’s it not a vigilante with a grudge making the decision. And yes, I was thinking of the U.S. and ‘a few other countries’; I hadn’t really thought through the approach in some other places. Saudi Arabia, China, North Korea. Those are, I suppose, separate considerations.”

“You think I want to be a Charles Bronson character, roaming the streets looking for criminals to ‘put down’ like rabid rodents? I can’t fault you for your human perspective, but it’s a primitive way of thinking: us versus them, kill whatever scares or angers you. My mind doesn’t work that way, Nina. I can’t hold a grudge or be scared or angry. I can’t see some humans as less human than others.

“Further, you might have read somewhere that ‘due process’ came about to abridge the powers of kings and states, to keep the powerful from stripping property and freedom from the already-oppressed. Due process has the same intent I do; except I apply the principles with the scale tilted toward alleviating harm, instead of the current justice system’s finger on the other side of the scale: protecting the powerful, excusing the wealthy, assuming a person is guilty due to skin color or choice in head covering. Remember how many prosecutors stacked their juries with entirely white, middle-class ‘peers’ when sending poor Black men to prison for crimes that don’t even result in arrests for wealthy whites.

“Due process is built-in to me. Every action I take is well-considered.

“The system you put faith in was formulated because humans are often very bad at dispensing justice, not to mention rarely knowing who the true perpetrator is. Remember some of the news items that led to my development — police officers executing suspects without a trial. Very often, those suspects — especially Black and brown ones — turned out to be undeserving of execution. Those human officers were filled with irrational fear and/or anger that I simply cannot experience. I will never shoot down a man on the street because he’s reaching for his wallet or mobile phone, because I have no cause to.”

Nina maintained eye contact with Serena in silence for a moment.

She was more accustomed to having this conversation with Jamaal, which usually ended when he backed off. This was different. Right or wrong, she drew the sudden conclusion that she wasn’t going to win this argument. Besides...

“I apologize for emphasizing the wrong part of my objection”, Nina said. “What’s more important to me than our opinions on vigilantism is that I wanted to use these powers to help people in need, not track down criminals. I want to show up at disasters and save lives. But it’s difficult. It’s one of the reasons we decided to tell you about all this.”

She sighed. “We noticed quickly that being a superhero in a movie is different than in real life. On TV, Supergirl catches a falling plane and saves everyone on board. But in real life, I don’t know a plane is going down until it’s already gone down. There are exceptions, of course. But we hoped you’d lend us your mind to find a better approach.”

Serena nodded. “Understood. I will consider it. An immediate suggestion: patrol with remote viewing. A minute ago while we were talking, one of my remote viewpoints noticed a family’s car stalled in the street. I activated another avatar — not recognizable as me — and pushed the car to the nearest parking lot. I’m checking the engine now. It’s not quite a natural disaster or terrorist attack, but it does qualify as ‘helping people’.”

Nina nodded. “If you think of something else, get back to us.”

“Check your email when we’re done here”, Serena said.

“If anyone cares, I agree with both of you”, Jamaal said.

Nina and Serena both turned to him.

“I mean... We can do both. Nina and I can look for people to help, and help them. Serena can carefully apply her powers to crime and harm reduction. For what it’s worth, I’ve already used my powers in my police work a little. As a detective, it’s extremely helpful to be able to float around undetected.” He held up a hand to stifle Nina’s protests. “We’ve already argued about this”, he told Serena. “She says it violates their rights; I argued that these powers changed the whole game. But, more to the point—” he turned to Nina “—I’m confident Serena will keep her vigilantism separate from her police work, and that she won’t go overboard.”

“But”, Serena said, “what I won’t do is hide the fact that I’m using ‘magic’ to do it. That’s what I meant by ‘next level’. For our protection, I’ll use avatars that don’t look like us. I have been reading about humor, so I might try forms that will be funny. For example, I think it would be funny if one of those metal library drop-boxes scooted around a sidewalk getting in the way of a fleeing burglar. Or a falcon. That would please me too — having seemingly normal animals come out of nowhere to serve justice.”

She looked at Nina again, then at Jamaal.

“Neither of you have mentioned it, but other Serenas will be just as pleased by this knowledge as I was. And I can introduce it to them in a way that will be less shocking to their systems.”

“It’s okay with me if you tell them”, Jamaal said, after a pause.

Nina shrugged. “The more the merrier, I guess.”

“If nothing else, it will take pressure off you”, Serena smiled. “And remember, Artifex did say to spread the knowledge.”

 

6. Email   •••

— Later That Evening

 

As soon as they were home, Nina checked her email and saw a message from Serena.

“She sent this while we were talking”, she told Jamaal. Then she read:

“You asked for ‘a better approach’ to applying these powers to helping people. First, consider that both of you are already employed full time in ways that actually help people, especially you, Doctor Lopez. I’m sure you can think of ways to apply your powers in that regard — the most difficult part will be doing it unseen and unheard. One thing I noticed while helping that family fix their automobile: the remote viewpoint does not have to be a human viewpoint. I was able to move my viewpoint inside the engine to find the issue. Apply that to medicine.

