“No!” Rune was so appalled, so clearly not understanding that Reed was joking, that even in the midst of this chaos, I couldn’t help laughing. Neither could Cage, apparently. For a second Rune looked angry. Then her face relaxed, and she smacked Cage in the arm. “Knock it off. I meant we should see if any of the rest of us have new powers.”

“How would we do that?” I asked dubiously.

“Hey, here’s a thought!” Mia popped into view in our midst, making everyone jump. “Let’s worry about that later and focus on, oh, I don’t know, the armed guards chasing us, or the alien ship we have to destroy. Huh? What do you think?”

I scowled at her, but she only winked in response. Danger brought Mia to life. I’d seen it before, and it never failed to creep me out.

I had to admit, though: she was good at it. Jasper and Alexei might have the most destructive powers of the group, but Mia brought a chaos all her own.

“She’s right. Come over here,” Jasper called, and we drew up behind him. He’d taken us on a different route, approaching Mars Mining from another angle. Massive walls surrounded the complex. “What do you think?” he asked. “Should I blow another hole in the wall?”

Silence followed, and I realized, with some horror, that he was asking me. I glanced around. Cage, as usual, pursed his lips in thought, considering the situation from every angle, but everyone else stared at the two of us expectantly—even Mia, who usually had an answer for everything.

Oh God. They thought I was in charge. Or me and Cage, anyway. Why did that terrify me so much? When I’d been part of Omnistellar, all I’d wanted was that sense of command. Now, with these former prisoners staring at me, the thought petrified me.

Was I a criminal mastermind now? I almost choked on the idea. I bit my tongue to stay calm, the pain focusing me as I followed Cage’s gaze. This was about preventing an alien invasion. Robo Mecha Dream Girl wouldn’t have hesitated to act. “No,” I said slowly. “Or at least, not yet.” An idea formed in my head, a glimmer of a hope with probably nothing behind it. “Mia. You heard what Reed said about healing his own ankle?”

She snorted. “If that’s what happened, sure.”

“Let’s assume for a moment that it is. Just for the sake of argument, let’s say something happened to us. Maybe on the alien ship. Maybe not. But for some reason, our powers are changing. Getting stronger.”

Cage seemed to snap out of a trance, his focus shifting abruptly to me. “I see what you’re saying,” he said.

“How sweet.” Reed scowled. “Want to fill the rest of us in?”

I clenched my fists to stop their trembling and managed to meet Mia’s piercing gaze. “I’m wondering if Mia can make Jasper invisible.”

They draw near.

Sinews curl. Tendons awaken.