A mortal observer might look at Jiang Han at this moment and believe him to be utterly calm, patiently viewing the proceedings with a stoic reserve that bordered on disinterest. Rejya Xinasa knew better. Cultivators naturally learned to control and suppress their unconscious tells but they never truly went away. With her keen senses, she could easily detect his slightly elevated heart rate, how he leaned forward ever so slightly, how his eyes roamed just a bit too frequently over their target.

To Xinasa, Jiang Han was practically jumping up and down in excitement.

“What number is this?” asked Xinasa as she stepped up next to Han. Her gaze, like his, was firmly riveted on the girl laying in the center of the formation. Part of that was consternation - without an aura, her spiritual sense could only faintly detect the child’s presence - but the larger part was pure fascination. It was rare to see the Heavenly Dao act directly, much less with such speed and delicacy. The perfect control on display as the energy wove through the girl was clear proof that she still had plenty of room for improvement.

“This is the third,” said Han. “Judging by the first two, she’ll wake in an hour or so.” His face may not display his emotions clearly, but Xinasa knew his eyes were sparkling. His happy state was no surprise - it would be strange indeed if Han had learned nothing from his observations. She was willing to bet that his future advancements in spiritual healing would be notable.

“She’ll have to be the last then,” said Xinasa. “We’ll be having some nosy visitors soon and it wouldn’t do to have them find a ‘sick’ student laid out in the courtyard.”

“No matter,” said Jiang Han. “It should be simple to recreate the effect of this formation at the satellite campus. The students will be back on their feet in a day or two.” There was a certain pride in the statement and rightfully so. Accomplishing what he had in such a short time, and safely at that, was worthy of praise. It made Xinasa feel a little guilty that she had to step on the achievement.

“No,” said Xinasa, her tone soft but firm. She looked up, meeting Han’s eyes so he could see the mix of understanding and regret that dwelt there. “If the students wake up too quickly once they’re off-campus it will lend credence to the assertion that their condition was caused by some environmental factor on the island.” There was a beat of silence between them as Han struggled with the pronouncement. She could clearly see the anger that flared briefly in his eyes as she waited for his response.

“I understand,” he said finally, his voice tightly controlled and posture stiff, “But the students are in a crucial development phase. We should be taking advantage of every opportunity to push them forward.”

“Ideally, yes” admitted Xinasa. The two words came out soft and breathy, as much a sigh of resignation as an acknowledgment of his point. Once she let the word go she stiffened her resolve again, straightening her shoulders minutely. Her next words came out evenly but there was a hint of steel in them. “But it is unavoidable. We must simply accept the way things are and continue.”

Han snorted derisively at that. “Any one of us could make this all go away in an hour. Is it truly worth all of this?” His tone remained respectful but the fluctuation of his aura made the words a challenge.

“Yes, it is,” Xinasa said, her aura flaring slightly in response. “If we give up the sect’s foundations for expedience so easily then we will have failed at the first step. Enduring such scrutiny may be annoying but it is ultimately harmless. These few days may be precious, but what we buy with them is more so.”

“You and your obsession with setting an example,” responded Han with a faint sneer. “What do you hope to gain from mummer’s show?”

“It is the totality of our actions which will be weighed,” said Xinasa. Her aura had responded unconsciously to his derision, habitually expanding in preparation for a fight. As soon as she noticed it, Xinasa withdrew the power she’d let leak into it, but the effect of her slip was clear. Han stepped away from her, creating distance as he released a thread of Qi into his aura. Despite his response and her exasperation with the rising tension, she did not back down. “To forget that is to risk failure.”

“Failure?” asked Han derisively. “None of them would ever know.” Despite the hostility of his words, Han had retracted his aura once he was certain she was doing the same. The threat of violence faded even as their words heated.

“You’re right,” she admitted. “Only, in our case, the lack of incidents would draw scrutiny rather than deflect it. In the future, no one would believe that our students experienced some strange illness and no one reported it or came to investigate. And when that future day comes, how would we answer them? Will we simply admit that we used our power to sweep it under the rug? And how would that look?”

