Fred was meandering alongside the river as the morning's light crept through the sky. Her legs ached from the exertion of a full night of walking, but she didn't mind. The pain made an excellent distraction. She could simply step along, left foot, then right foot, and then left again. It was very satisfying, walking. It made sense, it had a clear purpose, and you could see the reward of your labors.

As she came to a curve, she finally stopped. If only everything else could be as clear.

Right, enough procrastinating, Fred growled at herself. So what if everything isn't going as you thought it would. So what if someone let you down. I'm the leader of the Battlefront, and morons they may be, I have to defend them!

I just need to think of a plan. I always think of a plan, don't I? Yes I do. I mean, when I was alive, in all the years after that day… I promised myself that I'd always have a plan, that people could depend on me.

She squinted as the sun popped up, shining down the hill right at her. The silhouette of HQ was burned into the sunbeam. With firm steps, she started up towards it. She had a responsibility to defend them, whatever enemy God or man threw at them.

Fred blinked. "Swarms of man-eating, gelatinous shadow monsters?"

Bridget's voice crackled over the radio. "Yes. We were attacked last night."

The entirety of the Battlefront stared at their leader breathlessly. The principal's office was packed jam-full of the youths; coats and pillows had been laid out all over the floor for their impromptu sleepover. Emmanuel and TK had crafted a pillow fort in the midst of the crowd, and they peered out, daring anyone to attack their fortress. Tired eyes blinked at Winnie in anticipation.

Fred collapsed into her chair. "Uhh… Give me a moment. All right, what happened, exactly?"

"That's just it, we're not sure," Leonard spoke up eventually, sandwiched between Richie and Harry. "We were at the dorms, when the monsters suddenly appeared. A swarm of the creatures started pouring out of the girl's dormitory, and then later, the boy's." He hesitated. "And… they shadows, they-"

"The shadows come from the NPCs," Hannah finished flatly. "We saw it. The shadows burst right out of them, and flew out at us. There were at least 30 last night, so at least 30 of the NPC's sleeping in the dormitories must have turned."

"We weren't expecting it," Richie said, dazed. "I mean, if Angel hadn't come, I don't know what would have happened."

Fred's eyes narrowed. She focused on the one individual not smushed among the throng of people. Angel stood by the wall, given her own bubble of three feet. Fred met her enemy's eyes with difficulty. No one had brought up the Tormentor, but she knew it was on their minds.

"Mrs. Student Body President, might you know the source of these creations?" Fred asked coolly. I'm not saying you made them, she thought. However, I do know that you're the source of pretty much everything crazy in this world.

But Emily shook her head. "No. I am sorry, but I do not know where the anomalies originated from."

Leonard straightened up. "Anomalies? What do you mean?"

"Momentarily, I came into close contact with the substance of the contructs. I felt my senses failing, and I felt the indication that the being was digital in nature."

"Me too," Luke jumped in; eyes peeping out from a dog pile on the sofa. "When that one tried to cover me, I couldn't see anything, except fields of ones and zeroes."

Angel hesitated. 'I'm not sure what they are. But they seem to be from whatever mechanism creates my guardskills, and the rest of this world."

"And if the NPC's themselves are created by a program, then that would mean…" Leonard breathed.

Fred frowned. Her head throbbed as she struggled to understand everything that was being said. "Ok, ok, hold on. So, you guys are saying these monsters are created from this world's programming? That somehow, the NPC have started to shift into them?"

"But why?" Harry growled. "Why did this start happening? Why would they attack us, and attack Elly…"

Silence swept over the room.

Luke coughed. "Elly… He'll be okay, right? I mean, we can't die! He should just wake up somewhere in a few hours." His gaze swept the room, looking franticly for agreement. "Right?"

"But if Elliot was devoured by a portion of the source coding, then he could be anywhere," Leonard muttered. "He could wake up 6 feet underground, for heaven's sake."

Irie stumbled to her feet, nearly capsizing a potted plant. "And guys, Julie and Jess are missing too! Do you think the shadows…"

"Oh no! Those two are fine," Harry broke in hurriedly. "They weren't even in the attack. See, they both… that is, they… uh."

Harry ground to an awkward halt. Fred's eyes narrowed. Oh. Oh. So that's what they were up to.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the door swinging open. Everyone jumped a foot, and then settled as they recognized the familiar figure.

Mike scratched his head, coughing as he was confronted with a room full of stares. "Uh, Hey guys. Sorry I was late; I needed to go get a clean shirt once I was let of the infirmary. My suit was kinda, well, you know."

