Triple Point

Chapter 45: Moral Support

The next stop on their journey was London, which would be followed by Paris, Seoul, and ending in Honolulu. Thankfully, the flight from LAX to SFO had been the only leg of the trip that Camilla had to fly on her own the entire way. The other legs were either too long, went over foreign territories, or both, and she and Pala would follow them in military planes with occasional assistance from foreign guardians. While Camilla would've preferred to be inside the commercial plane with Elsie and Mack, at least she no longer had to be exposed to the elements.

An excited crowd of fans greeted them at Heathrow, most of them trying to flag down Mack. He apparently had a dedicated fanbase in a good portion of Europe, and he made sure to sign as many autographs and pose for as many photos as he could before getting scolded by Lee for being a security nightmare.

"You're supposed to be setting an example for the civilians," Lee chastised him as she used her enhanced strength to nearly carry him to their vehicles waiting at the curb. "And you're our only healer. What are we going to do if you go down?"

"It's a good thing I can deflect most attacks with my radiant smile." Mack beamed for emphasis. "Then I can counterattack with my gorgeous cheekbones. Right, Elsie?"

"You're so embarrassing," Elsie replied, but she only grimaced to hide her laughter.

The schedule initially had them filming for about a week and a half in London, but the city's infamous rain delayed the shoot by two days. While the primary crew members had meeting after meeting on how to make up for the lost time, Camilla got stuck standing guard for them with Perez while Elsie and Mack took Pala to explore the city. Camilla was more than a little bitter over her bad luck, but it was mostly alleviated by the small treats and souvenirs that Elsie and Mack brought back for her.

A last minute schedule change had them travel to Paris a day early, giving them a sunny location to film their outdoor scenes. Camilla didn't know exactly how movie magic worked, but it sounded like as long as they didn't include any identifiable information, they would be able to have shots in France and still be able to call it England.

The change in filming plans changed the security ones as well, as they had to travel by train instead of airplanes, but the revision was quickly approved by the Org. Aside from having to rush a revised security proposal, Camilla didn't mind the change much, especially since that meant she could ride in the same vehicle as everyone else. Plus, it gave Camilla the chance to take short naps during the ride, and Elsie would make sure to nudge her awake if Lee or Perez walked by on their tours.

On their third day in Paris, they awoke to bad news: Exodos had struck two more times in Southern California, once in San Diego and another time just north of Los Angeles. The news put the filming on hold while the Org reevaluated the security threat, and only Lee and Perez were privy to those discussions. After about two hours, the decision was made that it was safe for them to continue as they were doing, provided that they minimized their time in public, including during downtimes.

Even with the go-ahead from the Org, there was still a high level of tension amongst the cast and crew when they resumed filming, and Elsie was no exception. Camilla had arrived on set early to monitor the set-up and had her abilities spread out over the surrounding area, so she knew the moment that Elsie arrived that something was wrong.

Her energy buzzed with adrenaline and nerves, and her heart pounded so strongly that it reverberated throughout her entire body. Camilla didn't need her eyes to ensure the set and the surrounding area were safe, so she kept her energy field activated while she headed in Elsie's direction.

The set was a small city block shaped like a narrow triangle with two streets running down the longer sides of it. While the architecture looked much more elegant than the typical city streetfront in the US, the streets were much more slim, appearing only wide enough to fit two small cars side-by-side.