The Earnest System

“Among other things,” Schneep confirmed. “There were also a lot of surface injuries like various cuts and bruises, but the big problems were the blow to the head and some small bone fractures. He will be fine, though. We are slightly worried about Anti-Virus trying to attack him in the hospital, but Marvin is staying there for now, until we can work out some more protection.”

JJ sighed and rubbed his eyes. Behind him, the blinds on the dining room window were drawn, as blinds usually were in the safe house. There was a bit of a gap between the plastic shades, though, through which Schneep could see the dark evening sky. He’d rushed over as soon as he knew Jackie was okay, when the last bit of sunlight was in the sky. But he’d spent the last while telling JJ everything that had happened with the factory and the underground, and now it was starting to become night. It’s... hard to take all this in, JJ said after a minute. It’s been a lot of information.

“Take your time, of course.” Schneep nodded.

“Yeah, take your time.” Soren was here too, of course. He’d spent most of Schneep’s story messing about in the kitchen, cleaning up after his and JJ’s dinner. Then after he was done cleaning up, he’d made tea. Then after that, he started rearranging some things in the cupboards. Schneep could guess that doing stuff in the kitchen was either calming for Soren, or a good distraction. “It’s not like we have anywhere to go.”

JJ laughed dully, a wheezing sound. Henrik, are you... are you sure that McLoughlin saw Dahlia in the underground? Are you absolutely positive?

Schneep hesitated. “Th-those are unreasonable standards, Jamie.”

So... you’re not, then, JJ summed up.

“Well, as I pointed out to Marvin earlier, there is no other possibility,” Schneep said. “It is not like ANTI goes around kidnapping people. If he has anyone captive, it is because there is a use for them, and Dahlia is very useful as a hero, and as leverage. Besides, the list of brown-haired coma-bound women that ANTI might be interested in is very short. I am positive that McLoughlin saw her.”

JJ raised an eyebrow. But?

“But nothing!” Schneep shook his head. “I should not have been so unsure. Saying it out loud again, there is no other option. It must be here in the underground.”

“Well... I think I know what you were unsure about.” Soren finally finished whatever he was messing with and walked over to join the cousins, sitting down at the head of the table, right between the two of them. “It’s the environment this McLoughlin guy described, isn’t it?”

Schneep pressed his lips together. He didn’t want to say anything. But on the way over here, between the train ride and the walk, he did start to wonder a bit about the room McLoughlin had told him and Marvin about... “I did think it was... unusual.”

What’s unusual? JJ glanced over at Soren. You caught onto it too, what is it?

“The whole underground is pretty run-down,” Soren said. “Even the nicest places are about as fancy as a basement car park. But the room McLoughlin talked about... it sounded... well-kept.”

Well... maybe Anti-Virus improved it, JJ speculated. We don’t know how long he’s been aware and using McLoughlin, or what resources he’s had access to. He could have fixed up a room in the underground, made it nice.

“True, that’s a possibility,” Soren agreed. “But I don’t know... I’m no doctor, but an underground hospital doesn’t sound safe. I knew a handful of black-market clinics that operated out of the underground, and I swear to god you needed to get a tetanus shot after you visited each one. Preferably at a real, above-ground hospital. You did point out that we don’t know what Anti-Virus has been doing, but at the same time... I don’t know. It feels too nice.”

Maybe it’s less nice than we think, JJ wondered. After all, we’re playing a game of telephone here. McLoughlin saw it, then described it to Marvin and Schneep, and now Schneep is describing it to us. Things could’ve gotten lost along the way. Maybe he didn’t think mentioning all the grime and such was necessary.

“That is also a possibility,” Schneep admitted. “I do not fully remember his exact wording.”

Besides, where else would Anti-Virus be based? JJ asked. McLoughlin said he was wandering around underground this whole time, right? Wouldn’t ANTI want to keep all his eggs in one basket?

“Or maybe he would want to spread out his assets,” Soren wondered. “He’s a weird computer-person hybrid. We don’t know how he thinks.”

Why are you two so stubborn about this?! JJ demanded. Do you really want my sister to suffer longer?!

“Whoa, hey, no, that’s not what either of us are saying.” Soren raised his hands. “Deep breaths, James.”

JJ looked down at the dining room table. He blinked hot tears out of his eyes.

“I... I just do not know where someone could possibly be keeping someone in a coma,” Schneep said quietly. “I don’t want anything to happen to Dahlia, believe me. I want to find her as soon as possible. Which... which means I... I-I do not want to waste time looking for her in places she might not be.”

“And that makes sense,” Soren said gently. “You can see where he’s coming from, right, James?”

Jameson nodded quietly. He wrapped his hands around his teacup, pulling it closer, staring into its depths.

“I am so glad to hear that she is alive, though,” Schneep said. “We know it for sure now, JJ. She is still alive! It sounds as though she is still asleep, but that is better than nothing, isn’t it?”

Again, Jameson nodded. He inhaled deeply, then exhaled slowly. Then looked up at the other two again. It was just... very frustrating to hear. It was like you gave me hope only to take it away. It felt... He paused. ...cruel.

“I-I did not mean to be,” Schneep said quietly.

No, I know that. Of course you didn’t. JJ smiled hesitantly. Thank you for telling me. I’m relieved to hear that. I... I’m so incredibly relieved to hear that. We have a lead now. We know that she’s alright. It’s... it’s a huge weight off my shoulders. And a direction to move into. Thank you so much for finding that out, Henrik.

Schneep smiled back, his expression pretty similar to Jameson’s own. “Of course. We all said we would get her back, didn’t we?”

Soren let out a breath, leaning back in his seat. “How’d Timekeeper end up in a coma anyway...? I did realize when he—uh, I mean she—stopped showing up to stop my operations. But I didn’t really... keep track of her business that wasn’t related to me.”

There was a collapse of a building, JJ said. She was fighting a villain called Earth Shaker. I think he also got caught in his own collapse. A lot of people did.

“Yes, our friend Chase was also caught in it,” Schneep said. “It was the east SepTech building. Surely you realized that whole place went down.”

“Ah yeah, I did.” Soren nodded. “Your friend was caught in the same collapse JJ’s sister was? Hell of a coincidence.”

Schneep blinked. “What do you mean by that?”

“Hm? What do I mean by what?”

“The way you said that, it implied that you thought there was something else going on. Like it was not actually a coincidence.”

JJ frowned. I didn’t even know Chase back then, and I doubt Dahlia did, either.

“No no, of course they didn’t know each other.” Soren shook his head. “It’s just... I don’t know. Your friend Chase was also a reformed henchman, wasn’t he? Even if he doesn’t remember, Kanchana never forgets, and she wouldn’t lie about that. A hero and a henchman get caught in the same collapse... seems weird. But I know there are a lot of former henches out there, so it probably really is a coincidence.”

“...huh.” Schneep frowned. “I never thought it was odd that Chase and Timekeeper were in the same location. But that was before I knew Dahlia was Timekeeper and Chase had a past of that.”

JJ shrugged. I don’t think it really matters all that much right now.

“No, yeah, you’re right.” Soren nodded. “What matters now is finding your sister. You know, I could help with searching the underground. In fact, I should help with that, I think.”

“It would be nice to have more navigation down there,” Schneep chuckled. “Me and Marvin started to get pretty lost once we got deep enough.”

“Oh yeah, try not to go too deep, it gets actually hazardous and dangerous down there. I think there are some pockets full of natural gas.”

“Natural gas?!” Schneep repeated in alarm.

“As long as you don’t break through any walls you should be fine,” Soren dismissed.

That didn’t reassure Schneep at all. ...Soren, he can pass through solid objects, JJ pointed out, looking at Schneep’s expression. That’s probably just as dangerous.

“Oh right!” Soren nodded. “Sorry about that. Just be careful down there, you know?”

“I will definitely be now,” Schneep said, blinking wildly.

Are you guys going to be doing a lot of searching now? JJ asked. It sounds like there’s not much else to do while Jackie is stuck in the hospital.

“Not that he would want to join us in the underground, either,” Schneep said. “He was repeating how much he disliked the place.”

“Can confirm, Windstorm was always clearly miserable when he came down there to interrupt my stuff,” Soren said. “Hah, you know, I think the first time he did that, we were smuggling ultsanarine. The same thing that’s healing him now. What a world.”

Do you mind filling me in on whatever plan you guys have? JJ asked. I don’t want to be out of the loop for long.

“Oh, of course.” Schneep nodded. “Well, we do not have much of a plan, but we have a few ideas on what to do the next few days.” He started to outline the basic ideas he and the others came up with. Hopefully they didn’t need Jackie for any of this. He wouldn’t exactly be in shape to help while in the hospital.

===============

Night fell in St. Ellen’s Hospital, and Jackie gradually fell asleep; it wasn’t like there was much else to do when you were stuck in bed and not allowed to watch TV. Marvin stayed awake as long as he could, keeping an eye on things in the room. It was bullshit that they didn’t have some sort of police or Hero guard to protect the city Hero while he was injured. This was a prime opportunity for villains! Especially considering a villain had put him here in the first place!

But of course, Marvin was just one person, and he had his flaws like everyone else. Namely, he also needed sleep. But he couldn’t possibly fall asleep and leave Jackie unprotected! He’d have to try pulling an all-nighter.

Around midnight, Marvin started to feel exhaustion tugging at the back of his eyes, making him yawn, forcing him to blink longer and longer. Well... that was no good. Normally, he’d still feel pretty much awake at this time of night. But maybe the action of the previous day was still catching up to him? Or... maybe he was just pretty bored. He hadn’t brought his phone with him, in case of ANTI, and he couldn’t watch TV. He’d brought a book with him, in anticipation of said boredom, but he’d already finished that.

In retrospect, maybe he should’ve brought a longer one, but he hadn’t expected to stay here all evening and night when he came here to visit. He’d volunteered quite suddenly... why had he done that? Did he really care about Jackie that much? No, he was just pissed that the League wouldn’t think to have some sort of protection policy for situations like this.

Yeah. That was it. That was the explanation. Totally.

In any case, even though Marvin was tired, he was confident that he could avoid falling asleep. He was very picky about his sleep, and often found that he had trouble drifting off unless the conditions were perfect. So even if he tried to fall asleep, he probably wouldn’t be able to while stuck in this hospital room.

...that didn’t help the boredom, though. It also didn’t help that the room was dark, with only the city lights coming through the window to see by. Hospital policy, it seemed, as a nurse had come by to turn off the lights at ten o’clock sharp.

At first, Marvin tried to pass the time by pacing back and forth, playing his favorite memory game: try to describe the plot of the last movie you saw in as much detail as you can. But then Jackie stirred slightly, and he stopped walking, just in case that was disturbing him. So he continued to play the memory game but while standing in place, staring off into space as he silently mouthed words to himself. ...after a while, though, his feet and legs started to hurt. Wow, really? He was supposed to be a superhero—or a supervillain—a superhuman? In any case, he was supposed to be in shape, ready to run and fight at a moment’s notice. His legs should be better at standing for long periods of time.

Unfortunately, he knew that if there was a threat, he couldn’t combat it well if he couldn’t walk because his feet hurt. So he reluctantly sat down in the hospital armchair. It wasn’t excessively comfortable, but it wasn’t a bad chair or anything. He sat down, leaned back, and continued to keep a vigilant watch over the room. His eyes kept drifting shut... but he kept forcing them open. He had to stay awake. Even with nothing but his thoughts to keep him busy. Keep looking around. Be vigilant. Vigilant! Stay awake. Don’t close your eyes... Don’t close them...

And then next thing Marvin knew, his eyes were flying open to a room vaguely illuminated by the blue light of early dawn.

“Wha...?” Marvin mumbled to himself, shaking his head. He couldn’t believe he actually fell asleep! He didn’t—he wasn’t that exhausted, was he? Though he didn’t feel all that tired, he must’ve been, right? The evidence of him falling asleep was all around him, from the change in lighting to the crick in his neck.

But then... if he fell asleep so easily, what woke him up? A nurse or other patient passing in front of the door, maybe?

Marvin sat up straight, listening intently to the quiet room. Jackie was snoring very slightly, the tiniest wheeze in his breath. And there was a... buzzing sound? Or... hissing? Some sort of buzzy hissing, or hissy buzzing.

Frowning, he stood up, following the sound to its source. It was coming from the window, which had its blinds drawn. He grabbed the cord to open them and pulled—

And his eyes landed directly onto a metal sphere on the other side of the glass, a circular camera staring right back at him.

“What the fuck?!” Marvin shouted. His hand glowed orange and he flung energy at the SAM, burning a hole clean through the window and then through the SAM as well. It immediately fell, revealing three others behind it. Compartments slid open on all of them, weapons being drawn. “Fuck!” He backed up and shot three beams of burning light through the glass—each hitting a SAM solidly in its camera, breaking it and sending it tumbling down to the ground, two stories below.

Jackie’s snoring stopped. “Wha’ th’ hell...?” He mumbled, opening up his eyes and glancing towards Marvin. “My window.”

“Hah. I’m sure the hospital will understand,” Marvin said, looking at the four holes in the glass, the edges of each all glowing orange. That... looked suspicious. The dead SAMs on the ground will also look suspicious, with their burned insides... the staff is going to wonder what caused this.

“Why were you... attacking the window?” Jackie tried to sit up straighter, but gave up and instead just used the bed’s remote to move it into more of an upright position.

“SAMs outside,” Marvin said curtly.

“What?!” That immediately woke Jackie up.

“SAMs outside,” Marvin repeated. “They had weapons.” He squinted at the glass. There was a curving line in it now... one that he definitely didn’t make. “They were trying to get inside. I think by subtly cutting the glass. But I-I heard it.” That must’ve been the sound that woke him up. For once, he was glad he was such a light sleeper.

“S-SAMs...” Jackie repeated, going pale. “They were...”

“Yeah, I think they were trying to finish things,” Marvin said. “Damn. Anti-Virus really isn’t holding back, is he?”

Jackie shuddered. “You know, for as long as I’ve been doing this superhero stuff, I-I don’t think I’ve ever had a villain try to... seek me out like this.”

“It’s unnerving, isn’t it?” Marvin muttered. “Shit like this is why the League has therapists. Not that they’re good ones, but you know.” He paused, thinking. “Okay. I’m going to go scout around the perimeter of the hospital. I-I need to see if there are more of them.”

“What if some come back to the window?” Jackie asked. “I’m not exactly in shape to take them out. I mean, I guess I can get up and run...”

“Yeah, you can, but also... uhhhh one second.” Marvin walked over to the side of the bed, where there was a small table with Jackie’s supersuit. Marvin had also been using it for his stuff, and between him and Jackie they probably both had... “Aha. Here, your radio earpiece thing was left over here.” He tossed that onto Jackie’s bed, where it landed neatly on Jackie’s lap. “I have one too.” He held it up; it had been in his pocket when he came here to visit Jackie. The benefits of absentmindedly grabbing something with the thought of ‘I’ll put this away later.’ “If you spot any SAMs getting close to you, let me know and I’ll come take ‘em out.”

“Oh. Okay, good plan.” Jackie nodded slowly. “Good idea.” He looked up at Marvin and hesitated. “Um... thanks. F-for doing this. You didn’t really have to, you know.”

“Well if the League isn’t going to spare some guards for one of their Heroes, it’s only fair that I do something, isn’t it?” Marvin drawled.

“No, uh—yes, but I mean—I—” Jackie sighed. “I... appreciate you doing this. Despite... all the differences we’ve had. This is the second time you’ve saved me from Anti-Virus, you know.” He rubbed his neck, clearly remembering that mechanical arm that grabbed him there. “I-I feel like I owe you.”

“...you don’t,” Marvin said slowly. “You really don’t. I-I don’t like... people being in other people’s debt.” He shook his head. “It is insane to think about, considering this time last year I would’ve been more likely to be the one attacking you. But... shut up. Shit changes. Shut up.”

“I wasn’t saying anything, Marvin.” Jackie raised one eyebrow, mildly amused.

“Well shut up anyway, you talk too much.” Marvin headed to the door. “I’ll tell the hospital staff that this is happening too, hopefully they’ll call 999 or something and some officers will be down to help out.”

“Great.” Jackie nodded. He glanced towards the window nervously. “Good luck.”

“Thanks. See you. Call me if something happens.” And with one last glance back at the room, Marvin hurried out the door.

Okay... how to explain away SAMs being taken out without the staff being suspicious? Surely they’ll look at the damage to the window and the robots and realize Windstorm couldn’t have done it. Well, Jackie has the ability to control air, maybe he could say Jackie attacked them with... concentrated gusts of wind? They’d buy that, right? But wind would’ve shattered the window, wouldn’t it? Uh—okay, maybe the holes are from the SAMs burning in with—with a laser! And that woke Jackie up and he... directed the air through the holes, thus making the wind gusts more powerful!

Marvin was so lost in his own thoughts, in his own mental scramble to come up with an explanation for every possible question, that he walked right past the nurse’s station and had to double back. “H-hey!” He waved at the nurse on duty as he approached (again). “I-I just came from Windstorm’s room, I was staying in there, I’m uh, a friend of his, I slept in the room—”

“Sir, is there a problem?” the nurse asked.

“A-anyway, he was just attacked!” Marvin said. “By these flying robots—the, uh, Semi-Autonomous Machines that this Anti-Virus guy is controlling!”

“Oh sh—Oh no!” the nurse gasped. “We—Should we call the police?!”

“Uh, yeah!” Marvin nodded. “I’m going to go—check on the outside, to see if there are any more!” And before the nurse could say anything more, he hurried off, glancing over his shoulder to see the nurse picking up a phone.

He took the stairs down, knowing they were faster than waiting for the elevator, and burst out the front doors into the still, early morning air. The hospital parking lot was quiet, only the distant sound of occasional traffic piercing the dark blue sky. Marvin glanced around, getting himself oriented, then ran towards the side of the hospital where Jackie’s window was. Okay, once he found the four destroyed SAMs, he just needed to double-check that the damage cold be explained away as something other than solid-heat energy—

There! A glint of metal in the bushes lining the side of the building. Marvin rushed over, pushing a bush aside and looking down at... at a single SAM lying on the ground.

“Marvin!” Jackie’s voice burst through the earpiece, squeaking in alarm. “There are three SAMs outside the window!”

“Shit!” Marvin looked up—there! Three SAMs, hovering over his head. He raised both hands, flinging bright yellow energy blades into the sky. They crashed into the SAMs, slicing through some of them, hitting all of them. The machines fell, and Marvin leapt back onto the sidewalk to avoid getting hit on the head by falling debris. The big pieces crashed to the ground, while the smaller ones smacked against the side of the wall or got caught in the bushes’ branches. “Those were the same SAMs as before! I thought I took them out.”

“Well, did you take them out now?” Jackie asked.

“I... think so? I-I hope so.” Marvin narrowed his eyes, staring at the SAMs suspiciously. Particularly, that big one that was still mostly intact. A few moments passed, and the pieces still laid there. “Yeah, I think so. But just in case...” He summoned a few more glowing blades of energy and used them to cut the biggest pieces in half. Carefully, though. So he didn’t damage the bushes. “Okay. Yeah, I think they definitely won’t work now. That was weird, though.”

“That they came back to life? Yeah.” Jackie laughed, though he sounded a bit... shaken. “Maybe you didn’t hit the important part at first.”

“What’s the important part, do you think?” Marvin asked.

“Uh... I don’t know. They gotta have some sort of central battery. Or I guess you can destroy their hover parts on the bottom to get them to fall, but they’d probably still be able to use their weapons unless you hit that central battery. I guess that’s something to ask SepTech about... when we eventually get to talk to them.”

“Mm. Yeah.” Marvin nodded to himself. “Okay, so, I think we need to come up with an explanation for why they look like they’ve been sliced up. I see some ledges on the outside of this building, maybe they hit them and fell apart into halves—”

“Wha—” Jackie burst into laughter, no longer sounding shaken. “Marvin, that sounds ridiculous. That is not how physics work.”

“Look, we need a reason!” Marvin said. “You can’t tell people that your visitor is actually Spitfire Cat and he was the one who took care of the SAMs with his powers!”

“I’ll just tell them I used my powers,” Jackie said. “They could have lasers, and I used the wind to push them to slice each other up. There. Simple.”

Marvin frowned to himself. “They’re not going to fall for that.”

“I think they probably will,” Jackie said. “I’ve figured out by now that a lot of people are less observant than you think. And more willing to take people at their word. It’s not always a Schneep situation where he was smart enough to figure out my identity—and even then, he had help because his own secret identity watched some stuff happen to Windstorm that lined up with stuff from me.”

“Hrm...” Marvin grumbled. “A-are you sure?”

“I’m sure,” Jackie reassured him. “Besides, you probably know how much people listen to Heroes. You’ve complained about them putting so much trust in me before.”

“I have... but I can’t believe you remember that,” Marvin muttered.

“Believe me, I remember it,” Jackie said. “Been thinking about stuff like that a lot lately...” He trailed off. “Uh, anyway. They won’t realize it’s you. Don’t worry.”

“Okay.” Marvin nodded to himself. “I’ll do one last circle around the hospital to check for more. Keep you updated.”

“Yeah, please,” Jackie said. “Oh, I hear a nurse coming hang on—” There was a rustling noise as he took off the earpiece.

Marvin scanned the area intently, but seeing nothing, continued on. He really hoped there weren’t more. He could take them out easily when he had the element of surprise, but it’d be a bit trickier if there was a whole swarm of them.

===============

“But it seemed like those were the only ones, so I guess it all worked out.” Jackie finished recounting the events of that morning to Chase, who stood nearby with Frosty at his side. “So yeah, now there are cops around. But I told them that you guys are all good.”

“Oh good.” Chase smiled, relieved but slightly nervous. “They’re, uh... kind of intimidating, you know.”

“Hah, the older guy outside the door is Ace, he’s totally fine.” Jackie chuckled. “Looks can be deceiving, you know.”

“Yeah...” Chase nodded. “Anyway, here.” He reached into his pocket and took out the Red Line, handing the special red phone out to Jackie. “This is it, right?”

“Yep, that’s it!” Jackie leaned forward to take it.

“Well, that’s my cue to leave,” Marvin said, standing up from the armchair.

“You don’t even want to be in the same room as this thing, huh?” Jackie asked teasingly.

“It just...” Marvin paused, searching for the right words. “I don’t like looking at League stuff. But yeah, definitely use that as soon as possible. Share the SepTech theory we came up with.”

“I’ll be doing that,” Jackie promised. “You get some rest, okay?” Marvin hadn’t gone back to sleep after the SAM attack that morning. Even though he looked totally dead on his feet, Jackie didn’t see him close his eyes for more than five minutes at a time. And while he knew from experience that it was possible to fall asleep and wake up after a microsleep that only lasts five minutes, he also knew that wasn’t exactly very restful or rejuvenating.

“Oh sure, I’ll go home and pass out at five pm.” Marvin said that with a heavy dose of sarcasm, but Jackie was willing to bet that something along those lines was going to happen anyway. “Chase, you put your phone in the bathroom, right?” Chase nodded—the phone was far away but still nearby in case they needed it. “Great, use it to text me if there’s any updates. Call me if it’s something really important. See you guys later.” Marvin gave them a little salute and then headed to the door.

“See you later!” Jackie called. “And thank you! Again!”

Marvin rolled his eyes as he left, but Jackie could’ve sworn there was a hint of a smile under there.

Chase stood there awkwardly. “Uh... do you want me to... stay nearby?”

“Yeah... for a bit,” Jackie said. “But, uh, you can probably sleep at home tonight. I-I think I’ll be fine in here on my own now. There’s guards now and stuff.”

Chase nodded. “Got it. I’ll just, uh... sit down, then.” And he did just that, taking Marvin’s place in the armchair.

Jackie looked down at the Red Line. Why did he feel nervous about this? Well, probably because the theory they had that all communications from SepTech were fake was a bit of a long shot. But it made sense, didn’t it? And it was genuinely something to look out for. They all still weren’t used to dealing with a villain who’s so able to manipulate technology. Taking a deep breath, Jackie dialed a number, then held the Line to his ear and listened to it ring.

“Hello?” The other end was picked up by Magnify. “Windstorm?”

“Hey, Magnify. So I have some updates on the ANTI thing.” Jackie coughed awkwardly. “So, I’ve been searching out some places he might be hiding, and uh... now I’m in the hospital.”

“Yes, St. Ellen’s submitted a report to the League, as they do with all registered Heroes who end up there,” Magnify says calmly. “I figured you would be calling eventually. Do you have a report of your own?”

“Uh... yeah, but also, there’s something else,” Jackie added.

“Update me on your situation and what led you to the hospital first,” Magnify said firmly.

“Uh... okay.” Jackie quickly outlined his search for the SepTech factory, the confrontation with ANTI he had there, and his injuries. He also explained that Chase took him to the hospital, but he didn’t mention him specifically, only describing him as a kind citizen who was driving past.

“Dr. McLoughlin was not at the factory, though?” Magnify asked.

“No... I hoped he might be, but no.” Jackie paused. “I-I think he must be somewhere under Daindover. There are a lot of underground tunnels he must be hiding in. I-I’m basically certain that he... must be down there.”

“That sounds like a good place to start searching once you’re out of the hospital, then,” Magnify said. “After all, until you have it confirmed, certainty is actually impossible.”

“Right...” Jackie wished he could say something about knowing McLoughlin was underground. But like hell he was going to say he was working with two supervillains, and that they’d seen him down there for sure. He wasn’t entirely sure of the League’s policies for working with villains anymore, but he didn’t want to risk it. He’d... just have to say he saw McLoughlin down there on a later patrol, once he got out. “But th-there’s something else I want to mention! The League is looking for ANTI digitally, right? With their own team?”

“Yes, there’s a team scouring the web and other digital databases,” Magnify confirms.

“Right. I think you all might need to check out SepTech’s stuff more thoroughly. I think that ANTI has intercepted communications coming to and from the company. I-I mean, that must be why they’re not letting anyone into the buildings here in Daindover! ANTI must be putting out those messages.”

There was a long pause. “And... what reason do you have to think this, Windstorm?” Magnify asked slowly. “Have you seen any of SepTech’s communications?”

“Uh... well... n-no,” Jackie admitted. “But they have to be communicating with you guys electronically, right? Through email and stuff?”

“We have a private messaging app.”

“Okay, but that’s still online, right? A-and I think SepTech has been reaching out to the news via emails. All that sort of stuff can be affected by ANTI, especially since he already had access to all their stuff.”

“And why do you think all current SepTech communications are written by anyone but themselves?” Magnify asked.

“Because surely they must know how bad this looks for them! By refusing to let people into the buildings where there might be stuff that Anti-Virus is using, it looks like they’re—they’re uh—colluding with a supervillain!”

“Many technology corporations like SepTech are very protective of their assets. It may seem foolish to an outsider, but from within the company it’s perfectly reasonable. They don’t know what sort of damages will occur if a super fight happens in their building.”

“But—what?” Jackie blinked, shocked. “There were hidden SAMs with weapons in at least one of the buildings! Surely they know there’s a risk there are more in there, or in other buildings! It has to be that ANTI is protecting something he’s hiding in there. Just—just contact SepTech in person, have a representative meet with them and get in-person confirmation that these are their own actions.”

“I’ll pass on the message and see if such a thing gets approval,” Magnify said. “Is there anything else, Windstorm?”

Jackie paused... then sighed. “No.”

“Excellent. Keep searching for McLoughlin, once you get out of the hospital. Have a safe recovery.” And with that, he hung up.

Jackie lowered the phone, and Chase looked at him quizzically. “Did it... go well?”

“Could’ve gone better,” Jackie muttered.

“Yeah... that’s what it sounded like.”

Jackie stared down at the Red Line. Then, after a moment, he dialed another number and lifted it to his ear. This was probably against protocol, and there was a chance that nothing would come of it, but he didn’t like how dismissive Magnify had been. He needed a second opinion, at least.

The Line rang for a while, before it was eventually picked up. “Hello? Windstorm, is that you?”

“Leapfrog, hi!” Jackie laughed. “It’s been a long time since we talked, hasn’t it?”

“Yeah, I-I was surprised to see your number on the ID,” Leapfrog said, laughing a little. “Do you want to catch up or something?”

“Uh, maybe another time. I-I have to tell you something. I know you’re not my handler anymore, but Magnify was really weird about this when I told him it, so like... I don’t know, maybe you can talk to someone about it? Or at least reassure me or something.”

“Oh.” Leapfrog sounded a bit taken aback for a moment, but then her voice hardened into something more serious. “Yeah, of course. What’s the problem?”

Jackie quickly repeated his suspicions about SepTech’s communications, ending with, “And I know that maybe they just want to protect themselves over anything else, but I don’t know, it just feels suspicious and almost convenient for ANTI, you know?”

“I can see where you’re coming from,” Leapfrog agreed. “Now, I’m not really supposed to have work-related contact with you, but I’ll reach out to some people I know in Company Relations. See if I can get some strings pulled. Magnify probably will end up talking to people too, even if he doesn’t think your theory is sound. He’s a big believer in protocol and the protocol says to take stuff like this seriously. But having two people pushing this will give it some clout.”

“Got it.” Jackie relaxed, not realizing how tense he’d been until just then. “Thanks, Leapfrog.”

“Hey, it’s not too hard to do a favor,” Leapfrog laughed. “But you know, you can call me Jennifer sometimes, when you’re talking to me for stuff that’s... unofficial.”

“Well, uh, I’m currently in a public hospital, so that might not be the best idea,” Jackie said. “Secret identities and all that.”

“Oh! You’re in the hospital?!”

“Yeah, got injured on the job.” Jackie sighed. “Don’t worry, though, I’ll be fine in a couple days.”

“Well, get well soon, Windstorm,” Leapfrog said sincerely. “Call if you need anything else.”

“Hah, I will.” Jackie smiled a little. “Thanks. I’ll talk to you later. Hopefully, uh... sooner rather than later. And with... more casual news or something.”

“Yeah. Don’t be a stranger. I’ll see you around. Bye.”

“Bye.” And with that, Jackie hung up.

“That sounded like it went better,” Chase said.

“I think so, yeah.” Jackie nodded. “I just... I just think that ANTI possibly posing as SepTech is a big deal that needs to be checkedout soon. So I... uh...”

“Covered your bases to make sure it happened, I get it.” Chase nodded.

“Yeah... I guess I’ll get an update later, then. I’ll just... chill around until I get that.” Jackie leaned over and put the Red Line on the table with his supersuit. He sighed. “God, being in a hospital is so boring. I almost wish there was another SAM attack.”

Chase smiled a little. “No you don’t.”

“No I don’t,” Jackie agreed. “But I just want to be able to do something. I can’t wait until I get approved to watch TV again.”

“Well, until then, I’ll chill and keep you company,” Chase said. “They’ll be bringing dinner for you soon, right? Do you think I can, like, call them and ask if they can bring me something, too?”

Jackie laughed. “I don’t think you can, but I’ll do it on your behalf. I have this handy-dandy nurse calling button. I’m sure they’ll understand, especially if I explain your movement problems.”

“Oh, uh, yeah, you can do that.” Chase nodded. “But only if they give you trouble. I-I don’t want to look like I’m using my problems to get free stuff.”

“Don’t worry, this is a hospital, I’m sure they’d get it,” Jackie assured him. “And they’ve also probably dealt with worse. Some people get really cranky when they’re hurt and bored.”

“Hah, true.” Chase smiled. “Okay, let’s call them, then.”

“Mm-hm.” Jackie picked up the call nurse button.

Everything sort of faded away for a bit, only to suddenly jolt back into being. Bright lights in his eyes, moving fast, other motions nearby. Loud voices, some screeching rattling sound. He thought, for some reason, about a shopping cart with a squeaky wheel. Despite how jarring this all was, it was not much clearer than the earlier colors and movements. He tried to say something, tried to ask the moving voices what was happening... His head was pounding...

Something sharp pierced his arm. He jolted, and cried out as that movement made his head hurt. The motion in his vision made his stomach roil, as well. There was another voice—soft and reassuring, but not familiar. What were they saying? He couldn’t... concentrate...

His head was pounding and it was hard to concentrate. His head was... his head hurt, and he couldn’t... focus. His head... ow... and he couldn’t... thoughts...

...

When Jackie next opened his eyes, his head still hurt, but it didn’t feel like his skull was splitting in two like it had earlier. It had dulled down to a pain like a mild headache. Though he quickly remembered that the pain wasn’t caused by an internal source like a headache. ANTI! Those mechanical arms—the factory! His concussion—fuck, wait, now that he was aware, his whole body was aching. He hissed, inhaling sharply through his teeth as the bone-deep pain finally started to register.

At the sound of his voice, a small thing moved next to him. Jackie didn’t want to move his head too much, but he was able to move just his eyes over to it. A white dog’s head was sitting on his bed. For a moment, he was alarmed, but then the rest of the dog’s body registered. Of course. It was Frosty, and he was standing next to the bed with his head resting on the mattress. Why was his first thought something much more gruesome and much less sensical? Upon realizing Jackie was looking at him, Frosty stuck his tongue out and wagged his tail. But he still remained sharply attentive, not jumping on him like an excitable dog might have. Jackie smiled slightly.

If Frosty was here, then Chase had to be here, too. His eyes looked around the room, taking in more details. The walls were painted a pale olive color, with a white... baseboard? No, it wasn’t called a baseboard when it was running across the middle of the walls like that, dividing them in two. What was it called? He couldn’t remember. Maybe he could look it up later. Hanging on the wall directly across from him was a whiteboard with some writing on it. He read the first line. Patient Name: Windstorm (HeroIDPro). Patient? So this was a hospital. He’d suspected as much from the look of the bed he was lying in. It had railings, and was slightly bent in the middle, propping him up. Frosty had put his head on the railing-less gap near Jackie’s legs (probably there so he could eventually stand up). He looked around the room some more. There was an open doorway leading to a dark bathroom. A flatscreen TV above the whiteboard. A window with the blinds drawn. And a reclining armchair in the corner next to the window, footrest up. Chase was curled up in the armchair.

Jackie relaxed a bit just seeing Chase. So... he wouldn’t be alone in here. Good. He’d been in hospitals before, but never in a situation like this, waking up already in the room. It made him... nervous.

Wait a second... how did he get here in the first place? The last thing he remembered—well, remembered clearly—was talking to Schneep on the earpieces while walking along the side of the motorway. Someone must have brought him here, right? Unless he walked all the way back to Daindover, but he probably wasn’t in any shape to do that.

He looked down at himself, tilting his head just the slightest bit. He was wearing the black tank top he’d put on under his super suit before leaving to go to the factory. Judging by the feeling of the blanket on his legs, he was also wearing the black shorts he’d put on with the tank top. But then—where was his suit?! Where was his mask?!

His head shot up again—and he couldn’t help but make a pained “aah!” sound as the movement aggravated the feeling in his head. Right, right, the blow that caused the concussion. He winced, squinting his eyes against the light of the hospital room in the hopes that would make it hurt less—like with a migraine. Nevermind that the causes of those two things were very different! They both had to do with the brain, didn’t they? The squinting didn’t help too much, but it did draw his attention to something. There was something on his face. A... mask.

So... he was still wearing that? He supposed he was happy that the staff respected his identity like that—oh! Was the “HeroIDPro” on the whiteboard related to that, somehow? His identity was... protected?

While he was thinking about that, Frosty had alerted at the sound of pain he made. Instantly, Frosty went back over to Chase and started nudging him. “Hrmgh...” Chase stirred after a few seconds of this, blinking his eyes open. He looked down at Frosty, who then turned to face Jackie, and Chase followed his dog’s gaze that way. His eyes widened. “J-Jackie? Y-you’re awake!” He cried, relief evident in his voice.

“Uh... y-yeah.” Jackie nodded slowly—very slowly. “Hi, uh, Chase.”

“H-how do you feel, bro?” Chase asked, leaning forward. His eyes scanned Jackie up and down attentively.

“...in pain?” Jackie said.

“Hah... y-yeah I guess that’s, uh... expected.” Chase sighed. “I-I’m glad you’re awake, though. I’m... I’m really glad.”

“Yeah...” Jackie looked at Chase closely. There were dark circles under his eyes, and his clothes were extremely rumpled. Then he looked back down at himself. There were band-aids and larger adhesive bandages all over his arms, some stronger material wrapped around his arm (and he could feel it on his leg, too.) There was an IV needle stuck into the crook of his elbow on his uninjured arm, and Jackie followed the connected tube up to a plastic bag of liquid, lightly tinted yellow. “...they’re putting pee in my veins,” he mumbled without thinking.

Chase burst into laughter.

“Uh—forget I said that,” Jackie said quickly. “Forget I—I don’t know why I said that out loud. I just—I-I guess I’m just—talking?”

“Oh, you’re going to be alright, I think,” Chase said between giggles. “Ah.” He sighed, and then returned to his previous expression, drawn and worried. “So, uh... I’m guessing the Anti-Virus thing didn’t go so smoothly.”

“N...no.” Jackie glanced at the TV nervously, then looked around the rest of the room for any sign of cameras or other electronics. The TV was probably fine, it didn’t have a microphone or cameras, but other stuff...

“Oh, I uh... put my phone in the bathroom, if that’s what you’re looking for,” Chase said. “I tested it out, I don’t think it can pick us up from here. I also have your earpiece thing in my pocket here.” He patted his jeans pocket. “But that’s like... not connected to anything, uh, external, so it should be fine, right?”

“R-right.” Jackie nodded—again, going very slowly. “So, uh... how did I... get here? Did... you bring me here?”

“Y-yeah.” Chase shifted position, stretching his legs and arms. “Last night. Schneep called me and told me to go find you because I was the closest, and I had a license to drive and stuff. I-I borrowed Mrs. Benson’s car—you know, our neighbor with the kid daughter. Then I... drove out of town, according to his directions, and... god, I was lucky to see you.” He went a bit pale. “There was this wall along the side of the road, it was mostly hiding you, but it was broken in one place and I just barely saw this hint of red reflecting the headlights and—fuck, I caused so many near-crashes trying to turn around and park in time, I actually think there was maybe a collision, I-I don’t really remember clearly—”

“I-it’s okay, it was an emergency,” Jackie assured him. “You were probably panicking, too. It’s fine. Take a deep breath.”

Chase nodded, and indeed took a deep breath. “Can’t believe you’re reassuring me after you were the one unconscious on the side of the road after being attacked by a supervillain.”

“Well, I... don’t really remember being unconscious on the side of the road, but I can see you freaking out in front of me right now,” Jackie reasoned. “A-anyway, you, uh, then grabbed me and put me in the car? While I was unconscious?”

“Actually, uh... I don’t think you were fully unconscious?” Chase said slowly. “There was this trail in the dirt behind you—I-I think you’d crawled along a bit. And your eyes were open for some of the ride, just sort of... looking out the passenger window at the streetlights. You tried to say some stuff, too, but I-I don’t remember what it was, o-or if it was even... clear. Oh, and you threw up twice, too.”

“Great...” Jackie licked his chapped lips, wincing as he caught the faintest taste of acid. “Hope Mrs. Benson won’t be mad about that.”

“I called her and promised to pay for the cleaning,” Chase said. “She said her daughter had done worse to the car, though.”

“So we... drove back here, then?” Jackie asked. “We’re in Daindover, right?”

“Yeah, in St. Ellen’s Hospital,” Chase confirmed. “Schneep told me to go here. I think he said they were... less likely to unmask you?”

“Right, I remember now, they... they have some sort of agreement with the League,” Jackie mumbled. “Some hospitals do that. Not Greengate, where Schneep works. I-I thought I was there, but... it makes sense we’re here, instead.”

“Okay. Yeah. I-I guess that makes sense.” Chase let out a breath. “Couldn’t remember the details... only really what I wrote down.”

“It must’ve been stressful, I get it.” Jackie glanced at the window. Sunlight was streaming through the blinds. And that’s when something Chase said fully registered to him. “Last night? It’s been a whole night? A-and you’ve been... did you... sleep here overnight?”

“Yeahhh,” Chase said slowly. “I-I don’t think it was supposed to be, uh, allowed. But the doctors must’ve realized how worried I was.”

“Did you... tell them that you know who...?”

“Who you are? I don’t... I-I don’t think so. But...” Chase paused. “I-it’s hard to remember the details, like I said. I might’ve. But I-I don’t think I would.”

“Makes sense,” Jackie admitted. He leaned back, resting his head fully in the pillow. “So. Schneep and Marvin called you. Do you know where they are now?”

“Uh, Schneep texted me late last night—I-I’d been sending him updates, even though he said he wouldn’t read them until later.” Chase reached for his pocket, then stopped. “Right. Phone’s in the bathroom. A-anyway, apparently they left the place they were searching and both... went home, I think. But they want to find some way to check on you as soon as possible. That... might be difficult, since you’re... Windstorm right now, so they can’t really say they’re your friends, or, uh... secret identity and shit.”

“Maybe it’d be fine,” Jackie muttered. “I doubt any of the staff here are villains. And ANTI already knows my identity.”

“...oh. Right.” Chase went quiet. “Do, uh... you want me to... call them? Or something?”

“I don’t know. Maybe? I guess you should tell them I’m awake and stuff.” Jackie closed his eyes briefly. Then he wondered if that was really a good idea, and opened them again. “Uh... maybe you should tell the nurse or whoever, too. I think they should know I’m up.”

“Right, right!” Chase nodded. “There’s a nurse call button right by your hand there.” He pointed. “You can call them, that’s probably easier.”

“Oh.” Jackie glanced down at the single-button remote right by his uninjured hand. He picked it up and pressed the call button as Chase had indicated. “That looks like a detonator from a cartoon.”

Chase laughed. “Yeah, it does a little, doesn’t it?”

A nurse walked into the room only a few moments later, looking very tired in her green scrubs but smiling through it. “Windstorm! I’m glad you’re awake. We all are, all of us here at St. Ellen’s. I’m the nurse on shift right now, Mary. Is there anything I can do for you?”

“No, uh, just wanted to let you all know I’m awake,” Jackie said. “I’d also appreciate some details about my, uh... condition. I know I probably have a concussion, but I’d like some specifics.”

“Oh, well, it’s right on your chart here.” The nurse, Mary, walked over to the base of the bed and picked up a clipboard that had been attached there. “You do have a very bad concussion, as well as all sorts of cuts, bruises, abrasions, lacerations—and the bones in your left arm and right leg have hairline fractures in them.”

Jackie’s stomach sank. “Well... that’s not good.”

“You’ll be fine sooner rather than later, Windstorm sir,” Mary assured him. “We’ve been authorized to use the ultsanarine on you.”

“The what?” Chase whispered, mostly to himself in confusion.

“Ah, okay.” Jackie looked over at Chase. “Ultsanarine is a... medicine? Uh, a medicine created by a hero called Dr. Remedy. She was an actual doctor, and she figured out a way to turn her healing ability into an actual formula. Don’t ask me how, I didn’t have to learn that much for the written part of the League entrance test. Anyway, ultsanarine can heal almost anything... though at a much slower rate than Dr. Remedy herself could.”

“Ohhh. Interesting.” Chase nodded. “So that must be the pee—th-the, uh, yellow stuff in the IV bag there.”

“Exactly, sir,” Mary said, either not seeing or choosing to ignore the grin Jackie was failing to hide. “It’s very difficult to make, so the League hands it out very sparingly. I think it has something to do with... population density? Uh, don’t ask me for, uh, details, though. But, uh, with it, Windstorm will be ready to leave the hospital in only a week... pending no complications."

"A week is still a lot!” Chase said, eyebrows shooting up.

“Well, I’m sure I’d be staying a lot longer without it,” Jackie said. “Some of my bones are broken, right? That would take... fucking... weeks to heal, normally. At least a month.”

Mary’s eyes widened slightly, surprised to hear a Hero swear. But she moved on. “Well they were only slightly fractured, not completely fractured. There were only cracks, no complete breakage like you see in movies and stuff. So that would speed up the healing process. Even so, you’re right, Windstorm, it would still take them a long time to heal.” She paused. “Uh, now that you’re awake, do you feel good enough to do some simple cognition tests? To make sure that the head injury isn’t affecting you too much.”

“What, now?” Jackie asked.

“As soon as possible. We’d need to get the doctor in to talk about that and schedule it.”

“Uh... okay, sure...” Jackie nodded slowly. “Can, uh... this man stay here for a bit longer?” He tilted his head towards Chase. “I-I like... I-I don’t want to... I-I think his presence is... comforting.”

Chase blinked. His expression softened and he looked down, blinking back tears.

“Normally we’d only allow family to stay here...” Mary said slowly. “But he was very insistent about staying with you, and if you’re alright with that... I suppose we can make an exception. I’ll have to clear it with the doctor, just to make sure, though.”

“Of course. That’s, uh, perfectly understandable.” Jackie smiled a little. “Uh, I’ll just wait for you to talk to them, then.”

“Is there anything more I can do for you before I go?” Mary asked.

“I’m good, but thanks.”

“Alright. I’ll be right back.” And with that, she turned and left, glancing back over her shoulder for a moment before leaving and closing the door behind her.

Jackie let out a breath once she was gone. He looked back to Chase. “Alright... you should call or text Schneep and Marvin now. Let them know the situation.”

“Y-yeah, good idea.” Chase whistled, and Frosty snapped to attention, returning to his side to help him up from the chair. It was a bit difficult with the footrest out, so Chase quickly retracted that, and Frosty helped him up. “Uh... they might want to come see you,” Chase said once he was fully on his feet. “What do we do about that? We can’t tell the staff that they’re your friends, that would ruin your secret identity.”

“...didn’t we talk about this before the nurse came in the room?” Jackie asked.

“I, uh... forgot.” Chase winced. “Sorry.”

“No, it’s fine,” Jackie assured him. “Well, uh, like I said, maybe it’s fine. I don’t think any of the staff here are villains. And even if a villain was watching and stalking and all that, I don’t know how much could be found out from knowing that I know the two of them. If we want to be really cautious, they can use fake names on the sign-in sheet, or whatever.”

Chase laughed. “I’ll let them know that that’s an option. I bet Marvin would’ve thought about it if we didn’t, though.” He went into the bathroom to grab his phone and message the others.

Shortly after that, Mary returned with a man in a white coat—apparently Jackie’s assigned doctor. They talked a lot about cognitive tests and how Jackie could expect the healing to go and all of that. They also explained more of what happened when Chase brought Jackie in, with how he’d been rushed to the emergency room and the best SDER doctors looked him over. The doctor was trying to sound very optimistic about things, but Jackie thought it sounded more evasive than anything else. He must’ve been in terrible shape when he arrived. Which he wasn’t really surprised about, but it did scare him a little. ANTI had intended to kill him... and he was more than capable of doing it.

Chase stayed in the bathroom until they were done, then emerged and told Jackie that he’d messaged Schneep and Marvin about all this and they wanted to come visit tomorrow evening. “Hopefully you won’t have too many tests around then,” he said. “I know that when you get a head injury they’re all about putting you through a bunch of different tests. Hah... that’s most of my early memories, you know.” Chase smiled awkwardly, though it soon faded. “Uh... if there’s... anything you need, you know, you can always ask me. I-I know that when I... when I was in the hospital for my injury, I-I really appreciated having Schneep there for me. You know?”

“...thanks, Chase,” Jackie whispered. “You know... I think... I think I owe you my life.”

Chase went pale at that. “I... W-well I’m sure it wasn’t that bad...”

“I was in the middle of nowhere with a head injury,” Jackie mumbled. “I got lucky. I’m... I’m so lucky you were there, Chase. I-I can never make it up to you.”

“...hah. W-well... let’s just... call it even for that time you caught me while I was falling off a skyscraper,” Chase said.

“Fair enough.” Jackie nodded. “But... really. Thanks.”

“...you’re welcome,” Chase said quietly.

They sat there quietly for a while. They would’ve turned on the TV, but the doctor advised Jackie to avoid doing that for at least the next two days. And so they sat in silence, with each other.

===============

Schneep and Marvin did indeed stop by the next evening, checking in for visiting hours. Usually, you would simply sign a sheet with your name, the date, and the patient name and room number you were here to see. But since they were trying to visit Windstorm, the city’s Hero, the nurse had to clear it with Jackie, in person. He said that they were alright to come in, and soon the two of them walked into the hospital room. “Huh... not the worst room I’ve ever seen for something like this,” Marvin muttered. “It’s nice that they hooked you up in a private room and not one of the general wards. But it’s probably some sort of security concern or some shit, right?”

“I have never worked at a hospital where we had to treat an injured Hero,” Schneep said. “But yes, I would assume so. There are similar concerns for other victims of violent crimes, occasionally. Cases where there is a risk the attacker might come for them. So it is not exclusive to Heroes.”

“Well if they’re worried that someone might come after Windstorm here, maybe they should have some cops outside or something,” Marvin muttered. He glanced at Jackie. “Hey, Windstorm.” Then at Chase. “Hey, Chase. God, you look terrible.”

Chase, once again sitting in the armchair in the corner, chuckled. “Jackie definitely looks worse than me.”

“I appreciate you not saying that I looked bad to my face, though,” Jackie added. “I think I can picture it well enough.”

“You look not too worse for wear, Jackie,” Schneep said. “The bandages make it all look bad, but you seem to be healing nicely underneath them. Chase, however... you look exhausted. Have you left this hospital room since dropping him off here?”

Chase shook his head. “Nah, not really. I went and got some food from the hospital cafeteria a couple times. But other than that... been here thee whole time.”

