A/N: Welcome to the second part of this weekend's update! I think by next week or the week after, I'll switch to a once or twice a week update schedule. In other news, everything's getting started in earnest!


Finn was falling asleep standing up. The swirl of the portal over New York seemed to be trying to hypnotize him, and it was almost working. Code blurred as he ran algorithm after algorithm, checking and rechecking data. The taste of stale coffee on his tongue reminded him to maybe ask for something other than the cheap stuff next time someone made a drink run.

Around him in the lab, the others were in a similar half-comatose state as well. Ren sat at his desk, cracking every limb he could to keep himself active. Collet was on a break, probably curled up in a break room somewhere. Finn felt a brief pang of jealousy for her. He'd wasted his last break time exploring. He wasn't so stupid now.

If someone had told him, as recently as last month, that he would be working for the Avengers, he would have told them to stop joking. Then would have had to get up and run off his excited energy, probably pissing off his roommate for the third time in a month. Now, living it, he couldn't help but wish, just a little bit, that he was in prison for vigilantism. He'd be able to get some rest that way.

Or, maybe not, seeing as how he was on the team trying to save the world. The uncertainty of the situation might have kept him up anyway.

Finn forced his eyes open again, realizing that the day dream was becoming a little bit more than that. He groaned.

"I'm going to take a quick walk and get something to drink. I've still got my tablet if anyone wants to reach me," he announced, marching out the door.

"Have fun make friends don't die and bring me a coffee!" Kobi called after him in one long breath, somehow still engaged with his own research into portals. Lucky bastard…

Finn barely looked up from his tablet as he walked to the mess hall. The hallway was mostly featureless anyway. The underground facility was made of a grey stone, lit along the right and left hand side by strings of small but powerful lights. Doors popped out of the walls to greet him, completely identical to their neighbors. If he didn't already know where he was going, he might have been entirely lost.

The break room wasn't far from the small lab where he and the others had moved to, but it was just as featureless as everything else. A few fold-out tables, the kind one might find in a high school cafeteria, made the room feel even more empty than it was. In the far corner, a coffee machine and an electric kettle stood guard on a short cabinet next to a small rack of coffee pods and tea bags. Finn took the last expresso. The dark roast pods were already long gone.

He reached for the lock picking gear he kept in his pocket, making short work of the locked cabinet. No one really expected him to know how to solve the problem of a lock, and that was fine by him. He was a Slytherin, after all. Inside, he found a few boxes of this and that. He pushed those aside. Under them was a plastic case of brown powder. He pulled that out, waiting for the espresso to finish. When it was done, he popped open a small packet of sugar and added the hot chocolate mix to the expresso, adding sugar and water to that.

He took an appreciative sip of the drink, savoring the hyper-sweet taste, undercut slightly by the expresso, for a moment. Then he set down the cup and re-locked the cabinet, hot chocolate mix safely hidden once again. The person who'd stashed it there might not be happy later, but for now he most certainly was.

Finn sat in the corner of the room, facing the wall, putting down the cup and leaning the tablet against the wall. He pushed his seat up and watched the portal and the ensuing data like a movie for a moment. When he was sure no one was around, he minimized the livestream and switched to an instant messenger app.

His role on the team had been coding and engineering. His stepsister had introduced him to the Streetside Heroes, thinking that it was just a self-defense group. There, Pereira had picked him up and taken him under their wing. They respected his work, though their own skills far surpassed his. He had an especially strong affinity for slipping past firewalls. It was how he'd gotten into the police reports, and gave the team new cases to solve that the police could not.

Coding and hacking through firewalls made it especially easy to make his own messenger app, encoded strongly enough to slip through the rudimentary information shields the Avengers had put up. This room, the mess hall, was one of the few places he had internet access. Checking the messenger, he found a few unread messages from his stepsister.

PunkNamedMeech has changed their name to HearteyesGrovyle

HearteyesGrovyle: How's the portal going, Mr. Felon man?

Finn exhaled through his nose.

I'mIn has changed their name to MrFelonMan

MrFelonMan: slowly, but we understand the twilight portal really well.

Also, what's the new username?

HearteyesGrovyle: I finished that pokemon game u wanted me to play

MrFelonMan: and?

HearteyesGrovyle: sobs

MrFelonMan: lmao

There was a brief silence where Finn took a sip of mocha and considered writing something more, maybe prod her emotions a bit, but she replied before he could.

