Theorizing

"What was that? Anya? Anya-28? Where did you go? What did you see?"

Watcher Chambers were not designed to accommodate a large number of observers. Fawzia's mild claustrophobia was being tested, crammed in here with Duri, four doctors, two scientists, and of course Anya herself. The powerfully-built young woman had tensed up near the end of her Watch, and she'd started sweating profusely. Now, Anya extracted herself from her rig and signed out. She looked shell-shocked, her movements automatic, her eyes unfocused. Then she rose to her feet, body tense, hands in fists.

Only then did she notice the cramped room.

"Oh… sorry everyone. I forgot you were here."

"What happened?" Fawzia asked again, more gently now that she accepted Anya was safe. "Do you think this is a negative reaction to the drug?"

Anya visibly calmed herself, then she sat back in her chair. "No… any reaction you saw wasn't a side effect of the medication." She closed her eyes, breathing slowly, while Supriya's team intensified their examination of the patient. Finally, Anya said, "I do feel a little queasy in a way that could be related to the drug. And I have a mild headache. But nothing major."

"So…?" Fawzia tried not to push too hard. Anya had shown tremendous courage being the first Watcher to test a medication that had killed its creator. She deserved some patience.

"So…" Anya echoed. "The good news: I Watched way further than ever before. Specifically… I watched Elpis."

"What?" Fawzia snapped. "Why? You know the danger! Charlotte and Niko are at least armed and have guards with–"

"As for Charlotte," Anya interrupted, making Fawzia grind her teeth in irritation, "I Watched her too."

Fawzia didn't immediately understand. "What does that matter? Your initial test Watching the interior of HQ is irrelevant compared to–"

"Not in HQ."

Fawzia clamped her mouth and eyes shut at this second interruption. Stay calm. She's done something she never thought possible. Give. Her. Some. Slack.

Then the meaning of Anya's words hit home. "Wait… do you mean…?"

"Yep," Anya said, managing a teeny tiny smirk. "I wasn't Watching Charlotte's body. I Watched her mind. On Elpis."

The room fell silent. This was certainly a major step forward. Fawzia thought back fifty-one years to her Induction. The organization had only existed for fourteen years, and the ten Watchers discovered before her had still been full of hope for possible leaps forward. They'd expected to gain the ability to Watch projected minds, and they'd hoped it might be possible to plant messages in a distant person's thoughts. Over the decades, such hopes had faded. Even Charlotte's unprecedented strength hadn't really resurrected those old goals.

But if Anya, whose talent barely merited mentioning, could do this… Even if Samantha Gross just wanted the personal fame and glory of becoming a Watcher, I won't begrudge it. She's given mankind a gift on par with Prometheus. It's a tragedy that she similarly paid a heavy price.

"So," Fawzia finally said. "Were you so shaken by this discovery? Is seeing the projected mind of a Watcher somehow unsettling?"

"It wasn't that. You see, Charlotte's as willing to take risks as I am. She's focusing her Watches on the place where Lamia murdered Klaus. And since I was Watching Charlotte…"

Fawzia again fought to stay calm. So Anya's recklessness could have gotten her abducted… "I take it Lamia arrived?"

"Yes. And I'm proud that I was there with Charlotte. Between the two of us, we might just have saved a little Unwanted boy."

"What? How?"

"I Watched as Charlotte's perspective shot through Lamia's head. The girl reacted, screaming and raging. When Charlotte disappeared, the boy was still dangerously close… so I did the same thing."

Renya cut in. "You're saying that Lamia reacts when a Watcher's perspective passes through her? Why? Even if she can see you–"

"I felt something when I did it," Anya interrupted. She'd loosened up, but now she curled up again, hugging her legs. "When I passed through Lamia's head, I felt extreme rage… and pain… and hunger… Those emotions were not mine."

Fawzia hit her left ear implant. "Charlotte-17, report to Anya-28's Chamber immediately." This room will be worse than a clown car, but we need to compare stories…

Gritting his teeth, Peng-24 Watched a collapsed mineshaft in Somalia, not too far from Fawzia-11's hometown. He wanted to focus on his training, but sometimes a Watcher's ordinary duties took precedence. An explosion had trapped more than a hundred miners underground, and the rescue teams needed to know where to focus their efforts. To Peng, a hundred random people couldn't compete with the hunt for Klaus-21's murderer, but for all his supposed value to humanity, he was not his own master. When a government demanded the assistance of a Watcher, Peng's supposed importance went out the window. He'd either obey, or do without many of his favorite luxuries for a while. With Charlotte and Niko Watching Elpis, and the other three involved in testing MD-Δ, the current duty fell upon Peng.

