A voice crackled over the walkie-talkie. “Can we get a confirm? When are we good to proceed? Hello?”

Couldn’t let them proceed.

I left the rear group to handle the doors and the people we’d scattered. My goal—the portal itself. I flew down and through, knocking down metal gates that should have been open.

There were people making a break for it, and I dealt with them. I helped them down the stairs, in the most debilitating way possible.

I heard the slap of Sveta behind me. I heard the bang at the door. Ashley’s power. I spun in the air, caught only a glimse of a door with a silver line on it, Ashley with her good foot out, arms behind her. As part of that scene, I saw a massive collection of tendrils, with Sveta’s face at the center of them all, her expression focused, her face not as traced or marred by the tendrils reaching across it. Nothing at eyelids or nostril, nothing at the corner of her mouth, pulling because it acted instinctually.

The cape geek in me wanted to rattle through all of the ways that could have happened. The Sechen Ranges, or the fact she was pissed, that anxiety fed into itself and she was so distracted by reality that the cycle had been interrupted.

But she was with me. No suit, no middle ground. I had the Wretch and I felt the tentacles touch it, leveraging it.

How confident was she, to transition from ‘I don’t want anyone near me’ to ‘I can be this close to a variable scenario’?

“Can you grab the Brandish-ball?” I asked.

“Yes,” was the whisper.

Hearing the whisper, knowing my friend, I got it. Sveta turned away, head down low while tendrils reached up.

I felt a pang of sympathy, but I couldn’t afford to act on it.

And at the station platform itself, was the irregular shape of the portal, a three-dimensional hole in reality. A few dozen people were gathered. Stuff had been unloaded, including food and munitions. Intending a longer stay.

The deeper recesses of the station. They were talking, unaware of the commotion above. Trying to figure out what they were doing. They had a boss and that boss wasn’t on site. Love Lost had been brought in, and Cradle wouldn’t be here. Not so close to the deadline.

They’re just obstacles and an early warning system.