They moved slowly while the camp buzzed around them like a beehive. The stiffness in Adam's joints began to ease and he found it easier to keep pace with Natalie as she led him through the camp. After nearly half an hour of touring, she stopped in front of a large tent with its flap open.

  "This is it," she said, motioning him inside.

  Adam raised an eyebrow but stepped through. Inside, the tent was sparsely furnished. A cot, a folding table with a small laptop, and a single chair were the only adornments. A dark-skinned man in military fatigues stood at the center, brow furrowed as he concentrated on the Seeker Stone in his hands.

  "Lieutenant LaRoche," Natalie said. "You wanted to know when Adam was awake."

  The man looked up, his eyes clearing slowly as if returning from somewhere far away. He set the Stone on the table and stepped forward with an outstretched hand.

  "Thank you, Natalie." He nodded, and Adam shook his hand.

  Adam fought to keep the surprise off of his face as the man's hand enveloped his. A tingle ran up his arm, almost as if it were asleep. The man's palm was rough as weathered stone, and if he squeezed Adam was sure something in his hand would break.

  "Hello Adam. I've been waiting a while to meet with you,” he said, releasing Adam's hand. "I have to admit, I was skeptical when Natalie said you'd be waking up at all."

  "I’ve never been so happy to prove someone wrong," Adam said. "I don't mean to be rude, but you're one of us, right?"

  "And by one of you, do you mean an 'activated' individual?" LaRoche asked, a flicker of amusement slipping into his voice. "We call them Three-Ps."

  "Three Ps?" Adam echoed.

  "Paranormally Powered Person," Natalie said with a shrug. "Don't ask me. I didn't come up with it."

  "Fortunately, or unfortunately, acronyms are standard practice." LaRoche crossed his arms. "It's not very flattering, but old habits die hard."

  "Understood." Adam glanced at Natalie, who nodded. "So, how can I help you Lieutenant?"

  "I think you misunderstand," LaRoche said, shaking his head. "We're here to talk about how we can help you."

  "What do you mean help me?"

  "Exactly that. Over the last several weeks, your group has become one of the camp's most invaluable assets, as well as some of the most effective combat operators we have." He nodded toward the Seeker Stone. "And this lets us respond to threats almost immediately. I doubt the camp would still be here if it wasn’t for your people."

  "I’m happy they’ve been able to help, but that still doesn't answer my question." Adam shifted, feeling like the punchline to a joke he didn't understand. "I've been unconscious for a month and I've only been awake a few hours. I’m afraid you’re going to have to spell it out for me."

  LaRoche nodded, picked up the laptop, and turned it toward Adam. A grainy, zoomed-in video played: a figure falling upward toward the massive eye. A few moments later, lightning struck the figure and then the radio tower jutting from its center. The image went white and the footage ended.

  "Natalie tells me that figure is you,” LaRoche said, rewinding the footage until the figure floated upward again. "Satellite cover is spotty, but we have reports and images of incursions over nearly every major U.S. population center. The entire West coast has gone dark after the Rock Mountains rose up ten thousand feet. Ten thousand feet with zero tectonic activity. We wouldn't even know that if it wasn't for drone footage."

  Adam's mouth went dry. He remembered the hours after The Announcement, the videos of mountains tearing upward, and trees wider than buildings sprouting like some fever dream.

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  "And through all of this," LaRoche continued, "not a single report of one of these incursion points closing on their own. We have scattered intel suggesting the Russians tried their nuclear option. Communications since then have made it clear... it didn't work." He shut the laptop and set it back on the table.

  "And then we have you."

  Adam swallowed several times. Christ. Nuclear options. "So... no pressure."

  LaRoche offered him a genuine smile. "No pressure."

  "You still didn't answer my question," Adam said.

  "You're right." LaRoche's expression turned somber. "Yes. I've had an awakening event."

  He pulled the collar of his fatigues down, revealing a patch of scar tissue that resembled melted wax. "The result of a giant worm spitting liquid fire. Melted through my kevlar, a trauma plate, and my clothes before I could tear them off. I have been shot, stabbed, and caught shrapnel from an IED all in the line of duty and nothing hurt like that."