Watching somewhere on the same planet hardly pushed Peng's abilities. This was a waste of his time. He found a few dozen miners trapped in a blocked tunnel, and he briefly returned to his real body to transmit the coordinates to the rescuers. Then he projected his mind to a different area of the mine. Nothing… nothing… nothing… ah, there we go. Four more. One was injured, but he was also speaking. A few words in English, repeated over and over like a mantra: "I'm ok. Find the others." This was far from the first time Peng had encountered this. People in a desperate situation that hoped against hope that a Watcher might find them, repeating a simple message for that Watcher to hear. It always made Peng uneasy, as if these people were praying to him.

Peng canceled his Watch, sent the coordinates, and went back in.

He was resenting this more by the minute. He needed to train. To push himself. But this was too easy…

The next tunnel brought his thoughts crashing to a halt.

Though Somalia had seen dramatic improvement over the last century, they were still a relatively poor nation. Some of these miners were very young…

And one was clearly dead.

Peng paused, his perspective frozen.

The boy couldn't be older than fourteen… and rubble had crushed everything below his rib cage. The dried blood covering the boy's chin and neck… the agony etched into his face… This death had not been quick.

Peng couldn't keep resenting this as a waste of time. Not anymore.

Shame and anger surged, and he started darting his perspective about far more rapidly. This soon grew difficult, and in a rush, Peng's attitude totally changed. Range was just one element of Watching that could be trained. After all, his ability to recognize the touch of a Watcher's mind far exceeded that of the others. As Anya had once explained, running might be the most obvious way for an athlete to get faster, but it was hardly the only way. Strength training the legs, refining your technique, shedding excess weight, improving sleep and diet, measured hydration, mental visualization, and building one's pain tolerance. All of these combined could greatly improve one's speed, above and beyond what running could manage alone.

He could develop his skills in new ways…

Pushing hard, not for range but for speed, he flitted his perspective about, faster and faster. Whenever he found a survivor, he tried to react more quickly than the previous time, ending his Watch, sending the signal, and entering the Trance to continue the search. He started getting a headache, but he pushed through. Niko could use pain to enhance his powers. So Peng would try it.

Maybe anger could help too…

He briefly returned his mind to the sight of the dead boy, focusing on the shame and anger he'd felt, and deliberately stoking those emotions. Then, moving ever faster, deliberately intensifying his headache, he continued his search.

After thirty-four grueling minutes, the rescue teams reported that all miners were accounted for, and the driller drones were closing in.

Rather than cancel his Watch, Peng immediately did a little test.

Before his anger could be fully washed away by his success, he focused on the agony in his head and drove his mind out into deep space, as far as possible.

His maximum range had increased by three lightyears.

Security Chief Hasina Rakoto shrugged. "With this 'MD-Δ' in production, there's little point continuing to suppress the technology you propose. Until our faraday shielding can be redesigned, our Watchers can see the rest of humanity at any time, even without technological enhancement. We might as well make them more effective and versatile. You're hereby given the green light. Progress as swiftly as is safe."

"Thank you, Hasina," Renya Baldwin said. The holofield went dark. She smiled with vindication. If Hasina only knew…

She sent a priority message to her entire team. Hundreds of scientists and technicians, selected from the top agencies and institutions in the Solar System. She needed one hundred volunteers to expedite this project, and they would have a considerable head start.

For more than twenty years, one of her secret projects had been this very goal. She already had preliminary designs for the miniaturization of the sensory deprivation tech in Watcher Chambers. Those Chambers, though frequently updated in minor ways, could be viewed as somewhat antiquated. They allowed a Watcher to achieve a far deeper Trance than normal, empowering them to see distant star systems, rather than just Earth and the moon. But Renya had long felt that such effects shouldn't require a full body rig, at least not indefinitely. Full brain-scanning technology wasn't quite ready for such miniaturization, but there would be times when that wouldn't matter. With the potential for new breakthroughs in what a Watcher might be capable of, allowing them to enhance their powers at any time might save lives. Recording footage for others to study was no longer the only role they could play. Empowering a Watcher to help distract Lamia without first running to their Chamber would justify this endeavor all on its own.