HearteyesGrovyle: mom's getting better.

shes worried about you. no one's telling me anything about you, except that you're in a different camp. no arranging meetings, no calls, just nothing. Dad almost punched a guy today.

i want to tell them. about. u know.

This.

Finn's fingers hovered above the screen, wondering how he could approach this. He tried a lighter tactic.

MrFelonMan: mom's gonna be pissed, lmao.

HearteyesGrovyle: it's my fault. I got you into this.

Finn's mocha was getting cold. He didn't want to talk about this while he was still so tired. His emotions were dulled by exhaustion. She didn't deserve to blame herself. He was almost 6 years older than her. She was only 16.

MrFelonMan: u showed me a self defense group. I got into trouble by myself.

It's fine, really.

A "typing" symbol appeared and disappeared several times as she deliberated with what to say.

HearteyesGrovyle: ok.

Im going to sleep.

Be safe. Miss you.

Finn was about to text back when the livestream in the corner of his screen changed. The scrolls of data flashed to higher energy levels. Normally, this wouldn't be enough to worry him. It had done this several times, though it had slowed down significantly the past few days. It just meant that the portal was being used, and something was coming through. This time, however, instead of turning a deeper red, the portal changed colors, to a refreshing cyan.

Like it had the first time something had come through.

He switched the camera he was looking through as shapes appeared at the base of the portal, like it had so many times before. Now, instead of a battalion of Bulblins or another group of Shadow Monsters, only four creatures materialized. The base of the portal was a crater, and the camera faced down at them. At first, he didn't know what he was looking at. The camera wasn't very good, and it had been hastily planted. Regardless, he took a screenshot.

The first form he could make out was what looked like a person wearing dulled blues and greys with long hair under a white cap. On their front was a symbol, a red eye with a teardrop. The second creature was a floating one, maybe three feet tall, with pale skin swirled with black marks. A helmet, or maybe just a pair of horns, held back its bright orange hair. The third was a beast, something shaggy and four-legged. He could barely make out its dark and light grey (or cream? It was hard to tell in the Shadow) fur, and a diamond on its forehead. The last one was the most monstrous, with fingers tipped with claws and dark skin. A mane of hair strained against a yellow band tied low on its neck.

Finn had no idea what to think of them as they looked around their surroundings in curiosity, in a way none of the monsters he'd seen had ever done. An arrow zipped out of nowhere, missing the group by inches, and they fled the crater. Moments later, a Bulblin appeared, drawing an arrow. Before it could fire, a bolt of yellow-white energy struck it clean through, and it fell into dust. He quickly wrote to his stepsister.

MrFelonMan: I've got a livestream of the portal and four things just came through and they're killing Bulblins, wait for me to text back before sending anything and have a good day!

Sheik didn't know what they were supposed to be looking at. The sensation of teleporting was less than pleasant, and the arm with their triforce tingled uncomfortably. Shaking pins and needles out of the limb, they looked around. The hard ground was made of an unfamiliar material and cracked through. It was like trying to climb over a rock pile. The chance that they would slip and sprain their ankle was a definite risk. Low walls sloped above them, similarly cracked through.

There was no sign of the high, proud buildings made of metal and glass, at least not from down here. Sheik couldn't recognize the place, even with the outsider's – Midna had called her Yarie? – photos fresh in her mind. The air was much more humid than it was in Hyrule, and the heat was almost stifling. The howls and cries of various monsters only added a discordant backdrop to the apocalyptic scene.

Quietly, they felt a pulse of disappointment. Were they too late? Had the kingdom, and all its secrets, already been lost? Where were the heroes?

Midna, next to them, stretched. "Ah, this feels good! Nothing like undiluted Twilight to make you remember the joys of home!"

As if on cue, all three of them glared at the imp, who only gave them a mocking smile. Yarie was kind enough to demonstrate a Gaian gesture a second time with a growl to show exactly what she meant by it.

The howls and cries of monsters became louder around them. A Bulblin appeared at the lip of the crater, drawing its bow. Sheik rolled out of the way as the arrow streaked at them, quickly drawing their own bow and firing an arrow made of Light. The Bulblin dissipated instantly, returned to where all monsters come from. A hunting horn sounded, and the squealing of Bulblins became louder.

"We need to move. Do you know a safe place?" Sheik asked Yarie. She nodded, and began to pick her way out of the crater on the opposite side of the monster. Sheik drew their knife and followed, using the blade to grip into some of the thin hand-holds Yarie used. Out of the corner of their eye, they saw Midna hovering above slight ledges for Link to focus on as he jumped out.

