Ash was the first to emerge from the blackness. Behind him came Hestia, Seth, and Terrence.

But that wasn't all. Twenty soldiers poured into the light.

Claire's heart skipped a beat.

"Wren," Ivy said. "You said it was a small attack."

Wren didn't answer. The crowd of soldiers parted, and Claire's eyes widened. Claudia herself had decided to make an appearance.

"Look what we have here," Claudia called.

"Too bad you didn't learn your lesson the first time, Ivy," Wren said. She walked out into the open area in front of the warehouse. "Claudia!" she shouted. "I brought her, just like I said I would."

"So you did," Claudia said.

"I can come back to Scorpion, right?" Wren asked. "You won't send me to the labs?"

Claire's gaze flickered across the helmets of the soldiers. The Supers were seriously outnumbered.

Claudia sighed. "I'm afraid not, Wren."

"What?" Wren shrieked. "But I—"

"Take her to jetchopper eight," Claudia ordered, glancing at Ash and the other Altered. "When you're done, get what we came here for from the warehouse. Soldiers, attack."

Above them, the clouds opened up, and a heavy rain began to fall.

"Wow," Victoria said. "What a surprise." She threw a sidelong glance at Ivy and Claire. "Nice going, everyone."

"Hey, we knew this was a possibility, at least," Ivy said.

"Did you think twenty soldiers and the leader of Scorpion herself was a possibility?"

Ivy didn't respond. Wren cried out in protest as Seth and Terrence moved forward and grabbed her. Ash and Hestia were right behind them, but they seemed more hesitant.

Claire watched in shock as Wren was dragged into the darkness.

The soldiers moved toward her and the others, undeterred by the water dripping down their red armor. Claire flung out her arm and knocked a few of them off their feet.

The rain was coming down hard. Her wet clothes already clung to her body, and her stringy hair hung around her face.

Claire turned to see how Ivy was holding up, but she was distracted by another swarm of soldiers. She pushed them back and reached out with her senses, feeling the closest soldier's inner mechanisms. With a deep breath, she clenched her fist and pulled the soldier apart.

Her gaze darted to their jetchopper. The soldiers had surrounded them, cutting off their escape. Ivy looked terrified and she was struggling to keep a tiny flame going. Spencer and Victoria struggling to hold their ground.

Claire hurried over to Ivy and with a flick of her wrist, tossed aside the nearest soldier. Exhaustion tugged at her, but she pushed it aside.

"You okay?" she asked Ivy.

Ivy clenched her fists. "I can't fight in this," she hissed. Her hands shook.

I'm fine. I'm not drowning.

Claire grimaced and tried to force Ivy's thoughts out. "You should have had me check Wren's story," she said. "I could have seen that she was lying."

"I know you don't like reading minds."

Claire grimaced. It was true. And she couldn't use her telepathy for long without getting a headache.

"Besides," Ivy said. "Even if it were a trap, we couldn't just let Scorpion rob the warehouse."

The circle of soldiers around them was getting smaller. Claire bumped into Spencer and shared a desperate glance with him. Two of Victoria's copies were defending her, but she didn't stand a chance against the soldiers' armor. She usually only went up against other Altered.

Claire had an idea. She looked around the ring of soldiers and focused on the ground between them and the Supers. She concentrated the energy she'd been using to throw them back into a circle around her and the others.

One of the soldiers collided with Claire's telekinetic wall. Claire trembled as she struggled to maintain the shield. "I can't keep this up for long," she told Ivy. "We need to get out of here."

Ivy looked up at the rain. She was shaking. "I can't do anything," she muttered.

Claire swallowed. "You could... you could use your electrokinesis," she suggested.

Ivy's gaze flickered between the soldiers. "I haven't practiced with it much. I don't think I'm strong enough to generate enough electricity to take them all down." She brushed a strand of wet hair out of her face and looked up. "Wait, I have an idea. Claire, let me out of the shield, but keep it up around the rest of you."

Claire opened a small gap by Ivy, hoping she knew what she was doing.

Ivy slipped out and Claire closed the hole, watching anxiously as Ivy was swarmed by soldiers. Claire tried to hold them back, but she didn't have the strength.

Ivy dodged the soldiers and jumped outside their reach. She took one, two, three steps backward and held up her left arm. Ivy threw a glance behind her and Claire followed her gaze to the power lines.

A bolt of electricity exploded from the darkness and struck Ivy. Claire gasped. Ivy's skin glowed as electricity coursed through her body and jumped from her right hand. The air crackled and Ivy struck the nearest soldier, sending it to the ground before moving on.

Lightning danced between their attackers, reflecting off the falling rain and illuminating the area. The last soldier went down and Ivy lowered her arm. She swayed and started to fall.

"Ivy," Claire cried. She let go of the shield and reached out with her powers, stopping Ivy before she could hit the ground.

"Someone grab her," Claire said, struggling to keep Ivy up. Her head pounded. Victoria and one of her copies hurried over to help.

"I'll go start the chopper," Spencer said.

Claire threw a glance at Scorpion's forces, wondering if Claudia would send the Altered after them. But no, Claudia was just watching them. Ash stood next to her, looking dazed. Hestia was talking to Seth, and Terrence... Claire clenched her fists at the sight of Terrence. He was looking at the ground.

Claire expected Claudia to be furious, but she wasn't. In fact, as the Supers climbed into the chopper, Claire swore she saw Claudia's face spread into a smile.

~

Tyler rolled over in her bed, slipping in and out of sleep. She yawned and drifted into another dream. It was just as strange and nonsensical as the rest, but something felt different this time. Someone was watching her. Tyler turned around. Her surroundings were shifting, impossible to recognize, but there was one thing that was familiar.

Malcolm stood a few feet away, staring at her. Tyler choked back a cry of surprise. "How'd you get out of your cell?" she asked.

"I'm still in my cell," Malcolm said. "We're dreaming."

Tyler frowned. She remembered being in bed, drifting off... She shook her head. "Why are you here?" she asked.

"I was experimenting," Malcolm said. "With the Dream Realm. Trying to see if I could get into someone's dream without physical contact."

Dream Realm? What was he talking about?
"Why me?" Tyler swore she saw something move in her peripheral vision, but when she looked over, there was nothing there.

Malcolm followed her gaze. Was it her imagination, or did he look nervous? "I'm impressed. People rarely take me by surprise," he said.

"I'm stronger than I look." Tyler folded her arms. "But get out of my head."

"Rude," Malcolm muttered. "Fine. I'll leave. But if you get the chance, tell Ivy my offer still stands."

"What offer?" Tyler asked, a little too quickly.

Malcolm smiled. "I have information. Information you need if you're going to defeat Scorpion."

Tyler narrowed her eyes. "What's the catch?"

"I want out of this cell," he said.

"Fat chance," Tyler said. "Ivy told us what you told her. You're not leaving."

"Very well then," Malcolm said. "Good luck fighting Scorpion."

Tyler's eyes flew open and she sat up, breathing hard. Her heart thundered in her chest as she glanced at her alarm clock. Ivy and the others had only left an hour ago. Tyler wiped the sweat off her forehead and laid back down.
Despite her exhaustion, she didn't think she'd be able to fall back asleep.