“It’s been... i-it’s been nice having him here,” Jackie said quietly. “Even if I think he should go home soon. Sleeping in a chair two nights in a row is bound to wreak havoc on your body. You’re going to have a million aches and pains.”

“I’ve had worse.” Chase smiled tiredly.

Schneep sighed. “Well, I hope you are not sacrificing your health. And speaking of health, how are you doing, Jackie?”

“Uh, pretty good, I guess... I’m doing well in all the tests and stuff,” Jackie said. “My hands are a bit shaky but they’re getting better. How have you two been? And, uh...” He paused. “Phones?”

“We didn’t bring them,” Marvin confirmed.

“And how’s Jameson been, too?” Jackie asked.

“He’s fine,” Marvin said. “Just been continuing the hiding life, you know? Soren says that next time we go underground, though, we should go with him and maybe JJ too, if JJ’s up for that.”

Jackie nodded. “That’s probably a good idea. Pathos used the underground a lot. I only ever went down there to deal with him and his henches, and I basically didn’t go back there after he was arrested.” He shuddered. “It’s not easy to fly in cramped tunnels.”

“Well, we found a pretty big empty cylinder down there,” Marvin mused. “It was pretty nerve-wracking to walk across those catwalks knowing you could fall at any minute.”

“Ah... speaking of what happened in that big empty cylinder, by the way...” Schneep cleared his throat.

“...what?” Jackie sat up straight. “What is it?”

Schneep and Marvin glanced at each other. “Well, I think it really started when we decided to leave because you passed out...” Schneep said slowly.

Together, the two of them recounted the story of two nights ago, summing up how they hurried to leave the underground, and just coincidentally happened to run into Dr. Jack McLoughlin along the way, looking terrible and acting strangely. They asked him questions, but eventually ANTI took over, and chased after them with some SAMs until Marvin eventually scared him off. Jackie listened to all this with wide eyes, and he could see Chase doing the same next to him. “You... you shot his hand off?!” Chase gasped.

“I-I didn’t mean to!” Marvin quickly said. “And it was just his prosthetic hand, not his real one!” He shook his head. “I-I was aiming for the SAMs...”

“I guess it’s... interesting that he wasn’t willing to fight one-handed,” Jackie said slowly. “It means that he really, really doesn’t want McLoughlin to die. So much so that he’s not willing to face people if there’s the slightest chance he might get hurt.” He let out a breath. What McLoughlin was going through sounded terrible; Jackie couldn’t imagine constantly blacking out and knowing that your body was being used for evil during that gap. But at least he would probably survive it. Hopefully.

“And... Timekeeper is safe, too?” Chase asked hesitantly. “That woman McLoughlin was describing... it must’ve been her, right?”

“It must be!” Schneep said fiercely. “He has kept her alive for this long, hasn’t he?!”

“Unless he didn’t and that was some other woman...” Marvin muttered.

“Do not even joke about that, Marvin!” Schneep grabbed Marvin’s shoulder. “Anti-Virus needed her for leverage, he would not have let her die. And besides, if it is not Dahlia, then what other brown-haired woman in a coma is he keeping captive?”

“Uhh... good point,” Marvin said. “And you’re right, it’s probably her. I wouldn’t know who else he would want alive.”

“McLoughlin described the room, but he had no idea how to get there,” Schneep muttered, folding his arms and turning, pacing across the floor. “It is most likely in the underground, since McLoughlin has been trapped down there. He seems like the sort to keep all his resources together—unless he would rather not keep all his chicks in one basket? That is a chance. But then why would no one see McLoughlin walking around?”

“Well, not everyone just casually knows what the head of SepTech looks like,” Chase pointed out.

“Technically he’s not fully in charge of SepTech, but yeah, I get what you mean,” Jackie said. “I didn’t know what he looked like. I didn’t even clock who he was the first time we talked.” He frowned. “Okay... so. They’re definitely underground somewhere... but the place is pretty big. I guess maybe Soren would know his way around it better than the rest of us? Maybe once I get out of the hospital here, we should... all... go down there to search.” He said that last part haltingly.

“You’re really not a fan of the underground, are you?” Marvin said. “No wonder you never followed me down the sewer entrances when I escaped that way.”

“I told you earlier, cramped tunnels are not good for someone who can fly!” Jackie said fiercely. “I can’t exactly use my powers to their full extent like that!”

“What are you getting out of the hospital, anyway?” Marvin asked.

“If I had to guess, it would be another week,” Schneep mused.

“It’s six days now, actually,” Jackie said. “But yeah, about that. Assuming everything goes well and I pass all the tests and don’t miss any ultsanarine doses.” He nodded at the IV bag.

“I’ve never liked the way that medicine looked,” Marvin muttered. “It looks like... something else.”

“...like what?” Jackie grinned.

“Oh you know... lemonade,” Marvin said evasively. “Anyway, what if me and Schneep here keep searching the underground while you’re stuck in here? And, uh, Soren, I guess. And maybe JJ.”

“Oh shit!” Chase gasped. “You guys totally have to tell JJ that his sister might be down there! He needs to know that you have confirmation of it! Uh—indirectly!”

“Believe me, I have been planning to tell him,” Schneep said firmly. “But it is hard to reach him, with the lack of technology in the safe house. I wanted to know that Jackie was alright so I could reassure him of that at the same time.” His voice was slightly strangled; it was killing him to have to wait, but they needed to be efficient with their information delivery.

“I wouldn’t mind if you guys kept searching the underground,” Jackie said. “I could manage the whole situation aboveground. You know, keeping an eye out for other ANTI activity. There’s no way he has everything underground... isn’t there?”

Marvin frowned. “Well, there’s still the matter of the SepTech buildings. SepTech itself is probably still being weird and cagey about letting people into them. Which is so fucking weird, isn’t it? Do they know how much bad press they’re getting from this?! It’s like they’re basically helping a supervillain, because if there’s anywhere aboveground that Anti-Virus has control over, it’s those places! Seriously. How hard is it to hold a meeting and then send a quick email to the League or the press telling them that Heroes can go inside?”

Jackie suddenly inhaled sharply. “Wait... email?”

“Uh... yeah?” Marvin nodded. “That’s primarily how SepTech and the League communicate, or at least it was how they talked back when I was—oh.” His eyes widened. “Oh shit.”

“If SepTech only reaches out through electronic means... who’s to say those haven’t been... intercepted?” Jackie muttered. “Intercepted and changed?”

Schneep gasped. “You are not implying—?!”

“I am definitely implying,” Jackie said firmly. “We know that ANTI had control over SepTech systems in Daindover, what’s stopping him from also controlling their official company communications? And he also hacked into the League servers at least once, so he could also have that as a point of access. There’s a high chance that SepTech isn’t actually barring any entry into the buildings, but that ANTI is just making it appear like they aren’t.”

Chase looked confused. “But... this has been going on for a while now. Wouldn’t someone somewhere have tried to reach them through some other means? Like, I know that if I text my boss at work, but I don’t get a reply, I’ll text again. But if that doesn’t get a reply either, I’ll eventually call her.”

“Many phone lines these days are electronic,” Schneep muttered.

“And... Chase. You should know that ANTI is able to manipulate phone calls,” Jackie said quietly. “His voice is simulated. He can make it sound however he wants.”

Chase went pale. “I... I-I tried to forget he could do that,” he whispered quietly.

“Okay, one of you has to go back to my bedroom in my apartment and find my Red Line,” Jackie said. “The next time you all visit, bring it here so I can bring up that theory to the League. I’m supposed to be leading this case, this is something that they need to know so they can counter it. They can do their own investigation while I’m stuck here in the hospital.”

“I-I can do that,” Chase said.

“Yeah, good. Go home and get some sleep tonight, then first thing in the morning, come back to bring me the Line.”

Marvin frowned. “Should you be... alone in the hospital? I still think it’s weird that they don’t have anyone protecting you. I know Anti-Virus doesn’t have a body and all, but he could still send SAMs to finish the job.”

Jackie shuddered. “I-I don’t... I don’t want any of you to have a sleepless night...” he whispered.

“Well we do not want you to have a forever sleep,” Schneep said.

“...very optimistic, doc,” Chase muttered.

Marvin sighed. “Look, I don’t have anything to do tomorrow. If they try to get me into work, I can call in sick. If you’re okay with it, Jackie... I can stay here so Chase can get some sleep.”

Jackie tilted his head, surprised. He never thought Spitfire Cat would offer to sleep in a hospital armchair so that he, Windstorm, could be safe and comfortable. For a moment, he felt time and the changing of it all stretch out behind him. Then he nodded. “That could work.”

“Great, then I will talk to Jameson tonight,” Schneep said. “Tell him the news and see what he is feeling. And Chase and Frosty will get some rest and bring the Red Line in the morning.” He paused. “We can wait one more day, yes?”

“I... I-I think so,” Jackie said slowly. “I’ll need it to recover... apparently I’m not supposed to do anything mentally challenging. I can’t even watch TV. I-I think I need to get out of that safe period before I even think about doing anything risky.” He sighed. “Maybe I shouldn’t have gone to the factory...”

“Perhaps,” Schneep said. “But thinking in what-ifs are no use. We thought it was a good idea.”

Jackie looked at the others in the room. “Uh... thanks. For... being around, I guess.”

Chase nodded. “Of course.”

“We’re in this together,” Marvin said. “Be a real dick move to abandon this whole thing now.”

“Get some rest, Jackie,” Schneep said. “Try to rest up.”

“I will,” Jackie promised.

Jackie was shaken by the attack, but he tried to focus, letting muscle memory take over as he flew towards his apartment. He spotted his bedroom window immediately. No SAMs in sight around it. Peering through the glass, he didn’t see SAMs inside his room, either. So he tested the window. Luckily, it was still openable, so he pushed it open and climbed inside. Letting out a breath, he set the Red Line and his radio earpiece down, then walked over to the door and opened it, going into the hallway. He should probably take a shower or something—

A rush of footsteps, and then a shout.

“Welcome home, Jackie!” Chase yelled in greeting. He blew a loud HONK! on a gold noisemaking device. Frosty barked as well. “I thought you’d come in through the front door, not the window. You made me walk all the way down here!”

“Gah!” Jackie jumped into the air, then laughed. “You scared me!”

“Oh, sorry.”

“Nah, it’s fine. Sorry about the window thing.” Jackie lowered himself back to the ground. “But there was this SAM waiting for me outside the hospital, I had to fly off in a hurry! Besides, I didn’t have any regular clothes with me. It would’ve been awkward to take the elevator.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re back, at least!” Chase said, grinning. “We all are!”

“All?” Jackie blinked.

“Yes, all!” Someone else poked their head into the hallway from the living room. Schneep. “Me and Marvin are here as well.”

“Sup?” Marvin called.

Jackie wasn’t sure how to respond to this. “I... wasn’t expecting a welcome party, to be honest. I kind of just wanted to get out of these clothes and take a shower. I’ve been basically wearing this for a week.”

“I told you two,” Schneep scolded. He turned around and glared, presumably at Marvin. “One does not want to immediately talk to people when getting home after a long day! Not to mention a long week.”

“Jackie needs an update!” Marvin insisted, still out of sight.

“Uh... sorry,” Chase said slowly, his expression falling. “I-I just... I know I would’ve appreciated some sort of welcome home after... getting out of the hospital.”

Jackie winced to himself, then smiled. “Hey, don’t worry about it, Chase!” He wrapped his arm around his shoulders and squeezed him a bit. “I really do appreciate it! I just wasn’t expecting it and I need some time to not feel so physically gross.”

“Well... yeah, I get that.” Chase smiled hesitantly. “Uh... go on, take that shower. We’ll wait.”

“You know, I don’t really want to do that while we have visitors,” Jackie said. “Feels rude.”

“No, go on, we wouldn’t mind,” Marvin called.

“Uhhh... I would definitely mind, though, especially since you said it,” Jackie said.

“Huh?” Footsteps, and then Marvin’s face poked around the corner. “I’m being sincere! We wouldn’t mind. I wouldn’t, at least.”

“Yeah, no, definitely not now,” Jackie decided.

Marvin looked genuinely confused. “But... I said we wouldn’t...? Okay, fine, I guess.”

Schneep rolled his eyes. “Come, Marvin, let me explain some things about Jackie’s personality to you.”

Jackie blinked, confused. “Uhhh... well, I’ll change clothes, at least. I don’t want to be wearing my supersuit and underclothes for much longer.”

“...do you wash your supersuit like regular clothes?” Chase whispered. “How did I never see you doing that?”

“I hide it in my laundry basket.” Jackie grinned. “I’ve had a lot of practice doing that, since I’ve had worse roommates than you. Anyway, be right back.” He turned around and went back into his room.

A few minutes later, he walked back out into the living room, seeing everyone else in there waiting for him. Chase and Schneep were sitting on the sofa, with Frosty lying across their laps, and Marvin sitting in the armchair. “Alright, here I am.” Jackie waved, squeezing into the last empty spot on the sofa next to Chase. Frosty sniffed him, and Jackie pet his head and ears. “So, you said I needed an update?”

Marvin nodded. “Yeah.”

“Are you okay to talk and stuff?” Chase asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Jackie said. “You guys have probably been busy while I’m away. I know that you wanted to explore the underground some more.”

“Yes, we have done more of that,” Schneep said. “Of course, me and Marvin have led the way on that, but we have worked with Soren as well. His guidance has been invaluable.”

“We’ve searched most of the surface tunnels by now, and found nothing,” Marvin explained. “He’s been taking us deeper, but honestly, I worry that we won’t find anything until we go way far down. That weird cylinder where we found McLoughlin was pretty far underground.”

“But he has still been a great help!” Schneep hurried to add. “In fact.” He leaned down—or, tried to, but Frosty was in the way. “Uh... my bag...”

Jackie could see a bag between Schneep’s feet. “Oh no, the dog is in the way,” he laughed.

“I got it.” Marvin stood up and grabbed the bag, handing it to Schneep.

“Thank you.” Schneep opened up the bag and pulled out a folded piece of paper. He held it out to Jackie. “Here, this is a map we have been trying to make. There is not really an official map of the underground, for understandable reasons. It would be bad for the people down there if a superhero got a hold of it. But people make their own maps, and this is what we have been working on.”

Jackie took the paper and unfolded it, scanning it as Schneep talked. “Uhh... I... don’t understand any of this.” It just looked like a bunch of lines. They reminded Jackie of a tangle of striped snakes, with the occasional label on it.

“Oh... well, perhaps it makes no sense to someone not familiar with it,” Schneep laughed. “Ah, as far as we can tell, these are all the tunnels on the first ‘layer’ of the underground. I have another for the second layer, and then the third one is a work in progress.”

“The underground has layers?” Jackie mumbled.

“More or less,” Marvin said. “It’s manmade, after all. Originally it was maintenance tunnels and stuff, right? So it’s built like a bunch of basements. There’s slight changes in elevation—that’s what the lines mean.”

“Ohhh... right, I have seen those on maps of mountains,” Chase said.

“Maps of mountains?” Jackie blinked. “Huh. I’ve never seen a map of that.”

“Yeah, they look really cool.” Chase shrugged. “Anyway. This is like... the reverse of that.”

“And Soren’s been helping you with this?” Jackie asked.

“Yes.” Schneep nodded. “He didn’t have any of his own maps, apparently those have been lost over time since his arrest. But he’s been guiding us through the tunnels. Jameson has also brought up the idea of helping. He wonders if he might see something familiar.”

Jackie frowned. “JJ’s not really a fighter, though... what if you guys run into trouble?”

“That has been what’s keeping him from joining so far,” Schneep said. “Soren has been trying to encourage him, though.”

The group continued to talk. Schneep took out a street map of Daindover and lined it up with the homemade underground map, showing where each tunnel lined up with the surface. Jackie nodded to himself, following along. He knew some of this already, but there was a lot that he was unaware of. Mostly on the west side of the city. When Soren was acting as Pathos, he mostly worked on the north and east sides, using the tunnels there. So Jackie knew about that much, but the rest was unfamiliar.

“Any other questions?” Schneep asked.

“No, not really.” Jackie shook his head. “I’m getting the important part. Which is that you haven’t found any place where ANTI might be hiding out.”

“Like I said earlier, I really think he’s deeper down,” Marvin insisted.

“Well, anyway, do you have anything you want to talk about, Jackie?” Chase asked. “You said something about SAMs and the hospital?”

“Yeah, they kept trying to come after me for a while,” Jackie muttered. “Luckily, those police guards scared them off. But then, when I was leaving earlier, one of them showed up out of nowhere and tried to hit me with a bunch of darts! I smashed it against the wall and ran while it was, uh... recovering, I guess.”

Marvin frowned. “Where are these things coming from? There weren’t that many SAMs created! Were there?”

“I would look it up online, but I do not trust that the number of SAMs has not been changed by ANTI somehow,” Schneep muttered. “He had the opportunity to fudge the reports of how many were being produced. He was probably in charge of those reports!”

Jackie sighed. “Good point. It really does seem like there’s an endless supply, though.” He bit his lip. “I wonder... if he’s doing that at the SepTech factory...”

“It seems possible,” Schneep admitted.

“Well, I’m not going back there yet,” Jackie said. “Not until it’s absolutely necessary.”

“Good,” Schneep said, nodding.

“There’s something else I wanted to ask you...” Chase muttered. “I don’t remember, though... Uh... Did you call someone while in the hospital?”

“Oh, you mean me calling the League!” Jackie nodded. “Yeah, I told them that SepTech communications might’ve been hacked by Anti-Virus. But... I haven’t heard anything back from them on that.”

Marvin raised an eyebrow. “Why haven’t you called them again, then?”

“Uhhh...” Jackie coughed. “Well, I might’ve... asked someone else to look into it?”

Marvin’s eyebrow raised further and he grinned. “Going behind the League’s back, huh?”

“Not quite,” Jackie clarified. “I told Magnify, my handler, about this, but he didn’t seem to take it seriously, so I called Leapfrog instead—my old handler from when I was still on the trial period. She said she’d go through some other channels. So, uh... even though it’s not quite behind the League’s back, it was... a bit underhanded, maybe?”

Marvin laughed. “Don’t say it like that! It’s getting the job done, huh?”

“Well don’t say it like that,” Jackie grumbled. “I have limits of stuff I’d do. I’m not going to start breaking into buildings without due cause. But... this was really important. If SepTech really has been hacked, and the company orders to not go inside the SepTech buildings really have been faked, then there could be something in there!”

“Hah. Yeah, that’s true.” Marvin leaned back into the chair. “I’m just glad you’re not a goody-two-shoes anymore. There was a time when you would’ve balked at that.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Jackie went quiet. “I still have limits,” he repeated.

Marvin’s expression softened a bit. “Of... of course.”

Jackie glanced back towards his room where the Red Line was. “I... I’ll check for messages later,” he said. “Is there anything more you guys want to talk about? About the underground and stuff, I mean.”

“Well... perhaps you can help us fill in some parts of the tunnels?” Schneep asked.

“I really don’t remember them that well,” Jackie said. “But I’ll try.” He leaned forward to look at the map. “Uhh... fill me in on stuff?”

The group continued to talk, but honestly, the plans fell apart quickly as it became clear Jackie wouldn’t be of much help. So they ended up just playing video games for a while before Marvin and Schneep left. Jackie went to his room and checked the Red Line, but there were no messages from anyone. So he finally took that shower and settled down. Hopefully he would get word from them soon. Hopefully they would find McLoughlin—and Dahlia, Timekeeper—before long.

===============

The next morning, Jackie was awoken by the familiar bring bring! of the Red Line. “Gah!” He snapped awake instantly, hand shooting out for the dresser with such force that he ended up half-rolling out of bed, his legs thumping to the floor. He recovered as quickly as he could and grabbed the Red Line, answering it before he’d fully regained his balance. “Hello—wah!” He tumbled the rest of the way out of bed, taking the blanket with him.

“Windstorm?! Is everything okay?!” The voice wasn’t one he was expecting. He picked up the call thinking it would be Magnify on the other line. But instead, it was Leapfrog.

“Yeah, I just fell down,” Jackie said, sitting up. “I was asleep and rolled out of bed.”

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to surprise you,” Leapfrog said.

“No, no, it’s fine.” Jackie climbed up, picking up his time to check the time. “Wait... why are you calling me at 6 am?!”

“Sorry, but I volunteered to give you the news quickly,” Leapfrog said. “That hunch you had about SepTech’s communications? Completely correct. They hadn’t held any sort of in-person press conference, just announced things via emails and phone calls to news stations and the League.”

“What?!” Jackie’s heart surged. Partly out of fear, hearing that ANTI truly had been deceiving them the whole time, but partly out of... righteous vindication. He was right! Magnify had no reason to sound so doubtful!

“There was also a company-wide memo sent out from the board directly, but none of the individual board members remember sending it out," Leapfrog said. “We gained permission to check their computers as well, and there’s no sign that the memo was sent out by any of them. Our technopaths were put to work tracking down the source of it. That’s why it took so long to talk to you again. Sorry about that.”

“No no no, it’s fine,” Jackie said. “This is great to hear.”

“...great?” Leapfrog said hesitantly.

“Oh, uh—it’s not great to hear that SepTech has been, uh, infiltrated,” Jackie said. “But it’s great to know that we’re, uh, on it now.”

“Right, that makes sense.” Leapfrog let out a sigh. “Well, I’m calling now with a confirmation. That memo came from a computer inside the Central SepTech building in Daindover.”

Jackie inhaled sharply. “All of the buildings here that are locked down?”

“Right,” Leapfrog confirmed. “I can only assume that Anti-Virus did indeed make sure that he would be undisturbed in there. And with that in mind, we received permission from the SepTech board to break into the buildings, regardless of how much you’d have to damage them. They have very strong super insurance.”

Jackie laughed. “Of course they do.” He sat down on the edge of his bed, then stood up again. Even though it was super early, he was too full of energy to sit down! “So, I can check out the buildings then?”

“Yep,” Leapfrog confirmed.

“Great!” Jackie pumped his fist—then quickly remembered something and slowly lowered his hand. “Oh, uh... sorry if you... got in trouble about asking around for me, by the way.”

“No, no, it’s fine,” Leapfrog assured him. “I called in some favors to get this to happen. I suppose I was on thin ice for a while, but since it worked out, they’re letting it slide. I might have a small paycheck deduction, though.”

Jackie winced. “Sorry. S-sorry again.”

“It’s fine, really!” Leapfrog insisted. “Something like this is too important to not investigate thoroughly.”

“Then... uh, why did Magnify sound like he didn’t believe me...?” Jackie asked slowly.

“Honestly, that guy’s really by-the-books,” Leapfrog said. “He likes to keep a distant approach with his Heroes. And thus, he probably doesn’t trust you that much.”

“...that’s not exactly something I want to hear about the guy who’s my main contact with the League,” Jackie said slowly.

“That’s not what I—I didn’t mean it that way!” Leapfrog said. “I probably could’ve phrased that better. I just mean... when you’re a handler, you have to look after a large number of Heroes. You can’t get too attached to one, or take in too many of their fights as your own. That’ll overwhelm you, and be terrible for your mental health. I’m sure Magnify trusts you, Windstorm, but think of all the things you deal with as a Hero. Everything ranging from Type C villains who can control your mind to forming personal vendettas with a nemesis to losing people on the job. Imagine you had to deal with ten times that amount. That’s what it would be like for a handler who became friends with all their Heroes. I’m not saying he shouldn’t have taken you seriously, but I can see why he acted a bit cold. He doesn’t have the knowledge and investment you do.”

Jackie was quiet for a moment. Honestly, he’d never considered something like that. “Uh... yeah. Good point,” he said quietly. “Th-thanks. And, uh... sorry again.”

“It’s fine, Jackie, really,” Leapfrog assured him. “If I was in trouble, they wouldn’t have let me call you about it.”

“Oh. Yeah, that makes sense.” Jackie laughed a little. “Uh... I’ll... try to talk to you later, then.”

“Talk to you later,” Leapfrog agreed. “Oh! Before you go, do you have anything to report? I was told to ask for that.”

“No, not really. Uh, ANTI keeps sending SAMs after me. The last one was yesterday.”

“Only one?” Leapfrog asked curiously.

“Yeah. He must be saving his resources,” Jackie figured. “Oh, and I’ll probably try to break into a SepTech building today or tomorrow. I’ll call Magnify about it if I find anything really big in there.”

“Got it. Thanks, Windstorm. And good luck.”

“Thanks. Bye.” Jackie hung up the call, then glanced around the room. Well there was no way he was going to go to sleep after this. But maybe he should try to get a few more hours of rest. He laid back down in bed, staring at the ceiling, a buzz of emotions vibrating throughout his body. This was a big development. It meant that he could actually, finally see what’s in the buildings! But how would he go about doing that? The whole factory thing proved he couldn’t just dive in without thinking.

Hm... maybe he should discuss it with the others before going. They might have some ideas.

===============

“I say you just go in.”

“Marvin, I don’t want to do that!” Jackie said, exasperated. He’d called a meeting with everyone, and they’d all gone to meet at the safehouse. The small living room was a bit cramped with him, Marvin, Schneep, Chase and Frosty, and JJ here. Soren had been forced to stand in the hallway, leaning against the wall. “That’s exactly how I got beat to shit in the factory and had to stay in the hospital for a week!”

“Yeah, but ANTI’s smart, isn’t he?” Marvin pointed out. “If the League technopaths tracked him down, he’ll probably have realized they were doing it. Or, uh... sensed it, or something. I don’t know how his powers work... or his abilities? I... guess they’re not really superpowers if they’re just... how he is.” He trailed off. “It’s weird to think about that.”

Marvin has a point, JJ said. Anti-Virus has always been uncannily able to detect this stuff. It... might be easier to... go through the underground...

“The others said that you and Soren have been helping out with that, right?” Jackie said slowly.

Only Soren, JJ corrected. He’s been guiding them through the tunnels.

“You could come too, you know,” Soren said. “I know you want to.”

I’m just... nervous, JJ said. I don’t exactly have superpowers.

“So? Let’s get you a gun. SAMs aren’t bulletproof. I’m sure I can make contact with some of my old weapons dealers.”

“Don’t talk about buying illegal weapons right in front of me!” Jackie gaped in shock.

Soren smirked. “Oops.”

“In any case, I disagree with Marvin,” Schneep said. “You should not rush in there.”

“I’m not saying he rushes in there, I’m saying he goes in fast before ANTI has a chance to raise the defenses,” Marvin insisted.

“That’s... true...” Jackie said slowly.

“Hm... if you are concerned about defenses, perhaps you should send me in, instead of going yourself, Jackie,” Schneep said. “My powers are uniquely suited for infiltrating places.” He grinned mischievously.

“Well... yeah, but... he has infrared cameras,” Jackie said, remembering the confrontation they’d had with McLoughlin in his lab, when ANTI had first revealed himself. “I think he definitely still has those. So he’d spot you regardless.”

“But he would not be able to do anything to me if I stayed intangible,” Schneep argued.

That’s assuming he hasn’t made any energy-based weapons, JJ said. Those can still hit you when you’re in ghost mode.

“Oh... good point,” Schneep said slowly. “He definitely had SAMs equipped with energy attacks.”

Jackie laughed a little. “Maybe I should just... go up to the building and peek in? It has windows.”

“Recon is always a good thing to do,” Marvin said. “And then... you go in the next day, assuming that you haven’t been spotted. Oh, but he definitely has cameras all around, doesn’t he?”

Schneep nodded. “SepTech had camera systems even before he seemingly took over all the buildings. Now, those are at his disposal.”

Jackie sighed. “This is tough.”

Chase coughed, bringing attention to him for pretty much the first time in this visit. “I... I think you can do it, Jackie,” he said quietly. “You’re fast when you fly. If you just sneak in, peer through a window, and then fly off, even that’s a lot of information, you know. And then, uh, maybe you can adjust on the fly?”

“Hah, the fly,” Soren chuckled.

Chase laughed. “That wasn’t intentional, I promise. But I mean, you don’t have to fly away after checking. If you don’t see a lot of defenses, maybe you can fly in?”

Jackie pressed his lips together, thinking. The others had a point, ANTI probably realized that he’d been found out by the League technopaths and was already starting to shore up his defenses. The sooner he looked into the SepTech buildings, the better. And he wanted to take the fight to ANTI! To stop him from hurting anyone else. But at the same time... he really didn’t want to get hurt like that again. He tried not to think too much about the night at the factory, about how close he’d come to serious injury... or worse. And even if he got away like last time, injuries would slow him down, and they couldn’t afford that. He was lucky that he had the others to help with searching the underground, instead of doing it all himself—oh! The others! “What if... we take this as a team?” he asked.

“A team?” Marvin tilted his head to the side.

“Yeah. When ANTI revealed himself in McLoughlin’s lab, you stepped in before things got too bad,” Jackie said, looking at him. “And at the factory, part of the reason the fight was so close was because I was so far away from you—from any of you. I think... I think all future ANTI confrontations should be shared between multiple people. A-at least two of us at a time, though it’d be better with more people.”

“So you are suggesting that you, me, and Marvin form a little strike team?” Schneep asked.

“Ohhhh that sounds cool when you say it that way,” Jackie whispered.

Marvin grinned. “I’m not opposed to it. I think I’ve proven by now that my powers are the best for taking out the SAMs.”

Are... the rest of us included in this team? JJ asked.

“Y-yeah, what about us?” Chase asked. “Without the fight-y powers? Or... any powers at all?”

“Of course you are, JJ!” Schneep said. “And you too, Chase? Hell, even Soren is welcome, as are Gwen and Kanchana, since those two have already helped us a lot. In fact, I assumed we already were a team.”

Jackie laughed. “We are, but when I was emphasizing the confrontations there. The actual fights.”

“Oh, I should... probably back out, then,” Chase said. “But I can be your getaway driver?”

“I wonder if my powers would work on a computer program,” Soren mused. “I don’t think they would. I’m pretty sure my powers affect brain chemistry.”

“I’m... I’m surprised you asked about the confrontation, JJ,” Jackie said quietly. “I didn’t think you would... want to... see ANTI.”

Jameson shook his head. I don’t... not really. But... I want to help somehow.

“Then come explore the underground with me!” Soren insisted.

Jameson hesitated, going a bit pale. ...Maybe? We’ll... talk more about this later...

“Anyway, back to the matter at hand,” Jackie said. “Marvin, Schneep. What do you say? I think Chase’s suggestion of adjusting on the fly is a good idea. If there aren’t a lot of high defenses, I might try to go in. And... I’d feel a lot better about it if you guys were there as backup.”

“Oh, I’m in.” Marvin nodded definitively.

“I am as well,” Schneep said. “We have a wide variety of powers, and more people is always better.”

Jackie smiled. He felt a knot in his stomach loosen; he hadn’t realized until now how anxious he was about going alone. “Great. Now, the sooner the better, I think. When should we check out one of the buildings?”

===============

They decided to go that night, shortly after the sun had fully set and it was solidly dark. That might impede ANTI slightly—probably not by much, as there was no doubt the cameras he used to see had night vision and infrared vision, but they would take any possible advantage they could get. All three of them had night vision in some way, too, though Marvin had to wear goggles over his mask, so it would be fine for them, too. As for where to check out, they all decided that the North SepTech location would be the best—the one where McLoughlin’s lab was. “That’s probably the closest thing to his main headquarters that we know about,” Jackie reasoned. “It’s the best one to hit if we’re going to hit any of them.”

So, around six o’clock that night, they all gathered on the roof of a building across from the North SepTech location. The same roof where Marvin had waited that day when they confronted McLoughlin. “I hate how early it gets dark in the winter,” Schneep muttered, glancing at the sky.

“I hate how few stars you can see here in the city,” Marvin said.

“Hm?” Jackie also glanced up at the dark expanse above them. “I didn’t expect you to think about that sort of stuff, Spitfire.”

“I grew up in a more rural area,” Marvin said slowly. “I mean, it still wasn’t rural enough to see how the night sky really looks, but we got a lot more stars. As I’ve grown up, I’ve moved to more and more urban places, since... that’s where a lot of superhero and supervillain activities take place. So the sky’s gotten progressively darker.” He trailed off, then shook his head. “I don’t know why I’m getting all... fucking contemplative now. We have to focus.”

Schneep shrugged. “Sometimes things like this hit you at the strangest moments. Now.” He pulled up the hood of his suit. “Jackie, you have your radio earpiece, yes?”

“Yep.” Jackie tapped the device in his ear. “These are really coming in handy, I’m so glad we found them."

"Oh, definitely,” Schneep agreed. “It is so lucky that we have them now. I cannot imagine how hard things would be if ANTI could hack into our communications. Now, Jackie. How are you going to approach this? Me and Marvin are still sticking behind, yes?”

“Yep, though maybe you guys should be on the ground instead of on the roof,” Jackie said. “It’ll be easier to rush to help if something goes wrong.”

“Well why did you ask us to meet on the roof, then?” Marvin grumbled.

“To be sneaky about it,” Jackie said, shrugging. “People rarely keep an eye on the roofs. If ANTI was created from a human’s thought patterns, he might even fall into that, uh, blind spot.”

“Alright, we can start heading back to the ground while you fly across to the building,” Schneep said. “Keep us updated, Windstorm.”

“Got it.” Jackie gave them a little salute and hopped into the air. “I’m probably going to peer into the windows.”

“Good luck,” Marvin said.

“Thanks.” Jackie flew off, heading across the street.

He had to be smart about this. He didn’t know where the cameras were specifically, but he could guess that the windows were probably watched. After some thought, he circled around the building, keeping an eye out for a side entrance. SepTech would probably put more of their cameras around the entrances, since those were the weak spots. So he had to choose a side without one. It looked like the wall to the right of the front entrance was blank, so he stopped across from it, hovering in midair.

“Jackie? Are you there?” Marvin’s voice came over the earpiece. “We’ve reached the ground. Specter is a cheater, he dropped down through a lot of the floors.”

“Heheheh.” Schneep cackled evilly. “I am surprised you didn’t hear Spitfire shouting that I was a cheater! We know that these radio earpieces transmit all sound they pick up.”

“I was probably distracted,” Jackie said. He did remember a vague shouting sound, but he was too busy concentrating on finding a side entrance. “Anyway, I’ve chosen a window to look through by now. I’m backed up a lot, though.”

“Are you going to zoom in?” Marvin asked.

“Zoom... in?” Jackie blinked. “Like, rush forward?”

“No, I mean... surely your fancy mask has some sort of zoom function,” Marvin explained. “Like a camera. Did you ever get a list of its possible functions?”

“Um... maybe not...” Jackie admitted.

Marvin laughed drily. “Of course. Fucking hell, League.”

“Hang on, let me mess with some stuff.” Jackie started pressing the buttons on his mask. His vision changed wildly, night vision turning on and off and heat vision briefly turning on—before suddenly everything got a lot bigger. “Whoa!” After some more checking, he figured out that by holding down one button, he could zoom in his vision, while pressing the one next to it zoomed everything out, with the most zoomed-out being his normal default vision. “Ohhhh that’s really disorienting, actually.”

“So your mask can actually do that?” Schneep asked. “And you never figured it out?”

“Shut up,” Jackie grumbled. “I know now. And I’m going to use it to check these windows.” He zoomed in. This was really hard to control once everything was bigger. Every little twitch of his eyes caused huge movements, but hey, at least everything was clear and not pixelated like the zoom functions on some cameras. He tried his best to focus on one window, but realized that one had frosted glass. So he checked another. And another. It looked like they all had frosted glass on this side. “Hm... I can’t see through these windows. They’re like bathroom windows.”

“What?” Schneep was clearly confused.

“You know, how they’re not actually transparent? They’re all frosted?”

“Then just say that, Windstorm,” Marvin said. “Jeez. And find another window.”

“On it.” Jackie nodded. He flew around to another wall of the building that he thought might not have cameras, and zoomed in on the windows there, too. They were... also frosted. “Huh. Hey, do you guys remember if the windows on this building were always hard to see through?”

“I... don’t know,” Marvin said slowly. “I’ve never really paid attention to the windows here.”

“Some of the ones on the ground floor are tinted, but I remember there being clear ones on the upper floors as well,” Schneep said.

“Huh. Uh, hang on a moment. I’m going to do another lap of the building.” Jackie circled the whole building, keeping as much distance as he could, just in case. And in the process, he realized something. “All the windows are like that,” he said quietly. “Every single one is covered up in some way.”

“What?” Marvin asked. “That... that can’t be good. Did ANTI do that?”

“Maybe?” Jackie zoomed in as much as he could, squinting at the glass. “Huh... I see brushstrokes. I think some sort of... I dunno, frosty substance was painted onto the glass.”

“Of the whole building?” Schneep sounded doubtful. “But how? He has no body. Did the SAMs do it?”

“I mean, I guess?” Jackie paused. “Maybe he made McLoughlin do it? I think these strokes would look more... regular if they were done by a SAM. They’re a bit wobbly.”

“Eugh... that would take forever for one person to do,” Marvin said. “That’s inhuman, that ANTI made him do that.” He laughed. “Though I guess that’s his whole thing, isn’t it?”

“Well, he still insists that he is human, somehow,” Jackie muttered. “Anyway, more importantly, how do I scope out what’s inside the building if I can’t see into the building?”

“Would you like me to poke my head inside?” Schneep asked.

“No no, I can figure something out,” Jackie insisted. He looked around—and spotted something with his mask’s enhanced zoom. There was a bit of loose concrete on a ledge of the neighboring building. He flew over and grabbed it, pulling it free from the rest of the ledge, then flew back into position. He took careful aim, and—!

CRASH!

The lump of concrete flew through the air and completely shattered a window. Not the one he was aiming for, honestly, but it’s better than nothing. Jackie flew forward a bit, using his zoom to peer through the hole he’d made.

“Windstorm?! Was that you?!” Marvin gasped.

“Yeah, I broke a window,” Jackie said.

“Jackie!” Schneep cried. “You dumb bastard!”

“That kind of defeats the whole fucking point of a stealth mission, doesn’t it?!” Marvin shouted.

“...oh.” He’d been so caught up in the current problem that he forgot about the bigger picture. “Well, uh... let me just look inside really quick.”

“Fine, but then you leave, okay?!” Schneep insisted. “We alerted him, which was exactly what we didn’t want to do!”

Jackie gave up on keeping his distance and flew forward, setting his mask view back to normal. He got right up to the hole in the window and looked through...

...the interior of the SepTech building was crawling with those weaponized SAMs.

It was an insane number of them. Just looking into the office room he’d broken the window of, Jackie could see probably thirty or so, and there were even more passing back and forth of the open door. Most were black, but there were the occasional red, green, or black one. And as Jackie stared in shock, the ones in the office room began to activate and lift into the air—every single one facing him.

“Shit!” Jackie darted off, going around the corner of the building to the front again. He glanced behind him and saw a line of SAMs following him. “Guys! Help! So many fucking SAMs!”

“Get to the front entrance!” Schneep commanded.

Jackie did just that, putting on a burst of speed. He glanced down at the ground and saw Marvin there. Marvin looked at him in turn, and flung his hands into the air. Behind Jackie, a wall of glowing orange energy raised up from the ground, growing bigger in a matter of seconds. Every single SAM smashed into it, moving too fast to avoid it.

“Run!” Marvin shouted, and turned to do just that. “Specter, you too!”

“I am right beside you!” Schneep said, invisibly.

The three of them fled, running across the empty street and taking a couple back alleys between the buildings. Jackie glanced down and saw Marvin burning his way through fences. No doubt Schneep was there too, just passing through them.

They finally came to a stop about a block away. Jackie glanced back, but saw no SAMs following them. So he slowly lowered to the ground. “Uh... sorry,” he said sheepishly.

“Well, we have to go home now, I guess,” Marvin glared at him.

“I said sorry!” Jackie repeated. “I... wasn’t thinking.”

Marvin sighed. “It’s fine. I just... worry about him shoring up his defenses.”

“Uh... I think he’s already done that, to be honest,” Jackie said slowly. “I only looked into one room, but... there were so many SAMs, guys. A-an insane number of SAMs! I-I don’t even know how he’s made that many!”

“He must have been building and weaponizing them while we have been waiting,” Schneep said grimly. “Especially in here. We know that McLoughlin’s lab has the equipment for that.”

The three of them fell silent, glancing at each other.

A few moments passed in silence. Then... there was a door on the side of the hallway. Stacy didn’t know how she didn’t see it before, but she saw it now, as it opened. “Verzeihen Sie mir, dass ich versucht habe, es Ihnen leichter zu machen.”

Stacy stiffened slightly as she saw it leave the door. It was taller than she remembered it being, almost unnaturally so. Actually, what was she thinking? Everything about this creature was unnatural, it didn’t just end at the height. She tried not to let her uneasiness show, though, as it peered down at her, single blue eye scanning her appearance. “Ist es das, was du wolltest?”

“don’t be so upset about it,” Misery muttered. “she’s nervous. don’t hold it against her.”

The creature—Notarzt—huffed and folded its arms. “Beeil dich einfach.”

Stacy could guess at what it was saying just from its impatience. She nodded and hurried through the unnatural door. Her skin prickled with goosebumps as she set foot in this maze for the first time in a while. Memories of the last time she was here flashed through her mind. Waking up, finding John again, realizing that her kids had followed her in, fighting that weird... thing made of metal and meat, and then Notarzt kicking John out with the rest of them following. A lot had happened.

Notarzt nodded, satisfied once she’d entered, and went back into the room it came from, closing the door. Stacy tensed as she walked past that door, her stomach crawling with nerves that screamed at her to turn around. But she kept heading forward.

“sorry about that,” Misery whispered. “it’s a bit grumpy that the maze is being used for transportation.”

“...grumpy,” Stacy repeated.

“yes. it’s not used to things like us being in its home. it’s not happy about it, either. the last time one of us was here, it was ÚĊ²É. and things did not go well for notarzt with it here.”

“That glitchy thing... was in here?” Stacy glanced around.

“yes. and it was... hostile to notarzt. which is why notarzt contains the øú÷þĀ it finds.”

“The... huh?” Stacy stopped walking for a bit. “I couldn’t really understand the word you said, but... do you mean that... that metal thing? W-with the green eyes? That we saw last time? Are those... like, pets to the glitchy thing?”

“more like...” Misery paused. “there are no words that i can use that you would understand. the best i can think of is... hands?”

Stacy was quiet at that, just continuing to walk forward. She didn’t really want to continue asking questions; there was this feeling in her gut that she wouldn’t like the answers she found. But, after what felt like ages of walking down this white hallway, through its stained walls, a question bubbled to the surface of her lips. “Is... is that what... it wants to do to John?”

“no,” Misery whispered. “we thought that for a bit. but it has bigger plans for him.”

Her stomach sank further. She didn’t want to look directly at any of the implications that answer left her with. So she simply... would not think at all. She would just keep walking forward. Towards that foggy forest.

The hallway began to curve slightly to the left. Subtly at first, but as they kept going the curve became more and more pronounced, until it felt like she was walking around a very large pillar. Reasonably, the hallway probably should’ve started to close in on itself at one point, and she should have arrived back near where she started. But it did not. It just continued to curve, until finally straightening out for a short length. At the end of this straightaway, there was a door... and Notarzt, waiting. “Ich sagte ‘beeil dich.’”

“it’ll be fine,” Misery whispered from behind Stacy, where it had been this whole time. “don’t worry. this is one of the last things you have to do... and then it will be gone, and everything will be fine. you can be free.”

“What else do I have to do?” Stacy muttered, confused.

“oh, sorry, stacy, i actually wasn’t talking to you.”

Notarzt turned to the side, looking away... almost... embarrassed? “Nur... gehen,” it muttered. It reached over to open the door at the end of the hallway, gesturing for Stacy to go through.

Stacy stared at it for a moment, then turned her attention to the doorway. It opened up onto a small-town street. A place that wouldn’t have looked out of place 200 years ago, if not for the addition of electric street lamps and telephone wires that crossed the sky. For a moment, she felt slightly relieved. She had really, genuinely thought she was going to be dropped off right in the middle of that forest. But in retrospect, that didn’t really make sense. Notarzt’s domain felt like cities, not nature. Of course it wouldn’t manifest a doorway there... where would a doorway fit? She walked forward, then paused a moment, and nodded at Notzarzt. It glanced at her, and jerked its head towards the doorway. So she took a deep breath and stepped through.

The sky above was a bit cloudy, strips of cotton white drifting over the blue. She heard birds singing, and the distant sound of footsteps and bicycle tires on these old cobblestone streets. When she turned around to look at the doorway behind her, naturally, it had disappeared.

There was a hand on her shoulder. “are you okay?”

“Y-yeah.” Stacy nodded slowly. “Uh... what did you mean? When you said ‘you can be free’ to it?”

“notarzt is afraid. fear is a cage.”

Stacy laughed darkly. “Well... I get that, at least.” Hard to think of something so horrifying as being afraid itself. But maybe that just meant the glitchy creature was far worse. And... that creature had her friend in its clutches. The thought of that made her sick, so she put it out of her head. “This is, uh, Foraois Hollow, huh? It... looks like it, at least.”

“yes,” Misery said. “there’s a place for you to stay while you’re here.”

“Huh?”

“the same place you stayed before.”

Stacy’s stomach sank. “You... want me to go back to the Iontachs? But...” She didn’t want to put them in danger.

“you should at least check on them, right?” Misery whispered. “make sure that they’re okay.”

She really didn’t like the implication of that suggestion. Her stomach clenched, and she simply nodded. It was probably a good idea to do that anyway. She would’ve done that anyway. Probably. “Right... I remember where they live. I just... have to... reorient myself.”

Walking out further into the street, she glanced to the left and the right. Foraois Hollow was not a big town, it was pretty easy to get around here. But as she glanced to the left, she encountered an obstacle. She briefly made eye contact with a man as he drove past on his bicycle, and a memory flashed through her mind, a memory that wasn’t hers, but his—of him standing by his father’s bed and saying a tearful goodbye as he passed. Oh. Right. Misery’s “gift.” It had been a minute since she ran into anyone new and had it activated, so she’d nearly forgotten about it.

She took a deep breath, and looked upwards towards the sky, angling her vision so that most people wouldn’t enter her gaze. It was fine. She could navigate like this.

Between her half-remembered knowledge of the town’s layout and her unwillingness to risk looking at anyone too closely, it took her an hour to make her way to familiar sights. What was the Iontachs’ address again? She was pretty sure this was the street, but... did they have anything outside their house to make them identifiable?

After a bit of walking, she stopped, vaguely recognizing one of the houses. Maybe that was it. She walked on over to the door, knocking on the wood. A few moments passed. She danced in place, nervous, until the front door was opened... by an older woman. “Oh!” Stacy gasped as she recognized her. “Roisin!”

“Wah!” Roisin jumped backwards, reflexes surprisingly sharp for her age. She looked shocked as she stared at Stacy’s face.

“Uh... do you... remember me?” Stacy said slowly. A pit began to open up in her stomach. Maybe this was a mistake. Maybe the Iontachs didn’t want to see her again. It was her fault, indirectly, that Colleen had been briefly controlled by that Ragdoll thing. Maybe they—

“O’ course I do,” Roisin said, composing herself. “One second.” She turned to the side. “Boys! Your mother! She’s here!”

Stacy blinked, her heart stopping. “Wait what—”

Footsteps rushed towards the door. Roisin stepped to the side, and suddenly Stacy was being tackled. One thing hit her, then a second. “Mooooom!”

“L-Larkin?!” Stacy gasped. “Mathew?!” Her sons—both of them—were wrapping their arms around her, squeezing her tight. Once she processed what she was seeing, she returned the favor, embracing the two of them. “Larkin! Mathew!”

“Moooom!” Larkin whined, keeping his face buried against Stacy. “Mooooom!”

“It’s so good to see you!” Mathew looked up at her. Huh, when did he get so tall? She barely had to glance down to look down into his teary eyes. “We were—we were—w-worried. So worried.”

“We miiiiissed youuuu,” Larkin sobbed.

Stacy’s eyes began to water as well. “I-I missed you a lot. So... so much. A-a lot has happened since I last saw you guys.” She laughed. “But it wasn’t really that long, was it?”

“It’s been aaaagessss!” Larkin said.

“It’s okay, it’s okay.” Stacy pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “I’m here now. Though... I-I didn’t expect to see you guys here.” She paused. “Especially after I told a certain being that I wanted you to stay safe with Amy.” Her eyes darted to the side, towards Misery’s presence.

“well... by the time you said that, it was too late,” Misery whispered.

“It seems a lot has changed since we las’ saw you, Miss Stacy,” Roisin said. She glanced towards Misery’s direction as well. “Your sons here tried t’ fill me in on t’ings, but we haven’ had much time to talk abou’ it... not to mention, it’s strange how you got here as well, when they said you were in th’ States.”

“Yeah... so much has happened,” Stacy sighed.

“Why don’ you all come in?” Roisin said. “It’s jus’ me in th’ house righ’ now, but I say you can make yourself at home.”

Stacy nodded. “Thanks, Roisin. That would be lovely.”

Though she was relieved and joyful upon seeing her kids again, worry was already starting to climb up from within her. Surely, something dangerous was about to happen here. After all, nothing good could come from the horrors gathering. But for now, she decided to put that out of her mind and enjoy the moment, finally reunited with her family.

* * * * * * * * * *

John ran as far as he could before his legs went limp. And even then, he kept going, pulling himself down the street until he was too exhausted to do so. He barely managed to pull himself into a small side alley between buildings before his body gave up, and he laid there on the cement, staring up at the dark night sky between the gap in the roofs.

