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she may have made.”
    It bothered Ben to think that the League had been spying on their science camp. Like the detaching, and the drafting, the League seemed to think it could do whatever it wanted.
    Agent Lambert nodded. “Understood.”
    Agent Taggart checked her phone again. “And now if you’ll excuse me, I must go prepare for Mr. Weathersky.”
    “He’s coming here?” Agent Lambert seemed to react with the same surprise that Agent Spear had.
    “Yes. He’ll arrive early tomorrow. Now get to work.” With that, Agent Taggart left.
    Agent Lambert watched her until she’d rounded a corner, and then she turned to Ben and Peter. “Okay, when there aren’t any agents around, call me Sasha.”
    “But …” Peter said. “Aren’t you an agent?”
    “Junior agent. I’m more like you than them.” She tucked her hair behind her ears. “But when it comes to actuation, I’m better than any of them. Which is why they have me training you two.”
    This girl had an even bigger ego than Peter. “Who is Mr. Weathersky?”
    “He’s the head of the Quantum League’s North American Division.” Sasha tipped her head. “He’s also one of the few men on the planet who can handle Class Three actuations. You know what that means, right?”
    “Agent Spear explained it,” Peter said.
    Sasha nodded. “I like Spear. A lot more than Taggart.”
    “Does Mr. Weathersky come here often?”
    “No,” Sasha said. “I’ve never even met him. Whatever you guys have gotten yourselves into, it must be bad.”

SASHA led them to a separate, smaller room to begin their training. “You’re not ready for the Big Top yet.”
    “Big Top?” Ben asked.
    “The large training room. We’ll start you off in here first, and see what you can do.”
    Thick padding covered the walls, ceiling, and floor of the room. It had obviously seen many, many actuations. Burn marks, ragged holes, and water stains marred the padding as well as the cinder blocks peeking through.
    “Let’s start with some basics. What can you guys do? Peter?”
    “With or without augmentation?”
    “Without.” Sasha put her hands on her hips. “Of course.”
    Ben looked at the floor. He knew what his answer would be when she asked him, and he dreaded it.
    “Mostly Class One,” Peter said. “I can move small objects. I’ve attempted some Class Two, but haven’t had much success.”
    “Much?” Sasha raised an eyebrow. “Or any?”
    “Any,” Peter said.
    “That’s okay.” Sasha bobbed her head. “Class One is where we all start. What about you, Ben?”
    Ben scratched the edge of the bandage on his head. “Nothing.”
    “What do you mean?”
    Ben frowned at his chest. “I can’t actuate anything on my own.”
    Peter spoke up. “You should see him with augmentation, though. He can do Class Two actuations in his sleep. He shot a lightning bolt at one of the Dread Cloaks.”
    “Really?” Sasha touched her chin with one hand and cupped her elbow with the other. “Targeted lightning is pretty advanced, even with augmentation. You’re sure you can’t actuate without it?”
    “I’ve tried,” Ben said.
    “That doesn’t make sense to me. To do what you do …” She paused. “Maybe it’s not the augmentation you need.”
    “What do you mean?” Ben asked.
    “Maybe you just need a Locus.”
    “A what?”
    “A Locus. A mental focal point to help you form the actuation. Some of the greatest Actuators in history have used them. Think of the classic image of a wizard.”
    “Hold on.” Ben held up his hands. “You’re not suggesting a wand, are you?”
    Peter grinned. “Abracadabra.”
    “Don’t be ridiculous,” Sasha said. “You’d be laughed out of the League. A wand is completely impractical. But we may need to find you something that will work. Something small that you can tuck away in a pocket and hold on to if you need it.”
    “Okay.” Ben still had doubts. “I guess it’s worth a try.”
    “Good. I’ll be right back. Wait