Chapter 2: A Failure to Communicate

Note: I'd like to thank everyone who has read this fic. As the first bit of writing I ever posted on this site, I had some issues with formatting the first chapter of the story. If you read it shortly after it was published, you may have seen some formatting errors, the most prominent of which removed the indicator of a timeskip during Amy's POV section. I just wanted to give an apology and heads-up on this!

The Official

At the heights it must be lonely.

Jeanne Wynn sat in a cheap office chair, massaging her temples to relieve her headache. She had found an attunement back when working with Accord that would relieve them, but she knew the regulations that had been set down, at her insistence. It wouldn't do to bring about the end of the world to melt away the dull, pounding pain.

"Alcott is here."

"Thank you Eric. Tell her she can come in."

"I just want you to know… I think something bad happened to her on the way here. She's covered in blood."

"I will respond appropriately."

The situation room in the Cauldron compound was right next door, and Jeanne could hear the bustling of capes and Wardens employees, a hive of workers working together. She would no doubt need to be in there soon. But Dinah Alcott had wanted to speak with her in private this time.

Alcott entered the office, and Citrine could see that Kingston had in fact been correct. Well, "covered" might have been a stretch, but there was plenty of splatter over the right side of her suit and stretching over her floral blindfold.

"What happened?"

Alcott gripped her right arm with her left one. For a second, Jeanne thought she wouldn't say anything.

"A group of refugees from the region near the portal tried to kill us. Some people had a few rifles and they saw the car and started firing as we got out. Gary shoved me back into it in time. He… shielded me. It cost him his life"

Alcott shuddered, letting out a shaky breath.

Jeanne wanted to feel bad. She should have felt sorrow. After all, wouldn't she have to talk about how Nieves had been a "good man, despite our disagreements," if they made it through this? But all she could feel was a slight release of tension. Things had been made easier, by the smallest of margins.

"I am sorry to hear about that. I understand he has been a reliable ally of yours."

"You're not."

"If you want to snipe at my sincerity, then do so, but I am here to have a serious discussion. You said that arriving here was urgent. You want a transport to Shin, where you will meet up with our ambassadorial group. Why?"

"I don't know why. But if I head there, the… numbers go down. People will live. I can't say why that is, but if you really care about saving people, you will want to get a transport ready for me right now."

Jeanne lifted her clenched hands together, bringing them to her mouth.

"Do you really think that I have anything less than the best intentions for humanity, Dinah?"

Alcott's face twisted, baring teeth.

"Do you want to hear it? Do you?" She gripped her right arm tighter. "You're butchers. I told you Contessa is going to bring the whole world down on us, and you didn't listen to a damn word. You're still listening to what she says, when I told you what that will bring about. I know why. You are a follower of her footsteps. Of careless puppeteering from high places that throws away lives in droves. You want Contessa to be right, not me. Because it's a vindication of how you operate. And if you save one more life than you snuffed out, you'll declare yourself justified."

Jeanne brought her hands down to her legs. She remembered what Contessa had said, in that room in the attic after Teacher had vanished: "you need to listen to what the world thinks sometimes. That is what I didn't do."

Good lord, was she tired. She was exhausted, and Kurt wasn't even buried, and here she was having to justify the women that Kurt's blind faith in had led right to the gates of death.

"Dinah," she said, keeping her voice steady, her tone calm. "Contessa wants what is best. It might be… unsavory, but she is helping, and she is different now. She is listening. Weighing different opinions. Taking feedback from people with different views. I know she has our best interests in her heart."

"And Kurt? Would he have said that?" asked Dinah.

As soon as Dinah said that, she seemed to realize just why that was such a bad idea. Frankly, the girl was a terrible debater. She couldn't seem to talk without sputtering through arguments without tuning them to her audience. And she'd picked the wrong thing to say to this audience.

"Did Gary place faith in you?"

It was biting, unprofessional of her, and she wouldn't have said it if she were rested and out of mourning, but it felt good, getting to bite at her like that.

"That was an accident. And… and… and Kurt was too. Again, if it weren't for Contessa, he would have made it."

"So, I trust the trail you leave behind as one of mistakes and unfortunate necessities, but hers as the mark of a mad butcher?"

Alcott brought up one of her arms up to her blindfold, rubbing it along its length. Jeanne could see a tear that escaped being mopped up by her sleeve.

