The next morning I called Mr Knight and told him what happened last night. He wasn't too thrilled about me going to meet Alexis alone but said that we were going to make things work to our advantage and told me to proceed with things as I saw fit.
"We'll keep an eye on you but I'm giving you full freedom to operate as you please," he'd said. "Just be smart about it."
After that I had received a text from Alexis telling me to meet her in half an hour and that she would take me to meet the rest of Spector. I was currently in my room with my sister who I had told everything after she caught me flying through my open window last night. A million things were running through my head right now but I couldn't seem to focus on one single thought at the moment. My life has become so hectic over the course of the last few months and I wasn't quite sure what was even considered mundane at this point. Living in a superhuman society led to superhuman problems but a small part of me missed how things were before I fought Braxton and before I got involved with the Sentinels.
"Hey, Eb?" I said.
My sister glanced up from her phone. "What's up?"
"Do….do you ever miss life back in our hometown?" I asked hesitantly.
She didn't answer at first and I couldn't really blame her. Our move to Charter was a touchy subject matter for the both of us. I felt partly guilty about being the reason that my sister's life was uprooted and I knew that she blamed me for having to leave her life and her friends behind because I couldn't keep my mouth shut. I know that she still loved me but a piece of me was always going to hate myself for ruining her life.
"I do miss all our friends back in Chicago," Eboni said after awhile. "I miss the normalcy we had before shit hit the fan but I don't blame you or resent you."
"You don't?" I said quietly. "All these years I…I thought you blamed me for us having to suddenly pack up and move."
My sister shook her head. "You're my brother, my twin brother. You didn't ask for your powers. Anyone who knows you knows that you don't want anything to do with your powers. What happened four years ago wasn't your fault, it was hers. She betrayed you and you did what you thought was best to protect our family. As much as I miss home, I trust you and I know you would take it all back if you could."
She suddenly reached out and wrapped me in a tight hug, pressing her face against my cheek like she used to when we were kids. I hugged her back, rubbing her back comfortingly. The bond we had went beyond us being family and being twins, my sister was my rock. The whole world could turn against me but as long as I had her then I knew I'd be fine.
"I love you, kiddo," I whispered. "Don't ever forget that."
"I love you too, big bro," Eboni responded. "Even though you're a bit of dumbass sometimes."
I pulled away in mock annoyance and rolled my eyes. "Way to ruin the moment."
She laughed and playfully punched my arm. I opened my mouth to say something snarky when my phone suddenly pinged with the reminder of my meeting with Alexis. I looked up at my sister who had a worried expression on her face but she did her best to hide it. I ruffled her hair affectionately before jumping out my window and zipping off to the location Alexis had sent me. It was an abandoned church not too far from my school which was an odd place for a clandestine meeting but it did make sense. No one would think to check an abandoned church for a bunch of teenagers plotting to overthrow the government while giving out an illegal drug to the unsuspecting public. Zipping over several houses ( and startling a sleeping cat) I spotted the church as well as an opening in the roof of the church that I proceeded to launch myself through, landing a few feet away from the crumbling altar.
"That was some entrance," a familiar husky voice quipped.
I started and could see several shadowy figures in the back of the dimly lit room that slowly started coming into the light coming through the hole in the roof. Among them were two girls and one guy who I recognized from his file as Jasper Rice, his scar looking more jagged than it had been in his file photo. The first of the two girls was African American with a kinky Afro and mocha brown skin. Her eyes were heterochromic with the left eye being green and the right eye being brown. She wore a distressed denim jacket with a cropped T-shirt, grey jeans and a pair of black zip up combat boots. Her expression was neutral but I could sense an immense amount of power radiating from her just by looking at her. The second girl had the hood of her hoodie up as well as a mask that covered her entire face so I couldn't make out any of her facial features. She wore a black bomber jacket zipped all the way up with jeans and a pair of high top sneakers. Alexis stood in the center of the group wearing the same dark brown leather jacket she wore when I met on top of Remington Mall last night but with slim fit cargo pants and sneaker boots this time. Her dark hair was hanging to her shoulders and I caught a glimpse of a necklace with a ring on it around her neck.
"Quite an entourage you got," I said pointedly. "Planning on jumping me?"
Alexis chuckled. "These guys would be light work for you based on what I've seen you do lately. Seems like you've grown accustomed to your powers now?"
"I've been practicing," I responded flippantly. "Gonna introduce me to your friends?"
Alexis jabbed her thumb to her left. "The girl with the Afro is the muscle of my team, Aniyah. Her power lets her copy and use up to four abilities at once. The girl next to her is my second in command Kiera, she's a girl of few words but she's unmatched in a fight. To my right is Jasper, he's our resident nerd."
I made a point to memorize Aniyah and Jasper's faces and made a mental note to try and get more information about Kiera but something about her felt so….familiar. I didn't know what it was but it felt like we had already met. I pushed the thought away and returned my attention to Alexis who had started to walk towards me. She stopped a few feet away from me and tilted her head, her expression one of interest and anticipation.
"So what now?" I asked. "What's this big plan you mentioned?"
Alexis held out her hand invitingly, a sly smile playing on her lips as her eyes glowed brightly.
"I told you that I had big plans right? I'll give you a glimpse into those plans."
