It took me an embarrassingly long time to get over Narwhal interrupting my moment. Then, when I finally did come to my senses, it was to find her defending me from Taylor’s attacks and Dragon’s various suits shooting down other oversized sea critters from making my prison of a floating stress ball from getting any bigger.

  Admittedly, I was torn.

  Staying where I was would also keep Narwhal from going after the super-sized sea serpent that probably housed Taylor’s body. It’s the only possibility that made sense when taking everything that’s happened into account.

  Having said that, would it really be so bad to have the Guild extract Taylor? They may work with the PRT and the Protectorate, but the bug master will have a much easier time being in the international team’s custody than with anyone else.

  I mean, what exactly was my plan here? Even if I could get Taylor out, she’s no longer the low-level cape that she should’ve been. A Master who can control cockroaches is a cause for concern. A Master who can summon and control monsters straight from the bleakest versions of mythology is worth bringing out the nukes.

  Passing off the big beasties as Coil’s work wouldn’t pass muster, either. My credibility was in the toilet after that debacle with Brockton Bay’s heroes.

  Surrendering might help, but that would effectively be putting my fate in Cauldron’s hands, nevermind Taylor’s.

  So, what’s the right move here?

  Oh, Legend’s here! Great…

  Wait… What’s going on?

  From the back of my mind, a buzzing sensation that felt deathly cold started bubbling.

  Darkness? Is that you?

  In answer, a light of the deepest shade of blue and purple started projecting from my chest. Without warning, my Blue-Sea Dragoon form was replaced by Darkness, and a sense of alarm shot through my whole body. Hyperrealistic versions of Rose’s magic attacks then started playing in my mind’s eye in rapid succession.

  Two, in particular, were shown repeatedly in what I could only interpret as urgency.

  Death Dimension and Demon’s Gate.

  I may not be the sharpest cookie in the garage, but I’d have to be brain-dead to miss that message. In which case, a distant but absurd part of my mind started cataloguing how many languages I could say “Oh fuck!” before realizing it doesn’t matter.

  “Oh fuck!” I cursed out loud in English.

  Those magic attacks essentially breached other dimensions. Shards breached other dimensions to reach their hosts. I juiced up Taylor’s power with Astral Drain, an out-of-context ability from a Dragoon Spirit that is inherently tied to multi-dimensional juju.

  Did I just give Queen Administrator the key to an entirely new set of realities that were previously separate from the local cluster? A new set of realities that I just realized even I didn’t fully understand?

  Immediately following this realization, I felt it: The same indescribable cold Darkness made me experience, and it was coming from the direction of the titanic beast. Something was coming. Something bad. Like, end-of-the-world bad.

  Even without knowing the specifics, I was completely certain that I couldn’t let whatever it was through.

  Darkness, Rose, whichever one of you is listening, I thought frantically, we need to stop this! Tell me how!

  Death Dimension and Demon’s Gate streamed again. But this time, it was in reverse.

  Excellent! I thought with relief, before realizing something. One problem. I don’t know how to do that.

  A faint impression of annoyance brushed my thoughts before a familiar shift took place. It was the same as when I entrusted my attack on Coil’s base to Haschel. Only this time, the flavor of the personality overlaying my own was less jovial and more aloof.

  Yep, that’s Rose, alright.

  Her essence flowed over me like a shroud, allowing me a few glimpses of the woman who would spend 11,000 years committing horrific acts to protect the world. I got the distinct feeling that she’s intentionally keeping me at arm’s length, which was understandable. She probably only stepped up because this was an emergency.

  Despite her efforts, however, Rose couldn’t completely stem the bleed-through. And I was in awe of the breadth and depth of her experience as a warrior.

  With a flex of her power, The Legend of Dragoon’s oldest playable character erased my captors from existence. Literally. Like, not even dust remained. I didn’t even know she could do that!

  Not stopping there, a blanket of darkness fell over the immediate area, rendering everyone but us blind, if the shouts of panic were any indication. Rose then capitalized on this without a hint of hesitation.

  A brief spurt of speed instantly brought me above Legend, who was already backing away in haste, likely sensing something was wrong. Potentially world-ending threat notwithstanding, I still had time to figuratively gawk at how smooth and economical that execution was. No wasted movements at all, well beyond my clumsy attempts at flight.

