I know I made you wait a while for this one. Sorry about that. It just took a bit to get the final idea worked out. It's also longer than usual because there are three parts, so huzzah!


"Anger was a fire in a grate, and I'd never had any wood to burn. Until now, it seemed."

Naomi Novik, Spinning Silver


Chase

"Get up, Half-Breed!"

Fight him!

I pinned my ears, shaking my head. Oly shoved at my shoulders, growling, and Apollyon was howling encouragement in my head. What was I doing on the ground? What happened?

Wait, Adam and Bree!

I gathered my arms under myself, pushing off the ground. Immediately, I felt the sting of an order trying to keep me down. God, no wonder demons resented Summoners. This was the worst. "Leo – "

Oh, wait: the order let go.

The pain trying to pull me to the ground vanished, and I hopped to my feet with as much grace as I could manage with my chest burning. Ribs be damned, I would fight Soad if –

When did I get all of ten feet from Leo and Mr. Davenport? And why was Leo lying on the ground?

Mr. Davenport held up a hand, his missing fingers drawing my eye for a heartbeat. "Spike – "

Ah, that explained it. "No, Chase," I corrected. "What's – "

"Guys, we did it!"

I yelped as Adam cheered right behind me, whipping around. Bree was right behind him, attempting to wipe her blade clean on the grass around us. Blood coated the entire thing, pommel and all, but the two of them were covered in Soad's saliva. I wrinkled my nose. "Where's Soad?"

"I killed him," Adam answered, pointing at the sword. He grinned, laughing. "Candy canes really are dangerous."

I didn't understand that, but I didn't have to. "He's dead? Like, really dead?"

"What happened to Leo?" Bree skirted around us, crouching by Mr. Davenport.

Oly kicked my shoe, scoffing. "You're useless."

Utterly useless.

I snarled, picking her up by the arm. "If Spike hurts them, and I found out you pushed him to do it, I'll tear your wings off. You understand that?"

Oly squirmed, glaring at me, but she nodded all the same. "Buzzkill."

"Master is okay. Just exhausted."

I dropped Oly, looking at Ysthry as she curled up against Leo's side. Adam brushed past me so he could crouch beside Leo, frowning. I pressed a finger to my temple, letting my bionics activate so I could scan everybody. No new injuries, lucky us. Leo wasn't unconscious, per se. He was just…sleeping, if I had to pick a word for it. Like he'd been drained of energy until he fell into a stupor. Behind Mr. Davenport, Trevor followed Yahn back to them, watching the gargoyle with suspicious eyes.

Mr. Davenport raised an eyebrow at me. I waved at him. "Ysthry's right. He's just sleeping."

Mr. Davenport nodded at that, letting out a breath. He ran a hand down his face, looking at us. "You guys won't like this, but we have to go back." At the wave of protests, he waved. "Look, I get it. I want to keep going, too, but we can't. We need food, water, and sleep before heading back to Mission Creek. We can speed back in the morning."

My eyes shot to Trevor. At that moment, Mr. Davenport looked over his shoulder and gestured for Trevor to come closer. The kid scurried past Yahn only to stop by Mr. Davenport, watching me. I sighed, sitting down on the grass to ease Trevor's nerves. Mr. Davenport patted Trevor's shoulder, sighing again. "Listen, you know how Douglas is missing?" When Trevor nodded, Mr. Davenport pointed at Bree. "If you tell anyone – I mean anyone - that she can run as fast as she does, then he'll go missing forever. They'll take us all away, and you'll be alone again."

Trevor's eyes widened at that. "I won't tell anybody," he breathed. "Don't leave me!"

Cruel, but effective. I lowered my ears at the threat. Even Adam seemed to grasp what was going on because he didn't say anything.

"So, we just go back to that hotel now?" Bree shifted her weight as her sword disappeared into her bracelet again.

Mr. Davenport nodded. "As fast as you can, if you're up for it."

It took Bree maybe a minute to get us back to that hotel. Trevor threw up in the alley she left us in as she returned for Adam and Leo. Mr. Davenport patted his back, sighing. "Sorry, buddy."

