“Stop fidgeting, Lorem,” Emmy hissed. “You’ll attract attention.”

“I am sorry, but you are not the one with a tail stuffed into her trousers,” Lorem whispered back.

We were standing with several Air Force members outside the main hangar at Wright-Patterson AFB, watching as Air Force One touched down on the runway.

As it turned out, Doctor Winters had connections: she’d carefully built up her contacts over the years, and kept in touch with them after she and my sister had faked their deaths.

More specifically, she had several friends and allies in the United States military, including some officer-level personnel in several bases around the continent, including at Wright-Patterson. While the base’s commander was in General Ryder’s pocket, several of the people under them were willing and able to help the doctor, and by extension the whole resistance, take the general down.

The plan we’d hashed out was simple: thanks to the help of masks made with a combination of human and Repulsoid technology, the three of us – Lorem, Emmy, and I – had infiltrated the security detail that would escort the President of the United States from Wright Patterson, which was the closest place to Defender Base Air Force One could land. Thus, we would make our way with him to the meeting with General Ryder and the Repulsoid Emperor, where we would expose them, and…

Well, we hadn’t figured it out yet. There were too many variables to predict what would happen, we’d have to play it by ear and hope we got lucky somehow.

“Atten-TION!” the lieutenant shouted, and we straightened our backs while the president descended the stairs of Air Force One, followed by a half-dozen Secret Service agents who were also going to be part of his security detail.

“At ease,” the president said when he reached the bottom step, and we relaxed.

The lieutenant saluted sharply. “Welcome to Wright-Patterson, Mr. President,” he said. “We have prepared the motorcade, as requested: we will see you to Defender Base safe and sound.”

“Thank you,” the president said, saluting back. Then he ran his eyes over us. “Well, ladies and gentlemen, let’s get going. Wouldn’t want to make our alien guest wait too long.”

We saluted, and climbed into the vehicles that had been prepared; I drove the first car, while Lorem and Emmy went into the second one.

The drive to Defender Base, near Indianapolis, was completely uneventful: the roads had been cleared, so there was nothing to slow us down. We arrived precisely on time, as we had planned.

It felt a bit weird, driving through the main gate of the base: I’d never come in by that route, I’d always teleported in and out, so it was a new feeling for me. We stopped the cars in the middle of the wide courtyard, and we all stepped out.

General Ryder was waiting near the main doors, a small troop of soldiers behind him, and Maelyn standing by his side.

“Welcome, Mr. President,” the general said, saluting. “It’s an honour to have you here.”

“The honour is mine, General Ryder,” the president replied. “The tireless work you did in negotiating with the Repulsoids has been absolutely invaluable; I am glad this war is finally coming to an end.”

The general almost smirked, but managed to keep a straight face; I almost wanted to jump forward and punch him in the jaw. “I’m glad, too,” he said. “It’s been far too long, and too much life has been lost.”

“On that, we agree,” the president said. “Shall we?”

“Yes, let’s go,” the general nodded. “I have planned a tour of the base for you, so you can see the main sights. Please, follow me.”

He turned on his heel and marched inside the building, followed by the president, and then by Maelyn; Lorem, Emmy, and I, along with a handful of other soldiers from Wright-Patterson and the Secret Service agents, followed close behind.

We moved through the base, while General Ryder pointed out the various rooms as we passed them: the training room, the canteen, the sleeping quarters. The president nodded approvingly, occasionally making some comments.

It felt almost nostalgic, being inside Defender Base once again, even though it had been only a couple days since I’d precipitously left; I’d lived there only a couple months, but it still felt distinctly like home.

Soon the tour was drawing to an end, and we visited the final room left: the teleporter room. The general had been saving it for last – and with good reason: it was where the Repulsoid Emperor would arrive at Defender Base, by teleporting in.

“And here it is,” General Ryder said, waving the president and his entourage into the room. “The teleporter room.”

I took the room in as I entered: it looked much the same as it always did, except that there were several soldiers inside, armed with assault rifles.