Yarie escaped the crater first, crouching between two fallen chunks of stone to protect herself from any further arrows as she reached a clawed hand for Sheik to grab. They took her hand, careful to avoid the claws, and joined her in the stone. Yarie kept a sharp eye on the Bulblins across from the crater as they waited for Link. Sheik tried not to shudder in instinctual fear at sitting so close to a Dark creature, no matter what she might have looked like before. They felt guilty for being afraid.

They took a moment to see the area. The buildings immediately below the portal were destroyed, flattened almost to the ground. However, to their delight, they could see massive, towering buildings still standing in the far distance, colored darkly by the haze. Link joined them in the crevice after a moment, and Yarie growled something at him, before shaking herself.

"Nnnnnnoooooooo… ffaaaaarrrrrrrrrrr," she growled, the "r" rolling deeply in her throat. As if ashamed by her inability to speak, she conveyed the distance as several sharp jabs forward, then a few to the left. Then she did a double take. Sheik followed her gaze.

The Bulblins across the crater were being joined by a second band, this one coming from the direction they needed to go. Sheik drew their bow.

"We'll fight through them if we must. Lead us there!" they commanded, aiming for an enemy archer.

Link surged forward, Midna on his back, all teeth and claws. Yarie joined him, utilizing her own talons to their fullest extent. Sheik took shelter behind a fallen chunk of a building to the side of the wide road, checking behind them at the other Bulblins. They barely dodged an arrow from that side, firing back into their midst.

"We're pinned on both sides!" they yelled.

"Hold them off over there, we've got these ones!" Midna called back. Her declaration was punctuated by a sharp squeal as a Bulblin fell to Link's teeth. Sheik turned their attention back to the first band, firing another arrow at the closest Bulblin. It caught it to the throat, sinking to its knees. Even before it could turn to dust, they were already reloading, aiming at another one further away. Seven more Bulblins fell to the arrows before the monsters came close enough for them to abandon their hiding place and back away, still firing arrows. The horde seemed to grow as they came closer, and Sheik noticed Bokoblins in the swarm. Their ranks were being reinforced as more monsters came to join the chase.

"I can't hold them off!" Sheik cried, running back to the relative safety of their allies. Midna looked back, eyes widening as she took in the massive swarm.

"Run!" she cried, kicking Link with her heels like a horse. He sprang into action, and the four of them bull rushed the remaining monsters.

Yarie led the way down the main street, sprinting as the others, especially Sheik, struggled to keep pace. Along both sides of the street, monsters appeared, drawn by the sound of screeching.

"We can't keep running!" Sheik panted, "We need to find a way to escape!"

"I told you coming here was a bad idea!" Midna snapped back. Sheik looked to Yarie, whose eyes scanned the alleyways to their sides.

"Do you know a way?"

Before Yarie could answer, even nonverbally, a low, heavy noise filled the air. Yarie looked up and her eyes widened. Sheik followed her gaze, and amazement created a grin underneath their mask. A flying machine! Two, in fact. Just like Midna had described, a circular blur suggested moving blades, like ultra-thin wings of a bird. The teardrop-shaped body and long tail made them think of a particularly fat dragonfly. However, Yarie didn't let them think too long about it.

Immediately, she snatched Sheik by the wrist, Link and Midna close on their heels, and pulled them down a side alley, getting off the main road. She kept running, crisscrossing seemingly at random through the streets. Moments later, they heard a chorus of loud, jarring noises and harsh squealing. Yarie flinched with every bang, and ran faster. Sheik following gratefully.

They were now on a thinner road than the one they had appeared in, though it clearly was more popular than the alleyways they had just run through. The area was less destroyed, and Sheik could now appreciate the tall brick buildings. Still, true to Yarie's words, it was much less glamorous than Sheik had imagined. Like all cities, it was dirty and crowded. The buildings made her feel small. Culture shock set in, just for a moment.

Yarie took that moment to explain, shallowly carving short sentences into the brick of a building.

'That was a G-U-N shot. G-U-N is a weapon, which shoots small, sharp chunks of metal at high speeds using gunpowder, like in canons but smaller, more like a crossbow. There are many types, but they used one that fires a lot of metal at once. H-E-L-I-C-O-P-T-E-R is a flying machine and I don't know how it works yet but I'll learn. The soldiers were in there, and probably came out because of all the monsters in one place. We look like monsters, and I was worried we would be shot,' she explained.

