Chapter 25

"This is not the road to recovery!" cried Alice, throwing herself at Zack and heaving on his arms to restrain him. With his newborn strength, he began to slowly pull Alice forward despite her persistence.

Mike lofted his wand to defend himself, but was having a hard time with aim; it looked like there were two Zacks and two Alices and the lights were blinding him. What was he trying to do again?

"St-stupefy," he tried weakly. His spell clear missed Zack and ricocheted off the walls of the tunnel.

"I got this!" shouted Bella, punching Zack in the face with enough force to throw him backwards and disorient him. "How's that for a punch-line? Get it, punch-line?" she said. Receiving no response, she extended her hand towards Mike to help him up. But laying on the ground in a state of complete disorientation, he vaguely waved around his arms trying to grasp her hand.

"What's wrong with him?" Bella asked Alice.

"What day is it?" he asked blindly.

"Concussion, probably. I think I dropped him on his head," Alice replied awkwardly.

"Psh, I used to get those all the time," replied Bella. "I survived. Well, in a manner of speaking." She lifted Mike up, who wobbled unsteadily on his feet. "Now are we going to rip this newborn to pieces or not?"

"We can't, Bella! I know him!"

"Wait, how?"

"We were in the same Dark Creatures support group! Killing him would definitely not be supportive!"

"Fine, we won't kill him yet, but if he tries to eat Mike, I'll rip off his head myself," Bella said. She gave Zack a good hard kick for good measure, and they pushed on up the staircase.

They only came around the corner on the landing when they reached a large, open, Gothic hall of stone, and lit by torches and the feeble glints of sunlight from the cracked glass window panes. In the center, a large weather-beaten mahogany table seated a crowd of people in dark cloaks with the hoods suspended. Alice recognized another-Helga, the veela she met at DCA, seated with a curious look on her face.

"Alice?" Helga asked in her German accent, recognizing her vaguely. "You were invited as well?"

"What?" Alice squeaked. Suddenly, the hall erupted into loud chaos at their presence.

Bella, panicking, hoisted Zack up by the front of his bloody polo shirt and shouted straight into his hungry face. "Tell me what is going on, kid, or so help me I'll bite your head off!"

"Some Alliance thing..." he said, continuing to eye the human. "They got the records of all registered dark creatures in the Ministry, made us come here weeks ago-" and suddenly his face went slack as he was hit by a stray green spell to the back. Alice squeaked in surprise.

"Mike, do something! Do something, do something, do something!" Bella shouted, shaking him.

"Wait, where...?" Mike said, blinking at the curious vision of Bella screaming in his face.

"We're in a climactic battle, Newton! Bring your A-game!"

"My head hurts," he replied unhelpfully.

Bella growled. Was she this pathetic as a human? But from behind her she heard a loud shout to freeze.

She turned slowly to face the entire company cornering them. "Drop your wands!" called the man. Mike, still confused, did so. Bella and Alice put up their hands. "This is the skilled team?" said the man incredulously to someone behind him.

Jessica's immediately distinguishable voice piped up, "They're not at their best right now."

"Enough, Stanley," sighed a figure in the back. The company parted slightly to create an aisle for him to approach the front. He was tall, hefty, and perfectly polished, from his coiffed hair to his manicured hands. "Bruce Scott, leader of the wizarding free world. Soon to be less free, but I digress. You're one of Kirk's kids?" he addressed Mike.

"I'm sorry, what day is it, sir?" Mike said.

"Your abilities were sorely overstated," Scott remarked disdainfully. "Ah, and the lovely Bella Swan. Thank you for destroying the Volturi. We all owe you our gratitude. How do you feel about fruit baskets?"

"You're a fruit basket," she replied harshly.

He sniffed at her. "And I don't know this one," he observed about Alice. "Not a werewolf, to be sure. But nevermind her. We have some business to discuss."

"What business?" asked Mike deliriously. "Wait, you're Secretary Scott! Do you know what day it is?"

Bella's eyes widened at the information. "Scott actually leads the alliance?"

"I multitask," he replied. "Aren't you curious about why you're here at all? Or would you rather just be obliviated and sent home to your mother? Though Stanley may have ruined that prospect for you, I'm sorry."

"What do you mean?" Mike asked, blinking. "And what day is it, again?"

"Tim Kirk's entire secret organization is non-existent. The whole time you were working for him, you were working for me, in training. You three are incredibly talented for having stayed alive for this long, and that deserves a special privilege. But I won't trifle with you. How would you like to be a part of a special team of Aurors in my new world order?"

Bella couldn't help herself. "Are you an idiot? What makes you think we would accept your offer? I mean unemployment isn't that bad!"

"Yet," Alice added quietly.

"You're so sassy, but you're the idiot. Imperio," he said. Alice, unsuspecting, instantly fell victim, and her eyes glazed over. Mike may have stood a chance had he not a severe head injury. Bella began to panic when she suddenly remembered her mind shield and easily expanded it to Mike and Alice. They both suddenly returned to their normal selves.

"Actually, you're the idiot, because I happen to have the most convenient superpower ever," Bella replied smirkingly.

Scott attempted to hide his surprise. "I could still kill you all," he replied.

"Not if I killed you first," Bella responded. "And trust me, I'll make it much more painful than your pitiful human brain can imagine."

He scowled. "Challenge accepted."