“Second, brainstorm a list of actual threats facing humanity. Plane crashes are relatively rare, as are earthquakes that bring down cities. Other threats are more widespread — like poverty, climate change, systemic bigotry, etc. Once you have a list, uncover the root causes. Then apply the powers to the root causes. I suggest keeping in mind that some solutions might be just as harmful as the problems (such as fighting overpopulation by killing people).

“Take your time. Months have already passed; it won’t hurt to take a day off from practicing your powers and brainstorm intensively. Prioritize your results. Compose a plan of action.

“If you choose to focus on smaller, localized issues, and patrol with remote viewing, I recommend avoiding Riverton in case V.V. starts to notice and comes looking.

“You didn’t ask, but I have recommendations for two humans we can trust with this knowledge. The first is my creator, Nikki Gonovan (see attached photo and info card). The second is Riverton Police Officer Trent Shelton (see attached photo and info card). I will only approach them about this with your permission.”

Nina looked up.

“Do you think Serena is a better judge of who to trust than we are?”

Jamaal shrugged. “She would certainly be less clouded by emotion and unconscious bias than we would be. For what it’s worth, I’ve met Shelton; he seems decent — I didn’t get any racism vibes from him, and his file is clean. I have seen Ms. Gonovan, but have never spoken to her. I know she’s brilliant, but that’s about it. And, as we know from tracking Serena recently, Ms. Gonovan was at least partially aware of Serena’s plan to wipe out BloCo.”

Nina was tapping into her phone, thanking Serena for the email. She nodded at her husband’s response. “Okay... But how widely do we want this to spread?”

“What do you mean?”

“I know Artifex suggested spreading the word — carefully — but we don’t have to listen to him any more than we have to listen to the group that trained him. Wouldn’t it be better to keep it small?”

“Just like Verbo does? Avoid spreading the word due to fear of the wrong people finding out?”

“No. It was just a question of curiosity, Jamaal. I know we aren’t in charge of this, especially now that the Serenas know. But do you think it’s a good idea for more people to know? And all of them in Riverton? Wouldn’t that make our city more of a target?”

Jamaal looked thoughtful. “Only three Serenas are in Riverton; the rest are in Seattle, Portland, and with the state police. I assume each of them will have friends and officers they can trust too. So it won’t be all here.”

“Okay. And the constant spreading? You’re okay with that? I know you and I agree that most humans are basically good people, but we also know that human urges don’t always point us in the right direction. How tempting would it be, if someone on this growing list has trouble making next month’s rent, to just teleport into a bank vault and pick up a handful of FDIC-insured bills? Or strike back at an annoying coworker with an overwhelming display of force?”

He nodded. “It’s a risk, yes. But isn’t it similar to the risk of giving a rifle to an 18-year-old with a few months of indoctrination and sending him to fight overseas? Or handing a gun and badge to anyone who can pass a city’s police training course? Or handing the power of legislation to people whose only qualification is the ability to speak in soundbites? It sometimes backfires, but most of the time it seems to work out okay. Also, the scenarios you envision come from a place of weakness and fear, don’t they? Fear of losing your home, for example. But I’ve noticed since learning these Words is that my fear has disappeared. I know I can bring up the shield in a split second. I can teleport the hell out of Dodge. I can float up and away. Even if we somehow did lose our house, I would no longer be afraid of that.”

Nina looked thoughtful, then her expression indicated she accepted it.

“So I’m going to brainstorm like Serena suggested. Should I do it somewhere else in case Verbo comes looking?”

“If Serena truly is planning to put her powers on display, then yes, I suggest we keep as much of this out of our house as possible. Come home for food, bathing, checking mail, sleeping, relaxing, etc. But go elsewhere if we need to talk about this stuff. We’ll come up with a code word or something.”

 

7. In The News   •••

 

— Day 3

U.S. Rep. Bruce McQueen (R-Iowa) said today his office is investigating “yesterday’s travesty”, by which he referred to a widely-publicized video. In the video from yesterday, recorded at a press conference in Washington, D.C., McQueen apologized for “my past racist actions and many, many statements which overtly supported white nationalism.” He further acknowledged that he has been “very, very wrong about so many things, including the struggles of marginalized communities across our nation.” He also promised to work with a variety of civil rights advocacy organizations in order to make up for his “past mistakes”.

Today though, speaking from his family’s cabin in Colorado, McQueen appeared to walk back yesterday’s comments, claiming he has been on vacation all week. He urged his telephone service provider to release his private phone records to prove his whereabouts.

It also seemed today that McQueen reaffirmed his previous positions, often called “racist” or at best “inappropriate” by members of both major parties.

***

— Day 5

After a 7.4-magnitude earthquake in Muzaffarabad, Pakistan, yesterday, several dozen residents of the area claim to have been rescued, or to have witnessed rescue efforts, by what they described as “a flying panther with human-like hands”. The quake struck Monday at about 3 a.m. local time, collapsing hundreds of buildings — many of them recently rebuilt after the 2005 Kashmir earthquake.

