Phones were a scarce resource in these times. We still had them, and much of the infrastructure to keep them usable was tentatively bandaged together to be functional, but we had next to no ability to create new ones, and the unfortunate fragility of them led to a lot of issues. I spent quite a bit of time just repairing broken ones with my power whenever we were without a mission.

  The command was for A ranking or higher units to be provided with one, alongside their Keeper, to allow for easy communication. We were trusted to both have our own, since I could obviously fix anything that happened to them.

  All of which was to communicate why Springer looked at us like we had both pulled the Holy Grail and the Ark of the Convenient when the two of us took phones out. We texted our status to Eleanor, alongside a brief explanation of Springer and what we were doing with him.

  She responded in affirmative, asking us to be careful with trusting our backs to him and telling us to go ahead and to stop at one of the stations instead of teleporting into town.

  We both responded in the affirmative and started to head out.

  The line between inland and outside was decided by a massive train path. Created with excruciating effort when the government decided that the coastal areas were lost causes. It wasn’t quite a perfect circle, more of an oval that stuck up into what was Canada, getting closer or further to Mexico depending on how far the coast was. The train line was never more than 200 miles close to the shore. And in fact, the closest anyplace got to the ocean was the Great Lakes in what was Michigan and Wisconsin.

  There were communities on the perimeter outside of the train as well, but they were largely considered outside of the government's territory. It wasn’t hard to move back into governmental protection, and there tended to be a large surge of people to the interior whenever a major attack happened.

  There were lots of stops, and more than a single train on the tracks, all keeping supplies, resources, and people moving constantly around the interior locations. It was the heart of our infrastructure, and it was destroyed only about a year from now.

  As with most things, it had lots of different nicknames and official monickers. There were the state-assigned patriotic ones, the “Beating heart.” The “Circle of life.” The “Sheild.” Then there were the derivative ones given by detractors or exterior civilizations. The snake, the dividing line. But most people just referred to it simply as what it was. The Train.

  We were making our way there, walking between one of Eleanor's jumps, letting the woman rest her body on mine as we kept moving. The area was dusty, somewhat devoid of life, yet full of it.

  Most of the traversable area was a rundown highway, everywhere else had been mostly turned into forest or plains, animals long taking over the area. Some monsters had snuck past the exterior civilizations, but most were your typical animals.

  The highways had provided the largest degree of resistance to the reclaiming force of nature, the concrete, though its paint had long faded, remaining solid and not soil.

  Springer’s addition had put too much strain on Eleanor, and the return trip was taking us enough time a car would’ve probably been quicker now.

  There was a rumbling on the street, causing the three of us to turn towards the other direction, able to see headlights staring down at us, getting closer. We all moved over to the side, waiting.

  Cars weren’t useful to the exterior civilization, except in their own small cities. They had been at first, but when fuel in the gas stations eventually ran dry, it stopped being such. Most still had one or two, put away for emergency use if they needed to get out of their place quickly. School buses or vans for getting lots of supplies with them.

  In general though, in a case like this, it would be another military official, off on their mission. In a case like this, bumping into them would probably mean a quicker and easier time getting back.

  The car, an old pickup truck, purred as it slowed down, and we caught sight of the guy sitting on the bed, a sniper's rifle sticking up next to him. He gave the three of us a two-fingered salute, and reached down, opening the tailgate. “Soldiers. Names rank and unit?” He had an eyepatch over his left eye, breezy black hair, and a tan complexion. He seemed like a person who had a weightlessness to them, whose eyes, or eye in this case, looked a little bit past you.

  “Vidar, A rank, Powered unit 3.” I nodded to Eleanor. “Eleanor, A rank, same unit.”

  “And the one without armor?”

  “I’m going to have to ask for your clearance level before I share that.”

  He shrugged. “Eh, don’t really care that much. Names Will. Powered unit 29.” He nodded to the front, the widow rolling down to reveal a woman in a familiar vest.

  She had short brown hair in a pixie cut, squinting at us. “Judy.” She rolled the window back up.

