Of course, for all I knew, Rook initially drew on a connection to Abominator tech. If so, the shadowy shape I saw could be the thing that inspired him. It wasn’t likely, but the world got weird sometimes.

Into the comm, I said, “I think I see a crowbot.”

“Really,” Marcus stared into the room, “where?”

“Kind of in the trees across the lake,” I said, “I think it’s out of phase.”

“Oh,” Marcus glanced over at me. “New tech? Because we could all use that.”

“It’s the other thing,” I scanned to either side of us, hoping there weren’t more and that, if there were, I’d have the skill to notice.

“Out of phase,” Jaclyn asked, “that’s not good. I’m going to have a hard time fighting them.”

Rachel floated upward, “But I won’t.”

Looking across the lake, Cassie stopped to look down at her gun, “This thing thinks he can adjust. He’s telling me how it’s technology from Dumbass of the Dumbass lineage or whatever and exactly what relationship they have to Magnetus the Purifier. Anyway, he’s reconfiguring so he might be—”

Cassie’s eyes widened, “—down for a second. Fuck. Well, he’ll be useless if he doesn’t reconfigure.”

“I can’t reconfigure,” Jaclyn said, “Shift and I will be dead weight.”

“Not to mention unable to see what’s attacking us,” Marcus shook his head.

Rachel faded from view except for her grin which was creepier with a live woman than a cartoon cat.

“That’s messed up,” Marcus said, “but kind of cool too.”

She grinned wider, “I’ve been working on it. With this power set, you need to lean in on the mind games. Anyway, I’m going to do some reconnaissance and see if there are any more.”

“Do you want me to fly above as backup?” I looked upward. I had all the headroom I needed to use the rocket packs.

Her grin faded into nothing, “Not unless you can turn invisible. Watch where I go. Help me if I need it.”

I was about to point out that I couldn’t see her at all, but focused in using Kee’s teaching and I could see a fuzzy outline of her.

Wishing I was better at it, I said, “Well, I can sort of see you.”

“If the comm can’t get me, you can always contact me the way you do Kee,” Rachel said, beginning to float over the lake.

Thinking back to how I’d nearly called down members of the Destroy faction on myself the first time, I said, “Sure.”

I was better at it now.

Nodding to her right, Jaclyn said, “Let’s start walking around the lake. If they’re watching, we shouldn’t look like we’re standing around waiting for something.”

“I’ll find you with the comms when I phase back in,” Rachel’s icon blinked as she talked.

“Got it,” Jaclyn motioned that we should keep on going.

I scanned around us with energy flowing through me, powering my observation of Rachel, hoping it wouldn’t trigger anything in the room. It hadn’t so far, so I  at least had that going for me.

The landscape itself didn’t have any red flags. It could have been on the marshy edges of an inland lake anywhere on Earth—well, anywhere with enough water to support grass and forests.

We kept on walking, avoiding the swampier spots, but staying close to the lake. When we’d gone about three-quarters of the way around, I saw what I could only describe as fuzz amid a group of trees past the lake.

I stared at the spot, but if they were still there, they’d moved behind the trees or I wasn’t keeping my concentration consistent enough.

“Hey,” I said over the comm, “they might have just appeared in that copse of trees over there.”

“Copse?” Cassie pointed her gun in that direction, “is that a real word?”

“Yes,” I knew it was real. I hadn’t used it a lot. “I’m pretty sure it means a group of trees.”

“It’s real,” Jaclyn said, “I know I’ve seen it before.”

Focussing on the trees, I tried to keep the flow consistent even though I might be failing to notice a bunch of Rook’s henchmen. Last time I’d met them they were armed well enough that they could have killed me.

Shadowy forms, much like Rachel’s when she was out of phase, appeared within the group of trees. Though they were dark figures, the shape was different and told me what I’d suspected. They were shaped like powered armor for humans except with the addition of claws for hands, a beak, and wings feathered with metal.

Last time around, all of the henchmen had one of their hands replaced with a cybernetic claw to match their maimed leader. I couldn’t tell from the shadowy forms, but I wondered if they’d chopped off a leg to match Rook’s newest injury.

Either way, it showed a higher degree of fanaticism than I’d have expected Rook could create through sheer charisma.

He didn’t have much from what I could see.

A voice broadcast through the room. My suit indicated it came from multiple sources, all of them located on the far side of the lake, some from within the group of trees.

It said, “Intruders, you’ve found a facility claimed by the Nine. Surrender or you’ll have to face devices created by Rook, the greatest inventor on Earth, Mars, or any other planet.”

Charismatic or not, Rook’s ego appeared to be healthy.