  Upon our arrival, Rose’s signature Dragoon sword manifested in her hand, where she then proceeded to stab at the air in front of us.

  I was confused, at first, wondering why she didn’t just go for Taylor’s mega-minion. The reason became apparent fairly quickly when a layer of reality shattered, exposing a yawning tear that had already grown large enough to swallow Leviathan whole.

  Son of a bitch! How did I not see that?

  Yet again, Rose showed that she was a veteran of a magical world war by not letting this surprising (to me) development distract her. Calling on the Darkness Dragoon Spirit’s considerable magic reserves, she allowed her sword to disperse and stretched both arms out, while her hands made grabbing gestures.

  A glow of inexplicably inky brightness surrounded both sides of the tear. From there, Rose strained to metaphysically pull the breach closed. It’s worth mentioning that I had no idea how she was doing any of this, which is a problem.

  Twice now, I relied on previous wielders of Dragoon Spirits to solve my problems. I can’t keep doing this. It’s too close to counting on some Deus Ex Machina shit. In any case, the tear began to shrink at a visible rate, but something caught my attention despite my best efforts to ignore it.

  See, I knew better than anyone in Bet how Rose’s magic attacks worked. Recent events might have shown me that I still had much to learn, but my knowledge wasn’t nothing.

  As such, I was fairly certain that whatever was on the other side of the breach was fucked up, and I was right. Beyond the ragged hole in reality was a swirling void of empyrial colors and fairy lights, appearing almost like an imitation of the galactic core. However, this wondrous sight wasn’t what caused me to nearly shit myself.

  It was the eye nearly pressing against the rapidly closing gash.

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  Staring right at me was a dark, rectangular pupil surrounded by reddish-orange pigments. I would have said that it’s the eye of an octopus, if the octopus were the size of a nuclear aircraft carrier.

  Nothing else about it was visible, but I wasn’t all that eager to find out. And, thanks to Rose’s efforts, the tear was closed a few seconds later. I’ll still probably be having sleepless nights due to this encounter over the next few weeks, but that’s future Alfred’s problem.

  Present Alfred has to contend with being near one-third of the Triumvirate, a good number of the Guild’s hero roster, and the various capes who decided that this was a great time to drop in. This wouldn’t have been such a pain in the ass if not for a few snags.

  First, with her job done, Rose had already bailed without a word of farewell. Which was…fair, I suppose. I couldn’t exactly expect her to stick around. Though it would have been super convenient.

  Second, the darkness she cast to act as cover had disappeared at some point. Not sure when – I was too busy being stared down by Mister Nightmare Fuel beyond all that was good and holy to keep track. As a result, I am now mucho exposed to all of these Gringos.

  Third, every single one of them was staring at me with varying degrees of astonishment. Presumably, they saw me (or, rather, Rose) closing the breach. How long they’ve been watching and how much they saw, I wasn’t sure.

  To cap things off, the raging storm took this chance to finally clear up, and would you look at that? The sun is rising!

  So, let’s review how screwed I am, shall we?

  Taylor is likely to be classified as a major threat. I showcased abilities to mess with dimensions. The recently concluded display likely exposed everyone present to a huge cognitohazard. I’m surrounded from all sides by professional heroes. And last, but not least, the weather has completely betrayed me.

  Did I miss anything?

  A sharp gasp answered my unspoken query, and a brief scan of my surroundings found the cause. The previously buzzing monsters have all started falling from the sky, resulting in a multitude of splashes disturbing the waters in an oddly satisfying staccato. This phenomenon drew all eyes away from me, but I had other priorities.

  Twisting in midair, I checked on the big one.

  Sure enough, the beefed-up Graboid had tilted sideways and began falling.

  In what has to be a record in my personal fast-thinking best, I immediately switched from Darkness to Blue before diving straight down. Pushing my speed to the limit, I rammed the falling lump of flesh to make it descend faster.

  Shouts sound from behind, but I paid them no mind.

  Using Blue’s power, I made the now-uncontested waters surge around me and my cargo, hiding us from view and making the plunge even easier. Once underwater, I went even deeper while using water blades to cut into the flesh of the snakey monstrosity.

  This was made easier because the body had started deteriorating to have the consistency of jelly. Which was a whole other can of worms I didn’t have time to get into.

  A few seconds of frantic cutting was all it took to finally get Taylor out.

