“It’s impossible,” I said. “Even if we split up, there isn’t any way we can make it all over campus. We don’t have enough time.” I looked at Regan, waiting for her to join me in my meltdown, but to my surprise she had a familiar smile on her face.

“Now that, I can fix,” she said. “I present to you bullet point number six,” she said, sounding more than a little smug. Before I could respond, she pulled something out of her pocket and held it up to the light. It was the black metal key card of the commander in chief, a card that hung around the commander’s neck until it was time to hand it off to the next commander.

“Grab the key card when you have a chance,” I said. “You stole that from your mom?” I asked, remembering how she’d hugged her mom moments before things went south.

“I prefer the term borrowed,” she said. “Let’s go.” With that she turned and raced across campus, and I knew without asking where she was headed. What I didn’t know was what exactly she was planning on doing once we got there. But as I dashed after her, I realized that it no longer mattered who was in charge or that I had no idea what the plan was. I had to trust Regan in the same desperate way that a skydiver trusts his parachute, and that feeling was uncomfortable for someone like me.

Luckily the Hub, the main building where all the Glitch equipment was housed, wasn’t far, and we were hurling ourselves up its wide stone steps within minutes. Thanks to Regan’s card, we made it inside without a problem. At this time of night, the building was dark and deserted, and our footsteps sounded too loud in the silent hallways. Three quick swipes of the card later, and we were in the official Glitch room. Regan flicked the lights on, illuminating the gigantic space that was three times as big as the miniature version back at the mountain. Twenty platforms encircled the room, each with their own set of equipment and computers. I’d been here twice before, both times on field trips, and the room had been all hustle and bustle with agents Glitching to the past and back to the present in full costume, Butterflies being taken into custody, and the general clamor and chaos that went with protecting the history of the United States. It had been overwhelming then, but it was even more overwhelming now with its eerie silence.

“Grab six sets of Chaos Cuffs and two belts,” Regan said, already booting up the closest computer.