“Ah, yes,” the president said. “I’d heard rumours about it. Quite remarkable, if I may say so, to be able to instantly jump from one place to the other.”

“It is, isn’t it?” the general replied. “Unfortunately making the jump requires the energy from an Elerium core, and those are rare to come by, or else we’d use it all the time. The technology to build the receivers is quite simple, after all.”

The president raised an eyebrow. “Elerium core? That’s the stuff that powers the Defenders, isn’t it?” he asked. The general nodded, and the president continued, “Speaking of which, where are the Defenders? I’d expected them to be here.”

General Ryder hesitated. “Unfortunately, they’re busy elsewhere, with other duties. It’s the military. You know how it is.”

“I don’t know how it is, no, I’ve never served,” the president said. “Still, I would like to meet them before we’re finished with the negotiations. To thank them for their service.”

The general nodded. “Of course. I’ll arrange a meeting. For now, our guest should be here momentarily.” He looked at his watch. “Right about now, I’d say.”

As if on cue, there was a flash, and a Repulsoid Leader appeared on the teleport platform. I took in his appearance: he didn’t look all that different from the Leaders I’d seen before, with his yellow, vertically-slit eyes, his cat-like ears on top of his head, and his long tail swishing lazily behind him. What was different were his clothes, a richly-embroidered military uniform, deep crimson and trimmed in silver and gold, and he had a long, elaborately-decorated scabbard hanging from his belt, with a morpher prominently showing in place of the buckle. There was no doubt: his clothing was fit for a king.

Or for an Emperor.

He looked around haughtily, as if judging everything and everyone in the room and finding all of it beneath him, and then stepped down from the teleport platform, facing General Ryder.

“General,” he said, his voice deep and gravely. “We meet again.”

The general nodded. “It is always a pleasure, Your Highness.” He motioned to the president, who was standing beside him. “May I introduce the President of the United States?”

The Emperor sniffed deeply and turned towards the president. “Ah, yes. The leader of the humans,” he said, his lips drawing back to show his pointed teeth. “How do you do, sir?”

“I’m quite fine, thank you for asking,” the president answered, extending a hand towards him; the Emperor looked at it as if it was something he’d stepped in, but still took it and shook it. “And I’m not the leader of the humans,” the president continued. “Just of one country among many. The country you have invaded,” he said pointedly.

The Emperor waved his hand dismissively. “That was a mistake, I admit. A mistake borne out of fear, out of concern that you humans would not accept us. But once it was done, we had to try and establish dominance. Conquer, or be conquered. I’m sure you can understand that.”

The president glared at him. “You could have stopped at any point. You could have backed down, and talked to us.”

“He could have,” Lorem muttered under her breath beside me; I saw Emmy put up a hand on her arm in a calming gesture.

“And admit defeat?” The Emperor seemed almost scandalised at the suggestion. “We couldn’t have done that. To show weakness? Unthinkable.” He sniffed again. “Even now, all this… Negotiation, this… Talking. I find it quite distasteful.”

“And yet, you have come here. To talk peace.”

The Emperor looked at the president. “To talk peace, yes. As much as I dislike the idea.”

There was a moment of silence, then General Ryder said, “Shall we get to it, then? I’ve taken the liberty of setting up a conference room, it’s just a short walk away.”

The president nodded. “Let’s go.”

That, I realised, was our cue.

“Hold on!” I shouted; everyone in the room froze and turned to me.

“I’m sorry, who are you?” the president asked.

I removed my hat and flicked a switch behind my ear; my mask instantly detached from my face, and I pulled it off.

“Kennedy,” General Ryder said, somehow managing to make my name sound like a swear word. “Don’t mind her, Mr. President. Guards--”

A click resounded through the room.

“Yes,” said the general’s voice.

“I thought we had an agreement,” replied the Emperor’s gravely voice.

We all turned to look at Emmy, who’d moved a few steps away from me, and was standing perfectly still, holding up a small digital audio player.