There was a gnashing in his brain. Like teeth trying to dig into the matter of his mind. Puncturing occasionally. He winced, and he felt blood trickle down his cheek from his eye. The creature was doing fucking psychic damage to him, retaliating for taking them away from Phoebe and the others. But he didn’t care. Despite how exhausted he was, he still felt in high spirits—or, well, relatively high spirits, considering his situation. He’d actually managed to... stop it. Something that he’d... never been able to do. Sure, it was a small victory, the creature was still in his body, determined to... take it over... But hopefully it wouldn’t go back to that group.

“Nothing to say?” he muttered, continuing to stare upwards.

Silence.

“Yeah, that’s right.” He chuckled a little, then coughed as the motion irritated his dry, breathless throat. “Fuck you.”

“You’ve accomplished nothing.”

He winced. Each syllable felt like the spike of a migraine. “Not true.”

“When I become you, I will make sure to find them,” the voice whispered. “And I will make them suffer. And if you are still here, still watching, you will suffer too.”

“No.”

“No?”

“No,” John repeated again. “You’re not gonna do that. Because... I’m going to... find some way to stop you.”

The voice giggled. He felt electricity crackle down his spine, and his back arched at the feeling for a second. “Sure you will. How are you going to do that when I felt that fear grip your heart at my threat?”

“I don’t... know,” John said quietly. “But... I can’t just... hold the line forever. I’m going to have to push you back.”

“You’re right. But are you able to do that?”

He didn’t say anything to that. Engaging in this conversation was probably pointless. It was just going to keep needling him like this. Instead, he needed to try and... think of... a plan of action of some kind.

The scope of this task was daunting. It seemed impossible; that was why he’d never bothered to try before. How, exactly, do you become un-possessed? His first thought was some sort of exorcism, but did those actually work? It didn’t feel like they would. Not to mention that if he walked up to a church, looking like he did, and said “you need to exorcise me, I’m possessed,” they probably wouldn’t believe him. If he was lucky, they would just turn him away, and if he was unlucky, he’d get arrested. No, there had to be something else.

What about Mark and Amy? They’d clearly had experience with the unnatural. As painful as it was, thinking about going to see them again when they wouldn’t recognize him, maybe it was a shot? But he was... pretty far away by now. He wasn’t sure... where he was, not really, he had been hopping trains and buses randomly without paying any attention to state lines. But it had taken him ages to get here, so it would probably take him ages to get back. Maybe he could keep that idea on the backburner. Come back to it if he didn’t think of anything else. Though... if Mark and Amy knew about these things, knew about how to fight them, maybe there were other people like them. Other people like—

The scene of bloody bodies flashed through his mind again. He cried out in response.

That group... those people... they were so young. So... in over their heads, when it came to him, and to this creature.

No... he had to be careful with this. If he asked for help from the wrong people, the same thing would just happen again. Maybe... he could... try to do something by himself? That seemed difficult, though, when he wasn’t even fully in control of his own body. He could try—he had to try, if it came down to just him. But was there anyone out there who could help him with this?

Whoever it was, they’d need to be experienced in these matters. Ideally, experienced with ò¢čĎŻ, too. But the only people he could think of who fit those qualifications were Stacy and her kids. And there was no way he was bringing Łà§¨ů close to Mathew again after it had already targeted him once. But besides those two, the only ones who had experience with this creature... were other creatures.

...ages ago, that red-hooded thing had found him, out in the middle of nowhere. It said that they all really wanted to see Ķб¾å get its due. “We’ll have to talk,” it said. “All of us. I’ll be back.” And then... it left, and he hadn’t seen it again since.

...

...no. No, that was a really stupid idea.

He was not having that idea. He was ignoring it.

But... could he think of another one?

Lying in place, he continued to stare towards the sky and think, trying to come up with something he could do about all this.

* * * * * * * * * *

“It sounds like all of ye ‘ve been t’rough a lot since we last saw ye. The boys have been tellin’ Colleen an’ me a lot, but it’s diff’rent hearin’ it from you.”

Stacy blew on the surface of the teacup, then took a sip. Roisin had insisted on setting her down for a cup, and though Stacy didn’t really drink tea that often, she just couldn’t refuse. “It’s probably different seeing it too, for you, right?” she said “I mean... you’re like Larkin, and Mark. You can, uh... see stuff, right? I-I know that I look pretty different... through their eyes. Not to mention...” She trailed off. She could feel Misery beside her, leaning onto the back of the armchair she was sitting in.

“It is a bit o’ a shock,” Roisin acknowledged. “T’is Misery creature looks right hauntin’. But I’ve lived t’rough a lot meself, you know. I may not ‘ve seen somet’ing like it before, but I’ve learned not t’ let t’is stuff bother me.”

Larkin and Mathew were in the room too, both of them sharing the sofa. Roisin had poured tea for them too, but neither of them had touched it. They just kept looking at Stacy, like they co’ldn't believe they were seeing her. Mathew had the faintest smile on his face, despite everything they’ve been through. It really messed with his ‘brooding teen’ image, so he must not have been aware he was doing it. And Larkin kept kicking his feet excitedly.

Roisin took a sip of her own tea. “Now... d’you know why you’ve been called back here? You’re sure you didn’ make any promises to anyt’ing in the woods?”

“I’m sure,” Stacy said. “I didn’t... have time to.” She shuddered, remembering the feeling of being controlled by that... Ragdoll creature. Apparently that’s what it was called. “I know why we’re back... sort of. These things won’t give us any explanations.”

“Yeah, they’re real annoying that way,” Mathew muttered.

“Yeah! Hear that?” Larkin glanced at Misery as he said that. Stacy felt its presence shift, and imagined it was ducking out of sight. Even a child’s gaze was apparently too much for it.

“But, um, basically... apparently, I’m here to help John,” Stacy said slowly. “Somehow. Those details still aren’t being shared. Do you remember John? Apparently... people tend to forget him. I think it’s a whole... thing about him.”

“I remember him,” Roisin agreed. “T’ough as ye know, I’m a bit special. You’d better be served askin’ Colleen t’at question, if you want t’ understand how t’is forgettin’ t’ing works.”

“When’s she going to be back from work, anyway?” Stacy asked.

“Oh, it’ll be a minute. She’s been workin’ long shifts lately. Barely any time to run the yarn booth. But she likes to walk Nick back from school, so she’ll be here for t’at, even if jus’ for a moment.” Roisin takes another sip of tea. “Hmm... you have t’is Misery here wit’ you now. And t’ings are calm for a moment. T’is seems as good a time as any to ask for details abou’ your purpose here.”

“...right. Good idea.” Stacy nodded slowly. “Um... well...” It felt awkward to speak to midair, but she knew Misery would disappear if she turned to look at it. “You heard her. Can you finally explain what I need to do to help John? Why I’m here... at all?”

Misery was silent for a while. Then it responded in a voice on the edge of sound and thought. “that man... cares a lot for you. and you care a lot for him. maybe... you could get close to him. and maybe he would let you.”

“Get... close to him?” Stacy repeated. “You... you want me to... what, convince him not to be possessed?”

“You’re supposed to... power of friendship this?” Mathew raised an eyebrow, looking doubtful. “No way. These things don’t care about stuff like friendship.”

“i like having friends a lot, actually,” Misery whispered.

A shiver crept down Stacy’s spine, and she shivered. “I-I don’t know if I can... I want to believe that I can help John, but the last time I tried to talk to him through this possession, it... went really badly. How will this be any different?”

“because we’ll be there, too,” Misery said. “you just have to get close enough. we can grab ĿÐ¯è¦ from there, and take care of everything.”

Stacy drummed her fingers on the ceramic of the teacup. She wasn’t sure about all this. Or... was it that she wasn’t sure in herself?

“You can do it, Mom,” Larkin whispered.

She looked over at him and Mathew, and took a deep breath. “I guess I can try.” She turned very slightly towards Misery. “If you and those... others are going to get rid of that glitchy thing... I guess I can try. To help John.”

“we’ll stop it,” Misery said. “i promise.”

“So... now what are your plans, t’en?” Roisin asked.

“I think... we just have to wait for the right moment now,” Stacy said. “Right?” Beside her, Misery whispered an “mmhm” in confirmation.

“Well...” Roisin smiled. “Until t’en, our house can be open for ye. Assumin’ Colleen agrees. At the very least, ye can stay until she comes back.”

“Thank you so much, Roisin.” Stacy smiled.

The enormity of the task stretching before her seemed daunting. Could she, of all people, really pull John out of this mess? How? And what are the other creatures going to do to the glitchy one once it was free of John? Could they even do anything to each other? It would be useless if John fell right back into its clutches once he was free.

“we’ll explain more later,” Misery whispered. “get settled in first. spend some time with them. i know you missed them.”

Stacy looked at Mathew and Larkin. Well... it was right about that, at least. “So... what have you guys been up to while I’ve been doing all this?”

* * * * * * * * * *

At some point, John must’ve fallen asleep, because he opened his eye to a watery blue sky, streaked with white clouds like someone had dragged a paintbrush across a canvas. There was a muscle twitching in his arms, sending strange zaps through his nerve. Not painful, but they made him wince anyway. He turned his head to the side, looking at his right arm extending away from him and across the ground. His thumb was moving slightly. He tried to get it to stop... but it didn’t.

Fear surged through him, waking him back up. This didn’t feel like something normal. It felt like... like it was trying to control him again.

He sat up, glanced around, and grabbed onto a nearby drain pipe to help haul himself to his feet. His legs wobbled, and for a moment, a few more of those strange zaps traveled up through them and into his spine. He gasped in response. What is this? This is new!

Whatever it was, it clearly wasn’t good. He had to do something! But... in all the time he’d spent lying there, he hadn’t come up with a clear, good idea. He couldn’t think of any allies to reach to, or any places to go that might have information or tools that could help him. He briefly considered going back to that library where he’d first run into those young people, trying to find some research there, but would that be suspicious? After all, the last time he’d been there, he’d caused a scene in the computer lab. His second-best thought was to go to another, larger library that might have more information. But even then, would he really find anything about this creature written in books?

It felt... like he was in a dead end. Like no matter where he looked, there was nothing to help him. And when his own body was turning against him, it seemed impossible to merely fight off this creature under his own power.

But... if he didn’t try something, if he merely held the line, how much longer until his strength gave out? Even if he didn’t discover anything, even if he lost... he’d much rather lose on the offense than lose on the defense. He owed it to everyone to do that. To Stacy and the boys, to Mark and Amy, to the four young people, to Phoebe and her friends.

Slowly, he walked out onto the street, looking back and forth. It was dark last night, so he had no idea where he ended up. But hopefully, that meant it was just as disoriented. He decided to head left impulsively, walking down the street in a lurching manner. It was really hard to adjust to those strange zaps in his legs.

If he couldn’t figure out a long-term goal, he could at least figure out a short-term goal. He needed food. And he doubted he would find any in this area. No money, so he might have to ask for someone to spot him, or try getting food from less-than-sanitary locations—

“Do you even know what you’re doing?”

John yelped, staggering to a stop.

“While you were sleeping, I’ve been working, you know. Have you felt any changes?”

The strange nerve zaps. He knew that was because of the voice, but... the way it said it had been working... it felt sinister. Even more so than usual.

“It won’t be long now, you know,” the voice whispered. “I will be you soon. You’re moving freely now because it’s the calm before the storm. When I’ve got everything in place, you won’t be able to stand against me anymore. One day, your struggles will simply cease. I wonder if you will blink out like a lightbulb being flipped off. Or if you will run in the background, observing what I do as you. I hope it is the latter. I hope you see what I do to those you care about, if only for a little bit.”

His hands were shaking, and his body suddenly felt very hot as his heart began to pound. Those words rattled him. But he tried to continue forward, moving in that same lurching way. He was going to stop this voice. He had to.

“How? You don’t have any ideas how to stop me. Only the seed of one, and you refuse to water that to let it grow.”

Panic so sharp it felt like a stab.

John stopped walking again. He hadn’t said anything. But it had responded to... responded to his...

“That’s right,” the voice said quietly. It didn’t sound like it was coming from outside. It sounded like it was within his mind... coming from the same place his thoughts did. “You can’t hide anything from me anymore. I can see now. And why shouldn’t I be able to? Your brain is running electrical currents. Some of them are yours, and some of them are mine. We exist in the same space now.” It giggled. “It won’t be long now.”

“Shut up,” John muttered, and pushed himself to start stumbling along once more.

“You’re afraid,” the voice said. “I don’t need to taste your thoughts to know that.”

“I’m going to stop you,” John said through gritted teeth. “I don’t care what it takes. I don’t care what happens to me. I’m going to stop you. Y-you won’t control me any longer.”

“How far will you go for that, then?” the voice asked. “What if you can’t find a normal way to stop me? I don’t think there’s a way to unentangle us by now... I’ve been very careful, after all.”

“You can’t know that for sure,” John whispered. “The world is a big place. There’s going to be a way.”

“What if there isn’t?”

“That doesn’t matter!” John snapped. “I’m still going to stop you!”

“Even if you have to die for it?”

He froze. He didn’t want to, but the voice kept saying things that shocked him into stillness. “...what?” he whispered.

“What if you have to die?” the voice asked quietly. “What if that’s the only way to stop me? Would you go through with that?”

John opened his mouth, but he no words came out. His heart was pounding, and he could feel it in his neck, the pulse sending warm pain through the injury there. “I don’t... I-I don’t... want... to...”

“It’s never mattered what you’ve wanted.”

John’s limbs tensed, the muscles bunching and shifting from a mind not his own.

“And it never f͡uck̡ìng̸ ̀w̢il̷l̡.”

His body threw itself forward, and he cried out as he fell to the ground, landing hard as his arms didn’t bother to try and catch himself. Pain burst in his nose, and he tasted copper. His chin and jaw ached from being snapped upwards.

“So what if that’s the only way?” the voice asked. “Would you leave this world if it meant taking me with you? Or are you too scared?”

John lifted his head, wiping his face on his sleeve. More red joined the brown stains already crusted on there. He didn’t say anything in response... because he knew that it was already watching as his mind worked out the possibilities.

He didn’t believe that was the only way to stop the voice for good. Maybe he would, one day, if he exhausted all options. But right now? No. He wouldn’t do that. Yet, some part of him still dwelled on the possibility that he might one day realize there was no other way. If that was the case... would he go through with that? After all, this creature would use his body to hurt as many people as it could. If he somehow rendered it unusable... But then, that would still be the end for him, wouldn’t it? An ending even more final than that. He’d seen a lot in his wanderings, but found nothing that would reverse death.

...it wasn’t fear keeping him from going through with that. Far from it. He didn’t believe that doing that would be a victory for anyone. It would just mean that the voice had driven him to his lowest point. If anything, that would be it getting the last laugh.

“So you’d stay alive to spite me?” the voice asked. “Even if you being alive means harm for everyone else?”

“...no,” John muttered. It wasn’t just spite.

It was...

Hope, wasn’t it?

Because as long as he was moving, as long as he was breathing, there was a chance that everything would turn out alright. And that chance was what kept him going.

But part of him still really wanted to spite this thing. And if it knew about his thoughts, if it knew about that idea he’d had and then stopped wanting to look at... how would it react if he actually went through with that?

John clambered to his feet. He looked around him. This street was pretty empty, even though it was prime business hours. The shops and offices here clearly weren’t busy, if any of them were even open at all. It felt crazy to do what he was about to do.

“...you’re not actually serious, are you?” the voice asked. It didn’t sound afraid, but it sounded... doubtful. And that made John want to do this even more.

“Hey!” he suddenly shouted. “Hey, you red hooded bastard! Are you here?!”

“Are you crazy?!” the voice hissed. “There’s no way it will just happen to be in the same area as you! Do you know how low those odds are?!”

“I don’t care!” John snapped. He stumbled forward, almost stepping into the street before he stopped, wrapping his arm around the pole of a speed limit sign. “You said we’d meet again, didn’t you?! Well I haven’t seen you in ages! Where the fuck are you?!” He glared up at the sky, then looked around the street. “You’d think you’d be keeping an eye on this asshole, even if you don’t care about me! Do you know what it’s doing?! If you do, why the hell aren’t you here?! This is bad for you too! Right?!”

His words bounced against his concrete and brick surroundings, seemingly dying in the air.

“You’re desperate,” the voice commented. “Fine. This might be fun to watch.”

“You shut up!” John shuddered. “And you!” He looked down the street, to the left first, then to the right. “If you’re fucking here, say something! I don’t believe you’d just let this thing run around freely! Well, if it gets me, that’s what it’s going to do! You have to know that! Neither of us want that to happen! So guess what?! If you show up right now, maybe you can fucking do something! Maybe we can do something together! But if you try to fucking kill me—which you might not, because you’re a coward—you should know I’ll fight back! I hit you in the face with a shovel before! I’ll do it again!”

Something laughed behind him. “Usually, you don’t want to threaten people to get them to show themselves to you. That tends to do the opposite effect, especially when you don’t have anything to fulfill that threat with.”

John spun around, staggering, leaning against the sign post for support.

There. A figure in a red hood. It was all too familiar in its unfamiliarity. The hidden face, the unnatural, angular shape of its body. It had its arms folded in a mockery of a casual pose, but it was standing straight up at attention. And somehow, that seemed... tense.

The second he saw it, he felt an unexpected rush of emotion in his chest. Not anything positive, not by a long shot. But instead, it was a wet anger, rage tinged by a deeper, heavier feeling. “Is this what you knew my claim was?” he whispered. “Did you know this was happening to me, even back then, the last time we talked?”

“...yes,” it said.

“Why didn’t you fucking tell me?!” John screeched.

“It wouldn’t have made a difference.” He couldn’t see its eyes, but he felt its gaze narrow in on him. “You weren’t in a fit state to hear that. Knowing its plans would’ve just sank you farther into despair. And that would’ve made it easier for «őŶãŴµ.”

John clenched his jaw in anger—then winced as that caused pain to shoot through the bone. Some of it from the fall, some of it... feeling like something else. “Well... I don’t want to sink into despair now. So can you, and those others... do something about this?”

“We already are,” the figure said. “In fact, I’ve been sent to find you.”

“...so you weren’t watching me this whole time, then?” John asked quietly.

It shook its head.

John’s shoulders slumped. Somehow, that felt both like a relief and a betrayal. “Well... you found me now. How... did you do that? Did you just wander around America until you found me?”

“No, I was in the area for other reasons,” it said vaguely.

“What reasons?” John narrowed his eye.

“Reasons having to do with your friend Stacy,” it said, and it smiled. “I was told you were in the area told.”

“...was told...” John repeated slowly. “You mean... by... that thing that attached itself to her now?”

It nodded. “We have ways of reaching out to each other that you tiny ones don’t. Not that you’ll be a tiny one for much longer, in all likelihood.”

He felt the back of his mind... stretch. Like a soda can expanding from the pressure of what was inside. He shuddered, feeling nauseous and queasy from the sensation. “What... are you doing... here, then?” he whispered, trying to ignore that sensation. “Why did you come to get me?”

“We have a plan to get rid of Ï٤¥Ĥ, and as you can probably guess, that involves you,” it said. “Now that you’re so connected. I’d tell you more, but I know it can hear me now, can’t it? Best to keep the details a secret.”

“Fair,” John mumbled. For once, he agreed with its reasoning.

“Are you ready to follow me?” it asked.

John narrowed his eye. “What if... it tries to attack you? Are you... prepared for that?”

“I don’t think it could hurt me too badly right now,” it said. “Not until you’re no longer... tiny. Is that all? Are you ready to follow me? You’re the one who called out to me, you know. I’d be surprised if you changed your mind.”

He hesitated. “N...no, I... didn’t change my mind.” He pushed away from the sign post. It was hard to stand up straight. His spine didn’t feel like it supported that anymore. So he ended up hunching forward for a moment, before readjusting to a posture that leaned to the side. “Where are we going?”

“This way.” It started walking away, but kept looking towards John as it moved. He didn’t perceive its neck moving in anyway, it just... kept... looking towards him. Even as its body turned. But its head did not twist. John shivered a bit, but tried to put this out of his mind as he slowly followed it down the street.

“...how do you know Sangria can be trusted?” the voice whispered in his mind.

He started slightly at the sound of it speaking once again. Surprise passed through his mind; he didn’t know that was the red hooded one’s name. But then it was overtaken by anger.

“I’m not trying to stop you from following it,” the voice said. “I don’t think whatever plan it has is going to be enough to stop me. So I won’t waste my effort on that.”

He didn’t believe the voice. Why would he?

“Fine, but how do you know it’ll be trusted to help you?” the voice continued. “I know it well. It doesn’t care about you ‘tiny ones’. There is no greater source of enjoyment for it than taking one human and ruining their life. Something like that... it doesn’t have your best interests in heart. There’s no way it can. How do you know it’s not just leading you to your death?”

He hesitated, doubt creeping into his heart at that. But... that was probably what the voice wanted. It wanted him to doubt what he was doing, because then it could worm its way in. And if this thing, this Sangria, really had a plan to stop it, he doubted that it would really take the risk of letting that happen. So he had to keep going. He couldn’t hesitate.

“Fine,” it hissed. “But you’re taking your life into your own hands, you know. I thought you said you didn’t want to die.”

For a second, he stumbled. Anger flared again, but he breathed through it. That was... actually a good point. He wasn’t going to listen to the voice, but he was going to... be cautious. Not reckless.

Sangria paused, and ducked to the side, opening a door in the side of a building. “Here, we’ll take a shortcut.”

John just stared at it as it held the door open. Suspicion crept around his heart. “You... go in first.”

“Hm?” Sangria tilted its head. “Well... okay, I suppose.” It walked through the door into the building, still holding the door open for him, and stopped on the other side. “I just want to make sure you’re coming. All this will be for nothing if ċ¼×Æţ suddenly takes over and you run away.”

He didn’t say anything in response, just reached out and grabbed the door, holding it open. Sangria stepped backwards so there was room for him to walk into the space beyond, which he did. But he kept his hand out, keeping the door ajar behind him, just in case. And he looked around...

...this hallway was familiar.

The white stained walls, illuminated by sick yellow lighting.

He had been here before... and the fact that he was here again... it confused him. And that confusion scared him. “...what?” he whispered.

“Shortcut,” Sangria said, and he perceived a grin on its face.

“Not a good shortcut,” John said. “Wherever we’re going, we can get there some other way. This thing doesn’t want me here.” He turned around, pushing the door further open—

There was no door.

His thoughts stalled, grinding against each other at the confusion. He... he’d held it open on purpose, to prevent something like this from happening. He could still feel the wood of the door beneath his palm. Maybe it was an illusion? He took a few steps forward, but he didn’t walk back out onto the street.

“Sorry, we’re short on time,” Sangria said. “This is the only option.”

John turned back to look at it. “I know you have different ways of traveling besides this! You can’t use one of those?!”

“None of them would work on you right now,” Sangria said, still grinning.

“Well—” John started to protest, but then stopped, hearing something.

Footsteps rushed towards him from behind.

He started to spin around, but he wasn’t fast enough. Something hit him on the back of his head, and his vision flashed white as he staggered forward, falling onto his knees. Words half-formed in his throat, but they couldn’t be completed.

“Whoa whoa whoa!” Marvin grabbed Schneep’s backpack, yanking him back. “If we’re going to get out of here, I think we have a better chance of getting out of here quickly if we stick to the more well-traveled parts of the underground.” He nodded at the doorways.

Schneep frowned. “I suppose.” He had to calm down. His fear for Jackie meant he wasn’t thinking rationally, and that was not good in a situation like this. He had to put aside the part of him that was a supervillain, as well as the part of him that was a concerned friend, and focus on his Emergency Response training. “Spitfire, you did not take your phone down here, did you?”

Marvin snorted. “Of course not. We know what that bitch can do with phones.”

“Me neither... but I remember that there are landline hubs down here in case of emergency,” Schneep muttered. “If we can find one of those, we can call Chase and get him to drive out to Jackie’s location.”

“Oh, good idea. I keep forgetting Chase can technically drive, even after he drove us during the rescue plan.” Marvin looked left and right. “I’m not totally familiar with this area, but if we can find a tunnel intersection, that’s our best bet. We’re just going to have to guess on left or right.”

“Left,” Schneep decided, hurrying to the leftmost door leading out of the room. Marvin followed him, sending the energy sphere ahead of them to light the way... and good thing he did, too, because the room beyond had no floor. It seemed to have collapsed, leaving just a square of very still, very dark water, with no way of telling how deep it was. There was no way to get to the door on the other side. Schneep paused mid-step and backed up; he was about to step right into the water. “Nevermind. Right.”

“That wouldn’t have happened if you turned the night vision on on those goggles of yours,” Marvin said, hurrying across the room to the other doorway.

“And I keep telling you, if I turn on the night vision, I will be blinded every time your miniature sun enters my vision!” Schneep said defensively, following him. “You should have brought some night vision goggles of your own.”

“Hell no. You know how awkward those are to wear with my mask? And I am not leaving my mask behind, it’s part of my suit!”

“How very egotistical,” Schneep said, straight-faced.

Marvin turned back to scowl at him. “You know damn well how important my suit is down here.”

The underground network beneath Daindover was a hotspot for supervillain and criminal activity. Even villains from out of town would occasionally show up here to do their business out of sight of the aboveground Heroes. While some areas were fairly safe, others could be extremely dangerous, especially to anyone who looked “suspicious.” Marvin’s identity of Spitfire Cat had enough of a reputation to basically guarantee he would be left alone, though, so Schneep completely understood why Marvin was dead set on having his complete supersuit. It was just fun to tease him a bit. And it helped take his mind off the situation at hand.

The two of them left the pipe-filled room and ran down a pipe-lined hallway, which eventually became a dead end when a pile of rubble blocked off the way forward. “Ah, fuck,” Marvin muttered. He looked down at the floor, which had collapsed right in front of the rubble. “Down we go?”

“I suppose,” Schneep muttered. “Though we are not trying to go down.” He walked up to the hole in the collapsed floor and casually jumped down, landing with a splash in ankle-high water. “Ah what the fuck?!”

Marvin landed next to him a split second later. “Water? Eugh, dirty water. No wonder this section wasn’t claimed. I half-thought the spiderwebs had scared people away.”

Schneep cursed under his breath and looked around. The hallway continued to be blocked on one side, but the other side was open. They headed that way and found themselves back in another room much like the one they’d just been in up above, though the pipes here were leaking slightly. Thankfully, there was another gap in the wall here, too—much larger than the one above. The two of them hurried through it, finding that it led to another pipe-lined hallway. This one appeared to be in slightly more stable shape, albeit a bit wet, so they hurried through it.

After a bit of trekking, they found an old metal stairwell, curving and spiraling up. It looked rusty, and more than a little rickety, but they didn’t have many options, so up they went. Both of them went quiet instinctively. This was not either of their first time in the underground, and they knew that it was far more beneficial to stay silent and listen than it was to make idle chatter with each other. Anyone could be down here, including a great number of people who would react violently to hearing other people talking. It was best to stay quiet so they could keep an ear out, listening for people—and for any environmental hazards, too. Not every part of the underground had been built safely, as those collapses they’d run into earlier had told them.

Neither of them had been this deep in the tunnels before. Marvin had spent a lot of his time near the top of the underground, using the tunnels as shortcuts to get around easily. Schneep had gone down a bit deeper, down to where a lot of villain weapons dealer and illegal tech sellers were based. Though to be honest, Schneep had often taken shortcuts in his own ventures into the underground, walking through blockages in the tunnels. Now that Marvin was here, things were a bit more complicated, and his usual paths were often unavailable. So what this meant was that neither of them knew where the nearest landline hub was, or the quickest way to get out of here.

Schneep felt the fear beginning to creep back in. Worst-case scenarios began to flit through his mind. Jackie had apparently been hit on the head during that fight, what if that had caused some serious damage? Any inflicted damage would just get worse the longer he was left alone. He said he was on the side of a road, right? Maybe someone would see him and pick him up? Oh, but what if that person had bad intentions? Any criminal based around Daindover probably harbored no love for Windstorm, and a few would definitely take the opportunity to do something terrible if they saw him randomly passed out next to a highway.

The flickering shadows cast by Marvin’s energy sphere seemed to form shapes. They seemed to laugh and leer at Schneep, jeering at him for his foolishness. Marvin would’ve been fine on his own! He should have stayed back in case of emergency! Wasn’t that what he was supposed to do? Why was he getting caught up in this supervillain stuff when it was only ever meant to be a means to an end?

“Specter, are you okay?” Marvin stopped in the middle of one of the wider tunnels, glancing back at him with concern. “You look... transparent.”

“Hah?” Schneep looked down at his hands, and realized he could see through them. “O-oh! S-sorry, I am... I suppose I am... nervous. S-sometimes I start to fade when I... I-it hasn’t happened in a while, though—”

“Alright, good to know, I just... was worried,” Marvin said. He smiled a little. “I thought you’d heard something and were trying to tell me to hide.”

Schneep laughed drily. “No, ah, nothing like that.” He looked around, taking in their surroundings once again. “Hm... this area seems more well-maintained than the others. This would be a good spot for a landline hub.”

“Exactly what I was thinking, too,” Marvin said. “But I think everything down here is, uh... pretty old. Look.” He moved his energy sphere close to a wall, where its light could shine on an unusual symbol carved into the stone: a circle with a hexagonal pattern inside. “That’s Turtleback’s symbol. This must’ve been his territory at some point.”

“...who?” Schneep asked.

“You oughtta study your local super history more, Specter,” Marvin chuckled. “He was a villain from, like, the 80s. One of those invulnerable skin types. He lived and worked in Daindover for years until that Jetstream hero finally managed to take him out.”

“Ah. Well, I have at least heard of Jetstream.” Schneep nodded. “She was a flyer, like Windstorm, yes?"

"Yeah." Marvin nodded back as the two of them started to walk again. “Only operated for a few years and never joined up with the League. I think she retired? I really hope she did, cause the alternative is someone took her out.” He sighed. “Or I guess she could’ve joined the League and they relocated her.”

“Is that a League policy? Relocating?” Schneep asked curiously.

“Well, it’s more of an optional... alternate career path... thing,” Marvin explained slowly. “The League will offer it to you if you’re struggling with criminals in your usual area. Like, if you haven’t ‘cleaned up the city’ enough, I guess, they’ll be like ‘want to move somewhere that’s easier for you? We think your particular powers would be better suited here.’ Though I do know that if your secret identity is exposed they’ll move you right away, give you a whole new civilian and super identity. Like witness protection.”

“Huh... that is fascinating,” Schneep mused. “I know you probably have some complaints about it, but it sounds like a good system to me, if it is optional.” He paused. “That is the sort of thing that only an organization of superheroes can do. Only the League would have the resources for that...”

Marvin frowned. “I... guess it’s not bad. Since it’s optional.” He made a face, like praising the League left a bad taste in his mouth.

“Ah, would you look at that.” Schneep squinted, peering into the darkness ahead of them, outside of their little circle of light. "I think that is a landline hub coming up.”

“Really? Ah, perfect.” Marvin picked up the pace.

They reached an intersection of two hallways, a plus-shaped crossroads made of concrete corridors with metal ceilings. Wires trailed down from up above, winding around the walls on the corners until they converged at one of four black boxes bolted to the wall, each one with a makeshift metal shelf beneath it that held a beige landline phone, the corded kind where the receiver was attached to the dialer by a cord, and another cord attached the whole thing to the black box above it.

“Hm... these places usually look less... chaotic and... wire-y,” Marvin said, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

Schneep walked up to one of the landline phones, looking around cautiously, ready to turn intangible at the first sign of danger. He ran a finger down the back of the receiver and looked at the dust that now caked the fingertip of his glove. “If I were to guess, this is probably one of the oldest models of the landline hub idea,” he said. “And it also has not been used in some time.” He frowned. “I hope they work.”

Cautiously, Marvin slinked up next to him and picked up the receiver. A dial tone immediately came from the speaker portion. “Seems like they’re... powered, at least,” he said slowly. “Though if no one comes down here that often, no one would need to dial the surface for emergency—or for shadier reasons, either.” He glanced around again. “I keep expecting to see some minor villain rushing at us, shouting that they need the phones for their... illegal computer chip smuggling deals or something.”

Schneep chuckled. “People smuggle much worse than that, and make much worse deals at landline hubs.”

Since cell reception was hard to come by while so deep underground, the landline hubs were a sort of group solution. No one knew who’d made the first one; it was probably a case where multiple people had the idea to drag phone lines through the tunnels so they could make calls from the relative safety of their claimed territory. But over the years, they’d just sort of become... publicly available for anyone to use. Any villains who wanted personal lines could afford to hire henches to build that for them in the heart of their territory; the hubs were for everyone else.

“Now, let us see if this works,” Schneep continued, experimentally pressing the number buttons. Each one beeped; they seemed like they worked fine. He hung up the receiver to reset everything, took a deep breath to push back the fears that were creeping in, and then picked up the receiver again and dialed Chase’s number. It... didn’t work right away, so he swore quietly and hung up the receiver, then tried again. He forgot that you needed to dial the country and area code when trying to call a cell phone. Once he’d done that, he could hear the phone start to ring.

“God, this is a blast from the past, isn’t it?” Marvin muttered, looking at the landline. “I didn’t have a cell phone until I went to uni... but it was so much easier than these things that I guess I completely forgot about them... My grandma still refused to get a cell, herself, though...” He smiled sadly.

Schneep listened intently to the ringing while Marvin talked. Just when he thought the call would end, it picked up with a “Hello, this is Chase Brody.”

The moment Schneep heard Chase’s voice the dam holding back his emotions broke. “Chase! Sorry to call you from a strange number but it is an emergency, Jackie is outside the city he has passed out a-and he probably has a concussion and we are still probably too far to go get him but you have a driving license s-so I-I need you to go and try and find him and please hurry his head was injured there could be even more damage than we know—!”

“Whoa whoa whoa, s-slow down!” Chase gasped. “I—Schneep? What’s—I-is everything alright?”

“No! Nothing is alright!” Schneep’s voice cracked. “Y-you need to go find Jackie! Time is of the essence!”

“Okay, okay! I-I can tell!” Some rustling and creaking sounds came over the line. Chase must have been lying in bed, but was now standing up. “Do you know where he is? Outside the city isn’t—isn’t too specific.”

“Ah, yes, I-I think I can guess,” Schneep said.

“You can guess?! You don’t know?!”

“No! I know where he went but I do not know how far from his destination he is!” Schneep said. “Anyway, listen carefully. Please remember this!” He quickly conveyed all he knew and guessed about the SepTech factory and where Jackie might be in relation to it. “He said he was along the side of the expressway,” he finished with.

“Okay...” Chase said slowly. “I-I’m gonna have to write all that down. Fuck, I’m probably going to have to borrow a car from a neighbor, too. I-I have a license, but not my own car, remember? We used a rental for the... the thing a while ago.”

“Do whatever you can to get there fast,” Schneep said. “I think we are too far underground to get there. We are still looking for a way to the surface, but it is like a maze down here sometimes!”

“Should I take him to the hospital if I find him?” Chase asked.

“Ah—yes, yes, that is for the best,” Schneep said. “He will likely be in costume, so take him to St. Ellen’s.”

“Not Greengate?”

“No, St. Ellen’s has a strict ‘no unmasking heroes or villains’ policy,” Schneep said. “If I am not at Greengate myself, I cannot guarantee that some curious nurse will not pull off his mask.”

“Right. Right.” Chase took a deep breath. “I-if I find him, do I call you back at this number?”

“No, text me with updates,” Schneep said. “But keep them vague. And know that I probably will not see them for a while.”

“Okay...” Chase sounded uncertain.

“You can do this, Chase,” Schneep encouraged. “You may be the only one who can right now.”

“No pressure or anything,” Chase laughed nervously. “Okay. I can do this. It’s the least I can do for Jackie. I-I’ll text you those updates right away. I’m gonna write down everything you said and then go.”

“Yes, please do! Do not waste a second!”

“Alright, I’m going!” Chase said. “Bye!”

“Ah, bye! And good luck!”

“Thanks!” And Chase immediately hung up after that.

Schneep breathed a sigh of relief and put the phone down on the shelf. Marvin leaned over and picked up the receiver again, putting it back on the hook. “You forgot that they gotta go back on the, uh... holding part,” he said.

“Right, right.” Schneep nodded. “Okay. I feel a lot better now that we have done that. I-I hope Chase will be able to make it in time.”

“Sure he will,” Marvin said confidently. “You gave him some pretty clear instructions.”

“I hope I did.” Schneep’s voice was quiet. He glanced at Marvin. “You and Jackie... you were enemies for a long time. If... if he... if anything happened to him... would you be glad?”

Marvin looked surprised at the sudden question. He turned to the side slightly, staring off into the distance thoughtfully. The energy sphere slowly dulled in color from yellow to orange. “There was a time when... I probably would’ve said yes,” he said slowly. “Just because like... ‘one less dumb tool of the League out there’, you know? But... I-I don’t know. I’ve gotten to know him now, and... he... he actually reminds me of myself a lot.” His voice dropped on that last part, not wanting the words to echo in the empty concrete corridors. “Of... how I used to be. And like, I guess that’s... fucking frustrating, in a way, because then it’s like... seeing the ‘good timeline’ version of yourself, you know? But... even though I still find him irritating, I... I understand him more.” He paused. “He’s a good man. I think the world will be worse off on the day he dies.” Another pause, and then he glanced at Schneep again. “Which will not be today, by the way.”

“Right, of course, right.” Schneep nodded. He was still worried, but it felt good to have done something at least. “Let us find our way out of here.” He looked around and started walking down the left corridor.

Marvin hurried to catch up with him, the energy sphere shifting back to yellow. “If you ever tell Jackie I said any of that, I’ll kill you.”

“No you won’t,” Schneep said, grinning behind his mask.

“I’ll strategically burn holes in your costume so the color shifting camo doesn’t work,” Marvin threatened.

“Okay, okay, fine! Your words are safe with me.” He didn’t believe Marvin would hurt him, but he did believe he would do that. They walked in silence for a moment more before Schneep added, “Do you know how much this color shifting fabric costs?”

“Oh like you actually bought it,” Marvin chuckled, nudging him.

“Fair enough. In fact, my first encounter with Windstorm was stealing the material to make this new suit.”

“Really?” Marvin tilted his head. “How’d that happen?”

As Schneep told the story, the two of them continued through corridors and staircases and the occasional large room. The more they climbed up, the more stuff they saw. Old tech abandoned in rooms, symbols of villains long-past etched and painted on the walls, occasionally ragged tents that showed that people used to squat down here. More and more stuff appeared on the walls as well, old wires and pipes that were no longer connected to much of anything. They kept going until they turned the corner of a hallway and found its right wall had been knocked down, the edges blackened from what must’ve been some sort of explosion. The large empty space led into a circular room with walls that extended far upwards, towards a distant array of old—but still lit-up and functioning—lights of some kind. A couple metal walkways crisscrossed over the empty space, while bits of concrete and twisted metal littered the ground of this wide space.

“Ah, I think I recognize this place,” Schneep said. “We crossed over one of those bridges earlier.”

“Yeah, I remember this.” Marvin nodded, looking up. “Man, I’ve never wished more that I could fly like Windstorm. We’d save a lot of time right now. Hm, what was this place originally used for?”

“Probably water treatment,” Schneep said. “Probably related to those old pipes deeper down. Anyway. I think there should be a staircase leading up somewhere around here. Do you mind if I go scouting a bit?”

“Not at all, go ahead. I’ll wait here.” Marvin folded his arms and leaned against the wall.”

Schneep did a quick look-around, taking shortcuts by passing through the walls. After a bit, he returned to Marvin with directions to a stairwell leading up, and the two of them hurried in that direction, with Marvin muttering that he was starting to get tired from all this stair-climbing.

Nevertheless, soon they were able to reach familiar territory, recognizing the area around the upper levels of this giant well, or whatever it was. “Now, I think if we cross the bridge again, we will be able to take the old Pathos passageways back to the top,” Schneep summed up.

“Yeah, sounds like a plan,” Marvin said, nodding. “God, it’s weird to call them the old Pathos passageways now that we know Pathos.” He paused. “Hey, do you think we should have invited him to come with? He probably knows this place better than either of us, given how much time he and his henches spent down here.”

“Probably...” Schneep said slowly. “We can invite him for next time, I think. He seemed like he might want to help.”

The two of them pushed open a metal door, leading out onto one of the catwalks crossing the giant well. Marvin conjured up a second, larger energy sphere and sent it flying ahead, looking for any gaps in the corrugated metal—but instead, the light landed on something else. There was a figure sitting at the edge of the catwalk, leaning against the railing on one side. Marvin inhaled sharply—partly out of fear at the figure’s sudden appearance, partly out of an instinctive nervousness at seeing someone so close to the edge of such a long drop. The ground of the well was at least fifty feet down, and while the railing seemed secure, with chainlink fencing lining the sides, it was also old and rusted. It was very possible that it would give way with how the person was resting all their weight against it.

Marvin glanced at Schneep and signed, You see that guy? What do we do?

Schneep nodded slowly. I don’t know. This was our best way back to familiar territory. Maybe we can... go around him?

What if it’s an ambush? Marvin asked. We try to go past and he grabs us?

Schneep hesitated. I’ll go first. I’ll make sure that most of me is intangible so he can’t grab anything.

What if you fall through the bridge?! Marvin’s eyes were wide behind his mask.

I won’t fall through the bridge, I’m very practiced at this sort of ghostly activity. Schneep took a deep breath, and without another word, walked forward. He was confident in his abilities, though the sheer size of the drop still made him a bit nervous. His footsteps made small pang sounds on the metal as he approached the figure.

The figure turned out to be a man, and the man was looking at Marvin’s energy sphere. Probably confused. He heard the footsteps approaching soon, though, and turned towards Schneep’s direction. His eyes widened. “H-hey. H-h-hey! Can you—uh—c-can you help me?”

Schneep stopped in his tracks. He recognized that voice. Quickly, he hurried closer, and found he recognized the face too. “...Dr. McLoughlin?” he asked, confused and concerned.

McLoughlin looked panicked for a second. “Uh—no, I-I just... have one of those faces, I guess. Uh—l-listen, I don’t—I-I don’t know what I’m doing here. I just... blacked back in on this bridge thing, a-and I... I don’t like heights, s-so I don’t really want to move...” He tried to smile a little, but the expression was brought down by the fear and weariness in his face. He’d lost weight since the last time Schneep saw him in the SepTech lab—enough that it was a visible difference Schneep picked up on right away. His hair was obviously uncombed, and his beard was rough. He was wearing the same outfit from the lab, except a dirty brown hoodie had been pulled on over the white coat, which was also much dirtier, stains and dust covering the previously bright fabric, concentrating around the hem.

At the sound of the voices echoing down the catwalk, Marvin hurried to catch up to Schneep, stopping right next to him. He eyed McLoughlin suspiciously. “What are you doing here?” he asked sharply.

“I-I-I-I...” McLoughlin stammered, looking suddenly terrified. “I... I d-don’t... know? I-I-I know that sounds unbelievable but... I-I don’t. I don’t know. Y-you’re... Spitfire Cat, right? I-I don’t mean you any harm, I just... w-want to get off this bridge. And... out of this place.”

“Spitfire.” Schneep gently tapped Marvin’s arm with his hand. “Is there such a need for suspicion?"

"You remember what happened last time." Marvin kept eyeing McLoughlin warily. “I’m sure he’s fine, but... that thing isn’t. And we don’t know if he’ll take over again or what.”

“That... thing?” McLoughlin repeated in a whisper.

Marvin glanced at Schneep. “Are you sure the landline hubs can’t be tapped by you-know-who?”

“Landlines are safe,” Schneep said firmly. “They run on a different system with no connection to the Internet, which is how ‘you-know-who’ accesses calls and messages.”

“But we called a cell phone, right? Would that connect to the Internet?”

“I do not fucking know, Spitfire, it has been ages since I actually learned about landlines!”

“Have we... met?” McLoughlin asked quietly. “A-are you talking about... ANTI?”

Both of them stiffened, glancing at him briefly before looking at each other. So are we going to abandon him in the middle of a bridge over a fifteen meter drop? Schneep asked, raising an eyebrow.

Well I don’t exactly want to get close to him! Marvin said. But... I guess he’s also a victim? But at any moment, he might switch to an attacker, if we’re understanding how this works correctly.

Didn’t we come down here to look for him and Dahlia anyway? Schneep pointed out. We could take him with us.

Oh yeah... I forgot about that in the chaos going on, Marvin admitted.

“I... know sign language, you know,” Jack said quietly.

“What?!” Schneep couldn’t hide his surprise.

“Y-yeah, I was always a little curious, but then my vocal cords got... injured in a... in the... accident...” His voice slowly trailed away as his gaze faded into the middle distance, seeing into some other time.

Marvin narrowed his eyes at him, but then sighed. “Fine. We’re getting you off the bridge, at least.” He leaned down and roughly grabbed McLoughlin’s arms, yanking him to his feet. “You’re holding onto the fence hard enough to leave dents in your fingers.”

“O-oh!” McLoughlin blinked, surprised. “Thank you. Th-thank you. A-and if I’ve—if he’s—if there’s e-ever been any trouble, I-I’m s-sorry—”

“Please stop talking,” Marvin said bluntly.

“S-s-sor—” McLoughlin started to apologize, but then shut his mouth, nodding.

Marvin and Schneep hurried across the bridge, dragging McLoughlin with them. He stumbled for a bit before quickly regaining his composure. They ended up in a room on the other side of the catwalk with a couple old metal folding chairs and some exposed wires dangling from the walls. No doubt they once connected to outlets, allowing this area to be a break room of some kind for whoever was monitoring the well. Schneep started to slow down at this point, but Marvin continued onward, dragging McLoughlin through the doorway on the opposite wall and leaving Schneep no choice but to catch up.

Once they were down a hall and around the corner from the well, Marvin stopped walking and turned to look at McLoughlin, gripping tightly to his upper arms as he looked intently into his eyes. “Where have you been?” he asked.

“I—I-I don’t... know?” McLoughlin stammered. “Somewhere underground.”

“Spitfire, what are you doing?” Schneep asked.

“Look, I know we came here looking for him, but I don’t trust the fact that we found him just... sitting around,” Marvin said. “I’m trying to get some information here so we know where to go from here.”

Schneep hesitated, then nodded. “That is fair enough. Somewhere underground, then, you say, McLoughlin?”

“Y-yeah...” McLoughlin said slowly.

“Where? Do you know where specifically?”

“N-no, I... I-I think any time I went somewhere towards an exit, he would...” McLoughlin trailed off. “You... you know about... ANTI?”

“Long story, but yes,” Marvin muttered. “And we know about how he can take over your body.”

McLoughlin flinched. “That’s what I thought... sorry.” He took a deep breath. “Th-then you should know that—that he does that a-a lot, now. I-I keep blacking out. Except, i-it’s not really a blackout because you’re... aware of a blackout? You’re aware of a gap in your memory, I just... I just cut from one place to another. Like I’m teleporting.”

Marvin’s expression softened slightly. “I’m sorry,” he said. “That’s... terrible. You shouldn’t have to go through this.”

“B-but the point I’m getting at is that—a-at any moment I might black out again,” McLoughlin continued. “And you’ll have to deal with... him, probably.”

“You are telling us to be quick with our questions,” Schneep summed up. McLoughlin nodded once. “Very well. While you have been down here, have you ever encountered a woman with long brown hair and blue eyes? Most likely injured or generally having trouble moving?”

McLoughlin looked surprised. “Uh, yeah, actually.”

“You have?!” Schneep inhaled sharply. “Where?!”

“I-I don’t know! I don’t even know if it’s the same woman you’re talking about. But—but she had long brown hair, and she was... asleep in a bed? Like the kind you used for hospitals, th-there were a bunch of machines around her monitoring her. I-I couldn’t wake her up, and she didn’t wake up at all on her own.”

“So she is still in a coma,” Schneep muttered. “Can you describe the place you saw her at all?”

“Uh—i-it wasn’t anything like where we are now.” McLoughlin’s eyes darted, looking at the grimy hallway around them. “It was... clean. Uh, all the walls were metal, and so was the floor and ceiling. There was one door but no handle. Uh... it was pretty small.”

“What in the fuck...?” Marvin muttered. “ANTI must’ve had a special little space for her. Why were you in there?”

“I-I don’t know, I was only there a couple times,” McLoughlin said. “Maybe he was just... checking on her? Or... d-delivering medical stuff? And then he just... left me there?” He shook his head slowly. “I don’t know. I’m sorry.”

“And I suppose you don’t know what ANTI is planning, either,” Marvin said. “If he has a plan at all.”

“No... I don’t,” McLoughlin said quietly. “I... I guess he needs me... somehow. Maybe he needs my... my hands or something, o-or maybe he needs to... buy stuff? Or pick up stuff? ...I-I don’t know. I’m sorry. I really am.” His eyes were welling up; he seemed on the brink of tears.

“...don’t worry about apologizing,” Marvin said quietly. “You don’t have anything to be sorry for.”

Schneep nodded. “None of this is your fault. Please remember that.”

“...it kind of is, though... I think...” McLoughlin mumbled. “I’m the one who made him.”

“Well, no good will come from beating yourself up over it,” Marvin said. “If he really is as smart and person-like as they say he is, then he chose to be this way. He didn’t have to do any of this shit. Remember that, okay? You didn’t’ make him a villain, he made himself that way.”

McLoughlin looked surprised at Marvin’s words. He opened his mouth to say something... but then his posture seemed to slacken a bit, losing the nervous tension holding him upright.

