Dortor: Hello, Venessa. You’ve come for your first trial, correct?

  Venessa: Trial?

  Dortor: Rescue mission. Do you have your ear pieces at the ready?

  Cassandra: She already has them in.

  Dortor nods: Perfect. If you’ll follow me…

  Venessa: You’re not gonna teleport are you?

  Dortor smiles: Teleporting is for missions and missions only.

  The three head down the hallway.

  Cassandra:(jokingly) What about invisibility, strength, and astrokinesis?

  Dortor: You know well that I use all of my abilities at the Commander’s beckoning…Ah, this is your kind’s sense of satire. I see it now. You can live in a place for many years and never fully grasp it.

  Venessa: Astro-what?

  Dortor: Astrokinesis is the term that the inhabitants of this universe have given to one of the abilities of interdimensionals. It’s a term that is understood as the ability to annihilate solar entities using thoughts.

  Cassandra:(whispering to Venessa) It means that he can blow up planets with his mind.

  Venessa nods and moves slightly away from Dortor.

  Dortor: I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten or confuse you. I’m used to using the diction of my kind.

  Venessa: It’s fine.

  They enter a room with many screens. One of the screens comes forward and the other screens move backwards. A mugshot-like picture of a strange man shows up. A few words appear on the screen.

  Dortor: Every Hostility has a Keeper who opposes them, whether that be in their gift, character, or position. This is Code 7780 Hostility, Agent Cassandra’s nemesis. Code 7780 Hostility will attack tonight at approximately 7:12 p.m. He’s likely to hack into music-playing apps to play a frequency that will fully ignite the Abramian organs of everyone in Saint Louis and control their minds.

  The screen changes into a picture of the top portion of the human anatomy and then zooms in on the brain. A small, green organ that Venessa had never seen in any textbook is attached to the back of the brainstem. Cassandra steps in.

  Cassandra: This organ is dormant or only slightly active most of the time. There was a time that the Hostilities could simply snap their fingers and every Abramian organ in the world would activate. Those days are over, but the Hostilities are known for their adaptability. They have found other ways to control minds, including with certain frequencies of music. However, if another song of an opposing frequency is played, it’s possible to free everyone. Since…most of us are human or from this universe, we also have the Abramian organ. That’s where the noise-filtering earbuds come in. If we set the filter settings a certain way, we won’t be able to hear the hijacked music.

  Venessa hands Cassandra her earbuds and she sets them to the optimal settings.

  Dortor:(without looking at a clock) It’s around 6:30. If you want to get yourselves into position, you should leave by 6:45.

  Cassandra nods: Thank you, Dortor.

  Dortor: It’s my pleasure. (to Venessa) If you have any questions, now would be the time to ask them.

  Venessa: Uuum…Have you ever blown up a planet before?

  Cassandra snickers.

  Dortor: I only cause planets to explode when it is absolutely necessary.

  Venessa: What language were you speaking to that other Cyclone Sector guy?

  Dortor: It’s a complicated language called Jhanyoruich. It operates differently than most languages of this universe.

  Venessa: ‘Kay…I’ll just call it ‘Cyclonese’ if that’s fine with you.

  Dortor smiles: I don’t care what your name for it is, as long as it gets the point across.

  Venessa: So, I have a question for Agent Cassandra, who Avonari has officially granted the superhero name ‘Octavo’ to.

  Cassandra smiles: What’s your question?

  Venessa: What powers do you have?

  Cassandra: I have sonic screams. Also, hmmm…pick a song, any song.

  Venessa: Paint It Black by The Rolling Stones.

  Cassandra: Oh, a classic!

  She then begins singing the first verse of Paint It Black, and her voice sounds exactly like the lead and background singers. Venessa can also hear the instruments in her voice.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  Venessa nods, impressed: I have another question.

  Cassandra: Go for it.

  Venessa: How come your uniforms have a ‘P’ and ‘F’ on them, but mine doesn’t?

  Cassandra: You receive that label when you become a Keeper.

  Dortor: I have a question for you, Venessa.

  Venessa: Uuum…okay.

  Dortor: It seems to be the case that Avonari has been giving everyone superhero names. I’m curious as to what mine is.

  Venessa shrugs: I’ll have to ask her…when I get back.(she almost says ‘if’)

  Cassandra and Dortor discuss Keeper business, and Venessa sits in silence. Eventually, Dortor announces that they have two minutes to leave. Venessa heads outside with Agent Cassandra, who places earbuds in her ears and turns them to the right settings. The streets are bustling.

  Cassandra: We’ll head to the music store.

  Venessa nods. The two of them step into a store with a large projected sign on the front that reads “Guitars and Good Days”. Cassandra changes the open sign to closed. The store is empty. Venessa notices that while she was outside the headquarters, her uniform had changed into a normal, monochrome red outfit. Now, it has changed back into the jumpsuit and combat boots.

  Cassandra: Alright. Now, we wait.

  The clock on the wall reads 7:00 p.m.

  Venessa: Agent Cassandra?

