After introductions were made, Jack was left unsure as to what he needed to do. He straightened his tie, trying to look presentable for his new teammates.
"So, what brings you into the Ministry?" Isolde asked them.
"A paradox," Jack replied, not wanting to go into more detail for Elliot's sake.
"A paradox? Must have been pretty bad to bring you here." Dane interjected, looking curious.
"Well, uh, it wasn't great." Jack admitted, still keeping things vague.
"Let's not interrogate them too hard, now." Isolde lectured Dane. She then turned back to Jack. "It's fine if you don't want to go into detail, I understand."
"I appreciate it," Jack thanked her.
"What we do need to know is what you can do." Isolde told him. "For example, I can reinforce myself and project barriers to defend others. I can't cause damage, but I can make sure the fight keeps going."
"I break people," Dane said immediately after, his body tense like he was about to explode.
"My Concordance… isn't exactly subtle." Dane elaborated, rolling up his sleeve. Underneath was a mess of scar tissue. It was so bad that Jack failed to find unblemished skin. "Pain… molds me. Sharpens me. Each strike costs me something, be it skin, bone, or blood. It's all fuel."
He balled up his hands, making his skin crack as lines of blood appeared.
"I've broken men in half with my ribs. Mine, not theirs." Dane continued.
"That sounds… unpleasant." Jack didn't know how to respond to such a statement.
"I mirror," Sky told them.
"What do you mean you-" Jack began to say. He quickly stopped when he saw Ren take a step forward. Something changed about them, but he couldn't tell what. They just suddenly seemed familiar.
He saw Elliot blink, as if he saw something he wasn't expecting to.
"I mimic," Sky continued as if nothing happened. "Thoughts, behaviors, beliefs. I just reflect them back to you."
"And what about you?" Jack asked Annie, who was still in the back. She picked up the closed umbrella next to her and stood up.
"Where'd she go?" Elliot asked, looking around. She'd disappeared from sight entirely.
"I disappear," Annie's voice came from behind them.
"So what do you two do?" Isolde asked them in return.
"I reach my destination," Elliot told her. "Space seems to shift to help me get there."
"I bet you're never late to a date," Dane said, laughing.
Elliot got quiet, not meeting anyone's eyes.
"I'm not always on time."
Jack started speaking before the mood shifted for the worse.
"According to Mr. Linscott, I anchor reality during paradoxes. I can also record things in my notebook."
He pulled his notebook out of his pocket. "I suppose it'll be useful for investigation."
"Any of you have any training?" Jack asked them. "Because neither of us know what's going on."
"I was told I'd be given training once I was assigned a team to work with." Dane told them.
They made small talk and got to know each other for the next few hours. They were pleasant company, though Sky was a bit unnerving and Jack often forgot about Annie's presence.
Someone knocked on the door later on and before they could even open it, Mr. Linscott walked in.
"Congratulations on completing your training. You're being sent to on your first mission." He told them.
"What training?" Dane asked him. "We haven't even been taught how to throw a punch. What do you mean, our first mission?"
"We haven't even been taught! Sending us out now would be a death sent-" Jack was interrupted by Mr. Linscott.
"According to these, you're fully trained operatives." He held up a set of files. "Capable of Concordant risk mitigation with minimal oversight."
"But we're not!" Jack protested. The others argued in his favor, but Mr. Linscott didn't listen.
"No, you're not," he agreed. "But the paperwork says you are. And in the Ministry, that's all that matters."
"There's a community the Ministry contained. They suffered from a concordant plague; we couldn't risk letting it spread." Mr. Linscott continued. "The plague was neutralized, but we have reports of disappearances. Possibly concordant."
"We need you to verify. Confirm containment. That's all." He gestured for them to follow him out. "You have a train to catch."
They reluctantly followed him; aware they had no say in the matter.
They hailed two separate taxis to fit them all, driving to the station nearby.
Mr. Linscott had their tickets pre-purchased, as if he'd prepared for this ahead of time. They all loaded into the train, bringing only the clothes on their back and anything in their pockets.
"You don't train canaries to survive the mine," Isolde muttered angrily, watching the scenery go by. "You just send them in and see if they sing."
Jack waited impatiently for them to arrive. He didn't know what to expect, but it wouldn't be good. He wasn't even sure how he managed to survive his first introduction to the concordant world, let alone how to operate when the rules have changed.
Mr. Linscott said that it would be a simple operation, in and out. He told them all they'd have to do was confirm if there was a problem. But he didn't believe him. Call him paranoid, but he didn't think it would be that simple. Ever since he left home two years ago, he'd been working for different papers across the country and gained a distaste for the government. They always hid the truth behind honeyed words and duty. Who cares about a few shady things the government did, when it was to protect them against the Aitral Sovereignty?
His thoughts continued in this somewhat mutinous direction for the remainder of the ride.
"This is our stop," Mr. Linscott declared as the train slowed to a halt. Everyone followed him out as they were led into the back of a van.
Mr. Linscott had to show identification to the driver, to verify his identity before they were allowed in.
Jack had very little room as he was squeezed between Dane and Sky in the very back row. Mr. Linscott sat up in front with the driver, Mr. Gaul. The middle row held Elliot, Isolde, and Annie.
"So, what are we supposed to do again?" Dane asked, still grappling with the suddenness of it all.
"You're to report back any unusual findings in the town." Mr. Linscott replied from up front.
"But why us? Why not someone more qualified?"
"That's classified," Mr. Linscott told him, shutting down the conversation.
The journey carried on in silence for the rest of the drive. Eventually, the reached the outskirts of the town, which was barricaded. They had to pass through multiple checkpoints to get into the quarantined zone. When they finally made it past, Mr. Linscott told them to exit the van.
"The towns about a mile that way," he pointed further down the road. "The residents will believe you've always lived there and just got back from a week-long vacation."
"Just go in and verify," he continued. "If there is an active threat, report back here immediately. And remember, don't trust anything."