How many lives did you shatter? How many corpses and how many who simply were put on a different path because the numbers said so.

But I might need her.

"I spoke with Chevalier before he left for Shin."

"And?" Alcott said, her halting breaths laying bare the tears she had wiped away.

"He talked about accountability. Apparently it is a thought that has been on his mind as of late. The possibility of changing out approach to dealing with humanity. A more open one, he said."

"Right," said Alcott. "Like how you're accountable to the people as a mayor while you puppet around things from behind-the-scenes. It's power, pure and simple."

"Dinah. If you consider Contessa a butcher and me her successor, then I will not bother to correct your view. Yet I simply want you to look at yourself. Ask yourself what you have done and wonder if it could be something better. Something that isn't borne from the shadows of Cauldron. I am not saying you should see yourself as the same as Contessa or me. But ask yourself if you live up to what you think differentiates you."

Alcott rubbed her right hand with her left, both shaking. "Do you think you could give it up knowing you could save more people? Just hand off your secrets."

Citrine answered honestly. "No. I know I would resent it. Hate having to give what I've built to them. But it's just a suggestion. And I want you to think on how your quarrels with me and Contessa reflect in it."

Alcott gave an uneasy breath. "Maybe," she said, cracking what might have been a small smile. "It's a nice thought. Openness. Accountability. Maybe… But either way… I guess I should head to Shin. Would you allow that?"

"I would."

Alcott took off the bloody blindfold covering her eyes, carefully untying it with deft fingers. "I'll try to get a cleaner outfit quickly. Especially a clean blindfold Anyway, there are a few capes I will need to bring with me."

Jeanne nodded as Alcott made her list. Maybe this girl really could make a difference. Just maybe, she really would step up and change things.

Well, putting some trust in other people was part of her job. Maybe it was time to start living it a little more. She could still feel that hole in her heart, but she knew where her commitment lay. For the good of humanity.

"And, Ms. Wynn."

"Yes Dinah."

"I just want you to know that… the odds of the catastrophe surrounding Contessa? They've gone down. They're still there, but they're shrunk right down. But there is something else, and its danger is only growing. Thank you for this."

The Star

Victoria Dallon's second trip to Shin was going down a somewhat different path than her first, but something was clearly going wrong. Even if she wasn't going to be imprisoned this time, she by no means had good feelings about the endeavor. The atmosphere had been tense since arriving, Shin's goons menacingly eyeing Gimel's ambassadors from the moment they came into view. Amar, the government's hard-set ambassador, had been curt and stiff by Shin's standards. For an earth in a deep love affair with elaborate debates, she had no doubt that his demeanor spoke volumes, something reflected in Miss Militia's tense stance as she spoke with Amar, meeting him rhetorical blow for rhetorical blow.

Amar and Miss Militia had debated back and forth for a bit, before the former had acquiesced to a request of hers to share information they had gleaned from the Simurgh's tech graveyard. At this, Miss Militia had seemed surprised, and she had vocally expressed doubt when Amar offered to show her some results in his tent, glancing at Tattletale (disguised as an unpowered intern) for approval. She had demanded that Legend accompanied her. Amar, unperturbed by the clear message of distrust had agreed.

That feeling of something going wrong had come when Chris had appeared. He had flown over the Tinkertech zone, bearing a form like an emaciated bat. He had rushed to the ground with a great force and barked at Abyss, one of Amar's capes, demanding to see Amar immediately. He had shoved himself into the research tent right past two guards in crisp, green-accented uniforms who put out their hands to stop him before recoiling back as he barked at them. Thirty seconds later, the troops stationed on the ground where Amar had greeted Gime's delegation had begun to clear out, some fanning out to flank the zone of Tinkertech marked with red tape.

Amar's two capes had been lounging near the tent, but quickly became alert as the troops moved. Unlike the troops, they approached the delegation.

The remaining members of the delegation on the raised platform where Shin had met them were Chevalier, herself, Sveta, Precipice, two nervous interns and Tattletale, dressed like one of the interns, her face disguised by a projection of Lookout's. There was no doubt that Chevalier was the man in charge here. He may not have been a go-between for Shin and Gimel like Miss Militia, but no one would deny him the right to speak on behalf of Gimel's other heroes.