Oly snorted in my ear before she hopped off of my back. "Weak stomach."

I dusted off my shirt, sighing at the sticky spit Bree left on me from her hand. "So, now we just follow them tomorrow?"

Bree arrived with Adam and Leo as Mr. Davenport answered me, Yahn clinging to Adam's shoulders and Ysthry perched on Bree's arm. "Now, we talk to the man at the front desk."

Adam frowned, still holding Leo. "What?"

Mr. Davenport shook his head, looking all of us over. "Bree, Adam, Leo, Trevor, and the demons, go upstairs." He wrinkled his nose, cracking a smile. "You guys need a shower."

Bree scowled, crossing her arms. "You would, too, if a monster tried to eat you."

Adam turned his head to smell himself, wrinkling his nose before he protested himself. "You need me to get answers from that guy. If he's a Hunter, then I'm not not going to be there." He glanced in my direction for only a second, but I caught it. "I'm not risking it."

Mr. Davenport waved Adam's words away. "You can come back down when you shower." His expression darkened in a way that made me take a step back. "He had something to do with Tasha and Douglas going missing. I don't need you to make him answer for it."

Bree swallowed, grabbing Trevor's hand and walking off quickly. Adam just nodded, holding Leo close as he turned and followed on Bree's heels. The imps turned into insects, flying behind them. I got all of one step in their direction when Mr. Davenport took hold of my shoulder. "Not you, Chase. You're part of the plan."

I frowned, perking up my ears. "What plan?"


"It seems to me after a fellow has been mutinied against three or four times, there is something to it besides bad luck."

Naomi Novik, Tongues of Serpents


Douglas

"We're stopping here."

"No, we're not."

Douglas glanced back and forth between Jason and James, leaning against a tree. Tasha was already sitting on the ground, half-asleep as she rested against Douglas' legs. Sam was eyeing the man Oly had blinded as he clung to her arm, but she didn't tell him to let go. Douglas didn't catch the guy's name – David, he thought Sam called him – but it didn't matter. Douglas had his own problems to deal with, not the least of which was the knife digging into his back.

Mission Creek was right there. Douglas could see the outskirts of the ruins even in the light of the rising sun. It was just a little further if they kept pushing. It was getting his legs to cooperate that was the problem. His back was a throbbing nightmare, and each step jostled the blade. He could feel the infection that had to be brewing. He'd need a lot of stitches when he finally pulled that thing out. More than that, everybody was ready to sleep standing up. Even Douglas had a hard time keeping his eyes open.

That might be the blood loss, though.

Jason had forced them to stop when he saw the first rays of sunlight, picking a fight with James in the process. Chris watched with wide eyes, unsure what to do. After a bit, he sat down by Tasha, setting his gun across his lap. Sam sank down to the ground, bringing the blind guy down with her. Meanwhile, Jason pointed towards Mission Creek. "We can't walk into Mission Creek when we're ready to drop."

James raised his chin, narrowing his eyes. "We're almost there. You can rest in the base."

"We're not going to make it to the base if a demon finds us!" Jason wasn't backing down about this. "We're in no condition to deal with anything that wants to attack us, like – "

"An afrit?"

Everybody's head shot towards Chris, who scrambled to his feet. Even Tasha seemed to wake up at his declaration. He pointed towards a shadow in the distance, scurrying through the rubble towards them. It wasn't close, but that meant it would be huge when it got to them. Douglas squinted at the creature, frowning. It looked almost like –

"Is that Xaranthi?"

Douglas sucked in a breath as Tasha scrambled to her feet. The jostling moved the knife more than he liked. If it was Xaranthi, then Perry was still alive. Sam stood up and stumbled behind Douglas, watching the demon as it approached. The shadow crouched down, then launched itself into the air, landing several feet away from where it started.

Yeah, that was Xaranthi.

Xaranthi sprang into the air again, roaring as she landed. A second later, fire shot from the afrit's mouth towards them. James jumped between the flames and Jason without a word, taking the hit while Jason scrambled back. Chris got off a shot, hitting Xaranthi somewhere. The demon roared and turned, running away from the group. This time, Chris and Jason both hit her with bullets, their twin rifle cracks rewarded by Xaranthi's roars.