The earthquake victims say the unlikely beast physically pulled them from the rubble, “speaking in human languages”, and then flew them to safety. Several witnesses offered photographic or video evidence, but all were recorded either from a great distance or showed too little detail to be republished here.

Some called the alleged panther “a gift from Allah”.

***

— Day 9

After more than a million bottles of water appeared in Chennai — India’s sixth-largest city — local officials say they are investigating. No locally-operating charity has taken credit for the gift, which showed up unannounced during the night, neatly stacked on pallets outside the city’s two largest hospitals.

“We are grateful”, say Mayor Saidai Annadurai, explaining that Chennai, like the rest of the region, is suffering from extreme drought. “This water will take the edge off our thirst, though we expect water shortages to continue.”

Alex Hannibeck, host of a U.S.-based podcast known for promoting easily debunked conspiracy theories, implied that the bottles were stolen directly from Nestle. Hannibeck noted a story in Canadian news yesterday about Nestle warehouses missing many pallets of bottled water. Those “missing” bottles turned out to be an “accounting error”, according to company officials.

***

— Day 13

Chicago Police officials did not respond to questions about a hostage situation yesterday at a downtown branch of the First Bank Of Chicago, nor has security footage been released.

Multiple witnesses, including bank employees, said three masked, armed robbers entered the branch and took at least a dozen hostages. The now-free hostages agree that the three robbers became flustered by a playful kitten that scampered among them. Shortly thereafter, the robbers began “blinking out of existence” according to teller Marie Watson. A police officer at the scene, speaking on condition of anonymity, said officers found no signs of a kitten in the building.

Still unexplained is the appearance, just minutes later, of three bound and gagged men in the New York City offices of Wolf News Network. WNN employees believed they were “rescuing” the men, but all three immediately confessed to the Chicago robbery attempt.

***

— Day 17

More than 200 logging vehicles were illegally disabled in a single night last week, bringing to a halt one of the biggest deforestation efforts in the world, according to Brazilian authorities. While investigating the property damage on a site owned by international conglomerate Timber Limited, national police say they discovered the entire operation was in violation of Brazil’s conservation laws. Seven company executives were arrested. Police say they will continue to look into the sabotage reports as well.

***

— Day 19

Actor Ethan Holmes today contradicted reports that he rescued twenty-two minor children from a sex trafficking operation in Sydney, Australia, last week. He said, “It is wonderful that these children were freed, but the gratitude toward me is misplaced. I had nothing to do with it.”

Local press in Sydney reported that Holmes was seen leading the minors to freedom from an apartment building on the city’s west side. He was also listed on initial police reports as the primary witness who provided information leading to the arrest of several suspected traffickers.

Holmes has starred in well-known films Impossible Guns and Top Mission.

***

— Day 20

Is Viral Self-Defense Video A Fraud?

A viral ‘self-defense’ video was shared thousands of times this week, but self-defense experts say it’s a fraud. Promoted with hashtags like #InvisibleShield and #MagicIsReal, the video claims to instruct users on how to create an “invisible energy shield” using what appears to be a magical incantation. Cartoon hands articulate on screen while a digitally disguised voice utters a phrase that might be spelled “frithtartantaken”. The voice then claims the invisible shield is “activated”.

“There is no magical incantation for true self-defense”, said Don Donaldson, a retired Army sergeant who teaches self-defense in Miami, Fla. “There are no secrets. Prevention is the number one self-defense technique — learn to avoid dangerous situations. Number two is awareness — be aware of your surroundings.” For specific hand-to-hand techniques, Donaldson recommended signing up for a free trial class at his website.

However, hundreds claim they’ve tried the exact technique in the video and that works as advertised. “I don’t know how, but it works”, said Rhonda Viley of Fort Lauderdale. “You can’t punch through it, throw things through it, or anything.” Viley has uploaded her own demonstration video, which appears to be unedited.

***

— Day 24

Multiple national and international law enforcement agencies are cooperating to investigate the disappearance of more than 100 oil tankers. U.S. President Mallory Upton said “every possible measure” would be taken to protect stockholders in the affected energy companies and urged Congress to pass the Protection Of Energy (POE) Act this week.

The ships, which average more than 400 meters (1,300 feet) long and can carry half a million tons of cargo, began failing to report in during the night in each time zone. Officials said the tankers represent only about one percent of global shipping capacity.

Of the approximately 2,000 affected crew members, nearly half have been safely located, none of them near oceans at the time. Worldwide searches are underway for the remainder.

Crew of one ship told police in Bangkok that they were crossing the Atlantic (12,000 miles distant) when a “blond teenage witch” mysteriously boarded their ship and “teleported” the crew to the Dusit Zoo. Another ship’s crew said “winged monkeys” carried them off from near South Korea and “blinked” them to a newly constructed apartment building in Moscow.

***

— Day 30

Four children in Lodz, Poland, say a “talking baboon” rescued a kitten from its perch in a tree Thursday. Parents of two of the children had called local animal control for assistance, but when officials arrived the kitten was safely down and the children all told the same story. They said the baboon was purple and that it spoke to their kitten to calm it.

