While the others stood with their meager belongings, Naomi's preparations had been made hours ago. The leader of this small team stood apart from the others for now, with no more than her sheathed sword in her hand. She was watching the small scene before her with a satisfied expression.
Their recovery was amazing. Her fellow students had learned their normal lives were over only thirty minutes ago, and already they were talking to each other. She could see into their shy smiles and careful hellos, where the beginnings of friendship already began to form between them. Perhaps it was just the fact that there was no one else to turn to for solace from this harsh reality. In the face of such impossible odds and such an important duty, there was truly no one else in the world who could understand what they were feeling right now.
Except for each other.
In the distance, the sound of propeller blades approached quickly. Faint sounds in the background grew to become a barrage of thunderous noise, drowning out all conversation as a massive Chinook came to a stop above the Academy's rooftops. It was gigantic! Naomi found it amazing to think something so huge could defy gravity in the skies above them. It came down with impressive speed, landing neatly apart from the class of heroes, opening its rear hatch without fanfare...
And no one came out to tell them what to do next.
For a second Naomi wondered why, but then she realized, and not for the first time, that it was her who was expected to be in charge and tell them what to do next. It still made her uncomfortable to think.
Naomi made herself move to the center of the group. "Okay, everyone!" She cried over the noise of the spinning blades, waving to get everyone's attention. "Let's go! They're going to take us to the other side of the country. To the defensive perimeter they have around enemy territory! They'll tell us more once we get there!"
Or so she hoped they would. Something gave her the feeling that things would not be that simple. As everyone filed into the humongous heli-carrier, covering their ears against the overwhelming noise, Naomi thought deeply to herself as she wondered what would be coming next.
Being the sole point of contact between the government and this small group of super-powered people, they seemed to be avoiding confrontation with her as much as possible. In her brief dealings with them and with the Headmaster, she did not miss the subtle way they spoke to her like she were from an advanced, potentially-dangerous alien race. They were afraid to give direct orders or say the wrong thing, like the minds of mere humans would never be able to wield this secret weapon of theirs effectively. Instead, they gave all responsibility to her. They gave her all the information they could, from their battle lines, to their technology and to their casualties. They told her that if no one else was around to give them orders, it would be up to her to take command of this band of heroes. The amount of information that had been shoved upon Naomi's shoulders was staggering, and the lack of any outside guidance only made things worse. As much as she liked to think otherwise, she was still just a student like everyone else.
Still, Naomi reluctantly knew that there was no one in this group other than her who could carry this responsibility.
She always knew what to do, didn't she?
______________________________
The noise didn't become much quieter once everyone was inside the heli-carrier. Conversation was still possible, barely, if you shouted into the ear of the one you were sitting next to. Most of the students were content to just watch the Earth fly by beneath them long after their homes disappeared beyond the horizon, and they watched how the world just stretched on forever.
Naomi was next to Isalah, wearing a radio headset in her ears that may as well have been powered off. She remembered that she still hadn't told him what her powers were. In fact, the whole classroom wasn't aware yet, were they? She wanted to go ahead and tell Isalah like she promised she would, but she knew that she would be repeating herself anyways once she announced it to the whole class. It was hard to think it was worth the effort. Not when the worries of the near future pressed on her with such crushing weight.
The importance of such a small promise felt so insignificant compared to her worries, which seemed more and more likely the more she thought about it. After they landed outside enemy territory... what if the military told her that they didn't have a plan? What if they told her it was up to her to figure out how to pass through enemy lines? It was such an overwhelming thought to have.
See, it was easy to find comfort in the fact that someone else must know what they were doing. It meant that if something went wrong and soldiers died because of someone's bad judgement, it was someone else's fault and not hers. But now it was so easy to think that if anyone died while under her command, it would be her fault instead. It would be no different than if she had killed them with her own blade. Her mind raced frantically, trying to imagine what could possibly be the right to do.
So instead of talking to Isalah, Naomi rode in silence as the helicopter carried them across the country.
When the time came, she would have to know what to do.
_____________________________
It took no more than a few hours before the Chinook began to slow down once again. People snapped out of their daydreams, some staring anxiously out of the windows as the Earth rushed up to meet them. A city that was about the size of New York sprawled out beneath them.
What they saw was absolutely mind-boggling. Despite its enormous size, this entire city was surrounded by an unbreaking line of defensive structures and military vehicles--weapons pointed inwards towards the abandoned city, which continued for hundreds of miles until it circled all the way back around to where they were now. Forces from all over the world had gathered here, and every inch of this place bristled with soldiers and defenses. The Tumor was somewhere within the city, hidden somewhere behind the horizon.