"You're just in time, Michael," Fred answered softly. She leaned back in the principal's chair, her eyes alighting on Mike like coals. "Everyone, listen up. Mike's got something he wants to tell us."

Mike's face drained of color. "…What?"

"Go on. Tell us what happened to the lead singer and guitarist of our diversion team. And explain to us why, betraying the entire Battlefront, you have joined with Angel."

For a few moments, it was as if Fred's words hadn't even computed. Jake was the first to speak."That wimp, working with Angel? Ridiculous!" he scoffed. "Right, Mike?"

Mike didn't reply. He glanced at Emily helplessly.

The air rushed out of Mike's friends. The room's temperature plummeted.

Mike cleared his throat. Nuts, this was bad. But, he supposed it was bound to happen sooner or later. You couldn't hide from Winnie for long.

"Yes, it's true; but there's a reason for it, something you need to know," Mike rushed, before heated words could storm down on him. "Listen, we were wrong about this world, and we were wrong about Angel. She's not our enemy, she wants to help us."

Emm's mouth was a hard line. "You got a minute to tell us what the hell's going on, man. Then my fist's going to play piano man on your teeth."

Mike tucked his hands behind his back to hide the shaking. "Look, we always thought this world was a sort of prison, right? Something God had cooked up get us to surrender to him, to obey."

Leonard frowned. "That is correct. We are trapped in this world until we begin to follow along with the school's expectation of a good student. The angelic Student Body President used God-given powers to force us along this path."

"But that's not what she was trying to do! Angel wasn't trying to get us to blindly obey; she was trying to help us." Mike entreated the occupants of the room.

"This world isn't a prison. It's a chance to find what we never had before. All of us, every one, had difficult, unfulfilled lives. We've been sent here for a chance to live the youth we never had. We are here, to find peace."

The Battlefront gazed back at him for half a moment. Faces blinked and tensed as comprehension set in. Then-

"Aw, cut the crap!" Emm growled. "That's the biggest bunch of baloney I've ever heard! Why would he do something like that, for us?"

"You are wrong, Michael," Hannah said. Her dark gaze cut into Mike. "I know you can be a moron, but this… I didn't expect you'd so something like this. You would honestly trust her?" Hannah's eyes flashed. "You would accept a lie?"

Luke coughed. "I mean, it sounds like a really great idea, Mike." He squirmed miserably. "But isn't it just too good to be true?"

"Precisely," Fred added crisply. "Think about it. After all he's done to us, all we endured in life. Why would he suddenly care enough, to try and give us peace? God is all powerful; he has no reason to care. It simply doesn't make logical sense." She crossed her arms with an inescapable air of finality. "And now, regarding what we should do with Mike…"

"Hey, uh, let's not get ahead of ourselves," Richie broke in. His massive arms swayed, as if he couldn't figure out what to do with them. "We don't need to do anything drastic, just because Mike was wrong. I mean, everyone's wrong sometimes. "

The room was suddenly filled with eager nodding.

"Like, I can see why he'd trust what Angel says," Luke sputtered, glancing at the small figure bashfully. "She's really not that bad… and, she did save us from that monster fish, and that one Fallen Angel… and, well, the shadows. She can't be all-"

The Battlefront jumped a foot in the air as an unfamiliar voice suddenly sounded.

"Excuse me," Emily said again. Weird, Mike thought. She really was sounding more and more like a regular person. Right now, she almost looked… embarrassed?

"The thing is…" Emily looked around the room full of shell shocked faces. Most of the Battlefront had only ever heard her speak when she was telling them they had broken the rules, in a tone they associated with close-at-hand dismemberment. "Why do you keep referring to me as Angel?"

Luke coughed.

Fred examined her fingernails. "The same reason they call the shark in Jaws "the shark," and they simply call the beast from Hound of the Baskervilles "the beast." It saves time, and it's accurate. You're an angel, one of God's servants. We don't have any reason to call you anything else."

Emily's forehead wrinkled in confusion. "…Huh? I don't understand. I know nicknames don't always make sense, such as yours, Mrs. Washington, but well…"

"I've never even seen God. I'm not an angel, I'm a human."

Mike froze. Around him, the members of the Battlefront stared at their enemy in varying degrees of shock. TK and Emm's pillow fort caved in.

Winnie's face was a mask. No. Impossible. It had to be a trick.

But what reason had she to lie? Admitting she was human only revealed her weakness. And, back then, after they had failed Robinson's exams, the incident with the curry…

Before any of them could speak, the silence was shattered by Fred's radio.

"Fred, this is Bridget," the instrument crackled, their communication specialist's voice ringing out with uncommon urgency. "I need you come right away. I've found Elly."