The silence in the courtyard was thick enough to choke on. The American soldiers, men and women who had faced the collapse of civilization with grit, found themselves holding their breath as they stared at the young woman who had just issued a command to the most powerful military officer in the country.
"Ok. All of you wait here... I will go and see the gateway above us."
Mirabella didn't wait for a rebuttal. Before Reed could even part her lips to warn her of the atmospheric toxicity, Mirabella's form blurred. With a sonic boom that shattered the remaining windows of the nearby faculty buildings, she shot into the air, a streak of golden light piercing through the heavy, charcoal-colored ash clouds.
"This?! What the hell is she doing?!" a female officer behind Reed screamed, shielding her eyes from the debris kicked up by the takeoff.