Xinasa shook her head. “No. We will endure.” Her tone made it clear that there was no room for negotiation.

Jiang Han growled in frustration at her pronouncement. “I don’t want to be stuck on this backwater forever,” he said fiercely. “It has only been a couple of months and this is the second significant delay we have encountered. Worse, you insist on stunting the truly exceptional students. It seems you want to keep us here as long as possible.”

The accusation made Xinasa’s eyes go cold and her aura reacted once more, though she managed to avoid the aggressive reaction she’d had earlier. Instead, she let it roil with her anger, allowing it to broadcast the emotion. “I want my freedom back as much as you do, but I’m not willing to shirk my duty to Master Zhao to get it. If it’s too much for you to be stuck here for a few hundred years, I suggest you go speak to Master Zhao. He’s made some exemptions for other disciples.” The words were sharp as knives, calling his loyalty and patience into question.

Han didn’t bother to respond. They stood with gazes locked for a long moment, resentment and resolve warring between them. Xinasa waited until she was sure she’d made her point, then turned and walked away. There was nothing to gain by continuing the argument. Jiang Han, his blood still lit with the flames of his anger, turned his back on her, returning his eyes to the girl in the formation.

With nothing else to fill her time for the moment, she headed towards the dock. The visitors were still several hours away, but she had a spot picked out where she could meditate without being disturbed. By the time the visitors arrived, Xinasa was standing patiently at the end of the dock, heart and mind calm. It hadn’t taken much to set aside her anger and see Han’s point of view. She didn’t agree with it - showing not just a willingness but an eagerness to comply with mortal authorities was paramount to their success. But she could well understand his frustration with being stuck on Earth. She’d thought that having something important to do would have alleviated some of that tension for Han, but it seemed to have only made it worse. Perhaps he’d discovered something that he wanted to put to use. Regardless of the reason, she would pass on his frustrations to Master Zhao.

As the visitors disembarked she focused her mind on the coming conversation. Xinasa repressed a smile as she considered it. It was likely, highly so, that the people disembarking from the ship at that moment believed that they were going to deliver a serious alternative to her and Master Zhao. She was looking forward to it. Just because they had to comply didn’t mean they had to allow themselves to be bullied. Who didn’t love sticking it to a bully when they had the chance?

It was just before noon, the sun high in the sky on one of those crisp and clear days that seem to be a hallmark of winter. As she watched the group of four people disembark she mentally cursed herself; she’d forgotten to wear winter clothing. It was a minor consideration, but for the time being, it was in everyone’s best interest if they didn’t stand out more than necessary. Unfortunately, it was too late to change her apparel so she could only ignore it or play it off.

Her visitors today were a much more eclectic bunch than previously. Only one of the investigators had bothered to accompany the others, his presence was more courtesy than anything. He looked almost bored, his attitude demonstrating that he knew the investigation would be making no progress today.

The other three were more interesting. One, a woman in a black pantsuit and carrying an expensive briefcase rather than a purse, took the lead introducing them. “You must be Ms. Rejya,” said the woman. “I’m Anna Walters, assistant to the Snohomish County Prosecutor.” Xinasa shook her hand dutifully, not bothering to reply. She saw Anna mark the minor slight but she didn’t pursue it, moving instead to introduce her two companions. “You’ve met Tim Harding before. The others are Derrick Reid and June Hatlen, representing Child Protective Services.”

Xinasa read the hesitation among the three newcomers and the brief glint of pleasure on the face of the investigator when the two social workers were introduced. She knew that they were waiting for her to take the bait and ask precisely why CPS would be involved. Set on enjoying the entire show, Xinasa decided to play along.

“Why would Child Protective Services be here?” asked Xinasa, putting on a brief show of confusion. “For that matter, why would the Snohomish County Prosecutor be involved?”