  "I woke up a day later," LaRoche continued. "And I knew something had changed and it wouldn't stop."

  Adam nodded slowly, remembering what Amir's group had said about the worms burrowing under their apartment building. "And what changed?"

  LaRoche held out his hand and the earth in the center of the space flowed upward like water. It rose into a soft peak and then ran back down, smoothing back into hard pack. "It works with stone and concrete, too. Natalie filled me in, about your people and their abilities. You're effective as a unit and that’s what makes you ideal for deployment."

  Adam opened his mouth to argue but closed it again. "You have to understand we had help. Looking back, we had a lot of help. And an improbable amount of luck."

  He paused, eyes distant. "That thing in the sky… was a god. There's no other word for it. I don't know if it was hungry, or angry, or just... beyond any of that. But it wanted in. It wanted in so badly that, hanging off of that radio tower we rammed into its eye, I could feel it. And we didn't kill it, we just stomped on its fingers until it couldn't hang on anymore. It's still out there, somewhere, and probably pretty fucking angry. From what you're telling me... there are several more of these out there, and we just barely limped through this one."

  "But you did limp through. With zero casualties," LaRoche added. "That's the only reason I'm sharing any of this with a civilian. That, and the fact there's effectively no cohesive government or command structure left."

  Adam sighed. "I'm getting the feeling I'm not walking away from this."

  LaRoche offered a thin smile and keyed the radio on his chest. A moment later two extra chairs were brought in. "You may want to take a seat. This will take a while."

  Several hours later, Adam and Natalie stepped out of LaRoche's tent and into the noontime sun. LaRoche had advised them the others would be arriving soon and Adam wanted to be at the gate when they arrived.

  "It's November. Why does it still feel like fall?" Adam asked, looking at the sky as they walked.

  "The weather has gone a little crazy," Natalie replied. "We've had snow, followed by sweltering days. I can't imagine how the wildlife's dealing."

  "Probably about the same as us. Poorly," Adam said. "One more reason to head to New York.

  Natalie laughed. "You're actually on board aren’t you? I halfway thought you were just trying to get out of there."

  "My eyes started to glaze over after about an hour. I'd have agreed to just about anything to get us out of that tent... but he's right." Adam sighed, rolling his stiff shoulder. "If we're the only ones that have managed to close one of these things, then we have a responsibility to try again, and this time we won't be alone."

  "Responsibility, huh? It sounds like you’ve finally accepted being the leader,” she teased.

  "I hate you," Adam grumbled.

  "I know."

  They walked the rest of the way in silence, interrupted only by a soldier or civilian saying hello as they passed. As they reached the gate a truck pulled up, and several figures hopped out of the bed.

  Natalie waved as a familiar knitted cap came into view, followed by Hector and Jessica.

  Adam stood awkwardly as they approached, not quite sure what to say. He settled on "Hey."

  Samantha rolled her eyes at him and wrapped him in a hug. "Glad you're back."

  "Glad to be back," Adam said, returning the embrace.

  Hector put his hand on Adam's shoulder, staring up at him through eyes now the color of molten gold. "It kind of ruins your heroic death, though. From what Samantha said that was an epic exit."

  Adam started to ask about Hector's eyes, but stopped himself. There would be time for explanations later. He turned back to Samantha. "How did you see?"

  "I peeked," Samantha said, shrugging nonchalantly.

  "You peeked?" Adam blinked. "When did you find the time to peek?"

  "There was plenty of time. The building didn't come down until after we found you. You did a number on the car you landed on, by the way." Samantha winked at him before reaching out and taking Natalie's hand.

  “Wait, the building came down?!”

  "We weren't sure you'd make it," Jessica said quietly, offering him friendly nod.

  "So everyone keeps telling me." He ran his hand through his hair. "It looks like all of you made it too."

  Adam looked around, greeted by the faces of people who would've been strangers two months before. The world was a mess, and they were standing on the edge of a cliff, but at this moment he knew it was okay. In this moment he could almost believe it would all work out.

  "So, who wants to go on a trip?"

  Kill the Princess.