Privately, and without any official backing, Renya hadn't designed a working prototype, but her notes and sketches were a labor of love. She shared these with her team, and in mere minutes she had more than enough volunteers. She passed over some who'd be more useful sticking with the more vital research related to Elpis, and soon she'd selected her hundred. She authorized them to appropriate any equipment and funding not already dedicated to studying Elpis. Doublechecking her department's budget, she threw in the promise of substantial bonuses based on how quickly the Implants could start production.

Duri-22 loved the rush brought on by MD-Δ. Not all of the others experienced the same sensation. Fawzia instantly felt an uncomfortable pressure in her head. Niko barely felt different at all while using it. But for Duri, the drug developed by the late Samantha Gross was a very good feeling. Vaguely like a caffeine high without any jitters, it filled him with excitement, anticipation, and optimism.

Too bad the last part vanished the instant his awareness reached his destination. No optimism could survive Watching this place.

Of only moderate power, Duri had never before been able to Watch Elpis. There was so much for him to study on this world, but he'd needed to go here first. The disgusting stream, the crumbling concrete, the bits of flesh and bone, he'd seen the recordings many times. But this was the first time he could Watch personally, with full control of his perspective and the freedom to examine specific details. It had rained a second time since Klaus had been murdered, but not heavily enough to wash away everything. Duri marveled that the small alien animals of this world had never fed on these remains. Thinking back, none of the Watcher footage of this area ever showed animals, or even the local varieties of insect analogues. Perhaps, whatever made this place special to Lamia also kept wildlife away. Alternatively, it was possible she preferred this place because something else kept animals and insects away.

Or maybe… local wildlife could sense Lamia's presence, and stayed away. That would be especially useful to know. While Watchers and the Unwanted could see the murderous little girl, normal humans couldn't. But this idea felt unlikely, as it would require that every non-human species could see her. Duri needed to learn more.

Doing his painful duty, Duri sought out better imagery of specific details that held his attention in earlier vids. This especially included the severed hand. Viewing it up close stabbed him to the heart, further dampening the excitement and wellbeing produced by MD-Δ. Of all the Watchers, Duri's background in science gave him the best instincts for what data and imagery could help the brilliant minds studying such footage. He zoomed in very close to the point where the hand had been severed.

It's a cleaner cut than I realized. Most of the medical team figured a closer look would reveal the wound to be jagged. Most of the other remains are badly shredded, even mangled. The prevalence of those thorn-like fangs littering the area, even piercing many of the scattered body parts, had suggested the method of Klaus-21's murder had been chaotic. Being torn apart by numerous thin stabbing instruments would have involved ripping and shredding, with very few clean cuts…

Duri suspected that bile rose up in his real body at this thought, but he forced himself to be professional and detached. Yes, his dearest friend had been killed. Yes, his death had clearly been horrific. But if Duri hoped for justice, and for others to avoid a similar fate, he needed to do his part as a logical and impartial observer. He wasn't the person to make major breakthroughs in Watching, and he certainly wouldn't be the one to kill Lamia. But he could be their best field researcher.

After shifting his perspective several times and even flipping his view upside down to record the wound from every angle, he moved on to other items of interest. He wasn't specifically a forensics expert, and thus was unlikely to draw meaningful conclusions of his own. But he nevertheless was quick and efficient at getting better footage of key elements of the surroundings and remains.

Duri was so focused on a cluster of barbed fangs that he almost didn't notice the small boat approaching from upstream. It took a muffled cough to catch his attention, and he looked up with a start. He recognized the boat from the footage of 21's final Watch, the first object a Watcher had ever successfully interacted with. As expected, Lamia was in the boat, along with a boy of perhaps thirteen. Duri had seen her for less than a second before her eyes widened and he felt the sensation of being Watched.

His mental discipline and cultivated emotional detachment saved him. He'd gone into this Watch with a very clear plan of what he would do if Lamia arrived, and he took action immediately. Rather than cancel his Watch, he took a risk for the sake of learning something about their enemy.

His perspective shot deep underground, then raced away at high speed. Watchers almost never did this, as it left them blind when their entire purpose was to observe. But this also meant that Lamia would have a difficult time Watching him in return. Unless her unique powers could pierce twenty meters of dirt and rock…

As Duri had hoped, the sensation of being Watched vanished. For all her power, this girl couldn't see through opaque obstructions.

