WELL, FORSYTHE,” COLONEL CHARLES SAID, sitting across from Fort in a small room with a long mirror on one side. “This feels familiar, doesn’t it? Was it just yesterday I was talking to you in the disciplinary barracks? It can’t have been. So much has happened.”
Fort shrugged, staring down at his hands, which were handcuffed to the table.
“I’ve spoken to the other students already and heard their versions of things,” Colonel Charles said. “And obviously I know much of yours. Is there anything you’d like to add?”
Fort paused, then nodded. “I have a question. How much do you remember?”
Colonel Charles looked away. “You mean, what did the Old One let me remember? All I know is that I heard an explosion at the Training Hall a few minutes after I sent my guards after you. Then, the next thing I knew, I was hearing a voice in my head, telling me to fight back against whatever was inside my brain. I did, and then woke up in the middle of the destroyed school.” He winced. “I’m told by Lieutenant Moynahan that several of the men were able to put up a fight, and the Old One displayed his power before taking over their minds.”
“I think that was its power,” Fort said. “The Old One said that they discovered magic, and each of them was a master of one kind. That one had to be the best at Telepathy magic, considering.”
Colonel Charles nodded. “That doesn’t exactly explain how we all fell asleep a moment after being freed from the creature, however. Do you know anything about that?”
Fort swallowed hard. “Nope. I woke up out there, same as you.”
“You and your friends managed to drive it off,” Colonel Charles said, giving Fort a serious stare. “And for that, we can’t begin to thank you.”
“So you’re going to do that by sending me home?” Fort knew it was coming. Even if he knew more of the truth than Colonel Charles did, he’d still seen far too much to be allowed to stay. Besides, the only reason he’d been invited was to wake up a telepathic girl that was now gone.
Colonel Charles paused, then gave him a confused look. He reached across the table and unlocked Fort’s handcuffs. “Ah, no. You’ll be remaining here, in the Oppenheimer School, for the foreseeable future.”
Fort blinked once, then again. “Um, what, now?”
“You have proven beyond any doubt that there’s a need for healers,” Colonel Charles said. “Without you, we might not have figured out the Old One’s weakness. In that vein, we’ll also be increasing the number of students in the Healing program. Given that Destruction magic had little to no effect on the Old One, we’ll need powerful healers around for . . . protection.”
Fort just stared at him in astonishment. “So I can stay? And learn magic again?”
“I’d even allow you to learn Destruction magic, if you wanted. Though from what we’ve seen, your powers seem to lie elsewhere.”
“I think I’m okay sticking with Healing,” Fort said, and smiled. He stood up, rubbing his wrists where the handcuffs were. “So . . . I can go?”
Colonel Charles shook his head and waved at Fort to sit back down, which he did. “There’s someone else here who needs to speak to you. After that . . . well, I’d say you could head back to class, but we’ll need to find a new base soon. In the meantime, I have to go. We’re pretty well hidden out here, but there were some dramatically large explosions, I’m told, as well as some other mystical elements. I need to speak to the press about what happened here. Rumors are running wild already.”
Fort narrowed his eyes. “Who else am I supposed to speak to?”
Colonel Charles gestured at the mirror, then left through the door.
A moment later, Dr. Opps walked in.
Fort clenched his hands into fists as the doctor sat down across from him, not able to look at the man who’d been at least indirectly responsible for his father’s death.
“I know you have questions, Forsythe,” Dr. Opps said quietly.
“Like how you could lie to me, and bring me here even though you never wanted to?” Fort said, his voice rising in spite of trying to stay calm. “About how there was a whole class of students before this one, and that they caused the attack in D.C., not some other group, some other country like you let us all believe? Questions like those?”
Dr. Opps spread his arms. “All fair, and many more besides. I’ve made . . . many mistakes, Forsythe. Those you just listed wouldn’t even make a dent in the overall total. But yes, I do owe you . . .”
“An apology?!”
“Yes, and I am sorry, but that couldn’t begin to cover it,” Dr. Opps said. “I thought founding a school beneath the headquarters of the NSA would keep the students safe, and the civilian population in blissful ignorance. I had no idea that when the Old One took over Damian’s mind, it would send one of its creatures to the closest heavily populated area, hoping to cause as much destruction as possible. The fact that it turned out to be where you and you father were, well, I can never be forgiven for that.”
“No, you can’t,” Fort said quietly. “So . . . you remember them? Damian and Sierra?”
“Sierra, yes,” Dr. Opps said. “Colonel Charles doesn’t remember them, and I think he might be better suited staying in the dark. I can’t imagine he’d let our fugitives run free for long.” He sighed. “But apart from that, I want to ask you something: You wanted revenge when we first spoke. Yet from what Colonel Charles tells me, you could have killed the creature who attacked you in the basement. But you didn’t. Why?”
Fort dug his fingernails into his palms, then slowly unclenched his fists. “I just want to make sure that what happened to my father never happens to anyone else, ever again.”
“You want to protect people.”
Fort nodded. “From creatures like that . . . and from people like you.”
Dr. Opps sighed. “I deserve that. Before the accident . . . before Damian unleashed the Old One, I should say, the military only had access to my school in a purely advisory role. But afterward, the committee in charge of the school gave Colonel Charles equal control over the students. I’d hoped that he would listen to me about keeping the students safe, but clearly that hasn’t happened.”
“Clearly not,” Fort said, his anger threatening to bubble out of him.
“I guess I thought at least I could keep the school from turning into a weapons factory, spitting out child soldiers wielding magic instead of weapons. I still think that’s possible. But to do so, we’ll need students like you here, leading the way.” He held out a hand. “In that vein, I want to extend a permanent invitation to stay, with no ulterior motives. You’ve more than earned your place here, Forsythe.”
“I’m not going to stay here just so you feel less guilty,” Fort hissed at him.
“No, and you shouldn’t,” Dr. Opps said, staring down at the table. “You should stay here because you have the best of intentions. And I think we need as much of that around here as we can get. I just have one request.”
“What?” Fort said, completely indignant. “You want a favor now?”
“Try to always keep in mind what you just told me,” Dr. Opps said, rising from his seat. “The moment you forget you’re here to protect people . . . well, we both lose.”
He turned and walked toward the door, then paused. “You could have stopped Damian and Sierra from leaving, I’m guessing. Why didn’t you?”
Fort turned away. “I haven’t known Sierra that long. But I’ve been inside her mind, and she’s seen far too much of me. So I guess . . . if she thinks we can trust Damian, then I’m willing to be proven wrong about him.”
Dr. Opps nodded, then left the room, closing the door quietly behind him.