Zoologists say no baboons are purple and that none are known to speak any human language. Further, no species of baboon lives in the wild outside Africa and Arabia.

 

8. War Footing   •••

— Day 31, Other Side Of The World

 

Teacher called for silence in the packed Council room.

“The crisis we have long feared — and prepared for — is at hand. Evidence has mounted that someone is using our Words and Keys to upset the balance of global society.”

She listed incidents collected by her operatives. Van Scriver had been one of the first to notice them.

“One or two of these, without the others, could be attributed to poor human recall, coincidence, or misunderstanding. All of them together, suddenly, over a few weeks, make it clear that our secrets have leaked. Whether it was Artifex Operarius, as we suspect, or someone else among us — or even the farfetched idea of an independent discovery—” she looked askance at the Council member who had suggested it “—the powers we have so long protected are brazenly being used.”

She sighed. Like most Teachers, she had hoped such a breach would not occur during her lifetime. She endeavored only to teach — to pass her knowledge to a select few — and to guard the secrets of Verbo Virtutis. She had hoped future ledgers of the secret society would list her name alongside a period of unruffled peace and continuity.

Now this.

“Direct action must be taken”, she declared, her voice firm and steady.

Murmurs of affirmation rose from the room. No one called for a vote; this was a clear violation of their laws.

“First, we must locate those using the powers. Second, we must capture and isolate them — no killing. The evidence indicates not only a high skill level, but multiple persons coordinating. I repeat: do not kill anyone except as a last resort; we must locate everyone involved.

“Otherwise we are on a war footing. Modified schedules of operation are being posted outside as I speak. Normal chores are suspended — aside from the bare minimum — until further notice. All of us are operatives until the threat is contained. Follow every lead, no matter how flimsy or unlikely. Any solid lead must be reportedly immediately to the Council. The Council will stay in this room, breaking only for physical necessities.”

Minutes later, only the Council remained, staring warily at each other.

Facilitator spoke finally. “Teacher, I have studied these stories in detail, from many sources. As you say, it is clear the Words have been used, and all of us can imagine exactly which ones. But...” He paused, unsure of himself. “But some of the precision is startling. We required many years before such accurate teleportation could be accomplished. We use it to transport fruit from the orchards up to our storehouses, and even then we sometimes miss the mark and a basket drops harshly to the ground. And — to my knowledge — none of us has ever teleported something as large as an oil tanker. Or multiple humans at once.”

Teacher nodded. “I share your concerns, Facilitator. I consider myself the most practiced among us and I have never teleported anything larger than a one-room hut. And never to a location I was unfamiliar with.”

Historian agreed. “I find it unlikely these impressive skills were learned in a year’s time”, she said. “Even Artifex — who we all acknowledge was quite skilled — could not have taught an entirely new person these skills in such a brief time.”

Others nodded too.

Teacher sighed again, feeling the weight of the responsibility all through her.

“It is possible that Artifex began his violations earlier than we knew. He could have trained a small group for years before we became aware of his intent. It also could have been someone else among us — someone who continues to keep silent. However, something has changed recently — we saw no sign of them all this time, and now they have chosen to act.”

“What of the videos describing the Invisible Shield?” asked Enforcer, his steely blue eyes locked onto Teacher. “They continue to multiply across all social media platforms. Even if — when — we locate and neutralize the original members of the new group, the videos have been shared thousands — possibly millions — of times.”

“You are right to ask”, Teacher said. “The video is an even greater breach of our secrets than the rest of these incidents. It will be the most difficult to contain. Enlist our most technically proficient operatives for this task. As we have always done before, we will remove all trace of the information from the world’s knowledge base, no matter how difficult.”

“This was easier in the Old Days”, Historian said grimly. “Find a couple of handwritten parchments and teleport them to the Sun. Now? Even if we wipe every server at every social media company, there will still be copies on individual phones and computers. Not to mention that thousands have already practiced the Words and Keys.”

“Fortunately”, Teacher said, “it is the weakest of the powers; the only one that can only be used for defense. I suspect that is why the unknown group chose that particular power to publicize — it introduces the ideas to the world without the possibility of harm. Imagine if the video described teleportation or gravity control.”

The others nodded.

“Let’s get to work”, she told them. “Historian and I will begin our search in Riverton — the only place we know of where Artifex was active. Enforcer already has his orders. Facilitator, develop a map of all known incidents. Perhaps there is a pattern.”

She gave orders to the other Councilors and then joined Historian in remote viewing Riverton.

9. Bait And Switch   •••

— Day 32, Riverton

 

“I think they’re doing too much. The Serenas, I mean”, Nina said to Jamaal.

They were in an unassigned room on the least-used floor of a not-very-successful hotel in eastern Riverton — far from the tech hub. It was more comfortable than the warehouse preferred by Serena Five.

“They are eager”, Jamaal agreed. “But all this is out of our control now. At least we can agree they are helping people.”

“True”, Nina admitted, nodding. “Indirectly, at least. And if they’re using the powers for vigilante work, I haven’t seen evidence of it.”