The Watchers had unanimously agreed with Charlotte's suggestion that special protocols be instituted to improve their chances of intervening on behalf of the Unwanted. The moment any Watcher's brain showed signs of being Watched, an alert would signal Charlotte, Anya, and Peng, sending them the coordinates. These three were under strict orders to prioritize their own safety, but whenever possible, they would try to interfere with Lamia's murders. Charlotte was the sort of true idealist who wouldn't think twice before risking her life for a stranger, even knowing her own value to humanity. Anya hated the thought of people being treated as disposable, and was thrilled to finally feel useful. And Peng? He probably just wanted to inconvenience Klaus-21's killer. For him, snatching away one of Lamia's victims was more to spite her than for the sake of an Unwanted.

Ideally, the three of them together could keep Lamia scattered and off balance, without enough time and attention to attempt an abduction. But since they didn't really understand how she'd physically transported Klaus seventy lightyears, Duri couldn't stop himself from worrying.

But Duri lacked Charlotte's power, Anya's competitive instincts, or Peng's vengeful rage. More importantly, his observational skills made him too valuable at gathering data to spend time in a risky dance with the enemy. As for Niko, no one would allow the kid to endanger himself, not now that three more Watchers had gained the ability to see this far. No matter how much Niko wanted to face the same dangers as the others, he was forbidden to project his mind anywhere near the site of 21's death.

Elevating his perspective above ground, Duri corrected his course, heading toward the last town Klaus had Watched before his death. Niko was likely already there.

Poor old Fawzia would be single-handedly answering any emergency Watch requests from the Solar System, since she still couldn't Watch Elpis, at least not yet. Even with MD-Δ in her system, trying to project her mind this far consistently made her black out from the pain. So far, only Niko had learned to use that level of pain to enhance a Watch, though Peng was getting some value out of much lower levels of discomfort. Especially when he blends it with anger. Curious that anger doesn't enhance Niko…

Duri never would have expected Peng to make a major breakthrough in Watching, but he had. The earliest Watchers and the scientists and doctors supporting them had quickly determined that a serene calm strengthened the Trance. Most of the research in the sixty-five years since had focused on improving that mental state and aiding it technologically. Charlotte and Klaus had broken new ground, but only to a point. They'd developed mental techniques for pushing themselves hard without breaking their serenity. But the murder of dear Klaus had changed so much. Everyone was now so driven, and they were trying things that had never worked before. Niko's ability to power his Watching with agony, and Peng's ability to draw on anger, flew in the face of all that had come before.

Perhaps, while conventional techniques can work for all Watchers, each individual may also have their own alternatives? If that was the case, might there be some method for Duri to improve?

For now, such musings would have to wait. Duri reached the town he sought, and with a quick check of his coordinates, he found the right house. He lowered his awareness through the roof, and looked down upon the largest room.

Much was the same as when Klaus had Watched this household. Six versions of the same boy, all of different ages, went about their routines. Without the ability to properly learn or integrate new data, they tended to repeat activities they had once loved. Several read books they'd enjoyed prior to becoming Unwanted, or they worked on school assignments they'd completed many times before. The most glaring and tragic difference was in the northeast corner of the room. That area was quiet and empty. Stacks of papers were arrayed on a desk in a way that almost resembled a shrine. The walls of that corner were now decorated with many photographs of the five-year-old version of this boy.

Duri noted a small, hazy orb moving about the room. That would be Niko's perspective. To Niko, who possessed far greater power, Duri would appear more distinct. It was comforting to know that another Watcher was here. The brief sensation of being Watched confirmed that Niko had "looked" his way. As this meeting was planned, it shouldn't trigger an alert to the other Watchers.

The man of the house entered the room. He paused briefly to look upon the pictures of his missing son, then he went about checking on those who remained. The infant version needed a new diaper, and looked like he might have a cold, so the father got to work. "Maximus!" he called out. "The First will take a bit of my time! Could you check on the others?"

An athletic young man, perhaps nineteen or twenty, jogged into the room. It was clear that this was the current version of the boy, as he had no difficulty navigating the room and checking on his younger selves. "I'll lead the Fifth to the bathroom. The others are alright for now." The young man was solid, strong, and confident, which was no surprise considering the athletic drive shown by the two versions that came prior to him. But he was also gentle and very patient. I'd guess the current Maximus at any given time helps care for the younger versions, especially with his mother uninterested in doing so.