I frowned but my curiosity was getting the better of me and I hesitantly reached out and took her hand. The moment I did, everything around me faded away and I suddenly found myself in a starry void reminiscent of the pictures I'd seen of outer space but it was different. There were millions of luminescent blue lines across the sky that looked like the branches of trees that were spreading and branching off from each other in several different infinite directions. I stared up in awe at what I was seeing.
"What is this?" I said quietly, my voice echoing in the vast void.
"This is the multiverse, Joey," Alexis said. "Infinite alternate realities and timelines each with their own history and timeline of events. My ability lets me control the space-time continuum and view these alternate timelines and realities. I've been looking through several of them to find one where my plan comes to fruition and I believe I've found it."
I looked at her in bewilderment. I knew she was powerful but this was crazy. Her plan involved altering reality to achieve a specific outcome in our world, a world where she was the victor and the world was at her heel.
"Do all these realities and timelines coexist?" I asked.
Alexis chuckled. "In a sense. The multiverse is a vast….space of infinite choices and possibilities. I'll show you."
She reached out to touch one of the branches and we were suddenly standing on top of skyscraper looking down at a bustling city. The buildings looked futuristic and there seemed to be some sort of rally happening down on the street. A crowd of people were gathered around cheering and clapping as some sort of statue was being placed in the center of the street.
"This is a reality where one person used their powers to protect the world and became what's known as a superhero," Alexis explained. "This rally is in honor of his deeds."
She waved her hand and we were transported to another reality on a desolate Earth that seemed to have been destroyed by a war of some sorts. The city itself seemed abandoned and nature seemed to have reclaimed majority of what was left. It was eerily quiet which was a bit unsettling to say the least.
"This reality is the result of a nuclear war that wiped out majority of the population," Alexis said somberly. "What's left of humanity are nothing but remnants of what once was."
She waved her hand again and we were back inside the church where Aniyah, Kiera and Jasper had all taken to napping in the pews since we'd been gone. I was still reeling from what I had just witnessed but one thing had been made abundantly clear to me: Alexis was more than willing to bend reality to achieve her goal. The fact that she had spent so much time scouring alternate realities to find one where she won showed that she was obsessive and wasn't going to let anything or anyone stand in her way.
"The first phase of my plan involves Hofstadter Plaza tomorrow afternoon. The authorities are holding a rally to celebrate the new Director. The Sentinels are going to be there so we're going to crash the party and send a message to the public," Alexis said, as if nothing had happened. "I want you there to get a clear understanding of our goals."
"What're you going to do?" I asked, imperceptibly brushing my hand over my smartwatch to turn on the recorder.
I had worn it underneath the sleeve of my jacket that was a bit oversized so the watch itself was hidden by the baggy sleeves.
"I'm going to kill the Director, break the morale of the Sentinels," Alexis said nonchalantly as she checked her nails. "The Sentinels are known for their reputation of being unbeatable so I'm going to test their mettle. I'll text you later tonight with your part of the plan that you'll carry out."
With that she smiled and waved goodbye to me. I activated my powers and shot through the roof of the building, heading towards the Sentinel's headquarters as fast as I could. Things had just taken a drastic turn and I had to warn them about what Alexis was planning. I had just landed on the roof of a nearby building when my senses suddenly started going haywire; someone was coming towards me. I turned just in time to dodge a kick aimed at my head. I skidded across the roof of the building and turned to see who my attacker was. I looked up into the masked visage of Kiera, Alexis' second in command.
Uh oh, I thought, she knows.
I didn't have time to think before Kiera charged at me with blinding speed and landed a palm strike to my solar plexus that sent me flying off the roof and into the intersection below. I landed on top of a bus, bouncing off of it and onto the pavement, forcing me to roll to break my fall. She launched herself from the roof, aiming a drop kick at my face but I was ready this time. Bracing myself I caught her leg and used the momentum to swing her around and throw her into a nearby parked car, the force of her body putting a dent in the side of the car. Kiera staggered to her feet but she seemed entirely unfazed and proceeded to attack me again. I blocked her punch and tried to land my own when she grabbed my wrist and judo flipped me onto the ground, driving the air from my lungs. I pulled my arm away then sweep-kicked her legs….at least I tried to. She sidestepped then picked me up off the ground with one arm, holding me in the air. Thinking quickly, I aimed my hand at her face and fired off an energy blast but she grabbed my wrist causing my blast to hit the car behind her. The vehicle exploded by she paid no mind to it and proceeded to slam me to the ground then toss me into the glass of the bus stop across the street. I groaned in pain and tried to get up but my body was starting to feel heavy. Despite being so lithe and lean, Kiera was unnaturally strong for someone of her size. What the hell kind of ability did she have that was letting her exceed my strength? My powers were at fifteen percent full power yet I was getting rag dolled right now. I struggled to my feet and stared her down as she approached me menacingly. I readied myself to fight when she suddenly stopped and tilted her head slightly. She seemed like she was listening to something then she suddenly ran off, causing me to give chase but she was too fast for me. She hopped onto a passing bus then launched herself onto a nearby building before disappearing. I sighed in frustration before pulling out my phone and sending out a text. One of two things had to be true: Alexis knew that I was a double agent….or that was some kind of test and I had either failed or passed with flying colors. Either way, one thing was for certain. Kiera was dangerous, possibly even more dangerous than Alexis.