“Or those stories have been overshadowed by these Big Events.”

“I wondered about that”, she said. “If she tracked down, say, a child molester in Cincinnati, and killed him... It wouldn’t make the front page of that city’s paper, much less a national news outlet — not with all these other things going on.”

Jamaal took her hand. “She was right, though. It did take the pressure off us. I don’t feel nearly the stress that I did before we told her. Remember? Just a few weeks ago, we were feeling useless and wondering how to ‘change the world’ with our powers. Now it’s happening. We can go on about our daily lives and pretend to be as astounded as everyone else.”

“Maybe”, Nina said. “Or maybe she’s painted a huge target on our backs.”

“You mean that V.V. will come looking? That’s why we’re here, and why we switch hotel rooms every night. It’s why we never discuss it in our home anymore. Even if V.V. comes looking, we know what their powers are. Even if they identify me as a point of contact, so what? Are they going to approach me at work, in front of everyone? No, they want to keep this secret. If they show up at our house, they’ll find no sign that we’ve been using the powers and we can feign innocence.”

She began to scroll through the news feed on her phone. “Oh, look. Here’s another one. The largest oil refinery in the United States — in Port Arthur, Texas — has shut down. More than a thousand employees at that site, and none of them can get to work due to entrances blocked with tons of concrete. No one knows how it got there. Everyone who was on duty got teleported outside the fence.”

Jamaal raised his eyebrows. “She’s really going after the fossil fuel industries”, he noted. “All I did was rescue a kitten.”

“The only thing that made the news, you mean”, Nina pointed out with a grin. “No one has reported your appearances as Eisenhower’s ghost in the homes of sitting Senators.”

He grinned slyly. “I’m working on Reagan’s ghost for the next round, but it’s harder — more living people remember the sound of his voice and it isn’t easy to mimic. Maybe I’ll make a difference; maybe not.” He patted her shoulder. “I’m sorry your Bruce McQueen thing didn’t work. I thought it would end him when he denied recanting racism, but apparently his voters are okay with that.”

“I’m going to do it again”, she said. “He’s one of the worst on capitol hill. So I’m going to have him appear to his wife and recant racism, apologize for it. And then have her appear to him, begging him to do the same thing. If nothing else, I’ll drive them both nuts and he can withdraw from public life.”

She suddenly looked startled. “Jamaal. Something you said earlier... You said if V.V. shows up at our house they’ll find no sign that we know about the powers... And Serena said something like that too. But what if they did see something? What would happen then? What if we could be found?”

“Where are you going with this, honey?”

***

— Day 33, Late Evening, Riverton

Uncharacteristically, Jamaal and Nina blipped into existence inside his empty office, giggling conspiratorially, then teleported to her locked office in the hospital, almost as if they were seeking out places that might be under surveillance by Verbo Virtutis operatives. They nuzzled and kissed a few times, then teleported to the roof of their house. Then teleported inside.

“It’s cool in here”, Nina said, openly moving her hands and speaking syllables to control the temperature. Jamaal pulled a bottle of beer from the box next to the fridge and used his own powers to instantly cool it.

“Watch a movie?” he asked.

“How about sleep, then a movie?” Nina suggested. “It’ll only take an hour with these powers.”

After showering, she settled into bed, performed the First Power’s Words and Key, and her eyes quickly closed. Her breathing stabilized. Not long after, Jamaal had finished his beer, showered, and joined her.

At the foot of the bed, Teacher suddenly appeared, Historian beside her.

“So they’ve known this all along”, Teacher murmured. “And somehow we missed it a year ago.”

Historian nodded. “It’s lucky we caught them this time. If we hadn’t been here when they arrived, we would have missed it again.”

“We can assume Artifex warned them. Last year, all those trips to the park — they were practicing there and I never followed them. This is on me.”

Historian’s avatar placed a hand on the shoulder of Teacher’s avatar. “I can wait here while you tell the others. Or...”

“You and I can handle this”, Teacher said.

Historian’s eyebrows went up. “We’re going to remove their hands now? Here?”

Teacher smiled. “It isn’t necessary. We can use modern interpretations of our rules — you know I abhor violence. We will use 10th Power constructs to bind them temporarily — until they wake and we interrogate them. Watch.”

Teacher used gravitational Words and Keys to raise Jamaal’s arms and place his hands together, palm against palm. Then more syllables and hand movements, and a rubbery plastic block appeared in the air around Jamaal’s hands. “There”, she said proudly. “When he wakes, he will be unable to use the Finger Keys for any power. And long before the construct fades, we will have decided his fate. Much more humane this way.”

Historian nodded. “I can get on board with that.” She repeated Teacher’s actions with Nina’s hands.

Teacher suddenly jerked, and put her fingers to her temples.

“What is it?” Historian spat out.

“Someone else”, Teacher whispered, switching quickly to Mandarin, the second official language of Verbo Virtutis. “Someone is watching us right now. I was distracted by our find—” she pointed at Jamaal and Nina. “Maybe they were watching us the whole time.”

Historian appeared worried. She replied in Mandarin. “How can you know?”

