the container was Adrien’s mother, Sophia.
She hadn’t exactly liked me the last time I’d met her, when Adrien and I had attempted our first escape to the Surface. If his mom had had her way then, Adrien would have left me behind and never looked back.
She glared at Adrien. “I can’t believe you just left without telling me. Do you have any idea how worried I’ve been? What you’ve put me through the last forty-eight hours? Whenever it comes to that girl, it’s always trouble.”
Adrien stared back at her, his jaw tensing up. “I didn’t have a choice.”
Sophia lowered her voice. “We’ll talk about this later.”
We took an elevator down, and when the doors opened, a diminutive man with a cane was waiting in a brightly lit, white-paneled hallway.
“Welcome to the Foundation,” he said, with an enthusiastic smile. “I’m Professor Henry.”
He limped slightly as he walked, but it didn’t seem to slow him down. He shook everyone’s hand as introductions were made and gave Adrien a quick embrace. “Come on in, I’ll show you our little operation.”
He led us down the bright hallway. “Ever since we started recovering glitchers the past few years, we realized we needed a safe place for you to live and study your powers. A lot of glitchers have difficulty breathing the Surface air. It’s part of living underground your whole lives. So we always intended to have a sealed-off air- controlled facility as a safe haven. Of course,” he chuckled, looking back at me, “we didn’t quite anticipate anyone with quite your level of difficulty, Zoe, but we’ve almost finished the necessary modifications.”
“When do you think the air-filtration system will be ready?” Adrien asked.
“Probably a week. Maybe less if we’re lucky. Ah, now we’re passing some of the classrooms.” He gestured to his right. The lights weren’t on in the rooms, but I could see a little bit into the square spaces. Smooth metal chairs were arranged in a circle.
“So we’ll have classes?” I asked. “I thought this place was mainly for Rez fighter training.”
A slight cloud passed over the Professor’s face. “Well, I did first envision it as primarily a school and residence for rescued glitchers, but Rosalina, I mean General Taylor, impressed upon me how important it was for us to consider the military applications of some of your gifts. Especially in these dangerous times. So we’ve set it up as both school and training facility.”
“How many students are there?” I asked.
“About twenty glitchers,” the Professor said. “All with an array of abilities.”
“Is everyone here a glitcher?” Xona asked. Her mouth was a tight line.
“The students are, yes,” the Professor said. “But I hope you know you are just as welcome, Xona. The Foundation has become more and more of a military base, since our invisibility gives us such a valuable tactical advantage. The military personnel are on the level below us, so you won’t see them much. Since your brother will be the new head trainer for the glitcher task force, we thought you could train with them.”
“So there’s no other non-glitching students?” Xona asked.
“I’m afraid not, but I’m sure you’ll feel right at home since all the glitchers are your age.”
From the look on Xona’s face, I wasn’t so sure.
“Is the General here?” Tyryn asked.
“No, she’s on another mission. She’s embedded and on non-com.”
Adrien must have seen the question on my face, because he leaned over to clarify. “Non-communication. It’s standard for deep-cover missions.”
“Ah, and here we are.” The Professor stopped and put his finger to the touch panel beside a wide door. “The Med Center.” He beamed at Jilia after the door slid up in its tracks. “Just to your specifications.”
Jilia hurried past him into the room. The room was brighter than the hallway, with light cell panels installed every few inches across the ceiling. The walls and floor were the same unblemished white, and the room was filled with brand-new diagnostic machines.
Jilia looked back at the Professor, her eyes shining eyes. “It’s perfect, Henry.”
I saw something else I recognized—another wash-down container, and a pile of packaged blue suits.
The Professor saw where I was looking. “Until the air-filtration system is ready, you can wash and change into a new suit every day so you’re comfortable.”
“Thanks,” I said.
“Oh look,” the Professor said with a delighted smile. “Here’s the rest of your team.”
I turned to follow his gaze and saw a group of people crowded in the doorway. A dark-haired boy I recognized timidly stepped in front.
“Juan!” I said. We’d rescued him during our escape from the Community, but I hadn’t seen him since we switched vehicles at the first safe house all those months ago.
“It’s so good to finally see you again, Zoe!” Juan said, stepping closer. “I’m not on your team, but I had to come and say hello anyway.” He gave me a big hug. “The only reason I’m alive is because of you.” He said, his voice quieter. “I never got the chance to thank you. I am forever in your debt.”
I waved a hand, trying to hide my embarrassment. “Is Molla here, too?”
“She’s here,” Juan said, but then looked away. I could hear what he didn’t say. Molla was here but didn’t want to see me. She thought I was the reason Max stayed behind with the Chancellor. In part, she was right. The familiar pang of guilt sliced through my gut.
Adrien’s face stiffened briefly, his eyes going distant. The next moment he blinked and looked at Xona standing behind him. It was brief, but I could tell he’d just had one of his short-term visions “Don’t,” he said, heading over to her.
At the same moment, Xona turned and saw the group crowding into the Med Center. Her eyes widened until they looked like they’d pop out of her head.
“What the shunt are
I looked where Xona was pointing and gasped. Four Regulators were approaching from the back of the group.
“Lower your weapons, Xona. They aren’t Regs anymore,” Jilia said, her voice far calmer than mine would have been. “These are the boys Zoe rescued when she fled the Community. I’ve examined them myself and —”
“They’re all murderers!” Xona flicked the safety off the weapons with her thumb and aimed them higher. The Regs didn’t even flinch.
“Hey, calm down,” said one of the glitcher boys who stood by Juan. He was dark-skinned and short but broadly built. He held out his hand, palm up. “You need to put down the weapon.”
“Calm down? Calm down?” Xona’s voice was almost a shriek.
“Underneath the metal, the ex-Regs are as human as you and me,” Jilia said.
“They’re nothing like me!”
The tips of the metal weapons Xona held began to turn a glowing orange. She didn’t notice at first, but then she suddenly cried out and dropped them. She looked down at her hand in disbelief. Small welts were forming on her palm.
“Rand, you didn’t have to do that,” Jilia said to the boy who’d told Xona to calm down. She hurried over to Xona. “Let me see the burns.”
I looked on in confusion. I had no idea what had just happened.
“Don’t touch me,” Xona pulled away from Jilia, her eyes flashing at Rand. “Of course you’d protect them. You glitchers are barely human either.” She brushed hard past Adrien and ran from the room.
Jilia started after her, but then paused at the door and looked back at us. “I would appreciate if you would all try to be patient with her.” Her words were clipped and almost angry. “She’s a bit rough around the edges, but you would be, too, if you’d been through what she has.”
“She’s the one who pulled a weapon,” a girl with long blond hair objected, putting her hands on her hips. “What were we supposed to do?”
“She protects herself the only way she knows how,” Jilia said, then hurried out the door.
“And we all know you can more than protect yourself, Filicity,” Adrien said to the blonde.
The girl balled up her fists and stared back. “How many times do I have to tell you, the name’s
