"I don't think it's a secret," Alex said quietly. She looked up, glad for the warmth of the cup between her hands as she continued in a level voice, "It sounds like this project was a risk, if our team leaders are the only 'successful' subjects. They probably didn't want to try it until it was necessary."

Maybe it was because her reasons for becoming a Guardian were more selfish than most, but Alex didn't particularly feel that the director owed them anything. They had all [i]volunteered[/i] to be here--herself included--and they had all been given powers of some kind to do their jobs. It didn't seem like anyone's fault that someone more powerful had come along and made them a target. Frightening, absolutely, but that just made Alex more grateful that Ms. Nightshade and her associates were taking new measures to protect them.

She turned her attention to the man and woman the director had introduced and shrugged, the motion jostling the long, dark braid hanging over her shoulder. "Either way, you're putting yourselves in the line of fire to help us. So thanks."

[i]Good job, Alex. Way to make friends and influence people.[/i] She was less than comfortable, having just contradicted a few of the people who might end up being her teammates, but she tried to stamp down the spike of anxiety she felt. If she was going to make a good impression on anyone, it might as well be the people trying to save her life.