The cape who Amar's translator called Wyvern approached in front, but he remained silent. Abyss, trailing studiously right behind him, did the talking. His English was heavily accented and nasal, failing to pronounce "r"s "m"s.

"I am afraid to tell you the Gimel delegation must falls to the opening. Sadly, we cannot continue talking out issues. A surprise happen occupies our attention."

Chevalier stood forward to address the black-clad man. His armor, black, white, gold and polished to clean sheen despite the events of the past week, enhanced his sense of status, that held by a man who had learned how to be confident- or how to appear so- on behalf of those he led. Shin had even allowed him to bring his cannonblade on the trip and he gripped it tightly, barrel resting along the ground.

"Is there fear for our safety? If so, we are among Gimel's foremost elites. We would gladly be willing to lend a hand to your efforts."

"Hardly fearful. But occupies attention for time. Negotiations to be push aside."

"Are you rejecting our aid?"

Abyss chuckled. "Yes."

Chevalier sighed, but didn't push the point further. Victoria found that point odd. The Wardens clearly wanted to intimidate Shin by bringing so many capes to them, yet Chevalier wasn't pushing forward. There was no relentless energy, no drive.

"Then can Miss Militia and Legend come out? Unless you still want their services?"

Abyss wavered for a second, saying how he "wasn't sure," but at the sound of a small chirp he put his finger to ear. For the first time, Victoria could see a tiny earpiece, as dark a shade as his mash, looped through it.

"That clears this all up," he said.

Tattletale immediately stepped forward, gripping Victoria's arm. "We need to get out now!" she yelled.

Victoria had been told to shut up and keep quiet for the trip. "You are advisory. You are not to do any stunts," Defiant had lectured. But she could see right now that wasn't going to be an option.

A black substance was flowing out of Abyss' sleeves and pant legs, falling to the ground and coating it like oil. Chevalier tried to raise his canonblade, but tendrils of the substance reached out and grabbed it.

Victoria launched herself into the air unfolding the Wretch. Tendrils reached out, grabbing onto the Wretch. They had no hooks, and didn't form hands, but they stuck with ease. Victoria dropped the Wretch, but the tendrils had already reached around its entire form as she did so, and her upward trajectory only took her right into them. More tendrils grabbed her, obscuring her vision of anything outside. Twisting herself in desperation, Vicky could only see a deep unnatural black, darker than anything she had ever seen, as she reached the pool on the ground.

.

.

.

Victoria screamed as vision of something other than pure black returned, and the cold, cloying tendrils retreated. The place she was in was still dark though, lit by an ambient blue glow that seemed to have no particular source. The rest of the Wardens' delegation was scattered around her. On either side, perhaps with forty feet between them, two walls of uneven obsidian stretched up as far as she could see. Further down the chasm (or abyss) Wyvern and Abyss stood.

"Glad to have some privacy," chortled Abyss. "This makes things easy."

Victoria launched herself into the air without hesitation, summoning the Wretch. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that the others had had the same idea. Chevalier was stepping towards the two capes, although his cannonblade was nowhere to be seen. Out of her other eye, Victoria could see Tattletale seeming to reach for a gun around her waist, swearing as her hands futily grasped an empty belt.

Victoria accelerated towards the capes, but right away could tell something wasn't right. She felt like she was barely moving. She had once tried to fly in the water in the Bay, and it had felt like this, the very medium of movement doing everything it could to keep her planted in place.

As she tried to push despite this, she saw a flash of light at Wyvern's mouth. In the blink of an eye, there was more than the abyss' normal resistance fighting her as she was lifted up and away from the capes. A cable of glowing light reached from Wyvern's mouth to the Wretch, alongside ones attached to Chevalier and Precipice. Precipice had summoned his silver blades, which glowed eerily in the dim light.

The Wretch lashed out, raking an arm through the light-cable, but it passed through as though it weren't there. Victoria dropped the Wretch, watching the line disappear into pinpoints of fading light, but, before she could reorient herself, another line had attached itself to her stomach, carrying her in the same direction as the previous one.

Victoria pushed with her aura, giving the capes the strongest push she could muster.

Wyvern, unbothered, pushed her back to the rest of Gimel's ambassadors, depositing her gently on ground made of smooth rock next to Tattletale.

Abyss gave another chuckle as he spread his arms like a showman. He seemed unbothered by the resistance in the air.

