Will slapped down the last platter of spaghetti alfredo and sank into his stool beside Charlisa, utterly exhausted. She rubbed him on the back with a sympathetic sort of movement as he put his head on his arms, almost dozing off right then and there. But he forced himself to sit up and grab a fork, telling himself to try to eat something. The day itself had been exhausting enough, even without counting fighting for his life against five people. He ladled a healthy portion of the pasta onto his plate, snatched up a piece of garlic bread, and stabbed one of the chicken chunks with his fork.

“Oh man,” James said quietly, not even attempting to hide his amusement. “You look just about done in. Must be tough to be a hero.”

Will didn’t reply, too busy shoveling food into his mouth. He spared only half a glare for his friend, nodding in thanks to Charlisa as she slid a cup of coffee over to him. The food helped a little to rejuvenate him, but he was still slightly dizzy with tiredness. If he could have had his way he’d just go up to bed at once, but he knew that wasn’t an option. Edward still had to make his announcement. He glanced over at the Alpha now, wondering what he had in mind. He was idly chewing on his dinner, listening intently to something that Noratuk was telling him. He offered her a rare grin, and she laughed out loud.

“Dad’s in a good mood,” Charlisa said. She sounded faintly surprised.

“Should he not be?” James asked, perplexed. “I mean, we got out alright, and he’s proud of Will.”

“But we were attacked,” Charlisa retorted, lowering her voice. “I thought he’d be pissed.”

“Maybe it has something to do with this announcement.”

“Nobody would like his announcement,” she said. “Only you, cuz you’re weird like that.”

Will was too tired to do much apart from rolling his eyes at that. “So you know what it is, then? Tell me.”

But she shook her head, wearing her trademark coy smile. “You’ll find out.”

Just then, Edward got to his feet. The talk in the room died out at once, all eyes glancing up and around to the Alpha. He cleared his throat. “Right. Let’s just get this over with.”

“Are we going after Rachel for what she did?” Someone asked. There were more than a few mutters of agreement, even a few, not so quiet, comments about revenge.

“No,” Edward said. Some grumbles, which he silenced with a look. “We’re going straight to the Soul Nexus headquarters.”

That put them all on their heels. Will froze, his fork halfway to his mouth, wondering if he’d heard that right. Surely Edward didn’t plan on attacking the most powerful Nexus! He looked over at Charlisa, noticing that she didn’t look the least bit alarmed. He decided that if she wasn’t upset, it couldn’t be that bad.

“Oh, relax!” Noratuk snapped, jumping to her feet as well, glaring at those who suddenly looked eager. “You wouldn’t stand a chance anyway!”

“We’re not going there to fight,” Edward confirmed, and the others settled down. Will heaved a sigh of relief and took another bite. “We’re going for a rank review.”

Will gasped, and accidentally inhaled the noodles he’d just put in his mouth. He covered his mouth as he coughed reflexively, trying not to draw too much attention to himself. This was a piece of information that he knew about even before he’d joined the Nexus. In fact, he wondered why he hadn’t thought of it before. And of course, the time for it was coming up, he reminded himself.

When it came to Nexuses, different members were given a different rank, according to their power. The lowest, where Will now sat, was E-Tier. The Alpha was S-Tier, following the Japanese style in ranking, and the members of their Nexus were ranked A through E. It was much more intricate than most people knew. They were ranked on strength, speed, and utility. Born out of the days when the Nexuses spent a lot of time fighting, this system had let people know how much of a threat each Nexian was, in case you met them.

The rank was assigned by the Soul Nexus, after careful study and assessment of your skill. Each year, in the first week of April, the Nexuses would travel to Tokyo, where the Soul Nexus lived, and they would take the assessments. It was such a big deal that the outside world even followed the event, curious to see who was the strongest of them all. Now Will knew what Noratuk and Charlisa had meant. He would enjoy it because he loved visiting Japan. He was also a very competitive person, and would probably try his hardest to earn a new rank.

“Of course, Hitori has also decided that this year’s results will be made public,” Edward said. “This should stop our members from being harassed for our scores.”

Will twisted his face into an expression of distaste. He knew that some people in the world treated Nexians like celebrities. They were the more extreme lorists, collecting every piece of intel they could, and sharing it with their colleagues. He’d even heard of some of them making trading cards with the image of each Nexus member they met. This wasn’t a problem in Alaska, of course, because it was core to the Alaskan identity to mind one’s own business. A quality Will empathized with greatly.

“You all know I normally couldn’t care less what your rank is,” Edward continued. There was a general chorus of agreement. Edward let them live how they wanted for the most part. But now there was a steely note to his words that made them perk up and take special notice. “But that will not be the case this year.”