  He reached his hand down, helping Eleanor up as I climbed up myself. Springer followed along, very hesitant and somewhat skeptical of the whole thing.

  The seat wasn’t very comfortable, bumpy and the wheels forced me to cram myself in the corner to make room for the other two. “Anyone besides Judy actually in the car?”

  “Na. I just like the wind in my hair. And we’d need to know you guys a lot better before either of us let you in our baby.” He patted the side of the car. “I’d ask where yours was, but if I’m right you guys don’t need one eh?”

  “We know you?”

  “Na, the academy just remembers you. You know you guys are still the only unit that's ranked higher than the power ranks of the members?”

  I think I actually did remember him. He hadn’t been around very long, but he was part of the unit that was put together to kill the inverse that had killed Adam. I remembered him as seeming unbothered the whole time.

  I didn’t quite remember what had happened to him, nor did I remember his partner at all. “What’s your unit’s callsign?”

  He tilted his head like he was trying to remember, before letting out a small “Ah. Right, I think it was Sleepy.”

  “What’s the story there?”

  “The two of us fell asleep in the shooting range.”

  That would do it. Callsigns were something of an inside joke between people who attended the same academy. Embarrassing or telling stories of a person. Eleanor and I were called Mutes for pretty obvious reasons. I hadn’t talked much when I first got there, and she was silent.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  The car rumbled as it carried us across a road that had probably been well-maintained and smooth to drive across at some point. “You guys also dealing with some stuff in an exterior?”

  I nodded. “Same story for you?”

  “Yeah, a falcon.”

  “Butterflies.”

  “Lots?”

  “Tons.”

  He nodded lazily. “I think the smaller ones get more, the bigger ones just get bigger. Ours was about the size of a…I don’t know, like a car? Should’a seen the corpse. Was damn good roasted.”

  Springer’s head moved back like he had been hit, and I almost didn’t blame him. “You…ate it?”

  “Sure did. Better than rations.”

  “But they’re…that can’t be good for you.”

  He shrugged. “I’m still standing. Judy is too, plus she ate half the damn bird. Should see her eat, she’s the real monster.” he smiled as he looked back at the front of the car, before turning back to us.

  Springer looked between us and him. “Are…Are all military units comprised of a guy and a girl?”

  I shook my head. “We’re given partners based on our powers. Complimentary is the objective, but when that isn’t feasible, we just get two people under the same Keeper.”

  “Who is?”

  Will’s remaining eyebrow raised. “Jeeze, you’re from pretty deep in the boonies huh? We all get a single person who knows what our power is. Too many people would make us all super weak, so just one person is in charge of 30 or 40. They then make units, and only keep a couple under them.”

  “Ah, right, I forgot that other people knowing makes you guys weaker.”

  He blinked, and I pulled my weapon up at the same time Will pulled a sidearm from his side, my barrel pointing at him as his pointed at Springer. “He misspoke.”

  “I don’t think he did. Care to explain?”

  I let out a sigh. “Look, we have clearance from our Handler, he’s non-hostile. Get what I’m saying?”

  He didn’t lower his weapon, Springer holding his hands up. Eleanor had her hand on her weapon as well, holding the knife with narrowed eyes. “He’s an Inverse.”

  “He is.”

  “He’s tricking you.”

  “He isn’t.” I hope.

  The man tapped the side of the car three times, and it slammed to a stop. Eleanor and I were thrown off balance as we jolted forward. Springer did too, having to catch himself with his hands.

  Will grabbed him by his collar, yanking him forward and pressing the barrel to his head, spinning him around to face me, keeping his body between me and my weapon. Changing tactics, I pointed towards the driver's seat of the car.

  His eye narrowed. “It wouldn’t pierce.”

  “It’s made for me. The bullet is .50 cal.”

  He clicked his tongue, and raised both of his hands, pistol pointing up. Springer got away in an instant. Clambering up and over the side of the car, probably falling a little awkwardly.

  I reached over and yanked Will’s gun out of his hands, leaving the sniper rifle as I held onto his weapon. “Get back up here Springer.”

