A spotlight focused everyone gathered’s attention on a podium sitting on a raised platform at the front of the gym. A woman stepped into the light. She looked to be in her forties, and she wore a fitted grey suit. Her hair was dark and shoulder-length. A pair of simple black glasses rested on her nose.

  She raised the attached mic to meet her mouth.

  “Hello, everyone. It’s wonderful to see you all here today. My name is Elizabeth Knapp. I have the honor of being the first headmaster of Rosewell Academy. I would like to welcome all of our incoming students, their chaperones, as well as our visiting BASTION personnel and students from the Young Agents Program.”

  Lauren looked across the gym to where others around her age were sitting on the opposite bleachers. It was hard to tell in the lighting, but they seemed to be dressed in similar dark outfits to the BASTION agents. Apparently they started growing G-men young.

  Headmaster Knapp continued. “This morning is more than just the beginning of the first school year of our new school. As we open our gates, I’d like to think that so too do the clouds part for the sun to shine on a new age, after the past few years of darkness.”

  Knapp extended her arm towards Lauren’s crowd. “And that age will be led by you, our powered youth, gathered from all walks of life from all corners of the country and beyond. The responsibility we will ask you to bear is great, but you will never be bearing it alone. You will have each other to rely on, and you will have the full support of the finest staff that could be brought forth to guide you.”

  She looked to a group of adults standing in a bunch to the side of the podium, then turned forwards again.

  “But I want to make clear that Rosewell Academy is not just an institution to instruct you in serving the public. As any quality learning academy should do, here we will strive to help you find your best, most true selves. In these halls you will learn sciences, art, theory, and more as you work together, play together, and live together. You will forge bonds that will last a lifetime. You will change and grow. You will lay your own path and gain the ability to shape your own destiny, no matter your circumstances. This, I promise you as your headmaster.”

  She gave a shining grin out over the audience. “I also promise to keep my part of the ceremony brief today, knowing that we all have a busy day ahead of us. I look forward to meeting each of you one-on-one in the following days as we all settle. Please know that I am available at your disposal at almost any time, should you wish to talk. Trust me, I’ll be closer at hand than I’m sure some of you will appreciate, including my staff.”

  She chuckled, and so did some of the gathered adults. “Allow me to introduce Agent Trish Dodds, our dedicated liaison with BASTION.”

  Everyone assembled clapped. Lauren followed along. The headmaster ceded the podium to another woman in a darker suit, with auburn hair pinned into a bun. She was pale, curvy, and wore light makeup.

  “Thank you, Headmaster Knapp,” Agent Dodds said. Her tone and expression were neutral. She seemed to have a serious bearing.

  She turned to the audience. “I am Agent Trish Dodds, and I work for the Powered Youths Division within BASTION. It is my honor to be assigned to watch over your progress as you learn and grow here at Rosewell. Through me, you will have access to all of BASTION’s significant resources. We at BASTION believe in the potential of the next generation of superheroes, which is why we have invested in building this state of the art school and designing an unparalleled program. You likely already know the reason why this academy has been built now, and why we are in dire need of its graduates.”

  Lauren glanced around. She had no idea what agent Dodds was referring to, but a few others around her were somberly nodding.

  “I could’ve tried to write something that properly expressed the urgency of our situation, but everything I put down came up short. So, I thought I would instead take a moment to replay the events of that terrible day. Some of this following footage has been released publicly, and you may have seen it before. Some of it hasn’t. You will likely find it disturbing. I apologize. I only want you to understand fully what you’re getting into by entering this program.”

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  With that, the spotlight died, leaving the gym in darkness for a moment.

  A projector beam lit up the white expanse behind the podium, forming a still image of a blurry street. A video began playing.

  Lauren watched in silence as the video played a chaotic scene. It was being filmed by someone recording at street level in a big city. People screamed and ran past as in the distance, a chunk of a tall building was blown into fragments.

  Figures streaked by in the sky, being barely caught by the camera. Beams of light pierced the air, being fired towards the ground and towards other targets in the sky. Some of the aerial fighters looked human, while some looked like winged monsters. A horrible roar split the air, causing the camera to be dropped to the ground.

  The footage changed. Now it was from a fixed position in the sky, pointing down below at what must have been the same city. The camera zoomed in on a city block, right before a flash of light emanated from in between some of the buildings. The light seemed to fade for a second, before suddenly expanding into a solid sphere of energy that absorbed the lower halves of a few skyscrapers. The sphere receded again, and immediately the buildings began to collapse, the parts that had been swallowed now missing. The same phenomenon happened again a few blocks away in the distance.

  Again the footage changed. The PoV on the ground again, for whatever that meant in this twisted scene. The surrounding area was hills of uneven, charred rubble. Buildings that weren’t leveled were smoking husks. Whoever was holding the camera was stumbling along, clinging to mounds of concrete and rebar for support. The sounds of crashes, explosions, and screaming seemed to come from all directions. The horizon was lost in smoke.

  The cameraperson fell to their knees and hid behind a smashed car as thundering footsteps approached. They dared a peek around the corner of the vehicle, taking the camera with. In the distance, a massive figure stood among the ruins. It was at least thirty feet tall, vaguely humanoid, and wearing some sort of armor. Two eyes that looked like they were made of wild flame burned through the choking haze and seemed to stare directly into the camera. The giant reared back and roared into the sky. It was a sound like the earth was being ripped apart. That’s where the video ended.

  Agent Dodds returned to the podium, the light shining on her again. She looked even more somber now.

  “Invasion Day. Twenty months ago, Beacon City was attacked by an overwhelming threat with almost no warning. An interdimensional force sent to kill all it encountered. Our greatest heroes responded. Some already in Beacon City, others arriving in the hours after it began. The battle was the most monumental ever fought on Earth. Entire districts of the city were wiped away. Thousands dead. And our heroes…”

  Agent Dodds looked out over those assembled. Lauren could feel her eyes sweep over her for a moment. Her mouth fell agape.

  “Our brave champions perished. Nearly every single one who responded to the call that day. Miss Fifty. Rebel Rider. Seraph. Stargazer and Sentinel. And many others. They gave their lives to push back the invaders and force them into a retreat.”

  The room had fallen completely silent. No one uttered a whisper. A mournful cloud had fallen over the audience. Lauren’s grip tightened on the bench. She was still underground twenty months ago. No one had told her about an invasion. No one had ever told her or her sister anything. Beacon City, largest metropolis on the East Coast, invaded. The greatest heroes of the world, recognizable even to her, apparently dead. It was all news to her. It was too much to believe. What had she gotten herself thrown into?

  “The situation is beyond dire,” Agent Dodds said. Her voice grew firmer. “But that is why we are here. We are here to find your talent, and to shape you into the next generation of heroes. Not to replace the ones who have come before, who gave their lives to protect us, but to uphold their legacy. To pass the torch along and keep the darkness at bay. You will grow stronger. You will grow smarter. And the next time conquerors come here thinking they can claim Earth, you will be more ready than the ones who came before. We all will be, together.”

  Clapping and cheering rose from the crowd as Agent Dodds stood back. Some rose to their feet. The overhead lights came on. Lauren remained sitting.

  She felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked over. It was Thalia, looking concerned.

  “You okay?” she asked over the din of students. “You look shaken. That footage was pretty intense.”

  “Yeah,” Lauren said back. “...Did all that stuff really happen? All the heroes are dead now?”

  Thalia cocked her head. “Invasion Day, yeah. It was pretty bad, but there are still some heroes around. Have you been living under a rock or something?”

  “Something like that.”