In less than a second, he went from a casual, careless sort of air to one of barely controlled wrath. Will couldn’t help himself. He got to his feet, as did nearly all of the others. They stared at Edward, knowing what he had in mind, but wanting him to say it out loud. He didn’t keep them waiting long. “We were attacked. My own daughter, and my own family. We were attacked!”

He shouted the last word at them, slamming his fist into the table, jolting his empty plate. Behind Will, several growls sounded. Edward made a general sweeping gesture towards Will, Charlisa, and James. “Look at how our family defended itself. Look at them, standing proud while the fools who wanted to bring them down were defeated. We’re going to take this lesson to heart, family. We’re not going to take this laying down. We’ll strike back, and stand proud when our enemies fall!”

The Nexus let out a collective yell of assent, a noise that Noratuk and Edward joined in. Will felt a distinct swooping sensation in his chest at Edward’s words. He’d always known the man as the leader of the Fire Nexus, but it had never occurred to him just how good he was at the job. This was the man who convinced hundreds to follow him into battle against Rachel. He radiated confidence and righteous fury in addition to his usual heat, and Will found himself thinking that he’d gladly trade his life for this man.

——————————

Hours later, Will was roused from his sleep by a quiet knock on his bedroom door. He was up and out of his bed before he even fully woke, and took a step towards the door. He could tell it was Edward calling on him because he felt the field of heat even through the door. Ever since his speech in the cafeteria, Edward had seemed to be full of vengeful energy, and he’d emanated nearly twice as much heat as before. Will felt a sort of ominous calm washing over him as he opened the door.

“Good evening,” he said quietly. He noticed that Edward was not alone. Behind him were Noratuk, James, and one other. Will couldn’t remember his name, as he hadn’t put much effort into getting to know the rest of the Nexus.

“Come with us,” Edward said. “We need to make a plan.”

Will nodded, though Edward couldn’t see it, and followed them at once. Edward led the small group down the hallway, pausing only to knock on one more door, waking one more member, then taking them all to the cafeteria. The dark room was clean after dinner, and their footsteps echoed eerily through the large, empty space. Will couldn’t shake the feeling that the very shadows were leaning in, watching them intently, listening. Will, James, and the two others were directed to a table, and they sat obediently.

“Alright,” Noratuk said. “I get why we’re picking them, Edward, but why Will? He’s too new. I don’t believe he’d make C-Tier.”

Will glanced up at her silently, wondering what had been discussed. Edward waved one hand dismissively. “Rank isn’t important here. I think he’s a little better than C-Tier, but that’s beside the point. His rank doesn’t matter.”

“What’s going on?” Will asked, unable to keep his curiosity at bay. “Does this have something to do with our trip to Tokyo?”

“No,” Edward said at once. “This is about your trip to Florida.”

“Florida?” James blurted out, sitting upright and staring at Edward in shock. “Why are we going to Florida?”

“We aren’t going to Florida,” Edward said, making a gesture that included the group and himself. “You’re going. Out of all of us, you four are the newest members, and I don’t think Rachel will recognize you.”

“Why are we going to Florida?” Will asked. “It’s illegal for us to invade another Nexus’ territory.”

Edward looked at him, but Will could tell that he wasn’t angry. “They broke the peace first, Will. We need to know more if we’re going to strike back.”

He nodded his understanding. One of the other two spoke up. “What do you want us to do in Florida, Alpha?”

“I need you to spy on the Water Nexus, Emmet. You’ll blend in and ask questions. Find out what they do on a daily basis.”

“How do we do that?” The other asked.

“The same way you ask about anyone else, Joseph,” Noratuk said. “But first and foremost, you have to know that you can’t be identified. If you’re found to be one of ours, you’ll be imprisoned before you can run.”

“Because of the Wardens,” Will guessed. Noratuk pointed at him as a way of confirming.

“You’ll leave your furs behind,” Edward continued. “You’ll be traveling as tourists, and you’ll not use your power unless your life is in danger.”

Will suddenly understood why he was here. Not only that, he understood why the others had been selected. They were the best at unarmed combat. He rubbed his hands on the knees of his sweatpants. They were moist from the tension. Clearing his throat, he spoke hesitantly. “When are we going?”

“Tomorrow night,” Noratuk answered him. “Our trip to Tokyo is in a week. This gives you enough time to gather information, then return here.”

“But won’t the airport security recognize us as Fire Nexus?” Will asked. “They have ways of scanning our temperatures.”

“True,” She said. “But I’ve already taught you how to pull your heat in so it’s harder to notice. Just stop right before producing your flame, and you’ll feel like a normal person to anyone you pass. No heat field and your temperature will look perfectly normal on a thermal camera.”

“Nobody knows you’re going,” Edward said. “Not even your fellow family members. Keep it a total secret until you return.”

They all nodded and rose to their feet. Edward took the time to clamp his hand down on each of their shoulders in turn before addressing them en masse. “You’re our first strike. Keep your heads about you, and keep out of sight. Good luck.”