“My part is minor,” said Anna, her tone self-deprecating, “The prosecutor’s office is used by various agencies within the county to serve papers and handle legal issues. Since the matter has escalated, and rather quickly, it was decided that someone from our office should be here to answer any questions you or Mr. Zhao might have.”

“And the social workers?” asked Xinasa, working hard to avoid showing her amusement. It was obvious they were putting on some sort of act for her benefit. Maybe they were dragging things out for dramatic effect. The whole thing was so overt that she might have guessed what was going on even if she hadn’t had advanced warning.

“I’d like to say that our presence here was a formality as well,” said June. It was obvious that she was going for the ‘kindly grandmother’ vibe. It didn’t quite work since the woman couldn’t be over forty. Xinasa had to admit that her loosely braided brown hair, worn stylishly over one shoulder, paired with the overly colorful, if conservative, dress made her look quite approachable. “But I’m afraid that would be a lie.”

She looked Xinasa up and down before continuing. What her examination revealed, exactly, she couldn’t say, but a faint hint of disapproval showed as she went on. “If possible, we would like to meet with both you and Mr. Zhao. If that isn’t possible, we understand, but it would be best to avoid any confusion.”

Xinasa, happy to tweak the nose of the mortal who openly disdained her, whatever the reason, smiled pleasantly. “Of course,” she said. Her tone, accompanied by a slight perking up of her body language - quite intentional - made it clear that she was happy to hear this, obviously bad, news. The incongruity of her response stymied the quartet and they let her walk them up to the campus in relative silence until the main door was in view.

Finally, June couldn’t take it anymore. “Aren’t you cold?” she asked severely as if offended that she would dare to be anything but cold in such weather.

“I’m quite comfortable, I assure you,” replied Xinasa, gracing June with another sunny smile.

“Well, I don’t know how. I’m freezing and I’m wearing a jacket.” Xinasa ignored the woman after that, content to continue in silence. She led them to the school where she poked her head into the front desk and asked the receptionist to call Mr. Zhao and have him meet them in the teachers’ lounge. Once there, she poured them coffee to warm up and made sparse, if comfortable, small talk while they waited.

Master Zhao showed up about fifteen minutes later. Xinasa nearly snickered when she saw him - he was in full regalia at the moment, though she knew the mortals wouldn’t recognize it. His robe was formal but not overly expensive, the cut loose and sturdy. In other words, it was designed for someone who thought they might be getting into a fight. Just the idea of Master Zhao engaging in combat with this lot was so ludicrous that it almost cost her a moment’s composure.

“Zhao Gang,” he said seriously as he extended his hand. He shook with everyone, letting them reintroduce themselves before he sat gracefully and waved at Xinasa. Knowing the cue she immediately stood and retrieved a teapot. It seemed he was not only going for battle-ready but ostentatious as well. While it was perfectly normal for her, as his disciple, to serve him tea in such a fashion, Xinasa knew that his seemingly high-handed treatment of her would grate on the sensibilities of their visitors. It had been a very long time since she’d been the one to serve Master Zhao tea, but on this one occasion, she did it gladly, taking a guilty pleasure in watching the body language of all four tense up as they watched her bustle around.

It was a testament to Master Zhao’s sheer presence that he commanded the conversation the moment he entered the room. There was no trickery behind it, no usage of Qi, just the domination of personality that happens when one has lived as long, and as forcefully, as Master Zhao. He waited for his tea in silence and the four visitors waited silently with him. There was a tension to it, but it couldn’t be called uncomfortable. Rather, it seemed like the reaction of tourists partaking in some strange ritual from another culture and not quite knowing how to act. A moment’s thought made Xinasa conclude that it was a rather apt comparison.

Once Master Zhao had tea in hand - the visitors were already contentedly sipping coffee - he wet his lips, then began the conversation that they all knew was coming. “Much better,” he said amiably, a serene smile lighting up his face. “How can I help you all today?”

“Mr. Zhao,” said Anna, not giving the others a chance to speak, “I know this is difficult to hear after all the work you’ve put into this lovely school, but it seems there are serious concerns regarding the safety of the children who live here. The Snohomish County Health District has issued a preliminary finding regarding the case of the students here on the island.” She pulled out a stack of paper and slid it across the table to him smoothly.

