As soon as the cleavers breached some imaginary line, alarms began to sound. Saracen swore, "Go!" He ordered. The cleavers surged forward, entering the castle at his order, scythes glinting in the sun as they ran into darkness.

"Dead or alive!" Saracen yelled, "Get them." Gunshots echoed out, then a loud crack. He swore, again, running forward to follow the soldiers.

"On the ground, Grouse." He heard Satya shout, "I don't want to hurt you, friend, but I will."

Saracen shoved past the cleavers, grabbing his gun and cocking it, training it on the Davina Marr who had a gun aimed at Satya, "Don't even think about it," He said.

"Sanguine and his daddy dearest got away," Tanith said, her sword resting on her shoulder, "Bastards."

Davina sprang at Satya, Saracen' s gunshot missing her. But Satya had her handled, twisting her gun through the American's hair and pulling hard, her boot reaching out and kicking the woman's stomach. Davina snarled, aiming a hit to Satya's knee.

Satya let out a hiss of pain as she buckled. Tanith and Saracen just watched. Satya needed to get this out of her system.

She straightened, knocking the gun from Davina's hand as she slammed her hand hard against the other woman's ear, jerking her knee up towards her stomach and bringing Davina's head down, hard.

Davina fell to the ground unconscious. Satya spat at her feet, eyes glinting, "Clear out this place," She ordered the cleavers, "Get all this stuff to the labs, carefully!"

Grouse had been silent all this time, black veins threading through his face as his black lips lifted in an unnerving smile that was too cruel to sit on the doctor's face. Tanith didn't meet his eyes as she slapped sigil-bound shackles around his outstretched wrists.

Ooooooooooo

"What do we do?" Hopeless asked Anton who had come in as soon as they had got a hold of the remnant infected healer.

Anton was silent for a moment, his keen eye resting on the healer, "It has been less than three days," He said, "The remnant can be forced out."

"How?"

"I can do it."

They turned at the sudden voice. China Sorrows stood by the door, head held high. Saracen standing by her side, holding the door open with a look of guilt on his face.

"Are you mad?" Hopeless hissed, "Do you have a death wish?!"

"I asked her here," Saracen cut in, "She's the only person who knows the sigils to get the remnant out. Satya's gone, she doesn't have to know."

"I'd prefer if you didn't speak of me as if I wasn't here," China said coolly, crossing her arms, "Whatever is happening between Satya and I is our business."

"Don't pull that bullshit," Hopeless said, his tone cold, "Satya is our family and the second you did something to our family is the second it became our business. Don't even get me started on what you did to Skulduggery."

China said nothing, meeting his eyes before nodding with an air of surrender.

"Call Satya," Hopeless told Saracen, "Tell her to go home and rest up." Saracen nodded and China shoved past him, fingers slipping into her pocket for a sharp carving knife. Anton followed her into the room.

Grouse lifted his head from where it was resting against his shackled hands, his black lips curling to a smile, "I was getting lonely."

"You think you're lonely now?" China drawled, "Once that little parasite is out of you, then you're going to be really lonely."

Grouse's black eyes widened, "No, you can't," He croaked, the lines of his face seemed to multiply, "YOU CAN'T!" He shouted, scrambling away but the shackles kept him chained to the table. He bared his teeth, snarling like a wild animal.

Anton simply wrenched the possessed head back, his own hair tied back into a ponytail. Grouse struggled, trying to bite him.

China set a soul catcher on the table infront of Grouse, wielding the scalpel with the air of a professional, leaning against the table and reaching out.

Grouse screamed, a loud gurgling scream that bounced off the walls as China began to drag the tip of the knife across his skin at the base of his throat.

The screaming didn't stop.

Not until the sigil was done, precise red lines that were dripping blood. She pulled away, grabbing the catcher and pressing it to the sigil, "Out you go," She whispered.

Anton's grip tightened.

They watched as Grouse slackened, his black eyes rolling back. It was if the black was sucked out. The whites of his eyes showed as as the black smoke drained from his veins, and he vomited black.

China wrinkled her nose, resisting the urge to gag as the thick black gunk dribbled down from his lips and in fell into the catcher.

Then he was out.

China's lip curled and she stepped back, "I'll take my payment via bank transfer," She said, sliding the carving knife against Grouse's sleeve, cleaning it before sliding it up her sleeve, "I'd say it was nice to see you all but…" Her smile was sad, "It really wasn't."

Oooooooooo

"Five is too large a group," Hopeless said, shaking his head, "Three max. Satya, Ghastly and Dexter. One hour tops, then you come back. If you need more time, then you check in then go back through the portal."

"Saracen, you head the investigation. We have the bomb so at this point it is just arrest and capture both Sanguine and Scarab," Hopeless continued, "Tanith, you take his second." Tanith nodded. "And Val too, keep her up to date with the cases. She's been on the bench for a little bit."

"What happens if we don't find Skulduggery," Erskine said, saying the thing that no one wanted to say, but was thinking.

"We're going to find him," Satya said, her voice sharp. Dexter nudged her knee gently. She was pressed between his broad frame and Ghastly's even broader frame on the sofa of the shared office. Tanith was sitting on the arm of the sofa, next to Ghastly. They had shared a smile as they sat, one that Satya hadn't missed.

Saracen sat on Erskine's desk, Robin resting in Erskine's chair. He was still healing, his face bruised and his ribs still healing.

"What about me?" He asked.

"You aren't going anywhere," Anton spoke. He hadn't said much all day, and that wasn't lost on Satya. It was very odd, how quiet he was. Sure, he had always been quiet but amongst family he would atleast chat idly, occasionally cracking a joke.

"I can still do magic."

"Forget it, Robin," Erskine said idly, his pen running through his fingers.

Robin grumbled something under his breath and Anton ran his fingers through the red-haired man's hair with a slight sigh.

"We leave at midnight," Satya said, "We may need a protection detail. I don't want Fletcher waiting on the farm alone."

"There's a possibility that Scarab might try and use this to his advantage," Saracen said, "If Scarab is out for revenge then…" He trailed off.

"Revenge?" Hopeless frowned, "For what?"

"It was in Crux's ledgers," Saracen said, "I was reading them last night, I thought you would know."

"Just bloody tell us then," Satya grumbled, getting up and heading to one of the cupboards, grabbing a glass and a bottle of liquor.

"Scarab was framed," Saracen said, "For the murder they put him away for. The Sanctuary framed him. He'll be out for revenge."

Satya poured out the brown liquor, slamming the bottle down before knocking it back.

"Easy," Ghastly muttered, "It's not even midday yet."

Satya raised an eyebrow at him as she poured out a second drink.

"Damn girl," Tanith whispered under her breath.

"We'll come to the farm, keep guard," Saracen said, "In case you need back up, we'll be there."

Hopeless nodded, "America wants Davina back," he said, "Thoughts?"

"We owe them for the tech mage," Erskine said, "I say do it."

"Is she on their payroll?" Ghastly asked.

"Not to our knowledge," Hopeless answered, "But there's no guarantee that she'll get what she deserves."

"We can't risk bad blood with the Americans," Dexter warned, "You remember what they were like during the war. It wasn't just the Mortal government that believed in isolationism. They don't let any favours walk free. Best give them her now."

"Cut a deal with them," Satya offered, "Make sure she doesn't walk free." She settled back between Ghastly and Dexter. "But I'm not going to worry about that until we get Skulduggery back," She raised her glass, "To the impossible."

"Cheers," Robin croaked.