"That trick with the emotion… it is clever, Antares. Were it not for the preparation we had, you might have us there."

Shaker, draws people into a dimension by which he gets his name. Immune to the encumbrances of this place. And neither he or Wyvern seemed bothered much by my aura. Maybe something like those drugs Teacher made to neutralize Goddess?

Victoria groaned a little. Hopefully this guy wasn't like Happyland or Domain. The fact that he'd brought another cape, who seemed to be there to keep anyone else away from him, at least made it unlikely he was a god in this domain.

For the first time since arriving at Shin, she spoke up."Fucking why are you doing this? We weren't going to give you trouble. Do you need to beat us up just to prove a point?"

It was pure anger, she knew. Raw emotions being slung around, that they wouldn't give a damn about it, but they deserved it. Power tripping over others like some sort of playground game. They'd thrown Breakthrough in prison for power, handed her off to fucking Amy, and gave Chris free reign while not seeming to care one whit.

Fuck that.

Abyss waved his hands noncommittally. He leaned down to whisper something into Wyvern's ear. The second cape, whose sluggish movements seemed to be affected by Abyss' power, nodded at whatever he said.

"We do not believe all you. Miss Militia did not seem favorable. Immobilize you for the time being, it seems right."

"I don't buy it."

"Oh you should," said Tattletale, abandoning any pretense of her disguise. "They weren't planning on doing this. Sure, Shin's governments sent Amar as a tough face, but they still weren't in the mood to cause an incident like this. Keeping us out? They'd do that. But they weren't going to do this until Cut-in-the-ground here got that call. Something- and I think the rest of you can probably put it together that it's what Lab Rat told them- pushed them to a contingency."

"I can't… get all those words, but they seem to have a good idea," said Abyss, pacing effortlessly along the ground. Victoria was sure that he moved his hands, constantly sweeping so the gesture spanned the entirety of the chasm, to emphasize his strength, how he was unhindered here.

Victoria lifted up her hand to fix her hair, grimacing at how long it took to lift her arm to her head. She leaned in towards Tattletale.

"Can you get any read on his power?" asked Victoria, her voice stretching out as she struggled to move her lips.

"Need help? Fine. Well, I've been working overtime, first just tell me what you have so far."

Victoria wanted to sigh, but restrained herself. She'd have to put up with that for now. For all of Tattletale's needling and obnoxious mind games, she clearly knew her stuff, and humoring her, even in this situation, wasn't the worst idea.

"I'm thinking he doesn't really have any tricks up his sleeve beyond what he's got here. His movement isn't affected, but he isn't doing anything else to immobilize us. He isn't nullifying our powers, summoning more of that black stuff to hold us down, or doing anything other than having Wyvern keep us away from him. Basically, I think there is an opportunity for an escape here."

"That's about right," said Tattletale. "He's clearly concerned about someone getting up to him, even if he's calm overall."

Victoria glanced at Abyss again. He didn't seem to mind Tattletale and her talking, if he had even seen it. He had propped himself up against Wyvern, leaning on the bulky cape.

His costume didn't fit his demeanor, Vicky thought. His costume fatigues gave the impression of someone who was stern and no-nonsense, yet he behaved in a manner theatrical which stood out all the more when compared to the colorful, vibrant outfits favored by near-everyone on Shin.

"Can he keep us here if he isn't physically present?" asked Vicky. The fact that he was staying here, and was accompanied by a cape that could telekinetically lash and move them meant one of two things. Either he was concerned about them escaping if he didn't stick around, or they would only stay here as long as he did.

"I can't quite tell. But he is planning on staying here exactly as long as we'll be around, so I wouldn't be shocked if he couldn't."

Victoria looked around her. She could see no end to the chasm; its ragged walls stretched up and out further than her eye could see, melding into darkness. She didn't know if she could fly out by climbing up. Abyss' power had seemed to deposit her directly on the ground of the chasm, and even if she could escape by flying upwards (somehow evading Wyvern) the best she would be able to do would be search for help, evading Shin's soldiers.

And who knew how long Abyss could stay hunkered down here. Heading out horizontally seemed like even less of a shot.

It was time to take a risk.

Vicky floated over to Chevalier. She moved slightly behind him and explained her plan.

"You on board?"

She waited, as Chevalier remained silent for several seconds. "I didn't want to antagonize them," he said. "But this might be the only way."