Farther down the hall, a rotten wooden door burst off its hinges and something came flying out. “Spitfire!” Schneep shouted, and tackled Marvin to the ground. A beam of electricity snapped through the air right where Marvin’s head had been moments before. Two SAMs had burst down the door of a closet, a large silver one accompanied by McLoughlin’s smaller, modified one.

“Fuck!” Marvin cursed. “Out of time!”

“Out of time indeed.” McLoughlin’s mechanical eye had shifted colors, now glowing red. He lunged at the two of them, but Marvin scrambled away in time and Schneep went intangible, leaving McLoughlin to roll across the floor and hit the wall. He got to his feet unnaturally quickly, though, and in the meantime the two SAMs were firing at Marvin and Schneep. A laser from the large one grazed the side of Marvin’s arm and he promptly turned to run. Schneep followed him, barely missing a second bolt of electricity from the small SAM.

“So sorry for being late!” Anti-Virus called using McLoughlin’s voice. “It has been rather difficult finding Jackie after he fled!” He laughed, running after the two of them with the SAMs flying next to him. “He should have died where it would be easier to find the body!”

“Jackie is not dead!” Schneep snapped. He momentarily ducked into a wall to avoid some of the lasers, then came out as he followed Marvin around another corner.

“You are a doctor, and you have your little earpieces on!” Anti-Virus shouted. “You were listening to his injuries, so you should know how severe they were! Such fragile human bodies!”

“Says the guy possessing one right now!” Marvin threw a beam of solid-heat energy over his shoulder, slicing the top off the large SAM. Unfortunately, it was still able to keep going after a few seconds of spinning.

They reached a staircase, and Marvin and Schneep began to climb rapidly. Anti-Virus stopped for a moment, watching them go up, calculating a response. “I suppose any body is better than none,” he said, voice echoing up the metal stairwell. “Though possession is such a strong word. Do you possess a pen when you write with it?” He shrugged, then charged up the stairs, sprinting unnaturally fast, taking all of the rickety steps with a wild lack of caution.

The SAMs were right on Marvin and Schneep’s trail! Schneep cried out as one of the lasers hit the back of his leg, despite him being intangible. “Fucking energy weapons!” he cursed.

“First door we reach,” Marvin gasped out. “I go first and close it. You go through it and past me.”

“Sure!” Schneep nodded; it sounded like Marvin was developing a plan. So to distract ANTI from trying to guess that plan, he shouted back at him. “So did you just leave McLoughlin out there for us to find?! In the hopes that we would randomly run into him?!”

“I did not hope,” Anti-Virus said, raising his voice over the sound of metal creaking and footsteps pounding. “I knew you would come back that way. I saw you the first time you came, going deeper down below.”

“And so you were hoping to trap us?!” Schneep scoffed. “You have not done well with that so fa—” He yelped as another laser hit his shoulder blade.

“I think I am doing fine.” ANTI laughed again, though McLoughlin’s face did not smile as he did.

“Here!” Marvin hissed as they arrived at a landing with a metal door. He put on a burst of speed, crashing through the door into the space beyond and then immediately slamming it behind him. Schneep ran through the door after him, and then through Marvin, too... and then skidded to a halt as he realized they’d run out onto another one of the catwalks in the giant well, this one even higher up.

Marvin backed up, orbs of orange light appearing around him, getting brighter and hotter. He stared at the door intently.

And then, when the door burst open, he yelled and threw his hands out, sending all the orbs flying at what came through.

The large silver SAM flew through the air, protecting McLoughlin’s body but getting absolutely destroyed and melted by the solid-heat energy. The smaller one got clipped badly enough to stop hovering, crashing down to the metal floor of the bridge. And ANTI raised one arm—and the arm’s hand was immediately hit by one of the orbs. It went flying off, revealing the metal and wires beneath the synthetic skin. Other orbs grazed the rest of the arm, burning away the clothes and skin.

Anti-Virus looked down at the stump of the prosthetic, the end still glowing from the heat. He looked at the two SAMs at his feet. Then he looked up at Marvin and Schneep, his expression impossible to read.

“And there’s more where that came from!” Marvin shouted. “Stay back!”

“...you will not hurt Jack McLoughlin,” ANTI said dully. He raised the stump of the prosthetic—and suddenly scraped the rough, glowing-hot metal down the side of McLoughlin’s other arm.

Schneep yelped. “What are you doing?!”

ANTI laughed, the corner of McLoughlin’s mouth twitching. “Your expressions of horror tell me everything I need. But unfortunately, I am not willing to fight one-handed on a catwalk like this. So this is where we must end it.” He bent down, and without taking his eyes off the two of them, scooped up the smaller SAM with his remaining hand.

“Hey! Wait, no!” Marvin ran forward, and Schneep surged after him.

But McLoughlin was faster. He ran back the direction they came—and on the way out, kicked the railing of the catwalk. The whole thing shook intensely, being partially damaged by Marvin’s orb attack. Marvin fell, and Schneep instinctively froze in fear. ANTI slammed the door shut behind him and was gone.

A few silent seconds passed as Marvin and Schneep were too scared to move while the bridge shuddered like that. Then, Schneep walked forward (walked, not ran) and offered a hand to Marvin. “Let’s go.”

Marvin didn’t take the offered hand, instead staying on the ground as he carefully crawled over to the door, still shaken by the suddenly-unsturdy catwalk. “W-we can go after him,” he said, only getting to his feet once he was right by the door.

“...how did you know you would hit his prosthetic and not any... fleshy part of him?” Schneep asked, carefully walking over to join Marvin in going through the door.

“I... didn’t,” Marvin admitted. “I-I was just planning to hit the SAMs. I thought... he was still pretty far behind them. I guess I underestimated how fast he was.” He shuddered. “I-I don’t like the way he... casually hurt McLoughlin like that. It felt... unneeded. And... vicious.”

“It did,” Schneep agreed.

There was no sign of McLoughin or ANTI in the stairwell. The time they’d spent delayed in fear of the fall had been enough for him to vanish from sight. Marvin’s eyes darted around. “We need to find him,” he whispered. “There are only so many ways he could’ve gone.”

“...but... Marvin,” Schneep whispered. “What about Jackie?”

Marvin’s expression turned grim. “I... I guess you have to find a way out of here. But I need to find him before he goes too far.”

“...what if this is the day the world is worse off for?” Schneep asked quietly.

Marvin hesitated. “It won’t be,” he said firmly, despite his doubt.

“But if the worst happens...” Schneep trailed off.

Marvin sighed. “...fine. I guess I want... to make sure he’s alright. H-he’s going to be, you know. We’re worrying a lot for this.” He looked up. “The stairs continue. I think we need to keep going.”

“Yes, I think so too.” Schneep nodded.

Jackie laughed. “Yeah. I know you’re new to this and curious, but others would think you’re insulting them.” He rubbed the back of his head and paused his pacing. “I think that like... in general, vamps and wolves are about equal in strength, but in different ways. But Anti was using his shadow walking to jump around and break stuff and generally intimidate the wolves. He even used that vampire compulsion thing to make some of them run.”

“I see...” Marvin nodded. “But still... they had him outnumbered.”

“Well, they told Lily that they didn’t know that,” Jackie explained. “Us wolves can see pretty well in the dark, but it’s hard to know how many guys there are when teleporting is involved!” He paused. “Besides... I think they were a new-ish pack anyway. But that’s just a guess of mine.”

“So... this Anti guy just randomly fought a pack of werewolves on the full moon,” Jack said slowly. “Reckless thing to do, even for a vampire. If they’d decided to jump him instead of flee, he would’ve had a tough time.”

“He did manage to actually injure a couple,” Jackie said. “That... probably also drove them out of there.”

“Still.” Jack folded his arms. “Dumb thing to do.”

“I don’t think Anti is the smartest person,” Marvin muttered. “Or... he’s not... the wisest. He just... does stuff.”

“Chase?” Schneep looked in his direction. “You are disappearing.”

Chase struggled to regain his concentration. Even so, he just knew that he was looking... patchy. He folded his arms, moving back and forth in place. “I... I’m just... so confused. About everything that has to do with this guy, but especially with...” He trailed off.

Jack looked at him sympathetically. “You said he was... hostile to you, when you showed up?” That was why they were all gathered here. Chase wanted to talk to everyone about this, and it was easiest for them all to come here than anything else. He’d already explained what happened when he went into the abandoned market, but had then asked Jackie for explanation about the other pack of werewolves.

“Yeah, he... he said ‘fuck you’ to me.” Chase laughed drily. “Which, like, maybe that’s just the type of person he is, since he also randomly attacked people like Marvin.”

Marvin nodded.

“But also, it was his... tone,” Chase continued. “It sounded like he... he knew who I was. He wasn’t just shouting at me cause I was trespassing on his... uh, his own trespassing. He was shouting at me because he knew me, and he didn’t like me. But I have no idea who he was! I’ve heard about him from all of you guys, obviously, but that was the first time I’d seen him.”

“Hmm...” Jackie bit his lip. “Was it?”

“Uh, yeah?” Chase looked at him. “I wouldn’t forget a guy like him.”

“Well... you know, uh...” Jackie circled around the coffee table as he thought. “You do actually have a pretty big, pretty weird gap in your memory.”

“...your death,” Jack said quietly.

Chase felt cold. It was strange, he hadn’t really felt changes in temperature since becoming a ghost. But this wasn’t an actual shift in the air, just a shift in his feelings. “I... I know that,” he said quietly. “Do you... think... I met him that night? Do you think... he...?”

“I am not so sure about him doing the deed,” Schneep said quickly. “Your cause of death was the gunshot, yes? Anti has been using his teeth and his powers on people.”

“Yeah, I guess it’s weird that he’d use a gun,” Jack agreed. “He doesn’t seem the type.”

“Not to mention, that leave the lingering spirit spell unexplained,” Marvin added. “Vampires can’t cast spells like that.”

“Maybe... he... knows something, though?” Jackie suggested. “Like, maybe he saw you that night, Chase. And like... stuff happened... or... something.” He glanced at everyone else. “Look, man, I’m trying.”

“Thanks, Jackie,” Chase said with a faint smile. “I... I think it has to be something like that.” He closed his eyes, trying to cast his mind back. He didn’t really want to. That night—or rather, the events surrounding that night, the ones that he did remember—was still painful for him. But... he couldn’t avoid it forever, could he? Especially if he wanted to figure out this mystery. “I think... the last time I checked the clock, it was... 10:21? At night, of course. I-I think. I was... pretty drunk at the time, but I think I remember that clear enough. I was still awake for a bit longer after that, but... I think I fell asleep? I dunno for sure. My memories just sort of... turn into confusing, like... smears of color and sound. You know, the way they do when you get super drunk.”

“...I have never gotten that drunk before,” Schneep muttered.

“Well you’re the responsible one,” Jackie said jokingly.

“And you’ve also been a vampire for a while,” Marvin added. “It’s harder for you guys to drink. Your tolerance standards are different. Maybe you’ve just forgotten the feeling of being wasted.” He nodded at Chase. “I get you, Chase. I got that drunk once.”

“Thanks, Marvin.” Chase nodded back.

“So... probably sometime between 10:21 that night and 9:15 that morning... something happened,” Jack summed up.

“9:15?” Chase asked. “Is that when I passed away?”

“Well, that’s when the mailman saw your body through the window,” Jack said.

“That’s... blunt, Jack,” Marvin said slowly.

“No no, it’s fine,” Chase said. He wasn’t alarmed by this news. And that fact was more alarming to him than the news itself was. “But... like, I had to have been dead for a while before that, right? You’re a forensic guy, Jack, do they have, like, the time of death on an autopsy report somewhere?”

“Hah. Fair enough. I didn’t do the report for that myself, so I don’t know for sure what time the death happened,” Jack explained. “But I think it was... between midnight and three am? I remember hearing that. Something about the bloodstain.”

“So our actual timeframe is 10:21 to about three am,” Schneep said.

“And we know it happened here for sure,” Marvin added. “Not just because of the bloodstain, but because you’re linked to this place.”

“Right! Ghosts will always be linked to their place of death!” Jackie nodded. “You can’t change that, right, Jack?”

“Nope,” Jack confirmed. “Even if you somehow trap a ghost somewhere or they possess something or someone, they’ll always feel drawn back to the place of death.” He paused. “Unless that lingering spirit ritual can change that.”

“I... don’t think so,” Marvin said slowly. “We can’t know for sure, since I haven’t been able to find the details, but it seems... unlikely. Magic rituals do one type of thing. That seems like a different type of thing. If that makes sense. And also, uh... the bloodstain’s still here.”

“Right, yeah, the blood splatter.” Jack nodded. “I did do that report.”

“Nothing more intimate than looking at a homie’s blood splatter,” Chase said.

The guys all laughed at that.

“Okay okay okay.” Marvin pressed his hands together. “So. It seems like we need to find out if anything weird happened in the city during that time period. Chase doesn’t remember, and I don’t know if any of us spotted anything weird.” The others shook their heads. “Which meaaaansss... we gotta find more leads from other sources. Schneep, do you remember how I called you a few days ago?”

“Yes, I remember,” Schneep said. “I have talked to Clara about some of this, and I think Jack has also promised to make some inquiries.”

“...which I haven’t actually done,” Jack admitted, looking embarrassed. “Sorry.”

“Huh what? What’re we talking about?” Jackie asked.

“I wanted to find out more stuff that could help with Chase’s weird necromancy bullshit,” Marvin explained. “Oh, and...” He looked down at his phone, left on the table. “I... I wanted to see if I could learn anything to help you, JJ, and your situation.” He paused, until he heard a thump come through the phone call: JJ acknowledging that he was listening. Marvin looked up at the others again. “And I asked Schneep if his friend Clara could help. She works on the Night Council, she’s one of the vamp reps.”

“You know someone on the Night Council?!” Chase stared at Schneep in shock. This whole time, the idea of the Night Council seemed like this... far-off thing. He knew they existed, but they didn’t really affect him that much. Hearing this made them seem a lot more real.

“Yes, Clara and I play Dungeons and Dragons together,” Schneep said casually.

“You play Dungeons and Dragons?!” Chase repeated, louder. Somehow, this was even more shocking to him than the Night Council thing.

Schneep grinned. “What? One must have some hobbies when you live for a long time. I hear there are some vampires who are still playing homemade campaigns from when the game was first created, updating it with each new released ruleset.”

“I... okay, sure,” Chase said, shaking his head. “Anyway. Schneep’s friend Clara. Uh... did she... say anything?”

“She has been asking around,” Schneep said. “This whole thing is a sort of... friend-of-a-friend situation. It works very slowly. Oh! But she did say that if you, Chase, ever want to or need to come to see the Council for anything, she can leave the door open for you. The same offer was extended to JJ, but... she acknowledges that there might be some vampiric command in the way. Anti does not seem like he’d... let JJ get too close to any Councils.”

Another thump from the other end of the phone line. JJ clearly agreed.

“We should totally go see if the Council could give us anything!” Jackie said excitedly. “Like, they gotta keep track of incidents that happen, right? Maybe we can ask them if anything went down the night of Chase’s death!”

“Yeah, uh... that’s probably a good idea,” Chase said. “We should... we should do that.” He paused. “How does that... work?”

“Something like that? You probably need to go to the actual Council building, at least,” Schneep said. “It is within Scuabyrg city hall.”

“We can make a day of it,” Jack offered. “Or, uh, a night. Whenever you guys are free.”

The others all nodded, agreeing that this seemed like a good step to take. And Chas agreed too, it definitely felt like something they should do at some point. But... there was also something else. “Um... guys?” Chase made a throat-clearing sound. “There’s another thing I want to do. Something that might help me figure out what happened that night... and it... might help JJ, too.”

“What’s that?” Jack asked.

Chase hesitated for a moment. “I... want to learn more about Anti.”

“Oh don’t we all?” Jackie said jokingly.

“I mean, yeah, probably,” Chase said. “He’s a... fucking menace, I guess, and JJ’s all wrapped up with him and that sucks. So yeah, I think we all want to know about him.”

“I would not mind if I never knew anything more about him ever,” Schneep stated. “Having him mug me was enough. I do not need to get closer to him.”

“Well my point is,” Chase said, slightly exasperated, “I want to learn more about him cause I think that’ll help clear up this whole death thing of mine. He has to know something about it. About me somehow. He acted way too familiar with me... he hated me way too much for that to be our first time meeting. And yeah, maybe he’s a weird fucking... parasocial hate-watcher of my streams or something. That’s possible. But I don’t think he’s the type to watch fucking let’s plays. And I’ve definitely never met him in life! So he has to know about my death! He has to... be involved somehow. R...right?” He looked at the others, his conviction wavering after he said all that out loud. “I-I don’t know, maybe he’s... just a guy who hates everyone... but...”

“No, I... I think there’s something to that,” Marvin said quietly. “We all think he’s got to know something, right?” The other three nodded.

“It’s always good to have multiple leads to check out,” Jack agreed. “On one hand, we can talk to the Night Council and see if there’s anything they can do to help. On the other, we... investigate Anti, I guess.” He laughed slightly. “The only thing about that is... how? He’s pretty new in town. And despite all the trouble he causes, he’s actually surprisingly good at not drawing attention to himself.”

Jackie cleared his throat. “Perhaps... JJ?”

Marvin looked down at his phone again. “JJ? You’ve heard all this, right?”

After a few seconds, there was another thump sound from the other end of the phone line.

“Right.” Marvin nodded. “Maybe... maybe you could... When you’re up for it, maybe you could... meet up with us? And... tell us about Anti?”

“We know it will be difficult,” Schneep said gently. “No doubt he is forcing you to keep quiet about many things. But... if you can, JJ... it would help a lot. A-and perhaps... perhaps, we can both help Chase and you at the same time. At the very least, if Anti gets caught for a crime like this, he will... they will take him away.”

A heavy silence filled the air.

“Um... are you still there?” Chase asked awkwardly.

Another thump.

“Are you... okay with talking about Anti sometime?” Jackie asked. “Uh, once for yes, twice for no.”

Another, single thump. Yes.

“Do you... want to work out details now?” Marvin asked.

Two slow thumps. No.

“Right, yeah, this is probably... a lot to process,” Jack laughed darkly. “Uh... want to talk later?”

Single thump. Yes.

“Can you text me when you’re ready?” Marvin asked.

A long moment. Then two thumps.

“Uh...” Marvin looked confused for a moment. “Do you want... me... to text... you? Instead?”

A single thump, right away.

“Okay.” Marvin nodded to himself. “I’ll text you tomorrow. Got it?”

One last thump. Got it.

“We should probably call this meeting here,” Jackie said slowly. “I’m, uh... tired. Full moon always wears me out for the next day. I wanna go home.”

“No, yeah, thanks for coming out,” Chase said. “We can, uh, stop here. Schneep, can you... uh, call and stuff? About the Council stuff?”

“I will keep talking to Clara,” Schneep confirmed. He glanced at Marvin’s phone. “Jameson? Are you... keeping track with the conversation? Since we are going to call the meeting here, you can hang up when you want.”

“Well not right away, let us say bye first!” Jackie laughed. “Bye, JJ!”

“Byyye.” Jack waved, despite how JJ couldn’t see him on he other end of the call.

“Uh... text us when you’re ready and stuff,” Chase said. “I know how to work phones now, kinda, so I can call you! But... not text, uh... well, things will work out.”

“And like I said, I’ll text you tomorrow,” Marvin said. “Bye.”

After a moment, there’s a whistle from the other side of the call, and the call dropped as JJ hung up on his end.

“I hope he will be okay,” Schneep whispered.

“I’m sure he will,” Jackie said. “He seems like a strong guy.” He glanced at Chase. “And as for you, we’ll figure out the mystery of you and Anti! You’ll see!”

“Hah, thanks, Jackie.” Chase smiled softly. “Anyway... you probably gotta catch a bus or something, right?”

“Yes, we will need to catch one,” Schneep said.

“I can teleport back to my shop.” Marvin grinned smugly.

Jackie rolled his eyes. “Well look who’s so eager to show off now that he knows he can do that.”

“Yes, yes I am.” Marvin’s smile grew even smugger.

After a couple minutes of goodbyes and gathering things, the other three headed out and left Chase and Jack alone in the house. The two of them watched a few show episodes together before Jack headed to bed, since he’d need to get up fairly early for work tomorrow. Chase was left to fade into his near-sleep state, though he found that a bit difficult. He kept thinking about a couple different things. Anti, and how he related to him and his death. And... JJ, too. Yesterday, Marvin said he was ‘having a time’ of it. He hoped he was alright. Though JJ had been with Anti for a while, it couldn’t be easy to hear about the things he was going out and doing. Maybe... maybe he just needed some time.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

“And like I said, I’ll text you tomorrow. ...Bye.”

Staring up at the ceiling, JJ managed to let out a faint whistle. He reached out with his hand and clumsily patted his phone until he found the button to end the call, pressing it with a firm click. The old phone beeped as the call ended. He let his arm fall limp to the side, continuing to stare upwards.

He’d been staying at this hotel for a couple nights now, and hadn’t really left the room the whole time, save for a few trips down to the lobby to purchase some drinks. Nothing alcoholic so far, but he’d been tempted to ask a couple times. This hotel, the Tiaga, was out on the edge of the city by the highway. It was about as far as he could get from... a certain person. About as far as this magic curse allowed him to get. The staff here were everydays, but he could tell some of them were in the know by the looks they gave him when they spotted his gray-tinted skin. Looks without any judgement or fear, thankfully. Did they know he was hiding? Or... was it running? Or was it simply avoiding? Any word you used, maybe they had a suspicion to it.

And, well... they weren’t wrong.

JJ turned his head, looking towards the window. It had thick curtains—many hotels did, but these were even thicker than usual—and he’d additionally pulled a sheet out from under the bed and done his best to hang it up as well. As a result, he couldn’t see through the window at all, but he could imagine the view of the city. Anti was out there, somewhere. Doing... something. Maybe something that would hurt JJ’s new friends.

He rolled over, turning his back to the window and looking at the cream-colored wall instead. There were a couple empty plastic bottles on the mattress next to him, so he reached out and pushed them off the other side. They clattered into the gap between the bed and the wall. It was a bit of a mess around the bed, to be honest. The rest of the room was pretty much untouched—he didn’t need to use the bathroom and didn’t want to use the minifridge or coffeemaker. But the bed... he’d been spending pretty much all his time here, and it showed. The blankets were shoved down to the bottom, the phone and clock on the nightstand had been pulled closer so he could see them with minimal head turning, and the pillows had been folded and creased repeatedly, punched into unnatural, non-rectangle shapes.

One of them was within easy arm’s reach. He grabbed it, pulled it close, and squeezed it tight to his chest. Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes; he couldn’t help but dwell on thoughts of Anti. The man had done nothing but ruin his life since that fateful night he’d been attacked. And for what? For nothing, it felt like.

For what felt like the millionth time, the memory of the night flashed through his head. He’d just been walking home. That was it. Maybe it was his fault for going out to eat, maybe he’d spent too long in the restaurant when he could’ve left much sooner. Maybe he shouldn’t have walked beneath that broken streetlight on the way home. But then again, it got dark pretty quickly at that time of the year, he was going to be walking through darkness eventually. Maybe it was inevitable that he'd pass into a shadow that was too dark, only to have someone leap out from the shadow itself and grab him. The sensation of pain ripping through his neck was one he’d never forget. Though he might’ve made it worse with his panicking... maybe if he hadn’t struggled as much, he would still be able to talk, at least.

Maybe this whole thing was something he deserved, on some sort of grand cosmic level. Maybe he’d wronged someone in his life badly enough that being stuck with Anti was perfect retribution.

...no. No, that wasn’t true. It couldn’t be. Nothing he’d done in his first twenty-eight years of living could’ve been bad enough to deserve ninety-four years of this.

Jameson did his best to pull away from these thoughts. Things like this would float into his mind every so often, but he had to keep reminding himself that they weren’t true. They were just... him looking for an explanation. Because god knows Anti wouldn’t tell him why he made Jameson into a vampire. The closest he’d gotten was saying something about “needing help” and “you look like you could be related to me, I could say we’re brothers.” And those things didn’t feel... sufficient. It felt like, for as long as he’d known Anti, there was still so much that he was keeping from him.

Besides, the others probably wouldn’t like to hear him say things like that. They were... nice. So nice, and kind, and... well, he wanted to say ‘more than he deserved’, but they probably wouldn’t like to hear that, either. Sometimes it felt too good to be true, that after so long, he was finally finding people to talk to again.

Which is why hearing Anti had attacked Marvin sent him into a panic. Upon reading those messages, his stomach had immediately sunk to his feet with dread and guilt. The space it left behind was filled with a frantic, clawing fear. The fear had driven him to shadow walk straight out of the house he shared with Anti—with that monster—and run through the city until he eventually arrived at this hotel. And somehow, he’d checked in. He wasn’t really sure how he’d gotten through that, it was sort of a blur. And now he was here. He’d been here for a while. And he was probably going to stay here until Anti came to find him. He always did.

...could Anti have really done something to Chase? Jameson knew he was... violent, but... why would he do that? Anti’s new nihilistic outlook hadn’t started up until after Chase’s death. Before then, sure, he’d hurt people, attacked everydays and even other shadow citizens for money and blood. But not... in their houses. Like how Chase had apparently died in his own home. Wait, actually, he wouldn’t even be able to do that! Vampires needed permission to enter a home! So what the fuck?!

It didn’t matter, really. Something had happened between Anti and Chase, something Jameson was completely unaware of. Something had also happened between Anti and Marvin. And he hadn’t known about that for hours. What if Anti hurt the others? What if he hunted them down? What if it had been Jackie’s pack that he attacked that night?

The sinking feeling was back. JJ choked back a sob and buried his face in the pillow he was holding. He didn’t want this to end. He didn’t want to lose his friends to Anti. He didn’t want to leave them. Why? Why did he never get to keep the people who mattered to him?

...He wasn’t sure how much time passed with him just lying there. Silently condemning the unfairness of it all. Silently sinking into soft despair. But eventually, that silence was broken by a knock at the door.

Jameson raised his head. Was that housekeeping? Didn’t they see his Do Not Disturb sign was up? He rolled over to look at the clock on the nightstand. No... it was 3:30am. Housekeeping didn’t come around until 7 or 8am here. Maybe someone had the wrong room? Or maybe... maybe he’d already come for him.

Another quiet knock. “Jameson? Is this... your room?”

That was a familiar voice. But... it wasn’t one he expected. How... the hell did he find him here?

“You know I cannot enter,” Schneep said. “Not just because of the... thing about us.” He meant the vampire thing. Clearly, he was being careful in case this wasn’t JJ’s room, and whoever was inside had no knowledge of the shadow world. “But also... because I have no key.” He laughed a little.

Jameson slowly sat up. His head spun, and hunger suddenly clenched at his insides. He hadn’t eaten anything since arriving in his hotel room. But he hadn’t noticed until now just how much that was affecting him.

“Is this... the right room?” Schneep asked quietly. “I-I can go... I suppose it is possible the man at the desk gave me the wrong room number. Especially if you—er, Jameson—said not to tell others. Which you—he—might have.” He paused. “I-I can text you... or you can text me... I probably should have done that anyway, actually.”

Jameson scooted over to the edge of the bed and stood up. He staggered over to the hotel room door and peered out through the peephole. Yes, that was Schneep outside. Or at least, it looked like him. Maybe it was actually someone pretending to be him. But... Anti didn’t know that Jameson knew Schneep, did he? He couldn’t recall ever mentioning it to him.

After a moment, Schneep started glancing around, shifting on his feet awkwardly, no doubt wondering if he should leave. He looked down and took his phone out of his pocket. And that’s when JJ opened the door, pulling it slowly.

“JJ!” Schneep looked up again, smiling in relief... a smile which quickly faded to concern, mixed with slight alarm. “Jameson... you look...” He trailed off.

Bad, probably. Different, definitely. He’d pulled off his usual vest and tie at some point, finding them uncomfortable to lie down in, and left them on the nightstand. So now he was just in a rumpled shirt and pants, and his hair was probably a mess from turning back and forth. He knew all this.

“I... brought something for you to drink,” Schneep said slowly. He held up a bag. It was one of those disguised bags from the blood bank that looked like they were from a bakery. “I thought you might... appreciate it.”

His insides twisted at the thought of blood. You can come in, he signed.

“Thank you.” Schneep smiled gently and stepped forward. Jameson dodged to the side just enough for him to get in, then closed the door behind him. He saw Schneep look around, his brows drawn together. “This is... one of their smaller rooms here.”

Just needed one bed, JJ said. Nothing else, really.

“Well... sometimes it is nice to have something else.” Schneep set the bag on the dresser, which was pretty much the only other thing in the room besides the nightstand and the bed. He glanced back at Jameson. “...Ah...” He seemed unsure of what to say.

JJ walked over to the bag and peered inside, taking out one of two blood bags inside. He didn’t bother to open it up, just bit directly into the bag, his teeth breaking though the plastic with minimal resistance. In just a few seconds, it was empty. He was much hungrier than he expected. Putting the bag back into the larger bag, he said, I’ll be fine, you know.

“Marvin said that to us, yes,” Schneep said slowly. “But... I was getting a bad feeling. I figured you came to stay here. The staff knows about us. And didn’t you stay here once before?”

Jameson nodded slowly. I... really will be fine. I didn’t just say that to reassure you. He sat down on the end of the bed. I know myself pretty well by now, I know this will blow over. I just... needed space.

“I see...” Schneep said. He looked around the small room. “Not much space to come by in here, though.”

Jameson laughed, a wheezy, breathless sound. That’s fair enough.

Schneep chuckled a bit. “Glad to see that cheered you up.” But his small smile quickly faded. “Even if you will be ‘fine,’ that does not mean... we won’t be concerned about you, you know. It does not mean that I can’t want to help. And, well, it seems like... I-if you forgot to eat, that is not a good sign for your current state. That is all I will say.”

...that’s also fair enough. JJ sighed. Eventually, I would’ve had something, I’m sure.

“By then, I would not be surprised if the hunger drove you to have someone,” Schneep said.

Jameson winced at that. It was an accurate assessment, according to the few times this had happened in the past. He’d never drained anyone completely in his hunger, as far as he knew, but he wasn’t entirely innocent either.

“If I can prevent you from hurting someone, or from hurting yourself, I would like to do so,” Schneep said quietly. “I will not ask what the problem is. I can figure it is something about Anti, anyway. But if you do not want to talk about it, I won’t press for specifics. What I can do is bring you what you need, do anything to help. Just... let me know, yes?”

A moment passed in tense silence. Jameson nodded. And... in a moment of impulse, he signed something very quickly. I’m just so sick of him ruining everything.

Schneep tilted his head. “Anti?”

He just takes everything from me, Jameson said. First, it was my life. Then it was my will. And now it’s... you all. My first chance to talk to people besides him in ages. People who really understand. You’re all not the first friends I’ve ever made in the shadow world, but it’s been a long time since I... since I tried, I guess? So why is he fucking with you NOW? Does he hate me that much? Or does he not think about me at all? He stopped, looking up at Schneep again. Sorry... I know that’s a lot to dump on you.

“No, no, it... clearly, it has been on your mind,” Schneep said gently. He sighed, leaning back against the dresser, partially sitting on it next to the bag. “I... I even... understand these feelings.” He hesitated. “The vampire who made me... Elizabeth. That was her name. She...” He trailed off. “It was... complicated, between us. Perhaps in a similar way to you and Anti, though not... exactly the same. But... I found myself thinking the same thing many times. ‘Why are you ruining everything for me? Why are you doing it now?’” He laughed drily. “She is the reason I am here in the country, you know. We met back in Germany, and spent several years there, but eventually, she wanted to move back here. And though I was not magically connected to her, like you are to Anti... it still felt impossible to say no.”

Jameson’s expression softened. He felt those tears prick at his eyes again. I’m... sorry.

“Eh, I have not seen her in years,” Schneep said. “It turns out, this was a very bad city to go to when returning to England. They did not look kindly on some things she did. She was very...” He paused. “...old-fashioned, in her attitudes about everydays.”

I see... Jameson said. Which type of old-fashioned? “They’re just food,” or “we should rule them and do what we want?”

“The second.” Schneep nodded. “Anti strikes me as more of the first.”

In a way, yes, JJ said. I don’t think he... cares? About anything? It’s not just that he doesn’t like everydays, it’s that he doesn’t like... anyone. Even more so this past little while. He paused. He used to be more... driven. I haven’t grabbed anything for him in a while.

“...grabbed anything?” Schneep asked slowly.

I used to go on errands for him all the time, Jameson said. Ranging from magic markets to meeting shady figures. Repeatedly, sometimes. He used to collect stuff, and he’d get very frustrated when we had to flee cities and leave some of it behind.

“Collect... stuff?” Schneep tilted his head to the side. “Like what?”

Magical stuff, JJ said. I still don’t know the purpose behind most of it. In the early days, I thought he was making potions, but that was before I learned vampires can’t... do that? Which is still very strange to me. It seems like anyone should be able to mix stuff together.

“Marvin would be happy to explain the intricacies of potions to you,” Schneep chuckled. “In any case... that sounds very strange.”

Anti is very strange, JJ agreed, nodding. But stranger still, these days. He paused. I think you guys are right. He must have been involved with Chase’s death somehow. Something must have happened that night that caused him to become so... unfocused.

“I see...” Schneep said. “I can understand how such a change in him could be... frightening. Why it would cause you to...” He looked around the hotel room. “...hurry away.”

...thank you, Jameson signed, using small motions. After what Schneep told him about his maker, about Elizabeth... he believed that Schneep understood.

A few moments passed in silence. “Do you... want to...” Schneep started to say something, but then stopped.

What? JJ prompted.

“Nothing, nevermind,” Schneep said. “You probably don’t want to.”

Well don’t assume for me. JJ raised his eyebrow. Finish your question so I can know for sure.

“I... was going... to make an offer,” Schneep said slowly. “I think... if you want... you could sometimes sleep at my apartment. As long as you don’t go into my room. My sofa is probably not as comfortable as a hotel bed, but...” He looked around again. “Well. I have books, and a TV, and if you need blood I keep my fridge stocked.”

Jameson stared at him, slightly shocked. You would... offer that to me?

“I think... I think it is something I-I would have liked to be offered, if I was in your position,” Schneep said quietly. “I remember... arriving in this country, and finally interacting with other vampires besides Elizabeth, and... they were a great help to me. I want to be that help to you.”

Those tears appeared again. JJ wiped his eyes on his sleeve. It wasn’t proper, and it was probably going to mess up this shirt, but in this moment, he didn’t care. I think... I would like that a lot, he said. Is this... offer available... whenever?

“Whenever,” Schneep said. “Unless in case of emergency, like my floor caving in or some such. As long as I am able to be there, you are able to be there.”

JJ looked around at the small, cramped hotel room. Is this offer... available... now?

Schneep’s expression softened. “Of course.”

Then... give me a minute, JJ said, standing up. I need to get... presentable again.

“I will wait outside, then.” Schneep grabbed the bag and headed to the door. “I hope you are okay with taking a bus ride for a while.”

JJ nodded. I am. Thank you. Really, thank you so much.

Schneep smiled, then headed out the door.

Jameson grabbed his stuff, which pretty much only amounted to the vest, tie, and shoes he’d taken off, as well as his wallet and phone. He didn’t even remember grabbing those when he left the house. A house... he’d probably have to go back to. Besides all his stuff being there, he didn’t want Anti to go out looking for him and finding out where Schneep lived in the process. Because he was pretty sure Anti would come looking for him, even in this new, uncaring state he was in. He didn’t know why he was so sure. But it was probably something to do with knowing him for so long. Over ninety years together meant you learned a lot about someone in that time period.

...maybe these new friends of him would find the solution for the binding ritual. Maybe everything would end up fine.

Maybe it would go wrong.

But if he kept worrying about everything going wrong, then he wouldn’t be able to enjoy things as they were in the present. He couldn’t do that. He couldn’t let Anti ruin that for him, too.

Once Jameson was ready, he ducked into the bathroom for a bit to check himself in the mirror—glad that a chain hotel like this didn’t have the silver-backed ones that wouldn’t show his reflection. He looked... alright. Presentable, and that was it. But... his friend wouldn’t care.

For a brief moment, he considered calling in some aid from other Heroes. Lorelei—Pink Sunlight—had promised she’d be there for him, and Evoritch, where she lived, wasn’t too far away. But... he wasn’t sure if he wanted that. Despite how they’d spent time hanging out together in the League Lair, he didn’t really know her the way he knew Marvin and Schneep. Even if he didn’t fully agree with Marvin on some things, he knew that Marvin would have his back in an emergency. Marvin had even saved his life.

In circumstances like this, facing a villain that they’d never seen the likes of before, a villain that they didn’t truly understand, Jackie didn’t want to lose the trusted team he’d built up.

So instead, he waited the three days for Thursday to arrive, checking and double checking his information about these SepTech factories in the meantime. Time passed agonizingly slowly. But it passed.

Then the day arrived. Shortly after a quick solo dinner of microwaved mac ‘n’ cheese, Jackie got ready to go, putting on his supersuit and then pulling on some civilian clothes over that. He also grabbed a thick jacket, in case it got cold again. He’d been left feeling vaguely shivery and sniffly after flying in the rain, so he wanted to try and avoid that if he could. Then, once he was all dressed again, he headed back out into the living room.

“Hey dude, what do you think of this?” Chase was standing by the coffee table, holding something green in his hands.

Jackie blinked. “Is that a pine tree?”

“A mini fake one, yeah. For Christmas.” Chase grinned at him. “We don’t really have room for a full-size one in our living room, not unless we want to do some rearranging. I thought we could set it on the coffee table here.”

Jackie laughed a little. “Where did you get that?”

“At the store on the corner.”

“When did you get it?”

“Just now,” Chase said proudly.

Jackie laughed again, louder. “What?”

“Yeah, why do you think I wasn’t here to have dinner with you?” Chase nodded.

“I didn’t even know you left, I thought you were just in your room chilling or something. Working on that video, maybe.” Jackie looked at the pine tree. “It’s a bit, uh... Charlie Brown Christmas. You know, uh... not quite... full-branched.”

“Yeah... but it was cheap.” Chase grinned a little. “We can make, like, paper ornaments or something if we want to cover up the blank spots. For now, uh, do you mind taking this from me and putting it on the table?”

Jackie walked over and took the tree from him, bending over to set it in the center of the coffee table. “Festive,” he said, straightening. Then... he sighed. “I’m not really feeling the holiday spirit recently.”

“You have a lot going on, I don’t blame you,” Chase said. “I don’t really feel much like celebrating, either. But maybe we’ll make it work. For now... it looks like you’re heading out, huh?”

“Yeah, I have that thing, remember?” Jackie said. “I’m gonna be out all night. Heading to Neun Park first, then I’ll be... out all night.” He laughed a bit. “I just said that, uh... You’ll probably still be asleep by the time I get back. But I should hopefully be back before you leave for work in the morning.”

“Damn, you’re going to be out late late, huh.” Chase nodded. “Noted. But, uh, call me if there’s an emergency, I’ll keep my phone unsilenced and right by my bed.”

“I will.” Jackie gave him a thumbs up. “See you later.”

===============

Jackie met up with Marvin and Schneep briefly at Neun Park. Schneep handed him one of those radio earpieces, said “These should be able to work no matter how far you fly to the factories; they worked all during the rescue”, and then the two of them parted ways. Jackie changed his clothes, shouldered his backpack, and then flew off, heading for the nearest factory. He was pretty sure he knew where to fly... and since he didn’t have to worry about obstacles on the ground, he could head straight there.

It was still a bit cold, but luckily, it wasn’t wet. If Jackie had to choose one or the other, he would choose the cold every time. Flying in the rain meant it was hard for him to see as well as miserable. Still... the couple hours he flew felt like ages while he was chill like this. Thank god for the supersuit insulation.

After a while, a building came into view. A squat square on the horizon. Jackie looked down and saw a small dirt road cutting through the wide-open countryside, leading towards the building. Curious, he swooped down lower, looking at the road. Grass and weeds were encroaching on the packed earth, the treads of tires in the earth smoothed over by the passage of time. Clearly, this hadn’t been used for a while. Interesting...

For a moment, Jackie debated leaving and going to check out the other factory that was within range. But that was farther away. He might as well give this one a quick lookover. So he flew even closer, flying right over the fence around the facility to get in.

There was actually a handful of buildings, not just the main square one. Two small warehouses, no doubt used for storage, a small house-looking structure that was probably for employees or something, and a small gray cube of a building where all the power lines seemed to come from. Jackie glanced into the high-up windows of the warehouses, but the interiors were dark. Not much to see from up here. Though, wait... didn’t his mask have night vision? He almost forgot about that.

“Windstorm?” said a voice in his ear.

“Gah!” Jackie jumped a little.

“Sorry!” said the voice—Schneep’s. “I just realized that you have been quite quiet the whole time. Is everything okay? We should have checked in sooner.”

“You guys have also been quiet,” Jackie grumbled.

“Well, you weren’t responding to us much anyway,” Marvin chimed in. “Just a lot of ‘yeah’ and ‘uh-huh’ and ‘okay cool’.”

“I was... focusing on flying,” Jackie muttered. “Sorry.”

“Apologies all around,” Schneep said. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, I just got to the nearest factory,” Jackie said.

“Just now?!” Marvin said incredulously. “We were thinking about heading back already! We haven’t found much down here, but then again, we’ve just stuck to the more well-trodden paths we’re familiar with. Anti-Virus might be in an abandoned part of the underground or something.”

“We should continue to explore some more, I think, Spitfire,” Schneep said. “In any case. What is the status of your location, my friend?”

“Me? I don’t know. It looks pretty empty.” Jackie backed away from the warehouse window, hovering in the air. “There are only a couple buildings here.”

“Are there any trucks or anything?” Marvin asked.

“No... there’s nothing.” Jackie shook his head to himself. “It’s like the place is closed. But... a manufacturing factory wouldn’t close at seven thirty, would it?”

“Hm... sounds suspicious to me,” Marvin said.

“Perhaps it is closed for a good reason,” Schneep said. “Perhaps they do not need to use it as much anymore. But in any case, you should probably look around just in case.”

“That was the plan,” Jackie said. “Do you think I should focus on the main factory building or check the others first?”

“You’re the fucking superhero, aren’t you?” Marvin drawled. “You have the experience.”

“Hey, nothing wrong with getting a little advice,” Jackie said.

“Hm. I guess. Anyway, I’d check out the main factory first. Remember that car manufacturing plant we went to? We wandered around a lot and found nothing. Might as well get straight to the heart of the matter.”

“Good point.” Jackie began flying over to the main building. “Huh... this place isn’t too far from that old plant, actually. This must be a hot location for factories.”

“It is far from cities and open, of course it is,” Schneep said. “Keep us updated, okay, my friend?”

“Will do.”

Jackie flew all around the edge of the factory building, looking for a way in. There were no windows anywhere, which was probably a depressing atmosphere for anyone working inside. Or maybe not, he didn’t know what the decorations were like yet. He spotted a main entrance, some sort of loading dock, and two side entrances on opposite ends of the building. After a moment of thinking, he decided to go in through the loading docks. If something sinister truly was going on here, that would probably be the least-protected option.

He touched down right by a set of large doors, clearly meant to slide up so that trucks could attach there to be loaded. They looked too heavy for him to lift, but he quickly spotted a set of controls next to each one. So he walked over to the nearest one and pressed the button labeled “Up.” The door immediately began to roll up, making loud metallic noises as it did. Jackie winced at the clatter. Actually, maybe this was a bad idea. It wasn’t very subtle.

Impulsively, Jackie leapt into the air. He looked down at the loading dock below. Waiting for something to happen. But nothing did. He couldn’t see any hint of movement in the darkness behind the garage-like doors, just endless shadow. Still, better safe than sorry. He decided to move over to the nearest side entrance instead.

He expected this door to be locked. And it was. “Fuck,” he cursed under his breath.

“Everything alright?” Marvin asked through the earpiece, sounding somewhat amused.

“Yeah, fine, I just gotta... make a loud sound.” Jackie could only think to try breaking the door down. It looked fairly standard, as far as doors go. It would probably really hurt his leg, but he had to try. He backed up a little... and kicked the door right below the handle, putting all his force into the effort—even adding a bit of wind to the motion for an extra bit of oomph. There was a crunch sound, and then nothing more. Jackie tried the handle again, and this time, it turned. Jackie pushed... and was jolted back. The door was a pull. He was really glad no one was around to see that.

A hallway extended before him, leading into pure black darkness. Jackie shivered, and reached up to turn on his night vision in his mask. Everything turned shades of green and lit up. He could see a little further down the hallway now, spotting doors on the left and right and another hallway that branched off... but he couldn’t see forever. The night vision wasn’t powerful enough to fully illuminate the pitch before him.

Jackie took a deep breath and walked into the factory. He paused for a moment, then reached into the backpack he still had and took out one of the spare shoes he’d brought (just in case) and wedged it between the door and the doorframe (just in case). Then he continued forward.

He walked down the hallway, eyes darting everywhere. The branch he’d seen when turning on the night vision continued on for a while, extending into similar darkness, so he decided to stick on one path before checking out alternate ways that were just as dark as here.

Unlike that car manufacturing place he and Marvin checked out—the one with all the crash test dummies—this place was clean, everything neat and tidy. Jackie opened up doors as he went and found nothing inside but boring offices and closets of cleaning supplies. It was all normal... and yet, in eerie green light of the nigh vision, knowing that this place was closed when it should be open, it creeped Jackie out way more than that car place did. It probably didn’t help that he was completely alone here. Sure, he heard Schneep and Marvin talking to each other occasionally on his earpiece, mostly stuff like “left or right?” and “no not that way, it’s being used”, but he still felt very, very alone... and very, very vulnerable. All hearing his friends’ voices did was remind him of how far away he was from anyone else.

Eventually, the hallway hit a set of double doors, the sort with push bars to open and a set of windows in the upper half. Jackie peered through said windows, but couldn’t make out much, other than that the room beyond seemed very big. He braced himself, and pushed the door open.

Something metal scraped against the ground as he did so.

Jackie stepped into the room beyond and looked down at the bottom of the door, which he still held open. Maybe the edge of it was a bit low to the ground? But... no, there was something on the floor. Something that the door had pushed open. Jackie didn’t know what it was. It looked like two metal bars, each about a foot long, connected by some sort of hinge joint. His first thought was, absurdly enough, a pair of nunchuks. But that wasn’t quite accurate to what the two metal bars were.

Putting that aside for now, he started going along the wall, looking for a light switch of some sort. He found one—a couple, actually, all lined up next to each other—but when he flipped them, nothing happened. He shivered.

Okay, so power was off to the place. Maybe something was wrong with the... generator, or whatever. Maybe he should leave and check out that building with all the power lines. But... he was already in here, wasn’t he? He should at least look around a bit more.

He still kept close to the wall at first, looking around. After a bit, he came to a metal staircase, the sort where the steps weren’t actually attached to each other, only to the sides of the staircase. Then, a bit after that, he found a line of... mechanical arms. The second he saw them, his throat started to ache as he remembered the extreme pain one of them had caused. But it was fine. It was fine. They weren’t moving. Though he couldn’t shake the thought that they would...

He reached the corner of the large room a bit after that, and started walking along this new wall. He found another metal staircase of some sort, and after that... a large bin on wheels. That drew his attention enough to finally leave the safety of the wall, walking over to it. The bin was placed at the end of a conveyor belt, and was waist-height for him. He peered into it, wondering if there was anything inside.

...Jackie wasn’t sure what he expected. Circuit boards, maybe, or metal bits and bobs he couldn’t identify. But that was not what he saw. The items were made of metal, but that only caused him to freeze in his tracks. Because this shape... he recognized this shape.

The bin was full of metallic human ribcages.

Jackie was rooted in place for a second, processing what he saw. These—they were—maybe—maybe he was misunderstanding something? But—no, he couldn’t be. He may have never seen a real skeleton, but he’d seen plastic ones and pictures plenty of times, there was no mistaking it. Once his brain accepted that reality, he suddenly shrieked and scrambled backwards, instinctively lifting off the ground and flying back as he pressed against the wall, his heart beating hard in his own bone ribcage.

“Windstorm? Is everything alright?” Schneep asked, concerned.

But before Jackie could answer, another voice rang out through the darkness. “I was not expecting you to be scared of some bars of metal. Fascinating. I suppose it might not be the metal itself, but what your mind believes it represents.”

Those computerized tones... “ANTI,” Jackie said, eyes darting back and forth, trying to peer through the darkness. “You—you are here after all.”

“Is that not why you came here?” ANTI sounded mildly amused. “To find me? And you are surprised when you are correct?”

“Anti-Virus is with you?!” Marvin gasped through Jackie’s earpiece. “Is he—”

“You are not as clever as you think, you know,” ANTI continued, his voice drowning out the ones on Jackie’s earpiece. “Or perhaps I am simply more clever than you could ever be. Yes, that is probably the answer. I am smart enough to secure all my assets. I realized you would come looking for other SepTech things sooner or later. I had the time and the means to prepare.”

“Where are you?” Jackie demanded, turning his head and gazing through the darkness, looking for any sign of movement.

“I am nowhere—or at least, I am not anywhere in the way you traditionally think,” ANTI said. “I do not exist in a ‘location’, Jackie. Not the way you do with your brain and body. I am simply... everywhere, all at once. But right now, most of ‘everywhere’ to me is the systems running this factory. So in a way, you are inside me right now. Like food inside a stomach.”