Beneath them, though, was something that managed to be even more terrifying. There was massive crowd of people were down there, waiting for them, gathered around the helipad below in haphazard formations that went on for what seemed like forever. How many soldiers were waiting for them? Tens of thousands? Why were they all there?
The heli-carrier hit the ground with a gentle impact. The engines were shut down, propeller slowing down to merciful silence, and Naomi pressed her headset to her ear. She hoped to hear something from the pilot beyond radio static, but no answer was forthcoming.
She decided she would speak to him herself. "Ahem." She spoke into her microphone, making sure she sounded annoyed. "What's going on? Why is there such a large crowd outside?"
Naomi received the response she wanted immediately. Strangely enough, she would have been ignored if she had asked nicely. "Sorry, miss! Word got around that actual superheroes were on their way to help. Everyone who could make it wanted to see you guys for themselves." As an afterthought he added, "Don't worry though! They don't expect you to say anything to them." Without another word, the heli-carrier's rear hatch opened up. All the students rose to their feet and turned their gaze to Naomi, wondering what to do next.
And outside, the massive crowd erupted into a thunderous applause.
Naomi immediately knew what to do. "Kalte, walk with me!" She hurried, scrambling to get everyone into position in the face of so many soldier's expectations. Kalte would be an incredible first impression to these people, as enormous as he was in his suit of armor. Ina walked behind her, being as tall and powerful as she was. Angel came next, with her beautiful silver wings reflecting the light of the sun, and everyone else trailed behind. They walked as quick as they could through the path set for them, anxious to be out of the spotlight as the soldiers shouted encouragement and gave their applause. Soon, Naomi was greeted by two soldiers who meekly pointed her in the direction of the base's Headquarters. She followed their directions, eager to escape the throngs of people.
But, interestingly enough, she couldn't help but notice how Annabeth loved every second of it.
In less than a minute, though it seemed like an eternity, they made it to the safety of the indoors...
____________________________
Naomi and the small class of heroes were spread out before the General in charge of this whole base of operations. He stood tall and proud, his head held high as he spoke to her as if it were a great honor to do so.
And Naomi did not like what he was about to say.
"Here's the situation." He told her after they had said their greetings. "Every three hours, our defensive perimeter is attacked like clockwork. All the enemy forces in the area group up and crash against our lines. It's like the damn tide. We've got more than enough strength to fight them off, but that's not why it's important." He gestured to Naomi's students meaningfully. "What's important is that you get into this city without their whole godforsaken army chasing after your tails. So you've got a few options." He slid a few photos her way; Satellite imagery of the city they had surrounded, along with a detailed listing of the forces present in each area. Naomi could clearly make out individual buildings and streets, and in red ink there were small pieces of information written for her convenience.
"This leaves you with two choices. 'Cuz before the enemy attacks, they're all spread out over the damned place around its outer limits. You could walk right in to the outskirts uncontested, but you could run into the enemy at any moment." The General explained. "Your other choice is to make your move when they're at full force and attacking us. You could punch through their front lines and disappear into enemy territory before they even know what happened. My men have written down good points of entry, so this means that you have to decide.
"If your team goes in while the enemy is grouped up and attacking our lines in full force, it'll be messy and violent as hell to get you through. We'll give you all the help we can, but you're gonna see a lot of dying. Once you're through to the other side though, it'll be smooth sailing and you'll be free to take your pick of a good Headquarters. Just don't go too deep or you'll run into even more of the bastards.
"If you want to go the guerrilla route and sneak in as a team, there isn't gonna be a war raging all around you. It might be safer. But if you run into enemy forces we'll only be able to do so much to help. It's likely that the HQ you want to set up in will be occupied by the enemy and you'll need to clear the building yourself."
"It sounds strange to tell this to a young girl like yourself, but you're a different sort of creature, aren't you?" The General finished. "You will have command of my men to carry out the plan you decide to do. When it comes to your little justice league, the Big Guys say that you're the one in charge. And frankly, I agree with them."
Naomi understood perfectly. She could tell from his tone of voice and from every word he said that her worries had been right all along.
It would be up to her to decide how to carry this out. It would be up to her to make sure that none of these soldiers died following her orders.
Hiding her mounting anxiety, Naomi Fate turned to the class of students who stood behind her. Each of them waiting to be told what to do.
Fortunately, she knew exactly what to say. She gave them all her best confident smile. "What do you guys think?" She asked.