Victoria nodded. She moved away from Chevalier, to a point where she could expand the Wretch without hurting anyone. Making a sound that she felt was half-scream, half-growl, and hopefully convincing, she began to pulverize the nearby ground with the Wretch, spraying chunks of rock into the air.

As far as tantrums went, that felt convincing enough.

Chevalier looked back, shaking his head with faux disappointment, and stepped forward towards Abyss and Wyvern with his hands raised. Wyvern attached a cable to him anyway, the connection forming between him and Chevalier so fast Vicky couldn't tell if the light simply extended forward at an incredible speed or appeared instantaneously. Wyvern's mouth glowed with a flickering light as he held his mouth open, the line stretching from it.

"Do you have question?" asked Abyss.

"I want to know what Miss Militia did that made Amar decide to order this course of action."

"I cannot tell you man. They were orders. I think you do not understand Shin very well if you think capes ask too hard about orders from people like Amar. He is a war hero for killing some of the Empress' retinue, after all."

"Would you be permitted some assistance from us? We believe that Antares could help. Even if you don't want us to participate directly, we believe that she could pass on some information that your science teams may find useful."

Abyss folded his arms, examining Chevalier up and down. "The science teams have vapor for brains. It would not surprise me if they need help from you lot. Maybe. Show me."

Chevalier turned his head back. "Antares, you are going to approach the man and give him your phone, as I said."

Victoria looked Chevalier dead in the eye, spitting out "must I," with all the distaste she could muster.

"Yes. Remember who's in charge here."

"I'm going to float towards you," said Victoria to Abyss, sighing and stretching her words with resignation after seconds of deliberate silence.

"Don't try to rush me again though, ein," said Abyss.

Victoria floated out towards him, inching past Chevalier.

"I need to take out my phone."

Abyss nodded.

Victoria reached into her costume's pocket, pulling out her phone.

"I'm going to open it. After I unlock it, you can have Wyvern here grab it.. I'm just going to have to get a bit closer. You'll need my voice to navigate some of it."

His mask obscured his visage, but Vicky felt like she could see Abyss' eyes narrowing.

He barked an order to Wyvern, then said to Victoria, "He pulls you in. I hope you understand no signal escapes here. Do not try to blow me up. Technology… it doesn't like this place."

A second cable materialized Wyvern's mouth, latching to the Wretch, and she began to inch closer to him.

Vicky waited as she got closer.

Breathing heavily she raised her phone, entering her passcode and holding it out in front her. Another line snagged it and reeled it inwards towards Wyvern. He placed it softly in Abyss' hand.

"Now," said Victoria, "you need to tap the icon you see in upper right of the home screen."

Abyss did so, gingerly tapping the screen with his thumb. Vicky noticed he jumped slightly as the application opened.

Vicky brought the Wretch's hands from behind her back, shards of rock clasped in her many hands. Still looking at the phone, Abyss and Wyvern noticed nothing. Victoria threw the rock forward. Even with the resistance afforded by Abyss' domain, the rock traveled with frightening speed. They tore with ease through Abyss' legs.

Wyvern stared in shock at Abyss, not doing anything just yet. Victoria took advantage; in the space of a second, the Wretch broke the ground again, grabbing more rubble and firing it at Abyss.

Belatedly, Wyvern sped Victoria away, pushing her straight back away from him and Abyss.

"Let us out," Chevalier's voice boomed. His tone was somewhat less impressive with his voice slowed, but the voice was Chevalier's at his finest. Bold, confident and unafraid. "You need medical attention and we don't want to stay entrapped here. Cancel your power."

For the first time, Wyvern spoke, letting out a stream of spluttered native words that sounded like curses, his lines to Victoria and Chevalier shattering. Abyss had dropped to the ground as the first round of shrapnel tore into his legs, and the second volley had lacerated his arms. He screamed in pain as blood dripped from his many wounds and fell to splatter the floor. Wyvern's gaze switched between Abyss and Victoria with indecision, before he opened his mouth wider, more lines shooting out, grabbing every single member of Gimel's delegation.

Fuck, Vicky thought as he began to lift each on them into the air. She could see Sveta vainly trying to escape by opening her body, while Precipice screamed as he slashed the light-cable with his blades.

Then the movement stopped.