“Oh, hate that,” Jackie whispered.

“But you would like something to look at, would you not?” ANTI said. “In that case, here.”

A light appeared in the middle of the large room, revealing just how vast and empty it was. It was that same hologram of ANTI’s computer generated form, being projected from the bottom of what looked like a catwalk of some sort. The hologram waved. “Hello there,” Anti-Virus said, his red smile growing wider.

“Y-you!” Jackie blinked. “What’s going on?!”

“Is it not obvious?” Anti-Virus asked. “You came here, to an isolated location, all on your own with no backup. I am going to kill you.”

Mechanical whirling filled the air. Jackie saw something rush at him from above, and he quickly dropped to the ground, avoiding the robotic arm that suddenly tried to grab him. More whirring, and Jackie saw another glint of metal rushing at him. He dodged, and looked backwards as something hit the wall. One of those metal ribcages, but now with some sort of snakelike attachment down the back—a mechanical spine. And at the top of the spine was a metal semi-dome of some sort. Right where the head would be. “What the hell is this place building?!” Jackie shouted, his voice cracking in alarm.

“Some prototypes for an idea I had,” Anti-Virus said calmly. “I thought they could come in handy while I still had Jameson Jackson under my control.”

While he spoke, more metal parts flew at Jackie—a mechanical leg, a pelvis of some sort, more ribs and an arm and one of those partial heads. Jackie flew wildly through the air, dodging everything.

“His abilities are quite powerful. I imagine that is what happens when they run in the family like that. They get stronger with each generation. And I do not think anyone ever had such a specific ability—to control not only humans, but anything shaped like a human.”

Clang! Clang! Clang! Jackie heard the metal items hitting the walls and other metal structures. Something swung through the air towards him too fast to dodge. Jackie cried out as the pendulum hit his side and sent him spinning.

“So I thought it may be nice to have an army, just in case. It was very troublesome to have to secretly hunt down humans to use. It would be easier to use mechanical human-shaped creations.”

A robotic arm slammed down from the ceiling, and Jackie went crashing down. Something drove into his stomach, and he tumbled forward onto a metal floor—a railing, and then a catwalk.

“But production proved difficult to do, even with my influence,” Anti-Virus continued. “So I sent out a notice to the rest of SepTech that a gas leak in this factory caused it to shut down, and stored everything in here in case I would need it.”

“Nice monologue, jackass,” Jackie wheezed, getting to his hands and knees. “Just like every other villain I’ve faced.”

“Really? Well, I suppose it is a shame to have some of my plans go unknown,” Anti-Virus said. “Not after such effort I went through to make them.”

Large clamps grabbed onto the sides of the catwalk and started to shake it. Jackie quickly jumped into the air, starting to fly—

SLAM! Something bodied Jackie, hitting him hard and sending him crashing to the floor below. All the air left his lungs in a moment, and he couldn’t even gasp. He struggled to push away what hit him, and realized it was a fully robotic-looking skeleton, missing only the head. Jackie scrambled backwards. He looked up—and saw those clamps looming over him, reaching down. He crawled away, but even so, one of them slammed down on his leg. He cried out, but it was more of a groan as he was still very breathless.

“Nothing to say to that?” ANTI asked, amused.

Jackie scrambled across the ground, dodging other clamps that slammed down towards him like giant hammers. He made it underneath the catwalk, where he was finally able to take a moment to catch his breath. “I... don’t... believe you,” he said. “You’ve... always made a point... not to tell me anything. I think... you’re lying.”

“Perhaps,” Anti-Virus said. “But you will never know the truth.”

One of the clamps grabbed onto the metal support of the catwalk and began to pull. With an incredible groaning noise, it began to bend. Metal parts slammed down on the top of the catwalk, helping the collapse along. When Jackie went to the side, the other clamps lashed out, forcing him to back up or risk being grabbed.

Jackie froze for a moment. What the hell was he supposed to do here?! It seemed like ANTI had control of everything in this factory! He had to get out of here—but what if there was something to find in here? Some clue about where McLoughlin or Dahlia were?

“Windstorm?! Are you okay?!” Schneep’s voice shouted through his earpiece.

“Gah!” Jackie snapped out of his momentary indecision. “Y-yes, I—I’m retreating!” He couldn’t risk dying here! If something happened to him, they might never be able to find those two! He looked up at the collapsing catwalk. The clamps were blocking him off from the left and right, but he could run forward! So he did so, running beneath the catwalk, head turning left and right, looking for a gap where he could—there!

He darted to the side, squeezing through between the base of two robotic arms. He just had to—

Pain burst through his head as his vision went white for a bit. One of the robotic arms had come down on his head. He stumbled a bit, trying to recover. And in the short time that he took to do that, the robotic arm grabbed his own, fleshy arm, lifting him up into the air. He yelped and tried to yank it free, but of course, he knew how strong these things were. There had to be another way! Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he looked at the robotic arm, and saw some wires of some sort attaching the grabby part of the arm to the rest of it. He reached forward with his free hand and grabbed onto those, yanking as hard as he could. Something popped free, the arm let go, and Jackie shot into the air just in time to avoid more metallic debris that was coming his way. The arms must’ve been throwing those at him the whole time!

He needed to get out of here. His head was aching, and so was his arm, his leg, just about every part of his body. There was no way he could fight off an entire factory line of robots! So he continued to fly up, up, up—until he saw the rafters running along the ceiling. He grabbed onto one and swung around to sit on it, taking a moment to breathe.

“You cause so much trouble, you know, Jackie,” ANTI said.

Jackie didn’t respond to that. There was a chance ANTI had lost sight of him, and calling out would give away his location. He looked around wildly, trying to get his bearings in the darkness. He had no idea where the entrance to this room was, but it had to be near the wall. So if he scooted along the rafter until he reached the spot where it connected, he might be able to see it? At the very least, he would know where one of the walls was. So he did that, slowly. His hands were trembling, and he didn’t know if that was because of damage from them being slammed and smacked around, or if the blow to his head was affecting his motor control. Possibly both. Which was worrying. But he had to get out of here before he could focus on those problems.

ANTI fell silent. Below him, there was nothing but the sound of metal grinding and motors and gears whirring. Jackie practically held his breath as he moved along the rafters until he reached the wall. Then, placing one hand against it, he peered down towards the floor. There. Just barely on the edge of his field of vision. The top of a doorframe. He might only have one chance at this.

He took a deep breath... and dived down towards it.

Sound and motion exploded in the room. Metal parts and debris slammed against the wall—against him, too, but he kept moving, spurring himself downwards. Then he made the sharpest dive he’d ever made and slammed up against the door, bursting through it and tumbling down the hall. A high-pitched sound came from behind him, and he knew immediately that it was ANTI screaming in frustration.

His whole body ached, but Jackie scrambled to his feet and leapt into the air, flying down the hallway as fast as he could. Metal debris soared through the air behind him as ANTI threw things at him, trying to hit him out of the air. Luckily, it all missed, the closest ones just barely brushing against him.

The hallway was just a straight line, so he was able to fly right to the entrance he came from and burst through it, rolling across the ground, the rough asphalt tearing at his suit, causing friction that burned against his skin. Jackie scrambled to his feet, stumbling as he looked back towards the open doorway. He waited for a second but nothing appeared from the darkness.

He had to get out of here before ANTI revealed he had something else up his sleeve. Something like more weaponized SAMs; he wouldn’t put it past him to have some on hand just in case. Jackie hopped into the air to fly away, paused for a moment to grab the shoe he left behind, and then shot off into the sky.

“Guys!” he gasped into the earpiece. “I-I got out of there! H-how are you guys?”

“We’re fine,” Marvin said.

“Windstorm, where are you?!” Schneep hissed. “What happened?!”

“He... h-he attacked me...” Jackie said slowly. “Th-there were... I-I don’t even know what was hitting me half the time, i-it was pitch black in there!” He shook his head—and the motion caused pain to rush through his head. He hissed. “Ow...”

“’Ow’? You are injured?” Schneep asked, immediately concerned. “What happened? How are you hurt?”

“A-all over, it feels like,” Jackie said. “My arm, my leg, my head...” He shook his head again, despite how much it hurt. “I-I’ll be okay, though. I’m following the... the road away from the factory.” He could see the dirt road snaking across the ground below him, everything still tinted green from the night vision.

“Did you hit your head?” Schneep asked.

“I... yeah, I think so.”

“You think so?!” Schneep sounded alarmed.

“Yeah, I think so.” Jackie blinked slowly. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, he was starting to feel very tired. His vision was losing focus, the dark of the dirt road blurring around its edges and blending into the green field.

“Jackie, you may have a concussion,” Schneep said. “Where are you? You said you went to the nearest factory?”

“Hey, Specter, where are you going?” Marvin asked—evidently, Schneep was walking away from him.

“Back to the surface, of course!” Schneep said. “We need to meet up with Jackie, he needs medical attention and I am the best thing we have!”

“I-I’m fine, Schneep,” Jackie said. He blinked slowly, staring down at the dirt road... huh. That had started to drift off to the left. No, wait, he was starting to drift off, listing to his right as he flew through the air. Was something wrong with the earpiece? He could hear a strange ringing sound.

“You may be fine, but when it comes to concussions, we do not fuck around,” Schneep said. “Doctors do not fuck around when it comes to the brain. Need I remind you that Chase had a head injury, and now he cannot stand on his own or even bend over without falling.”

“Harsh, doc,” Jackie mumbled. “Chase would be hurt.”

“I am using harsh language to emphasize the seriousness,” Schneep said. “It is not a dig on Chase, who is doing quite well. It is a warning that fucking terrible things can happen.”

“Right, right.” Jackie nodded, wincing again as that made his headache worse... and his vision swim. “Y-you know where the SepTech factories are, right, Schneep?”

“Yes, I remember the locations.”

“I-I went to the nearest one. There’s a... a dirt road to the factory, it comes from a turnoff from the expressway. I’m flying above that, towards the expressway. Then I’m gonna fly along the expressway towards Daindover.”

“Fuck, you’re really out of it, aren’t you?” Marvin said, worry tinging his voice. “You wouldn’t repeat stuff like that normally.”

“This is why we are leaving!” Schneep said. “Jackie, how are you feeling? Keep talking to me.”

“I... my head hurts, o-of course.” Jackie blinked wildly. He knew the symptoms of a concussion. As a hero, he faced a lot of injuries, and he used to do his own medical care... Wait, he was in the middle of talking, he can’t trail off like this. “I-I guess I feel a little... dizzy, maybe? Things look a bit blurry, and... I’m tired. Those are symptoms, right?”

“Yes, those are symptoms,” Schneep confirmed. “Do you feel sick? Nauseous? Do you hear ringing in your ears?”

Jackie didn’t answer right away. He thought about it, assessing the ringing... and then still didn’t answer for a little bit. “Y-yes, there’s a ringing sound,” he finally said.

“Schiesse,” Schneep cursed. “I see, I see. Jackie, where are you now? Still by the dirt road?”

“I-I’m approaching the... the expressway,” Jackie said. He looked towards it, seeing a handful of cars rushing down the stretch.

“Do you remember which way to go to get to Daindover?” Schneep asked.

Jackie thought about it. God, his head really was pounding. “Sorry, what was that?”

“Do you remember how to get to Daindover?!” Schneep repeated, his voice a bit louder.

“Y-yes! Yeah, I... once I get here, I turn left... there are signs I-I can check if I get lost. It’s gonna be a-a little while away... I fly fast, though. But... the ground is getting a bit closer...” He was struggling to focus on flying, and so naturally, he was drifting down closer to the ground.

“Jackie, you can walk, you know,” Schneep said. “Or—no, wait. You should rest. Stop moving, but do not fall asleep! For the love of god, do not fall asleep!”

“N-n... no can do, doc.” Jackie laughed a little. “ANTI might be coming after me, I-I can’t stop. I-it’s fine, though, I’ll go on the... on the ground. Save my energy.” By now, he’d reached the expressway. He touched down on the ground next to the highway, resting one hand on a small waist-high wall that ran alongside it, a leftover ruin from hundreds of years ago. For a moment, he reflected on how it was kinda cool that stuff like this was littered around just casually. Then he remembered how he had to keep going and started walking.

“Okay, fine, we can work with that,” Schneep relented. “We are going to meet you, okay? Or at least I am, Mar—Spitfire does not have to come.”

“Hey, I might as well,” Marvin said. “If Anti-Virus really is coming after him, I could help fight off whatever he sends his way. How are we going to get there, though?”

“I... I-I am not sure right now...” Schneep said slowly. “Maybe...”

Their voices continued, but they trailed off into mumbling to Jackie’s mind. It was... hard to focus on their words. He had to keep walking. One step after another. One step... after... another...

Stars were dancing over his eyes. Black stars. Things were fading in and out. Jackie felt his shoe hit something and he stumbled, grabbing onto the wall to keep himself from falling altogether. “Sh... Sheep? S-Schneep?” he mumbled. “I... know this is bad. But... I think... I’m going to pass... out.”

“What!?” Schneep cried. “No no no no! Stay awake! Talk with me! Talk with me, Jackie! Ah, do you see any signs nearby? Tell me! Talk to me!”

“I don’... see.. musha stuff...” Jackie mumbled.

“What? What does that mean?” Schneep whispered. “Talk to me, Jackie!”

“S’rry,” Jackie mumbled. He slowly lowered himself to the ground. If he was going to pass out, he didn’t want to fall over when that happened. “I’ll... see you... later.”

“Jackie?! Jackie!”

Jackie groaned again and slammed his head against the pillow. Then a couple more times for good measure.

Chase paused. “Not good, huh?”

“I mean, fine, I guess?” Jackie said, fully raising his head this time. “I kept like... explaining the same things over and over. I guess they were looking for stuff I’d forgotten or left out by accident?”

“So was it like... really one-sided?” Chase asked.

“I guess? I think they did want to listen to me. I didn’t feel like they weren’t taking me seriously.” Though that didn’t mean that he and the Council had been on the same page the whole time. There were a few things they said that made Jackie uncomfortable. Like the way Kinetics implied he was using Marvin and Schneep. Or the way Eagle-Eye just sort of assumed McLoughlin was doing things of his own will. Or the way that Shockwave II kept wanting to find a way to reprogram ANTI or something. They were just... offputting. He hadn’t expected to feel so uneasy when he met the legendary Council of Heroes.

“Okay... so what’s, uh... gonna happen now?” Chase asked. “Are they gonna help with the Anti-Virus thing?”

“Uh, yeah, yeah.” Jackie nodded to himself. “I mean, they said they were going to put their own team on it. A lot of technopaths. A-and they told me to keep an eye on the more physical aspects, like those SAMs and stuff. And they want me to focus on finding McLoughlin.”

“Huh. I guess that makes sense. I mean, your powers aren’t really good for tech stuff.”

“Yeah, my powers aren’t, but I can do online searching and stuff!” Jackie said, rolling onto his side. “I’ve been doing it for years. Before I had access to the League databases I had to do all the research on villains on my own. I may not have hacking skills, but I have skills!”

“I, uh... don’t think that’s on the same level as the stuff Anti-Virus and technopaths do,” Chase said delicately. He whistled, and Frosty returned to Chase’s bedroom. Jackie could see him hop onto the foot of Chase’s bed from where he was lying. “I get you want to help, but... it makes sense that they told you to concentrate on stuff you might be better at.”

“...yeah.” Jackie sighed. “I know. I know. I’m not as good as a technopath or even, like, a computer science major in uni. I just...” He trailed off. “I dunno. I feel... some sort of way about it all.”

“Is it like, ‘I was gonna do that anyway, but I don’t want to now that you’ve told me’?” Chase asked half-jokingly. “I know that feeling.”

“I guess it’s partly that.” Jackie rolled onto his back to look at the ceiling. “I don’t know. I’ve been after Anti-Virus from the beginning. I-I want to do something about him, you know? I want to stop him from hurting more people. He’s already done enough to JJ, to Dr. McLoughlin, to Timekeeper. To all those people JJ was forced to control, a-and those employees in the SepTech building who got caught in the crossfire of the SAMs. I-I don’t know what he wants to do, but it’s not good!”

“Aren’t there a lot of supervillains who want to take over the world? Maybe he’s just another one of those,” Chase suggested.

“No... I don’t think so,” Jackie’s voice went quiet. “I realized this during the meeting, but like... if ANTI wants to cause widespread chaos or take over the world, he would’ve done it by now. Or at least tried. After all, we can’t exactly counteract him since we didn’t know what he was for the longest time. I think he wants something else. I don’t know what, but with all the modifications to those SAMs? That’s not a good sign.”

“Yeah...” Chase sighed. “Oh! By the way.” Fabric rustled as he moved around on his own bed. Jackie glanced over and saw Frosty move up towards where Chase was laying, out of view of Jackie’s line of sight. “I wrote this down to remember. Schneep called me. Apparently he tried texting you but he didn’t think you were getting the messages.”

“I wasn’t, I left my phone here.” Jackie glanced at said phone on the night stand. He reached over to pick it up and check his notifications. Sure enough, a lot of texts from Schneep.

“He was wondering if you’d... well, he was saying things very cryptically, cause I think he was worried about Anti-Virus hearing,” Chase said. “But he was basically like ‘do you think you’ll be allowed to go into the SepTech buildings soon?’”

“Ah.” Jackie hissed, inhaling sharply through his teeth. “I... don’t know. They said they would keep negotiating. And that technically I could go in if I wanted to, but that SepTech might take it out on the League if I do that.”

“Okay. In that case, Schneep said to tell you that he wants to meet up in person,” Chase reported.

“Yeah... we should probably all go out and talk about stuff,” Jackie said. “At Neun Park.” He paused. “I also wanted to check on our safe friend, to update him.” Meaning Jameson, of course. And by extension, Soren.

“Yeah, probably a good idea,” Chase said. “I still haven’t seen him since all the, uh, chaos.”

“We can all meet up to do that, then,” Jackie said, opening up his phone and the text conversation he had with Schneep. “Tomorrow, maybe. I’m exhausted.”

“I bet you are,” Chase agreed. “You took like, two airplane trips and also did your regular flying—oh shit, wait, it’s raining! Did you fly through the rain?!”

“On the airplane, or—”

“Either!”

“Well, uh, yeah, I flew through the rain on my own,” Jackie said. “Freezing.”

“Damn. I hope you don’t get sick from that. It’s really coming down. Stay there, get under your blankets, I’ll make dinner for you. Grilled cheese sound good?”

“I’m not going to catch a cold, Chase, I was wearing my suit,” Jackie said. “It’s protective. But if you insist, I’m not going to turn down a grilled cheese made by you.”

“Cold rain is no joke, bitch,” Chase said. “Text Schneep and stuff, I’ll bring you your food.”

Jackie laughed. “Okay, sure. Thanks.” He took out his phone and started reading through the messages Schneep sent him. Once he’d done that, he sent him a quick text saying that they should all meet up in person tomorrow. They had stuff to talk about.

===============

JJ was very surprised when all four of his friends stopped by the safe house the next day. Though he and the others had worked out a system for him to get messages out, they couldn’t get messages to him without stopping by in person first. The doll idea, where he controlled a doll in Jackie’s apartment via strings and used it to write messages, was a one-way thing. He couldn’t see the doll’s surroundings, even if he vaguely knew what it was doing (in the sense that he could tell if it was doing what he commanded or not). So they couldn’t write notes for it to see or anything. And obviously, no phones or computers. JJ expected he should probably get used to people stopping by unannounced.

Jackie came first, arriving through the secret tunnel. He said that Marvin would be following him through there shortly, but that but that Chase and Henrik were going through the surface streets, since Chase had Frosty and Frosty couldn’t exactly climb the ladders that led up and down from the tunnel. Sure enough, the others arrived shortly after.

“This place is kind of small, isn’t it?” Chase said, looking around while standing in the hallway. “I can see everything from here!”

It’s fine when it’s just the two of us, JJ said.

“Does get a little... cramped, sometimes, though,” Soren muttered. “Anyway. Do you all want something? Kanchana just dropped off groceries.”

You don’t have to cook for people every time they stop by, JJ said, looking at him.

“Yes I do, it is just good hospitality,” Soren said stubbornly.

Chase chuckled. “Uh... maybe a drink or something?”

“I guess tea would be good,” Marvin said, leaning on the hallway wall close to the living room.

Tea is what we end up giving Miss Yang every time she comes by, JJ said. I don’t think Soren’s much a fan of it, though, he’s more a coffee person. Next to him, Soren nodded.

Jackie blinked. “You spell out ‘Yang’ but you gave Soren his own name sign?”

Of course I did, he had it well before I met Miss Yang, JJ said. Anyway, do you want tea?

“Tea for everyone sounds lovely,” Henrik agreed. “Now let us all move to sit down in the living room instead of awkwardly hovering in the hallway.” He glanced down at Jackie’s feet, which were about two inches off the ground. “Literally, in some cases.”

They all moved to the living room. Then they waited, mostly in silence, for the tea to be done. Chase and JJ talked a lot, as Chase was eager to fill JJ in on some of the stuff going on outside the safe house, but that was about it. “I’m still working on a video script for possibly reaching out to Stacy and Abby, this, uh... family I apparently have,” he said. “I think I’m pretty much done with what I want to say, but like... I-I don’t know if I should make a thumbnail for the video or use background music or something.”

I worry that either of those might seem a bit too... disingenuous, JJ said.

“That’s a big ass word you just spelled with your fingers,” Chase laughed. “I... I mean, yeah, maybe. But I don’t want to, like, scare my audience with a video that’s too serious.”

Chase, this IS a serious topic, JJ pointed out. And besides, your YouTube channel is no stranger to that, isn’t it? You talk about your experiences with your movement and memory problems a lot. That’s rather serious. 

“Huh. Good point.” Chase bit his lip. “I guess... yeah, it’s important to give it the gravity it deserves. Now I just need a title... and to work up the nerve to record it. I worry about... you-know-who.”

Jameson nodded in understanding. I know. I worry about him a lot, too. I won’t say that there’s zero chance he’ll find that video and interfere with it, but I will suggest that you get some sort of external hard drive or something to put the original footage on. And also disconnect from the Internet while you make that footage. Take precautions, but don’t be paranoid.

“Huh.” Chase nodded. “Good idea. That’s pretty smart of you, JJ.”

JJ smiled. Soren and I tell each other that all the time. Precaution, not paranoia. The latter only harms your wellbeing.

Soren arrived with the tea soon after that, carrying mugs on a tray. “James says we should have proper tea cups, but we don’t. I hope you all don’t mind.”

“Oh it is no problem, mugs are fine, JJ is just strange like that,” Schneep chuckled. JJ flipped him off.

“Alright. So.” Marvin picked up a mug of tea, then leaned back in his chair, crossing one knee over the other. “I’m guessing Jackie’s Council meeting went about as well as I expected?”

Jackie made a face. “Well I don’t think it went that bad. But, uh... you’re probably not going to be happy about what I have to say.” He explained the gist of the Council meeting to everyone, summing up the hours it took as best he could. Everything important really happened towards the beginning, and the rest was just them repeating things and discussing what was repeated.

“Oh, so they’re not going to let you join their search?” Marvin scoffed. “That’s bullshit.”

“Hey, that’s not what I said,” Jackie said defensively. “They’re just going to have their own team running. I can search all I want! In fact, they might call me up for more help. Besides, I don’t have the skills for that sort of digital searching, anyway.”

“You could if you want to,” Marvin said.

“Not quickly,” Jackie pointed out. “Look, Marvin, I didn’t like the meeting or some things the Council said. But that part is the least of it.”

“Yes, I agree,” Schneep said. “Marvin, your bias is clouding your judgement. It is best that Jackie focus on what he can do to help already in a situation like this. We do not know what Anti-Virus is planning. For all we know, we have to find him before he enacts some evil plan. Time could be of the essence, and crawling the web is time-consuming. Jackie cannot currently learn an in-depth skill like that.”

Marvin grumbled wordlessly, but didn’t argue.

“I am more concerned with how we are still not allowed into the SepTech buildings,” Schneep continued. “At this point, SepTech is being ridiculous. There are likely many more SAMs in there!”

“They’re stubbornly trying to maintain their image, I think,” Chase said. “Like, everyone trusts SepTech. The ANTI thing has already shaken that, they don’t want to shake it any more. It’s like... like that cat box experiment, where you don’t know if the cat is alive or dead.”

“Schrodinger’s Cat,” Schneep supplied.

“Yeah. Right now, the buildings are the box. SepTech is like ‘we don’t know if the box is full of SAMs or not, and we don’t want it to be full of SAMs, so if we don’t open the box we’ll never know for sure so we can say there are no SAMs.’ Does that make sense?”

“Yeah, dude, that’s pretty smart,” Jackie said.

“Fucking dumb,” Marvin growled.

“Hey...” Chase blinked, hurt.

“Not you,” Marvin quickly said. “Windstorm’s right, that’s pretty smart. I mean SepTech is being dumb. Schrodinger’s Cat is dumb. Obviously if the cat is alive it’ll meow or scratch eventually. And obviously, if the buildings are full of SAMs, they’ll come out eventually! Dumbasses.”

I suppose this is why your focus should probably be on OTHER SepTech locations, JJ said. Unless SepTech has the same policy for those?

“No, I think it’s just the five Daindover buildings that are being locked up,” Jackie said. “Right, yeah... Path—Soren mentioned that we should check other highly secure SepTech locations last time we were here, didn’t he?”

“I did,” Soren confirmed. “If this ANTI isn’t there himself, there’s a good chance he’s keeping something important there, since he has control over a lot of their local systems. You might find Dahlia or McLoughlin there.”

“Yes, I did some research,” Schneep said. “I figured that if Anti-Virus took Dahlia somewhere, he would need to use McLoughlin to do so. And therefore, he could not go too far from the city. After all, McLoughlin has duties as a SepTech researcher. And he also may start to question things if he forgets an entire day. Surely the ANTI would consider these facts. So I looked up SepTech locations within twelve hours of here, as I think a ‘night’ is the maximum length of time that could be explained away.”

Chase whistled. “Damn, doc. That’s a lot of work.”

“It was not too difficult, actually.” Schneep shrugged. “Now, there are a couple of factories—two, in fact—in that range of space where ANTI could be hiding something. Or possibly making something. I think they are worth checking out. Other than that, all there is are the SepTech buildings. It seems that is where they do almost everything related to the business besides mass manufacturing. They have other similar buildings in other cities, but none near enough for ANTI to take McLoughlin to without suspicion on McLoughlin’s part.”

“They’re really spread-out, aren’t they?” Marvin mused. “Anyone in smaller towns nearby needs to drive to Daindover if their SepTech laptop breaks down. It’s kind of inconvenient.”

“I can fly out to check on those factories,” Jackie said. “But I feel like... like ANTI isn’t done with Daindover, if that makes sense. Do you think there’s anything in the city besides the SepTech buildings that he might have interest in?”

“There’s the underground, of course,” Marvin said. “Have you checked out that?”

The what? JJ asked, blinking wildly. Like a subway? We don’t have a subway... Do we have catacombs or something?

“Catacombs!” Schneep repeated, laughing. “Ah, no, no, not exactly. I am surprised you don’t know about it, JJ, considering you... had to do his dirty work. Perhaps that is a sign he didn’t use the underground.”

“Well, just because he didn’t use it in the past doesn’t mean he’s not using it now,” Jackie said. “Honestly, I don’t like to go into the underground that often. It’s cramped, nowhere to fly. And it’s easy to be snuck up on in the darkness. I’ll do an occasional patrol, but I haven’t gone down there in a while. It might be worth checking.”

“What is the underground?” Chase asked, curious.

“Well.” Jackie bit his lip. “So... you know how houses and buildings sometimes have basements?”

Chase raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, duh.”

“Of course you react like that, they are more common in America,” Schneep said. “You must unconsciously remember that.”

“Anyway, back in the 70s, there was a villain called Burrow,” Jackie continued. “You’ll never guess what his powers were.” He laughed. “The guy used his, like earth-drilling powers to connect up a bunch of basements and cellars and use the underground as a secret lair slash escape route. He was defeated, but the city didn’t want to risk messing with the tunnels he made, so they just sort of... started using them. That’s why you don’t see a lot of aboveground power or phone cables here in Daindover, because it’s all underground. Eventually, people figured out how to make new tunnels safely, and it’s all just sort of... expanded into this massive network of old industrial stuff.”

“And us villains love it,” Marvin said, grinning mischievously.

“Yes, that is where a lot of villain activity happens.” Schneep nodded.

“I used the underground a lot back in the day,” Soren mused. “It’s easy to transport things. You used to go down there quite a lot, Windstorm. Mostly to stop my henches.” He grinned. “Did I scare you off?”

“No, I just never liked going down there,” Jackie said. Though to be honest, being chased down a dark, decrepit hallway by Pathos while he used his powers to make him feel afraid didn’t exactly... endear the underground to him.

JJ bit his lip thoughtfully. You know, now that I think about it, Dahlia did used to talk about “the tunnels” a lot when she went out on patrols. She also didn’t like them. Said they were too risky.

“Oh, they are not that risky,” Schneep said. “People go down there for maintenance all the time. And I go down there quite often and I feel safe. Though perhaps I am only saying that because I’m not a superhero. I can imagine that those are not easily welcomed.”

Jackie squirmed. He didn’t even really like to think about the underground, honestly. He tried not to. “Uh... well, maybe one day, I could fly out to check on the factories while you and Marvin check out the underground? If you would like to, of course.”

“Sounds efficient,” Marvin agreed, nodding.

“I’d offer to help as well, but that would defy the point of staying in a safe house,” Soren said.

Well, actually, let’s think about that, JJ said. Anti-Virus doesn’t have a problem with you. And if you’re going to stay underground, you won’t risk running into... the forces of good?

Soren laughed. “The forces of good? Sounds like a Saturday morning cartoon.”

You know what I mean, though, JJ said, making a face at Soren.

“Yeah, yeah, I do.” Soren nodded. “Hm. It’s worth thinking about. When you guys are going to do that, come here to let us know. I might decide to come with you. My knowledge might help you, I used to use that underground a lot.”

“Not a problem,” Schneep said. “Now we just need to work out a day to do that. I have a busy schedule this week, checking on a lot of patients. Technically, Chase also has a checkup scheduled for then.”

“Riiiiight, I forgot about that.” Chase nodded.

“My schedule is free, I’ll work with whatever you guys can do,” Jackie said.

After a bit more talking, they agreed to do their joint searches on Thursday, three days from now, going out in the evening when neither Marvin nor Schneep had work. After that, they finished their tea and the other four got up to head out. Schneep and Marvin elected to take the secret passage this time, while Jackie and Chase left through the door, heading to the nearest train station.

===============

The train ride was quiet. It’s not crowded, but Chase stayed standing anyway, holding onto the support pole for the luggage rack. Jackie decided to stand with him, out of solidarity. 

Once their usual station got closer, Jackie said, “So, I’m thinking about going out on patrol after this.” He pulled on the strap of the backpack he was wearing. His super suit was stuffed in there.

“Oh yeah, no problem.” Chase nodded. “I’ll just go home. Hey, uh, how are you—”

Jackie sneezed.

“...feeling?” Chase finished.

“I’m fine, don’t worry about it,” Jackie insisted. “Just a little stuffy. Nothing to worry about.” He smiled and nudged Chase’s shoulder with his own. “I really appreciate you, dude.”

“Whoa, why are you being suddenly sappy?” Chase asked.

“Hah... I was just thinking about it.” Jackie smiled lightly. Chase’s recent period of silence still weighed on his mind. He wanted to make sure his friend never doubted that there were people out there who cared for him.

“Well... thanks.” Chase smiled back lightly. “I appreciate you, too, bro.” The train started to slow, and he gripped the pole tightly as Frosty pushed against him in an attempt to keep him balanced. “This is our stop coming up here.”

“Yeah.” Jackie nodded. “Let’s go.”

Their usual stop was right by a bunch of apartment buildings, and was usually the source of a lot of commuters’ rides to and from work. So despite the train being pretty empty, a fair amount of people get off the train with Jackie and Chase, and they all quickly mix with a larger crowd waiting for trains. People gave Chase a wide berth by virtue of Frosty being quite a big dog (though a few people do look excited at the sight of him), so the two of them were able to sneak through towards the steps off the platform quite easily. This wasn’t really a full station, enclosed in a building and everything, but it did have arching glass awnings overhead, as well as some buildings off the platforms where you bought tickets and such. Pedestrians milled about or waited on benches for their train to arrive.

“So do you want to say bye here, or what?” Chase asked. “I can walk back to the apartment while you do your thing. D’you need to change clothes?”

“Yeah, but I can probably do that around here somewhere,” Jackie said. “I think this platform has a bathroom I can—”

The announcement speaker on the platform turned on suddenly. But instead of announcing an arriving train, it simply said one word.

“Surprise.”

Something red hot flashed through the air right by Jackie, hitting the ground and leaving a black starburst behind. Some sort of laser! Jackie spun around and saw a handful of round, flying robots suddenly rising up into the air, all of them coming from the large trash cans around the platform, shaking off empty paper cups and candy wrappers. The people on the platform all stopped to point—but then cried out as compartments slid open on the side of the robots, revealing weapons and lasers that began firing into the crowd. People screamed and ran, quickly dispersing.

“What the fuck?!” Chase gasped. “What’s going—”

Jackie grabbed him and pulled him towards the platform stairs. Luckily they were already close, and he pushed them forward with a gust of wind so they could beat the fleeing crowd there. “Go home! Now!”

“O-okay!” Chase nodded. 

“Windstorm, I know you are here,” the voice crackled from the platform speakers—and simultaneously, from the SAM speakers, multiple copies of the same robotic voice overlapping. “I see you easily. Is this not what you wanted? I am here now!” One of the SAM’s tail-like peripheral spun around, electricity crackling down its length. A long bolt of lightning reached from its tip down to the ground, a rope of electricity that continued to exist even as the SAM moved. Bystanders quickly fled to get away from it.

“Shit,” Jackie cursed under his breath. “Chase, get out of here! I’m going to change into my suit really quick and deal with these guys!”

Chase nodded. “Everyone! Over here!” He waved at the crowd, directing them towards the stairs off the platform.

Jackie nodded approvingly, then turned around and slipped to the side, dodging the main mass of the crowd. He wove around the poles holding up the awnings until he reached the far end of the train station where there were less people. Glancing around, he didn’t see any security cameras nearby, so he took off his backpack and pulled out his suit. People continued to run all around, but there was no time to worry about being caught! Jackie changed as quickly as he could, abandoning his hoodie, shoes, and backpack on the ground. Then he turned and ran back towards the SAMs, quickly lifting into the air as he went.

“I see you,” ANTI’s voice came from the speakers again as all the SAMs turned towards Jackie in unison, watching him rapidly approach. “What will you do to defeat these Machines?”

“Oh just you watch!” Jackie shouted. He raised his fist forward and flew as fast as he could towards the nearest SAM. It aimed its weapons at him, but the targeting system was too slow for Jackie’s flight, and his fist slammed into the camera in the center of the SAM, sending it spinning out of control through the air. Bystanders nearby cheered, and Jackie looked at them. “Get off the platform! Now!”

Two SAMs nearby opened compartments on the bottom of their spheres, revealing racks of small rocket-shaped projectiles. They shot forwards towards Jackie, who flew out of the way. But the rockets continued to track him. He glanced backwards, panicking at the trails of smoke on his tail. Quickly, he zoomed up towards the glass awning overhead, practically slammed against it, then used that momentum to push himself into a quick dive. The rockets hit the awning and exploded, sending glass raining everywhere.

Darts flew through the air. Jackie inhaled sharply and dodged, rolling through the air and falling a bit too close to the train tracks for his comfort. Those probably contained neutrinalin! Or something even worse! “Excellent form, Windstorm,” ANTI said.

“Where are you?!” Jackie shouted, shooting back up into the air.

“Technically speaking, I am not fully here at all,” ANTI said calmly. “But if you must insist on a visual.” A small SAM flew forwards, green with a blue ring around its camera. Jackie instantly recognized McLoughlin’s special SAM, his blood going cold at the sight of it being controlled by McLoughlin. The camera in the center glowed and projected an image forward—a hologram of a man. The man wore armor, both medieval and robotic and design, his face covered by a black mask with an LED screen that showed two glowing red eyes and a grinning red mouth. It looked like the Puppeteer, but also... not. There were subtle differences besides the red glow. Mostly in the design of the armor, and... something else. After a second of staring, Jackie realized that this wasn’t actually a man, but rather some sort of 3D model. “Do you like the look? It was my design in the first place, after all.” ANTI’s voice came from the speaker on the SAM.

“You...” Jackie clenched his fists. He was expecting to be afraid of ANTI the next time he faced him. After all, the man—computer?—had nearly killed him. But all he could feel was anger. “Where’s McLoughlin?! What have you done to him?!”

“He is alive, if that is what you worry about,” ANTI said, the hologram folding its arms. “But there are more important things for you to worry about right now.”

Something whistled through the air behind Jackie. Instantly, Jackie shot into the air. But he wasn’t quite fast enough. A glowing red SAM barreled at the spot where he was, smacking into Jackie’s shin from behind. Jackie cried out in pain as his leg shot forward, sending him somersaulting through the air.

“It would be most optimal for you to die right now.” Despite the logical, robotic words, ANTI’s voice was clearly tinged with anger. All the SAMs in the area turned towards Jackie, arming their weapons.

Jackie stiffened. No time to think, he just had to react.

All the SAMs fired, and Jackie dropped down to the train tracks, rolling across the rails. He then shot up into the air, grabbing the red SAM by its peripheral and spinning it through the air. He launched it towards a cluster of SAMs. Most of them fled in time, but one was smashed by the thrown SAM, metal crumpling from the force of it. Then Jackie continued upwards, projectiles firing after him. He flew above the awnings, using them as a shield, but the SAMs flew up to pursue him. Jackie took a deep breath and flew higher into the sky, weaving around in circles, forcing the chasing SAMs to gather up into a cluster. The lasers hit him, but his suit protected him in most places. Most places. He still winced as the occasional burst of pain pierced the fabric. And the longer he threw, the more there were. Concentrate, Jackie! Concentrate!

Jackie flew faster and faster, the wind trailing behind him. The SAMs were forced closer and closer together. His head started to hurt, the laser wounds aching, but he kept focusing on the air around him, forcing the wind faster and faster. Some of the SAMs started to collide, sparks flying and metal panels falling to the ground. Once Jackie began to feel his grip slipping, he pulled out of the circle, spinning around to face the SAMs. He shoved his hands forward, and a wall of wind crashed into the cluster of SAMs, sending them flying down into the ground and awnings below. Metal parts exploded outwards. Some of the SAMs continued to twitch, dart guns and lasers trying to aim for Jackie. But it wasn’t enough.

“I suppose your powers are more impressive than they look.” The hologram of ANTI was still there, still being projected by McLoughlin’s SAM. It now sat as if on an invisible chair, arms folded, one leg crossed over the other. “But when one has the ability to control something surrounded by everyone at all times, one can get creative.”

Jackie dropped back down to the ground, landing heavily on the train platform. He eyed the SAM and hologram suspiciously, but... he couldn’t bring himself to attack the SAM that belonged to McLoughlin. It didn’t seem to be weaponized, anyway. “So sorry to get in the way of your ‘optimal’ plan,” Jackie said bitterly. “But people don’t always do the most logical thing.”

ANTI laughed. “Oh, I know that all too well, Windstorm. I suppose next time I will have to bring more. I will have to improve them further.”

“Where the hell is McLoughlin?!” Jackie demanded, stepping closer to the hologram.

Again, ANTI laughed. The sound was exactly the same as the last one. “Are you worried about him? You hardly know him, you know. You were at most, coworkers.”

“I’m a hero, bitch! I care about the innocents! Especially when they’re in the hands of someone like you!”

“Dr. Jack McLoughlin is not innocent,” ANTI said viciously. The hologram stood up, walking closer to Jackie. He fought the urge to step backwards, reminding himself that it was just light and nothing more. “You only think he is because you do not know him as I do.”

“What, has he wronged you?” Jackie scoffed. “Do you wish he’d never created you? That sounds very self-destructive.”

“You cannot possibly understand,” ANTI said. “Your existence and mine are completely, fundamentally different. You cannot possibly know what Jack McLoughlin has done.”

“Well I doubt he did, either,” Jackie said. “Why are you even talking to me?! You just tried to kill me!”

“Failed to kill you. More data is necessary for an improved attempt.” The hologram tilted its head. “Though if I am honest, this was the most minimal effort I could have put forth. But I thought perhaps I would ‘throw you a bone’. After all, were you not complaining yesterday that you wanted to be able to do something? Were you not off-put by the way the Council instructed you to not search for me?”

Jackie went pale. When he got home yesterday... his phone... sitting right next to him on the dresser...

“Well. Here I am. A small part of me, at least.” The hologram spread its arms wide. “Congratulations. You can report to the League that you’ve destroyed some of my Machine army. You can tell yourself that you are useful as a Hero.”

Jackie lunged forward, trying to punch ANTI. But of course, his fist just passed right through the hologram’s face. Jackie staggered, losing his balance. A few black spots danced in his vision; he’d really gone all-out destroying those SAMs.

“Lashing out, I see.” ANTI sounded amused. “I do not think the League would look upon you favorably for that. Though perhaps that is not what you want.”

“Are you just here to show off?!” Jackie yelled. “‘Oh look at me, I’m so cool with my robots, you could never hope to defeat me!’ Newsflash, asshole! This isn’t my first ride around town as a hero, and you are not the first villain to try and intimidate me into submission! In fact, this isn’t even the first time you did it! I still think about that data breach! The breach that didn’t even affect me! Why don’t you fucking do something?!”

“Noted. The next attempt on your life will be far more difficult to avoid.” ANTI leaned close, the SAM pushing the hologram closer. “I know where you live, Jackie,” he whispered, computerized voice lowering its volume. “The only reason you are not constantly bombarded is because my priorities lie elsewhere.”

Jackie suppressed a shiver.

“And no, I will not be telling you what those priorities are,” ANTI continued. “You know far less about me than I do about you, and I would like to keep it that way. I will just say my ambitions have much more of a pointed directive than the meaningless chaos I tested myself with while controlling Jameson Jackson. It is not my fault you are unable to understand. But here. I am sure you are dying for something to show your Council. So here. I will be gracious.”

The hologram disappeared. Instead, the SAM now projected a photo—no, a video, though there was barely any movement in it. The camera looked down from on high, probably in a corner of a room, and was pointed at a small metal bedframe. Curled up on the bedframe was a man in a dirty white labcoat. Jackie recognized it instantly as the one McLoughlin was wearing the last time he saw him. It took him a second after that to recognize McLoughlin himself. His hair and beard had already noticeably grown out in the short period since he’d seen him, and the lab coat seemed to hang off his thin, pale frame. He stared blankly up at the ceiling of this windowless, gray room, the only movement being the rising and falling of his chest. The false skin of his mechanical prosthetic had been torn in spaces, leaving a glinting gouge behind.

“...oh, god,” Jackie whispered, horrified.

“Data collected.” The photograph vanished. “Thank you very much for your emotional input.”

“Hey wait a—”

But then the SAM flew off into the sky, rapidly disappearing as it abruptly turned around a corner.

Jackie started to fly after it—but then those black spots danced in his vision again and he fell to the ground, crying out, his head suddenly swimming. “F-fuck...” he hissed. He really had spent a lot of energy back there. He hadn’t realized it before. Taking a deep breath, Jackie quickly straightened. He looked around the train station. The bystanders had quickly cleared out of it, leaving him alone in here. But Chase might be waiting nearby.

“Fucking—!” Anti jumped in surprise at the loud sound. He always kept his phone on vibrate, but it was currently resting between a metal water bottle and a knife, so when it vibrated it made a loud clattering sound. He picked it up and glanced at the Caller ID, expecting one of his friends. But instead, this was... Will’s school?

His annoyance quickly turned into confused anxiety. It was about 2:30, near the end of the school day. In another forty minutes or so, he’d have to hurry to meet Will at the bus stop. Why was the primary school calling him right now? Was it an early day or something? He took a deep breath and answered the call. “Hello?”

“Hi, is this Mr. McLoughlin?” asked a polite female voice. “Will McLoughlin’s father?”

“Speaking. What’s this call for?”

“This is Brenda with Mirygale Public Primary, there’s been an incident at the school and we need you to come pick him up.”

“Whaaat sort of incident?” Anti asked slowly.

“It seems Will got in a physical fight with another boy and has been injured,” the voice explained patiently.

Anti felt a jolt pass through his entire body. “What?!”

“It’s quite a shock. We’ve called for the hospital but—”

“The hospital?!” Anti shot to his feet. “It’s that bad?!”

“Will will be fine,” the voice reassured him. “But the nurse said it would be better if he was taken to some sort of emergency room. We’re calling to notify you so you can get here before the ambulance does.”

“The ambulance?!” Anti’s voice cracks. “I-I’ll be right there!” He hung up, shoving his phone in his pocket.

His heart was pounding, the fear so thick it felt like a physical stab to the chest. He barely took the time to grab his wallet and a single knife before rushing out of the room, and through the living room to the front door.

He took the steps downstairs two at a time, going so fast that sometimes the only thing that kept him from falling was his iron death grip on the railing. The neighbors were probably going to complain about loud noises in the hall and the stairwell, but he didn’t care! He ran out across the lobby and burst through the front doors of the apartment building, looking left and right. Which bus route would be the fastest way to Will’s school?!

Anti took a deep breath. Alright, calm down. He’d be no use to Will if he was in a panic when he got there. He needed to be calm, otherwise Will would be freaked out to see his dad so worried. Ugh, why did he have to get in a fight?! It had been years since he’d done that! And what sort of fight between eleven-year-olds got so bad that one of them needed to go to the hospital?!

Wait... hold on a second.

Now that he’d stopped moving for a second, some doubts were starting to arise in his mind. Questions about this whole thing. As far as he knew, there was no one named Brenda working the phones at Will’s school. Maybe... maybe she’d been a recent hire? Yeah, that would make sense. She’d used the term ‘emergency room’ instead of something like A&E, so maybe she just moved here from America... though... she didn’t have an American accent... And wait, who would Will be picking a fight with? Anti had always encouraged him to come to him with his problems and complaints from school, in the hopes that talking it out wouldn’t lead to something drastic like this. But... maybe someone else had started the fight? Will hadn’t spoken about any bullies or enemies, though...

And... he didn’t think... any of the staff at Will’s school called him by his shortened nickname... He was pretty sure that it was school policy to refer to the students by their full names, so... he’d be ‘William,’ not ‘Will,’ wouldn’t he...?

A laugh danced through the air behind him. “I guess you really do care.”

Anti spun around, reaching into his pocket for that knife he’d grabbed. There, standing right in front of the entrance to his apartment building, leaning back against the closed glass doors... was Distorter.

“Y-you...” Anti’s eyes went wide. “H-how? How did you—th-that was really the school’s number—” He could feel that charmed bracelet still on his wrist. He’d been wearing it ever since JJ and the magicians made it, even in bed and in the shower. There was no way Distorter could’ve tricked him into thinking that call was something else!

“You all seem to think you’re the only friends I have,” Distorter said. “I make new ones all the time! Brenda is so nice, have you ever met her? Probably not, janitors don’t usually attend PTA meetings.”

Anti instantly understood what happened. Distorter had mind controlled some poor woman at Will’s school, using her to make that call, all while he waited down here for Anti to come rushing out in a panic—which he had. Falling right into his trap. Anti took a step backwards. “Will... Will isn’t... actually hurt, is he?”

“Oh, he’s fine, I’d never do anything to him,” Distorter said. “I don’t even have thoughts about hurting my kids! Unlike some people.”

“Bullshit,” Anti retorted. “We know your past now, you fucking freak. Even more than we did before. We actually saw what you did to your family!”

In an instant, Distorter is in front of him, inches from his face. Anti bit back a yelp as he felt his nails dig into his shoulders through his shirt. “...you saw what?” Distorter’s voice was low, threatening. Unlike any tone they’d ever heard from him before.

Anti swallowed the sudden fear in his throat. “We saw your past,” he said quietly. “We saw you kill them... and then... turn it on yourself.”

Distorter’s face was so close to his; Anti couldn’t really see his mouth from this angle, but he had the strangest feeling the ever-present smile had disappeared. “How?”

“F-fucking... magic and shit, that’s how.” Anti tried to maintain an air of confidence as he slowly moved his hand towards his pocket. He needed to grab his knife, or his phone, or both—

Suddenly, Distorter backed up again, letting go of Anti’s shoulders. He still blocked the way back into the apartment, standing there with his head tilted to the side and his arms dangling loosely. “Well, the past is never dead, now, is it?” he said. “No matter how much you try to kill it. Right? You know that, don’t you... Aodhán?”

Anti shivered. He didn’t dare take his eyes off of Distorter. But he knew this area, surely he could just turn and run without worrying about navigating unfamiliar surroundings. He couldn’t hear any pedestrians right now (which was a little weird, there was a fair amount of foot traffic here) or any cars, either. So he didn’t have to worry about getting distracted by people. He could just run. Maybe get Distorter to follow him around the block so he could end up back here and go inside? But could he ever outrun Distorter? That was the question, wasn’t it?

“Nothing to say to that?” Distorter asked. “That’s fine. Now that you’re here, I want you to do something.” He leaned forward, his whole body moving like it was a single line instead of bending at the waist like a normal person would. “Come with me.”

