A Hero's Song (Darkest Secrets Volume 1)

Chapter 23 - I am the Captain now

 On his way back to the lab, Gabriel had Alfred send messages to the rest of Gamma, telling them to meet him ASAP. Once there, he sat down cross-legged on the floor to meditate while they arrived.

Falco came first, as one might expect of a speedster. Crossing the threshold to the lab, the man raised his hand in greeting. "Hey, Gabe! You won't believe how my day went-"

Gabriel stopped him. "Hold on, Falco. I would really rather wait for all of us to be here before we talk about our training today. Everyone needs to be in the loop."

Falco nodded several times. "Sure thing, Captain." He said. Following this, he took a seat in one of the chairs arranged around the center table. "Why are you sitting on the floor anyway?" He asked.

"Meditation is something I enjoy when I can't keep myself occupied with something," Gabriel responded.

Falco didn't say anything else, and Gabriel resumed his relaxation exercises - the silence was comfortable. It wasn't long before Rosenquartz stomped into the room. He said nothing and stood near the door like a statue. After another ten minutes, Gabriel wondered when Lilith would arrive or if she even would.

Suddenly Lilith rushed through the door. She wore her battle armor and had her weapons strapped to her body. Gabriel noticed her hair was wet. She seemed normal, hurried yes... but different in some noticeable way.

Lilith regarded the assembled team and said, "Sorry I'm so late. You tried to reach me at a bad time."

Gabriel understood. She had likely been in the shower, explaining the wet hair... what was off about her, though? It came to him a second later. "You were dying your hair!" He blurted out.

Lilith turned her cheeks reddened slightly. "What? How do you know?"

Gabriel responded easily. "Your hair is a shade darker than it used to be. The faint blond highlights are gone as well." Not wishing to cause offense, he quickly added, "It looks good." He wasn't lying.

Lilith's cheeks darkened a shade, and it took her a moment to reply. "Oh, thanks." Her words were soft and earnest.

Falco gazed appreciatively at the scene playing out before him. He decided to include himself in the conversation before things got awkward. "Hey Lilith, don't worry about it! We were going to have the team meeting about our training today."

Lilith nodded. "I had thought as much. Who wants to go first?"

Falco raised his hand. "I do. I've been waiting longest."

Gabriel laughed. "Technically, I've been waiting longest, but yeah, go for it. Before you do, though, I'd like to say something." Gabriel looked at Rosenquartz and Lilith, removing his helmet. "Falco already knows this since I told him this morning, but I would like to take this chance to tell you both that Zero has chosen me for the position of Strike Force Captain."

Lilith's expression darkened slightly, but she nodded - giving a small smile. "Congratulations."

Rosenquartz shifted. "Good... for... you... Gabriel." He said slowly.

Gabriel had expected a much more negative reaction from Lilith, but he wasn't about to jinx away her sudden change in attitude. He bowed his head. "Thank you. Now, Falco?"

Falco jumped into his tale excitedly, speaking so fast he finished in under a minute.

Photon was training the Offense specialization - he was a light-controlling Super that could turn his body into pure energy. Falco trained with Gemini from Alpha, Tusk from Beta, and a girl named Pain from Delta. They didn't interact much, and they weren't asked to share their abilities with anyone but the instructor.