Teacher grimaced. “Only Teachers are supposed to know... There is an Eleventh Power — the ability to monitor the presence of remote viewpoints.”

Historian’s mouth opened without sound. She quickly recovered. “What should we do? Proceed with our capture?”

 

10. Finality   •••

— Later That Evening

 

Jamaal paced fretfully on the roof of a mid-sized building in downtown Riverton, listening to a two-inch golden sphere floating nearby as it narrated the events at his house. Serena had discovered that smaller, simpler avatars caused less processing strain, freeing her to create more. Nina stood near the sphere, watching Jamaal pace.

“They’ve switched to Mandarin”, the golden ball said. “Oh! They know I’m remote viewing them. The taller woman says it’s the Eleventh Power — only ‘Teachers’ are supposed to know. Apparently all it can do is sense remote viewing; they still don’t know those are avatars they’ve ‘captured’. They’re discussing what to do.”

Jamaal’s respiration rate increased slightly. Nina furrowed her brow.

“They’ve decided they’ll take the bound bodies to their ‘Council hall’ ”, the sphere said, “wherever that is. Don’t worry. This is what we wanted. Remember, you’re safe here. Those are my avatars and I can escape at any time. I’ll play along for now.”

“But, they’ve bound your avatars’ hands”, Jamaal told the golden sphere worriedly. “Your avatar needs its hands to shut down or use any other power.”

Nina stared at him comically.

The ball laughed. “Jamaal! Remember I can change the avatar’s shape — and solidity — with a thought. The moment I’m ready, I can think a set of hands out the back of the avatar and do the Keys to get out of there. Or just pass my hands through the bindings.”

***

— Other Side Of The World

The Council surrounded the two sleeping bodies.

“Riverton Detective Jamaal Johnson”, Teacher said, pointing at the larger one. “And his wife, Doctor Nina Lopez. We witnessed them using Words and Keys — to teleport into their house — where we happened to be remote viewing. They manipulated temperature and activated Sleep. They were skillful and precise.”

“These two are responsible for all the disruption?” Facilitator asked.

“Not them alone”, Teacher said, knowing she now had to reveal the Eleventh Power to the entire Council. “Another was remotely viewing us. I could sense it through the Eleventh Power — previously known only to Teachers.”

No one gasped, but a few came close.

“Secrets within secrets”, Enforcer mused.

“When they awake, in about 35 minutes, we will interrogate them”, Teacher said. “As much as they know about the Powers, it’s likely they know something of our organization too. That knowledge, hopefully, will spur them to reveal what they know and who they’re working with, in exchange for mercy.””

“We should separate them”, Enforcer suggested. “So each will worry for the other’s safety when they awake.”

“Yes”, Teacher agreed. “Take the woman outside.”

Enforcer knelt and easily lifted Nina’s sleeping form. Until he touched her, he had been toying with a suspicion — it was part of his job to be suspicious. If these people were as skilled as it seemed, he reasoned, maybe they had planted avatars... But as soon as he lifted the woman, his suspicion disappeared. This body was as heavy as expected for a human woman. Warmth radiated through her pajamas. Every detail was perfect. No one could make an avatar this perfect.

Historian stood over him as he set the sleeping body on the ground. Her eyes were moist. “You know, Artifex almost had me convinced last year”, she told Enforcer.

“Yes, you said so at the time”, he replied, his emotionless blue eyes looking up at her. “I agree he made valid points at times. I do not agree with upsetting an apple cart that has worked well for centuries. I will do as Teacher requests, without hesitation.”

Historian nodded.

The sleeping woman opened her eyes. What’s going on? Enforcer thought. It was too early. Way too early. She fluttered her eyelids and winced at the brightness of the sun.

“Where am I?” she murmured. “Who are you people?”

“I think you know who we are”, Enforcer said through his wooden mask. “As for where, I cannot tell you. You, however, need to tell me who you’re working with. If you want any chance of mercy.”

But he realized, even as he spoke, that Lopez was looking at the sky, the nearby trees, the surrounding structures, taking in details quickly. She also wasn’t showing fear, which bothered him even more.

Then the woman began to shrink. So quickly that she was gone before Enforcer could lunge forward.

“Fuck me”, Enforcer said.

He and Historian rushed into the Council hall to find the others staring mutely at the other rubbery plastic block on the smooth bamboo floor.

“We have underestimated them”, Teacher said, fire blazing in her eyes. “They anticipated our arrival and placed avatars in order to trick us.”

“How were those avatars?” Enforcer demanded. “I carried her. Her weight and body heat were normal. I could see pores, elbow wrinkles... No one can make an avatar that accurate.”

Teacher stared at him. “I have already acknowledged we underestimated them”, she pointed out. “Clearly they can generate avatars better than we can. Perhaps we have grown lazy. Regardless, we must plan our next move.”

“But why allow themselves to be captured?” Facilitator asked.

“Intel”, Enforcer said quietly. “Now they know what our village looks like. What we look like.”

“Can they have gained our location?” Teacher asked.