Maximus slowly led his eleven-year-old self out of the room. The boy occasionally looked bewildered, particularly when he glimpsed older versions of himself. But he smiled with recognition as he passed his younger versions. Niko's perspective remained with the greater number, so Duri followed the current Maximus and his Fifth Unwanted.

When they reached the bathroom, which was virtually unfurnished and spotlessly clean, Maximus waited outside. So, Duri thought, with a very simple environment that hasn't changed, the Unwanted can function reasonably well. It's the new, the complex, or the unfamiliar that eludes them. Conversation is "new" almost by definition, which explains why Unwanted so rarely speak. Now that I think of it… the only footage of Unwanted talking is from the disgusting place where Klaus was killed…

Moving his perspective farther down the hallway, Duri passed through a curtain and reached the master bedroom. Half of the room was barren. One of the two closets was empty, and the large bed had only seen recent use on one side. So, the wife no longer lives here. Based on the footage in Klaus-21's last Watch, it's likely that she was the one who handed over the five-year-old Maximus to Lamia. So, she did that against the father's will, and he threw her out. With so many children to look after, it's a very good thing the current Maximus is so willing to care for his younger selves.

Examining the room in detail, Duri began to get a complete picture of this family. He was especially skilled at placing his perspective so precisely that he could even read loosely stacked papers. A firmly closed book left no room for observation, but old family documents were often a different story. And a Watcher's projected awareness didn't actually depend on light to "see." With exceptionally high reading speed, Duri was able to take the time to peruse what he found, rather than just skimming it to get footage.

Leonidus Angelos had been twelve when the colony fleet arrived at Elpis. Zelia, the girl who would one day become his wife, had been among the very first children born after landing. Does this mean she was one of the first colonists to become Unwanted? Continuing to search, Duri found references to only two Unwanted versions of Leo, though surely there had been more over the course of thirty-four years. Duri couldn't find anything conclusive regarding what had happened to them. Leo had followed in the footsteps of his parents, and grew wealthy as one of the best doctors in the colony. This had made caring for his growing number of Unwanted children financially manageable, but his wife had never approved. Her experiences as one of the first children to grow up in that world might explain her bitter, selfish outlook. From the footage Klaus recorded of that woman, she makes Peng seem cuddly and selfless.

The bathroom door opened, and Maximus called out, "I'm going to take the Fifth for a short walk!"

"Don't go far," Leo replied. "Some of the neighbors are still bitter about Zelia's eviction."

Duri shifted his perspective to the front yard in time to see Maximus lead his younger self outside. The eleven-year-old blinked in the bright sun, but he also smiled. Hand in hand with his current self, he made his way slowly down the street. Duri stayed ahead of him, and observed his reactions. He did seem a bit overwhelmed and confused, but he also showed clear wonder at the beautiful day.

"Oh that's pathetic!"

Maximus spun, though his younger self didn't seem to notice the scornful words. Duri focused on the speaker. A tall man walking a large dog, he was accompanied by a man and woman who each carried baseball bats. They held them at the ready, clearly as defensive weapons. Considering the unstable, narcissistic society of this world, Duri wasn't surprised to see people ready for trouble.

The tall man spoke again. "You're walking your trash? You and your weak father still refuse to clean up after yourselves?"

Maximus stepped between his younger self and his three threatening neighbors. "He's like my little brother. And this isn't your business."

"Really?" That was the woman. "Zelia told me a thing or two about your rotten father, who threw her out on the street when her only crime was to clean up one of your worthless castoffs."

Eyes darting from his home to the three threats, Maximus clearly concluded that he couldn't get his Fifth version home fast enough. He put himself between his younger "brother" and the neighbors, rose to his full impressive height, and stood strong. "I don't want trouble. Get lost."

The man who hadn't spoken yet laughed. "If you're dirtying up our neighborhood, it absolutely is our business! I think I'll do you a favor…"

Maximus took a step forward. "Don't! Please don't!"

"Lamia! Lamia! I call to you!"

Niko-29 marveled at the strength of the fourteen-year-old version of Maximus. Just two years older than Niko, he could do handstand pushups with perfect form. Niko might be very tough for his age, but he certainly couldn't duplicate something like–

A roar of rage bordering on hatred brought Niko's perspective whirling around. It came from outside, and it sounded like Maximus. Projecting his awareness through the walls until he could see the street out front, he beheld a sight that surely had his heart pounding back on earth.