  Cassandra: Hmm?

  Venessa: Do you own this music shop?

  Cassandra nods: Yes, I do. It’s been in my family since before I went to stay with Annelise and Cory when I was eight years old.

  Venessa: Wait, you lived with your parents? Your actual parents? When you were eight years old?

  Cassandra: Yeah. Before I turned eight, the laws about custody of powered children hadn’t been passed yet. When they were passed, I was taken away from my parents, but I eventually found my way to Annelise and Cory.

  Venessa: Are your parents…still around?

  Cassandra nods: I would visit them, but…they might be suspicious. I was born in 2030, so that makes me thirty-six. But Keepers don’t age past thirty. I know it’s not a huge difference now, but it will be in the future. I’ll look thirty when I should be fifty. I don’t want to risk blowing my cover.

  Venessa: How do Keepers not age past thirty?

  Cassandra smiles: Something in you changes when you become a Keeper. I don’t know what else to tell you except that you’ll see when you become one of us.

  Venessa: So, are you immortal then?

  Cassandra: I honestly don’t know. None of us have died.

  Suddenly, Venessa sees every car in the street stop. The people get out in an almost robotic fashion. Hordes of people begin walking in the same direction.

  Cassandra: It’s started! Let’s go!

  Venessa and Cassandra head outside and through the crowds.

  Venessa:(to the people) Hello?

  Cassandra: They can’t hear you. Their Abramian organs are activated.*she taps her earbuds* Dortor, Ethan, do we know the direction they’re heading?

  Cassandra pales.

  Venessa: What is it?

  Cassandra: They’re headed for the Saint Louis Arch. Code 7780 is gonna make them jump off!

  Venessa: So, what do we do?!

  Cassandra: We have to find Code 7780. Then, we need to overpower his music.

  Venessa: Do we know where he is?

  Cassandra: I have a hunch. Follow me.

  Venessa and Cassandra run to a sketchy-looking building.

  Cassandra: I think he’s in there. We’ll have to sneak in. When we enter his control room, I’ll need you to use your powers to blow up his speakers. I’ll take care of Composer.

  Venessa: Composer?

  Cassandra grins: Avonari’s supervillain name for Code 7780 Hostility, according to Ethan. Alright, let’s do this!

  Venessa tries to sneak inside, but this is difficult because of the echoes. Cassandra stands protectively in front of her.

  Venessa:(whispering) Where do you think the control room is?

  Cassandra:(whispering) It seems like it should be in the basement, but it never is…

  Composer emerges from behind a wall:(sinisterly) Cassandra Calvaruso, always a pleasure.

  Cassandra: Composer.

  Composer: You’ve decided to grant me a name, I see. I must be worthy of attention.

  Cassandra sonic screams and sends Composer flying against the nearest wall.

  Cassandra:(to Venessa) GO!

  Venessa quickly searches through the rooms on the first floor. None of them are the control room.

  Venessa: I can’t find it!

  Cassandra is now in hand-to-hand combat with Composer.

  Cassandra: Have you checked the second floor?!

  Venessa: No! The second floor looks unstable!

  Cassandra: You need to check it!

  Venessa nods and sprints up the stairs, treading carefully on the second floor. She can feel the floor moving beneath her. She checks the first room. It has many computers with breached data and loudspeakers.

  Venessa: Yes!

  She focuses on the speakers and ducks as they explode. The floor begins to tremble.

  Cassandra: The only way to reverse the mind-control is to sing another song over it! You have to do it now, Venessa!

  Venessa: But…but I can’t sing!

  Cassandra: It doesn’t matter!

  Venessa sighs and finds a microphone. She plugs it into the computer. She clears her throat and begins singing Taxi Cab by Twenty-One Pilots.

  Composer: NO!

  The people outside begin twitching as the control escapes them. Composer runs upstairs after Venessa, but Cassandra stops him and pins him to the ground. Composer throws Cassandra off of him and begins rushing upstairs toward Venessa. Cassandra quickly recovers and chases after him. Composer enters the control room.

  Venessa:(stops singing) Oh, shoot!

  She looks at the surveillance cameras. Everyone’s minds are back to normal. Venessa makes the computers explode.

  Composer grits his teeth: Venessa Teller, I swear, if…

  The floor gives way from under them and they fall through. Venessa screams. Luckily, Cassandra is still on the stairs and sprints over just in time to catch Venessa.

  Composer: I’ll succeed next time! You will all be sorry that you ever doubted the influence of music!

  Cassandra: Go back to the Hostility H.Q., Composer! We’ll be ready for you when you decide to show your face again! Beyond will be ready to deal with you! I wouldn’t take my chances on his letting you off the hook!

  Composer runs off.

  Venessa: Why’d you let him escape?

  Cassandra: Because the Commander, Beyond, whatever you call him, didn’t want this to be a kill mission. We almost always let them return injured to Code 09166Scaled.

  Venessa: Who’s 09166Scaled?

  Cassandra: She’s their leader…and apparently called ‘Wyverna’ by Avonari.