The first time Crystal was led into the presence of The Lady Grey, she felt as though she was being hauled before the high school principal to account for some infraction of the school rules. Irrational as it was, she was unable to shake the feeling until she actually met and spoke with The Lady Grey. This time, however, she didn’t have the advantage of not having been involved with anything irregular. Her screw-up, as she considered the situation with Tetsu Sensei, would most certainly come out, and she was equally certain she would have to answer for it. As Jenny suspected she would, while she marched behind the color sergeant she tried to think of an explanation for the departure of the obnoxious ninja lord that would deflect any unpleasant attention from her friend.
Staring at the back of the stocky color sergeant wasn’t helping. His precise and measured stride, spare speech, and nigh-mechanical adherence to his prescribed tasks were, to her mind, the hallmarks of a man who had not only met or exceeded the requirements of his duty throughout his career, but also managed to avoid any semblance of failure. This view was reinforced when he performed the steps to access the secure portal to the administrative and living quarters section of the Vanguard base and ordered her through with the exact same motions and voice inflection he had used previously. Either he’s a Nemesis automaton, or he’s the most self-controlled man in existence. Is that what’s expected around here? I’m so dead!
A tiny whisper of rational thought reminded her that she was a special volunteer, and the most that could happen to her was that The Lady Grey would tell her that she was no longer welcome in the war zone. This whisper blossomed into a full-scale shouting match of inner voices. One welcomed the idea of leaving the war zone and all the associated violence and suffering behind. The other, the one that usually won these kind of arguments, didn’t want to quit the job if it looked like she’d failed, especially if she hadn’t had a chance to put things right. Not that she could think of a way to rectify the situation; it seemed unlikely that Tetsu Sensei would respond positively to any request from her to rejoin her team. But she still hated the idea of reporting to Lady Grey that, while Penny was safe and with her father again, she had returned without one of her own team, especially after promising that she’d bring them all back.
Each step brought the moment of truth closer, and Crystal couldn’t think of a solution to her dilemma on her own. Her mind drifted back to her earlier meeting with Lady Grey. She recalled the color sergeant’s advice, and tried to think of a way to get some more assistance from him without revealing any embarrassing details about Tetsu Sensei’s departure. On her first attempt, she squeaked out “Excuse me, Color Sergeant Barnes” so quietly that he did not respond. Crystal cleared her throat and repeated herself more forcefully, trying not to blush in the process.
It was enough to get his attention. “Yes, miss?” he inquired over his shoulder.
Crystal was relieved that he did not turn around to see her red face. “Umm… Tetsu Sensei is no longer with the team.”
Without interrupting his pace, Color Sergeant Barnes pulled out his PDA and tapped at it. “Indeed.”
“That’s not going to be a problem, is it?”
Color Sergeant Barnes halted and partially turned to face Crystal. “I expect not. Our special volunteers come and go as they please, and Vanguard does not usually plan any operations that require a stable group to remain in zone for any length of time.”
“Oh,” Crystal replied, simultaneously greatly relieved and slightly insulted.
The color sergeant resumed his trek. After a few more minutes, he halted again at a familiar door and held it open for Crystal. “Inside, please, miss.”
“Security again?” she whined.
It might have been her imagination, but Crystal thought she detected an upward curl in the corners of his mouth. “I’m afraid so, miss,” he deadpanned.
“I tried to be careful, and the ice is pretty good at keeping me from picking things up by accident, but it’s possible I might have some Rikti bits stuck to me. Will that affect the scans?”
She could not see it because of the helmet he wore, but Color Sergeant Barnes examined her closely for the first time since picking her up. The torn, burned, and bloody clothes presented an odd contrast to her unblemished skin and undamaged hair. The only outward sign of the ordeal she’d been through was the fatigue in her eyes. Inwardly, he marveled at the reality-defying powers of the supers, as well as Crystal’s nonchalance towards her own abilities. “Do mention that at the security station,” he advised.
“Yeah, it would be so not funny to have survived fighting my way through the Rikti tunnels on Vanguard business only to be disintegrated by a Vanguard security checkpoint inside the Vanguard base.”