Maximus charged toward three people. A man and a woman each held baseball bats, and a taller man had a large dog on a leash. Unarmed, Max showed no hint of doubt or fear. His face showed only rage.

The taller man let go of his leash, and the dog rushed forward, snarling. Without breaking stride, Maximus dealt the animal a kick so fierce it sent the dog sprawling. The sight brought shock and alarm to all three of his opponents, and Max used that fleeting delay to the full. He caught the man's bat while he was still drawing it back, and with his free hand, Max dealt such a powerful punch Niko heard bones crack. The man went down, dropping his bat.

The woman swung. Maximus brought up his right arm, blocking the strike with a wince. He then grabbed the bat with his left hand and spun away, wrenching it free. The tall man struck, thudding one punch uselessly into Max's stomach, proving he knew very little about his opponent. But his next strike connected with Max's chin. Still off-balance from his spin, Maximus went down, his stolen bat flying from his grip, just as the dog rushed in, snarling.

The crack of a rifle tore through the air, and the dog howled, thrashing on the ground with bloody holes on either side of its body. Niko spun his perspective yet again.

Max's father stood at his doorway, rifle raised, ready to fire. It wasn't a gauss weapon, as fusion technology hadn't been sufficiently miniaturized when the Elpis colony fleet had left earth. But it was still an advanced and deadly weapon, likely the pinnacle of what old-style chemically-propelled firearms could manage. "My son hates violence. For him to attack the three of you, there can be only one reason: You tried to summon Lamia, and he had to interrupt you."

The dog's thrashing fell still, while the man Max had punched finally got to his feet. None dared speak.

"I thought so. You three tried to murder my Fifth son, handing him over to the invisible monster that plagues our world. If my boy had been any slower to react, his Fifth might even now be facing death, alone in the wilderness." He took several steps closer. "Tell me… Why shouldn't I gun you all down right here and now?"

Max rose to his feet, bringing his left hand to his bruised jaw, and looking at his right arm. The limb was badly bruised from stopping the bat, and at least one of the fingers of his right hand was broken.

The woman finally answered. "Because it's not murder!" She pointed at the Fifth version of Max, who stood completely still, dumbfounded and overwhelmed. "That useless thing is not legally alive. At best you could argue that we attempted vandalism, not–"

The rifle cracked again, and the woman screamed as a bit of her left ear vanished.

"Try again," Leo ordered, voice frightfully calm, rifle barrel steady. "You intended to summon a monster to kill my boy. Why should I let you live?"

The woman held a hand to her ear, while the tall man stared at his dead dog. The other man finally spoke through gritted teeth, as his jaw was broken. "You should let us live… because we won't try this again."

The father shouldered his rifle. "Good answer. Remember, Atlas, I saved your life years ago. Without that surgery–"

"That wasn't me," the man insisted. "You saved someone who later became Unwanted."

"An idiot's argument," Leo spat, his calm giving way to open disgust. "Empty rhetoric from loathsome, mindless propaganda. If he had died, you never would have existed."

Maximus whispered a threat that Niko couldn't quite hear, and Atlas took a step back.

Leo shouted, "Go home!"

Leaving their baseball bats and the carcass of the attack dog, the three turned and scattered. Niko saw Duri's projected mind follow them. Most of the others could only see a hazy blur when they saw another Watcher's mind. For Charlotte and Niko though, it was much more distinct. What he saw resembled Duri, but it wasn't exact. Niko guessed this was how Duri imagined himself. A little taller, somewhat more slim, face free of the pockmarks from the childhood disease that had nearly killed him and his siblings. His olive skin was slightly darker too, to more closely resemble the majority population of his hometown on Mars.

While Duri pursued the would-be murderers, Niko remained with Maximus. The confrontation surely had Niko's real heart pounding, and he expected a full-blown panic attack to end his Watch soon. Maximus ran toward his Fifth version, lifting the boy in a full embrace despite how much his broken finger must hurt. Then, carrying him, Maximus ran back indoors.

So… those people wanted Lamia to take away this boy… What a disgusting world…

Then Niko's Trance broke, his Watch ended, and he found himself in his Chamber, shaking and hyperventilating.