“You shouldn’t be calling me here. This isn’t a secure line,” the recording continued.

Everyone listened with rapt attention for a minute or so, until the audio file ended and the player switched off on its own.

There was a prolonged moment of silence; almost everyone was still looking at Emmy, but I could see Maelyn had turned to look at the general, an undecipherable expression on her face.

Then the president turned to General Ryder, too. “General, what is the meaning of this?” he demanded.

The general seemed shaken, but he returned the gaze. “I don’t know what to tell you. Mr. President. This is clearly--”

“You never told me you were recording our conversations.”

Ryder’s head whipped around to look at the Emperor. “Your Highness…” he began, but the Emperor cut him off.

“I trusted you, general. Why did you breach that trust?” he asked.

Another moment of silence, then General Ryder shook his head. “You idiot. Had you said nothing, I could’ve convinced the president it was just a trick.”

The Emperor’s eyes narrowed, and the president blinked in surprise. “What?” he said. “So you’re really…?”

“I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to be my guest for a while, Mr. President,” the general said. Then he raised his voice: “Guards!” he shouted. “Seize them!”

The president’s Secret Service guards reacted immediately. “Get back, Mr. President!” one of them shouted, pushing him away from the general; then they all unholstered their guns and trained them at the soldiers in the room, who had been a bit slower on the uptake but were still raising their assault rifles.

“We can’t allow you to do that,” Emmy said. She pulled up the sleeve of the uniform she was wearing, and activated her morpher.

“Come On Now! Are You Ready? Let’s Go!”

In a flash, Defender Silver was standing where my sister had been.

General Ryder narrowed his eyes at her. “Defender Silver,” he said. “You shouldn’t have come here.”

Without even bothering to unbutton his uniform’s jacket, he slapped his chest.

“POWER ON!” his morpher screamed, and the general’s form was replaced with Defender Dragon.

Then I heard another morpher chime up, off to the side. “Activated. Confirmed: Thunder. Energise.”

I turned my head, and saw that Lorem had morphed, too. Which was probably my cue.

Despite having been powered up, my morpher still looked the same, and I flicked the controls with practised ease.

“Welcome. Standby. Power Up!”

It was a weird sight: four morpher users, all in different suits, standing tall, looking at each other, while everyone else looked at us.

The silence stretched on, until it was broken by the Emperor’s voice.

“Lorem,” he said. “When the general told me, I did not want to believe him. But you have betrayed me, clearly.” He paused. “How long has this been going on?”

“Almost a year,” Scarab replied. “Ever since I first met Emmy I have been hiding things from you, without you even realising it.”

“I did not think it possible. One of my chosen… Why?”

Scarab shook her head. “You would not understand. You never cared about anyone but yourself, so you cannot fathom doing something for someone else.” She exchanged a significant glance with Silver.

“So be it,” the Emperor said with finality. He crossed his arms in front of himself, and stepped back.

Scarab looked at him. “Are you not going to fight me? To punish me for my betrayal?”

“And sully my hands with the blood of a traitor? I think not,” the Emperor replied. “I will not stoop so low, unless General Ryder proves incapable of defeating the three of you.”

Defender Dragon turned to face the Emperor. “You’re not going to help?” he asked in a disbelieving voice.

The Emperor glared at him. “After you called me an idiot? Hardly.”

Dragon growled, deep in his throat, and turned back towards the president. “Enough talking,” he said. “Get over here, you.”

He took a step forward, but the Secret Service agents moved between them.

“Freeze! Don’t come any closer!” one of them ordered.

Dragon didn’t heed the warning, and took another step.

The agents fired, but apparently their guns had no effect: tiny sparks appeared on Dragon’s armour at the points of impact, but otherwise he didn’t even flinch.

“Now I’ll…” he began.

“Get back!” I shouted. I flicked a lever on my morpher, which exclaimed, “Kick!”, and stepped forward, raising my leg and slamming it into Dragon’s ribs.

