He’s out of his seat quickly and headed in my direction, blushing a bit when he realizes that I’ve been watching him this whole time.

“Hey, can I check out something in the cockpit?” he asks.

I raise an eyebrow. “You’re not going to almost crash the ship again, are you?”

“Not planning on it, no.”

With a lingering glance at Ella, I walk with Sam into the cockpit and close the door behind us. Lexa looks up as we crowd in.

“You’ve still got one of those Mog cloaking devices hooked up in here, don’t you?” Sam asks.

Lexa nods and points to a spot underneath the dashboard, where a bunch of wires have been yanked out of the console and hooked up to a plain-looking black box. “Right there.”

Sam bends down to have a look, then picks up the box in his hands. He studies it.

“What’s he doing?” Lexa asks me. “Should I be worried?”

“Sam’s assured me he’s not going to crash us.”

“Oh good,” Lexa replies.

With Sam engrossed with the cloaking device, I sit down on the arm of Lexa’s chair.

“Hey, I’m sorry if I blew you off before,” I say. “I think you’re right. Some of those kids probably aren’t ready. They did good today, maybe got a little lucky, but other than Ran and Daniela . . .” I shake my head.

“You see what I mean,” Lexa says. “Granted, I’m no Cêpan, but they need training before they do anything.”

“We can’t expect all of them to fight. Not yet,” I agree. “It seems almost cruel to run up against Setrákus Ra at this point.”

“I always thought that about you Garde,” Lexa replies. “And you had years of training to prepare you, thanks to the protective charm. There’s nothing shielding these humans.”

Sam looks up from messing with the cloaking device. “I don’t know about the other leveled-up humans, but when we go against Setrákus Ra, there’s no way I’m sitting out.”

I decide maybe it’s a good time to change the subject. “What’re you doing down there anyway?”

He holds up the cloaking device. “I thought, with my Legacy, I don’t know—maybe I could talk to this thing. My dad and those scientists have been trying to duplicate the frequency. Maybe I can help somehow.”

If Sam’s right and he can use his Legacy to crack the Mogadorian cloaking frequency, then he’s got exactly the Legacy we need. That can’t just be dumb luck, right? It’s destiny.

I grin at Sam. “If you can figure that out, Sam, when this is over, I’ll make sure they build you a statue.”

Sam smiles back at me and then returns to fiddling with the cloaking device. I glance over my shoulder, back into the cabin, and again consider the humans we picked up.

Sam, Daniela, these others . . .

To me, it feels like we’re heading towards a final battle. But it doesn’t have to be that way for them. We could throw everything we’ve got at Setrákus Ra and still not be assured of victory. Or we could protect some of them, leave them ready to pick up the pieces if we fail.

I sigh. I wonder if this is how the Elders felt before they sent us here.

It’s not an easy thing, deciding how much to sacrifice.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

I’M ON THE WAY DOWN TO MEET THE GROUP returning from Niagara Falls when I bump into Agent Walker. It isn’t so much that I’m surprised to see her trudging from one of the retro kitchenettes to one of the subterranean conference rooms; it’s that I’m surprised to see what she’s carrying.

A tray of Styrofoam cups filled with freshly made coffee.

When she spots me, Walker looks away, even though the hallway is empty and we’re bound to cross paths. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen Karen Walker embarrassed.

“This is what they’ve got you doing?” I ask, trying to keep any trace of mockery out of my voice. Old habits are hard to break.

Walker grimaces. “How the mighty have fallen, huh? This is what happens when Lawson and his people want to discuss something sensitive. I get sent on an errand.”

“I don’t understand. Why would they want to exclude you?”

She snorts at that. “I was MogPro, John.”

“You were MogPro. You’re basically the only reason we were able to stop those people.”

“Once a traitor, always a traitor, is Lawson’s thinking,” Walker explains. “I don’t blame him for being cautious. Hell, I’d be in a jail cell, or worse, if I hadn’t helped track you down in New York. They don’t fully trust me, probably never will.”