Color Sergeant Barnes bit the inside of his cheek to maintain his straight face. “Quite so. The Lady Grey awaits you, miss. Inside, if you please.”
Crystal obediently entered, surrendered her possessions, and passed through security. The transition from the checkpoint to Lady Grey’s office was less jarring this time. The sunlight struck the gardens outside at a steeper angle than before, much steeper than it hit the ground outside the base. Crystal guessed the local time from the angle, and deduced that Lady Grey was working from the comfort of her own home on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. That’s so cool! Where can I get one of those doors? I’d never have to rush to class again!
Lady Grey motioned towards the ancient wooden chair in front of her desk. “Sit down, Miss da Silva, and tell Us about your mission.”
Crystal did as she was told. Her re-telling of the mission was as short as she could manage; normally a detail-oriented person, she could easily have consumed as much time elaborating on mission events as it took to complete the original mission. She did not mention any of the internal drama that transpired, especially where Jenny was concerned. Throughout the exposition, Lady Grey remained silent, giving only non-verbal indications that she was still paying attention. An eyebrow arched at the mention of the Clockwork King’s interference. The other eyebrow joined the first as Crystal recounted Tetsu Sensei’s demands and accompanying threat. Crystal was unsure of how to proceed after mentioning the ninja lord’s dire threat, and her pause gave Lady Grey an opportunity to inquire, “We presume you rebuffed his ultimatum?”
Rebuffed? Ultimatum? Note to self: bring thesaurus to next meeting with The Lady Grey. Guessing that Lady Grey was expecting a positive answer, Crystal replied, “Uh, yes ma’am. I was still iced up, and hoped that, if he tried to make good on his threat, I would have plenty of time to talk him out of the idea before he and his minions succeeded in critically injuring me.”
Lady Grey paused to scribble something on a nearby pad of paper. Once finished, she passed her hand over the writing, causing it to fade and vanish.
With a racing heart and dry mouth, Crystal squeaked, “I, uh… he, um… left the team shortly after that.” As subtly as she could, she dropped the temperature in her face to counteract the incoming flush. She hoped the humidity in the room wasn’t too high; condensation would have looked like perspiration, and been as sure a sign of her emotional state as a red face. I just told a half-truth to one of the most powerful people on Earth! I’m gonna die! Why couldn’t I have gotten invisibility instead of ice armor and energy fists?
“Indeed.” Lady Grey’s response was flat and emotionless; either she didn’t believe Crystal, or she didn’t care that Tetsu Sensei was gone.
Before Crystal’s overclocking heart burned out and failed over nothing, she managed to inquire, “Is that a bad thing?”
“Perhaps,” Lady Grey intoned in a bored voice. “This was only the opening play of the Rikti’s plan. The struggle has just begun, and there is still much that must be accomplished. His absence, and the absence of his steady supply of reinforcements, will undoubtedly be felt by you and your team.
Fallenz, how did you know? And why haven’t you called me?
“We have learned that, despite the loss of Miss Yin, the Rikti Lineage of War is using the power of other captured psychics to stabilize the gateways to their homeworld.”
“That was fast,” Crystal interrupted with surprise.
“Very. Doubtless our adversary formulated this contingency plan before kidnapping Miss Yin, and enacted it immediately after her liberation. While our agents search for the installation responsible, we cannot sit idly by, for we have learned that four of the Rikti’s most fearsome warriors have crossed the dimensional barrier. They must be repulsed, and We must ask you to do it!”
Probably came through the portal we saw. Dangit, we weren’t fast enough!
Oblivious to Crystal’s internal scolding, Lady Grey continued, “The four warriors are known as The Riders. Fortunately, Vanguard forces have pinpointed the location of the dimensional portals. You objective shall be to destroy those portals, and defeat any of these Riders that have made it into our world!”
Yuk! A ‘seek and destroy’ mission. Where’s Grog when I need him? For that matter, where’s Fallenz? What happened to you?
“You may return now, Miss da Silva. Assemble your team and dispatch The Riders post haste.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Crystal stood and swiftly exited through the enchanted doorway. She waited until she arrived back in the Vanguard base before sighing with relief. Dodged that problem. It’s too bad I can’t keep doing that. Things will be much harder from here on out.