Sheik was still breathing too heavily to reply, but they nodded in comprehension. Truthfully, the loud noise had scared them, too, and it probably scared the others as well.

"We need to keep going. Where's that safe place?" Midna asked, not winded at all. Probably because she had a ride from Link.

'Pat's. It is a restaurant my friends and I go to, and we keep valuables there. There is also a map.'

Midna shook her head. "If it's safe, it's too far away. Do you know where the spirit of the spring is?"

Yarie paused, then gestured in a different direction. 'Far, still. At a large copper statue of a woman. Visited earlier.'

Midna nodded. "We're going there. If we get the Light back quickly, then your soldiers can get rid of the … wait, your soldiers can withstand the Dark. Why'd we come here?" she demanded.

Yarie shook her head, putting her hands up in a "calm down" gesture. 'Briefly. Gaians are not magic, and don't turn into Wisps. Still, it's not good for us to be in the Dark.'

"It's not good for Hylians either, no matter what sort of protections we have," Sheik interjected as a headache began to mount between their eyes, "Even with a piece of the Triforce, I'm starting to feel poorly. I imagine Link feels the same."

"Now you know how I feel in Light," Midna muttered.

Sheik glanced at her sympathetically. "But while we have this moment of rest, we need to talk about what we will do when this world is restored."

There was a moment as Sheik realized that half of them couldn't speak. Then Midna said something.

"I… I don't want anybody to know," she admitted, "That I'm the Princess. It's just… I don't want to be pitied."

Sheik nodded sharply, sliding cleanly over Midna's uncomfortable feelings. "Alright. Then I shall become Zelda once more once Light comes back. I have no qualms about being the face of diplomacy between Hyrule and Gaia."

"Wait, diplomacy?!" Midna yelled in shock, "How long do you think we'll be here?! All we need to do is have Yarie here speak to the heroes, grab them and maybe some soldiers, and defeat Zant!"

Yarie winced, writing.

'Kinda pissed them off during the invasion. And I have to explain… this.'

Midna groaned. "This planet is the worst! It is literally just awful, and now you're telling me we have to stay here and cuddle up to the nobility?!"

'No nobility, just government officials. No monarchy here. Different system, just as terrible,' she consoled sarcastically, 'Also, we're terrible at empathy, you're gonna have to make a pretty solid case to borrow all of our heroes, and a few of our armed citizens.'

"We'll just take a few! Seriously, how many do you really need?"

'You're walking into a joke about how much America values its military, and it sucks that it doesn't translate well into writing. Plus, we've got our own invasion.'

Midna just yelled in frustration, burying her face into Link's mane, who looked up at her bemusedly.

Yarie continued. 'I can be a translator. Good way to avoid jail.'

Sheik furrowed their brow. "Okay, now I'm concerned about what you did."

'I'll explain later, maybe when I'm not being arrested because of default diplomatic immunity.'

"I'm almost certain that's not how that works."

The sound of the battle ended, and the streets returned to a relative quiet.

"We need to go. Lead the way," Sheik said, allowing the subject to drop.

Yarie led them down the streets at a jog, watching the sky and alleyways carefully. Every so often, they had to pause to get rid of some monster or another who would, without fail, charge them with a screech.

Yarie intercepted the most recent irritation, a Bokoblin, with a claw across its throat. Sheik did not miss the savage baring of teeth. They shuddered. Human or no, something was wrong.

After only a few more blocks, they came across a massive figure standing in the exact middle of the road. In true dramatic style, the darkness of its armor let it blend into the gloom of Twilight until the very last moment. A Darknut, though one that was titanic even by its species' standards. The curve of its helm was decorated with a pair of large, slightly curved gold horns. It stood regally with its sword point-down, its round shield hooked in front of the blade. The design of its armor was extremely outdated, with a slightly v-shaped opening in its rectangular helmet for its eyes and mouth and sharp knee pads, though no less imposing for its antiquity.

The group stopped as its helmet tilted to regard them coolly, and made no move to pick up its sword.

"… What's it doing?" Midna finally wondered. She looked around the small group for answers, only receiving shrugs.

"I wonder if it intends to fight us?" Sheik asked the group. Midna's shrill laugh replied.

"If it tries, I'm pretty sure four against one wouldn't be much of a fair battle!"

Yarie cocked her head at it, staring intently at its armor and straight-edged sword with a raised eyebrow. She took another few steps towards it, leaving the safety of the group. The Darknut's gleaming red eyes followed her carefully. When she reached a distance of maybe ten paces, the creature raised its sword, sliding its shield on in one smooth movement. Then it ran at her.