Dragon grunted – I couldn’t tell if in annoyance or in pain – but didn’t move from the spot.

“You’re a tough cookie,” I muttered, stepping away from Dragon and taking up position between him and the president. “Got my work cut out for me.” Then, louder, I called over my shoulder: “Don’t worry, sir! Everything is under control!”

“Who are you?” the president asked.

“Defender Crimson,” I replied, stepping forward and kicking Dragon again, this time in the stomach: he took a few staggering steps backwards, and I half turned towards the president and gave him a quick salute. “A pleasure.”

“Defender Crimson?”

“Yes, Mr. President.”

“I thought you were called Defender Red,” he said, giving me a critical look. “And, weren’t you a man?”

Even though I knew he couldn’t see my face under my helmet, I still found myself smirking. “I’ve had an upgrade,” I replied.

I started to turn back towards Dragon, but Scarab and Silver stepped in front of me, facing the enemy.

“We’ll handle things here for a few minutes, Steph,” Silver said. “You take the president back to base.”

I nodded, and faced the president once again. “It’s dangerous to stay here, Mr. President,” I said. “I’ll bring you somewhere safe.”

I stepped through his bewildered escort and extended my hand towards him, and he gave me a puzzled look. “How?” he asked.

“Teleport,” I explained. “You and your security detail just need to be touching me and I’ll jump away, taking you with me.”

“Is it… Safe?”

“I’ve done it dozens of times,” I replied. “It’s really jarring and startling the first few times, so you might feel some discomfort, but it’s perfectly safe.”

The president held my gaze for a few moments, then nodded, and grabbed my hand.

“Everyone grab on,” I said, and when all the Secret Service members had crowded around me and were touching me, I concentrated on the resistance base and tapped my morpher.

“No!” I heard Defender Dragon shout, but it was too late: a flash of light, and the teleport room I was in was replaced by another one.

“Whoa… That’s dizzying,” the president commented, dropping to his knees.

“Deep breaths, Mr. President,” I said. “Deep breaths. You don’t want to--”

I was cut off by the sound of retching, and a few people – some of the president’s guards, and the president himself – started puking their guts out.

“Aw, man, and we’d just cleaned the floor,” Megan commented; she was standing just off the platform, with Amelia, Amet, and Doctor Winters by her side.

“Does this happen often?” Amet asked.

“Sometimes,” Meg said.

To their credit, the Secret Service agents recovered quickly: one of them shouted “Repulsoid!” and within a few seconds all of them had their guns trained on Amet, who stood still but narrowed his eyes at them.

“No, wait, he’s on our side!” I protested, moving between the agents and my friends.

The president was still kneeling on the floor, but he raised his head and looked at me. “Our side?” he asked weakly. “Which side is our side?”

I hesitated. “I really don’t have time to explain, I have to go back and help the other two.”

“I will explain instead,” Doctor Winters said; I nodded in acknowledgement.

“And you are?” the president asked, turning to her.

“Doctor Christina Winters, Mister President,” she replied. “Nice to meet you.”

The president’s eyebrows lifted upwards. “Doctor Winters? The same Doctor Winters who built the morphers?” he said. The doctor nodded, and the president stared at her for a few moments, before continuing, “I was told you were dead.”

The doctor smiled. “Rumours of my demise have been greatly exaggerated.”

Before the conversation could continue I concentrated on the location of Defender Base, tapped my morpher, and jumped away.

I appeared on the teleport platform at Defender Base in a flash of red light.

“Steph! Duck!” came Silver’s voice.

I complied, and Defender Dragon’s sword sailed harmlessly over my head.

“Yah!” Scarab shouted, swinging her own blade at Dragon, who parried the blow and stepped away.

Silver moved up beside me. “Took you long enough,” she said, offering me a hand and pulling me up. “The president?”

“Safe and sound with Doctor Winters and the others,” I replied.

Silver nodded. “Excellent. Now, let’s finish this.”

Scarab, Silver, and Crimson. The three of us, side-by-side, squared off against Defender Dragon.