Douglas was staring at James, though. He swatted at flames licking around the edges of his clothing, but other than that, he was, miraculously, unharmed.


"You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete."

Buckminster Fuller


Kevin

"That's the place?"

"Yeah, that's it."

Kevin let out a breath, leaning on a surviving wall as he looked down the hill. The Davenport Mansion was still in ruins, but he'd expected that. Beside him, Missy squinted and stood up on her toes to get a better view in the weaker light of sunrise. "Doesn't look like much."

"Because the important part is underground." Kevin couldn't help a flicker of irritation when he noticed that Missy had barely broken a sweat. All that time training survivors underground had paid off. Kevin was drenched by now, forcing himself not to breathe too hard. He knew he should be grateful he could walk – apparently, someone suggested cutting his leg off before a lucky search at the ruined Mission Creek hospital turned up some antibiotics – but the fact that he was still recovering didn't make him feel better about this.

The silver lining to all of this was that James had gone missing when Kevin was lucid enough to talk to people again. Missy and Sarah were more willing to work with him instead of threatening or trying to shove amphetamines down his throat. They didn't give him free rein – he got the short end of the stick on most bargains they made, and he didn't blame them – but he managed to get a few things. However, to set this in motion, he had to fill his end of the deal: find a better base for them.

Missy settled back down on her feet, holding her rifle close as she looked at Kevin. "What exactly is down there? A basement?"

"I mean, yeah." Kevin shrugged, glancing at the weapon. The last thing he wanted to do was provoke her to shoot. "It has a generator designed to last, though. It should have electricity." He rubbed his hands together, smiling at Missy. "Running water. Two levels, even, so there's lots of room." The problem hadn't been that they were uncomfortable. It was that Donald hadn't stored enough supplies for a long-term stay. "It's going to be way better than the sewer system."

Missy hesitated. "What's the catch?"

Kevin looked at the rubble down the hill, taking a deep breath. "Douglas might be down there. Hell, the whole family might be down there." Kevin had no idea. If they managed to find enough supplies while scavenging, they could still be holding out in that lab. Douglas might take one look at Missy and decide to open fire. Adam might use those laser eyes of his, too; the guy seemed protective. That wasn't even accounting for everybody else down there. If Missy was attacked, she would either die or fight back.

Kevin didn't know if he wanted to be there or not. If they were gone, he had no idea where they were. James didn't have them – he would have shoved it in Kevin's face by now – but that was the only good thing. For all he knew, everyone was dead by now. If they were still down there, then this might turn ugly.

It would take some finesse to get everybody calm enough to talk, but it was essential to fulfill what Kevin had asked for: Missy and Sarah to talk to a Summoner instead of just shooting them. If this worked, though, Kevin might end this whole war. Soad was still a threat, but Summoners would make that easier to handle. Kevin figured that a bunch of demons could challenge a god, given the correct orders.

"You're leading me into an ambush?" Missy took a step back, raising her rifle.

Kevin sucked in a breath, throwing his hands up. He wasn't sure that Missy wouldn't shoot him right now. They'd been friends once, but things had changed, hadn't they? "Would I tell you about it if it was an ambush?"

Missy stood still, tense even as she lowered the gun. "I guess not."

Kevin pushed away from the wall, wincing. "Look, I'll go through the door first. How's that?"

A long moment passed. Missy flicked the safety on her gun multiple times, fidgeting more than anything as she considered the offer. At last, she nodded. "Fine." She gestured ahead with the weapon. "Let's go."

The climb down the hill was more annoying than anything, but Kevin could deal with it. Climbing the ladder out of the sewer was more challenging than this, honestly. If he avoided climbing up rubble piles, it was just a walk. Missy hopped to the top of some of the piles, looking for demons before jumping down again. The town was so empty now. The demons had either moved on or congregated in specific places. Walking around seemed safe enough. Kevin patted his pocket to assure himself that his knife was still there.

They reached the ruined walls of their target when Missy broke the silence. "Can…can I ask you something?"

