agents.
Ben leaned back. “I used it. It worked … kind of. But Dr. Hughes said it wasn’t reliable. I think that’s why Poole took her.”
“You’re certain it worked?” Agent Taggart asked.
“Yeah.”
She whipped out her phone, stabbed at the screen, and as she got up she lifted it to her ear. “This is Taggart. Put me through to Mr. Weathersky.” She left the room.
Ben was confused. “What’s the big —”
“Augmentation can be extremely dangerous,” Agent Spear said. “The one thing that’s kept us all safe from it is that it’s theoretically impossible to make the technology mobile. Until now, apparently.”
That didn’t make sense. Augmentation was a crutch. No one in that training room had seemed to need it. “Why would it be dangerous?” Ben asked.
Agent Spear’s forehead wrinkled. “I can see Dr. Hughes got a few things wrong with you boys. So let me break this down for you. Actuation is not about the technology. It’s about you, the Actuator, and it has limits. You can only get so big before the whole thing falls apart in your mind. You’ve got your Class One actuations. Those would be, say, moving small objects. Then you’ve got your Class Two actuations, the most common. That’s what you saw in the training room. Or like what Poole did to escape, when he triggered that explosion in the gas line. Class Three actuations are much bigger, extremely difficult, and rarely attempted.”
“Like what?” Peter asked.
“A Class Three is a Class Two on a larger scale. It affects a whole system. Instead of a little Class Two cloud, you get a full storm, maybe even a tornado or hurricane. Change the weather.”
“Is there a Class Four?” Peter asked.
Agent Spear chuckled. “ Theoretically , there are Class Four and even Class Five actuations. But they only work on paper, not in real life. No one in recorded history has brought one about.”
“What would those even be?” Ben asked.
“A Class Four? Maybe an earthquake. A Class Five? I can’t even imagine. The point is, most Actuators can only accomplish Class One and Two. Very, very few can hit a Three. Without augmentation.”
Now it was starting to make sense to Ben. Poole had wanted the augmenter because it had the potential to make him even more powerful. And while the stationary laboratory imposed limits on what could be actuated, portability made the technology a formidable weapon.
“So what happens now?” Ben asked.
“Now?” Agent Spear looked back and forth between Ben and Peter. “Now is the part where I ask you boys to join the Quantum League.”
BEN knew he had seen people not much older than him in the training room, but still. Joining the Quantum League? “Um. I’m twelve.”
“I’ll be thirteen next month,” Peter said.
“You’re both in the target range,” Agent Spear said. “Ideal recruitment age is between eight and fourteen. But we usually don’t go as young as eight. Beyond fourteen, you start to think you know what’s going on in the world, and it just gets worse with age.”
“But you’re an adult,” Ben said.
Agent Spear aimed a crooked smile at the table. “I joined when I was ten. I believe Agent Taggart was thirteen. That’s the way it works.”
“What about your parents?” Peter asked. “They must have —”
“Got along just fine without me.” Agent Spear’s voice turned suddenly curt. “As will yours.”
Ben did not like how that sounded. His body went cold, and the disorientation returned. “I’d like to call my mom now.”
Agent Spear didn’t respond.
Ben raised his voice. “You said I could call my mom!”
Agent Spear sighed. “If you look back at my words carefully, I think you’ll find I said no such thing.”
Ben felt a panic rising he couldn’t control. “I don’t care. Let me call my mom. Now!”
The warmth returned to the agent’s voice. “Calm down, son. You need to listen to me carefully. What I’m about to tell you will be hard, but I
Ben leaned back. “I used it. It worked … kind of. But Dr. Hughes said it wasn’t reliable. I think that’s why Poole took her.”
“You’re certain it worked?” Agent Taggart asked.
“Yeah.”
She whipped out her phone, stabbed at the screen, and as she got up she lifted it to her ear. “This is Taggart. Put me through to Mr. Weathersky.” She left the room.
Ben was confused. “What’s the big —”
“Augmentation can be extremely dangerous,” Agent Spear said. “The one thing that’s kept us all safe from it is that it’s theoretically impossible to make the technology mobile. Until now, apparently.”
That didn’t make sense. Augmentation was a crutch. No one in that training room had seemed to need it. “Why would it be dangerous?” Ben asked.
Agent Spear’s forehead wrinkled. “I can see Dr. Hughes got a few things wrong with you boys. So let me break this down for you. Actuation is not about the technology. It’s about you, the Actuator, and it has limits. You can only get so big before the whole thing falls apart in your mind. You’ve got your Class One actuations. Those would be, say, moving small objects. Then you’ve got your Class Two actuations, the most common. That’s what you saw in the training room. Or like what Poole did to escape, when he triggered that explosion in the gas line. Class Three actuations are much bigger, extremely difficult, and rarely attempted.”
“Like what?” Peter asked.
“A Class Three is a Class Two on a larger scale. It affects a whole system. Instead of a little Class Two cloud, you get a full storm, maybe even a tornado or hurricane. Change the weather.”
“Is there a Class Four?” Peter asked.
Agent Spear chuckled. “ Theoretically , there are Class Four and even Class Five actuations. But they only work on paper, not in real life. No one in recorded history has brought one about.”
“What would those even be?” Ben asked.
“A Class Four? Maybe an earthquake. A Class Five? I can’t even imagine. The point is, most Actuators can only accomplish Class One and Two. Very, very few can hit a Three. Without augmentation.”
Now it was starting to make sense to Ben. Poole had wanted the augmenter because it had the potential to make him even more powerful. And while the stationary laboratory imposed limits on what could be actuated, portability made the technology a formidable weapon.
“So what happens now?” Ben asked.
“Now?” Agent Spear looked back and forth between Ben and Peter. “Now is the part where I ask you boys to join the Quantum League.”
BEN knew he had seen people not much older than him in the training room, but still. Joining the Quantum League? “Um. I’m twelve.”
“I’ll be thirteen next month,” Peter said.
“You’re both in the target range,” Agent Spear said. “Ideal recruitment age is between eight and fourteen. But we usually don’t go as young as eight. Beyond fourteen, you start to think you know what’s going on in the world, and it just gets worse with age.”
“But you’re an adult,” Ben said.
Agent Spear aimed a crooked smile at the table. “I joined when I was ten. I believe Agent Taggart was thirteen. That’s the way it works.”
“What about your parents?” Peter asked. “They must have —”
“Got along just fine without me.” Agent Spear’s voice turned suddenly curt. “As will yours.”
Ben did not like how that sounded. His body went cold, and the disorientation returned. “I’d like to call my mom now.”
Agent Spear didn’t respond.
Ben raised his voice. “You said I could call my mom!”
Agent Spear sighed. “If you look back at my words carefully, I think you’ll find I said no such thing.”
Ben felt a panic rising he couldn’t control. “I don’t care. Let me call my mom. Now!”
The warmth returned to the agent’s voice. “Calm down, son. You need to listen to me carefully. What I’m about to tell you will be hard, but I
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