Yarie startled, and immediately leapt out of the way. The Darknut's sword shattered the road where she had been standing, swiping to the side to try to catch her as she moved. She rolled into a crouch, baring her teeth and hissing as it struck again.

Sheik brought their bow to bear, firing off three magical arrows at once. The Darknut raised its shield to deflect them, but the arrows swerved in their course. Sheik commanded them to swirl around it, concentrating hard, and one by one they broke from their orbit to try to hit the creature.

As they moved to strike under the Darknut's impenetrable armor, the creature raised its sword. One by one, it cut them out of the air with quick, masterful strokes. Link tried to use its momentary distraction as an opportunity to land a blow, but as he lunged, the Darknut spun, raising its shield and knocking the wolf aside. Link caught the blow hard to his ribs, barely staggering to his feet.

Sheik dragged its attention back to themselves with a few more arrows. It raised its shield and charged them, forcing them to back away as it ran through a wall.

"We can't fight this thing!" Midna shouted at them, checking Link's wounds. Yarie roared a challenge to the Darknut as it reappeared from the dust, ignoring Midna's words. She charged, and the Darknut crouched slightly, letting her strike its shield.

"What are you doing? Stop that!" Sheik commanded, but she paid them no heed. Yarie, undeterred by the shield, slipped under it and got right up into its face. Immediately, it headbutted her, causing bright red blood to pour out of her nose. If anything, she only became angrier, scratching at the armor.

"Shit," Sheik cursed under their breath, shooting off an arrow at the creature's face before it could pummel her further. Regardless, the creature managed to shake her off, throwing her to the road. She rolled twice, and got back on her feet. Her hair came loose from the yellow bandana, sticking to her sweaty face and emphasizing the harsh lines of her expression. Blood crept from her nostrils, and she spat out a red glob at the creature. Her sharp teeth gleamed red and white in the Twilight.

That's when Sheik noticed her eyes had become violet slits on a black background. The pure Dark environment of the previously magic-neutral environment must have been the final push over the edge.

"Yarie!" Midna called to her from almost a block down, "This way! Run!"

She snarled, but the darkness in her eyes flickered, fading back to a lighter color, and she ran. Not totally lost to the Dark just yet, then. There was still hope.

The Darknut lunged, and she rolled, returning to a strategy. Link body-slammed the creature, using the hulking mass he had as a beast to his advantage, causing it to stagger. While it was off-balance, Yarie danced in, scratching some glancing blows across the helmet, trying to reach his eyes.

Sheik shot off another few arrows but stopped when they saw Midna's arm waving frantically at them. Sheik briefly took a moment to observe the battle, deciding it didn't need her immediate attention. She ran towards Midna as Yarie distracted it, briefly kneeling.

"There's a trap," Midna explained breathlessly, "In the road, the main road, across from the crater. I saw it before the monsters arrived. It's large, big enough for a Darknut. We need to get it there."

Sheik nodded in understanding, watching Link dance out of the way of a sword-strike. "What do you need me to do?"

"Just keep shooting, and slowly lure it through the alleyway. Make it seem like we're retreating. I know the way, just follow me."

Midna shot into the air as soon as she was done, assisting Link with a Dark spell that caused the creature's leg to freeze up for a moment. Sheik shot at it, managing to attract its attention long enough for Midna to explain the plan to Yarie and Link. The Darknut raised its shield and charged.

Sheik barely dodged the rush, letting it destroy the building behind them, dancing along the walls to land next to the group.

"The armor's too strong!" Sheik cried, hoping they weren't over-acting, "We'll never get it off!"

"Run! Maybe we'll find some better ground!" Midna yelled on cue, shooting off into the alleyway.

Sheik ran faster than they ever had in their life, trying desperately not to fall behind. Link, as a wolf, easily led the pack with Yarie sprinting behind him. Sheik brought up the back, running along the walls to compensate for slippery ground or obstacles, occasionally throwing things down to slow their foe. The Darknut chased after them, apparently delighting in this new game of cat and mouse. However, with the heavy armor, it was much slower than the group. After a few blocks, it was almost out of sight.

Sooner than Sheik expected, they found themselves back on the main path, on the opposite side of the crater.

"Over here!" Midna called, moving to a pile of rubble. She passed over it, bursting into flakes as if passing through the bars of a prison. The group quickly hurried around the rubble, arriving on the opposite side as the Darknut appeared. Seeing them in ready positions, it slowed, twirling its sword in anticipation.