“The finding states that the most likely cause of the children’s condition is environmental, meaning either the school or the island itself. In either case, the Health District thinks it is prudent for the students and staff to be evacuated while further tests are conducted. The court, after reviewing the facts, agreed. The included order states that you have twelve hours to remove everyone from the property. It also orders Child Protective Services to assist with that evacuation to ensure that every child receives adequate care.”

Master Zhao’s serene smile didn’t falter once throughout her entire speech. He seemed to calmly accept the court’s decision to close his school and evict him from his property. Once she was finished, he turned that calm smile on the investigator. Even though Zhao Gang’s body language was utterly devoid of anything that might be deemed aggressive, the investigator felt cold sweat appear down his spine. “This is certainly alarming,” he said evenly, his whole demeanor making the word ‘alarming’ seem like a frivolous joke, “Would you care to enlighten me as to the basis for this finding?”

Everyone in the room was now looking at the investigator. He felt as if he had been thrust under a heat lamp. He took a moment to take a breath before he responded. “The lack of immune response strongly suggests that whatever caused their condition was not an infectious agent. That leaves a rather limited pool of possibilities. Of those, by far the most likely is an agent in the environment. Given the severity of the situation, evacuating the school seemed prudent.”

“The severity of the situation?” asked Zhao Gang, seemingly mystified.

“Of course!” responded the investigator indignantly. “If nearly a hundred students in near-comas isn’t a cause for alarm, I don’t know what is.” His whole body had shifted with the words, screaming challenge as he faced off with Zhao Gang. Based on his body language, Xinasa did not doubt that he meant the words. Despite that, Xinasa had a firm understanding of the true motives behind this move. It made his act appear comical rather than aggressive.

“This seems like a good time to inform you that three of the students recovered overnight,” said Zhao Gang. That serene smile seemed mocking all of a sudden. That smile, paired with the ‘miraculous’ recovery of three students since yesterday, convinced the investigator that the school knew what was going on in far more detail than he’d suspected. “It seems that Dr. Jiang was correct in his assessment that the children were simply sleeping something off. I spoke to him after their recovery and he assured me that they have suffered no effects from their prolonged sleep save a temporary weakness due to lack of activity.”

“That’s wonderful news,” Anna interjected, obviously wanting to keep the investigator from speaking. “But that doesn’t invalidate the evacuation order.” Her tone was firm and she even reached across the table and tapped her finger on the papers she’d placed in front of Zhao Gang. “I suggest we put aside discussion of the illness for now in favor of more practical matters. You have twelve hours to find housing for three hundred students, of which nearly a hundred are in a state that requires medical supervision. May I ask how you plan to handle the situation?”

It was clear by Anna’s tone that she believed the question would stump him. So when he turned to face her, his serene smile firmly in place, she was more than a little wary. His calm indifference to the entire situation was getting creepier by the second.

“We’ll be opening the Satellite Campus to house the students,” he said simply. The words struck the quartet like lightning from a clear sky. They had come prepared to see Zhao Gang and his staff scrambling to salvage what they could of their very expensive project. The investigator had been counting on it. Nowhere in any of the paperwork had a satellite campus been mentioned.

“Satellite Campus?” asked June dubiously.

“Yes. We recently acquired a property which can house the students over the summer break rather than keeping them locked up here on the island. Some creative adaptation will be necessary, but it will suffice to see us through this hardship.” To the quartet, Zhao Gang’s demeanor was calm and clear as still water, but Xinasa could see hints of the pleasure he was taking in the situation. She couldn’t blame him. She was deriving her own pleasure from seeing the group struggle with their plans falling apart so thoroughly.

