Elsie's first few weeks back in the States were a strange transition into what she supposed would be her new normal for the foreseeable future. As much as she wanted to return to her unemployed routine in Los Angeles or even vacation with her family back in Arizona for a bit, she apparently had a list of commitments she had to fulfill.

So every morning, she dragged herself, and Pala and Quentin by association, to physical therapy where a healer guardian would use their abilities on her shoulder for ten minutes. For the rest of the hour, Elsie would be forced to move a variety of objects in a variety of ways, and the whole thing would've felt ridiculous if it wasn't so damn difficult.

It only took a few days for the general public to catch on to her schedule, and soon she was greeted by flashing cameras and invasive questions whenever she stepped outside. Thankfully, both Pala and Quentin were over-prepared for such scenarios, and the reporters would be held off by Quentin's wall of swirling air while Pala shuffled Elsie to safety.

Along with her PT, on three separate occasions, Elsie was formally summoned to the American Protection Organization headquarters for more questions to answer and documents to sign. It was a tedious process that was only prolonged when Minyoung brought along a lawyer to inspect every bit of paperwork.

So when Elsie finally had something purely work-related in her schedule, she was ecstatic. It was only a table-read and it was scheduled to run late into the night, but at least it had almost nothing to do with the attack on the Games—almost, because the movie it was for was about guardians. Specifically, it was the sequel to Elsie's first ever movie For the People, the one that had made her a household name while also encouraging the public's support for meta-humans and guardians.

Regardless, the connection between the movie's plot and the attack on the Games was a stretch, so Elsie was grateful for the much needed distraction in her life. Plus, Quentin was thrilled that he was required to be in attendance and essentially get paid to get a sneak peak of the sequel to his favorite movie.

The movie sequel was not-so-creatively named For the World, and the table-read took place at the producing studio's main corporate building. Aside from repeatedly telling multiple people that yes, she was fine, and yes, she would be fully healed in time for filming, the reading was exactly what Elsie needed to distract herself from the possibility that her life was in danger. In the script, she was the powerful hero Sam Summers, and although some of the lines were a little cheesy, she found it to be overall entertaining.

Her biggest qualm was that this movie would be introducing a love interest for the grown-up Sam. While Elsie definitely did not have anything against romance or true love or whatever, the storyline felt forced. The original movie portrayed Sam as a strong and independent young girl, but now, fifteen years later, a major part of her life hinged on a guy? Completely unrealistic.

Personal issues aside, there was a high probability that a sequel was only being made because of the expected profits her co-star would haul in, so Elsie supposed she couldn't complain too much. After being forced to work with assholes on numerous projects, Elsie considered herself lucky that her latest co-star hadn't done anything to piss her off yet. In fact, since they had met several months prior once the casting was finalized, they've gotten along great.

Mackenzie Olomana was one of the few American guardians that was also a successful actor, partially due to his talent, partially due to his amazingly good looks, and partially due to his charming boisterous personality. He rose to stardom shortly after becoming an official guardian, and teenage Elsie was quick to join his hordes of fans. Thankfully, her obsession quickly died down to professional appreciation, and no one would have known about her shameful crush had she not announced it to a reporter while intoxicated several years later. It was an embarrassing and regretful moment that was made worse when her parents called her the next morning to praise her excellent taste.

But that had been years ago, and Elsie had hoped he didn't remember a thing when they were formally introduced for the movie. Of course, that wasn't the case at all, but Mack simply laughed about it and joked that he, too, was obsessed with his toned muscles and gorgeous cheekbones. So when Elsie saw him at the table-read, she found herself relieved to see a friendly face.

"Els-bells!" Mack exclaimed, the volume of his voice almost making the room shake. "Good to see you alive and kicking! Would've been a real pain to recast you."

Elsie rolled her eyes. For some reason, his jokes about her near-death experience didn't sting like she thought they should. "They'd probably be glad to finally get rid of me. We all know it's you that they really want for this movie. You and your muscles."

"Don't forget the cheekbones." He gave her a smoldering smile for emphasis.

"How could I forget?" Elsie agreed. "Basically, we know I'm just the problem child to them."

There was some truth in her cynicism. Since the years when she starred in the original movie, Elsie had become much more outspoken and opinionated as she toed the line of social norms. If it wasn't for her dedicated fanbase, she was pretty sure no one would hire her and her liberal ass.

"As much as I'd like to say I'd quit in solidarity if you got fired, I'm contractually obligated by both the studio and the federal government to see this project through." Mack shrugged, then turned to Quentin. "Q, you good?"

Quentin wasn't paying attention, too distracted by the other celebrities in the conference room. He wasn't starstruck by Mack, since they had probably worked together before as guardians, but by the other actors and actresses reprising their notable roles from the first film. It took Pala's elbow jab in his ribs to get his attention back.

