"That's not a plan!" Peregrine said, exasperated. "That's not even a remotely good idea!"

Zariel had known when the idea formed that he wouldn't like it, but she held her ground. "I'm sure it will work."

Peregrine huffed, uncrossing one arm to dramatize his words. "Let me reiterate this. You want me," he paused and repeated himself. "Me, to go up to the life sucking giant and figure out how to suck his life back." Pointing with the hand. "While you two gallantly defend me from hoards of your Youja things, and those other two."

Zariel responded calmly in an even tone. She needed to try not to make him too angry to cooperate. "I never said you had to 'go up to' the giant. Just figure it out from whatever distance is necessary."

Peregrine threw his hands in the air and took a step in the hall. "Just figure it out, she says! You really think it's going to be that simple?" He pointed at her. "Besides, I already told you, I don't want to be anywhere near him ever again."

Zariel bit her tongue. Anything she could think to say was probably not going to help matters. Was, the world's more important than you so man up and get over it, too harsh?

"I can't say I blame him for being hesitant," Liam said almost apologetically. "Your plan does seem to hinge on a lot of unknown factors. It sounds like the whole thing revolves around asking him to invent an ability." He raised his shoulders slightly and let them back down.

"It's not a plan," Peregrine insisted. "It's suicide in the name of a plan."A thought crossed his mind. "Did your grandfather ever do anything like that?"

Zariel shook her head. "No."

"And there you go."

She frowned. "My great-grandfather did not leave any record suggesting he had tried it, but the armors and this war were an interest bordering on obsession that lasted the rest of his life. In his records, he suggested it might be a possibility."

Even Liam cringed. "A possibility?"

She didn't know about the glare on her face. "He was a genius. I don't see any reason to doubt him."

"You know I'll do what I can to help," Liam felt small under that look. "But it sounds like a long shot."

"A really long shot," Peregrine added from his spot a little further down the hall. "Because even if you somehow convinced me it was a good idea, I wouldn't be close."

"You've made that quite clear," Zariel said through gritted teeth. She took a breath. "You don't care if this is the only way to get rid of him?"

"Who says that's the only way? Do you know that?" He asked. "Do you?"

"No," Zariel all but hissed.

"Did you even think of trying something else, or did the first way to toss me in the all too un-proverbial grinder seem good enough?"

She took a long breath, counting the first ten prime numbers, before answering. "Yes, I considered other options, but if you're correct, and I trust Strata wouldn't misinform you, then the giant's going to be a problem that no normal measures will solve." She allowed her tone to sharpen. "And I don't particularly want you to die. I came back in for you just half an hour ago, didn't I?"

Peregrine's eyebrows mocked her. "Particularly?"

Zariel ground her teeth. "What do you want me to say?"

He smiled at her. "How about asking, for starters. Something like, 'Please, Peregrine, we can't do this without you' would be nice."

Liam could almost have sworn the temperature in the room dropped several degrees.

Finally, Zariel smiled back. Thin, dangerous, and un-convincing. "Your assistance is necessary. You should do your duty and help out." Then she added flatly. "Please."

Peregrine laughed at her and started walking down the hall.

"Where are you going?" Zariel demanded.

Peregrine turned around to smile jauntily at her, walking backwards. "I don't know. Out of the city, if I can make it. Anyway but here with you."

She threw up her hands in exasperation. "What if Liam asked you to help?"

"Don't put me in the middle of this," Liam said. "Besides, I'm just fodder, according to him."

Zariel shouted at Peregrine. "You called him fodder? You're the most ungrateful and selfish person I've ever met!"

"Yeah yeah," Peregrine waved her off. "I'm nothing like your grandfather, I know. Later," He turned the corner. "Or never."

Zariel growled in frustration. "Wait," She shouted after him.

Peregrine popped his head around the corner, looking skeptical. "This better be good."

Zariel sighed and forced her hands to her sides. "Earlier I said you could leave."

"And?"

She rolled her eyes unconsciously, actually trying to get as close to uncombative as she could. "And I won't stop you from doing it. Only, if you leave now, there's a very good chance those demons will hunt you down and kill you." Her arms came back up and crossed her chest. "My house has a good basement. I recommend you come with us. After Liam and I have rested up and figured out a plan that doesn't involve you, feel free to leave when we engage."

Peregrine considered a moment. "Is this just a trap?"

"Oh get over yourself!" Zariel snapped. "You think I want to fight with you if all you're going to do is whine and run away?"

