The scene switched from his bed to somewhere else. Jody didn’t know where it was. In his memory, we saw a brief flash after he’d reached a people-free corner downtown, checked his phone, and found himself somewhere else.

He’d reappeared outside a great white building. Behind the building towered a volcano. Along with that sight came a pervasive heat, a cool wind, and the smell of the ocean. He’d only ever seen the ocean when Stapledon fought aliens in and around New York City, but this felt different.

He’d seen it briefly then, framed by buildings. Here, it extended outward forever on the three sides in his view. He had to be on an island, literally a tropical island. He could see the palm trees.

He glanced back toward the volcano, wondering if it was dormant. He didn’t even know which direction to run if it erupted.

Only then did he realize he wasn’t alone here. Magnus stood under an overhang in front of the building, flanked by two men. I recognized both of them. The one with a purple glow to his skin and a Roman soldier’s armored skirt was Victor. On Magnus’s right stood a tall dark-haired man in a military-styled superhero costume—blue and white jacket, pants, and cape.

I didn’t know his name, but I’d nicknamed him Dixieclone on the assumption that he was either Dixie Superman’s clone or a half-brother or cousin to Izzy.

Dixieclone was at least a foot taller than Magnus. Victor was more than two.

At almost the same time Jody noticed the group, he also noticed that Magnus was clapping. “Well done, Victor! Welcome to my simple home, Jody. These are my associates, Victor and Power Burst. They have their responsibilities, but also assist in keeping me safe at times. Victor, for example, possesses remarkable abilities in terms of travel, much like you, though not the same. He teleports not only in space, but also in time and even to other universes. He’s most useful. Power Burst is an army of one. They are my secret weapons. Someday they’ll become known, but the world is not prepared for them and I intend to keep it that way.”

I shook my head, commenting, “I’m not sure whether Power Burst sounds more like a cleaning solution or an energy drink. I’m a little disappointed in that name.”

Julie laughed, “I think I used Power Burst on carpets in a restaurant I worked at in high school.”

Nodding, Daniel said, “It does sound like an energy drink, though.”

Jody, the one person who was actually in the scene, didn’t make any snarky comments. I felt his nervousness and watched as he looked from one person in the group to the other.

“Ho, ho!” Magnus said, making me think of a deranged Santa Claus, “He’s a little scared. There’s nothing to be scared of. We’re all friends here, engaged in a common cause. We’re here to save the world. Come inside, we’ll have a bit to eat and I’ll begin with your first lesson.”

“Sure,” Jody said, glancing out at the ocean and wondering if it was worth trying to run home. Still, if Magnus could increase his power, it might be worth it. Never mind saving the world, more speed would put him among the greats. He was already fast, but what if he could be the fastest man alive?

“Let’s do this,” he added.

The scene changed. Aside from a brief flash of walking down long halls and a meal in the courtyard of the massive villa, I didn’t see much until servants came in to clear the table.

Power Burst and Victor stood up and stood near the walls. It was hard to guess whether they were watching the servants or another interruption. While the servants picked up the dishes, a woman joined Jody and Magnus.

Dark-haired with a thin face and blue eyes, she wore a fluorescent green unitard. I knew her. Her name was Colette and I’d seen her commit suicide rather than let Kals ask her questions about Magnus. It felt like an age ago, but it was only a little more than a week. She was the Dominator who had altered both Armory’s and Bullet’s minds while posing as a crossbow-wielding superhero.

She’d also been involved in subjugating my cousin Anna and using her to create powered armor for the Nine.

Julie glanced at me, asking, “Are you okay?”

“Fine,” I said, but didn’t follow it up because Magnus started to talk.

“Ah, Colette is here to join us. I’ve summoned her to help with issues of security. Jody, I prepare for the inevitability that someone will realize that you’re working with me. Colette will help with that. I mentioned her yesterday.”

I felt Jody’s anxiety, his heart beginning to race. “What are you going to make me do?”

“Relax,” Colette said, and he did. His buzzer, if he had one, didn’t go off. I remembered from Kals’ interrogation of her that Colette was skilled—even if she was less skilled than Kals.

Still, she was skilled enough to go around Jody’s buzzer.

Magnus leaned forward over the table, “We’re not going to make you do anything you wouldn’t do on your own. We’ll just make sure it happens and won’t leave it to chance. Colette, please do it now.”

A smile flickered across Colette’s face, “Jody, if someone discovers that you’re with us, get away, and signal for us to pick you up.”

Then she said, “There, that wasn’t so bad, was it? I’m sure you expected me to tell you something terrible.  Something like… You have to kill yourself if you’re discovered and you can’t get away.”

“Was that a command too?” I asked, looking over at Julie and Daniel.

Daniel said, “Yes.”

“Oh my god,” Julie said. “She slipped it into a sentence, and he didn’t even feel it. She was good.”

Jody, meanwhile, nodded, “Yeah, exactly that kind of thing.”