Wyvern's face was turned towards Abyss. The black-clad cape shouted something to Wyvern. Wyvern stood for a moment before Abyss shouted again.

Wyvern dropped Victoria.

Victoria briefly activated her flight to stop her descent before she saw what the floor had turned into. Where once there had been stone, the entire valley floor, as far as she could see, was coated in deepest black. She saw Precipice, in front of her, tumble head over heels downwards, falling into the black, vanishing without so much as a ripple into the surface.

Vicky turned her eyes to where Abyss and Wyvern had been, but they were gone. She looked around to see that she was alone in the chasm. Turning herself downwards, she plunged into the darkness.

.

.

.

Vicky found herself resting on the raised metal platform that Amar had met the embassy on. She wasted no time lifting herself into the air.

Chevalier had already picked up his cannonblade from the ground where he had slipped away, lifting it up, pointing it at Wyvern.

Vicky turned to Chevalier. "I'll get help for Abyss, the rest of you can try to get out of here and find Legend and Miss Militia if you can!"

Chevalier nodded and barked out the order.

Victoria flew up to Abyss. As she did so, Wyvern opened his mouth, and a light-cable attached to the Wretch.

"I'm trying to help him!"

Wyvern ignored her, pushing her away at a high speed through the air.

Abyss shouted something at Wyvern, who snapped his mouth shut, vanishing the light-cable. Victoria once again flew to Abyss. This time, Wyvern kept his mouth shut, although he kept his eyes locked on her with suspicion.

Vicky landed next to Abyss, banishing the Wretch. He was bleeding, badly, and she had probably broken more than a few bones.

"Where's the nearest place where you can get medical attention."

Abyss gasped. "Behind the command tent. The…. the smaller green one."

Victoria looked at Abyss, his arms flopped uselessly on the ground beside him. Carrying him… well, she might be able to do that, but in this condition, she wouldn't want to risk it.

For a second, the sound of Carol's head opening filled her mind.

Victoria found herself yearning for Lookout's help. The Wardens, or more precisely, Defiant, hadn't allowed her to wear any of Lookout's gear, or communicate with her without supervision. She really could have used some of that help about now.

Victoria launched herself upward, flying over the command tent and to the medical tent. She landed in front of the silvery green canvas whose entrance was embossed with a silver flower. Alongside two soldiers, a man in a red and white coat that extended past his knees stood. Well, he seemed appropriate.

"Abyss needs medical attention" she said to the doctor. "He's injured."

There was the sound of a gunshot. The Wretch shattered.

One of the soldiers had lifted and fired his rifle.

Victoria pushed with her aura. The soldiers stumbled back, the one who had fired tripping and tumbling onto his back. The doctor screamed and ran away.

Not what I wanted.

The second soldier's wits had returned to him, and he lifted his rifle. Vicky surged towards him, the Wretch grabbing the rifle in one of its hands and squeezing, shattering it. The first soldier stood up, whipping out a baton from a loop on his belt. The Wretch yanked it out of his hands.

Again, Victoria heard Carol's head splitting open. She saw the sprays of blood as bullets shot through the legs of MYOSHA's mercenaries. She felt Lionwing's arm dislocating in her hand. Let's try not to hurt anybody too bad, okay?

There was shouting. Gunshots. Soldiers coming from nearby. One pushed out of the tent. His eyes widened in shock at the sight of Victoria and Victoria activated her aura again. This soldier seemed to take it better. He froze for only a second.

That was all Victoria needed.

She flew up to him, the Wretch grabbing the gun right out of his hand. Then, she flew upwards and back over the command tent.

Things weren't going so hot over there either.

Chevalier faced down several of Shin's soldiers, holding his canonblade at one who had a clear shot at Precipice. As Victoria watched, Wyvern opened his mouth. A light-cable attached to the cannonblade, swinging it around, and knocked Chevalier off-balance. The soldier aiming at Precipice lifted his rifle to fire with his new-found safety, only to watch it break in half with a spark as he pulled the trigger, Precipice's power cutting it right down the barrel.

Victoria flew towards Wyvern from behind. His attention was focused on Chevalier, but more light-cables were reaching from his mouth, grabbing Precipice, Sveta and Tattletale.

Okay, you fragile little thing. Think you can do this gently?

Victoria stopped shortly above and behind Wyvern. One of the Wretch's hands came down in front of his face, invisible and silent. It grabbed his chin, another his skull. Wyvern's jaw slammed shut, his light-cables vanishing.