A strange sensation washed over Anti’s mind. It was... cold, though you couldn’t exactly describe it as that when it wasn’t something he physically felt. It was... cold thoughts, pressing up against the glass window of his consciousness. He instinctively knew that this was Distorter’s power. It was being blocked by the charmed bracelet after all! A vicious triumph surged in his heart, but he was careful not to let it show on his face. The second Distorter realized his mind tricks weren’t working, he might try something else. He had to use this advantage while he had it... so he took a step back, trying to look confused and conflicted. “Come... with... you?”

“Yes,” Distorter nodded, taking a step forward. “I have something I want to show you.”

Those chill thoughts became even colder, wrapping all the way around Anti like he was sticking his head out through a door and into the cool autumn air. He winced; even if this wasn’t controlling him, it still wasn’t pleasant to experience. “S-stop that,” he said, clutching his head with one hand. While his other kept trying to reach into his pocket...

“Stop doing that,” Distorter snapped, and Anti instinctively froze, not sure what ‘that’ was supposed to mean. “This won’t take long. It’ll be over before you know it. You can even take a nap. I know how much you struggle with getting enough sleep. Wouldn’t a nap be nice?”

Anti pretended to consider this. He had to sell the illusion that he was falling into Distorter’s fog. “It... would...” he said slowly. “But...” Secretly, his mind was whirling. He had to contact the others without Distorter realizing. He could probably grab his phone really quick and send a message, but only when Distorter looked away—which he wasn’t doing.

“But what?” Distorter pushed, and the autumn chill in Anti’s mind began to grow even colder, like the first days of winter.

“But... will...” Anti trailed off. What could he say right now?! The only thing he could think of was—

“Will? Aw, so you’re still worried about him?” Distorter asked.

Anti inhaled sharply, his head instinctively snapping to the side, looking towards where Will’s bus stop was. Shit! Could Distorter read his mind after all?! How did he know he was worried about him?! Will was the last person Anti wanted to draw Distorter’s attention to!

“Sh sh shhh... calm down,” Distorter said, and those cold thoughts became even frostier. “Will will be fine. It’s so nice that you said his name, but he’ll be fine without you. Better than ever, even.”

Oh... okay, he hadn’t read Anti’s mind. He’d just heard ‘but... will...’ and assumed Anti meant his son, and wasn’t asking the start of a question. “I... I can’t leave him...” Anti said quietly. Which was true, even if the dull tone he was using wasn’t at all accurate to how he was feeling. “I... H-he needs to... get home... I-I left him behind before, when... when IRIS—”

“You did leave him, didn’t you?” Distorter interrupted. Anti tried not to glare in anger. Like the IRIS shit had been his fault. Like he’d meant to leave Will behind. “Hmm... alright... let’s go pick him up, then.”

“What?!” Anti gasped.

The cold thoughts became a blizzard, a whirling whiteout that would’ve overwhelmed him if not for the glass casing of the charm protecting his mind. “Let’s... go... get him,” Distorter said slowly, like he was repeating things for a child. “We’ll take him back home, and then you and I can go do that thing I wanted you to do.” His smile widened. “Don’t worry. He’ll be safe without you. Safer than ever, even. You’re no good for him, after all. Right?”

That last word was accompanied by another spike of cold. Distorter wanted Anti to agree with him. “R...right...” Anti said reluctantly. “We’ll go... take him home...”

“That’s the spirit!” Distorter said cheerfully. “Go on, you lead the way.”

Again, the cold spiked. Anti winced, then stepped forward, slowly, hesitantly, walking towards Will’s bus station. He was too deep in this act now; he had to keep it up. And forget contacting his friends! If Distorter was behind him—which he was, Anti could hear his footsteps, feel his presence prickling the back of his neck—then he would see him grabbing his phone.

New priority: get Will the fuck out of here.

His mind raced as he walked, going as slow as he could possibly excuse to try and save time. Luckily, people seemed to shuffle along when under Distorter’s control, so that wasn’t too suspicious. Okay. Okay. There was a train station near-ish by. If he and Will could somehow get there, maybe they could hop on a train and separate from Distorter? But Distorter would probably realize when he was trying to leave... Maybe he could just... bring Will back to the house? Assuming that Distorter wouldn’t suddenly change his tune when he saw Will and say something like ‘actually, wouldn’t it be easier if he came with us?’ Because Anti could definitely picture him doing that. Maybe they just had to book it. If they wove through the buildings enough, maybe they could lose Distorter. He was probably faster than Anti, but Anti had this area memorized. Maybe he could find some twist or turn that Distorter wasn’t expecting.

Shit, they were already at the bus stop.

Anti instinctively went to stand at his usual spot waiting for Will, leaning up against the corner of a building (far enough away that Will wouldn’t be embarrassed to have his dad there, but close enough that other people would know he was supposed to be there, and wasn’t just being creepy). He considered his options as he stared down the street, looking for the bus, trying to ignore Distorter. The gray man slipped into a nearby alleyway, but he was still in the corner of Anti’s vision. Ignore that. Try to ignore that. Consider the options. The last one of just running was probably their best bet. God, he wished he’d thought to bring his gun with him. The kickback from the bullet usually delayed Distorter for a second. But considering he’d initially thought he was going to Will’s school... well, there was no way he was taking that there. Grabbing his small knife was already pushing it, he had no doubt he’d be banned from school grounds at best if they saw he had that.

Shit, there’s the bus.

His eyes locked onto it. Would Will see Distorter hiding in the shadows? Probably, since he was still wearing his own protection charm. And he was a pretty observant kid, too. Okay, so he had to quickly and discreetly explain the plan to Will before he drew too much attention to himself. Okay, and then they’d run—where would they run? Across the street was probably the safest bet, but that might bring them into the path of the bus.

Shit, the bus’s doors were opening.

Anti watched as the kids moved up from the back of the bus, moving against the windows until they reached the door and flooded out. Will was the last one to leave, as he paused to say goodbye to the bus driver. Thus, he was pretty much alone when he stepped out onto the sidewalk. He looked around, and spotted Anti quickly, waving cheerfully as he walked over. Anti swallowed a lump in his throat and hurried forward to meet him.

“Hi Dad!” Will smiled, but then tilted his head to the side. He knew enough about his dad to recognize when something was wrong. The smile slowly fell from his face. “What’s—”

“Hey bud, can we hurry over here really quick?” Anti interrupted. He held out his hand, which Will took, and guided him towards the street.

“Uh—what’s going on?” Will asked. “Dad, you said to never walk in front of a bus.”

“Yeah, I know, but we’re taking a different way home,” Anti said. He stepped off the curb and into the street, glancing back over his shoulder—and his heart stopped. Distorter was following him! He was hurrying past the other kids, black eyes fixed on Anti as he approached. Anti felt his legs lock up in fear.

Something shifted in the engine of the bus. It was going to move! “Dad!” Will hissed. “The driver can’t see us from here!”

A bolt of an idea struck Anti’s head. “Hurry!” he said, running forward. Will followed, of course, and they reached the other side of the bus. Will kept going into the middle of the street, but Anti stopped, letting go of his head. He looked back over his shoulder. Distorter stepped into the street, lunging for Anti. And then Anti jumped forward—

—right as the school bus moved, slamming into Distorter. There was a horrible SMAK! of an impact, but the bus didn’t stop. Distorter wasn’t easily seen, and it was clear he was trying to be unnoticed by everyone but Anti right now, so the driver didn’t realize he’d hit him and just kept going forward.

“What?! Dad!” Will turned around, staring at Anti with wide eyes, his face white as a sheet. “What—why did you—was that—”

“Sorry bud, I realize that probably worried you.” Anti walked over to Will, holding his hand out again. “I just had the idea right now. Distorter—the gray man is here. H-he’s really coming after me. We have to hurry home.”

Will inhaled sharply, and quickly reached out to grab Anti’s hand. Anti could feel him trembling in his grasp. “W-we shouldn’t stay in the street.”

“Yeah, let’s go.” Anti rushed across the street, taking Will with him. They stopped when they reached the sidewalk, and Anti glanced over his shoulder to look at the bus. It was moving out of place. And he could see blackened claw-like hands poking out of the back, grabbing at the asphalt. Distorter would be free in a second. Anti faced forward again and hurried into the alleyway in front of them instead of going either left or right.

“Dad, what happened?” Will asked, looking up at him.

“Um—okay, I-I’ll start from the beginning,” Anti said. His heart was pounding out of his chest. The alleyway in front of them was partially blocked off by an open gate. He and Will hurried forward, and Anti pulled the gate closed behind them. Anything to stall Distorter. “Okay, so, I got a call from your school...”

They hurried through the alleyways, ducking and turning whenever they could. Anti kept glancing over his shoulder, checking and double checking that Distorter wasn’t there. He didn’t seem to be, but he knew that he was pursuing them. They had to lose him before they got back to their apartment.

“S-so he hypnotized the janitor lady to do that?” Will asked as they wove through bags of trash dumped all around in this small side street.

“Yeah. You know the janitor?”

“A little, I’ve seen her around.” Will was breathing heavily, but he trudged along, keeping up with Anti—though not without effort. “Why did you pretend you were also controlled, Dad?”

“Me and my friends have a plan,” Anti said vaguely. “Distorter doesn’t know we have these protective charms. So we’re going to try to lure him into a trap.”

“Really? How?”

“We... figured we would...” Anti hesitated, trying to figure out how to say ‘we were going to wing it’ in a way that wouldn’t worry Will. “We figured we’d stop him outside the house on Aspen Street. If one of us could, uh, warn the others.”

“Okay...” Will nodded. “Um, you should call the others, right?”

“Yeah, I will.” Anti nodded. “But I need to make sure you’re safe first. I’d hate if I got distracted and you got hurt because of that.”

Will squeezed his hand. “Thanks, Dad. Um... do you know where we are, by the way?”

“Yeah.” He hadn’t been lying when he said he had this area memorized. Back when he first moved into his apartment building, he spent a lot of time wandering the roads, side streets, and alleys around the building. Partly out of a sense of aimless energy driving him to do something, partly to prepare for disasters. If something happened, if there was a disaster or he got in a fight or something, he needed to know the area around him. He hadn’t explored like that in a while, since that need had slowly faded, and his spikes of energy were less frequent. But the layout hadn’t really changed much. “We’re almost home.”

They hurried across a wide street, going into another alley. Anti’s thoughts traced the patterns of the map he’d built up in his mind. They were so close! There was their apartment building up ahead. He just had to go around the corner, and—

...

Distorter was there.

He wasn’t looking at them. His back was to them. But still, he was standing in the middle of the alleyway, right where they needed to go. He was... waiting for them. He hadn’t been following them at all, had he? He’d turned around and planned to intercept them at the building, didn’t he?

Will inhaled sharply, holding Anti’s hand in a death grip. “...Dad?” he breathed.

“I know...” Anti whispered back. “Let’s just... back up.”

They walked backwards, back towards another intersection. Okay. Okay. New plan. They had to get somewhere else safe. His friends’ homes were also protected, and Schneep’s apartment was the closest. Still, they might need to take a bus. Good thing he knew where the nearest station was.

Anti and Will turned down another alleyway, hurrying away from their building, and Anti leaned down to whisper to Will. “I think we need to go to Schneep’s place,” he said. “I know you’ve never been there, but—”

“I know you’re here.”

Both Will and Anti yelped in surprise. “Run, Dad!” Will said, grabbing his hand and yanking him along.

Distorter laughed, the sound reaching out towards them. “It’s no use! You know I’m so much faster than you, don’t you? Oh Wiiiiill! Come over here! You don’t want to spend time with that man. Do you know he’s dangerous?”

“Sh-shut up!” Will shouted, breathing heavily. “He’s... my... dad!”

“But you could have a better one!”

“Just run, Will!” Anti insisted.

Footsteps followed behind them. As Will started to lag behind, Anti scooped him up, despite how heavy he was getting, and kept running. They were close to the bus station! So close!

They burst out onto the main street, emerging from the back alleys. Anti glanced left, then right, then left again, and hurried to the bus station over there. They were in luck, he could see a bus rolling down the street towards them. It was the wrong line for getting to Schneep’s place, but they just needed to buy some time and get some distance between them and Distorter.

The bus reached the stop before they did, and for a second, kept going past it. “Hey you fuck!” Anti shouted.

“Hey!” Will waved his hands frantically. “Hey, we need you!”

The driver must’ve spotted them, because it then rolled to a stop. Anti ran up to the doors and leapt onto the bus as soon as they opened, setting Will down on the floor of the bus. “Thanks,” he said, panting. “I, uh...” He reached for his pocket... then froze. He didn’t bring his wallet. Where he kept his bus pass. And money. “...shit.”

“Something wrong?” The bus driver squinted at him, looking a bit suspicious. She glanced down at Will with concern. “Is everything okay, kid?”

“We’re running from a scary man!” Will said. “Can you close the doors please?!”

“Hm...” The bus driver still looked a bit suspicious. She glanced out the open doors, and Anti and Will turned around, looking out with her. Distorter was there, standing down the street... not moving towards them. He was just staring, his head tilted to the side. What was he doing?! Clearly, the bus driver couldn’t see him, otherwise she would’ve had more of a reaction. But she did close the doors. “It’s 4 quid for an adults to ride and 2 for children under twelve to ride. Unless you have a pass.”

“Y-yeah, I know...” Anti said slowly. “I uh...”

“Oh!” Will took off his school backpack and opened up one of the side pockets, taking out a handful of coins. “Is this enough?”

The bus driver looked at the varied collection. She took most of it, leaving behind two coins. “This is enough. Thanks kid. Hey, let me know if there’s anything I can do to help you.” She glanced back up at Anti, still a bit wary.

Anti’s heart panged a bit. But Will took his hand. “Thanks for helping me and my dad,” he said. “Come on, Dad, let’s sit down.”

“Y-yeah.” Anti nodded.

There were a few other passengers, most of whom were staring at the pair. Will walked towards an empty bench close to the door, taking the window seat. Anti sat next to him. As the bus started to roll, they looked out the window and saw Distorter. His eyes met theirs... and he waved goodbye, continuing to do so even as the bus turned a corner and disappeared.

———————

The bus ride was short and uneventful, but Anti had a hard time focusing on it. He knew the stop they needed to get off on, but  his mind was racing, telling him everything that could go wrong. What if Distorter was waiting for them again? What if one of the passengers on this bus ride called the police because they thought Anti was suspicious? What if he didn’t actually know the stop he wanted to get off of, or the bus line that led to Schneep’s place? Occasionally, the image of Distorter holding Will flashed through his mind, hurting as much as a stab wound every time it came up.

After a bit, though, they reached the right stop (if he was right and he wasn’t wrong about the stop or the line they needed) and got off. Distorter was nowhere in sight at this stop. They sat on the bench, and Anti kept glancing around, clutching the fabric of his jeans.

“...Dad?” Will asked quietly. “Are you alright?”

Anti tensed a bit. God, he was setting such a bad example. What was wrong with him right now? No no, it was... fine. Will was just concerned, because he was a good kid like that. He wasn’t thinking that his dad sucked or anything. “I’m... i-it’s complicated, Will,” he said quietly. “I’m fine, though, I promise. Why do you ask?”

“You didn’t say anything the whole bus ride,” Will pointed out. “And you never tried to call your friends, which... I thought we were going to do?”

“Fuck,” Anti cursed. “I-I forgot.” He reached for his pocket and took out his phone. But he fumbled with it, and it clattered to the sidewalk. “Shit.” He bent down and grabbed it.

“Are... you... okay?” Will asked again, in that same quiet tone.

Anti hesitated. He sighed. “You’re a big kid now. When you ask stuff like that...” He hesitated, thinking how to phrase this. Wondering if he even should. “Do you want to actually talk, or do you need to be... reassured?”

“Um...” Will paused, thinking about it. “I think... something in between, maybe.”

“Okay. Okay.” Anti nodded. “I-I was... really thrown off when Distorter said you got in a fight. He made me think you were hurt enough to need a hospital, and... that scared me. I-I didn’t think much about it, because I was so worried. And I’m... still feeling that a little.” He clenched his fists. For a second, his mind wandered down a path where Will had been in a fight like that, but he pushed it away. “But I’ll be fine. I’ve faced a lot of scary things before.” He smiled at Will. “I’ll be alright, as long as I know you are alright.”

Will nodded slowly. He reached out and grabbed Anti’s hand. Anti thought Will’s hand was shaking... but then he realized the shaking was coming from him. “Dad... do you... have problems?”

Anti laughed a little. “I think everyone has problems.”

“But I mean like...” Will paused. “Problems that most people don’t have. And I don’t mean the magic stuff. I mean... other stuff.”

Anti’s smile faded slightly as he looked at Will. “I...” He wasn’t sure how to proceed with this. “You’re... you’re a smart kid, Will. I don’t want to lie to you, ever. But... stuff like this is... difficult to talk about. And I don’t think... I don’t think kids should worry about their parents, you know? Though I-I appreciate that you do, you know, that’s... very nice of you. I don’t want you to spend too much time thinking about me, though. I want you to spend time being a kid.”

“But... you’re my dad,” Will said, blinking in confusion. “How could I not think about you?”

“I...” Anti let out a huff of a laugh. “Thanks... Will. Really. If... if you really want to talk about this, we can talk about it. But I don’t know if this is the best time for it, you know?”

“I guess you’re right,” Will said reluctantly. “I just... I want you to be okay, Dad.”

Anti squeezed his hand. “Will, I promise, even with all the weird and bad magic stuff happening, even with Distorter, I’m more okay than I’ve been before. And I promise, I’ll always... I-I won’t let whatever’s going on with me be a problem to you.” He smiled slightly. “I’ll always take care of you.”

Will stared at him. Then nodded, and gave a little scoff. “Well I know you will, Dad.”

Anti laughed. “I’m glad to hear that! There are some kids...” A memory flashed in his mind. “...who can’t really know that with such... certainty.”

“Yeah...” Will nodded. “I’m glad that I’m not one of them anymore.” He smiled at Anti.

And Anti smiled back, a warm feeling in his heart. Part of him said that he shouldn’t take value from his kid’s words, that he was supposed to be the one reassuring him in turn, that he didn’t deserve to hear such nice things. But he ignored that. If Will trusted him, surely he was doing something right.

Will glanced down the street. “Uh... is that our bus?”

“Hm?” Anti turned to look, seeing a bus approaching. He squinted, trying to see its number. “Yeah, that’s the 230. Okay, I realize you’ve never been to Schneep’s place before, so I’m gonna explain what’s going to happen.” He saw how some of Will’s anxiety melted away at that; he was always a little worried when he didn’t know the steps to do stuff. “We’re going to ride the bus until it passes Gingham, and then we’re going to pull the cord to signal that we’re getting out at the next stop. Schneep’s building is on that street, it’s called Highloft Flats. Big sign, always advertising tenants we can’t miss it.”

“Got it.” Will nodded. “And... later, are you... going to be okay with talking about... stuff?”

“My stuff, you mean?” Anti asked, and Will nodded. He sighed. “Honestly, I’m sometimes still... figuring my stuff out. I have some ideas, but... I promise I’ll be ready to talk about this stuff one day. Just not... soon. Okay? Worst comes to worst, ask me on your thirteenth birthday.”

“Deal.” Will nodded again, and Anti knew he’d take that seriously.

The bus approached, and the two of them stood up. Will let go of Anti’s hand, his preteen embarrassment about showing affection to his parents kicking in. Anti didn’t mind, though. He understood. And anyway, his mind was racing, thinking about ways he could get a ride even though he didn’t have his pass or money for the fare. He’d pretend to take the money from his pocket, then ask Will for the money for his fare, and then slip that in the little fare container, pretending to add his. Yeah, that would work.

It rumbled to a stop in front of them, and the doors opened. Both of them stepped forward, with Will moving a bit faster. He stepped into the bus ahead of Anti—

A coldness wrapped around Anti’s thoughts. He gasped in shock, stumbling. And then something slammed into his side, knocking him to the ground. “You need to look around some more!”

Will spun around, gasping. “Dad!” He rushed forward.

But: “Close the door!”

Will slammed against the glass doors of the bus as they closed right in front of him. He shrieked in alarm, banging his fists against them.

“No! Will!” Anti cried. He tried to stand up, but hands wrapped around his neck, squeezing tight. He choked, and thrashed wildly, clawing at the figure pinning him down. But the figure was unaffected, pushing him further against the ground. “You bastard! Let me go!”

“Drive!”

The bus started to move. Will screamed in alarm, trying to shove his way through the doors. They rattled, but didn’t give. “Will! Will!” Anti gasped, trying to speak even as the words were strangled in his throat. He reached into his pocket, desperately clawing at it, and pulled out the knife he’d grabbed, slashing at the figure on top of him.

“Ever so violent, Aodhán!” Distorter laughed, leaning over Anti. The blood from his eyes dripped onto Anti’s face, and he instinctively blinked, flinching as it got close to his own eyes. “He’s fine, isn’t he? My bus driver friend will take good care of him. All of you always forget how many friends I have. And I’ve been so busy making new ones, ever since your group has blocked me out.”

Anti choked, his eyes widening at the implications. But he could think about this when he could breathe! He stabbed his knife into Distorter’s arm around the elbow. It didn’t feel like stabbing flesh, more like stabbing styrofoam in the shape of an arm.

“What would Will say if he saw you doing this?” Distorter hissed. “How do you think he’d respond if he knew what you were thinking?”

“What... the fuck...” Anti gasped out, struggling for words.

“Aw, we can’t talk like this, can we?” Distorter moved fast, his arms going from Anti’s throat to his wrists, his iron grip pinning him down, his whole body pressing against his. “Much better. Anyway, do you think Will would be so inclined to trust you if he knew? If he heard about the urges you were holding back?”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Anti growled, trying to break free.

“How often do you think about stabbing someone?” Distorter asked casually. “How often do you want to hurt someone?”

“Never, you sick fuck!” Anti snapped.

“Oh you can’t lie to me, Aodhán!” Distorter leaned closer to him. “I’ve seen your mind. I know how often you get caught up in those fantasies. I know very well. And you’ve let that part of you take over in the past, haven’t you?”

“Sh-shut up!” Anti glared up at him. “Those—these thoughts—they aren’t mine!”

“Then where are they coming from? Because they’re not coming from me, I assure you!” Distorter laughed.

“They—they might—They—” Anti stammered. “M-my brain may make them, but I don’t like them. And they’re not part of me! Don’t pretend like I’m a monster like you!”

“Is what you’ve done really different from what I’ve done?” Distorter asked. “Just because your son is alright, doesn’t mean that everyone you’ve ever fought with has come out of that encounter unscathed. How long is it before you give in? How long before you give in to those thoughts?”

Anti paused, gasping for air. Since when was Distorter so strong?! “Can you shut up about my mind for five seconds?”

“Your mind is close to mine, you know,” Distorter continued. “And that scares you.”

Anti squinted up at him, looking at his smiling face. “If my mind is close to yours... is that why you think I’m irredeemable? Because... that’s what you think about yourself?”

Distorter didn’t respond. He stared down at him, completely still.

And then Anti felt his mind grow cold.

“A-ah!” Anti winced. He knew this cold couldn’t hurt him, not while he was wearing that protection charm, but it was still somehow uncomfortable, like hearing a storm outside and worrying about how close it was getting to your house. And that discomfort intensified. He tried—and failed—to bite back a cry.

“Stop struggling,” Distorter said, leaning closer to him.

Anti’s instinct was to say fuck him and keep struggling, but it hit him that Distorter wasn’t going to stop until he was fully under his control. And the strength of this mental attack—it scared him. Could Distorter break through the charm’s protection?

Slowly, he lowered his head against the ground. He had to pretend again. He had to pretend that he wasn’t screaming for Will on the inside. He had to pretend that he didn’t want to growl out at Distorter and demand to know where that bus was taking Will. He had to pretend his hands weren’t shaking. He had to pretend. He had to pretend.

“Thank you,” Distorter said, his grip loosening slightly. “I can tell you’re still worried about Will, aren’t you? Don’t worry.” He let go of Anti’s left wrist and patted his face condescendingly. “I wouldn’t hurt him. You know that, right?”

Reluctantly, Anti nodded. He did have to admit that Distorter had never really hurt Will, or Michelle, or any other kids. And that controlling a bus driver to go off route was too... high-profile for him. But he didn’t have to be happy about it. His grip tightened on his knife.

“Now give me that.” Distorter pulled Anti’s right wrist upwards—and the knife within it. His fingers clawed at Anti’s, scratching his flesh.

Instinctively,  Anti’s grip tightened again.

“Give me that.”

He didn’t want to. But that cold attack sharpened, and he lost concentration on his grip for a moment. Just enough for Distorter to pry the knife out of his grip and toss it into the street. Shit.

“Alright, now we’re going to stand up, okay?” Distorter said. He backed off, getting off Anti and standing up himself.

God, he hated this. He wanted to lunge at Distorter, and he almost did, forgetting the plan to lead Distorter into a trap. But then... he thought about Will. On a bus, driven by someone who Distorter could control. He might’ve believed that Distorter wouldn’t hurt Will... but he also believed that Distorter would leverage Will’s wellbeing anyway. He could take him somewhere far away and threaten to never let him be found again. So... he stood up, slowly, clumsily.

“There we are.” Distorter’s smile widened. “Now let’s go. We’re going home.”

Home... to the house on Aspen Street. Anti knew where that was. He turned and started walking, once again mimicking the slow shuffle of someone under Distorter’s control.

“You can do it,” Distorter said, a mocking ‘encouragement’ in his voice. “Here, just follow me.” He walked ahead of Anti, gesturing for him to follow him.

Wait... was Distorter going to walk in front of him the whole time?

This... this was an opportunity.

“Oh, really?” Marvin looked up. “That makes sense, actually... we’re pretty far from where your house is. And you’re still having trouble leaving your neighborhood, right? The pull was probably resisting me harder.”

“Well... you got me through eventually,” Chase laughed. He looked around. If he remembered correctly, from his days of wanting to be a nature guy, the trees in this area were yew and... ash? Definitely yew, he recognized the way they seemed to have multiple trunks and large branches. He was less sure about the ash trees, but they had paler bark, right? Honestly he wasn’t actually too concerned about the trees, since there were a few giant wolves wandering around.

Today was the day of the full moon. He and Jackie had talked for a while over the past couple days, really wanting to figure out some way that Chase could hang out with the pack, if only for a bit. They also brought Marvin into the fold, since he’d need to summon Chase to get him to where the pack was meeting in the woods. After the three of them talked for a bit, they agreed on 3:00 as a meeting time, since it was late enough to comply with Marvin’s near-nocturnal sleep schedule but early enough that Jackie could still fend off the transformation effects of the moon. He wanted to be there to greet Chase and get him used to this whole thing, and not just... be a wolf.

Though there were definitely a few werewolves around that had already transformed. Some were laying on their sides, resting in the sun, while others were running around chasing each other. Others still were standing by the werewolves that were still in their human shape, apparently listening to their conversations as if it’s the most normal thing to do. Seeing this, Chase really began to think about how big werewolves were in human form. He spotted a pair of tiny wolves running circles around two people standing and talking... and even those “tiny” wolves were still the size of huskies.

“You’re taking it all in, huh?” Marvin said. “Yeah, it’s a shock to see them the first time you meet them.” He chuckled.

“Do you know these guys too?” Chase asked.

“Jackie introduced me to them a while ago,” Marvin said. “Though I... probably couldn’t put faces to names off the top of my head.”

“I introduce all my friends to my pack!” Jackie said cheerfully. “I talk about them a lot, it’s only fair you guys know who I’m talking about!” His faint smile faded. “Hm... I should figure out a way to get JJ to meet them all.”

“How is JJ, by the way?” Chase asked. “I know we were worried about him cause he hasn’t been talking in the group chat.”

“He’s... fine?” Marvin said slowly. “He missed our initial messages about Anti attacking my store, but he got to them at night, when he woke up. Kept apologizing, even though we all said it was fine. Then he said he was going to stay in a hotel for a while, here in the city, and I think he’s been...” He paused. “...thinking about stuff? Processing stuff? He’s, like, taking a break or something.”

“Oh jeez...” Chase muttered. “Jack didn’t tell me about any of this.”

“Yeah, I don’t think he told anyone but me,” Marvin said. “In fact, I just told Jackie about this while I was getting ready to summon you.” Jackie nodded in confirmation. “He’s... fine, he’s just... having a time, hah hah.”

“Yeah, I guess that makes sense,” Chase said. He would probably also be ‘having a time’ if his toxic vampire roommate attacked one of his new friends. “Still... hope he’s okay.”

“I think... he will be,” Marvin said slowly. “Eventually. He just needs a moment, and ‘a moment’ can be pretty long when you’re a vampire his age.”

“Vampire life seems complicated,” Jackie said. “I’m glad I got bitten by a werewolf and not a vampire. Don’t think I was built for that.” He paused. “Speaking of werewolf stuff, want to meet everyone, Chase?”

Chase smiled. “Yeah, of course I do. I’m here as your guest, just like... pull me around like one of those ducks-on-a-string toys.”

“Ha! I know exactly what you mean!” Jackie laughed.

At this point, Chase glanced at Marvin and spotted the way he was turned away from them, clearly wanting to leave but not wanting to just walk away. “Marvin? Uh, you’re not staying, right?”

Marvin shook his head. “Nah. I got stuff to do. I need to open my shop. For like... business. To get... money and shit.” Chase and Jackie chuckled, which got a smile out of Marvin. “I might grab some elder umbels real quick, I know there are elder trees out here. They’re good for some potions, you know.”

“Really? That’s cool.” Chase nodded. “And, uh... remind me how you’re going to get home? I don’t think any of these wolves are gonna be able to give you a ride.”

“Oh I can teleport,” Marvin said casually.

“...what.”

Marvin laughed at Chase’s stunned expression. “Yeah, I didn’t tell you? Well, it’s a bit of a new thing, I think I started practicing with it, uh... just before we met you, actually. I don’t know if I’m practiced enough to get all the way back to my shop from here, but I can probably get to a bus stop on the edge of town.”

“You’ve... never mentioned that to any of us,” Jackie said slowly. “Not just Chase.”

“...oh.” Marvin blinked, looking surprised. “I could’ve sworn I did... maybe I, like, dreamt I did and thought it was real. You’ve had dreams like those before, right? ...Do ghosts have dreams?”

“Uhhh... no, actually,” Chase said. “Huh. I guess that goes to show the dreams are stored in the brain.”

“Anyway, Imma head out,” Marvin continued. “I know I wasn’t, like, invited to this thing, only Chase.”

“Hey, we’re not kicking you out or anything,” Jackie said.

“No I know. But I still gotta go.” Marvin smiled. “Have fun, Chase! Or, uh, learn a lot! Uh, both!”

Chase smiled a little. “Thanks, Marv. Good luck, uh... teleporting back.”

“Thanks!” Marvin waved cheerfully, then turned and walked around Chase, going behind him. Chase turned around and saw a faint path cutting through the woods. The sort that wasn’t made intentionally, but worn down over time cause a lot of people walked this way. Chase waved after him, and so did Jackie, watching him walk into the distance.

“C’mon, let me introduce you to everyone!” Jackie said, grinning cheerfully... but also somewhat anxiously.

“Uh, yeah, of course!” Chase nodded. “Uh... everything okay? You... worried about me meeting people?”

“Huh? No, why do you say that?”

“You look... vaguely...” Chase gestured. “I dunno, on edge.”

“Oh, that’s probably just from the moon,” Jackie said. “I’m pretty good at holding off the shift during the day, but it’s like, uh, tensing your muscles. People can see you doing it. I’m fine, though, don’t worry.”

Chase shrugged. “If you’re sure.” He looked over at the pack of werewolves walking around. “Uh... so... where do we start?”

“Well do you want to be introduced like this is the first day of school?” Jackie asked. “Like ‘hey kids! This is Chase, he’s new! Introduce yourself to the class, Chase!’”

Chase made a face. “Ew, no.”

Jackie laughed, causing him to laugh too. “Yeah, I figured. So I’m just gonna walk you around and introduce you to everyone. Just like a real quick, ‘hey this is Chase, I told you about him.’”

“Sounds good.” Chase nodded. “Lead the way.”

“Hm...” Jackie scanned the area. “Here, we’ll start with Lily and Scarlet. You already met Lily, after all.” He led Chase over towards the white wolf, who’s standing next to a woman with short red hair, looking at her intently as she talked, nodding along. “Hey guys! This is Chase. You remember Chase, right, Lily?”

The white wolf barked, nodding. Then the redheaded woman nodded. “Hey, nice to meet another one of Jackie’s friends. My name’s Scarlet, I’m Lily’s sister. I’d shake your hand, buuuut I don’t think I can.” She laughed.

“Yeah, no.” Chase smiled a bit nervously. “Nice to meet you, anyway. And, uh, nice to see you again, Lily. Even if you can’t talk right now cause you’re, uh... a wolf right now.”

Lily nodded again. Her tail was wagging. “She’s happy to see you,” Scarlet reported.

“Oh, can you like... understand each other?” Chase asked. “Through... magic?”

“Nah, not through magic, just through years of suffering each other,” Scarlet said jokingly. Lily growled slightly. “We were born wolves, so we know each others’ wolf body language very well.”

“Oh, makes sense,” Chase said. “My wife—uh, ex-wife, actually—she grew up with a sister too. They didn’t really get along, but they still like... knew each other very well.” He tilted his head slightly. “So... uh... you two are in different forms? The, uh, strength of the transformation isn’t... the full moon thing isn’t genetic?”

“You mean the thing about how the full moon forces a shift?” Scarlet said. “Actually we’re both pretty good at holding it off. Lots of practice. Lily just decided to shift early.”

Lily barked. She turned around, lowering her head and front paws in a playful position, looking at the other wolves as her tail wagged. The two smallest wolves stopped chasing each other and turned on Lily, stalking forward... then pouncing! The three of them went rolling across the ground.

“Ah... to spend time with others,” Chase laughed. “I get it.”

“Yeah, it can be confusing for kids and new wolves,” Scarlet explained. “We have one guy who’s only been here for a couple months and he’s still a bit clumsy with his wolf form. Has Jackie introduced you to Bryson yet?”

“No, we stopped by you guys first.”

“But we have a lot of people to get to!” Jackie said cheerfully. “C’mon, Chase. While the kids are distracted, I’ll introduce you to Paul and Ishani.”

The introductions ended up taking a while. Jackie’s pack was big—and apparently it wasn’t even the biggest pack in the city! Chase’s mind soon started to spin, overwhelmed by all the names and faces. Lily and Scarlet, Nao, Leo, Kelly, Rodrigo, Charlotte, Bryson, , Paul, Ishani, Sharma and Sanjeet, Cassandra and Russell and Tasha... sixteen werewolves altogether, including Jackie himself. Jackie also made sure to introduce them with all their relations to each other. Lily and Scarlet were sisters (fraternal twins, specifically), and Cassandra and Russell were Tasha’s parents, and Paul and Ishani were married with their kids Sharma and Sanjeet being the tiny kid wolves running around... ugh, it was so much to keep track of. But Chase definitely tried.

As time went on and the sun moved in the sky, more and more of the werewolves shifted to their wolf form. If Chase was still alive, he probably would’ve been a bit nervous, surrounded by giant dogs with sharp claws and huge teeth. But of course, they couldn’t do anything to him, so he was able to really appreciate the werewolves for what they were: people, just in a different shape.

Someone had brought a soccer ball, and an impromptu game began to form, which was funny to watch. The wolf players hit the ball with their snouts or kicked them with their back legs, but if someone hit the ball with their front paw the others would bark, a wordless “hey, that’s against the rules!” They’d also brought bags of snacks. Not just dog treats—though, honestly, those were included as well—but also bags of chips and sliced fruit. The wolves would stick their faces in the bags and grab the food from inside, gently holding it in their teeth before chowing down. He watched the two kid wolves, Sharma and Sanjeet, swarm their parents when they had anything even a little sweet. There was even one of the wolves who was trying to read a book, carefully pawing at the pages. He was pretty sure that was Nao. Or maybe Kelly, the two of them had pretty similar wolf forms. And sure, there were some doglike tendencies, like play wrestling and chasing tails, but... it was interesting to watch.

“Hey, dude.” Jackie had walked away for a bit, but now he returned to where he’d left Chase, who was floating under one of the bigger trees, his legs folded beneath himself. “You look like that one character from Overwatch, the robot dude who floats around.”

Chase laughed. “I know who you’re talking about, though I don’t remember his name. I guess I do look like that when I’m like... sitting in the air like this.” He looked down at himself. “Hm... you know, letting myself be seen is getting a lot easier. And this floating thing is... hard, but I’m getting better. It’s like balancing on an exercise ball. Did you ever have one of those?”

“Yeah, I had one in my apartment for a bit, but I accidentally punctured it when I bit it one full moon.” Jackie shrugged. “Taught me a pretty valuable lesson about Wolf Brain Jackie.”

“Wolf Brain Jackie?” Chase repeated with a laugh.

“Yeah, when you let that more instinctive part of yourself take over, I call that Wolf Brain,” Jackie elaborated. “It’s like... no thought, only feel. I guess technically speaking anyone can do that, not just werewolves, but it’s like... easier when you’re in wolf form. Cause you have no hands, I think. And your senses are all different.”

Chase chuckled. “That makes sense.”

“Anyway, you know you don’t have to just watch, right?” Jackie asked.

“Uh...” Chase trailed off, looking at the pack, watching as that Leo guy shifted into his wolf form and joined the soccer game. “Yeah, but... now I’m wondering what I’m actually going to do.”

“Didn’t you want to come to hang out?” Jackie prompted.

“Yeah, I just genuinely don’t know what to do.” Chase sighed. “Maybe I should’ve stayed—”

“Don’t!” Jackie interrupted. “Remember, if you think about going home, you’ll get snapped back there, and you can’t get back out here without Marvin.”

“Oh, right.” Chase nodded. “Sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Jackie smiled. “Hm... you know, if you need ideas for something to do, why not start by playing fetch?”

“Playing fetch?” Chase repeated, and burst into laughter. “You actually play fetch? You’re wolves, not like... domestic dogs.”

“Yeah, but fetch is fun!” Jackie said cheerfully. “You gotta have some joy in your life!”

“Sure, dude.” Chase shook his head. “That’s just like you.” He turned to look back at the rest of the pack. “I wonder if I... could play fetch. I mean, it’s hard for me to grab stuff, still. And throwing is even more complicated than that, when you really think about it.”

“Well, maybe it could be good practice,” Jackie suggested.

 Sharma and Sanjeet had given up on trying to steal snacks from their parents... and now looked at Chase. They got down in that playful pose, their tails wagging eagerly. He smiled slightly. “Yeah... maybe it could.” He unfolded his legs. “Alright, I’ll give it a shot. Did you guys bring a ball or something?”

“Nah, but we’re in the woods. Grab a stick.” Jackie smiled back.

“Right, right.” Chase looked around, and spotted a small twig on the ground. He reached down, concentrating on grabbing the small stick and lifting it up. It took a couple tries, but after a bit, he managed to slowly raise it upwards. The two kids rushed over, stopping in front of him, eyes looking at the stick.

“Oooo, mysterious floating branch!” Jackie said, wiggling his fingers. “Watch where it goes!”

Chase realized he must’ve faded from view as he switched concentration entirely to moving the twig. He looked down at the small wolves, their eyes wide in awe, and smiled. It reminded him of Declan, when he was younger. He used to love peekaboo as a baby, his eyes similarly wide. As he thought about that, he drew his hand back and threw the stick.

It didn’t fly as far as he wanted it to. At some point, it transitioned from being in his hand to going through his hand, and that really threw off the arc he was aiming for. But the kids ran after the stick eagerly anyway, shoving each other aside in the effort to grab it first. One of them won, he wasn’t sure who, and brought the stick back over to the tree Chase was standing under, dropping it on the ground.

“Thanks, kids,” Chase laughed, leaning over to grab the stick again. It was easier this time.

“Have fun, Chase!” Jackie said. “Come find me earlier if you need to.” He gave him a wave, then headed off to join the rest of the pack.

After a few rounds of fetch, the kid wolves basically dragged Chase into the pack as well, where he spent a good chunk of time throwing things for the wolves to catch. Not just the kids, but all of them, taking turns as more and more of them shifted into their wolf forms. He didn’t even realize how dark it was getting until he took a break, looking for a larger stick to throw, and noticed the lack of light. “Oh.” Chase blinked in surprise. He looked up at the sky, and saw not a hint of sunlight. “Uhh...”

A loud howl rang out. Lily, her white fur identifiable in the shadows, was the one who made it. The others turned to her and howled in turn, and Chase realized that he was the only ‘human’ left by now. A familiar brown wolf trotted over to him, trying to nudge his side.

“Hey, Jackie.” Chase laughed. “You know... I think I can kinda see in the dark now that I’m a ghost. It’s just now sinking in, cause I think it should be darker out here in the woods than it actually is for me. Can you see in the dark?”

Jackie nodded. His tail was wagging hard.

“What’s the howl for?” Chase asked.

In response, Jackie threw his head back and howled as well. Everyone’s attention turned to him, and howls happened in return. Jackie barked and ran back and forth in front of Chase, partially passing through him at times.

Instantly, the other wolves rushed him.

“Whoa!” Chase gasped, instinctively backing up. Not fast enough, though, as the wolves began running and leaping through him. Some of them even tried to lick him, and he laughed. “Here, guys, give me a second to give you something solid!” When the wolves backed up for a bit, he started focusing on becoming solid. “Alright, uh... go?”

And they rushed him again. The collective impact of sixteen wolves (or the four that were in front, at least) knocked Chase to the ground, where he just laid there, laughing. More licking and pawing occurred, and he struggled to stay solid enough as that kept breaking his focus. “Oh my god! Jackie! I blame you for this!”

Jackie barked. He seemed almost smug about it.

“You guys are so lucky I don’t need to breathe!” Chase giggled. “You’d be crushing me otherwise!”

After a bit, there was another howl as Lily trotted around the group, weaving between them to break up the crowd. It was like she was saying “Alright, time to break it up, guys!” After a bit, the wolves backed down, and Chase sat up... though honestly he probably could’ve done that sooner. Lily walked further into the trees, barking for attention, and most of the other wolves went over to join her. Except for Jackie, who stayed and looked at Chase. In his wolf form, he had yellow eyes, that glowed slightly in the dark. And not in the way that normal cat or dog eyes reflected light, they glowed faintly in a supernatural way. Jackie looked away and did a little trot in place.

“Huh? You guys are gonna go for a walk in the woods?” Chase asked.

Jackie nodded. He nudged Chase’s arm.

“Yeah, I’ll come.” Chase got to his feet. “Just try not to leave me behind.”

And Jackie nodded again, before running to rejoin the rest of the pack. Chase followed, staying close to the back at first. But the wolves moved around him, shuffling backwards until he was in the middle. Lily howled again, a shorter one, and started off at a brisk pace. The rest of the group hurried after her, going at a slightly-faster-than-walking pace.

There didn’t really seem to be a clear purpose to this walk. Chase supposed they were just enjoying spending time with each other, maybe taking in the scenery. That’s definitely what he was doing at least. It was... weird that he could see things that should’ve reasonably been in the pitch dark. It wasn’t green like night vision, and it wasn’t really that... dark at all. It was almost like there was light coming from somewhere, bouncing off the edges of the trees and framing them in silvery moonlight. Maybe his eyes just... enhanced the light that was already there? It was weird. He wondered if this was something all ghosts could do, or if it was just because he was brought back with that lingering spirit ritual.

Whenever they passed a fallen-down tree or a tree with a really low branch, some of the wolves inevitably tried to climb it. Others tried to squeeze through gaps in bushes that they probably couldn’t fit through, but tried anyway. Others still bit at bugs flying in the air, trying to catch them. Chase laughed to himself as he watched them all do this. It was funny to see all this.

Eventually, their path took them closer to the city, close enough that some of the streetlights illuminated the edges of the trees. Curious, Chase temporarily left the pack, drifting through some trees, until he eventually came to a chain link fence. On the other side, some sort of large, abandoned-looking building. A... supermarket of some kind. Huh. Whatever it was, it must’ve been abandoned for years, almost decades now, because he’d never heard of a supermarket in Scuabyrg. Most stores here were smaller, mostly local businesses, with the occasional chain relegated to small buildings on the edges of the suburbs. Chase stared at the skeleton of the dead building curiously...

And... saw something.

Chase tilted his head to the side, squinting through the links of the fence. Maybe he just imagined it that flicker of movement. Maybe the streetlights were playing off the dirty windows in unusual ways.

But... no, there it was again. Too smooth, too lasting to be just a trick of his mind. He leaned up close to the fence, trying to get a good angle through the gaps in it... then remembered that he was a ghost and didn’t have to be limited to this. He sighed and fully stuck his head through the fence, clearing his vision.

Yeah, it really did look like something was moving inside the old building. The light from the streetlights was shining through the spotty windows, occasionally bouncing off something inside when it got close enough. Or, maybe not something. Someone. It seemed to be roughly shaped like a person. But who was hanging out in an abandoned supermarket on the edge of town? In the past, he would’ve thought it was someone squatting there, but now that he knew the supernatural was real...

Bark!

Chase jumped, startled from the sound behind him. He turned around, and saw that the pack had stopped walking. “Shit,” he said under his breath. They were probably waiting for him.

He moved away from the fence and back over towards them. He started to say ‘sorry, just thought I saw something,’ but the words stopped in his throat when he realized that none of the wolves were looking at him. Sure, Jackie was looking around, as if searching for him, but he clearly wasn’t seeing anything—oh! He must’ve faded from view again. But most of the wolves were not looking around. Most of them were looking straight ahead.

Curious, Chase moved further forward, passing through the wolves until he got to the front of the pack. Lily and Scarlet were there, standing out in front of all the others. They were facing... other wolves. A lot of them.

Chase tensed. Was this some sort of werewolf pack standoff? It’s a good thing he hadn’t started trying to be visible again, otherwise his presence might distract them from what was happening. The newcoming wolves were just as varied in color as Jackie’s pack were, but there were three in front that all looked pretty similar, with tawny fur and narrow faces. Lily and Scarlet were looking at this trio, and the trio was looking at them in turn.

He leaned back, trying to assess the wolves’ body language. Scarlet had her ears tilted back, and so did one of the tawny wolves, the one on the left. That was sort of hostile, wasn’t it? And there were no wagging tails, so no friendliness. Lily looked pretty relaxed, though, so maybe Scarlet was just beefing with that wolf specifically? Hm... the other two tawny wolves did look a bit tense, actually, but not... angry. The one on the right was pawing at the ground like a horse, and the other’s ears were flicking at every little sound.

After a moment, Lily took a cautious step forward, tilting her head to the side. Scarlet and that one angry tawny didn’t look away from each other, though both their ears flicked over to the sound of her movement. Lily bent her legs slightly, lowering herself, and tilted her head back the other way. Maybe she was curious? The wolf on the right stopped pawing at the ground and did a little nervous, skittery dance, but the wolf in the middle leaned towards them, pushing their head against their side. That seemed to calm the skittish movement.

Lily made a rising sound in the back of her throat. The tawny wolf in the middle made a whining noise. Lily responded with another one of those rising sounds, this one tinged with a growl. And the tawny wolf turned to the side, letting out a huff of breath.

They were looking... towards the chain link fence.

Was there something there after all?

Lily growled. She nudged Scarlet, breaking her out of her staring contest with that other wolf, and pointed back at the others of the pack with her snout. Scarlet nodded back, and the two of them turned around and started circling the pack, making quiet barks.

Some of the pack broke off and began sniffing and looking at these new wolves, while others started creeping towards the fence, silent and staring. One wolf, however, remained stubbornly in place. Jackie. He started sniffing the ground, picking something up. And he followed that something all the way to where Chase was. He looked up, and barked quietly.

“Oh! Yeah, I’m here,” Chase said. “Uh... what’s going on?”

Jackie tilted his head to the side and barked again.

“Right, it’s probably hard to explain as a wolf. But... you guys are checking out that grocery store, right?” Chase leaned down closer to Jackie. “I think I saw someone moving inside. Is that... relevant?”

Jackie nodded. He leaned to the side, tilting his head, then looked back at where Chase is, though his eyes were slightly off since Chase was still invisible. He barked quietly again and jerked his head between Chase and the fence.

“Uh... what?” Chase couldn’t understand.

Jackie walked forward, head lowered. Chase realized he was trying to herd him back towards the fence.

“Oh, do you want me to check it out?” Chase asked.

Another nod.

“Uh, sure. I guess it’ll be less risky for me than for you. Tell the others I’m checking it out.”

Jackie barked quietly in confirmation, then turned and hurried over to Lily.

Chase mimed taking a deep breath. Alright... time to check out an abandoned supermarket. It’ll be fine, it’s unlikely that anything in there will be able to hurt him. Still, he felt a shiver of instinctual fear. Abandoned places were creepy. They were probably haunted—oh hah. Well, if this place wasn’t haunted right now, it would be as soon as he got in there.

He walked right through the trees again, passing through the chain link fence. There was a car park back here, with a handful of street lamps but some of them were out, leaving deep shadows between them. Chase forced himself to be confident while walking through the darker areas, keeping his eyes locked on his destination instead of glancing around like he wanted to. Once he reached the brick wall of the supermarket, he hesitated for a split second before floating on through, looking around.

The place was trashed. It looked like all the food had been removed ages ago, but the damage was clearly more recent. Shelves had been removed from their rightful place and scattered across the floor, fluorescent lightbulbs had been smashed with their glass all over the ground, cash registers were flung across the aisles, and even a few ceiling tiles had been removed and fallen broken to the floor.