He made a sour face and came back around the corner. "Well I can trust that."

"I will warn you," Zariel said as he rejoined them. "Even if you escape from this city, eventually, this war will find you. It's possible you'll be able to hide and run, but if the rest of us fail, then Talpa will invade, and nothing will stop him. His demons will pour into our world, and there will be no corner on this planet that will be safe from their bloody hunt. And, your armor will always make you a high priority target. It says you are one of the most dangerous obstacles between them and the victory they so terribly desire. You will be hunted above all others." She opened the door to the medical room. She needed some space. "I'm not trying to convince you to change your mind. I just thought you should know."

Peregrine was quiet for a moment. "Still sounds like better odds than hanging around with you."

Furious, Zariel spun on her heel and left.

After the door had slammed shut, Peregrine turned to Liam. "What about you? You've been awfully quiet."

"Whatever you take me for," Liam shook his head. "I'm not stupid. You really think I was going to get involved in that? You two sound like a couple of bickering dingos."

"If you had an opinion, you should have voiced it."

"I did," Liam stated.

"Oh," Peregrine remembered. "Sorry, you're just hard to hear over her."

Liam stood up. "I need a few minutes to myself." He started walking away.

Peregrine looked confused. "What'd I do?"

Liam turned to look at him with something akin to anger tightening his face. "Do you ever think about your actions? Do you ever consider how your decisions affect others?"

"Is this about the fodder thing?" Peregrine rolled his eyes. "I think you took that a bit too literally."

Liam stared at him for a minute longer. "You're unbelievable." He walked to the other side of the medical room Zariel was occupying.

Peregrine felt alone. He was used to it, to a degree, when he was around other people, but this was different. He hadn't even really thought Liam could get angry, or impatient. Deep down, he knew he was doing something wrong.

But he could hear his father's hard voice. Peregrine, he heard, remembering one of their many meetings in his father's office. There are two kinds of people. He had been sitting at attention, listening closely to what his father had to say. Those that have, and are able to keep, and those that can't do either. His father leaned forward. Those that have, and are able to keep. We are those people, Peregrine. Sometimes it means being hard, cold. But it is always better than the alternative. Do you understand me?

"I understand," Peregrine whispered to himself now.

He had always remembered the source of his father's hard voice. His father had owned a successful business before Peregrine was born. His brother fell on hard times, and his father was kind and gave him a good foot in the door. Then, while his wife was pregnant with their only child, his brother had ruthlessly taken over the business, leaving them with almost nothing in the world but each other. His father had managed to rebuild, but the experience left him with a new world view, and a determination that his son would never fall to such a thing. It was his father's way of loving him.

It was feed on, or be fed upon, and it had been drilled into him since he was little to always remember where he belonged in the chain. It had been hard to convince his father to let him come over here, to America. His father had been sure the exposure to so many of the "other kind" would be a bad influence. He had finally won the argument with the persuasion that he would have ample opportunity to study them, and learn how to avoid their mistakes. Also, living for a prolonged period of time with different people would help him learn how to better insert himself in society. He'd even used the word manipulate. It was easy to say things like that in his father's presence.

His true reasons were personal. He wanted a break from being around other young men and women whose parents were teaching them the same things. Everywhere he turned, his peers were polishing their smiles and smooth manners. Yet their eyes gleamed like hawks, each of them listening, hoping to glean something no one wanted them to know. Something they could take back to their own fathers and mothers for some chance at the approval that seemed so hard to earn. It seemed they weren't happy until you were the strongest, smartest, and slickest. Until you were the best, you were still just a student.

He turned his memories to family vacations, and the many places they'd traveled. That was when times were best. His mother's face usually softened, as she found relief from the stresses their way of life put on her, and she was able to reclaim her husband's focus, if only for a while.

Business always followed them, of course, but for these brief interludes, it was not the sole focus of life. Even his father relaxed, and seemed to find time to do something with his son besides grooming him as an heir to his small kingdom.

Inevitably, Peregrine's thoughts turned full circle, and he was sitting, alone, in the hall of an abandoned hospital with two people who were not speaking to him. Somewhere out there were things trying to kill him, and he couldn't seem to find a way out. Every possible move, it seemed, endangered his self preservation. He drew his knees up to his chin. He was so confused.

Zairel opened the door with much more control than she had shut it. "Time to go."

Peregrine immediately stood up, hoping she hadn't noticed his moment of weakness. "Just waiting for you," he said brightly.