Derrick, who had been attempting to meld into the background until that moment, recovered first. “That’s good news. I was rather dreading having to find housing and schooling for three hundred kids on short notice, not to mention checking a good portion of them into a hospital for the time being.” Unlike the others, his voice was low and smooth, speaking of a man who had seen it all and survived. The attitude pleased Xinasa; at least one of these people had a chance at real competence. “Any objections to us checking out this other campus? I’m sure you remember how thorough the vetting process was when you were going through it the first time. Since the other housing is temporary the rules aren’t as strict but we’ll still need to verify that they meet the minimum standards.”

“We would welcome your assistance.” Zhao Gang’s words didn’t sound the least bit ironic, yet everyone felt the irony. They had walked into this meeting assuming that they would be removing the vast majority of the children from under his care. On the contrary, their assistance and the accompanying report would solidify his guardianship of them. Who else could care for them if not Zhao Gang? He was so prepared that he even had a place for them to go at the drop of a hat. If he wasn’t a fit guardian, who was? The struggle to find any reason to condemn him clearly showed among the conspirators. To Xinasa’s surprise, Derrick and June were innocent of the whole affair, their body language showing relief rather than consternation. “Experienced hands like yours will go a long way to keeping the kids calm during the chaos.”

The prompt seemed to jump-start June and she started talking almost at once. It was almost absentminded as if she was talking more to herself than them. “We need to split up. I’ll go to the satellite campus and verify that it’s fit for occupancy. Derrick, you can stay here and assist with the logistics.” She seemed to pause for a moment as a thought struck her. She bit her lip hard as if she was biting back a curse before she looked at Zhao Gang. “We need to think about transportation. The unconscious kids will need non-emergency medical transport. There are only so many of those available, meaning we’ll need to transfer them a few at a time. I’ll call the office and get them to work it out while we’re traveling.”

To their astonishment, she stopped and pulled out a calculator. She punched at it for a few moments before she stopped and looked at Anna. “It might not be physically possible to evacuate the island in 12 hours. Realistically, we might not be able to do it in less than two days and that’s if we move students nonstop.”

“Would you explain that, June?” Anna’s voice was filled with calm curiosity but she didn’t bother to disguise frustration the pronouncement caused.

“Well, we have nearly a hundred unconscious students. They can’t be transported safely in a wheelchair. Each will require medical transport. While there are services for this situation, getting more than three vehicles working for us at once is probably close to the limit. The transport services will insist on coming to pick up the students themselves. That means a half-hour ride over, maybe ten minutes to get here and back with the gurney, a half-hour ride back, then drive time to and from the school. If we’re generous, say ninety minutes per student. If we assume three at a time, that’s still more than fifty hours of transportation time. To evacuate in twelve hours would require thirteen vehicles, assuming there are exactly one hundred students unconscious.”

Anna turned to Zhao Gang. “Exactly how many students are afflicted at the moment?” she asked.

“Eighty-three. Will you attempt to hold us responsible if the time limit proves to be physically impossible?” The challenge in Zhao Gang’s tone was unmistakable. He’d been calm and friendly so far, but the idea that they would attempt to blame him for not accomplishing the impossible had sparked a hint of ire.

“No, of course not. Do your best and there will be no complaints,” replied Anna. Surprisingly, the challenge seemed to have cowed her. He hadn’t made any intimidating gestures, he’d barely moved more than his head, but something in the way he addressed her, or maybe the way he held himself, had tripped alarm bells in her hindbrain. She wasn’t afraid, exactly, but she was very certain that she did not want to try laying frivolous punishments upon this man.

“Good, then we will simply do our best and see how it works out. I suggest we begin by moving the healthy students while Ms. Hatlen and I make some calls. Xinasa, would you take Ms. Hatlen to the satellite campus?” Xinasa just nodded in response, her mind on Jiang Han. While Xinasa and Master Zhao had put only minimal effort into learning the medical practices of this world, Jiang Han had done significantly more. He wasn’t the only doctor among the disciples, but he was probably the only one that had a clear understanding of the situation the school was facing. Despite that, he’d said nothing about the transportation issue.