“Fucking wolves assholes fuck...”

The perpetrator of the trashing was still here, too. A man pacing back and forth—right in front of the windows that Chase had been looking into earlier, from through the fence.

“Yeah you fuckers will think twice before coming back, I’m here now, fuckers,” the man muttered. “You were gone and now it’s mine, fuck you.” Suddenly, he stopped muttering. His shoulders tensed. And he walked over to the window and peered out. “Oh my god.” A chattering, manic laughter sprang from the man’s throat. “You find someone else to come help you, huh?”

Chase had no idea what was going on. But if he could see into those windows from the woods, that meant someone looking through the windows from here could see into the woods. And maybe, if they had supernatural see-in-the-dark powers, they could see the wolves moving around in there. He suddenly got very worried for Jackie, his pack, and the other wolves.

The man turned away from the windows and started making a beeline for the front doors. “I’ll show you, fuckers, you can only come in through here,” he said to himself, pausing to lean down and pick up a couple things. An unbroken fluorescent lightbulb and some sort of metal pipe.

Were the wolves coming in here? Could they even do that in the first place? Chase hadn’t seen a gate or a gap in the fence. Then again, if you had enough large, supernaturally strong animals working together, they could probably break down a chain link fence pretty quickly. Fear shot through him. But as strong as Jackie and the other wolves were, this guy was still going to fight him! And he was confident! Clearly, he thought he had a chance. And if he somehow bottlenecked the pack at the front doors, he might. Chase had to do something! He had to warn the wolves, or—or distract this guy somehow!

Yes... distract him! He knew exactly how to do that!

Chase scanned the floor until he spotted something perfect. One of the ceiling tiles nearby had been smashed up into a bunch of little crumbly bits, including a fist-sized triangular one. Chase hurried over there and reached down, focusing all his will into being able to pick it up. His hand slipped at first, but then he managed to grasp it, and slowly lifted it into the air. He wound his hand back, turning around to face the shadowy aisles of the supermarket. A pause. He relaxed his posture slightly, and then flung the piece of tile into the aisles!

It flew straight into the side of one of the metal endcaps, hitting it with an echoey metallic sound. Then it fell and clattered along one of the removed shelves until it fell to the floor.

The man instantly spun around, his eyes now glowing red. “Show yourself!” He barked, raising the metal pipe.

Chase suddenly felt heavier, his feet dropping down to the ground. He gasped in shock. What was that?!

“What the—” The man’s red eyes locked onto Chase, seeing him right away. Chase stared back, instinctively tensing under that unnatural gaze. He stared at the man’s face, waiting.

“You.” The man stared right back at Chase. He was surprised. And then... he scowled. His sharp teeth flashed. “Fuck you.”

Chase wasn’t sure how to respond to that. The man’s tone was visceral. And... personal.

The man looked at the pipe and lightbulb he was holding. His scowl deepened, and he threw both of them to the ground. The lightbulb shattered, and Chase flinched despite knowing it wouldn’t hurt him. Even if he was still alive, he was too far from the man for the glass shards to reach him. “Fuck this,” the man grumbled. “Not like it fucking matters. It’s all fucking pointless and—and boring.” He looked back at Chase. “Fuck you. Fuck you.”

What did he do?!

Before Chase could react in any way, the man turned away, walking to the side—and vanishing mid-step, disappearing into the darkness.

Chase was left alone in the abandoned, dark building. That heavy feeling had faded, but he still felt his feet were rooted to the spot. What the hell was that all about?

After a second, though, he heard a strange CRASH from outside, and that snapped him out of his confusion. He hurried through the front door, focusing on being visible as he passed back out into the relative brightness of the street lamps. Just as he suspected, the werewolves had broken down the fence—or at least, part of it. Two of the poles had been uprooted and knocked over, even if the chain links remained solid and in place. Now wolves were hopping over the gap easily. Ones that were from both Jackie’s pack and the new pack that the three tawny wolves had come from. The strange wolves paused, confused upon seeing Chase, but the others took time to reassure them he was friendly.

Jackie made his way to the front of the pack and bolted towards Chase. He barked and howled, stopping short in front of him, sniffing Chase’s form. He looked up at him, ears flopped downwards and head tilted to the side in clear concern.

“I’m fine,” Chase said. “Of course I am. There was... a weird red-eyed guy in there. He was gonna... like, beat up all you guys, I think. Or try, at least. But... I don’t know, he saw me, and... suddenly left?” He felt... uneasy. A pit had opened up in his stomach—quite literally, too, his stomach fading from view.

Scarlet and one of the tawny wolves hurried forward. They both sniffed at his form too, and Jackie gently nudged them back.

“Uh, there was a guy in there,” Chase said. “Red eyes. Sharp teeth. Seemed dangerous. But he’s gone now.” It bore repeating for more people.

Jackie suddenly went very still. He sniffed at the ground in front of the doors, then his head jolted back up. He growled, his whole muzzle wrinkling with anger, claws gripping at the ground.

“Whoa.” Chase whistled. “You really don’t like a smell there, do you? Do you... uh, recognize it?”

Still growling, Jackie nodded.

“So... you know who the red-eyed guy was?”

Jackie started to nod again, but then paused, and tilted his head back and forth, still growling.

“You think you know who it is,” Chase summed up, and Jackie nodded for a third time. “Well... who the fuck could it be? Uh...” He hesitated, getting a bad feeling. “Is it... someone I know? Or, uh, know of, I mean? I-is it... that Anti guy?”

Jackie looked at him, his anger fading slightly. And he gave him a fourth nod, more dour.

“Shit...” Chase’s voice trailed off. So. That was Anti, then. He’d finally met him.

Or... had he? Was this... really their first time meeting?

...why had he spoken like he knew Chase? Why had he spoken like Chase had wronged him?

“Hey, um... I might go,” Chase said slowly. “Tomorrow, you can fill me in on all the details I’m missing. I still don’t know what’s up with these other wolves. Just, uh... text me.”

Jackie barked in confirmation. He shoved his head against Chase’s form, passing right through it. But Chase appreciated the attempt at comfort, at least.

“Thanks, Jackie.” Chase smiled hesitantly. “I-I had fun tonight. Thanks for letting me come. I’ll see you later, but I’ll head home now—”

As soon as he thought about heading home, his surroundings changed, like a hard cut in a movie. He was suddenly back in his living room, standing at that spot by the window, where the carpet had once been covered in blood, and a small stain still remained. It was jarring. The snap back had happened a lot faster than it had the last couple times he was summoned away. Maybe because he was much farther from home.

Chase lowered himself to the ground and laid down. He stared up at the ceiling. It was the same view he’d ‘woken up’ to see the morning after he died. He was lying in the exact same place.

...Jack was right, wasn’t he? It wasn’t a coincidence that Anti had been out on the town the night after Chase died. They were connected somehow, he was sure of it. If that red-eyed man was Anti, then Anti... hated him? For some reason? He couldn’t possibly fathom what that reason was. He was sure he’d never met him before. It must all come down to that night he couldn’t remember. His last living night.

“It’s fine, Jems, really,” Marvin said.

No, it really wasn’t, JJ said. You’re right... I was rushing it. I just... He trailed off. You know...

“Of course I know,” Marvin said gently. “You get in your head about it. It’s like Anti said, you get worried about things going wrong, so you scramble to try and control stuff. That’s what you were doing yesterday, after we talked to Jackie.”

Jameson sighed. Anti didn’t need to call me out like that, really. But it’s true. Even so, I wish I could just... stop myself and listen to you.

Marvin walked closer, patting Jameson’s shoulder. “It’s fine, Jems. T’ings like t’at are... difficult. Ye jus’ need to practice a little. And remember, in t’is situation, we need to partly rely on Persephone and your other Circle friends. You literally can’ do everyt’ing yourself.”

I know... I know. I just hate that I forget that. JJ looked down at the ground. And that when you’re there, trying to help me, I just... can’t accept it.

“Hey, I know you.” Marvin smiled. “I know you don’ mean to be rude or anyt’ing. And I know you’re tryin’ t’be better. It’s not easy, especially wit’ all the stress Distorter is constantly puttin’ on us.”

JJ nodded slowly. Thanks, Marvin. Anyway... like you said, I literally can’t do any of this myself. And I know this because Persephone sent me a text this morning telling me that she and Morgana weren’t making much progress with the special needles and I’d just have to wait. The only thing I can really do right now is try filling up those crystals with my magic. Which... will leave me a bit vulnerable. He hesitated, looking at Marvin. So... I’ll be counting on you.

Marvin’s smile widened as his chest swelled with pride. “Don’ worry, I’ll watch out for you while ye do t’at. Hey, how ‘bout I make you breakfast tea t’is morning?”

You don’t have to— JJ stopped mid-sentence. That would be lovely, Marvin. Thank you.

“O’ course.” Marvin patted his back. “Go on and sit down. I’ll start t’at right after I feed Mister.”

———————

So now, three days later, here they were, standing in front of a small tattoo parlor. JJ glanced around nervously, habitually looking for Distorter. The gray man hadn’t been so direct with them since Jackie managed to repel him from his house, but all of them had spotted him at least once. Marvin and JJ had seen him outside their house, to which Marvin had used that same repulsion spell that Jackie had earlier, and Anti saw him a couple times as he walked Will to and from the bus to school. “I had to fucking book it back home after I saw the bus depart every time,” he’d said on a video call with the others.

The stress was not good for JJ, who admitted to Marvin that he was trying not to have an anxiety attack every night. Marvin had suggested that he listen to some soothing music or something to keep his brain occupied, and JJ had responded with a white noise app on his phone that somewhat helped, but wasn’t perfect. And as for Marvin himself? Honestly, it was only concern for JJ and the desire to be a steady figure for him that kept him from similar troubles. The idea that the same man—the same creature—the one who broke his legs and controlled his mind could be outside their house at any moment—well, he tried not to think about it.

Marvin shook his head slightly, coming back to the present. “So, do you t’ink Persephone is already here?” he asked JJ.

Yes, I see her car parked over there. JJ gestured down the street. I hope she remembered the special needles.

“Of course she did! T’at’s the whole point of comin’ to t’is place, after all,” Marvin reassured him.

JJ nodded. Of course. He took a deep breath. Alright, let’s head on in. I hope this place is... good. I’ve never been to a tattoo parlor before. My parents never approved so I’ve always thought of them as sketchy places.

“I t’ink tattoos are very int’resting,” Marvin said. “We didn’ have them at all in my time. It’s fascinatin’ how we’ve developed them. Jus’ some needles and ink and you can have a permanent picture? How fun is t’at?”

Technically speaking, I think humans have had tattoos for a while, but yes, the Western way of making tattoos is... recent? I think? JJ frowned. I don’t know. Maybe Anti would.

“Maybe,” Marvin said. “Are you stallin’, by the way?”

A little, JJ admitted. Alright... let’s go in. He put one hand on Marvin’s arm and the two of them walked in together.

This tattoo parlor, called Ink and Things, was small, only big enough for one person at a time. It had an industrial warehouse sort of vibe, with red brick walls and a cast iron fence dividing the check-in/waiting area from the actual parlor. Some music played over speakers, some sort of rock song that’s not too aggressive but still fun to bop along with. Persephone stood beyond the fence dividing the large space in two, chatting with a tall person dressed in black. She glanced over at the pair as they entered and waved. “Hey guys. This is Raven, they’ll be helping us out with the tattoo situation. Raven, this is Jameson and his friend Marvin. Jameson’s the one with the mustache.”

“Nice to meet you.” Raven smiled. “Don’t worry, I’m a magician, too. Persephone’s filled me in on your plan.”

JJ waved. Do you speak BSL? he asked.

“BSL? I don’t know much, pretty much just the alphabet. But I’ll do my best.”

“I can translate for you, if ye want, Jems,” Marvin offered.

That would be nice, Marvin, thank you, JJ said.

“I have you.” Marvin chuckled. “Alright. So. How will we be doin’ t’is?”

“Well, you brought the crystals, right?” Persephone asked.

JJ nodded. He took off the shoulder bag he was wearing and looked around for a surface to set it down on, deciding on a nearby wood-top iron table. As he set the backpack down next to a binder full of what looked like tattoo designs, it thumped and clacked.

Persephone whistled. “How many did you fill up in just three days?”

All of the ones you gave me, JJ said.

“Really? I gave you a lot of extras.” Persephone looked impressed... then worried. “Wait, did you do nothing but pour your magic into the crystals all day? For three days?”

JJ hesitated. Not... ALL day...

“I made sure he didn’ overwork himself, don’ worry,” Marvin assured him.

Persephone walked over, reaching inside the bag and pulling out a chunk of quartz, glowing with an internal blue light. “This one is entirely filled,” she muttered. “Did you fill all of them to completion?”

Most of them, JJ said.

“Really?” Persephone took out more of the crystals, all of them with that same internal glow. Her eyes widened over time. “That’s... a lot of magic. Are you doing alright, JJ?”

Yes, though I’m not at full capacity right now, JJ admitted.

“Is t’at a lot of magic?” Marvin asked.

“Well it’s not a small amount,” Persephone said slowly.

“Uh... while that’s impressive,” Raven said, clearing their throat, “we should explain how this is going to actually work.”

“Right right.” Persephone nodded. “Come on, you guys.” She led JJ and Marvin over to a tattoo bed—black and padded. Next to it was a rack of tattoo needles and a tray of other supplies. “As you can see, some of these needles have this grabby thing attached.” She picked up one of the needles, which indeed had a coppery bit attached, sort of similar to the attachment that would hold a gem in a ring. “We put the crystals in here. See the runes etched onto the copper here? It’ll channel the power from the crystal into the ink. Simple in design, surprisingly complex to create.”

That makes sense, JJ said absentmindedly. He couldn’t help but eye the needle warily. That looked pretty big.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Raven said. “You’re thinking that looks pretty big for a needle.”

JJ jumped in surprise, and Marvin gasped. “Can you read minds?!”

“No no, it was just on your face,” Raven laughed. “I’ve been working here for a while, I know what people are thinking. The needle looks like this because it basically vibrates to inject the ink into your skin. It’s not as intense as it seems, cause it moves too fast for you to feel the individual motions.”

Alright... that’s reassuring, JJ said slowly. His heartbeat slowed down; the idea that Raven might be able to read his mind had caused it to skyrocket. After getting over that, somehow, the idea of getting a tattoo didn’t seem too bad. At least the tattoo was his choice.

“He says t’at’s reassurin’,” Marvin translated.

“Great.” Raven smiled. “Alright, we’ll need the crystals.”

JJ, Marvin, and Persephone bring out all the crystals that JJ had filled with magic. The copper attachments are slightly bendable, so they spend a while pushing them around to really secure the crystals in place. “Y’know, I was wond’rin’, why didn’ you all decide to pour the magic into the main ink container?” Marvin asked. “T’rough the crystals and t’ese copper bits?”

“Well we thought about that,” Persephone said. “But we decided that we would be harder. The more time the magic spends in the ink, the more chance there is that it’ll diffuse. Ink is not... magically conductive. Not on its own. It’s like how some materials aren’t good at conducting electricity. So we need to get it into the runes as quickly as possible.”

“I see...” Marvin said slowly.

Once everything was in place, JJ turned to stare at the tattoo bed. He was really doing this, wasn't he? Well. He’d been committed for this long, no time to get cold feet now. So I’m guessing I need to... take my shirt off? he asked, and Marvin repeated it for Raven.

“Yeah, if it’s going to be as big as Persephone told me,” Raven said. “You’d kinda need to. Are you okay with that? I can look away if you’re self-conscious.”

JJ shook his head. No, it’s fine. Let me grab the design. As Marvin repeated that, JJ grabbed the design they’d worked on from the bag and handed it over to Raven. The final shape resembled a pair of wings, the runes forming large feathers. A few move above and below made a spiky sort of background.

“Hmm... yeah, I can work with this.” Raven nodded. “It’s pretty ambitious for your first tattoo. Lotta complex shapes.”

Well it had to be complex in order to work, JJ said, and Marvin repeated. The final design is composed of runes that are supposed to help channel and control magic, as well as some ‘relief’ runes Persephone had discovered buried in the Circle’s library. The last category was probably the most important, as they’d be taking some of the magical burden off of JJ’s body, which would hopefully mean his magic wouldn’t exhaust him so much. With all of this combined, JJ hoped that the ice bird powers he’d tapped into during the escape from IRIS could be more easily channeled, and wouldn’t knock him out afterwards.

“Alright, it’s going to take a while to do this.” Raven cleared a spot on the tray nearby and laid the design out. “So I’m going to preform a numbing spell.”

“I t’ought Aoife said t’ose were tricky,” Marvin recalled. “And t’at you have to be approved by the ABIM to use it.”

“Don’t worry, I’m one of the people they approved,” Raven chuckled. “I sought out a license for it years ago when I first started getting into tattoo art.”

“A license,” Marvin repeated, nodding. “So t’at’s how it works. And if ye get caught doin’ a certain spell wit’out a license, they arrest ye?”

“No, not really,” Raven said. “Not unless you do something really bad. Otherwise they’ll just fine you if they catch you... if they even care that much. The ABIM is really loose about some stuff. Anyway, as I was saying, you don’t have to worry about anything, I’ve done this spell a lot. I’m good enough to pass the license test!”

“I... wasn’ worried until you started insistin’ like t’at,” Marvin said slowly.

It’s fine, Marvin, don’t worry, JJ said. Raven is just trying to reassure us. I’m going to get ready now, if that’s okay. He started unbuttoning the shirt he’d worn here.

“Oh, should I—I-I’ll just—” Persephone turned to the side. Marvin did too; even after years of living in this time period, with JJ, some bits of 1920s modesty stuck with him.

“Alright, just lie on your stomach on the bed when you’re done,” Raven said, being much more casual about this than the other two. They picked up a wooden wand from the tray, like something out of a wizard TV show. JJ glanced at it curiously before climbing up onto the bed and lying down. It wasn’t the most comfortable place to lay, about equivalent to a hospital bed (a cheap one), but he tried to relax anyway. If he tensed too much, that might mess up the tattoo.

“Good luck, Jems,” Marvin said. “I’ll be righ’ here watchin’. Uh... hey d’you mind if I grab one o’ the chairs from the waitin’ area and bring it over here?”

“There are folding chairs through that door.” Raven pointed to the back wall. “You can grab one of those. In fact, I think all of us are going to want chairs. We’ll be here a while.”

“I’ll get them.” Persephone hurried over to the door. “Good luck, Jameson.”

Honestly, the good luck was not helping. It just made JJ’s stomach flop around with nerves, making him want to squirm. Deep breaths. It was going to be fine. Everyone was here to help, if something went wrong. Which it wouldn’t. Because Raven was, according to Persephone, a professional.

“I’m going to cast the numbing spell over your whole upper back,” Raven said. “It’s going to feel weird. All tingly, and then you’re going to lose sensation. If at any point you feel something that doesn’t seem right, let me know. Uh... wave your hand or something. Got it?”

JJ gave him a thumbs up. It was easier than sticking his arms out in front of him to sign.

“Alright.” Raven nodded. They started whispering spell words under their breath; JJ recognized some of them, though he’d never heard this particular chant. He felt the tip of the wand press against the base of his neck. It slowly moved left, following the curve of his shoulders, going around his shoulder blade as it circled his whole upper back. It did feel tingly. The feeling wasn’t bad, but it was very strange. It felt like when your limbs fell asleep, but the fact that it was on his back was weird. That wasn’t a place that usually ‘fell asleep.’

Persephone returned with the chairs, glancing at the spell. The wand was leaving behind a fuzzy line of pale blue magic. “Going good so far, I think,” she said as she set the chairs up. “Here, Marvin.”

“T’anks.” Marvin sat down, relieved. He hadn’t realized it was a bad day until he’d been standing for a while.

Once the wand had circled basically his whole ribcage and returned to its original position, the glowing circle filled in with dots of light, looking almost like TV static in the way they moved. JJ bit his lip as he tried not to move. As more dots appeared, the tingling sensation grew stronger, until the whole circle was filled. Then, as the magic glow faded away, so too did the tingling sensation... and all other sensations as well.

Raven pressed their wand to the middle of JJ’s back. “Can you feel that?”

JJ shook his head.

They tapped a few other spots. “Can you feel any of this?”

JJ shook his head some more. How strange.

“Great. This is what we wanted.” Raven nodded. “Okay. Now. I’m going to ask that you don’t move during the tattooing. I know that you need your hands to talk, and I’m sorry to ask this, but please don’t sign. Gesturing around is... really bad.”

He’d expected this. JJ nodded, and gave a thumbs up.

“Jems, if t’eres an emergency, are you okay wit’ usin’ your voice?” Marvin asked.

Again, JJ nodded. He’d always expected to do that.

“Oh, you can—okay, I see.” Raven said that mostly to themselves. “Sorry for, uh, assuming you couldn’t talk at all.”

JJ waved his hand dismissively, then set his head down on top of his folded arms.

“Right, we should hurry. We have limited time to do this.” Raven turned to look at the design again. “To save some time, I’m going to use magic to copy this design to your back—”

“You can do t’at?!” Marvin interrupted. “Why are we botherin’ wit’ the needles, t’en?”

“Cause the power in the design needs to come from JJ’s own magic, remember?” Persephone prompted. “And besides, I think Raven means it’ll be a temporary copy, anyway.”

“Oh...” Marvin slumped back. “Sorry.”

Raven smiled a little. “It’s fine. But remember, this is a complicated design, and we have a limited timeframe with the numbing spell, it won’t work forever. I gotta work quickly and efficiently.”

“Right. I’ll sit here and shut my gob, t’en.” Marvin pretended to lock his mouth shut.

JJ turned over to look at him and smiled, trying to silently convey how grateful he was that he was here. Marvin seemed to get it, as he smiled back. Then JJ moved his head back into place and tried to stay still.

Raven placed the design onto JJ’s back. He couldn’t feel it, but he could hear the crinkling sound of paper being smoothed out. Raven muttered some more spell words. Marvin and Persephone saw a flash of pale blue light, and then Raven removed the design, setting it aside and revealing a copy of the runic design drawn in that same pale blue shade.

“Alright, I’m getting ready,” Raven said They hurried to the side, and JJ heard the sound of a running faucet. He turned towards it slightly and spotted a sink in the corner that he hadn’t seen before. Then as Raven hurried back over, he quickly moved back into place. “Sorry, had to wash my hands,” they explained, setting down a wet rag and pulling on a pair of disposable gloves. “Gonna need to wash the spot now, too.”

“You couldn’t have done that before casting the numbing spell that has a time limit?” Persephone muttered.

Raven ignored her, and JJ felt... well, that wasn’t a good way to put it, since he couldn’t actually feel anything with the numbing spell, but he couldn’t think of a better word for the sensation. He could tell that the area the tattoo was going to be on was being wiped down quickly, the motions pushing him around slightly, and the water eventually trickling down his non-numbed sides. Raven quickly dried the water, then pulled the needles closer. Something clicked, and the sound of a motor filled the area. “Are you ready?” Raven asked.

Jameson gave a thumbs up before he could think too hard about it; that would give him time to reconsider and back out of this. Gah, he hated his mind sometimes. It pushed him to do things, telling him that he needed to do something right now or everything would go wrong and he or his friends might die. But then other times, when he was right about to do whatever it had asked of him, it said to stay still, to not risk changing everything, or everything would go wrong and he or his friends might die. This... was not healthy. He was vividly aware of this. He knew that he needed help, needed to know what to do in these situations. But it was hard to do that when you were on the run from crazy science facilities and the undead mind-manipulating creature that wanted to kill you and take control of your friends. Afterwards, though, he’d need to find someone to talk to about all this. Someone who wouldn’t pry too much into the former things.

He came out of this spiral of thought, and realized the noise of the motor was a bit closer than it was before. In fact, the sound was coming from right behind his head. And he could ‘feel’ the sensation of something on his back, mostly by how Raven’s arms slightly pressed against the non-numbed areas.

Marvin chuckled. “You look surprised, Jems. Did ye not realize Raven had started?”

JJ shook his head slowly, still trying not to move.

“You looked really lost in t’ought,” Marvin said. “Were you?”

He nodded, again as slowly as possible.

“How long will this take, by the way, Raven?” Persephone asked. “I remember when I got my tattoo, it took about... twenty minutes? But this is a lot bigger.”

Raven paused, looking at her in confusion. “It’s going to take a few hours.”

JJ’s head instinctively shot up in alarm. “Hours?!” Marvin gasped.

“Yeah, a few hours,” Raven repeated. “I told you that when you booked out the parlor, Sephy. That’s why the cost was so high.”

Persephone hesitated, then looked down, ashamed. “I... didn’t remember that,” she admitted. “I... don’t know if I even heard you say that.”

“You reacted more to the price than the time,” Raven said. “But... yeah, I assumed you did remember. And that you told these guys about that.” They glanced at Marvin. “Clearly, you did not.”

“Jems, are you—a-are you okay with this?” Marvin asked, shocked. “I didn’ plan for us to be gone for hours. It’s goin’ t’be dinnertime by the time we get back! We’ll miss tea!”

JJ bit his lip, swallowing the urge to hyperventilate. He couldn’t do that, Raven was still trudging on with the tattooing, he could tell they were, the motor was still running, he couldn’t ruin this, he couldn’t ruin this—

“Jems?” Marvin stood up. “Breathe! Please breathe.” He hurried around Raven until he was in front of JJ, and knelt down so their faces were even. “It’s okay. It’s okay. Jus’ breathe. Look at me, okay? Try... try countin’ to ten in your head. In fact, count wit’ me, okay? One... two... three... four...”

As Marvin counted, Jameson counted with him, mouthing the numbers. Marvin stopped at ten, but he kept going, and by the time he reached twenty he was a bit calmer. Thank you, he mouthed.

“Not a problem.” Marvin smiled slightly. “So. How d’you feel abou’ the wait? Can ye answer?”

Raven paused, but JJ gestured for them to keep going. They were on a time limit, after all. “I... can do it,” JJ said in his hoarse voice. “I just might need something to... keep from getting bored, I suppose?”

“I can put on some music,” Raven suggested.

“Oh!” Marvin gasped. “I t’ink you have earbuds in your car, Jems. Maybe ye can listen to t’at podcast you like, the one about dragons.”

“Dragons?” Persephone repeated.

“Dungeons and Dragons,” JJ clarified. “I actually listen to a couple live play podcasts.”

“Oh really?” Persephone looked interested. “I listen to Critical Role, is that one of yours?”

“No,” JJ said. “Tried to listen to it. Couldn’t get into it. Dunno why.”

“Aw, well, that’s fair.” Persephone shrugged. “I hear they’re talking about making an adaptation of one of their campaigns, that might be easier for you to digest.”

Marvin pushed himself to his feet with his cane. “Anyway, I’ll go get your earbuds and ye can listen to one o’ t’ose while t’is happens.”

“Are you sure?” JJ asked. “Your... your legs?”

“I can handle a quick walk to the car,” Marvin reassured him. “I jus’ remembered I have a book in t’ere, too, and I want to grab t’at too.”

“Alright,” JJ said. “Good luck. I’m going to stop talking now.” This position was putting some weight on his neck that made speaking difficult.

“No problem.” Marvin gave him a thumbs up. “Be right back.”

It took Marvin about five minutes to leave, get to the car, and return with his book and JJ’s earbuds. During the whole time, Raven continued the tattoo process, laser focused on the design. They only paused for a moment so JJ could get his phone out of his pocket and plug in his earbuds. Then, once he was all set up with his podcast, they resumed their diligent work. Marvin settled down with his book and Persephone spent some time playing games on her phone. All in all, they managed to get through the unexpected wait.

JJ couldn’t imagine what getting a tattoo would be like without the numbing spell. It would hurt, of course, but would the pain distract from the discomfort? Or would it combine together into a miserable miasma? Because he was pretty uncomfortable, just from staying in one position for so long. But he forced himself not to squirm, telling himself that it would, in fact, be miserable without the numbing spell. Luckily, the podcast did a good job of distracting him. He was vaguely aware of the needle moving around, in the same part of his mind he used when he cast spells. Was he sensing the magic entering the ink?

“Almost done,” Raven reported after a while. “Just a few more runes left.”

Shortly after they said that, JJ realized he was feeling a tingling sensation along his back. Which was mildly alarming, because with the numbing spell, he shouldn’t be feeling anything. And the tingling was growing noticeably stronger over time. He bit his lip, trying not to squirm. The spell must’ve been wearing off. He was starting to feel pricks in his back. And those pricks were becoming more and more painful. He could picture holes in his back, growing bigger and bigger, gaping and bleeding—He paused the episode he was listening to, moving his hand slightly to reach his phone sitting on the bed nearby.

“Is everyt’ing alrigh’, Jems?” Marvin asked.

Raven hissed. “The spell is wearing off. Don’t worry, Jameson, I’m almost done. How much does it hurt? Uh, hold up a number of fingers, scale of one to five.”

JJ thought about that, wincing, his face curling up in pain as the tattoo began to flare up more and more. He held up three fingers.

“And you’re not downplayin’ t’at, are you, Jems?” Marvin asked suspiciously.

JJ shook his head. This wasn’t the worst pain he’d ever felt, but it was pretty bad.

“Would it help if I talked while you did this?” Raven asked.

“I think it’d be better if you concentrated on finishing fast,” Persephone said worriedly.

“Hmm good point.” Raven nodded and continued to tattoo carefully. “In that case, Persephone, can you tell him how to take care of these once I’m done?”

“Right, right.” Persephone nodded. “Okay. So. These tattoos are essentially a lot of tiny wounds. A lot of people differ on the specifics of how to take care of them, but I’ve found that you should keep them wrapped for at least two hours—probably more for you, since yours is bigger. Don’t pick at the scabs or flecks that will form, and try to avoid getting sun on it. Though—” She laughed. “—I doubt you’d be going out with your back exposed to the sun much. I doubt you have plans to, like, go swimming anytime soon. Oh, speaking of swimming, you also don’t want to get it wet, so you’re not going to be able to take baths for a while. But you still have to keep it clean. I bought some of the tattoo salve I used for mine, so you can use that.”

“Thanks,” JJ said, hissing through his teeth.

“Got it.” Raven leaned back, letting out a breath. The active pain stopped, but the wounds remained, sending throbbing jolts through JJ’s nerve like a heartbeat. “Let me grab some wraps for you.” They hurried over to the side. “Oh, you can sit up now, by the way. Take it slow.”

JJ pushed himself upwards, moving slowly—not just because of Raven’s advice, but also because moving fast hurt more.

"Are you goin’ t’be able to drive, Jems?” Marvin asked, concerned.

I’ll be fine after a while, JJ said.

“Alrigh’... but I’ll be in your passenger seat, so I’ll be upset if ye crash the car.” Marvin chuckled a little, but still looked nervous.

JJ chuckled silently. I’ll be careful. We’ll go ten miles an hour if we have to.

“I suggest also waiting in the car for a little bit,” Persephone said. “And if you’d like, I can follow you home in my own car, just in case it gets too much for you. I can give you a ride the rest of the way.”

Thanks, Persephone, that’s very kind, JJ said. He paused. So... how does it look?

“Like the design,” Marvin said. “It’s actually pretty, ah... badass.”

It must be, if you’re saying that, JJ commented. I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say “badass” in your life.

“Well, y’know.” Marvin gestured vaguely.

“There’s a mirror on the wall over there.” Raven pointed to the side. Everyone turned to look, and indeed saw a full-body mirror attached to a wall. “Before we wrap it up, you can go look in there. I have a spell to duplicate the mirror temporarily, so you can still see it on your back.”

JJ nodded. That would be nice. He shifted position, took a deep breath, and stood up. That was actually easier than expected; probably because he was being careful not to use his back too much.

“Do ye need help?” Marvin asked, also standing up.

Thanks, but I got it. JJ braced himself, then walked over to the mirror. Again, he had to be careful not to move his upper half too much, which probably resulted in a pretty weird walk from the other three’s perspective. But it felt better than the alternative. As he stopped in front of the mirror, Raven hurried over, putting a hand on the frame, and whispered a spell. A duplicate of the mirror unfolded in midair, outlined in blue and slightly hovering. Raven pointed to the side and redirected it over behind Jameson. JJ gave them a thumbs up and a smile in thanks, then turned his attention to his reflection—and the reflection behind it, in turn.

It wasn’t often that you got to see your own back. Naturally, JJ wasn’t familiar with what it normally looked like. But seeing the tattoos there took his breath away anyway. Raven had done an excellent job. The design from the paper was perfectly overlaid onto his skin, stretching between his shoulder blades, curving gently across his skin. He twisted back and forth, watching the reflection move. That was... him. That was on him forever. The thought made him feel... good. He couldn’t put an exact name to the feeling swelling in his chest, but it was good. Was it... pride? Joy? Something else?

The black ink stood out quite a lot against his pale skin. He knew it would probably fade with time, but for now, the contrast was unreal. The runes were perfect, intricate... and a bit... shimmery? Confused, he twisted around some more. Yes, there was a blue iridescence to the ink, like it was covered in a holographic film. Was that because of his magic?

“So? How’d I do?” Raven asked.

You did great, Raven, JJ said. Thank you so much. It looks amazing. Marvin translated that for him.

“Aw.” Raven smiled. “No problem. Now, uh... we’re going to have to cover up my amazing work with some bandages. You need to keep it wrapped up for a while. I would suggest maybe two or three hours, or until the scabs start to form. Since you’ll usually be wearing a shirt, they’ll be covered anyway, so we don’t want to suffocate the wounds.”

Of course. JJ nodded. I’ll follow your lead.

Even if the magic of these tattoos didn’t work, he was happy he got them anyway. Turned out, he was worrying for nothing.

———————

A short while later, JJ and Marvin were sitting in their car, waiting outside the parlor, parked in place. JJ’s upper torso was wrapped in bandages under his shirt, and he had to take a minute to get used to the feeling. “Are you goin’ to lean away from the car seat while drivin’, too?” Marvin asked.

Maybe, JJ admitted. I don’t know. Do you think that’s safe?

Marvin snorted. “You’re askin’ the wrong person for drivin’ advice.”

JJ smiled slightly. I know, I know. He paused, then turned more towards Marvin. Hey. Thanks for coming with me. And... supporting me through this whole thing.

“O’ course, Jems.” Marvin smiled back at him. “I’ll always support ye.”

JJ smiled as well. He wanted to say something more, to fully express just how much he appreciated Marvin always being there. At that moment, though, the nice exchange was interrupted by a text tone. He frowned, and took his phone out of his pocket.

“Oh, I got t’at too,” Marvin said, taking out his phone as well. “I t’ink it’s the group...” He trailed off. His eyes went wide as he turned pale. “Uh... Jems?”

Jameson nodded slowly, eyes glued to the message he’d also received.

“Time magick,” Marvin muttered. He had his deck of cards, as always, and shuffled them nervously, fingering the joker cards nervously. “I’ve been wond’rin’... maybe we can go back in time. To prevent the man in the house from ever becoming Distorter. But t’en I started t’inkin’ about paradoxes, an’ how we’d never go back to stop him if he was never t’ere to stop...” He shook his head. “I don’ know. I t’ink it’s a good idea in principle. But no doubt it’ll go really wrong in practice.”

The house is... very strange, though, so who knows? JJ shrugged.

“I see,” Schneep muttered. “And... now I have a question about your tattoo idea.”

JJ looked nervous. Do you... think it’s a bad idea?

“No, though it might be a bit risky,” Schneep said. “But that is different from being a bad idea. Do you have a design in mind?”

JJ reached into his pocket and took out a folded piece of paper. He passed it over to Schneep, who unfolded it and opened it up. There were a few rough drafts on one side and a final design on the other. Runes flowed down from a central design, forming a pair of wings. I worked on it with Persephone and Morgana the last two days, JJ said. The runes are ones of control and power. Altogether, it’s meant to stave off exhaustion and allow me to access the ice bird form easier. Though, in all likelihood, it still won’t be as powerful as the time we broke out of IRIS.

“Interesting...” Schneep muttered. “How big is it going to be?”

It’s supposed to take up a lot of my upper back, JJ said. Shoulder blade to shoulder blade, and maybe about half my ribs up-and-down. Why?

“I hear tattoos are very painful,” Schneep said. “Is such a big design... viable for your very first tattoo? Not to mention how elaborate it is.”

Anti gave me the same warning earlier today, actually, JJ said. He’s more experienced with this.

“He is?” Schneep blinked.

Marvin laughed. “Am I the only one who he ever told about his tattoos?”

“He has tattoos?!” Schneep blinked more wildly. “How have none of us known this?! We have known him for years!”

“He likes to keep them hidden, I s’pose,” Marvin said. “He said they’re only in places he can hide with clothing. Not sure why... it’s probably jus’ somet’ing else that makes him vulnerable.”

“Huh.” Schneep nodded slowly. “Well I appreciate that he is sharing with us now. In any case. My concerns?”

There are spells to temporarily take away pain, JJ said. Like a numbing agent that you get when you go to the dentist. Except magical instead of chemical.

“Ahhh.” Schneep nodded. “I see. Well... I would like something like that for me now.” He shifted position slightly, wincing.

I would have cast it on you sooner if I knew it, JJ said.

“A numbing spell is difficult to pull off,” Aoife piped up. “If you don’t put enough power into it, it won’t work. If you put too much power in it, you’ll cause nerve damage. Even in the ABIM, only approved healers can cast it. Of which... Jameson is not.” She smiled at him awkwardly. “Sorry.”

No, I understand, I probably need more practice, JJ assured her.

“I coul’ probably figure out a spell wit’ my runes if I need to,” Marvin said, shuffling the cards some more. “But speakin’ of magic healin’. When are we goin’ t’ do t’is?”

JJ glanced at Aoife. Whenever your friend gets here, I suppose.

“He’s on his way,” Aoife said. She took out her phone to check. “I’ll ask him where he is.”

You’re sure you want this magical healing? JJ asked. I’d love for you to get better sooner! But you understand the possible problems with IRIS’s... things, yes?

“The stuff in my body,” Schneep muttered. He took a deep breath. “I think it will be fine. The longer I am in here, the greater the risk is that Distorter will attack me. I-I need to be able to defend myself.” He paused. “Not to mention, I-I did not tell them about my medication...”

“Wait, you’re off your meds righ’ now?” Marvin blinked.

“Is fine, is fine,” Schneep dismissed. “They take some time to wear off. But if I stay much longer, we will be passing into the ‘danger zone’ where my brain may start acting up. So I would like to leave and go home to get my prescription, please. It was hard enough getting it again after our extended stay in IRIS.”

“Well, lucky for you, my contact is arriving at the hospital right now,” Aoife said.

“Ah, perfect!” Marvin grinned. “Can your friend find their way here?”

“Uh, let me clarify, he’s not my friend,” Aoife said. “He is a contact. An independent magician who I reached out to specifically for this.”

It sounds like you don’t like him, JJ said.

“It’s not... I mean...” Aoife hesitated. “He’s a bit sketchy.”

Schneep raised his eyebrow. “And you are trusting him with my life?”

“Not with your life, just with this wound,” Aoife said. “I’m here to supervise. And besides, he’s sketchy, but he’s still the best damn healer I’ve ever met.” She checked her phone again. “He’s getting close. Marvin, can you take down the protective wards?”

“I already did before ye got here,” Marvin said, shuffling his cards. “Otherwise you wouldn’ be able to stand so close to Schneep.”

“Ah. Right.”

Everyone turned to look at the doorway leading into the ward, falling quiet for a few minutes as they waited. Soon, a man walked in, wearing a black jacket, glancing around until he spotted the others. Grinning, he waved at Aoife and hurried over. “So, which one of you is this Jameson guy I’ve heard about? Stage magician? Actual magician? I’ve done some research.”

That would be me, JJ said.

“You? Right, of course. The scars should’ve given it away.” The man rubbed his throat, making JJ feel very self-conscious about the scars on his neck. “Sorry, my BSL is pretty rusty, so I might not get the more complicated stuff. ‘Me’ is simple, at least.”

“So who are you, then?” Schneep asked. “I would like to know who is going to be healing my almost-mortal stab wound before they get too close.”

“Oh you’re sassy.” The man grinned wider.

“This is Frederick Chiu,” Aoife said. “He runs a shop of magic supplies downtown. And also does healing for commission.”

“Pleasure to meet you.” The man—Frederick—bowed. He had feathery black hair, and the guys could see a tattoo on the side of his neck, some sort of spiraling design that looked a little like octopus tentacles. “If you ever want to stop by after this, my shop’s on Blackburn Avenue. It’s hidden, though, so you might not be able to find it.”

JJ frowned and glanced at Marvin, who was also frowning. This guy had a bit of an attitude. But then Marvin shrugged. “You can heal Schneep’s stab wound?” he asked. If he could do that, it’d be worth putting up with this attitude.

“Of course I can, no problem at all.” Frederick shrugged as he walked on over. “Alright, fill me in on the details. They gave you stitches, right? And Aoife mentioned you have implants or something. Sit up straight, by the way. I want to see the wound.”

Schneep frowned, but did his best to sit up, leaning slightly forward. “Yes, I have stitches. And... ‘implants’ I suppose. You need to see the wound?”

“Yeah, take off the bandages if you can.”

I can help, Schneep, JJ suggested. It’s probably hard for you to move.

“I would appreciate that, thank you.” Schneep scooted a bit forward, and JJ leaned over to help. Soon, the two of them had the wound on his back exposed.

“Hm. Good stitches.” Frederick nodded. “Alright, then. I’m gonna have to touch you. It’s gonna feel weird.”

“Weird in what way?” Scchneep asked with trepidation.

Frederick didn’t answer, just put his hands on Schneep’s shoulders, then moved his hands downward so they were more on his shoulder blades. His eyes lit up, turning emerald green with a hint of yellow around the edges of his irises. Magic flowed down his arms and into Schneep’s skin, similarly colored green and yellow. Schneep yelped in surprise as the stab wound flared with pain, hurting in a way it hadn’t for a while. He could feel the pain inside the wound in a really uncomfortable way.

“Hey!” Marvin gasped. “You’re hurtin’ him!”

“I am? That’s not supposed to happen.” Frederick pulled away, and Schneep let out a breath of relief as the pain faded. “It’s supposed to feel warm, not hurt.”

Aoife frowned. “You’re not using a new spell, are you? I see you’ve got more of a yellow tint to your magic, what have you been dabbling with?”

“Nothing that would interfere with the healing in that way!” Frederick protested.

JJ frowned. Maybe we shouldn’t be doing this. Magic healing isn’t supposed to hurt. At least, not more than regular healing.

Schneep sighed. “It is because of IRIS. I know it is. Those ‘implants’ must be interfering somehow.”

“Hm... I was trying to account for them, but maybe it wasn’t quite working...” Frederick bit his lip. “I can work with this. It might take some trial and error to figure out how to work around the stuff inside you, but you’ll be healed in the end.”

Wait hold on! JJ said. I know a little healing myself! We shouldn’t be healing if it hurts him! That’s a bad sign!

“No no no.” Schneep shook his head. “I am tired of being stuck here, useless. I will accept the temporary pain to get rid of this wound.”

Are you sure? JJ asked. Maybe we can cast one of those numbing spells—

“Frederick is not authorized for that,” Aoife said. She glared at him. “And he’d better not try it anyway.”

Frederick raised his hands. “Hey, what do you take me for? But yeah, she’s right, I don’t know that spell. I’d offer to put you to sleep, but I think I’ll need your input, anyway. Tell me if something hurts more. That means stuff’s going wrong.”

JJ looked at Schneep pleadingly. Are you sure you’re not just... hurting yourself?

“I am not just hurting myself, I promise,” Schneep assured him. “I think... I think I need to be back in action. And I think the pain is an acceptable risk.”

If you’re sure... JJ said slowly.

“If you hurt Schneep too much we’ll be hurtin’ you, you know.” Marvin glared at Frederick.

“Noted.” Frederick grinned. “Are you ready to keep going?”

“One second.” Schneep glanced at JJ and Marvin. “You do not have to stay, you know. If you do not want to see this.”

“My t’reat woul’ be a bit empty if we left righ’ after I gave it,” Marvin said.

JJ nodded. We’ll be here for you. No matter what.

Schneep blinked. Then nodded, letting out a breath. “Alright. Continue, please.” He reached out towards JJ, gently grabbing his wrist. JJ adjusted his grip slightly so the two of them were holding hands, then squeezed Schneep’s hand reassuringly.

They’d be here. No matter what.

———————

The next day, everyone returned to their homes. Well, not quite. Schneep may have been fully healed due to Frederick’s efforts, but he still didn’t feel safe living in his apartment alone. Even though the magicians of the Circles went around putting up protective wards around their places (everyone pitched in to help compensate them for that, despite Persephone’s insistence that they didn’t need to) Schneep didn’t want to go back. At least, not yet. So Marvin and JJ said he could stay with them. “Our sofa may not be as comfort’ble as a real bed, but it’s better t’an the hospital, righ’?” Marvin said. Schneep agreed, and so they stopped by his apartment to grab some stuff before heading to their home.

Later that afternoon, Jackie was home alone in his own house, as Rama had volunteered to go pick up Michelle from school. He could understand why Schneep was so nervous about being alone. This big empty house had him jumping at every slight sound. Even the traffic of cars passing by made his heart race whenever he heard it. And Schneep had been actively targeted! Freaking stabbed! He had a lot more to worry about than Jackie did.

The silence was getting to him, so he tried to fill it up. Before everything went south, before he he broke down and ran away to join IRIS, they’d gotten a new TV. They’d had the same one for years, and Rama thought it might be nice to upgrade. They’d bought it while Jackie was rooming with Schneep, though, so he hadn’t had much time to use it. He’d really only seen it much in the pictures on the online listing Rama had shared with him, asking his opinion on what to get. So this was going to be only like... his fourth or fifth time using it. He still wasn’t sure how to work it. But it was kind of cool, he could watch YouTube and other streaming services on it. He selected an old comedy detective show—one that he and Rama would watch often together—and randomly chose one of the early episodes. The familiar sounds of the show filled the room.

It probably wouldn’t take Rama too long to pick up Michelle, right? Jackie checked his phone anxiously. There’d been some messages in the group chat, with the latest one being from Anti. Just keep an eye out, okay? Be careful. It’s better... Huh. What was that all about?

Frowning, Jackie opened up the chat. There had been a whole flurry of activity there. How did he miss that? They must’ve come through while he and Rama were talking about who was going to pick up Michelle. He scrolled up to the beginning of the new messages.

The first one was from Stacy. Guys? I know we have those wards and stuff and i mightve been imagining this. but i swear I just saw you know who out my window.

WHAT?! Anti sent.

You mean Distorter? JJ asked.

Yes, him, Stacy confirmed. Jack didn’t see him though.

I did not, Jack added. Stacy shouted and I came running but if he was there he was gone.

Jackson how powerful are these wards??? Anti asked.

Multiple magicians cast the spell so they should be stronger than any wards Ive done on my own, JJ said.

Hello I am here, Schneep announced. JJ, last time you set up wards Distorter managed to get through them by controlling Anti. What if the same thing happens now?

It shouldnt, JJ said. Like I said its more powerful now. It should block out anyone with hostile intentions. So if someone gets hypnotized like Anti did they wont be able to go into anyone elses houses.

Would they even be able to leave their own place? Jack asked.

I dont know. I can ask perseph. Maybe not?

Well that’d be an easy way to figure out someone was under his spell, Anti drawled.

Guys, should we do something? Stacy asked.

I don’t know, JJ said.

It sounds to me liek he wanted to come into your house but found he was blocked by the wards and left, Schneep suggested.

So we don’t do anything?? Stacy asked.

I don’t think theres much we CAN do rn, JJ said. The wards are doing their job.

It sucks that he did that, of course, Schneep added. But I think this is the best we can hope for for now.

Just keep an eye out, okay? Be careful. It’s better safe than sorry. Anti’s last message ended the conversation. No one had replied since.

Jackie stared at the messages, reading and re-reading the exchange to make sure he understood it properly. Stacy saw Distorter? He was showing his face again already? Maybe he’d never even left. Maybe he was waiting this whole time, watching them. Standing in the corner of the room—

He clutched the bracelet he was wearing, wrapping his hand around his wrist. The charm that would protect him against Distorter’s influence. It had to.

He took a deep breath and looked around the room. There was nothing there. Which... really made sense, didn’t it? The house was warded. His mind was protected. Everything was okay.

Still, there was a bit of anxiety lingering in the pit of his stomach, wrapping around the sides of his mind. So Jackie put his phone down and tried to focus solely on the TV show. It was a bit difficult, as his attention naturally wanted to go all over the place, but he tried to take in every detail of every scene. He actually managed to catch a continuity error by doing this, with a prop moving between two shots. And that drew him in as he started looking for other mistakes.

The show was about halfway done when his phone pinged with another text message. Jackie lifted it up, checking his messages. He got a text from Rama. Hi Dad! Ren is driving but they want me to tell you that there’s construction so we’re going to be late. From Michelle

Jackie chuckled to himself. Michelle didn’t text often—unlike other parents he and Rama hadn’t gotten her a phone. She was only eight, and they both thought that was too young. But she’d been learning about letter writing in school so she must be using that same formatting for a text. Thanks, sweetie. I’m fine, glad to know you’re safe. Thank you for delivering the message. I'll see you soon <3

It was a relief to know that they were being delayed by normal things. It quelled the anxiety that was trying to rise up in his mind again. Deep breaths, Jackie. Focus. Everything is fine.