"What?" he said, lost.

"Focus, Juneau," Pala scolded. "We're working."

"But that's the guy from Space Race!"

"I can get his autograph, if you want," Mack offered.

"Really?"

"No," Pala said firmly, glaring at Quentin, then Mack. "And Olomana, don't encourage him.

Even though Mack wasn't on duty, Elsie supposed their guardian hierarchy was always in effect because Mack immediately looked guilty.

"Yes, ma'am," he said solemnly, shooting an apologetic glance towards Quentin.

As the last cast members trickled into the room, Elsie and Mack found their seats at the conference table, labeled by folded paper placards, and the reading started.

Elsie's security presence meant there were more eyes on her than normal, but she wasn't surprised. It was a rare sight to see three guardians in one place, and it was even rarer that each of them was relatively famous. And while this crowd was accustomed to seeing popular entertainers, being in the presence of well-known guardians was a different experience entirely. On more than one occasion, Elsie caught a few of her famous co-stars openly ogling Pala and Quentin as they were stationed behind her seat.

The reading seemed to pass by in a flash, but that was probably because it was the most fun Elsie had in weeks. Additionally, the script ended up being much better than she anticipated, and the director even accepted some of the minor changes she proposed.

She ended up leaving the office in high spirits, as she and Mack made plans for lunch sometime before filming started. With her PT almost over but her security restrictions still in place, Elsie had loads of free time with not a lot of places she could go to. The only thing she had to work around was a short visit she was planning to her family.

"I'm up for whatever," Mack said. "As long as it's cleared by your security."

Quentin rolled his eyes at Mack's sudden formality, while Pala nodded in acknowledgement.

"As long as we're notified at least twenty-four hours prior, it should be allowable," she said. "However, Juneau and I are being rotated out next week, and your new detail may disagree. The final call will be up to them."

"What?" Elsie nearly interrupted, too shocked to hold herself back.

Elsie had gotten accustomed to their steady presence since they went with her everywhere. The only time she wouldn't see them was at night when their shifts were over, and Elsie was restricted to her condo with a few of Class 1 metas stationed outside her door. She and Quentin always enjoyed chatting about each other's occupations, and she knew how excited he would've been to be on set while they filmed. Even Pala's serious personality had grown on Elsie.

"That was my reaction exactly!" Quentin exclaimed

"We just found out this morning," Pala said at the same time.

"I'm going to miss you guys," Elsie said truthfully. "Yes, Pala, even you and your angry face."

Pala sighed, but Elsie could tell she was trying to restrain a slight smile.

"Who's taking over?" Mack asked.

"We weren't told." Pala gave him a look. "You know how it is."

Mack nodded in grim agreement, leaving Elsie confused.

"Wait, what does that mean?"

Both Mack and Pala seemed hesitant to answer, so Quentin eagerly stepped up.

"Most of the time, we just do what we're told," he said with a frown. "And no one bothers to tell us about reasoning or the bigger picture or any of that."

"We just need to trust where our orders come from," Pala argued, but even she seemed a little frustrated.

"But they don't trust us with that information?" Quentin shook his head. "It's hypocritical."

"I think it's more of a chain of command thing," Mack said, trying to placate the growing frustration. "The higher-ups want everything to pass through them so they know what's going on."

"They can still know what's going on," Quentin replied. "They just need to give us more background information. Sometimes, we're walking into situations blind. All I'm saying is it would help to know what they know."

"Those things are need-to-know only," Pala said. "If too much information gets in the wrong hands, it could become a security issue."

"But the people giving the orders are never the ones out on the field with us. What if the situation changes? Are we supposed to wait around for them to give us new orders?"

"That's what the squad captains are for. They're the ones who are trusted with the background information and to give the orders on the field."

"So, Captain Pala, are you telling me you always know what's going on then?"

Pala paused before answering. "I know enough."

"You think you know enough, but how can you be sure?"

"Guys, enough," Mack interrupted firmly. "This probably isn't the best time or place to be discussing office politics, don't you think?"

It wasn't until Mack brought it up that the others bothered to look at their surroundings. They had stopped in the middle of the building lobby on their way to the parking lot, and both the debate and the debaters had attracted the attention of multiple employees and visitors.

"Wait here," Pala ordered, returning back to her calm and professional demeanor. "I'll get the car."

Mack waited with Elsie and Quentin until Pala returned. While he tried to distract them both with a discussion about giving Pala and Quentin set tours once filming started, Elsie was only partially listening. Instead, she kept thinking back to their discussion; she hadn't realized there was such frustration within the guardian ranks.

It made sense, of course, since all workplaces had their share of corporate drama, but she always felt like the Org was in a realm of its own. Evidently, that wasn't the case. Regardless, the topic was obviously a sensitive one amongst guardians and Elsie told herself to never mention it again.

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