Heroes Among Us

Chapter 49: Theodore

Enemies rise from the shadows.

Traitors are made known.

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There is no unity without honesty.

That proved itself true way faster than Theo expected it to. Everything fell apart in about four days. He had put his money on a week. Because in a week, the Nameless was definitely going to make a move.

It began with the Warehouse catching on fire. Scratch that. The Warehouse was set on fire on purpose and Everett happened to be judge, jury, and executioner.

It had started as every other day. Theo rose with the sun while Indi dragged out the hours until well beyond breakfast time. Then she would appear in the kitchen like a ghost and pour a bowl of cereal milk first. Sometimes her hair would be a nappy curtain around her head and sometimes she would tie it in the world's largest bun on top of her head. Theo affectionately referred to it as the Bump Cluck, patent pending.

Midway through Indi's bowl of cereal, while Theo was watching revisionary videos of this season's baseball games, Indi got a call.

"Hello?" She croaked through a mouthful. A little bit of milk dribbled into the bowl and she wiped her chin. "Hang on."

She set down the phone and clicked a button. Theo could feel the little box vibrating and rattling on the counter, but he couldn't hear anything. Theo paused the game just as Charlie pitched a fastball. He made eye contact with Indi and didn't see any life behind her eye crusties. He rolled his eyes.

Theo signed. "Who is it?"

Indi made the sign for Mother Everett.

"What's happening?"

She started to translate.

"The Warehouse is on fire." Everett continued on and probably would've given more details if Indi hadn't started interrogating him, hands flying for Theo's sake.

"Are you okay? Was anybody there? How did it happen? Oh shoot, I left my phone charger there. I-"

"I'm fine. Nobody was there but me. I got word that the PODA was planning a sting operation today and I couldn't afford to let anything fall into their hands. I grabbed some notebooks and a first aid kit and started the fire in the lab with the benson burner."

From across the room, Theo shouted indignantly at the little phone on the kitchen counter. "You lit the Warehouse on fire because of a rumor?"

The incredibility of it all was astounding. He could've sworn Everett was smarter than this.

"It was more than a rumor. I have it on good authority that it was going to happen and it did. And if you'd let me finish, I'd let you know that I grabbed Indi's phone charger in the way out."

"I'm supposed to care?" Theo grumbled.

Indi cut him off. "Hey, I appreciate that. I owe you, man."

"What are we supposed to do now?" Theo asked. "We don't have a base of operations anymore. Are we going to start working out of a basement now?"

"Have one in mind?" Everett replied. Theo could feel the coolness of his tone even without a voice there to sound it out. "I'm working on it. Maddix is getting in touch with her friend in the PODA but it'll be hard to get information out of him discreetly. In the meantime, lay low. You two have your suits?"

"Yes."

"Hide them. Bury them. Wear them under your clothes. Whatever is safest. They need to be untraceable."