  “He just tried to kill me!”

  “No, he would’ve succeeded if he was really trying.”

  Will smiled but didn’t speak to deny it, just lowering his hands. “Just wanted to see if he’d do something. It’s not really my business if the two of you are going rogue. Not until I get the order to kill you anyways.”

  “You won’t, because we aren’t.”

  Eleanor tapped her knife’s holster, trying to communicate that he wouldn’t win. And in fairness, a sniper against a teleporter was a hell of a mismatch. But we didn’t know what either of their powers were, so it probably wasn't smart to be overconfident. “Alright alright. I’m sorry, Springer right?”

  He reached out to help Springer up, and Springer very wisely didn’t accept it, getting up on his own back onto the car. A female voice called out from the front of the truck, the driver's side window down. “You still alive?”

  “Yup!”

  “I need to get the shovels?”

  “Nope!”

  The window rolled back down wordlessly, and the car started rumbling forward. Will looked back at us. “Isn’t she sweet?”

  I shook my head softly. “I don’t want to get involved in whatever you two have going on.”

  “Oh relax, just a little bit of friendly messing around. Can I get my pistol back?”

  I looked at him and handed Springer his pistol. The man took it tentatively, looking at me. “I don’t know how to use one of these.”

  “Just hold onto it, don’t point it anywhere you don’t want to shoot, and keep your finger off the trigger.”

  He very gently placed it down on his lap.

  Will let out an amused breath. “That’s messed up.”

  Springer glared at him. “It’s messed up to draw a weapon on someone who hasn’t done anything!”

  “Sorry sorry, we don’t tend to take captives when it comes to you guys. Just doing my job.”

  Springer looked at me, very clearly wanting clarification. I sighed. “We’ve got no way to stop powers. Meaning it’s absurdly hard to keep people captive. Inverse especially since, to properly hold them down, we’d need to know how their power works, and that makes them stronger. So, we don’t try to take you all captive. That's another part of what makes you valuable. Your power…can be neutralized pretty easily.”

  He let out a small breath, scratching the back of his head. “This keeps getting better and better.”

  Will relaxed back against the side of the jeep. “Well, your kind is sorta responsible for the collapse of society.”

  “Don’t call them my kind!” Springer bristled, having to forcibly relax himself. “Look, I appreciate the ride, can we just…relax?”

  Will shrugged again. “I’ve been disarmed. You guys pretty effectively got me so, sure!”

  He was pretty laid back, even if that response hadn’t seemed to indicate such. Pretty much any other agent would’ve shot without hesitating as long as he did. I let out a sigh as I looked up, seeing the buildings start to get denser as we made our way closer to civilization.

  I hoped this encounter, if nothing else, was effective for Springer in teaching him not to be so loose with his words.

  Given how heavy he was breathing, and the way it was taking him so long to calm down, I imagine it was.

  I wish I could say we continued the rest of the ride in silence, but Will wouldn’t shut up and was more than happy to chat with people he had just threatened to kill. These days everyone seemed to have a screw loose, but he was at least a good conversationalist.

  The buildings in the distance got closer and closer, and the car drove to a stop at the exterior. The window rolled down, and the female voice spoke out. “Leave.”

  Will nodded to us, extending his hand to take his sidearm back. Springer looked at me, and I nodded. He handed the gun back.

  Will took it back, holstering it with a small yawn. “Alright, well, if we bump into each other again, hope it isn’t because we’ve gotta kill ya. Sleepy out!”

  The three of us disembarked from the back of the pickup truck, and it drove off, likely getting stored somewhere for them to return to pick it up next time they needed to drive out somewhere.

  He waved to us in the distance, and Springer let out a long breath, shoulders dropping as he relaxed. “Are all of you guys like that?”

  “No, he seems a little manic even by our standards.”

  Eleanor signed, comfortably doing so in the open now that we were inland. “Judy seemed nice.”

  “Did she?”

  I shook my head. “Let's just hope we don’t have to deal with them again.”