The Sanctuary was on an island in the Pacific. Isolated enough to allow for the Quantum Group to operate in relative secrecy, but also large enough that the island had enough space to run the operation. Besides the Sanctuary itself, which was at the top of a mountain range, there was a large clearing at sea level that provided space for a variety of training situations.

  After speaking with the Quantum Tribunal, that was where Tom went next. He tried to seek out Rachel, but she hadn’t waited for him in the lounge and she wasn’t in her quarters or anywhere else in the compound. That only left what the Knights themselves referred to as the Arena.

  The Arena served as a training ground for the Knights to hone their skills. As it comprised a large swath of the island, it allowed for different terrain—from forests to plains to beaches, part of the mountain range, and even a portion of the surrounding ocean. Warm air blew in from the Pacific and with the sun shining over the mountains, its rays shimmering down over the waves and the green leaves of the forest, this would normally be a perfectly serene area to spend some time.

  But that wasn’t how Tom felt as he entered the area. The Quantum Group’s technology allowed for holographic representations of different enemies and also additional obstacles, if the program called for it. And those disruptions transformed what would otherwise have been a scenic location into something far more deadly.

  Rachel wore her blue Omega Knight armor. The Omega Avatar for her was the lightning-based Raiju. Upon transformation, she gained access to the Thunderbow, a weapon capable of firing bolts of electricity. She also had superhuman speed and agility, which she exhibited as she dodged between holographic sentries firing hard light projectiles at her.

  Her movements were a blur as she entered the forested area. Rachel jumped from tree to tree, the sentries trying their best to match her pace. Each sentry was a circular drone with two turrets extending to the sides, barely larger than a mid-sized dog.

  Tom watched from the sidelines. He didn’t equip himself with any armor, but instead wore a casual uniform consisting of white pants with red trim, a black shirt, and a red jacket with an omega symbol prominently featured over the left breast.

  The sentries were ganging up on Rachel. There were six in total and two hovered above the tree line, while the other four moved about the perimeter. Tom saw they were engaged in a pincer-like formation to strike at her from all sides.

  Instinctively, he brought his left arm up. The sleeve slid back, revealing the large wrist device that looked like a smartwatch, but was actually the Omega Gauntlet. It was what enabled the Knights to tap into the Omega Force for their transformations. He was just about to transform and come to Rachel’s aid when, suddenly, a bolt of lightning flew from the tree line, striking one sentry hovering above. A chain lightning effect followed, arcing to the second high sentry.

  Two of the sentries monitoring the perimeter moved up. That was when a blue blur accentuated with lightning moved from the forest. Rachel slowed down just enough so Tom could see as she fired a bolt at close range.

  The two that moved up now went lower. Rachel pulled back the thin hard light laser that served as the Thunderbow’s string. Two lightning arrows formed, both aimed in different directions. She released the string, shooting each arrow directly into the targets.

  Only one sentry left and it moved around the perimeter to engage. The sentry opened fire with both turrets. Rachel’s movements were quick. She spun the bow around, using it to deflect the hard-light bullets. The firing stopped for a moment and Rachel used that opportunity to rush towards the sentry. She flipped the bow around and changed the setting on the string, turning it from a simple hard light object into a hot cutting laser. Wasting not a second, Rachel relieved the sentry of each turret. Then she raised the bow above her head and brought it down, the laser slicing right through the center of the sentry.

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  Rachel finished her task as the light particles that formed the sentry dissipated. She turned off the laser and her armor absorbed the nanites that made up the bow.

  At that moment, Tom made his presence known, giving a soft clap. Rachel started at first, but then she relaxed when she saw him. Electricity crackled around her body and her armor retreated into the Omega Gauntlet on her wrist. The uniform she wore under the armor was the same as Tom’s, only blue where he had red.

  “Not bad,” said Tom.

  “Not bad…” Rachel sighed and sat down on a rock, “but not good enough to have saved the others…”

  Tom shook his head and moved into the Arena. “That’s not on you.”

  “Bullshit,” said Rachel. “I got distracted, and that earned me a sucker-punch. If I’d been on the ball, that wouldn’t have happened.”

  “This is on me, not you. I charged in when I should have hung back. If I wasn’t so stupid and headstrong, then I wouldn’t have been knocked out of the fight…”

  “If it’s not my fault, then it’s definitely not yours,” she said. “Scott wouldn’t want you to—”

  Tom held up a hand. A simple gesture telling Rachel that he didn’t want to hear another word. “I didn’t come to dissect what happened.”

  “Okay…” she said. “So, why are you here? Because if it’s to get some training in, then I’d prefer to just work out alone for now.”

  “No, it’s not that. I just…I wanted to say thanks.”

  Rachel shrugged. “For what?”

  The Heads told me what you said about me.”

  ‘The Heads’ was shorthand for ‘Floating Heads,’ a term the Knights used to refer to the Quantum Tribunal. Never something they would say in the Tribunal's presence, but it helped to personalize them a bit, as otherwise, no one knew anything about them.

  “I wasn’t looking out for you or anything like that. I just told them what went down.”

  “Well, I appreciate it nonetheless.”

  “Tom…” Rachel sighed. “I take my job very seriously. If I thought for a second you were in any way responsible for what happened, I would have said as much. So when I tell you it wasn’t your fault, I sincerely mean that.”

  “I guess that’s some comfort…” Tom sat on a nearby rock. He bent over to pick up a small stone and tossed it at the water. It skipped twice before sinking beneath the surface.

  “They tell you what’s next?” asked Rachel.

  He took a breath and then nodded. “I believe their exact words were ‘new acquisitions to fill the open s—’” He almost choked up as he tried to say it. “‘—open slots.’” Tom scoffed. “Slots. As if Scott, Emily, and Mike weren’t people, but just...things that could be replaced.”

  “I don’t think they meant it like that.”

  “It’s what it sure as hell felt like.” Tom’s mind also flashed back to his encounter with Marcus Kane. His hand instinctively touched the spot where Marcus’s fist struck. For a moment, he wondered if he should tell Rachel about that encounter, but he dismissed that thought as quickly as it had come.

  “I don’t suppose they said anything about the new field leader?” asked Rachel.

  Tom glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. Why would she ask about that so soon? There was no doubt Rachel was ambitious. She herself descended from a former Knight. But worrying about that now, when they were the only ones left? It was too much, and he almost wanted to call her on it, but also kept that to himself. It would just be the two of them and whatever rookies the Group chose to succeed their fallen comrades. Now wasn’t the time to be divided.

  “They just said a decision would be coming,” he said. “But I’m pretty sure it’s gonna be you.”

  Rachel tried to hide the grin that formed on her face. That just raised Tom’s heckles even further. Still, he held his tongue.

  “You’ve got the pedigree. You’ve proven yourself in the field. Who else would it be?” he asked. And despite his problems with Rachel’s insensitivity, he believed that. It wasn’t going to be him and no way they’d pick one of the newbies.

  As if on cue, both their Gauntlets pinged. Tom and Rachel raised up their arms and exchanged looks. Tom tapped his Gauntlet to answer the call, and a holographic projection of Marcus Kane’s head appeared above the Gauntlet’s face.

  “Knight Stone. And I see you’ve got Knight Kim with you. Good, what I have to say concerns you both,” said Marcus. “The Tribunal has made a decision regarding the field commander.”

  Tom looked at Rachel and was about to congratulate her. But Marcus cut him off before he could speak.

  “Congratulations, Knight Stone. You’ve been promoted.”