  With Blue’s cooperation, she and I were momentarily in a bubble with breathable air, dropping to lower depths, all the while. It didn’t need to last forever. Just long enough for me to check Taylor’s condition. Thankfully, her pulse and breathing were steady, despite being absolutely covered in gunk. No obvious signs of injuries, either.

  The rest will have to wait until I can treat her properly with White-Silver.

  Precautions done, I wrapped my arms around Taylor, holding her firmly against me. A swirling vortex then shrouded us both, allowing for swift travel back to Brockton Bay without being tracked. By my estimates, we should get there in ten minutes.

  As to what will happen after that? Well… I’d rather not think about it.

  Getting Taylor out of the water and to my hideout was a pain and a half. As expected, Brockton Bay was on high alert, with personnel from various departments flooding the streets. It wasn’t just them, either.

  Members from E88 and the ABB were also out in force. PRT leaks, or was an announcement made?

  Either way, I had to get past them.

  Luckily for me, this city was still the shit hole as described in the story, which meant lots of gaps to squeeze through. It was slow going, though, since I had to walk on foot in my Ruff n’ Tumble guise. Going around in any of my Dragoon forms, right now, would draw far too much attention.

  I’ve never had to take so many detours through grimy alleys, broken fences, and rotting stores in my life.

  An hour after stepping on one of the Bay’s more secluded sections, I stumbled inside the abandoned tenement building that I’ve been using as a base. It’s changed a lot since I first got here, with a more comfortable mattress replacing the old stained one.

  After laying Taylor down on it, I went about checking my surroundings for tails or unexpected guests. I’d only been gone for about a day, but you can never be too sure with Brockton Bay’s bums.

  Confirming that the perimeter was clear, I went back to find Taylor still unconscious. Growing concerned, I reached out to White-Silver, which eagerly responded. A brief light show was enough to reassure me that the girl wasn’t in immediate danger.

  Though, she was in dire need of a shower.

  Naturally, there was no way in hell I could be of help there. So, I rummaged around a camping bag stashed near the bed for an extra burner phone. Dialling a number I had recently memorized, it didn’t even have the chance to ring before a shrill voice did its level best to deafen me.

  “What the fuck did you do?!”

  Huh. She must have found out about last night’s spot of bother.

  “Hello to you, too, Tattletale.”

  “Don’t! Just don’t! Do you have any idea how much shit I’m in because of you?!”

  Okay, she’s lost me. The attack on Coil’s base shouldn’t be producing this kind of reaction from the Thinker, and the sea scuffle had nothing to do with the Undersiders. So, what was she on about?

  “You’re gonna have to explain what you mean,” I said.

  “I mean that I had to make a fucking deal last night or my face would’ve been plastered all over the evening news! She was in my room, Seraph. My room! What kind of messed-up, New World Order shit did you get me mixed up in?”

  Well, that injected ice water right into my veins.

  “Tattletale, calm down and listen to me.” I’m proud of how steady my voice is, here, despite internally freaking the fuck out. “This is not the kind of thing we talk about over the phone. Can you meet with me right now?”

  A shaky inhale sounded on the other side, followed by a long exhale.

  “Yeah. Yeah, I can. Where?”

  That was uncharacteristically curt of her, but understandable, given the circumstances. I gave her a location close to my base, where we could safely rendezvous.

  “Oh, and bring some spare clothes, please.”

  Having said that, I hung up. Lisa would be smart enough to know what I meant.

  Twenty minutes later, I met up with the blonde on a corner two blocks from the tenement. We were both in our civies, but she had a duffel bag that I assumed contained what I asked for. Neither of us said anything as we walked side-by-side down the empty street. I kept an eye out for potential threats the whole time, and I trusted that she would at least speak up if her power spotted anything I missed.

  I let her through first when we arrived at our destination, but I lingered for a second to do one last scan of the surrounding buildings. Nothing I could see. Didn’t mean there was nothing there.

  By the time I caught up, Lisa had already taken out a few items, including articles of clothing and wet wipes. Knowing what’s coming next, I excused myself and told her to call me back in once she’s done.

  Standing in the corridor, the thought that she could take Taylor hostage or do her harm briefly crossed my mind, but I discarded that immediately. Whatever Lisa might be, she’s not stupid.

  “It’s done,” came the faint call a short while later.