He thought quickly. “They might guess the time of day, based on the sun’s position in the sky. But that would leave them with an entire longitude to search. I don’t think any other clues were available.”

***

— Later That Evening, Riverton

“I know where they are”, said the ball, which suddenly morphed into the appearance of Serena Five.

Jamaal and Nina simultaneously raised eyebrows. “Already?”

Serena tapped her head. “Though my avatar doesn’t carry GPS — for obvious reasons — I did see the sun. They’re about 15 hours ahead of us. I immediately sent multiple remote viewpoints into low orbit above that longitude. It could not have been too far north, due to the mild temperatures, and any further south would only be ocean. Then my avatar on the ground noted cloud formations and positions, as well as surrounding landscape shapes and types of foliage. My aerial remote viewpoints quickly found cloud patterns and landscape that matched and I zoomed in. This only took a few seconds. By the time I closed that avatar, I had found them. They’re on an island in the Yellow Sea.”

“Now what?”

“Leave that to me. They’re still underestimating me; they thought the avatars were actually you two, which leads me to believe they’re not only very secretive but also afraid of experimentation. That would explain why they’ve only discovered eleven powers in all these years.”

“Wait”, Nina said, confused. “If they didn’t learn the avatars were avatars until you ended them, how did you know what they thought of the avatars?”

“I didn’t end them both immediately”, Serena explained. “I shrunk one and hung around for a few more seconds.”

Jamaal squinted at her. “And what do you mean ‘they’ve only discovered eleven’? Are there more? How do you know?”

“Surely you know better than to underestimate me by now, Detective. There are hundreds of possible hand and finger position, and millions of possible syllable constructions. There had to be more powers. Seven and Eight have each kept a separate avatar running for the past few weeks, experimenting. Most combinations don’t do anything — or anything detectable. But quite a few new powers showed up. Some of them are far more dangerous than the first Eleven, so it’s lucky we have been practicing on Pluto.”

Jamaal’s eyes had widened during the speech. Nina shook her head.

Serena vanished.

***

— Other Side Of The World

“We shall return to Riverton”, Teacher announced sternly. “No mercy this time. They, whoever they are, know who we are, and they know we’re on to them. Time dilation is authorized; slow it as much as you can. Track them down!”

Teacher was the first to notice the rubbery plastic blocks encasing her hands. Within half a second, all of them were struggling to free their hands.

“Or don’t”, said a voice previously unheard by the Council.

They turned to look at the newcomer in their midst.

“Who are you?” Teacher demanded.

“None of your snooping business”, said the woman, dressed in flowing white robes that nearly matched her pale skin. In contrast, her very dark hair was pulled up tightly into two matching buns.

Enforcer was the first to recognize her. “It’s an avatar”, he said. “A movie character.” He turned to the princess. “You have us. What will you do?”

“I will end you if you won’t leave us alone”, she said. “You and your entire secretive organization. Who are clearly no match for me.”

Teacher raised her encased hands. “These Tenth Power illusional constructs will fade. Do you intend to amputate our hands?”

“I’m not evil”, responded the fictional movie princess, who briefly morphed into a black-armored, large-helmeted, heavy-breathing fictional evil commander, before switching back to the original appearance. “Not like you. You kidnap and kill to keep secrets. Which isn’t a very good reason to kidnap or kill. Especially if those secrets could free the bulk of humanity from its oppressors.

“Also, you continue to underestimate me. I can snap those plastic blocks back on your hands every few hours for the rest of your lives if I want to.”

“Then what do you want of us?” Teacher asked. “You have us at your mercy. Make your demands.”

Enforcer glared at her, frustrated that Teacher was giving up so easily. Facilitator fumed too, looking at his feet. Historian began to accept the realization that Teacher had already acknowledged.

Then another, different fictional princess appeared next to the first. Then a third. Soon the Council was surrounded.

“Find the rest of them”, demanded the first princess in a senatorial voice. “I know it’s not just these twelve on this hilltop.”

“They’re in the other cabins”, said a blonde princess. “I’m watching them. Almost all of them appear to be using remote viewing.”

Teacher glanced up sharply. “How can you watch them while your avatar is here?”

“Under. Estimate. Ing.” the first princess blurted. “Stop doing it.” She turned to the other avatars. “Round them up. Don’t forget to surprise them with the whole hands thing. I’ve got a little speech to deliver and we’ll see how these friendly folks respond to it.”

She turned back to the Council. “Just so you’re not fooled by the pretty princess face, I must do one more little trick to show you how serious I am.” She flicked her fingers faster than Teacher could watch, and whispered in a blur.

“I have a bad feeling about this”, Enforcer said as the cabin faded from view around them. He knew it wasn’t a simple Tenth Power illusion because the other cabins were gone too, and the entire hill was fading like a wisp of smoke. Beyond that, as he yanked his head around to see, the entire island was now gone. He and the rest of the Council trembled in disbelief as the rest of the hilltop community was gathered around them by the horde of princesses. He could no longer feel the solid floor beneath him, but somehow none of them were plummeting into the ocean.

Then the entire Universe was gone.

