The Hazard Squad: Into the Void

Chapter 5

After driving for over an hour, they arrived at what appeared to be a massive warehouse in the middle of a forest. They stopped in front of a garage door, which opened, and Charlotte's SUV pulled in, followed by Lea's motorcycle and Liz's car. Everyone got out, and Lea noticed Jennifer, Liz, Miguel, and Devin looking around with wide eyes.

"How did you make the whole building invisible?" Miguel asked.

Lea looked at him. "When was it invisible?"

"Right up until the garage door opened."

"That would be Neil." Charlotte said. "He's in charge of security."

Their first stop was the security room, where they met Neil Michaels - a relatively short black man in his mid-30s with brown eyes and short black hair. As Charlotte had implied, he had the ability to make objects appear to be invisible to living beings, even through cameras and in reflections. Jennifer had been the first person in the room, and she saw Neil putting the cap on a bottle of pills labeled Celexa and putting the bottle in a cupboard. Upon leaving the security room, they met several more members of Medusa as the tour continued.

Meredith Vaughn was a fairly tall white woman in her late 20s with green eyes and long auburn hair. She preferred to be called Panacea - after the Greek goddess of universal health - and demonstrated her healing abilities on Jennifer and Devin. Victor Stanfield, also known as Phantom, was a tall black man in his early 30s with blue eyes, black hair in an afro, and the ability to become intangible. Sacha Bohen was a French man in his early 40s with blue eyes and short brown hair. He had a limited form of telepathy that allowed him to hear what other people were consciously thinking, but only when he could see them. Sabrina Levy, also known as Hive Mind, was a short white woman who, judging by the decorations and leftover cake in the base's refrigerator, had turned 19 within the last few days. She had blue eyes, short black hair, an Alabaman accent, and the ability to manipulate and control bees. Andrew Harker was a white man of average height in his mid-40s with brown eyes and salt & pepper hair. He was colorblind, but had the ability to sense superpowers in others. As he explained, people with powers were the only part of the world he saw in color.

The tour ended at a series of makeshift bedrooms, each of which had four sets of bunk beds. Despite their best efforts, none of them got much sleep that night.

Oscar returned around 10:30 the next morning to find the group sparring in the base's training room. Introductions were made, and an hour later Lea and Jennifer were sitting against the wall while they others fought without their powers, something that had always been difficult for Oscar.

"Do you trust these guys even a little yet?" Lea asked.

Jennifer shrugged. "No, but it's been less than a day. Trust takes time."

"Okay, but I feel like there's something sketchy about them."

"That makes two of us."

Across the city, Lt. Patrick walked up to Mayor Bridger's office and knocked on the door.

"She's in a meeting."

Patrick turned around to see Chief Palmer standing a few feet away. "With whom?"

She shrugged. "It's none of our business unless she decides otherwise."

"How much longer is the meeting?"

"I don't know, Lieutenant." Palmer replied, sounding mildly annoyed. "I don't have access to her schedule any more than you do."

He sighed. "Next time you talk to her, please tell her I have something I need to discuss with her."