Liam joined them silently.

Zariel brushed past Peregrine without looking at him, leading the way.

It was a silent trek through the abandoned and desolate streets. They made it to a very small white house on a quiet street without incident.

Zariel unhinged the broken doorbell and took the house key out from the tiny box behind it. Ushering the men inside, she closed the door behind them all and locked it. The measure wouldn't hold up to the Youja, of course, but it was habit.

She led them past a tiny kitchen and into the living room, both well organized and sparely furnished. Two bedrooms and a bathroom could be seen further down the short hall, but Zariel was throwing back a rug on the carpeted floor, revealing an entrance. Pulling the door up, she gestured for them to go down and followed.

It was dark until she had found and turned on a lamp. Meals-Ready-to-Eat and bottled water were packed in shelves all along the back wall. Body heating packs and medical supplies were neatly stacked next to those, and blankets and bedding were ready for use on the floor. Books and papers were against the other wall. Various tools and equipment were also within easy reach, and a good supply of the lanterns, each good for quite extended periods of use. One corner was partitioned off, providing a small slice of privacy.

"Get comfortable," Zariel suggested, doing just that. She was exhausted.

Peregrine selected some bedding, and settled on the pile a little away from the others.

Liam had noticed a picture sitting on the shelf with the books. He walked over to it. "Do you mind?"

Zariel hesitated, then nodded. "Go ahead."

Liam took it up gently, noting there was no dust to be found on the glass or frame. It was Zariel and another woman who could only be her mother. It could only have been taken in the last year or two, going by Zariel's age in the shot. She looked pretty much herself. A lot like her mother. Both were beautiful, but in her mother, it was a mature beauty that her daughter hadn't quite grown into just yet. Both had long dark hair and midnight blue eyes, with tall, lithe frames. Liam remembered how he had met Zariel, when she was letting that man be killed by those soldiers. The man who had murdered her mother.

"She's beautiful," he said, putting the picture right back in place.

"Yes," Zariel sighed softly. "She was."

"You live alone?" Liam asked, standing in front of the bookcase. He remembered noting only enough dishes for one person, and no sign of any other inhabitants.

"My dad left a long time ago," Zariel answered curtly. "Seems he couldn't take my mother any more. Then Mom was murdered. So yeah. I work and keep the place." Her tone softened. "Dad built this for her, you see, and she still loved it. He even put this basement in here to protect her from the war."

"I'm sorry if I asked something too personal," Liam apologized.

"You didn't," Zariel sighed again. "I just don't like to think about it."

Peregrine had thought about letting another smart one off when she said her father couldn't take it any more, but he didn't feel like it. Actually, he was curious, and decided to risk another withering glare or more freezing words. "Why hasn't your father come back for you?"

All sound stopped for a moment. Zariel rolled over to look at him. He looked away. "You don't have to answer."

"My mother believed the stories her grandfather, Rowen, told her," Zariel said slowly, wondering at his interest. "When the third world war broke out, she was sure it heralded Talpa's coming. My father, according to her, believed it was a bunch of nonsense. Eventually, it came between them. From what Mom said, he wanted to take her away to someplace in the country, away from a likely military hotspot like the capitol. When she wouldn't go, because she was afraid she wouldn't find out about Talpa's next incursion or be too far away to do anything about it in time, he left without her. I don't think he knew she was pregnant with me. The war ended shortly after, Mom stayed here and raised me. Dad didn't come back." She rolled back over, wondering at herself for telling someone like him. Maybe she just wanted to rub his nose in another example of abandonment. "I guess he wasn't much different from you."

Somehow, that stung.

"If you boys are hungry or thirsty, the MREs and water are over on the shelf," Zariel said from her pillow. "Liam, try to get some sleep. We can't afford to let the enemy roam freely for too long, and I'm going to need your help."

"Yeah," Liam agreed heavily, grabbing a package off the shelf.

Peregrine was quiet, and he stayed on his blankets. "I'll keep watch," he offered.

"I expected you to," Zariel mumbled, drifting off.

Liam quietly ate and settled in to rest. Peregrine watched and listened, left alone with the thoughts that insisted on coming, however much he tried to ignore them.

Zariel woke. Slowly at first, then became instantly alert when the sound of paper scratched again. Moving only her eyes, she was surprised to see it was Peregrine going through the books and papers on the shelf. She wondered how many hours had passed. Probably only five or six. Used to working two jobs and schooling, it felt like oversleeping.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"Oh," Peregrine almost dropped the volume. It sent her heart leaping into her throat. He caught it, much to his own good. "I was just-"

"Going through my things without my permission?" She rose.