Xinasa wanted to curse. She had no doubt, none at all, that he’d deliberately withheld the information, knowing that it would cause trouble. Master Zhao had wanted this to go so smoothly that the government would have nothing to complain about. Because of his spite not only would things be significantly more difficult, but meeting the deadline they were given might be impossible using mortal means. Cheating was possible, but if they did they would have to muddle the memories of every mortal involved, something the pair of them had wanted to avoid. Being late would probably be the better option.

She debated informing Master Zhao of the issue but one glance told her he’d figured it out already. He might seem the same congenial person he was two minutes ago, but underneath his calm smile, she could tell he was boiling with rage. He’d been sabotaged by one of his disciples and been made to look incompetent. Worse, it was over something so stupid, so trivial! Was Han that unhappy with his confinement on this world?

Xinasa led June back to the ferry as her mind worked out the implications of Han’s treachery. The trip was rather relaxing, all things considered, though June was busy the entire way dancing between one call and another. In the forty-five minutes it took to reach the satellite campus she’d acquired six transports, a minor miracle, and was still finagling more. The primary issue was that each transport had appointments to keep, so they couldn’t just run students for the school uninterrupted. Xinasa wasn’t sure, but if the services were truly unwilling to miss their other appointments to assist with the evacuation it might take closer to four days instead of two.

She mentally pushed that aside as they pulled up to the new building. It looked clean and well cared for, but it was obvious the building wasn’t completely ready for habitation yet. Several windows were in the process of being repaired and a delivery service was unloading foodstuffs directly into the industrial kitchen.

“It looks in good shape. I’m impressed with the speed Mr. Zhao works, to have the window guys out here already.” June was craning her neck and examining the grounds with great interest, not bothering with silly things like dignity, twisting and peering shamelessly as they approached.

“You can drop us off in the back,” Xinasa told the cab driver before turning back to June. “I’ll take you in to see the rooms.”

The inspection of the rooms ended up being a formality. June walked between rooms at random. Each one was markedly different from the others, some looking like modernist havens while others were filled with rich woods and antiques. What they all had in common, however, was that they looked like a fortune had been spent furnishing them. Every hallway had long carpet runners of various designs, giving the hallways some cushion and easing the painfully bland institutional feel of the place.

“I can’t see anything to complain about,” said June. “There’s plenty of toilets and they all work, plenty of beds and each one is clean. Once the windows are replaced and the students' personal effects are moved it should be more than sufficient.” The pleasure was obvious in her voice. There was no doubt that they had exceeded June's expectations. Xinasa expected nothing less.

“Then I’ll contact Master Zhao and have him begin sending over the able-bodied students. Maybe he’ll have an answer for the others by now.” Xinasa pulled out a cell phone and called the school’s main office. Unlike her, Master Zhao refused to get a cell, saying that he didn’t want to be that accessible to the mortals. The receptionist took nearly ten minutes to track him down, but when she finally did Master Zhao had good news for her.

“We’ve got a solution,” he said seriously. “We’ll be doing medical evacuation by helicopter. The lawyers managed to find several private services who were willing to assist us for a substantial fee. Did the rooms pass inspection?”

“They did,” replied Xinasa. “We’re ready to begin moving students.”

“Very well, the first group will be there in a little over an hour. Expect the first helicopter about half an hour after that.” He hung up without another word. Xinasa put away her phone and turned to June.

“The first batch of students will be arriving in about an hour. We’ll be getting the first helicopter about a half-hour later.” Her tone was flat but she couldn’t help the hint of triumph in her eyes. They would manage it, Jiang Han be damned.

“Helicopter? Mr. Zhao is going to pay for air transport? That’s extravagant but it will certainly do the trick.” It was obvious June was more than a little impressed with how much money Mr. Zhao was willing to spend to comply with the evacuation order. Even as she watched, she could see June going from indifferent bureaucrat to ally. It might not mean much, but every friend counted.

All that night the sound of helicopters filled the air over Everett as students were shuttled off the island with painstaking care. The sound and fury lasted well into the next day, but by 10 AM, two hours before the deadline, every person was off Hat Island.