  Walking back in, I saw Taylor in fresh, non-descript clothing. Just a dark shirt and sweats. A pile of discarded wet wipes was on one side of the room. Her soiled costume was packed away in a trash bag and placed by the mattress.

  If I didn’t know better, I’d think she was just having a good nap.

  “As far as I can tell, she fainted.” Lisa leaned against the far wall, arms crossed, and looked incredibly exhausted. Deep bags drooped under weary, bottle green eyes. “Barring some exotic conditions I can’t detect, she should wake up soon.”

  Even at a glance, it was easy to tell that she was just done with everything. I’d probably be the same in her position. What should have been a night of triumph had turned to ash thanks to forces beyond her power to truly change.

  Speaking of which.

  “How much did you see?”

  A smidgen of her sarcastic personality came through the dry look she sent me. I wasn’t actually sure how to take that. It wasn’t like I knew everything she could or couldn’t do.

  “Everything Dragon saw and then some.” Ah, that does clear things up a bit.

  “What do you think?”

  A barely suppressed snarl was the initial response before she could calm herself, once more. Eyes closed, fingers wrapped tightly over her crossed arms, and deep breaths were good indications of a fraying temper. Evidently, Lisa’s patience is holding on by a thread.

  “I think we’re way in over our heads,” she finally answered, following a few moments of deliberation. “I think whatever you got us into, there’s no backing out. We’ll be linked to you, regardless of how carefully we covered our tracks. And with Taylor’s episode out at sea? More eyes will be on Brockton Bay than ever before.” She shook her head before adding, “Then there’s her.”

  Our eyes met, and hers conveyed deep fear and desperation. “That woman cornered me like nobody had ever done, Seraph. Not even Coil. She knew exactly what to say, how to say it, and when to say it, leaving no room for a rebuttal.” She then added in a huff, “Not that I could have, anyway. She made it clear what would happen if I didn’t cooperate, and my power agreed.”

  “That sounds like her,” I remarked with a resigned sigh.

  Lisa’s face scrunched in consternation before demanding, “Who is she?”

  Her question drew me short. The truth was a minefield that could only be crossed if you were tough enough to set off at least a few of the traps. Even then, someone else might pay the price.

  “Are you sure you want to–?” I started, but her whispered snarl didn’t let me finish.

  “Of course, I want to know! This bitch came into my room and threatened to destroy my life if I didn’t cooperate. It’s fucking Coil all over again! Only this time, the gun’s every single fucking government in the whole world! Why wouldn’t I want to know who I’m dealing with?”

  To her credit, Lisa kept her voice low, likely to avoid disturbing Taylor. She did put a lot of heat into every word, though. By the end of her rant, she was panting and rubbing her eyes with the heels of her palms.

  I understood her grievance, of course. No one likes having their backs against the wall, let alone when it happens in what should have been a place of privacy and security. Nevertheless…

  “Because,” I began, carefully weighing my next words, “these are the same people responsible for everything that’s happened over the last 24 hours without exposing their involvement until the exact moment of their choosing. Taylor’s kidnapping, you getting shot, Coil’s overreach that forced me to kill him, and the absolute clusterfuck over the Atlantic? They set all of those in motion by simply dipping a finger into our business. What do you think’s going to happen if you force them to put in more effort?”

  I let her absorb my point for a moment before pressing on.

  “You have every right to be pissed,” I told her emphatically. “Heck, I’m pissed. But these aren’t street toughs who pretend to play by the rules, Lisa. They’ll happily murder you and everyone you love if it serves their agenda.” She winced at the reminder. “The worst part,” I went on, “is how they justify all of their crimes with some Greater Good bullshit.”

  Surprisingly, this drew a snort out of the Thinker. At my look of inquiry, she became more serious.

  “She pegged your impression of them to a tee,” Lisa explained in a whisper. “Apparently, you would’ve started blasting first and ask questions never if they had tried to approach you. Said they had to involve me if they wanted to have a hope of speaking to you without unnecessary bloodshed.”

  That tracks. Cauldron was bad news. Any attempt on their part to contact me directly would never have ended peacefully.

  “They made you an intermediary in exchange for keeping you out of the papers?” I asked incredulously. “Did she even explain how that could have happened?”

  At this, Lisa regained some of her snark.

  “Why do you think the heroes took so long to get there?”

  Oh, Contessa, you absolute bitch!