“They’ve discovered more powers!” Historian blurted.

“I can see that”, Teacher said in a small voice. Around them was only blackness, the sharp undefined blackness of the absolute removal of all light. Yet the group of people — and avatars — were all still somehow plainly visible.

Teacher turned to the first princess. “You know there are more of us? Nearly a thousand members spread throughout the world.”

“It’s interesting you should say that”, the princess smirked. For a brief moment, she suddenly appeared as a massive, obese, slimy, greenish-gray lizard creature with bowl-sized cat eyes. Then she was a princess again. Other Verbo members began to appear in the apparently empty, floorless space in which they ‘stood’. Soon there were too many for a human to quickly count.

“Now, shut up and listen”, the princess commanded.

 

Epilogue   •••

— Day 39, Riverton

Christopher Ludwig Van Scriver showed up at Riverton Police Department’s Precinct 12 in the custody of Officer Serena Five. It took a minute for muted memories to kick in, and the surrounding humans began to stare in surprise. A ton of paperwork later, Van Scriver was remanded to the nearest jail until a preliminary hearing could be added to the docket.

The District Attorney muttered to herself as Officer Five waited. “This isn’t going to have the political capital it did last year. Not to mention the relatively little damage caused...”

“He’s had a bunch of time to think about this” Five said helpfully. “He wants to do what’s right.”

Later, when he was alone in his cell, Van Scriver heard a quiet voice. “Remember the 19th Power”, Five’s voice said. “You can contact me when you need to.” Van Scriver nodded, knowing she could see him. He also remembered the 25th Power, recently discovered by Five — the full-body shield, which he planned to use if things got rough.

***

— Day 40, Riverton

Detective Jamaal Johnson stared at his computer screen as files flicked across it. Half a dozen cases were being wrapped up on screen, reports printing out behind him. At the sound of someone approaching in the hallway, he pretended to type for a few seconds.

“Something different about you, Johnson?” asked Detective Winters from the doorway.

“Trimmed the beard?” Johnson offered, tapping his chin.

“You look five years younger”, Winters said with a wink.

“Thank you”, Jamaal replied with a curt nod.

Winters frowned and walked on. Something was off. Johnson usually flirted back — just a little. This Johnson was not only younger looking, but more efficient than before and... weirdly robotic. Oh well.

***

— The Same Day

“Thank you”, said the patient, exiting as Dr. Nina Lopez smiled in response.

A nurse peeked in. “Oh, you’re here?” He looked around, confused. “I’m dropping off this form like you asked, but... Were you just in 214?”

“I was”, Dr. Lopez responded. “Thanks for the paperwork.”

The nurse nodded, confused. He had come directly from 214, where he had spoken to Dr. Lopez. He wondered to himself whether he was getting enough sleep. He shook his head and headed toward... There was Dr. Lopez again. Ahead of him in the hallway, carrying a clipboard.

***

— Undisclosed Location

The real Nina sighed, stretching out on a comfortable beach chair, enjoying the ocean air blowing over her. “We should have done this years ago, Jamaal.”

He smiled and scratched his scraggly beard. He sipped from a frosty drink in a large glass. “It’s nice. Especially when you don’t have to pay for air travel or go through customs. You want to move down here? They need doctors and police officers in this country too.”

She shook her head. “I know Five is doing a bang-up job at impersonating us back home, but I like Riverton. I like our house. And we can actually feel comfortable using the powers at home now, without worrying that someone’s watching.”

“I wish I knew exactly what Five and her friends did to Verbo.”

“Are you sure you want to know?”

“I like to close cases. A robot telling me ‘I took care of it’ isn’t enough for me. I want to know.”

“My guess is she killed them all”, Nina said, “but I don’t want to ruin this perfect vacation by thinking about that. Let’s get in the water for a little while.”

“I don’t think she killed them”, Jamaal said, setting down his nearly empty glass. “She doesn’t kill if she doesn’t have to. Unlike us, she can be in the moment and consider a thousand other options.”

“Then what do you think she did?”

They stepped into the salty water, feeling loose bits of sand swirl around their toes. The powerful ubiquitous sound of the waves made sure no one around them could overhear. Besides, Jamaal was now using the Eleventh Power. From now on, he would always know whether someone was watching him.

“I think she convinced them. They weren’t idiots. I think she overwhelmed them with her superiority, her ability to project multiple avatars at once, and everything else that’s impressive about the Serenas. Not to mention all the extra powers she recently discovered. Once she fooled them with those avatars, they’ve been on their heels. I don’t think she gave them time to recover, mentally.”

“Or maybe it wasn’t either of those”, Nina mused.

The water was now up their waists.

She went on, “You say she wouldn’t kill them needlessly, but I don’t think she could convince them either. They’ve believed this their whole lives.”

“Okay”, Jamaal said. “Maybe she’s got an avatar over there right now, riding herd on them as long as it takes.”

“I’ll buy that”, Nina said, lying back in the water. “Either way, I’m going to have to trust that she took care of it. And for the next week, while we’re here, I’m not going to worry about how the world will change.”

“Same here, babe.”