As it reached the rubble, it began to walk around, forcing the group to similarly move in a circle. Sheik kept an arrow nocked, aiming it carefully for the small gap in the helmet. They tried to keep their breath under control. They were close enough that they could see the warrior's dog-like face grinning out at them. Sheik grit their jaw.

For a tense minute, the foes circled around the trap. Sheik hoped it hadn't noticed the tripwire sitting innocently between the two rocks, but it made no move to jump through. Slowly, though, they all caught their breath.

Yarie became tired of waiting first, jumping at it with a shriek. As before, the Darknut caught her with its shield, but now she swung her body with all her strength, forcing the Darknut to circle with her momentum or else collapse. Sheik shot at its exposed knee, causing it to sway on one leg. Link body-slammed it hard, and it landed on the rubble.

Immediately, a net sprung to life, connecting with ties on the taller chunks of rubble, until a large cage had constructed itself, humming quietly but ominously. The Darknut reached out with its sword, and arcs of energy connected, forcing it to drop its blade.

Sheik grinned in satisfaction behind their scarf. Apparently, however, the Darknut was also pleased. It began to laugh as it picked up its sword, setting it to rest in the same way that it had when they had first encountered it.

"You were truly a worthy opponent. I am delighted to be bested by such formidable foes," it barked in a deep voice, "And you spared my life in doing so. Whatever you ask, I shall answer. This is the Code."

"You speak?!" Midna asked in shock.

"I do. Not an easy feat for a monster, but some of us are capable of learning the Hylian tongue," it confirmed.

Yarie growled something, and the Darknut nodded.

"You have a strong accent, but I do understand you. You are a monster, are you not? Who summoned you?"

Yarie snapped something else, and the Darknut looked intrigued.

"A curse that turns humans into monsters. Yes, I have heard of such spells, but I have not witnessed the Darkness doing so to Hylians, nor to the strange humans who live here."

"Darknut, why did you fight us? We have no quarrel with you," Sheik asked. The Darknut laughed again.

"You quarrel with my Summoner, therefore you quarrel with me," he disagreed, "But you are correct, we do not have any quarrel. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy our fight, and I know that your violet-eyed companion enjoyed the bloodlust as well."

Yarie growled something at it, gesturing up and down.

The Darknut stood more solemnly, the picture of a stoic warrior. "I am Eukirthor the Dreaded, a warrior-general of the Darknut. My name is as old as my armor, and I will never part with it. But yes, I am one of the oldest of my kind. It was a surprise to me that I was summoned at all."

"Summoned? Again?" Midna asked, "Who do you fight for?"

Eukirthor made no sign of being uncomfortable, but Sheik could still sense it from him.

"The King of Twilight, Zant. I fight under his banner and in his name," he replied, almost robotically, "But my love for the hunt and the fight is my own."

Yarie growled at him again, gesturing at the street around him.

"It is… true that the armies are in more disarray than I am used to. More and more monsters have been drawn from darker and darker depths of the Dark World, and it seems that he has begun to find uses for… even the relics," he said, "It seems there isn't much of a reason for us to be here, except for keeping chaos, and ensuring the Heroes of this realm do not find the Light."

The statement caught Sheik's attention. "The Light? Where is it?"

The Darknut, for the second time, made no indication of being uncomfortable and still came across as such. He hesitated, debating with himself, before answering. "To tell you that it is in the Grand Gardens would be traitorous to the Summoner, and therefore I will not tell you that it is in the waters there. Because even if I knew that, I would be honor bound to guard it with my life."

Sheik felt absolutely flattened by shock. Yarie quickly bowed, growling out a thanks.

"I have not helped you," the Darknut insisted almost playfully, "Now go, before I find a way to escape this cage."

They turned to do just that, when suddenly they heard a low whistling noise. Yarie's ear twitched and her head turned to the sky.

"Ah. Someone's coming. Hide," the Darknut bid them, remaining in his resting position. Yarie dragged Sheik for a second time into a side-street, pressing her back against the wall. Link jumped into cover a moment before a grey and silver humanoid form landed heavily in front of the Darknut.

Yarie reached out and scrawled on the wall. 'Hero. War Machine is the name he uses in action. It is a suit of armor he wears, same as another hero, called Iron Man.'

Midna scowled. "Yeah, I recognize him. The place I was being held in collapsed, and he got me out."

'You still have a grudge?'

