Free Spell Robbers by Matthew J. Kirby Page B

gripping the podium, he drew the attention of the whole room.
    “Agents and recruits, ladies and gentlemen, I thank you for that welcome. I wanted to speak with you today to commend you for all the work you do. Agent Spear gave me far too much credit for what this agency has become.” He nodded over the crowd. “It is not me but you, the soldiers on the front line, who have pushed back the tide. I am honored and humbled to league with you.”
    As he watched and listened to Mr. Weathersky, Ben knew what Peter had meant when he’d said you could sense an Actuator. Power emanated from the man at the podium. Sasha said he was one of the few who could actuate Class Threes, and Ben believed it.
    Mr. Weathersky paused. “I wish I could say our job is done. But recent events, which I’m sure you’ve heard about, are all the evidence we need to know that crime and evil still exist, as dangerous as ever. There are still men and women who would use actuation for their own gain at the expense and pain of others.”
    He leaned forward over the podium, and Ben leaned backward from the force coming off him.
    “But we are here.” Mr. Weathersky stabbed the pulpit with a finger. “Stronger than ever. We stand against the evil in this world. We will hold them back with the wall of our Quantum League. Will you continue to stand with me?”
    A collective shout of “Yes, sir!” erupted in patches around the room. Ben wanted to add his voice.
    Mr. Weathersky smiled. He shouted, “Will you stand with me?”
    “YES, SIR!” Ben cried, along with a room-wide chorus.
    “Thank you for your service, ladies and gentlemen.” Mr. Weathersky stepped away from the podium, and the room rose to its feet in applause.
    Ben joined in. He couldn’t help it. But then he realized what he was doing. He started thinking that maybe he shouldn’t be so enthusiastic about a man who had reformed the League’s recruiting methods. What if detachment had been Mr. Weathersky’s doing?
    He looked over at Peter. His friend was clapping hard, smiling big, unaware of Ben or anyone else. It seemed he’d bought into this Weathersky guy completely. So had Sasha. By the looks of it, so had everyone else in that room. Ben looked back at the director, who now stood a few feet back, waving and nodding. Ben wondered if there was some kind of actuation that turned people into mindless sheep.
    The applause eventually subsided, and the audience rose and began dispersing. Sasha turned to Ben and Peter.
    “Ready, boys?”
    “Hang on, there.” Agent Spear walked over to them. “The director would like a few moments with them.”
    “He would?” Peter said.
    “Why?” Ben asked.
    “We have intel on Dr. Hughes and the portable augmenter.”
    Ben jumped to his feet. “Where is she? Is she okay?”
    “She’s alive and unharmed, as far as we know,” he said. “Come, we’ll fill you in. And Mr. Weathersky has a few questions for you.”
    Ben looked at Peter. Peter looked at Sasha.
    “Go,” she said.
    So they left the main training room and followed Agent Spear to the old church’s former library. They found Mr. Weathersky already seated at a table, Agent Taggart next to him.
    “Ah, Ben. Peter.” Mr. Weathersky waved them over. “Come in, come in.”
    Agent Spear led them to the table, took the chair on the other side of the director, and motioned for Ben and Peter to sit across from them.
    “I understand you two are our newest recruits?” Mr. Weathersky said.
    “Yes, sir,” Peter said. He kept his head bowed at an angle. So did Agent Taggart and Agent Spear. Did this man cast a spell over everyone?
    “Well,” Mr. Weathersky said. “I must take a moment to recognize and honor you. Detachment is not an easy thing. That policy direction was not taken lightly, I assure you. But the road to justice requires sacrifices from all of us, and it is likely that detachment is only the first of many you will be called upon to make to do what is right.”
    That