“Do it,” Kenji says. He’s practically bouncing in his seat. “Do it do it.”
So I do.
I pick it up, and literally crush the weight between my hands. It becomes a mangled mess of metal. A fifty-pound lump. I rip it in half and drop the two pieces on the floor.
The benches shake.
“Sorry,” I say quickly, looking around. “I didn’t mean to toss it like that—”
“Goddamn,” Ian says. “That is so cool.”
“Do it again,” Winston says, eyes bright.
“I’d really rather she didn’t destroy all of my property,” Warner cuts in.
“Hey, so—wait—,” Winston says, realizing something as he stares at Warner. “You can do that, too, can’t you? You can just take her power and use it like that, too?”
“I can take all of your powers,” Warner corrects him. “And do whatever I want with them.”
The terror in the room is a very palpable thing.
I frown at Warner. “Please don’t scare them.”
He says nothing. Looks at nothing.
“So the two of you”—Ian tries to find his voice—“I mean, together—you two could basically—”
“Take over the world?” Warner is looking at the wall now.
“I was going to say you could kick some serious ass, but yeah, that, too, I guess.” Ian shakes his head.
“Are you sure you trust this guy?” Lily asks me, jerking a thumb at Warner and looking at me like she’s seriously, genuinely concerned. “What if he’s just using you for your power?”
“I trust him with my life,” I say quietly. “I already have, and I’d do it again.”
Warner looks at me and looks away, and for a brief second I catch the charge of emotion in his eyes.
“So, let me get this straight,” Winston says. “Our plan is to basically seduce the soldiers and civilians of Sector 45 into fighting with us?”
Kenji crosses his arms. “Yeah, it sounds like we’re going to go all peacock and hope they find us attractive enough to mate with.”
“Gross.” Brendan frowns.
“Despite how weird Kenji just made this sound,” I say, shooting a stern look in his direction, “the answer is yes, basically. We can provide them with a group to rally around. We take charge of the army, and then take charge of the people. And then we lead them into battle. We really, truly fight back.”
“And if you win?” Castle asks. He’s been so quiet all this time. “What do you plan to do then?”
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“Let’s say you are successful,” he says. “You defeat the supreme. You kill him and his men. Then what? Who will take over as the supreme commander?”
“I will.”
The room gasps. I feel Warner go stiff beside me.
“Damn, princess,” Kenji says quietly.
“And then?” Castle asks, ignoring everyone but me. “After that?” His eyes are worried. Scared, almost. “You’re going to kill whoever else stands in your way? All the other sector leaders, all across the nation? That’s 554 more wars—”
“Some will surrender,” I tell him.
“And the others?” he asks. “How can you lead a nation in the right direction when you’ve just slaughtered all who oppose you? How will you be any different from those you’ve defeated?”
“I trust myself,” I tell him, “to be strong enough to do what’s right. Our world is dying right now. You said yourself that we have the means to reclaim our land—to change things back to the way they were. Once power is in the right place—with us—you can rebuild what you started at Omega Point. You’ll have the freedom to implement those changes to our land, water, animals, and atmosphere, and save millions of lives in the process—giving the new generations hope for a different future. We have to try,” I tell him. “We can’t just sit back and watch people die when we have the power to make a difference.”
The room goes silent. Still.
“Hell,” Winston says. “I’d follow you into battle.”
“Me too,” Alia says.
“And me.” Brendan.
“You know I’m in,” Kenji says.
“Me too,” Lily and Ian say at the same time.
Castle takes a deep breath. “Maybe,” he says. He leans back in his chair, clasps his hands. “Maybe you’ll be able to do right what I did wrong.” He shakes his head. “I am twenty-seven years your senior and I’ve never had your confidence, but I do understand your heart. And I trust that you say what you believe to be true.” A pause. A careful look. “We will support you. But know now that you are taking on a great and terrifying responsibility. One that may backfire in an irreversible way.”
“I do understand that,” I say quietly.
“Very well then, Ms. Ferrars. Good luck, and godspeed. Our world is in your hands.”