The Federation

I glanced back over my shoulder to check on Carter. It was a toasty, humid day and very little breeze made it past the impenetrable canopy of leaves above our heads. Carter’s face was red and sweat formed across his forehead. I wondered briefly if I should’ve brought water and then turned back around and continued to lead Carter through the winding tree trunks towards the cave leading into Headquarters. Might as well get him used to physical exertion before he dives headlong into training.

“How much farther?” Carter groaned a few minutes later. At that same moment, I burst through the natural fence of bushes lining the clearing right at the base of the mountain. Directly in front of us stood the wide open mouth of the cave.

“Don’t fret, Carter,” I crooned, pulling him swiftly across the clearing and into the cave mouth. “We’re almost there, I promise. And it all goes uphill from here.”

“Why can’t they pave a road through there?” Carter whined.

“Because Legion agents are hardened and tough. We don’t need roads, just legs,” I answered. “And because how inconspicuous could this cave entrance be if there was a big interstate leading right up to it?”

“I don’t want to hear your logic right now,” Carter grumbled as the cave around us became to darken and narrow. I pulled my mini-flashlight out of my pocket and clicked it on, flashing it along the cave walls ahead of us.

“Are there bats in here?” Carter asked several moments later. He sounded a little less winded, probably because it was much cooler in the cave than out in the humid sunshine. At least he was feeling well enough to ask random, irrelevant questions.

“Somewhere,” I answered. “The first time I came here, I was hit in the arm with a bat. But since then, I haven’t seen hide or hair of a bat.”

Finally, the focused beam of my flashlight fell upon the back of the cave. I raised the flashlight higher and began to run the beam back and forth along the back wall, looking for the lighter spot in the dark rock.

“Oh, look, a dead end, oh what joy!” Carter exclaimed sarcastically. His voice echoed in the tiny area. I think exercise made him grumpy. If he joined the Legion, I might just have to avoid him directly after he finishes training for the day.

“Shush the sarcasm, Grumpy,” I said gently. Carter sighed and rested his chin on my shoulder. His blue eyes gleamed in the light of the flashlight as they followed the beam flowing back and forth across the rock. Finally, I found the light spot about midway down the rock and rested my palm gently over it. Carter raised his head from my shoulder in curiosity.

A few moments later, the walls parted and slid away with the loud rumbling like thunder. Carter took a cautious step back but didn’t get very far as my hand squeezed tightly around his. I flicked my flashlight off and urged Carter into the shining metallic hallway beyond the cave.

“What the fuck is up with this fucking place and dead ends!?” Carter exclaimed unhappily, glaring at his distorted reflection in the metal dead end. I understood his anger—had I not felt the same anger my first time at the Legion? I simply squeezed his hand reassuringly and waited patiently for the floor to fall out from beneath us.

Carter gasped as the floor dropped out from below us. I smiled over at him in the split second before we began our descent; he looked terrified. Darkness took over for the bright lights in the hallway, and our backs collided with the metal chute. Carter’s hand tightened painfully around my fingers, but I made no complaint. He’d get used to it. He obviously just didn’t adjust to things as easily as I did.

I helped Carter to his feet in the lobby, gently smoothing out his crumpled clothes. His fear became replaced with wonder as he stared around the humongous lobby, taking in the elevators spewing out rockstars all over the place.

“Welcome to the Legion,” I said with a smile, admiring the lobby for a different reason. I felt like I was finally back home. Amy and the Avenged guys had instantly come back to the Legion from tour, while I took Carter back to my place for some alone time and relaxation. But now, I felt complete, with my fiancé by my side and familiar surroundings everywhere else. It would be nice to get back into Legion routine.

I tugged Carter towards one of the elevators. He forced himself out of his frozen admiration and followed behind me, stepping into the elevator. I pushed the recreation hall button and leaned against Carter’s side as Last Resort by Papa Roach played in the background. Carter wrapped his arm around my shoulder, pulling me closer to drop a kiss on top of my head.

“Popular, eh?” Carter teased as we finally stepped into the special elevator that took us to the directors’ offices several minutes later. It took so long because I kept getting stopped by everyone in the hallway—“Welcome back, Asher.” “It hasn’t been the same without you, Asher.” “There’s a rumor that you’ll be the guest speaker for the Induction Ceremony this year, Asher.” “How was the tour, Asher?” No one would let me through. They all wanted to stop me and talk to me. I got tired of explaining who Carter was and how the tour was and simply shoved through the wall of people, telling them I’d talk to them later.

“Save yourself the trouble and don’t accomplish anything,” I muttered. The elevator doors slid open and we stepped out into the lobby. Right across from us was the large wall-sized window that showed a spectacular view of the forest. I allowed Carter to stare at it for a few moments before pulling him towards Joan’s door. I knocked and she called out to let me in.

“Oh, Asher, it’s great to see you again,” Joan said happily upon seeing it was me. She stood up as Carter stepped into the room and shut the door behind him. “I take that this is Carter.” She smiled as she hugged me and then shook Carter’s hand. “Please, take a seat, both of you.”

We obliged, sitting in the soft chairs opposite Joan. Joan sat back down in her seat. The sun shone in through the window behind her, lightening her dark hair to a chocolate brown.

“So, congratulations first of all to both of you,” Joan said, closing the Manila folder sitting in front of her on the desk. We thanked her and she quickly continued. “As for you joining the Legion, I hope you are seriously considering it.” She aimed this at Carter. “I don’t mean to pit you two against each other, but I hope that you can live up to your fiancée’s amazing potential as an agent! I’m sure she’s told you all about that, of course.”

“Not really,” Carter answered with a teasing smile my way. “She said you would do that well enough for her.”

“I never get tired of bragging about Asher,” Joan said with a laugh. “There’s a Legion Headquarters in England, actually, and sometimes the directors of the British Legion and I talk, and I’m constantly bragging to them about Asher. I think I’ve got them rightfully jealous.”

“Keep that up, and they’ll kidnap me in the night,” I joked. Joan grinned and shrugged.

“So, I take it Asher will take you on a tour of the place now. Maybe after that we can talk about you actually joining,” Joan said, focusing on Carter again. He smiled and nodded. “Well, then, if the two of you will obliged to leave, I have a few important matters to be getting on with.”

“Of course,” I agreed, rising to my feet. Carter followed suit. We both thanked Joan and said farewell before stepping out into the lobby.

“This place is great already,” Carter gushed as we stood in the elevator back down to the recreation hallway. “Is there a way for me to spend the night here? I want to get a better feel for the place, have a chance to adjust.”

“That’s a great idea,” I agreed. “I’ll contact Joan before the day is out and see if that’ll be alright.”