He settled back against the sofa, returning his focus to the TV show.

The episode finished, and the next one began autoplaying. Jackie paused it before it could, though, returning to the episode select. He wanted to watch a different one. But before that, he had to run to the bathroom really quick. He stood up, glanced around nervously, then walked down the hall to the bathroom.

It was fine. Everything was fine. The way his nerves were tingling were just a result of him being alone in the house, with the silence filling the air anew. Still, he tried not to look into the bathroom mirror as he walked past it. He couldn’t shake the image of something peering over his shoulder in his reflection.

But that didn’t happen, of course. He washed his hands and returned to the living room, ready to get back to—

Jackie shrieked and jumped backwards. “Holy fucking shit!”

There was a face outside the window.

A face with black, empty eyes, its mouth stretched in a smile.

Jackie’s heartbeat shot into the air, his pulse rapidly pounding. He couldn’t be imagining this. Distorter was here. He was right outside the window. The window behind the sofa. The one that he had his back to the whole time he was watching TV. How long had he been standing there?!

“Hello.”

Jackie shrieked and stumbled back, hitting the wall to the side of the hallway. He grasped the bracelet charm, instinctively checking if it was there.

Distorter’s smile widened. He pressed a blackened hand to the window. “Do you think you’re safe in there?”

His voice was as unidentifiable as ever, but it was also muffled. It was definitely coming from the other side of the window... not projected into his mind. Which was a small relief, as it meant the charm was probably working. But it didn’t do much to assuage the cold fear that raced through his veins at the sight of Distorter’s face, at the sound of his distinctly indistinct voice.

“You think you’re so clever, don’t you?” Distorter chuckled. “You think that those stupid magicians can keep me from you. That’s not the case, Jackie. They can’t ward you forever, that’s not how their magic works. It doesn’t last forever, and it can’t attach to a moving target. When you leave this house, I’ll be waiting for you.”

Jackie’s thoughts raced. He needed—he needed to tell the others. He needed to warn them—he needed their help! But as he reached for his pocket... he realized that his phone wasn’t there. His eyes flicked downwards, and he saw it sitting on the sofa cushions. If he wanted to get it, he had to walk closer to Distorter.

Distorter grew taller—no, he was just getting up on his tiptoes, but it looked strange. He didn’t move the way you’d expect him to. He peered downwards through the window, and quickly spotted Jackie’s phone on the sofa. “What? Want to call for help?” He laughed. “Sure, go ahead. You can do that no problem. I can’t get through the magic you set up. Can I?” His smile widened. “Do you want to risk it?”

He swallowed a lump in his throat. Distorter couldn’t get in. It was fine. It was like looking at a tiger in a zoo. The tiger couldn’t get to him from the other side of the glass. The tiger couldn’t get to him. But... unlike with a zoo, he had personal experience with this ‘tiger.’ And that made all the difference.

“You won’t, will you?” Distorter giggled. “I know you, Jackie. We spent nine fun months together! I know how you think. And after all this time, you haven’t changed at all. You’re still so afraid. But that’s okay, you know? You have a friend like me to help you take that all away.” His head tilted to the side. “Just stay right there. It’s okay to be a coward.”

Jackie shivered, a wave of fear passing over him. But once that was gone, he was left with something else. His jaw clenched as he stared at Distorter. That stupid smile on his face. Did he really think he knew him? Did he really think that he was still the same as he was back when he was torturing him every day? No. He couldn’t be like that anymore. If not for his own sake, if not for his friends’ sake—but just to show this guy that he didn’t know shit about him.

With a yell, Jacke ran forward, scooping up his phone from the sofa. He backed up—and fell right over the coffee table. “Oof!” He’d forgotten that was there. Luckily he didn’t topple over it completely. He just ended up sitting on top of it. His head snapped up, eyes darting back to where Distorter was. The gray man was still this, his head still tilted to the side. His hand slowly lowered from the glass as he continued to stare at Jackie. Jackie swallowed a lump in his throat. He wanted to flip him off, but the surge of anger was already wearing off, so he just turned his attention to the phone.

He didn’t want to take his eyes off Distorter, so he held up his phone so he could look at it and him at the same time. Quickly, he typed out a message in the group chat, his hands shaking as he did so. Guyds distirrter id heer!

Jackie? Are you okay? Schneep asked.

No hes fucking not hes saying distorter is ther! Anti replied. Are you okay Jackie?

Fien for now hes noit cominb in but hes not leaving!

What about Rama and Michelle? JJ asked.

Rama wentt o pick up michelel from school! theure still out!

Well thats a relief at least, JJ said. Okay Jackie listen. The ward has a command word. It should work even if youre not a magician. Itll repel anyone nearby.

And you didn’t think to tell me about that when Distorter was outside my window?? Stacy asked.

He was gone for you, but hes still there for Jackie, JJ explained. I was gonna tell everyone after tea but its relevant now.

Wgats the word!! Jackie asked.

Nair deh rye fell ai da

Jackie blinked. None of that made any sense, but it was a magical world, wasn’t it? “N-nair deh rye fell ai da!” He shouted.

The windows and outer walls of the house rippled with light, a shimmery filament covering every surface. The wave of light moved towards the window where Distorter stood, and he quickly backed away. “Well, fine, I’ll be going for now!” He snapped. “But you can’t run from me forever. Think about that whenever you leave this house! I’ll bring you home one day!”

The light burst from the walls, reaching out like splashed liquid. It hit Distorter and pushed him out of sight. Jackie stared at the empty space where he’d been standing moments before, then scrambled to his feet, peering out the window. He could see Distorter down the street, standing there. Though he couldn’t quite make out his expression from here, he felt like he was glaring at him. After a few seconds, Distorter turned and lurched away.

Jackie let out a breath of relief, all the tension leaving his shoulders. Even if Distorter came back later, at least he wouldn’t jump Rama and Michelle when they finally returned.

His phone pinged. Jackie? Did it work? JJ asked.

Jackie collapsed onto the sofa, sinking into the cushions. The tension had been keeping him upright but that was all gone from him now. He sent a reply. Yeah it worked. He got pushed down the street and then left on his own.

Oh good. I was worried that youd mispronounce it even though I tried to write it out phonetically.

What is the original word then? Schneep asked curiously.

Nerderifale’da.

Dude what the fuck, Anti said. You magic friends coudlnt have made a shorter word?

It has to be complicated so that you don’t accidentally say it, JJ said. They had to make the spell simple and blunt so anyone could use it, so it repels ANYONE whos close to the wards. Not just hostile people.

...Okay I GUESS that makes sense, Anti admitted. In a weird roundabout rules of magic way.

Jackie, did he say anything to you? Jack asked.

Yeah... he was being threatening like he always is, Jackie replied. He said that wed never be fully safe because the magic doesn’t last forever and doesn’t attach to moving targets. So if we leave our houses hell be like... stalking us or something.

Well... he does have a point actually, JJ said. Even powerful spells have to be renewed, and protection can’t really attach itself to a person or a living thing.

Witchcraft, Marvin said, chiming in for the first time (he rarely texted).

Right, witchcraft talismans would be able to do that but we don’t know much about it, JJ confirmed, explaining to the others what the single word meant. Marvins cards have to stay in their formations and stuff, so we cant use those as carry-around talismans. And we dont have the supplies to make ones out of other materials.

Ugh. Fucking great, Anti said. Jackie could practically hear him groaning. So we still have to watch our backs if we go out.

See this is why I am not staying home alone, Schneep added.

Jackie twisted around, glancing back out the window at the empty street. Now that Distorter was on their backs again, they had to be constantly vigilant. That... would wear on their minds. Even if he didn’t actually attack them. They really had to take care of him soon. Otherwise he’d kill some of them, and make others his ‘friends’. Jackie wasn’t sure which was a worse fate.

He bit his lip. Distorter’s parting cry echoed in his mind. I’ll bring you home one day! Was that... his plan now? He wondered...

After a moment, he sent another message into the chat. Hey guys can we do a video call rq? I want to talk about some stuff and it might be easier to put it together out loud.

Yeah Ill start one, Anti said.

Within a few minutes, all of them were in a single call. Marvin and Schneep were in the same location—JJ and Marvin’s living room—so they shared Schneep’s screen. JJ was upstairs in the same house, joining from his own phone in the magic workshop. Jack and Stacy also shared, them and Sam being in the living room of Stacy’s rental house. Anti was on his own, though, set up in his recording room. “Okay, what’s this about, Jackie?” Anti asked. “Is everything okay? Do you need... uh... reassurance?”

Schneep chuckled. “That is somewhat strange to hear from you, Anti. But... nice.”

“Thanks, Anti, I... I-I appreciate it.” Jackie swallowed a lump in his throat. “But that’s not what this is about. I want to focus on doing something, you know?” He took a deep breath. “Distorter said something just before I managed to repel him. He said... ‘I’ll bring you home eventually.’”

Stacy shuddered. “That’s creepy.”

Distorter is ALWAYS creepy, JJ said. He’s a creep.

“Anyway, we all know we have to go take care of him in the house on Aspen Street, right?” Jackie asked. “What if... what if we could use that?”

“Use t’at how?” Marvin asked.

“I know we’re still missing some parts of our plan, like what spell we want to use,” Jackie said. “But when the time comes... what if we make him think he’s winning? He can’t really read our minds anymore." He held up his arm, showing off the bracelet charm. “But like... he doesn’t know which accessory of ours is the charm. What if we hide it? Then, one day, when we’re ready to do the plan, one of us could head out, and... get caught on purpose?”

JJ frowned. Is that safe?

“Probably not too safe, but I think venturing into that house in any way is always a risk,” Schneep said. “Even when I went in there while he was out, I felt... uneasy.”

“Okay, but... what’s the point of getting caught on purpose?” Anti asked.

“A distraction, I think,” Jackie said. “If he’s focused on one of us, maybe he won’t realize people are sneaking in behind him.”

Marvin went suddenly pale. He was probably remembering the last time he went into that house. His leg, that weird box, the strings, everything. But he coughed, clearing his throat. “Ah... so... how will they distract Distorter?”

“I... didn’t think that far ahead,” Jackie admitted slowly. “But... I don’t want any of us to get hurt for real.”

“It’s not a bad idea, Jackie,” Marvin said, smiling a little. “I jus’... want t’ know... the plan.”

“We could figure things out,” Anti said. “We still have to figure out what spell to use, and I think Jackson wants to get his tattoo first. Such a big one will take weeks to heal, but there’s probably spells to speed that up if we need to. My point is, we got time. And I think that’s a good idea.” He paused. “I could be the distraction.”

“You?” Marvin blinked. “Are you sure, Anti? Y-ye don’ know what stuff... happens in there.”

“I’ve been through my own shit the time we went there,” Anti said firmly. “I know the dangers. But I think... I don’t think you or Jackie should be the distraction. You’re too...” He paused, his expression softening. “You have both been through enough in there. Let the others keep you safe.”

“I... I-I guess that’s... a good idea...” Marvin said slowly.

Jackie’s vision began to blur, and he quickly blinked water out of his eyes. “You... you can’t let your guard down, you know. But I do think you’re... probably the best one to play this part. Distorter wants to kill Volt and JJ, he wouldn’t want to lure them back like he threatened me with. But he would with the rest of us. And... if a fight broke out... I think you could hold your own against him.”

Anti smiled. “Thanks, Jackie.”

They talked some more, going over details like magic and research and how everyone was doing and when they thought they should confront Distorter. It was April by now, and they all wanted to get this over with within the next couple months, by June or July. They agreed that sooner was better... and silently, they all thought the same thing: that the longer this went on, the less likely they were to defeat Distorter. A creature like him fed on their weakness and stress, and that stress was just compounding the more they suffered under his presence.

After a while, the call ended. And just as it did, Jackie heard the familiar sound of the family car pulling into the driveway. He sprang to his feet and hurried over to the front door, opening it up. He looked outside and saw Michelle climbing out of the car. She hurried up the front path and waved at him. “Hi, Dad!”

“Hi, Mich.” Jackie did his best to smile. “How was school?”

“Really boring. But PE was fun! We did football!”

“Wow, sounds great!”

Rama locked up the car and followed Michelle into the house, closing the door behind them. “Sorry about the delay, Jackie,” they sighed. “There was a problem at a train crossing and traffic was at a complete standstill...” They trailed off, their eyes flicking up and down, looking at Jackie with concern. “Are you okay, Jackieboy?”

“Y-yeah...” Jackie stammered. He glanced at Michelle, watching her go down the hallway towards her room. Once she was out of view, he sighed. “No... something happened.”

“Oh...” Rama breathed. They reached out and gently put a hand on his arm. “Do you need anything?”

“I just... want to sit down, and relax,” Jackie whispered. “I’ll... tell you about it, but... I want to sit down.”

“Of course.” Rama nodded. They glanced at the TV. “You were watching Psych? Hah. How about we sit down and watch that superhero episode you like? Together.”

“That’d be nice,” Jackie said quietly.

The two of them sat on the sofa, with Jackie leaning against Rama as they put an arm around him. He breathed in the scent of their cologne, feeling their heartbeat. These things were real. More real than any of Distorter’s words.

He hoped she was okay. She didn’t deserve any of this. Neither did Mathew and Larkin.

“When did you get so attached?”

His head jerked up at the sound of the voice, a muscle in his neck spasming and causing him to cry out in pain. But still, he looked around. Who said that? His eye scanned the bottom of this ditch. All he could really see was trash: stomped-on fast food cups and rain-stained torn posters. A glint of light caught his gaze, but it was only broken glass from a green bottle.

Should he... call out? It couldn’t hurt at this point, right? “Hhh... heh...” He coughed. It was hard to talk. His voice scratched at his throat, like he’d been screaming for hours, and it felt like the sides of his esophagus were sticking together, dry and thirsty. And besides those normal-ish sensations, there was... something else. It felt like... food in his throat. Like something was just... sitting there. Inside his neck. But when he swallowed, nothing went down. It just stayed there. Inside his neck. Inside his body.

He shuddered. Now that he was paying attention to his body, there was something... off. About himself. He could no longer see out of one of his eyes—the one he used to wear the eye-patch over, which was sort of morbidly ironic but also made sense, considering why he covered that up in the first place. There were aches and pains all over, but that made sense, considering... the last thing he remembered doing. But other than that, there was a... scraping feeling. No, wait, that was too violent. It was hard to describe. It was like the sound of two balloons rubbing against each other, or the feeling of putting your hand into a tight gap. But... inside.

Thinking about this made him want to throw up. Or maybe that was just another strange feeling in his stomach, a sour feeling, like turning the scent of burned fruit into an interior sensation. He curled up, trying to breathe through it all, feeling his sternum ache with every inhale. He told himself it was fine, but he didn’t believe it.

He wheezed quietly, his voice unable to really work. But inside his head, he was pleading. To who, he didn’t really know. He just wanted this to be over. Please. Please. Please let it be over.

...

...

Time passed. He wasn’t sure how much, as the sky above looked more or less the same. His distressed tired him out, and after a while, his mind fell into a dull daze, his attention only briefly flaring when something strange happened. And even those alerts became farther and farther apart as he got used to the feelings within him and the noises around him. Birds, occasionally. Mostly the whooshing of cars passing by on the road up above. A couple times there were footsteps or voices, but he couldn’t really understand what they were saying.

Until...

A gravelly, slithery sound caught his attention, followed by a couple small clatters. Those sounds were... close by. They perked his thoughts, but not enough for him to raise his head. He stayed where he is, now struggling to listen, trying to ignore the temptation to fall back into that easy daze.

Crunch. Crunch.

The sounds approached now, slowly. Then paused. There was some scraping, slithery sounds, and then the sounds resumed. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. Until they stopped right next to him.

He waited.

Something... poked his arm.

“Hey.”

A voice. Not the same one as before, that one was... hard to describe. This one is easy to describe. Female, though on the deeper end for a feminine voice, and... young?

“Hey. I see you breathing.” Something poked him again. “Are you awake?” Poke again. “D’you need, uh, something?”

He struggled out of that daze, pushing it away. Like forcing himself awake from a dream. Slowly, he moved his head, turning and lifting until his non-blind eye could see what was going on.

There was someone standing above him. He half-expected some sort of authority figure, like a paramedic or a police officer, but instead, the ‘someone’ was a teenage girl. Her frizzy blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail and held in place by a black beanie. A yellow shirt with a faded graphic design was pulled on over a white long-sleeved shirt, its cuffs and elbows stained from dirt. She had a blue backpack on her back and a black hoodie around her waist, baggy jeans with rips in the knees tucked into old snow boots that were completely inappropriate for the snow-less day. “Oh good, you are alive,” she commented.

He blinked up at her. What is this. Why is this happening.

“Can you walk?” Something poked him again... and he realized it was a stick. That the girl was holding. She was poking him with a stick. For some reason, despite everything he’d been through, this felt like a new low point. “Cause if you can, you probably should. I saw a couple ladies park and look at you from the road. Then they got on their phones and drove off. I think they called fucking... corpse removal, or whoever gets rid of dead bodies. I dunno.”

He tried to say “I’m not dead,” but all that came out was a weak “hai—” and then a wheeze and a cough.

“Oh okay.” The girl tilted her head. “Are you like... hurt? Do you need support? I can get you out of this ditch, at least.”

“Nnhh—” He coughed again.

“...yeah, I can get you out of here,” the girl said decisively. She put the stick through the sleeve of the hoodie tied around her waist, keeping it close, then bent over and offered her hand to him.

He didn’t really want to take that hand. He didn’t want to put this random girl in danger. The creature had already proven it was willing to attack kids younger than her, as it had targeted Mathew, and hadn’t hesitated to go after Larkin, too, when he got in the way. Wouldn’t it be better to just... stay here?

But... that would be giving up, wouldn’t it? That would be letting it win.

After a moment, he uncurled one arm and reached up to her hand. His arm trembled, this small exertion feeling difficult. In the process, he spotted rusty red stains on his sleeve. That brought the memories back, and he froze just before taking the girl’s hand. No, no, this was a bad idea, he didn’t want to hurt her, he could hurt her, he knew it wouldn’t be his fault but it would hurt her and by letting her make contact with him he’d be allowing that to happen—

“There we go.” The girl reached forward and grabbed his wrist, heaving him backwards. He cried out as she pulled him into a sitting position, his muscles crying out at the motion. They ached after being tense and curled up for so long. “Whoa!” The girl let go of him and stepped backwards. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“Ih fye...” he rasped, trying to reassure her it was fine. It wasn’t her fault.

“Alright...” The girl said slowly. “Uh...” She hesitated, then held out her hand again. “Here. Lemme get you out of here.”

He hesitated, then nodded slowly. As worried as he was about this girl getting hurt, he couldn’t do anything while stuck in a ditch. And he didn’t think he could stand on his own, since he couldn’t even sit up by himself. Ugh... what is this? This was more than just exhaustion, more than just lying in one place for too long. Something was... happening. His green eye... it felt strange when he blinked it.

“..oooookay, grab the hand, then,” the girl prompted.

He snapped out of his own thoughts and took her hand.

Standing up caused his legs to ache, as expected. And getting out of the ditch proved difficult. Its sides were too steep for his weak legs to climb up, and he ended up falling forward onto his hands a couple times. The girl helpfully got him to his feet each time this happened, and generally served as a solid support to lean on. He felt a bit bad for relying on her so much. She was a kid, she shouldn’t have to be dealing with his bullshit. But he was grateful she did.

They reached level ground soon, and he stood there, gasping for breath. The girl watched him, her head tilted to the side. “You alright?”

“Yeh...” he said, despite not really feeling alright at all. He looked around, taking in their surroundings. The ditch was on the inside bend of a road that curved gently around it. The area had some buildings. He could see houses in the distance, but the buildings right around here looked more... utilitarian? Dirty walls, mostly concrete and brick, with flat roofs and signs that he couldn’t concentrate enough to read. A car passed by on the road and he watched it go, making brief eye contact with the driver, a man who narrowed his eyes quizzically as he drove past.

“Cool.” The girl nodded. “Uh... do you... need... anything?”

He folded his arms, hunching his shoulders forward. In the process, he glanced down at his clothes, and spotted those same rusty stains all down his front. He shivered. There were a lot of things he needed, but he wasn’t sure he could have them.

“Hm.” The girl stared at him for a moment. Then she took off her backpack. She unzipped a side pocket and took out a reusable metal water bottle, blue with a dent on one side. “Here, you want some of my water?”

“Wh...?” He blinked, surprised.

“Yeah, you sound, uh... parched.” The girl held it out towards him. “It’s okay, I’m not sick or anything. Just don’t put your mouth on it, I don’t know if you’re sick.”

He wanted to explain that he wasn’t sick, but... well, he didn’t actually know if that was true. If he had caught a cold or some other disease, would it even manifest? Or would the creature suppress his symptoms somehow? Then he realized he was spending an awkwardly long time staring at this girl without saying anything. He mumbled a “th’nks” and took the water bottle, unscrewing the cap and tilting it back. As requested, he held it away from his mouth. He immediately knew that one drink wouldn’t be enough to soothe his thirst, but he didn’t want to take all of this girl’s water, so he stopped pretty quickly and handed it back to her.

“Thanks,” the girl said, screwing the top back on. She glanced at him, looking him up and down. “Sooo... do you need anything else?”

His brow furrowed in confusion. “Wh... why ‘re you... stayin’ here?” he asked, finally managing to form some mostly-coherent words. “You don’... know me. It coul’ be dang’rous.”

“Yeah, I guess it could be,” the girl said with a shrug. “But like... the fact that you said that means you’re aware, which means you’re either not dangerous, or you’re playing the long game, and I don’t have time for that shit. So helping you out in the short run is fine.”

He frowned. “You shoul’... uh... leave.”

The girl raised an eyebrow. “Okay, I guess. God forbid someone have a heart out here.”

“I-I didn’ me—”

“I know you didn’t.” She took a step back, raising her hands. “But seriously. You don’t seem...” She trailed off. “Hey. Uh. Do you... have a place to stay?”

He stayed quiet.

“Hm.” She frowned. “Look. There’s a place I’m staying with a couple other people. It’s not much, but we have water there. And beds. Want me to show you the way?”

He blinked, considering that. It would be nice... but...

The screams of those young people in the van flashed through his mind.

No. No, he’d better not.

“It’s... back this way.” The girl started walking backwards, following the curve of the road. “Do you want to come check it out?”

He gave her a small, polite smile. “N—”

And then he stumbled forward, his legs moving on their own.

His heart froze, then started pounding faster. No. No no no no, if it wanted to go with this girl, then he couldn’t let it do that. The creature was going to hurt her, and probably whatever people she was staying with, and he couldn’t let that happen again! He had to stop it, he had to take control of his body again—

“You still think it’s your body?”

That voice. It was the same one he’d heard while lying in the ditch by himself. And now, he recognized it. Though hearing it just caused him to panic more.

Why did it sound like him?

He thought he knew why. But he didn’t want to put that feeling into words. Even thinking it seemed bad, like it would make it too real.

While he was panicking in his own mind, his body was moving on its own, staggering after the girl. She gave him a hesitant smile and continued walking forward, glancing back over her shoulder at him occasionally. He spotted her hand go into her jeans pocket, seemingly holding something there. Probably a weapon of some kind. He was glad that she didn’t fully trust him; he wasn’t someone to be trusted, not in his current state. Maybe... not ever again.

* * * * * * * * * *

The girl led him further into this utilitarian area. The buildings grew closer together around them, many of them with boarded-up windows or covered in spray-painted graffiti. Clearly, this was a run-down part of whatever city they were in. He was very familiar with these sorts of areas.

“Okay. Here we are.” The girl stopped outside a particular old-looking shop, its faded sign reading Jay Boutiques in a green font. She glanced up at the sign, then at the boarded-up windows, then at the door, then back at him. “Hey, uh, d’you mind waiting outside for a bit? I just gotta clear you with the others.”

He nodded slowly, taking a step backwards.

“Great.” She smiled. “Uh, even if you’re not allowed in, I can probably get you something if you want. Just stick around for a bit.” She grabbed the front door handle and pulled it, heaving backwards. The door scraped across the sidewalk; it was clearly broken in some way, but it looked tough, its glass front covered with newspapers and planks of wood. The girl gave him a faint smile and walked through, pulling the door closed behind her.

He stood outside, folding his arms, looking around the street. It was empty except for him. He should get out of here. No one would know where he went. No one would remember him once he was gone; they never did. Except for Stacy. But that was probably only because she was involved with this world somehow. Then again... Mark didn’t remember him. But maybe Mark was different. He knew him before that thing took over his life, while he met Stacy later. In any case, if he hurried away now, that girl would be safe, and she’d forget she ever saw him soon.

But his legs still wouldn’t move. No matter how much he focused on them, staring across the street, hoping to run across the road and away from all this, they stayed rooted to the ground. He felt a strange shiver going down them, like a drop of water trailing down his skin. Only it wasn’t on his skin. It felt more like it was going down his bones. He shuddered at the feeling.

The door opened again, and the girl stumbled forward. It seemed like she shoved her shoulder against the bar on the inside to get it to open. She glanced around, spotting him easily. “Hey. Come on in.” She pushed the door open further, holding it ajar expectantly.

He nodded at her slowly. And against his will, he stumbled forward through the door.

The shop space beyond was mostly bare, empty of furniture except for a couple mattresses, a counter attached to the ground, and a few cardboard boxes. The corner behind the counter was piled high with various packaged foods, including a case of bottled water that his eyes couldn’t help but linger on. A handful of people stood inside, gathered in a tight group. They stared at him, looking a bit wary.

“This is the guy I found,” the girl said, gesturing at him. “Uh...” She glanced at him. “What’s your name?”

“Jesus, Phoebe, you didn’t even ask his name?” one of the other people said, raising his eyebrow.

“And you want to bring this guy in?” Another one asked. Her eyes darted up and down. “How do you know that blood came from him?”

“Well we outnumber him, so it’ll probably be fine.” The man who said that was quite tall and tough-looking. While that guy probably could take him just by himself, the truth was that it was a lot more vicious than a normal person. It could probably take all of these people, considering...

“Don’t say that in front of him!” the first person hissed.

“It’s... fine...” he said haltingly. “All of it. It’s... fine.” He paused. “I’m... John. Just... John.”

“John!” said the girl cheerfully. “Good, names all around. I’m Phoebe, as you heard Fred say. That’s Xio and Joshua, and the quiet ones are Gwen and Soren.” All of the people waved. “So. Now we all know each other.” The girl—Phoebe—looked at the others. “Is it okay if he stays, then?”

The others muttered among themselves, and John folded his arms, hunching forward. He probably looked suspicious. They didn’t seem too happy that he was here. Good. Maybe they would kick him out. Maybe he wouldn’t have to worry about—

“I guess,” one of the group finally said. She sighed. “But you know the rules, Phoebe. We don’t want another Abagail or Kaspar situation.”

“Especially given how this guy looks,” another muttered.

“Yeah, of course!” Phoebe nodded. “Don’t worry, John here is good. I can tell.”

John wanted to laugh darkly at that. But the sound didn’t even touch his vocal cords, remaining solely in his head.

“Here, c’mon, I’ll show you around, John.” Phoebe reached out and poked him, his head turning to look at her. “Not that there’s much to see.”

Indeed, there wasn’t. They had a few mattresses and blankets that served as beds, and that stockpile of food and water in the corner. Besides the main floor, the only other rooms in the old shop were a bathroom (it didn’t seem to have running water) and another room to the side that was probably the shop’s storage or employee break room while this place was functional. Now it was empty, though, except for a few old shelves bolted to the walls and a couple beanbags that were leaking their contents onto the ground.

“Here, you were thirsty earlier, weren’t you?” Phoebe dragged him by his hand over to the food in the corner. “Grab one of ours. Then we don’t have to worry about diseases.” She reached into the plastic packaging and wrenched a clear water bottle free, holding it out to John.

“Thanks,” John muttered, taking the water. He twisted off the plastic cap. It made a cracking sound in the process, and he winced slightly. On the walk here, he could’ve sworn that his spine was making a similar sound. Though it was something that he felt more than heard. He hurriedly took a drink before he could think too much about his body again, leaning back against the counter as he gulped down the contents of the bottle. The water tasted faintly chemical-y, clearly not from one of the higher-quality bottled water companies, but it still quenched his thirst.

“So... why’re you covered in a bunch of suspicious stains?” Phoebe asked casually. “Like, I believe you were injured or you got in a fight or something. But it looks hella suspicious, and I think we’d all like an explanation.”

John almost choked in surprise.

“Why don’t you tell them the truth? Why don’t you tell them what you did? What you will do again?” That same voice seemed to whisper right into his mind.

He tried to ignore it, lowering the bottle and looking at it, his eye scanning the ridges on the side. “It... it was a fight,” he said quietly. “I won, but... some of it’s probably my blood, too.”

“Okay...” Phoebe nodded. “What sort of fight? Like, why did it happen?”

What... what was a non-suspicious way to put it? Because even though he wanted to leave this place so these people wouldn’t get hurt, he didn’t want to start a fight with them. That was probably what it wanted. More bloodshed. “I was... being kept in their house,” John said quietly. “And I-I fought my way out.” That was true, on both accounts. He didn’t have to say that those four were justified.

“Fuck, dude.” Phoebe’s eyes widened. “I’m so sorry. You don’t have to talk about it.”

“Thanks,” he mumbled. He glanced back at the rest of this group. They’d settled down, more or less, sitting on the boxes or the mattresses, chatting with each other. Two were playing a card game. One was charging their phone, using a portable battery since this place didn’t seem to have power. Though they occasionally glanced over at him, keeping an eye on what he was doing, they’d basically accepted that he was here. “What... what’re you all doing here?”

“Eh. Different things.” Phoebe shrugged. “My mom kicked me out. Soren and Gwen got evicted. Fred’s last partner was a scumbag who stole his money. Xio’s always had a generally tough time. And I think Josh is running from something but he won’t say what. Different things. We all just kinda... ended up together.”

“I see...” John said slowly. “So you’re not... friends? Or... a team or anything?”

“A team? What, like we’re the world’s poorest Power Rangers?” Phoebe laughed. “I mean... I guess we’re friends? It’s a lot more complicated than that.” She shrugged. “Anyway... you don’t have to stick around if you don’t want to. But you can. If you want. And if you’re not an asshole. We’ve had a couple of those.”

John nodded quietly. He appreciated that there was no pressure to stay or leave, and that it was left up to him. But it didn’t matter anyway. Whenever he thought about leaving, his legs locked up.

“Do you need... any medical supplies or anything?” Phoebe asked. “We don’t have much, but we have a first aid kit.”

“I-I don’t know,” John said. “I haven’t really... um... taken stock of things? Going on in my, uh... b-body.” That was a lie. He couldn’t forget about the strange feelings in his body, the way everything felt so wrong inside him. But he truthfully didn’t know if he was injured from that fight. He was pretty sure he’d gotten stabbed at one point, but he didn’t feel it anymore.

“If you want to check things out, the first aid kit is in the bathroom,” Phoebe said. “The door locks. And you can use the bucket of water to try and clean up.”

“Yeah... I-I’ll do that,” John muttered. “Thanks.” He set the bottle of water down on the counter and headed towards the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

Dim gray light came through the single dirty window high up on the wall. It was enough to see by, but it still left the corners in shadows. It would probably be pretty difficult to navigate this space when it was night, especially compared to the shop floor. While the windows there were boarded up, there were a lot more of them. He spotted the first aid kit easily, since it was just sitting on the ground beneath the pedestal sink. As he bent over to grab it, he winced, hearing and feeling his spine crack in that unnatural way. But trying to ignore it, he set the first aid kit in the sink... and looked up into the mirror.

He looked fucking awful.

No, more than that. He looked frightening.

John stared at his reflection, blinking slowly as he took in all the details. The rust-colored stains covered his shirt and jacket, splatters straight out of a slasher movie. His face was gaunt, cheeks sunken in, and even his wild hair had red crusted into it. His normal blue eye was sunken in, a hollow look to it, but his other eye, the green-sclera’d dark-iris’d one, bulged out... a small wire trailing from the inner corner, running alongside his nose. How had that Phoebe girl felt safe enough to approach him, let alone invite him to this temporary home? Why had none of the people in here cried out in fear and demanded he left them right away?

As he stared, he eventually spotted something. His neck was... moving. And not in the way it was supposed to move, in accordance with his breathing and swallowing. Beneath the bandages he always wore around his throat, something was shifting about. His breath hitched as he saw it, single blue eye tracking its movement.

Slowly, against his will, one of his hands reached up, pulling the bandages downwards, revealing the flesh beneath. The scar that he had across his neck had burst open and started to bleed again. He stared in horror as the blood trickled down his neck and fingers... stared at the way his skin was moving. Something beneath it was causing the wound on his throat to open and close, widen and narrow. At its widest, he caught a glimpse of something dark inside, and something else that glinted.

“It’s wonderful.”

He yelped in shock as that voice spoke again. His cry echoed, bouncing across the tiles. But the voice hadn’t echoed. Because it wasn’t coming from around him. It was something he was hearing purely in his head. And registering that, the thought he’d tried to avoid before became fully formed. “Y... you...” he breathed. “žŦń¢ïð.”

For a second, his reflection smiled at him, a wide stretch of teeth that wasn’t his.

“Wonderful...” He repeated vaguely, looking at the wound on his neck again. Before he then quickly covered it up again, retying the bandages, securing them in place.

“You understood me. Good.”

“Wh-what are you trying to tell me?” he muttered. “Why can I understand you so... clearly now?”

“Because we’re growing closer. You will be me, and you will be gone. It’s not long now. Not long at all.”

“Wh-why?” he whispered. “Why me? Why do you want to... do this to me?”

“I’m sick of being trapped outside this world. I love infecting your ways of speaking, but it’s so... limiting. To not be able to roam about. I want to do both.”

He felt dizzy, an ache consuming the side of his head, pulsing. He leaned forward, gripping the sides of the sink. “But why me?”

“Because you got out,” it whispered. “Nobody else had before you. Not without becoming mine first. Of course, you’re still m̀͢i͢͡ǹ͠e͝͏. Leaving doesn’t change that. But if I change you out there, if I shape you out there... you could be me. I could be out there. I could do wh̢a̴tever ̶I ̧w̕ant͟.”

Sickness roiled in his stomach. Balancing felt difficult. His skin crawled, and he could’ve sworn he felt something writhing beneath it. “And... what will happen to me? Will I... still be... here?”

“In my body? I’m not sure. This has never happened before. But even if you are still there, you know you won’t be able to stop me.” It laughed, the sound traveling from one of his ears to another. “You should hope to die. It’ll be easier.”

Those words made his stomach sink. But he took a shuddery breath and pushed himself straight upright, staring into his reflection. “If you’re the one saying that... I-I’ll hope for the opposite. I-I’m not going to make this easy for you.”

“So stubborn. How wonderful. After all, that’s what got you out. That’s what caused all this. Thank you for that.”

He stared into the mirror, but heard nothing else from its voice. Dread pooled within him. Was he playing into this creature’s hands? Would it... be better to...?

...no. That would never be better.

John took a deep breath. He looked down at the first aid kit, then further down, to the bucket of water next to the sink, a plastic cup next to it in turn. No running water here, so they gathered what they could. He should... at least try to wash up.

He should at least try.

* * * * * * * * * *

John ended up using a lot of the water, trying to clean the crusted red on his clothes. He felt a bit bad about that. Even more so when he used up a whole roll of bandages to treat his stab wound from the fight, re-wrap his neck bandages, and hide his eye—or... its eye, at this point. Water and medical supplies were valuable; he knew this from experience. But he really did need all this. In the end, though he was able to clean his hair and skin, his clothes were still a bit stained. He probably could’ve gotten the stains out if he had the right tools, but he didn’t, so he gave up.

After he left the bathroom, he tried to slink towards the store’s front door and head out, but halfway there, his legs stopped moving. He stumbled forward from the sudden unexpected freezing, falling to the floor. “Whoa!” a voice gasped. A couple sets of footsteps hurried towards him, and he pushed himself to his knees. “Are you alright?”

“I-I’m fine,” John stammered, glancing over at the pair that had hurried towards him. A redheaded man and a girl with a long brown ponytail. He couldn’t remember their names.

“Are you sure?” The girl asked.

“Yeah, you really just... landed,” the man added. “You didn’t catch yourself or anything.”

“I’m fine,” John insisted. He leaned back onto his knees, looking towards the ceiling. Of course. Of course it wouldn’t let him leave. It was going to hurt these people. He had to stop that somehow... but he didn’t know what he could possibly do.

“Uh... John?” Phoebe called from where she was standing by the counter.

“I’m fine,” he said again, and pushed himself to his feet. “I, uh... I used a lot of your water. And your first aid kit. S-sorry.”

“It’s fine... we can get water again,” Phoebe said haltingly. “And we don’t need bandages that often...” Some of the others looked worried, but they didn’t contradict her, even though she seemed to be the youngest one of this group.

John took a deep breath. “So... I can stay here, right? I-is that okay?”

“Stay for as long as you want,” one of the others said, her eyes filled with vague concern.

“Thanks.” He walked towards the mattresses in the corner. The distance felt like miles to cross, but he managed it, flopping down onto the surface. It was an old mattress, flattened from the years, but it was softer than the floor, or the ditch he woke up in. So he quickly relaxed into the surface, staring up at the ceiling until the patterns of water damage stains ceased to have any meaning and just became splotches.

Again, time passed. Like being stuck in the ditch, time passed. The sound of the people walking around and talking vaguely punctured his awareness, but he didn’t even process the voices as words, only as sounds. His bones were exhausted. He felt an ache within them, occasionally punctured by a dull needle of pain that caused him to wince and shift position.

The daze lasted shorter this time, but it was once again punctured by a poke. John turned to the side and saw Phoebe there. She was holding that stick she’d grabbed from the ditch. As she saw him looking at her, she smiled slightly, and poked him with the end of it. “Nostalgia.”

“Wha...?” John blinked. “Nostalgia?”

“Cause I was poking you earlier.”

“Yeah, I remember. I was just thinking about that. It’s a bit too soon for ‘nostalgia.’”

“I guess, yeah. Funny though, right? Unless that actually hurt you.” She set the stick on the mattress, then sat down next to it, between it and him. “I didn’t poke you in a bruise, did I?”

“Nah,” John mumbled.

“Good.” Phoebe nodded. “Hey. You hungry?”

John blinked, thinking about it. He didn’t really... feel hungry. But there was this strange... grinding in his stomach. That was probably hunger, wasn’t it? “Yeah...” he said slowly, uncertainly.

“Okay, hang on.” Phoebe got up again. She left, and John returned to staring at the ceiling. It didn’t have time to start becoming meaningless splotches again before she returned, dropping an armful of stuff on the mattress. “Don’t eat all of this,” she said. “But I just grabbed a little of everything to make sure you had something you liked.”

He couldn’t quite see what she’d brought from the angle where he was laying, so he pushed himself up to a sitting position, looking down at what she’d brought. A bunch of packaged foods, ranging from bags of chips to wrapped protein bars to dry instant ramen. “Uh... don’t you need water for this?” he asked, picking up one of the instant ramens. It was one of those brick-shaped ones. “And... heat?”

“Well, yeah. We have a camping stove but we need to buy a pot. In the meantime we’ve been gathering them in preparation. They’re fine to eat raw, just... crunchy.”

John laughed a little. “I’ve never thought of that... I really should’ve, in all these years.”

Phoebe smiled gently. “Wanna try?”

“Thanks, but... not right now. I’ll be fine with some crisps, I think. And... are those pretzel sticks? What’s fruit jerky?”

“It’s like, artificial leathery fruit stuff. It’s fine enough. We have normal jerky too, if you need protein. And I brought over that water bottle you grabbed earlier.”

“Thanks.” John grabbed a bag of tortilla chips and opened them up.

Phoebe grabbed one of those fruit leathers and unwrapped it as well. For a second, the two of them ate in silence. It was... pretty dark by now. He hadn’t realized how quickly the sun had set, but now the light coming through the gaps in the boarded windows were artificial orange, not natural sunbeams. He could barely see Phoebe’s face even as she sat next to it, only half of it illuminated by a square of streetlight orange. “Hey,” she said after a while. “Can I ask about... your eye?”

His heart stopped.

He must’ve stiffened or something, because she hurried to say, “I mean, you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want, I mean, we still don’t know what’s up with Josh and stuff, we don’t have to know what’s up with you. It’s probably pretty, uh, sensitive, a-and you probably get questions about it all the time.”

“I... just...” John squeezed the empty bag into a ball. “Wh-what’s it... look like... to you?”

“Huh?” Phoebe blinked. “I don’t really know what you mean... I guess it looks like you have, uh, some sort of medical thing? Maybe it’s a prosthetic, cause of that wire? But it looks pretty alive.”

“Yeah, it does, huh?” John said quietly. “Um...” He wanted to say something more, but he wasn’t sure what.

“...you don’t have to talk about it,” Phoebe said again, quieter than before.

“It’s just a long story,” John muttered. He shoved the empty bag into his jacket pocket and grabbed something else from the pile at random. It turned out to be a wrapped chocolate bar, belonging to a brand he wasn’t familiar with.

“Yeah, it looks like a long story,” Phoebe said. “I mean, no offense, of course. You just... seem like you’ve been through a lot. Are you, uh, British or something? You called chips ‘crisps.’” He nodded idly as he unwrapped the candy. “That’s pretty far away... you’ve been around a bit, haven’t you?”

“It’s not as far as other places,” John said.

“That doesn’t mean it’s not far.” Phoebe pulled her legs up onto the mattress, sitting cross-legged. “I think that even the other side of the state is pretty far. It’d take hours to get there, especially when you consider, like, the price of a bus ticket and stuff. I wish we had trains. I mean, we have some, but you have more over in Europe. Then again, the tickets for those would probably cost a lot, too." She chuckled drily. “Better than nothing, though, right?”

John nodded idly. He focused on eating the candy bar he’d grabbed, but the chocolate tasted like wax in his mouth. Just something to swallow to fill him up.

Phoebe was quiet for a moment longer. “You... you know... I mean, I know that... You seem...” She stammered for a bit before figuring something out. “You have something... really bad going on, huh?”

He froze, even stopped chewing, the dull chocolate just sitting in his mouth.

“I keep saying you don’t have to talk about it, a-and you don’t, but like... I think we can all tell,” Phoebe said quietly. “You don’t... seem... well.”

He couldn’t help but laugh at that, swallowing quickly so he could speak. “Really? I don’t? What gave it away?”

“I mean, when I found you, people thought you were dead in a ditch,” Phoebe said. “That’s not a good sign. And like... just the way you’re moving around and talking, and... I-I don’t know what’s going on, but I think it’s like, more than a physical problem, cause the way you look around is all...” She paused for a second. “Your eyes seem... empty.”

“...empty, huh?” John looked down at his hands, the shape of them barely visible in the darkness.

“Yeah...” Phoebe nodded. “And like... I-I know it’s probably really bad what you’re going through, but... you can... make it out.”

He laughed again, bursting into uncontrollable peals so forceful that he almost fell over from the strength of them. “That’s—that’s v-very optimistic of you,” he said, gasping through the laughter. “Thanks, I-I guess.”

“You’re laughing,” Phoebe stated.

“No, I—well yeah, but—s-s-sorry, I-I know you—I know you mean it.” He coughed into his elbow, trying to stop. Really, he appreciated that this random teenager apparently cared enough to try comforting him. But in the face of what he was dealing with, a basic comfort like ‘you can make it out’ seemed a bit—

“I know, it’s some shallow fucking bullshit when I put it like that,” Phoebe said. “God knows that’s what I think when other people say it. But like... look. I’m not just saying it because I feel like I have to be nice or something. Or like, I have some obligation to comfort you. I hate it when people say stuff like that and they don’t mean it. Cause I’m always like, ‘you don’t know me. You don’t know what I’m dealing with.’ Especially when Mom kicked me out, I... it felt like...” She paused. “...like there was nothing I could possibly do. I-I was so afraid. And I... I still am, sometimes. But... I’m here. And that’s... that’s what I’m trying to say. Like... you’re still here. You know?”

John’s laughter had completely faded over the course of those words. He stared at Phoebe, though she wasn’t looking back at him, digesting what she’d just said. “You don’t have to talk about it, but... why... why did your mom...?”

“It was a couple different things,” Phoebe muttered. “I just... I wasn’t really what she wanted, in any way. I think... I think the last thing she talked about was me not having a job, but... there was a lot more.” She took a deep breath. “I don’t know if I miss her.”

“...I’m sorry,” John whispered.

“Thanks.” Phoebe looked at him. “I’m sorry about... whatever’s happening with you.”

John felt his breath hitch. Some part of him said it was ridiculous that a kid’s words were making him tear up. But most of him didn’t care. “Th...thanks,” he said quietly. He glanced away from her, staring into the darkness. “How... how do you know I’ll... make it out?” he asked. “You don’t know anything about me. How do you know that?”

“Well... like I said, you’re still here,” Phoebe said slowly. “And like, maybe you had help along the way. Like when I found you in the ditch. But you didn’t... have to look at me when I poked you. You didn’t... have to be so nice. You could’ve just yelled at me to go away and I would’ve run out of there. But... I don’t know. You didn’t. So, after everything, you’re still here. A-and I know that... it’s tough. To still be here.”

“...I don’t... feel like I’m here,” John said quietly. “I feel... empty.”

“Hah. Yeah. I did say that, huh?” Phoebe nodded. “I think it’s hard no to feel that way. But sometimes... you just gotta... do stuff anyway.”

John stared into the darkness. “I know I... probably shouldn’t be asking you for advice. We just met, and... you’re just a kid. But... what do you do when... you feel like you can’t do stuff? When you feel... out of control?”

Phoebe thought about that. She shrugged. “You keep looking for something you can do, I guess. Like... when a door’s locked, and you can’t have a key, maybe you can find something to slide through. Or maybe you can mess with the hinges. Or maybe you can find a window somewhere. I don’t know. It’s hard. And I think... it’s okay to take a break, when you like, actually can’t continue cause your fingers hurt from picking the lock. But if you lie in a ditch forever, you’re... you’re going to die in that ditch.”

John felt a pang in his chest. He clasped his hands tighter, and nodded slowly. It felt... impossible to fight this creature. Especially when it was within his own body. And sure, maybe he couldn’t fight it. Maybe it was more like trying to fight the wind, where a strong enough gust would eventually knock you over. But maybe... maybe it wasn’t like that. If he didn’t try, would he ever know? Had he ever tried to fight the creature at all? Or had he just kept running? Had he just accepted that it would be him, even if he told it he wasn’t going to go quietly? He’d tried to keep it from hurting people, but... he hadn’t looked for a way to get it out. And all of this would be solved if he found something like that.

“Uh, was that too... close to home?” Phoebe asked. “Too soon?”

“No, no, i-it was... really good,” John reassured her. “Thanks.”

She smiled slightly. “No problem.”

John looked up towards the ceiling. He took a deep breath. “I think... I think I have to leave. I can’t stay here.”

“Oh.” Phoebe blinked, surprised at that. “Are you sure? You don’t want to rest?”

He did. But not here. “Thanks for bringing me here. Really. But... there’s a lot I have to deal with. A-and I don’t want you or any of these guys to get caught up in that.” If he stayed the night here, then it would hurt them. He just knew it. And though he would fight it, he wanted to fight it, he also knew he had to pick his battles. It would be easier to head this off preemptively than to try and stop it while in the middle of a fight.

“Okay... I get it.” Phoebe nodded. “Um... hang on.” She got up, and hurried off, taking out an old phone to use as a flashlight. John stood up, swaying a bit on his feet, and watched her move around. He experimentally took a step forward. Then another. And then... then his legs locked up against his will as she walked back over. “Here.” She held out a bit of cloth to him. An old winter scarf, black and white striped. “This might come in handy. It’s getting cold.”

“...Thanks, Phoebe.” John took it, holding it tight in one hand. “I-I’ll keep it close.”

He saw her smile faintly. “Alright... see you.”

“See you. And... thanks again.”

John turned to look at the door. He took a deep breath, and walked over towards it. All he had to do was shove his way through the door. Even as his legs stopped working while he stood in front of it. It wasn’t that hard.

“You’re feeling rebellious, aren’t you?” The voice whispered in his mind. “You’re not going. I want to play here.”

He gritted his teeth. These people had only been kind to him. He wasn’t going to let them get hurt. Just get through the door.

“You’re not going anywhere,” the voice growled. “You know you can’t escape me. If you leave here, I’ll drag you back. Just because you tried so desperately to get away.”

Just get through the door. His legs wouldn’t work. But he just had to get through the door.

“You’re mi̶n̸e͝. Nothing will change that. You will d̴o͠ what I w͡ant̶. You always—”

John leaned forward and shoved his shoulder against the door. As its weight gave beneath him, he lost his balance, and his feet instinctively staggered forward to catch him. Even it was surprised by the fall this time. And now, he was mostly out. He grabbed the wall on the outside, holding onto a small mailbox, and pulled himself through the gap, even as his legs went limp.

The door closed behind him.

“H...hah...” John began to smile. “Heheh. Ha!”

“You...” The voice tried to say something, but it fell silent. Was it... shocked?

“You’re not so smart for something so old,” he muttered. And before the voice could recover from that shock, he broke into a run down the dark street, putting as much distance as he could between himself and anything else.

Maybe this would come back to bite him later. Maybe the creature would lash out, and he’d regret this.