In her senior year of high school, Natalie Hope reunites with her friends, Adam and Barbara, at the funeral of the fourth member of their once-close gang, Jake. They remember the made-up superhero game they played as kids called "the Astronites," wh...
The V-rail brought the Astronites to the edge of Command Castle. The taller buildings gradually faded away and were replaced with low-lying barracks and airstrips. Though Natalie was surrounded by Lieutenant Gatton's soldiers, she felt less safe so far away from the center of the space station. Maybe it was because a part of her knew that in a few hours she'd soon be embarking into Rosewood to find Jake. As she left the V-rail for the last time, the UEF soldiers gave her, Adam, and Barbara a final salute. It was a touching gesture, but it worsened Natalie's anxiety. Aleph must have picked up on it as he led the Astronites and Ador into a hangar fit for ten jumbo jets.
"Here," Aleph said as he retrieved a brown rock from his robe. He roasted it above the light of his pennar. "This is a softstone. I use it when I think deeply about things. It calms me down."
As the rock crackled and warmed up, the sweet scent of chocolate filled the air. Natalie immediately recognized it from when Aleph had left his private meeting with Kindword. She took the softstone and sniffed it. The scent reminded her of the chocolate bars Aunt Missy would bring home from the pharmacy on the nights she worked late and had to call a babysitter for Natalie. Remembering Aunt Missy made Natalie happy.
"Thanks," she said, returning the softstone to Aleph. He let its serene smell waft over his face before he pocketed it.
The hangar they walked through the home of dozens of fleetjets, each one uniquely designed for different climates, purposes, and personnel. Technicians and robots cared for them like babies in a nursery. All eyes and sensors turned to the Astronites as they passed through.
Aleph brought them over to an elegant fleetjet in the corner of the hangar. Two individuals, one girl and one boy, in all black battlesuits stood by the fleetjet with duffel bags at their feet. The light-skinned girl with braided hair appeared to be Natalie's age, and the boy, also light-skinned, seemed to be a bit older. They both had brown eyes, black hair, and a stern, yet calm, demeanor. They stood at attention when the Astronites arrived.
"Shadow Captain Victor Reed reporting for duty," said the boy.
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"Shadow Lieutenant Captain Yona Reed reporting for duty," said the girl.
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