The Pyramid Chronicles: Tyche Point (#1)

Chapter Twenty-One: The New Kid

The next altered that Scorpion found was an aerokinetic named Jake. When Ash's team surrounded him on a quiet street, the sun long gone from the sky, he didn't put up much of a fight. At least he had the sense to realize he was outmatched.

Ash took Jake to Claudia for the usual spiel. This time, he stood at the back of the room while she spoke. Jake seemed to be genuinely interested in what she had to say, despite having been brought in against his will.

After Eric's escape, Ash had once again tried to convince Claudia that talking to the altered before bringing them to the base would make them more open to joining Scorpion. She'd always brushed him off in the past, reminding him that recruits always came around in the end.

Eric was the first to get away.

"I can't just drop everything and join you," Jake was saying. "I have to finish school. And my family—"

Claudia laughed, cutting him off. "This opportunity is a much better path than the traditional school system. And you'll be able to let your family know you're okay."

Jake still looked unsure. "What exactly would I be doing here, anyway? Are you guys, like, the Defenders Alliance or something?"

"I'd be happy to go into further detail about what you would do here." Claudia moved her gaze to where Ash stood by the door. "Ash, go start the evening training session."

Ash nodded, stepped away from the wall, and left the office.

Back at Scorpion's headquarters, they had a nice open gym to train in. Here, they were confined to a storage room. They'd had to limit the number of kids training to no more than three at once. It had been a nightmare, making sure everyone had time to practice at least once a day.

Right now, Wren was in the training room, along with a pyrokinetic girl. When Ash entered, Wren chucked a fireball his way without warning.

Ash latched onto a puddle at the edge of the room and pulled the water into a sphere. The water collided with the flame and extinguished it before it could reach him.

The pyro glared at Wren. "Little warning next time?"

Wren shrugged. "There won't be time for a warning in the middle of a fight." She turned her attention to Ash. "So, how are things going with the new recruit?"

"Claudia's still talking to him. Now come on." Ash lifted his hands. "You haven't worked with water in a while."

"Yeah, yeah." Wren yawned. "Fire's a bit more battle-oriented, don't you think?"

Ash lifted the water back off the ground and shaped it into a whip. In the blink of an eye, it twisted itself through the air and struck Wren hard in the back. She stumbled forward a few steps before losing her balance and dropping to her knees.

"Don't underestimate water." Ash's head tipped to the left. "Now come on. We don't have time to waste."

Ash and the pyro circled Wren. She launched attacks for them to dodge, alternating between fire and water. The three took turns attacking and defending for nearly forty-five minutes, with short breaks here and there, before someone knocked on the open door frame.

Claudia stood in the doorway, with Jake right behind her. She'd already given him a Scorpion jacket.

"Well, that was quick." Wren laughed. "Looks like he's smarter than that Eric guy."

"Ash, I need to speak to you for a moment," Claudia said.

Ash nodded and followed her into the hallway. "He's really on board already?" he asked quietly.

"Yes. I want you to assess what level he's at with his abilities," Claudia replied. "After you're done here, take him to one of the empty rooms and get him set up."

"Should I explain mission protocol?"

"No need to worry about that. He won't be going on any missions here in Tyche Point."

"Why?" Ash frowned. "Are you trying to keep him away from his family?"

Claudia stared at him through narrowed eyes for a long moment. Finally, she said, "You overthink things, Ash. He'll need a few weeks of training before he'll be able to handle himself in a fight."

Ash watched her walk away before returning to the training room. "All right, Wren, you're done for the night."

"What?" Wren demanded. "But I've barely started with aerokinesis. I want to make a tornado!"

"That's ridiculous. And unrealistic," Ash told her. "You can work with Jake tomorrow. There's not room for four of us in here."

Wren shot the pyro an annoyed look before storming out.

Ash rolled his eyes. "Sorry about her," he muttered. "Have you practiced much with your powers?"

"Not really," Jake answered.

Ash instructed him to focus on creating a steady air current. "Once I think you're strong enough, I'm going to have you practice extinguishing her flame." He nodded at the pyro.

Jake was decent, for someone without training. He couldn't manipulate much air at once, but he at least had a high degree of control over what he could move around. As Jake worked, though, Ash couldn't shake the feeling that he seemed out of it. Was he really that tired?

"So, what made you finally decide to join us?" Ash asked.

Jake shrugged. "Like Claudia said, this is really my best option, at this point."

Ash didn't care enough to question him further.

When Ash went to bed that night, he had nightmares that he'd thought he'd finally grown out of. Hazy memories blurred together, mixing with fire and gunshots, and the unmistakable feeling that he was being watched.