Victoria waited for his skull to buckle beneath the Wretch's hands, splattering blood, brain matter and bits of bone out.

No! Get-

Wyvern's skull held firm in the Wretch's grasp.

Chevalier balanced himself, and he began to walk backward, his cannonblade still pointed in the direction of Shin's soldiers.

Victoria took the rifle the Wretch grasped and flung it to the ground near Tattletale. She laughed like a loon at that, but picked the weapon up.

"Yeah, I can keep an eye on this guy for you. But I'm not your hired gun or anything. Also, if I die in a shootout, you'd better feel bad about it. I want that to be a choice that haunts your dreams."

Victoria rolled her eyes, but shifted herself as Tattletale took her place behind Wyvern. She lifted the rifle, pointing it at Wyvern.

"I know you speak some English. You'll understand this. I can tell if you're going to do something. Before you can do it, I'll fire this bullet and you'll be dead. Play nice, and nothing bad happens to you."

Victoria had the Wretch let go of Wyvern's head.

"Are you ok?" she yelled to Sveta and Precipice.

"Surviving," said Sveta.

"Mostly good," said Rain.

"Okay. Just hang in there for a bit. I'll go see if anyone is coming our way. Just stay safe."

Victoria once again flew up into the air, getting a bird's eye view. Most of Shin's soldiers had headed to the commotion in the research zone, and most of the remaining ones were frozen on the end of Chevalier's cannonblade. She could at least see some medics running from the medical tent to the platform.

Shit, and soldiers trying to outflank Chevalier.

Victoria plunged downwards towards the three soldiers.

First, she hit them with her aura. They stopped in their tracks.

Next, she flew in low to the ground. The Wretch grabbed things: a waste basket of some sort, a crate.

Victoria threw the wastebasket towards one of the soldiers and the crate at another. The second fell straight on his ass, so she turned to the first. The Wretch shattered his rifle with ease, and lifted him into the air. She turned, holding the soldier in front of her. The third soldier screamed something, unable to get a shot. Victoria threw his comrade into him, and the two sprawled.

The last soldier stood up, grabbing his baton. Victoria flew ever lower, so low that her breastplate scraped the ground, slamming into his legs. The soldier's appendages buckled, and Victoria lifted him. He was bulky, but it didn't matter. She effortlessly pushed him to the ground.

The Wretch reached out and broke apart his rifle. However, Victoria took the remaining intact one from the ground.

As Victoria rose into the air, she could see no more soldiers unaccounted for. But, as she rose up high enough, she could see something glowing in the distance. Is that a portal?

She turned her eyes back to the platform. The soldiers who had been standing off with Chevalier had thrown down their weapons. Chris, Amar and his translator had exited from the command tent to the platform. The former was sulking back by the tent, while Amar stood in front of Chevalier, imperiously shouting.

Several medics had placed Abyss on a stretcher and were moving him to the medical tent

Victoria descended to a lower altitude to hear them speaking.

"If you think that you can engage in this despicable violence, then you are most assuredly mistaken," said Amar's translator, his nervous yelps not matching Amar's thunderous, booming voice. "The governments of Shin will not stand for this."

"Oh shut up," drawled Chris.

Amar and his translator turned to Chris, the Shin commander slack-jawed.

"This is what we call a certifiable disaster," said Chris, picking his mouth with the finger of his wing. "Look it's pretty clear that no one was supposed to get hurt here. The governments of Shin wanted to send a message with Amar here, maybe even forcibly keep you from meddling with the Simurgh's shit, but they sure as hell didn't want a shootout. I mean, Gabin is pissy now that he doesn't have a deterrent or a daughter, but a majority of Shin's government doesn't want a war or anything. Although I don't know what they expected from leaving Yosef's old war buddy in charge here."

Amar backed up, but Chevalier lifted his cannonblade, extending it forward. The officer stepped back away from it, only to find his back pressed against a stack of crates placed just outside the entrance to the command tent. The extended cannonblade pushed him up against it.

"Now," said Chevalier, before another voice interrupted his.

"You're alive and out. Thank god you're alive and out."

Vicky turned to see a girl running across the platform, with a cape she didn't recognize and two troopers trailing behind in their costumes.

Dinah Alcott.