Kevin frowned, looking at Missy as she stopped. "What?"

"It's just…." Missy searched for words, biting her lip. She looked at the sky, then around at the rubble as she blurted out her question. "Why him?"

Kevin turned around to face her, furrowing his brow. His stomach flipped as the words drew up memories of his less-than-supportive father. "What?"

"Out of everybody, why this Douglas guy?" Missy gestured towards the ruins, wrinkling her nose. "You could have anybody else, but you picked a Summoner."

Oh, thank God. This conversation wasn't about his sexuality. "You know he's not just a Summoner, right? That's just part of the package."

"It's an important part," Missy pressed. She stepped forward, poking Kevin's chest. "You work with us. Dating him is – " Missy threw her hand out towards the rubble. "It's dangerous. It could get him killed. It could get you killed." She poked his chest again for emphasis.

Kevin ran a hand down his face. "Missy – "

"Don't 'Missy' me," she interrupted. "You care about this guy, right? Why would you put him in this situation? Why would you put yourself in this situation if he hates Hunters so much?"

Kevin started laughing after a second. He couldn't help it. Missy's bewildered expression kept the laughter going. "You know, he almost shot me when he found out."

Missy inhaled sharply, her fingers tightening on her rifle. "What stopped him?"

Kevin let out another laugh. "My cute fucking face, of course."

Missy cracked a smile at that.

Kevin sighed, smiling himself. "I'm not really sure." He scratched his nose, sniffing. The sewer killed his sense of smell a while ago. "I explained what was going on with James, and he just – " Kevin shrugged a shoulder. "He got it." He raised his hands. "He didn't forgive me, exactly, but he understood what was going on. That, and I think he wanted someone on the inside."

Missy flicked the safety again. "He threatened you, and you stayed with him."

It wasn't a question, and Kevin could see where Missy was going with that. "To be fair, I almost got his kid and nephew killed. I don't blame him." When Missy's eyes widened, Kevin raised his hands again. "It's a long, complicated story. Don't worry about it."

Missy raised an eyebrow but decided to let it go for now. "He's down there?"

"Only one way to find out." Kevin turned away from Missy, picking his way through the rubble. "Get ready: it's a climb."

The rubble pile had shifted since he'd last been there. The footholds that existed days ago were gone now, and some places were steeper. Kevin and Missy slid more than climbed down, scraping their skin and sending debris scattering down to the hallway below. Despite the struggle, they made it down to the lab's entryway. Kevin took a deep breath, staring at the keypad that shut the lab doors. He didn't know what would happen when he opened the door. Maybe Adam would hit him with those robot laser eyes of his. Maybe Douglas or Donald would open fire before asking questions. Ysthry, Oly, or Yahn might be set to guard the door. It could be empty. Kevin didn't know.

He didn't know which would be worse: everybody or nobody.

Missy was catching her breath beside him, holding her rifle steady. She nodded towards the door, glancing at Kevin. "Okay. You first."

Kevin nodded, forcing a deep breath again before pressing the access code into the keypad. The doors slid open with a hiss, and Kevin closed his eyes, holding his breath. A few seconds passed before he felt Missy brush past him, stepping into the lab. Kevin cracked an eye open, then opened them fully. The lab was dark, barring the red emergency lights. Kevin let his breath out as Missy lowered her weapon. She turned to Kevin, frowning. "Who just has a place like this?"

"The CEO of Davenport Industries," Kevin answered, stepping inside. He fumbled around the wall by the door until he found a switch. The lights came on as Missy noticed the capsules. "He has to invent somewhere, right?"

Missy nodded towards the capsules Adam and Bree had been locked in at night. "What are those?"

"The showers. They do laundry, too." Kevin plopped down into a lab chair with a sigh of relief, bending down to rub his aching leg. He couldn't understand the appeal of putting machinery in people, but he understood why they wanted to keep it a secret. The AI spying on the government didn't need to catch wind of bionics. It might take control of the kids, and then where would everybody be?

Missy set her gun down on what Kevin had understood was a "cyber desk." She pressed the screen a few times, feeling out the different options. "You said there was a second level to this place?"