"Well, yeah, obviously! It's not like he-"

Yarie shushed her with a hand over her mouth, which Midna indignantly licked. Yarie recoiled, glaring. She pointed at the hero, who was yelling something. Yarie focused on him, suddenly paling.

"What's he saying?" Sheik asked. Yarie hesitated, hand shaking as she wrote out the message.

'He knows we are here. He's scanning the area for us. Soldiers are coming, too.'

Midna swore violently. "This place gets better and better, doesn't it?"

'He knows you, can you please make an appearance? Hands up moving slowly towards him? He probably thinks we're monsters trying to ambush him.'

Midna's ears folded back slightly. "Fuck no! I'm not going to roll over like that!"

Sheik was already pulling their scarf down. "Wait here a moment. I'll introduce myself. How do you say "I am not an enemy" in your language?"

'I really hope you realize I can't vocalize right now, and you can't read English.'

"Any universal symbols?"

Yarie raised her arms with her hands by her ears.

'It's to show you don't mean them harm. Show off your ears. It's the biggest difference between our species.'

"It'll have to do."

Sheik slowly exited the alleyway with their hands up. The metal suit startled briefly, and a circle of metal tubes on its back raised itself to point at them. Sheik froze until it disengaged, and the suit's helmet retracted. Underneath was a surprisingly normal face with dark skin. They would have thought they were simply from a different country if not for their short ears. They spoke, calling a short phrase at them. Sheik shook their head, glancing back towards the alleyway.

"I can't speak your language," they apologized, "I am not your enemy."

The man in the suit seemed to understand the language barrier, grimacing briefly before adopting a non threatening expression. He put his hands up, gesturing to the monster in the cage, then back to them.

Sheik shook their head, repeating the gesture. "No, we are not together. I am on your side." They emphasized the statement by gesturing at him and back to themselves. Then they gestured to the alleyway, and back to themselves, putting up three fingers pointed at the alleyway.

The man nodded, looking at the alley expectantly, still slightly on edge.

"Come out! He won't fire at us."

"You say that like you're certain of that," Midna griped. Still, she didn't immediately jump off when Link walked carefully out of cover. The man's eyes widened in recognition, and Midna stuck out her tongue at him. He muttered something under his breath, reaching a hand up to his ear and speaking more clearly.

Yarie walked out last, hands up. War Machine visibly jumped, raising his weapons again. Yarie rapidly began to make a series of hand gestures, trying to convey that she won't hurt him, and maybe something else. War Machine called something at her, and she put up her hands higher, pointing to a large piece of rubble, miming writing with long strokes.

Slowly, she edged to a chunk of rubble between the two parties with a relatively flat surface, carving a few short sentences into the surface. The man's face was a perfect mask of disbelief and shock.

Yarie must have seen Sheik's own confusion, and wrote a small translation in Hylian underneath. 'I broke my nose fighting that Darknut. Blood is mine. I speak English. I can translate. We are here to help.'

The man said something and Yarie nodded, pointing to herself. The man exclaimed a curse, pointing. She nodded and pointed harder at herself. She wrote more on the slab, and was beginning to run out of room. 'We need to get to Central Park. Can you bring us there?'

The man said something else and Yarie hesitated, but nodded. Then she retreated back to the group.

"Did he agree to help?" Sheik asked. Yarie nodded, watching the skies.

After a minute, the heavy thrumming of a helicopter made itself known. Sheik covered their ears as the noise became too much to bear. The man's helmet came down again, covering his features. The helicopter alighted, the blades still spinning rapidly. A man opened a door into the machine, wearing a pair of what looked like bright orange earmuffs. He quickly passed more of them out, hustling them inside. Sheik slid them onto their ears, relieved that they seemed to block out noise.

Yarie hopped up without assistance from the man, and Sheik only paused a moment to help Link jump up. In the front was a woman with bright red hair, wearing black glasses and a pair of black earmuffs. The man who passed out the earmuffs hopped in next to her, glancing briefly at Yarie, who looked at the ground. Yarie helped Link get secure as the thing jolted alarmingly, and began to rise.

"I'm calling my team, but you've got a lot to explain. You'd better have a good excuse." War Machine had said. Jen felt so nervous she could throw up. Sitting in a helicopter with Hawkeye and Black Widow did not help. The loud helicopter blades muffled any conversation between them she could overhear. Her claws rattled against the metal wall, and she quickly folded them into her lap.