"Yes," He closed it carefully and put it back on the shelf, recovering some of his usual manner. "You haven't exactly been very informative or helpful when it comes to this whole Netherworld thing, and I figured some of those stories you keep referencing might have been in here. Turns out I was right."

His manner provoked her, as usual, and she stood next to the old texts protectively. "Some of these are original notes from my great-grandfather."

"I noticed," Peregrine didn't back away. He had a right to some of that information, didn't he? "My dad taught me to look through an organization's history to find out where it was likely to head. 'Oldest first' was the motto." They were both keeping their voices low, so as not to disturb Liam who was still sleeping soundly. "You know, it would have been nice if you'd taken a few minutes to explain some of this to us."

"When?" Zariel asked quietly, though her tone was still snide. "There wasn't exactly time to roast smores and tell stories after I woke up, before they attacked us. Then in the hospital, all you did was complain and whine and say you were going to run away."

Peregrine glared back at her. "You're always picking on everyone, and acting superior, maybe you could have found the time if you hadn't been so busy stoking your ego. You like being the only one with the knowledge, don't you?"

Her mouth literally dropped open at the accusation. "How can you even say that? You know I am completely devoted to ensuring we win this war! I'll do everything I can to make it happen. I'd die for it!" She managed to shout without raising her voice.

Peregrine rolled his eyes. "You've made that plenty clear. The only thing is, you expect both of us to be just as devoted, and you know what? I think Liam's done pretty well for you, when all he's had to go off of is what his armor showed him. You haven't given either of us anything solid to go on besides allusions to things you grew up with. I can't trust that. I'm not willing to die for that. And that doesn't make me a bad person," he added levelly.

Zariel took the shout out of her voice. "Do you not believe that our entire world is at stake?"

"I've seen enough to have reason to believe that much," Peregrine assented.

"Then why don't you commit yourself to doing something about it?"

"Under the leadership of someone so blindly zealous?" He shook his head. "I just can't trust you with my life. Sorry, but that's personal to me. I'm not any better able to lead us through this, and frankly, I don't want to die. I'm quite convinced you're going to get not only yourself killed by your rash aggression, but both of us, as well. No one with a brain would willingly commit to such blatant suicide."

"So you're saying Liam's stupid?" Zariel asked, eyebrows askance.

"No," Peregrine amended. "Not entirely. He's just willing to help, without even asking why. It means he's a person with a big heart, but the indiscretion with which he uses it makes him a big easy target for anyone who would take advantage of him. He's what they call a sucker," His cocky smile came back, marking the end of their near serious conversation. "And you make a great damsel in distress."

"Funny," She replied smoothly. "I seem to remember doing the saving, princess."

Peregrine had been expecting more of her usual biting tone. The joke took him by surprise, and he laughed. Liam stirred, and he stopped. Then, chuckling quietly, he went back to his bed. "My turn," he said, yawning.

Zariel stared at him. What had just happened? She shrugged. Didn't matter. She wasn't going to be able to go back to sleep anyway. She turned to the papers and books. Might as well use the time to figure out how she and Liam were going to defeat this portion of Talpa's army. What they would do after that, could wait. She heaved an internal sigh. If they survived. She knew better than to count on Peregrine's help. He wasn't going to stick around, and there had been no sign of any of the other Ronin Warriors.

For the first time, she wondered. Was it possible that she would be the only one who saw the war this way? Would no one else want as badly as she did to end it? She pushed those thoughts away aggressively. No matter, she would figure something out. She would make sure they won. Somehow.

She took a moment to look at Liam. Peregrine was right, she reflected, he did help without asking why. She knew better than to place much stock in what the bearer of Strata said, but she wondered briefly if she was taking advantage of the kind hearted young man.

Quickly, the thought was banished. It was a correct and long held belief that whoever was called by the armors to be a champion in this war should and were bound almost by contract to put forth their very best efforts. It didn't matter if they desired it or not, this war was worth everything they had, and they should be honored to give anything it asked. Any who didn't out of selfishness were simply cowards. The matter dismissed, she returned to her studies.

AN: Is it possible they might be able to get things worked out? Sometimes, even I wasn't sure, haha! Zariel was as much a handful for me as she was for everyone else. Problem child.