Kevin pointed straight down, leaning back in the chair with a sigh. "The tiles in the floor open up to compartments. There's an area downstairs used for storage, but it's pretty big." He gestured at the lab doors. "If it's usually as calm out there as it is right now, maybe we could expand around the place and fall back into the lab during emergencies. The doors seal well enough to keep afrits out." He let his hand fall onto the chair's armrest. "So, how is it?"

Missy was quiet for a moment, then nodded and looked at Kevin. "It's leagues better than a sewer." She wrinkled her nose, smiling. "We'll be more comfortable here."

"You'll talk to a Summoner now, right?"

Missy's smile faded, but she nodded. "After we get some people moved in here." She picked up her gun, sighing. "Where would we even find one?"

Kevin shrugged. "I guarantee there's some down in that sewer system with you." When Missy's eyes widened, Kevin rolled his eyes. "When you shoot every Summoner that you find down there, the ones that are left are going to be really quiet about it, aren't they?"

Missy pressed her lips into a thin line. "Fair enough."

The corner of Kevin's mouth twitched up slightly. "Look, I bet they want to get rid of Soad as much as you guys do, and they can control demons better than any of us. Working with them is the best shot anybody has."

Missy worked her jaw now, sighing. "They're the ones that called the demons to Earth in the first place. What's going to stop them from calling something else that's destructive? Or using their demons to destroy more stuff?"

"As of right now," Kevin said, pointing at Missy, "you do."

Missy frowned, leaning back slightly at that. "What?"

Kevin leaned forward, leaning on the desk. "Look, Summoners regulate themselves, right?" When Missy nodded, he continued. "That clearly isn't working. Soad is loose out there, and there are so many demons running around that they managed to destroy Mission Creek in a few days. And, according to Douglas, they spend a lot of time fighting amongst themselves or doing secret projects." Kevin pointed at Missy. "Now, you guys want them to stop Summoning, period, right?"

"That would solve the problem, yes."

"That's just not going to happen." Kevin waved his hand in a circle. "There's too many of them. You'll never stop them from Summoning demons."

Missy threw her arms out wide. "That doesn't mean we should just let them run wild."

"I know." Kevin smiled again. "You can't stop them from Summoning, but maybe you guys can help regulate it. An organization run by nothing but Summoners isn't working. So, what about one operating under rules set by Summoners and regular people? People with a different perspective, people who can see things Summoners might not. People – "

"Like us," Missy finished slowly. She sank into a chair, considering what Kevin had just suggested. "Would they even listen?"

"Some won't," Kevin admitted. He could already hear Douglas protesting, but Kevin could work on that. Leo would probably be relieved. "I'm willing to bet people just want this whole thing to end. Nobody wants to fight a war that nobody can win. The way to end it is – "

"A peace treaty." Missy sighed, focusing on the far wall.

Kevin lowered his voice, leaning forward further still. "Aren't you tired of fighting?"

Several quiet moments passed as Missy thought this over. Kevin couldn't stop himself from fidgeting, but he didn't say anything. At least withdrawal wasn't driving him up a wall anymore. The nagging cravings were still there, but he didn't feel like he would die without a pill anymore. He wished his anxiety medication had survived the demons, but there was nothing he could do about it now.

Missy broke the silence, still looking at the wall. "It would make sense for people who can see planes or hear magic to watch the Summoners." She tugged on the dirty crucifix around her neck, indicating the demon-scaring charm it had more than the symbol itself. "And we're kind of good at fighting demons now."

Kevin nodded. "You know, Douglas' oldest son has an ability, too. He can charm demons into doing most anything just by asking." Among other, more terrifying abilities. "I doubt he's the only one who can do that."

Missy nodded slowly. "And James can't be the only one who can resist demon magic."

She was thinking of a hierarchy now, a system to organize this new Summoner guard. Kevin smiled again, watching her. "So, talk to a Summoner? See if you guys can work out a way to save Mission Creek together?"

A few heartbeats passed before Missy looked at Kevin again. She let out a breath and nodded. "We'll see. First things first, though: we need to move into our new base."