She wondered how Eur… oh damn she'd forgotten his name. She wondered how the Darknut was doing. A lot could happen in thirty seconds.

"I know that your violet-eyed companion enjoyed the bloodlust as well."

She had. She really had. In that brief, fleeting second, she'd fallen to the Darkness encroaching at the edges of her consciousness, and she truly enjoyed it. There was a savage joy in throwing herself at an opponent, of tasting blood between her teeth, even if it was her own.

Her nose still throbbed with her heartbeat. Badly broken, most likely. When her adrenaline wore off, it wouldn't be fun. Though, considering the rate this day was going, it might never let her off its edge. Twisted ankle, exposure to acid, broken wrist, magical overuse, overexposure to Darkness, and now a broken nose. Why had she even woken up today? As if to add insult to literal injury, the humidity was causing the thick hair of her mane to stick to her back, making it itch. It was never this humid in San Francisco.

She wanted to go home.

Jen carefully prodded the edges of her nose, wincing. It felt like the rim of the shield, while also smashing her nose flat, had cut a long line down the side of her face. Excellent, just what she needed. Sheik sent her a sympathetic glance, scarf pulled back over their own nose and mouth.

Jen fished out some medical supplies from her bag, cleaning off the blood from her face. The substance was slightly darker than it should be, with an almost oily sheen. No wonder War Machine had jumped like that. She was too afraid to pull out a mirror to check her appearance, and simply wiped wherever it felt the bloodiest. Then she stuffed a cotton ball up her nostrils, wincing as she jostled the fractured bone.

The helicopter began to circle, and she checked out the window. The expanse of greenery of Central Park rose slowly to greet them. The helicopter landed carefully in a meadow. Dozens of small monsters scattered as it came to rest, escaping the noise. Jen disembarked first, helping Sheik down and watching as Link jumped. Midna quickly landed on his shoulders. Behind them, War Machine landed, carefully scanning the area.

Something fluttered against her senses, feather-light. Her ears pricked.

"Alright, where to now?" Hawkeye yelled over the roar of the helicopter as Widow departed. Jen gestured for him to be quiet, taking a few steps in one direction, then another.

"Jennifer…" the breeze whispered. Her attention immediately faced the call. She pointed, walking immediately.

"Bethesda fountain?" he asked in confusion, "That's where we're going?" Jen nodded hard, keeping a firm jog. Sheik pulled up beside her.

"You know where it is?" they asked. Jen pointed, flicking her wrist a few times to convey distance.

This time, Jen refused to give up time for anything. Monsters appeared, likely guards for the Spring, and she either dodged or outran them, allowing the others to pick them off. She didn't trust herself not to lose herself to the Darkness if she got into a fight, and the last thing she wanted to do the minute she got home was hurt someone.

A flash of gold to her left signaled the demise of a Bulblin, and its companion to her right fell to a pulse of energy. The helicopter re-appeared overhead, and its gun began to fire. Dirt sprayed to her far left, and the sound of metal on metal rang out. Jen's path became blocked by a lizard-like creature wearing a skull as a mask, and Bokoblins from various eras poured in on either side. The creature's form was unnaturally distorted, with stubby almost-wings poking out of its back.

She picked up a bit more speed, throwing herself at the warped Lizardfos. It raised a short, clear blade at her, pulling a shield up. She grabbed its wrist as it swung, using her momentum to pull herself under its arm, throwing it to the ground behind her. The moment the path cleared, she spun on her heel and kept running. A loud shriek behind her hinted that the lizard did not survive long with its underbelly exposed.

Adrenaline thrummed through her veins, and a long, toothy smile spread across her face. Air forced itself from her lungs, shaped into a howling snarl. The world tunneled. Her claws flexed.

In no time at all she had to bring herself to a stop in front of a black, gear-faced monster. Barriers appeared, humming sourly. She looked around as the other Shadow Monsters growled at her.

Bethesda fountain and plaza, barely a few weeks ago, had been lush and green. Flowers had bloomed along the bridge, and trees had flourished along the banks of the lake behind it. The fountain itself had sprayed clear water, watched carefully by the angel at the top. People had relaxed on the water in paddle boats, and crowds had milled about the plaza.

Now, much of the architecture was cracked or broken. The trees withered in the poisoned soil, cut off from sunlight. In the water was one sad, abandoned boat. There was no sign of the pink flowers she'd loved. The broken remains of the plaza were patrolled by shadow beasts.

She glared at the first one, three times as large as she was and with more allies, and shrieked in its face.